Hi all, just a short thing I wrote from a prompt.
And for anyone wondering, I am not dead, but still recovering from illness (and 2 surgeries). All That Remains will be updated soon :)
Of course it had all started with alcohol. A bottle of fancy champagne with a red ribbon wrapped around the neck and a tag reading 'Happy Birthday', placed into his hands as his friends entered his apartment.
Amongst dinner,games and countless other bottles, the champagne had been forgotten in the fridge. That was, until Reid went hunting for olives, and deciding it was rude not to, chugged the bottle in one go. Heading back to his friends in the lounge, he took a wrong turn and found himself stumbling through his bedroom door and right into his new keyboard.
The keyboard had been a birthday present from Hotch and JJ. They had sneaked into his apartment that afternoon and set it up for him so it would be a surprise. It was so much better than the old one, picked up from a kids store on a whim. Reid felt tears sting his eyes.
"This is so great, man." He said to no one. "So.. splendid. My god."
The box it had came in was in the corner of the room, leaning up against his desk. Reid remembered the school bus he had made of a lawn-mower box when he was a kid, and wondered if this box could become something just as fantastic.
"This could be a thing." He said. "A thing I could use."
The rest of the team had been having such a great time playing charades, that they didn't even notice Reid had failed to return from the kitchen with the promised olives. That was, until Prentiss abruptly stood up, knocked JJ out the way, and shh'd everyone while looking around the room accusingly.
"Where's Birthday Boy?" She asked. "He's missed like twelve or eight turns."
The team found their way to Reid's room, where they eyed the cut cardboard and scissors with suspicion. Then they were following a trail of clothing, and then they were on the roof, staring at a scantily clad Reid hovering dangerously close to the edge with a strip of cardboard in each hand.
Hotch, the least drunk of the crew, rushed over to Reid and removed him from the edge by tackling him to the ground.
Garcia, having just realized what was going on cried, "Noooo! Reid where did your clothes go?"
"You missed like twenty turns!" Prentiss chimed in.
"What the fuck?" Asked Morgan, picking up the bits of cardboard and scanning the Yamaha logo.
"No Hotch!" Reid cried, exasperated. "Why do you do this to me? I was going to fly!"
He stood up and tried to snatch the wings back from Morgan, but somehow ended up back on the ground. On his face.
Hotch rolled his eyes as drunk-Morgan and drunker-Prentiss picked up drunkest-Reid and lead him back to his apartment. They sat him on his bed and JJ had the unenviable task of dressing Reid in PJ's and wondering if she was going to be vomited on in the process. Luckily for her it didn't happen. Garcia shuffled in with some hot tea and helped Reid drink while Hotch and Rossi stood in the doorway trying to look stoic and disapproving, but internally rolling on the floor.
"First time drunk, Reid?" Rossi asked. "You're going to feel it tomorrow."
Garcia took the tea from Reid and placed it on his night stand. She and JJ helped him lay down, then covered him with the blankets.
"I could have flown." Reid told them seriously. "It's all math and I worked it out."
"Goodnight, Reid." Hotch called, already on his way out the door. JJ and Garcia looked to each other then followed suit.
"I think I'm a real magician." Reid said with a satisfied smile, before quickly falling asleep.
The following afternoon Reid woke up feeling like he had been hit by several freight trains. Sitting up, he looked around confused. His mind was a complete blank, that was, until he saw the pieces of cardboard laying on the floor.