Lost In The Shadows

Hatochiisai

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any profit off of writing this.

SLASH WARNING : Hotch/Reid pairing

Chapter 8

The team burst into Reid's room and the young man turned and grinned, his doctor smiling at the group.

"Your eyes!" JJ exclaimed.

"Yeah! I'm all recovered!" Reid announced. "My clothes?"

"Here kid." Morgan said, handing Reid his Go Bag. Reid took it and stepped into the bathroom. The team looked at the doctor.

"He needs to avoid bright lights for a while; looking directly into spotlights or the sun." The man said, speaking to Hotch mostly. "Continue with the eye drops until gone. He has a few cuts, scrapes and contusions, but otherwise, he's fine. I've sighed for his release."

"Thank God…" Prentiss sighed, smiling and shaking his head.

"And don't forget!" Reid called from inside the bathroom. "We get to have a few days off!" Hotch smiled and shook his head.

"I know, I know…"

"ALRIGHT!" Morgan howled. "Who's up for some 6th Street action? Come on, Pretty Boy!"

"Actually." Reid said, stepping out the bathroom, now dressed. "I wanted to tour the State Capital and—"

"Boring." Morgan groaned.

"If I may…" The doctor said, and everyone looked at him. "You may enjoy a visit to Barton Springs Public Pool."

"… A pool? There are pools in every city!"

"Not like this." Reid said, looking interested.

And two hours later, the team was at Barton Springs pool. "The temperature is in the 60's all year 'round." Reid was telling them. "It's fed by natural springs and has been a local family favorite for—"

"We don't care, kid. Let's just jump in! It's hot!" Morgan blurted, and whipped off his shirt. Reid raised an eyebrow at several college aged girls who all turned and watched Morgan as he kicked of his shoes. The rest of the team followed. The girls removed their clothes and Reid couldn't help but stare, mouth open, as JJ emerged in a sugar pink bikini and Emily in a blood red one. Several men from their twenties to their fifties stared, too.

Hotch smirked and leaned over, murmuring into Reid's ear, "I thought you were homosexual?"

"Bi." Reid squeaked in a high pitched tone. He winced and cleared his throat, then said "I'm bi, Aaron," in a deeper voice than he normally used. Hotch grinned in amusement at that, and pulled off his own shirt. Reid eyed the man in black swim trunks that came down to his knees with a red pinstripe down each thigh and a thick band of gray around the bottom hems. Reid's eyes roamed over his lover's body, taking in the defined muscles. His skin was pale but not overly so… Not enough to stand out.

Reid winced… unlike himself. He glanced down at his legs sticking out of navy blue swim trunks with neon green stitch work. He was nearly glow-in-the-dark pale…

"Come on, Reid." Rossi said, clapping the young man on the shoulder and following Hotch down to the pool. Reid quirked an eyebrow as he took in Rossi's red and black swimming trunks. The man was also surprisingly fit for his age.

"Come on, Spence!" JJ called from the water.

"Uh… I'm okay…" Reid called back, sitting down on the long concrete step that doubled as a bench and crossing his arms over his white t shirt.

"Hi…" A girl in a green bikini was saying to Morgan. "I'm Tonya." Reid sighed, watching as Morgan put on his charming smile and took her hand, kissing it.

"Tonya…" Morgan purred "Hi. I'm Derek."

"Here we go…" Reid sighed, and turned as Rossi leapt into the water in a dive, swimming under he girls and grabbing their ankles, jerking them under. They fell upon him, howling in their anger. Hotch just laughed, watching as Rossi desperately swam across the pool to escape their wrath. Then, Reid's eyes widened as a woman sauntered over to Hotch and held out her hand.

"Hi… I'm Natalie." She said.

"Huh? Oh. Aaron." Hotch said, accepting her hand.

"So… you from around here?" She asked, pushing her bleach blonde hair back out of her face.

"Uh, no. Just in town on business."

"And… the pool is business?" She asked.

"The pool is… downtime after the business has been completed." Hotch said.

"And… what was your business?"

"… It's classified." Hotch said.

"Really? Why?" She asked, sidling up closer, her breast brushing his arm. Hotch glanced past her and met Reid's eyes. The man smiled and winked, and Reid's face split into a broad grin before he turned his attention back to Morgan.

"The FBI?" Tonya was gasping, sidling closer to Morgan just like Natalie was to Hotch. "Really?" Tonya's friends were starting to surround the man, too.

"Yup." Morgan said, grinning.

"Wow… a secret agent?" One girl asked, and Reid rolled his eyes as Morgan grinned.

"Actually… Supervisory Special Agent."

"What does that mean?"

"It means he's got a big head and an even bigger ego." Reid snorted, then planted his foot on Morgan's ass and shoved.

"Whoa wait! WHOA!" Morgan yelped, and JJ, Emily, Rossi and Hotch all turned as Morgan toppled forwards into the water. A moment later, he splashed to the surface, sputtering. Reid just smirked at him, then turned.

"Hi. Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid." He said. Tonya blinked, then grinned and took his hand, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"… Well… Hello to you too." She said, she and her friends moving in close, eying the young man up and down.

"Reid!" Morgan howled, Reid turned, grinning.

"Can't win every time, man." He said, shrugging.

"Oh no… it is ON!" Morgan howled, splashing to the edge and climbing out. "Get your skinny white ass over here!"

"Morgan, really." Reid said, taking a step back. "I just got out of the hospital, I… Morgan? Morgan… no… Morgan NO!" And Reid turned and bolted, Morgan at his heels.

"Hey!" The lifeguard called over the sound of the college girls laughing and cheering. "No running around the pool!"

"Reid! Morgan! That's enough!" Hotch called. A moment later, Reid darted past him. When Morgan ran past, Hotch reached out and grabbed the man's arm.

"Not now, Hotch!" Morgan shouted, and shoved. Hotch's arms windmilled and he fell back into the water.

"MORGAN!" He roared.

"Hotch!" Reid squeaked, then let out a yelp as Morgan caught him.

Hotch swam over to where Rossi and the girls were, and they watched Reid thrashing in Morgan's grip.

"No! NO NO NO NO NO! HOTCH!"

"Morgan, PUT him DOWN!" Hotch ordered.

"Whatever you say boss!" Morgan sang with a grin.

"Oh no…" JJ mumbled, and then with a earsplitting shriek, Reid was flying through the air and landed in the middle of the group, soaking them all.

"Oh my God, it's COLD!" Reid squealed as he surfaced.

"Awwww… poor Reid." Emily laughed, reaching out and ruffling his hair.

"Oh no…" Rossi groaned.

"CANNON BALL!" Came the echoing call, and then Morgan flew through the air and crashed into the water, splashing the team. When he surfaced, he found the entire team glaring at him.

"… Get him." Rossi growled, and he and the girls lunged. Reid and Hotch tread water, grinning as the others engaged in an all out water war. Hotch grinned, turning and looking at Reid. Reid smiled back at him briefly before they both suddenly went under water, courtesy of Rossi jerking down on their ankles as he swam beneath them. As soon as they surfaced, the entire team was now in a water war, every man (and woman) for themselves, with the obvious exception of Reid and Hotch making an immediate alliance.

This, however, encouraged the others to join forces against their Unit Chief and Boy Genius, and this ended with Emily and JJ dunking Hotch over and over again while Rossi and Morgan captured Reid as he attempted to escape. With Rossi holding Reid's arms and Morgan his legs, the pair stood at the edge of the pool and swung the howling young man back and forth, and on 'THREE!' they tossed him into the water before diving in after him.

Finally, the group called a truce when they were too exhausted to continue. They dragged themselves from the pool and headed back to the hotel. They showered and dressed and then they all met in the lobby.

"I am STARVING." Morgan groaned.

"What does everyone want?" JJ asked.

"You know… The Iron Cactus and the Old Pecan Street Café are well known." Reid said.

"Where are they?" Hotch asked.

"On 6th Street."

"Oh, HELL yeah!" Morgan cheered.

"Oh Great." Emily and JJ groaned in unison.

"First, we have another stop to make." Hotch said with a smile, turning and looking at Reid. Then he led the team out. They walked a few blocks away and ended up at the bridge of Congress Avenue. Reid was nearly bouncing in his excitement.

"What are we doing?" Morgan asked.

"Enjoying the view." Hotch chuckled.

"We're waiting for the bats!" Reid announced, excitement in his tone more than obvious.

"… Bats?" JJ asked, weakly.

"Bats?" Morgan echoed in dismay.

"We're right on time, too." Hotch said, and the team turned. Bats were beginning to dart about, appearing from under the bridge. As the minutes ticked by, more and more appeared. And then a massive cloud of bats were pouring out into the dusky sky, on their way to spend the night feeding.

But Hotch wasn't watching the bats; he was watching the look of delight and amazement on Reid's face. And JJ was watching them both, smiling at the tender look of adoration on her boss's face as he stared at his young lover.

The show continued for a good fifteen minutes, and when it was over Morgan insisted on dinner. And with a sparkly-eyed genius in tow, they gave in to Morgan's demands.

The team ended up at the Iron Cactus enjoying dinner and drinks, and when they were done, Morgan INSISTED on going clubbing. They ended up at a three story bar called PURE. The wall of the first and second flood was dominated by a massive screen showing music videos. The first and second floor were lit up a pale electric blue and were filled with little private booths. The top floor was lit up red and had the dance floor. This is where Morgan ended up with JJ and Emily, the trio of them dancing together. Rossi, Hotch and Reid sat on stools at a small table in the corner, right on the edge of the dance floor and right by the windows looking out onto 6th street.

A waitress passed by from time to time, carrying a tray of shots in little plastic tubes. As they indulged in the occasional shot (though Rossi stuck with scotch) Hotch ended up talking about Garcia's favorite nicknames for Hotch and Reid; Batman and Robin.

"So if you're Batman…" Rossi said, slowly. "And he's Robin… What does that make HER?"

"Oracle." Reid said, calmly.

"… Who?" Hotch and Rossi asked. Reid sighed.

"Barbara Gordon."

"… Batgirl?" Hotch asked.

"The Joker shot her. She's paralyzed from the waist down." Reid explained calmly. "After that happened, she was determined to keep fighting. So she became a computer GENIUS, like on Garcia's level, and now she's known as Oracle. And she's on call for Batman and his team 24-7."

"… Riiight…" Rossi drawled.

"How about Morgan?" Hotch asked.

"Nightwing." Reid said, grinning.

"Emily?"

"Huntress." Reid said. "I'd say BatWoman, but she's a lesbian." The men just stared. "And JJ is Spoiler."

"… Who?" Both men asked.

"Nevermind." Reid said simply, grinning and taking another shot. He didn't know what it was, but it tasted like lemonade.

The three men at the table called it a night within forty five minutes of walking into the bar… it just wasn't their thing.

When they got back to the hotel, Hotch and Reid both showered again, and then slid into bed in each other's arms, both of them much too tired to even THINK of doing anything other than sleep.

Reid was up before the sun rose. In fact, the pair of them headed out to the Congress Avenue bridge and watched the sun rise, something that Reid had thought he may never see again. Afterwards they toured the Capitol building, just as Reid had wanted, and then the others met them for a little picnic lunch on the lawn of the capital amidst the pecan trees. And then it was time to return home.

"Agents…" Chief Sansonne said as she faced the team before they boarded the jet. "… Thank you. And… I'm sorry." She directed the last comment to Reid. The young agent smiled and shook his head.

"It's no one's fault but LeStrap himself." He told her. "No need to apologize." She smiled and nodded. Then Reid turned and grinned. "And thanks… if it weren't for you…"

DJ smiled, sadly. "Tell me the truth, Dr. Reid." He said, and Reid blinked. "How many good cops eventually go bad?"

"I can't give you exact numbers." Reid told him. "A lot of them get away with it and are never found out. But I can tell you this…" DJ looked at him. "… I know this one won't." And he held out his hand. DJ stared at him, then grinned and took it. "Thanks for everything."

"Thank YOU." DJ said with a smile. "Who knows… maybe I'll come join you in the Bureau some day."

"Like hell you will." Sansonne snorted. "You think I'm gonna let a good cop like you go?" And she pat DJ on the shoulder. "You've got a lot of promise kid."

"Thanks, Chief." DJ said, beaming. The pair stood side by side as the team boarded the jet, and only once it was airborne did they get back into their car to head back to the station.

Hotch and Reid both let out relieved sighs when they walked into Reid's loft apartment. As soon as the door closed, they were greeted by little jingles and insistent meows as Reid's kittens demanded attention. Hotch just smiled, turning on the light and walking in as Reid knelt and scooped up his pets, smiling as they rubbed their cheeks over his jaw, purring loudly.

He watched Hotch disappear into the bathroom and heard the shower start. And so Reid began his homecoming ritual. He fed the cats, fed his fish, watered his plants, and then emptied both his and Hotch's go-bags, tossing the dirty laundry aside to take to the dry cleaner, and then he went into the closet and with the clothes in there, he restocked both of their bags.

As he finished, Hotch came out of the bathroom in his pajama pants, rubbing a towel over his hair and freshly shaven face. He and Reid just smiled at each other and then Reid went to take his own shower. And Hotch did HIS homecoming ritual. He set their go bags by the door, and locked their side arms in the gun safe. He put coffee on, closed the curtains, and turned down the bed.

When Reid emerged, Hotch was waiting for him, eye drops in hand. Reid tilted his head back and allowed Hotch to put the drops into his eyes. Then the man kissed him.

"Thank you, Aaron…" Reid sighed.

"For what?" Hotch asked, smiling. "Was the kiss that good?"

"… I've had better." Reid snorted with a shrug.

"Hey!" Hotch cried in dismay, though he was smiling in amusement. "So what then?"

"For taking such good care of me." Reid said, curling his arms around the man's neck. Hotch smiled and guided Reid to the bed. The pair fell onto it, then fell into one another's arms as they made love, every moment filled with passion. And afterwards the pair held one another close. No words were said, but they caressed the other with lips and hands, their legs entwined. Reid's head was tucked under Hotch's chin, and the elder drew the blankets up over them, not bothering to turn off the little lamp on the table in the living room.

The cats hopped up onto the bed and curled up against the warm bodies of the lovers, and soon, the only sound in the loft was the cats' purring and the soft breathing of the men, sleeping in each others' arms.

AN: Barton Springs Pool, Iron Cactus restaurant, 6th Street and PURE are all real places in Austin.

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