aether (kate/penny) pg13
Title: Aether
Fandom: Lost
Prompt: 17:00 / finite, for Around the Clock
Pairing/Characters: Kate/Penny
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 249
Summary: She wonders if this is merely the result of comradely in boredom. Kate and Penny cross paths at a Flight 815 reunion.
Author's Notes: Yes, I did pick the most random pairing ever.
17:00 / finite
Her dress is too tight and she feels unbalanced in heels and even the taste of alcohol is hampered by the fact that it’s only champagne. While Kate may be costumed for the black-tie event, her personality feels underdressed. Photographers are just outside, vying for the best angle on this convergence of freaks.
The airplane crash victims who came back to life.
Hurley’s wearing a tux, the benefactor for this elaborate reunion, and if he didn’t already look so uncomfortable in that cummerbund she might give him a talking-to.
Then there’s Penny. Kate had seen her at reunions before, perpetually on the verge of tears despite how tightly she corks them up. They’ve barely spoken a word to each other, Kate for fear that Penny might question her about Desmond, cracking her lies.
But.
She recognizes her awkward posture and the strain of a faintly pleasant expression. Penny understands the weight of a mask. They reach for a monogrammed napkin at the same moment and before long they’re shaking hands like they haven’t been avoiding each other this whole time. She wonders if this is merely the result of comradely in boredom.
Later, in a secluded hallway where the light of flashbulbs don’t ricochet off the shadows and the noise of clinking glasses and manufactured laughs barely reach them, Penny kisses her. Kate can taste the sweet of champagne on her tongue, the silk of her dress as her fingers skim her hips.
But it isn’t built to last.