breakeven // aaron hotchner

2

it had been two weeks since elia joined the bau, and everyone had experienced the impact of knowing elia cho. 

including haley hotchner. 

"you didn't think it'd be a good idea to mention that your college girlfriend joined the team?" haley scoffed as she angrily folded clothes.

"i didn't think it was a big deal." aaron sighed, neatly placing his folded button ups and ties into his go-bag.

"really? you didn't think it was a big deal?" haley scoffed, shaking her head.

"why does it matter?" 

"is this why you refused to transfer out of the bau when you got suspended? so you could see her everyday?"

aaron sighed, he was tired of having the exact same argument over and over and over. it was no secret that haley hated aaron's job. she hated that he was always leaving on a case. she hated that they could never make a plan for things. she hated that she slept alone most nights. and she hated that the one thing she wanted from him, she couldn't have, because deep known she knew, he was never hers. 

"i love my job, haley. and i love my team-"

as soon as he'd said it, he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

"the same team with your ex-girlfriend?" 

"i don't want to fight with you, haley" aaron sighed, angrily zipping up his bag,

"i just- for once, aaron. put me first!" she shouted.

"i'm trying haley. you know this job takes a lot out of me and i-"

"so i don't understand why you didn't leave! strauss gave you an out! and you didn't take it!" 

aaron opened his mouth to respond when the phone rang out, he sighed, reaching over to the phone sitting in the dock on the nightstand table. 

"hello?" 

aaron furrowed his eyebrows as he heard nothing on the other end and a quick click. seconds later, haley's cellphone rang out. aaron knew what was happening, he wasn't dumb. he's a profiler for christs' sake. and of course he was hurt, but somehow, simultaneously, he did not care. and he wasn't sure anything in the world could make him care. 

haley just sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"you need to make up your mind, aaron. it's me or the job."

"haley-" aaron sighed

"i'm serious. make up your mind before i make it up for you."

****

elia and spencer sat across from each other at the desk, the other member of the team surrounding them. 

"you got this, mama. no problem." derek said as he massaged elia's shoulders

"you're a chess master, reid. are you really going to let the new girl beat you?"rossi says, egging on the young genius.

"this is...i fear he may get violent" emily nodded as she looked between the two.

nobody ever knew that korean checkers could get this exciting.

elia had been playing the game of go on her own in her office when spencer walked in to hand her some files, and gasped excitedly at the sight. he insisted that she drag the board out to the bullpen and that they play together. about ten minutes into the game, spencer reid discovered that that may have been a bad idea, and he certainly let everyone around them know. he complimented each move with a slam onto the table, or a loud groan. 

at this point, reid's hair was disheveled and he sat there, staring at the board in total concentration. his fingers intertwined as he leaned his chin on his hands, his eyes squinting in concentration.

meanwhile, elia sat in front of him, one leg crossed over the other, her hair softly cascading down her shoulders and her hands folded delicately on the desk in front of her, looking as relaxed as she could be. she hummed softly as she reached forward, grabbing her coffee and taking a slow sip. 

a loud frustrated groan left reid's mouth as he ran his fingers through his hair and aaron slowly peeked his head over the group as he walked into the offices, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the small huddle of his team formed at the back of the bullpen. 

a small smiled graced his lips when he saw the way elia sat so comfortable and relaxed in front of the stressed out spencer. elia loved go. aaron could hear her voice scolding him in his head for even thinking that it was called go.

"go is the chinese name for it. i don't play go. i play baduk."

her grandfather had taught her how to play. and she'd spend hours out in the backyard with him playing game after game after game. she loved the strategy. she loved that it was more than a simple game of moving pieces around on a board with simple strategy or a game of luck. it stimulated her mind in a way that chess and checkers never did. 

"if you want a game you can win, ask her to play gin rummy" aaron chuckles before heading into his office. 

elia's mouth falls open in shock as jj furrows her eyebrows.

"gin rummy is your achilles heel?" she chuckles, making elia frown.

"i just hate card games, okay?"

"but you can stump the literal genius at go?" morgan smiles.

"duality of women" elia shrugs as she turns back to the game. 

spencer nodded as he finally made his move, and almost instantaneously, elia reached over, placing her stones on the board, making reid cry out in frustration as he throws his head back. the team bursts into a fit of laughter before hotch walks back out into the bullpen. 

"guys, we have a case" 

**

elia hated flying. no matter how many times she did it, she never hated it any less. and somehow, she'd forgotten the stupid pack of gum. a frustrated sigh left her mouth as she zipped her bag shut and began to rummage through her purse again. 

aaron glanced at her, momentarily looking away from the files in his hands. he watched as shorter pieces of hair fell out of the claw clip that was loosely hold her hair back and as she silently cursed to herself, her hands clenching and unclenching. he knew elia hated flying. she was sensitive to pressure changes and flying always gave her pressure headaches and made her ears feel like they were filled with water, popping constantly. but gum helped. aaron began to slowly reach into his suit jacket pocket for the small pack of gum he'd picked up just before leaving the office when derek's voice interrupted his train of thought. 

"here mama"

elia's head shot up and she let out a breath of relief as derek handed her a stick of gum. 

"i owe you my life, derek" elia moans, taking the gum and popping it into her mouth. 

elia plopped herself into one of the seats, opening up the case file and looking it over.

"so how do you do it?" emily asks, plopping into the seat next to her.

"do what?" elia furrows her eyebrows as she looks over at the brunette.

"make hotch looks like he's gonna shit himself everytime you walk in." she chuckles, and elia just shrugs

jj was quick to make her way over to the two women, joining their conversation.

"i don't know what you're talking about." elia shrugs, turning over one of the pages clipped in the folder.

"yeah okay. well you feel free to come into my office at anytime to fill me in on any of the details that we're all clearly missing." jj chuckles sarcastically.

"us. she means fill us in." emily quickly corrects.

jj just squints her eyes teasingly, humming as she purses her lips.

"she means us."

"of course i did."