South London Forever // George Karim

-tv's and teenage boys and tchocolates-

i couldn't think of a third t word also consistent posting have i met her <3

Freddie stirred the teaspoon around in the mug slowly, keeping the chinking to a minimum so she could hear Lockwood's grainy TV voice over it. She was so used to listening to Velma and Shaggy on the little box, it was disconcerting to hear him.

The teaspoon was put into the bottom of the sink, and she reached for the marshmallow tin.

Remote buttons were pressed.

"I told you to leave me out of it," Lucy hissed. Her voice did that angry wobbly thing.

"And I told you I'd handle it. What are you so worried about? It's all true." Lockwood said happily, his chair creaking as he undoubtedly leant back in it. As if he wanted to look even more annoying.

She put her lukewarm chocolate, a Freddie safe version of the famous hot chocolate, down on the bench and turned to where they were crowded in the opposite corner. He'd fucked up. She could tell by the tension ringing through the kitchen.

"We haven't even solved the case yet. What if Hugo Blake sees that and comes after me?"

"Well, then, we'll look after you, Luce," he continued, standing up. Chai whined and hid underneath the table. "You're our biggest asset."

He took the coworker route?

Freddie shuffled over to what would be an excruciatingly awkward George, lukewarm chocolate in hand so she had something to do, and held onto the sleeve of his flannel. God, there was going to be a lot of peacekeeping and conflict resolution to do after this, in the best case scenario. Or biscuit handing out. Chai whined again. There was a reason he failed his tests for being too happy.

"Asset? Is that all I am, then? Just some thing to make you money? You think that you do things so differently here." Lucy went quiet for a moment, and then brought it back full of well deserved venom. "But you're just like the rest of them. You're as bad as everyone back home."

From what she knew about Lucy's back home, it sounded like Lockwood had just pulled something along the lines of an Edith.

She threw the remote down onto the table and stormed out. The door slammed behind her.

They stood in silence for a moment.

Freddie sipped her lukewarm chocolate.

"Dіck move, Lockwood," George muttered.

"How?" he whisper shouted, like Lucy could hear them from the attic. Which she could. She wasn't in the attic, she was still standing outside the kitchen door holding her breath. Lockwood stomped in a circle, sounding like a pouting child. How stupid. "I flattered her on national television!"

George lent on the chair. "After she specifically asked you to leave her out of it."

And she was the one without boundaries.

"Dude!" Freddie said, restringing herself from stomping around the table and cuffing him over the back of the head. "You don't know what's happened to her! You wouldn't chuck my name up there or we'd have scientists lining up at the door to get a peek through the curtains, why is this any different?"

"I- What's your problem?" Lockwood argued, obviously ignoring Freddie's perfectly good point. "You wanted me to fire her last night... Maybe you were right. Maybe... my judgment's been a little off recently." He went quieter, if that was possible. "Barnes knows she's illegal. I had to do something."

Freddie frowned. Who exactly had she been sharing a room with. "She's illegal? What, like a serial killer?"

"No," George explained, "She hasn't completed grade four, and then she lied about completing grade four... and my judgment was off too. She's got nowhere else to go. I don't think you should fire her."

Freddie set her now cold chocolate down on the crusty tablecloth."She's also been nothing but super Talented for some reason, and maybe a bit thief-y and arsonist-y, but we all have our flaws!"

"Exactly!" George said.

Lockwood was chewing on his nails now. "Let's let her cool off for a bit."