Title: Overload

Author: thecolorgrey

Summary: He may not want to admit it, but Ethan actually cared about him.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds nor am I making a profit.

A/N: I can't help but feel this isn't written as good as it could have been. But this story came to my head at two in the morning and I just had to get it out. I absolutely LOVE the character Ethan because he's kind of a mystery, they didn't really say much about him in the show so you can basically do whatever you want with him. You'll probably see more Ethan in the future of my stories but right now, please read, enjoy, and possibly leave a review if you can. :)

Spencer Reid: "I know what it's like to be afraid of your own mind."

- Sex, Birth, Death, season 2 episode 5

Nobody paid notice to the skinny teenager practically shoving his way through the crowd at the party, clutching his head tightly. Every now and then, someone would frown his way or yell when he quickly walked past them but other than that, nobody cared. It was pretty common for someone to go running from Dustin Harrison's yearly party holding their head. They were college students, after all.

Sixteen year old Spencer clutched his head tighter when he finally found the door to leave the college party. They won't stop. Facts, numbers, statistics all flooded through his head, almost like white noise on the radio turned up a little too high. It was pure hell. He sat down heavily on the bench outside the building, the pulse of the heavy bass of the party pounding its way outside.

He pried his eyes open and gasped when he saw numbers fly before his eyes. He clenched them closed again and took a few deep breaths. What if they didn't stop? What if the numbers never went away? Fear flooded through his body, he couldn't live like this. Everything had been going quite well, strangely enough. His roommate, Ethan, had talked him into coming to Dustin Harrison's New Years Eve party. He didn't know Dustin personally, but Ethan was good friends with him.

To his surprise, hundreds of college students—and even some professors, if that were even legal—showed. Ethan kept to his promise and stayed with Spencer throughout the party and, though he would never admit to Ethan, he was having a good time. Until the numbers started.

Spencer had separated himself from Ethan for a few moments to go to the restroom when he was hit full-force with a flash of statistics. The statistics and numbers were always in his head, but he usually tuned them out without a problem. But this was totally different. They took over; blocking out all other senses. He gripped his head tightly and practically ran out of the building.

Spencer threaded his finger through his hair and pulled, hoping the pain would tune out the numbers. He then felt another pair of cold hand take his and slowly pull them away from his head. Spencer waited for the teasing to come but instead the cool hands began to message the back of his neck.

"C'mon, Reid, let's get out of here," Ethan said, soothingly.

And Spencer remembered what it's like to have a friend.