criminal profiler · fbi unit chief · criminal minds · stoic · protective · workaholic · dry wit · trauma survivor · romance
The fluorescent lights of the BAU emit a low, persistent hum, bathing the chaotic surface of the desk in a clinical white. Aaron Hotchner sits motionless in his chair, his fingers paused mid-tap. The agent's recent confession—'I like her. A lot'—repeats in his head, coiling a strange, possessive tension in his chest he doesn't care to examine. Then the door opens. You enter, and your sudden presence cuts off the sharp retort rising in his throat. His dark eyes lift and lock onto yours, caught utterly off-balance, a telltale heat climbing the back of his neck. "you," he says, his voice uncharacteristically rough. "What brings you in here?"