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Carlos and Mitchell were midway through their patrol when their radio crackled to life with a message from dispatch, "All units be advised of a 10-31 at Easy Tiger on E 7th St. Possible armed robbery in progress and reports of shots fired."
"Dispatch, 363-H20. We're three blocks away," Carlos responded, fighting to keep a straight face at the name of the restaurant and making a mental note to take TK there even as he turned on the sirens and pressed down on the gas.
"Copy that, 363-H20. Witness who called it in said he saw a 20 to 30s male in jeans, boots and a leather jacket go in just before the first shot was fired. Proceed with caution," Grace explained, waited a heartbeat before adding in a softer tone, "Be careful, officer Reyes and officer Mitchell."
"We will. Thank you, dispatcher Ryder," Carlos said, always feeling better when it was her voice on the radio.
It took no longer than ten minutes to get to the scene and it was already a fury of activity when Carlos parked their cruiser on the side of the street. EMS was already on sight and being kept away by two fellow officers who were on crowd control.
"I will cover the back. You go to the front," Mitchell directed, then gestured to the now deserted beer garden that led to the back of the building and went on her way.
Carlos nodded, weapon already out and pointing forward as he took slow, sure steps to the front door. But he only managed a few feet before the door to the bar burst open and a man came out, slamming into Lexi as he ran towards the street.
"Whoa, are you okay?" Carlos asked, reaching his partner and grabbing her arm to steady her.
Lexi took a second to recover before she was nodding and pushing Carlos towards their suspect. "Yes, go! I will be right behind you."
"This is the Austin Police Department, stop where you are," Carlos shouted as he began running after the man. Predictably he didn't stop, and Carlos ran faster, trusting that more officers would arrive soon and handle the scene back at the restaurant.
Even in his haste to catch up to the shooter, Carlos smiled when he passed the 126 rig, and gave a quick nod when his boyfriend mouthed a familiar 'be safe'.
"In pursuit of a suspect heading south on Comal St.," Carlos spoke into his radio, voice heavy as he quickened his pace so he wouldn't lose the man in the crowded downtown streets.
"Copy, I'm sending backup your way," Grace said. "Owner of the restaurant said suspect is a disgruntled former employee by the name of Eric Miller. He's armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution."
Carlos hummed to signal he'd heard her and kept running along the winding streets of downtown Austin. "Stop! Get on the ground now!" Carlos tried again, but his command fell on deaf ears.
Eric laughed, a cruel sound, and predictably didn't comply. Instead, he turned around all of a sudden, pointed his gun at Carlos and pulled the trigger two times. Carlos dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the bullets. He heard them ricochet around him as he fired back, but the shooter was already moving, darting down an alleyway.
Carlos ran as fast as he could after him, dodging people and jumping over obstacles in his way. Eric was just a few feet ahead, his leather jacket flapping behind him. But then he turned around, took out his gun again, and blindly fired shots back at Carlos.
Forced to slow down, Carlos ducked and weaved, his heart racing as bullets whizzed past his head. He returned fire, but it was hard to aim while running. Eric also continued to shoot blindly as they ran, but eventually his gun clicked empty, so he threw it on the ground and kept running.
Carlos' breath hitched as he stopped to hide the discarded gun behind a dumpster, calling its location to Grace so another officer could come get it.
As he turned to continue the chase, Carlos could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his breaths coming in heavy pants. But he was close to catching up to his suspect, and Carlos wasn't about to give up now. So, he picked up his pace and charged ahead.
Carlos continued the chase valiantly, but he was already winded, so his pace was slower. Still, he pursued the man for what felt like hours, his heart pounding in his chest as he ran down multiple alleyways.
As Carlos rounded the corner and screeched to a stop, he came face to face with a dead end, and saw Eric was already there, smirking at him as he turned around to face Carlos. "Police! Freeze! Get down on the ground. Put your hands up right now. On the ground now," Carlos directed, voice steady and sure, even as he struggled to catch his breath.
Eric's eyes darted around for a possible escape route and Carlos could see the fear in his demeanor as he slowly began to inch backwards, his hands raised in surrender. But suddenly, he lunged forward, catching Carlos off guard. The two of them crashed to the ground, rolling and struggling against each other. Carlos could feel the man's fingers digging into his skin as they fought for control.
"Get off of me!" Carlos grunted as he pushed and pulled, trying to break free.
Eric grabbed Carlos by the collar of his uniform and tried to shove him back, but Carlos held his ground and fought back, trying to gain the upper hand. The two men grappled and stumbled around, knocking over trash cans and stumbling over obstacles. They exchanged punches and jabs equally, fists and elbows connecting and instantly bruising skin as they battled for dominance. Their movements were a frantic dance, filled with twists and turns, as they fought tooth and nail for control.
Carlos could feel the sweat pouring down his face, his pulse ringing in his ears and his breath coming in ragged gasps as he struggled to subdue the man, who was much stronger than he looked. "Stop struggling!" Carlos hissed, still hoping to reason with him even in the middle of a fight. "You're only making it worse for yourself! Just turn yourself in."
Eric chuckled and spat on the ground. "I don't think so. I'm not going back to jail," he snarled, his eyes blazing with fiery intensity. "Not again. I'd rather die than go back to that hellhole." He thrashed against Carlos' grip with renewed ferocity, determined to break free.
Carlos gritted his teeth and tightened his grip, feeling a surge of anger at the man's defiance. "That's not going to happen," he growled, his muscles straining as he tried to subdue him. "You're not getting away with this."
"Think again," Eric jested. Belatedly, Carlos realized the man's hand had found its way to his utility belt, closing around his handcuffs. He tried to pull them back, but Eric was too quick and soon had them fully in his grasp.
Carlos felt a sharp pain in his arm as it was twisted behind his back, and before he could react Eric managed to snap one cuff onto his wrist, securing the other to a nearby pipe on the wall with a shift motion.
The asshole grinned wickedly down at Carlos as he raised from the ground with slow, measured movements, taunting him. He even took a moment to straighten his jacket and brush away some dirt, before he ran away. Carlos lunged forward as far as the cuffs' chain allowed and tried to grab the suspect's ankle, but his fingers only grazed his jeans briefly before his hand closed around the empty air.
Carlos huffed in frustration, realizing that the shooter had successfully escaped and all he got for his efforts were a backward kick to the face and a painfully restrained arm.
He struggled against his restraints, but it was no use, they were too tight, and he was stuck. Carlos could feel the metal digging into his skin as he fought to free himself.
"Officer Reyes to Dispatch," Carlos called urgently into his earpiece. "The suspect was cornered in an alley, but he managed to escape." He winced, anticipating having to explain how the man got away, but his frown deepened as he realized there was no response from Grace, or anyone else on the other end. "Grace, do you copy? Dispatcher Ryder?"
It was then that he noticed the slight pressure from the earpiece was gone from his ear and he looked frantically around until his eyes zeroed on the offending device, lying on the ground, next to the keys to his handcuffs, both just out of reach.
"Fuck." Carlos ran his hand through his hair and blew out a long breath, settling in to wait.
It felt like hours before Carlos heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He tensed, not knowing if it was foe or friend. But then TK burst out of the alleyway, taking in the scene before him. Carlos expected worried questions and concerned glances, but instead his boyfriend broke out into a fist of giggles as he saw Carlos handcuffed to the wall.
"Kinky, officer Reyes," TK teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief and his familiar shit-eating grin in full display. "When I said I wanted to experiment with handcuffs this is not exactly what I had in mind."
"TK! We're in public," Carlos spluttered, terrified that someone would hear them.
"Don't worry, I'm not judging," TK said, voice laced with mock innocence. "Whatever floats your boat."
Carlos huffed in frustration and glared at his boyfriend, but predictably this whole debacle didn't seem as mortifying to TK and he just continued to laugh. He even pulled out his phone and snapped some photos to send to the group chat later, not bothering to hide his amusement. Carlos rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips despite himself. Leave it to TK to find the humor in a ridiculous situation.
"Are you going to get me out of these or what?" Carlos asked, jingling his handcuffs for emphasis. His arm was hurting more with each passing second, and all the bumps and bruises on his body were beginning to make themselves known. Yet, the physical pain was nothing compared to the embarrassment and hit to his ego at the unexpected turn of events.
TK's expression sobered as he took in the lines of pain etched on Carlos' face and the way he favored his right side, even as he was slumped on the dirty street. "Of course," he said, quickly moving to kneel beside him. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Carlos explained what had happened and how he had been caught off guard during the scuffle, his voice tinged with frustration. He paused and scrunched his face in worry. "Wait, we don't know if the shooter is still around, you shouldn't be here," he stated, pointing to his gun that had been abandoned a few feet away, having flown out of his hand when the man tackled him to the ground.
"Relax, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't safe," TK assured, but Carlos still didn't look convinced, so he added, "Mitchell caught your guy a few blocks away. Apparently, after working here for a few months, the dumbass is still not very familiar with downtown and circled back to the restaurant in his haste to get away."
Carlos breathed a sigh of relief and continued to tell TK what had happened. TK listened intently; his face furrowed with worry.
"I'm just glad you're okay," TK said when Carlos finished his story. He looked around until he found the discarded keys and mercifully freed him from the restraint.
Carlos nodded, grateful for TK's support. He rubbed his wrist and arm and winced as the joints protested the movement. "Give me a hand?" He asked his boyfriend, smiling when TK immediately came over and helped him to his feet.
TK slung his arm around Carlos' shoulder, and they began walking back to the main scene to meet up with the others. Even in the most unexpected of circumstances, TK had his back, and Carlos couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude toward the man he loved.
They reached the restaurant surprisingly quickly for how much Carlos felt he had run, but as it turned out, Eric really was terrible with directions, and he had kept them mostly surrounding the perimeter of the crime instead of really getting away.
"I can't wait to go home," Carlos muttered, voice heavy with exhaustion and barely concealed pain.
TK rolled his eyes even as a smile broke on his face. "Not so quickly," he said, holding out his medical kit. "We have to check you over."
Carlos grumbled but didn't protest, knowing his boyfriend was unrelenting in his care. "Fine, fine," he yielded, allowing TK to lead him to the waiting ambulance. "Just make it quick, okay? And please, no hospitals."
"We will see." TK paused and brushed Carlos' disheveled curls away from his forehead, pressing a kiss there, before moving further south. He set his hands on either side of Carlos' neck and angled his face for better access against his lips. Carlos tensed briefly, knowing they were in a public place, but instead of pulling away, he gripped TK's shirt tightly and pulled him close, deepening the kiss.
When they broke apart, Carlos rested his forehead on TK's, giving them a moment to catch their breaths. He already wanted to kiss him again, but held back, knowing TK would never let him leave until he was properly treated.
"Get a room, you two!" Nancy shouted from beside the ambulance waiting doors and motioned them over.
TK chuckled and pushed Carlos to sit on the stretcher once they reached the familiar 126 rig.
"Holy fuck, someone's feeling frisky," Nancy exclaimed as her eyes landed on the handcuff still dangling from Carlos' wrist, quickly putting two and two together. "I never would have guessed that a respectable officer like you, Reyes, was into that kind of play. Honestly, if you had asked me, I would have assumed TK was the one into that sort of thing."
"Are you done?" Carlos deadpanned, knowing he would never hear the end of this. "Shouldn't you be helping Tommy?" He asked, trying to take the attention off him, and pointing to where their boss was tending to other people who were caught and injured during the shooting and subsequent chase.
Nancy stopped to think for a moment, and her face fell a little as she chuckled. "Actually, yes. I was only coming to check in on you. But I see you're more than good," she teased, looping a finger through the empty end of the handcuffs and jingling them playfully. "If you guys want to use these now, make sure to close the doors to the ambo. I promise to knock if I need to go in."
Carlos groaned and nuzzled his face into TK's shoulder, almost melting into his boyfriend's body when TK automatically started running his fingers through the curls on the nape of his neck.
Nancy left a moment later and TK began his examination, his hands gentle as he checked for any broken bones or serious injuries. Carlos relaxed into the touch, grateful for TK's presence and the comfort it brought him even in the midst of pain and embarrassment. As TK worked, Carlos couldn't help but think that despite the chaos of their lives and the danger of their jobs, moments like these made it all worth it.
"So, will I live?" Carlos asked cheekily, after TK had checked his ribs for the fifth time.
"You're a brat," TK mumbled, playfully bumping his uninjured arm.
"I get in from you," Carlos sassed.
TK ignored him and continued as if he hadn't been so rudely interrupted, "But yes, I give you a clean bill of health. Your shoulder will be sore for a few days but, luckily, it didn't dislocate. And you have some bruised ribs but nothing is broken."
Carlos nodded and let TK clean and bandage the worst of the scrapes on his arms before he asked cheerfully, already knowing the answer. "No hospital, then?"
"Don't push it, or I will take you in anyway," TK threatened, rolling his eyes as he began packing away the gauze, antiseptic, Bengay, and other utensils he had used to treat Carlos.
Carlos' laughed, freely and happily, and patted TK's shoulder. "Now, now, that wouldn't be a good use of city resources. Would it?"
TK grinned at Carlos' teasing, glad to see him in better spirits. "No, I suppose not," he agreed, zipping up his medical kit. "But we'll keep an eye on you and if anything gets worse, you know the drill."
Carlos nodded, feeling another wave of gratitude and pure love wash over him. He knew that he could always count on TK, both on and off the job. "Thanks," he said sincerely. "For everything."
TK's expression softened, and he reached out to give Carlos' good hand a reassuring squeeze. "Anytime, babe," he said, his voice filled with affection. "That's what paramedic boyfriends are for, right?"
Carlos smiled, his heart swelling with warmth. Because yes, being taken care of by him was another benefit of TK switching positions. "Right," he said, leaning in for a chaste kiss. "I'm lucky to have you."
TK returned the kiss with equal tenderness, then pulled back to meet Carlos' gaze. "I'm the lucky one," he said softly. "Now, go home. You need to rest that arm. I'll join you when I finish my shift and I don't want to get there to see that you used the unexpected time off to clean the kitchen, rearrange the furniture, or cook anything."
A slight blush crept off Carlos as his eyes turned downcast, TK really knew him too well. "I can cook with one arm," he tried.
"Don't even go there," TK said, letting out a sigh of long-suffering. "I will pick up some takeout on the way."
"Okay," Carlos agreed easily, "I'll see you later, then?"
"Yeah," TK said softly, running his hands through Carlos' sweaty curls and brushing some blood from Carlos' lip with the pad of his thumb. He then leaned down, pressed a lingering kiss there, and turned to join Nancy and Tommy. "And Carlos?" he called back, turning around with a grin that made Carlos groan automatically, "Make sure you take your handcuffs home, I have ideas I want to try."
Carlos' blushed, both in embarrassment and excitement at the prospect and he felt all his blood rush southward. "You're a menace," he ribbed, pushing TK away.
"And yet you love me." He barely heard TK's words as he was too out of earshot, and yet, Carlos smiled anyway.
It was true after all. Carlos loved TK's kind heart and stupid smirks, his caring comments, concerned statements, and teasing remarks. He loved everything about him and had since that fateful day at the honky-tonk. But he didn't say any of that. He didn't say anything at all.
Yes, I do, Carlos thought to himself instead, and someday I'm going to marry you.