(no subject)
Title: The Safest Place
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Prompt: Suicide Attempt for hc_bingo
Medium: fic
Wordcount: 735
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: Suicide Attempt
Summary: Morgan needs to find a safe place. College!AU Morgan/Reid
Spencer had been wary of being roommates with Mr. Jock, Derek Morgan, but it has turned out all right so far. Derek is polite, congenial, orderly, and clean. Spencer couldn’t ask for much more in a roommate, except for maybe better friends, but Derek is good about cutting his friends short when they start to insult Spencer and that’s all he can hope for.
He trumps up the stairs to their dorm room; his heavy bag slung over his shoulder. He pushes open the door and knows something’s wrong. Derek’s music is at an almost uncomfortable noise level, his, almost empty, bottle of Advil is completely empty, and a 1.75 L bottle of Smirnoff is lying next to Derek’s bed. He tries to wake him by shaking him. He doesn’t move. Spencer feels for a pulse and it’s thready at best; it’s almost nonexistent. He fumbles for the phone and calls 911.
“Come on, Derek,” he says as he shakes the larger boy.
There is no response, Spencer stays on the line with the operator and, for the first time in his life, prays to some kind of higher being. The ambulance is fairly quick for a Friday night in a college town. They let Spencer ride along, and he feels like he’s losing everything and he wonders why he never told the other boy how he felt.
There’s not much for Spencer to do at the hospital, but he calls Derek’s mom. He thinks maybe he shouldn’t, but he does anyway and he sputters a statistic that 1.2 to 1.5% of college students say they’ve attempted suicide with alcohol. That makes Mrs. Morgan sob louder and Spencer apologizes profusely, and he listens quietly as the woman wails. She promises to meet him at the hospital and he agrees; he’s not going anywhere.
He sits in Derek’s room; Derek looks so young and it makes Spencer so incredibly sad. He rubs his fingers over Derek’s hand and he waits. Derek’s eyes flutter 18 hours later; Derek’s mom is there too and his mom and the nurse shoo him out of the room. He allows it, but when he comes back in, Derek kicks his mom out.
“Thanks, Reid,” Derek says gruffly.
“What, why?”
“My mom said you saved me, thanks.”
“Why’d you do it?”
Derek inhales deeply through his nose and lets it out his mouth, “I didn’t want to live anymore.”
“But Derek,” Spencer begins but cuts off abruptly.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me pretty boy.”
“I want to.”
“I know, and maybe someday I’ll tell you.”
They keep Derek on suicide watch for three days, and Spencer goes back to their room. He thinks Derek’s mom is going to force him home, but Derek shows up in their room looking haggard.
“Hey,” Spencer says, and it sounds like a question.
“I told my mom I’d be better here with you,” Derek says softly as he flops down on his bed.
“Oh,” Spencer responds and turns back to his Chemistry lab.
Derek falls asleep on top of his blankets and Spencer covers him before he goes to bed. Spencer crawls into his own bed and falls into a hesitant sleep. He wakes up in the middle of the night to suppressed sobs.
“Derek?” He asks softly.
“Spencer, I don’t know what to do,” Derek whispers, and his voice cracks on the words.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Can you… can you just?”
“Can I what?”
“Can you hold me?”
“Yeah, come here,” Spencer responds, and Derek crawls quickly under Spencer’s covers. They don’t fit well, and Spencer crowds closer to the wall. He touches Derek tentatively until Derek buries his face in Spencer’s neck. Spencer feels his neck get wet, and he rubs his hand tentatively up and down Derek’s back. Derek’s breath evens out and his gentle snore tells Spencer he’s asleep. Spencer closes his eyes and falls into a lolling sleeping.
He wakes slowly in the morning with Derek’s arms and legs over him. He caresses Derek’s cheek with nimble fingers, and he watches the eyes flutter open.
“Best night sleep I’ve had in a while,” Derek admits; his hand weaving with Spencer’s.
“Really?”
“Safest I’ve felt in a while too.”
“I make you feel safe?” Spencer asks incredulously.
“You do a lot more than you think, pretty boy,” Derek responds as he leans forward for a kiss.
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Prompt: Suicide Attempt for hc_bingo
Medium: fic
Wordcount: 735
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: Suicide Attempt
Summary: Morgan needs to find a safe place. College!AU Morgan/Reid
Spencer had been wary of being roommates with Mr. Jock, Derek Morgan, but it has turned out all right so far. Derek is polite, congenial, orderly, and clean. Spencer couldn’t ask for much more in a roommate, except for maybe better friends, but Derek is good about cutting his friends short when they start to insult Spencer and that’s all he can hope for.
He trumps up the stairs to their dorm room; his heavy bag slung over his shoulder. He pushes open the door and knows something’s wrong. Derek’s music is at an almost uncomfortable noise level, his, almost empty, bottle of Advil is completely empty, and a 1.75 L bottle of Smirnoff is lying next to Derek’s bed. He tries to wake him by shaking him. He doesn’t move. Spencer feels for a pulse and it’s thready at best; it’s almost nonexistent. He fumbles for the phone and calls 911.
“Come on, Derek,” he says as he shakes the larger boy.
There is no response, Spencer stays on the line with the operator and, for the first time in his life, prays to some kind of higher being. The ambulance is fairly quick for a Friday night in a college town. They let Spencer ride along, and he feels like he’s losing everything and he wonders why he never told the other boy how he felt.
There’s not much for Spencer to do at the hospital, but he calls Derek’s mom. He thinks maybe he shouldn’t, but he does anyway and he sputters a statistic that 1.2 to 1.5% of college students say they’ve attempted suicide with alcohol. That makes Mrs. Morgan sob louder and Spencer apologizes profusely, and he listens quietly as the woman wails. She promises to meet him at the hospital and he agrees; he’s not going anywhere.
He sits in Derek’s room; Derek looks so young and it makes Spencer so incredibly sad. He rubs his fingers over Derek’s hand and he waits. Derek’s eyes flutter 18 hours later; Derek’s mom is there too and his mom and the nurse shoo him out of the room. He allows it, but when he comes back in, Derek kicks his mom out.
“Thanks, Reid,” Derek says gruffly.
“What, why?”
“My mom said you saved me, thanks.”
“Why’d you do it?”
Derek inhales deeply through his nose and lets it out his mouth, “I didn’t want to live anymore.”
“But Derek,” Spencer begins but cuts off abruptly.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me pretty boy.”
“I want to.”
“I know, and maybe someday I’ll tell you.”
They keep Derek on suicide watch for three days, and Spencer goes back to their room. He thinks Derek’s mom is going to force him home, but Derek shows up in their room looking haggard.
“Hey,” Spencer says, and it sounds like a question.
“I told my mom I’d be better here with you,” Derek says softly as he flops down on his bed.
“Oh,” Spencer responds and turns back to his Chemistry lab.
Derek falls asleep on top of his blankets and Spencer covers him before he goes to bed. Spencer crawls into his own bed and falls into a hesitant sleep. He wakes up in the middle of the night to suppressed sobs.
“Derek?” He asks softly.
“Spencer, I don’t know what to do,” Derek whispers, and his voice cracks on the words.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Can you… can you just?”
“Can I what?”
“Can you hold me?”
“Yeah, come here,” Spencer responds, and Derek crawls quickly under Spencer’s covers. They don’t fit well, and Spencer crowds closer to the wall. He touches Derek tentatively until Derek buries his face in Spencer’s neck. Spencer feels his neck get wet, and he rubs his hand tentatively up and down Derek’s back. Derek’s breath evens out and his gentle snore tells Spencer he’s asleep. Spencer closes his eyes and falls into a lolling sleeping.
He wakes slowly in the morning with Derek’s arms and legs over him. He caresses Derek’s cheek with nimble fingers, and he watches the eyes flutter open.
“Best night sleep I’ve had in a while,” Derek admits; his hand weaving with Spencer’s.
“Really?”
“Safest I’ve felt in a while too.”
“I make you feel safe?” Spencer asks incredulously.
“You do a lot more than you think, pretty boy,” Derek responds as he leans forward for a kiss.