Chapter Text
“I really need to get to work,” Carlos said for the fifth time in three minutes.
“Are you sure?” TK asked from his spot on the bed. He motioned to the empty space next to him with a grin. “Because this side is feeling a little empty to me.”
Carlos sighed. “You know I would love nothing more than to cuddle in that bed with you all day and every day, but I do need to get to work. I’m assisting in that prisoner transfer today and I really can’t be late. The lead officer said and I quote, “I will leave your sorry ass behind if you ain’t on time kid.”
“Fine, fine,” TK replied. “I have to get ready for work soon anyway.”
Carlos leaned down and gave TK a peck on the lips. “I’ll see you later and when I do, I will definitely not be opposed to cuddling in that bed with you.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” TK replied. “Have a good shift and be safe.”
“Same to you,” Carlos said back.
It was a mantra of theirs. Always reminding each other to be careful and come back in one piece. They started not long after TK had been shot and even though the words didn’t mean much, it made them both feel better to say it.
On his way out the door, Carlos turned around one last time and felt his heart skip a beat at the smile TK was giving him.
They’d only been dating for five months now but god he loved this man. Maybe one day he’d finally muster up the courage to admit it to him out loud.
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“Cutting it close there, Officer Reyes,” Officer Dean Smith said as Carlos arrived at the precinct.
He looked down at his watch. He was fifteen minutes early, but he wasn’t going to mention that.
“Sorry about that,” Carlos said instead.
The senior officer just huffed in response. “Here comes the scum now.”
Carlos turned and watched as Jacob Reid was led towards them, a police officer holding onto each arm. His hands were handcuffed in front of him. Reid had been a suspect in the murder of his girlfriend in Houston two weeks earlier. He’d been on the run since. He was caught at 5:30 that morning trying to rob a gas station and Carlos had gotten the call by 6:00 that he was going to escort him back to Houston with Officer Sunshine over there.
The officers placed Reid in the back of Officer Smith’s squad car and Smith got into the driver’s seat.
“He’s a real piece of work,” one of the officers said to Carlos as he shook each of their hands. “Good luck.”
Carlos nodded to both of them and climbed into the passenger side. It was going to be a long drive.
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TK strode into the station with a smile on his face. Despite the early morning wake up call from Carlos’ captain, he was in a great mood.
He couldn’t believe that there was a time where he actually doubted that Carlos was good for him. TK had pushed him away for months before he finally realized how much he cared about him and let him in. He was just grateful that Carlos kept pushing until he broke down the walls that TK had so carefully put up after Alex. Carlos never gave up on him, and TK loved him for it. Not that he’d admitted that out loud yet, but he was working his way up to it.
“Looks like someone is in a good mood this morning!” Paul called as TK walked up to the team.
“He spent the night by Carlos,” Owen said with a smirk aimed at his son.
“Dad!” TK complained.
“I knew it!” Marjan said, high-fiving Mateo.
“You’re all the worst,” TK said, not even trying to hide the smile on his face.
“Yeah, yeah. Go get changed lover boy,” Judd told him.
TK shook his head and walked to his locker to put on his uniform. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. His smile grew even wider when he saw it was a text from Carlos.
*On the road. Officer Sunshine won’t even let me put on the radio. Going to be a long day.*
*I’ll have something delicious waiting for you for dinner when you get back.*
*You can do a lot of things TK Strand, and I mean A LOT. But you don’t know how to cook.*
*No, but my dad does.*
*Oooh an Owen Strand home-cooked meal count me in.*
*And for dessert you can have me.*
*Next time I need a warning before you text me something like that Tyler Kennedy Strand. You have no idea the sound I just made. Officer Sunshine probably thinks I’m insane. Also, YES. Looks like I’ll be surviving this day after all.*
*Good, you better.*
*Gotta go, Sunshine is glaring at me. I look forward to dessert. Be safe.*
TK laughed and put his phone away. He grabbed his uniform and started to get ready for his shift.
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Carlos sighed. They had only been on the road for half an hour at most but it already felt like days. They were on a highway now at least, and there were very few cars at this hour so it shouldn’t be more than a couple more hours until they reached Houston.
The car was completely silent. Carlos had tried to strike up a conversation with Smith but only got grunts in return. In the back behind the separation gate, Jacob Reid sat silently with his hands in his lap. Every once in a while, he would lean forward and look out the window. Carlos thought nothing of it.
All of the sudden, Reid started coughing hard and pitched forward in his seat.
“What’s going on back there?” Carlos said, immediately alert. He turned around to get a better view.
“Oh my god,” Reid moaned. “It hurts. It hurts!”
“What the hell is happening Reyes?” Smith asked impatiently.
“Something is wrong with him,” Carlos replied.
Reid continued to cough and moan, hunched over in the backseat.
“I’m pulling over,” Smith said.
Carlos was about to unbuckle his seat belt and go around to the back when he saw the headlights coming right at them.
He didn’t even have time to shout a warning before the truck slammed into the car on Smith’s side.
The next few seconds were filled with the sensation of the car flipping over and over as they were slammed off of the highway. The sound of shattering glass and metal being crushed were all Carlos could hear. His head was spinning. He could barely breathe.
When they finally came to a stop, Carlos had no idea what was going on or which way was up. He moaned in pain as he became more aware. Everything hurt, especially his chest.
“Smith,” he called out. “Smith, are you okay?”
It took everything he had just to turn his head to the left to see if the other officer was all right.
When he looked over, the first thing he saw were Smith’s eyes bulging. Confused, he looked down and saw the handcuffs wrapped tightly around his throat. The gate separating the front of the car from the back must have come loose in the crash, and Reid was strangling Officer Smith.
“No!” Carlos shouted, trying to reach his gun, but it had fallen out of the holster and he couldn’t find it on the floor.
Carlos heard the door to the backseat open.
“Come on!” someone yelled.
“This is Officer Reyes with the Austin Police Department,” Carlos said. “This man is a prisoner!”
“Jacob, let’s go!” the other man said, pulling Reid from the car.
“What are you doing? Stop!” Carlos yelled. He tried to get out of his seatbelt to stop them but his vision was darkening dangerously as it got harder to breathe. He wasn’t going to be conscious much longer.
“Give me a gun!” Reid shouted, “I need to kill him!”
“Are you crazy?!” the other man replied. “You already killed one cop you want to kill another one?”
“Give me a gun!” Reid shouted again. “He knows there’s two of us now, if we want to get away we can’t let him live!”
“We don’t have time! I already see another car coming this way, let’s go!” he replied, dragging Reid away.
Carlos was finally able to find his gun on the floor of the car, but it was too late. Both men were out of view.
His ears were ringing and his vision blacked out. He tried to hold onto consciousness for just a little longer, but felt himself slipping fast.
His final thought was of TK, and the smile on his face that morning before he had left for work.
Then everything faded away.