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It’s a late Friday morning when the bright Austin sun is shining through a set of wide bedroom windows. In what could almost be considered a picture perfect frame lay two boys, eyes closed, limbs tangled together, sated after a long night of making up for an endless week of shifts that refused to align. The Austin Fire and Police department will be getting letters for their lack of consideration, for sure, but for now the two are content to wake up without the stress of alarms and tight schedules, and enjoy the next few days with no interruptions.
“I vote we do nothing for next twenty-four hours minimum.” TK announces, finally finding his voice and unable to keep a grin from forming at the scratch within his throat. Last night had been wild and he was more than willing to suffer the consequences.
“Like, literally nothing,” he continues, “And clothes are banned. Rule number one.”
Carlos shifts a bit beneath him, letting his head rest just below his lover’s heart and snorts lightly.
“I see your priorities are in order, as usual.”
“You know it.” The paramedic smiles shamelessly. “Unless you can think of a better way to use our time. Which, as we both know, there is not.”
For a moment the cop goes silent, only a beat longer than what would typically be expected for one of TK’s typical smartass comments. But it’s enough to get his attention, so much that he lifts his head from the pillow and glances down at his boyfriend.
“Where’d you go?”
Carlos glances up at him and smiles softly, the gesture morphing from a simple habit into something genuine.
“Sorry. Just went away for a second. Your plan sounds perfect, babe.” He leans up to drop a quick kiss on TK’s lips. “Rule number one: no clothes. What’s next?”
“Rule number two: go back to rule number one when your boyfriend clearly is holding something back.” He says quickly, shifting so that his back is pressed up against the headboard, the other man rising a bit as well to meet his eye line.
“It was nothing, I swear. I’m just still half asleep.” He runs a thumb over TK’s cheek fondly. “You want pancakes for breakfast? I know we said naked is a requirement but I might have to bend it and wear an apron if we’re having bacon.”
“First of all, if that requires you to cover up, I’m fine with just fruit.” The paramedic takes no time to decide on what holds the most weight in that scenario. He reaches a hand out to gently take his boyfriend’s arm and then drops his tone a little, pausing their banter.
“Look, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want. I’m not pressuring you. But please know that I’m here and I’m willing to listen if you need me.”
Carlos glances up at the ceiling, almost as if holding a grudge against the plaster for outing his true emotions.
“It’s nothing. I just- I had a thought.” He finally relents. “But it’s literally insane and ridiculous and there’s no need to even acknowledge it because it’s so preposterous that it would only pour gas on a fire that hasn’t even ignited yet.”
“If it’s a thought you’re having then it’s not ridiculous,” TK begins, “Just to clear that up. Second, if you’re talking about insane ideas, you’re literally speaking to the king.” He gestures to himself. “My crown is currently out being polished, but I’m happy to play into any royal fantasies you have when it’s dropped off later. But seriously, like I said, you don’t have to share if you really don’t want. But I’m always willing to listen to you, even if it’s crazy. You can’t scare me away.”
“Oh ye of little faith.” Carlos murmurs, letting out a tiny chuckle before lifting his gaze to meet his boyfriend’s. “It’s just… I don’t know. I just woke up and I saw you with the sun shining through the curtains, making you look like some sort of Greek god-”
“I’m Apollo,” TK can’t help but cut in. “God of music, healing, and something else I can’t remember. I took a Buzzfeed quiz last week.”
Carlos shakes his head, smile fond and tone gentle.
“I disagree. You’re more like Aether. He’s the personification of air and the atmosphere and the heavens; the contrast to the darkness of the underworld.” He counters, nothing but pure adoration in his eyes. “He’s the pure essence the gods breathe. Seperate from the sun’s light but essential for its brilliance. That’s you, no question.”
“Rude,” TK lets out a slow breath, doing his best to hold back tears. How he got so lucky to find this man when his life was in ruins was chance. The fact that Carlos loved him back in spite of the chaos and turbulence, well, that was pretty much a miracle.
Finally, after a moment, he finds his voice again. Though, admittedly, a bit more wobbly than before.
“What the hell is going on in that head of yours?”
As always, even in his most vulnerable state, the mere sight of the man before him brings a smile to Carlos’s face. He’s so stupidly in love with TK it should probably be illegal, and the idea of sharing his previous thought scares him a little. But he also knows, here, now, with the sunlight streaming in through the windows and the stillness of time itself freezing them both in this moment, that he can’t hold back any more.
“I was going to say we could get married.” He finally says softly, racing to add on the next bit because, as he said, it is indeed Crazy with a capitol C.
“But I know that’s insane and it’s way too soon and I would never put you under that kind of pressure-”
“Yes.”
“Not to mention our parents would have to fight each other to see who got the honor of killing us first, and while your dad is spry, my mom will fight dirty and my dad will let her, so- what?”
He finally pauses his monologue when TK’s words catch up to him. Knowing he must have heard wrong and ignoring the way his heart quite possibly literally stops, he whips his head over to the man before him.
“What did you just say?”
TK shrugs, almost a bit shy now, which is a huge contrast from damn near every other moment he’s spent on this green earth.
“If you’re asking.” He offers quietly. “My answer is yes. If you’re asking me. You kind of went off on a tangent there so I’m honestly not 100% sure anymore, but, if you are. Asking. I’m saying yes.”
Carlos is pretty sure he’s having an aneurism.
“I just- I don’t-”
Literally he has been complimented on his public speaking before. He’s good at smoothing things over and keeping his composure in tense situations. People look to him for answers in chaos. And now he’s in bed on a Friday, stark naked, possibly having just accidentally proposed to his boyfriend and stammering like a total moron.
Life is weird sometimes.
“Are you taking it back?” TK questions after a moment. “Because that’s probably not the best first move for a marriage. Taking the proposal back. I mean, odds be damned because everything has its own chance, y’know, but I’m just saying, this feels like a bad omen.”
Again, Carlos’s brain has turned to mush. He’s purposely kept all feelings and thoughts of this caliber to himself, afraid to bringing it up too soon would send TK running for the hills. And he’s fine with it, really, he’s willing to give his boyfriend all the time he needs.
But apparently he didn’t need as much time as Carlos originally thought, because now they’re sitting here and he’s saying… yes?
“I just- I don’t want to rush you.” Carlos finally finds his voice, though as luck would inevitably have it, he still manages to sound like a total idiot. “I want you to be sure.”
TK frowns a bit, almost looking nervous. Though Carlos has no idea why, since he would quite literally figure out a way to give this man the sun if he asked for it with a smile.
“Are YOU sure? Because I’m not the one backtracking here.”
And because they’ve already reached this point and what the hell, apparently, Carlos honestly replies,
“I think I would’ve married you the night we met.”
His statement brings a brightness back to the paramedic’s eyes and, thus, a beating heart back to Carlos’s chest.
“Well that would’ve been interesting.” He jests. “HPV shots for everyone as party favors. That bathroom was disgusting.”
His tone falters momentarily.
“You knew way back then?”
Carlos shrugs.
“Maybe not the specifics. But I knew you were different. And, even if I didn’t want to admit it, I would’ve followed you anywhere.”
“Which was then proved by the trip to the bathroom.” TK lets out a breathy laugh, which Carlos then mirrors.
“It’s still true.” He admits gently. “I mean it. Fire up the Camaro and grab a hoodie. You don’t even have to tell me where we’re going. It doesn’t matter.”
TK lets out a small sniff, and once again Carlos feels his heart begin to race. How they got to tears is beyond his comprehension, but then again how they wound up in this conversation at all has not stopped blowing his mind all morning.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up.” The paramedic finally whispers, to which Carlos is quick to respond.
“You had a lot going on at the time.”
“Still.” TK shakes his head, waving away the half-assed excuse. “I feel like I wasted a lot of time unnecessarily. We could’ve been… I don’t know. Further.”
This time it’s Carlos who shakes his head.
“I’d rather you take your time and be sure.” He says, which is true. He’d wait forever for this man, without a hint of resentment. It wasn’t even a question.
He’s learned over the years that he’ll take TK in any way he’s willing to give, because he loves him that freaking much. It’s enough to make him dizzy if he thinks about it too long, but he doesn’t mind. It’s kind of like the feeling of jumping off a moving swing on the playground when you’re a kid. You lose a bit of sense of what time is and where you are, but it doesn’t even matter because you’re flying and in that moment anything is possible in the world.
“I’m sure now.” TK’s words bring him crashing back to reality. “If you’re still asking.”
Carlos lets out a breath.
“So you remember that.”
TK can’t help but roll his eyes a bit.
“Comas didn’t do that much damage, babe.”
Carlos frowns.
“Still too soon.”
“Sorry.” He huffs out a laugh and then looks back to meet the cop’s eyes.
“So, are you? Asking?”
With everything in him, Carlos wants to say yes. Just take what life is apparently offering at face value and run with it without looking back. But he also knows he wants to be rational and realistic and, admittedly, protect his heart a little from perhaps a decision that ultimately happens in the moment and falters when reality hits back in a few hours.
“I just… I don’t want to rush you.” He says carefully.
“I kind of feel like I’m the one rushing you at this point.” TK sighs. “Look, Carlos, maybe a year ago or however long ago, yeah, I would’ve been running like someone lit a fire under my ass. I was in a bad place when I got here. I had a lot of stuff to sort out. But a lot has changed. I’ve put in the work and I’m not that person anymore. I know what I want- I know who I want.” He says earnestly, meeting his lover’s gaze. “I’m here and whether this happens today or tomorrow or next year or never, I’m not going anywhere. I made my choice. It’s you every time.”
And because, well, how the hell are you really supposed to top that? Carlos drops a hand to the other man’s knee and gives it a quick squeeze before hopping out of the bed like someone just shot a starting gun at the Olympic Games.
“Don’t move.” He instructs, darting into the hallway and towards the kitchen.
TK glances around the now empty room.
“You know this isn’t a great start to a marriage!” He calls, incredibly unimpressed with the new setup. “You leaving me already!”
Carlos’s voice echos back up to the half empty bedroom.
“Just sit still for the first time in your life!”
TK throws his hands up in frustration.
“We’re not even engaged and already he’s nagging me.” He mutters, though his quip fades to deaf ears when Carlos returns, slightly out of breath.
“I hope that was worth it.” He begins dryly. “You know, I have to say, it feels like a bad omen for you to be running this early and we haven’t even… oh.”
His voice dies off when he notices the small box in Carlos’s hand.
Hidden in the most clever of places- the spice cabinet, TK’s whiteness and precious idea that a dash of black pepper counts as enough flavor for damn near any dish fully paying off for once, Carlos lowers himself to a knee next to the bed, offering up the black box.
“Tyler Kennedy Strand,” he begins, “You’re the love of my life-“
“Yes.” TK’s immediate words throw him off, causing Carlos to freeze.
“You can’t just-”
“I don’t care.” The other man says quickly, now damn near giddy. “Yes.”
Carlos lets out a small breath.
“I’ve been thinking of what to say for-“
“I’m sure it’s great.” Again, TK interrupts. “Tell me after. Yes.”
The police officer stares at him for a quick beat.
“You’re insane.”
“And you’re marrying me,” The reply comes quick, TK’s hands surging to grab his own. “Or maybe not at this point, if you keep dragging it out. Let me say yes.”
And because he really is that stupidly in love, all Carlos can do is laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire scenario playing out before them.
“Please let me have this.” He begs, “I’ve been working on it for a while.”
TK sighs.
“Fine,” He finally acquiesces, as if doing Carlos a huge favor. “But make it quick. Yes, by the way.”
“You’re ridiculous.” Carlos says fondly.
“And you’re still taking too long.” TK reminds him. “Yes.”
Carlos glances up at the ceiling as if for guidance and, after only a beat, returns his gaze to the man before him.
“I’m gonna have to give you the SparkNotes version of this, aren’t I?”
“Just for now. I promise we can do your whole thing later.” TK assures him, eyes flitting back to the box still being held up. “Do it now.”
Carlos grins.
“I love you.” He says simply, because really, yeah, the speech he had planned was pretty good but, ultimately, it all comes down to the simple truth.
“I’m going to love you for the rest of my life.” He flips open the lid to the box, revealing a simple silver band. Not flashy, nothing earth shattering, but still and solid, like the life they’re building together side by side each day.
“Tyler Kennedy Strand,” With the most joy he’s ever felt, Carlos finally says the magic words. “Will you please marry me?
“YES!” Thank god neither of them is recovering from any injuries at the moment, because TK surges forward with the subtlety of a monster truck, tackling Carlos into the rug beneath their bed and slamming their lips together.
“Yes. I love you.” He babbles between kisses. “I love you, I love you, I love you. Yes, yes, yes.”
“I love you more.” Carlos eventually is able to get out, making absolutely zero protests of their twisted bodies tangled together on the floor. This is it, what he’s always wanted: a forever with the love of his life. And it’s happening right now.
TK, however, seems to take issue with his last statement.
“No possible way. I will literally fight you on this.” He announces, making Carlos only shrug.
“Works for me.” He says easily. “We’ve got the rest of our lives.”
The words seem to trigger something in TK, causing him to temporarily put pause to the disagreement and instead toppling over his fiancé in a ferocious kiss.
“I love you.” He murmurs, almost deliriously, “I love you so much. Fuck, I love you.”
“I love you too.” Carlos says, the promise a vow (the first of many-!) on his lips. After a quick pause he holds up his hand, once again offering the box. TK lets out a delighted gasp and surges his left hand forward.
“Yes. Put it on me, put it on me. Yes.” He beams when the piece of metal rests on his ring finger, holding it up and damn near glowing.
“You realize I would’ve said yes if you proposed with a RingPop.” He offers after another minute and several more kisses.
“Yeah, but this one will wind up a lot less sticky,” Carlos points out, pulling back just enough to admire the sight as well, “Which is better for me long term, being the one that always holds your hand.”
“Holding the hand of my fiancé.” TK tests the new title out for size and grins, more than appeased. “This is going to be absurd. Like, completely insane, over the top. Everyone is going to hate us.”
The idea appears to delight him and Carlos can’t help but shiver a bit at the thought himself. TK isn’t wrong, they’re going to be complete fools with how ridiculously in love they are. It sounds perfect.
What happens next isn’t a surprise, both due to the events that just took place and yes, because they’re both insatiable when it comes to the physical aspect of their relationship. The moment is tender and gentle, yet still somehow holding on to a bit of the urgency and gusto of joy surging through their veins. They finish together, eyes locked, delirious and damn near floating with pure, simple happiness. And he knows, he knows for absolute certain, that this is what life is all about.
They finally get up from the floor. Carlos grabs them both a cup of coffee and TK fixes the blankets on the bed, both of them sending out a giant thank you to the universe for letting this entire magic moment happen on the first of a few mutual days off. For once they don’t have to rush to get ready and face responsibilities and daily upkeep. Instead, they’re able to snuggle back beneath the covers, pressed together with tangled legs and fingers intertwined, pausing every so often to grin at the sight of metal against TK’s pale skin and cut each other off with laughs and kisses.
“Okay, so. Question.” TK finally manages after a while, delight filling his tone when Carlos barely lets him get out the full sentence before kissing him again.
The police officer gives a single, dramatic nod.
“Yes, I will still get you a RingPop.”
TK smirks. His man knows him well.
“Okay, another question.” He corrects. “And I want grape, just for the record.”
Carlos hums a noise of confirmation. That was never a question in his mind. He gestures for TK to keep going.
“When?”
“When what?”
“When are we getting married?”
Carlos barks out a laugh.
“In a hurry? What, are you pregnant?”
“It’s holiday weight, and you’re a rude fiancé.” TK is quick to snap back. “I’m serious. When are we getting married?”
“You realize we’ve been engaged for less than an hour.” Carlos points out. “Contrary to popular belief, even I am not so organized to have already nailed that down. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s something we should figure out together.”
“So…” Seeing the impatient look on his fiancé’s (!!) face, Carlos gives him a fond grin.
“Whenever you want.” He says after a beat, because really, who is he kidding? Yes, he’s detail oriented and organized sometimes to a fault, but this man could ask to get married on the moon and Carlos would break his back to make it happen. Nothing else matters as long as TK is the one meeting him at the end of the aisle.
This answer seems to delight TK.
“I get to pick?” He double checks, making sure he didn’t misunderstand and, thus, get overly excited for no reason.
Carlos shrugs.
“You pretty much get whatever you want anyway. Why break tradition now?” He says easily. “Just let me know when and where and what color to show up in.”
“Okay…” TK pauses for just a moment, before blurting, “How about now?”
Carlos laughs.
“Yeah, sure, just let me get the jet fired up and we can be in Vegas by dinner.” He says dryly. No doubt he picked a crazy one, but the idea is funny, he’s willing to admit.
Except after a few beats of too-long-for-a-joke silence, Carlos finds the other man’s eyes and feels his heart freeze.
He’s going to need an appointment with a cardiologist after this day.
TK meets his gaze tenfold, never wavering.
Seeing that apparently he is going to have to be the first one to speak, Carlos finally stammers,
“Are you being serious?”
“I’m never this quiet.” TK admits with a shrug. “I figured that was a dead giveaway.”
“You want to get married now?” Carlos repeats, his tone nothing but shock. True the engagement wasn’t planned, but they at least had discussed being together long term for a while now. But this was on a level Carlos had never even considered.
“You said I get to pick.” He reminds him. “No take backs.”
Again, it takes Carlos a moment to form a coherent thought.
“As in right now?” He checks finally.
TK frowns, clearly a little disappointed.
“I’m sorry, is that too soon?” He questions. “How about tonight?”
“Did you hit your head again?” The words slip from Carlos’s lips without any control, though they don’t seem to deter TK in any way.
“Still too soon? Okay, tomorrow.”
Carlos is pretty sure his head is going to explode.
“TK-“
“Fine, Sunday.” The other man finally relents, as if doing so is a big favor to Carlos. “But that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”
“Our parents will literally kill us.” Carlos finally gathers his whereabouts to remind him. “And then my mom would bring us back just so she could kill us again. And then hang our dead carcasses out with the scarecrows to scare the birds.”
TK doesn’t appear at all concerned with this information.
“I don’t care.” He says simply. “I don’t want to spend another day not being your husband.”
“I- okay, that was really sweet.” Damn it, he chose a fiancé that knows how to play him like a fiddle.
“I mean it. We’ve wasted too much time already.” For once the dry humor is gone from TK’s tone, instead replaced with what clearly is just a desire to finally put his truest desires and wishes at the forefront and to hell with everyone else.
“We can do a big ceremony later, or a small ceremony with our parents and the 126 and then a huge party with everyone we know.” He continues. “I don’t care. I love you and I want to be your husband. Right now.”
Perhaps, though, it was high time everyone else took a backseat anyway. Because while insane, yes, and truly possibly able to lead them to being hung in the stocks at the ranch (he’s pretty sure there aren’t actually stocks at the ranch, just for the record. But ever since his mami got an Amazon Prime account a few years back, nothing is out of a 72 hour window of possibility) Carlos realizes he doesn’t care.
Because, fuck, he wants this man to be his husband. He always has.
So why not now?
“Pack our bags.” He says abruptly, cutting off whatever unfathomable reason TK is about to spout off next.
To hell with tradition. They’ve never done anything by the book anyway, so why start today?
He reaches for his laptop and his glasses, both perched on the bedside table. If nothing else, his affinity with organization will help them now.
“I’ll find a place we can get to by sunset.”
TK lets out a small cry of victory, reaching forward to catch his fiancé in a joyous, hard kiss, which Carlos returns in earnest.
They’re getting married.
They get forever. Together.
Yeah, tradition can suck it.
It’s time to live out their own happily ever after.
fin.