Time Warp: Fire in the Back of My Throat

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

December, 2032

Psychometry was an ability that effected not just a single individual, but every other person involved around them as well. As hard as it was to live with such a curse, it was just as much for anyone who chose to stay close. Few could so willingly handle living in such a way, let alone hand it so well. It seemed to come naturally to Lucy Serrano, however.

She had two decades of experience dealing with memory based abilities. She understood it to the best of her ability - always seemed to have kept it in mind with every move made. Which was cause for reason for Penny to genuinely question why Lucy seemed to think she could have gotten away with this. Her wife was smart, but sometimes she could just be an idiot.

All it took was a sliver of contact. Accidental - it always was. Emotions like that were impossible to avoid upon physical contact with a surface. Fingertips to a table top, and she could feel it. Feel her. Stress. A failure. As a wife. As a mother. Dark eyes that weren't her own looked through accounts. Adding up math. Just how much of a loss would it be? At least financially.

Penny felt the draw of her lips as they pressed firmly together, the rest of her tension shifting to her clenched jaw. How it ached from the pressure placed there. Bringing her hands together, she squeezed them in an attempt to find some sort of comfort within the hold, yet it did little to calm the burning within her chest. More than she could care to admit; then again, Penelope Blaise had little trouble when it came to admitting her own anger.

Precise steps brought her to the living room. To the television which her wife sat at. Where her entire family sat at, the three people Penny cared for most all cradling a controller within their hands. Dark eyes didn't even glance up to see the game they played. Rather, Penny's focus held on her wife as she stepped up to the back of the couch, palms pressing lightly down on the Australian's shoulders. A light squeeze; just enough to make herself known before she withdrew her hands headed for their bedroom.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

At a stagnant moment in the middle of the day, Lucy found herself at her counterpart's desk. The one she only used when really investing herself in bills. Lucy knew where to find everything she needed to for what she wanted to look at; what she wanted to figure out. A quick sit down and a run through all the financial things she could for the last few months. Lucy looked at what she brought to the table, and she knew it was a ridiculous quantity.

Penny had everything so meticulously sorted. College tuitions had been set aside long before their children hit grade school. Equal amounts set aside for first cars, ready for the time they turned sixteen. From the time they were born to the time they'd inevitably leave, Penny had every dollar accounted for. Their boys were set. It was the very thing that brought her so much comfort; she could live a decent life defaulting back to just the tattoo trade and be around every day. She'd never have to leave again.

She left the thoughts were they were, try as she had to maintain an emotionally distant level as she'd been searching through. She was sick of trying, failing and letting down everyone in her family. She never wanted to receive the kind of call she had from Lincoln ever again; to hear him cry from a different state and feel so helpless to that.

Hours later, Lucy was with him. Both of them, actually. Playing games with two boys was a past time that never died even as they aged. A crinkled nose for every time she lost and a grin for every time she didn't. She was going pretty well against the arguing boys nearby until familiar hands pressed to her shoulder. By the time she found a break to look up during, Penny was gone. Lucy appeared a little irked by the fact; usually she got a small brush of her lips before she'd move so far away.

So when she could leave the boys, she did; slipped out of the game to take slow steps towards their bedroom. The Australian pressed her hand to the frame of the opened door, her weight against it as she halted to look at her counterpart.

"Love," Lucy said, lingering in the doorway.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny knew the ounce of contact was more than enough to grab her wife's attention, and yet for it to be less than enough to satisfy the Australian all the same. So much that it wasn't all that long before Lucy made her way to the bedroom, where Penny waited patiently. Her jaw still ached, yet there was a calmness within her expression, only hardened by the stern look in her eyes that quickly faded upon catching sight of her wife.

Because as angry as she could have been, she still pulled the air from Penny's lungs.

Raising a hand, she motioned for Lucy to come in with a bend of her fingers. Sitting on the edge of their bed, the Brit took a quick breath as she tried to regain her composure. Really, a bedroom was the last place she should have chosen to bring this up. Their own private room, enthralling as it always was to have her alone.

"Close the door." She added with a tilt of her head to the side, extending her hand out to try and encourage the ink manipulator to come closer. "Please."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The instructions were incredibly simple. Tension seemed to resonate through her counterpart's form, and Lucy doubted she was expected not to notice something so blatantly set in front of her. Still, she was hardly going to ignore whatever it was that felt so necessary. Easing her hand away from the frame, she pressed it to the handle without looking. A few steps in and she was turning her back to ensure it was closed.

Then she followed the prior encouragement; a hand had waved her over and although she felt the need to stick to the wall, she didn't. Confidence strung her steps together, because she felt no need to be worried, and the distance between them was dwindling.

When she made it, she didn't leave any distance. Footing carried her close enough so she might be able to feel the bed against her legs as she stood directly before her counterpart. Comfort always lined any contact, and the thought of which resonated as clear as the strike of a bell. Lucy raised her hand to brush fingers through her hair lightly once before she allowed it to settle at her shoulder.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It was the most private room in their home. By far the easiest place to confront her counterpart on such a sensitive subject, but even with the irritation burning in the back of her mind, Penny couldn't help the way she stared as Lucy came closer. Nor could she help the way she closed her eyes as those familiar fingers tracked through her hair, only opening once they found their way to her shoulder.

She had beckoned Lucy closer, but with the new proximity between them, the psychometrist wondered if it was a wise decision. She was so close that Penny couldn't easily stand, and asking her to sit was only an invitation for trouble due to where Penny had chosen to sit herself in the first place.

So she looked up to Lucy, a hand reaching out to settle against her waist. Another breath, and she closed her eyes with an attempt to will herself to use a gentler tone before she even had a chance to speak. Finally, lips parted as dark eyes opened to clash with those equally so. "Do you really think this is a decision you can make on your own?" She asked quietly.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy could tell something was amiss. She knew Penny had something evident on her mind, and the thought alone made her obviously curious. But she'd gone from lingering in a doorway to existing in her personal space; there was no way she was moving away now.

Especially when Penny reached out to her in return. There was a clear shot of acceptance in the hand that pressed to her waist. She thought to look at it briefly, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from her face, even as she lost her gaze. A brief set of seconds and all Lucy could do was wait until she got some kind of confirmation again. The dark eyes she adored so much caught her attention far too easily, and she felt herself at a loss.

Because what she got was something she couldn't understand. Without the proper context, the words cut dry. Shrugging her shoulders, Lucy wasn't sure how to respond; she wondered if a simple shrug was even enough.

Shifting her hand, she followed the contours of her neck from her shoulder and pressed it to the side of her face; a small point of contact to soften whatever hardened edges were creeping up on her expression. Leaning down, Lucy tilted her head to the side and slowly brushed her lips against Penny's cheek.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny knew she was being vague, at least on some level. A memory extremely fresh within her own mind, there was no real way to determine just when Lucy had sat herself down at the psychometrist's desk. Everything was labeled and dated, but it still could have been days ago. At least the Brit could be sure it wasn't months.

She let out a slow exhale as a familiar hand found its way up the length of her neck and to the side of her face. It did work to ease away some of the tension Penny wore, forcing the stress within her jaw to release once lips connected with her cheek.

Again, Penny closed her eyes, but this time due to the proximity between them rather than the struggle to speak. She was slow to tilt her chin, moving only enough to find Lucy's mouth with a light brush of her own lips, the smallest amount of pressure applied a moment later.

"Lucy," she breathed quietly. "You can't quit."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Often times it seemed like few words could and would pass between the ink manipulator and the psychometrist. Lucy found herself too used to reading between the lines when it came to Penelope Blaise. Everything she said and did was met with absolute precision; nothing simply was. She would squeeze Lucy's shoulders to draw her away to have a conversation that required a closed door. She would sit on the bed in preparation for something difficult. And Lucy wondered how true to form it was that she would breach the distance between them completely. That she would ruin a placed plan.

Lucy allowed herself to linger in the dreaded proximity, feeling the way Penny moved as slowly as she had managed to. Familiar lips crossed the path of her own, only applying delicate pressure seconds after the fact. Short. Perfectly sweet. She almost smiled at it. When the question reached her ears as it had played against her mouth, Lucy responded in the only way she could.

She laughed. Not cold-heartedly, and certainly not passive aggressively; the little sound passed her lips on a quiet breath. She was still very much at a loss.

"Quit what?" She asked, lightly. It was almost unfair how quickly the presence of her love could dismantle any guard she might have carried into the inevitable situation.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

In all honesty, the last response she had expected to get from her counterpart was a laugh. Despite the affectionate connection between them, her eyebrows furrowed in a wave of confusion as some sort of humor was found in this delicate subject. Penny hadn't thought her point wouldn't have been made clear when those same thoughts were running through her mind somewhat recently. Even if it was days ago.

Her nose crinkled, but she couldn't help the way she kissed the ink manipulator again. She loved Lucy, greatly, but sometimes her love could be such an idiot. It was clear she missed the Brit's point as she questioned her. Still, she lingered against her lips all the same.

The palm at Lucy's waist shift, sliding over to the small of her back as she tried to ease her closer. At least enough to sit down, because this certainly wasn't over. "Your career." Penny pointed out, although her voice kept a gentle touch to it with such sensitive material. "The galleries."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The solution encompassed with a closed door meant guards could easily fall. With two children in the house, the need to appear as stoic and invincible as she was perceived to be was completely paramount. Boys were protective of their mothers by way of a natural instinct, and with two came double the need and double the worry. But here - and in this room, no less - Lucy felt the quick freedom that came with being able to take the proposed armour off. It was nice to feel quiet.

In a way, it was a false sense of security, built upon further by the simple fact that l Penny kissed her. Lucy felt herself beckoned away a touch; to move out of the current proximity and fall into an opposing seat instead. Where she could be close, but not so intertwined by way of where she planted her feet.

Words couldn't brush her lips for a second more, because although she didn't move to the side, she did draw her face away. Her back straightened on instinct with the most obvious tension, and her jaw was cut raw by now she clenched her teeth so tightly. It only put a falter to her hand briefly, because a second later, she was running it through her hair again.

"Yes I can." Lucy replied, her tone carrying some of that residual tension. Still, she had truth on her side to the literal idea that she couldn't quit, and that gave her pressing confidence.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny knew there was no easy way for this conversation to happen. Laughing only moments before, the sudden tension Lucy wore was expected, but still irksome all the same. Just as was the way she drew herself away from the Brit. A wave of tension flashed across her own features as she stared back at the ink manipulator, gaze flicking down to the sign of pressure along her jaw before meeting those dark eyes once again.

Contact always provided comfort, so when familiar fingers worked though her hair, Penny lost the hardened tones that took over her features. It was practically unfair how she had such an effect over her. Still, she refused to let it cloud her mind. The need to speak was paramount, especially as Lucy argued in the most basic way she could.

Her lips pressed together briefly as she exhaled a slow burning breath. Now that the subject was open for discussion, she couldn't hold back, but that certainly didn't mean moving forward would prove easy, either.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy never liked to be so obviously readable. She preferred some kind of subtlety to her own features; to appear as if nothing could crack the surface and breach the proverbial mould. Though she was incredibly used to - and often grateful for - her love's ability to catch every morsel between the lines she offered, this was one of the instances where she wished it wasn't so simplistic. But how did anyone hide anything from the person they shared every inch of life with?

They didn't hide things. She had every right, then, to be upset about the fact that something was missing in the lines of communication between them.

Both hands pressed to either side of her face, then. To catch her attention and properly maintain it. To prove she didn't have the thought to move, but she had the right to react. "I haven't done anything." Lucy countered, simply. As if the situation could ever be deemed as simple.

"It's..." And this was delicate, so she had to consider the appropriate offering; "Just a thought."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy took Penny's cheeks in the palm of her hand, and the Brit felt the urge to close her eyes, yet as she glanced up to the ink manipulator, her attention was completely caught. Once she caught a glance, it was hard to look away. Even as part of her wished to hide her face, Lucy had all of her focus. Hurt radiated in her eyes, only growing at the response her wife offered her.

Because as much as she might have wished it to be, it wasn't that simple. Her lips pressed together tightly as she inhaled, trying to find the means to offer a calculated response, yet as the ink manipulator continued, she struggled.

Her fingers curled lightly around each of Lucy's wrists, but she didn't make an effort to pull them away. Instead, she let them rest lightly there. That contact was needed, because she knew exactly how she'd sound as she parted her lips.

"You have done something." Her voice still remained low as her breath wavered. "You started planning, whether you meant to or not. That takes more than just a thought."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy could never be mad at the fact that her love could see things that weren't meant for her. She had tried her absolute best to keep contact at a minimum, but that was literally impossible. She tried to keep her thoughts as bare basic as she could, but that was also impossible. These were things the Australian knew already, but she still hadn't considered how to deal with the conflict before them.

And she certainly didn't know how to let go.

The only thing that could deter Lucy's hands were hers; a single indicator that she didn't want that contact and the ink manipulator would have likely pulled away. But she seemed to work with the affection, so Lucy didn't move. Not even when she spoke. Or rather, accused.

"I didn't quit." She replied quickly. As if quitting a career could be so easy. Especially one so interlocked to her everyday life. "I wouldn't do it unless we talked about it first, so stop."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It wasn’t uncommon for Penny to find herself on a different page as her wife. It was part of who they were, and in a strange way, how they worked so wonderfully together. This time around, Penny wished she could follow the way Lucy thought. Wished she herself could easily accept it.

Because when Lucy spoke, Penny finally closed her eyes. She kept them squeezed shut through a breath that came out more frustrated than anything else. No, she hadn’t quit just yet, but she also hadn’t told Penny of her thoughts yet, either.

“Then if you feel so strongly about it why didn’t you talk to me?” She asked in turn, having trouble simply stopping at her love’s request. Although she didn’t force Lucy’s hands away, her own dropped onto her lap.