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Carlos isn’t sure what he expected to see when he steps through the door of the loft but it is certainly not TK sitting on the floor, at the coffee table with canvases and paints surrounding him. He’s frowning down at his phone as Carlos approaches the island in the kitchen and sets the bags containing his haul from the farmer’s market down onto the counter. The sound causes TK to pull his gaze away from the screen in front of him and his gaze finds Carlos’. His green eyes seem to shine in the sunlight that floods through the windows and a smile curls at the corner of his lips.
“Hey you.” He says, setting his phone down onto the table beside the blank canvas. Carlos walks the small distance between them and bends down, placing a kiss on his forehead before moving to place one gently to his lips. “How was lunch with your mom?”
Carlos can almost laugh at the fact that TK seems to be acting so nonchalant despite sitting in the middle of, what looks like, a paint night explosion. “Hey, sweetheart, it was good. She was sad you couldn’t make it but she said that you’ll have to come next time.” He says as he sits on the couch beside TK. Instantly, his boyfriend leans his body into Carlos and tucks his head into his side.
“I’d really like that.” TK says, his voice muffled into Carlos’ shirt.
Carlos smiles, lost for a moment in the intimacy and comfort before he snaps back to reality and looks around in front of him again. “Can I ask what this all is?”
TK hums, his eyes having fluttered closed as he seems to take Carlos in. But then, they reopen and he looks around the table as if seeing it for the first time. “Oh, I thought we could have a paint night.”
Carlos raises a brow as he too takes in the contents on the table as he slowly sinks to the floor beside TK. “Oh really? That sounds like it could be fun. What made you think of this?”
TK shrugs as he scratches a part of the canvas with his nail. “When I was at the store today after shift I found this book that has ideas for date nights, you scratch off the different circles and do whatever activity is there. Anyway, I scratched off the first one in the car and then bought all the stuff so I could have it ready for when you came home. I thought maybe we both deserved to have some time to relax, plus Grace saw it when I came back to the firehouse and she mentioned she used to paint when she was stressed out. So, I thought it’d be something we could do together.”
In his time of knowing TK, Carlos has found that he has a knack of making him feel unbearably warm. Along with the fact that TK has a massive heart and he consistently uses it to make him feel so full of love.
TK shrugs again. “We could always just watch a movie or something.”
“No,” Carlos says quickly. “You put in all this work setting up, I want to do it. I am just — well, I am not creative in this way whatsoever.”
“That’s okay,” TK says and he picks back up his phone. “I found a reference image that we could use, it says it’s for beginners and it looks pretty easy.”
Carlos nods and leans over to press a kiss to TK’s cheek causing him to look up from his phone. “What was that for?”
“You’re pretty amazing, you know that?” Carlos says.
TK blushes a pretty shade of pink at Carlos’ words and he shakes his head, a bashful smile on his face. “I love you, so very much.”
“I love you too.” Carlos whispers, brushing his lips against TK’s before he pulls away, despite TK chasing after him. “So, what do we do first?”
TK pulls up the image onto his phone and places it down in front of them. He’s right, it is a pretty basic image of a sunflower and it looks like an easy task. “Well, I have all the paints out already so I guess we just go for it.”
Carlos picks up a paintbrush and eyes the picture for a moment and at the step by step underneath it before he gently dips his paintbrush in pain and puts it to the canvas. They spend the majority of the time in a comfortable silence as they each go about making their respective pictures. Carlos almost laughs at his sorry attempt at painting and he takes a moment to glance over at TK. His boyfriend is intently staring down at his canvas, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth.
It’s amazing just how much Carlos can feel the weight of the day slowly slipping off of him and TK was right, he feels so relaxed. He knows that his painting is nowhere near amazing and is very far away from the reference image but he didn’t care. Getting to spend his time with TK by his side is the best thing he could have ever asked for.
“Okay, I think I’m done.” TK announces as he sets down his paintbrush. Carlos glances over quickly at the painting and it’s a nearly perfect replica of the image on his phone. Carlos’, however, is not. TK tries to bite back a smile. “It’s good, babe.”
“Yeah, right.” Carlos says, rolling his eyes. “I told you I was bad at this.”
“Yes, and you were right.” TK jokes, shaking his head.
Carlos opens his mouth but just simply reaches behind him and pulls the throw pillow from the couch and throws it against TK’s head. It bounces off softly but TK seems shocked at the act and he turns to Carlos, mouth open in surprise.
“Carlos Reyes, did you just hit me in the head with a pillow?” He asks as if in disbelief.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I would never do —" Carlos’ words freeze as he takes his paintbrush from the table and lifts it up spreading a circle of yellow paint onto the tip of Carlos’ nose.
TK laughs, loud and bright as Carlos sits bewildered about what has just occurred. Carlos stares for a moment and he can feel his nose beginning to itch as the paint dries against his skin. He shakes his head, picking up his own brush before he swipes it across TK’s cheek, a big blue smudge. TK’s laugh cuts into a gasp as he freezes before he looks at Carlos who is giving him a smug look.
“Did you just — oh, that’s it, you’re on.” TK says and he reaches across the coffee table to grab a tube of paint and Carlos’ eyes widen as he attempts to get up but slips and falls back down, just in time for TK to squirt paint at him. It doesn’t make it far, just simply falls onto Carlos’ shirt and drips into his lap. He’s suddenly glad TK had put down a plastic mat onto the floor. “Oops.”
Carlos glares playfully at TK who is too busy laughing to even register the fact that Carlos is pressing his hand into the paint on the table before he reaches over and places it against TK’s arm and spreads it upwards to his bicep. TK looks down, his laugh only getting louder and things are a mess after that. TK puts a handprint onto Carlos’ bicep, Carlos places one against the side of TK’s neck. It’s a blur of paint and laughter before eventually, the two of them are laying on their backs, out of breath. Each of them looks like a really bad abstract painting, paint drying against their skin and their hair. Carlos figures there is a really long shower somewhere in their future.
“You’re right, paint night was fun.” Carlos says and it sends TK into another fit of laughter. “I think we need to do this more often.”
“I think that would be a waste of paint.” TK says through his laughter. “Although, I did see something on the internet once about Twister with paint.”
“Oh,” Carlos whispers breathlessly. “I like the sound of that.”
“We’ll do that next week.” TK says in a definite tone. “Except you have to be shirtless.”
Carlos turns his head to look at him. “Deal, but only if you are too.”
TK turns his head too and leans the small space between to brush his nose against Carlos’. “You have yourself a deal then.”
Carlos smiles before leaning forwards to press a kiss to TK’s lips and it only takes a split second for it to turn heated and TK is pulling Carlos on top of him, his hands set gently onto Carlos’ thighs. Carlos keeps himself steady as he lowers himself down so he’s flush against TK as the kiss deepens. Eventually, they are forced to part for air and Carlos places his forehead against TK’s.
“I think we should clean up.” Carlos whispers as his eyes close, just simply listening to their breaths mixing together. “We’re going to have to shower.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” TK says. “And we can always continue this there.”
Carlos smiles. “You’re right, I think that sounds like a very good idea.”
They sit for a few moments longer just simply sharing space with one another before Carlos moves to push himself up and he grabs TK’s hand to help him up off the ground. He walks over to the coffee table and begins to pick up the paint brushes and the plates the paint is on. TK moves beside him and he takes his finger, dipping it into the paint before he seems to find the only piece of skin not covered on Carlos and he uses his finger to draw a haphazard heart.
TK laughs once again as Carlos seems to stare down at the heart against his skin for a moment before he looks up and finds TK clearing off the coffee table. He walks over and wraps his arms around TK’s middle and rests his chin against TK’s shoulder.
“You know, I like your laugh.” Carlos whispers into his ear and he can feel TK shiver against him.
“Stop it.” TK mumbles playfully but Carlos can feel the heat of his cheek, surely from a blush.
“No, not a chance. I don’t tell you enough about how much I’m so incredibly grateful to have it back and getting to hear it every day. It’s my favourite sound.”
TK twists until he’s facing Carlos and he smiles. “Speaking of being pretty amazing, I’m so lucky to have you.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else or with anyone else.” Carlos states. “I promise you.”
TK doesn’t say anything else, just wraps his arms around Carlos’ neck and rests his head against his chest. “My heart is yours forever, I hope you know that. I can promise you that.”
“I’ll take good care of it.” Carlos whispers, pressing his lips to TK’s hair.
“I know you will.” TK says back, his voice quiet. “And I’ll take good care of yours.”
“It’s a deal then.” Carlos says before, “Now, I really do think we should go have that shower or else we’ll never get this stuff off of us.”
TK lingers in the hug for a moment longer before he takes a step back and Carlos gets a full on look at how much he’s covered in paint and the sight makes him start laughing again. That triggers TK into another laughing fit and they spend the entirety of their shower laughing with one another.
Carlos’ stomach hurts by the time they fall into bed later that night and when he pulls TK close to him, he’s reminded just how lucky they are to have found one another.