Cruel - Criminal minds enemies to lovers

Brunch conflict

"You know that we don't have to go if you're not okay with seeing him, right?" Morgan's voice echoed on speakerphone as Athena re-pierced her ears, a totally normal part of getting ready, after days of hiding from the team before Garcia's engagement announcement brunch, "Penelope would more than understand."

"That would require telling her and, like I told you, I don't want it to be a whole thing- I'll be fine" she rolled her eyes with a sigh, finally finishing her makeup whilst subconsciously trying to make herself as late as possible- something someone who is 'totally okay' would do of course, "will you be okay? You can't cause a scene or anything dude, I will mock you for eternity if you do."

They had gotten the group invite the night before to a fancy country club that Kevin's parents were apart of, meaning the team who usually wore a uniform of coffee stained jeans and the occasional bloody work shirt had 24 hours notice to find upper class appropriate ensembles.

After hours of pacing back and forth deciding on an outfit, Athena finally landed on a silk, light yellow, long wrap dress with small embroidered flowers spaced out on it; picking it for the fact it lay nicely, too tight that it make her uncomfortable, on her figure that she felt more of an urge to hide after feeling Reid's grasp on her.

There was always too much of you to grab anyway my dear-

She shook the voice of her father out of her head, adding the finishing touches to her look with a small gold necklace and red lip before going to brush out the big curls she had added into her hair the night before after she re-dyed it, pausing in the mirror as she brushed the now considerably longer copper hair out.

It had grown down to her belly button, a length it hadn't been since she was a child, a length that made her skin crawl.

An impulse took over the flashes of hands interlocking her curls and she grabbed a big t-shirt to throw over her dress and grabbing the closest pair of kitchen scissors before she could give it too much thought.

She wasn't sure if it was because she had a tough few weeks or because she was a need to control something in her life, but she chopped it off in one swift motion at her shoulders- physically feeling the weight in her chest dissolve as the length scattered by her feet.

She couldn't help laughing at the choppy cut before spinning with a smile that seemed to only grow as she cleaned the edges, revealing the bouncy new volume from the lack of length dragging it down combined with the large bouncy waves.

"Not too bad for a rusty pair of kitchen scissors" Athena mumbled with amusement to herself as she tucked her overgrown curtain bangs behind her ears and went to grab her nude heels by her phone- which was when she realised that she had been ignoring Morgan on the phone the whole time.

"Am I speaking to myself again?"

"Shit- I'm sorry I got distracted" she laughed, rushing back to the speaker, "sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was just saying I'm outside whenever you're ready" he chuckled, "take your time- or maybe take longer, so long that we won't have to go and I won't have to mentally strangle Reid across the table."

"Behave handsome-" Athena laughed as she rushed down her stairs, "save your testosterone for kicking down doors, aka your favourite hobby."

"Did you just call me handsome- woah!" Morgan exclaimed as she appeared at the front door, his slight frustration at her usual tardiness being completely melted away as she crossed the street to him.