HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY (one day early) JIGNOG!  Again, I need my sleep.  I thought it was better to update now rather than at midnight.

Xiumin had written something on Semi’s arm again about her stealing all the bedding while she slept.  She’d ended up in his room at around four in the morning, and he was evidently as tired as she was because he kept missing his breakfast with his cutlery.

The tiredness persisted during morning lectures, which she slept through, and only really vanished on Tao’s random observation of “hey, has anybody seen Junhong today?  I want to copy his notes…” when they were out of the lecture hall.

“I’ve been trying to ask Semi that all morning,” Seulgi said rather pointedly with an elbow to Semi’s ribs, which jolted her awake.

“Huh?”

“Does he even take the fiscal lectures?”  Wendy asked absently.  “I thought it was only business management, but – oh, hey, Jongup, Jongup!”

A boy who had been loitering unobtrusively by the entrance looked up, initially alarmed, but then relaxed and came over.

“Have you seen Junhong today?” Wendy asked him.

The boy shrugged.  “Nah, I was waiting for him here.  He was talking about dropping his minor when I spoke to him yesterday evening, but I didn’t think he was serious and it’s the last day of term and it takes a while for the paperwork to get done, so he should be here.”

Semi let loose a humungous yawn.  “He had a family crisis with his sister.  Might still be with her.”

“Oh.”  Jongup looked nonplussed.  “That makes sense.  Wait, are you Semi?  He’s talked about you—”

“And not about us?” Tao interrupted, clearly offended.

“Well, you’re Tao and you’re from China,” said Jongup.  “Junhong just said Semi was the girl without the weirdly coloured hair.”

Mollified, Tao backed off.

“Well, if Junhong’s not here, I’m off,” said Jongup, shoving his hands into his pockets.  “See ya.  And Merry Christmas.”

“You too,” Wendy replied as the boy left.

“That’s amazing,” said Seulgi.  “I’ve never heard more than three words together leave that guy’s mouth before.”

It was a fairly quiet end to term, as far as Semi was concerned.  She had sort of been expecting everything to go out with a bang like it had done when she’d been in the States, but they shared their usual lunchtime meal, griped their usual gripes about their work and their supervisors, and got given an unusually large number of assignments to complete over the two-week winter break before bidding each other a Merry Christmas and promising to meet up again at some point before the next semester started.

When Jongin had said he was going to take her shopping the previous day, Semi hadn’t actually expected him to turn up on the doorstep that evening.  Xiumin was clearly taken aback too.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded on opening the door to see a fully uniformed, beaming Jongin bouncing on his heels on the other side of the door.

“Hello!” he said cheerfully.  “I’m here to take Semi out!”

Xiumin narrowed his eyes.  “On a date?” he asked.

“Nope.”

Xiumin was visibly chewing on the inside of his cheek as he looked Jongin up and down again, quite clearly trying to work out what else the man was there for.

“Then what?” he bit off, giving up.

Jongin shrugged.  “Dunno.  Chief’s orders.  I’m only a lowly intern – I just do as I’m told.”

Xiumin was still sceptical.  After a moment or so he pushed himself away from the doorframe and unfolded his arms.  “Let me see your ID.”

With a delighted cackle, Jongin handed it over.  Xiumin’s eyes raked the identification briefly before he gave it back.

“So you’re on bodyguard duty,” he said, unblinking.

Jongin nodded, his grin turning goofy.

“Are you sure you’re cut out for it?” Xiumin demanded.

With a shrug, Jongin nodded.  “I know how to use a gun and everything,” he assured Xiumin, producing a pistol from a leg holster and spinning it around his fingers.  Xiumin’s eyes abruptly went wide and he snatched the weapon out of Jongin’s hand.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.  “Never do that without the safety catch on.”

Flipping the lock on, he tossed the gun back to Jongin, who fumbled and nearly dropped it.  Xiumin gave him a judging look before he turned his head over his shoulder.

“Semi!” he hollered back into the apartment.  “Somebody’s here to see you!”

It was several moments before the girl in question appeared, towelling her hair dry.  She was wearing jeans and a loose tank top which had slipped down over one shoulder to reveal a bra strap.

“Great!” said Jongin.  “Let’s go!”

Her face split into a huge grin when she saw him and she immediately the towel at Xiumin.

“Jongin!”

“Oh, wait, you were at the wedding too,” muttered Xiumin, straightening the towel out and folding it.  “Whoa, where do you think you’re going dressed like that, missy?  You’re going to freeze.”

“Are you always this bossy?” Jongin asked him with interest.

“Go make friends with Kyungsoo and watch the footage from this place,” Xiumin told him bluntly.  “No, I’m not.”

Raising an eyebrow at him, Jongin reached out to pull the strap of Semi’s tank top up.  It was only then that she appeared to notice, and she flushed as he straightened the material, quietly putting her hand on his to nudge it away.  He just slipped his hand into hers instead and yanked her over the threshold.

“Come on!  We’re going to be late.”

“Jongin—”

“You’re not taking her out in this weather like that, even if you’re late,” said Xiumin firmly, hauling his jumper off.  “Here.  If you’re both in such a hurry, wear this.”  He the jumper at Semi.  “And text me if you want me to leave food out.  You, though—” he shot a glare at Jongin, “—you’d better bring her back in one piece.”

“Wait,” said Semi as she took the jumper, simultaneously trying to get rid of Jongin’s grip on her wrist.  “Thanks – what happened to your arm?  Why are there bruises—?”

Xiumin shrugged, a faint smile curling his lips.  “I got into a fight.”

“When—?” Semi tried to ask, but Jongin had managed to drag her a fair way down the hallway and the door to the apartment closed.  “What the hell?” she muttered.

“He won against eight other gang members,” Jongin informed her, snatching Xiumin’s jumper out of her hand and pulling it down over her head.  “Perfect!  Mission accomplished!”

“What?”

“I knew he’d lend you his jumper.”

Semi narrowed her eyes at him.  “How?”

“Because it was getting warm and you were inappropriately dressed to go out and I put time pressure on you.  And what happened to not wanting to wear y clothes around him, eh?”  He nudged her playfully in the ribs as they waited for the lift.

“It was really warm in there,” she muttered.  “And a tank top isn’t that y.”

“Meh, depends, depe