Penelope couldn't understand why he would choose her to be with him during this intimate, close moment. Luke Alvez is most definitely the most simplistic man in this universe. He keeps so much to himself that the mysterious aura around him still exists even after months with the team.

"Is it horrible to say that i am a little on the edge?"

Luke stopped rummaging through his backpack and arched an curious eyebrow. "Why would you feel on the edge?"

She sighed. "Not that i am not happy to help a fellow..." what are they? "Friend." Penelope watched as he continued collecting his necessary needs from his desk into the backpack. She could never understand him. How can a human being live with such small, simple things in life? For her, she wouldn't just use one backpack for a few days off. She'll need three glittery suitcases, one specially for her little friends that share the desk with her in the office. God, they're such polar opposites. "But you've talked about this with Matt, right? Maybe he's a better option to help you out with this."

Luke chuckled. "No, you're definitely the better option."

"Why?" She's being so persistent, she must be so annoying to him.

He zipped his backpack and briefly smiled. "Because Garcia, you make people feel better by just standing near them. You always make sure to let people know that they deserve the best in the world and that whatever they may be feeling, it's just a phase." He put the backpack over his shoulders. "And that's what i need the most in the world. Someone that can make me feel better."

Damn, he has a way with words. Penelope nodded her head and walked side by side with him as they head towards the elevators. "Alright, I'll give you that, Alvez."

Luke laughed. "And i think the little surprise we're doing for my friend will also be something that you'll absolutely love."

"What is it?" Penelope asked. When he shook his head and entered the elevator without a reply, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, this is how you're going to be."

. . .

"Why aren't you the most adorable little puppy I've seen in my life?!" Penelope screamed in joy as she bent down to pick up the little puppy. After letting the dog lick her face, she giggled and glanced at Luke. "His name is Lou?"

He nodded as he finished signing off the paperwork. "Yes." Luke made his way over to get his fair share of puppy love. "Isn't he adorable?"

"So adorable!" Penelope joyfully replied. "Your friend is going to love him."

"I hope so," Luke said. "I just hope with the help of Lou, he can bounce back on his feet day by day."

Penelope's smile faltered as she glanced at Luke, his mind and facial expression must still be worried for his friend. Handing Lou into Luke's arm, she checked the time on her phone. "Come on, we still have like two hours before we visit your friend. Let's go do something."

"What? What are you - "

Not giving him time to respond, she wrapped her hand so naturally into his hand as she dragged him away.

. . .

"Come on, Alvez. Give it a whip." Penelope nose scrunched at the sexual innuendo. "I didn't mean to make it sound sexual."

Luke laughed. He always knew that she finds it weird to be her other natural self around him. He has seen and heard her naturally say such things to the other teammates but for some reason, she doesn't do that with him. "I don't know about this, Penelope. Isn't it a bit too much?"

"No. You're clearly stress from work, your mind has a million thoughts. This is a good way to just relax and have fun. Do something out of the ordinary. Don't be such a clean functionally man. Be messy."

"I am messy." Luke retorted.

"Speaks of the man that has the cleanest and most boring desk in the BAU." Penelope rolled her eyes. "Alvez, it's fun. Trust me." To show him, she grabbed the paintbrush and dipped it into the bucket of paint. With one strong throw, the dripping paint from the brush splattered all over the clean, white wall.

Luke couldn't help but laugh at how simple that made Penelope giggle. "All right, I'll do it but just because you paid for this room already." He couldn't believe she actually took him to a place that specially rents out room for people to do this for fun. Hell, he didn't even know this place existed. Dipping his own paintbrush into an different color of paint, he gave it his best shot at the newly found activity.

"See!" Penelope clapped her hands. That's the start of it, the insane and crazy paint splatter over the walls. Penelope and Luke were laughing so hard over what certain images would look like. For what felt like hours, only 40 mins has passed by. "Hey, don't get paint on me!"

Luke halted and arched an eyebrow. "What? I'm being messy like you've instructed."

"Alvez, if you get paint on me again - " she gasped when he purposefully splatter paint on her. "Oh, you're dead."

Luke burst out in laughter when she got paint on him too. Having no choice, he let his paintbrush soak into another bucket of paint. "Maybe a little purple will look good on your face."

"Purple actually does look good on my face but i prefer purple glitter." She screamed and started running around the room once Luke chased after her. "Alvez!" After a few minutes of chasing, she was cornered at the wall. Unknowingly, Luke was much closer to her than ever before. With their faces inches apart, their eyes seemingly staring at each other as their out of breaths panting fill the silence in the room. God, she knew he was good looking but he is most definitely beautiful so up-close to her like this.

Luke didn't know what to do. He was so close to her. His eyes wandered to her lips, the lips that he has always stared at during work. Her eyes, the eyes that he fell for since the first time he saw her inside that elevator. It's not a secret that he knew how he felt since the beginning but it's also not a secret that she hates him. To her, he will always be the person that replaced someone she holds dearly to her heart. Feeling a little intimated and cautioned about the closeness, he backed away from Penelope. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. "We should go and get cleaned up. It's almost time to let Lou meet my friend."

Why did he back away? Penelope knit her eyebrows together and silently nodded her head. "Yeah."

. . .

"Thanks for Lou," his friend smiled as he watched Penelope giving Lou plenty of her attention before they leave. "I hope i can really bounce back since i definitely found something that i love."

"Roxy was a huge help for me and Lou will help you so much." Luke reassured his buddy.

His friend glanced at Penelope. "What about her?"

"What?" Luke shook his head. "She's a teammate."

"She's also someone that you haven't taken your eyes off since you both entered my room." His friend chuckled as he patted Luke's shoulders. "Come on, please don't tell me you're scared."

"I am not scared," Luke defend himself. "I just know that she doesn't like me that way. Hell, i just started thinking that she likes me as a person now."

"My friend, i may be in the this current situation right now, but i know when two people like each other."

Luke felt confused. "What?"

"You're a fool. It's obvious."

"What's obvious?"

His friend shook his head. "See, this is why you were always the single one, Alvez." Taking a sip of his water, he chuckled. "I can see from your eyes that aside from Roxy, you've also find someone to love and live for."

Luke became speechless. "I mean, we're a team. I'll always take care of my team no matter what. Of course i would love and - "

"No, someone that you can see yourself opening your life with. Someone that you will love for the rest of your life." His friend glanced at Penelope, who he has caught staring at Luke for the past hour as she played with Lou. Are these two serious? Are they both so oblivious to how the other feel? "Luke, like how you're telling me to take a chance with Lou, take your chance with her."

"She wouldn't - "

"Luke Alvez, do it. Don't always try to be so simple. Take your chance, be spontaneous for once. Do something that's out of the ordinary today."

. . .

Luke and Penelope both walked side by side on the parking lot after spending an hour with Lou and his friend. "Thanks for inviting me today to such a personal moment." Penelope smiled. "Not going to lie, a little surprised that you shared something so intimate and personal with me."

"Is that how everybody at the BAU feel about me? I'm so distant?"

"Not distant, just different. We share everything with each other and keep little personal items on the desk to showcase...our love for certain things. For you, your desk is always clean and empty that we feel as if sharing such personal stuff isn't something you do."

Luke briefly smiled. "I'll try to start."

"Oh, no! Don't try to change just because I'm saying so, we like you! We like you for you being who you are, you can't always be so glittery awesome like me." Penelope brightly smiled.

Luke looked at her. "You like me?"

"Of course! I mean, i know i was mean at the start but come on, we've been through a lot since you joined the team." Penelope shrugged her shoulders. "And you're someone easy to like..."

"Just like?"

The question threw her off. "What?"

Luke blinked. "Never - " suddenly his friend's words repeated in his mind. "I mean, do you see or...feel something else for me aside from just like?"

"Uh..." Penelope could feel her heart racing. "What are you trying to say?"

He can't believe he's about to do this. "I like you, Penelope. And i don't think it's just a simple teammate like. More like...the kind of feeling of - " he stopped talking. Not because he backed out but because suddenly Penelope crushed her lips onto his. His hand wrapped around her waist as he returned the kiss. With her back against the car, he moved in closer.

"Wow." Penelope simply said as soon as they finished kissing.

Luke cleared his throat. "Wow."

"For such a simple man, you are not a just simple kisser." Penelope said quietly, the way he kissed was just...wow.

And just like that, as always, Penelope Garcia managed to make him burst out in laughter. D