Work Text:
She pulled him by the hand into the furthest bedroom, a cosy one at the end of the hallway with an enormous bed covered by a blue blanket and sheets. The last few days had made something abundantly clear to Lucy: she was deeply in love with her husband and she wanted - no, needed him to know.
They could have died today and she never would have had the chance to tell him how she felt. This was an injustice she couldn’t bear, and a fate he didn’t deserve. So, she pushed him back until his knees hit the bed, and then kept pushing, causing him to fall backwards. It was reminiscent of their last sparring session, and it gave her an idea.
“Move back to the pillows.” Lockwood scrambled to kick off his shoes and follow her orders, laying down with his head on the pillows, looking up at her with awe.
She kicked off her own shoes and crawled up after him, straddling his chest just like she had a week ago in the Portland Row basement. She grabbed his face with both of her hands and leaned down, giving him a sweet, chaste kiss.
When she pulled back to look at him, he looked dazed but happy. "Not that I'm complaining, but is everything ok, Luce?"
She smiled and whispered a yes. "I've been scared, Anthony. I was terrified for so long that these last few months were just a dream and that I was going to wake up any second back on Jacobs’ floor. But it’s not true. This is real, isn't it?"
He nodded.
“Good. In that case, Anthony Lockwood, I need you to know something and it’s very important.”
She looked at him then, just as she had many times over the last several months. Lucy took in his dark brown eyes that seemed to stare into her soul and his brown hair that was softer than it had any right to be. And his face - one that held nothing but adoration for her. He was her Anthony and had been since the day they met. She knew that, somewhere deep in her soul. She had known it for a long time, but she had refused to allow herself to truly feel and understand just how deep her love ran. Until now. Lucy reached out with her senses, letting Lockwood’s love flow through her until his and hers were indistinguishable.
Lucy was overjoyed - genuinely, indescribably happy.
“I need you to know, Anthony, that I love you. That I am ridiculously in love with you and I can't go on any longer being afraid to say it. Honestly, I have almost certainly been in love with you since the day I stole your scrying watch. Yes, even as I held my blade to your neck. You saved my life, my soul, and have given me everything - a family, a home, a last name I don’t want to run away from - everything.”
The light from the smile that broke across his face put the glow of the moon outside to shame. "You love me?"
She nodded, letting out a relieved laugh that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.
"I do. I love you so much, Anthony, and I'm proud to be your partner, your wife. I still live in disbelief that you chose me.”
“Lucy, you must know that I am the lucky one. I can’t believe you chose me.”
She laughed at that. “I guess we’re both lucky, but I wasn’t finished. I also... I'd also really like to explore the other benefits of being married. If that's alright with you?"
His voice came out hoarse, strangled. "Like in general or right now?"
"Right now would be great."
Lockwood damn near growled. "Fuck, Luce. You're gonna kill me one day."
He flipped them so he was on top, looking down at her. At some point, being like this would have scared her - this feeling of being trapped, caught. But now? Now she just enjoyed feeling completely protected. The essence of Lockwood filled her every sense, overwhelming her in the most delicious way imaginable.
“Hi,” she said, suddenly shy.
He nuzzled his nose against hers. “You are so beautiful, Luce. You know we still don’t have to do anything, right? We can just go to -”
She cut him off. Lucy didn’t want the option to stop. She knew it was there, that he would stop with a simple word and without hesitation. But she wanted.
Oh fuck, how she wanted - him, this, them.
“I know, Anthony. I want this. Do you?”
She saw the pink rise on his pale cheeks and he looked sheepish. “Since the first day I saw you on the streets, even when I thought you were Lucas. But… I always thought - hoped, I guess, that it would be better than just having sex because we might die soon.”
Lucy leaned forward slightly and captured his lips in a slow, meaningful kiss. “Anthony, that’s not why I want this. I’ve wanted you for a long time, but I couldn’t say it. Couldn’t let… I still thought I needed to protect myself. It took me a long time to build that armour around myself, and an embarrassingly short time for you to shatter it. I just needed time to let the pieces fall away.”
Lockwood looked at her with eyes so full of love, it made her heart soar and tears come unbidden to her eyes. She blinked them away - this wasn’t the time for imagining what-ifs and could-have-beens.
He seemed to sense her turmoil. “Can I show you something?”
“Well, I had hoped you would!”
He looked at her with his brow furrowed in confusion, until recognition dawned and he burst out laughing. “Um, yeah that too but that’s not what I meant. I meant… hang on, I’ll just show you.”
He closed his eyes, a sense of calm coming over him just as it did before he used his Talent. A few moments later, lights appeared behind his head, floating over them both and casting a soft shadow glow. They looked like tiny stars in all the shades of the rainbow, floating gracefully around them.
They were beautiful.
“How are you doing this?” Her voice was filled with awe and she hadn’t bothered to hide her glee.
“Do you like them?” She nodded, not taking her eyes off the lights. “I’m making you see them. They’re not really there.”
“Won’t that make you tired?”
He shook his head. “Not for something this simple. Especially not when I’m near you. Have you noticed - that our Talents are stronger when we’re together?”
“Yeah. At first, I thought it was just because I started using my magic, but when I’m near you, I feel stronger.”
“I love you, Luce.”
It wasn’t the first time he had said it, not even close, but it still made her stomach flutter and her cheeks heat. Instead of responding, she threaded her fingers through the hair on the back of his head, pulling him close and reclaiming his mouth with hers. This kiss was less chaste, with an undercurrent of the need and want they’ve been fighting against for months.
Lucy still didn’t know what she was doing. Lockwood was the first person she had kissed. Flo had given her a mortifyingly in-depth discussion of sex the day before her wedding, but she had retained little of it. Besides, that was months ago. She began to fall further inside of her insecurities when she felt Lockwood nip her lower lip.
“What’s wrong, my love? I can feel you thinking from over here.”
She fought through her nerves and hesitations, trying to be open and honest with the one person who made her feel safe. Really, truly safe. “I’ve never done this before - any of it. I’m just… scared. Not of you, just of…” she trailed off, not sure herself how to put it into words.
“Hey, look at me." Lucy's eyes snapped to his, unaware that she had even looked away. "I haven’t done this either. We’ll figure it out, together.”
This shocked Lucy. She assumed he was… experienced - b ecause he’s Lockwood. “Oh. That’s… surprising.”
Lockwood chuckled. “I truly do not know why you thought I was such a mutton monger or something. But no, you’re my first for this. I don’t know what I’m doing either so let’s just… try? And see what happens? Tell me if anything hurts or feels good, yeah?”
Lucy nodded, a great weight lifted off her chest that she hadn’t realised was there. She was worried she wouldn’t measure up to whatever he had done in his past, but to know that they’re experiencing this together for the first time, well, it made her relax.
Not wanting to waste another minute, she pulled Lockwood down for a hungry kiss that left no doubt about where this was headed. Their tongues battled for dominance and she felt Lockwood’s hands hesitantly rub up her side. She grabbed it and positioned it over her breast, pulling a groan from his throat. The noise unexpectedly shot straight to her core.
She grabbed for his shirt, trying to unbutton it from her position underneath him. Her hands were limited by their bodies pressed together so he sat back on his knees and pulled it over his head. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him with a shirt, but it still made her breath hitch. She loved his tattoos and the lean muscles of his torso.
Lucy sat up, admiring his tattoos in the glow of the floating lights. One day, she would take the time to study the intricacies of them, but she had other plans right now. “Can I draw you one someday?”
Lockwood let out a sound that sounded both pained and wanting. “Lucy, I would let you cover every inch of me in ink if it made you happy.”
She knew he would, too. Lockwood - Anthony, was undoubtedly, completely hers. Something that was finally sinking into her soul, her flesh, and her bones. He was hers and she was his and they would be like that forever. Their bond went farther than just a marriage or piece of love. They felt like two parts of one whole.
“Well, are you just going to sit there or are you going to undress me?” Lucy felt her earlier fire and determination returning and she wanted to let it run free.
He learned forward, unbuttoning the simple black button down she had thrown on this morning. It exposed little more of her skin, but what it did, he traced with his kisses and tongue. When he was done, she chucked it off, and before she could second guess herself, pulled off her undershirt, leaving her bare from the waist up.
Lockwood’s breath hitched, and he gawked at her, drinking in every inch of her skin. She thought she would feel shy and self-conscious, but the open lust in Lockwood’s eyes made her feel powerful, beautiful.
“You… are the most perfect creature I could have imagined. Beyond what I could have imagined.” He crowded her, lightly pushing her back until she fell onto her back and he hovered over her. His hands skimmed up her bare flesh now, leaving gooseflesh and fire in the wake of his fingertips. He’d scarcely touched her, and she already felt on the verge of combustion.
His fingers tentatively cupped her breast, as though he was testing the waters - of what, she wasn’t sure. She pushed her hand over his and forced him to squeeze. They both groaned and his touches became bolder, moving to her nipple - pinching, tweaking, and caressing it, trying to see what felt good to her.
He leaned down to her other breast and took the nipple in his mouth. Her hips lifted, seeking friction while one of her hands wound its way into his hair, trying to keep him in place. She felt the smirk that formed on his lips as she gently tugged on his hair.
The hand on her breast moved, and she immediately mourned the loss of the heat from his hand. She let out a small whine before she felt his hand sinking lower on her belly, sweeping softly by the top of her trousers. Lockwood pulled up a bit to look in her eyes. Lucy nodded emphatically, and he moved to the ties of her trousers, loosening them slowly.
Lucy’s impatience was growing so as soon as he was done unlacing, she pushed down her trousers and underclothes, leaving her completely bare on the bed. Something about his ministrations had awoken something heady and desperate within her, and she wanted him - badly.
She went to reach for his trousers, which by now were straining under the added pressure of his erection, but he swatted her hand away. “Not yet, my love. I want to take care of you first.”
Lucy whined but knew better than to fight him on this. The bastard was stubborn - especially when it came to her. She felt him kissing down her torso until he got to the bone of her hip, playfully nipping it and pulling a surprised squeak from her.
“Luce, I’m going to try something… something that came to me in a dream, actually.”
She thought back to her own sex dream with Lockwood, the night they shared a bed before they were married. If it was even a fraction of how good she felt in the dream, she would let him do anything. “Okay.”
He scooted down further, parting her legs and hitching them up over his shoulders until he was face to face with her core. She swallowed, remembering distinctly the feel of his dream tongue on her. Expecting him to go directly to her centre, it surprised her when she felt his breath ghost over her thigh instead. He kissed her there before pulling her skin into his mouth and sucking hard. It would leave a mark, and the thought of having his brand in such a private place thrilled her.
When he seemed satisfied, he pulled off her leg with a small pop and she saw him staring at his work with a smirk of pride. She refrained from rolling her eyes - she would let him have this minor victory. Diving back in, he kissed from his mark to her core and dragged his tongue from her entrance to her clit. (She was now very grateful for Flo’s far too in-depth lesson about her anatomy and the pleasures of sex.)
As soon as his tongue dragged over her clit, she whined. It was so much better than when he had done this in her dream. The warmth of his tongue, the scrape of his day-old facial hair, and the feel of his fingers pressing into her thighs were mere echoes of the real thing when they were in the dream.
She felt his tongue experimenting with unique patterns, pressures, and positions until he found ones that made her moan particularly loudly.
“I need more, Anthony.” She wasn’t sure what the more was that she needed, but she hoped he did. He pulled away for a moment, and a pang of disappointment shot through her. She opened her eyes to ask what was wrong when she found him putting the first and second fingers of his right hand in his mouth. The sight shouldn’t have been erotic and yet - and yet, the sight made her flush and sent another wave of want through her.
Carefully, slowly, he slid a finger in her, causing her to moan. Of course, she’d tried this on her own over the years. Not much else to do on lonely nights, but it didn’t compare to the longer, thicker, calloused fingers now exploring her.
“More!”
The second finger was exactly what she needed, and just as he had with his tongue, he experimented until he found what made her damn near scream. He found it by crooking his fingers forward, reaching something Lucy hadn’t even known existed.
Her eyes squeezed shut, and she threw her head back and her hips forward without meaning to. She felt him reach his other hand under her leg and around her hip, pushing her back down to the bed. Then his mouth was on her again, his efforts redoubled, and she felt the string inside of her pulling tighter.
She subconsciously fought against his hand, trying to… she wasn’t sure what. She just needed something more - something… something… Lockwood took her clit in his mouth and sucked - and immediately, she shattered. Her legs shook and little lights exploded behind her eyes - mimicking the lights floating above the two of them. The scream she let out would surely be heard through the entire house and beyond. The hand in his hair pulled so tightly that she must have hurt him, but she was far too lost in her pleasure to notice or care.
He worked her through her orgasm, gently trying to draw it out while the aftershocks worked through her limbs. She finally came back down to her body and looked down at Lockwood. Lucy had expected him to look smug, but instead, he had an expression of pure awe on his face. She fell just a little more in love with him at that moment.
She ran her hand along the side of his cheek, and he leaned into it like a cat seeking affection. Even after touching her so intimately and bringing her to an incredible climax, her Anthony sought out any contact he could
“Thank you,” she nearly whispered, but he caught it all the same. Just as she knew he would.
“For what?”
“For… for everything. For that. For saving me. For choosing me. For giving me everything.”
“I think we saved - save each other.”
She smiled, silently agreeing with him. “Enough of that. Come here.” Lucy crooked her finger in a come-hither motion, and he followed immediately, sliding up her body. The feel of his skin on hers and then the rough feel of his trousers against her bare legs made her shiver.
His lips captured hers in a kiss that was far too tender for what they had just been doing, but she still savoured it. She lightly pushed his shoulder. “On your back - it’s my turn now.”
He complied readily, laying down on the pillows while she sat up and straddled him. She wanted to take her time, but she was impatient, so she immediately loosened the ties on his trousers, pulling them and his pants down until he was as bare as she was. She sat back on her haunches, in between his legs. She took a moment to admire how beautiful her husband was, especially like this - laid out before her, hard and wanting. Knowing she had caused this state made her feel powerful.
She let her eyes trace down his body, finding more tattoos on his legs that he had hidden - a stylised L along with a D, C, and J on his hip, some more runes down his thigh, and one just peaking out from his calf that she thinks is a number 35.
He must have noticed her staring because he waved to get her attention. “Do you want to see my favourite one?”
Lucy nodded and Lockwood turned over, showing her his back.From just below his neck, all the way down his spine, stopping just before his hips, there was a large rapier. She recognised the handle as a replica of his favourite one, and it was surrounded by circles and runes.
“The circles are for balance. The rest of the runes are ones George found for me that are supposed to help me in combat. I honestly don’t even remember what they were for.”
She lightly traced the tattoo along his back, enjoying the way her touch made him shiver. He started rolling back over, and she climbed back over him, taking the hint. She sat astride him again, suddenly unsure of where to go next.
“Do you want me to be on top?”
She shook her head. “No… F– uh… someone told me that it might hurt less like this?”
He chuckled. “You mean Flo told you. Whatever makes you happy, Luce. What do you want me to do?”
She grabbed his hands, putting them on her hips. He took one hand and ran it up her spine in what was likely supposed to be a calming gesture, but instead they both stiffened when he ran his hands over the raised flesh of her back - the physical reminders of her past.
“Some other time. It’s a story for another time.” Lucy saw Lockwood’s jaw click like it did when he was biting back emotion, but he eventually nodded and went back to the soothing motions. She scooted back and grabbed his penis, giving it a few strokes. It was nothing like what she thought it would feel like. Somehow, it was both softer and harder than she could’ve imagined. After a few strokes, he stilled her hand.
His voice was strained when he spoke. “If you do that, um, this is going to be over very quickly” His cheeks blushed more with each word and she bit her lip to keep from letting out a soft laugh at his embarrassment. Instead, she lifted herself up, positioning herself over him. Slowly, she guided the tip of him and slid down just a little, letting go of him and bringing her other hand to his chest so she could balance.
Slowly, carefully, she brought herself down on him until he was fully sheathed within her. His eyes were squeezed shut, and she could palpably feel his restraint. Having him in her felt… odd. Different. Full, but not painful. She allowed herself a few moments to adjust to him before she began to move.
Like Lockwood, she experimented with a few different patterns before she found one she enjoyed - slowly grinding herself against him, rubbing her clit deliciously on his pelvis and enjoying the friction. She stayed astride him until she was comfortable and her legs began to tire. When she was ready, she leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I’m ready, love. You can fuck me now.”
His eyes flew open and Lucy could actually see the exact moment he lost control. In a far too graceful motion, he flipped them over so that he hovered over her. “Are you sure?” She nodded, and he pulled her legs higher around his waist, balancing his arms on either side of her.
Lucy hadn’t realised just how much self-restraint he was showing until now. He set a punishing pace that she hadn’t expected, but loved. Her hands flew to his back and her nails dug into his shoulders - a part of her hoped she left marks like the one he left on her.
She couldn’t help herself from crying out with each delicious thrust, pushing deeper into her than when she was on top. She tried to reach for her clit, but he pushed her hand away. She whined because she was so, so close to the edge again and needed to go over. But he seemed to know what she needed because he began to rub harsh circles on her clit and within moments she was lost once again. This time, though, she didn’t have the energy to cry out - just chant his name over and over as she came.
He followed a few moments later before collapsing on top of her, just barely keeping his weight off of her. Lucy wanted to feel him though - she used her legs and arms that were still wrapped around him to pull him down on top of her.
They stayed like that for a few moments, before he rolled off of her and disappeared somewhere, coming back a few moments later with a warm, wet rag. Gently, he cleaned both of them up before he tossed the rag somewhere to be dealt with in the morning.
He climbed into bed and opened his arms - an invitation she immediately accepted, resting her head on his chest and basking in the quiet, the aftermath.
No words were shared, and slowly the lights Lockwood had conjured began to disappear one by one, signalling an end to one of the best nights of Lucy’s life.
Later, before they drifted off to sleep, Lucy looked up at Lockwood with concern in her eyes. “We’re going to be okay, right? This… this wasn’t our goodbye?”
Lockwood held her even tighter. “No, Lucy. Not goodbye - never goodbye. This is just the start. I will burn DEPRAC to the ground, or we can run and live out our days in peace, somewhere far away. But this? This wasn’t goodbye.”
Lucy nodded and laid back down with her head on his chest. They both drifted off to sleep hoping that Lockwood was right.