Fitting Back Together Chapter 30: Hungry, a walking dead fanfic

"I'm glad you found your brother," Magna said softly. "That you get a second chance with him."

"Thankyou." Yumiko knew how much those words meant, considering Magna would never have a second chance with her own brother. Not to mention that gaining that second chance had come at the cost of Yumiko living here. In the Commonwealth. Came at the cost of Magna coming to live here as well. "Me too."

Magna squeezed her hand, smiling weakly. "Don't waste it."

"Wasn't planning to." She hesitated. "He's why I stayed. . . or, one of the reasons, anyway."

She wasn't ready to get into the other. But this had been the first reason. The first thing to keep her tethered to this place long after her heart and common sense had tried to draw her back home.

Magna's face creased with confusion. "What?"

"Earlier tonight, you said that you thought I'd come back. And I was planning to. I actually had one foot out the door when I found out that he was here. I had to stay."

Not forever. She'd never planned on staying forever. But when she'd seen that photo of herself on the wall on that wall, she hadn't been able to walk away. No more than she'd been able to walk away from Magna all those years ago.

She'd had to stay.

"I get it," Magna said, more easily than she'd expected. "And I mean, it probably worked out for everyone that you did. As much as I hate this place, I can't deny that it's certainly a hell of a lot safer than being out there. Better for the kids, you know?"

"I know." Kids had always been Magna's weak spot. "But you prefer it out there."

There was no accusation in her voice this time.

No judgment.

Magna hesitated. ". . . I fit. That world, the hard one, the one that isn't safe . . . I fit in it. In a way I can't fit here. That world's always been easier for me than the one we came from before."

"I know that too."

It was something Yumiko had tried to change in that first year out of prison. And something she'd failed to.

She wondered whether she would fail here as well.

"Can we talk about what you said earlier?"

Magna side-eyed her. ". . . If you hadn't noticed, I kinda said a lot earlier."

"About this place. Feeling disposable."

She shifted, eyes drifting away. "I'd rather not."

"Magna-"

"Not right now, anyway."

"Okay," Yumiko said softly, reluctance gripping her chest. She hesitated before moving closer, wrapping an arm around her. "But just know that you're not."

Magna raised a brow.

"Disposable."

She swallowed. "Everyone's disposable to someone, Miko. Always been that way. Some people are just more disposable than others."

She clenched her jaw. The tension in her muscles faltering when Magna's lips pressed softly against it. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

Yumiko exhaled, cupping her head a moment as she lingered there - before reluctantly letting her go.

She hated injustice.

And right now, in this instant, there seemed no greater injustice in the world than people believing that Magna was disposable. That she could ever be.

Yumiko didn't care that she was biased. Overwhelmed with sentiment.

The world would be worse for not having Magna in it. She was too important to lose. Would always be too important to lose.

This world would be nothing without you.

Yumiko knew that even if others didn't.

"So. . . are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Tomi?" Magna asked. No doubt in an effort to change the subject. But the curiosity in her eyes was real. As was the thinly veiled concern.

Yumiko sighed. It was a loaded question.

Most of what was going on wasn't anything she could discuss with Magna. Not now. Possibly not ever.

As for the rest. . .

Yumiko's gaze drifted around the room, considering her options. She had said she would talk about it later. And now was later. More than that, a sizable part of her wanted to talk about it.

An even more sizable part was too exhausted to form the words.

She'd had so many emotional conversations tonight. Too many. And her body felt very insistent that she couldn't currently handle another one.

And yet. . .

She wanted to talk about it.

Needed to talk about it.

Especially since tomorrow she'd likely be thrown right back into the thick of things when she paid a visit to check on her brother. Who knew whether he would remember the evening's events. The many things that had been said.

Yumiko hoped that he would.

Wasn't sure how she would handle the disappointment if he didn't.

"Miko?"

She opened her mouth-

Paused.

Gaze landing on an object resting on the kitchen counter. A small thing. Such a small thing.

But it immediately boiled her blood, chasing away all thoughts of her brother and what tomorrow might bring.

"You stole the mango."

Magna turned to look - and Yumiko clenched her jaw at the slight eye roll that followed. "From the fucking kitchen. There were a bunch in there at the end of the night that hadn't even been cut yet. You know, on account of the whole festivities-being-ruined-by-a-dude-with-a-knife thing. Not like anyone was going to eat it."

She gritted her teeth. "Someone could have seen you."

"Sure. But no-one did."

"That's not the point."

Why was she always the only one in this relationship who seemed to be concerned with Magna's safety? Sure, she protected her heart like a mother lion, but her body, her life?

Yumiko wasn't sure she could be any more reckless with those if she tried.

(case in point: that night she'd refused to retreat in the face of more sickos than they could handle)

"Come on," Magna sat up, "I'll make you something to eat. Your stomach's been growling all night."

"It has not."

And they were in the middle of an argument.

She would not be distract-

"Oh, it has. And I'll say it was certainly the most interesting backing track I've ever had sex to - totally beats Rob Zombie or Mazzy Star."

Yumiko scowled. "Keep this up and it'll be the last backing track you ever have sex to."

Magna made a show of zipping her lips, though her little smirk was just as infuriating as any words she might have said. She reached for her abandoned shirt but Yumiko - feeling particularly petty - beat her to it. Yanking the clothing away from Magna's outstretched fingers and sliding her own arms through the sleeves.

Magna hid a grin. "Does this mean I get to steal your dress?"

"Absolutely not."

Yumiko knew that her earlier resolve to table sex until tomorrow would be thrown out the window if she saw Magna in that dress. And from the curl of her lips, it looked like she knew it too.

"Meanie."

"What are you? Eight?"

She hadn't been called a meanie since grade school.

Magna rolled her eyes, watching as she deftly started to do up the buttons on her stolen shirt - the ones that had survived, anyway. Yumiko didn't miss the darkening of her gaze, the way she seemed almost mesmerised by the steady progression of her fingers.

Looks like I'm not the only one who's control is being tested.

"So what exactly am I going to wear then? Since you've kindly stolen my only shirt."

"I highly doubt this is your only shirt." Hoped not, anyway. Hoped things weren't that bad. Yumiko's mouth curled, "And who says you have to wear anything at all?"

Magna scoffed. "The freezing temperature of this icebox of a room."

So she did feel it. Wasn't nearly as oblivious to the chill and discomfort as she made out.

Yumiko pursed her lips a moment, trying to hide her displeasure at the reminder.

"Maybe if you warmed me up a bit first-"

"Magna."

The devilish smirk on her face when Yumiko looked up was too irresistible to be irritating and before she could think better of it, she moved across the mattress, catching Magna's chin with her fingers and drawing her into a kiss. The smirk melted away and Yumiko felt the slight exhale of surprise in the instant before Magna's lips started moving in tandem with hers.

Reluctantly, she forced herself to pull back, the gurgling in her stomach making its plight known. Loudly.

Magna giggled.

The sound so light, so uncharacteristic, that for a moment all Yumiko could do was stare. Then a breathy laugh tumbled from her own lips and she leant in again, stealing a final kiss. "Go find something to wear."

Or I'll just end up dragging you back down onto this mattress before we get any food in us.

And Yumiko wasn't entirely confident that her stomach wouldn't devour her if that happened. Though she was certainly tempted to risk it.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Magna's grin was anything but respectful as she wasted no time in standing up - and promptly bearing the entirety of her body to Yumiko's defenceless gaze. Never one to miss an opportunity to torment, Magna took her time in stepping off the mattress, movements slow and sensuous - and even longer to make her way over to a large cardboard box on the floor. When she slowly bent over, angling herself in the worst possible way, Yumiko had to roll her eyes.

"Like I said, you're a menace."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just doing what you said. Finding something to wear."

"In the most dramatic, drawn out way you can - yes, I know."

"Well, you could always give me my shirt back. That would be quicker."

"Not a chance."

Yumiko crossed her arms, bringing the course fabric tighter around herself. She liked this shirt. The slight smell of honey and sweat enveloping her.

It was a smell that had been a part of her world for over a decade, that she'd gone to sleep to each night, and woken again to in the morning. The smell of home.

In the end, the torment was brought to a close when Magna plucked a long plaid shirt out of the box. Yumiko narrowed her eyes, inspecting the article of clothing as she slipped it on. Was that-

"That's mine."

Magna stilled a moment, fingers pausing over one of the buttons - and Yumiko realized then that she'd been hoping she wouldn't notice. Was self-conscious, perhaps even embarrassed by the fact.

Magna cleared her throat, continuing with her actions. "Yeah. Found it at Alexandria." Yumiko had forgotten to pack it last time they were there. She could remember that. "You can have it back if you want?"

She shook her head.

Then, realizing that Magna still wasn't looking at her, couldn't see, "No, it's fine. You can keep it. Looks better on you, anyway."

Yumiko had no idea if this was actually true but she certainly liked seeing it on Magna far more than she did herself. Liked the thought that she'd kept this piece of her, brought it all the way with her on her journey to the Commonwealth; this tangible proof that Magna had been thinking about her just as much as Yumiko had been thinking of her.

That she wasn't the only one who'd reached for a reminder of the past. A keepsake from what was lost.

A knife under a pillow.

A forgotten shirt.

Magna snorted. "Now that's the biggest piece of bullshit I've ever heard. No-one looks better in plaid than you." And finally she looked up, the beginnings of a grin tugging at her lips. "But I think I'll keep it, anyway."

"You do that." Please. "Though, my mother would disagree. She near about had a coronary every time she saw me in plaid."

"Doesn't meet the Katherine Seal of Approval?"

"I think I could have garnered less disappointment if I'd shown up on her doorstep eight months pregnant."

She'd never forget the first time it happened.

The look on her mother's face. Like she was judging all her life choices in one foul swoop.

'Oh, Yumiko. Plaid? Really?'

She hadn't known whether to laugh or cry. In the end, she'd just shaken her head and drawn her mother into a hug - hiding a grin at the way the shorter woman subtly tried to avoid skin contact with any of her shirt.

"Well, that's not even a competition. Your mum was practically salivating for a grandkid."

Yumiko grimaced. "You're right. Terrible example."

"She didn't seem to mind it when I wore one."

"A grandkid?"

"Plaid shirt. Never batted an eye."

Maybe that's because you almost never wore one. Most of Magna's wardrobe had consisted entirely of black tanktops, denim and leather. Now and then, she would dig up the occasional shirt with the kind of image on it that would make a church lady cry but that was about as colorful as things got. A lot of that wardrobe had been chosen with the intention to appear unapproachable, to keep people back. In the years since, she'd relaxed into a more relaxed style. A style that actually looked at home on her.

"That's because she liked you better than me."

Magna scoffed. "More like she held me to worse standards."

Yumiko made a noise of disagreement, knowing there was no use arguing with Magna on this point. Instead, she allowed her eyes to travel her form, the stolen apparel. . .

It was one of her longer shirts, coming to an end just above Magna's knees which was. . . better than nothing. And Yumiko supposed she could hardly complain considering the shirt she had on at the moment covered even less.

"No Pajamas?"

"Nope. Usually just sleep in a tank and underwear."

Nothing new then.

It was a relief in a way to see that some things never changed.

Still. . .

"That must get cold. It's not exactly a sauna in here."

Magna said nothing, making her way over to what amounted to a kitchen - in the loosest of terms. "You coming? Or were you angling for breakfast in bed?"

"You'd need an actual bed for that."

"Enough with the apartment digs. It's not gonna make me change my mind about moving in with you."

"Worth a try." Yumiko huffed, standing up and ignoring Magna's fleeting smile.

She shivered as icy air immediately wrapped around her bare legs, already regretting the decision to give in to her stomach's demands. Instinctively wrapping her arms around herself, Yumiko reluctantly stepped off the mattress, navigating her way towards the 'kitchen.' "Please tell me you have something other than stale bread."

Magna's nose wrinkled. "Why would I have stale bread?"

"Let's just say paying a visit to my brother's apartment was a scarring ordeal."

Magna raised a brow but didn't inquire any further, moving towards an ice box against the far wall. Yumiko noticed for the first time that there was no fridge. Felt her lips purse.

"I can do an omelette," Magna said. "Just a basic one. No milk or cheese. But I've got tomatoes, peppers and onions. . . Or there's bread. Not stale."

She smiled. "An omelette sounds great."

Anything that Magna offered would. Not just because Yumiko was familiar with how she could turn the barest of ingredients into something impossibly palatable but because she was the one cooking it. And Yumiko had missed her cooking, the intimacy of it. Hadn't realized until the last few months just how much she'd taken it for granted.

Magna nodded, opening the ice box and reaching in. The hem of her shirt rose up, dragging along her upper thighs, dragging and dragging until-

Without thought, Yumiko stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Magna's waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.

Magna straightened, mouth curving slowly. "Can't really cook with you doing that. Makes movement a little hard."

"Then don't cook."

Her growling stomach be damned.

Yumiko nuzzled her nose into the crook of Magna's neck, feeling the sharp inhale of her breath. Despite all her earlier protests and her ever-advancing fatigue, Yumiko suddenly found herself unable to resist the woman now firmly encased in her arms.

It was the shirt that had done it.

Her shirt.

Seeing Magna in it. Feeling it now, brushing against her chin. The hem, grazing the skin of her thighs. . .

Her hands were moving before she could think better of it, slipping beneath the frayed material.

"Miko."

There was no heart in the protest. And she felt the almost imperceptible pressure against her breasts as Magna's weight shifted, sinking into her.

So ignoring the feeble warning, Yumiko skated her fingers up Magna's thigh, pausing at the rise of her hipbone; lingering in consideration. She bit her lip as Magna's back tensed against her chest, breath stilling.

It would be so easy.

Too easy.

Yumiko continued on her journey, grazing the soft flesh of Magna's stomach, counting the goosebumps as she went and feeling the flex of taut muscles as she drew in a sharp breath. That breath became choked in the next moment when Yumiko's hand found what it had been searching for. Gave an experimental squeeze.

"Jesus Christ, Miko, I'm going to drop the eggs. And if that happens I'll kill you."

She paid the threat no mind, nibbling at the soft skin of Magna's neck, enjoying the strangled sound that escaped her lips. "I think you're bluffing."

"About dropping the eggs?"

"About killing me." Yumiko opened her mouth, seeking to taste, to devour - Magna buckled. Just the barest amount. But it drew a smirk from her lips as she strengthened her hold, supporting her weight. "You'd never kill me. So I'm willing to take my chances."

Very willing.

In fact, she suddenly wanted nothing more.

Nothing more than to hear the sound of Magna's moans in her ears as she came undone yet again, pressed up against this ice box. Still, she'd make an exception for moving over onto the counter. If only so she could see her better. See all of her.

But Yumiko was loathe to grant the necessary distance between them in order to achieve that transition.

With that in mind, she released Magna's breast, heard a light puff of air in her ear - the sound somewhere between relief and frustration - before starting her way back down Magna's body. To that place she'd foolishly passed over before.

"Nope."

In the space of an instant, Magna was whipping around to face her, effectively dislodging her hold as she threw up her hands. "I am not letting you get another point in."

Yumiko narrowed her eyes. "Magna-"

"Nope! Stay back. You can keep those cursed fingers firmly to yourself."

She rolled her eyes but did as demanded. "Seriously?"

"Very seriously. If anyone's getting off again tonight, it's you."

Yumiko huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm good."

The only thing she was in the mood for right now was Magna. Touching her. Hearing her. Watching her fall apart.

Yumiko's belly chose that moment to let out its biggest growl yet.

Magna snorted. "Yeah, well, your stomach's not - so maybe let me get back to cooking us something before you starve to death, yeah?"

Yumiko knew she had to admit defeat. The hunger pangs had reached a point that could no longer be ignored and even if they could she knew there would be no swaying Magna now that she'd firmly put her foot down. Giving her old shirt one last wistful look, Yumiko sighed, taking a step back and raising her hands in surrender.

Magna smirked. "Good choice."

"Less gloating, more cooking."

Despite Magna's victorious expression, Yumiko didn't miss the heavy flush to her cheeks as she turned back towards the counter, or the way her breathing still hadn't quite returned to normal. Nor did she miss when Magna squeezed her thighs together a moment, a frustrated crease to her mouth as she reached for a tomato out of a nearby bowl.

"Everything okay?"

"You know fucking well it's not." She swiped a knife, muttering under her breath, "Stupid fucking cursed fingers."

Now it was Yumiko's turn to smirk, resolving to settle back and enjoy the show."I'm glad you found your brother," Magna said softly. "That you get a second chance with him."