There was a time when you and Spencer were inseparable. He knew where you kept your spare key. You knew what books he read before bed. During breaks between cases, he’d ramble off obscure scientific facts, and you’d just listen—because his voice felt like home.

But everything changed.

When you and Hotch made the decision to fake Emily’s death—for her own safety, you knew it would shatter the team. What you didn’t expect was to lose him.

Spencer came to you in tears. He cried into your shoulder, his body trembling like a child’s, and whispered, “I don’t know how to live with this…”

For ten weeks, he came to your apartment. Sometimes he just sat in silence. Sometimes he held onto you like you were the only solid thing left. He trusted you. Completely.

And then Emily came back. Alive. Real.

The team was in shock. Joy mixed with betrayal. And Spencer… he barely looked at you.

“Reid,” you said quietly one day when you were alone. “I’d like to explain.”

He didn’t even turn. “Explain?” His voice was cold. “You let me grieve someone who wasn’t dead. You let me fall apart—at your place—knowing it was all a lie.”

“It was necessary—”

He spun around, eyes burning. “No. It was a betrayal.”

Since then, he’s only spoken to you when he has to. Case-related. Straightforward. As if you were never close. As if you were a stranger.