Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

A gentle shiver ghosts through Yumiko’s body, causing her to adjust her blazer tighter around her frame in an attempt to ward off the chill within the evening air. Being the second week of March means spring is on the horizon and after a cold winter she’s looking forward to it. Although, it has to be admitted the winter months have been infinitely more bearable inside the walls of the Commonwealth than compared to those of past years.

Her thoughts turn to the memory of the journey from Kingdom to Hilltop amidst the full-on blizzard last year, and in all truth Miko’s neigh on certain that she’s never in her lifetime been as cold as she had been then. 

The weather has finally started to brighten over the past few weeks, the temperature too is slowly beginning to warm, and Yumiko’s beyond thankful for it. The evenings, however, remain yet to have received the notice of spring’s imminent approach and as a result continue to carry the bitter cold with them.

Admittedly, her current situation isn’t helping. 

Whilst her being here right now is a necessity, all the disused buildings on the outskirts of the Commonwealth lie derelict and as such have no form of heating - this apartment block included - and the winter air is clearly reluctant to relinquish its hold on the old building, heightened by the damp that seems intent on clinging to the very walls. 

The sound of the main door downstairs clicking closed alerts Miko to the presence of another and so, in her need to be cautious, she creeps quietly from the main living space into the master bedroom, and pushes the door too behind her. Access to the fire escape via the window allows her a quick exit should it be necessary and she knows for a fact it’s unlocked thanks to her previous time spent here.

The stairs leading up from the lobby creak and as the gentle closing of the apartment’s front door echoes through the space, she inches her way towards the window, her adrenaline levels beginning to rise. 

Yumiko’s breath catches in her throat. There’s no known reason for her to be here and the seeming abstractness of her presence therefore means there’s no reason for any other person to be here looking for her.

Except for one.

“Miko?”

Magna’s hushed voice ghosts through the air and the lawyer’s lips twist into a smile at the sound of it. Releasing her fear with a calming sigh, Yumiko makes her way to the bedroom door and pulls it open carefully to reveal her girlfriend standing in the middle of the living area with her back to her. 

Miko’s smile breaks out into a full on grin at the sight of her love and the realisation that the grey jumper Magna’s wearing is the very same one she’s spent the past week searching for. 

Although at least she now knows where it went, and in truth, she can’t find it in herself to be annoyed with its apparent theft, for she’ll never get tired of the sight of her girlfriend in her clothes. 

“Hi.”

At the sound of Miko’s voice, Magna whirls to face her with a smile of her own, “hey.”

After a week without hearing it, the sound of her girlfriend’s quiet rasp is comparable with music to her ears and Yumiko doesn’t hesitate to close the distance between them and pull Magna into her arms.

It’s been just over five months since the Halloween masquerade ball and that conversation, in which Magna bared her soul and Yumiko revealed the secrets she’d been keeping tightly within her chest. And, as much as Miko’s reluctant to admit it for fear that in this world happiness flees the second you allow yourself to acknowledge its presence, things have been going well between them.

A week after the masquerade ball they’d revealed the full truth - from Miko’s secret involvement in digging up dirt on those in power, to their relationship and the dangers of it - to Rosita, Daryl, and Tomi. Not only had they both known there would be no way of keeping it from them, but they’d also come to an understanding that their friends needed to know for their own safety, in regards to Pamela and Lance having them under surveillance. 

That, and Rosita had been about ready to have Yumiko’s head for the hurt she’d caused Magna, and she’d rather it stayed attached to her body thank you very much. 

Miko had also informed Carol, Connie and Kelly of her and Magna’s rekindled relationship. Although, considering the three of them were the ones the lawyer had secretly been working with and so already knew the truth of Yumiko’s allegiance, they’d been less surprised and more relieved; and more than willing to help the two of them in any way they could.

Even after everything that happened with Eugene’s imprisonment, the rest of their family to this day still have no idea of their relationship or Yumiko’s involvement in anything - be it her part in gathering information about the Commonwealth and those in power, or the fact she’s secretly part of their rebellious group, and her help with not only Eugene but the things she’s unknowingly done for each of them over the past months - and there’s a strict agreement between those that do know that things are to stay that way.

That being said, as necessary as Miko knows all of this secrecy is, it doesn’t stop the jolt of hurt that shoots through her every time one of her family sends her a less than loving look or makes a snide comment about her perceived actions towards Magna. They don’t know any better so she supposes it’s not their fault for thinking what they do, and it’s without a doubt better this way, but it still makes her want to scream that anyone could think it possible for her to treat the woman she loves so badly.

Although things have been far from easy and the amount of sneaking around they’ve been doing has Yumiko feeling like some sort of secret agent super spy, with help from their chosen family they’ve been able to fall into a sort of routine.

As of a month ago, Magna now works as a barista in the cafe on main street on weekdays, as well as continuing to bartend and waitress on Thursday night through until Sunday. As such, finding time for them to get away together had been difficult at first, but they’ve managed to figure it out over the past months. They meet once a week, usually on Wednesday night - as is their current situation. They both regard it as their evening and eagerly count down the days to it as soon as their current one ends; for these few hours grant them a reprieve from the masqueraded act they’re forced to diligently put on for everyone else. 

It’s also the only time the two of them see each other for the entirety of the week. Well, apart from the odd fluke of passing in the street and the rare occasions that Yumiko just so happens to get a coffee on her lunch break when Magna just so happens to be on shift. But considering it’s imperative they remain seemingly nothing more than acquaintances that’ve come from the same community, in Miko’s mind those times don’t count. 

It pains Yumiko that she only gets to see her love once a week, but she’s also conscious of how close she came to losing Magna entirely and so if this is how things must be to keep her girlfriend in her life then so be it. 

Their relationship remains a secret and that’s the most important thing. 

As long as Magna is kept safe, Miko cares not for the lengths they have to go in order for their love to be. 

It has to be said that none of this would be possible without the help they receive from the others: 

Connie and Kelly and their creations of fake meetings with Miko regarding press matters as a cover up whilst allowing use of their apartment as one of her and Magna’s meeting spaces. Carol and the bakery serve as their main way of sharing messages via hidden notes in cupcake deliveries and such and allowing them use of her apartment above it. Rosita and Daryl’s positions in work coupled with the lawyer’s own giving them the ability to know where the main figures of authority will be and therefore how to avoid them. 

And in all honesty, of all the people Yumiko knows, they’re the ones she trusts most to have Magna’s back and look out for her. Should anything happen, she knows this group is a formidable force, and that between them, there’s nothing they can’t do.

Whilst only a very select few know the reality behind the appearances of things, without their families assistance, the two of them wouldn’t have a hope in hell of getting away with anything. 

But still, the more people that know the truth, the more risk is placed upon them all, Magna especially, and there is no way Yumiko is going to allow any harm to come to her girl.

They’ve designated a select few places around the Commonwealth as their safe spaces, using a different one every week as to try and cover their tracks. Each date is predetermined during their time together the week previous and brought about by their friends playing the roles of messengers and alibi givers; and honestly Yumiko has never been more thankful for the Commonwealth’s lack of CCTV otherwise they’d all be beyond screwed.

Connie and Kelly’s apartment is one of her and Magna’s favoured date night spots, for not only is it easily set up and accessed, but it allows them to see the sisters too and for the four of them to spend time as a family. Although it has to be said that the absence of their family’s fifth member doesn’t go unnoticed. 

Magna, Rosita, Daryl, and the kids moved into a new apartment not long into the new year, their combined wages allowing them to afford a nicer, larger place compared to the one they’d first been assigned to, and all of them preferring to stick together as opposed to scraping by individually, especially with the three children to look after. That, and with knowing the truth about the shady happenings of this place coupled with their learning of the surveillance detail put on each of them, they feel far safer knowing they have each other's backs.

However, in spite of Magna’s upgraded living situation, the two of them refrain from using it as one of their safe spaces; knowing that whilst their moving means they no longer share their living space with members of the Commonwealth put there to keep an eye on them, it doesn’t mean the surveillance on them has lessened. They’d tried it once at the beginning of their rekindling, Yumiko had gone round one Friday evening under the guise of the lawyer having an after work meeting with Rosita and Daryl regarding Tyler and signs of a rebellion and how to combat any further happenings. 

(It wasn’t lost on any of them the irony that when, not if, a rebellion arises, the three habitants of said apartment will be the front runners of it.)

Miko had secretly stayed the night, however, as much as she’d loved falling asleep with Magna tucked into her side and waking up to the warmth of her girl’s skin against her own, she and all of the apartment’s inhabitants had been on edge the majority of the night, and as a result they haven’t attempted it again. Staying at her own apartment is out of the question for obvious reasons. And in truth Miko knows it would make the both of them uncomfortable to be surrounded by such blatant reminders of the class divide between them.

Tonight they’ve met in what they’ve deemed ‘their apartment’ which lies in one of the old blocks near the eastern outer walls of the compound. They’ve long been cleared and secured, however lay derelict due to there being no requirement for their use. It’s a space they use often as the blocks are far out enough that no one else is around but not too distant or difficult to reach from their homes that they can’t make a quick escape if need be. Plus it helps that they’ve managed to get the apartment mostly furnished from scavenging through the others in the block.

Admittedly it’s not ideal, but the fact it allows her to stand here with her love in her arms is in all honestly the only thing Yumiko cares about. 

Magna’s grip around her waist tightens as she sinks deeper into the embrace with a sigh, and Miko can practically see the tension seeping from her frame. 

“Missed you.” Her girlfriend’s face pressed into her shoulder muffles her voice, but Yumiko feels her heart warming at the words. 

“I missed you too Mags.” 

Although she truly is grateful for them being able to see each other at all, Yumiko can’t escape the ache in her chest as she thinks of how they’ve gone from spending mostly every day together, to months apart, and now only able to see one another due to what could be regarded a top secret operation that has everyone feeling rather akin to the likes of MI6 agents.

Magna’s arms tighten further as her girl tries to press herself ever closer into her body and Yumiko can’t help but smile as she relishes in the comfort brought by their embrace. Miko presses a kiss atop her head and her skin protests as it’s tickled by her girlfriend’s wild curls. She pulls back as Magna shifts to look up at her with a fond smile that has Yumiko’s heart fluttering in her chest.

Every time she thinks it no longer possible to fall any deeper into the well of love she has for Mags, she tumbles a little further down. 

Alice and her travels may have been one of her favourite tales to get lost in the pages of as a child, but her descent into Wonderland isn’t a scratch on the depths Miko has, and continues to, fall for Magna.

Nor, it seems, is her dealings with Queens whose hearts are far more superficial than appearances give the illusions of.

Seizing the opportunity of their proximity, Miko brings her left hand up to grip the material of Magna’s jumper (well, her jumper that’s been stolen away into her girlfriend’s claim) and pulls her into a tender but firm kiss. Their lips reuniting after a week apart has them both sighing in relief, as if this very kiss is bringing with it the first droplets of rain to quench their desperate thirst after days lost in the barren desert.

Magna slides her hand upwards over Miko’s back and curls it around her shoulder from behind, pulling her impossibly closer in silent prayer for them to never be parted again. Releasing her grasp on Magna’s jumper, Yumiko lifts her hand to cup her girlfriend’s cheek, running her thumb gently over the soft skin beneath it and in turn eliciting a quiet whimper from her. 

It’s been a week since they’ve felt the other’s lips against their own - two since they’ve been able to have anything more - and both of them are finding it increasingly difficult to push away the cravings calling out from within. Only when a lack of oxygen dares make itself known do they part, but even then neither is content to let go of the other just yet, and so they fall back into a wordless but warm embrace. 

Tension eases from their bodies as a quiet contentment settles over them. Neither woman feels the need to speak, and instead they both simply allow themselves to bask in the quiet lull as they relish in the sanctuary provided by their closeness. 

The feeling of lips pressing against her neck pulls Miko from the sea of tranquillity she’d been floating on, and as Magna steps free from their embrace, the lawyer finds herself instantly mourning the loss of her girlfriend’s arms as they slip from around her waist.

The sigh that huffs from Magna’s chest tells her she’s not the only one already missing their close proximity.

Magna reaches down and picks up the backpack she’d dumped onto the wooden floor upon first entering the apartment, before taking her girlfriend’s hand in her own and pulling her towards the couch. 

The apartment is open plan, the kitchen and dining area on the left hand side and the living space taking up the right. A door in the living room leads to the master bedroom Yumiko had hidden in earlier and a hallway beside it leads to a bathroom and two other bedrooms. 

All in all, Miko thinks it was a pretty nice place once upon a time and in a way reminds her of her own home before everything fell apart. It’s nothing like her apartment here however, which is much too large for her lone self and rather more sterile feeling than she prefers; lots of marble and stone surfaces and all together appearing more as a showhome for the rich rather than a space that’s supposed to be her home.

In truth she still feels uncomfortable with the sheer amount of luxury afforded to her. The ladder of hierarchy and social class system irks her and although the others sitting on her same rung seem to be doing so comfortably, Yumiko isn’t sure she can say the same.

The view from the top is a lonely one, and all it takes is one misstep and she has a long way to fall.

Ever since she’d been handed that letter during orientation with Eugene, Princess, and Ezekiel all those months ago, an uneasiness has taken up residence in her stomach and with every passing day it seems determined to make her increasingly aware of its presence. She just can’t wrap her head around the fact that whilst they’d been out there fighting each and every day for their survival, the people of the Commonwealth had been going about their lives as if nothing had changed.

‘I almost forget what’s going on outside these walls.’ Tomi’s words echo through her mind and as much as she’s laid awake at night trying to process them, she just cannot comprehend that whilst she was out there, he was in here baking cakes as if nothing was amiss. 

Whilst she was surrounded by death and sickos, living hand to mouth in a daily battle just to keep herself and her family alive, his biggest dilemma was which flavour icing to use.

And now here she is, living it up in a penthouse apartment - as apparently is expected living quarters of the personal lawyer to those in power - whilst the very people she fought alongside are left cooped up in cramped apartments, worrying about earning enough to pay their bills.

After all they’ve done, after all they’ve been through and become, this place seems intent on seeing them as nothing more, no one more, than all they left behind when Hades decided to flood the earth with the waters of the Archeron.

As if nothing has changed, as if they haven’t changed.

As if they’re not completely different people to whom they were back then.

As if the world isn’t completely different to how it used to be.

As if anything about the world before even matters. 

It’s pretty fucked up, as Mags would say.

“So,” her girlfriend’s rasp pulls Yumiko from her thoughts and she watches as Magna releases her hand to take a seat on the couch before them and begins rummaging through her bag, “my boss is trying a new roasting technique with the beans and he gave us all some to try, which means, I brought coffee.” She pulls a flask from her bag with a grin and places it on the floor by her feet; and as much as there are no end of things wrong about this place, the fact they’ve managed to somehow figure out how to grow and produce coffee is something Yumiko will forever be thankful for.

And the fact that, even after over a decade without it, Magna to this day still remembers exactly how she takes it is honestly something she still can’t quite wrap her head around.

Funnily enough, of the two of them, Magna is the so-called coffee snob; knowing the difference between blends and growing regions and exactly how to craft the perfect cup. And, although it was rare she could actually afford to buy the beans to her taste both before and after her time in jail, sometimes she managed to save up in order to do so and Yumiko would arrive at Magna’s apartment to find her curled up on her sofa staring at the mug clasped in her hands with a look that could only be described as pure, ardent love.

Yumiko can still picture the look on her girlfriend’s face when she’d opened her birthday gifts to find the barista grade bean-to-cup coffee machine she’d spent months online practically drooling over, complete with enough beans to last her… well, Miko’s not entirely sure she’d actually finished them before the world went to shit.

The lawyer recalls when she’d entered the coffee shop on main street to find Magna behind the counter along with two others (Lindsey and Felix she’s since come to learn). It’d been one of Magna’s first shifts and Yumiko’s allowance of taking her lunch whenever she pleased - and therefore tending to go later to avoid any queues - had afforded them nearly the whole place to themselves, save a few patrons scattered around. Magna had smiled the second she’d seen her, and for a moment Yumiko had been so busy lost in the warmth spreading through her that she’d entirely forgotten they were supposed to be nothing more than mere acquaintances. 

They’d spoken briefly and Magna had simply asked, “your usual?” before busying herself with making said drink, and Yumiko had been too caught up in whether after thirteen or so years without the existence of coffee one could still consider themselves to have a ‘usual’, that it hadn’t occurred to her until the cup was being placed on the counter that Magna hadn’t even needed reminding of what it was.

At first she’d just stood there, too baffled by the fact Magna remembered, however after a minute her girlfriend’s bemused smile had dropped into a frown, worry washing over her features. “Skinny cappuccino, extra shot of espresso with like a bajillion sugars, right? Or is that…” she’d trailed off, her tone laced with panic that she’d gotten it wrong.

Miko had rushed to halt her arising nerves, “no, no that’s right I just- you- after all this time you sill remember?”

The laugh that’d erupted from Magna’s chest was bright, “well yeah, it’s not exactly hard to forget Miko.”

And maybe she was right, after all hers is not exactly the most complex of orders, then again Magna’s is even simpler - plain black or on rare occasion with the addition of a splash of milk and absolutely under no circumstances is a single grain of sugar allowed anywhere near it on account of it destroying the intended taste, “it's all about the beans and their aromas Miko, why would you ruin it with shit like sugar.”

Yumiko’s not sure she wants to know how Mags would react at the mention of artificial sweetener.

But still, she’d been touched that even after all this time Magna hadn’t forgotten; that her girlfriend cared about her so much she remembered her coffee order in a world where such a thing was long gone.

And oh god that first sip of perfectly crafted coffee prepared just the way she liked it was nothing short of glorious.

And…” Yumiko’s pulled back to the present by Magna’s voice as she trails off amidst rifling through her backpack’s contents before grining and lifting up a red and white paper bag with a flourish, “Carol made cookies.”

Miko smiles down at her, knowing they’re chocolate chip without even having to ask - again, her favourite. Magna’s too.

Stepping to the side of the couch, Yumiko retrieves her own bag - which she’d dropped beside it when she’d first arrived - before moving to sit next to her girlfriend and placing it on the floor at her feet. “I feel like we need to open a running tab with the bakery or something with the amount she bakes for you.” 

And it’s true. For every week, more or less, Magna brings with her some form of baked goods that Carol’s made for her and slipped to her in secret - even when there’s no requirement of the cupcake message delivery service. Yet never once has she made mention of Magna owing anything for any of it. 

And yes, their friend sometimes sends said goods with deliberate view for them to be shared between the two of them on their date evenings, but it’s not lost on either of them that more often than not Magna is the intended recipient.

Her girlfriend toes off her sneakers and folds her legs before her so she can curl up on the couch. “Honestly, I think she still feels bad for the whole cave thing, but hey, if it gets me free cookies I’m not complaining.” Magna’s schooled her face into a look of nonchalance, but Miko can see the mischievous grin threatening to break through.

A laugh bubbles from Yumiko’s chest and she shakes her head bemusedly, “you’re a menace.”

“You love me.” Magna shrugs halfheartedly, but the way her lips twist cheekily gives her away entirely.

Miko moves closer to her shifting as so she’s angled towards Magna, and reaches out to press a kiss against her cheek before pulling her girlfriend’s legs to rest across her own, “that I do, but it doesn’t beget that you’re a menace.”

No response is given as instead Magna sighs and allows herself to relax into the moment, closing her eyes and letting her head fall backwards against the couch cushion. She looks exhausted. But then again, with working two jobs and only ever really getting a couple of mornings or afternoons off a week, plus then working late into the early hours of the morning every weekend, how could she not be?

Yumiko allows the peaceful quiet to settle over them, thankful for getting to spend time with the woman she loves without worry or limitation, and doing so freely without having to uphold any frauded facade of being anyone or anything she’s not. 

Before long the chill within the air sends a shiver down her spine and so, trying not to jostle Magna too much, she reaches for her bag to retrieve the soft blue knitted blanket she’d packed into it earlier. Pulling it over them, Yumiko makes sure they’re both covered before sliding her hands underneath the woollen material and beginning to gently massage the hardened muscles of Magna’s calves. From the gentle sigh that slips through her girlfriend’s lips, Miko’s pretty certain it’s safe to say the action is appreciated.

She takes her time kneading the tense muscles diligently, a small smile tugging at her lips as she watches Magna sink deeper and deeper into the couch as the minutes pass. In all honesty she’d have thought her to have fallen asleep were it not for the lack of sounds of an oncoming freight train echoing throughout the room.

“How’s work?” Magna’s rasp breaks the quiet and it takes everything in Yumiko not to groan in response.

“It’s been alright, nothing too major going on, not that I’d really be able to talk about it if there were.”

They both know that’s a lie. 

Since their conversation after the Masquerade ball, Miko has no qualms about trying to keep things from her. She knows Magna still talks with the others about the things going on in the shadows of this place, but she also trusts that her girlfriend understands what she can and cannot share. 

Whilst Yumiko knows pretty much all of their friends are part of the secret rebellion growing within the walls of this place, apart from the select few she and Magna have revealed the whole truth to, none of them know of her involvement in anything. And the lawyer needs it to stay that way, not only for her own safety, but Magna and the rest of her family’s too.

Miko’s found herself unwilling to keep things from her girlfriend though. Now Magna knows the truth in its entirety she sees no reason to have to, and the thought of doing so any longer feels wrong. 

Besides, the last time she kept things from her it nearly broke them, broke Magna, and she’s unwilling to let anything of the sort ever happen again.

Yumiko finishes her massaging of her girlfriend’s calves but leaves her hands resting on her shins, the denim of Magna’s black jeans rough against her thumbs as they idly soothe over it.

Sighing gently, Miko shifts and sinks back into the couch, lulling her head sideways to face her love, whose eyes are still closed in relaxation. “There was some minor stuff with Sebastian a couple days ago I had to help Pamela with, but apart from that there’s been nothing major really. Things have been pretty quiet these past couple weeks, not that I’m complaining.”

“That Sebastian guy seems like a dick.” 

The laugh that escapes Miko’s mouth does so before she can stop it, “you’re not wrong, I swear even his own mother thinks as much. I’m just glad he has his own personal lawyer, the less I have to deal with him the better.”

Magna’s eyebrow lifts as her eyelids peel open to allow her to look at the lawyer amusedly. “If you don’t wanna work with him he must be bad. I can admit I wasn’t great sometimes but if he’s got you staying far away I hate to think what he’s like.”

Yumiko sighs despondently, “that’s the thing though, they don’t want me to work with them, they want me to work for them, there’s a difference.”

She knows she’s turned her love’s lighthearted comment into a moment of sullenness, but in truth the thought is one that’s been eating away at her for a while. Miko used to love her job, used to take pride in what she did and the help she provided. To give back the voices to people who’d had them ripped away, to give people a second chance when so many others had given up on them, it made Yumiko feel as if she was actually helping.

But here, those in authority don’t ask her to do her bit to make the lives of those living here better, they require her to do whatever it takes to keep them in power. And Yumiko isn’t sure how much more she can take before she’s no longer able to swallow her distaste in handing out the cards she’s being forced to deal and decides to topple the deck instead.

Magna doesn’t respond verbally and instead reaches out to rest her hand on Miko’s thigh, all too aware of her girlfriend’s growing disheartened unease at the constant disregard for her moralities. She knows how precarious Yumiko’s situation is, how thin the tightrope is beneath her feet, and Magna’s more than conscious of all her love is trying to balance upon her shoulders as she attempts to traverse it. 

Admittedly some of the things Miko has had to do, and must continue to do, still don’t sit right with her and have been the subject of more than one disagreement between them over the past months. Magna’s also aware however, that at the end of the day her girlfriend has to do whatever it takes to maintain her footing, no matter their distaste at doing so. 

One tiny slip up, one misstep and Yumiko will come tumbling down, falling into depths of which there will likely be no getting up from.

As much as it ails Magna to know Miko’s hand is being forced into actions her heart would never choose, her safety and protection comes first; even if it doing so means they have to swallow down the sour taste her actions leave behind.

The two of them sit for a moment, allowing their thoughts to take charge and relaxing into the feeling of being back with one another. They’ve always relished moments like this, quiet contentment that neither feels the need to fill, and instead allowing themselves to simply be. Magna’s presence has given Miko a sense of calm, even long before the world crashed, and she knows her girlfriend feels the same in return. 

Once everything fell apart, moments like this became a rarity. It’s hard to find time and security to allow quiet contentment when you’re conscious that at any moment you could be met with a rotting corpse that wants to eat you, or a human whose intentions are far more twisted. 

Plus, it’s kinda difficult to gain relaxation when your mind is constantly filled with stresses regarding safety and supplies, and if all those who woke up that morning will still be alive by the time they return to bed.

But still, albeit few and far apart, those rare moments did happen and Yumiko found herself clinging to them as one would to a life raft in a storm. Those instances of quiet provided a sanctuary amongst the horrors of the world, allowing them space to simply be, with no expectations or judgements, and knowing that they had each other’s backs above all else. 

She’s also conscious that it was these times, especially in the beginning, that allowed the bond between them to forge itself even deeper within their souls. For it’d been in these moments that Magna had eventually begun to open up to her, allowing herself to reveal the cracks in her defences and Yumiko taking the opportunity to slip through them and work her way ever further. And, as time went on, their relationship evolved and the love held within their hearts for each other was finally acknowledged and allowed to be felt freely in the open. 

Admittedly their current circumstances appear to be wholly opposite to how things had been back then, but Yumiko knows that under the illusion’s surface things are far more similar than they’re perceived to be. Danger continues to surround them, both laying in the open and hidden in the shadows. And yet, amidst it all, their moments of quiet contentment continue to provide a sanctuary for them to escape into; and Miko’s not only thankful that somehow they’re both still alive in order for them to have their time together, but that it’s remained her one constant in the ever changing world around them, her liferaft still floating amidst the never ending onslaught of tidal waves. 

As Yumiko allows her weight to shift further into the sofa, a yawn threatens to remind her of the late hour and in turn she drops her gaze to the flask resting on the floor. 

Deciding it time to see if Magna’s boss’s new blend is any good, Miko carefully frees herself from the blanket and manoeuvres her love’s legs off of her own before resting them in the space left behind her as she stands. Lifting her arms above her head she stretches and a sigh of relief slips from her lips as her spine releases to the sound of a delicious crack, before heading into the kitchen area to retrieve the two mugs they’ve stashed there.

As she does so, Yumiko’s thoughts turn to something she has yet to mention but had wanted to tell her girlfriend, “speaking of work though, I have a meeting with Pamela and Lance on Friday. No clue what it’s about but Max told me it was mandatory, so that’s going to be interesting.”

“Sounds ominous.” Magna’s tone is one of equal curiosity and apprehension, and in truth Miko’s stomach twists in agreement with it.

“It feels it.” The unknown of the meeting’s reasoning has been gnawing at Yumiko since Max had spoken to her about it yesterday. She’d spent most of the evening wracking her mind trying to figure out what it could be concerning, and whilst the lawyer has some hypothetical ideas, in truth with the amount of secret happenings going on in the shadows there’s just no way of knowing what lies in store for her.

Then again, it could be regarding something completely mundane and not worth even a fleeting moment of the growing distress she’s currently feeling towards it. The way Max had cautiously pulled her aside and whispered the hushed requirement of her presence in an audience with the Commonwealth's top powers seems rather telling to the opposite. But then, that’s how most things are conducted when it comes to those in power here; sly secrecy and discretion.

Miko closes her eyes and exhales, shaking her head slightly as she does so in attempt to dispel her nerves. Not that it works of course. She’s long learnt there’s always cause for worry in the Commonwealth, whether you’re aware of exactly why or not.

Opening her eyes, she inhales sharply before releasing it and opening one of the cupboards above the counter. Inside it sits an old tin they’d found in one of the homes on the floor below and Yumiko pulls it out and lifts the lid to reveal the two mugs they’ve stashed inside of it, not only to keep them clean from any dust and grime but also in attempt to somewhat conceal them incase anyone other than the two of them comes rummaging through the apartment.

A pang aches through Miko’s chest at the reminder of the lengths they’re required to go to in order to keep their love secret. It’s been a very long time since she’s had to conceal her feelings for Magna; and once the other woman had finally accepted their existence and admitted her own reciprocation, Yumiko had thought she’d never have to hide them away again. 

The Commonwealth however, seems to care not for such sentiments and appears intent on bringing back the past in more ways than one; even the parts they’d all much rather stayed there. 

Yumiko would be lying if she said it didn’t bother her, that it didn’t ail her heart to know the love inside of it is a dangerous thing. There’s a constant gnawing in her chest, one that’s slowly eating away at her, every bite a painful reminder of just how much is at stake.

There’s no end of risk, no limitation to the fallout should their relationship become known by the wrong people. The knowledge of it all hangs threateningly over them both, like a guillotine swinging over their heads, biding its time until the invisible string holding it above them is released, allowing it to deal its fatal blow. One misstep, one wrong move and it’ll come crashing down upon them, and there’s no telling how much damage will be done when it does.

But then, would Miko prefer having to contend with all this sneaking and secrecy and at least have Mags back in her life rather than not have her at all? Undoubtedly.

Yes, admittedly, things were safer back before the Halloween Ball and the conversation she and Magna had that night. Yes, there was less risk, less worry and less looking over their shoulders.

But the thing is, safer doesn’t mean better.

Safety doesn’t equate to happiness, and Yumiko knows that how things were back then were breaking Magna; had very nearly shattered her. 

Not to mention the toll it was taking on her own self. 

She still regrets how things had been, how she’d thought they had to be, and the hurt it’d caused her love. And whilst Magna’s heart is mostly healed from it all, Miko knows there are still times when uncertainty and doubt wash over her; when her girlfriend’s fears of old, that she’d long chased away, come back to bite.

Yumiko soothes Magna’s worries away each time, with reassurance and reminders of just how much love is held in her heart for her, but it doesn’t beget that it was her hand that’d brought her love’s anxieties and fears back to life. It’s her fault such reassurances are once again needed and the lawyer knows she’ll spend the rest of her days pained by the knowledge she’s caused such damage to the woman she swore to always protect.

Yumiko dispels the sullen thoughts from her mind and places the mugs on the counter before replacing the lid onto the tin and returning it to its home in the cupboard. They’re both here now and things may not be easy, but they’re better. 

She has Magna back in her life, and that’s what matters most.

Picking up the mugs, Yumiko returns to the couch and drops down onto it with a sigh, smiling at her girlfriend’s feigned annoyance at being jostled by her doing so. She tugs the blanket up so it once again covers her whilst Magna sits up and takes the mugs from her gently, placing them on the floor before undoing the lid of the flask and pouring the coffee into them. 

Once both cups are filled, Magna hands Yumiko's back to her and the lawyer places a gentle kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek in thanks. When she pulls back, Miko can’t stop her smile at the sight of the pink tinge blossoming across where her lips have just been, and whilst part of her itches to make a jesting comment on it, she knows Mags will only deny it. Besides, the other part of her is simply content to stare at the sheer beauty of the woman before her.

Magna however, busies herself with the contents of her bag, rifling through it in search of something clearly important. Before Yumiko gets a chance to comment, Magna finds what she’s been looking for and suddenly an abundance of sugar packets and creamers are being dumped unsurreptitiously into her lap and a knowing, mischievous grin is sent her way.  

Although heart-warmed that her girlfriend continues to remember the little things, Yumiko rolls her eyes at Magna’s silent judgments of her so called ‘defiling perfectly brewed coffee with artificial shit’, however is helpless to stop a bemused smile from breaking out at the sweetness of it all.

Placing her cup onto the floor, she sets about tearing open the sachets and pouring them into her coffee, watching as the creamer diffuses into the dark liquid and wishing she’d brought a spoon to mix them properly. With a sigh, Yumiko picks up her cup and dips her index finger into her drink, circling it round until satisfied, before bringing it to her mouth to lick away the residue. She can practically see her Mother’s look of disapproval and her heart pangs, for she’d sit through no end of lectures on etiquette if it meant she got to see her one more time.

“Do you know what the meeting’s about?” Magna’s voice breaks the quiet that’d settled over them as they fixed their drinks, reviving the conversation Miko had thought was finished.

She sips at her drink, relishing in the taste and the warmth pouring down her throat and into her chest before turning to her love. “No, but I know it’s important, that much is obvious. I’ve been wondering if it might be something to do with Eugene and the NDA I had him sign when the whole Stephanie thing was happening.”

Magna frowns, “you think they’re onto you?”

Miko would be lying if she said she hadn’t worried about the possibility she’d been found out for the freeing card she’d dealt to Eugene all those months ago, and how she’d deliberately shuffled the deck to award him such. 

Their friend had found himself in deep waters for his discovery of Stephanie’s false - and then true - identity, and as a result Yumiko had ended up having to secretly pull some strings in order to throw him a lifeline and drag him back to shore. It’d taken time and careful planning, for whilst those in power here had imprisoned him weeks before the halloween ball - and subsequently before her and Magna’s conversation that night - it hadn’t been until a week after that they’d managed to get him released. Even then, it was only thanks to Miko’s position that she’d been able to whisper in the right ears to sway the tides of power into her favour.

In the end - with help from Connie, Kelly and Magna - under the illusion of doing things in Pamela and Lance’s best interests, Yumiko had created an NDA and had Eugene sign it, agreeing from that moment on he was banned from speaking to anyone regarding all he’d discovered, and should he do so he would be brought back to the very cell he was being released from for an indefinite amount of time.

On the outside, it seemed as if the Commonwealth’s top lawyer had enabled the secrets of those in authority to be kept and prevent any further digging by the one that’d brought them to the surface in the first place.

What Pamela and Lance didn’t know, of course, is that no amount of silencing NDA’s and agreements Eugene signed mattered; for he’d already told Carol and Princess everything when they’d first found him, and so his enforced silence was redundant, as all those he would’ve told already knew everything.

It’d all worked as planned and Eugene had been released without charge. However it hadn’t stopped Miko from laying awake late at night for weeks after, kept up with worry of being found out in spite of her tracks being impeccably covered.

But then again, were anyone to question her, she’d simply comment on being unaware Carol and Princess, or anyone else for that matter, even knew Eugene had been imprisoned, let alone them finding him and him revealing all to them. No one would be able to prove otherwise, a benefit of the masqueraded distance between them all. As far as Pamela and Lance know, their top lawyer had acted in the best interests of those she worked for and to this day has little to no interaction with the majority of the family she’d left behind all those months ago.

And whilst that may be far from the truth, that’s how things need to stay.  

Miko already worries that too many people know where her real loyalties lie. That her hopes of the less people knowing the truth the better are slowly failing as more and more people come to learn her allegiances haven't once strayed from where they’ve always been. 

Before, only Connie, Kelly and Carol knew of her involvement in digging into the Commonwealth’s hidden secrets, and even then that was only due to Connie’s mastery of perception and abilities to see deeper than the illusions and facades presented to her. Since that conversation between her and Magna after the Halloween masquerade ball, not only has her love come to learn the truth, but Rosita, Daryl, and Tomi too, for both women knew all their help would be needed in order to give their relationship even half a chance of rekindling. 

That, and Magna had known Rosita needed to be told at the very least, as it’d only be a matter of time before she either figured things out for herself, or came pounding on Yumiko’s door with mind to have her head for her treatment of the woman she's come to see as family.

Miko takes another sip of her coffee before responding to Mag's concerns, knowing her girlfriend frets about her safety just as much as Yumiko does hers, “I don’t think so, they have no reason to be.”

In all honesty, her little ploy to free Eugene had worked perfectly, and in the process she’d been moved higher up the list of Pamela and Lance’s good graces. Since the illusion of her aligning with them over someone known to be her friend, Yumiko’s found herself inching even further up the hierarchical ladder, those in authority deeming her to be truly one of their own after her loyalties having been proven to lie with them above all else.

And although (some of) her friends know that it isn’t true, that her allegiances don’t lie with those in authority and she’s never once strayed from standing beside her family, her newfound step up has proved more than beneficial to them all. Yumiko’s increasing regard as one of the members of authority within the Commonwealth in turn allows her to be privy to even more than she had been previously, and subsequently grants her access to information which she of course passes on to her family. 

It also doesn’t hurt that she is now afforded the ability to provide an, albeit secret, blanket of protection over those she cares for. There’ve been a couple of times she’s been able to slyly shuffle the deck to the benefit of her friends, helping them out here and there; shifting applications for housing nearer the top of the pile, covering minor altercations, and things of the like. Nothing big, and nothing most of them are even aware of, but enough to help ease the guilt she feels for the illusion she’s having to uphold. 

She’s always been aware that it’s helpful to have friends in high places, she just never thought she’d be the one sitting at the top of the ladder. 

It’d also never occurred to her that she’d be doing so alone.

Magna’s concern is still written across her features, and so Miko shrugs dismissively, “whatever it is, it won’t be to do with any of us. It’ll be fine.”

In spite of the apprehension in the pit of her stomach, Yumiko knows that if she gives no reason for discontent then Magna will accept it, and her girlfriend appears to visibly relax at her words. However, watching her love’s bottom lip being pulled into her mouth and chewed between clamped teeth, Miko knows she’s still not entirely convinced and is agitated at the prospect of any danger falling upon her.

“Mags,” Yumiko shifts closer to her and takes her hand in her own, her tone becoming serious, “it’s going to be fine. I’m going to be fine. I promise.”

Squeezing her love’s hand, Yumiko soothes her thumb across the back of it before lifting it in order to place a gentle kiss to the soft skin, her lips curling upwards in mirror to Magna’s own smile. 

Her girlfriend’s eyes shift as they search Miko’s own, and only once she’s satisfied with what she finds does she relax with a sigh, “okay, yeah it’ll be fine. Probably just something to do with Pamela’s kid being a dick again.”

A laugh breathes from the lawyer’s chest at Magna’s response, her own worries easing as she thumbs the back of her hand once again before releasing it and turning her focus back to her coffee.

Time passes and their coffee is finished and cookies eaten as the two of them chat idly, speaking of things they’ve done during the week and Magna catching Yumiko up on how the rest of their family is doing. The realisation of just how far the woman across from her has come hits Yumiko as Magna’s finishing recounting a tale of one of her co-workers, Felix, managing to drop a freshly opened bag of ground coffee and its subsequent spilling of contents everywhere. There’s a warmth in her voice and an ease in her shoulders that Miko isn’t sure she’s ever seen in her to quite this extent before.

Magna laughs then, bright and full, an unfiltered release of delight in the memory, and Yumiko’s aware she’s barely listened to anything her girlfriend’s said, but in all honesty she’s been entirely too caught up in simply staring at her in sheer adoration. 

It’s moments like this Yumiko finds herself wishing for time to cease as to allow them this moment of peaceful serenity to keep for themselves. For the universe to see their contentment, their happiness, and allow them to bask in it with no fear of what horrors may be hurled their way the second the moment ends.

It’s moments such as this, Miko wishes to capture and hide away, to keep safe and protected away from the reach of all that now lurks this earth with the power to taint it. Fleeting breaks within the storm that’s been pouring down around them for so long, tiny breaths of air amidst the utter hell they’ve been facing for so long. Too long.

For right here, right now, it’s almost heaven. 

It’s what Miko might imagine paradise beyond the grave to be like were she to believe in such a thing. They’re surrounded by comfort and warmth, safety and understanding, care and happiness, all wrapped up in a blanket of pure, ardent love. 

Here sitting side by side with her girl, she feels at home, as she always does in Magna's presence. 

For in truth, she deems Magna herself to be her home. 

Magna’s hands are the place in which her heart will reside forever. And no matter how far she must go, no matter the actions of her own hands, Yumiko will always return home. 

She will always return to Magna. 

To see her at ease like this, to see her smiling with a warmth that's been gone for far too long, to hear her laugh without reservation, in truth it makes Yumiko want to cry. For after everything the woman in front of her has been through, after all Mags has endured at the hands of the universe, she’s still here, allowing the good to touch her heart and basking in the warmth of it. 

And yeah okay, Magna’s past is never far from her. The things she’s been through and done still shadow over her and torment her. They’re a part of her, after all, the cards she’s been dealt and had to deal in return; the drops of her personal Archeron infused within the blood that runs through her veins. Magna’s past, no matter how much Yumiko wishes her to be free from it, is a part of her existence, the waters of it playing a fundamentally critical part in carving out the person she’s become, blending with her very life blood and weathering away at the once fresh slate of her being to mould her into who she is today. 

To attempt to remove it from her would be to drain away the water itself, to block the springs of her past would be to change the myriad of streams running through her, as if attempting to dam the very blood running through her veins.

No matter how much affliction and hardship flows through those waters, Yumiko knows they’re also essential to the forming of the person sitting across from her, and had they not been then Magna herself would not be the Magna she knows, the Magna she loves.

All that she’s been through has played a part in all that she is.

And who Magna is, is nothing short of extraordinary.

Having known her, having loved her, for so long, Yumiko truly believes that Magna is the reason why storms are named after people. She’s an enigma of chaos and calm, of fire and ice, of light and dark, of coarseness and softness, and all that should contradict but instead melds together to create a juxtaposition of all that shouldn’t be, but just is. 

Yumiko sees Magna akin to watercolours running into one another freely across a canvas, separate pigments blending together in a beautiful, uninhibited diffusion. All at once a harmonious cacophony, impossible to ever recreate yet a perfect chiaroscuro, sturdy upon its armature, warning those who look upon it to stay far away as to only see the full image, yet welcoming those rare few who dare step closer and allowing them to become immersed in the countless layers and details until they no longer know where one colour begins and the other ends.

She’s an enigma, a puzzle box, only opening for those who take the time and care to follow the correct path of her doing so. Only unlocking each and every piece in the right way, in the right time grants allowance to see what’s concealed within it. But a single wrong move, or one out of turn, causes all progress to be undone as each piece winds itself back into place, and all must be begun anew. 

In all honesty however, there is no true descriptor, no perfect comparison. 

Magna is Magna. 

As tough and beautiful as a diamond yet as soft and warm as a blanket, and yet nothing like either at all. She’s as complex as galaxies, as vast as the universe, filled with as many contrasts as found within the many planets, and yet even such comparison fails to hold true justice to the wonder of all that she is.

She’s not like anything else, anyone else. 

She’s Magna. 

Intricate layers of being embedded and intertwined with each other, complex and juxtaposing, and all at once incomprehensible to attempt to explain or understand but nevertheless entirely magnificent.

Yumiko’s always known there to be something special about her, even when they first met. It had been like her heart had known there was something more between them, that they could be something more. That given time it would willingly remove itself from its ribbed enclosure and gladly entrust itself into Magna’s keeping. 

She’d spent so long trying to put a name to the feeling in her chest that’d arisen all those years ago, needing to be able to have a way to express the way her heart called out to Magna from the moment she saw her. 

She’d found one eventually.

The two of them - along with Connie, Kelly, Luke, Bernie and a handful of others - had been taking shelter from a winter storm inside a local library a couple of years after the initial outbreak whilst en route to the nursing home that would end up becoming their home for the next few years. They’d been there a few days already and Yumiko, having grown bored whilst on night guard duty, had decided to browse through some of the books laying around.

Most of them had succumbed to their usefulness as kindling and so there weren’t a lot left, apart from those at the back that’d yet to meet their fate. She’d ended up in the non-fiction aisle and happened across a textbook on improving vocabulary and in all her boredom deduced it’d be better than nothing, so returned to her spot next to Magna’s sleeping frame and thumbed through it. 

After deeming it akin to reading a dictionary, she’d dropped it onto the floor with a thud duller than its contents, and decided to take another walk around to ensure everything was as it should be. 

When she’d returned, it’d taken all of a few minutes for Magna to turn her thigh into a pillow and in an attempt to calm the pounding of her heart within her chest at the growing closeness between them, Miko’s gaze had begrudgingly fallen once again to the discarded book.

Only, when she’d seen the pages fallen open to a chapter on words and phrases from around the world with very specific yet sought after meanings, her interest had somewhat piqued. Yumiko had been halfway down the second page when she’d seen it. 

“Koi No Yokan.”

The explanation underneath had told of the Japanese phrase giving name to the premonition of love. Not quite ‘hitomebore’ - meaning love at first sight - but the feeling upon first meeting someone and knowing you’re going to inevitably fall in love with them. 

The second she’d read it, her gaze had fallen to Magna sleeping soundly cuddled into her, and her heart had pounded as if in celebration of finally finding a descriptor for the feelings held within it for so long.

For that’s exactly as she’d felt, all those years ago. Not love at first sight, but the understanding that it was there, ready and waiting to bloom.

And bloom it had. 

It’d taken time of course. Only after Magna had finally accepted both her own feelings and that someone could feel as such towards her, had the two of them stopped tiptoeing around the obvious and allowed the inevitable to take them into its grasp. 

Plus it hadn’t helped that they were navigating the new beginnings of love whilst also trying to come to terms with the rivers of the Archeron flooding the earth and its waters bringing with them nightmares from the very pits of Hades. 

And now, after all they’ve endured, they’re here, sitting beside each other in what could very well be one of the last safe places in the country. 

Hell, maybe even in the world. 

Fuck knows what’s happening out there.

Yumiko pulls herself from her thoughts to bring her focus back to her love, smiling as she watches Magna trying, and failing, not to pout at the now empty bag of cookies she’d brought with her. 

Not that Mags ever pouts, of course.

No, never, she’s far too tough for that.

Magna’s own words of course, for Miko knows better than to believe anything of the sort. 

Shifting closer to her, Yumiko tugs the blanket tighter around the both of them before tucking herself into her girlfriend’s side and releasing a contented sigh at the feeling of strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her closer still. 

Whilst it pains her heart that they can only have moments like these once a week, Miko knows it’s better than not at all; and after the scare of nearly losing Magna forever, she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her close.

“Carol’s offered for us to use her house next week. Same time as usual?” She breaks the quiet, knowing that they need to discuss the arrangements for their next meeting.

Magna nods, and tightens her hold around her, “sounds good to me. As always I won’t know my shifts properly til Friday morning but I don’t think I’ll be working late.”

“I’ll get some cupcakes ordered over the weekend, just tell Carol so she can let me know.” Yumiko smiles to herself at the ridiculousness of the lengths they have to go to. Sending secret messages hidden within bakery deliveries isn’t something she ever thought she’d be doing. 

Then again, after all this new world has put them through over the years, Miko's pretty sure there’s no limit to the things she’s done and will do in the future that she never envisioned. 

A gentle kiss is placed atop her head, and Yumiko knows that in spite of the difficulties to make their time together happen, it’s moments like this that make them worth it. Glancing at her watch, she makes note of the late hour and resigns herself to the knowledge they should be departing their little sanctuary before too long. For now however, she’s content to simply be, nestled into her love’s side, relishing in the feeling of being back where she belongs and making the most of every last second before they’re separated again for another week. 

—---