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𝑹 𝑬 𝑴
❝ 𝚒'𝚖 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚢 ❞

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ㅤ"𝐈 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄," Alina huffed, glaring slightly at Rossi who rolled his eyes at her.

A couple of days had passed, and Jack had another game soon. To prepare, Aaron rounded up all the kids and was preparing to coach them as—despite his busy schedule—he was still very much involved and ended up getting asked to be the kids' coach. Rossi wanted in, and showed Aaron a game plan on the plane ride home, which was now getting roasted by the small brunette.

"How? This will work!" Rossi defended, throwing his arms up in exasperation, still holding his clipboard.

"Some of it, yes," she stated, "but a lot of it needs some working. That one where they--"

Aaron had already tuned the two out as he kneeled in front of the kids, who were all staring at the two arguing adults with confused looks on their faces. He had to hold back his amused grin as he said, "It's better to just let them be for now."

Jack frowned. "Why are they arguing?"

"They just want you guys to win, so they want to use the best strategies, but they're disagreeing on a few of them," Aaron answered. "They'll be finished soon." He then tuned back into the discussion, still kneeling as he turned to face the two.

"It seems we have reached an impasse," Alina glared, crossing her arms as she stared up at the Italian.

"It seems we have," Rossi agreed, crossing his arms too, still holding his clipboard. "How about we just remove the ones we can't agree on?"

"Agreed."

"Alright." He then faced Aaron. "We're ready."

Aaron pursed his lips slightly while trying to hold back his laughter, standing up to walk closer to them. Rossi handed him the clipboard and he quickly scanned over the different plays, noting the few ripped papers with amusement, before nodding firmly.

"Let's do it."

The entire afternoon was spent practicing and demonstrating to the kids what they can do to play their game well and defeat their opponents. With a proud and focused dad and two childishly smart adults training them, the kids were very likely to win.

And they did.

As soon as the weekend rolled in, Jack was given a good luck kiss on the cheek by Alina before running into the field after his teammates. Several plays later, his team was triumphant, and the biophysicist couldn't help but grin while watching as Aaron, Rossi, and other dads made a tunnel with their bodies for the kids to run through.

After that, Aaron and Rossi quickly high-fived, before the latter ran towards Jack and picked him up with ease, hugging him close, while the former ran towards Alina and pulled her into a hug while grinning widely.

Alina giggled in Aaron's arms, especially when he easily picked her up and spun her around, her hair flying wildly at the action before he set her down. Still grinning, he cupped her face in his hands and nearly leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips, when he held himself back and instead kissed her forehead. Alina was oblivious to his slight hesitance, and continued to giggle when she stood up on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to his chin.

Rossi hummed in thought as he held Jack close, standing to the side as he watched the two interact. Though he's never fully confronted either of them, he just knew—in his gut—that if he were to ask, both of them would deny their clear attachment to one another. He shook his head in slight disappointment before finally glancing at Jack to gauge his reaction.

The little boy was grinning from ear to ear as he watched his dad and Alina.

The Italian man pursed his lips slightly, before nodding to himself and whispering into Jack's ear. The little boy was quick to nod before jumping down from his arms and running towards Aaron and Alina.

In their own little world, Aaron almost didn't notice how his son was tugging on his shirt, too enchanted by the different shades of brown in Alina's eyes. He wanted to count each and every one of them, but broke out of his trance when Jack tugged on his shirt again.

He sent a small smile towards Alina, before turning his attention to Jack, kneeling down to his height as he usually did. "What is it, buddy?"

"Uncle Dave wants to teach me how to make pasta to celebrate," Jack told him. "Can I please go?"

"Of course, Jack, let me just--"

"No!" The little boy protested, pouting a little. "Just me and Uncle Dave. He says it's a secret recipe!"

Aaron blinked. "Oh. Uh," he glanced up at Rossi who was smirking at him. He gave the older man a look, but couldn't really say no to his son, so when he glanced back at Jack, he nodded. "Okay. Make sure not to burn his house down, alright?"

"Yes, dad!"

He watched as Jack ran back towards Rossi and gave the man a high-five. He rolled his eyes; he could lie and say that he didn't see this coming, but he's always been a pretty honest man. Instead, he turned back towards Alina who was giving him a confused look and shrugged.

"Guess it's just you and me," Aaron told her.

"Well, no sex for us today, pal," Alina patted his shoulder. "I'm on my second day, and let me tell you, it is gushing. It's like a faucet..."

The two eventually found themselves sitting across from each other in a quaint little restaurant.

Alina kissed her teeth. "This feels way too much like a date."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Can't friends go on dates?"

She frowned at him a little and tilted her head as she thought over his words, her mind going at a hundred kilometers per second before she finally nodded. "I suppose friends can go on dates."

"Then there's no problem," he snorted a little. "Now what do you want to eat?"

After quickly ordering some lunch, Aaron noticed how Alina's leg was folded underneath her, while the other was placed on one of the table's side stretchers. As they decided on sitting outside, just basking underneath the shade, the table and chairs were metal, which provided support. But he didn't expect her to sit that way.

"Why are you sitting like that?" He tilted his head.

"It's comfortable," she shrugged, shifting her outstretched leg a little. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a black crop top underneath a knitted muscle tee. Her hair was left down, and she wore her typical accessories, but decided against makeup. On her feet was a pair of white sneakers paired with black ankle socks, and on her shoulder her favorite Saint Laurent purse she's been using everywhere.

Aaron huffed out a laugh. "I don't think so."

"Hey, I'm small, it's comfortable, no explanations required," she grinned. "Although, I do have to say, despite my stature, I have terrible posture, which is why I typically end up in weird positions so I can avoid back pain. So..." she shrugged. "Also, I'm bisexual. Apparently, this is normal for us."

He snorted. "I'll take your word for it."

Once the food arrived, their conversation continued.

"I suppose Dave set us up," Alina thought out loud.

Aaron choked. "Was it that obvious?"

"Well, not as first as I'm not very good at picking up cues," she admitted, slicing into her food all while ignoring how the person in front of her was practically dying. "It wasn't until I realized this was like a date that I did. Sneaky, that old man. But why does he feel the need to set us up though? We already fuck."

He coughed, finally regaining air back into his airways, his face red with both the almost-dying thing and embarrassment, as a few people had turned to look in their direction after he started choking—and when Alina bluntly announced the status of their relationship.

"Eloquently put," he quipped, clearing his throat as he slightly fanned himself as he breathed through his nose. "And um, he thinks it would be better if we just..." He looked at her with uncertainty before continuing, "if we just date for real."

"Did you tell him that I don't do relationships?"

"Of course," Aaron replied, right before being sucked into a flashback from a couple of days ago.

On the plane back home to Quantico, Aaron sat on the side, reviewing his paperwork when Rossi came up to him with his tablet open.

"I know you're gonna do that coaching thing," Rossi began, and Aaron quickly looked at him and then glanced down at the tablet. "So I thought maybe this might help."

Aaron took the tablet that was handed over to him and scanned the details. "Soccer formations?"

"I'm Italian."

He chuckled. "You've been holding out on me." As he scanned the plays further, a thought came to him and he quickly said, "I, uh, I could use an assistant."

Rossi barely took a second. "How early do they start their games?"

"Early."

The two chuckled together, when Rossi suddenly asked, "Will Alina be there?"

"Of course," Aaron nodded, not even taking his eyes away from the screen. "She's been teaching Jack for a while. She's better at me, and she has her brothers to help, so Jack's actually pretty good now."

"She plays?"

"Not professionally, nor was she ever in a team. But she's really good, you should see her play."

Rossi hummed. "She's Spanish, isn't she?"

Aaron looked up and slightly shook his head. "I'm not sure, but her brothers are apparently big Madrid fans, so maybe?"

The Italian man tilted his head a little. "You have been spending an awful lot of time together."

"We're friends."

"Friends with benefits, sure. Don't think I didn't figure it out," Rossi gave him a pointed look, "I'd be a bad profiler if I didn't see what's right in front of me. And—I'm just saying—you have been a lot happier and lighter, and you even smile more. And I can only assume it's because of Miss Narvaez. However, I do have to ask, why not just go out and date her for real?"

"Like you can talk," Aaron snorted a little, ignoring Rossi's pointed look. "It's just...she doesn't do relationships."

"Uh huh, but you do. I don't think you've ever even been in an arrangement like this."

"And you're right, I haven't."

"Then why..."

Aaron sighed. "Look, I just...I like Alina, she's my friend, she's great with Jack. She's smart, openminded, and she listens. I'd rather just agree to what she wants than ruin what we have. I value her too much."

"Even at the cost of your own feelings?"

"I don't have feelings for her," Aaron denied, looking up at Rossi, making eye contact before repeating, "I don't."

"At this rate, it won't be long before you will."

"What did he say?" Alina asked, which quickly brought him back to reality.

He feigned nonchalance and shrugged. "Nothing, really. But he does think that we should just date." He looked at her, reading her expression, but it remained unchanged, and her eyes were still focused on her food. He inwardly sighed, before copying her and quickly shifting his attention towards his food.

She scoffed a little. "The old man doesn't know what he's saying. He's been married, what, three times? He and my dad can bond over their equal number of ex-wives, that's for sure. Anyway, isn't he in a similar arrangement with Mila?"

"I'm pretty sure," Aaron nodded.

"Exactly, so he doesn't really get a say in what we do in our spare time when he's doing the exact same thing."

Aaron eyed her for a moment. "So...do you agree or disagree?"

"About what?"

"That we should just be a couple."

Alina finally looked up at him and glared. "Aaron, I don't do relationships. I hope you're not suggesting--"

"I'm not," he backtracked, placing his fork and knife back on to the plate so he can cross his arms in defense. "I'm just asking. I know you don't do relationships."

"Then why did you ask?" Alina's glare only intensified. "You don't ask stupid questions, Aaron, especially if you already knew the answer. If you need reminding, I don't do relationships. I don't like the whole dating scene, that so-called romantic notion of kissing in the rain, late night calls, walking hand in hand, matching outfits, going on dates..." Aaron remained silent as she rambled, and when she realized, she cut herself off. "Uh...are you okay?"

Biting back his snide remarks, he only pressed his lips to a thin line before answering, "You know, not all relationships are like the movies."

She rolled her eyes. "If that were the case, then why is it that every other romantic movie, and every other couple I see, does all of that?" She gave him a sarcastic smile. "Look, I just don't want all that shit, and people should just stop thinking that I'd ever break my own moral code for some random person, okay? I'm just saying, I like how it is right now."

Aaron only looked down, nodding. "I understand."

"Good. Now," Alina placed her fork and knife together, her meal finished, "I'm paying."

He immediately protested. "It's my treat."

"No, it's not."

"Lina--"

"Nope."

"Come on--"

"Uh uh."

"Alina--"

"I can't hear you!" She covered her ears childishly. "La la la la!

And as Aaron watched Alina go completely 180 in just a minute, he still couldn't shake off the weight of her words. Despite how much he pushed it all down to the far corners of his mind, he couldn't help himself from feeling the pang of hurt that shot up his heart, and how it pounded in his chest during her ramblings. But he didn't know what to make of it.

With his eyes still on her, his mouth pulled into a grin, dimples of full show, he tried to hide the emotions that he so very obviously had in his eyes. Because, without even realizing, he had developed feelings for her.

And it wasn't part of the plan.  

author's note: hello, guess who disappeared off the face of the earth for a few days?

me.

anyway, it's not completely my fault. my cousin coerced me into downloading this game called genshin impact a few days ago (maybe like 4 days ago) and i may or may not have gotten addicted. 

in my defense, it's a surprisingly engaging game, okay?

SO, with that came this chapter that i only just finished, so i apologize. but i do hope y'all like this slightly angsty feel that i wrote. i feel really bad for hotch,  but you do have to be aware that—like most super super highly intelligent people; or at least the tv/movie geniuses—those that have high iq's tend to have low eq's. and so, alina doesn't really realize the consequences of her words and/or decisions. 

so don't come at her. she's my baby.

ANYWHO!! thank you guys for reading this chapter, i hope you're all liking the way this book is progressing, and i hope to see y'all in the next chapter.

BBBBBbbbbbYYYYyyyYYYYyyyEEEEEEEeeEEeeeee