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Behind Closed Doors

The Currency of a Shared Morning

The air in Milgram never truly changed. It was always filtered, slightly recycled, and carried the faint, metallic tang of an underground bunker. Yet, as Yuno woke up in her sleeping bag, the world felt marginally less gray. The floor was still hard, and the shadows of the high ceiling were still oppressive, but the memory of Es’s hand in hers from the night before acted like a slow-release heater in her chest.

Beside her, the communal sleeping area was a tangle of limbs and soft snores. She turned her head, seeing Haruka curled tightly around Muu. They looked like a single, fragile organism, two broken pieces trying to fuse together to keep the cracks from showing.

"Yawn... good morning, Haru..." Yuno mumbled sleepily, sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. Her blonde hair was a mess, sticking out in static-charged tufts. "Did you sleep well?"

Haruka blinked, his large, watery eyes focusing on her slowly. He hadn't noticed her at first, his entire universe being centered on the sleeping girl in his arms. He shifted slightly, causing Muu to mumble something incoherent and burrow deeper into his sweater.

"A-ah, Yuno-chan, good morning," Haruka greeted back, his voice a mere whisper. He turned as much as he could without disturbing his cargo. "I slept well, thank you. I didn't get to congratulate you yesterday for being in love now. Warden-san on the other hand... he's scary, so I hope he can tell I'm happy for you two."

Yuno blinked twice at the mention of her new relationship. The word 'love' still felt like a foreign currency she was trying to pass off at a local shop—exciting, but potentially counterfeit. She smiled softly, reaching out to place her hand on top of Haruka’s, which he held out with a timid, brotherly kindness.

"Hehe, a simple congratulations doesn't have to reach everyone involved," Yuno teased, her voice regaining its habitual lilt. "Es is busy being... well, Es, and I'm just one happy girl. Fuuta keeps giving us weird looks, though."

Haruka let out a small, self-deprecating laugh. "Fuuta... I see. He was like that when I told everyone that I like Muu-san, as well. It takes a bit for him to realize that the relationships here aren't a big joke. Especially when there's someone like me involved, he will call me co-dependent on Muu-san. But, I believe he will warm up to you and Warden-san soon."

"Oh? As much as you rely on her, I wouldn't call you co-dependent, Haru," Yuno said, shaking her head. She watched the way he looked at Muu—it wasn't just love; it was a lifeline. But Yuno knew all about lifelines. "I'd say you're just in love right now. The start of a relationship is usually the high of it, and that's cute. You're cute."

Haruka’s face flushed a deep, sudden red. "C-cute..." he whispered, his eyes darting away. "...I hope Muu-san calls me the same thing soon."

Yuno giggled. The indirect rejection was charming in its own way. Haruka was a boy who had finally found his sun, and he had no interest in the flickering candles of anyone else’s compliments.

"Ah, I see," Yuno teased, her voice rising a pitch. "I get it; you're taken and you're all hers. And I'm all... speaking of him, I might need to go find him right about now!"

She scrambled out of her sleeping bag, her movements energetic and fluid. Haruka watched her with a small, timid smile, the kind of look one gave to a colorful bird that had accidentally flown into a prison cell.

As Yuno made a move toward the communal bathrooms, she paused and turned back, her eyes sparkling. "Wanna brush together, Haru?"

"Yes, of course."

Haruka began the delicate process of untangling himself from Muu. He moved with the precision of a bomb disposal technician, eventually leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss to Muu’s resting lips. Yuno let out a quiet, theatrical "aww," her heart twinging with a mixture of irony and genuine envy.

The bathroom trip was a quiet affair, the two of them standing over the industrial sinks. Yuno scrubbed her face until her cheeks were pink, chasing away the lethargy of sleep. She checked her reflection, smoothing her hair and wondering if Es preferred her with the mask on or off. Probably off, she decided. He was the only one who seemed to like the "bothersome" parts of her.

Once they finished, Yuno gave Haruka a quick, impulsive hug. "Say hi to Muu for me! I'll see you both later!"

"Y... yes, Yuno! Goodbye!"

Yuno didn't walk toward the cafeteria. Instead, she turned toward the restricted hallway that led to the monitor room. She reached into her pocket and felt the cold, heavy weight of the spare key Es had pressed into her hand the night before. It was a secret privilege, a breach of every protocol Milgram stood for, and it made her feel more special than any designer handbag ever had.

She approached the heavy steel door, humming a melody she had composed in her head—a song about a judge who forgot how to judge. She slid the key into the lock, the mechanism clicking open with a satisfying thud.

The room was dim, illuminated only by the flickering blue light of the dozens of monitors that lined the walls. Es was sitting in his large, high-backed chair. He looked different today. His oversized warden’s hat was sitting on the desk, and his heavy uniform jacket was draped over a spare stool. In his white dress shirt, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he looked less like an absolute authority and more like a tired teenager.

In the corner, Jackalope was curled into a ball of mechanical fur, his ears twitching in his sleep.

Es was hunched over a small, leather-bound book, writing with a focused intensity. He didn't hear her enter at first, his pen scratching rhythmically against the paper.

Yuno didn't announce herself. She tiptoed across the room and slid into the seat right beside him, leaning her head toward his shoulder.

"Good morning, Es-kun!"

Es jumped, his pen skidding across the page and leaving a long, jagged ink stain. He whipped his head around, his eyes wide and panicked, before they settled on Yuno. The tension in his shoulders evaporated, replaced by a flustered, indignant heat that rose from his collar to his ears.

"Yuno! Don't... don't sneak up on me like that," he hissed, though his voice lacked any real venom. He instinctively tried to close the book, but Yuno’s hand was already on the cover.

"A diary? My, my, Warden-kun has secrets," she teased, her eyes dancing. "Is there a whole chapter about how much you like my hair? Or maybe a poem about my 2,500 yen hugs?"

"It is a log," Es corrected, his face turning a deeper shade of red. "A log of psychological observations and facility maintenance. It is strictly professional."

"Then why are you hiding it?" Yuno leaned in closer, her shoulder pressing against his. She could smell the faint scent of ink and the clinical soap he used. "Come on, let me see. I promise I won't tell Jackalope."

"No." Es pushed the book further away, his fingers trembling slightly. "It’s... it’s not for you."

Yuno pouted, a theatrical expression that she knew usually worked on him. "So mean. And after I came all this way just to see your face first thing in the morning. I even brushed my teeth twice."

Es looked at her then, his gaze softening as he took in her messy ponytail and the genuine brightness in her eyes. He sighed, a long, weary sound that seemed to deflate him. "You’re early. The cafeteria hasn't even started the morning service."

"I wasn't hungry for food," Yuno murmured. She reached out, her fingers grazing the back of his hand. "I was hungry for this."

Es didn't pull away. He looked down at their hands, his thumb tentatively stroking the fabric of her sleeve. "You’re a distraction, Prisoner Number Two. A very persistent, very loud distraction."

"But I'm your favorite distraction," she countered.

Es didn't argue. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the monitors. On one of the screens, the communal area was starting to fill with the other prisoners. He saw Fuuta sitting alone, looking aggressive even while eating toast. He saw Shidou helping Amane with her tray. It was a world of sin and judgment, and right here, in this dim room, it felt a million miles away.

"Haruka congratulated me this morning," Yuno said, her voice dropping to a low, intimate register. "He said he was happy for us. He’s so sweet, honestly. He kisses Muu in her sleep. It’s almost disgusting how much he likes her."

Es stiffened slightly. "He... he said that? In front of the others?"

"Just to me," Yuno reassured him. "But Fuuta is definitely suspicious. He’s got that 'I smell a scandal' look on his face. Are you worried, Es-kun? Worried that your prisoners won't respect the big, bad Warden anymore?"

Es was silent for a moment. He picked up his hat from the desk and turned it over in his hands, staring at the gold emblem. "Respect is a tool. If I lose it, the trials become harder. The prisoners need to fear the judgment, or the judgment means nothing."

"And what about you?" Yuno asked, her hand sliding up to cup his cheek. She turned his face toward hers. "Do you need to be feared? Or do you just need to be... here?"

Es looked into her eyes—those violet depths that always seemed to be laughing and crying at the same time. He felt the weight of his role, the crushing responsibility of being a god in a world of monsters. And then he felt the warmth of her palm.

"I don't know who I am without the hat, Yuno," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "Before I woke up here, there was nothing. No memories, no name. Just the job. If I'm not the Warden, I'm just a boy in a room with a rabbit."

Yuno felt a sharp, sudden pang of sympathy. She knew what it was like to be nothing but a role. She had spent her life being a 'daughter,' a 'girlfriend,' a 'product.'

"Then let me give you a name," she said, her voice firm. "For now, in this room, you aren't the Warden. You’re just Es. The boy who likes sugar in his tea and gets embarrassed when I tease him. That’s a person, isn't it?"

Es let out a shaky breath, his forehead coming forward to rest against hers. "It feels... dangerous. To be a person."

"Everything in Milgram is dangerous," Yuno whispered. "But the cold is the most dangerous of all. Don't go back to the cold, Es. Not yet."

She leaned in and kissed him. It was a soft, morning kiss—quiet and unhurried. It tasted of the shared secret between them, a small rebellion against the rigid geometry of the prison. Es responded with a desperate kind of urgency, his hands finding her waist and pulling her closer until she was practically in his lap.

They stayed like that for a long time, the only sound in the room being the rhythmic hum of the monitors and the soft, steady breathing of the sleeping Jackalope.

Finally, Es pulled back, his face flushed and his eyes slightly glazed. He cleared his throat, trying to reclaim some shred of his dignity. "You... you should go to the cafeteria. If you miss the morning roll call, I’ll have to mark you as truant."

"Oh, no! Not a black mark on my record!" Yuno laughed, standing up and smoothing her skirt. She reached down and snatched his hat, plopping it onto her own head. It was far too big, slipping down over her eyes. "How do I look? Do I look like I can judge the world?"

Es couldn't help it. A small, genuine laugh escaped him. "You look like a child playing dress-up. Give it back."

Yuno giggled and handed the hat over, watching as he placed it back on the desk with a reverent care. "I'll see you at the interrogation later? I have a lot of 'bothersome' things to tell you today."

"I'm sure you do," Es muttered, though his eyes were warm. "Go on. Before the rabbit wakes up and starts asking questions."

Yuno blew him a kiss and skipped toward the door. As she turned the handle, she looked back one last time. Es was already picking up his pen, returning to his 'log.' But he wasn't hunching over it anymore. His posture was relaxed, and there was a slight, almost imperceptible tilt to his lips.

Yuno stepped out into the hallway, the heavy door clicking shut behind her. She walked toward the cafeteria, her heart feeling light and buoyant.

She knew the trials were coming. She knew that the music would eventually play, and the truth would be laid bare, and Es would have to stand on that dais and decide her fate. She knew that the "warmth" they had found was a fragile, temporary thing, built on the edge of a precipice.

But as she entered the cafeteria and saw Haruka waving at her, and felt Fuuta’s glare, and heard the low murmur of the damned, Yuno didn't feel afraid.

She had a key in her pocket and a name in her heart. And in the cold, gray world of Milgram, that was more than enough to keep the frost away.

"Good morning, everyone!" she sang, her voice ringing out through the hall.

She was Yuno Kashiki, Prisoner Number Two. She was a murderer, a manipulator, and a girl who had once sold her soul for a warm coat. But as she sat down to eat her bland, prison breakfast, she felt like the richest person in the world.

Because somewhere in the heart of the prison, a boy named Es was writing in a book. And she was fairly certain that, for the first time, he wasn't writing about the law.

He was writing about her.