It starts out innocently enough. He zones out for long periods of time, has trouble paying attention. They're little things, things that can be shrugged off, and when asked if he's okay, he says he's been having trouble sleeping (which is technically the truth). But there's a part of him that's terrified.

It's not until he starts hearing things that he allows himself to consider what it could mean. He's sitting in a coffee shop, twiddling his thumbs, when he hears a cry for help. He blinks a few times, knowing he's supposed to do something, but unsure what that thing is. The cries keep coming, but he can't tell where. A large part of him wants to just ignore it, but in the end he manages to stand and walk over to the cashier.

"Did you hear those screams?" He asks, and the woman behind the counter gives him an odd look.

"There were no screams…" He's sure his face contorts into something terrified, because the girl's eyes widen and she asks if he's okay. He leaves without answering.

It gets worse. He's unable to function at work, he constantly switches between manic and lethargic, and he becomes almost completely detached from reality. When Hotch touches his shoulder one day and he jumps back, scratching vigorously at the spot and trying to control his breathing, he's given a few days off.

He drives home and immediately takes his clothes off and lays down. He stays there for days with no intention of leaving. This shouldn't be happening. He is a monster, disgusting, unnatural. He hates this, hates that he has no say in any of it. He's insane and there's nothing he can do about it.

This is how Morgan finds him, curled up on his bed, crying softly. He doesn't acknowledge the fact that the other agent's there (Morgan wonders if he even realizes it), just continues staring at the ceiling, slowly curling in on himself like he thinks maybe he can make himself so small he disappears.

Morgan lets out a soft noise at the sight before slowly undressing himself till he's clad in only his boxers. He gently crawls up the bed, straightening out the younger man and wrapping his arms around him. Throughout all of this Reid doesn't acknowledge him.

"You left your door unlocked, Kid," he says once he's settled down. Still nothing.

Ten minutes later, though, when Morgan's running a hand through the other's hair, a soft 'thank you' echoes throughout the room. Thirty minutes after that there's some light snoring, and Morgan slowly removes himself from the bed. Reid stirs, but stays asleep, and Morgan sighs before going to find some blankets and hunkering down for the night.