"Something's up with you today. What's wrong, baby?"
"Nothing, it's nothing important," Reid said before taking a big sip of his water. It clearly was important, seeing as how he had seemed distracted all day. He wasn't as talkative as usual, and he seemed very lost in his head.
"If it's bothering you it's important to me," Hotch responding. He knew his boyfriend was a private person, but this was the sort of thing most people in a relationship shared with each other.
Reid sighed and twirled some more pasta onto his fork painfully slowly. Eventually he looked up and spoke. "Just. . .since we made it known to more than just the team that we are dating, the same old rumors have started up again."
"Rumors? What rumors?" Hotch felt like both a bad boyfriend and Unit Chief. People were spreading rumors about Reid and apparently had been for a while and he wasn't even aware.
"Because I got into the BAU so young, people thought maybe Gideon had taken advantage of me. Now, considering you are my boss, people are deciding to bring it up again." Reid seemed very annoyed, now stabbing his fork into his pasta aimlessly with more force than necessary. Ever since he got older there were more people accepting of his position at the BAU, and the rumors cropping up again felt like a step backward.
"Well, did he take advantage of you?" Hotch new from personal, very personal, experience that it was a possibility. His heart had stopped at his boyfriends words, not wanting to possibly imagine something like that happening to Reid. Thinking back to before Gideon left, the fury flared up even more. Reid had been so young then, with slicked back hair and big brown eyes and an eager to please expression.
Reid's fork dropped with a clatter. "Are you serious? Of course not! Wow, I thought at least you'd believe me and not the first rumor you hear." He pushed his chair out. "Just because I got my position young does not mean I fucked my way to the top. My accomplishments are my own and I'm damn proud."
Hotch winced at his profanity, Reid never swore unless he was really upset. And judging by his reaction, he was very pissed. Hotch didn't mean to imply that he wasn't worthy of his job or anything, he just thought it probably happened the way everyone else thought it did.
Reid started towards the stairs and Hotch swiftly got up. "Baby, I didn't mean it like that!"
Reid spun around, anger flaring in his eyes. "Then how did you mean it!"
"I just thought that it could have been a possibility."
"How! What would make you possibly think Gideon would take advantage of me?" He crossed his arms and glared, the stance signalling this was now a proper fight.
"I. . ." Hotch looked down and weighed his options. Drop it and have Spencer continue to be upset with him, or tell him the truth and risk him thinking he's lying. If he thought he was lying, that would cause a massive fight. Would he take his ex-mentor's side or his boyfriend. Logic pointed to the latter, but self-deprecation and insecurity was making the former look like it had a hell of a chance. "I don't know."
"Figure it out. You can't just go around saying things like that for no damn reason!"
"Okay, I'm sorry." Hotch raised his hands in surrender. Reid frowned and tilted his head ever so slightly.
"You are less defensive than usual. That means you have an answer that you think will upset me, so please do share, Aaron." Reid figured Hotch would say something about the plausibility connecting to Gideon's control issues, or that this was some sort of ass-backwards guilt reflection about Reid being his subordinate. However, the conversatin took a very different path.
"You won't believe me," Hotch muttered under his breath. However, Reid had always had more excellent hearing than Hotch, and could decipher what he was saying.
"Tell me anyway."
Hotch paused, and though he still half believed Reid thought he was lying, he took the leap. "When I was still pretty new at the BAU, they had some budget cuts and were going to fire someone. Haley and I had just got married, and we were trying to pay off our debts as fast as we could so we could start a family. Losing my job wasn't an option, but Gideon told me that it was going to me but that he'd pull a few strings if. . .if I engaged in sexual activity with him. I made sure he was clean and then did whatever he told me to."
Hotch looked up in anticipation of Reid's reaction. Reid was slack-jawed, seemingly staring off into space. However, he had tears in the corners of his eyes mirroring Hotch's own. Hotch shifted a bit, feeling a way that could only be described as 'I don't want to be here, this is the most anticipatory I've ever felt.' The noise brought Reid out of his thoughts, and he launched himself at Hotch for a hug.
Burying his head in Hotch's shoulder he whispered, "I believe you, I believe you. I need you to know that, I believe you. I'm so sorry, I reacted so badly and you were just making a normal, expected assumption."
Hotch breathed a sigh of relief. Reid believed him, thank goodness. "It's okay. You were just reacting with the information you had." Reid pulled back and brushed a hair out of Hotch's eyes.
"I love you. I love you so much. God, I just wish I could rip Gideon to shreds, abusing his power like that!"
"Well I'm the one who agreed," Hotch muttered, casting his gaze downward.
"No. This is not your fault. You were young and scared and he manipulated you and made you feel like you had no choice. What he did was wrong!"
"Okay. Can you just answer me one thing?"
"Of course."
"Did he, did he really leave you alone or were you lying." Hotch hoped to god that the paternal instinct Gideon felt for Reid took over and stopped him from doing anything untoward.
"I was telling the truth. Nothing ever happened, and he never tried to make anything happen."
Hotch pulled Reid back to his chest and stroked his hair. "Thank god," he whispered as tears of relief fell. "I was always so worried he would try something like that with someone else, but I just buried it down so far."
"I know, Aaron. It's understandable. What he did was horrible and disgusting and. . .I have no words for how enraged I am. At least now I can think of his leaving a good thing, it took him out of a position of power."
Hotch paused for a minute before saying, "Do you. . .do you think I'm only Unit Chief because of what I did."
"Of course not! When Gideon went on leave after Boston, you were up next because you were his second in command."
"But why not Morgan?" He's stronger, and he had more experience in the law enforcement aspect, whereas Hotch knew more about the legalities side as a former lawyer and prosecutor.
"For starters, you are a better Unit Chief than Morgan, so that might be it. Or seniority, or a million other things," Reid said with conviction.
"Yeah I'm such a good Unit Chief that I'm sleeping with a subordinate just like Gideon did." Reid jerked back and cupped Hotch's cheeks in his hands.
"You are nothing like him. I know you love me, and more importantly I love you. I am a willing participant in this relationship and I love you more than anything. Stop hating yourself, or I'll have to love you enough for the both of us."
Hotch cracked a grin a nodded and that practically did Reid in. Reid wasn't being taken advantage of, and they were both damn head over heels. Hotch could recognize that, but on the days that were tough Reid kept to his promise and loved him enough for the both of them.