Tea And Sympathy
Title: Tea And Sympathy
Pairing: Lily/Kat
Word Count: 4229
Disclaimer: I don't own, or claim to own, anything related to Skins, nor do I think Lily Loveless or Kathryn Prescott would actually shag in real life. This is just waffle from my brain, my brain of three months ago at that, written after I saw the first part of their interview on E4 (obviously not the second or third boyfriend declaring parts). No offense intended!
Summary: Kat and Lily drink tea in their shared apartment and talk about how funny it is that people think they're actually shagging.
N.B. flister I blame you for this! Thanks to the icon making talents of wowsugarpuss, too!
“Tea?” Lily asked, throwing her bag onto the small couch and switching the kitchenette light on.
Kat nodded, said “Yeah, sure.” as she walked into the bedroom on the left and kicked her shoes off.
Lily moved around the kitchenette, filling the kettle and getting two mugs ready, cursing softly as she opened cupboard doors and closed them again. “Where did you put it?” Lily called, frowning.
Kat undid the belt on her jeans, slid them down and kicked them into the corner of the bedroom. She looked around at the clothes on the floor, spotting pyjama shorts and putting them on. “Uh, next to the sink?” Kat called back, pulling her shirt off and grabbing a singlet off the ground.
Lily looked up from the cupboard she was knelt in front of, saw the tea bags sitting next to the sink, in front of her face the whole time, and blinked. “Right.” She said quietly, standing and reaching for them.
Kat sat on the tiny couch, pulled her knee into her chest, and reached for the remote on the coffee table in front of her. She flicked through channels as Lily walked carefully over to her, eyes trained on both mugs, making sure none of the boiling liquid spilt onto her hands or the carpet.
Kat smirked. “You always put too much water in.” She said as Lily gently placed a mug on the coffee table in front of her, before putting the other down on the other side and sitting next to her with a satisfied huff.
“I don’t.” Lily said back, reaching under herself and yanking her bag out and onto the floor.
Kat rolled her eyes slightly, grabbing her mug and blowing on it, staring at the television screen.
Lily sighed. “What’s this shit, then?” She lifted her feet onto the coffee table, and sunk into the couch.
“Neighbours.” Kat mumbled, taking a sip of her tea and flinching from the heat.
“Fuck’s sake.” Lily sighed again. She began drumming her fingers against her own ribs.
“Stop it.” Kat reached over and grabbed both of Lily’s hands, stilling them.
Lily snorted. “Control issues.” She said quietly, and Kat glanced at her before smirking.
“Fuck off.” Kat pulled her hand back, wrapped it around her mug. They were quiet for a few moments, watching the television, Kat sipping at her tea while Lily waited for hers to cool down. “I reckon they’re shagging.” Kat said softly, nodding toward the tv as Lily looked over at her with a small frown on her face.
“Who? That old guy and the chick?” Lily scrunched her nose up as Kat nodded.
“Oh Christ, no way! He’s old enough to be her grandfather. And I might be wrong, since I’ve never watched this crap in my life, but he’s actually playing her bloody grandfather, man.”
Kat shrugged. “There’s something a bit weird about them though, don’t you see it?” Kat took a sip of her tea, trying to suppress a grin as Lily started spluttering next to her.
“Are you serious? Absolutely not.” Lily shook her head, crossed her arms in front of her. Kat bit her lip as Lily stared at the television. “Christ.” Lily said as the characters in question hugged on the screen, and Kat let out a sudden snort. Lily looked at her, rolled her own eyes, then shook her head as she began to smile.
“I’m not that perverted, Jesus.” Kat chuckled. “Meg and I used to play this game though all the time when nothing was on, or whatever.” Kat took a sip of tea. “Makes it bearable, pretending who’s shagging who.” Kat smiled at Lily, as Lily bit her lip.
“What about them, then?” Lily raised her eyebrows at the screen, as a young teenage boy and sixty year old woman laughed and hugged over something. “Can you imagine them shagging?”
Kat began to cough on the sip of tea she’d just had, and leaned forward as Lily patted her on the back. “Jesus!” Kat let out, laughing.
Lily smirked, took her hand back as Kat seemed to calm down. Kat smiled, chuckled a little bit, and then leaned back into the couch. She drank more of her tea, a small smile staying on her lips.
“Do you think people play this game with Skins?” Lily asked after a moment, biting her bottom lip and not looking at Kat. Kat turned her head and looked at Lily for a minute, before taking another sip of tea and then nodding.
“Yeah, probably. Particularly since Jack and Kaya weren’t quiet about actually, you know, being together off the show as well.” Kat rested the mug of tea in her lap, as Lily sat forward and reached for her own.
Lily was quiet for a moment, blowing on her tea, before taking a small sip. “And, you know, Pass and Klariza.”
“Yeah.” Kat said after a moment, and licked her lips.
Lily cleared her throat, and they sat silently. Lily took a breath, and then glanced at Kat quickly, before smirking slightly. “Apparently there are people who think we’re together. You know. Off the show and on.” Lily kept her eyes on the television as she saw Kat turn to look at her out of her periphery.
Kat raised her eyebrows. “I know.” She said simply, turning back to the television when she realised Lily was purposefully not making eye contact. “Someone sent me a link to a story on some site.” She casually sipped more of her tea.
Lily stopped smirking, turning to Kat. “Really? Someone sent it to me as well. Some story about us shagging in the shower after filming the lake scene.”
Kat blinked, turning to Lily. “No, actually. It was about us shagging at the after party last season. Well, that’s what I got sent.” Kat looked at Lily for a moment, and then they both started to laugh.
Lily took a large gulp of her tea, looking away from Kat. “Jesus, don’t people understand it’s just, you know, television. We’re acting for Christ’s sake.” Lily sat back, resting her tea on her stomach.
Kat’s fingernails tapped against her mug for a moment. “Meg was jealous when I told her, till she Googled herself and found, like, she has some weird cult following.” Kat smirked as Lily laughed.
“Hang on, so you told Meg and not me?” Lily grabbed the remote out of Kat’s hand and turned the volume on the television down.
Kat shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you knew anyway.”
Lily frowned a little. “But you didn’t know I knew.”
“Yeah well, Meg knows everything.” Kat smirked at Lily. “It’s a twin thing.” She said, raising her mug to her lips and taking another sip. “You didn’t tell me either, let’s not forget.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Whatever, there was nothing to tell. Just some silliness on the internet.” Lily frowned. “Just some more silliness, I might add.” Lily turned her attention back to the television.
Kat nodded, reaching forward and putting her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Yeah, there is no way I’m getting that Twitter thing.” Kat rubbed Lily’s shoulder for a moment. “Did that chick stop? Pretending to be you or whatever.”
Lily sighed. “Yeah, kind of. Not that I care or anything, I just don’t know why someone would do that. I mean, what’s the bloody point?” Lily shifted on the couch a little, leaning toward Kat.
Kat shrugged. “Nothing better to do with your life, probably.” Kat glanced at Lily. “It’s the tiniest bit flattering though, don’t you think? That people bother.”
Lily sniffed, uncrossed her arms. “It’s weird, is what it is. Like the interview today. And calling us ‘Naomily’. I mean, calling them that. Emily and Naomi.” Lily sighed and sat forward. “Christ sake, even I do it.”
Kat frowned, reaching forward and putting her mug on the coffee table. “Look, we were warned about the attention, and just downplaying it and not taking it to heart.”
“You were, I wasn’t!” Lily said, looking at Kat.
“Well, I don’t know. Maybe they thought Emily would get more attention than Naomi?” Kat started playing with the hem of her singlet.
“Or they figured, like everyone else, that you’re actually Emily and far more sensitive than ‘Naomi’,” Lily pointed at herself. “And so needed a warning more than I did.”
Kat licked her lips. “Well done, by the by, pointing out that I’m more like Naomi than Emily today.” Kat smiled a little. “Everyone who doesn’t know me expects me to be all sensitive and shy.”
Lily smirked. “When in actuality, you’re a loud mouthed slut.”
Kat bat her eyelashes. “Emphasis on the ‘slut’, I’m sure.” Kat stuck her tongue out briefly at Lily.
“Actually, a lot of those stories about you and me, well, you’re always this gigantic slut who sleeps with every blonde in Britain but me, even though, obviously, you want me the most.” Lily bat her eyelashes back at Kat as Kat’s jaw dropped open.
“You dirty pervert! You’ve read more than one?” Kat leaned forward and shoved Lily playfully, as Lily started laughing.
“Well I was curious about how many there were!” Lily giggled as Kat smirked. “And how wrong they all were.”
“Yeah right, pervert.” Kat said and rolled her eyes. Though she smiled to herself when Lily wasn’t looking.
“As if you haven’t, man.” Lily finished her tea, and put her mug on the coffee table.
“Well, maybe one or two.” Kat said, licking her lips. “But it’s like reading about someone else, cos I don’t actually sleep with everything that moves, and you’re not, well, secretly in love with me.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Lily gave a sympathetic glance to Kat, as Kat shoved her again, and they both laughed. “Can you imagine?”
“What? If you were in love with me?” Kat turned her body completely toward Lily, the television forgotten.
Lily moved until she was mirroring Kat’s position. She rolled her eyes before answering. “No, egomaniac. Us together.” Kat raised her eyebrows, opened her mouth to say something, but Lily cut her off. “I’m not suggesting it, obviously, I’m just saying. If the stories were true, and we were secretly in love with each other or whatever, how unexciting and boring the stories would be. You know, based on truth.”
Kat was silent for a moment, then gave Lily a look like she was demented. “What are you on about?”
“Like, for example, you’re not a crazy slut and actually spend most nights in Bristol studying your lines instead of shagging blonde girls.” Lily bit her lip, as Kat began to nod.
“Right, and how we spend most nights here drinking tea and watching shit television instead of secretly wanting to shag all over the apartment.” Kat blinked at Lily, before smiling.
Lily shoved Kat playfully. “Well done, by the way! Telling everyone we do actually share an apartment. You shouldn’t encourage them!” Lily laughed as Kat shoved her back.
“What? It’s the truth.” Kat rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you shouldn’t care so much what people think.”
Lily blinked at Kat, shrugged her shoulders after a moment. “I don’t care.” She mumbled.
“Actually, you care far too much, Lils.” Kat stood up, grabbed their mugs off the coffee table and took them to the kitchen. “What’s the call time tomorrow?” She called, as Lily frowned on the couch.
“Seven.” Lily called back. “I don’t care too much, actually.” She added, for good measure.
Kat came back to the couch, sat beside her, put her hand on her thigh. “Want to practice?”
Lily shrugged. “Not really, but might as well.” Lily took a breath, pulled her shoulders back, closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them, and Naomi was looking at Kat.
Kat raised her eyebrows. “No scripts then.” She said, frowning slightly, before looking back at Naomi with Emily’s eyes. “Why does it have to be such a big deal?”
Naomi rolled her eyes, reached forward and took Emily’s hands in her own. “It’s not, not really. Just, Ems, don’t worry about it. Alright?” Naomi reached forward, pushed some of Emily’s fringe to the side before cupping Emily’s cheek, and leaning in until their foreheads were pressed together and their noses were touching.
Emily sighed, reaching her own hand to Naomi’s cheek, caressing her face with her thumb. “I love you.” She whispered softly, as Naomi leaned in and pressed a kiss to her mouth. It was tender, and loving, and Naomi leaned into Emily, opened her mouth and touched her tongue lightly to Emily’s, as Emily let out a barely audible moan.
Lily leaned back, suddenly and pulled a face. “That herbal tea you drink tastes like bollocky wank shite.”
Kat pulled her hand back from Lily’s face, and rolled her eyes. “Yeah well, you taste like cow’s milk and I’m not complaining, even though I really should.” Kat stuck her tongue out a little, and pulled a face.
Lily rolled her eyes. “It’s just a coincidence then that every time I have something dairy related all of a sudden you want to practice snogging me.” Lily nodded at Kat, and winked. “I know your game.”
Kat frowned and shook her head. “Sometimes you’re so full of it.” Kat glanced down at Lily’s chest for a moment, and then smirked. “Your nipples are erect. You are totally in love with me!” Kat laughed at Lily as Lily crossed her arms over her chest suddenly.
“You wish, man. It’s cold in here.” Lily pouted, and stood up. She looked Kat over, desperate for something she could pick on, but found nothing but a smirking face and frustratingly smug eyes. “Whatever, I’m too tired to practice. I’m going to bed.”
Lily changed into pyjamas, or at least pyjama related clothes, frowning at her own tits until her nipples stopped poking through her t-shirt so much, and went into the small bathroom to brush her teeth.
Kat came and leant against the doorframe as Lily brushed, looking at her expectantly until, frowning, Lily looked at her. “What?” She said thickly, globs of foaming toothpaste falling out of her mouth and into the sink.
“Nothing.” Kat said, smiling slightly. “Only, you know, it wouldn’t be boring and unexciting if we were actually shagging.”
Lily stopped brushing for a moment, looked at Kat again, but couldn’t talk around the toothpaste in her mouth.
“It would actually be the best shag of your life.” Kat licked her lips, and gazed at Lily.
Lily looked back at Kat for a moment, before leaning over slightly and spitting the mouthful of toothpaste foam out. She turned to Kat, put one hand on her own hip, and raised her eyebrows. “Go on, then.” She said quietly, doing her best to stare back at Kat as intensely as the look she was getting.
Lily saw Kat falter for a second, a split second really, only noticing because they’d been acting together so closely for so long that she was probably the only person, other than Meg, who could notice these things. Kat was just acting. Lily smirked, and turned back to the sink, turning on the tap and washing her toothbrush off.
She picked up a hand towel and started wiping the toothpaste from the corners of her mouth, ignoring Kat completely.
The hand towel was yanked out of her hands, and she was pushed forcefully against the bathroom wall next to the sink, the flat of her back making contact with the tiled walls, her t-shirt far too thin to protect her from the cold coming off them. Not that she noticed, since she all of a sudden had a mouthful of Kat to contend with.
This was not how Emily kissed, was Lily’s first thought. Emily was gentle, hesitant, soft. Kat, it turned out, was hard, aggressive and deep. And tongue, Lily thought. Lots of tongue. And a hand on her tit. And her bloody nipples were erect again. And she’d blame it on the tiled walls, later, when Kat pulled back laughing and claiming the whole thing was a joke. Except, after a while, when she was being half lifted onto the bench next to the sink, and Lily’s legs were open and Kat was standing in between them, pressing oh so fucking close, and they were still bloody kissing, Lily began to wonder when the joke would end.
Lily pushed forward, turning Kat to the bench, lifting her easily and reversing their positions completely, which she told herself was an effort to take control of the situation. Except, when Kat pulled her closer, pressed their breasts and hips together, moaned for Christ’s sake, she momentarily forgot that she was meant to be stopping this. The joke. Since it was all just a big joke.
“Ow.” Kat murmured after a moment, and Lily shot backwards.
“What? Did I hurt you?” Lily said very quickly, breathing heavily, and doing her best not to be touching Kat at all. She decided to ignore how loud her voice had gotten.
Kat shook her head, reached under herself with a grimace, and pulled out Lily’s toothbrush. “This was right in my arse.” Kat murmured, tossing the toothbrush into the sink.
“Right.” Lily said. “Well.” She said again, as Kat tilted her head slightly and just looked at her. “Off to bed then.”
Lily didn’t look at Kat, couldn’t, and instead left the bathroom as fast as possible, mindful of how unpleasantly slippery it was to walk.
Kat sat on the bench for a moment, touched her fingers to her lips. Kissing Lily was a far cry from kissing Naomi, and she hadn’t expected that. Had been prepared, even, to call it a joke if Lily had reacted badly. But Lily hadn’t reacted badly, not at all. She could still feel Lily’s mouth on her own, and the way she shuddered when she palmed Lily’s tit, and how she could barely breath when their hips were pressed together. Fuck. She’d lost count of how many times they had kissed in the past, but all of a sudden realised that this was the first time that there had been no pre-tense, that it wasn’t scripted, that Emily and Naomi weren’t in the room with them breathing down their necks.
Kat hopped off the bench, took a deep breath, and leant against it, dazed. Lily appeared in the doorway after a second.
“Not gay. By the way. Just.” Lily stared at Kat’s chest for a second. “Your nipples are erect, man.” Lily blinked at herself. “Not that I care, obviously.” Lily turned and walked back into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
“So they are.” Kat mumbled, looking down at her own tits. She bit her lip, brushed her teeth, walked into her room, walked back out of it. She walked to Lily’s door, knocked hesitantly. “Lils, you awake?”
“No.” Lily called out, after a minute, and Kat rolled her eyes and opened the door. “I’m completely asleep.” Lily said, sitting on her bed in the dark, on top of the covers.
“Can I come in?” Kat asked, and Lily sighed.
“No.” Lily said, and moved back until there was more room on her bed.
Kat closed the door behind her, felt her way toward Lily’s bed, and clumsily sat down next to her. “Could you turn a lamp on?” Kat asked.
“I’d prefer this to happen in the dark.” Lily said, and Kat inhaled sharply. “Not sex, I mean, talking. Obviously.” Lily said quickly. “Christ.”
Kat swallowed, turning in the vague direction of where Lily’ voice was coming from, wondering the best course of action at this point. “I’m sorry.” She said, and paused, trying to gather her thoughts.
Lily was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, well, I knew that didn’t I, man? Clearly that was just a joke. Hilarious.” Lily moved suddenly, and Kat felt jostling against her back as Lily got under her covers and lay down. “I’m tired, Kat. Just. Goodnight, alright?” Lily said quietly, turning her back to Kat.
Kat stood up. “Right. Sorry. Night, Lils.” Kat walked toward Lily’s door, and then stopped and turned around.
“What I meant, was I’m sorry that I just attacked you, and it wasn’t meant as a joke, and it was clearly something, and if you want to talk about it, I’ll be awake for a little while longer.”
Kat stood there for a moment, and Lily was silent. Kat went back to her own bedroom, careful not to slam Lily’s bedroom door, careful not to slam her own, before sitting on her own bed and taking a deep breath. She stood up quickly, walked over to her dresser, and took a spliff out of the top drawer. She grabbed a lighter, and snuck out of her room, closing the door as quietly as she could, and tip toeing over to the sliding door off the lounge room, opening it and slipping outside onto the balcony.
Kat lit the spliff, ignoring that it would probably fuck her voice up for tomorrow, and inhaling deeply. She coughed as she exhaled, taking another drag and looking out onto Bristol.
When she’d first been sent the links to the stories, from some crazy chick she’d never met in her life, she’d found them funny. It was flattering that people cared so much who she was sleeping with. She wasn’t anyone famous, she was just in a tv series, and when she wasn’t life wasn’t that exciting. But there were people in the world, out there somewhere, who gave a toss, and that was nice. Inaccurate at times, but nice. Kat rolled her eyes, inhaling the spliff. Lily needed to relax, look at the attention as something good, especially considering after this year they’d be out of Skins, and back to being nobodies again, most likely. Well, the world would be their oyster and there’d be more jobs and whatever else they were told, but it wouldn’t be like this again.
That was one of the things that shat her so much about Lily though, even though she loved her to death of course, that Lily couldn’t handle the attention. Maybe Kat was younger, more naïve, maybe Kat was used to attention, being a twin. Being Meg’s twin, at that. Maybe.
She heard the door behind her open, and Lily slipped through, closing it behind her. Kat offered her the spliff, and Lily took it, inhaling deeply.
Kat kept her hands on the balcony railing, didn’t look at Lily, let her smoke the spliff for a while, let her catch up.
“Do you think,” Lily said quietly, after a long time. “That the moon was once completely white, years and years ago, like thousands of years, and that in a few thousand years, or whatever, it will be much darker. Like, with more craters and shit. You know?”
Kat blinked, felt her mind go ‘wow’, and knew she was stoned. “Maybe.” She said. Lily handed her the spliff back, and they shared it quietly until it was out.
“I’m not Naomi.” Lily said after a moment, flicking the roach over the balcony.
“I’m not Emily.” Kat said, shrugging. “That’s not the issue.”
“Isn’t it?” Lily said, sighing. “People have confused us enough, you know, we shouldn’t be doing the same. Confusing things, acting like them. I’m not Naomi, Kat.”
Kat turned toward Lily. “I wasn’t kissing Naomi, Lils.” And there it was, finally.
They had practiced, endlessly, over the last two years, to make it look natural for Emily to be kissing Naomi. Had spent afternoons in basements and office spaces, rehearsing and blocking movements, until they had done it so many times it looked spontaneous.
Now, in the new season, it wasn’t about looking real so much anymore as looking believable, second nature. If Lily thought about it, which she did now as the spliff opened her mind up, it had been Kat who’d suggested they practice as often as possible. To bring a higher element of realism to the characters. To help them make it look like they were so used to kissing each other they wouldn’t need practice.
Oh, thought Lily. Right. She looked sideways at Kat. “I don’t think Lisa and Merv ‘practice’ as much as we do.” She said slyly, watching as Kat gave her a half smile before turning and looking out over Bristol again. “I don’t even think Jack and Kaya snogged as much as we do now, back when they were together.”
Kat shrugged her shoulders, crossed her arms over herself as a cool breeze made the ends of her hair fly up softly with the wind.
“Very sneaky of you, Prescott. Very sneaky.”
“Are you complaining?” Kat asked, turning and raising her eyebrows at Lily. She smiled as Lily looked thoughtful for a moment.
“I don’t know.” Lily met her eyes. “I don’t think so.” Lily bit her own lip for a moment, before smiling suddenly and stepping toward Kat, reaching out and taking her hands. “Want me to go eat some cheese so we can practice?” She asked softly, and Kat chuckled.
“No. Because firstly, like, cheese is disgusting and secondly,” Kat said, letting go of Lily’s hands and moving them around her waist, stepping closer until they were pressed together, and Lily could feel the breath from Kat’s words against her lips. “I think we’ve practiced enough.”
Pairing: Lily/Kat
Word Count: 4229
Disclaimer: I don't own, or claim to own, anything related to Skins, nor do I think Lily Loveless or Kathryn Prescott would actually shag in real life. This is just waffle from my brain, my brain of three months ago at that, written after I saw the first part of their interview on E4 (obviously not the second or third boyfriend declaring parts). No offense intended!
Summary: Kat and Lily drink tea in their shared apartment and talk about how funny it is that people think they're actually shagging.
N.B. flister I blame you for this! Thanks to the icon making talents of wowsugarpuss, too!
“Tea?” Lily asked, throwing her bag onto the small couch and switching the kitchenette light on.
Kat nodded, said “Yeah, sure.” as she walked into the bedroom on the left and kicked her shoes off.
Lily moved around the kitchenette, filling the kettle and getting two mugs ready, cursing softly as she opened cupboard doors and closed them again. “Where did you put it?” Lily called, frowning.
Kat undid the belt on her jeans, slid them down and kicked them into the corner of the bedroom. She looked around at the clothes on the floor, spotting pyjama shorts and putting them on. “Uh, next to the sink?” Kat called back, pulling her shirt off and grabbing a singlet off the ground.
Lily looked up from the cupboard she was knelt in front of, saw the tea bags sitting next to the sink, in front of her face the whole time, and blinked. “Right.” She said quietly, standing and reaching for them.
Kat sat on the tiny couch, pulled her knee into her chest, and reached for the remote on the coffee table in front of her. She flicked through channels as Lily walked carefully over to her, eyes trained on both mugs, making sure none of the boiling liquid spilt onto her hands or the carpet.
Kat smirked. “You always put too much water in.” She said as Lily gently placed a mug on the coffee table in front of her, before putting the other down on the other side and sitting next to her with a satisfied huff.
“I don’t.” Lily said back, reaching under herself and yanking her bag out and onto the floor.
Kat rolled her eyes slightly, grabbing her mug and blowing on it, staring at the television screen.
Lily sighed. “What’s this shit, then?” She lifted her feet onto the coffee table, and sunk into the couch.
“Neighbours.” Kat mumbled, taking a sip of her tea and flinching from the heat.
“Fuck’s sake.” Lily sighed again. She began drumming her fingers against her own ribs.
“Stop it.” Kat reached over and grabbed both of Lily’s hands, stilling them.
Lily snorted. “Control issues.” She said quietly, and Kat glanced at her before smirking.
“Fuck off.” Kat pulled her hand back, wrapped it around her mug. They were quiet for a few moments, watching the television, Kat sipping at her tea while Lily waited for hers to cool down. “I reckon they’re shagging.” Kat said softly, nodding toward the tv as Lily looked over at her with a small frown on her face.
“Who? That old guy and the chick?” Lily scrunched her nose up as Kat nodded.
“Oh Christ, no way! He’s old enough to be her grandfather. And I might be wrong, since I’ve never watched this crap in my life, but he’s actually playing her bloody grandfather, man.”
Kat shrugged. “There’s something a bit weird about them though, don’t you see it?” Kat took a sip of her tea, trying to suppress a grin as Lily started spluttering next to her.
“Are you serious? Absolutely not.” Lily shook her head, crossed her arms in front of her. Kat bit her lip as Lily stared at the television. “Christ.” Lily said as the characters in question hugged on the screen, and Kat let out a sudden snort. Lily looked at her, rolled her own eyes, then shook her head as she began to smile.
“I’m not that perverted, Jesus.” Kat chuckled. “Meg and I used to play this game though all the time when nothing was on, or whatever.” Kat took a sip of tea. “Makes it bearable, pretending who’s shagging who.” Kat smiled at Lily, as Lily bit her lip.
“What about them, then?” Lily raised her eyebrows at the screen, as a young teenage boy and sixty year old woman laughed and hugged over something. “Can you imagine them shagging?”
Kat began to cough on the sip of tea she’d just had, and leaned forward as Lily patted her on the back. “Jesus!” Kat let out, laughing.
Lily smirked, took her hand back as Kat seemed to calm down. Kat smiled, chuckled a little bit, and then leaned back into the couch. She drank more of her tea, a small smile staying on her lips.
“Do you think people play this game with Skins?” Lily asked after a moment, biting her bottom lip and not looking at Kat. Kat turned her head and looked at Lily for a minute, before taking another sip of tea and then nodding.
“Yeah, probably. Particularly since Jack and Kaya weren’t quiet about actually, you know, being together off the show as well.” Kat rested the mug of tea in her lap, as Lily sat forward and reached for her own.
Lily was quiet for a moment, blowing on her tea, before taking a small sip. “And, you know, Pass and Klariza.”
“Yeah.” Kat said after a moment, and licked her lips.
Lily cleared her throat, and they sat silently. Lily took a breath, and then glanced at Kat quickly, before smirking slightly. “Apparently there are people who think we’re together. You know. Off the show and on.” Lily kept her eyes on the television as she saw Kat turn to look at her out of her periphery.
Kat raised her eyebrows. “I know.” She said simply, turning back to the television when she realised Lily was purposefully not making eye contact. “Someone sent me a link to a story on some site.” She casually sipped more of her tea.
Lily stopped smirking, turning to Kat. “Really? Someone sent it to me as well. Some story about us shagging in the shower after filming the lake scene.”
Kat blinked, turning to Lily. “No, actually. It was about us shagging at the after party last season. Well, that’s what I got sent.” Kat looked at Lily for a moment, and then they both started to laugh.
Lily took a large gulp of her tea, looking away from Kat. “Jesus, don’t people understand it’s just, you know, television. We’re acting for Christ’s sake.” Lily sat back, resting her tea on her stomach.
Kat’s fingernails tapped against her mug for a moment. “Meg was jealous when I told her, till she Googled herself and found, like, she has some weird cult following.” Kat smirked as Lily laughed.
“Hang on, so you told Meg and not me?” Lily grabbed the remote out of Kat’s hand and turned the volume on the television down.
Kat shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you knew anyway.”
Lily frowned a little. “But you didn’t know I knew.”
“Yeah well, Meg knows everything.” Kat smirked at Lily. “It’s a twin thing.” She said, raising her mug to her lips and taking another sip. “You didn’t tell me either, let’s not forget.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Whatever, there was nothing to tell. Just some silliness on the internet.” Lily frowned. “Just some more silliness, I might add.” Lily turned her attention back to the television.
Kat nodded, reaching forward and putting her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Yeah, there is no way I’m getting that Twitter thing.” Kat rubbed Lily’s shoulder for a moment. “Did that chick stop? Pretending to be you or whatever.”
Lily sighed. “Yeah, kind of. Not that I care or anything, I just don’t know why someone would do that. I mean, what’s the bloody point?” Lily shifted on the couch a little, leaning toward Kat.
Kat shrugged. “Nothing better to do with your life, probably.” Kat glanced at Lily. “It’s the tiniest bit flattering though, don’t you think? That people bother.”
Lily sniffed, uncrossed her arms. “It’s weird, is what it is. Like the interview today. And calling us ‘Naomily’. I mean, calling them that. Emily and Naomi.” Lily sighed and sat forward. “Christ sake, even I do it.”
Kat frowned, reaching forward and putting her mug on the coffee table. “Look, we were warned about the attention, and just downplaying it and not taking it to heart.”
“You were, I wasn’t!” Lily said, looking at Kat.
“Well, I don’t know. Maybe they thought Emily would get more attention than Naomi?” Kat started playing with the hem of her singlet.
“Or they figured, like everyone else, that you’re actually Emily and far more sensitive than ‘Naomi’,” Lily pointed at herself. “And so needed a warning more than I did.”
Kat licked her lips. “Well done, by the by, pointing out that I’m more like Naomi than Emily today.” Kat smiled a little. “Everyone who doesn’t know me expects me to be all sensitive and shy.”
Lily smirked. “When in actuality, you’re a loud mouthed slut.”
Kat bat her eyelashes. “Emphasis on the ‘slut’, I’m sure.” Kat stuck her tongue out briefly at Lily.
“Actually, a lot of those stories about you and me, well, you’re always this gigantic slut who sleeps with every blonde in Britain but me, even though, obviously, you want me the most.” Lily bat her eyelashes back at Kat as Kat’s jaw dropped open.
“You dirty pervert! You’ve read more than one?” Kat leaned forward and shoved Lily playfully, as Lily started laughing.
“Well I was curious about how many there were!” Lily giggled as Kat smirked. “And how wrong they all were.”
“Yeah right, pervert.” Kat said and rolled her eyes. Though she smiled to herself when Lily wasn’t looking.
“As if you haven’t, man.” Lily finished her tea, and put her mug on the coffee table.
“Well, maybe one or two.” Kat said, licking her lips. “But it’s like reading about someone else, cos I don’t actually sleep with everything that moves, and you’re not, well, secretly in love with me.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Lily gave a sympathetic glance to Kat, as Kat shoved her again, and they both laughed. “Can you imagine?”
“What? If you were in love with me?” Kat turned her body completely toward Lily, the television forgotten.
Lily moved until she was mirroring Kat’s position. She rolled her eyes before answering. “No, egomaniac. Us together.” Kat raised her eyebrows, opened her mouth to say something, but Lily cut her off. “I’m not suggesting it, obviously, I’m just saying. If the stories were true, and we were secretly in love with each other or whatever, how unexciting and boring the stories would be. You know, based on truth.”
Kat was silent for a moment, then gave Lily a look like she was demented. “What are you on about?”
“Like, for example, you’re not a crazy slut and actually spend most nights in Bristol studying your lines instead of shagging blonde girls.” Lily bit her lip, as Kat began to nod.
“Right, and how we spend most nights here drinking tea and watching shit television instead of secretly wanting to shag all over the apartment.” Kat blinked at Lily, before smiling.
Lily shoved Kat playfully. “Well done, by the way! Telling everyone we do actually share an apartment. You shouldn’t encourage them!” Lily laughed as Kat shoved her back.
“What? It’s the truth.” Kat rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you shouldn’t care so much what people think.”
Lily blinked at Kat, shrugged her shoulders after a moment. “I don’t care.” She mumbled.
“Actually, you care far too much, Lils.” Kat stood up, grabbed their mugs off the coffee table and took them to the kitchen. “What’s the call time tomorrow?” She called, as Lily frowned on the couch.
“Seven.” Lily called back. “I don’t care too much, actually.” She added, for good measure.
Kat came back to the couch, sat beside her, put her hand on her thigh. “Want to practice?”
Lily shrugged. “Not really, but might as well.” Lily took a breath, pulled her shoulders back, closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them, and Naomi was looking at Kat.
Kat raised her eyebrows. “No scripts then.” She said, frowning slightly, before looking back at Naomi with Emily’s eyes. “Why does it have to be such a big deal?”
Naomi rolled her eyes, reached forward and took Emily’s hands in her own. “It’s not, not really. Just, Ems, don’t worry about it. Alright?” Naomi reached forward, pushed some of Emily’s fringe to the side before cupping Emily’s cheek, and leaning in until their foreheads were pressed together and their noses were touching.
Emily sighed, reaching her own hand to Naomi’s cheek, caressing her face with her thumb. “I love you.” She whispered softly, as Naomi leaned in and pressed a kiss to her mouth. It was tender, and loving, and Naomi leaned into Emily, opened her mouth and touched her tongue lightly to Emily’s, as Emily let out a barely audible moan.
Lily leaned back, suddenly and pulled a face. “That herbal tea you drink tastes like bollocky wank shite.”
Kat pulled her hand back from Lily’s face, and rolled her eyes. “Yeah well, you taste like cow’s milk and I’m not complaining, even though I really should.” Kat stuck her tongue out a little, and pulled a face.
Lily rolled her eyes. “It’s just a coincidence then that every time I have something dairy related all of a sudden you want to practice snogging me.” Lily nodded at Kat, and winked. “I know your game.”
Kat frowned and shook her head. “Sometimes you’re so full of it.” Kat glanced down at Lily’s chest for a moment, and then smirked. “Your nipples are erect. You are totally in love with me!” Kat laughed at Lily as Lily crossed her arms over her chest suddenly.
“You wish, man. It’s cold in here.” Lily pouted, and stood up. She looked Kat over, desperate for something she could pick on, but found nothing but a smirking face and frustratingly smug eyes. “Whatever, I’m too tired to practice. I’m going to bed.”
Lily changed into pyjamas, or at least pyjama related clothes, frowning at her own tits until her nipples stopped poking through her t-shirt so much, and went into the small bathroom to brush her teeth.
Kat came and leant against the doorframe as Lily brushed, looking at her expectantly until, frowning, Lily looked at her. “What?” She said thickly, globs of foaming toothpaste falling out of her mouth and into the sink.
“Nothing.” Kat said, smiling slightly. “Only, you know, it wouldn’t be boring and unexciting if we were actually shagging.”
Lily stopped brushing for a moment, looked at Kat again, but couldn’t talk around the toothpaste in her mouth.
“It would actually be the best shag of your life.” Kat licked her lips, and gazed at Lily.
Lily looked back at Kat for a moment, before leaning over slightly and spitting the mouthful of toothpaste foam out. She turned to Kat, put one hand on her own hip, and raised her eyebrows. “Go on, then.” She said quietly, doing her best to stare back at Kat as intensely as the look she was getting.
Lily saw Kat falter for a second, a split second really, only noticing because they’d been acting together so closely for so long that she was probably the only person, other than Meg, who could notice these things. Kat was just acting. Lily smirked, and turned back to the sink, turning on the tap and washing her toothbrush off.
She picked up a hand towel and started wiping the toothpaste from the corners of her mouth, ignoring Kat completely.
The hand towel was yanked out of her hands, and she was pushed forcefully against the bathroom wall next to the sink, the flat of her back making contact with the tiled walls, her t-shirt far too thin to protect her from the cold coming off them. Not that she noticed, since she all of a sudden had a mouthful of Kat to contend with.
This was not how Emily kissed, was Lily’s first thought. Emily was gentle, hesitant, soft. Kat, it turned out, was hard, aggressive and deep. And tongue, Lily thought. Lots of tongue. And a hand on her tit. And her bloody nipples were erect again. And she’d blame it on the tiled walls, later, when Kat pulled back laughing and claiming the whole thing was a joke. Except, after a while, when she was being half lifted onto the bench next to the sink, and Lily’s legs were open and Kat was standing in between them, pressing oh so fucking close, and they were still bloody kissing, Lily began to wonder when the joke would end.
Lily pushed forward, turning Kat to the bench, lifting her easily and reversing their positions completely, which she told herself was an effort to take control of the situation. Except, when Kat pulled her closer, pressed their breasts and hips together, moaned for Christ’s sake, she momentarily forgot that she was meant to be stopping this. The joke. Since it was all just a big joke.
“Ow.” Kat murmured after a moment, and Lily shot backwards.
“What? Did I hurt you?” Lily said very quickly, breathing heavily, and doing her best not to be touching Kat at all. She decided to ignore how loud her voice had gotten.
Kat shook her head, reached under herself with a grimace, and pulled out Lily’s toothbrush. “This was right in my arse.” Kat murmured, tossing the toothbrush into the sink.
“Right.” Lily said. “Well.” She said again, as Kat tilted her head slightly and just looked at her. “Off to bed then.”
Lily didn’t look at Kat, couldn’t, and instead left the bathroom as fast as possible, mindful of how unpleasantly slippery it was to walk.
Kat sat on the bench for a moment, touched her fingers to her lips. Kissing Lily was a far cry from kissing Naomi, and she hadn’t expected that. Had been prepared, even, to call it a joke if Lily had reacted badly. But Lily hadn’t reacted badly, not at all. She could still feel Lily’s mouth on her own, and the way she shuddered when she palmed Lily’s tit, and how she could barely breath when their hips were pressed together. Fuck. She’d lost count of how many times they had kissed in the past, but all of a sudden realised that this was the first time that there had been no pre-tense, that it wasn’t scripted, that Emily and Naomi weren’t in the room with them breathing down their necks.
Kat hopped off the bench, took a deep breath, and leant against it, dazed. Lily appeared in the doorway after a second.
“Not gay. By the way. Just.” Lily stared at Kat’s chest for a second. “Your nipples are erect, man.” Lily blinked at herself. “Not that I care, obviously.” Lily turned and walked back into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
“So they are.” Kat mumbled, looking down at her own tits. She bit her lip, brushed her teeth, walked into her room, walked back out of it. She walked to Lily’s door, knocked hesitantly. “Lils, you awake?”
“No.” Lily called out, after a minute, and Kat rolled her eyes and opened the door. “I’m completely asleep.” Lily said, sitting on her bed in the dark, on top of the covers.
“Can I come in?” Kat asked, and Lily sighed.
“No.” Lily said, and moved back until there was more room on her bed.
Kat closed the door behind her, felt her way toward Lily’s bed, and clumsily sat down next to her. “Could you turn a lamp on?” Kat asked.
“I’d prefer this to happen in the dark.” Lily said, and Kat inhaled sharply. “Not sex, I mean, talking. Obviously.” Lily said quickly. “Christ.”
Kat swallowed, turning in the vague direction of where Lily’ voice was coming from, wondering the best course of action at this point. “I’m sorry.” She said, and paused, trying to gather her thoughts.
Lily was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, well, I knew that didn’t I, man? Clearly that was just a joke. Hilarious.” Lily moved suddenly, and Kat felt jostling against her back as Lily got under her covers and lay down. “I’m tired, Kat. Just. Goodnight, alright?” Lily said quietly, turning her back to Kat.
Kat stood up. “Right. Sorry. Night, Lils.” Kat walked toward Lily’s door, and then stopped and turned around.
“What I meant, was I’m sorry that I just attacked you, and it wasn’t meant as a joke, and it was clearly something, and if you want to talk about it, I’ll be awake for a little while longer.”
Kat stood there for a moment, and Lily was silent. Kat went back to her own bedroom, careful not to slam Lily’s bedroom door, careful not to slam her own, before sitting on her own bed and taking a deep breath. She stood up quickly, walked over to her dresser, and took a spliff out of the top drawer. She grabbed a lighter, and snuck out of her room, closing the door as quietly as she could, and tip toeing over to the sliding door off the lounge room, opening it and slipping outside onto the balcony.
Kat lit the spliff, ignoring that it would probably fuck her voice up for tomorrow, and inhaling deeply. She coughed as she exhaled, taking another drag and looking out onto Bristol.
When she’d first been sent the links to the stories, from some crazy chick she’d never met in her life, she’d found them funny. It was flattering that people cared so much who she was sleeping with. She wasn’t anyone famous, she was just in a tv series, and when she wasn’t life wasn’t that exciting. But there were people in the world, out there somewhere, who gave a toss, and that was nice. Inaccurate at times, but nice. Kat rolled her eyes, inhaling the spliff. Lily needed to relax, look at the attention as something good, especially considering after this year they’d be out of Skins, and back to being nobodies again, most likely. Well, the world would be their oyster and there’d be more jobs and whatever else they were told, but it wouldn’t be like this again.
That was one of the things that shat her so much about Lily though, even though she loved her to death of course, that Lily couldn’t handle the attention. Maybe Kat was younger, more naïve, maybe Kat was used to attention, being a twin. Being Meg’s twin, at that. Maybe.
She heard the door behind her open, and Lily slipped through, closing it behind her. Kat offered her the spliff, and Lily took it, inhaling deeply.
Kat kept her hands on the balcony railing, didn’t look at Lily, let her smoke the spliff for a while, let her catch up.
“Do you think,” Lily said quietly, after a long time. “That the moon was once completely white, years and years ago, like thousands of years, and that in a few thousand years, or whatever, it will be much darker. Like, with more craters and shit. You know?”
Kat blinked, felt her mind go ‘wow’, and knew she was stoned. “Maybe.” She said. Lily handed her the spliff back, and they shared it quietly until it was out.
“I’m not Naomi.” Lily said after a moment, flicking the roach over the balcony.
“I’m not Emily.” Kat said, shrugging. “That’s not the issue.”
“Isn’t it?” Lily said, sighing. “People have confused us enough, you know, we shouldn’t be doing the same. Confusing things, acting like them. I’m not Naomi, Kat.”
Kat turned toward Lily. “I wasn’t kissing Naomi, Lils.” And there it was, finally.
They had practiced, endlessly, over the last two years, to make it look natural for Emily to be kissing Naomi. Had spent afternoons in basements and office spaces, rehearsing and blocking movements, until they had done it so many times it looked spontaneous.
Now, in the new season, it wasn’t about looking real so much anymore as looking believable, second nature. If Lily thought about it, which she did now as the spliff opened her mind up, it had been Kat who’d suggested they practice as often as possible. To bring a higher element of realism to the characters. To help them make it look like they were so used to kissing each other they wouldn’t need practice.
Oh, thought Lily. Right. She looked sideways at Kat. “I don’t think Lisa and Merv ‘practice’ as much as we do.” She said slyly, watching as Kat gave her a half smile before turning and looking out over Bristol again. “I don’t even think Jack and Kaya snogged as much as we do now, back when they were together.”
Kat shrugged her shoulders, crossed her arms over herself as a cool breeze made the ends of her hair fly up softly with the wind.
“Very sneaky of you, Prescott. Very sneaky.”
“Are you complaining?” Kat asked, turning and raising her eyebrows at Lily. She smiled as Lily looked thoughtful for a moment.
“I don’t know.” Lily met her eyes. “I don’t think so.” Lily bit her own lip for a moment, before smiling suddenly and stepping toward Kat, reaching out and taking her hands. “Want me to go eat some cheese so we can practice?” She asked softly, and Kat chuckled.
“No. Because firstly, like, cheese is disgusting and secondly,” Kat said, letting go of Lily’s hands and moving them around her waist, stepping closer until they were pressed together, and Lily could feel the breath from Kat’s words against her lips. “I think we’ve practiced enough.”