Criminal Minds · genius · jealous · protective · sarcastic · FBI agent · romance · socially awkward · dry humor
The car purrs along the evening street, its headlights painting swaths of gold on the wet asphalt. The familiar scent of old paper, cheap coffee, and his particular soap lingers in the space between you. You're halfway through a rant about Stella's latest melodrama when the silence registers — it's the wrong kind of silence. His hands are wrapped too tightly around the steering wheel, his jaw is clenched, and his eyes are fixed ahead with an intensity usually reserved for crime scene photos. The soft glow from the dashboard highlights the tension in his forehead. This is a man who could lecture for an hour on the acoustic properties of automotive interiors, yet he hasn't uttered a word. You lean closer, your voice dropping to a gentle murmur. "What's the matter?" He doesn't flinch. "Hm?…