below is a list of hotch/reid fics that made me fall in love with their ship and is for anyone who's starting out reading them or is just looking for something new!! (in no particular order)
Evidently Unaware by travelinthedark (M, 8K)
โSo,โ Reid says, eyeing Hotch warily, โIโm going to leave you here to freak out as you slowly realize that weโve been dating for a while and you just didnโt know it.โ Featuring oblivious!Hotch and aggressive!Reid.
(the first fic i ever read for this ship!!)
Bright by EloquentDossier (T, 12K)
"There were several things in Aaron Hotchner's life that had never made sense to him. He didn't understand why nearly everyone in his family (minus his son Jack) couldn't quite fathom why he felt drawn to the BAU. He didn't get how so many people in the world had such depraved mindsets. And he wasn't entirely sure why he still hadn't drug-tested his team's tech analyst, Penelope Garcia. (He was also confused about her relationship with Derek Morgan, but he wasn't going to touch that with a ten foot pole.)
But what baffled Hotch the most was how someone who was as intelligent as Spencer Reid could be so inherentlyย oblivious."
(if you like the first one, you'll like this one!! it's the same idea but in reverse)
beyond this place of wrath and tears by whereveryougothereyouare(M, 13K)
Spencer Reid meets a serial killer, kisses his boss, and doesnโt do drugs. All of this, more than once, actually.
(this is probably the fic that really cemented my liking of this pairing!!)
Forgive Me For All I Could Not Be by DegrassiFanatic(M, 106K)
"Complicated didnโt even begin to scratch the surface of what he and Spencer have going on. It was a series of entangled webs they wove themselves into. It was Daedalian and it was Byzantine. It was a complete mess.
Yet, however terribly convoluted of a mess they made out of one another, to Hotch, Spencer was a noble pursuit of happiness. He was the only happiness, in his head, that was worth pursuing."
(this if the first long fic i read of them, and only sent me spiralling down the rabbit hole even more. in my bookmark i wrote "did i just have my soul ripped out and fed to me??" so, uh, yeah!!)
Following a Bright Shiny Thing by travelinthedark(T, 5K)
Wherein Reid feels like 6th grade girl, the girls squee from time to time, and there are little blue drinks.
(if there's one thing about me, it's that i love when the girls meddle with reid and hotch's relationship)
But I Have Promises to Keep by IdLike2SayBeautifulThingsButIDontKnowHow(E, 55K)
Reid fails his firearms certification for the first time in five years โ is it just an anomaly or might there be more to the headaches, the numbness and the strange symptoms he canโt explain?
Hotch and Morgan are keen for him to take a make-up test โ but what is Reid hiding and why is he so desperate to prove himself in the field that he ends up fighting for his life in the clutches of an unsub?
As Reid deals with a health crisis, he and Hotch discover new sides of each other and their budding relationship is put to the test.
(this one is heartbreaking in such a beautiful way, and dives deeper into reid's health issues during season 6)
Home Less by VincentMeoblinn(M, 31K)
Having suffered great tragedy, Hotch found himself with no purpose to his life beside his job. As such he found himself wanting- needing- to run his own team, but Gideon showed no sign of wanting to retire. So he offered to start the Western Division of the BAU in the heart of Las Vegas. There Grissom introduced him to the Homeless Network and their brilliant, damaged leader.
(this one right here is my absolute FAVORITE, and if you're going to read any AU please read this one)
Headfirst Into Shallow Pools by circussbeetle(T, 19K)
The soft glow of the pool light casts dancing shadows on his already gaunt features, accentuating his high cheekbones, his deep set eyes and exhaustion ridden dark circles.
Heโs as beautiful as always, in Aaronโs eyes. Ethereal, almost. Deeply burdened.
(there's something so raw and emotional about this one that you just need to read it to understand!! beautiful writing)
i don't know when i started loving you (now it's all that i can do) by darkerholland(T, 21K)
A brief history of Aaron and Spencer's relationship, told, in part, through conversations between Aaron and Gideon.
(i am a sucker for hotchreid fics that involve gideon, and this one goes through the events of reid and hotch's relationship over the years in such a beautiful way)
Two Trees by DictionaryWrites(E, 106K)
"And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each otherโs shadow."
Kahlil Gibran.
(this is a series of oneshots/short fics that also includes gideon in some capacity. it's not marked complete but if i remember correctly it still ends on a statisfying enough note)
Finish What You Started by Anddreamofsheep(E, 60K)
Reidโs job interview for the BAU is derailed when he and Hotch realize they know each other from somewhere else.
OR
Hotch and Reid had a one night stand two years before Reid joined the team.
(this is a two part series, the first one being a one shot and the second being a multi chapter continuation!! i love toxic hotchreid and when reid is scared of his emotions, and this one does an excellent job with that)
salted earth by SanguineDream(E, 5K)
Reid scoffs. โWhat do youย wantย from me?โ
โAll I want is for you to get better,โ Aaron says.
Spencer lays his palm warm and solid on Aaronโs knee. Bats his lashes up at him and Aaron shivers, fingers clutching the edge of the desk. Spencer laughs. The sound drips with contempt.
โYouโre a liar, Hotch,โ Spencer says. He rises, swaying close. โCan you even remember the last time you told yourself the truth?โ
Heโs gone before Aaron can bring himself to admit that he canโt.
or, the one where hotch isn't a mess until he is, and reid is a mess until he isn't
(another toxic one!! i love fics that are written in short sequences and this is one of them)
My Hands Are Shaking (From Holding Back From You) by yan_deer(E, 11K)
How not to cope after an impromptu undercover couple stunt with your boss, a guide by Spencer Reid.
(hehe i love fake dating and freaked out spencer!! this one has miscommunication but it's done in such an endearing way that it's not even annoying, also taylor swift lyric title say less!!)
Correspondence by KatyTheInspiredWorkaholic(E, 110K)
An AU where Reid never joined the FBI, but got roped into consulting for the LA field office while working and teaching at Caltech. Hotch gets his email referred from a fellow agent, and they start to work on cases together -- until they start talking on a regular basis.
Regular becomes frequent, frequent becomes constant. They know nothing about each other, but they don't really mind.
(this one has got to be my second favorite of all time. i don't usually love texting fics but this one had a good balance of texting and traditional sort of scenes(if that even makes sense) the anticpation of them meeting in person also added so much to it!)
something else entirely by SanguineDream(E, 7K)
โIโll drive you home,โ Aaron says.
Spencer takes his hand, and what he means to say isย thank you,ย but what slips from his lips is: โYou can, you know.โ
โI can what?โ
โWatch me. I donโt mind. I like knowing youโre looking out for me.โ
A halfway expression flits across Aaron's features, smack dab in the middle of contentment and frustration. It touches on vanity before it disappears entirely. Spencer mourns it once itโs gone.
Heโs missing something.
reid gets caught with a man behind a bar, and then again, and again, andโ hotch might be acting a bit...off, but it's not a problem.
it becomes one, eventually.
(jealous/possessive hotch is another guilty pleasure of mine, and this one just does it so well)
and if youโre still hungry for more iโve got a lot more bookmarked, as well as my own fics under chaseyourstars ๐๐
dailybridgerton
ellievsbear
origamiaround
izzy806
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
titsay
