#911 Lone Star FanFIc

[thevenstar]

all turns to silver glass

pairing: TK/Carlos | words: 4.4k

I don’t know if I’m here, don’t know if I live, but I know that - whatever I am - I am found. I am solid again because you take notice of me. “Come with me.” You say but your lips do not move. Your voice comes from somewhere deep in your chest, like you’re speaking with all parts of you. I can perceive every word as it takes hold of my insides and pulls, leading my focus, tugging each organ of mine so they come to you, wherever you are, wherever you’ll be.

(or, hope cloaked in a dream, devotion tied to doves' wings and vows of forever under the sun)

[phoebenpiperx]

Fic Stats Game

Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words. [Note: I just based this on ao3 & not any of my older work, as the stats aren't compatible!]

Most hits

Supportive Straight Friend = Heartstopper

summary: Nick is upset by what Ben did, so he does online research so that he can be a supportive friend to Charlie.

2nd most kudos

Nick’s Sock Drawer, or the Secret Source of the Heart-Eyes Emoji = Heartstopper

summary: A week after his birthday, Charlie finds a photo of himself in Nick’s sock drawer. But he never expected his jovial teasing to unleash some latent trauma in Nick.

3rd most comments

The First Day of Spring = Heartstopper

summary: It’s March 20, the day of Harry’s party...and the first day of spring. Nick is slowly coming to terms with the fact that Charlie Spring probably is his best friend right now...and perhaps even more.

4th most bookmarks

The Last Ten Times We Made Out = Heartstopper

summary: A certain phrase Nick used at the beach has got Charlie thinking. But he should have known there was nothing to worry about, no matter what number Nick said.

5th most words

Sharpay's Kind of Cute, Too = HSMTMTS

summary: Ricky was confused—how was he supposed to be Troy Bolton when Sharpay Evans wasn’t a girl? It just didn’t make sense. But as rehearsals for HSM continue, Ricky gets to know Seb better...and comes to appreciate the quiet farm boy as both a performer and a friend.

fic with least words

Pathetic = 911: Lone Star

summary: TK needs a better story about how he got his black eye.

[remorsefulkittens]

Arrested

TK Strand/Carlos Reyes (Tarlos)

Owen Strand/Original Female Character

Ratting: Teen

Status: Complete (2,001 words)

@911bingo Square: Saved From a Bad Date

Summary: TK sends Carlos to save Owen from a bad date, and Carlos does, the only way he knows how…

Read on Ao3

Owen’s current companion had been talking for an hour straight, giving Owen plenty of time to regret saying yes to the date in the first place…sure, she was attractive, blonde, busty, and well-dressed, but Owen shouldn’t have let himself be fooled, because she was also self-centered, entitled, and downright boring; things he wished he'd known before she asked him out, and long before they made it to dinner.

“Like, what would she have done if she had been promoted instead of me? Lord it over me you can bet! She claims she has more schooling than me, but what does that even mean? I know how to do the job, so why take a course? I have better things to do with my time.”

Owen nodded along, waving to the waiter to bring another drink. A strong one.

“You’re lucky to be Captain,” she continued on, while Owen scanned the restaurant hoping for an out. A small fire in the kitchen maybe, or someone to heimlich. “No one to boss you around. Like, I feel like I’m still not in charge, even though I am in charge, you know?”

“Well, being a leader is more than a title,” Owen pointed out, the first words he'd spoken since ‘hello’. “You’ve got to earn it.”

Rearing back in her seat, Owen's date was clearly offended. “What is that supposed to mean? I did earn it!”

Owen apologized, and she went back to her original monologue, oblivious to Owen's discomfort, while Owen resumed his survey of the restaurant. Tuning the chatter out, Owen started running practice drills in his mind, nodding at his date every so often, without registering what she was saying. Until…

“Hello?! Did you hear me?” she asked, snapping her fingers near his face.

“Huh? What? Oh, sorry, what was that?” He gave his best smile to placate her.

She rolled her eyes, but he could tell she was charmed. “You’re not paying attention. I asked if we should go to my place or yours after?” She winked at him, and he pretended he wasn’t horrified.

“Oh, wow…” he fumbled for something to turn her off the idea of going home together. “This is only our first date.”

She scoffed, tossing her hair, impossibly long with such body and shine, falling over her shoulders, strands brushing her neck, her cleavage…and damn it! That hair had distracted him before. He couldn’t let it happen again.

“Holy, Owen, this is the 20th century! And we are grown up's, we can do as we please.”

Another hair toss, and then she was drumming manicured fingernails on the table, waiting for his answer.

“Um, it's actually the 21st century, but good point,” he glanced over his shoulder, but the entrance door was too far to bolt. “I just have to hit the men's room, and we'll work out the details.”

Owen was up and moving before she could object, and he shut the bathroom door with a grimace. He needed an out. In New York he might have considered slinking away, having the waiter make an excuse …but Austin was smaller. He would run into Gemma again, she worked at his favorite men's wear store for Pete’s sake! Plus, he was an adult, captain of his own crew! He could tell Gemma the truth…or, he could call someone to rescue him.

He thanked God that he hadn’t left his phone at the table, yanking it from his pocket and dialing TK's number.

TK got his Dad’s call right after he told Tommy he would stay late to help Nancy with the inventory. Poor timing because he couldn’t just leave, but having been on his share of disastrous dates, TK couldn’t just abandon the man either. Obliged to think of something, he told his dad to hang tight, help was coming, at the same time he was texting Carlos to pass the buck. His boyfriend would just be getting off shift, so he could spring Owen on his way home, and maybe pick up take out too.

“Everything ok?” Nancy asked, tearing open boxes, and stacking supplies on the ambulance's bumper.

“All good, my dad just got himself stuck on a bad date,” TK shrugged, slipping his phone into his pocket. “I texted Carlos to go help out.”

Nancy snickered, picking up her clipboard to update her count. “Good that cap is putting himself out there. He's grumpy when he's lonely.”

TK climbed into the ambulance to start packing sterile dressings, gauze, gloves and masks into the cupboards.

“Yep!” TK agreed, “plus he interferes in my life a bit too much. Sounds like THIS one is definitely not THE one though,” he said grimly.

“Got distracted by pretty hair again?” Nancy snorted, and TK laughed out loud.

“Well all he could tell me is that she's blonde, and talks a lot, so sounds about right.”

Nancy picked up another box. “You know, he should just go out with Tommy. Neither of them are good at dating, maybe they'd click.”

Both TK and Nancy paused in their tasks, eyes meeting, before they cracked up.

“That'd be weird,” TK said, catching his breath.

“Yeah sure would,” Nancy agreed.

‘What? Just leaving work…how am I supposed to rescue your dad?’

‘TK? What am I doing?’

‘Are you serious about take out? That place is pricey.”

‘TK? Hello?’

‘TK you know it bugs me when you don’t answer…’

Carlos slid into his car, annoyed with TK's habit of texting, then going radio silent, without waiting for his answer. He had no idea how to extricate someone from a date, and Owen was an adult, couldn’t he just be honest with the woman? All Carlos wanted was to go home, get into sweats, and binge TV until TK joined him…and then he had some other, less PG ideas, about how to finish their evening…but first he needed to focus.

Take-out wasn’t a bad idea because he wouldn’t have to cook…plus if he did this TK would owe him and that was always fun. He thought for a second, tapping his fingers on the wheel, gaze wandering down to the uniform he was still wearing, and it hit him; he was a cop, how hard could it be to force someone out of a restaurant? He was sure his inspiration would work, and if he ordered food on his way over, he could grab it on the way out. Smiling at his own resourcefulness, Carlos put the car in gear, steered his way out of the parking lot and onto the road.

Back at the table, Owen could only pray his son would come through for him. He had stalled as long as he could in the bathroom, and now Gemma was looking pretty irritable…though it hadn’t stopped her from talking.

“My fish is dry,” she complained, glancing around for the waiter. “I’m going to let them know. This place gets such good reviews, but I’m not sure why.”

Owen managed not to groan, instead adopting an upbeat tone.

“Mine's great,” he said, stuffing a bite into his mouth, then talking while he chewed, “You should have gotten the steak.”

Gemma was clearly grossed out, and Owen figured being generally unpleasant would have to be his back-up plan if TK didn’t show soon.

“Yeah, well, red meat is terrible for you,” Gemma informed him, then shrugged. “But I guess it's a man thing. Whatever. Did you decide while you were in the bathroom?” She moved on, leaving Owen behind.

“Huh?” He blurted.

She rolled her eyes for probably the fifth time of the evening, because apparently Owen was slow.

“Your place or mine?” She prompted, giving him the same flirtatious grin that had gotten him here in the first place. Damn whatever hormonal process made him lose his common sense when pretty women looked at him that way.

“Wow, um…” he took another huge bite of his dinner to buy some time, chewing a full twenty times before swallowing. She reached over and put her hand over his, and he suddenly knew exactly how deer felt when the headlights hit them.

“I’d have to say your place,” he finally spit out, defeated. At least she wouldn’t know where he lived this way.

She smiled wide, like an extra creepy Cheshire cat, and he slumped in his chair, wishing for another drink.

“Good choice, Captain,” she drawled, leaning in closer, “At my place we can be as loud as we want.”

TK was going to an earful for this one, Owen swore, after all the things he had done for his son!

“Ha, yeah well that’s me,” he stammered, tipping his drink, hoping for a few more drops of tequila, “always making sound decisions and-"

“Owen Strand?”

Owen was startled by the commanding voice, fumbling his glass, nearly dropping it in his lap. Gemma's eyes went wide, and Owen swiveled in his seat to face Carlos Reyes, in full uniform, stone-faced, feet planted, thumbs tucked into his belt. Owen had seen Carlos in action before, but he didn’t think he'd ever seen him look quite so intimidating.

“Car-" Owen started to greet, only to be cut off by Carlos' raised hand.

“Owen Strand, you are under arrest,” Carlos stated, moving to pull the cuffs from his belt. “Stand up,” he ordered, without a hint of humor.

“Car-officer-I’m sure I have no idea-"

“You are Owen Strand correct?” Carlos questioned, eyebrow raised.

“Yes, I-well-yeah-you know that,” Owen stuttered, eyes darting from Carlos, to Gemma, to all the other faces staring at them.

“I do, and like I said, you're under arrest, so you need to stand up and come with me,” Carlos ordered, and Owen gaped.

“Easy or hard Strand! You decide,” Carlos barked, and Owen jumped to obey.

Catching Owen’s wrists, Carlos yanked them to his back, slapped on the cuffs, and spun Owen toward the door with impressive strength.

“What are the charges?” Owen managed to squeak, and without pausing the frog march, Carlos leaned in to whisper.

“TK texted me. Keep walking and I’ll tell you in the car.”

“Are you freaking serious?” TK couldn’t quite wrap his head around Carlos’ choice to arrest his father in the middle of a crowded restaurant. “You couldn’t have just said his son was sick and needed him? Or, I don’t know, anything but dragging him out in cuffs?!”

Carlos shrugged, dishing food from take out containers onto plates. “Well, I’m pretty sure there’s no chance that woman he wanted to get away from will be calling him now. Do you want salad, or just steamed vegetables?”

TK gave his head a shake, but Carlos did have a point. “Just vegetables,” he answered. “Was my dad mad?”

Carlos slid the plates aside. “No, in fact he thought it was petty funny once we got out to my car,” Carlos grinned, stepping into TK's space, kissing his forehead, cheek, and then his lips, long and slow. “I also think he was impressed.”

“Mmmmn…” TK moaned, reaching around to squeeze Carlos' ass.

“He asked me why I was wearing my uniform home,” Carlos murmured into the crook of TK's neck, “I told him it's because it makes you crazy for me.”

TK squirmed, backing up out of Carlos' hold.

“Wait-ew! Don’t tell my dad that Carlos!”

Carlos gave him a devilish grin, pulling TK back to him roughly. “It's true isn’t it?”

TK melted into Carlos' arms, shuddering as Carlos nipped at his shoulder and neck. “It's true,” he moaned, “So true!”

“Good,” Carlos said, “and now you owe me, so let’s eat fast, then take this to the bedroom. You can be the second Strand I cuff tonight.”

TK’s groaned loudly, the growing fire in his belly doused.

“That was gross Carlos! Now you ruined handcuffs for me!”

Carlos tightened his grip on TK, forgetting about dinner, and manhandling his boyfriend toward the bedroom.

“No I didn’t,” Carlos growled, and with an excited a squeal, TK agreed.

[danlaw1991]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand Characters: TK Strand, Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star), Tommy Vega (9-1-1 Lone Star), Nancy Gillian (9-1-1 Lone Star) Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Marriage Proposal Summary:

TK’s coming up on six months of sobriety but he wants to remember the occasion for a whole other reason.

[spaghett-onaplate]

down comes the night - a 911 Lone Star fanfic

Six months into being a detective, Carlos feels no closer to solving his father's murder. But his focus changes when he returns home late one night, and the apartment is empty. TK is gone. The only trace left behind is a note, stuck to the door: You have something I want. I have something you want. Let’s make a deal.

Alone and afraid, TK plots his escape from his captors. Desperate to find his husband, Carlos calls in the help of his friends to investigate. But with each twist and turn, the abductors seem to stay one step ahead, dangling TK just out of reach.

The case soon spirals into something even deeper, darker and more dangerous than they could have ever anticipated.

chapter 2 is out now!

[firstprince-history-huh]

Fic Rec Friday!

Tag a fic you read recently and tell everyone (briefly) why you liked it. Spread some love around <3

Thanks for the tag @beautifulhigh @alrightbuckaroo @rmd-writes @apothecarose @just-inside-her 💕

Your First String by @strandnreyes

A college/university Basketball AU

This fic so good & every update in it becomes one of the highlights of my Fridays! I love sports AUs so much!

Turquoise by @paperstorm

This is just so sweet & hot at the same time! That's my favorite kind of smut!

Running Into You by @three-drink-amy

Their first published fic for the LS fandom & I love it so much! Fiancé era Tarlos and/or Tarlos as Husbands are my forever favorites to read!

Fire Island by @carlos-in-glasses

THIS. IS. SO. BEAUTIFUL.

And as I said in my comment for this fic, words are not enough to express how I feel about it.

A Heart with New Skin by @heartstringsduet

I ALWAYS love Louis/Lou ll fics! Lizard shenanigans & bonding is so sweet & hilarious to read! 🦎🦎

Twelve Years by goldentarlos

More Louis/Lou ll family bonding! 🦎🦎

I'm a little late to this so not sure who has done this yet. So an open tag for whoever wants to do this & hasn't been tagged yet!

[otter-love-asl]

Seven Sentence (Or Paragraph) Sunday

9-1-1: Lone Star: Home for the Holidays (Chapter 6)

"You know you could have come and woke us," Carlos reminds her. Nieves doesn't answer, so Carlos continues, "Do you want to wake TK up then we can go and open your presents from Santa?" Nieves nods, climbing onto the bed so she can get to TK. Nieves pokes TK in the shoulder, "TK wake up. It's Christmas." TK mumbles in his sleep, but otherwise doesn't stir. Nieves looks to her tío for help. Carlos grins, "I think you might need the tickle monster's help to wake him," Carlos suggests. Nieves gives her uncle a small smile before turning back to TK, placing her small hand on his side, she starts tickling him. It takes a moment for TK to react, at first he moves in his sleep, trying to get away from Nieves' hands, but then he starts to wake up. He opens one eye to see that Nieves is kneeling in the bed between him and Carlos, leaning over him. He catches Carlos' eye and subtly shakes his head. TK pretends to be asleep and when Nieves moves to go from his side to his neck, he quickly grabs her into his arms and starts tickling her, making her squeal. "Gotcha," he grins. "Is this how she wakes you?" TK asks Carlos. "No, but I'm not a heavy sleeper like you," he responds. "Tío said the tickle monster needed to help wake you," Nieves gets out between her laughter. "Did he now?" TK asks, slowing down his tickling. "Sí, he said that so we can open Santa's presents. It's Christmas and Santa didn't go to Dallas." "Merry Christmas, Nieves." "Merry Christmas, TK!" She hugs him.

[harvestleaves]

Coming Out (Chapter 1)

Prompt: Could you write something where one of Judd's kids (Wyatt, Charlie, an oc, etc) comes out to him? Maybe include him doing research online or talking to the LGBT+ 126 members and friends, basically him going all out and overthinking everything to try to show his kid how much he loves and accepts them. It's up to you, I'd basically just like some fluff with Judd and an LGBT+ kid of his if you could! Thank you!

A/N: I was going to try and make this a one-shot, but it’s going to be a muti-chapter fic, so here’s chapter one.  And send me some chapter recommendations!  You can also read this on Ao3 here.

Rating: General

Word Count: 875

"I'm gay."

To be honest, Judd wasn't all too surprised when Charlie sat him and Grace down a few days before her 14th birthday to tell them her announcement. Grace, as usual, took it in stride, saying she was proud of their daughter, and Judd told her the same, though newfound panic set in as he realized he had no clue how to raise a gay teenager.

The logical part of him knew that there wasn't really going to be anything truly different about Charlie as she started to date people, the main difference being that it was going to be girls he was going to have to tell not to break his baby's heart rather than boys. But despite Austin being a fairly progressive city, he still worried that her life was going to be much more difficult now, and he knew exactly who to call for help.

"Judd? Hey, what's up? Did you want to talk to TK? He's currently trying to get Bella ready for soccer practice," Carlos laughed as he picked up the phone, tucking it between his ear and shoulder as he filled up Bella's water bottle and packed a bag full of snacks for practice, including apple slices, cheese sticks, and granola bars.

"No, well, yes, but I also wanted to talk to you too. Do you guys have some time to talk later? Maybe come over for dinner? Charlie's going to her friend Olivia's house for a sleepover and I wanted to get some advice from the two of you about something," Judd asked, hoping he wasn't rambling too badly.

“Judd, breathe.  Whatever is going on is going to be okay.  We’ll be there.  My mom and sisters wanted to have a girl's night with Bella anyways.  We’ll drop her off and be there around six.  Is that okay?” Carlos asked as he zipped up the cooler, moving to lean against the countertop.

“Yeah, six is great.  Thank you, I’ll see you then,” Judd said before he hung up and went to talk to Charlie, wanting to make sure she was okay with him talking about her announcement with her not-blood uncles.

Judd smiled as he watched Charlie from the doorway to her room, hunched over her desk working on some math homework before her sleepover.  She had grown up so fast, practically in the blink of an eye, and there were many times he saw himself picturing her running around as a three-year-old in a wrinkled princess dress with a fire hat on explaining she wanted to be a firefighting princess that was also a doctor.  She was such a good kid, not jaded by the world yet, and he wanted to keep her safe just a little while longer, it was his most important job.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her doorway before smiling as she looked up, moving to take a seat on her bed to talk.

“Hey, dad, what’s up?” Charlie asked curiously as she set her pencil down on her notebook before turning to give Judd her full attention.

“Hey, kiddo.  TK and Carlos are coming over for dinner while you’re gonna be at your sleepover.  I was hoping to get their advice on raising a gay teen because obviously, they have more experience, having been gay teenagers themselves.  Do I have your permission to talk to them about this?  I just want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to support you and they’re gonna be able to help me help you,” Judd explained gently, not wanting to overwhelm her with everything.

“Oh!  Yeah, that’s fine, I told Uncle TK and Uncle Carlos last week.  They encouraged me to tell you and mom,” Charlie smiled, a giggle slipping past her lips at the surprised look on Judd’s face.

“You told them first?” Judd asked, trying, and failing, to hide the hurt in his voice as he looked from Charlie down to his hands.

“Did I ever say or do anything to make you feel like you couldn’t tell me and your momma?” he asked nervously as he finally brought himself to look at Charlie.

“What?  Dad, no.  You and mom didn’t do anything wrong.  I just wanted to talk to other gay people first and they were the first people I thought of.  I’m sorry if that hurt your feelings,” Charlie said gently as she got up to sit next to Judd on the bed, leaning over to hug him.

“Okay, that makes sense.  I just wanted to make sure,” Judd smiled as he blinked back tears, quickly swiping one from his cheek as he returned Charlie’s hug before he moved to get up.

“Finish your homework, then I’ll drive you over to Olivia’s, TK and Carlos are gonna be here in an hour and a half and I gotta get cooking,” Judd smiled, dropping a kiss to Charlie’s forehead before he headed towards the door.

“Wait, dad?  Thank you, I love you and mom so much,” Charlie beamed as she turned back to her homework.

“I love you too baby girl,” Judd said as he paused in the doorway, before grinning and heading back to the kitchen to start making some chili for dinner with TK and Carlos.

[moviegeek03]

SEE YOU SOON (5/6 TK - MOM FIC)

3k | AO3

Summary: TK has always had a close relationship with Gwyn. She was there for him, more times than he could count, in more ways than he could ever know. But, when he moved to Austin, he gained some more amazing women in his life, ones who always found a way to look out for him when Gwyn wasn’t able to. (Aka: Five times TK was ‘mommed’ by one of the amazing women in his life; plus one time he put their lessons to use for another.)

I know it’s been a bit since I posted a chapter of the “mom fic” but here is Andrea’s chapter, set post ice storm. I’m slowly but surely working my way through WIP’s and wanted to wrap up this one. I’ve loved working on it, and hope to have the final chapter up sooner rather than later. Thanks as always to @marjansmarwani and @lire-casander for the help and support on this chapter. 

He shivered as he woke. His body ached, shaking under the too thin hospital blankets. No – ICU blankets – that covered him. He groaned a bit as he opened his eyes, taking in the sterile surroundings. He’d been there awhile, from what everyone kept telling him. But he only knew of the last day and a half. The rest, he wouldn’t know. And, from what Carlos and Nancy kept saying, maybe he didn’t want to.

Considering how awful he still felt, he didn’t want to really think about how he had been worse. He couldn’t imagine it being worse than this. As it was, he felt like shit. His whole body ached, in that heavy almost leaden way. He felt like the bed could swallow him up, and, he wasn’t sure he would mind that too much right now.

He felt horrible.

He had since he woke up really. He was exhausted, hurting, and so fucking cold.  

He’d been able to mask it when he was with others, especially Carlos. He’d seen the anxiety on the other man’s face, felt the tension as they clung to each other, and practically heard every stuttered breath as he watched over the bed. It made it easier to pretend he was fine. That he wasn’t feeling as wrung out. That he was fine. When he really wasn’t.

“Mr. Strand?”

He startled at the overly loud voice in the room. He glanced up to see a nurse fluttering around the room. Her movements made him dizzy, forcing him to close his eyes and breath deeply through his nose. He coughed some, jarring his busted ribs and sore chest. “Mr. Strand? Are you listening?”

“TK,” he mumbled, trying to breathe through the nausea that started to creep up on him. “Please. It’s just TK.” He trembled as she worked, wincing a little at the pain creeping up on him all the more.

Continued on AO3

[lire-casander]

as the world shifts off its axis

[1,280 words] [teen and up audiences] [beta'ed by the always wonderful @morganaspendragonss. special thanks to @moviegeek03 for her constant support and her hand-holding.] [tk strand] [angst, tk is an unreliable narrator, little to no dialogue, spoilers for s04e01 the new hotness, religious discussion, mentions of recovery]

it seems i'm back for the time being! this story has been written in bits and pieces throughout the day, in between work meetings and arguments with my boss. all in all, i don't think it's taken me over an hour and half to put it together, which is a record for me. religious discussion comes from pope francis' interview to associated press, recovered from the cbs news webpage. i think it could be used to understand where carlos is coming from and his reasons. it's also a way for me to sort through the feelings of being a catholic bisexual woman within this twenty-first-century church.

His fiancé is already married. To a woman — to his best friend. As much as he tries to wrap his head around the fact, he can't.

as the world shifts off its axis

part 8 of as the world whirls

catch up on the series on ao3 | read on ao3

He leans into the wall once he's left on his own. A sigh escapes his lips, a puff of air finding its way into existence. He rubs a hand against his eyes as he tries to make sense of what he's just learned.

There's no way he would have believed it if anyone had told him three years ago.

His fiancé is already married. To a woman — to his best friend. As much as he tries to wrap his head around the fact, he can't.

Carlos Reyes is married to Iris Blake. They've been married for years. They've been married for longer than he's known Carlos. They go way back — back to high school, back to when Carlos needed a mirage of normalcy to get through his days.

As much as he understands the reasons behind Carlos' decision to tie the knot with Iris, it's still a hard pill to swallow. His mind is racing ten miles a second as he thinks about the implications that Carlos' confession has — how their whole life, his whole life in Austin since he decided to take a leap of faith and grab Carlos' hand on top of the Camaro, everything they've built together is now a lie. Has been a lie all this time.

Their love is built on an omission of truth that Carlos has been keeping close to his chest for years.

He can feel anxiety and dread pooling in equal measure in his gut. He takes a deep breath, then another one, but the feeling isn't budging. He can't shake it.

Carlos hadn't told him because he never thought they'd reach a moment when he'd need to come clean. Carlos never thought they'd get past the fun stage of their relationship, they'd never make it to serious stuff like living together or getting engaged.

Carlos never thought a New York firefighter turned paramedic transplant with an opioid problem would be his forever.

There's a staccato tapping grilling his nerves. He looks up from where his eyes have been inspecting the floor to tell Mateo to stop it — because it's always Mateo — only to find out that he's all alone in the dormitory. The bunk beds are aligned in perfect rows, the pillows glaring at him as he searches the room.

His own fingers are abusing the wall behind his back, playing a hard tune to the turmoil that dominates his soul. When he lifts his hand to assess the damage, he can see he's drawn blood from knocking too hard on the wall. He sighs again.

The thoughts keep piling up in heaps of heat and dread in his mind. His soul is torn between the need to understand why Carlos hadn't trusted him with this secret before and the sheer belief that Carlos loves him dearly. But there are underlying issues, things unsaid, that press against everything he's ever known to be true. There's the fear of being left behind; the knowledge that he isn't good enough to be put first, a belief that's tattooed in his soul. But Carlos has proven, once and again, that he doesn't care about anything but their happiness. Sure, there's been a few bumps along the way.

But love has trumped them all.

Still, he's married. To a woman. A small, tiny detail that Carlos could have disclosed before — when they first moved in together, when he bought a loft and put both their names in the deed, when he said yes at 3:18 in the morning. He chose not to.

Carlos purposefully kept him in the dark about his past.

He isn’t sure how they’ll be able to come back from that. If there’s a way back from a lie like this one.

The television is on when he reaches the open common room. Mateo is tinkering with the remote until he settles for a news channel, where the anchorwoman is unveiling a recent interview with Pope Francis, who apparently has something to say about gays.

Paul watches him as he enters the space and flops himself down on the couch. “Pope Francis has called laws criminalizing homosexuality fundamentally unfair, since being homosexual is not a crime,” the blond woman is reading from the cue in front of her. “However, he remains unmoving in the fact that engaging in homosexual activities is sinful, and same-sex unions are still out of the question in the Catholic Church because God cannot bless sin.”

“Nonsense,” Judd mutters under his breath. His voice is thick with disbelief. “How come homosexuality is not a crime, but is it a sin?”

And then, in just seven words, his world is upended.

Homosexuality is not a crime, but it is a sin.

There's a finality in those words, a sense of supremacy that fills all the spaces in his soul that could have been open to listening. He's Jewish — albeit not really observing, not anymore even though he's been trying to do better since his mom passed away — so he doesn't have to fold into what some old man at the Vatican preaches to his Catholic followers. But Carlos does.

Carlos has been listening to what Catholic Popes have been preaching his whole life. And those Catholic priests and religious minds have repeatedly told him, in no uncertain terms, that the way he was — the way he is — is a sin. There's nothing worse than going to Hell, he knows that. He closes his eyes, his knuckles white around the chip he's recently earned during his group therapy, as he searches for calmness.

No doubt Carlos thought there wasn't any other way around to normalcy. His parents hadn't acknowledged his identity when he'd come out to them. His Church considered — still considers — him to be unworthy of Heaven because of who he loves. Iris Blake had been his only option at having a somewhat normal life; she'd been someone Carlos had cared deeply for, his best friend in his own words. His fiancé had been lost and had felt unsafe for most of his life; he'd thought he'd had a chance at happiness that way.

And then Iris had disappeared. And, with her, Carlos' opportunity to be deserving of salvation according to his upbringing.

"You okay?" he hears Judd asking, voice muffled by the hammering of his own heart against his ribcage. "Brother?"

He manages to nod slightly. He opens his eyes to a different show on the screen, to Mateo flirting unashamedly with Nancy, to Paul and Marjan teasing them endlessly.

"I am," he whispers, smiling softly at Judd.

He will be, he's sure of that.

Because, despite everything, Carlos chose him. Despite the struggles, despite him always running away, despite Carlos' fear of rejection from his own family, they've remained strong. Even through the worst breakup of his whole life — and he's had a few, including the one that led him to Austin and eventually to Carlos — their love has been the beacon guiding him through the darkness.

He can't shake his own pain and his abandonment issues that have flared up in the span of a few minutes. He isn't supposed to.

That's why he picks up his phone and shoots a quick text to Cooper, a simple convo after meeting tonight?

And that's why he swipes at the screen until he finds the dream venue contact info and presses the dial button. Once the call is picked up, he says in the steadiest voice he can muster, "This is TK Strand. You called my fiancé earlier today. I'm calling to confirm that we're taking the date. Eight weeks from now."

There should be enough time, he hopes. After all, love should conquer everything, in the end.

[thevenstar]

what you see will be

pairing: TK/Carlos | words: 64k

“Greece, uh?”

TK doesn’t specify. He doesn’t point out that it’s an island, hours away from where the plane will leave him. He doesn’t tell him that the name – Varco – is one he never heard before; didn’t even know it existed, until he saw it scribbled black on white.

He doesn’t tell him how much he likes the word, like it came out of a fairy-tale. Owen would probably think him foolish, and TK is not sure he would be wrong.

So he just smiles, bites his lip to smother it a bit: keep it leveled, secure. For now. “Yeah.”

(An island filled with legends, a son with a path to build or just return to, and a house that waited. A story about patience, courage and a love that grants wishes as shooting stars do: all it takes is belief.)

[phoebenpiperx]

Date Night: Carlos’s Favorite Movie

a 9-1-1: Lone Star fanfic

read the entire thing on ao3

“Hey, babe, I’ve been thinking.”

That was never a good thing! But Carlos bit his lip and turned back towards the stove, pretending he was too busy prepping dinner to respond.

TK continued, “We’re getting married soon, and tonight’s date night, and did you know it just occurred to me TODAY that I don’t even know your favorite movie?”

That was not how Carlos had expected that sentence to end. “What?”

“Yeah, like how weird is it that we’ve never even DISCUSSED what our favorite movies are?”

Carlos shrugged, pointing out, “That topic’s usually covered on the first date.”

“Not OUR first date,” TK joked, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he admitted, “We were...uh...otherwise occupied.”

Carlos couldn’t help but smile at the memory, the two of them practically breaking down the door in their eagerness to hook up. That first time felt like a lifetime ago...and yet Carlos still felt the same thrill every time he and his boyfriend—correction: soon-to-be husband—touched.

“So anyway,” TK went on, obviously having been momentarily lost in the memory himself, “I was thinking that maybe THAT’S how we should spend our date night.”

Carlos grinned, walking around the kitchen island and wrapping his arms around his fiancé. “Sounds good to me,” he agreed, pulling TK close for a passionate kiss.

When their lips finally parted, TK asked, “So what is it?”

Carlos frowned, confused. “What is what?”

“Your favorite movie. What are we watching tonight?”

Carlos’s hands dropped from his boyfriend’s shoulders as he took a step back. Sure, he was disappointed that this sexy creature in front of him wasn’t suggesting an evening of passionate lovemaking, but the question now being asked was practically a cold shower in itself.

continue reading on ao3

[walkinginland]

Shuffle Drabble #5

it's Tarlos this week! have some season 1 Carlos pining 🥺 song is Delta Rae's "Hey, Hey, Hey"

Carlos told himself he wasn’t going to do this. He was not going to stand here moon-eyed, begging this boy to give him the time of day.

TK was a tangled ball of confidence and sparkling eyes and talented hands and a fear buried so deep it looked like indifference. TK had surely not meant to tangle Carlos up in those threads – and yet here Carlos was. Here he was, decidedly failing to keep his heart unattached.

Tonight – he promised himself, answering a u up? text at 11pm – tonight he would keep the distance he needed.

He would.

He lied.

full series on ao3 here

[remorsefulkittens]

Dosed

TK Strand/Carlos Reyes (Tarlos)

Rating: General Audiences

Status: Complete (3,069 words)

@911bingo Square: Delirium

Summary: Plagued by a head cold, Carlos takes too much cold medicine and delirium results…

Read on Ao3

[danlaw1991]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand Characters: TK Strand, Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star) Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together Summary:

Carlos wakes up in the night to TK stealing all the blankets.

[fitzsimp]

i am ready to THROW HANDS with whoever is fucking up ao3 rn

ao3 volunteers ily thank u for ur service