How Dare You [ReidxReader] - 2nd Edition

(7) Shortcut

Wavering, you have to hold on to the door for leverage as you wait for Reid to come up. You blink repeatedly in an effort to clear your mind. His steps echo through the stairway.

You barely make eye contact when he climbed the last flight of stairs and walks towards you. Quietly, you just step aside to let him in. He is still in the shirt, vest, and jacket he wore to work.

You let the door fall shut and immediately sink back into the couch. Gesturing towards the other end of it, you ask: "How did you get here?"

Reid sits down awkwardly, still his bag over his shoulder and shoes on. "Took the metro and walked the rest."

Brain foggy, you stare at him, and state confused: "The next metro station is almost twenty minutes away."

"Sixteen." Spencer informs you. It takes you a moment to process that information. He really went out of his way to see how you are doing. You clear your throat and get up; you need to stand still before you can walk to the kitchen. Returning with two glasses of water, you hand one to Reid.

He swirls the water around in the glass and observes the liquid move until he speaks up: "What did Hotch say to you?"

You roll your eyes at the memory. "He told me that if I pull something like this again, he will suspend me." You make quotation marks in the air with your fingers and add after a pause: "I also have to attend psychological evaluation on Monday."

Reid huffs: "Morgan kicks down every door he sees, and he never had to go to something like this."

That makes you giggle: "You're funny, Reid."

His eyes widen: "You think so?"

"Yeah." You empty your glass. "You can take off your bag and whatnot if you want." You pull your legs up and lean against the armrest to properly look at Spencer. He actually puts his bag on the floor and drapes his jacket over it. Your eyes follow his every move, entranced by how his fingers wrap around the fabric.

"Did you really finish The Lord of The Rings?" You ask absentmindedly.

"All three." Reid confirms.

Your mouth falls open: "You're serious about the speed-reading thing."

He shrugs his shoulders: "It's useful for work."

"But do you actually remember all the details?"

"Probably most of it."

"Hm." You squint your eyes: "What's the password for the entrance to Moria?"

Reid is visibly combing through his knowledge of the books: "The elvish word for friend." He answers.

"And that is?" You grin.

Frustration makes its way onto Spencer's face when he doesn't remember instantly.

"Mellon." You tell him with a smirk.

"You were drunk a few minutes ago but you remember that?" He asks stunned.

"Common knowledge." You shrug your shoulders to annoy him and point to your only bookshelf: "I got Lord of The Rings trivial pursuit if you want a rematch."

Reid springs to his feet and scrambles to get it.

ɤɤɤɤ ɤɤɤɤ ɤɤɤɤ

Of course, Spencer wins the game by a landslide. But you don't mind. You enjoy seeing the almost childish happiness on his face when he gets a question right. Whenever you read him one, he taps his fingers on the table rhythmically, eyes fixed on your lips to make sure he gets every word right. It is way more fun for you to observe his genius working than it is to actually try and compete with him.