Work Text:
The team had just finished an easy case to do with a missing child. The kid was found and no one died. When they arrived back at the BAU, Garcia was waiting for them at the elevator doors. She was wearing a pink dress with yellow stars, and blue leggings. Her heels were rainbow and so was the bow in her hair. An all around Garcia look.
“Oh my lovelies, my wonderful children,” She wrung her hand nervously and checked them for injuries even though Morgan had told her they were all fine. She always tended to worry. “You’re all okay?” When they all nodded, she continued. “That’s splendid, because we’re going to Pride tomorrow! Don’t worry, I made sure that you all took the day off. You have so many vacation days, if we added them all together, one of us could take the year off,” The team stared at their feet. It was well known that the BAU was always working. No one ever took a day off, especially Prentiss, Reid, and Hotch.
“Wait,” Prentiss said. “I thought it was going to just be you, me, and Reid,” That had been the plan. They had gone to Pride the last three years together. It had become sort of a tradition.
“Well, JJ mentioned that she and Will were going this year,” Garcia said. “And my plan just sort of grew,” Garcia’s plans always grew. It was a well known habit of hers.
“I would love to go with you, Baby Girl,” Morgan said. He had never been to Pride before, but if Garcia, Prentiss, and Reid were going, he was not going to miss the chance to go.
“The last time I went to Pride,” Rossi said. “Was 1972. I went with a friend and her girlfriend. I think they’re married now,” He had gone to make sure no one had messed with them. It had worked too. After he punched one guy in the face, no one bothered them.
“I’m bringing my girlfriend and you all better be nice to her,” Prentiss threatened. Morgan grinned, it was always great meeting one of the team’s partner’s especially if you didn’t know they existed a minute ago.
“Also, bring the children,” Garcia said excitedly, talking to JJ and Hotch. “I think they’ll love it,”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotch nervously walked with Jack to the park where they would be meeting everyone else. He wasn’t a big fan of crowds or lots of noise. He saw that everyone was there when he arrived. Garcia was wearing a dress covered in what he knew were pansexual flags, she was painting a bi flag on Reid face while he grumbled. Hotch smiled, he loved when his team relaxed, and could have a normal time. Prentiss was standing next to a tall black woman who must have been her girlfriend. Garcia spotted Hotch and Jack and ran up to them, “Sir! You’re here!” She said. “Not that you’re late or I didn’t think you would show,” Garcia rambled.
“Garcia,” Hotch said, with a small smile. “Slow down- Also you don’t have to call me sir,” Jack had run off to be with Henry. Henry had a pride flag tied around him like a cap, and was running to his mother to get Jack one.
“Hotch!” Prentiss shouted. “Come over here,” He waved for him to join her and her girlfriend. Garcia must have gotten to her to, because she had a little lesbian flag painted on her left cheek. “Liza, this is my boss Hotch,” Hotch shook her hand. “Hotch, this is Professor Elizabeth Moore,”
“You can just call me Liza,” Liza said. She also had lesbian pride flag painted on her left cheek. On the other cheek she had the trans pride flag painted. “Em has told me all about you,”
“You can call me Hotch. So what do you study?” He asked. He knew that whoever Prentiss was with would be educated and intelligent.
“Psychology,” She said. “You probably don’t remember, you all talked in my class,” She was right, he didn’t remember. The BAU talked in a lot of classes.
They stood and chatted until Garcia came over, and got them all to follow her. They trailed behind her, making small talk and making sure Henry and Jack stayed close to them. They entered on to this street filled with people mulling around, with stalls selling food, drinks, and pride stuff. Jack pulled him and Garcia over to a stall selling flags, like the one Henry had.
There were flags of every colour, pinks, blues, greens, greys, purples, yellows. Jack was asking what they all meant and Garcia was answering. Hotch knew pretty much just the trans, bi, gay, lesbian, and pan flag, but there were so many others. He wasn’t really paying attention until he heard Garcia tell Jack about the asexual flag. “Asexual?” Hotch asked. “I’ve heard that somewhere. What does it mean?”
“Asexual means someone that isn’t attracted to someone sexually,” She said. “They may have romantic attraction, but not sexual,” Huh. He didn’t know that was a thing. He was reminded of high school when all the boys would be talking about girls and sex and he just didn’t care. He had loved Haley, but hadn’t really ever been attracted to her sexually. When they were teens, she had liked that, but as they got older she was annoyed that he never started things sexually. So when Jack decided he wanted the same rainbow flag as Henry, Hotch bought the purple, grey, black, and white one for himself. When Garcia saw that he bought the flag she grinned and said, “A new member of our BAU LGBTQ+ group!” She then helped him put the flag in of his buttons, and Hotch helped Jack fasen his much bigger flag around his neck. “Also, I’m going to paint your face,” When he started to protest, she continued. “It’s the rule. Even Reid got one,” She paused. “Are you just ace or are you aromantic too?”
Aromantic must be the same as ace just with romance, he definitely had romantic attraction so he said, “No, I don’t think so. I have romantic attraction toward women,” He did. He had loved Haley and Beth, also he had never felt any romantic attraction toward men, so just women.
“So you’re heteromantic asexual!” Garcia said, bouncing on her heels. “Let me get my face paint!” She rummaged around in her purse as Jack ran back to the group. Hotch kept an eye on him to make sure he didn’t get, but he just ran to Rossi and Rossi put him on his shoulders. Garcia pulled out the paints and looked at the colours she had. It seemed like she had brought every colour in the book. When she saw him looking, she explained, “I brought all the colour in case someone came out! Seems I didn’t over prepare,” She managed to find grey, black, white, and dark purple. “Now hold still,” He stood stock still, and she painted his face. When she had finished, she said, “Perfect! Now let’s go check on the others,”
As they walked back, Hotch said, “Thank you, Garcia. I would have never figured this out on my own,” He paused thinking of what to say. “I would have gone the rest of my life thinking something was wrong with me,”
Garcia fanned her eyes, trying not to cry, “Sir,” She said. “You’re going to make me cry, and I can’t cry at Pride, so don’t make me cry,”
When they got back to the others, Reid was talking about the beginnings of Pride Month, and LGBTQ+ history. No one was really paying attention, and he stopped when Hotch and Garcia got back. When Prentiss saw his flag she cursed, and Morgan laughed, he was confused until Morgan said, “You owe me twenty dollar Emily!” She grumbled as she handed him the money.
Hotch frowned, “You were betting on my sexuality?” He had been part of the running bet over Reid’s sexulity. Everyone had been. Garcia had been a hundred dollars richer when Reid came out.
Prentiss sighed, “It’s been sort of a tradition since Reid,” Reid glared at them playfully. He wasn’t really mad about it, but it had turned into kind of a thing. “We’ve had this bet going since Beth,”
Hotch was surprised, “That long?”
Prentiss and JJ gave each other the side eye as Garcia said, “Well, we became friends with Beth and she even joined our girls night,” Garcia paused and blushed. “And we all got really drunk, and she started saying how she thought you might be ace. She gave a bunch of reason’s too! She was looking for ways to ask you. Morgan got involved and they made a bet,”
Rossi clapped his shoulder and said, “Glad that’s settled! Now let’s get some food,”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rossi was sitting on the grass watching the team. He was surrounded by all their stuff and was just chilling. A woman sat on the ground next to him and plopped down about seven different bags, “Can I sit here?” She asked. When he nodded his ascent, she said, “You’re people leave you with the bags too?” He told her that they had and she pointed out the group of people who she was with. There was a tall hispanic man, a dark skinned woman with a hijab, and a young white person in a wheelchair. “Those are the people I came here with. College friends. What about you?”
Rossi pointed at the BAU team, where Prentiss and Liza were kissing, Reid was caring a sleeping Henry, JJ and Will were holding hands, Jack was on Hotch’s shoulders, and Morgan and Garcia were inevitably flirting playfully. “That’s my team. Or friends” He paused. “Maybe family. I don’t know, I cook dinner for them once a week and buy their children expensive gifts,”