A/N: This took loger than expected...


I waited for Carlos to provide more information on what exactly he wanted to talk about. 'Cal' was, after all, a rather broad topic. Did he want to speak about our runs? About the fact that I actually for once got my ass up and did shit? Or were we venturing off into the muddy and icky topic of jealousy once more? As surprising and calm as our conversation had been, it didn't mean we'd stay that way and he couldn't flip 180 right now.

After all, he had made his opinions hear loud and clear before and I knew that he wasn't the biggest fan of me picking Cal as my partner in sports. Well, one sport anyway. It wasn't like I'd pick up gun training, weight lifting or sparring anytime soon. Or ever.

I knew I could have started saying anything really, but I wanted to see where he was taking this conversation and what exactly he wanted to talk about. So, I leaned back in my chair and just watched Carlos Manoso, letting him know that if he wanted to talk about this particular subject, it was on him to breech the topic. He must haven eventually gotten my unspoken request since, after another few moments of comfortable silence, he found his words.

"I… I would have liked to hear about your shift in lifestyle from you and not Lester or Tank," he simply stated in a calm voice and head-on. For a moment I was confused since I didn't know what lifestyle changes he was talking about, until I realized that this was about the general running. "When Tank told me, I was… glad to see a change in your approach to things and a willingness for you to make a change to your life that could benefit you health-wise as well as be a large asset to making your job easier. But I also wondered why he needed to be the one to tell me, why you didn't tell me yourself or even come to me. I would have agreed to be your running mate instantly. I wondered whether your motivation wasn't just the running and if… something else wasn't going on. Because usually you tell me things."

For a moment I just stared at him, mimicking a fish. In all the years, I think I had never heard Ranger speak as much as he had just done. What was equally surprising was the fact that while there was a certain underlying accusation in there, it was calm and well-mannered phrased and not just plain accusing as he did the last time, we had this conversation.

"I… I thought about coming to you and asking you, seeing as you're always my first choice for pretty much anything. But… you are just too intense for me," I explained and saw him grin at me a second later. Or maybe leering was a better word. "While that can certainly be explained as rather intense as well, it isn't like I couldn't handle that level of intensity," I explained a second later before he could retreat to some innuendo. "I know you, Ranger. Better than maybe you know yourself sometimes. And… everything you do, you do a thousand percent, always giving it your best and fullest attention, whether that's a problem I bring your attention to, your business or… well, your level of exercise. After we tried that entire workout regime once and I more or less almost died, I knew that… as much as I love, appreciate and respect you, this was the one thing where we would… never see eye-to-eye."

"I can adapt, you know? That's one of the things I learned when I was with the Rangers."

"But I don't want you to," I explained and saw him look at me, confused. "I… I don't to think I'm slowing you down or holding you back or up or… that you need to adjust your pace and level of fitness and workout to accommodate mine."

I saw him open his mouth for a second, before closing it just to open it again, thinking about something for a second and finally speaking. "You realize that Cal most likely is… on a different level than you are, as well, don't you?" he finally asked, amused, and I needed to smile.

"I think you have the wrong idea right from the get-go, but seeing as we never actually sat down and talked about it, and I didn't do a whole lot to correct whatever assumptions you have, I can't really blame you," I admitted with a shrug and before he could question what I was talking about, I went on. "I actually never approached Cal with an idea or… asked him to help me. I was pretty much minding my own business and doing my thing when I literally ran into him on his morning run while I was doing my morning walk. I never intended on… bothering anyone with my idea that probably only would have stuck around for a week, or maybe a month, before I discard it back into a box in the back of my mind."

"So… what changed?" Ranger asked, curious, and I thought about his question for a moment.

"Cal turned out to be a great partner. While he certainly didn't do the whole 'running at a snail's pace next to me' routine, we found a good way of making it work for the both of us. He ran more or less circles around me at the beginning, before running three rounds for every round I managed to make. He was and technically still is the perfect mix of drill sergeant and teddy bear in a way, knowing when to push me further and when to verbally coddle me."

"You know, I am certain I can find a good balance between drill sergeant and coddling you as well, not just verbally," Carlos remarked with a gleam in his eyes that amused me. "But I also want you to know that I'm proud of you for actually seeing what was maybe necessary, for making a change that isn't just a request from me to see you rise higher and become better, but also to come to that conclusion yourself. I could, after all, tell you all day long that this would be beneficial and yet when you don't see it yourself, it wouldn't change a whole lot. So, I guess, you agreeing to let Cal work with you in a way, it's better than nothing, though… I would still love seeing you by my side during these mornings."

I looked at him after his statement for a while, thinking about my words carefully. While I wasn't entirely certain if this was partly a jealousy-issue or if he really wanted to take a certain pride in being able to be by my side during these moments of growth, I knew some things… just weren't meant to be.

"From all the people in my life, you are the most compatible with me and we share the same ideas, ideologies and character traits, but I know deep in my heart, that my fitness lifestyle will be the one thing where you and me will never work out. The sooner we agree on this, the sooner we can move on to more agreeable topics and shared interests," I said, amused and with a wide smile on my lips.

"I just want you to know that I'll always be in your corner, despite the fact that previous actions might not always have shown that. I'm proud of how far you managed to come so far, mostly by yourself, and even prouder to see how far you can still go."

"And while I know and appreciate it, you don't have to be directly involved with absolutely everything. How about you being a… cheerleader on the sidelines for a change?" I asked and saw him look at me uncertainly for a moment.

"Um…," was all he was able to say before I laughed.

"Obviously not a literal cheerleader. I don't think they make uniforms in your size," I remarked, amused.

He thought about it for a moment before he eventually nodded, agreeing to my suggestion and surprising me in the process. I had expected this to be a lengthier debate, to be honest.

"With that taken care of, I think there's just one thing left to talk about," he went on after a while and I wasn't entirely certain what was actually left? We had spoken about our disagreement in length and also about Cal, two topics that had stood between us for the past weeks. What was there left?

"As you said so earlier, you love me, let's talk about that for a moment," he just said, calm and I was all of a sudden feeling anything but calm. And when exactly had I said I love him earlier? Surely this was just a trick to get me to talk… until I realized I actually had, and that I adore and respect him. Of course, you could technically read into that statement whatever you wanted. And it seemed like Ranger was reading a whole lot into it!

Oh well…