Fitting Back Together

you and me both

Yumiko wasn't sure how many minutes passed - or if even hours did - with the two of them just lying there like that, not speaking, just. . . being.

Being with one another.

Twice she nearly drifted off, only for the gentle trail of Magna's fingers along her arm to draw her back, root her in the waking world. Yumiko suspected she meant the touch to be soothing, might even be trying to coax her into sleep - but it had the opposite effect.

How could she sleep when Magna was right here? When she could feel their bodies pressed against one another, the tickle of her hair? All these things she'd been without for so long. How could she sleep and slip away from them again?

(and risk never finding them upon waking)

Yumiko couldn't.

So she didn't.

Instead, she lingered in the comfort and familiarity of Magna's arms, soaking up her warmth, allowing it to hold her on the cusp of sleep - but never letting it push her over the edge.

She could stay like this for hours. She could stay like this until the sun came up and then disappeared behind the horizon once more. She could stay like this for as long the universe allowed.

Gazing into Magna's eyes.

As focused as Yumiko was on her face, it was easy to detect when the mood started to shift. When some of the peacefulness of the moment began to fade, tension sweeping in to take its place.

The silence continued, as did the gentle strokes against her skin, but she could see the thoughts churning in Magna's head. Taking root. She knew if she didn't say anything, then Magna likely wouldn't either. That she would keep those thoughts to herself, as long as she could to delay the destruction of this moment.

But the moment was already ruined.

Yumiko caught the hand on her arm, stilling its motion.

Magna's brow furrowed. "Miko. . .?"

"Those things that you need to say? I think you should say them now." She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, softening the words with a smile.

Magna didn't look especially pleased by the suggestion. "It can wait."

"I'm sure it can. Doesn't mean it should." She tilted her head. "I can tell those things are on your mind right now. And they'll probably continue to be on your mind for as long as we don't talk about them. Wouldn't you rather just get it out of the way?"

"Honestly, I'd rather just stay here holding you like this and never get into an argument again - but I see your point."

Yumiko raised a brow. "You think it's going to be an argument?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Could be. Would probably rather not find out."

Not unsurprising.

Magna could be incredibly fickle when it came to confrontation. Sometimes she shied from it, running, hiding, doing anything and everything she possibly could to avoid its approach. Other times she actively sought it out, even going so far as to create conflict where there wasn't any.

It made sense, in a way, given that Magna seemed forever caught between her fight and flight instinct, oscillating back and forth between the two like some chaotic metronome. She had both an avoidant and combative personality that made her unpredictable at the best of times, and liable to give whiplash at the worst.

She never knew which version of Magna she was going to get. Though right now it seemed to be the former.

Yumiko, for her part, generally liked to tackle confrontations head-on. Except for these last few months. These last few months, she'd found herself subscribing to Magna's flair for avoidance. Dodging.