Love Me in Spite - [Aaron Hotchner x Reader]

Chapter 9: Your Heart Grows Every Time It Breaks

"My family?" you raised a brow, looking towards him. You knew what he was trying to get at, but you wanted him to say it, admit it. "How does my family see me?"

"Like a strong and capable woman who could very well do whatever she pleases if she sets her mind to it," he said almost immediately.

"And here I thought you didn't know how to talk to girls," you punched him lightly in the arm, but he didn't crack a smile. "Here, why don't I promise you not to lose hope and you promise me to find the truth, even if it's something you don't want to hear,"

You looked over at him and held out your pinky.

"Come on Aaron, swear on it,"

"(Y/N) that was childish when we did it in high school and it's still childish now," he sighed, rolling his head to the side to look at you properly.

"So? What's stopping you?" you gave him a light smile to which he gave in and linked his pinky with yours and you both leaned in to kiss your thumbs. The promise was sealed, but Hotch still looked like something was on his mind, something was getting to him.

"Aaron, what's bothering you?"

When he looked back up into your eyes you could tell there wasn't just one, but many things bothering him. One of them, most evidently being the bruise starting to form on your face.

"It doesn't hurt," you said, taking his hand from your leg and placing it on your temple, wincing only slightly at the touch causing him to pull his hand away. "Okay it doesn't hurt a lot," you amended.

"But it still hurts," he said. "You were essentially stabbed in the shoulder and-,"

"And what?" you interrupted him.

"I feel like it's partially my fault," he said. "If we had gotten to the case sooner, maybe we could have prevented this from happening in the first place, but now everything is mixed up,"

"The case is definitely mixed up," you agreed with him. "But I think you're feeling a bit mixed up too,"

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at you curiously.

"Your feelings," you clarified, "I'm your friend, but you're also a law enforcement officer," you pointed out. "That's a tough line not to cross, it's hard to be objective-not that you haven't been," you added quickly.

"I'm assuming you have some remedy for this?"

"I don't," you shook your head. "But as someone who knew you a long time ago, talking about it used to help, never hurt. Not once,"

"I don't think this is something you want me working through with you," he explained, his voice soft and careful.

"Then don't talk to me about it, talk to someone else, anyone else," you shrugged. "And maybe, for now, you can just take a minute," you suggested. "Sit and think about something else, something different,"

Hotch moved slightly in his spot until you were both pressed together, side by side. His head rested against yours from the side and for a minute, you both closed your eyes.

"Aaron what the hell are you doing here!" you exclaimed with a sigh, wiping your nose with your sleeve and seeing the boy outside your door.

"Caroline told me what happened today, I'm sorry," he said. "D-Do you think I can come in it's kind of-," he motioned around to the rain pouring down from the sky in buckets and you nodded, opening the door wider to let him into your family's home.

Your parents and siblings were out of town, visiting your grandparents while you stayed at home due to the overload of tests and assignments you couldn't miss from your teachers.