Chapter Text
June came, and Alex was considering taking Atlas on a real, true vacation with him.
“I think you’d like Bermuda, bud,” Alex said one day, stroking Atlas’s back. “It’s nice and warm, with big, sandy beaches. . .”
Atlas had looked up at him and squeaked, and Alex had taken that as a maybe. So they were considering it.
Alex sighed, feeling Atlas make a nest in his hair. “Atlas,” He chastised gently.
Atlas just made a little noise and nested further, and Alex felt as if Atlas was trying to tell him something.
“Something wrong?” Alex asked quietly, and he felt Atlas squeak into his hair. “Come down here, bud, you’ll be more comfortable.”
Atlas didn’t really move, but Alex gently nudged him with one hand, which seemed to be enough to get Atlas to give up on hiding and let Alex pick him up.
Alex gently lifted his best friend up and brought him down so that they were eye level. “What’s wrong, Atlas?” He asked softly.
Atlas just looked at him, tired and sad, and Alex knew what he had to do.
Alex sighed and dove into Atlas’s mind.
It was what Alex expected, at first. It was dark and cold and exactly the kind of mind for a rat. Then—
“—lp me.”
The voice was muffled, but it was there, and distinctly human.
Alex whipped around, and suddenly, in the distance, there was a spotlight over a figure.
The figure was slumped over, bound and gagged and tied down to their folding chair, but they were valiantly trying to keep their head up.
Alex, driven forward by the knowledge that this had to be Atlas, raced to help his one and only friend.
Quickly, very quickly, Alex had made their way across the remaining space that divides them. He skidded to a halt at Atlas’s feet and ungagged him first. “Atlas?”
Atlas was beautiful, all brown hair and eyes and soft features. Still, he was fighting to keep his eyes open, and he was drinking in every detail of Alex’s face. “A-Alex,” He said softly.
“Yeah,” Alex said softly, untying Atlas as quickly and gently as possible. “Yeah, bud, it’s me.”
“M—” Atlas coughed, and Alex wanted to tell him to save his energy, but his friend continued before he had the chance. “My name i-is Morgan Sterling a-and I would love to be your friend.”
Atlas— Morgan?— gave in to exhaustion and collapsed, now fully untied, into Alex’s arms.
Alex just held Atlas— Morgan— close to their chest. Could it really—?
They exited Morgan’s mindscape and confirmed their suspicions; while they no longer had a pet rat, they did have a human best friend clutched in their arms.
Morgan was surely to be just as good a friend as Atlas had been. Alex was excited to get to know him.