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TK pulls into a parking space outside Carlos’s apartment building, switching off the engine before getting out of his car to stretch his back out from the drive. He’s continually thankful that Texas State is less than an hour from Austin, especially since he knows he’ll be doing the drive for another year until Carlos graduates, in-between his own training at the fire academy.
He reaches back into the car to pull out his overnight bag before heading up the stairs towards his boyfriend’s apartment. He’s been here a handful of times already this year, his heart racing as he remembers his last visit during spring break, when Carlos decided to stay five extra days to lifeguard at the pool and his roommate was off on a trip to somewhere that was definitely not San Marcos, Texas. Those five days were some of the best of TK’s life so far, the two of them barely leaving the apartment as they took advantage of the privacy to live out all of their domestic fantasies. TK loves living with his dad, but he can’t wait until they’re both finished with school so that he can wake up with Carlos every day in their own apartment. The way he yearns for that future makes his heart nearly burst.
He knocks on the door to 4A, shuffling back and forth as he waits for an answer. He hadn’t told Carlos he was coming up tonight, knowing that his boyfriend had taken his final exam this afternoon and wanting to surprise him. This way, they’ll get to spend a night together before Carlos has to pack up his on-campus apartment and head back to Austin for the summer. TK is excited for them to be living in the same city again for a few months, but he already knows it will be hard for them to both be back under their parents’ roofs. Uninterrupted alone time will be very hard to come by, and TK is already dreading it.
When the door finally opens, it’s not Carlos, like TK was expecting, but his roommate, Weston. “Hey, TK!” the other man yells, darting forward with a smile to give him a loose hug, patting him on the back. TK’s met him a few times, and they’ve hung out during his past visits; he seems like a really nice guy, and he’s happy to return the greeting.
“Hey, West,” he says, fixing his bag on his shoulder as he looks into the apartment for his boyfriend, expecting him to have appeared when he heard West’s shout. Carlos’s roommate must see his gaze shift, because he grips TK’s shoulder to guide him through the door.
“Carlos is actually over at the pool right now, said something about getting some last laps in before packing,” he explains, diving towards the table for the open bag of Cheetos sitting there, stuffing a few in his mouth with a loud crunch.
TK rolls his eyes fondly, a smile lighting up his face. He should’ve known that Carlos would be at the pool. Often when they talk at the end of the day, Carlos is walking out of the Student Rec Center to his car. TK likes it most when they FaceTime, because that’s when he gets to see his boyfriend’s wild, untamed curls still wet from his post-swim shower.
“That doesn’t surprise me one bit,” he says, gesturing towards the door to Carlos’s room. “I’m just going to drop my bag in his room and go look for him.” West nods, already turning back towards the shared couch to scroll through his phone.
TK opens the door to the bedroom, immediately hit with the faint smell of chlorine, a scent he so easily associates with his boyfriend. He drops his bag on the bed before turning towards the dresser, opening the bottom drawer where he knows Carlos keeps his swim shorts. With a snort, he pulls out a familiar striped pair to put on; they’re a little big, since his boyfriend is so massive, but TK ties them as tight as he can around his waist, hoping they’ll stay on. He’s not going to miss a chance to swim with Carlos just because he didn’t pack his swim trunks.
He’s out of the apartment minutes later, waving a quick goodbye to West as he cuts through the living room. He jumps in his car, following the familiar route across campus towards the rec center. TK parks as close as he can, fast-walking up to the entrance; now that he's this close to seeing Carlos’s face, he doesn’t want to waste another second.
The rec center is fairly empty, since most of the student body is either hunkered down to study, or already packing to leave, so no one stops TK on his way towards the pool. Carlos took him here on his first visit to campus, giving him a tour of all of his favorite places, so he knows the way without having to ask.
He slides into the room as silently as he can, looking around for his boyfriend. There’s a small group of girls huddled in the leisure pool, but TK notices that the lane dividers have been temporarily removed from the lap pool, and he spots a familiar body underwater near the far end. TK moves as quickly as he can to that side of the pool, tossing his phone and keys against the wall as he plops down on the edge, dipping his toes into the cool water.
It takes Carlos a moment to resurface, and TK uses the time to watch how his boyfriend’s body cuts through the water, his strong arms propelling him forward as his powerful legs kick out behind him. They’ve known each other for almost an entire year now, and TK still can’t believe someone like Carlos Reyes even exists, and more unbelievably, that he gets to have him all to himself.
Finally, after what feels like forever, Carlos comes up for air, dripping water from his dark black curls. He rubs a hand over his face to clear his eyes, his chest rising as he takes in deep breaths. The image, completely with water gliding off of Carlos’s smooth, muscular biceps, is so nearly pornographic that TK can’t help but to let out a small moan.
He knows that his boyfriend hears it by the way he noticeably tenses before turning to look at TK, whose lips rise into a small smile at Carlos’s completely shocked face. “Ty?” he asks, his voice full of disbelief.
“Hey, babe,” TK says, giving him a little wave. He watches as Carlos’s entire face transforms before him, his eyebrows relaxing as his smile lights up the whole room, his eyes crinkling with how obviously happy he is to see him. Carlos starts to swim towards him, and TK reaches up to yank his t-shirt off and throws it behind him seconds before Carlos connects with him. He leans down to press his lips to Carlos’s wet ones, pushing a breath out through his nose when he feels his boyfriend’s hands on his wrists, pulling him down into the pool next to him.
TK’s head has barely dipped beneath the water when he feels firm hands on him, Carlos’s arms wrapping around him to pull him back up. When he does resurface, he gets in a quick breath before their lips press together again. TK sinks into the body against him, draping his arms over Carlos’s shoulders to sink his fingers into his favorite curls.
They stay close, their kiss going from firm to passionate, their tongues meeting as they part their lips to explore one another. The taste of Carlos is better than anything else in the world, and while it may have only been three weeks since they were last together, when Carlos came home for a weekend, TK has gone too long without it. He doesn’t think he’ll ever grow tired of how hungry and desperate Carlos makes him feel.
They continue to float in the water, their kisses becoming gentle as they begin to pull apart. TK presses their foreheads together, running the tip of his nose down the bridge of Carlos’s as he lets out a deep breath. He has never felt more content and safe and loved than when he is in his boyfriend’s arms.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here right now,” Carlos whispers, and TK can hear the clear joy in his voice. He pulls back to gaze at his favorite pair of brown eyes, soft in the overhead lighting, as he smiles.
“I wanted to surprise you,” TK explains, running his fingers through the back of Carlos’s hair as their bodies wade through the water.
“Mission very much accomplished, TK Strand,” Carlos says as he reaches beneath the surface to place his hands on TK’s thighs, pulling his legs around his waist to take on his weight. TK sighs, loving how it feels to be carried around by his boyfriend, even underwater.
“How was your exam?” TK asks, stroking Carlos cheek as he continues to stare at the most handsome face in the world.
Carlos groans, shaking his head as he closes his eyes, his forehead wrinkling in distress. “Not good,” he says, and TK can hear the disappointment in his voice. “I was the last one in the room, and I took the entire period to finish. I felt like such an idiot.”
TK knows that his final exam was for a class that has caused Carlos stress the entire semester. From what he’s heard, it’s been more of a problem of lazy instruction and Carlos’s refusal to accept a sub-par attitude from his professor, which has caused them to butt heads for months. It’s definitely not because his boyfriend is an idiot, and he’s not going to allow Carlos to think that he is.
“Hey,” TK says firmly, reaching up to soothe the wrinkles on Carlos’s forehead until they disappear. “You and I both know you’re not an idiot, and I’m not going to stand for you saying that, Carlos Reyes. You’re one of the most informed, passionate, selfless, and thoughtful people that I know, and you work so hard to make everyone around you try harder. Just because your stupid professor refuses to change his attitude, that doesn’t make you a failure. It makes you better.”
By the time he finishes, he sees that Carlos’s soft brown eyes have filled with tears, his grip on his hips tighter as his chest rises with emotion. “I love you so much,” he says, a tear falling to his cheek as he blinks, “I’m so happy that I found you.”
TK gasps, his heart hammering inside of him. They’ve said that they love each other dozens and dozens of times, basically ever since they admitted their feelings at the end of last summer, but TK never gets used to hearing it. The words light him up inside, making him feel like he can take on the whole world.
“I love you, too,” he whispers, his gaze locked on the man before him. “So, so much.”
They both lean in for another kiss, this one soft as they reaffirm how important they are to one another. When they pull away again, TK glances down at Carlos’s shoulders, running his hand along the broad muscles that define his massive upper back.
“In fact,” he says, a grin growing as he speaks, “I love you so much that I’m honestly a little worried about how much time you spend in this pool. Are you trying to turn into a fish or something?” he teases, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend.
Instead of laughing like TK hoped he would, Carlos flushes, his eyes shifting to look anywhere but into TK’s own. He recognizes the sure signs of embarrassment, and he furrows his brows in concern. “What is it?”
“Promise you won’t laugh at me?” Carlos pleads, his eyes moving back to TK, who nods in answer. “I like to come here when I’m stressed or upset or lonely, there’s something about the water that soothes me,” he says, glancing around at the pool.
“Why would I laugh about that? That makes sense,” TK says, confused. Carlos huffs out a breath, rolling his eyes at him.
“It’s because when I’m in the water, I feel like I’m closer to you,” he pushes out, his cheeks on fire again. “Even when you’re not here, being in the water reminds me of last summer and every moment that I spent with you, and when I think about those days, it just makes me feel better.”
TK feels his heart rising to his throat, he’s so overwhelmed with love for this beautiful, gentle man. He leans in to rub his nose across his boyfriend’s cheek, breathing in the scent of chlorine, and a stronger smell that is unmistakably Carlos.
“I would never laugh at you for wanting to feel closer to me,” he responds, planting a small kiss to the corner of Carlos’s mouth. “It’s all I want, too,” he continues, laying another kiss next to the previous one. “All I want is to feel this close to you forever,” he finishes, pressing a final kiss to the center of Carlos’s perfectly soft lips.
“Forever?” his boyfriend asks, his breath stuttering against TK’s mouth.
“For the rest of my life,” he confirms, before sealing their lips together once more in a kiss that feels like a promise.
He can’t wait to spend his whole life keeping it.