A Hitch

There's a hitch, and his name is Chaos…

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They go back to Reid's place and there's very little that's coy about it this time. There's none of the miserable awkwardness of their first date, some kind of new sharp-tinged understanding between them of what's going to happen tonight. Reid is vividly aware that they've chosen to go somewhere private for a reason – and that they're avoiding the mistakes of their first date in order to assist with the completion of that reason.

But there's a hitch.

They get to Reid's and there's, of all people, a very drunk Ethan on his doorstep. Reid's not sure how he got there, or why, all he knows is that he's barely up the stairs when there Ethan is, tumbling back down towards them with a gleefully shouted, "Spencer!" that's slurred and giddy. They're lucky Hotch is there to help catch him because the sudden weight around Reid's neck sends his crutches skittering out from under him and almost ends this night in the ER.

Despite it taking both of them to get Ethan into the apartment, Reid manages not to look Hotch in the eye the entire time, even when Ethan pronounces them absolute best friends and kisses Reid firmly on the corner of the mouth to cement that proclamation. Reid knows he was aiming for his cheek and drunkenly missed, and he knows the arms around him don't mean anything and neither does the sudden drunk man showing up, but he's also aware how this looks on the outside peeking in, and that has his cheeks flaming and his brain concocting a million excuses a minute.

He's just a friend, is true, if cliché. He's always been just a friend, is a downright lie that Reid won't attempt because he knows just by a sly glance at Hotch that the man can tell how attracted to Ethan Reid still is. First loves die hard. Don't go, he'll be asleep soon, is another, but Reid won't voice that either; it's selfish and assumes that he still has a chance getting Hotch into his bed, which seems unlikely with his ex now snoring on the couch.

But Hotch surprises him again, twitching the blanket neater over Ethan and smiling just a little, saying in a soft voice, "How about we go to your room?" instead of anything crueller.

Too glad to say how relieved he is for this chance, Reid nods and follows.