Hey all, this was supposed to be a silly, little fic about TK cooking for Carlos but the boys were having a lot of feelings and they took over, so this quickly got out of control and now we have this. Hope you all enjoy it!
(Written for the Bad Things Happen Bingo prompt: Tearful Smile.)
The first thing Carlos noticed as soon as he opened the door and stepped inside was the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. It was herby and sweet, and I didn't really fit in the home he shared with his boyfriend. Turning to the side he saw TK's boots next to his duffel bag, both on the same spot he found them every night TK finished his shift earlier than him, and his keys were on the bowl next to the door, so he was definitely home. But that still didn't explain why his house smelled like he had suddenly walked into a Michelin-Star restaurant in the middle of Europe, because that combination of aromas was neither American nor Hispanic.
"TK?" Carlos asked softly, frowning as he reached the living room expecting to find him on the couch, only to find the space totally deserted. Turning back to the door, Carlos made sure he hadn't made it up. TK's things were still there so he hadn't imagined that, but that still didn't clue him in on the location of his boyfriend. "Babe, are you here?" He called into the silence.
Getting no response and not hearing any sounds at all, Carlos decided to follow the smell. Rounding the corner, Carlos tentatively stepped into the kitchen, expecting to find a bag of takeout sitting on the counter. Instead his eyes landed on various pots and pans on the stove, but TK was still nowhere in sight.
The scene only made his frown deepen because TK might be a paramedic now, but he would always be a firefighter at heart and he was very serious about potential fire hazards. Getting closer to the stove, Carlos noticed that while one was on, it was set to low and was only simmering. Not able to help himself Carlos went to take the lid off the pan but stopped abruptly as his eyes landed on a few stains on the kitchen counter he had never seen before. Those looked suspiciously like blood and suddenly Carlos felt like instead of a 3-star restaurant he had just stepped into a murder mystery dinner. Which would be perfectly fine except the potential murder had happened at his home, and the one missing was his boyfriend.
Breathing out a nervous laugh, Carlos shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. It was only a few droplets with one or two small puddles in between, he had seen worse, surely whatever had happened here was not life-threatening. But with TK you could never be too careful and Carlos was clearly just paranoid at this point. "TK, where are you?" He called again, voice more frantic than before. "TK!" He all but shouted this time around.
"Upstairs. In the bathroom." Came TK's belated response and Carlos allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He was here. He was okay. No need to panic, or so he told his racing heart. Too late, his heart screamed back. The organ seemingly wanting to beat out of his chest and go search for its owner itself.
The walk from the kitchen to the bedroom passed in a blur and in seconds Carlos was kneeling on the cold tiles of their bathroom and pushing his way in between his boyfriend's bent knees as he sat on the corner of the bathtub.
"What are you doing?" TK said as a way of greeting, making Carlos cocked his head to the side because he should be the one asking that question. But then he took in the position of his hand and blushed. "I'm sitting right in front of you, talking and breathing. Surely there's no need for that." Carlos' fingers had seemingly in their own volition decided to curl around TK's wrist as they took in his pulse, his treacherous heart apparently needing the physical reassurance and taking command of his brain.
Dropping his hand to his side, Carlos let out a breathy laugh and ran his fingers through his unruly curls. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, looking at TK up from under his lashes. "What happened here?" Carlos asked softly, now fully taking in TK's bloody hand and the med kit, bandages, and crimson-stained gauze that lay haphazardly all over the counter near the sink.
"Small kitchen accident, but it's just a scratch and already taken care of," TK explained quickly, shrugging when Carlos raised his eyebrows and pointed to the stream of blood running down his hand onto the floor, the usually white tiles stained red already. "Or, it will be taken care of soon."
"Yes, because I'm here. Come on, let me do it," Carlos prompted, pulling TK's hand to him and examining the wound. "I think this might need stitches." Luckily the edges of the cut were smooth, but it was longer than Carlos felt comfortable dealing with at home. It ran diagonally from the edge of TK's pinky finger to the beginning of his thumb, and also seemed considerably deeper than a scratch.
"I don't think so," TK interjected, "not going to the ER for such a minor injury. I mean at this point I don't think I'm going to the hospital again for nothing short of another shooting or concussion."
"Ha-ha," Carlos said mockingly, "you're enough of a trouble magnet as it is, TK, I don't think you should be baiting destiny."
The corner of TK's lips turned upwards in an almost smile but it fell quickly as he took in the worry in Carlos' usually peaceful and comforting eyes. "Really, I'm okay, babe. I promise. Just give me five minutes and I will take care of it."
"I will do it," Carlos said sternly, his free hand already reaching for the med kit, "that's option number 1, if you don't like it, we can pick the second one and go to the ER. Your choice."
TK groaned and Carlos grinned. It didn't reach his eyes, but it was a beginning.
Getting some new gauze, Carlos pressed it to the wound as carefully as he could, then moved to grab the antiseptic but waited until TK gave a jerky nod, his jaw clenched as he braced himself.
"Shit," TK hissed as soon as the liquid touched his skin, instinctively trying to pull his hand away and letting out a small whimper when Carlos only held it tighter keeping it in place.
"Sorry," Carlos murmured, blowing air into the wound much like his mama used to do every time he took a fall as a kid and teared up at the sting of the antiseptic on his scratches. One would think this would feel like nothing to a man like TK after so many brushes with death, but on those occasions he had been unconscious during treatment and then drugged up his mind with non-narcotic painkillers, so mercifully he hadn't felt much. But now, a little antiseptic was enough to bring tears to his eyes.
Carlos waited for the wound to dry up a little before deciding to dump some more rubbing alcohol on it for good measure. But this time just before he did he leaned slightly forward, waiting for TK to meet him in the middle. Capturing TK's lips with his, Carlos continued to clean the wound, smiling into the kiss as TK let out a small whine but still deepened the kiss.
"Done," Carlos said with a smile, grabbing a gauze to fully dry TK's hand before he began carefully setting various pieces of Steri Strips over the cut, wrapping a bandage around it when he was done.
"You're mean." TK pouted but leaned into Carlos' touch as he began running his finger over his hair.
"If I was mean I would have dragged you to the ER," Carlos challenged, "I still think stitches would have been better and help the wound heal faster."
"When did you make a career change, babe?" TK asked, a shit-eating grin on his face when Carlos looked at him questionably. "I just thought I was the paramedic in this relationship."
"You're such a brat," Carlos groaned, playfully pushing TK away but just as quickly pulling him back against his body, and crashing his mouth into TK's again. "I would have you know I have lots of first aid training," he whispered against his lips when they parted for breath.
"Oh I know, Officer, but I'm certified."
"And here I thought that would mean you wouldn't find yourself on the wrong side of the gurney so often," Carlos teased, one hand tugging at the hem of TK's shirt, as the other found his thigh. "Guess they don't teach you not to run with knives in paramedic school."
"Now who's the brat?" TK moaned, making Carlos silently wonder if it was in suffering or pleasure. But before he could find a retort, TK's eyes widened and he abruptly stood up and sprinted towards the door.
"Babe?" Carlos asked, catching TK's wrist and turning him around to face him.
"We can clean this mess later," TK rushed to say, free hand gesturing to the bathroom, "meet me in the kitchen, I have a surprise for you."
Letting TK go, Carlos finally remembered what he had come to when he stepped into their home. The delicious smell was still in the air but in his worry he hadn't noticed it again until now. Carlos always prided himself in being a clean and organized person, so he almost stayed to fix the clutter, but curiosity got the better of him so he ran to follow TK down the stairs.
"And what do we have here?" Carlos asked, his arms encircling TK's middle, as his boyfriend stirred whatever was on the pan.
"I made dinner," TK said proudly, turning in Carlos' arms and stealing a chaste kiss. "Go sit down, everything will be ready in a minute."
"Can I help with anything?" Carlos wondered, trying to take a peek around TK to see what he was cooking but failing as he took a step to the side, purposely blocking the view.
"Nope," TK said casually, softly pushing Carlos away before turning back to his food.
"You really are a brat," Carlos muttered under his breath, but still followed the request and went to sit at the dining table.
"For making you dinner?" TK called from the kitchen, moving from the stove to the oven and setting various things onto plates.
Carlos smiled but said nothing, taking in the sight of TK moving comfortably around their kitchen, and feeling his heart melt at the scene. This moment right here -coming home to someone that he loved and loved him back, the quiet domesticity and comfort of one of them cooking for the other, a shared dinner before moving to the couch and then to the bed- this is what he had dreamed of since he was a little kid and some days he couldn't believe he really got it.
"Carlos?" A voice filtered through his musings and Carlos blinked his eyes to find TK staring at him, a crease between his eyebrows as he looked at him in concern. "You okay? Where did you go?"
"Nowhere. I'm right here," Carlos whispered, reaching out to run his fingers over TK's face, wanting to erase the frown that had overtaken his futures. "I guess, I'm just happy."
TK let out a little smile which Carlos was sure mirrored his own, before setting down the plates he was carrying and taking a seat. "Hope you like it," he said shily.
Taking it all in, Carlos felt his eyes cloud with tears as he thought back to his childhood dreams. Never in a million years did he think he would be lucky enough to find a man like TK, initially so broken, but so full of love that was going to waste. And now so happy and eager to direct all that love his way.
"Why are you crying?" TK's voice again broke through his thoughts.
"I'm just really happy, babe. No one has ever done something like this for me, I'm usually the one doing the cooking. Thank you." Carlos reached for his boyfriend's hand, mindful of his injury, and kissed his palm softly, giving TK a watery grin when he sighed in content.
"You haven't even tried it," TK said, sounding self-conscious, and Carlos wanted nothing more than to erase all his doubts for the rest of time.
Grabbing his fork, Carlos took a bite of the beef stew and moaned as he took in the softness of the meat and the delicious flavors that surrounded it. "Wow. This is amazing."
"You really think so?" TK asked, voice barely above a whisper, his eyes shining with hopeful optimism.
"I do, so much that I'm wondering if you really made it. But I think that's proof enough." Carlos chuckled and pointed to his hand, where the knife cut laid under the bandages.
"Thank you. I'm glad you like it." With anyone else TK would have mocked offense at the comment, but with Carlos he simply took it as the compliment it was and as nothing but the truth.
"So, what's the special occasion?" Carlos wondered eventually, speaking for the first time since they had started eating.
"Who says there needs to be a special occasion?" TK asked indignantly, putting a hand over his heart, now feigning offense, because he only took the high road once.
"Don't get me wrong, baby. But we have been together for over a year and you're great at ordering food and bringing takeout, but this…" Carlos pointed to the meal and grinned, taking a bite of his salad, and then of his crostini.
"I knew you had a rough day at work and wanted to do something special for you," TK explained, letting out a nervous laugh when Carlos raised an eyebrow, "I didn't think you sounded all like yourself when we texted during out shifts, and usually you call at least once, but you didn't today. So I texted Mitchell to see if you were alright and she told me about the call this morning."
Carlos' mouth fell open at that. Not because he didn't want TK to know, but because of the length his boyfriend had gone to ensure that he was okay and how he tried to take away his pain afterwards. The call this morning had been tough, a stray bullet had gone into an apartment and they had gotten there only to find a kid bleeding out in the kitchen, his small body already cold to the touch. At that moment he had wanted nothing more than to come home to TK but all this was even better than he could have imagined.
"Thank you," Carlos said finally, surprised when TK reached forward to wipe away a tear he hadn't even realized had slid down his face. "But, I'm sure we don't have some of these spices in our kitchen, and I also don't remember seeing this pasta at home. When did you have time to pick all this up and actually cook?"
"I had already gotten the ingredients a few days ago," TK said softly, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks, "I wanted to celebrate moving into our new home. So I was going to cook this on Saturday while you were on shift, but after talking with Mitchell I decided to speed it up."
"Wow," Carlos said again, staring in awe at the table. "this is, this is just… everything." Because it really was. It was every emotion rolled into one perfect meal and Carlos realized, not for the first time, that he wanted to have everything with TK.
"Also, it's not Italian-style pasta. I know you make that one from scratch, so I couldn't compete. It's actually German egg noodles. I came across them once in NY and thought they would pair well with this beef, and since then I always have them together. It wasn't as easy to find them here but I managed." TK's rambling interrupted his thoughts, and Carlos reached forward to grab his hand and squeezed reassuringly, hoping the gesture would push back whatever old demons had prompted his nervous rant.
"Do you ever miss it? NY, I mean."
"Sometimes. I miss my mom a lot. And being so close to the water, just being able to take a walk or run along the rivers and think or let go of some energy or stress after a long shift. I also miss the shows, and all the different foods you can find there. NY has it all, so there's a lot to miss, but… but it doesn't have the most important thing." TK played with the food on his plate as he began his explanation, but as he finished he turned his gaze upward to stare directly into Carlos' warm eyes.
"And what's that?"
"You." TK leaned forward and whispered close to Carlos' lips, before pulling back and returning to his seat. "NY has a lot going on but it doesn't have you. And I can't imagine living in a world, or city, without Carlos Reyes in it."
"I will always be sorry for what drove you to Austin, but I will forever be grateful it brought you to me," Carlos said, voice husky, and his hand coming up to cup TK's face, his thumb softly brushing the skin over his cheek. "Nobody in Texas ever cooked me dinner before one Tyler Kennedy Strand decided to grace us with his presence. The state, or me, didn't know what hit him. And life was just never the same after that. It hasn't ever been this good." As he spoke, Carlos had a little teasing smirk, but pure adoration and sincerity shined in his eyes.
TK groaned and pulled away from Carlos, burying his face in his hands as his cheeks turned bright red. "I knew I shouldn't have told you my name."
"You didn't," Carlos reminded him cheekily, "but I guess that's the downside to getting arrested within your first few weeks in a new town, especially when you're trying to ghost a guy that happens to be a cop."
"I never tried to ghost you." TK tried to excuse himself but stopped as Carlos' smug expression told him that he was only messing with him. "Brat."
"We both are, and we both love it," Carlos said easily, "but going back to this amazing meal, I thought you couldn't cook."
"I'm not MasterChef like you. I can't grab a box of random ingredients and prepare a 3-star meal, but I can find my way around a recipe book," TK explained, letting out a breathy chuckle, then frowning when Carlos burst out laughing. "The Tamales don't count, I couldn't understand the recipe well." He pouted as they both remembered the day TK tried to make Tamales for Carlos and instead ended with something more akin to boiled cornmeal with little pieces of chicken and veggies swimming in there.
"So you tried to make a french recipe this time?" Carlos challenged, pointing to what remained of the beef bourguignon that had been on his plate.
"This recipe was in English," TK defended, "plus, I have made it quite a few times already. And it's not that hard. You just gotta follow the instructions and have the right ingredients. But I have added some others with time."
"Oh, this is your signature dish, then?" Carlos inquired sincerely.
"You could say that," TK said, smiling bashfully.
"Why didn't you ever tell me you could cook?" Carlos asked, getting up and beginning to clear the table.
"I don't know. I usually only do it on special occasions. Besides it-"
"So this is a special occasion?" Carlos observed with a playful grin.
"Everything is special with you, Carlos." TK stopped what he was doing and took a moment to simply look at his boyfriend, gasping slightly when he looked up and TK was hit with the wave of emotions Carlos' gaze carried. There was so much love there and TK felt like he could drown in it, so he shook his head and grabbed some plates to carry to the dishwasher. "But as I was saying, it gets me out of cooking duty at the firehouse, and I'd rather help clean or shop for groceries."
Carlos hummed his understanding, and tiptoed towards his boyfriend, wasting no time and encircling his arms around the smaller man as soon as he entered his space. TK let out a little shriek but gave in easily, leaning into the touch, and seizing Carlos' hand with his uninjured one, intertwining their fingers together. Basking in the moment, Carlos closed his eyes and just let the peacefulness and joy he was feeling sink in. He never wanted to forget that he could be this happy. He never wanted to stop being this happy.
"That makes sense, but I can't wait to see what else you can cook," Carlos eventually whispered close to TK's ear, before placing a kiss on the tender skin there, and smiling when he felt him shiver and burrow further into his arms. "I love you, Ty. Thank you for tonight."
"Love you too, babe. I promise to surprise you some other time. And maybe someday we can also cook some of my family recipes together. I used to make them with my mother when I was younger, before the divorce. But I'm not really good with dough so my Babkha, Challah, and Borekas have never been as good. But I have her recipes."
"I'd like that. I'd really like that," Carlos agreed easily. Taking TK's words as a promise for the future, and feeling like the luckiest man alive because it was clear they both felt the same way, and neither wanted this to end. For a while, Carlos had been ready for forever, and comments like this made him think TK was closer than he imagined to being on the same page.
Feeling TK tugging his hand, Carlos looked at him questionably but still let his boyfriend lead him towards the bedroom. "What, no dessert?" He asked teasingly, grimacing at the mess he could still see in the dining room and kitchen and adding it to their to-do list, because they still needed to clean the bathroom.
"Oh, there's chocolate cake in the fridge, but I have another idea for dessert." Taking in TK's darkened eyes, Carlos found himself bobbing his head rapidly, his own expression getting dazed as TK stopped them mid stride and crashed their lips together. His boyfriend's hands not missing a beat as they found their way inside Carlos' shirt and began roaming around, TK's bandage scratching his skin but the softness and reverence of his touch being enough to make him simply not care.
"TK, please let's at least make it to the bedroom before we tumble down the stairs and end up both needing to go to the ER," Carlos hissed into the kiss, at the same time as he took off his shirt and pants and threw them over the railing and into the first floor, TK's own clothing following soon after, all of it ending in a messy pile for them both to also fix later.
As it turned out, they never made it to the bedroom. Just barely out of the stairs before they collided against the wall and slid to the carpet. And in that moment Carlos felt loved like never before. Not only by the way TK actually made love to him, but thanks to every gesture and action his boyfriend had taken that day, and really, every day since they had decided to become an 'us', and even since that first 'hey' and line dancing.
Carlos had been TK's since the moment they met, and today was just another reminder of how that city boy, with his deep green eyes, cocky smile, and loving nature, had stolen first his breath, and then his heart since that first day working together under the rain. It had taken longer for TK but he had managed to tear down the walls around his heart and also trust Carlos with his. It was something Carlos would never take for granted and now it was up to him to ensure that this perfect evening soon turned into forever. They already had the new, big house with the backyard and enough rooms to spare, Carlos just needed to begin looking for a ring. Unbeknown to him, while TK also did some shopping of his own. Because they had always been a perfect team, but now they finally both wanted the exact same thing.
Thanks for reading, reviews and favorites always make my day!