Work Text:
1.
“You’re sure he’s okay?” The voice was faint, and thick, words blending together.
Carlos tried to lift his head, finding every muscle felt weighed down. “His results are good, your fiancé is going to be just fine,”
Fiancé...that must mean-“Thank you,” The voice was clearer this time, unmistakably TK, a burst of energy coursed through him, Carlos managing to pry his eyes open. He groaned, turning his head away from the intruding luminous light above, “Hey, hey baby,” TK soothed, Carlos able to feel his gentle touch against his cheek, “Take it easy,” He said.
Carlos turned his head back, able to make out TK’s blurred shape before him, “What time is it?” He asked, his hands whipping down his face, fingers softly rubbing his eyes.
“It’s around 4am,” TK said.
Carlos placed his hands on the hospital bed, gently pushing himself up, “I’ve been asleep all this time?”
TK perched on the side of the bed, his hands resting on Carlos’s leg, his fingers brushing the coarse fabric on the hospital blanket, “Your body needed the rest,” He whispered, like he somehow knew Carlos’s head was pounding, “How are you feeling?” He asked.
“Like I have the world’s worst hangover,” He sighed, running his hand over his forehead.
TK gave a slight nod, “Yeah, I know how that feels,” TK smiled, he reached down, taking Carlos’s hand in his, “Your doctors said all your tests came back okay,” He said, like he was reminding himself as well as Carlos.
“So I can go home?” Carlos started to sift in the bed, TK reaching out to gently rest his hand across the man’s chest.
“Carlos” He protested, tenderly pushing Carlos back into the bed, “You still need more rest,”
Carlos groaned, slumping back into the bed, “I hate hospitals,” He complained, “I can rest at home,” Carlos said, trying his best to negotiate with TK.
TK leaned forward, “There’s no doctors at our house,” he said, his head tilting to one side.
Carlos gave a teasing smile, his hand coming to lay on top of TK’s “You’re there,” He flirted, trying to release some of the tension TK was carrying in his shoulders.
“I’m an EMT,” He said, the shy smile still on his face.
“Same thing,” Carlos teased, giving a shrug. TK rolled his eyes, “Please,” Carlos pleaded, his hands wrapped around TK’s. Carlos hated hospitals; the clean white walls, the muffled beeping of machines, the countless images of a lifeless TK.
TK moved closer, the man taking in a deep breath, “I know you want to go home babe, I’m sorry,” He lamented. Carlos opened his mouth to continue pleading but realises it was futile, if the roles were reversed there was no way Carlos would let TK leave the hospital.
TK reached over, grabbing a brown paper bag from the table next to him, “Here, I got this for you, in case you were hungry,” He said, placing it on Carlos’s lap, “It’s from the canteen, Nancy said you used to eat them when I was in here,” Carlos smiled, peeling the bag open and peaking inside.
“Which time?” He teased, one brow raising.
TK laughed, it was small, but Carlos couldn’t help but smile wider.
“I know this is hard, I hate hospitals too,” He tried to hide it, but Carlos could see the tension and anxiety in TK’s body as he perched on the bed, “But…” He started, moving his hands to cup Carlos’s face, “It’s just one night to make sure you’re okay and then we can leave.”
Carlos let out a deep breath, nodding slightly. TK was right, it was just one night, Carlos turned his head to kiss the inside of TK’s wrist. TK smiled again, Carlos able to see the tiredness behind it, “You don’t have to stay the night, you can go home rest, and then-“
TK leaned forward, his thumb brushing Carlos’s skin, “There is no way, on earth, I am leaving your side; ever.” It was a definitive statement, leaving no room for argument. TK closed the gap between them, placing a kiss on Carlos’s forehead.
TK pulled back, placing another kiss against Carlos’s lips, Carlos reached up, wrapping his hands around the back of TK’s neck, “I love you,” He soothed, wanting to say the words over and over, there had been a moment earlier when he thought he might never get to say these words against.
“I love you too,” TK assured, their foreheads pressed together.
TK moved from the bed, settling into the chair next to Carlos, pulling it as close to the bed as he could, he took Carlos’s hand in his, “When we go home, it will be together” he said, kissing Carlos’s hand.
Carlos squeezed TK’s hand, his eyes feeling heavy as they became to flutter close.
2.
“Okay just a few more steps,” TK said, carefully walking next to Carlos, his eyes watching each of Carlos"s steps.
Carlos rolled his eyes, shaking his head gently, “TK, I can walk by myself,” He smiled, touched by how gentle TK was being.
TK cocked his head to the side, “I know you can,” He said, “I’m just helping,” They reached the front door, TK sliding it open, stepping to the side to let Carlos in first.
Carlos stepped into the loft, the familiar comfort cascading over him. He stopped in his tracks, "Are you okay?" TK quickly asked, coming to stand by Carlos"s said.
“Did-did you tidy up,” He asked, brows drawn together.
TK walked in front of him, placing his bag next to the sofa, “The 126 stopped by to help,” he said, his arms crossed over his chest, “After I realised you were missing I didn’t exactly leave the place in the best of states,” He sighed, heading into the kitchen, “I wanted it to be tidy when you got home, I know you hate mess,” He said.
Carlos walked into the kitchen, looking around the spotless counters, he reached out, pulling open the fridge.
He looked at the overflowing shelves, “They stocked the fridge?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at TK who was making his way into the kitchen.
"I did it when I picked up your clothes the other day," TK said, grabbing a juice from the fridge, “I got all your favourites,” He said, pointing them out, “Juice and vitamins, and lots of water,” He said, “Make sure you stay hydrated,”
Carlos leaned against the counter, “You didn’t have to do that,” he smiled.
TK nodded, a gentle smile on his lips, “I know, but I wanted to make sure you’ve got everything you need,” He said.
Carlos reached out, taking TK’s hand and pulling him forward, “That’s very sweet,” He said.
TK placed his hands against Carlos’s chest, “Well, you’ve done it for me more times than I can count, It’s the least I can do,”
TK moved back from Carlos, reaching to close the fridge, "Why don"t you sit down, I can grab us some lunch," Carlos pushed himself off the counter and everything shifted, the ground beneath him seemingly crumbling, he reached out, fingers grasping the edge of the counter, “Hey, hey you okay?” TK asked, his voice distorted and hazy.
Carlos felt TK’s arm wrap around his waist, guiding him across their living room until he reached the sofa, gently lowering him down. He could hear TK talking to him, the man crouched in front of him, his worried wide eyes frantically searching Carlos"s face. After a moment, Carlos’s world shifted back to normal, a few steady breaths leaving his lips, “Yeah, I"m fine just…”
“Dizziness, waves of sickness, headaches?” TK asked, filling in the empty gaps.
Carlos just nodded, almost instantly regretting the decision, “You want an aspirin?” TK asked, his hand resting on Carlos’s knee.
“No it"s fine,” Carlos sighed, his head resting in his hands.
“You don’t need to be a hero Carlos,” TK sighed. He heard TK’s footsteps move across their loft, growing louder before the sofa dipped, “Here,” TK whispered, reaching out to take Carlos’s hands, and placing two small pills in his sweaty palms.
Carlos pulled his head up, TK was holding a bottle of Carlos’s favourite drink, motioning it towards him. Carlos took the drink, swallowing back the two pills, “Thank you,” He smiled, placing the drink on the table.
“Whatever you need,” TK assured.
Carlos settled back into the sofa, turning to look at TK, “Right now, can we just sit here,” He breathed.
TK smiled at him, settling next to Carlos"s side, “Of course," He assured.
3.
“You sure you don’t need any help,” Carlos called from the sofa, looking across the loft to see TK stirring two different posts.
TK cocked his head to the side, Carlos able to see his brows raised from here, “You know I’m capable of cooking, right?” He asked.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t help,” Carlos said, gently pushing himself off the sofa.
TK raised the wooden spoon, pointing it at Carlos, “You’re meant to be resting,” he called, the spoon still raised in a warning manner.
Carlos held up his hands, leaning on the back of the sofa, “I am, and have been for days,” He argued.
TK placed the spoon back down, turning the heat down on the stove and walked around the counter to where Carlos was, “And you need to for a few more days,” He said, his hands coming to rest on Carlos’s hips. Carlos groaned, "See how annoying it is," TK smiled.
Carlos laid his hands on TK’s shoulders, “Did you remember to add salt to the water,” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the stove.
TK pulled back, playfully swatting Carlos’s hands away as he reached out for him, “Are you serious?” He called, “Are you forgetting that meal I cooked you when we first started dating,” He asked.
Carlos smiled, finally able to take TK’s hands and pull him back against his body, “I do remember,” He smiled, placing a kiss against TK’s lips, “And you forgot to salt the pasta,” he whispered against his fiancé’s lips.
Carlos laughed as TK scoffed, rolling his eyes, “Do you want to starve?” TK teased, placing another kiss against Carlos’s lips as an alarm sounded in the kitchen.
Carlos watched as TK walked back to the kitchen, turning his alarm off. Carlos watched as TK resumed cooking, his bottom lip locked between his teeth as he concentrated. He stayed resting against the back of the sofa, just watching as TK moved around the kitchen. TK could cook, Carlos knew that, but it wasn’t his favourite activity, the man preferring baking. When it came to cooking, the man was always in some state of stress no matter what he was making.
Yet, there he stood, making a home-cooked meal for Carlos even though he could order in. “You sure you don’t want any help?” Carlos called again. As much as he loved watching TK cook, a part of him longed to be the one cooking, he wanted some control of his life back, wanted to be able to help with something.
TK sighed, his palms resting on the counter, “You can season and stir the sauce,” TK finally said.
Carlos pushed himself back off the counter, walking into the kitchen and taking his place next to TK, the man holding the spoon out to Carlos.
Carlos reached out, his hand wrapping around TK’s, “Thank you,” he breathed. Somehow TK understood that Carlos needed this, no matter how small it was.
They continued to cook, side by side, Carlos finally able to regain some control of his life.
4.
TK’s face stared back at him. His fiancé looked around, utterly oblivious to the peril on the other side of the door. He watched as Trudy picked up the silver blade, the sun reflecting across the metal.
He screamed, the sounds muffled against the tape across his mouth. He tried to rip his restraints off, his skin burning as the plastic dug into his flesh.
He heard Trudy’s footsteps across the floor, then the door open. He could hear them talking but couldn’t work out what they were saying.
He noticed the shovel close to him, his foot inches from the head of the blade. Just as he was able to touch it there was a thud, then a crash, then a scream; TK’s scream.
His head snapped back to the screen, he was no longer able to see TK, the front door was now closed.
He heard more screaming and crashing.
He screamed against his gag, no noise leaving his mouth, the impenetrable barrier blocking his voice.
“Carlos!” TK screamed, his voice sounding raw and broken, “Carlos help!” TK begged.
Carlos pulled and twisted, the metal pole shaking but not giving anything.
The noise stopped.
Carlos breathed heavily, his chest aching. He heard footsteps growing closer.
Trudy walked back into the kitchen, the silver blade now a deep shade of red, her hand stained the same colour, “He didn’t give me a choice dear,” Trudy said.
He screamed, shaking his head over and over, this couldn’t be happening he thought, TK couldn’t be-
His body shot up, his heart hammering against his ribs and chest, sweat dripping down his face. He looked down at his hands, half expecting them to be tied together.
TK.
He looked around the bed, it was empty, with no sign of TK. It felt as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest, his eyes frantic as he look around the room for-
“Hey, what happened?” Carlos looked up to see TK entering the bedroom, a bottle of water in his hand.
“TK, you"re, you’re…” He couldn’t find the words, or the breath to finish the sentence.
TK quickly placed the water on the bedside table, the man sitting on the bed next to Carlos, “What happened?” He asked again, his eyes tracing over Carlos’s face, “Hey, talk to me,” He said, reaching out to lay his hands on the side of Carlos"s neck. He lowered his head to Carlos’s eyeline, “Breath,” He calmed, the man exaggerating his breathing so Carlos could copy.
“I had a nightmare,” He finally managed to choke out.
“About the kidnapping?” TK asked, Carlos just nodded, unable to find the words. TK’s brows furrowed together, his head cocking to the side, a deep breath leaving his lungs, “I’m sorry babe,” He said.
Carlos looked down at his hands, “When you turned up at the house, I couldn’t knock the shovel, and then Trudy…” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “She had blood all over her hand and the knife…” His heartbeat increased again, his hands balling into fists.
TK laid his hands over Carlos’s, uncurling his fists, “Hey,” he said, “I’m fine, it was just a nightmare”
It felt so real, Carlos almost able to smell the blood on the blade. “You could of-“
“Don’t go down that road,” TK stated, “It doesn’t matter what could have happened or what might have happened because it didn’t happen” He assured. TK took Carlos’s hand, placing it against his chest, “I’m fine, you’re fine,” He smiled.
Carlos nodded, TK slipped into the bed next to Carlos, laying his head against Carlos’s chest. Carlos wrapped his arms around TK, holding him close.
TK was fine.
They were both fine.
5.
Carlos adjusted the collar of his uniform, tilting his head in the mirror to see if it was correct. He stared at his reflection, his expressionless face looking back.
He reached up, parting his hair to see the healing scar on his head. He let his hair fall back into place, gripping the edge of the sink for a moment.
“You okay Carlos?,” TK called from outside the bathroom.
He quickly splashed water on his face, running the towel over his face, “Yeah, just finishing up,” He said, his voice muffled against the towel.
TK was leaning against the sofa as Carlos walked in, “Looking good babe,” he smirked. Carlos flashed a quick smile, finding it didn’t last long. He slid the keys off the table, the weight of them heavy in his hands, “How you feeling?
“Fine,” Carlos sighed, running his fingers across the cold metal of the keys.
“Fine?” TK repeated.
“Yeah,” Carlos said, grabbing his jacket from off the sofa, and shrugging it on, “What?” He asked, noticing TK was just staring at him, his brows drawn close together.
“Nothing,” TK said, rocking on the heels of his feet.
Carlos stepped towards TK, “Really,” he asked, “Because you’ve got that concerned look on your face,” He said.
He could see the tension in TK’s shoulders, the man’s hands curling and uncurling by his side.
“You sure you’re okay?” TK asked, stepping closer to Carlos, “You’ve been fidgeting the whole time we’ve been talking?” He said. Carlos looked down at his hands, noticing they were still fidgeting with the keys, it was a nervous tick he had picked up from TK, “It’s okay to be nervous Carlos-“
“I’m not nervous,” he snapped, shoving the keys into his pocket.
TK cocked his head to the side, “What you went through-“
“It’s what cops go through, it’s part of the job,” He said.
He’d known other cops go through worse and be back at work the other day. Carlos was fine, he had to be.
“You know after I got kidnapped…” TK started, looking down at the ground for a moment, Carlos taking a tentative step forward, “I was terrified to go back to work,” He admitted finally.
Carlos frowned, “You never told me that,” He said.
“I know,” TK said, “I didn’t want you to worry, and I didn’t want to seem weak,” TK perched on the back of the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest, “I just kept thinking, if you hadn’t come through that door…” Carlos closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath.
That thought had pledged Carlos as well, “I couldn’t shake the fact that, just like that, everything could be gone, and I just felt so helpless,”
“TK,” Carlos said, standing in front of the man, his hands entwining with TK’s.
“I should have told you,” TK admitted, “Because if you did…” He started, standing from the sofa, “You would have told me that it"s normal to be nervous, and there’s nothing wrong with needing time to adjust,” It didn’t take long for Carlos to catch on to what TK was saying.
He let his head fall forward, the weight on his chest that had been there since last night still weighing heavy.
“I’ve never felt helpless like that,” Carlos finally confessed, raising his head up to look at TK, his gentle eyes meeting Carlos’s. “I was just waiting for someone to turn up and then when you did,” A shuddering breath left his lips, TK’s grip on Carlos’s hand intensifying, “I was so scared that she would hurt you, I don’t want to be in that position again, and I don’t want you to have to be in that position again,”
He hated feeling helpless, he hated the fact that TK and his father were put in danger to save him.
He had wanted to pretend that everything was normal, that this hadn’t changed anything; but it had.
“Carlos,” TK soothed, “I know it’s hard to feel helpless, trust me I do, and I know it’s hard to have other people save you,” Carlos had spent so much of his life saving himself that the idea that someone else had to be there for him sat uneasily on his mind and chest, “But that what you do when you love someone, you have saved me so many times, more times than you know…this time, it was my turn, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Carlos knew that, deep down he knew there was nothing wrong with needing saving, he had told TK the same thing before, “But I meant what I said, you were the one that kept yourself alive until we got there,” TK reached up, wrapping his arms around Carlos’s shoulder, “Carlos,, if you want to take more time before going back, then do, but if you want to go in today then know it’s okay to be nervous about it,” TK smiled, “And whatever you do, I’ll be here for you,”
Carlos wondered how he had gotten so lucky with TK sometimes, despite everything he had gone through the man was still so gentle and kind, wanting to do anything to keep a smile on Carlos’s lips.
+1
TK lay on the sofa, the remote in his hand as he flicked through the channels. It had been over an hour, and TK hadn’t been able to find anything that held his attention. He placed the remote on the table, sliding his phone off and checking his messages- nothing.
He tried to push the worry down, there was nothing wrong, and everything was normal.
This was TK’s first day off since Carlos had returned to work. Normally the day kept him busy and his mind could only wander for a short amount of time before a call came in.
Now, however, there was nothing to keep him occupied.
The thud echoed across the loft, TK pushed himself off the sofa, crossing the room and sliding it open.
“Dad?” TK asked.
He hadn’t seen the man since the hospital. After someone was finally able to get a hold of him, he had shown up, full of concern. He had briefly seen Carlos in his hospital room, TK barely saying a word to the man. TK had told his father once Carlos recovered he would reach out; which he never had.
“Hey son,” Owen smiled, a sense of nervousness around it, “I just wanted to stop by, see how you’ve both been, how’s Carlos?” He asked.
“Fine,” TK said, “Back at work today,”
Owen just nodded, “I tried to call but-“
“Yeah we’ve been busy,” He had seen the calls and texts from his dad, ignoring each of them. He told himself it was because he was busy and that he would get around to it eventually.
“No, yeah I get that I just-
“Can we do this tomorrow?” TK sighed, his grip on the door growing.
Owen frowned, his head pulling back, “Tomorrow? Is everything okay TK?”
“No dad, it’s not okay,” He said, turning around and walking deeper into the loft, his hands on his hips, “Carlos was kidnapped by a serial killer, he was drugged and nearly killed,” Owen tentatively walking into through the doors, “and when we found him, I had to watch him die, had to perform CPR on my fiancé,” He cried, his eyes narrowed at his father.
“TK I’m- I’m so sorry,” He said, his hands against his own chest.
“I tried to call you,” TK said.
“I know, I got wrapped up in this thing with…the FBI,”
TK’s mouth hung open, “The FBI?” He stuttered.
“Yeah it’s a long story, the biker gang well turned out to be a little different than I thought and then O’Brian,” Owen waved his hand to the side, “Anyway, it doesn’t matter-“
“It does matter!” TK yelled, stepping forward, “My fiancé was missing, I was going out of my mind and I couldn’t get a hold of you for the whole day!”
Owen nodded, “I know”.
“Do you?” TK accused.
“They took my phone off me and I got here as soon-“
“As what?” He asked, “As soon as you were finished with whatever suicide mission you were on!”
“TK it’s not like that, It just sort of happened-
“It always just sort of happens dad!” The frustration was too much, TK’s chest was heaving heavily.
“It won’t happen again-“
He bitterly laughed, “You said that before, and here we are again”
Owen opened his mouth, sighing and closing it a moment later.
TK dragged his feet across the floor, slumping down on the sofa, his elbow resting on the arm of the sofa, his forehead leaning against his hand, ”I’m tired dad,” He admitted, “I’m tired of being angry at you, tired of thinking you’ll be there and you never showing, I’m just tired,”
“I don’t know what to say,” Owen whispered from his spot across the room.
TK looked over his shoulder at his father, “Are you okay? You said the FBI was involved,”
Owen stepped closer, “It’s fine, it’s over now anyway,” Owen walked around the sofa, sitting on the coffee table in front of TK, “I was going to say that I didn’t want to be involved and it was an accident but, I’d be lying. I wanted to do something, wanted to help,”
“You’re a firefighter dad you’ve spent your life helping people,”
“I know, but once I’m off the clock and alone I start thinking and, I don’t like it.” TK swallowed, leaning forward on his knees, “I think about your mom a lot, all the mistakes I made there, and I think of you and how I’ve let you down and I just feel – useless. So when I see a situation where I can do something and not have to think about that I just - jump in and your right I don’t think about how it would affect you,” Owen drew his lip into a thin line, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, I’m sorry you had to go through that alone,”
“I wasn’t alone, I had Gabriel,” The man had been one of the only anchors to keep TK from completely spiralling.
“That’s good,”
“There was a moment when we were at the police station, once they worked out it was a serial killer where I…where I generally thought I’d never see Carlos again, and if I did, it would be in a body bag.” TK had been shot, kidnapped, and almost drowned but he had never been as scared as he was at that moment. “Everything we worked for, everything we fought for together…just gone.” TK couldn’t bring himself to imagine a world without Carlos, for the briefest moment when he tried it was just darkness. TK’s lip trembled, his eyes welling, “And I needed my dad to tell me it was going to be okay.” A stray tear ran down TK’s cheek.
“I know, I’m sorry,” Owen said, his own eyes welling up, “And I know I keep saying it but I need you to know how sorry I am,” Owen reached out, his hand squeezing TK’s knee.
TK knew how sorry his dad was, he could see it in his eyes, could see it in his face. “Have I…have I screwed things up for good?” The man asked, genuine fear in his worst.
TK sighed, “No,” he finally confirmed. His father was flawed, TK knew that, but he was also human. God knows his father had given TK the benefit of the doubt plenty of times.
“I just need some time.” TK said, he time to focus on Carlos, to focus on working through his own shit, “But we’ll get through this,” He said, giving a faint smile, "But I need you to do something for me,"
"Anything," Owen quickly said.
"Talk to someone," TK said, "What you said about letting me down and mom, you didn"t let us down," Owen took in a deep breath, nodding at TK.
Owen let out a deep breath, the relief clear, “I love you, son,” Owen said.
“I love you too dad,” TK said.
~~~~~~
TK heard the keys twist in the lock, TK sat up on the bed, pulling his earphones out, "In here," He called, listening as Carlos"s footsteps grew closer, “Hey, how was work?” He asked as Carlos reached the threshold of their bedroom.
“Good," Carlos smiled, "Quiet,” He said, placing his bag next to the bed.
TK nodded his head, leaning against the headboard, his legs crossed beneath him, “That’s what I like to hear,” He said.
Carlos"s brows furrowed for a second, “You okay?” He asked.
“Yeah, why,” TK asked.
Carlos walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge next to TK, "You"re lying in bed at 6pm, listening to," He picked TK"s earphone off the side, holding it close to his ear, "Listening to Death Cab for Cutie, what"s up?" TK squirmed on the bed, rolling his bottom lip between his teeth. "Hey," Carlos whispered, reaching up to gently tilt TK"s chin up, "What happened,"
“My dad stopped by today,” TK said.
“How’d it go?”
TK shrugged, “We worked it out, I guess,”
“You guess?” Carlos asked, his brow raised.
He sighed, “He apologised, and he meant it but…” TK pulled the threads of his joggers, throwing them on the bedsheet, “I still feel angry,” He confessed. His mind would go back to that police station, the empty sinking feeling when his world started to crumble, all he had wanted was Carlos and his father.
“That’s normal TK,”
“Is it?” He asked, “What differences does being angry make? It doesn’t change anything,” It was a hard lesson to learn, one that TK was still learning, but feelings changed nothing, the world didn"t care about feelings, “I really needed him that day,”
Carlos moved closer, his thumb brushing TK"s knee, “I know babe," TK laid his hand across Carlos"s, thankful for the man"s gentle touch. He reached up, running his hand through his hair, the healing scar revealing itself “Hey, what’s wrong,” Carlos asked.
TK"s eyes bounced from the scar to Carlos"s eyes, the movement causing a tear to cascade onto the sheet.
“You almost died,” TK croaked, “I should have noticed that you were missing sooner,”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Carlos assured, “I shouldn’t have shut you out when Iris went missing, that was wrong of me, I’m sorry,” TK just nodded, the paid having talked through what happened over the week.
“I’m sorry I didn’t realise you were in that house," TK said, "I heard the shovel but she said it was a cat and-“
“That wasn’t your fault TK, you had no reason to suspect her,”
“She could have killed you,” He couldn"t get the thought out of his mind, how close he had come to losing Carlos. Since they had been back, it was like a chain was wrapped around his lungs, a weight tied around him, pulling him down deeper daily.
“And she would have killed you if you came in, you saved me!”
TK scoffed, “Your dad saved you,”
“What are you talking about?” Carlos said, “My dad told me you were the one to work out the pharmacy connection, you literally brought me back to life TK,” Carlos brought TK"s hand to his lips, softly kissing them before leaning forward, kissing his forehead.
“Everything’s just…a lot…at the moment,” TK admitted, Carlos"s face still inches from his, “God I’m sorry you’re the one that got kidnapped I’m not trying to make this about me,”
Before TK could spiral Carlos stopped him, his gentle touch on his cheek grounding him, “TK,” He comforted, “It’s okay,”
“It doesn’t feel like it,” He whispered.
“I know, I feel like that too sometimes,”
They had both spent the last week trying to hold it together for the other one, neither letting themselves buckle under the weight of everything, “But we’ll be okay," Carlos assured, his certainty loosening some on the tightness in TK"s chest, "We’ve got each other,” Carlos smiled, his thumb brushing the tears from TK"s cheek.
He rested his hand on top of Carlos"s, “We do,”
There was a lot that didn"t make sense at the moment, weights still pulling them both down. Everything would fall into place eventually, but for now, they had each other, they were both alive, and that was the only thing they needed.