Reid had finished with his paperwork since he arrived two hours early to get out of his apartment when Morgan came strolling in. "Hey, kid. You want to help me with my pile? Yours can barely see over the sides of your inbox."
"Not funny, Morgan." He glared at the other man.
"Whoa, someone's in a bad mood--" He stopped mid-sentence and briskly walked over to Spencer's desk and grabbed his chin--tilting his head back to see the decent sized bruise. "What the hell happened to you?"
Reid jerked back out of the grip nearly falling from his chair.
***
Morgan was shocked by the terrified look in his friend's eyes. He crouched down to be less intimidating. "Easy, I didn't mean to scare you."
"You didn't." Spencer spat defensively.
"Seriously, what happened?"
"It's nothing. I walked into the cabinet door I left open when fixing my coffee."
Morgan could tell he was lying. "An open cabinet couldn't do that."
"It can if you hit it full force right on the corner."
He sighed. While it might be true, it couldn't have happened in his friend's kitchen. The corners would have hit him in the neck or possibly the chin but his height made the forehead out of reach. Morgan let him go back to his paperwork and slowly walked over to his desk. Spencer had become a profuse liar ever since he started using drugs. Even though he knew his friend was clean now, the lying still came way to easy.
***
Around three o'clock, Spencer got up to get another cup of coffee. His head was killing him and the caffeine was not providing its usual calming affect at keeping him focused on one task. His mind kept replaying the images from his childhood that he had buried long ago.
A hand landed on his shoulder before the cabinet above his head started opening. He jerked in response and sent his mug crashing to the floor. The young man grabbed the garbage can and picked up the pieces quickly. He then wet a paper towel and wiped up the smaller fragments. When he was finished, he practically ran to the bathroom to hide without ever making eye contact with Hotch.
***
Hotch finished pouring his coffee and walked back through the bullpen. "Morgan, what is up with Reid today? He practically jumped out of his skin when I touched his shoulder."
"I have no idea. According to him, his kitchen cabinets have started fighting back."
He frowned at the statement but continued on to his office. The unit chief would just have to keep a better eye on their youngest member.
***
Spencer sat on the closed toilet lid and tried to calm his breathing. He knew he had to get things under control. He was torn by his emotions. On the one hand he wanted someone to find out and help him. But on the other hand, he didn't want anyone to know. He felt filthy on the inside and outside. Just one more hour and he could go home and shower. If he was locked in the bathroom, he wouldn't be able to answer the door.