Emotion

Safe words, actions, everything had been in place for a reason. The couple had theirs for years and they had burnt Yoohyeon’s actions and words into their minds the second she spoke the words.

Minji thought she would feel the actions or hear the words in a small panic with new things.

Not in a rushed panic. Not with fear in her eyes.

They had gotten carried away. Way too carried away.

The older woman sat in the large bed, holding her wrist and massaging it lightly. She could see the skin already lightly blotching, but it was nothing compared to what Yoohyeon would have.

The younger woman stayed in her room, refusing to leave even when the maids called for her that night. She knew Minji wanted her back in the master bedroom but she couldn’t. She couldn’t find the courage to stand back up and walk in there without panicking.

By three in the morning, Yoohyeon finally stood up, climbing out of her bed and into the bathroom. It had been hours since she first took shelter in her tiny domain and she was exhausted.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, frowning when she saw how puffy her eyes were from her crying earlier. She felt the tears build again once she saw the now bruising on her neck. She touched them lightly, sniffling as her mind replayed the events.

It wasn’t right. She knew it was supposed to be her and Yubin. Her and Yubin did rough things. Minji didn’t know how and her stupid mind forced her hand and practically begged for it. Now she couldn’t even look the woman in the eyes.

She was dressed in a hoodie and shorts as she walked down to the kitchen, determined to get an ice pack or something cold for her neck since it would help with most of the bruising. She didn’t want to have this on herself. She hated it.

By the time she reached the kitchen, she frowned when she saw the light on, and peeked inside. She caught a glimpse of the smaller woman and her blonde hair already tied up in a bun.

“Did I wake you?” Yubin asked when she saw the older woman in the doorway.

Yoohyeon shook her head, deciding she didn’t see Minji anywhere and went back to her original task. She searched through the freezer, frowning when she didn’t see a simple ice pack. So she shut the door, moving to find a little bag that she could fill with ice for the time being.

“What are you doing up this late?” Yubin asked while rummaging through the cabinets. “Minji told me you guys went book shopping. I’m happy you’re a reader too. Maybe we can swap some books and discuss them,” she smiled without turning around.

Yoohyeon didn’t say a word, her throat hurt too much for speaking. Maybe in the morning she could speak.

“Yooh?” Yubin turned when she didn’t hear a word, only hearing the ice machine going. “What are you doing?” She asked.

Yoohyeon let out a sniffle, immediately triggering Yubin. The smaller woman walked over to her, taking the little bag of ice from her and led her to sit down at the little dining table.

“What happened?” She whispered.

Yoohyeon pulled her hoodie down, showing Yubin the marks on her neck.

“Did… did Minji do this?” Yubin frowned, watching her nod her head. “Wait here…” Yubin handed her the little bag, allowing her to keep it on her skin while she ran up to find anything that could help her. She had a few things, mainly for when Dong would come over, but she had never left marks like that.

She frowned when she couldn’t find anything, deciding to walk back down and at least be there for Yoohyeon.

The taller woman was still seated at the table when she got back down, and it made her feel horrible. She knew Minji wasn’t trained in that aspect of life, which was exactly why she told Yoohyeon to reserve it for them only.

“Scale of one to five, how badly does your throat hurt?” Yubin asked before pulling a chair in front of her. She sat down while Yoohyeon held four fingers out. “She didn’t ease into it did she?” A shake of the head. “Minji doesn’t know… She doesn’t know how to do this…” Yubin sighed while pulling the hoodie down to check the bruising. “I’ll stop by the store tomorrow… pick up some things that’ll help okay?” She whispered.

She watched Yoohyeon nod her head, and she felt horrible. Horrible that she had been away long enough for this to happen.

Once the taller woman was escorted back to bed, she made her way into her room. She saw Minji in the bed, probably only half asleep since she never slept well without someone next to her.

By the time she climbed into the bed, she felt arms wrap around her waist and then small whispers.

“I hurt her Yubin…” Minji whispered.

“I know…” Yubin sighed. “She showed me.”

“She’s never going to trust me after this.”

“Not for a while.”

“I fucked up…”

“You made a mistake. Just… breathe.”

She could feel her wife tense, causing her to turn over and see her fighting tears. She wrapped her free arm around her, pulling her close so she could feel some comfort.

“We’ll give her a break for a bit. Let her come back to us. Okay?” Yubin whispered, feeling Minji nod against her chest. “It’ll take some time… We’ll even let her back out if she wants. Okay?”

“Okay…”

“Try and get some sleep. Dong texted me about the detectives… You’ve had a long day.” Yubin pressed her lips again Minji’s forehead, slowing allowing her to relax.

Minji could only hope that she could get some sleep with how fast her mind was going. The images replaying in her mind of Yoohyeon’s panicked expression the second she applied way too much pressure.

She hated herself for it.