Morrijack Short Stories

The Promises - Part 5 of The Breakup

He'd often laughed as he told her that he looked the same as the last time she'd seen him, whenever she would pounce on him, declaring him the hottest or cutest man in the world after not seeing each other for a while. But it was true – he was the hottest man in the world, or perhaps the hottest man in Morrigan's world.

But right now, more than just how attractive he looked was flooding through her head as she looked up the staircase to the man she had once called – and hoped to once again call – hers. Jack did come after all.

Morrigan and Jupiter weren't the only people staring up at the handsome young stranger entering the facility, no, far from it, Morrigan noted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a group of girls, of her age and older, giggling and blushing as they waved at Jack. She wanted to tell them to back off her man, but, she reminded herself, he wasn't quite hers anymore, nor just quite yet anyway.

Jupiter made his way up the stairs to meet his nephew halfway, embracing him as though he hadn't seen Jack in years. He also whispered something into his ear, not that Morrigan really noticed – she was too busy glaring at all the on-lookers.

Jupiter walked with Jack down the stairs, stopping when they reached Morrigan. She chanced a look at him, meeting his eyes before they both looked away, awkwardly.

Jupiter looked between them briefly, sensing the tension and then looked around for an escape. His bright blue eyes landed on Fenestra, who was sitting in a far corner and looking like she very much did not want to be bothered.

"Well... uhm, looks like Fen needs me over there – you two... do whatever it is you're going to do," Jupiter said, walking over to where Fen was and leaving the two awkwardly-fallen-out-but-still-in-love teens alone.

Having seen him coming, the Magnificat rolled her eyes and huffed, being too lazy to move away to avoid the mad ginger.

Morrigan looked over at Jack again. He was looking at the ground, then occasionally flicking his gaze upwards to the group of girls giggling obnoxiously and talking rather loudly about the "sexy stranger."

To her relief, he seemed annoyed about them, meaning he wasn't looking to move on from her, if he hadn't already. She noticed he seemed down, yet there was hope in his eyes when he turned and caught her gaze, giving a quick, sad smile before looking away again.

She decided she didn't like it when Jack was sad. It made him look small and lost, a big contrast from the confident, sassy boy she had fallen in love with. It broke her heart even further, and she hoped after today, she'd never have to see him like this again.

Deciding it was time to talk, Morrigan debated taking Jack's hand and leading him away from the crowd, but she didn't want a bad reaction or make things even more awkward. Instead, she took a deep breath and turned to face Jack, "can we... can we go somewhere a little more... private?"

He nodded and followed Morrigan as she walked over to the little archway with a curtain in front of it. She had discovered earlier when looking around for somewhere to talk to Jack. She found that it led to a hidden corridor inside the Deucalion. She'd never seen it before; it's as if the Hotel had known a particular couple needed an escape to talk things over.

When they reached the room Morrigan had chosen for them – it was like a mashup of their own rooms in the Deucalion, she'd thought it'd be familiar and comforting – she shut the door behind them and went to sit on the couch, motioning for Jack to join her. They sat next to each other, rather than across from, which both were grateful for, unsure if they could physically face the other.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, silently daring the other to say or do something, anything. Eventually, Jack broke the silence.

"Uhm... I'm sorry."

Morrigan felt her heart shatter into even smaller pieces upon hearing his voice. It had no energy, no confidence, and it was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. But it was words that shook her more – it wasn't his fault they were there right now.

"I'm sorry it wasn't what you wanted or expected... it wasn't what I had wanted or expected either," his voice broke, and he forced a smile, looking over at her, "you deserve better."

She shook her head, blinking back tears.

"No, I'm sorry... things were getting a little more difficult, and I was stressed and worried. So I did what I thought was right... but it proved not to be – I was even more upset after I-I... after I ended us."

They sat in silence for a while before they both went to speak:

"I really regr-"

"You said you regr-"

They both paused and giggled a bit.

"You first," Jack said, nodding at her to speak.

"I really regret breaking up... and I don't know exactly how you feel, but the fact that you came here tonight says that you still care-"

"I'll always still care," Jack murmured, and Morrigan felt her cheeks heat up – something that always happened whenever Jack said something like that or complimented her, despite them have dated for over a year.

"A-and, I was hoping we could start again? Our relationship, I mean... obviously. I know I hurt you - and believe me, it probably hurt me just as much – but I still love you... and I think I always will," she looked down at her hands in her lap, tears spilling over now, before seeing slender hands of warm brown wander over and grasp her own. Finally, she looked up at Jack, slightly shocked to see him crying too.

"I'd like that, starting our relationship again, anew, fresh... just promise me one thing?"

Morrigan smiled, biting her lip slightly and allowing Jack to pull her onto his lap.

"Yes?"

"Promise that we'll talk things out in the future? When things are going rough? I know I'm not the best at it either, but it's something we can work on."

Morrigan nodded, tracing a finger down his chest, "I promise... promise me something?"

He kissed her forehead, "of course."

"Promise me you'll come home more often? Or call? Or write...?"

He nodded in return, "I promise."

Morrigan slid her arms from Jack's chest to around his neck, bringing them closer.

"I missed you."

He kissed the crook of her neck, "I missed you too."

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Annnd finished! First mini-fic of this book! I hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to stick around for more stories - I promise they won't be as sad and heartbreaking as this one was! Feel free to request anything. Thanks for reading! :D

Written: 13 July, 2021

Published: 18 July, 2021