It's one of the calmer days. You're all at a bar just having a good time.
"Hotch is really starting to warm up to you." Prentiss's words aren't what you expect.
"Really? How can you tell?"
Garcia and JJ laugh.
"If he didn't like you, trust me you'd know."
Garcia inputs. Morgan walks over with drinks, and the girls begin to disperse on the dance floor. Once Morgan puts the drinks down he follows with a grin. Rossi and Reid are chatting on a table nearby. Hotch makes his way back.
"Not much of a dancer?" He asks, taking a seat next to you.
"I think you've realized by now that I'm not the most coordinated sir. "
He sends you a little smile, sipping at his drink.
"Also being meshed between so many people high on adrenaline isn't the best with my abilities."
Now he appears curious.
"Do you hear them all the time?"
You shook your head.
"Not all the time. It's hard to explain. At the beginning I mostly just got feelings, but now when someone is pumped up or very emotional it filters through. It's like a storm in my head. It's hard to work through sometimes. But I kind of prefer it that way. I think it's because they're still developing that I don't just hear everything all the time. It's a relief to only be able to hear some. I'm not sure how I'd deal with that."
"What about the rest of your gifts?"
"You mean telekinesis?"
He nods.
"That's sort of a work in progress. If I'm being honest, the first time I intentionally did that was with Jeff."
"Really."
"Yeah. That day in your office was more impulse than anything else. If I were to do it again I'd have to really concentrate."
"So if you were to read my mind again, would it be hard?"
You assume it's a hypothetical, but the way he peers has you thinking otherwise.
"I..I guess so." His eyes convey something.
"Why not give it a try?"
"W-What are you serious! I-I can't do that. It's unethical not to mention a major breach of your privacy. " You never expected him to request something like that. Hotch takes in the way you become flustered, and he smiles internally.
"That's good to know."
He goes back to sipping at his drink, and you deadpan.
"W-Were you profiling me just now."
"I was just curious."
You can't believe it. He really did enjoy making you frazzled.
"You almost gave me a heart attack." You mutter downing your drink with a sigh. Hotch smiles into his glass.
"I'm glad that you respect this team enough not to go probing."
It sounds like a compliment, but with Hotch you can never tell.
