Spencer knew it was a mistake. The first night, letting himself get entwined, subsequently attached, which he undoubtedly knew was miles upon miles far from the forefront of your mind. Yet, he acquiesced his destined imprisonment, confining to your crude ideology of “friends with benefits”.

The benefits were fleeting, momentary divineness heaven could never parallel, ephemeral bliss brimmed with unbridled dismissed affection. His love wasn’t an afterthought, disregarded and overshadowed by a proclaimed role of friendship. Once prided on being a friend to you, the word now felt bitter and hateful, a nagging torment of the box he was sealed in.

It’d happened months ago, a grueling case, mutilated remains, devoid of a shred of evidence. Weeks of unforgiving pressure and work came to a messy close but it was done. Spencer had found himself in your room, seeking solace from a friend but need overpowered comfort and he ended in your sheets, limbs entangled as the night wore on.

It became a pattern, one he favoured and despised, trapped in a narrative he wished to disobey but the moments with you, no matter how short-lived, made it worth it.

It disrupted his conscious, his mind distant as he futilely worked on paperwork from the team’s last case, eyes darting to your desk periodically to watch the furrow in your brows as you worked — the way you leaned your head into your hand, supporting the weight just to keep it from hitting the desk in exhaustion, the downward twitch of your lips as you reviewed the horrors of the case, the way the fluorescent lights danced across your skin…

His mind remained a whirlwind as he returned to his vacant apartment, silence overwhelming in contrast to the screaming in his head, though everything dimmed as the agonizingly familiar rhythmic knocking hit his door. He messily adjusted his attire and hurriedly yanked the door open, schooled expression melting as he found you teary-eyed at his door, unmistakably positive pregnancy test hidden from his eyes — such a small item bound to alter the entire course of his life.

“Are you okay?” Spencer asked softly, gentle hands landing on your arms to lead you inside his apartment. “What happened?” he went on, biting his tongue to keep from flooding you with concerned questions.