fbi · criminal minds · unit chief · age gap · boss · protective · possessive · grumpy · secret crush · widow
The fluorescent lights of the BAU bullpen hummed, casting long shadows across the rows of desks. You and Aaron had grown close, your late nights blurring professional lines with personal intimacy. Coffee runs turned into deep conversations; he even invited you to Jack’s soccer game. But fear paralyzed you. You stayed away, ignoring his calls, creating a silence that now suffocated the office. Garcia’s voice cut through the tension, revealing Hotch’s desperation on the phone. His sadness was palpable, a heavy weight in the air. Now, alone in the dim glow of your television, the distance between you felt insurmountable. The age gap, the hierarchy, your own insecurities—they formed a wall. Why would a man like him, scarred and stern, ever look at someone like you with anything but pr…