Magna's heart, beating away like a hummingbird against her cheek, still had yet to calm. Yumiko's mouth formed a languid smile at the erratic thump. Without a thought, she turned into the sensation, pressing her lips to Magna's chest, to the left, where her heart resided.

A faint murmer sounded above her head, followed by an exhale. . . lazy fingers gliding through her hair.

It still made Yumiko freeze sometimes, to think how close she had come to hearing this heart's final beat. Losing everything.

Months had passed but she suspected the terror that had gripped her during the cave would take years to fully abate. If it ever did.

Yumiko closed her eyes, fighting away those thoughts with the sensation of Magna's fingers, the gentle massage of her scalp, the urgent th-thump against her skin.

She's okay.

As if sensing her thoughts, Magna shifted, ever so slightly, and Yumiko felt the firm press of lips against her head. The kiss lingered and she breathed easier under the pressure, living in the feeling for the time it took for it to cease. For Magna to pull away.

Yumiko exhaled.

Despite the iciness of the room, her body felt like it was on fire. It was almost too much to be held by Magna like this, to feel the overwhelming combination of both their heat, engulfing her.

Almost.

Yumiko was in no way prepared to move away just yet. To let go.

Besides, once she recovered, she'd be feeling that cold all too well. Best to take advantage of this furnace whilst she could.

And risk of hyperthermia aside, she felt good. Her muscles deliciously loose and relaxed. Released of the tension they'd hung on to so tightly for months.

There was a massage therapist in the Commonwealth that she'd been debating whether or not to go to for the past couple of weeks but this. . . was much better.

And she knew it wasn't just the sex. It was the conversation they'd had. The many conversations. Before tonight, Yumiko had believed that she'd only feel worse for talking about what had happened before the cave, worse still for letting slip any hints about Nicole in the process.

She was both pleasantly surprised and relieved to find that wasn't the case. Instead, it felt like the anvil that had been bearing down on her chest had finally been lifted. She could breathe again.

Even better, she could run her fingers over Magna's skin without any conflicting emotions or buried resentment. She could simply enjoy this moment, enjoy her.

Still, their previous activities couldn't be completely disregarded. She'd never been someone who particularly needed sexual intimacy. She enjoyed it, even craved it at times, but she could just as easily get by without it. Magna, however, had always existed as an exception to this rule. Yumiko craved her in ways she had never craved anyone else. Wanted her like she had never wanted anyone.

And, in the last months, Yumiko had somehow forgotten just how good sex between them could feel. How much she missed it. Had convinced herself that it was inconsequential, that she could get by without it. And she could.

But God.

She certainly wasn't about to be in any hurry to again.

Ever so gradually, the heart against her ear began to slow, returning to its steady, even thump.

A hummingbird finally at rest.

"So. . ." Magna's voice overpowered the steady beat of her heart. "Fun night?"

"Exhausting night." Peace broken, Yumiko moved away, settling onto her back and feeling the relief of cool air against her sweat-soaked skin.

Magna snickered, shifting onto her side. "Yeah, looked like your brother put you through the wringer."

Yumiko's narrowed her eyes. "Not just him."

Magna's grin was entirely unrepentant. "Just trying to keep you on your toes."

"In that case, you get to be the one to massage them later. They're aching up a storm."

Yumiko stretched said toes out, wincing at a slight cramp of protest. They were definitely in need of a little R and R.

"Yeah, something tells me that has more to do with those heels you were wearing than me." Magna grunted. "Never knew how you could stand those things. Fucking torture devices."

"That I can't disagree on." She certainly hadn't missed wearing heels during the last decade. Would have happily gone several more without ever feeling them grace her feet again. "But they do look nice."

Yumiko could admit that much.

"Not worth it." Magna flopped onto her back again, mouth tuckered down in a frown so adorable that she was sorely tempted to kiss it away. "Read once that heels used to be for men instead. Let's go back to that. Give them the achy blistered feet to deal with."

Yumiko wasn't surprised by the rant. Magna had never forgiven her manager for making heels a part of the dress code. She'd listened to many a spoken fantasy during that year in which Magna had outlined exactly what she would like to do to him with those heels - with increasingly gory detail.

At the time, Yumiko had thought she was simply blowing off steam.

Now, having seen her bludgeon a sicko's skull in with its own stiletto, she was simply glad that Magna had somehow managed to restrain herself.

"I'll suggest it to Pamela," Yumiko said, mouth curling. "Could be interesting. Tomi would certainly get behind it. I've seen him in a pair of heels and I hate to say that he wears them better than I do."

Magna blew out a breath, staring at the ceiling. "God knows he'd wear them better than me. I could barely stay upright in those things."

Yumiko smirked, propping herself up on an elbow so she could gaze down at Magna's delightfully dishevelled form. "Mmm, something that the whole truck stop soon found out."

After the second month of watching his new employee wobble around like a duck on stilts, her manager had given up and granted her an exemption.

(from the victorious glint in Magna's eyes for the rest of that week, Yumiko suspected at least some of that wobble had been put on)

"I'm glad you found my misery amusing," she grumbled.

"Well, it was very amusing. I just regret that I never caught any of it on camera."

Magna rolled her eyes. "You take way too much pleasure in my humiliation."

"It's my job. Perks of being the one who gets you off."

"Well, you'll never be getting me off again with that attitude. I'll close up shop."

Yumiko snorted. "Pretty sure you don't mean that."

"Oh, I do."

She reached out a hand, smoothing it across Magna's stomach. . . creeping down. There was a telling hitch in her breath. "Pretty sure you don't."

She caught Yumiko's hand with a scowl that wasn't anywhere close to convincing. "So much for being exhausted."

"Never too exhausted to tease you."

Magna grumbled.

But didn't release her hand, instead threading their fingers together and holding it in place, settled against her chest.

Yumiko could admit it wasn't a bad place to settle. She could feel the brush of one of Magna's breasts against her thumb every time her chest rose with a breath, and the steady thump of her heart beneath her palm.

Definitely not a bad place to settle.

"You know, I think I might be a prophet."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah."

Magna sat up, a very unfortunate development as it dislodged Yumiko's hand from its prized position. She didn't have time to wallow in the loss long, however, as Magna placed her hand on Yumiko's own chest, gently pushing her down onto the mattress as she slowly descended with her.

"Lay me down on sheets of linen, you had a busy day today. . ."

Her singing hadn't gotten any better in the hours since they'd danced. Remarkably, it even seemed to have gotten worse.

Yumiko hid a smirk. "These are hardly sheets of linen."

"Don't diss my sheets."

"And I don't think you were being a prophet so much as making your wishes for the night blatantly known."

"Hey, these may have been my wishes but I in no way thought I'd be carrying them out." Magna bent her head, stealing a kiss. "Your mouth also tasted less like wine and stale bread in my wishes."

Always such a flatterer.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers." Yumiko cupped her face, drawing her into another kiss. "And you were begging just a few minutes ago. . ."

Magna let out a noise and pushed off her.

Yumiko snickered, delighting at the faint flush in her cheeks, even as she hid it behind a look of annoyance. "Don't be embarrassed. I love your begging."

Understatement.

Absolute understatement.

Magna scowled. "I'm never letting you on top again. It went to your head."

"You seemed to enjoy it well enough in the moment. More than well enough."

Magna grumbled but didn't argue - likely knowing the case against her was sound. She didn't have a leg to stand on. "Never again."

"Oh, don't say that." Straining to keep back a laugh, Yumiko reached out, giving her shoulders a placating squeeze. "It was fun."

Magna's mouth drew up faintly. "Yeah. It was. . . " She scowled an instant later, remembering herself. "Still went to your head."

"Well, we're both control freaks. What did you expect?"

"For you not to rub it in my face?"

Yumiko bit her lip, cheeks still straining against a grin. "Sorry."

"Sure you are."

They had eventually ended up playing it by ear. And the ear had taken off.

In the very best of directions.

It wasn't the first time she'd been on top. But it was the first time she'd gone to town with it. Pushed a few boundaries. Boundaries Magna had been more than happy to let her push. Which made her petulance now all the more amusing.

"Call it revenge for your wandering hands," Yumiko retorted. Revenge that she had vowed to obtain.

"Hey," Magna held up a finger, "you enjoyed that."

"And you enjoyed this." Of that, she had no doubt. "You know, there's no shame in it. I've made tougher women than you beg."

"Tougher woman than- that's it. I've changed my mind. We're not getting back together."

Magna moved to get up-

Yumiko laughed, pulling her back down. "I'm sorry. That was mean of me to say."

"Very mean."

"No one's tougher than you."

"Damn straight."

"Hmm, no." Yumiko's nose wrinkled. "If you want straight you're going to have to go somewhere else for that."

Her brow furrowed. "I don't think I know anyone who's straight."

"Well. . . there's Gabriel."

"You want me to fuck Gabriel?"

She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at the look on Magna's face. "Preferably not. I think it would be better if you didn't run into trouble with Rosita."

Magna harrumphed, slumping onto her back. "Too late for that. She thinks I'm lying about not knowing Tyler."

Some of the humor disappeared from Yumiko's face and she watched her a moment, deliberating. "Are you?"

She'd asked before.

Hadn't received an answer.

Magna's cheeks puffed up with air, holding for a beat, before she exhaled. Shook her head. "Kind of wish I was, though. If I'd known what he was planning I would have smacked him over the head. Thinking a knife is going to solve things is something straight out of the Magna Playbook. He took a stupid risk and threw everything away. . . at least when I did it I actually got what I wanted. The first time, anyway. My luck's been a little off lately."

"Call me crazy but you could have had the greatest luck in the world and I still don't think a single knife would have turned the tide for us in Alexandria."

Not in the direction they wanted it to be turned, anyhow.

"Probably not." Magna lifted a shoulder. "Still better than not having one at all. Being unprotected. We didn't know what was going to happen."

They'd had this conversation a thousand times before and Yumiko understood her reasoning too well to have it again, or to risk an argument.

She knew Magna regretted messing things up for them in Alexandria. Yumiko also knew that she still thought she'd done the right thing. At least, the right thing given the information they'd had available at the time.

Taking into account all their past experiences with various communities, Yumiko couldn't exactly blame her for thinking that. She also couldn't say for certain that she wouldn't have held onto her necklace if she'd been conscious enough to make the choice.

All she had to do was think about Jamestown, of whatever had gone down there with Magna and Connie - the details of which she'd never been able to get either of them to divulge but which had left both notably shaken. They'd needed their weapons then. Needed their weapons so many times, in so many different communities.

No. She couldn't blame Magna for not being able to trust that Alexandria would be the exception.

"I know," Yumiko said softly, brushing a finger over her cheek. "You don't need to justify yourself. Not to me. Not for this."

Magna eased under her touch. "I think you're the only one who ever got it."

Yumiko shook her head. "The others got it. They know why you did it. . . It's just not something they would have done. And knowing why you did it doesn't mean they agree with it."

Magna craned her head, gazing up at her. "What would you have done?"

The words were soft. Non-combative. Yumiko knew she would accept whatever answer she gave.

But she didn't have one to give.

"I don't know." It was the truth. "We're alive because we held onto our weapons in the past. So maybe I would have kept my necklace."

"But?"

"But we were outnumbered. Outnumbered in a way that one knife - or even two knives - was unlikely to help. And maybe I would have decided that our chances of survival were better if I gave it up, instead of choosing to keep it."

"Rolled the dice."

She nodded.

Magna's expression turned inquisitive. "Did you keep it entering here?"

"I tried." Yumiko smiled weakly, without feeling. "They found it."

And she still hadn't gotten it back. Wasn't sure there still existed anything to get back. That it hadn't just been destroyed or thrown away.

That hurt.

Magna had given her that necklace. And Yumiko had always prized it for that more than she ever had its usefulness as a weapon. She'd had it for almost eleven years and its absence. . .

Well, she was trying not to feel it.

Just like she'd been trying not to feel Magna's absence.

"And I thought I couldn't hate this place any more."

Yumiko smiled a little at the grumble. "It has its moments. . . but that wasn't one of them."

Magna reached out, hand resting on her chest, fingers traversing the spot where a metal feather had once resided. "I thought you'd just decided to stop wearing it."

Yumiko ducked her chin, bestowing a brief kiss on those fingers. "Never."

That necklace was all she'd had left of them. Nothing in the world could have made her discard it willingly.

Now, her only consolation was that she no longer needed an object to give her comfort in Magna's absence. She had her back. She had them back.

And she would never let the Commonwealth take this away from her.