And the Sunlight Clasps the Earth (Chaelisa)

xii (M)

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A snap of a twig somewhere in the woods caused Alissa to stir, her senses suddenly in full alert. The remnants of the fire glowed next to them, casting a dim glow in an otherwise pitch black night. She kept listening, trying to pick up other signs that they were, perhaps, being observed; however, there was nothing but a faint call of an owl in the distance.

Gradually settling back down on her modest sleeping mat, Alissa suddenly felt a presence behind her. Before she could panic, a hand gently landed on her waist in a gesture which could only be described as intimate.

"It was just an animal, a deer maybe. Go back to sleep," Remi murmured sleepily, seemingly falling back to sleep almost immediately after.

An arm wrapped around Alissa, quite on its own accord, it seemed. She took a deep breath, reveling in the feeling of utter safety she felt in the other woman's arms. She hadn't truly dared to consider it before, hadn't dared to wish for something more. But, for the first time, she recognized the presence of hope, slowly but surely flowing its way through her.

What if?

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Lisa's phone made a sound, alerting to an incoming text message. She didn't have to check it to know it was from Jisoo who was, most probably, seriously questioning Lisa's life choices. Her best friend had invited her to a party earlier, hosted by their mutual friend, Irene. In normal circumstances, Lisa would've jumped at the opportunity, because Irene's parties were downright legendary. But given the way Roseanne had stormed out of the shop the other day and left Lisa in a state of utter dismay, the last thing she wanted was to go to a party and socialize. As always, she'd opted to find solace in a book instead.

Because of her firm refusal to accept the invitation, the sound of the doorbell around 9pm was the last thing she expected. With a frown, Lisa put the book down, contemplating whether to open the door or not, but curiosity finally won out. She sure as hell hoped Jisoo hadn't ditched the party in order to hang out with her, because she was not in the mood—she knew she'd just end up spilling her guts about Roseanne, and she so wasn't ready for that.

Deep in thought, Lisa didn't check the peephole before yanking the door open, which is probably why she was now standing at the entrance like a deer in the headlights, staring at Roseanne who was personally responsible for her current foul mood. God, Roseanne looked so good, and Lisa wanted to slap herself for staring.

"Roseanne?" was all she could muster before the blonde practically leaped forward, crashing their lips together. The door slammed shut behind her.

Lisa's brain was much more equipped to deal with this now, and she eagerly kissed Roseanne back, not caring what had brought on this sudden change in the other woman. Roseanne's lips felt so damn wonderful under hers, and Lisa knew she was hopelessly addicted.

"I thought this was too complicated," Lisa managed to utter between kisses, a small voice at the back of her head still concerned that they would regret this later. Nevertheless, she couldn't help slipping her hand under Roseanne's blouse and shifting slightly so that she could enthusiastically explore the other woman's neck with her lips.

"It is—this is a one-time thing, it won't happen again," Roseanne replied huskily, letting out a small whimper after Lisa found a particularly good spot just below her ear. Lisa thought she would spontaneously combust at the sound.

"Where's Mason?" Lisa wanted to shut herself up—she really, desperately did.

"Not alone. It's nice that you worry about Mason, but, please, don't talk about him when you have your hands under my shirt," Roseanne managed, tugging Lisa's hair and bringing their mouths back together again.