#spenelope

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”