[ Glow ] ~ Anthony Lockwood x OC

XXII - Soft

"Lockwood." Daniel grumbled, falling dramatically back into her bed.

"What is it, Dani?" He sighed, walking in her room behind her with two cups of tea.

"You almost got us arrested." She propped herself up on her elbows to glare at him.

He paused, taking in a light breath before grinning at Daniel. "But I didn't" He placed the tea onto her nightstand.

"Still!"

"Dani, you're overreacting." Lockwood smiles lightly, sitting down beside her, his hand landing carefully on her knee. She froze lightly at the new contact, looking down to see his thumb running slow circles on her skin. "We're fine, that's all that matters."

Daniel let out a light sigh, nodding softly as she laid her head back down against the mattress. "I guess." 

There was a beat of comfortable silence between the two, Daniel's eyes lightly shut and Lockwood's thumb keeping its smooth motions. They had both showered, cleaning themselves of the soot from Combe Carey Hall, and changed into more comfortable clothes. Daniel let out a soft yawn, listening to the wind lightly padding against the window outside and Lockwood's careful breaths. Her entire body relaxed; breaths calming down, heart slowing to a steady pace, and her muscles untensing. She was still so worked up and anxious over what happened at Combe Carey. But being home, in her room, with Lockwood. . .it helped her calm down. At least a bit.

"You scared me today." Lockwood said, breaking their silence as he watched his own hand. Daniel almost flinched, on the verge of falling asleep just before he finally spoke up. 

Daniel let out a soft hum. "I did?"

Lockwood let out a soft, airy chuckle as he nodded. "Yeah, you did."

"Why's that?" Daniel opened her eyes, watching as Lockwood laid down beside her with his hand still on her leg. She turned her head so her cheek was pressed to her mattress and she could look at Lockwood. He did the same, looking directly into her eyes.

"You were already hurt and then all the stuff with the Red Room and the Screaming Staircase and. . .when Fairfax showed up-" Lockwood sighed, his hand came up to gently brush her hair out of her face before he rested it against her cheek.

"When Fairfax showed up?" Daniel whispered, leaning into the touch.

"You didn't hide like Lucy and George." He answered in a whisper to match Daniel's. "You could've gotten shot." His thumb carefully moved to brush her cheekbone. 

Daniel frowned, looking up at him. "You could've gotten shot too. I wasn't going to just leave you there."

Lockwood sighed, letting his eyes shut softly. "Why not?"

Daniel paused, as if thinking over her words for a moment. "Because I care about you." 

Anthony sighed again, lightly shaking his head. "You can't get hurt again. You could've died."

Daniel frowned. "I don't care, I wasn't going to just leave you."

"Dani-" 

"No, you can't-" Daniel scoffs, cutting herself off. "You don't just get to throw yourself in front of a gun and expect me to abandon you there."

"I didn't throw myself in front of-"

"No. Just listen. Please." She frowned, looking up at him. 

Lockwood didn't say anything, instead just nodding. 

"Look, I have lost a lot of people. . .Pretty much everyone. And I'm not going to just watch another person I care about die in front of me." Daniel had a hard expression on her face, she looked determined. "I care about you. A lot. And I need you to understand that, you can't just expect me to watch as you get killed by a crazy man with a gun. Or a ghost."