Junghwa and Junghae met up after their respective club activities and walked to a nearby hole-in-the-wall type of diner that had good food at a price reasonable to students on an allowance.

They ignored their diets in favour of splurging on chicken, noodles, and cake.

Junghae linked her elbow with Junghwa's. "Lemme sleep over. I'm too tired to take the bus."

"Tell your mom, first, so she doesn't call my mom and freak out."

Junghae rolled her eyes and pulled her phone from her back pocket. "Gonna stay at Junghwa's . Too tired for the bus. Love you!" she recited as she typed, singing the last sentence and adding a line of hearts and kisses.

The walk to Junghwa's house was shorter than to the bus Junghae would normally take, and they enjoyed the warm air and indigo of teh sky, covered in velvet clouds. By the time Junghwa pushed open the front door and ushered Junghae inside, their bellies were content and even ready for a snack.

"Mom?"

"Kitchen!" Mrs Kim looked over her shoulder, standing at the sink. "Hey, baby. Hello, Junghae."

"It's okay that she stays over, right?"

"Of course." Mrs Kim wiped her hands on a towel and kissed her daughter's cheek, opening her arms for Junghae to step into her embrace. The woman kissed Junghae's forehead. "You're always welcome, Junghae."

Junghae's stomach twisted, and not from the food. Would she really always be welcome? Unconditionally?

She smiled at the woman and jumped a little when her pocket vibrated with her mom's consent.

Upstairs, she set her bag by Junghwa's and sat at the foot of the bed, which Junghwa found unusual. Even when sick and miserable, Junghae was a cuddler, always touching. Junghwa was one of the few people who accepted it without complaint; she found it rather pleasant.

"Junghae? Are you okay?"

The girl grinned and tilted her head, combing her fingers through her pigtail. "Yeah?"

Junghwa frowned, brows dipped over her nose. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

I love you.

"I mean, you are okay, right?"

I want to kiss you and taste your lipgloss.

Junghwa touched Junghae's knee, a concerned frown drawing her full lips to a pout so tempting Junghae had to subtly pinch her thigh. "You've been kind of weird, lately ... "

"I'm fine!" She sounded fake, even to her own ears. She forced her lips to curl upwards and found a laugh somewhere in . "It's just been a weird kind of week, I guess. What with Kyungsoo and Juyeon and all." She shrugged.

Junghwa looked placated. "That's true. Who would've thought, right?" They stretched out, legs overlapping, and gossiped about their classmates' love lives or lack thereof until Junghae's rant about a persistent guy friend's flirting was drowned out by Junghwa's lion yawn.

They giggled through their yawns and decided it was time to sleep. Homework could wait.

Junghwa rummaged through a basket of clean, unfolded laundry and tossed a big sweatshirt that was just above being considered threadbare to Junghae. Junghwa slept in her underwear, usually. With friends over, she wore a sports bra and shorts, but it still left little to the imagination, and Junghae had an excellent imagination to begin with. Neither were shy about changing together, although Junghae found it harder and harder to look away from her friend even fully clothed, so the bare thighs and torso acted like magnets.

With the Naruto clock reading a late 1:35 AM, Junghwa crept to her door and whistled down the hall. A few breaths later, metallic jingling and the tk tk tk of little nails on hardwood announced her poodles' arrival. They waited with wagging tails as the girl picked them up one by one and set them on her bed.

Smiling and clucking her tongue, Junghae held out a hand for them to sniff and , but they only had eyes for Junghwa when she finally laid down and turned off the light. One claimed her belly, and the other nuzzled in-between her side and arm.

Junghae burrowed into Junghwa's pillow, breathing in the sweet scent of her peachy shampoo. Her bare foot touched Junghwa's, and she jerked away as if shocked, but Junghwa just murmured a little and turned her head, leaving Junghae with a tempting column of bare neck and collarbones.

She turned away, folding the pillow over her ears and pretending she was at home in her own bed.

Junghwa had always been hard to ignore, though.