Take My Mask, I'm Home

fill the empty spaces in my heart with your laughter, smiles and soft kisses

Lisa woke slowly; things around her felt different. Firstly, she was warm, warmer than she usually was when she woke up. Secondly, there was something tickling her nose. Thirdly, something warm was underneath her shirt.

Everything became clear when she opened her eyes, and she couldn't keep the smile from stretching across her face. She was lying in the middle of the bed, and Jennie was asleep on her chest, breathing softly. Jennie's usual bird's nest of bed hair was what was tickling her nose as she breathed in, and Lisa had to suppress her laughter as she thought about how hard Jennie was going to find pulling a brush through it later. She had no idea how it got as messy as it did, but Lisa found it endearing. Thirdly, the something underneath her shirt... it was Jennie's hand.

She'd reached underneath Lisa's shirt as if it belonged right there on Lisa's skin.

In her sleep, Jennie's hand was moving as if she were typing something slowly on her laptop, tapping on a key every now and again against the bottom of Lisa's ribcage. Her arm was stretched across Lisa's stomach, the weight of it pleasant and comforting.

Their lower legs were tangled together as well, and Lisa felt her whole body flood with contentment as she realized that in her sleep, Jennie had gravitated towards her. As well as that, in Lisa's own sleep, she'd seen fit to wrap Jennie up in her arms and hold her against herself. She'd wrapped one of her arms across Jennie's shoulders, and the other was on Jennie's upper arm.

Jennie snuffled and stretched in her sleep, making it obvious that her other arm was underneath Lisa's neck, as if Jennie too had tried to hold Lisa as she slept. The thought warmed Lisa's heart further, and as she lay there, wrapped up in Jennie, she couldn't pinpoint a morning where she'd woken up quite as happy as this in a long time.

She didn't think she'd ever woken up this happy.

When Jennie had finished stretching, she snuggled closer to Lisa, her body relaxing, and she breathed a wakeful sigh. "Lisa?" she murmured, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Hmm?"

Jennie shifted a little, and then her fingers on Lisa's ribs seemed to freeze as she realized where her hand was. Lisa really didn't want her to remove it though, so as Jennie started to withdraw it, Lisa slid her hand down Jennie's arm and stopped her before she'd moved too far. Lisa felt Jennie smile against her chest; she relaxed again, stroking her fingers across Lisa's skin so gently that it almost tickled.

"Hi," Jennie said, her voice low and gravelly. "You don't mind me being under here?" she asked, sliding her hand further around Lisa and pulling it back, the gentle scratch of her nails causing goosebumps to erupt in their wake. Lisa shivered, and Jennie chuckled, kissing the underside of Lisa's jaw.

"I don't mind at all, as I think you-" Lisa blew out a shaky breath as Jennie ran her nails down Lisa's side "-can tell."

Jennie gave her a wicked grin, before experimentally raking her nails fully across Lisa's stomach. Lisa groaned deep in her throat, and before Jennie could do anything else, Lisa flipped them. Jennie squeaked in sleepy surprise, gripping on to the soft part of Lisa's waist as Lisa repositioned herself. Her knees were straddling Jennie's waist, the blankets pooled around her hips. She balanced herself either side of Jennie's shoulders, careful not to accidentally pull her hair.

It was a mistake, but absolutely not a mistake at the same time, to look down. Even without her glasses, Jennie was close enough for Lisa to be able to take her in. Jennie was still giving her a devilish smile, but her eyes were soft and filled with clear affection and warmth. The desire was there, too, but as bold as Jennie had been with her nails, Lisa knew, somewhere deep down in the bones of herself, what Jennie really wanted.