Chapter Text
The world around him was dark, fuzzy. He couldn’t grasp any sort of concept, was he even really there? He couldn’t see, touch, feel. His thoughts were empty and...was he floating? It felt like it. Or did it?
And then a small gasp of breath and a loud wail caused him to solidify and he opened his eyes with a start.
His eyes are blurry at first, and he feels scared. He’s sad, but not really. But overall he’s just really confused. His eyes adjusted and focused and he found himself looking at a baby. He paused, staring in awe at the small, crying child. Something pricked him in the back of his mind, a weird feeling, but somehow comforting. It pushed his earlier feelings to the back of his mind, still there, but not overwhelming.
His eyes wandered away from the child and he finally saw the woman holding him. The mother, who looked extremely tired but oh so happy. A man stood at her side, a wide smile on his face and a look of love in his eyes as he looked at his wife and the baby.
The scene before him put a smile on his face as well, a feeling of happiness and love surrounded him and another tingle hit the back of his head. He blinked in confusion, but his eyes focused back on the baby as he settled down and stopped crying, falling into a light sleep. And everything was silent for a peaceful, blissful moment.
“So, what’s the little guys name?” A feminine voice piped up behind him and he jumped. He almost turned to see who was speaking but was stopped when a woman wearing a white coat walked past him.
Wait, no, not past him.
Through him.
His hands went to his body in confusion, but he felt solid. He would have pondered it more but his attention focused back to the doctor’s question. The parents looked at each other, smiling, as the doctor waited with a clipboard. But before the name was even said, he knew. He already knew the boy’s name.
“Thomas.” He said at the same time the mother did, but his voice was different. It was like it didn’t carry like the mother’s voice or even the doctor’s voice. He spoke the words, he knows he did, but they felt almost...hollow.
The doctor wrote the name down and he took note of the fact that no one looked at him. No one had heard him. Or maybe they were just too caught up in what they were doing. So, as the doctor walked past him, he tried to gain her attention.
“Excuse me, I was wondering-” He cut himself off when his hand, which was trying to tap her shoulder, actually went through it. He pulled his hand back and curled his fingers together several times, flexing them. The doctor continued on her way, as if nothing had happened.
He turned around to see a desk with a glass of water. He reached over to try and pick it up, but again, his hand went right through. His eyebrows furrowed. He couldn’t touch anyone, no one could see him, and no one could hear him. He pushed down the feelings of panic and turned again to look at Thomas. He had a smile on his face as he slept, causing him to smile as well. All he seemed to be able to do was watch.
So, he did.
***
Late that night, he found himself alone with Thomas. The parents had put the baby’s bundled up form in the crib before heading to their own room. He watched them go, not feeling any sort of need to be away from Thomas. In fact, he almost felt like he couldn’t.
He leaned over the crib to get a better look at the little guy, sleeping soundly. His thoughts started to wander, however, and he found himself thinking about himself.
There were some things he knew and some things he didn’t. He knew Thomas. That he was most certain. Heck, he was pretty sure the tingling in his brain was Thomas. Or at least, something to do with him.
Like emotions.
Morality blinked and it was as if a floodgate opened. He was now certain of the fact that he was tied to Thomas’ emotions. No, he technically was Thomas’ emotions. His eyebrows furrowed.
Morality .
That word echoed around in his mind and he had immediately applied it to himself. It felt right though, to call himself that. He now knew who he was--sorta, what he was kind of felt like something else altogether--but he was still so confused. About the why, the how, the nobody seeing or hearing or touching him thing. What was all that about?
His thoughts were interrupted by another tingle and not a second later, Thomas started to cry. He peered back into the crib, the sight practically breaking his heart.
“Aww, no. Don’t cry kiddo, you’re okay.” He whispered calmly, sending Thomas a soft smile. He reached in and picked him up, cradling him against his chest. He started bouncing his arms a bit and humming a soft tune that had appeared in his mind out of nowhere. But it seemed to do the trick as Thomas began to settle back down. The cries and tears stopped and Thomas looked up at him with half-lidded eyes.
“There we go, now go back to sleep kiddo.” He smiled when Thomas’ eyes fully closed and a small smile appeared as he once again entered sleep. He carefully set the baby back in the crib, tucking the blanket around him a little more. He smiled at the boy, only for his mind to catch up with what had just happened.
He had actually held Thomas. He talked to him and he listened. Thomas had even looked at him. Not to mention the fact that he also touched the blanket as well. Curious, he tried touching the small lamp nearby, but his hand just fazed through.
What did this all mean?
Thomas made a small, content sounding noise as he slept and Morality’s focus was once again back on him. He smiled as he watched him sleep on peacefully. He supposed it didn’t really matter right now.
No, all that mattered was Thomas.