Part III
"Shots! Suho, get more shots!"
"I just went to-"
"MORE."
"Alright, jesus Irene-"
She and Lisa were too busy giggling at their own little competition, downing the clear glasses so rapidly, it was almost as if they contained water instead of alcohol.
"How you doin' Chu?" Lisa shouted over the sounds of her laughing tablemates.
Jisoo was the only silent one, nursing a beer, head pounding, thinking only of Jennie.
The thoughts slipped into her mind before she had a chance to stop them.
Jennie's hurting right now. My poor baby is humiliated, she's probably hurt, and she's lonely. I should call her.
"Hey, c'mon!" Lisa sighed, slapping Jisoo's shoulder. "I thought we came out to get over this, not drunkenly dwell on it!"
"Lis, I think I should call-"
"NO." Lisa scolded. "Jisoo, I took your phone for a reason! Now, if you really want it, I'll give it back. But just think, for a second. You came out to have a good time. You're going at it with Kim. You said you want things to change- are they going to change if you're the one who comes crawling back every time?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Exactly." Lisa smiled. "I'm doing you a solid. Plus, you can call each other tomorrow, when she'll be on her way home. It's just one night, Kim. You can power through."
"Fine." Jisoo sighed. "Suho- bring the shots over here!"
"This is moronic behavior at it's finest." Chanyeol came around the table, sitting beside Jisoo.
Jisoo smirked. "You think so too?"
"I do." Chanyeol clinked his shot glass against Jisoo's. "To the inevitable."
Jisoo cocked a brow. "The inevitable?" She repeated, curiously.
"You and Kim making up and apologizing for being so stubborn. My bet is that it'll be tomorrow, Irene has dibs on the day after." He grinned, and then tossed back his glass and then downed it all in a smooth motion.
"Let's hope." Jisoo mumbled, and not long after, tequila was burning the back of her throat.
"I mean, let's look at the facts, here." Chanyeol rubbed his chin. "It's Kim. And it's not like she had a killer game, exactly."
"Your point?" Jisoo scowled, defensive of Jennie as more of a habit than anything else.
"Ease up there, Chu. I'm just trying to say- you don't need to worry. She's not gonna be celebrating tonight, I don't think-"
"That didn't even cross my mind." Jisoo admitted. "I...trust her...unless..."
"Uh oh." Chanyeol backtracked, hands up. "I didn't mean-"
"Oh my god." Jisoo rubbed her ring finger, aware of how naked it was without her engagement ring. Her heart dropped. "I...you don't think she'd interpret that as-"
"No! No." Chanyeol tsked. "I shouldn't have brought it up-"
"I need liquor. Now."
*****
A knock at Jennie's hotel room door had her sliding off the bed, Jisoo's old hoodie and shorts on, hood covering most of her face.
She felt shameful, as if the embarrassment could radiate off her in waves after that loss, and the outburst that followed.
The first thing Jennie had done, after she'd tossed her helmet and received a written notice from the NFL not too long after, informing her that she'd been benched for a game- was cry.
In the showers, in the locker room, and then again at the shower in her hotel room, until her eyes had no tears left to shed.
It wasn't normal, for Jennie, to be this flustered after a loss.
No, crying wasn't the norm for the superstar, who usually carried herself with far more grace and poise.
But coming home to an empty hotel room, with no Jisoo to console her, to cuddle with and watch netflix, and binge eat room service with...Well, that also wasn't the norm for Jennie.
So she allowed herself a cathartic moment or two, in the shower, and did the next best thing: she ordered room service, and alcohol, and decided to numb the pain, egged on by the added sting of having no notifications from Jisoo on her phone.
She couldn't tell if she was still angry, or hurt, or simply lonely.
All she seemed to be realizing, with each passing hour, was that she missed Jisoo, and no fight was worth this separation.
Blindly accepting her room service and practically kicking out the server with a handsome tip, she rolled the cart in herself, right over to the edge of her bed, all the while, thinking about what went wrong.
Well, for starters, Dara didn't need to be pregnant.
Jennie rolled her eyes at the thought.
On one hand, she agreed with Jisoo, in that it was completely unexpected, and possibly even unwise, given Dara's age and lack of preparation.
But, another side of her chimed in, reminding her that Dara was an adult, a seasoned mother, and very much entitled to her own life.
That was the side that got her in deep shit with Jisoo.
Jennie sighed, digging into her salad without any enthusiasm at all, her body bruised and battered from the beating she'd taken out on the field.
Had Jisoo seen that? Had she laughed when Jennie was crushed under the weight of the opposition? Had Jisoo cringed?
Clearly, she wasn't concerned enough to call, and Jennie admit, that stung.
A lot.
In fact, it only went to further reaffirm her suspicions that Jisoo was...done with her.
For good.
First, the ring. Then, the lack of concern. If Jennie took yet another blow, she wouldn't have reason to believe she and Jisoo had a future at all.
All because Jennie thought Jisoo was immature when it came to her mother, and Jisoo thought Jennie didn't validate her feelings.
Petty problems, yes, but indicative of a far greater issue, cracks in their foundation since they began in high school.
Rubbing the gruesome bruise on her arm, right between the space of her tattoo, she winced, reaching for the remote.
She had to clear her mind, to change the subject from her bleak fate with Jisoo.
Unfortunately for Jennie, however, luck seemed to be as far from her side as possible.
Instead of a documentary, or some nature channel, that she'd been hoping for- she found a most popular tabloid tv show, running their segment: "Hot News You Missed Today".
Jennie wasn't sure what possessed her to keep watching. Usually, she'd change the channel immediately, unconcerned with what other "celebrities" were doing with their time, and what lies the leeches in the studios would create to further ruin their image.
Tonight, however, she found that she had no choice.
As if against her will, Jennie found that she couldn't bring herself to change the channel.
Maybe she was hoping for news that was so dire, it would overshadow her colossal failure of a game.
Karma, however, didn't seem to like that Jennie was attempting to escape her own issues through the act of schadenfreude, and so, it was Jisoo's dancing body in what appeared to be a club that was plastered all over Jennie's television screen.
Jaw dropping, Jennie leaned forward, choking on a cherry tomato in her salad, as she listened to the garbage host ramble on.
"-Jisoo Kim out in some of L.A's more low key joints, apparently bar hopping with a few very close friends, after her girlfriend's botched game earlier-"
Jisoo.
Out dancing, and by the looks of it, having an excellent time.
Jennie wasn't sure why it felt like a kick in the gut- seeing Jisoo happy, clearly forgetting their fight, forgetting her anger, forgetting Jennie.
"-And she was just a bit too close to that guy. She didn't even show up at the game! Sounds like trouble in paradise for-"
Jennie slammed the power button on the remote, and hurled it clear across the room, watching the batteries fall out to the floor.
She pushed away the food cart, suddenly losing her appetite.
Jisoo was out partying, having a great time, and Jennie was humiliated and grounded by a loss that would ultimately impact her career negatively.
And Jisoo didn't even call.
Suddenly, it seemed as if Jennie was back in high school, facing the same demons she once had.
She felt alone, just as she had before Jisoo, and while they fought then, too.
The soft vibrating of her phone seemed to get her attention, and she glanced down at the screen with just the slightest sliver of hope. It quickly melted away when Jisoo's face didn't greet her on the screen.
Instead, it was June, requesting a facetime call.
With a great sigh, Jennie leaned back on the bed, trying to school her expressions before hitting the button to accept the call.
She'd ignored everything else on her phone so far- from Chaeyoung's texts, to missed calls from her parents. Truly, she wasn't interested in talking to anyone, especially not after that runaway game that was going to leave her as the talk of the league for some time- and not in a good way. Being a woman in the league was hard enough without the emotional outburst she'd displayed, and she just knew that was going to be a topic of conversation.
Could things have gotten any worse?
June's face filled her screen as the call went through, and she was somehow surprised to see the man in front of her, rather than the young, cheeky boy she'd practically raised. June had filled out, and now was taller than her. His face was no longer a babyface, his voice no longer soft.
But his adoration and respect for his older sister hadn't changed, despite him being in college, far out of her reach.
"Hey, sis." June greeted her without pity, without anything but a simple happiness to see her, and for that, Jennie was thankful.
"Hey, strikbro. How's school?" She asked, running a hand through her hair.
"Good. How's the league?" He asked, a teasing lilt to his tone indicating that he had in fact seen her game, and the gnarly end result.
"On my ass." Jennie grumbled. "I'll be paying for that one. Both literally and figuratively. I got a fine for throwing my helmet, but I can't wait for the flood of "this is why women aren't supposed to play in a man's league" shit."
June rolled his eyes. "Men are fragile." He shrugged. "But hey. Nothing's gonna keep the mighty Heda down for long, right?"
Jennie could tell he was trying to get to a different topic, so she decided to save him the trouble of beating around the bush.
"It's okay, June. You can talk to me about Jisoo. I figured Chaeyoung would've told you by now."
June heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. What happened? I mean, I heard what happened, but...what do you think happened?"
Jennie rubbed her temples. "It was an uncomfortable situation and we all tried not to make it...explode, the way it did, and..." She trailed off, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Things ended up getting tense, and we lashed out at each other."
June nodded, not a hint of judgement in his gaze.
It was a far cry from high school, where he'd panicked so much on Jennie's behalf that he ended up accidentally ignoring his sister's feelings in attempts to save the relationship he'd worked so hard to orchestrate.
They were all a little more foolish, back then.
"Do you miss her?" June asked gently.
Jennie glanced up rapidly, keeping the tears at bay.
"Of course I do." She admitted. "But she hasn't made any move to contact me, and she's out partying, and....I have her ring, June, I can't-" Jennie's spiraling was beginning, and June seemed to recognize it.
"Whoa, Jen." June soothed. "That doesn't mean anything-"
"But what if it's over?" Jennie whispered, voice threatening to break at any second. "What if that's...it?"
"Jennie, come on now, you two are the closest couple I know. You're engaged. I don't think one fight is going to change any of that. Especially when you haven't even tried to talk to each other yet!"
Jennie wiped a few loose tears off her high cheekbones, shaking her head.
"She...the things she said..." Jennie bit her lip, as if reliving the hurt all over again. "And...the things I said..."
"You were both out of sorts." June consoled her. "Jisoo probably knows that, too. I think you should call her tomorrow."
"....No." Jennie shook her head, lower lip stiffening.
"What?" June blinked, looking suddenly uncertain.
"I'm not caving."
"But Jennie-"
"I can't handle it, okay June?!" Jennie snapped, suddenly, glimpses of her vulnerability showing. "She clearly isn't as torn up as I am, and it hurts. I'm not going to be the one to come crawling back after she clearly doesn't feel the same way."
"Jennie, of course she does." June huffed. "She has a tattoo for you."
"June-"
"She would routinely leave class to check on you-"
"But-"
"Every art piece she does is about you-"
"I know-"
"She suffered through your growing fame, for you-"
"June-"
"She literally writes love notes on post-it's and leaves them in your gym bag." June was spiraling a little, too, but it was for a good cause. His eye caught Jennie's gym bag behind her, on the floor. "Open it."
"What?" Jennie blinked.
"Open your gym bag. Look for the note."
"June, I don't think-"
"Just do it."
Jennie sighed, doing as instructed. Unzipping the side pocket, she was surprised to find that there was, in fact, a note from Jisoo.
Small as it was, likely written before their falling out, it read:
Go kick some ass out there, and remember, I love you no matter what happens.
-Always yours,
Jisoo
Jennie felt the familiar sensation of tears forming in the corner of her eyes and sighed, clutching the note as if it were a lifeline to Jisoo.
"I miss her." Jennie sighed as she came back to the bed, where June was silently waiting on her to return to the phone.
"She's mad because she wants you to take her side, right?" June asked. "To support her?"
"Yes." Jennie inhaled slowly. "She thought I was siding with Dara, but I was trying to defuse the situation. I...may have called her immature."
June winced in response.
"Do you really think that?" June then proceeded to ask her the question that no one else had. "Do you really think Jisoo was being immature?"
Jennie pinched the bridge of her nose, deep in thought. "I...I know she's hurt about her father, but isn't Dara entitled to the rest of her own life? She shouldn't have to walk on eggshells to protect Jisoo's feelings."
"Did you think that there was maybe a...less aggressive way to tell her that, though? Help her come around and see it that way?" June tried.
Jennie wore a tired smile. "Therapy seems to be your forte."
"I try." June grinned. "Just...talk to her, Jen. It'll work out."
*****
Despite the clubbing, the drinking, the copious amounts of alcohol- Jisoo faced yet another sleepless night without Jennie's presence.
It was that simple.
If Jennie wasn't in bed beside her, with her arms around her, or her head on Jisoo's chest, sleep simply wasn't a possibility.
They had gotten back to Lisa's around three in the morning, and while everyone had promptly fallen asleep, Jisoo decided to simply browse through her old photo albums of Jennie all over again.
She'd smile at some pictures, drunkenly draw her fingers over Jennie's face and then get angry when the picture would move because she forgot her phone was indeed a touch screen. She even got incredibly close to drunk texting Jennie.
But she refrained, knowing she'd regret it instantly when she was sober and in her right mind.
Still, her mind could only focus on her fiancee, miles away and likely hurting, and her heart broke.
She wondered if Jennie felt alone, now. She wondered if Jennie was spiraling, if she was breaking things out of anger in her hotel room.
She was supposed to be there, with her.
She was supposed to fulfill her role as the best friend, the lover, the supporter.
Is this how Jennie had grown up? Constantly bearing the immense weight of her responsibilities, successes, and failures- all on her own shoulders? The expectations placed on her were always almost unattainable, and still, she thrived.
She even raised her own brother in the process.
Jisoo closed her eyes, letting this information wash over her tired mind.
Had she really been so blind as to call Jennie's childhood easy? Had she really gone and made Jennie's struggles seem small?
Clutching her throbbing head, Jisoo tossed and turned, unable to get a wink of sleep.
All she could think about was Jennie, and how maybe, just maybe, she was wrong.
Yes, she could be mad at Dara, and Kane, without dragging her own affairs into the matter.
It would be a tragedy to let her anger with them ruin her almost perfect relationship with Jennie.
She just hoped it wasn't too late.
She clutched her pillow closer, squeezed her eyes shut, and imagined it was her fiancee back in bed with her, their issues long resolved and forgotten.
*****
Exhausted from the fight, the game, and the paparazzi following her from the airport, Jennie was barely awake as she approached the penthouse door, bags draped over her shoulders.
Chaeyoung's text was the last thing she saw when she checked her phone after landing.
No messages from Jisoo, no missed calls, nothing.
Simply a text from Chaeyoung that read:
Jisoo is staying with us, she won't be there when you get back. Just so you know.
Sighing, Jennie opened the door, taking in the penthouse with a somber gaze. Just as she'd left it: untouched, clean, and without Jisoo.
Jennie's head was down as she carried her bags, weighed down as she entered the bedroom. She didn't notice the fresh vase of flowers on her side of the bed, nor did she immediately see Jisoo, waiting for her, sitting at the edge of the bed.
"Hey." The familiar husk of Jisoo's voice caused Jennie to drop her bags abruptly, heart suddenly thumping in her chest a mile a minute.
They both looked like shit: sleepless nights, tired expressions.
Jennie thought Jisoo was breathtaking anyway, ethereal with her messy bun and the slight bags under her eyes.
Jisoo thought Jennie looked like a goddess, in just her sweats, her hair around her in waves that Jisoo just wanted to run her hands through.
"Hey." Jennie croaked, eyes wide with surprise, unable to school her expression. "You're...here." She breathed, unsure.
"I am." Jisoo answered without missing a beat, getting up to approach Jennie.
As she closed the distance, she didn't move for an embrace.
No, she slowed as she approached, coming face to face with her fiancee.
"Can we talk?" Jennie managed, in some desperate attempt to get Jisoo to stay.
Maybe Chaeyoung had failed to mention that Jisoo was stopping by to pick something up. Maybe that was why Jisoo was there.
Don't get your hopes up, Jennie.
"Yeah." Jisoo breathed, her eyes locked on the massive bruise Jennie was sporting. Her fingers reached out, gently running over the mark. She winced aloud, as if she could feel Jennie's pain.
A spark shot through Jennie's body at the contact.
"I saw this happen." Jisoo murmured, brows knitted, unable to make eye contact with Jennie. "I watched you go down, and I..." She cut herself off, shaking her head. "Are you hurt?"
Jennie shook her head. "I'm okay." She promised softly, and Jisoo nodded.
"...I was angry, Jennie....I am angry." Jisoo amended. "And I know you are, too."
Jennie gave a curt nod to indicate that she felt the same way.
"I'm sorry." Jennie was the first to say it, and she did so boldly, without any sign of hesitation. "I'm sorry that I said those things about you, Jisoo. It...wasn't immature, the way you reacted. You were hurting, and instead of being your friend, your supporter...I turned on you. I know that's unacceptable."
"I...I didn't expect it from you." Jisoo's voice broke, and tears were falling.
Jennie didn't realize she was crying, as well, until her vision blurred.
"I was only trying to defuse the situation-"
"You crushed me, Jennie." Jisoo whispered. "I felt like it was an insult to my father's memory. And it hurt. And when I reacted, you told me I was overreacting. You didn't even know him, Jennie. How could you understand what I went through? Why wouldn't you at least try, instead of turning your back on me like that?"
Jisoo sounded devastated, and Jennie swallowed the lump in her throat, as if realizing the gravity of the situation.
"You broke my heart, just a little bit." Jisoo continued. "I was angry. God, I was so angry, I lashed out at you. I'm sorry for the things I said, too. I shouldn't have said that you had it easy. I know you haven't. I know you've worked for everything we have. And I'm sorry I..." Jisoo's voice cracked. "I'm sorry I threw my ring."
Jennie's head tilted slightly at that. "You mean..." She trailed off.
So much for not giving herself false hope.
"What?" Jisoo mirrored Jennie's expression.
"That wasn't you...breaking off the engagement?"
Jisoo was so quick to respond that Jennie almost couldn't process it. "God, Jennie, no! I know how it looks, but that's not what I...I was angry, and I wanted to make a statement."
"You made a very clear statement." Jennie mumbled, sounding bitter. "I didn't think it was that serious of a fight until you threw it."
Jisoo grit her teeth. "I'm sorry, okay? But I didn't mean it that way, and that's just something you need to trust."
Jennie nodded slowly. "So...you...still..."
"Yes." Jisoo heaved a sigh of relief. "God, yes, Jennie. I do want to marry you....But if you hurt me like that again-"
"I won't." The tenderness, the apologetic gaze Jennie gave her was enough to tell Jisoo the girl was truly shaken to her core. "Jisoo, I..." Her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I was so insensitive, that I let you down...I only want to make you happy, Jisoo. I swear."
"You do make me happy." Jisoo murmured, resting her palm on Jennie's cheek.
The touch sent flares of heat through both girls, finally able to breathe after releasing their pent up emotions.
"Give my ring back." Jisoo's soft teasing tone was more welcome to Jennie than it had ever been.
Jennie froze, allowing the words to spread all over, warming her from the inside out.
She reached into her pocket, where she'd kept it at hand, of course, because she may or may not have been playing with it nervously the entire time.
And then, of course, being Jennie, she knelt and took Jisoo's hand very tenderly, sliding the ring back onto its home on Jisoo's ring finger.
Tempted as she was to kiss Jisoo's hand, she refrained, knowing that sometimes, a little space was better.
Jisoo, however, didn't seem to care at all for having any space between them.
"Nothing else matters when things aren't going right between us." Jisoo spoke slowly, licking her lips, throat bobbing as she took Jennie's hands in her own. "I don't want anything else- any other issues to come between us like this again. I realized that...I could be okay with this whole...baby thing. I don't have to like it. I have my own issues with my mom, but...I don't want to ruin what we have over anything. I don't know about you, but for the last two days, I've been seriously-"
"Empty." Jennie finished gently, and Jisoo glanced up at her, as if surprised to hear the exact sentiment from Jennie's lips. "It was terrible." She offered, voice downcast.
"Can we put this behind us?" Jisoo asked, and while it was a simple question, there was an air of finality to it.
"Yes." Jennie whispered, taking her cue. She stepped forward, comfortable in Jisoo's space as she cupped her cheeks, leaning down to brush her lips against Jisoo's.
The kiss was soft, at first. Jisoo swooned, literally, and had to regain her footing for a moment, before remembering that she could simply lean on Jennie.
Her arms wound around Jennie's neck as she shifted, sighing deep into the kiss as her fingers found Jennie's curls, combing through them.
Jennie moved to lift Jisoo, arms wrapping around her waist.
To her credit, Jisoo moved fluidly with her, thighs forming a tight grip around Jennie's waist.
It became frantic, with Jennie's soft moans and Jisoo grinding her hips against Jennie's core, her whines becoming unruly as they fell backwards onto the bed.
As they did, Jisoo's hands reached out, splayed across Jennie's abs.
Jennie recoiled at lightning speed, wincing, and Jisoo froze.
Jennie tried to play it off, moving to hover over Jisoo, but Jisoo was having none of it.
"Jennie-"
"Jisoo." Jennie tried, voice quiet.
"You're hurt." Jisoo's voice was totally changed now, completely worried.
"It's just-"
"Take off your shirt." Jisoo commanded gently.
"Jisoo, it's not a big deal." Jennie warned.
Jisoo sat up on her knees, moving to where Jennie was now standing, at the edge of the bed.
"Jennie Rubyjane."
With one word, Jennie was taking off her shirt, (though not for the reasons she would've liked), and was displaying the rest of her bruises to Jisoo. She looked battered, from where she'd been crushed between the bodies of two men far larger than she was.
"Baby." Jisoo breathed, and Jennie was almost ashamed of how quickly she yearned to be called that again, relishing in the sweet touch of Jisoo's fingers over her skin. "I should've been there. Fuck!" Jisoo hissed suddenly, angry with herself.
"Hey." Jennie caught her chin, meeting her gaze. "I'm alright, Jisoo. Part of the job."
It wouldn't do to tell her it happened because she was looking for Jisoo, purely as a safety reflex.
Jisoo leaned forward, kissing softly over the bruises, and Jennie could feel the devotion behind each and every kiss.
"I'm so sorry about your game, baby. I was watching the whole thing."
"You were?" Jennie asked reverently. She felt a sudden warmth, knowing that Jisoo still cared, even in the heat of her anger.
"Yes. Drove me nuts. Couldn't even focus on getting drunk." Jisoo chuckled softly and Jennie did the same.
"It means nothing." Jennie whispered, after a moment, and Jisoo glanced up at her curiously. "It's just that. A game. I...I couldn't even focus, without you. I don't care about anything else as much as I care about you. About us."
Jisoo felt tears form in her tired eyes.
Leaning back on the bed, she patted the empty side.
"C'mere, Kim. I think we can devour each other later. Maybe after a nice long nap. I don't know about you, but...I haven't slept much at all."
Jennie nodded, finding herself naturally curling into Jisoo's embrace.
Everything felt right. She rested her head against Jisoo's, listening to her soft breathing, calming both of them down. She felt Jisoo press her lips to her forehead, relaxing her even further.
"I love you so much." Jennie told her gently, unable to contain it.
"I love you, too." Jisoo's knee nudged hers, and their legs tangled, just as they did a million times before.
"I wish I could make things better." Jennie admitted bitterly, hating the fact that she was powerless in this situation.
"What do you mean?" Jisoo's brow furrowed.
"About your mom. I just...I don't like seeing you hurt, Jisoo. I already fucked up ridiculously, trying to contain it-"
"But you had a point." Jisoo acknowledged softly. "Being angry with my mom...it's not productive. It's not something she can undo."
Jennie was silent for a moment, and Jisoo seemed to understand where her mind was wandering.
"I never imagined having a sibling...well, not like this." Jisoo added, enjoying the way they were wrapped up in each other's arms. "I used to ask my dad, when I was four or five- I'd beg him for a baby sister. Someone I could dress up." Jisoo laughed sadly, and Jennie's heart stung a little extra, knowing somehow that Seunghyun could've been ashamed of the way she'd treated her daughter.
It would take some time before they'd fully heal, from the events of the last two days.
"It's not all bad, having a sibling." Jennie offered. "I mean, this isn't exactly conventional, but..." She trailed off when she noticed Jisoo's look. "What?"
"I was thinking about that." Jisoo admitted, stroking Jennie's cheek. "About how you didn't necessarily ask for it- for the responsibility, but you took care of June anyway. I was...such an idiot to think you weren't dealing with your fair share of problems."
"It's okay-"
"No, Jennie. You're amazing." Jisoo shook her head. "Maybe...you could teach me a thing or two...about being a sibling."
Jennie smiled, so bright that it made Jisoo forget her sadness, momentarily.
"Of course."
Jisoo smiled, closing her eyes as she nuzzled her way into the crook of Jennie's neck.
"Can we nap?" Her voice was tired, and she clung to Jennie tightly, as if she might leave at any second.
Jennie murmured her agreement, and closed her eyes, finally, finally able to sleep well, feeling better than she had in a long while.
*****
"I'm starving." The first words from Jisoo's lips when she woke up from their long nap, perfectly bundled in Jennie's arms and the blankets.
Jennie's response was an amused smile, eyes still closed.
"What time is it?" Jennie asked, sounding rested and much healthier.
"...five." Jisoo cringed. "We may have overslept."
"That's what weekends are for." Jennie waved her off, uncharacteristic for her by-the-book mentality when it came to things like being lazy. "Let's order food and lounge around."
Jisoo's brows shot up. "Jennie Rubyjane Kim, did you hit your head too hard? Are you sure you're okay?"
Jennie rolled her eyes. "I can have fun, too."
"Your idea of fun is lifting weights and cardio." Jisoo retorted.
"I'm appealing to you, though." Jennie was back, smooth as ever.
"Oh yeah?" Jisoo grinned.
"Mhmm. We can even watch netflix, and I won't force you to watch a documentary."
"You're a changed woman." Jisoo tsked, taking great joy in kissing a line down her jaw. "But I like your expressions when you geek out. So cute."
It felt good, to find solace in her best friend again, without thinking about Dara, or Kane, or anything else for just a little while.
Just her, and Jennie, being idiots in love. She knew the inevitable was coming- her reckoning with Dara, for one, but she didn't bother to think about it.
For now, she was starved of Jennie's attention and presence for two days, and she had to make up for it.
And she was more than happy to.
*****
"How's the chicken?" Jennie asked from where the two were curled up on the couch, takeout boxes of Chinese in hand, slowly (and rather lamely) feeding each other, exchanging grins and knowing looks.
"Sooooo good." Jisoo moaned. "I'm so happy you didn't settle for some stupid veggie dish."
Jennie fed her another bite of her own dish, truly ecstatic simply because Jisoo was enjoying it.
Eventually, they finished their food and left the boxes on the table, reclining back on the couch, where Jisoo had encapsulated them in blankets, snuggled up to her fiancee.
"So..." Jennie blew out a breath, cracking a wry smile. "How was clubbing?"
Jisoo turned red at that, rolling her eyes. "I'm still hungover and it wasn't fun at all. When I got hungry half way through, I didn't even have anyone to sneak out and get late dinner with. It sucked. Can we never fight again?"
Jennie frowned at first, but then smiled at the end, when she heard Jisoo's sentiment, as if taken right from her mind.
"Agreed. I'd forgotten how...lonely away games are. I mean, the team's there, but in the locker room...the hotel room...I'm just so used to you. You've grown into every facet of my life, Jisoo, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Jisoo kissed her cheek, whispering a soft, "Me too. This only made me realize how much I just want things between us to always work out. Maybe...this was our test."
"Our test?" Jennie echoed, brows furrowing. Jisoo smiled, and couldn't resist kissing her between her brows, drawing a bashful smile from Jennie.
"Yeah. My mom..." Jisoo rolled her eyes, indicating she wasn't entirely over what happened between them. "When she and my dad were engaged, he had to go out of state for a few months on this special work trip. It came completely out of nowhere, and pretty much blindsided my mom, who was crazy busy with med school. One thing led to another, and my mom didn't really realize how much he was doing for her, while he was home. He seemed like he was having the time of his life out there, on the phone calls. She was alone, and frustrated, and long story short- they had an argument for the ages." Jisoo recalled it with a smile.
"...And you're smiling because..." Jennie trailed off.
"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Jisoo sounded at ease, unbothered by the topic. "They worked it out. And we did, too. I'm not really worried about us. But my mom..."
"You said you didn't want to discuss it, love." Jennie reminded, nudging Jisoo softly. "But I do have a documentary you'd like!" Jennie added, lighting up. "It's about sharks, and I saw it on the plane ride there, but I saved it for us, I wasn't sure if-" Jennie was cut off by a very sudden kiss, and her eyes fluttered as she sighed into it, deciding right then and there that Jisoo's kisses were truly the greatest experience she'd ever have.
"You saved it." Jisoo mumbled against her lips.
"I wasn't sure if there was going to be an opportunity to watch it together, anytime soon." Jennie confessed, and Jisoo's heart broke a little, because she knew at some point, she pondered the same thing.
"I'm sorry that was ever in question. Things were tense, and-"
"Jichu." Jennie beckoned in the softest tone. "I know. We should also stop apologizing, now."
Jisoo chuckled, husky, beautiful music to Jennie's ears. "You're right. Now, let your inner nerd out, baby. I'll get some wine."
*****
Jisoo enjoyed every second of watching Jennie, bright eyed and fascinated, watching the documentary like she was a baby again, watching her favorite cartoons.
They couldn't possibly move any closer together, but still, she played with Jennie's hand and Jennie leaned her head on Jisoo's shoulder, just to feel each other.
In the end, they put on some show just to fill the silence, simply too pleased basking in each other's company to do anything else.
They lost track of time and glasses of wine until they were both giggling with each other and making comments about the show, until Jisoo finally closed her eyes, resting fully on Jennie.
Jennie smiled at her peaceful face, kissing her forehead once, before turning off the TV and picking her up, an easy feat for the athlete.
Jisoo smiled, despite her eyes being closed.
"Did you just play me?" Jennie scoffed, though from her tone alone, Jisoo could tell she was swooning at Jisoo's antics.
"How else can I get a stud like you to carry me?" Jisoo batted her lashes, and Jennie couldn't help but laugh.
"Just ask her." She set Jisoo on the bed. "Do you need help getting changed?"
Jisoo bit her lip teasingly, and shook her head, stripping off her shirt in front of Jennie, leaving her in only her shorts and a bra that almost seemed a bit small.
Jennie froze like a deer in headlights, and Jisoo grinned.
When Jennie still didn't move, clearly missing Jisoo's cleavage (any separation more than a day was simply a tragedy, in her mind), and Jisoo took it upon herself to get things moving.
She stood up on her knees, coming over to Jennie, at the edge of the bed.
"Maybe I can help you change, pretty girl." She rasped, and Jennie nodded eagerly, still speechless.
Jisoo smiled lovingly, kissing down Jennie's neck as her arms went around her.
"I. Really. Missed. You." Each word was accentuated by a warm kiss, and Jisoo would pause to suck the exposed flesh, leaving what was sure to be a few eye catching bruises.
Jisoo's fingers played with Jennie's brunette waves, drawing almost a purr from Jennie, turning to putty in Jisoo's hands.
Jisoo's kisses found their way to Jennie's collarbone, continuing until she had no more space. Delicately, she reached up, helping Jennie strip away her shirt, tossing it to the side. Jisoo wasted no time unhooking Jennie's bra, letting it fall to the floor as she continued her conquest.
"You're breathtaking." Jisoo mumbled, kissing the valley of Jennie's breasts, noticing the goosebumps she was giving Jennie. She kissed over the bruises, leaving a trail down Jennie's abs.
Jisoo couldn't help but clench her thighs as she kissed over the hardened muscle, remembering the exact feeling of them grinding against her core, leaving her a soaking mess.
Emboldened by her dirty thoughts, Jisoo kissed her way back up to Jennie's pert breasts, teasingly kissing everywhere but the rosy buds, begging for her attention.
Jennie's soft whine made her heart heavy, and Jisoo decided to do away with the teasing entirely.
Tonight was about making love to Jennie, reminding each other of the intensity of their love.
And after being deprived of it, it tasted all the sweeter.
"Jisoo. Baby-" Jennie moaned, and Jisoo smiled against her skin, knowing that Jennie rarely ever used a pet name besides "love"- which had to mean she was doing her job right.
"I know." Jisoo promised, getting off the bed and away from Jennie, who looked terribly crestfallen, until she realized Jisoo was taking off her pants.
She groaned when she felt Jisoo pull down her panties, a rush of heat going south.
Jisoo may have taken an extra moment or two to admire her ass, but seemed to maintain discipline as she righted herself and began stripping her own clothes.
"Let me help." Jennie stepped in, ever chivalrous, and made quick work of Jisoo's bra, unable to keep from letting out a strangled noise of desire when Jisoo's breasts were freed. Immediately, Jisoo stepped out of her shorts, and shimmied out of her panties before stepping out of them, too.
There, bare and completely attuned to each other, they found themselves fully expressing how much they missed each other, for the first time.
It was frantic, but charged by love, not lust. It was beautiful, tearful for both girls as they felt this enormous crack in their foundation being righted, acknowledged, overcome.
"I love you so much." Jisoo gushed, and Jennie was quick to repeat it back to her, as they met for a full-on kiss.
Pressed against each other, Jennie cupped Jisoo's cheeks, kissing her with lips that Jisoo could never tire of, soft but unrelenting.
It was as if she were saying "I love you", over again, accentuated by little nips, and kisses, as Jisoo's hands roamed south, over the perfect curve of her ass.
Jisoo gave a testing squeezed, and was met with Jennie moaning into their kiss, which was just about the hottest thing Jisoo could imagine.
At Jisoo's prompting, with her hands gently guiding Jennie's head down, Jennie settled on kissing Jisoo's breasts, sighing heartily as she did so, as if she were finally home.
Jisoo could only whine as she felt Jennie take her nipple into her mouth, teasing with her tongue as her skilled fingers took to pinching the other.
Jisoo's body went from aroused to completely, utterly on edge for Jennie with the simple touch, her body crying for Jennie's attention.
She wasn't usually this desperate, neither of them were.
But it seemed absence made a lot more than the heart grow fonder.
"Jennie, jesus..." Jisoo moaned again, involuntarily, at the soft pop of Jennie releasing her breast, coming up dazed and very, very happy.
Her fingers trailed up Jennie's abs, unable to get enough of her, and with a gentle push, she had Jennie on the bed beneath her.
Moving to straddle her, Jisoo paused, frowning.
As if Jisoo's frown were the greatest tragedy on Earth, Jennie was at attention in milliseconds.
"What's the matter, love?" She asked, watching Jisoo's face carefully.
"I was going to-" Jisoo motioned to Jennie's abs. "But you're bruised, baby. I don't think me putting my weight on that is going to help."
Jennie shook her head. "Jisoo, it's fine-"
"I want this to be pleasurable for both of us." Jisoo insisted firmly.
"Ride my face." Jennie didn't miss a beat.
"Are you su-whoa!" Jisoo laughed as Jennie's hands moved to her hips, bringing her to hover over Jennie's face.
"Grab the headboard." Jennie instructed, softly stroking the inside of Jisoo's thighs, long fingers coming to good use.
Jisoo's thighs clenched, welcoming Jennie's touch, teasing as it was.
"I love you." Jennie uttered once more with an unmatched level of conviction, as Jisoo grabbed the headboard, lowering herself slightly.
Jennie licked the creamy flesh of her inner thigh, hands coming to squeeze Jisoo's hips.
"I'm so lucky." Jennie mumbled, kissing the inside of Jisoo's thighs, enjoying the way she could feel Jisoo try not to writhe. She lowered Jisoo with her hands, until Jisoo's dripping folds were within reach.
With a broad swipe of her tongue, she lapped at Jisoo's folds in one go, drawing a cry from her fiancee.
Jisoo tasted like heaven, the familiarity of it almost putting a smile on Jennie's face, though she kept her focus constant.
She began teasing the area around Jisoo's clit, her nose barely brushing Jisoo's mound. Short laps of her tongue earned her a wild response as Jisoo began bucking her hips involuntarily.
"Sorry-" Jisoo gasped out, as Jennie's tongue moved along her dripping folds, circling her entrance. "AH- Jen, fuck, baby." Jisoo yelped, catching her breath. "I don't want to hurt-"
"Ride my face." Jennie all but growled, thinking of herself only as an instrument to Jisoo's pleasure, Jisoo's happiness, in that moment.
And to be quite frank, the reward for her was pretty sweet, too.
And so began the frantic pace, as Jennie would alternate between broad strokes of her tongue, dipping into Jisoo's entrance, and then circling back to catch Jisoo's clit between her lips, each time sending Jisoo into a fit of moans.
Jisoo's thighs began to shake, and Jennie could feel her body quaking from the pent up energy.
She wanted to praise Jisoo, to soothe her with words in her ear, but she figured her tongue would have to do all the talking for her.
And what a conversation it was.
"Jennie, fuck, I'm coming. I'm coming. Don't stop, don't stop- Oh, fuck, fuck-"
Jisoo began chanting Jennie's name, over and over, as Jennie closed her lips around Jisoo's clit, sending her spiraling into a white hot orgasm as she humped Jennie's face, her body completely under Jennie's spell.
Jennie didn't stop, feeling Jisoo clench, offering soft licks to bring Jisoo down from her high, the rocking beginning to cease.
It was then that she became aware of Jisoo's weight on top of her, and the lack of air, mostly.
Jisoo could barely move, shaking all the while as she rolled off Jennie, moving beside her. Breathlessly, she tried to bring her head up to thank her selfless lover, but found that Jennie was busy licking her lips, pupils blown with arousal.
"I missed your taste, Jichu." Jennie murmured, entirely enamored with the woman before her.
All Jisoo could do was lean forward and kiss her, her body getting a fresh wave of thrill as she realized she was tasting herself off Jennie's lips.
"You're too good at that." Jisoo settled on the words, finally, and Jennie seemed to be glowing with pride, but mainly with happiness for pleasing Jisoo.
"I understand if you're tired." Jennie began, but Jisoo was having none of it.
"Jennie Rubyjane Kim, unless you're only saying that because you're too tired, you better shut up because I'm hell bent on making you feel better than you ever have in your life."
Jennie's eyes went wide. "Yes ma'am." She teased, and Jisoo grinned.
"Good. I love you. So much." Jisoo caressed Jennie's hips, shuffling down to get between her thighs. She groaned when Jennie's thigh muscles flexed, and she lowered her lips to the soft flesh, kissing her way into Jennie's inner thigh. "Too much." She paused between kisses, driving Jennie crazy. "So much I don't even know what to do with myself without you." She confessed, and Jennie's response was to bury her fingers in Jisoo's hair.
"You can tug." Jisoo informed her reverently. "You can have anything you want." She confessed as well, and somehow Jennie knew, Jisoo truly meant it.
Jisoo slowly parted her thighs, inching her lips closer to Jennie's mound, stopping only to draw her tongue along the V line of Jennie's abs.
"Jisoo..." Jennie's mewls for attention seemed to work, and Jisoo gave her a little smile before dipping down to get level with Jennie's core.
Jennie was already bucking her hips slightly, much more desperate for Jisoo's attention than usual.
Jisoo drew two fingers over Jennie's lips, slick with her arousal, watching Jennie clench and quiver around nothing, letting out a desperate whine as she tugged softly at Jisoo's hair.
Jisoo's eyes raked Jennie's body- her quivering abs, her muscled arms, her pouty, parted lips, and those virid eyes.
She held Jennie's gaze as she bent down, brushing her lips against Jennie's clit, surprised at how quickly the sensation rippled through her.
"Please, Jisoo."
"I know." Jisoo soothed. "You're so beautiful, Jennie." With that, she slowly slid a finger past Jennie's entrance and inside her, testing the waters. When Jennie seemed to still, Jisoo took the cue and added a second finger, pushing into Jennie's slick heat, pumping as far as they could before curling against Jennie's front wall.
"Fuck, Jisoo." Jennie gasped, grip tightening on her hair, and the sheets, as Jisoo set off at a slow pace, dipping her tongue down to lick at Jennie's glistening folds.
"You're taking me so well, baby." Jisoo's rasp of encouragement was more of a rumble, and to Jennie's joy, an added vibration.
Jisoo hummed as she lapped at Jennie's clit, careful not to overstimulate it, her fingers steadily speeding up.
At one point, Jennie lifted her hips, sinking them down onto Jisoo's fingers, trying to speed her up, succeeding only partly.
Jisoo added a third finger, feeling Jennie stretch around her, thrusting steadily as she sucked at Jennie's clit, feeling the tremors run through Jennie's body.
"Jisoo." Jennie gasped, hips bucking, trying to reach more of Jisoo's mouth, of her fingers, pumping inside her and sending heavenly shocks of pleasure through her. "Fuck."
At the sound of Jennie's raspy cursing, Jisoo knew she had her close. "Come for me, baby. I want to watch you come. I want to feel it..." She began increasing her pace, fucking Jennie as deep as she could manage, making sure to curl her fingers just right, as Jennie clenched tighter and tighter around her. "Come on my fingers, baby. On my tongue..." Jisoo drawled, ducking once more to envelop Jennie's clit in her mouth, sucking gently.
Jennie's orgasm washed over her, and her eyes closed as her hips bucked, Jisoo fucking her steadily through her orgasm, curling her fingers to brush against Jennie's sensitive wall.
"Fuck. Jisoo, fuck!" Jennie was surprisingly louder than usual, as Jisoo brought her down with soft kisses, juxtaposed by her fingers still sliding in and out of Jennie's heat.
"That's it, Jen." Jisoo praised, slowing her fingers to a stop, leaning back, the two covered in a light sheen of sweat.
Jisoo took a moment to watch her love, chest heaving, thoroughly fucked, with a blissful, almost playful smile on her lips, eyes still closed.
"God damn." Jisoo managed, blinking once or twice, just to assure herself that Jennie was in fact real, and not some beautiful dream she'd conjured up in her sleep.
Slowly, Jisoo climbed back up to her, resting her head on Jennie's chest, their legs instantly tangling as they came down from their high.
Jisoo honed in on Jennie's heartbeat, steady and reassuring as it descended down to a normal speed.
Jennie traced patterns on Jisoo's back in her blissful haze.
Jisoo almost didn't notice when Jennie had brought her hand to her lips, kissing it, as if thanking it for it's hard work, before teasingly taking Jisoo's fingers into her mouth, sucking lightly.
Jisoo gasped, and just like that, the fire was renewed, and Jisoo found herself shrieking and then giggling in delight as Jennie flipped her over, wearing a matching grin that made Jisoo feel happier than she had in a very long time.
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