A D Tier's Breaking Point

Chapter 23

Eventually Morgan was composed enough to extract themself from Alex's arms and lead him out of the empty but still public corridor, wiping away at the dampness in their eyes and slipping back into their normal poker face as they turned to a new door. The switch was enough to give Alex whiplash, leaving him silent as he followed his friend into the private apartment, ignoring the small niggle growing in the back of his head. Its been less than a day , he reminded himself. You were dead for a year. Give them time.

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sudden shift between the main base and Morgan's living quarters, the white and steel falling away to a softer cream and dark carpets. Shoes were tossed into a pile in a corner of the entranceway, next to a small table with an empty dish in it that felt like Katie's work. Morgan ignored it, gesturing for Alex to follow them into a large and cluttered attempt at a living space. Posters were intermingled with what looked like overgrown conspiracy boards, with multiple tables holding other masses of papers, files, photos and other things that were probably very important. Pushed away from the mess was a large comfortable looking leather sofa facing a large TV and gaming system, with multiple consoles and the large collections of movies and games there being the only example of organisation in the whole apartment.

'Alex?' Morgan spoke up, and Alex snapped to attention, 'You okay?'

'You copied your old apartment?'

Morgan grinned and shrugged, 'I mean, if it's not broken.' Alex grinned, pushing back the well of emotions that came from seeing the ugly beige walls and abandoned coffee cups, and how much it felt like home. 'But I did get new furniture. According to Barnaby there was an accident with my old couch.'

Alex snorted, 'A moment's silence for a fallen hero.'

He barely felt Morgan jab him in the side, and turned to smirk at them only to see them wince. 'Oh jeez, my bad,' they said, pointing at Alex's shirt

'Huh?' Alex looked down to see a mix of tears, oil and debris from Morgan's attempts at work covering the fresh satin. 'Oh, that's nothing,' he said. Alex tugged on the shirt, vanishing the stains with no effort, and grinned back up at Morgan.

'Jealous,' Morgan grumbled, 'I've got to clean up the mundane way.' Alex chuckled at that as Morgan headed over to a door behind the sofa, pointing to another on the right as they did. 'Kitchen's through that door if you want a drink or snack. Feel free to make yourself comfortable.'

'Don't forget about your contacts,' Alex called back.

Morgan froze, looking back at Alex, 'What about them?'

Alex glanced up at Morgan, at the crack in their poker face that showed just a glimpse of panic. Alex faltered, his smile falling away as he said, 'Oh. Well I don't know if you're supposed to cry in them? And uh...do...you need to wear them? Right now?' When you're literally home , Alex thought as he glanced around at the living room, before turning back to Morgan. The panic was gone, Morgan instead impersonating a statue in an attempt to look composed, and Alex winced. They had seen Morgan's masks to hide their emotions and thoughts before, but this was something else entirely, something that Alex didn't like. 'Hey don't worry about it, 'Alex said, 'your place, your fancy gadgets, your rules. Right?'

The mask broke and Morgan smiled in relief, 'I'll be out in a sec.'

Alex didn't move from the middle of the room until he could hear the shower turn on, which was when he began to swear under his breath. What the hell was that? He had promised himself that he wasn't going to start poking Morgan, was going to give them space and time, for both of their sakes. But every moment since arriving at the lair this morning was making it harder and harder to keep to that. He moved to the door that had been pointed out as the kitchen, just so he was doing something and not frozen in a strange mix of confusion and worry.