I

"It is that bad Madoka, listen to your mother. Any time you start feeling like it is okay that you are being locked in a room, and tied to a bed, and forced to stay away from your friends and family, remember me right now telling you that it's not okay!"

That was one of the last things her mother said to her before Homura took the phone, and she understood what her mom meant. It was so strange how normal all of this could feel sometimes. When she was eating or watching television with Homura, she felt oddly comfortable. Even when she would get tied up, it felt normal. This new life with Homura was becoming her world.

Madoka peaked over the cover of the manga to look at her captor. Homura was sitting cross legged on the love seat, pajamas and bare feet, reading a book. It was late in the morning, almost afternoon, but she had not yet fixed her hair so loose black strands fell over her face and around the pages of the book she was hunched over.

Madoka had an escape plan; the tool was in the freezer but she hadn't had an opportunity to use it yet. The idea of using it scared her, too. Her heart would start racing just thinking about it. This calm version of Homura was easy to be around, and if the escape plan failed then Homura would get scary again. She may even punish her by making good on her threat to permanently lock her up, only untying her to allow her to eat or go to the bathroom.

Even if she succeeded and escaped she knew she could not go back home. The police could not protect her, and she would have to live on the run with no proper survival skills.

This current life, however, was not so bad. Her mom's voice would stir up and tell her how it's wrong, but she did not know of Homura's powers. Madoka wished she could talk longer to her mom, without Homura listening to her, and explain everything in detail and ask her for advice.

Later in the day, Homura closed her book and looked over to Madoka. Madoka met her gaze, her attention drawn away from her manga to await what Homura would say. Being the captee seemed to naturally make her attentive to her captor.

"I need to take a shower," Homura said as she set her book down. "I'm still not sure I trust you to be left alone."

Madoka nodded, understanding. It was only a few days ago she had been caught looking for an escape, after all.

"Okay," Madoka said, her eyes shifting. "C-can I keep my book, at least?"

"Of course," Homura said with a smile as she got up.

Madoka kept a finger between the pages of her manga as Homura led her into the bedroom. Madoka realized how her reactions to Homura were changing. Originally she would fight Homura tooth and nail every time she wanted to tie her up, but now she put up less and less of a fuss and obeyed whatever Homura asked. The escape plan was in the back of her mind, but she was not sure if she could ever act on it. If it were not for her mom's voice reminding her this was not okay, she probably would have completely given in to Homura's will by now.

Madoka took her place on the bed, Homura started by chaining her ankles to the footpost, using the fuzzy cuffs, then also cuffed her wrists together with about a foot of chain between them. She used a rope to tether the chain to the top of the bed. She left plenty of slack, so Madoka could freely move her hands about her torso, but she would not be able to reach her ankles, nor could she reach the headboard where the rope was tied since her ankles were chained to the foot of the bed. Like this, she could hold the manga in front of her, she just had to maneuver the chains behind the book as she held it.

"Is it comfortable?" Homura asked, tugging on the chains to test how much slack Madoka had. She then slipped a finger under the cuffs to make sure they were not too tight around Madoka's ankles.

Madoka nodded. "It's okay."

"Alright, I won't be long," Homura said as she brushed Madoka's hair with her hand and smiled. Despite herself, Madoka returned the smile. Homura was the only human contact she could have anymore, after all.

Homura left the door open and Madoka watched her as she went across the living room and into the bathroom. Once she was out of sight, Madoka looked down at the cuffs around her ankles and struggled, pulling on them. She did the same with her wrists and looked to where the rope kept her tethered.

It felt natural to squirm against the restraints, testing how secure she was, but she had no actual hopes of them being loose enough to slip out. Even if that were the case, it would likely just be a test from her captor to see if she'd take an opportunity for escape. It seemed Homura's last 'test' had it's desired effect, and Madoka resented her for it.

She tilted her head to the side to look out of the room and towards the front door of the apartment. Her mind was on the latch that sealed her away from her freedom. Even if she could get off this bed while Homura showered, she could not say for sure if her tool would work. It was highly possible it would not fit into the screws, or would just break when she tried to turn it.

Even if it did work, how much time would she need? Five minutes? Ten? Twenty? However long it took she would also need time to run and get as far away from Homura as she could before her escape was discovered.

She decided she needed a minimum of half an hour without Homura's eyes on her, and without being tied up. For that matter, there would need to be at least a moment of Homura not being able to hear anything, because the door would make noise once it opened. The best opportunity would be to free herself while Homura is out one day, but how could she achieve that?

Madoka only succeeded before because she was able to sneak a knife into the bed to cut the rope she had been tied with at the time. Now, however, Homura would use chains to restrain her. There was no way to cut chains, so she needed to think of another way. How could she get past the chains?

She started reading her manga again, squirming a little until she found a comfortable position. As she read, her thoughts of escape faded away to the back of her mind. She was able to forget about the chains on her wrists and ankles as she read. She was happy for small mental escapes from her predicament like this, where she was able to not feel so anxious or guilty.

In the back of her mind she listened for the sounds Homura was making. She heard the shower turn on, and then a while later, when she was near the end of her book, she heard it go off again and Homura started bumping around in the bathroom. She finished the last couple pages then leaned to the side to watch the bathroom door.

It soon opened and Homura stepped out, dressed in a black tank top and jeans, her hair wrapped up in a towel. She came right over, the key was already in her hand, and she undid the cuffs for Madoka's hands first.

"Are you getting hungry?" Homura asked as the handcuffs slid off. She got close enough while she undid the locks that Madoka could smell the fresh scent of soap and shampoo she had just used in the shower.

"No, not really. Not yet," Madoka said, then watched as Homura put the key into her ankle cuffs and undid those as well. Another idea crossed Madoka's mind in that moment, that if she could learn to pick locks that would be another means of escape. Her mind traced back to when she'd seen it done in movies, usually something like a hairpin or a paper clip would be used; but, she figured it was probably a lot harder than it looked.

The chains rattled together as Homura gathered them up along with the cuffs and rope and then brought them over to the closet where she stored most of the tools she'd use for restraining Madoka.

Madoka watched Homura put everything away, then caught her slipping the key into her pocket. Madoka quickly looked away, a little guiltily, as Homura turned around.

"Are you alright?" Homura asked with a slight turn of her head. The inquisitiveness in her eyes had a way of making Madoka feel paranoid, like if she did not speak perfectly Homura would see right into her mind and know every sneaky thought in her head.

She smiled back at Homura. "Huh? Yeah I'm fine. Why?"

Homura shrugged. "You were spacing out."

"Oh, just thinking about the end of the manga." She held it up and chuckled. "Only one volume left to go!"

Homura returned the smile. "Do you like it so far?"

"Yes, I really do. It's really starting to heat up!... I hope it has a happy ending, though."

Homura just nodded and smirked as they left the room. Madoka was adamant about avoiding spoilers, so Homura learned to just smile and nod as Madoka gave her opinions on it. She couldn't wait to hear Madoka's reaction to the ending.

Homura's expression then fell as she remembered why, in all of her past timelines, Madoka never once got to finish reading it.

Madoka gave Homura a soft look when she saw the distance that suddenly came into her eyes. But, Homura quickly shook it off and put a smile back on, resolving herself that nothing like that would happen to this version of Madoka. This time, things were going to be different.

Madoka retook her place on the couch and started the final volume of the series. Homura picked up her own book as well and started reading.

It was not the first time Madoka caught one of those lost expressions in Homura's eyes, but usually Homura would quickly cover it up with a smile. Madoka did feel sorry for her, but still, she knew she could not just accept being kept here like this.

Her mind traced back to consider the key Homura used for the cuffs. She had used one key to undo both cuffs. Madoka wracked her brain, trying to think if she ever saw a second key. It was possible the key worked on both because they were the same brand, and this was not like a house key or a key to a safe which were meant to be unique; it's possible it was a universal key. If that were the case, there might be a second key since the two pairs of cuffs came separately.

She realized it was a stupid desperate idea, and a very long shot. Even if there was a second key it's not like Homura would accidentally leave it somewhere that she could find it. No, she was far too careful for that. Madoka frowned, knowing her first escape way back when she was first captured was the best chance she was ever going to get. Homura was not going to slip up like that again.

II

Her next opportunity for escape, however, would come much sooner than she imagined it would.

Later that night, Homura was in the kitchen making dinner and Madoka was getting closer to the end of the manga. She sat crossed legged, hunched over the manga in her lap, deeply focused, so focused that a certain sound almost did not register with her.

At first she thought Homura was making it. Her ear came to the sound, her subconscious finding it odd. She heard whistling, and Homura certainly was not the type to go about whistling to herself while she performed a task. The mere image of that was so out of character it bordered hilarity.

Her head came up, and she realized the sound was from out in the hallway. There was someone out there — walking down the hall!

She glanced at the kitchen, careful to not alert Homura. Her captor had her hands full, and between the sounds of her cooking, the oven vent and water boiling, it was clear she would not be able to hear it.

Madoka's heart began to race as this opportunity unexpectedly presented itself. She set the book down and stood. "I have to use the bathroom," she said, casually as she could, and walked towards the door.

"Alright," Homura said simply. It seemed she did not think anything of it.

The whistling continued. Was it someone who worked at the hotel? Or someone renting one of the nearby rooms? This was a hotel after all, and despite Homura saying the upper floor rarely got rented this time of year still did not make it impossible.

Whatever the case, another real live human being was on the other end of this door! The whistling got a little louder as they walked closer and soon they would be mere feet away from her. If she were to bang on the door at that moment and screamed, "Help! I'm Madoka Kaname! I've been held prisoner here for three weeks!" then there was a possibility for a rescue.

It would be a hail-mary. Homura would no doubt smuggle her out before she could be properly rescued, but maybe, just maybe, doing so would offer another opportunity for escape. She did not have much hope of getting out of this hotel room on her own, but maybe in another location she could figure out another plan. Like rerolling a character on an RPG, it allowed a clean slate and new possibilities. She may have had her tool in the freezer here, but she was not sure if she would ever get a chance to use it, or if it would even work. So, maybe...

Madoka closed the bathroom door without going inside, so that Homura would think she went inside, thus buying herself a little time to consider her options.

She put her palm against the front door, her heart thudding in her chest. The whistling grew louder, the person was walking by and now right on the other side of this door. She could even hear their footsteps. Her fingers tensed, gripping the flat surface hard enough that her finger tips became white under their nails. Her arm was shaking.

Just do it! Just start banging and scream for help! What do you really have to lose?

There was no way to escape this hotel room, even using her tool was a long shot, but if she forced Homura to move her somewhere else, even if Homura was mean to her and brought her somewhere less comfortable, maybe that new place would offer new opportunities for escape?

All she had to do was knock and scream, and she would be found and Homura would be forced to remove her from this hotel room. Maybe it was a stupid idea, maybe things would end up ten times worse for her, but on the other hand, maybe she would be given more opertunities for freedom.

Her hand clenched on the door, heart pounding, she heard the whistling and she was so tempted to take that leap of faith and start banging and screaming.

But then... she heard Homura's voice...

"Madoka," she said in her usual flat way, her tone warning her.

Madoka stared at the door, Homura's shadow cast her silhouette over Madoka's fingers as they gripped hard against the wood. She wondered, why hadn't Homura just grabbed her and pulled her away already? She could probably still knock and get a scream out before Homura managed to transform and pull her into her time flow. Maybe she should?

Slowly, Madoka's hand slid away from the door and she hung her head, hating herself for not taking the chance. Once again, she failed to act, and she would now continue to just passively fill her role as a prisoner.

The whistling faded as the person walked further down the hall, until eventually they could hear a door open and then shut again, taking the whistling away with it.

Madoka turned around to face Homura, her head hung low and her expression racked with melancholy.

"Thank you for not trying anything, that would have been unwise," Homura said, praising her as she placed a hand atop Madoka's lowered head. "Now, come sit down, food is almost ready." Her hand came off of Madoka's head as she turned away.

"Homura?" Madoka asked, not moving yet. "You said you don't want me to feel like a prisoner here. Right? You said you want me to be comfortable with this life?"

Homura stopped. "Of course. I would not keep you like this if I knew another way. I would at least like for you to stay comfortable, though."

Madoka stared at her, a hostile look coming into her eyes. "You realize that's impossible, don't you?"

Homura looked back over her shoulder, her head canted to the side upon seeing Madoka's slanted eyebrows and glistening eyes, holding back her emotions.

"We've been through this many times now," Homura said calmly. "I know you don't like it but this is the only way to keep you safe."

"No..." Madoka said, "There has to be another way."

"Maybe," Homura admitted. "But I haven't found it, so this is what I decided on."

Madoka's little fists balled at her side, tensing to hold back some of her anger. "And what gives you the right to be the one to decide like this!?"

Homura sighed. "Because, I've allowed you to be the one to decide countless times, and I've already told you how that turns out." Homura took a few steps to close the distance between them. Madoka looked away, but Homura placed a hand on the side of her face. It was a gentle, consouling touch.

Don't touch me right now!

"Please don't make that face," Homura said. "I've only done all of this because I hate to see those kinds of faces on you. I don't want you to be in pain."

Madoka wanted to stay mad at her. Getting a slight glimmer of hope at attaining freedom caused her to remember that she once was free. With it, all the negative emotions that came with her detainment bubbled back up, and she wanted to be mad at her captor. She wanted to hate her.

She couldn't, though. When Homura spoke like that, Madoka believed her. She knew Homura was not being dishonest when she expressed how much she cared about her. She wished it were not so, she wished Homura's reasons were pure selfishness and that her captor was cruel to her so that it would be easier to be mad at her. Somehow, she felt like that scenario would be easier to get her mind around.

Despite herself, Madoka sighed and let go of some of her anger. Homura's gentle touch had served its purpose.

Homura smiled, "Come on, let's eat."

III

Madoka moved the bits of food around with her fork, staring despondently at the mostly empty plate. She was done eating. She did not enjoy it. She felt a pit in her stomach as she thought over the missed opportunity.

Should she have done it? Her mom told her to go for it if she saw an opportunity for escape, but when the chance came she stood there frozen.

"Would you like to watch a movie before bed?" Homura asked, trying to break the ice on the silence.

"I don't know. I just want to take a bath for now," Madoka said.

Homura sat back. Her eyes shifted to the side as she thought something over, then said, "You did the right thing. I know you don't want to be here, but had you yelled for help it would not have improved anything."

"Because you'd 'punish' me again, right?"

Homura paused for a moment, then spoke without confliction; "I'm doing whatever it takes to keep you safe."

In her first days as Madoka's captor she seemed to have at least some conflict with what she was doing. That was gone now. Over the last few weeks she had fortified her resolve.

"Why did you give me the chance?" Madoka asked. "You could have stopped time and pulled me away before I even had the chance. Instead you said my name, you gave me a warning."

Homura folded her arms as she thought about this. "I suppose, if I did not wait to see what you would do first then I simply would have had to assume the worst. I wanted to see if I could trust you."

Madoka's eyes narrowed at her. She hated the manipulation, but what she hated more was the sinking feeling it put into her stomach whenever she acknowledged it was actually working. She felt like every time she gave into Homura's will she was dishonoring what her mother had told her.

She felt guilty when obeying Homura and she felt guilty when she was not. She felt guilty for feeling guilty. There was no winning. Everything she did made her feel horrible. Homura did not just want to keep her as her prisoner, she wanted to control her… and it was working.

Madoka stood up without another word then walked away.

"Madoka?" Homura asked.

Madoka ignored her and went right into the bathroom then stared into the mirror. She stared at herself, unable to cry about her situation anymore. She was becoming numb to it. This was her reality now, and it was nothing to cry over. Her mom would want her to be strong.

She picked up her toothbrush and started brushing her teeth. She closed her eyes.

Mom, I need you, Madoka thought.

She wished she could speak to her mom freely, without Homura standing over her shoulder. She wished she could explain that she knew all of this was wrong, but still believed Homura cared for her. That there was real danger and Homura was not crazy. That Homura had powers which made it impossible for Madoka to resist.

What advice would her mother give if she knew everything?

She opened her eyes, imagining she was in her own bathroom and her mom stood next to her, just finishing with her makeup.

"It doesn't matter if the danger is real or not," Junko said. "She does not have the right to decide things for you."

"I know that," Madoka said, "But what can I do?"

"Well, first of all, I do think you did the right thing by not banging on the door."

"Really?"

"Well, let me ask you this, do you think Homura would ever hurt you?"

Madoka thought it over, she thought deeply on it and answered, "I don't know, but she might."

"Then it's good you didnt go for it. Remember what I said? I said if you see an opportunity to escape, take it, but not to do anything dangerous. If you think she will hurt you then don't move forward with anything until you are certain you will succeed."

"But what can I do?" Madoka asked. "Homura is too smart. She's too careful! I-I can't beat her! I'm not smart like her."

"You have a plan," Junko reminded her. "Creating a screwdriver with a pen and the toaster?" She gave Madoka an approving smile, it was a look that made Madoka feel incredibly proud whenever her mom gave it to her. "How can you say you're not smart?"

"But… even if I have that, I'll never have time to use it. It might not even work."

"Test it first," Junko said. "It will only take a moment. Sneak it out of the freezer and see if it really will turn the screws. Just a couple turns will be enough proof. Then bring it back and wait for an opportunity."

"But what opportunity? I'd need at least half an hour and she always ties me too securely whenever she leaves or goes to sleep!"

"You need to get the key."

Madoka knew she was really just arguing with herself, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. Probably more.

"Mom… I don't know what to do. I don't know how to get away. She has too much control. She isn't just forcing me to stay here, she's figuring out how to control me. She knows how to make me behave the way she wants me to."

"Then maybe it's time to give her a taste of her own medicine?"

Coming back to that thought, that's what made her feel worse than anything else that's happened. The fact that it was working. The fact she was falling deeper into Homura's world more and more every day. Homura knew everything about her, her favorite music, what books she would like, how to make her feel guilty. If not for the phone call with her mom (her real mom) she would have already fully given in. She had begun to accept that she must obey Homura, and Homura was justified in what she was doing, but her mom telling her it's not okay changed that.

Yet, what good was it? She couldn't escape the room, and now she couldn't even escape into acceptance of her submission to Homura. Now she was fully aware of the kind of prisoner she was becoming. Her eyes began to sting, and she looked into her own ugly face as it wrinkled into silent, frustrated crying, holding herself back from making any sound.

Her mom put an arm around her and rubbed her back. "Madoka, listen to me, don't let yourself feel helpless. You can gain control."

"I can't!" Madoka pouted. "I can't do it mom. I know you think I'm strong but I'm not. There's nothing I can do, she has too much control."

"Yes you can. There's something else. Remember what you thought about before?"

Madoka's eyes dropped down. "I don't know if I can do that."

She was thinking about the time she was tied down and Homura tried to kiss her. That's when she had first seen how Homura felt about her. She knew that's the one way she could gain control of the situation. It was the one chink in Homura's armor.

"I don't want to hurt her," Madoka stated solemnly.

Despite everything that's happened, that was true. She could see how broken Homura was. Playing with her emotions would be cruel. Madoka wanted to be free, and she hated what Homura was doing to her. But, she didn't hate Homura. She did not want to hurt her.

What would her mom say? If Madoka could explain everything to her. Not just the situation, but how she felt? She didn't hate Homura. In some ways, she admired her. Maybe even liked her.

"She's in a lot of pain," her mom said. "She was in pain before you met her three weeks ago, and she'll continue to be in pain. Even if you stay with her that won't change. You don't think she's heartless, do you?"

"No, she's not. I know she feels bad about all of this. Keeping me away from my family. That's why she let me call you. Still, she's trying to control me because she thinks that's the only way to keep me safe. It's the lesser of two evils in her mind. That's how she justifies it, but it's hurting her."

"Just because she is damaged does not mean she's wise. She doesn't have the right to choose your fate for you. You have to decide what's more important to you; deciding your own destiny, or accepting the one she chooses for you."

Madoka spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth out. Homura had said she'd given her the choice before, and it ended in her dying. Countless times. Did that mean Homura was right and she shouldn't choose her own destiny?

"It's not okay," her mom's voice repeated in her head.

When Madoka looked back into the mirror she didn't see her mom there any more. She always went to her mom when she was conflicted but this is something she had to figure out for herself. Her mom taught her to be a good person, not to hurt people, but sometimes hurting people is necessary. Sometimes, the only way to do the right thing was to do the wrong thing.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Madoka, are you okay?" Homura asked.

Madoka looked back at the door. She had been standing here staring at herself in the mirror for a while now. She didn't actually say anything aloud, she had kept it all in her head, trying to use her mom's wisdom to figure this situation out.

"I'm fine," she said, "Just thinking about some things." She opened the door. Homura was standing there with a worried expression. Madoka had left the table without a word and, knowing Homura, she probably spent the time since then having her own inner dialog as well.

"I took a bath last night so I don't really need one now," Madoka said and smiled. It wasn't forced, but she knew her deception had begun. "Um… this has all been hard for me, but I want you to know I understand why you're doing all of this."

Homura seemed a little surprised. "I know I have said it before, but I would not be keeping you like this if I knew a better way."

Take control, Madoka thought to herself. That's what her mom would want her to do. She'd been dancing to Homura's rhythm this whole time, so she had to take the lead.

Madoka reached out and grabbed Homura's hand, Homura instantly looked back to her. Up until now Madoka would let Homura touch her sometimes, but she never initiated the contact herself.

"I know," Madoka said. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and I want you to know I don't hate you… but…"

"But?" Homura asked.

"There's some things I wish you wouldn't do."

Homura's head turned. Her eyes seemed uncertain where they wanted to look. She'd make eye contact, then glance down to Madoka's hand locked around her own.

"Like what?" Homura asked.

"Um…" Madoka let go of her hand. "Nevermind."

Homura seemed confused. Madoka watched her face, she could almost see how her mind was spinning, like she was trying to solve a riddle. Just grabbing her hand had an effect. It was so simple.

You do have weaknesses, Madoka thought. I can beat you. Mom would want me to beat you. I'm sorry if I hurt you but I can't stay here.

Madoka had gotten used to the idea that Homura was fully in control, that she was unbudgeable, unbreakable. This was not true, however. If Homura was going to manipulate her, Madoka decided she shouldn't feel bad about manipulating her back.

"It's hard for me," Madoka said. "Sometimes I think, I'll do anything to get out of here. Other times I start to think… maybe this isn't so bad." It wasn't a lie, she honestly did feel that way at times.

"It's not forever," Homura said. "I know it seems like a long time, three years, but once it's over you'll get to keep living. You'll get to have a life."

Madoka frowned. "I don't like getting tied up. I want that to stop."

Homura sighed and looked away, her expression matched how Madoka herself felt. Frustrated, hopeless; every answer leading to a dead end. "That will change eventually," Homura said. "I need to stay here in Mitakihara until May. After that, I have another place we can go. I'll keep you in a locked room, but it will be comfortable, and you won't have to be tied up for me to know you won't go anywhere."

Madoka's eyes dropped, making sure she held an expression that said she was not happy with that answer. Homura did want to keep her happy, so that was something else Madoka could exploit.

"Forget it," Madoka said, "Let's just talk about something else." She looked up and forced a smile. The smile was clearly forced, and she could see how it hurt Homura. "So… I'll take you up on watching a movie. Did you have anything in mind?"

IV

Usually when they were hanging out in the living room Homura would sit on the loveseat and Madoka on the couch. This time Madoka invited her over by saying, "Um, the couch is probably more comfortable. You can sit here with me if you want."

Homura gave her that puzzled look, then came over and sat. Madoka gave her a smile which made Homura blush and look away.

She had to take control. Every small thing she could do where she was taking the lead was a victory. She had to start being the one to effect Homura's actions, instead of being the docile captee who did whatever Homura asked.

Control the situation, then change it, gradually, until she could open a hole in Homura's armor and create an opportunity to escape. Her mom would probably agree that was a smart strategy.

Madoka was too distracted with her thoughts to pay much attention to the movie. Plus it was getting late and she was starting to feel tired. She put her feet up on the couch, just trying to get more comfortable but it also brought her closer to Homura, her feet resting right next to Homura's legs. Madoka smiled as Homura took notice, which made Homura blush again.

Madoka let out a small yawn as she snuggled down into the cushions and said, "Sorry, I'm getting a little sleepy."

"It's okay," Homura said, her eyes making a pass down Madoka's legs. Madoka could tell she wanted to touch her, but touching her legs or feet was a bit of a step up from just patting her head. Although if Homura did touch her, Madoka thought she might not have minded too much. She felt embarrassed to think such a thing, but it was true. Even if it also served the purpose of manipulating her captor, she wouldn't have minded it for other reasons.

By the time the movie came to its conclusion, Madoka was watching through half opened eyes. Homura turned off the screen as the credits began rolling, the action felt to Madoka like Homura saying "Okay, it's late, time to tie you up and get to bed."

"Ready?" Homura asked. Madoka yawned, sat up and gave a nod as she rubbed her eye.

She got up and followed Homura to the bedroom then stood by the bedside as Homura gathered the rope and chains she would restrain her with. Madoka thought, what could she do in this moment to exert some control?

Homura turned and raised an eyebrow, seeing Madoka did not sit on the bed as she normally would. Before Homura could question her on it Madoka spoke up. "I don't want to be tied up again," she said, staring at her.

Her heart skipped, it was so much easier to just do as Homura told her than it was to put up resistance. Making a direct challenge to her was different than the subtle things she'd done so far. She knew she could not convince Homura not to tie her up, but how could she have this play out where she didn't feel like she was just passively complying with Homura's orders?

Then, looking at the cuffs in Homura's hands, an idea crossed her mind.

"Sorry, but you know this is how things are," Homura said, her voice calm and patient. "Now, go ahead and lay down."

Madoka didn't lay down, instead she inhaled a deep breath and started walking towards Homura.

Screaming for help from a random passerby in the hallway would have been a bad idea, she was glad she didn't do it. It was the kind of rationale of someone who had no other options, a hail-mary type of plan that prayed on a slim chance.

She did have other options. She had her tool in the freezer. She just needed to create an opportunity to use it. She didn't need to rely on a desperate plan, she had to have faith in herself that she could manage this.

Do it with confidence! she told herself, as she walked towards Homura. Don't look scared! Mom would never look scared even if she was terrified!

Homura just stared at her as she approached, her eyes inquisitive, wondering what Madoka was up to.

"I really don't want to get tied up... so..." She slowly reached for the chains in Homura's hands. Homura wasn't sure what she was doing but watched as Madoka grabbed one end of the cuffs. The small girl held it, stared at it for a moment, then placed it around her own wrist and snapped it shut. It could not be opened again without the key.

She then took the other end out of Homura's hand, looked at Homura and smiled as she softly placed it around Homura's wrist and closed it, chaining her wrist to Homura's. "So, how about this instead? I don't need to be tied up if we are like this, right?"

Homura blushed and looked away, swallowing nervously. Madoka was glad to see that; Homura losing some of her control. "W-well, I suppose. Are you sure you're alright with that?" Homura asked.

Madoka shrugged. "Yeah, why not?" Of course, it meant sleeping in the same bed and staying rather close, and she knew how Homura felt about her. "Just... you wouldn't do anything I didn't want you to, right?" Blush crept onto her own face, not having to fake this emotion.

Planned or not, it was effective. Homura seemed to have trouble keeping eye contact with her now. "O-of course I wouldn't," she said.

Good, Madoka thought to herself, take control...

Madoka chuckled and said, "Alright, well, guess you can put the rest of that stuff away, right?" The anxious feeling in her chest changed to a nervous fluttering as it dawned on her — she had just offered to share a bed with Homura!

"Yes..." Homura agreed, and moved back to the closet, Madoka following closely as there was only about a foot of chain between their two wrists.

When Madoka first had the idea of exploiting Homura's feelings for her, she didn't think she could have gone through with it. Now she was finding it easier than she imagined. The way Homura was getting frazzled was actually really cute, and Madoka kind of wanted to see more of this shy side of her. She felt guilty, realizing that continuing down this path meant she was ultimately going to end up hurting Homura in the end.

No, it's fine… Madoka thought. I'm not being cruel as long as I don't lead her on too much. I have to do just enough for her to drop her guard so I can get the key.

Homura returned all the other items to the closet then, for once, was the one being led by Madoka as they went back to the bed.

"We'll sleep back to back, okay?" Madoka said.

"Alright," Homura agreed, then she thought for a moment and added, "Just, wait one moment." She started walking in the other direction but accidentally moved out of range and the cuffs jerked them towards each other. She blushed, Madoka giggled, and they stuck closer as Homura moved to the dresser on the other side of the room.

She set the key to the cuffs on top of the dresser. Madoka did her best not to look too interested in it, but it made her heart jump. She changed the situation, her actions caused things to change! She actually did have the power to do that! Of course, it would not be as easy as picking it out of Homura's pocket while they slept, but she still felt like this was a step in the right direction.

They walked back to the bed, Madoka climbing on first, and then Homura. Madoka laid down with her back to Homura. "Remember, back to back, okay?"

"Of course," Homura said, and she laid in a similar position facing the other way. She let her cuffed hand rest behind her back next to Madoka's.

Madoka had to admit she was a little nervous herself, her throat feeling dry and her face slightly hot. Both of them being frazzled they forgot to turn the light off. "Um..." Madoka looked over her shoulder, and scooted back a little so Homura could reach for the night stand and turn off the light.

"So, you're sure this is okay?" Homura asked, clearly reaching for something to say but not having anything better to say.

Madoka chuckled, her face comfortable against the pillow, she stretched out her legs and toes, enjoying the extra bit of freedom she did not normally have. "Yeah, this is a lot better."

"Alright then. Well, when I have to go out you still will need to be tied normally."

Madoka nodded. "Yeah I understand." She let out a yawn and nothing else was said as they each closed their eyes. It took a while for Madoka's heart to calm down, and it was the same for Homura, but eventually they both drifted off to sleep.


Hello! It's been a long time but I'm excited to be getting back into writing fanfiction. I'm hoping to stay active. I am still pretty busy with life and stuff, but I'll save complaining about that for another day.

For now I'll just say my break from fanfiction hasn't been a break from writing all together. I have a couple original projects started including one big project which is a collaboration between me and my girlfriend (Autumn_Forest), but I'll likewise save talking about those for another time.

Speaking of Autumn, she gets a special thanks for helping to beta read this chapter as well as brainstorm some things in later chapters of Perfect Crime. More than that, no one has given me more crap about not finishing this story than her so that's no small part of why I'm going to be putting my focus into finishing Perfect Crime.

Anyway, thanks for reading! See you next time!

-Atomyst

Follow me on twitter- at /Atomyst_fics