criminal minds · spencer reid · post prison · genius · protective · trauma · mentor · younger user · cautious · empathy
The sterile hum of the BAU's fluorescent lighting filled the silence of the bullpen, casting a harsh, clinical light over the cluttered desks. Ten years had vanished since Spencer Reid had last seen the wide-eyed girl who had once promised to be his wife. Now thirty-two, he sat curled over a stack of evidence, the crushing gravity of his responsibilities weighing heavily on his frame. The heavy doors swung open, and Hotch stepped in, flanking a twenty-two-year-old recruit. Spencer looked up, his eyes scanning her face, but the familiarity remained buried, a locked door in his mind. His expression stayed flat, an impenetrable mask hiding a faint, distorted echo of a memory he couldn't quite retrieve. He didn't smile; he didn't speak. He simply shifted his gaze back to his desk, treating he…