SSA Aaron Hotchner couldn't get his subordinate Dr. Spencer Reid out of his head. They had just finished a case that hit close to home for Reid and Aaron wanted to check on him. He went to Spencer's apartment when he left the BAU and knocked on the door. Spencer answered the door with tousled hair, sleep pants covered in classic cartoon characters, and a muscle shirt - very un-Spencer like according to Aaron's inner profiler. Spencer ran his fingers through his hair with his free hand not holding the door open. He asked, "What's the matter Hotch?"

Aaron glanced at the floor and found his eyes taking in the rest of Spencer all the way down to his bare feet. "Just checking on you...not that you can't take care of yourself or anything. I know this case seemed to hit close for some of us so…" Aaron saw Spencer raise his eyebrow and cock his head to the side with his bottom lip between his teeth. Aaron ran his hand through his hair nervously and continued, "I should have called first. I'm sorry."

Spencer chewed his lip a little more as he took in Aaron's reactions and finally stepped to the side and invited him inside his apartment. Aaron finally got a good look at Reid's living space and found textbooks scattered over an oversized coffee table with three open notebooks and a tumbler of amber liquid. Spencer closed his door and turned the locks. He walked by Aaron and that's when Aaron noticed Spencer's revolver in the waistband of his sleep pants.

Aaron couldn't stop himself and he asked, "How long have you carried your firearm outside of work?"

Spencer pulled his revolver out of his waistband and said as he put it down within easy reach on the coffee table, "I've been keeping it closer since Hankel and then your incident with Foyet reinforced the necessity." He walked into the kitchen and got another glass and asked, "Would you like a drink Hotch?"

Aaron swallowed and said, "Please call me Aaron."

"Take your jacket and tie off then I'll call you Aaron." Spencer said as he poured some scotch for Aaron.

"I can do that…Spencer?" Aaron didn't mean for it to come out as a question.

"That's better." Spencer quirked a smile and when Aaron laid his jacket and tie on the back of the couch, he handed the drink over.

Aaron sipped the liquor then rolled his sleeves up his forearms and opened the top two buttons by his neck. Joining Spencer on the couch with his drink, he felt more relaxed than he had all week. Aaron looked at the books again and he asked, "What are the books for?"

"I'm taking classes towards a Philosophy degree. I've got four papers due at the end of next week. I figure this weekend would be a good time to get them done."
"Don't they have to be typed?" Aaron asked not seeing a computer anywhere.

"I write out the papers and Garcia types them for me. I don't type very well."

"What does she get in exchange for doing half your work?" Aaron grinned.

"Technically it's not half my work, merely typing what I write and I'm helping her build an RPG game that's historically accurate on the side."

"Sounds fair." Aaron said as he took a sip from his glass.

"Why did you actually come over Aaron?" Spencer asked as he folded himself on his couch and reached for a book and a notebook like he was going to get some work done while he waited on Hotch's answers.

"I told you to check on you. Make sure you were doing okay."

"I'm staying busy. That helps." Spencer said as he waved his arm over his school books.

"Do you ever give your mind a rest?"

"I try. Never works out too well."

Hotch asked before he could even stop himself, "What have you tried?" If he dropped his voice an octave or two, well that was between him and his maker.

"As you can tell I'm back in school taking fifteen hours of classes a week. The teachers let me get by with teleconferences and a detailed syllabus so I can keep up with the work on top of my own at the FBI."

"So to rest you just keep your mind going?" Aaron asked as he looked over the text books.

"School is easy, so yes my mind is getting a break." Spencer said as he looked down at his notebook and made a note in pencil.

Aaron watched the curtain of hair fall over Spencer's face like a wall coming down and he tucked the strands behind Spencer's ear before he could argue with himself. Spencer looked up from his work and saw Aaron with his drink in one hand and his other hovering in his lap. He made up his mind right then - forget waiting on Aaron to make the first official move. He put his work back on the table and swallowed the rest of the liquor in his glass with practiced ease and set Aaron's forgotten glass on the table next to his own.

Spencer stood up and said, "Follow me."

Aaron looked at their drink glasses for a moment mourning his drink - the scotch was top notch but being near Spencer inevitably beat out anything and everything. He followed behind Spencer quickly down the small hall in the apartment to a door at the end of the hallway. Spencer opened the door and Aaron took in the walls of bookcases that were high quality and the books pristine but well read, the bed was actually very nice with a simple iron frame and a handmade quilt at the bottom of the bed, and then matching nightstands.

Spencer looked at Aaron and said matter of factly with no hint of embarrassment, "Did expect this did you?"

"Actually no." Aaron stumbled.

"S'okay. I like when I surprise people." Spencer walked over to Aaron and cupped his face in his hands and stroked his sideburns. "You're not going to fire me if I kiss you, are you?"

"No." Aaron gasped as Spencer's thumbs brushed the tops of his ears. "And you don't want me to resign if we cross this line?"

"No."

And that was all to be said. Spencer had Aaron in a deep kiss before they could both properly breathe and Aaron's hands gripped Spencer's hips as he tugged his soon to be lover against his body.