I am totally screwing with timelines right now (because Prentiss is still here), so just pretend like I'm not, okay? Okay. (I just really wanted a July 4th thing because cliche kissing during fireworks, guys.)

I'm also taking liberties with Rossi's mansion. Can't remember if he has a pool (though memory says no) but he does now because I'm shameless. (;

This is the last chapter, so thank you all for being totally amazing and reading this. I really do appreciate it! (And now I'll shut up and let you read.)

fireworks

"What are you and Jack doing this Wednesday?"

Hotch blinked and looked up from his paperwork to Rossi in confusion. "The same we usually do, I guess."

The senior profiler quirked a brow. "You don't have any special plans for the Fourth?"

"That's Wednesday?" Hotch queried with a frown. When Rossi simply nodded, Hotch resisted the urge to groan his frustration with himself. "No, we don't, and I was lucky to get him since he usually wants to go to the Brooks family's function."

Rossi flashed him a smile, winking. "Well, you have plans now if you're interested. The whole team is coming to my place at Reid's insistence. The kid's apparently never celebrated the holiday, or at least not properly."

Hotch was slightly surprised. "You're kidding."

"Ask him yourself if you don't believe me. Anyway, I told him I'd ask you, or he'd have been in here himself earlier," Rossi explained. "Now, however, I'm heading home, which is something you should probably do yourself. See you in the morning, Aaron."

"Have a good night, Dave," Hotch called after the other man. His gaze dropped to the report on his desk again, but his mind couldn't be further away. How had he not known that Reid had never truly celebrated the Fourth of July?

Hotch and Jack ended up a little bit late to Rossi's on the Fourth, but it wasn't enough to make any of the team call him, so that was a plus. Jack easily led the way through Rossi's home, and when they finally made it to the back, Jack's yell of, "Whoa!" was the most apt response Hotch could think of.

Rossi had gone all out, and Hotch would bet Garcia helped. The colors red, white, and blue were everywhere, and there were far too many star balloons and other star decorations. There was a table full of food, sweets, and drinks, and on another table were sparklers and firecrackers, and Hotch was willing to bet there were fireworks somewhere, as well.

Almost everyone was sitting in chairs by the pool, and rather ironically, Reid was the first to notice both of them as Jack went running up to the group. Hotch followed at a slower pace, quirking a brow at Rossi as the rest of the group greeted Jack, though he was obviously more interested in talking to Henry.

"Isn't this a bit overboard?" Hotch murmured to the older man, being sure to keep his voice down.

Rossi gave him on of his signature smug looks. "The kid loved it, so I think it's a success."

Hotch had to fight against the urge to scowl, which was only made possible when Reid made eye contact with him and waved in greeting with a smile. Hotch managed a smile back before looking back at Rossi. "I'm surprised you didn't start eating already."

"Oh, I wanted to, but the kid insisted we wait. He has a nauseating soft spot for you, but I think you know that," Rossi replied. Before Hotch could retort, the Italian called out, "Now that our last two guests have arrived, who's ready to eat?"

Naturally, the kids and the women went first, followed by Reid, and then the rest simply filed in line behind the boy genius. They ended up sitting in the pool chairs as they ate, talking idly and listening to Reid's random facts about the holiday and the themes associated with it. Hotch couldn't help but smile to himself as Reid rattled off fact after fact, and eventually it became obvious that the only ones listening were Hotch, Jack, and Henry, so Reid moved seats, sitting down on the same long chair Hotch had taken. The younger man picked up where he'd stopped, and Jack and Henry paid attention avidly while Hotch tried to ignore just how close Reid was sitting next to him.

And then far too soon, the group started dressing down to their bathing suits and helping each other put on suntan lotion. Hotch tried to prolong eating as much as he could, but it wasn't long enough. Nothing would have been able to prepare him for Reid turning to him with a slightly shy smile and asking, "Do you think you could cover my back?"

"Sure." Hotch wasn't sure how he managed to sound nonchalant when he was anything but, and he swallowed roughly as the younger man tugged off his shirt before resuming his seat on the chair. Hotch picked up the sunblock that Reid had just put on Jack and uncapped it, squeezing the lotion onto his palm and rubbing his hands together to warm it before putting shaking hands on the bare skin of Reid's shoulders. It was ridiculous how intimate it felt to be doing such a small thing, but Hotch's pulse was racing and he could feel his heart pounding in his ears.

The only thing that kept him from inappropriate thoughts was the sound of Jack's and Henry's squeals of laughter. It was fairly easy to not think about anything sexual when he was so aware of his son being nearby, and as a result he managed to finish coating Reid's back fairly quickly and without any mishaps, and then the younger man flashed a grin at him. "Thanks, Hotch. You want me to do yours?"

God, yes.

"Not right this moment. I think I'm going to sit out for a bit. Thank you for the offer, though," he answered sincerely, his heart fluttering as Reid gave him one of those dammed shyly-flirty looks. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not pull the younger man into a kiss, consequences be dammed. Instead, he swallowed roughly as Reid stood and moved to sit at the edge of the pool, his lean muscles rippling under smooth skin.

"The expression on your face is borderline indecent," Rossi announced quietly as he took a seat on the chair beside Hotch's.

Hotch shot him a glare and retorted, "It was your bright idea to allow this, Dave. There's only so much I can handle."

Rossi snorted. "Then why don't you do something about it instead of going along with these ridiculous schemes the team's cooked up? The kid's not going to run away screaming; it's not his style. He might need a little time to process it, but you won't scare him off."

Hotch's gaze returned to Reid as the younger man yelped, and he smiled at the sight of Prentiss and JJ dragging the genius into the water. He pretended like he couldn't feel Rossi staring at him, waiting for a reply that was never going to come.

Hotch eventually allowed himself to be coerced into the pool, mainly because Jack wanted to be thrown. Somehow that turned into a competition of who could throw the boys farther (which Hotch only won by the slightest amount because he was used to doing it, whereas Morgan was not) which eventually led to slight rough housing in general, and somehow they ended up playing rounds of Chicken, with different people putting Jack and Henry on their shoulders and facing off. Reid was surprisingly well-balanced with Henry, and after quite a few rounds (with breaks of course) it was finally Hotch's turn with Jack.

"All right, buddy, what's the plan? You want to win this round?" Hotch whispered conspiratorially, and Jack grinned with an emphatic nod. "It might be tough. You sure you're up for it?"

"Yeah!" Jack exclaimed in a whisper. "No one beats Daddy, 'member?"

Hotch smiled affectionately and knelt down in the water to let Jack climb on his shoulders. A glance at Reid and Henry showed the other two were ready, as well, and Hotch stood back up before wading over to the designated "chicken ring." Hotch caught Reid's eye and mouthed the words "good luck" with a wink and a smile that surprisingly caused the younger man to bite down on his lower lip with a pretty blush coloring his cheeks.

"And... fight!" Prentiss yelled once they'd both come to a stop.

Due to the height of both boy's Hotch and Reid were standing much closer than Hotch was comfortable with, but he managed to focus more on Henry and the technique the blonde boy was using than on Reid. Fighting temptation during lunches and dinners seemed to pay off rather well, for he was able to keep on track. There was one point when he noticed Henry was starting to lean forward too far, and Hotch leaned backwards a little in order to keep Jack from falling.

The change in position resulted in Henry leaning just a little too far forward, and when Reid tried to accommodate for it, Henry was thrown off-balance, splashing into the water with a squealing laugh. Jack crowed happily before falling backwards, and Hotch let his son slip off his shoulders into the water. When he turned to face him, Jack was beaming up at him. "Way to go, buddy!" Hotch congratulated, pulling his son in for a hug. Jack clung to him as he turned back around to check on Reid and Henry.

"Good game, Henry," Jack told the other boy sincerely, using the phrase the soccer team was encouraged to tell other players at the end of a game. "You're really good."

"Thanks, Jack. You, too!" Henry replied good-naturedly, wriggling in Reid's grip. "I want cookies."

Hotch chuckled as Jack echoed the statement with, "Yeah, can we have cookies now, Uncle Dave?"

"Absolutely! I'll even get the real ice cream," Rossi answered with a grin as he reached out and took Jack.

Reid's face lit up as he asked, "Oh, is it gelato?"

Rossi scoffed. "Of course. You think I would keep that poor excuse for ice cream you Americans eat?"

Hotch muffled his laughter behind his hand as Reid started splashing wildly in an effort to get out of the pool. "I'll get it!" the younger man yelled as he stumbled up the steps and took off towards the house.

Rossi shot Hotch a wide-eyed glance that he knew all too well, and Hotch rolled his eyes before pulling himself up on the side of the pool. "He's not going to break anything, Rossi. But if it makes you feel better, I'll help him," Hotch sighed as he stood and followed after Reid. It was apparently a good thing he did because Reid was frowning at the kitchen cabinets when Hotch walked inside. "Far left upper cabinet has bowls."

Reid squeaked and jumped, his hand going to his throat. "Hotch, would it hurt you to be less quiet?" he queried, exhaling shakily.

Hotch chuckled softly. "Sorry. If you'll grab the bowls and a towel Dave keeps in the bottom cabinet in case of large spills, I'll get the rest." At Reid's questioning look, Hotch added, "He won't appreciate us leaving his kitchen floor wet."

"Oh, right," Reid murmured before doing as Hotch had said. Hotch smiled fondly before grabbing spoons from the silverware drawer and then hunting down the ice cream scooper. A glance at Reid showed the genius using the towel to mop up the excess pool water dripping off them both, and Hotch moved to the freezer to pull out two containers of gelato. His gaze once more returned to Reid, who was holding the towel like he was unsure what to do with it.

"Just put it on the counter," Hotch ordered, and Reid jumped slightly but did as he was bade. "Can you carry the spoons and scooper in the bowls?"

Reid nodded, stuttering, "Y-yes, of course," and grabbing the aforementioned items, dropping them into the bowls before picking up said bowls and practically darting out of the kitchen.

Hotch frowned and noted the odd behavior, hoping he'd remember to bring it up later.

It all fell into place later, after they were playing with sparklers and firecrackers as Morgan and Rossi set up the fireworks. Rossi had refused to let Hotch help because Jack was there, but Jack was far more interested in playing with Henry, so Will and JJ were taking care of him. Reid had joined him and was in the midst of a few facts about fireworks when the first one was set off, and Reid's gaze immediately caught on the shower of golden sparks, inhaling sharply. Hotch was more interested in watching Reid's reaction than he was in the actual fireworks, and he couldn't contain his smile as Reid spouted off another random fact without looking away from the sky. "Did you know that the Chinese set off fireworks because they believe the loud noise scares away evil spirits?"

Hotch smiled and softly replied, "I did not."

Reid suddenly looked at him, his lips twitching into a shy smile. "There are other traditions thought to do such a thing. Ancient Europeans thought they could ward off evil spirits by kissing." There was an odd warmth to Reid's eyes that Hotch didn't recall seeing before, and it was remotely distracting. He barely heard Reid as the younger man continued speaking, going off in a tangent about kisses again. "...because lips are so sensitive, the description of 'feeling fireworks' is rather apt since your nerve endings are..."

And that was when Hotch knew Reid was aware, and he cut the genius off mid-sentence with a hot, needy kiss. Reid gasped against his lips, hands scrambling to catch on his shoulders, and Hotch moaned in pleased relief as he licked into Reid's mouth, his hands anchoring in the younger man's still-damp curly locks. He didn't lift his head until Reid was trembling against him, a high whimper sounding in his throat.

"How long have you known?" Hotch rasped, pressing his forehead against the younger man's.

Reid's soft pants tickled Hotch's lips as he answered, "The zoo. Jack was upset about you and the women because he thought we were on a date. He drew my attention to certain things after that."

Hotch gently bit Reid's lower lip in reprimand. "You little tease," he muttered, licking along Reid's lip. "So you planned the sunblock thing?"

"That was actually Rossi's idea. He thought it might help. And then I was supposed to blindside you when we were inside getting ice cream, but I couldn't do it," Reid admitted, and Hotch could just make out the glow of a blush on Reid's cheeks. "But since you made the first move, I think it's only fair that I tell you I'm pretty certain I've been in love with you for...six years, ten months, and three days."

Hotch could barely breathe. Reid knew the exact day? "If you want to watch the fireworks, you need to tell me before I kiss you again because I have waited almost a year for you to realize I'm in love with you, and have been for quite some time." Reid smiled up at him, hazel eyes glowing, and Hotch pressed their lips together once more.

And yeah, he could definitely feel the fireworks.

I sincerely hope you all enjoyed it! Feedback would be greatly appreciated so I know what was well-received for future fics. (: