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Morgana did not like people touching him.
He didn't like it because it felt nice. It wasn't supposed to be nice, he was a person not a cat. People don't like being pet and being held, He would tell himself over and over again.
Ren and Futaba were the two exceptions to his rule.
As much as he hated it, he could tolerate it for those two who need him the most.
Morgana rolled over from his back to stare at Ren who was fast asleep. The cold air of the late September night seeped through the barely insulated attic, causing Ren to unconsciously pull Morgana closer. He sighed and laid his head on the teen's chest, purring softly. The stress of waiting for Okumara's change of heart weighed on both of them.
It had never taken this long before.
Ren's face twisted slightly in his sleep, prompting Mona to purr a little louder to remind Ren that he was still here. Ren settled slightly, the poor teen still had frequent nightmares from before his time in Tokyo, they had gotten worse when Morgana left with Haru for a bit.
Ren woke in a cold sweat, he didn't jump up and send Mona flying like last time. Morgana stood up on his chest and stretched, "Nightmare?" he asked, moving to his lap to let the teen sit up. Ren nodded and held Morgana close. The cat pushed himself slightly closer to warm Ren's body, the blanket helped but it wasn't near thick enough to keep him warm in the winter.
"Was it your parents, or me?" Morgana asked, looking up at his trickster.
"…you."
"…" Morgana looked away before looking back, "Why don't we practice what Maruki taught us?"
The pair spent five minutes running through the different exercises Maruki had taught them to help with anxiety and calming down after a nightmare. Ren ended up laying back down and falling back asleep; Morgana ended up laying next to his chest and falling asleep just the same.
In the morning, Ren caught a seat on the train to school and read a book with Morgana. They got through half of it before arriving at Shujin. Morgana sat inside of Ren's desk, helping with answers and letting Ren pet him when the class got too overwhelming. He still didn't like being pet.
Morgana was looking out the window, light rain was beginning to fall onto Yongen-Jaya. Zorro buzzed in the back of his mind.
Necronomicon is asking for us.
What for?
Futaba is having a bad night.
Morgana sighed and placed the small cat plushy Ren won at an arcade by his chest. It was a code that Morgana had stepped away for a bit, but would be back. He wouldn't leave Ren for that long again.
With that, Morgana opened the window and hopped across the rooftops and balconies reach the Sakura household. He unlocked the door and locked it as he was coming in. The living room TV was on and Sojiro was fast asleep on the couch, his head leaning back and snoring.
Futaba's door was slightly ajar, allowing Morgana to walk in. Futaba didn't seem to notice him at first, she was staring at her dark computer monitor. Her eyes were slightly puffy from crying.
"Futaba?" Morgana asked, Futaba flinched as she came back to reality. Turning around in her spinny chair with a posture reminiscent of a shrimp.
"Mona? What are you doing here?" Her voice slightly cracked as she rubbed her eyes, she was clearly dehydrated.
"Your persona asked me to come over. How are you doing?" Morgana walked over and hopped onto the armrest of the chair and her lap. Rubbing his face against her arms.
"I… I'm better now. It's just been a hard day and-" Futaba let out a large sigh and buried her face into Morgana's side. "I was thinking about my mother again." Morgana let her adjust him to be easier to hold as he began to purr softly.
"I understand. Recovery isn't a linear process. Someone else told me that." Morgana looked up to meet Futaba's eyes, "Why don't we get some food and water? Talking to the boss would also help."
Futaba looked away, "I've been avoiding him all day. We had a petty argument this morning and- Well, It wasn't good. I'm sure he's still mad at me." She said, Morgana shifted to make Futaba look at him again.
"I'm positive that he's not mad. These things happen." Futaba stood up and Morgana laid on her shoulders, balancing easy as Futaba walked to the kitchen. "Boss wouldn't be mad at you for an argument. He's not that type of person." Futaba hummed to herself for a moment before sighing.
"You're probably right, Mona."
"I know. Drink some water and you can wake him up. Sleeping on the couch like that isn't good for him."
Futaba drank some water and began heating some leftovers in the microwave. Sojiro walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. "Futaba? What are you doing up?" He put his glasses back on, "…with the cat?"
Morgana hopped off her shoulders and let Futaba hug Sojiro. They talked while the food reheated, Futaba had re-grabbed Morgana for support while she talked. He avoided Sojiro from petting him. Eventually, Sojiro and Futaba went off to bed. Allowing him to slip back to Ren. He still didn't like being touched.
The Shibuya skyline had turned red. The vines of Memento's were seeping out of the ground and reaching towards the skylines. People walked by blissfully unaware of what was happening around them. The phantom thieves, no longer in their metaverse outfits, stared in horror.
"Oh god…" Makoto trailed off, picking up her phone to reach out to her sister. Ann screamed as her hand began to dissapear. They began to panic as their bodies began to fade into nothingness.
"Morgana, What's happening!?"
"Morgana, Where did we go wrong?"
"Mona- I don't wanna die!"
"Oh god nononono- My mom cant lose me!"
Ren reached towards Morgana but slipped as his feet began to dissapear. His hand landed right next to Morgana, who inched forward and collapsed onto Ren's hand. Futaba ran over and fell right next to Morgana, reaching out before disappearing. The other dissapeared one by one, leaving Ren and Morgana alone.
Morgana tried to purr lightly to comfort Ren before Ren disappeared, leaving Morgana to stare at the sky before he disappeared himself. He wanted to be held.