Looping his hand around my shoulders, he gave my arm a friendly squeeze. I flushed red, not used to this sudden bout of contact but instinctively found myself nestling further into the crook of his neck, seeking cOmfort. It had been a rough few weeks for me- for all of us, and I wasn't resisting anymore. I'm Lockwood radiated heat and it pulsed out steadily until I was enveloped in his warmth. I could feel his heartbeat, steady and reassuring as he chuckled and pulled me in closer. "You, me and thirty other skeletons Luce. I guess it's just my lucky day."

He glanced at me, turning his head ever so slightly and I watched as the spark in his dark eyes began their twinkle once more.

"As comfortable as we are, it would be quite a lovely idea to rendezvous with the rest of the team."

His gaze lingered on me as I struggled to come up with a witty reply. "I can't believe you found your way down here, I honestly-"

Lockwood cut me off short.

"Save it Luce, you've been through so much, let me do the talking now." A small wink, more arm squeezing and that familiar pang in my heart was back. This time mixed with more pleasure and joy than ever before. Who cares that we were probably stuck down here with ten million skeletons that could kill us at any moment? Right now in this very moment, everything felt right in the world. Lockwood might as well be Little Tom because whenever I was around him, all my guards where thrown away.

"As for the journey here? Well..." He ran his slender fingers through his hair which had somehow remained in completely adequate despite him being picked up by a whirlwind freak tornado just moments ago. I winced as I thought about how my own hair would look like- only someone like Holly would be able to look seamless in such a situation. "It was certainly a trek of all sorts. The most harmful thing I encountered was floating algae in one of the tunnels but that's not important right now." Lockwood was flustered and tumbling over his words- a polar opposite to the suave, nonchalant and cool person I had known above the ground. "The point is Lucy, is that you're safe now. I've got you and I'm not going to let you go anymore."

There was a silence in the room but all I could hear was the sound of my heart thudding loudly against my rib age. I felt my own temperature rise and I didn't dare to meet his eyes. Did he really mean what I think he meant? I must be reading too deeply into this, too deeply into this relationship between Lockwood and I that I had so selfishly manifested inside my own head. He only thought of me as his colleague- that's all and nothing more. I was merely a slimmer, less bespectacled version of George to him, right? Of course that was right, it was just...

"What do you think of me, Lockwood?"

He tilted his head to one side, curious.

"In what sense Luce?"

"I mean, you know... What do you think of me?"

My hands curled into fists as I cursed loudly in my head. Stupid, stupid Lucy. What do you think you'll achieve by asking him such a thing? What would he even have to say other than "I think you're a great addition to Lockwood and Co?"

He laughed. A deep, hearty, reverberating laugh that bounced off the grey stone prison walls and made me feel like there was nothing better in the world than right now.

"To be honest, when I first met you I didn't really have that much of a great impression."

He shifted ever so slightly but never moved his arm which seemingly had found a very comfortable place on my shoulder. Only this time, I could see the small smirk that was splashed across his face.

Huffing, I blew my cheeks out and sighed. "Oh great, first Holly and now you? What next? Did the ghosts I encountered not have a good first impression of me too? Is that why they were so quiet?"

I nearly progressed to a yell. It felt like a deep hole had slowly caved it's way into my chest and was slowly tearing away at my heart. Is this what Lockwood thought of me?

Was I that bad?

"Oh pipe down now Luce, I haven't even finished what I was going to say yet."

My heart suddenly prickled with hope.

"Well, we don't have much time but when do we ever." He stopped midway, as if he was pondering his very next words. I began studying his face- the way the bridge of his nose was slightly askew as if he broke it in a battle, the way that his full, red stained lips contrasted yet fit so perfectly with his constantly perfect hair, the way that his cheekbones perfectly framed the rest of his face. I had to fight the urge to trace my fingers ever so gently around his jawline.

Instead, I leant in closer and have him a gentle nudge. "We both nearly died back there, I think we both deserve to have be a bit more open with each other. Go on," I whispered.

He gave a small smile, choosing to focus directly opposite him as he began to speak.

"What can I say Lucy? You're an amazing person. When I realised you had passed the test, I knew George and I had struck gold. You were the missing puzzle piece in Lockwood and Co without you, the two of us would just be nut jobs on the east side of London."

He paused yet again, turning to look at me as a slight pink tinge began to appear on his cheeks, before turning away.

"After that we started working on cases together, fighting together. I couldn't be happier that finally my dream was working out. But... Thing was Lucy, you grew on me."

This was it. But of course, I couldn't help my stubborn self from piping in.

"Apparently Holly grew on you and George a lot quicker than I did, what made me so different?" The delivery was not as smooth as I expected, I murmured most of what I said but my intention was clear.

"So that's what it's all about, huh?"

"No! No, that's not it I just wanted to know out of my own curiosity, I-"

"If it helps you sleep better at night Luce, I only put up with Holly because she's just too helpful to us. By cleaning and organising our crazy schedule, I appreciate what she's done for Lockwood and Co so much. Don't get me wrong, I admit that she's a bit over the top with her constant need to eat rabbit food and micromanage but everyone has faults. Even me."

He gave a sly wink and I scoffed. This was the Lockwood I knew and loved. Only, I was never going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing I ever thought that.

"But you," he continued, "you're so much more than that. Grumpy, yes. Irresponsible? Yes. Adorable in grey baggy pyjamas? Absolutely."

I was at a completely loss for words. This was so much more than I ever bargained for. I was about to interrupt him and jokingly say something along the lines of 'I'm pretty sure this is the first compliment you've ever given me' but Lockwood pushed on.

"When I got to know you, Lucy Carlyle, you singlehandedly changed my world. I was a hollow boy- still am a hollow boy but you've manage to fill in that gap with something far more precious and powerful. When I got to know you, Lucy Carlyle, I fell in love with the beautiful, wonderful person that you are. You've taught me more about emotions, about understanding and certain things about myself that I would have never discovered. You made me so much better than I would have ever been, and for that, I am forever grateful. I know we're still young, still foolish, still reckless and with so many years ahead of us but I hope-"

Lockwood unslung his arm from around my shoulders and turn to face me fully. I stared at his twinkling eyes with wonderment, awe and... Hope.

His lips parted gently as he dipped his head closer to mine.

"I hope that you love me back."

At that very moment, Lockwood's candles were dwindling down to little snubs. My heartbeat raced faster than ever; body numb, mouth dry, eyes locked.

I placed my trembling hand against his chest where I felt his heart beating just as fast.

"Great news Lockwood, I think this will be front page worthy." I spoke softly and grinned, watching him chuckle at my lame attempt at a joke.

"What's the great news, Luce?"

"I love you too."

I leaned in, closing the distance between his lips and mine.