Chapter Text
Reid gapes at her, not really believing what’s unfolding right before his eyes.
The restless nights he spent thinking about her, about them - making out fake visions of their life together- suddenly can become reality. Because she wants him, or?
He turns his gaze towards Christina, his blue eyes searching hers with the quiet focus reserved for sims and dry runs.
“You could have told me, Tina. “
She glares at him, clearly skeptical.
“Yeah, and what was I supposed to say? Don’t date her because I want you to date me? Or should I just bare my feelings to you, crossing my fingers for you not letting me down and ruining our friendship in the process?”
“Well, when you put it like that…” he rubs his neck, flustered.
Silence falls over them like the thinnest spiderweb that can pop at any minute.
It’s charged and so tense that Christina starts fidgeting with her hands, rolling back and forth in her office chair. Reid tries to find the correct words to say, but they get stuck in his head - somehow always sounding too foul. He starts pacing around the little desk area, his hands going into his hair, ruffling it with more force than necessary, Christina’s intent eyes following his every movement. She crosses her legs, her hands stuck between them, nervously chewing on her lower lip.
“Reid,” her quiet voice brings him back to reality. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. We all say things we don’t mean in a spur of the moment.”
Her words stop him mid-pace, his whole body routing towards her in one swift moment.
“What?”
Christina shrugs her shoulders, avoiding his gaze with master-level precision, doing what she learned was best - pretending it doesn’t hurt.
“I’m just saying it doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to.”
She stares at the floor, her head lowered in defeat.
Reid is by her side in two quick strides, kneeling down to her level.
“What are you doing, Tina?”
He grabs her jaw, turning her face upward to meet her gaze.
Her eyes flicker to his, timidly, her face twisting in a heartbreaking grimace.
“I’m giving you an easy way out,” she whispers between sobs.
Reid grabs her face, his thumbs catching the fresh pool of tears coming down her cheeks and wiping it in one swift motion of his fingers.
“Honeybee,” he pulls her closer, bringing their foreheads close together. “I don’t want any of it.”
Christina closes her eyes, her arms shuddering with relief.
“You don’t?” she reaches out, her hands looping around his neck.
Reid shakes his forehead against her, a little laugh escaping his lips.
“No, Tina. The only thing I want, the only PERSON I want - is you. “
Christina chuckles at his over-explanation.
“Copied that.”
They share a small smile, and then Reid pulls away, not too far away but enough to be able to look into Christina’s eyes.
“Hey,” he grabs her hands and shakes them slightly to emphasize what he is about to say, “I’m sorry if I made you feel like this is a mistake - it’s not. God, it’s not. “ he leans in, pecking her nose, and Christina flushes furiously, her skin breaking out in goosebumps. “But you know me - when it comes to feelings, I’m a bit…impaired.”
Christina snorts.
“That’s an understatement of the year.”
“I deserved that one.”
“You did.”
They grin at each other, relieved to finally clear the air.
Impulsively, Christina throws her arms around his neck again, pulling him into a tight embrace. Her face is hidden in his neck as she inhales his clean, musky scent.
“Are you getting your daily Reid-doze or something?” he giggles as she inhales again, deeper than before, loose strands of her hair tickling him.
“Shut up.”
He smirks but lets her linger at his side, her face buried in his neck, simply existing in his orbit.
“Hey,” he gently nudges her with a slow rub at her back.
“Hm?” she hums sleepily, her arms strengthening their grip around his neck, making him smile.
“Do you want to have dinner with me?”
He stares at the wall behind Christina’s back, his heart racing.
“Sure.”
She shrugs, not finding his request anything out of the ordinary, and Reid rolls his eyes good-naturedly because, of course, asking her out on a date can’t be this easy.
“No, Tina, I mean like… like a date. Would you let me take you out on a date?”
He feels like the dumbest person in the world, fumbling with words, foot in his mouth every time he tries to talk like a man in love.
Chrisina gasps audibly, pulling away from him just enough to get a glimpse of his face, her eyes searching his.
“Like a date date?”
“Like a date date,” he confirms, nodding.
Her face breaks out in one of the prettiest smiles he’s ever seen - wide and contagious.
“Does it mean you pick me up and take me home?”
“Does it mean you agree?”
Christina just nods, the smile not leaving her face for even a second.
“Yes.”
They just stare at each other, suspended in the quiet moment.
Reid’s hand goes to her cheek, grazing it lovingly, his fingers tracing the laugh lines around her mouth and eyes. Christina’s breath catches, her eyes closing at the sensation. She lets him explore, his hands dipping into her curls, tenderly massaging her scalp. She groans, tipping her head back, and Reid gulps - it takes everything in him not to lean in and kiss the exposed line of her neck. He settles for tracing it with his thumb. Christina’s eyes pop open - dark and wide, irises barely visible.
He starts to lean in, their lips inches from each other, when there’s a sharp knock at the door, and they jump away from each other, trying to look as innocent as possible given the circumstances.
Luckily for them, it’s Victor who strides into the room, a wide shit-eating grin on his face. He surveys the room, taking in their flushed faces and guilty expressions.
“Am I late to the party?” he notes Reid’s kneeling on the floor and smirks. “Are you proposing, Commander? Maybe try to date her before you marry her.”
Reid scrambles to his feet, his knees cracking loudly in protest.
“Correction - marry her right away, as judging by the state of your loins, you don’t have much time left.”
Reid wants to smother him but restrains himself, Christina’s well-being at the front of his mind.
“Thank you for your wisdom, Obi-Wan.” Reid rolls his eyes, bending to dust off the material of his flightsuit. Victor watches as Christina’s eyes follow Reid’s movements, her gaze stopping briefly at his bottom.
“You guys are gross.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Christina tries to sound as cool as a cucumber.
Life with older siblings taught her one important thing - when caught on something you were not supposed to be doing, always play dumb.
Victor narrows his eyes, his gaze flickering from her to Reid, who is so focused on cleaning his suit, he almost makes a hole in them.
“Yeah, sure. Fine. Whatever. Keep it to yourself, but that’s not very team-like.”
“What is not?”
Reid finally gets a grip on himself and straightens up, staring Victor down in annoyance.
You could always count on Ike replacing Jeremy and his antics; the Canadian puckish side never really leaving the crew even with him back home.
“Keeping secrets.”
“We’re not hiding anything.”
Reid just shrugs.
“You’re lying through your teeth, Wiseman.”
Reid looks at him, his expression not betraying anything.
“And you came here because?” he tries to shift Victor’s focus to something else.
“Because I wanted to take Tina out for lunch since she’s been hoarding here for however long..”
“Hey!”
“...but since you’re also here, maybe we could all go?”
Reid rolls his eyes, the obvious hint of third-wheeling making him laugh. He catches a glimpse of Christina’s smily face and relaxes.
“Your Grace is too kind.”
Victor just waves his arm dismissively.
“So are we going or what?”
“Yeah, I could eat.” Christina grabs the hoodie from the back of her chair, pulling it over her head and starting towards the door. Victor’s eyes nearly fall out of their sockets when he sees the mission patch sewn onto the material.
Reid’s expedition.
“So could I.”
Reid follows her out, leaving stunned Ike behind.
He pulls out his phone and quickly types a message to Jeremy.
VictorG: YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS SHIT!!!!!
JeremyH: What happened?
VictorG: I THINK I WALKED IN ON THEM KISSING!!! OR WORSE!!!!
JeremyH: Are you hyperventilating? Maybe try to sit down for a second.
VictorG: Funny. Focus, Hansen!
JeremyH: I’m booking my flights as we speak. NASA needs me for our media tour anyway. I will text you the details. Until then, keep it chill, Ike.
VictorG: Good. I’m always chill!!
JeremyH: Like right now or in general? Because you’re basically screaming at me with all those exclamation marks.
VictorG: Noted. I’ll be the chilliest person who ever chilled.
JeremyH: 🤦
“Ike, you coming or what?”
Reid pokes his head into the office and Victor startles, hastingly stuffing his phone into his front pocket.
“Yeah, sorry. Had to respond to Dionna.”
Reid nods, but doesn’t dwell on it, which Victor is grateful for.
“C’mon, let's get some real food. I’m nauseous from merely looking towards the cafeteria. Can’t even stomach the thought of the food.” Victor grimaces, walking ahead of them and heading towards the parking lot.
When he turns to look at them, Christina’s little finger is wrapped around Reid’s - the gesture unmistakably romantic.
Victor smiles, choosing to turn a blind eye to it for just a little longer.
He climbs into his car, watching them do the same, taking the back seats.
“Little Mary’s?” he asks, putting the car into drive.
The excited YES he receives is the only confirmation he needs.