Yes Sir [Hotch X Reader]

Chapter 29

You're not sure what time it is when you're first awakened in the middle of the night. The tossing and turning aren't what makes you open your eyes, but the noises. The soft groans and heavy, fearful breathing. You can't be sure, but you hear what sounds almost like a whimper.

When you turn over on your side to see the source of the noise, you are surprised to see Aaron tossing and turning. He grips the shared blanket tightly in his fists as he flips from his side to his back to his side again. His eyebrows are tightly knitted and he looks almost afraid.

"Aaron?" You say softly, eyes still adjusting to the light. He continues his movements without responding to you.

You prop yourself up on your elbows while turning to face him before gently reaching your arm out to touch his shoulder. You give it a light shake, making his body jolt and his eyes shoot open.

"Aaron?" You say again, your voice soft as to not startle him "it's alright honey, it's just me." The name feels odd on your tongue, but it seems to soothe him a bit, as he closes his eyes again.

"Y/n?" He asks with a voice still raspy from sleep. His eyes are closed, but you can make out the worried details of his face from the little moonlight that streamed through the windows.

"Yeah, it's just me" you assure him, placing a hand tenderly on his cheek. "I'm right here. Are you alright?" He responds with a half nod.

"Are you sure?" You ask with concern. Without responding, he flips on his side to face you again. Without another word, he moves closer to you and wraps his arms around your waist.

He lets out a long sigh and, since he's lower on the bed than you, he places his head against your chest.

You would be lying if you said it didn't surprise you slightly. Usually, he would be the one holding you. Now, it appeared, the tables had turned.

You weren't completely sure of what to do in that situation, so, you just did what he usually did. You moved one arm under his head and placed the other lazily over his body, pulling him closer to you. The arm on top of him rubbed comforting circles on his bare back while you placed your chin on top of his head.

"Is this alright?" You ask in a hushed tone, earning a low groan in approval. You place a light kiss on his forehead and soon, you hear light snores again.

You couldn't help but feel worried for him. You almost always did. You knew he had frequent nightmares, and yet it still managed to catch you off guard every time. His being vulnerable was incredibly rare, and you knew he hated it with all his being.

You wondered what the nightmares were about. He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders at times, so it could really be about anything. You, Jack, the team, unsubs, et cetera. Somehow, you had a feeling that it was related to your earlier conversation.

It pained you deeply that you couldn't help him, and even more that he was in those situations in the first place. You worried about the times when you weren't there to wake him up, although you knew when you were alone, you were often in the same boat.

Still, both of your anxieties seemed to be eased when you held on to one another. It had seemed that even half asleep, he had chosen to turn to you for comfort. That managed to ease some of your anxieties. At the very least, you were there for each other whenever you could be. You just hoped that was enough.

Eventually, feeling him holding onto you tightly, your anxieties began to wear. Before you knew it, your eyes closed and you joined him in sleep.
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The second time you were awakened, it was already morning. You heard a light knock on the door which managed to wake you both up.

"One second, Jack" Hotch responds with his signature raspy voice. He pulls away from you and gets out of bed, grabbing a shirt from the closet. While he gets dressed, you grab a pair of pajama pants you had packed the night before and pull them on.