You Be the Anchor, for floatingamoeba, Hotch/JJ, PG-13
Title: You Be The Anchor
Author: failegaidin
Recipient: floatingamoeba
Pairing: Hotch/JJ
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,138
Summary: The team is in Hawaii, and Hotch and JJ grow closer.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Though owning Hawaii would be awesome.
"Brooding is not allowed on vacation, Agent Hotchner."
He turned to see JJ coming out onto the balcony, drink in hand. He didn't get to see her like this often - denim shorts hugging her hips, a red tank top dipping dangerously low in all the right places. Her hair was down and her laughter warm, and he found his chest constricting at the beauty of it all.
She was still looking at him, one eyebrow raised in amusement, and he realized she was waiting for a response.
"I was not brooding," he said firmly. Turning, he leaned his arms on the railing and looked out at the water. "I wish Jack could be here.
JJ nodded and came to stand beside him, their shoulders almost touching. "I miss Henry, too."
"Is it Will's weekend with him?" He hated even saying the detective's name, and the intensity of that hatred surprised him.
"Yeah. Good thing, too. He probably would have given me trouble for having a vacation otherwise."
Hotch's lips quirked. "Technically, Strauss ordered you to stay here. Mandated team rest."
"Then I guess I should be glad for a particularly difficult case in Hawaii." She sighed as her eyes stayed locked on the water. "It really is beautiful."
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He hadn't felt like this in years, and it made him feel like an awkward teenager.
"Yeah," he whispered.
He didn't get away with it, though. JJ turned and caught his gaze, her own eyes narrowing playfully.
"Did you just use a line on me?"
"I…" For once, his words failed him, and Hotch could feel his cheeks starting to burn. "It wasn't meant to be a line," he murmured.
"What was it supposed to be, then?"
"The truth, actually." He made a face. "I wasn't supposed to say it out loud, either."
JJ smiled slowly, and he thought he saw a blush rising. "I'm glad you did." Nudging him lightly, she turned. "C'mon. Let's go back inside with everyone before they think we've run off."
"Would that be such a bad thing?" The flirting came easily now, and he was rewarded with a mischievous grin over her shoulder.
"Any time you want to run off to Hawaii with me, you let me know. We'll grab the boys and hop on a plane.”
We'll grab the boys. Hotch couldn't stop the dorky grin from taking over his face.
****
She stared out at the water, the board underneath her swaying with the movement of the waves. She missed Henry terribly, but she couldn’t deny that this time off was precious. The water and the breeze were warm, and she closed her eyes, breathing everything in.
"I thought brooding wasn't allowed."
JJ nearly jumped out of her skin, momentarily losing her equilibrium on the board. Hand pressed to her chest, she turned to see Hotch swimming next to her, a boyish smirk on his face.
"I thought you didn't like to swim," she countered.
He shrugged, and they both knew that he had lied the day before. It wasn't the swimming or the water that was his problem, but the vulnerability. No one had seen his torso since Foyet, and it was obvious that he hadn't come to terms with the physical scars yet. JJ couldn't blame him, but it made her sad. He deserved so much more than this.
"It's easier with some people," he said quietly, treading water. "You make it easier."
Her smile was soft, and he couldn't help but notice the way her wet hair clung to her face and shoulders.
"I wasn't brooding," she confessed.
"Apparently. So you were…surfing?"
"A little."
"And when did you learn to surf?"
"I spent one spring break down in Miami. A very attractive young man was more than willing to give me a few lessons."
Hotch raised his eyebrows and nodded ruefully. "I'm sure he was."
JJ gave him a penetrating look and then pursed her lips. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Ever been on a board?"
"Do I look like someone who gets on a surfboard?"
"You do today." She patted the spot in front of her. "C'mon."
He laughed and shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'll tip you over, JJ."
"Please. The board wants to float, Hotch. I'll keep it steady and you climb up here."
He glanced back towards the beach and saw that they were still alone. The rest of the team had wandered off to various parts of the island, and they weren't supposed to meet up again until dinner. Looking back up at JJ and her expectant expression, he was torn. He really wanted to be up there with her. But that would mean pulling his body out of the water, exposing the very things he was most ashamed about. He wasn't sure he was ready for that.
"C'mon," she repeated, her voice quiet and gentle. "It's just me."
"You're not 'just' anything, JJ."
Her eyes widened slightly at his words, but he had already made his decision. Pressing his hands down on the board, he watched it sink a little under the weight. JJ's thighs tightened around it, but he tried not to get distracted, focusing instead of what he was doing. Carefully, he slid one leg until he was straddling the surfboard and then eased back with his arms.
"See?" she said, still smiling. "You did it."
Hotch looked up and realized that they were face-to-face now, with only an inch or two separating them. Her toes brushed against his legs in the water, and he couldn't help but shiver slightly as the waves moved them back and forth.
"The reward was worth it," he murmured.
He heard her breath catch, but then he was moving in and pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was gentle, but there was no hesitancy, and JJ felt her lips curling up into a smile as she returned the gesture. They sat there for a long time, moving with the water, trading small kisses and smiling at each other.
Hotch didn't even notice when the cold knot that had taken up permanent residence in the pit of his stomach went away, replaced by a warm, heavy feeling that anchored him. It just happened naturally, and he could suddenly breathe easier.
"JJ," he whispered, wanting to explain. But there was no way he could, no way he could share exactly how things were locking into place in that one moment.
Her fingers came up and pressed against his lips, and she shook her head. Leaning forward, she kissed him one more time and then rested her head on his shoulder, sighing. Hotch wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, staring off across the water as he kissed her hair.
"Thank you," he murmured.
Author: failegaidin
Recipient: floatingamoeba
Pairing: Hotch/JJ
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,138
Summary: The team is in Hawaii, and Hotch and JJ grow closer.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Though owning Hawaii would be awesome.
"Brooding is not allowed on vacation, Agent Hotchner."
He turned to see JJ coming out onto the balcony, drink in hand. He didn't get to see her like this often - denim shorts hugging her hips, a red tank top dipping dangerously low in all the right places. Her hair was down and her laughter warm, and he found his chest constricting at the beauty of it all.
She was still looking at him, one eyebrow raised in amusement, and he realized she was waiting for a response.
"I was not brooding," he said firmly. Turning, he leaned his arms on the railing and looked out at the water. "I wish Jack could be here.
JJ nodded and came to stand beside him, their shoulders almost touching. "I miss Henry, too."
"Is it Will's weekend with him?" He hated even saying the detective's name, and the intensity of that hatred surprised him.
"Yeah. Good thing, too. He probably would have given me trouble for having a vacation otherwise."
Hotch's lips quirked. "Technically, Strauss ordered you to stay here. Mandated team rest."
"Then I guess I should be glad for a particularly difficult case in Hawaii." She sighed as her eyes stayed locked on the water. "It really is beautiful."
He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He hadn't felt like this in years, and it made him feel like an awkward teenager.
"Yeah," he whispered.
He didn't get away with it, though. JJ turned and caught his gaze, her own eyes narrowing playfully.
"Did you just use a line on me?"
"I…" For once, his words failed him, and Hotch could feel his cheeks starting to burn. "It wasn't meant to be a line," he murmured.
"What was it supposed to be, then?"
"The truth, actually." He made a face. "I wasn't supposed to say it out loud, either."
JJ smiled slowly, and he thought he saw a blush rising. "I'm glad you did." Nudging him lightly, she turned. "C'mon. Let's go back inside with everyone before they think we've run off."
"Would that be such a bad thing?" The flirting came easily now, and he was rewarded with a mischievous grin over her shoulder.
"Any time you want to run off to Hawaii with me, you let me know. We'll grab the boys and hop on a plane.”
We'll grab the boys. Hotch couldn't stop the dorky grin from taking over his face.
****
She stared out at the water, the board underneath her swaying with the movement of the waves. She missed Henry terribly, but she couldn’t deny that this time off was precious. The water and the breeze were warm, and she closed her eyes, breathing everything in.
"I thought brooding wasn't allowed."
JJ nearly jumped out of her skin, momentarily losing her equilibrium on the board. Hand pressed to her chest, she turned to see Hotch swimming next to her, a boyish smirk on his face.
"I thought you didn't like to swim," she countered.
He shrugged, and they both knew that he had lied the day before. It wasn't the swimming or the water that was his problem, but the vulnerability. No one had seen his torso since Foyet, and it was obvious that he hadn't come to terms with the physical scars yet. JJ couldn't blame him, but it made her sad. He deserved so much more than this.
"It's easier with some people," he said quietly, treading water. "You make it easier."
Her smile was soft, and he couldn't help but notice the way her wet hair clung to her face and shoulders.
"I wasn't brooding," she confessed.
"Apparently. So you were…surfing?"
"A little."
"And when did you learn to surf?"
"I spent one spring break down in Miami. A very attractive young man was more than willing to give me a few lessons."
Hotch raised his eyebrows and nodded ruefully. "I'm sure he was."
JJ gave him a penetrating look and then pursed her lips. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Ever been on a board?"
"Do I look like someone who gets on a surfboard?"
"You do today." She patted the spot in front of her. "C'mon."
He laughed and shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'll tip you over, JJ."
"Please. The board wants to float, Hotch. I'll keep it steady and you climb up here."
He glanced back towards the beach and saw that they were still alone. The rest of the team had wandered off to various parts of the island, and they weren't supposed to meet up again until dinner. Looking back up at JJ and her expectant expression, he was torn. He really wanted to be up there with her. But that would mean pulling his body out of the water, exposing the very things he was most ashamed about. He wasn't sure he was ready for that.
"C'mon," she repeated, her voice quiet and gentle. "It's just me."
"You're not 'just' anything, JJ."
Her eyes widened slightly at his words, but he had already made his decision. Pressing his hands down on the board, he watched it sink a little under the weight. JJ's thighs tightened around it, but he tried not to get distracted, focusing instead of what he was doing. Carefully, he slid one leg until he was straddling the surfboard and then eased back with his arms.
"See?" she said, still smiling. "You did it."
Hotch looked up and realized that they were face-to-face now, with only an inch or two separating them. Her toes brushed against his legs in the water, and he couldn't help but shiver slightly as the waves moved them back and forth.
"The reward was worth it," he murmured.
He heard her breath catch, but then he was moving in and pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was gentle, but there was no hesitancy, and JJ felt her lips curling up into a smile as she returned the gesture. They sat there for a long time, moving with the water, trading small kisses and smiling at each other.
Hotch didn't even notice when the cold knot that had taken up permanent residence in the pit of his stomach went away, replaced by a warm, heavy feeling that anchored him. It just happened naturally, and he could suddenly breathe easier.
"JJ," he whispered, wanting to explain. But there was no way he could, no way he could share exactly how things were locking into place in that one moment.
Her fingers came up and pressed against his lips, and she shook her head. Leaning forward, she kissed him one more time and then rested her head on his shoulder, sighing. Hotch wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, staring off across the water as he kissed her hair.
"Thank you," he murmured.