Work Text:
“Happy New Year!”
The room erupts in cheers as soon as the countdown ends. Teachers begin to pop sparkling cider and gather fancy glasses, while students make a hormonal rush to get their lips on someone else’s.
Penelope stands in the middle of it all, nursing a cup filled with something a lot stronger than sparkling cider, and silently wishing MG hadn’t dragged her out here. It’s a nice enough celebration, but Penelope has been through it multiple times. Plus, she isn’t feeling particularly merry at the moment.
It seems like all she thinks about is Josie, the breakup, junk food, Josie, alcohol, and- oh right, Josie, again.
Leaving her room for the annual New Years party was probably a bad idea. Being surrounded by people has never really been her thing, even when she was happy and had a set of adoring minions. At the same time, she hates being glued to the corner while performing Edward Cullen levels of brooding - but she can’t help it. MG, who promised beforehand to stick by her side, hasn’t noticed her since Lizzie announced that she had no one to kiss at midnight.
Whatever. She can’t blame him, especially since she knows what it’s like to be hung up on a Saltzman twin. Even now, Penelope can’t help but let her eyes scan the crowd in hopes of spotting her ex.
It doesn’t take Penelope long to find Josie, but only because it’s incredibly easy to spot Lizzie with her height and loud personality. Penelope’s eyes narrow as she looks past Lizzie, to where Josie is standing particularly close to some blonde. They seem alarmingly friendly, if the hand the guy has on Josie’s arm is anything to go by.
Penelope bites the inside of her cheek. She has no right to be jealous. She’s the one that broke up with Josie in the first place. Even if they were dating, it would be demeaning to walk over there and act as if Josie is her property.
Of course, feminism and reason doesn’t stop the ache in Penelope’s stomach from spreading all the way to her heart. She feels her throat clench uncomfortably and finally decides to just leave.
The air outside is cleaner and more importantly, no one else is occupying the space behind the school. Usually there would be a couple or two out here, groping each other wildly, but everyone is inside for once.
Penelope presses the back of her head against the wall with a sigh and reaches for the pack of cigarettes that’s been sitting heavily in her jacket pocket for awhile now. She finds some odd comfort in opening it and getting her other hand around the lighter. The more sensible part of her mind worries if she’s developing an addiction, but the emotional part gives her a little shove and helps her light it.
She gets one minute.
One minute of peaceful smoking before Penelope feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She recognizes it instantly as a witchy sense (for lack of a better description) and knows that the familiar feeling is just the universe’s way of telling her that someone is coming outside.
Josie, maybe. Or someone else who needs to catch their breath - but again, maybe it’s Josie.
With that thought in mind, Penelope molds herself to the wall and tries to look at least mildly composed. The door beside her swings open, the school’s noisy chatter floating outside for just a second, before it shuts and then it’s just the two of them.
Penelope and Josie. Josie and Penelope.
Penelope looks away immediately, trying her best to seem aloof. “Go back inside.”
Josie ignores that with a quiet, amused huff. Penelope had been expecting Josie to brush off the order, but she definitely isn’t expecting the smell of alcohol on Josie’s breath or the bold way Josie steps closer.
“You don’t want me to.” Josie points out, like it’s written across Penelope’s fucking forehead.
There’s no response to that. At least, there’s no response that doesn’t expose how desperate Penelope really is, so she busies herself with her cigarette and continues looking away. Still, she can feel Josie’s eyes all over her.
“Can I have that?” Josie questions, sounding unbothered about being the only one speaking. “The cigarette.”
Penelope glances at her very quickly - and it’s a mistake. She literally has something in her hands that’s killing her lungs and yet it seems as if Josie is the one doing all of the damage to Penelope’s breathing.
“You don’t smoke.” She says, starting to clutch it closer to herself a bit protectively.
“First time for everything.” Josie replies, reaching out for it, but Penelope frowns and pulls her hand away.
Just because Penelope might die of lung cancer before she turns thirty, doesn’t mean Josie has to take the same road. Then again, it’s almost guaranteed that Josie will be gone by twenty-two. There’s no way Josie would let herself kill Lizzie in the merge.
The thought of Josie willingly sacrificing herself and allowing Lizzie to suck her up in some weird magic ritual makes Penelope sick. When Josie lays against the wall next to her, Penelope is caught up in whether or not she should flinch away or grab Josie and drag her far, far away from this school and her twin.
“You look so hot when you smoke.” Josie admits out of nowhere. Penelope nearly chokes on air until she remembers that Josie has been drinking. “I know I’m not supposed to say that because it’s a terrible habit and you really should stop, but… I don’t know, something about your mouth and your jaw. Just don’t end up being that asshole in the smoking section of Disneyland while our kids have to-“
“First time for everything.” Penelope cuts her off, turning to face Josie suddenly.
Hearing Josie bring up them having kids was the equivalent of being smacked down with a gigantic wrecking ball. Whatever part of her heart that sparked with hope was immediately crushed by the thought that Josie wouldn’t even live long enough to have kids. So, if Penelope had to let Josie smoke just to shut her up, then she would.
“What?” Josie’s features pinch together adorably.
Penelope raises her cigarette hand and waves it gently in the air as an answer, trying not to focus too hard on the excited smile that comes across Josie’s face.
“Come here.” Penelope instructs, pointing in front of herself. Josie seems confused, but she listens.
She’s not actually going to let Josie fully smoke. They got into about five fights about Penelope babying her, but she’s still going to do it. She’ll hold the cigarette herself and take it away before it can do too much damage.
Penelope rests her free hand on Josie’s waist unnecessarily to keep her still and raises the other to Josie’s mouth.
“Don’t inhale too much.” Penelope advises, her voice a whisper now that Josie has gotten close.
The ends of Josie’s lips turn downward at that statement (Penelope very clearly remembers a fight they had months ago where Josie angrily exclaimed that she didn’t need to be treated like a child), but the Josie standing in front of Penelope now is apparently a lot more obedient.
Josie closes her mouth around the end of the cigarette. When she inhales - careful and slow, with her eyes set on Penelope for some kind of instruction - her lips brush against the tips of Penelope’s fingers. It’s a bit of a kick to Penelope’s pride, how easily the arousal seeps in after that.
“Good.” Penelope says, her spare hand clenching at her side with the need to reach out and pet Josie’s head affectionately.
Their gazes meet as Josie pulls her mouth away. It seems to go in slow motion, with how overwhelming it all is. Penelope thinks it’s stupid that she wants someone so much because of some simple hand to lip contact, but the ache between her legs still beats down relentlessly. It only grows stronger when Penelope sees how dark Josie’s eyes have gotten.
The brown is almost completely black, and the black in Josie’s irises is threatening to take over the white. With the pink spreading along Josie’s cheeks, she resembles a painting.
Josie is art - but Penelope has known that for years.
“Thanks. You’re really...” Josie whispers, the smoke in her breath leaving in a shaky shudder and disappearing along with the rest of her sentence. “I think I’m gonna go inside and, you know, stop bothering you.”
The second Penelope feels Josie start to slip out of her hands, she panics and tugs her closer at the waist. Josie stumbles forward, nearly slamming into Penelope, but as soon as she catches her balance she firmly presses her mouth to Penelope’s.
It takes a second for Penelope to get past the all-consuming softness of Josie’s lips, but once she can feel the ground under her feet again, she spins them around so Josie is boxed against the wall.
Penelope flicks the cigarette away carelessly, thinking about how the embers could light the whole place up and it still wouldn’t matter. The fire is here - beneath Josie’s skin, caught in her bones. She pushes her hands up under Josie’s sweater just to be closer to the flame.
Penelope wants to crack that code. Whatever it is that makes Josie so warm all the time. Her blinding optimism, her generosity, all of the good bundled up inside of her. Penelope wants it for herself - or she wants to learn how to get it back. She wants to fall asleep next to the girl who’s thin enough to be a match and she wants to bury herself in Josie’s too-hot, sweet smelling sweaters even if it burns her.
But Penelope is just an afterthought, now. She’s the ashes left on the floor. She thinks about how Josie will wake up tomorrow, nursing a sick hangover, and will completely forget Penelope.
“Penelope.” Josie says, as soon as her mouth is free from the kiss. Penelope is busy dropping her head lower to get at Josie’s neck. “Is this- are we?”
The question fades off into a breathless moan, Josie’s head tilting to the left to give Penelope better access. Penelope can still understand what Josie was going for.
Are we getting back together?
And the thing is - Penelope doesn’t know. She isn’t sure if she can handle loving someone who is going to die so suddenly. Maybe it’s selfish to kiss Josie now and not commit to being with her later, but Penelope is a coward and she doesn’t stop to address Josie’s words. She powers on, mouthing along the underside of Josie’s jaw. Josie tangles her hands in Penelope’s hair, tugging encouragingly.
It spurs her on, and suddenly Penelope is biting down hard on the soft spot of Josie’s neck and pushing her own hand down to slip under the cotton of Josie’s shorts. She dives in without warning, twisting her fingers up so the press hard against the wet center of all of Josie’s heat.
“Pen-“
Penelope curls her fingers back so roughly that it almost seems as if she’s trying to drag out Josie’s soul. “Stop. Talking.”
The noise Josie produces is a clear whine and her hips rock off the wall desperately, trying to get more from Penelope’s fingers. Penelope had thought for a second that her entering so quickly would hurt, but she remembers now how easily Josie gets wet.
Josie is so sensitive everywhere. It’s clear as soon as Penelope swipes her thumb along Josie’s clit and watches the other girl visibly tremble at the feather-light touch.
She starts up an easy rhythm off of muscle memory, continuing to drag her fingers along Josie’s inner walls roughly. Penelope is relentless with her movements. She’s taking advantage of the chance to listen to Josie moans - they’re high-pitched and all more close to whimpers than groans. It’s like every move Josie makes is a plea, with how she arches towards Penelope and clutches at her forearms with needy hands.
“Fuck.” Penelope swears under her breath, breaking her own no talking rule. “You’re so wet.”
Josie still has her shorts on, so everything under her waist is a slick mess with the heel of Penelope’s palm rocking hard into the tortured little nub that is Josie’s clit. Penelope can feel it all dripping down her hand, sinking into Josie’s shorts. It turns her on to no end, watching Josie gasp and follow Penelope’s fingers incessantly like she needs an orgasm more than the blood in her veins.
Penelope’s wrist soft of hurts at this angle, but fuck it, she doesn’t care. She lets Josie pull her closer, and rests her forehead on the slightly sweaty skin of Josie’s chest. There, Penelope can experience it all - can hear the rapid thump of Josie’s heartbeat against her ears, merging together with the obvious wet sounds of Penelope fucking her.
“Pen, please. You know I… I-“ Josie’s voice breaks off into a cross between a hiss and a moan as Penelope presses down harder on her clit.
“I know.” Penelope replies, almost equally as breathless. She kisses towards Josie’s cleavage (no - she just kisses Josie’s heart, over and over). “I know. Come on baby, come for me.”
Josie cries out immediately, her eyes squeezing shut and her body dissolving into a trembling puddle at the command. Penelope isn’t exactly sure when she figured out how to make Josie come with an order, but she’s incredibly glad for it now.
She basks in the feeling of Josie panting against her for as long as she possibly can, until Josie’s breathing eventually evens out and Penelope has to step back to compose herself. Penelope forces her eyes to the ground, worried she’ll say something stupid if she catches sight of Josie.
“Happy New Year.” Penelope says to her feet. It’s probably the second dumbest thing she could have come up with, right after ‘I love you’.
“Happy New Year.” Josie replies softly.
Penelope looks up and finds both of them still looking stupid and overwhelmed, both of them at a loss for breath, both of them wondering where the hell to go from here.