1 out of 150//Spencer Reid

10. Catching feelings

SPENCER
The team and I had been briefed. Y/N only talked when she had been called on like a student being called on by a teacher.

Hotch kept looking at Y/N, clearly wanting to see how she'd handle the information she had been given. I wasn't surprised when Y/N had come up with some impressive ideas relating to the case. It was clear that she had skill, and that she would fit in well here.

I kept secretly observing her. If you didn't know that Y/N was a cadet, you'd seriously believe that she was an official member of the BAU. She connected so well with everyone.

"Okay. Wheels up in 30." Hotch spoke before standing up.

"Let me go get changed, and I'll be right with you all." Y/N insisted, smiling.

"I'll wait for you." I nodded, seeing looks of suspicion from JJ and Derek who both smirked before leaving the conference room.

10 minutes later, Y/N exited the female bathroom, looking pretty. I would be lying if I said that I didn't miss her old look. As much as she definitely suited the cadet uniform, she looked even better in normal clothes. She looked especially happy when Anderson gave her phone back.

"So, Y/N, what exactly have you been taught when it comes to gun safety?" Prentiss asked as we all got onto the jet, sitting down.

"I've been taught the right way to hold a gun. I've got my own holster. I know that unless I intend to shoot someone - as the last possible option, of course - I need to keep my finger off the trigger." Y/N smiled, Prentiss clearly impressed with the knowledge that Y/N had gained.

"I have also been to the shooting range a few times. I may not be a perfect shot yet, but the instructor said that I'm progressing very well." She nodded.

Was it weird that I was proud of her? It's rare for instructors to tell their students how they're progressing, so to hear that her instructor had spoken so highly of her, I smiled.

Once we all finished talking about the case on the jet, I watched as Y/N stood up and moved to sit on the couch. I didn't care that she had moved. Usually it was either me or Derek who sat on the couch, but I didn't mind that she had chosen the couch as a spot to sit.

In fact, while the other members of the team became preoccupied with their conversations, I stood up and walked to the couch, sitting away from Y/N. I wasn't too close, as to avoid making her feel uncomfortable. But I also wasn't to far away, as to avoid making us both feel awkward.

I watched as she put one earbud into her ear, keeping the other one out, just in case Hotch decided to talk us.

The jet ride was long. 5 hours. I almost fell asleep, but eventually, we had arrived at our destination. Rossi, Derek and JJ went in one SUV. Hotch and Prentiss went in the second SUV. Y/N and I were in the last SUV, driving to the police station.

Y/N
You could feel the anxiety start to get worse. You quickly put on your favourite playlist on Spotify, instantly relaxing at the sound of songs you had listened to over 100 times.

"Are you alright?" You heard Spencer talking. He had kept his eyes on the road, but you could tell that he didn't need to see you in order to check up on you.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just trying to relax." You smiled, nodding. You could feel your heart pounding against your chest. You found it quite sweet that Spencer was checking up on you. You and Spencer weren't close, or even friends...as far as you knew, so him being so nice as to make sure you were okay, you couldn't help but smile.

"You know, it's not every day that a cadet gets to join a team on their case. It's the same for all departments. Usually, cadets only spend a few hours with a random team. But spending more than a day, let alone a whole case with the team? That's rare." Spencer smiled at you.

"I know. And I feel so lucky. This was a rare opportunity and I wasn't going to ignore it. It almost feels like I was meant to be here. You know what I mean? I've been apart of your class for a good while and you deal with a lot of topics from your class on a daily basis. So, to see how this team really works, it's an honour, both as your student, and as a cadet." You nodded.

"I'm just hoping that I don't mess up. I want to do as best I can on this case, and to combat my anxiety, I listen to my calm playlist on Spotify. Whether it's classical music or just calming sounds, it helps." You mentioned a few of the songs on the playlist you were talking about, and he was clearly impressed with your taste in calming music.

"You're going to do great, Y/N. My lectures are basically a guide on what the BAU does every day. All we really do is take the topics that I talk about in my lectures and put them to use in practical situations. From the work that you've given to me, you should have no issue with working on the case. But, if at any point you feel unsure, worried or nervous, tell me and we can work through it with Hotch." Spencer comforted you, his hand landing gently on your wrists as he comforted you.

"By the way, Hotch may look scary, but I promise you, he's just a big softy...as long as you stay on his good side, that is." Spencer chuckled.

"I'll definitely keep that in mind. I think that I might want to join the BAU when I graduate." You smiled.

"You do?" Spencer seemed shocked by your revelation.

"Yeah. I mean, it's an amazing unit, the way you take down criminals is absolutely fascinating and there's a certain cute person who makes me feel like I'm already part of the team." You smiled, trying to sort of hide the fact that you were catching feelings for a handsome doctor and profiler who was 4 years older than you.

You watched with a small smile as Spencer kept his eyes on the road, but smiled softly, clearly picking up on the compliment that you had not- so-secretly given to him.