You Left Your Mark on Me (Penny)

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Feeling the proverbial shift in proximity, Lucy struggled with the fact that Penny was now inches from her. She couldn’t help the way she briefly glanced down at her mouth before back to her eyes again. She was listening, really. She made a point of maintaining eye contact after that fact to prove it.

“Don’t try to tell me what was there. You don’t know.” It felt impossible to deter her from the fact; there was no easy way to explain herself. To make her understand where she was and what she was thinking. This was too confusing for Lucy to get a decent handle on. She felt like she was flying blind - throwing out statements and hoping something stuck. “Yeah, okay. I think about sex with you. When I’m with you or when I’m not. Why the fuck wouldn’t I think about that?”

She felt her hands twitch, and she raised one to reach out towards her. But halfway, the Australian lost her nerve and wrapped the hand around her opposite arm, fingers trailing across the sleeve of her jacket before settling on a hold. “But I think about you too.” She took a small, almost insignificant moment before she pressed her lips into a line and started again. No time to stall. No time to give her a chance to breathe.

“You don't think there’s something else here?” Finally breaching the distance, Lucy sought her hand quickly, her eyes refusing to waver – even with the sudden contact. “Every time I touch you I-” Pausing, she made a point of trailing her fingertips up the line of her arm slowly. “I want more.” Exhaling a forced breath, Lucy made the move to pull her hand back, “Look me in the eye right now and tell me you’re not bloody well feeling it too.”

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It hadn’t been lost on the Brit that Lucy glanced downward, and she couldn’t stop a small smirk from tugging at her lips. It was a natural response when she realized that she had captured the Australian’s attention. Yet, she had quickly forced her lips back into a hard line.

She had a point to prove.

Penny almost backed away at the statement. It was true, she didn’t know. She wasn’t there – or really, she wasn’t physically there – to know. But she knew she felt something, and her chat with the purple haired girl had not helped.

The Brit raised her eyebrows. There were plenty of reasons to not think about it, in Penny’s opinion, but she held her tongue to keep herself from sounding like a hypocrite. It wasn’t like her own thoughts were completely clean when it came to the ink manipulator.

She watched as Lucy raised her hand, and involuntarily leaned in towards her, desiring the contact. Penny felt her jaw clench when she was denied it.

There wasn’t time for her to interject, and her breathing faltered just slightly as she a familiar hand take her own. As much as she wanted to look down, she kept her eyes on the Australian.

As Lucy spoke, Penny’s expression softened, the anger dissipating from her body. Her dark eyes remained connected with Lucy’s; she let out a slow, slightly wavering breath. "I do feel it."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The way her expression softened made Lucy wish she hadn’t pulled away as she did. As it stood, she rested her hands to her own sides, keeping them still. Steady. Lucy exhaled, offering an involuntary smile at the reciprocation. She hadn’t realised how much pressure she’d put into her own words until they were given back to her.

It did nothing to quieten her need to reach out again. Minimal contact only did so much to soothe the desire. As she’d said; once she touched her, she wanted more. It was always so hard to stop.

She curled her fingernails into her own arms to keep them from twitching.

“Then why the fuck are you jealous?” Lucy asked first, as lightly as possible given her need to swear.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny’s fingers twitched as Lucy pulled away. The simple contact was enough of a tease for the Brit to not want to let go. Naturally, she wanted to reach out for the ink manipulator.

Admittance that there was something between the pair provided Penny with a small amount of comfort, yet it was somehow unsettling. She hadn’t admitted she felt anything of the sort until that moment, and the realization was—she didn’t know how to respond to it.

She hadn’t been expecting the question again, and once again Penny found confusion taking over her features. She pursed her lips. The answer she gave was reasonable, was it not?

After a moment, she reached out, giving into the desire to touch her counterpart by tracing her fingers along the other’s and down to her hand. “I don’t know,” she said honestly, “I just—I saw her in the gym and I got unreasonably angry. I can’t explain it. “And when she said you snored, I got even angrier. So I argued it."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy took in a slow, steady breath when Penny touched her. But her eyes didn’t waver. She knew she had to listen to the answer – as much as she tried to understand the rest, she assumed newfound details between them would make the answer shift.

But she just raised her eyebrows at the notion of her apparent snoring. She’d already been told before that such a thing was fabled. Though, she’d only spent one night sleeping beside Dom.

Lucy felt the smallest surge of frustration. She wanted to argue that it didn’t matter what anyone else said. Not really. Or rather, it shouldn’t have. But that felt too… Open. Lucy had assumed it was a given, but evidently that wasn’t so. But she let it simmer down in its own time. Unfurling her arms, she caught Penny’s hand in her own when she seemed to ask for it.

The jealousy was unsettling. Not because it was threatening or dangerous. There was something else about it. It was hot. And that didn't help the fact that she was already such a distraction.

“Listen.” The ink manipulator started, “You’re not my girlfriend.” She knew the reiteration never settled properly, but it put her mind at ease. Penny wasn’t her girlfriend. She didn’t love her. Whether she would or could didn’t matter. “But you’re not a game to me. Do you understand that? If you wanna talk, talk. If I wanna answer, I’ll answer.”

Pausing briefly, Lucy again felt the underlying urge to lean in. This conversation could be over so easily. Unconsciously, she felt herself drawn forward; “That’s what you want, right?”

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

She wished she wasn’t jealous. It made her question too much to know that she was. It wasn’t logical to be jealous. To hate a girl she barely knew simply because she implied that she slept with Lucy.

Penny closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly at the statement. It was so obvious it shouldn’t need to be pointed out. Knowing it was oddly comforting. They weren’t committed to each other in any way. But something about hearing it said aloud felt like a physical blow. The Brit tried her best to mask any sign of pain.

She opened her eyes as Lucy continued, her fingers lacing between Lucy’s. She wasn’t her girlfriend, but she wasn’t a game, either. An involuntary smile crossed her lips.

She was highly aware of just how close Lucy was to herself, and her fingers tightened around the Australian’s when she caught on to her leaning inward. “I don’t know what I want,” she said finally, slowly as she thought over the words, “I just want you." Her tone was low. Honest. Somehow not defining them or having a set of rules made it easier to handle.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The response she offered did nothing but confuse the Australian even more. It wasn’t the answer she expected. If nothing else, it just made everything more difficult. She was trying to prove a point here, but she could barely remember what that was any more.

“You said-” Lucy started, immediately running her tongue between her lips in the break. She wanted to argue that.

But the words she’d used were in a loop in her head.

Breaching the minimal distance between them, Lucy kissed her lightly. Briefly. She hoped it’d subside whatever those words had done to her shifting heartbeat. But she was wrong.

“I believe you.” The ink manipulator replied in time, “If you want something, take it.”

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It was a confusing matter. Penny couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She knew what she said, and how she ended up ultimately taking it back. It didn’t surprise her that Lucy called her out, but she was thankful the Australian didn’t continue. She didn’t want to have to explain because she was just as confused as her counterpart.

As Penny felt Lucy's lips against her own, she kissed her back without a moment's hesitation. Even if it was light, it still made her chest tighten. When she pulled away, Penny resisted the urge to follow.

The psychometist kept her eyes locked on Lucy as she lifted her hand, sliding it to the Australian’s neck, her thumb gently tracing along Lucy’s cheek. She opened her mouth to speak, feeling like she should say something in response, but words failed her. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed Lucy again.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy stared back at her, revelling in the contact offered. The subtle touch of her thumb gliding across her skin; the stability of the familiar hand curled around her neck. The Australian was searching for something. The light of recognition to her own statement. A response, negative or positive.

Did she even realise the magnitude of what she'd said?

Her gaze wavered long enough to see her jaw drop open, lips parting and willing significant words to flow. It was difficult to know why - or how - but in that moment, Lucy leaned forward too. She caught her in the act with every intention of being the one who kissed her. But it was different. As much as Lucy loved to kiss her with every ounce of overwhelming desire she carried, she held back.

It felt different.

She didn't force herself against the psychometrist. She offered heated intention of a different kind, forgoing the usual passionate sparks for something more definitive. Meaningful. Her hands traversed the line of her form, circling around her waist and leading herself closer with an almost delicate purpose.

Lucy drew herself away momentarily - the distance minimal. She could feel her breath against her skin, but for the briefest of moments she opened her dark eyes and looked at her. For her. Appreciative eyes drinking her in with a lingering glance.

It was different.