Hello all you wonderful people! As promised, here is my new series that is dedicated to Tasha/Reade oneshots. I have a running list of ideas, but am always taking requests for new one shot ideas. Feel free to leave a comment/message me with any requests.

To start us off here is a (not so) little one-shot about their time as roommates at the end of season four.

Enjoy!

When he looks and sees Zapata curled up, peacefully sleeping on his couch, he realizes that this might have been a bad idea.

He found her in the conference room this morning, asleep over a pile of papers. He offered her his keys and made sure she got back to his place safely so she could rest and recharge before their next mission. She was his best friend and he did not think much about her staying with him for a few days.

That was before he saw her fast asleep on his couch, looking right at home. He would be lying if he said, somewhere underneath all the hurt and the pain from the past few months, he did not still have feelings for her. Something told him that whatever it was between them was unique and inevitable, but she also did just spend the last few months lying to him and now probably was not the best time.

But then he looks over and sees her making her way right back into his life and he knows one thing for certain.

He's screwed.

The first morning is the hardest. She is a grump without coffee and he takes way longer to get ready than she would have thought. She feels like she is in his way and tries to take up as little space as necessary while getting ready, feeling like she is imposing in his space.

She knows he is trying to be patient with her and when he suggests they leave a few minutes early on their way to the train station to get her a coffee and him a tea because "I am not putting up with you all day non-caffeinated" she smiles because he is still her best friend, even if they are still working their way through this bump in the road.

It is strange going in to work with another person. She has lived on her own for so long that having the company of another person is foreign, but strangely welcome. They talk about football and movies and anything but work and they walk in unison to the train. The train is packed, because it's rush hour in New York, and they stand close to each other on the train, allowing other passengers to sit. She doesn't mind though. Her body is practically pressed against his and she steadies herself by placing her hand on his arm. Every now and then, when there is a particularly bumpy stop, he reaches out to make sure she doesn't fall over. The morning train isn't exactly the quietest place and they don't even try to make any real conversation, instead just enjoying the last few moments of peace together before their hectic day begins.

She is normally not a morning person, but she thinks that she could get used to this.

They order Chinese food that night, neither of them particularly in the mood to cook. She changes into leggings and a hoodie and he puts on sweats and they watch a little TV as they wait for their food and try to forget the stress of the day.

"We should go grocery shopping this weekend," Reade says, focusing on the screen instead of her.

"What, I thought you lived on takeout every night?" She teases.

He rolls his eyes. "Not every night, Zapata, I'm not that bad. But if you're going to be here everyday eating my food, I'm going to run out."

She sighs, realizing there is no reason to argue with him, instead settling herself to a weekend shopping trip with Reade.

He makes her go early in the morning because of course, he does. She swears the man does not know how to relax and is extra grumpy when he practically pushes her out of the apartment at 8 am, but she settles down a bit when he offers to buy her a large coffee, mainly so she will stop complaining.

She does not remember the last time she went grocery shopping with another human and it's oddly domestic. He suggests they should get some vegetables so they can cook and she reminds him that neither of them cooks. He feigns offense at that.

"I'm a grown man, Tasha, I can cook."

"I have known you for 7 years and you have never once cooked."

"For you. I've never cooked for you," He retorts. " But I've cooked before."

"Yeah okay." She teases and continues to lead him down the shopping aisle, trying to ignore how their banter makes them sound like a married couple.

Sundays were his relaxation days. He would go on a run, maybe watch the game, and most certainly not think about work until the next day at 8. As the Assistant Director of the FBI, he only got so many free moments and he was going to cherish every one of them.

He normally spends Sundays alone. He has not been in a serious relationship since Megan and that was months ago. She was sometimes home on the weekends, but she often was out of town on assignment. And then Zapata was gone for so long undercover, that he really had no one that he would even consider spending his off time with.

Except, now he was forced to (not that he minded).

He goes for a run while she is still asleep on the couch, mindful of his movements so as to not make too much noise and wake her up. In the few short days that she has been there, he has seen first hand that she is not a morning person and thought it was best to let her rest so she wasn't a walking zombie all day.

He comes back, sweaty from his run, with a coffee and tea in hand. He drinks his earl gray before he takes a shower and leaves her coffee on the table in front of her, with a note that says "Good morning lazy."

(When he gets out of the shower, she is awake and she smacks his arm, saying she did not appreciate the lazy part, but she thanks him for the coffee.)

They spend their day watching movies and eating junk and telling random stories that pop into their head. It's simple, but he likes it and he thinks that he has never been as comfortable with another person as he is with Tasha.

They only move from the couch to open the door for more take out ("You're still yet to prove to me that you can cook, Reade." She points out) and they quietly enjoy their dinner. When he looks over, his mouth full of noodles and her eyes locked on the screen, he silently hopes that this moment will last forever and he believes that this is what love is supposed to look like.

He pushes the thought out of his head because it is Zapata and him and the timing is not right. But if these last few days have shown him anything, it's that he really hopes they can find the right timing, sooner rather than later.

It's a stupid argument and she knows it, but she is stubborn through and through and she is not letting it go without a fight.

"Just squeeze the toothpaste correctly. It's really not that hard Tasha."

"You are so type A it's ridiculous. You need to learn to relax."

"You need to learn to not be so messy."

"We don't all live in a pristine palace and only drink fancy teas because we think it makes us better than other people."

"Not all of us need coffee to not have an attitude problem all day."

She can tell he is frustrated, all the pressure at work building up and she knows that he is just taking it out on her, but she is frustrated too. They don't talk on the walk to the train station and when they enter SIOC, she makes a B-line for Patterson's lab while he makes his way to his office.

"He's so frustrating," Zapata complains to Patterson while the blonde taps away at her computer.

"You are in his home, Tash. Would it really be so hard to live cleaner for just a few days?"

She hates that Patterson is making sense. She is her best friend, she is supposed to be on her side. "It's the principle of the thing. He needs to learn to go with the flow."

Patterson sighs and turns her head from the screen to look at Zapata. "Look I am going to tell you this because I love you, okay? The man was in love with you for how many years, then he ends his engagement because he still has feelings for you, and then you go undercover for the CIA, and now you are sleeping on his couch. I think this might be a little much for him."

Zapata had not taken a moment to think about how much this all was for him. She knew what she went through when she was deep undercover with the CIA, but he thought she betrayed him and that she lied to him about ever caring for him. Now, not even weeks later, she was staying in his apartment, trying to make things go back to normal.

"I'm the worst, aren't I?" Zapata says.

"Not the worst," Patterson assures her. "You're human. Just talk to him. You guys will be fine."

The day lulls by, with little real action as Kurt and Jane are in Philadelphia trying to get Sandstorm information from his mother. Zapata goes through files, trying to get any hint as to where Dominic may be while Patterson continues to try to decode tattoos and online hits.

Around 11:30, Reade strolls into the lab, asking for an update. Patterson tells him what she knows about a satellite armed with nuclear missiles while Zapata has less to show for herself.

"I've been going through these files all morning." She tells him. "I've got nothing."

"You'll find something. Just keep on it." His voice is calmer than this morning and if she's not wrong, there is a small look of remorse on his face. "I've got to run across town for a meeting. You two good here for a couple of hours?"

"Peachy!" Patterson calls out, not looking up from her screen.

Reade leans over to Zapata and whispers. "I have to stay late tonight and do some paperwork."

"I can wait for you-"

He cuts her off. "No, you should get home and get some rest. It's going to be really boring. Just thought I should let you know."

Her heart jumps a little bit when he refers to it as "home" because his apartment is feeling more and more like a home to her every day. As frustrated as she is with him, she likes having a space that is theirs, even if it is temporary.

"Okay. Thanks."

He smiles at her as she leaves and she thinks that maybe they are going to be okay.

It is strange going home without Reade after leaving together every day for the past two weeks. She picks up pizza from his favorite place on the way home and hopes that he will accept it as a peace offering when he gets back to his place from doing paperwork.

The apartment is eerily quiet without him and she doesn't like it. She wonders if it will feel this weird when she finally moves out and she is alone again. She has somewhat gotten used to living with another person. She likes waking up and seeing him in the kitchen, making tea, and teasing her about her snoring. She likes saying goodnight to him from across the room. She likes going to work together and coming home together.

She likes him (not that she is going to admit that.)

She moves to put the pizza in the kitchen and a medium-sized box sitting on the counter catches her eye. She sets the pizza down and inspects it, finding a cheap coffee maker that was not there this morning. She turns around the box and finds a post-it note on the back. On it was written:

"I'm sorry about this morning. Hope this makes you feel more at home."- Reade

She rips off the post-it and holds it close to her. She is not a typically emotional person, but damn Reade being all sweet and considerate and trying to make her feel comfortable here. He was sacrificing so much for her and the least she could do was be a little neater.

She eats a slice of pizza while she tries to clean the apartment. She is not sure where he keeps his cleaning supplies and his vacuum cleaner is way more complex than the one she has at home, so it takes longer than it should. She is tired after a long day at work and being angry at Reade, but he did something nice for her and she wants to return the favor, so she keeps working.

Reade comes back around 7:30 and is barely through the door when he says "What is going on here?"

"You said you wanted me to be less messy. So I'm cleaning." She states obviously.

"You...are cleaning?" He sets his bag down and walks over to her. "Have I died?"

She pushes his shoulder. "Screw you, I'm trying to be nice." She laughs and pauses before continuing. "I saw the coffee maker. Thank you."

He shrugs. "Don't mention it. I ran out and got it during my lunch break. It was like $15. I figured it was cheaper than me buying you coffee every morning."

She smiles. "I pay sometimes."

"Only sometimes. How did I end up with a squatter in my living room demanding that I buy her coffee?" He teases.

She rolls her eyes, then sighs. "I'm sorry about this morning. I was-"

He cuts her off. "We were both wrong. We're tired and overworked and I think we both just took it out on each other."

She nods. "Friends?"

He hums. "Best friends." He says as he pulls her into a hug.

If cleaning is what it takes to keep her best friend happy, she'll clean every day.

He is not sure if he is making it up, but they feel closer now. She's been at his place for about three weeks and they have fallen into a rhythm. He cooks, she cleans, they eat breakfast together in the morning and dinner together at night. It's simple, but he likes it.

It makes him think that this is how it could be, always. He has not exactly been discreet about his feelings, but last they talked, they both made it known more healing had to be done. But these past few days make him feel like they are on the right path.

Rich makes jokes at work, asking if they've done it yet and when the wedding is. It does not matter how much Reade threatens to fire him, his jokes persist. He can deal with some middle school teasing, however. He is sure that Patterson asks Zapata about her time living with him and he is unsure what she tells her, but Patterson does not hate him yet, so he assumes that it is good.

He knows they are basically acting like a couple even though they keep telling everyone they are "just friends." He likes how she fits into his life and how it doesn't feel weird that she is around all the time. He does not get tired of her after a long day, quite the opposite in fact. It has become one of his new favorite things that he gets to end his days with her, just relaxing and goofing off, trying to forget the worries of the day.

He wants more and he is sure she does too but he is unsure of how to move forward. They are trying to get Dominic and stop whatever the hell Helios is and maybe now is just not the time. But, he fears, that it will never be time. He is scared that they will always be trying to take down the next bad guy and through it all, they will never get their chance.

His fears hit him the hardest one night while they are watching a movie. It's some cheesy comedy they found on Netflix because, after a long day at work, they only have two rules for what they watch: "nothing serious and please no cop stuff." He can tell that she is tired and doesn't even flinch when she moves closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder. She has been working long hours and her body just needs to rest, he tells himself.

He adjusts his arm that was casually draped over the back of the couch and lays in gently around her shoulders, allowing her to become more comfortable. They stay like that for a while, her head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her and he realizes he wants to spend every night sitting just like this. He has stopped paying attention to the movie and sneaks a peek at her as often as he can without being caught and he thinks that if this is not love, he does not know what is.

He doesn't say anything when she starts to drift to sleep. Not wanting to wake her, he shifts his body slightly as he reaches for a blanket that is hung over the arm of the couch and he spreads it over them. He could get up and move to his own bed, but he doesn't want to risk waking her (sure, that was the excuse he was going with.) His back is going to hurt in the morning and she is probably going to be embarrassed that they fell asleep together, but he does not care about any of that right now.

Right now all he focuses on is her.

It's strangely not awkward after they wake up together. She assumes it is because she has woken up in his bed before, so them waking up on the couch after falling asleep the night before is not exactly their most compromising situation. She teases him lightly, saying he snores and that he makes a good pillow, but they don't talk about it that much after that.

After that night, she realizes how touchy they are with each other. She does not think that either of them is particularly touchy in general, but it's a staple of their relationship (or whatever this is.) She holds his arm on the train, he touches her back gently when she is walking, she rests her head on his shoulder when she is tired and she swears they will find any excuse to hug each other.

She thinks that is why it hurts so much when she finds out he has a date (non-date?) with Lexi. He tells the team that he is meeting up with an old college friend for coffee while they are at Jane and Weller's for what was supposed to be a relaxing night in. She had been looking forward to it, getting to spend some time with someone who was not Reade (as much as she loved him, they were spending every moment together and she needed to talk to another human being.)

Apparently he was feeling the same way. He insists it's not a date, but it does not make his news hurt any less. He did not mention it to her before and she wonders if he would have said anything if it was not for the fact that he forgot his phone and she saw the notification. He doesn't have to tell her anything, though, she reminds herself.

She had thought they were making progress and that maybe, soon, they could try to be together. She still had feelings for him and she had thought that he felt the same, but this once her gut had failed her. He was just her best friend and he was just being nice.

Jane tries to talk to her about it later and while she appreciates it, she means it when she says it gets messy when you mix private life and personal life and she is thankful when Weller interrupts them. What Jane says, about denying her feelings, gets her thinking and she is torn between continuing to pretend there is nothing there and just saying something to Reade.

She settles on pretending, because she has already been rejected by him once and she is not quite sure she can handle that rejection again.

She saved his life today-again.

That woman's bravery knows no limits and it makes his heart beam with pride.

When she comes into his office to check on him and lets out a giant laugh when she says that if something happened to him she would have inherited a nice apartment, he knows that he loves her. Between her bravery and her heart and that damn smile, he just knows.

It's when she softly says "Have a good non-date" and slips out of his office that he realizes that he is an idiot. He doesn't miss a beat and pulls out his phone to call Lexi and gives her some lame excuse about how paperwork came up and he couldn't make coffee. Part of him feels bad, but when he thinks about it, risking a future with Zapata is not worth an hour of coffee with someone he has not seen in twelve years.

Because, at the end of the day, he doesn't want to go get coffee with some girl. He wants to go home and sit on the couch and laugh and be with Tasha.

It's quiet when she gets home to his apartment and she decides she hates being there when he isn't. She wonders how his non-date is going, but soon after pushes the thought out of her head, deciding that she was not going to spend her time obsessing over some guy and instead was going to sit down and actually look at apartments.

She can't be more than 15 minutes into her web search when she hears jostling at the door and instinctively stands up and reaches for her sidearm. Reade lived in a relatively safe neighborhood, but his apartment was not exactly the hardest to break into-and she would know.

"Damn, Zapata, you really going to shoot me in my own apartment? Haven't we already been through this?" Reade asks when he opens the door.

She lowers her gun and puts it back in its holster. "I thought it was an intruder. Aren't you supposed to be out with Lexi?"

"I canceled," He says nonchalantly as he puts down his things and moves towards the kitchen.

"What-why?" She asks curiously.

He shrugs. "It's been a long day. I almost died, I-"

She cuts him off, strutting her way into the kitchen. "Reade, no. Don't do the thing you always do and sabotage yourself. You deserve to be happy."

"I know." He says simply.

"Then call her back and-"

"I love you."

She takes a step back and processes his words, unsure if she heard him correctly. "You what?"

"I realized today when I was going to go out with Lexi that wasn't what I wanted to do. After a long day, I just wanted to come home to you."

She can't think of an eloquent response, so she kisses him instead. She lets the kiss say what she cannot and when she feels him place his hands on her waist and pull her closer, she knows he understands. She places her hand on the back of his neck, hungry to soak up as much of this moment as she can and she loses track of time as they stand there, kissing in the kitchen.

He finally pulls back and rests his forehead on hers. She smiles at him softly. "I love you too."

That is enough for him to kiss her again.

His alarm goes off way too early the next morning and he groans and he hits the snooze button. He turns in his bed and places his arm over the sleeping woman next to him.

"We have to get up," Reade tells her.

"Can't the world take her of itself for one day?" Zapata complains, eyes still shut. She flips her body so she is facing him and moves closer to his chest, allowing him to wrap his arm around her back and pull her to him. He would be more than content to lay like this all day, but he knew the alarm would go off again, and eventually, they would have to join the real world.

He sighs and kisses her shoulder before peeling himself from her warm body and removing his covers. She groans and wraps his discarded blankets around herself to make up for his missing body heat.

He sits up next to her, smiling, and gently places his hand on her arm. "We have to go save the world. We can cuddle in bed some other time."

"I don't cuddle." She fights back, finally opening her eyes.

"I would argue otherwise." He teases and as she slowly sits up, he allows himself to give her a soft kiss.

"Why can't we have normal lives?" She whispers.

He chuckles. "Because that would be boring." He stands up and moves away from the bed, convincing himself that he has to start getting ready for work otherwise they will never hear the end of it from Rich.

He looks back at her before he goes to take a shower, seeing the girl that he chased after so long sitting happily in his bed. "What are the odds you still move out of her after we end this mission?"

"I'd say pretty slim." She hums.

He laughs and turns around to enter the bathroom and start getting ready. He doesn't say it now, but he is more than fine if she never leaves.

(She is right. She never moves out. But he wouldn't have it any other way.)

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