Work Text:
Of Innocence and Empathy: The Logic of Sleep
by Frogg
Long after Reid disappeared around the corner, Hotch closed the hotel room door with a quiet snick and leaned one hand against it, idly rubbing the lock with one finger. Eyes closed tightly against the wellspring of worry and pain for his friend, he bowed his head, unkempt hair brushing the solid wood.
How had he not seen?
How had Morgan's inner torment, turmoil of years' worth of suppression, completely missed him?
Or had it, and had he simply been unable, or worse, unwilling, to face it?
Unwilling to help?
"Hotch."
Hotch inhaled deeply, opening eyes blurred with tears. Blinking rapidly, he fought them down, beat them back, trying to repair the cracks in his emotional armor.
"Aaron, come back to bed, Reid can handle Morgan." Jason's voice was gentle, insistent.
"Can he?" The question surprised even Aaron, more for the dead, scratchy quality in his voice than anything else.
"You wouldn't have given him the key if you weren't sure of that. Or you would have insisted on going with him."
"And if I'm wrong--"
Jason sighed; Aaron sensed his wry smile, the bemused headshake. "You're not wrong and you know it. If you had been, Morgan would have called you, or you'd have heard it from the hall."
Giving in, Aaron turned, stripping off his undershirt, balling it up and tossing it absentmindedly into a corner to be forgotten. Now that what he'd been waiting for had happened, he no longer needed the outer physical shell of SSA Hotchner, ready to respond to an emergency at a moments notice.
Or a tap on the door.
His sweatpants and boxers were discarded with the same nonchalance, and though he kept his eyes lowered, he could feel Jason's gaze on him as he stripped. Letting Jason look his fill, Aaron moved to the bedside table, making sure the clock's time matched his watch, setting the alarm.
Finally, at some unspoken signal, Aaron slid beneath the sheets, staring at the ceiling for a long moment before shutting his eyes. "Their dynamic's changed."
"Yes, it has." Jason sounded amused. "Does that bother you?" He reached over, covering Aaron's right hand with his left, where it rested on the younger man's chest.
Aaron spread his fingers, lacing them with Jason's and squeezing gently, taking the support offered. "No." Pause. "No, it doesn't."
"And if it doesn't work?"
Aaron shook his head slightly, rolling it on the too-fluffy hotel issue pillow. "Reid won't get into a relationship without intending it to be permanent. Not with someone on the team. He'll fight for it tooth and nail, in his own way. And he and Morgan balance each other out."
Jason nodded. "And Morgan?"
"He's been looking in all the wrong places for what's been right in front of him. At least, since Reid joined the team," he added softly. "They'll have their fights and arguments like any other couple, but any real problems from Morgan's side will be a knee-jerk reaction." Aaron shrugged, squeezed Jason's fingers between his own again. "I give him a week, ten days at most."
"Sounds like you've thought it all out."
Aaron snorted with quiet laughter. "And you haven't? Jason--"
Jason smiled. "Surely you didn't think I hadn't. One of the reasons I wanted Reid on the team in the first place was because I saw that potential in him, personally, professionally, and yes, as a possible answer for Morgan's quest for understanding."
Startled, Aaron caught his breath, eyes wide as he stared.
"No, I didn't know what. I thought something might have happened to him, at some point, and knew that Reid had the kind of patience Morgan needs." Jason brushed Aaron's palm with his thumb. "Now that you know I approve of your matchmaking efforts, you need to get some sleep."
"Not matchmaking so much as staying out of the way," Aaron grumbled good-naturedly, pressing his lips to Jason's knuckles, then leaned over and kissed Jason gently. Relucantly, he backed off, letting go of Jason's hand, and reached up, turning the bedside lamp off. "Good night, Jason."
"Hmm. Good night, Aaron," came the reply, bedlinens rustling as Jason moved closer, until they were touching from neck to knee, one of Jason's legs curled over Aaron's.
Aaron twined his fingers with Jason's again, their joined hands coming to rest over his heart. Then he knew no more.
end