It was rare — almost unheard of — for you and the rest of the BAU to get a genuine day off. But once in a while, like tonight, the stars aligned: no active case, no sudden jet rides, no last-minute briefings. Just... stillness. The kind that let you sleep in without guilt. You had every intention of staying in bed until at least ten. It should’ve been perfect.

Except you couldn’t sleep. Of course. Your body refused to shut down. Restless. Wired. The cold night air wrapped around the silence of your room like a heavy blanket, and the weight of your thoughts pressed just as hard. One of those nights — the kind where your brain wouldn’t stop running its mouth, but never about anything good.

You turned over again. And again. And then, your mind found him. Spencer.

Your thoughts drifted back to that night — the one where he found you crying alone in the bullpen long after everyone else had gone home. You couldn’t even remember what had broken you that time. The details were fuzzy. What stayed, though, was what he made you promise: that if your mind ever got loud like his sometimes did, you wouldn’t go through it alone.

He knew what it felt like — a brain that never shut up, never played nice. He’d lived through the worst of it and didn't want you to face that kind of darkness solo. Of course, he’d never told you he had feelings for you. Spencer assumed you were far out of his league. But being there for you? That was something he could do. That was enough for him.

You sat up, reached for your phone still plugged into the charger. His name was pinned to the top of your favorites list — not that anyone was surprised. During missions, you only ever called him. Not Prentiss. Not Luke. Not even JJ.

Is Reid okay? Did he get hurt? Is he on his way back?

The team noticed. Of course they noticed. They just chose to say nothing. It was endearing, watching you — younger, sharper-edged, but softer around him — trying to navigate feelings you didn’t fully understand. Rossi had a running bet on how long it would take you to kiss him. Not the other way around. No one in their right mind believed Spencer would be brave enough to make the first move.

You stared at your screen for a full minute, thumb hovering. What if he was asleep? What if you woke him up? Then again, you knew how his mind worked — the odds weren’t high. And anyway... you made a promise. He wouldn’t want you breaking it. So you didn’t call. You texted.

You up?

Less than two minutes passed.

Yes. You okay?

You exhaled. Relief loosened your shoulders. You hesitated again — say it or downplay it? Split the difference.

Can’t sleep. Feeling weird.

Another quick reply.

Physically or mentally?

Of course he’d ask that. Of course he’d know to ask that. You stared at the screen, then tapped out the truth — the real truth, the one you promised not to hide.

Mentally.

You didn’t expect what came next. You never would have expected it. But then, his next message appeared:

You want me to come over?