I LOVE THIS SO MUCHHH!! ♡♡♡
hi! What about Aaron coming to help you with a popped tired before work and reader just feels bad about bothering him or whatever but they’re literally going to the same place:) popped my tired this morning and need to live off my delusions 😭
to your rescue
cw; no established relationship, mutual pining, aaron being darling <3 (and hot)
"i'm so, so sorry." your words left you in an exhale, crossing your arms from where you where standing above aaron.
aaron peeked up from his handiwork, brows drawn into a line over his eyes for a moment, before one quirked up in confusion. "you're sorry your tire popped?"
"no. yes." your face burned in humiliation as you leaned against the hood of aaron's car, watching him replace your tire, a small grunt leaving him as he stuck it in place. "that you had to come to my rescue, and do all this. i didn't mean to inconvenience you and i know you probably have a million things waiting for you at work and you probably had to get jack to school and then you get a call from me who-"
you were rambling as result of being so incredibly frazzled, a peaceful morning turned hectic; the brief panic of feeling your tire give out from underneath you, pulling over amidst morning traffic, not knowing how to switch it out, and having to call your boss, who you happened to have the biggest crush on, of all people to come and save you.
"hey, no," aaron shushed you, shaking his head as he set the lug nuts onto the tire. he was also currently sporting a white undershirt, having removed his suit jacket, button-up and tie to prevent dirtying them - allowing his arms to be on full display as his muscles flexed. "first, i'm just relieved you're alright. and it's not an inconvenience at all. this was on my way, and we're inevitably ending up at the same place, aren't we?"
he paused to meet your gaze, eyebrow raised once more, cheekily this time. your head tilted an inch as you considered this, well yeah.
aaron continued, resuming tightening the bolts on the spare. "jack's already at school, he had to go in early for a club. you called after i already dropped him off."
"i could've called someone else though." you huffed, slight heat filling your cheeks again, "like morgan, or road service for god's sake. but, you were the first person i thought of." the end of your sentence trailed off, as you fell on the shy side.
"i'm glad you did." aaron answered earnestly, so sweetly your blush intensified again. "i would've hated driving past and seeing you stranded on the side of the road. if that was the scenario, i would've stopped regardless."
silence fell overtop you both as aaron finished up, the period of time also allowing for your burning cheeks to cool. once the car was lowered, and aaron was fully satisfied your tire was tightly secure, and safe for you to proceed driving on, did he stand up and finish his thought.
"and besides," his sudden lighter tone of voice piqued your focus back to him, "half the time, i'm looking for an excuse to delay getting the workday started." a smile threatened his face, a shiny line of sweat on his forehead. "don't tell anyone that though. it could ruin me."
you laughed despite yourself - your bad mood, and guilt, nearly disappearing. "of course not. i owe you after this."
aaron chuckled softly, closing your car's trunk after putting the ruptured tire inside. he was just walking past you, to put the tools he had retrieved from his car away, when you grabbed onto his forearm, stopping him in his tracks.
"i mean it, i owe you." you forced yourself to look into his piercing, yet soft, brown eyes, your voice low and sincere. "thank you."
a small, closed lip smile tugged at his face, "by the way, you could never be an inconvenience. especially not to me, i can promise you that."
hiii! i was wondering if i could request a hotch x bau! reader where they’re dating and they vouch to keep their work life and love life separate but they’re both terrible at hiding how protective they are over eachother
"I'll stay here." Reid decides, already knee-deep in maps and colored pens, as if anyone thought he'd jump up and volunteer to interview the victim's family.
"Right." Aaron nods, "JJ and Prentiss are already on their way to the last crime scene."
"That leaves us to canvass the unsub's safe zone." Rossi glances between you, Aaron, and Morgan, "Y/N, come with me-"
"No." Aaron interjects, stoicism returning just as quickly as it had been abandoned.
"O-kay," Morgan glances at Hotch with a furrowed brow, misinterpreting Hotch's protests, "Y/N, come with me. They can talk about old white man stuff in the car, or whatever they're gonna do."
"No." Aaron repeats, just as unhelpful as the first time he'd said it.
You're squirming on your feet, now. He's not being subtle, even if he is being confusing. Derek and Rossi may not know why Aaron wants to keep you with him, but now they know that he does, and you're sure it won't take them long to discern why he doesn't want you gallivanting across a potential crime scene with anyone other than him.
"Right... So you take Y/N, then." Rossi says what Hotch won't, "That's okay, Morgan and I can talk about whatever's up your butt today while we're driving."
If it were anyone but Rossi, they'd have ended up with desk duty for eight weeks. But both men manage to escape sharing a snicker at Hotch's expense, and you follow dutifully after your boss as he leads you out to one of the SUVs in the parking lot.
You're waiting for the closing of his door to begin scolding him for his reckless, but he decides to make the situation ten times worse by beating you to the car and holding your door open for you. You're sure Rossi and Morgan are watching from their own SUV, and you're glad the windows are up so that you don't have to hear their jeering.
"Hotch," You speak through tightly clenched teeth, but you get in without protest, and you huff as you slam the seatbelt into its latch, which Aaron waits for before he closes your door.
"You're not subtle." You speak the second that his door shuts, "Aaron, did you forget all of our coworkers are profilers? They're going to figure us out if you don't stop giving us away like that!"
"I don't care if they figure us out." Aaron admits, hands on the wheel though his attention stays on you as he pointedly stays parked, "I don't feel comfortable letting you enter a potentially dangerous situation with anyone but me."
"Morgan wouldn't let anything happen to me," You bargain, "And neither would Rossi. Hell, you think a criminal's gonna try fighting Derek to get to me? No one's crazy enough to go up against those muscles."
"But they would be looking to take down the unsub first, and thinking of you second. I'm thinking of you first."
A thick silence hangs in the air after his words; perhaps he's realizing what he's just said- it's weight, its implications.
You put it into words, "That's not professional, Hotch. That's- that's not how a profiler is supposed to act."
"Well then I guess I'm not a very good profiler anymore." He concedes, sighing as he turns to face the road and begins driving, now minutes behind Rossi and Morgan, "Just stay with me, and let me protect you."