A/N: Okay, this is my first try for a slash-story that actually has a plot, not just PWP. Lemme know how I do. Beta read by the lovely editor frog.
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The conversation did not take the turns Morgan wanted it to as he and Reid had finished their dinner.
He had had a spirited discussion with Hotch earlier that day concerning the youngest agent's currently odd and slightly irrational behavior. The unit chief had wanted to talk to the young man about what was going on, but Morgan claimed that he would have a better chance to get Reid to open up, and the two decided that it was worth a shot.
Inviting a reluctant young doctor to his apartment after work for a pizza and a movie, Morgan felt fairly confident that he could get under the boy's skin enough to figure out what was going on. As Reid realized what the evening's ulterior motive was, however, he became rather enraged, and Morgan was the one in the way to take the heat when the kitchen exploded.
"Will you at least listen to me, Reid!?" Morgan tried desperately to calm the young man down.
"Why should I?!"
The young doctor furiously shoved Morgan's hand off his shoulder and tried to walk away from the man trying to talk some sense into him. It wasn't what he needed right now. What he needed couldn't be found here. He couldn't stay here. He had to leave.
"I'm leaving", the young man said as he grabbed his satchel from the chair in the living room and swiftly walked towards the door. The hand grabbing his arm stopped him.
"You know I can't let you leave, not like this."
"You're not in the position to allow or forbid me to do anything, Morgan!" Yanking at his arm, the young agent tried to tear loose from his colleague's firm grip, but it wouldn't budge. "Let me go!"
"Not until you talk to me!"
"Well, what do you want me to say!?" Turning sharply towards Morgan, Reid came face to face with the other agent, an annoyed glare in his eyes. "Huh, Morgan?! What do you want me to say!?"
"I want you to tell me what the hell is going on with you!"
"Screw you!" Finally breaking the hold his colleague had on him, the young doctor stumbled backwards, raced towards the door and opened it, only to have it slammed shut before his eyes.
Morgan stood beside him, a fire burned in his eyes like Reid had never seen before. Holding a strong hand on the door, he prevented the younger agent from exiting his apartment.
"What is up with you, kid?! This isn't like you!"
"You don't know shit about me, Morgan!" Trying to move his co worker away from the door, he failed miserably and suddenly found himself pushed backwards back into the living room.
"Look, Reid!" Morgan growled as he grabbed the young man's shirt, forcing him to walk in reverse. "I don't know what the hell you are on, but you need to snap out of it – right now!" Giving Reid a hard shove, the older agent hurled him onto the couch, and he landed with an 'umpf'.
"Now you sit down and shut the hell up!" Pointing his index finger at the now rather shocked agent, the older man turned and walked quickly into the kitchen.
Reid sat up on the couch, trying to regain some sort of composure. He had never seen Morgan this mad at anyone, except for the odd UnSub. Knowing he had been way out of line by cursing at his colleague, the young agent prepared an apology when he heard the rapid footsteps return from the kitchen.
"Morgan, I-I..."
"Shut up, kid. Just for once, shut up." Placing a bottle on the table along with two small glasses, Morgan sat down beside his colleague. "You and I are going to have a drink, and calm down. And then we're going to talk." He unscrewed the cap from the bottle and began pouring up the clear liquid into the glasses.
"Uhm, I don't...I...don't usually..."
"We are going to have a drink and calm down", Morgan repeated, emphasizing every word of the short and effective sentence.
Reid fell silent. There was no room for negotiation. Taking the glass the older man gave him, he put it to his lips and tasted the drink. The next second he was spluttering and coughing violently. It tasted like lighter fluid.
"What is that?" he wheezed as his face turned a bright red.
"Reid, man – you're not suppose to taste it. You down it. Like this." Putting the glass to his lips and swiftly jerking his head back, Morgan practically threw the small shot of alcohol down his throat. A sharp swallow and a sigh finished the ritual. "Now you go."
There was not an inch of his body that welcomed the vile, burning liquid pouring down his throat, but the young man managed to keep it down while coughing and drawing deep breaths.
Morgan took the glass from his hand and set it down on the table. "Now", he said in a firm voice. "We're gonna talk."
Reid looked at his hands, which were twisting in his lap. Refusing to meet Morgan's eyes, he screwed his lips shut and remained silent.
"Okay, I'll talk", Morgan said. "Reid, there is something wrong. Something's going on that I can't put my finger on – but it's there. And I'm not a mind reader, kid. I need you to tell me, because if you don't tell me, I can't help you."
"I don't want help", Reid mumbled under his breath, beginning to feel how the very strong drink spread in his body, making his limbs tingle.
"You might not want it, but Reid – you need it."
"I don't need help."
"You need something."
"Another drink."
"What?"
"What I need is another drink. A big one." Reid didn't know why he wanted more of that disgusting fluid, but somehow it seemed to ease the thoughts that were circling his head.
Morgan quickly poured the young agent another drink and handed it to him. Downing it in a heartbeat, the boy held out the glass. "One more."
"Reid..."
"Just pour it."
Sighing, Morgan poured yet another drink which the young man downed, and after that yet another. But following the fifth drink, Reid put the glass down on the table with a slight wobble.
Thankful for the spin in his head, the young man leaned back in the couch, exhaling deeply. The pleasant buzzing feeling coursing through his body made him smile on the inside as he watched Morgan down his third drink.
"Had enough?" The older agent gave his colleague a slight smile.
"For now." Not knowing whether he'd ever want another drink for as he lived, Reid rubbed his eyes to try and get rid of the fog that seemed to want to keep covering his line of sight.
"Can we talk now?"
Reid remained silent, to Morgan's dismay.
"You need to get it out of your system. Whatever it is, you can't keep it bottled up forever. It'll end up destroying you."
Silence.
"It can't possibly be so bad that you can't talk to me about it."
Silence.
"Please, kid – I'm doing my best here."
Silence.
"Reid. Please, look at me." Reaching out towards the young agent, Morgan took his chin and lifted it, forcing the boy to make eye contact with him. Big, sad hazel puppy eyes looked straight into his brown ones. "I'm your friend. Have I ever lied to you? Have I ever let you down? Please, talk to me."
But Reid said nothing. What was eating the young man from the inside was something no one would ever know about, at least not other than the people who were involved. And Morgan wasn't one of them.
Morgan sighed and dropped his gaze. "I'm spent, kid. I don't know what to do anymore." Resting his face briefly in his palms, the agent looked back up at his younger counterpart. "You know I'd do anything to help you, but I can't do a damn thing if you don't tell me what is going on." The look of complete hopelessness covered his face as he looked at the young doctor next to him in the couch.
Reid didn't know whether it was the alcohol flowing in his system, or if it really was so that he finally had gathered up enough courage to do what he had wanted to do for so long, but something inside the young man loosened as he looked at his colleague who pleaded for him to talk.
Quickly leaning over towards the older agent, Reid placed a kiss on his lips. It only lasted a fraction of a second before Morgan tore away, a panicked look in his eyes.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa...! Kid, what the hell are you doing?"
Reid blushed and sat back down in his place on the couch. Staring at his fiddling hands, he tried to explain himself.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't...I..."
"Reid!" Something had changed in Morgan's voice, from pleading and friendly to shocked and stand-offish. "I ain't like that. You can't...I...I can't...I'm not gay."
The young agent wanted to sink through the floor. All he had wanted was some closeness, but the alcohol raging in his body had made him go about it entirely wrong.
"I'm not...that...either! I just, I-I just...I'm so lonely...!" The explanation was dreadful as Reid couldn't bring himself to express the words he needed to convey.
"Look... I think we both had a bit too much to drink", Morgan said in a slightly confused voice. "We should...we should call it a night and talk again tomorrow, when the alcohol is out of our systems. Okay?"
Reid wanted to explain. Now he wanted to tell Morgan everything, but he'd had his chance, and blew it. Something inside him sent waves of nausea up his throat, and he had to swallow several times to keep from being sick right there. But he managed to nod in agreement to Morgan's suggestion, although it was not at all what he wanted.
Rising from the couch, they young agent felt the world beginning to spin around him, and he bent over to grab the coffee table to steady himself.
"Kid. You good?" Morgan asked, but didn't make a move to help the young man.
"Mmm." Reid felt that if he spoke right now, he'd throw up instantly.
"I'll call you a cab." Reaching into his pocket, the older agent pulled out his cell phone and called the local taxi company, while the boy staggered into the bathroom, relieving himself of whatever little stomach contents he had.
20 minutes later, Reid sat in a cab on the way to his apartment. Morgan had given the cabbie money for the ride and told him to follow the young man to the door.
Sitting in the backseat, the boy looked out the window trying not to pass out. His head spun at a ridiculous speed, and the quickly passing surroundings did nothing to ease his nausea. Suddenly his stomach did a wild twist, and wanted to leave his body.
"Stop!" he squeaked, reaching for the handle for the door.
"What?" the cabbie answered, somewhat startled by the sudden exclamation.
"Stop, I have to...!" But he didn't get any further in his sentence, and the cabbie didn't have time to stop before Reid proceeded to spew the rest of what was left in his rather empty stomach straight into the foot well of the cab.
"Hey, what the fuck are you doing!?" The cab driver was furious as he realized what the drunken young man was doing in the back of his car. Pulling over to the curb, he stepped out of the car and tore the rear passenger door open. "Get out!"
Reid was still trying to come back to the world after his sudden attack of nausea, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry..."
"I said get out, you little freak!" Grabbing the lanky young man by the arm, the driver practically dragged him out of the car, dropping him unceremoniously onto the pavement. "Disgusting bastard... Lucky your friend paid me more than the fare so I can get this cleaned up!"
Returning to the driver's seat, the cabby rapidly sped off, leaving the young man sitting dazed and disorientated on the sidewalk.
Looking dizzily up at the street signs and surrounding buildings, Reid rubbed his head.
Where am I?
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