City Lights
Pairing(s): Hotch/Reid
Warning(s): Male/Male relationship
Prompt: 46 City Lights of 100 Drabble Table
Spencer stared quietly out the window of the plane, watching the glowing lights below. The others on his team were sound asleep after what felt like the longest case of their careers but he couldn't bring himself to follow their example. He felt too drained to do anything but reflect on what they almost lost.
"Hey," Hotch's quiet voice called out to him, and a warm body set itself on the seat next to him.
Spencer didn't even look at him. "I thought you were asleep," he said with a frown.
A hand ran itself through his hair and his shoulder's relaxed ever so slightly. "I tried," Hotch admitted. "Why aren't you?"
"I…I just couldn't," Spencer said, blinking rapidly to alleviate the stinging in his eyes. "There's too much to think about. Too much to process at one time."
He heard Hotch sigh before wrapping his arms around the young genius and bring him to rest comfortably against his chest. Soothing circles were rubbed into his hip bone and Spencer burrowed closer to the other's warmth.
"It just feels like it's not enough," Spencer confessed quietly. "They call us in to try to stop attacks like these. To stop these terrorists before they can hurt anyone."
"And we did," Hotch reminded him.
"They had the explosive power to wipe out the entire city below us. They gained the weapons from people we had already put away, from people who just keep coming at us." Spencer turned away from the window to look up at his lover, lost. "It feels like it never ends."
The elder Agent had a small frown on his face. "Spencer, we do our best to stop people like that. We give our profiles to help catch people before they can cause further harm."
Spencer laced his fingers with Hotch's carefully silently.
"You saved thousands of lives today. I'm proud of you," Hotch dropped a kiss onto Spencer's curling hair.
"Stay with me, please?" he asked, looking up. Hotch's dark eyes were filled with love as he held on tighter.
"Always."