A Bit Of Death

A Day On A Plane

Hotch's POV
Reid scared me so much last night.
When I wake up he is still asleep in my arms, but that doesn't last long because he quickly starts to wake. I rub his back as he wakes up. Then I remember we are on the jet with the team. I glance at my phone that was crushed between the cushions and I groan, knowing they are up and watching us. We still have 16 hours left. Reid tightens his hold on me as I try to sit up, still not looking up at the rest of the team. I laugh and try to pry his hands away, my phone rings and I stop and answer it with the usual, "Hotchner".
It's Strauss, "remember when you get in you will land at 11:30 pm and you can go straight to the hotel for the night, but you will start at 4:45 the next morning".
I respond with "okay" and hang up. I look up at everyone and Reid is lying with his head in my lap looking up at me. He goes to sit up looking worried but I stop him and say, "Strauss said that we will land at 11:30 at night. We can go to the hotel and sleep but we must be at the station at 4:45 in the morning" everyone sighs relieved and Reid lies back down. I look at my watch and add "it's the morning and we are spending the day on the plane" everyone nods and Reid pulls the zipper to the sweatshirt up about an inch until it can't zip up anymore. Then he tugs down on the sleeves even though they are about an inch too long for him.
He quickly sits up causing Garcia to jump and he says "I think I'll change". I watch him go to get his clothes from his suit case above, but he stops and pauses and sits back down with me and mumbles "nevermind" everyone looks confused and Morgan opens his mouth to say something but I silence him with a glare. I know what he thought of, the second he reached up the sleeves would fall and the gauze would be visible. After a couple people get dressed I stand up and grab my suit case and pass Reid his, we pull out close and I put them back up so it just looks like I'm doing nice things when I'm doing much more than that. He thanks me and goes off to change first.
Prentiss starts, "what's up with Reid? He seems kinda off".
I shake my head and answer "he's just tired and still gets bursts of pain, not too bad but enough to hurt" the team seems convinced and Reid walks out in his "casual" cloths. A button down with a tie and his big open sweater...thing. I smile at him and leave to go change.

Reid's POV
I dread Hotch leaving to change, cause sometimes the team can scare me. Thankfully whatever Hotch said shut them up. Garcia stands and walks back to get a drink and asks "anyone want a drink?"
I jump up and say "sure" to avoid talking...my mistake. She pours herself some hot water and I pour some coffee.
Scrolling through tea bags she asks, "are you okay?"
And I stop pouring cream in and look at her, "I will be. I have Aaron. Everything will be okay" and return to fixing my coffee. And she pats my back and returns to her tea. Hotch walks out and rubs my hair, messing it up and I playfully hit him as he walks by. We laugh and Garcia and I finish making our drinks. I sit with Hotch and take a sip of my coffee before I put my coffee down and start to rake my hand through my hair trying to fix it. Hotch laughs at me and leans over to fix it for me, earning an "aww" from the girls. We spend the majority of the day cuddling with movies, chatting, and playing chess. I quickly beat everyone but decide to taunt Hotch for a bit before I call checkmate. During one of the movies Hotch makes some popcorn for the team and I wrap my arms around him from behind like earlier this morning. He turns in my grasp as we wait for the popcorn. He kisses me deeply and then turns around to take out the popcorn. I hear someone say something but we both ignore it. Our mistake. He opens the popcorn and pours it into a bowl and turns back around. He pops a piece in my mouth and we hear a camera go off. Instantly we break apart to see Garcia with two phones, one with a dead battery and another to take more pictures. Everyone else turns but they don't catch Hotch and I, we walk back over the chair we were cuddling in and place the popcorn on JJ lap so everyone can reach it.
Before we sit down, Hotch looks at Garcia and says "delete it" sternly.
She shakes her head and says "no can do boss, I am on a mission and I can't be stopped" Hotch opens his mouth but I place a hand on his arm and stop him. He gives me a confused look as I scan the team.
Not taking my eyes off them and still thinking I tell him "Aaron they all know. We should be careful" he nods as everyone laughs at us and we cuddle back in our chair. Garcia ignores the movie and starts furiously typing away. I snuggle into Hotch and listen to the movie. The movie ends and we a go back to talking before Hotch quietly asks me in my ear so no one can hear. He says, "so what do you want to do for your birthday?" It's not for about a week but I know Hotch likes to have a plan.
I respond saying "no idea" but in a regular voice so the others can hear.
Rossi then asks "'no idea' about what?" I just shrug and say, "my birthday" he nods and I look at Hotch and answer him, "hhmmm my birthday....oh! No work!" He laughs and tells me he can try.
Everyone else laughs a long and Morgan comments, saying, "can it be your birthday more often?" I laugh and then someone asks Hotch about a previous case. I shut my eyes and listen to his voice, I don't even realize I've fallen asleep until he wakes me up.
"We are gonna do the briefing now so we aren't doing it so late" I nod and slide off his lap so we can focus on the case. Strauss said this was urgent, otherwise I probably wouldn't have moved. There's a serial killer taking gay males and leaving them for their partner to find on their front steps over night, there's 15 missing that fit the victimology. They called us in yesterday when there was two and another one today. I look at Hotch scared and he rubs my back. The briefing ends quickly so we have about an hour of our flight left. For the rest of the flight we stay with me leaning into his side and his arm on my shoulder while I have an arm around his waist. There's just small talk until the flight lands. When we land Hotch insists on carrying my bag but I refuse.
He gives me a fake hurt look and he just mumbles "better let me do something". I chuckle as we get into the back of an SUV and Morgan and Garcia get in front.
After a while Morgan looks at Garcia an asks quietly, "so how's the project?"
I don't think we were supposed to hear because I pipe up and ask "what project?"
Garcia poorly lies to me saying "umm it's umm nothing." I give her a playful hurt look and she try's to cover up and say "I'll tell you in about a week when it's more ummm done". I nod and cuddle back into Hotch.