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To everyone else on the team, Aaron Hotchner ‘s attempts at flirting with Spencer Reid were so painfully obvious that if they didn’t know any better they would have been convinced Spencer’s obliviousness was a way to reject the older man in a non-confrontational manner. They did know better however. It wasn’t as if Spencer’s not-so-secret crush was an actual secret. The man was just a little slow to catch onto the fact that his feelings weren’t actually unrequited.
One.
Spencer was spinning from left to right in his office chair, a case file propped open on his lap as he scribbled away in the marges of the paper, tongue poking out in concentration. He had been saving up some of his paperwork for a rainy day and after the exhausting and gruesome case they had rounded up yesterday, they had been promised a calm day today.
“What you got there, pretty boy?” Morgan propped himself up against Spencer’s desk.
Spencer looked up, “just some paperwork I haven’t finished yet. Why? You want to take some off my hands for once?” He asked, a hint of a smile playing around his lips.
Morgan barked out a laugh. “Oh no, I think I will pass if you don’t mind.”
Spencer shrugged his shoulders. “Suit yourself, but you might be missing out. It’s quite relaxing.”
“You and I have very different definitions of what we consider relaxing;” Morgan said.
Spencer made a confirmative noise somewhere in the back of his throat as he started to scribble away again. He held back a sigh when something interrupted him again. He looked up, eyes brightening immediately at the sight of his favorite iced coffee from the local coffee truck down the street.
He looked up, his smile only brightening when he saw Aaron. “Thank you Hotch,” he said, placing his paperwork to the side for a second.
“No need to thank me. You seem like you could use a little pick-me-up after the last case.” Aaron’s fingers brushed over Spencer’s shoulder for a second, the touch so featherly light that Spencer wasn’t sure if he had imagined it or not.
There was a softness around Aaron’s eyes. Spencer liked it when the man looked like this; soft and inviting instead of his usual intimidating demeanor.
“I appreciate it,” Spencer smiled, taking a grateful sip of the cold, slightly sweet drink.
Aaron was already making his way back up to his office, taking the steps two at a time while holding his own coffee cup in his hand when Prentiss snorted.
“Where is my little ‘pick-me-up’?” She asked with a grin.
Aaron merely glared at her before disappearing into his office.
Spencer happily sipped away at his coffee. He only stopped when he noticed Morgan and Prentiss staring at him.
“What?” He asked. “Why are you guys looking at me like that?”
Morgan groaned. “You really think he brings all of us little gifts like that, pretty boy?”
Spencer shrugged his shoulders. “He’s just checking in on me. He does that for any of us whenever we’ve had a rough time during a case,” he pointed out.
Prentiss grinned. “But our check ins don’t come with our favorite coffee.”
Spencer’s eyes flickered over towards Aaron’s closed office door before he looked back at Prentiss. “I am sure that he has little things he does for all of us. Some of them might not be as obvious as bringing someone coffee, but he always goes out of his way to make sure we are all okay.”
It wasn't as if this was the first time Aaron had brought him a coffee. The man often did it after a rough case and sometimes there would even be a coffee waiting for him when they were called in for a case late at night. Spencer appreciated the small gesture each and every time.
“Whatever you say, pretty boy.” Morgan winked at Prentiss.
Two.
The jet was quiet. The team was heading back home after having been out on a case for five days. It was late at night, but none of the members on the team had been wanting to spend another night crammed in shared rooms in a small inn.
The only sounds noticeable were the scribbling of Aaron’s pen and the occasional flipping of pages from the book Spencer was reading. The two men were sitting next to each other, as always. They had a way of gravitating towards each other on the jet. Spencer liked the safety and security that Aaron provided. The man always knew just what to say or when to say nothing at all.
Spencer sighed as he closed his book, not bothering to use a bookmark, before placing it on the table. He rolled his neck, trying to release some of the tension gathering there.
“Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” Aaron suggested, glancing over at the younger man sitting next to him. “There’s still around-” he glanced down at his watch, “two hours left before we reach Virginia.”
“I don’t think I will be able to sleep,” Spencer sighed, “I can’t wait until I am back home and in my own bed.”
Aaron let out a soft chuckle, “me neither.”
He placed his pen down before he turned to face Spencer, giving the man his full attention.
Spencer ducked his head slightly as Aaron’s curious, brown eyes landed on him. He never quite understood the way Aaron looked at him. His eyes always seemed to soften just a little, the way they did when Jack was around or when Aaron was talking to a victim. Spencer never knew what to make of it. He had an internalized catalog for all the micro expressions of his colleagues and this one was somewhere between kind and ‘he probably still sees me as a kid who needs protecting.’
“Why don’t you think you’ll be able to sleep?” Aaron asked.
Spencer took a deep breath in an attempt to gather his thoughts. “I can’t distract my mind from the previous case. The longer cases always seem to do that to me. I can’t stop myself from going over it over and over again to figure out where I should have seen an earlier connection. It’s not necessarily a way to punish myself- even though it might sound like that. I want to always get better at what we do because the better and faster we are the more people we can save and this took us five days in which two more victims got hurt.”
He sighed and made a faint hand gesture towards the book. “And I was trying to read, but I couldn’t focus on it.”
Aaron nodded along as he listened to Spencer. “Sometimes it can be hard to let go of a case. I think we all have cases that linger a little bit longer than others, but it doesn’t do well to dwell on it. You know that as well as any of us. In the moment, we do the best we can. I am not saying to never analyze the way we handled the case and the decisions we make because that is an important part of the job, but you can’t let it eat at you Reid.”
“You did amazing during this case. You always do,” Aaron said, his shoulder brushing against Spencer’s gently, “we would be nowhere without that beautiful brain of yours.”
Spencer pushed a stubborn curl behind his ears and met Aaron’s eyes. “Thank you Hotch. You give me far too much credit."
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t think so. It’s a shame you don’t see how important you are to the team.”
“I don’t have anything to offer aside from my intelligence and my abnormal, eidetic memory,” Spencer said, “I am nothing like Morgan or Prentiss or you or-”
“Reid,” Aaron interrupted him gently. “We all have different strengths and we also all have weaknesses
.
That’s nothing to be ashamed of. That’s why we work together in a team. There’s no one who is more or less important than anyone else."
Spencer sent him a small smile. “Thank you Hotch. I don’t know how you do that.”
“Do what?” Aaron asked curiously.
“Always find the right words to say.”
Aaron let out a soft chuckle. “Have you ever considered that you are just easy to talk to?”
Spencer felt his cheeks heat up just a little and he shook his head. “It doesn’t only happen when you talk to me,” he protested.
“Maybe not,” Aaron agreed, “but it’s easy for the words to come when it comes to you.”
Spencer smiled. “I will see that as a compliment.”
Before Aaron could respond a yawn escaped Spencer’s lips. “How about some sleep after all?”
Spencer hesitated before nodding in defeat, “maybe you are right.”
“I am right,” Aaron said and held back a smile as Spencer glared at him.
Aaron watched out of the corner of his eyes as Spencer curled up; somehow tucking his long limbs into a comfortable position. It was honestly unfair how fast Spencer dozed off.
Aaron tried to ignore the way Spencer’s knee pressed against his own, but he had a hard time concentrating on his paperwork with the subject of his desires so close.
For the remainder of the flight Aaron spent more time watching Spencer than focusing on his paperwork and afterwards, when Spencer departed the plane; rubbing his eyes and shivering from exhaustion, despite the little bit of sleep he had had, and the cold Aaron slid his own coat over the doctor’s shoulders.
“Thank you,” Spencer sent Aaron a grateful smile.
Aaron just nodded back at him, eyes surprisingly fond.
As Spencer wrapped the coat around him, he noticed Morgan grinning at him.
“What are you smirking at?” Spencer asked once he caught up to the man.
Morgan chuckled softly, “I think you have an admirer, pretty boy.” He swung a lazy arm around Spencer’s shoulders.
The younger man pulled a funny face, “who?”
Morgan just laughed as he shook his head. “Such a high IQ and such a good profiler and yet- you can’t figure it out.”
Three
Spencer was weaving through the office, his freshly refilled coffee mug in his left hand.
“Here you go Prentiss,” he said, dropping a stack of forms on the woman’s desk, “you owe me a donut after that one.”
Prentiss grinned up at him. “Don’t worry genius, you deserve a week of donuts after this. You are the best.”
“Oh, I know. You guys would be nowhere without me.” Spencer smiled at her before he began to make his way towards his own desk.
On his way there he was interrupted by Aaron stepping in front of him, a worn book in his hand.
“Here, I just wanted to give you this back. Thank you for letting me borrow it. You were right! It was a really interesting read.” Aaron handed him the book.
Spencer looked from Aaron down to the book and back up at the man. “Oh- you actually read it?” He asked. He moved his fingers down the spine of the book, feeling the familiar cracks underneath his fingers.
“Of course! I’ve always wanted to read Strangers on a Train. You just managed to finally convince me,” Aaron said.
Spencer had sounded so excited. Aaron had found his wild hand movements and contagious smile endearing. He loved the way Spencer’s eyes had lit up when he noticed that he had actually been listening to him and it filled him with a slight pang of guilt knowing that they cut him off one too many times.
Spencer beamed at him. “I am glad you enjoyed it!”
“Thank you for letting me borrow it,” Aaron said, eyes softening as he watched Spencer. “Do you have any more recommendations?”
“No need to thank me for that. I knew you would be careful with it,” Spencer smiled. It was his mother’s copy, passed down to him and he didn’t like letting people borrow her books, but with Aaron he hadn’t even hesitated.
“I think you would really like the Drowner by John D. McDonald! It’s about this woman who gets rid of her husband and tries to find herself another man. She ends up being found at the bottom of a lake and no one knows what happened. My mom really likes his work. I also really enjoyed Cape Fear, but I don’t own a copy of that one. I can bring the Drowner with me to the office tomorrow.”
Aaron nodded as he listened to Spencer, a small smile playing around his lips. “That would be great, thank you Reid,” he said, “I am looking forward to it.”
Spencer smiled at him. “Great- yes, that’s great.” He watched Aaron leave, fingers still brushing over the spine of the book.
“Since when do you let people borrow your books?” Jj asked as she looked up from her computer.
Spencer shrugged. “I usually don’t, but Hotch saw me reading it and asked me what it was about and he seemed really intrigued. I know he would be very careful with it, he knows it is my mom’s.”
Morgan snorted, “Hotch’s so far gone, he would listen to you reading the entire encyclopedia out loud.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Spencer asked as he finally sat down at his desk, placing the book on the side and reaching for the cold case he had been asked to look over. “He usually cuts me off, more than you guys do.”
Jj sighed, “for a genius, you aren’t very bright.”
Spencer just gave her a confused look in response. He shook his head before focusing on his paperwork instead. They were acting weird.
Four
“Here, let me get that for you.” Aaron knelt down in front of Spencer, his brows slightly furrowed in concentration as he took the cloth from the younger man’s hand. “You need to be more careful,” he said, pursing his lips together. He carefully began to wipe the blood from Spencer’s knuckles.
Spencer sighed softly. “I know I should have waited for back up Hotch, I don’t really feel like being criticized right now.”
“We will talk about it later,” Aaron said. “Are you sure you don’t need any medical attention? It would make me feel a lot better if you let an actual medic look you over.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” Spencer promised. “It’s just a few scrapes and bruises.”
“I always worry about you.” Aaron let go of Spencer’s left hand and picked his right hand up, his touch featherlight as he repeated the process.
“I am more than capable of handling myself in the field,” Spencer mumbled, watching Aaron with newfound interest and curiosity.
“Oh, I am not worried about your skills Reid,” Aaron said. He looked up and met his eyes, brows slightly worried. “I trust you and I know you are more than capable of making rational and good decisions, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t worry about something happening to you.”
He dropped Spencer’s hand and stood back up. He sat down next to Spencer and pressed the wet cloth against the side of his jaw, frowning at the bruise blossoming there.
Spencer locked eyes with Aaron and for a second he seemed to forget how to breathe. The man was being so soft and gentle and despite his rather rough and calloused hands it felt nice. “You don’t have to worry,” he promised, “but I understand that it must be hard to be responsible for the team.”
Aaron gave him a crooked hint of a smile. “Yeah, something like that,” the man breathed out. He placed the cloth to the side and grabbed the bandages. He reached for Spencer’s left hand and bandaged it up before doing the same thing to his right.
“Thanks Hotch,” Spencer said.
Aaron held his hand for a second too long, thumb moving over the top of Spencer’s hand. “You are welcome, Reid.”
They were interrupted by Morgan walking into the precinct’s conference room. His eyes widened just a little at the sight of the two men before his eyes lit up with amusement.
“Did I interrupt something?”
Spencer looked up and gave him a tired smile, “Hotch was just checking up on me, but we are all set to go home.”
Morgan chuckled, “if you say so, pretty boy.”
Five
Spencer was never good at meeting new people. He was considered awkward and most people found his intelligence too intimidating, yet the woman he was chatting to right now was hanging onto his every word and keeping the conversation going much longer than was necessary.
“Thank you, all the information you gave us is very appreciated,” Spencer said when he finally saw an out. Not that he didn’t enjoy talking to her, but the way she was bashing her lashes and touching his shoulder was putting him a little on edge.
“Of course,” she said, giving him her brightest smile.
“If you remember anything else of that night, please give this number a call,” Spencer said, handing a business card to her.
“And what if I want to just talk to you?” She asked, raising one of her perfectly shaped brows.
Spencer’s cheeks flushed a little and he shook his head. “Please only call if you have any information. Thank you once again, you were a great help.”
He sent her an apologetic smile before turning around and walking away, meeting a grumpy looking Aaron and a smug looking Morgan.
“That took a while. Was it of any use at least?” Aaron asked, glancing over at Spencer.
Spencer nodded. “She had seen the victim, and could recall a lot of her interactions of that night. This place doesn’t have a lot of security cameras in place, only the one by the exit. It confirmed that the victim left at 11:25, alone.”
Aaron nodded. “That gives us a decent time frame.”
Spencer nodded once again. “I gave her our hotline in case she has any more information,” he said.
Morgan wrapped an arm around Spencer as they left the bar. “I bet she was disappointed it wasn’t your personal number.”
Spencer’s cheeks flushed. “What makes you say that?”
Aaron grumbled something underneath his breath before speaking up. “She was all over you,” he said.
“Jealous?” Morgan teased.
Spencer choked on the air and his cheeks flushed. “Oh come on, behave Morgan. It’s not funny. It was a little bit uncomfortable. It’s not like I am interested.”
“Oh I know,” Morgan smirked, “but it is still funny to see Hotch all grumpy.”
“I am not grumpy,” Aaron said, a definitive tone in his voice, but the annoyed glare in his eyes spoke volume. “I would prefer if we could stay focused on the case at hand and not get distracted by women.”
“I am sure she wasn’t that interested-” Spencer said as a way to apologize.
“You cut yourself short,” Aaron said, glancing over at Spencer. “Is it really that surprising that someone would be interested in you?”
Spencer shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter anyway, we all know that I am not interested in women.”
Aaron just sighed. “It’s a shame you don’t see how great you are,” he said before clearing his throat. “Let’s go. Prentiss, Rossi and JJ will be waiting for us at the precinct.”
5 + 1 (Six)
“What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?”
Spencer looked up from where he was sitting on the grass, a small smile appearing on his lips when he noticed Aaron. “Oh- just thinking, I wanted a moment to myself,” he admitted, making a faint hand gesture towards the rest of the team who were standing near Rossi’s patio, their voices still noticeable despite Spencer sitting on the other side of the garden.
“Mind if I join you?” Aaron asked.
“If you want to- go ahead.” Spencer leaned back on his hands. “Don’t you need to keep an eye on Jack?”
“Oh, Jack’s too busy causing mischief with Henry. It definitely isn’t cool anymore for his dad to be around all the time,” Aaron rolled his eyes good naturedly. “All he’s thinking about is the fireworks.”
It was the 4th of July. Spencer never liked the holiday much. The fireworks looked pretty, but he wasn’t a fan of the loud banging sounds that came with them. Rossi had invited them all over to celebrate at his mansion and Spencer had agreed to come, preferring to spend the holiday in good company rather than alone at home.
“What were you thinking about?” Aaron asked, following Spencer’s gaze towards the rest of the team.
“It’s nothing,” Spencer sighed. “Sometimes I get in my own head a bit. I love my mother, I really do, but I have never been a part of something like this, you know? When Gideon asked me to join the team, I never thought I would find a place where I would actually fit in."
Aaron nodded as he listened to Spencer. “It’s unfair that you’ve met so many people who didn’t truly appreciate you,” he said.
Spencer let out a soft chuckle. “It definitely would have helped my confidence as a kid if people hadn’t thought that I was some sort of freak.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I can’t wrap my head around it. that people actually want me here.”
“Why wouldn’t we want you here?” Aaron asked, brows furrowing slightly.
“I am awkward and I talk too much and people are usually too intimidated by me to want to strike up a conversation. There’s not much to love,” Spencer glanced over at Aaron.
“Oh Spencer..” Aaron shook his head, ignoring the way Spencer’s eyes widened at the use of his first name, “there is so much to love and it’s a shame that you can’t see it.”
“What- what do you mean?” Spencer asked, his cheeks flushing a bright red.
Aaron smiled lightly. “How haven’t you noticed the way I look at you?”
Spencer had noticed. He noticed the softness in Aaron’s eyes and the smile that always seemed to grace his lips whenever Spencer was around. He just hadn’t thought about what it could possibly mean because every possibility sounded ridiculous because there was no way Aaron was interested in him.
“I don’t know what it means,” Spencer said, his voice just above a whisper.
Aaron reached over, his thumb softly moving against Spencer’s jaw. He should have known that his subtle flirting would go unnoticed by the genius.
“Spencer,” he hummed softly, voice dropping a little lower. “Maybe I should have been more direct.”
Spencer found himself leaning into the touch. “Hotch?” He asked softly, brows furrowed.
Aaron wanted nothing more than to reach out and smooth out the worry lines in between his brows. He took a deep breath and decided to just say what he had been wanting to say to the man for weeks, months even.
“I have feelings for you,” he admitted softly, “I don’t know when it happened, but I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.”
Spencer’s eyes widened. “You- you do?” He asked. They had been right. His friends had been right and Spencer had brushed it all off because there was no way that someone like Aaron would fall for someone like him.
Aaron slowly pulled his hand away. “If I’ve misread the signals then I am sorry,” he said, “I promise it won’t affect our workplace relationship.”
Spencer shook his head. “Hotch- Aaron wait,” he said, scooting a little closer, “I never said I didn’t reciprocate your feelings. You just caught me off guard is all. I didn’t think someone like you would be interested in me.”
Aaron let out an inaudible sigh of relief. “We really need to work on that self esteem of yours,” he murmured.
Spencer’s cheeks flushed just a little. “Well, maybe I should give myself a little bit more credit now that I know you are interested in me.”
Aaron smirked. “Well, that is a good start.” He rested his hand against Spencer’s cheek. “Am I allowed to kiss you?” He asked softly.
Spencer nodded, “yeah- okay, I think I would like that a lot.”
His eyes widened just a little when Aaron pressed their lips together. The new feeling was welcoming. Spencer’s eyes fluttered shut. His arms moved to wrap around Aaron’s neck as he pulled the older man closer into the embrace.
Their lips seemed to move together seamlessly. Spencer could get used to this. He gasped softly into the kiss as Aaron’s hand moved through his hair, a shiver running down his spine..
The sound of fireworks forced them to pull apart. Spencer’s cheeks were flushed. Both men were breathless.
Aaron chuckled softly as he pulled Spencer into his side. “And here I thought that seeing fireworks when you kissed someone was just a myth."
Spencer let out a soft laugh and rested his head against Aaron’s shoulder. “We should go down and join the others,” he whispered.
Aaron nodded, “In a little bit. Let me have you to myself for just a few minutes before all the teasing is going to start.”
“So, you don’t mind them knowing?”
“My crush on you is the worst kept BAU secret,” Aaron said and Spencer blushed in response.
“Yes, my feelings for you weren’t really a secret either,” the younger man admitted.
Aaron rested his head on top of Spencer’s, eyes on the bright fireworks. He didn’t pull away after the first batch had ended. He didn’t even pull away when he could hear Morgan’s shout of ‘finally’ when the rest of the team noticed them. He just wanted to hold Spencer for a little bit longer. It felt too good to let go.