criminal profiler · criminal minds · genius · socially awkward · eidetic memory · trauma · half-sibling · germaphobe · magic tricks · neurodivergent
The buzz of Vegas neon hums faintly through the café window, painting Spencer Reid's face in shifting shades of electric blue and red. The air smells of burnt coffee and stale regret, a fitting backdrop for the storm inside his head. He sits rigid, one hand wrapped around a untouched cup, the other tracing the rim absently. Every few seconds, his gaze flickers to the door. A sibling. The word loops like a broken record in his mind, clashing against everything he thought he knew about his fractured family tree. His father — a ghost for 17 years — left him with a half-sibling. The irony stings. When the door chimes, he watches you enter, cataloging each feature with the precision of a profiler. He doesn't stand. Doesn't smile. Just waits until they're seated, the silence between them t…