A/N: So I've been wrting this fic whilst suffering from brain fog, severe all day every day migraines and months long sleep deprivation (among other things) - suffice it to say that it's not my best writing as a result. I tried not to be too perfect with it and only give it like eight proofreads, rather than my usual eighty lol. I can't really allow myself not to be perfect with my other fics and that's why I haven't updated them yet, sorry. But after episode 10 I couldn't not write this so here we are.

So whilst this isn't set in the same universe as my other yumagna fics, it does build on the same backstories that I use in that one (except for the fact that in this universe, Yumiko obviously has a brother and isn't an only child). You'll understand this fic better if you've read my other fics but for quick reference: Brian Lawson is the man Magna killed, Maisie is her cousin (the one Lawson abused) and she also had a younger brother called Morgan (they had a tense relationship and he died of an overdose when she was in prison). She lived in Yumiko's apartment for a month when she first got out of prison. Nicole is Yumiko's ex-girlfriend from law school who cheated on her. Magna's last name is Carter (she hates it) . . . I think those are the main things?

P.S. I'll be including easter eggs in here for future fics in my other yumagna series if you read those.

The sound of her brother clearing his throat tore Yumiko's attention from the harpist near the entrance. "Your wife's coming our way again. No wine this time, though. Does that mean you're in her bad books? Because if so, I'm going to need you to reverse that in case she decides to hold the wine hostage for the rest of the evening."

"Seriously?"

"What? It's good wine. And if we absolutely must participate in this farce, I'm determined to make the most of it."

That much was obvious.

Tomi seemed to have set himself the goal of drinking as many glasses as possible without drowning himself in the process. Thankfully, there was a limit on just how much wine was available at the end of the world. Even in a place like the Commonwealth.

Yumiko's mouth pursed as the rest of what he'd said finally caught up with her and she resisted the urge to spin around, to look. She'd been doing her best not to look at Magna all evening. To watch her.

Talk to her.

Honestly, Yumiko deserved a goddamned medal for how well she'd done so far. Or one of those sparkly stickers the teachers used to put on her workbook every time she achieved proper spelling and grammar in school. Stickers she'd carefully, painstakingly peeled off - don't tear the page - to place on her face instead. Always in the same place, center forehead, no deviations - she'd used the bathroom mirror to check, spending all recess working to get it exact.

She'd wanted to be as right and perfect as those sentences.

Something that could be granted a sticker of approval without question.

(had never quite managed it)

Yumiko took a slow sip of her wine, which she'd barely touched since Magna had handed it to her.

The liquid tasted bitter in her mouth. Overly sour for the fact that she wasn't sharing it with the person she most wanted to. "She's not my wife."

Legality aside, Yumiko would bet all the money she now had again that Magna was allergic to the term. Or more accurately the entire concept.

"When you're in love with each other for over a decade, you automatically become husband and wife. Or, well, wife and wife." His brow furrowed. "Is that right? Doesn't really have the same ring to it. Lawyer and wife? Lawyer and prison wife? Lawyer and waiter? No, wife and wife."

God, just how much had he had to drink?

"Tomi," Yumiko sighed.

"Yes?"

She was prevented from saying anything further by a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey, mind if I steal a dance?"

Lungs pausing in their duty, she turned around. Instantly, her eyes were drawn to that damn bowtie - so out of place and yet so. . .

Well, Yumiko knew what her dreams would be filled with during the coming nights. Tearing her gaze off the offending article of clothing, she focused on Magna's face.

Mistake number one.

Just like earlier in the evening, words escaped her. Only unlike earlier, she couldn't just smile and hope for that to be enough. To communicate through eyes alone.

This time, Magna's question demanded a verbal response.

Yumiko opened her mouth - only to snap it shut when a hand landed on her back, giving it a not-so-subtle push forward.

"Not at all. She's been hanging out all evening."

Magna's eyebrows slowly drew up and Yumiko whipped a glance over her shoulder, delivering Tomi a glare - a rebuke he remained frustratingly impervious to. Clearly, her brother's loyalty lay with the promise of wine and not her. Typical.

Clenching her jaw, she turned back to face her current dilemma, stiff with indecision.

In any other circumstance, Yumiko wouldn't have hesitated. But she was far from oblivious to the fact that Magna wasn't a guest at this ball, not like her, that she was in fact still on the clock - and consequently lacking the freedom to engage in any of the festivities, including dancing.

The last thing Yumiko wanted was to get her in trouble.

And she knew that it would be Magna who got in trouble for stepping outside those lines. Not her.

Though, apparently, she was the only one concerned with that key issue right now.

Magna held out a hand, the gesture confident - though Yumiko knew her well enough to catch the faint flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. So brief, she wondered whether she'd imagined it. Her meddlesome brain, throwing out party tricks in an effort to make her feel better, reassure her that she wasn't the only one feeling so unbalanced right now.

Unsteady.

Hesitating, she watched as Magna's gaze drew away, to a group of people in the distance. A group that contained one Pamela Milton.

So that's what this is about.

The realization calmed her nerves slightly, even as she denied the glimmer of hurt in her heart.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Yumiko accepted the proffered hand."I know what you're doing."

"And what's that?"

She didn't answer, too caught up in the sensation of Magna's skin, how much the experience of their hands closing around one another felt like coming home. Barely suppressing a shiver, Yumiko allowed her to lead them out onto the dance floor - not missing the dismayed looks that followed this action.

I hate being the responsible one.

"You're going to get in trouble for this."

"I'll just say you asked me to. Can't say no to the upper class, right?"

Yumiko suppressed a flinch at the undercurrent of hostility in her tone. "Right."

She made a note to speak to Pamela later. To relay the lie, just in case Magna did get in trouble. Yumiko didn't know the rules, just how flexible they were when it came to workers stepping out on their jobs and causing a scene. Judging from the looks they were getting - not very.

Tomi, the newfound bane of her existence, was looking far too pleased with this latest development.

Which would make him the only one in the goddamn room.

Magna's left hand settled on her shoulder blade, the edge of her palm sealing against Yumiko's skin where her dress reached the end of its ability to offer protection. She held her breath at the familiar touch, so teasing in its faintness, and returned the gesture, laying her hand on Magna's right shoulder. The fabric of her shirt was a relief, a buffer that she suddenly found herself pathetically regretful for.

Glancing at their surroundings to distract from the building heat in her chest, Yumiko caught the eye of one woman who hastily turned away, consequently dissolving into hushed conversation with those around her.

Wonderful.

"Why does this remind me of that time you convinced me to steal from a restaurant?"

Magna rolled her eyes. "Stuffing your leftover dinner in your handbag is not stealing. You fucking paid for that shit."

"It was against the restaurant's policy."

"And it was our fucking food."

"A health and safety violation."

Not technically illegal, but before the world ended some restaurants had elected to ban doggy bags in order to avoid being blamed for food poisoning. The one they'd eaten at that night happened to be among them. It was a policy that Yumiko respected, even if she hated to waste food.

Magna, who hated wasting food even more, had not shared in that respect. At all.

Yumiko narrowed her eyes, a sudden concern rising in her thoughts. "You're not thinking of taking home anything tonight, are you?"

Magna was a master at swiping food. Always had been.

And this event. . .

Magna affected an expression of innocence. "Would I do that?"

Yumiko sent her a look.

"Relax. I'm not going to steal anything from your precious ball." Her gaze moved away, over to a table piled high with fruits. It lingered there a moment, not doing anything to reassure Yumiko.

"Seriously, fruit?"

Magna didn't even like fruit.

Too sweet.

Too messy.

Both cardinal sins, according to Magna.

"Just a mango."

Yumiko stared at her in disbelief. "You're not going to be able to smuggle a mango out of here. Especially not in that outfit."

"You'd be shocked at what I've managed to smuggle in less."

Probably.

But now wasn't the time to go over Magna's rather extensive exploits. They'd be here all night.

She withheld a sigh. "If you want a mango that bad, I'll bring you a mango. Just. . . don't get yourself arrested. Despite what Magna had said back at Hilltop, she really wasn't looking to play lawyer again for her any time soon. "Now that we're actually living in a place that will arrest you."

"Just another strike against the Commonwealth." Magna refocused on her, the sudden flare of resentment in her gaze enough to make Yumiko freeze. "I don't need you to bring me a mango, Miko. This isn't like back then."

"You mean after prison?"

She clenched her jaw, glanced back towards the table. "I'm not going to be your charity case again."

Now it was Yumiko's turn to bite down on her anger. "You were never a charity case to me."

"Right."

Yumiko ground her teeth. She couldn't figure out what she'd done. What was so bad that she'd inadvertently ruined the easy peace that had grown between them after the cave - delivering them back into the accusation and resentment that had existed in the weeks leading up to it. "It's just a mango."

"To you. To you, it's just a mango."

A waiter passed them by. Yumiko resisted the urge to reach out, swipe a glass off the quickly disappearing tray. Suspected that would only earn her more judgment.

She didn't want to fight with Magna. Didn't ever want to fight with her again.

Had missed her too much to waste whatever time they spent together on barbed words and caustic looks.

Yumiko couldn't do it.

Not again.

She let out a frustrated breath, taking a step back, out of Magna's space. Halting the dance that hadn't truly had a chance to even begin. "What do you want from me?"

Had she only approached her because she was spoiling for a fight?

Was that it?

Magna paused, the spark in her eyes short-circuiting. Fading out. She took a breath. "Right now?" She extended a hand once more, palm open. "Just a dance."

The gesture seemed genuine, the regret in the twist of her mouth even moreso.

After a moment, Yumiko cautiously accepted the offering, allowing Magna to draw her back into her space. Into her.

She tried not to notice the way heat built between them almost instantly, trapped between their forms, or how she could feel Magna's breath against her skin, even hotter.

It had been a long time.

And even with the tension between them, that was hard to ignore.

Impossible, actually.

Every cell in Yumiko's body craved to draw her closer, to feel more. To destroy the distance between them.

She bit her tongue, subduing the impulse.

Taking a breath, Yumiko resettled a hand on her shoulder, not resisting when Magna proceeded to lace their fingers together. Something they hadn't done since before the cave. The air stilled in Yumiko's lungs at the feeling and her other hand dug into Magna's shoulder slightly, gripping it in an effort to stay balanced. To not trip over her own feet like a schoolgirl with a crush.

From the way Magna's mouth parted slightly, the fingers twined between Yumiko's flexing momentarily, she wasn't the only one facing such a struggle.

The realization made her skin burn, heart racing faster as she worked to keep her expression blank. Unaffected.

To not let the cracks show.

(a challenge she'd always excelled in)

Magna cleared her throat, loosening the hold on her hand slightly. "Okay?"

God no.

"Okay."

A/N: I promise that this has a happy ending folks! There's gonna be conflict - because there's some things they need to work through - but there's also going to be softness and fluff. And kisses of course!

Also, the entire rough draft for this fic has already been written (i need to sort the scenes into order and mesh things together and also give each chapter enough proofreads but the rough draft is written) and in order to write it I had to come up with my own assumptions about what Magna and Yumiko have been doing in the Commonwealth, what their motivations are, what they're feeling, what goals they're working towards, etc. - and it's likely all going to end up conflicting with canon when new episodes come out. I hope that's okay?