A Thousand Words
A/N: This is the longest thing I’ve ever done but I just didn’t want to break it into multiple parts. I really like this one and I hope you guys do too!
Requested by You already know! @mantlereid (one day Imma release all of her original requests and y’all can tell me if you think I stuck to the script or not lmao.)
The office was oddly quiet. The team had just gotten back from a case, so everyone was catching up on paperwork. Of course, you’d finished yours already because you actually like paperwork. Unfortunately though, that meant that were just fiddling your thumb. JJ had taken a few days off to be with her family and Tara was doing a psych evaluation in Chicago, so you didn’t have anyone to talk to.
Your boyfriend sat across from you, eyebrows pulled together as he filled out his reports. You grabbed your camera and snapped a few candid shots.
Spencer looked up at you, irritation etched on his face. “Don’t you have paperwork to be doing?”
“I finished a few minutes ago.” You looked at him through the lens of your camera and snapped a picture. “Plus, you look so pretty when you’re focusing on things.”
You took a few more shots as his head dipped back down to focus on his paperwork. “Stop, (Y/N). I’m serious.”
“C’mon Spence, just one smile.”
“I said stop!” He startled you, slamming his pen on his desk. “Your stupid hobby isn’t helping anything! It’s not changing anything! Seven people are still dead and their killer is still on the loose! Come out from behind that camera and smell the dead roses for once!”
You could practically hear you heart beating in your chest, eyes welling with tears. Spencer never snapped, especially not at you. Everyone around you had stopped what they were doing to look up at the source of the commotion. Minding your surroundings, you swallowed thickly and stood.
“I’m sorry.” You whispered before disappearing towards the break room.
“What the hell was that?” Matt asked him quietly.
“She’s always in my face with that damn camera.” Spencer didn’t look up at his colleague, almost afraid of what he would see.
“She’s your girlfriend!” Matt was trying to keep his voice down. “Reid, we all see a lot of bad things out there. Taking photos of you and this team is how she copes with it. Sure it’s a little irritating at times, but it’s how she gets through the day.”
“You screamed at her and she’s the one who apologized.” Spencer actually looked up at Luke. “You gotta apologize man.”
“Research confirms that women tend to apologize much more frequently than men do. Recent studies have shown that this is because they feel that they commit more offenses, when in reality it’s just society dictation of what is considered offensive from men and women. Men are just as likely as women to apologize for a given offense, but their threshold for what they consider an offense is lower.”
Matt and Luke shared a look of disbelief before both rising from their seats. “You’re impossible man.”
Matt made his way to the breakroom, where he found you picking at a muffin as tears slowly fell down your face. He took a seat on next to you and placed a comforting hand on your back.
You shook your head, reaching up to wipe your face. “You would tell me the truth, right?”
“Of course.” You looked over at him with a small smile.
“Are you guys irritated by my photography?” You were almost scared of his answer, but you needed to hear it.
His next words were hesitant. “Sometimes it feels like you’re being a touch oblivious. I don’t agree with what he did, but he’s kind of right. Pictures of us aren’t going to erase what’s going on out there.”
You nodded, standing. Wiping away the evidence of your meltdown, you took a deep breath and thanked your coworker. Matt tried to call you back, tried to reassure you, but you just thanked him and headed for Emily’s office.
“I’ve finished with my paperwork. Is it okay if I go home?”
“Of course.” She gave you a sad smile. “I heard what happened. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” You left before she could ask anymore questions. You were careful not to look at Spencer as you made your way to your desk and grabbed your things.
“(Y/N)…” he started quietly as he watched you carefully pack your camera.
“Don’t worry about it.” You bid him, Matt and Luke farewell before leaving briskly.
The next day at work was quiet. JJ and Tara were still gone, so you decided to spend the day going over a few of your unsolved case files in a Penelope’s office. You were knee deep in the middle of a slasher case when Spencer stepped in.
“Garcia, can you –” He stopped when he saw you. “(Y/N). I didn’t know that you were here today. Your camera wasn’t on your desk.”
“Cold cases.” You gestured towards the board you’d set up and turned back to it, effectively cutting off the conversation. He searched his mind for something to say to you, but decided against it.
“Did you need my help, Boy Wonder?” Penelope grabbed his attention. He nodded, gathering himself to return to his task. You purposely ignored their conversation, racking your brain to connect the dots in your case.
When he left, you released the breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding.
“He’s so smart, but so dumb.” Penelope tried to make you laugh, but it didn’t help all that much. Your heart still ached after what happened yesterday. You’d spent the night alone at your apartment for the first time since you’d started dating Spencer. Getting ready for work that morning, you’d made the conscious decision to just leave your camera at home.
“He was right though.” You sat next to her, leaning your head on her shoulder. “Nothing I do is going to erase the fact that there are people out there dying. I’m an FBI agent, not Annie Leibovitz. My job is solely to stop the bad guys, not record the good ones.”
“Oh Sugar Plum.” She stroked your hair gently. “Don’t let this job make you jaded. If taking dumb pictures of these dumb people that you love is what makes you happy, then to hell with what they think. Find a new muse and move on.”
You smiled, turning to press a soft kiss to her cheek. “I love you, Penelope Garcia.”
Leaving work that night, you tried to slip out of the office without anyone noticing. No such luck.
“Hey hot stuff!” You groaned silently as Luke drew attention to you. Turning, you gave him a strained smile. “We missed you down here today. Tara just got back from Chicago so we were gonna go pick her up from the airport and head out for a drink. You in?”
“Thanks, but I’m exhausted.” You left without another word.
He turned to Spencer, but the doctor just gave him a shrug. “I tried to talk to her. Twice. She shut me down both times.”
Spencer looked at the photo on his desk. It had been an anniversary gift from you just a few months ago. You were smiling at the camera, but he’d been looking down at you with as much love as he could feel. It wasn’t the picture that got to him so much as the frame, gold with the words “You’re My Forever” imprinted at the bottom. Sighing, he quickly gathered his stuff and ran after you.
“(Y/N)!” He reached out to stop the elevator doors from closing, slipping in next to you.
“Dr. Reid.” You addressed him quietly.
“Sure.” Neither of you spoke again as you walked to your car and drove home.
“It’s a bit of a mess.” You kicked your shoes off as you stepped inside, hanging your jacket up on the back of the door.
He took your bag from you. “I’m sorry about screaming at you yesterday.”
“It’s fine.” He followed you to the bedroom.
“It’s not fine, (Y/N).” He sat on the bed as you disappeared into the closet to change. “This last case really got to me, but I shouldn’t have taken out on you. I’m sorry.”
“Forgiven.” You wouldn’t meet his eye as you stepped back into the room and began picking things up from the ground. He watched for a moment before sighing in frustration.
“No something’s up.” He stepped in front of you before you could bend over again, hands on your arms. “Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
“Stop pushing me Spencer!” You yanked away from him, crossing your arms over your chest protectively. “You apologized. I forgave you. What more do you want from me?”
“I want you to talk to me!” He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. “You haven’t said more than a handful of words to me all day. No one even knew you were at work today, and when they realized that you were, they could see that you were acting weird. I’m trying to be understanding and talk, but you’re pushing me away! First the stupid pictures and now this. I don’t know why I put up with any of it!”
He stormed out. You broke, crying when you heard the front door slam. You chucked a pillow at the door with a scream. Climbing into bed, you cried yourself to sleep yet again.
You woke up to the sound of your phone going off. With a groan, you reached for the device.
“Hey sunshine.” Your mind perked at the smooth sound of Derek’s voice. “Want to come open your front door for me?”
He hung up. You heard the door open, then heavy footsteps. There was a dip on the bed as he sat at the end. “Where’s the Kid?”
“Don’t know.” You sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. “Fight last night. He left.”
“Garcia told me that you guys might be having some issues?” You sighed, nodding. “Why didn’t you call? I don’t live that far.”
“You have a family of your own to worry about.” You reach out and gave his cheek a loving pat. “Thank you for coming, but I can take care of my relationship issues.”
“Oh I’m not here because of your relationship.” He help up his phone and it took a moment for your eyes to adjust. “I’m here because I got an event reminder on my phone about a certain genius’ birthday party tonight and I came to see if his lady needed any help with set up.”
“I forgot about his party tonight!” You scrolled through the notifications on your phone, noticing the multiple messages asking if the party was still on. “Spencer hates parties anyway. Is it too late to cancel?”
You closed your eyes and fell back against the pillows. “Give me ten minutes to get dressed. Then we can go to Party City.”
Spencer stared at your apartment building as the sun began to set behind him. When he’d gotten the notification on his phone that morning, he’d debating calling you about it, but decided not to. He knew he was being unfair and childish, and it was time for him to face the music.
“You’ve got a real good woman up there.” Luke stepped up next to his coworker, arm linked to Penelope’s. “Don’t lose her.”
Spencer nodded and let them walk in front of him and up to your apartment. The door was slightly ajar and he could hear music and laughter coming from inside. He was hesitant to follow Penelope and Luke inside, and they were all surprised by what they saw.
There were pictures hanging all over the walls on strings of lights. Some were candids, some were posed. As the trio moved closer to the living room, the photos got more and more recent. Spencer immediately realized that they were telling a story, their story, in chronological order. Before he turned the corner to the living room, he was stopped by the photo you’d taken yesterday of him working.
All of the chatter ceased when he stepped into the room. His eyes locked onto yours quickly.
“I’d already developed them.” You explained. “I didn’t want them to go to waste. Plus, I figured if anyone saw anything they liked, they could take them. I’m sorry if you hate it. I just wanted to do something special, I’m sorry.”
Spencer’s heart ached as his eyes swept the room. There were bigger prints framed around the room, primarily featuring him. Guilt filled his chest and he had tears in his eyes as he realized just how talented you were. Before today, you very rarely showed the pictures that you took, for fear that they weren’t as good as you thought them to be.
“I need some air.” You whispered before he could say anything, stepping away from the group and out onto the balcony.
“I’m an asshole.” His voice cracked as he looked at the team.
“Only if you stay in here.” Spencer gave Will a nod and quickly followed you out into the brisk October air.
You heard him come out. “I’m sorry if you hate it. I’ll take them all down before the night is over.”
“Don’t.” You turned to him and his heart broke when he noticed that you’d been crying. “Don’t take them down. They’re so beautiful.”
“No, you were right.” You shivered slightly, wrapping your arms around yourself. “It’s stupid and irritating.”
He stepped close and pulled you into him. “No I wasn’t. I was upset and being a jerk. What you’ve done tonight shows beauty and talent and dedication and I’m the world’s biggest idiot for not seeing that. Nothing I could ever say or do will ever being able to convey just how sorry I am for what I said to you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide who you are from me.”
You relaxed into him, wrapping your arms around his waist.
“I love you so much.” He kissed the top of your head as you gently swayed together.
You could have stayed there forever, but you heard the balcony door slide open a few minutes later. You both turned to see Matt standing there with a small smile.
“Were you guys planning on freezing out here or were you coming back to the party?” You both laughed.
“Give us a second.” Spencer turned back to you and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. “Thank you for my party.”
“I can’t take all the credit. Derek came and lit a fire under my ass this morning.”
“Maybe I should go in and thank him.” You laughed as your boyfriend wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. He lead you back into your apartment, where your friends were dancing around playfully.
As the night wound down, you gave everyone a tour through the photos. It helped that Spencer had an eidetic memory as he helped to fill in any story gaps that you might have missed. Everyone shared a moment of silence for Hotch, who had taken Jack on vacation a few days ago and therefore was unable to make it to the party. By the end of the night, half of your photos had disappeared.
“This party was beautiful,” JJ said as she hugged you at the door.
“The photos were amazing.” Will pressed a soft kiss to your cheek before shaking Spencer’s hand. “Might have to hire you to get some shots of the boys.”
You leaned into your boyfriend as the last of your friends left. He tried to lead you to bed, but you stopped him.
“I got you a gift, but I wanted to wait until we were alone to give it to you.” You stepped into the closet and retrieved the neatly wrapped book. Hesitantly, you handed it to him.
He very carefully unwrapped it. On the cover was the same photo of the two of you that sat on his desk, a golden SR engraved on the bottom right corner. He slowly flipped through the pages that were filled with photos of the two of you. There was small accent and captions on some of the pictures. He didn’t realize he’d been crying until a tear dropped onto the laminate page.
“This is beautiful.” He whispered as you sat next to him.
“You know what they say.” You reached up to stroke his cheek and he leaned into your hand. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
