Gotcha
Words: 476
Warnings: nightmares, kidnapping mention, recovery, paranoia, panic
Blair had fallen asleep on Owen’s couch again.
They had been indefinitely staying with their boyfriend since the kidnapping, far too paranoid and shaken up to sleep at their own home by herself. She had passed out a few hours earlier, lulled to sleep by the gaming video the two of them had been watching, and had curled up under the blanket Owen had settled on top of her.
Owen was still beside her on the same couch, his head beginning to roll back as sleep began to tempt him more and more. The soft words of the video on the television were blurring together, the quiet warmth of the room rapidly pulling him under.
He was beginning to fall back in his chair when a noise yanked him back to awareness. It was a soft mumbling, a quick rustling of the blanket. Blair was up—no, she wasn’t, Owen realized, she was simply beginning to shift around in her sleep.
Before his eyes could drift back to the TV, Blair let out a concerning moan. It immediately reminded Owen of when he’d first untied her—the noise was uneasy, uneven.
He decided to test the waters, leaning a little closer to his partner. “Blair? Hey, you okay?”
Blair was up in a moment, shooting upright and nearly throwing themselves off the couch. She was in the tangles of the blanket, violently fighting to throw it off as her eyes scanned the room frantically.
Owen was on her in a moment, catching her to keep her from slamming into the wood floor.
“Hey, hey! Hey, it’s me, what—“
Blair hiccuped, clutching Owen’s shirt as tight as she could manage. “They’re here—they’re—they’re outside—“ She struggled to form words in between their sobs.
Owen felt his chest tighten for a moment. “Oh, baby, no—nobody’s out there. Nobody’s outside, nothing’s trying to get in—you were dreaming, baby, that’s all…I gotcha, I gotcha.”
They pulled him closer, whimpering quietly as their eyes continued to dart between all the windows and the front door.
“I saw…I s-saw…”
“I know, it probably looked really real. But it was just a dream, just a bad dream.” He pulled away for a second, pushing a stray curl from their face. “Can you tell me about it? Was it the people who took you?”
She nodded, just a little, finally allowing Owen to settle back on the couch and shift them into his arms.
“Yeah, I figured…” He swallowed hard, pushing down his own guilt. “They’re definitely not coming back, they’re not gonna get you. I’m sorry, Blair, I know…I know how bad dreams can be.”
“…There’s nobody outside.” Their voice was a quiet, creaky whisper.
“Nope, nobody. Just pigeons.” He managed a soft smile. “It’s pretty late, now…let’s get comfy in bed, alright?”
“Yeah…” Blair moved to wipe their eyes with both hands. “That sounds nice.”
