MANIA| Criminal Minds

1

"A drop of bleach in the waterline;
wake up thinking with a clearer mind."

1: The Reunion

Spencer stares at himself in the visor mirror of his shitty 1990's Nissan Altima. The deep purple under his green eyes is nothing new, but the rest of this needs to be fixed. He runs his hand through his messy hair and straightens out his shirt.

Better, sort of.

11:43. In less than 20 minutes, the gang will be together again for the first time in over 6 months. They're meeting at JJ's mom's house in their home town.

Everybody had taken their own path, leaving Spencer completely alone. They promised they'd keep in touch with him, but things happen and assignments pile up. Eventually, staying in contact with their youngest was no longer a priority. He understood, but when JJ's calls went from weekly to monthly at best, Spencer was truly, genuinely hurt.

They had this day planned since the last day of summer. March 11th. A Friday. Everybody is meeting at noon for an uninterrupted weekend of catching up.

Spencer is dreading it. Even a month ago, all he wanted was this moment: to be reunited with his first love and his best friends. Now he just wants to fake sick and go anywhere else.

Spencer is snapped out of his thoughts when the passenger seat of his car opens. He turns to see Derek Morgan taking an uninvited seat.

"You're early," Spencer says.

"Kid, your shirt is on wrong." Spencer sighs before pulling it off and fixing it. "Late night?"

"Early morning," Spencer corrects. Derek laughs and a small smirk forms on Spencer's face.

"I'm glad I'm here, if I'm being honest. It's already 90° in Cali right now. I missed Spring," Morgan rants, changing the subject. Spencer purses his lips together, wanting nothing more than to be home.

An uber pulls up on the opposite side of the street. Penelope's blonde hair has green highlights in it, presumably to match the current holiday. Her face lights up and she sprints in her heels towards Spencer's car, flinging the door open and pulling Spencer into a hug.

"Hey-" he manages to get out before the weight of Penelope's "love crush" steals his breath.

"Woah! Babygirl, I think you're hurting him! Let the kid talk," Derek laughs. He joins the group hug before Spencer wiggles his way free.

"I'm 17 now, I'm not a kid anymore," Spencer says. Morgan rolls his eyes.

"You'll always be Kid to me, pretty boy." Great.

"When are the others getting here?" Penelope asks.

"Aaron and Emily should be here any minute now, and JJ's inside," Morgan says with a bright smile.

JJ. JJ always sees through Spencer. She used to joke that he's a better window than a door when it comes to how he's feeling.

How is he feeling?

He thinks for a moment. In actuality, he feels amazing; better than he used to. He doesn't cry anymore. He's more confident and outgoing. The only obvious downside is his patience is at an all-time low.

He seems to find himself associating his old friends with who he used to be.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Penelope cheers. "Let's get this party started!"

She grabs Spencer by the wrist and drags him up the sidewalk. His heart pounds in his chest, and for a moment he worries that the others can hear it.

When he sees JJ, all of Spencer's worries disappear. She wraps him in a warm hug before placing a small kiss on his forehead.

"I missed you so much, Spence."

If you missed me then why did you break up with me?

"I missed you, too," Spencer says with a small smile. "Where's the booze?"

JJ laughs, but Spencer is serious. "Since when do you drink?"

He pushes past his friends towards the pantry, knowing exactly where her family keeps the vodka.

Everyone watches in a thick silence as Spencer pours a glass full to the top. "What?" Spencer asks, a sly grin on his face, "We're here to have fun, not sit around like losers."

"Fair enough," Derek shrugs. "Pour me some fireball."

a/n:
here's your place to rant your theories about what happened over the 6 months 😈

how are you guys liking it so far?

word count: 723