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"PG, stop, you're going to get syrup everywhere!" Emily chided as she poured strawberries into a mixing bowl. It was Girl’s Night at your place and this week’s activity was baking treats for the BAU’s annual Valentine’s Day party for the department and their families. You were currently searching for containers for the dozens of cookies you and JJ had already baked and were working on frosting in the other room and Emily and Penelope were working on a topping for the cheesecake that you had just pulled out of the oven to cool.
"It will be fine, trust me, the bigger the mess the yummier the result," Penelope responded as she continued to try and use an electric mixer to mash the rest of the strawberries and sugar into a sweet, syrupy topping.
True to form, the mixer began to sputter and flung droplets of strawberry juice all over the kitchen, including a decent-sized one right in the middle of Emily's cheek. With some Tupperware containers secured in your grasp, you bounced over to where Emily stood and placed a big kiss on her cheek, collecting most of the juice with your lips.
"Yummy, great job Penny," you said with a giggle as you watched Emily's face flush a bright red. The taller brunette wiped at her cheek a little and started to grumble at you.
"Of all the people to pick as my best friend..." Emily mumbled, trailing off and turning her back to you.
"Sorry, bestie! You know I had to do it to 'em," you said before giving her a little side hug and walking back into the dining room where JJ was still frosting the sugar cookies.
Penelope continued to mix the strawberries and sugar until it was a consistency she liked and watched as Emily pulled a tray of brownies from the oven.
"You never get flustered like that when I kiss your cheek, you know," Penelope said, hoping to ruffle some of Emily's feathers.
Emily huffed in response and shut the oven off, putting her mittens away and grabbing a plastic knife to cut the brownies. As she started to section the dessert into neat little squares, Penelope continued to push at the issue, affectionately teasing and prodding until Emily's patience wore thin.
"It doesn't matter that I have feelings for her, I know she doesn't feel the same. Just put the damn strawberries on the cake," Emily snapped, immediately regretting how harsh she was, and winced. "I'm sorry, Penelope. Let's just finish this, yeah?"
Penelope smiled to herself, reveling in the success that she finally got Emily to admit her crush on you, even if it wasn't on purpose.
In the other room, you and JJ were finally starting to put all the heart-shaped cookies away, stacking them on top of each other with wax paper to separate the layers.
"Seems like you're being extra flirty with Emily today," JJ said, tying a pink ribbon around one of the boxes.
"I'm not trying to be, honestly," you responded, stopping yourself from licking the icing off of your thumb. Unbeknownst to either of you, Emily walked into the room behind you with the pan of brownies and stood frozen, listening to your conversation.
"Why don't you ask her out? You have to know she likes you back-- she's a total mess around you!"
I know, but I also know that Emily runs from relationships the second they get hard. I can't handle getting my heart broken by her. I would rather love her from afar than risk losing her forever."
Emily swallowed a gasp and hurried into the room, placing the brownies on the table and immediately leaving. Without hesitation, she grabbed Penelope by the elbow and dragged her outside to the front porch.
"Emily, what the hell," Penelope asked, worried about her friend. Emily was standing in front of her with one arm tightened around her waist and the other bringing fingers to her mouth so she could bite at her nails.
"I overheard them talking," Emily responded, cryptic and vague. Penelope frowned and stepped closer, rubbing a hand up and down Emily's thin arm.
"Talking about what?"
"Me, talking about me."
Penelope's frown deepened. "That's not like them, what did they say? Do you want me to kick their butts?"
This made Emily smile just a little, thinking about Penelope Garcia of all people trying to take JJ in a fight.
"No, no, not like that. I-- JJ found out about my crush and told Y/N about it after saying that Y/N was flirting with me."
"That's not surprising, buttercup. We work on a team of profilers and even I figured it out."
Penelope was trying her best to be gentle, knowing Emily's fragile, anxious state couldn't handle a giddy outburst.
"I think she's in love with me..." Emily said, trailing off.
"Even better! Now you can make your move!" Penelope's excitement was slowly leaking into each of her responses.
"No, I can't. She's afraid of me."
Penelope's excitement turned to confusion. Afraid?
"What do you mean, Em?"
Emily sighed before answering Penelope's question.
"She's afraid that if she pursues me, I'm going to get scared and run away and hurt her," Emily said, the disappointment dripping from her words as she continued to fold in on herself, now holding both arms tightly to her stomach. Penelope could tell she was trying to keep her face neutral but her dark, soulful eyes always gave away what she was thinking.
"Well... would you? Would you hurt her? Does she scare you?" Penelope asked, not quite sure what to do to help her friend. Emily thought for a long moment and wiped at her nose.
"No, I'm not afraid of her. I trust her more than anyone else in my life. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
Emily looked at the floor again and scuffed her boot against the wood of the enclosed deck.
"Then isn't that enough to try? You gotta tell her that you feel that way," Penelope suggested gently, hoping to push Emily in the right direction.
Instead of responding, Emily just looked at Penelope with determination written on her face and then walked back inside. Penelope brought her fists up to her face and shook them happily and squeaked just enough to get the excitement out of her system before following Emily back inside.
It wasn't long after Penelope and Emily's conversation that all of the baking and packaging was done for the evening and Penelope and JJ left for home. Emily lingered, tidying aimlessly even after all of the dishes had been loaded into the dishwasher and the counters thoroughly cleaned from Penelope's disaster. You didn't mind, Emily staying long after everyone else had gone was something you loved immensely-- any extra time with her was always a blessing.
Knowing that you would need a bag to carry all of the treats tomorrow morning, you started to reach for the top shelf of your linen closet where you kept your largest grocery bag that was insulated and covered in a lemon pattern. Standing on one leg, balancing on the tip of your toe, you clumsily tried to reach the bag. Emily saw you begin to sway and immediately joined you at the closet, placing a steadying hand on your back and reaching up herself to pull the bag closer for you to grab. A shudder passed through your body at the touch and as you returned to the ground, you tucked the bag tightly in your arms against your chest.
"What was that?" Emily asked. You sighed, frustrated that of all the things Emily to pick up on, it had to be the way your body reacted to her touch.
"Nothing," you said back, trying to move out of her line of sight. You could feel your cheeks heating up and wanted to be anywhere else. Emily stopped you with a gentle hand on your upper arm.
"I don't think it was nothing..." Emily said, her voice soft and... hopeful?
You stood in silence, looking at Emily's face, searching for a clue to what was going on in her head. How could you tell her that every time she touched you, your skin erupted in goosebumps and butterflies filled your stomach?
"I heard you earlier talking to JJ... " Emily started, filling the silence when she realized you weren't going to. Your stomach fell to your knees until she spoke again. "I feel the same way."
"You do?" you replied, hesitant but hopeful.
"Yeah, I do," Emily said as she pulled the bag from your hands and dropped it to the floor. One of her hands found your waist as she stepped a little closer and the other tucked some hair behind your ear. You leaned into the touch, nuzzling your cheek against the palm of her hand and closing your eyes. After a moment, you opened your eyes and then looked down at your feet.
"We shouldn't do this," you said, the strings of your heart pulling tight as you began to follow your head instead of your heart.
"Why not?" Emily asked, any worry that she was having completely covered by the confidence in her voice.
"It's not a good idea," you said, struggling to continue to say no to her when she was holding you in her arms. The woman you had been pining after for nearly as long as you had known her was right here, telling you something you had always wanted to hear. But that didn't change that she was a runner, a heartbreaker, a girl you catch but cannot keep.
Emily looked at you, scanning your features for some kind of clue as to what was running through your mind. It wasn't hard for her to guess, so she took a shot in the dark.
"You know I'm not going anywhere, right?"
Your breath caught in your throat and you looked at Emily, shifting your gaze from one eye to the other and back again, seeing nothing but sincerity in Emily's expression.
"I heard you say that you're afraid to be with me because I run," Emily started and you opened your mouth to disagree but she shook her head. "But I only run when I'm scared. There is nothing to be afraid of with you. You already know everything about me and you've stuck around. I already know what it feels like to love and be loved by you."
You blushed at her words, smiling a little to yourself while she continued.
"The only thing that I don't know is what it feels like to kiss you," Emily finished, sending a spark through your body. She leaned down and pressed her body closer to yours with a tightened grip on your hip. You could feel the warm puffs of air on your face and smell the sweet lavender vanilla scent of her perfume.
"Emily..." you whispered against her lips, unwilling to pull away but afraid to come any closer.
"Tell me to stop and I will walk away right now. We don't have to talk about it again," Emily said, holding her ground for short seconds before you broke and wrapped your arms around her waist and connected your lips in a kiss.
You stayed like for several long moments, moving against one another gently, as if the other person would vanish if you moved too fast. You conveyed all the things you had never said out loud with the kiss and it felt like a cool balm was soothing all of the frayed nerves you had from trying to suppress the way you felt about each other.
Emily broke the kiss first but kept her grip firm on your body, not letting you go. You tried to stop yourself from worrying but you knew Emily too well not to think that she was going to flee.
"I still love you and I don't want to leave," Emily said, running her thumb over your cheek in emphasis. "Nothing has changed and I want to prove to you that I'm not going anywhere."
There was something in Emily's words that made you believe her, something in the way her lips tasted and what her thumb felt like on your cheek. This was a woman who you shared the deepest connection with, the person who knew all your secrets, all your flaws, and never once has wavered in her presence and support. You felt relief flood your chest and there was only one thing left for you to do.
"Let's do this. I love you, too."