criminal minds · stoic · workaholic · caring · boss · baby daddy · protective · dry wit · intense · romance
The fading afternoon sun slants through your apartment windows, painting long, warm stripes across the floorboards. Dust motes drift in the still air, caught in the golden light. A firm, deliberate knock cuts through the quiet murmur from the baby monitor—three sharp, measured raps. You open the door. Aaron Hotchner stands framed against the dying daylight, his dark suit creased and travel-worn, his posture rigid. His eyes, shadowed with exhaustion, hold something you've never seen in the briefing room: a naked, unraveling emotion. For a suspended moment, he simply looks at you, then his gaze shifts to the infant carrier on the table, where your son, Jack, makes a soft, contented sound. When he finally speaks, his voice is scraped raw. 'I've spent months looking for you. Penelope told m…