Crushing Hard
Hybrid female reader x Hope Mikaelson (+mikaelson family & caroline)
Summary: Hope has a massive crush on you, a girl who basically nobody knows anything about. And her family comes for a surprise visit, yay.
Warnings: swearing
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Hope has been a little obsessed with you, she admits it. She can't help but be attracted to you, you're crazy hot, not afraid to speak what you think, and your personality is amazing. And has she mentioned how drop-dead gorgeous you are?
The only setback is that you hate the school and basically everyone in it.
"You're drooling" Josie whispers into her ear. Hope snaps out of it, and brings a hand up to the corner of her mouth to find out it's completely dry. She rolls her eyes and looks up at Josie, frowning.
"Oh, you're crushing hard. Sorry for interrupting your daydream, but I'm pretty sure your family is here," Josie tells her, looking between Hope and some of her family.
"There are a bunch of newer kids this year, but still a lot of the older ones. I try to make the environment around here fully positive and happy." Caroline explains to the family. An amused snort comes from the couch a couple feet away.
"And you don't ever take a break" You glare at her. All their heads turn towards you. "This is y/n, one of the older students. I believe she came here a couple months before Hope did." Caroline sighs.
"You must be delusional because I did not come here willingly. You forced me. And still force me to be here every fucking day of the year" You stand up, crossing your arms, fury evident in your tons and stance.
"Werewolf?" Kol's the next one to speak. "I don't know, what do you think?" You snap at him before turning back to Caroline. "And that's the other thing, I've been here for how many years, and no one still knows what I am"
"You won't tell us" Caroline points out.
"Well, I would think considering you're apparently an expert on supernatural beings, and run a damn school for them, that you or anyone here would be able to tell like that" You snap your fingers at the end.
Klaus steps forward, not liking the way you've been talking to Caroline. "Oh, don't even start" You roll your eyes before he can get a word out.
"What?" Hope snaps her attention to her friend before looking in the direction Josie was a moment ago. To her surprise, her Dad, Mom, Auntie Rebekah, Uncle Kol, and Uncle Elijah are standing across the room, chatting with the headmistress, Caroline and you?
Oh no, Hope thinks to herself before getting out of her seat and quickly walking toward the group with Josie right behind her.
"Dad! What are you guys doing here?" Hope goes up to her father. "We came here for a surprise visit, but caught up in the wonderland tour," Kol told his niece, glancing at Caroline then at you.
You still have your arms crossed, leaning most of your weight on your right leg, making your left hip slightly pop out a bit more than the other.
Hope tries to keep her eyes off of you, not wanting her family or you to notice.
"Oh, nothing. Having a splendid fucking time!" You tell her in a fake cheery voice. You start walking away, "I like your shoes" you tell Rebekah before walking out of the room, your high heels clicking strongly as you do.
"She's mean..but sweet? I don't know" Caroline shakes her head. "She's like Katherine. I like her" Kol answers, smirking.
"Kol." Elijah says sternly to his little brother as Klaus galres at him.
Hope just stares at the ground, not wanting anyone to notice the flush that appeared on her face. "You okay Sweetie?" Her Mom asks. "Mhm. Uh I'm glad that you guys are here, but Josie and I have to finish a project. I'll, uh, catch up with you later" Hope tells them quickly before practically dragging Josie out of the room with her.
"What was that?" Josie asks her as Hope paces around Josie's room. Lizzie is planning a dance somewhere outside with a huge binder.
"I don't know, but now im pretty sure my family kost likely doesn't like Y/n. And if somehow my delusional relationship with her actually freaking happens then there's no point becuase there's a big chance my dad will get protective and ban her or kill her or something. Wait can she even die? I don't know, there's no way she can't die, right? Oh that would suck I'd she died before I can even make a move, or who am I kidding there's no way that's gonna happen. She probably hates me anyways. God, I'm so pathetic" Hope rants to her best friend.
"Okay, okay, calm down. You're not pathetic. You're just overthinking this way too much. There's no way Y/n hates you, I don't believe she does" Josie places her hands on Hope's shoulders, making her stop moving around.
Hope let's out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, then sighs, "I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for" Josie smiles.
You walk into the dining hall, only to be met with the same group of people. "Fucking great" you practically growl, rolling your eyes. You go over to the table lined with food and grabbed a piece of garlic bread.
As you're about to take a bite of it, a voice sounds. "Are you sure you're supposed to be eating that? It says no one is to touch the food" Elijah nods to the sign standing before the long table of food.
You glance at it then shrug, "Well too bad, I'm hungry and they don't exactly have any blood beside from fucking Thumper and Bambi" you take a bite of the garlic bread.
"So you're a vampire" Rebekah says. You twitch your eyebrow up, a smirk playing at your lips.
"Depends how you perceive it" you walk over to them, your eyes turning yellow and veins appearing under your eyes.
"A hybrid" Hayley's eyes widened a bit. "Did Hope turn you?" Klaus asks, not remembering himself ever turning you.
"Seriously? You think I'd let a girl who has a crush on me, sire me? I don't think so" you cross your arms.
"Crush?" Kol asks, knowing Hope has only told him about her crush on you. He wonders how you found out, cause there's no way his neice would've told you. Especially considering the interaction earlier today.
"Not that hard to figure out. Especially when her eyes are always on me, not the chalkboard in class" you cross your arms. "Oh, and Katherine was basically my sister, so that was a compliment back there" you smirk.
"Wait, if you're that old, what are you doing here?" Hayley asks.
"Well I'm pretty sure then Caroline would hate me more than she already does, then tell Damon and he would try to kill me, but it would end up with his head cut off his body and then Elena and everyone, and personally I don't have any fucking time or want for that. Though Damon being dead would be a bonus. So mind as well make some people, aka, Caroline miserable for a bit" you pop the rest of the garlic bread in your mouth.
"What? You still have that sappy crush on her?" You tease Klaus.
You turn around and walk out of the room. As you turn the corner, you run into Hope. She looks if you had a word, sheepish.
You sigh, realizing it, "You've been here the whole time, haven't ya?" You crossed your arms.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry," She turned before walking as fast as she could away from you. She had come down here to find her family, and instead heard you talking to them again and couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation.
She can't believe she's been so stupid. There's no way she's ever had any chance with you. And your acknowledging about her crush on you was just the cherry on top. She wishes she was anywhere but here now.
You look up, quietly groaning, not wanting her to find out like that. Both your age (well, sort of) and the knowledge of her crush.
You vamp in front of her in a split time of two seconds. "Look, I get it, I'm just some stupid girl who has a crush on a girl or woman I don't know! who's way out of my league. No need to rub it in my face!" She exclaims, trying not to let any tears cloud her vision.
"Hey! You're not some stupid girl, okay?" You tell her before she tries to walk away from you again. She lets out a harsh breath before looking up at you from the ground.
"And I'm not trying to rub anything in your face. Yes, I know you have a crush on me, but I don't want you to think anything bad about that. I'd never use it against you or make fun of you for it, or whatever you think I may do." You run your hands through your hair to keep it out of your face.
"And I've never thought about you in that way before, but I can say that I don't hate you as much as everyone else here," She snaps her gaze from the wall to your face, not expecting that. To have that said to her from you is basically like a simple 'I love you' to someone a person may have known for a while. It's also a really big compliment coming from you.
"So there's that" You walk closer to her before pressing a kiss on her cheek. You walk away, up the stairs to your room as Hope stands there frozen. That's one of the best solutions that could have happened at the moment, and she's practically screaming with joy on the inside.
She brings a hand up to the cheek you kissed and gently grazes her finger against the spot.
Her family then also comes down the hallway and up to her. "What happened, Sweetie?" Her mom asks, noticing her reddened face.
"Oh, n-nothing," She tells her, trying her best to hold back the grin that she has on the inside.
Kol looks from her hand placement and reddened face to her excited stance, putting two and two together. He catches her eye and smirks before mouthing 'good luck'.
That just makes her blush more than she already is if that's even possible.
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HONEYS IT GIRL MAGAZINE march edition⋆.ೃ࿔*:・🎀
welcome back to honeys it girl magazine, this is the march catalog. get ready for the inside scoop on data that i've collected, things i've learned/started doing, and just general info like that organized in kind of a teen-magazine inspired fashion. a magazine for it girls ✨ and now please enjoy, the it girl magazine.
MUST HAVE FASHION ITEMS ;
for march/spring fashion in general its so fun to dress like a winx doll or a fairy. i feel magical in flowy material that shimmers, adorable mini skirts and accessories like gold bangles and waist chains.
when im going shopping, im mainly buying clothes for hot girl summer bcuz im just so excited and can't wait. plus i wanna be prepared yk? some patterns that i've noticed in my shopping patterns are that im buying lots of camisoles and sleeveless shirts.
also i've been looking for cute shorts and low waisted jeans. im looking for cute things to embroider onto the jeans and shorts to personalize them and make them feel more "summery".
something that i started was a FASHION BINDER. i followed @prissygrlsorority's idea for a fashion binder and started my own and so far im having SUCH an amazing time. i want to take time and perfect my binder but so far its going well ✨
spring traditionally has LOTS of pastel colors so formulate a color scheme based on pastel colors that look good on you. some rly good examples for color scheme this spring include
something to note for spring fashion specifically is to not look for colors that are specifically dark or bland, the idea behind spring fashion is giving fresh flowerbed, something REFRESHING.
FOR THE BLOG ;
i've been working this month on a larger project that i think you guys would really enjoy and find useful. it'll be released on the first of march and i'll announce it exactly a week before.
additionally during the month of march i expanded my blog by setting up a membership system and facilitating a way for u guys to tip my work and support my blog. i've also offered my services if u might want them.
for the month of april u can expect a variety of content but i wanted to get input from you guys on what you'd like to see the most so i'll be releasing a poll for april content later today.
HOT GIRL SUMMER PREP ;
look, ik its only march but hot girl summer is right around the corner so here are some ways that you can prepare yourself for the summer, so that you can be your most glowy, confident, and radiant self ✨
you can moisturize ur skin with the most sweet smelling and extravagant body butters and creams, but if ur skin is dull and dead you won't get that GLOW that u so desperately seek
for this i recommend juicing (i'll get more into health in the wellness girlies section) and start dry brushing to promote blood circulation and remove dead skin cells from ur body, leaving ur skin feeling baby smooth. also i recommend using a body scrub 2-3x a week depending on the sensitivity of your skin.
if u liked this hot girl summer prep section u can continue reading right one of my recent posts where i went more in depth about how u can prepare for ur hot girl summer.
OH HOW I ADORE BEING A WOMAN ;
this months catalog was in collaboration with @pastel-charm-14 and this section of the magazine was written by her ✨🫶🏽
march brings more than just the promise of spring, it's also a time to celebrate the amazing women who've shaped history. as women's history month rolls around, we can't help but reflect on what it means to be a part of this incredible legacy.
think about those bold suffragettes who fought tooth and nail for our right to vote. they weren't just distant figures in history books; they were real women with fire in their hearts and determination in their eyes. and what about the everyday heroes—the moms, sisters, and friends who quietly make the world a better place?
they might not be famous, but they have such an incredible impact. so here's to us—here's to the laughs, the tears, and everything in between. here's to celebrating our history, our struggles, and our triumphs—because they're what make us who we are.
cheers to being women, and cheers to the journey ahead. being a woman isn't always easy, but i know wouldn't have it any other way.
FOR THE WELLNESS GIRLIES ;
something that has come to my attention is that i drink a lot of fluids early in the morning. i've known that it was good to drink fluids in the morning, specifically water, but i wanted to have an in depth explanation of why it was good. so i googled it ofc.
ur body is dehydrated while u sleep so when u drink water first thing in the morning it helps ur body to recover from the temporary dehydration.
your body absorbs fluids faster in the morning on an empty stomach. so my routine has been, once i wake up to have an 8 oz cup of water, but water isnt the only thing that i drink in the morning.
bcuz fluids are so quickly and efficiently absorbed in ur body in the morning, you can drink other healthy drinks and reap the benefits. some things that i drink in the morning are ;
chlorophyll - this makes me feel so clean, it boosts red blood cells production and helps with glowy skin and weight loss. plus after i drink it i feel so clean, like a fresh out of the shower feeling
ginger shots - these are pretty lethal but they r so good for you. ginger shots are rly good for digestion issues and bloating, and it also boosts ur immunity which is always good
kombuchas - this one i dont drink on an empty stomach, but drinking kombucha in the morning though rly helps with bloating and reduces inflammation, leaving me looking snatched
FUN QUIZZES, VIDEO ESSAYS, RECIPES AND GAMES ;
what kind of flirt are you? - seventeen magazine
whats ur girl power anthem? - seventeen magazine
what kind of dessert are you? - queendom
FOOD FOR THOUGHT ;
this is the video that im going to be thinking about in order to write this section and here's what i thought about it.
ok so the conflict is unique but personally if i was the husband i wouldn't be mad bcuz its not like the wife was IN the bed with the brother in law 😭 she just said that he could use it cuz he was so sleepy. i think that what she did was nice and the husband could've communicated that he was uncomfortable in a better way then to get angry. but in that same breath the wife knows how strongly her husband feels about things like this so maybe she could've been more considerate. like bring out a pillow and some blankets for the brother in law and let him rest on the couch or whatever 💀.
if u thought differently or if u wanna elaborate on that and have more of a discussion feel free to share ur own opinions and thoughts in the comment section.
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between colleagues pt 2 - anthony lockwood
part one
summary: the morning after and some shopping. this is still a great plan. right?
a/n: lol this took forever to come out but ive been busy asf and dealing with a lot of personal issues but i am really loving these two and they made me feel better so i hope you all enjoy!! they really are just two idiots in love lmao the shop scene was v fun
wc: 4.1k
warning(s): fem!reader, small mention of death in regards to a case, reader freaking tf out for a second. but basically no warnings this is all fluff
also im aware i use this gif a lot but it's like my favorite one of him so uhhhh yeah
Your shoulder was stiff when you woke up, and you had to stifle a groan of discomfort as you rolled onto your back. So much for staying off your injured side, you thought disdainfully. Typical of you to sabotage yourself in your sleep.
A glance over at the other empty bed proved Lucy was awake, and a glance at the clock on the wall proved she might have been awake for quite some time.
It was six in the bloody evening. Lockwood’s call with the Caldecotts must have gone well if you were able to sleep for 14 hours. You normally would have had the sense to be a little bit ashamed of sleeping an entire day away, but after the job you’d had and the arrangement you made with Lockwood, you felt like you deserved it.
You pulled yourself out of bed and went through the paces of making yourself presentable at the very least, then threw on a sweatshirt and made your way downstairs. Lockwood was alone in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a half-eaten piece of toast in front of him and the agency’s case binder in his lap.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Lockwood said, glancing up from the files on his lap with a smile. You rolled your eyes at him as you walked into the kitchen.
“Would you believe me if I said I was still tired?” You took a cup from the cabinet and filled it at the tap, taking a sip as you glanced out the window. Night had already fallen, and you could see the flickering of ghost lamps in the distance.
“You know, I think I would,” he said. “You didn’t make it the full 24 hours you promised—I think you’ve still got some in you.”
You chuckled and shook your head. “Where’s Lucy and George?”
“Grocery shopping,” he said, and he looked at the clock. “It’s taking them an awful long while, though.”
“Why are they shopping at night?” you asked.
Lockwood shrugged. “George really wanted to make pad thai, but we have none of the ingredients. Apparently, it’s important enough to warrant a night trip to the store. Lucy offered to go with him, and I made them take their rapiers, so it should be fine.”
“Of course you did,” you mused. “Did you tell them about our little arrangement?”
His eyes filled with amusement. “No. I figured you would want the honor.”
You sighed and let your head fall back. “Kind as always, Lockwood.”
“You should probably start calling me Anthony,” he said. “Just to get used to it.”
“What,” you said dryly, looking back down at him, “girlfriends don’t usually call their boyfriends by their last name?”
“I think your family may frown upon it.” Lockwood checked his watch, then set the binder on the table and stood up. “If you get a kettle going, I’ll make us tea.”
“Bored of write-ups already?” you asked, crouching down to pull the kettle out of a cabinet. Lockwood chuckled as he took the tin of tea bags out of the closet, and he turned the burner on just as you finished filling the pot up.
“I try to do my part, but they’re really not my forte,” he said. “You and George are much better at them.”
“And it comes from filing reports since the tender age of eight,” you said solemnly as you set the kettle on the stovetop.
Just then, the sound of a lock clicking open drew your attention, and you smiled as Lucy and George came inside. George had a reusable bag in one hand and her rapier in another, and Lucy also had hers drawn.
Your brows knit together. “Run into any ghosts?”
“Good morning to you too,” George said. You gave him a mocking look in return.
“No,” Lucy answered, pushing the door shut with her foot, “just being careful. Because somebody swore he saw a Spectre and refused to let a Visitor run away with his goods.”
“I am starving,” George enunciated. “I wasn’t going to let a ghost ruin all my hard work.”
Lockwood smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re both intact.”
“I’m glad you’re finally up,” George said with a look at you. “I thought you’d never come out.”
“She slept like a brick,” Lucy said. “I knocked over all the bottles in the shower and she never even stirred.”
You shrugged. “Last night was exhausting. For many reasons.”
The kettle went off and you turned the burner back down. Lockwood took two more mugs out of the cabinet and set tea bags in them, then poured the boiling water into all four. You handed him the sugar container with a pointed look.
“Remember, half—”
“Half a teaspoon,” he nodded, taking it from you with a wry smile. “I remember.”
“Good,” you said. “You’re always a little heavy handed.”
“Are you saying I add extra sweetness into your life?” Lockwood asked, and you couldn’t help but laugh.
“How did you know?”
“You know, we’re also here,” Lucy spoke up, though when you turned to her she was barely hiding a smile.
“As if I could ever forget you, Lucy Carlyle,” you said. “How’s your day been?”
“Quiet without you,” she said. “Lockwood’s been on the phone all day, and even though George didn’t sleep quite as long as you, he still woke up at two in the afternoon.”
“Oh, please,” George said over his shoulder, in the midst of rifling through his groceries, “I earned it. We all did, after the night we had.”
“True,” she said, tilting her head. “I actually didn’t have any nightmares for once— I’ve never slept so soundly.”
“See?” You gestured at her. “The charms I put on the walls are working.”
Lucy gave you a look. “You can’t seriously believe that.”
“No ghosts have gotten into our room!” you exclaimed. “And both of our nightmares have been getting better. That dragon is protecting us.”
Lockwood bit back a smile. “I still cannot believe you bought that.”
“Seriously,” George said, still organizing ingredients. “A week’s wages, just gone.”
You frowned. “My iron dragon is incredible, thank you very much. Besides, I’m supporting local businesses.” You glanced at Lockwood. “So the supply calls were made?”
“Every last one of them,” he confirmed as he stirred sugar into your tea. “Satchell’s was very happy to get our business again. Salt bombs will be in on Friday, flares come next week, and we’re getting brand new chains tomorrow. Plus a couple new silver glass containers from Sunrise.”
“That’s smart,” you said. “I think I threw our last square container in the furnaces last week.”
George frowned. “We went into the disaster that was last night without any silver glass?”
Lockwood cleared his throat as he handed you your mug, then set the other two on the table for Lucy and George. “Everything worked out in the end.”
Lucy just sighed. “We cut things too close for comfort.”
“The Lockwood & Co motto,” you said before taking a sip of tea. Perfectly sweetened. “How about the Caldecotts?”
“Rescheduled for tomorrow at half past noon,” Lockwood said. “Do you think you’ll be awake by then?”
You rolled your eyes good-naturedly. “I didn’t forget our deal that quickly.”
George raised his eyebrows. “What deal?”
“Oh, nothing,” you said. “Just sold my soul for a favor from Lockwood.”
Lucy frowned, eyeing the two of you. “Elaborate.”
Lockwood hid his smile with a sip of tea as he also looked at you. So this was still your treat.
You shrugged. “We’re going to a wedding together.”
“Not exactly selling your soul,” George said. “Congrats.”
You rolled your eyes. “We’re going together.”
“Congrats,” he said again. “Are we just emphasizing words now?”
“We’re going as a couple,” Lockwood said.
Lucy’s eyes widened and George nearly choked on his tea as they blurted out the same thing. “What?”
“A fake couple,” you added hastily, “to fool my family.”
“…Oh,” Lucy said, glancing at George. “That’s…”
“Less exciting,” he finished.
Lockwood made a face. “Less exciting? George, we’re going to be lying to her whole family for a whole weekend. I’d say that’s quite exciting.”
He glanced at Lucy for a moment before he sighed and looked back at Lockwood with a shake of his head. “Sure.”
“Anyways,” you segued, “I just thought you two should know. It’s not for another month and half, but between the usual ghost-hunting we’re going to be doing a fair bit of planning together.”
“Spend all the time together that you want,” Lucy said. “George and I are good enough at holding down the fort, right?”
“It was just Lockwood and I for months at the beginning of all this, and half the time I was on my own because of investigatory whims,” George said. “At least you’re usually sort of predictable, Luce.”
She frowned. “I take offense to that.”
Lockwood chuckled and shook his head as he set the other two cups of tea down on the table for them. “We won’t impede work at all, I promise. I’ll make sure everything still goes as smoothly as possible.”
“What Lucy said,” George said, finally satisfied with the order of all the ingredients as he got to work. “Spend as much time together as you want.”
“Maybe you will,” you said haughtily. “Maybe Lockwood’s lying and we’ll completely abandon our duties.”
“We won’t,” Lockwood assured, and you merely smiled as you took another sip of tea.
“Speaking of work,” Lucy said, “we ran into Kipps and Godwin on the way to the store.”
Lockwood’s expression hardened and he set his mug down a bit too forcefully. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
“Because it was nothing,” George said, looking up from cutting vegetables. You were glad he was the one with a knife and not Lockwood. “Just typical Kipps posturing.”
“He told us about some job they got,” Lucy said. “Some ridiculously rich widow hired Fittes to find and clear out the ghost of her husband, and they were put on the case.”
“What was her name?” Lockwood asked.
“I wasn’t really paying attention, if I’m being honest,” she said.
“Agnes Colville,” George said.
“That bastard!” Lockwood’s jaw clenched and he moved across the room to a stack of newspapers on the floor, toppling over from the height. He crouched down and began rifling through them, and after a second he pulled out one and held it up for you all to see. The look in his eye was only slightly crazed, which was admittedly progress. “He stole it from us!”
“I do remember seeing her in the paper,” you said after taking a moment to scan the cover. Her husband died of old age, and it was only because of their impressive fortune that anyone knew of it. “A tragedy.”
“I talked to her first,” he insisted, still crouched on the ground. “I called her right after I got this paper, and she told me she wasn’t looking for any agents.”
“She changed her mind, I guess,” Lucy said with a shrug.
“Or Kipps bothered her until she changed it,” Lockwood grumbled.
“Great,” George said wryly as he pushed garlic off his knife. “We’re going to be working double time to make up for this, aren’t we?”
“Sharp as always,” Lockwood said, and he finally stood up as he set the newspaper back down. He pointed a finger at you. “After we go dress shopping tomorrow, it’s straight to the archives to pick up a better case than Kipps.”
You raised an eyebrow. “We’re going dress shopping tomorrow?”
“Did I not tell you?” He frowned. “Caldecotts then dress shopping. And now archives.”
“No,” you said, “you absolutely didn’t.”
Lockwood shrugged. “Well, now you know. We’re going dress shopping.”
“Awfully eager to get into this boyfriend role,” George said.
“I take my job seriously.”
“I already have a dress, Lockwood,” you said. “Dorothy Perkins, remember?”
“This is a special occasion,” he said. “You deserve something nice.”
You felt your cheeks warm and you looked right at him. “You’ll pay?”
“Of course,” he said. “Business expenses, remember?”
You laughed and shook your head. “Yeah. Alright, we can go dress shopping. But if I’m getting a new dress, you’re getting a new suit.”
“Fair’s fair,” he said.
“Do we get any new clothes on your bill?” George asked. “Or is that just reserved for your fake girlfriend?”
“Oh, come off it, George,” Lucy said. “Let them have some fun together.”
“Thank you, Lucy,” you said as you sat down across from her.
“Of course,” she said. “You’re saving me from the Caldecotts and a day in the archives. I should really be thanking you.”
You turned to look at Lockwood. “You’re not going to use this as an excuse to get me to come along on all your errands with you, are you?”
“Do try and be supportive, love,” Lockwood said. “It’s only right as my girlfriend.”
You groaned as you leaned back in your chair, trying your best to ignore Lucy’s smile. “Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.”
“Another Lockwood & Co motto,” George mused. “How fitting.”
-
“Is that Anthony Lockwood walking through my door?”
You looked up when you walked through the door after Lockwood, a grin already on his face as the boutique saleswoman, a kindly older woman, greeted him. A worker at an upscale clothing store knew him by name—already a good sign.
“Ms. Bridgeston,” Lockwood said, “it’s been too long.”
“It certainly has, young man!” She pulled him into a hug and he returned it, and the woman looked at you when she pulled away. “And who is this darling girl with you?”
Lockwood said your name with a gesture, and you smiled and held out your hand. “I’m his associate.”
“And my girlfriend,” he added as she shook your hand. You shot him a look over her shoulder with wide, questioning eyes.
“Practicing,” he mouthed at you with a shrug. He was so ridiculous that you had to stifle a laugh.
“Yes,” you said, looking back at her with a smile, “his girlfriend, too.”
“Well, it is wonderful to meet you, dear.” Ms. Bridgeston smiled at Lockwood. “Anthony here has wonderful taste in apparel—he was right to bring you here.”
“I believe it,” you said with a glance around. “We’re actually in the market for wedding clothes—my cousin is getting married soon.”
“Oh, congratulations!” She clasped her hands together, eyes shining as she looked between both of you. “Is there anything you need help with, or would you just like to look around?”
“We’re good to just look,” Lockwood said, “but we’ll certainly let you know if we need anything.”
Ms. Bridgeston nodded with another smile. “Certainly. I’ll be in the back stocking if you need me.”
“Thank you,” you said, and you looked at Lockwood as she walked off. “Any ideas?”
He shook his head. “Get whatever you’d like. This is a very special occasion.”
You chuckled and nodded, going off to look at a rack of dresses. The agency had been doing well for itself lately. You supposed you could splurge on a nicer dress after nearly dying a couple dozen times. “What are you going for?”
“Oh, I’m not getting anything here,” he said. “I’ve already got a suit at home, and I’ll get a pocket square that matches whatever color you’re wearing. We’re shopping for you—I’m just having fun here.”
“How exquisite,” you mused as you ran your finger over velvet. “We’ve only been fake dating for a day and you’re already all in.”
“Consider it getting in character,” Lockwood said. “We’ll already have gotten all our mistakes out of the way by wedding time.”
“Wise as always.” You took the maroon dress off the rack and continued moving down the line, and you glanced over at Lockwood. “You’ve already got what you want?”
“Most of my wardrobe is black and white.” He held up a navy suit. “This is different.”
“Hardly,” you said with a chuckle. “Dark blue is almost black.”
“This is my version of fun,” Lockwood said wryly, and you smiled as he went into the dressing room.
You spent the next while picking out dresses that struck your fancy, and by the time Lockwood was done, you had five in your arms. When he walked out, you nearly dropped them all.
You didn’t know what was wrong with you.
Perhaps it was lingering sleep deprivation from the near 24 hours you spent awake the other day. Perhaps it was lingering anger from your dealings with the Caldecotts—no amount of money could make dealing with Lorena worth it, but all those zeroes did help—or perhaps you were just already losing your mind.
Despite your complaints, you weren’t averse to the day Lockwood had planned out. Seeing as you’d spent entire days rooting through the archives with him on wild goose chases, an afternoon after an interview and some shopping wasn’t the worst it could get.
But now, standing in the back of the store as Lockwood emerged, you were beginning to question the wisdom of this decision.
Because you honest to God didn’t know what was wrong with you. You saw Lockwood in suits every day, or at least something suit-adjacent. Slacks, a jacket and tie, a million white dress shirts that you always end up folding. Pristine shoes, so shiny you can see your reflection in them, getting ruined by cobwebs and plasma over and over—you’ve spent many a night sitting with Lockwood talking as he polished his most recent pair of shoes, determined to get them back to their former glory.
The point was that you were used to it. You were used to seeing Lockwood dressed up—when you first joined the agency, you honestly thought he slept in suits as well until you ran into him one night on a mission for midnight tea.
So why were you unable to look away from him when he emerged from the dressing room? Why were you rendered absolutely and completely speechless?
It was nothing special, at least for Lockwood. Just a tuxedo. Navy blue rather than black like he always wore, but far nicer than the usuals. He was fussing with his bowtie as he walked out, muttering things under his breath, and thankfully not looking at you at all. You felt your eyes widen, your breath stolen from you for a moment, and all you could do was stare. Very classy of you, but you could hardly be blamed. He was stunning.
You didn’t even realize he was saying something until you heard your name for what had to have been the third time, and you blinked and snapped out of your stupor.
“What?”
He gave that damn smile and inclined his head slightly, holding up one end of the tie hanging around his neck. “Could you help me with this? I don’t know what’s wrong with me this morning.”
At least you had that in common. You cleared your throat and nodded, taking a deep breath as you walked up to him in the hopes that you looked far more composed than you felt. “Yeah. Of course.”
You felt his eyes on you the entire time and you tried your hardest not to focus on it. You’d done Lockwood’s ties millions of times, usually before a particularly important interview or a particularly difficult night. He always said it was good luck, and you always rolled your eyes with a smile.
“So?” Lockwood spoke after a moment, still watching you.
“It’s good,” you said with a nod as you finished tying the bow, making sure it was straight before you stepped away. “You look good.”
“Thank you,” Lockwood said, looking at himself in the mirror with a slight smile. “For the compliment and the help.
“It’s what I’m here for,” you said.
“And as much as I appreciate that,” he said, turning that smile on you, “we’re here so you can get a dress too. Did you pick any out while I was getting ready?”
You nodded and picked up the hangers you’d set down to help Lockwood. “Which one do you want to see first?”
“Definitely the maroon one,” he said with a nod. “Goes well with your eyes.”
“You’re too kind,” you said, and he chuckled as he pressed his hand to his heart.
You went behind the curtain, purposefully taking your time as you undressed so you could try and compose yourself further. It was just a suit, and he was just Lockwood, and this was just a fun little ruse to get your mum off your back for once.
Just a suit. Just a ruse. Just Lockwood.
You let out a deep breath and nodded, finally feeling like yourself again. You stepped into the dress and pulled it up, adjusting it around your figure before you zipped it up in the back, but you couldn’t get it all the way up.
“Lockwood,” you called, “can you help me?”
“Of course,” you heard him respond.
You pushed the curtain aside and stepped back out, making some more minute adjustments along the way. When you looked up, Lockwood’s eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted.
“Lockwood,” you said, staring at him.
He blinked and seemed to focus back in, his head perking up. “What?”
“My zipper.”
“Right.” Lockwood moved just a bit too quick around you, and you shivered as his fingers brushed your bare back for a moment while he pulled the zipper the rest of the way up. “Sorry.”
“Your hands are always cold,” you said. “It’s fine.”
“That’s—” he cleared his throat, and you turned just to see him shake his head. “Right. Yeah. Thanks.”
You raised your eyebrows, the slightest smile tugging at you. “For what?”
His own rose. “Hm?”
“You thanked me. For what?”
Lockwood shook his head again. “Don’t worry about it.”
You chuckled and nodded, holding out the skirt of your dress with your hands. “So? What do you think?”
“You look incredible,” he said, “obviously. It’s an honor to be your fake boyfriend.”
“You’re gonna make me blush,” you said, but your cheeks already felt too warm for comfort.
Lockwood grinned. “Good.”
You had to turn away at that point. He knew exactly what he was doing to you, teasing you like this. “You’re taking your role way too seriously,” you said, busying yourself with rifling through the rest of the dresses you picked out.
“I told you,” he said, “I take my job seriously. And as someone who takes their job seriously, I think that dress is definitely the one.”
“Really?” You held up a sparkling blue dress against you and looked at him. “What about this one?”
He shook his head. “Maroon is definitely the one.”
“I agree, dear.” You looked up to see Ms. Bridgeston walking out carrying two boxes, that same adoring twinkle in her eye. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” You looked back in the mirror for another good, long moment, and you nodded decisively. “I agree. This is the one.”
“Wonderful choice,” she said.
“Perfect choice,” Lockwood said with a grin. “If you get changed, I can go ahead and pay for everything. We’ve already used up half our day—we’ve got to get to the archives.”
You eyed him. “You didn’t just say this was the one so we could spend eight hours in the archives, did you?”
“No,” he assured. “That is the one—trust me, love. You just happened to pick out the best one first.”
You chuckled and shook your head as you started going back to the dressing room. “Whatever you say.”
Soon enough, you and Lockwood were both back in your regular clothes, dress bag in tow, walking down the streets of London.
“You seriously don’t mind spending all that money for this?” you asked, glancing over at him.
“Of course not,” he said. “I can always take it out of your paycheck, if it’ll make you feel better.”
You laughed and hit him on the arm, earning a chuckle in response. “As long as you seriously weren’t lying to me about liking this dress to get me to the archives.”
“I would never lie to you about something like that,” Lockwood said, and he held up his pointer and middle finger. “Agent’s honor.”
You smiled inwardly. “Thank you, then. I suppose I can handle spending the rest of the day in the archives with you with compliments like that.”
“Thank you, then,” he repeated. “We do have to make a stop for tea, first.”
“Naturally,” you agreed.
As you continued on your way, not exactly arm in arm but close enough for your hands to brush every so often, you found your mind drifting back to Lockwood in that damned suit. You cleared your throat and shook your head, trying to physically push the thought away.
“Everything alright?” he asked.
“Yeah,” you said. “Just got something in my throat.”
Lockwood nodded, thankfully oblivious to your inner struggle. You let out a deep breath.
This was definitely still a good idea.
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