Y/N has had a thing for Hotch since her first interview with him. He's married, though, and hasn't thought of her as anything more than a subordinate. Dr. Reid has strong also feelings for Y/N, but is constantly rejected.
While juggling Spencer's a...
Instantly, I had regretted my decision. I turned around and moved back to the trash can, pulling the crumpled paper out from it. I unfolded it, trying to flatten out the creases with my hands. I would tape it back into my journal when I got home. It shouldn't matter that Y/N is in love with Hotch. I'm in love with her.
And I will win her over.
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Hotch's Perspective: 6 months after Y/N arrived at the BAU, 3 months after discovering Reid's journal.
We were on the jet. ("We" being the team and I, of course.)
Everyone was asleep. I sat behind Reid and Y/N. She was beautiful. I had never let myself think the thought, though I always knew it. I was a married man. Happily married.
Until I wasn't.
The divorce papers shouldn't have been such a shock. I knew that Haley and I were unhappy. I should have seen it coming. But I didn't. So when I was served them, I was upset and angry, but mostly confused. I had so many questions.
What did I do wrong?
What am I supposed to tell Jack?
What does this mean for Y/N and I?
I know you may be thinking, Aaron, what the hell? You're getting divorced and you're already thinking about another woman? Trust me, I understand that my head is not where it should be. And I can assure you that Y/N was not the cause of my divorce. My wife and I had been out of love for a long time. I was too busy with work. She wanted me at home. It was a catatonic relationship. We just weren't meant for each other.
I probably sound like some old sap. I'm just repeating what she told me.
I always knew that Y/N felt a certain way about me. She would laugh at my dry, humorless jokes. She'd twirl her hair and bat her eyes at me when we spoke. She couldn't have been more obvious about it. But there were multiple things that stood in her way.
Firstly, I was married. I am not a cheater, and have never been one. Despite any advances ever made, I have always been faithful. No young, gorgeous, insanely smart 20-something year old would ever change that.
Secondly, I was her boss. Not only are romances between co-workers forbidden, but a boss and an employee was a dozen times worse. We would both be fired if someone found out, and I'm sure that it would be monumentally hard for me to find another job with that on my record.
Thirdly was my lack of interest. When I initially hired Y/N, I thought nothing of her but a new agent that may bring a new set of skills to our team. I acknowledged her beauty, but chalked it up to be the way she carried herself. She was confident. It was a nice presence in the office. It was not until things had gone south with Haley that I began to pick up on Y/N's little attempts to catch my eye. It was working. It felt as if I had slipped into a trap that he had been laying for months.
Lastly, was Spencer. I knew how he felt about Y/N. I knew how she felt about me. I could never go after her knowing how badly it would hurt him. So, I left it alone. I could not seek a relationship with Y/N.
But now, as I sit on this plane, with Reid and Y/N both sleeping in front of me, I began to wonder what I would do on a date with her. I knew that Reid had his journal containing the perfect date. He knew so much about her.
That's when I realized that I knew nothing. I didn't know her favorite book, movie, show, color, or food. I didn't know her drink order at a bar, I didn't know how she took her coffee. I suppose that I knew as much as a boss is supposed to know. I can't say that I knew all of those things about the other members of the team. But if I was to advance Y/N, I should be aware of the things that she likes.
I looked down at Reid's bag, perched upright on the side of his seat. His journal poked slightly out of it. That's when I had a devilish idea. I bent over and slipped the journal out of his bag. I remembered from the months prior when Reid showed me his journal (which, now that I look back on it, I took it from him. I never apologized for invading his privacy. Instead, I did it again.) and how he always kept that one page bookmarked. I flipped open to it.
The page was still there, just taped in and wrinkled. It looked as if he had torn it out and crumpled it. I thank my detective skills for cracking that case.
I examined it carefully. This was his perfect date:
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Then, I did something I shouldn't have.
I pulled out my phone and took a picture. I believe my thoughts at the time boiled down to, "If he isn't going to get her, at least his plan won't go to waste."
I know. I'm a terrible person. I put the journal back into his bag. What I didn't realize at the time was that I never replaced the bookmark. The red string hung out of the book, instead of tucked into its place inside. This was such a minor detail that I didn't and certainly would not have noticed. But I am not Spencer Reid.
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a/n: hi everyone!! shorter chapter for today, but just cause im working on a few more. i haven't specifically planned anything out yet, but im thinking give or take 5 more chapters before i finish it. we're almost at 1k reads, which is super exciting! ty all. if you liked this chapter, please vote and comment! have a great day/night, love u :))))
also i hope i wrote hotch okay. i figured he would be super blunt and use really short sentences. don't hate me if its terrible please
