A (Not So) Well Kept Secret // Spencer Reidđż
synopsis: in which your secret date night with spencer is crashed by your meddling coworkers when penelope overhears your plans
pairing: spencer x bau! reader
notes/tags: secret relationship, non descriptive horror movie, the last of my halloween fics yippee!!, lowkey nothing to do with halloween but its okay, penelope and morgan are everyones favourite nosy duo
halloween masterlist // main masterlist // if you enjoy pls reblog it helps promote the fic so much !!
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Yawning, you stretched your arms above your head, craning your neck as you did so to catch a glimpse of your boyfriend over the glass partition of your desks. His head was bowed, hair falling gracefully in front of his face as he worked- much like you should be doing now, but you were too distracted. Like a kid on Christmas Eve you were restless, too excited and too busy daydreaming to possibly focus on anything else.
It had only been a couple of months since you and Spencer had started dating and it was your first Halloween together. You had a whole night of cheesiness planned- a Halloween movie night at the theatres strategically picked so you could live out every date night clichĂŠ: pretending to be scared so you could cuddle into him, not-so-accidentally brushing hands on the shared armrest, maybe even letting his arm fall around you totally purely as a solution to a problem when you complain about being cold (despite the fact you would already be wearing his cardigan by this point). It was perfect. Almost.
You had strolled into the kitchenette, grabbing two mugs and setting them down when you heard a familiar voice from behind you.
âHey.â Spencer said gently, a soft smile on his face as you turned to face him. His hands twitched at his side as if he was holding himself back from reaching out for you. âWhat are you doing?â
âGetting us coffee.â You smiled back as you slid his mug towards him on the counter. âMight make the day go faster.â
âYou know thereâs actually studies to back that up,â he began as you poured, âbecause of how caffeine affects your brain it can actually alter your perception of time and how quickly it passes.â
âWell then,â you laughed as you clinked your matching mugs together, the little pictures of Snoopy and Woodstock joining for just a moment before you pulled away, âwe better get drinking.â
Spencerâs cheeks flushed as he held in a shy grin, bringing his still too-hot mug to his mouth like he could blame the steam for their sudden pinkness. âIâm uh, Iâm looking forward to tonight.â
You ducked your head like a school girl with a crush, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as butterflies danced in your stomach. âYeah.â You nodded, giddy. âMe too.â
âWhatâs happening tonight?â A voice suddenly chirped, almost sending splashes of coffee flying as you and Spencer jumped. You turned, wide eyed and mouth gaping, to see Penelope standing innocently in the doorway wearing what was apparently the worldâs sneakiest pair of high heels.
âNothing!â Spencer squeaked, scrambling to set his mug down before he dropped it. âJust⌠just nothing.â You had to resist the urge to throw your hands up as you shot him a glare that said âreally?â. You would think a genius studying behaviour at the FBI would have a little more finesse in being inconspicuous.
âHuh.â Penelope arched a perfectly drawn brow as she rapped her colourful nails against her own mug. âYou know, Iâm no behavioural analyst but from my experience people donât act like teenagers who just got caught flirting in the back of class over âjust nothing.ââ
âWeâre just seeing a movie, Pen.â You admitted casually, hoping your openness might get her off your back.
âJust the two of you?â She quipped, and you could practically see Spencerâs heart beating through the fabric of his cardigan. âYou didnât invite anybody else?â
âWell, itâs a horror movie.â You shrugged. Your body fought the urge to buckle beneath the weight of her hawk eyes. âWe didnât think youâd want to come- you donât like anything scary and gory.â
âYeah, itâs real scary.â Spencer added -quite unhelpfully- as he rocked himself back and forth on the balls of his feet and ignored the âplease stop talkingâ glare you were pointing at him.
âBut itâs Halloween! Iâve gotta get in the spirit, face my fears, exposure therapy- all that crap!â Penelope babbled, flailing her free hand around in excitement. âOoh, I know! Morgan and I will come with you guys!â
A pained sigh left your lips as you tried to protest, âPen-â
âI mean, itâs not a date or anything right?â She pushed, something in her voice keeping you on edge as she leaned in with an expectant grin.
âNo.â Spencer choked out a little too fast, voice higher than youâd ever heard it. âNo. Not a date.â
Penelope practically tossed her mug to the counter, clasping her hands together with a squeal. âThen that settles it. I will see you two not-lovebirds tonight.â With that, she spun gracefully on her heels and strutted back into the bullpen with all the confidence of a woman who knew exactly what she was doing, meanwhile you and Spencer watched on frozen in disbelief and mouths open in matching gapes.
Spencer gulped, turning his head to face you as he tried to blink the shock out of his wide eyes. âWhat are the odds of them believing weâre both sick tonight?â
A chilled breeze swept past you as you shifted on your feet outside of the movie theatre. Shivering, you wrapped (unfortunately your own) cardigan tighter around yourself. A sad little bubble of jealousy suddenly emerged within you as a couple passed by, arms linked and wearing such sappy grins they wouldâve had you fake gagging had you not been waiting for your own date. Your date who wasnât really your date anymore, thanks to the nosiness of your coworkers. A sad sigh escaped without your permission as you saw one of them hold the door open, their hand lovingly on the small of their partnerâs back as they guided them inside before following.
You were so transfixed, eyes glued to the couple as they headed into the theatre hand in hand, that you somehow failed to register the presence that had appeared beside you. Pouting slightly, you turned your head only for your vision to be blocked by a rather tall cardigan wearing figure, the faint smell of coffee and books mixing with the air around you.
âJesus, Spencer!â You jumped, clutching a hand over your chest as you caught your breath. âI didnât hear you walk up.â
âIâm sorry.â He smiled, a trace of laughter in it as the corners of his lips twitched before being replaced by a prompt frown. âAlthough you should really be paying more attention to your surroundings. Itâs dark out- I couldâve been anyone.â
You rolled your eyes at him, a soft smile on your own face as you took him in. Standing there in the evening glow with his hands in his pockets, the breeze ruffled his hair just so, making you want to reach up and smooth it down for him. A slight flush sat on his cheeks, both as a natural reaction to seeing you and as a reaction to the bite of the cold. It was almost hard to meet his eyes with how sweetly he stared down at you, all love and tenderness as they darted over your features like it was their first time seeing them, like he was drinking you in. And God, was it hard to resist him when he looked like he just walked out of a romantic period piece.
âYouâre lucky youâre cute, doctor.â You muttered with a soft jab of your fingers to his ribs. You felt your arms restless at your side, desperate to defy rationality and pull him into a hug, your eyes scanning the parking lot before you as the hourglass of your privacy continued to run out somewhere just out of view.
âGarcia and Morgan are coming together.â Spencer said, practically hearing your thoughts. âIâd estimate we have another ten minutes until they get here.â
âGood.â You nodded, grinning up at him and finally letting your hand find its place behind his ear as it pushed his hair back. âThatâs good. âCause Iâm pretty cold.â
Without needing to be told, he stepped towards you and wrapped you up in his arms. His hands armoured protectively around you, gently pulling you flush against his chest as your own arms instinctively snaked around his waist. With a breathy giggle, you tucked your face into the crook of his neck and let yourself melt into the warmth of him just as he angled his head down to press a kiss into your hair. Knowing he was already counting down the minutes you felt your mind go empty, lost to a Spencer-filled haze as you soaked him up as much as you possibly could until you had to pretend again.
Penelope and Morgan arrived right on queue, the sound of tires on asphalt like an alarm in your ears as you both jolted apart. They stepped out of the car with smirks on their faces that said something you couldnât quite make out yet before the four of you made your way inside.
At the concessions stand Spencer bought snacks for the two of you, picking up your favourites without even asking and telling Morgan that youâd talked about it beforehand in the parking lot when he raised a skeptical brow at him. In the lobby you frantically fished a mirror out of your bag, attempting to liven up the side of your hair that had fallen flat against your boyfriendâs shoulder and telling Penelope youâd just been leaning against a wall while you waited for her.
As you all made your way down the long corridor to your screen, you and Spencer quietly plotted to make sure you were sat together, with your guests paired up on the other side of the row. You were hoping that with some kind of distance and with Penelope distracted by Morganâs presence that at least one of you would be able to sneak in a hand hold or two, or perhaps a light kiss to the cheek disguised as a whisper to the ear. Yet, as you walked side by side into the dark room, screen illuminating the seats like a shameful spotlight, you felt in the foreboding slam of the heavy doors behind you that you wouldnât be so lucky.
To your horror, as you approached the aisle, your guests split apart with a grace that almost seemed practiced, Morgan walking ahead of you and Penelope lingering behind. You turned to Spencer with a flash of panic in your eyes that he mirrored, realising you were about to become trapped between possibly the two nosiest people in your lives for the worst part of two hours. What you didnât notice was the devilish grin they gave each other as you slipped into your seats.
The screen was all motion- scared civilians running for their lives screaming and yelling throughout the theatre, monsters lunging through woods and through rubble as they groaned and shrieked. Around you, silhouettes of other movie goers gasped in their chairs and popcorn bounced from their laps as they jumped. But next to you, Spencer sat rigid. Stiff and unmoving.
You felt it in you too, the need to control your limbs before they made their way to him, the fight against your urges to tuck yourself into his side when your heart started racing. In fact you were barely watching the movie at all, too focused on the hawk eyes of your friends caging you in either side like bodyguards.
At one point as one of the monsters lurched towards the screen you jumped, letting your body curl towards Spencer as it settled- a cheeky test of fate, really, that immediately pulled you back like a hook from behind a curtain as you felt Penelopeâs long nails curl around your wrist from your other side. You were just a moment away from sneakily leaning against his shoulder, from secretly looping your arm through his in the privacy of the darkness, when she grabbed you, nails leaving little crescent moons that stayed taunting you even after she let go.
âOh my God.â She half whispered beside you. âTalk about a heart attack!â
You sighed under your breath, sinking back into your seat like a deflated balloon. Spencer wasnât much luckier. The smell of popcorn danced under your nose as he reached over your lap, offering the bucket to you and holding back a grin, you leaned in. Your hand was hovering over his where it rested on the edge of the bucket, preparing to âaccidentallyâ brush against it as you took your pick of popcorn, when a third hand- belonging to Morgan- hastily pulled it back.
âHey theyâve got their own popcorn, man.â He muttered, taking a handful for himself as if to punctuate his point. âThat stuff was expensive.â
Spencer fell into a slump beside you, matching slouches with you as a disgruntled exhale left his lips. You werenât any better off for the rest of the movie, every attempt you made to get closer to one another thwarted with perfectly imperfect timing until you found yourself disinterested in the movie entirely, simply counting down the seconds until the credits would roll.
Outside, the coldness of the night air hit you like a breath of relief as the four of you stepped out into the parking lot. There was a newfound optimism in the glances you threw at your boyfriend, a hopefulness in the smiles he flashed at you. Your movie date had been crashed, sure, but with it came the promise of a cosy night together, of steaming coffee mugs and blankets strewn across couches. Just the two of you at last.
âWell, I guess Iâll be seeing you guys then.â You shrugged as nonchalantly as you could, gesturing to Penelopeâs car across the lot.
âWhat are you talking about?â She answered just a tad too eagerly. âItâs pitch black out, let me drive you guys to your apartments!â
You faltered, quite nearly dropping to your knees in agony like you were in some dramatic forlorn romantic novel. Against your will, your eyes squeezed shut for just a moment, picturing your night together at home in the brief freedom of the darkness they granted you before you were confronted with the very real sight of Penelope and Morgan still stood in front of you.
âYou really donât need to do that.â Spencer spoke up, his worried eyebrows giving away his panic.
âOh, nuh uh.â Penelope wagged her finger at you both, earrings jangling as she shook her head. âWere you guys not watching the movie? I am not waking up in the morning to a phone call that you were mauled by monsters because I didnât drive you home.â
âUnless of course,â Morgan turned to you, lips curling upwards like the Cheshire Cat, âyouâre relying on pretty boy here to protect you?â
You felt heat rushing to your cheeks pathetically fast as Spencer practically choked beside you, not daring to look your way lest he give you both away entirely.
âRight.â You nodded, swallowing thickly as you mentally kissed your night goodbye. âRight. Then I guess-â
âOh my God!â Penelope laughed suddenly before grabbing your hands in hers and pulling you closer, âIâm totally kidding! Go enjoy the rest of your date, you crazy kids.â
Spencerâs mouth flew open, brows pinched as he glanced between the two of them. âWhat- You guys knew?â
âOf course we knew, man.â Morgan chuckled, playfully slapping his hand down on his shoulder as he tried to shake the soul that had left his body back into him. âYou guys arenât exactly subtle.â
âSo you guys were just messing with us the whole night?â You blinked dumbly at the giggling blonde in front of you, hands still sitting limply in hers like your body had detached itself from your brain in all the commotion. You couldnât bring yourself to pull away, all you could do was stare.
âWe were getting bored waiting for you guys to admit it. We had to do something.â She shrugged, finally letting go of you and fumbling in her bag for her car keys. Pulling them out, as well as an assortment of fluffy keychains attached to them, she shooed the two of you away as she began ushering Morgan towards her car. âNow go- have fun!â
âBut not too much fun, you hear me?â He called over her shoulder, pointing an accusatory finger before grinning and walking away, leaving you and Spencer stood dumbfounded outside the theatre.
Eventually, you turned to look at him and a smile broke out on your face as a breathy laugh of disbelief escaped. Soon enough the two of you were giggling back and forth like a couple of teenagers, Spencer dragging a hand down his face in embarrassment while you leaned into his side to steady yourself. Without a word, he laced his hand in yours, leading you home and leaving the chaos of the movie theatre behind you.
Youâd catch another movie at home.