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Carlos had been nervous, the first time he had hosted the 126 at his place. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it - it had been his idea, after all - but these were TK’s friends. His family. Carlos isn’t an insecure man, but he had wanted them to like him.
Fortunately, they had, quickly won over by his possession of a gaming system and his ability to cook.
Now, Carlos is beginning to see this as a sort of norm. He likes it, he really does. Besides, it’s nice to be able to actually hang out with people, especially now that Michelle’s gone. They still talk, but it’s not the same.
“Want a game, Reyes?” Marjan calls, gesturing to the tv screen with her controller.
Carlos shakes his head. “I’m good.”
“Aw, come on,” she teases. “Scared I’m gonna show you up?”
“As I recall, you already have shown me up,” he points out. “Many times.”
Marjan smirks, entirely too pleased with herself. “True. Paul?”
“I’m with Carlos.”
“TK?”
TK also declines, leaving Marjan looking a strange combination of disappointed and triumphant.
“Suit yourselves,” she says, leaning forward to toss both controls on the coffee table. Before she can, Mateo snatches the second one up.
“I’ll play, Marjan,” he says, frowning at the collective wince that runs around the room. “What? I’m good at this one.”
“C’mon, dude,” Paul calls from the sink. “Everyone knows you don’t go up against Marjan unless you want to get your ass firmly kicked.”
Mateo wrinkles his nose and sits down anyway, intently focusing on the screen. TK leans into Carlos. “This is not going to end well,” he murmurs.
Carlos hums in agreement, wrapping an arm around TK’s shoulders. He smiles as Paul comes over to join them, settling into the chair opposite. Out of all the 126 members, Paul is the one he’s closest to - besides TK, of course - and the one he’s most comfortable around - again, besides TK. They’ve gone out a few times, just the three of them, and Carlos always enjoys hearing Paul’s stories.
“Bets on how long the probie lasts?” Paul asks.
Carlos considers. “Five minutes?”
“Generous,” Paul laughs. “I give him two.”
In the end, they’re both wrong; it’s all of thirty seconds before Mateo resoundly loses, and another when he insists on a re-do. Carlos laughs and settles in to enjoy the round of good-natured ribbing as Mateo huffs and abandons his attempts to beat Marjan.
“It was never going to happen anyway,” he says as Mateo walks past him to get a drink. Mateo shoots him a dark look, causing TK to almost choke laughing, and Carlos himself can’t fend off a grin.
It’s surprising, even now, how comfortable he is with them all. How he’s come to consider them his friends.
Later, just after they’ve all left, he turns away from the dishes in the sink to find TK hovering in the middle of the room, watching him intently.
“You okay?” he asks, frowning.
TK nods and walks over, leaning his hip against the counter. “Yeah. Just… Thank you. For doing all of this. You don’t have to.”
Carlos shrugs. “I want to.”
TK smiles at him and reaches out to grab Carlos’s hand, linking their fingers together. “Sorry for being so strung out earlier.”
“Which time?”
“Oh, I resent that.”
Carlos laughs. “It’s okay. I get it. Besides, I’m always happy to provide a - how did you put it? - a ‘safe place for us to gather for human interaction in this uncertain age’.”
TK groans, looking down at the floor. “Can we please forget I ever said that?”
“Mmm nope.” Carlos ducks his head to meet TK’s eyes. “But I may have a few other ideas to help you destress, if you’re interested.”
TK’s eyes darken, flicking up to look at Carlos. His hands reach for Carlos’s hips, pulling them closer together as Carlos winds his arms around the back of TK’s neck. “Is that so?”
Carlos hums, leaning forward to kiss TK. “I take it that’s a yes,” he murmurs against TK’s lips. His answer comes in the form of TK pulling them flush against each other, kissing Carlos harder.
Carlos’s hands go to TK’s buttons, undoing them quickly as their movements become more frantic. TK’s starts tugging on the bottom of Carlos’s t-shirt, though the action proves difficult, pressed up against the counter as he is. Carlos laughs and is about to step away to give TK more room when they’re interrupted by the click of the door opening.
They freeze, and Carlos’s head whips around to see Mateo standing in the doorway, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Um.” Mateo gulps. “I, uh. Forgot my phone.”
“I told you not to go in there, Probie!” Marjan’s voice comes from outside, and Mateo flushes.
“I’ll just, uh.” He grabs his phone off the table and practically sprints out, the door slamming shut behind him.
Carlos looks at TK, who appears just as stunned as him. “So, that just happened,” he quips.
TK grimaces and squeezes his eyes shut, dropping his head to Carlos’s chest. “I’m never gonna live this down,” he mumbles into Carlos’s t-shirt.
Carlos laughs despite TK’s whines of protest. His phone pings and he reaches to grab it off the counter, only for his laughter to die in his throat as he sees the teasing messages Paul and Marjan have already started sending him.
“If it makes you feel any better,” he starts, peeling TK away from him and showing him his phone, “I’m not sure I am either.”
Across the room, TK’s own phone starts going off and he looks helplessly over at Carlos. Carlos just shakes his head and sighs in despair, but he can’t deny the warm feeling in his chest as he scrolls through the messages.
He really should have known. After all, becoming friends with Firehouse 126 is a dangerous endeavour - but it’s one that Carlos is glad to have taken on.