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Owen hadn't noticed the second patrol car until they were about to leave. "Wait," he called out, "is that- is that Carlos?"
Marjan, Paul and Mateo poked their heads out the window.
"Yep," Paul said, barely holding his laughter at bay, "that's him alright."
"We've gotta see this," he heard Marjan say, followed by the sound of the truck doors opening and closing.
Owen made his way over to the patrol car, his team hot on his heels just as Carlos stumbled out of the car, neck craned up, and eyes squinted at the sun.
"Carlos," Owen called, jogging over and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I can smell the sun," he muttered, awed.
Owen sighed. "Come on, kid, let's get you out of here," he told him, holding him by the shoulders and steering him in the direction of the firetruck. "Mateo, call this in, and stay with the car, will you?"
"But, Cap," he whined, "I'm gonna miss it."
Owen rolled his eyes, squeezed Carlos' shoulder and got him moving again, steadying him when he tripped on his own feet. They got him into the firetruck with minimal difficulty, and Owen did his best to ignore the muffled laughter at Carlos' expense.
"Man, will you stop it," he heard Paul exclaim.
"So smooth," was Carlos' muttered reply.
Curiosity getting the best of him, Owen turned, and shook his head when he saw Carlos' hand on Paul's head, the look on his face one of pure fascination.
"This is really weird," Paul announced.
"It really, really is," Marjan told him, phone in hand.
"Are you seriously filming this?"
"Duh," she muttered, laughing.
"Cheese," Carlos suddenly exclaimed, turning abruptly and lunging for the window.
"What the hell," Judd yelped, holding onto Carlos as he leaned out the window, and pulling him back.
"Cheese?" He asked his teammates, bewildered, holding Carlos securely against him.
"Cap?"
"Five minutes," he answered the question before any of them got to ask it.
"You're so pretty," Carlos muttered.
"Thank you, Carlos," Marjan responded
.
"Dad?"
"Your boyfriend's high," his father told him in lieu of a greeting, and even through the phone, TK could hear the amusement in his words.
"What?"
"Carlos- he's high."
TK blinked, struggling to understand how Carlos could have gotten high when he was supposed to be at work. "There was a fire, and-"
"Carlos, man, that's really not-" that was Paul, and this was followed a few seconds of chaos in which everyone started talking at the same time, then the line went dead.
TK stared down at his phone, confused.
"Hey, what's going on?" Nancy asked him as she came to stand beside him, coffee cup in hand.
"Carlos is high?"
Nancy spluttered, then coughed. "What?"
"Carlos," he repeated, "is high."
"How did that happen?"
He shook his head. "I have no idea."
.
When the firetruck pulled up, TK immediately jogged over to the rig.
His father was the first one out, then Paul, Judd, and Marjan followed. "Where's Carlos?"
The second he asked, his boyfriend poked his head out the window, looking at the ground like it personally offended him.
"Carlos?" TK asked softly, hand on the open door, "you wanna come down?"
Carlos continued to stare at the floor, and carefully lowered one foot to the ground, clutching the door tightly. Carlos' frown deepened, and he stretched his leg a little further. TK raised an eyebrow. "Carlos," he tried to get his attention, "other leg."
He didn't seem to hear him, so TK put his hands on his waist and tugged him down until both feet were firmly on the ground. Carlos stumbled into him, then righted himself quickly. "I have a boyfriend," he murmured.
TK huffed out a laugh. "I am your boyfriend."
Carlos' head swiveled towards him quickly, and his eyes lit up. "TK!"
Seconds later, he found himself enveloped in a bear hug, Carlos' face buried in his neck. The other man inhaled deeply, and TK raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
"You smell good."
"He's sniffing me," he told his teammates in disbelief and was met with varying looks of amusement.
"Yeah, he does that," Paul said.
"Wait, he sniffed you?"
"Down, boy," Paul teased him, "apparently, his boyfriend smells better."
TK smiled smugly, and Paul shook his head. TK grabbed Carlos' arm and led him up the stairs.
The rest of the day was going to be interesting, that’s for sure.
.
"You're so strong," Carlos whispered, awed, squeezing TK's bicep as he helped him up.
TK smirked. "And you are so high."
"Oh, is he now?" Marjan asked loudly, pushing TK up a stair and nearly causing him to trip in the process, "hey, Carlos, tell me, do you cheat? At games, I mean."
He gaped at her. "Never," he said, vehemently, shaking his head.
"How about TK then?"
He nodded slowly. "TK cheats."
"Hey," he exclaimed.
"I knew it!" Marjan exclaimed, and high fived both Paul and Mateo. "Oh this is gonna be fun," she said gleefully.
TK rolled his eyes. "You better not ask him anything else."
"Who's gonna stop me?"
Carlos stopped abruptly and blinked. "TK?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"Think I'm gonna throw up," he told him, just before he proceeded to do just that- all over TK and Marjan's shoes.
TK looked up from the mess and fixed Marjan with a look. "Still think it's gonna be fun?"
.
Looking after Carlos in this state was very much like what TK imagined looking after a toddler would be like.
"I want cheese," he muttered, standing up and wandering away from where he and TK had been standing.
TK looked up from his phone just in time to see his hand inch towards the pot.
"No, don't touch that!" He exclaimed for what felt like the 100th time, lunging at him and pulling his hand away from the stove.
He grabbed Carlos by the shoulders and steered him away from the kitchen and into the common area.
That was when the bell rang, and their unit was called.
TK cursed.
"Nancy," he called out to her as she was hurrying out of the kitchen.
"Yeah?"
"I need to get Carlos settled. Two minutes?"
"Yeah, okay, but," she jiggled the keys in her hand, "I'm driving."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine."
"Carlo- what the hell?" He walked over to where Carlos was glued to the wall.
"Carlos?"
"It's so soft," he muttered, his hand caressing the wall gently.
"It's a wall," he muttered as he steered him away gently and sat him on the couch. "Sit. Do not move from this couch, okay?"
Carlos blinked up at him.
TK smiled and shook his head, then grabbed the remote, put on Netflix and selected a documentary on birds. "Here," he said softly, "you like birds, huh?"
Carlos was mesmerized.
TK chuckled, leaned down to press a kiss to his head, and patted him on the head. "Stay."
.
When TK entered the firehouse thirty minutes later, he went straight to the common room and found it empty. "Guys," he exclaimed when he spotted Marjan and Mateo heading his way, "have you seen Carlos?"
Marjan smiled, a little teasing. "He's upstairs."
He raised an eyebrow at her tone, but didn't question her, just made his way up the stairs two at a time.
.
He found him on his bed, bundled up in TK's blanket and hugging his pillow to his chest.
He looked peaceful like this, and incredibly young.
TK smiled, and crouched down beside the bed, one hand running through his hair and the other settling on his hip. He didn't want to wake him, but he also didn't want to move, content to stay where he was and just- taking him in.
Not five seconds later, Carlos's eyes fluttered open, and smiled, dopey and a little lopsided. "Hi," he mumbled.
"Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Tired," he answered, "head kinda hurts."
TK nodded, running a hand through his curls again. "I still have an hour into my shift, but the team are getting ready to leave if you want them to drop you off at home."
Carlos shook his head. "Can I stay here with you?"
"Sure," TK answered immediately, standing up, "get back to sleep, okay? I'll wake you when it's time to leave."
Carlos raised an eyebrow and caught his hand, pulling him down on top of him, and letting out a grunt when TK fell into him. TK laughed and looked down at him, eyes going from Carlos' eyes to his lips. "I really wanna kiss you right now," he whispered, leaning down slowly.
"Oh yeah?" He asked with a small, teasing smile, making himself comfortable on the bed and tightening his arms around TK, "what's stopping you then?"
TK's lips brushed Carlos' in a soft kiss that caught fire rapidly. The kiss was wet and rough, and TK's hand carded into Carlos' messy curls before he yanked him up, swallowing the moan that rose up Carlos' throat.
Seconds, or maybe minutes, later, they pulled away, and TK rested his head on Carlos' chest. "I've been wanting to do that all day."
"Well, why didn't you?"
"Because you were high," he laughed, "and all you cared about was cheese."
He rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around TK's neck, using his other hand to ruffle his hair, only stopping when TK started laughing. He joined him, and once their laughter died off, they settled on the bed more comfortably.
"Get some sleep," TK told him, pressing a kiss to his chest.
Carlos tightened his arms around him. "You're staying, right?"
"Nowhere else I'd rather be"