EASE - troye sivan

"Stop fussing! I'm almost done." It was true; I was almost at the end of the braid. Reid ignored me and continued fidgeting.

"Your hair is so soft," I mused quietly.

"Thanks?" I laughed. We were alone in the conference room, waiting for JJ and the rest of the team. Reid sat on a chair while I sat on the table, him facing away from me. My legs straddled his chair, feet dangling.

"So that's where you kids are," Rossi chuckled as he peered into the room.

"Just waiting for JJ," I said. Embarrassed, I let go of Reid's hair.

"Don't stop," Reid said, "It feels nice." I smiled and let my fingers tangled once more in his waves. From the doorway, Rossi contemplated us.

"JJ and Hotch will be ready in 5 minutes," he said and stepped back out.

"Thanks!" I called after him.

Play with Reid's hair was deeply therapeutic. I could focus on nothing else but his brunette locks, forget the endless stream of case files, crime scene photos, and physical evidence.

"You should charge for this," Reid said, leaning his head back into my lap. I giggled like a middle schooler.

"I'm serious."

"I'm just messing around," I said. My heart glowed like a low wattage bulb.

"Yeah, but you do it a particular way. You're good with your hands." He made a vague gesture in front of him, flourishing his fingers.
I ran one hand through his hair and he made a quiet sound akin to a purr.

"Now you're just fanning my ego," I complained.

"Never. Do you think I should get a haircut?" he asked.

"I like it this length." Just then I heard the rest of the team walking up the stairs. Quickly, I slid off the table and into the seat next to Reid. Reid has just finished turning his chair around when Morgan entered the room.

"Why do I get the feeling I almost caught you two in the act?" Morgan said with an eyebrow raised. Prentiss, Rossi, Hotch, and JJ filtered in behind him.

"What act?" Reid asked.

"I don't know. You tell me," Morgan teased. I rolled my eyes. It was only when Rossi winked at me that I felt myself blush.

"Kensington, New Hampshire," JJ began.

"He's carving bible verses into their stomach?" Prentiss asked with marked disgust. I knew she a particular distrust of certain religious institutions. I couldn't imagine this helped.

"Thessalonians 1:8. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus," Reid recited thoughtfully. I couldn't help but stare when he was like this, so unbelievably smart but casual. No sense of superiority. I watched his lips move. The way his eyes slipped slightly out of focus when he recalled something he had read or heard was fascinating.

"Deuteronomy 32:35. It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."

"They're all about revenge," I supplied.

"Revenge? Could it be a female unsub?" Prentiss asked.

"Or a vigilante," Hotch said.

"How are there this many people connected to the church in a 15-mile radius?" I asked, lolling my head back in frustration.

"Kensington is a religious city," Reid replied. It was just the two of us. That seemed to be happening with increasing frequency; Hotch would send Prentiss and Morgan off in one direction, take Rossi with him in another, and Reid and I would end up together.

"You're not religious, right?" I asked.

"No, why?"

"I was just wondering. I still feel like there's so much I don't know about you." He chuckled.
We sat side by side at a table filled with lists of names and background checks.

"I'm serious! Tell me a secret," I requested.

"What?" he furrowed his eyebrows, "You can't just demand a secret."

"I just did." I leaned back in my chair and put my feet in Reid's lap. He gave me a look that said "Really? Now?"

"Cmon. Two minutes. We're down to like a hundred names. This will give us fresh eyes." He was doing a bad job suppressing a smile.
"You first," he commanded.

"Um... Okay, this is a bad one, so you can't tell anyone." I held out my pinky. He looked at it, confused.

"Pinky promise?" I pushed.

"Oh." He chuckled at my absurdity. Then he intertwined his pinky finger with mine and let it drop.

"Okay, so one time, this guy asked me out. And I didn't want to go out with him. So, I told him I could go out with him because I was going to become a nun." Reid stared at me with a grin on his face.

"I couldn't think of anything! He wouldn't leave me alone!" He just shook his head in disbelief.

"Spencer, say something."

"A nun?"

"Mhm."

"Did it work?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

"Stop looking at me like that!" He laughed.

"Now it's your turn." He paused to think and I caught myself staring at him. He was so cute when he was lost in concentration.

"Okay. When I was six years old I stole a book from the bookstore. I was so upset about it that I walked three miles back just to return it." Just like that, I was lost. I couldn't stop laughing.

"Oh my god! Spencer Reid, you're a criminal!" I managed between giggles.

"I was six!" he said defensively, "And I gave it back." I stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To get a cup of tea."

"Grab me one?"

"Sorry. Tea is only for law-abiding citizens." By the time I returned with two mugs of tea, Reid had figured out our top suspect.

"What'd I say?" I teased, handing him a mug, "Fresh eyes."