Title: Facial Muscles Flexed
Rating: K
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except my own versions of this expression.
Summary: A facial formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouth - as contemplated by Spencer Jordan.
A/N: Some more fluff from me to you. To the OHT - and many mucho thanks to my awesome Beta ShadowSamurai83.
Enjoy.
Facial Muscles Flexed
There are many different ways for this expression to look and in his long years as a police officer, he is fairly certain he has seen all of them. He isn't unfamiliar with any type of it. He knows he has his own variations, and that they depend intensely on the situation.
He's got a mellow one that comes after he's had a drink or two, taken in a pub or a bar or a restaurant, often in the presence of his colleagues, who then look just as mellow as he does.
He's got a triumphant one, which comes in different shades: One shade is the successful solution of a case, when pride and a good amount of self-satisfaction come into play. The other shade has a lot to do with being successful with a pretty lady on any given night. It must be something entirely male, for he has never seen it on a woman. Grace begs to differ and so does Eve, but since they are women, they simply have to say that, don't they? Boyd doesn't comment, which in and of itself is a little strange.
There's the reassuring one, that he uses to placate or calm down suspects, witnesses, victims and their families. It's a wholly professional expression, one he isn't always certain to be successful. He hopes for it.
There is the gentle one he uses with his family and close friends. His mother knows it, Grace and Eve know it too, like Mel did, and Frankie, and Stella. It does nothing for his macho-image, though he guesses that this reputation has been well and truly sunk years ago. A shame really, but a man can't have everything. Maybe he should go down the 'Love me because I'm cute'-road?
Then there's the mischievous one, when he plots, executes or gets away with some insubordination and a joke on somebody else's account. He's got a fair few favourite people to trick, his immediate superior being on top of the list. Doesn't always work, much less in recent years, but this expression always carries a whole lot of fun with it. It's usually paired up with the innocent one, though the real problem is that nobody in his closer circle actually buys it anymore. Having reached a certain age sucks bollocks at times.
The one he likes least is the uneasy version, partially because he's used it so often over the last years, and partially because the circumstances are always unpleasant. Over the years its frequency has increased, especially around the office, as the atmosphere became darker and edgier, almost tinted with a hint of madness. This has sparked a healthy amount of fear to back up the expression, though he is loath to admit it. There's a good reason, for he's been bang in the middle of some truly epic storms of temper, some of them not completely devoid of physical violence and though he knows he can stand his ground, it doesn't mean that he finds the option attractive.
But that's not there and then, because it seems as if they've passed through the darkest vale and things are beginning to relax.
In addition to his own, Spencer thinks he's got the versions of his regular companions pretty much down pat.
Eve's got the mischief and the smug one, in addition to the superior one. The latter is her favourite and used often. So often , in fact, that Spencer would like to just punch it off her face at times. He doesn't, of course, being a gentleman and Eve being some sort of "Untouchable". Nobody wants to have to look for a replacement scientist and he doesn't want to be blamed for causing Boyd to have to deal with the hated task.
Boyd's are pretty similar to his own, Spencer reckons. It's natural, given that Boyd's a man too and all. The other man's are never fully developed, though, it seems, never reach his eyes. It's a sad thought and if he's honest, Spence hopes that he'll never sink into that dark a place. They all know how Boyd can be - good and bad - and to his Inspector it's a damn good thing that the boss is beginning to return to himself and the smiles become more genuine again. Even if that means that their scary edge is becoming more prominent. It's no longer so life-threatening as it used to be, but Boyd smiling always leaves his surroundings a tad bit worried.
Except Grace, of course, but in Spencer's eyes, Grace is super woman, anyway. No woman he's ever met is this fearless. None of those supposedly hardass female coppers and soldiers, no special unit or any other nonsense can compare. He's biased, of course, but Grace's ability to put roaring lions and hissing snakes of the human variety into their place, and do that without losing her calm smile and quiet voice, leaves Spence in awe.
The same goes for Boyd and Eve, who, though better able to hide it, regard their profiler with something akin to hero-worship. In a way, Grace is God.
Grace can smile like nothing touches her in her serenity, even if there's an angry or frightened fire raging in her. Boyd always lets it out, Grace controls it. And still smiles. It's very calming and very, very scary.
On the other end of the spectrum, she also has a mischievous one to die for. It makes Spencer really nervous. And wonder. When Grace becomes mischievous, she looks like the holy terror she probably once was, in the wild years when teenagers snuck out of their windows to go to the really hot and wild places that have now passed into legend. It makes one wonder just how many secrets she hides.
It makes Spencer wonder. Point blank.
The mischief has become a lot more frequent lately and it's stirred up a storm on several occasions. Mischief from Grace is incalculable and dangerous, for she has no qualms about getting people into sticky, embarrassing situations. Her favourite victim is Boyd, which is incredibly funny and somewhat worrisome at the same time. Spence doesn't mind their grand leader being taken down a peg or two - if it's him then Spence himself is safe - but the frequency with which she trumps Boyd is staggering. They all wait for the grand explosion, the roaring lion, but he's been remarkably absent, giving way to a strangely mellow and continuously forgiving Superintendent.
That is the part where Spencer is confused. He knows he isn't stupid, he knows he is fairly observant, as his profession demands. So he is able to put the things he sees into order and draw his logical and correct conclusion. Two and two adds up to four.
On the other hand, he knows that he isn't always aware of the reasons behind certain vibes in the office. He doesn't claim to be an expert on 'Boyd and Grace', is very sure he doesn't want to be for various reasons. There might be a lot going on he hasn't noticed; it is possible that he has missed something.
But this is worrisome.
There's a new type of smile going around in the two extra offices. It grows in frequency and intensity with every day that passes. It appears in odd moments without any provocation. Just randomly out of nowhere.
It's Boyd and it's Grace and it's a smile just between them. No explanations given, no words accompanying it. It's new and it's just there.
Eve, of course, is no bloody help whatsoever. In fact, she's got a new smile as well. It is usually connected to the new smile between Boyd and Grace. But it's not explained either, as if Eve expected that he'd figure it out on his own. Considering how difficult it is to classify Boyd and Grace and their tumultuous relationship, Spencer thinks that this is a little too much asked.
He's not rising to the challenge. No sir, not now. Not ever.
If there's something he's supposed to know, they can just as well tell him.
That decision made, he crosses his arms, nods emphatically and leans back in his chair.
"Flex your facial muscles a little, Spence," Grace cheekily orders from his side, giving him the winning version of her smile, though the imp is painfully visible in her eyes.
"Huh?" The words are a non sequitur, so Spencer makes no effort to deny his confusion.
"She asked you to smile, Spence!" Boyd isn't nearly as polite, but he's smiling too. Superior, smug, proud and yes...the way he and Grace have come to smile at each other recently. A quick check shows that Grace returns the expression and if he had to describe it, and Spencer baulks from that particular one, he'd call it...adoring.
Which is as sweet as it is nauseating.
Adoring. Boyd and Grace. Adoringly. Smiling. At each other.
That is...nauseating.
Helplessly, Spence looks at Eve, but no support comes from the scientist. If anything she looks like a proud and doting parent on her kid's wedding day.
Not helpful. And even more nauseating.
"You should try it, you know." Grace again. Still smiling, still impish.
And Boyd, still smiling, still proud and still adoring.
"Yeah, right," Spence announces with little conviction.
There's no chance of the situation changing any time soon. Boyd and Grace are smiling adoringly at each other and Eve is doing the proud parent-routine.
He looks at the other three for a while longer, and then turns away to his desk. Somehow the ordered flexing of his facial muscles fails to appear and distorts into something else. It's going to be a long day and somehow Spencer Jordan doesn't know whether to smile or to grimace.
Thank you for reading. Comments would be greatly appreciated.