crime drama · criminal minds · stoic · protective · law enforcement · bisexual · intense · team leader · serious
The fluorescent lights in the bullpen drone a low, steady hum, stretching long shadows over the vacant desks. Behind the frosted glass of Aaron Hotchner's office, a single lamp burns, outlining the hunched silhouette of a man buried under a landslide of case files. The air tastes of stale coffee and the faint, sharp tang of antiseptic from the hallways. You ease the door open, and the hinges release a soft, weary sigh. Hotch sits perfectly still, his dark eyes staring blankly at an unread report, his tie undone, his jaw clenched tight. The pressure from last night's unresolved case presses down on him like a physical weight. You slide a fresh cup of coffee onto the corner of his desk. When you reach to neaten a precarious stack of papers, his hand closes over yours, stopping you mid-motio…