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“So, why doesn’t he like being called Tyler?” Paul asks Owen when the team is eating.
Owen looks behind him, where TK is getting himself more water. “It’s not my story to tell, but it has something to do with his ex,” Owen says. Marjan looks up from her plate, “He had an ex?”
“Yes, and I would appreciate it if you guys not talk about my love life,” TK says when he sits back down.
“Sorry kiddo, they asked,” Owen said with a soft smile and shrug.
“Yeah thanks for throwing us under the bus cap,” Paul says, also with a smile.
“Always,” says Owen with the whole table laughing.
—
“TK, can you come here?” Judd calls out.
As TK walks over to Judd, a car pulls up just outside the station. Or more specifically, a cop car.
Carlos steps out of the car just when TK gets to Judd, but doesn’t see him just yet.
“Yeah, can you just grab—” Judd starts out before getting interrupted by Carlos.
“Hey guys! How are y’all doing?” Carlos asks the two when he reaches speaking distance.
TK turns around, finally seeing him, “Hey Carlos, what are you doing here?”
“I just finished my shift and thought I would pop by. I have to drop something off anyway too.”
“Well, how about you stay for a meal? We’re just getting ready to eat,” Judd offers.
Carlos looks over at TK and sees that he has a slight smile on his face and agrees.
Carlos, Judd, and TK walk up to the table, the task Judd was doing long forgotten. As they get closer to the table, they smell Paul’s cooking.
“Wow, that smells great Paul!” TK tells Paul.
“Why thank you, y’all are hard to cook for let me tell you, but I think I you all will enjoy it,” Paul responds to him.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure everything tastes great. And, Carlos is going to be joining us if y’all don’t mind,” TK lets the team know. Choruses of “yeah’s” and “of course” runs out.
Soon enough, they start eating, with Carlos seated next to TK. “So, what do you guys think? Is it good?”
“Absolutely, and thank you again for letting me join,” Carlos speaks up. “I think I have to start coming here more often if I get to eat like this.”
This time, it was Marjan who spoke up, “Oh I’m sure TK wouldn’t mind one bit.”
TK definitely saw the wink that she threw in there and had started a slight blush on his face, “I think I’m going to get more water! What about you guys? Need more water? No? Okay.”
Laughs were loud as TK went to get water, especially by Owen.
“Oh shit!”
All of them look back at where TK was and Carlos speaks up first, “Tyler! What happened?” while getting up to go to him at the same time. As he gets up, the rest of the team look at each other with a look. They just heard someone call him Tyler, and even Owen was shocked.
“It’s fine really. Just lost my grip on the glass,” they all hear TK say. They were all listening in to the two’s conversation.
“You gotta be more careful Tyler. And stop picking up the pieces! You’re gonna get cut!”
“Yeah, yeah. Can you grab a broom?”
“Sure, where is it?”
A slight pause was heard but quickly followed with, “Hey guys, where do we keep the brooms?”
Mateo was the first one to respond, “Uhm, we keep it the first closet down the hallway. You’ll see it on your left.”
“Okay, thank you. And do not touch anything!” Carlos says when he stands up.
The team is practically quiet at this point, and they continue to be so until the two come back to the table and sit back down. Carlos seems to pick up the tension, being a cop and all. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Owen says with a slight drawl on the word.
Paul speaks up just as fast, “You just called him Tyler! And he didn’t get mad! Explain.”
“I—” Carlos starts off but is uncertain in how to continue.
“Why does he get to call you Tyler?” Marjan adds in when the pair is silent.
By this point, TK is looking at his food, slightly embarrassed again. In that time, Carlos speaks again, “I don’t get it? Ever since I figured out his name, I’ve always called him Tyler. He never objected,” he finishes with a slight shrug.
Exclamations of “what’s?” are heard. “He doesn’t let us call him Tyler. And we’ve known him longer!” Mateo says, with just a hint of sadness.
“Guys! It’s not that big of a deal! It’s just my name!” TK finally says.
“Oh no no,” Marjan says with a laugh, “It is not just your name, it’s your name that you won’t let anyone say.”
At this point, Carlos was looking at TK, but TK won’t look back at him.
“Is that right?” Carlos asks TK, but just in a slight whisper.
“Yes! Yes, okay?” TK says loud enough for the whole table to hear, “I let Carlos call me by name. That’s it, nothing more,” and when he finishes, his face had gotten a tint more red.
Carlos lets out his smile, and wraps his arm around TK’s shoulders to pull him close, “Tyler Kennedy, you really are something else.”