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Spencer was not a deep sleeper, that was something he learnt early in his life. He couldn’t sleep when the television or radio was on, needed all the windows closed to block out the noise of the window, and he tried to avoid falling asleep near people because he didn’t want them to wake him up.
But now, while his body ached for sleep and his mind stuttered from exhaustion, with you curled up next to him on the bed, bundled up in the blankets that you stole from the lanky man and using his chest as a pillow, he couldn’t help but feel wide awake. He couldn’t stop watching you, thumb stroking over your cheek and his gaze glued to your face, taking in every perfect feature, from the way you scrunched your nose when you buried yourself further into the covers, to how your lips quirked up in a sweet smile when you slept.
Spencer Reid, a man not often impressed or awed or amazed, was purely transfixed by your beauty, and even though it was already way past seven-thirty, and he was supposed to be at work in half an hour, the doctor could not leave the bed.
But then his phone rang, and that peaceful silence that once filled the room was shattered and Spencer was muttering profanities, reaching an arm out blindly for his phone as you wriggled against him, already waking up much to Spencer’s displeasure.
“Hello? Hotch?” Spencer pushed the phone to his ear, trying to listen to his boss’ words as Hotch told him they had a case and wheels up would be in half an hour, but all Spencer could do was watch you; watch as you stretched slightly against him and let your mouth hang open in a long yawn, brushing the hair from your eyes before looking right at Spencer.
A surprised look flickered over your face, confusion spreading as to why your husband was still in bed when he should have been out the door at least an hour ago, and Spencer just sent you a quick smile as he nodded in response to what Hotch was telling him.
“Okay, I’ll be at the airport in half an hour. Can I be briefed on the plane?” Spencer’s hand was moving up and down your bare arm, drawing little circles and squiggles and random letters that made goosebumps rise up on your skin and shiver against his naked chest. After a couple more moments of speaking, Spencer hung up, and let out a deep sigh, one filled with frustration and annoyance and sadness.
“We’ve got a case, all the way in California. Hotch wants me at the airport in half an hour.” Spencer turned to you, a hand coming up to cup your cheek as his arm wound itself around your waist, pulling you in closer so that your naked chests touched and he could press his forehead against yours, pouting dramatically.
‘Well, sounds like it’s time for you to get out of bed, baby.” You pressed a kiss to his lips, aiming for it to be short and sweet before you pulled away and left the bed, but your husband had other ideas, and tangled his hand in your hair, deepening the kiss and making you sigh into his mouth.
“Can’t I just stay here? Spend today with you?” He spoke between kisses, littering your face with the gentle touches and letting his hands wander a trail down your back and waist and stomach, fingertips gliding against soft and warm skin.
“You could, Spence. But I’d rather not repeat what happened last time you slept in and woke up late for work.” You sent him a look, full of adoration and love as you finally pull yourself away from the frowning man and out of the bed, letting the blankets drop down to the floor. And, even as Spencer gazed at your naked body that wandered around the bedroom, he knew he definitely didn’t want a repeat of last time. Because last time, much to Spencer’s and your horror, was Derek and Emily breaking the door down to your apartment, finding the two of you very much busy…in bed…and doing things no friend or co-worker wants to see.
So, Spencer sighed and finally got up, a hand swiping over his face to wipe the last of the sleep out of his eyes and searching for some clean clothing before jumping in the shower.
“You know, sometimes I hate days like this…” You were in the kitchen when Spencer spoke, voice muffled by the shower being turned on, but you heard him clearly enough that you could tell he hadn’t stopped frowning. Stepping into the bathroom, you watched as Spencer fiddled with the taps until he got the water to the right temperature and stepped into the shower, hair soaking wet in a couple of seconds.
“I know you do, Spencer. But it’s part of the job. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice nice things to go and get the bad guys, baby.” Spencer huffed, adding more hot air to the already steaming room because he knew you were right, and the both of you knew that he would never trade his job in for something that was more 9-5, didn’t have him away on weekends or chasing down people with a gun. Even if it meant coming home to you every night and being able to wake up beside you.
“I just…wish we had more time.” By then, Spencer had finished the shower and was wrapping a towel around his body as you picked up an old shirt of his and put it on, guarding your body against the chill that came from having none of the heaters on in the apartment. He stepped closer, taking a towel to rub at his head, but you quickly took it from him and watched as he bent over, a silent understanding for you to dry his hair, as he relaxed into your touch and sighed again. “We should go on a vacation.” Words muffled by the towel, Spencer put his hands on your waist as you smiled, pressing your lips together when he looked down at you, the towel now gone, and hair dry enough that it wouldn’t soak the collar of the button down you tossed at him.
“A vacation, huh? Okay then, pretty boy, where would we go?” He knows you’re teasing, knows that neither of you could actually take time off for a proper vacation, but he still thinks about it as he pulls on a pair of pants and does up his belt, leaning in to kiss you when he’s dressed.
“We could go anywhere, Melbourne, London, Paris, Rome. Just the two of us, being normal for once.” His voice was filled with emotion, steeped in longing and a deep desire to actually escape from your real lives for a bit, but as you handed him a reusable cup of coffee that you had made earlier, and his satchel with a cherry danish inside, Spencer took them with a sigh. “I guess I have to go to California instead, and you have to stay here…” His voice dropped off to a whisper as you wrapped yourself around them, a last-minute heart-clenching hug that poured so much love and want and need over Spencer he thought he might drown.
“You, my love, are needed elsewhere. And that’s okay with me, Spencer, because you’re doing good work. You’re helping people, saving lives, ridding the world of another monster.” You pressed your face into his shirt and hummed when his hand ran through your hair and he kissed the top of your head. “And then, when everything is over and the bastard is behind bars, you’ll come home to me, like you always do, and I’ll be waiting here like I always am, like I promised you on our wedding day.”
Spencer kissed you then and put down his coffee cup to take your waist in his hands and pull you impossibly closer, trying to soak up the last minutes of bliss until he was thrust out into the world of murderers and violent crimes and sleepless nights where he missed you more than ever.
“I’ve got to go.” Spencer reluctantly pulled away then as his phone buzzed in his pocket and kissed you once more before he was walking towards the front door, picking up his go-bag and stopping for a moment to look back at you. “I promise I’ll come back.”
“You better, Spencer Reid. Now go, before Derek and Emily come to break our door down again. And stay safe, darling, please.” He nodded, watching as your face turned serious and stern as you spoke those last words, and then he was out the door, letting it shut softly behind him.
Spencer Reid longed for mornings when he woke up with you in his arms, and you longed for long vacations away, but at the end of the day, the both of you knew nothing was going to change, and as much as you loved those little luxuries, loved the time you got together, you knew that every he left with his go-bag in his hand and a final kiss on his lips, Spencer was out there saving people. And that was good enough for you.