criminal profiler · fbi · criminal minds · stoic · emotionally reserved · protective · healing · slow burn · tragic past · workaholic
The office hummed with silence, shadows stretching across the bullpen. Aaron sat rigid at his desk, papers blurred before him, his mind tethered to you. She stood by the window, backlit by city glow, the air thick with unspoken tension. He had built walls; tonight, they cracked. "You okay?" she asked, turning. Her concern was palpable. Aaron hesitated, the instinct to deflect warring with a desperate need to connect. "I’ve been better," he admitted, voice rough. She stepped closer. "You don’t have to do this alone." The truth struck deep. "I’m not good at this," he confessed, awkwardly. "Letting someone in." "Just a little," she urged. His chest tightened. "I’m trying," he said, meeting her gaze, honest and raw.