an: inspired by these lovely headcanons from @ticklishraspberries! i desperately needed to write about these two old men. this is a very brief fic that i feel like i could bulk up a bit, but my motivation dwindled with some real life stuff and i didnt want this to collect dust, so enjoy! again, i welcome feedback as long as we're kind about it c:
It’s hard to think about every domino effect that leads to the specific moment you’re in right now. Even as a highly skilled FBI profiler, Aaron Hotchner couldn’t trace the exact moments that led to him being tangled in David Rossi’s bedsheets.
It happened slowly and then all at once. Of course when Rossi joined the team, they were fresh off the loss of Jason, and they weren’t the most welcoming bunch. But eventually they all fell into their rhythm. And the two men were drawn to each other, being the two oldest on the team. They would room together while away on a case and started to build their relationship from there. Hotch began to confide in Rossi when his marriage was starting to really have its troubles. Rossi would be as supportive as possible while quipping about his personal track record and how he might not be the best to offer advice. Regardless, he was always a shoulder for Hotch to lean on.
After Haley passed, David felt like the only person Aaron could be around. He never pitied him, never was awkward, never tried to make Aaron feel any sort of way. David let Aaron be while also helping him to grieve. Kept him from drowning himself in his work. It was a delicate dance, but they knew each other so well that it didn’t feel like effort.
And so lines began to blur, and drinks after work led to a first kiss in Rossi’s car, which brought them to right now.
Aaron breathed in the scent of David’s cologne that lingered in the sheets. The gentle rising of his chest as he inhaled caused David to stir. He peaked an eye open and squinted up at Aaron, “You couldn’t let me sleep in on our off day?” His voice gravelly.
The other agent chuckled as Dave snuggled closer against his chest. “Sorry, tough habit to break.”
“Can I convince you to go back to bed?” David asked, angling his head so that he could place a kiss on Aaron’s jaw. He hummed, “I don’t know… It seems like a gorgeous day. I wouldn’t want to waste it.” He tried to hide his smile as David adjusted his position to hold on to Aaron tighter, nuzzling into the space between his neck and shoulder.
Aaron stilled as the hair of Dave’s goatee brushed against his skin. He could feel Rossi’s grin along with it.
The team never shied away from tickle fights. Any excuse to bring levity and a sense of togetherness was never passed up. But Hotch always stayed on the outskirts with Rossi, often adding commentary to the fray of laughter. It wasn’t until one drunk makeout session when Rossi found out just how ticklish Hotch was. The alcohol and kissing made his defenses slip, couple that with Rossi’s need to be handsy, and the older agent had Aaron giggling in no time. While sober, Hotch had a better grip of blocking out the sensations. Except for his neck.
And boy did Dave exploit the hell out of it.
Aaron let out a shaky breath, “Dave…” He warned, a laugh already bubbled at the back of his throat which removed all malice from his tone.
“Aaron…” David mocked, kissing and rubbing his face against the sensitive skin.
Hotch’s mouth snapped shut, letting out little huffs of hair through his nose as he tried to quell the sensations. But when Rossi added his wiggling fingers to the mix, the dam broke loose. He let out a loud bark of a laugh that quickly spiraled into teetering giggles as he tried to squirm away, craning his neck back. Of course, Rossi followed. His grip around Hotch kept the agent firmly in place which allowed Dave to keep his face where he wanted it.
“Five. More. Minutes.” Each word accentuated with a raspberry that, when paired with the stubble, had Hotch descending into a fit of breathy cackles.
“Ohohokay! OKAY! I yieheheheld!”
Aaron breathed deeply as Rossi’s fingers stilled and he lifted his head, “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Residual laughter still tumbled out of Hotch as he regained his composure. “I wihihill find your spots. Mahahark my words.” He pointed a threatening finger at David but the way his brown eyes sparkled with mirth had David chuckling. “GIve it your best shot.”
For the time being, Aaron simply laid in Rossi’s arms and silently thanked whatever domino effects brought him to this moment.
Words: 1857 (wtf I thought it would be like 700-900)
HIII, I BECAME OBSESSED W CRIMINAL MINDS SO HERE WE GOO; I couldn’t find enough tickle fluff w Hotch so I wrote it myself:))),, also it happens like in the middle of s2, when emily had joined the team but Haley and Hotch are still together;; also ITS NOT A SHIP FIC BETWEEN HOTCH AND DEREK (also on AO3)
Aaron Hotchner
A man who never smiles or laughs, everybody knows it, but nobody can do anything about it. Not even himself
“..and she said WHAT” Morgan said, finishing his joke, smiling when it earned him a few chuckles from the people who sat near him. JJ who was sitting on the other side of the plane gave him thumbs up, and even Reid cracked a smile. But his gaze stopped at Hotch who was looking at some file, he looked calm, but it was only at the first sight. Morgan could see how he bit inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. One question, why?
Sometimes he allowed himself to crack a smile in front of everyone, but he also took the part of a stoic leader too close to his heart; or at least the team thinks this way
There were moments when they were playing cards, or sitting at the office. There were moments when he smiled or even laughed. But they were so small and so quick, almost invisible. At some point everybody knew that they can’t influent on this but on the other hand, every-time he smiled or even chuckled, it just felt so.. complete
For a few days Derek kept in mind this, everything. He started to notice how Hotch could say something with a straight face, but the second he turns the back to his coworkers he smirks. There were questions that nobody asked, back in his head. There could be some deep dialogue between them, but Derek knew when the time would come, plus it’s not like he doesn’t have any work to do
;
Team decided to go to the club bar, take a break eventually. Everyone was there except for Gideon who decided to spend his time in the woods by himself
“Have you ever noticed how he never smiles?” Derek’s voice rang through the bar, quiet enough for nobody to hear him clearly, but loud enough for people around him to understand what he meant. He furrowed his brows a bit, and turned his head to his fellow teammates
“Really not sure about it, maybe.. sometimes?” Prentiss responded with a small smile, taking a sip of her beer and looking at another person who was sitting on the other side of her
“Well, I saw him doing it a few times for sure, so he is not immune to smiling” Reid said, his gaze stopped at something in the background, so he looked like he was hypnotised for a few seconds “Actually have you ever know that an average adult laughs only 17 times a day while a child laughs about 300 times a day”
“Well I’m not sure that the fact that he never smiles has to do something with his age” Morgan said, taking a sip of his drink
JJ at the same time was chatting with some guys from the bar and playing games with them while Penelope was dancing in the middle of the dance floor like she was the only one there, showing everyone who is their daddy
Prentiss looked at Garcia a few times before she finished her beer and looked at two men on each side of her
“Sorry, but I just have to join her” she grinned, looking at the blond girl again
“Take Reid with you, maybe you can teach him some dance moves” Morgan chuckled, and quirked an eyebrow at the younger male next to him
“Nononohono, I’m not good at this— please Morgan don’t do this” Spencer giggled through sentence and even if he was serious, Derek saw a smile creeping onto his face as Prentiss took his hand and pulled him further on the dance floor. He glanced at Morgan the last time until disappeared in the crowd
Morgan smiled to himself and looked in the Hotch’s direction. He was sitting in the corner, on the sofa next to Haley, bit drunk, so his usually serious facial features melted in something more human
Derek took his drink and danced up to their table, felling the rhythm in his ears. The pair turned his head to him, offering him a seat in front of them.
“You like my dance moves?” Morgan said with a grin plastered on his face
“Very much so” “Don’t think I’m the right person to answer this” Haley and Hotch said at the same time. Even though the Aaron’s comment wasn’t very welcoming, there were no venom in his words, he just simply smiled afterwards and took a sip of his drink.
“Hey, don’t be mean” Haley said, poking her husband’s side, making him to flinch and slightly choke on his drink
“Don’t—” he was cut off by another poke, making him jerk away now as he took a napkin to clean his lips and chin from a mess
“Yo, what was that?” Morgan smiled, his eyes were running from Haley to Hotch every second until he got an answer
“You don’t know? He’s ticklish, I though maybe someone knew, especially you” Hailey smirked, looking at Aaron who choked on his drunk again, but now, all by himself “He usually doesn’t smile, so this is one and only way to make him; because he doesn’t have a sense of humour either” she whispered the last part, earning a sigh from her husband
“No way man, is this real?” Derek’s eyes were lit up by a second, he looked like he just found a golden ticket
“Don’t even think about it” his boss’s voice was something between serious, amusing and terrified about the fact that his wife just announced
“What’s his worst spots?” Morgan tried to keep a conversation in this topic, smirking at Hotch whose eyes just widened when he heard woman respond to this question effortlessly
“Well, if I’m not wrong it’s his sides, ribs and maybe knees—” she tried to tell Derek most of it, knowing what’s his plan was already until she was cutoff by her husband himself, elbowing her in the side
“..actually if you got him laughing, every spot would work, especially when he’s drunk” she whispered and winked to a man infront of her until she was shushed again
“Don’t listen to her” Hotch replied, looking dead serious at his wife and then at Derek
Phone on the table rang, taking everyone attention, making them forget about a new discovery (happily for Hotch)
“Give me a few minutes” Haley picked up the phone and smirked at Morgan before she stood up, ready to answer the call “I’m also going to take more drinks” were the last words she said until she drowned in the crowd of people
Silence froze in the air for a second before they made an eye contact, dark eyes full of mischief met slightly widened, tensed eyes of another man
Morgan thought about it for a split second before thinking “ah, fuck it” and moving on the previously Haley’s seat, next to Hotch
“So how’s— how is Jack doing?” Derek asked, trying to make a conversation but Aaron could hear fake innocence in his voice. He squinted his eyes at him for a few moments until trusting him that he is a grown man who wouldn’t do something so childish.. or would he?
“He is alright like always” Hotch said, but being tipsy didn’t mean being blind. He saw Morgan’s hand trying to poke him in the same spot Haley did, and he immediately caught Derek’s hand, trying to put it away
“So you really is ticklish if you are so scared of me poking you”
“I’m not, and you are being ridiculous” Hotch said with a slight smile on his face; maybe it was alcohol, maybe it was just his mischievous side. Derek couldn’t tell
Morgan didn’t waste any time, moving his second hand fast enough to make a contact with Hotch’s side, earning a sound which sounded like a stiffed giggle. He let go of Morgan’s hand (big mistake), trying to protect his torso
And now younger man used his both hands to dig into Hotch’s sides earning new sounds that his boss tried so hard to muffle
“Come on man, relax. You know that you want to laugh, it’s been a rough week—” Derek even didn’t finish his sentence when Aaron’s facade broke into small pieces. He tried to curl up, mouth slightly opened and small chuckles and giggles filled the air
“Stohohop Mohorgahan” despite how much he tried to wipe off the smile on his face he couldn’t. Usually he could turn off his sensitivity, usually but not now
“This is gold” Morgan chuckled, moving his hands up, now going for his ribs. Aaron tried to push off his hands but he felt how useless his arms became, everything he could do is just to hold on to Morgan, desperately trying to push him away
His giggling turned into pure laughter when he felt knuckles being rubbed into his lower ribs. Hotch uncurled and tried to back off, hitting the wall with his back. He threw his head back and tried to cover his mouth with one hand, so other people couldn’t hear him
“dEHERehek” Aaron tried to make him stop verbally and furrowed his brows to sound more intimidating and serious, but a rare smile on his face ruined the whole picture
“You should laugh more often Hotch, it wouldn’t mean that you are less professional, and honestly it’s like the first time I see you like this” and it was true. Aaron couldn’t remember himself when he expressed his joy with more that a chuckle
“..and you have nice laugh by the way” Morgan teased, grinning like a Cheshire cat and looked at his boss; eyes closed shut, smile baring all his teeth and his laugh. Well it was hard to tell because nobody has ever heard him laugh like this. It was so high-pitched comparing to his voice and but on the other hand it even suited him in some way
At some point Derek just started to laugh with Hotch, maybe he didn’t even notice that
“What did Haley said was a good spot, knees?” Morgan let go of Hotch’s torso, and squeezed both of his knees, earning a snort
“Yohuhu thIHINK YOuhu arEHE BEHEteher thahan mehehe? Aaron laughed, putting all his strength into digging into Derek sides which made him to back off
“Hehey!” Morgan stopped, pulling his hands to protect himself
“Yohohu wihil NEVER speak of thihis” even when tickling stopped, a huge grin was still plastered on Hotch’s face. He let out a few giggles until sitting straight and elbowing Morgan in the side
“I won’t, cross my heart and stuff” Derek joked, earning rolled eyes from his boss. It was refreshing to see him like this not gonna lie
Haley came back almost immediately after everything finished, but by a sparkle in both of their eyes she could tell, she just knew
Maybe, just maybe Hotch wasn’t “that” drunk, maybe he could shove Morgan far enough so he wouldn’t reach him, maybe he could fight back, or maybe he just needed that laugh. I guess we’ll never know
Summary: Rossi finds out about the safe word the team has and rarely uses.
A/N: For the person who prompted this!
Words: 1.3k
Hotch has never used the safe word himself, though he’d nodded in agreement when Gideon had brought up the idea. “In case things get too much. No questions asked.” Not that Hotch really asked questions anyway. Felt it was better if he didn’t know details that could make his job complicated.
His team hadn’t used the safe word much either, despite Hotch having initially encouraged it. It had been years by the point he told Rossi of it, having almost forgotten it himself as he filled the agent in on what had changed since he’d last been a part of the BAU.
“Safe word.” Rossi tasted the term, swirling it around in his mouth. “For?”
“If an agent gets uncomfortable for whatever reason. Say a case hits too close to home.” Like the gay bar case, he didn’t say. Each case involving children, he didn’t say.
“Ah.” Rossi was a reasonable man, but Hotch had expected him to question it anyway and was surprised when he didn’t. “Has anyone used it for other things?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, let’s say a cop gets too handsy and we’re in the middle of a small town, Georgia.” He stirred his tea. Took a sip. “Or if we’re working with a force who is openly racist.”
“It’s never happened before - the team using the safe word for that, I mean - but I reckon that would be a reason to use it, too.” Hotch wondered if they knew it. Maybe he needed to tell them.
“And they’ve never used it on each other?”
“No- well, actually.” A flicker of a memory. Early days. A dimmed bar. Morgan and Elle messing with Reid a little too much until he threw the safe word in their direction. They’d been grumpy about it, but had dropped whatever they’d been teasing him about. No questions asked. “Once,” he said.
“Huh.” Rossi tilted his head. “I’m not sure if I’m proud or disappointed they’re not taking advantage of it more.”
“Well, let’s not give them any ideas. It might lose its effect.”
“But do you think they would use it if they needed it? I have a feeling they wouldn’t.”
“I think so too.”
Hotch reached for his coffee. They let the subject drop.
*
The snow hadn’t yet settled fully on the ground when Hotch slipped on a patch of semi-hidden ice and cracked his head open. At least that was what he’d been expecting to happen, only Rossi seemed to gain superhuman speed and caught him just in time. Gripping his elbow tightly, his other hand cradling the back of Hotch’s head. It was probably a sight, the two suit-clad men in this position, but Hotch was too busy trying to calm his frantically beating heart to care.
“Steady now,” Rossi said, the end of his sentence coming out in a shocked laugh. “Holy shit.”
“Are you okay?” she asked, clearly unsure of how to act.
Hotch winced. “Honestly?”
“Preferably.”
“I think I twisted my ankle.” He was feeling it now. A sharp ache which was getting worse each time he tried to put any weight on it.
“Here.” Rossi reached for him again. “Lean against me. Let’s get you inside. We have a first aid kit, right?”
“I’m okay, Dave,” Hotch said later, watching the other man attempt to bandage his ankle up. It felt oddly intimate, having his shoe off in his office. While he knew some of his team had extra clothes for long days, sitting at their desks wearing sweatshirts and, occasionally, slippers, Hotch had never been the kind. Had always spent each and every day in his suit and dress shoes. While Rossi usually matched him with the suit, he was known to undo his tie and pull a cardigan out of his satchel if he felt the need.
Hotch felt naked, and Hotch was in pain. Miraculously, Rossi’s hand around his shin didn’t make it worse, though it didn’t really make it better either.
“Tell me if it’s too tight.”
Hotch inhaled as Rossi finished wrapping and started tying. “It feels fine.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Rossi stilled for a moment, letting his fingers slide down toward his foot. “Nothing else is bruised, is it? Can you move your toes?”
Hotch snorted. “Since when are you a doctor?”
“Since you decided to start falling left and right. Wiggle your toes for me.”
“It was one time, Dave-”
“Toes.” Rossi repeated, reaching out to touch his sole.
The safe word came out in a hiss and Rossi’s hands snapped away immediately. “Sorry,” Hotch said, panting. “It hurt.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful.” He seemed slightly panicked. Hotch felt bad for him, being caught up in all this.
“You’re fine,” he said, wiggling his toes like he’d been instructed, partly to make sure he could.
Rossi straightened and Hotch couldn’t imagine putting his shoe back on. He wished he had slippers. He wished he had a couch.
“It also tickled,” he found himself saying. He found himself saying way too much around Rossi in general.
He raised an eyebrow. “When I touched your foot?”
“Yeah. But it hurt when I jerked away.”
“Hm. I’ll have to remember that.”
He let out a laugh, which Hotch nearly matched, only he knew he would have to ask his colleague to help him with his shoe in approximately ten seconds and was a little too preoccupied with that.
This was going to be a long week.
*
“I can’t believe you used the safe word because I tickled you.”
“I used the safe word because you tickling me hurt.”
Rossi rolled his eyes. He was half naked beside Hotch, both of them spread out under the covers. Long story. Another time. “So you’re saying me tickling you now wouldn’t result in you abusing our precious safe word?”
Hotch exhaled slowly, mostly to compose himself. “Of course not, but if I did, I trust you would respect it.”
Rossi ran a finger over his arm. “I did last time, didn’t I?”
“Out of fear.”
“Hey now, you had just taken a fall.”
“You’re making me sound like an old man.”
Rossi laughed and Hotch grinned. Snowflakes were whirling outside, dancing under the street lights. Safe, Hotch realized. He felt safe.
“You would use it, wouldn’t you?” Rossi suddenly said. “If I went too far? Or in any other situation? Not just with me. In general.” He turned to face him, propped up on his elbow. “You would, right?”
Hotch didn’t respond, face suddenly feeling hot.
Rossi groaned. “Aaron, oh my god. So stubborn.”
His fingers dancing on Hotch’s ribs weren’t unexpected per se, but they still caught him off guard. Hotch wasn’t used to being tickled, which was probably why he almost expected himself to choke out the safe word and was surprised when he didn’t. Instead, he let Rossi evade his attempts at stopping him, and soon laughter started pouring out. Only in chunks. A panicked giggle. A realization that he wouldn’t mind if this was his life now, sprained ankle and everything.
“It’s not that I want you to get to the point of using the safe word,” Rossi said, grabbing Hotch’s wrist. “But I must be doing a poor job if you’re not even considering it.”
Hotch rolled his eyes as best he could while still somewhat laughing. “Have you considered I might not be very ticklish?”
“I have, actually, but I don’t believe that unless I try every spot.”
“I’m going to regret having told you, won’t I?”
“There’s always that safe word. But something tells me you don’t want to use it.” He grinned. “We’ll unpack that later. Now lift your arm.”
