Soft spots.

Aaron Hotchner doesn’t seem like the kind of man to have them. On the surface, he’s all sharp lines and iron will—pressed suits, clipped responses, and a stare that can silence a room. He leads with discipline, with a sense of control so tight it feels like he’s holding the world together with nothing but sheer force of will.

But he has soft spots. God, does he have them.

He has one for Jack, obviously—the brightest, purest part of his life. The only time he ever truly lets his guard down is when Jack’s arms are around his neck, when a sleepy "Dad" mumbles into his shoulder. He’ll drop everything for that. Always.

He has a soft spot for silence that isn't heavy. For sitting in his office with the door closed, papers in his hands but his mind somewhere else. Maybe the smell of fresh coffee drifting in. Maybe the hum of the bullpen reminding him he's not alone. He doesn’t need noise—just presence. Just people he trusts nearby.

He has one for the team, though he rarely says it out loud. It’s in the subtle things: a hand on a shoulder after a rough case, staying up late to help with paperwork that isn’t his, or looking Reid in the eye a second longer to make sure he’s really okay. It’s in the way he listens when they speak, really listens, and remembers things no one else would.

He has a soft spot for order, yes—but not out of vanity. It’s how he breathes. After everything he’s seen, everything he’s lost, structure is the one thing that holds him together. A neat desk. A routine. A plan. It’s not about control—it’s about survival.

But then there’s the soft spot he won’t admit to.

You.

The way your presence disarms him. The way your voice cuts through his armor in a way no weapon ever could. How he looks at you like you’re something fragile in a world full of monsters—and he’d fight every last one to protect you.

With you, he’s quieter. Less calculated. There's warmth in his voice. A ghost of a smile that doesn’t make it to anyone else.

And that? That’s the softest part of him. The one he guards with everything he has. Because loving you feels like the only thing that isn’t tactical. It’s the one thing that’s just his.

And he won't let the world take that from him, too.