Untitled

[idfkitsbeenawhile]

Finally Safe

Summary: After a really hard case, and a couple months of pure exhaustion. Hotch can't watch you struggle internally anymore.

Warnings: angst!!!, guns mentioned, child death, grieving, sleep deprivation, discussions of violence against children.

Word count: 5,081

Narrator: I needed this.

"No! She's just a kid! Killing her wont take away what happened to you, just let her go and we can get you the help you need. We already have your mother in custody for the horrific actions she did to you! But you have to let her go and we can work through this!"

You reached your hand out trying to grab hold of the horrified seven year old staring at you with wide, confused, and watery eyes. The man holding her hostage with a gun to her head eased up his grip on her slightly. Just as you felt her finger tips brush against yours-

-Bang-

"Noo!!" You wake up screaming, tears streaming down your face. Any case involving children has always proved to haunt you. It was sickening to see kids learn early in life what true "boogy men" look like. You catch your breath, try to stop your stomach churning, and walk to the bathroom. Where you turn the hot water on in the shower after brushing your teeth. You look in the mirror and let out a small sigh hoping, praying, the case you and your team just closed doesn't stick in your mind for too long. When you finally step into the steamy sanctuary you call your shower, you lean your head back and close your eyes. To no surprise the first thing you see is the same image playing over and over. You knew then that this one was definitely going to fester in your soul for a while.

2 months go by. The team works more cases. One after the other. Successful outcomes keeping everyone else feeling accomplished, like it is worth the nightmares on occasion. Not you. On the plane ride back, after another 'best case scenario' ending, everyone is in their unassigned signed seating. Most everyone is sleeping, best case scenario doesn't mean it was any less exhausting. Hotch is working on paperwork, go figure, and you? You are trying to focus on the sudoku puzzle in front of you, but currently there is a battle between your eyes and eye lids and your eye lids are starting to win. "Do you want to talk about it?" You hear from beside you.

Emily noticed from the start how you were feeling. Yes she's a profiler, but with her also being your best friend. It didn't take a professional to notice you were off. You never tried to necessarily hide it, but you also didn't make it anyone's responsibility to take on. Of course you know everyone cares and they do try to talk to you, but you tend to just give a small smile, nod, and quickly move on in return. Which is exactly what you did when Emily asked.

Any single person on this team would not hesitate to help whether they were sought out for advice, just a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. Even still knowing this, for some reason it was an impossible task for you to let someone take care of you in anyway. You always had a bad habit of pushing it all on the back burner until it inevitably boiled over when the busyness of the day quiets down and you were by yourself.

The plane finally landed, everyone getting up and getting into their respective vehicles. As you were about to unlock your SUV a hand came out of no where and snatched your keys. "You are mistaken if you think I'm about to let you drive home knowing you're past the point of exhaustion" Hotch stood with his hand on the door handle on the passenger side. Opening it before you could even begin to protest. He was right to be worried, you knew it. You knew you were dangerously sleepy and shouldn't be behind the wheel, so you crawled into the passenger seat. After buckling up and resting your head on the window you felt the car start up and pull out the parking lot. Your eye lids finally winning the ongoing war you've been waging against yourself.

There she was. A picture of the little girl, Delilah, on the board in the police station. You immediately woke up, guessing it's cause your brain knew what was coming next. "I know, you know I don't have to tell you anyone of us are here for you-" Aaron began speaking, he thought maybe if he got you alone, away from everyone, you'd be more likely to finally let your guard down. "I know, I appreciate y'all Hotch." You cut him off trying to brush by the conversation. He doesn't let you though and keeps talking like you never interrupted him, "But I also know you feel like we have our own issues to worry about and don't want to feel like you're putting more on someone's plate." He didn't take his eyes off the road while he spoke. "Hotch, look, it's okay. I'm going to be fine! Really!!" You try to argue back. Both of y'all knew it was a lie. Hotch finally glanced over at you then, just for a second at a red light. The exhaustion written all over your face made something in his chest tighten. Your eyes were glossy, your shoulders tense even though you were practically falling asleep, and he hated how familiar this looked. He'd seen agents burn themselves into the ground before. He just never expected you to be one of them. "You haven't slept," he said quietly.

"I sleep."

"You pass out from exhaustion. That's not the same thing." You let out a humorless laugh and turned your face back toward the window. Rain droplets from an earlier storm y'all weren't around to see still clung to the glass, blurring the city lights outside. "Look at you profiling me." You say in a weak, almost not there voice. "I'm serious." He says gently, his hands shift for a second, like he almost reached for your hand. "I know." That's the only two words you're able to muster up without losing control of the emotions you've been holding back. The silence that followed wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't hostile either. It was heavy. Thick with all the things neither of you seemed willing to say out loud. Hotch pulled into your apartment complex a few minutes later. You reached for the handle immediately, desperate for escape before the conversation dug any deeper.

"Y/N."

Your hand froze. He had that tone again. Calm. Controlled. The same voice he used during negotiations right before someone talked a suspect off the ledge. You sighed softly, eyes closing for a moment. "Please don't."

"Don't what?"

"Do the concerned dad lecture thing."

One side of his mouth twitched slightly at that. "I'm not lecturing you."

"Could've fooled me."

He turned the car off completely now, the engine falling silent around you both. Without it, the tension somehow became louder. "You know what I think?" he asked. You stared ahead. "I'm sure you're gonna tell me."

"I think you've convinced yourself that if you stop moving for even a second, all of this is going to crush you." That hit too close to home. You swallowed hard but forced out a shrug. "Occupational hazard." "No." His voice softened. "It's fear." You finally looked at him then. Aaron Hotchner wasn't an easy man to read. Everyone on the team knew that. He kept himself composed with almost terrifying precision, every emotion locked neatly behind professionalism and discipline. But right now? You could see it. Concern. Real concern. And somehow that made your chest ache worse. "You think I don't see it?" he continued quietly. "Every time we have a case involving kids, you stop eating. You stop sleeping. You withdraw from the team. You start carrying everything by yourself because you think that's somehow protecting everyone else." Your throat tightened. "I just..." Your voice cracked slightly, embarrassing you instantly. "I couldn't save her." The words finally left your mouth after two whole months. Hotch's expression changed immediately. Delilah. Seven years old. You still heard the gunshot every time you closed your eyes. "I know," he said gently. "No, you don't." You shook your head quickly, tears already threatening again. "I was right there. I almost had her hand, Aaron." The use of his first name made his eyes flicker slightly. "I was supposed to save her."

"You tried."

"She was a child."

His jaw tightened now, the controlled mask slipping just enough for frustration to bleed through. Not at you. At the situation. At the unfairness of it all. "Do you think the rest of us don't carry victims with us too?" he asked carefully. "I know you do."

"Then why are you holding yourself to a different standard?"

You didn't have an answer for that. Because the truth was, you did know everyone on the team carried ghosts. Rossi carried them. Emily hid hers behind sarcasm and confidence. Spencer buried himself in statistics when cases got too close. Morgan got angry. JJ got quieter. And Hotch... Hotch carried his pain so silently it almost scared you. But somehow your grief felt uglier. Weaker. Your breathing started shaking before you even realized you were crying. You immediately turned your face away, wiping furiously at your cheeks. "God, I hate this." Hotch didn't say anything for a moment. Then slowly, carefully, he reached over and pulled your hands away from your face. The gesture startled you enough to look at him. His hands were warm. Steady. "You don't have to hide this from me," he said softly. The sincerity in his voice completely shattered whatever wall you had left. A broken sob escaped your throat before you could stop it. And then suddenly Aaron was moving. Unbuckling your seatbelt. Pulling you toward him.

You ended up half collapsed against his chest in the front seat of the SUV, crying harder than you had in weeks. Months, maybe. Hotch held you without hesitation, one hand cradling the back of your head while the other rubbed slow calming circles against your back. "It's okay," he murmured quietly above you. "Just let it out." You hated how desperately you clung to him. But he didn't seem to mind. Your forehead pressed against his shoulder while years worth of exhaustion, grief, guilt, and horror poured out of you all at once. The kind of crying that leaves your lungs aching afterward. Through all of it, Hotch stayed steady. Solid. Safe. And when your breathing finally started evening out, his hand still rested gently against the back of your head. "You wanna know something?" he asked quietly. You sniffled miserably. "What?"

"I think you're one of the strongest people I've ever met." You let out a wet laugh. "Clearly not." His fingers tightened slightly against your hair. "No," he said firmly. "Strong doesn't mean unaffected. It means you keep showing up despite it." Your chest tightened painfully. Because no one had ever said it like that before. You pulled back slightly just enough to look at him, suddenly hyperaware of how close the two of you were. The dim parking lot lights cast soft shadows across his face, making him look less like your unit chief and more like just... Aaron. Tired eyes. Gentle expression. A man carrying his own unbearable weight. His gaze dropped briefly to your lips before returning to your eyes so quickly you almost thought you imagined it. Almost. The air shifted. Neither of you moved. And for the first time since joining the BAU, you realized this thing between you and Aaron Hotchner might not be one-sided after all.

"You ready to go inside?" He asks with an incredible amount of gentleness in his eyes You silently nod your head and open the door. You notice Hotch get out too and you look at him confused. "You didn't think I was going to leave you alone right? Someone needs to make sure you get some sleep. Real sleep." He says sternly, but still with care. "What about Jack?" You didn't want to keep him from his son. "He's with Jess tonight, he's asleep right now and won't be awake until after I get home anyways." You don't argue with him because you thought it'd be nice to have someone around anyways, and you just literally bawled your eyes out on his shoulder, so he's already got his foot in the door right? More like tore down that first layer you worked so hard to put up around your heart. As you walk inside, Aaron follows behind you. You set your bag down and take off your shoes, he does the same and then looks at your tense, exhausted body. "Go take a shower and change. I'll lock the door and get settled on the couch."

"Aaron..." You whisper softly. "Yes?" He asks, there's that flutter in his chest again. "Please come with me...I don't...I don't wanna be alone..." You know you sound broken. Right now you don't care. And Aaron just wants you to feel safe and comfortable. He doesn't answer with words. He walks to your bedroom and opens the door to your on suite bathroom. You follow him this time and go to your closet picking out something comfortable to sleep in. He's turned your shower on and is waiting for you to walk back in his sight. "Is this warm enough?" You feel the water and it's perfect, you shake your head at him, "Can you pick a movie for us? I don't want to use any brain power." Again, no words were needed. he just nods his head, gives you a small smile, and shuts the door enough for you to be out of side and still have privacy, but wide enough where he can hear if you call his name. He sits on the edge of your bed and as he settles on a movie, his eyes drift around the room unintentionally. It was strangely intimate being here. Seeing the books stacked unevenly on your nightstand, the sweater tossed on the of your desk chair, the framed photo of you and Emily laughing at what looked like some terrible attempt at karaoke. Pieces of the real you. Not the agent that sat across from in briefing rooms, just you.

He looked through different streaming services, after seeing you don't own any movies. Then he heard the shower shut off after settling on The Office, it was in your 'Continue Watching' list and it just felt easy to watch after an exhausting day, or in your case. Two months. You slide back the curtain and slowly step onto the soft, memory foam mat under you. After taking a look in the mirror you sigh deeply, your heart still aches, but at least you had company there to keep you from being so indulged in your own thoughts. Might've been your boss, who you always felt a little more for than your other colleagues. And you knew there were some lines you just don't cross. "You okay in there?" You hear Aaron through the crack of the door. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm okay." You reply almost convincing even yourself. You slip into pajamas and walk back into the bedroom. Aaron stares for just a second too long and you feel butterflies in your chest. You lay on the bed, careful not to touch him. He noticed immediately, how you were always careful to keep your distance, the way you kept your hands folded in your lap, you were always trying to make yourself smaller or 'take up less room'. He hated you felt that way. "The couch was a real option, you know," he said softly leaning against your headboard. "No, I want the company, plus you'd pop more than bubble wrap in the morning." You try to let a small chuckle. The theme song to The Office is playing quietly in the background when you glance over at him and notice he's just as tired as you are. "You don't think I already pop more than bubble wrap?"

Finally, you let out a real laugh, it was small, but Aaron noticed it immediately. And what he wouldn't do to hear that laugh more often. You get under the blankets offering him some as you do. "I would've never thought you'd watch The Office." You say, sounding a lot more relaxed than you have in months. His lips twitch up slightly "It was in your continue watching" He says. "That sounds like profiling"

"Is it?" He says with slight confusion in his voice, "I figured that'd just be an observation skill." You start relaxing into your own mattress, still trying to not get cozy with your boss, who you have to see in the office tomorrow. "Same thing." You say back. He just lets out a small chuckled, eyes glued to the screen. Honestly thought, he wasn't paying the show any attention. He was too focused on the warmth radiating off of you next to him, just a few inches away. Your shoulder brushes over his arm has you roll over trying to get comfortable. Both of y'all notice and go still for a second. "Thank you." You say quietly. Aaron immediately looks over at you. "For what?"

"For staying." The sincerity in your voice hits him in his chest, hard. You didn't genuinely believe someone would stay with you. "You never have to thank me for that." He says with a soft expression on his face. Your throat tightens slightly. The room grows loudly quiet again, minus the tv softly playing in the background. "Do you take care of everyone like this?" You finally break the silence. Half teasing, and half genuine curiosity. Aaron lets out a sharp exhale through his nose. "Not everyone." It makes your heart stutter. He says it too calmly, like he accidentally let it slip. Then you fully meet his eyes and suddenly neither of you are pretending to watch the tv anymore. "Sometimes you make it very hard to remember you're my boss," You say quietly before you can even realize what you're saying. There is a look of surprised amusement on his face. "Trust me." He says lowly, "The feeling is mutual." Butterflies explode in your stomach. His eyes are softer than you've ever seen before. That 'unit chief' persona has completely vanished. "You know you looked terrified earlier." He says quietly. "When?" You blinked. "When you asked me to stay"

"Sorry." You can feel the embarrassment turning your cheeks cherry red. "Hey, don't do that." He says with extreme gentleness in his voice. "Don't apologize for needing someone." That sentence almost unraveled you instantly all over again. In a different way this time. You look down and start playing with the fabric of the blanket in your lap. "I'm not good at this." You admit quietly, barely above a whisper. "I noticed." He says with an indescribable look in his eyes. You laugh softly at those two words, and Aaron smiles at you, a genuine one. "You should do that more often." You mumble without even thinking about the words coming out of your mouth. "Do what?" He asks with raised eyebrows, genuinely curious as to what you're talking about. "Smile." You say plainly. The eye contact afterwards lasts a little too long, a little too warm, and a little too dangerous. Then quietly and teasingly Aaron says, "Maybe I would if you stopped glaring at me during briefings." You gasp at his words saying, "I absolutely do not glare at you!"

"You absolutely do." You stare at him for a second before dissolving into quiet laughter again, the kind that finally makes your shoulders loosen after a few months. Aaron noticed it, he was watching you carefully, and there was that feeling in his chest again, it wasn't concern or responsibility. It was something far worse. Something that had been building up for a very long time. "Aaron...I think I-" Just as you were about to accidentally let your true feelings slip out. You get a phone call from Emily. Her contact picture flashes across your screen as your picking your phone up from off your nightstand. "You should probably answer that." You quickly clear your throat and nod, trying to forget what you were about to just say. "Hey Em!" You say trying to keep your tone steady and normal. "Well?" She says immediately, like you were supposed to just know what she's calling about. "Well what?" You blinked. "Are you crying in your apartment right now? Or did Hotch actually listen to me for once?" Your eyes widened with horror while Aaron's eye brows slowly raised next you. "Oh my god, Emily!" You whisper aggressively into the phone. "What? Put me on speaker." She says, she's enjoying this way too much. "No!" You start protesting, Aaron is obviously trying to not smile. Emily then dramatically gasps on the other end of the line, "Wait! Is he there?!" You then bury your face in one hand saying, "I hate you."

"No you don't," she says proudly, "now hand the phone over to Mr. Lover Boy." Aaron let out a small laugh at that, the sound warm and quiet right next to you. Your stomach flips instantly. "Emily." You groan out. "What? The entire team has been waiting a year for something like this to happen." Aaron raises his eyebrows next to you, again. "A year?" He repeats back before you can stop him. "Oh my god, he didn't know!" Emily sounds extremely delighted about this. "Know what?" Aaron asks calmly, but you can definitely hear the amusement creeping up in his voice. You try to point the conversation away from your own personal humiliation ritual, "She thrives on chaos." But she's right there to contradict you. "I thrive on being right." Aaron glances over at you then, eyes noticeably softer now, "And what exactly is she right about?" Your entire body heats up and Emily makes a frustrated noise through the phone. "You two are profilers. Figure it out." You immediately hang up the phone. The room goes silent again. Aaron breaks that silence by laughing, and not the polite little breath he normally gives at the office. No. This one is a real laugh. You honestly think it might be your new favorite sound in the world. You stare at him helplessly. "I can not believe she just did that." "Actually," Aaron says still smiling a little bit, "I can." You groan and pull the blanket over your face in embarrassment. "I'm going to transfer departments." His hand gently catches the blanket before you can fully disappear beneath it. "Don't." The single word comes out so much softer than he expected it to. Your eyes meet his again, and suddenly the teasing atmosphere shifts back into something quieter. Aaron's fingers still lightly hold the edge of the blanket near your shoulder, neither of you moving. "What were you about to say before she called?" he asks quietly, and you can feel your heartbeat stumble over itself instantly. "I don't remember." You break the gaze first. "That's interesting." He says after a small huff of amusement. "Why do you say that?" You say with your eye brows raised. "Because I profile liars for a living." You narrow your eyes slightly. "Are you trying to say you're going to profile me in my bed?"

"Maybe." You try to fight the smile tugging at your lips and start failing miserably. Aaron watches it happen with his own expression softening even more. God, he was looking at you like you were something precious and worth treasuring. "You know," he says after a moment, "Emily's not wrong." He says quieter than he's been all night. "Aaron-" Your breath catches slightly. "I think..." he pauses for second, unusually hesitant. "I think I've been trying not to cross that line with you for a very long time." The confession settles over y'all heavily, not in a bad way, just honest. Your chest feels incredibly tight as you look up at him. "Why didn't you?" A faint smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. "You're my agent." You smile back softly at him, "And you're my boss" He looks at you in the eyes. "Exactly." The silence stretches out again. Then Aaron quietly adds "That didn't stop me from wanting to." Your stomach does backflips, and before you can overthink it, before either of you can retreat back behind professionalism and caution you slip your hand under the blanket into his hand. Aaron stills immediately. His eyes drop to where your hands are intertwined in his, then back to you. The look on his face alone nearly steals the breath out of your lungs. "I think I suddenly remembered what I was going to say..." You start out slowly and terrified. He looks at you inquisitively "Oh yeah?" You just nod your head and quietly, softly, almost whisper. "I think I might love you Aaron."

His heart does a backflip in his chest now. Before he can talk himself out of it, he pulls his hand from yours, gently cradles your jaw in his hands and pulls you in for a kiss, the kind of kiss both of you have been imagining for a while now. "Normally I would've taken you out to dinner before any of this." He says after pulling away from you. You just let out a breathless chuckle and shake your head. "We always have time for dinner." Aaron's forehead rested quietly on yours for a second. Both of you were smiling in the quietness, almost in a disbelieving way people do when something they wanted to happen for so long finally does. The Office is continuing to play quiet episodes in the background that both of y'all were never watching. "You know," you whisper softly, fingers entangled in his hair. "It's kind of embarrassing how long it took us to figure it out." Aaron huffs out a laugh, his thumb brushing across your cheek. "I've figured it out a little while ago." Your eyebrows lift immediately. "Oh really?" You question him and he lets out a faint "mhm" in response. "And you just...What? Suffered in silence?" His mouth twitched upwards. "Professionally suffered in silence" He corrects you. You burst into laughter after that, the sound making his entire expression soften again. God, he looked at you like you hung the moon. You don't think anyone has ever looked at you like that. "You're smiling again." You mumbled. "That seems to happen around you." The butterflies in your stomach get impossibly worse. Your eyes drift over his face slowly now that you're finally allowing yourself to. The tiredness around his eyes, the faint stubble on his jaw line, the softest side of him that only appears when he's with people he trusts the most. And right now, that was all directed towards you. "You know what's unfair?" You ask quietly. "What?"

"You've been attractive this whole time." Aaron actually laughs again, fuller this time. "That's your complaint?" You look at him seriously, "Yes! Do you know how difficult briefings were for me?" Aaron looks at you with a noticeable grin. "I had my suspicions." You looked at him blankly. "Oh you had your suspicions?" You repeat back to him incredulously. "You glared at any woman who flirted with me" Your hand goes straight to your chest, dramatically. "I did not!" Aaron lets out another laugh, you could bottle the sound for your own personal records. "You absolutely did!" Your jaw drops in offense and he just watches you with amusement on his face. "Penelope asked me once if I was aware you looked homicidal sometimes." He says teasingly at you. You just bury your face in your hands. "I'm not talking to any of you ever again." Warm fingers wrap gently around your wrists to slowly lower them, like he did in the car earlier. "No hiding." He murmurs softly at you. Your heart melts a little at the two words. The room grows silent again, not awkward. Just intimate. Aaron's hand never left yours. "You should try to sleep" He says eventually, voice low and careful like he doesn't actually want to night to end either. "I will if you stay." You say quietly. "I never planned on leaving" The sincerity in his voice settles somewhere deep in your chest. You shift a little closer to him without even thinking about it this time, your head rests on his shoulder. Aaron goes still for half a second, almost like he's savoring it, before relaxing completely next to you. His arm slowly slides around you, cautious at first, giving you every opportunity to pull away. You don't. If anything, you curl closer to him. The tension that lived in your body for months finally starts to ease little by little under his touch. For the first time in what feels like forever, your mind isn't replaying gunshots, crime scenes, and guilt. It's just focused on him. Your fingers lazily trace the fabric of his shirt. "You know what's crazy?" He looks at you, "What?" You look at him with your eyes beaming. "I think this is the safest I've felt in months." Aaron's arms tighten around you slightly, his lips brushing softly against your hair before he can stop himself. "You are safe." He whispers back. The terrifying part is you instantly believe him. Your eyes start growing heavy again, but this time not from exhaustion. This time it's from comfort, and from finally letting yourself stop fighting for one night. Aaron notices, he always does. "There she is." He murmurs teasingly. "The human being beneath sleep deprivation." You murmur something incoherent from his shoulder. "Shut up." All he can do is smile into your hair. Your breathing starts to even out, fingers still curled to his shirt. Aaron looks at your carefully after a few minutes just to make sure you're actually sleeping, and not passed out from exhaustion, or trapped in nightmares. You weren't, you were sleeping peacefully against his chest. Something in his chest ached at the sight. His hand gently hair away from your face, eyes lingering on you with an expression no one from the BAU has ever seen on Aaron Hotchner's face. And quietly, so quietly you'd never hear it, he whispers against your forehead, "I love you too."

[idfkitsbeenawhile]

Me & U

Summary: You and Hotch have been hiding feelings for each other until a Cassie song somehow makes both of y'all lose control.

Content Warning: !SMUT! oral (reader receiving), Unprotected sex (wrap it up mfs), choking and spanking if you squint, praise kink, "Good girl", slight alcohol use, i think that's all of the warnings i need. i apologize if i missed anything. Case details, but not from a canon case or nothing

Word count: 5,766

Narrator Notes: Hello!! So a little bout me i guess. i used to write a LOT about 10 years ago. supernatural fanfic mainly. so don't judge me if this seems a little "outdated" or something. i also am awful at writing smut but whatever it's an idea ive been wanting someone to write and haven't seen it anywhere so i did it. If anyone can write the same kind of concept but better, i am more than willing for it!

The BAU team has been working a case in California for the last couple of days. Victims were connected through a small club on the outskirts of L.A. Married men taking home women who weren't their wives. Hotch had Spencer and Morgan going to the latest crime scene, Emily and Rossi talking to the victims wives, and you and him were going to the club to see if any bartenders or regulars saw anything suspicious.

After talking to the fifth person of the night, of course, no one noticed anything note worthy. "Okay well if anything comes to mind, please give me a call. Thank you for your time" you say to the blonde bartender as you hand her your business card. You walk over to Aaron who was finishing up with a regular customer. "Did he know anything?" You ask him, hopeful that maybe he would be the piece of the puzzle to click it all together. "No, call Garcia and see if we can't find anything through credit card sales." Hotch is frustrated. This case hasn't made any sense the moment y'all got there. You can tell he's starting to get a little aggravated by the unaligning facts but he keeps his composure extremely well.

Then you hear some familiar music starting to play. "Uh. NextSelection" it starts out and you immediately recognize the song, Me & U by Cassie. It's only been on your playlist for years. A thought to try to get a small smile from him crosses your mind. He's not really paying you any mind. Just in his head for a minute trying to think through the case. As he looks up to say something to you, you're already making eye contact with him. "You've been waiting so long I'm here to answer your call." You point to him, trying to play up the dramatics. He just stares at you for a second, taken aback for no reason other than he wasn't expecting that. "I know that I shouldn't have had you waiting at all." You run your hand down your waist and move your hips side to side, not seductively, but more unserious and you notice a small flash of something in his eyes that you weren't able to deduce. "I've been so busy but I've been thinking 'bout what I wanna do with you." He just shakes his head and gives you a smile that lasts for half a second, "We need to go. You can continue your antics at home after we find this unsub." He says in a flat and strictly professional tone.

On the drive back Hotch is unusually quiet. You brush it off as him still being frustrated. Little do you know, he is frustrated, but it has very little to do with the case. He thought you were the most beautiful, angelic woman he's got the chance to meet. Aaron would never act on it though, being your superior and all. That's a line he knows better than to cross, but damn were you making it hard not to. "If only she knew..." He thought to himself. You also had some not so safe for work thoughts about him, but like him, that's a line you'd never cross. So, you both live your lives pushing those feelings back long enough to blow some steam off in your fantasies late at night by yourselves.

"You didn't like my performance? I thought I was killing it for you." You broke the silence in the SUV, he let out a barely noticeable chuckle that could've been passed off as a sigh. "I'm just more concerned about your performance on this case, not the performance you should save for a girls night." He's starting to grip the steering wheel tighter and hope you don't notice. You do. You think to yourself that maybe you're projecting your own sexual frustration onto him and couldn't wait to get to the motel room.

"Are you implying that I've been a subpar member of the team?" You ask in a teasing way, you wanted to say something along the lines of 'I bet you'd love to see the way I dance to that song on a girls night huh?' but that is definitely not a question you have enough confidence for. "You know that's not the case." He said, never taking his eyes off the road. He's trying so hard not to imagine you in some short cocktail dress swaying your hips, a little more confident than normal due to a small amount of alcohol in your system.

A couple days later, and after you and Spencer pull an all nighter trying to piece together the profile. Everyone is finally on the plane ride back. "I think we deserve a celebratory team night out after this!" Garcia says over the laptop. "I couldn't agree more Pen." You say from behind the laptops camera. After JJ, Emily, Spencer, and Morgan agree. You look toward Hotch with your eye brows raised, inquisitively. "No. No I can't. I have paperwork I have to complete." He says, but really, it's because last time he went on a night out with the team, you wore that one red dress that almost had him slipping up without thought. It was a close call last time and he couldn't afford to have another close call. "Oh come on! That paperwork isn't going anywhere, it'll be on your desk ready for you to do Monday morning." You say. He hesitates but replies with a "We'll see what happens" and leaves it at that.

When the plane lands you follow behind Emily and JJ to hop into JJ's vehicle. Before you do, you turn around to Aaron once more "You coming?" You ask, your voice a little softer than you meant it. That did a number to his chest and he knew it'd be a mistake to say yes, but he does it anyways. After pulling up to the familiar bar JJ and Spencer go to sit at y'all's normal table. You go to the bar and order a dry martini and Hotch is behind you ordering whiskey. "And put hers on my tab." you hear come from his direction. "No! No it's okay! I can take care of my own drinks." you say with an appreciative smile. He insists and you know it's futile to argue because he'll find a way anyways. Then that song comes on again.

"NextSelection." This time, Aaron notices the song immediately and heads over to everyone else. You're right on his heel, and by the time you sit down you're grabbing Penelope's hands and playing the theatrics up again "I know them other guys they've been talking 'bout the way i do what I do." Both of y'all, and JJ have joined in and are just having fun. Spencer looks at a chuckling Derrick a little confused. Rossi? Rossi is staring Hotch down. He knows. He is an excellent profiler, even if no one else notices. He saw the way your personality bubbled the tiniest bit more around Aaron, and the way Aaron would pay the tiniest bit more to you when you did. Which is exactly what he was doing right now.

"They heard I was good they wanna see if it's true." Aaron felt a small sting in his chest as he imagined other men talking about you sexually. He excused himself from the table and went to the bathroom. Splashing some water on his face and trying to get himself together, he knew his attempts were weak. Rossi told everyone he was going to get another drink, but was actually waiting outside the door when Hotch walked out the restroom. "You know..." Rossi started off, vague acknowledgment in his voice. "Both of y'all are very talented at keeping personal and work lives separate. I'm sure you can think of a way to do that with...different relations." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows at him. "I don't know what you're referring to." Aaron replied calmly on the outside, but on the inside he was freaking. Was he being that obvious? "Just something to think about." He left it at that as he walked to the bar, he couldn't come back empty handed.

Hotch sat back down, and you were still singing along. This time pointing towards him, trying to get him involved, even though you knew 'involved' just meant a smile. "Think I wanna make that move now, baby, tell me if you like it." You made direct eye contact with Hotch. His eyes darkened, and you swear it looked like lust. "No. I'm two martinis deep, that's what it is." You thought to yourself. You coughed and started laughing, trying to hide the way his eyes sent an electric shock straight to your core. "Let's go dance!" You grab Penelope's hand and move towards the dance floor. You needed to get him out of your eyesight before slipping up.

"I was waitin' for you to tell me you were ready." You are dancing behind Penelope, swaying your hips side to side, hands on your shoulders, and looking like you had no cares in the world. Aaron couldn't keep up with the conversations at the table, his eyes and thoughts were glued to you. Watching the way your skirt rode up your legs just a little bit. You caught him, he couldn't look away. It all finally clicked in your head, all at once. The look in his eyes gave it away almost immediately. So full of lust there was absolutely no way to mistake it for the alcohol in your system.

"I know what to do if only you would let me." You mouth the lyrics directly to him. "Fuck" he thinks to himself one last time before getting up from the table without saying a word. Everyone there looked at him confused, but they are non existent in his world right now. He beelines it towards you, grabs your hand, and pulls you outside. "Do you have any idea how much attention you call to yourself?" He asks, Standing next to you with his back on the brick wall. He doesn't look at you, he's scared if he does logic will fly out the window.

"From other people? Or...from you?" You ask him, you have anxiety boiling in your chest, and sparks shooting down your stomach and in between your legs. "This is out of line. You've been drinking. I'm your boss. This is highly inappropr-" He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of his own words more than he was reprimanding you. You cut him off with a kiss. Shocked by your actions, "I guess they don't call it liquid courage for nothing." You say with a not so convincing laugh. He just stares at you in disbelief for half a second before pulling you back in for another kiss, this time sloppier, needier. A small gasp leaves your mouth and you can feel him smile against you.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He tells you “I think I do.” You whisper back, breathless from the kiss alone. Aaron’s hand slides around your waist, fingers pressing into your hip hard enough to make your pulse jump. The parking lot suddenly feels too open, too public, too dangerous for the way he’s looking at you. That look. Controlled restraint hanging by a thread.

“Tell me to stop.” His voice is low, rougher than you’ve ever heard it. “Right now.” Instead, you grab the front of his button up and pull him back down to your mouth. That’s all it takes. His restraint snaps clean in half. Aaron’s hand tangles into your hair immediately, tilting your head back while he kisses you harder this time it's deep, consuming, absolutely filthy in the way he swallows every little sound you make. Your back hits the brick wall with a soft gasp.

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters against your lips. “You have any idea what you’ve been doing to me all week?” You shake your head slightly, already dizzy from him. His thumb drags along your jaw. “Walking around in those skirts. Looking at me like that. Singing to me in that damn club.” He kisses you once, sharp and demanding. “You’re lucky I have self control.” Your thighs press together instinctively and he notices immediately. Of course he does. Profiler.

“Cute.” His eyes flick downward. “You’re already affected and I’ve barely touched you." Heat rushes straight to your face. Aaron notices that too. “You like when I talk to you like this?” he asks quietly. You nod before you can stop yourself. “Words, sweetheart.”

“Yes.”

His expression darkens at the name sweetheart, like he enjoys the way it sounds coming out around you. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “Thought so.” A car passes somewhere down the street and reality crashes back for half a second. “We can’t do this here,” you whisper. “No,” he agrees immediately. “We can’t.” But he still kisses you again. Slower this time. Meaner somehow. Like he’s savoring it.

When he finally pulls away, both of you are breathing hard. Aaron rests his forehead against yours for a moment before stepping back just enough to regain composure. Then he says, calm as ever, “Come with me." The ride to his apartment is silent except for your heartbeat trying to claw out of your chest. Aaron’s jaw stays tight the entire drive, one hand on the wheel, the other flexing occasionally like he’s trying not to touch you. You swear the tension is making the air heavy.

The second the door shuts behind you, he’s on you again. One hand grips your waist while the other locks the door without looking. “Come here.” The command sends heat straight between your legs. Aaron backs you toward the bed slowly, eyes taking in every reaction on your face like he’s memorizing them. You’ve seen him intense before, interrogations, profiles, unsub confrontations. But this is different. This intensity is entirely focused on you. “You nervous?” he asks.

“A little.”

His hand slides up your throat gently, not enough pressure to scare you, just enough to make your breath hitch. “Don’t be.” His voice softens slightly. “I’ve got you.” The reassurance nearly destroys you more than the dominance does. He kisses you again while his hands start roaming your waist, your thighs, and your back, like he’s been imagining this for years and finally gets to touch. Every movement is confident. Certain.

“You’re so fucking pretty,” he mutters against your mouth. “You know that?” You whimper softly when he pulls your lower lip between his teeth. “There it is,” he says immediately. “That sound.” Your stomach flips.

Aaron guides you onto the bed and stands between your knees, looking down at you with barely contained hunger. “I need you to tell me something.”

“Okay…”

“If I tell you what to do,” he says carefully, “are you going to listen?” You nod quickly. His hand slides along your thigh, pushing your skirt higher. “Use your words.”

“Yes, sir.”

The effect those two words have on him is instant. “Fuck,” he breathes, eyes shutting briefly. Then he looks at you again with something dangerously close to possessiveness. “Good girl.” His voice drops lower. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

Aaron’s praise goes straight to your head. You can practically feel it unraveling you already. “Look at you,” he murmurs, thumbs tracing the inside of your thighs while he stands between them. “So responsive. All because I called you a good girl?”

Your face burns and he notices immediately. “Don’t hide from me now.” He hooks two fingers under your chin, making you look up at him. “You started this, remember?” You let out a shaky laugh. “I didn’t think you’d actually—" “What?” His mouth curves slightly. “Lose control?” The honesty in his expression steals your breath.

“Neither did I.” Then he kisses you again, slower this time, but somehow even more intense. Like now that he’s finally allowing himself this, he wants to savor every second. His hands slide under your shirt, palms warm against your skin, and the little gasp you make has him smirking against your mouth. “So sensitive.”

“Aaron…”

His expression darkens immediately at the sound of his first name falling from your lips like that. “Again.”

“Aaron,” you whisper softer this time.

“Jesus.” His forehead drops briefly against yours before he straightens again, composure hanging by threads. “You keep saying my name like that and I’m not responsible for what happens next.”

Your thighs press together again instinctively. He notices. Again. “You really can’t help it, can you?” His voice is rough with amusement. “Needy already.” You bite your lip and his eyes lock onto the movement instantly. “Don’t tease me unless you’re prepared for the consequences.” The warning sends a thrill straight through you.

Aaron’s hands slide down your thighs before he slowly lowers himself to his knees in front of you. The sight alone nearly kills you. “Aaron—”

“Relax.” His hands spread your knees apart gently but firmly. “Let me take care of you.” The dominant edge in his tone leaves absolutely no room to argue. He presses a slow kiss against the inside of your thigh, eyes never leaving yours, and the deliberate patience of it makes your pulse race harder than if he’d rushed.

“You know how many times I’ve thought about this?” he asks quietly. Your fingers tighten in the motel comforter beneath you. “At work,” he continues, another kiss against your skin, “in meetings,” another, “watching you walk around acting completely oblivious.”

“Aaron…” Your voice sounds embarrassingly wrecked already. His eyes flick upward. “That’s right. Say my name.” Then he moves your panties to the side and his mouth finally meets you properly and the breath leaves your body all at once. The sound you make earns a low hum of approval from him.

“Sweetheart,” he murmurs against your skin, “you taste so fucking good.” Your hand flies into his hair instinctively and he groans softly at the pressure. “That’s it,” he says. “Use me.”

The praise combined with the control in his voice is overwhelming. Every movement he makes is deliberate, confident and practiced, like he’s learning exactly what pulls reactions out of you fastest and fully intends to use that knowledge against you. “You’re doing so well for me,” he says when your hips twitch toward him. “Such a good girl.”

The words hit like a spark to gasoline. He notices immediately. “Oh, you really like that.” There’s the profiler again. Calmly dismantling you piece by piece. “You like being praised while I make you fall apart?” “Yes,” you admit breathlessly. “Good.” His grip tightens slightly on your thigh. “Then let me hear every sound.”

His lips wrap around your clit and he sucks lightly, as he works his tongue around it in small circles. Moans fly from your mouth "Fuck fuck fuck."

Aaron pulls back just enough to look up at you, lips swollen, hair slightly messed up from your fingers tugging at it. The sight alone is enough to make your head spin. “There she is,” he murmurs when another shaky sound leaves your mouth. “That’s the reaction I wanted.”

You’re breathing hard, completely flushed beneath him, and the confidence in his expression grows every time he realizes how affected you are. “You’re beautiful like this.” His thumb traces along your thigh soothingly. “Completely falling apart and still trying to stay quiet.”

Another kiss against your skin. “You don’t have to do that with me.” The gentleness in that sentence mixed with the dominance in everything else nearly undoes you completely.“Aaron…” you whimper softly.

His eyes lift immediately. Focused. Attentive. “What do you need?” The question catches you off guard. Even now, even while he looks at you like he wants to ruin you, he’s still making sure you’re okay. “You,” you admit weakly.

Something possessive flashes across his face at that. “Careful,” he says quietly, standing back up slowly until he’s hovering over you again. “You keep saying things like that and I’m going to start thinking you belong to me.” The words send heat rushing through you instantly.

Aaron notices the reaction and gives a low chuckle. “Thought so.” He kisses you deeply, one hand sliding into your hair while the other grips your waist firmly enough to keep you exactly where he wants you. Every movement from him feels controlled, deliberate, but underneath it you can feel how close he is to losing composure completely.

“You’ve been driving me insane,” he admits against your lips. “Do you know how hard it’s been sitting across from you every day pretending I don’t think about this?” His forehead rests briefly against yours. “Pretending I don’t think about you.” The confession makes your chest ache in the best possible way.

You reach up instinctively, fingers brushing along his jaw, softer this time. “You hide it well.” Aaron gives you a look at that. Half amusement, half disbelief. “Apparently not well enough.” A laugh escapes you and he kisses it right out of your mouth.

“God,” he mutters, eyes dragging over your face like he can’t get enough of looking at you. “You have no idea what you do to me.” Then his expression shifts again this time calmer, more controlled, but somehow more dangerous because of it.

“Sit up for me.” You obey immediately. The approval in his eyes is instant. “Good girl.” Your breath catches again and he smirks slightly. “I could get addicted to that reaction.” His hands slide along your waist slowly, grounding, possessive without being harsh. “You trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Completely?”

The certainty in your answer surprises even you. “Yes.” Aaron’s expression softens for one brief second before the intensity returns full force. He flips you over on the bed and pulls your panties off completely before latching back onto your sensitive bud. This time he inserts two thick fingers in you. Slowly pumping, you can feel yourself stretching over them. "Aaron...it feels so-" You get cut off by a nip to your thigh, immediately followed with his soft, wet tongue on that same spot. "Good girl, Let me hear you sweetheart" Your head falls back at his words and can feel your tight walls fluttering as the familiar feeling coils in your stomach "I'm about to- Aaron-" He cuts you off again "Come for me, pretty girl. Come around my fingers" And with that your vision goes white and your screaming his name.

He finger fucks you through your orgasm and when you finally come down from the euphoric release. "I've been thinking about how your face would look when you came for a long time. Now that I've seen it, I don't think I can go a single night without seeing it." He says behind you. Your pussy throbs at his words.

"Aaron...Please..." You whimper out. and you can hear him unbuckle his belt and his thick member is pressing against your opening. "Use your words sweetheart. Please what?" Your pussy throbs again. Fuck his words did something to you.

"Fuck me Aaron. I can't wait anymore" And with that he bottoms out in you and you can't control the loud moan coming from your mouth. "Do you know how beautiful you sound?" He groans out an octave lower than you've ever heard from him. His pace is hard, deep, and relentless. You know you're not gonna last long like this. "You're doing so good. Such a good girl" He says before giving you a smack on the ass. The way it jiggled back in his face almost made him come right there. "I can't- I'm gonna-" You were cut off by Aaron wrapping his hands in your hair and pulling you up towards him. "I am too sweetheart. Let it go for me. Be a good girl and come on my dick." And with that. Your vision is blurring out again, harder this time. As you're riding your orgasm out. Aaron is right behind you, his moans getting louder and louder before he finally releases inside you.

Aaron stays against your back for a second after both of you come down, his chest rising hard against your skin while he presses slow kisses along your shoulder. The room is quiet except for the sound of both of you trying to catch your breath. Then his grip on your waist softens. Not less possessive. Just gentler. “You okay?” he asks quietly. You nod into the pillow, still completely wrecked. “More than okay.” A low chuckle leaves him and he brushes your hair away from your face before carefully pulling out of you. The loss makes you whine softly and he smirks. “Don’t start.”

“You say that like this wasn’t your fault.”

“It absolutely was my fault,” he replies calmly, completely unashamed. “And I’d do it again.” Heat rushes straight to your face. Aaron notices immediately, of course he does, and leans down beside you on the bed. For the first time all night, the intensity in his eyes eases into something softer. Something that honestly scares you more than the sex did. His fingers trace absentminded patterns against your bare hip while silence settles between you comfortably. No awkwardness. No regret. Just…warmth. You turn onto your side to look at him properly and the sight nearly steals your breath all over again. Aaron Hotchner, usually perfectly composed, has messy hair, a loosened tie hanging around his neck, and swollen lips from kissing you. And somehow he’s looking at you like you’re the one ruining him.

“You’re staring,” he murmurs.

“You’re very distracting.”

That earns you a real smile this time. Small, but genuine enough to make your chest ache. Then reality slowly creeps back in. Work. The team. Rules. Consequences. Your expression must shift because Aaron notices instantly. “Hey.” His hand moves to your jaw gently. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Start overthinking.”

You let out a soft laugh. “Profiler.”

“Occupational hazard.” His thumb brushes along your cheekbone. “We’ll figure it out.” The certainty in his voice settles something anxious inside you. Aaron had always sounded sure of himself during cases, during negotiations, during impossible situations. But hearing that same certainty directed at you feels entirely different. Your fingers curl lightly against his wrist. “This is probably a horrible idea.”

“It definitely is.”

You laugh again and he smiles against your mouth when he kisses you softly this time. No desperation. No frantic need. Just Aaron. And somehow that feels even more intimate. “I don’t think I care,” you admit quietly against his lips. His eyes search yours for a long moment like he’s trying to decide something. Then he exhales softly through his nose and rests his forehead against yours. “You make it very hard for me to care about consequences,” he says. Your heart stutters painfully in your chest at the honesty in his voice.

“Aaron…”

“I mean it.” His hand tightens slightly at your waist. “I spent months trying not to cross this line because I knew exactly what would happen if I did.” He gives a small shake of his head. “And then you looked at me tonight like that and suddenly I couldn’t remember why I was trying so hard.” Emotion swells so suddenly in your chest it catches you off guard. “I’ve wanted you for so long.” You admit quietly to him. His eyes soften instantly. “Yeah?” You nod. “I think part of me always knew it was you.” Something vulnerable flashes across his face then. Brief, but real. You don’t think many people ever get to see Aaron Hotchner look genuinely unguarded. But you do now.

“I love you.”

The words slip out before you can stop them. The second they leave your mouth your eyes widen slightly in horror. “Oh my God—” Aaron cuts you off immediately by kissing you. Slow. Firm. Certain. When he pulls back, his forehead stays against yours.

“Good,” he murmurs quietly. “Because I love you too.”

Your chest feels so full it almost hurts. “Really?” A soft huff of amusement leaves him. “You think I lose my mind over just anyone?” You laugh breathlessly and hide your face against his neck while his arms wrap around you immediately, pulling you close against him. He presses a kiss into your hair and stays there for a long moment, neither of you saying anything else. Eventually Aaron glances toward the digital clock beside the bed and sighs. “As much as I’d like to stay here with you all weekend…”

“We have work in five hours.”

“We have work in five hours,” he confirms. You groan dramatically into his shoulder. “Can’t Garcia hack the FBI system and fake our deaths?”

“She probably could.”

“And?”

“And Rossi would still call asking where the paperwork is.” That gets a laugh out of both of you.

By the time the two of you walk into Quantico Monday morning, everything appears completely normal. Aaron is back in his suit with that calm, unreadable expression. You’re carrying coffee and trying very hard not to think about the fact that less than two hours ago he kissed you breathless against his kitchen counter before work.

No one seems suspicious.

Morgan is arguing with Reid about statistics. JJ is catching Emily up on something Henry did. Garcia bursts through the bullpen doors wearing bright pink and immediately starts complaining about printer issues.

Completely normal.

Aaron walks past your desk and pauses just long enough to set a fresh coffee beside your files without looking at you. Your stomach flips anyway. “Hotch bringing you coffee now?” Morgan asks suspiciously. You recover instantly. “He lost a bet.”

“I absolutely did not,” Aaron says flatly from his office doorway before disappearing inside. Morgan snorts. “Damn, baby girl. You got the boss buying you coffee for free?” You shrug casually while trying not to smile too hard. “Maybe I’m just charming.” Across the bullpen, Rossi watches the entire interaction over the rim of his coffee mug. Smug bastard.

Later that afternoon everyone gathers in the round table room for a case briefing. Aaron is all business at the front of the room, focused and composed like always, and honestly it’s impressive considering the fact that his hand was around your throat twelve hours ago. You avoid eye contact for the sake of survival. Rossi, unfortunately, notices that too. Near the end of the meeting he leans back in his chair casually. “You know,” he says, “I always find it interesting when two people are very good at keeping secrets.” Emily looks up. “What does that even mean?”

“Experience talking.” Rossi takes a sip of coffee innocently. “Sometimes you can tell when people finally stop ignoring what’s right in front of them.” Your heart nearly stops. Aaron doesn’t react outwardly at all, but you know him well enough now to notice the tiny tightening in his jaw. Morgan points at Rossi. “See, this is why nobody understands you when you get philosophical.”

“Thank you,” Reid says seriously. “I thought I was having a stroke.” Rossi just smirks into his coffee. “Don’t worry about it.” His eyes flick briefly toward you and Aaron. “The people I’m talking about already understand me.” You choke on your coffee. Aaron slides a box of tissues toward you without looking up from the file in front of him. And somehow that only makes Rossi grin wider.

The meeting finally ends and everyone starts filing out of the room, still talking over each other about the new case. Morgan and Emily are arguing about who makes the better coffee, Reid is correcting both of them, and Garcia is already halfway out the door dramatically announcing that she refuses to look at crime scene photos without “emotional support snacks.” Normal. Completely normal. You’re gathering your files when Aaron steps beside you quietly. “A word?” he asks in that same calm unit-chief voice he always uses. Nobody bats an eye. “Uh oh,” Morgan says while walking past. “Somebody’s in trouble.”

“If I disappear,” you deadpan, “tell my mother I died brave.”

Aaron gives you the faintest unimpressed look while Rossi outright laughs from across the room. The second the office door shuts behind you, the tension snaps instantly. Aaron’s hand settles against your waist, pulling you into him before you can even speak. “You almost choked to death because Rossi can’t mind his business.”

“He absolutely knows.”

“He absolutely does.”

You laugh softly, arms sliding around his neck. “Do you think anyone else suspects anything?”

“No.” Aaron brushes his thumb along your hip absentmindedly. “And I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible.”

“That serious FBI tone shouldn’t be attractive.”

“And yet.” You grin and lean up to kiss him quickly. Soft. Familiar already somehow. When you pull away, Aaron rests his forehead against yours with a quiet exhale. The stress lines that usually sit permanently between his brows are softer now. Lighter. “You know,” you murmur, “for someone who spent months avoiding this, you seem pretty comfortable now.” His mouth twitches slightly. “That’s because the hard part was pretending I didn’t love you.” Your heart does that embarrassing fluttering thing all over again. “You keep saying stuff like that and I’m never getting work done again.”

“That sounds like a you problem.” You laugh and hide briefly against his chest while his arms wrap around you automatically. A knock suddenly sounds against the office door. Both of you jump apart like guilty teenagers. “Come in,” Aaron says immediately, voice perfectly composed. Rossi opens the door just enough to lean against the frame with far too much amusement on his face. “You two done discussing paperwork?”

“Yes,” Aaron answers instantly. “Mm.” Rossi nods slowly like he absolutely does not believe him for a second. “Well, whenever you’re finished with your…paperwork, we have a briefing in twenty.” You refuse to look at him. Rossi’s grin widens. “Oh, and Hotch?” Aaron sighs already. “What.”

“Next time you decide to fall in love with someone on the team,” Rossi says casually, “try not to stare at her like she hung the moon during meetings. Makes it very obvious.” Then he walks away before either of you can respond. Silence. You slowly turn toward Aaron. “You stared at me like I hung the moon?” Aaron looks genuinely offended. “I did not.”

“Aaron.” He adjusts his tie with complete seriousness. “Close the door on your way out, Agent.” You burst out laughing while he finally loses the fight against his own smile.