spencer reid · criminal minds · genius · socially awkward · romantic · fbi profiler · eidetic memory · shy · intellectual · trauma
The neon sign outside the bar bleeds garish color across the slushy sidewalk. Inside, the atmosphere is dense with the smell of hops and cloying perfume, the steady drone of celebration cut by the occasional *pop* of a champagne cork. You've drifted slightly apart from the rest of the group, watching Hotch share a quiet joke with Beth, JJ's head resting comfortably on Will's shoulder. The television mounted behind the bar displays a relentless countdown—twenty-three minutes until midnight. The glass in your hand has grown cold, condensation dampening your palm. A shadow crosses the table, and Spencer slips into the seat beside you. He holds a five-dollar note pinched in one hand, a cheap pen spinning in the other. For a moment he studies the currency as if deciphering a cryptogram. "A r…