Chapter Text
When Kaz is twenty-two, he has the perfect life that he never thought he’d be lucky enough to have.
It’s early when his alarm clock goes off. He reaches his hand out to snooze it for five more minutes, but he’s held back by the arm wrapped around his waist.
Normally, Kaz would like nothing more than to snuggle back into the warmth surrounding him, but that doesn’t stop the clock from blaring at him.
“Chase,” Kaz nudges his boyfriend, who’s become a deep sleeper ever since Douglas rendered the capsule obsolete due to making its function remote.
Chase only mumbles incoherently while trying to pull Kaz impossibly closer.
Kaz sighs and resigns himself to not getting those five extra minutes before extracting himself from the arms of his octopus-like boyfriend.
Standing up, Kaz turns off the alarm clock. 5:30AM always comes too soon, but he has to be at work by 7AM (on a Saturday, no less. sometimes being an adult sucks), so he really has no choice in the matter. He looks on as Chase rolls onto Kaz’s side of the bed and just continues to sleep as if nothing happened.
Rolling his eyes, Kaz makes his way to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. He had the coffee pot on a timer last night, so it’s ready by the time he makes it to the counter. Grabbing a mug, he pours himself a cup before making his way to the terrace to look out over the city as the sun rises.
This view only reminds him of how much he can’t afford this apartment and how glad he is that his boyfriend’s father is a billionaire.
The city is quiet. He supposes he has some hand in that.
Ever since the Elite Force defeated the shapeshifters, they’ve finally been able to breathe. Superheroes were able to go back to saving people everyday without constantly looking over their shoulder. The Elite Force is still active, but they hardly went on as many missions these days. It’s mostly natural disaster aid now, for which they were grateful.
Besides, it freed up their time to actually live like civilians. Chase was busy getting his doctorate in pretty much every kind of engineering, which would be insane for anyone that isn’t a bionically enhanced genius. Speaking of doctorates, Kaz was finally able to go to medical school to become a real, certified doctor. He got his undergrad degree in biology and with Davenport’s “internship” on his application alongside his MCAT scores, he got into his medical school of choice. It’s hard work, but it’s familiar and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Chase would argue that Kaz is already a magic doctor with what he did at Mighty Med, but Kaz has higher ambitions than that.
Mighty Med.
Once they were able to serve their own brand of justice to the shapeshifters that destroyed it, the remaining superheroes were able to regroup and rebuild.
Given that Mr. Davenport is always ready to slap his name on a building, he was more than willing to build a human hospital to disguise a superhuman hospital.
It was hard, getting everything up and running again. Replacing equipment, replacing staff, training staff… it took work, but Kaz and Oliver weren’t alone. Not anymore.
They were actually able to hire Jordan, who they hadn’t seen in a long time, but they knew she knows just as much about superheroes as them and would be able to help. Her experience as a vet technician also comes in handy when dealing with humanoid animal patients.
Once they told her their secret, they were punched, badly, but, overall, she took it pretty well. It was good having her back in their lives. Kaz would be lying if he said he didn’t miss her while they were apart.
There’s still a lot to do. Mighty Med is still understaffed and you can’t exactly advertise a job position for a secret society.
Sometimes it’s hard to balance everything going on in his life and still find time for his friends and family. By family, he mainly means Kara, but also a few of his other siblings, like Kyle (the good ones anyway; some of them are beyond reconciliation). He hasn’t talked to his parents since he turned eighteen and doesn’t plan to do so ever again, no matter how much they try to contact him.
It’s freeing to be able to surround himself with only the people he wants to surround himself with.
He’s broken out of his thoughts when a voice sounds from behind him.
“I don’t get how you’re never cold. It’s freezing out here,” Chase says from the doorway, shivering. He has a point, it is close to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and Kaz is only wearing his boxers.
“I do have fire powers,” he reminds, shrugging, “They keep me warm.”
“Yeah? Well, come keep me warm,” Chase drags him back inside and Kaz doesn’t put up much of a fight.
“Hmm. How do you suggest I go about that?” Kaz sets his empty coffee mug down on the table so he can wrap both of his arms around Chase’s neck.
“Come back to bed,” Chase toys with the waistband of Kaz’s boxers before using them to pull him closer in order to kiss him.
Kaz would never get tired of this, even after four years, and hopefully he would get to kiss Chase everyday for the rest of their lives. Kaz smiled against Chase’s lips before pulling away the slightest bit, to stare into half-lidded eyes of the man he loved, “Yeah, I could be convinced.”
After Chase had thoroughly distracted him from getting ready for work, Kaz only has 30 minutes to get out the door and to Mighty Med. He’s scrambling around the apartment with one shoe on while simultaneously shoveling spoonfuls of Loopy-Loops into his mouth.
“Babe?” He calls from where he’s stuffing files into a briefcase (seriously, he has a briefcase…when did he become such an adult?), “Have you seen my left shoe?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s in the hall,” Chase says back from the bathroom where he’s taking his own sweet time getting ready, because he doesn’t have to be at Davenport Industries until 9AM. Donald has slowly been giving Chase more responsibilities in the running of his company, setting Chase up to take over for when he eventually inherits it.
Sure enough, when Kaz walks into the hallway next to their bedroom he finds his shoe. Grumbling a little, he puts it on. Even before looking at his watch he knows that he’s running late.
Grabbing a coat (not because he needs it, but he’d rather civilians not look at him like he’s insane in 50 degree weather), he heads to the front door.
Chase follows him, “You won’t forget that we’re going to your sister’s for dinner tonight, right? It’s game night and she’s invited the whole team.”
Kaz actually did remember that, but he needs Chase to remain unsuspicious, so he feigns a sheepish smile.
“You forgot, didn’t you?” Chase gives him a slightly annoyed, but overall fond look.
“I forgot,” he lies. Normally, he would never lie to Chase, but it’s all part of his master plan, “That’s why I have you.”
Raising an eyebrow (in true Davenport fashion), Chase playfully challenges Kaz’s words, “Oh, not because you love and care about me, but because I remember your schedule for you?”
“Now, you’re getting it,” Kaz plays along before pulling Chase into quick kiss, “I’ll see you this evening. I love you,” Kaz would also never get tired of telling Chase how much he loves him, even if only to see Chase’s face melt into that perfect, soft smile of his.
Like the smile he’s wearing right now.
“I love you too,” Chase leans in for just one more kiss before stepping back, “Be safe.”
“You too,” Kaz says as he’s heading out the door.
Kaz doesn’t know the future holds for them, but he knows that he can handle whatever life throws their way as long as he has Chase by his side. Thinking of the small velvet box that’s been burning a hole in his jacket pocket for the past three weeks, Kaz hopes to finally pop the question tonight, surrounded by the people he cares about most.
(Spoiler Alert: Chase says yes.)