The Story That Didn't Want To Be Written | Spencer Reid x Reader

Nightmares

TW: Alluding to Drug use, Mention of Sexual Assault, Depictions of blood/gore, Depiction of Nightmare/Panic Attack

Hotch wasn't on the jet

Which was weird, since he almost always assigned your posts for when you landed in whatever city you were going to. Right before you guys left, he had been pulled away by some of the higher-ups to discuss "something about the case", telling the team to go ahead without him and at the very least get set up at the precinct so you could hit the ground running when he got there.

As much as you wished the team was there all together, and as much as the higher-ups questioning Hotch made you nervous, there was a huge part of you that was glad you didn't have to have the conversation with him you had been dreading all day just yet. It had to happen eventually, you knew that. But for now, ignoring the problem seemed to be the way to go.

The flight there was quick, you were headed to Pittsburgh, so you mostly sat in silence and enjoyed a few moments of peace before being thrown into the whirlwind that was this case.

It was serial, and the unsub- who was likely a very unhappy middle aged man- was killing young girls in their mid twenties. Their bodies had been left with messages carved into their skin that were all different words alluding to them being liars, and therefore deserving the 'fate that was presented to them'. That had been how all the notes ended. All the evidence had led to them being surrogates for a past girlfriend.

This unsub was extremely angry, that much was clear. They had all been repeatedly stabbed and they all had signs of sexual assault. That alone made you excited to catch him- attending unsub's trials and seeing their faces when they were sentenced to life never ceased to make this job worth it. You would make sure those girls got justice.

Shifting slightly in his sleep, you were pulled out of your thoughts by a sleeping Spencer Reid laying on the couch next to your chair. His hair fell over his face, and in it's own way, seemed to be the definition of perfect chaos. His mouth was open ever so slightly and you could see the bottoms of his front two teeth peeking out from behind his parted lips. You saw his stomach tense for a second, his eyebrows furrowing as his nose scrunched slightly, an action you thought for sure you could watch on repeat for the rest of your life and never get bored. He seemed like he might be having a nightmare, suddenly looking half-distressed in his sleeping state.

You looked down at your watch. Damn it was late- almost ten at night. With all the commotion of being observed and deciding to start the case-work while in the BAU building instead of flying out right away (the team hoping Hotch may have been able to catch a later flight with the rest of them), you had barely noticed the sun setting and the sleeping team around you. No, it wasn't that late, but hunting serial killers is tiring and the people around you needed much more sleep than they got on a daily basis.

You looked over at Emily, who was asleep upright in an arm-chair. You noticed the way her fingers draped perfectly over the ends of the arms, gripping them slightly as if the chair's stability brought her comfort. Her head was rolled back and slightly to the side, exposing her jawline and stretching her shirt over her figure a little tighter. Damn she was attractive, literally anyone with eyes could see it. You felt your gaze lingering on her a little too long before you turned your head back to Spencer. Letting out a deep breath, you turned your head the other way to find a sleeping Derek, JJ, and Rossi, smiling at the sight.

It wasn't lonely to be the only person awake in the jet. All the nights were off except the soft yellow glow that framed the curtains that separated the cabin from the cockpit and the soft white lights that outlined the top of the jet, even when the lights were off. It was nice, knowing they were there while not having to pretend you were anything but yourself. Your team was accepting, and you knew that. They were all incredible people and you knew they would be more than happy to drop what they were doing to help you with anything you needed. You were grateful for them.