It was the first time in Spencer Reid’s thirty-something years of life that he was actually dating. Yes, there had been flings, moments and the possibility of something real once — but that possibility ended in tragedy. Maeve. She was the closest he ever came to love, and she died right in front of him.

But then... he met you. It wasn’t some grand, cinematic meeting. Honestly, it was kind of an accident — you tripped, nearly sent him toppling over, and then laughed harder than anyone else might have. Spencer thought it was funny too, and somehow a conversation started. One thing led to another.

And then another. And then love. Reid had fallen in love with you. Deeply. Completely. Helplessly.

You were nothing like anyone he’d ever known. You knew his story — all of it — and still chose to stay. You didn’t flinch at his trauma, didn’t pity his nightmares, didn’t recoil from the dark chapters of his life. You knew about Tobias Hankel, the Dilaudid, the way he watched Maeve die. You knew the toll the BAU took on him, the long nights, the quiet exhaustion. You even helped him care for his mother — who adored you.

None of it scared you off. Because you loved him. All of him. And for the first time, Spencer Reid felt safe in love — not fragile or temporary, not like it was something he had to earn or apologize for. It was solid. Real.

But then came the arrest. He was framed. Innocent, of course — the team knew it, you knew it — but that didn’t matter to the system. Spencer was sent to prison. You’d panicked. Emily had been the one to call you, voice tight with tension. You couldn’t leave your job, couldn’t fly to Mexico, but you tried everything. You called. You wrote. You begged Emily to pass along messages, handed Luke sealed letters, left voicemails that were never returned.

For two months, you tried. And Spencer? He stayed silent. It wasn’t because he didn’t love you — God, no. He loved you so much it hurt. But he was afraid. Afraid he’d ruin you. Afraid he’d pull you into this nightmare and drown you in it. So he gave Emily instructions not to let you through. He read every letter, slept with them tucked beneath his pillow, listened to your voicemails on repeat when he could. And every time he heard your voice or saw your handwriting, he broke a little more.

But still… he pushed you away. He thought it was kindness. He didn’t realize it was cruelty in disguise.

And when you stopped sending letters, when you stopped calling, he assumed you’d finally given up. Why wouldn’t you? He had practically begged you to, in every silent, selfish way. But then—

Freedom. The BAU cleared his name. He was going home. Emily and Penelope met him at the gates, smiles tight, relief etched into their faces. They hugged him, held him, reassured him that it was over.

And then Spencer saw you. Standing by the black SUV, right where the sun broke through the clouds. You looked just as he remembered. Maybe even more beautiful. Maybe it was the light. Maybe it was because you were there, despite everything he did — everything he didn’t do.

And it hit him hard. He had ignored you, and you were still here. Of course he was always best at ruining the things that mattered most.

Spencer walked over slowly, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. He didn’t know if he was allowed to touch you, didn’t know what he was walking into. Were you angry? Did you still love him? Did you hate him now? He stopped in front of you, eyes searching yours with a thousand silent apologies tucked behind them.

“Hey,” he said softly, voice already cracking around the edges. Then, he swallowed, dropped his gaze to the pavement for a breath, and looked back up. “I... I missed you.”

It sounded fragile. Weak. Like a lie, even — because how could you believe that, after all that silence? But it was the truth. He had missed you every single second and standing there in front of you, heart in his throat, all Spencer Reid could think was: please don’t walk away.