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1. Emily Prentiss
Prentiss often praised herself for how well she could compartmentalize her feelings after a rough case. They all had their own triggers, little things that made one case more difficult than any other and for some reason, the most recent case had gotten to Prentiss and it was the main reason why she was wide awake, resting back against one of the comfortable, leather chairs in their private jet. Her eyes were closed, but sleep wasn’t coming to her.
Outside it was pitch black. They were flying back to Virginia from San Antonio, Texas. None of the members of the team had wanted to wait until the morning to fly back home, so here they all were, going through their own little rituals to decompress after the horrors they had seen. Morgan was asleep, headphones on as always, and JJ was asleep next to him. Prentiss was jealous of the two of them, wishing she could sleep.
At least they had been promised the day off tomorrow.
Rossi was sitting at the far end of the jet, flipping through the pages of a book she didn’t know the title of, no matter how she angled her head she couldn’t make out the letters on the hardcover book.
The only ones straying from their usual routine were Hotch and Reid. Instead of Reid sleeping or reading a book and Hotch working on the pile of paperwork every case came with, they were sitting together, their backs towards the rest of the team and talking softly. Their soft voices filled the jet, mixing in with the quiet sounds of the engine. It was comforting in a way, reminding herself that she wasn’t alone in the pitch black darkness.
Prentiss opened her eyes when she heard a sound she was ashamed to say she didn’t hear nearly often enough, Hotch’s soft laugh. She found herself sitting up straighter, her movements careful and calculated so as to not make too much noise and disturb the little moment that was happening right in front of her. What had Reid said to make their stiff boss laugh out loud?
“Well, there have been multiple research papers on the ideal age of introducing kids to researching, they usually introduce them to it when they are six or seven years old by reading a sentence or a fact to them and having them relay it in their own words.” Reid said, his voice so soft that Prentiss had to strain her ears to pick up on every single word. It didn’t help that he had a tendency to talk so fast.
“But Jack has always been more of a visual learner. Remember when you tried to read him the book about animals at home? He had a hard time focusing and retaining the information. But when we went to the zoo he kept asking me to point out every little detail of each animal- their fur, their teeth, their ears, what they eat, how they live. And afterwards, when we came home he ran to grab the animal book, pointed out all the animals we had seen that day and ‘read’ it to us, relaying a lot of facts I had told him that day.”
Hotch made a little noise of approval in his throat. And Prentiss was convinced she was dreaming, because why would Reid go to the zoo with Hotch and Jack? And why had he said home like that? He hadn’t said Hotch’s home or his own home. He had just called it home. She must be reading into things too much. That is what happened when you didn’t get enough sleep. God- she needed coffee if she wasn’t going to be able to get any sleep during this entire flight.
”So, I don’t think you have to worry about him struggling in class. I know the teacher said that he was having trouble with focusing on his reading and explaining things in his own words, and that is something we can try to work on at home. But we both know that he is very smart and he likes to learn, he just likes to see things with his own eyes instead of reading about it.”
Prentiss watched as Hotch nodded and smiled at Reid. “Jack is lucky to have you in his corner Spence,” he said and Prentiss blinked because, had she heard that correctly? Hotch- Strict, professional and formal Hotch had called Reid Spence. Not Spencer, not Reid. Spence.
“I am sure that I am the lucky one,” Reid said, his voice an octave softer than it had been before and Prentiss sat up a little more, she would feel bad about eavesdropping later. This was too juicy for her to ignore, because there was definitely something going on between Hotch and Reid.
She watched them through the gap in the two seats, their shoulders resting against one another, heads tucked closely together. Their hands were resting intertwined on the table, Hotch’s paperwork long forgotten to the side.
“For some reason I have a feeling that this isn’t an argument either of us are going to win,” Hotch whispered which caused a small laugh to fall from Reid’s lips.
“No, I don’t think so either,” he said, “we are both too stubborn. Maybe we should ask Jack, he can be a fair judge.”
“You really want to add another Hotchner to this argument?” Hotch said, a tone in his voice that Prentiss could only describe as teasing and she bit down on her lip, almost unable to hold back a smile despite how confused she was by the secret moment she was witnessing.
Reid shook his head. “Oh no. Definitely not. He gets his stubbornness from you,” he said, holding back a yawn, “all though I am sure I could get him in my corner.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me one bit.” Hotch bumped his shoulder against Reid’s playfully before he glanced down, tentatively pulling away his hand from Reid’s.
“I need to get this paperwork done. Strauss wants it in her office as soon as possible and I would love to actually have a day off with you and Jack tomorrow,” he said with a smile.
“Do you want me to take some of the files off your hands?” Reid offered, but Hotch shook his head. “You look exhausted. You spent hours working on that geographical profile. Try to get some sleep, this will take me an hour or so maximum,” he promised.
Prentiss watched as Reid’s head dropped down to Hotch’s shoulder and she realized she had seen that before. But then again, she was convinced that Reid had fallen asleep on anyone at least once, maybe with an exception of Rossi because he always searched for a spot away from the rest of the team, and she had never thought anything of it. Either they were really close friends or something deliciously scandalous was going on. Prentiss would keep an eye on those two. That was for sure.
2. Penelope Garcia
Garcia had a bad habit of bursting into Hotch’s office without waiting for a yes whenever she knocked. Okay, sometimes she forgot to knock in general. But Hotch was never up to anything weird. He was always working. It didn’t matter if Garcia entered his room early in the morning to tell them about a new case or late at night to wish him a goodnight and to occasionally tell him to get his ass home for the night and not stay too late because they all knew Hotch had a habit of staying in the office way past their regular hours. Sometimes Garcia wondered if it had rubbed off onto Reid because it was rare for him to not be there at the same time as Hotch.
So, when Garcia knocked on Hotch’s office door early in the morning, a new case file in her hand, she hadn’t taken notice of the closed blinds or the soft voices coming from inside. She had just opened the door with her usual cheerful demeanor. “Hi bo- oh-” she stood there for a second, taking in the scene in front of her.
Reid was sitting on Hotch’s desk, his long legs crossed and a cup of coffee in his right hand. His back was towards the door, facing Hotch who was leaning back in his office chair, laughing at something that Reid had said. Neither man had noticed Garcia who was standing there with wide eyes.
It wasn’t often that she got to see Hotch smile, let alone laugh. He looked so relaxed, his head resting back and his eyes focused on Reid, a constant smile on his face; magical dimples and all.
Garcia watched in awe as Hotch stole the cup of coffee from the young genius with a smile, taking a sip and pulling a funny face.
“I still can’t get used to how much sugar you use,” Hotch said, which caused Reid to chuckle.
“Oh come on, we both know that you love those little lattes they sell at Starbucks. I am sure that Prentiss would get a kick out of knowing that your favorite drink from their menu is their cinnamon dolce latte.”
“Don’t you even tell them that Reid. And hey! They are different. You just add heaping spoons of sugar to a cup,” Hotch said, “do you even need the caffeine or are you just looking out for a sugar rush?”
Reid laughed, stealing the cup back from Hotch. “If you don’t like my coffee you can go and grab your own.”
“I would rather share yours,” Hotch breathed out, his fingers grazing over Reid’s thigh, long fingers coming to a stop when the man let out a soft gasp of air. “Aaron-“
Garcia, still unnoticed, slowly took a step backward and let the door fall shut as softly as she could manage. Her eyes were wide behind her red spectacles. She stood there, shocked.
That hadn’t been a friendly touch. They had looked way too comfortable around each other. As if they shared a cup of coffee like that every morning, stealing glances and laughing together- so stuck in their own little world that they hadn’t even noticed her.
“You okay there baby girl?” Morgan’s voice caused her to startle. She nodded quickly.
“Yeah- yeah, just thinking.”
She took a deep breath and knocked again, louder and this time she waited until Hotch called out a ‘yes’ before opening the door.
Reid was standing in front of the desk. “I’ll get the paperwork to you as soon as possible Hotch,” he said, holding a file in his left hand and his empty coffee mug in the right. He sent Hotch a secret smile.
Garcia could see it now. The softness in Reid’s eyes and the slight flush in his cheeks.
“Morning Garcia,” Reid breathed out as he walked passed her out of the office
“Morning Reid,” she said, dropping the case file on Hotch’s desk. She debated saying something, but decided against it. It wasn’t her place to say anything and another part of her was worried that she had misinterpreted their interaction.
That would be embarrassing.
3. Derek Morgan
“Are you sure you are feeling well enough to go home Spencer?” Morgan asked, his brows furrowed in concern as he glanced through the rearview mirror at his best friend whose face was bruised.
The unsub had attacked Reid. They hadn’t made it to them on time. The boy had managed to hold his own pretty well, but still- in the five minutes that it had taken for them to find him and the unsub he had gotten severe bruising all over his body. There were stitches above his left brow, his bottom lip was busted and he had a few bruised ribs.
Morgan had asked the doctor a handful of times if Reid really shouldn’t be staying in the hospital, but despite his concern he had gotten the clearance to fly.
“The doctor said that I was clear to fly. I would much rather be able to rest at home, in my own bed than in some shady motel room,” Reid said, his eyes half shut.
Hotch was sitting next to Reid. He had insisted on driving with them to the jet. Rossi, JJ and Prentiss were in another identical black SUV. Morgan had been surprised when he had sat down next to Reid in the back instead of in the front seat and had begun to whisper soft things to the man.
Morgan couldn’t help, but think about what Garcia had told him she had witnessed a few weeks ago. At the time Morgan had thought that she must have gotten the wrong idea because there was no way that his best friend and his boss were that close. He would have noticed, right? Not that he had ever paid attention to their relationship. But now, Hotch had his hand resting gently against Reid’s shoulder, fingers moving carefully over the tense skin and the genius was leaning into him, eyes closed.
“Alright,” Morgan mumbled when he realized that he had been quiet for too long. “But we are upping the amount of self defense classes when you’re feeling better,” he said.
Reid just made a small noise of protest somewhere deep in his throat in response.
In between glances in the rearview mirror Morgan could see Reid melting more and more against Hotch’s side. The older man was whispering things. Morgan found himself straining to hear the words. Call it a natural curiosity, he just wanted to know what was going on.
“We can order take out when we’re home, it’s not a long flight and we should get some food in you,” Hotch whispered softly, his fingers gently pressing against the tense muscles in Reid’s shoulder. “Jack will be home tonight, but I could ask Jessica if she can take him.”
“No, it is fine,” Reid whispered, “I want to see him. It will be nice to have an evening together. As long as I get to pick the movie we watch tonight.”
Hotch let out a soft chuckle. “I think that is something you’ll have to ask Jack.”
Morgan blinked as he focused back on the road. Had he really been paying so little attention towards his best friend that he had completely missed how close he and Hotch had gotten?
Right now, with Reid being bruised and in pain, it didn’t seem like the right time to confront him, but he definitely had to tell Garcia what he had overheard and what he had seen. Maybe they could solve this Hotch and Reid mystery together. Because the idea of Hotch, Reid and Jack having a movie night together sounded foreign to him.
4. Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau
When Hotch had agreed to watch Henry while JJ, Garcia and Prentiss had a girls night, JJ had been relieved. It had been hard to get a babysitter so last minute. Will had to work so he couldn’t do it. Hotch had been a lifesafer. JJ was desperate for a night out and it was hard to plan with their crazy work schedules and rare days off.
JJ pulled up to Hotch’s house. Henry was babbling away with excitement in the background. He did love spending time with Hotch and Jack, especially with Jack. Whenever they were together at an event they had the best time. While they sometimes caused trouble together, she was just glad they got along well.
“Let’s go,” she said with a hum. She helped Henry out of the car and grabbed his bag from the trunk before following her boy up to the house. She rang the doorbell and waited for Hotch to open the door. Her eyes widened in surprise when Reid opened the door instead.
“Oh- Spencer, what are you doing here?” JJ asked to which Reid just blinked a few times as if confused.
“Opening the door?” He hummed, kneeling down when Henry squealed his name and he hugged him. “Hi Henry! How are you?” He asked, ruffling his blonde hair with a smile.
“Spencer!” Henry giggled, making a funny face. “You are messing up my hair. Mommy didn’t say you would be here too!”
“I can see that-” JJ said in response to Reid’s confusing answer. She didn’t understand what Reid was doing at their bosses house, on their only night off for who knows how long.
Spencer straightened himself again. “Jack is in the living room. I think he said he wanted to build a fort,” he told Henry who grinned and was ready to run off before JJ called him back for a hug and a kiss.
“Will you tell Hotch that I will pick him up around one tomorrow?” JJ asked, watching Henry walk into the living room, excited voices coming from Henry and Jack.
“Sure, will Henry eat lunch here?” Reid asked, resting against the door frame with a small smile.
JJ nodded. “Yes, that would be great. He gets cranky when he is hungry.”
“I will let him know,” Reid promised. “Are you alright JJ? You look a little confused.”
“No, just- surprised is all. Will you be here for the evening?”
Again that weird expression flew across Reid’s face and she couldn’t quite place it. What she was asking wasn’t that weird, right? Unless she was missing something, but what could that be?
“Course! I love spending time with Henry.. Don’t drink too much,” Reid teased. “Keep Prentiss in check.”
“Will do,” JJ promised with a nod. So, Reid was just here to spend time with Henry. Unexpected, but she was happy for Henry. He looked up to Spencer. She was convinced that the four of them would have a fun filled evening.
So, feeling a bit more at ease she walked back to her car, waving goodbye to Reid over her shoulder.
–
The next day JJ drove to Hotch’s house, a little later than she had planned. Her head was pounding. God, how much had she drunk last night? She couldn’t remember how many sweet cocktails she had drowned and how many shots Garcia had talked her into.
However much it had been, she was paying for it now: headache, nausea and exhaustion. The holy trinity of a horrible hangover.
She groaned as the shrill sound of the doorbell cut through the quiet afternoon. She wore black sunglasses, her blonde hair pulled into a messy ponytail.
The door opened. Hotch this time, still wearing pajama pants and a white shirt, so different from the suit he usually wore to work. It was always a surprise to find out that their boss had an actual personal life and a family life outside of work.
“You okay there?” He asked, a knowing smile playing around on his lips. “A bit too much to drink?”
All she could do was grumble which caused Hotch to laugh. It was something she had been seeing more of lately. She didn’t know when it had happened. While working on cases he was still serious, brows usually pulled into their signature frown, but whenever they were on their way home from a case or had a little bit of downtime, he seemed to be smiling more.
It wasn’t the first time she had been wondering if he had found someone new. He deserved it. After everything the Hotchner family had gone through, they deserved some happiness.
“I will get Henry. He was watching some television with Jack and he wanted to wait until the episode was over,” Hotch sent her an apologetic smile before disappearing down the hallway. She stepped inside while waiting, brows furrowed as she rested against the wall.
How long did it usually take for painkillers to start working?
“Bye Henry,” she heard Jack say from the living room, “come by again soon!”
Another voice cut through the quiet. Was that Reid? Had he stayed the night? Now that was interesting. As if yesterday’s encounter hadn’t been weird enough yet.
Her thoughts were cut off when Henry rushed over. “Mommy!” He said with a smile, too loud for her headache, but she resisted the urge to shush him. It wasn’t his fault. She knelt down and hugged him. “Hi sweetheart. Did you have a fun time?” She smiled and he nodded heavily.
“Yes! We built a fort out of a lot of blankets and then we watched movies and ate popcorn and ice cream,” Henry grinned. “Spencer showed us how to do magic tricks as well! And then he read me a story before bed. It was about this really cool wizard,” he rambled and she blinked.
“That’s nice, was Spencer there the entire night?” JJ asked and Henry nodded. “Yes! And then we had pancakes this morning!”
“I am glad you had a good time,” JJ said and stood up when Hotch came back with her son’s bag.
“Thank you,” she said, grabbing the bag. “I didn’t know Spencer would be staying here.”
There was that weird expression again, all though Hotch’s was a bit more concealed. Still, her comment obviously had caught him off guard.
“He likes spending time with Henry,” was all he said with a small shrug before turning to Henry. “And we had fun, didn’t we?”
Henry nodded eagerly. JJ decided that for now she would let this go. Maybe they were right and Spencer had decided to spend the night here to have some time with Henry. Still, it was weird to think of one of her best friends sleeping over at their supervisor’s house. But honestly? Her head hurt too much to think about this right now. Henry had a good time and that was all that mattered to her.
“Well, thank you for babysitting,” JJ said gratefully. “We should get home,” she said. “I will see you at work tomorrow,” she smiled at Hotch before walking towards her car, ready to get home and convince Henry to have a quiet day indoors.
5. David Rossi
Things rarely slipped by Rossi. He liked to think of himself as a good profiler, but maybe he had let his guard down around the team. They did promise not to profile each other. That was the only excuse the man could come up with for not having noticed the way Reid and Hotch looked at each other when they thought that no one else was looking.
Rossi considered himself one of Hotch’s closest friends, but they worked a lot. They were traveling and working way more hours a week than most people did so, outside of work they didn’t often get to spend time together and when they did it was usually in group outings with the entire team. So, maybe that was why the other man hadn’t told him.
All of these excuses for not knowing were rushing through Rossi’s mind when he had caught Hotch and Reid out in the park with Jack. He had been on his way to grab lunch with an old friend on a rare Saturday afternoon off when he had spotted the trio. Hotch and Reid were holding one of Jake’s hands each, a picnic basket in Hotch’s free hands.
Reid seemed to be pointing out different things to Jack who was hanging onto every word. He was pointing out different flowers, a butterfly, trees.. rambling away in a way that would usually be interrupted if they were working on a case. (And yes, Rossi did feel bad about that, but sometimes they didn’t have the time to listen to Reid’s long list of never ending statistics and facts.)
The thing that surprised him most was the way Hotch seemed to hang onto every word as well, a dreamy smile on his face which Rossi had never seen before.
It was at that moment that it hit Rossi. As he watched them walk to an empty spot on the grassy field, sun beaming down on them, it dawned on him that they were a couple. They had to be. The way that they looked at each other, the comfort in which Jack held onto Reid’s hand with a happy grin, Hotch’s lovesick smile..
How had he never noticed before? He found himself watching them for a little while longer as they got comfortable on a plaid blanket. Jack sat down against Reid’s side, animatedly telling him something while Hotch pulled out different snacks and drinks and some books.
He wasn’t surprised when Reid picked up one of the books and flipped it open, pointing something out to Jack.
Well, at least that hadn’t changed. Rossi found himself watching the happy couple for a few minutes before glancing down at his watch. He was going to be late for his lunch appointment. He glanced over one last time before rushing out of the park, not wanting to get caught staring. He would have to ask Hotch about what he had seen. He was too curious to just ignore this new development.
6. A little extra - JJ, Garcia, Prentiss and Morgan.
“So- we have all seen Hotch and Reid acting a little..” Garcia wasn’t quite sure what to say.
Prentiss rested back in her seat. “Like a couple?” She asked, raising a brow.
“I can’t believe we are having this conversation,” Morgan said. “Pretty boy and Hotch? That wasn’t something I saw coming.”
“Is it really that far-fetched though?” Prentiss glanced over at Morgan. “I think they have more in common than we think.”
“Like what?” Morgan snorted, “I really can’t picture it.”
“Well, fine- maybe they don’t have a lot of things in common. But I think they compliment each other well. Reid loves to talk and Hotch always listens to him, I think Hotch is the only one who listens to it when he just rambles on. They always bounce ideas off each other and I know that I am not the only one who has felt like they always know how to finish each other's sentences,” Prentiss said, “and well in the last couple of months Hotch has looked-”
“Lighter?” Garcia finished and Prentiss nodded. “I don’t think I have ever seen him smile this much. Not even when things were still going well with Haley.”
“I didn’t even know Hotch was into men,” Morgan said, “I am just trying to wrap my head around it. I knew Reid was gay, but-”
“You did?” Garcia gasped. “He never told me!”
“Well, to his defense I think he got sick of me trying to set him up with women whenever we went out,” Morgan chuckled, “little did he know that I would end up trying to set him up with men instead.”
“Well, how much do we really know about Hotch?” JJ said. “He hasn’t told us a lot about his childhood or his life in general. Aside from whenever we have team outings outside of work we rarely get to see the more private side of his life.”
“So, what do we do now?” she asked. “Do you think we should confront them? Ask them about it? I don’t want them to feel like they can’t be themselves around us.”
“What if we are wrong?” Morgan asked, “all I saw was Hotch comforting Reid after he got hurt. We’ve all done that for each other.”
“Morgan.. Reid stayed over at his house,” JJ said.
“They were holding hands on the jet and talking about Jack like a family,” Prentiss added.
“They shared a cup of coffee and I definitely saw some not-just-friends touching going on,” Garcia said.
Morgan held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. I get it. We can ask them. We should all come in a little earlier tomorrow and confront them. They might feel relieved knowing what we know. But if it goes wrong, I am not taking the blame.”
5 1. (technically 6 1): … duh?
Hotch and Reid were usually the first ones at the office. They usually woke up at 6:30, had breakfast with Jack before Jessica came to stay with him until he had to go to school and then they would drive to work together. They loved to be there early and have one last moment alone together just being Aaron and Spencer. They would share a cup of coffee, sometimes they would pick up some specialties from Starbucks, and talk about everything and nothing at all.
Despite having been together for one year, seven months and two days, Reid never let them forget, they never ran out of things to talk about. That could also be thanks to Reid considering he was always looking for new things to learn and new books to read. And when they did want to have a quiet cup of coffee in the morning, Reid would curl up with a book on the couch in Hotch's office, Sometimes he would read out loud and sometimes they would just sit there, enjoying the comfort of each other’s company.
But this morning, they were surprised to find the others already there. They stepped out of the elevator, guiltily holding a Starbucks cup each. “What are you guys doing here so early?” Reid asked in surprise, raising a brow. “If we had known you would have been here we could have gotten you something.” He held out his cup before taking a small sip.
“We wanted to talk about something,” Prentiss said after a beat of silence.
Hotch looked at them, his glance stopping on Rossi for a second who held his hands up in defense. “Don’t look at me,” Rossi said, “it wasn’t my idea.”
“What is going on?” Hotch asked. “Did something happen? Did I miss an important email? I don’t think we have a new case assigned to us yet.” He glanced over at Garcia who shook her head.
“No, that is not what this is about,” Garcia said, fiddling with one of her necklaces. She looked nervous. Reid didn’t like it. Why did she look nervous?
He frowned as he stood next to Hotch and lanced at the rest of the team, all standing by or leaning against the two desks near the front of the bullpen. No one else was here yet.
“When were you guys going to tell us?” Morgan finally asked, glancing from Reid, to Hotch and back to Reid again. “You know you can trust us right?”
“Tell you what?” Reid asked, not wanting to act stupid on purpose, but he truly had no idea what they were talking about.
“That you two are- ya know..” Garcia said, not sure how to fill in what she wanted to say.
“A thing,” Prentiss said.
“Dating,” JJ said.
“Hooking up,” Morgan said.
Hotch and Reid exchanged a glance. And maybe it was their fault for thinking that the team had already figured it out. They hadn’t wanted to make a big deal out of coming out, both as a couple and as not straight. Especially for Hotch it would have been a big step. He had known he had been bisexual since college, but while dating Haley he had never thought of it as important to let people know.
“Uhm-” Reid said a little sheepishly. “I thought you guys already knew?” He glanced over at Hotch before turning to look at their friends / co-workers. “Or, that you had kind of figured it out?” He added.
“How would we have done that?” Prentiss asked, “Normally you would tell people these things.”
“I mean, you are profilers,” Hotch said, taking a sip of his coffee and yes, it was a cinnamon dolce latte, Reid would definitely use that against him one day. He thought it was hilarious how the stoic man next to him had such a sweet tooth.
“We always arrive at the same time and we leave at the same time,” Reid pointed out, “we always bring each other coffee, we sit next to each other on the jet every chance we get, I was there when you dropped Henry off,” he nodded towards JJ.
Hotch continued with a soft chuckle, “I took Spencer out for dinner for his birthday and I told you guys that I would when you wanted to throw him a surprise party on the same day. Jack’s been coming in here asking for Spencer. There was even a time Jessica called Spencer because I was in a meeting,” he added.
“Plus, I have been wearing Aaron’s shirts sometimes. You really didn’t notice any of this?” Reid added. “I pretty much moved in with him, I just haven’t changed the address yet.”
“Wait- you guys really thought that we knew it already?” Rossi asked. “Maybe we should all rethink our careers.”
“Wait, Dave, you didn’t.. know?” Hotch asked as he glanced over at him. “I told you I was dating someone and it was serious.”
“I didn’t think it was Reid,” Rossi said with a soft chuckle. “I wasn’t paying attention to how you two behaved to each other. I figured you had found some mystery woman you hadn’t wanted to introduce to us yet.”
Hotch and Reid exchanged a glance with each other before Reid started laughing, shaking his head. “This isn’t funny. I am sorry. I genuinely thought you guys knew. It was pretty obvious,” he said.
Hotch rolled his eyes with a fond smile. “We just- try to keep a level of professionalism when we are working on cases. I guess it is on us for thinking you guys were paying enough attention to us to figure it out. So, I apologize if it feels like we have been holding it a secret from you. It wasn’t on purpose. We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it and it took a while before I felt comfortable with… my feelings for Reid,” he admitted. “So, I guess it is kind of on me for not wanting to make an official announcement.” He said, his face serious again.
“I also didn’t really feel the need to make it a big deal,” Reid added. “Since it wouldn’t change anything about the team dynamic. Jack knew and that was all that I really cared about,” he admitted.
“So- how long have you been together? I have so many questions. How did this even happen?” Garcia rambled on, “I am happy for you two, local genius and bossman. I knew there was a reason Hotch was smiling so much. That rarely happened before.”
“Fine- one question each, then we will have to go to work.” Hotch looked a little nervous. “Since you are all here early for once,” he said, a hint of a crooked smile on his face.
“We’ve been together for one year and seven months,” Reid said, his cheeks flushed when he noticed the way Prentiss’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide.
“We haven’t noticed for that long? I think I will have to resign. I can’t believe I’ve missed this,” she said, shaking her head.
“Sorry,” Reid mouthed with a smile. He walked further into the office and rested against one of the empty desks, watching Hotch. The man looked handsome in his suit, his cheeks slightly flushed and a smile on his face that always made him look so much younger. He loved that he had gotten Hotch to smile so much more, to add a little bit of light to his life.
“So, who asked out who?” Rossi asked. “Please tell me it was Hotch. Otherwise I will take Strauss up on that retirement plan she once offered me.”
“Yes, it was me,” Hotch said, “after like- months of going back and forth I decided to ask him out for dinner..” He had been terrified of crossing that boundary. He had seen the way Reid looked at him, the long glances, the soft smiles, the flushed cheeks. Each time the man gave him that shy smile Hotch had felt on cloud nine. It had gotten to the point that he couldn’t get Reid out of his head. He woke up in the morning thinking about him and fell asleep at night wishing he was laying next to him. In the end it had gotten so bad that Hotch had decided that he would rather switch teams after a potential rejection than have to deal with the constant longing any longer.
“Why would it have been so weird if it was me?” Reid said, eyes widening. “I could have done it.”
“Yeah, right- pretty boy,” Morgan said, “you would have been a blushing mess. I don’t think you would have ever dared to do it.” He glanced at the two of them. This was something he was having a hard time wrapping his head around. Not that he wasn’t happy for them. They both deserved it. There wasn’t a lot of happiness going around within their job. “Speaking of Straus, does she know?” He asked.
“I haven’t explicitly told her,” Hotch said, “but I think she knows. We’ve just never spoken about it.”
“I don’t think she would ever bring it up unless she thinks that the team isn’t performing well,” Reid said, “or if she thinks that Hotch isn’t sending me into enough danger,” he teased which caused Hotch to raise a brow playfully.
“Sorry that I like to have my boyfriend in one piece,” he murmured, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Why didn’t you tell me when I dropped Henry off? I was so confused. So, you two live together? With Jack?” JJ asked, “I am sorry, I don’t want to come off as rude, but I just can’t imagine you as a father figure,” she admitted.
“Technically you asked three questions,” Reid said, “but I will accept it for now as my formal apology. I thought you knew. That’s why I acted kind of weird because I didn’t know why you thought it was weird for me to be there. And yes, I’ve pretty much changed Hotch’s empty guest room into my personal library. There are a few things that I have to move over from my apartment and I have two months left of my lease, but yes, we pretty much live together and obviously Jack is there,” he said.
“Reid is great with Jack,” Hotch cut in. “We took it slow, mainly for his sake. If it had been up to me alone I would have wanted to move in together much earlier.”
“They’re a package deal,” Reid said, “I love Jack and I am very lucky that he has welcomed me into their family.”
“He loves you too.” Hotch sent Reid that secret smile, the one only reserved for him and Reid beamed back at him. “I know,” he whispered.
He had never thought he would be any kind of parental figure. He had never wanted to have his own children, scared of the genes he could hand over to them, but to know that Jack had accepted him into the Hotchner family had been more than he had ever thought he would have. And he would never replace Haley, he hoped that Jack knew that.
“So- why do you guys still call each other by your last names? Is it some kind of kink or-” Prentiss said, wiggling her brows with a laugh.
Reid coughed, his cheeks flushing. “We don’t. We only do that at work. It’s easier that way.” It was easier to be Reid and Hotch instead of Spencer and Aaron. “And well, it feels unnecessary and unsafe to constantly come out to everyone.”
It wasn’t as if the local police forces welcomed them with open arms on the best of days. It felt unnecessary to open their arms to possible homophobia wherever they went.
The air suddenly felt a little heavier. Reid reached out for Hotch’s Starbucks cup and took a small sip, pulling a face. “It’s so sweet.” He said, handing it back with a laugh.
“Hotch’s coffee is too sweet for you?” Rossi asked, raising a brow.
“It’s not normal coffee, it’s a-” Hotch sent a warning glance to Reid, who ignored it, “it’s a cinnamon dolce latte,” the younger man finished with a laugh.
“You’ll regret this Reid,” Hotch warned, “I trusted you.” He quickly took the cup back from him. Before Prentiss could open her mouth, Hotch turned to them.
“Okay, question time is over. We have work to do. Garcia, can you come to my office with the new case files that have come in?” He asked her.
“And if I hear you joke about my coffee preference one time Prentiss, you are on paperwork duty for the rest of the year,” Hotch warned her before going up the stairs to his office, leaving Reid behind in the bullpen who watched his silhouette disappear around the corner with a lovesick smile on his face.