Took you long enough

Hotch narrowed his eyes. The body language was clear. Philips had obviously never heard of such a thing as personal space. He was leaning in far too close and ignoring all the obvious non-verbal signs telling him to back away.

„Agent Philips! Kindly leave Dr. Reid to his work", Hotch snapped curtly and for everyone to hear. JJ and the other NYPD officer, who were helping them search the files for an unsub, looked up from their desks, looking slightly concerned.

Philips straightened, turned to shoot the FBI unit chief a quick angry look, and disappeared into his office without a word.

Hotch cast Reid, who sat next to a much larger pile of files than he himself did, a quick glance to make sure he was alright, ignored everyone's questioning expressions, and got back to read the file in front of him.

—

„Can I have a word? In private?"

„Sure. Come in", Reid replied and stepped away from the door to his hotel room. He had already changed into more comfortable clothes, a purple shirt and black sweatpants, while his boss was still wearing his suit.

Hotch followed and closed the door.

„Drink?", the younger agent asked, and gestured to the small hotel desk.

Hotch saw that he had already opened a bottle of red wine. It was standing next to a book on Ludwig Wittgenstein. ‚A whole bottle for himself?', he wondered. Aloud he said „No thank you". Then he paused. Reid had turned to look at him, expectantly, but Hotch needed a moment to find a way to start. „Has this happened before?", he finally wanted to know.

Reid blinked at him. „What are you talking about?"

„Did you get these kind of… propositions before; unwanted ones, I mean."

The young man shook his head. „Doesn't happen often. I only remember twice before today. I think the women on the team experience harassment more often."

„Twice?" Hotch frowned and grabbed Reid's elbow, looked into his eyes to make sure the other new how serious he was about this. „Why did you never speak up? You should have told me the first time! It's not okay for anyone to step over your boundaries. I am your boss and it is my job to deal with such transgressions, not yours." Reid looked slightly taken aback at his unit chief's reaction, which unsettled Hotch. Was that a look of panic in his eyes? He felt the younger agent's racing pulse under his thumb and quickly removed his hand. He remembered that his friend did not like to be touched by strangers, but he was no stranger. He took a step back to give him space.

Reid finally nodded and averted his eyes by eyeing the floor. „I… alright. I'll have you know from now on."

„We should have had this talk sooner", Hotch admitted, „I was just never aware it was something I needed to discuss with my male agents. I am sorry about that, and for snapping at you just now. But I want you to know I take these issues seriously and that I want to make sure that everyone on my team feels safe."

The young man looked up. „Thank you. I appreciate it."

Hotch eyed him for a long moment, then decided that the other looked well enough to be left alone. „Right. I'll leave you to your German philosophers", he said at last and nodded at the Wittgenstein book.

„Austrian", Reid corrected him with a small smile, but to Hotch's relief he did not elaborate.

—

Hotch was almost asleep when the thought struck him. Reid's pupils. They had dilated the moment he had stepped closer, and he had been too distracted by the other's fast pulse to notice it right away. And the widening of the pupils had not been because of the light, or else Hotch's brain would not have picked up such a tiny detail and read it as ‚panic'. But what did such a reaction mean, if not panic? Hotch turned onto his back and rubbed his temples. Several emotions could cause dilated pupils and a racing pulse, he knew that.

Emotions, and drugs. Dilaudid, for example. He sighed. There had not been any other signs of drug abuse though, and the few punctuation marks on Reid's arms had looked old, so he'd give him the benefit of doubt. Perhaps he should pay a little more attention to him in the future, just to make sure. He preferred his agents not addicted to drugs, thank you very much.

Overloaded brain capacity, brain damage, or even processing a lot of interesting new information seemed a laughable cause when it came to Reid. He ruled those possibilities out.

Wide pupils and an accelerated pulse might mean pain or shock, but he put that aside as unlikely in this case. Grabbing someone's arm did not cause pain and was not a shocking act.

Which left him with the disturbing options ‚being turned on by him' and ‚plotting to murder him'.

Hotch covered his face with both hands. Both sounded equally ridiculous. None of this made any sense. Either it had really been panic, or he must have missed a reason. Quickly, he went through the points again in his mind - to no avail. There must be something else, something he had overlooked.

There truth was, the thought of Reid fearing him and not wanting him to even grab his arm did hurt, and not just a little. They'd been friends for so long, and Hotch had always been sure they trusted each other. To imagine he'd been wrong all this time. He did not want Reid to feel panic around him, especially since he could not think of a reason why on earth he would. They'd even hugged before, so why this change of behaviour?

He got up and opened his laptop. He would not be able to sleep if he kept thinking about this. While the computer screen loaded, he put on a dressing gown. He typed ‚causes for dilated pupils' into the search engine and spent the next thirty minutes reading up on eye diseases, drug abuse, and brain injuries. But he did not find anything new.

In the end, he frustratedly decided that it had been the light after all, even if he had been very sure that this was not the cause earlier. There was no problem, he was imagining things. But he would still have an eye on Reid from now on. He did not wish to have to deal with a drugged agent - or one who planned to murder him. You never knew.

—

Hotch looked up from his file and turned his head to cast a look over the desks of his agents. The day had been very quiet so far. All members of his team had behaved very ordinary. Especially Reid, who he had been keep an eye on as he had told himself. Hotch had even listened patiently when his subordinate had told him and Dave that Garcia owned a new sparkly pen that glowed in the dark, and which material it was that caused the pen to glow and why it did that.

It was not the first time Hotch wished Derek Morgan was back on his team. They'd only found him three weeks ago after he'd been abducted, so it was only normal for him to want a break. But Hotch would have liked to ask him if it was a recurring incident that their youngest team member drank whole bottles of wine all by himself. He wondered if he should go and visit Morgan to ask him. But perhaps he was overreacting. The bottle had not been empty. Reid might have drunk only part of the wine. And Hotch did not want to make a mountain out of a dust speck. Maybe it was nothing. He did not want Morgan to worry. He had enough on his mind.

—

„I need you to review this one for me. I promised to send the case report this evening, but I won't be able to write it until then. Can you do that?"

Reid turned his head at the voice, seemingly unbothered by Hotch standing so close to him. There it was again. Pupils widening. He had no chance of checking Reid's pulse but he would have betted that it was accelerating this very moment, even though his face remained quiet. „Sure, not a problem."

„Are you alright?", he asked, fixing Reid's eyes with his.

„I'm fine", the younger agent gave a reassuring smile before eyeing the file in his hands with some confusion.

Hotch realised that this was because he had not let go of the paper yet and quickly did so. „Good." He meant it. The effect of drugs on pupils was that they stayed dilated. They did not abruptly change size like they just had when Reid had set eyes on him. It meant that it was safe to rule that option out. He'd worried about the Dilaudid.

„Is… is there something else you want to tell me?"

Hotch shook his head. „Sorry. I was lost in thought."

—

Hotch sat at his desk with his eyes closed and rubbed his temples. He was supposed to fill in an online form, but he had started to feel a little headachy, and the bright screen of his computer did not help. He sat up with some relief when he heard a knock at the door.

„Come in."

Reid stuck his head in. „It's me. I got your report." He waved a file.

Hotch cast a glance at his watch. „Already? I gave it to you less than an hour ago."

The younger agent seemed a little insecure. „Um. I thought it was urgent, so I started working on it right away. I mean I can look at it again …"

He held out a hand. „No, I am glad. I just did not expect to have it back so fast."

Reid walked into the office and handed him the file without another word, a content, perhaps even proud, smile on his face.

The unit chief flicked through the sheets of paper, reading several paragraphs, then he nodded. „Looks like excellent work! Thank you. But do put your name under it, not mine, I wouldn't want to steal your limelight."

Reid positively beamed at that. „I will change it and send it to you by e-mail."

„You do that", Hotch replied, smiling a little at the younger man's enthusiasm. It was just a normal case report, much like those they worked through every day.

—

Hotch realised he'd been looking at the same page for a few minutes now, thoughts not really with the book, but with several details of the case they'd just solved. He blinked the fatigue out of his eyes and tried to focus on Lauren Beukes again, but soon he had to go back to the top of the page and reread what he'd already read because he'd not taken in anything. He decided to try again next time and put it back in his bag. Bleary-eyed, he turned towards the window of the plane. It was dark outside, only a few tiny lights on the ground indicated that they were high in the air.

Something touched his left shoulder quite heavily and he turned his head, surprised. It was Reid's head, the younger man was fast asleep, his book "On a generalized logic calculus" lay closed in his lap, Reid still had a finger between the pages. Hotch carefully took the book out of the other's hands and put it on the table. He shared a smile with Dave who sat opposite him listening to music, and turned his head back to the window.

—

„Four times five?"

„Twenty!", Jack exclaimed.

„Correct. And seven times three?"

His son frowned, then said „Twenty one!"

„Ten times ten?"

„Hundred, of course!"

Hotch nodded and chuckled. „Yes, that one was easy. And what is seven times six?"

„Uhm." Jack needed a moment to think. „Fourty two?"

„Very good! I think we're done for today."

Jack beamed. „Can I go to Davina's now?"

Hotch raised an eyebrow and put the math book aside. „I thought you said all girls were stupid."

„Davina plays baseball", his son replied seriously, as if this explained everything.

He tried his very best to remain equally serious. „You have not mentioned her before. Is she your girlfriend?"

Jack looked slightly afraid, eyes wide. „Of course not!" He hemmed and hawed a little before admitting, „She doesn't even know I like her." He definitely looked embarrassed now.

So his son was experiencing his first crush - a big moment in everybody's life. „Why don't you tell her today? Perhaps she likes you as well."

Jack vividly shook his head. „No dad! She might not want to be my friend anymore if I tell her."

„That is a very good point." He paused. „I'm sure we will figure something out together."

The boy looked relieved. Had he been afraid that his father would laugh at him?

—

Rossi refilled his coffee in the tiny FBI kitchenette. „Good morning. You look thoughtful today", he remarked as he saw his boss walk in.

Hotch smiled and watched Dave take his first sip of coffee. „I am actually trying to figure out something. You see, Jack is in love for the very first time in his life."

Rossi chuckled. „Oho! I never knew he was already a ladies' man at his age. And now you wonder how to keep all the little girls away from him?"

He shook his head. „He does not know if she likes him back and he is afraid to tell her. He doesn't want to lose her as a friend. And I am not really sure what advice I should give him."

„That is easy, Aaron. You either give the girl a little hint, for example you tell her that you think your son likes her, although you can't be sure, because he does not confide in you and so on. Or you ask her if she likes Jack, because you've seen her smile at him or something similar. She will most likely be confused at first, but then she will feel flattered. And so you watch as the spectacle unfolds. Or you let Jack do this himself. A woman likes to be wooed. He does not tell her right away how he likes her, but he first sends her gifts and gives her compliments. Not big things, just small details that show her he is attentive and caring. That way she will feel special. And then he tells her. Has worked every time for me."

„Even when you were ten?" Hotch grinned and finally filled his own cup with coffee.

„No, you're right. But only because I hadn't figured out such a clever plan when I was ten."

„It does seem like a clever plan, indeed. I shall give him your tip. Thanks."

Rossi smiled a little. „You're welcome, that's what friends are here for. Although I can not guarantee it will work in your case."

„My case? I do not plan on wooing anyone at the moment, Dave." He gave him quizzical but slightly amused look.

The other man raised a skeptical eyebrow. „So the fact that you have been particularly attentive to one of your agents lately is a complete coincidence? And you seem preoccupied a lot, keeping to yourself, thinking, which you always do when you're interested in someone."

Hotch eyed his friend, confused. „I- Who- What are you talking about?"

Rossi looked at him with a conspirational expression. „You don't have to lie to me, Aaron. I shan't tell anyone. After all, I am the reason we have certain rules at this office."

The unit chief frowned, still not understanding. Was Dave planning to set him up with Lewis or even Garcia? „I don't think I've been particularly ‚attentive' to anyone lately."

„Apart from the kid", Rossi said with a meaningful glance.

He gaped. „But that is absurd, Dave!", he managed to say after a while.

„Mh." His friend did not look convinced.

Hotch leaned forward and said very quietly, „I worry that he might be using again. That is all."

„He doesn't. He's doing well without the Dilaudid, actually."

He took a deep breath, „Okay. Good. Problem solved", and marched to his office without another word, jaw firmly set, clutching his coffee cup.

Dave, now alone in the kitchenette, rubbed his chin and mumbled, „Is this too easy?"

—

Hotch sat down, still fuming a little. Rossi's notion was ridiculous, of course. But it had given him an idea. Reid's dilated pupils - this was not planning a murder, it was not panic, not brain damage, and it was not drug abuse. It was what he had ignored all this time, thinking it too absurd to even consider it: Reid liked him.

He groaned, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. What on earth was he going to do about this? What if his subordinate decided to do something about it and to tell him? He shook his head. It would be the most awkward situation in the word, surely.

‚Hold on', he told himself. It had taken him ages to notice, not solely because he had been slow to assemble the puzzle pieces due to the gender bias, but also because there were hardly any puzzle pieces. Reid never flirted, never tried to be around him more than was ordinary. It was as if him did not want him to realise what he felt. Dave had suggested little gifts and compliments to get someone's attention. And Reid had done none of that. It must've taken quite a lot of self control to look mildly interested at best every time Hotch had been around, just to make sure no one noticed. And the one thing he could not control was, obviously, his body - his pulse and his pupils, to be precise.

Hotch took a deep breath of relief. Reid did not want him to know, so he would not tell him. Which made things easier. There would be no awkward situations. He could just continue as if he'd never thought about any of this. Problem solved, indeed. Content, he nodded and opened his drawer to read his first file of the day.

—

Hotch gritted his teeth as he walked up the stairs at 7.48 am. He was not in a good mood. Of course the problem was not solved. Of course he could not just stop thinking about it. Of course he was unable to continue as if nothing had happened. He was constantly wondering whether he treated Reid differently than the rest of the team, whether he seemed too preoccupied with him to the others- which probably lead to him seeming very preoccupied. Curse Rossi and his ridiculous ideas!

And then there was the matter of his dreams. That was the worst part. He could tell his mind not to busy itself with that particular subject during the day - but he had no control over what his subconscious chose to let him dream at night. The dreams were always weird, frightening, and sometimes embarrassingly sexy. Ever since his abduction by Peter Lewis he'd had more nightmares than usual, he dreamt of happy moments suddenly changing to dreadful ones of his friends dying, he saw Jack abandon him, even relived Haley's death. And he still had those dreams at this point, except that now, sometimes, Reid wasn't just dying in them but instead doing and saying things that Hotch would never dare to repeat to anyone ever. These parts of his dreams sometimes took place in very familiar surroundings - which was the precise reason why Hotch took the stairs instead of the elevator this morning. They were also the reason why he was particularly glad that there had not been any recent cases far away that required them to sleep in hotels. He hoped he did not talk in his sleep. Haley or any other woman he'd slept in the same bed with had never said anything about that matter, but he could not be sure.

The only good thing about his discussion with Rossi was that he had been able to talk to his son about Dave's tips on wooing little Davina. He'd decided to leave the matter to Jack first, and to only step in if all his efforts did not work. Together they'd already come up with ideas how Jack might be especially nice and gallant to her to get her attention. Hotch did trust Dave when it came to setting people up.

—

At least he had been able to forget the Reid-matter while working. He had make a point of not talking to any of his team members (especially Rossi) today, so he would not get distracted. He had even had lunch in his office. And he had decided to do some overtime, just to make sure he was alone when he left the building. He would use the stairs again. Obviously.

Hotch finished writing his report and looked at his wristwatch. Perfect, it was half past five, time to go. He closed the document, turned off his computer and reached for his briefcase.

There was a knock at the door. Hotch sat up again and frowned. Dave always went home at five if he was able to. „Yes?", he asked.

It was Reid. Of course it was Reid. And he even walked into Hotch's office. „Can I have a quick word?"

Hotch blinked. Could he say no? He quickly thought of just making up an excuse and leave quickly. But if he did that, the younger man would be back the next day. „Ah. Yes, do come in", he said after a pause, and then realised how stupid that sentence was, because the other agent was already in his office.

Reid pinned a map to Hotch's pin board and took out a felt pen. Had he not said this was a quick matter? „You remember how I said I was looking for a more exact formula to calculate comfort zones of our unsubs?" The younger man turned to his boss with a questioning glance.

He did not remember, but he nodded.

„Here's the thing. I think I got it! And we can even work with several variables with this version!" Reid used the pen to write his new formula on the map, enthusiastically explaining this and that while drawing lines and circles on the paper.

Hotch was not listening. He tried his best not to think of a particular dream that had started in a very similar way, except it had, for some reason, taken place in his kitchen. He could not help but stare at Reid's shoulder blades, just visible through that white shirt, and at his hands, how he opened his mouth just a little when he was concentrating on what he was writing. Once the young man even absentmindedly bit his lip and Hotch had to grip the armrests of his chair very firmly.

„… and that is why I am convinced we will be able to be much more exact when we calculate the comfort zone with this new formula", the rambling ended. „What do you say?" He practically beamed with pride.

„That is very good, yes. Very, er, helpful." He hoped that the other would not notice that he had not been paying attention. He quickly stood up. „I say we try it on our very next case we're called on. Would you make sure to send me the formula, your explanation and your reasoning, so I can send it to the rest of the team?"

Reid was already removing his map from the pinboard. „Absolutely! First thing tomorrow." He carefully folded the paper, turned to the door, but hesitated. „You look a little pale. Are you alright?"

„I just didn't sleep too well. I've been having plenty of nightmares lately."

Reid nodded sympathetically. „Sorry to hear that. I doubt they will ever go away. If it's any help, dreams help us process what we experience, so that we can go on living our lives as normally as possible."

Hotch sighed. „Right now, the dreams mess up my life instead of helping me to cope. It feels like I'd be better off without them." He then remembered that the younger agent had reason enough to have his own nightmares and felt a pang of regret for having been so unappreciative about his formula. „Let me drive you home", he said, and a second later he wished he could take it back.

But his subordinate already nodded with a grateful smile, said „Thank you. I'll go packing my things", and hasted out of the room.

Now he had to go through with it. And why shouldn't he? Just drive him home, like a friend would. Why did a few weird dreams have to make things complicated? Hotch tried his very best not to groan and hide his face in his hands. Why could he not simply treat Reid like every other agent? All of this was Rossi's fault, that he was convinced of. He picked up his briefcase and jacket and turned off the light.

—

Of course they had to use the fucking lift. Hotch had completely forgotten about wanting to use the stairs instead. Like an idiot, he had followed Reid into the elevator. Now he was staring at himself in the mirrored wall and tried to think of anything but his lift dream. This was going to be an awkward car ride.

—

The streets were quiet as rush hour was already over. Not many people were outside, since the weather was cloudy and it looked like rain. They had been driving in silence for a while now.

„They say it helps if you don't eat right before going to sleep", Reid suddenly piped up.

„Huh?" He did not turn his head, focusing on the signals.

„I am talking about the nightmares. No food directly before bed and a hot bath should help. Or you could try imagery rehearsal treatment", the young man started to ramble, „You think of your dreams and try to imagine a positive ending instead of the horrible one in your nightmare. For example, if you're being chased by an unsub, you could imagine that, once he catches up, he is really trying to give himself up, and that he hands over his weapon."

„Does that work?"

„It has been found very effective in reducing nightmares in PTSD and insomnia patients, so I dare say you should give it a try."

He nodded, „Sounds good, yes." Then he went silent again.

Such methods might work for actual nightmares. But just changing the ending of those particular dreams with Reid in them would not help. They had to stop altogether - it just was not appropriate to have such kind of dreams about any one of his subordinates.

They had arrived at Reid's place, and Hotch parked the car. „Perhaps I'll just stick with the hot baths", he finally said, turning off the motor. ‚And that gives him all the wrong kinds of images in his head. You're doing just amazing, Aaron', he thought to himself.

Reid smiled weakly. „Good luck with that, then."

Later, Hotch would not be able to recall why he did what he did next. It was as if his brain had just taken leave the instant the younger agent had turned to him, probably to thank him for the ride, or to say good-bye. And he, Hotch, to everyone's surprise, especially his own, kissed him without a warning.

It was over in a second. Reid looked as startled as he was. Was that hope in his dark eyes?

What the fuck had he just done? He took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts, but there were too many. „I am sorry", he simply said in the end.

The other stared at him, even more bewildered, before answering, „You don't have to be."

Hotch took another deep breath and sat back into his car seat. „I don't know why I did this. I shouldn't have. It's wrong, and against all BAU regulations."

Reid raised his voice. „Hotch, I don't care!", and after a pause, he continued more quiet, „For so long now, I have felt everything for you."

Hotch didn't turn his head. Why did so few words hit home so hard? Suddenly even breathing seemed difficult. For a few moments, he was lost for words, then he finally found something that sounded like an explanation. „It's wrong because I am your boss, and this was practically harassment."

„Don't be ridiculous!", the young agent retorted so brusquely, that Hotch finally turned to look at him, and this time it was Reid who didn't meet his boss' eyes, but instead straight ahead of himself, with his jaw clenched, obviously angry. „Harassment is by definition the act of systematic or continued unwanted and annoying actions of-", he stopped, obviously realising that he was rambling again, and continued, „What I mean is, it's not harassment if I want you to do it again."

Hotch didn't know how to reply to that. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. How could he know what to say if he didn't even know what all these hundred emotions inside him were, all there at the same time? What if Rossi had been right all along? Why did that frighten him so? Why couldn't life just be easy for once?

In the end, he decided to just be honest. „Look, I'm sorry about this, all of this. I didn't mean to upset you." He too a deep breath. „I can't think straight at the moment. Can we please talk about this some time later? I need time to think."

To his relief, the other agent nodded after a short pause. All he said was a brief, „Fine. See you on Monday" before he got out of the car.

—

Hotch returned to work on Monday, pretending that it was a day like every other. He still hadn't rationalised much of what had happened on Friday. There just had not been enough time. Analysing oneself was harder than expected. Only during the sleepless nights, he'd been unable to stop thinking about the kiss. He knew it would be best to give himself more time to think this over than just a weekend, that he needed to get some sort of distance between himself and last Friday. He was in no state to make a rational decision, add sleep deprivation to that, and yet one of the first things he did this morning was pick up his phone and ask Reid to see him in his office. It was time for the annual performance interviews with his team members.

—

The younger agent entered his office without a word, he just gave a quick nod before closing the door behind him.

„Please sit", the unit chief said, and pushed a file towards the still empty chair.

Reid didn't move. „What is this?"

„The annual staff appraisal."

The other man huffed. „You're not serious, are you?"

„I am. Although I had hoped to also discuss last Friday night with you. Do take a seat."

After a moment's hesitation, Reid complied, but did not say another word.

Hotch took a deep breath. There it was: The moment of truth. No turning back now. „I wanted to apologize to you. It's been a confusing few days lately, to say the least. I've been trying to figure out why I did what I did. Ever since I noticed that I think about you a lot, it felt like instead of being able to put the pieces together, I was falling apart. It's still all too much to get my head around, if I'm honest. All I've been able to figure out is that, when I'm with you, it feels better than being without you.

And to be frank, this scares me. I have so many doubts. All this is so very new to me. I've never even considered the possibility that I might want to be with another man. But… You got inside my head and I can't get you out of it. I can't even figure out how this happened, or when, or why. But I know that I can't ignore it anymore. That would be lying to myself. And I've had to admit to myself that I don't want to ignore it."

He realised he'd been speaking quickly, as if to get it all out as soon as possible. Reid was looking at the still closed file in front of him, avoiding his eyes. After a short silence, Hotch added, speaking slower this time, „What I mean to say is, I'm willing to try this. Us, being together. If it's not too late already, and if you can bring yourself to forgive me for my inexcusable behaviour last Friday."

It seemed like forever until the younger man finally spoke. „Thank you." He looked up, brown eyes locking on his boss'. „And… It's never too late. I'd love to give it a shot. But you already know that."

Hotch released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The inside of his chest felt warm, all of a sudden, as if a small sun was nestling there, and he felt how he began to smile. He shrugged apologetically. „I wasn't sure if I had completely messed up everything."

The young agent tilted his head. „I didn't have a particularly nice weekend, to be honest. But I did not develop a wish to never see you again, no." He finally returned Hotch's smile. „Good god, I can't wait to tell JJ!"

Suddenly, Hotch felt something akin to panic. „Actually… Could we perhaps not tell anyone for the moment?" He paused, collecting his thoughts. „It's just …. I need time. I won't ask you to lie, of course. If anyone questions you, you can tell the truth. But I'd prefer if we had two, three weeks for me to get used to everything. And I want to tell Jack first."

Reid nodded. „I can live with that."

„I need to make small steps."

„It's okay, I understand, really. I want you to be comfortable with everything." The younger agent still beamed, then leaned forward and said very quietly, „Although I have a problem. I don't think I can walk out of here with a straight face."

„Fear not. I have a solution for everything", Hotch, unable to stop smiling himself, replied as he took an envelope from his top drawer and handed it over, „This is supposed to be your performance interview after all."

„What is this?" Reid turned the white, blank envelope in his hands and eyed it curiously.

„Open it. It's your pay rise."

His subordinate could not help himself, he ripped out the paper inside and paused only a second to read it. „That's a lot!"

„Oh yes. And that should explain the smile on your face, I think", Hotch grinned. „Now, would you be so kind as to send in Garcia?"

„Only if you promise I get to take you out tonight."

He raised an amused eyebrow. „You, take me out?"

Reid held up the envelope. „Absolutely! My boss just gave me a wage rise after all."

„I can't argue with that", he chuckled and lightly shook his head. No one had ever asked to take him out before, it had always been the other way round.

—

„I was right, wasn't I?" Rossi didn't even bother looking through the file laying in front of him.

„This is your annual performance interview, Dave", his boss tried to change the subject. He found that not even his friend's smug smile managed to annoy him though.

„And the results will be much like those last year, so we can skip that. Just admit that my plan worked."

„What plan? You never had any plan."

„Jesus, didn't you pay attention? I explained it to you when you asked for help with Jack. Tell one party, and they'll eventually come around and fall in love with the other. I thought I was being far too obvious, but apparently I wasn't. Anyway, it worked, even if it took you long enough."

Had he really walked right into that one? „Dave, I am not in love with anyone."

Rossi held up both hands in defence. „Alright, alright." He smirked. „But still - I was right."