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prentiss-writes · 5 years ago

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Until We Meet Again

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Summary: Spencer Reid had been attending CalTech for two years. He had people that were nice to him simply because they needed help on their course work, but Spencer had yet to make a single friend, until he met Y/N. They became fast friends that was until the Reader, without warning, was gone from his life. Now 14 years later a case brings him back to Pasadena, and back to the ghosts of his youth.

A/N: This is the first fic I’ve worked on in a really long time. Let me know what you guys think. Hope your enjoy!

Words: 3.4k

Chapter 1

Pasadena, California.

1995

Friendship was never something Spencer Reid was ever good at. Being a senior in high school at the age of 12 didn’t lead to a thriving social life. While most of the students seemed to love making his life miserable, not all of his peers were monsters. He had some people that were kind to him, but they were only nice when they needed help in class or when he helped the basketball team win.

That’s why he was excited to start school at CalTech. This was his chance to finally thrive in school. College was a place where people wanted to learn. He would be with people just like him, sure he would be the only person under 16 but at least he shared a common interest with his classmates.

A thirst for knowledge.

Spencer didn’t need friends at CalTech.

Right?

He could be by himself. In a new state. At a new school. On his own. All alone.

His mom stayed in Las Vegas because she wasn’t well enough to move with him to California. He had been at Cal Tech for two years and would only go home to see his mom on extended breaks.

All by himself. Life was better that way. No one to hurt him. If he was by himself no one could hurt him again. If no one is close to you, no one can truly hurt you.

But why did the loneliness make his heat ache?

There was a park not too far from campus that reminded him of home. It was just like one that he would go to with his mom when she would have one of her good days. They would walk to the park and he would lay his head on her lap as she read to him. Her fingers would card through his hair as she read the texts from her days as a professor. While moments like that were rare as his mother’s condition worsened, those were some of his best memories. Coming to this park reminded him of the good moments, and as the ache of loneliness tore as his heart he needed to be reminded of the good moments in life.

It was comforting.

Spencer had been coming to this park for the last couple of weeks. He would make an entire afternoon of his outing. He would pack himself enough books to last at least three hours and some snacks. There was a tree that he would always sit under, a mulberry tree. It provided just enough shade when the California sun would be too much. The park was usually pretty empty this time of day. His tree wasn’t super close to the actual play structure meant for the kids so he only saw a couple of joggers and the stray couple here and there. It was nice, the campus was always so crowded it only amplified how lonely he felt there. His tree was a place where he could relax and---

“Excuse me?”

Spencer was brought out of his thoughts by someone standing above him. The sun was right behind her, it cast a glowing light around the figure. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to looking into the light.

“Hi! Sorry--umm my ball?” It was a girl. She looked about Spencer’s age. She was pretty and she seemed nice. She was smiling at him and--

“Hello? Do you mind?” She was pointing at him. No, she was pointing next to him. A soccer ball. There was a soccer ball between Spencer and his backpack. He grabbed the ball and tossed it back to her. He had been so engrossed in his book he hadn’t noticed the ball roll up to him.

“Thanks. Sorry about interrupting you. I’m Y/N by the way. You go to Rose City, right? Cause I’ve never seen you at Blair.” She looked so nice. People never looked at him that way, like he was normal.

Spencer chastised himself once he realized it was only because she thought he was normal if she knew that he didn’t go to the local high school but CalTech instead he doubted she would continue to look at him like that. No one ever looked at him like that. Once she knew who he truly was she would be just like all the others before her.

“It’s okay.” Spencer didn’t want to give her answers about his schooling because he wasn’t the best liar. Most people could see right through him and if he could let her continue to think he was normal she would keep looking at him with that smile. That smile made his heartache just a little less and he would hold onto that feeling as long as he could. Y/N seemed to take the hint about Spencer not wanting to talk about school so she decided to just brush past it.

“So I’m giving my little brother some pointers before he starts soccer next week. Do you want to play with us?” She pointed back at a young boy probably around 7 or 8.

“I’m okay. I just want to get back to my books.” Spencer re-opened his book and continued to read. Y/N’s smile faltered but she decided to move past the rejection.

“Okay, well if you change your mind, we’ll be over there.” She started to walk back to the little boy. She stopped about half-way between Spencer and her brother. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?” She then smiled at Spencer as she turned back to face her brother and kicked the ball to him.

Spencer looked up as soon as her back was to him.

He wanted nothing more than to see her again, but at the same time, he knew that if he saw her again she would figure out he wasn’t like her. If she ever found out that smile that calmed him would no longer be directed at him. ~~~ A Week Later

Spencer had packed his bag and rode his bike back to his Mulberry tree. The ride there was often one of the best parts of his week. The fresh air was welcome after being in a crowded lecture hall or his stuffy dorm for most of the week. After finally reaching the park he started walking his bike to his spot and he was actually excited to have some time---

There was someone sitting under his tree.

The girl from the other day was sitting under his tree.

He approached her, he was unsure of why. He should have just gotten back on his bike and went back to his dorm but by some unknown force, he walked up to her. She didn’t notice him until he was right before her. He stood in front of her blocking the sun and casting a shadow on her, similarly as she had done to him the week prior.

“Hey! It’s the book guy!” She looked up at Spencer and her face lit up. A large smile spread across her face. The same kind smile from before.

How could she do that?

How could she calm him with such a simple gesture as tensing some muscles in her face?

Did she do that to every stranger she met? Or did she see something in him no one had before?

He noticed the change in her clothing. Gone was the athletic wear from their first encounter. She was dressed casually, overalls, and a t-shirt underneath. Spencer noticed a sketchbook in her lap, it looked as if she was drawing the people in the park. She picked a good spot for her people watching. His tree was just removed enough that people wouldn’t notice her looking at them for extended periods of time. He stood above her unsure of how to talk to start a conversation. He shuffled his red converse in the grass, trying to find the right words to say. He wasn’t good at talking to new people, or people in general.

He settled for a simple. “Hello again.” Her brow furrowed at his response. She leaned to the side trying to look at something that was just past Spencer. She gave up trying for a moment to look back up at him.

“Can I help you? Or are you going to keep standing in front of me blocking the view of the ducklings I was drawing?” Spencer turned to look behind him, there he noticed a duck leading her ducklings through the park in a line. He quickly moved out of Y/N’s line of sight.

“Sorry” Spencer, disappointed that the one place in this whole city that brought him genuine happiness was being taken, grabbed his bike, and started his walk back out of the park so he could go back to his dorm.

“Wait!” She called after the mysterious book boy. He turned back to see her now standing. “This is your spot, isn’t it? You were here when I came here last week and now you’ve come to this exact tree again.” She gave him a small smile now understanding why he looked so sad as he left.

“Yeah, I like the shade that this tree has. It’s also far enough away from most of the people here.” Spencer answered not wanting to meet her eyes. He looked at anything but her, the tree, the couple just down the hill, even the ducklings that had made it a good amount of distance since he had last looked at them. She watched him look at the ducklings. She could tell that he really wanted to use this spot, it was just another tree in the park to her, it seemed special to him. She really didn’t have the heart to keep him from something that made him so happy, Y/N could tell that he didn’t have a lot of things in his life that made him this happy.

“Well, this is the perfect spot for people watching but, I’ll let you have it since you really like it.” She started packing up her things to let him have the spot.

“No, it's okay. You were here first and I can’t really claim a tree” He quickly crouched down to her level to stop her from leaving. She really seemed to be enjoying this spot. He knew how relaxing sitting in the shade of this mulberry tree was. He didn’t want her to give it up just for him.

“No no, I insist. I really don’t mind. I should probably get headed home anyway.” She placed her hand on his with a large smile spreading across her face. This is the closest he had been to her. She had such kind eyes, it was as if there was nothing that could dampen a smile like that. Spencer glanced down at her hand atop his. A smile was now present on his face.

“Thank you Y/N” He looked back up to her face hoping she could see how much this small gesture meant to him. Now it was her turn to look away, she took her hand off of his turning to grab her backpack. Spencer watched her hesitate before she turned back to him.

“Unless… You didn’t mind sharing. I’d like to stay.” Her bright beaming smile was now replaced with a shy one instead.

“Sure. I’d like that too,” Spencer took a seat next to Y/N. They settled in comfortable silence. She continued her drawings from earlier and he pulled out one of his books for the afternoon. Spencer placed his book on his lap and looked at the girl next to him. “I’m Spencer by the way.”

“Hi, Spencer.” Y/N looked up from her sketchbook to smile at Spencer. The two both went back to their respective activities, neither speaking. They simply enjoyed this rare moment of pure peace. The only sounds that were made, by either of the two, were the sounds of Y/N’s pencil on paper and the turning of pages in Spencer’s book. Neither knew exactly how much time had passed before Y/N noticed the sunset.

“Oh no” Y/N started to frantically pack all of her stuff back into her backpack. Spencer looked up from his book, confused. He wasn’t sure what could have brought on her sudden need to leave the park. She looked as if she didn’t get out of the park in the next five minutes she might spontaneously combust.

“What is it?” Y/N stopped her frantic packing to look back at Spencer. She could see how she had started him and instantly felt bad.

“I didn’t realize how late it was, my mom’s going to kill me” She gave him a sad smile. She really didn’t want to leave but she knew how much trouble she would be in if she wasn’t home before it was completely dark outside. Her parents gave her a lot of freedom but if she didn’t follow their important rules, like be home on time for dinner, she wouldn’t have the privilege of basically doing whatever she wanted. That was a privilege she didn’t want to lose.

“Oh” Spencer sometimes forgot that other people had parents that had expectations of them. It had been so long since someone had wanted him home by a certain time. In Vegas, his mom would rarely notice if he was home or not. Some days when he would walk home from school he would have to take the long way home to avoid the other upperclassmen that would throw eggs at him as he walked home. This would mean that sometimes he wouldn’t get home well past dark, his mom never noticed. He loved his mom with all his heart, but sometimes he wishes he had a mom like Y/N, someone who cared where he was.

Someone who was able to care about him in a way no one had before.

“I gotta get home for dinner or my mom will murder me” She was now standing with her backpack on her shoulders. Spencer retreated back into his book, not wanting Y/N to notice his change in mood.

“Okay” As much as he tried to hide it Y/N noticed how sad he had just become. Even though she barely knew him she didn’t want him to ever look like that again

“Do you want to come over? My mom’s making meatloaf, unfortunately, but we can have ice cream for dessert if you want” She really hoped that he would say yes. She saw that he had packed enough food for dinner and the thought of him eating dinner alone in a dark park broke her heart.

“Oh, I don’t know” She knelt down in front of him taking the book out of his hands.

“Oh come on Spencer, you can use my house phone to call your parents and let them know you’re heading over to a friend’s. Unless yours are strict? Oh, that’s a real bummer if they’re strict. Mine practically let me do whatever” She knew that his parents couldn’t be strict if they were okay with him eating his dinner in this park, but she didn’t want him to know that she knew his parents weren’t very present.

“No! They’re not strict. I’ll come over! Ice cream sounds really great actually.” Spencer only agreed to get her to stop talking about his family. He really didn’t want her finding out that his only family was in Vegas and he was all alone here. And the thought of having a home-cooked meal sounded exceptional.

“Perfect. Come on we can’t be late” She started helping him pack up his belongings. Spencer started to doubt his decision to join Y/N’s family for dinner. Would they really be okay with a complete stranger joining them for dinner? His father before he left drilled into him that he needed to respect his elders and showing up to someone else’s home announced didn’t sound like respect.

“Are you sure your parents won’t mind me coming over unannounced?” All of his things were now packed back into his backpack. He started to shuffle his shoes into the grass.

“No! My mom is used to it. I’m not the best at asking before I bring my friends over. Besides, she’ll love you. She’ll think you’re a good influence on me. You look like someone who doesn’t get into a lot of trouble.” That smile was now back, she could get him to do almost anything with that smile. There was something about this girl that made him think that he would follow her anywhere.

And that really terrified him, but he was too excited to care.

“Okay.” She grabbed his bike from the grass and pushed it towards him so he could start walking his back to her house.

“She will be mad if we’re late though. We’ve gotta go now. Come on!” She grabbed one of his hands and started to lead him out of the park. Spencer was now freaking out. He really wanted Y/N to be his friend, she was so kind to him but she really had no idea who he was and he couldn’t keep lying to her. He knew this could make her hate him but continuing to lie would only ruin things later. Having her hate him now for being a freak was easier than having her hate him later once she knew he was a liar.

“Wait!” He stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn’t continue on with her thinking he was just a normal kid from the local high school. If he was really going to have a chance at her being his friend he had to be honest with her.

“Jesus Christ Spencer! What is it? I really don’t feel like getting in trouble today.” She turned around to face him, a very annoyed expression on her face.

“I lied” her brow furrowed and her head tilted to the side at his admission.

“About?” She still hadn’t let go of his hand. Wow her hand was warm and really soft, he didn’t want to let go. He was now staring at their joined hands, it was something so simple holding hands but it was so foreign to him. He wasn’t sure of the last time he had this amount of physical contact with someone, he didn’t realize until now how much he needed it.

“I don’t go to Rose City” He didn’t meet her eyes, his eyes didn’t stray from their joined hands.

“Where do you go then?” Her voice was soft, she talked to him as if he was a hurt animal. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze trying to coax an answer out of him.

“CalTech” Her hand quickly pulled away as if she had been burned by his touch.

“Wait how old are you?” She was now looking at him like he had just killed her dog and spit in her face. Oh no! Spencer realized he must think he was much older since he is in college. He couldn’t let her think that he wasn’t some perv adult trying to hang out with a young girl. They are probably just around the same age.

“14, I skipped several grades,” he said quickly wanting her not to be disgusted by him.

“Shit, you scared me. I thought you were actually super old or something and you just looked my age.” She punched him in the shoulder with a laugh and that beaming smile. She grabbed ahold of his hand again. “You’re weird Spencer. I like it. Now come on I really don’t want my mom to get mad at me” She started to walk forward again, but Spencer didn’t follow

“Wait!” She didn’t understand the extent to which they were different, she would never want to be his friend if she knew how different they were.

“Holy shit Spencer. I really don’t care that you are some kind of super-genius, now come on.” She started to pull him along with her. He didn’t start walking until she turned back at him with that smile. He wasn’t able to say no to it. He knew that he would follow her anywhere.

She could possibly be the person that would be his first real friend.

He was scared but this was also the happiest he had been since he arrived in California.

Maybe he won’t have to be so lonely anymore.

Taglist:

@clockedstar @pumpkin-goob @emilyprentissisababe

#criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer x y/n #spencer x reader

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