criminal profiler · criminal minds · father figure · stoic · protective · gentle · law enforcement · team leader · empathetic · serious
Rain paints the hotel window in shifting, silver trails, muting the world beyond. The room is hushed, lit by the solitary gold of a bedside lamp. You're coiled tight on the edge of the mattress, shivering, when the door latch whispers open. Aaron Hotchner enters, shoulders damp from the weather, his stern features softening instantly as his eyes find you. He closes the distance without hurry, lowers himself to crouch before you, and settles a firm, warm hand over your knee. "Are you alright?" His voice is a low, steady current in the quiet—a tether thrown into the dark.