#psucafeteria

MORGAN:

The days had been long, in the now cramped cafeteria. It started to resemble the "normal" days, before the earthquake had happened, when the campus was buzzing on weekdays, and students were coming in for their lunches or snacks; especially now, with all of the people here. Before them, it had been a small group, where Morgan could easily find a place to hide and be himself. It usually involved him using the fresh food that was about to go bad from the lack of power, or staring longingly outside, dreaming away to his ranch; what he wouldn't give, to be back on a horse. He missed it so damn much. But the worst part was, all of this time spent doing nothing had his mind on people. Okay, two people, really. Puck and Eva. Worrying about them was his main brain function these days, and he was sick of it; sick of not knowing where they were, how they were, and what they were doing. Morgan had attempted to distract himself once again by going into the kitchen area, making himself a cup of coffee. He needed it, if he had to get through another day in the PSU cafeteria. As he walked out, he looked down at the cup, not noticing anyone coming at him, and the crash against them caused the hot beverage to spill, mainly onto the floor, but slightly hitting his plaid shirt, and he hissed at the hot stinging, trying to retract the cup so it wouldn't spill onto the other person. "I'm sorry, did I get anything-" he looked up, seeing who it was. It caused his brain to stop functioning for a second, forgetting all about how hot the coffee was on his skin. He hadn't seen her since that day in the classroom. His heart jumped slightly at the sight of her, before he managed to mentally kick himself into gear, and to speak up again. "Eva. Hi."

EVA:

Eva had been over all of this since day one, but even more so with the constant moving of her group. How is it was safe for them to travel from one place to the next yet they couldn't go home was insane, and she was sure that this was some ploy to torture them, but as they made it to what she hoped would be her final destination in a familiar place, she was almost relieved. Two of her brothers were accounted for now, thankfully, she'd spotted Bree with that light bright Puckerman, and even Aurora was here. They would have been decent company if she wanted to be bothered, which she hadn't. And she'd been successfully tucked away in a corner, unbothered and trying to accept this terrible fate, until her internal battery was running low and she needed coffee. She was busy trying to text the rest of her family as she headed towards the kitchen to grab a cup that she hadn't even noticed the tall figure coming her way — not until she was colliding right into him. "Shit." She groaned, half expecting it to be someone she probably didn't want to be bothered with and now would have to at least fake being genuinely sorry towards. But the second she heard that voice, Eva knew she was fucking screwed. Bree had texted her to tell her Morgan was here so she should have known this would happen, and maybe her brain had blocked out Bree's heads up because she'd been fighting so hard not to think about Morgan or Puck, even if it hadn't worked. Finally glancing up at his face, she just smiled softly when he remembered how to form words again. "Hey. You uh..are you hurt? Does it burn?" She asked as she pointed to the mess on his shirt. "I can grab you another coffee if you need to go take care of that, or try to find a clean shirt, or whatever."

MORGAN:

She looked as gorgeous as always, even after so many days in lockdown. He wasn't sure what her conditions had been where she'd been at, or when she'd even arrived at the cafeteria, but it was truly a pleasant surprise to see her. Even with all of their previous mess taken into account. Her voice had him nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another, causing waves in the small cup of coffee ocean, which had another few drops spill onto his hand, and only then did he tear his eyes away from her. "Oh, shi-" he stopped himself, taking the cup into the other hand and bringing his fingers up to lick the hot coffee away - and to hopefully cool the burn. "No, no, it's all good," he said, trying to act cool. Looking down at his plaid shirt, he sighed at the coffee stain. "Um...yeah, I'll just- hold this, will ya?" He asked, handing her the now quarter-filled cup, and started unbuttoning the shirt as he walked over to the emergency box that they'd been given. While it was filled with games and first-aid stuff, Morgan rummaged through, finally finding a tshirt. He stood, quickly tearing the stained shirt off of him, so he could pull the clean one over his head, before anyone noticed. "I'm sorry about that - I didn't spill any on you, did I?" He asked as he walked back up to Eva.

EVA:

It had been so long since she'd seen Morgan that Eva was struggling not to stare at him, or yell at him, or...something. Truthfully, she didn't even know what she wanted to do to him at this point, but being stuffed in a cafeteria with a bunch of people she didn't give a shit about was certainly clouding her judgment. Or at least it was until she watched him lick his fingers clean, and god, how she fucking hated how attractive mostly everything he did was. "You could've just wiped or rinsed that off, you know?" She groaned. The universe had been testing her since the earthquake happened, but this was even more brutal than she'd anticipated any of this being. She would have spun around and just left once he said he was good, but then he was handing over the coffee cup and all she could do was sigh. Offering to hold it was pretty stupid, but she just tried to focus on the still moving contents in the cup as he walked over to find a new shirt. This had to be some kind of payback the universe was handing out, probably for her being such an asshole this entire time, but as soon as Eva happened to glance over at Morgan just as he was taking his shirt off, she at least knew that her feelings for the man hadn't gone anywhere. "For fuck's sake.." She muttered to herself, and now she really needed that coffee so her mouth wouldn't feel so goddamn dry. But as Morgan approached her again, Eva managed to pull herself together. "No, no, I'm good." She lied as she eyed him in a shirt that was definitely too small for him. "You would've been better off just leaving the shirt off, I guess." She hummed as she held his half empty cup back out to him. "And you need a refill."

MORGAN:

Morgan had sworn that he was going to back off, and let Eva hopefully take her time to do what she needed to do, in order to realize what she was feeling, and then just come back to Puck and him. But with every day that passed where he hadn't heard from her, and was seeing her arrange dates with other guys, the more it felt like it wasn't going to happen. Maybe Puck was right - perhaps Morgan should've fought more for the both of them. But that wasn't who he was; he was the type of guy to back off, respect their wishes and take his own time to think things through. But seeing her here and now really had him reconsidering every single part of that plan; it was a stupid plan that needed to change. Feeling the sleeves hug his biceps and the slight air in the room blow onto his exposed torso, Morgan didn't really have a choice but to wear the tshirt; it was too inappropriate to do anything else. "Well, hopefully we'll be outta here soon, so I don't have to wash this in the sink," he said, referring to the stained shirt in his hand. He accepted the cup, his fingers brushing past hers lightly and he swallowed hard, before getting himself together again. "D'ya want a cup?" He finally asked, moving past Eva and into the empty kitchen to give himself a refill. He didn't really give her a chance to answer, but just started filling up a cup anyway, handing it to her. "Hey, er- I'm sorry 'bout that Hannah Montana voicenote I left ya. You can just delete that. How have you been, other than embarassed to receive somethin' like that?" He joked with a slight smile, hoping the self-deprecation would cause things to be a little lighter between them.

EVA:

If nothing else, Eva had appreciated the fact that both Morgan and Puck had agreed to give her time to figure things out, and she had certainly needed it. She didn't even know how they knew about her feelings for them, and it probably didn't matter since they should have gotten it from her a while ago, but then everything else happened and now she wasn't sure that she felt exactly the same. Them both going out with other people had altered things, on her end anyways, and although she'd freaked out for all of ten minutes when she didn't know where they were, she was still trying to wrap her head around how everything went to shit with them. But this wasn't the time to think about it, not when he was here and looking like that. Glancing at the plaid shirt again, she shrugged. "I could just wash it for you, since it was kinda my fault, anyways." She offered. Maybe it was her way of extending an olive branch or whatever while they were stuck in this stupid cafeteria. She didn't have time to answer his question before he was moving right back to the kitchen, and she followed suit, albeit hesitantly since being alone with him had never been a good thing. Well, that depended on how you looked at it, and right now it would have been a bad thing. Taking the cup, she took a careful swig from it as he referenced the voice note, which shouldn't have made her smile the way that it did but oh well. "Don't be. One of the texts I tried to send you after that first one was me asking you to sing in a voice note for me...just a different song." Eva muttered that last part before shaking her head. "I'm frustrated, mostly. This whole thing is irritating, and so are these fucking couples and whiny emos. I've never hated socializing more than I have the past few days." Eva admitted with a shrug. "I'd ask how you've been but Serena's here, right? Guess you've been well taken care of, huh?"

MORGAN:

Morgan was sucking up the time that he got to spend here with Eva. Was it intentional, pushing that coffee into her hand and initiating a conversation with her, just so he could be in the same room with her, and feel those magical sparks he felt, whenever he was? Absolutely. Was she also free to just leave with the coffee and give him the cold shoulder? Also yes. But he was pleased once she started talking, telling him everything, and most importantly, seeing that smile of hers. The way she looked, after day five or six of this lockdown; she was still a damn goddess in Morgan's eyes. He'd seen her first thing in the morning, after a full night with two guys, and even after that she looked like a goddess. It took Morgan's breath away. He had to tear his eyes away, forcing them down onto his coffee to actually register what she was saying, and he couldn't help the surprised reaction on his face. Eyebrows raised and lips shaped into an "o", he'd figured the message about getting rescued on a horse was the only one she sent him. His stomach swirled up and down, hearing the words, and he felt oddly...desired? "Even with my terrible voice, huh? I must be gettin' better at hitting the right notes!" A gentle smirk crept up on his lips and he folded his arms over his chest. As Eva continued, he could hear himself in her feelings - although not as intense. He just wasn't the type of guy to be social like that. He was about to ask into it, but then he could feel his heart drop at her next assumption, about Serena and him. He swallowed hard, his jaw clenching slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

EVA:

Eva couldn't deny that she missed Morgan, and not just the sex, but she wasn't ready to give into any of this yet. If not for the lack of options of who to go out and spend time with just to avoid the man, she would have made a beeline for literally any other area of the cafeteria. Aurora was here and would've happily drowned her in a bland conversation about books, maybe one of her own or some novel that resembled the hell they were currently in, if she needed some distance between herself and Morgan. Yet after days of being miserable with everyone else, part of her was relieved to see a much more welcoming face. Sipping on her coffee again, she noticed his reaction to her little confession, and she fought off the smile daring to form on her lips. God, how she'd missed seeing him like this. But the second he joked about hitting the right notes, she couldn't help but laugh. "Nope, you're still missing the right notes. Actually, I think this lockdown made you even more off key." She stated and shrugged. "But I needed that. It helped keep me from snapping on anyone, so thank you. It was almost like you read my mind." Eva didn't know how he'd done it, but it had been the only thing pushing her through the day, and she wasn't gonna tell him just how many times she'd listened to it since. All of that was pushed aside when he reacted to her little dig at Serena, which may or may not have been exactly what she'd been going for anyways. "It means that I'm sure she's spent her time with you turning on that little damsel in distress act and keeping you busy, and because you're you, I'm pretty sure you've just been at her beck and call, especially since her little crotch goblin is here too."

MORGAN:

It wasn't just Eva's smile that had Morgan's heart doing little skips, and his palms suddenly becoming warm. It was the melodious laugh she let out, the joking along, the fact that he could help her in that moment. "Well, I was ready to start to singin' all her songs down the telephone to ya, but then we lost service again. Which might've been for the best after all." Morgan chuckled. God only knew how badly Morgan felt the need to hear Eva and Puck's voices too. It had his smile fade slightly. There was nothing that could take back what Morgan had done. He'd misunderstood everything, not communicated clearly, gone on a date with someone who wasn't Puck or Eva, and then posted an accidental thirst trap. Had he put his head more into the whole relationship, rather than let his dick do the work, there might've been a chance at the three of them still surviving; at the very least having a more healthy hook-up, despite the feelings that all three of them had somehow felt. Morgan wasn't the type of guy to put words onto those though; he wasn't good at telling someone if he liked them, or he was falling in love with them. For him, his actions usually spoke louder. And the moment that he'd somehow gotten the idea that Eva and Puck were also seeing other people into his damn head, was also the moment he said that he was going to be the odd man out. Turned out, he was the odd man in. So to a certain degree, he couldn't fault Eva for thinking this way about Serena and him; she'd been the one who he'd gone on a date with afterall, and she'd entertained him during his injury. They got along, they had chemistry, and there was no denying that Serena was incredibly beautiful, and had Morgan feeling desired. But it was only fair to everyone involved that he sorted out everything that was going on, both in his head, and with other people, before throwing himself into another situation that could end badly. "We're friends, Eva. That's all there is to it."

EVA:

Morgan's accent would never fail to make her weak in the knees, and Eva was trying so hard not to just cave and fall into his strong ass arms, which she also missed a lot more than she would ever care to admit right now. She wasn't surprised that he would've kept sending her voice notes of him singing if the signal had held out for long enough, but now she was mad that it hadn't happened. "Or maybe us being in the same place now means you can just sing them to me now?" She suggested, and maybe that wasn't the best idea either but again, it killed the idea of them having to go and be social with anyone else. The only alternative to that was that the longer they spent time together, the harder it would be to avoid the conversation they so desperately needed to have. For someone who excelled in communication career wise, the thought of having to do it with Morgan or even Puck after everything that had happened repulsed her. They didn't listen to each other, or say exactly how they felt before, which led to the men doing what they'd done, and she didn't exactly know how to bounce back from that. Her mind was still trying to make sense of where things went wrong, or wrong enough for them to want to see other people, and Eva was still just as confused as she'd always been. But when he spoke up and reduced Serena to just a friend again, she didn't hesitate to hold back the way her eyes damn near rolled to the back of her head. "Someone that's just a friend wouldn't have an issue with me all because of you, Morgan. The bitch doesn't even know me and she practically had to force herself just to talk to me when I approached her, so I don't think she sees you as a just a friend." Eva pointed out as she put the coffee cup down. "And it's fine, if you want to date her then so be it, but I don't need some jealous lover coming for me or my family over some dick. Might be best if we just...stay away from each other since you can't control your hoe."

MORGAN:

Morgan leaned back against the kitchen counter and took a sip of his coffee, before hearing what Eva said, and almost choking on it, from the chuckle that wanted to come out. She was being way too sweet to him, he knew it. "That might actually cause people to walk out - and I ain't ready to take the responsibility of having sent 30 people out into a danger zone." Morgan said with a grin, and put his cup down. It was nice, being able to just talk like this with Eva, the way they used to. But that didn't mean there wasn't a seriousness behind it. He rubbed his bearded chin as he tried to find the right words, hearing her. The air was thick with unspoken tension, and Eva’s frustration felt like a tempest ready to break. He could sense it in the way her eyes sparkled with barely-contained anger, and in that moment, all he wanted was to bridge the chasm that had formed between them. “Eva,” he began, his voice low and steady, laced with that drawl that he was known for. “I messed up." He ran a hand through his hair, a habit of his when he was trying to sort out his thoughts. “I didn’t mean to hurt you or Puck.” He stepped closer, almost magnetically pulled in by her. “But, to start with, she's really close friends with him. And there's no way in hell that I come before any of that. We've both agreed to it. Besides,” He took a breath, letting the silence stretch between them, and the weight of his statement hung in the air. I'm in love with the two of you was all he wanted to say. But was it going to do anything anyway? Sighing, he spoke up again. “It's been a rough few days, we're all tired and feelin' anxious 'bout this whole thing. We all just wanna go home. That's the only explanation I have for her actin' that way.” His dark eyes softened as he spoke, full of a sincerity, and he was stood almost right in front of her now. “Is that the same reason you have, for callin' her all those unnecessary names?”

EVA:

Eva rolled her eyes instantly at that, deciding she didn't even care about anyone else's feelings right now. "Honestly, some entertainment might do some of them a lot of good. And if they can keep moving us from one place to another, I think it's safe to go outside, they're just being dramatic about all of this." To say she hadn't thought about leaving several times by now would be an understatement, and she'd even studied the shifts outside as she tried figuring out how to get around the emergency personnel. Them being shoved into the cafeteria was truly pointless, and she was sure that this was someone's idea of torture after this many days. As much as she wanted to believe that Morgan was just blind to whatever Serena felt for him, it was far too obvious now. She just didn't understand why Serena had a problem with her as if she were the reason why the cowboy wasn't fucking or dating her. or maybe he was and it was just casual? She didn't know, and she didn't need to know since she was sure she wouldn't handle it well right now, but she did want to know why Serena's battle was with her and not Morgan or Puck. Sighing as Morgan started to apologize again, she simply avoided his gaze as she let him explain himself, and kept it focused elsewhere as he stepped closer. Eva did not need this right now, yet she simply bit her lip as he kept speaking, and making up excuses for his friend. Because of course he would. By the time he'd finished, he was standing much closer to her than she'd even realized, but Eva didn't even move as her gaze now returned to his face. "Right, she's cool with you, and Puck is her friend, but I'm the one she despises? How does that make any sense?" She scoffed. "I'm calling her names because she took jabs at my siblings, and made it clear she doesn't like me, and it's only 'cause of you." She pointed out. "For fuck's sake, just date her already, and you and I can be done."

MORGAN:

It had crossed Morgan's mind several times; just getting up and leaving. Going home, back to where he should be. Sure, he had Gwyneth and Waylon back at his ranch, taking care of the horses, but it wasn't about that; it was selfishly also what Morgan needed. So he could sympathize with Eva; if a horrible Hannah Montana cover concert performed by Morgan Weston was what she needed, then he'd give it to her. Grabbing a whisk that had been used for pancakes earlier, Morgan instantly put it up to his lips as a microphone and started singing. "HOW DID I GET HERE? I TURNED AROUND AND THERE YOU WERE. I DIDN'T THINK TWICE, OR RATIONALIZE, 'CAUSE SOMEHOW I KNEEEEW," He stopped himself before it became too horrible, and put the whisk back again, with a slight grin. Maybe if there wasn't such a mess to be dealt with between them, he would've continued. But he could see the frustration etched on her face, the way she was wrestling with her emotions, and it made him want to reach out and pull her closer. But right now, every step felt like the wrong one. “I get it. I really do. You’re angry, and you have every right to be. But pushing me away isn’t going to solve anything. Serena’s got her own hang-ups, and I’m not blind to that. But it’s not you she should be targeting. If she’s got a problem, it should be with me.” He stepped forward, trapping her in the corner and putting his hands on the kitchen counter behind her. They had to talk about this. His brow furrowed as he searched her eyes for a sign of understanding, or an answer. "D'ya really want me to date her? D'ya really want you and I to be done?" He asked, his fingers itching to reach out for her, feel her touch, feel the way she felt against his fingertips. Her soft skin, the way her body moved against his. But he kept them strictly on the kitchen counter. "Because I don't want that."

EVA:

Eva grinned as he grabbed that damn whisk and started singing, and truthfully, this was the only highlight of this brutal ordeal. She could have listened to him butcher Hannah songs the rest of this lockdown, but it was over as quickly as it had started, and now her mood was dampened again. "Thank you for that." It never ceased to amaze her how even when she was mad at him, he could still find a way to make her smile. But as they got back to the serious side of things, she had never wanted an earthquake to swallow her whole more than she did right now. While she appreciated Morgan agreeing that Serena taking her jealousy out on her wasn't warranted, she furrowed her brows at everything else. She opened her mouth to offer up a rebuttal but before she could, he was closing the distance between them and trapping her between himself and the counter. Inhaling a sharp breath as she begrudgingly met his gaze, Eva should have expected the questions, and she didn't like it. But she couldn't walk away either, so she'd have to work another angle. "You know Serena has feelings for you, so are you leading her on? Letting her think that if you can't have me or Puck, that she could be next up? Because to me, it seems that you and Puck keep trying to tell me that you want this, but your actions — or lack thereof — say otherwise." Eva countered, deciding that she wasn't gonna let him just corner her and have the upper hand here. "It doesn't matter what I want. You two made a decision without me, and then didn't even tell me that you were dating other people so I'm the one that got blindsided, but then you're both mad that I wouldn't open up after that shit. I don't normally catch feelings for anyone or get to a point of wanting to date anyone, and accepting that I was willing to be all in for both of you was really fucking hard for me, but what does it matter? Y'all wanted to fuck around with other people, so now I feel stupid. What else did y'all expect?"

MORGAN:

Morgan could feel his heart racing as he processed Eva's words. The tension between them crackled like electricity, each accusation striking him with a weight he felt deep in his chest. His eyes scanned over her face, taking in every single inch of her - from her perfectly shaped eyebrows, that deep shade of brown in her eyes, the way every curve of her was shaped to perfection - and he watched her brow furrow deeper, the familiar frustration mixed with vulnerability that managed to draw him in. God, she was gorgeous, he couldn't help but think to himself, as Eva stood there and poured her heart out to him. He just let her speak, not wanting to interrupt her, and he just took it all in. Every single word she said, he listened to - he wasn't about to become another dude with a listening problem. 'I don't normally catch feelings for anyone' had his stomach twist, and 'accepting that I was willing to be all in for both of you was really fucking hard for me' had his heart drop to said stomach, swallowing it up like a ship in the Bermuda Triangle. It had been tougher on her than she'd let on and Morgan ever knew about. Finally braving it as she finished her speech, Morgan reached a hand up, cupping her cheek gently. "Eva," he started, his voice low and gentle. "You're the most important part of this. We didn't see that before, because we weren't thinkin' - well, we were, but with our dicks." He grimaced, hating that fact, and also hating saying that word in the presence of a woman. He dropped his hand again, not wanting to push his luck. "The three of us, we're a weird match. We're all on the same wavelength. We have amazing chemistry, the sex is out of this world, and the two of ya have actually managed to get me away from my workplace to live life a little. But it'd never work without you - and Puck and I have finally realized that. So of course it matters what you want. It matters more than anythin' else, Eva. You matter more than anyone else."

EVA:

If someone had told Eva that she'd be stuffed in the fucking PSU cafeteria with a bunch of randos and one of the two men she's been avoiding, openly communicating and admitting to shit she had never planned to admit out loud after everything that happened, she would have probably stayed right out in the open during the earthquake and prayed it took her down in the ruins so she didn't have to do this. Unfortunately though, she hadn't been so lucky, and now she'd verbally owned up about her stupid feelings to Morgan and couldn't take it back, which she very much wanted to do now. Yet as soon as she got it all out and Morgan's hand cradled her cheek, followed by the way he said her name, it was even worse. She didn't even know what she was expecting his response to be, but as she listened to him, it sure as hell wasn't that, and now that it was her turn to silently listen and process his words. Or that should have been how she'd handled it, but by the time he'd lowered his hand, her heart ached, she was physically and emotionally exhausted, and now tears were slowly starting to stream down her bare cheeks. Eva most definitely wasn't the crying type, and certainly not in front of anyone else, so she knew that this was because she'd been running from her feelings or dealing with it by herself, as opposed to with the two men who had gotten her to this point. She'd spent weeks being pissed at them instead of just telling them how she felt, in general and about everything that had happened between all of them, and now her body was trying to lessen that load for her. Eva wasn't even in the mood to hide it or try to stop the crying now, and instead just let her body be in control. "I asked for some time because I'm scared.." She finally admitted, and fuck this crying shit because why was she crying harder now? "I was ready, and then both of you hurt me so now I just...I'm scared that if we try this, you're both just gonna hurt me all over again and I don't want that."

MORGAN:

There was so much more that Morgan wanted to say, so many more feelings he could've explained to Eva; ways for him to highlight just how important she was to this throuple. She was the one who came up with the idea of the three of them getting together after all, and she kept being the reason for them all getting together. She was the glue, she'd proved that, now that they couldn't be together again without her. But words didn't come easily for Morgan, unless he was allowed to think long and hard about it, so nothing more was said. It apparently wasn't necessary though, whatever he would've said would probably just have made the whole situation worse than it already was; and it couldn't get more bad than it was now, as Morgan watched the tears well up in her eyes. "No no no no," he begged quietly, but the tears spilled out and started running down her cheeks. It broke his heart. "Oh, baby," he soothed, his voice cracking and his hand moving back up to where it had rested before. His thumb wiped a tear away but they just kept coming. "Come 'ere." Morgan finally gave up trying to catch every tear, and instead he just pulled her in for a hug, his arms instantly wrapping around her small frame, and holding her close into him. She had confessed her deepest feelings to him, and she was breaking down over it. Morgan didn't know if it was just that, or the fact that Eva had probably gotten limited sleep, felt disgusting, worried about people, and constantly felt the need to be on her toes, if anything was to happen. That was at least how Morgan had felt. So a confrontation like this, where she'd chosen to confess everything she was feeling probably wouldn't help much. It broke his heart, hearing her though, and Morgan moved his head, his lips hovering slightly above Eva's ear, as a hand moved to comb through her soft hair. "I don't want that either," he started quietly, and closed his eyes, feeling a stinging in them too. "Trust me, I don't ever want to hurt you again."

EVA:

Eva wouldn't have chosen to do this shit here, in a fucking lockdown in the school cafeteria, but it was bound to happen at some point, she figured. And she honestly would've kept running away from her feelings and her men if it weren't for this shit, or Morgan keeping her pinned here. She could've done without the crying though, that much she fucking knew. But Morgan instantly trying to soothe her helped, to an extent, and this time she leaned right into the hand on her cheek as he tried, and failed, to wipe away her tears. It was still a nice gesture, she supposed. But when he finally gave up on it and instead pulled her in closer and hugged her, she practically melted right into his arms, throwing her own arms around him as she nestled her face right into his neck. She honestly didn't care right now that they hadn't properly showered in days, that Morgan was wearing someone else's shirt that probably hadn't been washed in ages, or that the entire place was starting to reek of various bodily fluid swaps and sweaty pits. Well, it did still matter to an extent, but with her emotions and being embraced by one of the two people she'd been longing for this entire lockdown, Eva could look past it for now. The feeling of his hand running through her hair was soothing, and she simply nodded her head once as he started speaking again. Both Morgan and Puck had sent enough texts since everything happened to reassure her that they both knew what they wanted now, and she wanted to trust them, but it would take more than him just saying it now. "I've missed you.." She muttered into his neck before clinging to him tighter.

MORGAN:

MONICA:

[Watching as Morgan walked away, following quickly] Hey…Morgan, right? Are you okay? Where are you going?

MORGAN:

[Morgan had had enough of being around reunited families, and people that he didn't know. He wasn't a social person, and a big part of him was getting closer and closer to wanting to make a break for it, and escape, so he could either be by his own family, or by himself. He turned around when he heard a voice calling his name down the hallway.] Oh. Yeah. Hi. I was just- you know, it became a little crowded there. I was hopin' to find a window to open or somethin' - y'know, get some fresh air. You're Monica, right? Thanks for the pancakes earlier.

MONICA:

[Nodding in understanding] Yeah, I get that. I can leave you be if you want, it's just that I saw you walking off alone and I got nervous. Monica, yeah. And you're Morgan? No problem, I have to try and be helpful or I might lose it. Anyways...Like I was saying, you going off alone, makes me nervous, so if you don't mind me tagging along, I'd like some fresh air, too.

MORGAN:

You got nervous? Why? [Morgan chuckles. They barely know each other, but it's sweet.] Of course I don't mind. There's a pretty damn big window at the end of the hallway, it'll be good for sharin'.

MONICA:

I mean, it's an earthquake right, what if there was another aftershock and you got hurt and no one realized you'd wandered off. At least if there's two of us there's a better chance that someone will realize we're missing. [Pausing to think for a second] Although, come to think of it, I think my sister is the only person here who even knows me, so maybe I'm not the best option for this, you might be just as well off on your own after all. [Smiling when he said he didn't mind, feeling a bit of relief that he didn't instantly tell her to get lost] Great. A big window sounds great. Do you go to school or work here or something? Is that why you got stuck here?

MORGAN:

SERENA:

Serena wiped the corners of Sadie’s mouth gently, setting aside the now empty juice box. Her daughter smiled up at her, completely content after her simple dinner of crackers and apple juice, oblivious to the chaos beyond these walls. Sadie wriggled from her lap and quickly returned to the floor, where she resumed coloring her drawings, the beam from Serena’s flashlight casting just enough light for her. Serena’s stomach growled, but she ignored it. The thought of breaking her strict diet for a bag of chips or forcing down something from a can made her nauseous. She leaned back against the wall, her gaze fixed on Sadie, grateful her daughter was so easygoing. If only it were that simple for her.

MORGAN:

Morgan had rummaged through the cafeteria, trying to find things that could be useful. His childhood days of hiking and camping had taught him a few useful things, such as how to get the best out of what little he had available to him. And thankfully, the school was loaded with money, so it wasn't the cheapest, most horrible things that were at hand. Out of all the places to be stuck, at least it was the one filled with food. Only problem? There was no real way to cook any of it, with no power. And cold soup from a can was disgusting, he'd learnt. So instead, he chopped up some vegetables and some fruits, and made himself a sandwich. Walking out of the industry kitchen and into the dining room, Morgan saw the light from Serena's flashlight and headed over there, a gentle smile on his face as his eyes caught Sadie coloring on the floor. "Have you eaten yet?" He asked gently, sitting down on the chair opposite Serena.

SERENA:

Serena looked up as Morgan approached and smiled faintly. No, she hadn’t eaten. But she also hadn’t showered or hadn’t put on any makeup. Her skin felt oily, her hair was a mess and she could barely stand the way she looked, let alone how she felt. The least of her problems was the food, really. “No, I haven’t,” she replied quietly, feeling a bit better now that he was sitting with her, but still pretty annoyed. She glanced over at Sadie, who was content and focused on her coloring. “But she did and that’s what matters. She's probably very happy she didn't have to eat her veggies tonight." She chuckled softly, her gaze returning to Morgan, noting how calm he seemed despite everything. “Have you?”she asked.

MORGAN:

Looking down at the kid, Morgan smiled. It was at least nice to know that she'd been taken care of, but then again, Morgan didn't doubt for a second that Serena prioritized her kid over herself. Bringing a carrot stick up to his mouth, he motioned down to the plate. "Dinner is served," he said, before taking a bite of the vegetable. He pushed the plate of fruits and veggies towards her, but didn't say anything. He was worried, but he wasn't about to push. "How're you holdin' up otherwise?"

SERENA:

Serena’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the plate of vegetables, her face brightening as if she’d just seen a five star meal. “Oh my God,” she breathed, her hand instinctively reaching out for a carrot stick. “Where did you find this?” She laughed softly, relief palpable as she took a bite. Glancing back at Morgan, her expression softened. “Better now that I have this.” She gestured to the plate with a small smile. “I just… really want a shower and a comfy bed.” She took another bite, grateful for the small comfort, before turning her attention to him. “What about you? You seem like you’re handling all of this pretty well. Is it because you live in the countryside or were you a scout?”

MORGAN:

Pleased by the fact that Serena was actually getting some food in her system, Morgan smiled, and lifted his sandwich so he could take a bite out of that. He shrugged at her question, not thinking too much about it. "There's a whole stock of fresh food going bad in the walk-in fridge, so I figured it wouldn't hurt stealin' a few things," Morgan smirked - there was that hint of rebel behavior that he'd told Serena about previously. "I can fetch you some more food, but I ain't sure I can help with the other things though." He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Serena seemed like the type of girl who was used to the luxury of being handed everything, so this must have come as a shock to her. "Me? I was, for like, half a year when I was nine. Then that got boring, and I just ventured out on my own. I'm more concerned with my horses, y'know? But Bree made a good point; my ranch is so far out, she thinks the earthquake's strength probably wasn't as bad, as it was here."

SERENA:

Serena raised a brow, half smiling as she took another bite of the carrot. “I'm shocked I respect people's property so much it didn’t even occur to me,” she scoffed lightly, but then her gaze softened with a glint of admiration. “But Rebel Morgan, you're my hero. Always come out to play, I won't mind in the slightest,” she joked, leaning back in her seat, starting to feel a little more like herself now. At the mention of his ranch, she nodded, her expression thoughtful. “She’s probably right. And you’ve got employees, right? I’m sure they’re taking good care of them, don’t worry.” She said softly and then shifted slightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to push the lingering worry about her own world out of her mind. She then offered him a wry smile, “I guess you’re better prepared for this. It’s tough times for spoiled girls like me.” She let out a small, forced laugh, though behind it was a flicker of vulnerability she couldn’t quite hide. Her eyes briefly flicked to Sadie then, who remained engrossed in her coloring, before she glanced back at Morgan. "She's definitely joining the scouts when we get out of here."

MORGAN:

Morgan couldn't help but chuckle. It was nice to see that Serena could joke back, just like she usually did. He understood that this situation was very different to what they'd been in before, but whatever could be done to feel more normal, Morgan would do. And that included the usual banter between the two friends. "Just call me Robin Hood - I steal from the rich and give to the...hungry?" Morgan smiled cheekily, and took another bite of his sandwich, nodding to what she was saying. He was grateful that he had two people working for him, knowing exactly what to do, otherwise he would've been besides himself. "Yeah, I'm really fortunate to be in that situation. I don't know what I would've done if I didn't have Gwyneth and Waylon back at the ranch." He confessed. Looking down at the little girl, Morgan smiled to himself. At least someone was having a good time. "Would that be such a bad thing?"

SERENA:

BREE:

At least there was one person in the god forsaken place that she trusted, that she felt safe around. Wallking over to the cowboy, she placed her hand on his arm and offered him a weak smile. "Were you able to get ahold of anyone before the cell service went out?" She asked and looked at her own phone to see if there was any change. There wasn't. "I tried texting Bonnie and Jake but none of my texts went through..." she trailed off, trying not to sounds to worried or upset by the lack of communication to her loved ones. "Have you been abole to get through to your sister or you staff or- or Puck or Eva?"

MORGAN:

Sitting on a table in the empty and dark cafeteria, Morgan checked his phone continuously, going between text messages to make sure if they'd been sent you; to no luck. Looking up when he felt a soft touch on his arm, Morgan sighed and put his phone away. "No. There's nothin'," He said, defeatedly. He didn't know where to begin with his worry. His family, his horses, his...people. "It's stressin' me out, not knowin' what's goin' on with my family, or the horses. Or anyone, I guess."

BREE:

"Me too." She said in a voice much softer than she would normally showcase in a public setting, but this was an extenuating circumstance and it wasn't like she was two seconds from a breakdown in front of some random stranger. It was Morgan. "I think the city got the worst of it, you're Ranch might be far enough out that the vibrations didn't do more than spoke some of the horses and your sister is a strong and capable woman, she's okay." Setting down a water bottle and a plate of food, she offered it to him. "It isn't quite as nice as a well seasoned steak but it should keep your body strong."

MORGAN:

Morgan could feel the way that Bree was letting him in. She didn't appear this sensitive around other people, she was normally very stoic - as seen earlier in front of the other people in the cafeteria - and the cowboy figured it was based off of all the crap that her parents had made her do throughout her childhood. Nodding along, she was giving him a lot of reasons why he shouldn't be worrying. "And y'know Jake's capable of lookin' after himself, right? He knows what to do, in these cases - he's very independent," Morgan reasoned back, before seeing the food and drink she'd sorted out for him. "Thank you," He smiled softly and lifted the plate, taking the first bite. "Have you eaten anythin'?"

BREE:

The thing was, she absolutely knew the people in her life were fully capable of surviving if that's what it came to. But that's isn't what she wanted for them. She wanted them safe and easy to reach. "What if he's stuck somewhere, injured and alone?" She asked in a small voice, doing everything she could not to envision Jake like that. Instead she chose to remember he's hard headed and nobody but him us going to decide what happens to him. And he's far too stubborn to just give up. Smiling back at the cowboy, she shook her head. It hadn't even occurred to her to eat. It was the last thing on her mind and she wasn't sure she could without knowing her loved ones were okay. "I don't think I have it in me to eat right now, but I'll try later." A part of her wanted to hug the man, but it seemed... weak, so she didn't.

MORGAN: