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#carlos' watery eyes always get me in my feels :')

ethrlst · 1 month

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reciprocated sentiment

⌞ sypnosis ⌝ - being acquainted with one out of the two current scuderia ferrari drivers have it’s pros and cons. the adrenaline of being able to support your childhood friend through each and every one of his races in person is one of the perks, and his teammate being the biggest only con.

⌞ wordcount & tags ⌝ - 1.2k+ / enemies to lovers! sexual tension! slight!angst fluff! google translated spanish!

⌞ a/n ⌝ - as promised, i would upload this today, perhaps.. just a few hours later than i said. this might be one of my favorite tropes to write so far (tension). let me know what you think and who should i write for next? happy reading! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪

────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────

the sweaty bodies of guests dancing to whatever song the speakers were playing from the norris’ manor distracted you from your thoughts. it was nearing midnight, a few more clicks of the watch’s hand and it’ll be the next day. both charles and lando had done a great job at occupying your attention for a while, not until oscar came and asked lando to dj with him, leaving you and charles alone with the rest of the group. the red cup filled with your drink has slowly started tasting less and less like liquor and more watery due to the ice melting.

‘do you want another drink?’ charles had offered, noticing your sour face after taking a sip. you smiled and shook your head, you’d rather sip some watered down liquor, than seek the risk of possibly bumping into his God-forsaken annoying cunt of a teammate, as you’d describe carlos. charles laughs at that, aware of your little rivalry with his teammate and finding it amusing.

‘you seem distracted, love. anything bothering you?’ he wraps his arm around your waist and kisses your shoulders, genuinely worried for his childhood friend. ‘i’m quite alright, cha.’ to which you respond, feeling a bit guilty lying to your friend. he hums, rubbing your hands on his thighs as a sign of reassurance. you both stay in that exact position for a while, cuddling each other whilst laughing at how silly it was when max had an argument with daniel regarding who would win in an arm wrestling battle between the two just a few hours prior.

your peace was interrupted when one of charles’ friend invites him to take a few rounds of shots with the rest of the group, you took this opportunity to make your way back to your room and call it a night. nearing your destination, a hand pulls at your arm and drags you to a secluded hallway. it was quiet and the lights were dim, if it wasn’t from the feeling of his coarse yet soft hands, as well as the strong smell of whiskey paired with his jasmine infused perfume, you wouldn’t recognize him. ‘where do you think you’re going, miss desperate?’, he whispers to your face, chuckling when he notices your irritated expression.

‘get off of me! desperate? god, you’re delusional, carlos.’ you laugh at his face, spitting out ‘you still bitter about cha’s p1 today?’, he slams you against the wall. slowly, his face lower to yours and you feel his eyes’ intense stare. chest heaving faster, you physically feel him bury his face to your neck just before whispering, ‘you are as breathtaking as charles described you to be, pero mi dios, you get on my nerves.’ you’re quick to return his stare with a glare. ‘you’re just as infuriating as me, sainz. you’re no different. if anything, desperation suits your name better than it does mine.’ lifting your hand to his bearded jaw and gently caressing his cheek, you give the spaniard a faux sympathetic smile. ‘you’re pathetic, and you’ll never amount to charles no matter how hard you work, carlos. he’ll always be better than you and you know this.’ your smile growing as the pressure of his hand against your throat gradually grows, you’re getting into his head. he grips your hips harder when he feels the tears finally brimming his eyes, he’s letting you get into his head.

‘joder, no me digas eso por favor, cariño. devuélvelo, por favor.’ fuck, don’t say that to me please, sweetheart. take it back, please. his overwhelming emotions way past the ability to being suppressed; he begs as his tears finally fall from his eyes and strain his skin, he then lays his forehead against yours—- pleading with his big, sad, teary, but oh so beautiful brown eyes. you’ve always loved everything about the spaniard’s eyes: how big it gets when he gets the opportunity to talk about his job, how it resembles a certain earth colored crystal, how they remind you of puppies, how beautiful it shines when met with light and how you catch them staring right back at yours with an emotion you’d never really been able to put a finger on.

‘No quisiste decir eso, ¿verdad, mi amor? look me in the eyes and say it again.’ he pleads, his walls completely down, waiting to be stepped on. he waits—- he waits and waits for your reassurance all while he cries to your hands cupping his face. from an outsider’s perspective, it might seem as the two of you had a lovers quarrel, but you’re no lovers, barely even acquainted. the fact leaves a heavy feeling to your chest whenever you think about how other people— how other women get to touch him, get to fawn over his figure and charming looks, praise how good of a driver he was knowing their true intention with the man. for the longest time you called this strange feeling hate, often bringing up your dislike to the spaniard that it was known by almost everyone in the grid. so why does seeing him in tears and begging for your comfort, brings an immense feeling of joy instead of pleasure?

an epiphany strikes your senses, it dawns upon you that you wanted the crying man all to yourself, and you’d been denying it for years. so the moment you hear him beg once again, you kiss him. your lips moving in sync with his, gripping the hair just before his neck and then his jaw, you kiss him deep. carlos kisses you back just as hungrily, he pulls your hips nearer and tries to deepen the connection just before you pull away. dragging him to your room, you sit the spaniard down at the couch before straddling him. with his wide eyes and plump lips slightly agape, he waits for you to make a move, fearing he would mess it all up and lose you if he makes even the slightest mistake. combing his messy hair, taking your time to admire the man, you utter him a compliment, so handsome. he gives you a shy smile, feeling timid under your gaze. you bring your lips back to his, gentler this time, more sensual— scared you’d break the man if you act upon your greed and possessiveness.

relishing the feeling of his tongue against yours, you pull away to breathe, carlos chasing to have your mouth back to his, but you deny him. ‘cariño, please. let me kiss you’, carlos pleads, caressing your waist and deliberately grinding up to you, he whimpers, feeling needier by the second. kissing his temple, you go down to kiss each of his cheek and his eyes, his nose, his jaw and gradually making your way down to his neck and collarbones. sucking marks to his nape, carlos grips your hip and cradles your head to his hand as he moans to your ear. ‘mierda, quiero volver a sentirte, por favor mi amor.’ shit, i want to feel you again, please my love. grinding your hips back, you pull his hair and grip his throat before mouthing mine to his lips and finally giving him what he’s been begging you for.

────────────────────────

the sunlight peeking behind the blinds, you feel the breeze of air from the window gap, waking your spirit. you open your eyes only to realize that your head was on top of carlos’ chest, you look up to him, taking in his sleeping form. tracing shapes on his skin, enjoying the warmth and stillness of the moment, you feel a kiss to your temple followed by his arms bringing you impossibly closer to him. ‘goodmorning, mi amor.’ ‘goodmorning, carlito’, laughing when he starts attacking you with kisses. ‘no! no! no, teasing this early, please bonita.’ you humm in defeat, cuddling into each others warmth, no longer denying the overdue of reciprocated yearning between the both of you.

fin.

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12-seconds-to-live · 1 year

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Home

pairing - f1drivers/2022 x fem!driver

warnings - death, grieving

Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?

May 29 - Mónaco GP

“Any plans after the race” I asked my teammate, Alex

“Well, there’s always the Red Bull afterparty, you know that is almost a tradition, even if you DNF” I look at him and nod.

“Yeah, I can’t handle too much, not after dealing with a very drunk Charles and Lando, no thank you”

“C’mon, we need a little bit of fun. And we’re expecting the best from you, you’re Mrs. P3 today and can finish as Mrs. P1″

Safe to say that Monaco it’s not my favourite GP. Reason: none but today it’s raining and I prefer a sunny Mónaco. Who knows, maybe I want to look for a really cute french around Mónaco harbor.

Nah

Not me at the moment

"Oh, shuss. I’m feeling confident buuuut...let’s see. We have a little meeting with Jost and then get ready”

“Cool, see you”

I walked to my motorhome and for a moment I feel like everybody was looking at me in a weird way. I ignored it and changed in my race suit getting race before the race. The reunion got cancelled and the FIA scheduled for a little debrief, weird.

As I go inside the room, I am looking for Alex, seems that everybody is in a rush. Being in front row in Mónaco is a big achievement and being in a Williams is like touching gold, so I can mess this up

“Alice...Al...¡Alice!” Alex is shaking my shoulder. Lando and Daniel, who are in front of us, are looking at me trying to gain my attention

“What...I get lost in my thoughts, sorry” I look around and every driver where looking at me “Why is everybody looking at me? For the record, I got a shower in the morning” The looks in their eyes are the same when my mom told that my hamster died when I was 8 years old...

Not that look

I’m not ready

I’ve never been

“We need you in your motorhome then you decide if you want to race” started Lewis with a sad expression on his face

“What ever it is...I’m okay if you tell me...I mean, we tell each other our stuff...sometimes...I...I” Alex take my hand and squeeze it, his eyes are a bit watery, so are Lando’s, so as Pierre’s, so as Sebastian’s

So as mine

I wanna run from here

“Tell me already, I can deal with your faces right now as much as I love you all” Sebastian was crying, Alex’s face is something that I would never forget and his next words were like a whisper, an arrow to my heart, worst that a heartbroken.

I got up, ignoring their voices, their screams, I have no place to go, my legs are functioning alone. It’s still raining and the way to the paddock is alone, no one and there’s tears running down, I looked to the grey sky and then to my feet

What now?

I sit on the floor, looking to knowhere. Being a thousand kilometers far from home and being an only child and deciding to leave was the greatest sacrifice for my mom, saying goodbye and know, all that distance just for set myself in my biggest dream, but she’s not here today and she’s not going to be tomorrow

Not anymore

How is it now that somehow I am felling like the biggest looser?

Like, doesn’t matter anymore.

“I’m sorry mom, forgive me. But I know that I have to let you go. I'm giving up and... and I guess this is where we say goodbye, I hope to be alright, someday I'll be fine, it’s just... not tonight” I heard a lot of steps and the boys where standing in front of me with their umbrellas and Carlos have a bouquette of red roses, Yuki offers me his hand so I can stand.

Charles look at me “We are with you and even If you feel you’re alone, you’re wrong. You have 19 brothers that are going to hold your hand till the day we die. We know how close you were, we knew her and she loves you”

“She’s proud, so are we” Said Sebastian “It’s not correct for me to send you racing today but If you feel strong enough to do it for her, we’re with you, If not...well, we’re still with you, till the end of the line”

I look at them. I still have a home, they’re home

“Promise me to stay?” I asked

“Always” All of them start hugging me and telling me that they are here for me and more lovely words.

“Boys, It’s race time. Let’s go” I smiled and headed with Alex to our garage. I changed my suit and get ready. This is for mom, Even if i get in the bottom, this is for my number one fan. My get in the car and thumbs up to everybody. I’m okay, I’m okay

I’ll be okay

“Radio check”

“Loud and clear” I answered to Andrew, my race engineer,

“Okay Alice, let’s do what you do best, I give you my condolences and I tell you that this is your race, do it for your mom, today she’s looking after you...as always, kid”

“Thank you. My mom is now an angel, let’s get that P1” I smiled and the moment we expected, lights out.

With an end time of 01:13:521, I passed the chekered flag and all of the screams of the fans and my team holding a big board with my mom’s name on it and a P1. This is definitelly a race to remember. There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief, my mom is gonna be forever, even she can’t call me as she ever did or wait for me at the airport, her memory and all the time she spend taking care and helping me is something that stays.

I placed the car in front of the P1, I go out of the car and put my hands in my face, not realizing this and I saw everybody clapping at me, Checo and Lewis, stand by my side and in the big screen located at the podium a photo of my mom was present. I kneel crying. Lewis kneel by my side and then hug me, Checo did the same, I look up and the rest of the boy were there with happy faces.

I look at Lewis, we took off out helmets and balaclavas. I smiled and run to hug my team. Everybody is cheering, joyful. I run to the boys and hug Max and then all of them join

“My home is here, thank you”

“Anytime, A” said Mick

“Lovely and cheessy but someone needs a shower” said George and we started laughing. “Go for your trophy miss”

“What a way to kill the moment George” Alex said, he hug me and jump with me “I must be a wizard, Mrs. P1″

“First of many, you’ll see” I follow Checo and Lewis to the podium. I look up to the sky, how gratefull I am for living my dream, being the best on it. And still...she’ll always be here. I shake the champagne and enjoy the moment with the others. My second family is here, smiling at me, clapping, cheering, laughing, all the happy ways to show me how much I mean to them.

At the end

Home is were my 19 brothers are. And I’m glad that I’m always there

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alexanderossis · 1 year

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(I went with Britcedes... I had to)

Lewis watches it all from a few steps behind.

He watches George cross the line in front of him, sees the Mercedes team scattered along the wall by the finish line, screaming and cheering. He expects to feel some sort of sadness or anger— like he should have pushed for team orders so he could win. But he doesn’t.

For the first time, he feels almost weightless. Like he doesn’t have to hold Mercedes up anymore, like if he were to retire now, he would leave with something more than the trophies. He would leave George to follow in his footsteps, to do what he’s done.

He waits to watch George pull up in Parc Ferme and watches George jump into the crowd of waiting Mercedes mechanics and team members. He remembers doing the same thing so many times and it’s… nice that George gets to have it now. The jealousy and remorse that usually floods his system when a teammate does well, it’s gone. Nothing comes to him except pride and… love. He thinks. Love.

He and George have been dating for half a year now and he’s known, since they first met, that George was his forever. Ten years ago he’d never have believed it, that he’d find someone and feel that way. But he’s less cynical now, worn down by the passing of time and a tall, lanky British boy— who is currently running towards him and pulling him into a tight hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” Lewis tries to say, but it’s muffled by the helmets and balaclavas and the roaring of the crowd.

“I love you,” George tries the same, but Lewis can’t hear it.

Lewis watches from the second step of the podium as George literally jumps with joy on the top step. He knows that when he sees the photos later, the smile from the second step will be a real, genuine, love-sick grin.

They go to take the photo and Lewis can’t get up to the top step, so he reaches for George’s waist, and tries to pull himself up. George stills from his celebration and peers down at Lewis to help him up and the world stops spinning for a few seconds when George’s gaze is on him and him alone. Everything drowns out around them and it’s just George. His beautiful, loving, hard-working George.

But then Carlos and James join them and he’s snapped out of it. George’s watery blue eyes turn back to the crowd and Lewis can take a breath again.

Lewis watches from the garage as George is swept up in interviews, everyone falling over themselves to talk to the winner. Lewis remembers what it feels like and it’s actually okay that they don’t want to talk to him. He’s okay to watch from next to Angela and just take it all in.

Lewis watches from the next seat over in the press conference. They ask him some stuff about Max, and with all of the celebrating, Lewis had almost forgotten that Max had crashed into him during the race. He says something that he can’t remember now, acutely attuned to every move George makes next to him. The way that he fiddles with his microphone, the stray confetti still clinging to him, how he’s champagne soaked, and dazzling.

And then finally, Lewis isn’t watching from afar anymore. No, he’s got George right in front of him, all his passion and focus and beauty only for Lewis now and it’s so overwhelming and perfect.

George looks up at him from the couch and gives a soft smile. Lewis is standing a few steps away, smoothing his racing suit half with anxiety, half with anticipation. He’s going to tell him.

George reaches out a hand, “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I think mine are worth at least a pound,” Lewis teases and flops down on the couch next to George.

“Why are you so far away?” George presses a kiss behind Lewis’ ear, “I won, don’t I deserve to have you on my lap?”

Lewis laughs and readjusts, straddling George’s lap and putting his hands on either side of George’s head on the back of the couch, caging them in, shutting out the outside world so that it’s just them.

“You didn’t tell me what you’re thinking about,” George pushes, and he always does, he pushes Lewis to be better, to say more, to feel more.

“Well,” Lewis presses a kiss to George’s nose, “I’m thinking about a few of things.”

He presses a kiss to George’s cheek, “I’m thinking about how my boyfriend won his first race in Formula 1.”

He presses a kiss to George’s other cheek, “I’m thinking about how I thought I would feel a bit upset that it wasn’t me but I don’t.”

George opens his mouth to interject but Lewis doesn’t let him. He presses a kiss to George’s lips, “and I’m thinking about the fact that I love you.”

Lewis feels George’s breath catch, and he tries not to look away, tries to show George that he’s not afraid of this, that they can do it.

“I-” George sniffs, “I love you too.”

And Lewis thought that George might not have any tears left in him after the win, but a few spill from his eyes. Lewis reaches up to wipe them away and kisses George’s eyes as they flutter closed.

“I’m so proud of you,” Lewis hugs him tighter, “And I’m so glad I was there to see it happen.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted it to happen any other way,” George wraps his arms around Lewis’ neck.

“You deserve it,” Lewis says into George’s hair. The gel is long gone from race sweat and champagne and now it’s soft, floppy, just the way that Lewis likes it.

“I wish that-” George starts but trails off.

“What, baby?”

“I wish that it was you.”

“No, you don’t.” Lewis smiles sadly.

“I do but I also don’t.” George sighs, “I wish we both could have won.”

“We did,” Lewis pulls back slightly and tilts George’s head up to look at him, “I feel like I won because you won.”

“Stop,” George blushes.

“I’m serious,” Lewis smoothes his thumb across George’s jaw, “I don’t feel anything other than happy for you.”

“I’m honoured that Sir Lewis Hamilton feels happy for me.” George teases.

“Jerk,” Lewis pokes his chest, “Here I am, pouring my heart out to you and you tease me!”

“I’m sorry,” George muffles Lewis’ protests with his lips, kissing him eager and steady.

“You’re not,” Lewis grins.

“I’m not.”

Lewis rolls his eyes and kisses down George’s neck, the taller man tilting his head back to give him more room.

“Mm you taste like champagne,” Lewis murmurs.

“God,” George groans, “I’m so lucky.”

Lewis responds by licking up the column of his neck, relishing in the vibrations he feels as George moans his name.

George’s hands fall to his hair and Lewis lets himself be overwhelmed by just being in George’s presence. His large, practiced hands urging him on, the feeling of George’s body against him, the smell of fuel, champagne and something that is just so perfectly George, it feels like home.

They fall into a rhythm and George is rolling his hips and he didn’t win but it feels like euphoria anyway.

And then Angela knocks on the door and Lewis groans frustratedly.

“I know what you’re doing in there!” Angela sing songs from the door, “But we have a debrief in 5 minutes.”

“Okay!” Lewis calls back tersely, and tries to resume his plan of letting his hands and lips across George’s body.

“Lewis,” George groans, partly from resignation that they are needed elsewhere, partly from Lewis’ lips against his naval.

“Don’t want to stop,” Lewis murmurs against his skin.

“We have to,” George sits up, putting an arm around Lewis so he doesn’t fall off of the couch.

“But we’re celebrating,” Lewis pouts.

“Come on,” George pushes him to his feet and follows suit, pulling Lewis in for one last kiss, “There will be plenty of time to celebrate properly later.”

“Fine, but I’m holding you to that.”

And he watches with a smile on his face as George walks out of the room towards his first ever F1 race win debrief.

I feel like Lewis has come so far as a person and a teammate and I just wanted to show this all from his perspective. No smut, I’ll leave that to the pros who I’m sure are writing it now or have written it. Hope you enjoyed <3

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43064709

#Britcedes #gewis #Russilton #4463 #Lewis Hamilton #George Russell #F1 Fic

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landinrris · 1 year

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A few of my mutuals have done this in the past, and starting the new year off (since we're still in January) I wanted to have some accountability for myself while working on WIPs. Some accountability from me and a bit of content for those who are interested.

To start off, this week's bit is from the first chapter that's part three of the Taste My Disaster mini verse (a.k.a. "uni au part 3" and "sleeping with other people part 3").

---

The meeting is full of the same people who have been here the last two times. The same watery coffee and store-bought cookies sit on the foldable table off to the side of the audience of foldout chairs.

They’re in the rec hall of a church down on the lower west side— which means it’s basically the room every after-hours meeting gets held. Anywhere from monthly women’s club meetings to the local Girl Scouts chapter. Tonight, it plays host to the illustrious tales of self-proclaimed sex addicts.

One of the reasons Carlos doesn’t mind coming to these meetings occasionally is that they don’t require everyone to speak. The lectern is pretty much an open mic to vent one’s gripes about any and everything after the chairman says a few opening remarks. A few usual suspects can always be counted on to speak with a smattering of newer people as well.

Carlos listens politely enough. His phone remains in his pocket, and he only dissociates a small bit when the speaker starts going off on an unrelated tangent (he’s surprised how often it happens given the number of times he’s been here).

And then suddenly, Carlos is looking up and sees a ghost seated diagonally from him and three rows up. A ghost with dark curly hair that’s styled up from his forehead sitting there with his arms crossed over his chest and sunken into the chair— like he’s trying to hide from the rest of the room. He’s familiar in a way that unnerves Carlos— in a way that makes his blood freeze in his veins and his stomach drop out from beneath him. The guy adjusts his shoulders and reaches up to scratch at the edge of his eyebrow closest to Carlos with the tip of his index finger.

Up at the front at the lectern, the guy ranting on about a Tinder date has launched into a bit about his feelings and miscommunication, but towards the back of the room, Carlos’ brain finally clicks in a rather mortifying way.

The name pops into his mind so abruptly that he nearly screams because how could he forget. How could he forget that the guy sitting three rows up diagonal to him is Lando. Lando Norris. The one-night stand from the Spring of his first year as a master’s student that turned into so much more. Lando, who he spent the next year with before having to go home to Spain with his newly minted master’s in Sports Management while Lando stayed behind to finish his bachelor’s degree.

Lando, with whom Carlos tried to make it work long distance— and succeeded for a time— before time differences and meeting other people eventually got in the way. Lando, who Carlos guiltily realizes now, he hasn’t thought about in a few years.

Carlos’ heart lurches in his chest at the memories that come flooding back, at the pictures buried deep in his iCloud that he could probably still find fairly easily. Hell, if he digs through his box of documents and school things from back then, he could probably find a picture or two that Lando had printed out for them to have.

His throat feels tight then, his eyes pricking at the edges with what feels suspiciously like tears. There is no way he’s doing this right now— no way he’s getting emotional over a relationship that more or less mutually ended almost ten years ago. Carlos pinches the skin between his thumb and forefinger with his nails to pull his mind away from thoughts of the past.

Thirty-four-year-olds don’t get emotional at Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings about their graduate school boyfriends.

#did this make me weirdly emotional writing it out? yes. am i maybe a little stressed? also yes #the two things can't possibly be correlated with each other #writing tag #carlando #husbands™

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bellakitse · 3 years

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Nothing ever stays the same

Farmer's Market redux.

A few days after running into his parents at the farmer's market, Carlos and TK run into them again. This time Carlos tells them who TK really is to him.

Spoilers for 2.04

They give the farmer’s market another try. TK suggests it since they didn’t get a chance to explore all of it the last time. Carlos agrees, even though he’s a little tentative about it.

TK swears up and down they’re okay and spends the rest of the week at his place. Carlos thinks it’s both to reassure him they’re fine and because Owen and Gwyneth are acting weirder than ever around everyone.

“They’re both jumpy as hell and secretive,” TK mentions as they walk around the market hand in hand, stopping here and there at different stalls. He smiles sweetly at the old lady that offers him to try one of her organic strawberries. Carlos watches him as he bites into it, smiling as TK’s smile grows at the taste. He opens his mouth when TK turns to him, offering him a piece, and nods when he asks if they should get a pound of the berries.

“What do you think is up with them?” he asks curiously after paying the woman.

“Oh god, who even knows with those two,” TK answers with exasperated fondness. It’s a familiar tone for TK when talking about his parents and their weird relationship. “I rather not speculate, to be honest. I don’t need any more parental trauma,” he says with a dry smile that says he’s only half-joking.

Carlos lets out a sympathetic sound before touching his shoulder, tugging him gently towards him. He’s relieved when TK comes into his space without hesitation. Even though TK has repeatedly told him everything is okay between them and understands his situation, Carlos can’t help but be unsure. He knows he really hurt TK just a few days ago in this very place, and the thought has been plaguing him since. He can’t stop thinking of when they first began and how TK’s reluctance to define them hurt him. But back then, they weren’t in love. If TK denied them now, he’d be heartbroken.

It kills Carlos that he did that, allowing his fears to take over, hurting the man he loves.

“Hey,” TK questions quietly, his green eyes soft and loving. “Where did you go? You were a million miles away just now.”

He shakes his head and forces a smile on his face hoping it’s enough to distract TK. The sad, knowing look on TK’s face tells Carlos it isn’t. He winces at the loud sigh he lets out.

TK reaches out, touching his thumb to his brow, smoothing it over, and Carlos can’t help a sound of his own at the gentle touch. He closes his eyes as TK leans in, pressing his lips to his temple as he hugs Carlos to his side.

“Stop feeling guilty already,” he murmurs against his skin, huffing out a dry laugh when Carlos tries to deny it. He gives Carlos a look as he pulls back. “It’s like you think I can’t read you like a book by now. I see every worried look you send my way. It looks like you’ve had a stomach ache for days now, enough, baby,” TK lightly scolds him, his affection for him shining through it. “We’re moving past it, okay?” he finishes in a serious tone.

Carlos looks at him and finds nothing hidden behind his eyes he doesn’t mean. He opens his mouth to say yes, that he’ll listen this time and move on from their fight when he stops short, the reason for their argument standing by the cheese stall a few feet away from them. “You gotta be kidding me,” he whispers, honestly shocked at the chances. Since when do his parents visit the farmer’s market so damn much?

TK turns his neck to follow his line of sight; he tenses against him when he finds what he’s looking at. “Damn, what are the odds,” he says under his breath. He turns back towards him with a smile so forced on his face, Carlos thinks he actually hears his heart break from seeing it. “I’m going to take a walk around the corner before they see me. You go say hi.”

TK takes a step away from him without waiting for an answer, and Carlos realizes he’s serious; he’s really willing to hide to make sure he’s comfortable. Carlos has never loved and hurt more for someone in his life. He sticks out his hand, taking TK’s before he can take another step away from him.

“No,” he says softly but firm even as his heart pounds like a jackrabbit against his ribcage as he comes to a decision. He’s scared, he can hear his pulse roaring in his ears, but he refuses to let TK feel like he did days ago; he won’t let them go through that again. “No,” he repeats once more as he gives TK’s hand a squeeze. “Nothing ever stays the same,” he reminds him of his comment from the other night, getting a quirk of TK’s lips in return. “And I don’t want it to.”

TK’s eyes widen as he gets his meaning; they stray to Carlos’ parents. They still haven’t noticed them but probably will in a matter of seconds. “Are you sure?” he asks, concerned. “This doesn’t have to happen now, I meant what I said.”

“I know,” Carlos cuts him off, knowing TK has been nothing but sincere since their talk. TK is more than willing to let him set the pace to this, and Carlos couldn’t possibly love him more for it, which is why he can’t hide him from the people he loves. “Come on,” he whispers, tugging on his hand as he starts to walk towards his parents. He feels TK give it a squeeze of his own.

“Mami, Dad,” he calls out to them, getting surprised smiles in return as they turn towards him.

“Carlitos!” his mother says happily, as his dad lets out a chuckle.

“Twice in one week at the same place,” he says with a grin. “Is the farmer’s market where first responders hang out these days? In my days, we’d just hit a bar,” he teases.

Carlos tries to smile at the joke, but his focus is on his mom, who has quickly zeroed in on his and TK’s clasped hands. She looks up at him with wide, surprised eyes.

She stares at him for a moment more, understanding entering her brown eyes. “Oh,” she says softly.

“Yeah,” he whispers back with his heart in his throat. “Mami, Dad – this is TK,” he says before looking back at him, not at all surprised at the love and support he finds in his gaze. “He’s my boyfriend, and the man I’m madly in love with.”

He turns back to them, finding their attention on him, though they both stray a look at TK once more. “I lied the other day because I was scared,” he tells them, answering their silent question. “You guys and I don’t talk about me being gay, and for years that has worked out fine,” he says, holding up a hand when his father opens his mouth to speak. “I know you guys love and accept me, but it’s been easier all these years to just ignore the elephant in the room because there was never anyone that really mattered to me.”

Carlos turns to look at TK once more, smiling at him as his heartbeat settles into a peaceful rhythm. He knows, no matter what happens next, everything will be fine because he has TK.

“That’s changed now,” he finishes knowing how true it is.

There is silence between the four of them for a moment before his father clears his throat. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, TK,” he says with a small but sincere smile.

“Yes,” his mother follows gently. “Very nice to meet you.”

TK swallows first before giving them a smile of his own; it’s nervous at the edges but beautiful. “It’s very nice to meet you too.”

His mother smiles at TK the same smile she usually reserves for him, it’s welcoming and kind, and it loosens the tension in Carlos’ shoulders. Proving she misses nothing, she instantly catches it, her expression changing once more as she looks back at him.

“You were scared to tell us about your relationship,” she comments quietly, looking sad when he gives her a shaky nod. “Oh, Carlitos,” she lets out a sigh before taking a step towards him.

Carlos swallows hard as she looks up at him, holding his breath when she reaches out, touching his cheek. “Tu sabes que te amamos, no importar qué, si? Siempre mijo, we love you,” she says sternly with tears in her eyes.

Carlos looks over at his dad, who looks affected by her words too. “Listen to her, son,” he says gruffly. “Your mother is always right.”

“That’s right,” his mother answers smugly, as she gives him a watery smile. She pats his cheek lovingly before she looks over at TK again.

“You have a kind face,” she tells him, chuckling when TK blushes a bit. “Sweet boy,” she grins. “I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

“Maybe Carlos can bring him to Tia Lucy’s,” his father suggests suddenly, and Carlos lets out a startled laugh at the way his mother lights up.

“Yes,” she says enthusiastically. “Oh, you have to, Carlitos. You know how Tia Lucy loves pretty boys. She’ll adore him.”

“I would love to take him,” he says after clearing his throat, still a little shell-shocked at the turn of events. “That is if TK is okay with it.”

TK nods quickly as a bright smile takes over his face, and Carlos has to hide his own as his mother’s eyes widen in response; he understands her reaction perfectly. It’s taken months to not be completely overwhelmed by TK’s beauty.

“Okay, then,” his father says with a clap of his hands. “That’s settled then, we’ll see you both on Sunday. TK – “ he continues as he holds out his hand to him. “It was nice to officially meet you. You’re okay for a firefighter.”

“Thank you, sir,” TK chuckles as he shakes his hand.

Carlos is pulled into a hug by his mother and then his father, both of them squeezing him tight. His mother surprises both him and TK by pulling him into his own hug. She whispers something into his ear that causes TK to smile again as he nods at her.

They watch them leave, rounding the corner before TK turns to him with the gentlest smile he’s ever seen.

“I’m so proud of you,” he whispers, wrapping his arms around him before the first tear falls down Carlos’ face.

He shakes, but TK just holds him tighter, running his hands up and down his back. Whispering that he’s there, and he has him until Carlos can take a steady breath. When he pulls back to look at him again, TK is ready, wiping the tears off his cheeks.

“What did my mother say to you?” he asks, holding his breath at the bright smile TK gives him.

“She thanked me for loving you,” he tells him, causing Carlos to swallow around another lump of emotion forming in his throat.

“She’s right,” he whispers as he leans in, pressing his forehead against TK’s. They stay like that, blind to the world around them. Right now, there is nothing but TK and his love in Carlos’ world. “Thank you for loving me.”

TK closes his eyes, his adoring smile firmly in place. “Loving you, Carlos, is the easiest thing I have ever done.”

translation for what Carlos' mother says to him: You know we love you, no matter what, right? Always, son

#911 lone star #tarlos #911 lone star fic #tarlos fic #tk x carlos #my writing

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marjansmarwani · 3 years

Text

somehow we’ll be okay

9.3k || ao3

Gabriel and Owen process their guilt, the 126 comes together in the face of (another) tragedy, and Carlos and TK find comfort in each other. ---- A 2x12 coda, in 3 parts

This took me an entire week to write and I'm not even sure what it is anymore but here it is.

---------------

The shrill ringing of a phone shattered the silence of the Reyes home.

They had just been settling down for the night when the call came and Gabriel muttered a curse under his breath as he rolled over in bed to grab the offending phone from the nightstand. He frowned when he saw the contact info on the screen.

“Owen?” he said in greeting, “Is everything okay? It’s a little late for a social call.”

“Gabriel!” The fire captain's voice was tense and distant. It sounded as if he was driving, and fast. “Have you talked to Carlos at all tonight?”

“No,” he responded, sitting up in bed, nerves suddenly on edge, “Why?”

“I don’t think Raymond was done. Do you remember what he said? ‘I’ll take what matters the most from you. At first I thought he meant the 126, but I think there was more; and I think he was talking to both of us.”

It only took a moment for Owen Strand’s frantic words to process and when they did Gabriel felt a cold chill was over him. “The boys,” he said quietly, fearfully, and he felt his wife shift beside him, sitting up and facing him with a concerned expression.

“I think so,” Owen confirmed grimly. “I’m on my way there now but TK’s not answering. It keeps going to voicemail.”

“I’ll try Carlos,” he said, desperately hoping there was some other explanation for them not answering, anything but the worst fear Owen had just painted for him. He went to hang up, but he hesitated. “Owen…” he said instead, not sure what exactly it was he wanted to say.

“I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,” the other man promised and despite everything, Gabriel took comfort in knowing that he and Andrea weren’t alone in this fear. He thanked him again before ending the call and switching to his recent calls list.

“What’s going on?” Andrea asked him, eyes roving his face for any clues. He didn’t answer right away as he tapped his son’s name and held the phone up to his ear, praying to hear his voice answer. Instead all he got was the mechanical ringing before his voicemail picked up.

He lowered the phone and met his wife’s eyes.

“Owen thinks that the arsonist isn’t done with revenge yet. He thinks that he had a more personal goal in mind; something that would affect both of us.”

He knew he didn’t have to spell it out for her - Andrea had always been smarter than him, after all - and when she placed a hand over her mouth he grimaced, reaching over and squeezing her arm gently as he tried calling Carlos again. It was the same as the first time, so was the next. He could feel the fear and desperation growing within him, but he didn’t know what else he could do. Their son’s home was nearly 20 minutes away from their house - he’d never make it in time to make any difference. He could only hope that Owen would get there in time; that his actions wouldn’t cause him to lose what was most precious to him.

He stood abruptly from the bed, pacing the floor of the bedroom as he dialed again. Again he got the voicemail and it took every single ounce of his self-control to not hurl his phone across the room in frustration. He took a shuddering breath and sank onto the bed, running a weary and shaking hand across his face.

He felt the bed shift as Andrea moved closer to him, “Talk to me, corazón,” she murmured, a hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“He’s not answering,” he told her dully, “and neither is TK.” He sighed again and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands.

“That doesn’t mean we have to assume the worst,” she reminded him gently, “not yet.”

He nodded dully and reached up to cover the hand on his shoulder with his own. They waited in silence on their bed; joined together by their hands and their fear as they waited for Gabriel’s phone to ring. The moments passed like sand through a clogged hourglass; each one lasting for its own small eternity as they all piled upon each other.

Finally, his phone rang.

He snatched it up from where it was resting on his knees but paused over the screen before answering. He needed to know - they both did - but this could very well be the moment that changed their life forever. With a glance at his wife who gave his shoulder another comforting, supportive squeeze, he answered, putting it on speaker.

“Owen?” he asked in a shaky voice, “What happened? Are they okay?”

“We’re okay, dad.”

Nothing else could have made him feel the rush of joy and relief that hearing his son’s voice through the phone did in that moment. He sagged in relief, turning to Andrea to see her eyes glistening with unshed tears. He gave her a watery smile before he turned his attention back to the phone in his hand.

“The house is gone,” Carlos continued; voice low, rough, and a little shaky, “but we’re safe.”

“That’s all that matters right now, mijo,” he told him. “Everything else we can handle in time.”

On the other end of the phone he heard Carlos make a noise of agreement that was cut short by a cough. He frowned and shared a glance with Andrea to see his concern reflected in her expression.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be in a hospital?” he asked.

“The paramedics checked us out, dad. And then TK’s captain, when they were done. We’re fine, really.”

“Are you sure? Because…”

“We’re fine, dad,” Carlos repeated; his voice soft, but firm.

Gabriel took a breath, steadying himself. “Okay. Your mom and I are on the way, we’ll be there as soon as you can.”

“Yes, sir, see you soon.”

The almost professional tone in his son’s voice hurt. He knew that it was likely a shield; a way to keep himself together in the aftermath, but he needed him to know. He had come so close - too close - to losing him, he needed him to know. “I love you, son,” he said, voice tight as he said the words he didn’t say enough.

“Love you, too.”

With those words Carlos ended the call and Gabriel felt as if all the energy had just been sapped from his body and he sank down onto the bed once again. He heaved a deep breath and rubbed at his eyes. He could feel his wife looking at him, so he voiced the thought that has been ricocheting through his mind since the moment Owen had called: “This is my fault,” he admitted quietly. “I could have cost us our son, or could have caused him to lose someone he loves.”

“That’s not on you, Gabriel.”

“Yes it is - of course, it is,” he argued. “He did this to get back at me, to make me suffer. It’s completely on me.”

“Did you want to hurt Carlitos? Or TK?”

Gabriel looked up sharply, meeting his wife’s gaze with wide eyes, “Of course not!”

“Then that’s not on you. Yes, someone awful did this to hurt you; but that doesn’t mean you did it. I’m not saying I agree with what you and Owen did,” she reminded him in case he did not recall the rather heated discussion they had had earlier in the kitchen about keeping secrets and not considering the possible collateral, “but you didn’t start the fire. Someone terrible did it of their own free will and that’s on them, not you.”

Her gaze was steady as she spoke to him and her words firm: she believed what she was saying and there was not a doubt in her mind. He wished he could say the same.

But if there was one thing he knew about her after over 30 years of marriage it was that there was no arguing with her once she made up her mind. So he simply nodded and offered a weak smile. They sat in silence for another few moments before she stood up, walking up to him and placing a kiss on his forehead.

“Get dressed,” she told him gently, “let’s go see our son.”

He nodded and rose on shaky legs, sighing as he turned to his dresser. His emotions were still swirling inside of him; turbulent and unrestrained. He couldn’t believe they had come so close to losing their son and until he saw him with his own eyes a part of him would insist on believing they had. So he threw on the first shirt and pants he found, discarding the pajamas he had been wearing on the bed without a second thought. The small details could be handled later; all that mattered right now was getting to Carlos.

They were in his truck a few minutes later and the half-hour drive to Owen Strand’s house was spent mostly in silence as they each worked their way through the night's events. When they arrived Andrea barely waited for him to put the truck in park before she was opening her door and climbing out and striding towards the house. He followed quickly behind and the front door swung open as they approached, revealing a tall man Gabriel had never seen before.

“You must be Carlos’s folks,” he said with a nod, “they’re in here.” He stepped aside without a word and Gabriel offered him a nod of thanks, but couldn’t find the words as he stepped through the doorway and got his first sight of his son: sitting at the counter, miserable and soot-covered with his hands clutched around a mug of tea as his eyes tracked something across the room.

Gabriel followed his gaze to see TK - equally filthy and absently pacing as he spoke on the phone.

“I’m fine Mom, I promise,” Gabriel could hear him saying even as his eyes traveled back across the room to Carlos. “We both are.”

He offered Carlos a small, reassuring smile before he turned away, continuing to speak to his mother in low tones. Carlos hadn’t even noticed their presence yet, too focused on his boyfriend to catch much else, but when Andrea stepped closer and murmured his name he turned to face her quickly, eyes widening at the sight of them.

“Mom,” he said quietly, “dad.”

And then Andrea had her arms around him and he all but crumpled into her embrace, shaking as he let out a sob. Andrea whispered reassurances and Gabriel stepped closer, not wanting to intrude. But the moment he got close enough his wife released Carlos from her embrace and as he straightened he made eye contact with Gabriel.

“Dad,” he began, but Gabriel didn’t give him a chance to speak. He simply stepped closer and pulled his son into a hug, clutching him tightly.

“I was so scared, Carlitos,” he admitted, “and I am so, so sorry this happened.”

“It’s not your fault dad,” Carlos muttered and Gabriel shook his head. He was about to argue the point further when another voice interrupted.

“He’s right, Mr. Reyes,” TK said, joining them in the kitchen having finished his phone call. “It’s not your fault - or my dad’s. It’s just something that happened. It’s shitty, yeah,” he admitted, “but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. You couldn’t have known.”

Any more discussion was halted by Andrea stepping forward to pull TK into a hug as well.

“Who is or isn’t to blame doesn’t matter,” she said firmly as she hugged TK as tight as she had Carlos a few moments before, “what matters is that you are both safe.”

“You’re right,” TK agreed from her embrace, his eyes finding Carlos, “that is what matters.”

There was more to his words, as if he was trying to convey a message that only Carlos would understand. Whatever it was, Carlos seemed to understand as his body - still in Gabriel’s embrace - lost some of its tension. A comfortable silence settled over the four of them, the low tones of the other man on the phone in the corner the only sound.

Footsteps from the stairs soon interrupted that silence and a moment later, Owen Strand turned the corner.

He smiled weakly at Gabriel and Andrea before he turned his attention back to the boys, “I put some stuff in the guest room at the end of the hall: some extra clothes and towels. I’m sure you’re going to want to get cleaned up, feel free to use whatever you find in the bathroom.”

TK nodded as Andrea released him, “Thanks dad,” he said gratefully, stepping towards Carlos. He approached and Gabriel let him go as TK held out a hand.

“Come on babe,” he said softly, “let’s go get cleaned up.”

Carlos nodded and took the offered hand, allowing his boyfriend to lead him down the hall towards the stairs. As they walked by the other man ended his phone call and called out to them.

“The others know now,” he said, “and they’re on their way, just so you know.”

TK smiled fondly and nodded, “Thanks, Judd.”

Then he and Carlos disappeared up the stairs.

Andrea looked at Owen, “The others?” she asked.

“The rest of the 126,” Judd explained as he joined them at the counter. “I was about to call them anyways but they saw it on the news first so…”

“They want to come and see that they’re okay for themselves,” Owen concluded with a nod and a small smile, “They’re good like that.”

His smile faded though as he looked at Gabriel and Andrea.

“I am so sorry,” he said. “I should have realized it faster. It was right in front of me and I almost missed it. Even as it stands I was almost too late.”

“You’re no more to blame than I am,” Gabriel told him, “I had the same information and didn’t even think of the possibility until you called me. But really we should be thanking you for saving them. From what it sounds like if you had been a minute later or if they had to wait for a fire company...”

He trailed off, the awful possibility settling over him. They had come so close to losing the one thing that was most precious and it was only thanks to either sheer luck or a miracle that they hadn’t.

Owen nodded, but his expression didn’t change. They were silent for a moment before he spoke again, “I still can’t help but feel like this is my fault. If I hadn’t gotten involved maybe none of this would have happened - especially not this.”

Gabriel went to reassure him, to tell the other man that he was wrong, but he stopped. He knew that Owen wouldn’t believe him, because he didn’t. This was their fault; regardless of whether or not their children blamed them. If they hadn’t gotten involved they wouldn’t have had a target on their backs and they would still have their home.

“It takes two to make a team-up,” he said instead, nodding when Owen met his eyes. He saw understanding in his gaze; the knowledge that this was a guilt they were going to have to live with, but that they could shoulder the burden together - and make sure nothing like this ever happened again.

---------

“Is it just me or does this place feel different?” Nancy asked as she surveyed the once familiar bar.

“Does anything feel the same?” Marjan asked wearily from beside her, taking a sip of her water as she joined the paramedic in glancing around the room.

“That’s because nothing is,” Paul reminded them, “and because it’s been a weird few weeks.”

Marjan scoffed at that, “Weeks? It’s been a weird day. Our captain got arrested for arson, our fire station was blown up by said arsonist, and then it turns out that was in retaliation for the sting operation our captain secretly put together with our friend’s Texas Ranger dad and included his staged arrest. What part of that is not completely fucking bizarre?”

Paul titled his drink towards her in acknowledgment while Nancy shook her head. Mateo took a sip from his beer. “I’m just glad TK and I managed to get the house cleaned up before shift today so Cap didn’t have to come home to that,” he declared.

“Speaking of which,” Nancy said, “has anyone heard from my partner? Or his better half?”

Marjan shook her head, “He said he was heading home once we got the all-clear to leave. And given the discussion that he and Cap had before he left, I have a feeling he and Carlos have a lot of talking to do.”

“They’re going to need some time,” Paul agreed, “after everything.”

“I still can’t believe it was all a setup,” Mateo mused with a shake of his head, “I mean I knew Cap was innocent, I just had no idea he was in on a conspiracy.”

“I just can’t believe they didn’t at least tell TK and Carlos. I mean…” Nancy trailed off, but they all knew what was left unsaid and they had all heard the scene at the firehouse.

“I guess they did what they thought they had to do,” Marjan reasoned with a shrug.

“Doesn’t make it right though,” Paul reminded her darkly.

“No, it does not,” she agreed, looking back down at her glass.

There was silence then as they all let their thoughts wander, all processing the day. It’s only by chance that Majan looked up and happened to glance towards the bar. The hand absently stirring her water with her straw froze and her sharp intake of breath caught Nancy’s notice.

“Marj?” she asked, looking over to the woman sitting beside her. “What’s up?”

Marjan didn’t seem to be able to form words because she settled for gesturing vaguely to the bar, and they all followed her gaze to the tv playing idly in the corner. The news was on and there was footage of a structure burning brightly as crews battled the flames. The sight of a burning building would have been familiar to the assembled group regardless, but this particular building was familiar for an entirely different reason.

Nancy paled and the grin abruptly slid off Mateo’s face, leaving a look of horror in its wake. Paul cursed and pulled out his phone, swiping it open and tapping on TK’s name. It went right to voicemail and they all watched tensely as he scrolled further down the list to Carlos’s name before repeating the process with the same result. The three firefighters exchanged dark, scared looks. The scene on the tv was grim and they all knew first hand that with flames like that, time was key. There was a very small window to escape before escape became impossible, and they all hoped their friends had managed to find that window because the alternative was too awful to think about.

Nancy hadn’t said a word and Marjan turned to her only to see her trembling and clutching her glass too tight.

“Nance?” she asked gently, only to get a vigorous shake of her head in response.

“No,” the paramedic said softly, but firmly. “No. I can’t lose another partner. Not...not again. Not so soon.”

Marjan glanced at the others briefly to see her own pain reflected on their faces. Then she turned to Nancy, placing a comforting hand on her arm, “Hey,” she reminded her bracingly, “we don’t know anything yet. And TK knows what to do in a fire, he would have done his best to get them out as quickly as possible. Don’t count them out yet.”

She gave the other woman a smile that was shakily returned. She turned back to the other two, hoping they had a solution or an idea of what to do next but any conversation was interrupted by the sound of Paul’s phone ringing.

He answered it the moment the caller id flashed onto the screen, picking it up before the first few notes of his ringtone died out.

“Judd,” he asked quickly, “we just saw the news, do you…”

He trailed off as their acting captain spoke on the other end of the line, listening intently. After a minute, he relaxed.

“Thanks, man,” he murmured, “we needed to know. Yeah, we’re all together right now.” He listened for another minute before he nodded, “Yeah, we’ll head over there shortly. Thanks, man, really.”

With that, he hung up the phone and the other three stared at him expectantly.

“Do not make me turn to violence Strickland,” Nancy told him after a few more moments of silence, “because I will.”

“They’re okay,” he told them and the resolution to the tension that had been pressing on them rippled across their table.

“Alhamdulillah,” Marjan muttered softly and Nancy’s entire body seemed to sag as she leaned forward, placing her head into her hands with a shuddering breath.

“Do they know what happened?” Mateo asked, and Paul nodded grimly.

“Arson,” he replied, “retaliation from Raymond; revenge against both the men who arrested him.”

“Ranger Reyes and Cap,” Marjan provided softly, shaking her head. “Shit.”

“Yeah,” Paul agreed, “it’s a whole mess. And the house is a total loss. But,” he reminded them all after another few moments of silent contemplation around the table, “they’re okay. Judd said they're all at Cap’s house now, and I told him we would head over there.”

He looked around the table to see if there were any objections but as he expected, there were none. He nodded and took another sip from his beer before setting the still half-full glass down on the table and standing up. The others followed suit and they migrated to Marjan’s car in silent agreement that there was no need to take 4 separate cars and a shared desire to get there as quickly as possible.

They drove in silence and when they arrived, Mateo led the way in through the front door. They followed him into the kitchen, looking around at the small gathered crowd at the counter. Owen stood up and offered them a smile, “hey guys.”

“Hey Cap,” Mateo said while Paul added: “Good to see you not arrested.”

Owen laughed weakly before gesturing towards the others at the counter, “These are Carlos’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Reyes.” They nodded at the tired-looking couple who smiled back as Owen concluded his introductions of the new arrivals to the Reyes.

They all stepped further into the kitchen at Owen’s insistence before Marjan asked the question that was on everyone’s mind: “Where are they? Are they really okay?”

“They are,” Owen confirmed, Judd nodding his agreement beside him, “but shaken, understandably. They’re upstairs now, trying to get cleaned up.”

“It could take a while,” Judd said lowly and the others nodded in understanding - they were all too familiar with the struggle of trying to scrub the remnants of a fire from your skin but that was from a stranger’s fire; someone else’s tragedy. None of them could imagine what it must be like to have the reminder of your home being destroyed clinging to your skin.

“Man, I can’t believe this,” Mateo said with a shake of his head and it was clear that was a sentiment shared by the rest of the group.

“Is there anything we can do?” Marjan asked, looking from Owen to the Reyes. “I want to help, I just don’t know how we can.”

Owen shrugged helplessly, “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Give them time, I suppose. Be there for them. They’re going to have to start over and that’s not going to be easy.”

There was a heavy silence over the group as they all considered the task before their loved ones. It seemed insurmountable; too much to take on.

“But they have each other,” Andrea reminded the group, “and all of us. It doesn’t make it better, but it does make it easier.”

There were small smiles and nods of agreement at that and before long they fell into comfortable chatter while they waited. The conversation wasn’t uncomfortable, but none of their hearts were in it. All of their collective focus was on the pair currently upstairs and despite repeated reassurances that they were fine, none of the newly arrived group would truly be able to believe it until they saw them with their own eyes.

Nancy in particular seemed agitated, shifting on her feet and glancing up the stairs every now and then. Marjan could almost feel the anxious energy rolling off of the other woman from where she stood beside her. She knew that they were all worried, but she also knew that Nancy was still healing from the loss of Tim. It had hit them all, but none more than her; rightfully so. The thought now that she could lose her new partner - the one she had finally let into her heart - was clearly affecting her, manifesting itself into an anxiety that would likely not fade until she was able to see TK herself.

Marjan held out a hand anyways, finding Nancy’s under the lip of the counter and squeezing it. She met her surprised look with a soft smile that widened when Nancy relaxed, some of the tension leaving her body at the touch and the knowledge that her burden was shared.

Hand still clasped with Nancy’s beneath the counter and away from curious eyes, Marjan turned her attention to where Paul was talking through the case with Ranger Reyes and their Captain. Given everything she had heard she had expected more enthusiasm in the retelling of their sleight of hand to trick the arsonist into walking into their trap. But they were subdued as they talked, almost regretful in hindsight. Given everything, she supposed that was more than fair. She just hadn’t been sure they would feel the same way.

There was nothing like almost losing the people you cared for most in a disaster of your own making to deflate an ego, she supposed.

She met Paul’s eyes briefly and his expression told her that he had thoughts that she would likely hear later. She tried to tune into the conversation, willing herself to focus on what was happening right before her, but she couldn’t seem to pull her attention away from the stairs and her friends somewhere on the other side of them. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Judd’s reassurance that they were fine, but she had been a firefighter for a long time. She had seen the footage of the flames and the skeleton left behind in the aftermath of their fire on the news and she knew that there was a wide gulf between fine and okay.

And until she saw them she had no idea where in that gulf they were treading, or how well they were keeping their heads above water.

It’s still another few minutes until they hear footsteps on the stairs. All conversation dies in an instant and all gazes turn to the stairs to see them descending: hand in hand and miraculously in one piece.

She’s the first to get over the surprise, dropping Nancy’s hand in favor of closing the distance between them and pulling TK into a gentle hug. He returns it and she allows herself a moment to absorb the fact that he is safe and whole before she moves on - both needing the same assurances from Carlos and knowing that Nancy is at her heels and needs this just as much as she does.

Carlos’s smile is so dim when he looks at her that she squeezes him extra tight. He seems to melt just a bit in her arms and she feels a pang for her friends. Though they are both whole and mostly unscathed it was clear they were not okay. But that is something that would come, she supposed, with time. She couldn’t help but shake her head, voicing what everyone else was thinking: “I can’t believe this happened.”

“I guess there’s no saying what a revenge-motivated arsonist will do,” TK said with a shrug. There was silence after as no one seemed to know how to respond to that until Paul, who had been studying them, spoke.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be in a hospital?” he asked them in a skeptical voice, “You don’t sound good and you look like you’re about to fall over.”

“Thanks, Paul,” TK said with a roll of his eye but his words only further served to confirm that his voice was still raspy from smoke. “And we were checked on scene: both by the 129’s team and Captain Vega. We’re fine, really.”

“Maybe we should sit down though,” Nancy suggested, studying her partner and Carlos with a critical eye.

TK shook his head at her but didn’t fight the migration as the group moved to the living room and they settled on the sofa together, just as they had at the intervention all those weeks ago. In some ways this was earlier similar: the group gathered in the Strand living room, the somber mood in the air. But it was TK and Carlos at the center now; both whole and unhurt, but so far from okay.

They fell into easy conversation as they sat, falling into their usual patterns and habits like breathing. But Marjan made sure to watch them as they all spoke and she saw the way they clung to each other, even if it wasn’t physical. They were far from alone but it seemed that to each of them the other was the only one in the room that mattered. She couldn’t blame them for that and it didn’t surprise her.

But a glance around the space revealed just how many people were in their corner and just how much love and support was ready for them to grasp onto whenever they wanted and whenever they were ready. She hoped that it was soon because she didn’t like the thought of them shouldering such a burden alone - even if they did have each other.

She supposed they would come to see that and that they would take the hands that were offered to keep them from falling. All in good time.

------------

They ascended the stairs in silence, hand in hand, neither of them speaking until the door to the bathroom was shut securely behind them. In the security and privacy of the enclosed and private space, TK stepped closer to Carlos, reaching out a hand to frame his face and gently run his thumb across his cheek.

“How are you feeling?” he asked gently.

Carlos shrugged non-committedly, “Okay, I guess. I just really want to get clean.”

“If there’s one benefit of my dad’s obsession with skincare, it’s that there are plenty of soaps to help with that,” TK told him with a grin. Carlos gave him a smile in response, but it was clear his heart wasn’t in it by the way it didn’t reach his eyes; Carlos’s smiles always reached his eyes. TK let his own grin fade and let his hand fall from Carlos’s face down to his shoulder.

“Why don’t you get undressed,” he suggested gently, “I’ll go grab whatever my dad left in the bedroom for us.”

He gave his boyfriend’s shoulder a light squeeze before stepping away. He was about to move to the door when Carlos’s hand reached out and grabbed him. He turned back to the other man, to see his surprise mirrored on his face.

“I…” Carlos began but trailed off as if he couldn’t quite find the words he wanted to say. TK had a feeling he understood though.

“I’ll be right back,” he assured Carlos, “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Carlos held his gaze for a moment before nodding, letting his hand drop as TK stepped away again, heading once more for the bathroom door. He opened it softly, slipping out into the hallway and closing it behind him. He crossed to the guest room and barely even stopped to glance at the items left on the bed. He simply gathered them all - a haphazard bundle of towels and clothes in his arms - before turning on his heel and heading back to the bathroom and Carlos. He knocked once, lightly tapping on the door before he opened it to reveal Carlos. He had removed his shirt in the time TK had been gone but now he was simply staring at his bare chest and arms in the mirror, his gaze tracing the lines of soot winding across his body. TK set down his bundle and stepped closer, his own reflection appearing besides Carlos’s as he met his eyes in the mirror.

“I always find it’s the smell that’s the worst,” he murmured. “That’s the part that always got to me.”

“It feels heavy,” Carlos said dully. “Like it’s clinging to my skin and it’s always going to be there.”

“We can fix that,” TK promised him.

He gently pulled Carlos away from the mirror, helping him to remove the rest of his clothes before he turned on the shower. Then he removed his own clothes, tossing their smoke-filled and singed clothes into a heap next to the bathroom door to be dealt with later. He reached a hand back into the shower to check the temperature and when he was satisfied he reached for Carlos’s hand, guiding him into the shower and the stream of warm water.

He grabbed one of the soaps off the ledge and squeezed some into his hand before beginning to rub it against Carlos’s body.

“It may take a few tries,” he told him, “but we’ll get it all off.”

He scrubbed at his skin gently, making circular repetitive motions up his arms and across his chest. Carlos watched him quietly, allowing him complete control as he washed away the remnants of the night. TK could see his eyes tracking the soot as it faded into the water and traveled down to the drain.

“And just like that, there goes what’s left of our home,” he said darkly.

TK froze, looking sharply up at Carlos and meeting his eyes.

“Hey,” he reminded him, voice firm, “as long as we have each other, we still have a home.”

Carlos’s expression turned to one of surprise before he wilted, leaning closer to TK. TK abandoned his scrubbing in favor of wrapping his arms around the other man and allowing the warm water to wash over their intertwined bodies.

“My home is you, Carlos, it has been for a while,” he said, his words loud and clear in the confines of the shower and their embrace. “Nothing can change that. As long as we have each other, we’re going to be okay.”

His words settled around them like the water droplets bouncing off their skin and Carlos nodded. TK tightened his embrace, clutching his boyfriend tighter for another moment before he pressed a kiss onto the top of his shoulder blade and stepped away; not straying further than the hand still on his shoulder would allow. He studied Carlos, taking in the glint of his warm brown eyes and the slump of his shoulders.

“Are you okay to finish?” he asked softly, receiving a nod in return. He grabbed the soap again and resumed scrubbing them both, methodically removing the reminders from their skin.

Carlos was quiet as he worked but TK had the sense he was studying him, almost as if he was trying to solve a riddle.

“How are you so okay?” he finally asked. “We almost died an hour ago and you’re fine. How?”

TK slowed in his motions as he considered, trying to find the right way to explain. He settled on a shrug: “I don’t know if I am okay. I don’t think it’s really hit me yet. Besides,” he added as he moved his hands up to Carlos’s hair, “I’ve been trapped in fire hundreds of times. It’s scary but after a while, you get used to it.”

He paused to get more soap and to find the right words. He needed to explain, but he wasn’t sure how. He didn’t want Carlos to feel any less for his reaction, for his fear.

“I remember my first time in a house fire,” he said eventually as he squeezed the last of a bottle of shampoo into his palm. “I was maybe a week out of the academy and though you go through training and simulations, nothing can quite prepare you for the real thing. It was a bad one, too: an old house in Bushwick that went up like a tinderbox. I made it through fine, but I was probably shaking for at least an hour after. And that was with training and gear in a stranger’s home. That wasn’t my home, and I wasn’t trapped with the person I loved; worried I could lose them. You’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling, Carlos; however you are feeling it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Logically I know that,” Carlos agreed. “But…”

“But knowing it is different from actually feeling it,” TK suggested, receiving a nod in return. He smiled sadly at the other man, placing his hands on his shoulders.

“Sometimes I wonder if your shoulders hurt from trying to carry the weight of the world on them,” he told Carlos softly. “And that’s who you are, I get that. You always want to look out for others; always want to make sure everyone else is safe and happy. It’s why you became a cop and it’s a big part of what makes you who you are. It’s one of the things I love about you.” He paused to smile, running his hands across Carlos’s broad chest: newly clean and red from the scrubbing before he continued.

“But sometimes you need to feel things too, Carlos. Sometimes you have to lean on someone else. And I know I might not always do such a good job of reminding you, but I can be that someone you lean on when you need it. I want to be. We’re a team, right? And that means we take care of each other. So whatever you are feeling now, you are not alone. I’m here for you - every step of the way. And if I need it later, when this whole mess finally processes, I know you’ll be there for me too.”

“We lean on each other,” Carlos agreed softly, and TK smiled at him again, reaching behind him to shut off the water.

“Always,” he promised him, leaning forward to press a light kiss to his lips before he exited the shower, “no matter what.”

They dried and dressed silently, pulling on borrowed clothes that felt almost foreign against their freshly washed skin. TK spared a glance at their discarded clothes, still in a heap by the door. He debated throwing them out, but he couldn’t bear the thought. They were the only thing they still had that was theirs, after all. He gently picked them up and placed them in the hamper, making a mental note to try to wash them tomorrow, to see if they could be salvaged. Then, task completed, he looked back to Carlos.

“You ready?” he asked. Carlos took a deep breath and nodded, offering him a smile that still didn’t reach his eyes, but it was closer.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

TK nodded, but hesitated at the door.

“If it’s too much, if you need to step away,” he began, “tell me. I’ll find an excuse. And even if I can’t everyone will understand.”

Carlos nodded and reached for TK’s hand, winding their fingers together.

“I’ll be fine,” he promised. “Just, stay with me?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured Carlos, squeezing his hand gently and holding his gaze for another moment before they headed downstairs to where their friends and family were waiting for them.

The sound of chatter drifted up the stairs as they approached, but it died as they reached the bottom of the stairs and when they entered the kitchen, all eyes turned to them. The familiar gazes were filled with sympathy and relief, and TK forced a smile; holding Carlos’s hand a little tighter.

“Hey guys,” he said and his words seemed to be the catalyst needed to break the spell. Marjan is the first to approach, pulling first him and then Carlos into a gentle hug. Nancy is right behind her, squeezing TK tightly and holding on for a few moments longer.

“You really need to stop with this almost dying every other week bullshit,” she muttered into his shoulder, “I need my partner.”

He chuckled softly, returning the hug, “I’ll try my best, Nance,” he promised.

“Good,” she told him, pulling away and blinking away the tears that were slowly filling her eyes, “Because breaking in a new one is a lot of work. I don’t have that in me again this year.”

He gave her a smile as he pulled away, pulling Carlos into a hug and lingering there as well, murmuring something to him in low tones. He was pulled away from their moment by Paul appearing before him, wrapping him into a hug. The other man didn’t say anything, but he looked at TK for a long moment as he pulled away, his analytical gaze taking him in. TK offered him a half-smile, and Paul nodded before stepping closer to Carlos. The next hug was full of forceful enthusiasm and TK smiled fondly as he found his footing again after Mateo nearly bowled him over.

Once they had all gotten their hugs in his team stood back, taking them in. Marjan was the first to speak, voice low in disbelief, “I can’t believe this happened.”

TK looked past them to where his dad sat watching them. Their eyes met and TK knew that they were both thinking the same thing: this could have been avoided. He had meant it earlier when he said it wasn’t his dad or Gabriel’s fault. Neither of them had started the fire and he knew that. He didn’t blame them for the fire.

But there were other offenses and other hurts they had caused when they had charged into a situation with no regard for how it might affect anyone else. He didn’t feel up to broaching that subject just yet, he knew he would have to. He suspected Carlos would have some feelings on it as well, once the shock had worn off a bit. For now, they could dance around it and he could let his dad’s silent remorse be enough.

“I guess there’s no saying what a revenge-motivated arsonist will do,” he said eventually, pulling his focus back to the group before them.

No one seemed to know what to say to that, and he couldn’t say that he blamed them. Instead, he tried for a smile as he took Carlos’s hand in his own again. He could feel Paul studying them both and parried his questions about hospital visits. They were fine - or at least as fine as they could be.

The suggestion to move to the couch was a welcome one however and he tugged lightly at Carlos’s hand, guiding him to one of the couches. He let Carlos sit before he settled in beside him, pressing against his side to both provide and receive the reassurance that they were both there. The conversation ebbed and flowed around them and while TK interjected from time to time he mostly let it all wash over him. He and Carlow were both here; they were both safe. Their friends and families were with them and whatever would come they would face, just like he had told Carlos earlier.

Now if he could only get himself to believe it.

The conversation is light and not too hard to follow (purposefully so, he’s sure, and he appreciates it) and soon they are joined by their parents and Judd as they migrate from the kitchen. Judd comes up behind them and places a warm hand on TK’s shoulder.

“I’ve gotta get home to Grace,” he tells them. “She sends her love, and probably some food tomorrow too, if I know my wife. But hey,” he paused to squeeze TK’s shoulder, looking between him and Carlos as he spoke, “you let me know if you need anything, okay? Anything at all, just ask.”

TK and Carlos both nodded. TK was about to thank his friend, but Carlos beat him to it, “Thank you Judd,” he said earnestly. “For the offer and for earlier. I…” he trailed off, looking at TK before clearing his throat and trying again, “I don’t know how to ever thank you for that.”

“And you don’t need to,” Judd said firmly. “Not only is it my job, but it’s what you do for family and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’d rather I never have to though, so let’s all try to avoid fires in our off hours from here on out, yeah?”

The last bit was directed at the room at large and pulled a few chuckles from the others, but when Judd looked back down at them his expression was soft and his smile sincere. He put his other hand on Carlos’s shoulder and gave them each a comforting squeeze before he moved his hands, giving the rest of the group a wave before he headed out the door.

“We should probably be heading out soon too,” Andrea said regretfully. “It’s getting late and you boys are going to need sleep after everything and I’m sure Owen doesn’t need a houseful.”

“On the contrary,” Owen countered immediately, “I love a houseful. And it just so happens that I have an extra guest room, if you’d rather stay.”

Carlos’s parents didn’t respond right away and TK watched as his dad’s expression softened before he spoke again, “I’m sure you want to stay close, because I know I do. There’s no reason you should have to leave just because we ended up at my house. You are more than welcome to stay, really. That applies to all of you, really,” he added in a heartier tone. “Obviously not Mateo because he already lives here but you all are welcome too, always.”

“As tempting as that is and as much as I appreciate it, really, I’m pretty sure you’re out of guest rooms cap, and my place isn’t that far,” Marjan responded, and Paul and Nancy nodded.

“What Marj said, Captain Strand,” Nancy said awkwardly with a nervous smile.

“Likewise,” he said. “I do really appreciate it though, and you can bet I will be over here tomorrow to check in on you two.” At Marjan and Nancy’s pointed looks he sighed, “ We will be back tomorrow.”

Owen first glanced at TK and Carlos and upon their nods, he smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he confirmed, smiling at the group.

They all rose then, extending their goodbyes, reminding them of the standing offer. Anything you need was repeated over and over again but TK knew that they meant it. There was no false sincerity or empty words here - not with these people, not for them. Eventually, the three of them headed out into the night and Mateo headed off to his room leaving TK and Carlos alone with their parents.

There was silence in the wake of Mateo’s door closing, for a beat. Then Andrea Reyes, who had been studying the boys as the others made their exit looked first to her husband and then to Owen.

“If you really don’t mind…” she began, but Owen cut her off with a wave of his hand.

“I don’t mind,” he assured her. “In fact, it would make me feel better.”

There was something unspoken that passed through their parents, confirmed with a smile from Carlos’s mother and a nod from his father. But his focus - whatever portion of it that wasn’t honed in on Carlos and the presence of him beside him - was soon interrupted by a yawn that caused all eyes to turn to him. He could feel his face turning red as he stammered.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to be rude but…”

“But it has been a long day, and you boys have been through a lot,” Andrea finished gently. “You should go to bed, you need rest. We’ll see you in the morning.”

Carlos shifted beside him and TK could see him gearing up to argue, whether about his parents staying or the fact that they were fine, but his dad cut him off.

“Listen to your mother, Carlitos,” he said gently, “you know as well as I do she’s always right.”

Carlos still looked like he wanted to argue, but TK placed a hand on his knee drawing his attention back to him and he smiled. Carlos held his gaze for a few minutes before he relaxed and nodded before standing and offering TK a hand. TK took it with a smile, allowing his boyfriend to pull him off the couch. No sooner was he on his feet than Andrea Reyes was before them, offering them each a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

“Go get some rest,” she told them softly, “we can start to figure everything out in the morning.”

TK glanced over at their dads who both wore sad but sincere smiles. He studied them all; their newly meshed families that had blended so well trying to place this in his head with everything else. He couldn’t but he knew that he would, in time.

For now, he allowed himself to be led to the stairs by Carlos and with one last wave to their collective parents, they disappeared up them; shutting themselves into the privacy of their temporary bedroom. The sight of the bed was enticing and TK flopped onto it, suddenly aware of how quickly all the energy had left his body now that there was no more goal to push towards. He heard a small chuckle and the sensation of the bed dipping beside him as Carlos sank onto his side far more gracefully and once he was sure he had settled he rolled so he was facing the other man.

“So,” he began, “our parents are having a slumber party.”

Carlos chuckled and TK grinned at him before the mood turned more somber again.

“This is all kind of surreal,” Carlos admitted after a moment. “Not only did our house burn down but I’m now spending the night at my boyfriend’s dad’s house with my parents staying in the other guest room. It’s just a lot to take in. Especially…”

Carlos trailed off and TK shifted so he had a better view of his face. “Especially what, Carlos?” he prompted softly, running a gentle hand down his arm, watching as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

“I’ve never doubted my parents love me,” he said after some time, “not for a moment. And I know now that they don’t have a problem with me being gay and they are supportive of that, and us. I even know how much they like you,” he added with a smile, pulling TK’s hand closer and pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles.

TK grinned at him but knew that there was more he wasn’t saying. “But?” he prompted.

“But the thought that they are here, that both of our families are together? I’m just having a hard time processing that, I think. It’s a lot very quickly.”

TK nodded, “That’s understandable, babe. So much has changed recently and you’re allowed to struggle with that, I will never judge you for that. But it’s a good thing, right? Our families getting along?”

“It is,” Carlos assured him quickly. “Though,” he added dryly, “I’m not sure how much of our dads scheming we can be reasonably expected to survive.”

TK groaned and tucked his head into Carlos’s shoulder, “Don’t remind me. I’d like to think they learned their lesson…”

“But it is hard to say with them,” Carlos agreed. “Which is why I think we need to talk to them about it, soon.”

TK pulled back from Carlos and placed his head back on his own pillow with a sigh, “You’re right,” he agreed, “I’ve been thinking the same thing. I just couldn’t handle it tonight.”

“Me neither,” Carlos confirmed with a nod. “But I suppose they’ll both be here tomorrow, we can try then.”

TK hummed in agreement before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. It wasn’t even that he was ready to sleep yet. There was just so much in his head and he didn’t know where to put it all. There was noise coming from every corner of his mind and he couldn’t seem to drown any of it out.

“Ty?” Carlos’s asked, his gentle voice cutting through the dark and silent room, “How are you doing?”

TK took a moment to think, to try to organize the mess in his mind. There was really no concrete answer to give, but he turned again so he was facing Carlos before he did his best to answer.

“I’m upset,” TK said after some consideration. It took some time to find the right words for everything he was feeling. “And annoyed at our dads and still so scared at what could have been. I’m overwhelmed with everything we have to do now, with the idea of having to start over. But mostly,” he added, knowing that what came next was the strongest truth of all, “I’m worried about you.”

Carlos furrowed his brow, “Why?”

“Because it was your home, Carlos.” He shook his head as Carlos opened his mouth to argue, “I know it was our home, but it was your home first. You’re allowed to be upset about that Carlos.”

Carlos was quiet for a moment, absentmindedly running a hand down TK’s arm as he considered, “You’re right,” he said eventually. “It’s hard. That condo was the first place I could really be myself, the place where I started to build my life. The place where we started to build our life. And I’m upset about it - it hurts to think about. But then I think about what could have been and...I really didn’t think we were going to make it out of there, TK.”

His voice grew thicker and tears filled his eyes once again but TK reached across the space between them to gently brush them away.

“But we did,” he reminded him firmly. “We did and we’re okay. We may not have a home anymore, but we have each other.”

“Which means we will always have a home,” Carlos agreed, echoing his words from earlier. “And I know it’s not ideal, but now we get to start something new together. It’s going to be scary and hard and it’s not going to happen quickly, but we’ll make it work. We have family and friends to help us, and we have each other.”

And as they lay there in a spare bed at TK’s father’s house; friends and family alike waiting in the wings to offer them love and support and the man he loved more than anything else in the world whole and safe right beside him, TK knew what Carlos said was true. He moved closer to the other man, readjusting so his arms were wrapped around his torso and his head rested on his chest; the steady beating of his heart a steady companion to help and hold off the fears hovering so close by. It was a reminder too; that they had both made it out and that he wasn’t alone. That he never would be.

There were so many uncertainties and unanswered questions but there was one thing TK Strand knew for sure: as long as they had each other, they would be okay.

116 notes · View notes

lydias--stiles · 3 years

Text

canon juke fluff based on “till forever falls apart” by ashe and finneas

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Raucous laughter disappeared in a snap as the door slammed behind her. Her feet stumbled from the sudden change, finding her balance again and then hopping towards the garden gate. She left a glitter trail in her wake.

Julie turned seventeen today. She knew it’d be special the second she woke up, Carlos blaring ‘Dancing Queen’ like a little shit before her alarm clock went off. It was the most brotherly way he could congratulate her and she loved him for it. (Not after she chased him though - who the hell did that?!)

Flynn came by during breakfast, phasing through Alex without realising as she placed a glittery crown atop Julie’s curls. It was plastic and clunky and the number 17 was pink and glowed in the dark. Luke sat on the kitchen island teasing her for it, Reggie helping Ray make pancakes and yelling he wanted one too. It was barely seven am and her day was the best.

At school, she was showered with birthday wishes and her Instagram flooded with messages of people that confirmed they’d come to her party.

Despite everything, her traitorous thoughts always ended up in the same spot. Luke. He teased her at breakfast, but he didn’t hug her like Alex and Reggie. He didn’t poof beside her as she walked down the driveway to quickly impart a joke or a secret or a lyric, something for her to mull about on the trek to school with Flynn. There was nothing.

On the one hand, it could just be pre-performance jitters. Luke took every gig a hundred percent seriously and got pretty intense if a lot of people were going to be watching. If he didn’t set the stage on fire in one song, he’d feel like he failed. So yeah, Julie allowed herself to think that was the case for his absentmindedness.

If only she didn’t know him so well. She knew it was something else entirely. She knew it had to do with her age; the fact that she aged. It was hard to not let it temper her birthday excitement, but all she wished for (just like when she blew out her candles for her sixteenth birthday) was for them to hide in her daydreams and be together without qualms. That he was hers.

Luke and her have made plenty of mistakes over the two years that they’ve known each other. Falling in love wasn’t one. She couldn’t believe that - even if he’d given her mixed signals since their fated gig at The Orpheum.

The party was a hit. Dad bought a big peanut butter chocolate cake and they played their best set ever, the studio decorated in an explosion of flowers and butterflies and streamers. Julie was in a glittery purple dress, the crown to match, each lyric coming from her lips laced with glee and pink lemonade. That perpetual thrill coursing through her as she danced with Reggie and hyped up Alex and - her favourite part of all - shared the mic with Luke. His aloof behaviour from before was gone then, coming towards her in that greedy way that made her heart stutter out of place.

Julie wondered if anyone ever believed he was a hologram prior to the band ‘moving to America’. How could they, when he’s always looked so alive and real and warm and with his eyes so intently on hers that it felt like he bore through her, straight to her soul.

Pushing through the sensation, she shot him a teasing grin and returned to the piano.

After the set, Flynn put her DJ skills to good use and put on a killer playlist. Julie danced until her feet ached, sang along until her throat hurt, ate cake until she was full. She was happy and seventeen. As the hours went by, more and more classmates trickled away, ending with her family hoarding the kitchen island as they ate the remnants of cake. All except one.

It hurt. Julie knew Luke was brooder - but on her birthday? Because he couldn’t handle it? Tomorrow, she'd be on her way to surpass them. First Reggie, then Alex and then Luke. Was it selfish of her for wanting to spend time with him? For wanting to dance with him? If just once? If Alex and Reggie could, why couldn’t he?

Without a second thought (or third, fourth, fifth - it was always and forever tethered to Luke), she stumbled out the front door towards the garden gate. Glitter stuck to the pavement.

The light was on in the studio, their safe haven surrounded by fallen decorations as if a storm had passed. Her bare foot kicked a balloon, a smile tugging on her lips as the purple thing drifted and bounced against the trees.

She slid the doors open. There he was.

“Luke?”

His back was turned towards her, head bent over the grand piano as he fervently wrote in his trusty songbook. More songs were theirs than just his in there, she knew, and it left her warm.

He perked up, head turning, a gentle smile on his lips. “Hey birthday girl. You look like shit.”

She laughed, coming closer, and watched as more glitter fell to the floor. She must look like a sweaty, exhausted disco ball. Despite this, a sense of calmness washed over her. Luke was here and he was smiling at her and everything made sense again.

“Thanks,” she jabbed. “You look even worse.”

Tensing his muscles, as if she hadn’t seen them before, he smirked. “Please. The sweat makes my arms look better.”

The smile stuck to her cheeks, stupidly enamoured by his silliness, and remembered a time when she didn’t allow herself to feel like this. But that was before the late night sessions in the studio, before he became corporeal, before he placed tender kisses on her forehead before important gigs, as if infusing her with the power to kill it, before he hung out in her room and before he allowed her to know more about 90s-Luke. (There wasn’t much difference. According to his stories, he was just as endearing then.)

Before one frustrated kiss between them, months ago, nearly blew everything up. If the band and their connection wasn’t so tight, she didn’t know what would’ve happened. They never spoke about it. Perhaps the knowledge that it happened, the idea that it could happen again, realising that her daydreams weren’t one-sided - it left her yearning. Who would blame her? She was seventeen.

The kiss had been a mistake, but that ‘stupidly enamoured’ feeling? It was only a natural reaction. She didn’t want anyone else.

Crossing the final distance, Julie tightly wrapped her arms around him. Luke held her close, face burrowed in her neck and letting his waning body spray and her flowery perfume melt together.

“You haven’t given me a hug today,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I know.”

She bit back a sigh. This couldn’t be a mistake too. “Why?”

“Cause you’re seventeen,” he muttered. “I can’t pretend you’re-”

“Younger?”

His palms curled around her, pulling back slightly to look her in the eye. The green, bright yet troubled, flitted across her face. Dejected, it dropped to the ground, as if the sight of her brought him wonder and ache at once. Could she tell him it was mutual? Could she-

“Able to be mine.”

It was uttered so quietly, she almost didn’t catch it. It was as if the world went off its axis, both precariously close to falling off the edge and Julie debating whether that would be a bad thing or not. If it really was that insane if it meant she got to be right here, in his arms.

The feeling coiled in her stomach, pushed itself up her ribcage, straight through her heart and slid past her throat. The words danced on her lips, lively and colourful and devoted.

And then she said it. “I love you.”

His eyes slowly locked with hers, a glint of uncertainty found beneath. The lack of surprise on his part would make her laugh had she not been so terrified to lose him completely, all at once. His fingers pressed into her skin, like she’d be the one backtracking her words and running out. Like he wasn’t the one with the ability to vanish from her grasp.

Luke exhaled and dropped his forehead against hers, gaze unwavering. Her instincts told her to shut her eyes, look away, maybe even bridge the gap, but they were so close to finally becoming something. Whatever that might be.

“Why aren’t you scared?”, he breathed.

Her nervous hands found solace on his cheeks. “I am scared. And it’s despite that. All I wanted today, Luke, was have you be with me.” And then her eyes clenched tight anyway, overwhelmed by the moment. “I’m scared and- and despite everything… I love you.”

Her vulnerability hanging by a thread, she watched as he processed her words. She had no clue if she said or did the right thing, though her hands were frozen in place. Her heart rate picked up when he mirrored her, calloused fingers slipping from her shoulders to her face.

Luke swallowed, hard. “I’m sorry that- that I’ve been distant. But I’m scared and not for the reasons you think. I’m scared cause-” His chuckle was like a candle awakening in a dark cave. “-cause I don’t wanna spend a minute loving anyone else.”

The previous terror washed away, a brilliant smile blooming on her lips at his confession. Her head tilted, allowing her nose to brush his and sigh when he didn’t pull back.

“I was scared cause I thought you didn’t want that,” he finished.

Her voice drowned in reverence. “I do want that. I want you. Until…” Shaking her head, she let out the truth. “Until the universe takes you back.”

The boy laughed, relief sagging his shoulders and pulling so impossibly close, so tightly it should’ve hurt - had euphoria not been bursting in her chest at the simple action. His watery eyes held all she ever wanted to see. Him. Honestly, truly, him.

“I-”, he stuttered, his own anxious smile stopping him. Her thumbs pressed into the lines, urging him to keep going. It softened, in that earnest way only he knew of. “I think I fell back on this earth to be with you, Julie. I think- I know I’m yours.” That incredulous laugh erupted from his chest again, so full, as if it’d been waiting. “I’m so glad I get to hold you.”

There was so much she wanted to say - that she was his, has always been his, that it was insane because they were so young, but what the hell was time anyway? Julie wanted to be with him, forever, until forever disintegrated like smoke between her fingers.

Now, she cradled his cheeks and he was warm. And he told her he loved her, in ways she never expected him to.

Instead of speaking, Julie kissed him. Her lips were sticky from soda and his still held the taste of lovesick words and lyrics, but it was perfect. Their mouths puckered from smiling, that damned kiss from months ago replaced by this one. It felt as if all her wishes, her restless midnight questions, all were granted by one simple touch. By his arms wrapping around her and hers gripping onto his jaw and hair. So tight, so close, as if the tides of Fate would pull the other away right this second.

But nothing happened that second. And the one after that. And again, again, again. They kissed and the universe allowed them to.

Julie didn’t think there was a more beautiful way to fall in love.

With a quiet thrill leading up her spine, she told him. “I think this year might be fun,” the girl grinned against his lips. “The first year of forever of giving my heart to you.”

His tender gaze rested on hers, relaxed hands caressing her back. Love was a good look on him. “Are you gonna say stuff like that now? To fuck with me?”

She giggled, glee bursting at the seams. “You started!”

“Yeah.” Luke trailed off, a dopey smile glittering his eyes. Just as he leaned in for another kiss, he stilled. “Oh! I was writing some stuff for a song!” Nodding at the discarded notebook on the piano, he asked: “Wanna work on it?”

Just like that, they were back to being Luke and Julie. Singers, musicians, writing partners, best friends, each other’s forever.

Propping the glittery crown on his head, she matched his fond expression and went to sit on the piano bench. “Yeah, show me.”

Julie would look back on that moment and smile. Two seventeen year olds, defying Fate and the Universe and everything in between, mocking the stars that yes, Luke and her did belong together. There was strength in knowing their forever was predetermined, that they knew it wouldn’t be eternal, but that that was okay. Every second mattered then. Every laugh became fuller, a kiss more passionate, a smile brighter. They spent a lifetime, counted in quick adolescent years, sharing their hearts.

For a while, Luke was hers. And forevermore would they be together - in the whispers of songs, in memories, in lingering cologne on clothing.

It was the sweetest, most adventurous romance of all.

But that wasn’t important now. Luke sat next to her, held his notebook out, and together they did what they knew best. When the clock struck midnight, all he did was kiss her again.

“You know,” he muttered, lips brushing her ear. “The things we said? Might make for a killer song.”

Julie’s nose scrunched up in delight, thumbing to a fresh page and clicking her pen. Nuzzling into his neck and interlacing their free hands, she swore she felt it. Their tether. It was real - just as real as him loving her and her loving him. It was there. She took a deep breath.

“Let’s do it.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

@blush-and-books @bluefirewrites @unsaid-emily @willexx @ourstarscollided @constantly-singing @ruzek-halstead

#juke #jatp fanfiction #julie and the phantoms #otp: i think we make each other better #i was supposed to make this when the song came out but i got sidetracked

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evanbuckley-heartofgold · 3 years

Text

He Could Be A Star

Read on ao3 (1k)

Owen has never been a deep sleeper. Years of being a firefighter and having a kid will do that to a person. So the second his bedroom door opens, Owen is awake, blinking in the darkness. He can see a figure standing in the doorway, backlit by the hall light.

“Dad?” A soft voice asks.

TK. Owen sits up and clicks on his bedside light. Since the fire, TK and Carlos have been living with Owen and Mateo in the guest bedroom. Owen won’t lie, having his son back under his roof is doing wonders to ease his mind.

TK looks incredibly nervous, his hands fiddling with the edge of his sleep shirt.

“You okay?”

Owen asks as TK walks in and shuts the door behind him. That’s something new since the fire. TK shuts nearly every door behind him, sometimes double checking if it’s closed all the way. Owen remembers sitting down a ten year old TK and telling him that if there’s a fire he should always close the door because it would slow the spread of the flames. It seems he took that to heart.

TK says nothing as he walks over to the side of the bed and crawls in, pressing himself into Owen’s arms. This is familiar. TK has always been affectionate and Owen is so happy that since becoming an adult, that hasn’t changed one bit. Owen hugs him back, one hand on the back of the boy’s head. Owen holds him for just a moment before TK starts to shake, crying softly.

“Oh, buddy,” Owen hugs him even tighter, pressing his cheek to the top of TK’s head. “I’ve got you. It’s alright. Did you and Carlos have a fight or something?” TK shakes his head. That’s good at least.

TK sniffs, holding back tears as he lifts his head and pulls away from Owen’s chest. Though he does allow Owen to keep a hand on his shoulder. As TK pulls back, Owen can see that TK’s eyes are red and watery. He fights the urge to pulls TK back into his arms and waits as TK takes calming breaths.

“I don’t feel safe,” TK tells him softly after a minute or so. “I mean obviously I-I trust you, but I can’t stop thinking about the fire.” He looks up at Owen. “What if it happens again? I-I can’t lose Carlos or you and-” TK cuts himself off as his breath hitches, hand moving to cover his eyes, a pretty clear indication that he’s crying.

Owen puts a hand on TK’s back and gently maneuvers him so that TK is pressed against Owen’s chest. “It’s okay to be scared. But listen to me, in this house there are three firefighters, a paramedic, and a cop. If something were to happen, we’d be just fine, okay?” Owen rubs TK’s back.

“I don’t know if I can go back to work,” TK says so quietly Owen thinks he’s not meant to hear it.

“Can I tell you something?” Owen asks. TK nods but doesn’t move. “When I came home after 9/11 and you ran into my arms and gave me the biggest hug, I decided that I was going to quit. I didn’t want to keep being a firefighter if it meant that one day I might not come home to you. But the next day we got a huge box delivered to our house full of letters and cards because,” Owen squeezes TK a little, “because your class was writing letters to thank first responders and you asked your teacher if everyone could write to me. And they did. I spent hours reading those letters. Some of those kids had never met a firefighter before, but some of them did. Some of them told me how firefighters had helped them or their family when they were in trouble.”

Owen presses a kiss to TK’s head, “When I asked you if you still wanted me to be a firefighter, you looked at me with the most serious expression and said, ‘You’re a hero, dad. You help people. You gotta keep doing it.’ And you were right. Helping people is what I do, what we do. And even though it can be scary and awful, it can also be the most rewarding job.”

Owen pushes TK back so he can look in his son’s eyes, “I won’t stop you if you really want to quit. But I know that you have the same need to help people that I do. Maybe you take a week off, but there will still be a place for you at the 126.”

TK’s brow furrows like he’s about to start crying again and he slams into Owen with a big hug, “Thank you,” he says, voice cracking a little bit. “I love you.”

“I love you too, buddy.” Owen presses another kiss to TK’s head. “Have you talked to Carlos about this yet?”

TK shakes his head, “I don’t want him to worry.”

Owen sighs, “I know, but he cares about you, TK. You gotta talk to him.” TK nods and lets go of his dad.

“Thank you,” TK says again. “I’m gonna go back to bed.”

“Get some sleep,” Owen squeezes TK’s shoulder.

TK shuts the door to his dad’s room and pads quietly down the hall to the room he’s sharing with Carlos. He opens the door as quietly as he can and shuts it, waiting until it closes before releasing the handle. In the fifteen or so minutes he’s been gone, Carlos has rolled onto TK’s side of the bed, arm stretched over where TK should be.

He allows himself a quick moment to appreciate the sight of his shirtless boyfriend in bed before lifting the covers and Carlos’s arm and sliding back into bed. As he settles down, Carlos makes a soft, grumpy noise, squeezing TK’s side.

TK chuckles and drags his hand through Carlos’s hair.

“You okay?” Carlos asks, his voice gravelly.

“Yeah, we’ll talk in the morning,” TK assures him.

“Okay.” Carlos pulls TK deeper into his arms, nuzzling his nose against TK’s neck. “Love you.”

TK closes his eyes with a content sigh, “I love you too.”

#my fic #911 lone star #911 lone star fic #carlos reyes #tk strand #owen strand #tarlos #tarlos fic

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chicgeekgirl89 · 3 years

Text

Requesting Immediate Backup

Fandom: 911 Lone Star

Characters: T.K. Strand, Carlos Reyes, Andrea Reyes

Summary: Carlos refuses to admit he's sick. So T.K. is forced to call in some backup. Written for the @badthingshappenbingo prompt: This is for Your Own Good.

A/N: I have four other multi-chapter fics to work on so I wrote this instead. It may or may not be based on current and past personal experiences. Special thanks to @bluenet13 for consulting with me!

Read on AO3

T.K. had never seen his boyfriend in quite this state before, and he was torn between amusement and abject pity.

Carlos had come home from work three days ago, brow pinched, eyes tight, clearly in some kind of pain. After a significant amount of questioning he’d finally admitted to having a headache. T.K. had plied him with some OTC pain medication and sent him to bed.

Things had grown steadily worse over the last few days. First Carlos’ sinuses had completely stopped up and then he’d begun to cough and wheeze. Despite significant evidence to the contrary, he remained adamant that he was not sick. It was allergies. Nothing more.

Now T.K. watched as Carlos sniffed and snorted, shuffling around the kitchen, eyes red and watery as he searched for something in the cupboards and drawers. “Are you sure I can’t help you?” T.K. asked.

Carlos turned to glare at him, rubbing at his nose before speaking in a croaky voice. “I told you, I’m fine.”

Carlos’ breath caught and T.K. winced as he hacked out a cough so hard it sounded like his lungs were trying to leave his body. He shook his head. Enough was enough. “Babe you need to sit down.”

“I’m fi—” Carlos interrupted himself with a massive sneeze.

“You’re not fine. You have an upper respiratory infection. Probably bronchitis. And you need to sit down and let me take care of you.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of,” Carlos griped, finally finding the spoon he was searching for. “I can take care of myself.”

“Yes, I can see what a spectacular job you’re doing of that right now,” T.K. said, glancing at his watch for dramatic effect. “It just took you twenty minutes to get a yogurt.”

“I couldn’t find the one I wanted,” Carlos snapped. “You always put them in the back.”

“Wow, you are cranky when you’re sick.”

“I’m not sick!”

“Babe,” T.K. rolled his eyes. “Come on.”

Carlos pulled the blanket he was wearing like a cloak a little closer. “I’m fine.”

T.K. shook his head. “Okay. You’ve left me no choice.”

He pulled out his phone and drafted a text. “What are you doing?” Carlos asked warily.

“Texting your mom.”

“What?!” Carlos’ head snapped up and he reached for T.K.’s phone, but T.K. backed up out of his reach. “T.K.!”

“Carlos, you’re sick and you won’t let me help you. What else am I supposed to do?” He pulled back as Carlos tried to swipe his phone again and then pointed a finger at his ailing boyfriend. “This is for your own good.”

The menacing look Carlos shot his way would have been chilling if he didn’t look so incredibly pathetic. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“Yeah, by choice to stay away from your germs,” T.K. shot back, but he didn’t put any heat in his tone.

His phone chimed with a text message back from Andrea. “Your mom’s coming over. She’s bringing soup.”

Carlos turned away and shuffled over to the couch, yogurt in hand. “I hate you.”

“That’s fine, as long as you live long enough to hate me tomorrow too,” T.K. called after him.

T.K. figured since he’d already pressed his luck he might as well push it a little further, so he scheduled Carlos a tele-health visit with his doctor, while his boyfrriend huddled on the couch in a blanket, sniffling and coughing and wheezing, the absolute picture of misery.

Andrea arrived within the hour, a tureen of soup in her hand. T.K. wondered if she’d somehow managed to whip it up before she drove over or if she just had that sort of thing on standby. Moms were magic like that.

“Hey Andrea,” T.K. said when he opened the door.

“Hola T.K.,” she greeted. “Thank you for texting me.” Her eyes found Carlos’ huddled form on the couch and she immediately frowned. “Ay, my poor Carlitos.”

“Mama I’m fine,” he all but moaned as she handed the soup to T.K. and moved toward him.

She pressed a hand to his forehead. “You are not fine mi amor, you’re all clammy.” She looked up at T.K. “He gets very cranky when he’s sick. Just like his father.”

“So I’ve noticed,” T.K. said, suppressing a smile as he walked the soup to the kitchen.

“I get cranky because everyone treats me like an invalid,” Carlos growled.

“Yes, we all know you are a big, strong police officer who doesn’t need any help,” Andrea said, fussing with his blanket. “I will just take my soup and go home then.”

Carlos mumbled something. “What was that mi corazón?” she asked.

“Don’t take the soup,” he said a little louder.

“I’ll heat it up right now,” T.K. said, reaching for a pot.

Carlos grudgingly attended his doctor’s appointment half an hour later, mostly because Carlos seemed to be unable to even get off the couch so T.K. just plunked the laptop down in front of him with the call already progress. With some added assistance from T.K., who listened to Carlos’ lungs and took his pulse and BP, the doctor determined it was indeed bronchitis and prescribed some extra strength cough medicine and an inhaler. Carlos was even polite to the doctor, although he went back to his cranky self immediately after they rang off the call.

Between Andrea and T.K. they managed to get a decent amount of soup and some tea into him along with some Mucinex before T.K. went out to pick up his prescriptions. By the time he got home Andrea had managed to use her special mom powers to get Carlos upstairs and into bed.

“Thank you for coming by,” T.K. said as she prepared to leave.

“Of course mi amor,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “You can call me anytime my son is being a nuisance. Or any of his sisters if I’m out of town.” She thought for a second. “Maybe not Francesca,” she said, referring to Carlos’ youngest sister, who was something of a wild child. “You have Elena’s number?”

“Yes, I do,” T.K. said with a smile.

She patted his shoulder. “You take good care of my boy,” she said. “And be careful, we don’t need you getting sick too.”

“I will.”

T.K. saw her out the door and then grabbed the bag of medications and headed upstairs. At the last second he spotted Carlos’ book lying on the arm of the sofa and grabbed that too.

Carlos was bundled into bed looking slightly less miserable than before now that he’d been fed and hydrated. “Hey,” T.K. said. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” Carlos said, sniffing and wiping his nose with a tissue. It was red and irritated from constant nose blowing, only adding to the pathetic-ness of the situation.

“I got your medicine. You should use the inhaler now and take the cough medicine when you’re ready to go to bed.” T.K. set them on the nightstand. “I brought your book up. Do you want anything else?”

Carlos shook his head.

“All right, I’ll just be downstairs then. Holler if you need anything.”

He turned to go but Carlos’ hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, eyes downcast.

T.K. bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his smile. “It’s okay.”

“I’m bad at being sick,” Carlos said, looking extremely contrite.

T.K. wondered if Andrea had scolded him and told him to apologize. “Yes, I know.”

“And I don’t really hate you.”

“I know that too.”

“Do you still love me?” He flicked his eyes up nervously.

T.K. laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Of course. I just want to take care of you.” He brushed the curls back from Carlos’ forehead. “Even if you don’t want me to.”

Carlos fiddled with the sheets for a moment. “Are you going to sleep on the couch?”

T.K. raised his eyebrows. “Do you want me to?”

Carlos shook his head.

T.K. leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Then I’ll stay.”

Carlos mumbled something. “Come again?” T.K. asked.

“Could you hold me?” Carlos said grouchily.

T.K. shook his head and bit his lip. “You’re really adorable, you know that?”

“Are you going to do it or not?” Carlos huffed.

T.K. put an arm around his waist and they both shifted until Carlos was cuddled against T.K.’s chest. “Better?” T.K. asked.

Carlos sighed a raspy, sick sounding sigh, and snuggled closer. “Yeah.”

#911 Lone Star #911 LS #Tarlos #Carlos Reyes #T.K. Strand #Andrea Reyes #Carlos whump #Sick fic #Requesting Immediate Back-Up #Bad Things Happen Bingo #This is for Your Own Good

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descendantofthesparrow · 3 years

Text

Interlude - Rewrite POYW- Harry Hook x reader - Part 7 - Plans coming together

-1 year and 11 months later(January 2019)-

Ben placed his hands on his hips and smiled, looking up at the large entrance doors to the newly appointed VK shelter. Everything was finished, from the kitchens to the smallest tile in the bathrooms. it was all ready, over 100 people were hired and ready to make food, repair damages if made, counselors, therapists, caretakers. Everything Ben could think of was implemented and ready to go. The CPS still had some paperwork to be approved and worked through, so Ben was looking at late July early August for the six new vks to be in Auradon.

Which would be six-seven months from now but, at least it was only six to seven months and not the 3 years it's been since he promised and started on getting more vks off the isle, including the start of production of the shelter and CPS system.

Ben pulled out his phone and smiled, in only a few days it would also be the 3rd anniversary of the first six vks arrival, they had arrived about two weeks before his birthday and his birthday was also the third anniversary of his time as king and his 18th birthday.

January had a lot to celebrate, didn’t it?

He knew the vks were planning something for him, and they were all keeping most of the information secret so they could surprise him. The only thing he knew was that Evie rented out a place for the party, invited Ben's closest friends that weren’t the vks. (Audrey, Jane, Doug, and Lonnie. Chad was invited too but Jay and Carlos told Ben about Chad’s very sus behavior about Ben when they told him about Bens capture on the isle so Ben was slightly wary of his old friend)

Ben had planned for a party for the 3rd anniversary of the original six vks arrivals for the vks but they wanted to wait until the next group came to Auradon, wanting to celebrate with their fellow villain kids. So Ben now mentally rescheduled the party to be in August, not knowing the exact date they would be getting the vks.

“We’re getting closer!” Ben couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he turned to see Mal walking towards him, her plum-colored shoulder-length hair in a low messy bun and wearing her favorite poison green jacket and purple and black dyed jeans. “Just a couple more months and we can finally get more kids off the isle” Ben hummed and looked back at the shelter, nodding to himself and tossing his arm over Mal's shoulder and leading her back towards the car where Luis, his chauffeur, was sitting in, waiting for them to be done looking over the building.

“Yep, I’m glad (y/n) and I were able to get the council to agree to us transferring kids twice a month, so it won't be as slow a process” Mal nodded along in agreement, remembering when (y/n), Evie, and Ben had emerged from the meeting room with shit-eating grins, telling Mal and the others that they had tricked the council into agreeing with their new terms.

“Yeah, twelve kids instead of only six a month, who knows maybe by next year we’ll already have most of the isle empty, other than the people that actually deserve to be there” Mal narrowed her eyes as her mind flashed to the thought of Captain Hook and Cruella, two of the cruelest parents on the isle “not a single kid deserves to be there a second longer”

“No they do not, but we need to do this carefully, I don’t want to risk anyone dangerous getting off the isle.” Mal nodded in agreement, stepping to the side as Ben opened the car door and let Mal slide in first, stepping in after her and closing the door, buckling up and nodding at Luis to head back to the castle.

Luis nodded and drove off, Mal and Ben continuing to talk quietly in the back. “So we’ll definitely have to have security guards, though last time we didn’t really need them?” Mal nodded again in agreement, remembering when Ben and the others had gone to grab Harry's sisters, the twins, Sammy and Dizzy, it had basically gone off without a hitch, but that might have been because of Harriet's crew acting as security for them.

“Yeah, we can see how the first one goes and if we see any sign of potential danger or someone trying to get out, we’ll get some guards to follow us to and from the side, maybe on bikes so they don’t have to do the whole getting in and out of the car. But we should probably wait on guards for a bit, having so many adults from Auradon that they don’t see regularly might make them antsy, I know I would be.” Ben nodded, they didn’t want to make the vks still on the isle think they didn’t trust them, so they might have to wait on guards at least for the first few pickups.

“Yeah, good idea” Ben sighed, slouching in his seat and looking out the car window, watching the forest go by as Luis drove back towards his castle. “still kinda sucks It's going to be at least another 6 months from now until we can even pick the kids but…at least somethings happening?” Mal placed her hand on Ben's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

“Hey, you’re doing your best, we all know that, the vks on the isle know that. It’s not your fault that the council is preventing you from doing what you want or need to do” Ben gave Mal a watery smile and leaned into her as she wrapped her arms around him for a moment before she pulled back.

“Thank you Mal” Ben murmured, sitting back up and unbuckling his seatbelt as the car pulled up to the castle and Luis pulled open the door, Ben and Mal slipping out and making their way into the castle, continuing to talk about the plans for the isle.

“VK day huh?” Ben chuckled, remembering Doug and Evie’s suggestion to make the selection days for the new vks a whole day for them, to let the children enjoy a day just for them. “That doesn't sound bad, if Evie wants, I can buy out that old abandoned warehouse downtown and you can all do whatever you want with it to make it like the party place, so you can have your own isle place in Auradon” Mal beamed, looking up at Ben with her eyes shining.

“That actually sounds cool! Yeah! Let's do that! I can spray paint the walls n stuff and-and Jay can-“ Ben let Mal ramble on as he pulled out his phone and texted Lumiere about the new plan, who quickly texted him back that he would take care of it.

Ben put his phone away and looked to Mal again, who was still rambling about the isle and the precautions they should take.

Ben grabbed her arm and led her to the garden balcony, where the rest of their friends were waiting. “Beasty boy~!” Harry cheered, Evie holding her arms out as Mal snapped out of her rambling and skipped toward her friend, halfway crawling into Evie's lap and snuggling into her, Evie giggling as Mal did so. “Yeh finally made it, and ‘ere I thought yeh got assassinated”

“I’m sure if I was you would be the first to know and avenge me” Ben smiled, sitting next to Carlos and Jay, picking up the plate full of fruit and taking a chunk of mango off the pile. Harry hummed and shrugged.

“Depends on who assassinated yeh, if it was (y/n)” Harry gestured to you, who was curled up next to him reading a book “I wouldn’t do a damn thing” Ben nodded in understanding.

“As you should” Doug and Lonnie looked at each other at Ben's nonchalant attitude towards Harry's morbid sense of humor, then shrugged. Over the last three years, the two had gotten used to the vks humor and way of interacting with the world so it hardly bothered them nowadays, especially when Ben reacted in a way that played along with the vks.

Harry took out his phone after it vibrated in his pocket and raised his brow, then laughed “CJ forgot why it's like spring in January” Ben laughed at that, shaking his head.

“Didn’t we tell her like, three times now?” (y/n) said from her spot, peeking over Harry's shoulder to look at the text from CJ.

“Aye, but yeh know ‘er, she forgets what she deems unimportant” Harry mumbled, texting back CJ with the answer to her question.

“Isn’t ‘January is charmed by FG to be spring weather for Ben’s birthday’ an important thing?” Lonnie asked, tossing marshmallows at Doug as he attempted to catch them in his mouth.

“You would think?” Harry snorted, pressing the send button and setting his phone on the table, leaning back in his seat and hiking his feet on the table, crossing his ankles and arms with a smirk “But CJ doesn’t think so apparently.”

Ben let out a small laugh, his eyes drifting over to Carlos, who was hunched over a small metallic object, wires poking out the top and sides, sparking as he messed with the object with a metal-tipped tool. “Carlos watcha’ doing?”

“Making a thing” was all he said, sniffing as a spark shot at his nose and burned him slightly, Evie leaning over and rubbing his nose as he leaned away from the object “um-project-high tech thing” Ben smiled as Carlos pushed Evie’s hand away gently, giving her a reassuring smile as he went back to his work “I’m tryna make a portable projector that can connect to my phone, I don’t feel like getting out my laptop every time Jay or Mal want to watch a movie but are too lazy to go sit on the couch to look at the tv”

“It's always so far away!!!” Mal justified her laziness, a pout on her lips as Ben and Evie gave her a look, a teasing smile on their faces. Carlos just pressed his lips together and Mal stuck her tongue out, pulling back as Carlos leaned forward and attempted to touch her tongue with the metal-tipped tool “hey!”

“Don’t stick your tongue out at me then! You all know I always have something electric on me, be annoying get shocked” Carlos cackled, spinning the tool between his fingers then getting back to work, Dude resting his face on Carlos’ leg and whining for attention from his favorite person. Jay leaned down to see Dude and picked him up, setting the dog on his lap and feeding Dude a slice of turkey.

Dude had long lost the ability to talk, the truth potion gummy Evie had made two and a half years ago wearing off soon after cotillion, for it was never intended to last longer than a day or two. Carlos was slightly relieved when it wore off, while it was nice to talk to Dude easily, Dude talked too easily and had been prone to reveal things Carlos and Jay hadn't really wanted to be revealed.

Besides, Carlos could still speak dog so it didn’t stop any communication between the two. Though the rest of the teens were relieved to be free of Dude’s sometimes badly timed jokes and begging for butt scratches.

Ben relaxed in his seat and sighed, enjoying a quiet moment with his friends as they ate and talked, pushing down a smile as he noticed Harry messing with (y/n)s ring finger on her left hand, she continued to only pay attention with her book, letting Harry do what he wanted.

Ben sighed again and closed his eyes, pushing back his hair on its back legs, feeling the charming spring breeze gently caress his face.

Only 8 more months till the awaited day, and there was so much that was going to happen in between it all.

His and Jays birthday this month, his 3rd anniversary being king, the 3rd anniversary of the original 6 vks arrival in Auradon, the applications being finally sent out in July, the cps set to be finally finished in May, most of the vks and aks graduation from Auradon prep in June, and Harry had something planned for (y/n) that he had only told his sisters and Ben so far.

And so much had happened before! Some of the group had turned 19 within the last year and we're beginning to find career paths in the world. Mal was looking at art collages to become a full-time freelance artist, Jay was looking at a professional tourney career and was looking at Sherwood Forest University for their tourney program, Evie was already deep into the fashion world, half of Auradon already wearing her brand and was designing a whole line for the upcoming spring, and Carlos already had an internship ready to go at Stark industries.

Harry was being scouted for multiple modeling jobs thanks to Evie hiring him as her model for almost three years now, (y/n) had a solid ‘at home’ job as a freelance digital artist, Lonnie was planning a temporary professional R.O.A.R career then joining the Chinese military to be at her mother's side as a general like her parents.

Doug was Evie's financer and personal assistant; Jane would be trained to become the next Fairy godmother so FG could retire. Audrey; he didn’t know exactly what she was doing but Ben heard from Chad that she was thinking of publishing her stories she had been writing for years now, Chad wasn’t planning for much, probably just going to live off his parent's money and live his life as a lavish prince (which no shame to Chad, Ben sometimes wished he could just chill with no worries about the world)

But all that wasn’t exactly something Ben had to worry about for a bit, right now he had nothing to do other than relax with his friends. He smiled as he heard Jane and Gil walk onto the garden balcony, the two separating as Gil sat next to Carlos and Jane next to (y/n). The two were temporarily broken up as Gil was now a legal adult at 18 (he was turning 19 in March) and Jane two years younger than him at 16. While no one, including Jane’s mother, had a problem with their relationship, the two decided to take a break until Jane was 18, if only because the two didn’t want any dirty looks from the old-fashioned Auradon folks.

Ben closed his eyes again and rested against his chair, ignoring Harry as the pirate began to balance oreos on Ben's exposed forehead, Mal snickering and helping Harry in his quest.

-one week later-

Ben stepped out of his car and walked into the jewelry shop, smiling as he saw Harry, CJ, and Harriet in the corner of the shop, Harry messing with his black-banded ruby ring with his fingers as he talked to the shop worker. “And her ring size?” the shop worker asked, holding out his hand as Harry handed him the ring.

“um-(ring size)” Harry offered, leaning on the counter and peeking over his shoulder as Ben stepped next to him and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. “Hey beasty”

“Hello, Harry” Ben hummed, a bright smile on his face as the shop owner looked over the ring and its band “getting it resized?”

“Aye, I've let (y/n) wear it before but it didn’t fit any of her fingers other than ‘er thumb, so” he gestured to the shop worker who started to sketch out the band design so he could copy it into the newly sized metal once made. Ben nodded and peered over Harry's shoulder to see CJ busying herself looking over the rings in the display box, Harriet's hand on her arm to prevent any thievery.

“Why bring them?” Harry looked at him through the corner of his eye.

“Harriet demanded ta come cuz it's our ma’s ring, an’ CJ threatened ta tell (y/n) about it if I didn’t bring ‘er” Ben winced, CJ did want Harry to marry (y/n) so ‘she could finally get a cool sister’ (which always resulted in a slap to the head from Harriet) but she was a brat and held the threat of telling (y/n) about Harry's plan over Harry's head to get what she wanted.

Harry turned back to the shop worker as he called Harry's attention, informing him of the time, price, and pick-up date of the ring resizing. Harry nodded and handed the shop worker his debit card, leaning on the counter as the shop worker walked off to go complete the transaction.

“Plus I wanted some family support” Harry muttered, a shy smile on his lips. Ben laughed softly and patted Harry’s back, rolling his shoulders and pulling down his plain sky-blue t-shirt as he looked around.

“When you thinking of asking?” Ben inquired, smiling as Harry bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I dinne kae, we’ve already talked about the possibility of marriage, I wanted ta make sure she was okay with it and she's all for it, but I have no clue when or how I’m gonna ask ‘er” Ben patted Harry’s back again in sympathy, not really having any advice for the flustered Harry.

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out” Ben laughed, standing straight along with Harry as the shop worker returned with Harry's card and handed it to him.

“Thank you, Mr. Hook, it should be ready next month, we’ll give you a call about any updates and when it's finished. Thank you for coming to Doc's jewelry shop” Harry nodded and put his card in his wallet, nodding at Harriet as she grabbed CJ and dragged her out of the store following Harry and Ben, CJ pouting as she stared at the shiny rings.

“Ice cream” CJ demanded, wrenching herself out of Harriet's grip and looking up at Harry with a pout, but she was wearing Harry's hoodie, which almost encased her body completely and it made her much less threatening than she usually was with that ‘Hook’ glare on her face.

“I jus’ bought a fukin’ ring CJ, I ain't buying yeh nothing, yeh have money, use it” Harry snapped, glaring back down at his little sister as she puffed her cheeks and slapped his arm.

Ben laughed loudly and nodding his head towards the ice cream down towards the left end of the strip mall “Come on, I’ll buy” CJ cheered and raced towards the ice cream shop, Harry and Harriet giving the king a look of thanks as Ben trailed after CJ.

-end of part 7-

part 7 bbys~ yep, everything's coming together~ we officially getting to the timeline of D3 and interlude is finally in 2019 yall. and i knoooow Gil and Jane broke up, but while i don't have problem with age gaps, Gils 18, janes 16 (turning 17 that year but still) it looks a bit weird and while FG approves of their relationship the two decided it would be best to wait until Jane is a legal adult. anyway, yep, Harrys gonna propose...HAVE FUN WITH THAT!

permtaglist

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange @lunanight2012

@daughter-of-the-stars11 @musicarose @random-thoughts-003

@remembered-license @rintheemolion @verboetoperee

@imtryingthisout @thecaptainsgingersnap @jatp-rules-my-life

#Descendents #descendants #disney descendants #harry hook #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook imagine #interlude #finale #rewrite #part of your world #shuffle playlist

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lonestarbabe · 3 years

Text

The Definition of Good Parents

[AO3]

Carlos confronts TK about his time in the minefield + TK tells Carlos about the baby + Carlos getting protective over TK after hearing what Owen said to him = a deadly mix. I said, “Let’s just put it all into one tiny fic.”

Carlos gives T.K. a stern look as soon as he sees him coming through the door. He can’t believe the things his boyfriend does sometimes. He wouldn’t trade T.K. or any of his traits for the world, though.

“I heard you volunteered to go into a minefield,” Carlos says, eyebrows raised. He admires T.K.’s commitment to the job, but his nerves cannot take T.K. being in the hospital again. (Or worse, but he can’t think about worse).

T.K. smiles like he’s proud of his endeavors, and Carlos can’t blame him. Carlos is proud of T.K. too. That pride is mixed with a lot of fear. “Where’d you hear that from?”

“Marjan made a group chat.”

“Without me?” T.K. pouts, and Carlos has learned not to let that pout get the best of him, but he can’t help thinking how cute T.K. is as he does it.

“You can’t be part of everything. It’s called, ‘T.K. Strand is a Reckless Dumbass.’ I’m sure she’ll add you if you want.”

“She’s the one who dove into a damn steaming lava pit.”

“You went into a minefield,” Carlos emphasizes. “You’re not the bomb squad.”

“You sound like Pearce,” T.K. grins. “I’m not an asshole who puts my perfect record above saving a life.”

“Thank god I wasn’t there. I would have killed you.”

“Babe, it’s fine. Nothing bad happened to me.” T.K. pulls Carlos in for a kiss. “Mr. Perfect, couldn’t take the heat, so I stepped in.”

Carlos wraps his arm around T.K., thankful to have him there and to be able to hold him. “I thought you were trying to get out of the dog house.”

“I am,” T.K. gives him another kiss. “I think you’ll like the decision I made today.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m switching teams.” That gives Carlos pause.

“Oh, yeah? I happen to like the team you’re on,” Carlos says with a chuckle, and he wants to do unholy things to T.K. He remembers T.K. saying they made a pretty good team. He knows that’s not what T.K. is talking about, but that’s the only team he can think about.

“Not like that.” T.K. rolls his eyes. “I applied to be the new paramedic.”

“What? I didn’t even know you were a paramedic.” T.K.’s never mentioned that.

“I was a dual-function medic.”

“That’s sexy. How many tricks do you have up your sleeve, T.K. Strand?” Carlos has seen only a portion of the tricks that he’s sure T.K.’s had. They’ve only been together for a few months, but he’s sure that there’s plenty more about T.K. to learn, and he’s looking forward to discovering every square inch T.K. has to offer.

T.K. licks his lips. “So many.” He shrugs. “It’s not a big deal. I had to do something while I was waiting to be eligible for the fire academy, so I figured I might as well get some of my hours in. With how many medical calls we take, medical qualifications make your resume stand out. I wanted to make it without my dad’s influence.”

“It seems like a pretty big deal.”

“I can’t do everything wrong,” T.K. jokes, and Carlos can’t laugh along because self-deprecating humor feels a little too self-deprecating when T.K. uses it. It hits Carlos in all the ways that make him concerned.

“You saved that kid in the minefield. Seems to me that you do a lot right.”

“The minefield was the best part of my day, believe it or not,” T.K. says. He looks Carlos in the eyes, “Second best.” Carlos would melt if he didn’t feel himself going into protective boyfriend mode.

“The rest of the day couldn’t have been that bad.” Carlos can’t imagine what could one-up a minefield.

“Nothing dramatic. Just tiring bullshit.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“I’m overwhelmed.” Carlos knows that overwhelmed is T.K.’s codeword for not mentally okay, and he feels a chill in his bones.

Carlos leads T.K. to the couch to sit down because this conversation isn’t one that should be had hovering by the kitchen counter. When they’re comfortable, he asks,“Overwhelmed? By what?”

“Things have been weird with my dad. We’re okay, but they’re still weird.”

“Is he upset about the career change?” Because if he is, fuck that. T.K.’s worked hard to get to where he is, and if Owen can’t at least be proud of T.K.’s accomplishment, then Carlos will have to be twice as proud— one hundred times as proud.

“Maybe. I don’t know. He’s more focused on the baby.”

“The what?” Carlos feels like he’s missing something important, and he tries to search his mind for any memory of a baby.

T.K. seems to realize what he’s said, and his eyes widen. “Shit. I’m supposed to keep it on the down-low, but I’ve already confessed twice today. Once can be taken as necessary venting, but twice is bad. ”

“Wait, T.K. Slow down. What are you trying to say.”

T.K. winces. “My mom’s pregnant.”

“Oh, shit.” Carlos can hardly process what he’s hearing. He knew Gwyn and Owen were trying to work things out, but he had never expected that.

“They get to be parents.” T.K.’s voice is scratchy.

“Again,” Carlos adds. “They don’t stop being your parents no matter how old you get.”

“They’re already thinking a lot about this baby’s future, and they want to be around to raise them. My dad even decided to go through with that surgery to get rid of his tumor.”

“That’s a good thing, right? You’ve been pushing him to do it.”

“Yeah, I have been.” T.K.’s quiet for a moment. “Want to know the reason he gave me?” T.K. doesn’t wait for Carlos to reply. “He said that he was going to be a father as if he wasn’t a father before.” Carlos feels rage spike in his core, but he’s not going to make this moment about what he is feeling. He’s not going to say how much he wants to give Owen Strand a piece of his mind. “I know it’s stupid that a comment like that bothered me, but I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.”

“Passing comment or not, what he said is shitty.”

“He didn’t mean it like that. He was talking without thinking.” T.K. grins. “It’s a family trait. I’m just being a little bitch, just like always.”

“Don’t say that. You’re entitled to your feelings.”

“My parents are so happy, and I’m the rain cloud that they can’t shake.” It’d be cheesy, but Carlos would call T.K. his sun if it made him feel any better, but Carlos knows that there are no words that he can use to take the hurt away. Just as T.K. couldn’t say anything to make the situation with Carlos’ parents better, sometimes, all you can do is be a safe place.

“Parents don’t always give us the love we want or deserve,” Carlos says, “But that isn’t because you carry too much darkness. It’s not because you aren’t bright enough. It’s not even because they don’t have enough love to give.” Carlos thinks of his parents, unable to say the word gay but throwing around the words “I love you.” “Some parents try so hard to meet the definition of good parents that they forget to be your parents.”

T.K. drops his head on Carlos’ shoulder. “Is that supposed to make me feel better.”

Carlos shakes his head, “No. It’s just a reminder.”

“I hope they’re better parents for the baby,” T.K. says with watery eyes.

Carlos kisses T.K.’s temple, “And if they’re not, that kid will have the best big brother.”

#text #911 lone star #911 lone star fic #My writing #Elise Writes #My Fics #1000 - 3000 words

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floralguccistyles · 3 years

Photo

epilogue

...he probably loves you

After four months of dating Niall, our families and friends still couldn’t believe it.

Apparently, Niall’s feelings had only been apparent to my sisters, because when we told our parents that we were dating, they had stared at us with supportive confusion. Niamh had mourned the loss of the five hundred dollars four our Jamaica trip, but she had thrown an arm around my shoulders and congratulated me. And then, in a surprising turn of events, had started crying when Patrick announced he couldn’t contain himself anymore and proposed to her shortly after Niall and I had made our announcement.

Niall had just smiled his beautiful smile at me and pulled me closer into his side, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

“I’ve just realized!” His mom shouted in the middle of our movie. It was Greg’s pick tonight, so naturally he had chosen a Disney movie that Theo would actually be interested in. His wife had already dozed off to sleep, pregnant with number two and according to Greg, “unable to stay awake for more than five minutes.”

“Christ, Mum,” Greg complained, jumping from her loud exclamation.

“We can get Rose and Niall couples gifts for their birthdays!”

Niall raised his brow. I was curled up against him, my own eyes falling shut every couple of moments. The new job working for Eric’s brand was exhilarating and exciting, but it was a lot of work getting a start up business off the ground. Often, I would come home late and simply collapse on my couch while Niall took pity on me and made me dinner.

“Mum, our birthdays are five days away. Have you not gotten us anything yet?” he joked, his thumb running back and forth across my arm.

“You’ve always been hard to shop for,” his mum said simply, waving us off, her brain looking like it was going a million miles a minute with the new possibility of a couple’s present. “Not you though, Rose. You’re an angel to shop for.”

I grinned up at Niall. “I’m an angel,” I whispered.

His nose wrinkled. “Whatever.” But he quickly kissed my nose, ignoring Violet’s protest against PDA.

Violet was sitting on the floor by my feet, her nose buried in her phone as she waited on a text from the cute guy in her summer anatomy class she had a crush on. She had been hesitant to tell me about him, but three weeks ago, at one of our weekly-Thursday lunches, she confessed that he’d asked her to study with him. After hearing that, I had pushed and demanded she show me a picture and tell me his name.

He seemed nerdy and sweet. His name was Arjun, and he had helped her study for the final, where he stammered his way through the entirety of their study session before blurting out that he thought she was pretty and wanted to take her on a date.

They had been texting each other back and forth since.

“Don’t make a big deal out of this,” she had told Lily and I while we gushed over how cute it was that she had a crush on someone, especially after her good friend started dating the last guy she’d had feelings for.

Lily, on my other side, was leaning on the arm of the couch, her eyes slowly blinking in and out of sleep. She officially had her law degree and was going through what her coworkers lovingly called “Hell Year.” Her first year of being a lawyer and dealing with all the shitty cases was getting to her. However, she still managed to drag herself to our weekly lunches and had even mentioned that she had decided to go on a weekend getaway to London with Carmen, her coworker.

Violet caught me looking at her phone and shielded it from my view. I just playfully kicked her side.

After the movie, Niall drove us back to my apartment. It was nothing special, just a one bedroom, one bath. But it was mine. And while I still didn’t sleep all the way through the night except on the nights when Niall stayed over, I was working on it. I unlocked the door and let the both of us in, kicking off my shoes and flipping the light switch on.

Before I could take another step, Niall’s arms were around my waist and his mouth was on mine. I would never get tired of his kisses, of the way his hands would tease under the hem of my shirt and touch my heated skin. He always kissed with an eagerness, the kind of happiness that only someone who had been in love for a long time possessed.

“It’s so hard to sit next to you at family functions,” he sighed out against my lips. I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Unlike my mother, I already got your birthday gift.”

“If you say my birthday gift is sex with you, I might actually have to hit you.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “That would be your birthday gift to me, Rosebud.”

I knew he didn’t mean anything by it. We hadn’t taken that final leap into our physical relationship yet. He was cautious and I was still unsure it was something I was ready for after my incident with Kent. The group I had been attending had been a huge help and I got coffee with Wendi and Carlos (two sexual assault survivors I had met and befriended at group) occasionally. Still, there was a small part of me that wondered if I would ever truly get over it.

And I wondered if Niall resented that.

He saw the look on my face and his smile melted away. “I didn’t mean it like that, Rosebud. You know that,” he said softly, reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear.

“I know,” I replied, “I know. I’m sorry I’m a piece of work.”

He shook his head, his arms encircling me and pulling me into his body. “You are not a piece of work. You’re the girl I love and will continue to love, no matter what boundaries you set. You know that. Nothing could make me love you less.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder, letting out a contented sigh. Every time he told me he loved me, I got butterflies in my stomach and my lungs stopped working properly. “You staying over tonight?”

“If you want me here.”

I rolled my eyes. “I always want you here, Niall.”

He kissed me again, his lips soft and gentle. “Mind if I shower really quick?”

“Go ahead. I’m gonna make some hot chocolate.”

I watched him walk up the stairs, a smile on my face when he turned back to wink at me. When I heard the shower start up in ym small bathroom, I turned towards my kitchen and grabbed two disposable coffee cups and a Sharpie. Niall liked his hot chocolate made with the little chocolate sticks I bought at the store, so I poured milk into the saucepan and heated it before depositing one of the little sticks inside. He was also a big baby who demanded the little marshmallows, so I grabbed the bag from my pantry and set them on the counter to add to his drink later.

My heart was pounding. I had been planning this for a while, but just tonight felt confident enough to do it. So I poured his hot chocolate into his cup with shaking hands and raised the Sharpie to the side of the cup, scribbling down the message. I still had pictures of all the notes he’d written me, including the one from this morning, when he had written “love you more than you know, Rosebud.”

And he did. He loved me more than I could ever comprehend. The four months being with him, he had never failed to show me just how much. He held me when I woke up with a nightmare, kissed me on the forehead when I was frustrated with work, held my hands when I got home from group. But I’d realized the things he’d done for me before, too. Like picking me up when Lily couldn’t, staying on the phone with me when I asked it of him, always making me laugh.

Niall Horan truly loved me. More than I’d ever been loved.

And I needed him to know that his feelings were reciprocated.

I heard him before I saw him. He was loud as he walked over my hardwood floors, chattering on about some thought he had in the shower. I should have been a better girlfriend and listened properly, but my hands were still shaking and I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest and run away. I turned, catching sight of him in his comfy black sweats and a white tee with that signature grin on his face.

“I forgot my shampoo at my place, so I used yours and now I smell like a lovely lilac spring.”

Just like that, my nerves evaporated. I didn’t know how Niall did that, make me so sure of myself, but he did. This man loved me. And I loved him. He deserved to know how much and not have me chicken out at the last minute.

I walked over to him, giving him a little sniff. “Very nice, very manly.”

“Nothing manlier than using my girl’s shampoo. Just shows how much I love her.”

“Is that what it does?” I asked playfully, reaching his cup out towards him. He took it in his hand, bringing it up to sip at it.

“Hey, you put in the little marshmallows this time,” he commented happily, taking another drink before he pulled the cup back. His large thumb covered my small writing, but he caught the tail of the ‘y’ and maneuvered his hand so he could read it. I saw the moment the words caught up with him, the moment he registered what I had written.

I love you more than you know.

“Rosebud…” His voice was delicate, like it could shatter in a single moment. “Do you mean it?”

In lieu of a response, I took the hot chocolate cup out of his hands and set in on the coffee table. I grasped his face in my hands, giving him a watery smile. “Thank you for being patient with me. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything,” he breathed out. I felt honored and cherished when I saw the tears in his eyes just from my simple confession. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you too. So much.”

The earth could have collapsed around us. The ground could have opened up and swallowed us whole. All that mattered was Niall as he surged forward and kissed me hungrily, his tongue delving into my mouth to tangle with mine. His hands were tightly wound in my hair, but didn’t pull or tug. He just held me there, like if he let me go I would dissipate. He’d never kissed me like this, but I’d never kissed him when he was a Niall who knew how much I loved him. And he’d never kissed the Rose that had finally stopped running and admitted her feelings to him.

“My birthday present to you feels shitty now.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled to the surface. “This wasn’t your birthday gift.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “This was more. So much more.”

He kissed me again, his touch sure and unwavering. “Thanks for loving me, Rosebud,” he whispered, repeating my words from so many months ago.

So I decided to repeat his back. “It’s the easiest thing in the world, Niall.”

Oh my god. Wildflower is over. I cannot believe this. This started as a random thought in my head one day because I needed a good friends to lovers but with a twist, and suddenly Rose was born. This is the first story I’ve finished on this blog and will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you to everyone for reading this little story and for all your support. I refuse to let go of Niall and Rose forever, so don’t be surprised if I write little drabbles for them, but I’m excited for what the future holds in terms of my writing.

I give one big giant virtual hug to all of you. You don’t know how much you guys mean to me.

#wf #wildflower #1dff #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan au

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everyonesannoyedwithme · 3 years

Text

i feel okay when i see you smile

i got mad inspired when i listened to dandelions by ruth b so you guys get a kinda sad little juke one shot :) beware of feelings

summary: the date reminds julie of her mom, and luke helps her feel better

warnings: oh my god you guys this is somehow one of the fluffiest and angstiest things ive ever written. please don't kill me

word count: 881

Today was January thirtieth. There was nothing special about this day, no national holiday or birthday, but that was why Rose had always loved it. When Julie was five, her mother had brought her to the calendar and shown her the date.

“What do you see, mija?” her mother had asked.

“January thirtieth.” the young girl replied.

“Does it say anything else?” Rose said, pointing to where it said ‘abuela’s birthday’ on the fifteenth.

“No.” Julie said resolutely.

“That's what makes it special. We have to celebrate every day for its beauty, my love, or we will never properly love the extra special ones.” Rose brushed a curl out of her daughter’s face and tucked it behind her ear.

“Okay mami.”

At Julie’s words, Rose smiled at the girl and swept her up into her arms, despite Julie almost being too big for her to do so. Rose kissed the top of her daughter’s head and looked at the calendar for another moment.

“Do you want to bake a cake, mija?”

The memory swirled around in Julie’s mind even now, eleven years later. She had woken up and gone about her morning as usual that Saturday until she had finally checked her phone and saw the date. The sixteen-year-old had stared at the small numbers on her phone even after the screen faded and shut off to conserve battery life.

Saturday, January 30.

She walked over to Rose’s studio in a daze, her feet taking her on their own accord. Julie pushed open the doors and slowly sat down behind the piano, completely lost in her own world.

“Hey, Jules!” Luke popped in. “Ready to write some music? Alex and Reg are out with Willie right now, so they won't interrupt this time- hey, are you okay?” he faltered, seeing her unfocused eyes on the keys of the piano and her knuckles turning white from her grip on the edges of the bench.

“Huh?” Julie asked quietly, finally lifting her gaze from the white and black keys of the piano to meet Luke’s eyes.

“Are you okay?” he repeated, softer this time.

Julie looked away, eyes moving to the plants behind Luke. “It's January thirtieth.” she whispered.

Luke waited for her to continue. He knew she’d explain if he gave her a moment.

“When I was little, my mom would always bake a cake on the thirtieth, because she said we have to celebrate every day like it’s a holiday. She took something unremarkable and made it a day Carlos and I always looked forward to. I-” she paused, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I miss her so much.” Julie whispered.

She shuddered, pulling her arms around herself, and Luke surged forward to wrap her in his arms instead. He sat down next to her on the piano bench and let her cry into his chest, her sobs shaking her body, the body that suddenly seemed so small in his embrace.

After a few minutes, she quieted and her tears dried, leaving her eyes tinged pink. Julie extracted herself from Luke’s arms, but he held onto her shoulders, his grip firm.

“Hey. It’s okay. We don’t have to write today. We can wait ‘till you’re ready.” Luke said, his voice and expression softer than Julie had ever known it to be before. She melted into his touch, the tension leaving her shoulders. She let her forehead fall and buried herself back into Luke, despite having little room on the piano bench to do so.

Julie let out a watery laugh. “I’m sorry. I know you said you wanted to work on music today and you got the guys to leave us alone for it, but I saw the date and everything just kind of… fell apart.”

“Don’t worry about it. Trust me, I get it.” Luke reassured her. Julie sighed, feeling a mixture of contentment and sadness. She had long since stopped feeling guilty for loving her boys. Rose would have wanted Julie to be happy with Alex and Reggie and Luke. And she loved them, she did - but she really did miss her mom. Even three ghost boys couldn't quite fill that hole.

They stayed like that, just holding each other for an amount of time that neither could have identified if they tried. It could have been an hour or five minutes, but eventually Julie pried herself out of Luke’s arms and stood, dusting her overalls off. Luke reached out from where he still sat on the bench and lightly traced the sunflower drawing on Julie’s hip. She smiled slightly, reaching out to cup his face with her hand, the other tracing the way his eyebrows furrowed with concentration. Julie looked at Luke with the kind of fondness she had never felt for anyone before, but she didn't dwell on the feeling. She knew it would all make sense soon enough, but for now Julie just enjoyed the moment. Her hand left his furrowed brow and moved to cover the hand on her hip. Luke paused his movements and looked up to meet Julie’s sparkling brown eyes.

“Luke.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to bake a cake with me?”

Luke’s face split into a grin so infectious that Julie couldn’t stop herself from smiling back.

“I would love to.”

#jatp #julie and the phantoms #jatp fic #julie and the phantoms fic #juke #julie molina #luke patterson #rose molina

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godess-ofthe-underworld · 3 years

Text

Love Finds Away

(sequel to “see You Again) ( A Harry Hook x reader story)

Part 10

When the dresses were all delivered and Evie Hadley and Ruby were ready, they headed down to the docks.

The whole way there Hadley couldn't stop staring at the Isle, only hoping that he felt the same way she did. She toyed with her necklace, not having the guts to take it off, but this time instead of tucking it away from view, she let it dangle over the top of her dress. Evie and Ruby both noticed her sullen look and shared a glance themselves.

Making their way up the docks, music and lights were blaring, causing Hadley to squint until her eyes adjusted. A blue velvet carpet lined the entire dock, leading to the massive yacht that cotillion was being held on.

The blue carpet was lined with press from start to finish. Hadley put on a fake smile as they stepped up the camera flashes momentarily blinding her.

Evie, being the natural when it comes to this sort of thing, took the lead with Doug, who had joined them at some point.

Hadley stood back allowing Evie to answer the questions being thrown their way. Just before they reached the ship they stopped in front of a group of reporters

"Evie! Hadley! You both look gorgeous tonight!"

"Did you design the hair accessories and Hadleys arm band?"

"No actually." Evie started touching the clip in her hair. " All of the accessories tonight were made by a very special person, Miss Dizzy of the Isle" Evie smiled into the camera knowing Dizzy would be watching for them.

They moved on after answering a few more questions.

Stepping onto the boat the music was louder and the main deck and upper deck were crowded with students dancing away.

Hadley found herself looking out at the isle. Which was in clear view from the side of the ship. She watched as the thunder and lighting rumbled.

Ruby linked arms with her startling her out of her gaze. She pulled Hadley to the middle with the others waiting for Mal to arrive.

Small chatter was exchanged until the guards along the stairs raised their trumpets to signal her arrival.

"The future Lady Mal" Lumiere proudly announced.

The whole deck erupted in applause as Mal stood at the top of the stairs.

Her once full ball gown dress was now cut into a high-low fashion, the front hem doned the same royal blue lace as the bodice and her shoes stood proud and tall. Her recently dyed purple hair was braided down the side and over her shoulder with tiny accents in between each weave.

She slowly made her way down the steps a look of pure terror on her face as everyone's eyes watched her every move.

Evie stepped forward to greet her at the bottom.

She took Mals hand and walked her to the center of the deck.

"How are you feeling?" Hadley asked as they reached them.

Mal gave a nervous smile.

" you know… kinda like.im going to throw up.."

The five chuckled lightly as the guards raised the trumpets again.

"King Benjamin" Lumiere announced as Ben made it to the top of the steps.

The whole ship thundered with applause as he made his way down the steps, rather quickly as Hadley observed.

Mal met him at the bottom smiling up at him, but his smile wasn't present.

"Mal, I really wish i had time to explain"

The spotlight shone at the top of the steps. There was a collective gasp from everyone on deck.

Ums stood at the top step in a beautiful teal mermaid style dress. Seashells and other sea accents adorned the frilly teal ruching. Her long braids had been carefully tied into a neat bun on the top of her head.

Ben smiled wide as Uma began walking down the stairs and jogged up the first few taking her hand and helping her down the rest of the stairs.

He stopped them at the last step and bowed to her kissing the gold ring that used to be on Mal's finger.

Uma giggled as he stood straight and took her hand leading her out to the center of the deck and right up to Mal.

Hadley completely droned out the conversation about Uma diving through the barrier and what not, claiming that she was in love with Ben and he with her.

When the two began dancing Mal curled into herself, hurt etched all over her features. Hadley rushed to Mals' side as did Evie. The two clung to her shoulders trying to comfort her. The boys huddled as well rubbing Mals arms.

"Ya know I'm not too thrilled I risked my life for him," Carlos said a little louder than the music playing.

Lonnie came up behind Mal holding Ruby's hand.

"We're with you Mal" Lonnie said as Ruby nodded.

Jay placed a hand on the small of Mals back and started leading her to the steps.

"Come on. Let's get outta here."

The others agreed following the two.

Just as they reached the bottom of the steps, Uma stopped dancing with Ben turing to the retreating vks.

"Hey, Hadley." Uma spoke over the music.

Hadley stopped when she heard her name, the rest following.

"What Uma?" Hadley nearly growled; in her anger Hadley's hair sparked and ignited.

"He feels the same way ya know."

Hadley's look of anger quickly morphed into one of confusion, her hair still holding a faint glow.

Uma smiled "But don't take my word for it."

Uma looked to the top of the staircase with a large smile. Hadley and the rest followed her gaze.

Hadley nearly stumbled holding on to Carlo's jacket to steady herself, her jaw dropping.

Everyone around the ship's deck was gasping and whispering. The other vks looked just as stunned as Hadley, looking from her to the top of the stairs.

Harry was nearly unrecognizable; his Isle clothes had been traded for a burgundy suit matching blazer and pants, white button up shirt and black vest. His usually out of control hair was neatly side swiped. Hadley noticed that he still had on his boots.

Harry's eyes, which still had a bit of eyeliner still around them, searched the group at the bottom before locking with Hadleys.

He made his way down the steps, the vks parting when he made it to them giving him a path to Hadley, but watching his every move. Lonnie put a hand on Jay's shoulder when he went to lunge.

Hadley took a step back when Harry reached her.

"Harry… what.. What are you doing here?" Hadley stuttered.

"I had ta know if it was true." He mumbled.

"If what was true?" Hadley asked.

"What ya said on the Isle, right before ya tossed me hook over the dock. When ya said ya.. ya love me… i need ta know if it was jus' a trick ta get away or if ya really mean it." Harry's eyes bore into hers. She thought she almost saw a tear. She could hear the people closest to her begin whispering wildy.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed her friends starting to head up the stairs and saw Evie nod in her direction. Hadley placed a hand on his arm guiding them to a more secluded corner. Hadley looked at her hands as she dropped her arm, nervously twisting the rings around her fingers.

"It wasn't a trick Har, just really bad timing now that I think about it." Hadley let out a small breathy laugh. She could see Harry's shoulders drop slightly. "But it was never a trick." Hadley looked up at him. "It's true, I do love you. I've loved you for a long time; I just… never knew how to tell you." She looked down at her hands.

"I never wanted to risk losing you. You've been my best friend for a long time and you've never failed to make a day better." She looked up at him.

"Har, you're the one thing that has kept me going since I left." She let out a watery laugh, with tears welling in her eyes.

"I love you."

Harry cradled her jaw with his palm as his thumb gently glided across her cheek. Hadley closed her eyes leaning into it.

"Haddie… I … I love you too."

Hadley's heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

Harry ducked his head slowly bringing it closer to hers. He was close enough that she could still smell the sea and metal permeating from his jacket.

She sucked in a sharp breath just as his lips were about to collide with hers.

However…. Their moment was interrupted by a shriek coming from the deck.

Gotta love cliffhangers.... I can’t believe we’re already on part 10! If if you liked part 10 please comment and like for part 11. As always, you can read the illustrated version over on my Wattpad (@phelpsphan). If you would like to be added to the tag list please message me!

Summary: You would think that six months in Auradon would do any villain kid good. Well, not Hadley. After the events of the Coronation, Hadley's mood took a downward spiral; and for one reason, guilt. She'd broken a promise and left her best friend on the Isle of the Lost. How will she handle seeing him again when certain circumstances bring her back to the Isle? Will she finally tell him what she really feels?

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in Descendants. Hadley and the plot between her and Harry are mine.

Tag list: @unded-bride , @fangirlforever2412 , @itsnottilly

#harry hook imagine #harry hook x reader #harry hook #daughter of hades #disney descendants

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tkstreyes · 4 years

Text

Burning Love

TK and Carlos impulsively fly to Las Vegas to get married in one of those 24 hour chapels, complete with one of those Elvis impersonators to officiate. Couldn’t resist using an Elvis song for the title that also happens to be a pun for TK as a firefighter (sorry not sorry!). One of many fic ideas from @theworld-is-out-there !

Word count: 1.75k

Carlos looks around nervously at the neon signs and the bustling traffic of the Las Vegas Strip. “Are we really gonna do this? Because I love you, like so much, but we can wait. We can have a big wedding with all of our friends and family if that’s what you want.”

TK looks at Carlos with so much love in his eyes for this man, this man who has been patient with TK from the start, this man who has never given up on what they could be.

“My dad is going to kill me… but fuck it, Carlos. I don’t need a big, fancy wedding. I just need you to be my husband. Today. So hell yeah, we are really gonna do this!” TK can’t help the smile that spreads across his face as he grabs Carlos’ hand and pulls him across the strip to the nearest 24 hour chapel.

……….

“We are gathered here today in this sacred house of Elvis to unite Tyler Kennedy Strand and Carlos Reyes in holy matrimony.” TK and Carlos can’t help but giggle at this impersonator’s terrible Elvis impression and the absurdity of this whole thing, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. “Since this is a 24 hour chapel and there are no appointments, we are gonna do the quick version of this. So if you have your own vows, let’s go ahead and do those now.”

TK takes a deep breath before locking eyes with Carlos, tears threatening to spill over.

“A year ago, when I decided to go back to the 126, I told my dad I had never been more sure of anything in my entire life. But today, this right here, us. There is nothing Carlos, not even being a firefighter, that I am more sure of than what you and I have. I used to think that it took a whole lot of effort to make love work, but it turns out that I didn’t really know what true love was. You have taught me that true love is as easy as breathing; it’s as easy as running into burning buildings and chasing down the bad guys.” TK can’t help but smirk and send Carlos a wink before continuing. “True love is not about the grand romantic gestures or the show of trying to one-up each other. It’s about taking comfort in the little things, like the way you always leave a cup of coffee waiting for me when you have an early shift. True love is being on the same page as someone else without having to say a word. It’s when you can tell how I’m feeling from just one look and when we can run into the middle of disaster knowing we’ve got each other’s backs.”

TK takes a shuttering breath and gives Carlos’ hands a quick squeeze. “I once said that I thought we make a pretty good team, but now I know, more than ever, that there is no team I would rather be a part of, including the Yankees, which is really saying something. Don’t tell my dad; he would never forgive me.” Carlos lets out a wet laugh, tears shining in his beautiful brown eyes. “I have had struggles, but I am grateful because those struggles led me to you. Thank you for loving every part of me, especially on the days when I feel as though I don’t deserve that love. I love you so much, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, diving into the action with you right by my side.”

With a shaky breath and blinking away the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, Carlos gives TK’s hands a squeeze, and looks back up at TK, at his future.

“When I became a police officer, I made an oath to protect and serve the people of Austin and my community. Today I stand before you and… Elvis,” he pauses to send a amused look and a head nod to the fake Elvis, “to make another oath. An oath to protect and serve you, Ty. An oath to always be there for you to come home to after a long shift, an oath to stick to my side of the bed and not steal all of the covers, an oath to hold you when the bad days come and to go to meetings with you when you need me most.”

TK’s expression softens and tears start to fall from those gorgeous green eyes of his. “An oath to keep you safe, just like you keep me safe. An oath to love you, just as you have loved me. Thank you for opening your heart to me and letting me love you as wholly as you have. I know how hard it was for you to let me in, and I am eternally grateful that you did, because you have given me the greatest love I have ever known. And it’s really just the cherry on top that you, Tyler, are a straight up ten. It’s honestly a crime how gorgeous you are; I should arrest you right now.”

TK can’t help but snort and shake his head at the comment, face flushing. Only Carlos can make him feel like a love struck teenager falling in love for the very first time.

“I know that together we can make it through anything. We can be anything. I cannot wait to begin this new journey with you. Wherever our future may take us, I want you to know that I will always be by your side, ready to take on the world with you.”

The fake Elvis is almost as choked up as TK and Carlos, which just makes them laugh through the tears. Elvis takes a deep breath, “Okay, so Tyler Kennedy, do you take Carlos Reyes to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

TK smiles bigger than he thinks he has ever smiled before. “I do. Of course I do. 100% forever, babe.”

“And Carlos, do you take Tyler Kennedy Strand to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Through thick and thin right? Hell yeah, I do. It’s you and me, Ty.”

They exchange the rings they had bought just hours earlier when they had landed in Vegas.

“Well then, by the power vested in me by this fine house of Elvis, I now pronounce you hunks of burning love as husbands. So go ahead, kiss y’all!”

TK surges forward, arms wrapping around Carlos’ shoulders as Carlos’ arms wrap around TK’s waist. Their lips gently brush, sweet and gentle. TK sighs into the kiss, experiencing a feeling of peace flooding over him, unlike anything he has ever known. Carlos doesn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss, pouring every emotion coursing through him into it. They reluctantly break apart, foreheads touching and noses brushing.

“God I love you so much, Carlos,” TK whispers softly.

Carlos smiles softly, completely content. “I love you too, Tyler.”

……….

“Woah, well look who it is. Pretty boy is back, y’all!” Judd yells into the station as TK walks up hand in hand with Carlos. TK is jittery; Carlos can feel the nerves rolling off of him.

“Hey, everything is going to be fine, Ty. Your dad loves you, and as long as you’re happy, he can forgive us for doing this without him.”

TK looks back at Carlos with a watery smile, “I have never been happier. I just don’t want him to be pissed is all.”

“Yeah I know, babe. Well, time to face the music, or should I say the sirens, I guess,” Carlos says with a chuckle.

Owen comes pounding down the stairs. “TK Strand, where have you been?! You called me so frantically asking for a couple days off and then you just disappeared! Is everything okay? I mean, you look healthy, you look fine… Well, you’re alive so that’s good—”

“Dad!” TK cuts him off before he continues ranting for much longer. “I’m completely fine. More than fine actually.” He gives Carlos one more smile before continuing. “And it’s actually TK Strand-Reyes now.”

Owen looks back and forth from TK to Carlos, eyes wide. “Wait, what?!” TK can hear the rest of his crew coming to find out what all the commotion is about.

“Umm yeah… Carlos and I kinda flew to Vegas and got married in one of those 24 hour chapels, yah know, complete with an Elvis impersonator and everything.” TK raises his left hand, showing off his new ring to punctuate his last statement.

The rest of the crew comes to greet the couple, and Mateo, with his attention to detail, immediately notices the ring. “Holy shit, y’all got married and didn’t invite us? Wowwww man. I’m hurt,” he says with a smirk, a hand on his chest feigning injury. Everyone laughs and rushes forward to give the couple their congratulations, hugging TK and affectionately patting Carlos on the back. The only member of the crew still hanging back, who still hasn’t even moved, is Owen.

TK walks slowly towards Owen, nervously looking back at Carlos, who gives him an encouraging nod.

“Dad..? Are you… okay with this? I know I should have told you, but I couldn’t go another day not being married to Carlos, not being his husband. I have never been more in love in my entire life, and you have always taught me that sometimes you have to take the big leap. Go big or go home, right?”

Owen takes a deep breath before pulling TK into the tightest hug. “I am more than okay with this TK.” He pulls back with his hands planted on TK’s shoulders and a big smile. “You really do seem the happiest that I have seen you in a really long time. Do I wish I got to be a part of your wedding? Of course, but as long as you are happy, I am happy for you, son.”

TK lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and lets out a wet laugh before pulling his dad back in for another hug. “Thanks Dad. I love you, you know.”

“Yeah I know, but don’t you go having any kids without telling me. I would like to know if I am going to be a grandpa.”

The crew laughs at Cap’s comment, and Carlos walks over, taking TK’s hand. “Okay, Cap, I think that’s fair,” Carlos chuckles, and TK kisses his husband on the cheek.

#911 lone star #tarlos #tk strand #tyler kennedy strand #carlos reyes #tarlos fics #tarlos fic #tyler kennedy strand fic #tk strand fic #carlos reyes fic #911 lone star fic #katie writes

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