Author's Note: This was written for AgentNoSmile who donated to the Christianpalooza 2013 fundraising effort for Make-A-Wish (for more details, please see my Facebook page). Her donation entitled her to a one-shot of 800-1,000 words for the pairing of her choice. She chose Hotch/Reid and her only instructions were a "nice fluffy romance". Thank you so much for your donation and I hope you enjoy the story!
Breakfast Engagement
Reid woke up slowly as he did nearly every morning. The familiar warmth of his boyfriend of the past year heated his back. Reid snuggled closer to Hotch, breathing in his honey scent. He had nearly succumbed to the siren song of sleep once again when he realized that he also had a smaller figure pressed against his front. Slowly, he opened one eye and glanced down.
"Morning, Spencer!" Jack whispered, smiling brightly.
"Uh, good morning, Jack," Reid replied, a bit nervously. This was the first time since Reid began spending the night a few months ago that Jack had climbed into bed on his side. There were a few times that he crawled in with Hotch and once, during a particularly violent storm, in the middle of them both, but never strictly with Reid. It made Reid feel strangely emotional, knowing that this boy trusted him enough to seek comfort from him in the middle of the night.
Jack giggled causing Reid to realize how long he had been staring at the nine-year-old. "Can you make pancakes?"
Reid nodded. "The ones with chocolate chips?"
"Yeah!"
"Ssh," Reid hushed, urging Jack out of bed. "Your dad had a late night last night. Let's let him sleep." Reid took one last look at Hotch in bed, making sure that he was still asleep, before shutting the door. "Go brush your teeth and meet me in the kitchen."
Reid and Jack were elbow deep into cooking pancakes and bacon when Hotch emerged from his slumber. He kissed the top of Jack's head. "Good morning, Jack."
Jack barely looked up from stirring batter to reply, "Morning, Dad."
"Morning, sweetheart," Hotch growled in Reid's ear before giving him a deep kiss over Reid's shoulder. Hotch placed a peck on Reid's nose before pulling away completely. "So, what are my two favorite guys up to?"
"Making chocolate chip pancakes and bacon!" Jack announced proudly.
Reid pointed to the coffee pot. "Coffee's already made. Breakfast should be done soon. Your paper is sitting on the table."
Hotch smiled. "Keep this up and I might just have to keep you around." Hotch laughed at Reid's blush while he sat down at the table.
"Can we?" Jack asked, passing Reid the bowl.
"Can we what?" Hotch clarified.
Jack hopped down from the stool to face his father. "Can we keep Spencer around? Can he move in with us all the time, not just on the weekends?"
Hotch froze. He dared a glimpse at Reid, but Reid had busied himself with breakfast. Hotch could tell by his posture, however, that Reid was hanging on every word. "Well, um... What do you think about Spencer living here?"
"I think it's a great idea! Spencer makes you smile all the time, Dad. And he reads to me the grown-up books, not the baby books." Jack turned to Reid. "You can take me to school sometimes and you can watch me at soccer practice and we can eat every meal just like a family. Well, at least, when you're not away on a case. And you can get me a baby brother!"
"A brother?" Hotch and Reid repeated, astonished.
Jack shrugged. "Or a sister. I'd rather have a brother, though, like Henry. He's a fun kid to be around. Hey, if you guys get married, would Henry be my cousin since he calls you 'Uncle Spencer'? Would that make Miss JJ my aunt? What about-"
"Whoa!" Hotch commanded, holding up his hands. "Slow down there, buddy. Why don't you go and wash your hands so that Spencer and I can have a talk?"
"Okay," Jack replied, sighing exaggeratedly. "But don't screw this up, Dad."
Hotch waited until Jack left the room before standing. He walked over to Reid, who was flipping pancakes. "So, what do you think about all of that?"
Reid turned his head towards Hotch. "What do you think about all of it? I mean, you are the one with a son."
"A rather precocious son," Hotch agreed. "Spencer, you know how much I love you, right?"
"Of course."
Hotch slid his arm around Reid's waist. "I have to say that Jack's plan does have a lot of merits. It would be nice to go to sleep with you in my arms every morning and wake up with you every morning. Have you thought about it?"
Reid nodded. "Yes, but I don't want you to do this just because you think it's what Jack wants. You should make this decision because it's what you want and what I want."
"I know." Hotch reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small, black box. He held it up for Reid to see. "When you walked into my life ten years ago, I had a feeling that my life would never be the same, but I never imagined just how true that would be. We embarked on this adventure a year ago and I have to admit, I had some serious reservations, but we've persevered. Now, I can't imagine a day without you. So, Dr. Spencer Reid, would you do me the honor of becoming my husband and spending the rest of our lives together?"
"I-" Reid's voice choked up on emotion. He stared at the silver ring with a small, flat diamond and thought his heart would burst. He opened his mouth to respond when Jack busted through the kitchen door.
"My hands are all clean!" He stopped suddenly when he saw his dad and Reid. "What's going on?"
Reid cleared his throat and smiled. "You're getting a new cousin."
Jack fist pumped into the air while Hotch turned Reid to him. "Yes?"
"Yes!" Reid kissed him fiercely. "Yes, yes, yes!"
"I love you," Hotch breathed against Reid's lips.
Reid's eyes were bright with tears. "I love you, too."
Jack threw his arms around them both. "I love you, both. Now, can we talk about that baby brother?"
THE END