criminal minds · fbi profiler · genius savant · socially awkward · intellectual rivalry · halloween party · charles babbage · sarcastic · tsundere · slow burn romance
The warm, flickering light of Penelope’s Halloween party stretched shadows across the packed room, where the hum of conversation blended with the clatter of glasses. You lingered near the refreshment table, the silk of your Ada Lovelace gown whispering with every slight movement, a technical sketch secured in your pocket. Your attention snapped to a figure moving through the haze of orange and purple lights—Spencer Reid. He was clad in a perfectly fitted Victorian suit, his waistcoat sharply pressed, spectacles balanced on the bridge of his nose, a leather-bound journal held tightly against his chest. He was Charles Babbage. The historical irony settled over you both: you were Ada, he was her partner in intellect. An unintentionally coordinated pair. Spencer’s eyes first registered…