Chapter Text
She awoke to a sore back and her face pressed into the pillow. Groggily, Mio opened her eyes, flinching when all she saw was black. Shaking her head, she began to sit up, and felt something move beneath her. “Oh, spark!” she hissed under her breath. Right! She’d fallen asleep on Noah’s chest the night before, exhausted after finally returning to the City and literally throwing him into the bathhouse, blushing furiously as she fled the room. He had not bathed a single time in the previous month, considering he was trapped in a prison cell, and while she was grateful to be able to see him, touch him, talk to him, she wasn’t elated at the smell he had carried with him. But this? She leaned down and nuzzled into his neck, breathing in deeply again. Beneath the perfumed soap and sweat, the lingering scent of rain and woodsmoke remained, on his clothes and on his skin. It was something she had grown comforted by, the smell sparking memories of their journey, nights spent camping in Maktha Wildwood, sheltering from the wind and rain in caves as they left Fornis, the small camp in the Inlet near the prison camp. She was worried that the time in prison would have made him lose it, that it would be one more sacrifice made, but somehow, it had persisted, seemingly unwilling to let go. It had been spread to her hair the night before, which was now knotted down her back, the curtain of silver bunching in the center where his fingers were laced within it. His breaths tickled her ears, her smile pressing into his collarbone as she felt him, still asleep, gently tug her closer.
The two of them had been given a separate room in the dormitory. Not by Monica or Ghondor, but by the rest of the group, and Monica had allowed it. Their reasons were different, but the true objective was clear, though Eunie insisting that she could “only deal with one man who smelt like Armu dung in the same room” while staring at Lanz had made Mio almost forget why they were allowing it. They all would have felt awkward denying them privacy, even if they couldn’t understand why. Regardless, she was grateful, as, after Noah had come back to the room, they were able to enjoy an evening of peace. When she had swapped places with M, the red cord braided into her hair remained on her old body, and it was left behind when M faded away. She was trying to tie it back into her hair when he returned, and she had to shamefully turn and ask for his assistance. He laughed, finished drying his hair, and tried to help her. Unfortunately, because his knuckles were still sore, his hands were still unsteady, he ended up yanking her hair more often than he intended. At first she was able to bite back the pain, but eventually she couldn’t stop herself from yelping when he accidentally pulled a large knot with too much force. Eventually, with her hands guiding him, they managed to successfully re-add the braid, but not before she had to let out more sounds of pain and bite her own bottom lip bloody. She couldn’t blame him; he was exhausted, sore, and still dealing with a massive wave of panic, but she wished he had been more gentle. Once she was sure it wouldn’t slip out of her hair again, she asked Noah to turn around so she could change, grateful that he listened, and slipped into a basic nightdress that the City had left in the room for her. They were unsure at first about sharing a bed, both offering to ask for a cot, or a second mattress, but eventually they gave into exhaustion and fell asleep next to each other, her arms around him, tears of joy welling up in her eyes.
In the moment, though, he was still asleep, and while Mio would have been happy to lay there longer, she was getting hungry. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, soft enough to not shock him awake. “Noah?” He grunted in his sleep, stirring slightly, fingers flexing in her hair. She sighed, mixed between enjoying the feeling of his name in her mouth, and annoyance that he wasn’t awake yet. “Hey, dummy?” She tried again, a little louder, shifting her weight forward to hopefully add literal pressure to her words. His eyes slowly opened, and his gorgeous blue eyes met her gold. “Morning, sleepyhead!” She giggled, tracing his cheek with one finger. “It’s nice getting to wake up like this, though… could you let go of me?” He nodded, moving his hands apart, Mio flinching as his fingers got tangled in the knots. “Careful! You’re kind of pulling my hair. Again.” She felt her eyes close halfway, and she had to look away to keep herself from glaring at him. The man had done everything he possibly could to save her, she could let a little drowsy clumsiness slide. “Let me help…” She snaked her hands behind her, gently pushing his fingers through her hair. “I’m not used to it being this long, either…”
“It does look nice.” His voice startled her; she honestly thought he had gone back to sleep. His hand found its way to her face, cradling her now-burning cheek. “Good morning, how’d you end up there?” It was a good question; she had fallen asleep to his side, and his arms were at his sides. “Not that I’m complaining, just confused.” He stretched, entire body tensing under hers. “We should probably leave soon, though.” She nodded, slowly and begrudgingly extracting herself from his grasp, one hand tracing his neck and running down his chest, unable to help herself. Now that she was freed from the bounds of the flame clock, she had allowed herself to fully embrace her feelings, and while she was grateful, she was also extremely embarrassed by how openly she wore them now. She couldn’t help it, though, she couldn’t deny her attraction anymore, especially when he was right there and he looked that sparking good and nobody else was around. She blushed and turned away, barely trying to hide it. Those feelings had always been there, but now she was acknowledging them. She wasn’t sure what their relationship had become, but she’d heard the Lost Numbers gossiping about the two of them walking hand-in-hand when they made their return, calling them the “hot new couple,” so that made him her… boyfriend? Even thinking the word felt odd, but it was the only term she knew.
“C’mon, we need to get ready, the others are probably waiting…” Her voice was shaky, and she heard the bed behind her creak as he sat up, stretching again. She fumbled in the dark for the lighter left in the room, igniting the wicks on the candles set around the room. Sure, there were electric lights, but those were harsher on the eyes in the morning. She peeked back over her shoulder and saw his eyes open fully, twin portals into the soul she so adored by now. Shaking her head, she raised her hand to her temple to check her Iris clock. “Huh? Wait, it’s only 8?” She stared at the window. “But, it’s not bright enough…?” It was then the thought hit her. She slammed her palm into her forehead. “Right. Underground.” Noah cackled, and she threw him the meanest glare she could muster. “It’s been two days! Shut up!” She threw his jacket at him, covering his eyes. “Good, keep it that way, I’m changing.” Even though she was going to wait a minute and stretch first, she knew he’d listen. Part of her was curious how he would feel, but… She shook her head to clear it, stretched, and quickly threw on her clothes. “Okay, you can look now.” She kept a hand at her waist and jokingly raised the hem of her shirt just to fluster him, laughing as he looked away. “What? Nothing you’ve never seen before, technically.”
“W-Well yeah, but still.” He raised one arm, and then lowered it. “Nope, not worth it. Could you look away? I don’t need to change much, but still.” Mio nodded and turned towards the front of the room, admiring the kitchenette left with them. Sure, she wasn’t Manana, but she could probably make something for the two of them. Especially with the summons sent to them last night asking for their presence at 10:30. Her ears were able to pick up the rustling of fabric as he stood up, the creaking of the bedsprings as his weight shifted off it. “It feels good to be sleeping in a bed again and not on the floor.” As he woke himself up fully, Mio looked in the cabinets. While there wasn’t much food there, someone had, rather thoughtfully, left the ingredients she typically threw into her soup pot. She stuck the pot in the sink, turning on the tap, grateful again for the simplicity the City offered. It was nothing like her facilities at Agnus Castle, where the taps dripped rust for at least fifteen minutes before any water ran through. As she turned to another cabinet, Noah appeared next to her, tugging his shirt down to his waist. “Anything I can do?”
“Um…” Her eyes flicked back to the cabinets. She’d not let anyone help her before, as this ritual was something she usually did alone. But surely it was okay to break that tradition, right? “Yes, actually. Look there.” She pointed with her foot as she hauled the pot out of the sink. “There’s some veggies in there. Might be a bit dry, but that doesn’t really matter, does it?” She set the pot on the stove, burner already on, and turned to smile at him. “There’s a knife in the drawer. Could you chop them up?” Noah nodded dutifully. “Size doesn’t really matter, as long as they’re not massive.” She turned away from him, reaching into another cabinet for some seasonings. Surprisingly, they had everything she liked to use. Huh, some of them were only really sold by the Nopon in colony Gamma or colony Tau. “How did they…?” She turned to the pot, adding the proper amount of seasonings, working more by scent than anything else. When she was satisfied, she looked over to Noah.
“Are these okay?” His hands stopped moving, and Mio peeked at the cutting board. Somehow, despite how he had mangled her hair the previous night, he had managed to slice them into perfect, even chunks. “Mio?” She had unconsciously raised a hand and was pointing at the cutting board.
“HOW?” Her own volume surprised her. “I’ve never gotten it that perfect, you…” She sighed. “Sorry. Yes, those are more than okay.” She stepped aside so he could slide the perfect cuts into the boiling water. “Now, I wonder if there’s any meat…?” She waited until he had put the knife down before opening the refrigerator. “Huh.” There was a decent selection of food inside; volff meat, bunnit jerky, armu cuts and milk, some assorted fruit, a bottle of what seemed to be wisp fluid, and a wide selection of fish. There were even some more exotic foods, like small crustip claws and marrin cutlets. Everything even had instructions on how to prepare it written on the packaging. “Noah? What would you like?” She let him slip past her and stood beside him, idly stirring the pot with one hand while the other rested on his back. Small gestures like these, she’d seen around the City, and while he’d tensed up at first, he relaxed quickly as she ran her fingers along his spine, seeming content.
“I’ve never had these.” He rose slowly, a packet of crustip claws in his hand. “The packaging says they’re salty… Think that’d work?” She loved when he asked her opinion, she always had, but it made it feel like they were equals, and that he trusted her. She nodded, her heart feeling light for the first time in a long time. “I can handle these, if you want to do something else?” Mio looked around the kitchen for something else to prepare, eyes falling on something she’d wanted to try for ages. She quickly reached out and grabbed the kettle, putting it on another burner, grateful it was already full of water. They worked in silence, each stealing glances at each other, smiling whenever they locked eyes.
“This just feels… Right.” Mio was the one to break the silence. “We need to reach the Cloudkeep soon, I know that, but everyone needed a rest, too. A proper one. Besides, now time is on our side.” Her hand unconsciously rubbed the side of her neck. It still was weird not seeing the term marker in her reflection, even a month later. “It’s nice, being part of something. Living in the moment rather than fretting about the future and when it would end, every day seeming like a millenia. Hoping that I can accomplish something, make it easier for those who come after.” She was interrupted by the kettle whistling, pouring the water into two mugs and dumping out a powder she’d spotted in a jar earlier into them. “I’m not afraid anymore. I’m glad to be here.” Her voice was soft; the words weren’t hard for her to say, they slipped out easily. It just was weird to let her feelings out. “Now I don’t need to be scared to talk to you, Noah.” She finished stirring his mug and set it aside to cool, just as he slipped the claws into the soup pot. “Oh! Perfect. These should both take a few more minutes.” She absentmindedly stirred her own mug, feeling awkward in the silence. Why wouldn’t he just say something? As she opened her mouth to speak, he finally said something.
“I agree.” He turned to look at her, looking her dead in the eyes. “It’s nice to be able to relax, to not be worried that any delaying we did would mean your end.” He stepped forward and Mio felt herself slipping into his arms. “I was worried that you would fade away, we’d somehow lose track of time and you’d not tell us to spare us the pain.” He planted his head on top of hers, chin between her ears, whispering to not overload them. “But now? We can just enjoy things like this. We can take our time.” Her ears twitched, tickled by his breath, and she heard him inhale sharply. She stepped back just as he sneezed, looking embarrassed as he wiped his nose. Mio looked over at the stove and realized that the soup had turned just the right color.
“Oh! Food’s done!” She was grateful to distract herself from his embarrassment, gently elbowing him as she pulled the pot off of the burner so as to not spill any on him, and ladled it into two bowls for the two of them. He had grabbed the two mugs as she worked, always in sync with her, and he was raising his to his lips. “It’s called ‘hot chocolate’, I think? Supposedly it’s less bitter than the brown stuff in the rations…” She waited for him to take a sip, and his eyes shot open. “Should I…?” He nodded enthusiastically, genuinely enthralled. She tentatively took a sip and she felt her jaw drop. It was sweet! Ridiculously so. She had drained her mug by the time Noah had taken his second sip. She then turned to the soup, sitting on the small table between them. She gathered some up in her spoon, making sure to get some crustip meat in the bowl of the utensil. “Here goes nothing…” She closed her eyes, tipping the broth into her mouth. Honestly, she should have trusted her instincts, because Noah was very right in choosing it. “Mmm…” It was salty but not too much, the meat flaky and tender, just moist enough but not overly so. “Noah, it’s perfect! It’s the best I’ve made in ages!” The two of them finished their meal, enjoying the time together, making some small talk but no meaningful conversation. Still, the luxury of just eating and resting felt so new to her, especially when, halfway through the meal, her hand had found his on the table, and they finished eating like that, fingers interlaced, even when it was inconvenient.
“We’ve still got some time to kill.” Noah tapped his hand to his temple. “The Iris clock says it’s around 09:45.” He smiled at her across the table. “Shall we take a walk?” Mio nodded enthusiastically, rising to her feet. “Wait. Here.” He shrugged his jacket off and handed it to her. “I’ve… Seen others around here doing this…” Mio stared up at him, knowing her cheeks were pinking, though his were bright red and he was unable to meet her eye. “I guess it is hot out, though.” He finally looked her in the eye. “I just thought… If you don’t want to…”
“Well then!” She found herself laughing. “Here, then, take mine.” She pulled hers off, handing it to her, goosebumps rising on her bare arms where his fingers brushed her skin. Honestly, it was a miracle that she’d not been like that the night before, when he’d held her briefly before falling asleep. “Though, uh, could we bring my comb with me? The bedhead’s bad enough normally, and today…” She pulled the length of hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through it. “I love you, Noah, but look what you did!” She pushed her hair at him, laughing as he batted at it. “The comb is in the right pocket. You need to fix the mess you made.” She pulled his jacket on, breathing in the same scent she’d awoken to, pushing her hair out of the way to not further wreck it in the straps of his jacket. She paused, looking in the mirror, and then pulled a small length of cord out of a pouch on the counter. It was the same material as the string in Noah’s hair, and it was perfect for her. She lifted the hem of her shirt, bunched it up around an inch above her waist, and tied it off in the back. As she turned to inspect it, she found Noah staring. “What?” She cocked her head, feigning ignorance; of course she knew why he was staring. “You said it’s hot out, and besides, the air feels nice on my skin.”
“Then why not just take off the jacket…?” His question was obvious, and Mio prepared to snap back with a joke and some sarcasm. Instead, she hesitated, and replied with something she’d heard M say before, in one of her memories. In a life where she and N had lived in the City, passing away peacefully, and not at the hands of Moebius, a life where he hadn’t been so possessive, so toxic.
“Because I want to make it clear who my heart belongs to.” As if on instinct, she rose up on tiptoe, gently pressing a kiss to his cheek, her hand cradling the back of his neck. She could feel his cheek warm beneath her touch, and she laughed as she pulled away. “What? It’s not the first time, Noah.” He shook his head.
“That’s not the point, you’re just… Forward.” He turned his head, flicking his eyes back at her, eying her up and down. “And, well, you look really good.” His words ended in a whisper, his eyes shyly flicking between her face and the door. She laughed, nodding.
“Alright, I can take the hint. Come on, let’s go.” She grabbed the keycard to the dormitory and slipped it into her waistband, holding her hand out for him. “What? Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed about it?” He was silent. “Fine, then, I’ll just leave you here and go out on my own.” Hurriedly, he grabbed her hand. She smirked, using her other hand to flick his forehead. “Knew that’d work. You’re so easy, Noah!” And with that, she opened the door and led the way out, ignoring the confused, knowing, and smug looks that people cast at the two.