Chapter 1: JJ
Chapter Text
It was always going to be JJ who found out about their relationship first. Like Hotch, she was one of the first in the office each morning and one of the last to leave. At first she didn't even question when Reid started turning up minutes after Hotch and leaving soon before him in the evenings. Some evenings they'd be the only three people in the building and she still didn't think twice about it.
One night she stepped out of her office with a collection of files in her hand and noticed that Reid wasn't at his desk. His computer was logged off and she frowned. It wasn't like Spencer to leave without saying goodnight to her. She shrugged and looked down at the files she was carrying. JJ turned and went back into her office and found one of the files she'd left behind. Then she returned to the bullpen.
JJ shifted the files from one arm to the other then made her way along to Hotch's office. It was unusual for the blinds to be drawn but again she didn't question it. The door wasn't quite closed properly, so with the files in one hand, she reached out and pushed the door open with her free hand.
"Hey Hotch…" she began but stopped mid-sentence.
The older agent was sitting in his desk chair while Spencer was sat on Hotch's desk. Spencer's legs were parted, wrapped around Hotch's chair. He was leaning down, his hands on the older man's neck. Hotch had his hands on Reid's thighs. They were kissing with such tender affection that the sight took JJ's breath away.
Neither of her co-workers had heard her enter the room nor had they noticed her presence since.
She knew she should leave, just turn and walk away but her feet were rooted to the floor. She was lucky she hadn't dropped the files she was holding, grasping in her hands. She simply couldn't tear her eyes away.
She knew it was wrong to stare. She felt like she was invading their privacy. JJ slowly took a step back, her eyes watching the way Hotch gently rubbed his hand up and down Reid's thigh. Another step back and she saw Reid's long fingers tugging at Hotch's tie.
The two men continued to exchange loving kisses, completely unaware they were being watched.
JJ managed to back out of the room and pull the door closed behind her. She quickly fled back to her own office, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. She barely made it before her cell phone rang.
Her mind still reeling, she snatched it up.
"Hey Will" she greeted her partner.
"Jennifer" came Will's reply. "Are you on your way home yet?"
"I'm about to be… Just packing up now"
"So I'll see you soon then"
"Yes… And Will?"
"Yes JJ?"
"I love you"
"Well I love you too"
She ended the call then dropped the files on her deck. She turned off her computer and grabbed her bag. JJ turned off the light then marched down to Hotch's office. She stopped and knocked loudly on the closed door.
"Just a minute" she heard Hotch's muffled reply.
A moment later the door opened and Hotch was smiling at her. Over his shoulder she could see Reid sitting in the chair opposite the desk.
"Goodnight guys" she said to them both. "See you in the morning"
"Goodnight JJ" Hotch replied. Reid smiled and waved to her.
"Don't stay too late"
"Goodnight JJ" Hotch said again.
JJ smiled then turned on her heel and walked away. She was still smiling as she walked out of the office and all the way to her car.
Chapter 2: Emily
Chapter Text
Emily was next to learn their secret.
The team were travelling on the jet to Minnesota to help investigate a series of murders. Each team member was examining a different file relating to the case. Emily cricked her neck then looked to her left. Morgan was sitting beside her while Rossi & JJ were across the table opposite them.
Reid was on the couch with his leg stretched out. His cane was leaning against the arm of Hotch's chair.
Emily glanced up and saw something that made her look twice… Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her. Hotch was holding a file in one hand and looking at the image of Garcia on the laptop on the desk. Garcia was talking them through what she'd found out about the victims.
But Emily's eyes were on Hotch… Not on the hand holding the file but the other one. Morgan, JJ & Rossi had their attention completely focused on Garcia.
None of them saw the way Hotch's hand lightly stroked Reid's bandaged leg. His movement was so slow and careful, so subtle that no one would likely notice it… Except that Emily happened to be looking.
She was able to hold back a gasp of surprise and she quickly looked away. By the time she was able to bring herself to sneak another peek, Hotch was holding the file with one hand and flicking through the pages with his other.
Emily then told herself that she must have imagined it. There was simply no way that could have just happened. She'd never seen such a tender display from Hotch towards any member of the team (for no apparent reason). In fact, she couldn't recall ever seeing another member of the team touch Reid and not seeing him flinch.
"What do you think, Emily?" Morgan asked her.
"Huh? What?" she hadn't heard the question.
Morgan looked at her and cocked his eyebrow.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes… I'm fine, Morgan… Sorry"
She forced herself to pay attention for the rest of the flight but it was difficult. Her mind kept replaying those brief seconds she'd witnessed and they simply wouldn't go away.
The following day Emily was returning to the station with JJ after questioning a witness. The two women were discussing the legitimacy of the statement when Emily looked up and stopped. Through the open blinds she could see Reid and Hotch standing side by side in front of the whiteboard. Hotch's hand was resting on Reid's lower back. She counted to ten and saw it was still there.
"JJ?" Emily whispered.
"Emily?" JJ replied.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
JJ turned and looked towards the meeting room but Reid was already moving back to his seat.
"What?" JJ asked. "What did you see?"
"Uh... Nothing, I guess"
The two women stepped into the room and Emily dropped into a chair next to Reid. She looked from Hotch to Reid and back again but didn't say anything. Surely her mind hadn't gone there a second time… Had it?
Her suspicions were confirmed the following night after they'd solved the case and caught the Unsub. It had been too late to fly back to Virginia so the team had decided to get an early start in the morning.
Emily & JJ decided to sneak out of the hotel for some late night gelato. They were making their way back to their rooms, trying to be quiet, when the elevator doors opened and they saw Hotch and Reid walking down the hallway towards their rooms. Reid was still limping with his cane but his other hand was entwined with Hotch's.
Both women froze and JJ quickly hit the door close button. The elevator doors slid closed before either of them men in hall could turn around and see them. Emily's eyes were wide but from the look on JJ's face she wasn't as surprised by what she'd just witnessed.
"You saw that, right?" Emily asked.
"Uh… Saw what?" JJ replied.
"Wait, you knew about them?"
"Yes"
"For how long?"
"A… A few months"
"And you never said anything?"
"They don't know that I know"
The doors opened again but the hall before them was deserted. The two women stepped into the corridor and walked in silence to their rooms. JJ stopped at her door but Emily continued on to her own room. She reached into her purse to find her key then turned to JJ.
"If you haven't said anything then I won't either" Emily stated.
"Okay" JJ agreed.
"It's not our secret to tell"
"I'm just relieved someone else knows! It's been driving me crazy all this time"
"How did you even find out?"
JJ smiled.
"Come on in, I'll make tea and tell you" she said to Emily.
Chapter 3: Garcia
Chapter Text
Garcia's ability to work magic on a computer was how she learned about Hotch and Reid.
One evening she was scanning her computer system and trying to locate a misplaced file. She knew it was in cyberspace somewhere and refused to give up until she found it.
She left the room to make a mug of coffee and when she returned she found a flashing IM on her screen. She clicked on it and her eyes widened. The computer system had been acting up all day, sending emails to the wrong people and deleting random files. Right now she'd thought she was the only one logged in to the system but the IM proved otherwise.
The message was from Hotch.
"Stop playing with your pen, it's distracting me" She read.
"Unless you've got something else you'd rather me play with…" was the reply from Reid.
Garcia was about to close the message when she saw a reply come through.
"I do have some ideas for what your skilled fingers could play with"
"Only my fingers?" Reid wrote back.
"I have other plans for your lips and your tongue"
"I'm imagining your lips on mine right now"
Garcia's hand flew to her mouth. They must have believed they were having a private conversation. She quickly checked the log to make sure no one else was witnessing this exchange.
"Want to taste your lips" Hotch typed back.
Garcia stared at the screen, waiting for a response from Reid. Her mind was reeling as she turned to one of the other monitors and scrolled through the surveillance cameras. She could see Reid at his desk but there was no camera in Hotch's office. Her scan of camera shots showed no one else in the building. She wondered if she should tell the two other agents that she was still in the office.
Chewing on the tip of her pen, she looked back at the IM exchange but Reid still hadn't replied. She was tempted to type something, anything, to get some kind of reaction from them but she couldn't bring herself to.
A part of her couldn't help thinking that perhaps they knew she was there and they were simply playing a joke on her… But that didn't seem at all like the type of thing Hotch or Reid would do. Morgan maybe but definitely not Hotch.
Suddenly the message disappeared from her screen. She started typing frantically in an attempt to bring it back up and was filled with quiet awe. One of the two agents had been holding back on her. She never would have suspected either of them to be able to completely erase an IM exchange. Of course she knew she could easily locate it in cyber space but only because she knew to look for it.
This only encouraged her to go looking for others. She spent the next few minutes trolling through hundreds of IMs until she found what she was looking for. That was when she hit the jackpot.
Garcia leaned closer to the screen, her eyes widening with each exchange she read. Whatever this was, it definitely wasn't a prank… Some of these exchanges were outright dirty and others were bordering on sweetness. They appeared to date back several months which only added to her curiosity… How long had this been going on? How had she not found out sooner? Who else on the team knew?
She turned back to the other monitor and brought up the camera feed from the bullpen. Reid was gone from his desk and she sighed with disappointment. Then she noticed that his computer screen was still on. She tried to bring up a different angle shot, one that would allow her to see into Hotch's office but to no avail.
Knowing it was wrong but unable to help herself, Garcia hacked into the webcam on her boss's computer. As soon as the image came up on her screen, she hit record then leaned back in her seat.
Maybe no one else on the team was aware of their relationship and therefore she was only person to ever see them kissing like this. There was so much love behind their embrace that she almost felt uncomfortable watching them… Almost.
She stared at the screen for a few moments longer before she stopped the recording. As sweet and touching as it was, it was wrong and she knew it. She cut the feed from Hotch's webcam then slowly twirled her pen through her fingers.
There was nothing she go do to wipe the smile from her lips. She was happy for them and she wasn't going to let anything spoil it for them. With a sigh of disappointment, she deleted the video she'd just recorded and wiped the IMs she'd pulled from cyberspace. If someone was going to try to out them by computer, Garcia wasn't going to let them attempt it.
Chapter 4: Morgan
Chapter Text
Morgan was sitting on the balcony of his hotel room, staring up at the stars in the sky and trying to clear his head. This case was getting to him and he knew it was wrong to let himself get caught up in it. He tried to push all thoughts of work aside when he heard a noise coming from the room next to his.
He sat up and moved towards the edge of the balcony, trying to remember who was sleeping there. The hotel had been short of rooms which meant some doubling up. He knew JJ & Emily were sharing and Hotch had insisted Morgan has a room of his own. That left two rooms for Hotch, Reid and Rossi. He wracked his brain trying to think… He remembered seeing Hotch unlocking the door so he knew Hotch was in there but he clearly wasn't alone.
It was very late and Morgan knew he should be trying to get some sleep but the sounds coming from Hotch's room had him on edge. Was Hotch being attacked? Should he try and help him?
Morgan leaned over the adjoining balcony and reached for the glass door. He managed to slide it open several centimetres, enough to get a better idea of what was happening inside the room. There were definite moans and groans and what sounded like flesh on flesh but not in a 'getting beaten up' kind of way.
He could hear the unmistakeable sound of the mattress moving up and down as two people were in the throes of passionate sex… Or love-making. There was definitely kissing as he could hear their lips smacking and lots of moaning.
He felt guilty at eavesdropping but he was curious… Did Hotch have a woman in there with him? Morgan couldn't help thinking how unprofessional it was for Hotch to bring a woman back to his room while they were working a case… Unless it was the pretty red-headed cop who'd been flirting with Hotch all day… But again, it wasn't like Hotch to be so unprofessional.
There was more moaning and panting then he heard Hotch building up to a big climax. He clamped his hand over his mouth to stop himself cheering his boss on then it all went silent.
Morgan quietly sneaked back into his own room and pushed the balcony door closed. He was feeling slightly aroused by what he'd just heard but he refused to give in to that temptation. He wasn't going to get off on his boss's sexual conquests.
He shed his clothes and jumped into the shower. The cool water calmed him down. He towelled himself off and climbed into bed, his mind still reeling. He was tempted to text Emily and tell her Hotch had picked up a woman but he assumed Hotch wasn't going to brag about it tomorrow so he decided to keep his boss's secret. He wondered if Reid and Rossi in the next room over from Hotch had heard him too.
After a restless night's sleep, Morgan climbed out of bed and walked over to the balcony door. He slid the door open but before he stepped out, he could hear voices from the next room. Hotch must have been standing on the balcony, probably watching the sun rise. Morgan wasn't sure if he was on the phone or if perhaps the mystery woman had stayed the entire night.
"I hope I didn't leave marks on your skin" he heard Hotch say. "I know you bruise easy"
"No, I love it when you brand me" Morgan heard Reid reply.
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
"Well I think I may have gotten a little carried away" Hotch added.
"I told you to ride me hard, to get all that frustration out" Reid replied.
"Yes, you did baby and I only hope I didn't hurt you"
"You'd never hurt me, Aaron. I trust you with every inch of my body"
"And it's a treasure I cherish each and every day"
"I love you Aaron"
"And I love you Spencer"
Morgan took a step back and another until he hit the bed and sank down onto the mattress. He was in complete and utter shock. He had no idea how long *that* had been going on for and he suddenly felt like an idiot for thinking Hotch had picked up some random woman the previous night.
Of course in his defence, he never in a million years would have imagined Hotch to be doing things like that to… with… Reid.
He reached for his phone and immediately dialled Garcia. She answered on the second ring.
"Talk to me my handsome hero" Garcia greeted him.
But his voice failed him. All he'd wanted to do was vent his confusion to someone who'd be as shocked and surprised as him but something made him stop. In his mind all he could hear was Reid telling Hotch he loved him and Hotch returning the sentiment. Who was he to out their secret love?
"Morning baby girl" he finally managed to say. "I just called because I needed to hear your sexy voice"
"Oh Derek you tease me something bad" Penelope replied.
"You know I can't make it through the morning without you"
"Of course you can't… I rock your world"
"I'll check in with you later for a case update okay?"
"You better"
"Bye babygirl"
Morgan ended the call then moved back towards the glass door. He stepped out onto the balcony and looked over, through the small gaps in the terrace and could see Reid and Hotch sitting together at the tiny table. Hotch was gazing out at the street below and Reid was resting his head on Hotch's shoulder.
He smiled to himself then quietly sneaked back into his own room. He didn't want them to know he'd seen them or that he knew about what they'd been doing the previous night.
A part of him felt hurt that Reid hadn't confided in him. Reid finally had someone who made him happy but he'd felt the need to hide it from Morgan. He sighed and headed into the bathroom to shave.
He knew Reid wasn't ashamed of his relationship with Hotch. They were obviously trying to protect their jobs (and each other). Morgan knew the truth would out eventually but he wasn't going to be the first to spill the beans.
Chapter 5: Rossi
Chapter Text
Not only was Rossi the last to find out but he was the only one who found out from Hotch himself.
The older man had long suspected his fellow agents had feelings for each other but he'd never vocalised his theory. Sure he'd watched each of them closely and had studied them together, seeing how they interacted with each other and how they worked together but he didn't say anything.
He tried once to get Reid to open up to him and had almost succeeded. It had definitely confirmed his theory that Reid was gay but not much else. The kid was a genius in more ways than one, especially in keeping things to himself.
He'd also tried once with Hotch. They were working on a case and were very limited when it came to sleeping arrangements. JJ & Emily were bunking together as were Reid & Morgan which left Rossi & Hotch together. They'd stayed up late, rereading each of the case files and trying to find what linked all the victims.
Rossi vocalised the obvious point, how each of the male victims had left their wives for another man. He'd jokingly said that maybe it was something he should have considered, after three ex-wives perhaps he should find himself an ex-husband. Hotch had looked at him like he could see right through him, as though he believed Rossi to be making a pointed comment towards him. They'd quickly moved on and the subject was dropped but Rossi couldn't help but think he'd struck a nerve.
One evening, he was sitting at home with a glass of wine, reading over some notes his publisher had sent him when there was a knock at the door. He ignored it, hoping whoever it was would go away but they were persistent.
Rossi climbed to his feet and made his way to the front door. He opened it and was surprised to find Hotch standing on his front porch.
"Aaron, what are you doing here?" Rossi asked him.
"Dave, can I please come in?" Hotch replied.
Dave stepped aside and held the door open for Aaron. The younger agent moved into the house and waited while Dave closed the door behind him. The older man led Aaron through his home back to the study and poured him a glass of scotch.
He handed the drink to his friend then indicated for him to sit down. Aaron did so, clutching the glass firmly in his hand. Dave sat down in the armchair opposite him.
"Aaron, why are you here?" Dave asked. "Is Jack okay?"
"Jack? Yes, Jack's fine" Aaron replied before taking a sip of his drink.
"So why are you here?"
"You retired once"
"I did"
"Would you recommend it?"
"For who?"
"For me"
"You?"
"Yes"
"Aaron, you are much too young to be thinking of retiring… What's brought this on?"
Hotch downed another mouthful of scotch.
"I want to ask Spencer to move in with me" Aaron confessed.
Rossi didn't say anything. At first he thought he may have misheard Aaron's words. He raised his glass to his lips and slowly sipped it. There was a tiny smile on his lips.
"So you and Reid, huh?" Dave asked, smiling at Aaron.
"Don't pretend you didn't know" he replied.
"I'm not pretending… I honestly didn't know…" Dave admitted. "But I'd always secretly hoped"
The younger man frowned at the older agent.
"You really didn't know?" Aaron asked.
"Like I said I'd always hoped… I mean, yes there were signs… Foyet attacked you around the time Reid got shot protecting a witness… There were definitely hints back then"
"It wasn't long before that actually… Just after West Bune, Texas"
"You two had a lot to talk about after Reid's behaviour on that case"
"Reid almost got himself killed… You were there, Dave. You remember how close he was to Owen… How easily Owen could have shot him and I… I could've lost him before I even had him"
"So you've been in love with him since then?"
"No, Dave… I've been in love with him a lot longer. I was only able to admit it to myself and to him then"
"And the two of you have been together all this time?"
"Yes"
"How is it that you've managed to hide it from all of us?"
"We think JJ knows… Reid wants to tell her, he's been saying for months that he's going to tell her but he hasn't yet"
"So why are you telling me now?" Dave wanted to know.
"Because we've hidden it long enough" Aaron replied. "But I may lose my job over it… There are rules that we've broken and we're ready to face to consequences"
"I still don't understand what you want me to do"
"Nothing… Just tell me I'll be okay if I'm forced to resign or into early retirement"
"Well, tell me something Aaron… When you picture your future and you've been pushed to resign or you've opted for early retirement, what *exactly* do you see?"
He closed his eyes and smiled.
"I'm at home… Jack has just come home from school and is sitting at the kitchen table doing his homework with Spencer's help"
"So no matter what future you imagine, all you can see is Jack and Reid?"
"Yes"
"Then I don't need to tell you you'll be okay because you already know you will be"
"Thanks Dave"
"I'm happy for you Aaron… For both of you"
"I thought you would be"
"And how does Jack feel about all this?"
"Jack loves Spencer as much as I do… And Spencer adores Jack"
"I'm glad to hear it"
Dave raised his glass.
"To finding love in all the wrong places" he toasted Hotch and Reid.
END!
Chapter 6: Epilogue
Notes:
Written for "tentailes" who requested a chapter where Hotch and Reid find out that everyone else already knows about them
Chapter Text
The team were travelling on the jet. Morgan, JJ, Prentiss and Rossi were sat around the table, Garcia's image displayed upon the tablet by the window as she rattled off information about the three victims. Reid was holding an empty cup of coffee and contemplating getting a refill, Hotch sitting beside him on the couch with a file open in his hand.
JJ held up images of each of the crime scenes, so they could compare the similarities to determine if each sight was purposely chosen or just a location of convenience.
Reid got to his feet and made his way towards the back of the jet, still listening to the discussions of his co-workers. He turned and caught his lover's eye. Aaron gave a slight nod in answer to Spencer's unasked question. The younger man poured a second cup of coffee and made his way back to the couch.
Spencer's eyes met with Aaron's as the younger man sank back down onto the couch beside him. Aaron reached for the mug of coffee; his finger's brushing against his lover's. Spencer smiled, leaning closer but not letting go of either mug.
"Don't tease me, baby" Aaron whispered.
"You love it when I tease you" Spencer replied before leaning in and placing a swift yet tender kiss to his lover's lips.
The second their lips touched both men froze, having temporarily forgotten where they were and who they were with. They'd never slipped up like this before.
Aaron found himself staring into his lover's wide eyes. He could see a look of pure panic and fear upon the younger man's face but couldn't think of a single thing to say to ease his terror.
"Thanks" he said before clearing his throat and raising his mug to his lips. He took a long swig, the liquid burning as it slid down his throat.
"Did anyone else want coffee?" Aaron asked his team mates.
All five of them were staring at the couple. Spencer was staring down at the floor, his brain working overtime to think of an explanation for all the questions they were about to be asked.
"I guess it depends if mine comes with a kiss from pretty boy too" Morgan replied. JJ, Prentiss and Rossi all laughed.
"Like you would be so lucky" Prentiss added.
"Something tells me Reid isn't the type to cheat on Hotch" Rossi said. "Especially not with you"
"Are you saying Hotch is more attractive than me?" Morgan asked, in mock disbelief.
"Not in my eyes" Garcia replied.
Aaron was staring at everyone in surprise and he reached for his lover's hand. Spencer finally looked up from the floor and met the older man's eye.
"So you all knew?" Rossi asked the group.
"Yes" his four co-workers all replied in unison.
"So who's known the longest?" he wanted to know.
"Four months" Morgan put his hand up.
"Four and a half months" Garcia said proudly.
"Babygirl, you knew and didn't tell me?"
"Well you knew and didn't tell me"
"I was going to, I even called you straight away to tell you but I figured it wasn't my secret to tell"
"Me too" JJ stated. "I saw them kissing in Hotch's office about a year ago"
"A year?" Rossi asked in surprise. He was impressed she'd kept it a secret for as long as she had.
"I found out about three months after JJ…" Emily spoke up. "Saw them acting a little too intimate during a case then JJ and I saw them holding hands"
Aaron took this opportunity to pull Spencer towards him. Their friends, co-workers, didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that the two of them had just kissed in front of them. They all seemed to have already known the couple were dating.
"Spencer?" Aaron whispered.
The younger man turned his attention from the conversation happening in front of them and looked at his lover's smiling face.
"Aaron" Spencer replied. "What just happened?"
"You just outed us to the team" he replied. "And they already knew"
"What do we do now?"
"Now we can stop coming up with lame excuses for us to share a hotel room"
"Aaron!"
The older man chuckled and slid his arm around Spencer's waist, pulling the younger man towards him and placing a kiss on his cheek.
"And there were some juicy, and I'm talking outright dirty IMs" Garcia was saying to the others.
"I mean it, Spencer" Aaron whispered. "We don't have to hide anymore"
"Not from our friends anyway" Spencer agreed.
"And to make the most of this opportunity, I'm going to give you a proper kiss right now"
He closed the gap between them and captured his lover's lips in a deep, lingering kiss.
Someone wolf whistled which disturbed the moment and the couple separated. Spencer's cheeks were a deep shade of pink.
"As touching as this is now that it's all out in the open" Rossi spoke up. "We do have a case to solve"
"Dave's right" Hotch addressed the rest of the team. "And just for the record, when we get to the hotel tonight, Reid will be staying in my room"
"I call not staying in the room next to them" Morgan insisted. "Because they do not know how to be quiet!"