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geekystudmuffin2009-01-11 09:02 pm
severity-softly.livejournal.com) wrote in geekystudmuffin2009-01-11 09:02 pm
The Place You Least Expect (2/3), Reid/Rossi, NC-17
Title: The Place You Least Expect (2/3)
Authors:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
innerslytherin and severity_softly
Pairing: Reid/Rossi
Rating: NC-17
Summary: "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you." ~ William Arthur Ward
Word count: ~25,000
Warning/Kink: Highlight between stars to read: * rimming *
Notes: RP format. Self-betaed, so feel free to point out any errors we may have missed. We wrote this over the fall (so if it contradicts recent canon anywhere, that's why), and is the beginning of a series, the second part of which has already been posted because it was seasonal. :3 This is the first part, which explains how they got together. :) (See note in part 1/3 for universe info.)
PART ONE
Dave spent Sunday working around the house, cleaning and doing some little chores he'd been meaning to do for ages. He needed something to keep his hands occupied, something that would occasionally demand his whole concentration. There wasn't enough of that to keep him from thinking about Spencer, though, and the end result was that even when he took Muchie out for a jog, he was miserable.
When Monday morning rolled around, he thought about staying in bed. They had outstanding cases, but maybe Aaron would give him a personal day. As soon as he realized he was seriously considering hiding from Spencer, his pride kicked him out of bed. He dragged himself to the shower and through the motions of getting to work.
When he walked into the bullpen, he found himself automatically looking for Spencer, and realized he'd been doing that for weeks now. I'm an idiot, he thought, and headed for his office without even stopping for coffee.
Reid was angry. No. Angry would be an understatement. He was furious. Of all the reactions he'd expected and/or hoped for when he'd decided to see what happened if he pushed his attraction a little bit, the reaction Dave had wasn't even one that Reid had considered. After as far as they'd come in their friendship, Dave still saw him as a kid. Not only that, a kid with a schoolboy crush! One who was attracted to Dave for who everyone thought Dave was rather than who Dave really was... a total and complete bastard, Reid thought unhappily as Dave walked past Reid's desk to his office.
Reid watched Dave go, and waited for him to be well away from the bullpen before he went to get his own coffee, seething silently. Oh, this was going to be hard. Reid told himself to focus. He couldn't afford--neither of them could--to let this affect their working relationship or their jobs. Reid went back to his desk and willed the warmth of his coffee to relax him.
When they were all called into the conference room about a consultation later that day, Reid still sat near Dave, but when Prentiss offered to go look over the last crime scene, Reid immediately volunteered to go with her. It earned him a too interested glance from Hotch, but Hotch didn't argue.
Dave wasn't surprised that Spencer didn't want to work with him. Aaron had noticed, of course, but Dave made his voice placid when he said he would go over victimology with Morgan. Maybe he could deflect Aaron's interest away from their falling-out. Probably not, but it was worth a try.
He had trouble concentrating, until Morgan finally told him to go get some coffee and stop grouching at him. Then he straightened up and settled into the work. Late in the afternoon, the team reassembled, and Aaron asked Dave if he would talk to the local police. Dave nodded and glanced at Spencer, wondering if he would accompany him for the sake of keeping this between them.
Reid didn't look back. He just started in on going over some of what he and Prentiss had found at the last crime scene for the team. Hotch didn't ask Reid to go with Dave after that, and Reid was disappointed, but ultimately unsurprised, that Hotch called him into his office after the consult was over and everyone was getting ready to go home. "Yeah?" he murmured, stepping inside.
Hotch looked up from his desk and motioned for Reid to sit. "You've been doing great work lately, Reid," he said quietly. "You've always done good work, but I've seen you stretching yourself lately. I'm impressed."
Reid's eyebrows lifted. "Thanks," he said, but he really didn't expect this to be about praise. "Should I shut this?" he said, his hand still on the door.
"It might be best." Hotch pushed his work aside, folding his hands on his desk.
Reid nodded, and it was what he expected, but his heart sank a little. He shut the door and crossed the room to sit opposite Hotch, then lifted his eyebrows again in question. "What's up?"
"Is everything all right?" Hotch asked, watching him.
Reid didn't react. He really couldn't. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"You've been working with Dave a lot lately. I noticed you deliberately worked with Prentiss on this one." Hotch didn't look away.
"It's important not to become too entrenched with one person. It can start to affect your objectivity," Reid said, forcing himself to sit still. "Diversity of intellectual stimulation is important. You know that."
"Reid." Hotch gave him a look that said he knew exactly what Reid was doing. "Have you and Dave had a falling out of some sort?"
Reid finally couldn't help but shift in his seat. "I can still do my job," he said.
"That's not the question I asked," Hotch said. His brows drew together. "Reid, please, I care about my team. If something's happened..."
"Hotch," Reid said, and his tone was slightly pleading. "Yes, something's happened, but I'll get over it. And so will he."
Hotch's frown deepened. "I know he can be...insensitive." He paused, then went on. "Reid, Dave didn't cross a line, did he?"
"No." Reid looked away, frowning at the carpet for a moment. "I, ah..." He swallowed. "I think I did, but it doesn't matter."
Hotch sat back in his chair. "You think you did?" he repeated, his tone surprised.
Reid scratched at his temple out of nervous energy. "Is this really necessary?"
Hotch sighed. "I don't want to see you and Dave avoiding each other," he said after a moment. "If you can assure me that won't happen again..."
Reid's frown deepened. "No chance in hell," he muttered.
Hotch looked up at him again. "You'll stop avoiding him?" He glanced at the door, as if to reassure himself it was still shut, then said quietly, "Reid, fraternization rules aside, I don't give a damn who these team members get involved with. What I do give a damn about is that my team continues to function. You and Dave are two of the finest people I know, and whatever personal issues exist between you, that's your business. But it can't bleed into your work." He stared at Reid until Reid looked up, then held his gaze.
Reid's lips parted, and he stared at Hotch for a long moment, trying to wrap his head around what Hotch was saying. Hotch didn't care if he and Dave were interested in each other, or even acting on it--not that that was even a possibility now--as long as it didn't disrupt the team? Reid swallowed and lifted his eyebrows. "Understood," he said, almost too lightly, because he didn't necessarily like feeling like he was being reprimanded, but he couldn't argue with anything Hotch was saying regardless.
Hotch looked at him a moment longer, then nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said, looking back down at his desk.
God, Reid felt like he'd just been to the principle's office. He nodded and stood. "Yeah, see you," he said, and headed out. He slung his bag over his shoulder at his desk, and walked out to the elevator, where he found Dave waiting. He stared straight ahead, rocking on the balls of his feet a moment, then glanced around them. No one was in earshot.
"The maximum capacity of that elevator is only 2,500 pounds," he said. "I know I've seen you take it before, but I worry that repeatedly supporting the weight of your ego, over time, might cause the cables to weaken anyway." The elevator doors dinged open and Reid looked at Dave. "I think I'll take the stairs," he said, and started off the other direction.
Dave's mouth fell open. "Son-of-a-bitch," he muttered, and left the elevator doors standing open as he went after Spencer. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, more loudly, though he still didn't raise his voice much. "Spencer."
Reid didn't turn around, he just pulled open the door to the stairwell and started heading down, feeling slightly relieved when the door shut after him.
"Damn it, Spencer," Dave muttered, and followed. "Are you running away, or did you just not mean that the other day?" he asked.
"Not mean what?" Reid asked, though he slowed in spite of himself because it appeared Dave wasn't going to stop following him.
Dave sighed. "You know damn well what I mean," he said. He wasn't going to say out loud that Spencer had hit on him. Not in this building.
Reid stopped and turned around, glaring, but lowering his voice to a whisper. "A lot was said the other day, Dave. But if you're talking about the fact that I said I liked you, is there any reason I would be this upset at your reaction if I hadn't meant it? And do I honestly strike you as the type to do that sort of thing without real interest? The thought terrifies me most of the time. It did terrify me. But it doesn't matter anymore, so let's just drop it." He turned back around and started down the stairs again.
"So you've changed your mind? Or suddenly you've decided you can't work with me? Come on, Spencer, quit walking away from me."
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't?" Reid snapped, not stopping.
Dave huffed a sigh. "Because maybe I was wrong," he retorted, completely unhappy about it.
Reid froze between two steps, and didn't move for a moment, completely surprised by the admission. Then he turned slowly and just stared at Dave, his expression muddled.
Dave scowled at him. "I...reacted hastily," he elaborated.
Reid straightened, but still didn't say anything. There was no chance in hell he was going to make this easy.
Dave's scowl deepened. "I'm not talking about this here." He didn't want to talk about it anywhere, but he also didn't want to lose what he had come to rely on without realizing it.
Reid stared at Dave for another long moment, and then shrugged. "Okay," he said, almost dismissively, and then started down the stairs again at an easy pace.
Dave stared after him. Okay? What the hell does that mean? He followed Reid down the stairs. "Okay what?" he demanded.
"Okay," Reid repeated. "Generally people take that as an agreement to what was said just before."
"Gee, thanks," Dave said. "Aren't you a joy to be around today. We need to talk about this."
Reid sighed and looked over at Dave when Dave caught up to him. "I know we do." He wasn't sure what to do, though. A neutral location seemed too public, and their respective residences seemed too private.
Dave nodded. "Do you want to get dinner?" He wasn't sure if they should discuss this in public, but he wasn't sure what else to suggest.
Reid looked at him, and then caught himself on the rail when he missed a step. "Coffee," he said, wanting to be able to escape quickly if needed. Dinner wouldn't afford that.
Dave had automatically reached out when he saw Spencer stumble, but then dropped his hand awkwardly without touching him. "All right. Coffee." He looked away. "Is there somewhere you'd prefer?"
Reid glanced down at Dave's hand, then back at the steps. "There's a place in Stafford, if you want to follow me."
"I need to make a stop on the way," Dave said, thinking. "Can you just give me an address?"
Reid frowned, but recalled the numbers on the front door of the coffee shop easily and rattled off the address. When he reached the next landing, he headed out of the stairwell and to the nearest elevator, where he pushed the button and got in with Dave.
As soon as Dave was in his truck, he flipped open his phone and hit Garcia's speed dial. It wasn't the most prudent solution, but it was the fastest, and he felt no guilt as he told her he'd forgotten his mother's birthday and needed the location of a flower shop between Quantico and Stafford. She offered to have flowers sent using the internet, but Dave played up his technophobe tendencies and got the location.
When he arrived at the coffee shop, he had acquired a dozen orange roses, which the girl had assured him meant what he wanted. He was uncertain about the idea of carrying them into the shop, but he suspected they would just wilt if he left them in his truck, so after a hesitation, he decided to risk it.
He stepped into the coffee shop, trying to hold the flowers casually, so no one would really think much about them, and looked around for Spencer.
Reid had been staring at the table, trying to decide what to say when Dave arrived. He was still a little angry at Dave, but after the drive here and the subsequent wait, he'd had time to admit to himself that acknowledging wrong-doing was a huge concession for Dave, so Reid was feeling a little torn. When he glanced up, the little door bell getting his attention, to see Dave walking in the shop with orange roses, Reid almost considered slipping under the table out of sheer nerves. He didn't, but his heart jumped into his throat anyway. Did Dave know what those were supposed to mean?
After a moment, he managed to clear his throat, and when that didn't get Dave's attention, he said Dave's name softly.
Dave was still feeling a little surly about being forced to apologize, but he felt better when he saw Spencer waiting for him. He walked over to the table and gave Spencer a sheepish smile. "Hope you haven't been waiting long."
"No," Reid said, shaking his head. "Are those for me?" he asked, which was probably a stupid question, but it also felt completely necessary.
Dave's smile widened. "They're definitely not for the barista," he said, sitting down across from him. "I'm told they mean what I want."
"That you don't want to be just my friend anymore?" Reid asked. Yellow roses were friendship, red were love, and orange was something in between--desire, passion, wanting to take a friendship beyond just friendship. Reid couldn't help but smile. "I, ah, um... I've never actually been given flowers before."
"She said they were, how did she put it?" Dave scratched his cheek. "A bridge between friendship and...more." He coughed and held them out over the table. "And she said something about desire."
Reid felt heat creep into his cheeks, and he took the roses, his heart giving a funny jolt. Dave hadn't given Reid any indication whatsoever that there might even be attraction underneath his arguments the other night. Spencer's anger was starting to ebb away quickly. "This isn't exactly fair. I can't be angry at you when you say things like that. I should still be mad at you."
Dave's lips quirked and he tilted his head. "She said flowers were good for that, too," he said, watching Spencer's face turn pink. "I spent all weekend telling myself I was a damned fool," he admitted quietly. "I've been trying not to underestimate you the way so many people do, and I turned out to be the worst of them."
"Only where it mattered," Reid said, but he couldn't manage anything more than an almost affectionate tone.
Dave snorted. "I was an ass. And I'm sorry." He hated apologizing. But he forced himself to hold Spencer's gaze as he said the words.
Reid looked at Dave for a long moment, a small smile forming on his lips. "Thanks," he said, then looked down, curling his fingers around his cup. "You're not going to freak out on me if I touch you now, right?" he asked, trying to hide the grin on his face.
"You know, if I'd been right, I would have been acting noble," Dave said, sliding his hand across the table to touch Spencer's. "Because I think you're beautiful and brilliant and fun, and I was trying not to take advantage of you."
Reid lifted a finger off his cup to brush the inside of Dave's palm. "But you were wrong." He slid his foot under the table to rest against Dave's, still stuck on the 'beautiful' and 'fun' part of what Dave said, but managing to smile and tilt his head at Dave anyway. "I ought to call the papers; might make the front page."
"It has happened before," Dave said defensively. "On very rare occasions." He sighed and curled his fingers around Spencer's. "I'm not entirely sure what you see in me," he confessed after a moment. "I am almost twice your age."
"Physically." Reid brushed his thumb along the inside of Dave's wrist, trying to ignore the thrill at touching Dave like this, trying not to just think about how much he really wanted to kiss Dave instead of holding his hand. "I think you're beautiful, and brilliant, and fun," he said softly.
Dave looked at him dubiously, but he didn't actually doubt Spencer. He couldn't. His reaction to being rejected by Dave had been too emotional, painful. "I've been divorced three times," Dave said, his voice almost a whisper. Spencer's thumb was sending shivers through him.
"I know." Reid swallowed and took a sip of his coffee. "I've never actually been with a man before," he admitted, matching Dave's tone.
Dave raised his eyebrows. "You...ah." His brain sort of stopped there, and he nodded. "Okay."
Reid's lips pulled to the side, and he gave Dave a curious look. "You sounded like you had more to say there," he pointed out, wanting to know what Dave was thinking.
"I'm not sure," Dave admitted. "I mean, I'm the first man you've, ah, been attracted to?"
Reid nodded, and then felt a flash of heat go through him. "God-- I didn't mean been with-- I-- well, that too, but-- Um," he whispered, and then cleared his throat to make himself stop talking.
Dave nodded slowly. "I've had a couple of casual affairs with men, a long time ago," he said quietly. "But I've never had a relationship with a man. You don't mind the flowers, do you?"
Reid glanced down at them, but he was still too embarrassed to quite manage a smile. "No, I like them." He brushed his hair behind his ear when it fell forward and shrugged. He thought maybe it was a little odd that he liked them, but no one had really ever done that sort of thing for him before. "I, ah..." He shrugged. "It's nice."
Dave smiled. "I'd offer to bake you cookies, but I'm shit at that sort of thing," he said. "Flowers, I can manage." He paused, studying Spencer's face. "You deserve things like that. Nice things."
Reid smiled softly. "Thanks," he said. After a moment, he leaned in a little. "Is it weird that I really like them?" he asked, then shook his head, dismissing it. "Did you actually want coffee?" He glanced at the coffee bar, then back.
Dave shrugged. "I don't really care about coffee. I just wanted you to talk to me."
Reid nodded and curled his fingers a little tighter around Dave's, then swallowed hard. "Can we go somewhere else then? I really only picked coffee because I wanted to be able to escape."
"In case I was an asshole again?" Dave said, his lips curling up.
"Basically, yeah." Reid smiled and gave Dave's hand a small tug.
Dave laughed and stood up, not letting go of Spencer's hand.
Reid's eyebrows went up and he moved a little closer, shielding their hand's for a moment between their bodies. "You're not-- you don't have to do this to prove anything to me," he breathed, holding the flowers against his stomach.
Dave looked down at the flowers. "If you don't want to be outed at your coffee shop, I completely understand," he said. "But I'm not doing anything to prove something. I'm doing things because I want to." He looked up and met Spencer's gaze. "Because you make me want to."
Reid held Dave's gaze, his lips parting, and then he dropped it and moved away again, not letting go of Dave's hand. He wasn't really sure whether he wanted to be 'outed' here, or anywhere for that matter, but he liked that Dave wanted to do this too much to make him stop.
Dave leaned in a little. "Besides," he murmured, "I have the feeling that showing up with a dozen roses for you might have given us away already."
Reid choked out a laugh, then chided himself for how nervous it sounded. "Yeah, maybe."
"So where are we going?" Dave asked as they headed out of the shop.
"I should probably put these in water," Reid said, his fingers going a little tighter on Dave's once they were outside. "You could follow me. On one condition."
Dave raised his eyebrows. "And what condition is that?"
"That no matter what you think of my apartment, you're not going to make remarks about my age again." Reid gave Dave a nervous look, and then pointed at the powder blue Volvo Amazon parked at the far end of the parking lot, away from all the other cars and traffic. "I'm just there."
Dave's eyebrows stayed up. "That car is almost as old as I am," he said mildly, and glanced at Spencer. "Maybe you have a fetish for old things."
"Mmn!" Reid sounded excitedly. "It has a fully functioning 8-track player!"
Dave laughed and shook his head. "I'm guessing your music selection is limited," he said, and gestured at his pickup, which they had almost reached. "Try not to drive so fast I can't keep up," he teased.
"I'm careful with it. I don't actually drive it very much; I was just running late this morning." Reid looked at Dave and saw the faint smile on his lips, and realized Dave was joking. He laughed softly. "I'll see you there," he murmured, then his heart fluttered for a moment at the idea of kissing Dave goodbye. Then he decided that was a bad idea for a first kiss and just squeezed Dave's hand and let go.
Dave followed Spencer's car out of the parking lot, asking himself the whole time if he knew what he was doing. Aaron was going to kill him, he was sure. But he thought it would be worth a dressing-down from Aaron if he could just keep making Spencer smile like that. He was relieved when they arrived at Spencer's apartment, because maybe he'd be able to drown out those concerns.
PART THREE
Authors:
innerslytherin and severity_softlyPairing: Reid/Rossi
Rating: NC-17
Summary: "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you." ~ William Arthur Ward
Word count: ~25,000
Warning/Kink: Highlight between stars to read: * rimming *
Notes: RP format. Self-betaed, so feel free to point out any errors we may have missed. We wrote this over the fall (so if it contradicts recent canon anywhere, that's why), and is the beginning of a series, the second part of which has already been posted because it was seasonal. :3 This is the first part, which explains how they got together. :) (See note in part 1/3 for universe info.)
PART ONE
Dave spent Sunday working around the house, cleaning and doing some little chores he'd been meaning to do for ages. He needed something to keep his hands occupied, something that would occasionally demand his whole concentration. There wasn't enough of that to keep him from thinking about Spencer, though, and the end result was that even when he took Muchie out for a jog, he was miserable.
When Monday morning rolled around, he thought about staying in bed. They had outstanding cases, but maybe Aaron would give him a personal day. As soon as he realized he was seriously considering hiding from Spencer, his pride kicked him out of bed. He dragged himself to the shower and through the motions of getting to work.
When he walked into the bullpen, he found himself automatically looking for Spencer, and realized he'd been doing that for weeks now. I'm an idiot, he thought, and headed for his office without even stopping for coffee.
Reid was angry. No. Angry would be an understatement. He was furious. Of all the reactions he'd expected and/or hoped for when he'd decided to see what happened if he pushed his attraction a little bit, the reaction Dave had wasn't even one that Reid had considered. After as far as they'd come in their friendship, Dave still saw him as a kid. Not only that, a kid with a schoolboy crush! One who was attracted to Dave for who everyone thought Dave was rather than who Dave really was... a total and complete bastard, Reid thought unhappily as Dave walked past Reid's desk to his office.
Reid watched Dave go, and waited for him to be well away from the bullpen before he went to get his own coffee, seething silently. Oh, this was going to be hard. Reid told himself to focus. He couldn't afford--neither of them could--to let this affect their working relationship or their jobs. Reid went back to his desk and willed the warmth of his coffee to relax him.
When they were all called into the conference room about a consultation later that day, Reid still sat near Dave, but when Prentiss offered to go look over the last crime scene, Reid immediately volunteered to go with her. It earned him a too interested glance from Hotch, but Hotch didn't argue.
Dave wasn't surprised that Spencer didn't want to work with him. Aaron had noticed, of course, but Dave made his voice placid when he said he would go over victimology with Morgan. Maybe he could deflect Aaron's interest away from their falling-out. Probably not, but it was worth a try.
He had trouble concentrating, until Morgan finally told him to go get some coffee and stop grouching at him. Then he straightened up and settled into the work. Late in the afternoon, the team reassembled, and Aaron asked Dave if he would talk to the local police. Dave nodded and glanced at Spencer, wondering if he would accompany him for the sake of keeping this between them.
Reid didn't look back. He just started in on going over some of what he and Prentiss had found at the last crime scene for the team. Hotch didn't ask Reid to go with Dave after that, and Reid was disappointed, but ultimately unsurprised, that Hotch called him into his office after the consult was over and everyone was getting ready to go home. "Yeah?" he murmured, stepping inside.
Hotch looked up from his desk and motioned for Reid to sit. "You've been doing great work lately, Reid," he said quietly. "You've always done good work, but I've seen you stretching yourself lately. I'm impressed."
Reid's eyebrows lifted. "Thanks," he said, but he really didn't expect this to be about praise. "Should I shut this?" he said, his hand still on the door.
"It might be best." Hotch pushed his work aside, folding his hands on his desk.
Reid nodded, and it was what he expected, but his heart sank a little. He shut the door and crossed the room to sit opposite Hotch, then lifted his eyebrows again in question. "What's up?"
"Is everything all right?" Hotch asked, watching him.
Reid didn't react. He really couldn't. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"You've been working with Dave a lot lately. I noticed you deliberately worked with Prentiss on this one." Hotch didn't look away.
"It's important not to become too entrenched with one person. It can start to affect your objectivity," Reid said, forcing himself to sit still. "Diversity of intellectual stimulation is important. You know that."
"Reid." Hotch gave him a look that said he knew exactly what Reid was doing. "Have you and Dave had a falling out of some sort?"
Reid finally couldn't help but shift in his seat. "I can still do my job," he said.
"That's not the question I asked," Hotch said. His brows drew together. "Reid, please, I care about my team. If something's happened..."
"Hotch," Reid said, and his tone was slightly pleading. "Yes, something's happened, but I'll get over it. And so will he."
Hotch's frown deepened. "I know he can be...insensitive." He paused, then went on. "Reid, Dave didn't cross a line, did he?"
"No." Reid looked away, frowning at the carpet for a moment. "I, ah..." He swallowed. "I think I did, but it doesn't matter."
Hotch sat back in his chair. "You think you did?" he repeated, his tone surprised.
Reid scratched at his temple out of nervous energy. "Is this really necessary?"
Hotch sighed. "I don't want to see you and Dave avoiding each other," he said after a moment. "If you can assure me that won't happen again..."
Reid's frown deepened. "No chance in hell," he muttered.
Hotch looked up at him again. "You'll stop avoiding him?" He glanced at the door, as if to reassure himself it was still shut, then said quietly, "Reid, fraternization rules aside, I don't give a damn who these team members get involved with. What I do give a damn about is that my team continues to function. You and Dave are two of the finest people I know, and whatever personal issues exist between you, that's your business. But it can't bleed into your work." He stared at Reid until Reid looked up, then held his gaze.
Reid's lips parted, and he stared at Hotch for a long moment, trying to wrap his head around what Hotch was saying. Hotch didn't care if he and Dave were interested in each other, or even acting on it--not that that was even a possibility now--as long as it didn't disrupt the team? Reid swallowed and lifted his eyebrows. "Understood," he said, almost too lightly, because he didn't necessarily like feeling like he was being reprimanded, but he couldn't argue with anything Hotch was saying regardless.
Hotch looked at him a moment longer, then nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said, looking back down at his desk.
God, Reid felt like he'd just been to the principle's office. He nodded and stood. "Yeah, see you," he said, and headed out. He slung his bag over his shoulder at his desk, and walked out to the elevator, where he found Dave waiting. He stared straight ahead, rocking on the balls of his feet a moment, then glanced around them. No one was in earshot.
"The maximum capacity of that elevator is only 2,500 pounds," he said. "I know I've seen you take it before, but I worry that repeatedly supporting the weight of your ego, over time, might cause the cables to weaken anyway." The elevator doors dinged open and Reid looked at Dave. "I think I'll take the stairs," he said, and started off the other direction.
Dave's mouth fell open. "Son-of-a-bitch," he muttered, and left the elevator doors standing open as he went after Spencer. "Look, I'm sorry," he said, more loudly, though he still didn't raise his voice much. "Spencer."
Reid didn't turn around, he just pulled open the door to the stairwell and started heading down, feeling slightly relieved when the door shut after him.
"Damn it, Spencer," Dave muttered, and followed. "Are you running away, or did you just not mean that the other day?" he asked.
"Not mean what?" Reid asked, though he slowed in spite of himself because it appeared Dave wasn't going to stop following him.
Dave sighed. "You know damn well what I mean," he said. He wasn't going to say out loud that Spencer had hit on him. Not in this building.
Reid stopped and turned around, glaring, but lowering his voice to a whisper. "A lot was said the other day, Dave. But if you're talking about the fact that I said I liked you, is there any reason I would be this upset at your reaction if I hadn't meant it? And do I honestly strike you as the type to do that sort of thing without real interest? The thought terrifies me most of the time. It did terrify me. But it doesn't matter anymore, so let's just drop it." He turned back around and started down the stairs again.
"So you've changed your mind? Or suddenly you've decided you can't work with me? Come on, Spencer, quit walking away from me."
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't?" Reid snapped, not stopping.
Dave huffed a sigh. "Because maybe I was wrong," he retorted, completely unhappy about it.
Reid froze between two steps, and didn't move for a moment, completely surprised by the admission. Then he turned slowly and just stared at Dave, his expression muddled.
Dave scowled at him. "I...reacted hastily," he elaborated.
Reid straightened, but still didn't say anything. There was no chance in hell he was going to make this easy.
Dave's scowl deepened. "I'm not talking about this here." He didn't want to talk about it anywhere, but he also didn't want to lose what he had come to rely on without realizing it.
Reid stared at Dave for another long moment, and then shrugged. "Okay," he said, almost dismissively, and then started down the stairs again at an easy pace.
Dave stared after him. Okay? What the hell does that mean? He followed Reid down the stairs. "Okay what?" he demanded.
"Okay," Reid repeated. "Generally people take that as an agreement to what was said just before."
"Gee, thanks," Dave said. "Aren't you a joy to be around today. We need to talk about this."
Reid sighed and looked over at Dave when Dave caught up to him. "I know we do." He wasn't sure what to do, though. A neutral location seemed too public, and their respective residences seemed too private.
Dave nodded. "Do you want to get dinner?" He wasn't sure if they should discuss this in public, but he wasn't sure what else to suggest.
Reid looked at him, and then caught himself on the rail when he missed a step. "Coffee," he said, wanting to be able to escape quickly if needed. Dinner wouldn't afford that.
Dave had automatically reached out when he saw Spencer stumble, but then dropped his hand awkwardly without touching him. "All right. Coffee." He looked away. "Is there somewhere you'd prefer?"
Reid glanced down at Dave's hand, then back at the steps. "There's a place in Stafford, if you want to follow me."
"I need to make a stop on the way," Dave said, thinking. "Can you just give me an address?"
Reid frowned, but recalled the numbers on the front door of the coffee shop easily and rattled off the address. When he reached the next landing, he headed out of the stairwell and to the nearest elevator, where he pushed the button and got in with Dave.
As soon as Dave was in his truck, he flipped open his phone and hit Garcia's speed dial. It wasn't the most prudent solution, but it was the fastest, and he felt no guilt as he told her he'd forgotten his mother's birthday and needed the location of a flower shop between Quantico and Stafford. She offered to have flowers sent using the internet, but Dave played up his technophobe tendencies and got the location.
When he arrived at the coffee shop, he had acquired a dozen orange roses, which the girl had assured him meant what he wanted. He was uncertain about the idea of carrying them into the shop, but he suspected they would just wilt if he left them in his truck, so after a hesitation, he decided to risk it.
He stepped into the coffee shop, trying to hold the flowers casually, so no one would really think much about them, and looked around for Spencer.
Reid had been staring at the table, trying to decide what to say when Dave arrived. He was still a little angry at Dave, but after the drive here and the subsequent wait, he'd had time to admit to himself that acknowledging wrong-doing was a huge concession for Dave, so Reid was feeling a little torn. When he glanced up, the little door bell getting his attention, to see Dave walking in the shop with orange roses, Reid almost considered slipping under the table out of sheer nerves. He didn't, but his heart jumped into his throat anyway. Did Dave know what those were supposed to mean?
After a moment, he managed to clear his throat, and when that didn't get Dave's attention, he said Dave's name softly.
Dave was still feeling a little surly about being forced to apologize, but he felt better when he saw Spencer waiting for him. He walked over to the table and gave Spencer a sheepish smile. "Hope you haven't been waiting long."
"No," Reid said, shaking his head. "Are those for me?" he asked, which was probably a stupid question, but it also felt completely necessary.
Dave's smile widened. "They're definitely not for the barista," he said, sitting down across from him. "I'm told they mean what I want."
"That you don't want to be just my friend anymore?" Reid asked. Yellow roses were friendship, red were love, and orange was something in between--desire, passion, wanting to take a friendship beyond just friendship. Reid couldn't help but smile. "I, ah, um... I've never actually been given flowers before."
"She said they were, how did she put it?" Dave scratched his cheek. "A bridge between friendship and...more." He coughed and held them out over the table. "And she said something about desire."
Reid felt heat creep into his cheeks, and he took the roses, his heart giving a funny jolt. Dave hadn't given Reid any indication whatsoever that there might even be attraction underneath his arguments the other night. Spencer's anger was starting to ebb away quickly. "This isn't exactly fair. I can't be angry at you when you say things like that. I should still be mad at you."
Dave's lips quirked and he tilted his head. "She said flowers were good for that, too," he said, watching Spencer's face turn pink. "I spent all weekend telling myself I was a damned fool," he admitted quietly. "I've been trying not to underestimate you the way so many people do, and I turned out to be the worst of them."
"Only where it mattered," Reid said, but he couldn't manage anything more than an almost affectionate tone.
Dave snorted. "I was an ass. And I'm sorry." He hated apologizing. But he forced himself to hold Spencer's gaze as he said the words.
Reid looked at Dave for a long moment, a small smile forming on his lips. "Thanks," he said, then looked down, curling his fingers around his cup. "You're not going to freak out on me if I touch you now, right?" he asked, trying to hide the grin on his face.
"You know, if I'd been right, I would have been acting noble," Dave said, sliding his hand across the table to touch Spencer's. "Because I think you're beautiful and brilliant and fun, and I was trying not to take advantage of you."
Reid lifted a finger off his cup to brush the inside of Dave's palm. "But you were wrong." He slid his foot under the table to rest against Dave's, still stuck on the 'beautiful' and 'fun' part of what Dave said, but managing to smile and tilt his head at Dave anyway. "I ought to call the papers; might make the front page."
"It has happened before," Dave said defensively. "On very rare occasions." He sighed and curled his fingers around Spencer's. "I'm not entirely sure what you see in me," he confessed after a moment. "I am almost twice your age."
"Physically." Reid brushed his thumb along the inside of Dave's wrist, trying to ignore the thrill at touching Dave like this, trying not to just think about how much he really wanted to kiss Dave instead of holding his hand. "I think you're beautiful, and brilliant, and fun," he said softly.
Dave looked at him dubiously, but he didn't actually doubt Spencer. He couldn't. His reaction to being rejected by Dave had been too emotional, painful. "I've been divorced three times," Dave said, his voice almost a whisper. Spencer's thumb was sending shivers through him.
"I know." Reid swallowed and took a sip of his coffee. "I've never actually been with a man before," he admitted, matching Dave's tone.
Dave raised his eyebrows. "You...ah." His brain sort of stopped there, and he nodded. "Okay."
Reid's lips pulled to the side, and he gave Dave a curious look. "You sounded like you had more to say there," he pointed out, wanting to know what Dave was thinking.
"I'm not sure," Dave admitted. "I mean, I'm the first man you've, ah, been attracted to?"
Reid nodded, and then felt a flash of heat go through him. "God-- I didn't mean been with-- I-- well, that too, but-- Um," he whispered, and then cleared his throat to make himself stop talking.
Dave nodded slowly. "I've had a couple of casual affairs with men, a long time ago," he said quietly. "But I've never had a relationship with a man. You don't mind the flowers, do you?"
Reid glanced down at them, but he was still too embarrassed to quite manage a smile. "No, I like them." He brushed his hair behind his ear when it fell forward and shrugged. He thought maybe it was a little odd that he liked them, but no one had really ever done that sort of thing for him before. "I, ah..." He shrugged. "It's nice."
Dave smiled. "I'd offer to bake you cookies, but I'm shit at that sort of thing," he said. "Flowers, I can manage." He paused, studying Spencer's face. "You deserve things like that. Nice things."
Reid smiled softly. "Thanks," he said. After a moment, he leaned in a little. "Is it weird that I really like them?" he asked, then shook his head, dismissing it. "Did you actually want coffee?" He glanced at the coffee bar, then back.
Dave shrugged. "I don't really care about coffee. I just wanted you to talk to me."
Reid nodded and curled his fingers a little tighter around Dave's, then swallowed hard. "Can we go somewhere else then? I really only picked coffee because I wanted to be able to escape."
"In case I was an asshole again?" Dave said, his lips curling up.
"Basically, yeah." Reid smiled and gave Dave's hand a small tug.
Dave laughed and stood up, not letting go of Spencer's hand.
Reid's eyebrows went up and he moved a little closer, shielding their hand's for a moment between their bodies. "You're not-- you don't have to do this to prove anything to me," he breathed, holding the flowers against his stomach.
Dave looked down at the flowers. "If you don't want to be outed at your coffee shop, I completely understand," he said. "But I'm not doing anything to prove something. I'm doing things because I want to." He looked up and met Spencer's gaze. "Because you make me want to."
Reid held Dave's gaze, his lips parting, and then he dropped it and moved away again, not letting go of Dave's hand. He wasn't really sure whether he wanted to be 'outed' here, or anywhere for that matter, but he liked that Dave wanted to do this too much to make him stop.
Dave leaned in a little. "Besides," he murmured, "I have the feeling that showing up with a dozen roses for you might have given us away already."
Reid choked out a laugh, then chided himself for how nervous it sounded. "Yeah, maybe."
"So where are we going?" Dave asked as they headed out of the shop.
"I should probably put these in water," Reid said, his fingers going a little tighter on Dave's once they were outside. "You could follow me. On one condition."
Dave raised his eyebrows. "And what condition is that?"
"That no matter what you think of my apartment, you're not going to make remarks about my age again." Reid gave Dave a nervous look, and then pointed at the powder blue Volvo Amazon parked at the far end of the parking lot, away from all the other cars and traffic. "I'm just there."
Dave's eyebrows stayed up. "That car is almost as old as I am," he said mildly, and glanced at Spencer. "Maybe you have a fetish for old things."
"Mmn!" Reid sounded excitedly. "It has a fully functioning 8-track player!"
Dave laughed and shook his head. "I'm guessing your music selection is limited," he said, and gestured at his pickup, which they had almost reached. "Try not to drive so fast I can't keep up," he teased.
"I'm careful with it. I don't actually drive it very much; I was just running late this morning." Reid looked at Dave and saw the faint smile on his lips, and realized Dave was joking. He laughed softly. "I'll see you there," he murmured, then his heart fluttered for a moment at the idea of kissing Dave goodbye. Then he decided that was a bad idea for a first kiss and just squeezed Dave's hand and let go.
Dave followed Spencer's car out of the parking lot, asking himself the whole time if he knew what he was doing. Aaron was going to kill him, he was sure. But he thought it would be worth a dressing-down from Aaron if he could just keep making Spencer smile like that. He was relieved when they arrived at Spencer's apartment, because maybe he'd be able to drown out those concerns.
PART THREE
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