intertwine (aaron hotchner x reader)

II

You decided to walk over there since the team's go-to dive bar was 10 minutes in the opposite direction.

You opened the door while taking out your headphones and placing them into your coat pocket. The whole team turned at the sound of the bell attached to the door dinging. Once they realized it was you, they all screamed your name, except Hotch of course. Everyone clearly had a few drinks in them and rightfully so, as you had just returned from a tough case.

Emily ran over to you and pulled your arm to the big round table the team regularly sat at when you came to this place. You noticed your favorite drink, a whiskey sour, sitting in front of the only empty seat. Next to that empty seat was Hotch. 

He shot you a look when you sat down. His brown eyes were glossy and bloodshot, you noticed an empty glass on the table in front of him and one half drank in his hand. You gave him a quick smile, trying not to look at him for too long. You looked down at your drink, you couldn't help but worry about him, you never saw him finish one drink, let alone start a second. 

You cared about Hotch, he had been through so much over the past few years, being away from his son, and going through a divorce, you could tell he was barely scraping by some days. But you were usually pretty good at recognizing the bad ones. Anyone that knew Hotch could tell when he was having a bad day. Regardless of the case the team just finished up, he seemed in a generally good mood. So why was he drinking more than usual? 

You were quickly pulled out of your thoughts at the sound of Rossi's voice, sitting across from you. 

"You alright over there, kid?" 

You shook your head to snap yourself out of the fact that you were thinking about Hotch. 

"Yes, sorry. I'm stuck in my head." you laughed. 

"What's on your mind?" he asked, his eyes looking over to Hotch and then back at you. He must have noticed the look he gave you. 

"Oh, just work stuff. I usually go for runs to clear my head but, uhm, I was kind of distracted this time." you replied. 

You could feel Hotch's eyes on you again. This really had to be all in your head. 

"I know what will clear your head" Penelope chimed in excitedly. 

"Karaoke!!!!" yelled Spencer and JJ, basically reading her mind. 

"No, I cannot embarass myself right now, I haven't had enough to drink."

Spencer, JJ, Rossi, and Penelope ran to front of the bar. Sharing two microphones, they started singing Piano Man. You couldn't help but laugh. Derek jumped up on the stage and danced along to the music. You looked over and noticed Hotch had his phone out and he was recording the team all together. You smiled at each other and it felt like a weight was lifted off your shoulders. 

This was exactly what you needed to be reassured that maybe you really did make something out of nothing. He very clearly cared about every single member of your team, there was nothing special about you. Every look that you thought meant something, was probably nothing. 

Once the song was over and everyone stumbled off the stage, you figured it was time to call it a night. You slipped some money for your drink under Emily's phone that was sitting on the table, knowing she wouldn't accept it if you just handed it to her. You gave everyone a hug, including Hotch. You couldn't hug everyone and leave him out, that would be weird. He was way more receptive than normal, probably because of the alcohol he had in his system. His arms wrapping around your waist was a weird but pleasant feeling. You waved to everyone and walked out the door, starting your short journey back to your car that was still in the parking garage at the headquarters. 

Why could you not get that hug out of your head?