"You know, the fascinating thing about Halloween is–" Reid was saying, an energy and enthusiasm in his voice that he rarely had.
Everyone else in the room groaned. Every year, he told the same statistics and facts. They had all humored him at first, but by now the irritation level was simply too much to bear. Noticing the looks on everyone's faces, Reid stopped his speech. He took off the goofy mask he was wearing, his smile much less brilliant. "Sorry," he said quietly, looking down at his desk to avoid seeing the faces of his teammates.
Morgan leaned back in his chair, raising an eyebrow. "What's your problem, anyway? What makes Halloween so special that we have to endure your endless statistics and stupid masks?"
Garcia sucked in a breath, instantly realizing that he'd gone too far. Sure enough, Reid's face instantly closed off from them, wiping itself of all emotion. He got to his feet, and she noticed his hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and that they were shaking slightly. "That's none of your business, Morgan," Reid said curtly, then grabbed his bag and left the bullpen.
She turned on Morgan the instant the door closed. "What the hell, Derek? You know he's sensitive about his childhood!"
JJ and Emily both looked annoyed with him, so Morgan threw up his hands. "Yeah, of course I know that. How was I supposed to know that he would storm out like that? I'm not exactly the Reid whisperer."
"You will go and apologize," Garcia said in a deadly voice. "Now."
"But-"
"Now, Derek!"
The agent sighed and got to his feet before walking after the disgruntled doctor.
"Hey." Spencer turned around to find Derek Morgan walking up to him, his body language clearly telling him why he was here.
"Garcia's making you apologize, huh?" He said, trying and failing to keep the bitter tone out of his voice. "If it's not genuine don't bother."
Morgan sighed heavily, sitting down next to the doctor. "Listen. Maybe my baby girl made me come down here, but that doesn't mean that I'm lying when I say that what I said to you was out of line. I'm sorry."
Spencer glanced sideways, trying to get a read on his friend's expression. Then, swallowing a lump, he began to speak. "The thing about Halloween is it's the one holiday a year where you're allowed to pretend to be someone you're not. When you're a little kid going to a high school full of violent, angry teenagers... that's a blessing. For one day a year, I could wear a mask and be just like every other kid my age. I'd wear a stupid mask, and I'd get candy, and I'd go home and eat it all at once and make myself sick. Even though my mom normally couldn't come with me, I– I loved it."
Morgan looked down at his hands, which were clasped tightly. He hadn't known what to expect, but this certainly wasn't it. He sometimes forgot how isolated little Spencer Reid must have been, how much he must have felt like a freak or a monster.
Reid kept talking, and the words were leaving faster now, almost frantic in their pace. "Even in college, I would dress up, and once I got older I stopped, but I can't seem to stop myself from being a kid on Halloween, from dressing up and scaring people and buying myself bags of candy and eating them all at once. It reminds me that I'm not– that I'm not a monster."
Morgan burst into action, placing a heavy hand on Reid's shoulder. The younger man flinched violently, then looked over to where he was sitting. "You're not a monster, Reid. Far from it. You're one of the strongest and bravest men I know, and you're definitely the smartest."
Reid felt a tiny smile split open his face. "Thanks, Morgan."
"No problem, kid." Morgan clapped him on the shoulder as he stood up, making Reid's whole body jerk. "Now come on, before Penelope comes out here and tries to settle things herself."
The two men grinned at each other and walked back into the bullpen, all traces of anger or discomfort forgotten. Just then, Reid realized all three women on their team were gone. Before he could think it through, a figure jumped out at him wearing a mask. "Boo!"
Reid jumped, rather like a cat, hen relaxed when all of his friends started laughing. He joined in, but knew that they would regret it soon enough. He'd had years of jumpscaring experience.