Itâs been a long week. Everything feels far away to Minjae, soft and indistinct, like theyâre viewing it from a distance. Like theyâre living from a distance. There are some days when everything is okay, some weeks when they cope better than they thought possible, and then there are others. Others when they find they canât cope, at least not in the ways that they like, and they go a bit numb after so much bullshit that they canât handle it anymore. Right now, they feel like theyâre detached from everything besides the weight of Bobbyâs head in their lap, and the knowledge that Sunday is the best day of the week.
Whether theyâre at their house with their family or at Quinnâs with their family, they know that itâs going to be good. Comfort and warmth and the feeling of home wraps them up tight, easing away the frustrations of the week.
Caught somewhere between sleep and consciousness, Minjae is aware when Quinn enters, but doesnât immediately respond. Heavy eyelids lift, flutter, and their lips part a fraction around a breath. Long, delicate fingers are methodically carding through Bobbyâs curls, and they brush against Quinnâs with a slight tingle of recognition when he touches, too. A smile curves up the corners of their mouth as they shift into a position more upright, shaking the drowsiness from themself. Or at least trying to. They donât bother speaking aloud; they canât really hear anyway, and itâd been other telling signs that had made them notice Quinn.
âAbout an hour.â They sign, movements as gentle as their expression. Itâs clear they are okay with the situation. More than okay. âThey are exhausted. They work too hard.â A small frown goes along with that, and Minjae cants their head to the side a bit, always expressive. Bleached hair falls over their forehead. The soft sounds their signing makes are not enough to disturb Bobby. They make sure of it, years of practice making it easy to accommodate. âWe need to make them take a day off. Besides Sunday.â
when quinn first chose to educate himself in sign language, it hadnât been through necessity or even prompted by knowing someone hard of hearing. heâd chosen to take on the task of learning multiple languages, and itâd seemed appropriate that that be one of them. a part of him had hoped bobby would learn with him, too, since their selective mutism and speech impediments have made it hard for the twins to communicate in times of extreme anxiety. it hadnât happened immediately, but once quinn was adept enough to show bobby little things, theyâd agreed to meet with someone who could help to teach them the rest.Â
neither of them have looked back since, and quinn thanks his lucky stars for having found minjae through it. as he watches them sign now, he finds it easy to keep up, translating it in his head the way he would if minjae was speaking french to him. his expression softens impossibly further when he learns of just how long the other has been trapped, the knowledge that theyâre altogether unfazed by it adding to his fondness.Â
âgood luck with that,â he both signs and speaks out loud at once, though his voice is so quiet he may as well be mouthing the words -- thereâs no point to being louder, minjae wonât hear him either way and bobby is sleeping so peacefully itâd be a shame to disturb them. âthey wonât listen to me when i suggest it, but maybe youâll be able to work a miracle,â itâs clear that quinn thinks if anyone can, itâll be minjae. âdo you need rescuing, or would you like to nap with them whilst i make dinner?â heâs happy to accommodate either way, and heâs almost positive they could rescue minjae without disturbing bobby too much. they enjoy a good cuddle, but as sleepy as they clearly are, theyâd probably settle for hugging a pillow.Â
