fic : Juice (Hotch/Reid, PG)
Title: Juice
Author: bowie28 (Bow)
Pairing/Characters: Hotch/Reid, David Rossi, Jack Hotchner (Criminal Minds)
Rating: PG
Warning: Angst
Spoiler: The end bit of 6x22 'Out of the Light'
Word count: 767
Beta: None. Sorry. Didn’t want to bother anyone with my doodling.
Disclaimer: FICTION
Summary: Dave wasn’t surprised when Reid showed up at Aaron’s place unannounced with a big box of orange juice.
Author’s Notes: 1) Written for maldeluxx who requested ‘J for Juice’ on my long overdue H/R alphabet memes. 2) Written as an episode tag for 6x22 'Out of the Light' celebrating the awesome Hotch/Rossi bonding.
Juice
Dave wasn’t surprised when Reid showed up at Aaron’s place unannounced with a big box of orange juice, something the Hotchners had apparently run out of. Dave was, however, surprised when Aaron started using ‘Hotch’ voice thanking Reid before taking the juice and started asking about some mysterious case file he’d apparently asked Reid to drop off. The confusion on Reid’s face lasted only a moment before it turned into complete horror when Reid looked past Aaron and spotted Dave nursing a glass of whiskey on the armchair.
“Hey, kid,” Dave greeted.
Just then Jack ran out and into Reid’s legs. “Spencer! We won! We won!”
Reid looked down at a Spider-Man-pajamas-wearing Jack Hotchner whom Rossi had seen Aaron tuck in half an hour ago.
“We had a soccer game today. Jack’s team won,” Aaron reported as he pried his five-year-old son off of Reid who nodded as if this had been the first time they discussed Jack’s soccer games.
Dave’s surprise now turned into mild annoyance because he had known Aaron since the guy had still called Haley ten times a day. Dave had witnessed Aaron Hotchner in love. It was moronic and a tad bit offensive that his friend had deemed this whole charade necessary.
Aaron turned to look at Dave, probably expecting a smart-ass remark or two, and his friend would have had been right if Reid’s face hadn’t turned even paler when Jack demanded, “Why didn’t you come?”
Reid looked at Dave, then Aaron. “I uh…”
“Jack, I told you Spencer was busy,” Aaron said, placing his free hand on Jack’s head. “And you should be in bed. You have school tomorrow.”
“But I heard Spencer’s voice…”
“Jack.” Aaron used the ‘Hotch’ voice again and Dave felt kind of bad for the kid. “Go on. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Reid looked all kinds of broken and Dave expected him to follow Jack any second now, but Reid didn’t move. Instead Reid opened his bag and pulled out a manila folder.
“Here. The case we discussed earlier.”
Aaron’s hand froze for a second before taking the folder.
“I’m sorry, I should have called,” Reid said, so low Dave wouldn’t have heard if the room hadn’t been in complete silence.
“No, I shou…” A pause. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Good night, Hotch.”
“Good night, Reid.”
When Reid was gone and Aaron was done tucking Jack in (again), Dave found himself in the kitchen, watching his friend put away the orange juice Reid had brought, and they were still NOT talking about the fact that Reid had just brought a beverage that the Hotchner household had just happened to run out of. The whole thing was getting ridiculous. It wasn’t like Dave was hoping to get them caught or anything. Reid had showed up all on his own. With the goddamn orange juice. If there had ever been a time for Aaron to talk to Dave, this was it.
But instead Aaron gave him a Hotch glare. “Don’t.”
“What?”
“You know what,” Aaron said before walking past him and headed back to the living room.
“Come on, Aaron. We’ve known each other for what now?” Dave prodded, following his friend.
But that wasn’t even what had been bothering Dave. The secrecy didn’t bother him. It was the denial.
“I never knew you to make a call that you weren’t ready to face the consequences,” Dave said. “You can talk to me. I’m not gonna tell anybody.”
Aaron paused and Dave did the same. The tension left Aaron’s shoulders and when Aaron turned around, the wall was almost gone. His friend sat on the couch, weary, looking at anything but him. “I know you won’t.”
“Not that I need to,” Dave added before he could stop himself. And okay, he totally deserved a Hotch glare this time.
Aaron didn’t say anything, so Dave sat on the armchair across from his friend and waited.
“I’m sorry, Dave. I would have said something if it was just my call to make,” Aaron said finally.
Of course. Reid, going through what he had gone through, would try to keep what he could finally call his own his as long as possible. And Aaron, being the patient and understanding man that he was, would wait around forever because he thought Reid was worth it. Of course.
Dave watched the relief settling in his friend’s body but the weariness was still there.
“Give him some time. He’ll come around,” Dave said. “After all, the kid’s a genius.”
His friend cracked a smile, and Dave had to do the same.
Fin
Author: bowie28 (Bow)
Pairing/Characters: Hotch/Reid, David Rossi, Jack Hotchner (Criminal Minds)
Rating: PG
Warning: Angst
Spoiler: The end bit of 6x22 'Out of the Light'
Word count: 767
Beta: None. Sorry. Didn’t want to bother anyone with my doodling.
Disclaimer: FICTION
Summary: Dave wasn’t surprised when Reid showed up at Aaron’s place unannounced with a big box of orange juice.
Author’s Notes: 1) Written for maldeluxx who requested ‘J for Juice’ on my long overdue H/R alphabet memes. 2) Written as an episode tag for 6x22 'Out of the Light' celebrating the awesome Hotch/Rossi bonding.
Juice
Dave wasn’t surprised when Reid showed up at Aaron’s place unannounced with a big box of orange juice, something the Hotchners had apparently run out of. Dave was, however, surprised when Aaron started using ‘Hotch’ voice thanking Reid before taking the juice and started asking about some mysterious case file he’d apparently asked Reid to drop off. The confusion on Reid’s face lasted only a moment before it turned into complete horror when Reid looked past Aaron and spotted Dave nursing a glass of whiskey on the armchair.
“Hey, kid,” Dave greeted.
Just then Jack ran out and into Reid’s legs. “Spencer! We won! We won!”
Reid looked down at a Spider-Man-pajamas-wearing Jack Hotchner whom Rossi had seen Aaron tuck in half an hour ago.
“We had a soccer game today. Jack’s team won,” Aaron reported as he pried his five-year-old son off of Reid who nodded as if this had been the first time they discussed Jack’s soccer games.
Dave’s surprise now turned into mild annoyance because he had known Aaron since the guy had still called Haley ten times a day. Dave had witnessed Aaron Hotchner in love. It was moronic and a tad bit offensive that his friend had deemed this whole charade necessary.
Aaron turned to look at Dave, probably expecting a smart-ass remark or two, and his friend would have had been right if Reid’s face hadn’t turned even paler when Jack demanded, “Why didn’t you come?”
Reid looked at Dave, then Aaron. “I uh…”
“Jack, I told you Spencer was busy,” Aaron said, placing his free hand on Jack’s head. “And you should be in bed. You have school tomorrow.”
“But I heard Spencer’s voice…”
“Jack.” Aaron used the ‘Hotch’ voice again and Dave felt kind of bad for the kid. “Go on. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Reid looked all kinds of broken and Dave expected him to follow Jack any second now, but Reid didn’t move. Instead Reid opened his bag and pulled out a manila folder.
“Here. The case we discussed earlier.”
Aaron’s hand froze for a second before taking the folder.
“I’m sorry, I should have called,” Reid said, so low Dave wouldn’t have heard if the room hadn’t been in complete silence.
“No, I shou…” A pause. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Good night, Hotch.”
“Good night, Reid.”
When Reid was gone and Aaron was done tucking Jack in (again), Dave found himself in the kitchen, watching his friend put away the orange juice Reid had brought, and they were still NOT talking about the fact that Reid had just brought a beverage that the Hotchner household had just happened to run out of. The whole thing was getting ridiculous. It wasn’t like Dave was hoping to get them caught or anything. Reid had showed up all on his own. With the goddamn orange juice. If there had ever been a time for Aaron to talk to Dave, this was it.
But instead Aaron gave him a Hotch glare. “Don’t.”
“What?”
“You know what,” Aaron said before walking past him and headed back to the living room.
“Come on, Aaron. We’ve known each other for what now?” Dave prodded, following his friend.
But that wasn’t even what had been bothering Dave. The secrecy didn’t bother him. It was the denial.
“I never knew you to make a call that you weren’t ready to face the consequences,” Dave said. “You can talk to me. I’m not gonna tell anybody.”
Aaron paused and Dave did the same. The tension left Aaron’s shoulders and when Aaron turned around, the wall was almost gone. His friend sat on the couch, weary, looking at anything but him. “I know you won’t.”
“Not that I need to,” Dave added before he could stop himself. And okay, he totally deserved a Hotch glare this time.
Aaron didn’t say anything, so Dave sat on the armchair across from his friend and waited.
“I’m sorry, Dave. I would have said something if it was just my call to make,” Aaron said finally.
Of course. Reid, going through what he had gone through, would try to keep what he could finally call his own his as long as possible. And Aaron, being the patient and understanding man that he was, would wait around forever because he thought Reid was worth it. Of course.
Dave watched the relief settling in his friend’s body but the weariness was still there.
“Give him some time. He’ll come around,” Dave said. “After all, the kid’s a genius.”
His friend cracked a smile, and Dave had to do the same.
Fin