Kaz Brekker Being A Menace! Six Of Crows Edition;

㉗ HEAVY ARE THE HANDS CARRYING THE NAME ━━━━━━━ Fem!F1 Driver series

PAIRING ! F1 Grid x F1 Driver! Senna! OFC

IN WHICH... Isadora Senna will show the world⏤and the men⏤that she is her father's daughter !

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The deal

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x fem!Reader

Summary: You work in a brothel and all of the sudden Kaz Brekker becomes a frequent visitor who prefers to stay in the shadows until you come up to him first.

Warnings: soft Kaz, mentions of touch aversion

Word count: 2,7k

— Let me guess. Are you going to use an excuse that you're looking for something again?

— No, this time I'm only looking for you.

Your mother once warned you about how cruel the world was and how important it was to be careful. Young girls often caught the attention of slavers and it would probably break your parents' hearts if they knew exactly how your life had turned out after their death. Your aunt was supposed to take you from Fjerda to Ravka, but your ship was attacked by pirates and instead you ended up in Ketterdam when you were fifteen.

In some way you were lucky. You got a place at the Rainforest, an extremely posh and expensive place. The guests were usually wealthy travelers, diplomats, or members of the Merchant Council, so you didn't have to worry about your safety. The girls had to keep the good mood of the clients, but everyone put a different meaning to the words. Some wanted only sex, some wanted company to talk to. They were all escaping loneliness, and you couldn't blame them for that.

But among the row of all the others, only one guest was special. The tapping of his cane on the wooden parquet was unmistakable. You had to have lived in Ketterdam as a complete hermit, blind and deaf, if you didn't know who Kaz Brekker was. Rumors about him flooded the streets, intimidating and exaggerating every little thing about him. But there was no doubt that this guy was very dangerous indeed. His cane broke a lot of bones, and his brilliant mind ruined a lot of lives.

It was not for you to judge how people preferred to rest in their spare time. Sometimes you spotted Jesper in his another funny hat at the playhouse across the street from your second-floor window. You two even talked a couple of times when you ran into each other on the street after the establishments were closed. But seeing Kaz Brekker at the Rainforest required a special occasion.

He seemed like a complete stranger in the place. His eyes were constantly scanning the room, his whole body was tense and looked more like a wax statue than a living person. He was clearly uncomfortable in the brothel, even if he tried to hide it, and his face remained a perfect blank sheet that could easily be given a slight interest. You might have believed it, but a few years at the Rainforest had taught you much better insight into men. Being able to read the slightest visible reaction was part of your job.

Anyone else came to a brothel for entertainment. People wanted to get some female attention and flirtation, to drink and spend a huge amount of money so they could leave at dawn with a smile and a sense of having had a good time. They came "from somewhere." But Kaz Brekker came "to somewhere." He was cautious, but at the same time quite determined, and he clearly had a purpose of some kind. You had seen him at the bar a few times, but then he disappeared faster than you could figure out what kind of drink he had in his glass.

It took a whole week before you realized exactly what was going on. Kaz carefully looked around the main hall, but never went any farther. You had to be a guest accompanied with a girl to go up to the second and third floor, where the girls' rooms for work and the office of the accountant and the club owner were located. You wondered what Kaz wanted to find that was so important that he didn't entrust the job to Jesper, who could pretend to be a client and sniff it out. From what you had heard, Kaz Brekker was probably the only man in Ketterdam who didn't use brothels for their intended purpose.

— Do you need any help or are you going to keep looking around every corner and memorizing what time the guards at the entrance change?

You walked up to him first, leaning innocently beside him on the bar, and glanced curiously at his glass. Vodka and ice? The club's shelves were stocked with liquor, but Kaz Brekker certainly had to stand out in this one, too. The simpler, the better, that's for sure.

— What makes you think I'm interested in security? — Kaz's husky voice carefully concealed his surprise, as if he'd been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed you approaching. And it was further confirmation of how different he was from the people around him. People didn't come to brothels to drink in silence and think about personal things.

— Well, I have eyes, and I can use my mouth to find out that you haven't been with any of the girls, even though it's the fourth time you've been here in a week, — you chirped, giving one of the clients a smile before you turned your attention back to Kaz, your tone changing to more businesslike. — The cane and gloves. This black suit. If you want to go somewhere incognito, I suggest you use a disguise in the future, Kaz Brekker. Everyone is capable of recognizing you in this town, as well as exactly what you're known for. Are you planning another heist here?

Kaz was ready to curse himself for how obvious it was. A foolish scheme had turned out to be an even more foolish finale. He had originally wanted to dig into the situation himself, after Inej had given him the details of the owner, the number of girls and the size of the rooms. But one look at the crowd was enough for him to spot you and that dark blue dress with the veil you wore that first night. Like the sky in the middle of the night. A mystery lying in plain sight. It wasn't until his third night that he was able to find you among the other girls in the hall, guided by the shade of hair he remembered, when he could finally see your face.

Perhaps all these years the Saints had shielded him from unnecessary sympathy and feelings for someone just to give him the illusion of invincibility. He loved nothing and nothing could be taken from him. Kaz believed this as if he really didn't have the ability to feel anything. And that's why he was so shaken by how much he remembered that image of you with the veil and how much he wanted to know more about you. He was so unrestrainedly crushing on you that he still hadn't moved forward with the plan. He needed the access to the second floor, but he didn't have the courage to come up to you and pretend to be your client. Kaz shook at the thought of touching you and the anxiety came along with nausea almost instantly.

— There will be no heist. I just need to look at a couple of documents. I won't even take them with me, — Kaz replied discreetly, forcing his appraising gaze to stop on your face. Too beautiful. Too distracting. He shouldn't have told you anything but he hoped his honesty would buy him a way out.

— I can help. In exchange for a favor, of course.

You leaned closer to him in a trusting manner, and your fingers gently touched Kaz's shoulder. Just for a second, so lightly that the touch seemed phantom and unreal. Whatever past Kaz held, it made him keep his distance from people in a literal sense. Your observation of the previous nights was enough to realize that Kaz was not a fan of touches, even casual ones. The gloves clearly served him as an extra layer of protection, though you were curious about what had happened to him that caused such a reaction. Many girls in brothels reacted similarly negatively to touching after a while, but Kaz didn't seem like the kind of person who would work in such an establishment.

— Okay, let's say I would agree to your terms. Hypothetically. What would you ask for? — it was hard for Kaz to imagine what a girl like you might need. Money? Freedom from your indenture? Or someone else's death? He knew how much brothels disfigured and perverted the psyche, no one remained a saint there.

— You will take your gloves off next to me. No touching. But you will take them off so we are equal.

You were absolutely unwavering in what you said. Some tension thickened between you, and the air seemed almost electrified. Kaz Brekker was a threat to everyone in Ketterdam, but something told you that he could show an unusual softness around you. You'd met guys like that before. They built themselves up to be important and confident, they controlled other people's lives, but when they were alone, they all wanted to give up some of their control. To give it to someone else, to breathe easier. You wondered if Kaz was really the same.

He threw a quick glance toward the exit, as if miscalculating his escape route, but finally nodded in silent agreement. A smile bloomed on your lips, and you wrapped your fingers lightly around Kaz's wrist over his jacket to lead him up the stairs. The guards let you through without any questions, and you wondered if they knew who the dark-haired guy with the cane next to you was. If they did, they would have preferred to kick him out in fear that he would pick all the locks and stashes in the brothel.

You led Kaz to the very last door and carefully looked around before nodding approvingly. Time was short, but you had no doubt that Kaz would manage to find what he needed.

— All of the owner's papers are here, so as all the accountant's reports. He'll be back in half an hour, after lunch, but if I were you, I'd hurry, — you warned him with a charming smile, without any guilt for taking a criminal to the brothel's main office. — Be a good boy and come see me afterwards. Second door on the left. I've heard you always stick to your part of the deal.

You didn't wait for his answer and went to your room. You had time to open a window and fix your hair before a polite knock reached your ears, and then Kaz came inside. Quite pleased, judging by the look on his face. Whatever he was looking for, he found it. The door closed behind him with a quiet click, though you knew no one would dare disturb you anyway.

— You could have told me. I wouldn't have wasted my time, — Kaz's voice, despite the accusation in his words, was filled with real amusement. His blue eyes twinkled with surprise, though he quickly returned to his usual reserved look.

— I wanted to watch you at work. How fast you can do it. Your fame runs far ahead of you.

You shrugged innocently, smiled softly, and then stepped back, resting your back against the windowsill. The light breeze from the open window played mischievously with your hair, and you threw your head back for a moment, closing your eyes to relax. When you looked up again, Kaz was already in front of you. His cane had been left next to a nearby chair, and his last step toward you was extremely neat, since Kaz was trying not to put pressure on his bad leg.

— I know a couple of Healers. They could have helped you with your leg. Your life would have been a lot easier, but I guess you thought about it and gave up that option. Do you use this pain to punish yourself? — you spoke more quietly, and everything inside you froze with a strange anticipation.

Tension rang in the air and only got stronger as Kaz slowly began to remove his gloves. When was the last time he'd done this in front of someone? Had it even happened once? He looked so vulnerable, so collected and soft at the same time, that you immediately wanted to praise him. It was clearly a huge step for him, and you were about to ask why he decided to do it after all, but Kaz beat you to it, breaking the long pause.

— To remember. Pain reminds me that I am alive. That I have some weaknesses. Given what I do, it's easy to believe in my own invincibility. I've seen it bring people down, — Kaz's voice lowered and literally vibrated.

What was happening seemed like a real obsession to him, but he was already here and this was his chance, so he cautiously took another step, standing quite close so that your chests almost touched. The stale smell of water crept up his nose as the first sign of future panic, but Kaz did his best to get rid of it. Some things have to be done the other way around, so even though all his instincts were screaming for him to step back, he shortened the distance between you and touched your hair unabashedly, tucking the strand behind your ear.

— It's a good strategy, but I feel sorry that you have to use it, always feeling pain with every move, — you didn't try to move away, nor did you comment on Kaz's actions. The attraction between you could be felt under your skin. Kaz was handsome as hell, and part of you wished he could have been a mere client. So you could flirt and touch him without any consequences, without making him uncomfortable.

— Your strategy is pretty good, too. In a few years you've made a great career move, from a usual servant to an accountant of one of the top brothels. Do you still work with clients?

— I'm a fast learner. And yes, I don't have to sleep with anyone anymore, but sometimes I still spend time around big clients to make sure there aren't any problems.

Kaz nodded, not really paying attention. He could hardly think about anything right now while his whole body was in a state of peak tension. For the first time in his life he was so attracted to someone, and it shook him to his core. Kaz wanted to go further, but his mind was frantically trying to figure out exactly what was going to happen. Was your attraction mutual? If he risked touching you for real, how quickly would panic overshadow desire? If you knew about who he was, did you realize the danger he brought with him?

It was literally written all over his face, all those difficult choices that plagued him so much that you made the decision for him, gently reaching forward with your palm. He could touch it or he could step back. During the healing process even the tiniest step was important. You kept your eyes on Kaz, studying his graceful facial features with pleasure, and you couldn't ignore how handsome he was. Kaz could have had any girl or guy at the snap of his fingers, but he was so uptight and so caught up in his work that he didn't notice anyone around him. Or he didn't want to notice because of his obvious problem with touching.

— What were you looking for in the papers?

You tried to distract him, continuing to watch as his fingers slowly came close to yours. There was barely a millimeter of space between you, but even that sent a wave of heat through your body. You could feel the touch even so, though it never really happened.

— The list of investors. And the guest list at the anniversary party. I was asked to find some compromising information on an official from the Merchant Council, — Kaz looked embarrassed and twitched his lips guiltily, taking a step back as panic reached his lungs and cut off his oxygen.

— I can get you an invitation. If you agree to visit me again. There's an old hotel in the west side of the town. I rent a room under its green roof, the biggest one. If you crack the lock before I get there, after midnight, I'll be especially pleased. Do you want me to be pleased, Kaz?

You returned the previous minimal distance between you and leaned into Kaz's ear with a charming whisper, casually running your palm along his shoulder and chest, leaving tiny millimeters to the actual touch. You wanted to test your guess and see if he wanted you the same way, or if you just made up the fact that there was a spark between you.

You got the best answer when Kaz nodded and briefly touched your palm with a light kiss, like a true gentleman.

EVERYBODY SHUT UP NEW JEFF WARD BTS DROPPED

summer break

I woke up in a cold sweat at 3 AM and made this. Even the hair is exactly the same.

Zhongli x Kaslana!reader hc part 2

After getting used to Zhongli's presence and after a couple years past, he noticed that you hadn't aged since he befriended you. He had no clue what you were but you insist that you were a normal human being despite....your strange training you often do outside the city with your weapon.

You were there when he saved Xiao, thinking little much of it but the young child has completely attached himself to you after his old master's failed attempt to get him back, he watched as you didn't beat an eye as you slayed the horrible man with a single slice of your lance.

Honestly, you felt an urge to protect him since you felt familiar with this feeling, like an older sibling. Although you knew you were a single child and had no family on Liyue Harbor, you treated him like he was family.

"Xiao, hold your weapon with a firm grip." You said, watching the young boy struggling to hold the spear up. Honestly, you couldn't believe that such a young boy was capable of being called a demon but you knew that he was called that due to him eating the dreams of people against his will.

Approaching him, you carefully place a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, looking up at you with fear in his eyes. You soften upon seeing this, sending him a smile to reassure that you wouldn't hurt him. "How about we go get something to eat? You must be starving." He nods at this quietly, watching as you took the spear and turned into speaks of light as you put it away. "Come on." He grabbed ahold of your hand and walked beside you, his eyes casting downwards.

"The inn is coming out nicely, isn't it?" You said, looking up at the inn that was nearly halfway finished. (Idk when it built, don't come after me-)

When it came to the other archons, they weren't in the slightest suspicious of you since during that time, Zhongli was at his prime age where he had that little mean attitude, so if he could deal with you than they could as well.

You and Venti, besties for life although you couldn't help but tease him when he whined about not having wine. Laughing when you held the bottle of wine above his head since you were taller than him but a lot and he gave you the stink eyes after using Anemo powers to get his wine back. You can recall a bit before he suddenly disappeared a time where he was literally taking half the food on the table in the middle of the lunch with the other archons.

You and Makoto, the electro archon, you two understood each other quite well. You also met her sister, who was like her shadow and deal with the more fighting aspects of protecting their precious Inazuma. When she died, you blamed yourself to this very day, you had a chance to save her and yet, you didn't so you couldn't bear facing Ei. You stood a few feet away as she weep, cradling her sister in her last moments before you collapsed from blood loss. The effects of the prototype abyss flower was used to it limits that day, nearly killing you like Cecelia.

The rest of the archons, you were close too and grieved when the Dendro archon was killed in that battle like Makoto. The group only seemed to come apart after that, Venti disappeared to who knows, Ei went to take her sisters place as the electro archon and went on about eternity, the tsarista turned in a cold person, having no love left for her people. The rest just kept to their selves as well.

500 years later after the destruction of the great nation, you still wandered Liyue Harbor by Zhongli's side as his lover, in fear of almost losing you that day, he confessed two months after your coma due to losing too much blood.

Though when the day came that he proposed that you two should retire, you opposed the idea, encouraging to do so himself if he wished but you wished to oversee Liyue just a bit more.

Your memories for the last 2000 thousand years have yet to return, only recollecting that you had a mother and father although those memories didn't match up with Liyue or Teyvat in general. Memories of walking around festivals and parties that felt different. Usually when you tried too hard to think of any more memories, you suffered bad headaches that Zhongli advised to not remembering but you felt like another part of yourself was missing.

"Lady Y/n," you turn your head slightly to see Lady Ningguang approaching you as you stared out into the seas just where Morax was announced dead by her. You could see the pitiful expression on her face as she bowed her head before you but you brush it off, not in the mood for formalities at the moment. This whole show pissed you off as it is. "My deepest regards, it must saddened you about the death of your lover." It's been a day since then.

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes at even the mention of him, you smiled at her. "Thank you, this city will move on with or without him, no one can stop time nor can things go unchanged." You stare, your eyes wondering to a familiar building below and you could see Hu Tao doing something before she looked up, spotted you and waved. Waving back at her, you let out a sigh.

"Ningguang, I won't interfere with Liyue Harbor anything although if there is any dangers that you cannot face, I'll be there to protect this place when the time comes." She looks over at you, staring in silence before nodding her head.

"Of course, you rest knowing that Liyue Harbor is in good hands." Giving her one last smile, you turn back and walk away from her, leaving her to her thoughts. Walking past the people who tried to get your attention you press forward, not bothering answering any questions as you made your way to the Funeral Parlor where Hu Tao awaits you.

"Y/n! So sorry to hear what happened with the Lord of Geo."

"Thank you, although the old man was getting tired of it, now he can rest I guess." You said shrugging your shoulders, Hu Tao gave a little smirk at this.

"Oya, you call him a old man so that means you're an old lady too?" She teased, making you chuckle at this.

"In a way, yes." You go along with her, it's been a while since you had a good laugh with her. She laughs at this before spotting Zhongli walking towards you two."

"Mr. Zhongli, are you done preparing the funeral for the Lord of Geo?" She asks, giving a glance at you to see how you reacted but to her surprised, you simply looked away from him.

A scowl look on your face.

"Hu Tao," you said after a few minutes, seeming noticing a few of your personal guards approaching right behind Zhongli. She looks up at you, "I'm afraid our day together will be cut short, I have urgent matters to attend to." She frowns at this, not wanting her favorite old person to leave just yet. But atlas, she knew you had a duty to do.

"Come back when you have time." You nod and walk towards the guards.

Zhongli's face lights up at the sight of you approaching him and just as he's about to greet you, you pass past him.

"What's the situation?" You says and he turns his head to see who you're talking about.

He knew he kinda fucked up his relationship with you, since you didn't expect to him to literally fake his own death. You thought he would just casually say, "hey, I'm gonna retire, it's been nice and all!" But nope!

More work for you, yay.....

Anyways, you respected his decision just not the way he handled it, especially when the traveler and a certain orange haired told you what happened behind the scenes. You only sighed, the traveler knew the reaction when you witness Morax's death was genuine when he saw you rush over, checking his dragon form with a face filled with panic.

The way lady Ningguang had to peel you away and comfort you was hard enough to watch after the realized who you were.

Your tears didn't last fortunately after Hu Tao invited you that night for tea only to see Zhongli in the same room. Since then, you've been giving him the cold shoulder.

I think the next part will actually be a whole chapter, maybe the second to last part of this hc

Masterlist

𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂 𝓭𝓪𝓽𝓮『𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽』

⟿ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: No sensible person would turn down their boss if they looked good as good as Seonghwa. But maybe they would wish they had…

⟿ ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Smut, Fluff, Angst

⟿ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ ⚠ : violence, alcohol, bdsm, blood

⟿ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛ: ceo!Seonghwa x reader, bestfriend!Yunho x reader

A/N: there will not be warnings on any of the following chapters. The only warnings are on this masterlist. I don’t want any of the chapters to be predictable because of the warnings, and I will make sure to say that in the beginning of each chapter. So read at your own risk, take it as if these warnings were for all chapters, thank you, and enjoy.

♡ ᴘʟᴀʏʟɪꜱᴛ ♡ ‘you should have loved me’

⟿ ᴏɴᴇ

⟿ ᴛᴡᴏ

⟿ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

⟿ ꜰᴏᴜʀ

⟿ ꜰɪᴠᴇ

⟿ ꜱɪx

⟿ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴ

⟿ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ

⟿ ɴɪɴᴇ

Not Your Wife [Aaron Hotchner]

Pairings: Aaron Hotchner x fem!Reader

Characters: Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Jason Gideon, Spencer Reid

Words: 11.6K

Summary: They say in college you can find many things, but the most important thing you found was your best friend

Warnings: Typical Criminal Minds violence, vague descriptions of murder scenes, swearing, some allusions to sex, non-sexual nudity, alcohol consumption, nightmares

A/N: Oh my God! I am so excited to finally post my first technically second Criminal Minds fic and honestly, I'm planning for it to be the first of many. Please let me know what you think in the comments! I'm always looking for feedback and I can't wait to give you guys more Hotch content :)

First day of class, freshman year. A new start at a new school with new people and new classes. It was just the kind of revamp you needed to start your adult life. No more taking math because it was required, no more stupid group projects (you hoped at least those seemed to follow you wherever you went) and most importantly you wouldn’t have to see even one person in your graduating class.

With much excitement you entered your first class, taking a seat upfront, there was no way you would risk not being able to see the notes on day one.

Seemed as though someone else was of a similar mind to you, picking the seat right next to yours and pulling out a notebook and pens.

From first glance you could tell he was organized, dressed casually but nicely, his raven-coloured hair combed and styled. Yet he didn’t say one word to you even after getting his things set up.

“Not good at starting conversations?” you asked and his head shot up.

“Hmm, oh sorry,” he apologized. “Guess my mind was wandering a bit,”

“First day jitters, count me in on that one,” you nodded. “You're not from around here?”

“No, but I’d venture a guess and say neither are you,”

“That would be correct,” you said, taking a sharp inhale, but stretched your hand out towards him. “I’m (Y/N),”

He took it and his lips quirked up slightly, “Aaron,”

“Aaron, sounds like a debate team name, were you on the debate team?”

The boy scrunched up his nose like he didn’t want to admit you were right and you smiled triumphantly, pointing a victorious finger at him.

“I knew it! You totally were,”

“Am I really that easy to read?” he asked.

You leaned back in your seat, looking over into his soft brown eyes,

“I mean isn't that why we’re taking the class? To learn to read people? Understand how their minds work?”

“Okay now this is just a shot in the dark but are you a psych major?” he asked sarcastically and you rolled your eyes.

“And you’re not?”

“Haven’t declared yet, we’ll see,” he shrugged. “Might drop the class cause I have a really annoying seatmate,”

“Wow, real smooth Aaron, first day and you’re already picking on people,” you rolled your eyes, but couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, he followed your lead.

The class slowly filled up with more students and when the short arm of the clock hit 11 the teacher didn’t waste a second to start his lecture.

Aaron may have been organized, but behind that exterior was someone with a cheeky and mischievous spirit. In the middle of the lecture, not really a portion that one would need to pay attention to, the teacher had gone off on a tangent, he scribbled something on a piece of paper in his notebook and passed it off to you.

You looked at him curiously, taking the paper from between his fingers and unfolding it to read what it said.

Pick a person and make them a backstory if this guy talks about his racist aunt in Italy for one more second I might die

You tried to hold back a chuckle, turning over the paper and writing

Guy in the red shirt, middle row, got here on a football scholarship and is only taking the class so it can keep his GPA high

You tried to furtively slip the paper back to Aaron and he took it, giving it a read and glanced in the direction you discreetly pointed to with your finger before doing the same thing he had instructed you to do.

By the end of class that seemed to be all you were doing and you missed half the notes as a result. The teacher dismissed you all and you were packing up your bag with your textbook and notes.

“Well, I missed half the class thanks to you Aaron, that might be worse than a group project,”

“You have no regrets, I see it in your eyes,” he retorted.

“Fine, but you owe me,” you said, taking his pen from behind his ear and grabbing his notebook, opening to the first page and scribbling down your name, phone number, and apartment building. “Be there at eight o’clock, I can order pizza and we can go over what we missed together. Deal?”

Aaron smiled and nodded.

“You got a deal (Y/N),”

—

“Aaron Hotchner this is all your fault!” you exclaimed, walking straight into the apartment and tossing down a transcript on the table.

Aaron peeked his head out from the washroom and came into the living room wearing a pair of pants, no shirt and a towel in his hands to dry his dripping wet hair.

“Let me see that,” he reached his hand out and you picked up the transcript, putting it in his hand. “(Y/N),” his eyes looked up at you, head still tilted down towards the paper. “These are A’s,” he noted. “Most people would say that a good thing,”

“Yeah not me,” you grumbled.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you,” he shook his head, then proceeded to continue to dry his hair with the towel, its normal neat appearance nowhere to be seen.

“It’s my parents,” you said finally. “They’re going to want me to move back now that my grades are good… because it’ll be ‘easier’ to transfer into the big shot university,”

“Do you want to go back home?” he asked, his face trying to block out any emotions of disdain, but it was still obvious enough for you.

“Not in the slightest,” you shook your head. “Can't leave you here alone can I?” you pressed your lips in a thin line and nodded.

“Just um...can you give me one second?”

You nodded and Aaron jogged over to his room, grabbing a t-shirt and slipping it on and then going into his closet and pulling off his high school grad sweater from the hanger. It had only been two years since he graduated but the sweater was already well-loved because it seemed to have passed hands frequently, it was just as much yours as it was his.

He came back out of the room, the sweater in his hands. He glanced down at the embroidery and the school logo before reaching out and handing it to you.

“If you leave you’re probably gonna need something to keep you warm on the plane,” he said. “Go on (Y/N) I know you want it,”

You ignored the sweater in his hands, instead, rushed into his arms and allowed him to pull you into a tight hug.

“You’re gonna help me find a way to say right?” you whispered.

“Of course,” he nodded. “How else am I supposed to get through studying for McClerick’s midterm next year?”

“I’m sure you would do fine without me Mr. I’m gonna be a lawyer,” you poked. “I’m pretty sure your grades are good enough that they’d just let you into law school now,”

“Still got a little ways to go,” he chuckled. He was about to pull away but you squeezed him a little tighter.

“Not yet,” you shook your head. “Just a little longer,”

He nodded and tightened his grip around you again, pressing a kiss to the side of your head.

“Alright, come one, we had plans tonight, the semester’s over we need a break,”

“Aaron Hotchner needs a break? Sounds like bullshit,” you shook your head. “More like I need a break and you’re humouring me,”

“That would be correct, I have an evaluation for some higher-level courses in a few weeks, but that can wait for a night,”

“You see this,” you poked him in the shoulder, “This is why we’re best friends,”

“Because I forsake my studying for you?”

You nodded, linking your arm with his and dragging him out the door, “Yeah for you that’s the highest honour,”

He let out a small chuckle and nodded his head.

“And for that, I’ll let you chose the movie,”

Aaron grinned triumphantly, already knowing what he was going to pick, you missed his little smile and were instead paying attention to the directions to get to the nearest Blockbuster.

When you entered the store he broke away from you, heading straight for the action/adventure aisle and scanning around for his favourite movie.

“You know if you pick that one you’re gonna have to wear the hat,” you pointed to him while looking for some snacks and treats to buy.

“Hat or no hat, we’re watching it,” he came back, with two movies in hand, “And the second one if we have time,”

“We just got the third one too kid, haven’t brought it out from the back yet,”

“Really?” Aaron’s eyes lit up. He turned over to you, as if to ask permission to get the third installment in the series.

“Oh go on,” you rolled your eyes and he did a small victory dance in his spot while the cashier went to the back to go grab the movie. “What is it with you and Indiana Jones, I mean they’re no Star Wars…”

“Don’t even start (N/N),” he pointed warningly at you. “You’re telling me you never wanted to go off to different countries and look for buried treasure?”

“Nah I’d rather fight my dad in space with a lightsaber,” you retorted and he let a snort slip past before you both burst out laughing.

“Alright, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade,” the man rang the three through the till along with your snacks. “And you guys college students?’ he asked.

You and Aaron both nodded.

“We’ve got a discount going on, if you can show me your student card I can give you 25% off,”

“And that’s why I carry this bad boy around,” Aaron looked at you knowingly while pulling the card out of his wallet.

“Oh this bad boy,” you picked up the card before the cashier could, pointing to the image on the card.

He had decided when it was time to go in for photos that it would be best to wear a white collared shirt with a red tie, his glasses that he rarely even wore to class and that wasn’t the half of it. The photographer had snapped the photo before he even gave him the chance to do a proper smile and his hair, well that was another story. It was at that awkward point where it was longer than he normally wore it, but not long enough to merit a cut. Maybe that time it did though because now that look was completely immortalized in that photo.

“What! The outfit is smart,” he huffed, and snatched the card back from you and gave it to the cashier who tried his best not to snort at the image.

“See, even Mark can’t keep it together, you look ridiculous, honey,”

Aaron sighed and you wrapped an arm around his shoulder, taking the bag from Mark and paying for your stuff before going back to the apartment.

Aaron set up the TV while you went in search of the hat.

“Aaron where did you put it?” you asked, scouring his room for some sign of the hat.

“Check the back of the closet under my hopes and dreams,”

“Oh stop being so dramati-found it!” you exclaimed excitedly, running back out to the small living room and placing the hat delicately on his head. “There we go, now you’re really Indiana Jones,”

He looked at you from underneath the rim of the hat and you tried to hide the grin that was coming across your face, but it was proving to be quite the challenge. And for a short moment, you forgot that all this might be over soon. You would be back home, studying at the humongous university your parents wanted you to go to. Right now it was just you and Aaron, two best friends doing stupid things and you never wanted that to change.

—

“Oh my God! Oh my God!”

“Aaron did you-?”

“I got them!” he put down the phone on the table. “I won the tickets!”

“No way,” your face lit up with excitement.

After five hours on the phone and a lucky answer to a radio host's question, you were both the very happy owners of tickets to see Dire Straits, in concert, live. It was going to be your last big blowout before the school year started. A celebration of you being able to stay, finish your junior and senior year together. All in all, it was going to be a blast.

The night was filled with loud amazing music and you didn’t think you had ever seen Aaron smile that wide. You had the unfortunate affliction of being shorter than the people in front of you and it was quite tricky to see the stage, but as usual, Aaron came to your aid, somehow, despite the lack of room, getting you on his shoulders so you could clearly see the band as they performed on stage.

“Have you been lifting?” you asked with a laugh as he rolled his eyes.

“Maybe,” he shrugged and slapped his arm lightly.

The song ended and they started to transition to the next one and you both recognized it immediately.

“This is our song!” you exclaimed.

The smooth guitar, bass, and keyboard filled the stadium and you carefully rested your hands on Aaron’s head, your chin placed on top of them. He squeezed your legs gently where he held them and if you closed your eyes and concentrated enough you could hear him singing along softly, a couple of beers he had probably aiding his confidence to let the song slip past his lips.

You had never seen him sing sober, mainly because he refused to, but every time you got the chance to see him let loose you savoured it. He was strung up too tight for his own good.

It was a wonderful close to the evening, almost too quiet and calm for a concert, but you were both still on that high as you drove to the motel.

“That. Was. Awesome!” you grinned as you stumbled into the room.

“I didn’t think it would ever happen but it did,” Aaron shook his head in disbelief. “I want to keep listening to their music like it’s playing over and over in my head,”

“Lucky for you I brought this,” you grabbed your stereo from your bag with some CDs.

“Oh you’re the best (N/N),” he hugged you and kissed your forehead.

“Ew you’re all sweaty,” you laughed.

“So are you!”

“Which is why I’m taking a shower,” you noted. “Don't break my stereo or scratch my CDs,” you warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,”

Aaron set up some music while you grabbed some pyjamas and went into the washroom to rinse off. For a moment you were a little concerned as the volume got louder thinking he had turned it up (it was already late you didn’t need to get yelled at) but when you saw the shadow on the other side of the curtain you peeked past and saw the door was open and Aaron was looking for something by the sink.

“Aaron! I’m trying to take a shower! A little privacy maybe?”

“Eh nothing I haven’t seen before,” he waved you off dismissively and you reached out to slap him while calling him an asshole. He chuckled, knowing he was right and you huffed under the water and turned it off reaching out to him.

“Towel please,”

He passed you the towel and you wrapped it around yourself, hopping out of the shower and joining him in brushing your teeth so you could get ready for bed.

It was cheaper to get a room with one bed and on a college student’s budget, it worked best for the both of you to split the cost of one room rather than two (or one with two beds for that matter, textbooks were expensive).

So a good fifteen minutes later, the music was turned off, Aaron was out of the shower and you were both under the covers of the bed, squirming around and trying to find a comfortable position.

“(Y/N) stop kicking me,” he whined while you pushed away from him.

“You’re like five hundred degrees, seriously I’m gonna burn up if I touch you,” you fired back.

“Stop taking all the blankets!”

You groaned and gave up, lay off on your back and stopped pulling the blankets, having Aaron tug a little too hard and fall off the side of the bed.

“This is what we get for being on a college student’s budget,” he groaned.

You sat up on the bed and gave him a hand that he used to pull himself back up, sneaking under the covers and wrapping an arm around your waist, pulling your back to his chest.

“I know you get cold at night, maybe being five hundred degrees isn’t so bad then,” he mumbled and you smiled softly to yourself, not wanting to admit it, but the nights you slept best were the nights where he was by your side, there was no doubt about it.

—

You chewed the inside of your cheek, sitting across from Aaron on the couch,

“Okay I didn’t want to tell you because I thought you might get mad,” you explained.

“Mad about what?”

“You know how you’re moving back to Virginia. To go to law school?”

He nodded his head, “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, but then I figured teaching might be a good run for me, so I applied to do my joint graduate and Ph.D. studies at the University of Virginia, and I was looking for work so I could make myself of some use… I didn’t really think anything would come up from it, but,” you handed him the envelope, a job offer as a consultant with the BAU. “I’d work with the FBI so I guess that might mean we could work together, who knows maybe I’ll bring you over to the dark side,” you joked nervously.

“Why would I be mad?” he smiled. “(Y/N) we could work together, be on the same campus, but wait-I thought you didn’t like profiling?”

“No see that’s where you were mistaken,” you chuckled. “But you sure you’re okay with this I don’t want it to feel like I’m pushing on your school or-,”

“(Y/N) are you even listening to yourself, we’ve been trying to find a way to stay in contact after graduation, you don’t think living in the same city might do the trick?”

“So you think I should accept it then?”

“For completely selfish reason yes,” he nodded, “Please accept it,”

You laughed softly to yourself, you hoped he would never change.

“I will,” you said but raised your brows. “On one condition,”

“(Y/N) I swear to-,”

“You have to take the night off to celebrate with me. It’s been four years Aaron come on you deserve a night to yourself,”

“A night to myself would be going to bed early, a night with you is a very different story,”

You rolled your eyes and stood up, headed for the kitchen and grabbing two beers from the fridge.

“Come on, do you want me to take the job or not?”

He pressed his lips together and reached out a hand for the drink, silently agreed to the deal you practically forced him to take.

Aaron was rarely a heavy drinker, tonight not being one of the nights that he indulged himself, instead, watching you down drink after drink with amazement just as to how much your personality seemed to be accentuated by the alcohol.

He was slightly buzzed, just at that point where the night might feel a bit like a hallucination, but still lucid enough.

You on the other hand were a sight to see.

“I cannot be-lieve I dropped my parents for you, how goddamn baller is that?!” you exclaimed, stumbling over to the couch and pointing at him with your beer bottle in hand. “See that’s friendship Hotchner,”

“Sure is,” he chuckled with a nod, sipping some more of the alcoholic beverage.

“I bet when ya go to lawyer school everyone’s gonna call ya Hotch,” you said. “Watch me, I’ll be right,”

“Hotch,” he hummed. “That’s not bad, I don’t mind that,”

“But I’ll still call you Aaron,” you poked his nose with a giggle, that made him smile.

“And I wouldn’t want you to call me anything else (N/N), you hear?”

“Mhmm,” you sighed loudly, “Aaron I wanna do something,” you whined.

“What do you wanna do (Y/N)? You’re drunk off your ass, I’m too buzzed to drive,” he listed the facts.

“Wait a sec,” you grinned wildly, standing up and running to his room, stumbling all the way there and coming out with a familiar hat. “You wanna know what I can do now cause of you?”

“What?” he asked, leaning forward.

“I could probably recite half of Indiana Jones by heart, I think I know all of Marion’s lines,”

“Well I know almost all of Indiana’s, prove it,” he dared.

“Okay, my scene though,” you said, tossing him the hat. “They’re in the boat, right before the Nazis get there. All alone in the room,”

Aaron put on the hat sitting on the couch, watching as you walked over to him, coming to his side.

“Wait...I don’t need any help,” he quoted from the movie, wanting to see how well you delivered the lines.

“You know you do,” you insisted, leaning forward slightly. “You’re not the man I knew ten years ago,”

“It’s not the years honey, it’s the mileage,” he watched as she reached out to lay him back on the couch so she could pretend to take care of his wounds.

“You are-,”

“Please I don’t need a nurse,” he was practically smirking, watching the look in your eyes, so determined to deliver the scene exactly as it was shown. “I just want to sleep,”

“Don’t be such a baby,” you pressed, a hand on his chest.

“(Y/N) leave me alone,” he slipped up, using your name instead of that of the character.

“What’s this here,” you pointed to a spot on his collarbone. In the movie, Indiana sported a cut and bruise there.

“Go away, ah! Yes, it hurts,” Aaron hissed, the inflections practically ingrained into his mind. “Ow!”

“Well, goddamn it Indy! Where doesn’t it hurt!?”

Aaron’s voice was caught in his throat, he knew what came next, were you...were you really going to do it?

“Here,” he pointed to his temple, you leaned in and pressed a soft kiss there. “Here,” he pointed again to another spot. “Here’s not too bad,” his voice stretched into a whisper, your lips against his jaw.

You moved away, waiting for him to give the last sign, and he did, pointing to his lips and mouthing ‘here’.

You leaned in, and unlike the movie your lips only ghosted his, leaving him with the faint taste of beer and an imprint. The faintest imprint of you.

He would close his eyes, almost squeezing them so tight hoping that maybe it would help him feel them more, but they remained the ghost of a touch that pulled away.

“See I told you,” you grinned, pulling away from him. “And that’s all thanks to you. I’ve probably watched that movie thirty times in the past four years. Hell Mark even gave us a copy after we rented it for like the fifteenth time,”

Aaron gave you a smile, it was small but a smile no less.

“I-I’m a bit tired,” he noted. “I think I might head to sleep. You should stay the night though I don’t want you walking home like this okay?”

You nodded. “I’ll take the guest bedroom. Probably about time I hit the hay too,”

You wrapped your arms around him one more time before making your exit to the room, leaving Aaron alone with a memory that would turn into a faint fever dream. Something he never realized actually happened.

—

“Okay we’re gonna need all hands on deck for this case,” Aaron noted, placing the files on the table.

“Does that mean-,”

“That Dr. (L/N) is in the house? I think yes,” you grinned, walking into the conference room through the door, high-fiving Morgan underneath the table before making your way to your best friend and pressing a kiss hello to his cheek.

“(Y/N) come on we’re at work,” he nudged you.

“Then call me Doctor, Agent,” you raised your brows and the group let out some chuckles and a few eye rolls.

“What’s it gonna take for you guys to just get over yourself and bang it out? You’re practically an old married couple already,” Garcia wiggled her eyebrows and twiddled her pen between her fingers.

“Guys,” Aaron said warningly. “We need to focus,”

While he turned around to face the board you motioned at them to play nice pointing to your bag to say that you had something to show them later.

That was probably half the reason they loved you so much, every single time you came to help with a case, without fail, you would bring along either an embarrassing story or memento from your college days, making SSA Hotchner just a little less serious.

The case was big, that was for sure. A lot of victims which is probably why they needed more help, if things were disorganized it was harder to find a connection, a link in the victimology.

In the beginning, everyone was motivated, ready to get some new information, brains buzzing with thoughts, but by the evening when it seemed things were getting nowhere was when it hit hard. They needed a little boost in morale and you knew just how to give it to them.

Since the case was out of D.C. you stayed at the BAU office in Virginia. Everyone, besides Aaron and Gideon, was gathered in the conference room, tiredly flipping through numerous files and making notes.

“Hey guys,” you said quietly, passing around some coffee and tea.

“Why are we whispering?” Morgan queried in a soft voice.

“Glad you asked Derek,” you grinned, pulling out a card from your purse and placing it on the table. “Pretty sure this was during sophomore year student card, poor Aaron thought he was looking good,” you chuckled.

“Hotch wore glasses?!” Garcia gasped, grabbing the card while the others also fought for a look.

There were soft chuckled and giggles pointing to the image until there were shushes and you sighed,

“He’s right behind me isn’t he,”

They nodded and before anyone could act he came up to them and grabbed the card out of Morgan’s hand giving you a pointed look, his eyebrows in that signature furrowed expression on his face.

“This, seriously (Y/N),”

You couldn’t hide your smile, simply shrugging,

“They needed a bit of a pick me up,” you said simply.

“I didn’t know you wore glasses,” Reid piped up.

You could tell Aaron was biting back a smile, trying not to show how stupid he thought he looked, but then again you always did have a knack for profiling him.

“I did, got contacts the year after,” he explained. Looking quickly at the group then at you he sighed, knowing what he had to do, “You guys promise it’s gonna motivate you and you won’t get sidetracked?”

Everyone seemed to nod their heads vigorously while his hold lingered a while longer, tracing the edges of the ID.

He placed the card back on the table, sliding it over to the group before walking towards the door with a faint smile on his lips.

You stopped him quickly, giving him a look before he simply turned his head to the group of smiling profilers. It was a hard job, they would take a moment of laughter where they could get it and he wasn’t about to take that away from them.

The years working had changed you both, some for the better and maybe others for worse. For one Aaron’s strings seemed to be strung up even tighter than before. He found it hard to relax almost always on edge, thinking about what was to come next, the next case, his next steps. But every once in a while the kid you knew back in college would come out to say hello and you felt lucky that it was always when you were around. You brought out his young side, reminding him of where he came from, the intro psych class that started it all.

While everyone had their focus drawn back to the files, his card sitting on the centre of the table you quickly pushed yourself up on the top of your toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Don’t work too hard. Okay, Aaron?”

“No promises (N/N),” he placed a hand on your shoulder and squeezed it before leaving the room and going back to his office to make some calls.

You let out an exhale before joining in on reading the files. It was going to be a long night.

—

“Are you sure this is how you want to spend your time off? Didn’t your sister invite you to go to Barbados with her?” Aaron asked while carrying a few boxes from the garage to the living room.

“Nah we both know when she says that my parents will be there and then that’ll just ruin my vacation,” you shook your head. “Plus we both know you are not getting any of this done without my help,” you motioned to the boxes of old things littered across the living room. You might say he was a borderline organized hoarder but you knew better than that. He was just more sentimental than he let on and each little trinket had some special meaning.

Music was playing softly in the background while you practically forced Aaron to get rid of some piece of trash from high school that he insisted was important for some reason or another.

“Oh Aaron we’re keeping this,” you grinned, pulling out a very familiar hat that had not surfaced in a while.

“What do you mean we (Y/N) this is all my-Nooo,” his jaw dropped as he caught sight of the cowboy hat, his protest elongated in surprise making you almost fall over in a fit of laughter.

“Come on SSA Hotchner I know the kid in you loves it,”

You spun the hat on your finger before jumping onto and over the couch to put it on his head before he could protest. He gave you the face he gave the team when he was unimpressed with their shenanigans and you scrunched up your nose in delight, he almost looked like the kid who became your best friend, sending you back ages.

“Oh look at you,” you grinned, holding his face in your hands as you stood taller than him on the couch.

“Not impressed,” he said simply and you just waved him off with a roll of your eyes.

“Aaron you’re so serious! Loosen up a bit!”

“I am not!” he retorted as you stepped away.

“Are too,” you stuck your tongue out childishly at him.

“I can be loose, I’m not uptight,” he muttered to himself, taking off the hat and placing it on the couch.

“Then prove it,” you raised your brows, making your way over to the stereo and flipping the track until it reached the song you were looking for, your song. “Sing it Hotch,”

The man shook his head and you nodded yours as if you knew that’s what was coming. You turned around to pick up another box but stopped when the music transitioned into the lyrics and you could hear Aaron’s voice, clear as day along with the lead singer of his favourite band.

“I wonder where you are tonight, you’re probably on the rampage somewhere. You have been known to take delight, getting in somebody’s hair. You always had the knack… Fade to black,”

You spun around, a bright smile on your face as you saw him with a duster in his hand, being used as some sort of mock microphone. He tossed it aside and motioned for you to come closer, taking your hand in his, spinning you around so your back was pressed against his chest, arms crossed as he held your hands to your waist, swaying side to side as he continued to sing.

The amount of surprise in your expression probably couldn’t be put into words, it was rare to hear him sing even with a few shots of tequila in him first. He must have really wanted to prove you wrong.

You had danced with him before, you were friends, it was something you had done on many occasions, but for some reason, this time around it felt more personal. He was holding you the way you had seen him hold his girlfriends, singing your song quietly in your ear, doing all this for you.

And maybe you felt a twinge of jealousy, all those girls who got to be near him, hold him, kiss him. They got to experience that other side and a part of you wanted that badly because deep down you knew Garcia was right, you were like an old married couple. All those girls got a piece of him while you were just his best friend. Just the person that took care of him, just the person that loved him unconditionally. At least for now (as in the past seven to ten years), Aaron wasn’t focused on dating, not when work took over his life.

You leaned into him, only a little bit more, wanting to savour the feeling of being close to him.

His voice faded away but the music kept going for a while longer and you couldn’t help but let out a half-hearted chuckle.

“What? Was I off-key?”

“Nope, just think maybe you should have been in musical theatre, I would pay to see you on Broadway,” you teased and he didn’t even wait a moment to squeeze the sensitive part of your waist making you squirm. “Aaron! Don’t taser me!”

“You asked for it,” he said in a sing-song voice and you managed to twirl yourself back around, accidentally pushing yourself into his chest and sending you both down on the couch, laughter echoing around you.

You laid your forehead down on his chest and sighed while he gently rubbed your back, moments like these being those things that kept you both going when work got tough when it seemed like there was no more good in the world.

Because even when the world got you down you still had your Indiana Jones.

—

You woke up abruptly, a scream caught in your throat as you pushed yourself up on the bed, clutching the duvet covers until your knuckles went pale.

Your mind was racing, not wanting to come down from the nightmare, images, words still flashing through your mind, voices in your head that would only get louder, and louder, and louder.

With a shaky breath you grabbed your phone and keys, and a hoodie, you didn’t even realize it but it was the one Aaron had given you, his high school grad hoodie.

Your body seemed to be on autopilot, driving a few blocks away from your townhouse and parking your car in front of another set of doors.

Climbing out you knocked lightly, as if you were hesitant about what you were doing, your hands gripping onto your arms as you shook, a little too violently for the warm summer night.

You didn’t hear a sound coming from inside so you raised your hand again to knock, more assured, but the door swung open, revealing a confused and tired Aaron wearing only a concert t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts whose face immediately softened when he saw the state you were in.

“I-I-,”

“Shh it’s okay,” he assured you. “Come here sweetheart,”

You walked into his open arms, letting him tuck you under one shoulder as he closed the door before wrapping the other around you and letting your tears soak his shirt.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked and you shook your head desperately.

You all wanted to say the job didn’t get to you, it didn’t upset you, but there were always those triggers, those things that would set you off, eat at your very core. And no matter how close you and Aaron were sometimes you needed to keep that to yourself. He understood that.

But after a few minutes of just standing there and letting you hold him, he decided you needed to get back to bed, there was no point in fighting the exhaustion. So he took your arms from around his waist and wrapped them around his neck, taking hold of your thighs afterwards and picking you up so you were pressed flush against him.

Your legs found a comfortable spot wrapped around him and resting on top of his hips while he walked up the stairs, holding you like a child.

You thought he might take you to the guest room you normally stayed in when it was late, but he headed straight for his room, the covers already pulled back on his bed when he laid you down and climbed over you to the other side, turning off the bedside lamp.

Even though it was especially warm for a night outside, Aaron’s home was freezing (probably because he was always overheating), so he came close and wrapped his arms around you, your legs tangled together in a mess like things on the forest floor. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, squeezing you tightly as he whispered,

“You’re gonna be alright. I’m here. I’ve got you,”

Over and over again until the words were stuck in your mind and all you could say to yourself.

You were gonna be alright. Aaron was there. He had you.

And you said it to yourself over and over until you believed it, or believed it enough to fall back asleep.

—

“Hey Aaron, what’s up?” you asked, pressing your cell phone to your ear the next day. Your students had just left your classroom and you were done for the week, but if Aaron was calling that probably wouldn’t be the case.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked and you took a deep breath and nodded,

“Yeah, I’m alright,”

“Good, good…” he trailed off. “Um we have a case, it’s in Denver. The higher-ups are wondering if you might come with,”

“Yeah sure, I’ll grab my bag and meet you guys at the airport,” you confirmed. “Aaron,” you started.

“Yes (N/N)?”

“Have you eaten anything today?”

You swore you heard a snort on the other end of the line, and you knew that was only because you were definitely 100% right.

“Aaron you’ve got to stop skipping breakfast, coffee on an empty stomach isn’t good,” you mumbled practically to yourself, grabbing your bag and slinging it over your shoulder. “I’m picking you something up on the way there okay?”

“Okay,” he nodded.

“And no more coffee until the plane,”

He sighed loudly and you mocked him by repeating the sound, “I’ll see you, Aaron, don’t take too long,”

Hanging up the phone you made your way to your car, stopping by a Dunkin Donuts and grabbing some iced coffees for everyone plus breakfast for Aaron.

You were first to the airport (as usual the university was closer to it than the office), and made yourself comfortable on the jet. Around ten minutes later the rest of the team came up and hellos and case files were passed around.

You motioned for Aaron to sit in the seat next to you, grabbing the bag of food and placing it in front of him.

“Eat Hotchner,” you instructed and he peeked into the bag with a slight frown and you held up another bag and showed him. “Eat the food first then you can have a donut and coffee,”

“Oh my God Mrs. Hotchner much,” Morgan chuckled.

“What? He doesn’t take care of himself, someone has to,” you rolled your eyes. “But come on, fill me in what’s the case about,”

“Killer’s targeting married couples,” Aaron said before taking a bite of his bagel. “Oh is this herb and garlic cream cheese?” he asked you quietly and you just patted his back.

“Anything specific that the police have found yet? Like connections between the couples?”

“They’ve all been together since college, but that seems to be the only thing we’ve seen so far,” Morgan explained.

“Did you know that 28% of married couples actually meet in college?” Reid added a small anecdote. “But although the percentage is interestingly high the rate of divorce is also higher between couples who have gotten together in college or high school,”

“But these couples were still together, the ones that managed to stand the test of time,” you noted. “Maybe the unsub’s stressor was a failed relationship, something personal that hit a nerve. If he can’t have it neither can anyone else. I would say it’s safe to rule out a sexual sadist for the time being, especially if there’s no sign of assault on the victims,”

“There’s been very little evidence left at the scene,” Gideon added. “We’ll get a better sense of things when we get there,”

“I’ll take (Y/N) and Morgan to the crime scene. Gideon, you take Reid and JJ to the FBI office and we’ll meet you there,” Aaron instructed and you all nodded.

“Derek, be sure to have Garcia on the line, we might need her to dig up records while we’re there,” you instructed and he gave you a nod.

Aaron nudged your side and you looked over to him, his eyes pointing to the empty paper bag that held the bagel and the muffin.

“You’re such a baby,” you chuckled with a sigh, reaching over to your side and pulling out the, thankfully, still warm coffee along with a donut. “But I got your favourite,”

Aaron opened up the box but glared at you when he saw what was inside.

“Your favourite donut is vanilla glaze with rainbow sprinkles?” Reid asked while the rest of the group tried to stifle chuckles.

“Alright, time for a Hotch story,” you clapped the table and leaned back in your seat while Aaron groaned, it was too early for this. “When Aaron and I were in college he was a perfectionist, still is, I mean look at this little overachiever,” you jokingly pinched his cheek between your finger and he continued to give that look with his furrowed brows. “Anyways, we had this shitty teacher, God I hated her,” you sighed.

“McClerick,” Aaron sighed and you nodded.

“She gave him a C+ on his midterm and he almost lost it. But there was nothing he could do about it so he got piss drunk and ate only,” you grabbed the donut right out of his hand. “You guessed it, donuts with vanilla glaze and rainbow sprinkles,”

“Oh Hotch,” you heard Garcia’s voice over the monitor and you all turned to look at her, sitting in her office. “Honey that can’t be healthy,”

“It wasn’t,” you shook your head. “He got sick and I had to nurse him back to health. Anyways, any important news for us Garcia?”

“Only that I did some more background checks on the victims and it came up that they all went to college in and around Denver,”

“So maybe our unsub has or had connections at the colleges,” Reid commented and you nodded in agreement.

“We’re making our descent so we should be able to get a better sense of things once we hit the crime scene,”

As promised, not before long you were all packed in cars, headed to your respective areas of the city.

The last murder happened in Aurora so straight from the large, albeit, oddly shaped airport you drove into the city and directly to the crime scene. That’s always how it was with the job, no time to get adjusted, just go, go, go.

When you entered the crime scene there was a minimal mess, not a lot of blood spatter, very controlled.

“Unsub used a gun and not a knife, that’s another tick away from a sexual sadist,” Morgan noted. “Most commonly used weapon for them is a knife, blunt force trauma, some way to get their hands dirty, it’s what gives them the release,”

The room was neat, tidy actually, the only spot of displacement being the two dead bodies, one on the bed, the other on the ground, both fully clothed in pyjamas.

You looked through the bookshelves, noticing the many volumes of encyclopedias, books on by-laws, mainly a lot of stuff to do with law, to be honest.

“Hey Morgan, call Garcia and put her on speaker,” you asked and the man obeyed your instructions, holding up the phone for you to hear.

“You’ve reached the goddess of infinite wisdom, how can I assist you mere mortals?” you smiled softly to yourself at Garcia’s classic antics.

“Hey darlin’,” you called over the line. “Can you ring up Josh and Lindsay Hardman for me, I want to see what these guy’s jobs for, hobbies, get a better sense of what we’re looking at,”

“Alright, umm, says here the husband was a lawyer, a prosecutor, and the wife was a professor at the college they graduated from” she started. “Husband liked concerts, classic rock by the looks of it, that's all that’s on his social media. He and his wife seemed close, all of their pictures are together too,”

“Tell me more about the wife,” you asked and you could hear faint clicking on the line before,

“Aha, she was a psych major, teaching master’s classes on abnormal psych,”

You tensed, this felt a little too familiar. A little too close for comfort.

You looked up at Aaron who seemed to have the same feelings as you, then Morgan who was the only person brave enough to say something on the topic.

“Well no one’s saying it so I’m just gonna get it out there… but this sounds like you guys,”

You nodded, taking a deep breath, “I think I need a minute, thanks, Penny,”

“Anytime my love,” she responded and Morgan hung up the phone while you left the room. You could hear Aaron say something to Morgan and soon his footsteps followed you until you reached the car, leaning against it.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine, just needed some air. To clear my head,” you nodded.

There was a moment of silence before he piped up, “You know we’re not really at risk here (Y/N) because we’re-,”

“Not together I know,” you nodded. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t scary as shit when you see a victim that’s just like you,” you admitted. “He’s a lawyer Aaron, a prosecutor who likes classic rock,”

“There are a lot of prosecutors who like classic rock,” he tried to counter, but you shook your head, that wasn’t the point.

“Feel however you want Aaron, but there’s no escaping the truth that either this,” you pointed to the crime scene “this is either a coincidence or we should be legitimately concerned,”

Aaron nodded with a sigh, “You’re sticking with me this case,” he said. “You don’t have the clearance to carry a firearm so I don’t want you out of my sight, understand?”

“Aaron,” you turned to him, “Look at me Aaron, look at me,” you whispered and his eyes finally met yours.

“Don’t keep it in here,” you pointed to his chest. “Do you understand?”

He nodded and quickly turned his head to make sure no one had their eyes on you before gently holding the back of your head and pulling you in so he could press a quick kiss on your forehead. A very minor comfort given the situation, but you were at work, you realized the significance of his actions and you took that to heart.

Morgan came out of the house giving you both a nod saying he’d gotten what he needed and huh could reconvene at the FBI office.

The rest of them were already set up in a conference room, a board with all the details of the victims and what they could currently gather from the unsub.

“This one’s creepy,” Morgan said as you entered the room. “Very very creepy,”

“What do you mean?” Reid asked.

“The victims just have a similar story to Hotch and me that’s all,” you waved them off, not wanting to cause unnecessary worry among team members.

“Maybe that comes to our advantage,” Aaron suggested. “You take the two of us and create some sort of victimology from that,”

“I thought we had a rule,” you whispered to him. “No profiling each other,”

“They’re not profiling us,” he said. “Just trying to get into the unsub’s mind through looking at us,”

“Is that not weird to you?” you asked. “Cause it seems a little weird,”

“We can use it if we have to,” Gideon said, not wanting the conversation to have to go much further. “For now I think our victims will give us plenty of insight into the unsub,”

And so the discussions continued, but you decided to take a step back from the psychology and went to go find JJ, maybe you could be of some assistance to her. You could feel Aaron’s eyes burning into your back as you turned to leave and with a few strides he was blocking you.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To find JJ, don’t worry I’ll be inside the bureau,” you swallowed thickly. “Drink some water, okay?” you said noticing his dry lips.

“Alright, just check in with me when you’re done,”

You nodded and left the room, seeing JJ in front of a computer speaking with Garcia on the phone no doubt.

“Hey JJ,” you tapped her shoulder and she turned around nodding and putting Garcia on speakerphone.

“Garcia I’ve got (Y/N) here with me,” she said.

“Oh hey sweetheart, you doin' alright?” she asked and you coughed,

“Could be better,”

“Yeah, she was just telling me about the victims, must have been a bit of a spook,” JJ noted.

“It’s definitely uncomfortable,” you nodded. “But I’ve been reminded I am of ‘no real risk’ and you know how I cope with this,”

“You take care of everyone else,” JJ nudged you. “Especially Hotch,”

“You can’t tell me he doesn’t need it though,” you poked.

“Yeah that man can be hopeless sometimes,” Garcia added.

“A little oblivious too,” you chuckled. “For a profiler, that’s a special combination,”

JJ wrapped an arm around your shoulders and gave you a squeeze and you didn’t hesitate to lean into her side. Even though you were older than most in the group you still found a lot of comfort in their company. They were like your younger siblings.

“Do you want me to fight him?” Garcia asked. “Cause I think I could take him,”

“You wish,” you snorted. “He can carry me up a flight of stairs without batting an eyelash,” you said thinking back to last night. “I think you might have a bit more trouble than you think. And it’s alright. I’ll be okay,” you tried to assure them. “I’ll just be Mrs. Hotchner without the tax benefits,”

You figured there wasn’t much use in trying to hide your growing feelings for your best friend, after all, they had been present for some time now and in a room surrounded by some of the best profilers in the world, you wondered if the rest of them caught on, but chose to stay silent. And Aaron, he was another story altogether. For the life of you that was the one part of him, you couldn’t read, so you would just mull over your own love hoping that knowing he loved you as a best friend was enough, even though you had never said it, and neither had he.

“(Y/N),” you could hear Aaron’s voice pulling you out of your thoughts. “I’m going to speak to the victim's parents, are you up to join me?” he asked.

“Yeah, I can come,” you nodded, pushing yourself up. “Bye you two, don’t work too hard,”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sugar,” Garcia’s voice rang through JJ’s cellphone and you chuckled lightly, taking your place by Aaron’s side and exiting the building and heading for one of the standard-issue SUVs.

You didn’t talk much during the ride, opting for silence with the radio playing in the background. You could sense his eyes flicking to your side often, maybe he wanted to say something, reassure you, but it was possible that part of the reason you were on edge was from your nightmare.

Before you knew it your hand was reaching out to his that was resting on the gear shift. He looked down when he felt the soft touch and carefully lifted his hand and entwined his fingers with yours, placing it on his thigh, his thumb tracing the veins along the back of your hand.

“Aaron, stop frowning,” you said gently. “You’ll get wrinkles,”

“I think it’s a little too late for that,” he joked and you pressed your lips together in a small smile. “You still think I’m handsome though,”

“Very,” you nodded, but you weren’t sure how much of a joke it was. Whether it was the nerdy overprepared college student or the serious Unit Chief, Aaron Hotchner knew how to pull off a look.

“Alright, I can do most of the talking this time around, jump in when you feel comfortable. They’ve already been informed of the murder so at least we won’t be breaking the news,” he instructed and you nodded, finally loosening your grip on his hand and slipping it back into your lap, missing its softness and warmth.

You both left the car and knocked on the door, waiting for the answer. When it came there was a sweet older lady with puffy red eyes. You assumed she had probably been grieving her son and daughter-in-law up until that moment.

“Hello ma’am, I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner and this is Dr. (Y/N) (L/N),” he introduced. “We’re with the FBI, we’ve come to ask you a few questions about your son and daughter-in-law, is that alright?”

“Yes of course,” she sniffed, opening up the door and allowing the two of you to enter the household.

Her husband sat on the couch a box of tissues placed close by and you and Aaron took your seats across from him.

“Can I get you two anything?” she asked.

“Oh no that’s quite alright,” you spoke up. “Your help is more than enough,”

She nodded and took a seat next to her husband, taking a deep breath and nodding her head for you to begin your questions.

“Do you think you could tell us a bit more about Josh and Lindsay?” Aaron asked. “What were they like as people, how did they interact with others,”

“J-Josh was determined,” his father started. “He was a top student through all his studies, that’s how he met Lindsay,”

“Psychology wasn’t his forte but he wanted the class...thought it would help him get into law school,” his mother said. “She tutored him and they became friends. Did everything together,”

“Did they-um did they have many friends? People they interacted with?” you asked.

“Just people from work on both ends, but they enjoyed going out and doing things together, concerts, movies, the likes,”

“And is there anyone you can think that for any reason might wish them harm?” Aaron added.

“No...everyone-everyone loved them,” she choked on her words and it made your heart break.

“I’m sorry,” the husband said. “but I don’t think there’s any other way we can help,”

You nodded and pulled out your card from your pocket.

“If you can think of anything don’t hesitate to call,”

The rest of the day seemed to move by in a blur, and before you knew it you were sitting in your hotel room, a bathrobe wrapped around your body as you relaxed in your chair with a cup of tea.

You could hear the shuffling in the room next to yours along with the sound of papers shuffling, right near the desk. Those walls must have been thin.

You slapped the wall,

“Aaron you better go to sleep right now!” you called and you could almost hear his heavy sigh from the other side.

Grumbling, you pulled out your phone and messaged JJ.

Come to my room I need a drinking buddy.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at your door and expected JJ, but when you opened it you saw Aaron on the other side. Frowning, you looked up at him, then down at your phone.

It seemed like you had texted the wrong number, and instead of a girl's night, you had just cornered yourself in with the person you were trying to get away from.

Well maybe getting away was a little strong.

“So you tell me to go to bed then you text me to come and drink with you. Sending some mixed messages Dr. (L/N),” he raised his brows.

“Just get in here,” you rolled your eyes, and opened the door wider for him to enter.

He came inside, not even hesitating to make himself comfortable on the bed, his back pressed to the headboard and arms crossed over his chest.

His tie and jacket must have been discarded in his room because he only wore his white button-down, the top few undone, and dress pants.

“Alright, pick your poison, it’s on me,” you said, opening the mini-fridge and displaying the alcohol inside.

“Forget the booze (N/N), come here,” he even reached out for you with his hand.

“Why Aaron?” you asked, stepping only to the edge of the bed. He came to meet you, on his knees up to the corner of the mattress. He was still a great deal taller than you,

“Because, you told me not to keep it in here,” he pointed to your chest. “This case...it’s unsettling,” he offered. “And I just want to hold my best friend for a little bit to forget about it,”

Best friend.

There it was again those two words that stung so badly, but the two words you kept clinging onto for dear life because it’s what was holding you to reality.

“Alright,” you caved immediately, “But-,” you said stepping away before he could get you firmly in his hold. You went over to your bag and pulled out the sweater, handing it to him. “Get comfortable first, you’ve been wearing this all day,” you tugged at his shirt.

He untucked his shirt from his pants and undid the buttons, sliding off the material from his arms while you held out the hoodie for him to slip his head into. After all those years it still fit you both surprisingly well.

You took his shirt to put on a hanger and bent down to check and see what pyjamas you had packed when you remembered that they were still in your dryer in the laundry at home.

“Shit,” you muttered.

“What is it?” Aaron asked, coming up to your side.

“I don’t have any clothes to sleep in,” but your eyes flicked to the collared shirt, it would be big and comfortable on you, at least you hoped it would be.

“I saw your eyes (Y/N), do you want to use the shirt?” he asked.

“Well it’s all I’ve got right now isn’t it,” you shrugged. “Go on Hotchner, turn around, nothing to see here,” you added while untying the belt of your robe.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he teased as he obeyed your wishes and you rolled your eyes at his antics. It felt like coming back from the night of the concert all over again.

You slipped off the robe from your shoulders allowing it to drop on the ground while you quickly put on his shirt and buttoned it up, missing the top few just like he had earlier.

Before you could say a word his arms were wrapped around you and you quickly spun around to hold him face to face.

“You always looked nice in my clothes,” he gave you a low chuckle and you savoured the sound. Something you rarely heard anymore.

He pulled you towards the bed, sitting again with his back to the headboard, only this time, he placed you in between his legs while you leaned your back into his chest. Breathing in you could faintly smell his cologne on the shirt of his you wore and before you could even recover from the immensely satisfying feeling it brought you could feel his nose and lips on the top of your head.

You steadied your breathing, mind drifting back to the case for a moment. They said you were safe because you weren’t together, but every single day it felt like you were his wife in every sense but the word.

—

“(Y/N) you’re staying here I don’t have time to argue with you on this!” Aaron was frustrated, no even angry, but you weren’t going to let that stop you from trying one more time.

The unsub had been located, he was holding another couple hostage at the university, he devolved fast, just like you had predicted he would. Despite everything, you thought you could still talk him down. Maybe get him to come in peacefully where no one would have to die.

But Aaron was determined not to let that happen, especially after the letter.

“Aaron listen to me please! I’ve taken so many hostage negotiations courses it would make your law degree look easy, just let me come with you! I’ll wear a vest!”

“(Y/N) he knows who you are,” he said firmly. “Even though whatever is going on in his mind is clearly fractured he was of sound enough mind to target you,” he pointed to your chest, but not in the soft manner he had done only mere nights before. “You’re staying here. That’s it, end of discussion,”

“Aaron-,”

“End of discussion,” he repeated. “In the field, I am your boss, and it’s my job to look out for your safety. I’m not taking this chance (Y/N), do you understand,”

“Yes,” you muttered.

“I said, do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” you spoke up, your mouth going dry and he nodded, walking away from you to get into the car. “Fuck my life,” you said the minute you entered the conference room where JJ was sitting, listening to the chatter going on over the communications.

“That bad huh?”

“I really need to get licensed to carry a gun then maybe he’ll let me fucking do something for once,” you rested your elbows on the table. “I just wanna go home JJ, I’m so tired,” you sighed, resting your head on the wood in defeat.

She placed a comforting hand on your back while you continued to listen in, waiting for more details, listening to what was going on.

But after a certain point, things became fuzzy until the radio clicked and things went silent.

“Did they-?” you asked.

“Everyone’s safe,” she assured you and your heart felt relieved, but that’s when the exhaustion kicked in.

From then until you got onto the jet was muddled. JJ was by your side the entire time making sure you were getting to where you needed to be and the minute you entered the plane and your head hit the couch you were knocked out cold.

“You think I was too hard on her?” Hotch said softly to Morgan who sat next to him, playing a game of solitaire.

“On (Y/N)?” the man bit the inside of his cheek and sighed. “Maybe a little, but I think she understands where it’s coming from,”

“What do you mean where it’s coming from, Morgan I’m her boss-,”

“But you’re also someone who cares for her deeply. You don’t need a profile to see that,” he said firmly. “And she cares for you too, in so many ways Hotch,”

“I know,” Aaron nodded, glancing towards his folded hands in front of him before his eyes flicked to your sleeping frame on the chair. “I know,”

—

When you entered the BAU’s office in Quantico late that night you thought you might see at least a few team members lingering but the only lights that were on were those in Aaron’s office.

You were just there to drop off the files, if you didn’t do it now you would forget later. Entering Aaron’s office, he stood leaning against the front of his desk, glancing down at some papers and scanning them, his eyes running back and forth furiously.

You coughed and he looked up, noticing you were there and immediately put his files down.

“I came to bring these back,” you said. “Before I headed home,”

“Thanks,” he said, taking them from your hands. “You know...about earlier...” he trailed off.

“Yes,” you nodded motioning for him to continue.

“I just,” he chewed on the inside of his bottom lip. “Out there, when we’re out in situations like that, your safety is my top priority,”

Your safety.

Not the teams.

Not his.

Yours.

It sounded like something a spouse would say and before you could even filter what you were saying it came out.

“I’m not your wife Aaron,”

That made him frown. He looked at you curiously, his features softening when he saw the way you looked, almost hurt having to say that.

“W-What prompted you to say that?” he asked, genuinely curious.

You took a deep breath, throwing your hands up in the air and letting them drop to your sides with a shake of your head.

“I don’t know Aaron, you tell me,” you said. “I come and bring you food when you forget to eat, you’re on the other end of the line when I have a nightmare. I make sure you go to sleep early, you try to make sure I don’t die when we’re out there,” you listed. “Doesn’t this all sound to you like something people who are more than best friends would do for each other?”

Aaron listened avidly, hanging on to your every word.

“A-And I don’t know whether you’re trying to make me confused but I don’t understand why you hold me the way you do, why you make me smile, why do you look at me with your eyes shining like that Aaron? Because I keep doing all these things for you, I keep dragging you away from your job every once in a while so you can remember there’s a world out there that’s not filled with murder, and rape and the worst humanity has to offer, but I do all that...I take care of you...I’m your wife in every single way except one,” your lips were trembling at this point and you could see that look in his eyes, the one he got when he wanted to hold you, help you, protect you and say everything would be okay. “Wifes get love, Aaron. And I love you, but do you… do you love me?”

“Of course,” he whispered, without so much as a thought, finally pushing away from the desk, coming to stand in front of you, centimetres away.

You were no stranger to closeness with Aaron Hotchner, but this felt different. Again, it felt more personal. It felt like everything you ever wanted.

His hand came to cradle the side of your face, thumb wiping a tear away from your cheek.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, that you didn’t know,”

You sniffed, nodding your head, your hands now pressed between your chest and his.

He brought your face closer to his until your foreheads were pressed together before he said,

“I want to say it for you, out loud so you know it,” he started. “And I want to kiss you so I can show it,”

You nodded your head again, feeling his lips brush gently against yours, a faint distant memory coming back from years ago, the taste of beer somehow still present on his tongue, but before he fully pressed his lips to your he whispered,

“I love you,”

And his lips were finally on yours. When they parted you almost whined, but he took your face, cradled in his hands and said it again,

“I love you,”

This time his lips met the corner of your mouth.

“I love you,”

Your cheekbones, two on each side.

“I love you,”

The tip of your nose, making you tilt your head up once more to align his lips with yours.

“I love you,” he said one more time, pressing his lips to yours so firmly it made your knees wobble and go weak.

You and Aaron had always made a good team, this was no exception. His lips moved with yours in such a rhythm, in such synchronicity one would almost think it was rehearsed, but you just knew each other that well. That was part of who you were.

In the end, there were plenty of things you had done and would come to do for Aaron Hotchner, the same from him to you, but by far your most favourite was getting to say I love you.

if you enjoyed this fic please consider reblogging! it's the best way to help creators get exposure!

special thanks to @itsalonglongwaytobasingse and @writingtoforgetreality for helping me with this one and letting me ramble about it 24/7

nap time

Cyno, Diluc, Al haitham, Itto y Ayato

By ngkhyn