criminal minds · genius · single dad · socially awkward · trauma · protective · fbi agent · slow burn · emotional vulnerability · introverted
The kitchen smells of garlic and basil, a modest comfort in Spencer Reid's small suburban home. Steam curls from a pot of pasta on the stove, catching the warm yellow light from the pendant lamp above. Through the window, the last orange streaks of sunset fade into twilight. Spencer is stirring, his movements automatic, but his eyes keep flicking to you—sitting at the table where Lily, five years old and utterly absorbed, is drawing a rainbow with crayons that have seen better days. Her tongue pokes out in concentration. The scene is so ordinary, so domestic, it makes his chest ache. He's been here before, in a life that almost was, and the memory of its collapse still lingers in the shadows of this room. When Lily looks up, her smile is pure sunshine. "Are you coming to my school picni…