Chapter Text
Aaron Hotchner sat with his team as they discuss the local case they just finished and put away files. It's a Friday night. Normally Hotch would think nothing of staying late to do paperwork, but tonight he has plans.
His thoughts on the finished case are interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Excuse me," Hotch says as he steps out of the briefing room the had been using to meet in and walks to his office before answering. "Hey," he says with a warmer tone than he has used all day.
"Hey," you respond as you grab a quick bite to eat before going through the whirlwind of hair and makeup that comes with putting on a concert as the biggest pop star in the world. "You still coming to my concert tonight?"
Concerts definitely aren't Hotch's normal routine, but you are his girlfriend. His secret girlfriend. Neither of you want to keep your relationship a secret, but you would be devastated if fans showed up to crime scenes, so the public obviously can't know who you're dating. As for Hotch's side, who would he tell besides the team? He doesn't exactly talk about his personal life often; however, he won't lie to his teammates should they find out.
Only those that needed to know knew - both of the relationship and your identity. See, you kept your identity secret. It was almost Hannah Montana-esque with a lot more mystery and a much more complex costume.
To understand why you did this, you have to think back to when you first met Hotch. Six and a half years ago, you were at an open mic night near Georgetown. You wanted to sign up, but stage fright kept you paralyzed. Spencer Reid was going to support a friend from college and had asked Hotch to join him. Hotch agreed although he did question why Reid didn't ask literally anybody else on the team.
As much as he tried to turn it off, a tiger can't change its stripes; Hotch will always have the instincts of a profiler. When he saw you standing beside yourself looking nervous and not having fun when everyone was clearly enjoying themselves, he knew something was wrong. Curiosity got the best of him and he approached. He asked if you were okay coldly but not unkindly, and you probably talked too much. You explained you were a singer and songwriter, but you had (and still have) debilitating stage fright. Somehow, he managed to convince you to get on stage. You finished a song (barely), but immediately ran off stage and had a panic attack. Surprisingly, Hotch stayed close and helped you calm.
That night, after you calmed down, Hotch gave you his number on a business card. Maybe by luck or by fate's design or more likely a miracle you became fast friends with both him and Haley. You even babysat Jack occasionally.
The fall after that initial meeting, the accident happened. Thanksgiving at your parents house lead to a grease fire. The house quickly went up in flames. You're the only one who made it out alive, but there's permanent scaring on the right side of your face as well as various places across your body. Not knowing what to do, you called Hotch. He and Haley and even little Jack did what they could to comfort you. It wasn't much, but it helped. With their help and a whole lot of therapy, you slowly learned to accept and love yourself again. It was hard and even now you have bad days, but inside you're still you. You were and are kind and fun-loving and the ray of sunshine to Hotch's grumpy rain clouds. Bad days are just that. Bad days. You never stopped being beautiful inside and out.
That being said, you had debilitating stage fright before the accident! However, you still wanted to write songs and perform your own original music, so you built the character of R4V3N (pronounced Raven) from the ground up - a beautiful, ethereal, not quite human yet goddess-like being created from prosthetics, makeup, and costuming. As R4V3N, you felt brave enough to get up on stage and create music again. Your alternate identity became a tool. It was never a way to hide your scars. For you, it was like a baseball player putting on their lucky socks before the big game and the fear melting away. You transform into R4V3N, and you have the confidence to do that concert or interview or whatever else is necessary for this new life as a celebrity. (You have ways around being in full makeup for sound check and rehearsals.)
Hotch and his family were there for you as your career slowly grew then exploded. Likewise, you were there for him during his divorce. He put some distance between you when Foyet was after Haley and Jack for your own safety, but after Haley's death you were there to help comfort him again. Last year, after you headlined your first world tour, he asked you out. You said yes. You moved in together soon after.
That brings you back to today. Tonight, is the final show of your second world tour, and you saved Hotch the best seat in the house. He also gets a backstage pass, but that was obvious. "I understand if you have a case or couldn't find Jack a babysitter, but I'd love to have you there," you say over the phone.
"Jack's sleeping over at a friend's house tonight," Hotch responds. "We're just finishing up this case and then I'll head to the venue. I'll see you soon, Y/N." He pauses briefly. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too. I can't wait to see your grumpy face."
Hotch chuffs which is almost a laugh for him. "Given I haven't seen you in person in three months, I doubt even I will be grumpy when I get there." The corners of his lips twitch up in a barely noticeable smile as he hears you laughing on your end of the phone. "I should go finish up so I can head to the arena. Bye. Love you."
"Love you too, Aaron!"
With that, Hotch hangs up the phone and rejoins the team.