Written for ayantiel's prompt on tumblr: I've seen a lot of oblivious!Hotch fic, but how about Reid being oblivious of his own feelings for Hotch? Hotch is aware, and reciprocates. Fluffy journey of realization maybe? Bonus for Garcia being helpful.

I don't own, blahblahblah.

Pairing: Hotch/Reid - starring oblivious!Reid and pining!Hotch. Plus a side of everyone ships it. (; There will be slash. It just has to get there. Probably nothing more than Teen rating, though. We'll see.

prologue

There were several things in Aaron Hotchner's life that had never made sense to him. He didn't understand why nearly everyone in his family (minus his son Jack) couldn't quite fathom why he felt drawn to the BAU. He didn't get how so many people in the world had such depraved mindsets. And he wasn't entirely sure why he still hadn't drug-tested his team's tech analyst, Penelope Garcia. (He was also confused about her relationship with Derek Morgan, but he wasn't going to touch that with a ten foot pole.)

But what baffled Hotch the most was how someone who was as intelligent as Spencer Reid could be so inherently oblivious.

Reid could rattle off facts that no one else knew, without even really having to stop and think about them. He knew the acreage or mileage of almost any area with an almost concerning accuracy—and could also give a detailed route from one city to another, including how long it would take. He was capable of grasping a situation quickly and thinking his way out, even under dire circumstances. Hell, the kid could even read people's body language over the phone.

And yet somehow the brunette profiler had never realized that he had feelings for Hotch. (Or that Hotch had feelings for him, but that could be excused.)

Maybe Hotch was being too hard on him. The first time Hotch had noticed it was about a year after Reid had joined the BAU. Though he typically hung around his mentor and recruiter, Jason Gideon—and at one point seemed to have a crush on JJ—there had been small moments where he'd smiled shyly and glanced up at Hotch from beneath his lashes. It had been slightly disarming initially, but Hotch had been (mostly) happily married at that point with a kid on the way, and the little looks had been brushed to the wayside to be dealt with at a later moment (that never really came).

It was nearly two years later that everything had started falling apart; Haley had taken Jack and left when Hotch had gone on one case too many for her, and there was no fixing it. He had basically ignored everything that he could (including Reid's drug addiction, which was one thing he couldn't think about without feeling utter self-loathing) in an effort to save his marriage, even though he'd known it was doomed the moment Haley started acting odd. And soon after it all fell apart, he started losing control when he shouldn't have.

One of the moments that stood out to him—that made him take a step back and assess just how out of hand he'd gotten—was when he and Reid were interviewing Chester Hardwick. The situation had gone from bad to worse, and Hotch had had difficulties keeping his temper in check. Reid had had to step in to keep a fight from breaking out, and it was only after Reid's quick thinking and long-winded explanation got them out of the risky situation that Hotch reflected on what had occurred and came to the startling conclusion that he'd terrified the younger profiler by antagonizing Hardwick, and things could have easily gone awry.

And that was unacceptable.

Reid, as always, didn't place the blame on Hotch, though he was willing to admit Hotch hadn't helped, and it was only after Hotch explained why he was so uptight that Reid did the one thing no one else ever had: he asked what Hotch wanted. That, coupled with Reid's willingness to express his concern for Hotch, was probably what triggered the confusing mess of feelings towards the genius.

It was subtle, really, how Reid slowly slipped underneath his defenses. Looking back, it was easy to pinpoint the when's and how's, but he didn't really notice it happening until over a year later, after Haley's death, and by then it was already too late.

They'd been on the jet, heading back after a particularly rough case, when Hotch suddenly heard Reid on one of his tangents, laughing to himself about some detail none of the others found humorous. Hotch had lifted his head and turned to look at the brunette male, and the sight of Reid so excited and amused had him grinning. His lips were still quirked in a smile when Reid's gaze met his, and the younger profiler's expression shifted ever-so-slightly into a bashful smile.

And then Reid gave him one of those looks—the ones he hadn't seen (or perhaps hadn't wanted to see) in several years—and Hotch had felt his mouth go dry as heat crept up his neck and into his ears. He had quickly turned back to the file he was reviewing in an attempt to collect himself and figure out why that look, coming from Reid, had him feeling like a nervous teenager again.

Hotch did his best to keep things normal after he'd finally accepted the realization that he had developed feelings for the younger man, but when faced with Reid's undivided attention, it wasn't exactly easy. He found himself speaking to Reid more often, reveling in the avid way Reid listened. Sometimes he even found excuses to touch Reid's shoulder or back, welcoming the surge of warmth that came from the knowledge that Reid didn't shy away from the touches but instead sent small smiles his way. And in return to the slightly abnormal treatment, Reid was quick to do anything Hotch requested, no questions asked. There were even times when Reid would be so excited to help that he practically vibrated with every movement he made and couldn't keep a grin off his face.

He should've known it wouldn't take long for someone to notice.

Hotch was in the midst of writing the final details for a consulting profile when he heard, "Sir?"

The dark-haired man glanced up from the paper in front of him, stopping mid-word as he saw the anxious expression on the redhead's face. He set his pen down and gave her his full attention. "Come on in, Garcia."

He knew something was definitely up when she closed the door behind her and came to stand in front of his desk, smiling nervously. "I have something I want to discuss with you, sir."

"Go ahead," he replied calmly, folding his hands on top of his desk.

"Right. Uh, I was just... This isn't entirely work-related, so I'm not sure if now is the best time to bring it up, but I also didn't know when would be a good time, and I thought I may as well do it now," Garcia ranted nervously, pausing for a breath.

Hotch took advantage of that pause to interject, "Garcia, what is it?"

"Is something going on with you and Reid?" she blurted before covering her mouth with one hand. "I'm sorry, sir. That's not how I wanted—" she cut herself off as Hotch held up a hand.

He studied her in silence for a moment before slowly asking, "What led you to that conclusion?"

Garcia looked at a loss for words for a moment before she answered, "Uh, just, you've both been acting different lately. Mainly you, actually. Ever since... well, you know. Uh, you're typically sad. Sir. But whenever Reid's around, you don't look as sad, if that makes... sense. Am I making any sense?"

Hotch managed a slight smile, nodding. "You are."

"Okay, good. That's... good. And Reid's distinctly happier, as well, if you were wondering. It's not just you. Yours is just more noticeable," Garcia explained, as if she were concerned about offending him.

"We're not dating," Hotch stated in order to get it out of the way. "In fact, I'm not sure Reid even realizes what's going on."

Garcia nodded excitedly, almost tripping over her words in order to get them out more quickly. "Yes, that's exactly what I was going to tell you!" Her voice rose a bit too loudly, and she winced before continuing more calmly, "I just wasn't sure if I was seeing things right. No one else has said anything about it, so I thought I was going crazy. But this is good!"

Hotch smiled wryly. "I'm not sure how Reid being oblivious to not only my feelings but his feelings as well, could be considered a good thing."

"Oh, well, obviously that's not what I was... getting at. Sir. I just meant that it was good it was actually happening. But it's not too bad, right? We just need to make him realize it," Garcia answered with a grin.

Hotch raised both his brows. "How do you suggest we manage that?"

She frowned for a moment before her face lit up. "Take him on dates!"

"I don't want to scare him away, Garcia," Hotch muttered.

"You won't! Start out with something simple. Invite him to lunch with you. Then, a week later invite him to dinner somewhere. Maybe that Thai restaurant he's always trying to get someone to go to," Garcia suggested. "After that, invite him to your place to eat with you and Jack. Or if you're not comfortable with that at the time, then go see a movie, and then the next time you can invite him over. If he still hasn't figured it out by then, then we can plan some other things."

Hotch deliberated for a long moment, studying the way Garcia was practically buzzing with excitement. "What if he asks why I didn't invite the others to lunch? Or dinner, for that matter?"

Garcia gave him a look he knew very well, though she'd never directed it at him. "You're not a coward, Aaron Hotchner, so don't start that. He probably won't ask, but even if he does, just tell him the truth. And how often are you two the last ones to leave after work? I'll answer that for you: a lot. Ask him then, if you're worried about dinner."

He didn't know how to explain his reticence because he didn't understand why he felt his stomach clench from nerves just at the thought of asking Reid to lunch or dinner. Which really didn't make any sense because it was Reid, the one out of the entire team who would jump to spend time with any of them outside of work and cases. If he declined, it was because he already had plans or (in the case of lunch) was too busy doing work that wasn't just his own.

"You're right," he finally admitted, looking up at the redhead once more. "But I don't think dates in guise of friendly outings are going to cut it."

Garcia's responding smile and words were far more comforting than he'd expected. "Don't worry about that, sir. Leave the rest to me."

I already have the first chapter written as well, so I'll be adding that, too. This story will alternate between views, dependent upon how I want things to go.

The "chapters" are more like parts, to be honest, so this is going to be more like a mini-fic. You'll understand. (;