criminal minds oneshots

♡ panicked

You were exhausted. You hadn't been sleeping well, nightmares of the previous case haunting you and you refused to let anyone know. Being the 'newbie', you were still unsure how the team didn't express fear.  The last case had left you trembling but you tried your hardest not to show it, yet you were never the best at showing fear. You stimmed a lot when scared; finger tapping, toe tapping, blinking. The team hadn't quite noticed yet or if they had, they hadn't said anything.

Sitting in the makeshift BAU office at the precinct, you stared at the murder board - trying your absolute hardest to process it. Yet, it seemed to be going in one eye and out the other. All the noises in the room were being vacuumed by your ears, creating a storm cloud of sound in your brain and it was overwhelming. Your brain was whirring too, trying to focus on the unsub - the victims - the dates - the notes - the signature. It was all there but nothing was coherent.

"Y/N?" you heard, suddenly pulling you out of your trance. You looked up to see two very concerned faces looking at you: Agent Jareau and Agent Rossi.

"Yes?" you asked, furrowing your eyebrows, unable to focus your gaze on them. "Why are you swaying?" You laughed, asking JJ to try and lighten the mood.

"I'm not," she whispered, setting down her file. You frowned, leaning closer to her and resting both of your hands on the table. Suddenly you felt the cold wood throughout your entire arm, surging up your veins and turning your entire body cold. You ripped your hands away from it, leaving them up in the air.

"Hey," JJ muttered, turning around your chair. You frowned again, what was happening? "Y/N? Can you hear me, love?" she asked softly. You must have nodded, although not feeling anything but the cold suffocate your body. Then, you felt her warm hand on your leg. Gasping, you jumped back. The sudden touch burnt your freezing skin and you didn't like it.

"It's okay," you heard her say softly. "You're okay."

You began to shake your head, your breathing picking up. You didn't feel okay. You felt suffocated, smothered by a weight on your chest. "Don't touch me," you slurred, shaking your head at JJ.

"I'm not touching you, sweetheart. Can you try and take some deep breaths for me?" she asked, standing in front of you. You nodded, knowing that would be a good idea.

"JJ," you whimpered, suddenly aware of the panic attack taking over your body.

"I'm here," she replied.

She held your hands and sat you back down in the chair after you'd calmed down. Rossi had brought over some water whilst the rest of the team was sent to do something else - something about the victim's house. You still focused on your breathing, making sure it stayed steady. Your hands still shook but JJ's soft touch helped them. Her smile was comforting too, you didn't feel like a burden.

"You did a good job," she whispered, smiling at you. You smiled back slightly. That had only happened once since being on the team - ironically, also with JJ present. You hadn't let any other member of the team touch you - only JJ.

"Thank you," you whispered to her.

"You don't need to thank me. Are you feeling okay now?"

You simply nodded, everything was quiet now, it was okay now. "Good, I'm here if you need me." Her voice was quiet, like a comforting hug - a soft, small blanket just wrapped around your shoulders. She stood up and set her soft lips on your forehead. You closed your eyes, letting it soak into your skin. You liked JJ.