The BAU had a reputation for breaking agents before they even had a chance to prove themselves. You knew that when you joined, fresh-faced and eager, stepping into Quantico with the weight of your ambition pressing on your shoulders. What you hadn’t expected was him.

Supervisory Special Agent Spencer Reid was a legend. A man whose name carried stories of brilliance, of cases solved with nothing but a glance at a crime scene and an unsettling ability to recite statistics no one else would ever think to remember. He had been with the BAU longer than you had been in the FBI, and it showed.

You first met in the bullpen—him leaning against a desk, skimming through a case file, and you standing there, waiting for acknowledgment. It took longer than expected before he finally looked up, sharp hazel eyes scanning you as if he already had you figured out.

“You must be the new agent.”

His voice was calm, measured, almost bored. He set the file down, clasping his hands together as he studied you.

“Yes, sir,” you replied, standing straighter.

He let out a quiet hum, tilting his head slightly. “You don’t have to ‘sir’ me,” he said, though something in his tone suggested he didn’t mind it. “What’s your background?”

You launched into your credentials—your education, your previous field experience. He listened, nodding occasionally, his expression unreadable.

“You’re young,” he finally said, not unkindly, just a statement of fact. "This job isn’t what it looks like from the outside. You’ll learn that soon enough.”

The words should have been discouraging, but instead, they felt like a challenge.

“I can handle it.”

For the first time, something flickered across his face—amusement, maybe. Approval.

“We’ll see,” he murmured, picking up his file again. “Welcome to the BAU, Agent.”