Chapter Text
The house was too big.
Old, echoing and full of shadowy corners that seemed to swallow sound. JJ had said it felt like something out of a horror movie. Reid had agreed, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
They were gathered in the sitting room, coffees in hand. JJ leaned against the arm of the couch, grinning.
"Come on." She said, laughing. "I don't know why I'm afraid of the woods, I just am. Why is he still afraid of the dark?" She gestured to Reid.
Morgan smirked. "Yeah Reid, why are you still afraid of the dark?"
Reid smiled, his shoulders lifting awkwardly and his back tense. "Because of the inherent absence of light." He said lightly with an uncomfortable smile.
Morgan chuckled then turned back to JJ. "Okay, that was pretty good, JJ. Just know that paybacks are a bitch."
JJ held her hand out teasingly. "I'm shaking."
Morgan's phone rang. He answered. "Yeah."
Garcia's voice came through, full of her usual sass. "I love our relationship, we hardly need words."
Morgan smiled fondly. "Hey girl, you got something good for me?"
"I pulled two sets of prints off those food trays." She answered, her voice becoming more business-like.
"Two?" Morgan's brows furrowed.
"One belonging to a child." Garcia added.
Morgan sat up, eying JJ and Reid. "But which one of the victims? Why don't you coordinate with the Ozona coroner's office for a match?"
"Oh baby, that's so yesterday." Garcia said dryly. "I already have the minions working on it. In the meantime, your intrepid hacker found you a match to the other set in the database. His name is James Charles. He's a local guidance counsellor."
Morgan blinked, his voice rising slightly. "He's the local guidance counsellor helping us on this case."
Garcia's voice dropped. "Kidding? His address is 3725 Bryarwood Road."
Morgan stood. "I know exactly how to find him. Garcia, thanks."
He hung up and turned to JJ. "Call Gideon. We just found our Unsub."
JJ nodded and stood up, already dialling. "On it." She stepped out, her voice trailing down the hallway, a sense of urgency in her tone.
Morgan sat back. Reid hadn't moved.
He was perched on the edge of the couch, his body appeared engaged but his eyes were distant and locked on the table in front of him. Morgan frowned slightly.
Morgan glanced at him. "You good?"
Reid seemed to blink for a moment, then brought his gaze up to meet Morgan's, feigning confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Morgan leaned in. "You seem... off."
Reid turned away, putting his focus on his coffee cup. "I'm not off."
Morgan looked at him for a few moments then gently put a hand to his back. "You jumped pretty hard earlier."
He instantly felt Reid's muscles tense beneath his fingers.
Reid kept his eyes on the paper cup. "Startle reflex. Everyone has one."
Morgan leaned in again, a small smile on his face. "Not everyone still has a night light."
Reid looked to make sure no one was around and turned to Morgan, his face angry.
"Say it louder why don't you?" He snapped in a whispered hiss.
"Baby, I'm only teasing." Morgan answered lightly, a little taken aback.
Reid pulled away from his touch, leaning forward. "Oh yeah, because I'm such a joke."
Morgan's smile faded. "Reid, come on. That's not what I meant."
Reid shook his head, jaw tight and his arm crossed defensively. "I use a night light because low-level ambient light reduces the disruption of circadian rhythms when waking unexpectedly. It minimises melatonin suppression compared to sudden exposure to full-spectrum lighting. It's practical, especially in a job like this."
Morgan held up his hands. "Okay. Okay. I hear you."
Reid exhaled sharply, slamming his cup down on the table, then stood up. "Good." He snapped again. "I have explained this before."
Morgan sat back into the couch, watching Reid pace in irritation. "I know." He said gently, trying to calm the situation.
"I'm always a joke with you." Reid muttered.
Morgan's mouth dropped open, his words hit him in the chest. "Spencer-"
Reid cut him off. "Forget it."
Morgan stood, moving to place a hand on Reid's arm. "Hey. Don't do that."
Reid turned, his arms tightly crossed and his voice clipped. "Do what?"
"Shut down on me." Morgan said gently.
Reid's eyes flicked towards him, sharp and irritated. "You don't get it. You think everything I do is some kind of pathetic or hilarious quirk."
"What?" Morgan looked at him in shock, but Reid continued.
Reid continued defensively. "It's not. It's efficiency. Biology."
Morgan nodded, keeping his tone steady. "Right. Circadian rhythm. Melatonin suppression."
Reid's jaw tightened. "If you already know then stop asking."
"I wasn't asking." Morgan said, not understanding exactly what he had done wrong. "I was teasing."
Reid didn't respond. He moved towards the window, his gaze landing outside.
Morgan stepped closer, but didn't touch him. "You're not a joke to me. I was just trying to have some fun with you, and obviously I pushed it too far and now I've offended you."
Reid answered quickly, shrugging his shoulders. "You've not offended me."
Morgan scoffed a little, giving a small smile. "Could have fooled me."
Reid turned slightly, but didn't meet his eyes. "I'm fine, Derek."
Morgan let the silence stretch. "You always say that when you're not."
Reid turned sharply. "I'm fine! I'm just not afraid of the damn dark!" He snapped.
The words landed hard. Too loud for the quiet room.
Morgan instinctively stepped back, a small lump landed in his throat. He was taken aback.
Reid saw it. He registered it. His expression flickered with guilt but he didn't soften.
Morgan's brows furrowed, but before he could say anything Reid grabbed his coat from the back of a chair and left the room.
Morgan didn't stop him.
The door clicked shut behind Reid, leaving the room colder than before.
Morgan stood there for a long moment, staring at the door. He sat down slowly, resting his elbows on his knees, his jaw clenched tightly.
He'd clearly touched a nerve that he hadn't even realised was there. He always knew Reid didn't like the dark, but he'd never taken it too seriously. He just assumed it was the same as someone who was scared of spiders or snakes.
But Reid's reaction hadn't been casual. It had been sharp and defensive.
He rubbed a hand over his jaw, replaying the moment. The way Reid's voice cracked just slightly at the edges. The way he'd grabbed his coat like he needed to get out before something slipped.
Morgan hadn't meant to push. He'd thought it was harmless, just a joke between them, something light in the middle of a grim case.
But Reid didn't do light when it came to things that touched a nerve. He redirected. He rationalised. And when that didn't work, he shut down.
I'm not afraid of the damn dark.
It hadn't been a denial. It had been a defence. A wall. And Morgan knew better than to climb it without invitation.
If there was one word he could use to describe his boyfriend, it was private. No, fiercely private.
Morgan rubbed a hand over his face, exhaling slowly. Reid had left the room like he was escaping something. Not so much him, but the conversation. The implication or the vulnerability. That made him nervous. Reid was a strong person. He didn't usually retreat. Especially not from him.
Morgan wanted to be a safe space for him, but clearly that wasn't the case. And that stung.
He stayed seated, his jaw tight, the silence around him stretching taut like wire. Reid's exit hadn't been dramatic. It was almost surgical. Like he'd needed to get out before something cracked open.
Morgan replayed the moment again, the sharpness in Reid's voice, the way his eyes had flickered with something close to panic before he shut down. It wasn't just irritation. It was something else. Something Morgan didn't understand yet.
He'd always known Reid held back. He wasn't just quiet, he was guarded. And he thought he'd pushed through a lot of it. But this reaction had been visceral. Defensive. And Morgan couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just about the teasing. That his fear of the dark held a much more serious implication. The possibilities made his stomach churn.
Morgan ran a hand over his face. Reid was right. He did take his habits for quirks, he had so many... leaving lights on, scanning corners, sleeping with the door cracked. He had never asked. But maybe he should have. Maybe this wasn't just preference. Maybe it was fear. And not the kind you grow out of.
His heart felt heavy. A fear of the dark could mean a lot of things. It could mean trauma. It could mean memory. It could mean something Morgan hadn't been invited to know yet. And that was the part that stung. Not the silence, but the wall. The reminder that there were parts of Reid he still wasn't allowed to touch.
Morgan sighed and sat back into the couch. He knew he couldn't follow him. Pushing would only make things worse. But he wasn't going to leave it. He couldn't. Not when Reid had looked at him like that. Like he'd been caught off guard by his own reaction and didn't know how to walk it back.
Morgan had seen that look before. On victims, on witnesses, on people who'd spent years learning how to survive without being seen. But never on Reid. Not like this.
He leaned forwards again, his elbows on his knees, trying to slow the churn in his chest. He didn't know what the dark meant to Reid, but he knew it wasn't trivial. And he hated that he'd treated it like it was.
The door creaked open behind him.
Morgan didn't look up right away, expecting Reid, hoping for it.
JJ spoke firmly. "Gideon needs us." Then her breath caught slightly as she took in Morgan's demeanour and she hesitated. "Are you alright?"
He looked up, gave a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine." Then he stood up.
JJ's brows furrowed with concern. "You sure?"
Morgan answered quickly and confidently. "Yeah, JJ. I'm good." But he didn't look at her. He simply moved around her.
She didn't press. Just she nodded and stepped aside.
Morgan gave JJ a nod and stepped past her, his movements clipped and quiet. He didn't look back at the room and didn't speak again. He just walked out, carrying the silence and the weight of his concerns with him.