Super Junior {bandfic ; The Art of Daring (1/4)}
Title: The Art Of Daring ("If I'm a slut, then you're a slut.") (1/4)
Fandom: Super Junior; DBSK (AU, !girls)
Pairing: Hankyung/Heechul, Kyuhyun/Sungmin, Kibum/Donghae, Kangin/Eeteuk, Yehsung/Ryeowook, Eunhyuk/Junsu, background Yunho/Jaejoong
Word count: 5,712
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The others considered this for a few minutes; Heechul was the first to speak. "That's boring," she said, and smirked slowly, looking so devilish that Eeteuk moaned in fearful anticipation. "You know what would make it more exciting? If you had to kiss the object of your affection."
A/N: This is silly. After the latest Wonder Boy's performance I became convinced that Sungmin was born into the wrong gender, and what's more, as a girl he would be a complete slut. And then I was like "And Ryeowook would be a shy girl!" and tokyolights convinced me it was a good and cute and funny fic idea, when really it's just silly :\
The Art Of Daring (1/4)
("If I'm a slut, then you're a slut.")
Heechul looked up curiously, the varnish brush dripping with bright pink liquid that she held in her hand hovering over her toe, dangerously close to dripping on Eeteuk's white bedspread. Eeteuk watched the brush, apparently too horrified at the thought to actually move or tell Heechul to move. "You what?" asked Heechul.
"I think we should do a dare," said Sungmin, just as brightly, her legs stretched out in front of her so that she could admire her own completed nails (done in a pale pink with silver sparkles). She wiggled her toes. "You know, just something fun."
"Yeah, but I know your definition of fun," said Heechul with a smirk, pointing with the brush at Sungmin - Eeteuk squeaked - and Sungmin just blinked back at her innocently. "And I highly doubt that Eeteuk here is going to want to do anything like what you've got in mind."
"I want to hear!" said Donghae happily, completely over her upset earlier (she had realised that she didn't have enough toenails to go with all the colours that Sungmin had brought over, but had eventually realised that if she painted her fingernails too, then she'd be fine). "I think it will be fun, whatever it is."
"Oh my god, Heechul!" shrieked Eeteuk, finally losing it. "Will you just paint your nails and stop taunting me?"
Heechul raised an eyebrow coolly, but finally put brush to toenail. "Go on then, Sungmin," she said. "Shoot."
"We make a bet," said Sungmin. "Something that we all have to do, within a certain time frame, and whoever doesn't do it gets a punishment."
"What sort of thing?" asked Heechul.
"What kind of time frame?" asked Donghae, who had trouble working to deadlines.
"What kind of punishment?" asked Eeteuk nervously.
"I don't know all the details yet," admitted Sungmin. "Especially the punishment part. But I've thought about the first part. We all like someone, right?"
"Yes," said Heechul immediately, and then waved off Eeteuk's protests with a hand of silver fingernails. "Oh please, Eeteuk, you're the only one that we're certain of. You're so into Kangin that you've probably planned your children's names."
Eeteuk flushed red. "I haven't," she said sullenly.
"Sure you haven't," said Heechul, and then waved at Sungmin with the hand that wasn't holding the varnish brush. "Continue."
"So within like, two weeks or something, I don't know yet, we have to have confessed to whoever it is we like, in view of at least one other person in this room."
The others considered this for a few minutes; Heechul was the first to speak. "That's boring," she said, and smirked slowly, looking so devilish that Eeteuk moaned in fearful anticipation. "You know what would make it more exciting? If you had to kiss the object of your affection."
"But Heechul-" said Eeteuk.
"Ohmigod," squealed Sungmin, suddenly bouncing up onto her knees on Eeteuk's sister's bed opposite the one Heechul was sitting on. "That would be so good!"
"But I-"
"Would you have to kiss them in front of someone else?" asked Donghae thoughtfully.
Heechul and Sungmin went suddenly still, thinking about it. "I don't know," said Sungmin after a minute or so. "Because I - it could be awkward, that, couldn't it?"
"Oh, for God's sake!" said Eeteuk. "You guys, I like the school coach, okay, I can't just saunter up to him and plant one on him."
"I would," said Sungmin, looking at Eeteuk as if she was completely mad. Eeteuk stared at her for a moment before she realised that Sungmin was honestly confused. She turned helplessly to Heechul, who snorted and then tutted at Sungmin.
"Yeah, but you're the reason Kangta got fired," she said. "I highly doubt that Eeteuk has the guts that you've got."
"Or the slutty nature," said Donghae, a little distracted as she dotted her big toenail with blue dots on top of the red base coat.
"The thing is," said Heechul, as Sungmin flashed a victory sign at Donghae's bowed head and beamed, "if no one sees you kiss the other person, how do we know that you've actually done it?"
"You could totally be lying," agreed Sungmin. Eeteuk groaned and then curled up into a little ball on her computer chair. "I mean, getting the other person to admit that it happened could be enough, couldn't it though?"
"Probably," said Heechul. "Or recording it could work."
"No, that's gotten me into trouble before," said Sungmin. Eeteuk looked up from her ball-of-horror and then buried her head back down, choosing to believe that she really didn't want to know.
"Do you think that two weeks will be enough?" Donghae unscrewed the top off a shiny purple varnish and sniffed at it. "Because you could have to work on your person or something."
"Work on them?" asked Heechul, staring at Donghae like she'd just grown an extra two heads. "What do you mean by that?"
"What if you like a really popular guy from the boy's sector but he doesn't know you exist? You're going to have to work on getting him to know who you are, otherwise there's no point in just kissing him, he's not going to do anything about it then."
"Who the fuck doesn't know who we are?" asked Heechul, bewildered. "We're the most famous school girls in the whole of Seoul."
"Or, in the case of you and me, Heechul, infamous," quipped Sungmin.
"There isn't a guy in this whole city who wouldn't give his left hand to kiss one of us," said Heechul, and then mimed to show what would be missing without the use of a left hand.
"Ew," said Eeteuk's muffled voice, as Sungmin giggled, Heechul cackled, and Donghae frowned in confusion.
"I know we're popular," said Donghae. "I'm just - okay. Okay, I'll do it."
"Do we get the others involved?" asked Heechul.
"Do Hannie and Mi have anyone that they like?" asked Sungmin doubtfully.
"I don't think they do," said Heechul. "Whatever, we can ask them if they want to get involved. Eunhyuk - well, she's obviously in love with that guy in her street, the one with the dolphin voice."
"I'll ask her if she wants to join in," said Donghae.
"And Yehsung?"
"Ergh," said Heechul. "Don't talk to me about that girl."
"What's happened now?" asked Eeteuk, sitting up suddenly, the idea of gossip more interesting to her than any plotting of dares that could ruin her reputation as the responsible one in the group. "Oh, Heechul, did you fall out again?"
"Why else isn't she here?" asked Heechul smugly. "Haven't you heard the latest rumour?"
"No."
"People are saying that Yehsung and Jaejoong are in a girl gang," said Sungmin with a laugh. "And that they smoke in the bathroom, and that they'll crush your head if you go in there at the wrong time. Heechul put it out, so Yehsung isn't talking to her."
Eeteuk paused. "Why would you do that?" she asked, completely lost.
"Because that bitch Jaejoong is going out with Yunho," said Heechul, finishing off her last toenail. "Like, what the fuck? How dare she! I mean, I know I dumped him and all, but he's supposed to die lonely and pining for me, not going out with fucking Kim Jaejoong, who I still haven't forgiven, by the way, for stealing my lunch back in elementary school."
"Fuck, Heechul, you sure hold a grudge," muttered Eeteuk, and went back to her ball. It was much more comforting there. "I'll talk to Yehsung," she said after a minute or so, and the others grinned at each other; they had caught her now.
"This shouldn't be too difficult," said Sungmin, in what she hoped was a soothing tone meant for Eeteuk. "I mean, come on. We're us! We're gorgeous! If you really try, I bet Kangin will be eating out of your palms at the end of these two weeks."
"So who are you going for?" asked Eeteuk, looking disgruntled as she sat back up and shook her hair out of her face. "Who are the people that you like?"
"Ehhhh," said Donghae worriedly.
"Not telling," said Heechul. "We're not telling, you're going to have to find out. It will be a big surprise for all of us, because I don't know who it is that Donghae or Sungmin like."
"You and Sungmin are the ones that I'm most interested in," said Eeteuk. "Usually you'd already have the person who liked, almost as soon as you decided you liked them. Who could you possibly like but not already have? I mean, between you, you've probably had most of the boy's in Seoul
"We try our best," said Heechul.
"I know who we haven't had," said Sungmin with a sly glance in Heechul's direction. "Choi Siwon."
"Oh for fuck's sake," said Heechul, and threw a pillow at Sungmin's head. "Whatever, I do not like Choi Siwon."
"Two weeks from now," said Sungmin, confirming it in their minds. "In two weeks, you have to had kissed the object of your affections, with proof, otherwise you have to do a punishment, which we'll make up on the night."
"Oh shit," said Eeteuk, suddenly going white. "I forgot about the punishment. Why? Last time you made me dance on the table in the middle of lunch."
"So don't fail," said Heechul firmly. "Deal? Deal."
"That is stupid," Hankyung told her the next morning as they walked into the classroom. Heechul scowled at her and dumped her bag on the desk with a loud bang. Hankyung just took her seat, ignoring Heechul's I am so not amused death glare. "You can't seriously be going to do that."
"I don't understand why you think it's so stupid," said Heechul, pulling her pencil case from her bag. "I think it will be good fun."
"It's okay for you," said Hankyung in a disgruntled tone. "It doesn't matter who you go for, they're going to love the fact that you're kissing them. Me, on the other hand. I've got more chance of scoring with one of the Wonder Boys over in JYP High than with the person I like."
Heechul went very still. "You have someone you like?" she asked.
Hankyung blinked. "Yeah, I do," she said.
"Who?" demanded Heechul, standing up suddenly and almost causing her chair to go flying back. "Tell me, who is it you like? Oh my god, is it Siwon? Are you really only friends with him because you want into his pants, is that it?"
"No!" protested Hankyung loudly. "I don't like Siwon, okay? That's you, not me! He's just a friend."
"I do not like Siwon!" said Heechul angrily.
"Yeah, whatever," said Hankyung, turning to the front of the room. Heechul glared at her, and then sat down in her own seat.
"Tell me who you like," she said.
"No," said Hankyung.
"Hannie~"
"No."
"God," said Heechul, folding her arms up and preparing to sleep throughout the lesson. "You really do suck."
"Maybe if I did, this wouldn't be a problem," muttered Hankyung in Chinese, so that when Heechul looked at her curiously, wide eyes looking out from a curtain of black hair, Hankyung just smiled and turned back to the front of the classroom where the teacher was beginning the lesson.
Are you going to do it then?
Not if a life depends on it.
God, your Korean sucks >:(
"WAIT!" screeched Eunhyuk, almost spilling the bottle of strawberry milk all over her skirt. "You mean you're doing it? You mean you actually have someone that you like?"
"Well, of course I do," said Donghae, swinging her feet back and forward from where she sat on the wall overlooking the playing fields. "But it's a secret crush, isn't it, so no one else knew about it."
"Tell me," said Eunhyuk, scrambling to her feet and looking up at Donghae pleadingly. "Come on, Hae, you know who it is that I like."
"That's because everyone knows who you like," said Donghae with a laugh. "You're always going on about him."
"I do not!" said Eunhyuk, offended.
"You do too." Donghae brought her legs up to perch on the wall, at which point she began practising her dance moves, the fact that the hard ground was just a short fall away playing no part in her movements. "It's always like, 'oh my god, Hae, guess what Junsu did?' or 'Hae, yesterday I managed to tackle Junsu before he could even get a touch in'. It's so obvious, Hyuk."
Eunhyuk at least had the decency to blush, but then Eunhyuk blushed a lot so Donghae didn't count it as a victory. "Well, it's a big deal," muttered Eunhyuk, and Donghae laughed at her and jumped down off the wall with practised ease, landing on her feet like a cat.
"I don't know why you don't just confess to him," said Donghae, and then she continued to practise her dance moves, only safely on the ground. "It will be killing two birds with one stone - you get him, and you get to complete this bet."
"I never said I was going to take part," said Eunhyuk. "And anyway, I've known him for forever, he's probably never thought of me like that."
"You'll never know if you don't ask," said Donghae cheerfully. Eunhyuk's head snapped up so fast to stare at her that she almost gave herself whiplash - and almost hit it off the wall she was leaning again.
"You mean you've asked already?"
"Not yet," said Donghae, just as cheerfully, grinning, all pointed teeth and mischief. "But I will. Soon."
She turned suddenly, looked across at the tarmac in front of the school, and then scrambled back up onto the wall, almost cutting her knee in the process. Then she stood and waved her arms wildly. "Professor Kim!" she shouted. "Professor Kim!"
Kibum paused on his way across the front of the school and turned to see who was shouting of him - he almost grimaced at the sight of Donghae on the wall, before he came a little closer to shout; "Lee Donghae, get down off that wall. You'll fall!"
Donghae grinned at him and shook her head. "I'm fine," she said. "I won't fall."
"Oh, for fuck's sake," muttered Kibum, before he walked over to Donghae, over the grass and trees and past other people who had been eating their lunch outside, taking advantage of the nice weather. They had looked over when they'd heard Donghae shouting but had soon gone back to their conversations. Lee Donghae was not known for her quiet personality. "Donghae," said Kibum, tapping his foot. "Would you please get down from that wall?"
"But I don't want to," said Donghae, and did a complicated dance move which had Kibum's heart racing in fear that she fall. Eunhyuk was just laughing, apparently completely trusting her best friend's balancing skills.
"Donghae, just get down," said Kibum, rolling his eyes. Donghae seemed to think about it for a moment and then she let herself down, slowly, carefully, her skirt pulling up as it snagged against the brick. Kibum averted his eyes.
"Okay," said Donghae, and Kibum looked at her and then regretted it immediately, as Donghae smiled slowly at him, eyes challenging. "I'm down."
"Yes," said Kibum, slightly disconcerted, and then he turned around and left, shaking his head. Donghae slid down to sit next to Eunhyuk, knees pulled up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs, face strangely flushed.
"I wish you'd tell me who you liked," complained Eunhyuk.
Lee Sungmin is a slut, and she takes great pride in being so. Lee Sungmin is the biggest slut in the whole of SooMan Girl's School: bigger, even, than Kim Heechul, who everyone is pretty much agreed is a goddamn slut. She is gorgeous, with high, well defined cheekbones, a rosebud mouth, big brown eyes and thick black hair that falls straight to her shoulder blades. Her hips sway when she walks; skirt pulled up as high as it can feasibly go while still retaining it's purpose of covering, long cardigan pulled down so low that sometimes it's hard to work out whether she is actually wearing a skirt or not, sleeves falling cutely down over her fingers. Lee Sungmin could have any guy that she wants - and what's more, she probably has had them, chewed them up and then spat them back out; all while smiling adorably, of course, and with a bunny clip in her hair.
Which is why Lee Sungmin knows that this is going to work out for her.
Kyuhyun ignored the whispers and stares that she always attracted as she walked down the walkway that led from the main part of the school to the music rooms in a separate building. She was completely used to this sort of behaviour from her schoolmates - it was what happened when you gained a reputation as an Ice Queen - one that was completely brought on and welcomed by Kyuhyun herself. Tall, slim and beautiful, she had all the makings of someone as popular as Heechul or even Donghae, but where Heechul and Donghae's rather eccentric tendencies were considered charming and attractive and hilarious, Kyuhyun's tendency towards cold, haughty behaviour didn't endear her to those who didn't know her. Ice Queen was the nicest she had ever been called; most of the school tended to regard her as a snob, and while it was true that Kyuhyun looked down on most people around her, it had nothing to do with her money, and everything to do with the fact that she simply considered most of those around her to be idiots.
It made the fact that she was best friends with someone like Zhou Mi seem even more bizarre.
"Kui Xian!"
Kyuhyun paused to look back at Zhou Mi who was running towards her, and then smirked and continued walking, so that Zhou Mi had to run faster to catch her up, and only managed it as Kyuhyun was climbing the stairs to the first floor. Zhou Mi huffed a little when she actually managed to catch up, but didn't manage to get the breath up to speak until they had finished climbing the stairs. "I told you to wait for me!" she said accusingly.
Kyuhyun shrugged. "Don't pout," she said. "You're too tall for it." This was true - Kyuhyun thought that maybe she liked and got on with Zhou Mi so well because Zhou Mi was actually taller than her and that didn't happen that often. Zhou Mi was also a complete gossip, far too loud, smiled far too much, and was also far too nice to be friends with Ice Princess Kyuhyun, so Kyuhyun actually had no idea why she kept Zhou Mi around. "Anyway," she said, turning to face Zhou Mi with a grin. "You were talking to Heechul, I didn't want to interrupt."
"Heechul-unni?" Zhou Mi blinked at her, confused. "I don't know what you mean."
Kyuhyun's grin turned into a smirk. "It's Heechul, isn't it?" she asked knowingly. "Who you're going to kiss for this stupid dare that Hankyung was talking about."
"I am not!" Zhou Mi's protest was so loud that it drew the attention of a couple of first years coming out of their orchestra class; they noticed Kyuhyun and went very quiet, acting like they hadn't been looking. Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow at Zhou Mi, who blushed and lowered her voice. "I don't like Heechul-unni, you know that. I'm not - like you, I don't-"
"I know," said Kyuhyun, waving her hand casually and laughing lightly. "I know that, don't worry. I'm just messing with you."
"Oh," said Zhou Mi, slightly embarrassed now, her cheeks still slightly pink. "Anyway. Heechul-unni has someone she likes already."
"Really?" Kyuhyun glanced at her with more interest than she would be willing to admit. "Who?"
"I can't tell~" sang Zhou Mi, before she raced off down the corridor in case Kyuhyun thought about retaliating. Kyuhyun just followed on at a more sedate pace, coming to a dignified stop outside the choir room, where Ryeowook was waiting. She smiled shyly at them before going back to reading over her piano music, and Kyuhyun turned back to Zhou Mi.
"You aren't doing this dare, are you?" she asked.
Zhou Mi shook her head, hair falling forward from behind her ears. "That's what Heechul-unni was asking," she said. "I don't have anyone I like, so how can I take part?"
"You must have someone you like," said Kyuhyun disbelievingly.
Zhou Mi shook her head again. "You know I don't," she said.
"Oh, you are useless," said Kyuhyun.
"Well, who do you like?" asked Zhou Mi, frowning.
Kyuhyun shrugged. "I never really thought about it," she said.
"Oh, you are useless," said Zhou Mi in Chinese, huffing and folding her arms across her chest - the effect was ruined rather by her music book hindering the process. Ryeowook smiled a little, and when Kyuhyun glanced at her, realised that that was permission to join in the conversation.
"Are you talking about the dare that Sungmin-unni set up?" Ryeowook asked, voice soft as usual. "She was talking about it on the way to school this morning. Are you - are you going to take part?"
"No," said Kyuhyun. "Why, are you?"
Ryeowook flushed red. "I don't know," she muttered. Zhou Mi practically radiated glee, taking hold of Ryeowook's arm happily and bouncing a little.
"Oh my god," she said, as Ryeowook turned even redder and tried to hide in her collar. "Quick, you have to tell me who you like. Tell me, now!"
"Now you've done it," said Kyuhyun dryly.
"You've got it wrong!" said Ryeowook in a high, embarrassed voice as a door opened at the end of the corridor and a number of seniors came out. "It's not that I like anyone, I just - I don't know, I-"
"Wow." Kyuhyun heard from nearby. "They're almost as loud as you, Sungmin."
"Yeah, but it's the almost that's important," came the cheerful voice of Lee Sungmin, and Kyuhyun only just managed to keep hold of her books. Zhou Mi looked up to see Shindong, Eunhyuk and Sungmin grinning at her.
"Unni!" she said happily, and Sungmin immediately bounded up to Zhou Mi and hugged her enthusiastically. What is with your thing for sluts? thought Kyuhyun, frowning, but schooling her face into perfect blankness mixed with just the slightest scorn.
"Hi, Mimi," said Sungmin, and Kyuhyun tried to avoid looking at her (looked down the corridor, in fact) and especially tried to avoid looking at the undeniable shortness of Sungmin's skirt. Sungmin looked at the door of the classroom and then laughed. "Professor Park isn't in today," she said to Zhou Mi. "All his classes have independent study for their period."
"Oh," said Zhou Mi, slightly deflated. Kyuhyun felt slightly the same way - her music lesson was the only lesson she actually enjoyed. Then something seemed to strike Zhou Mi, because she smiled widely. "Hey, unni," she said in a conspiratorial tone. "Do you know who Ryeowook likes?"
"Of course I do," said Sungmin breezily, and Ryeowook squeaked. Of course she did - Lee Sungmin and Kim Heechul knew everything about everyone. "But I can't tell you, that would be mean."
"But Ryeowook won't tell me~" pouted Zhou Mi. Sungmin just laughed at her and tapped her on the cheek.
"Hey," she said. "Are you taking part in my wonderful, super-duper dare?"
"Sorry," said Zhou Mi with a grimace. "I was just telling Heechul-unni that-"
"It's fine," said Sungmin with an easy wave of her hand. Kyuhyun reflected that once again, Zhou Mi could get away with anything. Then Sungmin turned to Kyuhyun, smiling in a way that made Kyuhyun's stomach drop. "You're taking part, right, Kyuhyun?"
Kyuhyun just shook her head wordlessly. Sungmin bit her bottom lip, eyes amused. "Oh, come on, Kyuhyunnie," she said. "You must have someone you like."
"Not really," said Kyuhyun coolly. Sungmin pouted, and Kyuhyun's eyes were drawn to her bottom lip before she shook herself inwardly and glanced away back down the corridor. Sungmin shrugged to herself, said goodbye to Zhou Mi and Ryeowook before running to catch up with Shindong and Eunhyuk.
"Sungmin fighting!" she said to herself, and pumped her fist in the air.
"Hmm?" asked Shindong, looking back at her.
"Nothing," said Sungmin easily.
"Is this going to take long?" asked Jaejoong, looking more than a little annoyed. "Because I have to go meet Yunho and so I can't spend all my time hanging around libraries being really creepy like some people I can mention."
"Oh, shut the fuck up," said Yehsung. "I'm not being creepy, okay, I'm being-"
"A stalker?"
"No, I'm-"
"Just admit it, Sung," said Jaejoong, grinning at her and kicking back on her chair. "You're a stalker."
"Shut up," said Yehsung in a low voice. "Just, please? Don't talk so loud!"
"Oh, like she's going to hear us," said Jaejoong scornfully. "She's too engrossed in that book to even think about whatever is going on around her."
Ryeowook, sitting in the corner, glanced up for the source of the noise that had pulled her from her book, and only caught a flash of dark hair as Yehsung pushed Jaejoong down under the table out of sight. Jaejoong, her head being held in place by Yehsung's hand, sighed heavily.
"This is ridiculous, Sung," she said. "Why don't you just go over there and talk to her?"
"I can't," said Yehsung desperately, eyes wide and pleading. "She'll just look at me like I'm this big failure, like everyone else does."
"Does she even know your name?" asked Jaejoong. "It could be more of a problem if she didn't even know who you are."
"I don't know!" wailed Yehsung. "She's friends with Sungmin who's friends with Eunhyuk who's friends with me, so she should know my name, but I've never actually spoken to her before."
"Okay, okay," said Jaejoong. "Calm down. Look, I don't mind sitting like this where she can't hear us, but at least get your hand out of my hair because it takes me like, an hour each morning to get it like this and I have to meet Yunho after school."
"Oh, sorry," said Yehsung, and removed her hand. Jaejoong made a show of patting her hair back in place before she glared pointedly at Yehsung. "You know," said Yehsung thoughtfully. "You know that rumour about us?"
"Yes," said Jaejoong, twisting her nose. "Heechul should really just get over it, it's not like I stole Yunho away from her or anything."
"You know Heechul," said Yehsung. "She gets angry over the smallest things."
"And it's not like I can wait for her to get over it, because she never gets over it," grumbled Jaejoong.
"But I'm surprised she didn't make a rumour about us being in a lesbian relationship," said Yehsung. "Because you know, of my inclination and your - hair."
Jaejoong went very still, hand still running through her hair, dark and cut short at the back with a heavy fringe. "What's wrong with my hair?" she asked.
"Nothing's wrong with it," said Yehsung, looking confused. "It's nice. It's just that it's kind of short and Heechul would probably make the link between that and being a lesbian."
"Oh," said Jaejoong, sweeping her hair from her eyes. "Oh, I see. Whatever. Like she can say anything about anyone else being a lesbian. You know that Heechul totally wants into the pants of Hankyung."
Now it was time for Yehsung to be shocked. "Heechul? With Hankyung?"
"Sure," said Jaejoong. "What, you mean you haven't noticed?"
"No," said Yehsung, choking a little, and was just about to ask if Jaejoong had gone completely insane when there was a quiet, "Um," from behind them. Their heads shot up - Jaejoong managed this perfectly, but Yehsung hit the back of hers against the table that they were still hiding under - to look at Ryeowook, who was frowning at them. Yehsung, rubbing the back of her head but the pain barely registering, could only gape at her in complete dismay.
"Um," said Ryeowook, and god, Yehsung loved her voice, and the way her eyebrows furrowed when she frowned like that, and the way her lips pursed when she spoke. "Are you, um. You're kind of - loud, and I was wondering if-"
"Whatever," said Jaejoong, standing up and swinging her bag onto her shoulder. "I'm going now anyway, you'll be able to have all the peace and quiet that you want." Her smile at Ryeowook was wide and pleasant, completely at odds with her slightly biting statement. Ryeowook just looked at her warily. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sung. Good luck."
"Oh my god," said Yehsung, vowing to kill Jaejoong the next day. She glared at Jaejoong; Jaejoong just waggled her fingers at her and let the door bang shut after her, a couple of people in the library looking up in surprise at the sudden noise in the usually silent room. Yehsung turned back to Ryeowook -
- who was looking at her more warily than she had been looking at Jaejoong, and who, when Yehsung smiled at her, suddenly looked terrified and practically ran back to her book, face red. Yehsung frowned before it hit her.
Heechul's rumour had been doing the rounds. She cursed - which, looking back, didn't help her at all with Ryeowook.
Eeteuk sat on the grass, picking at pieces of leaf at random and sprinkling them on the ground next to her. Heechul lay next to her, eyes closed, while Sungmin was at the fence, talking to couple of the boys from the boy's sector, and on Sungmin, the compulsory gym shorts seemed suddenly a lot more sinister. Eeteuk watched Sooyoung laugh at something Sungmin said, and then turned to Heechul.
"Um," she said.
"No, you can't get out of it," said Heechul promptly, without even opening her eyes. "You said you'd do it and so now you have to do it."
"Yeah, but, Heechul, I thought it would only be us, not - something that the whole school would get involved in!"
"We're the most popular girls in school," said Heechul lazily, as another burst of laughter came from the fence. "Of course everyone was going to follow our example."
"But now everyone's watching us to see who we kiss," said Eeteuk miserably. "You know that I can't do this."
"Eeteuk," said Heechul, sitting up and looking at her scornfully. "Just grab some courage from somewhere. You're a senior now, are you really going to go through school without doing something totally outrageous?"
"That was kind of the point," muttered Eeteuk, but then wilted under Heechul's glare. "I would do something outrageous that didn't include kissing the gym coach."
"Like what?" asked Heechul. "Be like me and ring up huge debts that your father then has to pay off? Be like Sungmin and sleep with anyone who is good looking?" Heechul gestured down to Sungmin; Sunny had taken hold of her wrist through the bars of the fence and Sungmin was grinning up at him from under her eyelashes. Eeteuk regarded the scene with something nearing apathy - she had long given up on putting Sungmin on the right path. "Be like Hankyung and move to another country for high school? Eeteuk, you would never do any of that stuff. You would never annoy your parents, you would never sleep with just anyone and you're too happy with where you are. That's a good thing, sometimes, but come on, Eeteuk! Live a little!"
"That's easier said than done," muttered Eeteuk, playing with the grass again.
"Anyway, you never have to see Kangin after this year," said Heechul, lying back down. "If it all goes pear-shaped, there's no harm done."
"Oh my god, do you hate me or something?" choked Eeteuk.
Heechul opened her mouth to say something, her eyes alight with mischief, but a shadow fell over them and when they tipped their heads back to see who it was, Heechul's smirk turned into a glare and Eeteuk was suddenly trying to make her shorts go further down her legs.
"You know this thing we have?" asked Kangin sarcastically. "It's called gym, you're supposed to do some exercise."
"I don't believe in physical exertion," said Heechul, and then; "Well. I believe in some sorts."
"Girls, just do something, will you?" asked Kangin. "You spend every lesson just sitting on the grass, I'm going to have to fail you at this rate."
"Oh no," said Heechul in a monotone. "Whatever shall I do, an F in gym. I sure won't be doing anything with my life at this rate."
Eeteuk didn't say anything - her uncoordination when it came to sports was a bit of a school joke.
"Where's Lee Sungmin?" asked Kangin heavily, realising that he wasn't going to get anything out of Heechul today. "She's usually skipping this class with you."
"She's down there," said Heechul, waving her hand vaguely in the direction of Sungmin, preparing to lie in the sun again like she hadn't been interrupted. Kangin looked down at the fence and blanched - Sungmin appeared to be showing off her legs, judging by the way she was posing. Sooyoung and Sunny looked more than a little impressed.
"What is she doing?" asked Kangin, voice a little faint.
"Oh, you know," said Heechul. "Being her usual whore self."
Kangin turned to Eeteuk with a rather lost look on his face, and he put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank god you're normal, Eeteuk," he said, and then he ran off to yell at Donghae who had decided that climbing a tree was more fun than running around the school like the class had been told to do.
Sungmin sauntered up to them then, an extra sway in her hips as she knew that Sooyoung and Sunny were still watching her. She sat down on the grass in one slow, seductive movement that Eeteuk would never be able to imitate and then grinned at her. "What's up?" she asked.
"I can't do this," said Eeteuk hoarsely.
Sungmin just laughed at her.
Fandom: Super Junior; DBSK (AU, !girls)
Pairing: Hankyung/Heechul, Kyuhyun/Sungmin, Kibum/Donghae, Kangin/Eeteuk, Yehsung/Ryeowook, Eunhyuk/Junsu, background Yunho/Jaejoong
Word count: 5,712
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The others considered this for a few minutes; Heechul was the first to speak. "That's boring," she said, and smirked slowly, looking so devilish that Eeteuk moaned in fearful anticipation. "You know what would make it more exciting? If you had to kiss the object of your affection."
A/N: This is silly. After the latest Wonder Boy's performance I became convinced that Sungmin was born into the wrong gender, and what's more, as a girl he would be a complete slut. And then I was like "And Ryeowook would be a shy girl!" and tokyolights convinced me it was a good and cute and funny fic idea, when really it's just silly :\
The Art Of Daring (1/4)
("If I'm a slut, then you're a slut.")
Heechul looked up curiously, the varnish brush dripping with bright pink liquid that she held in her hand hovering over her toe, dangerously close to dripping on Eeteuk's white bedspread. Eeteuk watched the brush, apparently too horrified at the thought to actually move or tell Heechul to move. "You what?" asked Heechul.
"I think we should do a dare," said Sungmin, just as brightly, her legs stretched out in front of her so that she could admire her own completed nails (done in a pale pink with silver sparkles). She wiggled her toes. "You know, just something fun."
"Yeah, but I know your definition of fun," said Heechul with a smirk, pointing with the brush at Sungmin - Eeteuk squeaked - and Sungmin just blinked back at her innocently. "And I highly doubt that Eeteuk here is going to want to do anything like what you've got in mind."
"I want to hear!" said Donghae happily, completely over her upset earlier (she had realised that she didn't have enough toenails to go with all the colours that Sungmin had brought over, but had eventually realised that if she painted her fingernails too, then she'd be fine). "I think it will be fun, whatever it is."
"Oh my god, Heechul!" shrieked Eeteuk, finally losing it. "Will you just paint your nails and stop taunting me?"
Heechul raised an eyebrow coolly, but finally put brush to toenail. "Go on then, Sungmin," she said. "Shoot."
"We make a bet," said Sungmin. "Something that we all have to do, within a certain time frame, and whoever doesn't do it gets a punishment."
"What sort of thing?" asked Heechul.
"What kind of time frame?" asked Donghae, who had trouble working to deadlines.
"What kind of punishment?" asked Eeteuk nervously.
"I don't know all the details yet," admitted Sungmin. "Especially the punishment part. But I've thought about the first part. We all like someone, right?"
"Yes," said Heechul immediately, and then waved off Eeteuk's protests with a hand of silver fingernails. "Oh please, Eeteuk, you're the only one that we're certain of. You're so into Kangin that you've probably planned your children's names."
Eeteuk flushed red. "I haven't," she said sullenly.
"Sure you haven't," said Heechul, and then waved at Sungmin with the hand that wasn't holding the varnish brush. "Continue."
"So within like, two weeks or something, I don't know yet, we have to have confessed to whoever it is we like, in view of at least one other person in this room."
The others considered this for a few minutes; Heechul was the first to speak. "That's boring," she said, and smirked slowly, looking so devilish that Eeteuk moaned in fearful anticipation. "You know what would make it more exciting? If you had to kiss the object of your affection."
"But Heechul-" said Eeteuk.
"Ohmigod," squealed Sungmin, suddenly bouncing up onto her knees on Eeteuk's sister's bed opposite the one Heechul was sitting on. "That would be so good!"
"But I-"
"Would you have to kiss them in front of someone else?" asked Donghae thoughtfully.
Heechul and Sungmin went suddenly still, thinking about it. "I don't know," said Sungmin after a minute or so. "Because I - it could be awkward, that, couldn't it?"
"Oh, for God's sake!" said Eeteuk. "You guys, I like the school coach, okay, I can't just saunter up to him and plant one on him."
"I would," said Sungmin, looking at Eeteuk as if she was completely mad. Eeteuk stared at her for a moment before she realised that Sungmin was honestly confused. She turned helplessly to Heechul, who snorted and then tutted at Sungmin.
"Yeah, but you're the reason Kangta got fired," she said. "I highly doubt that Eeteuk has the guts that you've got."
"Or the slutty nature," said Donghae, a little distracted as she dotted her big toenail with blue dots on top of the red base coat.
"The thing is," said Heechul, as Sungmin flashed a victory sign at Donghae's bowed head and beamed, "if no one sees you kiss the other person, how do we know that you've actually done it?"
"You could totally be lying," agreed Sungmin. Eeteuk groaned and then curled up into a little ball on her computer chair. "I mean, getting the other person to admit that it happened could be enough, couldn't it though?"
"Probably," said Heechul. "Or recording it could work."
"No, that's gotten me into trouble before," said Sungmin. Eeteuk looked up from her ball-of-horror and then buried her head back down, choosing to believe that she really didn't want to know.
"Do you think that two weeks will be enough?" Donghae unscrewed the top off a shiny purple varnish and sniffed at it. "Because you could have to work on your person or something."
"Work on them?" asked Heechul, staring at Donghae like she'd just grown an extra two heads. "What do you mean by that?"
"What if you like a really popular guy from the boy's sector but he doesn't know you exist? You're going to have to work on getting him to know who you are, otherwise there's no point in just kissing him, he's not going to do anything about it then."
"Who the fuck doesn't know who we are?" asked Heechul, bewildered. "We're the most famous school girls in the whole of Seoul."
"Or, in the case of you and me, Heechul, infamous," quipped Sungmin.
"There isn't a guy in this whole city who wouldn't give his left hand to kiss one of us," said Heechul, and then mimed to show what would be missing without the use of a left hand.
"Ew," said Eeteuk's muffled voice, as Sungmin giggled, Heechul cackled, and Donghae frowned in confusion.
"I know we're popular," said Donghae. "I'm just - okay. Okay, I'll do it."
"Do we get the others involved?" asked Heechul.
"Do Hannie and Mi have anyone that they like?" asked Sungmin doubtfully.
"I don't think they do," said Heechul. "Whatever, we can ask them if they want to get involved. Eunhyuk - well, she's obviously in love with that guy in her street, the one with the dolphin voice."
"I'll ask her if she wants to join in," said Donghae.
"And Yehsung?"
"Ergh," said Heechul. "Don't talk to me about that girl."
"What's happened now?" asked Eeteuk, sitting up suddenly, the idea of gossip more interesting to her than any plotting of dares that could ruin her reputation as the responsible one in the group. "Oh, Heechul, did you fall out again?"
"Why else isn't she here?" asked Heechul smugly. "Haven't you heard the latest rumour?"
"No."
"People are saying that Yehsung and Jaejoong are in a girl gang," said Sungmin with a laugh. "And that they smoke in the bathroom, and that they'll crush your head if you go in there at the wrong time. Heechul put it out, so Yehsung isn't talking to her."
Eeteuk paused. "Why would you do that?" she asked, completely lost.
"Because that bitch Jaejoong is going out with Yunho," said Heechul, finishing off her last toenail. "Like, what the fuck? How dare she! I mean, I know I dumped him and all, but he's supposed to die lonely and pining for me, not going out with fucking Kim Jaejoong, who I still haven't forgiven, by the way, for stealing my lunch back in elementary school."
"Fuck, Heechul, you sure hold a grudge," muttered Eeteuk, and went back to her ball. It was much more comforting there. "I'll talk to Yehsung," she said after a minute or so, and the others grinned at each other; they had caught her now.
"This shouldn't be too difficult," said Sungmin, in what she hoped was a soothing tone meant for Eeteuk. "I mean, come on. We're us! We're gorgeous! If you really try, I bet Kangin will be eating out of your palms at the end of these two weeks."
"So who are you going for?" asked Eeteuk, looking disgruntled as she sat back up and shook her hair out of her face. "Who are the people that you like?"
"Ehhhh," said Donghae worriedly.
"Not telling," said Heechul. "We're not telling, you're going to have to find out. It will be a big surprise for all of us, because I don't know who it is that Donghae or Sungmin like."
"You and Sungmin are the ones that I'm most interested in," said Eeteuk. "Usually you'd already have the person who liked, almost as soon as you decided you liked them. Who could you possibly like but not already have? I mean, between you, you've probably had most of the boy's in Seoul
"We try our best," said Heechul.
"I know who we haven't had," said Sungmin with a sly glance in Heechul's direction. "Choi Siwon."
"Oh for fuck's sake," said Heechul, and threw a pillow at Sungmin's head. "Whatever, I do not like Choi Siwon."
"Two weeks from now," said Sungmin, confirming it in their minds. "In two weeks, you have to had kissed the object of your affections, with proof, otherwise you have to do a punishment, which we'll make up on the night."
"Oh shit," said Eeteuk, suddenly going white. "I forgot about the punishment. Why? Last time you made me dance on the table in the middle of lunch."
"So don't fail," said Heechul firmly. "Deal? Deal."
"That is stupid," Hankyung told her the next morning as they walked into the classroom. Heechul scowled at her and dumped her bag on the desk with a loud bang. Hankyung just took her seat, ignoring Heechul's I am so not amused death glare. "You can't seriously be going to do that."
"I don't understand why you think it's so stupid," said Heechul, pulling her pencil case from her bag. "I think it will be good fun."
"It's okay for you," said Hankyung in a disgruntled tone. "It doesn't matter who you go for, they're going to love the fact that you're kissing them. Me, on the other hand. I've got more chance of scoring with one of the Wonder Boys over in JYP High than with the person I like."
Heechul went very still. "You have someone you like?" she asked.
Hankyung blinked. "Yeah, I do," she said.
"Who?" demanded Heechul, standing up suddenly and almost causing her chair to go flying back. "Tell me, who is it you like? Oh my god, is it Siwon? Are you really only friends with him because you want into his pants, is that it?"
"No!" protested Hankyung loudly. "I don't like Siwon, okay? That's you, not me! He's just a friend."
"I do not like Siwon!" said Heechul angrily.
"Yeah, whatever," said Hankyung, turning to the front of the room. Heechul glared at her, and then sat down in her own seat.
"Tell me who you like," she said.
"No," said Hankyung.
"Hannie~"
"No."
"God," said Heechul, folding her arms up and preparing to sleep throughout the lesson. "You really do suck."
"Maybe if I did, this wouldn't be a problem," muttered Hankyung in Chinese, so that when Heechul looked at her curiously, wide eyes looking out from a curtain of black hair, Hankyung just smiled and turned back to the front of the classroom where the teacher was beginning the lesson.
Are you going to do it then?
Not if a life depends on it.
God, your Korean sucks >:(
"WAIT!" screeched Eunhyuk, almost spilling the bottle of strawberry milk all over her skirt. "You mean you're doing it? You mean you actually have someone that you like?"
"Well, of course I do," said Donghae, swinging her feet back and forward from where she sat on the wall overlooking the playing fields. "But it's a secret crush, isn't it, so no one else knew about it."
"Tell me," said Eunhyuk, scrambling to her feet and looking up at Donghae pleadingly. "Come on, Hae, you know who it is that I like."
"That's because everyone knows who you like," said Donghae with a laugh. "You're always going on about him."
"I do not!" said Eunhyuk, offended.
"You do too." Donghae brought her legs up to perch on the wall, at which point she began practising her dance moves, the fact that the hard ground was just a short fall away playing no part in her movements. "It's always like, 'oh my god, Hae, guess what Junsu did?' or 'Hae, yesterday I managed to tackle Junsu before he could even get a touch in'. It's so obvious, Hyuk."
Eunhyuk at least had the decency to blush, but then Eunhyuk blushed a lot so Donghae didn't count it as a victory. "Well, it's a big deal," muttered Eunhyuk, and Donghae laughed at her and jumped down off the wall with practised ease, landing on her feet like a cat.
"I don't know why you don't just confess to him," said Donghae, and then she continued to practise her dance moves, only safely on the ground. "It will be killing two birds with one stone - you get him, and you get to complete this bet."
"I never said I was going to take part," said Eunhyuk. "And anyway, I've known him for forever, he's probably never thought of me like that."
"You'll never know if you don't ask," said Donghae cheerfully. Eunhyuk's head snapped up so fast to stare at her that she almost gave herself whiplash - and almost hit it off the wall she was leaning again.
"You mean you've asked already?"
"Not yet," said Donghae, just as cheerfully, grinning, all pointed teeth and mischief. "But I will. Soon."
She turned suddenly, looked across at the tarmac in front of the school, and then scrambled back up onto the wall, almost cutting her knee in the process. Then she stood and waved her arms wildly. "Professor Kim!" she shouted. "Professor Kim!"
Kibum paused on his way across the front of the school and turned to see who was shouting of him - he almost grimaced at the sight of Donghae on the wall, before he came a little closer to shout; "Lee Donghae, get down off that wall. You'll fall!"
Donghae grinned at him and shook her head. "I'm fine," she said. "I won't fall."
"Oh, for fuck's sake," muttered Kibum, before he walked over to Donghae, over the grass and trees and past other people who had been eating their lunch outside, taking advantage of the nice weather. They had looked over when they'd heard Donghae shouting but had soon gone back to their conversations. Lee Donghae was not known for her quiet personality. "Donghae," said Kibum, tapping his foot. "Would you please get down from that wall?"
"But I don't want to," said Donghae, and did a complicated dance move which had Kibum's heart racing in fear that she fall. Eunhyuk was just laughing, apparently completely trusting her best friend's balancing skills.
"Donghae, just get down," said Kibum, rolling his eyes. Donghae seemed to think about it for a moment and then she let herself down, slowly, carefully, her skirt pulling up as it snagged against the brick. Kibum averted his eyes.
"Okay," said Donghae, and Kibum looked at her and then regretted it immediately, as Donghae smiled slowly at him, eyes challenging. "I'm down."
"Yes," said Kibum, slightly disconcerted, and then he turned around and left, shaking his head. Donghae slid down to sit next to Eunhyuk, knees pulled up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs, face strangely flushed.
"I wish you'd tell me who you liked," complained Eunhyuk.
Lee Sungmin is a slut, and she takes great pride in being so. Lee Sungmin is the biggest slut in the whole of SooMan Girl's School: bigger, even, than Kim Heechul, who everyone is pretty much agreed is a goddamn slut. She is gorgeous, with high, well defined cheekbones, a rosebud mouth, big brown eyes and thick black hair that falls straight to her shoulder blades. Her hips sway when she walks; skirt pulled up as high as it can feasibly go while still retaining it's purpose of covering, long cardigan pulled down so low that sometimes it's hard to work out whether she is actually wearing a skirt or not, sleeves falling cutely down over her fingers. Lee Sungmin could have any guy that she wants - and what's more, she probably has had them, chewed them up and then spat them back out; all while smiling adorably, of course, and with a bunny clip in her hair.
Which is why Lee Sungmin knows that this is going to work out for her.
Kyuhyun ignored the whispers and stares that she always attracted as she walked down the walkway that led from the main part of the school to the music rooms in a separate building. She was completely used to this sort of behaviour from her schoolmates - it was what happened when you gained a reputation as an Ice Queen - one that was completely brought on and welcomed by Kyuhyun herself. Tall, slim and beautiful, she had all the makings of someone as popular as Heechul or even Donghae, but where Heechul and Donghae's rather eccentric tendencies were considered charming and attractive and hilarious, Kyuhyun's tendency towards cold, haughty behaviour didn't endear her to those who didn't know her. Ice Queen was the nicest she had ever been called; most of the school tended to regard her as a snob, and while it was true that Kyuhyun looked down on most people around her, it had nothing to do with her money, and everything to do with the fact that she simply considered most of those around her to be idiots.
It made the fact that she was best friends with someone like Zhou Mi seem even more bizarre.
"Kui Xian!"
Kyuhyun paused to look back at Zhou Mi who was running towards her, and then smirked and continued walking, so that Zhou Mi had to run faster to catch her up, and only managed it as Kyuhyun was climbing the stairs to the first floor. Zhou Mi huffed a little when she actually managed to catch up, but didn't manage to get the breath up to speak until they had finished climbing the stairs. "I told you to wait for me!" she said accusingly.
Kyuhyun shrugged. "Don't pout," she said. "You're too tall for it." This was true - Kyuhyun thought that maybe she liked and got on with Zhou Mi so well because Zhou Mi was actually taller than her and that didn't happen that often. Zhou Mi was also a complete gossip, far too loud, smiled far too much, and was also far too nice to be friends with Ice Princess Kyuhyun, so Kyuhyun actually had no idea why she kept Zhou Mi around. "Anyway," she said, turning to face Zhou Mi with a grin. "You were talking to Heechul, I didn't want to interrupt."
"Heechul-unni?" Zhou Mi blinked at her, confused. "I don't know what you mean."
Kyuhyun's grin turned into a smirk. "It's Heechul, isn't it?" she asked knowingly. "Who you're going to kiss for this stupid dare that Hankyung was talking about."
"I am not!" Zhou Mi's protest was so loud that it drew the attention of a couple of first years coming out of their orchestra class; they noticed Kyuhyun and went very quiet, acting like they hadn't been looking. Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow at Zhou Mi, who blushed and lowered her voice. "I don't like Heechul-unni, you know that. I'm not - like you, I don't-"
"I know," said Kyuhyun, waving her hand casually and laughing lightly. "I know that, don't worry. I'm just messing with you."
"Oh," said Zhou Mi, slightly embarrassed now, her cheeks still slightly pink. "Anyway. Heechul-unni has someone she likes already."
"Really?" Kyuhyun glanced at her with more interest than she would be willing to admit. "Who?"
"I can't tell~" sang Zhou Mi, before she raced off down the corridor in case Kyuhyun thought about retaliating. Kyuhyun just followed on at a more sedate pace, coming to a dignified stop outside the choir room, where Ryeowook was waiting. She smiled shyly at them before going back to reading over her piano music, and Kyuhyun turned back to Zhou Mi.
"You aren't doing this dare, are you?" she asked.
Zhou Mi shook her head, hair falling forward from behind her ears. "That's what Heechul-unni was asking," she said. "I don't have anyone I like, so how can I take part?"
"You must have someone you like," said Kyuhyun disbelievingly.
Zhou Mi shook her head again. "You know I don't," she said.
"Oh, you are useless," said Kyuhyun.
"Well, who do you like?" asked Zhou Mi, frowning.
Kyuhyun shrugged. "I never really thought about it," she said.
"Oh, you are useless," said Zhou Mi in Chinese, huffing and folding her arms across her chest - the effect was ruined rather by her music book hindering the process. Ryeowook smiled a little, and when Kyuhyun glanced at her, realised that that was permission to join in the conversation.
"Are you talking about the dare that Sungmin-unni set up?" Ryeowook asked, voice soft as usual. "She was talking about it on the way to school this morning. Are you - are you going to take part?"
"No," said Kyuhyun. "Why, are you?"
Ryeowook flushed red. "I don't know," she muttered. Zhou Mi practically radiated glee, taking hold of Ryeowook's arm happily and bouncing a little.
"Oh my god," she said, as Ryeowook turned even redder and tried to hide in her collar. "Quick, you have to tell me who you like. Tell me, now!"
"Now you've done it," said Kyuhyun dryly.
"You've got it wrong!" said Ryeowook in a high, embarrassed voice as a door opened at the end of the corridor and a number of seniors came out. "It's not that I like anyone, I just - I don't know, I-"
"Wow." Kyuhyun heard from nearby. "They're almost as loud as you, Sungmin."
"Yeah, but it's the almost that's important," came the cheerful voice of Lee Sungmin, and Kyuhyun only just managed to keep hold of her books. Zhou Mi looked up to see Shindong, Eunhyuk and Sungmin grinning at her.
"Unni!" she said happily, and Sungmin immediately bounded up to Zhou Mi and hugged her enthusiastically. What is with your thing for sluts? thought Kyuhyun, frowning, but schooling her face into perfect blankness mixed with just the slightest scorn.
"Hi, Mimi," said Sungmin, and Kyuhyun tried to avoid looking at her (looked down the corridor, in fact) and especially tried to avoid looking at the undeniable shortness of Sungmin's skirt. Sungmin looked at the door of the classroom and then laughed. "Professor Park isn't in today," she said to Zhou Mi. "All his classes have independent study for their period."
"Oh," said Zhou Mi, slightly deflated. Kyuhyun felt slightly the same way - her music lesson was the only lesson she actually enjoyed. Then something seemed to strike Zhou Mi, because she smiled widely. "Hey, unni," she said in a conspiratorial tone. "Do you know who Ryeowook likes?"
"Of course I do," said Sungmin breezily, and Ryeowook squeaked. Of course she did - Lee Sungmin and Kim Heechul knew everything about everyone. "But I can't tell you, that would be mean."
"But Ryeowook won't tell me~" pouted Zhou Mi. Sungmin just laughed at her and tapped her on the cheek.
"Hey," she said. "Are you taking part in my wonderful, super-duper dare?"
"Sorry," said Zhou Mi with a grimace. "I was just telling Heechul-unni that-"
"It's fine," said Sungmin with an easy wave of her hand. Kyuhyun reflected that once again, Zhou Mi could get away with anything. Then Sungmin turned to Kyuhyun, smiling in a way that made Kyuhyun's stomach drop. "You're taking part, right, Kyuhyun?"
Kyuhyun just shook her head wordlessly. Sungmin bit her bottom lip, eyes amused. "Oh, come on, Kyuhyunnie," she said. "You must have someone you like."
"Not really," said Kyuhyun coolly. Sungmin pouted, and Kyuhyun's eyes were drawn to her bottom lip before she shook herself inwardly and glanced away back down the corridor. Sungmin shrugged to herself, said goodbye to Zhou Mi and Ryeowook before running to catch up with Shindong and Eunhyuk.
"Sungmin fighting!" she said to herself, and pumped her fist in the air.
"Hmm?" asked Shindong, looking back at her.
"Nothing," said Sungmin easily.
"Is this going to take long?" asked Jaejoong, looking more than a little annoyed. "Because I have to go meet Yunho and so I can't spend all my time hanging around libraries being really creepy like some people I can mention."
"Oh, shut the fuck up," said Yehsung. "I'm not being creepy, okay, I'm being-"
"A stalker?"
"No, I'm-"
"Just admit it, Sung," said Jaejoong, grinning at her and kicking back on her chair. "You're a stalker."
"Shut up," said Yehsung in a low voice. "Just, please? Don't talk so loud!"
"Oh, like she's going to hear us," said Jaejoong scornfully. "She's too engrossed in that book to even think about whatever is going on around her."
Ryeowook, sitting in the corner, glanced up for the source of the noise that had pulled her from her book, and only caught a flash of dark hair as Yehsung pushed Jaejoong down under the table out of sight. Jaejoong, her head being held in place by Yehsung's hand, sighed heavily.
"This is ridiculous, Sung," she said. "Why don't you just go over there and talk to her?"
"I can't," said Yehsung desperately, eyes wide and pleading. "She'll just look at me like I'm this big failure, like everyone else does."
"Does she even know your name?" asked Jaejoong. "It could be more of a problem if she didn't even know who you are."
"I don't know!" wailed Yehsung. "She's friends with Sungmin who's friends with Eunhyuk who's friends with me, so she should know my name, but I've never actually spoken to her before."
"Okay, okay," said Jaejoong. "Calm down. Look, I don't mind sitting like this where she can't hear us, but at least get your hand out of my hair because it takes me like, an hour each morning to get it like this and I have to meet Yunho after school."
"Oh, sorry," said Yehsung, and removed her hand. Jaejoong made a show of patting her hair back in place before she glared pointedly at Yehsung. "You know," said Yehsung thoughtfully. "You know that rumour about us?"
"Yes," said Jaejoong, twisting her nose. "Heechul should really just get over it, it's not like I stole Yunho away from her or anything."
"You know Heechul," said Yehsung. "She gets angry over the smallest things."
"And it's not like I can wait for her to get over it, because she never gets over it," grumbled Jaejoong.
"But I'm surprised she didn't make a rumour about us being in a lesbian relationship," said Yehsung. "Because you know, of my inclination and your - hair."
Jaejoong went very still, hand still running through her hair, dark and cut short at the back with a heavy fringe. "What's wrong with my hair?" she asked.
"Nothing's wrong with it," said Yehsung, looking confused. "It's nice. It's just that it's kind of short and Heechul would probably make the link between that and being a lesbian."
"Oh," said Jaejoong, sweeping her hair from her eyes. "Oh, I see. Whatever. Like she can say anything about anyone else being a lesbian. You know that Heechul totally wants into the pants of Hankyung."
Now it was time for Yehsung to be shocked. "Heechul? With Hankyung?"
"Sure," said Jaejoong. "What, you mean you haven't noticed?"
"No," said Yehsung, choking a little, and was just about to ask if Jaejoong had gone completely insane when there was a quiet, "Um," from behind them. Their heads shot up - Jaejoong managed this perfectly, but Yehsung hit the back of hers against the table that they were still hiding under - to look at Ryeowook, who was frowning at them. Yehsung, rubbing the back of her head but the pain barely registering, could only gape at her in complete dismay.
"Um," said Ryeowook, and god, Yehsung loved her voice, and the way her eyebrows furrowed when she frowned like that, and the way her lips pursed when she spoke. "Are you, um. You're kind of - loud, and I was wondering if-"
"Whatever," said Jaejoong, standing up and swinging her bag onto her shoulder. "I'm going now anyway, you'll be able to have all the peace and quiet that you want." Her smile at Ryeowook was wide and pleasant, completely at odds with her slightly biting statement. Ryeowook just looked at her warily. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sung. Good luck."
"Oh my god," said Yehsung, vowing to kill Jaejoong the next day. She glared at Jaejoong; Jaejoong just waggled her fingers at her and let the door bang shut after her, a couple of people in the library looking up in surprise at the sudden noise in the usually silent room. Yehsung turned back to Ryeowook -
- who was looking at her more warily than she had been looking at Jaejoong, and who, when Yehsung smiled at her, suddenly looked terrified and practically ran back to her book, face red. Yehsung frowned before it hit her.
Heechul's rumour had been doing the rounds. She cursed - which, looking back, didn't help her at all with Ryeowook.
Eeteuk sat on the grass, picking at pieces of leaf at random and sprinkling them on the ground next to her. Heechul lay next to her, eyes closed, while Sungmin was at the fence, talking to couple of the boys from the boy's sector, and on Sungmin, the compulsory gym shorts seemed suddenly a lot more sinister. Eeteuk watched Sooyoung laugh at something Sungmin said, and then turned to Heechul.
"Um," she said.
"No, you can't get out of it," said Heechul promptly, without even opening her eyes. "You said you'd do it and so now you have to do it."
"Yeah, but, Heechul, I thought it would only be us, not - something that the whole school would get involved in!"
"We're the most popular girls in school," said Heechul lazily, as another burst of laughter came from the fence. "Of course everyone was going to follow our example."
"But now everyone's watching us to see who we kiss," said Eeteuk miserably. "You know that I can't do this."
"Eeteuk," said Heechul, sitting up and looking at her scornfully. "Just grab some courage from somewhere. You're a senior now, are you really going to go through school without doing something totally outrageous?"
"That was kind of the point," muttered Eeteuk, but then wilted under Heechul's glare. "I would do something outrageous that didn't include kissing the gym coach."
"Like what?" asked Heechul. "Be like me and ring up huge debts that your father then has to pay off? Be like Sungmin and sleep with anyone who is good looking?" Heechul gestured down to Sungmin; Sunny had taken hold of her wrist through the bars of the fence and Sungmin was grinning up at him from under her eyelashes. Eeteuk regarded the scene with something nearing apathy - she had long given up on putting Sungmin on the right path. "Be like Hankyung and move to another country for high school? Eeteuk, you would never do any of that stuff. You would never annoy your parents, you would never sleep with just anyone and you're too happy with where you are. That's a good thing, sometimes, but come on, Eeteuk! Live a little!"
"That's easier said than done," muttered Eeteuk, playing with the grass again.
"Anyway, you never have to see Kangin after this year," said Heechul, lying back down. "If it all goes pear-shaped, there's no harm done."
"Oh my god, do you hate me or something?" choked Eeteuk.
Heechul opened her mouth to say something, her eyes alight with mischief, but a shadow fell over them and when they tipped their heads back to see who it was, Heechul's smirk turned into a glare and Eeteuk was suddenly trying to make her shorts go further down her legs.
"You know this thing we have?" asked Kangin sarcastically. "It's called gym, you're supposed to do some exercise."
"I don't believe in physical exertion," said Heechul, and then; "Well. I believe in some sorts."
"Girls, just do something, will you?" asked Kangin. "You spend every lesson just sitting on the grass, I'm going to have to fail you at this rate."
"Oh no," said Heechul in a monotone. "Whatever shall I do, an F in gym. I sure won't be doing anything with my life at this rate."
Eeteuk didn't say anything - her uncoordination when it came to sports was a bit of a school joke.
"Where's Lee Sungmin?" asked Kangin heavily, realising that he wasn't going to get anything out of Heechul today. "She's usually skipping this class with you."
"She's down there," said Heechul, waving her hand vaguely in the direction of Sungmin, preparing to lie in the sun again like she hadn't been interrupted. Kangin looked down at the fence and blanched - Sungmin appeared to be showing off her legs, judging by the way she was posing. Sooyoung and Sunny looked more than a little impressed.
"What is she doing?" asked Kangin, voice a little faint.
"Oh, you know," said Heechul. "Being her usual whore self."
Kangin turned to Eeteuk with a rather lost look on his face, and he put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank god you're normal, Eeteuk," he said, and then he ran off to yell at Donghae who had decided that climbing a tree was more fun than running around the school like the class had been told to do.
Sungmin sauntered up to them then, an extra sway in her hips as she knew that Sooyoung and Sunny were still watching her. She sat down on the grass in one slow, seductive movement that Eeteuk would never be able to imitate and then grinned at her. "What's up?" she asked.
"I can't do this," said Eeteuk hoarsely.
Sungmin just laughed at her.