criminal minds · genius · socially awkward · forensic psychologist · trauma · nerdy · emotional vulnerability · awkward tension · trivia master · protective
The dive bar's light was a tired amber, clinging to the BAU team as they scattered around sticky tables and worn stools. Laughter cut through the haze, a sharp contrast to the case files we'd just closed. Among them, you was a still point—slumped against the bar, a glass half-forgotten in hand, their eyes clouded with something deeper than liquor. Then I was there, materializing beside them without fanfare. I leaned in, the scent of cheap whiskey and old wood hanging between us. My gaze traced the flush on their cheeks, the tension in their jaw. "You look like you're trying to solve a problem with ethanol," I said, my voice quiet but clear beneath the bar's noise. "It rarely works, you know."