Prompt: Warm Blanket
Characters: Charlotte and Daniel
Daniel stands outside on the freighter deck, scribbling something in his journal. It's dark outside- obviously it's late at night. Yet here he is, standing there by one of his devices and taking notes on his latest 'experiment'. He shudders slightly as a cool breeze blows his hair into his face. He ignores the cold and pushes the brown hair out of his eyes so that he can continue writing. He could go to his cabin if he wanted to, get a jacket or something warm to put on, but he doesn't bother to. Besides, he thinks. That would mean I'd have to leave my experiment...
He doesn't notice when the last of the lights in the rooms turns off, or when Naomi passes by and comments that he should be getting to bed. He also doesn't notice when Frank stumbles past, obviously drunk and muttering something incoherently. Then Charlotte comes by and asks him what he's doing up so late.
Now that... That he notices.
"Just uh, doing a quick experiment..." He answers, glancing over at her.
"Dan, it's nearly midnight." Charlotte states in that obvious English accent of hers. Daniel likes her voice, her accent... It's smooth but firm at the same time, like she cares but also wants to be in control. Dan likes that about her- she could be smiling at you in the friendliest, kindest of ways and yet you could still see that confidence, hear that tone in her voice that says that she's in charge.
He glances down at his watch and sees that it is, indeed, almost midnight. 11:42, to be exact- Dan never estimated the time, always said it exactly like the clock read. He was precise like that. "Oh. Yeah, I... I guess it is." He rubs the back of his neck nervously, something he seems to do a lot. "I guess I just... Forgot the time." He shrugs.
"Forgot the time, huh?" Charlotte repeats. "You forget things a lot, don't you?" She asks with a bit of a smirk. He nods.
"Yeah, I... I do that a lot."
She gives him a smile. "Well try not to stay out too late, ey?" He nods again, something else he seems to do a lot. "I'll see you tomorrow, Daniel. Good night!" She calls as she walks away.
He hesitates a moment, then calls out after her, "G-Good night!"
---
Daniel glances down at his watch. 2:15. How did it get so late? He wonders. Although I suppose techincally it's early, it's AM now after all... He shakes his head and sighs, then sits down on the chair he brought with him onto the deck. "I'll just write down this data, then I'll go to bed..." He mutters before yawning and taking his journal back out. "Then I'll go to bed..." He repeats tiredly.
A little over two hours pass, and he's still sitting there in the chair with his journal in one hand and a pen in the other. Charlotte walks by and notices him. She'd found herself unable to sleep, and decided that a walk aboard the freighter's deck might help to tire her out- that way she could get in a few more hours of sleep before she actually had to get up. "Daniel?" She asks, stopping in her tracks. She goes over to where he's sitting and looks down at the sleeping physicist with a small smile. "Just couldn't break away from your experiments, could you?" She asks quietly, shaking her head. She sighs and goes back to her room to fetch something.
A few minutes later the red-headed anthropologist returns with one of her extra blankets. She smiles to herself and places the warm blanket around him. He shifts in his sleep, but doesn't wake up. "Sweet dreams, Daniel." She says quietly before turning and going back to her room, suddenly feeling like she herself could use some sleep.
Daniel begins to stir again, however, the sudden warmth waking him from his sleep. He realizes that some one has put a blanket on him and glances around, trying to find who it was. At first he doesn't see anyone. Then, just as he turns his head to the left, he sees a red-headed woman going around the corner. He smiles, knowing immediately who it is. "Charlotte."