I headcanon that whenever a member of the team is upset/feeling down about something, Hotch discretely puts a gift on their desk to cheer them up and have them smile. He does this after cases, and just in general.
Now before you mention Penelope- she does it too but isn’t subtle about it, which is the difference I’m trying to make. Penelope would either leave a note, or the team would just know it’s from her because it’s pink, glittery, or both.
Hotch makes sure no one knows it’s him, which I think makes it more heartwarming?? Like imagine getting a little gift that makes you smile after you’ve been feeling really down and keeping it all to yourself as to not bother anyone. It would make you think that even though you didn’t tell anyone, someone was looking out for you and noticed because they CARE! HOTCH CARES. Which would make the person feel comforted in what they’re going through, and that they’re important seeing as someone went out of their way to make them feel better 🥺
Things he’s given the team:
Penelope: a pink teddy bear wearing a candy necklace
Spencer: a sudoku book that was Star Wars themed with a lightsaber pen
Derek: a little bobble head of an American football player wearing a tutu
Jennifer: a funny little card with a dolphin wearing glasses that had a pun inside (written by himself) “what did the dolphin say when he made a mistake? I didn’t do it on porpoise!”
Emily: a portal mirror that has the words “hot bitch” written on the glass so whenever she used it she felt confident
Rossi: a full packet of spaghetti which Hotch kept giggling about until Rossi found it. He also got him a finger puppet of a hand sticking up the middle finger, which Rossi uses to double flip people off by putting it on his own middle finger
I’m attracted to the BAU :Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner, Penelope Garcia, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau & Emily Prentiss. I’d most likely thank them for either killing or arresting me.♡
He counts every step he goes up or down in his head, not for any reason
He loves photography and carries a camera around with him at all times so he can snap pictures of things he likes the look of when he’s out
He loves the sound of rain hitting off a window and the feeling you get when you’re inside with a storm outside
His favourite colour is yellow because it reminds him of happiness
The first time someone called him doctor he cried at home
He has a fear of needles
He keeps a letter that his mother wrote him in his wallet at all times, and a picture of her
Hotch was the only person who didn’t point out that he rambles a lot the first time they met, and instead listened to what Spencer had to say. Sure Spencer has to get cut off sometimes but that’s only when lives are at stake, otherwise Hotch will sit and listen
Unlike in some CM episodes, Spencer would never engage in sexual intimacy such as kissing someone he’s just met. I say sexual because kissing a parent or friend is very different from that
Spencer is asexual and biromantic. He simply just doesn’t think about sex, he doesn’t think it’s important nor has urges to have it. Growing up he would have been confused as to why he didn’t feel what others felt, as he watched his much older classmates engage with each other. So once he was their age, he wondered what was wrong with him. With the help of Penelope, he came to the conclusion that he’s asexual. Though if Spencer were to date someone, and truly feel comfortable and that he connected well with them, he could have sex, but keep in mind that he doesn’t exactly feel sexual attraction. What he would feel would be romantic attraction
He loves the sound of the piano and can play it well
He thinks mint chocolate ice cream is disgusting
He draws circles in his left palm with his right index finger when he’s nervous, feeling overwhelmed, or upset, it’s always soothed him
He has a brown bear teddy named Berry because “you are what you eat”, which was the joke he told himself when naming her
He confides in Berry when he doesn’t have the confidence to tell a real person whats bothering him
He has autism (this is already kind of confirmed but still)
He knows sign language for when he goes non verbal
He prefers cats over dogs because cats feel soft, don’t need walks, and are great cuddlers
He’s not very great at taking care of plants, which sucks because he loves nature and wants to have flowers and things all over his living space but knows he’d be useless keeping them alive
He has a journal that he writes in every night about how his day went, it’s somewhere he can clearly get his thoughts and feeling out without struggling
He secretly admires Derek in the same way a little brother would look up to his older brother
He tried to kick a door down once and almost broke his foot
He’s got bad abandonment issues, specifically with Derek
He sees Jennifer as a best friend only, and loves her very much
He normally doesn’t like film adaptions of books, because nothing can ever beat the books
Sweaters and cardigans are his favourite things to wear because of how soft they are
An older girl in school once made fun of his glasses, ever since he’s been insecure to wear them, but after meeting Penelope he began to love them
Spencer enjoys eating lunch with Penelope in her room
He doesn’t like the dark, but in his home he will only sleep in pure darkness which is strange
It was Rossi who Spencer went to when wanting to finally get rid of his dilaudid
Spencer loved/loves Sesame Street, Elmo being his favourite, he’s thinks it’s a great show to teach kids with, and puts it on whenever he’s with Henry
He loves to doodle
He doesn’t hug often, but when he does it’s because he’s overcome with joy, deeply upset, relieved etc, and it’s normally Derek or Jennifer he lands into the arms of.
Jennifer took Spencer to his first ever cinema movie
He moves around A LOT when he’s trying to get to sleep, and ends up tangled in his duvet, but once he’s asleep he doesn’t move a muscle
He absolutely hates the cold which is why he began knitting scarfs, which turned into him knitting gloves and hats too which he gifts the other team members for Christmas
But loves how snow looks and sounds when he walks on
He truly thought of Gideon as a substitute father and it took him forever to accept that he was gone
He leaned a lot on Hotch once Gideon left
He prefers his hair long rather than short
He lets Penelope braid his hair and insert clips and coloured beads to it
He didn’t know how to tie a tie until Derek showed him
He folds his socks
He enjoys wearing mismatched socks unless for some reason he has to match like a professional meeting where your socks have to be the same :’)
When Spencer came out to Derek as biromantic Derek laughed then came out as bisexual/romantic
Spencer and Henry play dress up whenever he’s looking after him
Spencer loves kids, but is afraid to have his own biological incase they have mental health issues
When himself and Hotch were with Chester he seriously thought he was going to die, but also realised just how brave Hotch is, which was slightly intimidating honestly. After they escaped Spencer cried from not only relief but because he kept his fear bottled up and it had to come out somehow
He has a sweet tooth, chocolate being one of his favourite things to eat
His favourite take-out food is Indian, and orders it to his home if he’s had a rough day to make himself feel better
He’s very ticklish, and Emily takes fun in scratching her nails behind his neck unexpectedly to watch him jump
He kept all his childhood books, the ones that have bright pictures and only have a sentence a page because for one, he wants to hold onto the innocence it gives, and two, so he can read them to Henry
Despite being highly intelligent, he struggled a lot when trying to ride a bike because he wasn’t exactly good at physical things
Maths was his favourite subject in school
He’s very jumpy when watching horror movies
His favourite month is October because he loves Autumn. He loves Halloween and loves how everything changes to fit it like decorating the FBI building to be a little spooky, and of course the changing of the leaves which he can take pictures of
For a long time he felt like an outsider in the B.A.U because he’s only ever been called ‘weird’ and thought that they wouldn’t like him. That ofc was until he met Penelope Garcia who was wearing a hot pink outfit along with a bright and sparkly bow on her head, matching heels, and the same colour of glasses
When he was 7 he had a friend called Christopher, who ditched him to hang out with the people who made fun of him, from then on until he met his now friend Ethan he thought he was completely unlikable.
Him and Penelope go to Comic-Con every year
Him and Emily take control of decorating the B.A.U for holidays like Christmas and Easter
Spencer secretly gifted Hotch a ‘#1 dad’ coffee mug and Rossi a ‘#1 Grampa’ one, neither of them have a clue who sent them to this day
If he were ever to become a father, his child would come before absolutely everything even more so than the average parent because he knows what it feels like to be neglected
He writes his own children’s books
He can sing very well
He’s not a drinker
He secretly likes being called ‘pretty boy’, and it makes him blush because he flusters easily
He has countless of bookmarks, all different colours and patterns. Some he made himself, some her bought
He doesn’t like audiobooks because he likes to read the books himself, and he doesn’t like having an unfamiliar voice in his head
He can’t cook anything fancy, only things that will simply help him live
He fits right into the B.A.U like a jigsaw piece, without him, there would be a huge part of them missing
He’s not only ‘the brains’, he’s Spencer Reid. An intelligent man who can spot problems instantly, read between the lines, and support his teammates when going out in the field because he’s amazing at his job
When he laughs, a fairy is born :’) he’s just that cute
