Fic ~ Breathe ~ Xover Het
Title: Breathe
Author: Shining Zephyr
Fandom: Crossover | Criminal Minds/Heroes
Rating: FRK
Genre: Romance/Friendship
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Claire Bennet established
Summary: It's hard to believe that all he needed was her hugs and gentlest of kisses to realize that he was a protective- and very lucky- man. He had the most amazing woman in the world... still alive and still well.
Author Notes: Much fluff, little angst, very much needed writing. I find it hysterical I only now finally wrote them together. I've been meaning to for some time now, but life happened. Based in role-play on Twitter and LiveJournal between Hotch and Claire. Quite possibly one of the cutest het couples out there... beside Hotch/Claire Redfield, of course. <3
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. - Morrie Schwartz
Only she could make him feel the way he did right then. Sad as it sounded, Haley didn’t ever give him the butterflies like this when they kissed. Sure, it was a wonderful love with his ex-wife, but there wasn’t so much magic as there once was. His job dragged him away from her, and in the process, their romance was stretched thin. There was no time for anything anymore. Whenever he tried to get out of the office, out of work, it would pull him back under. So much happened in such a short amount of time that… it all spiraled downwards.
Flash forward to about five years later with Claire Bennet.
Aaron hadn’t known he could love again. He didn’t think it was possible, to be frank. He was thankfully proven very wrong in this regard, and this was proven the night he came back San Antonio on a case of kidnapped cheerleaders and be forced to perform sexual intercourse with the UnSub thanks to a fantasy of woman smitten with his dick.
Six had been killed. One had been saved, but scarred. And all Aaron could think about was if Claire had been one of those girls. He wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself. You could call it being protective, or you could call it being scared for her life despite her power that she couldn’t really die. He was a rather protective individual in the first place, but this was also fueled by his desire to make sure that Claire wasn’t taken by any psychos.
He opened the door to his apartment and tossed the briefcase on the chair, rubbing his face and managing to suppress another yawn. God. God, he was frickin’ exhausted to the core, and he knew that…
…that she would be right there on the couch, perched with her legs tucked into her chest and offering him a soft smile. That blond hair swept out of her face, eyes shining up at him as he closed the door behind him and offered her the best smile he could muster. It wasn’t saying much in the state he was in, but it was everything he could offer and more. She stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around the agent and smiling softly. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he murmured back, wrapping his arms right back around her and nuzzling her softly. “You all right?”
Claire stood on her tiptoes and gave him the gentlest of kisses on his cheek. Aaron’s face flushed as she nuzzled his chest and inhaled his scent. The scent of victory, yet despair again. “Happy you’re home. Glad you’re okay.” She gazed into his eyes, stroking back his hair again and smiling at him again. “You okay?”
The smile was returned, albeit sad, and it ripped at her heartstrings to see that face. She just wanted to make him happy. That was all she wanted out of him; she would wait days for him to come home, weeks. She’d sit on his couch, make dinner, give him cuddles. All Claire wanted was a real, genuine smile… and maybe unicorns. But that would wait. “I’m okay. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“It was bad, wasn’t it?
He didn’t have to answer, the hug growing tighter. Claire tugged him gently over to the couch, and he followed almost obediently as she slid off his blazer and kissed him softly on the lips. She pulled him down on the couch, looping her arms around him and moving into his lap with the smallest of grunts. The arms were still protectively around her, and he pressed a gentle kiss into her lips. “It was,” he whispered against her lips again. “It was… terrible. Worse than normal.”
She stroked his hair slightly, simply gazing into his eyes. He wanted her. He wanted to just hug her, keep her safe. Protect her for as long as he could to make sure that she didn’t suffer a fate like Haley did. That was the last thing he wanted…
“It’s okay. …I love you.”
Aaron’s sad smile softened a little more. “I-I love you too.”
And that was all that was needed as she melted into his grasp and hugged him tighter. He kept her close, nuzzling her chest.
Breathing easy for the first time in four days since he’d left her last.
Author: Shining Zephyr
Fandom: Crossover | Criminal Minds/Heroes
Rating: FRK
Genre: Romance/Friendship
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Claire Bennet established
Summary: It's hard to believe that all he needed was her hugs and gentlest of kisses to realize that he was a protective- and very lucky- man. He had the most amazing woman in the world... still alive and still well.
Author Notes: Much fluff, little angst, very much needed writing. I find it hysterical I only now finally wrote them together. I've been meaning to for some time now, but life happened. Based in role-play on Twitter and LiveJournal between Hotch and Claire. Quite possibly one of the cutest het couples out there... beside Hotch/Claire Redfield, of course. <3
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. - Morrie Schwartz
Only she could make him feel the way he did right then. Sad as it sounded, Haley didn’t ever give him the butterflies like this when they kissed. Sure, it was a wonderful love with his ex-wife, but there wasn’t so much magic as there once was. His job dragged him away from her, and in the process, their romance was stretched thin. There was no time for anything anymore. Whenever he tried to get out of the office, out of work, it would pull him back under. So much happened in such a short amount of time that… it all spiraled downwards.
Flash forward to about five years later with Claire Bennet.
Aaron hadn’t known he could love again. He didn’t think it was possible, to be frank. He was thankfully proven very wrong in this regard, and this was proven the night he came back San Antonio on a case of kidnapped cheerleaders and be forced to perform sexual intercourse with the UnSub thanks to a fantasy of woman smitten with his dick.
Six had been killed. One had been saved, but scarred. And all Aaron could think about was if Claire had been one of those girls. He wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself. You could call it being protective, or you could call it being scared for her life despite her power that she couldn’t really die. He was a rather protective individual in the first place, but this was also fueled by his desire to make sure that Claire wasn’t taken by any psychos.
He opened the door to his apartment and tossed the briefcase on the chair, rubbing his face and managing to suppress another yawn. God. God, he was frickin’ exhausted to the core, and he knew that…
…that she would be right there on the couch, perched with her legs tucked into her chest and offering him a soft smile. That blond hair swept out of her face, eyes shining up at him as he closed the door behind him and offered her the best smile he could muster. It wasn’t saying much in the state he was in, but it was everything he could offer and more. She stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around the agent and smiling softly. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he murmured back, wrapping his arms right back around her and nuzzling her softly. “You all right?”
Claire stood on her tiptoes and gave him the gentlest of kisses on his cheek. Aaron’s face flushed as she nuzzled his chest and inhaled his scent. The scent of victory, yet despair again. “Happy you’re home. Glad you’re okay.” She gazed into his eyes, stroking back his hair again and smiling at him again. “You okay?”
The smile was returned, albeit sad, and it ripped at her heartstrings to see that face. She just wanted to make him happy. That was all she wanted out of him; she would wait days for him to come home, weeks. She’d sit on his couch, make dinner, give him cuddles. All Claire wanted was a real, genuine smile… and maybe unicorns. But that would wait. “I’m okay. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“It was bad, wasn’t it?
He didn’t have to answer, the hug growing tighter. Claire tugged him gently over to the couch, and he followed almost obediently as she slid off his blazer and kissed him softly on the lips. She pulled him down on the couch, looping her arms around him and moving into his lap with the smallest of grunts. The arms were still protectively around her, and he pressed a gentle kiss into her lips. “It was,” he whispered against her lips again. “It was… terrible. Worse than normal.”
She stroked his hair slightly, simply gazing into his eyes. He wanted her. He wanted to just hug her, keep her safe. Protect her for as long as he could to make sure that she didn’t suffer a fate like Haley did. That was the last thing he wanted…
“It’s okay. …I love you.”
Aaron’s sad smile softened a little more. “I-I love you too.”
And that was all that was needed as she melted into his grasp and hugged him tighter. He kept her close, nuzzling her chest.
Breathing easy for the first time in four days since he’d left her last.