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Chapter Text

Carlos checked the time on his phone again. It was almost 3:30 am which meant he'll have to get out of bed soon if he wanted to make it to the station by 4:10 for his early morning shift. But everytime he turned to his left the softly snoring, absolutely adorable sleeping face decreased his willingness to 'serve and protect'. All he wanted to do was cuddle with his brand new boyfriend who's head was currently resting on his arm. Unfortunately though Austin PD didn't count your want to stay in bed all day with your recently shot boyfriend as a valid reason to give you a paid leave. For the next few moments Carlos stared at his phone screen counting down the minutes till he'll have to get out of bed. Inevitably the clock reaches 3:30 and he reluctantly prepares to get out of bed. He carefully removed his arm from underneath TK's head making sure to not disturb the firefighter's sleep since TK needed as much rest as possible, especially after the solar storm incident. Carlos quietly put on his uniform and refrained from wearing his boots, instead carrying them in his hands, to not make too much noise while he walked around the room. He gave one last longing look at his boyfriend before exiting TK's room. 

As soon as Carlos closed the door behind him he remembered that this wasn't his house. The entire living room was dark and he wasn't exactly well acquainted with the layout of the Strand household. He stumbled around the place trying to find the switchboard. It wasn't often that TK asked him to stay over, especially since he literally lived with his parents and Carlos had his own apartment. But after TK ripped his stitches off Owen had put him in house arrest to stop him from getting injured again and thus Carlos has been coming over at the Strand's more frequently. He also has made a habit of spending the night, at least the ones he wasn't working on, with TK. Carlos was still trying to find his way when a voice from behind startled him

"Officer Reyes!" 

Carlos almost yelped and had to bite his tongue to not shriek and embarrass himself or worse wake TK up. He sighed in relief once he recognized the voice but then another wave of uneasiness followed when he realised this was his boyfriend's dad. 

"Captain Strand." Carlos awkwardly greeted.

He wasn't sure how to act around Owen since he hasn't even formally met TK's dad while off duty. Every time they have met one of them has been wearing a uniform, including this one. Owen switched on the light and Carlos noticed that he was holding a vase in one hand. 

"Oh, sorry. I saw a figure lurking in my house so....precaution." Owen explained, putting the vase down. 

"I-I wasn't...lurking. I was just, um....looking for the switches to....light on, uh sorry, I mean to switch on the lights." Carlos stuttered, feeling an incoherent idiot. 

Goddammit! Get it together! Carlos scolded himself. For fuck's sake he was a confident police officer who dealt with criminals for living. Talking to a decent man he has talked to a dozen times before should not make him sweat this much. 

"It's right there." Owen pointed at the very visible switchboard on the wall behind. "Remember it, for next time." he teased but Carlos remained quiet. Noticing the deer-stuck-in-headlight face Carlos was still making he asked, half jokingly 

"What? Did you forget I live here or something?"

"No, I was....we haven't e-exactly....um, crossed paths before."

"Oh, yes, you can thank TK for that. I think he has been coordinating your visits with my work schedule to keep you hidden. He has always been exceptionally good at hiding his boyfriends from us." Owen moved towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. "But I guess he didn't take my shift ending early into account. So here we are."

"Right." Carlos stiffly nodded, not sure what to say or do.

"So, tell me Carlos...." Owen drew out as he sipped his water "Why are you exactly....sneaking around, in my house in the middle of the night?"

"No, s-sir I wasn't sneaking out!" Carlos assured, a little too loudly but Owen just gave him a pointed look. That's when Carlos realised how suspicious he looked tiptoeing around in the dark in someone else's house with his shoes in his hands. 

"I-I just....have a shift from 4:30 that's why I was leaving." Carlos rushed to clarify that he wasn't the type who disappears, never to be seen or heard from again. 

"And TK knows." he added just to be extra clear that he wouldn't just up and leave without notifying TK first.

"Well, you should get going then. It's already 3:45." Owen said after glancing at the digital clock on the kitchen top. 

Carlos began to leave though it felt wrong to leave on this note. He could help but wonder if Owen disapproved of his growing presence in TK's life. It bugged him to no end that his boyfriend's dad might have the wrong impression of him and that's not how he wanted to start a new relationship. So Carlos gathered all his confidence and articulateness and pulled himself together before turning around to face Owen.

"Sir, I want you to know that TK isn't some hookup or one night stand for me. He is important to me and I care about him....very much."

"Oh yes, I know that." Owen said, slightly amused by Carlos' sudden braverdo "For TK to be a one night stand it has to be one night. You have....what? Stayed over 4 nights this week and this week still has 2 days left." 

Then Owen cleared his throat putting down his empty glass and making his way towards the young man. His body language and tone both change into something a lot more serious. And Carlos for a second considered making a run for it. 

"Listen son, I have no problem with you or your relation with TK. But as his dad I am....rightfully worried about him. I don't know how much he has told you or if he has told you but....his last relationship didn't exactly end well." Owen paused to look around even though they were the only ones in the room then said "When TK cares about something or someone he gives his all, he invests fully and wholly and most of the time I admire that quality of his. But when things go south, they don't work out the way he imagined he....he doesn't cope with it very....healthily. You have been OFFICIALLY dating for what little more than a week and I can already tell that he is falling for you. Fast. And that scares me."

Owen's words hit Carlos' really hard. Maybe they were moving too fast he feared. Even the thought of harming TK in any way, directly or indirectly, made his stomach turn. 

"I can back off if you want...." Carlos' voice broke a little "Not stay over so often. I don't want to do anything that would risk TK's sobriety."

"I have learned the hard way to not meddle in my son's dating life. It almost always blows up in my face. So no, I don't want you to back off. And besides with everything that's going on in the world and his injury....these are trying times and I think he finds....comfort in you. I wouldn't want to take that away from him." 

Hearing his boyfriend's father say that TK finds comfort in him was reassuringly but also daunting. Carlos said his goodbyes and before he left Owen said one last thing

"Just....do me a favour. Don't let him dream up a future that doesn't have any possibility to actually exist, okay?" 

"Okay, sir." Carlos nodded in response, understanding the weight of that favour. 

Chapter Text

Bathing with TK Strand was a far more difficult task than Carlos had expected. The constant touching or groping or TK doing other entirely more scandalous things continuously distract Carlos from the work in hand. Initially Carlos had only agreed to help his boyfriend bathe since Owen wasn't home and TK couldn't do it alone with his bandaged shoulder, which had somehow devolved into them bathing together. Carlos was still not sure how exactly TK had convinced him to do that but he blamed his inability to say no to his boyfriend's adorably pout for this. And now he was trying to dry TK's hair while also resisting his not very subtle advances, which was difficult. Extremely difficult. He knew how touch starved TK was since Carlos kept refusing to do anything that could hurt him more and he was also well aware of the influence TK has on him. So before he succumbed to his boyfriend's ministrations and did something completely reckless he wrapped TK up in a towel and bolted out of the bathroom. Carlos only had a towel around his waist and was almost dripping wet, since his boyfriend didn't give him a chance to dry himself, when he saw a white petite lady standing at the door of TK's room. The shock on her face was clear but Carlos could also see some amusement in her eyes. 

"Oh, hello...." she said as she scanned him from top to bottom. 

Carlos could only think of one person this woman could be and he prayed it wasn't his boyfriend's.... 

"Mom!" TK yelled from behind him. 

Oh, no....Carlos frantically tried to cover himself up while Gwen delightedly smirked at the half naked fellow in her son's bedroom.

"You can't just walk into my room, like that!" TK stomped towards his mother. 

"I knocked and called, several times but you weren't answering. What was I supposed to do?" Gwen said in her defence, then her eyes drifted towards Carlos as she added "Apparently you were....busy."

Carlos couldn't help but blush, knowing what she was insinuating. 

"Yeah, I was busy bathing." TK retorted but Gwen remained unconvinced. 

"Just bathing?" she questioned again and TK replied with force 

"YES!" then attached a disappointed "Unfortunately...." in the end. 

Gwen proceeded to take an uncomfortably long look at Carlos that made the officer feel like he was being dissected. The fact that he was standing half naked in front of his boyfriend's mom while meeting her for the first time wasn't helping either. Carlos flushed under the scrutiny, shifting backwards a little uneasily and TK was quick to come to his defence. He stepped in front of Carlos in an attempt to cover him up (which he wasn't very successful at) and tossed him a shirt. 

"Don't look at him like that!" he told his mother while Carlos quickly put on the shirt TK gave him. Unfortunately, it wasn't his, it was TK's and thus was incredibly tight on him. And to make matters worse Carlos' wet torso was making the shirt all wet and cling to his chest even more. 

"Well, he is hard to miss." Gwen gave a pointed look behind her son which made TK turn around.

He looked at his boyfriend's red bashful face before his eyes traveled downwards. Carlos noticed the momentary pause in TK's brain function as his eyes raked over the officer's chest. Once he got his senses back online, TK gestured at his boyfriend's chest. 

"That ISN'T helping!" 

Carlos in a frenzy took the shirt off causing TK to throw his hands up in the air out of confusion

"How's that better?!"

"I DON'T KNOW, TK!! What do you want me to do?" Carlos almost yelled and in a desperate attempt put his hands over his chest. 

Gwen seemed rather amused by this entire situation, grinning widely while her son and his boyfriend panicked. 

"Go, put on some clothes." TK commanded (words he would have never thought he'd say to Carlos). Then he turned toward his mother "And Mom STOP checking out my boyfriend." 

"That wasn't....I wasn't....doing that." Gwen halfheartedly denied the accusation before taking another look at Carlos and applauding her son "Well done, by the way."

"Thank you." TK accepted, slightly smugly and Carlos blushed a little more. "Now, get out please."

"Oh, right, I came here to ask you what you wanted for lunch." Gwen asked as TK proceeded to shoo his mother out of his room.

"Chicken salad." he briefly replied, not wanting to prolong this awkward situation. 

"And does your gentleman friend want something?" Gwen looked over at Carlos who now had his own shirt on. Both Carlos and TK shook their heads, immediately. 

"Are you going to at least introduce him?"

"No." TK said with absolute resolution. 

"Why?" Gwen seemed offended and just before TK shut the door he answered snarkily

"Because I like him."

TK closed the door, locked it securely and took a sigh before turning around and seeing Carlos sitting on the bed with his face in his palm. He was still wearing his shirt and towel and he had this dejected expression on his face.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" TK grimaced as Carlos gave him a deadpan look.

"You do realise that the I was wearing NOTHING BUT A TOWEL while meeting your MOTHER FOR FIRST TIME....and she thought I was reckless enough to be having shower sex with her injured son."

"It's not that big of a deal."

"Well, it's a big deal for me, TK. I don't want to run into the parents of the guy I really like in the middle of the night or while I'm getting out of the bathroom, half naked." Carlos really did care about leaving a good first impression on his boyfriend's parents and so far it wasn't going according to plan "I want to meet them over a proper dinner....when we are both ready."

He was beyond exasperated with his luck. TK, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit bothered. He was far more focused on a particular thing the officer had just said. 

"You really like me?" TK raised an eyebrow and Carlos sighed into his palms. 

"That is SO not the point, TK!" he scolded "How did you forget to mention that your mom was here, anyways?"

"I didn't exactly....forget per se..." TK bit his lips and Carlos lifted his head to glared at him "I just knew if I told you....you wouldn't come over."

"So you lied to me so you could trick me into coming over?"

"I didn't lie to you, babe...." TK made a pout and put on his best puppy eyes "I just....withheld some....information because I REALLY missed my boyfriend and wanted to see him."

Officer Reyes was unimpressed by TK's all cutesy and adorable act. 

"Intentionally withholding information is literally the definition of lying." Carlos rolled his eyes "And don't think calling me 'babe' seductively and pouting is going to get you out of this one."

"Okay, fine. Sorry." TK apologized, very unapologetically "But can we please discuss this later. We need to find you an escape route first."

"Escape route?" 

"Yes, Carlos. My mom already tried to make you stay for lunch which means she wants to interrogate you....which means she is probably waiting outside like a blood hound eager to rip into you." TK said that so casually like it was the most obvious thing in the world "So, of course you can't just walk out of the front door. What are your feelings on jumping out of my window?" 

Carlos just stared at his boyfriend incredulously instead of answering the question, partly because he wasn't sure how to answer that. He felt slightly sorry for everyone who had been previously involved with TK and happened to bumped into his mother. 

Chapter Text

Carlos wasn't the type of cop who usually took personal calls while on shift. But after spending all afternoon breaking up rather violent fights between grown adults over toilet paper and trying to stop Karens from causing public nuisance he felt like he deserved to hear his boyfriend's voice. So when his phone rang flashing the name TK he was quick to pick it up.

"Hey, guess who just got his stitches removed?" TK spoke, without even waiting for Carlos to say hello. 

Carlos couldn't help but smile at the utter joy and relief radiating out of the other man's voice 

"How are you feeling?" 

"Great!" TK's response was way too quick to be believable "So....I was thinking that maybe I could....come over tonight?"

"Oh, so that's what this call is about." Carlos said in a disapproving tone. 

"Oh come on, Carlos! The doctor said I was doing FINE....and he even said I could go back to work next week. And I highly doubt YOU of all people can do anything that'll even come close to hurting me. Please, please just let me come over...." TK sounded beyond desperate and Carlos would be lying if he said he couldn't relate. 

It has been a while since they have touched each other, sexually or otherwise. Ever since TK's mom began staying at their home due to the pandemic they haven't even cuddled, mostly because Carlos is so mortified of bumming into either Gwyn or Owen again that he has refused to come to the Strand house. 

"Carlos, you still here?" TK asked after not hearing an answer from Carlos 

"Yeah, yeah....I just don't think...."

"Carlos, I swear to god I'm going to DIE out of thirst if I have to jerk myself off ONE MORE NIGHT while imagining you doing...." 

A loud chocking noise from the other end cut TK off. After a moment of coughing Carlos hissed in a hush voice 

"Jesus, TK! I'm at work."

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly in the mood for decency."

Carlos understood why TK was being so difficult right now but that wasn't making his job of saying 'no' any easier. The last time they had had proper sex was a few weeks before TK got shot and after that Carlos (with much difficulty) has, for the most part, kept his hands to himself for TK's well being. TK, on the other hand, has been quite ignorant about his own health, provoking Carlos every chance he gets and the firefighter's relentless efforts are starting to wear on him now. 

"It's not like I don't want you to come over, cause I do." Carlos took a look around before whispering "I....really really do. But I've been out here everyday, collecting and bringing back god knows how many germs to my apartment....and with what I'm hearing about this virus and your injury I just....I don't wanna put you in danger."

"I'll sanitize and wash my hands when I get there and....and wear a mask and everything." TK pleaded but Carlos shook his head, knowing his boyfriend was bullshiting him. 

"Oh, so you are planning on wearing a mask all night while you are at my place? Cause you sound like you're planning on wearing nothing."

"Please, I'm just really touch-starved."

"I know, babe. Me too." Carlos said understandingly "But you have been home, safe, for weeks now....and I can't be the one who risks that. Not to mention if something happens to you because of me the entire 126 will come for my head with Captain Strand leading the charge."

"Fine, I won't come over." TK finally listened to reason, mostly because he knew Carlos was right, his team would probably unleash hell on him. 

After talking for a few more minutes with a rather upset TK Carlos went back to work. He didn't like to be the reason for TK's bad mood but at least he had stopped trying to persuade Carlos. Or so he thought 'cause he received another call from his boyfriend during his break. Carlos closed his eyes as he picked up, knowing what this call was about.

"What's up, TK?"

"Listen, I know I can't come over but....you can."

"TK..." Carlos said in a so-done voice. The firefighter truly was relentless. 

"I did my research this time. Just hear me out!" Carlos sighed on the other end and TK continue "If you come over I won't have to go out of my house which will decrease the risks....plus all the first responder are already being tested that means you don't have it which again decreases the risks AND my dad already brings homes all the germs so I'm pretty familiar with them...."

"That's not how germs work, TK."

"I mean, how worse can your germs possibly be?!" TK almost yelled out of frustration "I swear I will spray you, head to toe, with sanitizer and I'll burn your clothes and give you new ones before you come inside and....and you can wash your hands, wash your entire body for all I care...."

Carlos had to really control himself from erupting into laughter as TK rambled on from the other end. The lengths TK was willing to go to to just have Carlos in his arms was very sweet if not slightly scary to the officer. Nonetheless it was really endearing and Carlos knew he would be able to say no to this. 

"....god, Carlos, I can NOT spend one more day as a celibate while I'm being forced to hear my mom and dad going at it like fucking raccoons in the next room."

Carlos almost spit up the coffee he had been drinking after hearing that. 

"Okay, first of all..." he cleared his throat "...that's not how celibacy works. Secondly I did not need to know that about your parents."

"Well, there are many things I didn't need to know about my parents either but....HERE WE ARE!" 

"Even if I agree to come over, what about your parents? I don't wanna accidentally meet them again."

"You are really making this difficult for me, Carlos." TK clenched his jaw a little annoyed by all these demands coming from the other man. "My dad's on a 24 hours shift so he wouldn't be back till tomorrow morning. And my mom....what's mom doing? Oh, yeah, she has a conference call at 2 am with some international client. That should keep her busy for a few hours."

"So you want me to come to your house....at 2 in the morning....and then sneak out before your mom is done with her call?" Carlos double checked to see if he was getting TK's obnoxious request correct.

"Yes, that is exactly what I want you to do! Or we could go back to my initial suggestion where I can come over to your...."

"Alright, I'll be there at 2." Carlos said, cutting TK off.

___

After his shift ended at midnight Carlos drove back to his apartment for a shower and a meal. Though he was tired from a 19 hour shift he couldn't help but feel tingles of excitement. He hasn't seen TK in over a week and even though that's not a very long time he couldn't bear the separation. Carlos has never considered himself clingy till he met TK. Spending all his off time in the firefighter's arms has made Carlos crave him. He tries to have restraint most of the time but he is only human and TK doesn't give up easy. Today was one of those days when Carlos had to bend to his boyfriend's will and honestly he didn't mind it as much. He got to the Strand house at 1:50 am and waited till 2 to call TK so as to not seem too desperate. TK, on the other hand, had no qualms about seeming desperate. He was literally waiting at the door and opened it with a big anticipatory smile on his face. Though Carlos didn't let him come too close until he could sanitize his clothes and wash his hands and face. 

"Where's your mom?" Carlos asked as he cautiously came inside, scanning from corner to corner. 

"She is on the roof." TK answered rather impatiently. 

"Why is she on the roof?" 

"Because the wifi is better up there....why do you care, Carlos?!" TK asked but didn't wait for the answer. 

TK almost dragged his boyfriend into his room, not wanting to wait any longer. As he locked the door Carlos sat on TK's bed, shaking his head and smiling at how eager and restless he was being. 

"How's your shoulder?" Carlos asked, still concerned about TK's injury "It must be sore after all you just got your stitches re...." TK cut him off with a kiss, cupping his face and just feeling Carlos' cheek.

"It's fine." TK said a minute later while he contemplated whether to sit beside or on Carlos.

He decided on the latter, slotting onto Carlos' lap. Carlos chuckled, this time, at TK's boldness and borderline shamelessness though he accepted the firefighter with both hands, holding his hip and pulling him in a little. TK started kissing again, pulling Carlos' bottom lip between his teeth and sucking and biting it at the same time. Carlos kissed back but with less heat than the other man. His kisses were more gentle, meant to be soothing and comforting rather than passionate. After a few minutes of thorough kissing he could feel TK's growing impatience with his slow movements. Carlos found himself smirking when TK's tongue tried and failed to enter into his mouth, making the firefighter groan in frustration.

"Why aren't you kissing me back?!"

"I'm kissing you back....just not the way you want me to."

"But why?!"

"Because I think you should take it easy." Carlos carefully took TK off his lap and placed him on the bed, much to TK's disapproval.

"I told you I'm fine, Carlos. My shoulder is peachy."

Carlos narrowed his eyes with utterly unconvinced.

"Really? Raise your hand, let me see."

TK rolled his eyes before slowly raising his hands and as Carlos expected he winced. He lifted TK's shirt to examine his wound which got TK really excited for all the wrong reasons. Carlos shook his head at TK's reaction but found it reassuring to see that the wound had healed up nicely. Although it hadn't healed up completely yet the bandages were reduced and it looked good enough for them to get involved in some not very responsible activities.

"Okay, lie down. I don't want you to strain your shoulder." Carlos told TK and the firefighter whined dramatically

"Oh, come on! I didn't go through all that trouble to make you come here just so we could literally sleep together."

"I didn't say we were going to sleep." Carlos added a suggestive eyebrow wiggle "I said lie down 'cause you need to take it easy. I'll do the work."

TK immediately perked up. Carlos noticed his pupils get significantly bigger and felt his excitement rising (pun intended). 

"Someone just got real excited." Carlos commented, teasingly.

"Can you blame him?!" TK almost pushed the officer out of the way as he scrambled to lie down on his back. 

Carlos' just snorted at TK's extreme keenness as he took off his own shirt. If he was being honest he was just as eager as his boyfriend but unlike TK Carlos had gotten really good at hiding it.

___

Carlos woke up with a pale arm around his midriff, a body snuggled close to his and glaring sunlight on his face. He wasn't completely aware of his surroundings yet but he was aware enough to know that he had fallen asleep. And he wasn't supposed to fall asleep. The last thing he remembered was the exhaustion from his 19 hour shift catching up to him as he basked in the bliss of his afterglow. After that everything went blank. He recalled lying in bed, watching the panting man beside him and thinking how amazing he was. And indeed when he turned his head he saw the same man peacefully sleeping beside him. Carlos had literally woken up in TK's arms and not only in his arms also in his bed, in his room, in the Strand house which was definitely not something he was planning on doing. The realisation woke him right up. 

"Oh, no...." Carlos groaned when he saw the time. 

He didn't remember drifting off but he must have because it was 11am and he is still here. Carlos was busy face-palming himself when he felt the body next to him starting to move. The hand on his midriff travelled upto his chest and a groggy voice gladly said

"Hey, you are still here." 

Carlos didn't say anything, knowing that his boyfriend will eventually realise that this situation was nothing to be happy about. A minute later the voice spoke again but in a panicked tone this time.

"Oh, no. You're still here." 

TK was stark awake now, he sat up and stared at his boyfriend with a guilty look while Carlos looked completely done with his life. 

"Carlos....?" TK asked, noticing the officer's eerie quietness.

"Yeah, ugh....I was so tired I fell asleep." Carlos also got up, exhaling deeply "So what now? Are you gonna throw me out of your window again?"

"I think we established it last time that you don't fit through my window."

"When is your dad supposed to come back?" Carlos asked, praying that captain Strand isn't back yet so that he only had to face TK's mom. But when he saw the look on TK's face he knew his luck was definitely not on his side today.

"His shift ended at 6."

"Great! So I get to do the walk of shame in front of both of your parents."

"I can't help but feel like some of this is my fault." TK chewed on his lip as Carlos got out of bed and almost spitefully started wearing his clothes.

"Oh, really? Why would you think that?" Carlos' words were dripping with sarcasm.

"I know this is going to be bad but I'll be by your side...." TK also got up and started putting on his clothes "...and I'll distract them and I'll try to hold them off as much as I can, okay?"

TK held out his hand, supportively and gave a crooked smile. Carlos didn't look impressed by TK attempts to be charming but he took his hand anyways. He closed his eyes once to prepare himself as TK opened the door. They walked out together hand in hand and were greeted by Owen who was standing in the kitchen and didn't look very surprised to see Carlos there.

"Oh, good morning, you two. Or should I say afternoon?" Owen checked the time, it was half past 11 "Morning it is. Want some?" he offered Carlos some green smoothie he was making which Carlos politely declined. "Oh, my bad. Should have offered you coffee since I'm assuming you didn't sleep much last night."

"Dad!" TK hissed at his father for that comment but that didn't at all deter Owen who just went to grab the coffee pot.

"What? Is that a bad assumption?" he turned to look at Carlos who ducked his head to hide his face.

Before TK could answer his dad his mom appeared from the living with her own set of embarrassing comments.

"Oh, look who decided to wake up." Gwyn said drawing everyone's attention to her "Did you enjoy yourself last night?" she very nonchalantly asked her son, prompting Carlos to cover his face with one of his hands.

"Oh my god." TK groaned at his mom and Gwyn almost looked offended

"Calm down, I was just asking." she said defensively then added "Sure sounded like you were enjoying yourself."

"Mom!" TK sighed, looking up at the ceiling while Carlos stared at the floor.

"What? You were the one who said the wall here aren't that thick." Gwyn look at her son with innocent eyes and Carlos noticed how similar they were to the ones TK makes at him "And apparently they are very thin 'cause the amount of times I've heard 'Carlos' or 'please' last night is just unbeli...."

"Guys, come on! Boundaries!" TK yelled cutting his mom off while Carlos went back to staring at floor.

"What boundaries are you talking about, son?" Owen looked positively confused at the mention of boundaries. 

"Yeah, since when did the Strands started having boundaries?" Gwyn asked as if it was the most ridiculous thing TK has ever said "I mean while me and your dad were dating your grandfather and grandmother used to walked in on us on a regular basis, like it was their hobby or something. They even told me that my waist wasn't ideal for carrying a child." Gwyn informed, making TK close his eyes and face-palm himself.

Carlos was just staring at them with wide eyes wondering what he had gotten himself into. 

"I swear I will disown you both if you don't shut up right now." TK glared at his parents before flashing an apologetic smile at a very stunned looking Carlos. 

"I think I should....get going now." Carlos tilted his head towards the door and TK agreed. 

But his parents didn't, they immediately tried to stop their son.

"What about coffee?" Owen asked, holding up the pot he had especially brewed for Carlos. 

"Forget coffee, we should have brunch." Gwyn suggested, causing TK to nudge his boyfriend towards the door in an attempt to rescue him from his parents. 

Once Carlos had successfully existed the Strand household, much to Owen and Gwyn's disappointment, TK apologised 

"I'm sorry about them."

"It's okay." Carlos brushed it off but TK didn't let go.

His face crumbled into something a lot more vulnerable than what Carlos was used to seeing and his voice broke a little as he spoke

"No, Carlos, listen, I'm sorry. I know I was persistent, annoying persistent and I basically....forced you to come over even though you were exhausted and....it was risky." 

Carlos tried to interrupt, protest and tell his boyfriend that he wanted to come but TK didn't give him a chance, he just continued 

"I'm....just, staying here, cooped up with my parents....it brought back a lot of memories and um..." TK unconsciously started fidgeting "...and I need a distraction and I know that's not fair to you but I just....I afraid that if it wasn't you it would be something....else and...."

This time Carlos did interrupt him with a light kiss on his lips. He stepped a little closer, placing one of his hands on TK's to stop him from fidgeting and another on his hip to sooth him.

"TK, you don't owe me an explanation." Carlos reassuringly said "And we can talk about this when you are ready....for the time being I'm happy to be your distraction, whenever you need....or want. Just....let's wait till you get back on the field so our risk levels are equal and I don't feel like I'm putting you in danger, then we can hang out all the time and you can stay at my apartment if your parents annoy you too much, okay?"

TK didn't say anything, he just nodded as he leaned into his boyfriend's touch. He just sometimes couldn't handle how understanding and supportive Carlos was with him. Carlos pressed a gentle, longing kiss on TK forehead before pulling away.

"I'm sorry my parents were so embarrassing." TK finally said. 

He had already apologised for his parents antics but for some reason he felt the need to keep apologising. 

"As embarrassing as that was, I'd do it again in a heartbeat 'cause you are worth the embarrassment." Carlos told TK and before TK could respond he heard two "Aww..."s coming from behind him. 

Carlos looked straight ahead and TK turned around to see Owen and Gwyn standing in the hallway, staring at them with a they're-so-cute faces. TK groaned beyond irritated by his parents childish behaviour and Carlos couldn't stop himself from laughing a little.