AU: Hovering Above the Ground

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Although she might have requested what seemed like the inevitable, verbalizing the need was an effort within itself. Penny lacked the air to properly articulate her words, yet she still tried. More, she wasn't one to say anything on the lines of affection. Of need for another soul. Yet here this woman was, interrupting her class, and the teacher was thankful for it. For her. The number of days that had passed hardly seemed to matter anymore, even if it likely should have.

Against her neck, Penny could feel the defined curve of Lucy's grin - or was it more of a smile? Regardless, the single word response she offered was hot enough to brand her skin, she was sure.

Penny tried to speak again, but as she felt the pressure of Lucy's lips again, she faltered. A wavering breath passed her lips as her hand slowly dragged up and out from under the fabric. Losing contact was hardly pleasing, but finding the means to speak pressed in the front of her mind, so fingers curled around her shoulder, not pulling her in closer, but certainly not pushing her away yet, either.

"Another class." She explained - a few more, specifically. "Ten minutes." Her sentences were chopping between strained breaths, but she was sure her point had gotten across. Soon, students would be flooding into her classroom, or at least waiting outside the door.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Against the high octane nature of her pulse, Lucy felt no need to move. It was far too enthralling and inviting to simple shift away from. More to the point, it felt like there was only one thing that could make her move. The initial loss of contact threatened a break to the curve of her lips, and just as a hand hit her shoulder she opened her mouth, teeth grazing her skin as she very nearly applied pressure.

But she was stalled.

And she exhaled a heavy sigh instead, rolling shoulders back as she felt the need to tear herself away. Slow to shift, she dragged the tip of her nose up the length of her neck before she rocked back to make her eyes visible. "Have you packed?" She asked, though she was sure she knew the answer.

Without waiting for an initial response, Lucy pressed herself close again in order to catch her lips.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

The threat of pressure almost made Penny crumble completely. Her neck was still craned as teeth brushed against the curve of it, as dangerous as applied pressure might have been, she held her breath, almost asking for it. Class. In ten minutes. The one of many left of the day. How was she supposed to get through this?

The pull of Penny's mouth downwards was short lived as Lucy eased herself away. Upon catching her eyes, she fell into less of a negative expression, but that hardly meant she enjoyed the distance put in place, either.

She opened her mouth to answer. To explain that of course she had packed. Everything was sorted to perfection, and placed neatly within a large suitcase. However, before she could properly give an answer, she was thankful to find familiar lips pressing against her own again. The hand on Lucy's shoulder immediately tightened, pulling her in close at the contact, her pulse refusing to settle.

Penny pulled away when the need for air was paramount, eyes remaining shut as she created a sliver of distance between them, the harsh breath she took filling the silence. "Have you?"

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The way Lucy kissed her was obvious. There was the most imperative amount of pressure behind her lips; she hated the idea of more classes for her counterpart, because she had to find some way to spend her time since she could hardly draw her away again. She could sit in that seat she'd been placed in, but how long could she last there? What was the point of Penny keeping up with classes with Lucy in the room? Besides, who honestly listened on the last day of school?

She was so close. She was right against her, familiar contours and curved beneath her hands. Lucy was hardly ever one to wait - waiting was a foreign concept completely - yet suddenly she felt stuck. This hardly ever happened to her.

With the question returned to her, Lucy took a breath, taking in enough air to give a response. "Give me your keys." Lucy suggested, "I'll get your stuff," And of course, she had to lean in again, pushing through that minimal break to press her lips against hers in a short kiss.

"Since you're staying with me tonight."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

How Penny was supposed to create some sort of distance and then successfully run the rest of her classes was beyond any mentality she could gather. She barely found the means to speak, let alone lecture. Moving away from Lucy mere inches felt too much - what was she going to do while the teacher had a room of students? Simply sitting there proved to be more of a distraction than anything, yet the last she wished for was Lucy to leave.

Although there was a question asked, she never received an answer. Admittedly, it was fair, she hadn't offered her own, either. Instead, she raised her eyebrows at the suggestion, losing her breath with the latter statement as she tried to follow the movement, failing to catch her lips again. It had already been confirmed she was staying with the Australian that night, but something was more definite about it when she stated it.

"Alright." Penny replied slowly, chasing Lucy through the minimum distance to kiss her again. Finally, the hold on her shoulder loosened, but she still made no move to ease her away. "Will you come back?"

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy did her absolute best to maintain a type of presence in her life, both professionally and - up until her existence - personally. She had the necessary skills to maintain equal composure in almost every situation, yet somehow that stoic strength seemed futile against whatever she could offer. Lucy was excited for the inevitability that came with tomorrow's plans; she was excited to be able to share that aspect of her life, difficult as it could have been.

Lucy responded as best she could, finding herself a beat late to the way Penny kissed her. As she caught the question, she wondered how eager it was. "Probably." Lucy replied with a shrug. It wasn't as if she had anything else drawing her in on that particular day. After all, she'd found herself there in the first place.

"Quick pick up? It shouldn't take too long." She added, injecting that small shot of security to the moment. The way her eyes dropped to her lips must have been the clearest indication that she hardly wanted to stop. Adhering to the thought forced her hands to twitch, "What're you going to do with me when I do get back?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Probably. It was hardly the answer Penny wished to hear. Although not directly a negative answer, it wasn't positive within its existence, either. Her lips immediately twitched, threatening a frown at the possibility that Lucy might not come back, yet it was quickly confirmed within the next statement. Relief came in a soft sigh as she lost the Australian's gaze as she glanced down mere inches.

Her fingers tightened around the material of her shirt; there was plenty that came to mind for an answer, none of which Penny could actually speak. The thought kept the redness in her face as she put gentle force to her shoulder.

"Look at you." She replied honestly, the tip of her nose brushing Lucy's lightly. "Until there is another break in classes." Hopefully the artist would make it back before lunch; for once she had no plans to grade during the spare time.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

As Lucy's gaze dwindled back up towards her eyes, she caught the colour of her face; that deeper shade of red that could only rightly indicate one thing. Her mind had gone to a place she couldn't say, and that assumption forced Lucy to grin in an almost immature fashion. Despite her years, she still couldn't help what she found so amusing. Or perhaps it was more flattering than anything else.

And yet, there was something sincere about the response she had given. It was honest - Penny would look at her - at least until she could get her hands on her; surely, it was what she wanted to say had her mouth given her the chance. Lucy almost thought to finish the concept for her, but given the look on her face, the ink manipulator was practically positive it went without a word.

"I better go, then." Lucy reasoned. Was it right to blatantly request her attention in such a way? To well and truly search for the way her eyes would inevitably linger? "Better be back before you want me."

It meant she had to rock back on a step, and she did. She regrettably moved her hand way in order to extend it out towards her within the space between them, which likely meant she would have to step away from her allocated space between Lucy and the desk. But it was worth it, right?

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

The teacher's eyes flicked down to see the grin Lucy was sporting. No doubt, she had understood what was implied; whether it be from the color in her cheeks or the statement itself, Penny was simply thankful she didn't have to say it aloud. She doubted she would have been able to speak of what was so clearly going on in her mind. It wasn't proper.

Although Penny knew it to be inevitable, she couldn't help the shot of desperation within her eyes at the mentioning of Lucy leaving. It hadn't mattered how few days had passed since she had met the artist, the idea of her leaving in any capacity, even to return, burned just a little too harshly.

She took a step forward, matching the pace Lucy stepped back. The distance created wasn't great once she chased her through the tiny amount that had been put in place. "You won't be fast enough." Penny explained, hands pressing to her shoulders lightly before trailing down the length of her arms. "Try, nonetheless."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

There were so few times in her life where Lucy tried to be good; where she tried to make things easier for another person despite the fact that what she wanted differed from that goodness completely. A step forward to match the one she took back, and there was that question again; why bother if it wasn't wanted?

And - more to the point - Lucy was surprised by the way in which her counterpart's confidence had spiked over two seemingly short weeks. This was the woman who had called her out for arguably unprofessional behaviour, and now she was calling the artist in to invade more classes. She was saying things like that, wonderful as they were to completely envelope the Australian's attention.

"Flatterer." Lucy replied, though she still kept her relevant charm. Because truth be told, it was exactly that, and she hardly had a problem with it.

But she couldn't leave it there; she didn't want to leave her at all. So she leaned in again, this time sealing off a moment by pressing her lips to the corner of her mouth. For someone known for such a lack of delicacy, there was something undeniably light about the simple act itself.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

There was promise to return, and yet the teacher struggled to let her counterpart leave. To feel so drawn to someone was entirely new, yet the magnetic pull she felt to this woman came so naturally that she could hardly fight it. She turned her head on instinct, catching the lips that only reached the corner of her mouth – a gentle brush was enough to drag the air from her lungs.

“Hardly.” She replied, tilting up her chin as offered an amused smile. A boost of ego was possibly the last thing Lucy Serrano seemed to need, yet she still managed to somehow. “I state the facts.” She tried to add, yet however quickly realized that it was only adding to her already boisterous ego.

So instead of continuing with talk, she added the smallest, yet most necessary amount of pressure against her counterpart’s lips. Fingers reached up to the Lucy’s collar, tightening around the material as she drew her in. “So hurry.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

As much as Lucy adored an obvious shot to her ego, she enjoyed the concept of her counterpart's confidence even more. Lucy was rarely one to be corrected - let alone accept it - but in this instance she felt no need to speak out against it. She'd already expressed how she loved certain aspects of her personality, and this was no exception.

"Of course you do." She agreed, because she really did still have a hefty ego at heart.

Without the means to offer another thought, she was drawn in. Hands pulled to her collar as if she really needed the encouragement in the first place. Those words brushed against her own lips, and she felt the way her own curved upwards to a smile at either end over the usual trademark grin.

Fingers curled lightly around her wrists, momentarily stuck by the contact itself. She kept her hands as gentle as she could, because she hardly wanted to deter her in any way; the force of those hands to her own clothes kept her heart moving so quickly. But she had to, or they had to somehow. Where it came from was barely going to be genuine.

"So let go." She replied, but the words tasted as foreign as they likely sounded. For good measure, Lucy crossed that distance and kissed her again, injecting the very real sense of longing she knew she'd inevitably carry not long after she would leave.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Finding the means to let go was harder than Penny could have imagined - and she had already thought it were practically impossible as it was. Even as now familiar hands worked their way around her wrists, there was an obvious stint where the Brit fought the process, despite how little effort was needed to actually do so. Such a light hold on her, and her own refused to loosen just yet.

How did this come to be? How did needing a person to simply breathe come to be? Thoughts pushed to the back of her mind as she felt every emotion put into the contact to her lips. Reciprocation came naturally. She easily offered a matched sense of longing - to somehow express that she'd miss the Australian even as she took her first step away.

However, her hold finally did lighten, as painful as it was to do so. Her hands shifted slowly away, but worked to take those familiar hands into her own as she drew them downward, offering a pulse of a squeeze. Barely existent but still powerful all the same.

Because Lucy had to leave - and Penny had to teach. No doubt there were students waiting outside the door for the class that would start in mere minutes. So often scolded for being tardy, many would likely be angered by hypocritical teacher who was on the verge of starting class late.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Encouragement felt as raw as Lucy expected it would be. Really, she hadn't thought much about the future when she'd decided to visit in the first place. She had no real plans for how to go about the encounter, or what she'd do for the rest of the day, but she hardly expected the difficulty that was now interlocked with it. Those hands at her wrists offered nothing by means of pressure to get her away. Neither did the phrase, and neither did her mouth. But by it, she could feel just how much she would be missed, and that was still strange for someone who lived such a solitary lifestyle.

It all made the process that much more taxing, but there was a deadline breathing down the back of her neck in the form of people who hardly wanted to see her as badly as the ink manipulator did.

She allowed those hands to take her own and move them, the bare pressure to them acting like some kind of reminder that she would have that connection again soon. But they were still within her hold; they were still hers, and as Lucy stood in that obvious silence she felt the pull of her body backwards with the need to take a step away. Instead, she leaned through the break and matched the belief behind the prior kiss with another.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

With every second that passed, it grew harder to force some sort of disconnect between herself and the Australian who looked at her so intently. Encouragement came in the worst of ways; instead of easing Lucy back, the teacher worked to keep her close with the smallest movements. By refusing to let go. By falling into the way her counterpart kissed her too easily to ever break away from.

The air was always thinner when she was in the room; taking in a breath seemed to become a chore. No matter how deep, it couldn't rightly fill the void in her lungs as she took her breath away with any and every inhale.

Eyes remained closed as her forehead pressed against the artist's. Her lips pressed tightly together, trying to resist the smile she suddenly couldn't control, and within the next moment she let it break free. Still, the desperation remained. Logic told her to step away, but by no means could she do it on her own. "Lucy."