Hotchniss Challange: Sad/Whump OTP

3. "I'm a monster"

"One need not be a chamber to be haunted; One need not to be a house; The brain has corridors surpassing material place."

-Emily Dickinson

"I'm a monster," he slumps against the doorframe, smirking lazily at her. He's gotten up moments before to use the bathroom and clothes the door between Reid and Morgan's room and their's. Now he's stripped, in nothing but dark green boxer briefs and the sweat that streams down his sun-kissed skin.

Emily rolls her eyes, sure it feels like hell and smells about as well. He couldn't have known that right after being sent to Boston that the bureau would have them turn their jet around on the way home and send them to  Florida. "No, you're not. Don't be dramatic."

He pushes off the door, dragging his tired body to the bed. Just as he's about to seat, there's a knock at the door. He sighs and makes his way to the door. Just as his hand lands on the door, Emily realizes what he's doing.

"Aaron, you-"

The door's already open, in the frozen moment of panic JJ and Hotch stand before one another. Hotch jerks to the side, diving for the suit jacket thrown over the side of the chair by the door. She can't see the burning red of embarrassment in his face but she knows he's feeling it.

Emily is frozen, JJ can brillianlty play off the horror of Hotch's scars but it's convincing him that she didn't care that matters. To both her horror and satisfaction, JJ leans over herself giggling. 

"Aww!" JJ puts a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the way he almost flinches at the touch. "Hotch, you have the cutest little baby abs." Of course, she'd seen the horrifying nine slashes over his chest.  But her overall joy and laughter are genuine. 

He sighs, exasperated. "JJ."

Emily mercifully is at the door, sweeping past him with a small wink, dragging JJ out the door by the crook of her arm. She shuts the door behind them, waiting a long breath before looking at her blonde friend. 

"Thank you," Emily moves her arms to JJ's shoulder's showing her exactly what she means with proximity.

JJ shakes her head, in disbelief or something else but she can't be certain. "Emily," JJ sounds on the edge of laughing. "Hotch is... Hotch is like a brother to me. I've seen those scars a thousand times. You may... God, you two may do the nasty but I love him too. And I'd never let him think that those scars are the sum of what he is. H-"

Emily throws her arms around JJ's neck. Knocking the breath out of JJ and halting her soothing speech. "Thank you. I just... Sometimes it feels like it's just me. It's silly, I know-"

JJ shakes her head," you don't have to explain that to me. It's all good. Now, go tell him to put pants on. We're going out for drinks."

As instructed, Emily goes back into the room not surprised to find a naked back looking back at her. His front is marred by the same nine scars, with the exception of two gunshot wounds on his shoulders. His back is a landscape of oldest form of education. So many thin scars that they haunt her. Her hand coming out to touch them without thinking. "The team wants us to go out for drinks and JJ says next time you go to the gym, call her and she'll show you a real workout routine."

With his thin runner's body, she's never noticed a lot of muscle. He's strong enough to carry any of his teammates but if it came to it, he'd do that even if he couldn't. The abs are a product of yoga classes she keeps dragging him to, seating upside down on the couch, and curl-ups that always end up stopping because she doesn't think The Beatles is the proper band to work out to.

As far as her comment about the bar, he gives her an indolent hum. 

"Aaron," she sighs and comes to sit on her knees. Looking up at him as he remains slumped in thought. "Aaron," she repeats, this time earning his attention," I don't know what's going on inside your head but I promise you that nothing that just happened was bad. You are okay. JJ is completely unfazed and me? I'm the happiest woman alive because I get to work with my love every day." 

He gives her soft smile, hardly lifting at the corner of his lips but still there. 

"Okay?"

It takes him a moment but he nods," okay."

"Let's go get shit-faced."

"Emily..."

"Right, let's go have mild fun with only two drinks because we're working for a buzz kill of an old man...... whom I love."

Am back.... I apologize for taking so long but fret not it won't be like that anymore!

-S.H.