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Reid hung up the phone and turned back to his computer. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Hotch coming down the stairs from his office.
Hotch called down to him, "You're still here?"
"I just got off the phone with Morgan and Rossi. They wanted to know if I had any follow-up questions on the custodial interviews they're doing."
"I hadn't realized."
"What's up?"
Hotch said, "It's more like what's down. That storm they predicted started about an hour ago. VRE and Metro above ground has closed. I just got word that everyone is being sent home, but if you didn't drive today..."
"I didn't."
"You have no way to get home. The Post has already said there are no hotel rooms. Everyone is staying put who can."
"Great." Reid sounded weary. "Look, I'll sign out a bureau SUV and drive. I can probably wrangle some parking near the police station a couple of blocks from me."
Hotch shook his head. "No bureau cars available. Grab your go bag. I've slept on my sofa enough to know it's comfortable. I think it may even be long enough for you."
"I can't. You don't know how long it will be."
"It's better than having you go feral in the wilds of the FBI."
Reid laughed. "At least, if you can stop at a grocery store on the way home, let me buy some extra groceries. I eat a lot more than Jack does."
"Fair enough." Hotch smiled back at him. "I want you powered down and ready to go in ten minutes. It could take us an hour or more to get to my place."
"What about Jessica?"
"I called her half an hour ago and asked if she needed to stay, but she's leaving Jack with Mrs. Robbins next door -- Jack likes her -- and heading to her own place. She's worried about her walk and her roof -- all the homeowner things."
The drive took nearly three hours, but they picked up a few essentials at the heavily picked over grocery store, including a couple of things to thank Mrs. Robbins for taking care of Jack.
As usual, Reid was a little nervous around the child, but Jack just shrugged and took him in stride. He tugged on Reid's hand. "Can you come out and play in the snow? Daddy's making dinner, and I can't go outside without a grown-up."
Reid looked at Hotch. "I have a bad knee, but I'm not a bad cook. Why don't I make dinner, and you go outside with your Dad?"
Jack turned hopefully toward his father. "Please?"
"I was just going to make pasta."
"That's easy enough. Want me to slice a couple of the sausages we got into the sauce?"
Hotch looked surprised. "Sure. Um, I think there's stuff to make a salad in the crisper it should probably be eaten tonight."
Reid made a shooing motion and walked over to the stove. "Go play in the cold."
Jack was already standing by the door, trying to jump and get his snow gear down from the hook.
Hotch said, "Let me get that for you, Buddy."
Twenty minutes later, they came back in covered in snow.
Jack was laughing. "I hit Daddy with a snowball!"
Reid smiled back at him. "Sounds like you got his good aim."
Hotch said, "Hey, Jack, let's hang up your coat before we get the floor all wet."
"Dinner's about ready. There's not much salad dressing left in the bottle, and I couldn't find any in your cupboards. Would a vinaigrette be all right?"
"For us. Jack doesn't care for it. Give him what's left in the bottle." Hotch went back over to Jack. "Come on. We have to wash our hands and set the table."
When they were seated around the table, Jack poked at his spaghetti dubiously. After a glare from his father, he took a bite and looked at Reid in surprise. "It's good 'sghetti."
"Thank you."
"I'm surprised you can cook. When did you have time to learn?"
Reid said, "It was cook or starve. I've been cooking since I was ten. I'll never be a gourmet, but, unlike some of the guys I knew in college, I don't think microwave popcorn is a food group."
Hotch gave a half-smile. "I wasn't quite that bad. I ordered the vegetarian pizza."
Reid grinned back at him, then turned to watch Jack eat more of the spaghetti.
Jack looked at his dad. "I like the sausages."
"Maybe Spencer will teach me how to make it like this."
"I don't know. A good cook is like a good magician. He never reveals his secrets."
***
They were finishing a round of Carcassonne before putting Jack to bed when the electricity cut out.
"Buddy, I need you and Spencer to stay right where you are while I get us some light, okay?"
"Can I sit on Spencer's lap?"
"You'll have to ask him that," Hotch said.
"Can I?"
"You may. Give me your hand." Reid pulled him onto his lap gingerly.
Hotch turned on the burners on the stove and used their light to find some candles and a flashlight.
"Reid, where's your phone?"
"In my pocket."
Hotch said, "Turn it off as soon as you can. We'll leave mine on for an emergency and use yours when my battery runs out."
"Fine."
"I don't know the best way to handle the freezer. If the electricity comes back in an hour or two..."
"Not likely from the predictions."
"No."
Reid said, "Do you have coolers? We can pack them with snow and put them out on your balcony. It's not as cold as a freezer, but it's safer than the alternatives."
"I have a large metal one. Okay." He walked back over to them. "I'll exchange with you." He held out a lantern with a manual battery attached.
Reid turned to Jack. "I think that means it's your bedtime."
Jack reached up for his father and was carried off.
Hotch came back a few minutes later to find Reid cranking the lantern. "The reports say fifteen minutes of cranking will give us five hours of use. I have a radio like that, too. I'll start on it, and then we can take care of the freezer."
"Works for me."
An hour later, they were sipping brandy on the sofa. The freezer had mostly been repacked into the cooler, and Reid had come up with short term solutions for some of the critical items in the refrigerator. They'd turned the lantern off to save it and were just sitting with candles around them.
"It's only about nine, but it feels like midnight," Hotch said.
"Biologically, our bodies are attuned to light."
"I think we have Scrabble somewhere, if you'd like to play?"
"May I use Middle English?"
Hotch chuckled, "Only if it's still in the dictionary."
He got the board and set it up on the coffee table. They drew their tiles, and Hotch went first.
"How are the custodials going? Rossi or Morgan find anything new?" He'd forgotten how fast Reid could calculate; it was already his turn again.
"I gave them a couple of slightly off-the-wall follow-up questions for Sanders. I think he may have an undiagnosed mental illness." Reid flipped the board back to Hotch.
"It's all useful."
"I just think it's strange they're having less snow in Minnesota than we're expecting." He shook his head.
"Everything all right between you and them? That's the second time you've frowned when we've left the custodial subject."
"Never play Scrabble with profilers," Reid said. "It's nothing important. Morgan teased me a little, but I know it's never mean spirited with him. It's just..."
Hotch finally found a place to lay his letters. "Just?"
"When I was in high school, the kids knew they couldn't get me with things that were false. It didn't bother me when they called me clumsy, for instance, because I knew I could do sleight of hand."
"Makes sense."
"Calling my mother crazy. Damn, I hated that, but I also could nod and ignore it. It was so true that there was no use getting worked up about it."
"Okay."
Reid bit his lip. "The things that gave them entertaining responses were the ones that I didn't know or were half true or I was trying to keep hidden, like a crush on a girl."
"Even at Jack's age, it's amazing how kids can pick up on emotional things. I take it Morgan hit a nerve."
"He made a joke about the snow and called me 'pure as the driven.' I know it shouldn't bother me, but I'm nearly thirty and, yeah, it does."
Hotch stilled. "Oh." It hadn't occurred to him Reid might be a virgin. "If it bothers you enough, I can talk to him."
"As I said, it's not mean spirited. And I know it's not like I haven't had offers, but there's a line I haven't felt comfortable crossing with anyone."
"I have to admit, most of us thought you and Austin might have..." He tried to think of a good phrase. "Gotten together."
"Long distance kept it from going too far. Look, it's not like I've never made out with anyone. And since I seem to be confessing my all to you, I've made out with guys too. I like it. With both. But ..."
"You want something more than a night. If it's any comfort to you, when I was in college, freshman year, Haley broke up with me. Do you know the old joke, 'what's the difference between a frat boy and a gay man?'?"
Reid shook his head.
"'A six pack of beer.' I experimented a bit with guys, though I wasn't dumb enough to try it with a frat boy. None of the women I knew seemed to match up to Haley, but I was twenty and horny and..." He wondered if Reid could see the blush he knew was flaming his face. He'd never even told Haley about some of his experimentation.
Reid sat stunned. "Wow. I'm imagining a young, bi-curious hot, er, Hotch and... wow." He put down his next word quickly.
"Could you at least pretend to think for a minute?" Hotch sighed and tried to figure out his best move.
He felt a touch to his face and glanced up only to have Reid kiss him. Hotch rested his hand on the back of the younger man's neck and pulled him closer. The slow slide of tongues made his breath come quicker, and then he pushed Reid back. "I can't. This wouldn't… I can't."
"I'd have regretted not trying it, kissing you." Reid was unrepentant. He lay down his next word.
***
Hotch couldn't think clearly after that. He was pretty certain he would have lost the Scrabble game anyway, because playing a word game with a genius who had an eidetic memory and who'd been weaned on medieval literature was a recipe for failure. What was confusing him was the kiss.
It shouldn't have been that hard to say no. He sure as hell shouldn't have responded, and Reid had a direct and artless sensuality that made him want to get out of this bed and drag Reid back to it.
He heard some movement out in the front room. He wasn't sure whether he was hoping Reid would come in and ask for more or whether he was hoping it was just a bathroom break.
The movement stopped. Hotch listened, but heard nothing more than the deep breathing of sleep. He slid his hands into his pajamas and began the short, tight tugs he knew would get him off quickly. When he came, Hotch swore he felt Reid's lips against his.
***
When he looked at his alarm clock the next morning, Hotch realized the electricity was still out. According to his watch it was over an hour later than his usual wake up time. He couldn't be certain, but he thought he heard giggling in the kitchen. He put on socks and slippers and found a cardigan before going out to find the source of the merriment.
Reid was at the stove. "Morning."
Jack turned around and ran to him. "Spencer's making pancakes and sausages. He let me help."
"Pancakes and sausage?"
"Milk, butter and the open package of sausages were likely to spoil first." Reid swirled butter in the skillet and put it back on the burner.
"I wasn't objecting. Pity there's no coffee."
Jack tugged at his pajama leg. "You're going to have it like cowboys made it. Spencer told me stories about the silver rush and showed me how they did coffee on the campfire."
"Silver rush?"
"I'm from Nevada -- silver rush. And there will be coffee. If you can get Jack to put on slippers, I'll even strain it."
Hotch looked at his son's bare feet. "Socks and slippers now. Aren't your feet cold?"
Jack sulked his way back to his bedroom. "They're only a little cold."
Reid started pouring batter into the skillet. "I've been working out the order we should eat the food. The little bit I heard on the radio before Jack woke up makes me think the electricity won't be returning quickly. I hope you don't mind, but you had frozen blueberries so I added them to the batter."
"Jack likes the color they turn his tongue. I like that he'll eat a berry." Hotch smiled. "It's fine. You don't have to slave over a hot stove. I didn't bring you here to put you to work."
"I know. But there's no way we're getting out by Monday." He looked out the window, and Hotch followed his eye line. "They're already predicting another storm for Tuesday night."
The snow was coming down so thickly, he couldn't see the edge of his balcony. "I don't think I've seen a white-out in years."
"Me neither. Jack's excited, but I told him he had to ask you before anything outdoors. I also think I should make a pie or bake cookies later just to use the oven and warm the place a bit. I take it you have electric based heat?"
Hotch grimaced. "It's an apartment. I didn't even ask."
"Well, there's no hot water coming out of the taps. The good news is the pipes don't seem to have frozen. Cold running water, but we can boil water for baths."
There was a piercing scream.
Hotch turned to Jack. "Inside voice, please."
"But Spencer wants to boil us."
Reid laughed gently. "We'll mix the water from the stove with the cold from the taps. No one will be scalded."
"What's scalded?" Jack asked his Dad.
Spencer answered. "'Scalded' is when boiling water is used to burn something. In a recipe, it's also occasionally required to scald milk to get certain textures like for custard."
"Oh. Can we have pancakes now?"
"Just give me five minutes."
***
After a long day, Jack was in bed with a sock full of hot beans at his feet.
Hotch gave Reid a small smile. "Thank you. I'm not sure how I'd have handled a bored four year old with no TV or radio."
"I loved Robin Hood when I was his age. It wasn't hard to remember the stories."
"It wasn't just that. Just before he got bored, you came up with a new idea. If you ever get tired of the FBI, I'll give you a recommendation as Mary Poppins."
Reid shook his head. "How do you think I get through a day? Mom taught me when I was young. Always have lots of things to do, so when you get bored with one, you can go to another."
"Well, I don't think he'll ever settle for microwave popcorn again. Making it in a skillet amazed him." He put his feet on the coffee table. "I have a deck of cards, not that I trust you to deal. Other than that, it's pretty much backgammon or Scrabble again."
"I could tell you stories. The way things are going, I could probably get all the way through 'Remembrance of Things Past' by the time they dig us out."
Hotch laughed. "I'll think it over for tomorrow night."
"Backgammon. I haven't played in years."
Hotch got up to get it. "Maybe that means I have a chance to beat you."
"Maybe it does," Reid said.
They were about halfway through the game and Hotch was rolling when Reid looked at him and said, "I'd like it if you were my first."
Hotch dropped the dice and stared at him. "Reid… Spencer. I'm flattered, but…"
Reid gave a tight nod. "I startled you. You can roll again if you like."
Hotch looked at the actual number and said, "No. It's fine."
They went back and forth in silence until the game ended with a win for Hotch.
"I'm sorry. I know it was just a kiss, but I've been remembering it all day and I thought maybe you had too." Reid got it out quickly without meeting Hotch's eye.
Hotch put the pieces in the box and folded the board away. He hadn't seen Reid look so awkward in a long time. He caught him under the chin and made their eyes meet. The rough stubble felt good against his fingers.
"I did enjoy it. I have thought about it. It's been a very long time since I've been with another man. And God knows, you're a very attractive one. But the team and Jack are what I have now, and I'm afraid if we pursued this, we'd both end up hurting the team."
Reid gave an almost smile. "From what you said last night, I thought there might be some things we'd learn together. I get it. I shouldn't have said anything, but I wanted my first time to be with someone I trust. Get over the mental block and move forward."
"Believe me when I say that sounds good, but emotions have a way of changing things."
"I wouldn't fall in love with you. I mean, I could, it would be very easy, I think to fall for you. But I can keep it separate. The team and the physical. I should be quiet now."
Hotch stroked his thumb along Reid's jaw line. "Did it occur to you I might be worried I could fall in love with you? I'm sure you can quote me chapter and verse about the bonding hormones released during orgasm or the relationship reinforcement aspects of shared pleasure."
Reid started to say something, then turned his head and pressed a kiss into Hotch's palm. "I understand."
There was a quiet dignity to him that Hotch wasn't certain he could have mustered in analogous circumstances. "Once I know what you look like with your face suffused in ecstasy, I don't think I could walk away."
Reid looked away. "Keep talking and you may see that any way."
Hotch chuckled.
Reid continued, "I like your voice."
Hotch stood up. "I should go to bed."
Reid took his hand. "I wish things were different. I thought, we have all this time together without anyone but Jack around. We could just leave it here when the snow ended." He stood too. "Help me get your sock filled and then I'll fill mine."
Hotch accepted the change of subject. "It was an excellent idea. I assume we can't use the beans again."
"Not for eating. But there's no reason we can't heat the same ones tomorrow night if the electricity is still out."
He started back to his room and then walked back to the kitchen and rested a hand on Reid's shoulder. He leaned in and said, "I thought about your hands on me last night." Hotch knew he shouldn't be quite so gratified by Reid's shiver.
***
The snow was still falling when he woke the next morning. Breakfast this morning was blueberry oatmeal. Reid boiled the rest of the eggs to use for other things.
Hotch found himself watching Reid more closely, and he loved watching Jack's reactions to Reid. Today's overarching theme seemed to be measurements. They worked out the best ways to measure the snow fall, and then Reid showed Jack that two feet of snow might be only two inches of water. They'd also measured most of the furniture, and Reid had shown Jack the rudiments of drafting, so that things looked more like they were in three dimensions.
In between there had been more Robin Hood stories and lunch and giggles and basic kitchen safety lessons and two games of Twister. Just before Reid was going to announce dinner -- lamb stew, and Hotch had no idea he'd had lamb in the freezer -- Jack decided he needed to measure Daddy and Spencer.
Reid didn't give Jack many hints as he worked out the right way to measure two people who were much taller than he was. Hotch was the first one, after Jack had figured out to make him lie down on the floor and put the ruler across the top of his head so he didn't have to worry about the shoulders sticking out.
When it was Reid's turn, he lay down without balking and reminded Jack to hook the tape measure properly.
Hotch looked at the numbers. "I can't remember when you got taller than me. I know you weren't when you started with the BAU."
"I think my mother is the only one who wasn't surprised. She just told me she grew two inches while she was pregnant with me. I must admit, with Mom, I wondered if I needed to remind her there was no way I was pregnant." Reid served up stew.
Hotch smiled a little as he lit a few candles. He wasn't certain when he'd acquired so many, but three days without electricity was making him happy he had.
Jack looked out the window. "The snow stopped. Does this mean I can make a snowman?"
"Not tonight, but tomorrow, I'll dig out the car a bit and run it a few minutes and we can see about building a snowman."
"Or twenty," Reid added.
"You'll be home Daddy? Tomorrow's Monday."
"Yes. They closed us down. Reid will be staying longer too."
Reid gave a flash of a smile. "Sorry."
Jack looked at him. "Does this mean we can find more things to measure?"
"Probably."
They ate their stew.
***
That night, after Jack was in bed with several stuffed animals and another sock full of beans. Reid boiled some water and washed a few things in the bathroom. Hotch sipped some herbal tea that Jessica had left in the cupboard.
He stood when Reid came in. "I think I'll head to bed early. Apparently, I have snowmen in my future."
"Of course."
As they walked past each other, their hands brushed, and Reid caught his fingers.
"I won't beg," Reid said in a voice that defined begging.
Hotch clasped Reid's hand a little tighter and started to say, what? That he couldn't, that he wouldn't that it wasn't right? Hotch dropped the hand he was holding and stopped Reid as he began to walk away.
"I'm not certain how far I can go. I haven't been with anyone since Haley, but…"
He didn't get to finish. Reid walked right up to him and kissed him. Hotch was really aware of the height difference because he had to angle his mouth upward to get the kisses he wanted. He felt Reid's hands on his shoulder blades and he wrapped his arms around him, pulling him so close they nearly lost balance. "Your knee."
"Sofa?"
Hotch stepped back, and he wondered what it cost Reid to let him. "Bed. No promises other than it will be warmer than the sofa."
Reid gave a tight nod and licked his lips a little nervously. Oddly enough, it reassured Hotch a little.
"I'd better get a couple of candles for us to see by."
Reid said, "Yes. There's a large taper that we haven't used yet."
Hotch found the one Reid was talking about and put it in an old holder from under the sink. He blew out the other candles and came up to Reid. He held out his other hand and Reid took it as he led them to the bedroom.
He found a safe place for the candle where they weren't likely to knock it, and locked the door. "Jack knows to knock if it's locked and he needs me."
Reid nodded again.
"We don't have to do anything."
At that, Reid came over to him and ran his lips down Hotch's throat. "Just because I'm nervous, doesn't mean I don't want you."
Hotch captured his lips and walked him back to the bed. He unbuttoned the younger man's shirt and wasn't surprised to find Reid's nimble fingers unfastening his own.
"Dammit," Reid said. "We've been wearing layers for warmth and now there's too many clothes."
Hotch chuckled and stripped off his shirt then out of the two undershirts he was wearing. He was more than a little self-conscious. The hair on his chest hadn't grown back over the scars Foyet left, but all he saw in Reid's eyes was admiration.
Reid matched him, stripping off three layers, and they both tumbled to the bed. Reid was trying to touch him and kiss him and do everything all at once, so Hotch slowed him down by stroking his lean chest and fascinating him with touch.
When Reid took his cue and slowed down, Hotch found out how quickly a genius learned. Those hands he'd thought about were now imprinting themselves on his skin, his nerve ending lighting up with pleasure at the mix of delicacy and firmness. Reid began dragging his lips over the places his hands had grazed. He stopped and flicked out his tongue along the scars and nuzzled Hotch's throat.
Suddenly, Hotch felt Reid's erection pressing against him and Reid on top of him and he panicked -- pushing Reid off him and rolling to one side of the bed.
Reid stilled and held his hands where Hotch could see them. "What just happened?" His voice was soft.
"Foyet. He told me I wouldn't associate stabbing with impotence anymore." There was a long pause. "I'm sorry. I didn't …"
"I'm sorry." He got up and started to grab his clothing.
"Don't go. Please."
Reid turned to look at him. It was hard to read his expression in the flickering light.
Hotch said, "Now we know I'm uncomfortable with you on top of me. So we lie beside each other, or, if it doesn't bother you, I'm on top. I want you. I want this."
"I like the idea of you on top of me. Side by side sounds really good." Reid's voice was diffident as he sat back down on the bed.
Hotch knelt behind him and dropped kisses along his shoulders. "I love the noises you make, Spencer." That got a gasp and he leaned his head back against Hotch's shoulder. Hotch ran his hands up Reid's chest, loving the moan it evoked.
"I want to touch you," Reid said.
"Lie down." Hotch was gratified by how quickly the order was obeyed. He moaned himself when Reid cupped his erection. "Be patient."
"I've been patient." Reid's eyes looked huge in the candle light.
Hotch undid Reid's pants and slid them off his legs. He looked at the younger man's naked body and ran the tip of one finger over the damp head of his cock, bringing it to his lips to taste. "Get under the covers." He was surprised to see Reid's face fall.
He thought for a moment. "Spencer, I'm worried that we're both going to freeze. Can't you feel the temperature dropping?"
"I'm feeling very warm." Reid blushed. "I want to see you naked, too. Aaron."
Hotch hopped off the bed and stripped down quickly. He was aching with need, but the cool air made him want under the covers. He resisted the temptation long enough to let the desire in Reid's eyes make him blush.
Reid held the bedclothes up and welcomed him close. "Am I allowed to taste you, too?"
Hotch swallowed hard. Long slim fingers were exploring him, running up and down the vein of his cock. When Reid's thumb brushed against the moisture pooling at his slit, he gasped.
Reid licked his thumb then sucked it clean. "I want to try sucking you, but …"
Hotch shook his head as he leaned in and kissed him. He could taste himself, faintly. "Right now, we're going to touch and stroke each other. Maybe later tonight, when we're less eager, we'll try sucking. Maybe it will wait until tomorrow. Maybe, if the other storm comes, we'll try … some of the things I haven't done yet." He felt one of Reid's hands cup his balls as the other began a sure stroke.
"It's a good way to keep warm. You're not worried…" Reid panted a little as Hotch took him firmly in hand, matching him stroke for stroke.
"About falling in love?"
Reid kissed him, more gently than before.
Hotch smeared some pre-come across Reid's lips and kissed it off them. "I think it's already too late to worry about that." He nibbled along Reid's jaw. "Try this." He brought their cocks together and wrapped his hand so he was stroking them both. He felt Reid's large palm mirror his movements and they stroked together.
They exchanged murmurs and tastes and kisses until Reid said, "I'm close."
"I want to see you come, Spencer. Let go." Hotch felt Reid's cock twitch and then his back arched as warm wetness spread over their joined hands. "You're beautiful. I knew you would be."
Reid's hand gripped tighter and his other hand brought Hotch's mouth to his. His tongue plunged in and out of Hotch's mouth in the same rhythm their hands were moving. Reid's come lubricated his cock and, as much as Hotch wanted to stay on that knife edge, he could feel his orgasm building. He pulled back from Reid for just a moment, and saw the burning heat in his eyes.
"Come for me, Aaron." Reid flicked his tongue against his lips, and Hotch came hard trying not to cry out and wake Jack.
Reid brought his hand to his lips and licked one finger clean. Hotch turned his hand around and swept his tongue over the open palm, savoring the taste of the two of them mingled.
They cuddled together, sharing warmth and the scent of sex.
Hotch kissed him deeply. "We need to put on something that will pass for pajamas and unlock the door, just in case Jack needs me."
"Parenting is complicated." Reid stood up and grabbed a long-sleeved t-shirt and his long underwear off the floor. "Would it be easier if I went out to the sofa?"
"Yes. Of course, it would. But I'm not going to do that to either of us." Hotch slid on a shirt and boxers. "Get back in bed, Spencer." He waited for Reid to move. Finally, he said, "Please."
"If I do, I won't want to leave. I may have been a little optimistic about being able to keep my feelings separate."
"Do not make me get out of this bed to drag you back into it." Hotch's voice was deep and mock-stern. "And if your feet have gotten cold, grab your socks. They're not going on me."
Reid picked up a pair of socks and got back under the covers quickly.
Hotch said, "We may end up with a small boy joining us. I'm not going to hide who I care about from him. I don't know where this is going, but I know I want you to stay." He wrapped an arm around Reid and pulled him to his chest.
"I feel safe here," Reid said as they drifted off to sleep.