silver138

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 60

word count - 2.7k warnings - Cursing, consensual groping, nudity (f), oral (f receiving), implied finishing in pants (m) Summary: It's Christmas time, and Spencer and Lina have a well-deserved break from cases…

Hey, we still on for cookie baking and Christmas movies tonight?

Hitting 'send' on the text to Spencer, I focus my attention on the gift I'm wrapping. Sighing, I realize the paper I have for it is too short a piece, so I grab the roll of gift wrap and start cutting a larger section. I'm just done making sure it's the right size for the gift when I get his reply.

Yes! I just need to finish up my shopping, and I should be good to go, so long as you don't mind me wrapping a few of them while you're here.

Grinning, I message back:

Oh, yeah? Which ones do you have to get yet?

Carefully wrapping the gift, I'm putting the finishing touches on it when I get another text. I can practically see Spencer's wry smile as I read:

I know what you're getting at, but yours is already bought and wrapped. Derek and I are seeing what we can get for Emily, while I need a little help picking something out for Hotch and JJ, and he needs to find the perfect thing for his latest 'lady friend'.

Quickly typing out my reply, I send him:

OK, I'm just finishing up my last few things here, what time should I come over? And do you need me to pick up any ingredients before I get there?

I check my bag, making sure I have the movies, then start cleaning up the wrapping paper remnants. I'm just putting away the roll of paper, tape, and scissors when I hear my phone chime.

Between an hour and a half to 2 hours. I already have a good idea of what to get everyone, I think the most difficult thing will be finding it. You know you can just meet me at my apartment though, right? That's why I gave you my extra key. And yes, I got the ingredients. I'm fairly certain I got the right ones...

Biting my lip and flushing, I type back:

I...ok. I can get things ready when I get there, then. See you in a while, Spence!

I take a deep breath and head to take a shower before heading over to Spencer's, making sure I'm thorough in my preparations. I finish up, throwing my hair in a braid as I dress casually but festively in a soft Christmas sweater. 

I make my way to Spencer's apartment as quickly as I can, dropping my overnight bag in his bedroom after grabbing the movies and putting them on his coffee table. I make my way to his kitchen, preheating the oven and pulling the ingredients he got out, and putting them on the table. 

I smile when I see a book with a red cover open on the counter next to two sticks of butter. Guessing he's already read up on how to make chocolate chip cookies, then...

I pull up some Christmas songs on my phone as I start prepping, softly singing along as I mix. I hear Spencer and Derek's voices getting louder as the door opens. I finish pouring in the chocolate chips and stir them in while I smile at them as they walk in.

"Hey, Lina. I see you've started on the cookies. Sorry we took so long..." Spencer starts, looking over at Derek accusingly.

He rolls his eyes and sighs as he says, "Well, I didn't want to get just anything as a present. And your suggestions were a little too, ah, niche, I guess I could call them, Reid."

Spencer looks at the man as he shrugs off his coat and asks, "What is niche about asking what her favorite author or book genre is?"

Derek smirks as he says, "Let's just say, when we talk, it's not about books..." which causes Spencer to roll his eyes. 

I huff out a laugh, then ask, "So, did you guys find what you were looking for?"

"Eventually..." Spencer says under his breath, glancing at Derek.

"Well, I see you guys have a festive evening planned. I'll catch you two later." Derek says while looking around the apartment, clapping Spencer on the shoulder before grabbing his shopping bags and heading out.

"See you at work, Derek!" I call after him, and after waving goodbye to Derek, Spencer closes the door behind him.

While I start putting the cookies on trays to bake, Spencer walks over, DVDs in hand, and asks, "So, I'm guessing the theme for tonight is...'childhood movies'?"

I nod, asking, "Have you seen any of them?"

"Uh, only the Muppet Christmas Carol, I don't know many people our age who haven't watched The Muppets in one form or another..." he says, flipping over and reading the backs of the other 2 cases.

I put the cookies in to bake and set the timer, then ask, "So, which do you want to watch first when these are done?"

"Is there a particular order they need to be watched?" he asks, setting them on the counter.

I giggle and say, "No, Spence, no particular order. Though, I have to warn you, when we watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, I will probably sing along..."

He grins and says, "That's fine, I've found myself singing along with 'Marley and Marley', so I get it. Um, could we do 'A Christmas Story', then 'Muppet Christmas Carol', then finish up with 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'?"

As he walks over and leans on the counter next to me, I smile and say, "Yeah, sounds good. What did you want to do while the cookies bake?"

He leans towards me and cups my cheek, while softly saying, "Oh, I have an idea or two..." then gently kisses me.

I smile into the kiss, looping my arms around him and pulling him closer to deepen it. I run my fingers through his hair and gently tug, earning a light whine. His hands slide down to my hips and he pulls me into him, and I gasp when I feel his hardness against me, which breaks the kiss.

Spencer has a dazed and questioning look on his face as he pulls back, but I bite my lip and I run my hands down his body to grab his hips, bringing him into me again. He lets out a low grunt as I rock my hips against his while I lean in to start kissing him again.

As our kisses turn fiery, he slowly starts moving his hips against mine, causing me to let out a soft moan. 

We stand there, kissing and moving against each other, when his oven timer goes off, startling us apart. I look from the oven to him, then let out a laugh, putting on pot holders and pulling the cookies out of the oven.

He stands there red-faced for a few moments, then helps me get the cookies off the tray and onto cooling racks. I give him a wry smile once we finish, asking, "So, movie time?"

"Uh, yeah, sounds good," he says as his voice cracks, the blush reaching his ears.

Once the cookies are set out and cooling, Spencer pulls me to the couch and sets up the DVD player, then sits down and pulls me close, grabbing the remote and starting the movie.

Watching the movie, we snuggle and laugh, and when the movie's over, Spencer gets up to switch DVDs. I hop up, and he asks, "Wait, we're you going?"

Grinning, I snatch a few cookies, putting one in his mouth while his hands are busy with the electronics. He chuckles and removes the cookie, taking a bite before doing so, then sits back down next to me.

We sit and eat cookies while we watch the movie. While Spencer doesn't start singing along, he does indeed bop along to some of the songs, eliciting a few giggles from me when doing so.

I get up to switch to the last movie, then head back to flop back onto the couch, and I'm surprised by Spencer handing me a cookie and giving me a soft kiss. Grinning, we get comfortable on the couch and watch the final movie, munching on cookies as it plays.

After the last notes of the movie finish playing, I sit up and stretch while Spencer goes to put the DVD back in its case. After clicking it closed, he looks up at me and asks, "Did you want to order dinner, or would you rather have us make something instead? I think I have something we could make that's relatively quick and easy..."

I smile and say, "Yeah, let's see what we can find, Spence."

It doesn't take us long to find ingredients to make a decent meal, and after cooking and eating, we clean up. 

I'm drying one of the final dishes when Spencer lets out a yawn, and I grin and ask him, "Tiring day?"

He flushes slightly and smiles, then says, "Not really. I think I'm just really content and comfortable. Things have been really nice, you know?"

I nod, still grinning as I put the dried dishes away. I turn back around and lean against the counter and ask Spencer, "So, anything you'd like to do now?"

He gives a sly half-smile and grabs my hand, pulling me into his arms while softly saying, "We could always pick up where we left off earlier..." then leaning in to kiss me.

I hum and say, "That sounds like a pretty good idea, Spence," then weave my fingers into his hair, tugging him closer to kiss him.

He lets out a small whimper and once we break from the kiss, he leads me to his bedroom. Lying back on his bed, I smile and bring him closer for another kiss. He shifts to lie on top of me, and when I feel him against me, I let out a sound that's a cross between a gasp and a groan. 

He starts kissing down my neck, stopping when he reaches my sweater. He looks up at me and shyly asks, "Can I take this off, please?"

I give him a coy smirk, then quickly shimmy out of it, leaving me in a red bra. He hums and says, "Hmm, festive all the way down, I see..." causing me to let out a laugh.

Spencer quickly gets back to kissing and nipping my neck, working his way to my breasts, his hips slowly rocking against mine as his tongue laves over the top of my breasts. I bite my lip and tilt my head back, closing my eyes and enjoying the sensation. It isn't long before my hips start rocking against his.

It takes me a few moments to realize that he's stopped, and when I open my eyes to look at him, he's biting his lip and looking from my chest to my face and back. "What's wrong, Spence?" I ask.

"O-oh, nothing's wrong! I was just wondering if, um, could I...would you be ok with, uh, taking off your bra?" he asks nervously.

I look at him and nod, pulling the cups down, exposing my breasts to him. He sucks in a breath and his eyes go wide. I snort and say, "Yeah, I kinda figured you were a boob guy, Spence..."

He just flushes and grins, then gently runs his thumbs over my nipples, and I can feel him throb against me as he watches them harden from his touch. He looks up at me, silently asking if he can continue, and I nod, waiting for what he does next.

He carefully latches onto a breast, licking and sucking my nipple. I let out a moan and grab his hair, keeping him against me. "Oh, shit, Spencer!" I gasp.

His hand moves to my breast, playing with the nipple as he switches to give oral attention to my other breast. I start rocking my hips against him harder, rubbing my core against his bulge.

When he detaches with a whine, I breathily ask, "Spencer...touch me? Please?" He stares at me, eyebrows furrowed until I raise my eyebrows and buck my hips against him, and his eyes widen and he nods.

As he kisses from my breasts and down past my stomach, he pants out, "Studies indicate that approximately 82% of young women report that manipulation of the nipples and/or breasts causes or enhances sexual arousal,"

I chuckle and say, "Having a hot boyfriend wanting to make you feel good doesn't exactly hurt, either." 

He peeks up at me under his lashes for a moment, giving me a shy smile and blushing as he places his hands on the button of my jeans. He looks up again, and I bite my lip and nod, and he slowly pulls my jeans down my legs. 

As I lie there in my underwear, he slowly runs his hand up my leg and starts to gently rub circles against my clit through my underwear. I groan and beg him, "Please, Spence..."

Carefully sliding my panties off and setting them to the side, he lets out a breath, then glances up at me.

"I, uh, I was...hoping I could...try something? If-if you'd be ok with it..." he says hesitantly.

Looking at him quizzically, I ask, "Well, what were you thinking of?"

Flushing, he quickly says, "I, uh, I was thinking I could try giving you, uh..." then licks his lips and glances at my exposed heat, then looks back up at me.

Blushing, I stammer out, "Oh, y-you don't have to, I've heard most guys don't like doing...that...so..."

"Oh, but I want to. Please?" he says earnestly. He looks at me with big doe eyes and continues. "If you don't want me to, I won't, but I'm really quite curious about it..."

"I, um, if-if you're sure, Spence..." I say timidly, sitting up slightly. I watch as he adjusts his position by lying down, getting comfortable, and wrapping his arms around my legs to keep us both steady.

"I am," he says softly, then gently leans down and licks a stripe up the middle of my entrance, brushing over my clit.

My breath catches in my throat, and I let out a wavery, "Oh!", which makes him carefully part my folds and drag his tongue slowly over my entrance, swirling over my sweet spot.

A whimper escapes me, and Spencer latches onto my bundle of nerves, sucking and licking gently. "Oh my God, that feels good..." I gasp, and Spencer hums against me, the vibrations making me choke out a, "Fuck, Spence..."

I can feel him smile against me at my praise, and he starts licking patterns over my clit with fervor as he slowly slides a finger inside me and starts rubbing my G-spot.

It takes embarrassingly little time for me to reach my peak, letting out a soft cry of Spencer's name as he slows his movements down to ease me from my orgasm.

He sits up and stares at me, while I pant like I've just run a mile. He grins and asks, "Did I do ok?"

Still gasping for air, all I can do is nod my head. Still smiling, he asks, "Can-can I do that again?" I grin and nod again, and Spencer ducks his head down and starts licking slow circles around my bud, drawing low moans from me.

He groans, like it's giving him pleasure as well, and he doesn't stop until he's propelled me over the edge twice more.

I pull him up to me, kissing him deep and tasting myself. After a few minutes, we part, breathing heavily. I catch my breath first and say shakily, "I...wow, Spencer. I always thought you had a talented mouth, but, damn!"

He grins and helps me up, saying, "Let's, uh, let's go get cleaned up and go to bed, ok, Lina?"

I look at him, slightly confused, and he gives a small, embarrassed tilt of his head, and I let out a soft, "Oh!"

We clean up and head to bed, Spencer holding me close as we fall asleep.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 59

word count - 2.2k warnings - Spoilers for episodes 2-10 "Lessons Learned" and 2-11 "Sex, Birth, Death", usual Criminal Minds violence, special warning for self-ending attempt Summary: A new agent joins the team, and things take a serious turn in D.C. for a case.

"So, you getting more used to flying now, Songbird?" Derek asks as he takes a sip of coffee from his mug.

"I-yeah, I'm not as freaked out about it now. Still not gonna look out the window when we're in the air, though!" I say with a small laugh, which earns a grin and a nod from the man.

"Hey, new case. Round table in 5." JJ says, poking her head into the kitchen.

"Thanks, JJ. Be right in!" I say, pouring sugar into my cup and stirring as I follow Derek into the room.

Walking in, I see Penny's already there, with a brunette woman that I swear I know.

Setting my coffee cup in the spot next to Penelope's, both women turn to me and Penelope starts to say, "Lina, this is-"

Finally clicking in my head, I blurt out with a smile as I go to hug her, "Oh my God, Frankie?! I haven't seen you in years! How are you?!"

The brunette gives me an apologetic smile and says, "Uh, no, actually, my name's Emily Prentiss, I've just been transferred to the BAU. It's, um, nice to meet you." She cautiously holds out her hand in greeting.

I give her an embarrassed, tight smile while shrinking back and shaking her hand, saying, "I'm so sorry! You look exactly like my one college friend-"

"Frankie, yeah. Well, while I'm not her, hopefully we can still work well together," she says with a hopeful smile. I nod and give her a friendly smile as everyone else walks into the room.

After Hotch introduces Emily, he looks to JJ, who launches into the details of the case, in which the DEA raided what they thought was a meth lab, but Derek identifies an object in it as a possible dispersal device for a chemical weapon.

JJ explains that Homeland Security thinks that Al Qaeda is responsible for the device. Spencer then describes the range of objects used, which Emily interrupts by mentioning that they are called al ikhteraa, meaning 'the invention', to which Spencer nods and softly agrees.

Continuing with the briefing, it's not yet determined whether the agent is biological or chemical. JJ places a paper on the table, explaining what happened to the cell members and saying the DEA recovered a 2-way and intercepted a message, which hasn't been translated.

Emily picks up the paper and quickly deciphers it. "'Our friends surprised us and eloped. We can no longer wait for the wedding as planned. We can deliver our gift at the next crescent.'" Once she notices us staring at her, she slowly offers that she lived in several Middle Eastern countries growing up.

Trying to decode the meaning, Gideon asks about the 'next crescent', with Emily explaining how some Muslims use the lunar calendar while saying she'd have to look up the next one, with Penny quickly chirping out that the next crescent moon is in two days.

Knowing that the attack is planned to happen in less than 48 hours, JJ pulls up a picture of a bearded, balding man on the screen, explaining that the payment for the 2-way is linked to him, who is going by the name Jind Allah, which means 'soldier of God'.

JJ continues explaining how the man was captured two months ago, trying to leave the U.S. with a forged passport, and he's been held as a ghost detainee in Guantanamo Bay ever since.

Gideon asks if we know his real name, to which JJ replies that CIA interrogators have gotten nothing out of him, with Gideon remarking that they 'need us to break him'.

JJ resumes explaining the information we do have on him, with us concluding that the clock is ticking for us to stop what could be the first attack on our soil since 9/11.

After being dismissed, we head out to prepare for the jet. After grabbing my go-bag, Hotch stops me and says, "Aschebrooke, we're going to have Prentiss go instead. You can resume assisting Garcia here. Understood?"

I nod and say, "Yes, I understand. Thank you, sir."

I turn back around, hefting my go-bag onto my shoulder with a small sigh of relief. I run into Spencer, who looks at me quizzically, and I say, "I'm back with Pen in the lair, Emily is going to be heading with you instead." He nods, and I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and say, "Be careful. I'll see you when you get back."

He smiles and kisses me on the forehead, saying he'll text when he can, and he runs off to board the jet.

*************

After thwarting the attack by the Militant Islamic Society, once Spencer gets back, we share a belated Thanksgiving of take-out and Star Trek. Our bit of peace wasn't to last, however, as we're back to work on a case a few days later. 

After finding the man who was the cause of the recent rash of killings of the city's sex workers, Penny and I console Spencer about Nathan Harris, the high-school boy who stopped to talk to him before boarding the Metro for work one morning.

"Reid, you've got to quit beating yourself up over this. You helped him until the paramedics got there to take over. You saved his life." Penny says as she drives.

In the front seat, Spencer shakes his head as he says, "I should have seen the signs quicker, I should have gotten there quicker, I should have-"

"Spencer, stop torturing yourself with 'should have' and take stock of what is, ok?" I say softly from the backseat, causing Spencer to crane his neck to see me and for Penny to flick her eyes up to the rearview mirror momentarily to glance at me.

"You got there in time to find him while he was still alive. You had the ambulance called for him. You put pressure on his wounds to keep him from bleeding out until the paramedics got there. He's now in professional medical and mental care. Spence, you went above and beyond for him." I say, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Then why do I feel like it's not enough?" he laments quietly.

Penny looks over at him, then says, "Lina's right, Reid. You can't fix everything. Or everyone. You have to know that what you did is enough."

Spencer glumly nods, and I squeeze his shoulder and ask, "Hey, did you want to see if he'd eventually be able to have visitors, after he recovers from... Um, it might help him to see a friendly face while he's in there..."

Spencer looks back at me, and with sadness still in his eyes, he nods solemnly. "Yeah," he says finally in a cracked voice. "Yeah, that would...yeah." He places his hand over mine and squeezes.

After a bit of an uncomfortable silence, Penny says, "Hey, so, uh...did I tell you how Black Friday shopping went?"

"No, Pen, I don't think you did," I say softly, still holding Spencer's hand.

She grins slightly, then takes a breath and launches into her adventure. "Well..."

As Penny details her escapade, I rub my thumb along the back of Spencer's hand, as a way to help ground him, interjecting a "Yeah." or "Uh-huh." or "Really?" when needed.  As she finishes her tale, she pulls up to Spencer's apartment.

"So, um, am I taking you home then, Lina, or..." she starts slowly, looking between me and Spencer. I look at him as he slowly shakes his head no.

"I, uh, I think I'll be spending some time with Spence, here, Pen. But thank you. Ah, see you Monday?" I say, letting go of Spencer's hand only long enough to get out of the car, grasping his hand once more when we're both out of the car.

She nods, saying, "Yeah, see you two Monday. If you guys need anything, you know to contact me, right? Call, text, email, carrier pigeon..." The last one causes Spencer to smile briefly, and then he nods.

"Either of you, got it?" she reiterates, pointing to me, then to Spencer, and I nod as well.

"Yeah, Pen. We will." I say softly, and Spencer and I walk up to his apartment, slowly starting to unwind from both the case and everything that's happened with Nathan.

"I'm, uh, I'm...going to go shower. I...I need to..." Spencer says haltingly, raising his hands slightly. While most of the blood has been cleaned off, I know he still feels it there, if not physically, then emotionally.

I nod and say, "I'll be here."

He cracks the slightest smile and murmurs, "I know you will."

"I can get us something to eat if you want, or would you rather I wait til you're done?" I ask as I take my contacts out and put my glasses on.

He swallows thickly and says, "I, uh, maybe...wait til I come out, I don't feel too hungry at the moment."

I nod and watch as he shuffles off in the direction of his bathroom to shower. I try to busy myself by doing random things that need to be done, washing a few dishes here, sweeping there.

After he comes padding out into the living room, he stops momentarily before he heads to the couch to sit down and says, "You-you didn't have to do that, Lina..."

I shrug and say, "Maybe not, but that's one less thing you have to think about doing. OK if I shower real quick? Think about what you want to eat while I'm in there, kay?"

Spencer looks up at me, a little dazedly, and nods, and I give him a quick kiss on the top of his head before darting off into the bathroom for a quick shower.

After finishing up in record time, I hastily head back into the living room, seeing Spencer in pretty much the same position I left him in.

"Hey, Doc. What sounds good to eat?" I say softly, sitting down next to him. 

He's quiet for a few moments, then blinks and looks over at me, saying, "I...I don't know. Anything, I guess."

I tilt my head as I look at him, saying, "OK, how about something quick and simple? There should still be some cereal left from when I dropped stuff off for you last time..."

I get up to search, and he says, "You brought cereal? Where did you..."

"Aha! Found it!" I say, crouching down by an opened cabinet, then grabbing a box and setting it on the counter.

"I, uh, I guessed that Multigrain Cheerios would be ok?" I say, preparing two bowls of cereal.

"I-yeah, that's fine. Huh, I don't think I've ever used that cabinet before..." he says off-handedly.

I grin as I pour milk into the bowls, then grab two spoons and bring them over to his coffee table, setting one down in front of him.

"C'mon. Eat, please?" I say gently. He nods and starts in.

"Star Trek still in the player?" I ask, grabbing the remotes, and he nods again. 

"OK, how about we eat, watch some Star Trek, then try to sleep?" I ask gingerly.

Spencer gives a muffled "OK," and I start the episode up. We watch and eat, and when we finish, I put the bowls in the sink to be washed later.

After the episode is over, Spencer turns everything off, then grabs my hand and we make our way to bed. Once we've climbed in, Spencer doesn't say anything but puts his arms around me.

I look up at him and smooth his hair back. He has a light frown, and I offer softly, "I know you're still thinking about what happened. I know asking you to stop won't work, but can I try to distract you by having you think about something else?"

He sighs and says, "I mean, we can try that..."

I start running my fingers through his hair and he closes his eyes briefly. "So, Penny's story reminded me that Christmas will be here soon enough."

He looks at me with a 'go on' expression, and I continue with, "So, I was wondering if you had any Christmas traditions, or if you'd want to do some of mine with me this year?"

"It's been so long since I've had any kind of traditions I've done with anyone, other than the gift exchange at work and sending one to my mom. What do you do as tradition?" he says, eyebrows crinkled in curiosity.

I grin slightly and say, "Well, I make way too many Christmas cookies and watch different Christmas movies and shows. Would you want to do that with me this year?"

He gives me a small smile and sleepily says, "Yeah, sure. Sounds fun."

I kiss him and drape my arm around him, to which he pulls me closer to him, and we stay like that until we both fall asleep.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 58

word count - 5.6k warnings - cursing, kissing, innuendo, making out/necking, spoilers for the movies Nosferatu (1922) and Evolution (2001), consensual groping (m & f), fingering, grinding, coming in (and on) pants (m & f), discussion of sex and orgasms, vague talk of masturbation, I think that's it? Summary: The adventures of our Doctor (Reid) and Rose(alina)…

"I still can't believe you managed to talk him into a couple's costume, Lina," Val says while applying her makeup. 

I grin and say, "It actually wasn't too difficult. The most trouble I had was convincing him to go as the Tenth Doctor, and that didn't take nearly as much persuading as I thought it would,"

"You know there's gonna be, like, 5 people total who know who the hell you two are supposed to be, right?" she says, double-checking to be sure there wasn't any lipstick on her teeth.

"Eh, still worth it. You almost done? I'm gonna need help with this spray." I say, putting a towel around my shoulders to cover my clothes.

Val snorts and says, "Wouldn't wearing a wig be much easier?" walking out, grabbing the can from me, and instructing me to sit down.

"Easier, yes. Hot as hell, also yes. As long it's vaguely blonde, I'll call it a win." I say, closing my eyes as she shellacs my hair with the temporary colored hair spray I managed to find.

After several minutes of spraying my hair as blonde as she can, she finally finishes, throwing the empty can away and saying, "That's the best I can do. Not sure how accurate it is, but your hair's lighter, at least."

I bound to the mirror to see, and as I inspected my hair, I gave a nod, then turned to Val and said, "Not bad. Definitely blonde-ish."

She snorts as she goes to finish putting her costume on as I whip off the towel and head to the living room to put my shoes on. As I put on my jacket, there's a knock at the door, and I open it to see Spencer fiddling with the end of his sleeves. He stops and looks at me quietly for a second, then smirks and says, "I thought I was at Lina's apartment, it seems I've found Rose Tyler instead."

I grin and lean against the door frame, saying in my best Cockney accent, "Doctor, there you are! I was starting to worry you'd lost your way!"

Spencer breaks into a laugh, and I move out of the way so he can come inside. As I close the door, I tell him in my normal voice, "Val's just finishing up, then we can get going." He nods and sits in the nearest chair.

I stand and stare at his hair for a few moments, earning a slightly nervous, "Wh-what?" from him.

"Oh! Nothing bad. You look incredible in that, but your hair isn't quite as spikey as Ten's is. I can grab some gel and do your hair, would that be ok?" I ask, turning slightly to head in and grab said hair gel. 

"I...o-ok, if you're sure..." Spencer stammers out, and I nod and smile at him, then quickly grab the gel and walk back to stand in front of him.

"So," I start, leaning his head up to work the gel into his hair. "I was wondering...why the brown suit? I don't have a preference or anything, just curious."

He looks up at me, his face flushing as his chin rests on my chest, and says, "I, um, I already had it. An aunt had gotten it for me, so I could wear it for any 'special occasions'." I raise my eyebrows at him and he continues. "I guess it was her way of 'subtly' hinting at her hopes of getting some recent pictures of my graduations."

I give him a half-smirk as I continue working the gel through his hair, saying, "Well, like I said, it looks good on you, Doctor." That earns a grin from Spencer, still blushing as his face rests on my cleavage. 

As I finally finish styling his hair in the best approximation of Ten's that I can, I take a step back and look at my work. I hum and give a nod, then hand Spencer a small mirror. "Good?" I ask, heading to the kitchen sink to wash my hands.

I hear a faint hum of agreement, and as I dry my hands on a dish towel, I turn around to see Spencer poking at his hair while looking in the mirror. I walk towards him and he glances up and asks, "You sure it looks ok?" 

I let out a soft chuckle and said, "Yes, Doc, it looks fine. Don't go messing with it, though, the heat of your hands will melt the gel. You can always take a shower after the party. I know I'm gonna have to!"

He gives me a small smile, then gets a serious look on his face as he asks, "Oh, um, I-I was wondering if, maybe after the party, you could, um, spend the night at my place?" I raise my eyebrows at him and he quickly continues, "To-to watch movies! I have a bunch of movies, including the old Universal monster movies and a Vincent Price collection, which contains a set of movies he did with Roger Corman that were based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. If-if you wanted to come over and watch, that is."

I grin as I say, "Yeah, Spence, we can do that. I can spend the night and we can watch some movies. Sounds like fun!" He gives me a gentle smile and leans in to give me a soft kiss when Val finally comes out, all dressed in her costume.

"Alright, you two, lay off the cute shit for a while, will you?" she says with a smirk, adjusting her belt as she walks out.

I playfully roll my eyes at her as Spencer asks, "Hi, Val. So, are you a pirate?"

She poses with her leg slightly outstretched and her hand on her hip and dramatically says, "I...am Elizabeth Swann, from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, so, technically, yes, I'm a pirate."

"Is Joe dressing up as Will Turner or Jack Sparrow?" I ask, pulling my hair away from my earrings. 

"He said he'd be Will, this party is probably gonna be stuffed to the gills with Captain Jacks..." she says, grimacing. 

I snort saying, "Oh, come on, there've got to be some people with imaginations there..."

Val lets out a short laugh and says, "Yeah, don't hold your breath, Lina."

As I go to grab my overnight bag, I ask Val, "So, are we taking your car?"

"Actually, Spencer, if you wouldn't mind driving us there, it'll be easier for you and Lina to slip out and play kissy face later," Val says with a wicked grin, causing Spencer to blush furiously and me to snort and laugh like crazy.

"But...but how will you get home, Val?" I ask after my laughter subsides.

"Eh, I'll be stickin' with Joe, so I'll be good. If you are ok with driving us there?" Val asks Spencer, who tentatively nods. Val gets a big grin on her face, then says, "Great! Now we're just waiting for you then, Lina."

"I'm comin', I'm comin'..." I say quietly as I head to the door, passing by Val.

"I mean, if you're lucky..." she mutters to me, then gives me an innocent look when I lightly smack her shoulder.

Spencer looks at us from the front door, eyebrow raised in bewilderment as he says, "Uh, you two ok?"

"Just peachy. We ready to go, kids?" Val says, making me roll my eyes with a sigh, then nod in answer.

*************

"I knew there'd be more than 5 people who got our costumes!" I say triumphantly as Spencer and I walk into his apartment.

He chuckles and says, "Lina, there were only 7 people who got them right, and I'm pretty sure most of them guessed."

I take off my shoes and say, "Well, they guessed right, then. I still consider it a win!" Placing my jacket on the coat rack, I grab my bag and ask, "Did you want to shower first, or can I?"

"You go ahead, I'll get things set up out here," Spencer says, smiling at me as he moves around his apartment.

"OK, be out soon!" I say, rushing into his bathroom with my bag.

Making sure I'm only in long enough to get my hair clean and my body washed, I hop out and dry off, getting dressed quickly. I crack the bathroom door a bit to let out steam and grab my worn clothes, stashing them in my bag. As I put a bit of serum in my hair so I don't wake up with my hair looking like a dandelion puff, Spencer walks over, knocking on the door.

"OK to come in?" he asks, smiling when I open the door fully and leap up to kiss him.

"Spence, it's your apartment, you don't have to ask!" I say with a giggle.

He wraps his arms around me and says, "I mean, I kind of do, you might not have been ready."

I laugh lightly and say, "I suppose...thank you for that then, Spence. There should be enough hot water for you!" I stretch to give him another kiss, then head out with my bag to let him get ready in peace.

I sit on his couch, grab the book I brought, and start reading. After a chapter or two, the idea of making popcorn for the movies suddenly enters my mind. Marking my spot in the book and setting it aside, I head towards the bathroom to ask Spencer if he likes the idea of popcorn.

Not hearing the water running, I go to knock on the door, but the door is open and the light is off. "Spence?" I call out, trying to find him.

"In here!" he calls from his bedroom. The door is halfway open, but I still knock before entering.

I'm greeted by the sight of Spencer as he finishes pulling his shirt on, and he smiles shyly at me as he puts his glasses on.

"Hey," I ask softly. "I was wondering, did we want to make popcorn to go with the movies?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," he says.

I grin as he grabs my hand and leads me to his kitchen, reaching into a cupboard and pulling out a Jiffy Pop pan. He flushes a little as he says, "I, uh, I got these, I'm not sure if you've ever tried them before."

As he gets it started on the stove, I lean back against his counter and say, "Y'know, I'm not sure? I think I've only ever seen those made in movies."

He grins as he sets it on the stove and turns the burner on. "So, which movie did you want to watch first?" he asks, slowly moving the pan over the flames.

"Hmm, is it ok if we watch the original Dracula first? Then you can pick the next one, does that sound ok?" I ask, looking at him as he watches the pan.

"Yeah, that's alright with me. Hey, can you grab a bowl, please? This is almost done, so we can get started soon." he says, still moving the pan over the heat as it starts to expand.

"Sure thing, Spence. Um, this one, right?" I ask, opening a cabinet and grabbing a bowl.

Smiling at me as I bring the bowl to him, he softly says, "Yeah, that's the one."

A few minutes later, we're heading over to get comfortable on his couch, bowl of popcorn in tow. I head over and pop in the disc for Dracula, then settle in next to Spencer, happily snuggling up to him. Once the DVD starts going through the previews to get to the menu, Spencer gently turns my face to his and gives me a soft kiss. Grinning into it, when he goes to sit back, I put my hand on the back of his neck and gently pull him to me again, giving him a deeper kiss.

When the kiss ends, Spencer takes a second, puts the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, and quickly tugs me towards him again. He cradles my face in his hands, bringing me in closer for a more passionate kiss, which causes me to let out a small whimper.

I can feel his lips curl into a smile for a moment before his hands move to my hips, caressing my side as his mouth wanders down, leaving a fiery trail of flushed skin in his wake. 

His teeth graze my neck, which makes me shiver and entangle my fingers in his hair, and I let out a soft moan. My sounds spur him on, and he starts licking and nipping his way to a spot low on my neck.

As he starts to gently suck, I gasp as it makes my pulse race, and I bite my lip to try to ignore the ache that's building at my center.

The main menu music from the DVD comes on loudly then, jolting us from our kissing. We look from the TV back to each other, and I let out a laugh. Spencer smiles and says, "Ah, guess we should start this, huh?" I nod, breathing slowing back down, and I snuggle up to him again as he grabs the popcorn and starts the movie.

We watch the movie and eat popcorn, quietly enjoying each other's company. Once the movie's over, he gets up and swaps discs then sits back down and pulls me to him, putting an arm around me.

"So, what did you put in?" I ask, shaking the bowl to sift through the kernels to find the last few pieces of popcorn.

"I put in the vampire movie that predates Dracula, before Universal Studios was able to get the rights to Stoker's novel. It's called Nosferatu, and-" he starts, and I excitedly interrupt.

"Oh, yeah! This one was from the '20s. And it's a silent movie, right? I know Max Schreck plays the vampire, Count Orlok." I say, looking up at Spencer, biting my lip a bit nervously as he stares at me for a moment. "S-sorry, Spence. You were say-" I start, but get cut off when he kisses me.

Once we part, he says breathlessly, "I cannot express just how...incredibly gratifying...it is when you do that. To know that you actually care and listen to what I'm talking about..."

I smile and give him a chaste kiss, saying, "Well, yeah, of course I do. Guess you haven't really had someone do that for a while, huh?" He gives a small, slow shake of his head, and I tell him, "Then I guess you're gonna have to start getting used to it, hmmm, Doc?" I smile and give him another gentle kiss before sitting back and snuggling against him.

"The film-" he starts in a higher voice than normal, before clearing his throat and continuing. "The film has intertitles in German. I can put on English subtitles, or I can translate it in real time for you, if you'd like."

"I'm ok with subtitles, I don't want to bug you by making you have to translate, Spence," I say, leaning my head back onto his shoulder, looking up at him and smiling.

Looking back down at me, he smiles and says, "It's no trouble, really. I, uh, I kind of enjoy doing it, actually. Also helps keep my pronunciation accurate."

"OK, if you're sure you don't mind, Spence," I say, sitting up and laying my head on Spencer's shoulder momentarily, and he starts the movie.

Quietly translating and sprinkling in random facts about the movie, we watch intently, and at the end, Spencer finishes with, "This was one of the first pieces of media that introduced the idea that vampires can be killed by sunlight."

I sigh and say, "While it was good, it kind of had a depressing ending, don't you think?"

Spencer opens his mouth for a rebuttal, then stops and closes his mouth, then tilts his head and gives a reluctant nod, saying, "I mean, yeah. One of the recurring themes in German Expressionism is devastation, so having a bleak ending is kind of par for the course..."

I get up and head to my bag and pull out a DVD case, then turn to Spencer and ask, "OK if I put a funny one in?"

"Yeah, sure. Which one is it?" he asks as I swap DVDs and click the boxes closed.

I give him a small smile as I take the popcorn bowl into the kitchen, dump the remaining unpopped kernels into the garbage, and put the bowl in the sink while saying, "Do you remember the one movie I was telling you about? The one with the alien invasion defeated by dandruff shampoo?"

He chuckles and says, "I remember that, I didn't know you brought that."

I give a small laugh and say, "I figured something silly might help us wind down and relax a bit."

"Fair. Yeah, I'm up for it." Spencer says, 

I sit back down and cuddle up to Spencer, and we watch the movie, and every once in a while, he remarks about scientific inaccuracies, but still seems to enjoy it.

After it's over, I get up to put it back in the case when I ask him, "So, aside from all of the artistic licenses they've taken with the various sciences, what did you think of it?"

"As a movie purely for entertainment value, I enjoyed it!" he says, smiling.

Grinning, I then ask, "And which error bugged you the most?"

A playfully pained look appears on his face as he says, "The most? I'm guessing 'all of them' isn't going to work, is it?"

I chuckle and shake my head, plucking the DVD from the tray and putting it away in its case, then back into my bag. Spencer sighs and says, "The implication that asexual reproduction made them evolve faster. It's blatantly inaccurate. We know that a more diverse genetic background makes for stronger progeny."

My breath hitching, I turn around and try to say casually, "Really? That's the one that bothered you the most?"

As he turns off the TV and DVD player, I go and wash the few dishes he has, and he replies, "Y-yeah. It's just a biological fact." I turn to look at him, eyebrows raised. Seemingly ignoring the expression on my face, he then asks, "Did-did you feel like turning in?"

"Sure, Spence. You want to brush your teeth first?" I ask, drying my hands off with a towel after I've finished with the dishes.

"Yeah, I'll be out quick," he says, loping towards the bathroom.

I head to my purse and grab the toothbrush I have, and slowly make my way towards the bathroom. After a moment or two, Spencer emerges and shakily says, "I'll, uh, I'll-I'll be in-in here, when you're done, just...just come on in and-and get comfortable."

I nod, and he rushes off into his room, while I quickly brush my teeth, unable to hide a smirk as I enter his bedroom. As I climb in beside him, I can't help but quip, "Now you're anxious about having me in your bed?!"

He huffs out a chuckle, then turns to me and says, "I...I wouldn't say anxious, exactly," causing me to let out a laugh.

He then pulls me in and kisses me, and as his body brushes against mine, I can feel the cause of his jumpiness. With a sly smile, I put my hand on his hip as I ask in a soft voice, "So, did you want me to help you with that, Spence?"

His eyes flutter shut momentarily and he lets out a low groan. He takes a breath and then says, "Actually, I was hoping I'd get another chance to have you make those pretty noises you made earlier,"

My body flushing, I stammer out, "O-oh, really? What did you have in mind?"

Feeling emboldened, Spencer quietly says, "I was thinking that, maybe, I'd be able to see you tonight."

"Are-are you sure?" I ask, half-nervous and half-excited.

"Yeah, I'd really like to, if I could," he says in a voice just barely above a whisper.

I then start to babble, "I-OK, Spence, but I just want to warn you, I'm not-not exactly a model, so, I don't know how good I'll look in comparison to-to, well, anyone you've probably seen..."

He gives me a steady look as he says, "Lina, I'm not going to be comparing anything while I look at you, believe me..."

I look at him for a moment, and he tilts his head and gives me a soft look, so I take a deep breath and nod, then sit up and take my shirt off. As his eyes flick from my chest to my face, I blush and say, "See? Told you I'd wear a prettier one."

He gives me a brief smile before he pulls me in for a kiss. When he pulls away, he says, "Can't say I'm paying much attention to the bra itself, sweetheart."

I let out a small laugh, then look at Spencer as he asks, "You doing ok?"

I nod, and he then asks, a bit quieter, "Are you alright with the bottoms coming off now?"

I bite my lip and nod again, slowly pulling my pajama pants off, laying them on the floor beside his bed. As I lay there in my underwear on his bed, Spencer's eyes darken as he takes me in, looking intently at me.

After a few moments, he slowly leans in and kisses me sweetly, then says in between peppering small kisses to my face, "You...are...absolutely...breathtaking,"

Speechless, all I can do is lay there and smile at him, still a little nervous. He gently strokes my cheek and then lightly rubs circles onto my shoulder as he quietly asks, "Sweetheart, may I touch you? Please?"

I give him a small smile and grab one of his hands, bringing it to my bra-covered breast. "Yes, Spencer. Please touch me."

As he gently squeezes and caresses my breast, I arch into him slightly, causing him to release a shaky breath as his free hand goes to my other breast. As his thumb brushes over a nipple, I let out a soft moan. Spencer licks his lips, and then does it again. When I let out a whimper, his fingers start grazing and gently rubbing over both hardened peaks.

Strangled noises spill from me as my pulse races and my core starts throbbing. I bite my lip as I unsuccessfully try to keep from bucking my hips. I gasp out, "Oh, God, Spencer, more!"

He looks at me wide-eyed, then gently slides his hands down to my hips, tentatively hooking his thumbs under the fabric of my underwear, then starts to cautiously ask, "Ca-can I-"

I interrupt him with vigorous nodding of my head and a whiny, "Please!"

He starts slowly dragging them down my legs, tossing the cloth off to the side. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious at baring myself for the first time, I immediately shut my legs together at the knees, biting my lip and looking up at Spencer.

He looks at me softly and says gently, "Hey, it's ok if you've changed your mind, I can get-"

"No! No, I just...give me a moment, Spence. I, um, I want to do this, I'm just...nervous...that I don't look any good..." I interrupt.

"I can assure you, that thought is nowhere near the vicinity of my brain, but I understand. No matter what, I'm just happy to have you here with me," he says tenderly.

I give him a half-smile, cupping his cheek. He smiles back at me for a moment, then lets out a low groan and bites his lip while I spread my legs open for him to finally see me. He sucks in a breath and murmurs, "Fuck, you're gorgeous."

I blush, and as he looks at me, he licks his lips again. He then stammers out, "Can-w-would it be ok i-if I-I..."

I flush and nod slightly, softly saying, "You can touch me, Spencer."

He gently places a hand on my knee, slowly inching closer to my waiting heat, when he stops and asks, "You know, despite everything I've read, I'd really like to know how you like to be touched. A-assuming you, um, do, uh..."

Giving him a soft grin, I then cut in with, "What, Spencer? 'Please myself'? 'Get off'?"

"I-uh, y-yeah. What do you do when you do...that? Could you show me? Please?" he says, slightly flustered. "And-and then, maybe I-I could try..."

Flushing again, I nod and get a pillow to place under my upper body. Once I'm comfortable enough, I slowly open my legs again so Spencer can see what I do. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, and I then gradually move my hand in between my legs.

I close my eyes as my fingers go to either side of my clit, and then gently start in an up and down motion, then eventually use my thumb to slowly rub around it. After a minute or so, I hear Spencer quietly say, "OK if I try? Please?"

I open my eyes and move my hand, swallowing nervously and nodding. He leans closer and slowly slides his hand in between my legs, placing his long fingers delicately on me, my clit in the middle of two of them.

He tentatively starts rubbing his fingers up and down, the same way I did, ever so gently. I softly say, "You, uh, you can be a little firmer with your touches, Spence. I'll let you know if it gets to be too much, OK?"

I look at him, and he nods, then adds a bit of pressure into his hand movements. I start letting out little gasps as he starts a rhythm, making my nerves buzz pleasantly. I involuntarily start rocking my hips to meet his hand, and he smiles and says, "Hmmm, of course, the clitoris isn't just that little nub, there's more underneath..."

As he watches me, going from my face to where his hand is, he asks, "Is there anything else you do? To, um, 'get you there'?"

I suck in a breath and let out a little whine, then say, "I-I usually try to, um, reach my, uh, m-my G-spot, but, I-I often can't with my fingers. I'm starting to wonder if I imagined finding it..."

"I can try, if-if that's ok with you..." he asks softly, looking at me.

"I, ah, y-yeah, if you want to..." I say.

As he switches to his thumb, rubbing wide circles around my clit, he gently slides a finger against the wetness that's gathered at my entrance. I groan as he does that, then let out a gasp that turns into a whiny moan when he eases his finger into me.

He lets out a choked groan, then says softly, "So tight, damn..."

I don't have time to reply, because he quickly zeroes in on my G-spot. Deftly rubbing the area, I start gasping, "Oh please, Spencer, please..."

He looks at me, eyebrows slightly furrowed, and asks, "Please what?"

I close my eyes and clutch at his bedsheets as I buck my hips, rocking in sync with him stroking both of my sensitive spots, and beg, "Oh God, Spencer, please don't stop..."

He kindly obliges, even leaning in and whispering to me, "That's it, pretty girl, let me know how it feels,"

Wildly rocking my hips against his hands, I start to let out moans and little cries, feeling the pleasure building. Once it reaches a crescendo, the tension snaps and warmth floods my body, making me gasp and moan out his name.

After riding out the aftershocks of my climax, I slowly open my eyes and look at Spencer, whose mouth is open and face entirely red. I cock my head to the side and ask, "What's wrong, Spence?"

He just stares at me for a moment before stammering out, "Th-that was so...so..." Finally at a loss for words, he rushes towards me and captures my lips in a hungry kiss, leaning into me.

In between kisses, I ask, "That was...bad?" Spencer shakes his head, kissing me again. "Weird?" I ask again, getting another head shake and kiss. "Good?" I ask, getting an enthusiastic nod, before he pulls me onto him, giving me another deep kiss.

As I adjust in his lap, I quickly find out how good Spencer found it. Positioning myself over top of him, I lightly grind down on top of him, grinning and saying, "Oh, you liked that, huh?"

He lets out a groan and nods his head, kissing me again. When we part for breath, I ask, "So, what you're saying is, you found it hot?" and at the last word in my sentence, I grind down onto him harder, earning a whine and vigorous head nod from him.

Grinning wickedly, I slowly start rocking against him, feeling his length twitch underneath me as he lets out little whimpers. 

"You didn't think I'd leave you high and dry after that incredible job you just did, did you, Spence?" I purr into his ear as my hips roll against his. His hands slowly slide to and grasp my ass, holding me in place as I writhe in his lap.

My lips find a sensitive spot on his neck, and I start licking and sucking, causing Spencer to moan and buck his hips up into mine. I groan softly into his ear and say in a low voice, "That's it, handsome, it's my turn to make you feel good.."

He pulls me into a heated kiss, whining as I push him onto his back on the bed and fully climb into his lap. I lean back down to give him another intense kiss as I start rocking my hips against his, rubbing my aching sex onto the bulge in his pants.

He starts panting as his hands clutch at my hips, moving me faster against him. Bracing myself by placing my hands on his chest, we ease into a steady rhythm, both gasping as we quickly descend into frenzied movements. 

I lean over to kiss him, then tuck my head into his neck, whispering, "God, Spencer, you feel so good..." which causes his hips to stutter and a low groan to escape him as he presses me closer onto him.

It doesn't take much longer until I fall apart, softly crying out his name as I finish. Spencer isn't far behind me, letting out a long, low moan as I feel him pulse against me.

Panting for a few moments, I lift my head and can't help blurting out, "Fuck, that was hot, Spencer!"

Still breathing heavily, his face goes red, yet he still gives me a grin. I move slightly, feeling just how soaked his pajama bottoms have gotten. I grimace as I start to apologize. "I'm sorry, Spence. I've, um, kinda made a mess of your pants, it seems..."

He chuckles and says, "I believe that was more of a joint effort, actually. That said, we, uh, we might want to clean up a bit." 

Nodding, I gently climb off of him, quickly grabbing my underwear. Spencer motions for me to go ahead first into the bathroom, and I head in and clean up a bit before slipping my underwear back on. 

When I walk out, Spencer hands me my shirt and shorts, giving me a small grin as he heads into the bathroom with some clothes in his hands. After a minute or two, he comes back out in different pajama bottoms.

I smile shyly at him, having gotten dressed again in my night clothes. He grins at me, grabbing my hand as we climb back into his bed. Once in bed, we cuddle together sleepily, sharing kisses and talking.

"So, uh, w-was that...good...for you?" he asks nervously, looking at me anxiously.

"Seriously, Spence?!" I say with a laugh. "I swear, I think I had an out-of-body experience with the first one..." He still looks at me, a bit unsure.

I snuggle into him and say, "Yes, it was good. Very good, Spencer. Mind-blowing, in fact."

He pulls me to him, then kisses my head and says, "I'm glad. Because that is something I'd like to do again..."

I giggle as holds me close and say with a hum, "Hmmm, that can totally be arranged, Spence...but, uh, maybe tomorrow, I'm actually kind of sleepy now..." yawning as I finish.

He chuckles and says, "Well, from the flood of various feel-good neurochemicals alone, it's natural. Between the 'happy' hormones that are oxytocin and serotonin, to the hormone vasopressin and protein prolactin that can relax you and prepare you for sleep, to your body releasing natural painkillers, not to mention the physical activity..." 

He yawns as well, and I take the chance to kiss him and say, "Gotcha, Doc. How 'bout we rest and see what we can get up to tomorrow, huh?"

He sleepily hums in agreement, and we slowly drift off to sleep in each other's arms.

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@written-in-the-stars06

[silver138]

Two characters who couldn’t say I love you to their girlfriends before they died

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 57

word count - 2.1k warnings - Typical Criminal Minds cases and violence, spoilers for episodes 2-5 "The Aftermath" and 2-6 "The Boogeyman", guns and shooting referenced Summary: The next few weeks are a bit topsy-turvy for the BAU…

It's the next Monday, and Penelope and I are in our Command Center, transferring some of the newer case files, when Elle comes in and hands us folders.

"Elle! What's up?" I ask, smiling at her as I turn to face her.

"Hey guys, new case. Police in Dayton, Ohio need our help with a serial rapіst," she says, crossing her arms. 

"What do we know so far?" Penny says, rolling her chair closer.

Elle sighs and says, "Three months ago, he raped five students at a small bible college. About an attack a week, then suddenly nothing. Until 9 days ago, he suddenly reappeared with a whole new victim pattern. Both of those women are in their 30s, and they were raped about 5 days apart."

"Ugh, we better get him off the street before he hurts anyone else. Will you guys need me? I can grab my go-bag real quick." I say.

"No, you can stay here, they'll probably need me, I fit the newer pattern," Elle replies.

"Are you sure? I don't mind going just in case..." I say delicately, but Elle just nods her head. 

She says, "Nah, I got this. See you guys when I get back." then walks out of the room.

I start looking over the file Elle gave us, and a few moments later, Spencer rushes in saying, "Hey, gotta go. Text you later?"

I smile at him and say, "Yeah, of course. See you, Doc." He looks out the door in both directions, then leans in to give me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"See you, Lina," he says, smiling as he heads out.

I go back to the file when Penny's voice cuts in. "I totally did not see that adorable display of affection, no siree..." I turn to look at her and she just smiles, then spins her chair back around to her computer.

*************

Having just gotten dropped off at home by Penny after wrapping up the case, I text Spencer.

Hey, Doc. That was an...interesting case. How's everything over on your end?

I sift through my go-bag, taking out what I don't need and repacking, then grab my dirty laundry and get it started in the washer in the apartment's laundry room. I'm just reaching my apartment floor when my phone goes off.

Um, pretty chaotic, actually. Elle's done being processed, and we're just now able to head to the hotel for the night.

I sigh, closing the door behind me as I type my reply.

So she really did shoot him? I just...that seems so...out of character...for her.

I rummage through the fridge for something to eat, and after constructing a sad little mish-mash of a meal, I get a text. I read and start eating.

She said that he pulled a gun on her, so she defended herself, it has happened before.

I think as I chew, typing back:

Oh. Well, yeah, if she was in danger, she had every right to protect herself. What time are you guys coming back tomorrow? I remember Hotch saying you guys were leaving at noon, did that change?

I finish eating and do the few dishes that are in the sink, and as I'm drying my hands, I get another text.

As far as I know, that's still the plan. So we should be back before the end of the work day. How's your night been going?

Grinning, I quickly send him:

Oh, you know, the usual. Laundry, cleaning up, trying to find something for dinner. Hey, do you want me to come over tomorrow with some dinner for when you get home? That way that's one less thing you have to worry about?

Going downstairs to put my stuff in the dryer, Spencer texts back:

That sounds absolutely amazing, Lina, thank you!

I message him:

Not a problem, Doc. Now, I'm betting you haven't eaten yet, so you better go get something in you other than coffee, then go get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, Spence.

Walking back up to my apartment and sitting on the couch, I get one more text from Spencer.

Will do. You get some sleep, too. See you tomorrow, Lina. Sweet dreams.

Smiling, I send him one last message.

I will. Sweet dreams, Spencer.

*************

It's an unassuming Wednesday when we get the next case.

After JJ fills us in, Gideon motions for me to come closer so he can talk to me. "Lina, we're going to need you to come with us for this one. You ready to head out?" he says.

"Uh, y-yeah, just let me get my bag and I'll be right there," I say, rushing off to get my go-bag.

"Hello, lovely, let's get...ah, you-you need to go with them. Is it 'cause Elle didn't come in?" Penny asks, looking over her computer screen.

I nod and say, "Yeah, sorry Pen. I know you'll be able to hold down the fort without me."

She pouts and says, "Maybe so, but it won't be half as much fun. Be careful out there!"

I grin as I look back at her, bag in hand. "I will! See you when we get back, Pen!"

I rush off to catch up to everyone on the jet, taking a seat on the couch and looking over the case file. After a while, we're in the air and able to take off our belts. Spencer gives me a small smile as he walks down the aisle.

"You guys hear Elle was cleared?" Spencer asks, sitting down in the empty spot next to Derek.

JJ nods and Derek says, "Self-defense."

"So, it was a good shoot," Spencer says.

"She hit what she was aimin' for," JJ says, a slight smile playing on her lips as she looks over the info on the case.

"That's not what I meant." Spencer starts.

"I know," JJ says, looking up at him.

"If they cleared her, how come she's not here with us? Or Hotch?" Derek asks, looking over the file. 

Spencer starts looking between Derek and JJ, and Gideon cuts in with, "Focus on the case,"

We all go quiet, looking at one another, and JJ starts giving us more details on what we're about to be dealing with.

*************

"I would never have guessed a child was our unsub!" I say with a tired sigh, slumping onto the couch of the jet for our return flight home.

"Well, you can't say this job can't surprise you sometimes, Songbird," Derek says, sitting down and pulling his headphones out.

I sit and watch the rest of the team file onto the jet, picking different spots to rest and decompress for the flight back. Once everyone's on and we're in the air, I watch as Derek and Spencer sit at the table and write their reports. After a few minutes, Derek turns to me and teasingly asks, "Don't you have one to get done as well, Songbird?"

I shake my head and start to talk, but Spencer jumps in and says while looking down and continuing to write, "She more than likely got hers done before we got on the jet, because if she tries to read or write on a moving vehicle, she gets motion sickness."

Derek looks at him, eyebrows raised, and I ask, "How...?"

Spencer looks up and gives me a small smile as he says, "I've seen you on various modes of transport. You never read while we're moving, and if you wind up doing so accidentally, you close your eyes and get a mint from your bag to alleviate any nausea."

He looks down at his file and starts writing again while he continues. "I remember when you inadvertently read over my shoulder on the way home from work on July 20th, and that was what you did. That's also why I make sure to carry mints with me now, in case you can't find one in your purse."

I flush and look down, saying, "I, uh, I didn't realize it was that obvious when that happens..."

"It's not, I just happened to notice because...it's you," Spencer says softly. I look up at him and he smiles again, then ducks his head down to finish working on his report.

Derek looks at me with a knowing smile, then gets back to his work.

While they finish up, JJ joins me on the other end of the couch, falling asleep quickly. I curl up as well, trying to get a bit of rest.

After a while, Spencer says quietly, "I should have said something."

Derek pulls out an earbud and asks, "What?" 

"To Gideon, or Hotch, or any of you guys. I talked to Elle that night, and I knew she wasn't...right. But, I should have told someone." Spencer says regretfully.

Derek sets down his headphones and leans forward while saying, "Reid. Listen to me. Do not do that to yourself. You were just trying to help a friend. You hear me? Don't go there, kid. Elle made her own choice. That's on her."

I reach my hand out to put on Spencer's arm and say gently, "Spence, it's not your responsibility to try to fix everyone. You were there for her, and I'm sure...no, I know, that that helped her, at least a bit." 

"Lina's right. You can't force your help on someone, they have to want it." Derek says, sitting back in his seat.

Spencer just nods, but it's still obvious he feels as if he should have done more for Elle. Eventually, Derek goes back to listening to his music, and Spencer pulls a book from his satchel and starts intermittently reading.

As we touch down in Virginia, Spencer asks, "OK if I drive you home?" I nod, and we head to his car. 

Once inside, he starts the car and begins driving. At a red light, I look at him and ask, "Uh, so, about Halloween...I was wondering..."

He glances over while stopped, then says, "You were wondering...what?"

"Um, I-I know you aren't really the biggest party person, but...for Halloween, Val and Joe are having a costume party, nothing too big. And, I w-was wondering if you'd want to go with me?" I say nervously, looking at Spencer for his reaction.

When he doesn't say anything, I hurriedly add, "We wouldn't have to be there long, if you didn't want to. Or-or at all, if-if you had other plans..." 

"What day is it on?" he asks softly.

"Oh, uh, the 28th? Saturday? It, um, it starts at 6? It ends at about 10, but I wouldn't want to stay that long..." I say.

"What were you thinking of as a costume?" he asks, a small smile growing on his face.

"W-well, honestly? I was...kind of hoping we could do a couple's costume...if you wanted to, that is!" I say anxiously.

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" he asks.

"I, uh, I...kinda wanted to do something sci-fi. I'd love it if we could do The Doctor and Rose, but Han and Leia would work...ah, but not the gold bikini outfit." I say with a small giggle.

With The Doctor mentioned, he perks up a bit, asking, "The Doctor and Rose, really? Which one, though, Nine or Ten?"

"Well, while I'm sure you'd look good in a leather coat, you, uh, you already have Ten's 'slim and foxy' look..." I say playfully, causing him to blush.

"I mean, if you'd want to go as Ten. You already have the shoes, about the only thing you'd need would be a brown pinstripe or a blue pinstripe suit." I say, thinking out loud.

"I-yeah, ok. I'll see if I have either kind of suit, but it shouldn't be difficult to pick one up if I don't," he says, easing into a spot in front of my apartment and idling.

"So, you're ok going with me? And-and in a couple's costume?" I ask, turning to him.

"Y-yeah, I mean, I can't say I've ever done a couple's costume before. But seeing as you want to do something from Doctor Who, how can I say no?" he says with a grin.

Smiling back, I lean in to give him a quick kiss, then grab my bag and say, "In that case, I'll make sure to text you the details, Doctor!" switching to a Cockney accent for the last word.

With a laugh, Spencer waves good night to me as I exit his car and walk up to my apartment.

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 56

word count - 3.1k warnings - discussion of sex and human sexuality (briefly), kissing, making out, consensual groping (m & f), handjob, cursing, coming on clothing and on partner (m), thigh riding, coming in pants (f) Summary: Lina helps Spencer celebrate his 25th birthday…

It's been a rough few weeks with a couple of tough cases, but we finally make it to a weekend off again in mid-October.

As we leave the office, Penny stops Spencer and me before we head out to catch the Metro, asking, "Hey, where are you two off to so fast?" 

"Oh, um, since we didn't really get a chance to yesterday, Spencer and I were going to have a small birthday celebration for him. I made a cake, we were going to make some dinner, and just relax and maybe watch a movie or two." I say with a small smile, looking over at Spencer.

"Right, happy birthday, Boy Genius! Well, you two have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she says with a grin and eyebrow wiggle.

"Garcia!" Spencer squeaks out.

"Oh relax, I'm just teasing. Have fun and nerd it up, you two!" she says, waving at us as we make our way out the front doors.

Once we hit the sidewalk, I bumped my hand into his, then looked over at Spencer. He looks back at me, then at my hand, then smiles while blushing, quickly taking my hand in his. We walk down the sidewalk to the station this way, hand in hand and discussing our plans for this evening.

Climbing onto the Metro, we sit and enjoy the end of the workweek, sinking into the seats. Riding to Spencer's apartment, we talk and laugh, finally starting to relax. Once we get there, we make our way upstairs and set our bags and shoes out of the way.

I grab the recipe I printed off and bring it into the kitchen with us, and Spencer and I get to work on his birthday meal. We follow the directions, and while it doesn't look exactly like it's supposed to, it still tastes like it should.

Finishing dinner, I clean off the table and get the cake ready from his fridge. I light the candles and bring it to the table, setting it in front of him while singing 'Happy Birthday'. He grins, and once I'm done with the song, he blows out the candles.

I retrieve the candles from the cake, grabbing plates and silverware, then bring them to the table. I cut a slice for Spencer, and hand him the plate and a fork.

"Wait, aren't you going to have some?" he asks when I veer off towards my bag.

"Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to give you your present first," I say, smiling at him and handing him a large wrapped rectangle.

"I, uh, I hope you don't already have it..." I say nervously as he unwraps it.

"Oh, I don't have this version..." Spencer says as he looks over the tome.

"I didn't realize there were several different versions, Spence," I say as I grab myself a slice of cake.

He nods as he thumbs through the book. "Yeah, there are many different versions of 1001 Nights, not even taking into account the various languages it's been translated into. This one, while only having a portion of the stories, has some absolutely beautiful illustrations."

He looks up with a smile and says, "Thank you, Lina. Truly."

I blush as he takes my hand and kisses it, and I grin as he explains the book more, starting on my cake.

"Sir Richard Burton's variation came to be known as a more, uh, explicit adaptation, having made a special study of the texts and adding extensive footnotes on the, um, sexual social behavior of those in Asia in the stories," he says, flushing.

"O-oh, um, I-I didn't know that. I, uh, I just thought the illustrations I saw were nice." I say, cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

"Well, to be fair, this was during the Victorian era when his translation came out, so, he sort of, ah, fit right in with the times..." Spencer says, looking up at me as he talks.

He stops then, a small half-smile on my face, and says, "You, uh, you-you have a bit of frosting on your face."

"I do? Where?" I ask him.

He leans over and wipes it off with his thumb. Before he can grab a napkin to clean his digit, I bring his hand up to my mouth, licking the frosting off with a playful grin, and he gives me a stunned expression. After a second or two, he sets down his fork and stands up, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the couch.

"Wait, I thought you wanted cake..." I start, and Spencer interrupts me with a kiss, pulling me down to sit next to him.

"I did, but I want something else a little bit more right now," he says softly in a low voice before cupping my cheek and leaning in for a slower, deeper kiss that makes me tingle down to my toes.

As we continue kissing, I place my hand on his knee and start gently caressing him, my fingers gently stroking his thigh.

"You can...go further," he says breathlessly, as we part momentarily.

"Are you sure?" I ask, my hand still on his leg.

He nods and says, "Yeah, please?"

I slowly slide my hand from his thigh up to his bulge, and at first contact, he lets out the most beautiful broken whine. I start running my hand over him through his pants, my thumb circling the head, and he starts whimpering and bucking his hips.

As he goes to bury his head in my neck, I instead pull his face to mine and capture his lips in a scorching kiss that he eagerly returns.

After we break from the kiss, I breathlessly ask, "Spencer, can-can I see you? Please?" while looking down at the tent in his pants, then back to his face.

He takes in a sharp breath and closes his eyes, and when he opens them again, I look at him for a moment and then say gently, "Hey, you don't have to if you aren't ready. Just know that no matter what you decide, I, um, I still...want you, Spencer."

He swallows and says, "N-no, I'm ok with it, I might...need a minute or so, though."

I smile shyly and say, "If it would make you feel any better, you can see some of me, too."

He starts stammering out, "Oh, n-no, that's-" but stops once my shirt's off and I'm sitting there in my bra. He trails off, then says in a distracted voice, "OK."

I flush a little and say, "If I had known you were going to see me in my bra, I would've worn a prettier one."

He lets out a shaky breath and says, "Oh, this one's quite nice as it is..." making me giggle a little.

As he sits there, I lean closer and grab his hand, placing it on my breast, and he starts gently cupping and massaging it. I close my eyes and can't help a soft moan escape me when he rubs over my nipple. He pulls me in for a kiss, gives my breast one last gentle squeeze, then swallows and says, "Yeah. OK."

He takes a breath and then slowly pulls himself out of his khakis. All I can do is gasp, "Oh!" as I take in the sight of him. Pale, with a dark pink tip, and very long.

I realize I'm just sitting there gawking, and I flush, apologizing, then saying, "I-I'm sorry for staring, Spence. You're just...wow! Co-could I touch you, please? I'll be gentle, I promise..."

"I-um, I guess so, if you'd li-" he starts to say, but is cut off by a whimper when I wrap my hand around him. I slowly drag my hand up and down his length, small whines spilling from him as I feel the velvety skin of him.

"Does-does this feel ok?" I ask nervously, gently stroking him. All he can do is nod, then after a moment I start to go faster, groans coming from him as he pulls me in for a kiss.

I give him a deep kiss as I stroke him quicker, teeth clacking and tongues dancing together as I collect the pre-cum from his tip, using it to make my hand glide faster. I keep rubbing my thumb over the head when I get to the top of him, which causes him to break from the kiss and gasp out, "If-if you keep doing that, I'm going to...to..."

"To...what, Spencer? Come? Good, I want you to. I want to see that." I say softly, which earns a strangled moan from him.

I pull him in for another kiss and place his hand back on my breast with my free hand, still stroking him quickly, when I start to feel his length stiffen.

"Oh, oh fuck, I'm-" he groans against my lips, as his release starts shooting from him, hitting his shirt and running down onto his pants.

"I'm sorry Spence! Here, let me..." I say, grabbing a tissue box and helping clean up a bit, dabbing at his shirt.

He sits there a little dazedly for a few seconds before he grabs a few tissues and starts wiping his pants off. Once he's cleaned up a bit, he puts himself back in his khakis. His breathing levels out after a minute, then he gets up and sheepishly says, "I'll, um, I'll be right back. Need to...change."

"OK, I'll...I'll be here..." I say, sitting there for a moment before I gather up the tissues in my lap, throwing them away and putting the tissue box back.

Washing and drying my hands, I grab my shirt and start putting it back on when Spencer comes out, changed and slightly flushed. 

He looks at me a bit sheepishly and starts to say something when I rush to him and give him a passionate kiss. Once we part, he asks a little breathlessly, "So, that...that was ok? It, um, it wasn't...weird...or anything?"

I smile and stroke his cheek, then say, "No, Spencer, it wasn't weird. Honestly, I'm hoping we can do that again. If, uh, if you're ok with it. With us doing that, I mean."

"Oh, absolutely. Though, I think it might be a good idea to have a few towels on hand," he says, smiling.

I smile back at him and give him another kiss, before pulling back and asking him, "Um, I just wanted to ask if, uh, you think you'd be, er, up to doing that again later tonight. Ah, no pun intended."

He raises his eyebrows momentarily and scratches the back of his neck as he stammers, "I, ah, I'll more than likely need a...a bit of a rest before then, but, um, i-if you'd really w-want to again tonight, I um, I wouldn't be opposed..."

I grin and go up on tip-toe to give him a gentle, chaste kiss, and say, "I absolutely want to, I wanna see that again..." causing him to briefly close his eyes and let out a breath.

His voice goes up an octave as he says, "So, uh, did we-did we want to watch a movie or something?"

Smiling sweetly at him, I nod and say, "Yeah, sounds good. What did you have in mind? Birthday boy's choice!"

Grinning, he changes gears and launches into describing the latest foreign film on his 'to watch' list as he finds the DVD he rented. 

As he continues talking about the movie, he gets it ready, and I clean up our meal and put the cake away for later.

We then get comfortable, leaning into each other on the couch. Sometime through the movie, we lace our fingers together, him translating throughout. As it gets close to the end, I slip my hand out of his and slide his hand down my shirt, keeping his hand on my breast as he flexes and his voice falters. I look up at him innocently, giving him a grin, then turn back to the movie.

Once it's finished, he grabs my hand and leads me to his bedroom. Smiling, I kiss him and pull him to his bed, having him lie down. I turn towards his bathroom, and he asks, "Wait, where are you going?"

I grin and say, "Well, you did say it would be a good idea to have some towels on hand, so I was going to grab some."

He gulps and says, "In-in the cabinet..." I smirk at him and head off to grab some towels.

Once I'm back in his bedroom with towels in tow, I set them aside and crawl onto the bed towards him, hovering over him slightly before leaning over to give him a soft kiss.

He reaches up and pulls me onto him, and we both groan as our centers come in contact. His hands on my hips, he positions me so we can feel each other more intensely, letting out a breath as I grind down on him after he does so.

I let out a small moan and say breathily, "You know, as much as I would love to get off this way, I really want to touch you and make you come again..."

A whine escapes Spencer, and he quickly says, "Use-use me then. Ride my leg, you're so pretty when you come, I want to see that, if I could..."

I raise an eyebrow and ask, "Are you sure, Spence?" and just nods emphatically.

After he strips off his pants and underwear, his dick twitching as it bobs in the air, he urges me into a position where I can please myself as I get him off. After getting as comfortable as I can, he closes his eyes and sucks in a breath through his teeth, then says, "Fuck, you're hot..." He opens his eyes and flushes slightly, saying, "Literally...well, in both ways."

I give an experimental roll of my hips against him, causing his eyes to flutter shut and his hands to grip my hips again. I smirk, and before I do anything else, I quickly take off my shirt.

"You seemed to like the view a lot last time," I tease softly, watching as Spencer bites his lip as his eyes focus on my chest, pre-cum starting to leak from him.

"OK if I try something, Spence?" I ask, and he looks at me a little questioningly, but nods nevertheless.

I quickly lick the palm of my hand and swiftly use that and the pre-cum to start slowly stroking him. I hear his breath hitch and feel his hips buck slightly. I start going a little faster, leaning over so Spencer can watch my breasts jiggle as my hand slides up and down his length.

"Y'know Spence, I didn't know that dicks could be pretty, but yours sure is," I say suggestively, stroking his shaft faster. He lets out a whine and throbs in my hand, and I grin at him while rolling my hips to give myself some relief.

"What, you like the compliment, huh?" I say cheekily, and he nods and flushes even further than he has.

"Well, it's true. You're just...so...fucking...gorgeous, Spence..." I say.

His eyes close while his head drops back onto the pillow and he whimpers, "Oh, God..." just as he stiffens in my hand and reaches his release, finishing right onto my chest.

He looks at me wide-eyed, but before he says anything, I say, "Spencer...you're still hard. How?"

"Well, my stunning girlfriend is sitting in front of me in her bra, with my ejaculate running down her chest, while she has me in her hand. It's a...very...erotic image, I kind of can't help it..." he says, propping himself up on his elbows.

I bite my lip and then grin, asking in a low voice, "Can I keep going? I...kind of want to see how many times I can make you come, is that ok?"

He twitches in my hand and nods, then I take my hand and gather some of his fluids from my chest and use it to start stroking him again. As slick sounds fill the room, I can't help but roll my hips, grinding against Spencer's leg.

He stares at me while I do this, letting out a low, "Yes, ride me, please..."

I whimper when he places his hands on my hips and guides me against him, heat traveling from my core to low in my belly. As I writhe against him, I take my other hand and gather more of his spend from my chest, having it join my other hand in its motions.

  He fights to have his eyes stay open, letting out breathy groans with every pass of my hands. His hands keep assisting my hips' movement, and the tension starts becoming overwhelming. As a wave of euphoria crashes into me, I gasp out Spencer's name, which causes him to reach his peak again, adding to the wetness on my chest.

We stay there, panting to catch our breaths for a few minutes. Spencer opens his eyes and groans, saying, "I...you...might want to change your top or something..."

"Why, what's wrong?" I say, looking down momentarily and noticing that his seed is dripping down and causing my bra to become see-through.

"Because while I love the sight of you like this, I don't know if I have the energy to come again and take a shower before we head to bed." he rasps, his length twitching again, causing him to close his eyes again.

"Ah. OK. Um, is it ok if I go shower first, then?" I ask, slowly climbing off of him and the bed and heading towards the bathroom.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm going to...try to...uh...get the blood to flow to the rest of my body again..." he says, looking thoroughly spent.

I unhook my bra, but before I take it off, I turn to Spencer, looking over my shoulder as I ask, "Uh, is it ok if I leave this bra here to be washed?"

"Absolutely, it can be here for when you spend the night again," Spencer says, cracking an eye open and grinning at me.

"OK...hey, Spence?" I say, and he looks at me fully. I smirk and take off my bra, giving him a sliver of a topless side view as I say, "Happy birthday."

He lets out a choked laugh as he says, "I swear, you're gonna be the death of me, Lina..."

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 55

word count - 2.3k warnings - kissing, making out, grinding, coming in pants (m & f), discussion of sex, contraception, and STDs/STIs (be safe, folks!) Summary: Lina and Spencer unwind after work, and have an important talk or two…

Another workweek has ended, for which everyone in the BAU is grateful. "It was nice to see Elle back, I liked her hair!" I said as we entered my apartment, seeing Spencer nod as he followed me. 

"I could have done without the teasing from Derek and Penny, though. They won't believe me when I say we just fell asleep that night," I continue as I slip off my shoes and drop my purse next to them.

Spencer toes his shoes off and sets his bag down as well, saying with a slight chuckle, "Oh, no, they believe you, they just like seeing you squirm." 

I huff out a laugh and say, "Yeah, I guess I am kind of easy to tease about that stuff, huh?" I turn to him then and say, "Well, I'm gonna change really quick, did you need anything?" 

He shakes his head and says, "I'll, uh, I'll be waiting for you over here." while sitting on the couch. I nod, then head into my room to get out of my work clothes.

Stripping down and freshening up quickly, I put on a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts, then walk back out into the living room. I go to the fridge and grab two bottles of water, handing Spencer one as I sit next to him on the couch.

"So, did we want to watch more of Next Generation?" he asks, setting the DVD box on the table.

"Yeah, sounds good," I say, getting up and putting the disc in the player.

As the episode plays, I sit down next to Spencer, leaning into him with a contented sigh. I look up at him and smile as he peers down at me. I giggle, and he asks, "What?"

"You just look...really good in your glasses..." I say, tugging on his tie to bring him closer for a kiss.

When he pulls away, he looks at me and smiles, dipping down for another kiss. When he leans back, I get up onto my knees and grab his tie, unraveling it.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he asks, laughing a little when my fingers brush his neck, tickling him.

"We're done with work today, Spence, and you're still all buttoned up. C'mon, get comfy. At least take off your tie, it should help you cool off a little." I say, stroking his cheek.

He flushes and gives me a shy smile as he unbuttons his shirt a little. I grin and pull him in for another kiss, my hands going to his hair. He lets out a soft whimper as I tug a bit, his hands going to my back.

I pull him into me, his chest flush against mine, and I continue kissing him, slowly moving down his jaw to his neck. I give his neck a slow lick, making him shiver and whine, and he swiftly pulls me into his lap.

"I-is this ok?" he asks me nervously.

"Very much so, Spence," I say breathlessly. "OK if I keep going?" I ask him.

He nods and says a soft, "Yes, please,"

I grin and lean back in, kissing and lightly biting his neck. He tangles his fingers in my hair, letting out little huffs and gasps as I continue. As I start to suck on the lower part of his neck, he moans and his hips jerk forward.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry..." he starts, and I pull back to look at him.

"What are you sorry about? Do you want me to stop?" I ask, running my fingers through his hair.

"Oh, no, no, please don't stop..." he says quickly.

"Then why are you apologizing? I like knowing that you're enjoying this..." I say, leaning back down with a grin.

He whimpers again, panting and groaning a little as I go back to sucking on his neck, and as I gently nip his throat, he lets out a loud groan, both of his hands flying to my hips, and he pulls me against him. A gasp that turns into a moan escapes from my lips as I feel his hardness pressed against me.

"O-oh, I'm-" Spencer starts nervously.

"Spencer, don't you dare apologize. Oh my God, you feel so good..." I end up whimpering and resting my forehead against his, panting as I try to catch my breath.

As I look back at him, he's staring at my chest. After a soft, "Spence?" from me, he snaps his eyes back to my face.

His face flushing red, he stutters out, "Co-could I-I try that? On-on you, I mean?"

I grin and teasingly ask him, "What, you want to give me a hickey, Spence?"

"I, uh, I-" he starts, incredibly flustered.

I pull my hair aside and lean into him with a smirk, saying, "Go ahead then."

He leans down and starts to gently kiss and lick the top of my right breast, causing me to hum happily. He slowly starts sucking and biting as well, and I sigh in bliss. He moves up to my neck, and I start to feel incredibly overheated, letting out a whine and gasping a little.

As he leans me over, one hand on my back propping me up, the other brushing feather-light touches on my waist, he latches above my collarbone, and I close my eyes and groan, bucking my hips against him for friction.

As the hand on my back slides down lower and presses me into him, I suck in a breath and moan, "Oh, my God, Spencer..." I feel him twitch against me, and I start rolling my hips to feel him more. He buries his head in my neck, still licking and sucking while a groan escapes him, his hips moving against mine.

As the pressure builds in my lower stomach, I softly cry out, "Oh, Spencer! I think I'm gonna-" and my words get cut off by the moan that erupts from me as the ecstasy rolls through my body, my hips continuing to move against him.

Spencer quietly whimpers, "Oh God, yes..." and I feel him throbbing against me as he groans and gasps for breath, falling back against the couch, his eyes closed and chest heaving.

After a few moments, he slowly asks, "Did...did you just..."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we both did, Spence," I sigh happily, laying my head on his chest, then looking up at him, as I grin from the afterglow.

His face going bright red, he then quickly slides me off his lap, gets up, and says, "I, uh, I think I'm gonna go get changed into something more comfortable. I'll, um, be right back..." Then scurries into my bedroom to grab a change of clothes.

After a few minutes, he comes back dressed more casually, a t-shirt and shorts, his other clothes folded neatly in his hands. 

"Spence," I giggle, "You can leave that in my basket, I can wash them here...unless they have special washing instructions..." causing him to shake his head. I stand up and walk to him as I say, "In that case, you can leave them here, then you'll have some work clothes if you need them..." I smile and put my arms around his neck and gently kiss him.

"Y-you won't mind? Are you sure?" he asks hesitantly.

Giving him a wicked grin, I say, "Spencer, after what just happened on the couch, washing some of your work clothes and keeping them here for you later is the least I could do," which causes him to flush pink.

I hold my hand out and he hands me his work clothes, and after putting them in my laundry hamper, I rummage through my drawers to grab another pair of underwear. Seeing the look of slight confusion on Spencer's face, I smirk and say, "Oh, you thought you were the only one who needed to freshen up after that? You've got more skills than you give yourself credit, Doc,"

Before I slip into the bathroom to clean up and change, I catch a little self-satisfied smile on Spencer's face as his blush darkens.

Once I come back out, he stammers out, "D-did you want to restart the episode? I, uh, I don't know about you, but I didn't really catch any of it..."

I grin and say, "I mean, we could try, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to focus on it..."

His eyebrows scrunching in uncertainty, he asks, "W-why? You said you liked Star Trek..."

I bite my lip and look at him, then say, "Well, yeah, but I kind of like...is-is it ok to call you my boyfriend, o-or is it too soon, or..."

"Yes! Yeah, you-I...I want to be your boyfriend." he says a bit breathlessly.

Smiling, I take his hand and say, "In that case, while I do like Star Trek," then pull him closer and continue. "I kind of like making out with my boyfriend a lot more."

He flushes and starts grinning, then says, "I have to agree, I definitely enjoy kissing my girlfriend..." which causes me to giggle and hug him, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him.

"I mean, we can still try to watch, but no promises I won't get distracted," I tease, as we head back into the living room.

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow, and I giggle and say, "What? Those glasses are a major turn-on, not like you needed anything to make you even more attractive."

He blushes at that, and as we sit back down, he pulls me down next to him, holding me close. We start the episode up again from the beginning, and we pay a marginal amount of attention to it. Once the next episode begins, though, both of us have shifted our attention, from the TV onto each other.

Sitting in his lap, I say in between kisses, "I'm sorry...we aren't really...watching...what you...brought over...Spence,"

He grins and says as I kiss down his neck, "I can't really say I'm complaining...oh!" letting out a gasp as I lick up from his neck to his jaw.

Pausing, I look at him and ask, "Was that a good 'oh!' or a bad 'oh!'?"

Pulling me in for a quick kiss, Spencer then says, "It was a good 'oh!' A very good 'oh!'" I giggle as he gives me another kiss.

I start nipping down his neck and latch onto under his collarbone as he says, "You know, while I'm thinking of it, it might be a good idea to talk about, erm, protection."

I stop momentarily and look at him with a raised eyebrow, asking, "'While you're thinking of it'? What makes you say that, Spence?"

He just stops and looks down at me sitting in his lap, his hands on my waist as my hips slowly rock back and forth against him. We look back at each other and I say, "OK, fair point. What, uh, what exactly should we discuss about it?"

"Well, what-what are our options? What sounds like the best choice?" he asks.

"I've, uh, I've been on the pill since I was 16, so, that should cover the, um, the pregnancy issue, shouldn't it?" I say anxiously, slowing down the rocking of my hips.

"I mean, with perfect usage, it has the potential to be 99% effective. That said, with typical usage, it's more like 91% effective. And it's better than, um, other barrier methods. For instance, the male condom is only about 85% effective at preventing pregnancy." Spencer says, his hands flexing against my waist.

"And as for STDs, we should be safe since, um, well..." I say, trailing off shily.

"Right. Y-yeah, we should be-we should be safe on that front..." he stammers softly, looking at me.

"Having said all that, I know I'm having a lot of fun just doing what we're doing now..." I say breathily.

"I am, too," he says in a hushed voice, looking at me intently as he pulls me in for a heated kiss.

Fire coursing through me, I start rocking my hips faster, letting my hands tangle in his hair. Spencer lets out a whimper as I tug his hair, and he asks, "Can-can I move my hands down? Please?"

Smirking slightly, I remove my hands from his hair, grab his wrists, and place his hands directly on my ass, then lace my fingers into his hair again and bring him closer for a searing kiss.

As he returns the kiss, he squeezes my ass and pulls me closer to him, bucking his hips to rub his bulge against my core. I let out a soft moan, and he does it again. I writhe against him as I gasp out, "Spencer, I-I'm close,"

He rests his forehead against mine and says to me in a low voice, "Then let go for me, angel,"

I let out a strangled cry of his name as I fall apart, slumping into his arms and gasping for breath as Spencer lets out a low moan and his hips stutter to a stop as he finishes. 

We sit there like that for a couple of minutes as our breathing returns to normal, and then Spencer says playfully, "I'm going to have to start making sure I bring a few more changes of clothes whenever I spend the night, aren't I?"

I snort and laugh, and Spencer laughs as well, kissing me sweetly.

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[silver138]

Listen up!

You see a post like this? Where OP might hurt/kill themselves? You hit that button that I circled

Hit that.

Click Suicide or Self-harm Concern

Yes.

Fill in the rest of it, and hit submit. The "content you reported" will fill itself in

Tumblr will follow up and help them.

Warning: this is only for mobile. If anyone knows how to do this for desktop, please add it!

This could SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.

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I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF IT DOESN'T GO WITH YOUR BLOG'S THEME.

And yes, REBLOG. Liking does no shit at all. This isn't ig.

You reblog, people see it. You don't, people don't see it. This shit's that simple.

This could save someone's life. It's not a joke.

[silver138]

“Those poor boys”

“She deserves to be punished too.”

“I’m not saying I support rape, but-”

“Sorry to say - she deserved it.”

“She put herself in harm’s way”

“But if she was fingered, then that’s not rape.”

“She ruined their lives.”

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 54

word count - 2.6k warnings - alcohol and drinking, spoilers for episode 3-16 "Elephant's Memory", discussion of bullying and assault, kissing and cuddling Summary: Lina's birthday party continues!

After we clean up a little from the cake and presents, everyone starts lounging around, talking and swimming, and generally just enjoying having a day off. After a little while, I head over to Spencer and ask him, "Hey, um, can I bug you for help with this?" holding up the bottle of sunblock.

He places his bookmark on the page he's on and nods, indicating that I should sit in front of him. I do so and put my hair up so it's out of the way, and I hear the click of the cap opening, Spencer saying, "You know, I was getting a little concerned you'd forgotten."

I shiver slightly as he starts rubbing the cream into my skin, as he touches me delicately, and tickles me a bit. I hum and say, "Huh-uh, I just didn't want to disturb your reading."

He chuckles and says, "Lina, you know I've read this book before, right?"

"Well, still..." I say, trailing off as he spreads the sunblock onto my shoulders.

He sighs and continues applying sunblock to me, being thorough in his actions. As he finishes and sets the bottle on the table, he says quietly, "You are quite possibly the last person who could ever bug me."

I turn to look at him, smiling at him and kissing him gently. Once we part, his cheeks and ears are red and I teasingly say, "Oh, is it time to reapply yours, too?"

He looks at me, his mouth bunched up to one side and eyes squinted, then quickly starts tickling my sides.

"Nooo!" I squeal out, laughing as he continues. He starts chuckling as well while I try to twist away.

"Truce! Truce!" I gasp out, laughing as I lay against him to catch my breath.

"Ahh, so Songbird's ticklish. Yeah, that tracks..." Derek says as he walks by, heading into the pool.

I groan as Spencer laughs again, "Great, more ammo for teasing..." I say while sighing.

I go to get up and Spencer says, "It takes 15 minutes for it to be properly absorbed by your skin, you still have about 7 minutes..."

I look at him and say, "I-yeah, but...you'd probably like your personal space back, so..."

He gently places his hand on my arm and says softly, "No, you can stay, I don't mind."

"Are-are you sure? I don't want to-" I start, and he promptly wraps an arm around my stomach and pulls me to him.

"I'm sure," he says, and I lean back into him, humming happily.

We stay like that for much longer than 7 minutes, talking and laughing while we watch the others. After a while, Val and Penelope come over and pull Spencer and me up, with Val saying, "Come on, let's head in for a bit, have a few drinks."

We allow ourselves to be led in and I say, "One. One drink and one shot. That's it for me, Val, ok?"

She huffs and says, "Yeah, yeah, guess I'll take what I can get..."

Once we're sat down on a nearby couch, Penny puts a party hat on me and says, "I know exactly what shot would be perfect for you! Be right back!"

I turn and look at Spencer, who grins and says, "Hey, at least you get a normal birthday hat...have you seen the one they use in the office?"

"Here you go!" Penelope says, placing a shot glass filled with red liquid and a gummy bear on the rim of the glass in my hand.

"Can I wager a guess that this is a gummy bear-flavored shot?" I ask, lifting it to my lips as she nods and smiles.

I do my best to drink it all in one go but still end up coughing when I'm done with it. Val comes over and pats me on the back, taking the glass from me and saying, "Sorry, I'll make sure the next drink is a weaker one. You're still a good sport for doing the shot, though."

I just nod and try to catch my breath, and she walks away to get me the other drink I said I'd have. "You ok?" Spencer asks, taking a sip of his drink.

I nod, then gesture to his glass and ask, "What did you get?"

He gives me a small smile and says, "An Arnold Palmer."

My mouth drops open and I whisper-shout, "How'd you manage to get out of drinking?!"

He smiles and says, "Well, I'm not the 'birthday girl', am I?"

I'm about to say something else when Val comes over and hands me a mason jar with a very blue drink in it. "Here, it's a Blue Raspberry Explosion, it's got way more soda in it than alcohol. You good with it?" I take a sip and nod, and Val pats me on the shoulder and heads back to the bar.

We sit there and our friends come over to chat every once in a while, Penny getting increasingly giggly as it becomes night. I've finished the drink Val gave me and am sipping on a different, non-alcoholic one when I decide to go sit at the edge of the pool and look at the stars as they come out.

I make my way out onto the patio, letting my hair down as I go, and sit down near the pool and dip my feet in, kicking them and feeling the water swirl around my legs as I stare into the night sky.

A few minutes later, Spencer's standing nearby, asking, "OK if I sit with you?"

I smile at him and say, "Of course, come on down."

He sits down next to me, his legs swishing in the water as well, and he starts pointing out the different constellations and planets above us. As he describes the heavenly bodies, I lean into him, and he puts his arm around me. After a while, I tilt my head and kiss him, which he eagerly returns.

As we part, he gives me a look I can't discern, and he slips down into the pool, carefully bringing me with him. "There is...one more thing I wanted to give you for your birthday, Lina," he says carefully.

I look up at him quizzically as he pulls me close and he starts kissing me passionately, drawing my body toward his. His hands caress my face as he gives me searing kisses that make my heart race and a swarm of butterflies start fluttering in my stomach.

After several minutes of intense canoodling, Spencer and I part, leaving me dazed and both of us breathing heavily. "There, I finally fixed it and made out with who I wanted to in a pool..." he says, giving a shy smile.

Momentarily stunned, I then break into laughter, asking, "Really? Even...then?"

Still smiling, he says, "Yeah. And...I'm also really glad you took it the way I intended..."

I grin and lean in for another kiss, and his hands start to roam my back and land on my hips, pulling me flush to him, and causing me to gasp against his lips. As we separate, I ask softly, "Spence, did you want to...go find a room to...relax, maybe take a shower, and head to sleep?" giving him a meaningful look.

"I-yeah, yeah, I'd like that," he says quietly, and we make our way out of the pool, drying off before we head inside.

"Hey, guys, I'm feeling kinda beat, so I'm gonna turn in for the night. Thank you guys for coming! As far as I know, due to alcohol and driving not mixing, everyone's good to spend the night as well..." I start, looking over to Val and Joe for confirmation, getting nods from both.

"So, yeah! Have fun, and when you tire out, just pick a room and sleep! Night, guys!" I say, leading Spencer along with me by the hand, each of us carrying our overnight bags. 

He gives everyone else a tight smile and a small wave goodnight, and we head to find a room we can share that's far enough away so their partying doesn't disturb us...and so whatever we wind up doing doesn't disturb them.

Once we're inside, we set our bags aside and I close the door behind us. I turn to Spencer, and he slowly presses me against the door and kisses me slowly, deeply. My arms snake around his shoulders and I run my fingers through his hair, giving a slight tug that makes a whine slip from him.

As his lips travel down my neck, I involuntarily let out a soft moan, which causes him to stop momentarily and look at me, a faint blush on his face, before leaning back in to kiss back up to my lips.

When we part, I bite my lip and start to pull him towards the bathroom, grabbing a few towels as we pass. He stumbles and stops and asks, "Wh-what, um, what were you thinking of having us do in there, Lina?"

I stop and say, "I-I'm not entirely sure, but I know I want to see you. Maybe...shower together? Is-is that...too much?" After a nervous look from Spencer, I continue. "I-I'm sorry, Spencer, I just...really want you right now..."

As he flushes, he stammers out, "You-you want to..."

"Um, maybe not that far, but I know I want to see you. I know I want to touch you, and feel you..." I say shily, my hands twisting together nervously.

Spencer gulps and says, "While I, um, I can't deny I would like to do that, I...I don't quite think I'm ready to have you see me..."

A little stunned, I just nod and say, "O-oh, um, o-ok then..." trying to keep the confused look from my face.

He sighs and gently takes my hands and leads me to sit at the edge of the bed. "There...there's a reason I'm so hesitant, Lina," he says slowly.

I look at him and nod, waiting for him to tell me.

He takes a deep breath and starts explaining. "It...it was in high school, and I was in the library, and a classmate came up to me and said that, um, a girl I had a crush on, she wanted to meet me behind the field house."

I tilt my head and look at him as he continues. "Well, not only was she there, but so was the whole football team. They...they stripped me and tied me to a goalpost."

My mouth drops open then, and Spencer looks down at his hands as he proceeds. "There were...so many kids there. And-and I begged them to stop. But they just...kept watching. Finally, they got bored and left. I didn't get home until midnight."

I'm finally able to think and I ask, "What-what about your mom?"

He looks at me and slowly shakes his head, saying, "She didn't even realize I came home late, she was-she was having one of her episodes. I never told her. I haven't told anyone else. Until now, I suppose."

I throw my arms around him and hug him, saying, "Oh, God, Spencer. I'm so sorry. That's-that's...assault. They should be in jail because of that..."

He lets out a small sigh and says, "I-I think it's a little late for them to have any sort of punishment for it. But-but I wanted to explain why I'm...reluctant...to do anything like that yet..."

He pulls away to look at me, and I say, "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to push you, Spencer. We can wait until you're ready, absolutely. I-I...I didn't mean to-"

He smiles weakly at me. "I know you didn't. But I figured you, well, you had a right to know the reason why I wasn't ready for anything like that yet."

I nod, thinking for a moment, then saying, "Did-did you want to take a shower first? Separately, I mean. And-and then we could, I don't know, I...I just want to make sure you feel ok, Spencer. Tell me what you'd want to do, what you feel comfortable doing, please."

"I'll, uh, I'll probably know better after our showers, is that ok?" he says unsurely.

I nod and say, "Yeah, of course. Did-did you want me to get anything? Any...food or-or...anything?"

He shakes his head, then kisses me on the forehead as he gathers his things for his shower, saying, "No, I'm...I'm ok. I'll, uh, I'll see you in a bit." 

I nod and softly say, "I'll-I'll be here, Spence."

He smiles dolefully and says, "I know. Be out in a bit." then heads in to take his shower.

I sit there, mulling over what Spencer told me, and I can't help but feel anger. Anger at his bullies, that they could do something like that. Anger that made me want to do something to them on Spencer's behalf. Remembering the look on Spencer's face as he told me, though, there had been no anger there, he was just...stating facts, what had happened. Maybe looking a little nervous, but no anger.

I must have been stuck in my head for a while, because before I knew it, Spencer was coming out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry and dressed in a t-shirt and pajama pants.

I give him a tender smile as he walks over to me, and he says, "There should be some hot water, if you want to use any."

"Not sure, guess it depends on how vigilant I was with the sunblock," I say, grinning. I grab my night clothes and a couple of towels and head in for my shower.

Showering quickly, I dry off and get dressed swiftly. I finish up and head back into the bedroom, seeing Spencer lying on the bed reading his book, his glasses perched on his nose.

When he sees me enter the room, he smiles and sets his book down. I sit down next to him on the bed, then turn to him and ask, "So, um, what-what would you like to do? Would you just want to...cuddle, maybe talk, then head to sleep?"

He gives me a soft smile, then takes his glasses off and sets them down on top of his book while saying, "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

I smile at him and climb under the covers, sliding closer to him, and turn to face him as he does the same, pulling me closer and holding me.

He lets out a small sigh and says, "I'm sorry if I put a...a damper...on our plans,"

"Spencer, it's not a race, and there's no point in doing something if we aren't both comfortable," I say softly, snuggling into him.

"Yeah, but...I feel like...I've been keeping us from going forward in our relationship, and...I don't want to make you wait longer than you want to..." he says plaintively.

I tilt my head back to look up at him and say, "Spencer, you're worth the wait."

He looks at me with an appreciative look in his hazel eyes, then rests his head on his pillow and hugs me tighter.

We slowly shift our conversation to what all happened over the day, laughing and talking for a while more before we both drift off to sleep, wrapped up in each other.

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 53

word count - 3.9k warnings - swearing, a bit of innuendo Summary: Lina's birthday party starts!

After several weeks of back-to-back cases, we managed to hit a lull, finally finishing out a week only doing paperwork. As I'm packing up to go home on Friday, I get a text from Val giving me the details and directions to share with my coworkers for the weekend.

"Ooh, that's right, that's this weekend!" Penny squeals excitedly as we put the computers on stand-by as we leave and I quickly send out the information to everyone attending.

"I bought a new swimsuit, it's so cute, I can't wait to show it off! And I got your birthday gift!" Penelope continues as we walk out for the elevator.

I chuckle as JJ walks up, saying, "Ooh, yeah, the party! Is there anything we should bring for it?"

I shake my head and say, "No, Val's assured me we're covered on food and drinks, so just the usual: your swimsuit, towel, and anything else you need for swimming and relaxing."

She nods, and Penny continues. "I'm hoping I can get a bit of a tan, too. See if I can get my glow from the sun instead of my trusty computer for a change," she says with a giggle.

"It's recommended to use a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen, even if you're trying to tan," Spencer says as he and Derek walk toward us.

"In that case, will you help me put some on while we're out, Chocolate Thunder?" Penelope says to Derek with a cheeky smile.

"You bet, Baby Girl," he replies, returning her playful grin.

Letting out a small laugh, I turn to Spencer and ask, "That is a good idea, though. Spence, will you help me put sunblock on while we're out there? I know I'll need some assistance, I tend to burn kinda easily."

"Oh, um, y-yeah, I can help you with that," he says, slightly flustered.

"Thanks, Spence. I can help you put some on too, if you'd like." I say with a grin, not missing the look on Derek's face as Spencer starts blushing wildly.

"I-uh, y-yeah, s-sounds good," he says shakily, going quiet as the others keep talking during the ride down the elevator.

As we go our separate ways to head home, I wave bye to everyone else as Spencer and I head towards the Metro station. He's silent as we walk, quite obviously analyzing something.

"Whatcha thinking about, Doc?" I ask, and he looks at me a little quizzically. I laugh lightly and say, "You've got that pensive look on your face, Spence. What's up?"

"N-nothing, really. Just...thinking about tomorrow and what I'd need to bring," he says, trying to deflect.

"Are you worried about what you'll be wearing tomorrow?" I ask gently, and Spencer looks at me as I continue. "Because you said you don't like showing your body?"

He doesn't say anything, but the look on his face is unmistakable. I soothingly take his hand in mine and say, "Spence, you don't need to worry about that. Just wear whatever you're comfortable with. Shirt, no shirt, pants, shorts, a wetsuit..." earning a small chuckle from him at that last one.

"Seriously. I don't know what happened for you to feel that way, but I can assure you, no one's going to judge you on your body." I say lightly, and Spencer gives me a small, tight smile.

"Besides, I, uh, I wouldn't exactly mind seeing more of you in any capacity, if, um, if that one morning was any indication..." I say with a small, nervous giggle, which causes Spencer to look at me a bit wide-eyed and start flushing, a tiny smile creeping onto his face as he turns his head the other way and rubs the back of his neck.

"You aren't alone in being anxious about showing off your body, too. I think Val was actually sick of clothes shopping by the time I managed to find a swimsuit I was even somewhat comfortable with..." I say softly, looking down as we walk.

Spencer lets out a hum of surprise, then goes quiet again, thinking over everything I've said.

I silently lace my fingers with his and say, "Spencer, I like you. All of you. Your brain, personality, and your looks. Whenever you're ready to share more of yourself, I'm here."

He looks at me and gives me a small nod, then kisses my forehead and squeezes my hand. We continue walking and enter onto the metro, sitting next to each other, while slowly starting back into our normal conversation topics.

Once it's time for me to head off, I look at him and say hopefully, "So, see you tomorrow?"

He gives me a small half-smile and says, "Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be heading up with Morgan, so, who knows when we'll actually get there."

I snort and chuckle at that, then kiss him and say, "Night, Spence." 

He gives me a tight smile and squeezes my hand one last time before I exit the Metro and head to my apartment for the night.

*************

The next morning, Val and I rush around, getting everything we need for our weekend break. Luckily, we head up there in plenty of time to start getting everything set up.

"Thank God Joe already has everything up there and has the house prepped, we'd be screwed if we had to do all that shit today..." Val says, laying on her horn and going around a driver in front of her that's paying more attention to their phone than the road.

"If Joe's got everything covered, what are we preparing, then?" I ask, looking out the window to see if I recognize where we're headed.

"Oh, you know, getting the grill ready, chilling glasses, baking your cake..." she says with a smile.

I look at her skeptically, an eyebrow raised, and say, "You've got to be kidding me. There's no way in hell that you are baking a cake, let alone one for a birthday."

She cackles and says, "Your bullshit detector is up to date, good. Nah, that's there too, had Joe pick that up this morning."

Shortly after, we pull up to the vacation house. Looking over at the sprawling building in front of us, I drawl, "What did you say Joe's uncle did again?"

Val shrugs and jokes, "I can never remember, maybe he's in the mob..." Seeing the look I give her, she adds, "No, not really. He's...some kind of architect, I think..."

I nod and say, "Ah, ok. Guessing he designed the place?"

She hums unknowingly, saying, "I dunno, maybe...you gonna help me, or are ya gonna gawk?"

Following her inside while carrying the things we brought, I greet Joe, who's setting up a grill out on a covered patio. "Hey, you two. Happy birthday, Lina," he says good-naturedly, looking up from checking the appliance.

"Thank you for letting us have this here, Joe. I really appreciate it." I say, grinning and setting down our stuff on a nearby table.

"You're welcome. How many are we expecting?" he asks, setting up a nearby table with the tools he'll need to cook.

"Um, let's see, 5 more for sure, with a possibility of another 3, so, either 8 or 11 total," I say, counting my co-workers and Hotch's family in my head. 

"Wasn't there one more you work with? I think her name's Elsa?" Val says absentmindedly.

"Elle, actually, and I asked her, but she's kind of...still recovering from what happened, so she declined. She wished me a happy birthday, though..." I say, trailing off as I set up chairs and tables around the deck.

Val nods as she sets up the plates, utensils, and napkins on another table, and it isn't long before we get the area all set up. After Joe's done setting up the grill, he heads inside to get the bar ready. Once Val and I finish with our respective tasks, she looks over at me and says, "So, ready to change into your swimsuit?" I nod, and we head inside to one of the downstairs bedrooms to slip into our suits.

I'm pulling on my one-piece and adjusting to make sure everything's where it's supposed to be when Val comes in. She takes a look at me and asks, "So, you still like it?"

I look in the mirror, examining the boy-short-cut, halter-top, sweetheart-neckline style black swimsuit I found, and shrug, saying, "I mean, I don't hate it...it's about the only one I could see myself in without cringing..."

She sighs, walking over to help me securely tie the ends of the top part so they don't come undone. Just as she's finishing up, I get several texts in a row, stating that everyone is in various stages of arriving.

Telling Val this, I then ask if she can help me put sunblock on my back. Looking at me with a raised eyebrow, she teases, "I thought you'd ask Spencer that..."

With a shy half-smile, I respond with, "Well, yeah, when I gotta reapply it. Still need to be ready for when I first get out there. I've gone this far without a major sunburn this summer, I'd like to keep that up if I can..."

Val hums in acknowledgment as she applies sunblock to my back, then hands me the lotion for me to put on the rest of my body. The doorbell rings, and she leaves to let the guests in.

As I spread the cream over the rest of me, I hear a squeal and a "Happy birthday, Lina! Oh my gosh, that's such a cute swimsuit! You pull off the retro look so well!" from Penny as she bounds in.

I grin and say, "Thanks, Pen. I'm almost done, if you need the room to get dressed."

She beams at me and goes to hug me, then stops and says, "I'll wait til you're a little less...creamed up." I chuckle and nod, grabbing my glasses, towel, and cover-up as I slide back into my sandals and leave the room.

I put on my cover-up, tying it closed, then head out to claim a chair in the shade, putting my towel and other items down. The doorbell rings again, and I head out to see who it is. I wave at JJ as she walks in, hitching a beach bag on her shoulder while she smiles and says, "Happy birthday! Hope I'm not late."

I chuckle and say, "Nope, you're the second one here." No sooner than I say that, I see Gideon's car roll into a nearby parking spot.

"Guess that leaves Derek and Spence, unless you heard from Hotch or Elle?" JJ says, stepping further inside for Gideon to enter.

"Um, Elle said, 'Thank you, but no', and I didn't really hear anything from Hotch. I don't think he'll be coming, which I understand." I say, and JJ nods.

"Hey, Gideon! Glad you could make it!" I say once he steps inside.

"I figured a rest day could do me some good. Happy birthday," he says with a smile.

"I told you, we'd have gotten here faster if you took the Beltway!" I can hear Spencer's voice drift in from outside.

"Reid, we're here. An extra 5 minutes didn't kill us. Now come on," Derek says, and they continue bickering a bit as they walk up to the house.

"Hey, happy birthday, Songbird!" Derek says, giving me a million-watt smile and handing me a gift bag.

"Thank you, Derek," I say, grinning and welcoming everyone inside.

"Is that my Chocolate Thunder I hear?" Penny says from the doorway, with Val close behind.

"Here, I can put this on the table with the rest of them," Val says, taking the gift bag from me, and causing JJ to walk over to her.

"Oh, good, I can put mine out there, too," she says, and the two walk out to the patio.

"Well, um, there are some rooms over here if you want to change into your swimsuits, or you can go out this way to the deck, where there's the pool and some tables and chairs set up. Or-" I start rambling when Gideon comes up to me and gently takes hold of my arms.

"Lina, relax. We can find our way. Just...enjoy today, ok?" he says kindly, then smiles and walks outside, followed by Penny and Derek, still flirting back and forth with each other.

Spencer walks up to me and gives me a quick hug and says, "Hey, Lina. Happy birthday."

I smile at him and say, "Thank you, Spencer. You look really good in shorts!" which causes him to flush a bit and adjust the satchel on his shoulder.

"I, uh, I'm going to put my gift on the table outside and change, ok?" he says anxiously, and I nod and show him the rooms he can use to change, then walk outside onto the back porch, making my way to my chair.

After a few minutes, Val comes over and sits with me, a can of soda in her hand. We look over at everyone currently outside: Joe starting up the grill to make burgers and hot dogs, Gideon nearby talking with him, and Penny and JJ chatting as they set their towels out on some chairs out in the sunshine.  

A short time later, Spencer comes out in board shorts, a tank top, and an unbuttoned short-sleeve top. His hair is lightly tousled, and he walks over to the chairs in the shade, pushing up his glasses and biting his lip nervously. I do my best not to stare, but Val laughs quietly beside me.

"Girl, put your eyes back in your head," Val teases while looking at me, taking a sip of her drink.

"Shut up..." I lightly whine, playfully nudging her to stop.

"Uh, h-hi. OK if I sit over here?" he says hesitantly, and I nod, speechless. He sets his towel and book down in a chair close to mine.

"I'm gonna go check how Joe's doing. You two kids have fun!" Val says, standing up and walking off, giving us a small wave as she does so.

Spencer and I are silent for a few moments before I clear my throat and ask, "S-so, was it easy for you guys to find your way here?"

Spencer lets out a light, breathy laugh and says, "Yeah, it was easy enough, but Morgan had to be stubborn and go his route, even though I told him we'd be here far earlier if we took the Beltway..."

I giggle and say, "Well, you still got here relatively quickly, so I'd say it worked out..."

He chuckled and looked at me, and I cautiously asked, "So, uh, you-you needed to put some sunblock on? I-I know you're in the shade, but-"

"It's probably still a good idea. Even though outdoor umbrellas can block between 77%-95% of ultraviolet radiation, there's still the matter of diffused and scattered rays bouncing off of various surfaces like the water or sand, which can still cause sunburns." Spencer starts rattling off, then gets quiet, looks up at me, and says, "Um, y-yeah, if you could help me with that, please."

I just grin and give him a quick kiss on the lips and say, "You are so freakin' cute, Spence. OK, scooch forward, I'll sit behind you and get your back and neck."

He flushes and moves forward while taking the button-down shirt off, and I place myself behind him and start lotioning him up, trying not to have my hands stay in one place too long as they travel his upper body.

After I'm done, Spencer turns and says, "Thank you. Do you need me to do you now?" My eyes widen and I try not to laugh as he starts stammering out, "Put sunblock on you, I mean!"

I shake my head and say as I stand up and sit back in my chair, "Val got me for my first application, but I'll need your help after I do some swimming, if you don't mind."

He just nods and sheepishly grabs his book, quickly burying his head in it and reading. After a few moments, he relaxes and puts the book in his lap, fingers skimming the pages as usual. I sit back and gaze at him as he reads, watching as his hands move dexterously. I stare as his fingers delicately run down the page with care, and can't help but start to feel a bit overheated.

I swallow and slowly stand up, untying and taking off my cover-up. Spencer looks up at me, and I say quickly, "I'm, uh, I'm just gonna swim for a bit. Cool off. I'll, um, I'll see you in a bit, Spence." 

His eyes swiftly take in my attire and he nods, flushing slightly. Turning around, I smirk slightly as I go into the pool and start swimming. Good to know I'm not the only one who gets flustered...

I swim for a while, joined by almost everyone else, at one point or another. After an hour or so, Val says, "Hey, Little Mermaid, you wanna come out and have something to eat? Everyone else is."

I snort and make my way out of the pool, toweling off and putting my cover-up back on. I go grab some food, then sit and chat for a time. After a while, I hear Val in the doorway start singing 'Happy Birthday', with everyone else quickly joining in. I look up, and she's carrying in a cake with candles already lit, then sets it in front of me with a flourish, and I sit there until everyone's finished singing.

"Alright, make a wish!" Penny says giddily, and after thinking for a moment, I blow out the candles. Val quickly takes the cake and starts cutting it up and handing out slices.

"So, what'd you wish for, Songbird?" Derek says.

Penny quickly nudges him, saying, "You can't ask that! If she tells, it won't come true, you know that!"

"That's actually a relatively recent addition to the tradition, having only started in the past century." Spencer chimes in, causing me to smile.

Val gives me a look, then continues handing out cake. After everyone eats, she then brings over some gift bags and wrapped presents that were on the nearby table. She hands me a medium-sized rectangle wrapped in brightly colored paper and says, "This one's from Joe and me."

I give her a small smile and start opening the gift. "Oh my gosh, you found it!" I say happily when I see it's a copy of a computer game I'd been wanting to play.

"Which one is it?" Penelope asks and looks it over when I hand it to her to look at.

"It's a part of this one game series I love. It's in a post-apocalyptic setting, and in the first two games, you go around trying to find something to help wherever it is you live, in the first one it's a water chip and in the second, it's a little suitcase-looking kit that's supposed to transform the harsh, dry landscape into one in which you can plant stuff again. Well, in this one, you're a part of the military that protects the wasteland, I'm not sure about much else..." I explain, and she hands it back to me.

"What kind of game is it, an RPG?" she asks, and I nod. She then says, "I may have to ask you more about it later," and I grin.

"Oh, there's so much lore behind it! Like, in this one part of the second game-" I start, swiftly being interrupted by Val.

"Lina, as much as I'm glad you like your gift, there's more here than that one..." she says, handing me the next one.

Flushing, I take the bag she hands me and softly say, "Uh, yeah, sorry. Thank you, Val and Joe, for the gift."

I open up the bag and pull out a plush figurine in the shape of a curled-up black cat. I look at the tag while grinning, saying, "Thank you, JJ! I can start my own little desk collection! How did you know black cats are my favorite?"

"Let's just say that Garcia isn't the only one who can find things out using a computer," she says with a smile, leaning back in her chair while sipping her drink.

Penny leans over and plucks one of the bags up and hands it to me, saying, "Here, open mine next! I can't wait til you see what I got you!"

I open the bag and pull out a flower pot decorated with a giant paw-print in the middle, filled with crocheted roses in a variety of colors. "Go ahead, pull one out!" she says giddily.

I pull a red one out, and I see there's a cap at the end of it. "They're pens! Also, touch the paw print on the pot," she says. I poke it, and it's squishy. I look up and she says happily, "I figured an additional stress reliever would be beneficial for work."

I grin and thank her as Val hands me another medium-sized rectangular package, noting how it feels a bit heavy. I unwrap it and find a set of 5 notebooks similar to the one in my purse, and either a ribbon or a tassel in between each one.

I look up and Gideon says, "I noticed you use your notebook a lot, and figured you could use some more. I also saw that you usually use the same bookmark no matter which book you're reading, so I got you a few more that were similar."

I smile and say, "Thank you, Gideon. Half the time, I can't find it and wind up using a random scrap of paper for a bookmark! These and the notebooks will definitely come in handy!"

"Alright, Songbird, here's mine," Derek says as Val hands me his gift. 

After removing some tissue paper, I pull out 6 boxes of tea and a mug. All of the tea is made with chamomile, and each box is a different flavor. The mug has several cat silhouettes with quotes about cats from different authors on them.

"I remember when you and Reid were talking about having trouble getting to sleep, thought maybe they might help. Oh, there's one more thing in there..." he says, reaching into the bag, retrieving a black satin sleep mask, and handing it to me.

"Just in case it's light when you try to sleep after a case next time," he says with a smile.

I grin and thank him, packing everything back into the bag to carry it all better.

"Last one!" Val says, handing me a small wrapped box.

I open it and find a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant made of a silvery-greyish-black material. I hear Spencer clear his throat and I look up as he says, "It's, ah, it's made from the Muonionalusta meteorite. I recall how fascinated you were when we went through the gem hall on our museum date, especially when we got to the meteorites. I, um, I took a chance on getting silver, because that's all I've ever seen you-"

He's stopped by me getting up, heading over to him, and promptly kissing him. When we part, he looks up at me and says, "Safe to say you like it?"

Chuckles come from around the table as Derek says, "Yeah, safe to say she likes it, Reid."

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 52

A/N: This chapter makes it one year since I've started posting this story. To everyone who's been reading this, thank you! I hope my writing has gotten better over the year, and my goal is to get better at it still. Have a little smut, as a treat. (Hopefully it's decent!)

word count - 1.8k warnings - nightmares, intimacy dreams, 'morning wood' and erections, kissing, talk of intimacy (consent is key, folks!), making out, grinding Summary: Spencer and Lina have an…interesting…morning together…

I'm roused from sleep between 2 and 3 in the morning by movement next to me. Opening my eyes, I see Spencer tossing, turning, and being generally unsettled. I sweep his hair off of his forehead and his eyes open, looking around a bit before they focus on me.

Looking at him with concern, I ask, "Are you ok? Were you having a nightmare?"

He just swallows and nods, his panicked breathing finally slowing down.

I put my hand on his arm and ask, "Did you want to talk about it?"

He shakes his head and says, "It's-it wasn't...any one thing. Just...a bunch of things from the last few cases muddled together. Bizarre and unsettling."

"Anything I can do to help?" I ask, scooching closer to him.

He gives me a faint, tight smile and says, "I-just...you here helps." I nod and close my eyes, and then he adds, "Well, maybe...I could hold you?"

I smile and nod, and cuddle closer to him, my head on his chest as he wraps his arms around me.

"Better?" I ask.

I hear him sigh and say, "Much. Night, Lina."

After whispering back, "Night, Spence." we drift back off to sleep

I wake up in the morning feeling warm and cozy, Spencer lying with his front to my back, his arms around me loosely. I lay there, enjoying the calmness. I snuggle in closer, wriggling into Spencer. I hear a light sound, very faint, but I can't figure out what it is.

I snuggle into Spencer deeper, and hear the sound again, a bit louder this time, and Spencer's arms grasp me a bit tighter. Still unsure of the source, I sit up as much as I can without disturbing Spencer, but I still can't figure out what it is.

I lay back down and try to get comfortable again when I hear it again and realize what it is. I turn to look at Spencer and hear another whimper coming from him.

I turn around in his arms, and I gently cup his cheek in my hand, while I try to gently wake him.

"Spencer. Hey, Spence. Wake up. You're having another nightmare, sweetie." I say in a soothing voice, gently stroking his cheek.

He slowly opens his eyes, groaning as he does. As he lays there for a moment, his eyes open wide as he looks at me, then scrambles out of bed, landing on his butt on the floor. He quickly rushes to the bathroom as I look at him, confused and concerned.

"Uh, Spence? You ok in there?" I call out to him.

"Yup!" he says quickly in a high-pitched voice.

After a minute, he comes back out, skin flushed from his ears to his neck. Eyebrows still furrowed, I ask, "Um, what-what was wrong? Was it another nightmare?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, he stammers out, "Ah, n-no, not another nightmare."

Sitting up, I stretch and stare at him, asking, "OK, well, what was wrong?"

I watch as his eyes follow my body as I stretch, and he quickly pulls the edge of his shirt down to cover the crotch of his pants.

A slight half-smile tugging at my lips, I say, "Spencer, I know what 'morning wood' is. There's no need to be embarrassed about it. It's a natural bodily function." I pat the bed beside me for him to sit down.

He slowly walks over but doesn't sit down yet. "I-I know that, but the dream I had wasn't, uh, helping things," he says vaguely.

Arching an eyebrow, I ask him, "Well, what was your dream about?"

He flushes scarlet again, stammering out, "Oh, uh, w-we were, um, b-being, um, i-intimate..." and sits on the end of the bed.

Propping myself up so I'm sitting on my knees, I slowly crawl towards him and ask, "Oh, yeah? 'Intimate' how?" giving him a sly smile and biting my lip.

He gulps and says, "I-it doesn't really matter, you, uh, you asked to go slowly, so I, uh, I just didn't think that-"

"Spence, when I asked to go slowly, I meant I wasn't ready for, well, most sexual acts. I'm perfectly fine with...exploring...things. We can still go slow as we explore...if that's ok?" I interject, stopping beside him and tilting my head as I talk.

"A-are you sure?" he asks carefully.

I smile and nod at him, saying, "Yes, Spencer. I want to touch you. I want to be touched by you. And if we need to slow down, I'll speak up, I promise. And you gotta do that too, you know. If something's too much, or you're not ready for it, I want you to tell me, ok?"

He nods and I can visibly see the tension leave him. He smiles back and I say, "That said, I've, uh, never kissed on my bed before. Would, um, would you be up for-"

"Yes, absolutely." he cuts in quickly, making me giggle.

"In that case, let me brush my teeth first? Did you need to after I'm done?" I ask as I get up from the bed and start walking to the bathroom.

He shakes his head and says, "Uh, n-no, I did that when I was in there."

"OK. Wait for me?" I ask, turning to look at him over my shoulder from the bathroom doorway.

He just emphatically nods and heads back to the side of the bed he was sleeping on, and I head in to brush my teeth and use the bathroom. Once done, I head back into my room and slowly climb back into bed and towards Spencer.

Once we lay down facing each other, he nervously asks, "S-so, how did you want to start? Was there anything in particular you wanted to do?"

"Spence, just kiss me, please?" I ask breathily.

He lets out a, "Can do." then captures my lips in a delicate kiss that slowly turns more fiery. 

As one kiss turns to two, which turns to more, Spencer's hand migrates from my cheek, down to my waist to pull me closer, and then down to my hip to grip me. As his fingertips graze along my backside, I hum against him, causing him to shift his hand back to my waist.

Pulling apart, I ask Spencer, "Why'd you move your hand?"

"Oh, uh, I-I thought you didn't like that..." he says apologetically.

"No, Spence. That was a positive sound. You can have your hand there, I don't mind." I say with a small grin, moving his hand back to where it was, then lacing my hands into his hair and pulling him to me for another kiss.

He lets out a whine as I tug on his hair, and starts grasping and lightly squeezing at my hip, which causes me to gasp and pull him closer to me, which ends up with him on top of me.

He stops, wide-eyed, and asks, "Um, sh-should I move, or-"

I give him a quick kiss and say, "No, let's... let's see where this goes, ok?"

He gives me a nod and resumes kissing me, his lips starting a journey from my mouth, to my cheek, to my jaw, and finally to my neck. As he licks and leaves kisses along my neck, I groan and curl my leg around his, pulling him against me.

When his hardness brushes against my core, we both let out sounds of surprise. We stop and look at each other, Spencer flushed and wide-eyed above me. I bite my lip and stare at him, then move my hips against his to make contact again, causing his eyelids to flutter shut and a soft whimper to escape him.

A wicked smile growing on my face, I do it again, pulling another soft sound from Spencer. After a few more times, he flips us over until I'm above him, momentarily stunning me still. He gives me a sly smile and grasps my hips, positioning me right into his lap and pulling me closer.

As his bulge hits my sweet spot, I let out a strangled moan, and he grips my hips tighter. I look at him and apprehensively ask, "Did-do you want me to continue?"

He nods his head and says in a hushed voice, "Yeah, please."

I give him a small smile and a soft kiss, then begin moving my hips against his again. I start slowly, clumsily rolling my hips into his. Once I finally find a rhythm, I speed up, and I grin as I see Spencer start to lose control.

His head is thrown back into the pillow, his eyes are closed and his eyebrows pinched together in pleasure, his mouth is open as he gasps and whines, and he looks the very essence of an angel of sinful delight.

I feel him start to throb against me, and he begins bucking his hips into mine. Just when I feel the tension low in my middle about to snap, Spencer's phone goes off. We stop moving and look at the phone, then look at each other. Huffing, I roll off of Spencer's lap as he reaches for his phone.

"H-hello? Yeah, Hotch, what's going on? Oh, a new one? Alright, be there as soon as possible." he says, a bit flustered.

"What? Oh, um, yeah, I can let Lina know, not a problem. Yeah, bye, Hotch." he finishes, ending the call.

While on the phone with Hotch, I can't help but take in Spencer's appearance and smile. Flushed cheeks, breathing heavily, and a rather impressive tent in his pajama pants. When the call is over, he looks at me and starts to say something, then follows my eyeline and goes to cover himself.

I pout slightly and say, "Come on, Spence, I don't have a brain quite like yours. Give me a little more time to try to commit this to memory for a night when I'm left to myself..."

He lets out a bit of a strangled sound, but stops his hands and leaves them at his sides. I breathlessly say, "I meant it when I said I wanted to touch you and be touched by you, Spencer." 

He lets out a breath and briefly closes his eyes, then says, "While I would indeed enjoy having you touch me more, especially right now, I'm going to need you to not, because if you do, I'm going to, uh, f-finish, and, well, we're kind of on a schedule right now, and I'm going to need a really cold shower..."

I flop back onto the bed as he goes to do just that, and I mutter, "You aren't the only one who needs a cold shower..."

His voice calls out from the bathroom, "I heard that," causing me to flush as I let out a groan and a laugh.

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 51

word count - 3.6k warnings - cursing, teasing from Val and Derek, passing comments about intimacy, including talk of condoms (very one-off comment), one-off comment about having kids (Penelope is so ready to be an Aunt!); some fluff, sweetness, and kisses Summary: A night out at O'Keefe's.

We didn't get out to O'Keefe's until next week's Friday, but Val jumped at the chance to help me get all dressed up for the occasion. We spent all Thursday night figuring out outfits for the both of us, and Val used this as the perfect time to probe me about Spencer's and my budding relationship.

"So, how're things? Been going ok?" she asks as I try on a few different outfits.

"Yeah, things have been pretty good. On the last date we had, we went to a French film festival, and he translated everything for me. After that, we went to a cafe, to sort of have the whole 'French experience' kind of thing," I say, tossing a dress on the bed.

She hums and nods. "Mmm-hmm...so, have you guys...done...anything yet?" she asks innocently.

"I mean, yeah, I just told you one of the things we did. Or do you mean..." I start.

She looks at me, eyebrows raised and an expression that says, 'Well?'

"I mean...we've kissed," I offer slowly, throwing another dress onto the bed.

"Uh-huh, and?" she prompts, crossing her arms and leaning forward as she waits for an answer.

"And...what? We've only been going out for, like, 2 months, Val. I think this is the first relationship either of us have been in. Besides, I asked him if we could, y'know...take it slow." I say with a small shrug, digging in my closet.

She's quiet for a few moments, and when I pull a few things out and look at her, she's staring at me in shock. I look over at her, asking, "What?"

"Are you serious? Isn't he, like, 25 or something?" she asks.

"24," I say quickly, but she waves her hand back and forth as if to shoo the response away.

"Whatever. But, like, nothing?! He's never copped a feel? Not even once?!" she asks incredulously.

Thinking back, I slowly shake my head and say, "Nnnope, not that I can remember. And I'm fairly certain I'd remember that, so..."

Her jaw drops, then she smiles and says, "Well, holy shit. Guess there are still some gentlemen in the world, after all."

I grin and say, "Yeah, I guess there are. Now, which one, the red or the black?" I ask as I hold two shirts up to my torso.

*************

"Yes, it's been way too long since we've been out!" Penelope says gleefully as we make our way out of work on Friday.

"I guess it has been a while since we've been to O'Keefe's, hasn't it, Pen?" I ask, looking at my co-workers.

"Yeah, the last time we went out was-" Spencer starts, before JJ playfully cuts in with, "Never Have I Ever!" she finishes with a small laugh.

"Uh, yeah, then," Spencer says, his face quickly flushing at the memory of both the game and the secrets let out.

"I'd say the game worked as intended, wouldn't you, JJ?" Penny says, turning to her and giggling.

"Like a charm," JJ agrees.

"All right, all right, we gonna head out and have fun or what?" Derek says.

"Ooh, yeah! Lina, I can drive you home, I already have my outfit with me!" Penny says, grabbing my arm.

I grin and say, "Yeah, ok. Val should be there getting ready, too. JJ, do you want to come with us? You're welcome to join in getting ready with us,"

The blonde smiles and says, "Yeah, sure. I can follow you, right, Garcia?" Penny happily nods.

Chuckling, Derek says, "Guess it's you and me for the ride out, Reid. Come on, Pretty Boy," while lightly clapping his hand on Spencer's shoulder.

Spencer gives him a tight smile, then looks at me and says, "Um, see you there, I guess?"

Smiling warmly, I say, "You know it, Doc." watching Spencer being steered over to Derek's vehicle.

After making our way to my apartment, we were greeted by Val. After we talk for a few minutes, we all start getting ready.

As I stand in front of my mirror freshening up my makeup and putting jewelry on, Penelope comes out of the bathroom and says, "Ooh, love the 'fit, girly!"

Glancing down, I take in my outfit: a lace-covered red halter top, black frilly lace miniskirt, and grey leggings that stop at my knees. "Thanks, Pen. Love yours, too," I say, bending down and putting on my shoes.

She grins and twirls in her multicolored dress and neon pink heels, saying, "Thank you, darling. Let's go see if JJ and Val are ready yet. I'm so excited to head out! ...And to see how you and Reid are outside of work,"

I flush as I head out to check on the other two women, Penelope following behind me. We find the two of them on the couch, dressed up and ready. When we walk in, JJ smiles and Val asks, "Hey, we about ready to head out?"

Penny squeals happily and I add, "You bet!"

As JJ and Penelope grab their purses, Val swoops in after grabbing her keys and bag, getting ahold of my arm and saying, "Lina's riding with me! Anyone object?"

Penny opens her mouth to say something when JJ gently elbows her and says, "We're good, we've got our cars. Meet you at O'Keefe's?"

Grinning, Val says, "Yeah, see you there!" 

She then pulls me along with her to her car, and as we get situated and she starts her car, I look at her, an eyebrow raised quizzically, and ask, "What was all that about?!"

Glancing over at me before staring back at the road, she gives me a Cheshire Cat grin and says, "Oh, I just figured you might want a little uninterrupted time with your guy later, that's all." She then looks at me briefly and suggestively wiggles her eyebrows.

I sigh and say, "Val, c'mon, we're not quite ready for...that...yet..."

She gives me an acquiescing look, saying, "Hey, I didn't mean that, necessarily...maybe...you just wanna kiss for a bit, who's to say."

I look at her, one side of my mouth bunched up in an 'I don't believe you for a moment' expression, as she grins and continues, "Maybe a little snuggling, who knows."

Still skeptically looking at her, she adds with a smirk, "Maybe a bit of heavy petting..."

"Val!" I say, shaking my head.

"What! Come on, you're a red-blooded adult woman, you mean to tell me you never once thought about doing that with him?" she says, eyebrows raised in question.

I turn and look out the window, chewing my lip and staying quiet.

"I'm not hearing a 'no'..." she wheedles, grinning as she drives.

I huff and say, "So what if I have? Huh?"

Val smiles and says, "Nothing wrong with that at all. Hence, why I wanted to give you a little space and privacy later..."

Pulling the car into O'Keefe's parking lot and quickly finding a space, I turn to her and ask, "Well, what if he doesn't want to do that?"

Turning the car off, she looks at me and says, "Then you two can just chill uninterrupted. Or you can go home and get some sleep. Either way, you've got free reign of my car and the apartment for the weekend."

Handing me the keys, she continues, "But I have a feeling he's at least going to want to spend time with you."

We smile at each other, and Val adds, "And if you need them, the condoms are in my-"

"VAL!" I squeal loudly, which causes her to laugh while exiting the car.

Blushing furiously, I get out as well, putting the car keys in my purse. 

We walk to the door, spotting not only JJ and Penelope, but Derek and Spencer as well. 

"Hey," Spencer says quietly, giving me a small grin.

Smiling back, I move to stand next to him and say, "Hey, Spence. You guys been here long?"

He shakes his head, then says, "You look stunning, Lina."

Blushing, I lean into him and quietly say, "Thank you, Spencer. And you're looking handsome, as always," causing him to redden wildly, which in turn makes me giggle lightly.

"Still not used to it, huh, Doc?" I ask playfully, to which Spencer shakes his head and silently slides his hand into mine.

Derek then turns to us and says with a smirk, "So, you two lovebirds ready to head in?"

Immediately, the others turn and stare at us, causing us to stop holding hands in surprise. Spencer clears his throat and blushes, and I say, "Uh, yeah, let's-let's head in, guys." while quickly walking forward, with Spencer following close behind me.

After hearing Penelope lightly scold Derek for startling us, I glance over at Spencer to find him looking at me, and though his cheeks are still flushed, he raises his eyebrows in a way that shows that he heard.

Once we get settled in, Penelope and Val head up to get our drinks, with Penny adding, "No questions til I get back, I want all the details, guys!"

With a tight smile, Spencer nods, scooting closer to me in the booth. This action doesn't go unnoticed by Derek or JJ, who share a look and a smirk, but say nothing.

Trying to get some conversation going, I ask, "So, what have you guys been up to? Read anything, seen anything, gone anywhere for fun?"

JJ kind of half-shrugs, detailing a date she recently went on, which makes Derek launch into describing a few he'd gone on in the past month or so. Glad to have the focus off of us, I can feel Spencer relax against me slightly, and I can't help but smile when I feel his hand find mine under the table. 

We sit there for a few minutes, listening to Derek and JJ go back and forth about what else they've been doing outside of work when Val and Penelope come back with our drinks. I'm pleasantly surprised when I see Val hasn't tried to get me to drink any alcohol, but then remembered that she entrusted me with her car, so it makes sense that she's fine with me being completely sober tonight.

Once everyone is seated and has their drink, Penny leans over and says, "Alright now, spill."

I laugh slightly, asking, "What else is there to know? I finally got the guts after the Minnesota case to tell him how I felt, he said he felt the same way, and we've been going out ever since." Spencer nods in agreement.

"But, how's it been going? What kind of dates have you been on? What do you think your kids will look like?" Penny says quickly, the last part making Spencer blanch.

"Have you been talking to my mom again?" I say jokingly, trying to lighten the mood and give Spencer some time to recover.

"Well, to answer your other questions, Garcia, we've gone on several different kinds of dates, from museums to mini-golf. And for how it's going," Spencer says, stopping and looking at me. I smile and squeeze his hand under the table, and he finishes. "I think it's safe to say it's going pretty well."

"Now that the question and answer portion of this night out is over, how about we change the subject, yeah?" I ask, taking a sip of my ginger ale.

With a smirk, Val pipes up with, "Sounds good. That said, isn't your birthday at the end of this month, Lina?"

Penny's eyes go wide and she says, "Oh! What are you going to do for your birthday this year?"

I shrug, and Val continues, "Y'know, I was talking with Joe, and he said we could borrow his uncle's little vacation place for your birthday. It's a nice place, it's got a pool and everything. Have a little party there, invite all your friends..."

"So, you, Joe, and the team?" I say, tilting my head and giving her a half-smile, which makes Penny start grinning and squealing.

"What do you guys think? Would you guys want to help celebrate Lina's birthday with her at a place with a pool, hot tub, fully stocked bar, and enough rooms to house the Brady Bunch?" Val asks playfully, sitting back and sipping her drink.

Everyone else around the table starts asking questions and talking it over with Val, with the consensus being that it's an idea that they can get behind. Only Spencer and I are silent, and I look at him questioningly. He gives me a quick, tight smile and a look that says 'Tell you later'. I nod, and we focus our attention back on our friends.

After the conversation dies down, we're sipping on our drinks when a song comes on that makes Penelope say, "Oh, I love this song! Come on, let's head out to the dance floor!"

I turn to Spencer and ask, "Hey, next slow song, you want to dance?"

He gives me a half-smile and says, "Yes, absolutely. I'll be here til then." 

While everyone else is getting up to go dance, he leans in and kisses me on the cheek. Sitting back, I can see he's flushed, but smiling. I get up and go dance with the rest of the women in the group.

After a few fast songs, a slow one finally comes on, and I turn to the table and gesture for Spencer to come here. Blushing from Derek whistling and yelling, "Alright, Reid!" he lopes towards me and we head farther onto the dance floor.

As we dance, I ask him, "So, are you ok? Is the party a bad idea?"

"Oh, no, no, it's fine. I, ah, I just...I'm not really big on, um, sh-showing off much of...me." he says, a bit embarrassed.

I smile warmly at him and say, "Spence, you don't have to take your shirt off or whatever if it makes you uncomfortable. You can wear whatever if you want to swim. Which you don't have to! Hell, you don't even have to go if you don't want to..."

He looks at me sweetly and says, "Oh no, I'll be there. Not sure about swimming, but I'll absolutely be there. For you, anything." His eyes go wide, realizing he said that last part out loud.

I look at him endearingly and stroke his cheek, then lay my head on his chest as we continue dancing. Once the song ends, he kisses my hand and goes to sit back down, but I pull him to me and give him a soft, chaste kiss on the lips. I can hear some hooting and 'awww's from our table.

I walk back hand-in-hand with Spencer, and once we get to the table, I level a look at Derek and say, "You'd think you've never seen people kiss before." then sit back down, Spencer sliding in next to me.

I turn to Val and say, "Hey, when were you going to Joe's? I think we might head out soon." tilting my head in Spencer's direction.

She raises her eyebrows and says, "I'll text him real quick, then I'll get my bag out of my car." I nod and look over at Spencer, who dips his head in agreement on leaving soon.

"Awww, you're leaving so soon? Well, hope you guys have a good rest of your night." Penny says, pouting slightly.

"Oh, I think they might be having a pretty good night once they leave, Baby Girl..." Derek says, smirking into his drink, earning him a dirty look from Spencer. 

Val looks at me and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. "We've got two of them, now..." Spencer says with a sigh, which causes everyone else to start laughing.

"You know I'm just yankin' your chain there, Reid. You guys go have a good, nerdy, quiet rest of your night like I know you two will." Derek says, good-naturedly slapping Spencer on the back.

"Oh, he's here! Um, did you guys want to come out with me to the car so I can get my bag, 'cause I gave Lina my keys..." Val says, giving a half-grimace, half-tight smile while looking between me and Spencer.

"Uh, su-sure. Um, night everybody, see you Monday." Spencer says, sliding out of the booth, then giving me his hand to help me out of the booth as well.

"Bye, see you guys Monday!" I say cheerily, and the three of us head out to the parking lot.

Once Val gets her bag and puts it into Joe's car, the two of them head back into the bar, leaving Spence and me alone.

"S-so, um, w-would you like to come over and watch something? Or-or read, or something?" I suggest nervously.

"I-y-yeah, I would, if that's ok." Spencer stammers out shily.

"Ok. Yeah. Awesome." I say, grinning non-stop.

We head into the car and adjust our seats, as I joke, "So, the big one's the brake, right?"

Spencer looks over, slightly worried until he sees the look on my face, then relaxes and says with a laugh, "Yeah, big one's the brake."

Starting the car and getting everything situated, I turn to him and quietly ask, "Would, um, would you want to...spend the night? I mean, it's not really late, but it wou-could give us more time to relax. And-and we wouldn't have to rush to..."

"Y-yeah, I'd like that. I, uh, I'd need to get some things for overnight, if you're ok swinging by my place really quick," he replies, his hands fidgeting slightly.

I sigh in relief as I run my hands over the wheel, then say, "Yeah, absolutely, Doc." and start steering the car to his apartment.

Stopping outside of Spencer's apartment, he rushes out and heads up, and after a few minutes, he's back in the car with his go-bag.

"I, uh, I guess it's a good thing I repacked it last night," he says with a flustered smile.

I smile and nod, asking, "Was there anything you wanted to pick up before heading to my place?"

"L-like what?" he asks apprehensively.

"Oh, like, snacks, drinks, anything like that. I mean, we've got stuff, but in case you wanted anything in particular..." I say, looking over at him, watching as he relaxes a bit after my explanation.

"No, no, I'm-I'm good. Thank you, though," he says with a small smile.

Nodding, I drive us to my apartment. We ride in silence for a bit, when Spencer quietly says, "I, um, I recently got the first season of Next Generation on DVD, if-if you wanted to watch that, I-I brought it along..."

I glance at him quickly and say with a grin, "Yeah, that sounds good! Y'know, I think that's the version I've seen the most of?"

"Really?" he asks, and I nod and hum affirmatively.

"Mmm-hmm. I haven't seen all of it, mind you, but I remember watching a fair bit of it as a child." I reply as I start to park the car.

I hold my breath and bite my lip as I concentrate on parallel parking. After straightening out the wheel, I open my door a bit to see how far I am from the curb.

"Hey, all right, first try!" I say gleefully, turning off the car. Spencer chuckles as he unfastens his belt.

Once we're out of the car, we head up to my apartment and get comfortable, taking our shoes off and setting our things to the side. After grabbing something to eat and drink, we get settled on the couch and start watching the DVDs that Spencer brought.

We get through about 3 episodes when we both start yawning, causing me to say, "We may want to head to bed soon. Did you want to shower tonight before then?"

Spencer nods, and I gesture for him to go ahead first, which he does, after grabbing his bag and smiling at me. As he takes his shower, I clean things up and put the DVD back in its case. Once everything's put back in place, I head into my room and pick out my clothes for the night. I then start taking off my accessories, putting them back, and taking out my contacts.

I've just put my glasses on when Spencer comes in fresh from the shower, giving me a small, nervous smile as he walks in. I smile back as my eyes take him in, hair still wet and dripping onto his t-shirt, his pajama bottoms tied just so, glasses perched on his nose.

I'm still staring at him as his cheeks start flushing, and he stammers out, "I'll, uh, I'll b-be in here reading while you're...in there."

My cheeks burning, I nod and rush into the bathroom, quickly undressing and jumping into a rather cold shower. Red-blooded, hell. You're a HOT-blooded adult woman, aren't ya?! I can practically hear Val cackle in my mind.

I shake my head quickly to try to rid myself of that and...other...thoughts, and finish my shower as swiftly as possible. Drying off and dressing, I brush my teeth and put serum in my hair to keep it somewhat under control for the night.

Putting my glasses back on, I emerge from the bathroom and slide into bed next to Spencer. He smiles at me, then sets his book down on the nightstand closest to him. I lean in to kiss him, and we both then take our glasses off and set them on our side's respective nightstands. We then snuggle up together and fall fast asleep.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 50

word count - 1.5k warnings - none, just fluff, kissing, and some teasing from Derek and Penelope. Summary: Spencer and Lina make it official.

Over the next several weeks, our work is relatively consistent, with only two more cases coming in. Spencer and I have a few more dates; starting with a picnic in the park and then back to my place for Doctor Who, then dinner made from scratch and a movie at his place, then mini-golf and ice cream, and finally, a night out stargazing.

At the end of our latest date, Spencer nervously asks from beside me on a laid-out blanket, "S-so, um, h-how are you feeling? A-about...us...I mean?"

I turn my head to look at him and give him a half-smile, saying, "I, uh, well, I like that there is an 'us'," causing a smile to flash across Spencer's face. 

"Matter of fact, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's pretty safe to say that we're dating, yeah?" I say softly, leaning closer to him.

"Yeah...yeah, I think we can say that. We're dating," he says quietly, angling his face to give me a sweet kiss.

Once it ends, we look into each other's eyes, dopey smiles on our faces. I giggle, then move in to kiss him again.

Once we part, Spencer asks, "So, ok to let others know? And are we good to talk to Hotch about it when we head in to work?"

"I'm good with it if you are, Spence," I say faintly.

He gives me a coy smile, then kisses me again, saying, "I'm good with it, too." We look at each other for a few moments longer before Spencer goes back to telling me the stories behind the constellations we see.

*************

The following Monday, we head into work as usual, but instead of going our separate ways to go to our desks, we make our way to Hotch's office. As we wait for the door to open, I anxiously fidget with my hands. Spencer notices and says, "We-we don't have to if-"

I quickly cut him off with, "No! No, I want to, truly. I just can't help but feel like I'm a kid going to the principal's office whenever I have to knock on Hotch's door..." I finish with a nervous giggle.

Spencer lets out a low laugh, but once the door opens, we both fall silent. Hotch leads us into his office, closes the door, and sits at his desk, then asks, "Yes? Is there something you two need?"

I can't help but stay silent, not knowing where to start, and I look at Spencer. Luckily, he was prepared.

"Sir, we wanted to inform you that we, uh, we've...started a relationship and were wondering if there were any papers we'd have to fill out due to it. I looked in the handbook on inter-office relationships, but couldn't find anything, so if we've violated any-" Spencer starts rattling off, but Hotch holds up a hand for him to stop, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Reid, stop. No, you two aren't in violation of anything, but there will be some paperwork for you two to sign, mostly documents stating that you comply with only displaying appropriate conduct in the office and on the job. Are you two in agreement on that?" Hotch says, looking at the both of us.

I smile and nod, letting out a tiny, "Yes, Sir!" causing Hotch to let out a small chuckle. 

"I'll get the paperwork for you two to sign within the next few days, barring any new cases," he says, standing up and walking to open the door for us.

"And Reid? Aschebrooke?" he says, his face in its usual stoic state. We both look at him and he says, "Congratulations, you two." closing the door behind us when we exit his office.

*************

It's been about a week since Spencer and I signed the papers, and we've slowly eased into being more couple-y in public, save for during work.

  Heading in, Spencer pulls me aside by some foliage as we near the building, pushing a curl that escaped my scrunchie back behind my ear and asking, "So, uh, are you wearing lipstick today by any chance?"

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, I say, "Nope, not today, why?"

His lips curling up slightly, he then leans closer and says, "Because I'd love to be able to kiss you before we head in, is that alright?"

Grinning, I wrap my arms around his neck and say, "You bet you can, Spence,"

Pulling me towards him, he cups my cheek and gives me a sweet kiss. We part with smiles on both our faces, and we slowly walk into work.

"You know," Spencer starts. "I'm surprised Morgan hasn't been trying to give me any advice on asking you out for a while. Wonder if he figured it out yet?"

I giggle and say, "Derek might have, but Pen has not. Just last week, she was asking if I tried any new tactics in flirting with you."

He chuckles, saying, "Garcia, ever the matchmaker."

Heading into the elevator, he looks at me with a smile, holding my hand as we ride up. Before the doors open, he squeezes my hand, then lets go as the doors slide apart. Grinning, we walk out together, and I bump his shoulder with mine lightly before we part ways.

"See you at lunch, Doc," I say as we part, and head towards our desks.

Walking into the room, I grin and say, "Hey, Penny! How're you doing?"

She turns and looks at me with a half-smile, saying, "Well, someone's happy today. I'm doing alright, but what's got you more chipper than usual?"

I chuckle and flush, shrugging and saying, "I, uh, I dunno, Pen, just...in a good mood, I guess." She looks at me skeptically, then nods and gives a half-shrug, turning back to her computer.

After putting all my things in their place and sitting down, Derek comes in. He leans on my desk with a wide smile and asks, "Hey, Songbird, how've you been doing? Been doing anything new and interesting lately?"

Slightly confused, I say, "I'm...good, Derek. Um, not sure about the 'new and interesting' thing, though."

He looks at me for a moment, then turns to Penny and says, "Baby Girl, you're not gonna believe what I saw earlier."

She leans on her hand, giving him a sly smile and saying, "Oh, yeah? What'd you see, Tall, Dark, and Handsome?"

"Well, I was walking in when I happened to look over between some trees and I saw these two people 'having a moment', and I swear, it looked just like Pretty Boy and Songbird," Derek says with a smirk, folding his arms over his chest and looking over at me.

"You, ah, you saw us?" Spencer says from the doorway, files in his hand.

"I knew it! My man, finally!" Derek says grinning, walking over to clap Spencer on the shoulder.

Mouth open first in shock, then in happiness, Penny says, "Oh my God, finally, Lina! How'd it happen? Who made the first move?!"

Flushing, I say, "Uh, well, I told him how I felt first, but-"

Penny nudges her elbow into Derek's side and says, "Called it. I told you the only way to get anywhere was to just tell him, Lina!"

Derek rubs his face with his hand and turns to Spencer, saying teasingly, "Man, I told you she was interested in you! But, nooo, that can't be right, I have no idea what I'm talking about..." 

"So, when did this start? How long have you guys been going out?" Penny says excitedly.

"Um, it happened after the case in Minnesota, so, like, a month and a half, I think?" I say, looking over at Spencer.

A shy smile on his face, he pushes his glasses up his nose and walks over to me while saying, "Ah, it's been one month, 23 days, to be exact." causing me to grin.

"Almost two months?! You guys have kept this a secret for almost two months?! Does Hotch know?!" Penny gasps suddenly in worry.

Spencer nods and I say, "Yeah, Hotch knows. We signed some paperwork last week."

"In that case, congratulations, you two," Derek says, smiling at the both of us.

"Yes, congrats, you guys! Ooohh, we gotta celebrate this! Does Val know? Wait, she's your roommate, she's gotta know...right?" Penny says suddenly.

"Yeah. Yeah, she knows..." I say with a small, embarrassed smile.

Penny gasps and says in a mock scolding manner, "And you didn't think to tell me right after?" 

Then she giggles and says, "In that case, I'm gonna invite her to join us when we go out. Sound ok, Lina?" Penny asks, excitement barely contained.

I look over at Spencer, and he just gives me a shy smile, then turn to Penny and say, "Yeah, that's ok, Pen."

"Yes! Oh, we are gonna have so much fun when we head out for this!" she says as we all head back to work.

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 49

word count - 4.1k warnings - none, just fluff and kissing! Summary: After finishing a new case, Spencer and Lina go on their date.

I'm woken up slightly earlier than usual due to being called in for a case. As the unsub has been finding victims via the internet, Penny comes along with us, and she and I work in tandem to zero in on the killer.

Our suspected unsub had been trolling Craigslist posts, kidnapping and killing unsuspecting people who have been trying to find others in the 'Missed Connections' postings. It takes a few days, but we manage to track down and apprehend the duo, as we've learned there were 2 of them, a brother and sister team.

Heading back home on the jet Saturday morning, we're all pretty beat. Even Penny's usual peppiness is flagging as she fights tiredness. I sit next to Spencer after making sure everyone else is otherwise occupied.

Spencer looks up from his book, and wearily says, "Hey, Lina. Sorry we didn't get to do our usual Who watching, did you want to tomorrow, or..."

"Nah, that's ok. We can just do it next week, if you want. We still on for...hanging out...tomorrow?" I say, leaning back on the other side of the seat.

He momentarily flashes a bright smile, then says quietly, "Y-yeah, absolutely. I definitely want to...hang out...with you tomorrow. Same time ok?"

I nod and pull a blanket out of my bag, offering the other end to Spencer, who happily scooches closer. We cuddle up against each other to try to catch some sleep before we touch down back in D.C.

Once we're back, we all file off the jet, Hotch stating to get the paperwork done by Tuesday and to have a good rest of our weekend. Before I can say anything to Spencer, Penny grabs my hand and leads me to her car, yelling over her shoulder, "Catch you later, guys!"

Once we're in her car, she starts it up and starts peppering me with questions. "So, did you know that you and Spencer were all cozy together on the jet, under the same blanket?" she says with a gleeful smile as she starts driving out of the parking lot.

"Oh, yeah. I thought maybe he'd try to get some rest, and I guess I wound up getting some, too. I'd have offered to share with you, but you seemed pretty occupied, last I'd checked." I say with a playful look.

"Oh, you know me and my Chocolate Thunder, can't help flirting with each other," she says with a smile. "Speaking of flirting, how's it been going with Reid? Any luck?"

Feigning an unsure look, I say, "I'm...not really sure, Pen. I've been trying to be more confident, but, you know..."

She nods and says, "Well, just...keep trying, hon. If it makes you feel any better, I think our Boy Genius has been looking at you more."

"Oh?" I say curiously, feeling a buzz from my phone. 

Penny hums in agreement and says, "Mmm-hmm. Whatever you're doing, keep it up. Should be any day now that you'll find the right time to go for him."

I hum and nod, checking my phone, seeing it's a text from Spencer.

I had to dodge an invite out tomorrow from Morgan, I told him I had to work on some chess moves. I was going on about the Caro–Kann Defence, the Fried Liver Attack, and I was just starting on the London System when his eyes just kind of glazed over and he said he'd see me Monday.

I couldn't help it, I snorted and laughed before I could stop myself. Penny looked over while we were at a stoplight just a few blocks from my apartment and asked, "What are you giggling about over there?"

Thinking fast, I say, "Oh, Spencer was just telling me a chess story, sorry."

"Ah. OK. Well, here you go, sweetie. You have a good night, and I'll see you Monday!" Penny says cheerfully, albeit still tiredly.

"I'll see you Monday, Pen. Have a good night and good tomorrow." I say, exiting her car and quickly heading up to my apartment.

Once upstairs, I quickly gather my laundry and get it started, then send a text back to Spencer.

Yeah, I laughed when I read your text, and Penny asked what was so funny, and I had to say you were telling me a chess story, and she quickly dropped it, lol.

I started searching for a comfortable but nice pair of shoes to wear for tomorrow when I got another text back almost immediately.

Lol?

Grinning, I explain.

L O L, it stands for 'laughing out loud' or 'laugh out loud', though usually most people don't *actually* laugh out loud when they type out 'lol', they just type it to say when they find something funny.

I go back on the hunt for shoes, and just as I find a decent pair of plain black sneakers, I get another text.

Oh, ok. Thank you for explaining it to me, I know I'm not the most tech-savvy, so your information helps.

Setting the shoes aside, I type back:

You're welcome, Doc. I might be tech-savvy, but you're, well, everything-else-savvy, so I figure helping you out with that's the least I could do.

I head over to my closet and look at the clothes in there, then send off another text quickly.

I know you said comfortable shoes, but what about clothes? I'm guessing I don't need anything really fancy, but other than that, I'm at a bit of a loss. Can you give me a little hint, please?

I stand there staring at my clothes until I get a reply.

Do you remember what you wore for that blind date? Something similar would work quite well. Does that help?

Smiling, I send back:

It sure does, Spence, thank you. So, see you at 2?

I start pulling out various tops and bottoms that fit the descriptor 'casual but dressy' when I get one more text from Spencer.

Absolutely. Good night, Lina. Sweet dreams.

Feeling giddy, I type back:

Good night, Spencer. Sweet dreams. 

After a little while of trying on clothes, I find a decent outfit and set it aside with the shoes I chose. I spent the rest of the night taking care of my laundry, making myself something to eat, and wondering what Spencer had planned for us.

*************

I awake the next morning excited but nervous, and I try to occupy myself with breakfast and watching TV while I wait until a reasonable time to start getting ready. When it's time, I take a thorough shower and then start drying off. I make a mix of hair products so it'll be decently curly but frizz-free, then brush it through and braid it.

I put on the outfit I chose last night: a red, sleeveless U-neck lettuce trim tank top, a dark blue ruffled jean skirt, and black bicycle-short length leggings. I put on a pair of white socks and the shoes I found, then head in to put on my makeup, do my hair, and put some perfume on.

Once all that's finished, I start checking that I have everything I could need in my purse. While I wait, my nerves start setting in again, and I fiddle with various hairstyles, finally settling on a high ponytail when there's a knock at my door.

I rush to the door, opening it to see Spencer there with a small bunch of variegated yellow tulips. He gives me a shy smile and says, "H-hi, Lina. These are for you." handing me the flowers.

I grin and move aside so he can come in while I put the flowers in some water. "Hey, Spence. They're really pretty! But, why yellow tulips?" I say, getting a vase out while filling it with water and putting the flowers in.

"Oh, uh, yellow symbolizes 'There's sunshine in your smile', and ah, the variegation, the different colored areas in the petals, mean that, um, y-you have beautiful eyes..." he says while his cheeks become tinged pink, as he starts rubbing the back of his neck.  

I flush and look down at the flowers, arranging them as I smile. "I, uh, I...I can't say anyone's ever said that to me in words, let alone in flowers. Thank you, Spencer." I say softly, giving him a light peck on the cheek, which makes him grow redder, causing me to laugh.

"Didn't know a kiss on the cheek could get you that flustered, Doc." I tease gently.

He grins bashfully, then says, "I, um...y-you look amazing, Lina."

I giggle and say, "Thank you. You look pretty good yourself there, Spence." 

He looks down momentarily at his outfit, khakis and a soft lavender button-down shirt, finished off with his ever-present Converse. He looks back at me, slightly puzzled, and says, "I've worn things like this before, though."

I smile at him and say, "Yeah, but you still look good, Doc," making him duck his head as he blushes again.

After grabbing my purse, I turn to him and say, "So, where are we headed? Or is it a surprise?"

He just smiles as we go out the door, not saying anything while we head to his car. After he helps me into the passenger side, he slides in and gets himself situated, then turns to me and nervously says, "Um, I was hoping it'd be ok if we go to the Museum of Natural History...un-unless you'd want to go somewhere different?" 

I grin and shake my head, saying, "No, I'm cool with that. I'm...not even really sure if I've been there before, actually. What all do they have there?"

As he starts the car and begins driving, he starts listing the exhibits there. "Well, on the ground floor, there's 'Frost: Life and Culture of the Sami Reindeer People of Norway', 'Greenland Research: Rasmussen's Circumpolar Research', and 'Nature's Best Photography Awards: 2004 & 2005'."

He continues as he makes his way through the city. "Then on the first floor, there's 'Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey', 'Lewis and Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition', 'Science in the News: Ivory-Billed Woodpecker', 'Sikhs: Legacy of the Punjab', 'Missouri's Stately Ground', 'Blast from the Past', 'Life in the Ancient Seas', 'Fossil Mammals: Mammals in the Limelight', 'Dinosaurs: Reptiles, Masters of Land', 'Early Life: Earliest Traces of Life', and 'Fossil Plants and Animals: The Conquest of Land'."

He finishes with, "And finally, on the second floor, there's the Carmen Lucia Ruby in the Geology, Gems, and Minerals Hall, 'Vanished Kingdoms: The Wulsin Photographs of Tibet, China, & Mongolia 1921-1925', 'Forces of Change: The Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely', and 'Forces of Change: Atmosphere: Change is in the Air'."

I stare at him with an amused look on my face, and while at a stop light, he looks over at me, his face beet red, and quietly says, "I, uh, I r-read the list of current exhibits. I, um, I wasn't quite sure what you'd want to see, so I wanted to be prepared..."

I giggle lightly and say sincerely, "Spencer, I love how much thought you've put into this." causing him to grin bashfully.

"Did you know that the museum opened in 1910, and it was one of the first Smithsonian buildings constructed to house our nation's collections and research facilities?" he says, stopping at a light.

"Oh, really?" I say. "What else can you tell me about it?"

He thinks for a moment, then smiles and says, "Did you know that on January 16, 1977, Muddy Waters performed there as well as a part of the Institution's blues series that the Division of Performing Arts showcased?"

I grin and say, "I didn't know they had concerts there."

He nods as he turns and parks in the museum's lot, saying, "Yep, Leo Kottke has played there 5 times in the last seven years as well." 

"Huh. Can't really say I know who that is, but that's impressive nonetheless." I say, turning to look at Spencer as he finishes parking and shuts off the car. 

He turns to me and looks at me shily, then quietly says, "Well, shall we, then?"

I nod and say, "Yeah, let's head in."

He takes off his seatbelt and hurries out of the car, and by the time I have my belt off, he's opened the door for me and holds his hand out to help me out of the car.

I grin coyly, softly saying, "Thank you, Spencer." and biting my lip as my hand lingers in his, butterflies fluttering wildly in my stomach. I look up at him, and he stares back, cheeks flushed as his lips part.

After a moment, he offers his arm, and I happily link my arm in his, and we walk into the museum. He clears his throat and asks, "So, uh, wh-where did you want to go first? Did-did you want me to go over the exhibits again?"

I look up at him and smile, then say, "Oh, um, if-if it's ok, I'd kinda like to see the fossils? Doesn't matter which one we check out first, whichever one you'd recommend."

He blinks and flashes me a smile, then says, "Well, uh, y-you can't go wrong with the dinosaur exhibit. Sound ok for our first stop?"

I nod and say shily, "Yeah, as long as you promise to tell me facts as we go," making him blush and beam at me, and he nods as he leads us to look at the dinosaurs on display.

Walking around the exhibit, he tells me about the pieces we see along the way, explaining when and where they were first found. As I listen, I smile and lay my head on his shoulder, which makes him falter momentarily while looking at me, then starts back up, albeit very flushed.

Once we finish looking at the dinosaurs, we wander around and check out the other fossil displays. We walk arm-in-arm through the mammal, plant, and ocean halls, Spencer describing the remnants we see as we go. After we finish the last section, he turns and asks, "Is there anywhere else you'd like to check out?"

"Can we check out the gems and minerals? I'd like to see some meteorites and other rocks, if we could." I say, looking up at him.

He smiles at me and softly says, "Yeah, we can do that. C'mon, this way." then starts leading me upstairs to the hall that contains the exhibit.

As we walk around looking at the various earthly and extraterrestrial treasures, Spencer launches into a tangent explaining the many things ancient people used these various materials for. As he gets more in-depth, he starts gesticulating broadly with his free hand. As he starts to wind down on the topic, I indicate for him to bend down, and once he does, I give him a quick, chaste kiss that leaves his cheeks blazing and him speechless.

I bite my lip and apologize, "Sorry, Spence. I should have asked, but you were just so cute, that I couldn't help myself. I really enjoyed what you were saying, I shouldn't have interrupted..."

After a few more seconds of silence, he starts in a higher-pitched voice before clearing his throat and speaking in his normal tone. "No, you...ahem, you're ok. I, uh, I definitely didn't mind you doing that. Did, um, were you getting hungry, by any chance? Because I, uh, I have something planned for dinner, if you're ok heading out for that."

I grin and say, "Yeah, I guess I'm getting a little hungry. What did you have planned, Spence?"

He smiles back as he starts leading us out of the building and to his car, saying, "Well, I was thinking, you've made several meals for me, it's about time I return the favor."

I raise my eyebrows in amusement and ask, "Oh, yeah? What's on the menu for tonight, Doc?"

Ducking his head and grinning, he says, "Well, there are a few options, but my first choice is chicken alfredo with garlic bread, is that alright?"

"Yeah, that sounds good, Spence," I say quietly, smiling.

We rode home, talking about the exhibits we saw and which parts we found the most interesting. Once he parks, we head up to his apartment, doffing our shoes as we enter. Setting my purse down by my shoes, I follow him into the kitchen.

"So," I say, leaning over the counter. "What do you want me to do in here?"

Spencer, bent over to grab things from his fridge, stands up and looks around the kitchen, then at me, and says, "Ah, I'm guessing you won't take 'nothing' as an answer?"

"That would be correct," I say with a grin as Spencer brings over a package of chicken breasts, placing a towel under it before setting it on the counter.

He hums and then says, "Well, then, how about you keep me company in here?" Seeing the look on my face, he quickly adds, "And, uh, you can make the garlic bread?"

Slight smirk on my face, I remark, "Nice save. Um, how do you usually make it? Do you already have garlic butter, or should I mix some up, or...?"

Grimacing slightly, he rubs the back of his neck and says, "Ah, well, I've...never tried making my own from scratch, so I just bought the kind you warm up in the oven?" 

I grin softly and say, "That's good, too. I'll check the package and preheat your oven, yeah?"

He smiles back and then says hesitantly, "I, uh, I'm also using jarred sauce. I, um, haven't tried making that from scratch either, and rather than risk it not coming together properly, I figured I could use something, ah, more reliable?"

I giggle lightly and say, "Spence, you don't have to try to impress me or anything. Besides, maybe we can try making it from scratch together sometime."

His lips curving up gently, he then says, "I'd like that." 

As he preps the chicken, we talk more about what we saw at the museum. We cook, we talk, we laugh every once in a while. When it's all ready, we bring the food over to the table Spencer has decorated and sit down.

The conversation flows smoothly, we eat and we laugh together. Once done, we put away anything left and clean up. After that, Spencer asks anxiously, "So, um, I-I had one more thing planned for today, if-if you'd be ok with it."

Searching in my purse, I pull out some mints and take one, walking over to Spencer and offering him some. As he takes one, I nod and say, "Yeah, Spence. What'd you have in mind?"

Putting the mints in my pocket, he nervously fidgets with his hands and says, "I, um, I was th-thinking we could watch a movie? H-here?"

Smiling, I gently take one of his hands, lacing my fingers with his, and say, "That sounds good. What movie were you thinking of?"

Flushing, he says, "Oh, um, ha-have you heard of the film 'Metropolis'? It's a German expressionist silent film, with one of the earliest depictions of a robot in film."

"I've heard of it, but can't say I've seen it. I'm up for watching it with you." I say, playing with a lock of my hair with a free hand.

He smiles shyly, and says, "R-really? Great! Um, let-let me find the DVD, I'll get it all set up. You, uh, y-you go get comfortable on the couch, and I'll be right over." I squeeze his hand before letting go and heading to the couch, and he eagerly races to get the DVD started.

Once it's in, he sits down, and I snuggle in close to him, hearing his breath hitch before breathing normally and putting his arm around me. As the movie begins, he starts telling me facts about it, looking over at me with a nervous grin as he does so.

About halfway through, I realize that we're looking at each other more than at the movie, so I gaze at Spencer. When he turns to tell me another fact, after he's finished and is still looking at me, I slowly lean in to kiss him, my heart beating wildly as I do so.

He stays still, temporarily shocked. As I go to sit back, he holds me in place and starts kissing me in return fervently. Once we part, he looks at me for a moment, then pulls me towards him again, engaging in a slower, deeper kiss.

I let out a low whimper as he caresses my face and neck. Still stroking my cheek, he pulls back and asks, "Are you ok? Did you want to stop?"

Skin quickly flushing, I shake my head and quietly say, "No, I'm good. That, um, that wasn't a 'wanting to stop' noise. More, uh, more like the opposite?"

Spencer nods and says, "Oh." When the meaning fully hits him, he says, "Oh! Did, um, did you want to, uh, continue, or-"

"Yes, please!" I say quickly, giving him a shy smile.

Pulling me to him again, he starts kissing me slowly. As it progresses, I run my fingers through his hair, lightly tugging at the strands. He lets out a whine, and heat rushes through my body as I deepen the kiss.

As we continue, we steadily draw closer and closer, his hands gripping my waist, my arms draped around his neck. After a while, the only sounds in his apartment are the soft noises of us kissing.

Suddenly, my phone goes off, causing us to jump apart from each other. While I answer my phone, I can see Spencer's face turn red, and he jumps up to take the finished DVD out and turn off his TV.

After the call is done, Spencer asks, "Everything ok?"

I sigh and nod, saying, "Yeah, that was Val. She's gonna be home soon and was asking if she should bring anything home for dinner. I'm sorry, Spence, I probably should've put it on silent,"

He shakes his head and says, "No, no, it's ok. I, uh, I should probably get you home, I'm sure you have some things to do to get ready for work tomorrow."

"I...yeah, there's probably something I'm forgetting that I'll remember as soon as I'm home, but...I was having a lot of fun here..." I say shily, smiling at Spencer.

He grins at me and says softly while handing me my shoes and purse, "I, uh...I was having quite a lot of fun, too."

As we both put our shoes on, I say playfully, "Yeah? Hopefully, we can have more fun like that on our next date. OK to start at my place this time? Say, Saturday?"

He stumbles slightly putting his one shoe on, but recovers and says in a high-pitched voice, "I, uh, I'd like that very much. And-and yeah, Saturday sounds good."

He drives me home, and we have a comfortably quiet ride. He walks me up to my apartment, and at the door, he turns to me and says softly, "I really enjoyed today, Lina."

I smile at him and reply, "I really enjoyed today, too, Spence. I already can't wait for our next date."

He grins at that, and I continue, "So, tentatively Saturday?" to which he nods.

"How does noon sound?" I ask, looking up at him as I step closer.

"N-noon sounds good. Did you want me to bring anything?" he says.

I shake my head and say with a smile, "Nope, I've got it covered. Just your wonderful self, Doc." He flushes and nods at that.

"So, um, I'll-I'll see you at work tomorrow?" he asks, flustered.

"Yeah, Spence. I'll see you at work tomorrow." I say as I lean up and give him a soft kiss. Once we part, I smile and quietly say, "See you, Spencer."

"S-see you, Lina," he says, a small smile playing on his face as he walks backward towards the elevator for a bit, til he sees I've got my door unlocked. He gives me a little wave and turns and heads into the elevator, and I watch him leave, leaning against my door til he's out of sight.

I then sigh happily and head inside my apartment, eager to plan our next date.

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[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 48

word count - 2.6k warnings - Spencer having low self-esteem, Spencer and Lina being adorkable and awkward, one kiss, pretty much just fluff! Summary: A new work week starts, and Spencer and Lina solidify plans for their first 'official' date.

Monday morning comes around, and after I get through about half of my usual routine, I get a text. Surprised, I put my makeup brush down to check who it was.

Good morning, Lina. I hope you had a good rest of your weekend, and I can't wait to see you today. :-)

With a giant grin on my face, I quickly text Spencer back.

Good morning, Spencer. I can't wait to see you, too! :-)

Humming happily, I quickly finish and get dressed, heading out the door to grab our usual coffee. Once I have them in hand, I swiftly make my way to the metro, tapping my foot impatiently as I wait for the vehicle to stop.

When it finally does, I race inside, doing my best to not spill either drink. I start to search for Spencer, smiling when I find him and he gives a tiny wave. I walk over to him and sit next to him, handing him his drink. He smiles, and our hands brush together as he takes hold of it.

"Hey, Lina. How was the rest of your weekend? Did you sleep ok?" he asks softly, taking a sip of his coffee.

I nod and say, "Yeah, I, uh, I just slept with a light on til Val got back home, and I was ok. No other nightmares, but no dreams either, so, I guess that's a win?"

"Well, no nightmares is definitely a win, I'd say," Spencer says, placing his hand on top of mine, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand.

I sigh and close my eyes, resting my head on his shoulder, causing him to momentarily freeze before carefully lacing his fingers with mine and squeezing my hand.

After a moment or two like that, I lift my head and look at Spencer. He gives me a small smile before letting go of my hand.

I grin as he takes another drink of his coffee, telling him, "Y'know, you're really cute and sweet, d'you know that, Doc?"

He splutters a bit, grabbing a napkin to clean up his face before the coffee drips down onto his shirt. I bite my lip to hold in a laugh and say, "I'm sorry, Spence. Still gotta get used to compliments, huh?" Cheeks red, he just nods.

I smile at him, then ask, "So, um, I never really asked, but are we...allowed...to date?"

He lets out a small laugh and says, "You know, I don't know for certain? I never read that part of the code of conduct. I, uh, I suppose I can get around to that later today to find out the answer..."

"Safe to say we avoid as much blatant PDA as possible at work until we know for sure, yeah?" I say, taking a long drink.

"I-uh, wh-what?" he stammers.

"Public displays of affection. Like kissing, possibly hand-holding. At least until we know for sure what the protocol is." I say softly.

"O-oh, y-yeah, that makes sense..." he says, pushing his glasses up his nose and signaling for our stop.

"That said, we're not at work yet, so..." he says, standing up and holding his hand out for me to take. I smile shily as I place my hand in his, and we walk off the Metro and towards work. 

Strolling along quietly hand in hand, we savor the bit of time we have before we get to work. Once we come up to the building's doors, Spencer squeezes my hand, then lets go, opening the door for us to go inside.

Walking in, we head up the elevators and once we get up to the office, we part ways, Spencer saying, "I guess...I'll see you at lunch?"

I smile and nod, saying, "See ya, Doc." turning and heading towards the computer room.

I set my purse on my desk as Penny rushes over to hug me, and after pulling away, she starts, "Oh my God, honey, how are you? Derek told me, did Reid help you calm down? Did you get any sleep? Are you ok?"

I say, "I'm-I'm ok, Pen. A little shaken up, but I'm ok. I got some sleep when I got home, and yeah, Spencer did help me..." not being about to stop myself from smiling after saying the last part.

"Oh, good, good...how'd our Boy Genius help you? Did he go on a tangent about aglets or something?" she says with a chuckle, pulling her chair over and sitting down in front of me.

I laugh lightly and say, "No, we just...spent some time together. Watched some Doctor Who, got some takeout, he spent the night..."

"Hold up, what?! Lina, you saucy little minx..." Penny says with an amused gasp.

I snort and say, "Not like that, Pen, come on!"

She giggles and says, "I know, I'm just teasing, sorry."

I start typing up my portion of the case, and after a while, the other agents start intermittently coming in to drop off their files to be typed up. Spencer comes in to deliver his, and I can't help but give him a dopey grin. 

"Hey, Lina, Garcia," he says when he walks in, flashing me a sweet smile. After getting a wave hello from Penny without turning around in her chair, he leans towards me and says quietly, "So, I checked, and I couldn't find anything saying it's not allowed."

I nod and quickly look over my shoulder to see if Penny is paying any attention to us, and seeing her still typing away at her computer, I turn back and say softly, "So, talk more about it at lunch?" to which Spencer nods.

"I'll, uh, I'll see you at lunch then, Lina," he says, blushing slightly. 

"See you, Spence," I say, still smiling happily as I watch him leave.

I turn back to my computer and am met by Penny sitting in her chair, having scootched it beside mine, looking at me as if she's found a secret she's trying to crack.

"So, uh, what's with that smile? You seem to be in quite a good mood this morning," she says, eyeing me carefully.

I playfully roll my eyes and say, "C'mon, Pen, you know how much I like Spencer. I've smiled like a dork like this before. Not like anything about that's changed." Technically, not a lie. I think to myself. 

She eyes me skeptically, then says, "You mean to say you still haven't said anything to him?! Aw girly, come on, seriously?!"

I just smile and shrug, giving a 'what can you do?' type of face without saying a word, then turn back to get to work on Spencer's folder.

After an hour or so, Derek comes in to hand off his folder, then says, "Hey, you two. Songbird, you doing ok? Was Reid able to help you feel better after that case?"

I flush slightly, then say, "Uh, yeah, yeah, he did. He, uh, he helped me through a bit of a panic attack. Really calmed me down." Didn't hurt that he was holding me in his arms, either... I think.

"That's good, I'm glad he helped you. You still need anything, you call me, ok?" he says, and I nod and smile at him. He smiles back, then turns to Penny for them to do their custom flirty banter.

Just as I finish up on the file I'm typing, Spencer shows up again, and asks me, "Hey, ready to go?"

I nod and smile at him, slinging my purse over my shoulder. "See you guys in a bit, we're gonna go to lunch." I say to Penelope and Derek, who both smile, while Penny says in a sing-song voice, "Have fun, you two!"

Spencer looks at me, and I shrug, then we walk off for lunch. After getting our food and sitting down, I quietly say, "OK, so, it doesn't say that we can't date. Are there any restrictions or rules we need to follow?"

Spencer shakes his head and says, "Not from what I read. I, uh, I think we may have to talk to Hotch about it. But, um, i-if it's ok, could we wait after a, uh, a-a few more dates? I, uh, I want to make sure you, ah, w-we, um-"

I gently place my hand over Spencer's to stop him spiraling and say, "Yeah, I get it. You want to see if we're compatible for the long term. I get it. Um, how-how many sounds good? Like, after...5 dates? Or more?" I say with a gentle smile.

He breaks into a relieved grin and says, "Y-yeah, 5 dates sound...amazing, quite honestly. I-I just...hope you don't get sick of me after 5 dates."

I look at him, my eyebrows knitted together in concern, and say, "So, you remember when I talked about the 'incredible guy' I had a crush on? You do remember that's you, right? I don't think I'm gonna get sick of you, Doc. OK?" and rub the back of his hand with my thumb.

Spencer smiles at me and nods, and I squeeze his hand and say, "Gotta work on that self-esteem, babe..." 

It takes me a few moments to realize what I said, and I freeze, but then Spencer gives me a shy smile and says quietly, "I-I'm ok with 'babe'. I...I kinda like the pet name..."

I flush and nod, then say, "I-ok, I-I was hoping I didn't mess up or go too far, or too fast..."

He chuckles and shakes his head, saying, "No, you're ok...sweetheart." I redden and giggle at that. "Was-was that-" he starts, and I shake my head and squeeze his hand again.

"No, no, that's good, I'm just...not used to that. It, uh, it kind of took me by surprise, that's all." I say softly.

He gives me a bashful smile and nods. I smile back and say, "OK. So, after...5 dates?" Spencer nods, and I continue. "After 5 dates, we...we talk to Hotch about what we need to do to...to work together and have a relationship, yeah?" Spencer nods again, and I let out a nervous breath.

We start eating our lunch then, and I say, "On that note, about our dates. Did we want to, like, take turns on figuring out what we do?"

Spencer smiles and says, "I'd like that. When, um, when would we want to go on these dates, what-what day?"

I think for a moment and say, "Well, to be honest, I don't want to give up our Doctor Who Saturdays. If-if you're ok with spending time together multiple days a week outside of work..." 

"I'm alright with that," he says. 

"Did we...did we want to try for a set day, or just see where the week takes us?" I ask.

"As much as a set day sounds great, I think we're going have to go with the second option, simply due to work," he says. I nod, and he then asks, "So for, uh, our upcoming date, would Sunday be ok? You know, so long as we're able..." 

I nod and smile, saying, "Yeah, Sunday sounds wonderful, Spencer. What time should I be ready? And where did you want to meet?"

"Oh, I can pick you up and take you home. As for the time, how does 2 o'clock sound?" he says, cleaning up our things from lunch.

"2 o'clock sounds good, Doc. Is there a specific way I should dress, or should I just stick with comfortable?" I ask, helping with our trays.

"No, comfortable works. At least, comfortable shoes," he says as we slowly start walking back.

"Oh, yeah? You've got a plan there, Spence?" I say, cocking an eyebrow and smiling.

He grins and says, "Yeah, I've got the beginnings of one, at least. I just hope you like what I have planned."

"I'm sure I will, Doc. So, um, see you for the ride home?" I ask as we get to where we have to part ways.

"Yeah. I'll see you then, Lina," he says softly.

I head back to Penny, and I do my best to focus on work, but can't help but feel excited for the weekend already.

Finally, it's time to head home, and I get ready in record time. "Whoa there, girly, you've got somewhere to be?" Penny says jokingly.

I grin and shrug, saying, "Well, uh, n-not necessarily, just...kinda wanna head home and...y'know, relax,"

"Ahhh, yeah, still probably kinda tense from the last case, I get it. If you want, I can give you a ride ho-" Penny says, but I cut in with, "No!"

I clear my throat and quickly say, "No, no, that's ok, I just kinda...wanna get back into the same old routine, you know? Back to 'normal'?" 

She looks at me momentarily, and I worry that she doesn't believe me, but then she gives me an empathetic look and says, "Of course, sweetie. You do what makes you feel better again. You need anything, you let me know though, ok?"

I smile and say, "Absolutely. Thanks, Pen."

Getting to the elevators, we're joined by Derek and Spencer, and we all ride down, Derek and Penny filling in all the chatter today. Once we get to the bottom, Spencer and I head out, and I try to say as casually as possible, "See you guys tomorrow!"

It isn't till we're a good few blocks away that I say to Spencer, "Oh, that was close!" He gives me a quizzical look, and I continue.

"There were a few times today when I was almost positive she knew something was up between you and me, but, well, we never discussed that, so I wasn't gonna say anything just yet..."

Spencer nods, and I say, "I'm telling you, it's really hard to stay quiet about finally going out with the guy you've had a crush on for months..." giving him a coy smile, causing him to flush a bit.

"Yeah, well, I think I may have made Morgan a little suspicious, I was looking up something for our date on the computer when he came by and asked me what I was doing. I just told him I was researching something I'd seen from a few books I had read, I'm not entirely sure he bought it, though..." he says with a small chuckle.

Giggling along with him, we make it to the station, and when the metro pulls up and stops, Spencer grabs my hand and we race on, finding a small spot without many people around. 

I sigh and say, "All that said, how would you feel if our friends found out before we talk to Hotch?"

He thinks for a moment and says, "You know, if it happens, it happens. As long as you and I are ok, I can't really say I care too much if they know. And I'm pretty sure our jobs won't be in any danger, I read the handbook 3 times to be sure."

I give him a surprised look, and he says, "I really wanted to make sure we were in the clear..."

I smile and lean my head onto his shoulder, and he puts his arm around me, and we sit like that for the rest of the ride.

When my stop comes up, after I signal for the metro to let me off, Spencer grabs my hand before I stand up. I look at him and he gives me a quick, soft kiss, then lets go of my hand, quietly saying, "I'll see you tomorrow, Lina."

I grin and say, "I'll see you tomorrow, Spence." Then head off the vehicle and head home, quite giddy.

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 47

word count - 4.4k warnings - one curse word, kissing, bit of awkwardness, passing comment about nakedness (taking a shower) Summary: It's the start of a new day, and Lina and Spencer enjoy where it takes them…

I wake up after a more restful night than I thought I'd have, and I'm greeted by the sight of Spencer, his head tucked down onto my chest as he snuggles close to me. I smile and run my fingers through his hair, earning a happy hum from him. Oh, I could get used to this... I think blissfully.

I turn to look at my clock, seeing it's a little after 9. I groan and snuggle back into the blanket and into Spencer's arms. He makes a confused little noise, then lifts his head and opens his eyes. I can't help but grin as his eyes focus on me, causing a smile to grow.

"'Morning, Spence," I say, snuggling into him.

He hums and says in a raspy voice, "Good morning." He then smiles and kisses me on the forehead. He then sighs and says, "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do this..."

I raise my eyebrows and say playfully, "What, get me into bed while sober?" He flushes red instantaneously, and a small giggle escapes from me as I say, "No, I'm just teasing. What have you waited so long to do, Spencer?"

The blush fading from his face, he smiles, "Wake up with you in my arms." 

Now it's my turn to blush. "Damn, Spence, I didn't realize you were such a romantic," I say, a small smile on my face.

"Kind of easy when you've got someone to inspire those feelings in you," he says softly, pulling me in for a gentle, chaste kiss. He then says, "Hey, I-I'm gonna go get ready. Is it ok if I grab a shower really quick?"

I nod and say, "Yeah, go ahead, Doc. I'll be here. There should be spare towels and washcloths in there if you need them." 

He nods and heads into the bathroom, and I get up to see if anything in the apartment needs to be cleaned to avoid the thought that the man I've had a crush on for months is in my bathroom, naked and wet in my shower.

I start clearing the dishes and put them in the sink to do later, then clean off the table and counters. I do a quick sweep of the floor, and then head back into my room. I start going through my drawers to pick out my clothes for the day when the bathroom door opens. 

Spencer peers out, then grimaces and asks, "I, uh, I forgot my bag. Could-would you mind grabbing it for me real quick so I could get dressed, please? Sorry."

"Yeah, sure thing, Doc. Be back in a sec." I say, swiftly heading into the living room to get his bag and handing it to him through the small space in the door he's allowed open to stick his hand through.

After placing the bag in his hand, he gives me a quiet, "Thank you," then retreats into the bathroom fully again, closing the door to get dressed.

The bathroom door opens again a few minutes later, Spencer now in a button-down and khakis, hair combed, glasses on.

Grabbing all of my clothes, I then say, "I'm gonna go take my shower, Spence. I'll try not to take too long, and you can watch or read whatever I've got in the meantime."

He gives me a nod and a tight smile, then heads back out to the living room and sits on the couch. I head into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning against it for a moment before disrobing and getting into the shower. I quickly wash my hair and body, and I'm back out drying off within a few minutes.

After I'm dressed, I open the door to let the mirrors de-fog. I do a quick brush of my hair, and then I hear a tentative, "Lina?" as I'm putting various products into my hand to mix and put into my hair.

"What's up, Spence?" I ask, blending the various substances into a cohesive goop and raking it through my hair.

"Oh, you aren't going to straighten it, are you?" he asks curiously.

"Huh? Oh, no, it's way too hot for that, I'd no sooner finish than it'd wind up curly again. Nah, I'm just putting stuff in it to keep the frizz to a minimum." I say, turning and looking at him. I grin and say, "That wasn't what you were gonna ask me, was it?"

"Uh, n-no, it wasn't. I was going to ask if-if you wanted to go on a date with me our next off day." he stammers, a little nervous.

"You mean, like today?" I ask, finishing getting everything into my hair, and then washing my hands so I can brush it evenly throughout my hair. 

"W-well, we could have a date today, i-if you want. I, uh, I was kind of hoping I could have planned it more, but..." he says quickly, but I cut him off with a quick kiss.

"You know you can plan the next date, right? We can just do something fun and unplanned today." I say after pulling away from him to speak.

"N-next date?" he says with a shy smile. "OK, but next date, I plan on having us doing something amazing, I promise."

I giggle and wrap my arms around his shoulders and say, "You know, I don't doubt that. Not because of whatever you plan, but because I'll be with you." then give him a soft kiss.

"Now who's being romantic?" he teases, giving me a soft smirk.

I laugh then say, "Kinda easy when you're inspired and happy, Doc." He chuckles, then pulls me close and kisses me again. "So, did you have any idea where you'd want to go today?" I ask, standing up to grab my shoes and put them on.

He shakes his head as he gets up to do the same. "I, um, I'm kinda drawing a blank at the moment. Why, do you have anything in mind?" he asks, standing up to grab his satchel and hand me my purse.

Taking my bag from him, I smile and say, "I think I know where we could go, c'mon,"

I grab his hand and lead him out of my apartment, heading down the steps instead of taking the elevator. When we hit the sidewalk, I turn to look at him and ask with a sly smile, "Are you ok with us walking to the first stop on our date?"

"I, uh, yeah, that-that should be fine. Can I ask where we're going, or is it a surprise?" he says as I lead us on our journey.

"Let's see if you can guess first. It's similar to where we went the first time we hung out. Well, the first time we didn't get interrupted, at least." I say, hustling to cross the street quickly.

"...Starbucks?" he asks, his eyebrows furrowing.

I laugh and say, "No, no, after that. But we can stop for coffee after if you'd like."

"A bookstore? I'm not sure there are any this way..." Spencer says, looking around us as we continue.

I grin and say, "I did say similar, didn't I? C'mon, guess again."

"Um, a shop of some sort?" he asks, forehead still crinkled as he thinks.

"Nope, one more guess, c'mon, I know you can get this!" I say encouragingly.

"Well, the only other thing that could be similar would be a library, so..." Spencer says, a smile slowly slipping onto his face.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" I say with a giggle. 

"Really? The library?" he says, expression unreadable.

"Is-is that...not a good idea, would you rather-" I start nervously, stopping on the sidewalk.

Spencer stops and turns to me with a smile, then lifts my hand to his lips for a kiss and says, "No, no. It's perfect. I never thought I'd actually meet someone who would want to go to the library for a date, let alone a first one."

I beam at him, happy at his validation of my choice of destination as we start walking again. As we near the building, Spencer says, "Did you know that this branch was the first in D.C. to offer air conditioning?"

Giggling softly, I reply, "I did not know that, actually. That's an interesting thing to be the first to do."

Walking in, we head towards the fiction shelves, my eyes roving the covers. "Whoa," I say under my breath, looking at the array of books.

Spencer hums in question, tearing his eyes away from the section he's in. "Oh, nothing, just...there's a lot more urban fantasy than I thought..." I say incredulously, which garners a chuckle from him.

"So, you're saying the possibilities are endless?" he says with a smile, picking up a book and reading the back of it, then tucking it under his arm.

I grin and say, "Yeah, I suppose so. I think I might give this series a try, what do you think?" holding up a book with a blonde woman and a dark-haired vampire-looking man floating in the night sky, a burning house in the background.

He peers at the book, glasses low on his nose. "I couldn't tell you, but if it's in this section, it's quite probable you'd enjoy it, right?" he says, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"I mean, chances are pretty likely, yeah," I say quietly, grabbing what looks like the next two books in the series.

I wander the shelves a little more, lingering over a title or two, when I feel Spencer gently tap my shoulder to get my attention. "Hey, did we want to sit down and read a little, maybe you can check out a few chapters of the book you picked out, see if you'd want to take it home?" he says, shifting a small pile of books in his arms.

I nod, and he holds out his hand. I look at it for a moment, then at his face, and he clears his throat, softly saying, "I can carry your books to the table."

I snort and place my hand in his instead, his face immediately flushing red. "Spence, you have at least twice as many books as I have, and they're all in hardback. If anything, I should be helping you with your books." I say, lightly teasing.

"I-uh, w-well..." Spencer starts, but I give squeeze his hand, and he looks at me.

"Thank you for the offer anyway though, Doc," I say, smiling at him.

He gives me a shy smile back, and we head to a table in a cozy little corner, setting our books down as quietly as possible. He pulls out a chair and asks me to sit down, pushing my chair in after I do. I flush and grab the first book in the series I picked out, squeaking out a flustered, "Thank you." as he sits down across from me.

Grabbing one of his books, he gives me a quick smile and a gentle, "You're welcome," and then opens his book and starts reading.

I start in on my book, making it through a chapter and a half before I get distracted by the sight of Spencer reading, his lithe fingers trailing down the pages. I watch silently for a bit before I impulsively say the first thought that runs through my head.

"Y'know," I start softly. "I feel a bit like a weirdo saying this, but...watching you read is kind of...mesmerizing," 

He looks up at me, cheeks pink and eyebrows raised, a small smirk on his face. "Oh, really? Mesmerizing...how?" he says in a quietly teasing tone.

I turn and look to the side, scratching my head as I stutter out, "I-I dunno, like, um, you're-you're like really...intense? And-and focused? While you're reading? And it-it's...just...really attractive..." I trail off, feeling my face burn from embarrassment.

His face fully red, he stammers out, "I-uh-I...can't say anyone's ever told me that before. That my reading was attractive..."

I nervously bite my lip, hiding my face behind my book as I awkwardly stutter, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, uh, m-make you uncomfortable or anything. Ju-just forget-"

"Hey, hey," Spencer starts gently, lightly touching my arm to get me to look at him. "I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just...I'm not used to hearing anything I do be called 'attractive', that's all. I'm...still getting used to having someone...liking...the things I do." he finishes, looking down shily.

Peering over my book at him momentarily, I say, "I really do. Like you, I mean. A-and the things you do. I-I genuinely like hearing all the facts you tell me, and the way you read, and just...the way you're...you, Spencer." I look back at him after telling him all this while staring down at the table, and he's positively beaming.

He reaches out his hand to gently grab mine, then says, "I...I don't know what to say to that. I think that's one of the nicest things anyone's said to me in a while..."

Squeezing his hand, I give him an embarrassed half-smile and say, "Um, you can say I wasn't totally cheesy and cringey..."

Spencer lets out a laugh and says, "Well, I don't know about that, but it's definitely sweet, and I liked hearing it, especially from the person I've had a crush on for the last 4 months and 25 days..." quickly flushing after he finishes.

I snort, then cover my mouth to quiet my laughter, Spencer smiling sheepishly at me. After I manage to get myself under control, I ask Spencer, "OK, so, another half an hour, then off to our next stop on our impromptu date?"

He nods at that, squeezing my hand once before turning back to his book. My gaze lingers on him for a few minutes more before I turn back to my own. 

I manage to get a few more chapters in before Spencer sets down his last book, having read through everything he chose. I look over at him, while stacking together the other books I picked up, and ask, "Is it ok if I check these out real quick before we head out?"

He nods, piling his books in his arms. "Yeah, you go ahead, I'm going to take these back to the circulation cart to be shelved again."

After we each get done, we meet back up near the entrance and walk out. "So, where to next?" Spencer asks with a small grin.

"Now that, I figure I'd let you choose. Did you want to grab something to eat, or would you rather get some coffee?" I ask with a smile, slipping my books into my purse.

Before he could say anything, his stomach let out a large growl. Flushing a little and laughing, he replies, "Well, I guess that's my answer!"

Chuckling, I ask, "OK, where did you want to go, then?"

"There should be a little shop nearby, we could get something there," Spencer says, taking a few steps south before turning around and holding his hand out for me to take and come along.

As we walk, he tells me about the place. "It's called Aroma Cafe, and as you can tell by the name, it's a cafe, but it's also a deli. I believe I've stopped in once or twice before, on one of my scourings for books here in the city."

It doesn't take much time for us to get there, and soon enough, we've ordered some lunch and coffee. As we eat, we talk and joke, punctuated by one or two awkward silences before flowing back into the natural rhythm our conversations take.

Once we've finished in the cafe, we walk outside, and Spencer asks cautiously, "So, um, back to your place for this week's episode of Doctor Who?"

Flashing him a smile, I say, "Of course, Doc. Why do you ask?"

As we walk slowly, he bashfully admits, "I, uh, I've...never really been on a date that went this well before. I didn't know if we should do more 'date-like' activities or what..."

I let out a light snort, then say, "I can't say I'd know, this is technically my second date ever, and the only one I've had that lasted longer than 5 minutes."

Spencer laughs at that, and I continue. "Spence, it's me. I just like spending time with you, we don't have to act weird or differently just because we like each other. ...Do we?" I finish unsurely.

He grins and says, "No, I don't think we have to. I think we're allowed to just be...us."

Smiling coyly, I ask, "So, we just add to the relationship we already have? We can do the same things we did as friends, but also be...more than friends, and all that could entail?"

Biting his lip to hide a small smile, Spencer softly says, "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

I let out a small breath and grin, saying with a giggle, "Oh, good! Because I really like kissing you..."

Spencer stays quiet and flushes but has a shy, content smile on his face.

We continue walking quietly for a while, when I ask, "So, what did you think of last week's episode?"

He laughs briefly, then says, "While the whole 'facelessness' was sort of unnerving, I'd much prefer seeing it done that way than the other, mundane way..."

I shiver and say, "Ugh, yeah. Felt so much better when everyone got back to normal. And I've gotta say, using a Betamax tape? Clever."

We continue walking, discussing previous episodes, and we get back to my building, heading up the steps to my apartment.

We take our shoes off at the door, setting them aside, then take my purse off my shoulder. "So, um, I know there's still an hour or so before Doctor Who is on. Did, uh, did you want to do anything in particular til then?" I ask nervously, putting my library books on the table and setting the bag away on the floor.

Spencer's cheeks go pink as he rubs the back of his neck, and says, "Oh, um, we-we could read more, if you'd like. O-or watch something. Or, uh, hmm, do you have a chess set, by any chance? I should probably get a travel one..."

I laugh softly, replying, "I'm ok with reading. Did you have any books or did you need some to read?"

He chuckles as he says, "I, uh, I could use a few, if that's ok," then sets his satchel down on the floor beside the couch.

I give him a half-grin and gesture towards my table piled high with books. "Be my guest, Doc. Hope you find something you haven't read a hundred times already." I say, sitting on the arm of the couch while he walks over.

He smiles, then looks over the array. "Oh, you have the Complete Works of Shakespeare? Is it ok if I choose this one to start with?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Did you wanna pick out any others?" I ask, fixing up the pillows on the couch so we can relax comfortably.

He hums and says, "Hmm, I think one more ought to do it. Let's see here..." then starts sifting through the titles.

"OK if I grab this one, too?" Spencer asks, holding up Picture of Dorian Gray. I nod, and he grabs the books, making his way to the couch.

Sitting down, he pats the space beside him for me to sit down. Grinning, I grab the book I started and pull my phone from my pocket, explaining as I set it. "I'll have an alarm set so we know when it's time for the episode, ok?" sitting down next to him and placing my phone on the table.

Leaning against Spencer, we start to read our books, the only sound being the turning of pages. I'm about halfway through when Spencer puts down the Shakespeare tome and asks, "So, how's your book so far?"

I look up at him with a grin, saying, "It's alright. A lot more romance-y than I usually read, though."

"Is that...bad?" he asks, pushing his glasses up.

I chuckle and say, "Well, no. It's just not something I'm used to. It's usually just a side bit in what I read, and in this, it's...kind of the main focus?"

Spencer nods, then asks quietly, "Would you want to be more used to it? Romance, I mean?"

Tilting my head to the side and putting a bookmark where I stopped, I turn to face him and ask, "How would I get more used to romance?"

Gently taking the book from my hands, he places it on the table, then licks his lips and quietly says, "Like this..." then cups my cheek and leans in for a soft kiss.

His warm lips move against mine, and I melt into him, reciprocating the kiss. I lace my fingers into his hair, causing him to groan, his tongue swiping at my bottom lip. I let out a surprised sound, and lean back from him.

Spencer is quick to apologize. "Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

I give him an embarrassed smile, explaining, "No, no, it's ok. I, uh, I've just...um, well, you're the first person I've kissed, and any knowledge I have is theoretical, so, I'm...kinda afraid of messing it up..."

He smiles warmly at that, softly saying, "Oh, I can understand that. You don't have to worry about 'messing up', just...do what feels right, ok? We can learn more together, yeah?"

I smile and nod my head quickly, letting out a breathless, "Yeah, that...that sounds good, Doc. Did we-could we try that again?"

Spencer nods and pulls me close again, his lips slotting against mine gently. I tilt my head to deepen the kiss, my lips gliding over his. When his tongue sweeps against my bottom lip again, I welcome it by parting my lips and caressing it with mine.

I weave my hands into his hair again, tugging him closer as our tongues slowly slide against each other. He lets out a whimper when I bring him towards me, and the noise spurs me on, causing me to gently suck on the tip of his tongue, then swirling around it and ending with a flick against it.

When we part, he's a bit breathless, and asks incredulously, "I thought you said you were new to this? What was your reading material?!" 

I laugh lightly and say, "Cosmopolitan. While everyone else was on dates, I was home reading those. Guess it actually paid off, huh?"

With a nod, Spencer mutters, "That's a bit of an understatement..."

I let out a soft snort, then tilt my head and say in a bit of a teasing tone, "So, you have a thing for your hair being pulled? I can work with that..." giving him a coy smile.

He flushes slightly, rubbing the back of his neck as he stammers, "I, uh, y-yeah. Um, sorry about the-the noises, I, uh-"

I lightly stroke his cheek and say, "Why are you sorry? I, um, I like hearing you enjoy it. It...kinda makes me feel like I'm doing a good job."

He gives me a quick smile, then asks quietly, "Did-did you want to...continue?"

I smile shily and nod my head, saying, "Yeah, I really would..."

Our lips slowly connect again, tongues moving in a fluid choreography together. It slowly gets more heated, as Spencer holds my head in his hands as we continue. Just as I let out a soft moan at his motions, my phone alarm goes off.

We part quickly, both breathing heavily. After a moment, Spencer's face goes bright red as he squeaks out, "I'll-I'll be right back!" then runs off towards the bathroom.

Feeling a bit overheated, I fan myself and call out, "OK, I'll just get the tv ready, then!" then stand up to grab the remote and get everything prepared. After a minute or two, Spencer comes back in, face still kind of flushed.

I look at him in concern and ask, "Are you ok?"

He gives me a tight smile and says, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. C'mon, let's watch." then sits back down, albeit a bit gingerly.

He looks up at me, then holds out his arm for me to sit against him, giving me a half-smile. I grin, and sit down next to him, leaning into him. 

Over the next hour, we're engrossed in the episode, talking about what we've seen in between commercial breaks. When it's over, I turn off the devices, then stand up and stretch.

Spencer stands up as well, then says, "Hey, um, I'm...gonna head home. Going to have to get my bag repacked and everything. I'll...see you Monday?"

"I-yeah. Um, is everything ok?" I ask timidly, afraid I've done something wrong.

"What? Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I just...wow, Lina. I, uh, I'm really looking forward to our next date. I want to make sure it's something you'll enjoy, so, uh, that's also the reason I'm going to go. I...well, I want to do some research, try to come up with something spectacular." he says sheepishly, a tiny smile on his face.

I let out a relieved giggle and say, "Oh, good! I thought I did something wrong!"

He lets out a chuckle and says, "No! No, everything's good, you're good, we're good. I'm saying 'good' too much, aren't I?" 

Grinning, I say, "It's ok, I don't mind. So, see you Monday, Spence?" I walk over and grab his go bag as he slings his satchel around his body.

Smiling broadly, he nods and says, "Absolutely. See you Monday, Lina."

We walk over to the front door, and I hand him his bag and say, "And Spencer? Thank you...for, well, everything."

He tenderly strokes my cheek and gives me a soft kiss, then says, "You're welcome. If you need to talk, you can call or text me, you know that, right?"

I nod and lean up to kiss him gently, then say, "Yeah, I know. If I need to, I will. See you Monday, Doc."

He looks at me for a moment, then bends down and kisses me once more, hand cupping my cheek. When we part, he says softly, "See you Monday, Lina."

After watching him head to the elevator, he waves as the doors close. When they do, I sigh happily and head back into my apartment, shutting and locking the door.

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