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Carlos drops down into the swivel chair behind his desk, letting out a huge sigh. It’s the first time he’s been off his feet in five hours, and he’s not the young officer that he once was. Raising his arms above his head, he stretches out his back for a moment, tilting his head from side-to-side to crack his neck. Then, with a deep breath, he brings his hands up to his face, trying to scrub the sleep away. When he blinks his eyes back open, he feels no more awake than he did before. He gives up, realizing it’s a lost cause. He’ll just have to find some coffee soon to make it through the rest of his shift.
He’s just started looking through some community evaluation surveys, the words practically dancing across the page in front of him as if they’re teasing him about his exhaustion, when there’s a knock on his open office door. By the time he realizes there’s someone here to see him, his guest is already speaking.
“Well, well, well,” TK says, leaning casually against the door frame with his hands behind his back. “I have to say, you look really damn good behind that desk.”
“Hey, you,” Carlos sighs, tossing his pen aside as he stares up at the other man. “I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
“Carlos, it’s your first day in your new position,” TK says, rolling his eyes. “I had to bring you a congratulatory lunch.” From behind his back, he reveals a large to-go bag, and the scent of tacos and tortilla chips hits Carlos all the way across the room, making his mouth water. “I also brought you coffee, because I know you, and I’m sure you’re about to collapse.”
TK reveals a coffee cup in his other hand, one branded with the logo from their favorite little cafe downtown. Carlos nearly cries at the sight.
“Marry me,” he moans, and TK just laughs, stepping closer to drop the gifts on the desk in front of him.
“I already did that, babe,” he teases, raising his eyebrows as he waves his left hand, his wedding band glinting in the fluorescent office lighting.
Carlos smiles, rising up from his seat to lean over his paperwork, pressing a quick kiss to his husband’s lips. Then, he circles around the desk, his hand finding TK’s waist when he’s close enough and guiding him to sit down. Carlos takes the chair next to him, reaching for the coffee cup. He takes a long drink, letting the hot liquid burn the back of his throat; he knows the pain will be worth it when the caffeine kicks in.
“Long morning?” TK asks, reaching out to grab his hand, linking their fingers together.
“Yeah,” Carlos sighs, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, letting the comfort of TK’s touch sooth him the way it has for the past nine years. “I actually just sat down. I spent the first two hours clearing out my desk and moving everything in here, and then I just got out of a three-hour debrief on my district.”
TK lets out a noise of sympathy, and Carlos turns his head to see him staring out the office door towards the bullpen.
“I walked past your old desk on my way here,” he says, his eyes unfocused. “I was a little sad to see it so empty, I have so many fond memories there.”
“Please tell me you’re not referring to that first time you visited,” Carlos groans. “You were covered in bruises. That was not a happy moment, Ty.”
“It was for me,” TK says, his voice soft, as if he’s trapped in the memory. “It was the first time I realized how much you cared about me, the first time I realized someone still could, after…”
He trails off, shrugging as he looks down at where their hands are linked. Carlos, his heart beating faster now, sits up in his seat, dropping his coffee onto his desk before tugging gently on TK’s hand. His husband gets the message, rising from his seat before depositing himself in Carlos’s lap, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as Carlos’s hands slide around his waist.
Their kiss is gentle, easy, and appropriate enough for the fairly private office that they find themselves in. Normally, Carlos tries to stay professional while on the clock, but TK has always brought out the romantic in him, and he can’t help but to hold him close and show him how much he loves him whenever he’s given the chance. It’s what he was born to do.
“We’ve come so far since then,” Carlos whispers, staring up into the green eyes that give him more hope than anything else on the planet.
“Well, you’ve come so far since then, that’s for sure,” TK says, and Carlos notices the shift in tone, a light playfulness seeping into his words. “I mean, from here to your old desk, that’s what? Fifty feet? Quite a distance.”
Carlos scoffs at the joke, tightening his grip on TK’s hips. “You’re such a jerk,” he cries, a forced pout taking over his face as he looks away dramatically.
TK reaches for his chin, guiding his face back up so that their eyes can lock. Carlos sees an endless expanse of love and devotion shining in his husband’s eyes, and it practically makes him melt.
“I am so beyond proud of you, you know that?” TK says, his voice low and serious. “You make me the happiest man in the world, and every day I feel so lucky to call you mine.”
Carlos gasps, an unexpected tear falling on his cheek at TK’s candor. They’ve never been ones to hide their feelings from each other, especially after that first year of back-and-forth, when they didn’t really know what they were building together. Now, after nearly a decade, they have no secrets. They know how committed they are to their relationship, and they make sure to tell each other every single day.
“I love you,” Carlos says, just because it’s the truth and he feels like letting TK know.
“I love you, too,” TK responds, dragging his fingers through the short hair on the back of Carlos’s head. “So, what did they give you?”
“Ah, yes,” Carlos says, looking around the office. “Well, my job isn’t going to be that different, so still the same uniform.”
“Good,” TK interjects, a blush taking over his face at the questioning look that Carlos gives him. “What? I’ve figured out how to remove your current one in record time, I’d hate to have to learn a new skill.”
Carlos chokes out a laugh at that, watching as a smile takes over TK’s entire face. His husband is such a dork.
“I do appreciate that you’ve managed to work around the buttons without causing too much damage,” Carlos admits.
“Don’t complain, you know I was a key factor in you honing your sewing skills.”
Carlos rolls his eyes, his gaze shifting back to his desk.
“Anyway,” he says, struggling to ignore the tightening of his pants as his mind supplies him with visual evidence of TK’s past anti-button behavior, “I did get a new nameplate for my desk.”
He gestures to the item just out of reach, watching as TK twists to find what he’s referring to. His husband picks up the nameplate, his eyes locked on it as he runs his fingers over the letters.
“Officer Carlos Strand-Reyes,” he reads, his voice barely more than a whisper. “North Central District Representative.”
There’s silence as Carlos takes in his husband’s posture from where he’s still sitting in his lap. He watches as TK blinks rapidly, a few tears falling from his beautiful eyelashes.
“Hey, hey,” Carlos says, holding him tightly with one hand while he brushes away a tear with the other. “Why are you crying?”
TK just shakes his head, sucking in a deep breath. “It’s so stupid, ignore me.”
“I’ve never ignored you a day in my life, Tyler,” Carlos reminds him, cupping his face. “You can tell me.”
TK sucks in a breath, rolling his eyes as he brushes away a tear. “It’s just, looking at this,” he says, waving the nameplate in his hand, “and seeing you in this office that’s all yours…” He trails off, clearly losing his train of thought. Then suddenly, he turns towards Carlos, his gaze fixed on him, his cheeks flushed.
“You’ve been my hero for so long, Carlos,” TK says. “I’ve known how wonderful and special you are for years and years, and I feel like I’m constantly waiting for the rest of the world to see it, too.” His voice wavers, but his gaze never leaves Carlos. “Today, it finally feels like you’re being seen for everything that I know you are, and I just…” He shakes his head, huffing out a laugh. “I don’t know why I’m crying, it’s ridiculous.”
Carlos doesn’t know what to say, his voice trapped somewhere in the back of his throat. He can feel the heat on the back of his neck, and the flush on his cheeks and ears, and his vision blurs from the tears that rest in the corners of his eyes.
It’s overwhelming to be so loved by another person, and he knows that he and TK are both experiencing that feeling right at this moment.
He leans forward, pressing their foreheads together. Their noses brush, their breath mingling.
“Your wins are my wins, right?” he asks, nodding his head. “Your losses are my losses? That’s what being married is all about, yeah? Sharing all of these moments?”
TK nods, diving forward to close the distance between them, their lips pressing together, a physical reminder of how far they’ve come - through all of the ups and downs that they’ve faced - and how much further they still get to go.
Carlos will never take his love story for granted, knowing that he is one of the few people in the world fortunate enough to experience what he and TK have together, that once-in-a-lifetime love that people try to capture in words and songs.
“You’re my hero, too, you know,” he adds in between kisses, pressing the words into his husband’s skin like a brand. TK clings tighter in response, his kisses growing even deeper.
Carlos has truly never felt more in love.
Everyday, he wears his feelings for TK like a badge of honor - chest out, heart full, eyes clear and fixated on one man, the man that he knows was made for him to love.
And he’ll continue to do so, for the rest of his life.