in the night | criminal minds drabble

in the night

The jet landed, and Dave met Aaron's slightly red, slightly bloodshot eyes. A silent understanding passed between them, the understanding which passed after most hard cases and long nights. The team said their dreary goodbyes, Emily and JJ heading to a bar and the others heading home, often alongside one another.

Wordlessly, Aaron got in David's car. His hand rested on the other man's knee while Dave drove stick through the dark Virginia night.

Dead families.

Houses burned to the ground.

These cases were never easy.

Aaron hardly made it through the door before his breaths turned ragged. Dave poured two shots of vodka; this wasn't a night for sipping whiskey. Aaron downed his and threw himself at Dave. Lips clashed, and they both knew they'd regret it in the morning, but they couldn't bring themselves to care. The other shot glass fell to the floor and broke, but Aaron hardly looked twice. He was too focused on the path his partner's lips traced down his neck, to his collar bone, undoing the tie with his teeth.

Aaron was dizzy from the alcohol, and Dave could taste it on his lips. He was already drunk on Aaron and he hadn't touched a drop. Soon panicked breathing turned to moans and gasps.

they always knew how to distract each other.

Meanwhile, across the city, Emily Prentiss went home with a guy from the bar while JJ stayed there until morning. Emily didn't ask his name. As soon as she was through the door of her condo, she was unzipping her dress. She was drunk. She didn't care. This wasn't a night she wanted to remember.

He fucked her against the wall and was gone in the morning. Emily thanked whatever god was out there that he didn't ask for her number.

Bruises decorated her neck and thighs, but her coworkers weren't looking much better.

Spencer clung to Derek like he was a chunk of driftwood wood in an endless sea. Derek didn't feel so different.

He allowed himself to be talked into some tea, though he was really more of a coffee guy, and Spence read a book out loud. And they stayed that way, and while it was strangely domestic, neither man seemed to mind. A blanket made its way around their shoulders, and they made their way closer together.

They fell asleep curled up on the couch with their limbs tangled and their minds a million miles away in a world where there was no death or addiction or unwanted memories or a million other painful things.

When Derek woke around midnight, Spencer was gone. Derek could still smell his cologne, he still felt the brush of the younger agent's lips on his skin. Spencer Reid knew exactly how to drive him crazy, but maybe that was a good thing.

Derek could use a little more of this type of crazy in his life.

notes: another import from AO3 (I'm ameliafuckingshepherd, go read my other works).