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Carlos couldn’t help but sigh as he dropped to the bed beside TK, his hands moving to rest on his chest as he closed his eyes.
The past few days had been insane, both at work and at home, and now he was exhausted and looking forward to a weekend off.
But first, well first he had to get something off his chest.
“I got a job offer today…” He held his breath as he waited for a response from the man beside him.
“That’s cool.” But TK barely looked up from his phone and Carlos sighed.
"It's in LA…” He really should have eased into that part a little more, but he had to get it out there and he knew that if he waited he would never say anything.
“As in Los Angeles?” This time TK turned toward him, his phone dropping to the bed as he raised a curious eyebrow in his direction. “You know that’s in California right?”
“Yes.” He was well aware of where LA was, and while he had never actually been there, he had heard nothing but good things.
“That's… that's not close to Austin at all.” But apparently TK didn’t agree.
“I know.” He knew it was far, farther than he would ever want to be from his boyfriend that’s for sure.
“I just…” Tk let out a sigh before turning his head back against the pillow, his eyes settling on the ceiling as he took a breath.
Carlos knew this would be hard, but he couldn’t not consider the offer.
He couldn’t consider the offer without consulting TK first.
“Athena told me her husband works at the 118.” He had been hesitant when he had made the phone call earlier, wondering what in the world someone from Los Angeles had wanted with him. “You met some of their people a few years ago, remember?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t sound like that mattered though and Carlos felt his heart break just a little.
If he considered moving would TK not want to come with him?
“It's just something I'm thinking about.” He reached over and took his boyfriend’s hand in his, squeezing it tightly as he offered him a smile.
“Okay.” But TK still wasn’t looking at him and he sighed.
“You're mad?” He knew that this would be a serious conversation, but this was taking a turn that he hadn’t expected.
“I'm confused.” Okay, that he understood.
“Why?” Carlos found himself rolling onto his side so that he could look at TK better, not that it mattered, because he was still refusing to make eye contact.
“Because I didn't know you were looking for another job.” He didn’t know he was looking for another job either to be honest, but the idea of a promotion and a new position at a new station was exciting.
“I'm not. They approached me about the opportunity.” His boss had actually approached him a week ago but he didn’t have anymore information on the actual position, so Carlos had honestly forgotten about it. “I'm one of the youngest at the station. No family I'd have to completely relocate.”
“No family huh?” TK huffed out his question and Carlos sighed again.
“You know what I mean Ty. We don't have kids, we're not married.” Not that he didn’t want those things, but they didn’t have them now and it would make relocate a whole hell of a lot easier. “It'd be a lot easier for us to make that move.”
“Whatever Carlos.” TK moved to roll onto his side, his back facing Carlos as he went.
But Carlos wouldn’t let him get away with this, not now, not after everything they had been through.
“No, not whatever.” So he reached over and rolled TK back onto his back, moving to straddle his waist so that he couldn’t go anywhere. “Talk to me. What's up?”
“I don't wanna move to LA.” He all but spat the words out and Carlos took a deep breath.
The look of anguish on TK’s face was heartbreaking.
“Okay.” He was glad that he was being honest with him, but it was still hard to hear him flat out dismiss the idea without actually talking about it.
“God that sounds so selfish.” TK was anything but selfish and Carlos knew it, there was something else going on here, there had to be. “I just… I didn't wanna like Austin when we moved here. I wanted to hate it and I wanted to go back to New York so badly. But now…”
“Now it's home.” He knew that TK had struggled at first, with feeling like he belonged and like this was the best place for him.
But he also knew that over the past three years he had come a long way from the snarky little punk who had been moved here by his father.
“It's home. And I have you and dad and Michelle. And everyone at the 126 is just as much family.” Carlos smiled down at him because he understood. “I don't wanna leave that behind.”
“Okay.” And after hearing TK say those things, he felt kind of crazy for even considering it.
“If that's what you want Carlos… I won't hold you back.” But it wasn’t what he wanted, was it?
“No, I won't go without you.” No, he wasn’t what he wanted and he knew it.
He knew it from the second he heard the words Los Angeles leave Athena’s mouth earlier.
He knew it when she started talking about housing and helping TK find a job if he wanted.
About the excellent schools and the wonderful people she had met.
“But…” He had known immediately that it wasn’t the right thing for him, or for TK.
“No. I don't wanna leave you.” He liked the idea of it, sure, but actually going through with it, that was a different story.
“But that's silly.” TK whispered, locking his eyes with Carlos’ for the first time since their conversation had begun.
“How is it silly? I love you TK, I don't wanna lose you.” He would do whatever it took to keep TK in his life, even if it meant staying put in Austin. “If you don't wanna move to LA then we won't.”
“It's just… when I imagine us getting married, it's here, with dad and Michelle and your parents and everyone around.” He loved the way that sounded more and more every time he thought about it. “And I wanna raise our kids with their grandparents around. I always imagined we'd grow old here.”
“When we get married?” He waggled his eyebrows at TK and the younger man blushed, shaking his head back and forth as he sighed.
“Well… I mean… if you wanted that sort of thing…” Watching TK stumble over his words made something inside Carlos swell.
He loved that he could still make him nervous.
“Of course I do.” And he wanted it more and more with every day that passed.
“I just… I can't imagine working anywhere else.” In all honesty, Carlos couldn’t either.
He had been his station since he joined the force, he had grown up there, it was his home.
“Or raising our children anywhere else?” He teased, tickling TK’s side softly as the other man sighed.
“Or our dogs… doesn't have to be children.” He found himself shaking his head back and forth this time, watching as TK’s eyes grew wide.
“Oh there's gonna be children Tyler Kennedy, lots and lots of children, a house full of them.” He had always wanted to be a father and he wanted nothing more than to do that with TK.
“Children are a lot of work.” Like he didn’t know that.
“But you're great with them and I can't wait until we have our own.” He had watched TK with Harlow and Scarlet and he was probably the softest uncle and brother there was.
He couldn’t imagine being more in love with the man until he had seen him with a baby in his arms.
“You're insane. Turning down an offer like that. What will your captain say?” Carlos chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders.
“He'll probably understand when I break the exciting news to him.” TK raised an eyebrow and Carlos moved to the beside him, turning his back toward him for a second.
“What exciting news?” He felt TK push himself up to sit beside him, probably doing his best to peek over his shoulder at what he was doing.
“Well, since we're talking about our future together…” Carlos turned around, his hands hidden behind his back as he smiled at the man across from him.
“You are not about to do what I think you're gonna do are you?” TK’s cheeks were flushed and his eyes were wide and Carlos knew, that he knew, exactly what was about to happen.
“Tyler Kennedy Strand, you already make me the happiest man alive and I can't imagine what I would do without you.” Michelle was going to have a field day if TK ever told her just how ridiculous this speech sounded, but for once, Carlos didn’t care. “I know it's cliché and totally cringeworthy but I just love you so much and I don't wanna ever know what it's like to not have you around to love. Will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”
TK stared at him for a few seconds, his eyes shifting between Carlos’ face and the ring in his fingers and then back again.
“You're insane, you know that right?” That wasn’t exactly what Carlos wanted to hear and he sighed.
“Is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’?” He really couldn’t handle the suspense any longer.
“Of course I wanna marry you! Are you crazy?” Well maybe a little.
“Just making sure.” He whispered, reaching out and grabbing TK’s hand, sliding the ring on the appropriate finger before pulling him in and kissing him.
He wanted things to keep going, but TK pulled back after a minute and held him in his place, his hands on his biceps as he stared him down.
“So how long have you been planning this?” The question caught him off guard and he raised an eyebrow at his now fiancé.
“Huh?” He didn’t understand what that had to do with anything.
“Well you had a ring… how long have you been planning this?” He guessed he would find out the truth eventually so he might as well tell him now.
“Remember when you're mom was here a few weeks ago?” Gwyn had come into town for business but she had made a point to have dinner with them one night while she was here.
Carlos had convinced TK to that he had left his phone inside the restaurant and asked him to go back and get it for him.
After he had vanished inside he had quickly asked Gwyn for her permission to marry her son.
She had told him it was about damn time and then had hugged him.
He was glad that TK had been none the wiser when he returned, claiming that he couldn’t find Carlos’ phone anywhere.
Gwyn had proceeded to find it in between the seat and the center console, where it had ‘accidentally’ fallen.
“Yeah.” TK looked suspicious and Carlos chuckled.
“When you went back inside at dinner, to get my phone, I asked her then, for permission.” He shook his head at Carlos’ confession and laughed.
“You asked my mother for permission? What am I, 18?” He sounded more offended at that then at being tricked and Carlos wasn’t surprised.
“It was the polite thing to do.” It’s what he was raised to do, to include TK’s family in the important things. “ If it's any consolation I asked your dad too.”
“So that's why he's suddenly very obsessed with all of my life choices lately?” Carlos had noticed Owen’s sudden obsession with asking TK what was new with life.
If there had been any big news lately.
Any new announcements or things he needed to tell them.
“Probably.” TK had been good at just laughing it off, but now he was probably going to give the man hell for it.
“And Michelle?” Michelle hadn’t helped, egging her fiancé on and asking a million and one questions as well.
They were the nosy parents that neither one of them knew they needed.
“What about her?” Carlos batted his eyelashes innocently, attempting to protect himself and his best-friend.
“Did she know?” Well of course she knew, she was his best-friend, and had been for longer than Carlos could remember.
She was the first person he had told about TK.
The first person who knew that he liked him, that he loved him, that he was going to ask him to move in with him.
“Who do you think helped me pick out the ring?” So it was only natural that he had told her before anyone else that he was considering a proposal.
“Oh jeez. Well, that at least explains why she stares at my hands every time she sees me.” Carlos chuckled at Michelle’s lack of subtlety.
“They were all very excited. Kept saying it was about damn time.” And it was about damn time.
“Well it has been almost 3 years…” But he didn’t want to push TK into something he wasn’t ready for, so he had waited until he thought it was time.
“And I still love you just as much now as I did then.” And now seemed like the perfect time.
“I love you more.” TK leaned in and kissed him softly, his forehead falling to rest against his as he stared into his eyes.
“I'd hope so considering you just agreed to marry me.” Because if he didn’t love him, then things were going to get really awkward, really fast.
“I get to be your husband.” TK whispered.
“Yes you do.” He whispered back, smiling at the twinkle in his fiancé’s eyes.
“You know… LA isn't horrible Carlos…” Carlos couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he flopped down onto the bed, pulling TK down with him.
“Maybe we’ll retire there then.” He tucked the man against his side, his fingers going to run through his hair as his other hand settled on TK’s, his finger running over the ring settled on his finger.
“Sounds like a plan.” TK pressed a kiss to his chest before snuggling closer, his eyes closing as he relaxed against Carlos’ side.
So they wouldn’t move to LA and start over in a new city with new jobs.
But as long as Carlos had TK by his side, he was happy.
And besides, they were getting to start over, together, here.
In Austin.
Their home.