Thistle and Stone [Chaennie]

Chapter 14

CAVE

Roseanne woke feeling stiffer than usual. When she tried to sit up, her neck protested painfully. The realization they had fallen asleep outside dawned on her as she blinked up into the muted light of the morning. It was still early and the constant mist that seemed to hover near the ground was dense. Jennie was still curled up beside her on her coat, limbs tucked close against the cold.

"Jennie." Roseanne gently touched her arm. Jennie shifted, stretched, rolled onto her other side. Her hair spread around her in tangled curls as she yawned and batted away Roseanne's hand.

"Kim," she tried again, grinning in spite of herself.

"No," Jennie mumbled, eyes still firmly shut.

"Kim, I know it's early, but it's bloody freezing out. We've got to get inside." Roseanne helped pull Jennie to her feet, letting her keep her coat as they shuffled back towards the inn.

The man at the desk nodded towards them as they entered. Roseanne watched the blush that started at Jennie's neck spread across her cheeks. Her eyes were still heavy-lidded from sleep. She caught Roseanne's gaze and grinned, part guilty, part delight. The coil in Roseanne's belly flipped without warning and she let the feeling run through her body. It was becoming more familiar now, the strangeness of opening herself up.

"Morning," they called in the direction of the front desk.

"Morning, you two! Don't be shy, you're certainly not the first to sleep outside after a ceilidh." He waved them on and Roseanne held back a laugh.

"That's comforting, isn't it," she remarked. Jennie bumped her shoulder, shrugging off the coat and laying it across Roseanne's arm.

"Mildly," Jennie agreed as they took the stairs slowly. "We should get ready before the boys wake up."

"Agreed. I don't want Chanyeol coming down on me." Roseanne nudged Jennie back, ignoring Jennie's eye roll.

"Oh please." Jennie pushed hair from her face and shook her head. "Besides, Chanyeol likes you now."

Roseanne hummed in response. "'Like' might be a strong word, Kim. Plus, I already promised Taehyung ages ago I wouldn't befriend Chanyeol. He practically made me sign a contract. Let's not push it."

"Rubbish, all of it," Jennie teased. "Taehyung thinks he can micro-manage everyone, the whole Ministry, really."

"That, we agree on," Roseanne grinned.

When they parted at the top of the stairs, Jennie reached out. Her hand found Roseanne's arm, fingers gently squeezing before she dropped her hand. Roseanne felt a press against her throat. She reached out in response, nails tracing the notch in Jennie's wrist. Their kiss was slow. Roseanne felt like she was kissing the tiredness from them both. Jennie sighed against her mouth, cheeks still cold from the night. Their drinks still lingered on their tongues but Roseanne couldn't pull herself away. She listened to Jennie's breathing, let her hand pull at a curl, let herself ease into the softness of the bond—strung between them, both of them weights on either end of it. Jennie was the one to finally pull back. Their hands had intertwined as they stood together. Roseanne felt nervous at the intimacy of it all, the familiarity both strange and something she longed for all at once.

"Before the boys decide to show up," Jennie muttered, eyes glancing down the long hallway. Roseanne nodded, carefully removing her hands and letting them hand at her side.

"Meet you down there, then?" Roseanne asked. The edge of Jennie's lip curved in response, the tilt of her head barely a nod. As Jennie turned into her own room, Roseanne sucked in a lungful of air, keenly aware of the desire to hold onto whatever had grown between them.