Chapter Text
The sun had fully risen by the time Lockwood made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He and Lucy had taken their time getting up, stealing kisses and soft caresses before they had to start their day.
He couldn’t help but compare that morning to all of the previous ones that they didn’t have, when Lucy had snuck out of his room before sunrise. It wasn’t even just the sex - although, yes, that had been indescribable. The feeling of being able to hold her and have her know just how much she meant to him, that was what had his heart full to bursting.
Making his way over to the tea kettle, he eyed George who was already seated at the table. He looked well-rested enough that Lockwood didn’t think he and Lucy had woken him up early with their activities.
“Are you going to just stare at me or are you going to tell me what happened with Lucy?” George finally asked drily.
“What makes you think something happened with Lucy?” Lockwood tried to keep his face impassive and failed miserably.
“Let’s see - you went to take up her dinner and never returned? Plus, I heard the screams-”
At that, Lockwood made a choked sound and George smirked knowingly.
“From the nightmare. I was going to come check on you both but once things quieted down I assumed you had it under control.”
“Yeah, we figured out what her nightmares have been about.” Lockwood fell silent at the memory of Lucy’s sobs as she told him about seeing him die, of how broken she had sounded.
He jumped as he felt George’s hand on his arm.
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me,” he reassured quietly.
Lockwood supposed that him getting startled was rare enough for George to tell how shaken up he had been.
“I…yeah, it’s Lucy’s story to tell, I think,” Lockwood said slowly. “But you’re not dying to know?” He eyed his friend skeptically.
“Of course I am, but I’m not going to make either of you talk about it if it’s painful,” George said with a definitive nod.
Lockwood gave him a small, grateful smile. They drank their tea in silence until George spoke up again.
“There is one thing I do want to discuss, though. I would like to establish some ground rules,” he said in a matter of fact tone.
Before Lockwood could question him as to what that meant, Lucy swept into the kitchen, hair damp from her shower. Her eyes met Lockwood’s and they shared a small smile before she turned to George.
“Ground rules about what?” she asked as she took a seat, accepting the tea and toast that Lockwood had already prepared for her.
“About your relationship.” George was met with two sets of raised eyebrows at that. “I mean in terms of how it impacts all of us,” he hastily added.
“Oh, so Lockwood told you.”
“It wasn’t hard to guess, Lucy.” George watched them both carefully, as if surprised that they weren’t denying the changed nature of their relationship.
“Go on,” Lucy encouraged. “We want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
“We’re just still figuring out what it all means for ourselves,” Lockwood chimed in, taking Lucy’s hand.
George didn’t miss the gesture, his eyes narrowing on their entwined fingers. Lockwood had a habit of finding reasons to touch Lucy, including holding her hand. Now George supposed that he didn’t need an excuse.
“Right. Well, rule number one: no snogging in front of the biscuits.”
He moved a plate out of the way to access a blank portion of the thinking cloth, making a list as he spoke.
Rules for Lockwood & Lucy
1 - No snogging in front of biscuits
Looking up, George found that both of his friends were barely holding in laughter.
“What?”
“In front of the biscuits, George?” Lockwood said with one of his signature smirks. Lucy tried to hide her own grin behind her mug. “This is now the second biscuit-related rule in this house.”
“Yes, well, I would prefer to keep the public displays of affection in front of me to a minimum as well, but there’s no need to corrupt the biscuits.”
“We can do that, right Lockwood?” Lucy nudged Lockwood’s shin under the table, prompting him to nod. “Did you have more rules then, George?”
“Yes, although this is an ongoing list and I reserve the right to add to it at any time. Actually, let’s make that rule number two.”
2 - George can add to rules any time
Lockwood was trying very hard to be patient with his friend. George was important to him, to both of them, and their new dynamic was bound to change things around the house. It was only fair for George to be able to express himself about what would make him more comfortable.
He just wished he could be a little less George about it.
“Rule number three,” he continued, biting the end of his pen in thought. “The less I’m aware of your…activities, the better. So, make sure to lock doors, don’t get hot and heavy in common spaces when I’m home, and for the love of everything that is holy please keep noises to a minimum.”
They both flushed bright red at that but nodded.
3 - George should not know when sex has occurred, is occurring, or will occur
“Rule number four: when we’re out on cases, nothing changes. I need to know that even though you two are now…together, that I can still count on you in the field.” George purposefully avoided their eyes as he spoke this time.
Lockwood frowned, exchanging a glance with Lucy. This seemed to be what he was the most worried about.
“George, look at me.” He waited until his friend complied. “We’ll always have your back, on cases or otherwise. That’s not going to change,” Lockwood finished firmly.
“You’re our best friend, George,” Lucy added. “We were Lockwood & Co. before anything else. You can always count on us.”
“Right, of course,” George said, ears turning pink as he wrote down the rule, his pen moving more slowly this time as he considered his words.
4 - All of us - always have each other’s backs
Lockwood smiled when he saw what George had written.
“Any more rules, Georgie?” Lucy asked softly, fondly.
“No, surprisingly that’s all I’ve got for now.” George stood up, gathering his breakfast dishes.
“We all have today and tonight off. I moved things around to give you both a break,” he explained.
Lucy opened her mouth to argue but Lockwood shook his head.
“George is right, after the case yesterday I think we do need a breather.” He watched the smile bloom on George’s face at the first part of his statement.
“Of course I’m right. Now, I’m off to the archives and then I’m seeing Flo. I’ll ring if I decide to stay over so you don’t worry.”
“I thought you said we all have off, George. You don’t want a break?” Lucy asked before he could run off.
“Well, this is technically a break for me. A chance to research some things that interest me but have nothing to do with our cases,” George admitted, scratching the back of his neck self-consciously.
“Of course you have ‘for fun’ research,” Lockwood teased with a laugh.
“I’ll see you both later then,” George said with an eye roll as he left the kitchen. “And remember, no snogging-”
“In front of the biscuits, we got it!” Lucy called after him, unable to contain her laughter anymore.
She turned to Lockwood, finding his eyes already on her. Once they heard the front door click shut, Lockwood gathered her in his arms. Even though he had spent the entire night and the better part of the morning holding her, he couldn’t help himself. He was greedy when it came to Lucy, he realized.
“Hi,” Lucy said brightly, looking up at him.
“Hello there,” he returned with a quiet chuckle.
“What should we do with our day off?” Her hands came to rest on his shoulders, feeling the soft fabric of his t-shirt.
Lockwood had decided to skip the suit today, opting for a more casual look. He had figured they would be laying low for the day, and even he liked to dress comfortably sometimes. He also didn’t miss Lucy’s not-so-subtle glances at him in his jeans, which were just tight enough.
“What do you want to do, Luce? Rapier practice? Polish the chains?” he teased.
“Well…” Lucy bit her lip coyly. “As much as I loved having you in my bed, I’ve always wanted to…do things…in your bed.”
He watched a pretty flush creep up her cheeks and felt a surge of desire for her.
“I’m not going to say no to that,” Lockwood replied with a wide grin.
Taking her hand, he led her back upstairs, stopping to press her against his door and kiss her senseless. Lucy returned the kiss with enthusiasm, fingers hooking in the belt loops of his jeans to pull his hips closer to hers.
She pulled away before they ended up naked in the hallway, opening the door and tugging him inside. Though she had been quite bold just moments before, Lucy now regarded him shyly.
“What is it, Luce?” Lockwood asked with some concern in his voice.
“It’s nothing, I was just wondering…” Lucy trailed off, eyeing his outfit. “Okay. So I was kind of hoping to get the chance to take off your suit and tie but yesterday you were in pajamas and today you’re in this and-”
Blinking as he took in her rapid-fire words, Lockwood cut off her rambling with a lift of his hand.
“You want me to change into my suit?” Lucy nodded. “So that you can take it off?” Another nod.
Smirking, he advanced towards her.
“And this is something you’ve thought about, a lot?” His hands wound around her waist, pulling her close again.
“Well you wear the stupid suit a lot, so yes.”
“Clearly you like it,” he murmured, bringing his lips to her ear, “if you’re fantasizing about it.”
Lockwood pulled back to watch her cheeks redden. He brought one hand up to stroke the heated skin with his thumb, loving that he had this effect on her.
Dipping his head down, he kissed her deeply for just a moment before pulling away, laughing at the pout she gave him.
“I believe I was given orders,” he said as he disappeared in his closet. “Any particular requests?”
“Black suit, one of your new button downs, no undershirt, black silk tie and your good leather belt,” Lucy said in a rush.
Lockwood let out a laugh at that. She really had put a lot of thought into it. He couldn’t blame her, though. He had his own fantasies about her wearing or not wearing specific items of clothing.
Lucy wearing his clothing…
But he was getting sidetracked. He felt Lucy’s eyes on him as he changed. She inhaled sharply when he stepped out of his jeans, leaving him in his standard black boxers.
“You sure you want me to put more clothes back on, Luce?” Lockwood turned to her with a cocky grin. “You’re just going to take them off, anyway.”
Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, sticking her chin out.
“No, stick to what we agreed on.”
A few minutes later, Lockwood stood before her in his usual attire, pink socks and all. He held his suit jacket over one shoulder, raising his eyebrow in question.
“Skip the jacket,” Lucy confirmed, wetting her lips in anticipation.
She flicked her eyes to his groin, where he knew the pants were already starting to tent.
“How do you want me?” he asked, voice low with desire.
She swallowed, considering her options.
“On the bed, eventually. But first…”
“First?”
“First I’m going to take you apart.”
And damn if he wasn’t already putty in her hands.
Lucy approached him, running her hands down his covered chest. He tried and failed to suppress a shudder at even that minimal contact. Biting her lip, she carefully rolled up his sleeves past his elbows, fingers grazing his biceps.
Her breathing grew shallow as she worked, lowering her hands to grasp his belt buckle. She yanked him forward, hard, the unexpected motion causing him to stumble forward. Lockwood caught himself on her shoulders, steadying both of them so they didn’t tumble to the floor.
“Do I pass your inspection?” he asked, trying to angle for a kiss.
“Not yet,” Lucy scolded, keeping her lips out of his reach.
Now it was her turn to smirk as she reached for his tie, tugging gently on it.
“The things I’ve wanted to do with these damn ties,” she whispered and his eyes slammed shut with a groan.
It was then that Lockwood realized he would let her do anything, anything that she wanted to him.
For now, Lucy seemed content to undress him. Once her nimble fingers undid his carefully tied knot, she left the fabric hanging loose around his neck. Next, she slowly undid each button on his shirt, feeling his breath catch as she made her way down his chest. She ran her fingers over the smattering of chest hair she revealed, along with the trail that disappeared under his belt.
Lockwood groaned, her slow pace making the fire inside him that much stronger.
“Lucy,” he pleaded.
For her, he wasn’t above begging. But he didn’t have to, because her eager fingers began working on his belt buckle, sliding it open but not removing the belt. Lucy then took her time unzipping his fly, making sure her fingers brushed against his growing erection as she did so.
“Fuck, Luce,” Lockwood whispered. “What are you doing to me?”
She appraised him again, and he didn’t miss how her thighs squeezed together. Good to know she was enjoying this. It was her fantasy, after all. Not that he was complaining. Tilting her head to the side, she appeared to be debating what she wanted to do with him next. Appearing to come to a decision, she pulled the belt from its loops. He watched as she held it in her hands, snapping it and feeling the weight in her palms.
Fuck.
That sent shivers of need down his spine and he wondered just how innocent her thoughts actually were. For someone who had had sex for the first time just hours before, Lucy seemed to know what she liked. And Lockwood was more than happy to oblige.
Setting the belt aside, she pulled the suit pants down his legs, leaving him in his boxers. Bending down with the fabric, she pressed kisses to his muscled thighs, and he felt his cock twitch in response,
Just a little higher…
His thoughts were interrupted as she guided his feet out of the pant legs and then steered him towards the bed. Now they were getting somewhere. Not that he didn’t enjoy having her in charge. On the contrary, it was nothing short of thrilling. But he wasn’t typically a patient man, and he had spent two years wanting Lucy.
Luckily, she seemed to be ready to take things up a notch. Shoving him roughly onto his own bed with a confidence that impressed him, she settled on her knees between his legs. Looking down at himself, Lockwood saw the debauched picture that he made at that moment. His shirt and tie were undone and hanging loosely, bracketing his bare chest and leading to his now painfully tight boxers.
He chuckled as Lucy quickly removed his socks, muttering something about how they were always pink. She then reached forward to run her hands through his hair, undoubtedly making it stick up messily. Her hands moved to her own jumper, blue of course, pulling it up and over her head. She was left in a plain black bra and her leggings. Lockwood thought she would look sexy in anything, and she hadn’t been wearing a bra the day before so he took his time gazing at her.
It was only then that Lucy finally allowed him a kiss, pressing her lips to his. She kissed him tantalizingly slowly, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips before seeking entrance. After a few moments she broke away, that tongue of hers trailer down his jaw, neck, and chest all the way down his abdomen to his boxers. His whole body tensed as she headed towards her destination, heart rate increasing in anticipation. Lucy flicked her eyes up to his as she hovered over his waistband, nails scratching lightly over his hip bones.
Oh, she had to know what she was doing to him. Lockwood moaned as she lowered his boxers, finally freeing his straining length. Once they were off, she squirmed a bit and his hands itched to touch her.
“I could help you out?” he tried, but she shook her head.
“Nope. You first.”
And then her mouth was on him and all rational thought flew out of his brain. Lockwood knew that she had never done this before. Her movements were tentative at first, a lick here, a gentle suck there. It was almost too light for him, but as she continued her movements became more steady and she increased the pressure.
He was all too happy to lie back as Lucy experimented, adding her hands into the mix. She seemed to enjoy seeing what made him groan, what had his hips jerking upward, and what made him moan her name.
Lockwood’s hands fisted in her soft hair, careful not to pull too hard but tugging in encouragement. His movements became more frantic as she brought him closer to the edge. Right when he was about to warn her, she popped off of him, glancing up apologetically.
“I’m sorry, I just…I don’t think I’m comfortable yet with…” Lucy trailed off, gesturing at his still-hard cock but he understood.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, pulling her up to him. “No apologies, remember? I want you to tell me if you’re uncomfortable with anything.”
She nodded, biting her lip. Lockwood reached forward to free it, then captured it with his own, biting it gently.
“You should know that I’ve been jealous every single time you’ve bitten your lip in front of me,” he said with a laugh.
That seemed to break Lucy out of her returned self-consciousness, drawing a laugh out of her. She reached down between them to find him still hard. As he watched, she quickly rose up to remove her leggings and panties before shuffling down so her center lined up with him.
She glanced at him questioningly.
“If you’re asking me if I want you to ride me, Lucy, that answer is most likely always going to be yes,” Lockwood said with a laugh. “But are you sure? We don’t have to, if you’re sore from yesterday.” He glanced at her with slight concern etched onto his features.
“You’re very sweet,” Lucy said softly. “I’m a little sore, but I think I’m okay. I want to.”
Lucy was probably the only person on the planet that Lockwood would be fine with describing him as “sweet.” But with her, he wanted to be. He wanted to be everything that everyone in her life before had failed to be: loving, kind, protective, and yes, sweet. She deserved some sweetness in her life.
Lockwood’s hand found her center with the intent of preparing her, but he let out a hiss as he felt just how ready for him she already was. At his nod she slowly sank down, her head tipping back as he filled her. His hands came up to palm her breasts through her bra before reaching behind her to flick open the clasp. Lucy met his eyes as he removed the offending fabric, her breasts now bouncing freely with her movements.
Lockwood let out a groan. He would never get tired of seeing her like this. Her eyes stayed on his face as she moved, watching his reactions to the pleasure that she brought him. Before long he could tell that she was close, her hands grasping him more desperately and her breaths coming in quick pants.
“Anthony,” she whispered.
Lucy didn’t look overwhelmed like she had the first time. No, she looked like a woman who knew exactly what she wanted from her lover. Lockwood’s hands gripped her hips possessively as he realized that he was the only person she had ever sought out to make her feel like this.
Overcome with the need to be even closer to her, Lockwood sat up, making sure that their lower bodies stayed joined together. His arm looped around her waist, pressing her bare chest against his partially covered one. Lucy moaned as the fabric of his shirt brushed against her sensitive nipples.
Lockwood kissed her deeply, his tongue against hers moving in random with the rocking of their hips. The new sensations and change of angle soon had Lucy’s entire body tensing up and then trembling. Her mouth left his to let out a long moan as she came.
Transfixed, Lockwood couldn’t tear his eyes away from Lucy as she rode out her climax. Sensing he was close as well, once she returned to herself she picked up her pace until he was spilling into her.
Lockwood had intended for that to last longer, but he figured that they did have the whole day. There would be plenty more orgasms in store for the both of them if he had his way.
Once she collapsed half on top of him, temptation won out and he wasted no time before his fingers were trailing down her body. Lucy raised her eyebrows as he stroked her clit, building the heat within her back up.
“What are you doing?” she asked, still breathless from her first release.
“I know you’ve got more than one in you.” His voice dripped with desire as if he hadn’t just been inside her moments before. “I have a lot of time to make up for, you know.”
He watched as she closed her eyes and surrendered to the pleasure, working her until she called out his name.
“It’s not fair that you’re already so good at this,” Lucy said with a huff and he just laughed.
After they both cleaned up a bit, they returned to his bed and settled against each other. Just like he had earlier, Lockwood held Lucy tight against him. He was reluctant to let her go and he didn’t think he would ever feel as complete as when Lucy was in his arms.
Lockwood had shed his shirt and tie and pulled back on his boxers. Lucy had glanced at him mischievously as she picked up his discarded shirt and slipped it on. She left it unbuttoned, the rest of her bare body still visible beneath it.
Lockwood pretended to be horrified at the thought of her wrinkling one of his good shirts. He was not-so-secretly thrilled to see her in it. If he had thought that seeing her in his gray hoodie was a turn-on, this was next level.
Lucy seemed tired, though, so he managed to restrain himself and was content to just hold her. He gazed down at her, eyes closed but not yet asleep, mouth upturned slightly.
God, he loved her.
Unbidden, Lockwood felt emotion clawing up his throat and misting his vision. He tried to clear his throat but that just drew Lucy’s concerned attention to him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked as her eyes fluttered open, her voice soft and comforting.
He shook his head, unable to speak for a few moments. Lucy tightened her arms around him and brought one hand up to stroke his hair until he felt ready to talk.
“Nothing’s wrong, I just…” He took a deep breath before trying again. “I never thought I would have this. For a long time, I was convinced that I didn’t deserve, well, anything after I lost my family, and that I was too fucked up to get involved with anyone.”
He swallowed hard and then continued, Lucy waiting patiently for him to find his words.
“I’m so, so happy with you, Lucy. But that’s what terrifies me. I keep thinking that it can’t last, that I’m still going to lose you.” A few stray tears escaped down his cheeks and he swiped them away with a sigh.
Lucy shifted them so that they were lying on their sides, facing each other and tangled her legs with his. She took one of his hands in hers, lacing their fingers together. Her shining green eyes met his deep brown ones and didn’t look away while she spoke.
“Anthony Lockwood, you are not fucked up. You deserve to be happy and loved. And I’m not going anywhere.” Lucy paused, squeezing his hand. “I never thought I’d let anyone in like this either. But I’m so lucky that it’s you.”
Lockwood’s face softened at her words and he let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Now Lucy’s cheeks were also wet, and she let out a short laugh.
“Look at us, we’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe, but we have to get all the sappy shit out of the way before George comes home,” Lockwood returned, causing them both to dissolve into laughter.
“Remember the new biscuit rule,” Lucy said through a giggle.
“Well, I don’t see any biscuits here.” Lockwood tipped her face closer to him. “So I think I’m free to kiss you all I want.”
And he did, covering her entire face in soft kisses until she fell asleep in his arms, where she belonged.