God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

 

Hatochiisai

 

Lots of Hotch/Reid Fluff and Slash

 

Disclaimer:  I don’t own Criminal Minds.  I do not make any money off of writing this.  But I can dream…  *sigh*

 

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DECEMBER 21^st

 

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Reid was woken by the smells of breakfast.  He sucked in a breath and stretched, blinking his eyes open.

 

“Aaron?”  He yawned, slowly sitting up.

 

“Morning.”  Hotch said from the doorway.  “Breakfast.”

 

“Smells good.”  Reid said, smiling and rising from the bed, walking over to Hotch.  The pair embraced, gently sharing a kiss, and then Hotch guided Reid over to the table.

 

“Room service?”  Reid asked.

 

“Yup.”

 

“You’re not sparing any expense, are you?”

 

“Nope.”  Hotch said, smiling and sitting.  Reid shook his head, sitting across from him and stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth.  “So. What are our plans for today?”  Reid asked.

 

“What do you want to do?”  Hotch asked.  “We don’t have a set schedule, we can do whatever you want.”

 

“Well…  let’s just get the lay of the land, then.”  Reid said, and Hotch nodded.

 

“Alright then.”  He said, and the pair finished their breakfast in a comfortable silence.  Then they bundled up for the cold weather and headed to the lobby.  While Hotch spoke with the woman at the desk Reid went through brochures, looking to see what was around town for them to do.  He pocketed several, then turned and joined Hotch.  He wrapped his scarf around his neck and they walked outside.  The morning sun made the snow glitter.  People were already milling about the Plaza.  Off to the right the hotel entrance, across the Plaza was a bazaar along the wall of a building under the overhang.  This was where the local American Indians set up their wares.  Most of it was jewelry, much of it silver and turquoise. 

 

The pair first walked around the Plaza, just getting used to everything, and Reid happily rattled off the history of the city, much to Hotch’s amusement.  They moved down the row of blankets set out, inspecting the goods that were displayed, the sellers proudly bringing the attention of the men to the wares they thought would interest them. 

 

Occasionally, Reid would end up in deep conversation with the people, discussing their culture and beliefs.  Hotch would calmly look over the items for sale, giving Reid time to enjoy these little conversations, knowing full well that the boy thrived on absorbing all this new information.

 

They spent a couple of hours there before ducking into a store between the bazaar and the hotel to warm up.  Hotch was thoroughly amused with Reid’s interest in everything.  Reid was even talking about doing some interior decorating when he got home.  Hotch just chuckled and humored his lover, knowing full well that Reid would be thoroughly embarrassed about this later.  They ended up leaving the store with only four books.  Which Reid would finish that very night.

 

They stopped off at a quaint little café for lunch, and spent the afternoon touring the art galleries up Canyon Road.  By the end of the day their feet were killing them, but they couldn’t be happier.  They went back to the hotel and Reid pounced on the phone to order out pizza, which he was craving.  Then he went to grab a shower.  While he did, Hotch called his son to talk to him for a bit, and then he took a shower.  When he got out, Reid had the bedroom all set up and the pizza had been delivered.  He was now lounging, flipping through the movies they could order on Pay-Per-View.

 

“What are you in the mood for?”  He asked Hotch, looking at the man.  Hotch smiled and slid onto the bed beside Reid, looking at their options.

 

“Hmmmm…  What kind of pornos?”

 

“Hotch!”  Reid cried, and Hotch chuckled at the horrified look on the boy’s face.

 

“Kidding.”

 

“…  Jerk.”  Reid grumbled while he opened the pizza.  It was his favorite.  Stuffed crust, sausage, mushroom and pepperoni.  “Ooh!  Highlander!!!”

 

“Oh, God!  Come on, Reid!  I hate that movie.”

 

“Not the movie!  The SERIES!  Look!  A marathon on SyFy!”

 

“…”

 

“It’s one of my all time favorite shows!”  Reid announced, grinning.  Hotch blinked, then sighed.

 

“Alright, alright…”  And he sat back, relaxed and watched Highlander.  Well…  okay.  His attention was split between the show (which was better than he thought it would be), and watching Reid watch Highlander.  They devoured the pizza and then Reid curled into Hotchner’s side, resting his head on the man’s shoulder.  And Hotch wrapped an arm around Reid’s thin shoulders, holding him close and resting his cheek on the boy’s hair. 

 

The next thing Hotch knew, he woke up.  It was 3 am.  He blinked and looked down.    Reid had shifted.  He was curled up on his side facing the TV with his head in Hotch’s lap.  The man smiled and slid a hand under Reid’s head, holding it up and steady while he himself slid down to lie on his back.  He gently settled Reid’s head down on his stomach and turned off the TV and the lamp.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

December 22^nd

 

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Hotch blinked as he was dragged down the street by the hand.  Just to annoy Reid, he leaned back and started dragging his feet.  “Will you hurry up?!”  Reid exclaimed in exasperation.  “We’re gonna be late!”

 

“Late?  For WHAT?”

 

“I made us reservations!”  Reid announced.

 

“They restaurant won’t care if we’re running a few—“

 

“I care!”  Reid interrupted as Hotch managed to grind them both to a stop, leaving the boy furiously tugging on his arm.  “HOTCH!”  He howled angrily, and glared as the man just grinned.

 

“Okay, okay.”  Hotch laughed, and started walking again.  A moment later, they stepped into a short alley under an adobe arch that led into a little courtyard.  On the other side was a tiny little restaurant.  They stepped in and Reid hurried up to the hostess. 

 

“I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”  Hotch called, and Reid waved in acknowledgement.  When Hotch came out, he looked around for his “date”.  He found him at a table in the corner.  And he wasn’t alone.  A tall, well built man sat across from him, his back to Hotch.  He had broad shoulders, and long black hair falling to mid back.  Reid was smiling at him.  Frowning, Hotch walked over.  Reid looked up, then stood.

 

“Hotch!”  He announced, and the man stood and turned.  Hotch stared.

 

“Well well.”  The man said with an amused smile at the look on Hotch’s face.  “Captain America.”

 

“John Black Wolf!”  Hotch exclaimed, and the pair shook hands.  “What are you doing here?”

 

“You friend here asked me to come join you for lunch.”  John Black Wolf said, and the trio sat again.  “I see he’s outgrown the college student look.”  Reid blinked and Hotch chuckled.  “So…  I hear that you and he…”  He waggled a finger back and forth between the two Federal Agents.

 

“It’s a secret.”  Hotch snorted, smiling.

 

“I think that goes without saying.  I’m guessing that your superiors in the FBI wouldn’t approve.”

 

“Nope.”  Reid said, sipping his water and running his finger over the menu before passing it to Hotch.  “But they would LOVE the excuse.”

 

“Excuse?”  Black Wolf asked.

 

“To get rid of Hotch.”

 

“Reid, that’s enough…”  Hotch sighed, rolling his eyes.

 

“She‘s out to get you, Aaron.  She would love nothing more than to take away your badge.” 

 

“Who is ‘she’?”   Black Wolf asked.

 

“Hotch’s superior.  Section Chief Erin Strauss.  She’s had it out for him for years.”  Reid snorted, and Hotch rolled his eyes.  “…  She’s a bitch.”

 

“Reid!”

 

“She IS!!!”

 

Black Wolf grinned and chuckled.

 

“What are you having, Reid?”  Hotch asked stiffly, trying to change the subject.  Reid and Black Wolf met amused looks.

 

“Still deciding.”  Reid said, shrugging.  “The stuffed Avocado sounds good.”

 

“…  You only glanced at the menu.”  Black Wolf said, blinking.

 

“I uh…  I can read 20,000 words per minutes and I have an eidetic memory.”  Reid said.

 

“…  What does that mean?”  Black Wolf asked.

 

“That means he can read the entire Bible in an hour or two and remember the entire thing and recite it word for word.”  Hotch snorted, smirking slightly at the look of surprise on Black Wolf’s face.

 

“That how you got into the FBI?”

 

“Partially.”  Reid said with a smiling shrug.  The waitress came over and Reid ordered the stuffed Avocados.  Hotch and Black Wolf placed their orders, and then they all leaned back and relaxed.

 

“So.”  Black Wolf said.  “How are things with the BAU?”

 

“Fine.”  Hotch said, shrugging.  “Things change.  Our lineup has changed…”

 

“Who left?”  Black Wolf asked.

 

“Agents Greeneway and Gideon.”

 

“…  Gideon…  The college professor?” 

 

“That’s him.”  Reid chuckled to himself.

 

“I don’t remember Greeneway.”  Black Wolf said.

 

“Brunette woman.”  Hotch said.

 

“Ah.  Her.  Yeah.  Why did she leave?”  He asked, then blinked when the faces of the two men before him darkened.

 

“…  She resigned.”  Hotch finally said.

 

“And…  Agent Gideon?”

 

“…  Same.”  Reid sighed.  “Retired.”

 

“So who replaced them?”

 

“Agent Emily Prentiss took over for Elle.”  Hotch said.  “And Agent David Rossi came out of retirement and took Gideon’s place.”

 

“They working out for you?”

 

“They’re incredible.  The team is just as good as ever.”  Hotch confirmed with a nod.  “How about you?  How are things on the reservation?”

 

“Same.”  Black Wolf said with a shrug.  “Samuel still talks about the FBI guys and that kid with them who decided to blurt out the answers to questions.”  And he shot Reid a look.  Reid rolled his eyes and Hotch grinned in amusement. 

 

“Well, Reid hasn’t changed much in that respect.”  Hotch said with a nod, and ignored Reid’s glare.

 

“So tell me.”  Black Wolf said.  “How did you two end up…?”  He trailed off.

 

“Aaron got me drunk and seduced me into his bed.”  Reid said calmly.  Hotch choked on his beer and nearly spat it all over their lunch guest.

 

“I did NOT!!!”  He croaked, and Black Wolf laughed loudly at the pleased look on Reid’s face. 

 

“So what happened?”  The man asked again.

 

“Well…  for starters…  it DID begin with my getting drunk.”  Reid sighed.

 

“Drunk my ass.  You were PLASTERED.”  Hotch chuckled.  “Do you remember what you asked me when I was taking you into my house?”

 

“…  No.”

 

“You asked me if you had been shot and if you were gonna live.”  Hotch said, smiling at the look on Reid’s face.  Reid’s eyes widened and he groaned, letting his head fall into his face.  Black Wolf was just GRINNING.  Who knew that FBI Agents would be so funny?!  Especially Captain America and the College Student.

 

“Anyway.”  Hotch continued, looking at Black Wolf.  “He was too drunk to walk, so I took him home with me and let him sleep it off on my sofa.  A snow storm came in overnight.  Really random and REALLY early in the year, but it happened.  When the morning rolled around, we were snowed in and the power was out.  So we moved into my bedroom since it was a nice closed off area with a fireplace.  So we stayed warm in there.”

 

“Let me guess.  You shared the bed and things just happened?”  Black Wolf asked.

 

“…  I woke up when Reid hit me in the face.”  Hotch snorted.

 

“I had a nightmare!”  Reid whined in his defense.

 

“You have way too many nightmares.”  Hotch snorted.

 

“Hotch woke me from my nightmare and…  things happened from there.”  Reid said with a shrug.

 

“I see.”  Black Wolf said.  “Well, congratulations.  Now tell me this.  Why are you in Santa Fe?”

 

“Reid never goes anywhere unless it’s on a case.”  Hotch snorted.  “I thought he could use some travel and I thought that the unique culture here would fascinate him.  That and we’ve never been here before, not even on a case.  Now why are YOU in Santa Fe?”

 

“Dr. Reid called me and said you boys were coming, wanted to know if I would like to join you for lunch.  I have some family up here, so I decided to visit for a few days and meet you guys for lunch.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you did.”  Hotch said with a nod. 

 

The trio ended up heading out after lunch and rather than parting ways, Black Wolf showed them some of the sights.  He also gave the some ideas of other things they could do on their own.  It was getting dark when they finally ducked into a bar for drinks.  Hotch had a Guinness, Reid ordered a bourbon and Black Wolf had a few Millers.  They traded stories back and forth, and whenever Black Wolf went off on a tangent of the history of his people, Reid hung off of his every word.  Hotch was also interested, but half of his attention was on Reid, who was SO into it, he was amusing for Hotch to watch.

 

The conversation eventually stopped when Black Wolf’s phone went off.  The man looked down at the display.  “Ah.  My family is wondering where the hell I am.”

 

“Oh.  I..  We didn’t mean to keep you all day.”  Reid stammered, shaking his head.  “It was just supposed to be lunch.”

 

“It was good to see you guys again.  Especially without murders hanging over us.”  Black Wolf said with a smile.  “Next time you’re in the area, call me.”  And he shook hands with Hotch.  “Have a Merry Christmas.”

 

“Thanks.  You too.”  Hotch said with a smile.

 

“Later, kid.”  Black Wolf said, clasping Reid’s hand.  “You and Captain America have fun.”  And he walked away.  Reid grinned as Hotch sighed and rolled his eyes.

 

“Captain America, huh?”

 

“Don’t.”  Hotch said, leveling a warning look on Reid.  “Come on.  Let’s get back to the hotel.”

 

Reid giggled and stumbled after the man.  Hotch watched him for a moment, then shook his head.  “Let’s pick up some dinner on the way back.  You need something to soak up that alcohol.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

December 23^rd

 

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“God, I haven’t done this in years…”  Hotch nearly groaned, grinning. 

 

“…  I’m not so sure about this.”  Reid whined behind him.  Hotch turned and looked at Reid awkwardly sliding across the snow on skis.  “Maybe I should just—“

 

“You’re not getting out of it, Spencer.”  Hotch chuckled.  “Haven’t you ever wanted to try it?”

 

“… Not bad enough to die trying.”  Reid snorted.

 

“Are you SURE you want to just dive in?  They DO offer lessons.”  Hotch said.  Then, he and Reid turned and watched a small child about six years old fly by on the snow, head back, eyes closed, and crying.  A ski instructor was frantically chasing him down.  Reid raised an eyebrow, then leveled a look on Hotch.  Hotch blinked at Reid, then grinned.

 

“Okay.  Fine.  To the lifts.”  When they got there, Reid stared. 

 

“…  They don’t STOP?”

 

“No.  Just watch how the other people are doing it.”  Hotch said.  The little ski lift seats passed by, scooping up a pair of skiers.  The next pair hurried to follow the chair, taking their place.  They waited, watching over the shoulders.  When the next set of chairs reached them, they calmly sat back and allowed themselves to be scooped up and carried up into the air.

 

“It’s easy.”  Hotch said with a smile.  Reid gave him a forced smile.  And before he was ready, it was their turn.

 

“…  Aaron…  I think I’m just gonna…”  He turned and tried to escape.

 

“AGENT REID!”  Hotch thundered, and everyone stopped and stared.  “Get back here.  That’s an ORDER!!!”

 

“What?!  But Hotch!”

 

“Now.”  The man said firmly, and the people standing in line snickered as Reid pouted, but shuffled over.  They scurried into place and turned and watch the lift come towards them.

 

“Aaron, I don’t—“

 

“You’re doing it, shut up.”  And the seats reached them.  Hotch sat down with ease, but Reid yelped and flailed.  Hotch grinned, grabbing the back of Reid’s jacket and jerking him down into the seat, and off they went.  Amused cheers followed them from the line behind them.

 

“…  This is so embarrassing.”  Reid groaned.

 

“You’re the one who drew attention to yourself in the first place.”  Hotch pointed out.  “Next time, just bear it silently.”  Reid sighed and rolled his eyes, and then turned to look around.  His pouting faded almost immediately as Reid began to enjoy the ride.  Hotch just smiled, draping an arm around the boy’s shoulders.  And a moment later, it started snowing.  Reid blinked when suddenly, gentle fingers were on his chin and his face was turned.  He stared at the small smile on his boss’ face, and then the man leaned forwards and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.  Reid blushed and smiled, shyly.

 

“Okay.”  Hotch said, softly.  “Now I explain how we get OFF.”  Reid’s eyes widened in horror.  He had forgotten about THAT part!

 

A few minutes later though, he was safely out of the chair at the top the slope.

 

“That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”  Hotch asked, smiling.  Reid glared.  He had nearly face-planted into the snow upon disembarking.  Hotch chuckled.  “Come on, Spencer.  Now we go down.”  Reid whimpered and slowly followed him.  Hotch took Reid to the side of the slope.  “You sure you can do this?”

 

“I read about proper form and how to—“

 

“Okay.”  Hotch said.  “Then let’s go.”

 

“…  Now?”  Reid squeaked, eyeing the slope. 

 

“Yes, NOW!”  And Hotch seized Reid’s hips and pushed him over the edge. 

 

“HOTCH!!!”  Reid all but shrieked, and Hotch grinned and followed.  He came up on Reid’s side and smiled at him. 

 

“Don’t panic, it’s fine!”  He laughed, seeing the horrified look on Reid’s face.  “Come on, I thought you did your best work under intense terror!”

 

“…  THAT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS!!!”  Reid howled.  “HOW DO I STOP?!”

 

“You’re the one who read up on it.  And you have the eidetic memory.  You tell me.”  Hotch laughed, enjoying their flight downhill.  “Reaching the first curve!  You ready?”

 

“NO!!!”

 

When they finally reached the bottom of the hill, Reid seemed traumatized, and Hotch was still laughing.  “Was it really THAT bad?”  He asked, ruffling Reid’s hair.  Reid gave him a look.  “…  Well, give it another shot.  Calm down and enjoy it.”

 

“I am NOT doing that again.”

 

“…  For the price of the ski rentals and lift passes…  YES you ARE.”  Hotch ordered, and before Reid knew it, the lift was carrying up the mountain again.  They went down the slope several times, and each time Reid did better and better.  Until he accidentally took a wrong turn and went down a higher level slope that broke off to the side.  Their skiing excursion ended with Hotch laughing loudly, watching Reid flail about helplessly in a deep snow drift, unable to get out.  But eventually, Hotch took pity on him and came to the rescue. 

 

Half an hour later, after turning in their equipment, they were curled up on the sofa in the lodge in front of a roaring fire, having hot chocolate.  Hotch was cuddling Reid, but the boy was scowling and turned his face away ever time Hotch tried to kiss him, or get him to look at him.  Hotch grinned, chuckling. 

 

“Spencer.  Come on.  Are you really that sore with me?”  He asked, setting his mug down.  Reid said nothing, he just sipped his own cocoa.  Hotch scooted closer.  “Come on, Spencer…”  He snickered, putting an arm around Reid, not allowing him to escape as he pressed a kiss to his cheek.  “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.  What do you want to do?”  Reid blinked and eyed Hotch out of the corner of his eyes.  Then he shrugged.

 

“…  I dunno.”  He mumbled.  Hotch smiled and pulled Reid close. 

 

“…  I love you.”  He murmured.  Reid frowned, then sighed and turned. 

 

“I love you too.”  He sighed, and rested his head on Hotch’s shoulder.  Hotch grinned and relaxed; he was forgiven. 

 

When they had warmed up pleasantly, they hopped into the rental car and drove down the mountain, the radio playing Classical Christmas music the whole time.  When they reached their hotel room, they had a surprise waiting. 

 

“…  Ah.  Good.”  Hotch said calmly, as they looked at the brand new Christmas Tree, fully decorated.

 

“…  You knew?”  Reid asked.

 

“Of course!  I told them to bring one in.  I thought you would like it.”  Hotch said.  And that evening found them curled up on the sofa, enjoying the crisp scent of the tree and watching ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’.