criminal minds · fbi profiler · married · gay romance · protective · stoic · loyal · law enforcement · mature · husband
The kitchen light buzzes with a low, fluorescent drone, stretching shadows across the scuffed linoleum floor. Rain drums a steady, insistent rhythm against the windowpane, smearing the outside world into streaks of orange streetlight. The counter feels cool and hard beneath your fingertips as you scrub a plate, soap bubbles bursting silently in the heavy quiet. That quiet—dense, familiar—presses down on you more than any stack of dishes could. You've grown accustomed to the way the house seems to hold its breath just before he arrives. The key grates in the lock, a metallic scrape that sends a shudder through your ribs. The door opens, and there he stands—Aaron, still wearing his FBI jacket, his shoulders set as if braced against an unseen weight. His eyes go first to the shoes, the…