Work Text:
the only place you wanted me to be was by your side
- a one ended boomerang, Samuel Wagan Watson
“Carlos, baby,” Grace’s accent travels through the microphone like honey. “I can’t believe I’m saying this to you of all people, but, I need you to at least try to kill someone.”
“Might not the best thing to say to a cop, Grace.” Carlos narrows his eyes, trying to make sense of the colorful explosions happening on his television screen. He’s about to resort to button smashing at this point.
“Well right now you’re not a cop; you’re a sniper named DuLock and we are not about to get our asses kicked by a level three front line. Look, press the A button twice and then press the left analog stick.”
“Grace,” Carlos’ desperation is clear in his voice.
“The big button on the left.” Carlos follows Grace’s directions, watching as a flurry of actions pan across the screen. Eventually the screen dims and bright blue letters spell out, “Victory” and Carlos breathes a sigh of relief. After, both Carlos and Grace deny a rematch and head back to the party lobby where it’s just the two of them.
“What’s up, hun?” Grace asks and Carlos is a little caught off guard. “Clearly something’s on your mind.You seemed even more novice than usual today. No offense.”
“None taken.” Even if the offense was purposeful, Carlos still wouldn’t be bothered by it. He sucks at video games and he can’t be mad at Grace, not really; she’s Grace. “It’s just, it’s our honeymoon.”
“Oh,” He can hear Grace perk up on the other end. “Where did you two decide to go? Cancun, Bali, Tuscany?” Grace draws out the y of Tuscany, hoping that’ll be the answer.
“That’s the thing,” Carlos admits, “We haven’t.”
“Oh.” He can hear Grace slightly deflate on the other end.
“We have the dates locked in, you know, so we could know what dates to ask off, but when TK suggests anything, I don’t know, I just start to clam up.” Carlos shakes his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. “I don’t know, I’ve just never been good with being too far from home.”
“Hey, I get it.” Grace offers and Carlos smiles to himself. “Being far from home, far from what you know, can be scary; even if it’s just for a week or two.”
“Says the one who was about to move over a thousand miles away for school.” Carlos can hear Grace laugh over the line before responding.
“That is true, but I think I still would have found my way back home, anyways.” Grace shrugs to herself. “Then again, maybe it didn’t matter.”
“It didn’t?”
“I don’t think so, because Judd would have followed me wherever, much to the dismay of my dad.” Grace continues. “Wherever I would have ended up, I would have loved because the man I love would have been there too. Love travels, and love follows, too.”
—
Carlos opens the door the apartment and is overwhelmed by the smell of garlic, onion and bell pepper. “Hey, hun.”
“Hey babe.” TK greets him. Carlos leaves his things by the front door and joins TK in the kitchen, surveying the countertop. He watches as TK opens a can of tomato paste. “How was work?”
Carlos and TK swap work stories before, eventually, TK brings up Carlos’ least favorite topic.
“So, I was thinking more about our honeymoon; and maybe some place we could go.”
Carlos makes an effort to not physically react. “Oh yeah?”
TK looks over at Carlos and smiles. “Yeah.”
Carlos decides if he doesn’t say it now, he won’t say it later. “I know I’ve been, I don’t know, difficult, when it comes to picking a place, but I just want you to know, wherever you want to go, I’ll follow.” Carlos rushes out the words, not waiting to second guess himself. “Wherever we go, I’ll just be happy to be with you.”
TK looks at Carlos, his face unreadable. He opens a drawer, one where they keep knick knacks and novelties. He pulls out an envelope and passes it to Carlos.
“Here, you might like this.” It’s got Carlos’ name in black letters on the front and when he flips it, it’s sealed together with a piece of tape. Judging by the weight of it, whatever’s inside isn’t too heavy.
Carlos opens it and pulls out two tickets. It takes him a couple of seconds to make sure he’s reading the words correctly. “The Texas Rose Horse Show?” Carlos looks at TK, waiting for an answer.
“It’s all the way out in Tyler, so we’ll need to wake up extra early if we want to get a good seat. Then again, that shouldn’t be a problem since you hate that nasty habit of sleeping in.” TK winks at Carlos before he goes back dicing his tomato.
“TK, what is this?”
“Well, you said you like horses, yeah?” TK doesn’t look up as he asks the question.
“Love them, but,” Carlos reads the date again. “Baby, this is during the middle of our honeymoon.”
TK pauses then places the knife down. He wipes his hands on the kitchen towel hanging over his shoulder. He looks up at Carlos with a pointed look, one eyebrow raised. “The honeymoon you don’t want to go on?”
Carlos smiles but it’s not earnest. “Babe, that’s not true,” TK doesn’t smile back, but gives Carlos a knowing look. Carlos sighs, placing the envelope on the counter top. “How did you know?”
“Because I know you, babe.” He moves around the island, joining Carlos on the other side. “I wouldn’t be marrying you if I didn’t. Any time I bring up an idea, you fold in on yourself. I don’t know how I didn’t piece together before.”
“Piece what together?
“You hate traveling far from home, I mean, you got home sick after a weekend in Branson.”
“You meeting my mom was the best and worst thing that could have ever happened to me.” Carlos mutters to himself.
TK laughs softly, “I want you to love where we spend our honeymoon because I love you. If that means we spend a day driving to Tyler to watch horses all day, then that’s fine by me. It just means we get to the spend the rest of it cozied up watching movies, and ordering in. Maybe we could watch Se7en again so you can see how good my Brad Pitt impersonation really is.”
“It isn’t,” Carlos argues, but he smiles quickly after. “But I’m more than happy to listen to you do it for the rest of my life.” Carlos sighs again, but this time it’s one with weight lifted. He cocks his head slightly, looking at TK and wondering how he got so lucky. “So, this works for you, for our honeymoon, even if it isn’t paradise?”
“Oh babe,” TK smiles. “As long as I’m with you, it’ll always be paradise.”