JUST FRIENDS

ONE

It's normal for them, Jisoo reasons, though she's well-aware that it wouldn't be normal for any other pair of friends. Jennie's just a touchy-feely person, she tells herself, and while Jisoo's never been the most comfortable with contact, something about Jennie makes it feel natural and welcome.

So Jisoo doesn't question the hand-holding or the greeting hugs or the quick cheek pecks or the way they seem to comfortably settle into each other whenever they're sitting even remotely closely. It never occurs to her that other people might think it's strange that Jennie's arm, without fail, wraps itself around her shoulders or waist when they're standing next to each other, or that she always lets her head ease its way down to Jennie's shoulder until she can feel the pressure of Jennie's cheek against the top of her head.

If anything, it makes her happy. Jisoo's glad to know she has a friend like Jennie; one that brings her out of her shell with warm hugs and kisses pressed firmly to her cheeks.

When Jennie asks if she can kiss her for real, while they're watching some terrible horror flick in Jennie's apartment, Jisoo is hardly given a second to wonder if that would be considered strange before Jennie turns from the TV to stare at her directly.

"Just as friends, of course," she explains, her one arm still slung over Jisoo's shoulders. She grins lopsidedly, like she didn't just suggest that they should get even more intimate with each other.

Jisoo's weak to Jennie's smile, so she just nods and mutters a short "sure", and the next thing she knows, Jennie's leaning down and pushing their lips together, gently as though if she's too forceful, Jisoo will pull away.

She doesn't, and before she even has the chance to breathe, Jennie's ended the kiss, a small smile on gracing her lips.

"That was fun," she states, "I should have asked if we could do that sooner."

Jisoo cracks her own smile, hardly larger than Jennie's, and agrees.

When she leaves that night for her own place, Jennie leans in again and gives her another kiss, so light Jisoo has to return the pressure just to confirm for herself that it actually happened.

Kissing is added to the list of things they do together. Neither thinks to question it.

-----------------

"I know you and Jisoo have been friends since the beginning of time, but don't you think it's just a little bit weird how touchy you are with each other?" Lisa asks Jennie one day, as they're hanging out and decided to do grocery shopping.

"No?" Jennie responds. She doesn't bother to look up from the two loaves of bread she's comparing. "Maybe it's different for guys, but us girls can totally hold hands and stuff without it being weird."

Lisa grabs one of the loaves, ignoring Jennie's protests. "You guys do a lot more than just 'hold hands and stuff'. I mean, I get the occasional hug, but you practically make out every time you see each other. "

"So what?"

"Nothing," she shrugs. "I'm just saying you guys act a whole lot less like friends and whole lot more like girlfriends."

Jennie laughs and walks to the end of the aisle, letting her trail behind her. "That's ridiculous, Lisa. There's absolutely nothing romantic about our relationship."

"All physical then, huh?" Lisa shoots back, crossing her arms awkwardly around the hand basket she's holding. "Like, girl-friends with benefits?"

"Puh-lease." Jennie rolls her eyes and tosses a box of cereal into the basket.

Lisa doesn't budge, raising an eyebrow and fixing her with a steady look of skepticism. "Uh huh. Well when it happens, don't say I didn't see it coming."

Jennie waves her off and continues to make her way through the store, resolutely pretending she isn't thinking about what a good idea it was.

-----------------

Jisoo's not sure how to take Jennie's new request.

Hugging? That's fine; typical, even. Kissing? A bit more of a stretch, but for them, completely normal. Sex? Jisoo's mind can't seem to process it.

"Uh, Jennie? I really appre- I mean, I'm happy that you'd want to do something that intimate with me, but don't you think it's a little, well..." she trails off, desperately hoping Jennie will realize that having sex is not just something that friends casually do with each other.

She doesn't. "A little what?"

Jisoo wrings her hands, "A little strange? It's just that – isn't, uh, sex something you'd want to do with your – oh, I don't know – future boyfriend, maybe?"

"Yeah, well, duh," Jennie says simply, as though she honestly can't comprehend why Jisoo's making such a big deal about it. "But we're already kissing and I figured, hey, a little more tongue wouldn't hurt anyone..." She finishes with a small shrug, her sheepish grin poorly masking how excited she is at the prospect of them sleeping together.

Jisoo watches the way Jennie's hands find each other and pull at each other nervously. She briefly imagines what they would feel like on her body, and she flushes bright red at the thought, coughing to try to cover her embarrassment.

"Well?" Jennie asks, expectantly. She's biting her lip in a way that means she's really putting herself out there and is actually nervous about possible rejection.

Jisoo's gaze flickers back up to her eyes, and she can see the swelling doubt in them. "I," she starts, utterly unsure what she should say, before she remember that this is Jennie, who she couldn't bear upsetting. Jennie, whose happiness means more to her than even her own.

And, if she's going to be completely honest with herself, it isn't like she's never thought about getting a little bit friendlier with her best friend.

"Ok," she says after a long pause, trying her best to keep her voice sounding even and not at all like her heart had jumped into her throat at the knowledge that she's going to get it on with Jennie of all people. "Let's do it."

Jennie squeals happily and pulls her into a crushing hug. "Thank you Chu I knew you would understand!" she says, nuzzling her nose into the crook of Jisoo's neck.

Jisoo returns the hug, arms wrapped tightly around Jennie's waist and heart ready to beat out of her chest.

-----------------

The most surprising thing about being friends with benefits, Jisoo learns, is not how not-awkward the first few times were, but how little their relationship actually changes.

They still kiss briefly when they met up and before they part ways. They still hold hands, swinging them in tandem as they walk side by side. They still cuddle, Jisoo curled into Jennie's side as Jennie holds her.

Really, the only difference is that instead of one of them leaving for home after a long night of TV and junk food, they spend the later parts of the night kissing on the couch before moving into the bedroom.

They spend so many nights in each other's apartments, Jisoo has trouble remembering which outfits she leaves where, and half the time she just ends up pulling on one of Jennie's shirts, knowing she'll be returning it later that day anyway.

Jennie always laughs on those days, when she pulls her shirt over Jisoo's head, kissing her way up Jisoo's torso as the skin is exposed.