Jisoo had never felt so awkward and intimidated as she was that night. 

She was sitting next to the Queen of Mars, Queen CL, herself. Her muscles had involuntarily stiffened the second she got into the room and saw the most important person of the planet with her own eyes. The figure sent chills down her spine. Not even the roasted chicken, beansprouts, potatoes and fruits that laid on the table could soothe her. To make it worse, Jennie was not yet there to help her ease up.

Wait, but since when did Jennie become a comforting place to her anyway?

"Do you like the food so far?" Queen CL spoke up again. Jisoo put her spoon down so gently, afraid that a single clinking sound was a form of insult to The Queen. 

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am liking it so far" 

"They are different from the typical Venusian food, aren't they?" 

"Yes, but these foods taste excellent to me, Your Majesty. I am grateful that you invited me for this dinner" 

"You look so nervous ever since you entered. Please don't be. I will be your future mother-in-law"
An elegant smile decorated The Queen's face as she talked. So this was where Jennie got that charming smile from, Jisoo thought. 

Wait again. Since when did she admit that Jennie had got such a charming smile? 

"Mother" 

Jisoo turned her head and spotted the Martian princess at the dining room gate. A black suit on the outside and a white shirt inside were what the girl wore that night. Her legs were wrapped in a tight black pants. Jisoo eyed her as she pondered if her own mini, strapless red dress was too formal for the occasion.

Jennie stepped closer, then took the seat opposite Jisoo's. Her hands were occupied with tidying the cuffs of her suit as she threw a smile at the Venusian. "Good evening, My Princess" 

The Martian noticed Jisoo's dilated eyes. The girl might have jolted and confronted her by then had it not been for her mother's presence.

"You arrived late" Queen CL commented. 

"I am sorry, Mother, I simply wanted to dress up properly in front of our guest" Jennie's smirk glittered with mischievousness. "I am sure she could not wait to see me" 

She earned a glare from the girl. That was how she knew she had mastered the art of teasing Jisoo, and she loved it to death.

"Right, I could not wait for the dinner. I was really excited to have a nice evening with Your Majesty and Princess Jennie of course" Jisoo replied. Her lips turned up but her scowl would not leave Jennie's eyes alone. 

"I am glad to hear that you seem happy with your stay so far" The Queen muttered to her guest.

The room fell into silence as Jennie started eating, and Jisoo couldn't help but to observe the interactions between the mother and the daughter. Jennie's mother did not ask her the questions her own mother would do. Any personal talk, like Jennie's day or Jennie's emotions, seemed to be dismissed, almost as if it was a taboo. 

"I hope you really enjoyed the whole meal, Jisoo" There was a sound as The Queen's chair made contact with the marble floor. "I still have a matter to attend to. Jennie, make sure Jisoo have a nice evening afterwards"

"I will personally walk her to her bedroom, Mother" Jennie replied, and could sense unhappiness from the Venusian already.. 

"There is no need for that, Your Majesty. Princess Jennie can have her time, I could head back to my own room on my own" 

"Are you sure about that? I don't want you to get lost on your way back" The Martian's lips made a playful simper.

"I have a good memory, Princess Jennie, thank you for your hostility" Kindness dominated Jisoo's voice and smile, but her eyes said otherwise, Jennie could tell.

"I will leave the matter to the two of you" The Queen's commanding nature diverted their attention back. "Have a nice evening"

"Thank you, Your Majesty" Jisoo answered, head bowing in respect. 

Leaving no room for silence, the Venusian walked to Jennie a second after The Queen's image was nowhere to be seen. "How nice of you calling me 'My Princess' huh?"

"Well aren't you?" The Martian answered shortly. The gentle gaze that she beamed made Jisoo feel like time stopped, got her heart racing, and made her doubt herself. 

Jisoo's reddening cheeks gave Jennie another reason to smile that night. "Go to sleep. We have something to do tomorrow. I am taking you somewhere" 

"Y- You can't just take me anywhere you want without my consent" 

"You will love it, I am sure" The Martian drew herself, walking backwards. "Good night, Jisoo"

"G- Good night" Jisoo didn't even know why she stammered.
 
No, she clearly knew. Jennie's stare made her that way. Jennie made her feel this way. She rushed out of the dining room, not even caring to get any assistance to find her way back. A few minutes was all she needed to reach her room, close the door, and sit down on her bed in frustration. 

It happened again. It had happened for so many times; she could not deny this anymore. Those dark eyes of the Martian were pulling her in. She did not want to, but Jennie was starting to feel like an inevitable force that her in.

***

"Where are you taking me?" 

Jennie heard Jisoo from behind her, although it appeared to her as the Venusian being grumpy rather than a question. "We are almost there. Are you tired by this short of a walk already?"

Jisoo stopped on her track, eyes observing Jennie. They had been walking to this place that the Martian told her for god knows how long, and she could not spot a single symptom of exhaustion from the girl. 

It's not that she didn't enjoy walking. She normally did on Venus. It's just strolling like this on Mars was too much for her; it was hot, like the sun was the last sweats she had under her skin. The lack of vegetation did nothing but adding to her boredom. No trees. No flowers. No zesty colors. 

"I am not tired, I am just bored" Jisoo answered at last. "And it's too hot"

"We are known as the Planet of Fire. I am sorry if I bore you to death. Should we talk about something?" 

"Hmm" Jisoo racked her brain to think of something, or anything. Anything as long as she did not have to look at Jennie and her eyes. Anything to let her build a stronger shelter from Jennie's pull. "Do you always talk with your mom the way you did last night?"

"Yes, that is how we normally interact. Why?"

"Nothing, it's just... My mother and I are usually less formal than that, and talk about less serious things too"

"I have told you that we always talk about serious matters, right? Except for some small talks, probably" Jennie's laugh was brief.

"Yeah, I remember. I just didn't think it would happen daily" 

The Venusian drifted into quietness. Perhaps this was why Jennie's world was mysteriously appealing to her.

Wait, wasn't she supposed to be Jennie-resistant and not vice versa? She cursed as she mindlessly stepped on the ground again.

"Where are you going? Stop walking, we are here" Jennie alerted her. 

Jisoo did a quick inspection of the place before giving Jennie a perplexed look. "Here?"

A spacious vacant, dry ground was what surrounded them. Looking at it, there was no difference between this and the path they had just walked through together. 

"Yes"

"What are we going to do here?" 

"I told you that you will love this" The Martian untied what it seemed to be a small, transparent bag from her belt. "We are going to plant a tree"

Jennie didn't need seconds to see sparks in Jisoo's eyes. 

"A tree!? Here!?" She walked closer to Jennie excitedly. "How are we going to do it!? Do you have the seed? Do you bring water?"   

"Whoa, easy there. I have the seeds here" She revealed the bag full of brown seeds. "And I don't have the water but there is a creek around here so we'll water it with the water bags later"

"Let's not waste time then" Jennie saw the Venusian beam at her. If only the girl knew how deeply infatuated Jennie was with that beautiful smiling lips, and with Jisoo's whole being. "But why are we planting trees?" 

"I have two reasons, which one do you want to hear first?"

"How am I supposed to know which one should be heard first?"

"Ah, fair enough" The Martian's expression turned rather dim. "Well, the first, of course, we don't have enough trees"

Jisoo didn't respond, so Jennie took it as a sign to go on. 

"Another one has been reported dying yesterday, so I need to plant a new one soon. We are having less and less these days, so this is crucial for my planet" 

The Venusian's face dropped. "And... What's the second reason then?"

"The second reason is because you will love it, and I'm right" 

A wave of warmth washed over Jisoo's heart. Her expression, however, was unreadable to Jennie. 

"Let's start then, we should not waste time you said" The Martian proceeded.

Jisoo watched Jennie, who was starting to clear the ground with her foot, for a while. The warmth she felt put a delay to her actions. She wasn't sure why. Maybe because Jennie cared about trees. Maybe because they seemed to like the same thing. Maybe it was not something so superficial as that. 

It was Jennie's nature; the way she cared for her planet. It was Jennie's heart. It was Jennie's world. Just as Jisoo thought she could resist the Martian's gaze, now she had to deal with a stronger kind of gravity. She slowly thought if she might as well give in to it. 

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Surprise! :{D Merry Christmas!

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