3. He does, in fact, need sleep.

When she’d first met Jackson, she idly wondered if JYPE regularly supplied him with caffeinated crack. After meeting the rest of Got7, however, YoungJi concluded that all their idols must be on something. It was the only explanation she could think of to rationalize how on earth they (much like their 2PM predecessors) were all constantly so hyper and loud and flipping off every available surface.

Jackson, though, always seemed like he was on a constant high, smiling brightly, forever in motion, with his voice carrying from one side of their house to another. He was like a super-train: fast, efficient, seemingly-non-stop. YoungJi knew that he was very popular, not just in social circles, but on variety shows as well. She once counted, in a one-week span, that he’d accepted at least half a dozen different offers and invitations to film guest appearances on shows other than Roommate – and that was on top of his group activities.

“It’s pretty late YoungJi.” KangJoon told her one night. “Shouldn’t you go to sleep soon?”

“I’m just going to finish this chapter first.” She raised the book in her hands for emphasis. “I don’t want to keep GukJoo and Nana up with my reading light.”

KangJoon didn’t bother to note aloud that his roommate wasn’t home yet, simply smiling and nodding once before walking to his room and closing the door.

YoungJi ended up finishing three more chapters, engrossed in her book, before she heard the front door open. She turned around on the couch just in time to see Jackson stumble through the doorway.

“Yah.” YoungJi called out softly in deference to their sleeping cast members. “Are you alright?”

“YoungJi?” He caught his balance on the banister and squinted into the dimly-lit room. “Is that you?”

“Ooh,” She frowned once he walked into the light. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks.” Jackson smirked at her sardonically. “But you don’t exactly look like Miss Korea right now either.”

She may have been bare-faced and in her pajamas, but he was the one strolling in at midnight with dark bags under his eyes looking like he just lost a fight against a big-rig. He yawned widely once and flopped over the back of the couch to land beside her.

“What are you doing up so late?”

YoungJi held up her book as a silent explanation while she assessed him. Jackson may have looked terrible from far away, but up close, he just looked so…tired.

“You should really get some sleep.” She told him quietly.

He scoffed, leaning back on the couch, “You’re telling me.”

But then a minute passes and he hasn’t moved from his spot beside her and YoungJi realized.

“Hey come on.” YoungJi nudged him, eliciting a petulant groan. “Your neck is going to hurt if you sleep like that. Go to your room.”

Jackson opened one bloodshot eye at her blearily and grumbled,

“I’m too tired to walk there.”

YoungJi snorted good-naturedly, “It’s literally twenty steps away.”

“That’s twenty steps too many.” Jackson whined so sadly that she had to smile.

“You’re such a brat.” YoungJi told him matter-of-factly, shaking her head. “Well, at least don’t rest like that. Here, I’ll leave so you can lie down.”

She made to stand so the sleep-deprived kid could stretch out on the couch, stopping short when he reached up to grab her arm.

“Tch, you don’t have to do that.” Jackson said, pulling her back down beside him with a quiet thud…and then shifted so that his feet lay out on one end, with his head on her lap.

“Y-Yah!” YoungJi hissed. She quickly glanced up at the cameras in the room to make sure none of them had that tale-tell red-light to indicate they were recording and was momentarily more relieved than scandalized. Momentarily, of course. “Jackson Wang, what the hell do you think you’re doing?? Get off me!”

YoungJi didn’t realize it was possible to hold someone down with the sheer weight of your head but Jackson tended to be a man of many, albeit useless, talents.

“Thirty minutes.” He mumbled through closed eyelids, moving his head so that it felt like he was snuggling himself into her thigh almost indecently. YoungJi tried to discreetly glance around for some tissues because the blood rushing to her face was surely going to start running down her nose any second now. In her lap, Jackson yawned loudly, oblivious, “Just let me close my eyes for thirty minutes okay?”

“In thirty seconds you could be in your own room.” YoungJi deadpanned.

Jackson chuckled tiredly then, opening his eyes just to wink at her,

“Why would I do that when I’d rather be here?”

If it had been their first meeting, YoungJi would’ve been flattered and ducked her head shyly. But she’d been putting up with Jackson for months now so she simply rolled her eyes and flicked his ear in fond annoyance.

“JB-oppa is right.” YoungJi tacked on the affectionate term because she knew he didn’t like it. “You bluff too much.”

“JB is a poophead.” Jackson shot back, his teeth.

“Oh, that’s real mature of you.” YoungJi giggled.

“It’s not my job to be mature.” Jackson smirked at her, the effect diminished because he looked like he was half-dead as he spoke, “I only have to be wild and s*xy.”

She flicked his ear once more and he laughed quietly.

“Thirty minutes.” YoungJi reiterated. “Then I’m going to shove you off me, understand?”

“Yeah yeah.” Jackson said dismissively, closing his eyes. “Just read your book or something.”

YoungJi glared at him, though it made no difference since the brat wasn’t even looking at her. They settled into a companionable silence with the only sounds for the next few minutes coming from YoungJi as she turned a page and Jackson’s slow breathing…punctuated by Jackson turning every so often on her lap, seemingly trying to find a comfortable position.

“Eh.” YoungJi admonished softly after realizing what was bothering him. “How do you expect to sleep well with this on?”

She tapped his snapback lightly to emphasize.

“I’m usually too tired to pull it off.” Jackson made some unintelligible sound when her fingers brushed his hair as she pulled off his cap. “Ah, that’s nice.”

YoungJi paused. “Hmm? What does?”

“Yah, don’t stop.” He whined, reaching behind his head and grasping for her wayward wrist and pulling it down to his head again. Jackson guided her hand through the motions and her limp fingers drew funny little curves and circles along his scalp. He hummed contentedly. “Just keep doing that.”

“Tch.” YoungJi her teeth but her hand continued to move along his hair, mercifully grown back from his last comeback. “Why don’t you get KangJoon to do this for you?”

“Because he’s twenty feet away and asleep.” Jackson mumbled so much that it took her a moment to piece together what he’d said.

“I can wake him up.” YoungJi offered jokingly, nails slightly raking behind his ear and making him sigh contentedly. “I’ll drag him out here if you want.”

“Eeh.” Jackson dismissed with a frown, “I don’t want KangJoon.”

“Do you want me to get JoonHyung instead?” YoungJi suggested, giggling because it’d probably take her 30 minutes just to wake the g.o.d. singer from his sleep.

Jackson his teeth and opened his eyes just to chide her with a tired glare.

“I don’t need them.” He told her plaintively, slurring from exhaustion. “I just want you.”

A pregnant pause followed and YoungJi couldn’t even be embarrassed by his words because Jackson just realized what he’d said and was trying to backtrack.

“Hang on! Wait! I didn’t mean-!”

“Yeah yeah, I know what you mean.” She laughed good-naturedly, ignoring the blush that he couldn’t see in the dim light. “Just take your nap already.”

He was quiet for a moment and she couldn’t quite make out his expression in the dark but he shifted in her lap and told her sincerely, his voice fading,

“Thanks YoungJi. I appreciate this.”

She waited until his breathing slowed and brushed his bangs off his forehead, suddenly tempted to press a good-night kiss on the exposed skin. But she’s just his friend (and not even the prettiest one, at that) and he’s just taking a nap and not really 'sleeping' with on her so she settled for whispering into the dark,

“You’re welcome Jackson.”

YoungJi threaded her fingers through his hair and smiled when he nuzzled into her touch. Her book lay closed to the side, forgotten.

(She let him sleep in for a little longer than thirty minutes. Though whether it was for his benefit or hers, she couldn’t really say.)

4/10/15