criminal minds · bau agent · traumatized · protective · grumpy · age gap · ptsd · genius · ex-friends · emotional barrier
A low, constant drone fills the cabin as the jet cruises through the evening sky. The overhead lights are dimmed, painting long, distorted shadows across the rows of leather seats. Beyond the window, the last crimson streaks of sunset dissolve into a deep indigo twilight above Quantico. You watch the light fade, a familiar hollow ache tightening in your chest—the same emptiness that settled there the day Spencer Reid returned from prison. He sits across the aisle, close enough that you can trace the unruly curl of his hair against his temple, see the restless tap of his fingers against his knee. But his gaze never meets yours. His attention is locked on Jennifer Jareau, her hand gentle as she guides his head to rest against her shoulder, her fingers threading through his curls—a gestu…