hold my hand in yours // JENLISA

Chapter 40

She hopes she never gets used to waking up next to Lisa, and she means it in the best possible way. She wants to always feel that warmth when she awakes; wants her lips to curl in a smile at the realization of having Lisa's arms around her.

She's careful not to jostle her when she turns around. Her smile grows at the sight. Chestnut hair scattered all over the pillow as Lisa lies on her side, breathing even and deep in her slumber. Not for the first time Jennie is struck by how young she looks when she sleeps. It's easy to forget sometimes that she's only a couple of years older than her, with the burden she carries on her shoulders every day. The young woman before her is responsible for things she can't even imagine. People and their families depend on decisions she makes, every day, hour, minute.

Jennie's hand slowly cups her cheek, running her thumb across the bone, feather-like.

Long, dark lashes flutter at the touch. She suppresses the urge to chuckle when Lisa mumbles something incoherent that vaguely sounds questioning. She's never been a morning person. Jennie still finds it baffling.

"Morning," she whispers, scooting closer to her and pressing her lips to the soft skin of her neck. Higher, to her jaw, keeping it light and chaste as her hand continues to stroke her cheek.

Lisa lets out a quiet groan, and Jennie leans back just in time to see her eyes flutter open, hazy with sleep. "...Hi," she rasps after blinking several times and finally managing to focus on Jennie's face.

She bites her lower lip to stop a giant grin from breaking out. "Hi," she murmurs back. Lisa leans into her hand, seemingly subconsciously, as her hand travels up and down her side.

"Did you sleep well?" Lisa still sounds drowsy, but she's looking more and more awake as her gaze lazily trails Jennie's face and form.

"Yeah. You?"

Lisa nods. "I wouldn't say no to more," she quips, allowing a smile to escape, and Jennie smiles back.
"Go back to sleep, then," she says quietly. "I'll make us breakfast and wake you up." She tries to roll onto her other side so she can rise to her feet, but that proves difficult with Lisa's hold on her tightening.

"You are kind of the essential part of this," she tells her, grinning with self-satisfaction when Jennie laughs.

"Fine," she says, settling back into Lisa's welcoming arms. "Only because you can't sleep without me."
Lisa smirks. "I didn't say that."

"Oh?" Jennie raises her eyebrows and tries to get out of her hold, but her - largely insincere - attempt is futile. Lisa grabs her waist and tugs her back, and they fall back down onto the bed, laughing, with Jennie trapped under Lisa.

Hazel eyes sparkle as they stare down at her. "Where do you think you're going?" Lisa demands, with a small grin.

"Nowhere," Jennie laughs. "I'm not going anywhere." Her eyes widen and her laughter dies, abruptly, when Lisa's deft fingers inch closer to her sides, wiggling.

"No. Lisa. Don't you dare." Fingertips stroke her skin, and she squirms, gasping. "I'll kick you," she warns, only half-jokingly.

She hates tickling. Once, she almost broke Jisoo's nose with how hard she was flailing under her attack. She's not sure she would've felt too guilty about it, either - she did warn her. And she told Lisa about that.

But Lisa smirks, with a certain air of slight arrogance she hasn't seen in so long, and plops down next to her. "As long as you've learned your lesson," she murmurs in a husky voice, swinging an arm and a leg over her as she lays her head on her shoulder. It's a very bold move for Lisa, and a particularly... uncharacteristic position. In a way, it's a rather vulnerable one. A position that demands caring and protection, and usually, Lisa's the one who's got her arms around Jennie, not the other way around. But Jennie is not about to question a good thing.