Chapter Text
Josie Saltzman was exhausted.
Not only did her sister have a meltdown because Rafael sent Josie flowers, but the blonde had decided to lock her sister out of their shared room.
"Lizzie, I don't even like him. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding,” Josie pleaded, her head resting on the door as she heard Lizzie's trampling around their room, most likely trashing Josie's side. "Please, it's getting late. Can you just let me sleep in my bed tonight and we'll pick this up in the morning?" She tried with a lighter tone and only received the crashing sound of something being thrown at the door. Sighing, Josie sifted through different people she could crash with for the night.
The list was short.
Just as another item was thrown against the door, a voice interrupted her thoughts, "Yikes, seems as though sissy is a little mad. Could it be boy troubles that have her panties in a twist?"
Josie closed her eyes and exhaled slowly before turning around to face her ex. "I'm not in the mood, Penelope."
The girl gave Josie her classic smirk before responding, "Oh, but JoJo, you were always in the mood. I guess a lack of vitamin me has been taking its toll."
Josie's cheeks turned red from embarrassment and frustration. "Penelope, I am seriously not in the right mindset to deal with you right now.” Josie lowered her voice as she took a step away from the door and closer to her ex. "Please leave before all your hair goes up in flames."
Penelope raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "I'm not going to lie, that tone of kinda turns me on."
"I swear to-"
"Okay, okay," Penelope put her hands up in mock surrender before the other girl could set her aflame. "I didn't come here to tease you, or get set on fire,” she added with a small smile, taking a step closer to Josie so they were a mere foot apart. "I wanted to wish you a late, but still a very happy Valentine's Day."
Josie felt her frustration slowly dissipate as she glanced down and fumbled with her hands before softly murmuring, "I don't know what you want me to say. I thought we weren't going to talk about the kiss or what it meant?"
Penelope bit her lip and, for the first time since the two dated, Josie watched her as her ex became unsure. "Yeah, um, I know." The girl seemed to glance at the door before straightening her shoulders and letting her smirk fall back into place. "I wanted to offer you my bed." Before Josie could get worked up over the comment, Penelope continued, "In a platonic sense, JoJo. Get your head out of the gutter. But really, I know Lizzie won't be forgiving you anytime soon, so you can crash with me."
Josie couldn't seem to form a well thought out response and she blurted, "What about your roommate?"
Penelope lazily waved her hand, "No worries, she's been sleeping in her boyfriend's room for the last few days. She won't be back until she's caught by your dad for breaking curfew."
"I don't know, Penny, it doesn't seem like a good idea." Josie didn't understand why her ex's eyes lit up until she realized what she'd said. With a cough, she corrected her statement, "I meant to say, Penelope."
The girl simply tilted her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes before she continued, "Well, I won't beg you to allow yourself a night in an actual bed rather than on this floor,” she gestured mockingly at the ground beneath them before adding, "and I promise, no more innuendos or teasing."
"Is that even possible for you to promise?"
"No, not really, but I can promise to try." Penelope winked and gestured for Josie to take the lead. "I believe you know where you're going."
"Oh really? How do you know that? It's been a while,” the girl responded, crossing her arms with a small smile on her face.
Penelope's smirk only grew cockier as she leaned in, tucking a stray hair behind Josie's ear and whispering, "Because you were always able to find it, even if my tongue was down your throat and your shirt was half off."
Josie swallowed down any words she was about to respond with as she felt a flash of heat travel to the pit of her stomach.
"Then again, you did like it best when I took the lead."
And with that, Penelope was off, swinging her hips as Josie was left with her jaw a bit dropped and her eyes a bit dazed.
///
"I don't really think it'd be appropriate for me to sleep in your roommate's bed," Josie stated as Penelope handed her shorts and a sweatshirt to sleep in. "but as long as we wash the sheets, it should be okay, right?"
"Come on, JoJo, it just wouldn't be right. It is her bed after all." The other girl teased, before turning around and beginning to strip.
Josie slapped her hand over her eyes rather quickly and exclaimed, "Jeez, Penelope! A warning next time you decide to go all naked?"
"Nothing you haven't seen before. I did turn around, so, you're welcome. Although it would be a better view from the-"
"Okay! Got it. Thanks." Josie groaned before peeking between her fingers to check if her ex was still turned around before pulling her own shirt off. She quickly slipped into the shorts and sweatshirt, trying not to sigh at the scent of Penelope's perfume that was enlaced in the clothes. "Are you decent?"
"I'm always better than decent."
Josie rolled her eyes as she turned back around and blushed at the sight of her ex. It wasn't just the way Penelope looked, but also the way Penelope was looking at her. She looked at Josie as though she was her whole world.
They both seemed to avert their eyes at the same time when Josie cleared her throat. "So, uh, what are the sleeping arrangments?"
Penelope glanced to the bed and back at Josie, a small smirk playing on her lips. "I mean, I'm sure you could get away with sleeping in her bed considering she didn't notice the last time we used it."
Josie fought a blush as she remembered what her ex was referencing...
The sound of the headboard creaking was nothing new to the two girls who were too caught up in each other's bodies until the creak turned into a crack. Josie grabbed hold of her girlfriend's hair and pulled Penelope's head up from where she was making her way down Josie's stomach.
"Ow, JoJo. I know you like it rough but-" Penelope's teasing was cut short by the mortified look on Josie's face. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Her tone shifted quickly to concern as she rolled off of her girlfriend and tried to gauge what was going on.
"Oh my god, Penny, I'm so sorry." Josie pointed to where the headboard had cracked before burying her head in the crook of her girlfriend's neck.
Penelope attempted to fight the giggle from escaping her lips, but couldn't. She laughed and laughed and pulled Josie away from her hiding spot only to press a chaste kiss to her lips. "Did you do that or did we?"
"I did it. I got a little, um, excited and my magic kind of, well, you can see what it did while I was gripping it."
"I think that's the best compliment I've ever gotten from a girl."
"Oh, shut up." Josie pushed at her girlfriend's shoulder before pausing, "So, I'm guessing we shouldn't continue?"
Penelope looked at her with a mischievous look in her eyes. "We won't continue." The girl tried not to snicker at the disappointment of Josie's face. "Don't fret, JoJo. What I meant to say was that we won't continue on this bed."
Before her girlfriend could protest, Penelope pulled Josie in for a kiss as she hauled her over to her roommate's bed. "Pen, we can't! Not on her bed." She stuttered out breathlessly as her girlfriend left kisses down her neck.
"Tell me to stop and I will." Penelope countered, her voice radiating confidence before she found the spot just to the right and above Josie's collarbone that always made the girl go wild.
And boy did it.
Let's just say, Josie did not ask Penelope to stop. In fact, she pleaded for her girlfriend not to stop, many, many times.
"--and I can take her bed if you really must insist that you won't use it."
Josie's head shot up as she was brought back to the present. "I, um, missed that?"
Penelope raised an eyebrow but didn't question the girl. "I asked if you would be alright sleeping on my bed since you refuse to use hers." She overexaggerated and watched Josie roll her eyes. "And those are new sheets so there's no need to worry."
"Yeah, thank you." She replied softly as she shuffled towards the bed before giving her ex an awkward smile and settling on the bed. "I, um, really appreciate you letting-"
Penelope waved at Josie, cutting her off. "You know it's the least I could do. And it's not like your new boyfriend could sneak you into his room. I'm sure Lizzie would love that." She added overzealously as she plopped on her roommate's bed.
"Why do you have to do that?" Josie asked as she settled into the bed with a sigh.
"Do what? Speak the truth?"
"Whenever you say or do something nice it's like you need to remind me of all the reasons why we didn't work out. It's like you need to reiterate what Lizzie says about you every day."
"Like saying I'm Satan?"
"Yeah, like saying you're Satan," Josie muttered back, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of Penelope that seemed to envelop her.
The other girl bit her lip and leaned back as she stared longingly at her ex. "JoJo, whatever fights your sister and I have gotten into, they're not your fault. You know that, right?"
Josie opened her eyes and glanced at her ex. Penelope quickly averted her longing gaze as Josie spoke, "Then why do they always involve me?"
"We both love you and," Penelope took a deep breath as if to gather the courage to speak, "we disagree on how to show that love. I've always wanted you to be the best individual you can be while she's never made any effort for you. It's always about her."
"She's my twin. It's okay if it's about her sometimes." Josie said quietly, trying to ignore the four-letter word Penelope had dropped without warning: love.
Penelope held in a scoff that she knew would only push Josie to defend her sister without thought. "And sometimes is okay but it's always been about her. It was Lizzie for the council, Lizzie's birthday, and Lizzie and Rafael."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Josie stated as she rolled so her back was facing Penelope. "Let's just go to bed."
The other girl took a steady breath trying to forget Lizzie Saltzman and her controlling claws. "Sleep well, JoJo." She murmured from across the room as she settled into her roommate's bed.
"You too, Penny."
///
Josie couldn't sleep.
It wasn't just Penelope's scent all over the blankets and clothes, but it was the girl herself.
She wouldn't stop moving.
Penelope had been approaching almost an hour of uncomfortably shuffling around in her roommate's bed. It was too lumpy and too warm and too-
"Hey, Penelope?"
"I'm trying to sleep, JoJo."
"Um, yeah, me too but I can't with you making all that noise."
"Last I recall, you like it when I'm loud. I believe you said it was flattering." Penelope shot back with a growing smile on her face as she heard Josie sigh in annoyance.
"You promised you'd limit the innuendos and teasing."
"Alright, fine. I got you in my bed so the hard work is done anyway."
"Oh my god, Penelope!"
"I remember hearing you yell that a lot when you were in my bed."
"Okay, that's it," Josie muttered and rolled out of the bed. She almost tripped over whatever was lying on the ground before she could get to her ex. "Come here," Josie ordered as she grabbed the girl and yanked her out of the bed and over to her's, all while Penelope had a proud, yet confused look on her face. "If you can't sleep in her bed, then just sleep here," She huffed as she plopped the both of them onto the double twin bed.
"If you wanted to get me into bed with you-"
"Shut up and sleep or I'll go crash with Raf." It may have been dark in Penelope's room, but Josie could still see the flame of jealousy that was fired up at the mention of the boy.
Penelope didn't respond and instead, she shuffled over to one side of the bed as Josie made herself comfortable on the other side. Though to say the bed has sides is a bit of an over-exaggeration considering it was a double twin and the two girls were practically touching.
A few minutes of silence passed before Josie huffed and turned on her side to face her ex. "Penelope?"
The girl just groaned and opened one eye to peek at Josie. "What?"
"I always slept better when, well, you know..." Josie trailed off and gave her ex a hopeful look.
Penelope sat up in bed, both eyes wide open. "You really wanna do this? Now? Alright, give me a sec to get in the mood-"
"Seriously? No!" Josie blurted out, pushing her ex back on the bed. "I meant spooning me. Jesus, I forgot all you do is think about sex."
"Okay, not true. All I do is think about you. And we would have sex, so, naturally, I assumed you wanted to take the edge off."
"That's enough. Just forget I said anything." Josie grumbled and turned to her other side so her back was facing Penelope.
The other girl sighed softly before turning the front of her body to press against the back of Josie's. "I'm sorry if I made you feel weird. I know how complicated this is for you." She slipped a hand under Josie's sweatshirt and began tracing small circles with her thumb before whispering, "It's complicated for me too."
Josie moved her hand to interlock with Penelope's fingers before pulling it to hold her tighter as she hummed contently. She let out a small puff of air before murmuring, "Complicated is just another way of saying something takes effort."
"Beauty and brains? Why did I ever let you go?" Penelope teased, a hint of longing in her voice.
"Don't forget my sense of humor."
"What sense of humor?"
"Okay, fair enough but that was still rude."