"oh my god, there's two of them"

Everyone on the team decided to eat their lunch in the briefing room. They had had some dark cases recently and thought casually catching up might make their day seem a little better. Florence had stepped out of the room for a few minutes to take a call while Morgan went into detail about something funny that happened the last time he was at a club. Before he could get to the part where drinks started being thrown, Florence stormed back into the room.

She looked distressed all of the sudden and her eyes landed on Hotch.

"Why'd you have to go and break my nose, Hotchner!" she exclaimed angrily. Everyone sat back, shocked as she glared at him. "It's not that hard to kick a freaking soccer ball anywhere but someone's face. I'm so mad at you. Ugh!"

Florence stood there for half a second before storming off again. Clearly, she wasn't planning on coming back. The team looked at Hotch, whose mouth was slightly open.

"I thought she forgave you for that," Garcia said.

"Yeah. Where was that anger last week?" Morgan asked.

"I... don't know what that was," Hotch said. He prepared to stand and go after her, but Prentiss stopped him.

"Uh, maybe I should go check on her," she said, getting up. "She seems like she doesn't want to talk with you."

They watched as Prentiss followed after Florence. She found her in the women's bathroom glaring angrily at her face in the mirror — or more specifically, her nose. It looked better than it had a week and a half ago. She still had the splint and bandages on the outside of her nose. The swelling was completely gone, and the bruising had begun to turn green and yellow instead of dark purple. It was a definite improvement, but clearly, Florence was upset.

"Hey, Ren," Prentiss said softly. "You wanna tell me what that was all about."

"No," she muttered, frowning. "It's nothing."

"Okay. We were just surprised. I thought that you weren't angry about him breaking your nose," she said, joining her side. "It was an accident."

Florence sighed and rolled her eyes. "I know it was an accident."

"What's wrong then? Because even though you don't say it out loud, we all know Hotch is your favorite and you're his. Everything was fine until you took that call."

"It — it's stupid. Forget it. I'll go apologize."

Prentiss grabbed her shoulder to stop her from leaving. "Florence."

After a few moments, Florence groaned and leaned her head against the wall, giving in. "That was Reggie. He was asking me out on... a date. This Saturday he's picking me up at seven."

Prentiss did her best to hide her grin as she nodded in understanding. "And you don't want to show up with your nose looking like that."

"It - it really is stupid. It's just, I've never actually been on a date before and I really like him. When you hear about perfect first dates, there usually aren't broken noses involved," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"Would Reggie really care about your nose?"

"No, I guess not. He knows about it anyway. I went bowling with him and his friends a few nights ago, so he's seen it."

Prentiss grinned and brushed some of Florence's hair behind her ear. "See, he saw what you looked like with it, and still wanted to go on a date anyway. Aren't you going back to the doctor on Friday to get more x-rays?"

"Yeah. I either get the splint taken off or have to wear it one more week," she replied.

"Alright, let's plan for you getting it off," Prentiss said. "I know you don't really wear makeup, but I can come over beforehand. Years on this job have helped me master the art of covering up bruises. He'll forget all about the broken nose and focus on his date with the perfect girl."

Slowly, Florence started to feel better. Prentiss made some good points, and she was feeling less annoyed by the state of her nose. She even felt a little shallow after the fact.

"I should go apologize to Hotch," Florence muttered.

"Unfortunately, I think you're going to have to explain yourself," she told her. "You made quite a scene."

"I can't tell them," Florence said, her voice going up a notch. "Then they're gonna, like, want to meet him or something weird like that."

Prentiss chuckled. "It's not weird to want to meet him before he takes you out. And, maybe so, but I'd like to remind you that Hotch and Morgan have both been having a rough time since Foyet escaped. Don't you think they'd have some fun by giving Reggie the stereotypical over-protective dad talk before the date?"

"That sounds like my actual worst nightmare," Florence muttered. "And no fair using Hotch and Morgan against my conscience."

"Would you rather they profile it out of you and then follow you around on the date?" It was funny, considering she had done the same thing. She wrapped an arm around Florence's shoulder and slowly led her back to the briefing room. "Come on. It'll be a fun experience."

Once they arrived at the briefing room, everyone looked at Florence expectantly, while Prentiss kept an arm around her, grinning mischievously. 

"Hotch, I'm sorry I snapped at you," she mumbled, looking at her shoes. "I'm not actually mad at you and I know it was an accident."

"Even so, you have every right to be mad if you want, Florence," Hotch said, trying to catch her eye but she kept staring at her feet.

"What got you so worked up, kiddo?" Rossi asked.

Florence bit her lip and Prentiss nudged her. She leaned down to whisper in her ear. "For Morgan and Hotch."

"Fuck you, Emily," she muttered. Then Florence rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling, not wanting to make eye contact with any of them. "I was just overreacting because a boy I like asked me on a date, and I didn't want to go on my first date with my nose looking like this."

Garcia was the first to react. She squealed excitedly and grabbed Morgan's arm to squeeze it. "Oh, finally! I've been waiting for this since you met him and his friends at the art festival—"

Florence immediately cut her eyes to Garcia, who had gone quiet, realizing her mistake. "The art festival?"

"Um," Garcia mumbled nervously. Prentiss glared at her from across the room.

"Garcia," Florence said slowly. "How do you know that?"

She managed to keep quiet for all of six seconds before blurting it out. "Emily, Spencer, and I followed you in a van and watched you through binoculars."

"Oh my god!" Florence yelled, spinning on her heel to glare at Prentiss. Then she looked over her shoulder at Reid, who was looking down at the table. "And Spence? Really? You stalked me?"

"We just wanted to make sure he wasn't dangerous," Garcia said quickly. "And he's not! He passed my background check and everything and then it was so adorable when he gave you that Scrappy-Doo from the pizza—"

"Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed even louder. She drew the attention of some agents in the bullpen, so Prentiss quickly shut the door to keep the noise inside. "That is not cool on so many levels, guys. I'm never telling any of you anything, ever again."

"Look on the bright side," Prentiss said, wincing. There was very little she could do to fix this situation. "You have your very first date. Yay!"

"Oh, what? Are you gonna disguise yourself as a plant and follow us around? Watch us through newspapers with eye holes cut out? Dress up and pretend to be the waiter?"

"You know actual spies don't do that stuff, right?" Rossi asked, chuckling.

"It doesn't matter if spies do that shit," she said, crossing her arms and looking accusingly at Prentiss. "No way you're coming over to help me get ready now."

"You were gonna help her get ready? That's so cute," JJ said, smiling.

"Look, Baby Girl," Morgan said, standing up and crossing his arms. "I know you're upset with them for following you. However, no way am I letting you go out with a guy I haven't met."

"You don't need to meet him," Florence said. "He's perfectly nice and I've hung out with him with other people plenty of times. Reggie's harmless."

"So he's got a name," Rossi noted. "Expect us at your apartment an hour before he's supposed to pick you up."

Florence scoffed and shook her head. "Absolutely not. No way. I won't let you in."

"You gave spare keys to Hotch and Garcia for emergencies," Reid reminded her. He had a small amused smile. "Something tells me it wouldn't take much to convince either of them to use them."

"I never said when he's picking me up," she said, smiling triumphantly.

"Saturday at seven," Prentiss told them, smirking.

Hotch then cleared his throat. Florence's smile fell and everyone else snickered. They knew that he had her wrapped around his finger — and vice versa, technically — and he'd easily convince her to play along.

"Florence, while Prentiss, Garcia, and Reid should not have gone behind your back and invaded your privacy—" Florence threw another glare at the three in question. "—I believe it would be in your best interest for me to meet this young man before you go out with him alone."

"Hotch," she whined.

"You live alone, and I can only assume he is driving you since you don't have a car. Your father isn't here to speak with him about your wellbeing. Someone needs to make sure that he is a respectful young man and that you get home safely on Saturday night. I, and I'm sure everyone on this team, cares about your safety. I would feel personally responsible if something happened to you. It would ease my mind to meet him."

Florence bit down on her tongue and looked back up at the ceiling, clearly annoyed with herself and her emotions. A low growl left her throat. "Shit. Fine. Whatever. I hate profilers, by the way. I'm not a serial killer. You didn't have to pull out the dad-guilt card knowing full well I see you as a father figure."

"Aw, you see him as a dad," Garcia cooed. Morgan rolled his eyes and covered her mouth, not wanting her to ruin the moment.

Hotch flashed a barely-there smile. "Thank you, Florence. We'll be there well before seven."

|||

"So, where's this kid taking her anyways?" Morgan asked.

Saturday had arrived, and the team had just finished up a case in Texas, where the unsub had dissociative identity disorder and was killing spring breakers. It was nearing the time that Reggie was supposed to pick up Florence for their date. While Prentiss, JJ, and Garcia were in the back, the boys were sitting around Florence's living room waiting for them to finish getting Florence ready.

"Prentiss said that they were going to get dinner at Applebee's and then go see X-Men, which is being shown in the park," Reid told them

"Applebee's and X-Men?" Morgan asked, chuckling. "Not exactly romantic."

"It's two goofy teenagers going on their first date," Rossi said, sipping on a soda he had gotten from Florence's fridge — they had been momentarily surprised that she had drinks other than Capri Suns in her apartment. "It doesn't have to be super romantic. Also, Florence loves the mozzarella sticks from Applebee's."

"And she loves anything to do with superheroes," Reid added. "It sounds like a nice first date that's well-tailored to her interests."

"Okay, I'll give the kid that," Morgan admitted.

"Is it just me, or does Florence have really bad taste in interior decorating?" Rossi asked, looking around some more.

"Oh, it is not just you," Morgan said, shaking his head.

Florence's apartment was the opposite of minimalism. It was cluttered with decorations, none of which matched any other once thing in the apartment. Her furniture was just the same. Her living room contained a blue corduroy recliner, a mint green velvet couch, and a loveseat made of a patchwork of different fabrics. There were no two matching chairs. When Rossi had checked her cabinets for a cup, he found each of her plates and bowls were different too. It was all so colorful and so Florence.

"You think it's this chaotic and unorganized inside her head?" Rossi asked, only partially joking.

"It's surprisingly clean," Hotch noted. "Cluttered, yes, but not dirty. I was expecting piles of empty Capri Suns and at least one unidentifiable smell."

Reid hesitantly sniffed the air. "It smells like the Harry Styles candle."

Hotch checked his watch. "It's nearing seven. He should be here soon."

A moment later, Garcia cleared her throat loudly as she walked into the living room. JJ and Prentiss soon joined her. "Gentlemen, we present to you, Florence Sabin, ready for her first date."

Florence rolled her eyes at the dramatics and stepped into their view. Each of the men smiled when they saw her, except for Morgan, who frowned and crossed his arms.

"Absolutely not. Go change," he said, nodding to the door. "You look way too beautiful. He's gonna get the wrong idea."

Florence rolled her eyes at his dramatics but smiled. JJ had braided her hair, though left some strands down to frame her face. Speaking of, her face looked nice. The doctor had removed the splint and Prentiss wasn't exaggerating about her skills with foundation. Other than that, she didn't have much makeup on. Just some lip gloss and blush. The girls had raided her closet and found a cute white sundress with pink flowers on it. Since they would be outside in the park, they layered a white t-shirt under it to keep her shoulders from getting cold.

Garcia had tried to argue against it, stating that Reggie could offer his jacket if she got cold. But Prentiss and JJ weren't going to risk the possibility of him not having a jacket to fulfill Garcia's romantic fantasies.

They finished off her look with a necklace, some rings, and a pair of flats. It was certainly a new look for her coworkers to see her in. Florence usually showed up to work in a baggy t-shirt or sweatpants or both. They could all agree with Morgan though, she looked beautiful.

"Angel Face, she's not changing," Garcia told him firmly. "Nothing is ruining the night I have planned."

Prentiss sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Garcia has some preconceived notions for how she thinks this night is going to go."

"Yeah. He's gonna open all the doors for her, pull out her chair at dinner—"

"What if we sit in a booth?" Florence asked though she got ignored.

"He'll hold her hand and tuck her under his arm during the movie. When he notices that she's cold, he will give her his jacket—"

"What if he doesn't bring a jacket?" Morgan was also ignored like Florence.

"And then he'll bring her home and give her her first kiss goodnight at the door," she said, sighing dreamily at the end.

Rossi looked at Florence, surprised. "You've never been kissed?"

"Thank you, Garcia," she muttered. "And, no. Surprising, I know, considering the fact that I'm physically flawless and have the confidence of Miranda Priestly. However, I'd rather not discuss it with everyone I work with."

She walked over to her living room and plopped down next to Hotch on the couch. "You're not like, missing time with Jack to do this, are you?"

Hotch appreciated that she cared about his time with his son enough to ask. "No. He and Haley are visiting her parents this weekend."

"Okay, that's good. I would've felt bad if you missed out time with him for something this silly," she mumbled, smiling.

"We don't think this is silly," Hotch told her. He glanced at the others, who had drifted off into their own conversations. "We care about you, Florence. That's why we're here."

"Really? Not because everyone on this team is nosy?"

"Well, maybe a little bit," he admitted, chuckling. He studied her quietly for a moment. "You know, I was aware already that you saw me as sort of a father figure in your life before you said so the other day."

"If you're gonna say something that's gonna embarrass me, I've had a lot of that recently and could do without," she mumbled.

"I was just going to say that I also see myself as that for you," he said. "In fact, I've often thought that if I had a daughter, she might turn out like you."

Her cheeks heated up and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Oh Hopscotch, you flatter me so."

"Perhaps that's why Hayley and I stopped after Jack," he joked.

Florence scoffed and lightly hit his arm. "Damn. Way to roast a girl while she's already emotionally vulnerable."

"You know, we really should work on your language," he said, shaking his head. "It's been a lot worse recently."

She snorted, which only hurt a little on her mostly healed nose. "Good luck with that."

With a few minutes before seven to go, there was a knock at the door. Garcia had overdramatically shushed everyone. Florence rolled her eyes and then nervously went to answer the door. Reggie was on the other side, wearing a black dress shirt and a pair of nice jeans. His hair was combed back and he had a bundle of white daisies in his hand — Florence's favorite flower. Both of them blushed when they saw each other.

"Hi," he greeted shyly.

"Hi," Florence said, laughing a little.

"You look really really beautiful."

"Thanks. You look really nice too."

"Are you two just gonna stand in the doorway all night?" Morgan loudly asked from inside the apartment.

Florence closed her eyes in annoyance before giving Reggie an apologetic look. "I know I already texted you and told you about them, but again, I'm really sorry about this."

"It's okay," he said, chuckling.

Florence led him in the room and he was met with the team, who all watched him with very calculating eyes. "Reggie, this is Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, and Aaron Hotchner, but he formally goes by Hopscotch." She had unintentionally listed them in order of intimidation. "Guys, this is Reggie."

"It's nice to meet you all," Reggie told them, trying to hide how nervous he was. "Ren talks about you guys all the time."

"Funny," Morgan said, crossing his arms. "She hasn't said a thing about you."

"Yeah, and every time we ask, she tells us to get lost," Reid asked, smiling awkwardly.

"Maybe that's because you have a tendency to follow people in vans," Florence said, giving him a pointed look. Reid stared down at the floor, embarrassed by his actions.

"So, what are your intentions with Florence?" Rossi asked him. Florence couldn't help but sigh and roll her eyes.

"Um, I'd just like to take Ren out to dinner and a movie at the park. I'll have her home by—"

"Eleven," Hotch told him, crossing his arms. "Her curfew is eleven."

Her jaw dropped. "That was not discussed with me."

"She'll be home by eleven," Reggie said, smiling. He kind of thought it was nice that all these people cared enough to see her off on the date.

"What's the worst thing you've ever done?" Morgan asked, narrowing his eyes. Sure, he had memorized everything Garcia had found online about him, but he still would be interrogating the boy.

"Uh," Reggie thought for a moment. "I don't - I'm not sure if this counts as bad, but one time my buddy Luke dared me twenty bucks to steal a shopping cart, hop in it, and let him push me down a hill. We returned it after though. And I broke my arm, but I got the twenty bucks. I'll do just about anything for twenty bucks."

Rossi looked at the others and sighed. "Oh my god, there's two of them."

"I'm gonna need your license plate number for safety reasons," Prentiss told him. Sure, she had fun teasing Florence, but she was all business in front of Reggie.

He stuttered for a moment, not expecting that question. "Of course. I - I'm not totally sure what my license plate number is though. I'm not good at remembering stuff like that, but as soon as we get downstairs, I'll give it to Ren to give to you."

Prentiss nodded, accepting the answer.

"Where do you think you'll be in five years?" JJ asked. "Florence will still be at the BAU—" She didn't mention that that was because she was required to stay there for so many years in order to make up for the whole Pentagon business. "—but what about you?"

"I should have my degree in Music Production by then. That's just my backup plan though because, in five years' time, Sunset Curve will have blown up. We'll put out a ton of best selling albums, including an experimental country one. We're gonna tour the world, and then in 2029, we'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," he said, excitedly. "Except, one of us doesn't show up because of a falling out. My money is on Alex, our drummer."

"Really?" Florence asked. "My money would've been on Luke. I feel like he'd pull a Zayn and go solo. He has the potential. He might take Julie with him too."

As Florence and Reggie had a side conversation about who would leave the band first, the team watched them with interests.

"Isn't he just the most adorable thing?" Garcia whispered. "They're so similar."

"It's kind of uncanny," Prentiss agreed.

"And you wouldn't know it just looking at her, but Florence does have a secret love of country music. She just doesn't like to tell people about it," Reid added.

"Do we have any more questions before we let them go?" When Rossi only received shrugs and shaking heads, he cleared his throat to gain the kids' attention. "Well, we'd better let you two get going. You'll want to make sure you're done with dinner in time for the movie. It was nice to meet you, Reggie."

"You too, Sir," he said, smiling politely. "It was nice to meet all of you."

"Wait," Morgan said, stepping forwards. "I've got some rules."

"Rules?" Florence asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't add to the population. Don't subtract from the population. Don't end up in the hospital, newspaper, or jail."

"Oh, don't worry Morgan. If I end up in jail, I'll establish dominance quickly," Florence joked. Everyone laughed and it eased some of the uncomfortable tension in the room. "Is that all?"

"That's all," Hotch told her. "Have fun."

Florence smiled and gave a little wave to all of them before pulling Reggie out into the hallway.

"That wasn't that bad," Reggie said, grinning. "You made it sound like my life was going to be threatened."

She chuckled and nodded her head. "That is because I thought your life was going to be threatened. It was also not nearly as embarrassing for me as I thought it'd be. And hey, did Luke really push you down a hill in a shopping cart."

"Totally," he said, laughing. "I'll show you the video when we get down to the car. Also, are you not worried about leaving seven adults alone in your apartment?"

"Eh," Florence said, shrugging. "They won't be surprised by anything they find if they go snooping. And Hotch will make sure everything is locked up when they leave."

|||

As first dates go, Florence and Reggie had a really nice one. Despite Garcia's predictions, they were seated at a booth at Applebee's. They split the two for twenty because both of them loved the mozzarella sticks that came with it. Despite Florence's protest, Reggie paid for the meal.

"I'm paying for the next one," she had insisted.

"So there's gonna be a next one?" Reggie asked, grinning. Then he playfully winked and Florence laughed it off.

After that, they went to the park. Reggie brought one blanket for them to sit on while they watched the movie, and another blanket for them to share if they got cold. Florence hadn't actually been cold, but she still let him wrap the blanket around her. She had ended up tucked under his arm during the movie as Garcia had hoped for. And Reggie held her hand as he walked her back up to her apartment a good fifteen minutes before eleven.

"I had a really good time," Florence told him as they stopped at her door.

"Me too," he said. "I'm really glad you said yes. Luke kept messing with me and telling me that you don't like me like that. Oh, uh, not that I'm assuming you like me like that. You could've just said yes to not make me—"

To shut him up, Florence stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, which immediately heated up as she did so. "I um, I do like you like that, actually. You're free to run and tell Luke."

"You like me?" he said, with a goofy smile. "Cool. Cool, cool, cool. I uh, I like you too. A bunch."

"Cool," Florence said, smiling too. "So, would you wanna do this again sometime?"

"Definitely," he replied, a little too quickly. She giggled at his enthusiasm. "Before I say goodnight, would it be too much to ask for a goodnight kiss?"

Florence bit her lip and nodded. She stood on her toes again and Reggie put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer, which made her heart speed up and she closed her eyes. For a first kiss, it was simple and sweet. Both of them started to smile just a few moments into it and they pulled away. Reggie's nose brushed against her cheek.

He lent in for another one, and both of them were more confident the second time around. Florence wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. She ran a hand through his hair as her back hit the hallway wall. Reggie dared to slip his tongue in her mouth and—

"Y'all better not be kissing!"

Florence and Reggie pulled away, overcome with shock when they heard Morgan's voice through the door. They both went red as Florence yanked the door open. Instead of an empty apartment like she expected, everyone from the team was still there. There were empty pizza boxes on her coffee table and they had broken out her The Office version of Clue.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, glancing around at them all.

"Sunshine, if you thought we were leaving before we knew you were home safe, then you don't know us at all," Morgan said, smirking.

"So," Prentiss said, matching Morgan's smirk. "It was really quiet out there. Didn't hear a lot of talking. Wonder what you were doing?"

Rossi chuckled. "Oh, I know what they were doing. I didn't get three wives by talking to them."

"No, that's just how you got the divorces," Florence shot back. Then she shook her head and turned to Reggie. His cheeks were still red and he was trying to avoid looking at the adults. "I um, I had a great time."

"Me too," he said, smiling. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Of course," she said, grinning.

Then she stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. A round of cheers and whistles sounded through the room, but they ignored them. Once Reggie was gone, Florence spun on her heel and glared at the group, though she didn't say anything.

"Tell me everything," Garcia said, jumping up from her spot on the couch. "I gotta know."

"I'm not telling you anything," Florence decided. "That's your punishment for following me in a van like a creepy stalker."

"C'mon, that's not fair," she whined. "It's your first date. I know you're dying to tell someone about it."

"I'm not telling you in front of them," she said while pointing two fingers at Hotch and Morgan.

"Get out," Garcia immediately ordered them in a low tone.

Morgan laughed. "Baby Girl, you can't be serious—"

"I gotta know, so you gotta leave," she insisted.

"Garcia, you and Reid rode here with me," Hotch reminded her.

"T - then wait in Florence's kitchen for however long this takes."

Hotch and Morgan shared a look before leaving the room. They mumbled under their breath about not understanding why Rossi and Reid got to stay and listen, but no one listened to their complaints.

"So," JJ said, grinning. "Did he kiss you?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that."

"That means yes."