Tea For Two

[Reid Chase]

Having spent the morning of her day off doing nothing but lazing around the house without anybody around, Reid began to feel restless by mid day. She decided to bring Shep out for a run and by the time she got home, it wasn't even close to dinner time. The redhead then decided to go to sleep because there was nothing else to do.

She felt like she had only gone to sleep for half an hour when she was woken up by a heavy vibration from her phone, signaling a text coming in. Through heavy lidded eyes, she read the message and scrambled to get out of bed when she realised that the message from Corey actually came in at five in the evening and it was already seven. She had less than an hour to get things ready for Corey coming over. She ended up making a simple baked pasta with broccoli and some minced meat.

It seemed rather domestic of her, she thought to herself, as she packed a to go box for Ezra and set it aside for later. She went up to shower, not bothering with the door, knowing Corey had the keys. Briefly, she wondered where Bell had gone before she stepped into a loose black tee with pajama pants. Probably not the look most ladies sported in anticipation for their significant other but Corey knew what he signed up for. She went down the stairs, sliding down the banister for the few bottom steps, landing on her feet and holding up her hand to an invisible crowd.

"Thank you, oh thank you."

Tagged: Corey Spencer

[Corey Spencer]

Rare was the moment the fates aligned and Corey was able to get any sort of time during one of his shifts. No, he wasn't supposed to be stopping by Reid's place for a bite to eat and to spend time with the woman he assumed by now was safe to call his girlfriend. They'd been together long enough to drop any pretenses of being just 'friends with benefits'.

Upon making his way in through the front door, Corey caught sight of the slender, alabaster skinned woman sliding down the railing of the staircase. A smirk touched his lips as she landed and threw here arms up like she'd just won gold in the strangest Olympic event ever. "A little rough on the landing, that'll cost you." He said, giving a slow clap while he closed the distance between the two of them. "How was your day?" He asked, leaning in and placing a short kiss upon Reid's lips before turning toward the kitchen, which had become their usual place for social gathering.

[Reid Chase]

Her smile widened when she saw her...significant other walk through the door, smirking at his response. She accepted the kiss and followed him to the kitchen, maneuvering herself around the large man so she could get the food from the oven to place it on the kitchen table.

Corey knew to set the table up himself so she grabbed the pot of freshly brewed coffee and set to pour it out into the mugs that had flown on to the table a second earlier.

"It was boring. But...at the same time I couldn't help but notice how at peace I was. Which was sort of...weird." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug before sitting on the opposite side of Corey. She scooped out the food for him, landing a massive heap on his plate before doing the same for herself.

"You want hot sauce?" She asked before summoning the bottle over anyway. "What hour are you on now? Is the kid waiting outside?"

[Corey Spencer]

Corey wasn't the kind of person who would write sonnets to his love or get that overwhelming sense of giddiness every time he was around them. A romantic, Corey Spencer was not. And yet Reid had, in many ways, made him want to be more the type. There was no denying the years had slowly, but surely fostered something loving, adoring and strong between them. He hardly believed himself ready to declare his undying love for the blue eyed redhead but that didn't mean he didn't appreciate every moment he got to spend with her.

Reid's answer to Corey's caused his brow to furrow and he glanced up to her, head tilting curiously. "How so?" He asked in reference to her reply to his initial question. Given how tumultuous things had been around Kalispell, the Academy and everywhere, really, that Reid had managed to find some sense of peace at work, no less, was something worthy of exploring.

The big man waved a hand, dismissing the question of hot sauce before taking up a fork and going at the plate of food Reid had placed in front of him. "Nine more hours to go." Corey answered before smirking and turning his eyes back to Reid. "Yeah. He's talking to his girlfriend before he takes a nap, the usual." Corey chuckled softly. "I swear if I let him he'd talk to her his entire shift."

[Reid Chase]

The follow up question got Reid shrugging. "It was my day off and all I had to think of was to get Shep out of the house. Used the back road. No one was around. It was nice." She smiled, a hint of contentment in the smile. She was actually glad that in the din and chaos of what had happened and is continually happening, she could still find solace in the smallest of things.

Snorting at the mushy kid she had actually grown to adore like a kid brother, she shook his head at how much of a hopeless romantic he was. She was surprised anyone could really handle how mushy he was. Although given Alex's nature, or at least what she had been exposed to during all the cookouts (and there have been oh so many), it shouldn't have come as a surprise. That being said, it was sweet the way they were both so into each other. Even after so many years. It did give her a pang of jealousy and bitterness given how she had sort of had that with...

Her eyes met with Corey's and she made herself stop thinking about her past. There was nothing in her past that helped her present, except her present company. They may not have exchanged platitudes of love just yet but in that moment, and whenever she was with the darker-skinned mutant, Reid could not have been more content.

"He's like a puppy, that one." She chuckled and started eating. "The Millers invited us to have brunch next weekend. I uh...bumped into Greg at the store earlier. Tell me we have a cookout next weekend?"

[Corey Spencer]

A thin smile touched Corey's lips as Reid spoke. It seemed as though these moments of peace for her had been so few and far between over the years. That she managed to find one so recently was a source of comfort for him. Reid, he felt, deserved peace of mind given all she'd endured not only in the line of duty but also within her personal life. That he was a small piece of her ability to cope and move on was something he held as a badge of honor as she'd done much the same for him when it came to escaping the demons of his own past.

"He is." Corey nodded curtly. There was no denying the stark contrast that could be seen between the big man and his partner. The younger mutant had a sort of wide eyed wonder in which he viewed the world while Corey held onto a certain amount of jaded cynicism that could only come from having born witness to some of the most abhorrent acts humanity could perform against itself. "Yes." He confirmed with a nod before taking a short sip from his coffee. "Rain or shine, as Miller says." He let out a light chuckle at that one. "If all goes well I'll be able to get a nap in before it starts."

[Reid Chase]

If Reid found out that Corey thought he was just a small piece to her recovery over the years, she would have proven him wrong. Corey had played the biggest part, after Sam, something Reid could not be grateful enough for. He stuck by her for so long and for what reason? Because he was a good guy.

She pulled the mug up in both hands, reveling in the warmth as she held it to her cheek to warm them up. Her thermostat was up but it still didn't really cut the chill. An affectionate smile came across the redhead's face. She had grown quite fond of the younger mutant and his girlfriend. They were adorable, nauseatingly so.

Chuckling at Corey's statement along with him, Reid put down her mug once she was warmed up enough to continue eating. "Sounds good." She reached a hand out, almost subconsciously, to squeeze Corey's hand before she withdrew it to tuck on her lap.

"Will you be coming over here after your shift ends or going back home?"

[Corey Spencer]

Corey's hand twisted, turning upward to welcome the brief yet affectionate gesture from the redhead sitting across the table. His fingers closed around her slender hand, thumb running gently across Reid's alabaster skin. He appreciated these less than hectic moments as he was sure Reid did as well. He found it amusing that the two of them had done more talk within the last year of his partner's relationship with the tiny, redheaded girl than their own.

"I'll shoot you a message when I get out, see if you're still up." Though Corey doubted that would be the case. He still had a ways to go before his shift ended and even then there was always extra work that needed to be done before he could call it a night. That still hadn't stopped him from coming by and crawling into bed to savor a few, short hours of the early morning before Reid usually had to get up herself to go to work. "But you know how things go." He said with a resigned sigh. "I could finish at midnight but not be done until four."

[Reid Chase]

It was these little affectionate gestures that Reid had come to appreciate from Corey. The man was stoic, of that everyone could be sure of, but in the quiet moments where it was just the two of them, Reid had come to expect the affection that came with this unexplainable emotion from Corey. Or...for him. She was entirely certain that she was in love with the man sitting across from her but she knew if she allowed herself to say it out loud, the chances of him running off would be too damn high.

And she wanted him to stay.

Reid nodded, although she also doubted she would be up by the time Corey came over from his shift. "I do. Who woulda thought that I had better timing for this when I was just a grunt." She joked. She scooped more of her food into her mouth and stole a quick glance over to the bigger mutant.

"Oh...Sam says hi. Their kid is growing bigger by the day. I might go upstate to visit them later next month for his birthday. Haven't seen them in a while." Reid explained. Sam and Ellis had moved away from Montana a couple of years ago but Reid had kept in contact with Sam. It was funny that Reid and Sam had kept in contact a lot more frequently now that they were apart than they did when they were in the same station. Absence did make the heart grow fonder, it seemed. "Do you wanna come?"

[Corey Spencer]

Corey nodded again and leaned back in his chair. There had been few connections made over the years between himself and those around him but he was well aware of the fondness Reid carried for a handful of her co-workers. He didn't know the officer in question though he'd heard a great deal about her. Anyway, he suspected there was more to Reid's offer than simply taking a trip up North to visit someone's kid he didn't know and any time he could spend with the redhead outside of work was welcome.

"Get me the dates and I'll see what I can do when I get back to the station. It shouldn't be to hard to some time off." He replied with a nod before he lifted his gaze from the food in front of him and focused upon the woman across the table. He studied her a moment before a thin smile came to his lips and he dropped his gaze. It was a simple gesture but one that spoke volumes. "If I get out before it's time for you to get up for work I'll come by." He added quietly.

[Reid Chase]

Reid smiled lightly at his positive response. It was good to hear that Corey was still an active participant in this relationship. Yes, they were still far from having an actual relationship that both could comfortably call something, but they had come such a long way from Reid's mistrust of people as a whole. It meant a great deal to her that Corey was a perfect example of someone she could trust.

The look Corey gave her made Reid heat up slightly. It always made her feel a little embarrassed about being looked at, especially when there was a whole other intent behind it that had nothing to do with sex. She had to admit though, coming from Corey, it made it a little less awkward.

She smiled once he dropped his gaze before giving him a small sound of acknowledgement. "Do you think the kid would want to come in? Or are you comfortable letting him freeze to death outside?" She teased, though Corey would know that she was only asking to be polite. She wanted Corey to herself.

[Corey Spencer]

Corey chuckled and shook his head. The plate in front of him, which he'd steadily been attacking throughout their conversation was now empty and he leaned back in the chair and brought the coffee mug closer. "Nah. If he's not still talking to his girl he's taking a nap. We've got a few hours before we can head back to the station." Corey answered as he lifted the mug and took a short sip.

"How about Bell?" Corey asked, chuckling lightly. "She hasn't complained about my showing up at all hours of the morning yet, has she?"

[Reid Chase]

Nodding at the confirmation, Reid continued to eat. Finding Corey's plate empty, the redhead asked. "You want more? I packed a bit for the kid already so if you want, you can finish this up."

The question had Reid chuckling lightly. "You know how she is. Even if you trampled through with elephants and a six man band at three in the morning, she still wouldn't complain. She's a saint, that one." Reid responded before frowning. "I haven't seen her all day today though. I wonder where she is." She got up and went to where her phone was charging and she pulled out the cord to go back to the table, shooting a text to the younger woman before sitting back down.

"You know she hasn't been herself lately, I'm getting kind of worried."

[Corey Spencer]

Corey politely waved a hand to decline Reid's offer. The last thing he needed with hours left in his shift was to eat too much and be sluggish and tired the rest of the night. Anyway, time was a precious commodity these days and the clock was ticking down the last few minutes he'd get to spend with Reid. Eating just felt like a distraction from the redhead.

"Really?" The big man's head tilted curiously at Reid's reply. He let the not so inaccurate joke slide and, instead, focused on the potentially worrisome part. "Is everything okay? What's been going on?" He asked. Corey didn't know Bell nearly as well as her roommate, obviously, but he still held a certain soft spot for the petite redhead. She was a sweet, kind hearted soul in a harsh, unforgiving world, something Corey believed mankind could use more of.

[Reid Chase]

She looked up at Corey once the message was sent and nodded, sliding the phone to the side before leaning against the chair. She didn't actually know if anything was really up. The younger redhead internalised a lot of her problems but Reid did realise that the girl hadn't really done much of anything besides work and coming home.

"I'm not entirely sure. She just hasn't been as chatty. She sleeps early, goes out for work early and on the weekends, we don't really spend that much time together. I'm gonna try talking to her when she comes back." She got up again, grabbing the empty plates to wash up, pressing her lips on top of Corey's head when she passed to the sink.

"Why don't you go to the living room and get comfortable. You should nap a bit if you can." She said over her shoulder as she started washing the dishes.