More than Words Convey

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains as Yumie stirred.

Her silk-gloved hands moved first, instinctively seeking warmth. She found Braith’s chest beneath her palms, steady and familiar, his breathing slow and even. Something felt a little uncomfortable, but she dismissed it as the unfamiliarity of wearing underwear to bed. It wasn’t unpleasant - just different.

She patted him gently, tracing the contours of his skin until her hands reached his shoulders. With a small hum of effort, she prepared to pull herself upright - only to realize she couldn’t.

Confused, she felt around again.

Arms.

His arms were wrapped around her, holding her in place.

And then she found the source of the discomfort.

One of his hands rested against her chest, fingers curved unconsciously as he slept. The moment she understood what she was touching, the discomfort vanished entirely. It felt strange, yes - but not unwelcome. No complaint formed on her lips.

Instead, with a bit of fumbling, she found his other hand and lifted it, settling it carefully against her other breast. Then she hugged both of his arms, sinking into his warmth with a quiet sigh.

She was entirely unaware that Braith had been awake the whole time.

“G-good morning, Yumie…”

She nearly jumped out of her skin.

She broke free of his hold in a flustered scramble, rolling off him and nearly tumbling off the bed. He didn’t resist - but before she could fully separate, she caught his arm, words spilling out in a rush.

“G-g-g-good morning…! I didn’t know you were awake!”

He stared at her for a second - then laughed.

She frowned. “What’s the big deal?”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “You. You don’t get flustered very often. It’s kind of funny seeing you like that.”

Her ears twitched.

“Well, if you touched me more, I would get flustered more,” she huffed. “But it’s always the other way around.”

His face flushed instantly.

“Y-you want me to touch you…?”

She nodded without hesitation. “Of course. I’m your wife.”

He smiled at that. “Not quite yet.”

She shrugged and pulled herself back against him anyway, unapologetic. “Close enough. Either way, touch me more, please.”

He swallowed. “Just… whenever?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Surprise me.”

“O-okay…”

Satisfied, she rested her head on his chest again.

“So,” she asked softly, “what’s the plan?”

With his free arm, he reached for the remote on the bedside table and turned on the roof-mounted television. The morning news flickered to life, the weather report wrapping up - rain later in the day, despite the current sunshine.

“Well,” he said, “what would you like to do?”

“Wedding.”

He chuckled. “Which part?”

“Rings and dress.”

He stroked her hair gently. “Yeah? Want to look for a dress to rent today?”

She nodded. “And rings too?”

He scratched the base of her ears where they met her skull. She shivered instantly, proving - once again - that she wasn’t exaggerating about liking it.

“Alright,” he said, smiling. “Let’s go to a mall.”

He didn’t say it out loud, but money was already on his mind. It wasn’t endless. Without work, it would run out eventually. He’d started looking for jobs, but Yumie’s need to stay close ruled out most options. Remote work - something flexible - was his best hope.

For now, though, he focused on her.

She purred softly as his finger traced along her ear - but then a phrase from the television caught his attention.

“-true purists have announced a coordinated attack on multiple public locations-”

He stiffened.

The reporter continued, listing sites one by one. Braith held his breath. When the local mall was mentioned, he wasn’t surprised - but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Yumie sagged against him, her disappointment palpable.

“It’s alright,” he said, patting her head. “We can look online.”

She nodded, though it didn’t lift her mood much.

He sighed. “At this point, I’m starting to think we are cursed.”

She snorted softly. “You think so?”

He ruffled her hair. “Maybe.”

She sat up slightly - careful never to fully disconnect from him. Since the mall incident, she’d avoided letting go completely. He didn’t mind.

“Well,” she said, “since we have time, you can teach me how to cook more things.”

He smiled. “Sure. What do you want to make?”

“Pancakes.”

He nodded and started to sit up - but felt her arms tighten around him immediately as she pushed him back down. She nuzzled into the hollow of his collarbone.

“But not yet,” she murmured. “Now is for snuggling…”

He sighed, defeated - but fondly so. He wriggled an arm beneath her and held her close.

Might as well make the most of it.

The phone call came while Braith was doing his absolute best to job-hunt with Yumie sitting on his lap, using his chest and neck as a pillow. He squirmed one arm free, fumbled with the vibrating device, and brought it to his ear.

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was feminine - and instantly recognizable.

“Hello, Braith.”

He grit his teeth as Yumie stiffened, a shudder running through her at the sound of Natsuki’s voice.

“How did you-”

“Before you ask,” Natsuki cut in smoothly, “let me just say the answer won’t please you.”

His free hand curled into a fist. Yumie felt it and rested her own hand over his, grounding him. He exhaled slowly.

“What do you want?”

“Simple,” Natsuki said. “We want you to stop the true purist attack closest to you. Just like you did yesterday. Nothing more.”

Yumie was fully alert now.

Braith snorted. “And what’s in it for us?”

Natsuki’s voice took on a practiced innocence. “You want to get married, don’t you? But Yumie can’t, because she doesn’t legally qualify as a person.”

Braith’s jaw tightened. How do they know that? He pushed the thought aside.

“Go on.”

“We can grant both of you citizenship,” she continued. “Effective immediately. That would make Yumie legally human.”

He had a dozen questions about how they could possibly pull that off - but before he could voice any of them, Yumie tilted her head back so her mouth was just beneath the phone and whispered, calmly and clearly,

“No.”

Silence swallowed the line.

She settled back under his chin as if nothing extraordinary had happened.

Natsuki stammered. “S-say that again?”

Braith frowned. “She said no. Are you hard of hearing?”

You could practically hear Natsuki’s frustration leak through the speaker.

“But think of all the innocent civilians and Mahotonas that are going to die! Do you have no empathy at all?”

Braith had a very uncharitable thought about people who stayed at publicly announced attack sites, but he swallowed it.

Instead, he said evenly, “I’m sorry, but my fiancée calls the shots. And if she doesn’t want to do this, then neither do I. Please don’t call us again.”

He hung up.

The phone landed softly on the table. Braith wrapped both arms around Yumie’s shoulders and leaned down, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Mind telling me why you turned that down? I thought… I thought that was your dream.”

She nodded slowly. “It hurt to say no. But something felt wrong.”

He listened.

“I think they weren’t telling us everything,” she continued. “There were good intentions, maybe, but in the end, they’d be using me. Turning me into proof. Into a message.”

She shifted slightly. “I bet there would’ve been cameras everywhere.”

He nodded. “And that was too much.”

“Yes.” She hesitated. “If they were open and honest, I might’ve thought about it. But I feel like they’d twist whatever I said. Turn my words into weapons.”

She went quiet.

“Did… did I make the wrong choice?”

He squeezed her gently. “No. But even if you did, I’d still support you.”

She relaxed into him, smiling faintly.

“I love you…”

“I love you too,” he said softly. “Never change, Yumie.”

She chuckled, quiet and warm. “You too.”

She truly believed she was the luckiest Mahotona on Earth.

And in some small, stubborn way - she was right.