Chapter Text
When Carlos wakes, it’s to the feel of the desert in his mouth and the disheartening sight of an empty water bottle at his bedside. Reluctantly, he drags himself from beneath the warmth of the sheets, gently prying his arms from around TK as he begins his life-saving quest to end his epic thirst. So he’s a little dramatic when he wakes up to dry mouth at awful o’clock in the morning, sue him.
Taking careful steps, guided by the soft light of the sky beginning to regain its colour through the gaps around the curtains, Carlos exits the room in near silence, not wanting to wake TK so early after his long shift the night before. It’s a hard feat, even with his desperation to rid his throat of that sandpaper feeling; it’s difficult to convince his body to leave his boyfriend alone in bed when he wants nothing more than to still be sleeping beside him. But alas, every breath while he contemplates only reminds him of how unnaturally moist his mouth isn’t, so he trudges his way down the hall to the kitchen, relying on his familiarity of the layout as he can barely keep his eyes open.
Rehydrated and feeling a lot less bitter, Carlos returns to his bedroom, his body already preparing to relax back into the mattress even before he’s passed through the doorway. When he does, he stops still and a besotted smile spreads across his face. TK has spread himself out across the mattress, arms reaching out to Carlos’ vacated spot while his face has become buried in Carlos’ pillow. Carlos can’t help himself as he pads across the room to pull his phone from its charger, already opening the camera before his sleep addled mind is even aware of what he’s doing.
It’s not until the harsh flash lights up and drowns the room that Carlos thinks his decision through, and he winces as the simulated shutter sound breaks the silence shortly followed by TK’s answering groan.
“Los, bed,” he complains into the pillow. Then he turns his face to Carlos, lips forming a pout, but his eyes remain closed as he reaches out a hand. Carlos doesn’t hesitate to reach out and take it. “No runnin’, sleep.”
“I’m not going running, I just got up to get a drink” Carlos assures him, slipping his hand into TK’s and perching on the mattress beside his hip in the one triangle of space where TK’s starfished limbs aren’t invading. TK lets out a satisfied hum in reply, and Carlos finds himself admiring the soft, sleepy smile gracing his boyfriend’s lips.
It’s been months since TK started staying over regularly, but Carlos still can’t believe he gets to wake up beside TK and see him like this all the time. They’ve come a long way from TK skipping out after sex and rejecting any and all intimacy. Now, he can barely remember what it feels like to not curl together after sex, or text constantly on the days they’re apart, and Carlos loves it. He could recite TK’s morning routine flawlessly, having become used to the way TK reaches blindly for his phone every morning to check the time, only to groan and sink his head back into the pillow no matter what the screen displays.
His boyfriend, Carlos had quickly realised, is not a morning person at all and he finds it endlessly adorable.
“Los,” TK groans again, bordering on irritated as he begins tugging lightly at Carlos’ hand in an attempt to pull him down onto the bed. “Sleep, cuddle me.”
Carlos snorts at Tk’s ridiculousness, eyes travelling the length of TK’s body with incredulous eyebrows even though TK isn’t looking. He opens his mouth to retort that there’s no room for him to lay down but his mouth snaps shut and he puffs a laugh through his nose instead.
God, his boyfriend is the cutest, most ridiculous dork when he’s tired.
Taking a sobering breath to stave off his amusement, Carlos tries again, still keeping his voice soft to avoid waking TK further.
“I would lay down to sleep, baby, but you’re spread out across the whole bed,” he explains slowly, watching TK’s face scrunch in confusion as he tries, still half asleep, to register the problem. Then, he shifts even further onto Carlos’ side before flopping onto his back, a perfect reverse of his previous position.
“There, fixed. Sleep.”
Carlos has to cover his mouth as TK’s slurred words reach his ears, his dreary eyes watering as he laughs into his palm.
“That’s,” he pauses to take another breath and wipe his eyes, “that’s not any more room, TK.”
“Mmmm,” Tk hums. Carlos assumes it’s a sound of disagreement as he restarts his tugging before turning to face Carlos. His eyes stay closed, but Carlos can still read the attempted deadpan expression for what it is: TK clearly thinks Carlos is the one being unreasonable here.
A less patient man may grow annoyed and wake him up so he’ll move, but Carlos’ chest warms at the domesticity of it all. All he can think about is how much he loves getting to see TK in all his nonsensical glory during these intimate moments. Even if it is stopping him from going back to sleep. He’d much rather look at TK than the inside of his own eyelids anyway.
“I don’t know what you want, baby,” Carlos whispers calmly, reaching out a hand to smooth the crease between TK’s eyebrows before weaving his fingers through the soft strands of his hair. TK relaxes and shifts closer, smiling once again.
“Blanket.”
Carlos shakes his head in amusement, “Okay, I’ll get you the blanket, babe.”
He turns to reach for the bundle lying abandoned on the floor -right where they’d kicked it off to last night- only to be stopped by TK’s low whine of protest and the hand batting at this bicep. Now with both of his hands on Carlos, TK begins pulling again.
“You,” he murmurs, “blanket.”
“Oh,” Carlos realises, grin stretching across his face as he leans down to stretch himself out on top of TK until he’s blanketing the other man's body with his own. TK sighs happily and nuzzles into TK’s neck. “God you’re so cute.”
TK hums happily, before repeating, “sleep.”
“Okay,” Carlos agrees, placing a sweet kiss against the skin to TK’s temple, “let’s go back to sleep, baby.”
TK is already half asleep by the time Carlos has settled with his arms beneath the pillows, bracketing their heads, and his face buried in TK’s shoulder. His breathing slows and matches TK’s until he begins drifting, lulled by the calming sound as it washes over him like waves over the shore.
At least, that is, until TK’s voice, thick and uncoordinated with sleep, sends four words stumbling from his lips to vibrate against Carlos’ disbelieving ears.
“I love you, 'Los.”
It’s barely a whisper, slurred, and just about every other kind of unclear, but the meaning is unmistakable and Carlos hears it clearly perfectly through the silence. They freeze him in place, his breath catching in disbelief. And TK, well, he just snuggles in closer, his lips ghosting over Carlos’ neck as he continues sleeping like nothing happened. As if Carlos’ world didn’t just shift completely, his head swimming and his heart doing somersaults beneath his ribs.
No, TK sleeps on, completely unaffected as Carlos composes himself just enough to croak out “I love you too, baby. More than anything.” in a voice voice full of wonderment.
All shreds of tiredness are gone as he gawks at soft brown strands splayed out across his pillow. Time seems to disappear, the room becoming more light than darkness as Carlos holds TK close, replaying the words over and over in his head until the room grows bright enough to sting his tired eyes.
With the rising sun comes enlightenment, and the question of whether or not TK even realised what he’d said. He’d been pretty out of it to start with, and practically asleep when the words had left his lips. In fact, it's possible he was already sleeping, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’s heard TK say things in his sleep. TK is well known for his sleep talking, particularly for saying the most random and ridiculous things; what if that’s what this was? What if he didn’t mean it, or isn’t ready to say it yet?
Eventually, it’s those thoughts that pin Carlos down and make his eyes heavy with exhaustion. His mind is bogged down by uncertainties as he crashes hard into a short, restless sleep.