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mara-hoax · 18 days

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the moment that i saw you with someone else

hello everyone, i’ve everyone been working in this fic for a couple of days now and it went longer than i expected. almost 3k words lol. anyways, i hope you enjoy this hotchley rivals to lovers au fanfic. and thank you @hotchley for helping me out with the title.

taglist: @ellyhotchner @raeganlewis @prentissology @84hotpockets @aaron-hotchner187 @hotchley @whoreforthebauteam @hotchscotchh @tenelvez @buckleyhans @ropoto @spenciebroski @lovelyy-moonlight @paulitalblond @cinnamon-bunnn @altsvu @wheelsupkels @ssacharcoalgrey @anastasiahotchner

warnings: child abuse, alcohol, injuries/bruises, blood,

Aaron walks down the hallways with his hands shoved in his pocket. His friend, Ryan, is walking beside him blabbing about his football game coming up. Aaron was nodding along with him but only half-listening to what he was saying. He couldn’t care less about football but it didn’t matter because he knew Ryan felt the same way whenever he talked about Pride and Prejudice. As they were walking down the hallway, Aaron bumps into someone making a stack of files drop into the ground.

“Watch where you’re going, Hotchner”

Aaron looks down to see Haley Brooks on the ground, picking up fliers for their next theater performance. He watches as she tucks her blonde hair behind her ear as she scrambles to pick up the papers.

“You know, there is something called a paperclip. Ever heard of it?” Aaron asks, earning a chuckle from Ryan. Haley looks up to the raven-haired boy and frowns.

“As a matter of fact, I have. Now, are you going to help me or not?” Haley snaps. Aaron sighs and bends down and picks up the fliers. Haley turns to face Ryan who is still watching them with amusement.

“You too, Bertier”, Haley adds, making Ryan also bend down on the ground. It takes a couple of seconds for them to pick up all the fliers from the ground. Once they’re done, Haley snatches the papers from both of them.

“You're welcome,” Aaron says, making Haley roll her eyes. She then walks past them towards the theatre room. Aaron watches as she walks away from him, smirking.

“What is up with the two of you? It’s like you both hate each other”, Ryan says to Aaron as they both continue walking down the hallway.

“I don’t hate her”, Aaron replies. “I do enjoy teasing and annoying her. But it’s her boyfriend I hate”.

“Dean Miller, that snobby student council president. You know he tried to cut down our football budget”, Ryan reminds Aaron.

“Yeah, he gets on everyone's nerves. It was probably why someone started that rumor about him being a bedwetter”, Aaron says. Ryan rolls his eyes.

“Oh shut up, we all know it was you who started the rumor”, Ryan replies. They both start to laugh, remembering how Dean desperately tried to stop the rumor.

“Haley, on the other hand, is still pissed at me because of it. I think one of her cheerleading friends told her it was me”, Aaron continues on. Ryan nods in agreement.

“Yeah but it doesn’t mean you two don’t have a spark going on, you know?” Ryan says, raising his eyebrows up and down. Aaron rolls his eyes and brushes him off. They both share a laugh as they walk past the bulletin board. Aaron’s eyes catch the theatre flier Haley was holding. Next to it was a list of the different characters you can star in. He notices Haley’s name on the female lead and suddenly he has a brilliant idea.

“Do you have a pen?” Aaron asks Ryan out of the blue. Ryan frowns at him confused but reaches into his pocket for his pen. He hands it to him and watches Aaron write his name under the male lead.

“Are you serious? You know Mrs. James has got to be an idiot to even consider letting you act in her play”, Ryan says after Aaron writes down his name.

“Oh come on, I can act. It’s just memorizing a few lines, no big deal”, Aaron replies, shrugging his shoulders.

“Yeah but the male lead? Dean’s is signing up to be it. You know since they’re a couple and it’s a love story?” Ryan reminds Aaron.

“Ok? Her snobby boyfriend will just have to deal with it if I become the lead”, Aaron says, smirking. Ryan sighs and they both walk out of the school and down the sidewalk.

A week later, after the private additions, Aaron found out that he had been cast as the male lead and Haley as the female lead. Her boyfriend was furious and demanded that Haley back out from the play but she refused. And Aaron was enjoying every second of it. Rumors about the two of them started spreading around, making Dean even more furious. Rumors about the two of them getting together.

Unfortunately, Aaron had other problems. His father had recently lost a court case and started drinking a lot. Resulting in Aaron’s little brother, Sean, having to sleep in Aaron’s room while he’s cleaning up the alcohol glasses and receiving any punch in the face his father gives. His mother’s makeup wasn’t enough to cover the bruises which made Ryan ask if he had gotten into any fights. Aaron always ignored his question and asked about his football game coming up. He would eventually forget what he asked and Aaron would let out a sigh of relief.

After school, Aaron walks into the theater room and is greeted with a number of students running around trying to get everything set up. He immediately spots Haley who was standing on the stage. With her boyfriend. Dean was standing next to her with his eyes glued to the clipboard in his hands. Aaron walks on the stage and stands next to Haley who was trying to get her boyfriend's attention.

"Can't you just help me practice until Aaron gets here?" Haley asks Dean who didn't seem to be paying attention to her. Aaron clears his throat making Haley turn around.

"Oh good, you're here", Haley says, sarcastically. Aaron rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, we can start rehearsing now", Aaron says. But Dean didn't seem too pleased with Aaron.

"You're late. And why do you have a bruise on your face?" Dean asks, finally looking up. Aaron feels a pit in his stomach as he remembers how angry his father was before he came here.

"I…", Aaron starts trying to think of an excuse to get Dean to back off. Luckily, Haley interrupts him.

"It doesn't matter, he's here now so let's rehearse", Haley says interrupting him. Dean lets out a grunt and leaves the stage. He sits at the front row paying close attention to Aaron.

They both start saying their lines from the beginning. Aaron was surprised at how good Haley's acting was. He knew Haley spent most of her free time in the theatre. Sometimes while she’s practicing, Aaron would watch her from the doorway. It was actually how Aaron saw Haley for the first time. He remembered asking Ryan who she was but feeling disappointed when he told him that she had a boyfriend. The next day, he saw Haley and Dean walking together which was when Aaron decided to spread the rumor about him.

They both go through from the first to the last act, practicing their lines. But then came the part where they both kiss. Aaron spins Haley into his arms and holds her while he sings his line. He could feel Dean's gaze on him as he pulled Haley close. Their faces are now only centimeters away, both afraid to move. Aaron then leans forward while she readies herself for their kiss. But to her surprise, he let go of her.

"Bravo! That was wonderful, the both of you will be spectacular during the actual performance", Mrs. James says with a glowing smile on her face. Haley says thank you and goes behind the curtains. Aaron, instinctively, follows her.

“Are you alright?” Aaron asks. Haley turns around to face Aaron and laughs bitterly.

“Am I alright? Do you think this is funny? Almost kissing me just to piss off Dean”, Haley spats at him. Aaron looks at her shocked but then smirks.

“So would you rather have me kiss you?” Aaron asks, stepping forward towards Haley. She looks at him but then at the ground. She can feel her cheeks getting red.

“I-… I would rather have Dean kiss me”, Haley says with her eyes glued to the ground. She then feels Aaron’s finger on her chin, making her look up to him.

“Really? You would rather have a bedwetter kiss you?” Aaron says, teasing Haley. She rolls her eyes in annoyance.

“That rumor was not funny”, Haley spats out but Aaron didn’t believe her. He crouches down to make Haley look at him.

“Not even a little?” Aaron asks. Haley looks up to him and smiles.

“Ok… maybe a little but still, he’s my boyfriend and I would rather have him play as the lead role and kiss me”, Haley says, giving in. Aaron then steps closer to her, pinning her against the wall.

“Say it again. Say that you would rather have him kiss you instead of me”, Aaron whispers to her. Haley opens her mouth but then shuts it making Aaron smile. They both stare into each other’s eyes with their lips only a breath away. Before any of them could move closer, they hear footsteps coming towards them.

“Haley! There you are”, Dean says walking towards both of them. He notices Aaron also there and frowns.

“Is there something wrong?” Dean asks. Haley shakes her head.

“No, there’s nothing wrong”, Haley replies. Dean stares at Aaron for a moment before walking towards Haley.

“Let’s go then. Our reservation is in thirty minutes”, Dean says, keeping his eyes on Aaron. He reaches out his hand to Haley. Haley looks at Aaron before holding Dean’s hand and walking with him. Aaron sighs and walks away. He sees other members of the crew going home while others stay by to clean everything up. Leaving him with no choice but to walk home. Aaron dreads every step he makes towards his house. It was getting dark and he knew his father would ask why he was late. It wouldn’t matter what Aaron said because he knew he would be getting a couple of punches from his father.

Aaron’s hands shake as they open the door. The house was dimly lit with no one in the kitchen or dining table. He hears his mother upstairs with Sean, his little brother. He sighs in relief and walks into the living room where his father is sitting. Aaron notices the glass of alcohol in his hand and feels his heart racing. Aaron’s father then stands up, places the glass down, and walks towards him. In a split second, he feels his father’s hand on him and a lingering pain on his cheek.

“This is the third time you've been late”, His father snarls. Aaron can feel tears in his eyes, threatening to spill.

“I-I’m sorry…”, Aaron says, his voice shaking. His father grabs his arm and takes Aaron to the garage. When Aaron realizes where he is going, he tries to pull away but it is no use. He knew he would be lucky if he didn't end up in a hospital later.

After an hour, his father finally leaves and makes his way upstairs to his bedroom. He was probably too exhausted to say anything to Aaron’s mother. The only good thing that came out of his suffering. Aaron wipes his tears with the sleeves of his shirt, making it stained with blood. He waits for a couple of minutes before slowly walking out of the garage. His legs limp as he walks out of the house. Aaron then starts walking out of his neighborhood to the one next and looks for a birch-colored house. Otherwise known as Haley’s house.

He remembers the time when he had to sneak into her house for a school project. Both of their fathers despised each other and Haley knew his father would throw a fit if he saw a Hotchner in their household. Haley would keep her windows unlocked for Aaron to climb into. Unfortunately, it was a waste of time because Aaron always went off task leaving Haley to do most of the work. But in the end, he somehow pulled it together and helped her finish their project.

And yet here Aaron was again, climbing up to Haley’s window praying she was there. Aaron then sees Haley sitting on her bed. He knocks on her window making her jump. Haley turns around to see Aaron and then opens her window for him to come in.

“Aaron, what are you doing here?” Haley asks. She then gasps when she sees the bruise and blood on Aaron’s face. His hair was disheveled and there were tears streaking down his cheeks. Haley immediately opens the door and helps Aaron get inside.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go and Ryan was out with his friends and I just couldn’t stay there and-“, Aaron starts saying. He could feel himself starting to tear up again.

“Hey, hey it’s ok. Wait here, I’ll be right back”, Haley says as she helps Aaron sit on. her bed. She then rushes out to grab a first aid kit and comes back. Haley sits next to Aaron and opens the kit. She then notices that Aaron is crying.

“It’s ok, Aaron. I’m here, I will help you”, Haley says softly, wiping his tears away. She then gets some gauze and lightly pats on his face. Aaron flinches at the pain. He watches as Haley treats the bruises and wipes away the blood on his face. After a couple of minutes, Haley manages to treat his face with the limited supplies she has.

“Do you feel better?” Haley asks. Aaron nods, looking at his lap. He feels Haley’s hand on the side of his face and brings it up to face her.

“Aaron… who did this?” Haley whispers, afraid to scare him. Aaron feels his chest starting to tighten.

“My… my dad. He… he hits me and… but you can’t tell anyone, Haley. Please”, Aaron replies, pleading with his eyes. Haley widens her eyes in shock before hugging him. Aaron freezes before melting in her embrace.

“Ok, ok I won’t tell anyone. Oh, I’m so sorry Aaron. You can stay here for the night if you want”, Haley offers. Aaron looks up at her.

“Are… are you sure?” He asks. Haley smiles at him and nods.

“Of course”, She replies.

Haley ended up sleeping with Aaron that night, holding him close to her. It was the first night in a long time where Aaron slept peacefully. Haley, who had once considered him as his rival, wanted to hold Aaron forever. She wanted to help him but she told Aaron that she wouldn’t tell anyone. To be honest, she didn’t know what to do. It was his father that was hurting him. All Haley can do is make sure Aaron sleeps tonight.

Aaron wakes up the next morning. He rubs his eyes and sits up to see Haley brushing her hair. He watches for a moment as she brushes her blonde hair. Haley turns around to see Aaron awake.

“Oh, you’re awake. How are you feeling?” Haley asks him. She walks to her bed and sits next to Aaron.

“Better, thank you”, Aaron replies. Haley places her hand gently on the side of his face and smiles at him.

“Of course, if you need anything, you can always come to me”, Haley says, making Aaron feel safe. They both stare at each other for a moment before Aaron opens his mouth.

“I really hope I wasn’t a problem. I mean, I was surprised you were at home and not at dinner with Dean”, Aaron says, breaking the silence.

“Oh, about that… Me and Dean broke up. We just, well we just broke up”, Haley replies. Aaron widens his eyes in shock.

“I’m… Well, I would say I’m sorry but he was a jerk and you deserved better”, Aaron says making Haley laugh.

“Yeah, I agree. But it wasn’t the only reason I broke up with him”, Haley says, agreeing with him. Aaron looks at her confused.

“The other reason is… well I started having feelings for someone else”, Haley continues on. “And that someone else is you”

In a split second, Aaron moves forward and presses his lips against hers. Haley froze in shock before kissing him back. She places her arms on his neck while he puts his on her waist, pulling them closer together. Aaron then let's go but for only a moment.

“God, you had no idea how long I’ve wanted this. The moment I saw you with someone else. I wanted to be yours”, Aaron says before kissing her again which Haley gladly accepts.

At that moment, they felt like everyone was going to be ok. Like nothing was going to stop them from being together. Aaron knew that he wanted to marry Haley from the moment he saw her. And Haley knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him when he finally kissed her. They were going to be together, and nothing will stop them.

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