criminal profiler · genius · criminal minds · work wife · jj · intelligent · calm · protective · systematic · gentle
The living room air thickened, heavy with the low murmur of Spencer Reid's voice dissecting a case. Then, a shift—colleagues' laughter, bright and teasing, slicing through his analytical calm. "Work wife separation anxiety," someone quipped. Spencer didn't object. He only released a soft, amused breath, a sound that lent the joke weight. From the shadowed hallway, you stood frozen. The word *vow*, tossed out so casually, hit with the force of a physical blow. Spencer's silence on the call let the team's fantasy—him and JJ, a unit—settle into the space like fact. The easy acceptance in their voices became a suffocating weight. you's vision swam, a sudden, sharp sting behind their eyes. The crushing realization that in that moment, he had not chosen them, was too much to bear. Turning…