The Chariot (Spencer x Reader)

ONE

As I laid on my back, tied down to the table, my eyes could focus on nothing but the bouquet of wilting roses to my side. My dad had gotten them for my mom last week for their anniversary. Staring at all their former glory, my brain tried to distract itself from the searing pain being inflicted on my limbs.

Just as the train symbolized the derailing of Anna Karenina's life in Tolstoy's most famous novel, a rose symbolized the destruction of mine.

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The jet landed at around 7pm on Friday. The case was as good as it gets: we beat the unsub at his own game and stopped him before too many lives were lost.

The team, still riding the wave of the arrest, walked through the glass doors of the BAU laughing at some dumb joke Morgan made. We barely made it into the bullpen before Garcia emerged from her room and asked, "who wants to get drinks?"

"Count me in, baby girl" Morgan said, with JJ and Prentiss happily agreeing.

I had recently joined the BAU as a transfer from the Kansas Bureau, and I figured it was still too soon to start flaking, so I joined in "O'Keefe's at 8?"

"Yeah, I think I'll come too" Reid added, uncharacteristically. Even in the short 6 months I had spent at the BAU, Spencer had only joined us for drinks once or twice tops.

By the time I finished my paperwork, the only person left was Reid. I stood up and started gathering my bag when he approached and asked "hey y/n could I, uh, get a ride to O'Keefe's? I took the metro here and-"

"Of course, just give me a second," I said, motioning with the case folder towards Hotch's office. He was staying late again, like usual. As much as Reid didn't join the team for after-hours fun, he did even less.

Without looking up, Hotch said "Good work today, y/n. You're a valuable asset to this team."

"Thank you, sir" you replied, trying not to blush too much as you turned and exited his office. You were never good with compliments.

Reid was waiting for you by the elevators. You both made your way to your old beat-up Honda Civic and drove in silence to the bar, nothing more than the noise of the engine and soft music playing over the radio to fill the void. You were always comfortable around him, even in what others might consider to be an excruciatingly awkward silence. There was an unspoken understanding of each other's need to decompress before the tiring night of social interaction you had before you.

We arrived at the bar to cheers from the team, already multiple drinks deep.

"Y/n! Y/n! Come sit!" Garcia shouted over the music, patting the seat next to her.

I smiled happily at her and flashed my finger, pointing it towards the bar. I finally caught the attention of the bartender.

"Gin and tonic, please."

He handed me my drink and I hurried over to sit next to Garcia.

I was a few drinks in when some Jason Derulo song started blasting over the speakers, to which Garcia yanked Prentiss and JJ by the wrists and pulled them to the dance floor. As little as they knew about me, they knew I wouldn't dance no matter how much they begged.

That left Reid and I sitting alone at the table. With a little too much alcohol in my system and that previously comfortable silence suddenly becoming a little too uncomfortable, I struck up a conversation.

"So, what're you reading these days?"

"Pride and Prejudice, actually. I've read some of Austen's other works but have finally made my way to her most popular. You know, even though modern-day scholars see her as a modest, conservative person, she was one of the most revolutionary writers of her time. Her ability to so accurately display the inner workings of her character's minds and women's issues of her time was unparalleled, presumably because she based the story off of her own less successful experiences with love."

I sat, chin resting on my palm, examining Reid as he rambled. It's not that I didn't understand what he was saying – I did, and I agreed – it was a mixture of the alcohol and post-case exhaustion that caused me to zone out. Before now, I never really noticed what he looked like. I had obviously seen him before, even at a bar, but I had never really noticed him. In this moment, the way his eyes lit up as he had another thought or the way his lips moved as he spoke made me feel something I couldn't quite place.

I quickly banished those dangerous thoughts as Garcia stumbled over to the table and plopped down on the seat next to me. She barely got a word out before Morgan followed her over and suggested he take her home.

"But I don't want to go! I'm with my friends." She gestured at the two of you sitting in the booth.

After a little convincing, Garcia staggered towards the door, arm in arm with the man she affectionately nicknamed Chocolate Thunder. "Goodbye my lovelies!" She practically screamed at us.

I glanced down at my watch and decided it was about time for me to head home too. Despite having the weekend off, I didn't want to spend it hungover and sleeping in my bed.

Standing was more difficult than I thought. The alcohol immediately rushed to my head causing me to grab the table for stability as I tried to stop the dizziness that overcame me. I didn't realize how drunk I actually was.

Spencer aptly deduced that my inability to stand would translate to an inability to walk, so he guided me out of the bar, waving at JJ and Prentiss still dancing out on the floor. He brought me to my car, placing me into the passenger seat and closing the door. Seeing him sit in the driver's seat was so foreign – I don't actually think I've ever seen him drive. I assumed he could because everyone can drive, so I guess he just avoided it at work.

I barely registered what was happening until we pulled up outside of my apartment. He didn't know where I lived, so I must've given him directions at some point along the way.

Reid helped me out of my car and ushered me up the stairs to my door. I fumbled with the keys until I finally unlocked it and walked inside. Turning around, our eyes met, and I softly spoke a "thank you, Reid, for bringing me home" as I gave a drunken smile.

"No problem, y/n. Goodnight." He said, flashing a tight-lipped smile before turning and walking back down the steps.

I gently closed the door and leaned my backagainst it before realizing... I didn't even ask for a ride.