"Yo," Sunny pants to the now familiar nurse when she jogs through the door of the hospital, perfect smile in place. The nurse attemtps to return it with her usual reassuring smile, but there's a sadness that can't be hidden.

"Same room?" Sunny asks instead. After recieving a quick nod she continues to jog to the stairs, too impatient for elevators. She's faster on her own feet.

Sunny stops just outside the door of the hospital room. It's not a private one, so people never stay to visit for long, always getting overwhelmed by the beeping heart moniters and the occasional, sudden flatline. From here, she can here the hushed voices of Sooyoung's parents arguing. "What are they doing here?" she thinks, pushing away the panic creeping up her spine, "they've never had to come before."

Hesitantly, she takes a few steps in, closer to Sooyoung's curtains. She remembers when one of their Good Girls had stuck Sgt. Frog stickers all over it before anyone could stop her, and another had embroidered pink flower designs into it.

"Hey," Yuri whispers tiredly, walking around from the other side of the curtain.

Sunny smiles, "you standing guard?"

"I wish," she holds the curtain back and motions for her to go in, "I can't tell if she's actually asleep, or pretending."

"Hey Boss," Sunny murmers when she's standing next to Sooyoung's bed.

Although she was well known for her acting skills, the girl's definitely passed out. Sunny knows her well enough to tell the difference. There's an IV connected to her forearm, probably morphine for pain. The long body is covered with cuts and yellow-purple bruises, a long jagged laceration starts at her jaw and continues down past the blankets covering Sunny's view. A quick glance at the clipboard attached to the side of her bed tells her she's suffered internal bleeding, with several fractured ribs. Sunny's hand reaches up and ghosts over Sooyoung's swollen eye.

She crawls onto the bed with her, making sure not to jostle her body too much. Sooyoung's parent's have ignored Sunny since the day they met her, and today was no exception. She had no problem climbing over her thin friend and lying down, blocking the arguing parents from the unconcious daughter.

"We're in a pretty ed up world, aren't we girl?" Sunny sighs, "what happened to you?"

"Some of the other Bones found out about Seohyun exclusively sharing her sweet potatoes with us. They were about to beat her and Sooyoung took the hit," Yuri answers, flopping down on a comfy chair she had probably stolen from the staff lounge, "or hits I guess. Pretty stupid, huh?"

"Ridiculous. Understandable, considering they're Bones, but ridiculous," Sunny replies, running her fingers through Sooyoung's tangled hair. She abruptly stops and follows a long, bumpy line from the tip of her right ear to the back of her skull, frowning. "Stitches?"

"Oh, yeah. They stuck her in a big tube and did a scan too, but the results for her brain aren't back yet," Yuri rubs her eyes and sighs, weariness evident.

"We'll get some sleep while we wait, okay?" Yuri nods, curling up in a ball and letting Sunny spread a thin blanket across her form.

She was so wrapped up in Sooyoung she had forgotten about the parents. They were still arguing, thankfully quieter. She heard them leave after a few minutes sitting in silence, probably to the cafeteria judging by the husband's whiny voice. Sunny keeps petting Sooyoung until her own eyes slipped closed.

"Sunny, why won't you give me a kiss?" Sooyoung demands, blocking her path to their high school.

"What? Why are you asking me that now? Move, I'll talk to you later," Sunny was going to be late for class again, not that she really cared. Except this time, she'd be sentenced to an hour after school each day for two weeks, and three hours on weekends.

"No."

"Sooyoung!" she snaps.

"That's my name, don't wear it out,"

Sooyoung is a Bones Boss. One of the tough girls who expects everyone to do what they say, when they say it. It had been that way since the summer between 7th and 8th grade. The thumb kiss incident was around the time Yuri became one of the Bones, in the winter of 9th grade.

Sunny glares at her best friend, "move."

"Gimme a kiss and I will," Sooyoung smirks.

"Fine. Give me your pinky," Sunny grumbles. Sooyoung's a little confused but still holds out her bony digit. The smaller girl twists their pinkies together and presses her thumb forward so the pads are pressed together.

Sooyoung rubs her thumbs across Sunny's knuckles, massaging her hands so they loosen up. She has a habit of clenching onto things tightly in her sleep, usually pillows and blankets, occasionally Sooyoung's long hair. In it's relaxed state, Sunny's pinky naturally curls around her own, and Sooyoung gently presses their thumbpads together.

"There. Thumb kiss," Sunny smiles, moving around Sooyoung and heading toward class.

Sooyoung stands there blinking until she turns angrily, shouting, "Hey! What the hell was that?!"

"A thumb kiss," Sunny answers, as if it should be obvious.

"That's not a thumb kiss you idiot," Sooyoung groans, stomping toward Sunny, "this is." She presses her thumb to her lips and then pushes it against Sunny's.

After taking a second to recover from their indirect kiss, she yells stubbornly, "Well if it's called a thumb kiss the thumbs should kiss!" 

Flustered (and soon to be late), Sunny turns and sprints to class, knowing that there was no way in hell Sooyoung could catch up to her.

Sooyoung pokes Sunny's cheek repeatedly, silently willing her to wake up.

"Ungh," Sunny grunts.

"Attractive," Sooyoung rasps.

"What happened to your voice?" Sunny asks.

"Just a sore throat from before."

"Oh, well I'm glad you're okay," she sighs, "well you're not really okay so I guess I'm glad you're not dead. Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Thanks, I'm glad I'm not dead too, might talk like the dead. Morphine's helping the pain but makin' me all cuckoooooo" Sooyoung smiles, "you haircut's cute. You should keep it like this, I can call you oppa," she runs her fingers through the boyish haircut fondly.

Sunny raises her eyebrows and snorts, "hell no."

"Umm yes, actually. I'm the Boss. I can call you whatever I want,"

"Umm no, actually. You're a stupid Boss, one that gets herself in the hospital frequently,"

"Well I provide protection. And happiness," Sooyoung argues.

"But mostly food bills," she retorts.

"Well, that is-"

"Uh-huh," Sunny giggles, "you have no excuse. But you know you're not the Boss because you provide protection, or happiness."

"Then why am I? Because of my violence?"

"The Boss is always the person who needs the most protection and happiness," Sunny murmurs quietly. Sooyoung smiles sadly, knowing that was always true. In movies and books, leaders were leaders because they had the support of others. Without their people, they were nothing.

Sunny takes Sooyoung's hand  and interlaces their fingers, "I'll protect you," she genlty traces the jagged cut on Sooyoung's neck with her fingertips, "and show you happiness."

"Mm, you really wanna know what'd make me happy right now?"

"What?"

"That kiss you never gave me. The one I've been asking for for years," Sooyoung adds, "a real kiss. Chu chu chu~"

And maybe it's because Sooyoung's trying so hard to hide how hopeful she is, or because Sunny thinks this kiss will somehow ease her pain, she leans and presses their lips together. They were both farely good kissers, considering they would use a kiss to get close enough to steal from the victims of their charms. This time they're hesitant, not completely sure how to put in emotions.

"That was a little.." Sunny laughs.

"Awkward?" Sooyoung offers, "we should practice."

"Mhmm," Sunny hums, already leaning up to the Boss again, putting her promise of protection and happiness into the kiss.

Almost unconciously, heir pinkies intertwine under the blankets and they twists their hands and push their tumbs together.