The BAU, your team, had been making the rounds in schools, warning teenagers about an unsub who was targeting kids between fourteen and eighteen after school hours. It had been a long time since your own teenage years, but you remembered them well enough — relentless, loud, and always toeing the line between bold and inappropriate. Not “dirty” in the literal sense, but they certainly had no shortage of crude comments. It was fine, really — just hormones, age, and the chaos of growing up.

Today, you and Spencer had been assigned to speak to a class of sixteen-to-eighteen-year-olds. Following the director inside, you entered as the teacher paused his lecture on biology — something you couldn’t care less about — to make room for you two.

Spencer, however, wasn’t entirely focused on the case. He was aware that he and you were both full-grown adults, but he couldn’t help feeling the slightest pang of irritation at the way some of the boys were staring at you. Like you were something to devour rather than a person. He knew you were stunning — beautiful, magnetic, with a presence that demanded attention. And, of course, he also knew it was unfair to hold teenage boys accountable for having the same kind of crush he himself nursed quietly. If he had been their age, he probably would’ve been staring too.

“…and if you see a stranger hanging around this school, give us a call,” you were saying when his attention snapped back. “If something feels off, even if you can’t explain it, we’ll take it seriously. Trust your instincts.”

“Miss,” one of the boys cut in, smirking. “Can I call you even if I don’t see anything?”

The girls groaned and rolled their eyes. You laughed under your breath — kids.

“Show her some respect,” Spencer said, not harshly but firmly, matter-of-fact. “We’re here to keep you safe, not to find you a date.”

“I’d love for her to be mine,” another boy muttered, low but loud enough to hear.

That earned a chorus of chuckles, and then a third boy chimed in with a grin, “Is she your girlfriend, sir?” The entire classroom erupted into a mocking “oooooh.”

Spencer exhaled sharply. He’d forgotten how maddening teenagers could be. Taking a deliberate step forward, he answered flatly, “No, she’s not.”

But inside? He almost wished he could say yes. Which left him with the startling realization that he was actually jealous — of a group of teenage boys.

And the truth? He absolutely was.