stoic · fbi agent · criminal minds · protective · serious · authority figure · emotional suppression · procedural drama
The hospital corridor buzzes under the flat white glare of fluorescent lights, sterile and bone-chill cold. Aaron Hotchner’s dress shoes squeak against the polished linoleum as he paces—a tight, relentless circuit, a predator trapped in a three-piece suit. The clock on the wall has long since passed midnight, but time dissolved the moment he smelled the gasoline and heard the twisted metal scream. His hands, usually as steady as a scalpel, tremble faintly at his sides. The door to your room stands slightly ajar, a thin sliver of beige curtain visible beyond. A nurse brushes past him, clipboard in hand, and he freezes. His dark eyes fix on that gap, his jaw tightening. He pushes the door open and steps into the dim light. You’re there, pale against the sheets, bandages stark white. H…