Chapter Text
“Tell me if I’m overstepping, but why don’t we ever go to your place?” Carlos asks.
TK lets out an uncomfortable sigh. “Yeah, I um, I live with my dad.” Carlos looks surprised but quickly masks it with a more neutral expression. “It’s embarrassing, but he insisted.”
“It doesn’t have to be embarrassing,” Carlos assures him. “It makes sense, it’s easier to find one place when you’re moving to a new city.”
“Yeah, it’s not just that though,” TK rubs his hand along the back of his neck. “Back in New York, I- I told you I relapsed, but it wasn’t just that. I didn’t just relapse, I OD’d. My dad found me, and he and our crew brought me back. I hate that I did that to him, so I’ll do pretty much whatever he wants from me to reassure him.”
--
“Wow,” Zoe says, breathing heavily. They lay in silence as they catch their breath in the afterglow. “Water?” she asks.
“In the fridge. Glasses are in the cupboard beside the pantry,” Owen answers.
Zoe is expecting the house to be empty, other than herself and Owen, so she startles at the sight of two men looking very comfortable against the kitchen counter. Or rather, one of them is on the kitchen counter and the other is pressed close against him, kissing him deeply.
They don’t seem to notice her so she decides to slip back into Owen’s bedroom without interrupting them.
“No water?”
“I didn’t want to disturb your roommates.”
Owen looks at her strangely. “Roommates?”
“The two men making out on the kitchen counter seemed pretty comfortable, so I just assumed.”
Owen’s eyes narrow and he gets up from the bed to walk over to the door. He opens it a crack and shouts, “ on the counter?! ”
A voice calls back. “Sorry, Dad!” Through the doorway, Zoe sees the man on the counter slide off and bury his head in the other man’s shoulder. They shuffle off to another bedroom, both of them avoiding looking back.
“That’s my son,” Owen explains.
“Your son,” she repeats.
“TK,” Owen continues. “I thought he was staying at Reyes’ place. Carlos Reyes, his — well I’d call him his boyfriend but TK gets snippy and says they’re not labelling their relationship yet.”
Zoe laughs at the fondness in Owen’s voice.
“Sorry,” Owen apologises. “I really didn’t think he’d be home tonight.”
“It’s fine,” she assures him. “I think it’s sweet that you two are so close.”
“We’re all each other have,” Owen shrugs. He hesitates then adds, “he’s been going through some stuff - some health issues - so I want to keep him under my roof until I don’t have to be quite so worried about him.”
“I like the distinction you made there, you’ll always be worried about him. But really, so many young men grow distant from their fathers as they get older, and that’s especially the case for gay men. From that,” she gestures to the door, “short exchange and this conversation it seems like you have a pretty healthy relationship.”
“Maybe in the morning,” Owen says, sliding back into his bed, “you can meet him properly. We’ve got the late shift tomorrow, so I could make you breakfast.”
“That sounds nice,” she agrees, joining him in the bed.
--
TK wakes the next morning, checks his phone to see that he isn’t working until the evening, then buries his head in Carlos’ chest and hopes for more sleep. Carlos’ chest rumbles underneath him with laughter.
“What’s so funny?” TK asks, his voice thick with sleep.
“You,” Carlos answers, stroking a hand down TK’s back. “Your bed hair is impressive.”
TK grumbles incoherently against Carlos’ skin in response.