#locklyle angst

[rapha-reads]

I've read three Lockwood & Co books in two days (no, I'm not doing that fine, thanks for asking), and even though book 3, The Hollow Boy, just broke my heart in ten different ways, there's something that I find fascinating in the way Jonathan Stroud writes his horror. At first, when the team faces the Visitors, it's scary, obviously. Walking around the house or ground in the dark, al the ways a Visitor can manifest... Typical horror stuff. But then, with Lucy's Talent growing up, there's something that happens: the ghost isn't that scary anymore. Some are irritating and repulsive, but a lot are also, mostly, pitiful and compassion-worthy. Like, the Fetch at the end of book 3? Definitely made me tense rigid-spine and look around my room and over my shoulder when it started following Lucy in the department store. But when he faced Lucy in the room of bones, taking on Lockwood's appearance? I wasn't scared of him. Wary, yes, Visitors are still dangerous, but mostly feeling pity and gratitude. I had the feeling that the hollow boy wasn't really trying to hurt Lucy, but really to have a conversation with her.

Anyway, it's 4.50am. Should I start book 4 now? I want to delve back in immediately, these books are real page-turners! And now the real Locklyle angst has started, I'm deeply invested. I'm kind of surprised I never read them before, the first book is from 2013, that was exactly the period I was reading every single YA book I could get my hands on, especially fantastic/fantasy/sf (as always, then and now). Surprising that this series evaded me.

[mirroringdust]

The bizarre brink of feelings, ch. 10

He awoke in pitch-black darkness, and it was indistinct voices that brought him back to life. For death, he thought, was what he had just escaped. The voices overlapped, then separated again and finally fell silent, but he still sensed the presence of people, like a hum in the distance. Wherever he was, he was not alone.Then, as time was becoming something sensible again, he felt his head almost burst into pieces before he saw a glimmer of light in the darkened room. Second-guessing, it was not a room, for the space was strangely carved into irregular shapes as the ceiling came into view, the light reflecting strangely and breaking into shadows beyond his view. He sighed as the pain washed over his limbs, suddenly as a crashing wave, but somehow he was able to lift his upper body into a sitting position. The world around him was covered in dust and dirt, which did the opposite of making his vision any clearer, and even when his head felt whole again, a shimmering dizziness did not leave his mind. Somewhere in front of his eyes was a glowing light, iridescent before him like a green candle, lighting the way to… a face. Well, he thought it was a face but it was hidden behind some sort of glass. He squeezed his eyes shut, blinked and still did not recognise anything. But at least his ears seemed to perceive something again, one of his senses apparently not completely numb. The voices had returned, becoming clearer and easier to distinguish. He tried to listen more carefully and was surprised to find that his efforts were actually crowned with success. He recognised one of the voices above the humming sounds. And that was the clue he needed to know who was speaking. A very clear hint.

“Kipps, get up, no more time to rest, for all our sake!” The voice, grumpy and fiery, was one that Quill would recognise anywhere, that piercing, annoying sound. Karim. [continue on AO3]

[locklyleiscanon]

Throws this chapter out into the universe and then ducks for cover.

Chapters: 5/7 Fandom: Lockwood & Co. - Jonathan Stroud, Lockwood & Co. (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood, Lucy Carlyle & George Cubbins | George Karim & Anthony Lockwood Characters: Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood, George Cubbins | George Karim, Quill Kipps, Montagu Barnes Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Missing scene 1x08, Lucy takes care of Lockwood, Literal Sleeping Together, dad!Barnes, They're awkward but they're in love, Lockwood is trying, no beta we die like the DEPRAC agent, mentioned past Lucy/Norrie, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, referenced canon child abuse, Alcohol, promise there will be a happy ending, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, references to hypothetical sexual situations, No Smut Summary:

After Lockwood is shot in 1x08, Lucy takes care of Lockwood. Awkward conversations are had.

Missing scene between when they leave the cemetery and before Lucy makes her tape for Norrie.

Oh and dad!Barnes makes an appearance.

-- Now a canon-divergent AU where I force them to talk about things.

George makes comments.

The Skull is still silently watching (because I said so).

[personinthepalace]

#''everything ends and everyone leaves'' okay doctor who 🙄🙄🤭 via @mndvx

LOCKWOOD & CO. — Mesmerised (S01E07) ››› Cameron Chapman as Anthony Lockwood ››› Ruby Stokes as Lucy Carlyle

[gwqine]

‘A FAVOUR’

pairing: anthony lockwood x fem! reader

SYNOPSIS: you’ve never got along with the infamous Anthony Lockwood, and to your displeasure, he turns up needing a ‘favour’

THEMES: slowburn, enemies to lovers

REQUESTED BY: @that-choir-girl

WARNINGS: none, just some dislike between characters

NOTES: part one to a series (my masterlist) not proofread yet || leave a comment below to join my taglist! requests are currently open but it may take a while for me to get around to them

My work is not to be reposted, copied, translated or used in any form without explicit permission from myself.

IT WAS RELATIVELY QUIET THAT AFTERNOON, the sun dipping finally and the cafe’s usual racket reduced to a gentle hum. Teaspoons clicked, chairs screeched lightly against the beige floorboards. Towering shadows were cast across the walls, and waiters were now beginning to sweep up beneath empty tables.

Perhaps you should have called it a day, at this point. Should have packed up the leather-bound notebook in front of you, paid your due and left. Perhaps that would have saved you from the encounter itself. But you didn’t.

Instead, you remained hunched over in your chair, pen in hand, scribbling away, drink forgotten. Your shoulders were angled, brows furrowed up in concentration.

That was precisely why you drowned out the sound of the bell above the cafe’s door, as well as the light, confident footsteps that followed.

It was common knowledge across London that Anthony Lockwood hated the idea of failure. If anything, he liked to think he had a reputation of being unbelievably successful in situations where anyone else wouldn’t be so. But with that came a sense of pride. His chest was knotted in frustration simply because he was within twenty meters of you, and he knew this was only going to get worse. He hated this. You. Having to come to you of everyone it could have been.

He had stood by the door for a moment, scanning the room with a look that would suggest there was a disgusting scent in the air. There was nothing such, of course, but it didn’t stop his fingers from twitching in discomfort at the sight of you in the far corner alone. Typical. Always thought you were above socialising.

He lingered there for a moment, debating whether this was worth it. Worth approaching you. Would you refuse? Embarrass him?

You’d certainly be thrilled at doing so. The pair of you hadn’t ever gotten along, and he doubted you ever would. You simply had nothing in common. He couldn’t remember a time when there hadn’t been disliked between you both. You’d been the closest Agent to Quill Kipps, practically his shadow, for long enough to become familiar with Anthony Lockwood before the rest of London had.

More times than he could count on his fingers, Lockwood had crossed swords with Kipps. It didn’t take much provocation, in all honestly. There were moments when Lockwood liked to think that his quick mouth and disturbingly tragic humour left Kipps speechless- yet unfortunately, they were never long lived, because Kipp’s rather sharp-tongued colleague didn’t seem to back down as easily as he did.

Lockwood hadn’t thought much of it, when he had heard of you leaving Fittes and turning to freelancing. If anything, he had been thrilled at the idea. But he was with few options now, with a huge case hanging in the balance, but not enough hands.

He needed help. And as much as he loathed to admit it, you were the best for the job. And he didn’t have much of a choice, for DEPRAC were hardly on the best terms with him courtesy of a mishap on his end a few days prior. All he could do now was seek for a freelancer.

That was how he had ended up here to begin with.

He took a deep breath, straightened his collar and headed over, his heavy boots clicking with his every step. He stopped at your table, but you didn’t even look up. He cleared his throat.

Lockwood saw your gaze lift suddenly, brows raised in mild surprise. It was a look he hadn’t even thought you to be capable of, void of the usual look of distaste and instead curious, gentle even. It didn’t last. Your brows narrowed, and lips closed into a thin line.

“Lockwood,” you acknowledged, tone lacking any form of interest. You looked back down at your book, spinning the pen in your grasp in an attempt to look unbothered. “What do you want?”

A scowl crossed the boy’s face. Of course you weren’t going to let this be easy.

“I just need a word,” he told you, glancing around for a seat. You were grateful that you’d picked a table with no other chairs, but this didn’t seem to bother Lockwood at all; he dragged over a an empty one from a nearby table and dropped into it before you could even protest. He crossed his arms, leaning forward with his elbows propped up on the table. “It’s about a case.” You didn’t react, he noted, and continued with what you were doing carelessly. Lockwood swallowed back his pride, bracing himself for the inevitable. “I need a favour.”

He saw your gaze shoot up.

You paused for a moment, debating internally whether this was legit. You had worked with him in the past, under Fittes, and the only times he had willingly contacted your team was when he needed some background information that the public Archives wouldn’t provide him with. You assumed he just wasn’t aware you weren’t in a position to be of use.

“I’m freelancing now,” you informed him dismissively, focusing on your book again. “I don’t have access to the Fittes database.”

Lockwood muttered something incoherently under his breath, but the word ‘attitude’ wasn’t too hard to miss. You scowled up at him, but his face wasn’t surprised at all. He was already aware, it seemed, that you weren’t going to be of any help with his research. But then what did he want? And how on Earth did he even know where to find you?

He seemed to spot you piecing this together, because he started again hurriedly.

“Look, i’m not exactly spoilt for choices,” he began, voice measured. “Believe me, I wouldn’t be anywhere near you if I had any other options.”

This made you pause for a moment. Lockwood watched you reach for the teacup at your side, movements painfully slow. There was a flicker of smugness in your eyes for a moment, as a wide smile came over your face. He bit back all the curses that came to mind.

“I thought your little group was finally getting somewhere!” you exclaimed, in a tone so mockingly gentle. You took a sip of your warm drink. “Did DEPRAC realise you’re not worth the trouble?”

A muscle in his jaw clenched visibly, his hands curling up into fists in irritation. He loathed this about you, the way you always knew how to throw salt into his wounds, twist the knife that had already been stabbed so far into him, poke him repeatedly with a stick until he would burst. You’d done it the first day he had met you, looked at him with a condescending smirk that made his mind spiral. It was the influence of Kipps, no doubt, but that didn’t make it bearable.

Damn it. This wasn’t a time to dwell.

“It’s nothing to do with DEPRAC. I need you on a case.”

Your eyebrows arched up again at this. Lockwood watched you rock forward onto your elbows like him, with a fleeting look of curiosity.

“And why on Earth would I do that?” You asked coldly. The smile had disappeared. “Correct me if I’m mistaken but you spent the entirety of my time at Fittes making my job much more difficult than it should have been.”

This seemed to outrage him. “Difficult?” He demanded loudly, and a few heads turned in your direction. “It’s not my fault you like to turn up in places you aren’t needed!”

You scoffed, crossing your arms across your chest and leaning back. This just wasn’t true. “Just get lost, Lockwood. I can’t even sit and have a drink without you rocking up to piss me off.”

Lockwood clicked his tongue, glancing about. “Bring it down a notch, love. I’d rather deal with a type two with no chains than be anywhere near your arrogant ass.”

A sound of rage left your lips at this, both the insult and the stupid little term he had used. You slammed the book infront of you shut with a bang. Lockwood bit back a grin, leaning back as you tossed your belongings into your tote bag, tea now forgotten. “If anyone’s arrogant,” you told him, standing up with a flourish of your sleeves and swinging the bag over a shoulder. “It’s you, you insufferable prick!”

Oh, but he knew exactly how to get to you. Lockwood ignored the insult entirely, instead shooting you a smile and motioning towards the drink you were leaving behind. “Not gonna have that tea?”

That did it for you. Within seconds, you had taken the cup in hand and tossed the contents onto the arrogant prat before you. Lockwood barely had a moment to react; he spluttered as it hit him, eyes clenched shut as it sunk into the collar of his shirt and slid down his face. When he pried open his eyes, you looked just as shocked as he felt. His neck was burning, colour rising awkwardly in his cheeks. He didn’t even want to look around; the silence that had fallen told him enough.

“Goodness!” cried a voice over from the till, filled with disbelief. “I’ve just cleaned in here!”

Lockwood arose from his seat, wiping at his face with a hand as he turned. A middle-aged woman was storming over, her face scrunched up in scandal.

“I’m so sorry—“ he began, pushing back his chair as he glanced at you, brows raised as menacingly as he could muster. Your face was still, expressionless.

The woman didn’t want to hear it. “Out!” she ordered, her nostrils flared. “Now!”

The pair of you didn’t need telling twice. The cafe was silent during your walk of shame heading outside onto the street. As rhetorical door swung shut, you paused, still in disbelief. Lockwood seemed taken aback too, because he did the same. The air between you wasn’t tense, nor one of annoyance; it was simply incredulity.

Lockwood scoffed suddenly. “What was that?”

You felt your face redden as you shifted your weight onto one leg, arms crossed defensively. “It’s your fault.”

He shook his head. “And now my coat’s ruined.”

This got a smirk out of you. You turned, ready to leave. “I guess I have good aim.”

Lockwood snorted, falling into step beside you, much to your annoyance. “There was hardly much of a window to miss.”

“Well now that you’ve had me kicked out, you can leave me alone, Lockwood.” You said pointedly, picking up your speed slightly.

He followed closely. “I said I’ll leave you alone! Just shut it for a second and listen! It’s a big case, and I need an extra pair of hands. Two times your usual rate!”

There had to be a hidden agenda. There always was with Anthony Lockwood, and no one ever realised until it was too late. Your steps faltered and you stared at him in search of it.

But his gaze didn’t waver. It was almost…reassuring.

You bit your lip, and his gaze followed the movement. He paused for a second, then seemed to gather himself, clearing his throat. “Three times it then. But that’s the best I can do.”

You raised a hand subconsciously to your face and sighed. “What’s the case?”

Triumph flicked through his brown eyes, and he suddenly seemed to have a spring in his step as he began to move. You followed in pursuit to your own surprise, maintaining a distance.

“It’s simple,” he told you, but you had dealt with him too many times in the past to believe this instantly. “But it’s a well-known client. Huge house, lots of cash…” he trailed off.

“And Dangerous.” You finished.

He scratched the back of his neck. “Look, I don’t have all the details yet but going in there with just three of us is a suicide mission.”

“And so you thought you’d take me along.”

Lockwood narrowed his brows. “God, you’re so negative all the time. I just thought you’d be good for the job, but go believe whatever you like.”

He grimaced as though he’d said something poisonous.

You tapped a foot on the pavement, but ceased immediately. The last thing you were going to do was look worried infront of him. Was this some sort of hoax? It felt it. But something about the desperation in his eyes had said otherwise. Yet you didn’t want to take any chances.

“You’ll draft up a contract then?”

Lockwood shoved a hand into his pocket. “I will.”

You nodded. His face scrunched up as he fished around in the pocket, but it seemed that whatever he was looking for wasn’t there.

“What?” You asked suspiciously. The movement made you recall a tale Kipps had told you not too long ago, where the two boys had argued and Lockwood had dug a flare from his pocket and lobbed it at your former teammate.

Lockwood looked up at you. “Had a business card.” He muttered, now emptying out the pockets of his trousers. “Hold on.”

You watched incredulously as he searched for what felt like an hour, shaking out his coat over and over again.

You sighed, reaching into your own bag. “Just give me the number.”

He paused mid motion. You looked at him. Why on Earth was he turning red?

Oh, for Goodness sake!

“Don’t tell me you don’t even know the telephone number for your own company.”

He didn’t reply.

You let out a huff. “Write mine down then.”

You dug into your bag and pulled out a ballpoint pen, before holding it out to him. Lockwood went to grab it rather irritably, but you pulled it away, face contorted in disgust as you studied his hands, squinting. “Have you got tea on your hands?”

Lockwood let out a grumble. “Need I remind you that you threw it on me?”

You weren’t letting those tacky hands anywhere near your belongings, and the idea made his insides shrivel up in aggravation all over again.

The pair of you stared at eachother with an air of displeasure yet again. Lockwood let out a sharp exhale and tugged back slightly at one of his sleeves. He held out the back of his hand, waiting expectantly.

You sucked at your teeth, clicking the back of the pen without making eye contact. It was awkward, trying to scribble your contact without touching him at all, but it was of course impossible. Instead, you gave in, taking it firmly, sure to dig your nails into his hand as casually as you could manage. He tensed as you wrote, pressing so harshly that there were dents on the back of his hand for a few seconds.

The moment it was done, you let go as if his hand was hot coal.

Lockwood stepped away too, his face burning as he looked around.

“I’ll er— give you a call.”

You merely nodded in response. Lockwood turned away without another word.

Thank you so much for reading! As usual, any comments or thoughts left are much appreciated! Comment to join my taglist!

[peachymaryobrien]

You're the love of my life

You're the loss of my life

[mirroringdust]

The Bizarre Brink of Feelings - Ch. 5

Very late in posting this here but I finished the fifth chapter of my angsty/mystery/spooky Lockwood and Co fic.

SPOILER FOR THB on and for the previous chapters!

What if Lucy never left after the Hollow Boy and what if her vision became true but in a completely unexpected way? Lucy and Lockwood face a situation that they can't really understand and a ghost they can't really capture in the usual way. On their final way to fight it, they are trapped in the tunnel, the others already lost. The manifestation pushed them to the brink of their feelings and the only way to not get lost is to admit them.

Sneak peek of ch. 5

They entered the house in the pale darkness. A musty glow greeted them as they slowly pushed open the heavy door, accompanied by a deep creak. Lockwood was the first to enter. With a few long strides he set foot on the marble floor and scanned the place or rather the shadows. George followed more slowly before Holly was the last to step inside. Her heart beat erratically in her chest as she realised they were about to have face another visitor. Not even a week after the harrowing encounter with the poltergeist that had blown them in all directions and forced one of them out of the warmth of Portland Row into the cold of this place, and still not back to them. Hopefully they would find Lucy soon and be out of here in a hurry. The air in this house smelled old and stagnant, as if no one had been around for a long time. Aside from the smell, Holly could barely feel anything and saw even less in the pitch-black room, which did nothing to ease the tension that was clinging to her.

Lockwood switched on the torch with a sudden click in the silence, driving a wedge into the swallowing blackness. Holly could see her hand in front of her eyes again and the other two slowly taking one step in front of the next, unsettled by the new surroundings. Even Lockwood had paused, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark.

Continue reading at AO3

[locklyle1kanij]

Stopppp i just listened to this song after seeing this post and now i’m CRYING!! (not even kidding) THIS IS SO THEM DURING THE BLACK WINTER AND I CANT DEAL WITH THIS😭😭😭

Fighting the urge to put Christmas Lights by Coldplay on my Locklyle playlist because it’ll ruin it for me if I listen to it year round

[tenuousnessless7]

Thinking about what a season 2 of the show would/could look like, I tend to assume there would be a little less antagonism with the Lucy/Holly relationship - similar to what they did with George in season 1. Mostly because I think the show makes Lucy a little less of a “Not Like Other Girls” girl (understandable, that’s generally a phase that young girls grow out of, and show!Lucy is older) but also because the Lucy/Holly rivalry was always *really* about Lucy’s relationship with Lockwood anyway, and I can see the show making that more explicit. But then I wonder if the poltergeist at Aickmere’s would still be a result of that Holly/Lucy fight, or maybe they’d bring Lockwood into it, or even the whole team. I’m a big fan of the trio fight in episode 4, so I’d be more than happy to see them play up the rifts between all of them near the end of that storyline. Would make Lucy’s leaving even more heartbreaking imo.

[whumpypepsigal]

Lockwood & Co. s01e05: “What the hell was that?… You were practically begging him to kill you.“

[killerfrostisme]

The world is not prepared for the person I will turn into once Lockwood says "come off it, you know I'd die for you" to Lucy in the show.

[neewtmas]

OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE HELL DUDE

what is this😭😭😭 how dare you barge in here and rip my heart out like that

Ok someone needs to write an AU where when Lucy leaves lockwood and co she actually ends up becoming way more successful then them and like she ends up living in a fancy penthouse and regularly attends the big agency party's and gets really close with Penelope and is like always on TV and on the front of magazines as "the star" of the freelance agents and how every agency wants her and has been offering her really great positions, she would probably have really high prices bc of the amount of people who are wanting to hire her also bc of all her publicity all the rich people want her to take care of there ghost problems

Oh and the theme song in my opinion for this AU would totally be "villain of my own story" by Unlike Pluto, don't ask why it just would lol

[sophiekarim]

ANTHONY LOCKWOOD & LUCY CARLYLE Lockwood & Co. 1x07: ‘Mesmerised’

[thestrangerblog]

From the new Lockwood and Co fic I'm working on:

Lucy stumbled out of bed, ready to strangle whoever was repeatedly ringing her bell in the middle of the night. Or very early morning? She wasn’t sure, she hadn’t gotten a clock for her bedside table yet and didn’t know where she had put her watch before falling into bed a few hours ago.

When she opened the door all thoughts of murder vanished as quickly as they had come. It was George and he looked like he had been through hell.

"What happened?" she asked anxiously.

"What happened?!" George yelled, obviously not caring about waking her neighbors. "You happened! We had a case with a fetch today and that thing looked like you for Lockwood! He thought you were dead and went mental. He hugged it, thinking it was your ghost! He wanted to follow you into death!"

Lucy gasped. No! That couldn’t be true. Had her leaving caused what she had wanted to prevent by leaving?

"Is he...?"

She couldn’t say the word out loud.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56672110

[lockwood-fic-recs]

Slowly, and Then All at Once

by ConYamArtist on ao3

Rating: G | Category: F/M | Relationship: Lockwood/Lucy, Lockwood&George, Lockwood&Holly

The first time it happened, he’d been twelve and still working for Gravedigger Sykes. That time, it had been triggered by death-glows at a cluster haunting that had killed almost ten people before an agency had been called in to get it sorted. 

Sykes had only grunted, dosed him with children’s paracetamol, and tossed him his first pair of sunglasses. They were scratched and comically large on his pre-teenaged face, but did the job and prevented another attack for over a year. 

Or, missing scenes throughout canon as Lockwood struggles with chronic migraines. Also as he falls in love with Lucy Carlyle (to use a possibly overused turn of phrase) slowly, and then all at once.

[alexiethymia]

[book spoilers]

Lockwood’s idea of a grand gesture is to be more of a fool than usual, more death-defying than usual, to make sure that Lockwood & Co. was always on front page news because if Lucy was the best then Lockwood & Co. could be nothing less than THE best agency to deserve her, to get her to return. And no, he doesn’t stop there. He may not have asked you to return on bended knee like you wanted Lucy, but like any proper gentleman caller he couldn’t come to your door empty-handed. He brings THE case, that one case that Lucy could never refuse coming from Fittes herself. I bet he spent all those four months searching for that one case. Because see the plan was always for her to return and Lockwood has always been an end-justifies-the-means kind of guy. And the way he gets her on board speaks a lot about his own character and how well he knows Lucy.

Lockwood has always been slightly manipulative and he uses the full force of that skill during that reunion with Lucy. Every move was calculated. From his suit he wears like armor, each one carefully chosen. An old coat that reminds them of a case they worked on together, an immaculate new suit (Really? Just to hire her again?), and to top it all of, a tie which Lucy specifically gave him. He catches her off guard, he doesn’t give her time to get her bearings. He knows asking her outright to return wouldn’t work. Even if he did beg, that already failed when he ended up so angry that he left Lucy behind in that cafe (the fact that Lockwood who prides himself on being a gentleman could leave a girl, and Lucy of all people, shows that his emotions were completely haywire that day). In other words, Lucy’s stubbornness proved stronger than his own. So he had to change tactics. He had to make sure that her returning would be all her idea, that she would return all on her own.

Because see, he didn’t need a case to see her. He could have visited at any time after they didn’t have closure when Lucy snuck away in the dawn to leave. He could have normalized ties between them and remained friends even as Lucy was now a freelance agent. But he didn’t. He made sure they didn’t have closure. He didn’t even acknowledge her leaving because to do otherwise would make it final. On Lucy’s end I think she wouldn’t have minded if they could be friends and talk casually together again. She wanted it. But that’s not what Lockwood wanted. He wouldn’t have been satisfied unless Lucy was back home with them. Like a jilted lover, he needed a grand gesture to draw her back in.

So he does everything. He lies. “I wouldn’t ask you again to return.” “It’s just a one-off.” “One night, two max.” But and even though Lucy couldn’t fully see through him, what they really meant, she did pick up on signs of him fraying and unraveling. The uncertain smile that was simultaneously just for her and was shades paler than his usual gigawatt smile, the slight bitterness that she was willing to work with other agencies but not his, that studied nonchalance as if he wasn’t keeping track of her progress and whereabouts the same way Lucy tried not to follow news of Lockwood and Co., the deflection, deflection, deflection.

He doesn’t answer properly regarding Holly because he still thinks she might have had something to do with Lucy leaving.

“George didn’t like it.” This is his mixing up of I and we tendency again but way worse. For him to use George to say that she was missed was egregious because couldn’t he just say that he missed her? Or even we missed you, we didn’t like it [the idea of replacing you]. It wouldn’t be so strange. He is as much her friend as George. Unless her leaving cut him more deeply. And we know he represses that sh*t. So he doesn’t even include himself in the equation anymore maybe because he thought it would make Lucy uncomfortable because not even him losing control of his emotions, being exposed and raw could get her to stay. Or at least that’s what he tells himself when in reality he’s fortified his barriers once again. He made himself open for Lucy, all the anger he’d kept tightly locked inside, and still - she left. So he can’t even talk to Lucy anymore without using someone or something as a conduit, projecting himself because he can’t expose himself to that sort of vulnerability again until he accomplishes his goal. So yeah there’s plenty of bitterness on his part, but what trumps that, always trumps it and his pride (because I’m sure part of him expected that Lucy would come back earlier on her own so he was just waiting and when that didn’t happen because see in a contest of wills Lucy’s would always trump his own, he’s weak when it comes to her, he’s the one who comes to her instead) - is that base desire for her to just come back.