Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
KAY NEVER LIKED BIRTHDAYS, NOT EVEN HER OWN. She always ended hers crying herself to sleep, not because nobody cared because Aaron and Haley definitely did, but because that meant another year had passed without change.
While this year, there was change, Kay didn't like the change. She wanted everything to go back to the way it was before the BAU, before she had more than a handful of people caring about her and noticing her slip-ups.
This birthday was mostly the same as the twenty-two that came before it: Kay entered her place of work with her head low and her sunglasses reflecting everyone's smiling faces off her. It only made sense to Kay that her birthday twin would be Spencer Reid, the man who had already conquered every other part of Kay's life. Not only was he more intelligent than her and clearly everyone's favorite, but he also had the same birthday as her.
Kay found a cake at her desk, however. And while it wasn't perfect, it was the thought behind it that counted.
Kay shot a smile at Aaron across the bullpen, with him flashing it back at her. She glanced over at the group surrounding Spencer's desk, not minding the birthday wishes he was getting while she was sitting with puffy eyes and clammy hands. Not once did Kay care for her birthday, and not once did Aaron or Haley tell her that they didn't like her not caring for it. They knew that her birthday was always hard for her, and they both knew not to push her for information.
Eventually, Elle finally noticed the out-of-place girl at her desk before nodding at her and inquiring, "Is that cake for Spencer, too?" She turned to face Spencer with a scoff. "See? Everybody loves you around here, even if you do have such a dorky brain."
