Z is for Zenith
Title: Z is for Zenith
Pairing: Elle/Reid
Rating: PG13
Summary: "Getting stranded in the lost scene from Deliverance wasn't really what I had in mind to ring in the new year."
Warnings: Language. Silliness. Softer!Elle (sort of?) Obscure, barely-there use of the prompt? ;)
Notes: More Alphabet Meme-age, courtesy of the fabulous kuriadalmatia. This was fun! And silly. But time-of-year appropriate, damnit!
"I can't fucking believe this. I can't. First, we end up in the middle of Buttfuck, South Carolina on New Year's Eve. Because God knows there's nothing I'd rather be doing than chasing some psychotic douchebag through a swamp tonight, right? It's not like I had plans. And -- and! -- not only do we not find one single iota of useful information after seven hours of driving around without any radio station other than fucking banjos because the Bureau's too cheap to install a goddamn CD player, but now the fucking engine's overheated an hour and a half away from anything resembling civilization? Really? Really, Reid? Just shoot me. Please. Be a doll and put me out of my misery. I'd do it myself, but my hand's fucking numb from driving, and I'd probably just shoot out a tire instead. And then we'd be even more fucked." Elle leaned heavily against the side of the SUV and closed her eyes, her mouth clamped tight in frustration. "What the hell time is it?"
Reid checked his watch. "Eleven forty-six."
"Fantastic. Hey, grab the champagne out of the back, would you? Oh, wait. Nevermind." She opened her eyes to find him looking at her, the corner of his mouth quirked up into a lopsided smile. "What?"
"You're funny."
"Oh. Well. I'm glad someone's laughing."
"What were your plans?" He leaned against the door beside her, shoving his hands into his pockets and watching her sidelong from the corner of his eye.
Elle sighed. "I dunno. Go out? Get hammered? Stick my tongue down some over-cologned, overgrown frat-boy's throat?" She laughed. "Anything other than this, basically. Getting stranded in the lost scene from Deliverance wasn't really what I had in mind to ring in the new year."
"Oh."
She turned to look at him, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Why? You have something better?"
Reid shrugged. "No, not really."
Elle tapped the bottle of water she was holding against one thigh and watched him for a moment. "Did you have anything at all?"
"No."
"Why not?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess I'm not really the party type. You know, my mom, she always told me that whatever you're doing at midnight, you'll be doing all year long, so... she always read to me. Or had me read to her. Something that was good for my brain." He smiled a little. "So I guess I just kept up the tradition."
Elle smiled back, her features going soft, and handed him the water. He unscrewed the top and took a swig.
"You think that's true?" she asked.
"That whatever you do at midnight, you'll do all year?"
"Yeah."
Reid shook his head and handed the bottle back. "No. I think that what you're doing at midnight, you're doing at midnight."
"I hope you're right," Elle said, staring out at the empty road. "Because doing this all year would fucking suck."
"Well. Has it been your experience that you..." He paused for a second, taking the time to recall her words. "Stick your tongue down the throats of over-cologned, overgrown frat-boys all year long?" Reid bit down on his lip, holding back his grin.
Elle raised her eyebrows and angled her body towards him. "Maybe. What's it to you, Doctor Reid?"
"Nothing. I was just collecting anecdotal data."
"You're an asshole," she laughed, taking another sip of her water. "Not to mention jealous."
"What? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, please. You couldn't volunteer fast enough for this little road trip after Hotch dumped it on me." She cocked her head in challenge.
"That's because I thought I could extract some useful..."
"Give me a break," she interrupted. "The only thing you wanted to extract was my pants."
"What? No! That doesn't even make sense. You don't extract pants. And believe me, extracting pants is never really something I plan for. Besides!" He tapped his fingers against the door. "I'm pretty sure you just sexually harassed me."
"Maybe that's your problem," Elle mused.
"That you're sexually harassing me? I'm pretty sure that's going to be your problem, once I go through the proper chain of command." Reid smiled again, but even in the darkness, Elle could see the color in his cheeks.
"No," she countered. "Your problem is that you never plan to take anybody's pants off."
"Well. I mean... anytime it's happened, it's just sort of... happened. So how is that a problem?"
He was talking faster now, tapping his foot nervously against the dirt, and Elle watched him with a smirk. "Just sort of happened, huh?"
"Sexual harassment. This is definitely sexual harassment."
"When is the last time it just sort of happened, then?" she asked, ignoring him and biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
"I don't have to answer that!"
"No, you don't. Answer this instead," she said, leaning towards him and looking up at the sky. "What constellation is that?"
Reid's eyes followed her finger. "That cluster of stars right there? Directly overhead? The ones in the triangular pattern?" His face relaxed, glad for the distraction.
"Mmmhmm." Elle leaned closer and nodded.
"Perseus. See that star right there? The brightest one?"
"Yes."
"That's Algol. It's a binary star, which means that there's a dimmer star revolving around a brighter one. When the dimmer one crosses in front of the brighter one, its magnitude increases, so it looks like it's winking. See?"
"Mmmhmm." Elle glanced down towards his wrist, checking the time. "Hey, Reid?"
"What's up?" he asked, looking down to find her smiling mischievously up at him.
"Five... four...three..."
"What?"
"Two... one..." Elle dropped her water bottle, leaned up onto her toes and locked her fingers behind his neck. His eyes went wide and he froze in place as she brought her mouth to his and pressed their lips together, soft, a laugh building up inside of her throat as her kiss connected.
For a second, he didn't move, but then he felt the breath from her laugh against his skin, the ridge of her teeth against his lower lip, the soft press of her body, and he opened his mouth to let her in.
"Happy New Year," she whispered after a moment, gentle and teasing, touching her cheek against his.
"Yeah," Reid said, half-mystified, half-awed, licking his still-parted lips.
"Could be worse, right?" she said. "At least you don't smell like Old Spice and Jack."
"You did that on purpose," he said suddenly, staring at her and shaking his head.
"Did what?"
"Asked me a question to divert my attention!"
"And you fell for it, Doctor," she said with a grin. "No matter how smart you think you are, you're all the same. Here." She leaned up and swiped the pad of her finger across his mouth. "Lipstick. You're pretty enough for it, but I don't know that it's really your shade."
"Thanks." He paused for a moment, watching her, before asking, "Why did you...?"
Elle shrugged her shoulders and reached down to retrieve her water. "I dunno. I guess it just sort of happened." She winked at him.
"... Yeah. Should we..."
"Do it again?" Elle interrupted. She glanced down at his watch again. "Yeah. I think so. We've got plenty of time."
Pairing: Elle/Reid
Rating: PG13
Summary: "Getting stranded in the lost scene from Deliverance wasn't really what I had in mind to ring in the new year."
Warnings: Language. Silliness. Softer!Elle (sort of?) Obscure, barely-there use of the prompt? ;)
Notes: More Alphabet Meme-age, courtesy of the fabulous kuriadalmatia. This was fun! And silly. But time-of-year appropriate, damnit!
"I can't fucking believe this. I can't. First, we end up in the middle of Buttfuck, South Carolina on New Year's Eve. Because God knows there's nothing I'd rather be doing than chasing some psychotic douchebag through a swamp tonight, right? It's not like I had plans. And -- and! -- not only do we not find one single iota of useful information after seven hours of driving around without any radio station other than fucking banjos because the Bureau's too cheap to install a goddamn CD player, but now the fucking engine's overheated an hour and a half away from anything resembling civilization? Really? Really, Reid? Just shoot me. Please. Be a doll and put me out of my misery. I'd do it myself, but my hand's fucking numb from driving, and I'd probably just shoot out a tire instead. And then we'd be even more fucked." Elle leaned heavily against the side of the SUV and closed her eyes, her mouth clamped tight in frustration. "What the hell time is it?"
Reid checked his watch. "Eleven forty-six."
"Fantastic. Hey, grab the champagne out of the back, would you? Oh, wait. Nevermind." She opened her eyes to find him looking at her, the corner of his mouth quirked up into a lopsided smile. "What?"
"You're funny."
"Oh. Well. I'm glad someone's laughing."
"What were your plans?" He leaned against the door beside her, shoving his hands into his pockets and watching her sidelong from the corner of his eye.
Elle sighed. "I dunno. Go out? Get hammered? Stick my tongue down some over-cologned, overgrown frat-boy's throat?" She laughed. "Anything other than this, basically. Getting stranded in the lost scene from Deliverance wasn't really what I had in mind to ring in the new year."
"Oh."
She turned to look at him, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Why? You have something better?"
Reid shrugged. "No, not really."
Elle tapped the bottle of water she was holding against one thigh and watched him for a moment. "Did you have anything at all?"
"No."
"Why not?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess I'm not really the party type. You know, my mom, she always told me that whatever you're doing at midnight, you'll be doing all year long, so... she always read to me. Or had me read to her. Something that was good for my brain." He smiled a little. "So I guess I just kept up the tradition."
Elle smiled back, her features going soft, and handed him the water. He unscrewed the top and took a swig.
"You think that's true?" she asked.
"That whatever you do at midnight, you'll do all year?"
"Yeah."
Reid shook his head and handed the bottle back. "No. I think that what you're doing at midnight, you're doing at midnight."
"I hope you're right," Elle said, staring out at the empty road. "Because doing this all year would fucking suck."
"Well. Has it been your experience that you..." He paused for a second, taking the time to recall her words. "Stick your tongue down the throats of over-cologned, overgrown frat-boys all year long?" Reid bit down on his lip, holding back his grin.
Elle raised her eyebrows and angled her body towards him. "Maybe. What's it to you, Doctor Reid?"
"Nothing. I was just collecting anecdotal data."
"You're an asshole," she laughed, taking another sip of her water. "Not to mention jealous."
"What? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, please. You couldn't volunteer fast enough for this little road trip after Hotch dumped it on me." She cocked her head in challenge.
"That's because I thought I could extract some useful..."
"Give me a break," she interrupted. "The only thing you wanted to extract was my pants."
"What? No! That doesn't even make sense. You don't extract pants. And believe me, extracting pants is never really something I plan for. Besides!" He tapped his fingers against the door. "I'm pretty sure you just sexually harassed me."
"Maybe that's your problem," Elle mused.
"That you're sexually harassing me? I'm pretty sure that's going to be your problem, once I go through the proper chain of command." Reid smiled again, but even in the darkness, Elle could see the color in his cheeks.
"No," she countered. "Your problem is that you never plan to take anybody's pants off."
"Well. I mean... anytime it's happened, it's just sort of... happened. So how is that a problem?"
He was talking faster now, tapping his foot nervously against the dirt, and Elle watched him with a smirk. "Just sort of happened, huh?"
"Sexual harassment. This is definitely sexual harassment."
"When is the last time it just sort of happened, then?" she asked, ignoring him and biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
"I don't have to answer that!"
"No, you don't. Answer this instead," she said, leaning towards him and looking up at the sky. "What constellation is that?"
Reid's eyes followed her finger. "That cluster of stars right there? Directly overhead? The ones in the triangular pattern?" His face relaxed, glad for the distraction.
"Mmmhmm." Elle leaned closer and nodded.
"Perseus. See that star right there? The brightest one?"
"Yes."
"That's Algol. It's a binary star, which means that there's a dimmer star revolving around a brighter one. When the dimmer one crosses in front of the brighter one, its magnitude increases, so it looks like it's winking. See?"
"Mmmhmm." Elle glanced down towards his wrist, checking the time. "Hey, Reid?"
"What's up?" he asked, looking down to find her smiling mischievously up at him.
"Five... four...three..."
"What?"
"Two... one..." Elle dropped her water bottle, leaned up onto her toes and locked her fingers behind his neck. His eyes went wide and he froze in place as she brought her mouth to his and pressed their lips together, soft, a laugh building up inside of her throat as her kiss connected.
For a second, he didn't move, but then he felt the breath from her laugh against his skin, the ridge of her teeth against his lower lip, the soft press of her body, and he opened his mouth to let her in.
"Happy New Year," she whispered after a moment, gentle and teasing, touching her cheek against his.
"Yeah," Reid said, half-mystified, half-awed, licking his still-parted lips.
"Could be worse, right?" she said. "At least you don't smell like Old Spice and Jack."
"You did that on purpose," he said suddenly, staring at her and shaking his head.
"Did what?"
"Asked me a question to divert my attention!"
"And you fell for it, Doctor," she said with a grin. "No matter how smart you think you are, you're all the same. Here." She leaned up and swiped the pad of her finger across his mouth. "Lipstick. You're pretty enough for it, but I don't know that it's really your shade."
"Thanks." He paused for a moment, watching her, before asking, "Why did you...?"
Elle shrugged her shoulders and reached down to retrieve her water. "I dunno. I guess it just sort of happened." She winked at him.
"... Yeah. Should we..."
"Do it again?" Elle interrupted. She glanced down at his watch again. "Yeah. I think so. We've got plenty of time."