spencer reid stood in the elevator with his attention focused on the reflection,

and letting his hand run through his newly cut hair.

"it's..so short,"

he thought aloud,

trying to fix it to better fit his standards.

when the elevator doors opened for him to enter his workplace,

his worries about his hair were soon replaced once he noticed an unfamiliar figure sitting at his desk.

by the stature of the girl,

and her semi-slouched position,

spencer could tell she was well around his age.

who is she?

he pondered.

he let his feet take him to where she sat,

and when she turned to look at him,

he suddenly felt a surge of nerves rise within him.

"you're new,"

he spoke matter of factly,

swallowing hard and looking at her badge.

"you're perceptive,"

she returned with a friendly smile.

"that's..my job."

the girl got to her feet with a laugh then nodded,

"you're right. i'm y/n."

"you're also..in my seat."

"oh! i'm sorry. i needed to check my email and they told me to use yours."

"they?"

"um...morgan."

spencer turned around to meet morgan's mischievous chuckle that ended with a wink.

"you're doctor reid, right?"

"yeah."

she extended her hand out and took notice to the way he avoided her eye,

"nice to meet you."

"likewise."

their handshake was quick and simple,

and y/n couldn't help but feel as though spencer rejected her being here.

and while it was true,

spencer didn't take too well to the girl due to his hatred for change,

he wasn't completely oblivious to the blush threatening his cheeks.

but before he could consider any further,

emily's voice interrupted.

"new case."

***

spencer,

much to his luck,

found himself teamed up with y/n on her first case.

the car ride was rather silent,

and y/n found herself debating between casual conversation or letting the silence envelope them.

eventually she caved,

not being able to sit in silence anymore,

"so...the weathers nice, right?"

"actually, it's pretty dry outside."

"right, right. but besides that?"

"too hot."

y/n nodded and turned her head to face the scenery outside of the window.

the contradictory feelings swarming his insides were beginning to make his head hurt.

he was stuck between loathing her for her desperate attempt in replacing jj,

and replaying the sounds of her laugh to enjoy it a little more.

y/n,

having little to say now that the dislike was clear,

kept her attention on the passing trees and listening to the gravel beneath the cars tires.

spencer gazed at the girl for a split second,

burning the image of her soft beauty in his memory.

he let out a sigh,

realizing just how belligerent he was acting towards the girl.

yet,

no matter the reasoning,

he couldn't quite suppress the anger.

"we're here,"

spencer announced,

letting the car door slam behind him.

he couldn't fight past the cloud in his vision;

the overwhelming response to y/n's arrival.

he shook his head of these thoughts and forced himself to focus,

though with y/n's perfumed scent sticking to the air,

he wasn't sure if that was possible.

"uh, emily? i didn't get my key for the room."

spencer asked,

trying to read the expression on emily's face.

"you didn't talk to y/n?"

"no...?"

"something happened with the booking and you two were placed in the same room."

he laughed without humor,

noticing the odds of the universe were playing against him.

"you're serious?"

"..yeah. look, if it gets to be too much of a problem, i'll room with her."

spencer shook his head,

"no, no. it's fine."

he turned on his feet and headed to where him and y/n's shared room laid,

but not without quiet complaints slipping past his lips.

he knocked twice to announce his entering,

then pushed the door open to reveal y/n laying on the couch with a book in her hand.

"hey...i know this rooming situation isn't ideal for you. so, i'll stay out of your way."

she nodded,

then reverted back to the security of her book.

spencer felt the guilt tug at the deepest parts of him,

forcing him to sigh.

he took a seat on the edge of the hotel bed,

then peeled his shoes off to tuck them away safely in the corner.

"are you from virginia?"

he asked.

y/n look towards him with a half smile,

then answered as politely as possible.

spencer could tell she was tiptoeing around him,

feeling as though she were forced to walk in eggshells.

and there he was,

fighting between the anger and the guilt.

"are you from here?"

she asked.

spencer shook his head,

"las vegas."

"oh! nice, nice. i've been there a time or two for bachelorette parties."

the silence suspended above them again,

and y/n fumbled with the pages in her hand.

"so...are you and jj close?"

spencer's eyes darted towards her and shot her a cold look.

y/n's mouth fell agape at the resentment in his eyes.

"yeah, we are."

"...that's lovely. always refreshing to see such nice camaraderie."

spencer scoffed against his better judgment,

"you'll never be able to replace her."

y/n quickly sat up and looked at him with a mocking smile,

"replace her? i'm-i'm only here for this case. she's out on business."

spencer's gaze softened once the words registered,

and he suddenly felt ashamed for treating her as he had been.

a red hue deepened in his cheeks,

"oh....i didn't know..i'm-i'm sorry."

"is that why you've been so hostile?"

she teased,

giving him a reassuring smile to ease the embarrassment.

he chuckled,

"i apologize. change just doesn't work well for me."

"ah, i understand. i'd be pretty pissed too if i thought my best friend was being replaced."

spencer gave her a thankful smile and nodded his head.

"i promise to be entirely genial from here on out."

"great, i'll hold you to that."

***

despite spencer's best attempts to have y/n sleep on the bed,

the girl woke up on the couch the next morning with knots in her neck that traveled all the way down her back.

"sleep alright?"

spencer asked once she sat up,

having her book open in his hand.

she laughed and nodded her head,

"yeah. you?"

"alright. you know, this book isn't all that bad. aside from the obvious, reiterated tropes used in romance novels, it's rather...interesting."

"i know. it's my favorite. just wait until the end."

she winked playfully,

then excused herself to the bathroom.

spencer sat back against the headboard with a wide smile to his cheeks,

letting out a light chuckle.

"jilted lover,"

y/n declared with her hands on her hips,

turning to face spencer who was hovered over records.

"what makes you say that?"

as y/n began to explain her reasoning,

spencer took notice to the way her hands synchronized with the words leaving her mouth.

he couldn't help but let a faint smile play at his lips.

"am i wrong?"

"i think you might be on to something..."

y/n sat next to spencer and began to connect the missing pieces that confirmed their theory.

spencer noticed the smile against his lips that never faded when y/n was around.

and while it was true she could never replace the company of jj,

spencer couldn't help himself from wishing she'd remain even after jj returned.

y/n and spencer laid in the quiet of their hotel room that night,

their muscles tight from the stress of today.

but soon,

y/n erupted from the comfort of the couch with a loud yell and scurried away.

"what?!"

"there was a bug over there!"

spencer let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding,

followed by a chuckle.

"seriously? you can deal with dangerous, armed killers, but not bugs?"

"just kill it!"

spencer grabbed her shoe to taunt her,

but couldn't find the bug no matter how hard he looked.

"are you sure it was there?"

"yes! it was on my foot."

she cringed away and shivered.

spencer chuckled and sat back to the bed,

"i'll kill it when it comes back out."

"until then, i'll just sit here with you."

she nodded and placed herself on the other end of the bed.

spencer sat back against the headboard like he had done this morning,

and let their conversation flow with the small hum of the tv surrounding them.

***

spencer woke up the next morning,

surprised to find y/n fast asleep to his chest.

he hadn't remembered either of them falling asleep last night,

but he wasn't surprised due to the long day they had at work.

and though it felt strange,

he welcomed the foreign feelings and the warmth she offered.

he found himself completely still,

afraid to stir even an inch and wake her.

he noticed the faint glow of the sunlight to her skin and the tranquility that swallowed her in this moment.

spencer knew she was beautiful,

but facing her in this moment had been the most blissful moment he could think of.

when he looked at the clock,

it pained him to know they would both have to leave soon.

all he wanted was to stay in this moment,

where y/n remained her most peaceful self in the comfort of his company.

but he let his hands fall down her smooth cheek to wake her.

he wasn't quite sure what the action was supposed to do,

yet he found himself surprised when she awoke with a sheepish smile and doting eyes.

"g-good morning,"

he breathed out,

completely speechless by the beauty of her.

"good morning,"

she returned while nestling her head to his chest again.

spencer could have nearly shivered by the small action.

but he remained still in hopes of letting her warmth fill him to the brim again.

his heart stammered in his chest,

and he knew his like for y/n was deepening by the second.

***

"it was really nice working with you all. thank you for the opportunity,"

y/n smiled at the group,

letting the gratuity pour out from her tongue.

everyone exchanged their goodbyes,

before y/n's eyes fell to spencer's.

"thank you for being entirely genial, doctor reid. it was an honor working beside you."

"you-you too, y/n."

y/n smiled and turned on her feet,

walking towards the elevator.

spencer stood with his hands in his pockets,

watching as she left the double doors of the b.a.u.

his heart began thundering deep within his core.

y/n was leaving,

and leaving him behind as well.

he couldn't escape the memory of her heightened beauty that morning,

or the perfumed scent that seemed permanently ingrained in his lungs.

without giving it a second thought,

he hurried to the door to catch her and slid through the closing elevator doors that held only her inside.

"spencer!"

she laughed,

but was soon cut off by the warmed lips of spencer reid against her own.

it warmed the blood in his veins,

and sent his heart to swell the longer they remained connected.

y/n raked her hands through his hair and allowed her nerves to gather in her core.

nothing had never felt so right.

when the elevator stopped to allow her an exit,

she pulled back to breathe a little.

the cold air then filled her once burning lungs,

making her quick with a laugh.

"will i see you again?"

he asked,

tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"will you look for me?"

spencer grinned and nodded,

"of course."

"then yes, i'll see you again soon, spence."