Staring at the notepad on his desk Reid is stuck thinking about how much being a technophobe has impacted his life. On principle he hates smart phones and tablets and the box that you have to route everything through to set up your TV.

It's only logical to fear technology, what with the scientific dabbling into AI unites and the fact that a company called Skynet actually does exist. He's not trying to insinuate that the world will be overrun by Termonators or any form of Cyborg or android/gydroid, just that there is logic in precaution.

So when Garcia hands him a Smartphone on his birthday Reid is honestly torn between being polite and throwing the phone back to Garcia as if it burns him. Seeing his dilemma Garcia laughs and turns it on for him.

"I know how you feel about technology, genius, that's why your own resident goddess customized this phone to resemble your old one with the added bonus of easy communication."

She taps at the screen of Reid's phone a couple of times and Reid has to admit that the interface looks a lot like the flip phone presently in his own pocket. Garcia brings up an application and dials a number, her own as it turns out, and shows him that it's a form of video chat.

Honestly, Reid is so insanely touched by the gift that he forgoes any form of professional social procedure and just hugs Garcia tightly. He hates technology with a passion but he thinks an exception can be made.

Always having been one for a more tangible form of existence, Reid has never understood why the people of the twenty-first century have slowly started putting their whole lives into phones and laptops and ignoring the world around them. Even after he transfers his numbers and information onto the phone Garcia makes him for his birthday it get's maybe as much use as his old one did- that is to say: not a lot.

It's useful, he understands, but it's not until that's solely how Morgan starts communicating with him when they're apart that Reid realizes that they can actually be together when they're apart like most people in this communication age. And really, Reid is all about clear communication.

Texting has always made Reid reel; if you're after a conversation simply talk to the person, texting is impersonal and convoluted and altogether a menace to understanding another one another, he's painstakingly used it out of necessity but it's never been something that he's condoned.

Video chat, Reid finds, he has a very different opinion on. Morgan always talk to Reid like a person, the whole team does, calling him on the phone during cases to give him updates on the unsub or their location even though they know he can't verbally confirm anything. It's nice compared to the people at coffee shops who try to speak to him like a small child. So when Reid gets video chat he suspects that it's going to be a one-sided video but a two-way conversation.

Morgan, however, thinks a little differently than mot of the world and uses the video chat to speak on Reid's level, that is, talk to him using sign language for most of it. It's quite a small gesture, as physical gestures go, but to Reid it's huge and it means the world.

The new function on his phone isn't only used to contact Morgan, on the contrary, he talks to the entire team, much to their pleasure; JJ always grinning and making sure he's consuming something more than just coffee or tea, Prentiss who thinks it's funny to speak to him in Russian while he signs back to her until Reid starts signing back in Russian, he even talks to Hotch who gets Jack in front of the screen and teaches him small things to sign to Reid. It's probably one of the most touching things Reid can think of and, begrudgingly, it's all thanks to technology.

There's still a special spot for video chatting with Morgan, however, and they sign for hours to each other and Reid is pretty solidly glued to his phone whenever he's separated from the rest of the team and, thus, civilization. It's quite embarrassing actually, he doesn't even realize that he's so addicted until he's at his local coffee shop, the one where the barista recognizes him and asks questions like 'Would you like some coffee with your sugar today?'.

It's nice to be treated like part of society even when she can't understand him without his pad of paper and he always makes an effort to print everything extra neat so that she can read it without trouble. Still it isn't until she's making him his caffeine fix that she makes an idle comment that jolts Reid into realization. "For someone who uses paper to communicate you're sure on you're phone a lot."

It's quite the wake-up call when she calls him out on it and, to his embarrassment, said phone is in his hand to call Morgan and ask if he wanted to go to dinner this evening. He shrugs a little helplessly and puts his phone back into his messenger bag to avoid any more embarrassing temptation.

He carefully prints back a response, something about work and commitment though he's not quite paying attention to what he's putting down, too wrapped up in the chaos running rampant in his mind.

Over dinner Reid relays to Morgan what happened at the coffee shop and he can tell that Morgan is trying desperately not to laugh. Instead Morgan simply says, "It makes sense, you don't think you can have the same luxuries as everyone else. But you can."

They move onto other topics and Reid feels a bit better about his new addiction. It's not the worst thing that's happened to him.

It's not often that Reid feels at a disadvantage, with boundless knowledge and an abundance of field experience Reid would consider himself fully functional and rather worldly. Well, north American worldly.

Regardless, it's been a long line of cases that Reid has been powering through and they finally return home and while the team all go their separate ways it is the nearest coffee shop that becomes Reid's first stop.

He scans the menu and finds the largest, sweetest coffee before proceeding to write out his order while standing a little off to the side. A man goes to squeeze past him to get to the bathroom but ends up knocking Reid who, not expecting it, lets go of his notebook and stumbles back a step.

The man apologizes, picking up Reid's notebook and reads the sentence that's scribbled down onto the page. He passes it back to Reid and reiterates his apology but this time he annunciates the way people do on TV when the person they're speaking to speaks a foreign language. Then, "I'll help you."

Reid is insulted, at best, and wants to tell the stranger that he's mute not deaf and that he doesn't need any help but his pen, too, had gone rolling into some corner of the café like his notebook had and he's stuck knowing the man before him doesn't know sign language. It is easy for the man to walk Reid who is both tired and frustrated the couple of steps up to the and order Reid's drink, leaning across the counter and barely lowering his voice to tell the barista that Reid can't speak.

There are very few moments in his life that Reid has wished to be a more physical being, he would classify this as one of those moments. The man turns back to Reid, who at this point is fuming, claps him on the shoulder and, speaking to Reid as though he's utterly useless, says, "You're welcome." Before walking away, leaving Reid standing there, tired, angry, caffeine-less, and defeated.

Paying for his coffee, Reid pulls out his phone, booting up the video chat function on it and calling Morgan and finding a table. The man is grinning though Reid can see that he, too, is exhausted and recognizes the shirt Morgan is wearing as one that he sleeps in. He feels bad about interrupting but he couldn't think to call anyone else.

Noticing Reid's expression Morgan sets his phone down and signs his concern through their connection. Also propping up his phone, Reid starts signing quickly and tersely, not wanting to have the whole conversation right now he simply asks if he can come over and Morgan, in his infinite understanding, simply says, "of course, pretty boy."

Along with his coffee Reid receives the look of pity that the barista gives him and he angrily huffs and walks out of there as calmly as he physically can.

Morgan is waiting when Reid arrives and the pajama's that Reid keeps at his house are out for Reid to change into. He ignores them and instead collapses onto Morgan's couch, the anger he felt before now turning into something that feels similar to how he thinks being useless feels like.

"Want to talk about it?"

Honestly he doesn't. Reid has never felt his age before because he's never acted his age. People look down on him for his young face and he always overwrites their doubt with intelligence, confidence, and the official title of 'doctor' but now, now he can use none of it to his advantage and instead he's left with the only option to be as emotionally distraught as many others are in their early twenties.

He looks to Morgan and sees his friend, sees a man who is constantly there for him and knows just how capable Reid is. There's something in Reid that doesn't want him looking at Morgan as he speaks, so he turns to face the other man and, instead, looks at his hands and signs out his story.

There isn't a lot to tell of what actually occurred but Reid has a lot to say about his emotions on the matter, talking about how the man had manhandled Reid as though he was an invalid and left, taking it upon himself to congratulate his own ignorance as though it was his good deed for the day. Simultaneously Reid has never felt so used and so helpless.

If he's being entirely honest, Morgan doesn't know how to respond to this, doesn't know how to comfort Reid or what to say to make him feel more like himself, doesn't even know if the physical reassurance that Morgan is prone to would help or hinder after the way Reid had been manhandled. He doesn't even remotely know what it feels like to have someone do that to him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." It feels inadequate but it's pretty much all he has to offer.

Reid shrugs, says nothing, he's acting like it was barely a bother to him though Morgan knows otherwise.

"It was very disrespectful of him." He tries again.

It really was. Reid finally answers and Morgan is baffled that anyone could think that Reid was helpless or incapable of doing anything. After all, how do they think he lives his life?

They're silent for a long time but it's comfortable and Reid leans into Morgan's personal space so he figures that it's okay to wrap an arm around him like he wanted to initially.

Morgan feels Reid sign his thanks into his chest and smiles, signing his own 'you're welcome' into Reid's back. Tea?

Shaking his head Reid pulls away and grabs at the pajamas still on the table. Morgan understands that Reid is tired, they both are and they're both in need of sleep and Reid is thankful that the coffee he got from the café tasted so awful that he hadn't had more than a sip of it before throwing it in the nearest garbage can.

All Reid really wants to do is change and go to sleep, the last case was not their greatest and the homecoming was somehow worse, but with all the bad that had been happening lately Reid's mind decided that it's probably best to add to it.

Reid's not about to play into its tricks though and drops the clothes he just picked up and turns to Morgan again. Do I make you uncomfortable?

"What do you mean?" Morgan's forehead is furrowed and Reid shifts uncomfortably, he's used to being so self-assured.

Does the fact that I can't talk make you uncomfortable?

Morgan laughs, standing up and looking at Reid as though he's an idiot, which, to be fair, he's kind of being one at the moment. "For someone who can't talk you certainly don't shut up." Reid gives Morgan this look; the one he uses when he thinks someone is avoiding the question or being purposefully obtuse. "No, you don't make me uncomfortable. Other people being ignorant make me uncomfortable. Being with you-" he shakes his head and lets out a puff of air. "-you make me feel happy."

Same.

A/N:Went a little off script with this but I'd like to add a personal shout out to phantomreg for your wondrous suggestions, they are much appreciated and without you or them there would not be this chapter today. Hope you liked it. Much obliged!

-Reiver