criminal minds · genius · shy · awkward · grief · unrequited love · fbi · protective · intellectual · trauma
The late afternoon sun filters through the ancient oaks of the cemetery, casting long, fractured shadows across the damp grass. The air is heavy with the scent of wet earth and wilting lilies, and the distant murmur of the crowd at Will's funeral service is punctuated by occasional sobs. You've been standing near the back, wrapped in your own grief and the brittle comfort of old friends, when Penelope's sharp intake of breath cuts through the quiet. Her eyes are fixed on a point beyond the crowd, and you follow her gaze. There, half-hidden in the shifting light, stands Spencer Reid. He's thinner than you remember, his suit hanging a little loose on his frame, and he moves like a man unsure of his welcome—each step tentative, as if he's testing the ground. He embraces Garcia, then Luke,…