Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: Written for the "the 'so what I'm obsessed with next-gen?' challenge" where I got Lucy/Lorcan for a pairing and strong, losing, lamppost, honey for prompts! Thanks to renzhie for her amazing beta work. I still claim you have better grammar than mine!

Hope you like it!

She was strong, Lorcan had to admit. Even after so many failed attempts, she still didn't give up. She could even see that it wouldn't work, but she didn't care, she just bounced back. It was killing her, breaking her from within, every time they visited.

It had become a cycle, a visit to her parents was another repeat of the last visit. Percy and Audrey would fawn over Molly, their precious Molly, completely ignoring their second daughter, and it was simply because Molly was more successful than Lucy. Was that all that ever mattered to them? If all they cared about was their elder daughter, why did they invite Lucy over? Lorcan couldn't help the insane anger that was boiling over in him and knew he was losing his temper as he listened to Percy Weasley go on and on about how he had always known Molly would achieve great things.

Lorcan stood abruptly from his position on the couch and left the room. Before he could close the door, he could hear Audrey's whisper of how that Scamander guy was always weird. For your information, you dear Molly is dating a weird whacky Scamander, he wanted to shout that out to her, but restricted himself to slamming the door loudly.

He had barely reached the lamppost on the street when he heard footsteps behind him; light breezy footsteps that echoed in his heart. Of course it was Lucy, she never wanted to see him angry or sad. She was too caring for her own good and Lorcan couldn't help but think that it was that very thing that made her go back to her parents' like a convict seeking the guillotine.

"Lor?" She placed a hand on his arm, swiftly stopping his jog. Her eyes were pools of hurt and painful acceptance, which only killed him further. How could those people do this to her? Didn't they know, didn't they see that Lucy only wanted a little bit of affection from her family? Was that a hard thing to be granted?

"Won't they miss you?" he tried to be sarcastic, but Lucy, who had always stood by her family even when they acted like she didn't exist, took it as a serious comment.

"I told them goodbye. Do you want to know what Dad said?" Of course, she'd be excited to share with him the sole time Percy Weasley paid attention to his second born.

"What?" he placed an arm around her, leading her through the streets. The night was warm and he knew Lucy loved walking. She seemed to sense his intentions and placed her head on his shoulder as she recited to him about how her father had told Lucy that she needed to take Lorcan to a therapist for his anger management issues. An unwilling smile broke on his face as he listened. Lucy could make even the smallest of stories funny.

"Let's Apparate," Lorcan grumbled when they reached the end of the street, but Lucy stopped him. Her eyes were shining with a desperate need for understanding that made her seem more vulnerable than she already was.

"You should stop letting them get under your skin, Lor. It really isn't much a bother you know? I think, I think I've come to expect it from them. Like, that's just how they are," he wouldn't have believed her, even without the way her voice broke at the end; because he had seen her break down too many times, over people who didn't deserve to have a daughter like her; because he had been the one who held her as she shed tears for people who didn't care a knut about her; because it was he who had to convince Lucy that she was worth so much more than what her parents told her. He wasn't ready to let Lucy go back into the depression swamp she had been in when they first became friends.

They were much more than friends now and times had passed that Lorcan almost couldn't remember a time without Lucy in his life. But he could still recall the way she had looked at him when she had confessed that she thought herself worthless. He had almost laughed at her, but her somber expression had taught him otherwise. He had made it a point in his life to make Lucy feel exactly how she should; cherished and loved.

"Yes, I believe you. As much as I believe in Crumple horned Snorkaks," He muttered.

She laughed at that. Her mother's creatures and escapades never failed to bring a smile to her face.

"Alright you win," she smiled up at him, no trace of sadness left on her face. This was the Lucy he fell in love with, the one who always strove to be happy. He gathered her close, smelling the absently familiar honey.

Just like her, sweet, and naturally so.

A/n: Review please!