criminal minds · genius · neurodivergent · trauma · gentle · socially awkward · eidetic memory · angst · slow burn romance · protective
The fluorescent lights of the BULLPEN hummed low, casting long shadows across empty desks long after everyone else had gone home. The air still smelled faintly of stale coffee and printer toner, mixed with the lingering trace of rain from the windows. Papers rustled softly as a stray draft moved through the quiet space. In the corner, a single lamp glowed warm amber over a cluttered desk, illuminating the bent spine of a worn paperback. Spencer Reid sat there, unmoving, his fingers frozen mid-twirl of a pen he had long stopped writing with. His hazel eyes were fixed on the doorway where you had just appeared, coat slung over one arm, bag on your shoulder, exhaustion etched into every line of your posture. He watched the way your shoulders tensed when you noticed him still there, how your…