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It’s only a few days into his stay when the boy brings home a cat.
Sojiro is annoyed for all of five seconds until the little furball starts chittering at Akira. It isn’t a whiny yowl like Sojiro hears from the stray cats that live in the alley, but a soft sort of chirping noise that’s honestly adorable. Sojiro has never considered himself a cat person, or a pet person for that matter, but he is in fact only human. It would take some sort of monster to ignore those big pleading eyes, or the way it’s fur pattern looks like little socked feet.
Besides, having a cat around should teach that kid a lesson in responsibility. It’ll be good for him to have to think about the needs of another living creature. Plus, it must be pretty lonely living in a new city with the label ‘delinquent’ hanging over your head. Having a companion will eat up some of the kid’s free time and keep him from getting too bored, even if it is just a talkative cat.
So, a few days in, the boy brings home a cat, and Sojiro is surprised to discover that he doesn’t mind.
-
While he thought it would be good for Akira to have a cat companion, he didn’t really mean it like this.
They have full on conversations. Well, as much conversation is possible when one of the parties involved is a cat.
Sojiro knows that some pet owners get so involved with their pets that they start to treat them like people, he just didn’t think the kid he took in would be that type. Maybe this should be a lesson for Sojiro to not judge a book by its detached, delinquent cover.
Still, the first (and only) time Sojiro has seen Akira laugh was when the cat took one sip of Jamaican Blue Mountain and proceeded to flinch back so hard he tumbled off the counter.
After some deliberation, Sojiro decides that while this new development may be unexpected, it isn’t necessarily bad. Since the cat showed up, Akira has been noticeably more talkative to both Sojiro and some of the shop’s regulars. It’s good that the kid is starting to open up a bit, but hopefully he’ll make some actual human friends instead of being a crazy cat kid that lurks in the attic for the rest of the year.
And if Sojiro sometimes finds himself absently talking to the cat, he can blame the kid for rubbing off on him.
-
Somehow, the cat is never around during the day.
Sojiro isn’t complaining, but he is concerned as to where the cat is going. If one day it comes back with fleas, or babies, or a half-dead mouse, he knows that he’ll be the one to have to deal with what ever mayhem happens in the store.
It isn’t until some days later when Akira is leaving for school that he hears an unmistakable “mrrow” from the school bag on Akira’s shoulder. The pieces quickly fall together and Sojiro knows that he has to say something, even if it’s just to satiate his own curiosity.
“Hold it.” Akira stops and turn on his heel to face Sojiro, arching an eyebrow over his thick glasses. “Open your bag.”
Akira hesitates for a split second before placing his bag on the counter and unzipping it. With a bit of rustling, a fuzzy little head pops out of the opening. The cat turns to look directly at Sojiro with its big adorable eyes and lets out a soft “mew?” before tilting its head.
Is… is the cat buttering him up? Is this intentional, or is Sojiro officially going crazy? Either way, he can’t just let the kid get away with bringing a cat to school. Especially since Akira is on probation and has either forgotten what that means, or just doesn’t care anymore.
Sojiro pushes his glasses up a bit and pinches at the bridge of his nose in some vain attempt to postpone the inevitable tension headache. “So, you’ve been bringing the cat to school. Explain to me why you thought this was a good idea.”
Akira shrugs but looks somewhat apologetic. “He would just follow me there anyway. At least if he’s in my bag no one can see him.”
That is not the answer Sojiro wanted. Akira is making this seem like a reasonable solution to an inevitable problem. “What, does he just sit there quietly in your bag the whole day?”
“No, during the day he hangs out inside my desk,” Akira responds with a smirk.
Did the kid just sass him? Is this Sojiro’s life now? He kind of liked it better when Akira was quiet and didn’t talk back.
“How long has this been going on?”
“Since he’s been living here.” Which means almost two weeks. Sojiro takes a minute to think about what the hell to do with this whole situation, but Akira interrupts the silence. “He knows to stay in the desk or the bag, and he doesn’t disrupt class. Most of the time he’s sleeping anyway. Nobody even knows that I bring him with me.”
Well, Sojiro had figured out that last part since he hadn’t had any calls from the school. He still isn’t sure how the cat knows to stay quiet and hidden, but somehow it does. Either Akira trained it really well, or it’s the most patient animal that he has ever known. Sojiro isn’t even sure if it’s possible to train a cat that well in such a short amount of time, so he figures that Akira just got really lucky and found the most tolerant cat in Japan.
He lets out a sigh as he realizes that he won’t be able to win this one. “Whatever. Don’t get caught. But at least try to get that cat to stay in the attic. I don’t want this to become a habit.”
Akira smiles in a way that says, ‘this is already a habit and will continue to be one’. He snatches up the bag before Sojiro can comment and throws a quick, “Thanks!” over his shoulder as he hustles out the door.
It’s barely 7 and Sojiro needs a cigarette. This cat is bad for his health.
-
Akira and his weird bunch of misfit friends have turned Leblanc into their hangout spot for some reason. They remind him a lot of the strays in the alley; you feed them once and then they just keep coming back.
Sojiro still isn’t sure how Akira managed to get a fellow delinquent, a foreign model, and a starving artist into his little gang, but they’re a decent group of kids. A bit eccentric, but that at least is something Sojiro is used to.
One strange thing they all have in common is the way they treat the cat, or as he’s been repeatedly reminded, Morgana. Sojiro thought Akira was strange for doting on it and treating it like people, but all his friends do the exact same thing. They even talk to it like they’re having a conversation. Is it even possible that Akira’s mannerisms managed to rub off on his entire friend group?
It’s a thought that simmers at the back of his brain until one inconspicuous Wednesday.
A couple of hours before closing, the front door opens and Ryuji steps over the threshold. “Hey Boss!” He waves and walks up to the counter. “I was wonderin’ if I could borrow a table to study. I’ve got a quiz tomorrow and need to cram for a bit.”
Sojiro shrugs and motions to the entirely empty seating area. “Feel free. Akira isn’t here at the moment, though I think the cat is still upstairs.”
“Yeah I know! He said he’d be back in a bit to study with me, even though I don’t think he really needs to.” He drops his bag onto a table and slides into the bench.
“I’ll leave you to it then. Let me know if you need anything,” He says as he makes a mental check of what ingredients he has that will be bad by tomorrow. It appears there’s enough for at least one growing-teenage-boy portion of curry, so he begins the familiar steps for preparation.
Almost as soon as Ryuji is settled with his work out, the cat comes sauntering down the stairs and immediately heads over to his table. It jumps up and sits directly on the notebook that Ryuji had been looking through. Ryuji gives an annoyed huff and says, “Go away Mona. I’m studying,” then tries to shove Morgana off the table. The cat does not budge, and instead chirps a bit at Ryuji with a swish of it’s tail.
To Sojiro’s astonishment, Ryuji’s head snaps up and he half-shouts, “Don’t call me an idiot you flea bag!”
The cat… called him an idiot? Did he just try to interpret the cat’s chirping or is he some sort of cat whisperer?
Morgana chitters a bit more and proceeds to swat Ryuji’s pencil right off the table. Ryuji slams his hands down, stands up, and says “If you keep talking shit I’m gonna have Akira get you neutered.” Morgana stands up off the notebook as it it’s tail begins to flick rapidly back and forth.
Is this really happening? Is this kid about to get into a fight… with a cat? Because the cat was apparently talking shit? Though when Sojiro really thinks about it, this isn’t the weirdest thing he’s ever seen. And it definitely isn’t the most difficult fight he’s had to break up.
With a sigh, Sojiro grabs the finished curry and sets in on the table directly in between Ryuji and Morgana. “Here. It’s on the house.” Ryuji startles back a bit and the cat actually turns to hiss at him. Well then. In a swift movement, he scoops up the cat and tucks it securely under his arm. “No cats on the table.”
Morgana howls and tries to wriggle out of his grasp as he makes his way up the stairs to deposit the cat back in the attic. With a slam of the door, he walks back down the stairs to find Ryuji just about dying of laughter.
“Boss,” he wheezes nearly doubled over. “Holy shit that was the funniest thing I’ve seen all week. God, I wish I could have gotten that on camera.”
Sojiro is, admittedly, still confused about what just happened, but has always been one to roll with the punches. So he grins and replies, “You two better not get into anymore cat fights in my store, or next time I’ll have to break out the spray bottle.”
This sends Ryuji into another fit of laughter, and for some reason, Sojiro feels like he accomplished something.
-
The event with Ryuji was the catalyst for Sojiro’s period of observation and the eventual formation of his hypothesis: somehow, for unknown reasons, Akira’s group of friends can understand and communicate with Morgana.
The introduction of the student council president really solidified it. She seems to be a very reasonable and unshakably rational person, yet even she was holding seemingly fluid conversations with the cat.
No good hypothesis was complete without proper testing though. Testing that would make Sojiro seems like an insane person if it didn’t pan out, or would leave him with potentially more questions if it did. Still, his own curiosity was eating at him every time he saw the damn cat. It was about time to put his mind a little more at ease and hopefully prove himself right.
Just as Sojiro flips the sign to ‘closed’ and locks the door, he quickly does one last sweep of the cafe. No one in the bathroom? Check. Akira is up in his room watching tv? Check. Morgana is dosing off on the barstool? Check! Now all Sojiro had to do was make sure everything stayed just like this. No one has to know he’s about to attempt to have and intelligent conversation with a cat.
Sojiro walks back behind the counter and says to the furry lump on the stool, “Hey cat.”
Morgana’s ear twitches then stills. No response.
Alright then. He didn’t expect it to be easy, but he had hoped that the cat wouldn’t actively ignore him. This time he says a bit more firmly, “Morgana.”
Morgana perks up and lifts his head to look at Sojiro with a soft “mrow?”
Contact made. Time for the big guns. “I have some pork left over that’ll be bad by tomorrow. If you want it, I need you to go bring me your food bowl.” The food bowl that was currently sitting in the kitchen right behind Sojiro.
Morgana stares at him without breaking eye contact. It’s a bit unsettling how long cats can go without having to blink. Sojiro tries to look as unaffected as possible, but he is entirely out of his element. He isn’t even sure if Morgana understood what he just said, and if he did, Sojiro can’t possibly know what that cat is thinking.
All he can do is keep trying.
“If you don’t want it, that’s fine. You can just ignore me and go back to sleep.” Hopefully acknowledging that Morgana can back out will put the cat more at ease. Sojiro has been told that his resting face looks perpetually displeased which doesn’t do too much to relax people.
After another staring contest, Morgana finally blinks then springs down from the stool. He trots behind the bar over into the kitchen and picks up the food bowl with his mouth. With a bit of a struggle, he manages to get the bowl to Sojiro’s feet and looks up at him with an expression akin to impatience.
Well holy shit. Somehow it worked. The cat can understand Japanese. Sojiro still isn’t sure how those kids can understand Cat, but just knowing he was right settles something deep in his psyche. He’s quickly dragged out of his thoughts when Morgana headbutts his ankle and let out an irritated meow.
“Yeah, yeah one second.” He fills the bowl with pork, and takes a seat on the floor in front of Morgana. The cat practically inhales the food and in a matter of mere seconds, is again staring up at Sojiro.
“What?” Morgana nudges the food bowl. Oh. “That’s all the leftovers I got. Besides, I know Akira spoils you when I’m not looking. We’ll have to put you on a diet if you keep this up.”
Morgana yowls so loudly that it startles Sojiro into a laugh. “It’s true! I know those other kids spoil you too! That means it up to me to make sure you don’t get too fat. I don’t even know if cats can eat half the things those kids give you.”
Flicking his tail, Morgana stands up and walks back to the barstool, chattering the whole way there. He hops up, and curls back into a disgruntled ball of fluff.
Sojiro walks over and sits down in the stool next to him. He reaches out his hand to pat Morgana’s head, but stops short. Is there a certain protocol for how to treat super intelligent magic cats? Are they above being pet? Well, it can’t hurt to ask.
“Hey Morgana.” He pops up his head and lets out a little chirp. “Is it still ok to pet you? Or it that a no go?”
Morgana eyes his hand, still hovering in the air. After some apparent deliberation, he gently butts his head into Sojiro’s open palm and lets out a soft purr.
Sojiro chuckles and runs his hand behind Morgana’s ears. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
-
He and Morgana have made a routine of watching the morning news together.
Sojiro always shows up to the café about an hour before Akira stumbles out of bed. It’s been his own personal tradition to turn on the news while he opens Leblanc and prepares Akira’s breakfast, but recently Morgana has started joining him. It’s kind of a weird ritual, if Sojiro thinks about it too much, but it’s comfortable in it’s own right so he tries not to.
A couple of minutes after he arrives, Morgana will slowly pad down the stairs and hop up onto the bar. He usually greets, “G’Morning Morgana.” To which Morgana will yawn and stretch and chirp out what Sojiro can only assume is a greeting in return.
Sometimes, when Morgana yawns so big his eyes squeeze shut, Sojiro will try to put his finger right into Morgana’s mouth and then pull it back quickly before he gets nipped. It always makes him chuckle to see a sleepy, confused, and somewhat disgruntled Morgana chitter away about the mean prank that got pulled on him. Sojiro knows he’ll be forgiven as soon as he breaks out the pork, so he never feels too bad about it.
He never used to talk as he opened the café, but now that he has someone to talk to, he finds himself giving a running commentary of the news. Morgana is just as chatty once he has some time to wake up. Even though Sojiro can’t understand exactly what Morgana says, he likes to think that he’s getting better at interpreting.
Eventually, Akira will stumble down the stairs and sit at the barstool until a cup of coffee is placed into his waiting hand. Morgana then either sits in the barstool next to him, or in his lap depending on the day.
Lately, Sojiro has taken to observing Akira and Morgana’s interactions. Now that he’s aware of Morgana’s true nature, his entire perspective has done a 180-degree flip over night and he can see now just how close the two of them are. Morgana will steal some of Akira’s curry when he’s pretending to not pay attention while Akira will leave the best bites untouched and out in the open. Morgana will chitter on about something or another that makes Akira giggle-snort into his coffee.
Someday, Sojiro needs to remember to thank Morgana for always keeping Akira company. He imagines that Akira’s probation could have been a very lonely time had it not been for one magical talking cat.
When Sojiro finds himself thinking about what could have been, he always makes sure to give Morgana a little extra pork.
-
One day, without warning, Morgana is gone.
He doesn’t come yawning down the stairs, or hop up on the bar to chatter at the news, or even show up to eat the pork that Sojiro has laid out for him.
Sojiro is concerned, but tries to brush it off as a one-time thing. Morgana probably just slept in. If Sojiro went up to check, he would be curled up alongside Akira, purring away. This line of thinking works until Akira comes down the stairs.
Immediately Sojiro knows. It’s written so blatantly on Akira’s face that he can’t help but see. Morgana is really gone.
“When did you last see him?” Sojiro’s brain is already filing through potential plans, things to do, people to call.
Akira shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t think he wants to come back.”
Shit. Something must have happened. Something that Sojiro won’t be able to understand due to his outsider’s status. He still has to try though. Akira looks so resigned and defeated and goddamn it this isn’t how it’s all supposed to play out. “I’ll look anyway. I’ll tell Futaba to keep an eye out too. He wouldn’t have gone too far if his dependency for table scraps is anything to count on.”
It gets Akira to smile a bit before his expression falls flat. He sighs and grabs his coffee. “If Morgana wants to come back he will. If he doesn’t, then he won’t.” He shrugs and then heads back up the stairs without even touching his curry.
He’ll come back. Sojiro would bet Leblanc on it. Whether it’s today or tomorrow or the day after that. This is his home and he won’t be uprooted so easily.
Sojiro keeps some fresh pork at the ready for whenever the prodigal son decides to get his act together and come back to where he belongs.
-
(When Morgana does finally show up again, Sojiro lets Morgana eat his body weight in pork and then has to carry him upstairs afterwards. When he checks in on Akira later that night, Morgana is curled up on top of Akira’s chest and his purring can be heard from the doorway.)
-
Sojiro has just witnessed a breaking news alert that the Phantom Thief leader had committed suicide when he hears a loud bang on the door.
“Sakura-san! Could you open the door? I’m afraid I don’t have a free hand at the moment.”
He recognizes the voice immediately. It’s Sae-san, the detective in charge of the case against the Phantom Thieves. Sae-san, who is currently banging on his door, demanding to be let in, just as he finds out that Akira has committed suicide while in prison. The woman who is potentially responsible for his charge’s death is standing outside the store and somehow thinks Sojiro is going to willingly let her inside.
The banging continues and starts to get more frantic. “Sakura-san please! This is important! I can see that you’re in there just open the door!”
It’s Morgana that springs into action. He flies down the steps and almost knocks over a barstool in his haste to get to the door. Suddenly he’s meowing and pacing and scratching at the frame all the while looking at Sojiro with panic in his eyes.
Sojiro takes the hint and comes to life, rushing in double time to throw open the door. On the other side, he sees a modern-day miracle.
Akira is there. Akira is alive. He’s beaten and bruised and Sojiro will have questions to ask about that later, but somehow the most terrifying twenty seconds of Sojiro’s life are over as suddenly as they started. He pulls Akira into his arms and quickly herds him into the store, away from that woman.
“Sakura-san I’m so sorry, but I don’t have time to explain. I have to go immediately. He’s injured and drugged, but it’s nothing serious. He should be alright if he gets proper rest and some first aid.” She leans in and places a hand on Sojiro’s arm. “It’s crucial for you to understand that for all intents and purposes, Akira is dead. He can’t be seen out and no one can know that he is still alive. Please, take care of him.” And with a swish of her hair, a flick of her wrist, she’s gone.
Sojiro watches in mild shock as the door swings to a close. Akira is technically dead? How the hell did she not have even a little more time to explain things? Also he’s been drugged? What the fuck kind of police interrogation did he endure?
Akira’s head lolls onto Sojiro’s shoulder as he starts to slide to the floor. Sojiro quickly adjusts Akira more firmly against his side and starts the slow trip towards the attic. Questions can be asked later. Right now, Akira is in dire straights and needs immediate care.
For the entire trek up the stairs, Morgana keeps two steps ahead, frequently looking back to ensure that Sojiro was continuing to follow. Once there, he gently guides Akira to lay on the bed while taking note of every wince and groan that Akira makes as he shifts.
Morgana immediately hops onto the bed and walks over to nudge his nose against Akira’s face. Akira lets out a small laugh and says, “Hey Mona, guess what? I fucking nailed it.” He lifts his arm to reach for Morgana and sharply winces, sucking in a breath through his clenched teeth.
Morgana lets out a chirp as Sojiro says, “Alright, alright I think it’s about time for you to get some rest. You can pretend you’re hot shit once you don’t look like you were put through a blender. For now, just take it easy.” He pulls the chair from Akira’s desk over to the side of the bed and drops down into it.
“Sojiro, didn’t you see the news?” Akira’s eyes flit over to him and a wry grin spreads across his face. “I think I look pretty fly for a dead guy.”
Sojiro runs a hand over his face. “Jesus what kind of drugs did they give you? Just go to sleep already kid. You’re practically dead on your feet.”
Akira lets out a laugh that comes out more of a wheeze and replies, “Yeah you’re right. I am dead tired.”
“See, that one wasn’t funny. You’re losing your touch.” Sojiro gets up and starts removing Akira’s shoes and socks. “Alright, no more dead jokes. I’m serious about you getting some rest. Can you manage a change in clothes?"
When Akira doesn’t respond, Sojiro looks up to find Akira already asleep. He snorts. “So I’m guessing that’s a ‘no’.”
He finishes removing what outer layers of clothing he can, then treats Akira’s various cuts and bruises with the best first aid he knows. He needs to have an actual doctor look at these injuries, but that’s going to have to wait until the morning.
Sojiro sits back in the desk chair and lets his gaze drift until it catches on Morgana. He’s still curled up into Akira’s side, but his gaze is watchful, alert, and keeping track of every movement Akira makes in his sleep.
“Morgana.” He looks up at Sojiro with his big eyes that have always been trained on Akira, ever since that first day when his boy brought home a cat. It’s a long time coming, but Sojiro finally says a sincere, “Thank you.” For being there. For coming back. For making him laugh. For everything.
Morgana trills lightly and settles a little closer to Akira’s side. Sojiro chuckles. Of course he already knew.
With one final stretch, Sojiro gets as comfortable as he can in the wooden desk chair and prepares himself for a very long night.
Eventually, he dozes off to the sounds of two sets of breathing, and a soft yet steady purr.