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When the lady at the front desk had told them that there were only three rooms available for the team, it hadn’t even crossed JJ’s mind to be worried about… this. She stands frozen just past the threshold and stares at the nicely made double bed in the middle of the hotel room.
“Oh,” it sounds from behind her, and JJ turns to find Emily has followed her inside.
“I can go double-check if they happen to have any more twin rooms available after all?”
Emily sidles up to JJ, pulling the door shut and dropping her go-bag on the floor with a dull thud. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure their answer hasn’t changed in the” – she checks the watch on the inside of her wrist – “give or take five minutes since we left the lobby.”
JJ has to give her that, but it doesn’t leave them with a lot of options. She worries her lip between her teeth. “Are you okay with sharing a bed?” She’s sure it goes against plenty of FBI regulations to sleep in the same bed as a coworker whilst on a case, but they have very little choice here.
“That depends,” Emily says, cocking her head. JJ waits patiently for the stipulation, and watches as a teasing grin creeps up Emily’s face. “Do you hog the blankets, Jareau?”
And just like that, some of JJ’s apprehension slides away as she laughs. “I run hot, so you should be fine.”
Emily shrugs. “In that case, it shouldn’t be a problem to share a bed this once. You stay on your side, I stay on mine, and no one has to break their back by being chivalrous and sleeping on the floor.” She winks, making JJ flush, and struts further into the room. “I’m taking the left!” She flops down on top of the covers, face down and makes a noise as her body sinks into the mattress.
JJ shakes her head and huffs. They’ve shared a room a handful of times before, so she’s more than used to tired-Emily’s antics, but this is the first time they’re sharing a bed. She can’t help the nerves that arise at that thought. There’s just something so… intimate about it, being that close to someone else, for the entire night, and however many nights to come until they solve this case.
And the someone else in case being Emily, has JJ mildly freaking out. Going from ‘tentative crush’ and is she flirting with me? to sleeping together is a big leap for JJ’s poor heart, and she’s not sure she can handle it. Not that she has a whole lot of choice in that regard, because they are working a case and if she wants to function at the precinct tomorrow, she’s going to need sleep.
“Are you going to keep standing there?” Emily’s voice shakes JJ out of her reverie.
JJ blinks. Emily has rolled onto her back, propping herself up on her elbows and staring at JJ. A blush heats JJ’s cheeks, and she clears her throat. “Right- yeah, no.” She moves forward, but stops when Emily makes a noise. “What?”
“Could you bring me my bag?” Emily asks, smiling sweetly. “Pretty please?”
That smile has butterflies erupting in JJ’s stomach, but she pushes them down. “What, too lazy to get back up?” Still, she grabs Emily’s bag along with her own, and takes them over to the bed, setting them down on top of the covers.
“You’re the best.” Emily sits upright and unzips her bag, rummaging through it for her pyjamas and toiletry bag.
JJ slips her shoes off and sits down on the edge of the unoccupied side of the bed with a sigh. It really is good to get off her feet after such a long day of running around from one place to another.
“Do you want to shower first?” Emily asks.
JJ shakes her head. “Go for it.”
Emily disappears into the bathroom, and not much later JJ hears the shower running. Her mind wanders, conjuring up inappropriate images to go with the sounds that drift in from the bathroom as Emily moves around. When JJ catches herself, she falls backwards on the bed with a groan and roughly rubs at her face.
Usually, she’s very good at doing her own thing whilst Emily gets ready for the night, but for some reason she is fixated on it today. It’s the bed, she blames, her ears perking as Emily’s soft humming sounds through the closed door. JJ squeezes her eyes shut and forcefully calls on pictures of the piles and piles of paperwork awaiting her back in Quantico to push away the mental image of a naked, wet Emily, separated from her by only a singular door.
She’s somewhat successful in redirecting her attention. When Emily emerges in pyjamas, damp hair hanging around her shoulders, JJ has laid out an outfit for tomorrow, her pyjamas are in a pile on the bed, and she has needlessly reorganised the rest of the contents of her go-bag.
“I thought you might already be asleep,” Emily jokes as she pulls the curtains shut, blocking their view of the grey, lifeless street in front of the hotel. She takes her go-bag off the bed, before turning the covers down and climbing in. “Bathroom is free. Do you mind if I turn off the overhead light? I’m beat.”
JJ just smiles and grabs her stuff, flicking the light switch by the main door on her way to the bathroom.
“Thank you!”
Somehow JJ makes it through her own nighttime routine. Her nerves rise along with the anticipation of nearing the moment where she has to share a bed with Emily. She stares at herself in the mirror as she brushes through her wet hair, wincing as it catches on a few stubborn knots.
This is stupid. Right? She can platonically share a bed with someone, it isn’t that big of a deal. It’s only a big deal if she makes it one. So, if she acts normally, everything will be fine.
Just fine. Absolutely fine.
She plays the reassurances on repeat as she brushes her teeth, and still as she leaves the bathroom and pads into the hotel room. It’s not entirely dark— Emily has turned on JJ’s bedside lamp, and the small light makes it so she sees just enough to navigate to the bed without tripping over her shoes or her own feet.
JJ is quiet as she moves, because Emily has yet to talk and… She pauses for a second, just listening. From the steady sound of Emily’s breathing, JJ figures chances are high she’s already asleep.
Her shoulders relax and the repeated reassurances fade to the back of her mind. Emily not being awake actually makes it much easier on JJ’s nerves and her tendency to overthink things. JJ tip-toes the rest of the way to the bed and slips under the covers, careful not to jostle the mattress too much and risking waking Emily up. She moves around, getting comfortable as she lays her head down on her pillow, facing Emily.
She knows she should turn the light off and go to sleep, because tomorrow awaits another long and intense day, but she can’t help herself. It’s not often that she gets the chance to observe and look at Emily without the chance of being caught staring, and the opportunity is too good to pass up.
Emily is curled up on her side, dark hair splayed out on her pillow. The dim yellow light of the bedside lamp bounces warmly off her fair skin, and JJ itches to reach out and touch Emily, trace along her jaw and feel her soft skin against the palm of her hand. Emily’s expression is so… peaceful. There’s no frown marring her features, no downturn to her lips. She is utterly and completely relaxed.
Emily blows out a deep breath and shimmies down further under the covers, until just the top half of her face is visible. She settles again, her breathing resuming its earlier pattern.
JJ sighs. She should really go to sleep. Turning around, she switches off the bedside lamp before rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling as her eyes get used to the lack of light. There are still plenty of thoughts milling around in her brain, but exhaustion wins in the end, pulling her heavy eyelids shut.
JJ falls asleep to the steady sound of Emily’s breathing.
…And she wakes up to a severe lack of covers on her side of the bed. Shivers run through her body, goosebumps rising on her arms as she sits up with a huff. She feels around for the covers, but she has to reach out further than she’d expected. Wait a minute-
JJ blinks, then squints, making out the outline of Emily’s body and-
“Do you hog the blankets,” JJ mock-whispers under her breath, repeating the earlier question and staring at a peacefully cocooned Emily. “I think you need to come with a warning label, Emily Elizabeth Prentiss.”
Emily – obviously – doesn’t answer, instead staying asleep, nice and warm. JJ rolls her eyes. Just because she runs hot, it doesn’t mean that she won’t freeze to death without some of the covers. JJ likes to be cosy, and there is no way she can fall back asleep like this.
She resigns herself to the struggle that is likely to come as she crawls closer to Emily and pulls at the edge of the covers that is closest to her.
It doesn’t budge.
She tugs a little harder, and the covers untuck from underneath Emily’s body. Bit by bit, JJ manages to steal a part of the covers back for herself. Could she wake up Emily and make this a lot easier on herself? Yes, but they all need all the sleep they can get, and JJ doesn’t want to take that from Emily unless she has no other choice. Hence her continued struggle.
JJ looks down at the part of the covers she has conquered and blows out a breath. This should be enough to lie comfortably beneath, but it does mean she has to move closer to Emily. At this point, JJ is tired enough that she doesn’t have it in her to worry about it any longer, and she just pulls her pillow closer to Emily’s and crawls back under the covers. Her body relaxes as she soaks some warmth back up.
JJ is floating so closely to the realm of sleep, when the mattress dips as Emily scoots closer. And closer. And- JJ shoots wide awake as Emily’s face presses against her arm. “Em?”
Emily mumbles something unintelligible and simply moves even closer, throwing an arm across JJ’s torso. A leg follows, hooking around JJ’s own, and before JJ fully realises what is happening, Emily is practically lying on top of her, face pressed into the crook of JJ’s neck.
The surprised noise that escapes JJ doesn’t rouse Emily from her slumber, nor does the fact that JJ has gone absolutely still, muscles tense as can be. It can’t make for a very nice pillow, but Emily apparently thinks otherwise, because she stays right where she is.
JJ keeps her breathing deceptively calm, but inside she is yelling at the top of her metaphorical lungs. What the hell is she supposed to do with this? And, not unimportantly, what does this mean?
Is Emily okay with this? She certainly seems to be, with how she is peacefully sleeping, wrapped around JJ like an octopus. It’s just… JJ wouldn’t call Emily touch-averse, per say, but she definitely doesn’t consciously seek it out. She’ll accept a hug if offered, but has always held back from asking for it herself.
But unconscious Emily has decided that cuddling aggressively with JJ is the place to be, and that sends JJ’s emotions haywire. There is a big burst of affection along with a fresh wave of nerves. What does this mean? she repeats. Does this mean anything?
JJ bites her lip and decides to try and see if she can separate herself from Emily. Not because she wants to – because believe her, she has dreamed of being in this exact position many a time before – but simply because conscious Emily should have a choice in this. And if they wake up tomorrow morning, entwined like this, JJ doesn’t know how she’ll deal with whatever Emily’s reaction will be, and the kind of feelings JJ herself has.
She just imagines it could be infinitely awkward, as they laugh it off and pretend like it never happened— and then what if they end up in this exact same situation again tomorrow night?
So, JJ valiantly attempts to lift her arms and slide out from underneath Emily.
One little problem: Emily doesn’t let go.
When JJ manages to free her arm, Emily’s arm curls up around her shoulder instead, and she cuddles closer. If JJ shifts her leg, Emily’s leg follows along. After a good several minutes of back and forth, JJ sags back into the mattress with a groan. All she has accomplished is moving them closer to the center of the bed and Emily is somehow even more octopussed around her than before. JJ had not thought that to be possible.
JJ blows out a breath and stares up at the ceiling. She is tired. She is tired, but cosy and comfortable, and sure, she could wake Emily up and go through the sleepy awkwardness of the situation right now, but… Would it really be that terrible if she just fell asleep right here? With Emily?
She’ll just wake up before Emily in the morning, she tells herself. She’s a light sleeper anyway, so she can try to slip out of bed and escape any conversations before they can happen.
JJ yawns and wraps her arms around Emily’s back. You’d think it’d be too hot, sleeping with someone else this nearby, but it’s actually kind of nice like this. JJ presses her cheek to the top of Emily’s head, touching silky smooth hair, and focusses on the way Emily’s breath ghosts against her skin, body moving lightly with each breath. It’s hypnotising, in a way. Soothing. The sound of Emily’s breathing is familiar, even if it’s closer this time, but the feel of her rising back beneath JJ’s palms is new, and no less comforting.
A hum of contentment escapes her, and JJ slowly melts, falling back asleep before she realises it is happening.
…
Waking up comes slowly.
The first thing JJ recognises, is that she is very comfortable. Too comfortable to be awake just yet, so she floats back under for a bit. Not quite sleeping fully, but resting, nevertheless.
Eventually though, her internal clock goes off – a result of plenty of early work days – and JJ yawns as she drifts to the present. The sleepiness lingers in her brain like a fog, but it’s nothing breakfast and a cup of coffee can’t fix.
“Wakey-wakey,” Emily sing-songs and JJ’s eyes shoot wide open. Not because of the sound of Emily’s voice, but because of the fact that Emily’s voice reverberates through JJ’s chest because Emily is lying on top of her.
The events of the past night slot back into place, and JJ flushes brightly as she looks down to find Emily looking up at her from her position nestled just beneath JJ’s collarbone.
JJ swallow. “Hi?”
“So,” Emily drawls. “Are you going to report me to HR for unprofessional conduct?” There’s mischief in her eyes.
“Should I?” JJ asks, daring to infuse some humour into her words. Little by little, her nervousness dissipates. Emily seems to take their new position in stride. She apparently woke up before JJ, and yet she hasn’t moved away, isn’t trying to pretend it never happened.
Emily hums as if in thought. “I vote no.”
“Well, if you say so.” Without thought, JJ’s fingers trace across Emily’s back, and Emily sighs.
They lie in silence for a little while longer. It’s quite peaceful, even as rays of sunlight are peeking out from the sides of the heavy curtains, and JJ knows it won’t be much longer until they’ll have to get up and get back to work. They have an investigation to continue and an unsub to catch.
“I didn’t think to warn you that I tend to cuddle,” Emily says, finally. “It’s been a while since I last shared a bed. I’m sorry.”
But somehow, she doesn’t sound sorry at all to JJ. “Are you?”
Emily grins abashedly. “Well… I didn’t do it on purpose.” There’s a beat of silence, then Emily murmurs to JJ’s skin, “But this is kind of nice.”
JJ bites at the inside of her cheek to contain the jumble of emotions that threaten to spill out. Emily can mean it platonically. They’re good friends, the two of them. Best friends, even. And best friends cuddle. JJ cuddles plenty with Penelope, on the couch, during girls’ night, when she’s a few drinks in. Though with Penelope it doesn’t quite feel like this.
“Hey,” Emily says softly. “Where did your head go, Jareau?”
“It’s nothing.” JJ shakes her head. She doesn’t elaborate, and Emily takes the break in conversation as an opportunity to pull the covers up to her chin. JJ huffs at that. “Just thinking about you daring to ask me if I hog the blankets, only to find out that you hog the blankets.”
“No way,” Emily protests. “I don’t do that! I can share perfectly fine.” One hand appears from under the covers to gesture vaguely at the situation they’re currently in, as if that proves anything.
“I woke up freezing,” JJ says. “Why do you think I ended up this close to you?”
“I figured it was just my irresistible charm,” Emily teases.
See that right there is the kind of thing Emily does that makes JJ question her ‘platonic’ label of the situation. Of their relationship.
“But if we’re looking at it from a scientific perspective,” Emily continues without further prompting. “It is probably more likely that I ended up close to you because like you said yesterday, you run hot. It’s like having my own personal furnace.”
JJ can’t help herself. “Yours, hm?”
“Yep. You know, tonight we should just do this again, from the start,” Emily suggests airily. “That way you won’t wake up without any covers, and I won’t go cold.”
“You make some good arguments.” JJ taps her fingers lightly against Emily’s back as a small spark of hope ignites in her heart.
A light shiver wracks through Emily at the touch. “I have plenty of good ideas.”
“Is that so?”
“But we should probably get out of bed now, if we want to grab breakfast before heading to the precinct.”
JJ hums in agreement, but neither of them moves to get up. It is too comfortable, too precious, to break whatever this moment is, that they’re having right now.
“Jayje?”
It’s a nickname people have used for her plenty before, but the way it rolls off Emily’s tongue has warmth coiling in her stomach. “Yes?”
“This seems like a good opportunity to bring up the fact I’ve been flirting with you for months.”
JJ chokes on air. “What?” she manages to get out.
Emily shifts, once more making JJ intimately aware of all the places they’re currently touching in. “Had you really not noticed? I didn’t think I was being very subtle, and it felt like you were flirting back.”
“I thought I noticed,” JJ admits, after fumbling for words for a good few seconds. “I just wasn’t entirely sure, and I didn’t want to assume… Well, I mostly didn’t dare to assume much of anything.”
“Do you think you can dare, maybe this once?”
“Probably,” JJ says with a smile. “For some reason, my confidence in my assumptions just skyrocketed.”
“Good.” Emily grins. She looks at JJ, and then down at their continued full-body cuddling. “We’re kind of doing this backwards though, aren’t we?”
JJ has no trouble agreeing with that. “Oh, for sure.” Then with a sudden spark of confidence, “How about we rectify that? Dinner on me, when we’re back in Quantico?”
Emily pretends to think about it. “Only if we can get dessert after.”
“Deal,” JJ says.
“And maybe even another sleepover?” Sparkles dance in Emily’s eyes in the limited light of their hotel room.
“We’ll see how the date goes, first,” JJ laughs, though she knows the likely answer is yes anyway.
They stare into each other’s eyes, big smiles on their faces, and JJ blushes.
“That,” Emily says, pointing up at JJ’s face. “Right there, it’s unbearably cute when you do that. One of the things that make it hard not to fall for you.”
“Just one, hm?”
“I’ll list the rest of the things when we go on that date,” Emily promises.
JJ tightens her arms around Emily in response.
Emily suppresses a yawn. “Do we have to get up yet?”
JJ stretches a hand out to the nightstand to check her phone. “Morgan just texted that he’ll bring breakfast and coffee to the precinct for everyone, which means that we should have about… fifteen minutes left to lie around, if we get ready quickly.”
“Perfect,” Emily says, snuggling back up with JJ. “Just what I need to start the day.”
JJ can’t help but agree.