As somebody that had deliberately let himself fall into the background of every room that he entered for years, it had never made sense to Jake that Morgan had always seen him, even the parts of himself that he liked the least, it appeared. He hadn’t always been this way, but after losing his mother everything that he had felt consumed and overwhelmed him. He hadn’t known how to process them at the time and he barely did now. Jacob Grayson once resembled his older sister, Mar’i, whom he had always idolised, so closely that strangers would mistake them for twins. The Jake that sat beside her today was a result of trying to protect that child. He’d meant to keep him safe but he had lost him somewhere along the way and while Jake did what he could to cover it up with sarcasm, he was a lost cause.
“I know, but I wish that it would” he sighed. “I know” he said again, nodding slowly. He’d always held a certain softness for Morgan that he couldn’t explain. She wasn’t immune to his usual pessimism, but it was diluted to say the least. “Hey” he frowned, turning to reach for her hand, willing her to look at him. “I’m not going to collapse, okay? I’m not going anywhere” he promised, his stare intense. “I’m not going anywhere”
Everyone had mementos to remind them of their past, of the lives they lived, the places they’d been and the memories they had made. Morgan’s problem was that mementos were the only part of the equation she’d had, without the memories or emotions to go with them. Mementos of her father and the amazing man he had been from the man heroes who’d become her aunts and uncles. Mementos of her mother, and all the amazing things Morgan was far too young to understand and even now struggled to remember. Mementos, of the girl who had been alone until suddenly she wasn’t. Until her only friend wasn’t her older brother anymore, but more. Mar’i and Jake were the first among many to become friends, they opened the door to a world beyond the boundaries Morgan had grown comfortable confined in. Mar’i was a shining light, a brightness to guide her way. Jake had been something else. His hand had been a comfort, and his light may have been dimmed but it always kept Morgan aware of where she stood. She never felt lost beside him. Not then, and not now.
Don’t wish it, do it. It’d be easy for that stupid saying to drop from her lips but Morgan in all good conscious couldn’t bring herself to say it. It was too diluted, too untrue. There were things none of them could do, no matter how hard they tried or even wished. She would never put that strain on Jake, even if her heart wanted to hand him something to hand onto. Her eyes fell to her shoes, wondering if she’d been too brash in confronting him. Perhaps telling Mar’i would have been better, but-- his hand was on hers, and soon Morgan’s eyes met his as well. “You know...” Her tone was quiet. “Collapsing isn’t a choice. The definition is to fall down suddenly because of pressure or having no strength or support.” The words felt out of her mouth in a ramble, her nerves striking at her. “There’s so much pressure Jake. On all of us. And you have so much strength but support?” He was stubborn. Preferred slinking in the back, not being seen or the center of attention. Morgan understood the impulse but she refused to, let him hide away, to let him fade. “Let me be your support, Jake.” She pleaded.