I was quite surprised to see that there weren't many fanfics where Lucy gets her period. It's a normal part of most uterus bearing people's lives, and to be honest I'd like to see it represented in YA books too. It's 2024, let's not act like we don't bleed.
Hence, this is my humble attempt to change that.
This one takes place between TSS and TWS and follows book canon:)
Lucy could always tell when she was about to get her periods. Besides the fact that she always felt like death, she also started to resemble one of the Visitors she and her team desperately tried to snuff out. Rarely could she not predict the time when Auntie Flo would come traipsing into her life. Whenever she saw the telltale signs of a period fast approaching, she'd prepare well. She would pack her kit bag with extra tampons and loads of chocolate. She'd also make sure she'd carry a plethora of painkillers. She almost always got it right.
Almost.
It was a light case and Lockwood and Co was feeling quite relaxed. The owners of the house had informed them of a benign spirit-a probable Type One-whose only job in death was to float on the top of the landing and exude forlorn energy. Upon further research, George uncovered a news article which stated that an old couple had died within a week of each other. The man first, of natural causes and the woman next, of a broken heart. Even though, the spirit was supposedly a Type One, Lockwood had been quite adamant about taking extra iron fillings and even an iron chain, which was typically not required for a Type One case. Lucy had to admit, he'd really stepped up the leadership game after the mishap at Mrs Hope's house.
It was just as well since there wasn't just one ghost but two!
The containment of the sources (a pair of delicate satin slippers for the wife and a pair of silver wire rimmed glasses for the husband) were an easy affair. After dropping George off at Portland Row (he'd had a nasty fall on the stairs in the haunted house and just wanted to sleep the pain away) and with both sources safely ensconced in silver nets, Lucy and Lockwood set off for the furnace.
They sat in a comfortable silence for the entirety of the ride to the furnace. The kind of silence that's brought on by a sense of not knowing each other well enough, but with a desire to change.
Lucy was feeling quite woozy after the case, and chalked it down to just plain fatigue. They had been going on an awful lot of cases after the success of Combe Carey and she hadn't really had enough time to sleep. When they got out of the cab, Lockwood flashed her a tired grin, and she momentarily forgot about her wooziness. Strange. Maybe she's not as tired as she thought.
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"Feeling alright, Luce?" He asked, after handing in the sources. They were standing outside the building, waiting to hail a cab to go home.
"Yes, I think so." she replied, wincing a bit when a sharp shooting pain pierced her lower back. "Why do you ask?" she asked, in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner.
"No particular reason." He responded, keeping his eyes on the road in front of them, searching for an empty cab. "It's just- you've been a bit quiet today. Not to mention, I've seen you wincing here and there. Are you hurt?"
Oh. So he'd caught that. He was a lot more observant than she gave him credit for, she supposed.
"Oh no, I'm fine."
They lapsed into silence yet again. This one seemed more pregnant than the easy one they'd shared in the cab on the way over. Lucy was desperately trying to recall her cycle dates and was drawing a blank. She knew she hadn't packed her period kit with her, and her emergency pad-she mentally berated herself-was safely sitting on her dresser in the attic at Portland Row. She was completely defenseless. Her only option? Freebleed and try not to stain everything under the sun. The silver lining was that at least she was going home.
She fidgeted uncomfortably. When was that damn cab going to arrive? How much longer was she supposed to suffer in agony? Why were women cursed with this abomination every month? Why did men get off scott-free for literally everything in life? Why was the patriarchy-
A delicate cough roused her out of her mental rant. "Is it-is it" Lockwood began, one hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "By that I mean, do you-are you-"
"Oh, just spit it out!" she snapped.
Lockwood looked over at her in a mix of shock and surprise, which immediately made her feel guilty. She didn't mean to speak to him in such a belligerent manner, but he was really testing her patience. It was late, she was tired and her hormones weren't being very cooperative.
She tried to tone down her aggravation, (she still seemed to be glowering at him) and spoke- "What were you trying to say, Lockwood?"
He swallowed and continued in a wary manner, as if he were scared of her biting his head off at the next opportunity. "I was just wondering, are you feeling okay?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Is it your time of the month?"
"Just because I'm annoyed that doesn't mean I'm on my period. It could also imply that I'm just in a bad mood or someone has done something to piss me off."
"Okay. Noted."
A pause. And then-
"But, yes. I am on my periods."
"Ah."
Silence.
"My condolences." He cleared his throat, very evidently in the excuse of doing something."Oh look, there's the cab." He said in obvious relief.
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Who the bloody hell says "my condolences" in response to "I've got my period"? Was he absolutely mental? He too had apparently thought it was an incredibly daft thing to say to someone, because he'd kept up an imperceptibly long stream of chatter throughout the cab ride. In the one year that she'd worked at Lockwood and Co, Lucy had never heard him to be as loquacious as he was that night.
What did Lucy think of the company? (it was good) Were she and George getting along? (yes) What were her thoughts on the Kuriashi Turn? (it sucked) Did she think that Karina from Tendy's and Hussain from Bunchurch were shagging? (no comments). He wanted all the answers tonight!
"Ah, we're here." said Lockwood, with an air of forced positivity, as the cab screeched to a halt outside Portland Row.
Lockwood paid the driver and they got out of the car. They shuffled into the house quietly. The air was palpable with tension. The kind of tension brought on by two people who don't know who to bridge the chasm between them.
"Listen Luce," he said, catching her arm and gently pulling her towards him. They had reached the landing outside Lockwood's room. "I'm sorry for acting like a knob. I don't want you to feel as if you can't talk about your periods. I know it's a slightly awkward topic but they're natural. I want you to feel safe enough to talk about whatever you want because this is your house too, Luce."
Lucy gave him a slow, hesitant smile. "It's all right," she reassured him. "I wasn't exactly being very nice either. I'm sorry about that. I'll work on it."
Lockwood smiled at her, and she felt it shoot straight to her heart, warming up her insides and making her forgot all about her menstrual cramps. Of course, it had nothing to do with Lockwood though. Her body was probably happy about being home. Definitely nothing to ponder over later.
"Is there anything I can do?" He said, in an earnest manner.
"Yes," she said, surprising them both. "You can tell me more about Hussain and Karina's supposed antics over a cup of hot cocoa."
"Deal," laughed Lockwood, "there's much to share with regards to that particular subject."
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They stayed down in the library chatting for ages. Lucy had changed into clean clothes, worn a tampon and downed a painkiller with her cocoa, but what really made her feel better was laughing with Lockwood. He made her happy. And George, of course. And her job. And Portland Row. And London.
Lucy smiled. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to dwell on it much. For now, she was just going to take comfort in his company. For now, she was just going to chuckle at Barnes' love life with a floppy haired boy. For now, that was enough.
This was supposed to be a funny, slightly awkward story. But somehow, it turned into one laced with poignancy. Especially towards the end. It just sort of ran away from me and took shape on its own.
Anyway, hope you guys liked it! Let me know if you guys did:)
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"I need to find my darling husband!" Said Danny, dressed to the nines in a very elaborate royal dress with a lot of jewelry running through the ballroom after having been on the opposite end of a very worrying phone call.
"Seriously, what do you even see in that mortal!?" Screamed an observant and Danny stopped and leveled them with a glare cold enough to freeze over an active volcano and sharp enough to cut through obsidian.
"He makes me laugh."
Unlike those dead suitors went unsaid, but everyone at the ball (read: search for a bride/groom for the royal ghostling) practically heard it anyways.
Meanwhile over in the land of the living
Okay so Jason may have messed up. Now you see, he hasn't seen his platonic husband for tax benefits in a while, and he's been very careful to not let his identity as the Red Hood slip up before . Not even once in their relationship.
(He's not counting the time his in-laws sniffed him out as a Crime Lord, because Danny never believed them.)
Now, it wasn't exactly his fault he slipped up. You try to fight off an entire group after being pulled up on out of nowhere on the phone while trying to hide said noises of fighting.
Who was he calling? Danny of course since he said he was away for business. What business? Never specified and Jason wasn't going to pry.
So now here he was, bound 'helplessly' as Jason Todd along with a few other random civilians. Which, like, rude.
Wasn't he already good enough for this ancient ritual or whatever?
You know, he really should have walked with that "Anti-kidnapping device" he got that one time. Which honestly he feels like he should be surprised that such a thing exists but considering it was from Bruce. Well.
He's not surprised.
Oh, there's the Justice League now. Shame, he wanted to knock out a few guys himself- Oh, now he's being used to summon a ghost from the Infinite Realms of Royal Lineage.
Yea he probably should have walked with that "Anti-kidnapping device."
Wait a goddamn-
Is that-
"My darling husband!" Danny shouted, scooping him off the circle and away from the head cultist and swinging him around. "You had me worried sick!"
Now, he should ask the question anyone would in this situation when finding out your best friend and platonic husband for tax benefits was apparently a ghost of royal lineage.
"Why're you in a dress?"
"Okay, first of all I rock this thing." Danny huffed.
"That you do." Jason agreed rather easily.
"Second of all, blame those guys over there." He jerked his head in the direction of two very green floating eyeball people.
Not the weirdest he's seen, honestly.
The Observants were whispering to each other and leveling them-Jason in particular-a look.
"Now as you can see, I already have a spouse and I don't need another!" Danny hugged Jason closer for emphasis and he took the time to whisper in Danny's ear. "Did you really marry me to play the husband card?"
"Well, yes." Danny agreed. "But also because of taxes, because I love you and you're my best friend."
"So, we're still done for watching that movie right."
"Obviously."
A pained grunt came from below them and they both looked down to see Batman standing over a very unconscious cultist and looking up at them.
Hm.
He forgot they were there.
"So," Jason began, staring Bruce straight in the eyes. Batman's eyes narrowed. "Don't suppose we can push that forward to right now?"
"Yea, sure why not I'm not doing anything important." Danny leveled the Observants a look, and before either they, Batman, or the Justice League could do anything they both disappeared.
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Okay but like
In the lost pages of Journal 3 Ford mentions Bill disappearing for weeks or months at a time, which is kinda interesting to me
There are two ways we could interpret this.
1, is that these gaps in conversation were deliberate manipulation tactics planned by Bill. To leave long enough for Ford to feel worried and want him back. This does backfire a little when Ford has that jealousy outburst and accuses Bill of having other people to inspire. (Which is like. Ford are you hearing yourself-)
But ultimately the absences Bill leaves does more harm than good for Bill’s plans. I think if he was around MORE then Ford would’ve definitely become WAYYY more attached to him
Which is why there’s a second interpretation I have that I really like
2, the idea that Bill just. Lost track of time a lot between being Ford’s muse and doing other shit in the nightmare dimension. For one thing, Bill is canonically millions of years old in the context of Earth. He’s lived through so much time that it would be understandable if he didn’t quite grasp how much time he spent away from Ford. In the grand scheme of things Ford was only a blip in time compared to everything Bill lived through, what’s a few weeks amongst eternity?
Not to mention the Book of Bill confirms that Bill canonically dissociates, and it’s very common to lose chunks of time with dissociation. What if he dipped out of his consciousness in the times where he wasn’t with Ford? We don’t have any idea what Bill was doing between Ford visits. It’s so interesting to speculate
What if Bill still thought Ford was okay with him because he didn’t realize how long he was gone?
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