Work Text:
Jupiter:
"Go to your room Morrigan," Jupiter demanded angrily.
Morrigan muttered a curse under her breath and ran out of Jupiter's study to her room. Jupiter slid down the wall and on to the floor. Well shit, the kid was right. He thought, realizing that Morrigan had a point.
Morrigan:
Morrigan's nails dug painfully into her skin as tears poured from her eyes and she hyperventilated. I'm fucked, I'm so, so, so fucked. She thought. The punishment for talking back to anyone with the Crows had been getting a collection of large bruises and being left outside without so much as a blanket and she had yelled at Jupiter. What was he going to do to her? She thought. She was so focused on her thoughts she didn't realize she had dug her nails so deep her arms were bleeding. The Deucalion tried snapping her out of it by changing her room in every way imaginable, but nothing worked and eventually it stopped. She sat against her door for hours before she heard Jupiter's footsteps in the hallway she bit down hard on her arm to stop herself from making a noise, her panic intensified. What's he going to do to me, oh god, he's coming. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Morrigan's thoughts raced as the footsteps drew closer and eventually stopped outside her door. I'm sorry! She thought.
"Mog, can I come in?" Jupiter asked. It'll be worse if I don't let him in. Morrigan thought. It always had been with Corvus.
"Y-yes," Morrigan managed, stepping away from the door.
Jupiter opened the door and looked down at his scholar, he looked surprised when he saw her.
"Shit, Mog, calm down, it's ok." Jupiter bent down next to her. "Mog, listen to me, deep breaths, it'll be ok." Jupiter moved his hand towards her and Morrigan flinched.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me! Morrigan thought frantically, shrinking away from her patron and wishing she could disappear completely.
"I'm not going to hurt you Mog!" Jupiter said.
He's lying. I'm not safe, not safe, not safe, not safe.
"I'm sorry!" Morrigan croaked.
"It's not your fault Mog." Morrigan didn't believe him. "Morrigan, look at me." Morrigan looked at him, her vision blurred by her tears. "Good, now take some deep breaths for me, that's it," Jupiter instructed.
Jupiter glanced down at Morrigan's arms, and gasped when he saw what Morrigan was doing. He gently pried her hand away from her arm and sighed.
"Mog," he began.
"I'm sorry! I-I won't do it again, I know it'll make you look bad!" Morrigan blurted out.
"Mog, you think I give a flying fuck about how it'll make me look?" Jupiter asked, Morrigan winced slightly at his tone. "Sorry."
Jupiter cursed Corvus in his head and wished he could strangle the man for what he did to Morrigan.
Why does he care? He shouldn't care. I'm just a curse and a burden. WHY DOES HE CARE?
"You're not a curse or a burden Morrigan!" Jupiter insisted, "you are a gift!"
"How?" Morrigan whispered, almost hoping Jupiter wouldn't hear.
"By existing Mog, you are an amazing human being, and you've made so many people's lives so much better!" Jupiter explained, "you helped to stop the ghastly market, your a great friend, and without you, every Wunimal would've turned into husks from the Hollowpox!"
Morrigan felt guilt tie a knot in her stomach. Squall cured the Hollowpox, you just made a deal with the most evil person to ever be in Nevermoor.
"Mog, I'm not lying. About any of that. You destroyed the Hollowpox, you saved the Wunimals." Jupiter said. Even if you made a deal with Squall, he didn't say. "Now, can I look at your arm please?" Jupiter asked, Morrigan had hidden it as soon as she had realized he had seen it. Morrigan held out her arm and let Jupiter examine it. "Why Mog?" He asked.
"I deserve it." Jupiter looked at Morrigan with shock. How horrible can one man be to an innocent child? He thought, wanting to do a lot more than strangle Corvus now. "I yelled at you, you're an authority figure, that was bad of me, I deserve to be punished."
"No you don't Mog, and anyway, you were right," Jupiter replied, "even if you weren't, you deserve to have your opinion heard. And you do not, under any circumstances deserve to be hurt for it."
Morrigan nodded, but didn't believe him.
"Mog, I'm not lying to you," Jupiter promised, "now, I'm going to bandage those because they are bleeding a concerning amount." Jupiter was right, blood was pouring out of her cuts surprisingly fast Jupiter coughed and the Deucalion made a medical kit appear in his lap. He opened it. "The perks of a magical hotel." Morrigan smiled slightly. "This might hurt a bit." Jupiter was right about that as well, everything he did stung and Morrigan had to bite back her complaints, but Jupiter could see her pain and apologized whenever the pain was bad. "There you go, now please, don't do that again Mog."
"I-I'll try not to, dad." The last part slipped out before she could think, before she could decide that maybe it was a bad idea.
"That's all I ask Mog," Jupiter replied, "and did you just call me dad?"
"I- I'm sorry if you d-didn't want me to," Morrigan replied.
"I'm fine with it Mog, call me what you want," Jupiter replied, smiling. Really, he liked the idea that Morrigan thought of him as a father, he just hoped he was better than Corvus.