Chapter Text
Spencer had a problem. Well not a problem really. Just a minor annoyance that crept up on him and seemed to hover over his shoulder every time he came to work. It was really more of a distraction than anything else. He had a crush.
This really shouldn’t have been a big deal. He’d dealt with this before when he worked with his best friend Derek Morgan. The only issue was he was having a much harder time keeping his attraction a secret when he wasn’t in denial about his feelings.
Luke was just so… nice. He listened to Spencer without making jokes or comments and he was fiercely loyal, for someone he’d only known a few months, as Spencer had found out while in prison. Luke threatened someone for him, and Spencer had no idea how to thank him for that. Luckily, Luke never expected anything in return and was so kind and gentle with Spencer after he was released. His looks didn’t hurt either…
Spencer felt a tap on his shoulder and his head shot up out of the file he was failing to fill out. Speak of the devil.
“Hey Spence, you doing okay? I noticed you’ve been staring at that file for a while.” Luke was leaning casually against Spencer’s desk, smiling, although there was a tenseness around his eyes that betrayed his worry.
“Huh? Oh yeah I’m fine, just thinking.”
Luke pushed the sleeve of his dress shirt up and looked at his watch. “You know, it is pretty late. I could drive you home if you want?”
Spencer would have loved to spend more time with Luke, but didn’t want to cut into his Wednesday night. “Oh no, you don’t have to do that…”
“Hey, it’s no problem. We could even stop to grab a bite to eat on the way if you’re not busy.”
Spencer couldn’t help the mild blush that rose to his cheeks, but he smiled regardless and responded, “that sounds nice Luke, if you don’t have any plans.”
“Nope, it's just going to be takeout at home for me otherwise.” As Spencer put his coat on, Luke reached down to pick Spencer’s bag up and hand it to him, a small gesture that flustered Spencer all the same.
The two went to Luke’s car, a blue Subaru kept in pristine condition, and left the office. The drive was spent chatting about work and anything interesting in their daily lives. It was friendly and light, something Spencer never took for granted with all the negativity that seemed to follow their team, and especially him, around.
They pulled up to a little diner that the team visited frequently, as they were open late and generally weren’t too busy. Luke held the door open for Spencer, and they found a booth in a secluded back corner. The place was old and worn, but definitely clean, which was a must for Spencer. He leaned back in his seat and stretched, fighting off a yawn.
“Have you been sleeping okay? Still having nightmares?” Asked Luke, studying Spencer’s face carefully.
“Ah well, I’ve been sleeping a bit better. The nightmares are still there, but I’ve been talking through it in therapy.” Spencer grimaced. “It’s not been fun, but I am getting better. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Luke’s shoulders relaxed and he smiled. “Of course I’ll worry about you, but I’m glad things are looking up.”
The atmosphere was light between the two men, and Spencer felt himself becoming more relaxed every minute. While it was true that he was doing better, he’d only gotten out of prison less than 6 months ago, and he was still dealing with the trauma of that entire ordeal. He was getting back into a routine and trying to include his friends in his life more, but he knew they noticed him struggling. He just wasn’t the same person anymore, but he was trying to accept this new version of himself.
“Hey, you still okay there, Spence?” Luke once again looked worried, and Spencer regretted putting that look on his face. “You got lost again.”
“I’m fine Luke, really. I was just thinking about how things are going. You know, I really appreciate how supportive you’ve been. I’m not sure I would be as okay as I am without you.”
Luke had a fond glimmer in his eye and responded, “you don’t need to thank me for anything. I care about you.”
Their waitress brought over their drinks- green tea for Spencer and Diet Coke for Luke- and took their dinner orders. Spencer was dipping the tea bag in his cup idly and decided to shift the conversation towards something lighter. “So, what have you been up to lately? Besides work, of course.”
“Oh, nothing exciting. Mostly I just try to spend time with Roxy and talk to friends and family when I get a break from work. I have been trying to get into cooking a bit too, but it’s tough with how much we’re gone for work.”
“Ah yes, that’s the eternal struggle with this job, I suppose. I couldn’t tell you how many hobbies I’ve tried out and given up on over the years.”
Luke got a small smile on his face and tapped Spencer’s foot under the table with the tip of his shoe. “Oh, I doubt that.”
Spencer frowned. “You doubt what?”
“That you couldn’t give a specific number.”
Spencer blushed and hesitated before replying, “17.”
“That is quite a few. Any interesting ones?”
“Well, I think every hobby is interesting in its own way. Did you know that there’s an ancient legend in Japan that says if you make 1000 paper cranes you’ll have a wish come true? I tried that one, but I ended up quitting at number 486. Now I just have a bag of deformed paper cranes in a bag in my closet.” Spencer looked down with a bashful smile, realizing he’d rambled. When he looked back up he was relieved to see that Luke was still smiling and hadn’t lost interest.
He was emboldened by that smile to continue. “I’ve tried a lot of things that I just wasn’t good at either. One year I got bored over Christmas vacation and decided to learn to code. On a computer. You can probably imagine how that went.”
Luke laughed. “Now that one’s hard to imagine, Mr. Technophobe.”
“Hey,” Spencer said with a smile. “I’m not afraid of technology. We just don’t necessarily mix well.” Their food was brought out, and they continued to chat while they ate.
“So why aren’t you a computer genius then?” Asked Luke, with genuine curiosity lacing his tone, which had been bordering on flirtatious until then.
“Screens give me headaches.”
Luke’s eyes crinkled as he burst into a surprised laugh. Smiling along, yet slightly confused, Spencer asked, “What’s so funny?”
“I’ve heard a lot of rumours around the office about your distaste of electronics, and none of them are that simple. Most people outside the team think it's some sort of superiority thing, I think the team just assumes you don’t know how to use them. JJ mentioned once that she remembered you using a computer on a rough case and it might be a bad association… no one guessed it was something physical.”
Spencer pondered that, but got stuck on one detail. “You guys talk about me?”
“Oh, well,” Luke’s eyes widened and he floundered for a moment. “Sometimes I guess. Not in a bad way. The team talked about you a lot when you were gone. We did it with good intentions, we missed you I guess.”
Gone. That word stuck out until- “You missed me?”
Luke appeared to be at a loss for words. “Spence… how could we not miss you? You’re kind and loyal and smart, you solve like, 80% of our cases, you’re basically the bedrock of the BAU. Of course we missed you. I missed you, and we weren’t really even friends yet.”
“Thank you, Luke. I… thank you.” Spencer frowned. “I do not solve 80% of our cases. I figure out an important detail that leads to the unsub in 56% of cases, but even then, getting to that point is a team effort.”
Luke rolled his eyes with a small smirk and laid his hand on Spencer’s forearm across the table. “I think 56% is still enough for us to notice a difference.”
“Uh, well thanks, I think.” Spencer was somewhat fixated on their point of contact, and Luke caught on and pulled away.
“Sorry, I should have asked before touching, I know you aren’t usually comfortable with that.” He looked guilty, and Spencer felt bad for making him feel that way.
Spencer’s eyes darted up seeking out eye contact. “No, no it was fine, really. It was kind of nice actually.” He bit his lip, trying to decide if he should keep explaining. “Everyone has been really nice about keeping their distance and not being physical since I came home. Which I do appreciate, but I think I’ve missed the contact a little bit. Even Penelope has only hugged me twice in the last 4 months, which I think is a record low. I definitely don’t want anyone to go overboard, but sometimes I just want to feel normal again.”
“Well, I’ll stop holding myself back so much then. Nothing crazy though, I promise.” He reached out and gave Spencer a quick squeeze on the arm, and Spencer smiled back at Luke, relieved not to be judged, but knowing deep down that was never an option.
Their meal wrapped up quickly afterwards, and they paid the bill and headed for Luke’s car. Spencer was sad their night had to end, but he was feeling tired and ready to get into bed. He’d see Luke again at work the next day, so he was able to keep his disappointment to a minimum.
The drive was quiet, and it felt like no time until Luke was parked in front of Spencer’s apartment building. Luke’s goodbye came with a shoulder pat that Spencer tried his hardest to memorize, cataloguing every point of pressure and the way his fingers rubbed slightly as he started to pull away. Luke drove off with a wave as Spencer was unlocking the front door.
Spencer climbed two flights of stairs to get himself into his apartment, locking the door behind him and leaning back against it. His head hit the wood with an audible thunk and he looked up at the ceiling. He smiled to himself.
He would have been embarrassed at how enamoured he was becoming, if Luke didn’t make it so easy.