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A/n, please enjoy this one-shot. I appreciate your support.
Reid carefully parked his car next to the curb in front of JJ's rental cottage. It was just past nine pm, and he'd made it through a professional football game with two women. He'd returned them safely to JJ's home, and he could go back to his apartment and do something familiar like read a new book, play chess against himself, or practice a new magic trick.
"Ah, here we are," he said to JJ, sitting in the passenger seat. "I'll see you guys on Monday."
"The night is young, sweetcheeks. You can't go home yet." Garcia said from the back seat.
"No, I should – "
"Come on, Spence," JJ begged. "Have a beer with us and hang out for a while. We promise to behave."
"What she said," Garcia agreed.
Reid tugged at the collar of the polo shirt Morgan had helped him purchase for the game. He looked at the girls and shook his head, unable to speak the right words to make them get out of the car and let him leave.
"Please," JJ continued. "We won! Let's celebrate."
Reid sighed and silently kicked himself for his inability to say no to JJ. He reminded himself that he was supposed to be angry with her for inviting Garcia on their "date."
"Yeah," Garcia agreed. "We need a cute guy to help us celebrate."
Reid gaped at her, and then he said. "That's not funny."
"What," JJ said. "Garcia's right. You're cute. Come on, Spence."
"Aright," Reid said against his better judgment. "One beer, and then I go."
"Yay," Garcia cheered.
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An hour later, he sat on the living room floor with his back to JJ's couch. Garcia and JJ were also sitting and had convinced him to do tequila shots with them.
"Just one or two," JJ had said after they finished another beer.
"Lick your hand," Garcia was instructing.
Reid bent his head to lick the palm of his hand. Garcia reached over and swatted him on the shoulder. "No, silly. Lick your wrist."
"Why?"
Garcia stared at him for a second and then said. "Because the palm is gross, and it just looks wrong."
"Why?" Reid asked again. "My hands are clean. When you said you wanted to do this, I washed them." He gestured to the bottle between them.
"Fine, whatever you want," Garcia rolled her eyes. "I'm sticking with the wrist.
"Good thing we're not doing body shots. Can you imagine Spence freaking out," JJ laughed, and Garcia wiggled her eyebrows.
"What're body shots?" Reid asked.
"One day, I'll show you," Garcia said and winked at him. "Alright, let's get this show on the road."
"Um, okay." Reid licked the palm of his left hand as instructed.
"Kay," JJ said as she moved closer. "Here's the salt and a lemon wedge."
"What do I do? It seems odd to put salt on the lemon."
"No," Garcia said. "Put it on your hand where you licked it."
"Ah, you said we're drinking, not engaging in self-cannibalism," Reid argued.
Garcia and JJ fell over laughing. Reid watched them in profound disbelief. Shots couldn't be this complicated, and he decided as he looked at the shot glass. Why not just pour out the liquor and drink it like a beer?
"Oh man," Garcia said as she finally got hold of herself. "Just watch."
JJ poured out the tequila as Garcia licked her wrist, shook out the salt, and said. "Salud." She licked the salt, drank the tequila, and immediately grabbed a lemon wedge to suck. "Wooee," she said and threw down the drained lemon wedge. "Now you turn."
Reid felt his face flush, and his hands shook a little as he licked his palm again and added the salt as JJ poured his shot. He licked the salt, grimaced, then took the drink. It hit the back of his throat like a flame thrower, and he choked.
"The lemon," Garcia yelled.
He picked it up as he coughed and put it in his mouth. After a second of sucking on the bitter fruit, he spit out the lemon and coughed again.
"Yes," JJ shouted, and she leaned in to kiss Reid's cheek.
Suddenly, the tequila, salt, and lemon taste muted because all he could sense was the kiss on his cheek and JJ's perfume.
"What do you think," Garcia asked as she readied a shot for JJ.
"Um," Reid coughed and cleared his throat. "I think I understand. The salt, combined with the sweet and peppery taste of the tequila and the sour of the lemon, is pretty delicious."
JJ downed her shot and grabbed a lemon wedge. After a few seconds, she pulled it out of her mouth and said. "I agree, " and she laughed like crazy with Garcia.
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After three more shots, Garcia sat swaying a little and staring hard at Reid. "'Hey," she yelled. "I think I have a great idea for our next activity."
"What?" JJ wondered as she smirked at Reid.
"Truth or dare."
"That's a kids' game," JJ said.
"Naw, we can tweck – I mean ah tweek it," said Garcia.
"Okay," JJ said. "Who's first?"
"I am," said Garcia. "I choose truth, and I want Sweet-cheeks to ask me."
"Me," Reid said; weirdly, the alcohol seemed to dull his nervous squeak.
"Yes, ask me anything you want," Garcia said and winked at him.
"Make it something really good," JJ encouraged.
"Um," Reid thought hard, which was difficult with the tequila dulling his thoughts. "What do you think of Morgan?"
"Ohhh," JJ sang out. "I want to hear this."
Garcia's face reddened, but her eyes turned – wicked. "Remember what I said about body shots."
JJ stuck out her tongue and said. "Yuck, I don't want that picture in my head."
"What," Reid said, and his muddled brain engaged as he finally understood body shots. "Oh. Yeah, yuck"
JJ tipped over laughing. "Spence said yuck."
Garcia put a hand to her mouth and one fist into the air. "Woohoo, the genius is drunk."
"I am not," Reid said with as much dignity as he could muster. "I want another shot."
"After you take your turn," JJ said, and she grabbed the tequila bottle before Reid could touch it.
"Hey," he cried out in irritation.
"JJ's right," Garica said with a pronounced slur. "Truth or dare?"
Reid sat staring at his shot glass, which was empty. "Um, dare." He said.
JJ hiccuped and said. "I can't think of a good dare, Spence."
"I can," Garcia said.
"Hey, it's my turn," JJ said as she held tight to the tequila.
"You just said you can't think, and I have a good one. I dare Reid to kiss you."
Reid shook his head, then he remembered the tequila and said. "Okay, but then I get another shot."
JJ slid over to him, and he kissed her full on the mouth.
Garcia cheered, and JJ went very rosy in the cheeks. "You taste like lemon juice."
"Sorry," Reid said, and they laughed. He liked the tingle in his gut from the kiss. It was better than the warmth of the liquor, but he didn't refuse when JJ put down the bottle.
"My turn," JJ said after Reid had his third shot.
"We're getting low on tequila," Garcia said. "Don't be a hog."
"Not that, Truth or Dare,"
"I choose truth," JJ said before anyone could ask.
"Why did you ask Garcia to come with us today," Reid said.
JJ took another shot and said, "What?"
"We were supposed to have a date. Why did you ask Garcia to come with us," Reid asked again.
Garcia suddenly put her hand to her mouth and lurched to her feet. JJ stared at Reid as Reid watched Garcia stumble away down the hall, and then he looked at the tequila bottle. It was nearly empty.
"Damn," Reid said as he stared at it.
"Spence," JJ said, and he looked over at her when she touched his arm. "Are you mad at me?"
"Um," Reid thought about it and said. "No, why did you say that."
"Because you asked why I invited Garcia."
"Well, why did you?"
"Cause I was scared."
"Why?"
Reid noticed her blue eye were very close to him. He could smell alcohol and lemon on her breath. He wanted to kiss her, so he did.
"That's why," JJ said when they broke apart. "I like you, Spence."
"You do."
"Yes."
"I like you too," Reid said.
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When Reid next opened his eyes, the sun was out, and his head felt like someone had used it for a soccer ball. Pain pulsed behind his eyes and radiated along the back of his head to the base of his skull. His mouth seemed to have grown a fuzzy coat, and he could barely swallow.
When he tried to turn over, he groaned because he was suddenly very dizzy. He shifted again, and dizziness hit him as he tried to sit up. He felt something or someone moved next to him and he looked over to see a bare shoulder, and the top of a naked back.
"Spence," said a familiar voice, and he froze. "Oh my God," JJ said.
He looked down and realized he was naked and in JJ's bed. He looked at her and saw that she had pulled a sheet to her chin. "JJ, I – god, did we – oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't – I – my head."
JJ groaned and shut her eyes. "Cover up, Spence. Please."
He yanked up the sheet and tried to maintain his calm, but despite his throbbing headache, the emerging memory of the night and the fact that it was morning had combined to put him in a bad way.
"Sorry."
"Close your eyes while I get a robe, then I'm going to the bathroom."
He closed his eyes and, after a minute, cracked them open. JJ was gone. Due to his colossal hangover, he got out of bed as quickly as possible. He found his clothes and dressed as fast as he could. JJ finally emerged and, without looking at him, said. "You can use the bathroom if you need it."
Reid hurried away to relived his distended bladder, and when he came out, he found JJ stripping the bed and dumping the sheets in the hamper. "JJ – I don't know –"
"Shh. Garcia's in the living room, still asleep. You need to leave before she wakes."
"Why?" Reid said.
"Because I don't want her to know that you and I – well, you know."
"Oh, I see," Reid said. "I'll just go."
"Spence, please try to understand. We all work together and –"
"It's fine, JJ. I get it. I'll do my best to forget about yesterday. It's obvious that nothing happened meant anything to you, JJ."
"That's not true," JJ hissed. "It's just that – we have to go to work tomorrow and pretend as if nothing happened, and it'll be easier if Garica doesn't –"
"I said I get it," Reid said. "It's top secret. My lips are sealed."
Reid hurried out of the bedroom and past the living room, where Garcia snored on the sofa. He shook his head and bargained with himself as he left the little cottage for his car. He'd never drink tequila shots again, and he'd never play Truth or Dare again because it always led to trouble.