Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
A/N: I'm a busy, busy bee, but I really am working on it. And thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I'm not really sure what you find so interesting, but your support means the world to me all the same.
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Hotch heard an odd squeak coming from Reid's general direction, but ignored it in favor of staring confusedly at Garcia, too shocked at seeing her to hold up his usual mask, his every emotion playing out on his face. And, for her part, Garcia looked just as confused, squinting at Hotch as if he were an illusion that was bound to disappear. Once she realized that he was, indeed, very real, she had the sense to look apologetic.
"Oh, um, sir, I didn't know you were here," Garcia began, sounding dazed. She glanced over Hotch's shoulder, looking at Reid briefly before looking back to Hotch, her mouth slightly open, her face going momentarily blank. Hotch wondered if her mind had simply shut down, but then something seemed to click, and her eyes widened, both hands flying up to cover her mouth. "OH! Oh, ohmygod…ummm, I'm sorry. So, so sorry. I didn't realize that you two were an item, I-"
"That's not what's going on here," Hotch interjected, his voice firm, finally taking on his usual authoritative mask and voice. "I was just talking to Reid. What did you want?" Hotch asked, attempting to sound casual, and firm all at once. Garcia only looked more confused, but tried to control her voice as she spoke.
"I wanted…to talk to boy-genius…you know, like you said."
"What?!" Reid squeaked from the living room, sounding surprised and irritated all at once. Hotch scrubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head.
"Garcia, this isn't quite what I meant…"
Garcia's eyes narrowed, and her lips parted. She stared at Hotch for a moment, this incredulous expression lingering on her face until she finally spoke. "When you said, Reid wouldn't want to talk about it at work, what you really meant was to butt out." It wasn't a question, and she sounded furious. When Hotch didn't answer, she continued in a low voice, "Hotch, I know something is going on, and I know it has something to do with that scumbag Shawn." Her gaze flickered to Reid briefly before resettling on Hotch's shocked face. Her voice was softer when she continued. "I need to know what's going on, Hotch…"
Hotch let out a sigh, and stepped out of the way. Despite her severe tone, Garcia had been speaking in a hushed voice, and Hotch was sure Reid hadn't caught a word. His suspicions were strengthened by the confused look on Reid's face as Garcia stepped in past Hotch. The confusion slowly turned to worry as Garcia sat down next to him, glancing up at Hotch as if to ask if it was okay for her to continue. Reluctantly, Hotch nodded.
"I'll be right outside. You two go ahead and talk."
Guilt twisted in his gut at the panicked look Reid shot him, begging him to stay for support, but Hotch didn't hesitate as he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. He wanted to stay and comfort Reid, but he hoped that maybe Reid would trust Garcia with something he hadn't been able to tell him. He walked around the block a couple times before slowly walking up the stairs to Reid's floor. Garcia was walking to the elevator, looking both shocked and confused. Hotch paused and watched as she went into the elevator. Garcia didn't offer any information as to what had been said, but just stared at Hotch until the elevator doors slid closed. With a heavy sigh, Hotch turned and walked to Reid's apartment door, opening it cautiously.
"Why did you leave?" Reid murmured as the door opened, sitting on the couch, looking stiff and uncomfortable.
"You were always closer to Garcia…I thought I'd let you two talk."
Reid pressed his lips together, looking away, as if trying to calm himself. Hotch waited patiently until Reid looked at him again, his face neutral, but a strange sort of anger evident in his eyes.
"I didn't want to talk to Garcia alone." Reid paused, and looked at the floor, his brow wrinkling. "You should have stayed."
Hotch froze, slightly taken aback by Reid's word choice. He had known Reid would be upset, but the way he said it, 'you should have stayed' did more than stir up the guilt in the bottom of his stomach.
"Spencer, I didn't want to be in the way-"
"I didn't want to talk to her." There was accusation in Reid's voice, and Hotch knew he deserved it. He should have just answered Garcia's questions in his office, instead of dragging Reid into it. Reid looked at him, and his face softened, in some response to Hotch's expression. Before Hotch could apologize, Reid turned his body to face Hotch, brushing Hotch's forehead.
"You still have a headache."
Hotch couldn't stop the frown that formed on his face. Reid said it like he'd completely forgotten what they had just been talking about, all of the anger and accusation gone from his voice, replaced by a sort of tenderness he wasn't used to hearing in Reid's voice.
"Can't you stay mad long enough to yell at me?" Hotch asked darkly. Reid pursed his lips, and slouched away from Hotch, leaning against the armrest.
"I shouldn't have been mad in the first place. It's not your job to explain my mistakes. And I'm tired of being mad at you."
"I'll try harder not to make you mad."
"Hmmm, good." Reid leaned over, nuzzling his face into Hotch's chest. He suddenly went tense, curling up against Hotch's side. "But what about the tapes?"
"Don't worry about the tapes. No one's going to see them," Hotch murmured, petting Reid's hair. Reid let out a soft, shaky sigh, and shook his head against Hotch's shoulder.
"I'm sure he still has copies, at least," Reid muttered, his voice breaking in the middle of the sentence. He sighed again, sounding frustrated this time. "Maybe if I just talk to him…"
"No. You're not going anywhere near him."
Instead of getting frustrated, or irritated with Hotch, Reid simply nuzzled closer, nodding. "Okay. Are you coming to bed with me?"
Hotch thought about it for a moment. With a reluctant sigh, he nodded, and Reid disentangled himself before getting up, standing awkwardly, waiting until Hotch got to his feet. They walked to the bedroom together, slowly, tiredly, and sat down, but didn't turn off the lights or lay back.
"He has copies…" Reid murmured, tension radiating from him as he stared fixated at the ground.
"Don't think about it," Hotch stated firmly. He gently tilted Reid's chin up, forcing him to make eye contact. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."
"No. You're doing too much for me. I can take care of it. You don't need to go through all of this trouble."
"Spencer, don't make me ask you to shut up. I'm not going to let him hurt you." Reid glared, and pursed his lips, but didn't argue. Hotch got to his feet. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Try to lay down and relax. You need some rest." Reid rolled his eyes as Hotch walked out. Grabbing his go-bag, Hotch went into the bathroom and got ready, changing before heading back into the bedroom. Reid had changed into pajamas, and was already curled up, a large lump under the covers. Quietly, Hotch flicked off the lights, before carefully climbing in the bed on his back next to Reid. When was the last time he'd slept in his own bed? He found himself not caring as Reid curled up against his side.
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TBC…
A/N: Hopefully I'll have something more interesting for the next chapter.
