Saturday afternoon
Logan was at the gas station convenience store with his kids, keeping an eye on Akihiro as he stepped outside. He hoped the boy was actually heading to the bathroom as instructed. At the same time, he was trying not to lose track of Gabby when Laura spoke up.
“Can I ask you something about Morph?” she said while looking at a pair of sunglasses.
Logan turned to her. “What is it?”
“Why do you like Morph? I mean, it’s not that they don’t seem like a good person—they actually seem really nice—but… I wouldn’t have pegged them as your type.”
“What did you think my type would be?” Logan asked with a smirk.
“I don’t know” Laura shrugged. “Maybe someone less… fun.”
“You think they’re too good for me?”
“It’s just… we’re a difficult family, and well, good things don’t usually last long for us.”
“I know I ruin everything I touch, Laura. But Morph… they say I deserve nice things. And, honestly, I don’t want to be miserable forever. For once, I want to be happy, even if just for a little while.”
“Do they make you happy?”
“They do… and they’re not the only one.” Logan gently bumped his arm against Laura’s. “Now, help me find your sister before she gets into trouble.”
---
They sat down to eat lunch at one of the outdoor tables by the store.
“Morph” Gabby said.
“Yeah?”
“Why do you look like that?”
That caught both Morph and Logan off guard. Why do kids always ask so many questions?
“Oh.” How do you explain to a child that you change your appearance to avoid discrimination or harassment? “Well, sometimes people don’t like how I look, and they might react badly, so I prefer—”
“No, I get that” Gabby interrupted. “But if you can look like anything, why do you choose to look like that?”
That was an easier question to answer. “Remember this morning when we talked about how Aki isn’t handsome because he looks like your dad?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Akihiro said defensively. “I’m way more handsome than him!”
Ignoring Akihiro, Morph continued, “Well, I chose to look like my parents—like how I think a child of theirs would look. I’ve done it since I was little, and now it’s just a habit.”
“I like how you look when there aren’t humans around, but you don’t look bad like this either” Gabby said before taking another bite of her lunch.
“Unlike Akihiro” Laura added.
“A lot of people think I’m really handsome, for your information!” Akihiro retorted before ruffling Laura’s hair.
Once they finished eating, they got back in the car. Logan had just opened the door and was about to get in when Morph spoke up.
“Aki can sit up front” Morph said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’ll sit with the ladies.”
Logan looked at them, surprised. “If that’s what you want…”
Morph patted Akihiro on the shoulder with a smile before climbing into the backseat. The boy smiled back. Logan got into the car, still a little confused. They were getting along now? When had that happened?
Once everyone was in, they set off again, chatting about the things they saw along the way and some of the missions Morph and Logan had been on. Akihiro seemed more animated now, joining in the conversation more than usual.
“Daaaaaaad” Gabby said, leaning toward Logan’s seat. “Can we stop for a bit to stretch our legs?”
Logan glanced at Morph in the rearview mirror before answering. “Fine, but not for long.”
He pulled over by a stretch of grass with a few trees nearby and small houses in the distance—perfect for a quick walk.
As soon as they got out, Gabby exclaimed, “I think I saw a bunny!” She pointed toward the grass and ran off in that direction.
“Hey! Not too far!” Logan called.
“I’ll go after her,” Akihiro said, walking toward Gabby, with Laura following close behind.
While the kids were busy, Logan and Morph wandered off in the opposite direction.
Logan leaned in close and whispered, “Is it just me, or does my son like you now?”
Morph chuckled and whispered back, “I think so. But why are we whispering?”
“He’s got sharp senses too. He’ll get mad if he finds out we’re talking about him,” Logan explained. “How’d you manage that?”
“Well, I think we bonded over having dead moms and daddy issues. But don’t worry—I said good things about you.” Morph placed their hands on Logan’s face and gave him a soft kiss.
In the distance, the others were watching them.
“Can you hear what they’re saying?” Laura asked.
“No, I think they’re whispering” Akihiro replied.
“Maybe they’re just moving their lips and pretending to talk to trick us” Gabby suggested before shouting “Dad! If I catch the Bunny, can I keep it?!”
“No!”
After a while, they got back in the car, and Morph sat in the front passenger seat again. They turned on the radio and started humming along to the music.
“Morph” Gabby said after a while.
“Yeah?” Morph asked, lowering the volume slightly.
“Are you going to marry Dad?”
Logan and Morph exchanged surprised looks—they hadn’t talked about marriage yet.
“Oh, well… your dad has to ask me first,” Morph said, glancing down at their lap. It didn’t feel like the perfect answer, they had no idea if Logan ever wanted to get married again and discussing it in front of his children was not a good idea, but it was honest. if he asked, Morph wouldn’t hesitate to say yes.
“Then, Dad—”
“Gabby, you and I need to have a serious talk about asking questions you shouldn’t” Logan interrupted.
Akihiro started laughing, and Logan glared at him through the rearview mirror. “What are you laughing at?”
“I’m not laughing,” Akihiro said, still laughing.
Morph turned the radio up again. After a while, the sky turned shades of orange, slowly giving way to purples as night approached.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Morph said, gazing out the window.
Logan had seen countless sunsets in his long life, but not many with Morph. He thought he’d never get tired of it. Sometimes, the sunlight hit Morph in just the right way, making them look like an angel. Logan decided it was beautiful.