#autistic penelope garcia

[0o-junebug-o0]

Hotch and Garcia’s friendship is so special to me. She makes him smile more than pretty much anyone else. And they’re like opposite flavors of autistic

[reidologyphd]

Can I Have This Dance | Spenelope

Penelope makes Spencer watch Disney Channel movies with her, romance ensues

WC: 2.4K

Wednesday nights had become the favourite day of Spencer’s week and it was all the fault of a beautiful and enigmatic technical analyst named Penelope Garcia. The two had always been friends, it was hard not to be when they spent so much time together at work, but it was within the last year that they had become truly close. Never being one to let anyone feel left out, Penelope had invited Spencer along to hers and Emily’s ‘galentines’ sleepover, something they had planned to make them both feel better about being single for yet another February 14th. 

When the day had arrived the treacherous Emily Prentiss had to cancel as she had found herself a date, leaving Spencer to attend the sleepover alone. It had started out more awkward than even Spencer might’ve predicted and he hadn’t wanted to let Penelope down, she had been so excited for this sleepover and a chance to ‘let loose’ (though the concept had mildly frightened the genius, he didn’t want to find out what her definition of loose was). They had danced around each other, struggling to find topics of conversation outside of work before Spencer noticed the fated Doctor Who figurine. 

It was an extremely rare figurine of the fourth doctor from the first release, still in mint condition in the box. Spencer all but shout out when he saw it, the excitement flowing through his body felt less like a thrum and more like a tidal wave, he couldn’t believe a woman as gorgeous and outgoing as Penelope Gave Garcia would like Doctor Who to such an extent. 

It’s not that he thought someone couldn’t be pretty and have nerdy hobbies, he had just learned the hard way that nerd and popular didn’t normally go hand in hand, having always been made fun of and belittled for his more niche hobbies. Once the nerd dam had been cracked the nerd conversation had flowed forth, the two discussing everything from Star Wars to Star Trek, from astrology to mythology, from Luddite ideology to the rise of technology. They even discussed the issues they had had growing up trans and how it differed for the both of them while also being remarkably similar. 

They didn’t go to sleep until almost three am, though neither of them realised the time nor did they care. They had found truly kindred spirits in one another, two sides of the same coin. From that point on they were inseparable, any free time Spencer would spend in Penelope’s tech lair or her flat, Spencer never opting to host since he didn’t much enjoy it and his counterpart shone much more in social matters anyway.  

Their evenings spent together varied from watching documentaries, to playing board games, to reading in silence, or after particularly rough cases Penelope would just hold Spencer, the younger man appreciating the pressure and sensation of another body pressed to his to keep his body anchored to earth. 

Despite all of the time that they spent together, Wednesday nights had become Spencer’s favourite day of the week. He had made the mistake once of mentioning to Penelope that he had never seen a Disney channel movie, having been more focused on intellectual pursuits and caring for his mother than watching television as a child. 

“What do you mean you’ve never watched Disney channel? Do you know Hannah Montana? Wizards of Waverly Place? That’s so Raven?” Penelope had asked five months prior, her voice becoming higher and higher with each show, feeling herself close to having a heart attack at the sheer audacity of it all. He calls himself human and still hasn’t seen the best shows of all time. 

Spencer’s lips tighten into a straight line, not wanting to betray his amusement “Penelope, I’ve told you before I didn’t watch television when I was a child. Unless it was for a documentary”. Clearly this was very important to Penelope but he always found it really cute when she took a moral stand on something so inconsequential (to him anyway, if Penelope was to be believed this was life or death). 

He couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of his throat when Penelope directed her attention on him, Spencer finally understood the phrase ‘if looks could kill’. “It’s not just television, Spence. It’s high art and essential viewing. Everyone has to see High School Musical at least once in their life”. The conviction with which his friend stated such a nonsensical argument was enough to convince him to watch it immediately. It was the conviction, absolutely, and not the way that her chocolate eyes sparkled when she talked about something she cared about. Definitely not. 

Though something did tingle in the back of Spencer’s mind because of this conversation, causing him to ask “weren’t you thirty one when That’s So Raven aired?” He questioned “because I would’ve been twenty three? We were definitely out of the age demographic” he looks to Penelope. Quite often he would find himself zoning out when he looked to her, counting the freckles on her cheeks or calculating how many different hues of colour covered her hair. She was pretty, sue him. 

The question earned him another icy glare from the usually warm and inviting woman “childhood wonder and whimsy knows no age, genius” she flicks his forehead gently, no actual malice behind the action. Despite her exasperation, Penelope did recognise that ever single Disney Channel tv show was a bit of a strong ask so she amends “okay, okay. How about every Disney Channel original movie released between 2000 and 2013, with the exception of the Descendants trilogy which released from 2015 until 2019. They’re modern classics and you need to experience them” 

‘God she’s attractive when she rambles’ is what Spencer’s inner monologue sounded like. He had begun to have… more than platonic feelings about Penelope over the seven months since the Galentines sleepover debacle, but he wasn’t really sure what that meant. He knew what the next steps were logically but… Penelope would never like him, surely. And even if she did, thinking someone is pretty and wanting to date them were two separate matters.  

Realising he’d been staring at her, Spencer coughs awkwardly and nods, only half aware of what he was agreeing to “okay, okay. But I’m allowed to throw  in interesting lectures and symposiums from time to time”. Spencer laughs his giddy laugh when Penelope starts to complain but ultimately agrees. He’d watch absolutely anything if it meant spending more time with Penelope. 

With that their Wednesday night tradition was born. Work permitting, Spencer would go to Penelope’s flat with their usual orders from a take out place near Penelope’s and they would watch a Disney Channel movie or two, joking the whole way through. Penelope knew these movies like the back of her hand and honestly Spencer couldn’t care less about them, he just loved to see the way Penelope could speak along with the characters and would spin around the living room at each musical number, giving Spencer his own private serenade. 

His feelings for the techie had grown from occasional heart palpitations when she did something cute to a full blown crush, thinking about her constantly, his stomach doing front flips whenever she so much as smiled at him. He was even addicted to his phone now for goodness sake! He would never check it for anyone but her but the second she did text him he responded within seconds, not being able to ‘play it cool’. Not with Penelope anyway. Over the past month a conversation he’d had with Elle before she left the bureau had been stuck in a loop in his mind, the sentence “do you ever ask anyone out?… that’s why you can’t get a date” sticking with him in particular.  

They had decided it made most sense to watch the film in series order rather than release order, so that they weren’t jumping around tonally. This is how they ended up watching High School Musical Three the day before Valentine’s Day, and for once Spencer wasn’t totally clueless on what the film was about. He watched it on his morning commute to work so that he could know what to anticipate, a specific scene causing an idea to bloom in his mind ‘even if she rejects me, she’ll still love this’ Spencer thought. 

Though when the time came, the two of them surrounded by empty Chinese containers and a popcorn bag, Spencer felt like he was going to hurl. He understood logically that for things to change quite often he’d be the one that would have to initiate that change, but in the moment he wasn’t thinking with logic, his emotion was talking over. 

He was fed up of being scared though, of not acting on his feelings or instincts because he was scared of the potential fall out. What was the worst that could happen anyway? Sure, he might get rejected but this was Penelope. If she wasn’t interested she would not be cruel in the slightest, she would honestly probably feel worse than Spencer in her fear of causing him pain. She might tell people that he asked her out but they’re profilers, it’s not like they couldn’t have worked out that Spencer liked her anyway, JJ and Morgan knew anyway, both individually encouraging him to ask Penelope on the date.  

Spencer was a profiler too, and while he was hesitant to believe he might be right he was pretty sure he could read in the enigmatic woman’s demeanour that she returned his feelings. She would blush over innocent comments he made, twirl her hair around her finger when they spoke, constantly adjust her glasses. Sure she was like that with most people, but it just felt different with him, though that was probably just Spencer being hopeful. 

Despite the overwhelming urge to keel over and pretend he was an emotionless blob, thirty one minutes and eleven seconds into the movie he stood up and offers a hand to Penelope, the urge to vomit intensifying at the confused yet delighted look he received from his crush (‘is there a more adult word for crush?’, Spencer had considered this question ad nauseam but had never found a satisfactory answer). The second that Penelope took his hand Spencer was pulling the girl to her feet, the pink bunny slippers she was wearing briefly grazing his mismatched sock clad feet. 

He interlinks their fingers and rests his hand on her waist, stepping forward with his left foot to start the waltz, copying the main characters of the movie they had been watching. When Gabriella, the female lead of the show, started to sing, so did Spencer. Both he and Penelope graciously decided to ignore how his voice wobbled on the first few words. 

Finally understanding what was happening, Penelope moved her free hand to grasp Spencer’s chin, forcing him to look at her as they slow danced around her living room, singing in what Spencer thought was an angelic voice “keep your eyes locked on mine, and let the music be your guide”. Almost sagging in relief at Penelope reciprocating the gesture, Spencer continued to sway them around the room. 

Take my hand, I'll take the lead  And every turn will be safe with me  Don't be afraid, afraid to fall  You know I'll catch you through it all 

Spencer could be convinced that he was in heaven right now, holding a woman he liked so dearly as they continued to dance around her living room even though the song had concluded minutes ago, neither of them wanting to leave the moment. Eventually Penelope moves the flat of her cheek to rest on his shoulder, head angled upwards so she was looking up to him with her eyes guarded and unreadable “did you watch this movie without me?” 

That was certainly not what Spencer had expected. He’d expected either a confession or rejection based on what he’d thought was a clear declaration of his feelings “I mean… yeah? This is the only one I’ve done it for though. I really wanted to ask you to be my date for valentines, but considering we’re both content being single I thought that you might take it to be a ‘galentines’ arrangement like it had been last year but I wanted to leave no room for interpretation that this was a romantic request. You’re also the most gorgeous, special and amazing  woman I’ve had the pleasure of being friends with and you deserved the romantic proposal of your dreams- not that this is me asking you to marry-“  

Spencer’s nervous rambling is cut off by Penelope laughing, not a small chuckle but her bright and infectious one, the one that forces her to lean her head back and close her eyes. His fingers stop playing with the hem of her pyjama shirt, it being an anxious tick he’d developed. This was once again not the reaction he’d been expected but he had no time to vocalise as such because Penelope was pulling Spencer’s face closer to her own, kissing him while still chuckling, it sending foreign vibrations through the taller man’s lips. 

It took Spencer’s brain a second to function again but when it did he kisses the woman back slowly, a little clumsy from inexperience but neither cared. They were both lost in eachother, in the fact that a person they’d assumed was totally out of their league was kissing them back, that they liked eachother. It was a miracle, if you’d asked Spencer. Pulling back only when she needed some air, Penelope laughs “yes, Spence. I would like to go on a date with you tomorrow”. 

Despite the kiss having been a non verbal affirmation, Spencer visibly relaxed at having the verbal confirmation since he often misread body language and social cues. This made it even more confusing to the man when Penelope lightly slapped his shoulder “don’t you dare do anything romantic again while I’m in my pyjamas. I need to look gorgeous if you’re going to woo me” she protests. 

Spencer laughed his giddy, carefree laugh that usually only came out around Penelope anyway, so captivated by her and every single thing she does. He pecks her lips once more since he knew the action was wanted and encouraged. Leaving his lips only centimetres from her own to respond “You’re always gorgeous, Penelope. You’re the prettiest fucking woman I’ve ever met” 

Her eyes widen in faux shock then as she listened to his response. Before she could poke fun at him, he giggled once more, adding “you bring out the worst in me, Pen. But you are, you’re gorgeous, and stunning and sexy and fucking pretty. You’re worth making an ass of myself for and learning how to do the waltz”.  

[wereoz]

i know in my heart penelope garcia loves stimming with slime, ESPECIALLY the ones with charms and beads, and spencer reid is a tangle man through and through

[chueesy]

when i say penelope garcia is autistic and they look at me like i’ve got 2 heads and 20 fingers as if her office doesn’t look like THIS

[weirdlybeans]

My favorite autistic trio <3

[insane-thoughts-oftheday]

I wish there were more fics about platonic or fraternal relationships for some characters... like it's obvious to me that Spencer Reid and Garcia are brothers and autistic (they are so cute in their interactions in the series)!! the fandom could explore this field more

[birdiebats]

This fic 🙏🙏🙏

[0o-junebug-o0]

Bro the first gif is so autistic of Reid and Garcia. Reid’s handshake, the way Garcia is standing (I stand like that lmao)

Bring it, pretty boy. I’ll be waitin’ for you. I’ll be there.

[boywonderloverr]

spencer reid always wearing his watch on top of his sleeve so it's not touching his skin. i know what you are (autistic)

[0o-junebug-o0]

My criminal minds neurodivergency headcanons:

[carisc4pshaw]

When the Music Fades

In which Autistic Spencer Reid and Neurodivergent Reader go to a Easter Party hosted by Penelope Garcia and end up having to share a bed at the end of the night where Spencer confesses his feelings. (Fluff!)

word count: 3.6k

tags: one bed trope, fake relationship/ fake boyfriend trope for a minute, autistic spencer reid, neurodivergent reader, anxiety, overwhelmed, easter, party, mentions of jelle, mentions of morcia, spring, dealing with mental health, love confession, first kiss, sharing clothes. Mentions of Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, Elle Greenaway, Jennifer Jareau, Emily Prentiss, Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi.

No warnings

notes: This fic is a request from @dearreidr I hope you enjoy this! If you have any requests feel free to leave them below or dm me!

—————————︎🩵————————-

For easter Penelope was hosting a party at her apartment. She did this for every holiday and just like every other party she had to practically beg Spencer to attend. He was shy and didn’t like drinking and something about Penelope’s parties was that there were always multiple people just as full of colour as she was which was slightly overwhelming and there was always a themed punch with way too much alcohol mixed together. 

This was the first party that you were attending, for the last one, the Christmas party, you were only two weeks into working at the BAU and felt awkward turning up at Penelope’s place for a party when you barely knew anyone. But now, just over 4 months in, you have made friends and connections with the rest of the team. You were particularly close with Penelope, Spencer and Elle. The four of you hung out often outside of work if Penelope wasn’t with Derek, Elle wasn’t with JJ and if Spencer actually left the comfort of his apartment, although you didn’t mind going over to Spencer’s and spending time in his dimly lit living room with a book each just enjoying the quiet and each others company.

The day before the party they had been called in for a case luckily it was nearby and the police department already had a lead. You, Spencer, Elle and Hotch were in one of the SUVs heading to the crime scene when Elle brought up the party. 

“What are you wearing tomorrow?” Elle directed toward you.

You shrugged, “I haven’t thought about it, Penelope said something about costumes but I don’t have anything easter themed.”

“Oh don’t worry about that just pick out a pretty dress and be yourself. What about you Spence?” 

“I wasn’t going to go.”

“What? Penelope said she convinced you!” Elle spun around in the passenger seat to see you and Spencer in the back of the car.

“I’m just not feeling it,” Spencer shrugged it off.

You frowned and faced Spencer, “Please come, I don’t know what I’d do without you there. It’s my first Penelope Garcia party.” If Spencer wasn’t going you didn’t want to go either, you liked everyone else but you felt most comfortable with Spencer not to mention your small crush on him. 

“It’s just awkward, I'm not fun, it’s overwhelming and I don’t drink; that's the whole point of a party.”

“Not to me, it’s just a chance for us to hang out. I won’t drink and the minute we both get overwhelmed we can remove ourselves for a little while. Please?”

Spencer sighed, “I suppose so, you promise right? About the overwhelming thing, not drinking you can drink if you want to I am not going to stop you.”

“I don’t want to I just want to spend time with you, I promise.”

Elle smirked at the both of you, “Alright love birds. That didn’t take much persuading did it?” 

Spencer’s cheeks flushed red as he shrugged and turned to look out of the window so he was no longer a part of the conversation.

—--------------

You threw on one of the nicest dresses you could find in your closet since you don't own many but you wanted to look nice for Penelope’s party along with a pair of white kitten heels and a white bunny ears headband you figured that would be good enough for the costume requirement, it wasn't like you were expected to show up dressed as an easter egg right? 

Anxiety was already filling your chest with the fear of not knowing what to expect and knowing if Spencer didn’t usually like these parties there was a big chance that you wouldn't like it either. 

While you were adding a small amount of pink lip gloss to your lips to go with the small amount of subtle makeup on your face you had one message from Penelope and one message from Spencer come through on your phone.

“You’re staying the night. Bring PJs and snacks and whatever else you need! Maybe a blanket too if not I've got some. See you soon, Kisses XX” -Penelope.

And,

“Hi, I suppose you received a message from Penelope about a sleepover… Are you planning on staying?”

“Would you like me to pick you up? You do not live too far and I don’t mind driving.” - Spencer Reid

You giggled at Spencer signing his message off with his full name but then more nerves overtook you, Penelope’s message didn’t reveal who was staying, what time everyone was leaving in the morning, where you would be sleeping, if there would be breakfast, if you were going to have to stay in groups because surely she didn’t have enough beds for everyone. You caught yourself just before you bit off your nails that you had been growing and doing a good job of so far considering nail-biting was something you did unconsciously when you were anxious or stressed. 

You typed a reply back to Spencer, “Um, I suppose we don’t have a choice really so I guess I am. I would appreciate you picking me up if you really don’t mind thank you. And you don’t have to sign your name Spence, I have you saved.”

You weren't expecting him to reply again, you knew he would check the message and register it but it was unlikely he would reply however this time you were wrong he did reply.

“How are you feeling? I can come sooner if you need to talk about anything?”

You smiled, you had never told Spencer that you necessarily struggled with feeling anxious and overwhelmed but you assumed he had picked up on it due to him being autistic and feeling similar things about similar situations as you did and also with his IQ of 187. 

Y/N: “I'm a little anxious about what to expect but I’m okay, Please just turn up when you are ready. How are you feeling?”

Spencer: “The same as you. I know what to expect though. Do you want a run-through?”

Y/N: “That would be great, thank you.”

Spencer: “Usually, she plays pop music, so I have been told, I think JJ mentioned Taylor Swift. It’s quite loud and the colourful lights are not a great help when It comes to not being overwhelmed but there’s a small green space outside her apartment. It's nice to sit there or in one of the bedrooms when it is getting too much. She had a wide selection of finger foods, there’s a good selection for everyone there will definitely be something you like. There will be unfamiliar faces, she has a lot of friends most with bubbly personalities like hers but they leave at around midnight sometimes even before if there’s a club open.”

Y/N: “Thank you.”

Spencer picked you up at quarter to 9, as he walked to your door he wiped his palms against his brown slacks, he was nervous about the party but in all honestly, he was more nervous to see you. Derek had been telling him for a while now to make a move because he could tell you felt the same way but Spencer would never believe that, what would someone like you see in someone like him? Yes, you had similarities but he was different and you were gorgeous there were definitely prettier men than him out there.

 

He knocked twice on the door, the knock had a certain rhythm that you used when you knocked on his door, he didn't know if it was a signal that you were at his door or if it was just something you did unconsciously like biting your nails. 

You opened the door and stepped back to give a little distance between the two of you, it wasn’t because you didn’t want to be close to him because of course you did he was your favourite person, it was because you didn’t like the feel of people breathing on you for a little while after you had surrounded yourself with people. 

His mouth opened as his eyes ran up and down you, his cheeks also blushed at the same time. You couldn't help a little giggle that escaped your lips, “Hi Spence, You look nice.”

“Hi. You look… beautiful… gorgeous um really nice?” Spencer switched between words not knowing which one would sound best for someone he liked but didn’t want to reveal that he liked you in that way, but he also wanted to make you feel good about yourself because you deserved that and he never wanted you to doubt that you didn’t look good. 

“Thank you,” You grabbed your bag from the small table beside the front door. “Oh Penelope said about snacks and a blanket but I don’t want to take mine off my bed,” You bit your lip.

“She has so many snacks she won’t realise that you didn’t bring any. I didn’t either and she has blankets too.”

You nodded, “Okay, should we go?”

“Yes,” Spencer looked to the left down the hallway before turning back to you and whispering, “Someone is watching us.”

You rolled your eyes, “Probably Steven, he lives on the other end of the floor. He waits for me and Storm, my neighbour, to leave the apartment so he can ask us on dates, he’s a little creepy.”

“Can I hold your hand?” Spencer asked.

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “Why? I mean yes but why?”

“So he thinks I’m your boyfriend then he will leave you alone.”

“Oh,” You put your hand out allowing him to take it and thanking him before the thoughts started circulating in your brain. Spencer didn’t hold people’s hands, he didn’t like the amount of germs that could be transferred between people holding hands. But he would hold yours?

You locked your apartment with your free hand, your other hand still occupied by Spencer’s warm large hand. You could feel Steven approaching. 

“Hey man, is something wrong?” Spencer asked as he walked over.

“Who are you? Why are you bothering her?” Steven squinted at Spencer.

“He’s not bothering me, Spencer is my boyfriend,” You smiled with a small blush.

“But I’m your boyfriend?” Steven said.

“No, we talked about this, we just live on the same floor Steven, plus you’re a lot older than me.”

“Where are you going? You look nice.”

“We are going out for dinner,” Spencer said, moving his hand from yours to circle around your lower back and rest on your hip, which he regretted when he realised he hadn’t asked for permission to do that. Once Steven nodded and returned to his apartment and you along with Spencer entered the elevator he immediately apologised.

“You have nothing to apologise for, you were helping me out and it felt nice,” You subtly tried to flirt with him. 

“Really?” He asked, opening the car door for you.

“Really,” You smiled getting into the car.

—-----------------

As you both approached the door to Penelope’s apartment the booming music could already be heard. Before he opened the door for you he offered a warm, comforting smile which you returned to signal you were ready to go in if he was. He pushed open the door and immediately you were met with an obscene amount of colourful fairy lights, a disco ball, the even louder music but luckily only around 15 people which was a lot for a small apartment but you could work with that considering most of them probably wouldn’t talk to you anyway.

“Are you okay?” Spencer checked in with you.

You felt a little bad he had his own problems with overwhelming things and adding the worry of if you were okay was probably going to be too much for him and you didn’t want to be the reason why he felt uncomfortable or stressed, “Yes thank you, Spence. Are you okay?”

Spencer nodded, “For now.”

Penelope was the first to come over to the both of you yelling over the music in her usual joyful tone but with added giggles as she had already been drinking, “Finally, I thought you guys had ditched us. Elle and JJ are on the sofa, Emily is getting more punch, Derek is dancing with me obviously and well you have eyes you can find everyone. Make yourselves at home.”

You smiled at her, “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Duh! You're one of my favourites of course you were going to be invited, don’t tell the others though. That goes for you too Smartie Pants don’t tell anyone she’s my favourite,” Penelope rambled.

“Of course, she’s my favourite too,” Spencer blushed as he spoke.

“Enough flattery. I’m going to get a drink if that’s okay?” You directed toward Penelope.

“Yes Doll, help yourself. Mi casa es tu casa,” Penelope replied in a very dodgy Spanish accent before returning to her makeshift dance floor.

You made your way through to the next room only having to weave through a few people before reaching the kitchen when you realised Spencer had followed you there, “Would you like something?”

“No, I’m good thank you, Um I don’t want to leave you but will you be okay if speak to Hotch for a bit?” Spencer asked as his left hand travelled to the back of his neck rubbing it.

“Spence you don’t need my permission you can do what you like,” You smiled picking up one of the blue plastic cups. 

“Oh okay, I’ll see you in a bit,” Spencer walked off leaving you in the kitchen alone for a couple of minutes while you poured your drink before spotting Emily and deciding to stick with her for a while. 

Around an hour later, your social battery was beginning to drain, maybe you needed another drink but you already had one and you didn’t want to risk drinking anymore and getting tipsy from god knows what was in that punch when you had promised Spencer you wouldn’t be drinking. 

A few times you had looked around the room trying to find him to remove yourself from the party for a little while since you were right in the middle of it all but he was nowhere to be seen. After finding Emily she had convinced you to go with her over to the dance floor since the majority of the team were over in that direction. 

A couple of minutes ago you had seen Hotch with Rossi but still no Spencer in sight. You looked at the time on your phone, surely Hotch would be leaving soon to get home to his wife and child and Rossi would probably be going home soon too, perhaps that would prompt other people to start leaving and everything would die down so you could find Spencer. The what-ifs and possible scenarios of how things could go started running through your brain which would cause a panic soon enough.

“Are you okay Sugar?” Penelope asked, snapping you from your thoughts.

You nodded, “Yeah, do you have somewhere I could go and sit for a little while?”

“Mhm, the spare bedroom or the green space outside but I think Spencer went into the spare bedroom not too long ago,” Penelope rubbed the side of your arm.

“Thank you,” You smiled at her and left the front room to search for the spare bedroom, you should have asked where it was, that was your fault but it wasn’t a big apartment it wouldn’t be too hard to find.

—-----------------

Once you had found the only room left with the door closed you knocked on the door lightly in the way that Spencer would recognise.

“Come in,” He called through the door before you pushed it open and closed it behind you.

“Hi, Are you okay?” You asked from the door, you didn’t want to go over to him and interfere in his personal space if he needed a break from social interaction. 

“Just needed a break,” Spencer gave you a soft smile.

“Do you want me to leave?” 

“No, you’re fine here. Are you okay?” 

“Same as you, needed a break it was getting loud.” 

Spencer patted the space on the bed beside him, You perched on the edge of the bed not wanting to be too close to him because you didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. 

“I won’t bite,” He laughed so you moved over a little move. 

“What do you like to do when you feel overwhelmed?” Spencer asked. 

“Listen to music usually but right now I definitely don’t want to, my ears need a break, what about you?” 

“Read, usually something with a lot of facts nothing fictional,” Spencer placed his hands on his stomach intertwining both of them. 

You looked down at his hands, “I didn’t think you’d be one for fiction ever.”

“I indulge every so often, it’s good to mix things up they are mostly classics though.”

“No modern romance novels in there Doctor Reid?” You teased. 

“Uhh, I’ve read a couple, they aren’t awful,” Spencer blushed a little which caught your attention. 

“Spencer Reid! What books have you been reading!” 

“Nothing nothing, just something I found at the library once… I should have been sceptical after the 20-something librarian told me it was one of her favourites.”

“I need you to lend me this book if it’s got you blushing like that,” You laugh.

“Um, I think I still have it if you actually do want it?” Spencer said not sure if you were joking or not. 

“Give it to me tomorrow,” You laid on your side facing him. 

“What books do you like to read? I see you with romance novels sometimes.”

“Yeah, mostly romance but also horror or maybe a thriller anything entertaining,” You shrug awkwardly due to how you were lying. 

“Maybe we could both swap books, I’d like to read something you like,” Spencer’s dimples showed through his smile. 

You nodded just before the door was swung open. 

“Hi lovebirds, we are wrapping things up, I just wanted to tell you we’ve agreed to let you two take this room, Derek and I are in my room and everyone else is in the living room,” Penelope said a lot louder than she had to speak considering she wasn’t near the loudspeakers anymore.

“Are you comfortable with that?” Spencer asked you.

“Yeah that’s fine with me and you?” You asked in return out of respect.

“Fine by me, I’d rather it be you than anyone else.”

“Okay great! If either of you needs anything the house is yours help yourself,” Penelope flashed a toothy smile, “Goodnight babies, no sex please,” she said as she left the room leaving you and Spencer blushing and stuttering for a response that never came. 

“That was weird,” Spencer’s cheeks were still a rosy red, “Do you want me to get your bag?” 

“No it’s okay, I forgot to pack pyjamas so I will sleep in this, I don’t know how I forgot,” You groaned. 

“Probably because you were anxious,” Spencer stated before adding, “You could borrow the shirt I brought for pyjamas, I could just wear the bottoms if you are comfortable with that?” 

“Really? Are you sure?” 

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable and I doubt you’re comfy in that, although it’s very nice, you look pretty.”

“You told me earlier,” You giggled, “Thank you.”

Spencer got off the bed taking his shirt and plaid pyjama pants out of his usual go bag for work, “I’ll let you change first uh I’ll wait outside.”

“It’s okay you don’t have to go just turn around,” You smiled to which he nodded. 

Once you were in only his shirt and your underwear you felt a little exposed but luckily his shirt was long and covered everything. You had taken off the little makeup you had on which also made you feel a little bare.

He was in his pj pants with no shirt and he looked good, really good, you both got under the covers facing each other. 

“You look even more beautiful than earlier,” Spencer said before his eyes widened a little, “Wait you always look beautiful.” 

“It’s okay I know what you meant, thanks, Spence.” 

Spencer’s hand inched closer to you, “Maybe. No would it be okay if I kissed you? I have wanted to for a while and-“ 

You cut Spencer off, “You want to kiss me?”

“Um i-if you want?” 

“Yeah… I’d be okay with that.”

Spencer leaned closer to you placing a hand on the side of your face before his eyes fluttered shut while your lips connected. 

It was a soft kiss, slow. No tongue, but it was perfect. One of the best kisses you had ever had. 

When he pulled away he kept his hand on your face, “Was that okay?” 

“More than okay,” You smiled, your eyes crinkled at the sides. 

“Could we go on a date at some point?” Spencer asked with hope in his eyes. 

“Yeah I’d like that,” You placed a kiss on the inside of his wrist as it rested near your mouth. 

His smile grew, “Do you want to sleep?”

“Yeah I’m kinda tired… is that okay?” 

“Of course! I’m going to face the other because I have a thing about people breathing on me,” he said. 

“I have that too!” You laughed, “We will both face opposite ways.” 

After you turned around it didn’t take long for either of you to fall asleep. 

———————-

9 am the next morning Penelope knocked quietly on the door, she assumed you’d be up by now and didn’t want to disturb you but wanted to make sure you were okay. 

When she didn’t get a response she quietly opened the door to see both you and Spencer cuddled together on one side of the bed and his arm draped over your waist. She snapped a picture to show you both later before calling the others who were already awake to see the adorable scene.

—————————🩵————————

[wereoz]

welcome back spencer reid & penelope garcia

[mismatchsocks]

spencer reid autistic. penelope garcia autistic. aaron hotchner autistic. jason gideon autistic.

source? trust me.

[reidobsessed]

[0o-junebug-o0]

Like Garcia is so explicitly autistic coded (though probably unintentionally) in some ways even more so than Reid (though he is definitely autistic). People just never consider autism in women. And Gideon and Hotch are both extremely high masking individuals (bc of when they grew up and also probably don’t realize they’re autistic) and no one thinks about you autistic traits still come through to an extent even with masking. And how by masking some traits become more pronounced unintentionally.

I like to think that for Hotch, he struggles with facial expressions and tone. Which is why his face is always so neutral and his voice can seem monotone if you’re not used to it. And in my mind part of that is because that’s what’s natural to him and part of it is because he’s masking less socially acceptable expressions and tones of voice (though I definitely don’t think he’d be very expressive if he wasn’t masking).

And Gideon with his birds. That is a special interest right there. He’s like those old men who have a room dedicated to a collection or something and everything thinks it’s just a quirk of theirs when it’s just undiagnosed autism.

People never really consider autism and how it can manifest outside of the stereotypical boy/man who is either a lower support needs savant/genius of some sort (like reid) or higher support needs and intellectually disabled (****having high support needs does not mean someone has an intellectually disability people just believe that it does which is why I phrased it like that****)

This is coming from someone who is low support needs, non-masking, raised/socialized as female, and was diagnosed as an adult due to my own instigation.

(Don’t forget to listen to people with higher support needs when it comes to autism and the perception of autism (they experience the effects of autism’s perception more than I do))

It kind of annoys me that Garcia, Gideon, and Hotch could all be argued to have autistic traits but most people laser focused on Reid being The Autistic One.

[flyingraven]

Spencer Reid Being Autistic for 5 Minutes Straight