Of course TK and Carlos were nervous when they got into that plane. After what happened the last time TK took a step into a plane that's probably normal.
Last time. The last time they wanted to go to New York to go to Gwyn's funeral. Not exactly a happy visit to TK's old home but he still was a little exited that he gets to show Carlos New York. The city. His ld firehouse. Where he used to live and where he grew up. His favorite place to eat and his favorite place overall.
They never made it that far. Not even to the funeral. Or New York in first place. But TK was determined to one day take Carlos to New York and show him all of that. And more. His mothers grave is top of that list now.
It's all planned. They stay and Enzo's so TK can also spend some time with Jonah. Three days time to show Carlos around and spend some long needed time together without stress or calls or anything.
The couple is glad when they have firm ground underneth them again. There were no tourbulences but still. Enzo picks them up from the airport together with Jonah, happy to see TK again and exited to finally meet his boyfriend. Since the two men took an early flight and Jonah kept Enzo awake half of the night, everyone is tired when they get into the car and looking forward to some breakfast.
Once at Enzo's house the man puts his son to sleep for a few more hours before returning to the kitchen to eat breakfast with his visitors and catch up. On their way they picked up breakfast so they don't have to do anything besides making coffee now and while Enzo took care of Jonah TK and Carlos freshened up a little and put their stuff in the guest room.
For today TK wanted to do some normal sight seeing with Carlos. To show him everything that a normal tourist wants to see. But other than normal tourists who may take sight seeing busses or sign up for tour guides TK leads Carlos to the subway. TK is Carlos personal tour guide today and the other days they are here. Tomorrow TK wants to show Carlos the exclusive insights. The personal insights.
In the evening they help Enzo cooking and eat dinner together. Before it's bedtime for Jonah TK and Carlos play a little with him in the living room while at the same time giving Enzo some time alone before he has to put him to bed. Sure TK wants some quality time with his boyfriend but he also wants some more time with his baby brother. As much as he can get while he's here. So why not combine both?
When Enzo brings Jonah to bed Carlos and TK go to the guest room too. It's been a long day and they had to get up very early to catch their plane. They both change into something to sleep and go to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Once done they cuddle closer together and fall asleep in no time.
The next morning TK wakes up from screaming and crying. Without too much thinking, it's too early for that, he stands up and goes to his baby brother in the room next door. "Hey Jonah. Good morning" he mumbles with a tired smile and picks up his baby brother to hold him and calm him. "What woke you up eh?" he asks and discovers a moment later the stuffed elephant that feel on the ground. "Ah. I see" the Strand man says and picks it up with his free hand to give it back to Jonah who immediatly calms down again.
"Thanks" he hears a voice behind him. Enzo stands in the door frame, probably wanting to check up on Jonah when he heard him crying. "No problem. Good morning" TK answers "You look tired". "I'm okay" the man answers "Coffee is ready if you want". "Thanks. Get yourself some and we'll be there in a bit" the younger man answers and watches the other leave. Enzo offered to let TK and Carlos stay at his place so the last they could do is take care of Jonah and give Enzo a chance to have some moments for himself.
"Now let's go and wake Carlos hm?" TK proposes and goes to the guest room with a by now happy again Jonah on his arm. "Babe. Hey babe. Wake up" he says and sits down at the edge of the bed. "Hm? Five more minutes" the other man mumbles, making not only TK but also Jonah laugh. AN adorable baby laugh. At that sound Carlos opens his eyes "Well hello you two".
"Good morning sleepy heaf. Ready to stand up now? Enzo said coffee is ready and I also want to talk to you about this idea I have. Ugh and I think someone here needs a fresh diaper" TK says and scrunches his nose. The other man laughs "Let's get him cleaned and then go to the kitchen". While the couple takes care of the diaper disaster TK tells him his idea and Carlos happily agrees.
A few minutes later the three join Enzo in the kitchen, Carlos getting coffee for him and TK while the other man puts Jonah down again. "Hey Enzo. Before Carlos and I go back tomorrow we had this idea. We coould spend the day with Jonah and you just tell us everything you need to know. That way you can get a few hours to yourself" TK proposes.
"That's wonderful. But you know you don't have to do this right?" Enzo answers but the Strand man reassures "We want to. Really. I'm happy to spend some time with my little brother". "Okay. Thank you two" the man says smiling "Do you have any plans for today?". "Yes we do. TK wants to show me around some more but this time a little more personal. I don't know where we're going tho. Yet" Carlos answers.
"Well you guys have fun. I'm here, doing some paper work in my office and playing with Jonah. Call me if you need something. Will you two be here for dinner or are you going out? So I know how much I should cook" Enzo asks and before Carlos can say something TK answers "We're going out. We come home shortly to fresh up but then eat in a restaurant". "Ahh. Date night. Have fun but not too much fun. You have a baby sleeping next door" the older man warns and all three laugh.
After eating breakfast TK and Carlos get ready and go outside. "I hope today will be fun for you too because it kinda feels like this day is too much about me. Good memories and bad and maybe even closure? An active therapy day or so" TK tells nervously. "It's okay. I'm sure I will still enjoy it and if today helps you then I'm right here next to you and support you" Carlos answers and takes TK's hand in his. "You'll get to know New York TK today" the other man says. He laughs, still a little nervous but Carlos thumb stroking the back of his hand is calming his nerves. "Let's go then" he says after a deep breath and leads Carlos to the subway station again.
"This is it" Tk says after a five minutes subway drive and a little walk "My old fire house. The 252". "It's big" Carlos says stunned and TK laughs "Big and busy city needs big fire house. It's exactly like my dad left it". "He did a good job with this fire house. Just like he did in Austin" the cop nods "Impressive".
"TK?" a mid-aged woman asks as she wants to pass the couple. She stops in her tracks when she sees the young man. "Hey Melanie" TK greets back, looking at her name tag as a reflex "Oh. Captain Johnson. Congratulations". "Carlos this is Melanie Johnson. We worked together and now she apparently got my dads position. She earned it" he adds to Carlos and turns back to the Captain "Melanie this is my boyfriend Carlos. I'm showing him around".
"Nice to meet you Carlos" Melanie says, shaking the mans hand as he answers "Nice to meet you too". "I didn't knew you were in town" the woman says to TK who laughs "Just three days. We have to go back to Austin tomorrow because we have to go back to work the day after". "Well I'm glad that you're here and brought company. Why don't you two come in for a coffee and we can catch up a little?" Melanie proposes. TK looks at his boyfriend who nods smiling "Yeah sure. Why not".
"You're dating a cop! How cool is that" Melanie says. They sit at a coffee table, coffee in their hands and talking about the last few years. TK tells Melanie about Owen and his cancer but that he's fine now. She tells him how stressful her first few weeks as a Captain were because Owen set such high standards. TK tells her about getting shoot and becoming a paramedic, about moving in with Carlos. He tells her about the time Gwyn was in Austin, about how the house burned down. How he almost died (again) of hypothermia and how he and Carlos moved in again.
About an hour and a lot of hellos and goodbyes from and to old collegues later TK and Carlos leave the 252 again. "They are nice but I feel like no one can top the 126" Carlos says. A few years ago when he still lived here he would've said almost the same about the 252. He really loved it there. But now he knows better so he agrees "Yeah the 126 is family. I doubt that anyone can top that anymore. We went through so much together but we're still standing".
Smiling Carlos intertwines his fingers with TK's "Where are we going next?". "I thought we could visit my mom. If that's okay with you" TK answers. "Of course. You know the way?" Carlos asks, giving his boyfriend his best Carlos cow eyes. "Yes. Enzo told me the exact way so we can find it easily" the paramedic nods and starts to lead the way again.
They need a bit more than 20 minutes to get to the grave yard and 5 more to Gwyn's grave. "It looks beautiful" TK mumbles when he sees it. "It does" the other man agrees and hugs his boyfriend from behind. They stay in comfortable silence for a bit before TK takes a shaky breath and crouches down "Hey mom. It's me. TK. I don't really know what to tell you but ahm… I miss you. A lot. Jonah is fine. Enzo takes good care of him. Everyone at home misses you too". He takes a small break, another breath " I'm sorry I missed the funeral. I'm sure it was beautiful".
The young man stands up again, wiping the tears away with his sleeve. Immediatly Carlos is next to him, taking him in his arms and sharing some silent tears with him. They stay there like that, not moving, not talking, just staying there and looking at the beautiful flower arrangements. The silence stops when TK's stomach murmurs and makes Carlos laugh a little "Let's get some lunch okay?". "Yeah okay "TK answers with a nod. They look at Gwyn's grave a moment longer and then make their way back to the subway to drive two stations and walk a tiny bit to a little café where they eat lunch.
After that TK shows Carlos around some more. Yesterday they did simple sight seeing. Today TK shows Carlos personal insights. Insights on TK's old life. His New York life. He shows Carlos where he grew up, then where he was when his parents got a divorce with his mom. Later sometimes with his dad. He shows Carlos his first own apartment. His only apartment in New York. It costed even more than the loft in Austin where they now live in.
"This city is expensive" Carlos laughs. "Yeah. Shortly before I left with my dad I saw an open spot for the apartment in the building next to mine. There" TK tells, pointing to a window "I was gonna apply for it because it's a little bigger and I figured once Alex and I are engaged or married we will move in and it would fit perfectly". "But then it all went down the hill" Carlos finishes.
His boyfriend nods "And then it went down the hill. I was in love with him. He wasn't in love with me. Imagine what would've happened if I bought that apartment? Bigger, more expensive and still alone" he laughs quietly, shaking his head "No. I went back home. I couldn't cry. I felt empty. I saw the pills. An old friend of mine forgot them at my place once and I took them. I od'd. Just like that. Dad fould me and when he wrapped his arms around me I finally cried. Because of what happened and because I'm glad he saved me. The next morning I packed my stuff for Austin and that was the last time I've been here". "But you're good now. Better now" Carlos says, his hand finding TK's automatically. "Yeah. I am" TK nods and leans against Carlos slightly.
Later that evening, after the couple went back to Enzo's house to fresh up and change they go out for dinner. "I want to tell you where I planned on going with you because if you don't want to it's completely fine" TK tells as they are going outside again. "I want some sort of closure with that place. Replace bad with good memories. It's the restaurant where I wanted to propose to Alex" TK continues and waits anxiously for Carlos reaction.
"Well let's go then the other man says and takes TK's hand in his "Lead the way". "Are you sure?" TK asks again and his boyfriend nods "I am and if I feel uncomfortable or you do then we can still leave. Anyway we'll make the best out of this evening". "Thanks babe" TK says and turns to face Carlos, leaning in to kiss him softly. Only when they part again TK turns back around again to lead the way but he doesn't let go of Carlos hand.
TK and Carlos sit down at the table the waiter lead them to. "Fancy" Carlos mumbles as he looks around, at the table and the menu. When the waiter comes back again to take their drinking orders Carlos orders sparkling water for the both of them. After their food order TK starts laughing quietly. It seems random so Carlos asks confused "What's so funny?". "Nothing. I'm just happy" TK answers. Back then he and Alex didn't even made it to ordering dinner. "I'm happy too" Carlos answers and a wide smile spreads on his lips.
Their food arrives and both start hungrily eating immediatly. Not even half way through TK starts laughing again "You know, Alex and I never made it to ordering food but based on the feedback I got to this place the food isn't it. Nothing tops Masie's". "Masie's?" Carlos asks but agrees "The food here isn't really that good. The looks of this place attract". "Masie's diner. I used to go there all the time. Clean and not clean" TK tells, smiling just at the tought of the burger, fries and milkshake.
"How about we pay and go to Masies? I can eat" the cop says. Both laugh and TK says "You can always eat but yes let's do that. The food and milkshakes are to die for". With that it's decided so the couple pays and goes to Masie'. It's only a 10 minute walk. They enter the diner completely overdressed but happy and that's the only thing that matters. They couldn't care less about what they're wearing.
"Oh my god. You're totally right" Carlos says and closes his eyes with the next bite. The burger is perfect and the fries fit perfectly. Cross but not too cross. "I know" TK mumbles with his own mouth full. So. Good. The milkshakes are the highlight. TK said they were to die for but they are better, if that's even possible.
Around 11 pm TK and Carlos are on their way back to Enzo's happy and full. They change in comfortable clothes and jump under the covers. "You were right. Masie's is awesome" Carlos sighs happily and cuddles closer to spoon TK "I had an amazing day and I really loved to get to know more about New York TK. Thanks for showing and telling me everything". "Thank you for coming with me and listen all day long. I really needed that" TK answers and takes Carlos hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Goodnight baby" he whispers, turning the light of the side table lamp off with his free hand. "Goodnight babe" Carlos answers and slowly both fall asleep with a happy smile on their lips.
The next morning again TK wakes up when his little brother starts to cry. They told Enzo they will take care of Jonah and spend the day with him until they have to leave again. It somehow feels neutral for TK to get up again and go next door into his brothers room. He picks Jonah up on his arms and calms him down again. Together with Jonah on his arm TK goes to the living room and sits down on the couch.
The little boy only started crying because he felt alone. Or at least he stopped almost immediatly when TK took him in his arms. Now that the little boy calmed down again TK plays with him a little. Until a door opens and he hears Carlos hoarse morning voice "Morning babe". "Hey" TK answers and watches Carlos going into the kitchen.
A few minutes later the curly haired man sits down on the couch too with coffee and breakfast for both of them. Enzo wrote the couple a list with everything important for today after they talked everything through yesterday before TK and Carlos went out for dinner. Right now Jonah is fine so first the couple eats breakfast and drinks their coffee.
Just as they finish Jonah gets hungry, starting to cry for food. So TK leaves Jonah to Carlos and prepares something for his baby brother. While doing so he watches Carlos and Jonah. Carlos is good with kids. He was when he watched Carlos and Captain Vegas twin girls or with Judd's little princess. He really can't wait to have a future with Carlos and maybe one distant day in the future also become parents with him.
Enzo gets up later that morning and already looks less exhausted than the days before. This day will be good for him and the couple will have fun with Jonah as long as they can. They make some conversation with Enzo, asking about his plans for the day. After that Carlos and TK get ready and get Jonah ready too to take him out for a stroll and to the park. There's also a playground so Jonah can play with other kids his age while TK and Carlos sit on a bench nearby watching him and talking about everything and nothing.
In the afternoon the three get back home again and grab a quick snack before packing their stuff. In the early evening Enzo drives TK and Carlos back to the airport. The couple says goodbye to Enzo and Jonah na dTK promises to give Enzo a call when they landed safely.
The couple checks in and passes the security check before finally entering the plane and finsing their seats. Both sit down, buckle up their seat belts and intertwine their fingers. "I had a really nice weekend" Carlos says "New York is amazing". "I know. But Austain is amazing too and I'm happy to go home with you now" TK answers with a smile and leans over to kiss his boyfriend.