Friday Fix

♚ | fifteen

RATHER unceremoniously, Jungkook dumped the girl down on her bed. She bounced a little on the bedsheets, frowning as she curled up on her side.

"Water," she whispered.

"What, am I your maid now?" he grumbled, but went ahead and did it anyway. It wasn't until he was standing in front of her with a half-full cup did he realized he was expected to feed her with it, since she was nearly delirious.

With a sigh, he propped her up against the bunk bed railings, before nudging the cup against her lips. Some of it trickled down his fingers and he let out an exclamation.

"Urgh," he groaned, wriggling his fingers. It wasn’t the thought of water that disgusted him more, but rather the thought of water mixed with her saliva. Saliva, in Jungkook's opinion, was only acceptable in the act of French kissing.

He made to stand up and walk away, but a tight grip on his arm refused to let him move. The girl was curled up again, only this time she was clutching at his hand like it was her personal bolster, pulling it against her cheek.

Jungkook stared. Was she serious? He tried to pull it away but Haneul's frown only deepened and her lips seemed to form a little pout.

Giving up, he sat down heavily. The clock on his phone showed 9:11 am. He looked at the girl, whose chest was rising and falling with deep sleep.

Looks like we'l be playing truant today, he thought to himself.

♚

I woke up feeling sticky all over. I need a shower. The light streaming through the windows opposite was a bit too strong for morning, and for a second I was disoriented.

"You can let go of my hand now," a voice said just near my ear.

I looked. Jungkook was sitting beside my bed, one hand playing with his phone. In a rush, what happened came back - falling, hurting, exhausted to the point I could no longer move, hiding in the corner through the cold night, him finding me, him carrying me – the last thought made my face flush. The scarlet shade only burned brighter as I discovered I had his left hand tucked under my cheek.

I let it go immediately. "Sorry.”

"You were snoring," Jungkook remarked. He held up his fingers gingerly, looking at them as if they were garbage found in an uncovered drain. "And drooling too, it seems.”

"W-well," I stammered out to hide my ever-growing embarrassment, "that's what you get for messing me to the point I fainted with fatigue!”

Now it was Jungkook's turn for his cheeks to tinge a faint pink. He cleared his throat. “Feeling better?”

Seeing his seemingly genuine concern, I softened just a little. “Yes.”

"Good then.” He stood up, brisk. “You can go get homework.”

"Homework?” I echoed, not understanding.

"It’s 1 pm now. We had a class at 9 am, remember?”

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “I skipped a class?” I screeched.

"We skipped a class,” he corrected, “since you were too in love with my hand to let it go. Ergo, it is your duty to get our homework.”

I crossed my arms. “I’m an invalid. I need to stay in bed.”

Jungkook strolled casually to his desk, saying, “Well don’t stay in bed too long then, because you still need to attend tomorrow’s lesson.”

It took a moment for that to sink in.

"You – you’re letting me stay?”

His head tilted a little as if he might look back, but didn’t. “If someone else finds out about you, don’t expect me to help you. I’m not going to. Just be clear on that.”

"But you’re letting me stay?” Hope flared. I started to beam. “You are letting me stay?”

"I'm leaving you alone in hopes for a good laugh when one day you trip up and expose yourself,” was his reply.

Excitement coupled with relief exploded in my chest, and I let out a little shriek of joy. Swinging my legs out off the bed I jumped up, pumping my fist in the air.

Unfortunately I’d completely forgotten about my sprained ankle and fell heavily, knocking my back against the steel frame on the bed in the process. The loud crashing noise caught Jungkook’s attention.

He stared at me like I was an i***t, splayed on the floor in awkward display.

I managed a sheepish grin. “Help me up?”

Rolling his eyes and muttering what might have been a profanity under his breath, he came over. As I tried to sit back on the bed I stumbled, and as I was gripping his shirt brought him down with me.

We slammed down on the bedsheets with a soft thump, and it was only Jungkook’s quick thinking to grip the railings tightly that prevented his lips from crashing down onto mine. We stared at each other for a stunned moment, eyes wide. There must have been less than an inch’s space between our lips.

The beginnings of a smirk began to tug at his lips. “Careful now, baby girl. Or I might be having my Friday fix a little early.”

I blushed, pushing the palms of my hands against his chest. He wouldn’t budge. “Get off me.”

Jungkook rested the elbow of his hand on the bed and placed his chin on his palm. “Why? I thought I mentioned before I like being on top.”

I glared at him. “Ahn Jungkook, my knee is in the perfect position to kick you in the balls. Are you sure you want to take that chance? Get off me, now.”

He eyed me for a moment, before leaning down and whispering, “For you baby girl, anything.”

And then he was up and off, humming as he headed back to his study table.

♚

"I found it!” Yugi yelled, as he screeched to a halt in front of our table. The bagel that was halfway through entering my mouth froze.

"Found what?" Isaiah, his roommate asked. Isaiah was an exchange student from Britain, with a head of the curliest hair I had ever seen.

Yugi's eyes sparkled. "The perfect costume for Haneul to wear for the cosplay competition."

He lowered his voice suggestively. "I also got the fake boobs."

Isaiah rolled his eyes. "Don't use them for yourself."

With a certain degree of wariness, I eyed the package in Yugi's hands. It was fairly large, and definitely looked like it carried something soft. "Well, open it."

Yugi looked around. His eyes paused somewhere and he said, suddenly quiet, "Not here. There are people watching."

I followed the direction of his gaze. He was looking at a couple of guys who were whispering to one another as they casted surreptitious glances over now and then. I recognized them as students who lived in the next dorm.

"Does it matter?” I asked.

"They might sabotage you. We’re talking about free cafeteria food here, Haneul! That’s a serious prize. It’s a reward to die for!” Yugi’s voice was increasing in volume as he spoke. “We must endeavour to be the champion of this competition!”

"Piss off, Yugi.” One of the boys from the table Yugi had been watching had came over. There was a permanent sneer locked onto his lips. “The cosplay competition is ours for the taking.”

"You don’t know that yet,” Yugi said defensively.

"Oh, we do. We’ve been preparing hard, and we’re going to blow you all away, just wait and see.”

"Ah, but do you have a secret weapon? Because we do.” Despite my valiant efforts to stay quiet and shrink into the background, Yugi clapped his hands firmly on my shoulders, declaring proudly, "Lee Haneul here is our ace! No one can beat him – or his costume, for that matter!”

The boy turned his gaze on me. "I see." I was not liking the tone that had slipped into his voice.

"I - Yugi is just kidding," I brushed it off, "we don't have anything going on."

"Hell yeah, we do!" Yugi cut in with bluster. "Just wait, you guys. Haneul is going to take the crown for sure!"

Good grief, he was really excited, wasn’t he?

Holding the package tightly in one hand, he tilted his chin in defiance. "Let's go – Haneul, Isaiah. We need to work on our top-secret plan," he added meaningfully at the end.

As we walked away from the cafe, I hissed, "Yugi, are you sure that was wise? You basically just provoked them."

Yugi gave a dismissive wave of the hand. "Trust me. We got this in the bag. Besides, what's the worst they can do?"

♚

Jungkook eyed the package in my hands as I entered the room. “You carrying homemade bombs around now, baby girl?”

I settled the package down on my bed. "No. It's just my costume for the cosplay competition."

"You're entering the cosplay competition?"

"Yugi dragged me into it."

"No one drags you into anything unless you want to do it." Jungkook leaned back in his chair. "Well come on then. Let's see."

"Let you see my costume? No thanks." I folded my arms. "You could be a spy for all I know."

"A spy for what?" An incredulous laugh escaped Jungkook's lips. "For the opposite team? Please. I wouldn't even go to watch a stupid cosplay competition, let alone participate in one."

"Well then, guess you're never going to find out what is inside this package then, will you?"

"Is it a maid cafe costume?" His eyes darkened. "You know, you’ll look real good in that, baby girl."

I ignored the little flutter in my stomach. Keeping my face as straight as I could, I lied, "I don't know. I haven't opened it yet."

"Liar," he shot back. "The tape at the side is torned, you have opened it. You're just not telling."

Slowly he got up, and a gleam entered his eyes. "Is it something sexy? Knowing Yugi, I'd say yes."

"What?" I spluttered. "What do you mean, knowing Yugi? Since when were you so chummy with Yugi? I'll have you know, Yugi is a decent guy who would never give me anything scandalous to wear."

The truth was, Yugi had given me a maid cafe waitress costume that had a sheer, black lace top and a skirt so short that if I bent over more than 15 degrees, I was going to flash someone. Oh, and black nylon stockings.

Still. It's free cafeteria food.

“Come on, baby girl,” Jungkook coaxed. My eyes narrowed as he walked closer. “Show it to me.”

I clutched the package to my chest. “No.”

"No?”

"No,” I repeated firmly. “And if you come closer, I’m going to fight you.”

"Really now?” He sounded amused. “I’d actually like to see you try.”

"No, you don’t,” I said, trying not to sound desperate as Jungkook walked even closer.

"Oh yes I do,” he insisted, and then he was right in front of me, one footstep away.

Stretching out both his hands, he asked, “Well?”

"Well what?”

"Fight me, then.” His voice dropped an octave lower. “Or do you want me to get closer before you do?”

When I didn’t respond, he took the step. Panicked at the sudden proximity, I let out a squeal and lifted my right leg in something that was a cross between a front kick and a knee to the balls. Jungkook dodged that easily, and using his right leg, swiped under mine to knock me against the ankle.

Arms flailing, I topple backward. Realizing he’d pushed me a little too much, he tried to grab my hand but I was too severely off-balanced. We hit the floor in a tangle of limbs.

Jungkook laughed hard. “What was that? Is that what you meant by fighting me? What were you trying to do?”

He was lying underneath me, my body on top of his, and I realized with a jolt that this was the first time I’d heard him laugh. Properly. Not a smirk. Not a sneer. But a genuine laugh. His eyes crinkled so hard they almost disappeared and all his 32 teeth sparkled.

His laughter slowly died as I didn’t answer. Even though I was squashing him with my body weight, he managed to look both bemused and cocky at the same time.

"That’s a weird look you’re having in your eyes, baby girl. Falling for me so quick?”

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. “You wish. I prefer my men with more blood in the brain than blood in the groin, thank you very much.”

Why on earth had I say that? Coughing, I pushed myself slightly off him. Surprisingly I’d managed to keep my hold on the package all this while. I declared,

"You are not finding out what is inside this – ”

Jungkook trapped my legs with his, gripped my shoulders and flipped me over. Now he was on top in a perfect replica of this morning’s incident, except we were lying on a surface harder than my bedsheets. My heartbeat accelerated and instinctively my fingers tightened on the package, smushed between the two of us, as if it was a barrier of protection.

"What were you saying, baby girl?” His voice was slightly breathless.

I swallowed. “I said, you’re not finding out – ”

"No. Before that.”

I cringed. “You . . you have more blood in your groin than brain?”

The way the fluorescent lights of the room shrouded him reminded him of the first time I had seen him, when he’d sat up from the bed we unwittingly shared, and the morning light had bathed him in holy glow.

"Hmm,” he said, and his eyes turned wicked. “Is that a challenge?”

"A challenge for what?”

"A challenge to prove to you that blood in the groin is better than blood in the brain when it comes to figuring things out. For example, what’s in that package.”

I pulled the package even closer to my chest and shook my head, vigorous. “Uh uh. No.” A pause. “You know, you – we shouldn’t be acting this close. We uh, we hate each other, remember.”

"I thought,” he said, dipping his head lower, “we came to an agreement when I let you stay.”

My heart drummed so hard against my rib cage it seemed as if it was pushing the package against my fingers. “That was the only thing we agreed on. That I could stay. There was no roommate-bonding clause involved.”

"Pity.” His eyes looked like they could hold stars in them. “I suppose it’s time to remedy that, yes?”

His fingers came up to intertwine themselves in my hair even as his lips descended just below my mouth. I could feel his breath hitting my lips, but he stayed out of reach, just. The fact that he was not kissing me meant he was only teasing but good Lord, it was enough to render me immobile.

I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to move either, if I had had the option.

"What shampoo do you use?” he whispered in my ear.

My eyelids fluttered and I bit down on my lip, hard, as his thumb rubbed circles on my cheek. "The – the purple grapefruit thing – in the bathroom – ”

"Keep using it.” He planted a soft kiss on the base of my throat and my back arched off the floor.

"Jungkook,” I gasped.

"f**k baby girl, don’t say my name like that,” he growled, sucking hotly on my skin. “Not unless you want me to take this to the bed.”

My eyes that had already been closing flew open in sudden alarm and my entire body stiffened. Jungkook must have noticed something was off, because he stopped nuzzling my neck and moved further away so I could see him clearly in the eyes.

"What?" he asked.

And I punched him in the face.

He stumbled backward, cursing loudly. Flustered to the pits of hell and back, I sat up quickly, chest heaving.

"Ahn Jungkook,” I grounded out through gritted teeth, trying hard to ignore the maniacal butterflies in my stomach. “We need to establish some goddamn boundaries.”

❈

Let's face it, Jungkook is pretty much shameless. After finding out Haneul is a girl, he's changed from hostile to intimate faster than one can blink.

It's a long way to redemption, but then again does he really want it?

Yours in seduction,

Lady Godiva.