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𝑹 𝑬 𝑴
❝ 𝚜𝚘, 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞? ❞

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ㅤ𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐀 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 as she stood with everyone else in the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why Gwen and Spencer decided on riding commercially, but she was too excited to care.

It was nearly December—specifically the last week of November—and you'd expect to see Alina wear clothes fit for the winter. But given that the Philippines sat near the equator, she had to wear something light or she'd end up sweating to death. She had on a loose, knitted cream halter top tucked into a matching straight-legged pair of jeans. On her feet were her Bottega Veneta padded sandals in optic white, which gave her an extra three-and-a-half inches to her height. While she had a purse slung over her right shoulder, she was carrying an obnoxiously large sign that read 'SPENGUIN and The Twinsies'.

She was very proud of herself for that one. She thinks it sounds like it could be a band name.

Finally, those who were on Gwen's flight came pouring out, and she excitedly began waving around her sign above her head. Her grin only widened when Gwen and Spencer stepped out. While Gwen was pushing the twins' pram bassinets as they slept soundly in them, Spencer was in charge of the luggage, all of the suitcases placed on a trolley that he was pushing around. The parents' expressions of embarrassment and horror were clear, and Spencer even attempted to turn around and walk away if not for Gwen quickly grabbing onto her boyfriend's sleeve.

With a reddened face, Gwen finally reached Alina and forcefully pulled her arms down. "As much as I love you and as much as I love your sign—cool sign, by the way--"

"--Thanks--"

"--I'd rather not have everyone looking at me and my family," she hissed, as gently as possible. "It's unsettling and it feels...wrong." She sighed, "As you know, I was raised as a spy, being in this situation--"

Alina cut her off. "Right, right. I kind of...I kind of forgot." She had a sheepish smile on her face as she placed the sign on the floor. "I forgot that you're not used to...all this. Sorry. I was just really excited."

"I know. It's okay." Gwen smiled a little before letting out a breath as she looked around her. Her smile faltered, until it slowly faded. "I-I haven't been back in...in so long. And I'm here to heal. I guess I can start with not assuming I'm a target for once."

Spencer, who had been making sure the luggage wouldn't fall, caught the tail end of her sentence as he straightened up and sighed a little. He nudged Gwen, and quickly changed the mood by leaning down to whisper something in her ear, which immediately turned her frown upside down.

Alina watched their interaction with narrowed eyes. "Should I be concerned?"

The tall man only shrugged, a smirk on his face. "Personally, I think you should be thankful."

"What do you mean?"

It was then that a giggle she knew all too well was heard amongst the crowd, and the excited exclamation of 'momma!' filled her ears.

Alina immediately reacted by turning to look for a source, just in time for a small boy of six-years-old came barreling straight at her. She dropped her purse—with Spencer reaching it for it before it reached the ground, earning him a proud grin from Gwen—and picked Jack up. She hugged him as tight as she could without cutting off his air supply.

The blond boy only gigged and hugged her back just as tightly, possibly even tighter as he greeted her.

"Hi momma, I missed you!" His voice was a little muffled as he pressed his face against her neck. "I missed you so much!" He finally pulled away, giving her cheek a kiss, before saying, "I've never been on a plane before."

Alina smiled, before portraying an expression of shock, which made the boy grin. "You've never been on a plane before?!"

"Yeah!"

"How was it, then?"

"It was awesome! It was so fast too! And then..."

As Jack continued on babbling, Alina barely paid attention to her surroundings. Both Gwen and Spencer had been looking at the two warmly; seeing how Alina acted around Jack had always been a treat, seeing as the woman tended to have a rather cold personality most of the time. But with Jack, she's different, and all her attention was always on him whenever they were together.

She was so unaware of her anything else, to the point that she barely registered the slight tap on her shoulder and 'excuse me' that accompanied it. She frowned, and turned around, only to see Aaron Hotchner standing next to her.

"I love you," he abruptly told her. He watched as she gaped up at him, rendered speechless by his sudden admission. Somehow, no matter how much he said those three little words, she still hasn't gotten used to it.

Wordlessly, Jack removed Alina arms around him, in which Alina automatically responded by setting him on the ground.

At this point, Alina still hasn't taken her eyes off Aaron.

She gulped, before finally: "That's not how you start a conversation. I expected a 'hello.'"

Aaron began to chuckle. He stood there, wearing a light blue button up with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, matched with some tan slacks. He shook his head with a smile, before pulling her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he did so.

"Could've at least said 'I love you' back," he mumbled.

With a snort, Alina pulled away slightly to look up at him and said clearly, "I love you too."

"That's it," he commented, pulling her back in.

They were completely in their moment, to the point that Gwen almost felt uncomfortable being near them. And so she looked at Spencer and asked, "You think we should give them a moment?"

Spencer shrugged. "I'm gonna put our stuff in the rental."

"Hey, don't leave me!"

After they arrived back to their hotel—to make it easier for all of them, they all stayed in just one place—all of them slept for about a half a day due to the large time difference. Right after waking up, which was around five in the afternoon, Gwen, Spencer, and the twins all set off to visit the former's childhood home. Not wanting to impede on their privacy, Aaron had asked Alina if they could just stay; Alina agreed.

And so, there they were, lying in their bed, with Jack sleeping on another bed right beside theirs. Aaron had his arms wrapped around Alina, who had her back pressed against his chest as they cuddled. Both of them were wearing their sleeping clothes; Aaron in a t-shirt and sweatpants, Alina in a tank top and shorts.

Aaron moved one hand up to play with Alina's hair as he spoke, "How's tour been?"

"Tiring," Alina admitted with a shrug, "but fulfilling." She smiled a little, even though he couldn't see. "I just...knowing that Helen and I are helping so many people..."

"I get it," Aaron assured.

Alina chuckled a little as craned her neck to look at him. "Of course you do, you fed."

"Did you just use 'fed' as an insult?" He tried his best to give her a frown, but a smile was threatening on his lips. The only thing he could do was give her a kiss to try and mask it.

She rolled her eyes playfully as she faced forward again. "Of course, I did. You know, I didn't expect to like you and your team as much as I do. I really didn't."

"How come?"

"I'm way too involved in the government already," she slightly complained. "I mean, there's dad, and grandpa...and great grandpa...and great great grandpa..."

"I get it."

"--Don't forget Enzo!" She whined. "Actually, you know what? All of my brothers have been involved!"

"I know."

She pouted when she felt his chest rumble as he chuckled. "And technically..."

"Technically, you're also involved in the government."

"Can't believe this."

He let out a laugh, dimples on full show as he looked down at her, while she looked up at him again. "I love you."

She smiled shyly. "I love you too." She faced forward again. "So, how are you?"

"What do you mean?" He frowned a little.

"Don't act so coy," she complained. "I mean, tell me how you've been. I know you and Spencer both just had a case right before you two got here. I just...wanna ask if you're...if you're okay."

Aaron let out a shaky breath. "You know I can't give you--"

"I'm not asking about that, I'm asking about you." She finally turned around to face him, sitting cross legged on their bed as she looked him in the eye. "You got me to open up, it's your turn. Lay it on me. I'm here for you."

He looked at her, licked his dried lips, before hesitantly nodding. "Alright," he sighed a little. "I feel...I feel overwhelmed." His entire form slumped forward as he admitted this, tension seemingly seeping out of his body. He looked down at his hands, twiddled his fingers before glancing at Jack, right before looking back at Alina. "The recent case...it was pretty bad."

Alina pursed her lips. She wanted to ask why, and the question was begging to be let out, but she knew she couldn't downright ask any questions.

Luckily for her, Aaron continued. "It was this military academy."

She sighed. "I'm familiar with them."

"They were all just teenagers. They should've been cared for, trained and nourished to become good soldiers. But the people, the person, who was supposed to be taking care of them...didn't care."

"You don't have to say anything else," Alina reached forward and pulled him into her arms as she kneeled on the bed. Without a word, he pressed his face against her stomach as he hugged her, fingers gripping her flesh so tightly his fingertips were turning white. But she didn't complain, and only ran her hand through his hair, gently massaging his scalp. "I'm here."

She closed her eyes, and without a word used her free arm to return the hug. She didn't react when she felt her top getting wet with his tears, and only hugged him tighter.

The two had fallen asleep immediately after their talk, only getting awoken by Jack excitedly jumping on their bed. The boy had announced that it was officially dinner time, and quickly got dressed to look more presentable. They then met up with the Reid's, and had dinner together just as planned.

Once their stomachs had been filled, Jack immediately requested he stay in Gwen and Spencer's room, wanting to learn how his Uncle Spencer did his magic trick. With a smirk, Gwen agreed to having the boy with them, all while letting both Alina and Aaron know that they were 'free to do as they pleased'.

Aaron could only give Gwen a disappointed look, before allowing Jack to do as he pleased.

Eventually, he and Alina headed back into their room, and as soon as they got in, Alina announced: "We're having a family Zoom call. You're invited."

"A what?"

Alina quickly explained the entire situation, and after Aaron asked why he was being invited, she answered, "Because you're basically part of the family now. Dad was actually the first one I've told about our relationship. Even though he and I aren't all that close, he's still the only parent I have left." Before Aaron could even say anything, she continued, "As much as I hated how he treated my siblings and I, at least he didn't leave."

Aaron nodded in understanding. He's figured out fairly quickly why Alina never talked about her mother, and he had a feeling that the woman herself knew that he knew. It had become an unspoken rule that they not talk about her mom, just like how it's an unspoken that they not talk about his dad.

They've both got issues.

He shook his head, pushing his thoughts away as he sat on their bed, waiting for her to grab her laptop from her bag. He watched as she pulled it out before she plopped down beside him while simultaneously opening it up. After a few clicks, the call was on going, and the faces of all five of the most important people in his girlfriend's life appeared on the screen.

He gulped a little.

"My girls!" Richard greeted his daughters with a grin, waving a little. He looked like he had just gotten his beard trimmed as he looked more put together as usual. "And my boys! How have you all been?"

"We've been okay," Vince was the first one to speak. "Dora's just gotten her first job."

"Her first job? She's sixteen!" Chris gasped dramatically.

"Tony hired me," Dora shrugged. "He's been giving me tests here and there, and I've passed them all. And I guess he'd gotten impressed so I'm now the head of his cybersecurity."

"T-The head?" Enzo stuttered. "You're the head of the entire cybersecurity department?"

"We all know Dora's miles better than most people when it comes to hacking and stuff, right?" Alina spoke for the first time. "I mean, think about it, she's on the FBI watchlist."

"Speaking of, am I really not gonna get taken off that list, Aaron?" Dora suddenly asked, which had everyone's attention shifting towards Aaron who opened his mouth to answer, before closing it again.

He cleared his throat and put his J.D. to use and finally answered: "I'm not entitled to give any details about your...case, given that it's not in my department. I also cannot be part of the case itself because I am personally involved."

Vince snorted. "Such a lawyer."

"Prosecutor," he jokingly corrected.

Richard interjected. "A prosecutor and fed who's dating my daughter, no less."

"Hold up--"

"Shut the fuck up--"

"Are you serious?!"

"No way--"

The call was suddenly bombarded with exclamations of surprise, with Chris being the loudest as he pretty much screamed at the top of lungs—probably waking his neighbors—as he began to cheer as if he were at a game.

Alina cringed at everyone's reactions, giving Aaron a look that screamed 'this is all your fault!'

Aaron only shrugged at her, before clearing his throat. This silenced everyone.

"Um, yes, Alina and I are...officially--"

"A thing," Alina cut him off. "We are a thing."

"Still afraid to say the 'D' word, I guess," Vince sighed.

"And what about it?"

"So," Richard cut them off with an exasperated sigh. "When's the wedding?"

"Dad!"

Flustered, Aaron looked away and refused to look at the screen again, his cheeks gaining a warmth he hadn't experienced in a long time. He felt accepted into the family already.

"And anyway," Richard continued, "if you do get married, you wouldn't need to look for a house anyway."

Alina frowned. "What do you mean?"

Enzo chuckled a little. "You don't know?"

"Know what?!"

"The house is yours, dimwit," Enzo rolled his eyes.

"It's your birthright," Richard explained. "Don't forgot, our family wouldn't be here if not for you great something grandmother. The family's always been matriarchal despite all the male heirs. It's in her will that the first daughter will receive the house."

"And since most of the heirs had been male, they were the ones to inherit it. But then, you came."

"I don't deserve the house," Alina defended. "I'd rather it go to Enzo, he's the eldest."

"Well, it's not mine," he shrugged. "And anyway, I don't want it."

"I want it!" Chris raised his hand.

"You'll only destroy it," Vince deadpanned.

Richard sighed at his sons' banter and brought the attention back to him with a clear of his throat. "Anyway, it's yours whether you like it or not."

Alina blew a raspberry. "It's too big."

"Enough room for any additional kids," he shrugged.

This made Aaron choke on his breath. Alina had to thump on his back to assist, rolling her eyes at her dad. "Look at what you did."

They talked more about the inheritance, before the conversation shifted to random topics, until they all collectively decided they end the call. With a tired exhale, Alina closed her laptop, placed it on the floor, and pulled Aaron down onto the bed with her, cuddling him to her chest.

Aaron snuggled into her. "I think your family likes me."

"They've liked you before we got together," she told him. "Especially Dora. That girl loves you."

"Should I start calling her my sister?"

"Oh, she'd be over the moon."

Aaron let out a laugh, before shaking his head. "Hey, I just remembered the time we were at the compound."

She frowned. "What about it?"

"I thought the compound was Fort Knox?"

Alina chuckled a little. "You're talking about the Avengers' compound; their headquarters. Every bad guy wants their piece of the heroes, so you can never really predict who comes knocking—or breaking—at the door. I mean, if you think about it, the compound only has three lines of defense. Take down FRIDAY, you're left with the agents. You take them down, you deal with the Avengers. But the day they came was a slow day, no agents were in training, they were all back home. Avengers were at a mission...you get it."

"Glad you and your handy bombs were there, then."

"My bombs were pretty cool, weren't they?"

"You're cooler."

"Ew."

author's note: aaron and alina are so domestic, my heart <//3 i love them so much 

but!! eyo im back for reals!!

it's officially christmas break holy fuck i've been so exhausted and stressed bc of school, i literally haven't been on here so im glad christmas is near and i can just,, relax, ya feel?

anyway, this story is super close to ending (literally 2 chapters + epilogue left) and soon i'll be focusing on gwen again !!! so happy theyre still part of this story though, and i really love her and alina's friendship throughout this whole series. two different yet similar and complimentary women who are absolutely gorgeous and are currently winning at life in the boyfriend/partner department. 

wish i was them.

hehe, anywho, love you guys so much, and i'll see yall in the next chappieeee <3