Like a Dog || Abused Spencer Reid Book II.

"Dogs are creatures of primal instinct. They are somewhat ruled by their fierce loyalty to the thing they deem brave enough to protect them, and will always return to their old owners, if provided with a chance. Even if, in the bigger picture, they are hurt by their choice to do so."

It's been two years since Jackson Carter was charged with domestic abuse and locked up. But now he's back on the streets, and unsurprisingly, his first destination is his old apartment. Their apartment.

The same walls. The same kitchen counter. The same bed. The same beautiful man waiting there for him. He might have been a bit stubborn at first, but Jackson will remind him of the time they spent together. Those two years will not go to waste.

Set mid to late season 6, but before the whole Emily fiasco. Content warnings for graphic physical and psychological abuse, sexual abuse, ableism, manipulation / gaslighting / the whole army of red flags, PTSD symptoms and flashbacks, slightly graphic and implied / referenced self-harm and drug use, graphic depictions of violence / injury, some suicidal ideation and action mostly in the later chapters, lots of slurs from Jackson bc we all know what he's like and negative self-image / depression for Spencer.
Wow. Now try saying that in one breath.

I will be putting content warnings at the end of chapters so the reader can view them if necessary, but so they won't spoil the content if you don't want it to. Everything triggering I could think of is listed in the above, but let me know if I missed anything!

The victim will almost always try to justify the abuse they undergo through any means necessary, so remember that anything Spencer thinks about his and Jackson's dynamic throughout this story should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

Again, please be careful when reading! Though if you read book I, you probably know that already :)