Chapter Text
Morgan was sitting on the couch. It had been one day since Tahira’s outburst. He thought a lot about what Rae had said, her dislike of adults to finally opening up, even if it was just a bit.
The outside world was sunny, maybe somewhat cloudy, but sunny, nonetheless. Kairi sat by Morgan’s side, as the now non-regressed, cutesy girl looked at the stoic one.
“Hi, Kai!” Morgan excitedly says to Kairi. “What are you doing right now?”
“I am watching television with you, Morgan,” Kairi matter-of-factly says, her big eyes blinking once, twice, thrice, before fixating on the television. “Huh, I didn’t know you liked nature documentaries,” Morgan seemed surprised. “I didn’t know you liked it, either.”
The girls share a moment of silence, watching the TV documentary.
“I heard what happened between you and Tahira yesterday,” Kairi begins, her finger twisting one of the braids of her hair. “Is she okay? Are you okay?”
Morgan hesitates before nodding. “I am. Not sure about her, though. She hasn’t left her room all day.”
Kairi just “hms” him. Hands on co’s lap now, eyes never leaving the television.
“If I was you, I would check up on her,” co says, tapping her fingers on her thigh. Morgan seems flustered at the idea. “She is very intense, and you two seem to get along fine.”
Morgan laughs before picking at the skin of its face. “Yeah, we do get along very well. It’s just that, I dunno, she looked mad at me,” Morgan picks at her skin more.
“Wait, how do you even know what happened?!” Morgan’s realization hits in an angry tone towards Kairi, and co finally looks at him.
“Nora told me that Tahira seemed unwell. She heard her screaming at you as soon as she left the room.”
Morgan felt incredibly mad.
“She told everyone that?!”
Kairi holds co’s hands together. “No, she did not. I just asked her what the screaming was about and she explained it to me,” Kairi begins, “I happened to be in the corridor at the time, even when the walls are soundproof,” she finishes.
Morgan blinks once, twice, thrice, four times in confusion. “Wait, the walls are soundproof?”
“Yes.”
Morgan still looked confused, but it’s not like Kairi could recognize the look on Morgan’s face. And Morgan couldn’t recognize Kairi’s face, either.
“I just thought everyone was really quiet.”
Kairi forces a smile, yet co’s eyes were slightly mocking in a playful manner. “You mean Tahira being quiet? Joy? Freyja? You?”
Morgan still wasn’t really processing this— “Wait, Freyja can be loud?!”
“Whenever they play Uno, yes. They aren’t the most discreet.”
Morgan giggles.
“Good to know the stimulants are finally working on them.”
The girls share another moment of silence, again focusing on the television.
Morgan still thought at what Kairi said just some minutes ago — that she, herself, should talk with Tahira. Whatever had happened, it clearly remained biting at her.
“Hm, Kai-ri,” Morgan plays with the syllables again, “thanks for telling me about Tahira, I’ll go check on her.”
Kairi looks at her just to nod, before looking at the television again.
***
The door of Tahira’s room held a foreboding to it. Morgan knew Tahira held grudges easily. Worse still, he couldn’t hear anything going on in her room.
She knocks once, twice, thrice, four times — always four times.
After a minute, the door opens.
Morgan looked at Tahira. Her hair was a mess, as usual, yet her eyes were even more sunken, she was wearing a shirt with little “pearls” decorating it, and she was holding the smug kitty plushie.
“Hey, Momo,” Tahira says, her voice still so soft, so child-like. “Hey, Rae. Just went to check up on ya. Do you want to play?”
Tahira looks to the side, still clutching at the plushie. “I don’t wanna play with you anymore.”
Oh. She was still half-regressed?
“C’mon, Rae. We can talk it out! There’s nothing that can’t be solved with talking,” Morgan’s warm tone almost drove Tahira in, before she shook her head.
… It had something to do with Nora, still?
“Y’know, I saw your drawing,” Morgan states, and Tahira looks at her before sinking her head onto the kitty plushie. “It’s really nice! I just wanted to know what it means!” Morgan claps her hands together, kicking her left leg excitedly.
“… Why…” Tahira says, a bitter tone with a hint of betrayal, “you didn’t talk with me, you talked with Nora.”
It didn’t take long for Morgan to understand it. Oh. It was so simple…
“Rae— I had to talk with Nora, you wanted to keep it a secret,” Morgan thought it made sense. Tahira asked to not tell anyone, right?
“Is she a better version of me, Morgan? Is that what it is?”
Morgan’s eyes widened, before she reached out for Tahira. “No, no, no! She isn’t! You and her are two different people and— you’re the one who’s my best friend!”
Tahira blushes softly.
“Your best friend?”
Morgan giggles.
“Yeah! My bestie!”
Tahira seemed hesitant, but still stepped out of her room, holding the plushie close.
“You better keep it that way…” Tahira’s voice was so small, so angry, still betrayed. She was somewhat hesitant.
“Just let’s go to the living room again! Kai’s there!”
***
Morgan hadn’t expected Tahira to actually go with him, but it was still progress. Kairi had waved and smiled at Tahira, before becoming fixated on the shows of the television again.
She was sitting by Kairi’s side, that seemed unsurprised of Tahira holding a stuffed animal.
Morgan was lying on the carpet, as she did yesterday. Everything seemed okay…
“Tahira, it’s good that you are here.” Kairi says, and although co’s voice was unchanging, it held fondness. Tahira held the plushie closer.
“Do you mind explaining to me what happened between you, Morgan and Nora?”
Morgan froze, because it could look the way Tahira’s hesitant, nervous expression changed to an angrier one. A deep grimace. An obvious sore spot.
“Nora looked at me,” Tahira began, holding her plushie tighter to her. “She looked at me with those eyes that Ma did—” the messy-haired girl’s breath began hitching, like it did the day before.
Kairi moved her head, not understanding.
“Like she wanted to eat me whole! She wanted to hurt me—” Tahira was hyperventilating, and it clicked with Morgan something it hadn’t yet realized about his bestie.
When she said “a shitty home life,” it seemed worse than what Morgan previously thought.
Kairi sighs, not in frustration, but rather in understanding. “Tahira, Nora would never hurt any of us.”
It hit Kairi like a truck when Tahira began tearing up, co did already see Tahira’s ugliest emotions. Co just didn’t expect it would be so open about this.
“L-Look,” Kairi stutters, for what seemed the first time in all of their admissions, “I can bring Nora here and you all—”
“NO!”
Morgan could deal with it a bit better than Kairi. “Hey, Rae, breathe. No one’s here, your mom’s not here.”
Morgan could see how it cut into Tahira’s dreams and sky, still. How it beats in her chest. The girl had a whole lot of issues, and Morgan was surprised for being surprised that the possibility of it happening to her hasn’t gone through her mind.
Actually, it didn’t go through anyone’s mind. Was Tahira really that good at hiding things? For how long had she been hiding it all?
Morgan returned to reality when a half-regressed Tahira was being comforted by Kairi, who clearly was silently asking for Morgan’s help.
“It wasn’t even that bad… Ma didn’t even… really touch…” Tahira was shushed by Morgan, who was petting her hair like she did the day before. Kairi seemed so confused, so paralyzed — co hadn’t learned how to deal with things like that yet.
“Just stay here, please. Don’t leave me…”
Morgan held her hand tightly, Kairi just allowed Tahira clinging onto co, in spite of her aversion to touch.
***
Tahira had fallen asleep, but until then, she kept complaining about the documentaries, and how she wanted something more interesting and fun.
She held Morgan’s smug cat plushie tightly, and Morgan just accepted he had lost the plushie — Tahira would love and appreciate the plushie more than it.
“So, Morgan…” Kairi begins, voice above a whisper, “what do we do now? Call Xiomara? Nora herself, so she explains this whole mess?”
Morgan sighs.
“I mean— I don’t know how Rae would feel about Nora, Kai. But, certainly, not good.”
Kairi’s arm was entwined with Tahira’s, whose head was on co’s shoulder. “Yes, that is right. But shouldn’t Nora explain to Tahira that it’s safe? She is not her mother.”
Morgan sighs, she was feeling smaller herself. “I-I mean, yes, but no?”
Kairi was the one sighing this time, and co made the decision to stand up.
“W-Where you’ll go?”
Kairi doesn’t blink, just looking at Morgan’s pleading little eyes with indifference.
“I will just tell Nora to take her time with Tahira, that she is making her uncomfortable,” Kairi says, clearly confused. “Take care of her for me.”
This was a beautifully awful idea, given how stubborn Nora was. She would want and try to talk it out.
And so, Kairi leaves, ever so casually. Morgan just hopes Tahira doesn’t wake up, so he sits by her side, trying to emulate Kairi’s pose.
“’m sorry…” Tahira’s sleepy voice scares Morgan, who whimpers. She flips her head, and looks at Tahira again. Morgan starts petting Tahira’s hair.
“Sorry for wha’?” Morgan asks, and Tahira claws at her. Not really “claws” as it is reaching out for her face. “‘Tis mess…”
Morgan looks to the side, before forcing a giggle. “It’s okay, Rae. You did nothing wrong.”
“No one’s here, can we play somethin’? I don’t feel like sleeping… Where is Ri-Ri?”
Morgan picked at the skin of her hand, “oh! Kai just went to the cafeteria, that’s all! Co will be back in a jiffy!”
Tahira sat down on the couch as soon as she untangled herself from Morgan, patting her side so Morgan would sit there. And so, Morgan did.
“Will Ri-Ri bring food to us?” Tahira moans in complaint, her free hand cleaning off her face from her tears. Morgan lies beside Tahira. “I dunno.”
“She literally went to the cafeteria! Co should bring us food.”
Morgan chuckles, “yeah, co should.”
And then, he goes quiet, like he did yesterday. She feels better not talking, actually. Just making noises and talking when directly referred to — Morgan began to like feeling like this. Tahira seemed comfortable right now, acting like a child.
***
It had been twenty minutes, Tahira looking in the direction of the cafeteria every now and then, clearly thinking about Kairi. Still, both of them were having fun. Tahira would lay on top of Morgan, pet her hair, throw the smug cat — now named “Belle,” as per Morgan’s request — at him, and Morgan would run around with Belle in its mouth.
Right now, though, Tahira was laying on Morgan’s lap.
The sound of boots bounced off the walls, filling up the halls.
“Hey, Ri—!” Tahira freezes. Morgan grows nervous, holding Tahira closer to it. Kairi seems to avoid the two girls’ gazes. Nora just seemed confused, yet upset.
Kairi sighs. “Nora wants to talk,” co says, tapping co’s fingers together. Yet, co still gets closer to Morgan and Tahira, who were holding each other tightly, and co whispers to them: “Do not worry, I didn’t tell her anything Tahira told us. I just could not convince her to not come here.”
Morgan had figured.
Nora steps closer, clearly trying to be as gentle as she could. Kairi had already left for the cafeteria. Still, Tahira seemed afraid, and it made Morgan want to protect her.
“I… can tell you are upset with me, Tahira,” Nora breathes in, and out, “we can talk about this, yes? I don’t want to hurt you, I promise.”
Morgan held Tahira so tightly, almost like a plush of her own. “Leave!” Tahira stubbornly says, and Nora keeps avoiding her gaze. “I will leave, as soon as we’re done talking,” Nora says, holding her Tamagotchi close. “You think I will hurt you?”
Tahira grimaces, her expression angrier rather than scared. “Yes!”
Nora sighs. “I won’t. Just listen to me,” Nora tries to keep a safe distance, while Morgan keeps Tahira in its embrace. “You are going through a difficult age, Tahira. You are going through a… difficult everything, if anything.”
Tahira braces herself.
“But, believe me, I do want to help you. I do not want to hurt you. I don’t know what Kairi meant by that, but I promise, I won’t.”
Morgan began to pick at her own skin.
“Tahira, I see how you devour your meals. I see how you flinch sometimes. I can tell you want control over your own life. I was your age, once, and I’d never do anything to hurt you,” Nora seems to stumble over her own words.
Morgan can’t help but notice how Nora clutches at her shirt — her chest and her stomach — not unlike Tahira. Morgan can tell just how concerningly skinny Nora is right now.
“I’m not your mom, Tahira. Whatever she did, or your father did, I won’t do.”
Morgan continues to look at Nora, her sunken eyes, her thin cheeks.
“You sound somewhat like Mara right now,” Tahira bursts out, clutching at Morgan’s arm. “I… don’t want…”
“I know how it is to be afraid, but believe me, I’m not here to harm you. I would never,” Nora says, her breath clearly coming in with some difficulty. “I am repeating myself, but…”
The short-haired woman looks at her Tamagotchi, and she puts it on the floor, and slides it over to Tahira and Morgan. “Here, you can play with it a bit, I’ll be going now—
—Just remember, we’re all here to be helped and to help each other, Tahira.”
Tahira takes the Tamagotchi, throwing it from one hand to another, before turning it on.
“Hey, Nora…” Tahira pouts and grimaces, the Tamagotchi tight in her hands.
Nora turns her head, “yeah?”
“You’re too thin. Go eat something. You came from the cafeteria and still look like a corpse,” Tahira flatly says, her expression annoyed, yet avoiding eye contact with Nora.
Morgan ducked her head, seemingly surprised that Tahira cared enough, even for Nora.
“I’m… okay, Tahir—”
Tahira sighs loudly.
“Don’t fuck with me, you’re not. Go eat something,” the messy-haired girl rests on Morgan’s lap.
Nora just sighs. “Alright… If you come, too. You haven’t eaten, either.”
There was a moment of silence as Tahira angrily looked at Nora.
“… Let’s go to the cafeteria, Momo. You come with us… Nora.”
***
Nora sat at a different table from the two other girls, but Morgan would still look to see if Nora was eating properly.
Tahira seemed amazed by the Tamagotchi.
Morgan sighed. “Hey, Rae,” she says, resting her head on the table and on her arms. “Yeah, Momo?”
“Can we all bake together?”
“… I’m not good at cooking anything.”
Morgan lets out a tee-hee. “Cooking and baking are different things, even Freyja can do it.”
“Don’t ‘tee-hee’ me, I’m no good at baking, either.”
He sighs. “How are you sure if you never tried?”
“Knowing! I messed up even opening bags of chips or microwaving Hot Pockets.”
Morgan looks at Tahira, and then at Nora. The short-haired, older woman seemed to be eating more for today. Maybe because she knew she was being observed by Morgan, aka the baker — the “default chef” of the group. Her eyes sometimes locking with Morgan and she would wave at her, and Morgan waved back.
“Hey, do you think you will trust Nora one day? Talk it out with her?”
The chubby girl with pink streaks didn’t expect an optimistic answer, but Tahira looked at Nora, too, and down at the Tamagotchi, and then at Morgan.
With a slightly saddened face—
“Maybe, but not now. I am not ready yet.”
Morgan looks at her with bright eyes.
“And we can regress together some other day, too.”
She smiles.