criminal minds | one-shots ✓

14. grilled cheese and tomato soup

"every time i think i'm close to finally figuring you out you end up surprising me." emily says, tossing a look his way.

spencer wiggles his eyebrows, which causes her to laugh and he feels it go right through him and to his core. even after all this time, it's still surreal to see emily prentiss in his - their - kitchen. she's always been beautiful, but standing here now, illuminated only by the overhead oven light at two in the morning, she look almost ethereal.

"it smells good." she hums, wrapping her arms around him from the back, which brings him back to the moment, back to her comment. he leans into her.

full of surprises, she'd said, but all he was doing was making tomato soup and grilled cheese.

"it's almost ready." he says, flipping the sandwich over onto the otherside and admiring the golden brown color that remains.

"where did you learn to cook?" she asks, and he thinks that's something he will never get used to - the way she always wants to know about him, about his hopes and past, and everything else - the good, the bad, and the dirty.

"did your mom teach you?" she asks

"nah," he says, reaching over and turning off the oven, "i taught myself - it made it easier on my mom, especially when my dad was at work." he doesn't say or when he finally left and she was never lucid enough to be trusted in the kitchen alone, but by the way she presses a light kiss to the back of his neck, he thinks she knows.

that's another thing he'll never get used to.

"well," she says, "i'm glad one of us knows how because i sure don't." and he chuckles, handing her the plate.

"thank you," she beams and he beams back.

"you're welcome."

what he doesn't say is thank you.