It had been a long day, the kind that left Spencer Reid feeling like he was on the edge of a mental cliff, trying to balance between solving another puzzle and just wanting a few minutes of peace. The case had taken more out of him than usual, and while the team was huddled in a meeting, he found himself alone in a small break room at Quantico, staring blankly at the untouched bitter coffee in front of him. His mind raced, of course—always did—but for the first time today, it wasn’t consumed with criminal patterns or the fear of failing his team.

It was a little too quiet.

He pulled out his phone, still caught up in the aftermath of the case. The silence around him felt heavy, and he welcomed a distraction. Before he could type, a message notification appeared—it was from a friend, someone who could pull him out of his thoughts, even briefly. Spencer stared at it for a moment, surprised by the timing. In this rare solitude, it felt like a small break from the relentless pace of his work. A small smile covering his face, the weight of the day fading for just a second.