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Lucy sat at her vanity, setting down her favorite jewel-toned eyeshadow palette as she heard quick footsteps marching up the stairs to her loft.
“All set yet? The cab’s nearly here!” Lockwood announced, leaning against the wooden railing.
“Yeah, one second,” Lucy responded, carefully parting her bangs. Her eyes shot to Lockwood’s in the mirror before her. “You clean up pretty well,” she complimented him, looking over his well-fitting suit. His hair was combed to the right, and his signature lazy smirk tugged at his lips.
“You know, you’re not too bad…” Lockwood trailed off as she stood up and smoothed her skirt. Lucy wore an iridescent midnight-blue gown that flowed to her ankles, with loose elbow-length sleeves, and a wide neckline that left her collarbones on display. Between them rested the delicate necklace Lockwood had given her at the last formal they attended together. Her hair was half up with a silver clip to match, and she completed the ensemble with a practical pair of black and white oxfords. Lockwood’s eyes lingered on the heirloom she wore, and he was completely mesmerized by her simple yet classic beauty. The beauty she didn’t realize, but he always noticed.
“Oh how thoughtful, I’m so flattered,” she laughed kindly at his attempt, which drew him out of his transfixation. She grabbed a soft white shawl from her bed and draped it around her shoulders. “Yes I’m ready, shall we?”
“Oh- um, yes. Of course.” Lockwood said shortly, turning on his heels and returning down the stairs. Lucy followed holding up the hems of her skirt, and the two continued to the entryway.
On the landing, George waited for his friends wearing brown wool slacks, a slightly wrinkled button-up dress shirt, and his cleanest pair of comfortable trainers. Hung over his arm, he held an earth-toned houndstooth sports jacket. “Nearly done ogling each other?” He asked with an edgy tone as Lockwood and Lucy made their way down the stairs. “Oh Lucy, spectacular dress!” He beamed, pulling on his jacket.
“Why thank you, George- see that wasn’t terribly hard!” she joked, gently shoving Lockwood’s shoulder. Lockwood continued to the door to hide his slight blush from the other two.
“The cab’s here,” he said, opening the door and walking into the brisk night air. He chuckled a little at his embarrassment and made a mental note to compliment her more articulately later.
George shot Lucy a knowing look, at which she sarcastically scoffed, and all three walked down the front steps and slid into the black cab at the curb.
- - -
Lucy stepped out of the cab first and began walking up to the front entrance of Fittes Headquarters. Lockwood jogged up to reach her as George paid the driver.
“Eager to greet the posh socialites, are we?” Lockwood chided, his playful glance meeting Lucy’s eyes.
“Oh, clearly not,” Lucy mumbled, rubbing her arm “just a bit anxious.”
Lockwood immediately picked up on her nervousness and jumped at the chance to comfort her. “Hey hey, don’t you worry, those posh people will be far too preoccupied to bother about you,” he said, reaching a hand to the small of Lucy’s back before she could turn from the door.
Lucy looked at him with uncertainty, pulling her shawl tighter around herself.
“Plus… you look dazzling tonight. Really,” he added, hoping the gentle flirt would coax her out of her shell.
Lucy blushed, taking a deep breath and letting her shoulders relax. “Well… I guess you’re right, thank you.” she smiled, stepping forward to open the door.
“I can’t believe you lot actually want to go to this,” George grumbled, walking up to Lockwood and Lucy with his hands in his pockets.
“What sort of attitude is that?! George, stop dragging your feet, just head in there and give it your best go!” Lockwood encouraged him, giving him a light shove toward the entrance.
Lucy opened the door for the two boys, rolling her eyes at George “Go on, then.”
Lockwood followed George in closely, who immediately came up with an excuse to trail off. “Actually, think of it, I’m going to go investigate their digital archival system” George declared, turning left and hurrying down a less-crowded corridor.
Inside the massive building, aristocrats wearing elegant gowns and fine suits mingled amongst one another under the vaulted concrete ceilings. Voices buzzed on the various levels of the internal structure, and light jazz played in the background. Lucy recognized a few faces from past jobs since most of the attendees were either DEPRAC authorities or Fittes’ agents, but she was scanning the crowd for one in particular. Lockwood noticed her looking around and began walking down the main steps with her.
“Looking for a new employer?” he joked, “Last time you promised you wouldn’t, so you’re stuck at Portland Row with us.”
“Oh come on,” she said, pulling her eyes from the crowd to him “you know I love it there, and nothing or nobody will convince me other–”
“Lockwood and Co., it seems you actually were invited,” a smug voice from behind them interjected.
A voice that Lockwood could, unfortunately, recognize from leagues away. “Kipps, was that the cleverest thing you could come up with?” Lockwood sneered, glaring at his nemesis standing on the stairs above them.
Lucy immediately darted her eyes away from him, closely inspecting her shoes firmly planted on the granite floor.
“Lucy, I didn’t see you there!” Quill called, walking down the stairs to meet her. He shoved past Lockwood and approached her. “I’m glad to see you, you look nice tonight. Do you like the music?” he asked, looking into her eyes earnestly.
Lucy was initially confused by the non-sequitur comment and looked up at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. Quill was wearing a dark grey suit, with a silver bowtie, which reminded her of his Fittes uniform. His stark blue eyes seemed to be inspecting her a touch too closely, which made Lucy step back.
“Oh, um, right, I think it’s…” Lucy began, eyes darting around the room, then finally landing on Lockwood’s with a pleading look.
Lockwood stepped between them, putting his hand up to draw Quill’s attention from Lucy. “You know, at Portland Row, we have a turntable that plays music on vinyl. This type isn’t really Lucy’s style.” Lockwood pushed, squaring his shoulders as he faced Quill.
Quill scoffed, unamused with Lockwood’s attempt at chivalry “I believe you interrupted her, perhaps she was about to tell me that herself. Why don't we ask,” Quill retorted, looking over Lockwood’s shoulder to reopen the conversation to Lucy. Lucy, on the other hand, had taken Lockwood’s save as an opportunity to slip out of Quill’s line of fire, and she made her way to the refreshment table.
“Well done, Lockwood,” Quill grunted, sauntering off and disappearing into the crowd. Lockwood ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated, and spotted Lucy. He strode over and leaned against the table, which held a lavish display of hors d'oeuvres and pastries.
Lucy’s gaze softened as she saw him. “Thanks, for backing me up there,” she mumbled softly through mouthfuls of a biscuit. Lockwood found sadness in her eyes, as well as confusion.
“Tell me, Luce, what’s going on?” he probed, trying to sound sympathetic.
“Well,” she began, placing down her napkin and leaning on the table beside him “he’s the first guy to ask me out, and I feel like with the agency, the jobs, everything– I’d sort of just never experience any sort of romance, at least while I still have Talent.” She looked up at him, then quickly back down again “Nobody ever showed any interest in me… and now I feel a bit foolish that I’ve caught the eye of Quill Kipps, of all people.”
Lockwood listened to her ramble and felt a dull, painful twist in his chest. He knew what it felt like, to feel like you were going to be alone forever, which is the very last thing he’d want for her. He looked down too, fidgeting with the cuffs of his trenchcoat. “The tough part of someone catching your eye… is that it’s the hardest thing to tell them,” he said, eyes darting to hers.
Lucy could have sworn that she noticed some sort of emotion behind his dark brown eyes, as if a brick in his emotional barricade had fallen loose. “Lockwood, what are you talking—” she began, formulating her sentence as she said it.
Suddenly, both agents whipped their heads towards the stage as the screeching noise of microphone feedback echoed throughout the event hall.
“Our next set is a special request from a top agent here at Fittes! Something to get this party moving, dedicated to Miss Lucy Carlyle,” the lead vocalist of the live band announced, and the musicians immediately began to play a lively rendition of This Charming Man by the Smiths.
“Oh, my god. nonononono, no NO!” Lucy mumbled, trying to hide her flushed cheeks with her hands “This is mortifying.”
Lockwood chuckled, a part of him enjoying seeing her all flustered. “Well aren’t you the Belle of the ball,” he mused.
“Be quiet! You know I despise being the center of attention,” she scolded him, turning her back to the sea of heads turning in her direction.
“Well everyone’s got their eyes on you now, might as well give them a show!” Lockwood laughed, not giving Lucy a moment to register what he was implying before he whisked her onto the dance floor.
“Lockwood!” Lucy protested as he grabbed her hands and yanked her under the blue-and-purple lights. Her dress glimmered as it moved on the dancefloor. She stumbled forwards when he stopped pulling her, her face landing in Lockwood’s chest. He held her shoulders gently and pulled her away, his eyes locking into hers. “You arrogant, flippant, insufferable-“
“Spin.” he simply said with a smirk, as he snaked his arm behind her, grabbed her hand, and flung her out to the side. He grinned as he watched her spiral away, then as he pulled her back and started bouncing his head to the music.
Lucy rolled her eyes and looked at him, trying to resist the growing smile on her face. “You know I hate you for this, Lockwood,” she shouted over the music, leaning close to him as she shifted her weight from side to side, swaying her hips to the same beat as him.
“Oh I know, I’m a monster,” he laughed, grasping her hand and holding it above his head as he gave a little spin of his own. “See, now we’re even!” he said, looking down at her. He entwined his fingers with hers, keeping her hand up as he spun her again and again as she released carefree laughter. For once, she didn’t even think about who was watching, and instead was completely focused on him.
The mirrorball’s reflection of lights danced over them as if they were the only ones there. He then dipped her, leaning his face close to hers as he breathed “George was right, you know. That dress is magnificent.”
Lucy felt her cheeks growing sore from smiling for so long, and she leaned even closer to him. She was panting, but she could still sense his familiar cologne through fast breaths. She glanced at his lips, slightly parted and centimeters from hers, and then up to his eyes. “Lockwood…” she murmured, eyes wide.
The song faded out, and the pair remained in their suspended pose. As people around them stopped dancing and began to look at them, Lockwood immediately looked up and returned Lucy to an upright position. He looked away when he released her, embarrassed, and straightened his tie.
Lucy, flustered as well, drew a hand up to her chest and touched the necklace that lay there. She looked down and noticed Lockwood was absentmindedly clutching her hand still, so she gave him a light squeeze before letting go.
As the song faded out, Lucy looked over her shoulder at the stage and saw Kipps walking out from behind the curtain, shoving what seemed to be a wallet into his pocket.
Lucy looked back to say something to Lockwood, but he had walked back to the refreshment table where he had found George. George appeared to be speaking quite enthusiastically, so she decided to let them be. When she turned back towards the stage, Kipps was waving at her, and it was too late to walk away without seeming impolite.
“Lucy, hi!” Kipps greeted her, walking closer. “What did you think of that? More your taste?” he asked, flashing a smile.
“Yeah, it was a good song,” Lucy said, pulling her shawl back up her shoulders. “How’d you get them to play a song for… you know, me?” she asked, testing the waters of his ego.
“Oh, well when you’ve climbed the ranks, as I have, the strings become much easier to pull,” he bragged, picking an invisible speck of dust off his shoulder and flicking it away. “I’m well-known around here, as you know, and my reputation is something everyone has taken into account upon meeting me.” he looked at her, shooting her a wink that made her stomach churn “or in some cases, they already knew of me.”
Lucy laughed incredulously, already growing tired of watching him puff out his feathers for her. “Sure, your reputation.” she smirks, “I prefer to stay out of the spotlight, but I suppose I can see the appeal of it,” she finishes vaguely, glancing over the crowd to find her friends. Tragically, they were nowhere to be found. She heard the band strike up again in Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division.
Kipps laughed, and the smug look plastered on his face suggested that he assumed she was playing hard to get. “Well, there’s enough people on this dance floor that I might just blend in, care to dance?” he offers, snagging her hand before she can object and pulling her onto the dancefloor.
This time around, Lucy felt much more rigid than when she was dancing with Lockwood. Kipps pulled her forward, and she slipped and stepped on his foot. “Eh- sorry!” she squeaked, backpedaling as she managed to get her hand out of his.
“It’s quite alright,” Kipps said cooly, although she heard the slightest edge in his tone. He moved towards her, making an awkward attempt at a casual two-step but keeping a little more distance than before. “You look stunning, you know,” he said, his lips tugging into a coy smile.
“Erm– thanks,” Lucy managed, looking into his eyes for longer than she found comfortable. “You know, I should really go find–”
“Lockwood? God, you two really are inseparable, aren’t you” he snorts, his voice dripping with jealousy.
“Or George–” Lucy began again, furrowing her brows. She did not appreciate it when posh people tried to put words in her mouth.
“Oh him? Sweetheart, you ought to look for the right kind of company” he says, cutting her off once more.
“Right kind of company!?” Lucy snaps, “First of all, I’ve had enough of your ‘company’, as if I hadn’t made that painfully clear enough, second of all you’d do well to stop interrupting me, and thirdly, those are my friends! If you’re going to try to sleaze your way into my good graces, you might as well pretend to tolerate the people I love!”
Quipps stares at her, slack-jawed at her assertion. “I– Lucy I never–” he stammered, putting his hands up as if surrendering any scrap of dignity he had left.
“Actually, you did,” George declares, sauntering up behind the fuming girl and resting an elbow on her shoulder casually. “This bloke bothering you, Lucy?” he asks, glancing between the two of them.
Lucy realizes her little rant may have been a little louder than she had intended.
“Sure does seem like he is, doesn’t it George?” Lockwood remarked, strolling up behind Kipps and crossing his arms over his chest. “I think that’s your cue to back the hell off now, mate.”
Kipps spun around, dumbfounded, and glared at Lockwood “You’re such a prick.” he muttered before storming off.
Lockwood walked up to Lucy and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m dreadfully sorry for abandoning you with him. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone,” he laughs. “Come with me, I want to show you something,” he says, eyes twinkling under the colorful lights.
George stepped back, wiggling his eyebrows playfully “Have fun, you two!” he called, walking off.
Lockwood grabbed her hand and led her off the dancefloor and up a flight of stairs. Lucy felt her heartbeat speed up, and she couldn’t help herself from smiling. She watched as he flung a door open, and stepped out onto a fire escape, pulling her with him. Lucy’s eyes went wide at the glimmering London skyline stretching before them. She heard the door thud behind them, and Lockwood let go of her hand and leaned back against the railing, facing her. The faint glow of the streetlights illuminated his face, and she noticed that his eyes were locked onto hers.
She stepped forward, holding the railing and turning to look at him sideways. “What did you want to show me?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Oh, this,” he said, motioning to the view of the city before them, “ and… I wanted to get you away from him,” he said, laughing nervously.
“Oh, how chivalrous,” Lucy chided, shifting towards him a little.
“I mean, I can’t say I’m too good at pretending I like Kipps, much less the way he looks at you.” Lockwood confessed, looking up at the night sky.
“You needn’t worry about that, you know,” Lucy said, moving half a step closer to him, as she felt a blush warm her cheeks.
“Oh really, and why’s that?” Lockwood mused, closing the distance between them by stepping forward, his hand finding its way to her waist.
Lucy’s blush only darkened with his touch, and she reached up, running her fingers from his jawline to the nape of his neck. “For someone who acts like he knows everything, you really are quite thick sometimes,” she whispered teasingly, before leaning up and pressing her lips to his.
Lockwood didn’t hesitate to reciprocate the kiss, pulling her waist closer and moving his other hand to her back. He gave her a moment to move closer to him before leaning into her more, deepening the kiss. After imagining kissing her since the moment they met, he was making sure not to take a moment of it for granted.
Lucy ran her fingers through his hair, pulling back to gasp for air and then reconnecting her lips to his. She hummed softly against his mouth, running her free hand up his chest and over his shoulder. She closed the space between their body completely, saving his warmth in the brisk nighttime temperature.
A gust of wind washed over them, making Lockwood break the kiss suddenly. He pulled her face into his neck, holding up the sides of his trench and enveloping her in his coat. Lucy coiled her arms around his waist, resting her head against his bare skin.
“You’re… quite warm,” she smiled, rising onto her tiptoes and softly kissing behind his ear. “And, your heartbeat seems pretty quick,” she teased.
“Hm, and whose fault is that?” he responded, kissing her lips softly. After a second, he pulled back “do you hear that? I think someone’s down there,” he wonders, peering down to the street below.
“Yeah! Finally!!” shouted a familiar voice, and both Lucy and Lockwood burst into laughter to see George on the sidewalk below, cheering loudly.
“Watch this, George!” Lockwood shouts down, smiling before kissing Lucy hard, making her stagger back a little in surprise. Lucy giggled into the kiss, placing her hands on his shoulders and pushing back against him.
“Always a show-off,” she beams, breaking the kiss and looking up at him.
He looks down back at her and grins. “You’re not too bad yourself, Luce.”