Work Text:
It's almost shocking Jack hadn't come out of the womb running. Aaron wasn't sure it was humanly possible for a child to be so happy all the time. Constantly running around with a wide grin on his face, mumbling under his breath, something that only made himself laugh Hotchner's in the kitchen, making a pot of coffee as his wife got ready in the upstairs bathroom.
"Momma?" Jack's solid, erupting with laughter as he looked around, giving himself whiplash as he moved quickly. He's already done up in his soccer uniform, hours before they had to leave, an undeniable pout circulating as he ran behind his father, gently tapping Aaron's elbow as he scrambled some eggs. "Where's mommy?" Jack questioned, bordering on tears.
"Upstairs." Aaron answers solemnly as he turns, seeing the gears spin in real time as Jack eyes the stairs. He rests his arm on his son's back. "In our bedroom."
"Is she still sleeping?"
Aaron shakes his head and Jack sets off, running up the stairs as his father laughs to himself. "Mommy!" He can hear his son screaming from the kitchen, running into the master bedroom as she shifts through her closet, trying to find something to wear as she moves to her husband's side, a sly hand on her stomach as he comes running in. "Hi!"
Haley almost stumbles when he runs into her legs, hugging her waist as she fixed her posture, kissing his head as she moved the hangers around. "Hi, Jack."
"Why aren't you ready?" He questions, all Aaron as he crossed his arms together. "Daddy's almost done with breakfast and then we're going to play together."
Haley knows her plans for the day, to a T almost. Jack wanted to practice with them before his game. They still had four hours before they had to leave. Haley had slept in. Felt Aaron move away as she rolled to the other side, suddenly cold as he got tended to their son, hearing him chatter on about his game and how his team was destined to win. Haley doesn't know if she'll ever love him more than now, when he listens to Jack's endless stream of excitement like it's the best thing in the world — and to him, it is.
She nods, grabbing a tank top as she bites her bottom lip, unsure if her workout sets would still fit six months in. "We have plenty of time, Jack."
He shakes his head, frazzled as he says, "But I have to practice, mommy… that way we'll win."
"I know, buddy. Mommy just has to get dressed, then we can play, okay?" He shrugs, not convinced as she kissed the top of his head. "How about you go downstairs and tell daddy that I'll be there in a minute."
"He made blueberry pancakes for you!" Jack says, and then, staring at her stomach. "Daddy said those were for the baby. So I got some with chocolate chip in them."
Haley smiles at the thought of Aaron making two different kinds, just to appease both of them. "Yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"That's great, buddy." Haley moves to the dresser and her son follows her every move, picking out a pair of leggings as he hums.
"I'm going to tell, daddy!"
Haley nodded, waving him off as she walked into the bathroom, closing her eyes as she walked past the mirror, petrified that's she already gained so much weight — it hadn't happened over night with Jack, but their daughter seemed to be content in there, a swollen stomach and a husband that didn't let her lift a finger. Haley was happy, she was, she just… didn't know how to be happy, really. It felt like a trap, that every day she'd wake without him by her side or with a note in the living room, explaining that he couldn't do it anymore.
She waits to wake up from this dream, for the sky to fall, but it never comes. He loves her, more than anyone ever has. She slides the tank top over her stomach, feeling it sink against her bump as she opened her eyes, wishing he was here to tell her it was all in her head and that she looked amazing. Haley keeps her head down, slipping on a pair of leggings as she fiddled with the fabric on her signed, trying to get it to loosen up a bit as she brushed out her hair, putting it up in a ponytail as she sighed, turning off the lights as she slowly walked down the stairs.
The first thing she hears is the laughter streaming from her husband's lips as her son tries to flip a pancake on his own. Haley's quiet, or she means to be, walking into the kitchen as her son laughs. "I did it, daddy!" Jack erupted into laughter, pointing towards the pancake, a little burnt on the back, but still, to him, at least, perfect. “That one can be for mommy! It’s the best one.”
Aaron examines it, not wanting to crush his feelings as he purses his lips, “It is the best one.” He agrees, “But what if we made Mommy another one?”
“One for the baby.” Jack says, scooping way too much batter on the griddle as Aaron guides his hands. “And one for mommy.”
Haley feels tears pooling at her cheeks, against her will as Aaron looks up, reaching his hand out as she treads forward. “Good morning, honey. Sleep well?”
His wife shrugged as she watched her son, looking at the griddle so intently as he waited for the pancake to finish. Since it was for Haley, it had to be perfect. “Yeah.” She looks around, bacon and eggs already on a plate for her, orange juice in the fridge since she’s been craving it. “You didn’t have to do all this, Aaron.”
He shrugged. It was his day off. Haley insisted he got some extra rest and that she’d be the one to do the cooking, not having a job to occupy most of her time. He waves her off, helping Jack flip the pancake. “It’s fine, Haley. I don’t mind. I never get the chance to cook for you guys.”
He’s never here. Haley knows that. Calls him over and over while crying and self-soothes with his voicemail. He has to make up reasons to excuse himself from the group, making sure his pregnant wife’s okay. She leans forward to kiss him, her stomach getting in the way as his hands find the nape of her neck, deepening it as she begins to pull away.
Jack’s pulling him away as he points towards the griddle, “Another perfect one!” He exclaims, “Still for mommy and the baby.”
Haley kisses her son’s cheek as he sets it on her plate. Aaron begins to plate his food as he scampered towards the table, taking a sip of his apple juice as Haley sat beside him, waiting for Aaron to join them before she took a bite of her food. His father slides the plate in front of him as he begins to talk off Haley’s ear. Aaron sits down across the way from her, letting Jack sit at the helm of the table as he chews with his mouth open.
“Mommy’s on my team!” Haley holds his hand as she looks to Aaron, already moving to the opposite side of the yard as he smiles wide. Lowering his voice, just to his mom, he says, “We’re going to win, Mommy.”
Haley laughs as he sits on the grass. She gets down to tie his shoes, not thinking about how impossible it would be to get back up. Jack scoots closer as he sets his knee up. He can do it himself, he just prefers when Haley laces up his cleats. “Of course we are, baby. But let’s go easy on daddy. Let him think he’s winning at least.” Haley taps his left leg, signaling she needs his right as Aaron watches closely as his son nodded.
“Okay… but only for a little bit.” She laced up his shoes and he stands immediately. Aaron looks overwhelmed as he picks up his pace as Haley struggles to get up. Aaron puts his hand on her back and she exhales.
“You don’t always have to save me.” Haley says, both feet on the ground as he steadied her. “I’m not that pregnant, Aaron. I could have gotten up on my own.”
He shrugs, cocky as all get out, a nail in his coffin as they walk towards Jack. “I wanted to help, Haley.”
She rolled her eyes, “I hate you.”
Aaron laughed, keeping his hand on her ass as they faced Jack, seductively whispering, “I’m sure you do.”
Haley hit his shoulder, but he doesn’t flinch. His eyes don’t even move until Jack looks up with concern, frowning a bit. “Are you guys fighting?”
Haley choked on her spit, words stuck on her tongue as Aaron cleared his throat, holding her closer. “Not at all, Jack. Mommy and I are teasing each other.”
He squints, gaze firm on her belly. “Is that how the baby got in her belly?”
Haley pales and again, the voice of reason, Aaron, speaks up as he shook his head. “No, Jack. That’s not how mommy got the baby in her belly.”
“Oh.” He was certain, shrugging as he moved back to his mark. “Okay.”
Aaron laughed, hovering over her shoulder as he whispered in her ear. “He’ll know how by the time we have another kid.”
Haley quirked a brow. “We agreed on two.”
He loved her like this, swollen breasts and a constant glow on her cheeks. A happiness that can’t be replicated. “Bullshit.”
“Aaron, you’re almost forty.”
A ping of fire erupts in his chest. “Are you calling me old?”
She lifted her head up a bit, her gaze stuck on him as she chuckled. “Maybe.”
“You’ll pay for that, Hotchner.” Aaron teased.
“Can’t wait for that, Hotchner.”
Jack was growing restless as Aaron jogged to his side. Haley slowly walks over to him as he sets the ball in the middle, re-explaining the rules to his mother like she’s never played before in her life. Haley humors him, love swelling in her heart as her son gently told her when and where to kick the ball, the main objective was scoring against Aaron.
“You ready?” Aaron asks, to Jack as he smiles wide, the perfect answer as his cheeks tug at the sides. Aaron puts his fingers in his mouth, whistling to signal the games starting as Jack starts to run. Aaron jogs leisurely as Haley walks.
Jack kicks the ball halfway across the yard as Aaron runs to kick it in the opposite direction, getting met by Haley as she kicks it towards her son. Jack makes a run for it, steadying holding the ball as he jogs. “Mommy!” Aaron’s away from the goal — on purpose — as Haley continues to block Aaron, both distracted by one another as they turn up at the noise, eyes steady on Jack as he kicks it into the goal, jumping up and down with excitement as Aaron puts his hand on her waist, pulling his wife in. “Mommy, I did it! I did it, daddy! I scored!”
Haley feels tears pooling in her eyes, happy one, always happy ones when her boys were around as Jack runs over to hug her. “Daddy, did you see? Did you see, Mommy?”
“Of course we saw, Jack. You’re the best player.” Haley says, shaking her head as she tries not to cry.
“Much better than daddy.”
Haley laughs as Aaron strikes an offended look. “I was going easy on you, buddy.” Jack shakes his head, he knows his father is lying. “I’m winning this round.”
Jack lets go of Haley as everyone moves back to their spots. “No, you aren’t, daddy!” Jack yells, across the way.
“Yes, I am.”
Haley rolls her eyes, so in love with this little life that it almost hurt when Aaron whistled again and Jack ran faster than before. Aaron sprints, kicking the ball first as Jack pouts, thinking he’s going to lose before his father eases up on him, letting him win each time. He never tires of the harmonious cheers coming from the sidelines after his son scores.