Winter doesn't initiate sex, and Karina lets her be. The kitchen incident caused her to think some things through. Over and over, losing sleep, twisting and turning in her bed well past midnight.
It's pointless to ignore the way Karina's heart stops and restarts every time she sees her step sister. And Karina doesn't waste her time with pointless things. But try as she might, she can't figure Winter out, and she's not ashamed to admit that the prospect of simply asking terrifies her. The whole situation is throwing her off-balance.
And, even though she probably should, she doesn't stop having sex with her. This isn't like the first time, however. They still don't spend the nights, but it's not as frequent and not as loud. The novelty and the rush of doing a forbidden thing have worn off, Karina reasons. Now, they simply enjoy each other, and that's what makes it worse.
And she just can't stop. Not when Winter has taken to wearing her hoodie around the house at night. Not when she throws her hair up in a bun, and all of Karina's marks are on display, worn proudly and traced absentmindedly as Winter browses through her phone. Not when she's paying rapid attention to how climate change affects the planet, as told by a charismatic host of a new documentary series Karina's mildly obsessed with. Winter almost turned Karina down that night, and she's still not sure whether to feel insulted or proud.
She's also not sure how she feels about the fact that Winter never makes the first move now. She's not trying to seduce her, either. The days of parading around the house in an open robe are over, it seems. Now, Winter is simply... Winter.
It's not like Karina purposefully approaches her, really. It just kinda happens. She's drawn to her, invisible force at play, when they sit together, watch tv together, eat together. Winter would be near her, and Karina would lean in, leaving a tentative kiss on her neck, shoulder, lips, and they would go from there. Perhaps, the solution is to cut the time spent with the girl, but it's nearly physically impossible at this point.
Winter wanted under her skin, and now she got there. And she's more confusing than ever.
Other than occasional sex, they begin to get along even better than before, and Karina can't say she's too upset about it. It's nice, actually. Having someone to cautiously rely on in some things. It makes her feel light when she casually asks Winter if she can drive her to and from her fencing tournament today. She knows she'll be too tired to do it by herself after it's over. And the light feeling in her chest grows when Winter readily agrees. Casually. Without the added touch of unnecessary intimacy. Without the heavy promise of sex, and without the hinted demand for it, either.
She asks and Winter agrees and encouragingly smiles, and it's - it's nice. It feels like having a friend, Karina supposes. A weirdly functioning friendship. It's not like she can call whatever they have a sibling bond – that thought makes Karina cringe and wish for a shower. Besides, she already got a sister out of her father's failed marriage once, and Jisoo wouldn't take being replaced lightly.
Karina briefly wonders if Jisoo and Winter would get along, should Jisoo choose to pop by, entirely unexpected and eagerly welcomed as usual. And, after her imagination draws a vivid picture of Jisoo's homecoming, she also briefly wonders if she'll manage to replace the furniture before father gets home from his trip. To Karina, two loud, explosive short girl under one roof spells disaster. She should probably warn both of them about each other's existence. Maybe, if she's lucky, they won't ever meet. But, well. She's never been particularly lucky.
For now, though, her mind should be focusing on one thing only, if she wants to survive Seulgi after this.
--
Her chances of surviving Seulgi are well above ninety percent. True to herself, Karina cautiously leaves ten percent just in case. One can never be too prepared.
The crowd cheers as she takes off her mask and places it under her weapon arm. Her opponent does the same, and next come the gloves so they can shake bare arms. The guy smiles at her as his hand finds hers.
"Nice bout," he says, and clear respect in his voice makes Karina's lips twitch.
"Thank you. You, too."
He nods, accepting his loss with dignity only fencers possess. Well, as far as Karina's concerned.
"I'm looking forward to meeting you next year," the guy says then, and she simply nods back. He had great technique. Expected, really, since both of them are A-rated. She's just a little better, that's all. She'll still be a little better next year, too.
It's a bit of blur afterwards: ref shaking her hands, congratulations from her club mates and veterans, Seulgi's appreciative nod. And then Winter. Winter watching her from the stands, silent and unmoving as people around her talk and walk and clap.
Karina locks her jaw and turns on her heels, heading for the exit. She doesn't need to glance at Winter to know she's following her. When they reach the dark, long hallway, Karina abruptly stops and turns, almost colliding with the other girl.
"Oh, I'm sor-"
Winter's lips on hers make it hard to finish her thought. She stumbles back, blindingly searching behind herself for the wall and pressing against it. Well, more like being pressed against it. Winter's mouth on hers is demanding and desperate at the same time. A combination she's never tasted before.
The blonde breaks the kiss. "Congratulations," she mutters.
Karina blinks rapidly. "I'm... Thank you?"
Winter simply nods and swiftly unzips her jacket, grabbing the lapels and roughly tugging her forward. Their lips crash, and Karina's embarrassed to realize the long moan definitely comes from her. This is not how she envisioned this going, and yes, she'd be lying if she said she didn't think about this exact moment. Winning the tournament. Meeting Winter's eyes, wide and hungry. Silently tugging her into the locker room and bending her over a bench. Two victories in one night.
Only now, Winter's hands are urgently fondling her body and struggling with her uniform right in the unlit hallway, and Karina is the prey.
She's not sure she's okay with it.
A low growl from Karina's chest slows Winter down, but only for a second. Karina tearing her mouth away from hers, however, makes her pause.
"...Karina, what..." She doesn't get to continue when Karina switches their positions, slamming her into the wall and devouring her lips. Her message is clear for the both of them. Or so Karina thinks.
Winter laughs. "Right," she breathes. "Walls are your thing."
She rolls her eyes. "Shut up." There is no bite in her words, and Winter grins. The mere sight of her lips stretched in a smile acts like a bucket of cold water for Karina. She wanted to claim her. Wanted to drag her somewhere, anywhere, and mark her in the most primal of ways. This isn't... This isn't right.
She slumps against Winter, suddenly deflated and light. Too many things happened at once. Too many things have been happening in her life since the beginning of school year.
Winter's hands on her back are soothing and warm. "Hey," she whispers. "You okay?"
"Yes." No. Maybe. "Adrenaline rush and crash. It happens."
Winter coos wistfully. "Oh. I was looking forward to the rush part."
"I noticed." Karina smirks, not unkindly, as she lifts her head from the crook of Winter's neck. Winter's eyes meet hers, and they just stand there, breathing.
"It's not completely my fault," Winter whispers. Her hands squeeze Karina's biceps, still clothed in her fencing jacket. "Apparently, fencing uniforms get me hot."
Karina can't resist. "Just uniforms?"
"It's a bonus if the girl wearing it is also a winner." She smirks. "A very, very hot winner."
Karina releases a heavy breath. "Yeah. A very tired winner." She's been training for this day for a long time, but it's still exhausting. She can't help but think that maybe it has something to do with the girl in front of her.
But the girl in front of her smiles and takes a step back, bending down to grab the mask from the floor. Karina didn't even notice how it got there.
"Right." Winter says. "Let's go home."
Winter's voice is quietly warm, but the word home rings in Karina's ears long after they leave.