Arms, a criminal minds fanfic

Author's Note: Just a short story to promote the Profiler Choice Awards. Check out the info at the end!

Arms

This was not the first time that he ended up in this position and Reid was sure it wouldn't be the last. Still, for all the analysis that his brain was apt to do, he simply refused to analyze this. Instead, he reveled the feeling of being safe and secure.

Hotch tightened his grip on Reid, murmuring in Reid's ear the nonsense of sleep. Reid's thoughts turned to the first time in ended up in Hotch's arms. It was the night that he killed Phillip Dowd after he and Hotch had been taken hostage. Despite his calm exterior to the team, Reid arrived at the hotel unsettled. It was hours before he went to sleep and it wasn't long before the nightmares came.

After waking for the third time in under an hour with a nightmare, he heard a knock on the door. He expected to find Morgan with a scowl on his face or Gideon with some words of wisdom or even JJ with a soothing cup of tea, but what he found was Hotch with a sympathetic smile. Saying no words, Hotch led him back to bed and laid him down, crawling into bed behind him. Hotch wrapped his arms tight around Reid, rocking him gently until they both fell asleep.

That night set up a pattern that continued to this day. Hotch seemed to instinctively know when Reid needed extra care and would show up wordlessly in the middle of the night. It was an unspoken understanding that Reid could not do the same for Hotch, though Reid found that over the years that Hotch came to him when his own world was going pear shaped.

Hotch shifted, running his hand over Reid's chest. That, too, was something that changed over the years. It started with Hotch's arms wrapped around him in a protective, almost fatherly way, but slowly over time, Hotch's hands started to wander. His caresses turned from comforting to something more erotic. They hadn't progressed further than stroking, but with the kisses that Hotch peppered on Reid's neck it was clearly only a matter of time before their relationship changed.

Reid knew that they would actually have to have a conversation about their relationship before it reached that point. There was Jack to consider as well as their jobs. The rest of the team would have things to say, too, especially JJ, but for now, he was content to lay here in the arms of his almost lover as he drifted off to sleep after a long day.

"Everything okay?" Hotch whispered, sending shivers down Reid's spine.

Reid smiled, snuggling further into Hotch's embrace. He closed his eyes, feeling the edges of sleep coming towards him. "Everything's great."

END

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