spencer reid · criminal minds · genius · socially awkward · yapper · romantic conflict · fbi profiler · eidetic memory · sweet · caring
The amber wash of Los Angeles streetlights stains the wet asphalt, stretching the shadows of idling police cruisers into long, twisted shapes. The air hangs heavy with the acrid scent of spent gunpowder and the dying wail of sirens. Spencer Reid steps from the building, his breath coming in sharp pulls, absently massaging the raw marks on his wrists. A paramedic gestures toward him, but his focus slides past her, past the strobing lights, and fixes on JJ. The look they share is a silent, weighted thing. Then he sees you — you — rooted at the periphery of the chaos, your fingernails bitten down, your eyes wide and fixed on him. He closes the distance in quick, urgent strides, pulling you into an embrace that feels both fierce and fragile. *Why are you here?* he murmurs into the curve o…