Chapter Text
You spent several days trying to bring your home into perfect condition. Like Cinderella driven by her wicked stepmother, you polished every corner of your apartment until it gleamed, then simply waited for Magus to arrive. Sitting on the balcony and watching the sky, you couldn’t shake the thought that Isolde was about to do something dangerous. She knew Magus could seriously interfere with her plans, and that the OBOL squad might also become an obstacle. So, she chose to secure herself by pushing one of the problems far away - placing it on the highest shelf, out of reach.
But the world of ideas and suspicions was interrupted by the ringing of your phone. An unknown number flashed on the screen, one belonging to a public payphone network. The ringtone kept playing, refusing to stop. After hesitating for a few seconds, you answered.
“Hello, who is this?” you asked in your most serious voice.
“I didn’t know you could sound that serious,” came a familiar, cheerful reply.
“Colon…” you began, but were cut off.
“Quiet,” she hissed. “Didn’t you recognize your ‘aunt’?”
You hesitated, confused. It didn’t sound like any aunt you knew - it was definitely Isolde, but why she spoke like that wasn’t immediately clear.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t recognize you,” you said, playing along. “Did something happen, ‘aunt’?”
“Nothing special. Just wanted to tell you that tomorrow afternoon a little ‘gift’ will arrive. You’ll need to meet ‘her’ at the station. Sorry, no red ribbons, she refused.”
“Understood… Where are you now?”
“Me? I’m on the Waifei Peninsula. Decided to visit while I have the chance. Watching a beautiful sunset near a small restaurant. Wonderful place, you should visit it someday. Alright, I have to go now. Bye.”
The call ended.
Lowering the phone, you let out a heavy sigh. Isolde was clearly playing a dangerous game. There was no other reason to use a payphone and pretend to be an “aunt.” She was afraid of being overheard. The only question left was whether she was really on the Waifei Peninsula - or if that, too, was part of the performance.
You leaned back in your chair, tilting your head and closing your eyes.
I just hope she’s okay. And Magus arrives tomorrow… I should go buy groceries. And cigarettes.
Outside, it was quiet, fresh, and sparsely populated, perfect for a walk to the store.
Inside the 141 Convenience Store, a fan spun lazily, a television flickered with the same looping advertisement, and rows of neatly arranged discounted goods lined the shelves. Everything evoked the long-forgotten feeling of a neighborhood shop.
After filling a couple of bags, only one thing remained.
The cigarette vending machine.
You had known it your entire life. It had always stood there, not far from home, yet always felt distant - no one around you smoked. But now you stood in front of it, seriously choosing what to buy. With nothing to guide you, you picked based on packaging and flavor.
Buying one pack of everything, you returned home, put the groceries away, and stepped into the familiar quiet. Even the cats were calm, basking on the kitchen windowsill.
The kitchen itself was small but functional - fridge, dining table, stove, dishwasher, sink. Everything needed for life. The orange cabinets stood out against gray walls, adding a bit of life to the interior. You had never imagined Magus here; she and domestic life seemed incompatible. And yet - you were waiting for her.
The night was nearly sleepless. First, the cats kept running around. Then, after they settled, the delayed effect of a horror movie hit you. Familiar objects turned unfamiliar. Creeping silhouettes stared into your soul, strange creaks echoed where none had existed before, ominous sounds came from the kitchen.
Everything seemed against you.
But eventually, peace came - and carried you into sleep.
Morning arrived beautifully. Birds sang, flowers bloomed. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, reflecting off glass cabinet doors and scattering bright spots across the walls. The quiet ticking of the clock, the soft breathing of the cats beside you, it was pure idyll.
You opened your eyes and glanced at the clock: ten o’clock.
After getting ready, dressing, eating breakfast, and feeding the cats, it was time to head to the station.
The streets were mostly empty - it was a weekday morning, after all. The sun was already turning the streets into a miniature inferno, leaving you to seek refuge in the sparse shade of trees. Time dragged painfully. The water you bought was already gone - and still no sign of Magus.
An hour later, she finally arrived, carrying a small backpack.
You didn’t recognize her at first - you hadn’t expected to see her in civilian clothes. Aviator sunglasses, a black cap, her hair in two familiar ponytails, a black turtleneck, and wide white trousers.
Magus looked like she had stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine - completely different from her military self. She looked… like an ordinary woman.
When she spotted you, she froze, slowly removing her glasses. Then she approached and hugged you tightly, burying her face in your shoulder and inhaling slowly, as if trying to remember your scent.
The smell of tobacco, gunpowder, and mint filled your senses.
The world stopped for the two of you.
Her embrace wasn’t just strong - it balanced on a razor’s edge, almost crushing.
“I missed you, Magus,” you said.
She pulled back, flashing her familiar smirk.
“You haven’t changed, Y/N. Though maybe you’ve gone soft.” She poked you in the stomach.
“Hey!” you yelped, nearly jumping back. “Stop!”
“Alright, alright.” She put her sunglasses back on. “So, how do you live here? Must be boring.”
“It’s fine. Let’s go; I don’t want to stand here any longer under this sun.”
You walked home together, chatting. Magus even allowed herself to smoke during the walk.
“Nice neighborhood. Quiet.”
“Yeah, though summers here are unbearable,” you said, wiping sweat from your forehead. “Honestly, I’m surprised you took vacation.”
“That wasn’t my decision. Isolde insisted - basically forced me. She’s off on assignments again, and I’m stuck here.”
“Magus, you really need to rest.”
“I know, I know. I’ll try to embrace civilian life - with your help.”
“I’ll try. And… I didn’t recognize you at first. That outfit suits you.”
“Girls from OBOL helped me pick it. Spent a whole day in a mall - I thought I’d die. But thanks.”
After a while, you stopped by the cigarette machine.
Magus studied the selection carefully, stroking her chin, lowering her glasses slightly. It was oddly adorable - this hardened captain, capable of breaking bones without effort, now choosing cigarettes like a child picking sweets.
“I didn’t know the city had so many kinds,” she said.
“Yeah, there’s a lot.”
She inserted coins and pressed a button. A white pack dropped down, decorated with a map of New Eridu, a blue lighthouse, and a sailor thiren bear.
“Belomor? Never heard of it,” you said.
“I’ve heard they’re strong. The Belobog Heavy Industries guys love them.” She tapped the pack, pulling out a cigarette. “Look and smell like army ones.”
She lit it, took a drag - and for a moment, surprise crossed her face before she exhaled a thick cloud.
“Damn, these are strong,” she muttered, lowering the cigarette.
“We’re almost here.”
For the rest of the walk, Magus simply smoked in silence, studying the surroundings with her gaze - small shops filled with odds and ends, an arcade hall.
“So, you even have a gym here? Convenient.”
“Yeah, it opened not too long ago and became really popular. Are you already thinking about getting a membership?”
“Why not? I’ll be here for at least two months - might as well spend the time usefully,” Magus said, putting the cigarette butt into her ashtray and tossing a mint gum into her mouth.
Taking the elevator to the right floor, you inserted the key into the lock and, after turning it a few times, opened the door to your chill apartment. A pleasant dimness wrapped around the hallway as you stepped inside.
“Make yourself at home, Magus.”
Before you could finish, she grabbed you by the collar and pulled you in for a long, hungry kiss. The fresh taste of mint and the faint scent of tobacco blended together, once again forming that vivid image of Magus in your mind. In that kiss, she seemed to be making up for everything that had been lost between you. Lightly biting your lip with her sharp fangs, she finally released you from her iron grip, smacking her lips with her signature smirk.
“I’ve been waiting for that for a long time, my medic boy,” she said.
“Me too… though I’ve almost forgotten what it felt like,” you replied, trying to catch your breath after the long kiss.
After taking off her shoes, Magus began to walk through your apartment like she owned the place. From the hallway, she glanced into the living room, checked the kitchen and bathroom, and finally entered the bedroom, where she tossed her backpack onto the floor and dropped onto the bed.
“You’ve got it nice here, but the bed is too soft. Now I see why you’ve relaxed so much - this is basically a resort,” Magus said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Well, maybe for you. The main thing is that it’s cool in here. I thought I was going to melt outside like ice cream,” you replied, falling onto the bed and closing your eyes. “Want some tea?”
“Is tea all you have?” Magus asked, about to put another cigarette in her mouth.
“There might be some coffee, but I’m not sure if any’s left. You’re not going to smoke in here, are you?”
“No, just a habit,” she said, tucking the cigarette behind her ear.
Moving to the kitchen, Magus sat at the table, looking around at the interior.
“It’s cozy here. Nice colors.”
“You just noticed the cabinet color happens to match your hair,” you replied, turning on the kettle and leaning against the counter. “You can open the window and smoke if you want.”
“Thanks.”
Magus stood up, sat on the windowsill, crossed one leg over the other, and opened the window. In moments like these, she looked completely different. The sharpness in her features softened, her horns framed her face in a peculiar way. The sunlight played in her fiery hair, giving the fierce warrior the appearance of a gentle, beautiful maiden… until her smirk returned - sharp, fanged, predatory.
“What are you staring at?” Magus asked, tilting her head and swinging her leg.
“Nothing, don’t mind me,” you said, opening a drawer to take out two cups and tea bags. “Looks like there is coffee after all.”
After preparing tea and coffee, you placed the cups on the table and sat across from Magus, who had stubbed out her cigarette and was now watching you. You sat in silence, enjoying your drinks. Still, Magus couldn’t stay idle for long, so you had to find something to occupy her. The first idea that came to mind was watching a movie in the living room. It seemed like a good idea at first but she suggested some complex arthouse film she had liked long ago.
You ended up falling asleep thirty minutes in.
You woke up after dark. The TV screen flickered faintly and meaninglessly; outside, the first lonely streetlights had come on. Magus, who had been sitting beside you not long ago, was gone, only the empty space under the blanket remained. Your head felt slightly dizzy, your legs stiff from sleep, but you went looking for her.
It didn’t take long.
Magus stood with her back to you, leaning against the kitchen windowsill, exhaling cigarette smoke into the open window. The young moon and the glow of streetlights softly illuminated the small kitchen… and her. By now, she had changed into her usual outfit: a black military tank top and long shorts. Her tail swayed slowly from side to side.
“You know, I still think I’m not made for this kind of life. It’s too calm… too peaceful,” she said quietly.
“I think you just need rest. You work too much, you deserve to enjoy moments of peace,” you replied, stepping closer and leaning beside her.
“Alright, alright, I’ll try. And next time, try not to fall asleep at the very beginning.”
“Sorry, I tried. By the way, did you have dinner?”
“No, just had coffee. I’m not hungry,” Magus said, flicking ash from her cigarette.
“Suit yourself.”
“By the way, I suggest you come up with something interesting to do while I’m on this forced vacation. Otherwise, I’ll file a complaint about terrible service.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll think of something,” you said, raising your hands in surrender.
After a while, you both went to sleep – so, you could greet the next day together.