#And T.K. is freaking out

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: T.K. and T.K. possible and potential parallels

Taylor Kelly vs. Tommy Kinard

I've been thinking about the "possible and potential parallels" between Taylor Kelly and Tommy Kinard all day and I believe their similarities go far beyond their initials.

Since the new stills for 7x4 are now available, I think I may know where one of the "You don't know me"'s from the title of episode 7x5 may come from.

I did a post about Buck saying "You don't even know me" in 2x8 (linked here) and I think there's going to be several people saying it to someone in 7x5 and one of them might be Eddie saying it to Tommy. At first I didn't think it sounded like something he would say but now I do think he would especially if it's about Buck.

Back to the regularly scheduled program...

Last week I rewatched the begins episodes for Chimney, Hen and Bobby (post linked here) and I was reminded of how horribly Tommy treated Chimney and Hen when they first arrived at the 118. He wasn't really rude to Bobby (his best friend Sal DeLuca was) but Tommy transferred to the 217 not long after Bobby transferred in.

Reminder, Tommy and Chimney are "supposed" to be friends and Chimney called him in 2x14 to help the 118 with the neighborhood fire in Doheny Park. But it's interesting because in 7x4, Eddie's the one who will be hanging out with Tommy but Chimney will be the one who invites Buck to play basketball with them 👀.

Before I continue, I have to include something Hen said in 3x16 while the 118 was playing pool in the firehouse.

Buck had just met Red and he was freaking out about how the firefighters from Red's former firehouse left him behind (Actually, he was really freaking out about himself but reminder, Eddie had already taken care of that when he changed his will after 3x15). He went on to explain how Red was living in a one bedroom apartment that he paid for with his pension. Sound familiar? It should because Buck lives in a one bedroom apartment and he's single 👀.

After some discussion about them keeping in touch with each other if someone left, transferred or if Bobby retires, Eddie asked Chimney and Hen, "Like you two. You still keep in touch with the guys who used to be here, right?" but Hen responded, "Um... I don't know if we'd call some of them friends". Then Chimney said he called Tommy for a favor the year before but he never called him back.

In 7x3, Hen still side eyed Tommy and she didn't trust him but she went along with it to save Bobby and Athena. Also, Chimney wasn't shown calling Tommy to ask him for help, they were already there when she arrived.

Why is this important?

Well, what if Tommy DIDN'T really change and he's still the same person he was years ago just like Taylor DIDN'T change? Reminder, the show made it seem like she was redeemed but she really wasn't.

In 5x18, she told Buck "You knew who I was when you started dating me" and the truth is, he did.

So what if...

Tommy shows his true colors to Eddie and says something about Buck and Tommy ends up being the same jerk he was towards Hen and Chimney years earlier? If so and Eddie realizes Tommy is not the cool new friend he thought he was, then he just might tell him "You don't know me or Buck". Reminder, Eddie hasn't had a lot of friends and I said it before that him and Marisol might just be friends and they aren't seriously dating (post linked here).

I just think it's interesting that Tommy and Taylor BOTH HAD TROUBLED PASTS with the 118 during season 2 and they're both being paralleled with Buck and Eddie and they are/were supposedly their friends.

Another reminder, Taylor always wanted to throw the 118 under the bus and she finally did in 5x17 with the Jonah story so maybe Tommy hasn't changed at all. Or maybe he has but he's still holding onto some frustrations or animosities towards Hen, Chimney and Bobby, especially if he's still cool with Sal.

The point of this post is, I don't think it's a coincidence that Taylor and Tommy have the same initials, troubled pasts with the 118 and they're both connected to Buck and Eddie.

Eddie loves Buck to his CORE and they're in love with each other! Therefore he won't hesitate to tell Tommy to get the hell on if he says something negative about Buck.

Will Tommy Kinard show his true colors before the end of 7x5? Only the showrunner, writers and producers know the answer to that question.

[chicgeekgirl89]

Rating: T Characters: Carlos Reyes and T.K. Strand Summary: In the early days of their budding relationship, T.K. and Carlos discover some of each other's more adorable characteristics. Or, five times T.K. learns adorable things about Carlos and one time Carlos learns something adorable about T.K. A/N: Thanks to @bluenet13 for the title help on this one. It's been on the back burner for a while and it was time for it to fly free. Also working on a reverse 5+1 companion for it, so keep your eyes open for that...someday... Tagging: This is more than seven sentences, but please accept it anyway. Thanks to @strandnreyes, @bonheur-cafe, @carlos-in-glasses, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @ladytessa74, and @lemonlyman-dotcom. Tagging @liminalmemories21, @welcometololaland, @carlos-tk, @louis-ii-reyes-strand, @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad, and anyone else who would like to share your Seven Sentence Sunday! Read on AO3

Glasses

T.K. is brushing his teeth in Carlos’ bathroom. Usually his daily oral hygiene wouldn’t be a notable event, but today it feels monumental. Because it’s Carlos’ bathroom. And T.K. is brushing his teeth. Because he’s staying over. Because they’re together. Like really together. Officially. 

He smiles goofily at his reflection in the mirror, his mouth still full of white paste and toothbrush. He’s happy. Really, truly, deeply happy.

He opens up Carlos’ medicine cabinet one handed as he continues brushing away and realizes that while he remembered to bring a razor he did not remember to bring shaving cream. “Hey babe,” he calls around his mouthful as he turns around and pokes his head back into the bedroom, “can I borrow—“

His eyes find Carlos on the bed and he immediately chokes on his toothpaste and has to rush back to the sink to spit it out. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before turning and marching back through the open doorway. 

Carlos looks at him, amusement on his face. “You okay over there?”

“Since when do you wear glasses?”

Because he is. Carlos is sitting in his bed, shirtless, hair soft and wildly curly after his shower, a paperback in his hands, and a pair of glasses on his face. Glasses that T.K. has definitely never seen before in his life. Glasses that are kind of knocking the wind out of him.

“Since the fourth grade?” Carlos says. 

“But I’ve never…you’ve never worn them when I’ve been here.”

“I haven’t?” Carlos scrunches up his nose in thought and it makes him even more freaking adorable. “Are you sure?”

“I think I would remember my boyfriend morphing into Clark fucking Kent,” T.K. retorts.

Carlos chuckles. “I only wear them at night when my contacts start bothering me.”

“You should wear them more often.” The words are out of T.K.’s mouth before he even realizes it. He feels wildly out of control of himself right now and who could blame him? His already incredibly fucking hot boyfriend now looks like an incredibly fucking hot librarian and it is making T.K. think some very, VERY dirty thoughts.

Carlos raises his eyebrows. “Why?” A slow, lazy, self-satisfied smile spreads across his  face. “You think they’re sexy?”

“God yes.”

T.K. is across the room in two seconds flat, scrambling onto the bed and pulling Carlos’ face to his for a bruising kiss. Carlos immediately drops his book and responds in kind, mouth open and inviting as his hands grip T.K.’s hips and pull him close. “You called me your boyfriend,” he says when they finally break apart for air.

“I did,” T.K. says, diving back in for another taste of Carlos in glasses. It’s completely different than regular Carlos. It’s nerdy. And hot. He loves it.

“You’ve never called me your boyfriend before,” Carlos says breathlessly, grinning so wide it’s like the sun has come out. “I like it.”

T.K. grins back at him. “Me too.”

Socks

“Oh my god,” Carlos says as T.K. collapses onto his chest and presses kisses into his sweat sticky skin. “How does it just keep getting better?”

“Because we’re amazing,” T.K. mumbles against his pecs, his eyes already heavy with sleep. “So. Freaking. Amazing.”

He takes a few breaths and feels his body relaxing as sleep pulls him down. He snuggles deeper into Carlos’ chest, eyes drifting shut. He’s nearly out when he feels Carlos shift beneath him.

“Where are you going?” he asks, tightening his hold on Carlos’ torso to keep him from moving.

“I’ll be right back. I just need to put some socks on,” Carlos says, pressing a kiss to his hair. 

T.K.’s eyes pop back open and he props himself up to look at Carlos’ face. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m going to put some socks on,” Carlos repeats.

Things still aren’t computing in T.K.’s brain. “…why?” he finally asks slowly.

“Because if we’re going to sleep I need to wear socks.”

He was looking for clarity, but now he’s even more confused. “I don’t understand.”

“What is there to understand? I’m putting socks on to go to bed,” Carlos says, looking equally as confused.

“But…why?”

“Because otherwise I might catch a cold,” Carlos says with a laugh, gently pushing T.K. off so he can get to his feet.

T.K. blinks a couple times trying to get his bearings and then rolls over, sitting up with the sheet wrapped around his waist. “That is not how colds work. Like not even close.”

Carlos returns and sits on the bed to pull his socks on. “I know that,” he says.

“And yet you’re still putting the socks on,” T.K. says.

“My mom always made us wear socks to bed when we were kids.”

“Is she coming over?” T.K. asks incredulously.

“No.”

“Then why are you wearing them?!”

“Because she always made us!”

T.K. takes a breath. “Let me get this straight. You are going to get into this bed with me, fully naked, except for socks that you’re going to wear because your mom made you do it when you were seven?”

Carlos pauses. “Well when you say it like that it sounds stupid.”

“Your words, not mine.”

“I just like it okay? I’ve done it forever. I can’t sleep without them,” Carlos says defensively as he slides back into bed beside T.K. “Is this some kind of a dealbreaker for you?”

“Nope,” T.K. says. “Just trying to understand. If wearing socks to bed is what does it for you, then by all means wear the socks.”

“Thank you,” Carlos says, giving him a peck on the lips and turning out the light before pulling T.K. close and snuggling in to go to sleep.

T.K. gets comfortable and closes his eyes, but he can’t stop the thoughts running through his mind in the dark and quiet of the room. He sits up and turns the light back on. “I really need you to tell me that you understand that you can’t catch a cold from not wearing socks though.”

Romance

T.K. loves being in Carlos’ condo without him. He likes it better when Carlos is around obviously. But he feels so special that Carlos has given him a key and invited him to share his space. It means he trusts T.K. enough to let him be here alone where it’s peaceful and calm, unlike his dad’s house which somehow feels crowded even though there are only two of them there most of the time.

Carlos’ place feels more like home than anywhere else has in a long time.

He takes his shoes off when he arrives and dutifully puts them away, then grabs a mineral water and a yogurt out of the fridge before collapsing onto Carlos’ couch. “Ouch,” he says with a frown as something pokes into his back from behind the throw pillow.

He reaches behind him and pulls out a book. It’s not unusual to find books around the condo, Carlos is a big reader, but the brightly colored cover on this one makes T.K. pause and raise his eyebrows. The Spanish Love Deception is the title and when he flips it over to read the back he learns that Catalina Martín is in desperate need of a date for her sister’s wedding and her mortal enemy at work seems to be her only option.

He’s rifling through the pages when the door opens and Carlos walks in. “Hey,” he says, smiling as his eyes meet T.K.’s. “When did you get in?”

“Like fifteen minutes ago,” T.K. tells him as Carlos slips off his shoes and then comes over to press a kiss to his lips. “I found this behind the throw pillow.”

He holds up the romance novel and Carlos takes it from him. “Francesca must have left it here,” he says, referring to his sister. “Looks like her kind of book. I’ll text her and let her know you found it it.”

T.K. doesn’t think about it again for a couple of weeks until one night when his dad cancels their dinner plans and he spontaneously heads to Carlos’ instead. “Hey, it’s me!” he calls as he pushes the door open.

“T.K.?” Carlos appears at the top of the stairs, one hand behind his back, looking a little frazzled. “I thought you were going to dinner with your dad.”

“He bailed,” T.K. says, adjusting his overnight bag on his shoulder as he takes the stairs two at a time, giving Carlos a peck on his lips when he reaches him. “You okay?” he asks, taking in the weird expression on his boyfriend’s face.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Carlos says, even as a minor amount of panic is flickering through his eyes. “I just didn’t know you were coming.”

T.K. looks him up and down. “Do you have some other guy in your bedroom?”

“What?! No!” Carlos says quickly.

“Were you watching porn?”

“Of course not!” Carlos says, but there’s a deep blush rising up in his cheeks. 

“What’s behind your back?” T.K. reaches for him, but Carlos steps away out of his reach.

“It’s nothing,” he says.

T.K. raises his eyebrows in amusement. “You know you are so freaking bad at lying, right?”

“Can we just drop it?” Carlos asks, desperation creeping into his voice.

T.K. takes a step forward so that Carlos is forced to back into the wall and then reaches around him and plucks the hidden object from his fingers. It’s another book, the cover bright blue with the title The American Roommate Experiment on the front. T.K. recognizes the name of the author as the same one from the book he found behind the couch cushions and his eyebrows rise. “Oh. You were reading porn.”

“It’s not porn,” Carlos says. “It’s a book.”

“Are you telling me there’s no sex in this book?”

“I…don’t know yet,” Carlos says, dropping his eyes. “I haven’t gotten that far.”

Delight is spiraling through T.K. as he fully realizes what’s going on. “That was your book a couple weeks ago. Not your sister’s.” He can feel his eyes start to sparkle with mischief. “You like smutty romance novels.”

“I don’t like them because they’re smutty,” Carlos says quickly. “I like them because…I like them.”

“You like them because you’re a big old softy romantic,” T.K. says, poking him gently in the chest. “Do you watch Hallmark Christmas movies too?”

The silence that follows tells him all he needs to know. “You do,” T.K. says happily. He could not be more thrilled about this new discovery.

“I grew up with four sisters,” Carlos defends himself.

“Please tell me you read Fifty Shades.”

“I would never,” Carlos scoffs. “Those books are not an accurate depiction of the BDSM community.”

“Oh my god you’re adorable,” T.K. tells him. 

“No, I’m, no don’t call me that,” Carlos says, clearly embarrassed.

“You are,” T.K. tells him, wrapping his arms around Carlos’ waist. “You are the most adorable boyfriend the world has ever seen.”

“Are you going to let this go, or is this something you’re going to talk about forever?” Carlos asks.

“Mmm definitely the second thing,” T.K. says as Carlos sighs with long suffering. “Now how about you take me to your bedroom and teach me some of the things you’ve learned from these books?”

Scaredy Cat

Sharing new things with each other has become a complete delight for T.K. So when he finds out that Carlos has never seen a single one of the Halloween movies, he declares the need for a marathon during the month of October and immediately goes over to his dad’s to dig out his DVD’s. No way is he dealing with ads breaking up the masterpiece that is Michael Myers. 

He’s popped popcorn, pulled out all the throw blankets, and even gone so far as to make up a bloody looking mocktail to really get them in the spirit of the movies. Now he’s just eagerly awaiting Carlos who has gone out to fetch their pizza.

He’s pulling down plates from the cupboard (Carlos refuses to eat pizza straight out of the box like they’re “college frat bros”) when the door opens and his boyfriend returns, pizza in hand. 

“Perfect timing!” T.K. says, eagerly taking the box from him and handing him the gory looking cocktail in return. 

“Oh, wow,” Carlos says. “This is…something.”

“I found a recipe online,” T.K. tells him excitedly as he dishes out pizza slices onto plates. “I thought they would be fun!”

“So creative,” Carlos says, poking at the gummy eyeballs that T.K. ordered online and added for extra pizzazz.

“Okay,” T.K. says as they settle onto the couch, his excitement at an eleven. “So, John Carpenter and Debra Hill wrote this in like ten days, which is crazy, and Carpenter got paid ten thousand dollars to write, direct, and score it. They built a cinematic masterpiece, the go-to film for horror, and they did it in ten days for ten thousand dollars. Can you even believe that?”

“Sure can’t,” Carlos says with a shake of his head. 

“We’re starting with the original Halloween,” T.K. tells him as he flicks on the television. “1963, Michael Myers versus a bunch of teenage girls. We’ll skip a few in the middle, Halloween: Resurrection isn’t worth anybody’s time, and while Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers does feature a young, fresh faced Paul Rudd, it has too many flaws to be worth watching.”

“So we’re skipping two out of…”

“Thirteen,” T.K. tells him.

“I guess I should have taken the month off of work,” Carlos tells him, sending him an odd, tense sort of smile.

Come to think of it, Carlos’ whole body feels a little tense too. If T.K. didn’t know any better, he’d think Carlos was nervous. But he chalks it up to worry over getting pizza grease on the couch and hits play as he snuggles into his boyfriend’s side.

They’re still snuggled together as Michael takes a knife to his teenage sister and T.K. doesn’t miss the way Carlos stiffens even further over the bloody scene. Or the way he seems to get more and more tense as the movie progresses. “You want another drink?” T.K. asks after Michael murders the Wallace’s dog.

Carlos shakes his head, his lips pressed together in a firm line, eyes a little wider than normal as he stares at the screen. He gasps audibly when Michael appears in Annie’s car and when T.K. looks down he finds that Carlos is gripping the edge of the couch cushions so hard that his knuckles are going white. 

By the time Michael starts going after Laurie, Carlos’ breathing has gone rapid and T.K. carefully slips his fingers under the edge of his sleeve to find his pulse racing. Not a surprise given the contents of the movie, but Carlos’ face has gone almost white and and he’s sitting so rigidly T.K. is afraid all of his muscles are going to lock up. 

“Carlos,” he says quietly, but Carlos doesn’t respond, eyes glued to the screen, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallows hard.

“Carlos, are you okay?” T.K. asks again, reaching for the remote.

He’s too late. Michael appears out of nowhere and Carlos jumps to his feet with a shout, hands going to his hips as he paces a couple agitated steps back and forth. 

T.K. finally gets his finger on the button to pause the movie. “Carlos, hey, look at me,” T.K. says, feeling legitimately concerned.

“No I—it’s fine. I’m fine,” Carlos says, hand making chopping motions as if he’s trying to convince himself as much as T.K. “Go ahead, turn it back on. I’ll just um, I’m just going to—“

“You’re shaking like a leaf,” T.K. says.

“No I’m—it’s good,” Carlos says even as a car honks outside and he flinches violently.

“It’s not fine,” T.K. says. “You hate it. Let’s watch something else.”

“We can finish—“

“Carlos, you look like you think Michael is coming after you personally. We’re not watching anymore,” T.K. says with a chuckle, using the remote to flip over to live TV, Bobby Flay declaring loudly that he will not be beaten at his own culinary game this time.

“Thank you,” Carlos sighs, collapsing back into the couch.

“When were you going to tell me you hate horror movies?” T.K. asks.

“Never,” Carlos says, running a hand through his hair. “You were so excited and I thought maybe it would be okay.”

“But?”

“I begged my parents to let me watch It with my sisters when I was ten. I didn’t sleep for like a month after that and ever since…” he shivers, “I just don’t get why people like them.”

“It’s pretty cute you know,” T.K. says with a fond smile. “My big tough police officer being scared of horror movies.”

“Cute or pathetic?” Carlos says with a roll of his eyes, finally starting to look like himself again now that it’s vegetables being chopped up instead of people.

“Cute,” T.K. tells him definitively, pulling him close. “Now come here. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”

Paparazzi

The radio is blaring when T.K. walks in from his shift, so loud that for a second he thinks he’s walked into the wrong condo. A quick glance around reveals that no, this is indeed Carlos’ place, although there’s no sign of Carlos anywhere, and it takes him another moment to realize the music is actually coming from upstairs.

He climbs the staircase, the music getting louder with each step and by the time he’s reached the top it’s changed from something in Spanish to Lady Gaga and is blasting so loudly that it feels like he’s at a live performance rather than in his boyfriend’s bedroom.

That’s when he finally hears the singing. Not Gaga herself, although she’s hard to ignore. No. Someone is belting out the lyrics from behind the bathroom door, slightly out of tune, but with the most passion T.K. has ever heard.

He opens the door quietly, the sound intensifying as the spray of the shower joins the fray. 

“I’M YOUR BIGGEST FAN, I’LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE ME! PAPA-PAPARAZZI!” Carlos bellows from behind the semi-frosted glass of the shower door.

T.K. crosses his arms and leans against the wall, a grin on his face as he watches the blurry silhouette of his naked boyfriend scrubbing away at his hair while he sings along. He makes it through the rest of the chorus and another verse before he turns around and lets out a yell. “Jesus Christ!”

The water turns off immediately followed quickly by the music as T.K. laughs. Carlos opens the shower door, poking his sopping wet head out. “What the hell? How long have you been standing there?” he says, clearly torn between fury and embarrassment.

“Long enough,” T.K. says, handing him a towel before returning to his position against the wall, watching appreciatively as Carlos pulls it around his waist and steps out, water glistening on his skin.

“You realize that’s really fucking creepy, right?” Carlos asks as he double checks that his towel is secure.

“I can’t believe you didn’t invite me to the concert,” T.K. says fully aware that he is smirking and enjoying every second of watching Carlos squirm.

“Yeah, well, there’s a reason for that,” Carlos says, looking down at the floor, his cheeks flushed from more than the heat of his shower.

“Do you always sing in the shower?”

“No.” But he doesn’t meet T.K.’s gaze when he says it.

“Yes,” T.K. says gleefully. “Why don’t you ever sing when I’m here?”

“Because some things are better left in private,” Carlos tells him with a glower.

“Babe, come on,” T.K. says, taking a step forward and putting his hands on Carlos’ hips just above where the towel is sitting. “I love knowing stuff like this about you. It makes me feel like you’re mine. I get to see these little parts of Carlos Reyes that other people don’t.” He quirks an eyebrow. “Unless you also put on performances in the precinct showers.”

“Definitely not,” Carlos scoffs. His hands come up to rest on T.K.’s biceps. “You really don’t think it’s weird? I know I’m not a good singer.”

T.K. kisses the tip of his nose. “It doesn’t matter. It makes you happy. And that’s all I care about.”

+ 1: Ticklish

Waking up with T.K. had been his dream for months, but he wasn’t completely surprised when it turned out not to be a reality. It turns out T.K. doesn’t wake up with anyone. In fact he barely wakes up at all. He has to be dragged out of bed and plied with coffee and a shower before he’s even remotely functional. 

When questioned about how he can wake up and immediately go to work when the alarm bells go off at the fire station, T.K. looks at him like he’s crazy and says, “That’s different.”

So Carlos contents himself with waking up beside T.K., pressing a kiss to whatever part of him is poking out from under the blankets, and then greeting him more officially when he finally stumbles out of bed usually an hour or two after Carlos.

He’s just finished his workout when he hears T.K.’s alarm going off followed quickly by a muffled thud as T.K. predictably sends his phone flying to floor in his attempts to turn it off.

Carlos smiles and wipes a towel across his forehead before stowing away his weights and jogging back upstairs. T.K. is buried under the blankets, only the top of his head poking out. “Morning,” Carlos says softly, bending over to kiss his forehead.

T.K. reaches up and catches his arm, tugging him downward. “Come back to bed,” he mumbles. 

“I’m all sweaty,” Carlos says with a laugh. “I need to go take a shower.”

“No staaay,” T.K. groans, tugging more insistently.

Carlos rolls his eyes but he concedes, sitting down on the mattress and pulling the blanket down enough to reveal T.K.’s face. “Are you going to get up?”

“It’s our day off,” T.K. tells him, eyes still tightly shut.

“It is.” Carlos leans closer, a fond smile on his face. “And if you don’t get up soon it will be over.”

He pokes T.K. in the ribs good-naturedly and immediately receives a sharp backhand across the face. “Ow!” he yells, rearing back and clutching his nose. “T.K. what the fuck?!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” T.K. yelps, and Carlos can feel him scrambling to get upright in the tangle of their sheets. “Oh my god! Are you okay? Let me see!”

He reaches for Carlos’ face, but Carlos pulls back. His nose feels like it’s been smashed into a thousand pieces, but he rubs at it experimentally and it seems to be intact. Another check shows no blood on his fingers, so he’s probably all right, but damn. It hurts. “What the hell was that for?” he asks grouchily, sending T.K. a glare.

T.K. looks sheepishly down at the sheets. “Um, well, I might be just a little bit ticklish?”

Carlos blinks at him. “No you’re not.”

T.K.’s forehead wrinkles in confusion. “Yes I am?”

“T.K. we’ve been together for like four months. I would know if you were ticklish.” He knows T.K.’s body intimately. Where he can touch to make him moan, to make him gasp, to make him arch his back. If T.K. were ticklish, it would have been revealed long before now. 

“It’s just that one spot on the left side of my ribs,” T.K. tells him. “If your hands start to go there I just take them and move them somewhere else. You’ve never noticed?”

Huh. Carlos sits with that for a second replaying as many of their sexual encounters as he can remember. “I guess…I guess not. Why did you hit me though?” he asks with a frown.

“Ah.” T.K. blushes. “I always move your hands because I can get a little…violent when I get tickled. It’s kind of a panic response.”

“And instead of telling me this you just waited for me to discover it by accident and nearly broke my nose in the process?”

“I kind of forgot honestly. It’s just become a habit to move your hands,” T.K. tells him.

Carlos snorts out a laugh. “Oh my god.”

“Oh my god what?” T.K. asks warily.

“Oh my god…that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Carlos says, full on laughing now. 

T.K.’s face breaks into a smile and runs his tongue over his bottom lip. “It is kind of dumb.”

Carlos leans forward and cups his chin, pulling him in for a real kiss. “You’re cute,” he says. “You and your ridiculous ticklish spot.”

“You’re cute too,” T.K. says, then wrinkles his nose. “But you kind of stink.”

“Oh I do?”

“Yeah you do.”

Carlos wraps his arms around T.K. while he yells in protest, holding him tightly as they fall onto the mattress together. It’s disgustingly adorable. And Carlos wouldn’t trade it for the world.  

[sapphicbookclub]

How To Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy

Shay Johnson has all the makings of a successful witch. Now that she's a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, she's one step closerto winning the full-ride Brockton Scholarship--her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her main competition? Ana freaking Alvarez. The key to victory? Impressing Mr. B, drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee.

When Mr. B persuades Shay to star in this year's aggressively inclusive, racially diverse musical--at their not-quite-diverse school--she agrees, wearily, even though she'll have to put up with Ana playing the other lead. But with rehearsals underway, Shay realizes Ana is...not the despicable witch she'd thought. Perhaps she could even be a friend--or more. And Shay could use someone in her corner once she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr. B's unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she's not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she'll come forward. But how can she speak out when the scholarship--and her future--are on the line?

Genres: urban fantasy, romance

Order from Blackwell's and get free worldwide shipping!

Listen to the book on audiobooks.com here!

[maleyhae]

DADS GOTHIC PRINCESS t.k x fem!reader

Dad! Tom x goth! Reader

Summary- in the ask I had for this!

Warning-none besides reader being called a freak

Yesterday's post<3

I don't consent to my work being copied, translated, or posted on any other website thank you<3

A/N- if this is rushed sorry I waited till it was 10 pm to write this and my computer died mid way😭 also based off me and my dad because i love my dad

3rd person:

Ever since April 2023 everyone has been thirsting over you dad. Did it get you friends yes but God it was annoying! But it didn't bother you as people said your dad was a shitty person because they didn't know what he's done for you since your mom left you because of y'all being too much. But it didn't hurt you. You had your dad, uncle bill who you would go shopping with as he was good with 'emo' and gothic as your dad said, Uncle Georg who you would hang out with on weekends while your dad and Hedi Klum went out you loved her like a mother., and Uncle Gustav who you would babysit your cousin and as a payment you got taught gatauir.

YOUR POV:

It was a weekend you and your dad hanged out. You got ready did your make-up and your dad came int your bathroom and said, "Clown world honk honk." It was a daily thing he did no hard feelings y'all called each other names and laughed. Thats all yall could do as yall only had each other. Till one day you mother came by asking for custody of you? WHAT? Y'all went to court and since you were above 13 you got to choose who you wanted to stay with. You choose your dad. "I love you sweety thank you for choosing me" my dad said crying as for some weird ass reason he thought you would choose her after the man who raised you for 17 years!? "I love you to daddy (not in a weird way you fucking weirdo) I'd you choose you over anyone." I said.

Always daddys baby even if you were 17.

A/N- Sorry anon if this isn't what you want I will re-do it if needed I have to work on day 6!!! love yall

[musictheatrenerd16]

911 lone star: If Owen had a daughter that was in glee club or in musical theater

Summary : the title

warnings : female reader

You are the half sister of T.K so you have different moms

you didn't really grow up with your dad until your mom had suddenly passed away from a freak car accident

you were in the hospital for a couple of days and were forced to move to Austin with your brother and dad.

when you first got home or "home" you were quiet you unpacked your things and stayed in your room.

thing were very awkward at first

there were days that you didn't come out pf your room until your dad and T.K made you come out eat and go to the station with them

your dad had put you in a local high school

the first week you were there you didn't make any friends

until you came across a sign up sheet for an after school club where you sing and dance

you had auditioned that day and the next day you were in the group

days were going by and you had made new friends the whole group were your friends and you were finally happy or at least happier then you were a few weeks ago

your dad and T.K were noticing

a performance was coming up and you wanted to invite them but thought they would be too busy since they are first responders

turns out your friends had done that for you (Mercedes and Quinn because they were friendship goals)

you were on stage and you could see your t.k, Carlos and your dad in the front row

they bought you flowers for after your performance 🥹

T.K and Carlos hugged you telling you, "sis you have got some talent there" Carlos agreeing "you can do that but you couldn't talk to me for the first time we met"

then your dad kissed the top of your forehead

"that's my girl, I am so proud of you"

lets just say you loved your family more than ever

[scenezfreak]

BRO PLS HEAR ME OUT… PLEASE DO FLUFF HEADCANONS FOR LIU AND JEFF WITH A PREGNANT READER

OMGG??? BETTTT IM- ✍️

JEFF AND LIU WITH A PREGNANT

S/O !!! FLUFF

JEFF T.K

• when he’s finds out you’re pregnant he literally freaks out but he feels so proud

• You’re carrying HIS child and he can’t fathom it…

• Will protect you even if it’s the smallest thing, stubbed your toe? He’s scolding whatever you hit your toe on. WONT EVEN LET YOU COOK BECAUSE HE DOESNT WANT YOU TO ACCIDENTALLY HURT YOURSELF.

• Hisses at anyone who comes near you-

• Will rub your belly when he thinks you’re asleep and speaks to the baby

• if you wake up and ask him abt it he’ll blush and turn over and sleep

• Steals stuff for the baby because LORDDDDD are the baby stuff expensive nowadays

• He’d probably teach his kid knife tricks 💀

• Would make him and his kid match outfits fr

• When you’re pregnant he probably looks at you and just adores you, of course he did before but it’s more noticeable now

• Will go out late at night JUST to steal stuff when you’re craving things

HOMICIDAL LIU

• So happy when you tell him

• Will literally force you to relax the whole time so he can take care of you

• Same as Jeff he’d talk to the baby but even if you’re awake he would still talk to the baby

• Surprisingly good father….though Sully wants to make the child a murderer like him

• ALWAYS HAS AT LEAST ONE HAND FREE SO HE CAN RUB YOUR BELLY

• When you guys sleep he puts his hand on your belly and says goodnight to the baby

• Doesn’t mind if it’s a boy or girl but I feel like he secretly hopes it’s a girl

• Protective but not as much as Jeff is

• Steals stuff for the baby too

• He would definitely run you a hot bath and bathe you and give you a massage and it feels amazing

• He would get a matching scarf for the baby

[highflyartist]

Welp-

I am in tears.

I am actually crying-

Wanna know why?

CUZ OF THE NEW SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK I BOUGHT!!

--

Clara & The Nutcracker is supposedly a sequel to the og story written by @kaleidraws

This is the second self-published book I bought; the first one being Hidden Flames by ToonyFando

I heard about it and I wanted to read it so badly, but it cost a lot of money. So I waited and waited AND WAITED and then my grandma gave me a digital amazon gift card with 50 bucks.

So I did the thing I always wanted to do. I bought the book. It arrived today and it took me 2 hours to read this thing and let me tell you-

IT WAS WORTH IT!!

--

I loved the hell out of this story and I freaking couldn't stop going back to each chapter, wondering "OMFG did he/she really do that?!"

I was so into the story that even though I had set goals to take a break after a couple chapters, I just couldn't stop reading! My curiosity peaked at its highest!

The story plot, the characters, like all of this stuff that happened 20 years later after the og story was mindblowing!

As usual, I won't give out spoilers but if you want a book that reminds you of the classic tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann along with more adventure and exciting and heart-wrenching moments that happened, I recommend this book cuz holy shit!

✨I LOVED IT✨

--

If you wanna buy a paperback copy (like I did), they're on sale on Amazon:

If you want the Ebook Version, it's on Amazon Kindle. (Surprisingly, it's free on Kindle-)

--

OVERALL REVIEW SCORE OF CLARA & THE NUTCRACKER:

10 out of 5 Stars

Cuz I loved this story to heck! This is just amazing! (God makes me wanna draw more fanart of this story)

--

Clara & The Nutcracker was written by @kaleidraws

*Disclaimer: This review is my personal opinion only.

[sapphicbookoftheday]

How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy

Today's sapphic book of the day is How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy!

Summary: "Magically brilliant, academically perfect, chronically overcommitted...

Shay Johnson has all the makings of a successful witch. Now that she's a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, she's one step closerto winning the full-ride Brockton Scholarship--her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her main competition? Ana freaking Alvarez. The key to victory? Impressing Mr. B, drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee.

When Mr. B persuades Shay to star in this year's aggressively inclusive, racially diverse musical--at their not-quite-diverse school--she agrees, wearily, even though she'll have to put up with Ana playing the other lead. But with rehearsals underway, Shay realizes Ana is...not the despicable witch she'd thought. Perhaps she could even be a friend--or more. And Shay could use someone in her corner once she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr. B's unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she's not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she'll come forward. But how can she speak out when the scholarship--and her future--are on the line?

An unforgettable debut, How to Succeed in Witchcraft conjures up searing social commentary, delightfully awkward high school theater, and magical proclamations of love."

[richincolor]

New Releases

We're halfway through the week, so let's take a (belated, sorry!) look at the new books out as of Tuesday. There's quite a few exciting new releases. Which of these are you planning to read?

Foul Lady Fortune (Foul Lady Fortune #1) by Chloe Gong It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue. Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.

Code name: Fortune.

But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed. To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.

Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto

After Sharlot Citra’s mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia. It’ll be exactly what they both need. Or so her mother thinks.

When George Clooney Tanuwijaya’s father (who is obsessed with American celebrities) fears he no longer understands how to get through to his son, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

To ensure that their children find the right kind of romantic partner, Sharlot’s mother and George’s father do what any good parent would do: they strike up a conversation online, pretending to be their children. When the kids find out about their parents’ actions, they’re horrified. Not even a trip to one of the most romantic places on earth could possibly make Sharlot and George fall for each other. But as the layers peel back and the person they thought they knew from online is revealed, the truth becomes more complicated. As unlikely as it may seem, did their parents manage to find their true match after all?

How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy

Shay Johnson has all the makings of a successful witch. Now that she’s a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, she’s one step closer to winning the full-ride Brockton Scholarship–her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her main competition? Ana freaking Álvarez. The key to victory? Impressing Mr. B, drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee.

When Mr. B persuades Shay to star in this year’s aggressively inclusive, racially diverse musical–at their not-quite-diverse school–she agrees, wearily, even though she’ll have to put up with Ana playing the other lead. But with rehearsals underway, Shay realizes Ana is…not the despicable witch she’d thought. Perhaps she could even be a friend–or more. And Shay could use someone in her corner once she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr. B’s unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she’s not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she’ll come forward. But how can she speak out when the scholarship–and her future–are on the line?

Opening My Eyes Underwater: Essays on Hope, Humanity, and Our Hero Michelle Obama by Ashley Woodfolk Essays of bullying, heartbreak, racism, and confidence, Ashley taps into her own past and shares those stories that made her who she is today as she seamlessly weaves in parallel experiences that both she and Mrs. Obama have faced in their separate childhoods as well as their adult lives. Open, searing, and honest, these are stories readers will feel seen with. Readers who are growing and learning as they move forward through life’s triumphs and pitfalls will undoubtedly gravitate to and find comfort within its pages.

Lark & ​​Kasim Start a Revolution by Kacen Callender Lark Winters wants to be a writer, and for now that means posting on their social media accounts––anything to build their platform. When former best friend Kasim accidentally posts a thread on Lark’s Twitter declaring his love for a secret, unrequited crush, Lark’s tweets are suddenly the talk of the school—and beyond. To protect Kasim, Lark decides to take the fall, pretending they accidentally posted the thread in reference to another classmate. It seems like a great idea: Lark gets closer to their crush, Kasim keeps his privacy, and Lark’s social media stats explode. But living a lie takes a toll—as does the judgment of thousands of Internet strangers. Lark tries their best to be perfect at all costs, but nothing seems good enough for the anonymous hordes––or for Kasim, who is growing closer to Lark, just like it used to be between them . . . In the end, Lark must embrace their right to their messy emotions and learn how to be in love.

Last of the Talons (Talon #1) by Sophie Kim After the destruction of her entire Talon gang, eighteen-year-old Shin Lina—the Reaper of Sunpo—is forced to become a living, breathing weapon for the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord. All that keeps her from turning on her ruthless master is the life of her beloved little sister hanging in the balance. But the order to steal a priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple incites not only the wrath of a legendary immortal, but the beginning of an unwinnable game…

Suddenly Lina finds herself in the dreamlike realm of the Dokkaebi, her fate in the hands of its cruel and captivating emperor. But she can win her life—if she kills him first.

Now a terrible game of life and death has begun, and even Lina’s swift, precise blade is no match for the magnetic Haneul Rui. Lina will have to use every weapon in her arsenal if she wants to outplay this cunning king and save her sister…all before the final grain of sand leaks out of the hourglass. Because one way or another, she’ll take Rui’s heart. Even if it means giving up her own.

[thethreeeyed-raven]

Boys

chapter one - Beach or nah?

chapter two - “I know you didn’t hire a fucking escort.”

chapter three - Matt’s first kiss.

chapter four - Who the fuck is this guy?

chapter five - “I get freaky.”

pairing : Tim Klitz x Fem!Reader

word count : 1k

warnings : swearing, mentions of sex

paul dano master list

wattpad version

ao3 version

It was just a normal peaceful day, with you and Klitz talking about the whole Matt kissing thing and you sneakily dropping hints. All of a sudden you heard a familiar voice shouting some very obscene words.

"Goddamn it Matt, I swear to god! If you don't fuck her, I'll kill myself!"

Everyone including you and Klitz turned around and stared at the two, watching Matt roll his eyes and try to ignore Eli.

"Matt, please! Please Matt! Fuck her for me! For me!"

"What the actual-"

"I know."

-🦋-

"Look, I don't know if I can do this."

You four were currently sat in Matt's bedroom, going over Eli's plan. You thought it was stupid and objective, Eli clearly didn't know how girls worked.

"Yes you can." The plan was for Matt to drive Danielle to a hotel and 'bang her like a beast' as Eli liked to put it. "But tonight, be the man."

"First off, act like you don't even like her."

You scoffed and shook your head. "How the fuck is he supposed to 'bang' her if she thinks he doesn't like her?"

"Shut up Y/n, it works every time."

"How would you know? You're bitchless."

"Shut up! Second, get her drunk. Really drunk, okay? That way, the true porn star will come out in her." Eli pointed his finger in Matt's face.

You shook your head and glanced at Klitz who didn't like this plan as much as you.

"Last and most important...always be touching her Matt." Eli said as he lightly stroked Matt's cheek. "That tells her you came here to get down tonight."

Eli talked like he had experience, and it was funny knowing he's never felt the touch from a woman except his mother. In fact, all three of them had never felt the touch of a woman, which would explain how every time you touched Klitz any where, he would get into a hot flush.

-🦋-

The plan didn't work out. Actually, it was a total disaster. Matt had told you all that Danielle now thought he only saw her as a cheap porn star and a freak. Matt had came to talk to you individually about it, wanting some advice on the matter.

You told him that he should go to her house an apologise to her in person, and show her how sorry he was.

That plan didn't work either. A man named Kelly was at her house and he took them to a strip club, proceeded to tell Matt about how he and Danielle used to date, and ordered a lap dance for Matt and his father's friend who was there for some unknown reason.

-🦋-

The three boys sat in a class watching a (very) outdated sex education video.

"Who is this guy? Is he a porn producer?" Klitz quietly asked, not wanting anyone else in the classroom to hear him.

"Klitz, shut up. Now, the strippers." Eli eagerly dismissed the more important question. "When you get a lap dance, were they cool with you grabbing their ass?"

"Dude! Oh my god, I'm trying to talk about Danielle here."

Klitz shook his head and decided not to speak and to listen like he always did instead.

"Fine, selfish bitch."

For teenagers, sexual intercourse can be dangerous.

"Jesus, what hack made this?" Eli questioned in irritation. "I could make a better sex-ed film with my mom!"

Both Matt and Klitz grimaced at the idea. "Why don't they update this thing?"

Special events, such as your senior prom...

Oh, that's right, senior prom! Klitz was thinking about asking you but he wasn't sure you'd want to go with someone as ugly as him.

...place added pressure on young teens to loose their virginity, and also engage in unprotected sex.

-🦋-

After the last class of the day, you waited outside of the school for the rest of them. You planned to walk home with Klitz, the three finally came walking out of the exit, chatting away with each other. "Hey guys!" You greeted them with a soft smile. Klitz gave you a smile back but Matt seemed to be distracted.

"Dude."

"What?"

You all turned to look at what Klitz was looking at. You all walked closer as Matt informed you that the guy talking to the three girls was Kelly.

"I just think you guys would be really hot."

The three girls giggled. Judging from what you were hearing, it sounded like he was trying to 'recruit' them or something.

Kelly finally noticed you all walking towards him.

"Hey, you guys know Matty?"

The girls furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

"I hung with him last night. Guys, the tits! Here's my man." He raised his fist to give Matt a fist-bump which he returned.

"How's it going?" Matt tried to greet him as politely and less loathingly as he could.

"What's up fellas? Hey little lady." Kelly shook the hand of Eli and gave you a wink, making you grimace and move closer towards Klitz and grab onto his backpack strap.

"Matty, you didn't tell me you got some serious burners at your school here."

"Oh shut up! You did not say that." The girls gushed and Kelly smirked, they didn't realise he was only playing them.

"Hey, you know who's got the killer bud?" Kelly suddenly walked up to Klitz and put his arm around him. "This fucker right here."

"W-what are you talking about?" Oh, bless.

"Yeah, come on. You got some? Yeah, come on."

Kelly slapped Klitz's back, the sound that came from his throat made your toes curl and your breath hitch. Kelly held out a bag of weed in front of the girls.

"Holy shit!"

"You guys should party."

"Can I-?" One of the girls tried to take the bag from him.

"All right, we're out." Kelly suddenly turned around and beckoned you four to his car.

The girls complained and asked if he wanted to hang out. Kelly just ignored them. "Hop in fellas."

"There's not enough room for me in there." You stopped in front of the door looking up at the stranger.

"Sit on your boyfriend's lap." He gestured to Klitz who stood still next to you.

"He's not my-"

"Whatever."

You looked to Klitz to see if it was alright. He nodded, almost too eagerly. You had no choice but to take on Kelly's suggestion, pulling down your skirt so it didn't show your thighs that much. Klitz kindly helped you pull it down a bit, giving you a shy smile and pushing his glasses up.

Kelly started talking about how some of the girls at the school word be perfect for his porn movies nd then springing out an idea. "Fuck, I'm good! How do I get these ideas? It's like a gift, you know? It's like I can't control it." Klitz and Eli just nodded along when he looked at them expectantly.

This guy was definitely going to be Eli's idol.

"So, what are we doing man?"

[strandbuckley]

Taking Care of You (Prompt from ao3)

This was prompted a while ago on another fic (linked here) and I finally got around to finishing it

Prompt: So, can I prompt? We know Carlos can be super sweet but I also know he has a stricter side to himself as well. Could you write something about T.K. breaking a MAJOR rule (relapsing, putting himself in danger, etc) and Carlos punishes him? I wanna see his GRRRRR side lol

Read on ao3 here

TK knew he was in trouble. It wasn’t often that he found himself really, truly in trouble with Carlos; usually he was being playfully punished for sass or for leaving his clothes on the floor next to the hamper instead of putting them in. He was used to a few playful slaps to the bottom here and there as “punishment” but very few times had he done anything to warrant a full blown punishment. If he thought very hard about it, they’d started their arrangement a few weeks after their wedding and in the year since, he’d only gotten one serious spanking from Carlos for breaking a rule. This time however, he had done it. He’d really done it.

If he was being honest with himself, he had never meant for Carlos to find out. Truly, it didn’t seem that significant to him. Danger was an unfortunate side-effect of the jobs that they loved, and they each put themselves in danger every time they left the house for a shift. He had long since accepted that part of his work would include putting himself in harm’s way occasionally and Carlos had agreed. Even when creating their rules, (carefully laid out and compiled in a document that Carlos had then printed and put in a special folder in his desk drawer because he was a control freak) , they had make sure to specify that any dangerous act TK committed as a hazard of his job that was within his scope of practice did not count as breaking one of the rules they had agreed on as part of the contract. If Carlos spanked him every time he had to enter an unsafe structure or put himself in the way of a combative or unruly patient, he’d never be able to sit down again. So he hadn’t thought that him going into a burning building during his shift hadn’t seemed like pertinent information to reveal to his husband. After all, it was part of his job. Though as Nancy pointed out, not so much anymore since moving to the paramedic team. 

Unfortunately, she’d pointed this information out in front of Carlos during lunch, which is how TK found himself in this position. 

That position was on his knees at the end of their bed. He’d been there since he arrived home from his shift, though he really couldn’t tell how much time had passed. It felt like hours, but logically, it couldn't have been. The sun was still streaming in from the windows behind him, warming his shoulders and the back of his neck pleasantly. It was almost enough to distract him from the ache in his knees that had set in from kneeling on the polished concrete floors of the loft. Usually when they did this, Carlos offered him a pillow to make it more comfortable. That was when he was being nice, and since he got home, Carlos had been anything but nice. 

“Hey Baby. I’m home.”

Carlos was standing in their bedroom door, arms crossed over his chest, looking pissed.

“Go to our bedroom and kneel Tyler. Strip down to your underwear. When I’m ready to talk to you about what you did today, I’ll come to you. Until then, I want your eyes on the floor and I don’t want to hear a sound from you. You’re already in trouble so don’t be a brat. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. Go.”

Carlos stepped aside, pointing into their room. TK brushed by him moving into the bedroom. He stripped off his t-shirt and jeans, putting them in the hamper. He didn’t want to test Carlos’ patience anymore than he already had and earn himself another spanking for something he could easily avoid. He kneeled carefully in front of the bed, ducking his head obediently to wait for Carlos. 

Finally, he heard footsteps approaching the bedroom. He kept his head down, fighting the urge to look up at Carlos as he entered the room and stood directly in front of TK. He kept his eyes on Carlos’s feet as he waited for him to speak, taking deep breaths to ground himself. 

“Look at me Tyler.”

TK lifted his head, eyes taking a minute to focus on the man standing over him. He could already feel himself floating toward sub-space and they’d barely done anything.

Carlos put his fingers under his chin and tilted TK’s head up further, “Stand up.”

It took him a minute to do so, legs wobbling like a baby deer as he got his feet under him and his legs straight. Carlos moved around to his side of the bed, sitting with his legs spread apart and dropped a pillow between his feet.

“Come here,” he instructed firmly.

TK went, moving to stand between his legs, keeping his eyes trained down even though Carlos hadn’t specifically instructed him to do so. 

“Kneel for me.”

Carlos’s voice was firm, but not mean. No matter how many times TK purposely got on his nerves or broke a rule, Carlos was never unkind to him. He was rock solid, unshakable and he never backed down from the rules he had set, but he also never took any sort of anger or aggression out on TK. Everything they did, it was for TK’s own good. Everything they did had been heavily discussed months ago. The kindness TK could still see behind Carlos’s eyes, despite the impending punishment made him comfortable falling to his knees. 

He was silently thankful that Carlos had put a pillow down for him this time and he showed his appreciation for it by kissing Carlos’s knee softly, even though he hadn’t been given permission to touch. 

Carlos ran a hand through his hair and gripped the strands tightly, using the leverage to tilt his head back, “Did I say you could touch?”

“No sir,” TK’s voice was rough and scratchy. It sounded like he had been swallowing rocks, his throat dry with disuse. He couldn’t quite get his eyes to focus on Carlos’s face, his thoughts felt like swimming through molasses. “I- I’m sorry.”

“You with me TK?” Carlos asked gently, loosening his grip and bringing the hand down to cup his cheek. “Can you give me a color sweet boy?”

“Green.”

“Good,” Carlos rolled his shoulders as if he was shrugging his dom persona back on like a jacket. “No touching during punishments, remember?”

“Yes sir.”

“Don’t do it again. You’ll earn yourself another spanking.”

“Yes sir,” he repeated. 

“Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen Tyler, I need you to listen carefully. Don’t speak, unless you are giving me a color or I ask you a question. You follow our rules, unless you want another spanking every night this week. Do you understand?”

Carlos waited for TK to nod his assent, then continued. “Tell me why I’m punishing you Tyler.”

“I broke our rules?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“I broke our rules,” he repeated, more sure of himself this time.

“And what are those rules TK?”

“Don’t do anything dishonest, disobedient, dangerous, or disrespectful.”

“Which of those rules did you break by pulling that stunt on call today and then trying to hide it from me?”

“All of them.”

“That's right, all of them. Tell me how you broke them Tyler.”

“I disobeyed Judd and Tommy by going against their orders, which was also disrespectful. I was dishonest because I didn’t tell you about it and you had to find out from Nancy. It was dangerous because I wasn’t prepared for the situation like I should have and I ran in blind. I also disobeyed our rules and disrespected you by breaking them.”

“That’s right Tyler. Now how do you think I should deal with this?”

“However you want Sir.”

“That’s right. Because I’m in charge, aren't I TK?’

TK nodded, getting the feeling that this was the part where Carlos wanted him to start keeping his mouth shut again. 

“You trusted me to take care of you Tyler, to give you what you need. That’s what our agreement means, doesn’t it? So I’m going to give you what I think you need. Which is forty spanks, ten for each rule that you broke. With the paddle.”

“No!” TK couldn't hold back the protest at Carlos’s suggestion of his least favorite implement. They hardly used the paddle, only for real punishments or for very small spankings. “Please Carlos, not the paddle, please.” He could already feel the sting of the paddle on his butt and tears filled his eyes at the thought. “Please no.”

“Hey,” Carlos grabbed his hair once again, tugging firmly to make TK meet his eyes. “Do you make the rules Tyler?” It was a rhetorical question, because Carlos answered before TK could even try, though his remarks probably would have gotten him in more trouble so it was probably a good thing he wasn’t given the opportunity to speak.“No, you don’t. I do. I make the rules. You put your trust in me, to take care of you and give you what you need, just like we said earlier. This is what I decided you need Tyler, and you know what word you need to say if you really don’t want this. Otherwise you’re getting forty with the paddle and ten more with my hand for being a brat understand? And you’ll get more if you use my name again. You know what to call me during punishments don’t you?”

“Sir or Papi,” he whimpered.

“That’s right. Now, tell me what your safeword is?”

“Spring. Or say red to stop. Yellow is slow down and green is all good,” he said, reciting their entire system just in case.

“Do you need to use any of your words Tyler?”

“No Papi.”

“Okay then. Stand up and go get the paddle for me.”

TK pushed himself to his feet, rubbing the tears out of his eyes as he padded to their closet. Carlos kept all of their toys and implements in a heavy wooden chest in the back of the closet, the top held down by a weighted blanket they used for aftercare. TK lifted the blanket and looked at it for a minute.

“Papi,” he called back over his shoulder hesitantly,

“Yes TK?”

“Blanket?” he turned to show Carlos the blanket in his hands.

His dom’s face softened a little, “Yes, bring the blanket too.”

TK nodded and turned back to the chest, lifting the top and pulling out the dreaded paddle. He held both in his hands and crossed back to the bed, standing in front of Carlos once again. Carlos took the items from him and placed them on the end of the bed. 

“Pull down your underwear and lay over my lap.”

TK was quick to obey, pulling down his underwear and picking them up quickly to fold them and lay them on top of the sheets. It wasn’t as good as the hamper but at least he wasn’t leaving them on the floor so Carlos couldn't get too upset at him. Apparently, he could see him spiraling because Carlos offered him a soft smile, “It’s okay, we’ll put them in the hamper later. You’re doing a good job.”

TK nodded, relieved and laid over Carlos’s lap. Carlos adjusted his legs so that TK’s upper body was on the bed and his toes just barely touched the floor. 

“We’re starting with my hand. Tell me why you’re getting this extra ten?”

“Because I was disrespectful,” he whined, already feeling the tears coming at having to admit his mistakes. “I questioned the punishment you chose for me.”

Carlos didn’t respond but instead brought his hand down in a harsh first slap, right across the center of his ass. TK cried out and squirmed, trying to get away from the pain. Carlos’s arm laid across his hips to pin him down. 

“Don’t move Tyler.”

TK forced himself to relax his body as he took the next nine he had coming for him. Carlos varied his placement so TK never knew what was coming next. After the first ten were finished, Carlos gave him a break, rubbing a gentle hand over his lower back.

“You did well. A few more to go, I’m going to use the paddle this time. What’s your color?”

“Yellow.”

“What do you need TK? Do you want to sit up?”

“Nuh uh. I just need to ask you something?”

“What is it baby?”

“Do I have to talk? Or count?”

“No, we’ve talked about it already. I won’t make you count them, just lay still and trust me to give you what you need. Remember, after this is over, it’s all okay. I’ve already forgiven you okay?”

“Yes Papi.”

“Good boy. Color?”

“Green.”

“Okay.”

Carlos picked up the paddle and began the biggest part of his punishment. TK tried to keep count in his head, despite Carlos telling him he didn’t have to count out loud. Somewhere around fifteen he started to get lost, getting farther and farther into that floaty headspace. He vaguely registered the spanking stopping and his body being moved despite not actually moving his limbs himself. Something warm and heavy was wrapped around him and some sort of white noise was ringing in his ears as he found himself horizontal. Something was pressed to his lips, and he took a moment to register that it was a straw. He began drinking greedily and he registered Carlos’s voice telling him to slow down. 

“Hey baby, slow sips okay. Don’t make yourself sick.”

TK whimpered and tried to reach for him, but his limbs felt like lead and he couldn’t gather the energy to open his eyes and actually find out where Carlos was.

“Shh, I’m right here. It’s alright, I won’t leave. You just come back when you’re ready sweet boy.”

When he finally came back to himself, he was under the weighted blanket, his head in Carlos’s lap, gentle fingers carding through his hair and scratching lightly at his scalp. TK whined and pushed his head more firmly into the touch, rubbing his cheek against the soft fabric of Carlos’s sweatpants. 

“There you are. Welcome back to the land of the living baby. How do you feel?”

“Sore. Tired. And my brain feels kinda mushy but other than that I’m pretty good.”

“We’ll put some lotion on you after a shower. That’ll help with the soreness.”

“Did you finish my spanking? I blacked out somewhere around fifteen.”

“I told you you didn’t have to count baby,” Carlos chuckled. “But no, I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“You went pretty deep pretty fast. I didn’t want to hurt you or you not be able to safeword if you needed it. So I stopped and got you wrapped up. You were half-way lucid for a little bit but then I think you fell asleep.”

“Yeah I think so,” TK pushed himself up and leaned into Carlos’s side. “Do you want to finish it later?”

“No baby. It’s over and done with. I think you learned your lesson, yeah?”

“Yeah I did.”

“Good,” Carlos kissed the side of his head. “You want to go get in the shower?”

“As long as you’re joining me.”

“Of course. We’ll get you cleaned up and comfy then I’ll make you something for dinner okay?”

“Sounds good.”

Carlos led him into the bathroom and got him situated on the counter by the sink. He turned to the shower stall and turned it on hot, letting steam fill the bathroom as he undressed himself.

“Come on baby.”

Carlos guided him into the stall and under the spray. He washed his hair and body gently, letting his hands roam and comfort TK. When they were both clean, they stood together under the water, wrapped around each other.

“Hey Carlos?”

“Yeah baby?” Carlos brushed a stray hair away from his forehead and let his hand rest on his cheek.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, sweet boy. Thank you for trusting me to take care of you.”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

The sweet moment was interrupted by TK’s stomach grumbling loudly.

“I’m sorry,” he giggled.

“It’s okay. Let’s get some food in you.”

“Can we order pizza?”

“Of course.”

Once Carlos had rubbed soothing lotion on TK’s backside and gotten them both dressed in comfortable clothes, he got TK settled on the couch and went to order their dinner.

“Papi?” TK said, catching his wrist before Carlos could walk away.

“What is it baby?”

“Can I have the weighted blanket for a little while longer?”

“Of course mi vida. Let me get it okay?”

TK nodded, settling back into the cushions. Carlos emerged from the bedroom a few moments later, holding the weighted blanket in his arms. He tucked it around TK gently. 

“Comfy?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I’m going to order the food and it’ll be here soon.”

“Okay. Can we watch Grand Designs while we eat?”

“Sure baby.”

Once their pizza was delivered, Carlos joined TK under the blanket and turned on the tv.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” TK whispered, leaning into him.

“It’s my pleasure baby. I’ll always take care of you.”

“And I’ll take care of you.”

“I know you will.”

[canonicallyobserving911]

So I saw your post on trying to figure out who’s behind Chimney in the promo, and I gotta mention one thing that’s bothering me and would love your commentary.

So in season 5, episode 4 (I believe?) after Maddie runs away and Chimney is freaking out, and when Buck comes to check in on him, Buck essentially says that no one is making Maddie do anything.

Chimney ends up bringing up Doug. Saying, specifically, “Doug did.”

Buck then says that Doug is dead, and chimney says:

“Is he, though? I mean, did you see a body? Did anyone see a body?”

That line has been bothering me SENSE.

Thoughts?? Or am I just looking too much into things?

Thank you @travelandwriting for the ask.

This answer is in response to this post.

You posed a good question from 5x4 that was brought up during Chimney's conversation with Buck about Maddie's deceased husband, Doug Kendall. I just watched the 2x13 scene of Maddie killing him again to be sure and since the coroner put him in a body bag, it appears he did die after she stabbed him multiple times. Also, she got the insurance money from his death in season 3 when his estate was settled.

If by some chance, he woke up and he's not dead, then the question is, where has he been all this time? Was he recovering in a bunker somewhere?

Now, there's a small possibility (like a .00001% chance) that he woke up (Maddie stabbed him in the shoulder and in the back) while his body was being transported. The fact is there was a HELICOPTER on the scene too and Athena was talking to them on her radio and the aerial view of the scene is below.

Reminder, T.K. was already gone from the 118 so the speculation that follows may not be too farfetched.

If he was flying it and he air lifted Doug out but he woke up during the transport; maybe Doug paid him to keep quiet about him being alive. Also, Doug was a surgeon which means he would know how to fix his own wounds so there's that.

If any of this speculation is true and Doug did wake up, it makes sense why T.K. would want to get next to Buck so Doug could find out where the bachelor party would be so he could finish the job. He stalked Maddie for months starting in 2x10 while he pretended to be Chimney's friend before he stabbed him in 2x12.

Full disclosure: with all the continuity issues in seasons 5 and 6, I'm not sure 9-1-1 would be this detailed but it's not a long shot since TM is back.

Unless they show more scenes in the upcoming trailers, we'll have to wait until Thursday to see who that person standing behind Chimney is.

Thanks again for the ask and have a great day.

[chicgeekgirl89]

Chapter 6 now available on AO3!

He’s going on a date. With Hottie Officer Carlos. Tomorrow. He’s equal parts thrilled and completely freaking out. 

They’ve texted daily, mostly inane and sometimes flirty things. T.K. would be lying if he said he wasn’t horny for the guy. Seeing him in uniform, the way his muscles had filled out the sleeves, his thighs…T.K. has woken up more than a few times from dreams where Carlos’ broad hands are caressing their way down his body.

But as he’s told his therapist several times, that is not the point of this date. Carlos seems like a genuinely good guy. The type of guy T.K.’s always hoped to be with, the type of guy he thought Alex was.

Alex. T.K. sighs and wonders how long the specter of his previous boyfriend is going to hang over him. He’d tried to get the guy out of his head when he’d first arrived in Austin. There had been some sex, one-night stands whose names he doesn’t remember, and when that hadn’t worked he’d turned to getting the shit kicked out of him in bars. His dad picking him from jail is not even in the top ten lowest moments of his life, but he still feels kind of shitty about it.

He’s been trying his hardest since then to turn things around. This date with Carlos…it feels like a second chance. A chance to be the kind of guy who deserves someone like Carlos Reyes. And he’s trying really hard not to self sabotage it like he usually does. 

Right now he’s having kind of a hard time telling the little voice in his head that reminds he’s not good enough to shut up.

“Why do you look like that?”

Judd settles into a chair across from him, leaning back and kicking his feet up. 

T.K.’s hand stills where it’s been combing anxiously through Buttercup’s fur. “Look like what?”

“Look like you just accidentally jumped in the pen with my Uncle Cash’s meanest bull,” Judd says. “Something on your mind?”

T.K. rubs Buttercup’s ear and considers how much to share. His therapist has been pushing him to open up more to the people around him. His team has proven time and again that they’re trustworthy, but it’s still hard to give the darker pieces of himself away.

“I have a date,” he says finally.

“Oh really?” Judd says, an interested look flashing across his face. “With that cop from your phone?”

“Yes,” T.K. says. “We’re getting coffee tomorrow. And I’m…”

“You’re nervous,” Judd says with a nod, like it’s a fact. “Good.”

“Good? How is that good?”

“Means it’s worth something to ya,” Judd tells him. “Means it matters. You want a hook up, you just jump on in without caring. You want something more, you’re gonna feel scared you’ll mess it up.”

That makes far too much sense for T.K.’s nerves. “What if I do mess it up?” he asks. “What if he doesn’t like me? We’ve only met once for like two minutes. What if all this texting and talking works through the phone but we sit there and stare at each other in silence for an hour?”

“T.K.,” Judd shifts and sits forward so he can look him squarely in the eye. “I’ve known you for a year, and not once in all those days have you been able to sit in silence for longer than three and a half seconds. You’ll find something to talk about.”

“Thanks?” T.K. says, unsure whether he should feel grateful or offended.

“You’ll be great,” Judd says. “You’re a catch. He should be grateful he gets to spend time with you.”

The room warms in T.K.’s vision, a rosy hue brightening up the dark thoughts in his mind. “You think so?” he asks tentatively.

“You’re a god damned dual certified firefighter paramedic,” Judd says, his voice strong. “And a member of the 126. That alone makes you a catch.” He points a finger at T.K. “Don’t you forget it.”

T.K. has never in his life thought of himself as a catch. He’s just…a toy to be played with. Something for people to enjoy and then be sent packing when they’re tired of him. Judd’s words do something to him that he can’t quite pinpoint, but it feels like a small part of him heals.

Then the alarm sounds and they’re both on their feet, running to the truck. As T.K. buckles into his seat he realizes that he feels…good. It feels like light is dawning on him for the first time in so long. Like those moments when you can’t really see the sunrise yet, but you can feel that it’s coming soon.

They pull up to the fire within minutes and it looks terrible. Flames shoot from windows and out of the roof, smoke filling the early evening air as people flee from inside into the waiting arms of first responders. 

T.K.’s heart does a weird lurch as he spots APD on the scene even though he knows Carlos is off tonight. They haven’t even been on a single date and he’s already getting butterflies over the guy. It’s ridiculous.

“Stay alert,” his dad is telling them all as they pull up to the scene. “Two in, two out. This place is going to be unstable. Stick with your partner and if anything seems off get out first and ask questions later.”

“Yes Cap,” they all chorus before jumping out and donning their tanks and masks.

Inside things are hot and dark. The fire is quickly sucking out any air left in the building and the smoke is billowing in thick, black clouds that make it nearly impossible to see. He’s paired up with Marjan and they’re both struggling to make it even a few feet down the narrow hallways. 

They manage one rescue, a guy who’s leg is definitely broken, and it’s a relief when they carry him back outside. T.K. pulls off his mask and takes a couple gulps of clean air after they pass the guy off to medical.

“Ready to go again?” Marjan asks. 

T.K. nods, replacing his mask and following her toward the door. But before they can head inside there’s a loud rumble and the earth shakes a little under their feet. “Whoa, what was that?” Marjan asks.

“Mayday mayday! Firefighter down!”

Mateo’s voice comes shouting over their radios and T.K.’s heart plummets into his boots. Marjan turns to him, eyes wide. “Isn’t Mateo with—“

“My dad,” T.K. says. Without a second thought he’s through the door. 

“T.K.! T.K. wait!” Marjan yells after him.

He can hear her behind him, trying to keep up. “Mateo where are you?” he asks.

“Southeast side,” Mateo says. “He’s unconscious, I can’t wake him up!”

“We’re on our way,” T.K. says, taking the first left he comes to. 

“Us too,” Judd says from wherever he and Paul are.

It’s only minutes but it feels like days before T.K. hears the screaming of a PASS alarm. They take a final turn and find Mateo kneeling on the floor next to his dad’s prone form. “What happened?” T.K. asks.

“Beam came down from the ceiling. Took him down hard,” Mateo says. “He hasn’t woken up since.” He looks like he’s just barely restraining himself from full blown panic. 

T.K. can relate.

“Dad,” T.K. shakes his shoulder but gets no response and the fear he’s been keeping at bay comes screaming to the surface. “Dad! Come on! Wake up!”

“Hey!”

Judd and Paul join the group. “We need to get him out of here,” Judd says. “This whole place is gonna come down on top of us any second.”

“He could have a spinal injury,” T.K. protests.

“Better injured than dead,” Paul says. “Come on. Let’s go!”

T.K. reaches under one of his dad’s arms while Judd gets under his other side. The way his dad’s head droops as they move makes T.K. sick to his stomach. He’s so terrified he can hardly breathe, air coming in and out of his lungs in tight bursts. 

It feels like forever before they escape the heat and the dark, but finally there it is, the outside world, still waiting for them. 

They drop his dad onto a gurney and Nancy and Tim swarm in along with Michael, their acting captain for the day, pulling off his turnouts and helmet. His dad lets out a groan of pain that makes T.K.’s knees go weak with a combination of relief and sympathy. 

“What happened?” his dad asks as his eyes blink open, squinting against the fading daylight.

“Beam took you down Cap,” Mateo says. “Hit you right in the head.”

His dad groans again and closes his eyes. “Yep, that’s what it feels like.”

T.K. rides with him in the back of the ambulance and then follows the gurney into the ER. He talks to the doctors, tells them about the medication his dad is on for his cancer treatments, and all of his supplements. He calls his mom in New York then sits with his teammates in the waiting room while his dad is taken for tests and scans.

It’s not the worst trip to the ER he’s ever experienced, but it’s not great either. His anxiety is through the roof. This is the second time in just about a year his dad has said a passing hello to death and it’s doing nothing to help his anxiety. The world has faded out to grey again, black and white, like the scuffed tiles of the hospital floor. His skin is itching with the urge to run away from it all, but the desire to stay is currently winning the fight. Yay therapy. 

He chews anxiously on a fingernail, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. He stripped off his turnout coat a while ago, but his pants are still sitting uncomfortably stiff on his legs. There’s a char mark on his left thigh from a stray cinder on some call he doesn’t remember. He closes his eyes so he doesn’t have to look at it.

When the doctor finally comes out the news is about as okay as it can be for an injured firefighter. His dad has a concussion and a couple broken ribs. They’re a little extra concerned about the ribs because of the lung cancer and the propensity for pneumonia. They’re keeping him overnight for observation and he’s not happy about it. But overall he’s going to be fine.

Paul drives T.K. home where he falls face first into bed without even showering. He’s exhausted from the stress of everything and it’s only when he wakes up in the morning that he remembers his date with Carlos. Fuck. He has to cancel. 

Anxiety curdles in his stomach. Carlos is going to think he’s that guy. The one who claims a family emergency even though they both know he’s really just flaking out on the date. T.K. has been on both sides of that text on more than one occasion, but he doesn’t want to be that guy this time. He’s been trying so hard not to fuck this up, and he can’t stand the thought of it all crashing down because he’s finally choosing to be responsible.

He stares at the ceiling and sighs. There’s no help for it. Even if he gets his dad home in time today, he can’t leave him alone. The guy will be out trying to rescue a kitten from a tree or help a neighbor move a couch less than twenty minutes after T.K. is out the door. 

T.K.

[7:32am] Hey I’m so sorry, I have to cancel today.

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[7:33am] Everything okay?

T.K.

[7:34am] My dad is in the hospital. Hurt on a call last night.

His phone begins buzzing almost immediately, the sight of Carlos’ pecs lighting up his screen. He’d forgotten that he’d set Carlos’ contact photo like that and he barks out a startled laugh. “Hello?” his voice comes out croaky and he swallows hard to try and clear it.

“Are you okay?” Carlos asks immediately. “Is your dad okay?”

“Yeah.” T.K. pushes himself into a sitting position and rubs a hand over his face. “Yeah we’re both okay. He has a concussion and some broken ribs. They kept him overnight so I have to go pick him up in a little bit.”

“God I’m so sorry,” Carlos says, sounding one hundred percent sympathetic without an ounce of suspicion or annoyance. “Is there anything I can do? Anything you need? My mom makes soup that she swears will heal anything.”

T.K. closes his eyes, surprised that he can feel tears welling up. Carlos’ immediate response is to offer to provide comfort for him and his dad. It’s so wildly surprising and different from any guy he’s ever dated that the words have gone straight to his tear ducts. “No, I think we’re okay. Thanks though,” he manages around the thickness in his throat. “I’m um, I’m really sorry about our date.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Carlos says. “We’ll reschedule. Take care of your dad. And yourself.”

“Thanks,” T.K. says. “I’ll text you, okay?”

“Just worry about your family,” Carlos says. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

They hang up and T.K. takes a long minute to replay the conversation in his mind. Carlos hadn’t sounded mad or annoyed. He hadn’t even sounded disappointed. Just genuinely concerned. 

T.K.’s not quite sure what to do with that, so he shelves it to examine later and forces himself into the shower. 

His dad is his usual self when T.K. gets to the hospital. All the nurses are in love with him; the Strand charm effect is strong. He’s definitely in pain though and trying to hide it as T.K. helps him into the car and then onto the sofa at home. 

“Are you going to sit there all afternoon staring at me?” his dad asks an hour later. 

“I’m not staring at you. I’m studying for my EMT recertification exam,” T.K. says, holding up the manual as evidence

“I’m okay son,” Owen says, that soft, dad look on his face; the one that says he’s more concerned about how T.K. is feeling than himself. “I’m glued to this couch. You can go hang out with your friends or take Buttercup for a walk.”

Buttercup lifts his head up at the sound of his name and then drops it glumly back to the floor when it’s clear nobody is actually going to take him outside. 

“I’m staying right here,” T.K. tells him. “I know you think you won’t get off that couch and overdo it, but the second you get too bored you’re going to be trying to throw together a soufflé or check the oil in the car.”

Owen blinks at him. “First of all, you don’t ‘throw together’ a soufflé. It’s a delicate process that requires hours of concentration and impeccable timing. And secondly, I had the oil changed on the car last week.”

“Still not leaving,” T.K. says without looking up from the manual. 

The doorbell rings and Buttercup heaves himself to his feet, tail wagging as he wanders toward the front door. “Are we expecting anybody?” T.K. asks as he gets up. 

“Could be Judd,” his dad says. “He mentioned last night that he and Grace might swing by.”

“Maybe it’s Nurse Judy from the hospital,” T.K. teases. “I saw her eyeing you up this morning.”

“I can’t help it that my shoulders are accentuated by the shape and contour of a hospital gown!” his dad calls after him.

T.K. snorts and shuffles Buttercup out of the way so he can open the door. The person on the other side is not Judd or Grace or Nurse Judy, but rather a redheaded college age kid wearing a black baseball cap. “Hi, I have a delivery for T.J.,” he says, holding out a cardboard coffee carrier.

“Oh.” T.K.’s brow furrows. “I don’t think we ordered anything.”

The kid checks his phone. “You’re T.J. Strand?”

“T.K.”

The kid shrugs. “Close enough. This is for you. Have a good day.”

He practically shoves the carrier into T.K.’s hands and then heads back to his car.

T.K. carries it into the kitchen. “Who was it?” his dad asks, craning his neck to try and see what T.K. is doing.

“Door Dash,” T.K. says. 

There’s a green smoothie and a latte in the carrier along with a folded up piece of paper. He unfolds it and his heart stops inside his chest.

Latte is for you. Smoothie is for your dad. Not quite my mom’s soup but hopefully it helps. -Carlos

Carlos remembered his coffee order. Not only that, he remembered that T.K.’s dad prefers green juices and other organic products. That had been one conversation weeks ago while Carlos was on a lunch break in the middle of his shift. 

One text and Carlos remembered.

Oh.

The room around him brightens, the weight in his soul that belongs to the last twenty-four hours lifting off and dissipating into nothing. 

“T.K.? What’s going on over there?” his dad calls.

T.K. lifts out both drinks, carrying them into the living room and setting them on coasters. “Someone sent us drinks.”

“Someone?” His dad arches and eyebrow and then winces. “Someone like…the hot cop who lives in your phone that you were supposed to go on a date with today?”

T.K. narrows his eyes. “Did Judd rat me out to you? Because that’s really not cool.”

“Judd didn’t rat you out,” Owen says. “Sound carries in the fire station. And also I know you. You’ve been all moony eyed and nervous this week. It’s how you always get before a first date.”

“I do not!”

“Um yeah, you do,” Owen says. “You know, you can still go on your date. I’ll be fine here by myself.”

“Like I said before, I’m not leaving,” T.K. says. “I already cancelled. He was very understanding. As evidenced by the drinks.” He gestures to where he’s placed them on the coffee table.

Something odd and soft passes over his dad’s face. “Good. He should be.” He picks up his drink and takes a sip. “Ooh! Flax seed. Tell the hot cop I said thank you.”

T.K. sips his own as he pulls out his phone.

T.K.

[12:16pm] Thank you for the drinks. You didn’t have to do that.

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[12:18pm] You’re welcome. Not quite the coffee date we were hoping for, but hopefully it will do for today.

T.K.

[12:19pm] You’re really sweet. And again, I’m super sorry about the date.

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[12:20pm] Stop apologizing. Family comes first. How’s your dad?

T.K.

[12:21pm] Already testing the boundaries of his convalescence. And my patience. But he’s fine. Meds are taking care of the pain. 

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[12:22pm] Good. Are you doing okay? That must have been scary to see your dad like that.

T.K. looks over at where his dad has drifted off to sleep, his mouth hanging slightly open. The pain and fear of possibly losing him burns brightly in his chest for a moment and he lets it fill him up before breathing it out again. His dad is okay. They’re both okay this time. 

His phone buzzes again.

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[12:26pm] You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I didn’t mean to cross a line.

T.K.

[12:27pm] No, it’s okay. It was scary. He was unconscious for a long time. And after the cancer last year, I’m still kind of panicky about him. But he’ll be all right. He’s been through worse. We both have.

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[12:28pm] Feel free to call or text anytime if you need to. 

T.K.

[12:29pm] You might regret that. He’s going to be a pain in the ass for the next couple weeks. You may end up having to come investigate his murder because I’m not sure I can handle it.

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[12:30pm] Haha aren’t firefighters supposed to be tough as nails? You can run into burning buildings but you can’t handle your dad?

T.K.

[12:31pm] We WALK into burning buildings thank you very much. And you haven’t met my dad. He can whine like a toddler being denied ice cream. It’s unreal. We may need to reschedule our date just so I don’t lose my mind.

Officer Hottie- Carlos

[12:32pm] Tuesday?

T.K. thinks for a second. His dad should be well on the road to recovery by then. And he’s not scheduled to work again until Wednesday.

T.K.

[12:32pm] Tuesday could work.

[littleeyesofpallas]

Not to really waste anyone else's brain space on a headcanon for a 20+ year old b-flick that most people probably only remember for being kind of silly and bad, and having a laughably edgy soundtrack, but...

The One, starring Jet Li, and written and directed by James Wong(probably only really otherwise known for being the writer/director on Final Destination) has these moments that keep making me want to read one particular character as trans? And maybe the worst part of this all is that I'm a good 99% certain that's not what's going on at all, and that if anything both cases are actually just good old fashioned 2000s brand homophobia, but like...

It's a multiverse movies about one guy killing other versions of himself in different universes, and for budget reasons and fun sci-fi shenanigans a bunch of the cast get to play multiple versions of themselves. Carla Gugino primarily plays the character T.K., the hero's wife. But she also briefly appears as the villain's partner who helps him escape the multiverse police.

Of note is that there is a joke where all the various Jet Li characters have "law" in their name in one way or another, and even though the hero is always referred to as "Gabe" and the villain as "Yulaw" for clarity, their names are technically "Gabriel 'Gabe' Law" and "Gabriel Yulaw." And when the villain first confronts T.K., other than just recognizing her as the hero's lover and an alternate version of his own partner, he seems to know to call her "T.K." It sort of suggests that there's some kind of consistency across her different iterations, just like with the main characters'. (there's also a thing where she's a veterinarian in 2/3 worlds, and has like a weird twisted affinity for animals even in the 1/3 where she's evil? so again there's this thing about consistency where for all the differences certain elements kind of persist)

So there's a scene where evil Jet Li is hiding in a body bag and two gross dudes come into the morgue and start talking about porn. One of them makes a remark about "..then why don't you just watch one of those big ass she-male videos, you freak?" which prompts Jet Li's character to burst out of his hiding place and angrily yell "shut up!" which I'm sure is just supposed to read a, "will these two ever stop talking???" sort of moment, but....

...then there's a later point where Jason Statham's character (did I mention he was in this?) is trying to explain the multiverse to good Jet Li, and more importantly to the audience, and he explains that "...in one universe you're married to the same woman, in another you're married to a different woman, in another you're married to a man" and Jet Li's other character snaps at him with just a little disgruntled, "hey!" and like... again, I'm sure in reality was just a, "i resent being accused of gay!" sort of thing --very 90s/00s schoolyard brand homophobic sentiment.

But like... Putting those two scenes together my brain kind of wants to read it as evil Jet Li being offended at the transphobia of the one porn guy, and good Jet Li being offended at his trans wife being misgendered? So like, headcanon that T.K. is a trans woman, and also that every version of Jet Li's character loves his trans wife?

I dunno why this matters to me at all. Its not like it would've been particularly meaningful or impactful had she been canonically trans. It's not a great boon to representation or anything. Like, even if I was right and she could be reasonable read as trans, or even if against all odds she had somehow actually been intended to be trans, she gets the girlfriend fridge treatment anyway, so that's still not great. But it just kinda jumped out to me while i had it playing in the background at work that, without initially thinking too hard, I very naturally registered her as trans? And then trying to figure out why I jumped to that conclusion sorta fell down this admittedly pretty shallow rabbit hole for a sec.

Anyway I don't know who I think I'm sharing this with. There is no The One fandom, and there never was...

[just0nemorepage]

How to Succeed in Witchcraft || Aislinn Brophy || 416 pages Top 3 Genres: Fantasy / Young Adult / LGBTQIA+

Synopsis: Magically brilliant, academically perfect, chronically overcommitted...

Shay Johnson has all the makings of a successful witch. Now that she's a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, she's one step closer to winning the full-ride Brockton Scholarship--her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her main competition? Ana freaking Álvarez. The key to victory? Impressing Mr. B, drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee.

When Mr. B persuades Shay to star in this year's aggressively inclusive, racially diverse musical--at their not-quite-diverse school--she agrees, wearily, even though she'll have to put up with Ana playing the other lead. But with rehearsals underway, Shay realizes Ana is...not the despicable witch she'd thought. Perhaps she could even be a friend--or more. And Shay could use someone in her corner once she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr. B's unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she's not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she'll come forward. But how can she speak out when the scholarship--and her future--are on the line?

Publication Date: September 2022. / Average Rating: 4.15. / Number of Ratings: ~260.

[lonestarbabe]

Giving Up the Ghost

Chapter 12: The Morning After

T.K. and Carlos have an important conversation about his stalker and their relationship.

Past Chapters

[AO3]

When T.K. woke up, Carlos was gone, which was probably for the best. Every time he was around Carlos, he acted like a skittish freak, and it was probably for the best if they just let things fizzle out. Even so, a selfish part of him wanted to wake up with Carlos by his side. He hated that he was blowing things with Carlos. If T.K. wasn’t in such a bad place, maybe something more could have developed. They could have been good together.

Leave it to T.K. to find the perfect guy and for ghosts to make it impossible to have a normal relationship.

T.K. swallowed, his throat dry. He forced himself out of bed to get some mineral water. He wrapped his arms around himself to protect himself from the chill of the air conditioning, and he tried not to think of taking a swig of something stronger, something that would warm all the cold places. Loneliness wasn’t a good enough reason for him to resort to old coping mechanisms.  

He nearly stopped in his tracks when he heard sizzling in a pan. His head whipped around to the stove. “Carlos? What are you doing here?” T.K. couldn’t help the smile that forced its way onto his face.

“Don’t you remember? You passed out yesterday, and I brought you home.” Carlos raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t want to leave you alone,” which was a nice way of saying that T.K. had been acting like he shouldn’t be left alone and had desperately wanted Carlos to stay.

“I remember. I’m just surprised you’re still here.”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Carlos’ eyes were smooth and warm like hot chocolate. Dianne was right about the cow eyes.

“I’m fine. I was just exhausted, I think.” He’d kept having dreams about the stalker, and he’d wake up, not sure whether the dreams had been real or nightmares, until he’d reach over to feel Carlos’ arm. Just having Carlos there had made him feel less insane, reminding him that he still had a grip on reality.

“You should take better care of yourself.” Carlos placed two plates down. “I’ve made breakfast.”

T.K. sat down and picked up a fork. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“How are you feeling?” T.K. almost laughed at the forced casual tone.

“Pretty good.” There were no ghosts around, so that was a break. He tried not to think about the ghost stalker because there was no way he was going to be able to unpack all of that. He was worried that he was actually losing his mind. Maybe ghosts weren’t real after all, and he was just hallucinating it all.

All he knew was that his ghosts couldn’t see his stalker, which meant that all the things he thought he knew about the way the world worked were precarious. Ghosts saw other ghosts, but in some cases, they didn’t. And he couldn’t even begin to understand why. T.K. needed to figure out what the hell was going on, but getting the answers he needed seemed impossible. There wasn’t a supernatural troubleshooting hotline.

Carlos looked nervous. He swallowed a bite of eggs. “I keep thinking about what you were saying last night. About your stalker. And I think you need to bring it to the police. It’s gotten a little out of hand, don’t you think?” He should’ve known that Carlos wasn’t the type of thing to let things go. That’s one of the things that T.K. liked about Carlos. Carlos wasn’t pushy, but he was persistent.

“It’s not that kind of problem.”

“This isn’t just a one-time thing. He’s been following you around. You passed out because you thought you saw him.” The funny thing was that the stalker situation was way more out of hand than T.K. could explain.

“I don’t think he’s going to hurt me.”

“Maybe not, but by the time things escalate, it may be too late to get help.” Carlos’ voice raised just a notch. “You keep brushing this thing off whenever we talk about it, but I can tell that you’re terrified. You kept tossing and turning in your sleep last night. I know that you’re probably scared to face this, but ignoring it could get you killed.”

“There are things about me that you don’t know.”

“I feel like I don’t know anything about you.”

“Bad things follow me, Carlos. And I don’t want to get you involved. My life is pretty much a mess, and it’s unfair to drag you in just because you’re nice enough to keep giving me chances when I ruin everything.”

Carlos sighed. “Maybe I’m a fool, but I just have this feeling that there could be something really good between us.”

“I want that too,” T.K. admitted before he could stop himself. “But this whole stalker thing has made me really confused.”

Carlos brushed a hand through T.K.’s hand. “You don’t need to deal with it alone.”

“I don’t even have proof. No one would believe me.”

“I believe me.”

“I don’t even know if I believe me,” T.K. confessed. “I’ll see him or think I see him, and then he’s just gone, and he won’t appear for a while.” T.K. sighed. “I can’t go to the police about this, okay? I know you think I should, but they’ll just think I’m delusional. I’m not exactly a reputable source.”

“You’re a firefighter. That’ll mean something.”

T.K. bit his lips. “I’m also an addict.” He was quick to add, “In recovery, but I had a relapse just before I got here.”

Carlos’ eyes widened in understanding, but he nodded. “That doesn’t mean you’re just making this up.”

“I know, but I just need to try to deal with this on my own.” T.K. took Carlos’ hand, “But I want you to be part of my life. I don’t think he’ll try to hurt you.” The worst thing was that T.K. could not guarantee Carlos’ safety. If this was a normal ghost, he’d feel a lot better, but he didn’t know what he was dealing with, but he did know that he would do everything in his power to keep Carlos safe from whatever this thing was.

“I’m not worried about getting hurt.”

“I want to keep you safe from whatever this is, but I’m not willing to let you go.” He was doing it: committing himself to Carlos despite the wreck his life was becoming. But the fear of losing an opportunity was stronger than the fear of things going wrong.

“Keep me safe by being honest with me, T.K. I can’t help you, and I can’t have a relationship with you if you’re hiding stuff like this from me. Tell me if this gets worse, and don’t downplay it just to make me feel better.”

“I’ll tell you if things change.”

Carlos put a hand on T.K.’s cheek, “And if you’re ever scared to be alone, you can call me.”

“If I did that, you’d have to arrest me for harassment,” T.K. tried to joke, but Carlos just looked sad. “I was just kidding, Carlos.” T.K. wrapped his arms around Carlos’ waist and pulled him closer, giving him a sweet kiss. “Seriously, I’ll call you if anything happens.”

“Even if it’s just a gut feeling, you can call.”

T.K. laughed at Carlos’ serious expression. “You’re a worrier, aren’t you?”

Carlos smiled just a little, “I’m afraid so.”

“It’s okay. I worry, too, when I have something worth worrying about.” Carlos looked at Carlos’ eyes; it felt so good to have someone worth worrying about.