[Mitski voice]: I been trying to lay my head down but I'm writing this at 3am {no like it's literally 3am on the eastern seaboard of the US rn good god}
anyway, in which I am hot garbage at fulfilling requests in a timely manner but what else is new
au is that Morgana actually became human a year after the events of the game
{also, to the person that requested this: holy cow I'm sorry this took four months? a lot happened, depression spiraled out of control, but it's still not an excuse lol... I really hope this was at least somewhat worth the wait. thank you for your patience. ;;;;;}
(In your face!)
Alright. Morgana could be a little heavy some nights, but this was a bit much.
Shimmying under the sheets, Akira's eyes stayed closed as he tried to subtly push the weight off; he couldn't sleep on this (not-so-) fine Sunday morning under the might of this suppression. And for whatever reason, the attempt required a lot more effort than it usually did. 'What the hell did this cat eat last night?'
Finally just opening his eyes to figure out why the heck the cat just wouldn't budge, he froze in place as he studied a new, but strangely familiar, form lying across his chest. With widened eyes, Akira stared as a very human head of black faced away from him, unable to see just who this kid was. Trailing lower on the form, he saw a bright yellow bandana tied at the nape of their neck, adorned in a black shirt, black shorts, and white shoes. The hand that came up to swipe at their face was fitted with a white glove, the recent graduate assuming it was probably one half of a pair.
He also watched as their foot came up to try and scratch at the back of their head, the laugh that would have come from it not quite reaching replaced with a tentative "… Morgana?"
The sound of a name caused a sour grumble to emit from the child's throat, bleary eyes flickering opening in reluctant consciousness. "What?" they whined as they rolled to face the source of their rude awakening.
Noticing the incredulous stare they were given, their face scrunched with scrutiny. "What?" they repeated, more question than irritation in their voice this time. "… Wait."
Their head snapped to look behind them, a sharp gasp following upon realising that should have been there and flicking suddenly wasn't. "M-My tail, wh-where's my—What. Are. These!?" Gloved hands were stared at in complete and utter shock. "A-Am I…!? Is this…!?" In a flash, the kid flew off the bed, through the door, and down the steps, Akira quick to follow, watching as the door to the bathroom slammed shut.
A shriek of joy(?) trailed just minutes behind.
"… Morgana?" Akira tried again as he rapped a single knuckle on the door. He was almost certain of the kid's identity now, but his disbelief over the situation left him with the smallest trace of doubt.
Hearing no response, his hand lowered to the doorknob, only to be set off-balance from the door that suddenly flew open. "Akira! Akira! I'm a human! An honest to god human!"
The shrillness in his voice caused the addressee to press a finger to one ear, wincing slightly; he smiled all the same, though the disbelief remained. "I can see that. Looks like you weren't a delusional cat spouting lies after all."
"I told you! I told you so! I knew it! In your face!" The backhanded taunt went completely unacknowledged as the former cat continued to rave about his new appearance. Morgana was quick to brush past his owner—partner—, heading straight to the kitchen across and taking this blessed opportunity to peruse through the contents of the fridge. "Now I can finally try Boss's curry! And his coffee! And—!"
Already Akira could feel the headache forming immediately at the mention of Sojiro. He rubbed at his temples to alleviate the pressure, brain quick to work through a plan regarding creating some sort of cover story explaining the "new" arrival.
And, of course, at the worst possible moment, the Hierophant himself chose that very second to enter the café.
"Hey. Mornin', kid—" The middle-aged man cut himself off after a brief wave to Akira, zeroing in on the "stranger" vivaciously raiding his fridge. The instant Sojiro's eyes slid back over to the familiar tenant with the essence of interrogation, Akira began sweating on the spot, hand lifting to adjust the fake glasses he no longer wore.
"That's… This is my younger brother… Mona." Accompanied by the most practiced of presenting smiles—a residual from his Phantom Thief days—he tugged his new "sibling" out from his fridge exploration, patting his head affectionately despite the yowl of protest. "Mom doesn't like to talk about him because he's technically my half-brother… an incident from ten years ago she doesn't like to share…"
Picking up on the (faked) grave tone of voice the teenager was using, Sojiro nodded in understanding, though it was easy to see he was still a bit skeptical about the story. "Ah. Got it. Well, Mona, it's good to meet you. The name's Sojiro, but I typically go by—"
"I already know who you are, Boss. I have no idea what Akira's talking about; it's me, Mo—"
"Excuse us." With one hand over the flailing cat human's mouth, Akira toted his "brother" back up the stairs, a chill running down his spine upon sensing narrowed eyes and muttered words behind him.
"What is that kid up to this time? It's always somethin' with him…"
The older of the two closed the door behind them; he had appreciated the installation of it after his return to Yongen, but it was now that he felt especially grateful to his former surrogate father. Once he locked it shut, he immediately whirled upon Morgana. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What am I doing? What are you doing!? Why didn't you just tell Boss it was me?"
Akira stared at his new family member absolutely dumbfounded, amazed that the second-in-command of the Phantom Thieves would even suggest such a thing. "Morgana… I don't know if becoming human has messed with your head, but think about how that's gonna sound. 'Hey Boss. Just kidding about all that other stuff. It's actually Morgana, that cat you liked. He's human now.'"
"… Well when you put it like that…" The former cat assumed his typical thinking stance, going over the great point his partner—brother?—made. "But Boss already knows about the Metaverse, even though he was never actually in it… And I'm worried about him questioning your mom about me later. I don't think I can stay for long before he starts asking why I haven't been asked to return too."
Akira hissed a swear under his breath, realising that this was a base he had not covered in his haste to create a complex lie. "You're right… How about this?" He carded his fingers through his hair, a subconscious tic in an attempt to alleviate the stress he felt accumulating with this new development. "The others need to know about this, about your new… body." He looked over Morgana's human form once again, shaking his head at just how absurd the situation had become—even harder to comprehend than the convoluted mess that was the Metaverse. "So when we show everyone, we'll tell them all the truth, including Boss. It'll make less sense to him than it will them, but at least then we don't have to maintain some sort of complicated ruse."
The former cat though for a moment before nodding in agreement with the plan. "We should probably tell them soon."
"Way ahead of you." The second Morgana had nodded, Akira was messaging the group chat furiously, interrupting a conversation Makoto, Haru, and Yusuke were having.
Kurusu Akira [10:14]: Everyone
Kurusu Akira [10:14]: Leblanc in 3 hours
Kurusu Akira [10:15]: Somethings happened to Morgana
After bartering a deal with Sojiro to close the café for an hour at 13:00 in exchange for working later today, Akira sat with Morgana at the bar, the café owner himself eyeing the pair with vested interest. After all, the real reason he agreed to closing temporarily was at the older boy's insistence that what he was going to share was pertinent to him as well. And with the way "Mona" licked the back of his hand and rubbed at his cheek before realising that that didn't feel quite right, Sojiro was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he might know what this was about.
His daughter's screech only served to confirm his sneaking suspicion.
"M-Morgana!?" In the blink of an eye, the redhead bounded ahead of the others, pulling at the cheeks of the kid turned in the stool in shock at the sound of his name. "Holy crap! Is this some sort of Illusion!?"
The new human voiced his trademark yowling whine before swatting away her hands as he stepped off the stool. "Stop that!"
"Yeah, it's him."
The second Phantom Thief to come to the realization was Ryuji. "I'd know that annoying sound anywhere." He snorted before coming around to Futaba's left, brow creased in confusion. "How the hell'd you manage that? I thought all that talk about bein' a human was a load'a bull!" He folded his arms across his chest as his head tilted with question.
"Hmph! That'll teach you to doubt me." Morgana mirrored his pose, though his nose lifted into the air instead, eyes closed to signify his indignance toward the dyed blond's comment.
That composure was quickly lost once a sharp squeal sounded off from behind the Hermit and the Chariot, finding himself lifted off the ground for a second or two. "Too cute! He looks like he's your little brother, Akira!" Before he knew it, he was trapped in the Lovers' tight embrace, ready to revolt until he discovered just what he was trapped against.
"I thought he was adorable before, but this is much cuter!" Haru chimed in as she converged upon the growing circle, hands clasped together at her chest as she studied Morgana's new form. "But I didn't think you were actually this young!"
"My, what a blissful expression! It's as though you've found peace in your new form!" Yusuke observed, unaware of what was truly causing Morgana's expression of total euphoria. His statement did however bring about a realization to an increasingly envious Ryuji.
"Wait a minute! He ain't all happy about bein' a human! He's just takin' advantage of the fact that he's buried in Ann's boobs!"
Though he knew his time in Heaven would not last much longer, Morgana wore his smug smile anyway, utilizing what he had left. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ryuji. I would never enjoy something so obscene." His actions spoke louder as he brought his hands to Ann's sides and snuggled closer.
It was Ryuji who then wore the smug smile as Ann's eyes narrowed accusingly, pronouncedly pulling the former cat away from her. "Don't make me make you regret your new body," she hissed, the implied threat loud and clear in her voice.
As the commotion regarding this new development picked up, Makoto instead approached Akira, who was still seated on the barstool and facing her, and Sojiro, who stood behind him and the bar. "So what happened?"
"I woke up and… there he was."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. Clothes and all."
It was Sojiro's turn to speak. "So why'd you lie to me this mornin', kid?"
Akira turned in his seat to face the older man, frowning as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "It… I wasn't really sure how to explain my cat turned into a human without sounding like I've lost it…"
The café owner snorted, chuckling as he replied. "Kid, after that stuff last year about the Metaverse and all that, nothing fazes me anymore. But that 'little brother' excuse was a good cover. Use it out there, but maybe don't let your mom know."
"I have to admit, he does look an awful lot like you… but cuter." Makoto smirked as she looked at Morgana, giggling quietly when she glanced back at Akira who met her gaze with a sour scowl.
His expression then cleared a few seconds later, smiling softly as he watched his new little brother get tackled by the redhead not much taller than him. "Well, if he's happier this way, then I guess that's alright."
Though the Magician himself soon began to doubt his previously positive feelings about the change not one month later.
He found that the "cute" and "amusing" but respected defiance he used to show as a cat didn't translate well as a human. Every time he was introduced as Akira's younger brother, he was poked and pinched and squished and squeezed despite protests against said actions. Suddenly, whatever agency he thought he possessed slipped through his fingers; no one would take a little kid seriously when he complained.
His ability to sneak into places with Akira vanished as well; his ears still rang with Ohya's shrill refusal to allow him in, Lala stressing her assent as they were already taking a huge risk allowing Akira into the bar as it was. That hour chatting with Chihaya as he waited for his "brother" to return was the loneliest he had ever felt since the events following Futaba's Palace.
But though he kept these thoughts to himself, the group was quick to catch onto the change in demeanor; Makoto acted on the hunch first. "Morgana? Is everything alright?"
The former Thieves had congregated in Akira's room after a visit to the art exhibit Yusuke participated in, taking to his table and desk in their usual fashion. At the Priestess' question, the others quieted down, varying amounts of concern shown across the board.
Akira's was the heaviest, causing the young boy to glance away immediately. "I, uhm… I'm fine…"
"Morgana… if something's wrong, please tell us," she pleaded. "We can't have you running away again, especially now that you're human."
"W-Well that's just it!" Everyone drew back a bit at the outburst, even Morgana himself. But Makoto had started his ignition and he couldn't stop after he revved his own engine. "I mean, don't you guys hate this now? Everyone has to look out for me even more than you did before! I can't go with you guys everywhere like I used to before, and everyone treats me like I'm some little kid that doesn't know anything and everyone keeps touching me like I'm some toy and…"
His take ran empty when he realised he was crying, hot tears running down his face, cold drops hitting the back of the fists clenched in his lap. "I feel like some novelty and an inconvenience at the same time…"
"Oh, Morgana…" Makoto stood up from her seat to the right of Akira, reseating herself next to him when Yusuke stood to accommodate her. "We would never think that. Sure, there are places we can't take you anymore until you get older, but that's no problem at all. It's actually easier overall to take you anywhere; I don't think you really understood just how crafty we had to get at times to bring you some places as a cat." She reached out and wrapped her arms around him, her hug comforting and calming.
"Honestly, she's right," Ann added, shifting from her spot on the couch to the bench so she could join in Makoto's hug. "You're the only other person here who loves sweets as much as I do, and it's nice to have someone to share those with. We would have never discovered that if you were still a cat! And the fun we have whenever I bring you to my shoots while Akira's in class… You don't live with me, but I feel like you're my brother too; I finally get to see what it's like to have a sibling. That's not something I would ever experience if you weren't human." She smiled wide at him when his tear-stained face looked her way. "But I'll be sure to let the other girls know to stop touching you. They mean well, but they do tend to overdo it…"
"Are we just listing what we like about Morgana's new form?" Haru asked, a light tease evident in her voice. "Well, for me, I'm like Ann. It also feels like I finally have the sibling I always wanted. I enjoyed your company before, but it's different now that I don't look like I'm having a one-sided conversation with a cat." The Empress laughed lightly as she scooted her chair closer to Makoto, extending her arms out across the table. With open palms facing up, she motioned for him to give her his hands, gracing him with her gentle smile as her hands curled around his when he complied. "The little fashion shows we held when we went to buy more clothes for you was the most fun I've had in months! I hope it was fun for you too."
Yusuke's brow furrowed with his lack of understanding, as this was a delicate situation none of them could really relate to. "How odd that for all your insistence that you were actually human, you're questioning your previously excessive desire. Though we appreciate your concern for the changes your new appearance has brought upon the group, I believe I speak for everyone when I say that it's only welcomed an unprecedented level of excitement. The dynamics have shifted drastically since your transformation, but they've been for the better." The Emperor stood behind Haru as his hand flourished while he spoke. "I believe it's worth noting that everyone here cares for you no matter what form you take. Our experiences together supersede any odd feelings we may have."
"He's got a point, Mona. You went through this sort of thing already, doubting your role in the group, and now you're doing it again? For all your moanin' about how you weren't really a cat, ain't ya glad you got your wish? I mean, I get that it's probably a lotta stuff to get used to, but ain't it better this way? You got holding you back anymore; now you can really have fun with the rest of us. I know you said no one's takin' you seriously now, but I sure am. It was kinda hard takin' orders from a talking cat… still a little hard since you look like a little kid now, but definitely easier. But no matter what you look like, we know it's still you." Ryuji leaned forward in his seat, adding his lopsided grin to the collection growing in aiding Morgana's understanding of how they really felt about him.
Futaba was next, bounding out of the desk chair to come up behind the former cat and place her chin atop his head, arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Seriously, Mona, you're still you. You may have been hit with a Transmogrification spell and we have to patch in how we deal with that, but it had no effect on who you are or what we think about you. The only real difference is that you've been upgraded from pet to sibling! But you're still the team mascot, cat or human. You even still have the bandana!" She tugged at it for good measure. "And you're still my hacking pal. Just no more sitting on my desk, you know? Gotta use a chair like the rest of us scrubs."
Akira lifted himself up from his place across the table, thanking Ann as she let go of Morgana and scooted back to her original spot on the couch so he could take her place. "Hey." He waited until the Magician broke his teary-eyed stare from the surface of the table to look at the former leader of their dissolved faction. "Even when you were a cat, we liked you as you were. Now that you're a human, we like you as you are. You're a Phantom Thief: cat, car, or human. Without you, there would be no us. There is no us. Whatever form you take, you're still family. We're still family. Nothing will ever change that."
The sob Morgana was holding back forced itself through his throat when he felt the tender pat upon his head, laughing through his tears when the group converged upon him. As they were sharing their recent experiences with Human Morgana amongst each other, said hot topic finally spoke up, the other seven silencing themselves. With a sniffle and a scramble to wipe away stray splatters, he returned their previous grins with his own, one that was bright, genuine, and blinding.
"Thanks, you guys. I couldn't ask for a better band of thieves."
author's note
it blows my mind that people still think Joker is blind when like in the artbook they explicitly state "hey these glasses are fake btw" and they like hint at it the whole game?
stop using my expensive necessity as an accessory you beautiful jerk it actually sucks when you need it :(
also there was a change to form with P5 since not Igor was assigned to the Fool, which means Joker doesn't actually have an arcana lmao