Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 17: Chu

It was a little after 3am when Krystal suddenly woke up. She lay in her sleeping bag on the ground for a moment, wondering why she wasn't in her own bed. But slowly, Krystal's dream-addled brain remembered the sleepover from last night, and she also remembered that her f(x) members were actually sleeping right next to her.

"Oh yeah..." Krystal said to herself sleepily. She sat up slowly and listened to the peaceful sounds of her members breathing deeply, each one still enchanted by sleep. To her immediate left, Sulli was sleeping soundly. After the difficult emotions that Sulli expressed last night, Krystal was grateful that her soul mate was able to sleep well.

To Krystal's immediate right was Amber. Or rather, it was Amber's empty sleeping bag. Krystal managed to roll her tired eyes at the sight of waking up and not finding Amber where she had left her. It wasn't anything new to Krystal.

In order to not disturb her sleeping members, Krystal quietly slid out of her sleeping bag and crept out of the half-open bedroom door. She was extremely tired, but she was also curious where Amber had run off to. The bathroom was unoccupied and there was nowhere else to go on this upper floor besides Jessica's room and her parents' room, so Krystal headed downstairs to the lower floor.

"Good morning, Princess-nim," Amber greeted her cheerfully after Krystal reached the first floor landing. The older girl was relaxing on the living room sofa looking quite awake even though it was very early in the morning.

Krystal gave Amber a sleepy glare and headed for the sofa. She threw herself onto its cushions and onto Amber, resting her head on Amber's lap and using it as a pillow. The two of them were used to this kind of skinship long before they confessed to each other, and Krystal had no reason to believe that this behavior would suddenly become uncomfortable to Amber. As if confirming that assumption, Amber reached down and began to stroke Krystal's hair while the younger girl lay in her lap.

"Couldn't sleep?" Amber asked, running her fingers through Krystal's long locks of black hair.

"Same to you," Krystal mumbled, keeping her eyes closed. "How long have you been awake?"

"Don't be mad, but... I never went to sleep."

"Whaaaaaaat?" Krystal exclaimed, very annoyed. She sat up and glared at Amber again.

"You're cute when you do that," Amber said with a playful smile, but Krystal's expression remained unchanged. Wordlessly, Krystal climbed onto Amber's lap and wrapped her arms around Amber's neck. Amber wrapped her arms around Krystal's waist, bringing them even closer together.

"You're still bothered by whatever happened before, aren't you?" Krystal asked.

"Maybe," agreed Amber, "but this is making me feel much better." Krystal pulled back from the hug and continued to glare at Amber even though Amber was smiling playfully at her. "Come on," Amber cutely pleaded, "smile a little." Amber poked her repeatedly in the cheek until Krystal cracked the slightest hint of a smile.

"Stop it," Krystal complained, pushing Amber's hand away after she broke the glare. "Be serious. Tell me why you were upset earlier. Was it what Jessica said?"

"No, but what did she say?"

Krystal hesitated, not sure if she wanted to repeat her sister's words since Amber hadn't heard it in the first place. "After I pretended to kiss you earlier, she told me to stop being gross..."

"I actually heard her say that." Amber admitted, "but it didn't bother me at all. It bothers you though, right? You wouldn't have brought it up otherwise."

Krystal quirked an eye at Amber, who knew her far too well. "It bothers me a little," Krystal admitted. She scooted off Amber's lap and rested her head on Amber's shoulder. Amber put her arm around Krystal and pulled her closer. "But should it not bother me? I mean, Jessica probably didn't really mean it, right?"