I built this Home for me, for you

Chapter 2

She was doing the crossword at the table when Lisa came into the kitchen, yawning widely as she walked over to the coffee pot and fetched a cup. Jennie smiled, filling in the answer to six down, "morning."

"You got up early. How'd you sleep?" Lisa asked, carrying the pot over to the table and filling up Jennie's cup for her.

Smiling up at her wife, Jennie pulled Lisa close by the bottom of her shirt, leaning up as much as she could for a kiss, which Lisa obliging pressed to her lips. "Very well, I was just prepping for the meetings today. You look like you could've used a few more hours though."

"You were sleep talking," Lisa laughed, running her fingers through her awry curls. "I couldn't help but listen."

"What'd I say this time?" Jennie sighed, biting back a smile.

Lisa laughed, sitting down at the table and stealing some bacon off Jennie's plate. Pushing her chair back, Jennie pressed a kiss to the top of Lisa's head and walked to the kitchen to reheat the bacon that she'd already fried up. "You said you loved me - I always love that one - and then you said that you can only stop them with bread, which was... concerning."

Letting out a snort of laughter, Jennie smiled at Lisa, "well I'm glad the love part always makes sense because I have no clue what the fuck the bread means."

"Mom, that's a quarter for the swear jar," Ryujin said as she walked in, already dressed in her school uniform. Lisa gave Jennie a pointed look and gestured towards the jar on the counter, and rolling her eyes Jennie promised to add some money later.

"Is your sister up?" Lisa asked, gesturing for Ryujin to come towards her so that she could fix the wonky tie that she'd clumsily tied. Jennie smiled, watching Lisa fuss over her, and cracked some eggs into the frying pan, keeping an eye on the bread in the toaster.

Ryujin shook her head as she sat down, "she stole the bathroom first but I think she went back to sleep afterwards."

Sighing, Lisa climbed to her feet, stealing a slice of toast off Jennie's plate and wrinkled her nose as she went off to drag their eldest daughter out of bed. Jennie scrambled eggs in a pan, watching as Ryujin doodled on the newspaper and read the crossword. "Mom? Who was Lenin's successor? It's six letters."

"Stalin," Jennie said, smiling as she watched her daughter fill in the answer for her. Plating up breakfast for everyone, Jennie balanced the three plates as she carried them over to the table, setting one down in front of her daughter and smoothing her hair. As she set down Lisa's and Seolhyun's, she listened to the sound of raised voices approaching, as Lisa herded their eldest daughter downstairs and to the kitchen. Sitting down, Jennie sipped her coffee and watched as her daughter filled in another one. "What's next Jin?"

"Um, how do you say bear in Japanese?" Ryujin read aloud.

Jennie's expression softened at the answer, and she quickly turned in the direction of the door as Lisa answered. "Kuma" She gave Jennie a small smile, tinged with sadness, and Jennie felt her heart ache slightly. The day they'd had to have Kuma put down was one of the hardest of the past two decades, and Jennie knew that sometimes Lisa panicked without the familiar comfort of her support dog, even though it had been years. She refused to get a new one though, even when the girls had asked for a puppy.

"Thanks ma!" Ryujin said, happily writing down the answer as Lisa walked over to the table, closely followed by a ruffled looking Seolhyun, who was only half dressed.