Fine Line [ spencer reid x reader ] ✔️

ELEVEN

warnings: mentions of drug addiction, mentions of drug scars

Spencer stretches at his desk, yawning as he leans back in his chair. Paperwork is kicking his ass today. Hotch had given the team a couple days off after the case in New York, and Spencer had spent both days in his apartment, trying to decide on whether or not to try to talk to Y/n.

She needs to talk to someone. Spencer understands her resistance—he resisted at first, too. Hell, he was really mean to Prentiss when she didn't deserve it. He still regrets being like that with her, and he had tried extra hard afterward to make it up to her. And that's why he's not taking any offense with how Y/n is acting toward him. He gets it.

That doesn't mean he's not worried. From what Spencer can tell, not only is she a drug addict, but she's an alcoholic, too. Both of those together are a dangerous combination, one that could potentially lead to an overdose.

Spencer's eyes flick to Y/n sitting at her desk. She's hunched over, writing slowly on the paperwork in front of her. She's resting the side of her face on her left hand, her fingers absent-mindedly playing with her hair. Her shirt today is dark red, long-sleeved and button up. She bites at the skin on her lower lip, obviously concentrating. Spencer scrunches his brows together.

What's interesting about Y/n is her ability to control her micro expressions around the team, almost better than Spencer. The subtle things about her—the scratching, the bloodshot eyes, her not really eating, they're so small that the team doesn't even give her a second glance. She acts happy and focused in front of them. But Spencer knows how to read her because he knows what to look for. He knows she isn't really happy. It's all a show.

He exhales slowly before standing up and walking to the little kitchen area. He pours himself a cup of coffee, stirring in his sugar and taking a sip.

"How ya doin', Reid?"

Spencer looks up, meeting Prentiss' eyes. "I'm good. Just tired."

"Yeah, me, too. That case was something else." She grins at him. "I'm glad Hotch ended up giving us a couple days off."

"Yeah, I got a lot of reading done," Spencer remarks, returning her grin.

"You and Y/n live in the same building, right?" She asks. He nods. "Do you ever run into her?"

Spencer shakes his head. "Not really. She stays in her apartment a lot. She did just move here after all."

"She's great, though, isn't she?" Prentiss turns to look at Y/n. "She's really smart."

Spencer follows her gaze, swallowing the uncomfortable feeling in his throat. "Yeah, she's great."

Prentiss leaves him, and Spencer takes another sip of his coffee before heading back to his desk. He sits back down, sighing as he takes another look at his paperwork. His chicken scratch covers the page, legible enough for Hotch to read it. He glances up at Hotch's empty office. The Bureau had wanted to give him a couple extra days off because of his ear injury. Glancing back down at his paperwork, he gets back to work, trying to fill out the rest of it as quickly as he can.