Work Text:
It had been a week and 2 days since Spencer and Elle were last able to meet up. Three weeks and 4 days from the night they decided to make this thing between them official. Spencer and Elle had spent that weekend in her house, enjoying each other's presence. Spencer also attempted to have Elle’s cat warm up to him over the weekend, but it seems no amount of treats can win the cat over to his side.
Spencer had wanted to take Elle on an official first date, but the unpredictability of his job made things hard to plan. They had plans for two days ago, but the case went longer than he thought. He apologized to Elle once he knew the case was going to go longer than originally planned. She told him it was fine; she understood how cases could get out of hand. She offered to bring coffee to his apartment once he got back.
He texted Elle when he got back to his apartment, letting her know he was home safe. Spencer hoped he would have been home in time to meet up with her, except he got back to his apartments at 10 pm.
So, Spencer sat on his couch, reading a book hoping to slow his mind. It wasn’t working. Just as he was about to throw his book down on the coffee table, he heard a knock on the door.
~~~
Elle knew Spencer was going to be tired after getting off the case, she also knew he was disappointed that they didn’t go on the date he had wanted. So, she stopped by a coffee shop near his apartment that happened to be open this late. Absently she wondered if the coffee shop was the reason he chose this location.
Spencer had been complaining to her throughout the week about the horrible coffee at the station. She figured that bringing him some coffee would be a good pick me up.
She finally arrived at his apartment, shifting the coffee cups to one hand, so she could knock on his door. She waited a moment before knocking again.
“Spencer, you there?”
Elle heard a faint “Coming.” from inside his apartment. She couldn’t help her smile as he opened the door.
“Hey you.” She said through her smile.
“Elle, what- what are you doing here?”
“I am bringing you actually good coffee.” She said inviting herself in and handing him the sugary abomination he called coffee.
Spencer stood there for a minute, staring at the coffee in his hand.
“That bad of a case, huh?” Her voice snapped him back to reality
“What- oh yeah, yeah it was.” He still seemed far off, eyes staring off into the distance.
“Hey, Reid.” He gave no response, “Reid look at me.”
He looked up at her slowly, she offered him an encouraging smile. He returned her smile with a small one of his own. The case had been rough, then.
“How about we get out,” she said, “Go on a walk.”
~~~
The night air was cold, the beginnings of fall makings its way through D.C. The streets were mostly empty, and the ground still damp from an earlier rain.
They walked with no destination, simply enjoying the presence of one another. The conversation flowed between them with ease. Neither needed conversation to be comfortable in one another's presence. Occasionally Spencer would spout off facts he knew about the older buildings, and Elle would respond with sarcastic comments or lewd jokes that made Spencer blush.
Eventually they stopped at a busier street to sit down and watch the people walk by. Their coffee long gone by this point. The wind was blowing hard now, giving them both chills. Spencer shifted so his arm hung around Elle’s shoulder. She responded by moving closer to Spencer, leaning her head back on his shoulder.
They sat like that, soaking in the presence of each other. They sat in comfortable silence, while the world moved around them. They only moved from the bench, when it had started raining.
They held hands the whole way back.
~~~
Spencer didn’t realize how long he and Elle had been out. Checking the time, they had been out for almost two hours. He still could not wrap his mind around how easy it was to be around Elle.
It had surprised him when she showed up to his apartment holding coffee. Spencer had been so sidetracked by the case he forgot that Elle texted him saying she would bring him coffee once he was back.
Tonight had been nice, a perfect way to calm down after a case. Elle said she would walk him back to his apartment. As much as he appreciated the offer, he wasn’t going to let her walk back to her car alone. Elle tried to convince him she’d be fine, but he wouldn’t hear it.
Elle eventually gave up, as stubborn as she was, Spencer was worse. Their walk to the parking garage was filled with lighthearted joking and laughter.
When they got to her car, Spencer stopped her.
“Thank you for tonight, Elle, it meant a lot.”
“Any time, Spence,” she responded.
Before he could second guess himself, he pulled her in for a kiss. Neither really wanted the night to end, but the responsibilities of the morning hung over their heads. For now, though, they would relish the last moments together for the night.
They both startled at the sound of a car near them starting, dropping them back into reality. Spencer let out a nervous laugh, while Elle beamed at him.
“I love you, Spencer,” she said, bringing her arms to rest on his shoulders.
“I love you too, Elle.”
Spencer opened the car door for her; they exchanged one last smile before she started her car. Spencer gave her a small wave; she returned it by making a heart with her hands.
Spencer was left standing in that parking garage for another 5 minutes, Elle’s words playing on repeat in his head. He hoped he would get her to say them again. Preferably soon.
~~~
Elle didn’t know what possessed her to tell Spencer she loved him for the first time. It felt right, those words. Seeing the surprise on his face before he returned the sentiment was something she would never forget. As she was driving back to her place she could n0t help but wonder when the next time she would hear him say those words. She hoped it was soon.