Work Text:
“If we run into anyone we know,” Carlos says as he manoeuvers the shopping cart up to the bell peppers, “you’re going to give us away.”
TK picks up a red one, then an orange one and a yellow one—green bell peppers should be illegal, babe. You’ll have to start arresting them—and, at Carlos’ nod, places them in the cart. He practically skips back to Carlos’ side despite it only being three paces away, kisses his cheek, and threads his arm around the one Carlos is using to hold onto the cart.
“How am I giving us away?” he asks in that tiny, slightly whiny voice, a frown etching into his features.
Flabbergasted, Carlos huffs out a laugh as they walk a few steps to the carrots. “What, other than this”—he gestures to TK, who is now picking up carrots with a grin back on his face—“whole thing you’ve got going on?”
Dropping more carrots than strictly necessary next to the peppers, TK shrugs. He bounces on the balls of his feet, the grin on his face completely unmoving as it has been since 3:18 in the morning when he woke Carlos up to ask him to marry him. It didn’t budge when Carlos didn’t say yes straight away because he knew, he knew he would, and it hasn’t budged since because he’s just too damn happy.
Even now, in the grocery store a few blocks from their loft because they don’t have the time to travel across town to the farmer’s market despite TK knowing that’s where Carlos would rather get the produce for their planned 126 hang tonight, that grin is stuck to his face. He can’t see it disappearing any time soon either.
“You’re better at hiding your emotions than me,” TK says with a shrug, letting his hand grip Carlos’ arm again as they meander through the aisles. They both pick up items here and there, mostly fruit and vegetables, meats and cheeses for tonight, filling their cart with that healthier goodness before they get to the candy aisle and TK fucks it all over with his poor self-control.
Poor self-control that Carlos happens to love, of course.
It isn’t often that they shop together. Between crazy shifts and flesh-eating lizards in the loft, they rarely get the chance. And to be fair, the grocery store isn’t exactly TK’s favorite place to go during his time off. The farmer’s market, sure, he’ll go there whenever possible, but he leaves the store shopping to Carlos because he knows he’ll probably just fill the cart with Red Vines or something else his fiancé hates.
Today, he’s making more of an effort. Or maybe he’s just distracted by his own happiness.
“Hey, do you think we should buy cheese balls for Mateo?” Carlos calls from the other end of the snacks aisle, staring down at the two different brands of cheese balls in his hands. “I’m not putting them out with the Charcuterie boards, but I know they’re his—”
He’s cut off by a pair of lips, TK’s, thankfully, pressing against his own. They’re soft and persistent, hands coming up to cup his face. Carlos is helpless, really, his own hands stuck in midair holding the snacks, but he does kiss back, like he always will, smiling into it.
When TK pulls away, his grin is somehow brighter than it has been all day, but Carlos can’t say anything because he’s matching that expression.
But he does ask, “What was that for?” with an affection he feels deep in his bones.
TK does one of those shy-but-not-really-shy shrugs and says, “Do you know how much I love you?”
The answer is, of course, yes. It’s not even a question in Carlos’ mind, and in TK’s, it’s only a question of how good he is at showing that love. They both know they love each other or else they wouldn’t be here, be that kissing in the snack aisle of their local grocery store or together in life, if they didn’t.
So Carlos drops one of the bags of cheese balls into the cart without looking, the other back onto the shelf, and takes TK’s face into both of his hands. He kisses each cheek, his forehead, the tip of his nose, and finally his lips.
“Yes,” he says simply, eyes trained on TK’s. He waits a beat, basks in the love buzzing between them, then adds, “And being woken up at 3:18 this morning was the best way of being shown.”
The comment makes TK blush. He drops his eyes from Carlos’ gaze and moves to rest his forehead on his shoulder. He’s still smiling, grinning actually, and the reminder of their night only serves to make him smile even more.
Maybe it’s because it’s been less than twelve hours and only a handful of sleep between them, but TK wonders if this feeling will ever go away. There’s a giddiness, a newfound excitement he’s sure will fade with time only to be renewed with a different type of fervor when they officially become husbands, and it’s making him feel like the luckiest man on the planet. Not only that he got to ask, that he got to hear Carlos say yes, but in the way that his journey from NYC to Texas only started because someone else said no. And he doesn’t feel as if he’s come full circle because he isn’t back at the start. He’s somewhere new and exciting with a man so different, so incredible compared to anyone else he’s ever been with or met, and on top of that, he got a yes. He got a thousand yeses.
Ever since then, though, he’s been really struggling to keep it in, and doesn’t Carlos know it?
“Soon,” Carlos murmurs, running a soothing hand down TK’s back. He knows this is killing him, holding it in, not yet sharing their excitement, but there are only a few hours left before the world can know. And Carlos doesn’t think TK knows this yet, but he’ll be joining him in telling the world as soon as possible. They just need to tell their friends and family first.
“It’s impossible,” TK says as he pulls his head. “I’m so happy, baby, and I just wanna tell everyone.” He runs his finger along Carlos’ shoulder. “You’re here buying cheese balls for Mateo, and I wanna tell the whole store that you said—”
Carlos cuts him off, smiling. “Yes. I said yes, TK, and that answer isn’t ever changing. I’ll say yes a thousand times if you want me to.”
“Think you already did.”
Smiling, he shakes his head. “And I’ll say it a thousand more times for you,” he says, and it sounds a lot like a promise. “Now come on, we’ve got more snacks to buy for our friends.”
TK would take his hand if he could, but Carlos goes back to pushing the shopping cart, so he holds onto his forearm. They walk close, close enough that they keep bumping into one another, all giggles and grins with their shared happiness buzzing through their veins. Opinions are thrown about over various snacks, about if sparkling cider is the best Champagne alternative, about who’s going to react the best to their news.
And at the checkout, if Carlos mentions to the cashier that they’re having an engagement party just to see the way TK’s face lights up in delight, well, no one can blame him for not wanting to keep this a secret.
Least of all TK in his bouncy happiness.
He can’t wait to see more of it as they tell the world.