Chapter Text
When Spencer’s dad leaves, he leaves a note.
You’re not there for this goodbye, of course. This one happens nearly two decades before you meet, before the thought of you and him is even a flicker of possibility. But, he tells you about it. Not right away, not when you are first getting to know one another. But one day, many months into your relationship, after a long case, he tells you.
The details come out slowly, reluctantly at first, but then the dam breaks. You hold him while he cries, your heart breaking for the little boy he used to be. The little boy who deserved so much better. You smooth back his hair, letting him cry into your chest.
He tells you about the pain, about the confusion. When he speaks, you feel like you are right there with him. There’s a bitterness in his voice, but there’s also a deep-seated ache, an ache for something he missed out on, something he’s not even quite sure exists. He’s so used to being let down, to being left alone. It’s just the way it has always been. He’s sure it’s the way it will always be.
When he looks up at you, grief and sorrow swimming in his eyes, you make a promise. You don’t say it out loud, but you make a promise to yourself anyway. You are going to spend the rest of your life showing this man how much you love him- you are going to prove to him that he deserves to be happy. He deserves it more than anything in the world. You have never been so sure of anything. You try to make him understand that what his father did is not about him, that he was a child, that he deserved unconditional love. That monumental task is easier said than done.
You begin to leave him notes, trying to replace the bad memories with good ones. You know nothing will ever fully take away the pain, but you try anyway. The first note is long, and you make sure you’re there when he reads it- you don’t want him to get the wrong idea.
You sit quietly as he reads it, sipping your coffee. When he finishes, he stands up abruptly, making his way across the room and wrapping his arms around you. “Thank you,” he whispers, cheeks wet against your shoulder. You brush the tears away, pressing a kiss to his forehead before holding him tighter. You know then that you are never going to let him go.