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The day he asks TK to move in with him is actually quite tame.
For some reason everyone seems to expect anything major step in their relationship should be a giant to-do, with fireworks and candles and an expensive dinner one of them has spent several hours slaving over.
Carlos doesn’t quite understand it, to be perfectly honest.
He and TK are just regular guys. They have demanding, but still normal jobs. They don’t partake in any extreme hobbies. Hell, even their taste in movies and music is pretty average. (Okay, fine, maybe they can get a little kinky in the bedroom, but it’s not nearly as exhibitionist-style as Paul likes to lie about.)
Really though, they’re just average men. TK is a recovering addict who is a danger magnet and could easily burn down a kitchen trying to make toast; Carlos gets attached too easily, has an affinity for show tunes, and has a habit of trying to avoid his problems.
They’re not perfect. They may not even be considered boring. But they aren’t a freaking television drama nominated for a GLAAD award or something.
Anyway, the day he asks TK to move in with him is not some special day he’s planned for weeks. Nor does Carlos spend hour after hour in the kitchen preparing a recipe passed down through his family for generations. There are no candles or soft music or bouquets of TK’s favorite flower, or even a Spotify playlist going in the background.
It’s a Thursday night and Carlos arrives home with zero ideas for dinner. Figuring he’ll whip something up when his boyfriend gets home, he takes a quick shower and is just walking down the stairs to deposit his dirty laundry when TK opens the front door holding a bag of food.
Typically the two of them are known to eat pretty clean, but it’s honestly just been a shitty week and Carlos hasn’t been able to keep his desire for salty fries a secret. He never actually imagined TK would follow through on it though, which is why the familiar McDonalds logo has caused Carlos’s eyes to grow what feels like three times their size.
Not needing words of affirmation to know he’s done well, TK holds up a drink carrier displaying two cups.
“Two Big Macs, extra Mac sauce, a large fry to split, and a chocolate and strawberry shake, respectively.” He announces, passing the cup of pink liquid (straw already inserted and a small sip missing, it should be noted) to Carlos.
“You really are the perfect man.” Carlos declares, accepting the bag of food and beginning to spread out their feast on the coffee table while TK drops his duffle bag and removes his jacket and shoes.
TK shrugs. “I mean, I hear that pretty often from all my other suitors, but it never gets old.” He says dryly. After washing his hands, he plops down on the couch next to his boyfriend and grabs his cardboard container, opening the lid and taking a bite out of the hamburger before letting out a small moan.
“Tell your hand to get in line.” Carlos quips back, unable to hide his grin as TK barks out a laugh.
“Fair enough.” He swallows the food in his mouth, leaning forward to kiss Carlos sweetly on the lips. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Carlos smiles widely, stealing another kiss before going back to his dinner. “I missed you today.”
“I missed you too. Even if I did text you roughly six million times.”
“I like when you text me.” Carlos assures him, taking a few fries. “Your Bitmoji is adorable in his little firefighter’s uniform.”
“I’m thinking about changing it.” TK says, “They have some new outfits, I’ve just been lazy.”
Carlos glances down at his meal. “Maybe you should give it purple hair,” he says casually, a moment of silence passing before TK’s head snaps up.
“What did my dad tell you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything.” Carlos promises, which is the truth. “But apparently he and your mother were looking through photo albums recently, and he messaged me a few incredible high school yearbook photos.”
If TK wasn’t absolutely starving, he likely would throw down his food and lean back against the sofa in disgust. Instead, it appears he settles for letting out a groan.
“It was a phase.”
“Of course it was.” Carlos says easily. “You were a teenager. None of us made good style choices. I would have done it if I wasn’t sure my parents would have shaved my head. Still, you looked cute.”
“I was a mess.” TK chuckles.
“We all were.” Carlos smiles shyly. “The eyeliner was kinda hot though.”
“Yeah?” This makes his boyfriend grin. “You mean it?”
“Mhm. I wouldn’t be upset if you tried it out again, honestly.”
“Don’t start.” TK warns, though his smile remains firmly in place. “Food first, sex later.”
Carlos gasps playfully. “I didn’t say anything about sex.”
“Oh right,” TK chortles. “That was me.”
“You’re a menace, TK Strand.”
For a moment silence falls, the two of them chewing their unhealthy dinner and sharing soft smiles, the stress and fatigue of the day slowly wearing off. Being with TK isn’t easy, no relationship worth its salt is, but loving him is effortless. Making the choice to show up every day and put in the work- it’s all worth it ten times over. And it is something Carlos is certain he never wants to end.
“Stay.” He finally speaks the single word, breaking the quiet with calm resolve.
TK looks at him expectantly. “Um, that was the plan babe. Hence the bag.” He chuckles lightly, nodding towards his duffle by the stairs.
Carlos shake his head. “No, I mean, for good. Don’t go home. Stay here.”
“…you realize I’m about half a second away from not thinking you’re kidding?” he warns, causing Carlos to shrug.
“I mean it.” He assures the other man.
He thinks back to the day he first saw TK at the scene, watching his dad pull what Carlos now knows to be a classic Owen Strand move. He hadn’t been lying, the older man was incredible. But there was something in the air that changed that day, something that took Carlos only one more encounter to realize was a magic from a different Strand man. He hadn’t figured it out immediately, but his life that day had changed and it hadn’t quit changing since. And Carlos had zero complaints about it.
TK is staring at him now, a grin slowly stretching across his beautiful face.
“Okay.” He says simply, his smile lighting up not just the room but Carlos’s entire world.
There are no fireworks; no candles burning, instead the scent of fast food fills the air. There is no long speech dedicated to their love, and they don’t spend the next several hours making passionate love into the night. Instead they manage a quickie in the shower before passing out on top of the covers holding hands and wake up with stomachaches from all the grease consumed the night before.
It’s not perfect. It’s not super dramatic or even overly cliché. They won’t be nominated for an Emmy any time soon.
It just is.
The two of them. Carlos and TK. Together.
And that’s enough for them.
end.