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lilwnet · 3 months

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Spencer Dating a True Crime Fan: Headcanons

Summary: a true crime junkie and an FBI agent, the Universe must be laughing its lungs out. Some vague-ish headcanons on what it’s like to be in such a relationship. In general, the sweetest, most supportive boyfriend Spencer Reid, and caring, brilliant you.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x gn!reader

Warnings: don’t think I went to extremes or described anything graphic, however, I’d recommend giving it a pass if you aren’t comfortable with anything true crime. Besides, it’s kinda long and isn’t proofread.

A/N: I’m not a native English speaker, and it’s frustratingly hard for me to speak — and write — good, authentic English, especially grammar- and punctuation-vise as my first language interferes heavily. Hence, beware because there are mistakes!

When you say it to Spencer or he sees you getting interested in a book dedicated to a prolific murderer, he’s perplexed. Being exposed to so much evil in his life, he couldn’t wrap his head around the reason for you to be so invested in true crime.

Yet, when you explain it to him, he wonders if he’s a true crime fan, too.

For you, it’s always been quite fascinating why people resort to such a brutal, inhumane and cruel way of dealing with daily struggles; then, you say about “stranger danger”, your parents’ precautions and warnings that made you curious from the very young age why they are so focused — or overly focused — on safety. Finally, you want to understand why some people get high off killing others, meaning, you’d like to get a hang of their brain’s system, of their choices, life, history, psychological evaluation. In general, that coincides with what he does for a living.

I believe you wouldn’t know about his occupation at that point of your relationship. It’s pretty early on, quite possibly the first date when Spencer rather nervously asks you to tell more about yourself that you just blurt it out. The thing is, you’ve grown quite used to the fact that some people find you weird for taking a liking in such a dark topic. You thought, the earlier you say, the lesser it’d hurt if you were to go your separate ways.

However, Spencer surprises you. After your explanation, he seems to get it and then laughs genuinely as he realises how comical the situation is. If you meet through one of your mutual friends, Reid will question their sense of humor. If you meet randomly, he doesn’t know what to question, yet will get pumped up by fate’s unpredictable, always on-point turns.

You, a true crime junkie, is now dating an FBI agent, an SSA with BAU.

When he finally stops laughing and sees your bemused reaction, he proceeds to reveal his job, and you join the new wave of laughter.

After that, you talk about some cases he deals with, although you try your best to read, profile the agent to avoid pressuring him into reliving said crimes. Later on, the mutual agreement would be to only talk about it when both want to.

Surprisingly, Spencer feels like talking about it a lot, still he doesn’t resolve to graphical descriptions. He finds it soothing to share the story and push it right to the back of his head.

You, in turn, are a remarkably good, careful listener who doesn’t hide their emotions. You shed tears if it hits you hard, you comment when you believe a killer to be an absolute idiot, you make a face when you’re disgusted or annoyed.

Reid finds it refreshing; his colleagues, he himself, have built up façades as nonchalant, unfazed, gathered, their walls too high and thick for anyone to question the authority and experience.

Maybe it isn’t just the sharing part that helps him go through the hardest aspects of his job, but you, your mannerism and your presence.

What he likes most is how compassionate you are. You both believe the rationale for it is the amount of information you know about true crime.

When you discuss something — his case or something one of you has read — and you ask Reid about a victim’s family or focus on a victim’s background rather than a killer’s, he can’t help but hug you tight.

As an FBI agent, Spencer has gone to a couple of crime-related events, orchestrated by FBI or scrutinisingly arranged by ex-BAU agents, and he knows how little attention people pay to those who suffer the most. So, seeing you doing the exact opposite of what he encounters daily melts his heart.

Now, if you’re just a listener and/or a reader, he will ask you about your favourite podcasts or Youtube channels to buy a ticket — or tickets — to their shows or find you books about some perpetrators he believes you might find fascinating to study.

BUT if you’re doing a podcast or a Youtube show, or both, it’s a whole different story.

The minute you say it, Spencer is hooked on and ties himself in knots to find out more. You don’t show him an episode as you find it rather embarrassing, hence, Dr. Reid resolves to the only option he can think of.

Spencer asks Penelope to show him how to use Youtube or a podcast app. Garcia is surprised and eager to help, albeit upset when she realises Reid won’t say a word to explain his sudden interest in technology.

When he picks up the interface and the general idea of a website, he buys a new phone to have a chance to listen to your voice and to see you in both a Youtube box and a FaceTime box when he’s away on never-ending cases.

If you have a concept of doing something simultaneously while talking true crime — think of Bailey Sarian or MissMangoButt — he’d be so impressed. True crime is hard enough as there are many subtle, intricate details to elaborate on, and you do it almost effortlessly while focusing on something else at the same time!

(If you’re knitting, Spencer’ll ask you to knit something for him to see you do it while elaborating on a story, and he feels so soft inside, he can’t really explain why).

If you’re just telling a story, he’s as equally impressed. Spencer has a stage fear, a fear of public speaking, he’s camera shy. And you’re there talking, providing photos, your reaction is as real as when the two of you talk. You seem so natural at it.

Dr. Reid’s well-aware of every case you discuss or at least he has heard of them. He still listens or watches amid a) your style of telling a story; b) your humour and your mannerism; c) it’s you… how he can not listen to you or watch you? Apart from that, you’re doing something to spread awareness on never-decreasing crime rates.

Besides, he’s awestruck at the way you tell a story like some novelists do. An intriguing beginning, either slowly painting the surroundings for listeners or almost shoving them right into the midst of a case, then a build-up that leads to a climax and an end, letting your listeners know that some weirdos are held accountable or concluding that criminals never stop.

At first, the genuis listens to it when he’s home alone or in hotel/motel rooms after his own cases. Then, Spencer plucks up the courage to say he’s so proud of you and your work and provides you with a number of episodes he has watched or listened so far.

“I feel like I might become a true crime junkie because of you,” he’d joke. “Seriously, I would love to listen to all of them, but I don’t want to look, uh,” Reid stumbles over his words not to sound rude. “I don’t really want strangers or my colleagues to listen to what I’m listening to.”

Next thing Spencer knows you gift him two different pairs of wired headphones; the first goes with his phone, the second quickly reminds him of the headphones he once described as the only technology he has seen that he’d like to have.

Yeah, he’s a true crime junkie now, too, but he is your true crime junkie. Spencer watches all the episodes until he runs out of them and then waits patiently for the uploading day.

He grows so comfortable with your soothing voice, it helps him sleep. When you joke about something, Reid chuckles and, strangely, has no shame for it, even when five pairs of eyes stare at him, puzzled, while he sits comfortably with his eyes shut and his headphones in.

When he sees you doing some research or writing a script for another story, he won’t intervene unless you ask him to. He won’t be offended if you’re working things on your own — because why would he be? — but he’s so happy to give you a hand. To him, it means you value his ideas and opinion.

Spencer helps you find the information you need by just stating a fact or a detail you’ve spent an hour looking for, or scanning through your script if it seems shabby to you. In most cases, he says that you’re an overthinker, and everything is great, yet he does provide the critique to enhance your work.

If you have a concept similar to Payton Moreland’s “Binged” when she examines two cases on a common theme, he might suggest you cases to look at.

Sorry, but he’ll never join an episode, and you shouldn’t push him to.

Now, topics are heavy, still Spencer knows his limits and takes breaks when needed to avoid overstimulating his mind or getting increasingly anxious on daily basis.

Furthermore, he lets you accept that you need to have a rest, too, for the exact same reasons.

True crime aside, you still have so much to talk about, from gossips to carpet history.

Bonus: with Spencer slowly opening up to technology, you two exchange breakthroughs in cold cases.

For example, when the Golden State Killer was caught, you two spent the majority of the day connecting the dots and discussing the case, and the court hearing made you two shook.

He didn’t actually work that day, and neither did you, but who cares?

Hotch does, so you better keep low-profile.

#off point but Spencer would 100000% date a podcast reader who sends him 47 minutes voice message and he listens to all of it on 1x #btw didn’t like making him less technophobic… it’s such a he-trait and loosing it is :(#criminal minds #cm #criminal minds headcanons #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x gn!reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid headcanon #spencer reid headcanons #spencer reid x y/n

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