Time Warp: It's Just a Matter of Time

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

January, 2021

Since Lucy got back from New York, there was a stack of tattoo designs dragging her into the study. Whenever she took time off to go away or simply exist in a stable life with her wife, things simply seemed to pile up, waiting for her inevitable return. But there weren't many ink manipulating tattoo artists, so it made a fair amount of sense that a lot of people were willing to wait for something perfect.

But tracing and grinding out design after design - not to mention refurbished, amended designs on top of that - was taxing work. So much so that after a few hours, she decided she at least deserved something to drink. And that something better have substance. But the moment she stepped towards the kitchen, her attention was flagged by the psychometrist sitting on the couch. Book in her hands, as per usual.

Lucy decided pretty quickly that taking a longer break was necessary. It wasn't as if she needed to get it done by tomorrow, anyway. The desire to just be around her was far too strong, and if anyone asked, Lucy would argue that it wasn't because her wife was six months pregnant.

And she'd be a liar.

She took the imperative steps towards her wife, resting her hands on her shoulders. Offering a set of light squeezes, she leaned down and pressed her lips to the top of her head. "Hey," She offered lightly, resting her chin where she'd just left a kiss, "What're you reading?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Pregnancy had changed little about Penelope’s life, or so she thought. Of course, certain thing were bound to change, but the Brit was determined to keep up her normal routines for as long as she physically could. So she hadn’t been surprised to see Lucy do similarly. Having a child was exciting for both of them, but they couldn’t let the full nine months of pregnancy be that much of a distraction.

So despite how badly Penny had wanted to interrupt her counterpart’s work, she did her best not to. She had already finished grading for the week, so the psychometrist grabbed a book and began to read. Anything to pass the time while her counterpart stayed busy.

She focused on the book in her hands, on occasion pressing her palm to her stomach. He was kicking more than usual, and the despite knowing it did little to help, Penny felt a need to do something in response. A physical movement was better than nothing.

As time passed, the Brit became more and more involved with what she was reading, but even so, the sound of the study door opening grabbed her attention. Try as she might, the Brit couldn’t help but to look over at Lucy briefly. As much as she wanted to reach out to her, Penny knew Lucy had work to do. She couldn’t disturb her, and she tried to continue with reading.

That was, until she moved to the living room.

Penny closed her eyes as she felt familiar hands on her shoulder, lips pulling upward when lips pressed to her hair. “It’s Murakami’s latest.” She explained briefly, bringing a hand up and taking her wife’s. “It’s a series of short stories.” Her hand trailed up Lucy’s arm before settling on the back of the ink manipulator’s neck. “How’s work?”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy listened to the answer Penny gave. Though really, they both knew she had no idea who Murakami was. And that she didn't really care for the contents of what she was reading. At least it wasn't another book about pregnancy. Lucy wasn't sure she was ready for another round of reiterated facts. Or contradicting ones, for that matter.

"Mm," She mused briefly over the question, trying to consider a response that wouldn't call for her being sent back to work, "Tedious." The corner of her mouth dragged to a frown at the word. Probably not the best choice, so she continued on with something more worthy; "Productive."

Rather than moving, like she possibly should have, the ink manipulator lingered in place amidst the silence. She was most definitely not ready to leave her side, especially now that she was right there. At the same time, she was aware enough that she didn't want to be such a distraction. Penny gave herself so little down time; ruining that was almost worrisome.

But then, Lucy Serrano was selfish.

Moving slightly, she leaned down to the side to leave a kiss against the psychometrist's shoulder before tilting her lips towards her ear. "Mind if I play?" The Australian asked. At least if she lost herself to a mindless game for a while, she could still sit with her. Them.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

When Penny had went to read, she did have the intention of grabbing another pregnancy book, one of the many that now filled a neatly organized bookshelf in the living room. However, this particular title caught her eye, and the Brit decided to take a change in pace of literature. Penny knew that Lucy wasn’t aware who Murakami was. The writer had won a Nobel Prize in literature just last year, and the Brit had told Lucy about it, even. Still, she knew her wife hadn’t the slightest idea – or really care – about the well-known author. She appreciated being asked, though.

She raised her eyebrows. Tedious. Penny did know that much about the ink manipulator’s work. Although not an artist, the literature teacher knew very well of what it meant to go back over a single piece of work again and again. She couldn’t imagine doing so for something that was to be permanently etched onto someone’s skin, however. At least she was being productive.

Penny made no indication of wanting her wife to leave. Selfishly, she wanted the Australian’s attention, even if she was working. And although she rarely gave herself leisure time, the psychometrist preferred it with her distraction. She let out a slow breath as Lucy pressed her lips to her shoulder, opening her eyes as Lucy spoke.

There was once a time when Penny couldn’t read in anything but complete silence or, at the most, light classical music. As the years passed, however, she had learn to deal do so with various distractions, Lucy playing video games to be one of them. “Mmm,” she responded with a small nod. However she couldn’t deny the way her pulse sped up as her wife spoke into her ear, and so she tilted her head to the side, brushing her lips against the ink manipulator’s lightly. “Of course.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It'd been rare for Lucy to ever ask if she could play video games. When she wanted to, she simply would. And in later years she'd learned that sometimes, asking was a smarter way to go about it. But now - given their current situation - asking seemed like the only way to go about it. She didn't want to disturb the psychometrist unless she wanted her around.

So when she said yes in a round about way, Lucy couldn't help but smile. She also couldn't help but linger that close to her counterpart. Because one kiss just didn't feel like enough, so she breathed the distance and kissed her again just as lightly.

Her hand trailed across her counterpart's shoulders as she stepped around the couch, her hand hooking around a controller and switching everything on before she settled beside her wife. She considered giving her a little distance, but quickly found that she couldn't do so. It was impossible. She was impossible to stay away from.

"Don't make me work again tonight. I missed you." Lucy admitted easily, leaning in and this time pressing her lips against her cheek. "Both of you."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

The light connotations of the kiss spoke just as much as anything else, and as she drew back, Penny felt the undeniable urge to follow her, especially as she felt the curve of her lips pull upward. Still, she let the ink manipulator pull away, only because she knew she wasn’t going far. She brought her hand back to her book as Lucy switched on the television, but her dark eyes focused on the Australian’s form over the text in her lap.

Had Lucy not settled close to her, Penny would have moved to change it. Proximity was vital. For either of them to deny that was pointless. Keeping one hand on her book, Penny brought the other to Lucy, resting it on her thigh as she leaned into the kiss placed to her cheek.

She couldn’t help but to smile at Lucy’s admission. “Did you get everything you needed to get done for tomorrow?” She asked instinctively. As much as she missed her wife, the Brit’s responsible side always came out. Still, the genuine tone of her voice caught the psychometrist’s attention more than anything else. It made her want to say that Lucy didn’t need to go back to work, because really, Penny wanted her to stay.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy took a small, seemingly insignificant breath when Penny chose to rest a hand on her thigh. Any kind of contact was necessary, and the Australian knew that. She also knew how much she wanted it. It was a seamless move, but it was so enrapturing.

Still, she frowned a touch at Penny's question. It was as if she just couldn't let things slide for a moment or two, let alone the rest of the night. Raising a hand, Lucy ran her fingers along the line of her counterpart's jaw lightly, turning her face so she could kiss her properly, albeit lightly still.

"Yes." She lied, but she was a good liar. And perhaps Penny was willing enough to believe it. "Can I play now?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

If anything, Penny believed the physical response her counterpart gave indicated that she did have more work. The frown. But the Australian proved to be an incredible distraction. Again, Penny leaned into her counterpart’s touch. Reciprocated the kiss without a moment’s hesitation.

So when Lucy lied, Penny believed her. Partially because she wanted to believe her, and partially because the ink manipulator was so good at putting off work when she wanted to. “Okay.” She replied lightly before kissing her again. She had to once more before her wife’s attention was taken by whatever game she chose to play. “But nothing violent.” Among her readings, she found that music and noises had yet to be proven to affect pregnancy, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances.

Her fingers ran idly along Lucy’s thigh as she glanced at the television. “I don’t need Lincoln hearing guns and aliens already." Already. Because it was inevitable that he would at some point in his life, that much Penny couldn't deny.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy willingly kissed her wife when she leaned in to do so again. It was almost impossible to stop herself from kissing her again, because she was there. And Lucy hadn't been around for a week. And a week felt like a month.

She was thankful Penny believed her, or at least pretended to. She wore a definite grin at the fact either way, slowly shifting her focus to the controller in her hands until she froze at the fact. Nothing violent? This was a fucking xbox she was handling here. "Uhh-" She started, but quickly cut the thought off. Her options were so few now; so much so that she genuinely paused to try and think of what she could do.

Opening her mouth, Lucy went to argue against a fact she knew so little about when her attention was subsequently derailed and redirected towards the hand on her thigh. The way she moved it. She resisted the urge to look down at it, because that would have been obvious. But the fact that she paused at all was indication enough.

She looked forward. "He's not gonna hear it." Lucy tried, deciding that she could in fact play something with aliens and guns anyway.

"Speaking of," She started again, though she made no effort to indicate to what she was referring. It was as if the thought truly escaped her, "I've been re-thinking it a bit."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny knew that she had narrowed down her wife’s choices significantly. Most of Lucy’s games were violent, and the Brit had put up with it for years without a single with only a few complaints. And now, six months pregnant, she was taking a stand. No violence.

It was humorous to see the way her wife struggled with the concept, and Penny was surprised to see that she didn’t throw out the idea all together. Her attention was flagged when Lucy went to speak and didn’t, and the Brit felt a knowing smile pull at the corner of her lip. Her fingers unconsciously tracing slightly higher up her counterpart’s thigh.

“He will most certainly hear it.” Penny argued on instinct. She, however, refused to relay the fact that studies haven’t proven if it at all affects a child.

She raised her eyebrows curiously; a tinge of concern flashing in her dark eyes. The vague nature of Lucy’s statement was more concerning than anything else. There were a variety of things she could have been referring to. Even so, her hand never faltered its movement as she questioned her wife in a flat, unamused tone. “Re-thinking what?”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"Jesus." Lucy offered instinctively, though really, she couldn't argue about whether or not he would hear anything. Or if it would effect him. Because she didn't know. She didn't recall ever hearing Penny say anything about it apart from moments like these, but she wasn't definite on that enough to put it out there. So she went another way, "He could hear a lot worse stuff."

Despite how taken in Lucy was with a gun in her digital hands, she was acutely aware of the way her wife was touching her. How her hand moved. Which way it moved. She took a slow breath, convincing herself that like other times, this instinct of hers would probably pass.

Probably.

Maybe.

Actually, she didn't know. So she did her best to ignore it despite the fact that her breathing, though less obvious than her counterpart's, was a relatively dead give away.

"The name." Lucy offered absently. "Like, I dunno. There are so many other choices, how are you meant to stick with one and still like it in six months?" Though really, they'd picked Lincoln well over six months ago. It'd almost been a year, and she knew that. "What if you stumble across something even better?" She indicated forward to the game with a nod of her head, "Like Shepard. Just goes by Shepard. Doesn't use a first name. Probably cause you can name her something shi-" A slow, eventual drag of the syllable "-ee wouldn't like. Or maybe her name's just Shepard. That's a pretty epic name."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Fortunately for the Australian, the way she timed her game decision and conversation starter, Penny had dropped the subject. Her attention was focused on Lucy, waiting for her to respond. The name. Penny’s hand stopped in its movement, but she didn’t pull it away. Still, her eyes widened as she stared at Lucy in surprise.

Before she could ask just what about their choice in name was wrong, the Australian had continued. Even as her wife nodded towards the television, Penny hadn’t shifted her gaze. “A name is something you have for much longer than six months, Lucy.” She stated quickly, eyebrows furrowing together. The idea that her wife was questioning it now was more than concerning for the Brit. It was impossible to tell if she was joking.

“Shepard?” Penny withdrew her hand from Lucy, bringing it back to settle on her book as she felt her jaw tense. She couldn’t believe this. Lucy had to have been joking, but the Penny found herself unsure how seriously to take her.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Feeling her eyes on her, Lucy thought it best not to try and catch her eyes. She kept her attention forward, dropping the sound low in the game so she could at least comply - somewhat - with Penny's demands.

The concept of the months offered cause the ink manipulator to cringe. The lack of understanding seemed to visibly irked her. "Give or take." She offered, shrugging her shoulders at the fact.

And there it was. Sure enough, she lost Penny's hand, and she knew she'd kickstarted something she likely shouldn't have. But Lucy Serrano, aged up or not, was still Lucy Serrano. Admittedly, she was a little irritated by the move, because she knew what Penny was doing even if Penny herself didn't.

"Why not? Figured you didn't really mind the video game vibe." Lucy pointed out, "You liked Link."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny was well aware that her wife was avoiding eye contact, and it irritated the Brit that she did so. Even as she registered that Lucy turned down the television, it did little to put the Australian in a favorable position.

Although Lucy was aware of the move she made, Penny did so unconsciously. Or rather, the Brit didn’t register the meaning behind her own action. Her dark eyes trailed down the line of her neck, watching as Lucy shrugged her shoulders before her attention was drawn to her eyes again. Still, there lacked eye contact which Penny felt was needed in order to grasp a better understanding of her counterpart’s motive.

“I like Lincoln.” She corrected, stressing that, although her counterpart might be questioning it, she was still fond of the name. Her fingers curled around the edge of her book. “Shepard is not an appropriate name.” Unaware of the spelling difference, her mind had immediately gone into the historical – religious – aspects of having a name. “No.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side once, registering the appreciation Penny had for the name Lincoln. She knew it was a thing. In fact, she was very aware of it.

But the outward way she said no forced a disapproving look onto the Australian's face as her eyebrows lowered. So harsh.

Then again, provoking a pregnant woman was probably considered to be harsher.

"It's like you're denouncing our baby's ability to be the future saviour of the galaxy." Lucy continued, and she pursed her lips at the assumption. "I thought we were making me a 2IC. A major can't run a fleet alone, Blaise." Finally, she glanced over, and she was wearing a grin.

"A Shepard, can."