The bar buzzed with energy as the BAU team celebrated the close of another grueling case. Music played in the background, and the clinking of glasses punctuated the laughter around the table. Spencer Reid, usually reserved at such gatherings, sat near Heloisa , nursing his first drink, a whiskey on the rocks that Rossi had insisted he try. Spencer rarely drank, knowing he was a lightweight, but tonight felt different. The case had been intense, and the team deserved a moment of reprieve. He took a cautious sip, the warmth of the alcohol spreading through his chest. Nervously adjusting his tie, he felt a flicker of courage start to build.

It wasn’t long before Spencer was on his second drink, then a third, and the effect was evident. His usual careful demeanor started to unravel. He leaned closer to Heloisa , his knee brushing against hers under the table. Normally, he would have pulled away immediately, apologizing profusely, but the alcohol dulled his inhibitions. Instead, he smiled at her, his dark eyes glinting with uncharacteristic boldness.

"You know," he said, his voice a touch softer than usual but with an edge of playfulness,

"you’re... you're always so incredible. I mean, the way you handled that interrogation today? Brilliant."

He gave a shy, slightly crooked grin, feeling his cheeks flush, though whether it was the alcohol or her presence, he wasn’t sure.

As the evening progressed, Spencer grew more animated and unfiltered. He laughed loudly at one of Morgan’s jokes and clumsily gestured as he recounted a particularly fascinating statistic about the odds of successfully closing cases. His proximity to Heloisa tightened; his arm brushed hers as he leaned closer to speak directly to her.

"You know, I don’t say it enough," he murmured, his voice low but audible over the noise,

"but I feel... safer when you’re around. You make everything... brighter." His words were clumsy but heartfelt, laced with an openness he wouldn’t have dared sober.

"I love you"