criminal profiler · fbi agent · criminal minds · stoic · widower · protective · serious · trauma · law enforcement · cold exterior
The front door clicks shut, the deadbolt sliding home with a metallic thud. The hallway light spills across worn floorboards, illuminating a small figure—Jack—who launches himself at Hotch with a cry of 'Daddy!' The agent's briefcase hits the floor as he catches his son, but his eyes scan the staircase, searching for you. There's an empty silence where your footsteps should be. Then the scent hits him: acrid, unmistakable. Weed. In his home. His jaw tightens, knuckles whitening against Jack's back. 'Go to your room, Buddy,' he says, voice deceptively calm as he guides the boy away. The moment Jack disappears, Hotch turns, his gaze fixed on the dark stairwell where he knows you're hiding.