Conversations in Transit
Title: Conversations In Transit
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Reid/Hotch
Genre: Slash
Rating: PG
Prompt: 14, the tarmac @ story_lottery
Word Count: 1,279
Disclaimer: Definitely not mine.
Summary:: Three conversations about (or sort of about) the way that Hotch and Reid are together.
1.
It’s just past dusk and they’re taxiing the runway, ready to make their way to Des Moines, and Aaron and Spencer are sitting side by side in the two seats closest to the front of the plane. Aaron has never had a problem with flying, has never worried about take off or landing or the highly improbable event that the plane will explode or crash mid-air, but he knows that sometimes Spencer does. When Spencer starts rubbing his thumb along the inside of his index finger, back and forth in some sort of compulsive, repetitive motion, Aaron looks up from the file he’s been reading and smirks.
“I still don’t understand how you can spend so much time lecturing us on the statistical improbability of things and then turn around and be afraid of flying,” he says.
Spencer turns his head to look at Aaron with wide eyes, lifts his hand to tuck his hair behind his ear and sort-of shrugs without answering. Aaron watches the way Spencer bites his lip and the path that his finger’s take as they slide along his temple and down the side of his jaw.
“For there to be a probability of something happening that event has to have happened before,” Spencer says. “The lower the probability, the less frequent that event occurs.”
Aaron lets his smirk ease into a smile. “I know,” he says,"I took statistics."
Spencer bites his lip again, and his fingers curl into a loose fist. “We could crash and die,” he says earnestly, and it’s so un-Spencer-like that Aaron has to hold in a laugh. “We could be the statistical anomaly.”
Aaron lets his smile grow into a grin and moves his hand to cover Spencer’s, keeping Spencer’s fingers still. “We could be,” he says, “but what are the odds?”
There’s a moment of silence and Aaron knows that Spencer is doing the exact calculations in his head, but when he answers all he says is, “It’s unlikely.”
Aaron squeezes Spencer’s hand slightly and waits until Spencer smiles back at him before he pulls his hand away.
…
2.
It’s the middle of spring and they’re just back from a case in Toledo, from catching a man who killed kids and ruined families, and it takes all of the energy Aaron has left in him to keep pretending that he isn’t falling apart.
So they exit the plane like normal, and if Aaron’s smile fades once he’s down the stairs, no one has to know. He ducks his head a little, keeping his gaze on the pavement as he moves toward the cars parked alongside the hangar. The sounds of the others conversing floats around him like an intangible buzz, something he can imagine so clearly, but of which he can’t take hold. He tries to make himself move forward and away from it, to block out everything else until he makes it to the car.
He’s only a few yards away when Spencer grabs him by the elbow and pulls him to a stop. Aaron turns toward him, wants to be angry but instead just feels defeated, ducking his head down so he doesn’t have to meet Spencer’s eyes.
“Hey,” Spencer says quietly, watching as the rest of the team head back toward the cars. It’s been a long week and Aaron wants nothing more than to go home and take a long shower and then sleep for as long as possible, but he stands next to Spencer instead. “Hey,” Spencer says again, “you okay?”
Aaron clears his throat and looks up to meet Spencer’s gaze, nodding slightly. “Yeah,” he says, but his voice still catches and the word sounds broken. Spencer looks at him for a moment before he smiles softly and lets his hand fall from Aaron’s elbow.
“I’m sorry it ended like that,” Spencer says.
Aaron chokes back a laugh and closes his eyes, letting his head drop forward again. “I know,” he says. He startles slightly when he feels Spencer’s fingers press under his jaw, tilting his chin up, and he opens his eyes slowly.
“No,” Spencer says softly, “I meant that I’m sorry you had to be the one to find them.”
“Yeah,” Aaron says again, and there’s a moment where he’s just blinking up and neither of them are saying anything. Finally Aaron sighs and nuzzles his jaw against the skin of Spencer’s wrist.
“You’re fingers are cold,” he says, and when he lifts his eyes he sees Spencer smiling at him gently.
“I know,” Spencer says, and then he pulls his hand away. Aaron knows that this is going to be one of those nights where Spencer lays himself bare for Aaron to use, lets himself take the brunt of Aaron’s frustration, watches Aaron fall apart and then puts him back together.
Before Spencer can move away Aaron reaches up and places his hand on Spencer’s shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. “Thanks,” he says, and the way Spencer smiles back at him tells him that Spencer understands.
…
3.
“So you really didn’t call her, then?” Morgan asks from the backseat.
Spencer turns sideways in his seat to look back at him. “No,” Spencer says, “why would I have?”
Morgan leans forward and laughs. “She was all over you, man. She gave you her digits and practically begged you to call.”
“That was for the case,” Spencer protests feebly, and he tries not to pout when Aaron glances over at him and smiles.
“She probably wouldn’t have minded if you’d called for personal reasons,” Aaron says.
Spencer glares at him and wants to say, ‘I was a little busy sucking your dick, you ass.’ Instead he just snaps, “Eyes on the road,” barely suppressing the urge to cross his arms like a petulant teenager. “Besides,” he says, turning back toward Morgan, “she didn’t seem like the type of person who I could hold a real conversation with, anyway.”
“Who said anything about conversation?” Morgan teases, grinning.
“I like to be interested in my partner for more than just sex,” Spencer snaps out. When Morgan raises his eyebrows, Spencer curses inwardly.
“Your partner, huh?” Morgan says, and his grin turns shark-like. “Reid’s got himself a girlfriend!”
When Aaron smirks at Spencer with a raised eyebrow, Spencer groans and lets his head thump back against the window. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he says.
“Too bad,” Morgan says, “spill.”
Spencer glares at him for a moment before glancing over to Aaron, who is grinning widely. “Yeah, Reid,” Aaron says, “spill.”
Spencer clenches his jaw for a moment before glaring at Aaron and rolling his eyes. “There’s really nothing to say,” he says, turning his attention back to Morgan, “I’m probably going to end it soon, anyway.”
“Why’s that?” Morgan asks, leaning forward. Aaron is biting his lip to keep from laughing, and Spencer mentally debates the merits of flicking him in the ear before he decides against it; he can think of much better punishments to be put to use in private.
“Sometimes she can be a real bitch,” Spencer says.
Morgan starts laughing and settles back in his seat, shaking his head affectionately. Spencer turns to face forward in his seat again, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Aaron’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
“Women can be like that,” Morgan says after a minute. "But sometimes it's worth putting up with their shit."
“Yeah,” Spencer says, sighing petulantly. He glances at Aaron with a subdued scowl. “I know.” Aaron just smiles beatifically at him. Spencer shakes his head and jabs at the radio power button with more force than necessary, and when Morgan tries to ask him another question he turns the volume up and pretends he can't hear it.
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Reid/Hotch
Genre: Slash
Rating: PG
Prompt: 14, the tarmac @ story_lottery
Word Count: 1,279
Disclaimer: Definitely not mine.
Summary:: Three conversations about (or sort of about) the way that Hotch and Reid are together.
1.
It’s just past dusk and they’re taxiing the runway, ready to make their way to Des Moines, and Aaron and Spencer are sitting side by side in the two seats closest to the front of the plane. Aaron has never had a problem with flying, has never worried about take off or landing or the highly improbable event that the plane will explode or crash mid-air, but he knows that sometimes Spencer does. When Spencer starts rubbing his thumb along the inside of his index finger, back and forth in some sort of compulsive, repetitive motion, Aaron looks up from the file he’s been reading and smirks.
“I still don’t understand how you can spend so much time lecturing us on the statistical improbability of things and then turn around and be afraid of flying,” he says.
Spencer turns his head to look at Aaron with wide eyes, lifts his hand to tuck his hair behind his ear and sort-of shrugs without answering. Aaron watches the way Spencer bites his lip and the path that his finger’s take as they slide along his temple and down the side of his jaw.
“For there to be a probability of something happening that event has to have happened before,” Spencer says. “The lower the probability, the less frequent that event occurs.”
Aaron lets his smirk ease into a smile. “I know,” he says,"I took statistics."
Spencer bites his lip again, and his fingers curl into a loose fist. “We could crash and die,” he says earnestly, and it’s so un-Spencer-like that Aaron has to hold in a laugh. “We could be the statistical anomaly.”
Aaron lets his smile grow into a grin and moves his hand to cover Spencer’s, keeping Spencer’s fingers still. “We could be,” he says, “but what are the odds?”
There’s a moment of silence and Aaron knows that Spencer is doing the exact calculations in his head, but when he answers all he says is, “It’s unlikely.”
Aaron squeezes Spencer’s hand slightly and waits until Spencer smiles back at him before he pulls his hand away.
…
2.
It’s the middle of spring and they’re just back from a case in Toledo, from catching a man who killed kids and ruined families, and it takes all of the energy Aaron has left in him to keep pretending that he isn’t falling apart.
So they exit the plane like normal, and if Aaron’s smile fades once he’s down the stairs, no one has to know. He ducks his head a little, keeping his gaze on the pavement as he moves toward the cars parked alongside the hangar. The sounds of the others conversing floats around him like an intangible buzz, something he can imagine so clearly, but of which he can’t take hold. He tries to make himself move forward and away from it, to block out everything else until he makes it to the car.
He’s only a few yards away when Spencer grabs him by the elbow and pulls him to a stop. Aaron turns toward him, wants to be angry but instead just feels defeated, ducking his head down so he doesn’t have to meet Spencer’s eyes.
“Hey,” Spencer says quietly, watching as the rest of the team head back toward the cars. It’s been a long week and Aaron wants nothing more than to go home and take a long shower and then sleep for as long as possible, but he stands next to Spencer instead. “Hey,” Spencer says again, “you okay?”
Aaron clears his throat and looks up to meet Spencer’s gaze, nodding slightly. “Yeah,” he says, but his voice still catches and the word sounds broken. Spencer looks at him for a moment before he smiles softly and lets his hand fall from Aaron’s elbow.
“I’m sorry it ended like that,” Spencer says.
Aaron chokes back a laugh and closes his eyes, letting his head drop forward again. “I know,” he says. He startles slightly when he feels Spencer’s fingers press under his jaw, tilting his chin up, and he opens his eyes slowly.
“No,” Spencer says softly, “I meant that I’m sorry you had to be the one to find them.”
“Yeah,” Aaron says again, and there’s a moment where he’s just blinking up and neither of them are saying anything. Finally Aaron sighs and nuzzles his jaw against the skin of Spencer’s wrist.
“You’re fingers are cold,” he says, and when he lifts his eyes he sees Spencer smiling at him gently.
“I know,” Spencer says, and then he pulls his hand away. Aaron knows that this is going to be one of those nights where Spencer lays himself bare for Aaron to use, lets himself take the brunt of Aaron’s frustration, watches Aaron fall apart and then puts him back together.
Before Spencer can move away Aaron reaches up and places his hand on Spencer’s shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. “Thanks,” he says, and the way Spencer smiles back at him tells him that Spencer understands.
…
3.
“So you really didn’t call her, then?” Morgan asks from the backseat.
Spencer turns sideways in his seat to look back at him. “No,” Spencer says, “why would I have?”
Morgan leans forward and laughs. “She was all over you, man. She gave you her digits and practically begged you to call.”
“That was for the case,” Spencer protests feebly, and he tries not to pout when Aaron glances over at him and smiles.
“She probably wouldn’t have minded if you’d called for personal reasons,” Aaron says.
Spencer glares at him and wants to say, ‘I was a little busy sucking your dick, you ass.’ Instead he just snaps, “Eyes on the road,” barely suppressing the urge to cross his arms like a petulant teenager. “Besides,” he says, turning back toward Morgan, “she didn’t seem like the type of person who I could hold a real conversation with, anyway.”
“Who said anything about conversation?” Morgan teases, grinning.
“I like to be interested in my partner for more than just sex,” Spencer snaps out. When Morgan raises his eyebrows, Spencer curses inwardly.
“Your partner, huh?” Morgan says, and his grin turns shark-like. “Reid’s got himself a girlfriend!”
When Aaron smirks at Spencer with a raised eyebrow, Spencer groans and lets his head thump back against the window. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he says.
“Too bad,” Morgan says, “spill.”
Spencer glares at him for a moment before glancing over to Aaron, who is grinning widely. “Yeah, Reid,” Aaron says, “spill.”
Spencer clenches his jaw for a moment before glaring at Aaron and rolling his eyes. “There’s really nothing to say,” he says, turning his attention back to Morgan, “I’m probably going to end it soon, anyway.”
“Why’s that?” Morgan asks, leaning forward. Aaron is biting his lip to keep from laughing, and Spencer mentally debates the merits of flicking him in the ear before he decides against it; he can think of much better punishments to be put to use in private.
“Sometimes she can be a real bitch,” Spencer says.
Morgan starts laughing and settles back in his seat, shaking his head affectionately. Spencer turns to face forward in his seat again, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Aaron’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
“Women can be like that,” Morgan says after a minute. "But sometimes it's worth putting up with their shit."
“Yeah,” Spencer says, sighing petulantly. He glances at Aaron with a subdued scowl. “I know.” Aaron just smiles beatifically at him. Spencer shakes his head and jabs at the radio power button with more force than necessary, and when Morgan tries to ask him another question he turns the volume up and pretends he can't hear it.