Morgana was giddy with excitement, hiding in the attic of LeBlanc as the previous Phantom Thieves (plus Sae and Sojiro) slowly gathered downstairs. He could hear them as they entered in, he previous team members eager to see each other once again and making small talk. Akira himself didn't reveal anything about the upcoming surprise, instead sharing some personal anecdotes from his recent studies and work with everyone. The door jingled as Ryuji and Ann arrived together, the last of the group. Morgana could hear Akira clear his throat and get into position.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice!" The leader beamed. The chatter died down as the attention turned towards him. "Recently I've been to a small town called Inaba, where I found something rather interesting." He continued. Akira always had such a commanding presence, Morgana always envied that charisma he had. It was suiting him well as a political science student and intern to Old Man Tora. "It seems… we weren't the first ones who had access to the Metaverse."
The room exploded with gasps and chatter, Morgana guessed Akira was holding up his hands to calm the group. "Hold on, hold on, the group I came across had a very interesting tale to tell, and I'll relay it to you in good time. The important thing though, was one of their group was a shadow, who was able to appear in this world as a human." He announced. The chatter rose again, Morgana could practically hear the grin on Akira's face. A quick gasp of realization from Makoto made Morgana's blood tingle in anticipation.
"Akira that's amazing! But… where's Morgana?" She asked with excitement in her voice.
"…Right here." He introduced. That was his cue.
"WASSUP EVERYONE?! Check me OUT!" Morgana beamed, stepping out and giving a small twirl. He wouldn't trade anything in the world for the looks on everyone's face when he appeared.
He was standing on two legs.
His tail was nowhere to be seen.
He had hands instead of paws.
Morgana was finally, fully human.
After a few days 'training' in the remains of Inaba's metaverse, Morgana was able to mimic what Teddie achieved: A human body in the real word. He emerged a bit younger than he would have liked (resembling a young teen), but by then he was just desperate to have ANYTHING. He stood a little short with a mess of black hair similar to Akira's, two stuck up tufts resembling ears on the sides. Just like Akira's hair, his remained unworkable, but that was okay. Morgana actually rather liked it. He also retained his striking blue eyes.
Returning through the TV at Junes proved a little embarrassing, but fortunately after their experience with Teddie's return, the group in Inaba had some clothes ready for the new human. After that, Morgana had been on cloud nine. His excitement hasn't stopped. EVERYTHING was new again, and he spent nearly the entire week just talking to new people he never could communicate with before. His tastebuds changed, allowing for an abundance of new sensations and foods, he got to choose his own wardrobe, got to go places on his own without Akira's help with doorknobs anymore, he finally had a chance to live.
Now, he was sharing that joy with his friends. Wide eyes, covered mouths, and happy shocked faces surrounded Morgana as he stood arms out at the bottom of LeBlanc's stairwell. Since becoming human, he decided to dress himself in black cargo shorts, a black polo with a vertical off-center yellow stripe, and of course his yellow bandana tied around his neck.
The room exploded with conversation, Morgana could only laugh.
"This is amazing!" "For real?! Dude, you look like you're twelve!" "Fascinating. I can almost still see the feline attributes residing beneath." "Mona-chan! You look so CUTE!" "Alright Morgana! Level up!"
The man of the hour slapped high fives, hugged the girls (the hug Ann gave him made his eyes roll back in delight), and batted away hands ruffling his messy hair.
"Thank you! Thank you everyone! Boss! Whip up a batch of your curry for everyone! We're having a PARTY!" Morgana exclaimed, the man chuckling and shaking his head in amusement. Akira jerked his head in a wordless offer and grabbed and apron to help the man with the large order.
"So, what's your plan now?" Sae Nijima wondered, sipping some of Sojiro's coffee as the impromptu party buzzed around them.
Morgana turned to her and tilted his head. "Hmm? How do you mean?"
Sae set the cup down and hummed. "Well, given your appearance, you'd be hard pressed to enter into the workforce. Anyone you come across during the day will assume you're a student skipping class." She assessed. Morgana frowned in thought. "And, if anything happens, it's going to lead to problems. You don't have any forms of identification. You don't even have a full name."
"That shouldn't matter! I can manage!" He protested.
Akira chuckled as he cleaned a plate. "Heh. You're an embodiment of humanity's hope created by a supernatural being in a pocket dimension of distilled collective human subconsciousness. Stuff like that doesn't fit too nicely on a birth certificate, Morgana."
"I… um… guess I didn't think about that…" He admitted. Sae sighed.
"I suggest we get you enrolled in a high school to start." She planned. "Records become harder to create out of thin air after a certain age, but no one really looks too closely at documents before a person enters high school. We can probably fabricate some story about you being home schooled somewhere."
"Oh man… I have to go to school?" The boy whined.
Akira set down his plate and started on the next one. "Actually, that's a good idea. You may be a whiz with your hands, but I've seen you struggle with basic arithmetic and common history."
"Not you too!"
"Oh, and you'll need a guardian, as well." The lawyer informed, looking at the café's owner. Akira raised his eyebrow and followed the look, Morgana finding himself glancing at the balding man.
"What? No. No! I just got done raising Futaba!" Sojiro protested. The mention of her name made the hacker turn and gasp with a smile.
"Oh my god. Am I getting a little BROTHER?! Morgana! You have to call me onee-san!" She squealed.
"Come on, Boss. You can keep me in the attic again! I can even pay you rent this time!" Morgana pleaded.
"It's true. Aside from the occasional sushi binge, Morgana never spent much from his take as a Phantom Thief." Akira smirked.
"It would only be on paper for legal reasons anyways. It would help if it was someone in the loop with things." Sae grinned.
"Come on Sojiro! You were just saying how lonely you were getting since I moved out! And you can use the extra cash." Futaba pressured. The man sighed, rubbing the back of his head, knowing he was defeated.
"Jeez… you guys. Seriously." He bemoaned. "All right. But I'll kick you out on the street the moment you give me any more trouble." He threatened with a finger pointed at the new human, the group laughing at the thinly veiled empty threat.
Sae chuckled and took another sip. "Very good. I still have some contacts in the government. I presume you do as well, Sakura-san. A couple strings here and there will need to be pulled but I think we can make Morgana a legal person." She assessed.
Morgana slouched in the chair he was in with a look of exhaustion. He hadn't really considered the logistical side of things, but it looked like it would work out. "Thanks Sae-san. It means a lot… But I can't believe I have to enroll in a school." He murmured.
"And don't think Futaba will hack your way in, either. You better take the entrance exams on your own, or you're going to have a rough time of it." Akira scolded. "I know you attended classes with me, but you usually spend that time napping."
"You're just mad I get your old room." He teased with a cheshire grin.
Akira looked back with a sad sigh. "I'm serious, Morgana. Education is important. Not only that, but there's so many other skills you get in school you'll need in life. You've only gotten that second hand from shadowing me, you'll need to cultivate that for yourself now." Morgana dismissed the concerns with a wave of his hand.
"You don't have to worry about me, Akira. I've got this. It'll be cakewalk for a guy like me"
The gathering lasted a few hours, finally dying down in the early evening as people needed to head out. Akira, Sojiro, and Sae discussed the actions needed to get the paperwork side of things sorted, the older Niijima sister nodding at the new human and vowing to start work immediately. Soon Leblanc was empty save for Morgana and the young man he shadowed for so long.
"So." Akira smiled, Sojiro turning the sign to 'closed' before heading home.
"So." Morgana repeated, the café seeming all too quiet with everyone gone.
Akira sighed and let out a chuckle. "I got to be headed back to my dorm. Class tomorrow." He said.
Morgana nodded. "Yeah. I know." He replied then gave another feline smirk. "You sure you're gonna be okay without me?"
Akira snorted out a small laugh. "I'll manage." He assured, giving a smile and gesturing at the stairwell. "Been a while since anyone's been in my old room. Make sure you give it a good cleaning, alright?"
"I will."
"Entrance exams will come up faster than you think. Study hard until then."
"Don't worry, I will."
"Oh, and make sure you get a phone as soon as possible. Have Futaba get you set up."
"Akira."
"Don't try to do everything at once. Take your time."
"Akira!"
Akira gave another sad chuckle, looking down and shaking his head. It felt so strange, parting ways like this. He mustered a smile and looked at his confidant of the past couple years with teary eyes. "I'm gonna miss you being around all the time." He said, drawing Morgana into a firm hug. The previous cat groaned slightly but returned the affection. "I'm so happy for you. Make us proud."
"You kidding? Just wait and see how awesome I turn out to be!" Morgana boasted as the embrace ended. Akira gave another chuckle.
"I've always wanted to say this to you… You must be tired after today, you should go to bed." Akira teased, heading out and locking LeBlanc's door behind him.
Morgana watched the door for a few minutes, the silence of the building wrapping him up like a blanket. He looked around the place, feeling the familiarity fill him up. If he was honest, he did prefer Akira's university dorms, but the Attic of LeBlanc was the first place he ever considered 'home'. Heading up the stairs to the dusty floor, Morgana placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the room with a sigh. He had fresh sheets on the bed, but the couple of years of Akira's absence resulted in a fine sheet of dust on most surfaces. Morgana intended to clean that first thing tomorrow.
Collapsing on the familiar mattress, Morgana's bright blue eyes stared lazily at the rafters as his mind raced. It still didn't feel real. It was so much happiness in such a short amount of time, his excitement was burning bright for the last couple days. The daunting task of actually BEING human stretched out before him, but it was a challenge he was eager to face.
First, he'd get established. Complete wardrobe, toiletries, appliances, a few personal artifacts. Then, he'd get enrolled in school. Shujin would probably work, should be easy to get in. Next, he might get a job or join a club. Something that suited a gentleman like himself.
When all's said and done, he'd be ready to pursue Lady Ann like he always fantasized of being able to do. So what if he looked like he was in his early teens? Morgana was sure Lady Ann was the type of woman who would look past silly things like that. So what if she'd been dating Ryuji for the last couple years? She always said it was nothing serious whenever the group pressed her. Clearly she was just waiting for something better, and here Morgana finally was.
With fantasies of how flawless and easy his life was going to be, Morgana drifted off to a happy sleep.
(A/N: So I definitely have more planned for Morgana, he's riding high right now but cold hard reality is just around the corner. Keep an eye peeled for a few more familiar faces to pop up soon, with Morgana living life a few years behind the rest of the team, he's going to need some new friends of his own.)