Time Warp: In Case of Fire

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Hands at her waist were perfect to keep her grounded. They also took her out of the moment entirely; Lucy knew there was a list of things she was supposed to do before she could leave, but she felt the distraction burn hard enough to keep her still. There were a myriad of people she was supposed to connect with. Supposed to see. Surely whichever of the twins aided this idea knew how difficult it would be to get anything done now.

But they were talking apologies, and even then Lucy still didn't look. She wasn't sure how she might handle the weight of such dark eyes in such a moment of obvious failure. She brought it up for more than curiosity; despite what she'd expected, it was a different thing entirely to hear it out loud. And although there was little she could do to ever deter the fact, she was still part of it.

"I know." Lucy replied, well aware of her own inability to apologise at most times. Even those where she likely should have, the words often refused to flow. Now she was giving them away.

She kissed her again. A little quicker with a clear message tacked behind. "But just let me." She dropped the words against her lips, breaching that barely existent distance in order to kiss her again. At least this time, there was nothing short about it.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Hearing an apology come from Lucy was never easy. Likely, it was as hard to hear as it was for the Australian to say it in the first place. Her first thought was to point out that there wasn't need to apologize, and wording so carefully was paramount.

And all the same, Lucy didn't accept it. She felt the two words hit her lips just moments before Lucy's lips did. Such a short amount of contact still brought on a new level of comfort. Her mind had yet to completely catch up with the fact that she was here. With her after months of living without it.

As the next request filled the air, Penny took in a short breath, cut off by her counterpart in the best way. There wasn't need to offer a verbal response; Penny knew the reciprocation she offered was more than enough. Her hands filtered around Lucy's waist, pressing into the small of her back as she finally drew away. "Okay." She offered on a small exhale, eyes remaining shut. "I'm here now."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It took strength to finally look at her again. Lucy wondered if she had the capacity to take the sight in, but she tried her limits regardless. There were no eyes looking directly back at her, and so her gaze dropped to her mouth instinctively. How easy it would have been to breach the breath of distance between them and steal another kiss. The temptation to do so was practically painful. But she resisted, long enough to catch the words offered to her; to really feel the weight behind them.

"You are." Lucy breathed, exhaling the words on a small sigh. Even with her hands on her, it was still hard to completely piece together the fact that Penelope Blaise - her wife - was standing in front of her waiting for the moment they could leave together.

Her hands lost their pressure, else she might have had no reason to stop kissing her; no real reason to draw away. "And you will be. And I will be." Eventually, she knew. And so she knew the order of things despite how simple it seemed to pull her away. Hands fell to her shoulders, offering a definite squeeze to either side.

"And I'll be all yours, I promise." She reasoned. Despite how many people might want her to stay, or answer her phone, she was determined to ignore it all.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It took a spare set of moments before Penny finally opened her eyes. As Lucy spoke, they flicked open. Even as they both acknowledged the fact, and she could feel Lucy's form under her palms, she still couldn't help the way she let out a breath of disbelief. What had been a painfully long flight suddenly felt like a blur - all that mattered was the woman standing in front of her.

Her head tilted with a small nod, slowly drawing her own hands away as she felt the loss of pressure of her wife's, but they lingered just short of pulling away completely. She couldn't - not when she could hold on for another spare set of seconds before the inevitable break that had to come.

"I know." Penny offered, lifting her hands to again make an attempt to fix the invisible creases of her shirt before finally drawing away. She paused briefly, her tongue running the length of her lower lip as she tried to catch the ink manipulator's eyes. "Do what you do." She encouraged lightly, the corner of her mouth pulling up just enough where she could catch it. "I'm here for you."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The moment Penny's hands lost their initial pressure, Lucy's eyebrows raised instinctively. It was nothing completely grand, but the physical indication happened all the same. Because it was the purest shot of surprise for the fact that she was complying. Lucy herself hardly wanted to comply with the situational needs. Had Penny tried to keep her drawn, she likely would have succeeded with little fight. Easy as it always was to be taken by the psychometrist, it would have been easier tonight.

Words of encouragement were easier to take a second time, as they weren't laced with any prior backing. She offered a small nod, hands easing away from her shoulders as tension racked her jaw; she wasn't going to drop her gaze again for anything.

Her hands, now free, quickly moved to circle her elbows. Not quite a crossing of her arms. Not quite a defensive position against everything Penny could have been offering with her eyes. Or her lips. Or her choice in attire.

"Go have a look." She finally said, her dark eyes momentarily lighting up with a heavy ounce of pride. It was difficult to allow such a feeling to overtake a look to anyone else; it could be so easily misconstrued in a business like this. Confident but humble. Key indicators. But she was proud, and no one else deserved to know that.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Drawing herself away didn't come easy - it never really did, and the situation they found themselves in only heightened that fact. She could still feel the slight tremble of her own hands as she fought the way they wanted to reach out again. If she didn't make the move, she wondered if she would. One of them had to, even if it was hard.

Without her counterpart to hold onto, she brought her hands together tightly. The pressure, a constant reminder that she had to wait. That they could do this, together.

Because there was that clear cut sense of pride in her eyes as she spoke, and it wasn't lost on the Brit. If anyone had an idea as to just how much this meant to Lucy, it was Penny. She didn't - and wouldn't - leave for any length of time for just anything, let alone two months. And with Lucy's pride, Penny felt her chest tighten. The ink manipulator's dedication was never to be taken lightly, and it never was.

"Show me." She requested, even if it was hardly a question. Without a doubt she'd let Lucy conduct her business, but that didn't mean she had to be far from the Australian, either. A short tilt of her head indicated towards her work as Penny took the first step in that direction.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

With her hands off her wife and a definitive statement in the air, Lucy contemplated how she might go about actually stepping away. Letting go was a travesty within itself, but taking any form of actual movement backwards felt draining in a new way. The last thing she wanted was to feel remotely exhausted in a situation like this.

And then she managed to stall the ink manipulator with two short words. Furthermore, she took a step before Lucy had any real time to process the moment itself. A belated drag of her foot and she was a beat behind the psychometrist. Everything else could wait, at least for a few more minutes. Without the means to register and therefore halt act, she unfurled a hand from her own arm and pressed it to the small of her back again. It was impossible to stand anywhere near her and not feel the urge - or the natural need - to reach out in some way.

"Of course, yeah." She finally replied, matching equal footing to the person beside her. Steps to the progressive shots on the walls were far too short lived. She took a breath for the stability. Unsurprisingly, this wasn't getting any easier with time.

"I just wish I could have finished them all." She crinkled her nose at the fact, dark eyes practically glaring at the few unfinished works amongst it all.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny was used to leading - even in social situations where Lucy thrived, the Brit usually managed to gather some sort of stability as to the direction of things. So she took the first step, and feeling the familiar hand press to the small of her back to guide her was surprisingly welcomed. Paris was her domain, and by proxy she had this.

That, however, didn't make anything easier. On the contrary, feeling the light pressure at the small of her back only made everything more difficult.

Slowing once they reached the displays on the wall, dark eyes focused on what was in front of her. Precision ran through her veins, and it remained in her gaze as she looked. Stared. For someone that so often looked through things, the Brit showed genuine interest in her wife's work. Like it was important - because it was.

Her eyes shifted to the unfinished creations, and although the ink manipulator hadn't seemed satisfied, Penny still showed as much interest as she had with everything else. There wasn't a wrinkle in her expression. "I think it helps add to the progression." She offered honestly - had she thought otherwise it wouldn't have left her lips at all. "Most people see a finished product and don't understand the process behind it. Here, you can see it."

The corner of her mouth twitched upward at the thought before she finally spared a quick glance to the Australian. "It adds depth, even if it's not finished."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Without a spare glance to the wall itself, Lucy allowed her eyes to remain focused on her. Her expression. How it shifted with something new to look at; how she actually bothered to look. There was something overly magnetic about the way Penny could offer such definition through usually disinterested eyes.

They were talking about it. Seriously. Honestly. Penny was offering insight Lucy had already been over and over before, but all the same it was refreshing to hear it, much less from someone who hadn't seen it until this moment. She might have heard as many details as Lucy could offer over the phone or a computer, but this was entirely different. She was listening.

The hand at her back moved itself around her waist, her palm grazing the familiar curve she'd only really just let go of in order to bring her closer. Or bring herself in through that minimal break.

"I'm just being a perfectionist." Lucy reasoned, forcing herself to look away in that particular moment, else she never might.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

It was barely a glance at all, and yet the moment her eyes landed on the ink manipulator, Penny had trouble tearing her gaze away. Just a look, and it started the entire process over again, because immediately Penny felt the undeniable need to reach out.

And she did. Without fail, she placed her own hand on Lucy's at her waist, fingers finding the space between hers and falling into it as she drew herself closer, or was drawn in. Possibly both. Likely both.

Her gaze did eventually shift, focusing back on the artwork in front of her with genuine interest as her lips pressed together with amusement. Lucy Serrano, perfectionist. Were it anything other than her artwork speaking, Penny would had been quick to argue, but she knew better here. It was amusing because it was true. She'd seen how dark eyes would examine what appeared to be invisible paint strokes on a ceiling. This was her field. Her forte.

"I know." Penny offered lightly. Her hand squeezed the one under her palm. "And I'm just telling you that I think it's wonderful."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy felt the draw to laugh at herself in a spare moment. The humour practically pooled at the edge of her lips, threatening to pierce the silence before Penny beat her to it. If nothing else, she had to adore how Penny tried to ease her potential worries. Unfinished tattoos were bound to happen, given the magnitude of the project the ink manipulator had worked wonders to attempt to pull off.

Her expression shifted noticeably as she glanced towards her again. She was closer now; close enough to take in as she had only minutes ago. The hand on her own forced the idea of moving away to slip further and further from her mind; how was she supposed to even entertain the thought? Who thought this was actually something Lucy Serrano was capable of?

She leaned in, her nose pressed against her cheek. Eyes closed. Comfort found.

"You are wonderful." The ink manipulator reasoned lightly, her voice dropped to a whisper in her ear.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny knew that in reality there was little to comfort the Australian when it came down to her own work. She was truly a perfectionist in the purest sense. There were few impossible tasks that were worth investing in to the Brit, all of which involved Lucy Serrano. Even if didn't offer Lucy any real comfort, Penny still spoke honestly about what she saw. Because she knew that regardless, Lucy appreciated it.

Moving closer was supposed to make it easier; to keep at bay any other desire to physically draw herself in to the ink manipulator. Yet as she felt herself ease in, Penny felt the escalating chase of her pulse. Once started, it was hard to stop. For both of them, proving so as she felt the tip of her nose brush her cheek.

Penny sucked in short, useless breath as Lucy spoke, her palm pressing tightly down on the Australian's hand. Her neck ached with the desire to turn it; to again find the set of lips she'd missed so much over the past two months.

And she did. Waiting simply wasn't an option at this point, as hard as she tried to. Although there was no definite pressure placed between the simple brush of their lips, it still sent a spark - a thunderstorm created from a tornado crashing into a volcano. "I need you." Penny whispered, her eyes closing from her own forward statement.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

With an increased movement, Lucy's lips brushed against her counterpart's ear. Just a little excess contact out of total necessity; given how much time had passed, there was no way Lucy couldn't take more than she'd initially planned to. Really, she'd been doing that since Penny walked into the place. She must have known how difficult it was to ignore her.

Pressure caught her hand in the most profound way, pressing her palm further against the psychometrist at her own request. The added strength made it more difficult to breathe, but the ink manipulator was determined to maintain her composure. Surely someone had to. Even when she tilted her head and Lucy felt the brush of her lips, she wanted to try. But she took in a harsh, heavy and unstable breath against her mouth for the contact alone.

The words offered forced Lucy's shoulders to drop, and every ounce of air she carried was lost on a moment's notice. For all they've said and done so far, that was the most suggestive thing given. And how was she to deny that?

"Fuck, Penny." She replied, though it was hardly a reply at all. Rarely one to swear in this particular kind of work, she managed to drop the word at a lower tone, and it was all she could give in such a time where it felt as if there was no decent solution. But her hand tightened anyway, nails to the fabric of her dress instead as she knew she couldn't look away.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

A crinkle immediately formed at the bridge of Penny's nose the moment Lucy swore, but that did little to stop the falter of her breath. Lucy cursed. Often. It was a known fact of the universe. But to hear one pass her lips in a setting where the ink manipulator actively didn't swear? Her disapproval only made it so far, caught up in the way it forced her heart rate to jump even higher.

Nails dug into her skin, and even with the fabric creating a barrier between them, Penny could feel the shift in her own breathing as she exhaled against her wife's lips. "Don't say that." Penny responded sharply, her voice still having dropped. "Unless you intend to."

Two months. Sixty-one days. Her jaw and back carried the tension of every day, built up and working into her muscles. It was far too much, and as hard as it was to speak of anything involving their personal life, Penny couldn't help it by then. She deserved to hear it. Needed to hear it.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

It was the first time Lucy had sworn, and she knew the painful reality of letting such a little word slip. There was something intoxicating of breaking her own little rules when it came to how she worked. There was a lot to do, still. So many people to talk to. But the world's greatest distraction was right there, beneath her hand and against her lips in the lightest, most purposeful way.

Lucy momentarily thought to argue that she never stepped into Penny's classroom and interrupted her day in such a fashion. But she wisely paused the second her lips parted. Because she very much had done that before, and likely would again whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"I intend to." She practically snapped, exhaling what little air she had left harshly. It was impossible to keep a steady breath now, and as such everything was strained. Short. Improbable and practically useless. "Like you wouldn't believe." She dropped her gaze instinctively, just for a few moments. A few inches in the proximity didn't make it easy to look at anything, but the eye contact from such a place was exhausting. "Like you won't be bloody walking tomorrow."