『JenSoo Short Stories』 - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

There aren't very many things for Jennie to enjoy as a vampire—most of her hobbies had involved being outdoors in the gentle spring breeze, taking in the soft glow of the sunlight.
Now, with her newfound status as a vampire, these small moments of reprieve have been snatched away from her and are now a thing of the past.
Of course, she never really mentions it outright—both she and Jisoo have already had a hard enough time adjusting to this new and strange dynamic, and the last thing Jennie wants is to place another burden on her girlfriend's shoulders.
Their schedules are vastly different—with Jennie's newfound status as a vampire, it means that the younger woman usually spends the day sleeping and conserving energy for the night, while Jisoo's job at the music academy keeps her busy in the day. They meet at dusk and spend their nights in each other's company, with Jisoo often turning in late for the sake of spending time with Jennie.
It's far from ideal, but with abrupt changes comes a transition period, and they're both still very much unfamiliar with this new dynamic, stumbling their way through each day and night.
Being the human girlfriend of Jisoo had been difficult enough with Jennie just barely finding acceptance amongst Jisoo's pack; and just as Jennie thinks they've been through the worst, fate finds yet another way to irreparably turn their lives upside down.
She'd staggered back home blearily that night, covered in her own blood and her senses still all too sharp for her to bear.
Jennie doesn't remember much of it—neither does she really want to, anyway—but the bits and pieces that do stick are far from pleasant.
She remembers the sheer panic and pain in Jisoo's voice as her girlfriend rushes her desperately to the hospital; remembers lying in the cold and unforgiving hospital bed, with Jisoo's hand clasped tightly in hers as her girlfriend watches over her, tears streaming, unbridled, down her cheeks.
Remembers Jisoo gritting her teeth, prayers to the gods spilling from her lips, even though Jennie knows Jisoo's never believed in them.
Remembers hearing the tell-tale sniffles of Jisoo's sobs as she floats in and out of consciousness, and the heavy weight of guilt that had settled in her chest.
Of course, none of it had been her fault—'a freak accident', as the attending doctor had put it, because the vampires of today have no reason to attack innocent humans.
Had everything in society to satisfy their bloodlust, from blood bags from blood banks and grocery stores to illegal human live feedings, and yet, innocents like Jennie fall victim still.
"I'm sorry," Jennie manages between sobs, and Jisoo's shaking her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
The hospital ward is empty; cold and sterile, punctuated only by Jennie's hiccups.
"Don't be, my love. Please don't be sorry. We'll get through this together. I promise."
"I'm sorry," Jennie's blabbering now, just beyond the point of comfort, and all Jisoo can do is hold her close, praying that the action is comfort enough for now, because she knows they're both inevitably crumbling from the inside, utterly inconsolable to the other.
"I'm home!" Jisoo's voice rings out as the door swings open, jerking Jennie out of her thoughts.
The vampire scrambles from the couch where she'd been previously slouched upon, automatically making a beeline towards Jisoo.
Jennie hugs her girlfriend, who sinks into the comfort of her embrace, wrapping her own arms around the younger woman.
Almost instantly, Jennie's senses are flooded with a myriad of scents rolling off Jisoo— of Jisoo's workplace at the music academy, the perfumes of her co-workers and students, of the night air.
Most of all, there's the familiar, comforting scent of Jisoo herself; a mix of her shea butter scented body wash, and underlying that, an unmistakably, musky tinge of wolf.
Pressing a kiss to Jisoo's lips, Jennie lets herself lean against Jisoo, who pulls her a little closer.
"Did you sleep well?" Jisoo asks gently.
Jennie nods.
"Have you eaten?"
"... No." Jennie looks away guiltily.
Jisoo frowns. "You should, baby."
"I'm not really thirsty..."
Jisoo pulls away a little, eyeing her girlfriend carefully.
"When was the last time you fed?"
Jennie averts her gaze, squirming uncomfortably under Jisoo's piercing gaze.
"Two days ago."
"Jennie..." A soft sigh escapes Jisoo, and Jennie's hand grasps Jisoo's arm gently, rubbing her thumb over the expanse of skin.
"I know, I know. The doctor said I should be feeding every day."
"Mhm. So why aren't you?"
"I wasn't thirsty, so I thought it'd be fine..."
"You know that's not how it works, baby. The doctor said you need to feed every day because your body still needs it, regardless of how thirsty you are."
"I know, I just... I feel—" Jennie pauses, biting her bottom lip.
"I feel ashamed, okay?" The admission is barely audible.
In an instant, Jisoo's annoyance morphs into worry and sadness, and Jennie kind of wishes she hadn't mentioned anything at all.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way." Jisoo's voice is quiet, and the werewolf pulls her close once more, engulfing Jennie in a tight hug.
When the werewolf speaks again, her voice is muffled against the material of Jennie's shirt where she rests her head against Jennie's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Jennie's arms slip around Jisoo's waist, holding her girlfriend close.
"I don't know. I just feel like I shouldn't be feeding at the dining table. It's gross and weird, especially when you're having your dinner as well." Jennie's grip tightens around the material of Jisoo's jacket.
"I feel like a monster."
"No, you're not." The refute from Jisoo comes immediately, gentle yet firm.
"I know I'm not, but I just feel so disgusting." Her voice cracks, and Jennie has to bury her face into the crook of Jisoo's neck to stop the tears that threaten to flow.
"You're not disgusting, baby. I know you don't believe it, but you're wonderful just the way you are, and I'm so proud of you for carrying on with life the way you have."
Gentle fingers comb through Jennie's hair, and Jisoo presses a kiss to the top of her girlfriend's head.
There's a small pause.
"I used to feel similarly, you know." The werewolf admits, a little hesitantly.
There's a small noise of confusion from Jennie.
"Remember when we first started dating, and I'd always tell you that I was busy on the full moon?"
Jennie nods.
"I could've invited you to the pack run. Everyone in my pack was asking about you and telling me to invite you, but I just couldn't bring myself to."
Jennie furrows her eyebrows. "Why not?"
"I was embarrassed to show you my wolf form." Jisoo huffs out a laugh. "It's weird, I've never been embarrassed or self-conscious about it until I met you." "I just felt so... inferior and dirty and just... too much for someone as perfect as you. I mean, you were always so elegant, well-spoken and beautiful, and I was just some clumsy buffoon who got lucky out of the hundreds of admirers." Jisoo smiles.
"I know now that that's not true, but what I'm trying to say is: I don't think you're disgusting or weird for being a vampire, okay? You're still the same Jennie that I love, and that won't change."
"You're not dirty or too much, Jisoo. Not then and not now, nor ever." Jennie pauses. "You are clumsy, though."
"Yes, thank you for the reminder." Jisoo says dryly, amusement in her tone.
There's a small sniffle from the vampire.
"I love you." And then, "You're so mushy."
Jisoo snorts. "I love you too, baby."
Jisoo pulls away, only to peck a kiss on Jennie's lips.
"C'mon, let's have dinner."
Dinner finishes up quickly enough, with mostly Jisoo rattling off about her day as Jennie listens intently, nodding at various intervals as she sips from her bloodbag. It's nice to listen to Jisoo, who never fails to be interesting and captivating all at the same time.
Then, just as Jennie thinks they've finished their dinner and stands to head to the bathroom for a shower, Jisoo clears.
"I have a surprise for you." The werewolf announces, a little shyly.
Almost immediately, Jennie perks up, prompting a small chuckle from her girlfriend.
"I think you'll like it." Jisoo adds as she places the dishes in the sink before moving to steer Jennie towards the bedroom. "But first, you have to get dressed."
"You're going to have to tell me how dressed up I should be if you're not going to tell me where we're going." Jennie hums, sifting through their shared wardobe as Jisoo wraps her arms around Jennie's waist, resting her chin on the vampire's shoulder.
"Well... I'd say casual." Jisoo pecks a kiss to Jennie's cheek. "But you can wear whatever you want, baby. I'll match with you." She grins.
There's a soft huff of laughter. "If you say so."
With that, Jennie pulls out a pale blue, off-shoulder top and a pair of jeans, and Jisoo reluctantly releases Jennie from her embrace before moving to pick out her own clothes.
"Do I get hints on where we're going?" Jennie asks as she changes into her clothes, watching as Jisoo picks out a plain white shirt, a light pink denim jacket and black jeans.
"Nope!" Jisoo replies cheerfully.
Jennie's quiet as Jisoo manoeuvres their car out of the parking lot.
The vampire watches the streets outside as they move out onto the main road, wistful gaze flickering to the passers-by trudging along the pavement.
She doesn't meet Jisoo's eyes, even as she speaks.
"I don't think I've been outside since..."
She trails off then, the silence punctuated with the softest of sighs.
"Does it feel any different?" Jisoo murmurs.
Jennie pauses, contemplating, and her gaze shifts to Jisoo.
"Surprisingly, no."
There's a ghost of a small, amused smile lingering on her lips.
She focuses her attention back onto the road, and it's only then that Jennie straightens abruptly, eyes widening as she fully registers the familiar streets Jisoo's driving on.
"Wait, why are we going to the park?" Alarm is clear in her tone, and Jisoo gives her a nervous smile.
"I thought you might want to go there."
"But Jisoo, there's so many people there—"
"Don't worry, I picked a nice spot! No one really goes there."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Then, Jisoo glances over. "We can go back home if you don't want to do this. I understand if it's still a little too much to be outside." She offers gently.
"...Are you sure there's going to be nobody there?"
Jisoo smiles. "I promise. It'll just be the two of us."
Jennie exhales shakily.
"Okay."
"I didn't know this part of the park existed." Jennie comments, glancing around the darkened scenery of the empty parking lot as Jisoo switches the engine off, leaving them both suspended in the sudden silence as the engine dies down.
"It's on the further side of the park, I came across it the other day and thought it'd be nice to spend some time together here." Jisoo shifts in her seat. "Shall we?" She offers.
With a nod, Jennie opens the door, stepping out into the cool night air and making a beeline for Jisoo.
Looping an arm around Jisoo's own, Jennie leans against her girlfriend as she lets the werewolf lead them both into the park.
Jisoo's fingers are interlaced with hers – warm, gentle, and comforting, and Jennie holds on a little tighter, prompting a soft smile from her girlfriend.
They're far from the asphalt pathway snaking through the park; instead, Jisoo leads them through the neatly clipped grass, straying further from the various streetlamps that dot along the pathway, until they reach a small, secluded clearing.
It's dark, largely blocked from view by the growth of the surrounding bushes, complete with an old, wooden bench that Jisoo steers them to.
The werewolf plops down with a soft, happy sigh, and Jennie takes a seat beside her, pressed snug against Jisoo.
It's a little endearing how Jisoo automatically wraps an arm around Jennie's shoulders, keeping her close, even though they both know that Jennie doesn't quite need the warmth of Jisoo's body anymore.
"Music?" Jisoo suggests, holding out her already unlocked phone, and Jennie takes it with a smile.
It's nice to fall back into old habits; since her turning, Jennie hasn't really had the opportunity to be at the park and simply sit with Jisoo, with music playing in the background.
It had been a weekly tradition of theirs, when Jennie had still been a human, and the vampire didn't think she'd ever get a chance to do it again.
"What do you feel like listening to?" Jennie hums, and Jisoo glances over as Jennie scrolls through the dozens of songs saved in Jisoo's library.
"I'm good with anything you pick." Jisoo grins.
"Flirt." Jennie snorts, and Jisoo laughs. The vampire eventually settles on their shared playlist, and music flows from the phone's speakers, filling the silence between them.
Neither of them speak for a while, content to bask in the tranquillity and in each other's presence, with only the sound of crickets and the music from Jisoo's phone punctuating the quietness.
As the previous song fades out and a new, familiar one starts, Jisoo's standing up abruptly, startling Jennie in the process.
The werewolf shoots her a brief, apologetic smile before holding out her hand.
Oh.
Jennie takes her girlfriend's hand, and Jisoo pulls her close, wrapping her arms around Jennie's waist as Jennie leans into the touch, burying her face into the crook of Jisoo's neck as she hides a smile.
"You're so cheesy." She mumbles.
"Only for you, darling." The werewolf hums happily, and Jennie places a tender kiss to Jisoo's lips, which the werewolf chases for more.
Jisoo kisses her again, soft and sweet, and Jennie lets herself melt into her girlfriend's touch.
They break away eventually, with Jisoo leaving one last, final peck on Jennie's cheek.
"Remember when we first danced to this?" The werewolf murmurs.
"At your workplace's dinner dance? Yes, I remember." Jennie smiles. "A bold move to ask someone you've been dating for a month to." She raises an eyebrow.
Jisoo chuckles. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"
"It did. And very well so, I must admit."
Jisoo hums in acknowledgement. "It's hard to believe it's been four years since then."
Jennie falls silent then, growing somber as she pulls away a little.
"I'm sorry I've made things difficult between us lately, Jisoo."
Jisoo's watches Jennie carefully, the werewolf's eyebrows knitting with worry.
"Don't be sorry, Jennie. There's nothing to be sorry for."
Jisoo strokes Jennie's hair back away from her face tenderly, a sad smile ghosting her lips.
"Remember when I told you I'd love you until my last breath, and then some more after that?" Her voice is soft.
Jennie nods mutely, turning her gaze away from Jisoo as she wills back the tears that threaten to fall.
Jisoo runs a gentle thumb along Jennie's cheek.
"I intend to make good on that promise, baby." Jisoo pauses, swallowing, and when their eyes finally meet, Jennie realizes belatedly that her girlfriend's eyes are shining with unshed tears.
"I know things have been hard for the both of us, but I want you to know that I love you. I love you so much, Jennie, and I wouldn't trade us for anything in the world."
"Jisoo..."
"I'm sorry we can't spend as much time together as we used to or do the things we used to do, but... we'll work it out, won't we?" There's a small, hopeful smile from Jisoo, and Jennie nods.
A sniffle escapes Jennie, and it's all it takes for the vampire's tears to fall.
"Oh!" Jisoo fumbles at the sight, moving quickly to wipe Jennie's tears away with her thumbs.
"I'm okay," There's a wet chuckle from Jennie, who brushes away the tears with a hand. "Sorry."
"Stop saying that, silly. Like I said, there's nothing to be sorry for."
"Okay." Jennie gives a small, shaky smile, sniffling.
She holds onto Jisoo a little tighter.
"And we'll work it out together, Jisoo. We always have. I promise that we'll get there."
"Promise?"
Jennie smiles.
"I promise."