Chapter Text
They met once before.
It was one morning in September, on the train to Quantico station.
He was new to Virginia, having moved from Chicago.
The other one, his car broke down that morning, forcing him to either take public transportation or a taxi. He chose public transportation for some odd reason.
Was it fate? Or was it a coincidence?
When the train jolted to a stop, they turned to look at one another at the same moment, eyes connecting. It was all by accident, trying to keep their balances from the sudden movement. They caught a glimpse of each other before directing their gazes exactly atone another. It created an indescribable feeling in both of them. The connection was deeper than it should be by just the looks in their eyes.
One of them smiled at the other, who reciprocated with a small twitch of the lips, his cheeks heating up just an inch above body temperature, his gaze averting for a second before meeting those dark chocolate orbs again. The humor was clear in them compared to the apprehension in his lighter ones.
Time stopped. That smile captivated him in ways it shouldn't have. He was married.
His ring felt heavy, their gazes making it feel out of place. It should have been the other way around. He swallowed and to him, it was audible all around the train. The other man's eyes crinkled, as if he were trying to not laugh.
He wanted to cross over to the man who was just a few feet from him. From the body language of the toned figure, the darker man wanted to do the same thing.
Maybe to introduce themselves to each other.
Maybe to apologize for staring at each other.
Maybe to take something...do something that was completely inappropriate considering the circumstances.
When they both made the move to approach each other, the train stopped, announcing "Quantico Station", effectively ending what they had.
What chance was there to meet each other again?
Fate wasn't that kind. It didn't work like that.
At least, that's what they believed until they shook hands an hour later. The darker man was actually the new profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit he was supposed to meet.
"Derek Morgan."
"Aaron Hotchner."
Aaron Hotchner, not yet Unit Chief, was the first to greet him as he sat in Gideon's office.
The darker man's eyes dilated when their hands touched. His widened, in fear, in surprise, in confusion.
What he felt was something he shouldn't be feeling.
He knew that but he couldn't control it.
He was right.
Fate wasn't kind. It led him to Derek Morgan and the mixture of emotions he didn't quite understand or was ready to feel.