Sleepover, part 1
Jaeyi wasn’t sure how long they stayed in silent before she felt Seulgi’s breath evening out, the warm puffs of air against her neck now deep and calm. She was just about to start internally cheering, when suddenly Seulgi’s legs buckled slightly. In a flash, Yeri was right there, helping Jaeyi steady the startled girl, who was now blinking at them, sleepy and confused, hands gripping the back of Jaeyi’s blazer.
“Did you just fall asleep standing up? Yeri blurted out without thinking. Jaeyi glared at her when Seulgi stepped away from the hug, clearly embarrassed, face beet red. Ignoring the muttered “sorry” from Yeri, Jaeyi instead turned her full focus on Seulgi again, smiling kindly. Anymore and my face will start hurting. Oh well.
“Should we go check on that taxi?” she offered, reaching her hand out for Seulgi. The girl nodded and took it, still bright red and avoiding her eyes.
—
The car ride was uneventful. The driver clearly noticed Seulgi dozing off, tucked between Jaeyi and Kyung on the backseat, kindly turned off the radio and didn’t attempt any small talk. When they finally arrived in front of Jaeyi’s house, she slipped Yeri her wallet to pay for the ride, while she and Kyung roused Seulgi and helped her out of the car.
The second the front door closed behind the four of them, there was a flurry of movement at their feet. The mass of energetic, white fur circled them, going from one to the other and then the other, whining loudly, unable to choose who to great and demand pets from first.
“Jeyun, hi” Yeri laughed a bit, snatching the wiggling pup so the others could shrug off their jackets and shoes. Jaeyi kneeled down for a second to help Seulgi with hers, the girl leaning against a wall, eyes almost all the way closed. They shot wide open when Jeyun was put in her arms, the only explanation being a quick “snuggle” from Yeri, who winked and started working on her own clothing.
“Do you think you’ll be able to stay awake for dinner?” asked Kyung, right after she stopped snickering at the bewildered look on Seulgi’s face. After a few seconds of what seemed to be Seulgi’s sluggish mind processing the question, she shook her head, leaning towards the precious boy in her arms, immediately rewarded with soft puppy kisses on teat tracked cheeks.
“Let’s get you to bed then” Jaeyi appeared from around the corner with house slippers for the girls. Jeyun whined softly at the sight of his sister. She bent down to kiss his nose. Satisfied, he went right back to snuggling into Seulgi’s chest. “Come on.”
Inside the bedroom, Kyung and Yeri made a beeline towards the closet to borrow pyjamas. Jaeyi helped Seulgi sit down on the bed and joined them, looking for something soft and comfortable. It took everything in her not to react to Seulgi’s barely there pout when she exchanged Jeyun for the pyjamas Jaeyi picked out for her. The girl covered a yawn.
Without a word, but with a sweet smile, Jaeyi crouched down in front of her, arms already moving to help her change, when a hand wrapping loosely around her wrist stopped her in her tracks. Jaeyi couldn’t help but mimic a small frown on Seulgi’s face, incredibly confused. She was being gentle, wasn’t she? And it’s not like Seulgi hasn’t changed in front of her before. She watched Seulgi’s eyes dart to the side, and suddenly understood. Back to the plan. Flashing a comforting smile, she turned to her other friends.
“Hey, since Seulgi won’t be having dinner, could you two get her something light while we change?” she suggested, her friends immediately moving to the door, calling Jeyun with them to get him his dinner. Before they left, Jaeyi quickly added “Knock when you come back.”
And with that, they were alone. Seulgi’s shoulders relaxed, her hand letting go of Jaeyi’s wrist, letting her help. Gentle, gentle.
“Did you not want them to see your scar?” Jaeyi wondered, working on Seulgi’s blazer, then her vest. The girl hummed, thinking about the answer. Jaeyi let her, moving on to unbuttoning the wrinkled shirt, forcing her face to remain blank.
“Yes, but also…” Seulgi trailed off, moving her arms to help get the shirt off. A faint blush covered her cheeks, but she obeyed Jaeyi’s mumbled “arms up” and, apart from a small shiver, didn’t react when the pyjama top was pulled over her torso, her bra being removed from under it, joining a neat pile of clothing at the foot of the bed. “But this is… very vulnerable. I prefer just you helping like this” she finally finished, still blushing, still a little flustered and embarrassed, voice barely above a whisper.
Jaeyi gave the girl a reassuring smile, raking her brain for an answer, trying to remember the research she did with Kyung and Yeri a few days ago and coming up empty. Gentle, she reminded herself before saying the only thing that came to mind.
“I like helping you. Whatever you want.”
This time, she couldn’t help the blush creeping up her neck and cheeks, matching Seulgi’s. Still, she kept smiling, relieved when Seulgi’s lips twitched up just a bit, for the first time in quite a while. The air felt a little heavier, charged with something, but comfortable all the same. Wordlessly, they moved on to exchange Seulgi’s uniform skirt for pyjama short and untangling her hair. For a few moment, Jaeyi let her nails run over Seulgi’s scalp, a curious smile making it’s way on her face when Seulgi leaned into the touch and shivered slightly, closing her eyes. Just then, Jaeyi’s own eyes focused on still visible tear marks on the girl’s cheeks.
“I’ll be right back” she murmured, ignoring the displeased sound when her hand left the soft hair.
In the bathroom, Jaeyi gulped down a few deep breaths, willing her heart to calm down a bit. Weren’t you supposed to be in a puddle by now?, she thought with a touch of bitterness. This is not the time to freak out, we’re supposed to be taking care of her. With that secured in her mind she changed quickly and grabbed a face towel. She run it under warm water and returned to her bedroom.
Just as Jaeyi was almost done cleaning Seulgi’s face of dried tears, a knock broke the comfortable silence. Kyung and Yeri came in, one holding a bowl of quartered strawberries, the other carrying a small bottle of water. Behind them Jeyun trotted in happily, gave his sister a quick kiss and jumped on the bed to settle against Seulgi’s side. His tail thumped on the bed when the girl wiped some crumbs off his furry face and moved on to scratching behind his ear. Kyung put the bowl of fruit on the girl’s lap.
“Eat” she said simply, but not unkindly. She and Yeri sat on the floor, while Jaeyi moved to sit with Seulgi and Jeyun.
While Seulgi ate, the girls around her chatted about anything that came to mind, filling the room with hushed, soft voices and quiet laughter. Every so often, a bottle of water made it’s way to Seulgi’s hand.
In the middle of Yeri recalling a disastrous date she went on recently, Jaeyi felt Seulgi’s weight lean into her side. She peeked in the bowl, and, satisfied with the small amount of fruit left, took it from Seulgi’s lap, Yeri leaning in to take it from her straight away. Jaeyi glanced at her phone. 8:51 PM, perfect time for the last phase of their plan. She quirked a brow at her friends, who understood straight away.
“Kyung and I are going to get a snack and go to bed” Yeri started, standing up and stretching her arms, faking a yawn. Kyung got up as well, letting out a much less convincing yawn. Jaeyi rolled her eyes, making sure Seulgi didn’t notice. Jesus Christ.
“Yeah, goodnight you two. Do you want us to take Jeyun?”
Remembering Seulgi’s pout when she took him away earlier, Jaeyi jumper in.
“Just leave the door cracked so he can leave if he wants water. Do you remember where the guest room is and how to lock up?” They obviously did, considering the amount of times they stayed over before.
With the last few whispered goodnights, Kyung and Yeri left the room, shutting off the big light on the way out. The room was now only basked in calming, blue glow. Jaeyi felt eyes on her straight away.
“Are you not going to eat anything?”
Poor Seulgi was definitely fighting sleep at this point, all the energy she got from the quick power nap in the taxi gone. Still, she sounded worried. Jaeyi let herself feel the warmth that spread over her with the question, giving the girl yet another smile.
“I’m not hungry. I ate a lot today anyway” and she did, anticipating that Seulgi wouldn’t have energy for anything more than an evening snack when she saw her come into class this morning, eyes and shoulders heavy. Jaeyi lifted a hand, letting her thumb glide gently under one of Seulgi’s eyes, then another, tracing the dark, angry eyebags. Seulgi shut her eyes and let out a long yawn, not even bothering to cover it. Jaeyi’s heart swelled. Adorable.
“Come on. We should sleep, too.”
She helped Seulgi lay down, covering her with the duvet, before slipping in on the other side of the bed, settling on her side, Jeyun finding his place by their feet. Jaeyi expected Seulgi to fall asleep right as her head touched the pillow, but she didn’t. Concerned, she watched as Seulgi frowned slightly, shuffling around a bit. Clearly she was trying to find a comfortable position, desperate to finally get some rest. What’s wrong? She remembered Seulgi falling asleep easily at their last sleepover. Granted, she wasn’t sure if Seulgi actually slept well, considering she woke up to an empty bed and Seulgi being short with her that morning. Was the mattress to soft? Too firm? Was she too warm? Maybe too cold?
When Seulgi let out a frustrated sigh, somehow managing to sound close to tears, Jaeyi stopped her running thoughts and decided to try something. Gentle, gentle.
“Seulgi-ah” she called out softly. Tired, wet eyes met hers. Jaeyi lifted the duvet slightly, her other hand patting the mattress at her side. Then, she waited patiently. Seulgi shifted her gaze between Jaeyi’s face and the space she gestured at a few times, before hesitantly, very slowly, she started moving. Jaeyi, screaming from joy on the inside, stayed perfectly calm and collected on the outside. The last thing she wanted was to spook her friend.
After what felt like ages, Seulgi’s head rested against Jaeyi’s arm, forehead nearly touching her shoulder, legs curled up towards her own chest, stiff as a board. Jaeyi tucked the duvet over both of them, gently guiding Seulgi’s head closer, until her forehead did touch Jaeyi’s shoulder, breath hitting the soft cotton covering Jaeyi’s collarbone. Felling the girl relax slightly and nuzzle in, Jaeyi let her arm settle over Seulgi’s waist, giving her a warm squeeze. That caused a long, deep puff of air to settle over her collarbone. She suppressed a shiver, suddenly feeling very tired herself. The warmth settled over them both, slowly dragging them under.
“Sleep, honey” she breathed out into Seulgi’s hair. When she felt the girl finally relax and sink into the bed and her hold, and the breath at her collarbone deepen and even out, she let herself close her eyes, drifting off slowly.