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“Are you aware that you stare at him? A lot?” David asked as he scooted next to him in the booth, the rest of the team hanging around different areas of the bar. Spencer had been pulled with JJ’s corner where she’d snuck away from Emily and Penelope, which wasn’t entirely shocking, and Aaron was keeping an eye on him.
“Sorry?” Aaron asked, blinking himself back to reality to look at David.
“You’ve been staring at him for the past 8 minutes,” David whispered, and Aaron’s eyebrows raised as if he hadn’t noticed. “And ever since you told me, I’ve noticed you tend to stare. A lot. Don’t get me wrong, in a respectful way, the kid’s not hard on the eyes, but… I think by now you’ve got everything memorized about him physically, when it comes to your staring problem.”
Aaron’s gaze shifted into a playful glare before his eyes danced back to Spencer, who was laughing with JJ now, catching Aaron’s eye and shooting him a more shy smile before looking back at JJ. “Where else would I look?” Aaron asked, and David chuckled.
“I’m not sure, but you kinda look like a lost puppy,” David teased, and Aaron glared at him again. “What? You do.”
“I can’t believe I never noticed how often he stares at you,” JJ whispered, glancing out of the corner of her eye as Spencer made eye contact with Aaron.
“I think everyone tries to avoid Aaron’s eyeline,” Spencer whispered, smiling shyly and turning back to JJ when the gaze became too much to look back on. “He does it at home too, when I’m making food, watching TV, helping Jack with his projects.”
“So he’s always looking at you?” JJ teased, and Spencer chuckled, feeling his cheeks heat up.
“Well, don’t turn around now but I think you’ve also caught someone’s gaze,” Spencer whispered, and JJ turned her head to catch Emily watching her before the ravenette ducked her head to return talking to Penelope and the guy that approached them, quickly dibanding any confidence he had of going home with either of them that night.
JJ chuckled lightly to herself, a new flush on her own cheeks as Spencer stared at her knowingly. “Shut up, I get it,” JJ whispered, and Spencer chuckled, nodding. “Do you think Rossi knows?” She asked, clearing her throat and taking a sip of her margarita.
“If I knew Aaron like I think I do, I’d say at this point yeah,” Spencer chuckled. “If not because he told him, but because Rossi’s been doing this enough to find out.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” JJ said with a nod.
The conversation quickly ended when Derek approached the both of them and tried pulling them to the dance floor.
-7-
“Daddy,” Jack whispered, it was his bedtime, and he was all tucked in. Aaron had just finished a candle session for Jack and was now going to read him a story before the boy caught his attention.
“Yes?” Aaron whispered, gently pressing him to continue.
“Do you love Spencie?” Jack whispered.
Aaron paused for a moment, unsure of how to really answer that question. “Jack, I care about Spencer very much,” He decided on, it was an easy answer that didn’t cause him to think too hard about how deep his feelings for Spencer went.
“Are you gonna marry him?” Jack asked, and Aaron cleared his throat.
“I-I don’t know, bud,” Aaron whispered. “Let’s read you your story and get you to sleep, okay? You’ve got school in the morning.”
Once the boy was out, Aaron flicked the lamp off and left the room, going back downstairs to an empty house and opening the fridge to get a beer. His heart was pounding, for a reason Aaron couldn’t seem to understand, as he went back upstairs to finish some paperwork.
Was he in love with Spencer?
Really, what is love? Spencer would have the answer to that, scientifically anyway. Aaron always thought of Haley when he thought of love. That image changed recently, his wife was gone and of course never forgotten. Did he love Spencer? Of course he did, he loved the whole team. But that was different. Of course it was, he wasn’t making out with the team on a weekly basis.
Was he in love with Spencer?
Aaron couldn’t focus on paperwork.
His phone ringing made him jump, and he picked up. “Aaron Hotchner,” He said.
“We’ve got another one, sir,” Garcia’s voice poked through.
“I’m on my way.”
As soon as Jess was in the door, Aaron was out and on his way to the office.
-7-
Spencer was concerned the moment he saw the victims. They all resembled Aaron, from structure to hair color and where they stood in life. Sure, there wasn’t much physical resemblance in the way of features, but it was concerning, and he knew he wasn’t the only one who felt it.
He just didn’t expect for Aaron to be shot because of it.
It was just to two of them, they split from the team to search the abandoned hospital the unsub was working in. They both tried talking him down, but he was only getting more and more agitated by the second. As soon as one shot was fire, Spencer was firing a round and watched two bodies hit the floor instead of one.
“AARON!” Spencer shouted, dropping his gun and trying to catch the man on his way down, which only took him down as well. “MEDICS! AGENT DOWN!” Spencer screamed through the hallways of the hospital, when he heard footsteps, he looked down to see where Aaron had been shot. Due to the angle they’d all been at, the unsub had been able to shoot Aaron right in the side where the vest wasn’t protecting him, lucky shot, and the chief slowly started hyperventilating as he grabbed his side, feeling his own blood spilling through his fingertips.
“Spencer-” he gasped, and Spencer simply shushed him.
“It’s okay, you’re going to be fine,” Spencer whispered, undoing the velcro to make Aaron more comfortable, placing his own hand over the wound to try and stop bleeding as more footsteps started coming down the hallway. “You’re gonna be okay. It’s gonna hurt and it’s gonna suck but you’ll be fine. You’ll be okay,” Spencer’s voice was breaking, as Aaron slowly started becoming less lucid because of the bloodloss. “Baby, baby look at me, stay with me, okay? Okay, you’re gonna be fine.”
“Spence,” Aaron whispered, his free hand slowly squeezing Spencer’s arm. “I need you-”
“I’m right here,” Spencer promised. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? Just keep your eyes open-”
Finally they were reached by medics and the team. Spencer was silently crying as Aaron was lifted away from him to be assessed. Derek had to pull the genius away and physically hold him, Spencer’s bloodstained hand holding Derek’s arm and he quietly cried, his knee’s locking as he saw Aaron’s eyes shut. He resisted the urge to scream as JJ and David helped pull him away while Derek and Prentiss stayed behind to help with Aaron.
In the hospital, Spencer hardly said a word. A tearstained face and unshed tears in his eyes, he couldn’t find a reason to talk. It wasn’t a fatal wound, he knew that and he knew the loss of consciousness had to be from the blood loss. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to vomit as the scene of Aaron’s limp body falling to the ground replayed in his head every second.
David eventually sat next to him, “He’ll be okay, kid,” He whispered, and Spencer only blinked in acknowledgment. “I know you know that, and I know you’re only this affected because of your feelings for him. But recognize that he’ll make it, and he will come home to you.” Spencer spared him a glance without moving his head, and releasing a shaky breath.
David pat his shoulder and stood to talk to someone else, deciding to leave him alone. JJ, instead, made her way over. She took his hand, and he allowed it without a word. Eventually, he leaned against her, and she pressed her cheek against his head. “I already lost Maeve. I can’t lose another,” He whispered, and she squeezed his hand.
“Hotch is too stubborn. He’s not leaving, and the wound wasn’t fatal,” JJ reminded, and Spencer nodded, he knew that. But Aaron was in surgery, which didn’t make him feel better. “He cares for you too much to die on you.”
“I should’ve listened to my gut,” Spencer whispered, and JJ sighed, kissing the top of his head.
“That might’ve gotten you killed,” She whispered, and Spencer exhaled shakily without another word.
Aaron’s surgery went well, and he was fine as everyone suspected. Spencer was the most relieved to hear it, though.
“He’s sedated right now. And he probably will be until morning so we can monitor his wound, it would be best for you all to get some rest and return in the morning,” The doctor said, and Spencer stood. There was a conversation shared between the two that none of them heard, but evidently allowed Spencer back into Aaron’s room as the rest of the team decided it was better to go and return than to spend more energy at a busy hospital.
Spencer’s legs were wobbly again when he walked into Aaron’s room, and slowly he pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down, taking Aaron’s relaxed hand into his own. He exhaled shakily, kissing the back of his hand and laying his head down onto the bed, staring at Aaron’s sleeping form, drawing and writing onto his hand.
-7-
“What’s going on between them?” Emily asked as she and JJ made it to their hotel room.
“Between who?” JJ asked, sitting down on the bed as Emily changed into more comfortable clothes, keeping her eyes to the bed.
“Reid and Hotch,” Emily said, as she got on her sleep shirt and then sat down next to JJ. “Something’s gotta be going on there.”
JJ shrugged, “They’re good friends,” She said, looking at Emily. “After Spencer was shot and stayed with Hotch for a while, they became close I guess. And with Jack always asking for homework help, they just… they’re close.”
“Maybe a bit too close,” Emily chuckled. “Think they’re dating?”
JJ shook her head. “That’s for them to tell whenever they want to tell. But we’re profilers, so,” She shrugged with a small smile.
“Which means we can figure it out,” Emily said, and JJ laughed softly, shaking her head.
“It probably means they’re just friends,” JJ reasoned, knowing Spencer wasn’t ready for everyone to know, even if she, and most likely David, already did. All that was left was Emily, Derek and Penelope. Spencer was probably the most scared of Derek’s reaction, or so she assumed.
“Well, whatever it is, I hope Spencer know’s Aaron’s gonna be okay,” Emily mumbled, and JJ nodded.
“He does, I know he does,” JJ promised. “He’s just worried. He had a gut feeling the UnSub would go after Hotch because of the similarities between him and the victims. And he, like always, was correct.”
“Is he ever wrong?” Emily chuckled, and JJ shrugged.
“I’m sure he is occasionally,” She said, and Emily laughed softly with a nod, looking at JJ with a gaze the blonde couldn’t put a name on, or maybe didn’t want to.
“We should sleep, and then we should go see Hotch,” She said, and Emily nodded, standing and going to the other bed.
“Night, JJ,” Emily said.
“Night,” JJ whispered as the lamp was turned off and the room engulfed in darkness.
-7-
“I dunno man, it’s weird,” Derek said, and David glanced over at him.
“What is?” David asked, taking a sip of his scotch.
“Reid and Hotch.”
“What’s weird about it?” David asked.
“Reid was bawling,” Derek mumbled, “I could hear him muttering to Hotch, I couldn’t make it out. But- I dunno. I’ve never seen Spencer cry that hard because someone was shot. He’s silently cried before, sure… but not like that.”
“He cares about Aaron, can you blame him?” David asked, and Morgan glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. “Think about it, Aaron helped take care of him for weeks after he broke his knee. Did you think nothing would come from it? Spencer latches onto people, he gets attached emotionally, especially when he’s got nothing to do but attach.”
“I guess,” Derek sighed. “All I know is, if there is something there. Hotch is gonna have an earful from me.”
“Spencer can protect himself,” David said, and Derek glanced at him. “He doesn’t need you to do it. We call him Kid, but he’s not a child. He’s a fully grown adult capable of making his own decisions.”
“And Aaron’s his boss, there’s a power dynamic there that should be there if they’re startin’ somethin’,” Derek said, eyebrows pressed together in confusion.
“I’m not so sure it is there,” David said with a shrug. “But, that’s just me. And besides, Aaron’s too guarded. Spencer’s too careful. So, we may never know.”
Derek stared at him for a second, before sitting down on one of the beds and allowing the topic to drop with a soft sigh.
-7-
Aaron groaned as he slowly woke up. The room was casted in an orange glow that he quickly realized was the crack of the curtains in his room, it was Dawn. He took a deep breath, moving to try and see where he was when he noticed the sharp pain in his side.
“Good morning,” Spencer’s voice caught him off guard, and he looked over to see Spencer sitting next to him, not as close as he had been last night (not that Aaron knew that) and eating a protein bar.
“Spence,” he whispered. “What- what happened?”
“UnSub shot you in the side, you needed surgery since it broke into two fragments. You’ve been sedated ever since,” Spencer explained, tossing the wrapper away as he finished the bar.
He pressed the red button to call in a nurse then he gently moved the sweat-slick hair out of Aaron’s face. Aaron leaned into the touch exhaling softly as the memories of the night before flooded his brain.
“You scared the shit outta me,” Spencer admitted.
“I’m sorry,” Aaron whispered. “I hadn’t realized I was antagonizing him.”
“You weren’t, not verbally anyway. I think it was your appearance that set him off,” Spencer whispered. “But, I don’t want to talk about work right now. I think I accidentally revealed us to the entire team.”
“Dave already knows,” Aaron admitted.
“So does JJ,” Spencer whispered, and Aaron chuckled. “Which leaves Emily and Derek, and Pennie but she wasn’t there so…”
“Do you want to tell them?” Aaron asked.
“Do you?”
“You can’t keep doing that when I ask you a question,” Aaron mumbled, and Spencer shrugged.
“I care much more about what you want when it comes to us and our labels and who we tell. The only real worry I have is Derek, and not because he doesn’t trust me.”
“You’re worried they don’t trust me,” Aaron whispered.
“That he doesn’t trust you,” Spencer corrected, running a hand down his face softly, soothing the man. “Derek’s… taken on the role of protector. And he will try to defend me from everyone, even you. And while I love him for it, I wish he would listen to me.”
“I can handle Derek,” Aaron whispered.
“Well, let’s just see what they know before we do anything, okay?”
“Kay,” Aaron whispered. “When did you get here?”
“I haven’t left,” Spencer admitted.
“You need to sleep.”
“I did, right next to you. I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. I needed to be here…”
“I wasn’t going to die,” Aaron whispered.
“I wasn’t sure, when they said you needed surgery, anything could’ve gone wrong, the main cause of postoperative death is sepsis as high as 30.02%-”
“Spencer,” Aaron said, taking his hand to gently interrupt him, which he hated doing but Spencer was working himself up. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better not,” Spencer whispered, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
Spencer separated when a nurse walked in, sitting back down in the chair against the wall to allow her to check his vitals. Visiting hours wouldn’t start for another 2 hours, so they had time to be themselves safely before the team arrived. When the nurse left, Spencer returned to his place next to Aaron, leaning down and pressing more kisses to his lips and face.
Beepbeep. Beepbeep. Beepbeep.
Aaron's heart rate was increasing, and Spencer glanced at the monitor as he pulled back, almost grabbing the remote for the nurse, but Aaron quickly stopped him.
“I’m fine, it’s just you,” Aaron whispered, and Spencer looked down at him.
“It’s more concerning when you can hear it,” Spencer whispered, and Aaron smiled. “Do I make you that nervous?”
“Yes,” Aaron said honestly. “Before the case, Jack asked me a question that got me thinking. And I’m going to think about it more before I say anything, but yes. You do, in fact, make me nervous.”
Beep beep . Beep beep. Beep beep.
With another glance at the monitor, Spencer leaned down and kissed Aaron again, deeper and more intimate. Aaron hummed softly into it, cupping Spencer’s face with his own hands. Aaron’s heart rate started increasing again, and Spencer pulled away with a soft chuckle, kissing his nose.
“What’s you want for breakfast?” Spencer asked.
“Coffee,” Aaron groaned. “And a sausage egg muffin.”
“I’ll get the muffin and some orange juice for you,” Spencer whispered.
Aaron smiled, pulling Spencer down for one more kiss.