Chapter Text
Carlos walked cautiously through the nearly empty Hydra facility, heart in his throat as he looked for his best friend.
His comms crackled to life. "Twenty minutes to detonation, kid," Owen's voice came through.
"Got it," he answered, and quickened his steps.
"Any trouble?"
"Nope. Plan worked perfectly."
"Good."
Carlos rounded the corner, and then quickly retreated as a Hydra agent passed. He waited until he heard the footsteps grow fainter, then resumed his trek forward. There were three doors in this corridor.
TK had to be behind one of them.
The first room was for storage, so he didn't bother checking in it.
The second was a lab, and he entered it and did a quick sweep.
He found nothing.
That left the third and last door.
He opened it cautiously, and held up his gun immediately. The guy in the lab coat, leaning over what looked like an examination table, startled and dropped the syringe he was holding at Carlos' surprising entrance.
The man held his hands up, and Carlos kept his gun trained on him as he made his way further into the room.
He rounded the table, and lost his breath at the sight of his best friend, strapped to the chair, shirtless, and attached to all sorts of machines and IVs. "TK?" He tapped his cheek. "TK, come on, wake up."
He began to stir, but his eyes didn't open.
"Ty, come on, open up those eyes."
There was a movement in the corner of his eyes, and Carlos instantly straightened up, weapon aimed at the man's head.
"Get him out of these," he told him through gritted teeth, "now!"
He did as he was told, hands trembling as he freed TK.
By the time he was done, TK's eyes were opened, and to Carlos' relief, he seemed more alert.
"Carlos?" He muttered, awed and hesitant.
He helped him off the table, and pulled him close, relishing in the feel of him under his fingers, safe and alive.
"Take off your shirt," he told the man, whose eyes widened. Carlos rolled his eyes. "Take off your damn shirt. Now."
Once he'd taken off his shirt, Carlos snatched it out of his hands and helped TK put it on. After that, he motioned for the man to take TK's place on the table, and made quick work of restraining him.
"Come on," he muttered in TK's ear as he all but dragged him out. TK tried to help, he did, but it was obvious he was very weak at the moment, so Carlos took most of his weight gladly.
His only concern was to get him out.
He pressed the button on his ear piece. "Owen?"
Nothing.
"Owen? I've got him."
Again, there was nothing but silence on the other end.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing. Everything's okay, TK."
TK must not have noticed the worry in his voice because he just nodded.
"I've got you," Carlos assured him, though the words were probably more a comfort to him than TK.
TK looked up at him, and even bruised and battered, he was the most beautiful man Carlos had ever laid eyes on. "I know."
.
They burst through the doors of the facility, and Carlos was almost giddy with relief.
"How did you find me?" TK mumbled, stumbling through the snow.
Carlos tightened his arms around his best friend's waist, and tried to rub some warmth into his body. TK burrowed closer, and Carlos relished in the closeness.
Two weeks without TK had felt like an eternity.
He and TK had been best friends since they were seven years old. TK had defended him, the smallest kid in their class, against a couple of bullies and though they'd both gotten their asses handed to them at the time, they'd become fast friends.
And they'd been inseparable ever since.
"We've been looking for you for two weeks now," Carlos told him, the pain and worry he'd felt in that time dissipating slowly with every second he had TK in his arms. He laughed, giddy with relief. "I can't believe we actually found you."
"I can. I knew you'd come for me," TK told him, though the words were barely understandable due to the chattering of his teeth.
"I'm glad you did," he told him softly.
TK shivered yet again, and Carlos couldn't take it anymore. He stopped in his tracks, took off his uniform jacket and wrapped it around TK's shoulders, ignoring his protests.
"You're gonna get cold!"
"I'll be fine."
TK eyed him suspiciously, and he pulled away a little. “How are you not cold? Or tired?”
Carlos tried to steady him, but TK batted his hand away and let his own rest on Carlos' arms. He squeezed his bicep, then pocked at it with a finger. Carlos held his breath and watched as TK started to put things together. "Tell me you didn't do it," he whispered.
Carlos looked away, and removed TK's hand from his arm, using the grip to move him forward. "Carlos-"
"Now isn't the time, Ty," he interrupted him. "We need to go before they realize you're gone."
"You said you didn't want it," TK hissed at him. "You said you'd rather train and do the work than to cheat your way in-"
"Things changed, okay?" Carlos bit out through gritted teeth, now all but dragging his best friend towards their safety.
TK scoffed. "What could have possibly changed in the span of, what? Two weeks?"
Carlos gave up on his attempt to get him moving and faced him, angry and scared out of his mind. "You were gone!"
TK reeled back. "What does that-"
"They took you. No one would tell me what was happening, and your father wouldn't let me get involved with the team looking for you. So, I forced their hand."
TK spluttered. "What? Carlos, you shouldn't have done that- I-"
"It was the only way I could help find you, okay? You said you knew I would come for you, right? Well, the serum was my ticket to be able to do it."
TK's voice shook when he spoke. "But- you didn't want it."
Carlos shook his head. "I did. I don't regret it, TK, and if it meant I get to have you back? I would do it all over again."
TK's eyes slammed shut and he shook his head. "Did it hurt?"
"Not really," he lied.
"Liar," TK called him out softly.
Carlos said nothing.
"I'm glad you're here, though."
Carlos pulled him in and TK's warm breath on his neck was enough of a distraction that he lost track of where they should be going for a few seconds. They passed through trees, and stumbled on roots, but eventually reached the edge of a mountain.
"Are we supposed to jump now?" TK asked dryly, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Nope." Carlos pointed upwards, and watched as TK paled and swallowed thickly. "Zip lines. We have to time it right so that we can catch the train," he informed him.
"You're kidding," TK stated flatly.
"I'm not."
"Is this payback for the time I took you bungee jumping while you were still hungover?"
Carlos rolled his eyes. "It's not. This is just good ol' karma, TK."
"I hate you."
He looked down at his watch. "Alright, here we go. You ready for this?"
TK raised an eyebrow. "Not even a little."
Carlos just grinned.
.
They made it onto the train without incident, though TK did look like he was about to pass out. He was okay, though; grumbling and making his displeasure known very loudly.
Carlos felt like he was able to breathe for the first time in weeks.
So of course, the moment he relaxed, something went wrong.
Carlos barely had time to grab TK, pull him close, and cover them both with his shield before the shot hit where his best friend had been standing a few seconds ago. Carlos pushed TK behind some crates, kept the shield up and ran forward, slamming into whoever shot at them with a force that sent them careening back into the wall. He then jogged over to where the man was struggling to get up and struck him on the back, then the head, and watched him crumble to the floor.
Carlos ran back to TK and held out his hand, needing to get him to safety. All the while, his brain kept screaming at him that the train was supposed to be empty. No one was supposed to be here, and they were supposed to be safe now. The door opened and two men stepped out, decked out in all black gear that was the signature of Hydra. Carlos' hand shot out and he grabbed TK, pulling him behind him and backing away until he TK's back hit the wall, and no one could get to him unless they went through Carlos first.
TK's arms tightened around him, and that was when he saw the two men advancing on them from the opposite direction.
They were surrounded. Carlos pushed TK down, and in one fluid motion, sent his shield flying. It hit two of the man square in the chest, and he caught it when it flew back at him with practiced ease. In the same breath, he ran at the remaining two, hitting one with his shield hard enough to knock him out, then kicked the other in the chest, a move which made him stumble backwards and out through the still open door.
His heart was pounding, and his chest was heaving, but all Carlos could think about was the fact that there were probably more of them coming. He adjusted his grip on the shield and walked back to where TK was leaning against the wall. "Hey, you okay?"
TK just nodded, his eyes roaming frantically over Carlos’ body. "You?"
"I'm fine." He crossed over to him, and TK pushed off the wall and held onto him instead. He somehow looked worse now, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. "God, what did they do to you?" Carlos found himself asking.
TK rested his forehead on Carlos'. "Please don't ask me that," he whispered, so close that Carlos could feel his breath ghosting across his lips. It would be so easy to move closer, to put his lips to TK's and hold him close, but Carlos stopped himself. It wasn't the time, and it was definitely not the place.
He'd been in love with TK for about five years now. Since he'd managed to wait that long, he could very well wait until they were both off this damn train to finally tell him the truth he'd been ignoring for what seemed like an eternity.
TK let out a pained hiss, clutching at his stomach, and Carlos watched it happen helplessly. He wanted to help him, ease his pain somehow, but he could do nothing but watch.
In the next second, Carlos heard movement by the door and only had time to turn around and push the arm holding a gun to his head away a second before the sound of a gunshot echoed in the silence. Carlos wasted no time in twisting the man's arm behind his back until he heard the pop of bones breaking. The man dropped to his knees and howled in pain. With one last blow to the back of his head, the man was unconscious.
He looked up just in time to see another two coming at them, and this time, they were already shooting. Without a second thought, he reached for TK and covered him with his body as they took cover behind the crates. TK was struggling in his hold, and only after a few seconds did Carlos understand TK was trying to stop him from shielding him. "Carlos, they want me. You can't get hurt, okay? Please, just let me go, let them have me."
"Not a chance," he growled.
"Please," TK begged, voice thick with tears. "I can't lose you."
"And you think I can lose you?" Carlos yelled. He ducked, and the bullet just barely missed his head. Pissed off; at TK for even suggesting that Carlos should leave him; at the fact that they were so close to getting out but couldn't, Carlos got up and ran at the men, dodging bullets as he went. A fleeting pain hit him in the stomach, but he ignored it.
He dispatched the first one easily enough, but the second was more of a challenge. He was strong, too strong to be human, and in his hand was a gun unlike any Carlos had ever seen. He kept up with him, but he was getting weaker by the second. The guy seemed to sense that, and he took three quick steps back and shot at him. Carlos used the shield to protect himself from the blast, but the force of it had him flying back into the metal wall of the train. Once he hit the wall, he crumbled into a heap.
"Carlos!"
Carlos looked behind him to see TK, holding his shield in one hand and one of discarded guns in the other, advancing on the man. Most of his shots didn't hit their mark, and TK didn't seem to care.
He was buying him time, Carlos realized.
He got up, and a sharp pain hit him so suddenly he almost fell back to the floor.
That was when he realized he was bleeding.
The guy shot off another blast, and this one was deflected by the shield and onto the opposite wall of the train, creating a gaping hole.
Neither man seemed to notice.
There was a scream, the man's, followed by a grunt and a gasp. Carlos watched what happened next in slow motion. The guy lifted the gun, aimed it at TK and fired. Shield or not, it didn't really matter in the end.
Time stopped.
Carlos, without hesitation, ran at the man and slammed his body into his, sending him flying out.
Heart in his throat, he peered through the gaping hole created by the blast, and his heart sank at what he saw.
TK was hanging off a rail at the far end of the metal that had been blasted off, and Carlos froze for all of two seconds before he followed.
"TK, hold on!" He grabbed onto the rail and moved towards him carefully. TK's eyes never left his, and despite everything, Carlos could see trust shining through. They moved towards each other at the same time, and both froze when the metal groaned. A couple of seconds later, Carlos hesitantly moved closer and reached out a hand.
TK reached his out too.
Their fingers touched.
Carlos felt relief flood his senses and he smiled.
Then the metal bar loosened, and TK slid farther away. Carlos lunged for him, but he was too late.
"TK, no!"
TK screamed as he fell, hands outstretched towards Carlos, begging for contact.
Carlos reached for him, too, even though he knew it was too late.
.
"You know you can't get drunk, right?"
Tommy Vega, TK's mentor and Owen's second in command, told him gently as she stepped through the threshold of the wine cellar.
Carlos took a swig of the tequila bottle in his hand and ignored her, hoping she would get the hint and leave him alone to wallow.
She didn't.
Instead, she grabbed a bottle at random and joined him on the floor, sitting opposite him. "You do, right? You know you can't get drunk?"
"No, I don't," he answered dully. "And neither do you."
She raised an eyebrow and took a drink. "Well, the serum didn't effect just your muscles, it effected your cells-"
"-and created a protective system of accelerated regeneration," he finished for her. "I know. I'm putting it to the test."
She raised an eyebrow, and her lips twitched up into a smile that quickly fell away. There was a sadness there that took him by surprise, until it hit him that he wasn't the only one grieving. Tommy was head of Medical, and TK had been interested in working for her some day. For the three months before he was taken, TK had shadowed Tommy, and Carlos had overheard a conversation between her and Owen during which she said that TK showed great potential.
He wasn't the only one who lost TK, wasn't the only one who missed him, and he had lost sight of that because his grief was too big, too suffocating, and it was hard to imagine anyone feeling the same.
Grief, Carlos thought, made him selfish.
He sniffled, wiped away his tears, and let out a shaky breath. "How are you doing?"
Tommy seemed surprised by the question, but recovered quickly. "I'm- hanging in there, I guess? It just doesn't feel real," she muttered sadly.
Carlos wished he had the luxury of feeling like it wasn't real. He would love to close his eyes for more than a second and not be forced to watch TK fall over and over again.
"Carlos, it wasn't your fault," she told him firmly.
He took a generous sip of the bottle and avoided her eyes. "Did you read the report?"
She sighed. "Yeah."
"Then you know that's not true."
"You did everything you could."
"And it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough."
"TK wouldn't want you to blame yourself."
He scoffed. "Doesn't matter what he wants, does it? He's dead."
He didn't realize how hard he'd been squeezing the bottle in his hand until it broke.
Carlos looked down at his hand, bright red covering the entirety of his palm, and he didn't feel a thing.
He stood up, ignored her calling his name, and walked away.
By the time he made it upstairs, and into a bathroom, the wounds were all but gone.
Carlos cleaned his hand up, watching the pink water escape down the drain. He kept his hands under the water long after it ran clear, then, after a minute or two, he closed the tap and dragged himself out of the bathroom and down the hall, into TK's room.
Carlos and Tommy were currently alone in the house, Owen having disappeared a little over two hours ago, so when the first sob tore out of his chest at the sight of the empty room, he didn't try to be quiet, didn't try to push it down or cut it off like he'd been doing for the past two days.
He dragged himself over to the bed, chest heaving with sobs, and let himself fall onto it. He managed to drag the blue comforter from under him, then curled up under it. He buried his face in the pillow, and dragged the comforter over his head.
He was surrounded by the smell of his best friend, and for a minute he forgot what it was like to breathe.
He remembered overhearing his father tell his mother once, after one of her friend's death, that it would get easier, that the pain wouldn't be as sharp anymore with time.
Carlos had a hard time imagining a time when TK's loss would be anything other than a gaping, fresh wound that would bleed him dry.
.
Two days after the funeral, the SSR got a lead on Raymond's location.
"What are we gonna do?" Tommy asked Owen as they walked down the narrow corridor. Carlos plastered himself against the wall and listened in.
"I'm gonna find him, and I'm gonna bring him in."
"Owen-"
"This man kidnapped my son, Tommy," Owen's voice broke, "my son is dead, and he's responsible for it. I'm gonna bring him in if it's the last thing I do."
"It's suicide," Tommy argued, "we have reports that he may have take a bastardized version of our serum, Owen. If that happened? You don't know what you're up against."
"He killed my son," Owen repeated, "there's nothing he could do to me that's worse than that."
Carlos inhaled sharply, and when he looked down at his hands, they were shaking. He clenched them into fists and, before he could change his mind, he came out of his hiding spot and joined them.
Owen spotted him first.
"Absolutely not," the older man said immediately.
"You haven't even heard what I was gonna say."
Owen raised an eyebrow. "You were going to suggest you go after Raymond yourself."
"It makes sense-"
"No," Owen snapped. "I already lost TK, I'm not losing you, too."
Carlos was stunned into silence, but recovered when Owen turned his back on him, as if the discussion was over. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "You remember the last time you tried to stop me, right?"
Owen stopped dead in his tracks, then turned around to fix him with a glare. Carlos didn't back down, and met his sharp gaze with one of his own. "I'm going after him," he informed him, tone final, "it's up to you whether I'll have back up or not."
.
"Carlos, get out of the plane, now!”
Carlos didn't answer.
"Carlos, you need to jump!"
Carlos stared down at the vast ocean the plane was heading towards, frozen in shock.
There was no other way.
"The missiles are headed towards major cities all over the country," he told Owen faintly, "I have to put it in the water. It's the only way."
"God, Carlos-"
"It's okay, Owen," he interrupted, "and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get him."
"It's okay, kid. We'll find him."
Carlos felt a tear slide down his cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't save TK," he said brokenly.
"You did everything you could," Owen assured him, voice thick with tears.
And it wasn't enough.
I wasn't enough.
The plane plummeted towards the arctic.
Carlos, for a split second, felt an overwhelming relief at the thought of not having to feel the constant emptiness that TK's loss had caused, at not having to figure out how to go on without him.
He closed his eyes, and prepared for the inevitable impact.
He wasn't afraid, wasn't sad.
He was, for the first time in weeks, at peace.
The last thing he saw was TK's face; eyes crinkled happily, mouth stretched in a beautiful smile that always managed to make his heart skip a beat.
Carlos smiled.
Peace.