Chapter Text
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Wednesday, 28th January, 1998
Spencer was never so pleased for his sudden growth spurt as he was at this moment. He was used to being small, grown accustomed to having bags and elbows be at eye-level as he made his way through campus. But in the last year he’d seemed to have gone through puberty all in one go, and he was now reaching 6’0” at 16. He was still lanky and unsteady on his feet, clumsier than ever, but at least he could see over the bobbing heads of other students.
This meant that when the list of partners for the university chemistry project was released, he had no trouble weaseling his way through to see who he had been partnered with. He knew there were several of the senior undergraduates that wanted him as their partner, purely because he had begun his first doctorate at 15.
Please see below pairings for the 1998 Caltech Chemistry Partnerships Project.
All PhD students must take responsibility for assigned undergraduate students when in labs and restricted areas.
Spencer scanned the list easily, trying not to get in anybody else’s way who were also looking. He hiked his textbooks higher, the three large books becoming heavier the longer he held them.
Spencer Reid, Ethan Stewart - Room 203
His lips quirked in displeasure. Whilst he’d not formally met the student he’d been paired with, he knew of him. Ethan, like Spencer, was a child prodigy. He’d not come to Caltech until this year, but he instantly had been granted a place for a dual degree in chemistry and chemical engineering.
They had been in the same classes over the first semester, and the boy irked him greatly. He couldn’t really place why, but since he hadn’t had much interaction with him directly, it hadn’t bothered him too much. Ethan wasn’t even a senior yet, how had he got a place on the project? It was sure to be one of those liberties granted to child prodigies, similar to his acceptance into the chemistry doctoral program at only 15.
He had hoped when he’d signed up for this project that he’d be partnered with a senior who would be more than happy to let him do most of the work and slap their name onto the final product, amicably splitting the $2000 prize money. But Ethan was sure to have many thoughts and opinions on their topic and would insist on being involved for the entire thing.
He desperately needed this prize money, his mom’s care was getting more and more expensive by the week and the $1000 would mean that he could get in some more nurses that could keep an eye on her.
“Mr. Reid,” He glanced over to Professor Richards who had made his way out of his office to oversee the ruckus of the assigned partners, “We thought it best to partner you with someone more your age, I’m sure you’re relieved,” He laughed and Spencer tried not to show his disagreement, nodding, “Ethan’s only just started, but he’s a very quick study. Not too dissimilar to yourself, you’ll likely get on.”
Spencer nodded again, hefting his books higher. Professor Richards would not be Spencer’s first choice of professor as he was far too enthusiastic for Spencer’s liking, but he was a generally kind man who was clearly wise past just academics.
“I’m sure,” Spencer forced himself to say, struggling to hold his books in one hand as he pushed his glasses up with his other hand.
“I look forward to seeing you both on Monday!” He patted Spencer on the shoulder jovially, before turning to two girls.
Spencer grimaced visibly this time, and began his walk back to his dormitory. He’d have to start thinking about possible project proposals as soon as possible, so that they could get started with little fanfare. If he slept for a couple of hours now, he could get to the library for some research before starting his shift at the diner.
His room was cold when he got back, because he’d left his window open, so he pulled it closed before changing into his pajamas. He was just about to settle into bed when he heard a rustling coming from just outside his door. Pausing to listen more intently, he heard footsteps walking down the hall and a door swinging shut shortly after.
He opened his door ever so slightly when he was sure it was clear, and found a note pinned to his small notice board.
Hey,
I don’t know if you’ve seen yet but we’re partnered for the chem project. Maybe we could both do some research before we start so we can get ahead? I’ve left my number if you want to get in touch. See you Monday.
Ethan
Spencer scowled, shutting the door again and tossing the note onto his desk before clambering back into bed, pulling the comforter over his shoulders.
Obviously he was going to do research before starting, it was just good sense. Who did Ethan think he was? Spencer was supposed to be the project lead, seeing as he was the one doing the doctorate, and therefore he should be the one deciding when they should do research. Now it was going to look like he’d done research just because Ethan had told him to.
Also, what would Spencer be calling him about? They didn’t even know the project details yet, let alone what topic they’d pick. He huffed irritably, flopping over to his other side and squashing his pillow further flat as he tried to clear his mind. He only had a few hours to rest, he needed to make the most of it now.
Taking two deep breaths, he released the tension in his forehead and relaxed further, closing his eyes once more. He didn’t need to worry about Ethan, not really, they just needed to complete this project. Then they could go back to not knowing one another, and Spencer would be $1000 richer.
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Monday, 2nd February, 1998
The lab they’d been assigned to work in was moderately sized and overlooked a nice patch of greenery. Spencer had arrived twenty minutes early to set up, inspecting the area to make sure everything worked and it was big enough for what he had in mind.
The project was primarily to encourage teamwork between postgraduate and undergraduate students. The projects weren’t supposed to be groundbreaking new work, but that had never stopped Spencer before. That $1000 was the difference between him having to work over finals and allowing himself some time off.
The door swinging shut alerted him that he was no longer alone, and he looked up from his notepad to see Ethan stood smiling at the door.
“Hey man,” He greeted easily, lifting a hand out of his hoodie pocket to wave slightly, “I’m Ethan, nice to finally meet you.”
“Hello,” Spencer responded quietly, appraising the other boy.
He was in well-worn jeans and a hoodie, sneakers and a rucksack that was slung over one shoulder. He had longer hair than was fashionable at the minute, falling into his eyes and curling around his ears, but it wasn’t as long as Spencer’s.
“I think I’ve seen you in some of my classes,” Ethan offered as he moved past the tables to stand in front of the one Spencer was working on, “I’m doing Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, what about you?”
Spencer already knew what the other boy was doing just from observing his class schedule.
Although Spencer was doing a PhD and conducting his own research project, he was required to take a certain amount of classes, and his and Ethan’s schedules seemed to overlap a lot. He swam through them easily, but they took up a lot of his time alongside the independent research, his teaching assistant role and his other two jobs.
“I’m doing my Chemistry PhD,” He stated a little slowly, confused.
Ethan must know he was a PhD student, he was the one leading the project, after all.
Still he smiled and nodded anyway, and just as he opened his mouth to say something else, the door opened again and Professor Richards made his way in.
“Ah, boys, fantastic-” He shut the door behind him, “I’m glad you’re both here already and getting to know each other.”
He smiled jovially at the both of them, clapping his hands together, “Right! Where to begin?”
Spencer flipped over his page to his musings, “Well, I had a few ideas-”
“Me too!” Ethan chirped enthusiastically, and Spencer’s mouth clicked shut audibly. He swallowed the annoyed response crawling up his throat, glancing at the other boy out of the corner of his eye.
“Excellent!” Professor Richards said brightly, “I knew I could count on you two to be on it. Now, Spencer, I know Ethan is a bit young for a senior undergraduate project-”
Spencer supposed he couldn’t really judge, being the youngest Chemistry PhD student CalTech had ever seen. He wisely kept his mouth shut as Richards kept talking.
“-but I assure you, he’s exceedingly sharp and is definitely one of the strongest students in our undergraduate programme at the minute.”
Spencer slid his gaze over to the other boy, who was looking a little pink and avoiding both of their eyes. Spencer returned to Professor Richards with a vague feeling of annoyance at the easy praise he was dishing out.
“I think you’ll both get on great!” Spencer privately disagreed, but the older man was still talking, “I’ll let you begin brainstorming, I expect a project proposal by the end of next week!”
The older man clapped his hands together again, rubbing his palms together afterwards and sucking in another breath, before bidding them a farewell.
The room seemed quieter when the door swung shut behind their professor, and Spencer turned to the other boy who had now settled himself onto one of the stools, slinging the bag down at his feet.
“Should we-”
“How old are you?” Ethan cut him off, beginning to flip his pen through his fingers and tilting his head slightly to look at Spencer.
Spencer pursed his lips slightly, “16.”
Ethan grinned again, straight white teeth showing. He turned his body to face Spencer more, beginning to swing his legs back and forth.
“Me too,” He answered amicably, “When’s your birthday? Because-”
“Can we start the project?” Spencer questioned tightly, trying not to sound too annoyed. Ethan blinked, pen stilling in his hand. Then, one of his eyebrows raised.
Spencer flicked his notepad back a few pages to avoid his gaze and grabbed his own pen so he could begin writing notes, feeling shame tighten in his chest.
“We can,” Ethan said lightly, “I assumed you were happy to take it slow, since you didn’t get in contact with me after I gave you my number.”
Spencer frowned at the mention of the note, before purposefully smoothing out his features. He was here to win the project, get his money and go about the rest of his life. He didn’t need to play nice or keep anyone happy.
“I didn’t get a chance.”
It was a lie, but Ethan didn’t need to know that. He cleared his throat and looked up from his notepad to see the other boy was still looking at him, an eyebrow raised.
“M’kay,” He hummed, shrugging, “I did do some research, but I think we should decide an area of study and then research separately for a specific title.”
Spencer felt another stab of annoyance. Who did this guy think he was, telling Spencer what to do? Spencer was the one leading the project, and he had his own PhD project so he was familiar with the process. It was Spencer’s responsibility to decide what they did and when. He began writing again, not wanting to show his irritation on his face.
“I know,” He said, tersely, “I put together a list of topics. Membrane Bioenergetics is the most sensible. I want you to do some research into the most recent studies and come up with some potential study titles that we could do. I’ll do some research into what we can do realistically with our time and resources.”
There was a moment of quiet, and when Spencer looked up to see if Ethan was paying attention, he saw the other boy smirking, the end of his pen in between his teeth. Spencer grimaced at the gesture, but didn't say anything.
“Ay ay, captain,” Ethan mock saluted, and Spencer felt a flush creeping up his neck.
“Right,” He muttered, awkwardly, “We’ll meet again this time next week.” He pushed his chair back, flipping his notebook closed and grabbing his satchel from the floor.
Just as he was shoving the rest of his stuff in his bag, Ethan spoke again.
“That’s it?” He sounded casual but when Spencer turned around after he threw the bag over his shoulder, he saw Ethan was watching Spencer with a careful look.
“We can’t do anything else before we settle on a project title,” He muttered, “Besides, I have to get to work.”
He had yet another shift at the local dinner. If he left now he could stop for something to eat before he started. After his class this morning, he’d had to come straight to this meeting, so he’d not eaten anything yet today.
“Okay,” Ethan nodded, offering a small smile, “See you next week then.”
Spencer nodded back, tightening his grasp on his bag strap before turning and walking to the door. He didn’t spare Ethan another look as he left, sighing deeply once the door swung shut behind him.
He couldn’t let the other boy bother him, he had too much to focus on without worrying about a childish rivalry. He just needed to focus on the money, and forget about the rest.
---
Monday, 9th February, 1998
He knew logically that there was no reason for him to dislike Ethan so much. He’d barely even interacted with the other boy. But there was something about him that just made him feel uneasy.
He didn’t know whether it was the way his cheeks dimpled when he smiled, that was innately irritating, making his breaths feel harsh. Or maybe it was the way that his hair curled around his ears, looking scruffy and soft; downright unkempt really. It could be the way that his eyes shone as he spoke in classes, accent getting thicker the more eager he got, that made his stomach clench slightly.
It was a kind of distant unease he got, chest getting tight and palms sweaty. He knew in the back of his mind that it was probably because he was so used to being a child prodigy, of not necessarily being the smartest in the room, but being the most advanced person for his age. Ethan threatened that.
Which was why it was so aggravating that Ethan was actually good .
His work was efficient and sophisticated. His research was concise, well-rounded and easily explained. As Spencer read through it, fingers trailing quickly down the page, he felt a stab of annoyance that he was actually finding Ethan’s messy scrawls interesting.
“Are you actually reading that?” Ethan piped up after a few minutes, making Spencer raise his head to see the other boy had his head propped up on his hand, frowning slightly.
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that question before, but usually it was with an air of agitation, whereas Ethan seemed genuinely curious.
“Yes,” He replied, turning his gaze back to the thick binder of information, “I can read 20,000 words per minute.”
He tried not to sound too boastful as he said it, but he was aware it probably came out less humble than he wanted it to, and felt hot under his collar.
“Cool!” Ethan exclaimed anyway, dropping the hand that was propping his chin up, tilting his head slightly, “Do you think you could read every book ever written?”
“Obviously not,” Spencer said, prickly, “There’s around 115 million books published in the world. The average book length is 100,000 words. On average it would take me approximately five minutes to finish said average book. That means that it would take me 575 million minutes, or 1093.99 years, to finish every book.”
Ethan smiled like Spencer had just said something funny, which did something funny to his stomach and made him inwardly scowl.
“I think you could probably skip Doctor Suess,” He commented lightly.
“Well, then that’s not reading every book then, is it?” He huffed, exasperated, “Okay, this is good, read through this and then we can start on the project proposal.”
He slid his own work over to Ethan, who flicked it open and began reading. They spend just under an hour combining their research, pulling parts out and comparing them. They switched to brainstorming their study just as Ethan pulled out a small tupperware of cucumber sticks. He offered one to Spencer, who declined, but then his stomach rumbled traitorously.
“Here,” Ethan smiled knowingly, using the lid of the tupperware to set a handful of cucumber down and then pushed it towards Spencer.
“Thanks,” He replied bashfully, picking one up and taking a small bite. It didn’t do much to curb his hunger, seeing as they were predominantly water, but at least it was something in his stomach.
Ethan gave him another soft smile, and Spencer felt his stomach jolt again, and frowned slightly in response.
They worked passing only necessary commentary, but Spencer always worked best when he had others around him, so found himself relaxing easily into his work. Ethan was clearly good at what he did, and although that knowledge still made panic flare up in him, it was less irritating than when he had come into the room that morning.
They spent most of the day holed in the lab outlining their study, writing and rewriting the proposal out, until Spencer was stiff and his eyes were burning. They finally had a finished proposal by mid afternoon, and they both stood and stretched instantly, bones cracking and popping.
“Okay, I’ll run this proposal to Professor Richards, we should have approval by the end of this week, so we can start the study next Monday,” Spencer announced, glancing at his watch before groaning softly.
He was due for tutoring an undergraduate student in less than ten minutes, and he had to make his way to the other side of campus.
“I can take it, if you need to be somewhere?” Ethan asked, and Spencer glanced at him wearily.
Usually Spencer liked to be in control of his own work, knowing that he had everything under control. But Ethan was clearly serious about his studies and had shown Spencer today that he did care about the project, so he didn’t feel too bad about handing the proposal over the other boy.
“Thank you,” He nodded gratefully, “I’ll see you next week.”
“Bye,” Ethan replied, and Spencer took the opportunity to leave, seeing as he was definitely already going to be late to meet for his tutoring session.
Ethan was definitely not going to be his friend any time soon, he considered, as he strode down the street. He probably wouldn’t ever talk to him again after the project was done. But he definitely wasn’t as bad as he originally thought, and maybe this project would be more fun than he was expecting.
---
Friday, 13th February, 1998
Spencer hated him.
He had been feeling slightly better about working with the other boy after their last meet, enough so that when he came into their last class at the end of the week and saw that the seats were already filling up, he felt pretty okay about sitting with only one seat separating them in the third row.
Ethan offered a small smile, but didn’t say anything, so Spencer just nodded and pulled out his notebooks and a pen, settling his eyes on their professor. It was a shorter class today, which Spencer was thankful for because he’d spent most of his night grading undergraduate papers and was dead on his feet.
As part of his PhD, he was required to take on roles of a teaching assistant in his spare time. Because of his age, he wasn’t able to run labs or discussion sessions, so often got lumped with admin work that the professors found too laborious to do themselves. Ever since they’d cottoned on to his advanced reading speed, he’d been given what seemed like the entire department's grading duties.
Between that and his job at the diner, and his part-time work tutoring undergraduate students, his actual doctorate and all his classes, he felt more and more like he was drowning in work. He had always liked being busy, but he could do with dropping his shifts at the diner over finals week to focus on his studies. If he won the senior research project, he’d be able to.
He made idle notes on the lecture content, but it was all stuff he’d covered in his reading, so he didn’t stress too much about copying down everything word for word. He’d remember it all anyway.
He relaxed slightly in his seat, setting the pen down as Professor Wright began scrawling an example on the blackboard, the sound of the chalk making the hair on Spencer’s arms prick up uncomfortably.
“-this is a tricky concept to grasp beyond what you will have studied in high school, so if we were to take the example of sulfur hexafluoride, of which the hybridization of the central atom is ‘sp’ to the power of three, ‘d’ to the power of 2. Meaning that the geometry of the central atom is…?” Professor Wright trailed off, turning to them and holding the chalk mid-air as he waited for a response.
Spencer raised his hand.
“Octahedral,” Ethan called out, and Professor Wright pointed the chalk at him eagerly.
“Right!”
Spencer couldn’t stop the scowl that formed on his face, fury burning in the pit of his stomach instantly.
He knew it wasn’t unusual for call-and-response in Professor Wright’s lectures, but he couldn’t stomach the thought of not putting his hand up to be called on. It wasn’t the first time someone else had beaten him to the answer, but the casual way in which Ethan threw out his reply was making annoyance crawl up his throat.
Professor Wright was eagerly explaining, but Spencer couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood in his ears as he glanced out of the corner of his eye to glare at the other boy. Ethan was writing notes, temple resting against the other hand easily as his gaze flicked between his paper and the chalkboard, completely oblivious to Spencer’s outrage.
Spencer swallowed thickly, unclenching his fists under the small table, and picked up his pen again. He took a subtle, deep breath, trying to dispel the anger that was washing through him.
Who did Ethan think he was? He must have known Spencer put his hand up. Did he just want to prove he knew it? Did he want to make Spencer feel incompetent?
Professor Wright was good at teaching, and the students liked him, which meant he could eagerly bring them into discussion. He was encouraging questions and soon after, he was explaining the newest research on the topic.
“There has been some debate amongst credited researchers on the best course of research for hybridization, saying that we’re currently focussing too much on a chemistry-centric approach, and after so many years of study we should be exploring other disciplines.”
Spencer raised a tentative hand, and Professor Richards pointed to him with a nod.
“Couldn’t we argue that we’ve still got so far to go with this research that it’s too early for interdisciplinary research? I mean, it’s such a foundational topic with so many opportunities for practical and theoretical exploration, it makes sense to create a strong research basis within one discipline before jumping to the next,” Spencer asked, voice strong even though several pairs of eyes had slid over to him in his explanation.
“A fantastic point, and one that’s heavily backed by many in the scientific community,” Professor Wright agreed with a smile, sliding his hands into his pockets, “Mr. Stewart, something to add?” He gestured to the left of Spencer, where Ethan had his hand raised.
Spencer felt irritation tug at his stomach once again.
“Whilst I think that Spencer makes an excellent point, I have to wonder if we’ll ever fully understand any topic well enough to feel confident furthering into other disciplines,” He commented, and Spencer had to actively refrain from letting his mouth widen in shock, “I think integrating insights from physics or material sciences could offer context that would allows us to make the foundation stronger.”
Spencer was sure he was bright red from the effects of the rage that was boiling under his skin. He felt it vibrating out of him with such fierceness he glared at Ethan openly, but even more infuriatingly the other boy still seemed oblivious, still looking forwards.
“Another excellent stance-”
“But the foundation for hybridization should be based in chemistry, and if we start mixing disciplines to build that foundation, we lose context for what we’re trying to achieve-” Spencer said hotly, barely registering he’d cut off Professor Wright as Ethan turned to look at him.
“Yes, but if what we’re trying to achieve is a full understanding of hybridization, then we can’t do that without considering other practices. We’ve been studying it for almost 70 years-” Ethan replied, flipping his pen between his fingers as he spoke.
“You’re completely missing the point!” Spencer interrupted, shaking his head, “Are we ever going to have a full understanding of anything? It’s unlikely. The best we can do is create a basis-”
“If I can interrupt-” Professor Wright called out to them, and Spencer felt his cheeks burn red once more.
“Sorry,” Ethan threw back. Spencer couldn’t bring himself to follow suit, tongue feeling heavy in his mouth and anger still thumping under his skin. He turned away from Ethan, petulantly staring ahead even though he could feel the other boys’ eyes on the side of his head.
“No, no! Both stances are well-founded and have a place in the debate,” He smiled at them knowingly, “But maybe the discussion is better directed for a different time. Yes, Miss Mitchell?”
Professor Wright turned to a girl in the row behind them, but Spencer didn’t hear the question or their Professor’s answer over the rush of blood in his ears. He grasped his pen tightly, feeling slightly out of breath.
It made perfect sense that Ethan had these opinions. Of course he’d be all for skipping foundational steps in the research project, he was probably so caught up in the results he’d forget that the way they got there mattered. He was brash, impatient and naive. He was infuriating.
Spencer would have to keep an eye on him for their project, he decided firmly as he turned his head downwards, further blocking Ethan’s gaze from catching his own. Who knows what he’d try to do?
As soon as Professor Wright called the end of the lecture, Spencer stood so fast his table snapped downwards with a sharp crack. He paid it no mind, grabbing his paper and textbook and pressing them against his chest as he paced fast towards the door, not stopping to pack them away in case Ethan tried to confront him.
He could see the other boy out of the corner of his eye trying to catch him, but the swarm of students escaping from the neighboring lecture hall allowed him to slip away, practically running back to his dorm.
He locked his dorm as soon as he shut it, chest heaving and anger still burning, throwing his bag and books on the bed quickly. He sank into his desk chair, letting his eyes flutter shut and trying to slow his breathing.
When he felt calmer he opened his eyes again, taking another deep breath and attempting to banish images of the other boy from his mind. As soon as his eyes focused, they settled on a small half-crumpled piece of paper settled behind a stack of books.
-left my number if you want to get in touch. See you Monday.
Ethan
Heat flashed in his stomach once more, scowling. He grabbed the note and crumpled it tight into his fist, before shoving it under his desk into the bin, satisfaction crawling over his skin at the small act of defiance.
He didn’t know how he was going to face him on Monday without instantly snapping. For better or for worse, he had to do his project with the other boy. They couldn’t spend the entire time fighting, but he didn’t know how to be civil with him now. He didn’t know what was going to happen.
But if there was one thing he did know, it was that he hated Ethan.