I had a little idea and I had to write it down. This is based on The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg, which I am completely obsessed with.

Idoot helped DJ_Tatortot

Summary: Spencer Reid starts dating his new neighbor - you. But you have a secret that you know he'd never believe...

QOTP: Have you read The Paper Magician?

Word Count: 2665

The first time Spencer was in your apartment was when you first moved in. He helped you carry a bookshelf up the stairs and inside. It was a nice apartment - similar to his, in some ways. Besides the bareness of the walls and tables, it looked pretty normal.

"I never knew what the inside of this apartment looked like," he'd said. "It's nice."

You chuckled. "What, you never made friends with your old neighbor?"

"No, not really." He shrugged. "I don't think he liked me very much."

"Why?" you asked, eyes shining with amusement. "All those crazy weekend parties you throw?"

"How'd you know about those?" he replied jokingly.

"I have my ways."

Am I flirting with him? you'd thought. I think I am...

"What are your ways?" he asked mock-suspiciously.

Is he flirting with me? Man, I hope so.

The next time he entered your apartment was a week or so later when he helped you carry in your impressive loot from Home Goods.

That time, it wasn't so normal looking.

The room was full of paper. Specifically, origami.

Big, colorful paper stars hung on the wall; multicolored, intricately and tightly woven paper chains for curtains; paper flowers in a glass vase on the dining table; little paper animals set in various places about the room. And that wasn't even half of it.

"You can just set that-" you stopped, turning around to find Spencer looking about the room with his mouth hanging open.

Okay, Y/N, play it cool.

"Oh, right," you said. "Yeah, I like origami."

"This is..." he trailed off, trying to figure out the specific folds in one of your paper chains.

"Weird?" you suggested.

He shook his head. "Awesome."

He hadn't even seen your office yet, which was a whole different story.

He thought it was cool; you had an interesting hobby that you made a few bucks off of (selling paper creations to people for cheap - mainly for decoration). What he didn't know was where you learned how to fold all that. Or exactly what those paper creations could do.

What he did know was that he liked you, and Prentiss told him to go for it. So, he asked you out for coffee, and you said yes.

Then, you went to dinner. And many dates after that. One thing led to another, and here you are, dating for almost a year now.

And he still has no idea.

You want to tell him, but you can't. Not only because of the huge repercussions that could come out of it, but also because he might not want to be with you after you tell him.

There's also the fact that he doesn't ask questions. He doesn't ask about the life-size paper dog you keep in your office, why most of your paper trash is shredded when you don't even own a shredder, or the long, indigo coat you wear with a dozen deep pockets on the insides, though only when you're at home (as far as he knows).

For a profiler, he makes keeping a secret pretty easy.

////

"I'm gonna be in England all next week, by the way," you say suddenly during a Doctor Who marathon. "Visiting friends from Uni."

"And you only thought to mention this now?" he asks, half amused.

You shrug. "It just never came up."

Or I've been avoiding telling you because it's basically a lie, you thought.

Spencer believes you went to the University of Sheffield, got a degree in English, became an author, then moved to DC. You are an author, and you did move to DC, but the rest is a lie.

The trip to England technically isn't a lie, though. You are going to England, and you are friends visiting from Uni. However, the University you went to isn't really a University. And some of those aforementioned friends graduated years before you did, but it still counts.

At least you tell yourself that.

"I'll probably end up out of town anyways," Spencer says.

You lay your head on his shoulder, pulling the blanket up to your own shoulders. "Probably."

That Monday morning, Spencer gets a call from Emily about a case. After getting ready, he knocks on your door. You open it, already dressed for your trip to London - indigo coat and all.

"Hey," he says. "Leaving for a case in Oregon. Wanted to say bye."

"Alright. Goodbye, Spencer Reid. Go catch me a bad guy," you reply half-sarcastically.

He laughs. "I'll do my best." There's a pause, then he sighs. "Call me when you land?"

Little do you know, I'm not really landing.

You smile. "I will. Love you."

"Love you, too."

He kisses you quickly, then heads out the door. Once he's gone, you Google how long a flight from D.C to London is, then set yourself an alarm to call him.

Five minutes later, your friend Y/F/N, who lives in California, is in your apartment and ready to take you to London. The trip takes two minutes, counting the time it took her to actually do the spell.

The last time you were in London was two weeks ago, and Spencer definitely doesn't know about that two day trip - or the bruises and cuts you received from it.

And you aren't sure if he ever will.

////

The London trip goes swimmingly, and Spencer never suspects anything. You have to bend the truth when he asks you about it, but he believes you. It's concerning how good you are at lying.

"How was the trip?" he asks over a simple dinner in his apartment the night you get back.

You smile a little. "It was good." Good. Not a lie.

When you don't provide any details, Spencer gets a little suspicious. "Okay? Anything interesting happen?"

Tons of things, you think. A Smelter presenter a new spell to enhance a car's performance, a Gaffer spoke on mirror magic and the new uses it could have, a Polymaker did an awe-inspiring display using Illusion spells. I got to see my mentors again, and I told them all about you. So many interesting things happened. I could talk about it for hours.

"Not particularly," you reply, trying to think of something on the spot. "We hung out, went to eat, went shopping. That was about it."

Spencer only hums in response and lets it drop, but something seems off about your answer...

////

"Emily, can I ask for your advice?" Spencer asks, standing in the doorway of her office at the end of the workday.

She looks up, slightly concerned. "Yeah, of course. What's up?"

Spencer walks in, closes the door behind him, and sighs. "It's Y/N. I... I think there's something going on."

"Like what?" Emily asks.

"I think she's... hiding something from me. I don't know what it is, but I noticed that she's been acting strange for a while now."

"Strange how?"

"Like... secretive..."

"And you want me to tell you what to do?" Emily says. Spencer nods, and she sighs. "Spence, the best thing you can do is confront her. Don't throw around accusations, and do it gently, but confront her."

Spencer drives home, planning out what he's going to say.

////

You're working on paper spells to replenish your stock when Spencer knocks on the door. You make sure to close the office door, then go to answer the front.

Spencer doesn't look happy, and it takes the smile right off your face. "Spence?"

"Hey," he says, walking in.

Oh, no.

You close the door and turn to face him, heart hammering in your ears. "Everything okay?"

He shakes his head, thinks for a second. "... No. No, not really... You've been..." You start to say something - he pauses for a while - but, suddenly, he takes a deep breathe and just gets on with it. "You've been acting weird lately, and maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions, but I feel like you're hiding something from me."

You can save this. You have to save this.

"Are you accusing me of something?" you ask, though not in a angry tone as one would expect.

"Not specifically," he says. "I don't know what it is, but it's... it's something. Y/N/N, if something's wrong, if something's going on - whatever it is - you can tell me."

"I know," you reply, your tone rising.

"Then what's wrong?" His tone rises, too.

"Nothing!" you shout. "Nothing is wrong!"

"Then what's going on?!" Spencer shouts back. "Something's up, Y/N; I can tell!"

I can't save this.

To his surprise, you don't shout again. You sigh and look down, leaning against the kitchen counter next to you. "I never should've fallen in love with a profiler..." you say quietly.

"What?" Spencer asks, just as quiet.

You take a moment, then look up at him. "Come sit down."

"What-"

"Spencer, please just sit down," you practically beg, walking over to the couch. He sits down, and you sit next to him. After another pause, you sigh. "This is going to sound completely crazy, but I need you to just listen to me for a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay," he says, becoming increasingly concerned.

You pause yet again, working up the nerve to tell him. "Spencer... I lied about where I went to Uni." You stop to look at his reaction, then continue before he can respond. "I didn't go to Sheffield. I went to a school called Tagis Praff... Specifically, Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined." You can't read the expression on his face, so you just continue. "Spencer... magic is real, and... and I can do it. I have it.

"It's a-a bond. With a certain material - a man-made material." You stop, trying to gauge his reaction again, but you still can't tell, so you just continue. "There's six: glass, steel, plastic, rubber, fire, and... paper."

"And you're paper?" he asks quietly, though you can tell he doesn't quite believe you.

You nod. "Yeah. And-And there's more that I've lied about...

"The long London trips? Yes, I was visiting friends from Uni. Just from Tagis Praff. And my friend, Y/F/N? She can do magic - mirror magic. That's how I've been getting to London; she can transport through mirrors.

"The trip last week? A Magician's convention. And there have been others I never told you about...

"Y/F/N's not just my friend, she's my partner. For work. Yes, I'm an author, but I also work for the Magician's Cabinet back in England. The Criminal Affairs division." You pause, giving him the chance to speak, but he doesn't, so you continue. "People can easily abuse magic, and-and there's another material magic some have bonded to - people. Criminal Affairs has to take care of these rogue magicians. So, we look at crimes and determine if they were done with magic, and if they were, we step in. We pose as a division of the CIA - in America, at least - and take over the case.

"They assigned me to D.C. and assigned Y/F/N to California, but we're still partners. Sometimes she comes here, sometimes I go there. Sometimes we have to go back to London. It depends.

"And I know that's a lot to deal with all at once, Spence, but it's true. And I'm so sorry I never told you, but I didn't know how you would react, and... we're supposed to keep it a secret..." you trail off, then look at him and wait for him to speak.

"Y/N..." he says. "I... I don't know what to say... I mean... magic? And-And Criminal Affairs? I..."

"Hold on." You go into to your office and grab your paper dog. You're afraid Spencer won't be there when you get back, but he is. He looks at it, and you set it down. Then, you command the dog, "Breathe."

The dog shakes itself as if it was just in water, then barks, though it sounds more paper-y than a bark. Spencer looks at it in awe as it runs up to him. "Wh-Wh-Wh..."

"That's Charlie..." you say awkwardly.

Charlie barks again, placing his paws on Spencer's knees. Spencer cautiously pets his head. "H-Hi, Charlie."

Then, you reach into your almost ever-present indigo coat and produce a badge and a few paper spells. You hand them to him in turn. "This is my Criminal Affairs badge, this a Ripple spell, this is a Shield Chain..."

Once he's calmed a little, you explain the spells to him - how you use them as defense in your job. Then, you explain the chains and spells you have on your walls and in your office.

And the thought of breaking up with you never crosses his mind the entire time.

////

"We're getting on the plane now," Spencer says tiredly through the phone. "This has been a long case."

"You okay?" you ask, the phone on speaker as you fold spells in your office.

Spencer sighs. "Not really, to be honest. But I'll probably be fine after a good night's sleep."

"You sure?" you ask.

"Yeah. I'll see you when I get back."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye."

"Bye."

After he hangs up, you abandon your Vitality Chain and sit back in your chair, thinking. Charlie looks curiously up at you from his spot at your feet.

Spencer loves getting paper creations as gifts, and you're sure nothing would cheer him up more. You think about the paper heart you gave him for Valentine's Day, then the TARDIS (with lights and sounds) that you gave him for his birthday. But you don't have time to fold him something that impressive...

Then, you remember an offhand comment he made a week or so ago about wishing it would snow...

////

"Hey, we just land-" Spencer starts once you pick up the phone.

You interrupt him. "Spencer Reid, I need you to report to my apartment as soon as you get home. Please."

"Okay...?" he replies, completely confused.

"Great. See you soon." With that, you hang up.

////

"Should I be worried?" he asks when you answer the door. He leans down to pet Charlie, who's front paws are resting on his leg. "I'm pretty worried right now."

"Worry not, Spencer Reid, and follow me to my office," you reply, already walking down the hall.

He closes the door behind him and follows you, Charlie on his heels. "I'm even more worried now."

You open the office door and immediately hand him a red, folded paper fish. It's not animated yet. He takes it and raises an eyebrow. "Thank you?"

You place your hands on the fish and whisper, "Breathe."

The fish swims out of his hands and into the air as if it were water. Spencer has a small smile on his face; he's seen this spell before, but he still thinks it's cool.

You move him to the center of the room, close the door, and look up at the fish. "Now."

The fish swims up to a string hanging from the ceiling and pulls it down, causing hundreds of tiny, cold paper snowflakes to cascade over you, Spencer, Charlie, and your entire office.

Spencer beams, holding his hands out. "You're making it snow?"

"Simple little spell," you reply over Charlie barking. "Lots of cutting, though."

He pulls you into a hug, then kisses you. "Thank you. For everything."

You blush, brushing paper snow off his shoulder. "Oh, it's nothing. Besides, I stole this idea from one my mentors."

"Well, I love it - and you - anyway."