Oxytocin [aaron hotchner]

three

You've been in Boise for a couple of days now, it's been a difficult case so far. Yesterday the unsub sent a video to the team in which we see him recording the murder of the last victim. It seems like he's wearing a body camera. Garcia was completely freaking out, given she accidentally saw what happened. It took you and Derek a whole five minutes to calm her down again.

"Everyone go back to the hotel, no good is gonna come to us when we're exhausted. Get some sleep, we gather back here at 9AM tomorrow morning." Hotchner says as he walks into the conference room the local PD has set up for you upon our arrival. It was past 8PM at that moment, you were just finished with your soda from the fast food place the team got dinner. Your eyes were feeling heavy too.

The boss didn't need to say this twice, everybody quickly got up and started gathering their things to go back to the hotel a couple blocks further. As you were the last of the team to leave the room, you saw Hotchner still staring at the whiteboard. His gaze completely focused on a couple of frames from the video the unsub sent us earlier. "You coming sir?" You ask him.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you're coming?" you repeat yourself. "If we have to get some sleep, you should too. Come on." You tap your hand on the doorframe to get him going. You notice JJ is waiting for you at the other side of the station, leaning against a wall with her eyes half closed. Hotchner breaks his focus on the board and looks at you, then past you and he looks at JJ. "I'll drive", he says before grabbing his coat and walking with you towards JJ. He holds the door open for the both of you and you make your way to the hotel. The others had already left, knowing you weren't far behind.

You said goodnight to the remaining colleagues you saw in the lobby and made your way to your room. The team was scattered across the hotel and the different floors. You actually didn't mind all the hotels and the hotel beds. Some of your best nights sleeps were in a hotel bed. Somehow they're just far more comfortable. Maybe it's because someone else makes the bed in the morning.

You slip your card into the machine thingy and enter your room, doing a quick sweep of the room first and then closing and double locking the door. If this job taught you anything, it was this. Being hyper vigilant. Maybe you were a little too on edge sometimes, but that was also just how you were wired. A little paranoia never hurt nobody. You also always had just a little bit too much fantasy, watching a lot of crime shows growing up never really helped that either.

It was half past 9PM at this point and you decided to take a quick shower to freshen up. After running around for more than 12 hours today and not having showered for the past two days, the dry shampoo buildup in your hair was not the pretties sight- or feeling. You began undressing in your room and dropped clothing pieces on your way to the bathroom.

After your shower, you quickly dried yourself off, did a quick skin care routine and pulled your pj's out of your go-bag. You never really bothered unpacking. It's been a habit ever since you started going on trip as a teen. One might call it lazy. The only option you brought was your two sizes too big Stich T-shirt your brother bought you a couple of years ago and a pair of loose short shorts.

As you were just getting in bed there was a knock on your hotel room door. The groan that just escaped your lips was definitely heard on the other side of the door. You got up and looked through the peep hole. To your surprise it was your boss. You quickly unlocked the door and openend it. "Y/N, am I interrupting?" he asks, slowly eyeing you up and down. You suddenly remember the outfit you're in and feel yourself turning bright red. "Oh no" you chuckle nervously, "please do come in. It's not like we just saw each other. Wearing normal clothes." He walks past you into your room. You quickly start picking up some of the clothing pieces still on the ground from earlier, some of them being your bra and your underwear. He didn't seem to notice.

"I couldn't stop thinking about that video he sent us. The recordings he made." You're putting the discarded clothes from earlier back in your go-bag as he's speaking. "I figured", you say.

"He's clearly sadistic and he gets off on this. Recording it so he can keep reliving the murders." He says, walking in little circles across the room. It kind of feels like he's talking to himself but you're just letting it happen. "Yes", you reply to him although you're pretty certain he's not paying any attention to you.

"But why send it to us?"

He finally looks up at you, his eyebrows narrowed. His eyes dark. His arms are crossed at his chest, with his left hand he's rubbing his fingers together. "Maybe because he feels smart? Or because he wants an audience? Someone to see what he's doing?"

He keeps his gaze focused on you as you're talking. "Wait," you suddenly say. "Do you remember that first recording." He nods.
"The one where we see him entering the house?"

"Yes," you reply. "He walks up the stairs and he looks into the camera."

"To taunt us, yes" Hotchner says nodding.

"Yes, but what if it's not just for us?" You finally look at him, meeting his puzzled eyes. "What if he's doing this for his audience? What if he has fans? It might be a stretch but..."

He quickly gathers his phone from his pocket and calls Garcia, asking her to search for chatrooms discussing these or similar images. After some quick brainstorming we've also concluded the unsub must work in IT. Maybe the guy you let in you hook up your internet. Someone easily trusted.

His gaze softens a little bit. "I think we're ready to give the profile tomorrow morning."
You take a breath, feeling relieved that you've figured something out.

He drops his phone back into his pocket and sits down on the bed. You feel your shoulders relax a bit. "That was smart" he says, giving you a nod. You give him a nervous smile in return, playing with your hair. Your long brown locks intertwining between your fingers. You feel his eyes on you, but you don't meet them.

"Why did you come to me?" You ask, turning around and grabbing a sweater from your go-bag. You were feeling a little too intimate, standing here in your Stitch pyjamas with your boss sitting on your bed. It was just a regular black hoodie you threw on, oversized because that may of may not have been your exes. Not that you were holding on to him, the hoodie was just comfortable and more convenient than getting one yourself.

"Well, I was gonna do some coaching wasn't I?" He says. "Right" you reply. "You did great thinking."

"How does this qualify as coaching?" you smile as you make your way to the bed, sitting next to him but leaving a good amount of space between the two of you. "Well, first I have to boost your confidence a little don't I? Convince you that you have a great mind." He says, looking at you. You swear he was looking at your lips for split second before trying to find your eyes with his. "That there is nothing to be unsure of."

You feel your cheeks getting warmer with each second. "Thank you sir. I guess that could indeed be step 1." He nods in agreement.

There's a rather comfortable silence between the two of you. You're staring at your hands in your lap, and you're pretty sure he's staring at you. But because you're you- you don't dare to look up.

He suddenly stands up from the bed and looks at his watch, "it's well past 9:30 now. You should get some sleep. We'll all meet back at the station at 8." He says as he's making his way to the door.

"Didn't you say 9 at the station earlier?" you ask.

"Well, we're basically ready to give the profile now. Thanks to you. So no time to waste, agent."

"Right" you chuckle, "of course sir." You walk towards him and open the door. You hold it open for him as he slowly walks out. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Y/N." he heads out of the room and into the corridor, you see him making his way towards the elevator since his room is one floor above you.

You double lock the door again and finally you're able to get into bed. You start watching reruns of favourite show on your phone but quickly drift off into a blissful sleep.