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WHEN BEN WOKE up the next morning, the sun was already blaring on his face. He squinted his eyes immediately after opening them and turned the other way, shielding them from the bright light that tried to blind him. He groaned and covered his eyes with the hand he wasn't currently laying on.
The alarm clock on his bedside table was ringing obnoxiously, forcing him to reach over to turn it off. That in itself was enough to wake him up. Even if he tried to, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. He was never able to. He sighed and simply swung his feet over the side of the bed, planting his feet before sliding them along the wooden floor, dragging himself out of bed. He fell onto his backside, back up against his bed frame and mattress, not wanting to get up.
He slowly pulled himself up, both of his hands placed firmly on the mattress while he pushed down with all his might. He hated how weak he was in the morning.
He stretched his arms, sighing in contentment as he walked into his bathroom, ignoring the tired-looking reflection he got. He leaned over his bathtub and turned the faucet until the water felt warm enough for him before starting the shower. Slowly, he peeled his clothes off of him, discarding them near the door of the bathroom in a laundry basket. He stepped into the shower, relaxing almost immediately when he felt the warm water trail down his skin.
He was lost in thought for a few moments, one or two songs replaying in his head as he bathed himself from head to toe. By the time he had turned the water off it had gone cold, making him assume he had spent at least 45 minutes in the shower doing absolutely nothing. He got dressed in a pair of jeans that was a size too big and a large t-shirt he had lying around.
It was rare that he got a day off so he decided that just this once he was going to treat himself. Maybe get a few new things. He walked out of the bathroom, hair still dripping wet since he had run a towel through it only once or twice before leaving it alone.
He yanked his shoes onto his feet, hopping on one foot for a moment as he struggled on one. He set his foot down and steadied himself before grabbing his wallet and walking out of his bedroom. Before leaving the house, he grabbed his keys, securing them in his pocket to ensure that he wasn't going to lose them.
He stepped out of his apartment, locking his door behind him. He walked down the long hallway, descending down a small flight of stairs, exiting the building soon after. He squinted when the sun was suddenly blaring down on him again, the light a lot more blinding than it was in his bedroom.
"Damnit." He muttered, shielding his eyes with his hands yet again. He bit down on his lip, continuing his walk down the sidewalk. He softly hummed to himself, barely anyone on the streets at that time of day. They were either at work or hadn't quite woken up yet. It was why he liked mornings so much. Barely anyone spoke to him, meaning he didn't have to listen to the bullshit that came out of their mouths.
It felt as if he had only been walking for a few minutes before he stopped in front of one of his favorite places. The library. Quiet but enough books to keep him occupied for at least a few hours.
What he wasn't expecting was to see someone familiar. He furrowed his eyebrows and simply ignored it, assuming that the boy from the café didn't want to be disturbed while reading. He knew what it felt like to be invested in a chapter and suddenly get interrupted.
He walked past Spencer, watching as the male ran a finger down the page quickly. Fast reader. Got it. Ben thought as he headed straight for the historical fiction section. He was always a history nerd.
His hands brushed the spines of the books as he searched for a book that he hadn't quite read yet. It was hard for him to find a new book because he had read multiple a day. He bit down on his lip before pressing them in a thin line, not really having any luck. "Ah, Mr. Laurent. Looking for a new book?" The librarian whom he had grown close to asked, happy to see his regular.
"Remember, you can just call me Ben. But yeah, having a hard time, though." His voice was soft, trying not to disturb the people who were reading near him. "Well, we got a new shipment in today, maybe you would like to look?" Ben's eyes lit up in excitement. He loved when they got new books because those lasted him at least a month.
"Really?" The librarian nodded and waved him over, bringing him over to the front counter. He knelt down and lifted a large box, setting it on top of the counter. "Take your pick. I trust you won't do anything to damage it." Ben saluted, the librarian giving him his usual warm smile before he went to go help a teenager who was searching for a specific book for a geometry test.
Ben wasted no time digging through the box, pulling out The Glass Castle and The Picture of Dorian Gray. He held the two books in his hands firmly, careful to not damage them or drop them in any way. He made his way over to the corner of the library — where he usually sat — and set the books down, taking the first one of the two.
He opened the book and started to read, immediately getting lost in the world of literature. He loved to read because he was able to escape the worrying thoughts he had for a while, indulging in the story he was reading.
He didn't even hear someone approaching him nor did he hear them say his name. It wasn't until they sat down that he saw them. The first thing he saw was the long brown hair, soft features, and small smile. Spencer.
"Oh, hi." Ben looked down at the page of the book that he was on before closing it, sitting up just a bit more. "Fancy seeing you here, huh?" Spencer asked quietly. Ben chuckled a little and shrugged his shoulders, setting the book on his lap.
Spencer's eyes trailed down to the other book that he had on the table. "That's a good one, you'll enjoy it, I think." Ben smiled and nodded, looking at the stack of books that Spencer had with him. "Quite the reader, aren't you?" Spencer followed his gaze and looked at the books, nodding.
"Yeah. It's one of the only things I'm good at." Ben furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, pressing his lips in a thin line. "I'm sure that's not true. You're an FBI agent." Spencer looked up at him, confused. Ben noticed that and waved his hands as if saying 'don't worry.'
"Your badge is hanging out of your bag just a bit." Spencer opened his mouth a bit and looked down, chuckling a little while rubbing the back of his neck. "You have to be good if you're an agent at your age. Genius, I'm guessing. Graduated early?" Spencer looked at him with a mixed feelings of shock and confusion. "Are you sure you're not the agent? It takes someone at least a few meetings before they figure that out."
"Ah, no. I took a few classes but couldn't get into them. I graduated early, too, so I understand a bit." Spencer nodded in understanding, never having met someone who was so much like him. "What age did you graduate?" Spencer asked, genuinely curious. He had never actually been so interested in someone's life until now. It was weird. "I graduated high school when I was almost 16. At the same time, I started working at the café. Been working there for seven years now." Spencer listened intently, taking any information he could get.
Ben noticed how his eyebrows furrowed as he listened to him, a small smile resting on his lips. "What about you?" Spencer hummed softly in acknowledgment of the question. "When I was 12 I graduated high school. Got my undergraduate at 16. Started working for the FBI when I was 22." Ben nodded, impressed with his accomplishments. Spencer's phone buzzed and he frowned, looking down at it. Ben already had an idea of what it was. "Duty calls?" Spencer hummed and nodded, stuffing his phone in his pocket. "I've got to go. See you around."
"See you, Einstein. Save some lives." Spencer smiled at him and picked up his stack of books while Ben smiled right back at him.
