Pairing: Anthony Lockwood x Fem!reader
Part One: Ghostly Memories
Warnings: Angst, Swearing, Mentions of Child Abuse and Neglect, Crying, shouting, Some Comfort. (Photo is not meant to be a description of the reader)
You were avoiding everyone. Everytime some one would walk into the room that you were in but you always came up with a pathetic excuse on why you could not stay in the room or you would quietly slip out before anyone could say anything to you. It had been a few days since the case at your old house and you have never felt so weak in front of your friends, waking up from nightmares every night of repressed memories that you thought had been lost and forgotten but were brought back to the surface like blood when you pick at a scab.
You padded out of the attic as quietly as you could skipping over all of the creaky floorboards that you had memorised so you did not wake Lucy. Sneaking around was a skill of yours, it was a survival especially in your old house and It comes in handy sometimes during cases because of Lockwood's Idiocy. Deciding that the library was your safest option as George likes to go down in the middle of the night for a glass of water. Slowly pushing the door open, seeing the soft glow of the lamp in the corner made you hesitate but whoever was sat in the big armchair had seen you before you could run back away.
"Lockwood what are you doing here at-" You looked to the clock, the small hand just passing one. "One in the morning?" You moved to sit in the armchair next to Anthony. Where the boy in question lowers his magazine to look at your pajama clad form and the anxious clawing that you were unkowingly attacking your wrist with leaving a bright red mark on your skin. He leant over the arm of his chair and pulled your hand away from your wrist so you could not inflict any more damage to your skin.
"I could say the same to you L/n" You paled at the usage of your last name, it was never used unless you were in trouble.
"Last name. What have I done?"
"You are pulling away from us, I know very hypocrytical coming from me but Y/n, we know you are not okay. Please just let one of us in." He shook your hand and swayed it gently in the air, both of you still sat in the two arm chairs but your arms interlinked brought you two together. Oceans apart but your hands were the rivers on land keeping the two of you connected.
"I don't want to talk about it" you muttered keeping a grasp on the final shield as the rest of them had fallen.
Lockwood nodded and the two of you sat in comfortable silence, your grip on his hand slowly loosened until your arm dropped hitting the edge of the arm chair. He sat up quickly but soon relaxed when he saw the rare peaceful expression on your face, asleep in the weirdest position possible. He threw a grey blanket over you. It was your favourite one that you must have left down in the library during your other midnight escapedes. He moved the hair that has slightly fallen across your face and moved it behind your ear so your were not suffocated by your hair in the middle of the night. He leant down and pressed a light kiss to your hairline, making sure you were as comfortable as you could be before switching of the only light source in the room and going to his own room.
It was morning when you awoke. Finally deciding to stop hiding and stay with your friends you got dressed into a black tank top and a pair of black ripped jeans, blue fluffy socks finalizing the look.
You walked into the kitchen where everyone was sat eating or drinking, you quietly walked over to Lockwood who was buttering toast and then slid it over to you with a soft smile on his face. You lifted the piece of toast and walked to the table with one half in your mouth, you sat next to Lucy who gave you a smile before taking a sip of her tea and George passed you the sugar to put in your tea that Lockwood placed on the table with his. He sat next to you and slung his arm on the back of your chair. The four of you were sat in content silence as it was still early morning and none of you had woken up yet.
The peircing ring of the doorbell woke you all up as you walked with Lucy to the door, knowing if you went by yourself you would not be friendly with the person at the door.
It was the same man from a few mornings ago. Your father. Once you caught his face you slammed the door back as hard as you could, not wanting to deal with him, the door rattled in the hinges when it slammed, echoing throughout 35 portland row. "No"
He knocked again and by now Lockwood and George had joined you in the hallway confused on why they might need to change the hinges and lock because of the strength that you used to slam the door. You re-opened the door and yelled. "Go away"
You went to slam the door again but when you did a foot got in the way and you seriously considered squashing it like a bug. "Please can We talk."
"Why, you never wanted to talk when I lived in the same house as you." You muttered hiding what you really wanted to say but you wanted to give him another chance because there was a stupid feeling in your heart, you thought maybe he had changed.
"Please!" Your father begged when he saw you hesitate closing the door. You turned around to your friends, you met Lockwood's eyes, who nodded, signalling that you can do it and whatever happens, he will be there for you.
"Fine" You coldly stated opening the door further, letting your father walk into the front room, where you normally meet the clients.
You walked up to Lucy and whispered in her ear. "You might not want to stay, with all the things that happened between your mother. I don't want it bringing back any painful memories."
She grabbed onto your hands and shook them before walking into the front room as her answer where your father was waiting with George and Lockwood staring at him. You sat next to Lockwood who pulled your hand into his. Being the gravity that will hold you to the ground if you start to drift off.
You glared at him. No more childish cowerdice, you managed to look your mother in the eye and taunt her while she held a gun to your head so you should be able to do this. "What are you doing here?"
Everyone got deja vu to a few days ago. Especially when your father started to shift in his seat unvomfortable with the coldness you, his daughter was presenting him with. "I came to ask for forgiveness"
You raised your eyebrow and scoffed. "Mother is in jail and you don't want to go either so you are trying to get me to forgive you"
He stretched his hands out towards you, where you sank back into the sofa, sinking into Lockwood's safetly. Glad he kept a hold of your hand. "No, My daughter that is not it."
You closed your eyes and took a few quick breaths to stop your rising anger or sadnessbut it did not work. You bit your lip while thinking of how to rationally answer him. That all flew out the window. "No. No." You frowned. "You don't get to call me that. After everything that happened. You are just being cruel." You were surprised at how quiet your voice was.
"I'm being cruel" Your father questioned shocked that his own daughter would call him cruel.
"Yes. Yes. Do you know how worthless you made me feel. The fact that my own father did not stand up to me against my own mother. You never loved me and I thought my whole life that there was something wrong with me but there is not. You are incapable of Love" You leant forward staring right into your fathers eyes.
"I did not do anything to you!" Your father stood up trying to defend his case but in reality was making it worse like in a court when the defendant screws it all up at the stand.
You stood up, Lockwood standing up with you ro provide support if you needed it. "Oh but you did. By not doing anything. You just stood there and watched me get hurt by one of the other people who should show me what love was." Your voice cracked as you pointed to yourself. "You just watched and made no move to protect me because you are pathetic. You made no effort to help when she locked me in my room for nights upon end with little food to feed me. When she held a gun to my head the first time, trying to kill me because I killed her child. But I didn't he fell off a tree. It was an accident. You know it. Mother knows it but you were both filled with hatred that the only child you loved died and the unwated child was left. I was a child. But you never loved me so I'm guessing I don't count as a child"
You were stood face to face with your father and for the first time he hit you. You felt the world stop. Lockwood stepped next to you, he glared at your father with such intensity that even Lucy and George were slightly afraid of him "Get out"
You and your father were both stood frozen shook that he hit you. He never did that but now he finally did, he was just as bad as the rest of them. Only was he taken out of it when he heard Lockwood yell "Get Out! Now" he looked to you where a red handprint started to show and fled like a criminal fleeing from a crime scene. Lucy and George following behind and closing the door.
Lockwood pulled your shellshocked frame into a hug, his arms going around your shoulders. Pulling you close to him so the rythmn of his heart would lull you and ground you. Still in your fragile state but as you could move you wrapped your arms around his waist. Crying into his shirt.
Soon he pulled away from you but moved one arm down to your waist and another hand to your chin lifting it to assess the mark, he wiped away the tears that were falling with a softnes that you had never felt against your face before used to harsh touches not soft and light. He placed his forehead against yours, and you just stayed there until you could focus normally.
"Hey, you're safe. I've got you"
Sorry If it was not the best and there was not much of a confrontation but I hope you liked it.
