Lockwood & Co - ONE SHOTS

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🌊-Pulled From The Ocean- 🌊
Pov- Lockwood & CO are invited to attend (surprisingly) another Fittes Ball
This fic includes Holly, a character that joins in book 3 of the series.
WARNINGS : showcasing low levels of social anxiety

Lucy looked down at her hands, taking every inch she could to avoid raising her head. A nervous feeling had fluttered through her veins since they'd dressed and got into the night cab. George and Lockwood were on either side of her, bickering over George's twisted tie.
"Just fix it" Lockwood borderline demanded.
"For whose benefit? They won't write about it in the papers" George retaliated.
"For God sake George fix your tie or I'll strangle you with it" Lockwood was exasperated, leaning over Lucy with a pointed look.
"Oh that will look good for the toffs, I can see the headlines now, amature agencies kill each other on the steps of Fittes.' Very good for the image but you know what they say, bad publicity is still publicity" George countered, leaning over Lucy also both he and Lockwood measuring each other up. The cab driver rolled his eyes, turning the corner nearing the destination. Lucy pressed herself back into her seat, away from either boy trying to ignore the two very different but distinct aftershaves wafting off them both. Her nose tickled, but her hands continued to pick at each other almost as bad as Lockwood and George did.
"You're quiet" George said in his famously abrupt way. "Did he moan at you too?" He flicked his thumb in Lockwood's direction, falling back into his seat properly.
"I don't need to moan to Lucy about how she dresses, because she actually listens and looks lovely by the way" Lockwood turned to smile at her but found her eyes downcast. "Luce?"
"Hmm?" Her eyes rose up to meet his, lips rolled inward. Lockwood gave her gentle expression, soft eyes and soft smile to pull her from her daze.
"He said you look lovely, open your ears" George crossed his arms. "You dont look like you're ready to party Lucy" He added sardonically.
"Oh, I am" She widened her eyes slightly comically. She looked at him for a second, before gently reaching over and straightening his tie.
"Thank you" Lockwood muttered near her ear. George rolled his eyes so hard he nearly entered a different dimension. Lucy tried to ignore the feeling of Lockwood's words against her ears, his breath tickling her neck.
"You both look lovely too, very dapper" Her hands clasped again, back on her lap.
The boys sat a little straighter after that.
To the cab driver's pleasure, they had arrived and pulled the car to a soft stop.
"Ready?" Lockwood grinned his megawatt smile, beaming as he undid his seat belt and wiggled his eyebrows at the other two.
"No but do we have a choice" George replied solemnly, pushing his specs up his nose. Lockwood ignored him and swung open the door with flare.
Lucy sucked in a breath, clenching her hands one last time before sliding out the car. Lockwood offered a hand, helping her out with gentleman manners. George closed the door, stomping around the back of the cab after paying him, with hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Let's get this over with" He said under his breath, beside the pair. Lockwood took Lucy's hand and placed it on the crook of his arm. He looked down with a question, his eyes asking hers if this was okay. She gave his arm a light squeeze, glad for the support. However surprised when George took her other wrist and looped it lazily through his arm. "We suffer together" He answered her curious expression.
"Alright team, let's take over this show" Lockwood smirked, pulling the invite out his pocket inside his dress jacket and they all walked through the entrance and straight into the fray.

George had made a bee-line for the buffet after ten minutes of mingling. Lockwood had kept Lucy by his side as he entranced people with his unbeatable charisma. Though despite his perfect attention to the people he had pointless conversations with, he had noticed how quiet Lucy had been. There were times, when with older pairs or other agents that she softened and made a joke here and there. However when one particular group of girls around her age passed without so much as a polite nod in her direction, she internalized again. They had cackled as they did a unified 'Hi lockwood' all drawled out and high pitched. Lucy was a confident person, strong in her boots with rapier in hand. However she was not a confident woman. That is an entirely different battle ground. If she stood with her agency gear, explained to them about her gifts, of her adventures and misadventures with Lockwood & Co, she'd be fine. But she was not, her feet wore kitten heels, her dress was snug and showed off her curves, ones she discounted instead appreciated. Yet despite this elegant picture she was, despite her face finely tuned with colours to bring out her eyes, lips and complexion. Despite being obvious to the common male of her age and to many other kinder persons, Lucy refused to believe herself anything less than plain and stupid. In that very moment, she could see nothing but a silly northern girl playing dress up in a place she didn't belong.
A few of the girls from the group lingered, trying to begin a fast paced flirty conversation with the mysterious Anthony Lockwood. Lucy could hardly blame them, what girl wouldn't want to get to know him. He was a new creature for them to try and discover, filled with secrets and riddled with mystery. His pleasing smile made them forget their words, fogged up their minds so that they mostly giggled than spoke. Lockwood was a pretty boy, with charm and manners to match. If he said move to a mountain it moved, so if he said 'give me a kiss' to a girl, no doubt they'd line up. Lockwood's conversation was light like a breeze tickling your hair, it had rhythm to match many persons and topics expanded from books to cost of living prices, he was the type of boy that when you spoke together it made the young feel grown up and the old feel young again. Lucy was not surprised by his attention and didn't question it nor question the lack of respect toward her from the girls. It was a kill or be killed world out there and the dating sphere was no different. When it came to it, even in fancy dresses and suits human beings leaned into their animalistic tactics of sizing others up and pressing on exposed wounds to show how much better they are. The girls had seen Lucy's fragility and saw it as something they could walk over. Perhaps even they did it without knowing, just caught up in the whimsy feeling inside that big beautiful room. Yet, Lucy's skin started to crawl and it didn't feel like her own anymore. A sickly sloshing in her stomach began when finally the group departed not without however, one girl drawing her eyes off of Lucy. A common look known between women of a particular kind 'How are you with him?'. Lucy felt the full effect of it.
It's silly she told herself, she wasn't with him. He could flirt with whomever he pleased and maybe one day a girl would be on his arm and it wouldn't be her. For some strange reason, that image of her trailing behind Lockwood and his girlfriend arm and arm, made her feel worse.
The room looked smaller and compact, people were louder and heat doubled in temperature. Air felt sore entering her lungs, so she closed her eyes and used her gifts and suddenly everything went quiet. Distant voices of the ghouls trapped in their glass prisons far above, was all that could be heard. Any sources that could make echoes were far away enough to give her the peace she needed.
She remembered suddenly trying to describe her gifts to Holly, how listening sometimes felt like trying to hear things underwater. Right now she was deeply emerged in an ocean of silence, little breaks in with whispers of the dead like waves lapping the beach.