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He couldn’t believe he was running late. Of all the evenings he had to get caught up in the kind of traffic not even a motorbike could squeeze its way through, it just had to be this one! Sean cursed as he checked his watch one last time as he hurried his way towards the coffee house where he’d arranged to meet with Spencer Reid.
So intent on his destination was he, he barely even noticed the guy trying to leave the coffee shop as he was pushing his way inside. For the second time in as many weeks, Sean found himself colliding with someone carrying a cup of coffee; the hot liquid exploding out from the flimsy Styrofoam container to splash all over them both.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry, are you okay? Did I-,” Sean choked on his apology, horror and humiliation washing over him as the young man he’d collided with looked up at him through his lashes, a light blush making its way over his cheeks as their eyes met.
It was Spencer Reid.
Of course it was.
Sean could have kicked himself. Of all the people he could have bumped into, again, it just had to be the guy he was meeting to make up for doing this to him in the first place.
“Oh shit, Spencer, I’m sorry! I swear this isn’t something I’m usually known for.”
Spencer offered him a grimace of a smile.
"Your brother warned me about you," he said, plucking at the sodden jumper he was wearing. Sean openly flinched, mind already spinning into overdrive as he wondered which multitude of perceived sins his brother had decided to share with Spencer.
"Oh, no-," Spencer's eyes widened, his hand reaching out to hover awkwardly between them, as if the instinct to reach out and touch had been there but the confidence to actually follow through with the action was not. "I didn't mean- I was trying to... make a joke," he finished lamely.
Sean's laugh was more a heavy exhale of relief than actual amusement, but Spencer offered him one of his shy smiles, his cheeks pinking lightly as they maintained eye contact just a little too long, the moment only broken by another patron trying to make their way inside the shop.
Sean found himself reaching out instinctively to take Spencer's elbow, steering them into the coffee shop before it occurred to Sean that firstly, he was being overly familiar again and secondly, that Spencer had already had a cup of coffee in his hand and had been... leaving?
He stopped, suddenly awkward, and dropped his hand from Spencer's arm. "Were you leaving?" He blurted, watching as Spencer's cheeks suddenly flushed darker.
"Um..." he looked down at the cup in his hand before inclining his head towards the side where he proceeded to drop the soggy cup into a nearby bin before grabbing at a pile of napkins and trying to sop up the mess Sean had made of his jumper.
"You were supposed to be here a half hour ago," Spencer said without looking up. "I just figured you weren't coming so I thought I might as well grab something whilst I was here."
Sean winced. "I'm sorry, the traffic was really bad and I couldn't call from my bike and- damn. I've really messed this up, haven't I?"
Spencer chanced a look up at him, shrugging self depreciatively. "It's only coffee," he said softly, wetting his mouth.
Sean followed the movement before tearing his eyes back to meet Spencer's gaze. "It wasn't supposed to be."
Spencer's eyes widened and Sean bit at the inside of his mouth. He was pretty sure he hadn't meant to say that part out loud. Spencer looked away again, but Sean could see the hesitant smile twisting at his mouth.
"Um... okay."
Sean blinked. "Okay?"
"Yeah..." Spencer agreed, showing Sean his smile, "okay."
"Okay," Sean agreed suddenly breathless, grinning back at him.
They could probably have stood there, smiling at each other for the rest of the day if someone hadn't come up trying to get to the bins. They looked hurriedly away from one another, hiding their grins.
"How about I let you get cleaned up and I'll grab us some drinks?" Sean offered, fingers tightening around the chinbar of his helmet.
Spencer nodded, offering him one last smile before hurrying off to the restrooms.
He watched him go, heart suddenly thundering against his chest. He let out a shaky breath, reaching for a few of the napkins himself before turning and making his way to the counter.
By the time Spencer returned, it was sans-jumper, the shirt beneath it thankfully having avoided the spillage of his coffee. His fingers were twisting nervously against the knit fabric as he took a seat at the table Sean had commandeered for them.
"I should have asked what you wanted," Sean said the minute Spencer had seated himself. "Sorry. I just got you a plain coffee."
"Thanks. I um... I like to add my own creamer and sugar anyway," he shrugged, reaching for the mug nearest him and the sugar bowl.
"How do you take it?"
Spencer bit at his lip. "With as much sugar as I can get into the cup whilst still maintaining it's a liquid?"
Sean blinked at his words, laughing as they registered. Spencer was blushing again but he looked more than a little pleased with himself as he hid behind his first sip.
They sat there for a long moment, content with just their coffee's and the company, sharing fleeting smiles and looks. Sean took the time to soak in the sight of Spencer as he sat hunched over the table; brown hair falling periodically into his face. His wrists were thin, delicate even, and Sean watched the play of bone beneath skin as he reached up to nervously tuck strand after strand behind his ears.
"Did I get you into trouble? That day we met?" Sean asked, tearing his eyes away.
Spencer shook his head carefully. "No. Everyone was already distracted by your-," he broke off looking suddenly awkward.
"Oh yes, my showdown with Aaron?"
Spencer inclined his head, long fingers twitching against his mug.
"We're always butting heads these days," he sighed, offering Spencer a wry smile. When Spencer didn't immediately say anything in reply, Sean found himself pushing on.
"I told him I didn't want to go to Law School. Told him I was giving it up to take up a job as a sous chef in New York. He... didn't take it well. And I- well, you saw me. I just wanted to get the hell out of dodge."
"I'm sure he's just looking out for you?"
"Yeah. He came to apologise but... we just ended up fighting again. We always end up fighting"
Spencer looked sympathetic and Sean shook his head. "Sorry. You don't really want to hear about this. You do have to work with the man."
Spencer slanted his gaze away, mouth twisting. "I don't think he liked that you gave me your number."
"Oh, I know he didn't." Sean agreed, grinning.
Spencer's smile wavered and he straightened defensively. "I probably shouldn't have called."
"No, you definitely should have!" Sean hurried to correct the assumption, "His problem is with me. Thinks I'd be bad for you."
Spencer frowned at him. "What?"
Sean flushed. "I probably shouldn't have said that. Sorry."
"No I- I thought... I assumed it was me. That he thought I..." he trailed off, shifting nervously.
"No," Sean reached out, taking the chance to clasp his hands around Spencer's own. Spencer's gaze shot up to meet his, his eyes wide and unsure as he peered up at him through his lashes, but he didn't move to pull his hands away.
"Aaron doesn't think I'm good enough for you." Sean offered, swallowing nervously.
Spencer flushed.
"I- I mean... not that we're..." he pressed on, "but we could be and I just think he wanted to warn me off before anything could actually happen?"
"We could be?" Spencer asked. The way he said it, as if the prospect of someone actually wanting to be with him was a completely foreign concept, made something inside Sean's chest constrict.
"Yeah. I- there's something about you. I don't know. I was glad when you called."
"I wasn't going to," Spencer admitted ducking his head.
Sean waited him out, if he'd learned anything from his brother it was that when left with enough silence between two parties, one of them would eventually feel compelled to fill it, and usually with the information that had brought about the silence in the first place.
Sean started to remove his hands from around Spencer's when he reached out himself and caught at one of Sean's wrists- just his thumb and index finger at first, the rest of his fingers curling slowly around his wrist the longer Sean left it in his hold. Sean pulled gently against his grip, Spencer's fingers loosening immediately, but Sean only slid his arm away enough to bring their palms into alignment, his own fingers curling around Spencer's hand.
Spencer cleared his throat, cheeks red, but his fingers tightened against Sean's own.
"JJ and Garcia- um, I work with them- they saw me when I came out the elevator." He cleared the squeak from his voice. "Everyone was there actually. But those two-" he shook his head. "I think Hotch saw your number first and well we're all profilers, it wasn't long before everyone else saw too. He didn't say anything but I could see- well, you know what I thought. The rest of them though, they didn't think the same, they wanted me to call. I um... eventually I agreed."
"They were there when you called?"
Spencer looked embarrassed. "You heard them?"
"I don't mind." Sean grinned. "I'm just glad you called."
"Me- me too." Spencer agreed, hiding his smile again. "I'd like... we should do this again, I mean, if you'd like-" he trailed off nervously.
"I would. Yeah." Sean agreed, squeezing at his hand. "Besides, I do still owe you another coffee."
Spencer laughed, a surprised sound, "You can't keep spilling things on me you know."
"How else am i supposed to get you to see me?" Sean asked with his own laugh.
It was Spencer who squeezed at his hand this time. "You could try calling me,"
"Yeah." He agreed. "Yeah I could try that."
fin.