𝙰𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝙾𝚍𝚍𝚜 | 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚎𝚒𝚍

Washed-Up 30s

"It's no secret you've been pretty unhappy lately. If it counts for anything, I think you're pretty great."

————-««»»————

There were times where Aitana felt a lot more of a burnout student and these days, she was definitely feeling the burn. She had been out of the BAU for two weeks to fulfill her classes and a few projects here and there. She eventually returned to the BAU when she felt like her absence had been way too long, but she was still struggling to balance her schoolwork and her job.

San Francisco would have looked a thousand times prettier if she was running on a full night's sleep. She would kill for a coffee right now and then maybe she wouldn't be that irritated with everything.

"The Zodiac killer my ass..." she muttered at the television screen in the conference room.

Penelope, who was on a video call with Aitana, gasped and laughed. "Ooh, somebody needs a cup of coffeeeee," she sing-sang.

Aitana whimpered behind her hands. "I know." She dropped her hands and glanced at the open door that led into the precinct's bullpen. She got up from her chair and went to close it before any of the detectives heard her less than professional language.

"Still tired then?" Penelope said when Aitana returned to her spot at the table. The brunette plonked down on her chair and leaned back to continue resting.

"Well, the jet wasn't exactly the best place for sleep so...yeah, I'm still tired," Aitana replied.

"How's school?"

"Like a bitch.

Penelope's eyebrows raised. "Can tell." The vocabulary change was a big teller.

"My quarterly exams are now and I've been studying like crazy. I'm taking any moment I can." Aitana grabbed her textbooks on the table as evidence. "That, coupled with my dance competition next week is killing me! I don't have a head for anything."

"And yet you're here working," Penelope gestured. "Alone?"

"Nah," Aitana reached for the t.v. control that was just a bit on the edge of the table. She had to stretch a couple seconds. "I got a text from JJ that they were coming back. Emily and Spencer are here too."

"Oh, they're back early from the conference," Penelope remarked. They had been gone for several days which led to a severe understaffing problem within the BAU, prompting Aitana's return as well.

"Rossi and Morgan are on their way back too so we'll all be together quite — oh..." Aitana leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and legs as she watched a man deliver a very entertaining show.

"What? What!?" Penelope did everything in her power to get a glimpse of whatever Aitana was looking at. Unfortunately, it failed.

"I'm supposed to have a conference with the media in an hour but it looks like someone beat me to it," Aitana said, "This guy's claiming the Zodiac killer is his cousin."

"He's not, right?"

Aitana snorted. "We are not dealing with the actual Zodiac killer, Pen."

"How do you know?"

"It's just simple math, Penelope. And logic. The actual Zodiac killer would be an elderly man. He couldn't possibly have the strength to take down two young people in the car. First of all, he would have a hell of a lot of trouble getting to that hill."

"Sounds like you've thought this well," Penelope said.

Aitana shrugged. "Just thinking. With a frazzled brain but whatever."