blooming in the darkness

chapter three

it was steadily approaching sixteen hours that owen had been unconscious. curt was sitting in a chair beside his bed, hoping that the brit would wake up soon.

curt would think that owen was dead if it wasn't for the slight rise and fall of his chest.

curt had shifted so that his head was in his hands, his elbows on his knees. his eyes were shut, because he was trying to get his thoughts to shut up. he couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if he made a mistake. what if he had misinterpreted owen's reaction to curt bringing up their secret?

then he heard the slightest change in owen's breathing.

owen was awake.

curt lifted his head slowly, only to meet owen's eyes. the look in owen's eyes almost made him flinch away. they were so hard and unyielding, even now as he lay injured and handcuffed to the bed. curt swore that owen was the most stubborn man he had ever met.

"why?" owen asked, voice laced with barely contained anger.

"why what?" curt replied, face displaying the confusion he felt.

owen attempted to shift so that he was sitting upright, glaring at curt when he tried to help. once owen was in a sitting position, panting ever-so-slightly, he spoke again. his voice held more anger than before, along with some other emotion that curt couldn't place. was it sadness? confusion?

"why didn't you kill me?"

curt gaped at him, as if the answer was obvious. to him, it was. deep down, curt still loved and cared for owen.

"why would i do that?"

"because my mission was to either kill you or be killed by you. with these results, i failed." owen's face was set in stone, but his eyes blazed with anger. both knew that neither of them were okay with failure, even if it was a suicide mission.

"well, that's how this one is ending. i'm not going to kill you, and you're in no place or condition to be killing me."

owen looked down and saw the blob of bandages on his knee. owen's voice had quieted, slightly laced with fear, when he spoke. "how much damage?"

"less than expected. your kneecap is most likely still intact, the bullet has been removed, and the wound has been cleaned."

owen nodded in acknowledge, before attempting to move so he was lying down. he was doing fine until he cried out in pain. curt automatically jumped up to help him, and owen very reluctantly allowed it. owen's eyes were clouded with pain, and for a moment curt thought owen might cry. he realized owen was squeezing his eyes shut, as if he was trying to hold back tears.

curt silently sighed, before heading out of the room with a slightly audible click of the door.