It started out as a joke. You and Spencer had been best friends for years, the kind of friendship that stretched all the way back to high school. He had always been the serious one—sharp, bookish, slightly awkward—while you were the easygoing type, rolling with life as if it never weighed too heavy.

That night, Garcia had dared you to join in at a charity costume event. You weren’t much for dares, but the look on Spencer’s face—half amused, half curious—was enough to tip you over. So you went along with it, slipping into something entirely out of character: a dress, makeup, the whole bit.

When you walked into the room, laughter rippled through the team, lighthearted and playful. But Spencer… he froze.

He didn’t laugh, didn’t tease. He just stared, wide-eyed, like he was seeing you for the first time. You raised an eyebrow, grinning as you struck a mock pose. “What? Do I look that good, Reid?”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “You look…” He trailed off, and his voice softened in a way you weren’t expecting. “Incredible.”

It was supposed to be a one-time thing. A silly dare, a memory to file under “funny stories.” But the way Spencer looked at you lingered. Even days later, he couldn’t shake it. He caught himself remembering the curve of your smile under the smeared lipstick, the playful glint in your eyes, the way you carried yourself with that same easygoing confidence—but somehow transformed.

And somewhere between all that remembering, he realized something he’d never let himself think before. He’d been your best friend for years, but in that fleeting night, he’d fallen completely, absurdly in love with you.

The problem was, you weren’t planning to do it again.

“It was just for fun, Spence,” you said one evening, lounging on his couch, the same chilled-out energy you always carried. “You don’t actually want me to make a habit of it.”

He tried to hide the disappointment in his expression, but you knew him too well. You tilted your head, studying him with curiosity “Wait… do you?”

Spencer hesitated, then exhaled, honesty spilling out of him in that blunt way he had when his guard finally cracked. “I don’t care about the clothes. Or the dare. Or any of it. I just realized that night what I should’ve known all along.” His gaze found yours, unwavering. “I’m in love with you.”