Joy wakes up to Yeri curled into her front, head fitting in the crook of her neck and toes slightly touching each other’s. She the girl’s hair, red dye fading after lack of re-colouring, and listens to the way Yeri inhales and exhales, feels the way her chest moves against hers as she breathes steadily in her sleep, observes the way Yeri’s bandaged arm, placed carefully on her stomach, rises and falls rhythmically. The younger girl’s head rests comfortably on Joy’s right arm, and with her left she tugs the blanket towards them to cover their exposed bodies. The last thing she would want is for Yeri to catch a cold in the hospital after the whole mess that happened in the apartment. Joy takes a look at the girl in her arms and chuckles, quietly so as to not wake Yeri; she can’t believe she slept the night in the same bed as this small saviour of hers, instead of on the mattress or chair provided by the hospital like a what a good visitor would do.

In fact, she would’ve left Yeri to rest by herself if Yeri hadn’t grabbed her fingers in her half-awake stupor and sleepily asked her to stay. Joy purses her lips and her eyes turn crestfallen, knowing exactly how painful that must have been for Yeri to receive blow after blow, yet the girl had still stood up again and again to protect her. When they managed to bring Yeri to the hospital after Seulong was detained (thanks to the policemen that the unnies and the university’s Dean had arrived with), the number of scans the unconscious redhead had to undergo broke her heart. The A&E doctor had informed Joy that due to the severity of the injuries, Yeri had to undergo an minor operation for a broken arm as well as remain in the hospital for at least a few days to ensure that she healed properly.

“In fact, she’s quite lucky already,” the doctor had informed them. “If she didn’t block the attacker’s blow with her arms, she might have broken a rib instead, which in the worst-case scenario, can be fatal. She might also have a mild concussion, but it shouldn’t last too long.” Joy knows from watching too many dramas that concussions can lead to poor vision and confusion, and the symptom she dreads the most, amnesia. 

What if she doesn’t remember me? She doesn’t want to think about it, not now.

She runs a finger along Yeri’s bandaged arm, feeling the hard splint that the orthopaedic surgeon had attached to align the broken ulna. Sweeping away Yeri’s bangs, messily tossed across her forehead, Joy gingerly touches the large plasters that affix themselves to the bloody cuts found there.

“Mm…” Yeri murmurs as she stirs, eyes blinking open drowsily, and Joy retracts her hand instantly. “What time is it?”

“It’s, um,” she checks her phone, “three in the morning. A-are you feeling okay? Do you need water?” Joy makes a move to get up but Yeri snuggles closer, still not fully awake, and suddenly she doesn’t feel like moving at all.

Yeri giggles into her shirt, breath tickling through the thin fabric that covers Joy’s collarbones. “Warm,” she coos happily and inhales Joy’s scent, all fresh apples and comforting lavender laundry detergent. “You’re warm, Sooyoung-ah.” Yeri’s use of Joy’s birth name takes her by surprise, and it leaves an unexpectedly warm feeling in her stomach.

“Hey, who said you can call me that?” Joy chides jokingly, and turns into a puddle of goo when Yeri beams at her widely with all her teeth showing, greatly resembling a Squirtle, and her eyes form crescents. The tip of Yeri’s nose touches her chin as she tilts her head upwards, making Joy gulp from the contact. “You can call me that. I say you can call me Sooyoung.”

Joy doesn’t know whether Yeri is still under the influence of whatever medication the nurses gave her, but butterflies erupt in her stomach when the younger girl shuffles up the bed in her hospital pyjamas and gently places her lips on Joy’s. The brunette is stock-still and wide-eyed, pupils fixated on the soft eyelashes on the edges of Yeri’s eyelids. She holds her breath until Yeri moves back, and holds her breath still when the younger girl grins at her.

“You should do this to thank me, right?” Yeri teases in her quiet, husky voice. “I saved your life, you know.”

“I…” Joy is lost for words. Did Yeri like her the way she liked the girl, did she dream of kissing her like how Joy dreamed that day of the photoshoot? “Yeri, you’re talking in your sleep. Let’s…”

“I’m awake,” The redhead says, her voice firm despite her bleary eyes, and with the overhead night light Joy can see the iridescent gold in Yeri’s chestnut eyes. “I’m awake, and I like you.” She laughs at herself, and tries to move her broken arm to hold Joy’s hand. “I’ve liked you since the day we met. I like the way you smile, I like the way you sing, I like how you seem to be confident and cool but inside you’re just so absolutely caring. Joy Park Sooyoung, I not only like you, but you know, I think I love you.”

At those words, Joy can’t resist the smile growing on her face, and leans in to press her lips against Yeri’s, this time with unfaltering desire and, well, joy, to know that Yeri had felt the same as she did all this time. Their lips part to deepen the kiss, and when Yeri rolls on top of her they separate, Joy looking up into the other girl’s eyes.

Yeri rests her chin on her good arm, placing her hand directly on top of Joy’s chest. “You know, you’re really nice and soft in the right places.”

Joy’s face turns a bright red, a deeper shade than Yeri’s hair, and she pokes Yeri’s nose with a finger. “Don’t say things like that here!” she hisses. “We’re in a hospital!”

They both giggle at that, and Yeri wiggles happily, now extremely awake. “Then I guess we can only do this,” she says, and moves in for another kiss.

_____________

the end!!
to everyone who has been reading this, thank you very much~! i'm always grateful for your support, and like i've said before, a story that doesn't revolve around the unnie line usually doesn't get a lot of attention, which makes me even more grateful to all of you!
thank you again~
(also for unnie line fans who are also reading this fic... something's being planned and in the works, so please anticipate~ :> )