NOTE: M!Morgan will be referred to as "Mark" in these one-shots so that he won't be confused with Fem!Morgan.
Pairing(s): Nah/M!Morgan, background Nowi/Lon'qu
Words: 1,175
Rating: K+
Warnings: Nothing that I can think of?
Telling Nowi about her and Mark's "study date" was proving to be Nah's worst idea since the time she accepted Kjelle's offer for help making homemade chocolates.
Nah sighs, awkwardly pulling at the end of the silvery white short-shorts that her mother had practically thrown at her the moment Nah admitted to her plans of meeting Mark at the square that afternoon. Really, she only has herself to blame - she should have known better than to tell Nowi the truth when her childlike mother asked her what she was packing all her books for. She can only blame herself for not predicting the excited fit Nowi would be thrown into when her daughter. She may as well accept the outfit she wears as her punishment for not thinking better.
That doesn't make her feel any less vulnerable in the shorts, however, and doesn't make the beret placed upon her head feel any less silly. The pearl bracelet embracing her wrist seems more than over-the-top, but her mother insisted that going on a first date without something shiny on Nah's person would just be silly.
How anything could be sillier than Nowi not allowing Nah to choose her own outfit for the day is beyond her, but Nah lost the energy to protest the moment her father refused to try and stand up for his poor studious daughter. Nah can't exactly blame Lon'qu, though - after all, he seemed to be just as confused, if not more so, than Nah was by the entire ordeal. Nowi tells Nah that Lon'qu hadn't had a girlfriend in his teenage years, and wasn't particularly close to anyone who did. Nah has the sneaky suspicion that Nowi expected the same of her; that would explain the look of utter shock that came across the green-haired woman's face upon Nah telling her parents of her plans for that afternoon.
"There's no use thinking about it now..." Nah mumbles to herself, clenching her book to her chest in an attempt to hide the frilly blouse. Nah has never minded frills, but for some reason the combination of the shirt and the short-shorts seem entirely different from her usual combination of such a blouse and a modest skirt. She allows another sigh to makes its way past her lips, lifting her head skyward as people shuffle around her. A part of her wonders what the random passerby think of her - after all, she can't look much older than eleven, yet she's dressed in a way that begs to differ. Then again, the strangers don't even seem to be sparing her a second glance. A bitter smile tugs at her lips as she concludes that that is just as well - she wouldn't want anyone taking her to the lost children center.
"Nah!" The addressed girl's attention is abruptly stolen from the clouds as she looks towards the shout, a rush of relief spilling through her as she recognizes the familiar tuft of brown hair moving through the crowd. "Hey!" A slight smile places itself upon her face as Mark reaches her, his book bag hanging awkwardly from his right shoulder. Nah can't help but cringe slightly upon realizing how differently he's dressed from her - his baggy black hoodie is left unzipped, revealing a somewhat crumpled purple plaid shirt. The jeans he seems to have thrown on in a hurry are in no means special, and Nah feels beyond foolish when she tries to compare her much-too formal outfit to his casual one.
"Hey," she greets pleasantly, trying to shove any lingering embarrassment aside.
Mark laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry if I kept you waiting. You're so dressed up that I almost didn't recognize you for a second!"
Nah can't help but scowl slightly as she replies, "It's fine. I just got here." An almost tense atmosphere settles between them for a moment as they both try to comb through their thoughts for something suitable to say. Finally, Nah turns on her heel, taking a step towards the street that leads to the library. "Anyways, we should get going. I have to be home by dinner."
"Oh! Of course." As Mark slightly jogs to bring himself beside her, Nah allows her more negative thoughts to resume. She knew that letting Nowi get away with this would be a terrible idea. She knew she should have tried harder to stop her insane mother.
But most of all, she knows she looks like a fool.
"Um, Nah? About what you're wearing... I was wondering if that's how you normally dress during weekends. Since I normally only see you at school, where we have uniforms..." Nah glances towards the brunet, shaking her head grumpily.
"No. I just told Mom that I would be meeting you today and she overreacted." It's hard, but Nah somehow manages to hold off her scowl with a bitter smile.
"Oh," is all Mark can muster as a response, much to Nah's chagrin. She just wants him to tell her how bad she looks, just so they can get it over with and she can die in humiliation and get out of here and tell Nowi how badly she messed up with the outfit. "You know that I didn't mean you look bad, right?" Nah blinks in surprise at Mark's sudden statement, waiting in silence as he continues, "I was just shocked at how mature you looked. Since you, er, look like a little kid in the school uniform..."
"It would have been fine without that last bit, Mark," Nah informs him tiredly, and he laughs nervously in response.
"But that's not the point. The point is, er..." Mark says something else, but Nah misses it due to a truck that whizzes by them as she reaches to press the button on the street light.
"What was that?" Nah asks, glancing towards her companion. His cheeks redden slightly, and Nah cocks her head in confusion.
"The... The point is that you're really pretty, Nah," Mark admits quickly as the light changes to allow them to cross. Nah's cheeks redden somewhat too before they reach the other side, and she peers down the block rather than at him. She can see the library from here, but they still have a bit of time before they reach there. She glances at the boy beside her, giggling slightly at his flustered facial expression. Mark meets her gaze, cringing slightly before asking, "W-what is it?"
"You're really nice, Mark," she informs him, holding her book in one hand as she grips his with the other. "I'm glad I met up with you today."
Mark chuckles slightly before replying, "I'm glad I met with you, too, Nah."
As they move towards the library, Nah's gaze finds itself resting on the clouds again. She smiles to the sky, closing her eyes as she thinks, "Mom, it looks like you've done something right." Still, the shorts make her feel vulnerable, and the bracelet seems too over-the-top, so she quickly adds, "For once."