Time Warp: Branded

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

October, 2025

It all started weeks ago. Or rather, it started up again.

In the time Lucy had been with Penny, she'd constantly worked to convince her that tattoos were a good thing. She carried a preconceived notion of what they meant for a person - she judged them for it. Lucy knew that at some point, she became the exception to the rule. And then the thing that broke the rule. She used to joke that she wouldn't marry the psychometrist until she let her set a needle to her skin. Even that empty threat didn't make her waver.

Eventually she got Penny to the point where she said she might, if she found something fitting enough. Might was a cautious word with the Brit.

Sometime in September, Lucy came home with a new tattoo. A perfectly tattooed band around her finger, the word inevitable inscribed between the clear lines. She hadn't said anything about it. She made a point of keeping it to herself, really. But within the hour of being home, Penny caught sight of it. Evidently, she was acutely aware of the changes to the ink manipulator's body.

Her reaction set events in motion.

It wasn't abnormal for Lucy to ask her to visit her at work, so there wasn't anything strange about that. As soon as her dark eyes caught sight of the face of her beloved, she instantly smiled. But she took a second to compose herself before she gave anything away.

She was nervous.

"Hey," She started, raising her eyebrows once as she breached the distance towards them. She hadn't seen her for hours - it made it even more difficult to stay away. "Come back for a bit."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It hadn't taken long for Penelope to notice the tattoo on her wife's ring finger. She easily picked up on differences in her counterparts body quite easily; the ink manipulator couldn't hide such a thing for long. Still, Penny couldn't help but to find it quite endearing. That was Lucy-esque romance for you, and Penny loved every bit of it.

Still, it would have to take a lot of convincing for Penny to get a tattoo. Honestly, over the years she had become more and more open to the idea. There was now a twenty-three percent chance she'd get one, which quite an improvement to her attitude about them years ago.

When Penny walked into the shop, she hadn't thought anything strange of it. It was the only way Penny could really visit Lucy when she was working, seeing as the Brit wasn't allowed anywhere near the studio. Immediately, she caught sight of her smiling counterpart, and a smile spread across her own lips.

When Lucy approached her, she reached out for the Australian's hand. Even if it had only been a few hours, Penelope couldn't help but to do so. It was inevitable for her to keep to herself when she was around.

“Hey,” Again, she didn't think anything strange of the idea of going back with Lucy. She didn't verbally respond, but instead just lightly ran a thumb over her love's hand.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy understood the weight of that twenty-three percent chance she had to get her wife inked up. It was a lot better than where she started; one percent. Because she had to offer some leeway, as being one hundred percent sure of anything was illogical.

The Australian allowed her hand to be taken, offering a small squeeze. Not for reassurance, really. Just for the fact that it was always what she did.

Lucy waited the obligatory extra second before she gave her counterpart's hand a small tug, leading her back past the counter. "Ivy's a wreck. Got so bloody sloshed last night she's still sleeping it off." Instinctively, she indicated up. The older meta still lived above the shop. A decade passes, and some things never change.

"I got a super quick appointment like..." She glanced at a nearby clock, her eyebrows furrowing as she fell back into the seat at one of the stations; "Soon." She grinned to herself at her choice in a word. Her measurement of time compared to the articulate details the psychometrist would have offered; "You don't mind?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny allowed Lucy to lead her out back; she never fought it when the Australian did so. As Lucy pointed upward, Penny's gaze followed her finger, eyebrows raised. “Ah.” she said after a moment before her eyes dropped down to her wife. How somebody could justify drinking that much was beyond the Brit, then again, she had taken care of both her beloved and best friend when they were in similar states...more than once. At least she could safely say she had never done so.

Even as Lucy sat, Penny kept hold of her hand. She pulled at her counterpart's hand, lifting it up and bringing her lips to it. She offered a light kiss across her fingers.

“Alright,” she said softly, lips grazing the Australian's skin as she spoke. She found herself glancing at the nearby clock as Lucy spoke, her eyebrow twitching upward at the ink manipulator's word choice. “How soon is soon?” she immediately questioned. She couldn't help it, Penny always was very specific when it came to time, even when her counterpart wasn't.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy allowed her hand to be moved when her counterpart so requested it of her. Her gaze followed the line, watching the way Penny brushed her lips across the ink manipulator's fingers. Good. It was a good thing. It put her at ease. And given what she was going to try to accomplish, that was definitely necessary.

She took a slow breath as Penny agreed; partly for what it meant was next, and partly because she could still feel her lips against her skin. How soon was soon. The question had her raising her eyebrows.

Nope. She could do this. She totally had this.

"Now, I reckon." Lucy started, her dark eyes turning their attention to the equally dark eyes of her wife. "Sit." She indicated to the tattoo chair with a sharp tilt of her head. "My appointment's with you."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

When Lucy spoke, Penny's eyebrows knitted together in a slight confusion, but just as the Australian told her to sit, her eyes widened and she realized what her wife was up to. Her back straightened as she stood there, making no effort to move towards the chair. She pulled Lucy's hand from her lips, but kept hold of it nonetheless. “No. No way.” Penny shook her head as she spoke, trying to emphasize the statement as best she could.

She had been thrown off guard. This was the type of thing you plan for. One just didn't get a tattoo on a whim. “I don't even know what I want.” she offered as a quick excuse. She wasn't prepared for this. “I didn't make an appointment.”

Penny's lips pressed into a hard line as she stared back at Lucy. The way she looked back at Penny made the psychometrist suck in a short breath, eyebrows rising. “No.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It was pretty much the reaction Lucy expected from her wife. But really, had she tried to set such a thing up with communicative detailed planning, she would have gotten the same response anyway. As much as Lucy knew Penny struggled to get on board with certain plans, this wasn't a spur of the moment call. Not for her. She offered a small squeeze with her hand, reassurance in her eyes.

She listened to the succession of excuses, opting not to speak at the time. Whatever she needed to say needed to be said before Lucy could press forward with this.

At the final response - the emphasised denial she once again offered - Lucy exhaled a short sigh. She made no move to turn away from her, nor did she bother to look away. "Okay. Technically, I made your appointment." Lucy started, nodding once to add strength to the point. "And I know what you're getting. It'll be quick. Fifteen minutes at the most, alright?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Even as she felt Lucy's hand reassuringly squeeze her own, it did little to ease the Brit. The act had made her instinctively run her thumb over Lucy's, and she did find comfort from it physical action, but her wife had just told her that she was going to tattoo her. Penelope Blaise. Tattooed. Lucy was the only one crazy enough to attempt it.

She was also the only one crazy enough to marry the psychometrist.

Her lips pursed at Lucy's explanation of the appointment. It was a logical response, one that the Brit very much didn't like because it was logical. “Do you make a habit of not informing those you make appointments with?” she asked.

“How do you know how long it's going to take if I haven't decided what I wanted?” she knew the answer to her question as it left her lips, to which she sucked in a breath, eyebrows knitting together as she paused a second. “What do you have planned?”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

If nothing else, Lucy knew it was a good sign to feel the familiar, therapudic way her thumb ran across her own. It was a start. She knew it was something. And something was better than nothing, so she made a point of holding onto her hand, and she wasn't about to let go.

Lucy immediately grinned at the question posed to her. "Just the people I'm having mind blowing sex with." She replied; matter-of-factly, without missing a beat.

"I know how long it takes to tattoo a finger." Lucy pointed out, well aware that this was the first time she was addressing the unasked question of where. Still, she took note of the way she took a quick breath, so she drew her hand towards her mouth and brushed her lips to the back of it delicately. Once. Twice. Lingering on the third before she spoke; "Like woah."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

“You want to tattoo my finger?” Penny was already shaking her head. “We’ve already gone over this. I don’t want anyone to be able to see it.” She stated sternly, “except you.”

She caught sight of that grin, and her wife didn’t even have to speak for Penny to know that she was going to say something wise. “Then make an appointment with Sawyer.” It was an attempted joke, not at all Penny’s brand of humor, but she tried nonetheless, partially to get out of this situation.

Penny let her hand be pulled to Lucy’s mouth, and as she felt the Australian’s lips brush the back of it, and she tried to hide the involuntary smile that pulled at her lips. No. She wasn’t giving in. No.

As Lucy spoke, she felt the two syllables against her skin. Her lips pursed together as she let out another breath. “Like woah what?” she asked out of frustration, knowing well enough how Lucy used it by now, and it didn’t make sense in the context—

Wait.

Her eyes widened. “Why? It doesn’t even make sense.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

At Penny's attempt at humour, Lucy offered something of a short, dry laugh. It was always endearing when she tried. Lucy resisted the urge to seriously point out that she didn't need anyone else, but she knew that was proven already. Despite how much she loved it, she wouldn't indulge in the possessive nature of her newly acquired wife.

She watched the way in which Penny smiled involuntary as she kissed the back of her hand, knowing she was making at least some progress here. She had this. She knew she could do this. Even if it took a spare moment for Penny to piece everything together, her confidence in this near-fact didn't waver.

"As if we ever made sense." She finally offered the verbal response lightly. She wasn't snapping - her Australian was being just as factual as she always was. "I'll hide it every morning if that's what you want. And every time you come back home to me, I'll set it back where it belongs."

Slowly, Lucy drew the hand away from her mouth, fixing her gaze to that of the psychometrist. "If that's what you want, that's what I'll give you." And if it wasn't, that was perfectly alright with her too.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy seemed to have an answer for everything. A logical answer for everything. Even as she explained that they never made sense was, in its own way, endearing. As much as Penny hated to admit it, she liked that comparison. It made sense, even if they didn’t. She couldn’t argue about hiding it if Lucy had the ability to do so, and her eyes narrowed upon the realization of it.

Her wife had been thinking this over for a while. Penny knew that she’d have an answer for everything, because she knew Penny would give every reason not to get it done. Her confidence conveyed in each answer was starting to get to Penny. She was starting to doubt there was a question she could ask that the Australian wasn’t prepared for.

“…Is it going to hurt?”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy honestly expected to have to keep at this for a while longer. The next question offered to her seemed to throw her for a brief moment before her eyes widened. Was she serious?

The Australian almost immediately stood up, freeing her hand from the psychometrist's before she deftly ran her hands across her form; around her waist as she drew her through the minimal distance between them. And she kissed her with as much conviction as she could offer. Because this was happening.

She finally pulled away to actually offer an answer. "Yes, love." Lucy breathed against her lips. Though she offered the reply lightly; "They always do. But this one won't be too bad." And she knew the Brit would trust her on that.

"I'll make it up to you." She added. Not as a question, but a statement. She offered her another imperative kiss - the kind that spoke volumes when she couldn't. The kind she'd offered when they decided to elope instead; if she could really show her appreciation in that moment, she would have.

In the next moment, she moved her hands to Penny's shoulders and gently eased her into the chair. "Don't be so nervous. I'll make it perfect." She added slowly. Purposefully; "Inevitable. Like woah."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy's excitement was, in Penny's opinion, rather endearing. Cute, in her own way. Even given the situation her wife had put her in, the Brit couldn't help but to smile as Lucy's stood up. What happened next seemed to go so quickly that Penny barely had time to keep up with the artist. As Lucy pulled her in, Penny naturally reciprocated the action, her hand sliding behind Lucy's neck, fingers curling in a mess of dark hair as her lips pressed against Lucy's.

When the Australian pulled back, Penny instinctively leaned forward. One of them always did, it seemed, even now. Still, the Brit opened her eyes as her counterpart spoke, her breath heavy from the unexpected action. Penny gave a short nod. Of course they hurt. It was a general known fact about tattoos, and she hadn't really expected this to be an exception to the rule.

Penny felt her lips pull up into something of a grin as Lucy stated she'd make it up to her. She believed it. She always did.

This time, Penny was expecting the kiss, and her free hand gripped at the ink manipulator's shirt in an attempt to get her closer. She felt the appreciation in it, and she expressed just as much intent as she reciprocated.

When she was eased back into the chair, Penny made no effort to fight. She was unsure if it was because of her wife's confidence or the way she responded when told yes, but Penny felt at ease with the situation. Inevitable. Like woah. It suited them. She wanted it. “I know you will.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Admittedly, Lucy knew she could have approached the situation in a more appropriate way. Or rather, a way in which she would have found appropriate. But some things needed to be sprung, else the conversation would be a constant loop.

And really, it was difficult to find the strength to break away from her when she was kissing her like that. She had this skill; this hold over the ink manipulator that - even now - kept her incredibly distracted. Yet in her years she'd learned the concept of a distraction didn't fit her. No, she managed to demand the Australian's attention without ever being forceful. She simply existed, and Lucy's attention was equivocally wrapped up in that. Her, and everything she gave.

It was likely when she was sitting that she'd realise everything was already set up. Lucy, despite her weariness for the situation, had been acutely confident that this was going to happen. Because how could it not? It was too perfect to deny.

Settling in her seat again, she deftly snapped on a pair of gloves before she extended her hand out, waving that she required her left hand. When given to her, she made a point of pressing her lips to the back of her hand once before settling it on the nearby surface. Procuring the tattoo gun, she dipped the needle point in the poured ink and leaned over the familiar hand of her newly acquired wife.

"Want me to distract you?" Lucy asked, raising her eyebrows, though she didn't look at her. "First timers like talking it out."

Grinning to herself, she moved her hand almost insignificantly before she heard the familiar buzz of the tattoo gun in her hand. She flicked her gaze to Penny once - definitively - before she made a single mark on her finger. An L. "I know this chick who used to think tattoos were for wicked bikers and chicks with hardcore father issues." She started idly, though the way her hair hung was doing wonders to hide the amused expression she wore. "Turns out she ended up marrying a tatted up tattoo artist. The odds, right?"