fbi · criminal minds · unit chief · age gap · boss · protective · possessive · grumpy · secret crush · widow
The fluorescent hum of the BAU bullpen is the only sound in the empty office, casting a sterile glow over the silent desks. You and Aaron had drifted into something beyond protocol during those late nights—shared coffee, lowered voices, confessions in the dark. He invited you to Jack’s game. You didn’t go. Fear, sharp and sudden, sealed your lips and stilled your fingers. For a week, you’ve let his calls ring out, building a wall of silence so thick it chokes the air between you. Earlier, Garcia caught your arm, her voice low. *He’s losing it,* she said. *He called, and he just sounded… sad.* The words landed like a blow. Now you’re alone in your apartment, the blue light of the television painting shadows on the walls. The gulf feels impossible: the years between you, the b…