Skin New, Hands True

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy was adamant that she was going to stick to the plan. Valentine’s day was a day – one made stupider by the proposed holiday placed on it. February 14th meant nothing to the Australian. It just made her want to stay away from the rest of the world, who seemed to be obsessed by the aforementioned stupidity placed upon it.

They’d both agreed not to see each other. It meant Lucy didn’t hang around the night before. She didn’t stay over. She didn’t even communicate with her by any means. She spent her day killing strangers online. It kept her mind busy. But she wasn’t sure if it was easier or more difficult to know that Penny hadn’t tried to contact her either. She was still trying to figure that part out.

When it got late, to the point where it was near midnight, the inconsistent twitch Lucy felt in her fingers had grown more pertinent. She was bored with this already. And the closer the time dragged towards midnight, the more she started to entertain the idea of visiting anyway. Because she wanted to see her. To be obnoxious. To prove she could meticulously keep to the Brit’s schedule. She said no contact on the day itself, and Lucy agreed. But the day was almost over.

She’d wandered the hallway of the girl’s dorm for the last few minutes, checking the time after what felt like an eternity. Really, it was only a few seconds. The lack of a change in the primary numbers just irritated her further.

Still, when it clicked onto 11:59pm, she watched the door for a small amount of time. She wondered if she was alone in this thought; this almost incoherent need to see the day out and be there for the next. Had she been thinking with a sound mind, she likely would have thought she was just as stupid as the day she hated. But she had reasoning on her side. Penny said she’d see her on Saturday.

And it had to be Saturday by now.

Finally pressing forward, Lucy made her way through the vacant common area and to the usual door in question. When it finally opened, which felt like an eternity within itself, Lucy caught sight of her. She took an involuntary breath, and smiled.

“Day’s over.”

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It was just another day; February 14th meant nothing to the Brit. She had never understood the holiday, nor did she ever plan on trying to understand it. If someone truly loved another, then why would they need a single day to celebrate it? By no means was Penelope an expert on love, but she always felt like it should be shown every day instead of once a year.

So, she was spending her day like she would any other day. Tea. Books. Notepad and pen. Classical music. But something was missing.

She couldn’t believe it, but Lucy Serrano had become part of Penny’s daily routine. Not seeing the Australian was strangely irritating, and the fact that it bothered Penny was even more so.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the Brit glanced at the clock on her desk. 11:58. She placed the cap on her pen before setting it down, pushing herself from the desk. Although it was late, Penelope felt no desire to sleep in a bed alone for a second night. She was restless.

As she stood, there was a knocking at her door. Instinctively, the psychometrist looked again the clock just as the next minute struck.

11:59.

Without a word, Penny made her way to the door, opening it. Immediately, she felt her features soften, a smile pulling at her lips. She raised an eyebrow at the statement, her smile involuntarily growing at it. The day wasn’t over.

“It’s 11:59.” Penny stated factually. She couldn’t help herself to correct others. It was a habit the Brit couldn’t drop. Had she more time to think about it before she responded, she likely would have chosen to remain silent.

Still, she swung her door open fully to let the Australian in.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

When Lucy first caught sight of her, she knew she couldn't control the way she reacted. She was aware of it by now, but at least she didn't have to work to hide such a thing. No one was around. It was okay. Her gaze quickly flicked down to the smile on Penny's mouth, watching it grow in time.

But confusion settled in her dark eyes as she caught her gaze again. What?

"No the fuck it isn't." Lucy retorted, just as factually. She even made a point of procuring her phone from her back pocket and double checking it. To further prove her point, she held the little device out for her eyes to see. By the Australian's standards, it was midnight.

But by hers, it wasn't.

"Fine, whatever." She said quietly, her eyes narrowing on her British counterpart; "I'll see you in a minute."

And with that, she took hold of the door handle and moved to close it in front of her own face. Penny had a penchant for correcting people, yes. The kind she evidently couldn't deny. Well, Lucy was stubborn. And that was a trait she couldn't turn her back on either.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

As the words left her mouth, Penny knew she regretted saying them. She would have much rather had just let Lucy in and never made mention at the time, but she couldn't stop herself from correcting the Australian. Especially when she knew she was right.

At the sight of Lucy's phone, Penny raised an eyebrow, before gesturing to the digital clock by her bed. It was set to satellite time, so by her standards it wasn't midnight yet. Penny felt her features soften as Lucy's eyes narrowed on her. Penelope found it hard to take Lucy's look seriously; it honestly just made Penny want to pull her inside.

“You don't--” The door closed, and Penny stood looking at it, her eyes wide from the action. Did she really just do that? “Lucy.” The psychometrist reached for the handle, pulling the door back open. This time, it was her turn for her eyes to narrow on her counterpart.

“Get in.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy very briefly entertained the aforementioned digital clock with a glance. Okay, fine. So they were on different times. What separated them? Likely mere seconds, but if she wanted to turn it into a thing, Lucy was going to comply with that thing. She couldn't help herself either.

Closing the door entirely, Lucy glanced to either side before back to the thing in front of her again. She wondered how long she'd actually have to wait - what constituted a minute? Was she supposed to wait a full minute, or a few seconds and take a chance on getting the time right? Were she not so committed to the concept, she might have felt a bit stupid.

She heard her name uttered, and the corner of her mouth twitched into a knowing smile.

Seconds later, surprise coloured her dark eyes as the door was opened. As much as she tried to look nonchalant, she was clearly glad Penny had made such a decision. She felt familiar eyes narrow on her form, and she took a quick breath at the verbal command.

Or was it a demand.

"Make me." Lucy retorted, glancing at the digital clock again. "Since apparently it's not midnight."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penelope found herself surprised that she had opened the door just as much as Lucy had. Thirty seconds or so wasn't that long to wait, was it? She took in a breath as her eyes settled on Lucy. It was too long.

It hadn't been lost on her that Lucy was glad she gave in; it was a rarity for the Brit to ever do so. “Apparently it is.” she stated firmly, gesturing to the phone in her hand. She would sooner admit that Lucy was right than admit that she couldn't stand the idea of waiting mere seconds to see the person waiting on the other side of her door.

Penny's lips pressed into a hard line at the Australian in her doorway. She reached forward, curling her fingers into the fabric of Lucy's shirt before giving it a forceful tug towards her. She would make her. The moment she got the ink manipulator through the door, Penny closed it shut a bit more forcefully than needed. She kept her grip on the shirt as she brought her other hand up, nails running along her collarbone until resting behind the Australian's neck and pulling her into a kiss.

Thirty hours was far too long to go without seeing her.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"Apparently you're the boss, so." Lucy twisted her mouth into an amused grin that she tried her best to stifle. Really, she had made a point of correcting Lucy in the first place - why would she assume the Brit would admit she might be right?

But she couldn't hide the smirk on her features when she watched familiar fingers coil around the fabric of her clothes, forcibly pulling her into the room. Not that she needed to use much force; Lucy moved willingly with her. She heard the door close behind her, a little louder than she initially expected, but she let the thought slide.

Lucy drew in a slow breath when her nails trailed across her skin, and she moved to kiss her in the same motion that she was pulled in. Idly, Lucy had to wonder if the distance had even been worth it. If they both felt nothing for the proposed holiday, why did the day even matter? She curled her fingers into the fabric of Penny's clothes at her hips, pulling her in close as she pressed herself back against the door.

It had been too long, and she wanted to feel her within such dangerous proximity. The kind she often lost herself to. Slowly, she drawled herself away, but the distance was minimal. She couldn't afford to pull away too far. She didn't want to.

"Miss me?" The Australian asked, raising her eyebrows at her own question. Despite the humour she could have injected, she chose to pose the question to her counterpart a little more seriously.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

She felt her lips pull up into a small grin. “Am I?” It wasn't as much of a question as it really was an agreement to a fact made. She was the boss.

The familiar feeling of Lucy's lips against her own still made the Brit's heart pound. Her breath staggered as Penny felt Lucy pull at the material of her pajama shorts, and she allowed herself to be pulled towards the door. She pressed herself against the ink manipulator once her back hit the door, sliding a leg between Lucy's. Anything to get closer.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she felt Lucy pull away, but she used the opportunity to attempt to even out her breathing. From the little contact, Penny already felt out of breath. She could never control it around the Australian.

Penny sucked in another quick breath at the posed question. This time because she was thrown off guard rather than actually needing another breath. Her eyebrows rose as she looked back at her counterpart. It was clear that Lucy wasn't posing the question as a joke, and her the serious tone within it caused the Brit to feel a need to respond immediately. Without hesitation.

“Yes.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"Apparently." Lucy replied sharply to her statement. She'd never offer a positive or negative to something like that. It was too easy for her.

It was impossible not to get caught up in her completely. The way her breathing faltered at a mere touch or pull; Lucy wanted her closer and evidently, she wanted that just as badly. A day might as well have been a week - she was suddenly reminded of the last time there was forced distance. An actually week. And despite how that encounter had gone, for some initial moments it was undeniably essential.

At any rate, the proximity was intoxicating. She almost faltered in any attempt to draw away from her. Despite the way her mind wished her to speak, her body betrayed that concept. Her hands grazed across the psychometrist's form, slipping underneath the hem of her shirt to trail across her back slowly. Attentively.

Further contrast; Lucy didn't want her to even out her breathing. She could register the way Penny was trying to level each inhale and exhale, but the accentuated rise and fall of her chest defied her. As did her erratic heartbeat. Which at such close range was already being matched by that of the Australian's.

The immediate admission caught Lucy by surprise, pulling her in. She leaned into the Brit's neck, pressing her lips to the exposed skin and lingering as long as she could. But her heated breath betrayed her.

"I missed you." The ink manipulator admitted, the tip of her nose travelling across her neck as she brought her smirking lips to her ear. "Like woah."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny couldn't stop herself from tilting her head back the moment Lucy pressed her lips to her neck; her teeth sunk into the bottom her lip as she felt her breath against her skin. Instinctively, she further pressed herself against the Australian, nails digging into her side in an attempt to keep herself in the slightest bit of control, even if any concept of it was quickly diminishing as Lucy's fingers slipped under her shirt.

Her own hand pulled the fabric at Lucy's waist, before traveling down to the Australian's thigh, nails running along the skin Lucy's shorts left uncovered. The Brit couldn't help but to be thankful that her ink manipulator wasn't wearing jeans.

The response drew a long, uneven breath out of Penny. She was sure that Lucy would be able to feel her heart pounding. Her lips pressed into a hard line as she felt Lucy's breath on her ear, but what was spoken caused the Brit to raise her eyebrows. She knew exactly why the Australian had said it, and she could practically feel her smirk against her skin. “Really?”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It was irrelevant; to try to ignore the way Penny held herself closer, pressing on as if the distance between them was worth arguing against. She hadn't felt her presence in what felt like far too long, so any attempt was welcome. Necessary. She couldn't ignore the desire to smile as she felt familiar nails digging into her side. She understood the need from her counterpart - how could she not? She felt it too. But she wasn't done.

She felt her breath uncontrollably catch in her throat when she ran her nails across the ink manipulator's thighs. She was impossible. When she wanted something, just... Undeniable. Irresistible. It was as irritating at times as it was enthralling.

Penny's breathing forced her heart to beat faster. This was ridiculous - she almost abandoned the things she wanted to say then and there. But she didn't. Not yet. Not until she couldn't.

Lucy exhaled a low chuckle against her neck at her response. The question that really, wasn't a question at all. But her accent did so wrap the word to perfection. Running her hands across the psychometrist's back, she deterred from her desire to touch so much of her skin in order to press her hands to her sides, slowly forcing her backwards. Away from the door and towards her bed. "Yeah, really." She retorted quietly, her nose crinkling at the conviction.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny found it harder to breathe as Lucy continued. Any time attempt to even it out would have been futile, but the thought of trying to never crossed the Brit's mind. She was too focused on her breathing; as she heard – felt – it hitch, Penelope couldn't help but to grin. To know she wanted it. Wanted her.

A soft moan came from Penny's lips as she felt Lucy's hands run across her back. Even the simple action was enough to draw a strong response from the psychometrist. It hadn't mattered if it had been a week or a day, it felt like it had been too long. It was concerning, how unusual it felt to not have the Australian around, but Penny forced the thoughts to the back of her mind for later. It was still impossible to grasp the severity of it, especially when she had such a distraction in her room.

Penny stepped back with knowing steps; it wasn't the first time she had been lead backwards to her bed by the ink manipulator, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. At Lucy's response, Penny pulled her head back, opening her eyes to catch the ink manipulator's dark ones. An amused smile pulled at her lips as she crinkled her nose. “Like woah.” she repeated back slowly before laughing lightly. The words felt strange leaving her lips, yet the sounded perfect coming from the Australian's. Penny had missed her, “A lot.” she corrected herself.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy struggled to maintain her composure when she heard the familiar, involuntary sound drop from her counterpart's mouth. It made her that much more difficult to deny, and briefly caused Lucy's hands to falter in their progression. It was unfair. She was being unfair. She wasn't even sure how, but she was just sure she was.

Still, she caught her gaze with purpose, her attention only briefly dropping to her lips to take in the sight of the amused smile she wore.

Pressing her lips into a line, Lucy tried her absolute best not to laugh in any capacity at the way the words sounded when she tried to repeat them. But something about her laughter was infectious; almost as difficult to ignore as the other audible sound she'd offered. The correction had the Australian nodding her head slightly, not because one sounded better than the other coming from her, but because she understood the sentiment. She agreed to it.

Once she'd hit the bed, Lucy pulled her hands away, choosing to instead press them to either side of her face. "Do you really think it was worth it?" She asked curiously. As if she didn't have an answer. And as much as she wanted to run with such derivative passion, she felt the concept boiling down to something else. So when she kissed her again, she offered intention of a different kind; to prove a point. Maybe it was a bad decision to avoid her for more than a day. As if she'd finally found something worth regretting.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penelope didn’t laugh often; usually any sign of amusement from the Brit resulted in a small smirk or a short exhale of breath. Yet the phrase was so awkward coming from her lips that she couldn’t help it but to laugh at it, and as Lucy did so as well, her smile grew. She liked her laugh.

As she hit the bed, Penny wrapped her arms fully around Lucy, pulling her in tightly. She leaned into the familiar hands as they pressed to her face, her hands travelling downward to work on the button of Lucy’s shorts. She had just managed to unbutton them as Lucy spoke.

Penny hadn’t expected the question, and her eyebrows rose slightly as she was thrown off guard by it, her hands pausing in the act. The question had a certain weight to it, one that Penny wasn’t sure if she was ready to handle. She knew the answer she wanted to give, but the words caught in her throat. She shouldn’t. Not yet.

So when Lucy kissed her, Penelope reciprocated the action without missing a beat. She didn’t verbally respond, but she couldn’t help but to think her answer had shown through the action, regardless of if she wanted it to or not. Her grip on the Australian loosened. Nails that earlier dug into skin moved upward, gently tracing across her back and along her figure before gently along her thighs. She took a more gentle turn in kissing her counterpart, although every bit of intention remained within it. She wasn’t going to say it, but she felt it.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Truthfully, when the question left her lips, Lucy didn't know what she was asking. She didn't understand the weight behind the words her mind had chosen. Was it really worth it. The distance. Technologically. Communicatively. Physically.

She searched her expression for the answer when her hands faltered. Was the loss worth the gain? Was the point really proven? If a day's meaning didn't matter, then why act like it was meaningful? Under the strength of that realisation, the unfamiliar touch of regret started to play into the back of her mind. There was something more behind this. She knew that. But what it was was completely lost on her.

And she couldn't think. Not properly. Not with this girl's hands gently traversing the contours of her own form. Like she'd never touched her before. Not when she was being kissed like this.

She felt the answer. She was sure of it. That unfamiliar touch of regret, shared. Subsequently soothed by the gentle connotations of her actions. Lucy exhaled any and all tension she was carrying. Her hands trailed back to the line of her shirt, ducking underneath the fabric and wrapping around her willingly. For whatever reason - that reason she couldn't hope to find yet - the ink manipulator felt her heart beat erratically shift. Quicken. Uncontrollably so, like whatever read she thought she was getting from the psychometrist was so dangerously imperative that she knew she shouldn't lose herself to it.

But she wanted to. So she kissed her as genuinely as she knew how to. She pulled slowly at the clothes she wore instead of working with underived aggression and possession. She wanted to remember. This. Her. Everything was worth savouring.