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Rose has this thing that drives Jennie crazy.
And maybe it's just her, and Rose doesn't mean to do it, or maybe Rose wants to torture Jennie's poor lovesick heart because she's evil and wants Jennie to suffer her whole life.
Which Jennie really hopes isn't the case.
It's the way, regardless of who is or isn't there, cameras on or nonexistent, wherever she can, she'll slither up to Jennie's side and link their elbows, their hands, wrap her arm around Jennie's shoulder or waist, touch her whenever she has the chance.
And dammit, Jennie is weak and soft, so she can never push Rose away.
Which is good because she's thirsty, but bad because...everything else.
It's bad when their manager meets with her and tells her to cut it out.
"Just stop," they say. "If anything's going on between you, fine. But don't let it create problems. And not in front of the camera. Jennie, people notice things. Fans are noticing."
So Jennie nods mutely. It's okay, she tells herself, all you have to do is tell her you can't be so touchy all the time.
But when Rose pulls her closer, arm snug and warm around Jennie's waist, she can't find the words. The sounds die away in her throat, and she knows she just can't do it.
There isn't anything going on between them, but Jennie really wishes there was.
It's horrible when Rose goes out shopping and Jisoo and Lisa join forces to terrorize her.
"Where's Rose going again?" Jisoo asks, flipping through a magazine on the couch. Lisa looks up from her plate piled high with cheesy french fries from her spot by the fire.
"Clothes shopping. She also needs to get a gift for someone," Jennie blurts out without thinking. The two devils-in-training share a glance, then smirk at the exact time. Creepy? That would be an understatement.
"Speaking of Rose," Jisoo starts up casually, delicately setting aside her magazine. "I was just visiting one of our fanbases last night. You two will never guess what I found."
She looks dramatically between Lisa and Jennie, who tries to make a smart remark but ends up sounding like a dying seal.
"Weeell," Jisoo drags out the syllables, a smug smile on her face. "I found a video with, not less than, not equal to, but more than an hour of quality gay-ass footage of our very own Jennie and Rose."
Lisa laughs out loud and Jennie falls out of her chair. Lisa laughs harder.
"The whole internet is with that Chaennie gay shit," Lisa says. "I'd ship it to hell and back."
Jennie groans. "Literally anyone could make a video that long with any two of us. There's nothing special about me and Rose!"
"Oh, honey," Jisoo clicks her tongue sympathetically. "There was one for you and me, and it was 7 minutes long. Including predebut."
Lisa almost spews deep-fried potato across the room. Jennie pulls her sweater up to cover her face and curls into the fetal position.
"All I'm saying," Jisoo takes her magazine back up, closing the conversation, "is it's pretty obvious you're thirsty. And it's even more obvious how gay Rosie is for you."
Lisa flicks a french fry at Jennie's head. "Ask her out, dipshit, before you start drooling during dance practice."
Jennie thinks her head is going to burn off.
It's worse when Jennie calls her parents and her mom asks her when she'll bring her new girlfriend home. Jennie spits out a mouthful of ice water and almost drops the phone.
"What?" she splutters, because she hasn't even come out to her family yet.
Hell, she hasn't come out to herself yet.
"Well?" her mother asks. "Have her over your next visit. I'd love to meet her."
"What? No, mother! I-what-how?" Jennie is dying. "I don't-we're not-Mom!-argh!"
"Oh!" her mother exclaims. "Dinner is done. Bring your girlfriend over vacation, okay? Love you."
"No, Mom!" Jennie cries, but she's already hung up. Jisoo is leaning against the doorway, examining her nails. Jennie accepts defeat.
"How much did you hear?" she questions.
"All of it, Jennie, my stupid dongsaeng. All of it."
But worst of all is when Rose stops altogether.
It doesn't take long for Jennie to notice it. She isn't saying that she lives for Rose's touches, but she does. She really, really does. It isn't even subtle. Rose stands as far away from Jennie as possible. She doesn't touch her. She barely speaks to her. Desperately, Jennie chooses to believe it's for the cameras, because their manager must have said something. But it isn't, because it's the same in their dorm. Rose sits on the other side of the room, on the floor, when there's plenty of space on the couch next to Jennie. She escapes back to her room before saying goodnight. Jennie barely sees her.
Jennie blocks Jisoo off in the hallway after practice. "Okay," she says. "What did you tell her?"
"Rose?" Jisoo asks, and Jennie nods. "Nothing. Why?"
Jennie slumps against the wall, all her anger dissolved. "Haven't you noticed?" Her voice comes out as a whisper.
"Yeah," Jisoo responds quietly. "She's avoiding you. I don't get it, but I promise I didn't say anything."
Lisa walks out of the studio and plops down across from Jennie. "I haven't, either. I really want you two to stop being pining bitches, but I wouldn't do anything to cause this. Icy Rose and Depressed Jennie are even worse than Oblivious Chaennie."
Jennie would never admit it, but she feels reassured. "Thanks, guys," she says, dropping down to the floor and resting her cheek on her knee. Lisa gets up and walks away, and Jisoo follows after patting Jennie's head and telling her,
"Talk to Rose. I'm sure it'll be okay."
Jennie feels so cold without Rose. It makes her feel smaller, like she's running against a crowd of people going the other way. And she's lonely.
She thinks she loves Rose.
She loves her laugh and her smile and her voice, her hands and her hair and her body. She loves the way Rose makes her feel, happy and free and important. She loves Rose, but now Rose won't look at her.
Not voluntarily at least. So, Jennie will have to make Rose look at her, and listen to her. And forgive her for whatever she did wrong.
Jennie knocks on Jisoo's door and pokes her head in. Jisoo is lying on her bed, on her phone. "Jendeukkie," she remarks, "I could have been naked in here."
Jennie ignores her. "Unnie, I need a favor. Can you ask Rose to meet you at the smoothie bar tomorrow at ten?"
Jisoo frowns. "I'm busy at ten, you know that."
"That's the point."
"Tricky," she says. "I see what you're doing. Okay, Jennie. I'll do it. You owe me."
"I owe you big," Jennie promises. "Think you, Jichu, thank you."
She nods. "Get out of my room now, you punk."
Jennie smooths a hand over her shirt. Red and white stripes, her favorite, layered under her black leather jacket, and a high-waisted bubblegum pink skirt. She can see Rose at a table with a smoothie piled high with whipped cream, but she's scared to go in.
You got this, Jendeukkie, she breathes slowly. It's gonna be fine. You'll be okay. Before she loses her nerve, she bursts into the shop and strides over to Rose, who is wearing a dark red sweater and jean shorts.
Rose hears her heels click across the floor, and glances up at Jennie, before lowering her gaze, a touch of pink lighting up her face.
"Hey, Jennie," she says softly. Jennie swallows, then slides into the seat across from her. Before she opens her mouth, Rose slides a strawberry-kale drink over to her. Jennie's go-to. She gapes.
Rose looks up and makes eye contact with a flustered and red Jennie. She smiles sadly. "I knew it was you, Jendeukkie. I expected it."
Jennie picks up her jaw and sets it in a defensive stance. "Call me Jendeukkie when you've hardly looked at me all week," she whispers, the words a bit more bitter and a lot more sad than she intended.
Rose keeps her eyes focused on her hands in her lap, sadness and guilt obvious in her eyes.
"What did I do, Rosie?" she pleads. "Tell me, so I can fix it."
She tentatively reaches over and takes one of Rose's hands in her own, lacing them together on the tabletop. When Rose looks at her, a single tear traces a glimmering line over her skin and Jennie's heart breaks.
"I'm sorry, Jennie," she breathes. "I really am."
"I know," Jennie replies, voice breaking, because she can see it in the reluctant tone of Rose's voice, the apologetic lines of her pretty face. "I know."
As carefully as she can, she leans forward and wraps her arms around Rose, who stills for a moment, then clings on to Jennie in return. Jennie feels her own tears prickle at her eyes.
She nudges Rose's hair, the sweet vanilla scent tickling her nose. "I've missed you."
Rose sniffles. "I've missed you, too, Jendeukkie."
They sit in silence until Jennie asks dejectedly, "Why, Rosie? Why did you stop?"
Touching me, talking to me, smiling at me.
"I don't know." Jennie pulls away and gives Rose a questioning glance. Rose wipes her tears, and her lip trembles. "I'm scared, Jennie."
"Of what?"
"You, me, us. Hurt."
Jennie stays silent.
"I'd touch you, Jennie," Rose continues, "You'd never touch me back. You wouldn't push away, but you never...exactly...did anything."
"Oh," Jennie exhales.
"And...I like you a lot, Jendeukkie," she lets out a watery chuckle. "I thought being away from you would make me stop, but it didn't. It made me like you more. Love you, even. I'm sorry, Jennie. I know you won't like me back, but I want you to know...that. I love you."
Jennie can't move. Her mind is screaming at her but all she can hear is Rose's perfect voice. She stares, eyes wide, at Rose, who is getting more and more uncomfortable.
Rose moves to get up. "I'll go now," she tells Jennie, voice shot with misery. Jennie snaps out of her temporary paralyzation and grabs Rose's wrist, pulling her back into the booth, forcing out some incoherent babble.
"No, Rose-I-" she stutters. When did communication become so difficult? "Please-you-me-What? I-I-"
What a royal fuck-up. She tries again, but chokes.
"Rosie, I," Jennie wants to cry. She reaches her other hand to cup Rose's face and surges forward, lips meeting sweetly and messily and desperately.
Rose lets out a tiny noise of shock, then clasps her arms around Jennie's neck, pressing up into Jennie's kiss.
Kissing Rose, Jennie thinks, is magic. She tastes like vanilla and maraschino cherries and all the starlight in the universe. Feelings sparkle within her, like golden fireworks warming her from head to toe. She never wants to stop, finding herself drunk and dizzy at the feeling of Rose's lips fitting purely and perfectly against her own, the fluttering of Rose's familiar hands against the back of her neck.
But they are in a very public place, so Jennie slowly pulls away, looking into Rose's warm, crystal eyes. She lovingly runs her thumb over Rose's cheekbone, her skin silky and smooth under Jennie's hand. Rose tilts her head, confused, and Jennie grins, then lets their foreheads bump together.
"I love you, too, Rosie. I always have."
Rose beams brilliantly, lighting up Jennie's life like her own personal sun, before pulling her closer and kissing her again.
When Jisoo and Lisa come home to find the other two cuddled together on the couch, kissing and laughing, Jisoo squeals like an excited fangirl, and rushes to hug them both. Lisa throws down her bag and strings out rapid-fire celabratory curses like it was her football team winning at relationships.
And when Jennie brings Rose home over vacation two months later, neither Jennie, Rose, nor Jennie's mom could have been prouder.
It's good, better than good, amazing, really, when Jennie has Rose and Rose has Jennie, because now they know how much they love each other.