#Anthony Lockwood x sister!reader

[wordsarelife]

lockwood & co masterlist

fluff (f), angst (a), suggestive (s), platonic (p), injury/ blood (w)

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❛ 𝐢’𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 ❜

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𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 (34.9k)

blank space (0.7k) — normally lockwood can hide his feelings quite well. that talent seems to fade every time someone tries to flirt with his y/n (f,s)

peace (0.5k) — y/n is all that Lockwood needs, especially in the quiet moments (f,a)

sweet nothing (0.8k) — eating breakfast in bed (f)

stay, stay, stay (1.3k) — you never leave a fight unresolved (f,a)

delicate (0.5k) — some flirty banter in a near death situation (f,s)

king of my heart (1.8k) — there was always this flirty banter between you, without anything ever happening. one day you grow tired of it and leave lockwood to make a choice (f,a,s)

treacherous (1.3k) — How can it be that two people who grew up together hate each other so much? lockwood and you find out that love and hate are closer together than you had thought (f,a,s)

cruel summer (1.3k) — there’s just one bed, luckily you are the most brilliant person lockwood knows… or are you? (f,s)

you belong with me (1.6k) — you have to flirt to finish a mission. much to the dismay of lockwood you are far too good at it (f,s)

the way I loved you (pt 2 of ybwm) (1.2k) — lockwood is protective of what is his and in his own definition, you belong to him (f,a,s)

london boy (1.0k) — lockwood and you finish a study about what defines the greatness of a kiss (f,s)

it's nice to have a friend (0.3k) — you pass out after a dangerous encounter with a ghost (a,f,w)

enchanted (1.0k) — lockwood and you have been in love ever since you first met and it's been quite obvious for anyone else, but you two (f)

seven (sibling!reader) (0.5k) — a mission went badly and you and your brother console each other (f, a, p)

i did something bad (1.2k) — gathering information from a tied up and horny teenage boy should be easy enough, right? (s)

i think he knows (1.3k) — you have to admit your feelings for lockwood after your heartbeat goes through the roof at his touch (f)

change (1.4k) — lockwood realizes how much he missed of his sisters, the reader, life (a,f,p,w)

back to december (1.4k) — you had left lockwood in a night filled with regret and there was nothing you wanted more than to apologise to him (a,f,p)

the best day (0.4k) — domestic fluff with anthony lockwood (f)

the last time (1.1k) — you always try to save your friends life at the expanse of your own. this time you might've gone too far (a,p)

my tears ricochet (1.4k) — you save lockwoods life on a job but he can't save you.. but with a twist (a,w,f)

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas (0.5k) — lockwood is as cooky as usual, luckily you are used to it by now (f,s)

driving home for christmas (0.4k) — in which you come home for christmas surprisingly and lockwood can proof that his girlfriend is real (f)

the very first night (0.7k) — you celebrate your birthday for your friends only, lockwood celebrates your birthday for you (f,a,p)

lavender haze (1.2k) — despite kipps best efforts to keep you away from each other, lockwood won't stop flirting with you (f)

all american bitch (3.4k) — everbody knew that there was something wrong in the way your brother talked to you and lockwood wouldn't let you accept it any longer (f,a,s)

pretty isn’t pretty (0.8k) — he was showering you in compliments all while you felt like you weren’t pretty enough (f,a)

i forgot that you existed (0.6k) — lockwoods sibling had a bad day at school (f,p)

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𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐦 (8.2k)

daylight (0.6k) — early morning cuddles with your boyfriend (f)

mastermind (2.3k) — the team has to work together with kipps, for george that means being stuck with the best friend of the blonde leader, y/n. the only person in the whole world that seemed to be smarter than him, that's why he hated her. (a,f)

love story (0.8k) — hiding a relationship becomes a challenge when your bosses are lockwood and kipps, but y/n and george always seem to manage anyway… (f)

i knew you were trouble (0.7k) — you expressed your likeness for george all the time.. seems like he finally gets it (f)

ours (0.3k) — george tries to make reader go to bed (f)

mirrorball (0.7k) — george has been struggling and you help him (a,f)

fearless (1.7k) — george admires you deeply. not only because you're his girlfriend, but because you have an extraordinary gift (f/a)

snowman (1k) — a situation in which you are trapped, causes george and you to confess (f)

teenage dream () — one part of you loved fighting ghosts and doing your jobs, the other isn’t so sure if that’s really the right thing for you (a)

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𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐬 (7.8k)

i know places (1.6k) — all hell breaks loose when your brother finds out about you and quill (f,s)

paper rings (1.5k) — you & quill are basically married, but when will he finally ask? (f)

today was a fairytale (1k) — you and quill go on your first date (f,s)

gold rush (0.8k) — loving quill kipps feels like a gold rush (f,a)

santa tell me (1.2k) — you and quill had been the parents of the group for years, but nothing ever happened between the two of you. now it’s finally time to change that, or atleast your friends think it is (f)

santa clause is coming to town (0.2k) — you and quill know each other so well, you could almost finish each others sentences (f)

under the mistletoe (0.5k) — you and your boyfriend get caught under the mistletoe (f)

you need to calm down (0.4k) — you and quill wind down after a long day (f,w)

shake it off (1k) — quill and you play a prank on your brother and friends (f)

the moment i knew () — quill and you were a lot closer once, before everything suddenly changed and he was not there when you needed him most (a,f,w)

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𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (5.5k)

anthony lockwood, illicit affairs series (5.5k) — your secret relationship might not be enough for the future you have ahead of you (a,s,f) one, two, three part four (ending: afterglow) part four (ending: closure)

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𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 (0.6k)

deck the halls (0.6k) — decorating cookies at portland row (f,p)

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53 works

[warrenposts]

Protect You

Protect You (Lockwood x Sister!Reader)

Request: For @kenzs-world and Anon

Summary: Lockwood and his little sister are captured and tortured by Winkman

Warning: Graphic descriptions of torture, subtle mentions of suicidal tendencies (Come on, It’s Lockwood)

A/N: George and Reader are close. Could be read as romantic or platonic. Thank you for requesting! I had so much fun writing this! I plan on adding more Gifs later

Word Count: 4.2K

Requesting Information   Masterlist

Lockwood was kicking himself, 'how the hell did he get into this situation? How the hell did he get you into this situation?' He knew the answer. It was simply because he jumped the gun and tried to bite off more than he could chew. It was stupid and chauvinistic and now you were paying the price for it.

The two of you sat across the room from one another, wrists and ankles bound to the chairs you sat in. Yours seemed more makeshift than his and he felt compelled to take a dig at them being unprepared for visitors but decided against it.

You hadn't woken up while Winkman interrogated Lockwood and it had started to worry him. After being questioned and electrocuted, he couldn't help but keep glancing over to check whether or not you were still breathing.

Winkman took notice of how distracted he was and wandered over to you. “Your colleague I presume?” he asked, toying with the straps around your wrist.

“Never seen her before in my life,” Lockwood claimed, hoping this would all be over before you woke up. Unfortunately, his prayers weren’t answered as Winkman started feeling around in your pockets, to which Lockwood quickly protested. “She’s just a trainee, she doesn’t know anything.”

“Oh, so she’s more than a colleague then," Winkman observed. “Is she a friend? She family?” He asked.

Lockwood tried desperately to keep his reactions to a minimum but he couldn't help the twinge in his jaw when Winkman ghosted his fingers over your hairline. “She’s no one, let her go.”

 "Ohhhh,” He breathed, watching Lockwood intensely. “I see. Little sister following her big brother around town.”

“She doesn’t know anything,” he insisted.

“Now, that wouldn’t matter even if it were true,” he spat and took a knife from his back pocket. “You lot broke into my establishment and that’s just mighty disrespectful to me. You said you were alone. Lied right to my face” He pointed around with his knife and Lockwood followed the blade, afraid as to where it would land.

Winkman turned abruptly and slapped you hard across the face, waking you up. Lockwood winced in his seat but tried to keep his reactions subtle, not wanting to encourage the abuse.

When you came to, you immediately started yanking at the restraints that held your wrists to the chair, eyes wide with fear as you looked up to see your brother in the same position. You opened your mouth to call for him out of instinct but stopped when Lockwood started shouting.

“Don’t- AH!” He was cut off as Winkman turned on the electricity to his chair. You were confused and afraid but couldn’t bring yourself to think straight as he jerked and twitched in pain.

You started screaming, thrashing in your chair, “STOP IT! DON’T HURT HIM!” In all your aggression, the restraints started to loosen giving you more room to shake and struggle. It wasn't enough for you to escape, but enough for Winkman to notice and become furious at your attempts. 

He slammed his hands down on either wrist, one hurting more than the other due to the knife in his palm. “Who are you and who told you to come here?” He shouted.

“We’re not here for you, you son of a bitch!” You shouted, debating how much it would hurt to slam your forehead into his. “Turn it off! You’re killing him!” You pleaded. You weren’t like your brother, you didn’t care if it made you sound weak, you’d beg until he wasn’t it anymore pain.

The electricity automatically stopped and Lockwood was forced to stay quiet to catch his breath. 

“You see, now I’m hearing two different stories and that’s twice I’ve been lied to.” Winkman didn’t move from his spot as he leered over you; it was how you always imagined the bogeyman to look. “So, either you start talking or I’ll give you an end that makes me a new source to sell,” he threatened.

Anger boiled in your chest and you spat in his face in response. He immediately slapped you across the cheek, then punched you on the other side of your face with the blunt end of the knife, splitting your lip.

“OI!” Lockwood screamed, voice low and filled with a rage you very rarely heard.

Winkman paid him no attention as he aggressively lurched forward to grab you by the throat and press the knife into your cheek. He was so close; he practically had a knee up on the chair. He was so close you could feel his breath on the shell of your ear. “Don’t piss off the man who has you in chains,” he warned, spitting his words out in a low voice that was bound to haunt you for life. “Not when I’m the one who decides how many limbs you get to keep.”

As much as you hated to admit it, between the power he had and how unhinged he truly was, he absolutely terrified you. You involuntarily sunk into the chair, breath hitching with every inhale of air you tried to take to pretend you weren’t afraid.

“You lay a hand on her again and I’ll take it clean off!” Lockwood shouted, wrestling feverishly with his restraints. You’d never seen him so angry, he was spitting his words like fire with pure confidence in his everything he said.

Winkman didn’t break eye contact with you as he responded. “Is that right?” He swiped the knife across your arm, slicing through the skin. You jolted and grit your teeth as you bit back a groan, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of screaming.

“Leave her alone,” Lockwood all but begged. “You were right.”

“Oh?” He hummed, tracing the knife down your arm to your fingers, watching you twitch and jerk away instinctively.

“She’s not with an agency,” Lockwood lied. It was clear he was going to try his hand at negotiating. “She’s just my stupid little sister that followed us here, trying to play agent. She can’t help you.” Tears welled in your eyes. You knew what he was trying to do but it still hurt to hear, mainly because it wasn’t completely untrue.

Winkman paused, pulling the knife away. “Followed ‘us’ here?” He repeated, sending a chill down both of your spines.

“Well, that’s a start,” he sneered, cutting you again and you bit your tongue to try and keep quiet. He seemed annoyed that you didn't make a sound, so he kept going. Slicing over the same spot again and again and the fourth time you couldn’t help but grip the armrest and cry out. Lockwood called out to you but you barely registered his voice in your haze of pain. “Who else knows you’re here?”

“Y/n!” Lockwood yelled, still fighting in his restraints. “I’ll get you out of here, I swear it!”

“Some big brother,” Winkman let up and knelt down in front of you, putting the knife tip down onto your thigh and gently twirling it in his hand. You now had a clear line of sight to your brother. He looked awful but you couldn’t get your eyes to properly focus. Not with the tip of the knife slowly biting into your leg. “Ain’t he supposed to protect you?”

“Y/n, look at me,” Lockwood instructed. You recognized that he was holding back tears just by the tone of his voice. It was subtle, something only you would recognize, but it was there.

You didn’t reply, afraid that if you did, you would burst into tears and seem like the weak little girl he’d described you as. So instead, you kept your attention on the man in front of you, “Go fuck yourself.”

He whistled, “Such a mouth on you.” He dug the knife a little further into your leg and you whimpers escaped from your throat as you tried to breath. “If you’re just going to waste my time, I suppose you don’t need to be making so much noise now so ya.”

“Don’t,” Lockwood breathed, growing increasingly more frustrated with how little Winkman would acknowledge him. He just needed to get his attention away from you while he thought of a plan.

“You know, there’s a bone in your throat,” Winkman began, standing up and yanking your head back by your hair. “Once it’s removed, your jaw just won’t function. Makes you mute,” his voice fell to an eerie whisper as he traced the knife back and forth across your throat. “And it takes almost nothin’ to remove. You can live a long life, droolin’, broken and silent.”

More tears pooled in your eyes, blinding you as your bottom lip trembled. The rest of your body was still as a statue, afraid to make any movement at all. The only sound you made was a sob that you couldn’t hold back. 

He let go of your hair and your head dropped to your chest, tears falling down your cheeks like an open damn as you caught your breath. “But you’re not leaving, are you?” He taunted “Might as well just take your tongue.”

“ENOUGH!” Lockwood screamed, causing you to flinch in your seat. “SHE CAN’T HELP YOU AND SHE DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING SO YOU STOP TORMENTING HER.”

“YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH, BOY!” He screamed and radiated anger from the way he was being spoken to. Without giving you a second to flinch, Winkman bent down and drove the knife sideways into your calf.

You screamed out in pain, a blood curdling noise that made Lockwood wince. It broke his heart to see you in such a state and knowing that he put you there didn’t make it easier to stomach.

“Fine! Fine! I'll tell you everything,” he caved, still fighting against his restraints but hoping that the negotiation route would give him some sort of advantage. “You're right. No one will be surprised if I turn up dead, they've all been waiting for it. So put me out of my misery, by all means, but just let her go. She's got everything to live for, and she will not breathe a word of this, I swear.”

“Anthony,” you cried, an involuntary sob falling from your lips as you called out for your brother. You weren’t even aware you did it but it put a dagger straight through Lockwood’s heart. He’d never felt so useless in his life.

Winkman crossed the room to meet his wife on the other side and dropped his knife down onto the table aggressively. They began muttering to each other but quickly diverted their attention as the doors slammed open. Lucy burst into the room, brandishing her Rapier in one hand and holding a cage in the air. You heard her screaming something about dropping it if they came any closer but you were slipping out of consciousness.

You snapped back into reality as you smelled gasoline and saw Lucy dowsing them and the room with it before setting down the cage and holding up a lighter.

Again, everything went black until you felt someone grab your wrist. They were fast and rough with their actions and you fought them until you looked up to see the person you trusted the most. "Now's not the time for napping," He said, tugging you out of the chair and into his arms.

Winkman called after you, "I'm coming for you, boy. I'm gonna gut you! I'm gonna mince you and I'm gonna tear your skin off!" He screamed. "Your little sister's gonna lose an eye! I'm gonna count to ten! One! Two! AHHHHH!"

The three of you ran as fast as your injured leg could take you before you finally gave in and collapsed about two streets over. "Hold on, hold on. Please, I just need a minute," you pleaded, dropping all your body weight onto a nearby wall.

“Y/n, talk to me,” Lockwood begged, grabbing your face to force you to look at him. “Tell me you’re okay,” he begged.

“You shouldn’t have yelled at him like that,” You breathed, grabbing his wrist while your injured arm stayed cradled at your chest. “That was really stupid.”

“That’s rich coming from the girl who spat in his face,” he smirked. It was fake, you could tell. He was doing what he always did when you were hurt; putting on a show to make you feel better.

Lucy interjected, “This is not the time for you to start bickering,” She scolded and turned to Lockwood.

The two of them backed off for a moment, which was perfect. Truth be told, you wanted a minute to privately break down a little.

“What is going on with you?" Lucy asked, putting all her attention onto Lockwood. "I’ve never seen you like that before. That was so dangerous and you had no regard for your own safety-” 

“Please, can we do this another time?” He asked and changed the topic. "Did you see where it was?”

Lucy bent down, deciding that your break was over and draped one of your arms over her shoulders to help you back up. “Locked up,” She replied. “They��ve probably move it now their cover's been blown.”

“George,” you groaned in your half-conscious state, interrupting them before they started arguing like an old married couple.

“What?” The asked, turning their attention to you.

“Oh shit!” Lucy exclaimed. “Carver has your note and George is home alone.”

Lockwood assisted Lucy on your other side. "We need to-"

"No hospitals," you interrupted. "Take me home, we need to get to George."

The three of you burst through the door where George was waiting.  “Where were you? It's- What the hell happened?” He shouted and ran to the sitting room where he pulled out the couch to give them more space to set you down.

You groaned as they did and tried your best to bite back any noise but as the adrenalin wore off it became harder and harder to mask your pain. George tucked his arms under your legs to shift you down the couch, unaware of the stab would in your leg.

You cried out the moment he touched you and he yanked his hand away, horrified at the blood that transferred onto his hand.

Lockwood flinched hard and his face drained of any emotion. He stood quickly and ran off into the kitchen, subconsciously gripping his chest.

George called out but he was in a trances and Lucy ran after him. When she met him in the kitchen he was rummaging through cupboards and draws, not caring what he knocked out of the way. Even after he had the first aid kit in his hand, he kept slamming doors and knocking things around before he slammed his fist down onto the counter and started hyperventilating.

"LOCKWOOD!" Lucy called out and forced him to face her, grabbing his head in her hands. She couldn't get another word out before he started rushing out his works

“I can't do this, Luce," he breathed. "She means too much to me, I can't!"

“Hey, hey, look at me," she coaxed. "She’s tougher than all of us, we'll fix her up and she'll be alright.”

“How can I ever look her in the eyes again?" He asked, eyes swirling with anger, shame and pity. "What do I say to her after this? That I’ll keep her safe? Never let her get hurt?” He asked.

Lucy tried to fight back the tears at his words but it was hard seeing him so broken.

"Look at me, I don't have a scratch," he claimed. "They way he looked at me when he realized she was my sister, I shouldn’t have put that target on her back," he choked.

She hated to be harsh but time was of the essence and she couldn't stand to let you suffer the way you were just one room over. "Lockwood, believe me I understand but she needs you now. We'll talk about this later but-" She stopped as she heard you start screaming through the wall.

“George stop!” You demanded, trying your best to pull his hands away. He had grabbed a towel and was putting pressure on your leg. You felt vulnerable and couldn’t get Winkman’s words out of your head. It was like being on the verge of a shiver that never came but instead haunted your spine.

George had let go of your hand the moment you asked but you ignored the fact and kept begging. “Please don’t touch me, just us me go.”

“Y/n, it’s alright,” he tried to coax. For the first time in his life, he wanted nothing but to reach out and touch.

“Let us go, let us go, let us go.” You choked and hiccupped.

At the sound of your distress, Lockwood and Lucy burst into the room. Lucy spoke first, "We need to patch her up."

“We can’t," Lockwood protested. "Not while she's like this.”

“She's right," George interjected. "Better now than when she's coherent and aware of it,” he reasoned. He had a point but it still made them all feel sick.

They knelt down beside you and unpacked the first aid kit. Lockwood grabbed your hand and stared shushing you as he stroked a thumb over your hairline. "You're gonna be okay, just let us help," he whispered. "I know it hurts, we're almost done."

Lucy and George began dabbing your wounds with alcohol, both wordlessly agreeing that they wouldn't ask Lockwood to help. You stopped fighting but were still crying and hyperventilating as you sobbed, twitching at every touch. George tried to ignore it, pretending that it didn’t bother him and kept wrapping the wound on your arm.

Lucy had finished the plaster on your leg and glanced up to see Lockwood almost frozen. He had stopped talking to you and was just staring at the blood on your clothes.

A silence fell over the room as you stopped audibly crying, but then in a small, instinctive whisper, you cried, “Anthony?”

George immediately stood and stepped off to the side. He yanked off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, refusing to look in your direction. The two remaining realized they'd never actually seen him cry before. Neither one was going to judge him if that was what broke him. You sounded so afraid and so helpless.

Lucy saw how badly this was affecting the boys and as much as it bothered her, she summoned the strength to help. She felt herself breaking at the sight of you but told herself that this wasn't like Norrie. No, this time there was something she could do. She could help you so she decided to pick up the baton began applying the medical tape on her own.

You grimaced in pain and let out a strained, “ow.” It sounded more coherent than anything else you’d said in the last hour.

But after hearing you sniffle and speak consciously, the two boys snapped their attention towards you and took residence by your side. You calmed down as the wounds finished being bandaged, as did everyone else.

Once they could guarantee you were safe from infection and aware of your surroundings, they finally let you sit up. Lockwood stayed with you on the couch, wary of your wounds and the others fled to the kitchen with the excuse they were making tea.

After about 20 minutes of silence, you looked over to your brother. "I think I scared them off," you joked, quietly as your throat had been screamed raw. You were still weak but you found the strength to talk.

Lockwood ignored you. "I'm sorry," he caved, staring deeply into your eyes. It hurt to see him so sad. You knew how much he had going on in his head, this didn't help.

“How could we ever have prepared for anything like that?” You asked in a soft spoken volume. “It’s not your job to protect me,” you told him.

“That’s exactly my job," he objected and faced away from you. "I'm just rubbish at it.”

It took you a minute to process what he had said but once you did, you were almost mad. “Do you remember when the neighborhood boys were bullying me and you beat them up? Or how you wouldn't let Uncle scare me on Halloween? Or when you held my hands when I got my ears pierced?" You asked, drawing his attention back to you. "You checked under my bed for monsters every time I asked, no matter the time of night and you never complained. You’ve protected me my entire life.”

He faltered for a minute then moved to readjust your blanket. “That’s sweet, but you could have died today," he replied. "And I was completely useless.”

“That’s why we have a team," you pushed, grabbing his arm to make him focus. "That's why we fought to keep Lucy and that's why George is right across the landing.”

“Because I can't cut it?” he let himself have a moment of pity and at the very least, you were glad he was confiding in you.

“Because we’ve been alone long enough. There’s only so much we can handle and we can’t always watch each other’s back," you corrected. "That’s why we made a family.”

He didn't reply for a minute, he just stared and bit back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. “That's beautiful," he choked then punched your shoulder lightly, far more lightly than usual. "You should get that on a fridge magnet.”

"Oh piss off," you shook your head, dropping the attempt to comfort him. He'd taken all the comfort he could take then built the walls right back up. It was okay, you knew he took it to heart.

“Maybe next time, you don’t come after me?” he suggested, scooting closer to carefully pull you into a hug.

“Hmmmm, not a chance, you’re my big brother.” You replied, leaning in to his side. “But if you really want, next time I'll call Kipps to help before you do something stupid.”

“Don't get cheeky,” he warned and pressed a kiss on the top of your head.

“Don't threaten me! You have to be sooooo nice to me this week,” you laughed, nudging into his side before wincing at the movement.

"Careful-" He started before you cut him off abruptly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it." You dismissed. "And hey, speaking of next time. Maybe let George in the loop so the previously mentioned family can function properly?"

He laughed and leaned his head into yours. "Yes, well. That's something to consider," he mumbled, thinking about all the times Lucy had offered an ear.

You noticed him blushing but chose to ignore it for the sake of his dignity, fully well knowing what was running through his mind.

Your mind started to drift as you looked up to him and lost yourself, replaying the events of the day in your head You thought about how unfamiliar he looked when he was angry and afraid. You never expected to see him like that or hear him speak the way he did. "What is it?" He asked and you flinched slightly, snapping back into reality.

"Nothing," you mumbled, looking away. You were sure you'd just make him feel bad by talking about it.

"Oh, I just thought someone was going on about family and supporting each other, so I thought you'd maybe consider talking to me," he rambled. "But if that doesn't apply to you-"

"Shut up, I get it." You caved, but didn't immediately reply. You had to think of the right was to ask what was on your mind. "You didn't mean what you said right?" You sheepishly asked. "About me playing agent?"

His heart dropped into his stomach. At first he wanted to make a joke about how he meant every word, but after seeing the insecurity in your eyes, he just couldn't. For the first time in your life you looked unsure of yourself. Unsure of your place in Lockwood's world and that was just something he couldn't abide by. "Not for a second," he promised. "I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for you, I mean that. Do you understand?"

You did understand, just not in the way he'd meant. But for your sake, he'd never clarify.

"I'd certainly have a lot more scars," he joked, but you didn't smile which confused him. He looked over and saw you staring down at your bandaged leg. "Oh," he understood.

"It's gonna look ugly," you mumbled, nuzzling further into your brother.

"You don't really believe that," he tested, you always thought scars looked cool.

You shrugged, "I don't know, maybe. No skirts for a while, I think."

Lockwood opened his mouth to protest but slammed it shut when he heard an aggressive knock at the door. You both flinched, hard. George and Lucy came running into the room.

"Do you think it's Carver?"

"Stay here," Lockwood ordered and gently steadied you on the couch.

"Let me help," you whispered, moving to stand up but was promptly stopped by the three of them.

Lockwood looked at you and clearly repeated, "Not a chance. Stay here." Then they all ran to the door, ready to deal with the threat.

It took you a while but eventually you made your way to the arch. You leaned for support as you peered at the dead body that had fallen into the floor. Lockwood glance up to you and shook his head solemnly, wondering is he'd ever actually be able to protect you.

[bella-rose29]

do you write for anthony lockwood x sister!reader ? love all your fics so much and i'm sure you would slay that!!!

not normally but for you anon I would be happy to <333

(also omg really??? omgomgomg ily thank you so much <333)

did you have a particular idea in mind my lovely? can't promise I'll write anything soon because I'm actually quite slow at writing atm, but if you didn't then I'll think up some stuff! <3

[initialchains]

10 things i hate about you | anthony lockwood.

pairing: anthony lockwood x fem!reader

summary: george karim falls in love with your sister, and the only thing standing between him and the love of his life is the fact that she isn’t allowed to date unless you do, too. luckily for him, anthony lockwood would do anything for a bit of publicity.

wc: 5.8k (part one)

a/n: hii i felt so bad for leaving you all hanging, but finals week left me extremely burnt out and tired. luckily, the lockwood brainrot is neverending, so as a way of saying sorry here’s the first part of this silly ol’ fic. (including the first five things to hate about lockwood.)  i’m also super sorry for the next part because it will be 90% angst lol ++ this is inspired by the movie but not completely based on it bc it’s my all time favorite film and i was scared of not doing it justice.

Lucy swore she was going to quit the agency again if George didn’t stop pacing around the kitchen like an idiot. She kept thinking of things to say to get him to stop, but a part of her also wanted to see how long this pathetic situation in front of her would take, she knew it wouldn’t be long until their researcher got tired of walking back and forth. And that’s where she is now. Sitting in the kitchen, an empty mug staring back at her, while George kept pacing in front of her and Lockwood.

“Hey, George! I have an idea. Why don’t you sit down and tell us what’s going on like a normal person, instead of just muttering I’m so fucked over and over?” 

George finally stopped and looked up at her. He stood still for a few seconds before taking a seat next to Lockwood.

“Well, I’m fucked.”

“Yeah, I think we heard that part.”

“Luce, stop,” Lockwood said in the softest voice he could muster, before turning to George. “Do you want to talk about it? Maybe we can help.”

George took a deep breath before starting. “So, you know how I’ve been telling you both and Holly about that one girl from the archives?”

Lockwood smiled at that. The thought of George crushing on a girl after bonding with her about their love for research is still one of the cutest things he has ever heard.

“Oh, right. How are things going with her? Is everything alright?” 

“Well, sort of. I mean, everything is alright, but just when I thought of finally making a move on her, she kind of, um… dropped a bomb on me?” 

“A bomb? But you already knew she’s a Fittes agent, that’s not new.” Lucy stated. 

“Yes, I know. And trust me, there’s nothing wrong with that.” George continued, “She is the sweetest, most intelligent, beautiful human being to have ever lived. I mean it.” 

Lucy and Lockwood shared a knowing look. George was totally a goner for this girl.

“Then.. just ask her out?” Lockwood suggested, watching carefully as George fidgeted with the thinking cloth, now too shy to look at his friends.

“That’s the problem, I can’t,” George explained, before pulling his glasses away and rubbing his eyes. The stress of the situation clearly getting the best of him.

“Okay, this will probably be a stupid question, but.. why?” Lucy asked, genuinely confused by the problem her friend was going through. Sure, asking someone out is frightening, but it’s not like George was about to fight a type two without any kind of protection.

George took a deep breath before finally explaining. “She can’t go out with me unless her sister gets a date, too.” 

Lucy almost laughed at how stupid the so-called bomb was. “Well, ask one of her colleagues to woo her or something. She’s a Fittes agent too, right?” She suggested, remembering the only fact they knew about said sister. “She must know a bunch of people willing to date her.” 

George found the strength to look up, making eye contact with Lockwood and then turning to Lucy, before finally dropping the bomb on them. “I can’t, everyone at Fittes despises her.” 

Shit.

Lockwood and Lucy didn’t even have to think twice about who the sister in question was. There’s only one person who is loathed by every single Fittes agent, and surprisingly it isn’t Quill Kipps. George was talking about Fittes’ very own heinous bitch. (Obviously, the nickname was granted by the one and only Bobby Vernon. But to be fair, it’s not like he is the most reliable of people. Lockwood took note of that.)

Portland Row was silent for a few moments until Lucy finally spoke up. “Well, George. The world is wide, there will always be other people for you to fall for.” 

“Luce.” Lockwood warned her. 

“I’m trying to help!” 

“I know you are, but George really likes this girl.” He explained

“I think I might be in love with her. No, scratch that. I am in love with her.” George confessed in a small whisper.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Luce.”

“Sorry!” 

“I told you we would try to help, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Right, Lucy?” Lockwood looked at her, an unspoken beg passing between them. 

“Fine, yeah, we will. What do you know about her sister? Maybe we can find someone with the same interests as her. Like umm.. Holly? or the guy who sweeps the floor at Arif’s?” Lucy almost winced at how stupid their repertoire of options was, the three of them were friends with a limited number of people, and by limited she meant Holly and a guy who always greets them when they get something from Arif’s

George thought for a few moments about everything he knew about her. “I know she’s a team leader–” He couldn’t even finish his list, let alone his sentence, because before he could even continue, Lockwood stood up. 

“I’ll do it.” He said with a small shrug, almost as if it was the most normal thing in the world. 

A chorus of “I’m sorry?” and “What the fuck?” were heard at the same time, but Lockwood couldn’t bring himself to care. He wanted to do this. 

“What? You said you wanted someone to woo her. Right, Luce?” He explained as he took Lucy’s empty mug away from her and moved to the sink. 

Lockwood’s back faced them while he washed their used dishes. “Yes, but.. why do you want to do it?”

“It’s a win-win situation. If I go out with her, George will get to date her sister, and we will get publicity.” The way Lockwood explained the situation with such ease had Lucy thinking he had planned this beforehand.

“Publicity?” George finally spoke up. 

“Yes. You said she’s a team leader, which means she is important, and we also know she’s disliked by every single one of her peers, which means the press will be surprised to see her hanging out with someone. So, if we get photographed together, everyone will want to know what’s so special about the agents of Lockwood and Co. Which means–” 

“More cases.” George finished the sentence for him.

“See? It’s easy.” Lockwood, finally done with the dishes, turned around.

“No, it’s not. I think it’s a stupid idea. You won’t be using someone to get this agency more clients, are you insane?” Lucy stated, indignation lacing her words. 

“Hey, George. You said you were taking her sister out for breakfast tomorrow, how about we make it a double date?” He said with a bright smile, ignoring Lucy’s words. 

“Oh, um.. Okay.”

George was right, Lucy thought. They are so fucked. 

1- I hate the way you talk to me and the way you cut your hair.

“George, calm down. Everything will be okay, I promise.” Lockwood said, sending an encouraging look to the boy next to him. George was sweating, he didn’t expect your sister to accept the double date. He didn’t expect you to accept the double date. 

“I know. I even practiced a speech and everything, it will be alright.”

“You practiced a what?”

George wasn’t able to answer his question because right when Lockwood asked him, they were able to see two silhouettes standing outside of the café they were walking to.

“Oh, they’re here,” Lockwood stated plainly before walking up to them, George looking nervous as fuck next to him. 

Sure, George was a sweaty mess, but he knew this would happen. He even expected you to look at him with disgust in your eyes and say something along the lines of “I was dragged here against my will. Fuck you, Karim. You will never date my sister.” 

What he didn’t expect to see was your face painted with confusion. George was about to greet you with the long speech he spent the entire night workshopping, but before he could even mutter a word, you let out an exasperated sigh and looked George in the eye before you gaze slipped to Lockwood and then back to him. 

“What is it, asshole day? Why are you two here?”

Lockwood was about to open his mouth and answer your question, but luckily your sister spoke up just in time.

“I invited my two friends to have breakfast with us!” She said with a bright, almost angelic smile. George felt like he was in heaven just by seeing her. 

“I know about Karim, but why are you friends with Anthony Lockwood?” 

“Oh, so you’ve heard of me? Only the good things, I hope.” Lockwood said, his charming smile making a way to his face.

“Yeah, like the houses you’ve burned down, and how stupidly reckless you are to the point that you even got shot.” You stated, repulse evident in your eyes as you looked at the man of the hour. 

“It’s adorable how much you know about me.”

“Have you ever been to a psych ward? I can get you an appointment set and ready by tonight.”

“You want to see me tonight?”

George feared you might slit Lockwood’s throat with the way you were looking at him. “We should, um, get inside.” He said, trying (and failing) to break the awkward tension, guiding the four of you into the café. 

George looked at your sister and whispered into her ear “It’s not my place to assume but.. you didn’t tell her we were coming, did you?”

She gave him a shy smile before answering. “I want her to make some friends, and I think someone like Lockwood might help her come out of her shell.”

She looked so innocent that George wanted to break down crying and tell her all about Lockwood’s dumb publicity plan. This was eating him alive. 

You took a seat next to your sister in the booth George had reserved for the four of you. Lockwood smiled when he saw your eyes widen at the sight of him sitting right in front of you. 

“Karim, can you switch places with your friend?” 

“Why? Are you embarrassed I’ll see you blush whenever you look into my eyes?” 

“Have you ever been told that your hairline will recede by the time you’re 30 years old if you keep cutting and styling your hair like that?”  

“Have you ever been told that you’re incredibly beautiful?” 

Your sister had to place her hand over yours before you could reach for the knife placed in front of you by a waiter. Lockwood couldn’t contain his laughter at the look on your face.

“What’s so fucking funny, Lockwood?”

“Nothing. Don’t mind me, please continue with your insults. I relish being the reason behind your thoughts and words.” 

That was enough to shut you up. Your sister, George, and Lockwood shared jokes and stories while you looked down at your plate, the conversation flowing easily between them. Sometimes you’d look up to find Lockwood staring at you, he’d send you a small smile and try to include you in the conversation, but you didn't intend on giving him the satisfaction of getting you to speak, so you’d shut him down with an eye roll. 

The rest of the morning went by smoothly until your sister had the brilliant idea to tell you about her plans for the rest of the day. 

“You’re going to the archives with Karim.. alone? Just the two of you?” 

“Did you not hear her the first time, love?”

“Shut the fuck up, Lockwood.” You snapped at him, hoping your anger was enough to mask the blush rushing into your cheeks. 

It wasn’t. 

“Did I just make you blush?”

“You made me want to throw up.”

“Deny it all you want, but the pet name clearly had an effect on you.. love.”

“Ugh, whatever.” 

The four of you stood up and walked to the café’s exit, Lockwood opening the door for your sister and you. As soon as you got outside, your sister began to apologize for not telling you about her impromptu archives plan with George.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Just.. text me when you get there?” You said softly. Way too softly, Lockwood noticed. He had never seen you this vulnerable, maybe your sister was way more important to you than he expected. 

“I will. Promise.”

You said your goodbyes before turning around, planning on walking to your car, but the universe definitely wasn’t on your side today.

“Wait! I’ll go with you.” Lockwood said as he tried to catch up with you, matching the pace of your long strides. 

“I don’t know if you can tell, Lockwood, but I’m trying to get away from you.”

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t drive you home after our first date?”

“You’re not a gentleman, and that wasn’t a date.”

Lockwood pressed a hand to his heart, feigning hurt. “Ouch, not a gentleman? Thank god my mother isn’t here to hear those words.”

You finally stopped walking and turned around to face him. “What do you want?”

“To.. drive you home?”

“No, Lockwood. What do you want? You tried to include me in your stupid conversation earlier, then paid for my breakfast, opened the door for me, and now you want to drive me home. What the fuck do you want?”

Lockwood stayed silent for a while, just staring into your eyes. “I was trying to be nice to you, is that too hard to believe?” 

He took notice of how you looked away from his eyes and tried to keep your hands busy by playing with the hem of your shirt. 

You cleared your throat before saying, “Fine, but if you fuck my car up, I swear to god, Lockwood..” 

2- I hate the way you drive my car.

The car was silent the entire first half of the ride. Sometimes you’d catch Lockwood staring at you from the corner of your eye, but you never looked back, deciding that looking through the car window was a better sight. 

“You don’t talk much unless it is to deliver a well-crafted insult, huh?” Lockwood said, trying to break the silence. It wasn’t awkward, it was just.. tense. 

“Do you want me to talk to you?” You answered, slightly surprised by the fact that Anthony Lockwood of all people, wanted to have a conversation with you. 

“Yeah.”

“And what do you want me to say? It’s not like I know a single thing about you.” 

“You can say whatever you want, I don’t mind. I’ll accept it whether it is you cursing my entire bloodline, or you saying you’re deeply attracted to me.” 

The car came to a stop, a red light illuminating Lockwood’s sharp features. You hated to admit it, but fuck, Anthony Lockwood was attractive. 

“Me? Deeply attracted to you? Holy shit, did you fall and hit your head as a baby?”

“You so are.”

“Am I that transparent? Because you’re right. Oh, Lockwood, I am so attracted to you and your stupid fucking personality. I want you, I need you. Oh baby, oh baby.”

“You have such a beautiful way with words, love.”

That was enough to get a small laugh out of you. Lockwood kept surprising you, he didn’t back down after an insult or two, and he actually seemed to enjoy being indulged in them. 

He turned his head to look at you as soon as he heard you laugh, a smile adorning his face. A feeling of pride (and maybe something more) swelled in his chest.

“I can’t believe I just made you laugh for the first time and we’ve been on a date for about three hours now. God, I’m making such a bad first impression.” 

“You still won’t let the idea of this being a date go?” 

“Nope. I enjoy being on a date with you. You’re a nice person to hang out with.”

The corners of your lips curled up into a small smile. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do, I would rather take you out on a million dates than spend 30 minutes with any other person,” Lockwood confessed, and he meant it.

“Like you could find a person who would willingly spend 30 minutes with you.”

“Oh, see? That, there. Who needs affection when I have blind hatred?”

The two of you spent the rest of your ride home talking, the tension slowly evaporating, leaving room for the back-and-forth quips that Lockwood and you kept throwing each other. 

Lockwood stopped the car when he heard you say, “Alright, this is my house.” You were about to open the door, but before you could even extend your arm he said a quick, “Wait!” and got out of the car, rounding it to open your door.

“Thanks.”

“Anything and everything for you.”

Just as you were about to answer, a flash and the sound of a camera clicking disrupted the moment you were having. 

“You’re fucking with me”, you muttered under your breath. Lockwood looked surprised too, he had completely forgotten about his plan. 

Take her out for a few days. Get photographed together. Gain more clients.

His heart sank at the reminder of the reality of this situation. He had been so busy having fun with you, that his mind decided to blur out the reason why he was hanging out with Fittes’ most hated agent. 

“Alright. I should, um, go.”

“Do you want me to walk you to your door? Or is the first date too soon to meet your parents?”

“Fuck you, Lockwood,” You said with a smile.

“It doesn’t really seem like you want to.”

He found himself smiling, too. 

3- I hate it when you stare.

“What a fun coincidence to find you here, love.”

You rolled your eyes at Lockwood’s annoying voice. “Yeah, it’s such a fun coincidence that you almost burned this house down and my team had to come help your incompetent agency.” 

“Third time’s a charm.”

“There’s no way in hell you’ve been the cause of more than two fires.” 

“If you let me take you out on another date, maybe I’ll tell you more about them.” You almost stabbed him with your rapier. “Shut up, people might hear.” That brought a bright smile to his face and an incredulous look to his eyes.

“Oh, so you want to keep our relationship a secret? Fine, I’ll take it. I love a forbidden romance.” He whispered, the smell of lavender and lemon engulfing you as he kneeled a bit to whisper in your ear. 

“Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night. Anyway, I need to go check out the paperwork for the mess you made, can you keep an eye on my team?” You shyly asked, breaking the eye contact he was desperately trying to keep.

“You trust me with your team? I thought my agency was incompetent and I wasn’t good at anything.” 

“It’s just for a few minutes, don’t let this get to your head.” 

“Oh, it’s way over my head, love.” 

You showed him a very special finger, before walking away to talk to Barnes. You tried to remain professional and listen to what the inspector was saying, but you couldn’t shake the feeling of a pair of eyes looking at you. “Sorry for calling you again, you know how it gets whenever Lockwood and Co have a case,” Barnes said, breaking you out of the cage your mind had trapped you in. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s my pleasure to help.” You tried to muster up a small smile for the man, you liked Barnes, he never treated you differently, not even when the way you acted and decided to express yourself wasn’t the most appropriate. 

“And I think it's their pleasure to be helped.”

“I’m sorry?”

You turned around, following Barnes’ line of sight, only for your eyes to meet Lockwood’s. He gave you a small smile but didn’t look away, it was almost as if he longed for your eyes to make contact. You sent him a small frown, wordlessly asking him what was wrong, he just shrugged and waved at the two of you. 

“He is so weird.” You said, turning to face the inspector. “Tell me about it. Well, we are all done here. Have a nice night, and make sure to get home safely.” He answered, eager to get away from the group of agents surrounding him, and walking away. 

Lockwood didn’t miss a beat before making his way to you. “So, I’m thinking we make the second date happen over some tea at Portland Row?”

“Not happening.”

“I’m not one to make a woman feel uncomfortable when she says no, but may I ask why?

“I’d rather spend my time hanging out with ten type threes, than with the group of miscreants you call friends. No offense to Lucy and Holly, though. I quite like them. I was talking about Karim, tell that thing to stay away from my sister.” You answered, finally finding the guts to maintain eye contact while you spoke. 

“You know Lucy and Holly?” He decided to ignore your entire statement, now only focused on the fact that you knew his friends. Anxiety making its way through his body at the thought of Lucy telling you about his plan. 

“Yeah, and they told me some really interesting things about you. I never took you as the type of person to do that type of stuff.”

Lockwood’s heart almost gave out. “What did they say?”

“That you wear pink socks.”

He felt his heart start beating again. Lockwood thought he was about to die in front of you, he made a mental note to thank Lucy for being nice enough to not tell you about his schemes. He found the strength to give you a charming smile. 

“That surprised you? Lord, do you think I’m the type of guy to have a fragile masculinity? My mother raised me better than that.” 

“You mention your mother a lot, are you close with her?

They should give out awards for Feeling your heart stop two times in the span of 3 minutes because Lockwood was sure he would get one delivered to Portland Row’s doorstep by tomorrow morning. 

“I.. um, yeah.” 

Fuck. You made it awkward. You almost dropped down to your knees and begged him for forgiveness. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude into your personal life, it’s not my place to ask and assume shit about your family. I’m so fucking sorry, Lockwood.” The light in your eyes dimmed, the sight of it made Lockwood want to tell you all about his past. He wanted to go back to ten minutes ago when your eyes were shining and looking into his. He internally swore to never let the light leave them again.

“You’re good, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” He reassured you in a small voice, clearly not fine. 

“No, I will worry–” You couldn’t finish your sentence because, once again, the light of a camera flash illuminated Lockwood and you, blinding you both for a split moment. 

“Of course they’re here. Jesus Christ, do they not have lives? A family?” 

“Maybe they just like taking pictures of your beautiful face.”

The light came back to your dim eyes at his statement. “There he is.” You said, noticing how his gaze slipped from your eyes to your lips, before going back to the eye contact you had.

“What can I say? I can’t stop myself from complimenting you when you’re around.”

4-  I hate your big dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind.

The streets of London were quiet while Lockwood took a small walk in the early morning. Lucy told him if he walked around the city for a few hours, he’d be able to break in the new pair of combat boots she got him as a present after he made it through 10 cases without almost dying.  

“It’s 8 am and you’re already up being pathetic. I should say I saw this coming, but I really didn’t. Holy shit.” A familiar voice snapped him out of the daze he was in. He was so busy going through a list in his head of all the things he had to do this week, that he didn’t notice you walking next to him. 

“How long have you been walking by my side?”

“Long enough to see you staring straight ahead and not noticing how incredibly pathetic you look. Your boots are hideous, by the way.” You answered, looking into his eyes and noticing how he smirked at your last remark.

“I don’t think Lucy will be happy about you calling her well-thought gift hideous.”

You let out a genuine laugh as soon as he said that. It was the type of laugh that bubbled up from your chest and had you throwing your head back. It made Lockwood feel as if all the morning clouds had disappeared and the sun shone only on the two of you. Sure, you had laughed at Lucy’s gift, but the sound was enough to let the sun shine its warm rays through Lockwood’s heart. An infinite sunbathe.

“Oh, so you find this funny? Hurting my best friend’s feelings?” He asked in a teasing tone, squinting slightly at you.

“So.. I take it she didn’t tell you?” You asked, a small giggle escaping your lips and going straight through Lockwood’s heart. 

“Tell me what?”

“That our plan was to get you the most ugly, repulsive looking, and incredibly stupid boots that we could find? I wasted my money on that, you’re welcome or whatever.” 

He should’ve been offended. Offended at how Lucy wanted him to humiliate himself by walking through the streets of London with a pair of bright neon green combat boots. Offended that she had asked for your help to choose the ugliest pair she could find. But he was too busy fighting the urge to press his lips against yours and to run his slender fingers through your hair. 

Did you not notice how you always bit your lip after laughing because you thought that would stop you from falling into another fit of laughter? 

“Yeah, yeah, you two are so funny,” He rolled his eyes with a smile. “Thank you, love.” He was about to nudge you with his shoulder, but as soon as he turned to look at you, he noticed you weren’t next to him anymore.

His heart stopped for a second until he finally looked back and caught you staring at two women through a café window, clearly on a date. One of them gave the other a bouquet of different types of flowers and brushed back a strand of her girlfriend’s bright red hair. That brought a smile to your face. 

“Hey, you okay?” He whispered as soon as he stood next to you, noticing the sad smile on your face. 

“Oh, yeah. I was just..” 

You didn’t have to say a word for him to be aware of what you wanted to mention. The look in your eyes, and the small smile on your face.. this was the look you always got whenever you saw your sister with George. 

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Lockwood reassured you. Not wanting to scare you off after seeing the look on your face and the small voice you used to answer. 

“Do you think I’m holding my sister back?” You asked, turning around to look into his eyes, your hands trembling a bit.

He didn’t miss a beat before taking hold of your hand and lacing your fingers together, giving your gentle hand two squeezes. “I think.. you care a lot about her, and that’s completely fine. But it is not your job to dictate what she can or can not do. It’s okay to let her have her freedom and life, just like you deserve to have yours.” 

You took a deep breath before pulling Lockwood into a hug, your arms surrounding his neck. Lockwood was startled for a second but didn’t have to think about it twice before wrapping his arms around your waist, letting you take the lead in this display of affection. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know, but.. um”

“You don’t have to say anything, come on,” He said, breaking the hug and taking your hand into his, pulling you forward to continue the walk you were on.

5- I hate you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme.

Lockwood looked down at your intertwined hands, thinking of things to say to get the fog of sadness blinding you out of the way. “So you’re a hopeless romantic, huh?

“What the fuck?”

Alright, so maybe this wasn’t his greatest icebreaker ever, but at least it was something. He chose to continue. 

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you always stare at every couple we walk past. It’s kind of adorable. Fittes’ heinous bitch being a hopeless romantic? Sign me the hell up.”

“You’re sick in the head, Anthony Lockwood.”

“I didn’t think of you as a hopeless romantic, like.. at all. But I assume this means you’re the type of person who wants flowers and love letters delivered to her doorstep. Right?”

“No.”

“Sure, love. I’ll keep this in mind for future references.”

Lockwood made sure to walk you back to Fittes’ building after spending the rest of his morning with you, choosing to take the weird looks his boots got with pride and a bright smile. Whenever someone stopped him in the street he’d answer with a happy “my best friend and this beautiful lady next to me gave them to me as a gift”. 

You spent the rest of your day going back and forth through Fittes’ small yet numerous offices, talking to different people about your previous and next cases. Sometimes you’d stop to take a breather outside a door, but quickly remembered the importance of your role as a team leader, and snapped out of your seemingly neverending exhaustion. 

“Am I dreaming or is that my best friend in the whole world?” You turned your head to the right to find Bobby Vernon smirking at you, a dry chuckle leaving his lips.

“Fuck off, Vernon.”

“Woah, no need to get all pissy, love.” You clenched your shaking fists, trying to keep your anger in. You may have a short temper, but you would never let someone like him get the satisfaction of making you angry, or at least of noticing the effect his words have on you. 

The thought of someone other than Lockwood calling you by that pet name made you want to burst into tears. How dare they see you as someone who’s weak? After everything you’ve done and fought for to get the role you have as an agent? 

“I don’t have the time for your bullshit, so just spit it out and let me go home.” You said with an eye roll.

“Your sister wanted me to tell you that you got mail. Well, it’s more like a gift, I guess. I assume it’s from your parents because I can’t think of a single human being who genuinely likes you.” 

You knew better than to take his words to heart, but the venom he said them with stung. You knew you were unlikeable, probably even unloveable at this point, but he didn’t have any right to say those words to your face. It made you feel disgusting, you had to fight back the urge to throw up.

“Yeah, alright. Have a good day, Vernon.” You replied as you walked past him and out into the street, calling for a cab to take you home.

The ride back home was silent, and it surprisingly made you miss Lockwood. It made you miss his stupid jokes, his ugly haircut, and his reckless way of driving your car. You were sure the poor guy didn’t know what a stop sign meant. 

As soon as the cab driver got you home, you made sure to pay him and wish him a safe drive, after all, the curfew was 15 minutes away from starting. A sigh escaped your lips after opening your door and heading into your room. The day had left you completely worn out, and Bobby’s words didn’t help at all with the shit day you were having.

You quickly got changed and were about to head to bed when you noticed a package sitting in the corner of your room. A frown made its way to your face when your eyes caught the unfamiliar handwriting with your name on the box, curiosity taking the best of you as you opened the package with a delicate touch.

A gasp left your lips when you opened it and found the same bouquet of colorful flowers you saw the woman give to her partner at the café. A white envelope sat next to them.

With a small smile and shaking hands, you opened it and were greeted with Lockwood’s handwriting.

Hey, my love. 

I’ll be really honest and say that my mind is completely blank as I write this, but I just wanted to let you know that right after I dropped you off, I went to Arif’s with George and heard a love song playing — I couldn’t help but think of your hopeless romantic self as soon as I heard these lyrics: You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you. 

Jesus, I know you’re having a field day reading this. Me? Embarrassing myself and sending you a bouquet and a love letter? You’re right, I must be extremely sick in the head.

Anyway, I hope you have a good day. You deserve it.

With lots of love,

Lockwood. 

(PS: You don’t have to say it back! But I thought it felt right to say it since we’re kind of besties now.) 

The tears you spent the entire day holding back decided to come out right after you finished reading the letter. Sobs escaped your lips as you sat down in your bed, the flowers and letter still in your hand. A strange feeling bubbled up inside you, you didn’t quite know what it meant, but decided to guess it was that disgusting sickening feeling Bobby left you with. 

When you laid in bed and tried to go to sleep, you took notice of how different the feeling you were having right now was from the one you got with Bobby Vernon. Sure, this one made you want to throw up, too. But it also made you want to stare into Lockwood’s eyes again and to feel his arms wrapped around your waist for a few more seconds. You drifted to sleep with a craving of feeling Lockwood’s hand intertwined with yours for the rest of your life.  

[g1rld1ary]

Hi! If you're still taking Lockwood and Co requests, can I plz request an imagine where Lockwood finally becomes vulnerable in front of the reader and he lets his emotions out in front of her and she soothes him 🥹🥹🥹?

reaching out - anthony lockwood x reader

wc: 1664

cw: canon typical death mentions, family trauma

thanks for waiting lovely! hope this is what u wanted xxx

Lockwood was a puzzle. You'd been working with him for a while now and still couldn't truly understand him.

As a boss, Lockwood was great. Never too hard on you whilst still pushing you to further your skills, but always putting your safety first. As a friend, he was similarly brilliant. The perfect listener, he always had a smile saved up for when you needed it. Even as a housemate he was perfect; Lockwood never took too long in the bathroom or left messes around even though it was his own house.

As a boy? Lockwood was indecipherable. Always gentle but never vulnerable. Always a listener, never a talker when it came to personal truths. He was your best friend but you knew nothing about him.

It was definitely an atypical relationship you shared, but you weren't unhappy with it and it seemed that neither was he. You proceeded in your usual way for a year while you were in the company until one particular case.

Lockwood had been off all week and you weren't sure why. You were in the middle of a case; a tragedy where all but one in a family had been killed and were haunting their own home. It wasn't one you needed a whole heap of research for, but George still wanted to take the precautions of getting the building layout and checking for the possibility of any other ghosts, and for once Lockwood didn't fight him on it.

George and Lucy had gone to the archives to get the research while you and Lockwood were doing all the other errands; stocking up on supplies, doing a daytime tour of the house then getting groceries on the way home.

Shopping for supplies and weapons was totally fine, the both of you chattering away as normal. It was only when you approached the cast iron fence of the Victorian-style home that Lockwood grew quiet again, retreating into himself. You spared him a puzzled expression but didn't dwell on it there.

A sad-looking woman met you at the front gate, draped in black. She introduced herself as the deceased wife's sister, explaining her red-rimmed eyes. She led you both through the garden up to the house, sniffling quietly as she explained what had happened, a horrific freak accident that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.

Stepping through the threshold into the house, you could feel the gloom as if it were a tangible thing. What clearly used to be a loving home was already dark and lifeless, the photos on the wall mocking instead of nostalgic.

You could hear noise from down the hall, glancing curiously in its direction. Your host picked up on what you were looking at and explained it was her nephew, the only survivor.

"Will," She called, "Come here." Moments later a little boy came waddling up the hallway, toy truck in hand. Your heart clenched as you took him in, he couldn't have been older than six or seven, far too young to be orphaned like this.

"We're packing up his stuff today, he's living with me right now. I'm not sure he understands his family aren't coming back." Your eyes felt hot like you were going to cry just listening to their family tragedy. A glance at Lockwood said the same thing. You took the lead for the rest of the house tour, unnerved by Lockwood's silence.

As the two of you were leaving the house Will chased you both down the stone path, tugging on the tail of Lockwood's long coat.

"Please help my mum and dad and my sister," He said, eyes still wide with youth and innocence.

"Of course," Lockwood replied, ruffling the boy's brown hair gently. You thought he sounded uncharacteristically choked up.

"You alright?" You asked a while later, far from the house. You were both on the way to the grocery store, your hands shoved in your coat pockets to hide from the cold.

"'Course," Lockwood replied shortly, eyes straight ahead on the street. You tried to catch his gaze but he refused to look at you, changing the topic to what snacks you could sneak past George. You indulged him reluctantly, not pleased to move past his clear struggles so quickly.

You wandered home in near dusk, not doing much to get home before sunset. The groceries had been spread between the two of you so neither of you was carrying too much of the burden, but you suspected Lockwood was carrying enough emotional weight for the pair of you.

Silently, under the light of a ghost lamp, you looped your arm around his, providing a comforting touch. He didn't say anything, but you could have sworn he was leaning into you more than he ever had before.

You made it back to Portland Row in good time, only braving a few minutes out in the darkness.

Hours later, you crept through the house, painfully aware of each creak of the old floorboards. You peered around the door into the library, watching Lockwood sit in his armchair, bored as he flipped through a gossip rag.

"Hey," You said as you sat, curling up on the couch and surrounding yourself with a blanket. He smiled in response, greeting you quickly before turning back to what he was reading. "Are you okay?" You knew you were coming off intense but you were really worried about him.

"Yeah, 'course. Why?"

"I don't know, you've just seemed really off today. Down." You studied your fingers to avoid making uncomfortable eye contact.

"I'm fine," He said, almost aggressively. Realising his tone, Lockwood backtracked, "It's nothing, just--" Silence.

"Just?" You urged him, braving the jump to look in his eyes. It was immediately intense, a profound sadness replacing what was usually jovial charm.

"I was him," Lockwood said and you were immediately confused. You tilted your head, trying to work it out but Lockwood continued, explaining it for you.

"Will. I was the leftover. My whole family is dead, and I am the one left alive."

"Oh God, Lockwood," You whispered, patting the spot next to you. He followed you over, taking the blanket you offered.

"My parents died when I was really young, about the same age as Will. They were the first ghosts I ever fought." You couldn't contain your soft gasp, hand creeping over your mouth as you took in what he was telling you. "I had an older sister, too, Jessica. She was six years older than me, died when I was nine. An accident with some of my parents' old supernatural artefacts. I've been fighting ghosts ever since."

Somehow you'd started holding his hand, rubbing smooth circles over his palm with your thumb. You could hardly believe what you were hearing, you had no idea Lockwood's life was so devastating. All you'd learnt while working at Lockwood and Co was that his parents had probably passed away, given the house was his. You'd never heard about a sister.

"I'm really sorry," Was all you could say, not taking the risk of misstepping.

"It's fine." His voice broke on the second word, tears rolling down his red cheeks in a moment. You'd never seen Lockwood cry. It was devastating, but also unfairly beautiful. Crystal tears in honeypot eyes.

Before you knew what you were doing you were holding Lockwood, arms keeping him close as he shuddered through sobs. All you did was embrace him for a long time, letting Lockwood express the emotions he kept so close to his chest all the time.

It must have been at least ten minutes later when he pulled away, clearly embarrassed and rubbing furiously at his eyes.

"Sorry," He mumbled, looking anywhere but at you. You put a hand on his thigh to pull him back down to earth.

"Don't apologise. I want to be here for you. You're my best friend, Lockwood, I love you." Lockwood smiled at that, unlike his usual thousand-watt grins, more muted but undeniably genuine.

"Thank you," He said, the warmth seeping back into his tone.

With the moment mostly passed you suggested it was probably time for bed for both of you.

"And you stay home tomorrow. Lucy, George and I will go put Will's family to rest. Take the night off, okay?" While you firmly believed it was in Lockwood's best interest to avoid what was a clearly triggering event, it was also for your own safety. Lockwood and Co was disorganised at the best of times, having Lockwood lose it because he was thinking of Will and his younger self would only endanger every one of you. It was for the best that he stayed home. To your surprise, Lockwood didn't fight you on the order, despite being your boss. He just nodded, lost in thought.

"You remind me of her," He said suddenly.

"Who?"

"Jess," He replied, "She would have liked you." You smiled softly at that, a warm glow igniting in your chest.

"Goodnight, Lockwood," You said instead of addressing the scary genuine feelings blooming. He didn't reply, instead pulling you into a tight hug. His arms around you were warm, holding you in place as his head rested in the crook of your neck.

You realised suddenly how few hugs Lockwood had given you in your time at the company. Partly because it was a little unprofessional, mostly because Lockwood was typically too repressed to manage his emotions in such a healthy way. You enjoyed it though, it kind of felt like you two were meant to be like that, two halves of a damaged whole. When he pulled away his smile was just for you, bathing you in the love he'd never been able to express.

[downbadf0rficppl]

love you

Anthony Lockwood x F!Reader

Summary: Part 2 of let me - Your nights are plagued with nightmares that feel all too real. It's all connected to the Bowers' manor. You need to solve this mystery before it drives you crazy. What will you find?

Word Count: 3.9K

Warnings: umm a lot of gore - it's inspired that one episode of guillermo del toro's cabinet of curiosities, so yeah. also they kiss. and it's slightly sad at the end. lmk if there's anything else.

You twisted in your bed- sheets soaked with sweat, hair sticking to your forehead. Vivid images flew across your mind, confusing you with their content.

There was a woman - tall and beautiful, but angry. She was so, so angry. She gripped your hand tightly, pulling you across the floor and locking you in a room. There was a little boy in there, curled in the corner, clutching a teddy bear. 

The teddy bear was familiar - there was a picture of your mother holding an identical one somewhere in the attic of your family home. The boy was covering the teddy bear’s ears. There was screaming outside the door - two voices creating a cacophony, so disruptive that you cowered under its weight. 

In the distance, you could hear the lullaby again - the one from the manor. The little boy stood up and ran to the corner of the room, glancing back before disappearing into a secret door behind the wardrobe.

The scene changed - light streamed through the window now, casting shadows of the window pane on the wooden floor. The angry woman was now stood at the base of the stairs, her coat wrapped around her and a hat in her hands.

“Elizabeth!” she called, “Elizabeth, hurry, we can’t be late again!” 

A young girl ran down the stairs, her fingers dancing over the railing as she ran. You looked at her closely. She almost looked like you. Same hair, same eyes, same face shape. It was peculiar. A floorboard creaked behind you. You turned back to face the stairs - the little boy was sat there again, hands grasping his teddy bear. He looked woefully at his sister, who was already out the door, chattering away to their mother. You could hear her muffled voice through the shut door. You shivered.

A draft blew through the house. Loud sobbing echoed through the halls and you ran upstairs, following the sound. You turned open the door to the boy’s room, before scrambling back hand clamped over your mouth to stifle your scream.

There, lying in a pool of her own blood, was the sister. The whole family crowded around her - the father cradled her in his arms while the mother cried into her hands nearby. Their clothes were soaked with blood as they sat wailing. A constable ran up the stairs with the maid, and he stumbled back as the scene came into view. You watched as he muttered a prayer to the Lord.

“Come, Timothy.” The maid held out her hand to you. You gasped. She was the same. She was the maid from the Bowers house. What if she had followed you into your dream? Was that even possible? How could that even happen?

The sound of gentle footsteps behind you broke you out of your spiralling. Behind you was the little boy. His eyes were closed, hands tightly gripping the teddy bear. He was covered in blood. From head to toe.

You step aside as he took the maid’s hand. She led him down the stairs towards the maid’s quarters where he sat patiently on the bed waiting for her to return with a wet cloth. She came back with a tub and a pair of clean clothes for him to change into. Slowly and carefully, she wiped away all of the blood, humming her song all the while. Little Timothy cried as she cleaned him, wailing that it was all his fault. 

Confusion mounted as he cried - how could it be his fault, you thought, it’s not as if he killed his sister? The maid soothed him, whispering that it wasn’t his fault, there’s no way he could have known. 

You felt yourself slipping out of the dream, someone’s hand on your arm, shaking you awake, calling your name. You threw yourself awake, pulling yourself out of bed, and putting distance between whoever was in your room. You stumbled, your legs not ready for the sudden movement. A familiar pair of arms caught you, pulling you back into bed. Lockwood. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, once you were settled back into bed, “I heard you screaming from across the hall.”

“I’m fine. Just a bad dream.”

Lockwood didn’t look convinced. “Was it about the last case? The one at the manor?”

“No,” you lied, looking away from his inquiring eyes, “it’s one of those ones where nothing makes sense but it’s just scary.”

“Okay. Try and get back to sleep,” Lockwood pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead, “if you can’t, you can always come and be an insomniac with me.”

You smiled at him as he left before bringing a hand up to brush your hairline. He kissed you? Lockwood wasn’t one to show physical affection, even to Ruby and George. Since moving in here, you’d only seen him be affectionate once, hugging Ruby when he was exceptionally tired. You smiled internally, lying back down and turning over. Maybe there’s a slight possibility that he feels the same.

It had been 3 days and the nightmare was still replaying itself in your head. You and Lucy were getting ready to go into central London for a case - suited up and ready to scope out quite an old townhouse. The owners had been complaining that there was an apparition causing a disturbance in the attic.

The two of you hopped in a cab, exchanging notes on George’s research as you pulled up to 16 Cherry Tree Lane. It was a tall townhouse in a very affluent part of London. The area had a rich history and Lucy knocked on the door just as the sun started setting. 

Your footsteps echoed as you entered the empty townhouse - clearly the owners were still in the process of moving in as the home was barren. The case should be easy - one ghost that they could hear in the attic, likely a Type 1. Easy. In and out.

“Let’s just get this over with, then we can get pizza,” Lucy said, harking back to Lockwood’s promise to pick up pizza on his way back from DEPRAC.

The two of you headed up the stairs, both of you using your listening skills to try and locate the ghost. Lucy stayed on the first floor, exploring the bedrooms, while you headed up to the second floor to see if you had any luck there. You could hear faint humming - a man’s voice but still, for a moment you stood, paralysed by fear. There was no way she could have followed you here. You heard footsteps come from behind you, and someone calling your name. Lucy. You tried calling out to her but found yourself unable to yell or run to her. You were stuck.

Lucy comes upstairs to find you standing by the top of the stairs, tears streaming down your face. The ghost wasn’t near you - he seemed oblivious to either of you being there (you were right when you said he was a Type 1). Lucy blocks him from your view, placing her hands on the side of your head, bringing your focus back to her. You soon relaxed, your body releasing its tension and movement returned to your body. Your hands came up to cover hers, reassuring her that you were okay. She didn’t seem convinced.

As you pulled up to 35 Portland Row, you were still shaking from the icy grip of the ghost. The chill seemed to linger in your bones and your body felt heavy as you walked up the steps to the house. Lucy’s worried gaze lingered on you as she opened the door, her arm steady around your shoulders, but she said nothing as you trudged into the house.

"You should rest," Lucy suggested gently, closing the door behind you. "I'll make you some tea."

You nodded gratefully, already feeling the exhaustion creep in. As you settled onto the couch, Lucy disappeared into the kitchen, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

As you dozed off on the couch, you heard the door open and Lockwood announce that he had pizza. Somewhere deep in the back of your mind, you celebrated - it had been months since you guys had been able to treat yourselves to a full pizza meal, so you were excited. But the case had really taken it out of you, so you just remained curled up on the couch.

You vaguely heard Lockwood call your name and walk into the room, but you were too tired to lift your head. You feel his hand brush over your head and a shiver runs down your spine. You hear him ask Lucy what happened, and - with a slight hesitation - she tells him. You can't be mad at her - Lockwood deserved to know the whole truth.

Eventually, he and Lucy slipped away, leaving you to the silence of the room. The scent of pizza wafted from the kitchen and your stomach growled. Mustering up the last ounces of your energy, you rose from the couch and walked over to the kitchen, where the three of them were sat. You gingerly sat in your chair, reaching out for some pepperoni pizza.

The four of you sat in a silence as Lucy and George rushed to finish their pizza and slip away. They knew what was coming.

"You should be resting," Lockwood finally said, as Lucy shut the door behind her. The worry on his face morphed into anger as you took another bite of pizza, "See this is what I mean when I say you're too reckless."

His words stung a little and you felt a flare of defiance. "I'm not a child, Anthony, I can take care of myself."

"Clearly not well enough." He retorted, pushing his plate away. He may be the big boss of Lockwood and Co, but he still left his crusts on the plate. Lockwood's voice kept rising, "You know what, you're benched until I say otherwise. If I can't trust you to keep yourself safe, I'll do it for you."

The finality in his tone makes your blood boil. "You can't just bench me!" You shouted back, standing up to match Lockwood's stance. "I'm also a part of this team, and I deserve to be treated like it."

Lockwood stepped back, his expression a mix of anger and hurt. "I'm doing this because I care about you. Can't you see that?"

But you were too angry to listen. Without another word, you stormed out of the kitchen and off to your room, slamming the door behind you - the picture frames on the wall rattled with force. The silence that followed was deafening, your heart pounding in your ears.

As you sat on the edge of your bed, the anger slowly ebbed away, replaced by a crushing sense of guilt. You knew that Lockwood wasn't doing it to be malicious, but his overprotectiveness felt suffocating. Curling up on your bed, you tried to drift off to sleep but it felt impossible. You were benched off the team and at odds with Lockwood. You didn't need to add another nightmare to that mix.

The next day, Anthony and Lucy disappeared on another mission, while George took a trip to the British Library to put together some information for a case next week. You were supposed to stay behind at the house to clean up and take care of some artifacts, but you had other plans. 

While George got a taxi from the house, you slipped out and caught the next bus in that direction. The British Library was a familiar sanctuary, rows of dusty tomes lining the shelves, each one holding secrets waiting to be uncovered. Years before you had worked for Lockwood and Co., you did what George did - extensive research.

You settled at a computer in the far corner of the library, brow furrowed in concentration, as you flicked through some old local newspapers that mentioned the old Bower's Manor.

The pages were filled with tales of hauntings and tragedy, the ghostly echoes of past inhabitants lingering in the crumbling halls, stuff that George had already pulled out in his last case file. You traced your finger along faded photographs of the manor, trying to figure out why you felt so drawn to it. 

"There's something here," you murmured to yourself, "There must be."

You slide a worn parchment under the magnifier beside you. The photo caught your eye. It was the little boy you saw. You shifted it towards the text. 

May 26th, 1947

News from the Bowers Manor: Ms. Elizabeth Bowers, eldest daughter of Lord and Mrs. Timothy Bowers, has unfortunately passed on at the age of 15, two months after Lord Bower’s brother, Lt. Charles M. Bowers. The passing has been reported as the result of a chronic and fatal condition, but some within the house believe some other forces to be at play. 

Constable M. Myers reported the case to be unlike any he had seen before after he was called to the Manor early Saturday morning. He reportedly returned to the station covered in blood and shaking, before retiring home for the weekend. He has not been able to give any other statement.

You stopped reading. This was it. The story from your memory. Vision? Whatever it was. You scanned the rest of the text, looking for the name of the brother, but there was no mention of him. 

You took the next newspaper in the pile and placed it under the magnifier. Nothing. And the next. And the next. Still nothing. Finally you find one from 1957. Ten years after the original. In the corner of one of the middle pages is a small photo and an article titled, ‘The Last Bowers’. This could be it. 

October 2nd, 1957

Sgt. Timothy Bowers II, son of the late Lord and Mrs. Timothy Bowers, closed the doors to the Bower’s Manor for the last time as the keys pass on to one Mr. Khalil. The 19-year-old made the decision after the passing of his cousin, the late Ms. Sanders. The Sergeant confirmed his decision to sell at last week’s monthly town meeting, and was met with uproar. Nonetheless, it seems whatever bad luck has haunted the house and the Bowers family has finally driven the young Sergeant away.

You examined the photo and your heart dropped to your stomach. You’d seen that photo before. Framed. In your mother’s house. The revelation hit you like a thunderbolt, sending a shiver down your spine as you stared at the crumbling pages before you again. The old Bowers Manor was owned by your ancestors, and the boy from the photo - and your nightmares - was none other than your grandfather.

Images flashed through your mind, fragments of memories long buried resurfacing in vivid detail. You remembered the stories your mother told you as a child, tales of a troubled past and a family history shrouded in darkness. But you never imagined that those secrets lay within the walls of the very manor you had been investigating.

As the realization sank in, you felt your mind race with possibilities. The discovery added a new layer of complexity to the mission, one that you couldn't ignore. But it made sense. Even at Fitte’s, you weren’t supposed to work cases that were close to you - no family relations or people that you were close to. Despite Anthony's orders to stay away, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this was something you had to do.You may have been benched, but that didn't mean you were out of the game. And if that meant you had to defy Anthony’s instructions, so be it. 

You printed a copy of the two newspapers and tucked them carefully into your bag. You then ran to catch the bus home before anyone made it back. 

As you stepped through the door of 35 Portland Row, carrying the weight of the newfound revelations about your family's history, you were met with the stern gaze of Anthony Lockwood. His expression was a mix of frustration and concern, his normally calm demeanor replaced by a crackling intensity that sends a chill down your spine.

"Where have you been?" he demanded, his voice sharp with reproach. "I thought we agreed that you were going to stay here.”

“If by agreed, you mean you told me to stay here and just expected me to agree.”

His expression didn’t change. Instead, his eyes caught one of the photocopies that was clenched in your hand. He grabbed while you were distracted and looked over it. His face hardened more if that was possible. “I thought I specifically told you to stay away from that case."

You swallowed hard, knowing that you were about to face the full force of Anthony's wrath. "I know, but I had to—"

"You had to, what?" he interrupted, his tone laced with exasperation. "Risk your life chasing after a ghost that we don’t need to? You almost got ghost-touched! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

You met his gaze head-on, refusing to back down. "I had to find out the truth," you replied, your voice steady despite the turmoil brewing inside you. "About my family, about the manor—about everything."

“Your family?” Anthony's features soften slightly, a flicker of concern crossing his face. “What do you mean?”

You explained the truth. Everything you’d found out in the Library. You watched as Anthony’s shoulder slumped with every word. You knew why you got ghost-locked now, so things should be back to normal.

Anthony didn’t share the sentiment. "You can't keep doing this," he said, his voice gentler now, tinged with worry. "You're important to me, to all of us. I can't stand the thought of you putting yourself in harm's way like this."

His words caught you off guard, a pang of emotion tugging at your heart. You'd always known that Anthony cared about you, but hearing him express it so openly sent a rush of warmth flooding through you.

"Anthony," you began, reaching out to touch his arm, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

He met your gaze, his eyes softening as he took in your sincerity. "I know you didn't," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "But please, promise me you'll be more careful. Promise me you'll take care of yourself."

A tense silence envelops the room, broken only by the sound of your racing heart. You can feel the weight of his concern pressing down on you, mingling with your own sense of guilt and determination.

He’d stepped closer to you at some point in your conversation, to the point where his face was inches away from yours. His hand came up to caress the side of your face as he stared into your eyes. “Please take care of yourself. I don’t think I’d survive it if you got hurt. I know…-”

In a moment of impulsive clarity, you leaned forward, closing the distance between you and Anthony in one swift motion. Your lips met his in a tender, desperate kiss, cutting off his tirade mid-sentence.

For a heartbeat, the world fell away, leaving only the sensation of Anthony's lips against yours, the warmth of his embrace pulling you closer. In that fleeting instant, everything else faded into insignificance, overshadowed by the intensity of your connection.

When you finally pulled away, breathless and trembling, you were met with Anthony's wide-eyed gaze, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. For a heartbeat, neither of you spoke, the weight of the unspoken hanging heavy in the air.

Then, slowly, tentatively, Anthony reached out to cup your cheek, his touch gentle against your skin. "What was that?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of your heart.

You met his gaze, your own eyes filled with a mixture of uncertainty and longing. "I... I don't know," you admitted, your voice barely a whisper. "But I couldn't stand to see you upset, and... and I needed you to know."

Anthony's expression softened, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I understand," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And... and I think I needed to know too."

The tension in the room dissipated, as you met Anthony’s gaze with sincerity shining in your eyes. 

"I promise," you said softly, "I'll take better care of myself. And I won't put myself in unnecessary danger again."

Anthony nodded, his expression softening with relief. "And I promise to trust you more," he said, his voice filled with sincerity. "I know I can be too controlling at times, but I'll work on letting go and giving you the space you need."

He pulled you back into his arms and you relaxed into them. You rested your cheek on his shoulder as he held you, content to just be.

You and Anthony stood outside the Bowers manor. The building wasn’t any less imposing the second time, and Anthony squeezed your hand in reassurance. We can do this, it said. You took a deep breath. 

You pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the decrepit hallway, the air thick and stagnant. This time, the feeling of discomfort didn’t weigh as heavily on your chest as you and Anthony made your way to the maid’s quarters.

Finally, you reached the quarters and you came face-to-face with the ghost that had been haunting your dreams for the past week. It was the maid, her spectral form flickering in and out of existence as she clung to the shadows, her eyes filled with longing and sorrow.

You and Anthony searched the room for anything that could be the source. Eventually, Lockwood found a loose floorboard hiding a silver hair comb and a few photos. He called you over, yelling at you to get a silver box, or some net. Anything that would subdue the maid. 

But as you grabbed the net, a voice cut through the silence—a voice you recognised all too well. It was your grandfather, his eyes covered by special goggles that you’d seen somewhere before. They were the same as the one’s Fairfax was wearing before Annabelle killed him. You shuddered at the thought. 

Your grandfather’s form materialised beside the maid, his face etched with pain and regret. "Please," he begged, his voice thick with emotion. "Don't do this. She's all I have left."

You hesitated, torn between the desire to end your haunting and listening to your grandfather’s plea. But deep down, you know what needs to be done. With a heavy heart, you threw the net over the source, the energy crackling through the air as the maid's form begins to fade.

In a sudden burst of anger and despair, your grandfather lunged forward, his arms reaching out as he tried to stop you. But before he could reach you, Anthony stepped in, shielding you from the blow.

As the maid's form faded into nothingness, you reached out to your grandfather, pulling him close as he sobbed in your arms. For a moment, there were no words, only the sound of his tears mingling with the echoes of the past.

But then, as the last remnants of the maid faded away, your grandfather lifted his head, his eyes filled with gratitude and sorrow. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the fading echoes of the manor. "For giving me the chance to say goodbye."

fin.

[genieofthebooks]

Ghostly Memories

Pairing: Anthony Lockwood x Fem!reader [Not established but Established at the same time, Its confusing]

Part Two: Family Line

Reader gets sent into a vision of how someone died through touching the source, body or something close to them in their past life.

Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Reader's parents especially mother (Sorry if you are close to yours),mentions of death of someone close, ghostly activity, sadness, description of death, hints of abuse, Panic attack, Some comfort.

It was early hours in the morning in London and all of Lockwood and Co. were awake, sat in their pajamas staring at a client who decided to come at the ungodly hour of Four in the morning. George was picking at the loose thread on his oversized shirt, Lucy was perched on the edge of the sofa leaving a gap between her and Lockwood as they all were waiting for you to get back from the kitchen with the tea they offered the client.

You walked into the living room balancing five cups of tea on a tray, your hair in a messy plait as it was way more messy if it was loose. You placed the tray of Tea on the table in front of the client giving him a tense smile as the three behind you lunged for their tea to give them a boost of energy to wake them up, leaving two mugs on the table. You picked up your tea and sat between Lucy and Lockwood, not relaxing fully into the seat unlike Lockwood who was lounged backwoods with his ankle resting on his other leg. 

“I apologise for the early intrusion” The client gestured between the quartet who were still in their pajamas looking at him as if he was insane, you were avoiding eye contact with anyone just looking at the floor trying to ignore the pain that was shooting down your back because of how tense you were. “I just didn’t want my wife to realise I had left, she would always get angry whenever I suggested that we extract the ghost that currently has been haunting us because she has an unhealthy attachment to the person the ghost used to be” 

You started to wring your hands in a pattern to soothe you but it was not working as you were under the watchful eye of the client who was someone you desperately tried to forget when you moved to London.

Lockwood spoke up watching you out of the corner of his eye but also wanting to know why the client was avoiding his wife and why she had an attachment to a ghost that their client was asking for them to remove so he turned to the client with a grin on his face. “May I ask why your wife has an attachment to the ghost”

That was the dreaded question you did not want Lockwood to ask, but the client happily answered it. “Well it is the ghost of my son who died when he was twelve, he is probably agitated that we kept him this long but my wife could not move on and his twin sister ran away a year after I think she was overcome with grief and didn’t know how to talk about it, so she ran.” The client looked straight at you when he uttered the last sentence, you still avoided eye contact with him but you felt his eyes on you.

Everyone knew that something was wrong with you because by now you would have had a few sarcastic comments about how early it was but you haven’t said a word, choosing to keep your eyes either trained to the floor or your tea. Lucy and Lockwood shared a concerned look behind your head when George was getting the address from the client. Lockwood placed his hand on your knee as a comfort even though he was puzzled on why you were acting so weird. If they didn’t know you they would have chalked it up to you being tired because of how early it was. But they know you, they know that you don’t put your defences up for any old reason. Well your sarcasm was a shield in itself but that was soon just a part of you.

You finally looked up from staring at the design on the inside of your mug as you had stressfully downed your tea very quickly. You locked eyes with the client meeting his eyes that he shared with the only person in your family that you truly cared about. 

“What, are you going to ignore your old man this entire time?”

“Well I was trying to” you retorted, slowly bringing your sarcastic shield up and not staying silent like you did when you were a child being berated by your parents for doing a simple thing wrong. You opened your shoulders up after gaining a boost of confidence and stared right into the clients eyes. 

“I’m sorry what is going on here?” George asked looking between you and the client.

“Hello, Father” You finally stated clenching your jaw because you thought you would never have to refer to someone as that again.

“Hello, my little hunter” He responded surprised you actually acknowledged him with a title. You frowned at your childhood nickname, it was lost after the death of your brother.

“Don’t call me that” You leaned forward and rested your elbows on your knee as you stared your father down. Lockwood’s hand slid to your thigh so that it would not get stabbed by your elbow and he gripped it slightly so that you would not bolt. Lucy gently rested her hand on the small of your back in a comforting manner because she was the only one who knew nearly the full extent of what happened before you arrived at Lockwood and Co. however you withheld some information because it pained you to talk about. You two shared a bedroom which used to just be yours but then Lucy arrived but you both spent many sleepless nights talking, her about Norrie and you about your twin brother. “Now why are you here?”

Your father took in a deep breath frustrated at your hostile behaviour towards him however in the back of his mind he knew that he deserved it. “The ghost in our house is your brother”

You scoffed in disbelief that he has only now wanted to get rid of your twin’s body “Of course it is him. You kept his body in a bloody locked room because you and mother refused to move on and he is haunting you because you won’t let him go to rest.” Your voice started to raise in frustration, a small sense of comfort was coming from Anthony but you turned your voice steely. “But why did you come here, not the other agencies and how did you fucking find me.”

Your father hesitated before continuing but treaded carefully with his words knowing the wrong thing could set your anger off. “I thought your mother would allow it if it was you.”

You stood up, glaring right at your father, your chest heaving as you were trying not to either start crying or punch him. “Bullshit. You know damn well that she wants it to be me that was dead not Jace.” Your voice cracked and quietened as you finally spoke the name of your missing half, your better and more kinder half. You spun round not able to look at your father any longer as you tried to contain your emotions but they betrayed you and tears started to stream down your face. you lifted your head and dug the palm of your hands into your eyes to contain the tears, because it was too much. 

Lockwood stood up and gestured towards George who was looking at you in concern as you were one of his best friends and he has never seen you like this. No one has. “George, Lucy why don’t you show Mr L/n the Kitchen”

Once they had left and it was just you and Anthony in the main room. Anthony slowly walked up to you like you were an injured wolf and slowly pried your hands away from your eyes, he noticed how glazed over they look as if your body was in the room but your mind was in a cavern. 

“We can do it” You broke the silence, shocking him with your answer and for the first time in a while his face didn’t hold the smile you had come to love instead he was deep in thought contemplating if they should do this case because even though he had missed being in the field while his legs and shoulder was healing he knew that you would never be the same after. 

“Are you sure?” He questioned holding onto your wrist to keep you in the present.

You ran your hand across your face because it was still early and you were already exhausted by the events that had occured in just the span of half an hour. You knew you were going to regret your answer because deep down you knew your parents no longer loved you but you wanted to grasp on the last sliver of hope that was drifting further and further away. “Yes”

Anthony placed his hand on your shoulder and you would not have believed that it was there if you did not feel the heat of Anthony’s hand against your cold and trembling skin. “It would mean-”

“I know what it means and I am up for it” That was one of the biggest lies that you have ever told.

Anthony patted your shoulder after a little while and then walked into the kitchen to tell George the news that you have accepted. Leaving you alone in the Living room to question your own stupidity.

It was now the evening where the sun was setting over the countryside outside of London and Lockwood and Co. were stood outside of your family home. The Dahlias and the violets were the same as when you escaped.

“Well it is good to be back” You sarcastically muttered walking up the cobblestone steps that wound up to the front door, so you could escape Lucy asking if you are okay for the hundredth time.

“Really” George questioned his tone laced with surprise, staring at you from the bottom of the steps.

“No” you breathed out when you arrived at the wooden door, seeing the grain of the wood and the circular pattern of the stained glass would have been a home to some but to you it was a void of what should be a home. No sentiment was rising in you but instead the happy memories of the only family member you loved turned bitter and painful like a hot knife being driven into your chest.

“Nice House” Lockwood commented giving you a smirk that fit his face perfectly but at this point you wanted to smack it right off his face.

“Shut the bloody hell up” you muttered while kneeling down and making sure your rapier sword hit his ankle. It’s the house making you mutter, you only ever muttered when you were talking to your mother. You felt underneath the ribbing of the doorframe looking for the cold touch of a key. “I would rather be ghost-locked than go in this house again, sorry luce” you added when you saw her wince out of the corner of your eye. She waved you off knowing that even though you meant it you did not intend for it to bring up painful memories for her.

“Y/n really, too extreme” George looked at you with an incredulous expression, you have always been a pessimist and it worked well with your sarcasm and you have often spoke of death but after the recent events that occured between all four of you everyone wanted to make sure everyone was alive.

“No, not extreme enough. Aha found the key” You stood back up and faced the three who had actually no clue what they were getting into. Rolling the key in your fingers before placing it into the lock and turning it until you felt a soft click.

Stepping into the threshold of your childhood home, you froze as you heard the sound of laughter. Two children came into view running around the hallway, the young boy held a small item that looked like a phone but was pretending it was a sensor and the young girl held a wooden sword slashing and stabbing at the air as if a monster or a ghost was in front of her. You couldn’t make out their faces but as they ran towards you you knew immediately who they were. The disappeared just as they were going to collide into your legs. It was you and your twin when you would pretend to be fighting ghosts.

You shook your head releasing a shaky breath before continuing into the hallway, photos filled of your parents and brother, hardly any of you. It was like you never existed at all except there was one photo of you aged ten where you held your wooden sword proudly and your brother was standing next to you with his arm round your shoulder. “I loved  that sword. No clue why though,”

Lockwood found another photo of you that you wouldn’t have seen as it was right at the back of the sidebord sheilded by photos of a happy family that did not have room for you. “Hey look it is a baby Y/n” 

"Aww you were adorable, What happened?" George teased and acting dramatic when you swatted him on the shoulder.

Lucy walked into the centre of the hall, trying to focus on what she can hear, blocking out the sound of the boys teasing you and you threatening. "Will you three shut up!"

You jokingly saluted her while spinning around making sure to hit George with your hair as you turned. "Yes Ma'am"

"Y/n!"

"Sorry, sorry." You stepped backwards into Lockwood who stedied you while George was laughing his head of at you getting scolded.

Lucy closed her eyes and was able to focus after the three had shut up. "I hear laughing, children laughing"

She opened her eyes and looked to you"Your brother is a very happy ghost"

"He was a very happy child" You shrugged your shoulders.

"The complete opposite of you then" Lockwood asked.

"Pretty much. Now follow me" You walked up the stairs without another word. Your combat boots echoing against the light wooden flooring. Leading the trio to the only closed door in the house as every other door was open for ventilation. The door was decorated with faded signs of names, Your name had faded ghosts and swords and your brother's name had books lettering his name. Lockwood noticed how similar it was to the door that he kept locked in their house, both doors containing a secret. Except you both have different ways of opening the truth.

You rammed your shoulder into the door not being bothered to look around for another key and it swung open and slammed into the back wall with a large crash. Your breath caught in your throat as the bare room that used to be filled with imagination had a lonely bed in the middle of the room.

"Friends! New Friends!" Before anyone could speak a small figure of a ghost started circling the agents who were broken out of their stares at what rested upon the bed. All three drew their swords and only you were unprotected as you started walking towards the bed slowly.

You walked as if you were in a trance eyes fixated on the closed eyes of the body. When you reached the neatly made bed, your body fell to the floor with a soft thud

In front of you was your twin brother. Still frozen in time at aged twelve which differed from your Sixteen year old form. The ghost of your brother had stopped flying around your friends and was floating inbetween Lockwood and Lucy and all four of them were staring at you.

"There is something about her that is familiar, but I can't put my finger on it" He floated over to George who looked at the ghost is shock that there was actually making conversation with them instead of attacking.

"Jace" Lockwood started but when he said your brother's name his ghost started buzzing.

"How do you know my name? Have you met Y/n?" At Lockwood's nod and his eyes flitted over to your knelt form next to your brother's body. The ghost finally caught on.

"Oh she is Y/n, She looks so different." The ghost mumbled quietly realising how tired and worn out you look. "But she got her job as an agent that she has always wanted."

"Yeah, she did" The four were staring at you again where you had now broken your gaze of the body and was looking around for something but your hand accidentally brushed against your brother's arm and you were pulled into the moment that you never wanted to live again.

It was if you were watching an immersive play, you were right in the action but when in an immersive play the actors could see you. The children couldn't see you. Your eyes couldn't focus and your chest felt as if it was being hit by a bat and with every hit getting stronger, and stronger. You couldn't leave until the death has been completed.

"Y/n!" Anthony ran next to you and knelt down next to your now shaking form. He hated the white glazed look in your eye. You looked like you were in ghost-Lock but with the ghost still over with Lucy and George they knew that it was just the curse of your talent.

"Y/n, Catch me if you can" Jace exclaimed running away from your tweleve year old form that had her beloved wooden sword attached to your hip with vines. The kids had ran out of the house and towards the woods. Unaware of the danger that lied waiting for them. Unaware that soon their bond will be ripped in half with one in death and one in life.

"I'm coming Jace, but please don't run off too far you know how dangerous the woods are at night." Your twelve year old self ran into the woods after Jace, muttering about his selective hearing that he must have picked up from their father. You slightly laughed at yourself when you were younger with how bossy yet caring you were. Now people would just say you are bossy and Sarcastic. You chased after the two children, who were cheerfully cheering when they tore down the brambles. The three of you ran into a clearing, Jace climbed up the hight tree. Your heart froze. This was it.

Anthony pulled your shaking form into his body your back against his chest. He caressed the side of your face, rocking you slightly so that when you awoke you would have a comforting presence. "You're okay Y/n" He muttered into your hair even though he knew that you could not hear him.

Your brother's ghost floated up to you with Lucy and George. "Is She okay... What's happening"

Lucy and George looked at each other with a solemn look, knowing Lockwood was trying to make sure you were okay so they decided to gently explain to the ghost. "Her Talent takes her to someone's time of death, did she not tell you"

Jace's ghost shook his head. "She was not allowed to talk to me about her talent, Mother and Father banned her fron talking about it and if she did well it would not end well for her." Jace muttered the last few words holding a resentment to his parents that they were fine with threatening and hurting their own daughter, his sister. "But I had a hunch as we went to our Grandma's house after her funeral, and she bumped into the wall and her eyes went white, but then a few seconds she awoke screaming and we had to leave the funeral quickly, she would not tell anyone of what she saw but the next day I saw she had a black eye and a cut on the side of her face but again she would not tell me who gave it to her but I knew who it was."

Anthony's head snapped over to the trio who were whispering. "Jace did they ever show this in front of you"

Jace's ghost shook his head. "Not when I was alive and by then I did not know how to leave this room but I heard shouting and screaming and dad had to stop mother from cutting Y/n out of the pictures when she ran away. I wish I could have protected her better but she was the stronger one of the two of us."

"You did the best you could, Jace."

"Y/n!" The scream that haunted your nightmares echoed throughout the air, Your brother's foot slipped from the tree. He opened his arms in front of him but they missed the branch by an inch. His body fell backwards as if it was in slow motion. His body hit the ground with a sickening crack.

"NO!" You shot out of Anthony's arms as you were brought back to reality. You pressed your hand to your chest to add a counter weight to your hyperventilating. Anthony motioned for the three to exit the room once again like this moring but instead of you just staring at the floor you were clawing at your chest and your breathing was shaky. Anthony placed his hands on the side of your face and brought his forehead to yours. "Come on Y/n breathe" He moved one of his hands from the side of your face to your shaking hands and rested it on top of them gently.

Your breathing started to even out and Anthony pulled his forehead away from you to make sure you were still okay. He kept his hands in your still trembling hands until you nodded signifying that you were okay.

Lucy ran into the room and encased you in a hug from what you went through as a child, because even though you told her about the death of your brother you had never told anyone or her about the mistreatment from your mother and your father just watching and not doing anything to help. His silence was what betrayed you more with your family. "I'm so sorry Y/n" she mumbled into your hair. She helped you off the floor where George pulled you into a side hug to make sure you were alright as your hands were slightly shaking.

"I know what the source is I just don't know where it is." You said after a while, remembering what you guys actually came to do. "It is my wooden sword but I have no idea where it is." You spoke to the other three but then Jace popped back through startling you.

"I know where it is, It is in the fireplace, Mother tried to set fire to it but I started to haunt her to make her leave the room" Jace Innocently stated with a giggle remebering what he did to her. You looked back on all the times that Jace played a prank on your parents slightly smiling at the innocence of him but you remembered feeling worried that if you played a prank on them the consequences would not have been a laugh and a pat on the head.

"Thanks Jace, yet I am not at all surprised" You walked over to the fireplace and crawled into the pit area of it causing soot to fly up and rest on your face, you found the sword and crawled back out but when you came out you started coughing as the soot flew up into your lungs causing a suffocating feeling to encase you some more but this time it faded.

You were met not with the faces of your friends but the hostile face of your mother who held a gun directed at your forehead. "Leave Jace alone"

"I could say the same to you mother" you spat out, not phased that she was holding a gun to you as she had attempted this once before but you were no longer a scared twelve year old. Lockwood, Lucy and George were also shocked as they had not heard another person come into the room.

"It should have been you and not him, He was just a child. My Child" She stalked up to you and placed the barrell against your forehead, you closed your eyes as if you were encouraging her to shoot. Lockwood stepped forward to quickly knock the gun out of your mother's hand but at a small signal from your hand he stayed put but his hand still rested on his rapier sword to draw it at any needed moment. Lucy and George were trying to distract Jace because even though he was twelve and a ghost no one should have to witness their own mother try to attack and kill their twin.

"I was also your child. But you never wanted me so go ahead. Shoot me" You spoke to your mother keeping your gaze hard, looking straight into her eyes. Her hand started to shake. "You can't do it can you? but you could hurt your own child with a straight face so what is stopping you from killing your daughter. Shoot me!"

Your mother lowered the gun after considering what you said and walked from the room without another word. Lockwood ran up to you and pulled you into an unexpected hug. "Never ask to be shot again. You are better off alive"

"Ironic, coming from you" you mumbled into his shirt causing him to let out a small breathy Laugh.

"Not to break up the sweet moment but it is nearly morning and If we are going to do it. We need to do it now" George interrupted while holding up the iron cloth.

You let go of Anthony and kissed his cheek briefly catching you both of guard, before taking the iron chain cloth out of George's hand and walked up to your brother's body and ghost who were next to each other. "It was nice seeing you again. Big brother"

Jace's ghost spun round in joy that you finally admitted that you were the younger twin but you were the twin that got to age.

You placed the wooden sword next to his body before throwing the irom sheet over his body. Jace's ghost dissapearing forever.

The four of you walked out of your childhood house where DEPRAC was waiting to collect your brother's body to finally put it in a grave and to arrest your mother for attempted murder of an agent.

"This was a weird day, For the first time a ghost did not try to kill us" George commented before seeing you wave mockingly at your mother and then stick your middle finger up at her where she glared at you from the back of the police car but lockwood pulled your hand down but instead of letting it go he held on.

"Yeah, That is why I called him casper the friendly ghost even when he was alive"

[vampcrystal]

Don’t look at him, look at me.

Anthony Lockwood x reader

Summary: Kipps asks the reader on a date. Anthony sees and him and the reader get into an argument, leading to a confession.

Requested: Yes

TW: Some swearing

Reader uses she/her pronouns

btw this probably won’t be entirely accurate to how things played out because I’ve forgot and I can’t be bothered to go and check lol. I also don’t know how many words this is, but it’s a bit long.

Enjoy :)

-

The invitation to the Fittes party seemed awfully suspicious. You, Lucy and George all agreed on that. Lockwood, however, thought that getting noticed by England’s biggest agency was like a gift sent from God. He didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned, but none of you were surprised. It was Lockwood, after all.

The same boy you’ve been in love with since you arrived at his front door 6 months ago.

You needed a job, and after getting rejected by Fittes multiple times you decided to just give up, but then you saw the advertisement in the newspaper. It was for a small, ramshackle agency called ‘Lockwood and co’, and it seemed real enough. The pay looked good, so you decided to apply. That was how you met Lockwood and George. You all hit it off rather quickly, George taking longer to warm up to than Lockwood, but you weren’t surprised after learning he had grown up having 3 older brothers and the only female figure in his life was his mum. You passed the interview with flying colours, having an above average ability of sight, with also an above average listening talent. You and Lockwood got on like a house on fire. He was secretive though, never fully opening up to you, and even now you still don’t know everything about him.

He was, and still is, a closed book to you.

Then Lucy came along. You and her got along pretty quickly, both being girls and all. She became the sister you always wanted but never had. Lockwood and co was your family, and you wouldn’t change it for the world.

Then your feelings for Lockwood started becoming a problem. They turned from a little crush to a full on infatuation with the boy. You always got jealous when he was smiling while talking to Lucy, or when he and Lucy were joking around. You were sure he didn’t like you back. He flirted with you a lot, always complementing you on your outfit, or how smart you were while researching for a case. You learnt to love a lot about yourself all because he said he liked that part of you at one point. But then, he started flirting with all the girls he saw, even Lucy. It confused you.

Even George was confused, and that was saying something. He saw the lingering looks he gave you when you weren’t looking, or how when you were laughing with another boy that wasn’t him he was giving you an unreadable expression.

Man, love is confusing.

Flash forward to present day.

“How did we, of all people, get invited to a Fittes party?” George questioned to no one in particular, sitting at the dining table facing you and Lucy, who were leaning against the kitchen counters. Lockwood was pacing around the room, obviously unable to contain his excitement. You and Lucy shrugged simultaneously, eyes falling to the tall brunette as he spoke.

“Who cares how, Penelope Fittes knows who we are”. He stopped his pacing to turn towards you three.

“Well…are we going or not?” You spoke, looking at Lucy and George who both gave you mixed looks of unsure and confused.

“What kind of question is that? We have to!” Lockwood spoke, turning to face you. “This could be a brilliant opportunity to finally get noticed, maybe pick up a case or two”.

“We could use the money I guess, so finding some cases could help” Lucy spoke, siding with Lockwood.

Lockwood shot her a look of agreement, which you noticed. You quickly looked away, awkwardly coughing, which caused George to give you a comforting look.

He figured out you had feelings for the other boy almost exactly after you did. He was quick to catch onto things like that. Lockwood however. He was the only one who the brainy boy couldn’t decipher. He was like a code he couldn’t crack, and it frustrated him, like he had all the numbers except for the last one. He was annoying. All his continuous flirting made George second guess a lot, and George second guessing something used to be a rare occurrence. But it wasn’t his place to say something, and besides, he wanted to see how it would all play out without him intervening.

Wanting to get out of the now tense atmosphere, you made an excuse to leave, stating you had a book you wanted to finish before you got ready for the party later tonight. George and Lucy smiled at you, while Lockwood had barely even noticed you had gone, only shooting a quick ‘ok’ before you left the room.

Now that that was out the way, you had a bigger problem: deciding what you were going to wear.

-

“Are you sure this is the one? Do I look ok?” You asked Lucy, turning round to show her the 5th dress you had tried on. Her eyes looked up from the necklace she was trying to sort out around her neck, the one you had noticed Lockwood had given her earlier, but you weren’t going to reminisce on that, and her mouth broke out into a big grin.

She turned around, hair swishing around her shoulders now that she had slightly curled it. Her blue satin dress suited her perfectly, and her makeup looked like it was done professionally. No wonder Lockwood liked her so much, you wondered.

“That’s the one. You look gorgeous!” She said as she rushed up to you and grabbed your shoulders, shoving you in-front of the tall mirror in the corner of the attic bedroom you shared.

The red satin flowed neatly down your body, accentuating all your curves. The loose sleeves hung carefully off your arms. It stopped at your shins, making the black heels you wore visible. It sounded vain in your head, but you really did look stunning.

The other girl left the mirror for a moment, returning with something in her hand. She held it out for you, grinning. It was a beautiful silver necklace with a tiny red pendant.

“Wear this” Lucy spoke. “It’ll really suit you”

“Luce..”

“Nope, no buts” She said, turning you around to put it on for you. You recognised it as the one Kipps had gotten her a while back. He had asked her out, given her a little token in the form of the necklace, and they went on one date before realising that it wasn’t going to work out. She hadn’t worn it since.

“Now” Lucy spoke, pulling you from your thoughts. “Time for makeup”

-

20 minutes later and you were ready to go. You and Lucy both looked like you had stepped out of the front cover of some fashion magazine.

“What do you think?” You asked the girl, posing with her in the shared mirror. “Do we look important enough to look like we belong at one of Penelope Fitte’s balls?” You joked.

Lucy chuckled. “Oh, absolutely” she chimed in. “Remember, the main reason that we’re going is to find that book”.

Right. The book by Mary Dulac that was important in the Bickerstaff case that was only available at the Fittes’ Black Library. Lucy had clued you in earlier on what the plan was to obtain it, as well as letting you know George wasn’t coming because he had research to do, or something.

“Yea yea, I know. Doesn’t mean we can’t look hot doing it” You winked at her and laughed as she rolled her eyes and smiled. Just as you were about to speak, you both heard Lockwood’s voice from downstairs.

“Hurry up you two, the taxis waiting!”

You both took one last look in the mirror before descending down the stairs, Lucy going down before you.

Lockwood was waiting by the door, attaching his rapier ,just in case, to his waist. He always brought it with him everywhere, saying it was for protection, but you knew he just didn’t like to go anywhere without it.

As soon as he heard the click-clack sound of your heels on the hard wood floor, he looked up, and when he did, his breath hitched.

My god, did you look stunning. He quickly looked away to try and hide the red that was creeping up his neck, but his avoidance to look at you didn’t go unnoticed by Lucy, who gave him a smirk and a knowing look. He just gave her a confused one in return, clearly trying to play off what just happened. You, however, hadn’t noticed the silent escapade of glances between the other two, simply saying goodbye to George and following Lockwood and Lucy out to the taxi, where you all left for the ball as soon as you shut the car door.

-

The party was already buzzing by the time you got there. Music was blasting loud in your ears, not the kind you’d expect at a ball, but still good none the less. There were people from all sorts of backgrounds there. Businessmen and women, kids who looked to be no older than you three were mingling here and there, and everyone looked rich. Thankfully, so did you, so standing out wasn’t really an issue.

As soon as you arrived, Lockwood split ways with you and Lucy, drink in hand, probably off to go see if he could score you guys another case, one that would pay well. You didn’t think he’d have too much trouble finding someone who’d pay a handsome wage , everyone here looked like they kept £50 notes as pocket change.

“Thank god you’re here, I’d hate being by myself” Lucy spoke, having to make her voice louder even though she was standing right next to you over the sound of everything else.

You chuckled, nodding in agreement before noticing something, or someone, out the corner if your eye.

Kipps was staring at the two of you from across the room, clearly paying no mind to the conversation that another Fittes agent was trying to have with him.

“I think Kipps is staring at you” You nodded your head in the direction of the boy, sipping your drink. Lucy turned around just to see the aforementioned boy walking towards you.

Lucy looked between the two of you quickly. “Actually, I think he’s looking at you”

You turned your head to give her a confused look just as he reached you.

“Lucy, Y/n, nice to see some familiar faces” He spoke, smirking while taking a sip of his drink. Lucy showed him a small smile before averting her eyes to something else.

“Kipps, what a wonderful surprise” You spoke, voice laced with a hint of sarcasm. You didn’t mind Kipps. He didn’t do your absolute head in unlike Lockwood, who thought the world would be a much better place without him in it. But that didn’t mean he didn’t sometimes get on your nerves.

The taller blonde boy laughed, eyes scanning you up and down, much to the chagrin of a certain tall brunette who was watching the whole ordeal not far from where you stood, close enough to hear what was happening but not close enough to be seen.

Kipps’ eyes landed on the necklace you wore, the one he bought for Lucy before they ‘broke up’ if you could even call it that, and rose an eyebrow.

“Nice necklace” he spoke, and there was a hint of some kind of sadness in his voice when he said it.

You looked down, remembering what Lucy told you, and met eyes with him.

“Shit, sorry, Lucy gave it to me, I didn’t think you’d-“

“No, it’s fine” he cut you off, voice laced with sincerity. “I’m guessing you already knew that me and her didn’t work out, but it’s fine. Besides it’s just a necklace”.

You slightly smiled at him, and he returned the gesture. You looked around to see that Lucy had wandered off, most likely gone to find Lockwood.

“Listen..um” Kipps’ voice brought your eyes back to his. “I know this is sudden and all, but… did you want to maybe grab coffee with me tomorrow morning?” His eyes held a glint of hope, and you almost felt sorry for what you were about to say.

“Kipps I- I’m sorry but I-“

“-Am not interested” A voice cut you off, rudely filling in your words for you. You quickly turned your head to meet the face of the person you were but also weren’t expecting it to be.

“Sorry, Kipps, but I think she’s got far more interesting and overall better things to be doing with her time. Goodbye” Lockwood grabbed your arm and pulled you away from the blonde. You quickly shot Kipps an apology look before being pulled into a lonely corridor by Lockwood.

“What the hell were you doing talking to Quill bloody Kipps?!” Lockwood half shouted at you, letting go of your wrist.

You turned around to face him and gave him a look of utter bewilderment. “What?! What the hell?!”

Lockwood just scoffed. “I heard the whole thing, I know that he asked you out”.

“Well I for one don’t think it’s got anything to do with you” you replied, shooting him a dirty look. “You didn’t seem to mind when he asked Lucy out and she said yes”.

Lockwood looked exasperated. “That was different”, he muttered.

“How? Because it didn’t work out? Anwser me dammit!” You shouted at him, growing annoyed because he was purposely avoiding your gaze.

“No, because I don’t fancy Lucy!”

“What?”

Both yours and Lockwood’s eyes grew wide at the sudden confession that just came out the brunette’s mouth.

Lockwood, knowing there was know way out of this, spoke. “I..I don’t fancy Lucy”

“But… what’s that got to to do wi-“

“I love you for gods sake! It’s always been you, never Lucy”.

You were in shock. All this time, thinking your feelings for the boy weren’t reciprocated, yet here that same boy was, confessing his love for you after you just got asked out by another guy.

This felt like a dream.

“Well…. say something” Lockwood said after you hadn’t replied to his sudden outburst.

You didn’t know what to say, so you just laughed. It started out as a little chuckle and turned into a full on nearly- on- the - floor laugh, which confused the hell out of the boy.

“I’m guessing that means you don’t feel the same-“

“Are you kidding me?” You loudly spoke, still half- laughing. “I’ve been in love with you since the minute I stepped through your front door for the first time!”

Lockwood’s eyes widened. “Wait- really?”.

“Yes, really” you replied, your smile growing every passing second, and his doing the same. “I didn’t know if you felt the same because…well..you were a bit confusing at times. You flirted with like, every girl you layed eyes on and I just assumed you didn’t like me back”

Now it was Lockwood’s turn to laugh. “No-I- I only flirted with them because I was positive you didn’t like ME back” he gestured to himself as he said that.

You two both looked at each other in silence, until you both simultaneously burst out laughing.

“God, we’re such idiots”

“We really are”

Just as you were about to say something else, you noticed Lockwood’s eyes drift down to your lips, and as you were leaning in, the door opened to reveal Lucy.

“Jesus Christ, finally! You two are so oblivious it was actually driving me insane.”

You both looked at her exasperated.

“You knew?!”

“Yep! Took you two long enough to figure it out yourselves.Now, i’m gonna go see if I can scope out the library, come find me when you’ve finished making out”, She spoke as she left, making kissing noises with her lips, slamming the doors behind her.

You and Lockwood returned to looking at each other, chuckling slightly.

“Bet George knew aswell?”

“Oh 100%”

You laughed again, and remembering back to what Lucy had said before she left, looked down to Lockwood’s lips.

It didn’t go unnoticed by the boy though, as he carefully placed both his hands on each side of your face, his fingers feeling cold against your warm cheeks, his touch gentle.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked with sincerity, eyes looking down at you with admiration. His gaze made your knees weak, and if he wasn’t holding you ,you were sure you would’ve fallen to the floor there and then. Heat rose to your cheeks as you slowly nodded yes.

His face leaned in closer and you closed your eyes as you felt his lips ghost over yours, then finally, they met.

His lips were soft against your own, moving ever so slightly as your hands gripped his waist. You felt his breath hitch at the touch, and you deepened the kiss.

He pushed you slightly so your back met the wall, and you broke apart, eyes looking longingly at each other. God, he was pretty.

“I love you so much” he spoke, thumb stroking softly over your cheek.

“I love you too, and I always will”

Sorry if this is bad, I don’t really know how to write kissing scenes and stuff like that, so keep sending in your requests so I can practice pls. Anyway hope you enjoyed :)

[bloodcanbehot]

I Wish You Would

(gotta keep that Taylor Swift theme)

Anthony Lockwood x f!reader

Content: Angst? Fluff? Touched starved Lockwood

Warnings: Mention of blood and wounds, also some curse words (I think)

Characters: Anthony Lockwood and (y/n) Kipps. (Lucy Carlyle and Quill Kipps also appear)

Word count: 1.083

A/N: Exactly two people told me to post it, and that was enough (I'm literally about to enter to an online class while typing this). Chronology speaking, this goes BEFORE their first kiss but I'm a dumbass and forgot to post this one first, hope you like it

(I'll attach their first kiss here)

“Where were you?” Quill asked, seeing both Lockwood and (y/n) walk in with dirt on their faces and hair. As soon as he spoke, his sister’s face told him to not speak, unless he wanted to die.

“We’re fine!” (y/n) said, grabbing Lockwood by the arm and walking to the kitchen.

“You guys don’t look-” Lucy started, but the slamming of the door cut her off.

“Sit”

“I’m not your dog”

“And I don’t care” (y/n) said, pointing at the kitchen chair “sit down”

Lockwood did as she said, even though he didn’t want to. (y/n) started taking out items from the first aid kit, slamming them on the table as she cursed.

“I cannot fucking believe you” she said “seriously, why is it so hard for you to take care of yourself while we’re out on a case?” (y/n) asked, soaking a small piece of cotton with disinfectant. She grabbed Lockwood’s arm, forcefully moving the sleeve of his dress shirt up to see his cut better.

“(y/n) I-” Lockwood started, hissing when the cotton made contact with the cut on his arm.

“This might hurt” (y/n) said, after hearing him hissing, a smirk on her face.

“Okay” Lockwood said “I deserved that”

“You deserve more” (y/n) said “actually, you don’t even deserve me doing this for you, should I just tell my brother to do it, so you suffer a bit more?” she questioned, sarcasm all over her voice.

“(y/n)-”

“You know, when Luce told me you were reckless, I thought 'well, he's certainly not stupid' guess I was wrong!” she grabbed one of the big band aids and covered his cut.

“(y/n) I’m sorry, okay?” he said “this wasn’t reckless, I had a plan, it just didn’t work”

“Wow, what a surprise”

“I didn’t know the golden blade was gonna be there!”

“The what?” (y/n) stood up, forgetting about his other cuts.

“Last year we encountered him” Lockwood explained “we think he somehow works for Penelope Fittes-”

“My boss?”

“Yes” Lockwood nodded “he tried to steal the bone glass from Lucy and I” he explained “he’s also the one who shot me” he grabbed her hand “you have to believe me”

(y/n) looked at his eyes, processing what he had said in silence, enough to make Lockwood panic, the hold on her hand tightening.

“I… I believe you” she said, sitting back down. She wasn’t gonna lie, she always felt a weird vibe from the woman, or the entire agency for that matter. And she didn’t think Lockwood would lie to her.

He sighed in relief “Thank you (y/n)-”

“What I also believe” she started, letting go of his hand and grabbing a new cotton piece “is that your other cuts need to be taken care of” she said “specially this one” she tapped slightly the cut on his forehead, making him hiss again “I thought you were good at fencing?”

“I am” Lockwood shot back “I was just… surprised”

“Your blood says otherwise” (y/n) replied “now, lean closer so I can help”

Lockwood only nodded and whispered a small ‘yes’, letting her do the work and leaning closer as she instructed. As she leaned in, she quickly realized how her back was going to kill her if she did that, so she grabbed her chair and dragged it a bit closer to his, eventually ending up with her thigh in the middle of his thighs.

Lockwood chuckled “you might as well sit on my lap if you-”

“Shut up or I’ll do it” she cut him off with a smile.

He smirked “be my guest”

She ignored him, grabbing the back of his head to steady it as she disinfected the cut across his forehead. She was focused, focused on cleaning the blood and figuring out which bandage to use, but Lockwood’s wandering hands on her knee were distracting her.

It started with his fingers, slowly tapping her knee, barely noticeable, and she wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t kept going at it. His fingers slid across her knee and (y/n) made her best to ignore it, but as she stood up to change the cotton piece, he pushed her leg open, causing her to fall on his lap.

“That’s better” he said, smirk on his lips again.

“Lockwood-”

“Please” he said, voice so quiet she barely heard him.

She looked at his eyes, and for one moment she saw his mask crack. His dark circles and clenched jaw showed her how tired and stressed he was. She couldn’t even imagine how much his muscles ached after the fight, let alone the throbbing of the multiple cuts on his skin.

“Fine” she whispered, not trusting her own voice with the feeling of his hands on her waist.

She kept doing her thing in silence and he just watched her, tracing small circles on her sides with his thumbs. (y/n) just wanted to close her eyes and enjoy it, enjoy his touch on her skin and wish she could feel it for longer, to forget about the case, the fight, everything. She wanted to focus on him and him only.

“There” she said, breaking whatever spell was between them. She grabbed his chin, angling his face to admire the, now taken care of, cut “you’ll live”

He chuckled, smiling truthfully for the first time that night, or since (y/n) knew him, she didn’t care. She liked the small glow on his face.

They locked eyes, the blanket of silence settling on them again. (y/n)’s fingers slid across his chin towards his jaw, making him close his eyes and just enjoy her touch. His hands started moving up her waist, slowly, also making her want to close her eyes and enjoy, but she still leaned forward, closer and closer to him.

He felt it, the weight shift on his lap, some of her curly locks tickling his shoulders.

She could feel their lips almost touching.

The door opened, making her open her eyes wide and snap her neck so hard she wondered if this is how she was going to die. That would be better than the image she saw.

Both Lucy and her brother were standing at the doorstep. (y/n) stumbled off Lockwood’s lap, feeling his hands fly away from her and almost fell. Chair and all.

She gripped the thinking cloth “I was tending his cut” she stupidly said.

She could feel how Quill resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as she looked at him.

“You sure were”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: I feel like this scene and the other one are pretty similar, so if I do write the fanfic I'll change it, but let me know what you think! (Again, be nice)

[lewkwoodnco]

Hii I wanted to request Anthony Lockwood×fem!reader with the song London Boy. Where the reader is from Europe, and she just moved to London to become a better ghost hunter, but she gets rejected at Fittes and other agencies. Then she finds out about Lockwood&Co. and goes to a job interview and gets hired. Since she's from Europe, she has an accent, and like she doesn't always pronounce words right, Lockwood loves it and finds it adorable. As she lives with all of them, they start becoming closer. She and Lucy become like best friends. And from the whole start, when she met Anthony, she was crushing on him and he would often call her darling and love, because for him it's normal, but she would literally be running laps in her head. Lucy notices all of this and teases them about it. Happy ending with them confessing and kissing? As always, you can change it so it suits the song more, I really love your writing, and it never disappoints!!

Lockwood x Reader - London Boy

A/N: While I was researching possible words to mispronounce whyy did I find out that I was pronouncing one of them wrong this wholeee time AHHH also why was it so hard to find a gif where he's smiling. Netflix pls renew the series to give him more screentime where he doesn't look like he wants to dies plzzz. also this starts with a letter written by the reader to her sister a week after moving to London, 3.1k, enjoy!!

Dear Elizabeth,

I hope things are fine over there. London is...interesting. It's very cold and wet, for one. I always feel like I'm one gust of wind away from catching a cold, but a friend took me shopping a few days back, and I've got a much warmer coat now. You'd love Lucy, she's got your sense of humour and everything.

Things didn't work out so well at Fittes. Or Rotwell. Or any of the other agencies I had shortlisted. I'm at a small independent, Lockwood & Co. There's only four of us and Mr. Lockwood's only a year older than me (a misnomer if I ever saw one, I thought he'd be closer to eighty than eighteen), but they get by just fine and I'm learning loads.

Part of me still wonders if I made the right choice by leaving. I wish I was home; warm, dry and safe. I miss the fields, the bonfires, the cheap juice boxes... miss you and mum to bits. Give her all my love.

"Writing a letter?"

She slammed a hand over her postcard with an aggressiveness that shocked her as much as him. She was sitting at the kitchen table, opting for a change of scenery while she drafter her note. It was morning, and from the shuffling sounds outside, George and Lucy seemed to also be awake, but only Lockwood was in the kitchen with her. And the thing about Lockwood was - well, he made her a little skittish.

She panicked at his slightly taken aback expression, rushing to make amends. "No! I mean, yes, I am writing a letter. It's for my sister, Elizabeth."

"I'm sorry I startled you, I don't mean to pry."

"You weren't." God, did she completely forget how to hold a normal conversation? It was mind-numbingly difficult to generate coherent words or even thoughts with his buttery smooth posh accent washing over her. "I just - we keep odd hours and with the time zone difference I haven't had the time to talk to them on the phone."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

She looked down into her tea, suddenly shy. Keeping eye contact with him was difficult enough when they were all in the room, but his undivided attention was simply unbearable. There was something so intentional in his gaze that made her too nervous to think too much about it. So that just left a knot in her chest that would throb and set her ablaze any time he got too close. That, coupled with their extremely embarrassing first meeting, made her especially prone to stuttering or leaving the room whenever Lockwood was around.

Ironically, he was away handling a mild Type One case in Sidcup, for which the prestigious clientele warranted the inconvenient travel, during her interview. Which was just as well, because she was sure she wouldn't have been able to force anything out with him watching her as closely as George had. She had seen the newspaper clippings on the wall, but the dates had been cut off, so it hadn't been immediately obvious to her that he was a teenager like the rest of them. Besides, who had heard of an agency run by three teenagers and no adults?

Which was why she nearly fell out of her armchair the following morning when the front door opened to the sound of unfamiliar yet boyish laughter. The briefcase carelessly left by the entry way to the living room caught her eye first, followed by his crisp suit, his straight tie, and finally, the man himself.

She wasn’t one to believe in love at first sight, but as he grinned with his dimples mischievously winking at her, she felt that if anyone could change her mind, it just might be him. She felt the palms resting on her book grow clammy as her heart thudded dangerously, And this was all before he had even spoken or looked at her. As soon he opened his mouth, she was a goner.

"You guys have to read this: 'Lockwood & Co. - the answer to the Problem? For an independent agency with less resources yet arguably more success than the big two, could they be the key to ridding our world of visitors? Read more on pa-' Page six? So much of that trouble, all for a page six?"

"Now look what you've done, Lockwood. You've scared our newest member mute with that demented laugh of yours."

"How could I forget? Y/N L/N, the one agent with enough talent to, and I quote, 'somewhat-kind-of satisfy' George Karim. I was positively racing home to meet you. Forgive my, hmm, associates. I hope they didn’t give you too rough of a time."

"You make it sound like we're degenerates!"

"They can be quite bothersome when they want to be. I'm Anthony Lockwood, of Lockwood & Co."

He stuck out a hand, and she blinked at him. She felt a bubble of nervous laughter lodged in her throat, almost half-inclined to believe that this was all a bit; he really was that ridiculously attractive. His dazzling smile faltered, morphing into one of concern, until Lucy knocked enough sense back into her to respond. She shook his hand, embarrassed, mumbling a greeting. He walked away, loosening his tie, and she buried her nose deeper into the paper, wishing it would just swallow her whole.

They had been terribly busy the past week, and during the day she would mostly tag along with Lucy, so their paths rarely crossed. There was this one time when he had just been coming down the stairs as she and Lucy were returning from their shopping trip. She froze halfway in the motion of taking her coat off, then shrugged it back on. He looked mildly confused. She was desperately confused. She didn't appreciate Lucy's snicker.

"New coat."

"Yeah. It's real warm."

"I can see that." Her coat looked not all that much bulkier than Lucy's, but she could still hear the smile in his voice as she pulled her gloves off. Somehow, she managed to coordinate her limbs enough to take the coat off and hang it like a normal person, before briskly walking up to the attic, the side of her face burning from when she passed Lockwood.

"It's real warm." Lucy wasted no time teasing her as soon as they were in the attic. She groaned.

"What else was I supposed to say?"

"You were really excited about the pockets at the shop."

"They're-"

"Faux fur-lined, yes, you've told me a thousand times." She gave a knowing half-smile. "Couldn't manage telling him once?"

"He'd think they were stupid. He'd think I was stupid." Even more stupid that he already thinks, she wanted to say. But who could blame him? For all he knew, she didn't have enough brain cells to string three coherent words together.

Their cases were tiring, but the routine was still so new that more often than not, she would be too wired to peacefully knock out in the attic with Lucy after their cases. She'd open the door to the attic just a crack, and listen to the soothing sounds of paperwork rustling in the library, watching the barely visible soft shadows of Lockwood moving about. She could glean that they were a little burdened by the absence of a pair of hands, and she had tried to offer her help, but all she got was distracted pats on the forehead as her words went in one ear and out the other. She couldn't blame them; they really did look stretched thin, which made her especially thankful for Lucy's company even at their busiest.

Still, that didn't stop her from carrying her blankets down to the door to the attic in the dead of the night, leaning her head against the banister. If she were lucky, she'd catch a faint strain of Lockwood humming. As cheery and disarming as he was, picturing him humming felt too intimate. The little that she could hear reverberated through her skull, the notes knocking into her other drifting thoughts about him, his British smile and his stormy London eyes. But the Lockwood she curiously dreamt of at night never reconciled with the Lockwood she saw walking and talking during the day, and so their relationship had come to a sort of standstill, where he would smile at her and she would take the first socially-acceptable chance to flee the room. Only, it was a bit harder to escape early in the morning when they were the only ones in the kitchen.

Fortunately, the others soon came, and the tension eased. Lucy came in, sleepily trying to scrounge up some tea while George went off on Lockwood about his sleep schedule, or lack thereof, while Lockwood tried to stuff his face and busy himself in gathering his documents to keep from answering. She took advantage of the bustle to discreetly sift through the drawers. Lucy had mentioned that they had a postage drawer somewhere, but she didn't want to be too much of a burden by asking again.

"George, lay off me, I've got to get to DEPRAC. Luce and I will meet you at the Archives and - oh, darling, we keep the stamps here." Lockwood paused his hunt for some brown, non-descript envelope to pull open a drawer between the two of them. She could feel her face starting to warm, but only because of the embarrassment, not the nickname. "Mailman should be coming around soon, so you might want to hurry. Luce, yesterday's client should be coming around near 5 and you promised Holly you'd do the invoices while she was away. Oh, what now George?" She ducked her head, muttering some thanks that went unheard as George tried to force out how many hours Lockwood had slept, practically chasing him out of the house. Lucy raised her eyebrows suggestively, which she pointedly ignored.

That day was the most dull one yet, where she rolled around the house like a lost penny, trying to occupy herself. A letter arrived some time in the late morning, and she took the liberty of starting its case report file. Lockwood was the first one free, arriving home a little after lunch. She told him as soon as she saw him, while he was still taking his coat off, forcing the words out before she lost her nerve.

"We got a new case while you were gone. I started its file."

"Wonderful. Thanks, love." He rolled up his sleeves, putting on the kettle, while she surreptitiously leaned against the wall for support, trying not to think about how effortlessly pet names dripped off his tongue, like honey, before she got too shaky in the knees. She pressed on.

"It was from a Lew-tenant Smith."

"Who?"

"Lew-tenant Smi..." her voice trailed off. No, that didn't sound right. She couldn't imagine any of them saying it like that. Lockwood briefly leaned over her shoulder, a faint smell of soap lingering around him, before his eyebrows unfurrowed and he returned to his tea.

"Oh, I see. We pronounce it as 'left-tenant.' Now, where's he staying?"

Oh dear. She wasn't entirely sure. "Erm, Ald-wykh?"

"Ald-wich, we call it."

"Ah." Some part of her wanted to apologise, but he was looking at her with a strange twist to his lips and a certain fondness was shining in her eyes that, once again, she was rendered speechless. A silence followed, and for once, she willed herself to bear it.

"You haven't been stuck at home all day, have you? Have you been outside during the day any time this week?"

"I, er-"

"Luce, what kind of a friend are you?" Lockwood spun around to accost Lucy, who had wandered into the living room to see the commotion, bleary-eyed from whatever lair she had retired to to iron out the paperwork. "Y/N must be feeling cooped up. We should make a day trip of it. We'll get a break one of these days, and we'll take you around London, do all of it: high tea, the West End, go to a pub, watch some rugby- how are you with heights? Interested in the London Eye?"

Lucy groaned, stealing Lockwood's tea. "I don't know how Holly does it."

"Well, for one, I don't think she lets it pile up like you do."

Lucy shot Lockwood a dirty look, taking his biscuit too before turning back apologetically. "I'm sorry, Y/N, but how about next week?"

She laughed, pulling a weak smile from Lucy. "Don't sweat it. Hopefully, I'll still be around then." Lucy waved goodbye, retiring to her mountains of paperwork.

"Well, there goes my tea. Would you like some...?"

"Tea? Oh, um, sure."

"Brilliant. See you outside in five minutes." With that, he left the kitchen. Once she had caught up to what had just happened, she slipped her coat on, joining him outside just as he hailed a cab.

Surprisingly, he hadn't been exaggerating: Lockwood was fully prepared to take her to each and every one of those attractions, no matter how long it took. In the end, they narrowed it down to a rainy cab ride to a play at the West End, with high tea afterwards, though they did get around to the rest in the coming weeks. Oddly enough, they never planned it beforehand. The occasional lull in cases would sneak up on them, Lockwood would wander into the living room where she would be fused to an armchair, and suddenly it would be time for yet another trip around London.

But now they were at high tea, tucking in to the fading sunlight and excitedly discussing the play. A wind blew through one of the open windows, and she shivered.

"Everything okay, love?"

"I'm fine. It's just a little draughty, don't you think?"

"A little what?"

"Dra - erm, like, it's windy?"

"Drafty."

"Oh, come now, that sounds nothing like how it's spelt. How was I supposed to know that?" He chuckled, shaking his head slightly, as he polished off his food. But she was feeling bold enough to not let it drop this time.

"You keep doing that! You smile and turn away or you laugh and it makes me feel like I've put my foot in something - "

"No, no, dear god, no." There he was, laughing again. She hoped he would choke; but not too hard, just enough to shock some sense into him. "You don't - it's not your fault; believe me, I'm just an awful person. It's just...you really try your very best at...everything, really." His eyes fixed on hers and she found herself wanting to never look away. "It's...endearing."

"I’m sorry. I know my accent isn’t the clearest-"

“No, it’s fine. I like it. It’s very unique, and…beautiful. I’d pick your voice out of a crowd.” She felt this warmth wash over, and then chills run down her spine. He made her all nervous and giggly on the inside in a way that made her want to lounge around London, indulging herself in useless thoughts of ridiculous London boys with addictive smiles and silver tongues.

But like all good things, their excursion came to an end. She found herself dragging her feet to the front door with a boy with whom she was too scared to be alone with just 12 hours ago.

"I hope you had fun today. Not feeling too homesick, are you?"

She thought back to the green meadows and lightning bugs that she had dreamed about in the early hours of that morning. That life still seemed so precious, so sacred, but now it was oddly distant, no longer something she yearned for.

"I don't think so. You know what they say, 'home is where the heart is,'" she looked up at him, unable to resist the smile tugging at her lips, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But I think the English aren't half-bad either."

"Not half-bad?" They were so close now, she could feel his breath tickling her forehead. Her heart stuttered. "I took you out to the West End, and you call it 'not half-bad.'"

"Well, there are certain exceptions."

"Like what?"

Her stomach threatened to explode with giddiness. She was having a hard time regulating her breathing and looking at him at the same time. God, she was never beating the 'stupid' allegations. "I don't know," she fibbed in a flimsy attempt to seem cool. "Like...like you."

In the end, it was his eyes that pulled her in, pulled her under, because one moment she was teetering on the precipice of something new and terrifying, and the next there was soft skin brushing her frozen face, warm lips on her chapped ones. He tasted like summer in this cold, dead winter, breathing life and wonder back into her. It was dizzying, exhilarating, heart-palpitations-inducing...it was Lockwood, surrounding and consuming all her senses.

He pulled away, and all she stared at him blankly, as if he had stolen the words at the tip of her tongue. He gave a half-smile, and she grinned at him. He opened the door for her, murmuring in her ear in a way that filled her brain with pleasant static. "After you, darling." She rolled her eyes reflexively as a defense mechanism, but still her heart fluttered. They walked in to find George sorting the mail, mildly peeved, mildly concerned.

"Ah, so you two finally decide to show up. You could've been dead in a ditch for all we know. Your dinner's gone cold, you know."

Lucy had skipped down the stairs once the front door opened, a little too immediately for her liking and now her eyes narrowed teasingly. All of a sudden, she had the embarrassing realisation how visible the front porch was from the attic. There was colour in Lucy's cheeks, which probably meant that she had somehow managed to work through all that paperwork. Drat. "I dunno. I think Mr. and Mrs. 'Darling' are- "

"Luce! Have I...told you about my coat pockets?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, heading back to the attic, while George shook his head and handed her a postcard. Lockwood's fingers lingered briefly on her wrist as he walked away, leaving her and her mind all topsy-turvy. With a start, she pulled herself away from delicious thoughts of Lockwood to the postcard in her hand. She scanned it eagerly, lips twitching as she reached the end of it. Her sister could be just as ridiculous and delusional as her sometimes, and she wasn't even in the same country.

Y/N -

Can't say much, haven't got the time. All's well here and we miss you dearly too. The house is just too quiet, but mum seems to be adjusting. We saw a picture of your boss in the paper the other day.

London boys truly are a different breed, aren't they?

Love, Lizzie.

[gaintsnowflake]

Hi,can you write Anthony Lockwood x reader,in which they take care of a baby (the child is the reader's niece), and George jokes that they should make their own, and Lockwood picks up on this idea. Thanks in advance 😊

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐉𝐑

PAIRING : Anthony Lockwood x fem!reader

ONESHOT : in which george has the brillent idea to joke about you and lockwood having a baby while watching your niece

TRIGGERS : none

A/N : I hope you enjoy this, if this isn't what you were hoping for, please dm me and I will do write it again or if you want an extention. This was a little bit of a struggle to write, but still thank you so much for this request! Please ignore any spelling and grammar errors, this is not proof-read!

WORD COUNT : 1.1k

masterlist

A CRYING baby is loud and obnoxious. The constant attention it needs gets quite annoying. The diapers smell terrible and so does the formula put in the body. I mean, what do they put in that stuff? All and all, an eight-month-old baby is not supposed to be in a psychic agency run by teens. Yet here we are.

It was Saturday, and Anthony and Lucy just got home from a small shopping trip. We had a few days till our next case, it was a slow month. But I can tell you that they were not expecting to hear two voices coming from the kitchen, especially since George is at the archives.

"I am not sure," I muttered, my hand running through my hair as I sat back. "I love you, I do, I love her too. But this is a psychic agency, we have work to do."

"Please, y/n, it's just a few hours," My sister argued quietly as the baby in her lap was fast asleep.

I heard Anthony call my name as he and Lucy pushed the kitchen door open. I gave them a quick smile with tired eyes. They looked between my sister and me, confused as to what is going on.

"Hi love, hi Lucy," my voice was still soft as I was trying not to wake the baby.

"What's going on here?" Anthony asked, his eyebrow raising as he looked at the sleeping child.

"My sister here is just asking if we could watch my niece for a few hours, I was just telling her-" 

"Of course, we can!" Anthony cut me off, leaving Lucy and me shocked as we just looked at each other.

"What?" Lucy was the first to question as she stared at him dumbfounded.

"Don't worry ma'am, we can watch your child for a few hours. No issues at all," He ignored Lucy. and gave my sister his typical grin.

"Anthony," I warned sending glares into the side of his head.

"How long will you be gone for? Will we need to feed her or anything?"

I rolled my eyes and sat back, this was going to be a long few hours.

--

It's been nearly three hours since my sister left us with the baby. Currently, she is sitting by Anthonys's feet in the lounge, giggling away as he plays peek-a-boo. George had just returned home and was now watching with Lucy and me as we watched him become soft around the kid.

"How long has he been playing with her?" George whispered to the two of us, not looking away.

"About a half hour..." Lucy replied.

"Alright Lock," I walked forward to the two of them. "It's around ten, so we should get ready to feed her."

Anthony only nodded and played for a few seconds longer with her.

"Anthony," I scolded quickly, not wanting to deal with a crying baby.

"You wanna go get a bottle?" He cooed at the baby before scooping her in his arms, spinning slowly. 

Before I could say another word, Anthony was walking out with my niece in his arms, in a flying motion. He started to make a "br" sound as he forced his way through the door and to the kitchen. George and Lucy once again gave confused looks.

"Okay then," George mumbled before we all followed him to the kitchen to see him struggling to fill to get the bottle.

"You want help, Anthony?" I asked him, suspecting a no since he always refuses it.

"Yeah, that would be wonderful," He smiled at me before stepping back to go sit down at the table and play with my niece a bit more.

"Did you just accept help?" Lucy asked just above as she sat down across from him, her eyes wide. 

"Well we wouldn't want this cute little girl going hungry now would we?" He started to coo at the baby halfway through the sentence bouncing her on his lap.

"God Lockwood, you've gone soft for a baby," George mumbled sitting down as well, leaving me to get the bottle for the baby. "Always thought y/n would make you crack, but no, it was her niece."

Once I was finished preparing the bottle I handed it to Anthony and let him feed my niece. Slowly I sat down next to him and brushed the hair off his forehead before looking down at the baby in his arms. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before putting my attention towards the table. 

"Oh laugh all you want, you act like you guys don't like it when I am not focused on everyone getting worked done," Anthony joked, rolling his eyes.

"You're right, maybe we should let your niece stay over more often," George commented, taking off his glasses to wipe them.

"I will say, it is nice to be around a baby, they can be fun," Lucy added to the joke.

"It would just be easier if you just made one," George joked, not knowing where it would start.

"Made one? George, what the fuck?" I asked him.

"You know, little Lockwood Jrs," He continued, laughing with Lucy.

I wanted to tell George to stop, that he didn't know what he was starting. Before I could, I felt a breath on my ear, I turned a little and looked out of the side of my eye to see Anthony inching closer to my ear, preparing to whisper in it.

"You know, I don't think that is such a bad idea now..." He started, sending chills down my spine.

"Anthony," I warned him again, moving slightly away from him.

"Come on, love, wouldn't it be great," He continued, this time louder so that George and Lucy could hear. "Imagine a little me running around! Rapier and all!"

"Anthony, we are not doing this," I put my head down in my hands, my elbows resting on the table supporting my arms and now head.

"I think it's a great idea," he poked at me with his free hand.

"What do I have two annoying angsty boys to deal with?" I huff, not looking up at him. 

"Oh you know you love me," he was right, I loved him through it all and I always would.

"Yeah, sure I do," I joked back, sitting up to give him a slight push, but not enough to knock the bottle out of the baby's hand.

We continued to go back and forth, George and Lucy making a few jokes as well. We all just kept playfully arguing at the idea of LOCKWOOD JR.

[wordsarelife]

—the moment i knew

pairing: quill kipps x lockwood!reader

summary: quill and you were a lot closer once, before everything suddenly changed and he was not there when you needed him most

warnings: canon typical violence, angst (with a happy ending)

note: this had been in my drafts for way too long, the ending is kinda meh and i kinda hate all of this so..

"look out, y/n!" kat called and you jumped to the side at the last second, before the ghost could touch you

"thank you" you called towards the girl and continued to try and fight the ghost off. that seemed to work for a while, until it didn't.

"quill!" you called out. the boy had his back facing you, searching through a stake of books at the table. "quill" you repeated "i need you, please" the wail screeched and you jumped aside once again. there was only so much you could do, until it would be able to come close enough to touch you

you continued to fight as much as you could, stepping back when the ghost charged at you once again. you stumbled over a piece of furniture and quickly made contact with the floor, losing your rapier in the progress.

"shit" you exclaimed and watched in horror as the ghost came closer and closer to you "quill" you called for the boy once again, but he was still much more concentrated on whatever he was doing "quill"

the ghost outstretched his arm and— darkness

you shrieked up in bed, forehead drenched in sweat, once again being awaken by the nightmare there replayed itself in your worst nights.

you got out of bed, changing into comfortable clothes. the walk down to the kitchen was quiet, only filled with the chatting of your friends.

"morning" you smiled, entering the kitchen and sitting down next to your cousin, anthony lockwood himself.

"morning" your friends chimed

lockwood noticed the stoic look on your face, just how he noticed about everything that you did. he was always concerned of your well-being, especially after your almost death a year ago, while still working for fittes.

the moment he had heard what happened, he showed up at your doorstep and talked you into joining his newly founded agency. at least he could have a look over you.

he hated kipps even more, after what he did to you.. or more precisely.. didn't do.

"it's the nightmare again, isn't it?" he muttered and you nodded softly

after you joined the agency you had resigned to only do researches, helping george and mostly staying away from cases, your trauma being too much for you to handle that again.

lockwood was glad that you decided to stay away from fighting ghosts, but he was concerned either way. you had always loved working in the field and never were scared before facing a ghost. that all had changed and in some moments, anthony thought he didn't recognise you anymore.

"we'll talk about it later, yeah?" you asked to stray away his eyes from your form. lucy and george watched curiously as you leaned back in your chair and slowly started biting down your sandwich.

"you look tired" noticed george and you nodded

"the traffic was too loud, I will try to catch some sleep later" none of your friends said anything about the obvious lie. they knew it was your way of telling them to just drop the matter. they all shared a glance, before returning to the topic they had been discussing before. a new case that had just revealed itself this morning.

"i think we should take a stop at the library" george suggested

you smiled at that. "oh yeah, we haven't gone there together in forever!"

the rest of the group nodded, happily accepting the shift in your mood and continued eating. after breakfast you cleared the table and took your stuff, heading to the library.

you stood in the middle of two rows of shelfs, a few feet away from the table the group had sat down at. you could hear lockwood's faint voice. he sounded... angry?

you collected all the books you needed in your arms and went back to the table. the last thing you caught was what lockwood had to say, before you arrived. "y/n will be back any minute, i want to see you gone by then"

you looked up and caught kipps' eyes across the table. he looked at you, interest in his features. you hadn't seen much of each other in the past year, always keeping away from places you knew the other person could be.

"quill" you greeted neutrally

"y/n" he nodded

"what did I tell you?" you could feel lockwood's anger bubbling.

"i'm sorry" quill shook his head "i wasn't aware that you had bought the library"

lockwood rolled his eyes. "we haven't. but here are a few tables where we wouldn't have to see your faces"

quill ignored him completely. he stepped next to where you still stood and took a glance at the books you held in hand. his face was so close, that you could feel his breath fan over your neck. if you had moved your head, you probably would've kissed.

you knew that quill didn't do it to anger you. after all he was mostly searching for your forgiveness. the letters he send you never stopping. lockwood didn't know about that, and you would never tell him, because in his eyes quill didn't deserve one second of your attention, while you were only mere seconds away from breaking and forgiving him.

quill only did this to anger lockwood, but you knew he was concerned about you. you just get yourself back in a position where you were dependent on that concern.

"leave them alone" lockwood bellowed and quill grinned, resting his hand against your waist and giving it a gentle squeeze. you looked at him and you could see the sincerity in his eyes.

in your head, you had forgiven him a long time ago. you were still distanced and hurt, but you knew that he hadn't done it to hurt or potentially kill you on purpose.

it were still the same feelings that made it hard for you to stir away from the boy. in his letters, he had talked about those same feelings he harboured, not that lockwood would let you out of the house without lucy, george or himself, so there wasn't a chance to pursue anything.

and you weren't even sure if you still wanted it.

he stepped away from your body, and something in you was sad at the warmth that left with him. but that was the weak side of you, the side that would read his letters and cry itself to sleep or that would sometimes even answer them. you had to get over him and you had to do it fast.

the next morning you all stood in front of the house that you had spent the whole day before researching. lockwood had just parted you in two teams, this was the first case you would join again, after the incident.

but before you could walk in, a deprac van honked and came to a halt next to you. barnes stepped out and greeted you all with a warm smile and the look of his eyes that clearly said 'i have to do this so just accept it'

you all looked at him questionly, but before he could explain, why he was even here, the back doors of the van opened and quill kipps, followed by his team members stepped outside.

"oh hell no" lockwood said loudly, but you knew that barnes couldn't do anything against it.

"sorry, tony" quill shrugged his shoulders and looked absolutely everything, but not sorry

"hey" said kat, before she hugged you in greeting, bobby and ned following

"hi" you smiled back at your former team members

quill was the last to greet you and he just touched you lightly at the arm.

"stay away" lockwood bid at him

"it's alright, anthony" you said softly. lockwood watched in disdain, how your eyes looked up at the blonde and followed his every move, you looked at him like he had hung the moon and lockwood stepped forward in protest

"it's alright, tony" quill repeated your words, softly stroking your cheek, before he stepped away. you immediately missed his touch.

"why are they here?" lockwood turned his head at barnes, waiting for an aexplanation.

"because it's a big building" barnes shrugged "it's already higher than your paygrade, so just be happy i'm still letting you on this case" he crossed his arms and waited for lockwood to protest.

lockwood looked between his friends and of course noticed your pleading face. "alright" he said between clenched teeth. "but we will get our fair share"

"of course" barnes nodded, before he got back into the car and drove off.

"cozy" kipps raised his eyebrows "so, what's the plan?"

"you're waiting for me to tell you?" lockwood asked in surprise

"well" kipps shrugged "you were here first" he paused and lockwood didn't miss the quick look in your direction "and i'm trying to be amicable"

"great" lockwood nodded sarcastically "i say we split up. your team will take the west wing and mine the other — wing, yeah"

"wouldn't it be smarter so split according to our talents?" lucy asked from behind the boy

"lucy" lockwood hissed

"yeah" kipps almost jumped into the air at the opportunity "that means y/n is coming with us and bobby stays with you"

"you must be mental if you really think i would let them go with you" lockwood walked closer to kipps

"it's alright" you pushed your arms in the middle of the two boys' bodies, seperating them.

"no, it's not" lockwood said

"it is!" he raised his eyebrows in surprise at the adamant tone in your voice

you reached for kipps' arm, dragging him into the building behind you. the rest of his team following.

"i will kill you if something happens to them" you could hear lockwood call after you

quill flashed a cheeky grin at lockwood over his shoulder, fully aware of the storm he had stirred up. you led quill and his team through the dimly lit corridors of the mysterious building, a mix of emotions swirling inside you. lockwood's warning echoed in your ears.

"what's wrong?" you asked, turning to face quill, when he halted in his step. he put a finger to his lips, signaling you to be quiet.

kat and ned had taken on the rooms down the corridor on the second floor, while you and quill had stayed back, searching the first floor.

“someone’s coming” quill whispered, reaching for your arm.

you saw the ghostly form approaching, slowly it came down the stairs. it was like if you had been frozen. the past years flashed before your eyes, the house and the touch of a ghost you had almost felt. you thought you had left it behind you.

“y/n!” quill shook you “y/n, come on” he was looking between you and the ghost. he noticed your eyes not moving from it.

“i—“ you tried to speak, but you weren’t able to utter a single word.

the ghost was too close now. quill drew his rapier, knowing that he would have to fight it on his own. and he put up quite a fight, throwing salt bombs, before he was finally able to get rid of it, atleast temporarily.

“we need to go” his hands were on your shoulders and the ghost was nowhere in sight, but you still looked so scared. quill knew that he was to blame for that. “y/n”

he could hear the ghost come back to life behind him. it did not take him longer to decide what he had to do. it was to no use to fight it off, he did not have anymore salt bombs and a source was nowhere in sight, not that he would’ve known what it was.

he picked you up, just as the ghost began charging at you. and he ran, calling for help or someone to finally pull a few silver net over potential sources.

someone might’ve actually found something, because right as it was too late, the ghost disappeared and quill came to a halt.

“y/n!” anthony called, sprinting into the hallway, closely followed by lucy, george and bobby. “thank god” he sighed when he noticed that you were alright.

“thank you” you looked at quill, who had saved you. “quill saved me” you said, turning your head to look at lockwood.

lockwood nodded, wearing a tight-lipped smile, before he outstretched his hand, shaking quills to thank him.

“i just did what i should’ve done a year ago” quill answered uncomfortably “i’m sorry for all the hurt i caused”

you nodded, already having made the decision that he was truly sorry and did not longer deserve to be punished for it.

“everything is okay, quill” you just said. quill smiled at you and even lockwood could not stop his features breaking into a grin.

[warrenposts]

I updated my prompt list! More to choose from😊

Requesting Information

I’m taking requests for

George Karim x Reader 

Platonic!Lockwood x Reader (sibling vibes)

Platonic!Lucy Carlyle x Reader

And just general Lockwood and Co. X Reader

So please send as many as you like and remember, you don’t have to use the prompt list, I’ll take any request under consideration!

I’ve gotten some requests for Lockwood before I specified that I prefer to write him platonically and since I don’t think they were intended as platonic I’m happy to write them as romantic but it’s definitely my preference to follow the guidelines above after I post these few.

Prompt List

[bella-rose29]

Anthony Lockwood x reader master list

Key:

❤️ - happy/fluff

💙 - sad/angst

💛 - platonic ship

💚 - gn!reader

💜 - author's favourite

Late Night, 2.8k words

lockwood x fem!reader Y/n just wants Anthony Lockwood to go to sleep for once; he's starting to look more like a raccoon than a human being. ❤️

Little Kipps miniseries, 5.4k words

part one, part two, part three lockwood x fem!kipps!reader Lockwood had no idea just how lovely somebody related to Quill Kipps could be. ❤️

Idiot, 9.4k words

lockwood x fem!reader (requested by anon): Y/n L/n and Anthony Lockwood were childhood best friends, up until the point she walked out on him after an argument. A few years later, and many cases of Y/n and her Fittes team saving Lockwood and co's asses, can they figure out their differences? ❤️

Puppy, 3.5k words

lockwood x fem!reader (requested by anon): Anthony Lockwood has a girlfriend, but nobody else knows that. Convenient for him when, on a night out after a difficult case, Kipps bets money that Lockwood can't get a kiss out of the pretty bartender who just so happens to be the aforementioned girlfriend. Unfortunately, Lockwood is quite drunk. ❤️💜

Relic (wo)man, 2.7k words

lockwood x fem!relic hunter!reader (requested by @superpositvecloudshipper): what about a relic hunter fem reader x Anthony lockwood where reader fights lockwood over an important relic in doing so he pulls off her hood revealing she's a girl which shocks him she runs off leaving relic with him, few days later she turns up at his door very much injured and he immediately helps her then asks why she came and she tells him she has nowhere else to go (all her family is dead expect her dad who is like the most dangerous relic hunter) ❤️

Hopeless Romantics, 1.7k words

lockwood x fem!reader Lockwood and the reader's relationship through various hopelessly romantic dates ❤️

You Shall Go to the Ball!, 9.8k words

lockwood x fem!reader (requested by anon): Hey, I don't know if you accept requests, but I have one. Reader(she is George's sister) accompanies Lockwood&co to the ball at Fittes and she is jealous when she sees Lockwood talking to the girl (maybe reader enemy or something)most of the time. She decides to interrupt the conversation and introduces herself as his wife, while showing the ring Lucy gave her, explaining what to do. A long chapter please😊 ❤️ and a tiny bit of 💙

Pretty, 3.4k words

lockwood x gn!reader (requested by anon): Saw your post about Lockwood ideas so here's one! Reader and Lockwood have an extremely close call on a case and in the heat of the moment, Lockwood ends up kissing the reader. ❤️💚

‘tis the damn season, 10.4k words

lockwood x fem!reader (requested by anon): can I request a Lockwood x fem reader based on tis the damn season by Taylor swift? Absolutely no happy ending to this one 💙💙💙 and a tiny bit of ❤️, 💜

Bite Me - Vampire au (ongoing series, will be updated when Deck the Halls is complete)

THIS IS GOING TO BE AN 18+ FIC Vampire!Lockwood x fem!vampire!reader link is for the series master list, but currently there is only the prologue up there &lt;3

Deck the Halls (and not your partner) series (completed), 54.3k words

lockwood x fem!reader When a phone call with Y/n's mother goes wrong, she ends up needing to bring someone home to pretend to be her boyfriend for three days in the English countryside. With only a short amount of time before she needs to leave, her only option is her boss Anthony Lockwood. The only problem is, she hates her boss. And he hates her. Christmas will be interesting this year, especially when a snowstorm hits and blocks all transport. ❤️ and a little bit of 💙 later on (but mostly just ❤️), 💜💜💜

Reverse damsel in distress situation (head canons)

prince!lockwood x fem!knight!reader ❤️ part 2 - gn!knight!reader ❤️💚

You can what?!, 2k words

lockwood x cousin!reader, locklyle (requested by anon): Hey! If you’re still taking requests, can I request platonic Lockwood x reader (cousin) who finds out reader can communicate with like, weaker ghosts 💛💚 

Happy New Year, 1.7k words

lockwood x fem!reader I just felt like writing this, but reader and lockwood and co spend New Years together (and a kiss) ❤️

beautiful people, 2.1k words

lockwood x gn!reader requested by anon: hi hi! Can I request Anthony Lockwood x reader fic inspired by the song beautiful people by ed Sheeran? ❤️💚

The Greatest Thing, 4.2k words

lockwood x fem!reader requested by anon: Hi, I love the way you write! I was wondering (if requests are still open) if you could write a Lockwood x reader where reader's mother died when she was little for some reason, and by taking on a case reader and Lockwood find themselves having to fight the ghost of reader's mother ? And maybe even Lockwood calming Reader down after the mission? Feel free to change parts. (btw: sorry if English is terrible, I'm Italian, English is not my native language) ❤️ and a little bit of 💙

paper rings, 10.2k words

lockwood x fem!reader based on the Taylor Swift song, featuring a lot of innuendos and mildly explicit content, but pretty much just pure fluff ❤️ and nothing else really, 💜

college au

domestic sweetness (mini series), (completed) 10.5k

lockwood x fem!reader requested by @oblivious-idiot: HI BELLE MY BELOVED you told me to make a formal request so!! can i request a lockwood x fem!reader - domestic sweetness, cooking for each other, lockwood giving reader his jumper, that kind of thing  feel free to go as wild and fluffy as you like hehe ❤️ 💜

[bellaevilqueen]

Blind love~part 1

So... I came up with this idea when I was in shambles . I really wanted to end it with a sad ending, but I couldn't do it, so enjoy😊

Pairing:Anthony Lockwood x fem reader

Summary:Anthony Lockwood proposes to his girlfriend not knowing that his co-worker has a crush on him, leading to terrible consequences.

Warning:blood,probably swearing

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

It was a few months ago that Anthony Lockwood brought his girlfriend home to 35 Portland Row. Lucy liked her immediately, but she seemed strange to me and George. Maybe it was because I love my boss or something different, but I honestly didn't like her -Are you okay? -I looked at the intruder. Speak of the devil

-Yes, I'll go to bed now - I stopped looking at the fire in the fireplace and put down the pillow I was hugging

-You don't have to. Actually, I want you to help me with something-

-What is this?-He took a box from his jacket pocket. He looked at them for a moment and handed them to me. When I opened it, I saw a beautiful ring with a sapphire in the middle and a few smaller diamonds - It's beautiful -

-It belonged to my mother. I want to propose to Sarah - these words felt like someone punched me in the cheek. I couldn't find the words

-That's…that's really great-I gave it to him and stood up, ready to leave. Unfortunately he stopped me. He grabbed my wrist and electricity ran through me

-You have to tell me if I can ask her to marry me like that -he cleared his throat -I've been in love with you since you walked through the doors of this agency. Your blue eyes are so deep I could drown in them, and your laugh makes me want to wake up next to you every morning. Will you marry me?- If it was addressed to me, I would have agreed immediately, but it wasn't - And how was it-I smiled gently

-Sarah is really lucky. She will definitely agree. Goodnight, Anthony-I broke free from his embrace and went to the attic. I covered my mouth with my hand so that my sobbing wouldn't wake anyone up. When I entered, I immediately slid down to the ground after the closed door. I didn't even hear footsteps

-Oh my God, what happened? -I looked up with tearful eyes. Lucy stood there and just looked at me. She immediately ran down and hugged me. I hugged her tightly -I can't do this anymore.I…I don't want to work here anymore-she broke away and looked at me

-What? But he proposed to you. I heard-

-He want to propose to Sarah-I whispered so quietly that I couldn't hear it myself. She didn't say anything, she just hugged me. I told Lucy about my crush when she caught me looking at him in the Archives

-Go to sleep. I'll bring you some tea - she led me to the bed and she herself went downstairs. I lay there and just looked at the ceiling. Tears were still flowing from my eyes. I didn't even look at Lucy when she came back - Drink it, it'll help you sleep -

*LUCY'S POV*

She didn't react. I picked her up and gave her the cup, which she immediately emptied. A moment later she fell asleep. I took the empty cup and went downstairs to the kitchen. I was hoping to clean it up before anyone saw it. Unfortunately, I came across George. He was holding a box

-What is it? Have you given her sleeping pills again? You know very well that they make her feel numb afterward.She doesn't know what's going on around her - he was angry

-She was crying because of him again-His expression softened. He always cared for her like a sister. I took the box from his hands and put it away

-What's going on this time?-

-He want to propose to Sarah-

-What an idiot. They have only known each other for a few months. I'll kill him-

-She's good to him. Y/N needs to get her act together-

-I still don't understand what you see in her?Can't you both see that you're replacing Y/N?She started curling her hair since you met her-

-To her face. Highlights her blue eyes-

-Y/N has blue eyes. She has naturally curly hair. You're replacing her-

-Sarah doesn't replace anyone, and Lockwood seems happy with her. You should like her. She's finally going to live here-George just looked at me and left. I finished cleaning and went back upstairs. Luckily she was asleep. I lay down next to her and fell asleep. The next day it was quiet at breakfast. George was still angry with me. Suddenly Lockwood cleared his throat, drawing our attention

-I have something to tell you.Y/N already knows, so we better not wake her up. She's nasty later. But back to the topic. I decided to propose to Sarah-

-That's really great-he smiled at me, but George still didn't say anything. He didn't even look at us

-George?-

-Yeah, whatever-he stood up and put the plate in the sink. He immediately left without saying anything. He looked at me

-What's wrong with him?-

-He doesn't like change and you know how he can be. I'm really so glad you're proposing to her. When will you do it?-

-We're going out to dinner tonight-

-You were supposed to go with Y/N to clean the house-

-She'll be fine on her own. Sarah is the most important thing - and this is where something started to go wrong for me. Since when is she more important than the agency or the safety of either of us -If you say so - after finishing breakfast, I went upstairs. Y/N was still sleeping. Nothing unusual. Finally, I dissolved a double dose in her tea. I took my jacket and went for a walk.

*YOUR POV* When I woke up I didn't know where I was or what my name was. It took me a few minutes to realize it. Luce had to give me sleeping pills. I got out of bed and looked out the window. The weather was surprisingly nice, but I didn't feel like leaving the house. I crawled back under the covers and just stared at the wall. Immediately I heard footsteps on the stairs and the door opening -I have your favorite donuts from Arif, several types of face masks and your favorite movie. We'll spend this day together- I didn't look at him. He sighed and stood in front of me

-Go away George-

-No, I won't let you neglect me because of some idiot and his whor… - I interrupted him -George!-

-I'm sorry, I know you don't like swearing, but it pisses me off that he makes you cry and that Luce takes his side-

-Forget about it-

-Hey - he crouched down in front of me - You're like a sister to me and I won't let you cry because of some asshole. If you want, I can break his nose… or hers - I laughed - So what? Are you getting up? - I nodded and for the rest of the day we watched a movie while making masks and eating donuts. At that moment I was happy and forgot everything. Unfortunately, when I went downstairs with my equipment and saw them all dressed up, everything came back

-Y/N, nice to see you. I'm kidnapping your boss for dinner. I don't think you'll be angry-

-We have a case together-

-You'll be fine on your own. Don't wait for me. I'll stay with Sarah-and they left. I waited a while and left too. After a while I was alone in the old house. It was Lockwood who had all the information about this ghost. I didn't know what type it was or what the source could be. Nothing. I heard a noise behind me so I quickly turned around. There was nothing. I kept walking forward. Immediately, a bright light began to form a shape in front of me. I prepared myself for the attack. Finally, a young woman floated in front of me. Flashes of Annabel began to appear in my head

-I do not want to hurt you. I just want to help you - she just screamed at me and flew towards me. Immediately the candlestick flew towards me. Great. Type two. I will surely die here. Unless… I started running towards the exit. Unfortunately, she slammed the door. I was trapped. I threw everything I had at her and quickly took phone. I hid behind one of the couches in the living room and called. I prayed for someone to pick up. Finally I heard a voice -Lockwood and co agency. How can I help?-

-George, I'm afraid. I do not know anything. I don't know… I don't know if I will survive - tears fell from my eyes

-Where are you? -I could hear the nervousness in his voice

-In the house we were supposed to clean-

-Where's Lockwood?- -At dinner-

-Wait for me there. I'll be there in a moment-

-I'm afraid-

-Hold on, I'll be there soon - he hung up. Tears were still flowing down my cheeks. With a trembling hand, I raised the rapier, and in a moment the ghost materialized in front of me again. I stood up and pointed my rapier at the ghost

-Please leave me - she just looked at me

-You're so delicate. So very fragile. He doesn't deserve you. I'm here for you - I dropped my rapier under her influence. Her hand slowly moved towards my cheek. It didn't touch me because it disappeared after contact with the salt. Suddenly someone grabbed my arms

- Are you okay?Y/N! - I wanted to answer him, but I couldn't - You can't leave me alone. We leave and come together, remember? Get rid of that whiteness in your eyes. Come back to me - after a moment I started blinking as if there was something in my eyes. I saw George in front of me, his eyes glazed over

-George?-

-Thank God - he hugged me -She can come back soon. I know what the source is. You have to find them. I'll drag her away - I nodded - Look for the old sapphire ring - while George was fighting the ghost, I was looking for the source. My hands were shaking, but I finally found it. I wrapped it in silver netting and went downstairs to George. I handed it to him

-Can we go now?-

-Yes, come on. You need to sleep-

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

I wanted to write everything in one part but it came out too long. I know it's not good, but I'm trying. The second part will appear shortly after this part

[neewtmas]

12 days of Christmas // A Lockwood & Co Advent Calendar

DAY 6

Welcome back! It's currently 01:16 am on the 13th, which means I'm technically a day late but we'll just ignore that bc I gave my absolute best to get this finished in time and it simply got out of hand.

After the Lucy x reader I wrote for day 2 thought that I couldn't possibly forget about the Lockwood girlies, and since we're at the halfway point I wanted to do something extra nice, so here is a very long (4.2k??) Lockwood x reader with a some enemies to lover-ish dynamics and reader as Kipps' little sister. Hope you enjoy!

A Mission For Two

pairing: anthony lockwood x Kipps!fem!reader

wordcount: 4.2k

masterlist

advent calendar tags: @givemea-dam-break @wellgoslowly @maraschinomerry @losticaruss @oblivious-idiot @uku-lelevillain @avdiobliss @strawberryloveyyy @strawberrycowgirly @demigoddess-of-ghosts @thefriendlyneighborhoodmomfriend @boookfreeak

day 1 day 2 day 3 day 4 day 5

"4 pm, my office. There's no excuses, I know you don't have anything else to do." Lockwood grumbled a half-hearted yes into the telephone, before slamming it down, harder than necessary. He walked back into the kitchen, where Lucy and George sat with a cup of tea each. His tea was probably cold by now. Lucy furrowed her brows. "Who's calling?" "Barnes, who else", Lockwood replied, snatching his cup of tea and emptying it in the sink before pouring fresh hot water from the kettle. "Says he has a job for us." "That's good", George remarked. "Business has been a little slow." Lockwood crossed his arms and huffed. Unfortunately, George was right. Business had been slow the past few weeks. What irked him most though, was that Barnes seemed to know all about it.

A little before 4 pm they entered the DEPRAC building, an ugly structure in the middle of London, with a hideous interior to match. No wonder all DEPRAC agents they came across at their jobs seemed to be in a perpetual bad mood. The route to Barnes' office was well known to them, as it wasn't the first time by any means they had been called in. Lockwood adjusted his tie and coat before knocking on the door twice. Barnes' assistant opened the door seconds later, and the three of them stepped in. But almost immediately, Lockwood froze on the spot, causing George to run into him.

"What are they doing here?", Lockwood inquired, gesturing to the group of people already seated in front of Barnes' desk.

The person closest to Barnes' desk turned around. "Tony. Great to see you around here. Business is going well, I hear?" Lockwood narrowed his eyes at Kipps, hand already on his rapier. "Just sit down", Barnes said sharply. "We have more important things to talk about." Lucy and George could tell that Lockwood was of a different opinion, but a rather forceful push from Lucy caused him to take a seat and postpone the inevitable fight, at least until they were out of there.

When they were finally all seated and quiet, Barnes leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "I want to be here just as much as you are", he began. "If it were up to me, this wouldn't be happening. But unfortunately, it's out of my control." He leaned back in his seat, nodding at his assistant. She stepped out of her corner and placed a print-out of a newspaper site on the desk. "Are you familiar with the Wentworth family?"

"Don't they host these ridiculously fancy balls? What do we have to do with this?", Kipps asked. Barnes sighed, and it was obvious that he had already spent much more time than he wanted on this. "The next one is supposed to be held at Wycliffe Hall Estate." Silence. "Haven't there been ghost sightings?", George asked, pushing his glasses up and leaning forward to grab the article copy. "Yes." Barnes sounded tired. "I have tried everything to mitigate this, but to no avail. They have been adamant that it has to be there. Lady Wentworth's daughter - or was it her niece? - is engaged to Wycliffe's son. And the possibility of a ghost adds the certain 'flair' they are looking for."

Lockwood and George shared a look. Lucy scoffed. "Rich people", she mumbled under her breath and Barnes sent her a reprimanding look but it was not hard to see that he thought just the same. "And what are we here for?", Kipps asked, sounding somewhat impatient. "DEPRAC tasked me with providing agents to mingle among the crowd and keep their eyes out for any disturbances." He gave Kipps and Lockwood a pointed look. "Don't think for a moment that you are my first choice for this. But we are understaffed and I need someone."

He pulled his chair closer to his desk and leaned forward again. "I need you - together - to go to this ball. You will form pairs - couples if you will - and mingle. I and a few other colleagues will be present as well. If anything happens, if anyone gets hurt - I will lose my job. So don't mess it up." He took his time to look at each one of them. "You're dismissed, he finally said.

The two groups walked in silence until they stepped through the huge glass entry doors. "Tony -" Kipps began and Lockwood's hand flew to the hilt of his rapier. Kipps raised his hands. "Don't be so defensive. Let's just get this over with, alright? Everyone does their research and at the event, we work separately." He offered his hand to Lockwood, who didn't take it immediately. Kipps being so good-natured was out of character - maybe Barnes had had a word with him on his own. Lucy nudged Lockwood and he slowly let go of his rapier to take the hand Kipps offered him.

The next two weeks were spent with unspectacular - exceptionally boring really - cases every few nights. There hadn't been any more communication with Kipps and his team, something neither Lockwood, Lucy or George had any issues with. Three days before the big event, Barnes called 35 Portland Row to give further information on the dress code. "This whole endeavour is just ridiculous", Lockwood said as he recounted the talk with Barnes to George and Lucy. "We are allowed to carry our rapiers, but only minimal other equipment. Can't have us ruining the aesthetic, he says." George shook his head. "This is a suicide mission. For the adult attendees at least. Why would you ever willingly spend a night somewhere that has reported and confirmed ghost sightings?"

"They are bored. They live their whole lives locked up in their mansions, so that's a night of freedom. They have no idea that a few agents won't do much if a ghost is gonna make its appearance", Lockwood replied. "Also the Wentworths are known for their elaborate parties and events. A ball in a haunted mansion is the perfect way to stand out." Lucy raised her eyebrows. "So you know the Wentworths?" Lockwood grinned at her. "They are regularly on the cover of my gossip magazines. If you read them, you'd know them." Lucy grimaced. "No thank you. I'd rather not."

Three days later, on the morning of the ball, Lockwood and George sat in the kitchen, already two toasts deep into breakfast, when Lucy staggered into the room. She was pale, wrapped in two sweaters and a scarf and still wearing her pyjama bottoms. "You look like death", George said dryly as Lucy flopped down on a chair. She wanted to say something, but instead, she was caught in a coughing fit that shook her entire body. Lockwood watched her with furrowed brows. "Guess it's just us tonight, George", he said, pushing a cup of tea in front of Lucy. She grabbed it and took several sips, before clearing her throat. "I don't know where this is coming from", she said with a hoarse voice. "But Lady Wentworth would probably kill me if I were to cough around her esteemed guests." "Barnes would do that before she even had a chance to see you", George remarked while buttering his third toast. "Can you cough on me? Maybe I'll get sick before tonight as well."

George did not get sick, and so he and Lockwood sat alone in the cab that would take them out of London to the Wycliffe Hall Estate. They were both wearing a suit - usual for Lockwood, very unusual for George. All available pockets were filled to the brim with salt bombs and silver nets, which made them both look a little less elegant. When the cab pulled up to the front of the estate, Kipps' team as well as Barnes already stood by the stairs to the entrance, waiting for them. The gravel crunched under the soles of their shoes as they made their way over. Barnes looked them up and down with a less than favourable expression, but they seemed to pass his expectations, because he didn't say anything about their appearance. Instead, he asked: "Where's Miss Carlyle?"

"She came down with a bad cold."

"Unfortunate", Barnes said. "Really unfortunate. That doesn't make this easier. Mr Karim - you're going with Mr Vernon and Mr Shaw." All three opened their mouth to protest, but Barnes wasn't having it. "I don't care, whatever you have to say. None of you could be a very convincing couple. That's why you'll pose as waiters. Ms Channing will show you the basics."

All three of them were less than excited about the prospect of handing out champagne to the elite of London, and George mumbled something rather rude under his breath that Barnes either didn't hear or chose to ignore. The three boys were led away by a young woman in her early thirties.

"Alright." Barnes eyed the four agents in front of him. "Mr Kipps, you'll go with Miss Godwin. Mr Lockwood, you'll pair up with Miss Kipps." "No way he's going with my sister!" "Mr Kipps, we talked about this", Barnes said sternly, his patience wearing thin. "You'll do as I say, or you'll deal with the consequences. But I promise you, they'll be worse."

Kipps was red in the face, huffing and puffing, but he didn't say anything else. Lockwood suddenly wished that Lucy's cold had befallen him instead. (name) Kipps was almost as bad as her brother, and he could not stand her. Since she became part of her brother's team, they had crossed paths a little too often for Lockwood's taste. And every time everything she did only aggravated him. Tonight (name) was wearing a dark red, almost floor-length dress that swished around her legs as she walked over to Lockwood, following Barnes' instructions. She didn't look at Lockwood, and he did his best to train his eyes on Barnes instead of her neck and shoulders that were exposed by the neckline of her sleeveless dress. Leave it up to her to dress entirely distracting and inappropriately. Who could fight ghosts in this?

"I need you to blend in seamlessly. I have arranged to fill the room with as many iron decorations as possible, to hopefully seal it off to any supernatural disturbances that might occur. Lady Wentworth was very clear to me about the fact that she doesn't want you to look like agents to the other attendees, she wants you to look like guests. That means I expect you to dance and at least act like you want to be there." Barnes looked more tired than he did two weeks ago. No one said anything, so he took a deep breath and turned around. "Don't disappoint me", he said over his shoulder.

They watched him disappear behind the imposing door wing. While they had been talking, the first guests had started to arrive. Every car was fancier than the last, the men that emerged wearing expensive suits and the ladies draped in luxurious gowns and glittering diamonds. Kipps offered Kat his arm, following the example of the couples ascending the stairs. Lockwood went to follow them, but (name) didn't move and instead cleared her throat. "Don't you have any manners, Mr Lockwood?" Her mocking tone was already working to raise his blood pressure. The way she said his name was almost worse than Kipps calling him Tony. He bit his tongue to not say something he would regret in the first five minutes of them working together and turned around to offer her his arm. He didn't look at her as she looped her arm around his and they walked up the stairs together. The other attendees either ignored them or looked at them with something akin to disdain - this was an exclusive circle they were not part of.

It was quite early, so any disturbances would take a while to occur. Lockwood dreaded what that meant. Kipps and Kat were already on the dancefloor, and Barnes stood at the side, next to a tall blond woman in an emerald green gown. Lockwood immediately recognized her at Lady Wentworth. She turned to whisper something to the man on her other side and Barnes took the opportunity to wave at Lockwood, gesturing down to the dancefloor. He rolled his eyes and tugged on (name)'s arm, and together they descended the stairs. They reached the very edge of the dancing crowd and Lockwood stopped. "What? You don't know how to dance?" Again that mocking tone.

The ballroom was bigger than expected, with high ceilings and a row of huge windows on one side. It was already bustling with people, some dancing, some in conversation. Lockwood and (name) stood atop some stairs that led down to the dancefloor. Kipps and Kat were gone, but as Lockwood let his eyes wander over the crowd, he spotted George. He had to bite back a laugh at the sight of George with a tray of champagne flutes and a scowl on his face that deterred anyone he walked past from taking something off his tray.

Lockwood grabbed her hand and placed the other one on her waist. As they started dancing, rather slow and awkward, Lockwood again wished that the illness that had befallen Lucy had chosen him instead. He did his best to not look at (name), or think about her hand on his shoulder, or her hand that laid in his. This was the worst. "Is this all you have to offer?" "We're dancing", he said curtly, still avoiding eye contact. "What else do you want?" She giggled, and a shiver ran down his back. That was new. "Well for starters, we need to be closer together. Much closer." Her next step wasn't to the side, but instead towards him, which caught him off guard. He almost stumbled over his own feet, but her hand gripped his shoulder and she continued the sequence of steps so that he could get back into it. "Also, you are supposed to lead me."

He made the mistake of looking at her. She was much closer than he anticipated, which made him lose his footing again. Only briefly though, because for whatever reason she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. And probably made him look like a fool. He wanted to scream. What was she doing to him? How could a person make him so angry and flustered at the same time? "If you fence how you dance, I have no idea how you ever beat Quill." He just huffed. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't think of anything clever to say that would shut her up - and that just wasn't something that happened to him. Ever.

A few hours later, they stood with Kipps and Kat on the side of the dance floor. The room had filled up even more, and no one seemed to be concerned that the clock was nearing midnight. Out of nowhere, George appeared next to Lockwood. "This has been the worst night of my life", he breathed out, looking around restlessly. "I dumped the champagne into one of the flower pots and have been hiding from Barnes ever since", he whispered to Lockwood. "How are you holding up?" Lockwood looked over to (name), who was talking animatedly with Kat and her brother. "She's driving me up the wall", he said. "Somehow she manages to push buttons I didn't even know I had." He missed George's knowing grin as he looked around the room. "Have you noticed anything else?"

"The corners got progressively colder as the evening went on. I checked the temperature every now and then. I bet if there weren't so many people in here, we would feel it even more. But all the iron is probably holding it off so far."

It didn't take long for Barnes to appear and hurry them back onto the dance floor to 'keep up their cover' - not that this was working that great to begin with. They looked too young, their dancing was too awkward and the rapiers at their side didn't help either. Lockwood and (name) were standing close to the walls, far away from Barnes. They had parted as soon as he was gone. (name) had complained about her feet for the past hour, and Lockwood just about had enough. The whole thing gave him a headache and he wanted to get far away from her as soon as possible. Especially because with time, dancing closely with her had turned out to be not that bad. He didn't like that at all.

He was picking on a stray thread on his sleeve when suddenly a cold feeling washed over him. He jumped when (name) roughly grabbed his arm. "Do you hear that?" she hissed and he tried for a moment to shut out the sounds of conversation and heels on hardwood floor from the crowd and just listen. Nothing. "I'm not a good listener," he said quietly to not alert the few people standing closest to them. It irked him to have to admit this to (name). She stood there with her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side. For the first time this evening, Lockwood could take a closer look at her, even though part of him violently fought against it. Her hair was pulled back, away from her face. She was wearing a thin necklace with a pendant that laid a few inches above her dress's neckline. He briefly wondered if it was a gift from someone, but immediately shut that thought down. This was ridiculous.

Suddenly she opened her eyes again. "I can't describe it. It's like a whisper… and a scream… all at once." She took a look at her watch. "It's almost midnight", she said quietly. Lockwood patted over his pockets. "I don't have a thermometer with me. That's George's job usually. But don't you think it's gotten really cold just now?" She nodded, and he noticed her slightly shivering. Taking a look around, no one besides them seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Lockwood took a few strides to the set of doors closest to them. When he touched the handle, he almost pulled his hand back immediately. The metal was ice-cold to the touch. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked, and he looked around once before opening it carefully and peeking around. The corridor that laid in front of him was almost entirely dark, only illuminated by the streak of light let in from the open door. The air that hit his face was dry and much too cold. (name) appeared next to him. "Let's go", she said. "Let's get it over with." Lockwood thought for a moment that maybe it was better to get the rest of the agents, but then again, what could go wrong? If George's research was correct, there should only be one ghost. They just had to find the source. And this corridor seemed promising.

The two of them slipped through and Lockwood closed the door. Immediately they were enveloped by complete darkness, and now that the door separated them from the warmth and the light and the perceived safety of the ballroom, Lockwood could feel the malaise creeping up on him. He fumbled with his jacket to pull out the flashlight he had stuffed into one of the pockets inside. He switched it on on the lowest setting, and when his eyes had adjusted to the light, he started to move it around to get an idea of their surroundings. (name)'s dress almost looked like blood in the dim light, and as they slowly moved down the hallway, she reached into a fold of the skirt and swiftly pulled out a rapier. "Hidden pocket", she said as she noticed Lockwood's stare. Something about the way she had just pulled that out of nowhere - his brain felt jumbled.

The temperature was dropping rapidly now. (name) was now really shivering, and Lockwood felt the urge to offer her his jacket. But no, that was a stupid idea. He'd make a fool out of himself. They were walking close together now, arms brushing against each other as she tugged at his sleeve. "Can you turn off the light for a second", she whispered. "I think I heard something." It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the dark. "There it is again. Do you really hear nothing?" Lockwood noticed that her tone was normal - she wasn't trying to mock him anymore. He closed his eyes well. There, far in the distance, he heard something. But nothing he could put a finger on. "There was a door right there, right? I wanna see what's behind it."

"Do you need the light?", he asked. "It should be fine. His stomach did a little flip as he suddenly felt her hand slip into his. "Just so we don't lose each other in the dark", she whispered as she pulled him forward. The door creaked as (name) found the handle and pushed against it, her rapier scratching against the wood. The air that came out was even colder. The room could almost be described as well-lit in comparison to the hallway, a big window opposite the door letting in the cold blue light of the moon. They stepped inside. Lockwood did not close the door. While taking a look around, he noticed that (name) had not let go of his hand - even though now there was no risk of getting lost in the dark. Then something in the corner caught his eye. "A deathglow", he whispered, pointing over. "Right above the bed. About the size of a small child." "That checks out. I think one of the nannies - " "- murdered the child", finished Lockwood. "Looks like we read the same articles." She smiled at him, and he realised it was the first genuine smile she had ever shown him. He was reminded of the fact that they were also still holding hands.

"What do you think the source could be?", she asked. He looked around the room, all senses heightened. Until now, nothing had materialised. "It was a small child, right? There's a stuffed teddy sitting next to the pillow. Maybe…" As if the ghost had heard him, the atmosphere got heavier. It was like the air itself got denser and heavier, weighing on him and making it harder to breathe. "I think that might be it. Are you feeling it?" (name) just nodded. Her hand slipped in the front of her dress and Lockwood quickly averted his eyes. "I have a silver net", she whispered. "Give me cover and I'll throw it. If we're lucky, that's it." Lockwood did not argue with her. A pulsating headache had started in the back of his head. He drew his rapier and watched as (name) crept slowly towards the bed, silver net at the ready in one hand, rapier in the other. Basked in the pale light of the moon, with the gleaming rapier and the red dress that flowed around her, she looked like a vengeful ghost herself, and Lockwood had to remind himself to stay aware of his surroundings.

Then, everything happened all at once. (name) threw the silver net, and in the same moment, the supernatural scream that Lockwood had only heard at the very edge of his perception swelled to a volume that pierced through his head like a dagger, and a gigantic blast of wind threw (name) back, catapulting her through the air before she crashed into Lockwood with full force. His rapier was blown out of his hand and out of reflex he wrapped his arms around (name) as they both hit the ground.

It took a moment for Lockwood to gather himself. His ears were ringing and all of the whirled-up dust made it harder to breathe. (name) was lying half on top of him, her hair covering her face. "Are you okay?", Lockwood croaked out. For a moment she didn't move, and he already started to feel panic creeping up on him, but then she coughed and slowly pushed herself up in a sitting position. She raised her hand to her forehead, only to gasp at the blood on her fingertips as she lowered it again. "Is it bad?" "It looks small." He managed to stand up slowly, extending his hand to her. She took it without hesitation. "And pretty cool, might I add", he said as she stood next to him, making no moves to let go of his hand.

Suddenly, the door that the blast of wind had thrown shut burst open again. In the doorframe stood Kipps, followed by George and Kat. He looked at Lockwood and (name), then at the bloody wound on his sister's head, and finally to her hand that was still holding Lockwood's hand. And he looked ready to explode.

thank you for reading, feedback is appreciated :)