"I don't need to listen you," he said childishly, breaking the silence like she knew he would.

She had perfected that particular look over the years. Unfortunately, it didn't have him spilling his guts like she wanted him to.

"Reid-"

He shook his head stubbornly.

"No, you've wasted enough of your time here when I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself," he claimed, still avoiding her original question.

Emily snorted loudly.

"You can't look after yourself," she told him, hoping to actually get it through his thick skull. "You're light-headed and weak. You need looking after."

"I don't, " he maintained. "I don't need to take any more of your time."

Her eyes narrowed; she should have known he was going to bring it back to her. Reid just didn't get that she and everyone else cared and that when he was like this, he wasn't a waste of time.

She just had to gently lead him to that conclusion-

"Ten bucks says you don't make it to the door before passing out," Emily bluntly informed him, wanting to him to admit that he needed help.

Too bad she didn't really do gentle. Oh well, a sharp shock usually did the trick.

Surely, he wouldn't be so stupid-? Yes, yes, he would. Should she really have even thought otherwise? The idiot actually picked himself up and started walking. It would have been all dramatic if he didn't freaking wobble at each movement. Emily got up from Reid's sofa and quickly grabbed him by the shoulders as he swayed on his feet. Jesus, he was fast when he was stupidly determined. He managed to get halfway to his freaking door.

She led him back to the sofa as all his recently acquired colour drained away from his face. Idiot.

"Are you going to listen to me now?" She demanded, standing over him, daring him to even twitch in the direction of the door.

He shook his head.

"Use your words, Spencer Reid," she warned him, he would promise her this.

"Yes, Emily," he whispered.

"Yes, Emily what?"

"Yes, Emily. I'll listen to you," he finally answered.

She tried not to look to smug. Tried to, didn't succeed. He pouted. She retucked the blanket around him, tightly, and gave him an approving look.

"Right, you are going to wait right here and I am going to heat up this soup," she said decisively, waving the grocery bag at him. "And you are going to eat it."

Reid slowly nodded his acceptance, looking at her warily. With a satisfied smirk, Emily swept herself into his kitchen and started to make the soup.

"Did you get something?" Reid called over.

"Yep, sandwiches," she replied, waving the plastic container at him. "Pretty decent ones too."

"They get everything fresh," Reid explained, referencing his convenience store.

"Have you heard from any of the team?" Emily asked him, pouring the soup into a pot and rummaging around for a spoon.

"Yeah, JJ called just as you left."

"Did she say anything?"

Reid shook his head. "Not much. The LEO'S have their heads turned as someone leaked the case to the reporters."

"Yeouch."

"Yeah. Just wanted to check in and make sure I hadn't injured myself and to tell me if I left my apartment before the team got back, she will bring me to hers and chain me to a bed," he finished with yet another pout. He was doing a lot of that today.

Emily snorted. Sounded like JJ alright.

"Probably pink fluffy ones a la Garcia," she teased, giving the pot a stir.

Reid shuddered at the thought.

The soup actually smelt amazing; her stomach rumbled its agreement. Reid heard it as well.

"Let me do that," he suggested, attempting to untangle himself from his mess of.

"Ah ah ah," Emily scolded, he froze. "Rest."

"But you're hungry and I'm not," Reid pointed out logically.

"I'm going to eat with you anyway," Emily brushed off. "No point in you getting up."

Reid took the most sensible action and curled himself back into the cushions. It was with a loud huff though just to make it clear that it was under duress. Emily ignored him like you would with a sulking child. Anyway, the soup was ready. She poured it into a mug for him and grabbed her sandwiches.

"That smells good," Red said in amazement as she passed him his soup.

"Even I can't screw soup up," she teased, purposely misinterpreting him as she settled down next to him.

Reid just rolled his eyes at her and took a deep sniff of the soup. It was nice to see him feel hungry. He actually gave it an eager look.

"Go ahead, don't wait on me," she said, wrestling with the tape on her sandwiches.

Did the people who made these even think about how to open them?

"Most people have nails," Reid said cheekily before he dove into his soup

She would have poked him for that bit of course this was when her packet decided to burst open and try to spill its contents everywhere. Thankfully, she saved her sandwiches and only the plastic fell to the floor.

She returned to the couch (with intact sandwiches) only to see Reid basically inhaling the soup. Well, as much as he could with scalding hot liquid. She resisted the urge to check his mouth for burn and decided to make a start on her own lunch.

Reid eventually slowed down his inhalation of his soup to a more normal eating speed. Phew, Emily was worried he was going to choke. He suddenly stopped drinking and looked at her. There was a ring of orange around his mouth.

"I'm sorry," he said abruptly, biting his lower lip.

"If you're apologising for being sick again," Emily said warningly.

Reid shook his head, "No. I mean I'm sorry for being a jerk about it. You're just trying to help."

"You're sick," dismissed Emily, shrugging her shoulders.

"It doesn't give me the excuse to be awful to you. You've been really good to me and I've been awful."

"More frustrating than awful," Emily suggested. "But I forgive you."

It was nice that he realised that he was being annoying about all of this. Most of them didn't like being fussed over but they accepted it after some protests. Not Reid, he just avoided all of them if he could though he rarely succeeded much to his vocal displeasure.

He smiled shyly at her and looked into his mug.

"I'm just not used people caring for me," he said softly.

"The whole team cares about you, " Emily pointed out the obvious.

"I meant I don't understand why you care," he said and then, noticing her outraged look, quickly added, "When I'm sick."

"That's what I don't understand. Why would think that we wouldn't or shouldn't care?"

Reid hunched his shoulders in and dropped his gaze to his lap.