Work Text:
Marjan slaps her palms down on the counter and TK jumps.
“That’s it. I can’t take this anymore.” She pokes him in the chest. “Do you like Carlos?”
“What do you want me to —
“Answer me!”
“Yes!” TK blurts out, and Marjan grins, triumphant. “No,” he follows up, quickly. “I don’t know.”
“Dude!”
“I — Marjan, please,” TK sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Drop it.”
“I will not.” Marjan sits down on the stool opposite him. “This has gone on long enough.”
“There isn’t even a this to begin with —
“Bullshit.” Marjan cuts him off with a glare. “There is absolutely a thing between you two, and it is infuriating to watch!”
“Okay, but —
“One.” Marjan holds up a finger. “We’ve been running into him on calls for the past six months, and you always make time to say hello to each other. Asking “how’s your day” and whatnot. It’s sickening.”
“But —
“Two.” TK snaps his mouth shut. “You make a kickass team in the field. I’m serious! Don’t give me that look.” Her glare pins him in place. “That bus rescue this morning, the way you played off each other, it was honestly incredible to watch. You get each other. It’s like instinct with you two.”
“And three, and finally.” Marjan gives him a smug smile. “You two have not stopped staring at each other all night.”
“What? He’s not looking —
“He sure is,” Marjan smirks. TK turns to where she’s looking just in time to see Carlos’s whip his head in the other direction, immediately striking up an animated conversation with Mateo.
“So.” Marjan stands decisively. “I’m over it. Just go make out with him under the northern lights already.”
With that, she leaves, and TK watches her march across the room and drag Mateo away from Carlos by the collar. Carlos follows her pointed glare across the room until his eyes land on TK, and — ugh, Marjan was right, TK thinks — his face visibly brightens at the sight of him.
TK’s stomach does funny flips as Carlos approaches him — the way his eyes never leave TK’s face, the way he sets his drink down on a coaster along the way, the way the sleeves of his t-shirt stretch across his arms, the confident sway of his hips —
He stops right in front of him. TK thinks he’s a little nervous, the way Carlos’s eyes search his face, trying to read what’s written there.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hey.” TK’s mouth is suddenly too dry.
“How’s your shoulder?”
“Huh? Oh —” It takes TK a second to process anything other than how soft and pink his lips look. “It’s fine. It’s good, I just kinda ripped my stitches. Got patched back up okay.”
“I’m glad,” Carlos says softly. He’s still looking intently at TK, those deep brown eyes holding him so carefully TK can hardly bear it. “You did really well today.”
“You did too,” TK adds. “You were… incredible.”
“We make a good team, don’t we?” A little smile tugs at the corner of Carlos’s mouth and TK just wants to surge up and kiss it.
“Afraid so,” he says instead, hoarsely. He reaches for the bottle of mineral water beside him to take a swig, and he swears Carlos’s eyes darken as he does.
“I’ve been thinking…” he says as TK sets the bottle down. He trails off, hesitation flickering across his face.
“Always dangerous,” TK quips, and Carlos laughs weakly.
“Yeah, well…” Carlos shuffles his feet before holding out a tentative hand to TK. “Come watch the lights with me? We can go out back, where it’s quieter.”
TK finds himself taking his hand, being pulled to his feet, before he can think twice about it. “Or,” he hears himself say, “we could go up to the roof? No one ever does.”
“Party’s down here anyway,” Carlos murmurs, almost to himself. “Yeah, that works. That’s great, I mean.”
TK lets Carlos pull him gently through the crowd. He doesn’t have a choice, really, not when just the warmth of Carlos’s hand in his is turning his brain to soup. They somehow find the staircase and slip away without anyone catching them, Carlos leading TK up the stairs until they emerge into the cooling night. Above them, the lights still play across the sky, and they lean back against the wall to watch them, shoulder to shoulder in comfortable silence.
“What were you thinking?” TK asks softly after a moment. They’re still holding hands, he realizes, and on impulse, he twines their fingers together.
“Hmm?”
“You said you were thinking, earlier,” TK prompts, shifting to face Carlos. “What were you thinking about?”
“Oh.” Carlos draws his lip between his teeth, thinking for a moment. “Well…”
The next second, it’s like a switch has flipped, and Carlos is crowding closer, leaning in, his eyes dark and hungry.
“Honestly?” he murmurs into TK’s ear, sending shivers down his spine. “I’ve been thinking about your lips around that bottle. All night.”
“Oh yeah?” TK tries for cocky, but it comes out in a gasp as Carlos’s nose brushes against his cheek.
“Yeah.” Carlos presses TK against the wall, and a thrill runs through TK’s whole body. “And what I was gonna do about it.”
“What were you gonna do about it?” TK breathes, and gets his answer an instant later when Carlos kisses him, deep and insistent, and in a way TK knows is the beginning of something good.