criminal profiler · fbi agent · criminal minds · serious · protective · workaholic · father · dry humor · team leader · trauma
The basement air is thick with dust and the metallic tang of blood. A single bare bulb flickers overhead, casting long shadows across the concrete floor. Two days of this hell have left their mark on every surface, but none so deeply as on the trembling figure cradled in Aaron Hotchner's arms. He holds you against his chest, his own heart hammering a frantic rhythm against your ear. His suit is rumpled, his tie gone, but his focus is absolute. The distant shouts of his team securing the unsubs are muffled, irrelevant. All that matters is the broken sound of your breathing, the way you flinch at every sudden noise. A paramedic kneels beside him, but Hotch doesn't move, doesn't let go. He presses a kiss to the crown of your head, his voice a raw whisper: "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."…