Anyway, Reid actually really likes the both of them, and I'm one of those weirdos who likes analyzing characters and never shuts up, so be prepared for lengthiness.
First off, Albert. Albert is, surprisingly, the one Reid is most comfortable with out of the whole Twin Peaks cast. Albert is gruff and cantankerous and sarcastic, but he's very honest about himself, and he's very honest about how he feels. He's abrasive, but he's safe, and that is a trait that is invaluable to someone like Reid. His innate certainty in himself and his perceptions reassures Reid on some level as well--while he always has lingering doubt as to his own sanity, Albert has a way of squashing those doubts without knowing he's doing it, even if it's only a temporary squashing.
The fact that Albert won't overtly baby him is also a major plus, since Reid is sick and tired of people treating him like he's twelve when he's thirty. Since Albert's insults and sarcasm towards him are never particularly cruel or vitriolic, Reid doesn't mind them at all, and could happily spend a lot of time around him despite that (possibly even because of that, because his abrasive but ultimately kind personality is part of what assures Reid of Albert's fundamental honesty). Because of all that, Reid really responds when Albert gives him a verbal smack when he starts to panic or isn't seeing the obvious, and he's extremely grateful for the help.
Although on the flip side, Reid would find it difficult to confide in Albert about anything, since he values Albert's respect and doesn't want to make Albert start considering him a victim or look down on him. Reid hates his vulnerabilities, and he feels like sharing any of them--that he was forcefully shot up and became a drug addict, that he is at real risk of inheriting schizophrenia, that he has serious issues with any kind of emotional intimacy, that he's been deeply affected by all the horrible cases he's dealt with, that he had the childhood from hell, so on and so forth--would cause Albert to lose respect and start babying him like everyone else.
In a nutshell, while Reid is far from blind to Albert's faults, he respects him and recognizes that Albert can get through to him in ways most people can't. And yet he still would have serious issues revealing more of himself to him, because he feels that would make him seem weak.
In comparison, Reid's thoughts on Carmen are easy to articulate. He honestly does find her attractive and enjoys their flirts and games, but he would probably get a little frightened if anything more serious happened just yet, because he doesn't know how to navigate romantic and/or sexual entanglements very well and he doesn't want to put his issues out on display for her. He's slowly letting her worm closer to him, since she's not out to hurt anyone and any illegal activity she does is for the sake of the game than the profit, but there's too much mystery for him to feel completely comfortable yet.
EDITED TO ADD: Carmen is actually really fascinating to him, because she's hard to pin down. For a profiler, that's a challenge and that immediately snaps up his attention, almost as much as all the trivia quizzes. He likes her and he wants to figure her out, but he'd be frightened by the idea of her figuring him out.
At the moment, he wouldn't feel comfortable with talking about himself too much beyond talk of education and the occasional anecdote about a case. Even if he isn't always conscious of it, his first instinct is to protect himself, and he'd only be moderately okay with revealing the same amount about himself to Carmen as she reveals about herself to him. I think as time goes on, he'll come to trust her more, but at the moment, he's very happy with her intellectual games and happy that for once he's able to flirt with a woman without Morgan coaching him beforehand. That's what happens when you hit on a topic he's confident with, Carmen.
Phew. And there you have it. Hope your eyes didn't bleed from WALL O' TEXT.
no subject
Anyway, Reid actually really likes the both of them, and I'm one of those weirdos who likes analyzing characters and never shuts up, so be prepared for lengthiness.
First off, Albert. Albert is, surprisingly, the one Reid is most comfortable with out of the whole Twin Peaks cast. Albert is gruff and cantankerous and sarcastic, but he's very honest about himself, and he's very honest about how he feels. He's abrasive, but he's safe, and that is a trait that is invaluable to someone like Reid. His innate certainty in himself and his perceptions reassures Reid on some level as well--while he always has lingering doubt as to his own sanity, Albert has a way of squashing those doubts without knowing he's doing it, even if it's only a temporary squashing.
The fact that Albert won't overtly baby him is also a major plus, since Reid is sick and tired of people treating him like he's twelve when he's thirty. Since Albert's insults and sarcasm towards him are never particularly cruel or vitriolic, Reid doesn't mind them at all, and could happily spend a lot of time around him despite that (possibly even because of that, because his abrasive but ultimately kind personality is part of what assures Reid of Albert's fundamental honesty). Because of all that, Reid really responds when Albert gives him a verbal smack when he starts to panic or isn't seeing the obvious, and he's extremely grateful for the help.
Although on the flip side, Reid would find it difficult to confide in Albert about anything, since he values Albert's respect and doesn't want to make Albert start considering him a victim or look down on him. Reid hates his vulnerabilities, and he feels like sharing any of them--that he was forcefully shot up and became a drug addict, that he is at real risk of inheriting schizophrenia, that he has serious issues with any kind of emotional intimacy, that he's been deeply affected by all the horrible cases he's dealt with, that he had the childhood from hell, so on and so forth--would cause Albert to lose respect and start babying him like everyone else.
In a nutshell, while Reid is far from blind to Albert's faults, he respects him and recognizes that Albert can get through to him in ways most people can't. And yet he still would have serious issues revealing more of himself to him, because he feels that would make him seem weak.
In comparison, Reid's thoughts on Carmen are easy to articulate. He honestly does find her attractive and enjoys their flirts and games, but he would probably get a little frightened if anything more serious happened just yet, because he doesn't know how to navigate romantic and/or sexual entanglements very well and he doesn't want to put his issues out on display for her. He's slowly letting her worm closer to him, since she's not out to hurt anyone and any illegal activity she does is for the sake of the game than the profit, but there's too much mystery for him to feel completely comfortable yet.
EDITED TO ADD: Carmen is actually really fascinating to him, because she's hard to pin down. For a profiler, that's a challenge and that immediately snaps up his attention, almost as much as all the trivia quizzes. He likes her and he wants to figure her out, but he'd be frightened by the idea of her figuring him out.
At the moment, he wouldn't feel comfortable with talking about himself too much beyond talk of education and the occasional anecdote about a case. Even if he isn't always conscious of it, his first instinct is to protect himself, and he'd only be moderately okay with revealing the same amount about himself to Carmen as she reveals about herself to him. I think as time goes on, he'll come to trust her more, but at the moment, he's very happy with her intellectual games and happy that for once he's able to flirt with a woman without Morgan coaching him beforehand. That's what happens when you hit on a topic he's confident with, Carmen.
Phew. And there you have it. Hope your eyes didn't bleed from WALL O' TEXT.