Just Imagine...

Bliss

Bliss was an emotion Owen didn't think he'd experienced very often. Even when he'd been with Katie he'd never been entirely relaxed because he was always worried about her condition, the tumour in her brain that had turned out to be an alien. And after that... bliss just wasn't a possibility. Not at Torchwood. Not with the pain in his heart that forced him to flit from one relationship to another and never get close to anyone.
Then there was Diane. She'd been so beautiful, so loving, but Owen hadn't felt bliss with her either. He'd been afraid to tell her he loved her and once he had she'd left him.
Was bliss even a real emotion? Owen hadn't been sure until now. Waking up in his and Tosh's bed at Harmony Palace, rolling over to see she wasn't there, but not feeling worried about that at all because he knew she was somewhere nearby, probably compiling research on the Relief Point. No need for him to think she'd left him or wandered off. Was that bliss?
Owen sat up with a sigh that turned into a yawn, stretching. The window was open and a warm, gentle morning breeze was ruffling the pale yellow curtains. Birds were twittering outside, their song mixed with the sound of children's laughter. Sam and Jay's kids were playing in the garden with Rose and the Doctor's twins.
There was a discarded crop top on the floor where Owen had left it and he put it on as he got out of bed.
As he'd expected, Tosh was at the island in the kitchen, sitting with her back to him and focused intently on her laptop in front of her. Owen grinned. Tosh's hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a wrinkled, purple, two-piece pyjama set. She was still simply the most beautiful thing Owen had ever seen. He slowly walked up behind her, careful not to make a sound.
"Morning." He whispered in her ear, before snaking his arms around her waist and tickling her. Tosh let out a squeal.
"Owen!" She exclaimed, descending into loud giggles. Owen just grinned wider as she leaned back, shoulders against his chest.
"Don't laugh too loud," he teased, "you'll wake everyone up."
"Then stop tickling me!" Tosh exclaimed, unable to stop laughing. Her laugh was so cute, Owen could listen to it all day. "Owen!" Tosh repeated, grabbing his hands with hers and squeezing them so he couldn't free them. "No more tickling, you're a monster!"
"Oh I am, am I?" Owen taunted, gently pulling her backwards off the barstool and into his arms, then putting her over his shoulder and carrying her back to their room.
"OWEN!" Tosh yelled, still laughing hysterically and thrashing to get out of his hold. She knew that once they were in their room Owen would keep tickling her. But maybe she could fight back.
Once they were in their bedroom, Owen plopped Tosh down on the bed, looming over her as she curled into a defensive ball on the duvet.
She still looked so beautiful, especially now with the faint sunlight from outside shining through the curtains on her as she laughed, deep brown eyes shining. And somewhere beneath all that was the scar on her stomach, a reminder of the bullet that had gone through her and how Owen had just barely saved her life.
Distracted by his own thoughts, Owen was caught off guard by Tosh's dainty little fingers on his skin. Yelping in surprise, he rolled to get away but Tosh grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down onto the bed.
"HEY!" He exclaimed through laughter as Tosh went for his neck. He never should've told her he was ticklish there. Fuck.
After a few minutes of back and fourth tickling, desperate wiggling, and hysterical laughter, Tosh and Owen ended up lying next to each other, both breathless and grinning with a childlike giddiness.
There were voices down the hall - some of the others were awake. Ianto would be making coffee soon. But Owen didn't get up, and neither did Tosh. They were both content to stay here a little while longer, just the two of them.
This, Owen thought, was definitely bliss.