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“What about this one? When you guys were kids, who did you pretend to be?” Emily asked. Amusement rippled around the table. Derek answered first, smiling at her. “That’s easy. I pretended I was a cop like my dad. I always wanted to be like him.”
“I wanted to be a famous soccer star.” JJ said. She smiled widely. “That was my dream.”
Garcia’s answer made everyone laugh. “I wanted to be a tree.” At the laughter and looks she received, she chuckled as well. “What? I was an imaginative kid!”
“I always wanted to grow up to be in media, actually.” Dave answered next. “I’d drive my parents’ crazy, walking around with a notepad and interviewing the family. I even made my own little paper in my room.”
Surprising them, Aaron went next. “I always pretended to be superman. Normal, average in my day to day life, but then this strong, amazing guy who saved people. Undercover, of course.”
“What about you, Reid?” Garcia looked over to where Spencer sat, quietly swirling his drink around his glass with his straw. “Who did you pretend to be?”
He didn’t even look up. “Oh, no one.” He mumbled. “I just, you know, read.”
“Come on, Reid. Everyone pretended to be someone.” Emily coaxed him. She was sitting beside him and nudged him with her elbow. “We all told ours. Even Garcia wanting to be a tree. What could be worse than that?”
“Come on!” “We told ours!” “It’s only fair.” The ladies chorused. The men at the table were quiet, watching Spencer curiously. Something about Spencer’s posture said how uncomfortable he was with this. If they hadn’t been surrounded by their co-workers, Derek would have put a hand on the leg next to his to try and soothe.
Flushing, Spencer mumbled something so quietly that no one heard. “What was that?” JJ asked.
Just slightly louder, he repeated “The tin man.”
That surprised them. It hadn’t been what they were expecting at all. Garcia leaned on the table to look at him. “The tin man? Like, wizard of Oz?” When Spencer nodded, she asked “Why him?”
Surprising them again, Spencer picked up his drink, downing it in one swallow. “He didn’t have a heart.” He told the quiet table. “If you don’t have a heart, you don’t notice when people hurt you.” Looking over at Derek, he mumbled “Excuse me.” And as soon as his best friend was out of the way, he scrambled out of the booth, leaving a pained silence in his wake.