Sweetheart's Kiss~

A solid pink that repels injustice and seeks close relationships with people that meet high standards of excellence.

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"She didn't." I say. "McKayla didn't speak with me. Not a word."

"She didn't?" Leo removes his tie, setting it on the messy table. It coils next to the stuffed bear with the heart on its chest, the one that his mother gave him. Briefly, he stares at the bear before turning back to me. "Why not?"

I sigh, pulling up a seat next to the counter of room 334. I brush away a stack of papers that are labeled with interview planning questions and set my elbows on the smooth surface. Tomorrow the whole complex is having a dreaded interview day with journalists. We'll be answering the same, regurgitated questions that all athletes are asked. 

How's training? Do you feel prepared for the Olympics? Any hardships? 

'Training is great! I feel perfectly prepared but...I'm allowing my biggest rival in history to win. Not in any observable way of course. If I subtly err on a few events, it'll buy Leonardo Costa the lead he needs to win gold. I have to sacrifice my medal for his safety, but it will be worth it in the end. I want Leonardo Costa to be happy.'

That's the truth, but that's not what I'll say. Never. Not to another living soul. Not even Leo can know of this plan.

"Hello? You paying attention?"  Leo waggles his eyebrows on the other side of the counter and taps the surface a few times. I shake my head, pushing the interviewer's prodding questions out of my mind.

"Yeah. Yes, sorry." I straighten, studying his profile as he unbuttons his dress shirt. After the fourth week banquet, we decided to meet in his room. "I think McKayla's trying to protect me."

"Protect you?" Leo leans over the counter, matching my posture. His eyes attend to mine with patient listening and heavy interest. It's noteworthy, the amount of interest he places into me at any given time.

Anything that comes out of my mouth is something Leo wants to listen to. The dedication his aura places in me is scarily protective, but I appreciate every part of it. Overwhelming is one way to put it, and self-sacrificial is another. 

By accepting Leo's loyalty to me, I have sacrificed the option to decline his off. There's no turning back. Now I am stuck with him.

But I like being stuck with him. I like it a lot more than I'd ever thought I would.

"McKayla didn't talk to me before or after the banquet. When we made eye contact during the meal, she looked away. I texted her, but she isn't answering." I watch Leo's face. This time when I mention McKayla, his aura doesn't shake with jealousy. It's calmer, filled with less turmoil.

Leo knows he has me. 

It's kind of unsettling how soon he figured it out, given he knows about my 'relationship' with McKayla. The same relationship that will soon end...especially since I've already been disloyal to her with Leo. Boy, would she die at finding out that I spent the night with Leonardo Costa. Frankly, all of South Korea would die if they knew.

"She's really guilty, isn't she?" Leo asks casually, as if we're discussing something as simple as the weather. My lips purse in uncertainty.

"She hasn't told me herself that she vandalized. Maybe she didn't actually do it." My fingers trace the countertop mindlessly. "But I'm going to tell her that we're done, if she hasn't already figured it out herself."

"Done?" Leo repeats suddenly. His dark eyes stare at my fingers as they glide along the grain of the counter. His aura pulses with newfound joy from the positive secret, the new knowledge that I'm officially renouncing my short-lived relationship title with the American gymnast. 

Naturally, I'm doing it to avoid the high risk...associating with McKayla  for the remaining two weeks might get me in trouble. Plus, if she finds out about me and Leo, she'll dislike me for being disloyal to her. But if I had to speak with my gut, Leo is the main reason why I'm ending it.

"Yes. Done. As in, no more her coming to my room. I can't afford to threaten my career because she wants to break lockers. Can we stop talking about her?" I groan, tired of speaking of the same girl that caused Leo so much pain earlier. I have nothing against McKayla, but the circumstances of her hanging out with me have inflicted emotional havoc on Leo. 

Emotional issues are the last things Leo needs right now. With his mother's declining health and his father's ire, he has enough on his plate already. I just have to help him through the remaining two weeks of camp. Then through the Olympics, where he'll win gold and appease his father and go back home to his sick mother and hopefully...be okay.

"Okay, I won't mention her." Leo appreciates my request, zipping his trap about McKayla. His large shoulders shift under his black dress shirt with a question. He leans forward, his face morphing into a curious slate.

"What? What is it, Leo?" 

His lips twitch into a half-grin.

"Seriously! What?"

He turns his head so that he's looking at me sideways, a playfulness in his eyes. If I couldn't see the hints of pain in his aura, I would assume he was entirely okay with no thoughts of his mother in mind. On the outside, he seems so put-together and contented.

"Can I mention something other than...her, Jungkook?"

He licks his lips. Soon the fingers that I've been lazy tracing the countertops with are covered by his warm hand. I wait for him to continue, my heartbeat picking up at the way he's staring into me. His gaze can pick apart the hardest puzzles, remove the most tangled collection of layers, and undress me anywhere we are. Anticipated warmth bleeds into my stomach at the electric tendrils that his hand grants mine.

"You look so good tonight." His line of sight falls to my dark gray suit. Suddenly, I can picture his hands roaming my flesh again, kissing and biting and worshipping my body with surrounding bursts of vermillion. I swallow and smile at him. The air around us seems to rise in temperature.

Something about the way his hand curls around mine for reassurance dissolves my reservation. I stand up from the chair.

"Can I mention something too, Leo?" I join him on the other side of the counter. He sizes me up good-naturedly, jutting his chin out as a response. I laugh at his fake arrogance and shove him against the counter. He groans as his back lightly hits the counter's edge.

Leo yanks me against him before I can speak. He brings our lips close together, but not yet touching. His hands mold against my suit, quickly searching to find their rightful spots underneath the coat. With warm palms, he squeezes my sides tenderly, and I find my own hands eager to thread in his hair again. 

Leo's breath fans against my lips, mere inches away from mine. "What do you want to mention, Jungkook?"

The Brazilian clogs my entire mind, blocking everything else out. My senses heighten around him, wishing only for him to ease the withdrawal that I've been experiencing all day without him. 

How Leo has such power over me, I don't know. How his aura seems to fit to mine, or how he can make me feel so welcomed...I don't know. I don't know anything other than Leonardo Costa and his sweet smile, warm body, and parted lips.

"Leonardo Costa." I finally mention the person that's been on my mind all day, pressing myself against his body. His hands squeeze my sides at the dark presence of his full name. "I want you."

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"What does it look like, Jungkook? What does the perfect competition day look like for you in London?"

A wavering microphone gets tilted the Korean's way. Jungkook blinks earnestly at the journalist, hoping that his answers come out genuinely involved. Back home, he needs every Korean to have unbreakable faith that he will honor the country with a gold. He needs this to be believable.

"The perfect competition day looks like a good night's sleep..."

Jungkook pictures him and Leo dozing on a bed much too small for the both of them. He sees their limbs entangled and the Arizona sunshine melting in through the window, lightly dusting their faces.

"Constant hydration, enough food for energy..."

He hears Leonardo urging him to eat, telling him his body looks perfect the way it is. He feels Leo's lips against his ribcage on the soft blanket, delivering to his body warm, physical reassurance.

"And confidence. That's the most important. As long as I have those things, my competition day will be stellar."

The microphone gets lowered, and Jungkook exhales. Pleased with the answer, the interviewer moves on to the next question, watching him with the absent attentiveness that all journalists generally possess.

"How has the Road to London camp been helping you with your gymnastics? Is there more pressure here than at your home gym, for example?" The man holds the mic out again, blinking at the world-class gymnast with cool professionalism. 

"The Road to London camp has helped me a lot. My coach and I function well here despite being away from home. Having former judges at the camp is nice for getting thorough feedback, and as for pressure..."

What should he say about pressure? If he lies and says that there's none at all, it won't seem realistic. Kan wants him to be confident, but at the same time he doesn't want Jungkook to come off as arrogant. The other gymnasts might watch this interview in the future and scorn his false answer. Jungkook rolls his shoulders back and delivers the compromise.

"The pressure is high at the camp. There are a lot of great talents here." Jungkook clears his throat, nodding humbly for the camera. "But I've been handling it well. This camp is nothing I'm not already used to. Competition is no different from the camp environment."

The interviewer gazes at him thoughtfully. Inside the atrium, other gymnast-journalist pairs are scattered far enough away so as not to interrupt each other. Jungkook frequently checks his peripheral vision for Leo or McKayla, but doesn't spot them anywhere. Maybe McKayla is banned from interviews since she got caught vandalizing?

"What about Leonardo Costa? What are your thoughts on him as a competitor for the gold?"

Jungkook clenches his jaw. He leans away from the metallic device that's set on listening to him and scratches his neck.

"Leonardo Costa is...a good gymnast." The words feel awkward on his tongue, but he presses on. "He's a tough competitor, too. I think in London I'll finally have a chance to outscore him."

Raising his eyebrows, the interviewer hops on a follow-up question. "Do you think you will beat Leonardo Costa, the reigning high bar champion, for the All Around gold at the Olympics?"

A pit of discomfort settles in his stomach. He knows he has to say the words.

"Yes. I plan on beating Leonardo Costa in London."

Once the answer is out, Jungkook can almost hear Coach Kan yelling, 'that's right, Jeon! You'll beat his Brazilian ass!" or "you better win if you respect me at all!" Inwardly, he wonders what Coach Kan will do at the Olympics when he purposely gets second. 

Will Kan be able to see his falls and deductions as accidental, a product of Olympic pressure? Kan knows Jungkook's performance capability the best. His coach might see past the act and become infinitely disappointed in his failure of a mentee for purposely screwing up. Jungkook internally grimaces at the thought of Kan hating him.

"Okay. Thank you for the answers, Jeon Jungkook. Good luck at the Olympics!" The journalist bows his head with a half-interested smile, removing the mic out of range. Soon, the two interviewing staff members walk away, leaving Jungkook to ruminate in silence.

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Leo meets him in the elevator, grinning as the gray doors close.

"Jungkook!" Leo presses the button to the third floor. "Guess what I told the interviewers."

As Jungkook is about to ponder several possible humble responses that Leo could have said, a heel interrupts the elevator doors from shutting. Leo twists his head around to see the new guest. His smile drops when he sees a perturbed female gymnast snaking her way into the elevator.

"Oh. Hi Leonardo, hi Jungkook." McKayla waves absently at them, pressing the button to the second floor. She backs against the far side of the elevator, blind to their bewildered expressions.

"Uh...hi McKayla." Jungkook steps to the side of Leo, staring at the American worriedly. "Are you okay? You've been avoiding me ever since the...um..."

McKayla rolls her eyes. "Locker room incident. Right. You know, you can say it out loud. It doesn't bother me. I didn't do it."

Leo gapes and throws a cautious look in Jungkook's direction. The Korean heeds the advisory well, biting his lip before speaking.

"You didn't vandalize the locker room? How come Trainer Snowden said you admitted to doing it?"

McKayla runs an agitated hand through her brown hair, letting it fall messily on her shoulders. "Yes, I admitted to doing it. But no, I did not do it."

When the elevator lurches upward, Jungkook subconsciously leans towards Leo's steadying aura for support. Leo does the same, grabbing the metal handrail by Jungkook's back.

"If you didn't vandalize the locker, then who did? And why?" Jungkook studies her pink aura intently, finding it more murky than before. Brown flecks of doubt weave between a troubled dull yellow of a hurting heart. Something went wrong with her these last few days, and it surely isn't helping her in any way.

The elevator chime cuts into the air, stopping at floor two.

McKayla shrugs. "I don't have time to explain now. If you want the details later, call me. Sorry our relationship...didn't work out. I liked you a lot, Jungkook. You were a great kisser. Sorry you have to hear this, Leonardo, haha! Awkwarrrddd...anyway, I'm off. Catch you later!"

The American gymnast exits the elevator with a little more pep in her step than when she entered. Jungkook blinks at her back, disappointed that their short relationship had to end like this. He enjoyed talking with her, shopping with her in the mall...teaching her swears and hearing her laugh at the dumbest things...

"Jungkook."

Leo catches his attention with an unimpressed look directed at the elevator door. Loudly, he clears his throat. Jungkook sorely remembers that Leo just overheard what McKayla said, and suddenly he feels very uncomfortable. Somehow, he feels like he has to defend himself and his past choices.

"Uh, so...yeah, um...we didn't really have a serious relationship...she um, was nice, but...not like...you know-"

Leo steps forward, interrupting his jumble of words by pressing his lips against Jungkook's. Taken aback, Jungkook jolts against the elevator's wall, rushing to match Leo's fevered pace on his mouth. The elevator chime breaks their impromptu kiss, forcing them apart before the doors can open to give anything away. Jungkook pants heavily, staring at the Brazilian's nonchalant expression.

"She's right." Leo takes his arm and leads them out of the elevator and onto the third floor. "You are a great kisser."

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note from authAURA~

hi, how are y'all doing?

i hope that your silence translates to better than well! i know things are crazy for me right now, so i can only imagine how crazy they are for you. but stay strong! know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, wherever that exit terminal may be. and after you exit the tunnel, the bliss of a sweet daylight will greet you with all of mother nature's grandiosity! all your hardship will be worth it and you will celebrate your hard fought progress!

hah, anywayyy.

pls radiate sweetheart's kiss since there is a lot of injustice in these conflict-saturated times that needs repelling. i believe that you are the ones to repel it, using your innate injustice bug spray...

love u <3

iz.