AU: Fix Your Plans

[Michael Blaise]

After: Trade In Your Hand

Married life was hardly what Michael Blaise thought it would be. Then again, the oldest Blaise child hardly imagined himself marrying anyone as it was. The idea of being committed to someone of the opposite gender was quite...concerning. Yet expectations had always lead towards the inevitable. In no way could he disappoint his parents, so he did the imaginable. Marry a woman.

Yet, it was never quite that simple, now was it? Michael thanked the lord for the grace that was Lucy Serrano - and the way she stared at his younger sister.

First night married, and he was still alone in his bed - still thankful to be alone in his bed. He slept well knowing his wife was comfortable with his sister, even if he put in some extra effort to not see the strong images that wanted to push into his mind. Never quite trained on his ability, he was thankful to make it through the night without those images forced into his skull.

When morning came - if it was even morning yet, as the sun had yet to rise, Michael was fast asleep. Unlike the younger of the Blaise siblings, he wasn't as easily woken. So when the latch of the bedroom door clicked, he had yet to stir.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Parting before the rise of the sun proved to be incredibly difficult. The idea of leaving the comfort and seclusion of her counterpart was painful, but to actually do so was far worse than Lucy had expected. She hated the way it felt to take steps away from the person she never wished to leave. It all seemed unfair with the threat of the light of day.

Quiet, tiny steps carried her through the hall. It wasn't a far distance, but the thought of somehow being caught forced her heart beat to rise heavily into her throat. As suspect as it would have already seemed by skulking around at such early hours of a morning, it would have been made that much more incriminating with a look to the wedding dress draped over her arm. Let alone over half the layers she wore on the prior night. For the walk from her beloved to her husband, she'd thrown on whatever was easiest to cover herself. Sufficed to say, it wasn't much, especially given the usual standard of dress before one left their room.

There was nothing standard about this.

Quietly as she could, Lucy opened the door to the room she now shared with Michael. As she closed it behind her, she leaned against the hard wood and exhaled a heavy sigh. Relief was a harsher wave than she expected, and the desire to go back was paramount.

As she finally left the sturdy comfort, she literally dropped her clothes on the floor. It mightn't have been proper, but in that moment, the Australian didn't care. She moved towards the older of the two siblings instead, eyes glancing down at the sight offered to her. A large enough bed but her husband still slept as if he'd never learned to share. Not that she could blame him; up until last night, she'd never slept in the same bed with another person.

Slowly, she eased herself down to sit at the edge, her hand pressing to his shoulder lightly.

[Michael Blaise]

Sprawled on his stomach, the tall man easily took up the entire space that was meant for two. Even the sound of clothes rustling as a wedding dress hit the floor did little to disturb Michael, sleeping soundly and unaware of his wife's entrance at all. The shift of his - or rather, their - mattress barely dragged a response out of him. A twitch of his nose before Michael quickly worked to settle again.

But pressure dragged the older sibling to consciousness, although slowly. Having yet to open his eyes, he squeezed them more tightly shut, not yet quite ready to woken up. Yet a slowly working mind started to piece together his environment. More specifically, who was in his environment. The hand that pressed to his shoulder was not familiar in any way, but after a few moments of thought it wasn't hard to figure out just who it was.

As he opened his eyes, Michael found he was right. A quick glance before he squeezed them shut again tightly before finally opening them once more. Despite the lack of light flooding through his window, Lucy Blaise - his wife - was not hard to recognize.

His still tired mind had to wonder why she was there; without a clock to inform him that the morning sun was just around the corner, he had no point of reference. And because of which, he pressed his palm into the mattress, sitting himself up. Blue eyes never wavered to the less than formal outfit his newfound wife wore, but rather kept to her expression. It wasn't until then that he was able to connect the dots - it wasn't hard to determine she wasn't here by anyone's choice.

Dragging his free hand up, he lifted the covers, offering a space for Lucy as he shifted to one side. Enough to share - and without contact he was sure neither of them desired. "Good morning." He offered, voice dropping to match the quietness the room offered.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy waited in dull light and silence for him to react. There was no point in forcing him awake or trying to ease him to one side; he'd awaken when he would and the physical aspect would alert him of her presence before he was completely conscious. She'd rarely ever put hands on him before, save for social graces. An arm wrapped around his, or a hand in his own, or his to her back when stepping in time. Little moments that still made him unfamiliar.

The short glance she received was something she looked straight through. The second time she caught his eyes and he worked to sit up, the most she could offer was a small smile from the corner of her mouth.

Because Michael Blaise was perfect. He just wasn't perfect for her.

And as such, he made space for her. Space she could fit into without direct contact. She slowly dragged herself into place, uncomfortable beneath the covers that were hardly as comforting as those she'd just come from. She had to wonder what she'd left behind; she had to wonder how things were in the room she preferred to be in. She easily wished for the company of her individual she already longed for.

Lucy turned to the side, dark eyes staying open to look at him completely; "How did you sleep?"

[Michael Blaise]

Even as Michael was slow to wake, it wasn't hard to catch the small smile his wife sported for him. Or more specifically, it was not hard to notice the way Lucy clearly wished she wasn't climbing into his bed. As polite as the gesture was, there was no denying the fact. It was almost enough to make him laugh, but instead the man offered a warm smile in return.

The sheets dropped from his fingers as Lucy found her way next to him. A comfortable distance as he, too, laid down, but instead favored his back, head turning to look at the Australian in return.

"I slept quite well." Michael admitted with a hum in his voice. Admittedly, he could have slept for longer, yet was hardly about to complain in front of the person who woke him up. It wasn't her fault, after all. His hand dragged up along the length of his face, muscles tensing as he stretched, doubting he would manage to get any more rest for the morning.

"And yourself?" He asked in turn, eyebrows rising. A humored line played across his lips as he thought to ask if his wife had slept at all.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy watched the way Michael seemed to stretch instinctively. Sleeping sprawled out must have been an extensive habit. Learning to share would be an interesting process, but she'd rarely be staying there overnight unless she absolutely had to.

Formalities weren't so exhausting around Michael. On some level, the ink manipulator felt genuine concern for how her new husband had faired overnight. She had left him with the tail end of a celebration to manage all on his own, after all. There was a small shot of relief to know he slept just fine. But then the question was turned back to her, and she couldn't control how her guard instinctively raised a touch.

Why she felt guarded? She didn't know. Michael was her only life line.

"Well enough, considering." Lucy replied softly, as if that would be enough of an answer. To signify the difference, she slowly closed her eyes. She knew there was no chance she'd go back to sleep, but taking a moment to let her mind rest seemed incredibly important. The attempt provided no comfort; all she could do was think of what she'd left behind.

[Michael Blaise]

For his height, it wasn't hard to take up the entire span of a bed on his own. He'd have to train himself to sleep to one side, even if he barely expected the other to be used at all. There was no need for Lucy to have to try and wake him up every morning just so she could lay down for the short amount of time before they would be greeted by staff to help them get ready for the day.

He craned his neck, pressing his head back against the pillow with a rise of his shoulders. Holding it for a few spare moments, the Brit again looked to Lucy, seemingly oblivious to any guarded notions she might have been carrying. It was far too early for that just yet.

So instead, the man's smile widened at the response. It was hardly detailed, but that was fine with the older of the Blaise siblings. "Considering you've married a homosexual male?" He questioned with humor in his tone. Although the entire Blaise family was rarely one to so openly joke, Michael was the exception whenever there was one. "It is a bit odd, isn't it?" He mused aloud, drawing his hand back up through his hair to push it back.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy immediately looked to the curve of his mouth as it grew. She mightn't have known much by way of his quirks yet, but the difference between his expressive state and his sister's was completely paramount. Of the two, he seemed the far more open individual in that thoughts and feelings seemed to cross his face. They seemed to pass his lips where most others would keep it to themselves.

Perhaps it was just because he was a man, and she a woman. Allocated stances aligned certain things in a different way. Such was the way of the world, she knew.

An amused breath passed her lips instantly when he spoke. Of all the things he could have said, she hardly expected that. It was the first instance in which he'd ever admitted as such, which made complete sense. It was a dangerous thing to say, but she'd done a dangerous thing, and he was keeping that between them without a care.

"It's the very thing that makes you so perfect for me." She replied, a small raise of her eyebrows in tandem with the light admission.

[Michael Blaise]

It was a bold move to make, Michael knew, but with how things have progressed between himself and his wife, it didn't feel all that concerning to him to announce his sexuality to someone who couldn't rightfully preach on the subject. Few knew - he had yet to even offer the information to his blood sister, but he also wondered if it was as obvious to her as it was when he realized Penelope had no interest in men. At least, to the older sibling, it seemed quite obvious.

As light of a breath that passed her lips, there was still evident amusement within it, and Michael's grin only grew. There was no doubt this entire situation was awkward; some sort of humor had to help, and he was sure that it did when a reply rang in his ears.

He let out is own breath of amusement, humming briefly before giving another definite nod. "I am practically perfect." He recognized, although the humor that lined his tone hardly proved he was serious in nature. "And I couldn't think of any other woman I'd wish to marry." The Brit added. "You are a unique individual, Lucy."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Practically perfect. The words sounded far too familiar to be coming from his mouth; Lucy recalled the way she'd exchanged them with her newfound counterpart yesterday. How they worked to be the catalyst for something far greater. She was no stranger to Michael's meta-human status or the ability he owned - just as he was to her - but connecting the dots hadn't seemed quite as easy.

It was true; in a world like this, they were incredibly fortunate for their placement together. Though she'd only learned this about him today, and he'd known it about her before she did. There was a profound understanding here, one she simply couldn't wrap her head around in a day, let alone explain to the girl who lived in the room she'd prefer to wake up in and stay in.

"Unique?" She asked, instinctively. Eyes closed, and as such she'd yet to take the situation in entirely. Far more focused on the growing aches in her muscles that could only progress as the day continued.

[Michael Blaise]

Losing Lucy's eyes, Michael's blue ones looked up towards the ceiling. White as it was, the lack of color or tone still grabbed his tired mind enough to hold some sort of focus. Practically perfect. The corner of his mouth couldn't help but to catch at the description. Despite it having left his own mouth, he'd hardly believe it to be quite so true.

"Mmm." He hummed after a few spare moments. Lucy - his wife, as he had to remind himself - was quite unlike any other person he'd met. Which was exactly what made her so perfect. "You have an air about you..." He lifted his hand, trying to catch the latter half of his sentence somehow. "Perhaps it is because I've never been granted the chance to meet an Australian before." He mused aloud. "But somehow I doubt everyone carries themselves so artistically as you there." After all, it was no unknown fact that the country was built on convicts.

"I've also yet to meet anyone that could grab my sister's attention before she laid eyes on you." He admitted. "It's what made this entire ordeal fall into place so perfectly."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy pressed her lips together; she didn't want to put much weight in her country of origin, but she highly doubted the two would ever intertwine so easily, even if one was derived from the other. Separation did wonders to a person. To a body of people. To a nation. She doubted it was where he wanted to land.

And she was right. It wasn't the point.

But it was important to speak. To not be caught and snagged so easily; "You-" Lucy started, intent on questioning the statement he'd given her as best she could, but she stalled. And she kept her eyes shut on purpose, then, because she doubted sparing a glance in his direction would make a connection any easier. She didn't want to ask what she'd thought to. She barely wanted to imply.

"Surely that can't be true." She finally reasoned. Despite what she'd already been told, it was still difficult to believe she truly held such worth.

[Michael Blaise]

Unaware if Lucy's gaze had shifted towards him or not, Michael kept his own focused on the white ceiling. In the back of his mind he could practically feel the wave of emotion from his sister's room. Keeping his sight within his own bedroom was difficult, but the Australian accented voice held his attention enough.

Because he was laughing. She didn't know.

"Surely it can, my dear." He explained, placing a hand on his stomach to dull the chuckle that emitted from his lungs. "Maybe you are unaware of it because you experience it." He tried to explain, fingers drumming against his own skin in idle comfort.

How was he supposed to explain his sister to the woman that loved her? At least, from a third perspective. "She's... nearly invisible to everyone." He offered. "And she prefers it that way. Except when it comes to you, of course."