Sal awoke that night with a gasp, his fingers gripping the sheets so hard he thought they would tear. His heartbeat raced as he struggled to ground himself.

He was in his room. In his own apartment. His partner was snoring beside him.

His one real eye was blurry with tears. Memories slowly began to come back to him. They'd stayed up late watching movies for date night. They fell asleep first, and he must've passed out before he got the chance to take his mask off. Sal hated sleeping in his mask.

"Sal..?" you were mumbling, woken up by his rugged breathing.

"It's fine," he said dismissively. "Gizmo scared me, that's all. Go back to sleep." The elderly cat glared from the foot of the bed, seeming to sense he was being wrongfully blamed.