Aaron Hotchner x Fem Readerâ¤ď¸
Chapter 2 : five year olds are better than you (at making friends)
A/N: Yet again Iâve written an unrealistic scenario for the plot. And Iâll do it again. This is just crack plot and some fluff. The team having a good time. Use of y/n a few times.
Fun fact for context: most handcuffs used by law enforcement have universal keys
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You make it through the next few months without any issues. You go on a case, report to Strauss and decline any of the teamâs non-work-related invites. The team is polite, but you (deservedly) feel like an outsider. And Hotch still ignores you most of the time. Youâve both managed to somehow do your job and pretend the other person doesnât exist. The team pretends not to notice. Your days start to seem cyclical, but at least unlike Houston, no one refuses to work with you.Â
You startle from your paperwork to see a child smiling at you. Heâs sweet looking, with blonde hair and big brown eyes. How did a child get in here?
âI like your hair. Are you daddyâs new work friend? Are you also a superhero?â
Itâs an odd lineup of questions. You try your best to answer them.
âThank you. I like your hair too. Iâm not a superhero, I think. Your dad is a superhero?â
The child nods seriously.
âHeâs not a real superhero like Spider-Man, but heâs a superhero to meâ, he tells you.Â
Your heart melts. His father must be a really great dad.
âThatâs so cool! Are you here to visit him?â, you ask.
The child nods. âBut heâs busy right nowâ.
You donât remember anyone on the team mentioning family visiting today.Â
âHi Jack, Iâm y/nâ.
You watch the young profiler hug the child.Â
Jack tries to hustle him for candy, but Spencer apologises and says he doesnât have any. You offer him a chocolate from your drawer which immediately makes you Jackâs favourite. He decides to take residence on your lap.Â
âOh thatâs just what he calls us. Heâs Hotchâs kidâ.
âJack? Jack where are you?â
You look up to see Hotch come out of his office looking distressed.Â
âIâm here!â, the boy shouts.
Hotch makes his way over.
âSorry buddy the meeting ran late I - â
He notices where Jack is sitting and looks at you apologetically.Â
âHis school suddenly closed today and I couldnât get a babysitter. Sorry if he bothered youâ.
Oh? So heâs not ignoring you if itâs in front of his kid. Noted.
âNo thatâs okay. Sorry for giving him chocolate. He said he was hungryâ.
Hotch picks him up from your lap.Â
âItâs not a problemâ, he tells you. âSorry for making you wait Jack. Letâs go have lunchâ, he tells the child.Â
âCan she come to my birthday party?â
Hotch looks between you and his son hesitantly.Â
âBuddy itâs in three days. She might be busyâ.
âPlease?â, he asks you.
âThatâs okay. I can comeâ, you tell him.
âSee dad!â, Jack tells Hotch.
âIâll text you the address. And thank youâ, the older Hotchner tells you.
ââââââââââââ
You make sure to enter the party late and wait until you see Hotch talking with a parent to sneak in. The BAU are all in one corner, drinking and laughing together. You steer clear of them and leave your present on the gift table. When youâve run out of moms to talk to, you start clearing up garbage and washing dishes. A little blonde head pops up beside you.
âJack! Happy Birthday!â
He opens his arms for a hug and you bend down to oblige.
âWhy are you tidying up?â, he asks.
âWell I didnât really have much to do and I wanted to help outâ, you tell him.
âSo you donât have any friends?â, he asks, deeply concerned.Â
âNo, I have friends. I-â, you think to yourself. You had uprooted your life to move to D.C. for this job. The only people who you knew in the city were your coworkers. Who you avoid because technically, youâre spying on them. Jesus Christ, the kid is right. You have no friends.
Jack sees you come to the realisation in real time and pats your arm like youâre a dog.
âThatâs okay. Sometimes people have very little friends. Like my dad. Uncle Dave always says, thatâs why you have no friends Aaronâ, Jack tells you, imitating the older man.
âAuntie Pen says dad would have more friends if he smiled more. Do you smile?â, Jacks asks you seriously.
He seems satisfied. âThen you can probâly have friendsâ, he tells you. âBut if not, itâs okay because you can be my friendâ.
You smile. How did such a grumpy man raise this kid?Â
âIâd love to be your friend Jackâ, you tell him. âYouâre my favourite Hotchner. But donât tell your dadâ. You didnât need him thinking that you were trying to get closer to the team by befriending Jack.
âDonât tell me what?â
You turn to see your scowling unit chief.
You feel your stomach drop, but his face causes Jack to giggle.Â
âItâs a secret!â, he tells his dad, jumping into his arms. Hotch picks him up and gives him a soft kiss on his head. He whispers something in Jackâs ear which makes his eyes light up and he scrambles to the backyard. Hotch looks at you for an explanation.
You shrug you shoulders. âA secretâs a secret.â
Hotch stares at you like he can somehow read your mind if he looks at you long enough.
âYouâre very loyalâ, he says.Â
His tone is accusatory, and youâre certain heâs talking no longer talking about Jack.
I donât want to be, you want to say. But you need your job.
âI care about my friends. That makes me loyalâ, you say.
He scoffs. âSheâs not your friendâ.
You try not to roll your eyes. Obviously you donât think Strauss is your friend.
âAnd are you?â, you ask. âMy friendâ.
Hotch stares at you like youâve sprouted a second head, but he doesnât have time to answer because Jack tackles you into a hug.Â
âThank you thank you thank you!âÂ
Youâre thrown off balance by the force of the child and almost fall over. Hotch grabs your arm to keep you steady then quickly lets go. Jack holds up the Lego set that you bought him.Â
âDad this is the one I said I wanted! The limited edition one!â, he says excitedly.
Hotch smiles at his son. âThatâs so great buddyâ.
Jack runs off to show everyone else. Hotch looks at you gratefully.
âIâve been looking for that everywhere. I canât believe you found it. You got it in two days?â.
After overhearing him asking JJ about it in the office and had scouring the internet for one, you had used your day off yesterday to go to some sketchy seller in New York because they refused to ship it to you for some reason. You had technically bought it to get on Hotchâs good side, but the hassle was worth it to see Jackâs face light up.Â
âI care about my friendsâ, you shrug.
Hotch stares at you again.Â
âWell Iâm sure Jack appreciates it. Thank you.â
You nod and he looks like he might say something else, but he just grabs a bag of chips and moves to head back to the party. You move back towards the sink.
âYou donât have to do thatâ, he tells you. âThe dishes, or tidying up - youâre a guest. Thank you for everything youâve already cleaned. But you should enjoy the partyâ, he tells you before leaving the kitchen.Â
You donât want to go back outside yet so you clean whatâs left in the sink and then walk back outside. Jack immediately spots you and makes his way over.Â
âThank you for the presentâ, he tells you.Â
âYou already said thatâ, you laugh.Â
âYeah, but my dad said I have to say it again properlyâ, he tells you seriously.
Oh. Had they talked about you just now?
âWell youâre welcome. I hope you like itâ.
âI like itâ, he grins. And then heâs grabbing your hand and dragging you over to the BAU.Â
âAuntie Emily! Auntie Pen! Y/N is super awesome but she has no friends! You should be friends!â
The whole team stares at you and you feel yourself turn bright red. Thank God for foundation. You need to fix this, now.
âJack, thatâs um very nice of you, but-â
âWhat do you mean Jack?â, Emily asks. âSheâs our friend already. We even sleep in the same room on trips. I donât do that with non-friendsâ, she adds. Sheâs talking to him, but she looks at you.Â
Thank God for Emily Prentiss. You shoot her a grateful look.
Jack looks at you sadly. âDoes this mean we canât be friends now? Because you already have grown up friends?â
âNo way! Of course weâre still friendsâ, you tell him. Jack beams. Heâs so cute, you think. You wish Hotch smiled this much.
âOk! Then Iâm going to play Star Wars nowâ, he tells you, running off. Youâre immediately reminded that youâre standing beside your coworkers who are all grinning at you.
âI am so sorry-â, you start.
âShe refuses to come out for drinks, doesnât talk to us outside of work, but she tells a 5 year old that she needs help making friendsâ, Derek teases.
âI donât need help making friends! I-â
âName one time you willingly came for drinks with usâ, Emily says.
You both know itâs none.
âLeave the kid alone. Sheâs probably scared of all of you hounding her with all your questionsâ, Rossi chides.Â
âThis is so great!â, Penelope tells you. âI mean youâve been avoiding us so we thought you didnât want to be friends, or Strauss was telling you things about us, but if youâre just freaked out, we can be totally be normal!â
Spencer coughs. âThat last part may prove difficultâ.
Penelope smiles at you and lightly smacks him.
âSo? You want to have drinks after this?â
You should say no. But Penelope was right. If you kept saying no, it sent the wrong message. You did like them.
The group raises a glass to you and you smile.Â
Maybe this wonât be so bad.
âââââââââ
This was bad. When they said âhave drinksâ, you thought they meant at a bar, talking over drinks like colleagues. Turns out they meant drinking games and shots. At Hotchâs house. Post birthday party, which meant everyone was already a couple of drinks in when you started.Â
âTruth or dare!â, JJ shouts.
âDare!â, Penelope yells.
âI dare you to⌠wear one of Hotchâs ties and pretend to be him for the next round!â
Derek grins. âGood luck baby girl. Donât let the boss man kill you.â
Penelope makes a point of furrowing her brows. âDonât call me baby girl. That is inappropriate for the workplaceâ, she huffs in a deep voice. The whole table erupts in laughter. Then Emily turns to you.Â
Youâre not sure you can handle any questions at your level of inebriation.
Emily looks like youâve handed her a briefcase full of cash. Oh no.
âI dare you⌠to kiss the person this bottle lands on!â
God, if youâre there, help me, you think.
Hotch huffs. âPrentiss, sheâs your junior, and we are not teenagers. Thatâs just harassment. Change the dare.â
âFine. I dare you to ⌠handcuff yourself to the person the bottle lands on for the rest of the night. Except for when you go to the bathroomâ.
âNo! If sheâs not comfortable, sheâs capable for speaking for herselfâ, Emily says. âRight?â
You nod. Youâre pretty much already sitting together with everyone - it wonât make much of a difference anyway.
Emily beams and spins the bottle. I mean it might not be so bad. Being cuffed to Penelope or Spencer could be kind of funny.
âPrentiss, this is -â
She ignores him and cuffs his wrist, and the other one to yours.Â
âOkay! Now everyone give me your keys so they donât secretly uncuff. Iâll keep them, so let me know when you need to use the bathroomâ.
Hotch glares at her, but everyone hands her their key. Then they move on to bother the next person.
JJ moves over so that Hotch can sit next to you. You hadnât realised how little space there was on the couch until itâs his thigh touching yours instead of hers.
âIâm sorry about this. Usually theyâre less⌠chaoticâ, Hotch tries to explain.
âThatâs okayâ, you tell him.Â
Itâs nice. The team reminds you of James, your best friend from your previous job at the Houston field office.
âCan Jack sleep with everyone shouting like this?â, you ask.
Hotch nods. âHeâll pretty much sleep anywhere if I tuck him in first.â
âHeâs a great kid.â
You manage through the next few hours. It turns out that Hotch is a great conversationalist when forced to not ignore you. Youâre actually enjoying the way the team somehow ropes him in to things because heâs not great at saying no to them. But it starts to get late.Â
âPrentiss? Can you uncuff us please?â
Emily sways and giggles drunkenly. âYouâre so nice and polite. Why canât everyone else say please when theyâre asking for things? Derek is rudeâ, she pouts. âAnd donât call me Prentiss. It makes me feel old. Call me Emily.â
âOk. Emily, please can you give me a key?â, you try again.
âI donât have a keys, I gave mine to Penelopeâ
âPrentiss, this is not a joke. We all gave you ours. Just give us oneâ, Hotch scowls.
She leans in to whisper, but in her drunkenness itâs quite loud. âI donât have any keys. But heâs so madâ. She looks at you excitedly. âDo you have a key?â
âNo Emily. I gave you mineâ, you tell her patiently. Hotch finds Penelope.
âGarcia! Prentiss says you have the keys to the handcuffsâ.Â
âThatâs too bad. He looks mad. Hehe. Bad, madâ.
You and Hotch looks at each other in exasperation.Â
âDo you have any spares?â, you ask.Â
âMy spare is in my car, but I left it at the office yesterdayâ.
Neither of you can exactly drive to the office handcuffed. And everyone else is highly intoxicated.Â
âSo we have to just wait until theyâre sober?â, you ask.
Hotch runs is free hand over his face.
You watch everyone else settle down in the spare bedrooms or go home. Then itâs just you and Hotch in the living room.
âIâm sorry, Iâd offer to sleep on the couch, butâŚâ, you both look at a happily sleeping Emily. âIâve only got my bedroom leftâ.
âOr we could not sleep? Just drink coffee and wait for⌠however long it takes them to get up?â, he offers.Â
Thatâs not going to work at all. You donât function well after staying up all night. Or after too much coffee.
âNo, itâs fine. We should sleep and Iâm sure youâre tired after the party todayâ, you tell him.Â
You both reluctantly make your way up the stairs. He offers you a toothbrush and you both brush your teeth in silence. You canât exactly change handcuffed, so you get into bed with your regular clothes. Hotch turns off the light and you both lie there in the dark.Â
âGood nightâ, you say quietly.
âGood nightâ, he says back.Â
Somehow you both fall asleep.
ââââââââââââ
You wake up to the smell of cologne and a soft fabric pressed to your face. Itâs warm, and you snuggle into it to get closer. Then you feel something poke your shoulder. You blink open your eyes to see big brown eyes on a tiny face.Â
âAre you and daddy friends now?â
You look up and see that the warm thing youâre cuddling is actually your boss. You immediately yank yourself back, but forget the handcuff. It yanks him on top of you and the jerking movement makes him wake up.
âWhat?â, he mumbles sleepily.
Then he realises whatâs going on and tries to scramble away.
âNo, I forgot we were handcuffed and I pulled too hard-â
âDad can I have pancakes?â, Jack asks.
You both turn to look at him.
âOf course buddy. Iâll be right down. Can you give daddy 5 minutes?â
Jack saunters out of the room.
Hotch groans. âI am going to kill Prentissâ.
You giggle, but the sentiment is pretty much the same.Â
âLetâs go find herâ.
It turns out Emily had hidden the handcuffs under a plant âto be safeâ and she apologises profusely as she uncuffs you both.Â
âNext time I say no to a dare, it means noâ, Hotch tells her.
âOkayâ, she tells him. And then looks at you and grabs your hands in supplication. âI am so so sorry. Please forgive me. And donât let this stop you from going out with us next time, because I promise itâs usually not as badâ.
Hotch glowers at her from beside you. But he seems pleased that at least youâve been apologised to.
âI have to make breakfast for my son, so go home, or help set the tableâ, he tells her.Â
She rolls her eyes at you.
Emily and you lock eyes and start giggling.Â
Maybe having friends in the BAU wonât be so bad.