Stars Lay Overhead [Lucy]

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

There were four clocks in Penny’s dorm. The psychometrist always had a need to know what time it was – it helped keep everything in order. It provided her with some sort of comfort.

But she had no idea what time it was. It was late, that much Penny knew, but she had no desire to turn and look for a clock. She was rested on her side, fingers tracing unknown patterns along Lucy’s skin, taking in how it felt against her fingertips.

Normally, the Brit would be exhausted at this point, if not already asleep, but she had found herself wide awake. Before, if there were instances where she couldn’t sleep, the Brit felt irritable and uncomfortable.

But this was different.

Her hand moved, moving lightly across Lucy’s arm before reaching the Australian’s hand. She honestly had no idea if Lucy was awake or not, but she gently intertwined their fingers, shifting as quietly as she could to press her lips against Lucy’s shoulder

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Eyes closed. Shaking breaths had slowly steadied out. Lucy was content. It wasn’t uncommon for her to fall asleep in the company of the psychometrist; as it was now, her presence alone was enough to put the ink manipulator at ease. But she couldn’t. She wasn’t tired.

She was attuned to Penny’s subtleties, savouring the way she trailed patterns across her skin.

Save for the still near-faded circular brand on her shoulder, she wore no new markings – no potential bruises hiding underneath her skin. Fingertips had trailed where nails once dragged; softened lips pressed where teeth sank. It was different. So different.

As Penny trailed her fingers across Lucy’s arm, her ink moved accordingly. The Siberian tiger eased into the connection, as if being physically pet by the elusive touch. The lion’s mane curled and flowed as if her fingers ran straight through it. At first, Lucy didn’t respond to the way her fingers intertwined with her own. Her mind was still catching up. When she felt a familiar kiss against her shoulder, she exhaled slowly, squeezing the hand over her own weakly.

Lucy drawled her hand towards her mouth, pressing her lips to the back of Penny’s hand lightly. Once. Twice. On the third, she'd lingered for a little longer.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

She rested her cheek against Lucy’s shoulder, her gaze falling on the small bruise. It wasn’t hard to recall doing it. She remembered the moment – sinking her teeth into the gentle flesh as she had pulled Lucy forcibly against herself. It was heavy. Hot. Intense.

And not to say this hadn’t been intense, but it was different. So different.

Penny leaned forward and gently kissed the mark, her lips barely grazing it. She watched her own hand travel the length of Lucy’s arm, how the ink shifted, responding to her touch. Her finger lingered on the tiger for a moment, tracing under its chin.

She willingly let Lucy pull her hand upwards, a relaxed smile playing about her lips as she felt Lucy kiss her hand. She closed her eyes, letting herself enjoy the simplicity of it.

The psychometrist felt herself lean into Lucy further, bringing her head forward to place a light kiss on the ink manipulator’s temple.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The near untraceable feeling of Penny’s lips against the mark she wore – that which started her earlier downward spiral – did wonders to enlighten the Australian further. She felt herself hanging off every ounce of affection given, and she didn’t care that this was so.

Eventually she shifted the hand she held onto. If she didn’t, she might never stop the significant string of kisses she was offering.

Finally deciding to move herself, Lucy shifted to rest with her back against the bed. Her eyelids twitched, slowly dragging to open as she turned a glance towards her counterpart. The mere sight of her forced Lucy to take a breath.

For once, she felt devoid of all logical thought. Her mind was clear. Everything that would have told her how detrimental this feeling could be felt diminished underneath her gaze. She looked calm. As at ease as she truly felt. Reaching forward, Lucy chose to rest a hand against her cheek, her thumb gliding over her cheekbone slowly. Her fingers played along the side of her face, tracing the line of her jaw down, across her lips and eventually down the curve of her neck.

All the while, her gaze refused to shift away from Penny's. She wondered how it was that she harboured such unrelenting hatred for this girl for so long.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny lifted her hand up, running down through Lucy’s hair, behind her ear, and down across the ink manipulator’s collarbone. She didn’t shift as Lucy went onto her back; the only movement she offered was to open her eyes to look at the girl in front of her.

Her gaze shifted downward, running along Lucy’s lips, neck, down her arms and across the various tattoos over the ink manipulator. She took in every detail of her skin as she slowly exhaled.

She looked up just in time to catch Lucy’s gaze, and a smile spread across her lips. A real, genuine smile. There was no point in giving anything less. She was calm – possibly the most relaxed she had been in several years. There were no pressing matters flooding her mind. No desire to do anything other than lay there next to her.

Penny kept her eyes fixed on Lucy’s dark ones, even as she shifted her head, leaning into the hand offered to her. Every touch felt as significant as the previous. It didn't take her long to lift her own hand and settle it over Lucy's, her fingers gently squeezing it.

“You’re beautiful.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It didn’t concern her in the slightest to have Penny’s eyes traverse every inch of visible skin Lucy was offering. She felt no need to shy away – not that she ever would have. Nor did she feel the desire to tease her about her blatant staring. Every one of her living tattoos turned their attention towards her; small eyes glancing back as she took in their details.

And it was impossible not to reciprocate the smile she was offered. She looked genuine. Calm. Lucy couldn’t remember ever seeing her this at peace with… Anything.

Each and every touch seemed new. Like she’d never felt her skin before. So she trailed, drawing her fingertips across her collarbone gently before her hand was taken hold of. She let the newfound journey go willingly, in favour of the reassuring squeeze Penny offered.

When the words left her mouth, Lucy dropped her gaze to their hands instinctively. When she looked back a moment later, her eyebrows twitched to lower for a second. Like it had confused her, but she felt no need to feel that confusion. It wasn’t the first time someone had said that to her, but it was still such a rarity. It didn’t matter who said it first. She was saying it now.

Harboured somewhere in the ink manipulator’s mentality was the desire to brush the fact off. She knew, at the end of it all, that she found such a weighted statement about herself difficult to believe. She was abhorrent. Rude. Abrasive. Harsh. She so rarely connected with others and truthfully, she never seemed to mind before. People looked at her, but they never really saw her. Even in most recent times, this was the inevitability of the people around her. They never really looked.

But here, under the weight of her gaze, Lucy intertwined her fingers with those of the psychometrist. She offered a forceful squeeze, a stark cry from the gentle connotations of her prior engagement. Her look of confusion changed to one of clarity.

“I believe you.”

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It wasn't lost to the Brit that Lucy's tattoos were looking back at her. Penny was never one to be interested in the idea of driving a needle into her skin over and over until a pattern emerged, nor had she ever had any interest in them on others. Tattoos were for bikers and girls with father-issues. Yet the Australian forced a different perspective on Penny. They were an art. Just as beautiful as the girl who bore them. Her lip twitched upward at the thought.

Something about seeing Lucy return a smile made Penny's chest tighten. Knowing that, in a sense, that Lucy felt similarly was comforting. She was calm. At peace.

As the words left her mouth, Penny kept her gaze fixed on Lucy, even as the Australian broke eye contact. She pressed her lips together, catching the confusion in Lucy's features. She didn't believe her.

How could someone not think it? The concept of Lucy not realizing it caused Penny to take in a long breath – she needed her to know. To believe it when Penny said that she thought - knew - she was.

Any desire to explain was suddenly washed away as Lucy's expression changed; Penny felt her own features soften as the Australian squeezed her hand. She pulled it upward, pressing her lips lightly to the ink manipulator's knuckles, smiling against the skin.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy allowed her hand to be moved, exhaling the breath she didn't know she was holding when familiar lips grazed the back of her it. The smile she wore poured every ounce of intention across her skin from the minimal point of contact. Something about the mere presence of this girl was worthy of losing breath - or at least, any real control she had over the unconscious ability.

Freeing her hand again, this time she chose to curl locks of Penny's dark hair around her fingers, her eyes intently focused on each small movement. The way it felt. The difference.

"You're-" She started, but faltered over the word itself. "I don't know what to say." Within the break, she moved to tuck the idle strands behind her ear. "I always know what to say." And on some level, focusing on anything but her face made that easier to admit.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Repeating statements like that back to people always felt like there was lost intentions behind them, and the Brit was thankful to see that Lucy did not do so. She tilted her head, leaning into the touch as she felt Lucy's fingers behind her ear.

Penny's gaze finally adverted from Lucy's eyes, and instead fell on the Australian's neck and collarbone. The statement felt oddly personal. “It's okay to not say anything.” she said after a moment. She knew well by this point that the Serrano always had something to say. It was one of the many qualities that had annoyed the Brit for so long, and the fact that now she didn't spoke in itself.

She pushed herself up, only in order to inch herself closer to the ink manipulator. When she laid back down, she draped an arm over Lucy's stomach and gently pressed her lips to Lucy's jaw.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Truthfully, Lucy wasn't even sure what she was going to say. There was such a myriad of words she could offer the psychometrist, but none felt fitting. None felt worthy of the moment at hand.

She took in another breath when Penny's gaze fell from her face. To be looked at didn't bother her. Not in the slightest. If Penny wanted to, she could stop and stare for as long as she wanted to. "Hn." Lucy had offered as a response, pursing her lips at the notion that silence wasn't a burden. And honestly, in this situation, she believed that.

The difference in Penny's demeanour wasn't lost on Lucy either. As she moved, the Australian averted her eyes to the ceiling. For once, she wasn't so bothered by the lack of colour. She had more important things to keep her focus.

She dropped her jaw slightly when familiar lips pressed against it, an involuntary elated sound intertwining with the breath she exhaled. It was inviting. Enthralling. More so when she registered the arm placed across her figure, keeping her steady. Lucy chose to run her fingernails delicately across the line of Penny's arm. Back and forth, slowly.

"I-" Lucy tried again, this time breathing a laugh at her inability to form a coherent sentence. It didn't matter. She didn't care that she couldn't think properly. For someone who never stopped thinking - analysing, scrutinising - it was such a rarity. And in her presence alone, it was a welcome one.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penelope loved words. Language was her strong point – but when it came to Lucy, they always failed her. There was little the Brit could say that she felt would do justice to what she wanted to express; seeing this reflected in Lucy, the loud Australian that Penny felt never shut up, was startling, and even slightly amusing.

She offered another kiss as she heard Lucy's response. The reaction causing her own breath to catch in her throat. Instinctively, she started to pull Lucy closer to herself as she felt familiar nails drag across her arm. It was different. Light. Delicate. She shifted again, intertwining her legs with the Australian's.

Penny let out a light laugh as Lucy continued to try to say something. “Don't.” she cut in softly against the ink manipulator's ear before pressing her lips against it. She closed her eyes, just enjoying the feeling of Lucy's fingers against her arm. The warmth of her body against her own, and the peace that came with it.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy allowed herself to be drawn in as close as she could be. She leaned into the secondary kiss against her jaw. It was simple; but simplicity with her was worth being taken in by. Every little thing she offered just got to the Australian.

She inhaled slowly when their legs intertwined, distracted by the intensity of the contact alone. She wanted her closer. That was difficult to express.

Penny's laughter in tandem with the small word she seemed to gently order into the ink manipulator's ear drew a smile onto her face. She never expected the psychometrist to be like this - attentive as it was. And she never expected herself to be so taken by it.

Residing to the request, Lucy slowly craned her neck as she closed her eyes, her voice dropping to an imperative whisper; "Don't stop."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

At the words, Penny once again felt her breath hitch; she paused very briefly to take in the demand. The way her voice dropped, the feeling of her neck against her lips, the intensity of the statement. It was only two words, but it was undeniably hot. Overwhelming, even.

Within the next moment, she pressed her lips to the Australian’s neck. She felt her breath already start to quicken slightly as she ran her nails lightly up along Lucy’s side before traveling back down again. She wanted to touch – to kiss – every inch of the Australian.

She left a trail of kisses down Lucy’s neck and across her collarbone. Each one delicate. Slow. Savoring. It was easy to get lost in her.

She paused again, only to speak against Lucy’s skin, her eyes flicking up to the Australian’s; “I won’t.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy felt the way her breath hitched; the break of it lingering against her neck. She hadn’t meant to throw her so intently. The words had left her mouth before she even realised what they were. But the way her breath faltered was absolutely impossible to ignore.

And in the next moment, she felt as if she’d lost the ability to breathe. She exhaled heavily – involuntarily – at the sudden shift she’d caused. Like she’d shaken the gentle stability they were wavering on. She threw her head back, sucking in some much needed air as nails traversed the line of her body, lips tracking the new found skin Lucy had provided with the prior tilt of her neck.

Glancing towards her, Lucy caught her eyes in tandem with the reassuring statement she offered. She practically felt the words seeping into her skin with each passing moment. She stared at her, probably more intently than she should have. As much as she didn't want to ruin what was about to happen, she wanted to savour the way this girl was looking - really looking - at her.

Curling her fingers around her neck, Lucy made the point of drawing her up again before she travelled any further. Propping herself up on an arm, Lucy leaned the rest of the way and kissed her with purpose. It occurred to her in that moment that all this time - delicate as the aftermath had been - she'd never caught her mouth with the same intent attention she'd given her body.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny felt very aware of the reactions Lucy made, and she did her best to take advantage of them at the best possible moments. She waited to kiss the newly exposed skin as Lucy threw her head back – as much as she wanted to give into the temptation of it, she wanted more so to take her time.

She could feel Lucy take in a heavy breath, and the Brit used that moment to lightly sink her teeth into her neck. The line between gentle stability and rough passion was fine, and Penny found herself trying to balance the two.

Penny hadn’t realized it, but as she caught Lucy’s eyes, she held her breath. Breathing seemed like a secondary concern in comparison to just taking in as much of the Australian as she possibly could.

She couldn’t break her gaze away.

As she felt familiar fingers around the back of her neck, Penny rolled her shoulders, enjoying the touch. She allowed herself to be brought up, and reciprocated the kiss with just as much intention. She hadn’t realized just how much she loved to kiss the ink manipulator on the mouth. It was easy to get caught up in everything else, but it never took away from the feeling she got when she kissed Lucy’s lips.