ᴀɢᴇɴᴛ ɢʀᴇʏ~ ᴀᴀʀᴏɴ ʜᴏᴛᴄʜɴᴇʀ

~Grey: 1 Hotch: 0~

                                                                    ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚⋆ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ⋆ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

The drive to the Sheriff's Department was tense, the early morning events still fresh in the air. Reid had stayed behind at the crime scene leaving me and Hotch alone. I shuffled slightly in my seat and crossed my arms across my chest, stealing a glance at my Unit Chief. Hotch's gaze remained on the road, his hands tight on the steering wheel, his movements nothing short of precision. My fingers tapped my arm, 1 2 3, 1 2 3. I was stewing in silence, my anger was slowly boiling over as I looked over at Hotch again, his expressionless face making no effort to look apologetic in the slightest. I could not quite explain it, every time I looked at the man, I felt this feeling. I did not quite know how to describe it, but it felt unpleasant at the very least. Hotch's fingers tapped the steering wheel as he accelerated, the repetitive tapping drowning out the sound of my own. 

My internal monologue was cut short by his deep voice, just as precise and direct as everything else about him. "Agent, stop doing that, I'm trying to think and you are distracting me" Hotch remarked, his eyes never leaving the road. I snorted slightly and turned to face him. 

"Are you joking?" I laughed, narrowing my eyes at his own fingers on the wheel. "Agent, with all due respect-" He started, before it was my turn to interrupt for once. "No, all due respect my a- Look, you have not said a single kind word to me, you completely ignored me earlier when I had something important to say, and you certainly hold a massive grudge against me for no fair reason! What happened to you is not my fault- In fact, it's actually yours, I read the reports, you know. I have done nothing but try to help and all you've done is treat me with no respect whatsoever. It's not right, I deserve to be treated like an equal member of this team not some- intern or something! I'm here to stay, for good, so you better start trying to like me, or whatever this is, is going to put lives in danger due to us not being able to function like 2 civil adults, okay, sir?" I got out, taking a deep breath as I finished my little speech. 

I realised that I probably shouldn't have spoken so out of line, he is, unfortunately, my boss after all. I observed his face as we pulled up at the Sheriff's Department, my fingers playing with the end of my skirt. Hotch parked and cut the engine, his steely gaze meeting mine as I glared at him. His jaw clenched and his eyes darted across my face, probably wishing he could've had any other new agent, so long as they weren't me. Hotch let the silence hang heavy in the air, never breaking eye contact he lent forward slightly before uttering something. "I understand I may have been too...hostile. If we are to work as a team, you need to prove yourself worthy of this position." He murmured before straightening slightly and snapping his eyes away. Just as I was about to reply, prove myself? Seriously have you seen my application form, I don't think I need to-, he quickly got out of the car and strode towards the Department, not before telling me to hurry up. Could he get any more infuriating? Asshole.

The day was kind enough to go by quickly, we poured over files and discussed theories, we tested them and tried again, those moments only being interrupted briefly by new information or the lingering smell of hot coffee or Reid's rambling. After connecting some dots in the case, I suggested we deliver the profile. Rossi nodded, as did Morgan and Reid. I said that we most certainly had enough to go on, pointing out my reasoning as I did so. Hotch, who was seated on a chair to my left, watched me like a hawk as I stretched to point up on the board, showing my thought process regarding the Unsub's behaviour. "Are you sure you're all ready?" Hotch spoke. It sounded like a question aimed solely for me, almost as if he, no surprise, didn't think me capable at all, his gaze once again on me. "Yes sir." I said clearly, rolling up my sleeves as I gathered a few files and walked out of the room after Morgan, my gold watch shining in the light.

 I came to a halt in the middle of the Department, Rossi clapped his hands to gain the attention of the police officers who sat at their desks or were re-filling their coffee. "Everyone, please gather round!" I placed the files on the nearest free table and mentally prepared to deliver my part of the profile. The officers slowly walked over, resting on desks with note-pads at the ready. Morgan looked at me and nodded, smiling encouragingly. Time to do my job... I coughed and stepped forward, a small sea of eyes staring straight back at me as I pulled at the hem of my shirt. Where do I begin- No, you know this, it's easy! "Uh, we believe we are looking for a man in his early to late 20s, white, and we believe he is suffering from a psychotic break. He will appear to be quiet and strange, he may try to approach older women but he will cower with the first sign of conflict." I stated, stepping back as Rossi continued. 

I watched as the rest of the team spoke, my hands found their way into my pockets as I listened and surveyed the room, interrupting every once in a while with relevant information. I met Hotch's gaze again as he finished speaking, his low voice echoing in the small space. He nodded slightly, I suppose my performance was acceptable then. Not that I cared for his opinion. Reid ambled over to me, his forever apologetic grin on his face as he stood next to me, followed by Morgan's confident stride. "You know, we ought to go to the hotel, babygirl, it's dark out." Morgan proposed, watching as everyone dispersed. "But it's only 9pm. Shouldn't we at least stay a little longer, we can order some takeaway and-" I insisted before Hotch cut me off. He had a nasty habit of suddenly appearing when you least expected him. "No, agent, it's best if you rest" You?  Excuse me- "Come on!" Morgan practically dragged me, pushing me towards the doors. "What the hell is his problem?" I grumbled as we stepped out into the cool air, the clear dark sky caused the stars to be visible, shining brightly as we walked to the SUV. "That's just Hotch I'm afraid, babygirl. Although he is a little harsher towards you than he is for most people, but I think it's just because he didn't get to pick you to join this team himself.  Strauss did. And he probably won't admit it, but he would have picked you too. I heard your application was longer than his!" Morgan chuckled, starting the car engine as we climbed in. "You think?" I smirked. "You know, you're really befriending my ego here." I laughed, watching as Reid jogged towards our car.

We arrived at the hotel some time later, fetching our keys I concluded we'd have to double up. My terrible math skills were still around, suprisingly. Hotch began to speak, most likely to ruin my fun and choose who went with who. I'd grown to quite like Morgan in the few days we had spent together, I instantly chucked him a key, dumping the rest on the table. "Sleep well guys!" I declared, earning myself a wave from JJ and a muttering of goodnight's. Grabbing my go-bag in one hand and Morgan's arm in the other, Morgan patted my back and grabbed his own bag. He threw the key in the air and caught it swiftly as we walked to the elevator. Hotch's nostrils flared as we passed him, no doubt angry at his lack of control. I smiled sweetly at him, happy with my little victory in our unspoken war. I was going to pay him back for the embarrassment he caused me earlier that morning. Just you wait, Hotchner. Just you wait...

Grey: 1 Hotch: 0. 

                                                                  ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚⋆ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ⋆ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

~Author's Note~

So, what do we think??? I understand that the storyline is not all that clear, I figured that I'd write it all before going back and editing it. Please leave some feedback and let me know if you spot any mistakes. And thank you for reading!

Word Count: 1454.