𝗜'𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 | 𝘼. 𝙃𝙊𝙏𝘾𝙃𝙉𝙀𝙍

two

Five months later.

Taking temporary leave from the BAU meant you could regain what you'd lost; time to collect yourself, to grow and leave the festering embers of Aaron behind. It was a- how would you put it- a temporary fix? Nonetheless, the job at Daniel's House was perfect and improved life in several areas. Sure, it stung from time to time, but even when you closed your eyes you only saw flecks of him, and thus came to terms with the fact the fire was officially put out. You were at peace with it, and with Hotchner.

During the morning rush hour, commuters dashed to and from Daniel's House, ordering cappuccinos, lattes and other beverages which filled your nose with the scent of coffee beans- it was a glorious smell- and warmed you from the inside out. Some customers were common, others were a one-off stop, but it meant you could observe & perceive them all, without the hassle of thinking they were a murderer. Feeling your phone vibrate, you quickly snuck it out and saw it was Jennifer- oh- you'd been meaning to catch up with her, but it was a slow process beginning to make your return to the FBI. Cleaning the counter opposite the till, a draught blew a stray curl over your shoulder and as the bell rang, you turned around to serve the lonesome person.

'Hi, what can I get for you today?' you spoke calmly, before fully looking up and noticing who was before you.

An awfully long pause shifted the still air between you and the man who was tall, had cut his hair & looked a great deal older. 'Gene?'

Hearing his soft voice break, your eyes indulged him more. You took in his cheekbones, the curve of his chin and how his eyes were slowly widening in pure delight. His lips became a flushed pink and you felt a zap of electricity from the metal till. You were calm, despite the fact you had not seen him in months. He looked tired. 'Hi, Aaron.'

'It really is you,' he seemed stammered, 'You've changed,' Hotch smiled, shifting about from nervousness.

'You haven't changed either,' you smiled back weakly- like it was the deadest thing that could creep onto your face. Before he could ask, 'What are you doing here?' you proposed that he order a drink. He did so.

'I'll just have a latte. Thanks,' and Hotchner waited patiently, in fact, he watched your every move behind the counter, how elegantly you would glide from one thing to the other- as if you'd been doing this job for years. 'Still a quick learner then.'

'Daniel himself taught me and it is fairly easy to pick up, Aaron,' you sarcastically remarked, which made him back off a little. He took into account that you hadn't lost your defensive tone. Hotch leaned closer to the tabletop.

'Can we talk? After your shift- that is,' he requested, more like pleaded, but you agreed to do so.

'I get off in an hour,' and with that you left him to find a seat in the practically empty coffee house. He did, and meanwhile you cleaned; Hotchner mindlessly followed you with his eyes, observing how you held yourself around customers & what you did to occupy yourself with any spare time.

It was evident it had been longer than a week's leave from the BAU, and although your apartment was back in an organised mess, it still felt unlike home- as if it was once right- and would never be righted again.

                'I like the ginger hair by the way,' Hotchner remarked, looking at your waves over the brim of his cup as he drank his cold coffee, 'What made you decide to change from white?'

'Things changed, I suppose. I changed and wanted change. Everyone did,' you said with a full sigh. Your lungs felt like no oxygen was reaching them, just like when Aaron told you he was going. You thought you were over him, and over him, you were.

'Change is good,' he mhmmed, following a small fraction of hair on his face that was usually pristine & cleanly shaven.

'How come you're back in Quantico?' you genuinely asked Aaron, wanting to delve into his new life over the last few weeks, and yet also wanting to stay as far away as possible. You couldn't, for the sake of your sanity, get attached to him all over again.

'Just visiting the team.'

'Is that so?'

'Yes, it is. And-'

'Babe!' boomed a hearty voice from across the room that was laced with a sickly sweetness, such as the cakes stacked on the counter, thought Aaron.

'Daniel!? You're back early, how come?' you spoke over the chair skidding across the floor, becoming completely engulfed by the blonde-haired man. Daniel's short curls always tickled your ears when he hugged you and he smelled of butterscotch 24/7; like a giant teddy bear, he held your smaller face, hands wrapping it up like you were the most precious thing he would ever hold & the closest thing to his heart buried beneath his layers of sunrise warmth. If golden syrup was a person, it was your Daniel. Even after being away for a week, his lips still felt brushed with the taste of honey and lemon as he kissed you. Daniel had wanted nothing more during his whole trip away than to feel such content in your presence.

Aaron sat lifelessly. His heart had already hit the floor upon seeing the golden man embrace you like he used to. He could only drown in the waves of guilt for what he let himself get into, whereas before, he would only find himself drowning in the waves of you. The waves of your hair, the ocean that you summoned with your every move and the bolts of lightning that scratched his skin whenever you touched him. He was watching a storm hurl past him as you kissed Daniel over and over, and thus noted how hurt he had truly left you. 'Daniel, you must be Aaron? Ha-ha! The stern expression says it all. Nice to meet you!'

The voice flew past Aaron's ears as he still tried to regain focus on the moment. You tapped his shoe with your foot, and he brashly extended his arm to your partner. 'Yes, nice to meet you.'

'We should go out tonight! The gang aren't away, are they?' Daniel shouted, Aaron feeling like his left eardrum had burst. Or perhaps the faint ringing he heard was his body naturally responding to the shock of seeing you, plus the shock of seeing you with someone else.

'No, no I don't think so. I'll check with JJ though.'

'Aaron, you fancy tagging along?'

'Yes, absolutely,' but Aaron did not want to go. He wanted to travel so far back in time to fix this. He wanted you to notice that although he wasn't honey-sweet or familiar like a lemon drizzle cake, he could still be exactly what you wanted, just more like a dark chocolate digestive & an espresso. Oh, he thought, that sounds rather dull.

'I'll go and unpack then!' Daniel yelled, dashing upstairs with his luggage. You seated yourself once more, awkwardly avoiding Hotch.

'I've known him since I- we- were in foster care together,' you mumbled.

Hotch dismissed it. 'I see. He seems lovely,' your ex-boss lied through his teeth, 'I'm happy for you, Beck.'

Smiling past Aaron's lies, you wanted to shout and scream to him that if he hadn't left you, it'd be him at the receiving end of your love, but the rule book came first. The job always came first with him. 'I don't really know what you expected me to do, Aaron.'

'I didn't expect you to do anything. You ended things. You moved on,' he said speedily, anger kicking into his voice.

Your arms crossed. 'And you haven't?'

'Let's go,' Hotchner said just as Daniel appeared from his apartment above and reached for your hand. Annoyance nauseated you all over.