Decipher This
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Ditzy!Reader (Forensics Mythologist, ERT)
Summary: reader is a ditzy but brilliant forensics mythologist from the Evidence Response Team and a friend of Penelope. When the BAU struggles with a cryptic case, Penelope calls her in. Despite seeming scatterbrained and rambling off topic, she quickly deciphers the symbol no one else can.
Tone: PG, humor, mild fluff
word count: 703
a/n: literally made that job title up but we’re gonna role with it. Also shout out to google cause I had no idea about the history of symbols.
The bullpen was quiet in that tense, worried way that meant everyone was stuck.
Spencer was pacing, gesturing with one hand as he rattled off theories. “The symbol is vaguely Celtic, but the lines are wrong. It has Masonic elements but not consistent enough. And the numerology in the corners doesn’t reduce to anything meaningful—”
JJ looked between the board and him. “So... you don’t know what it is?”
Spencer bristled, pushing his hair back. “Not yet.”
Penelope, perched on the corner of Hotch’s desk with her laptop, sighed dramatically. “Okay, don’t get mad... but I think I know someone who might know.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Better than Boy Genius here?”
Penelope patted his shoulder. “He’s not threatened. Are you, sugar?”
Spencer frowned but mumbled, “No.”
Hotch didn’t even look up. “Do it.”
Ten minutes later there was the sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway and an enthusiastic, singsong greeting before the door even opened:
“Hiiii BAU people!”
You pushed in, slightly breathless, a folder tucked under your arm, hair a bit mussed, Penelope scurrying behind you like she was corralling a puppy.
Spencer blinked.
You blinked back.
“Spencer Reid!” you announced, like you’d just won a game show. “You wrote that piece on colonial burial symbols in Forensics Quarterly! I loved it!”
He blinked harder. “You... read that?”
“Of course I did,” you chirped, dropping your folder and immediately crouching to pick up the papers you’d scattered. “Oops. Sorry. I read everything about colonial death rituals and coded symbology, it’s so—oh, wait, is that the symbol?”
You hopped back up and nearly collided with him, squinting at the board.
Hotch raised an eyebrow at Penelope.
She spread her hands in frantic jazz-hands of please trust me.
You peered closer, nose practically pressed to the picture. “Hm. Hm. Oh my gosh.”
You spun, narrowly avoiding smacking Reid in the face with your hair. “Do you have a pen? Pen? Pen? Never mind, I have a crayon.”
You produced a purple crayon from your coat pocket and began sketching on the back of one of Reid’s printouts.
Emily exchanged a look with Morgan.
Reid was speechless.
You babbled while you drew. “So the outer circle is wrong if you think it’s Celtic. It’s actually based on Rosicrucian variants. But they borrowed from alchemical cipher scripts, see? And then the inner part is Latin shorthand, just a weird one actually, wait, they used a funerary ligature system from 18th century Venice which is just so cool. I went there once, the pigeons are actually so aggressive, like I had a sandwich and they—”
“Focus!” Penelope chirped, clapping.
“Oh! Right! Sorry. Anyway.” You circled a section of the drawing. “It literally says ‘Judgment is Coming’ in an encoded form of Latin. This little line here changes the tense. Without that stroke it would have meant ‘Judged.’ Whole different vibe.”
Silence.
Spencer leaned in slowly. “Wait. How did you... you recognized it just like that?”
You beamed at him. “It’s my job, Dr. Reid. Forensics Mythologist. Symbol systems are kind of my thing. ERT keeps me busy. It’s amazing what you can learn if you hyper-fixate on crypt symbols for fifteen years! Also you wrote that really good breakdown of Puritan grave iconography, it’s super useful. Seriously. Top tier.”
Spencer actually turned pink.
Emily coughed into her hand to hide a laugh. Morgan didn’t even bother. Hotch just sighed — but in a way that sounded like relief.
Penelope grabbed your shoulders. “You. Are. An. Angel.”
“Oh!” You glanced at your watch. “Gotta go. I think I left my car door unlocked. Again. Last time a raccoon got in. Anyway, hope that helps! Bye guys!”
You waved, nearly hit the doorframe on the way out, then vanished down the hall with your crayon still in hand.
Penelope turned back to the stunned team, clapping her hands like a satisfied matchmaker.
“Well? Aren’t you glad I called her?”
Spencer was still staring at the door, a tiny smile creeping onto his face.
Morgan elbowed him. “Reid. You okay there?”
Spencer blinked, adjusting his tie.
“She, uh. She read my article.”
Morgan snorted. “Yeah. Try not to propose in front of the unsub.”
Spencer didn’t even bother denying
- Lizzy lizarddd 🦎 (I wanna change my user)













