A/N: Once again, my original three-chapter outline has turned into a much longer fic. So contrary to what I had originally announced in my author's note in Chapter 1, this won't be the last chapter.
Also, unlike I said in Chapter 1, I will have to change the rating to M for the next chapter. It looks like Aaron and Dave can't keep their hands off each other...
Many, many thanks once again for all the wonderful reviews!
Happy With Me
Chapter 3: A Chalet In The Woods, Part 1
As expected, not a single person was in the chalet. Considering there weren't any Christmas decorations either, Dave and Hotch assumed that no one would show up there within the next 24 hours. It was either this or the owner of this place was the Grinch himself.
Even though the chalet didn't look very luxurious, both men realized it certainly wasn't the worst place to spend the night. The interior was simple, yet rather cozy.
While they listened to Garcia rant about how irresponsible their little road trip was – she had demanded to be put on speaker so she didn't have to say the same things twice – Hotch and Dave inspected their shelter for the night.
The generously-sized living area in the front was separated in a small kitchen and dining corner on the left side and a den on the right side. There was a homy couch, though not very big, and a low table by a fire place. Right in front of the fire there was a white bearskin which was probably the most valuable thing in the whole house. A small recliner stood in the far right corner of the room, next to a bookshelf with a couple of books on it, none of which seemed particularly interesting to the men. A TV or other electronic entertainment devices were nowhere to be seen, but they didn't plan on doing anything else than sleeping here, anyway.
In the back of the chalet were a bedroom and a bathroom.
"Please let there be warm water," Hotch muttered to himself.
Knowing that their options were limited, he was coming around to the idea of spending the night in a lonely chalet in the woods with his best friend... or whatever he was going to be to him in the future.
Stepping into the bedroom, they both froze in their tracks for a second. While looking fairly comfortable, the bed was queen-sized – at best.
Neither of them generally had a problem with sharing a bedroom. They had done so on numerous occasions while away on cases. However, the hotel rooms usually either had double-beds with two mattresses or two single beds. If they were both going to sleep in there, they would definitely have to squeeze together.
"Well, thank God it's not a single bed," Dave joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Garcia, of course, having only heard his last two words, couldn't refrain from commenting on it.
"Single bed? Super agents, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing, Garcia," Hotch quickly answered, shooting Dave a look that was a mixture between amused and annoyed.
"Don't nothing me! Does this mean you'll have to share a bed? A single bed, no less?"
She sounded far too excited for Hotch's liking. What the heck had he been missing if Garcia got that exhilarated about the possibility of him and Dave sleeping in the same bed?
"Actually, it's queen-sized," Dave told her with a big grin on his face, echoing her anticipation.
"And one of us will be able to take the couch," Hotch intervened. He didn't want to give her any more ideas, but Dave didn't do him the favor of keeping his mouth shut.
"The one certainly won't be me. I'm not squeezing myself on a tiny couch like that one in the living room."
Completely forgetting about Garcia on the other end of the phone line for a second, Hotch retorted, "You're smaller than I!"
"And you're younger!" Dave shot right back. "I will, of course, be more than willing to share, Aaron. Under certain conditions."
Garcia's voice pulled them from their banter again.
"Oh, this is exciting! You're bickering like an old married couple!" She snickered.
"And on that note, I think it's time to say goodnight," Hotch quickly cut her off, giving Dave a warning glare to not provoke her further.
"Puh," she pouted, "I was having so much fun listening to you."
"Goodnight, Garcia!"
"Wait! Queen-sized beds and tiny couches aside, you are safe for the night, right?"
"We are, Kitten," Dave assured her.
"Good. And you'll call first thing in the morning before you continue your road trip!" Her last statement certainly wasn't tempered suggestion, and Dave quickly agreed as to not conjure up another rant from her.
"Of course, Kitten. Thanks a lot for your help tonight. It's truly appreciated."
"We owe you, Garcia," Hotch confirmed.
"That you certainly do, my loves. I'll collect when you're back," Garcia answered.
"You just had to taunt her, didn't you," Hotch immediately said to Dave once Garcia had disconnected the call.
Dave just grinned and went back to the living room. Grabbing his bag that he'd left on the floor next to the entrance, he brushed past Hotch, making his was to the bathroom.
"I hope you weren't serious about one of us sleeping on the couch. Just remember we'll have to sit in the car for a few more hours tomorrow. The bed may not be the biggest, but at least we can stretch out."
"Fine," Hotch agreed. "But if you're trying to steal the covers, I'll revise this decision."
Dave chuckled and left him standing in the hallway.
Taking his own bag, Hotch went back into the bedroom.
His heart involuntarily began to beat faster as he looked at the bed again. He was going to spend the night in there with Dave. The thought excited him, much like it had Garcia on the phone, and more than he liked to admit. At the same time, it made him incredibly nervous, even though he didn't really know why.
It was not like Dave would try to get into his pants tonight, was it? As soon as he had finished that thought, he realized Dave had certainly been flirting with him the entire evening. And if Dave had been anywhere near serious with it, Hotch wouldn't put it past him to try exactly that.
He didn't have time to think about it further, because the man in question came back. Hotch's breath caught as he took in the sight of him, barefoot and clad only in his boxer shorts and undershirt.
"Your turn, Aaron," Dave said and smiled at him. "I left you some warm water."
"Uhm...yeah, thanks." Hotch cleared his throat and quickly fled the room, hoping Dave hadn't caught him staring.
Deciding for a quick shower, he hoped the warm water would relax him enough to get a good night's sleep.
When he came back into the bedroom, Dave was already lying in bed.
"I've already warmed the sheets for you," he informed him with a wide grin, and pulled the covers back. "Come on in."
Hotch's heart missed a beat and then raced like never before.
Blushing deeply, he lay down next to Dave and turned off the lights. 'Damn it, Aaron, why are you so fuckin' nervous?' A little voice in his head questioned. 'I thought you told Dave you could handle everything?'
"You okay, Aaron?" Dave wanted to know after a few moments of rather uneasy silence.
Hotch was lying flat on his back, just like Dave, their arms touching. Every fiber of his body was on alert because of the physical closeness between them.
"Yeah … of course," Aaron replied shortly. 'Get yourself together, Hotchner,' he mentally berated himself. 'You should be elated to be in this situation right now.'
He felt Dave shift next to him and seconds later the lights went on again.
Dave braced himself on his elbow and looked at him.
"You're tense," he said. It was a statement, not a question.
"I'm not," Hotch denied, too weak to be believable, and he knew with one look into Dave's eyes what he thought of his attempt to protest.
"If it makes you that uncomfortable to share with me, I can take the couch," Dave offered.
"No!" Hotch called out momentarily, sounding so desperate that Dave couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"No," he repeated softly and sat up. "It's okay, Dave."
He avoided Dave's gaze and felt his face turn deep red again.
Dave settled against the headboard as well.
"Maybe it's time we talked," he suggested gently, watching Hotch closely.
The younger man nodded, but hesitated. He didn't really know where to start.
Earlier, back in the car, this had seemed so much easier.
'God, Aaron, you're a coward,' the voice in his head began again. 'The man's your best friend, talking to him shouldn't be that hard.'
"Dave, I … I'm not sure what to say," he started slowly.
"I must say, you seemed a lot more confident on the way here," Dave smirked, then turned serious a moment later. "Aaron, all I want from you is to be honest with me."
Raising his head to meet Dave's eyes, he saw nothing but kindness and affection in them, and felt himself relax immediately.
"It's not just me, isn't it?" he whispered finally. "I'm not imagining this … growing attraction between us, right?"
"No, you're not," Dave replied softly.
"Good." Now that he knew for sure that Dave and he were both in the same boat, he was considerably calmer again.
"How long have you known?" he asked him.
"That I'm attracted to you, or that you feel the same for me?"
"Both, I guess."
"Ever since I've been back at the BAU, and tonight in the car."
Hotch's eyes gave away honest astonishment. The second part of Dave's answer wasn't that surprising to him. He was sure he'd done a good enough job to conceal his feelings, especially since it hadn't been that long he himself had been aware of them. He would, however, never have guessed that Dave had been thinking about him as more than just a friend for over four years.
"You never said anything," he commented, waiting for Dave to elaborate.
"I guess, in the beginning I was just as confused as you. I didn't expect to come back and fall in love with … well, technically, with my boss."
Hotch's heart began to speed up as he heard the word love coming out of Dave's mouth. He honestly hadn't thought in categories like that yet. Before he could contemplate about it further, Dave continued.
"Also, and contrary to what you might have heard about me, I've never been with another man before. And you were still with Haley back then."
"We had already separated when you came back," Hotch threw in, reminding him of that little fact.
"Yes, but you can't deny that you were still in love with her then, can you? It was Haley, who'd left you. She wanted the divorce, not you. You needed to get over her first and be able to move on, before I wanted to make a move. And then when I thought we were both ready, Foyet happened … and ..."
"It would have been too much for me to handle at the time," Hotch finished for him.
"Exactly," Dave agreed.
Taking Dave's hand and linking their fingers together, Hotch felt a jolt of electricity rush through him at the contact, his whole body filling with warmth and comfort. A sudden thought came to his mind, of how it would feel to have Dave's hands on other parts of his body, and how Dave's skin would feel under his fingertips. He hadn't really thought about or imagined that before, despite a few inappropriate dreams he had over the last couple of months. Dreams that didn't feel inappropriate anymore.
"I'm glad it's finally out," Dave admitted quietly after a minute of contemplative silence, pulling Hotch from his thoughts.
"Me too," Hotch smiled. Whatever confusion he had felt concerning his feelings for Dave was now completely wiped away.
"So, how do we go on from here?" Dave wanted to know.
"I have no idea," Hotch grinned. "But I'm hopeful it'll sort itself out from here."
He played with Dave's fingers for a moment, before he went on.
"But I do know what I want to do right now."
"And what's that?" Dave asked.
"This."
He leaned over and gently covered Dave's lips with his. Momentarily stunned, it took Dave a second to respond, but when he did, they quickly lost themselves in the kiss.
At first, it was strange for Hotch to kiss someone who had facial hair, but Dave's goatee felt surprisingly smooth. Expecting Dave to take control of the kiss much like he usually took control of everything, Hotch was astounded how cautious and tender he was.
Until Dave fisted his hand in his hair and pulled him closer.
Hotch groaned at the strong, yet careful grip of Dave's hand on his scalp and the older man immediately took the chance to let his tongue enter through his parted lips. He couldn't help another, louder groan escaping his mouth and was incredibly pleased when he heard a similar sound from Dave.
He tasted wonderful. A little bit like the peppermint drop he had been chewing on in the car, and so uniquely David Rossi that Hotch didn't find a fitting adjective to describe it, except for – delightful.
Their explorations became hungrier and more demanding by the second, and Hotch soon found himself lying half on top of Dave.
The need for air was what brought them apart some long, hot minutes later.
"Wow," was all Hotch could say.
"Indeed," Dave confirmed, brushing another quick kiss against his lips. "I haven't made out like that since I was a teenager," he confessed, looking extraordinarily pleased.
Hotch chuckled and pressed a kiss against Dave's cheek before sitting back next to him.
"Glad I could be of service."
"I definitely won't object to kisses like that in the future," Dave grinned.
"Me neither," he agreed.
