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marjansmarwani · 3 years

Text

It feels like an out of body experience

2k || ao3

“He was talking to both of us,” he repeated, aware that he sounded like a broken record. “Both me and Gabriel. He was going to take what was most important, from both of us.” --- Just a missing 2x12 scene of the moment after Owen realized TK and Carlos were in danger and what follows. Featuring an in-depth look at his guilt because why else do I ever write Owen Strand anymore?

This has been sitting mostly done on my google drive since May and I finally decided to finish it today, for some reason so I hope you’re all in the mood for some angsty Owen content.

Beta’d by my loves @silvarafael and @justaswampdemon

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“You thought he was talking to you?” Billy asked with a snort. “I thought he was talking to Reyes.”

Judd let out a laugh beside him and Owen rolled his eyes, picking up his glass to take another sip of the whiskey. He rolled Billy’s words around in his head as he twirled the glass, watching as the whiskey sloshed around the sides. The thought came suddenly and hit him with all the force of a steam engine.

“He was talking to both of us,” he said quietly, pulling Judd’s attention to him. He could see the other man frowning but he ignored him. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it sooner; he couldn’t believe it hadn’t been his first thought.

“He was talking to both of us,” he repeated louder, now pulling the eyes of all the others to him as well. Tommy sat up straighter as she clocked the fear in his eyes.

“What are you saying?” she asked evenly, using her steady, tempered captain’s voice that he had heard so often on patients in the field.

“He was talking to both of us,” he repeated, aware that he sounded like a broken record. “Both me and Gabriel. He was going to take what was most important, from both of us.”

His words hung in the air for a moment as they all processed and began to connect the dots. Owen set down his glass as they did, his hands were shaking too much to hold it. He was already reaching into his pocket for his phone when Judd’s expression cleared and he let out a curse as he figured out what Owen was implying, but he didn’t have the focus to see anything but the phone in his hands.

Billy still hadn’t figured it out though so Owen spelled it out for him as the phone now clutched to his ear rang: “Our sons. He meant our sons, who live together. He meant TK and Carlos. He rigged their house to burn too.”

There were horrified looks all around now but Owen couldn’t focus on them. The fear coursing through his veins was too all-consuming; there wasn’t room for anything else.

The ringing stopped and for a split second, Owen thought that maybe, just maybe he was in luck, that TK had finally answered. But his voicemail answered instead at the tail end of the moment and Owen could feel some of the hope he had managed to cling to slip away.

The others were watching him intently and he knew that the fear was written all over his face. Grace was the first to speak, breaking the tense silence.

“You all need to go.”

They all turned to her and Judd opened his mouth but she shook her head, “Those boys need you. With the 126 closed, there isn’t a house close enough to get to them in time. But you’re close here. I’ll call it in to dispatch, and pray a whole lot.”

Owen nodded, already standing with Judd on his heels. The younger man paused for all of a moment, turning back to his wife who only shook her head.

“TK and Carlos need you right now Judd, I’ll be fine. Just be careful, and call me when you’re done.”

Judd nodded and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss, “I love you, Gracie.”

“I love you too, now go!”

Owen didn’t need to be told twice. He was already halfway out the door before Grace even finished speaking. He jumped into his truck and was momentarily surprised when the passenger door swung open beside him. He turned, hand frozen over the ignition to see Billy climbing in beside him. The other man took a look at him and scoffed.

“Well, what are you waiting for, New York? We’ve gotta go.”

So Owen started the truck and sped away from the curb because Billy was right. TK was in danger and nothing else mattered.

He pressed the speed limit the entire way from the Ryder’s house to the condo. It wasn’t far and Owen was making excellent time as it was, but that fact did nothing to quell the racing of his heart. He can’t believe he hadn’t thought of it before. What kind of father was he that when he was told that someone was going to take what was most important to him and he didn’t immediately think of his son?

If they were too late and the worst did happen, how did he live with himself?

Billy had the scanner app running beside him, and the sound of his son’s address being relayed by dispatch sent an entirely different chill through him. It made it real, hearing the words outside of his own head. All the while his phone rang between them until TK’s voicemail picked up again and Owen swore. He took a breath and tried to let logic in. Maybe Raymond was just trying to scare them; rigging two places to burn might have taken more time than he had. Maybe they weren’t home, maybe they had decided to go out after everything that had happened today. Maybe they had been able to get out at the first signs — TK had been a firefighter, after all. He would have noticed, he would have known how to safely get them both out. He...

His conjecture broke off sharply as they finally reached their destination and Owen suddenly found that he couldn’t breathe.

There were flames already eating through the first story, their ominous glow cutting through the night. Owen knew in his gut he had been right but seeing it stoked an entirely new fear within him. TK was in there. Carlos was in there. He needed to get them out.

He moved towards the structure but suddenly there were hands on him, pulling him back. He rounded on the hands holding him, ready to fight back only to be met with Judd’s unimpressed gaze.

“Running in there half-cocked and getting yourself hurt isn’t going to help them,” he told him, pressing an AFD t-shirt into his hands. “Cover up your face and let me grab the extinguishers, then we’ll go in.”

Owen followed his instructions without much thought, his shaking hands moving on autopilot to fasten the shirt around his face. His gaze never left the flaming structure before him, his chest aching with the knowledge that his son was trapped in there. It wasn’t long before a fire extinguisher was pressed into his hand by Judd, but it felt like an eternity as he watched the flames grow ever higher. He felt as if he were in those flames himself, the fear and guilt eating away inside of him with every passing breath that he got to take that his son might not.

And then they were moving, bursting through the front door and attacking the flames with their extinguishers. Owen barely took a moment to survey the downstairs — to see the familiar living space charred and destroyed — before he led the way up the stairs to the bedroom, Billy on his heels. The sound of breaking glass had him running faster and he burst through the door to feel his heart jump into his throat at the sight of Carlos preparing himself to jump out of a second-floor window, TK a step behind him.

He shouted at them to follow him as Billy did his best to quell the flames that threatened to stop them. But Owen knew they wouldn’t because he wouldn’t be deterred. Now that he had the boys in his sight, he wasn’t about to leave here without them; no matter what.

They both turned and looked at him in shock and he can only imagine how little sense this all must make. But then TK was pulling Carlos towards them and then they were out of the room and down the stairs

He noted the hand that TK kept on Carlos as he stepped in front of them and wondered how much of it was his training and how much of it was the need to know that he was still with him. It was an instinct he understood, as he led the way and did his best to clear their path with the one fire extinguisher he had. He could hear them behind him but he was almost afraid to turn around, as if somehow if he looked back they would be gone; a modern-day Orpheus giving into his doubt and losing it all. So he focused instead on the flames, on finding the next step. On the way forward.

His mind had almost started to wander again — pondering the terrors and what-ifs even now — but a piece of the ceiling falling to the ground before him interrupted that spiral, wrenching him back to reality. Being surrounded by fire on all sides without a stitch of gear was unlike anything else and he bit back a cry as some of the smoldering debris landed on his arm. But he pushed on because TK and Carlos were behind him and that was all that mattered. He could weather any amount of pain as long as the boys were safe.

Finally, they burst through what remained of the front door, and before he even paused to take a breath he turned on his heel to make sure that they were behind him, that he hadn’t failed even more than he already had.

But there they were, hunched over on their front lawn; taking heaving breaths of fresh air and coughing out the remnants of smoke still trapped in their lungs.

Distantly Owen heard the sound of footsteps behind him and Tommy ran to join them and of shouts as Judd and Billy spilled out of the front door. Tommy gave him a quick look before making a beeline for the boys, reaching out for TK who shook his head and nodded towards Carlos. Her expression softened ever so slightly as she reached out a hand for Carlos, guiding him (and therefore TK too) further away from the flames still eating through the darkness of the night sky.

Owen watched them go as Judd appeared at his side, following his gaze before glancing down at Owen’s sleeve.

“Those could be some nasty burns, Cap,” he observed. “You should get those checked out.”

Even as he said the words the 129 was piling out of their truck and the captain was calling out orders. Owen watched them go but knew with a sinking heart that the damage had already been done in so many ways. He shook his head at Judd a moment later, “They’ll keep.”

Judd opened his mouth to argue but trailed off when he followed Owen’s gaze back to where TK and Carlos were now getting checked out by the paramedics, Tommy hovering at the edge. His expression turned sad at the sight of Carlos hunched over and TK wrapped around him, running a soothing hand up and down his arm even as his mouth moved in what were likely soft reassurances.

“Do you think he’ll ever forgive me Judd?” he heard himself ask, and he wasn’t surprised when the other man looked at him sharply.

“Who?” he asked, “TK?” He started to speak but then stopped as he glanced back over his shoulder at the home that was crumbling to soggy ashes behind them. His eyes turned back to the couple currently seeking solace in each other in the back of an ambulance before he sighed: “Yeah, he will. He’s good like that. It’s just gonna take some time.”

Owen nodded his agreement but kept his mouth shut so what he was really thinking didn’t slip through. Maybe, he thought, forgiveness isn’t even what he is looking for. Forgiving could be easy and TK had perfected the art over the course of his life. He knew his son loved him, but love didn’t always mean the same as trust. Trust was something else entirely and Owen couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before his son ever put his trust in him again.

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #my writing #oh look another 2x12 coda #userkimmy #userjilly #userac #userbones #usermaximus #tuserpaige #reyesstrand #reyeslonestartag

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morganaspendragonss · 4 years

Note

Hey! I absolutely love your "the lovers that went wrong" fic - ive been back to reread it several times now because i think its such a good idea and I love the relationship with TK and his mum - if only the show could give us something as good as that! - I was wondering- only if you were interested, could you write something from Carlos' pov with his parents? maybe they can see that TK is more than a friend and they talk to Carlos about him and TK and why he's feeling insecure? if not np :)

thank you so much anon, that’s so sweet of you!! i love this prompt, too - god knows the show probably won’t show us carlos’s pov. it was my pleasure to write it.

a note on the spanish - technically, i do speak spanish but it’s still very much a word in progress, so if any spanish-speakers want to correct me then please do

ao3 | 1.6k | 2.04 spoilers

Carlos can feel TK's eyes burning holes into the side of his head, but he doesn’t look around. He doesn’t want to see the confusion and hurt he knows TK must be feeling - and if that makes him a coward, then so be it. His parents’ gazes are flicking between them, so Carlos distracts his mom by pulling her into a hug, grateful for the brief opportunity to hide his face.

Behind them, his dad is shaking TK’s hand, and Carlos’s entire brain is screaming wrongwrongwrong. This isn’t supposed to be happening. Not like this. Not yet.

He’s not ready.

His mom pulls away and Carlos forces a smile back on his face. They stand in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, Carlos feeling like he’s being scrutinised.

Then, TK speaks. “It was great to meet you, Mr Reyes, Mrs Reyes,” he says, “but I should go. I told my dad I’d meet him and I’ll be late if I don’t leave.”

The lie rolls off his tongue, smoother than Carlos’s had, and Carlos dares a glance over. What he sees is so much worse than he imagined; to any other person, TK looks the picture of innocence, smiling kindly, eyes wide and bright.

But Carlos knows him. He can see the tense set of TK’s shoulders, the way he’s subtly put more distance between them, the hurt hidden deep in his eyes. He feels sick with guilt, but there’s nothing he can do to fix it. Not here.

“I’ll drive you,” he offers, but TK firmly waves him off.

“No,” he says, jaw clenching minutely. “My dad’s place isn’t too far; I can walk.”

“But -”

“It’s fine.”

Their eyes meet, and Carlos is suddenly hit with the force of what he’s done. Everything he’s been so scared of - TK deciding they’re not working, running away, Carlos getting his heart broken - all of that might happen now after all.

And it’ll all be Carlos’s fault.

TK’s hand lands on his shoulder. “I’ll see you around, Carlos,” he mutters, and then he’s gone, striding back the way they came and taking half of Carlos’s heart with him.

“Is everything okay, mijo?” his mom asks, as Carlos keeps staring after TK even though he can’t see him anymore.

Carlos doesn’t have an answer to that - the casual way they parted cut deeper than he’d ever thought possible, and he doesn’t know if it was just TK keeping up the act or his way of hurting Carlos the way he’d been hurt. Carlos wants to believe it’s the first one, but his less charitable side can’t help but wonder.

He can’t tell any of this to his mom, though, so he braces himself and turns back around, smiling. “Yeah, of course,” he says, surprised by how steady his voice is. “What are you guys doing here? I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“Clearly,” his dad remarks, faintly amused, but before Carlos can figure that out, his mom is taking his arm and dragging him along with her.

“I was planning on making my chiles rellenos tonight, but your father forgot the chiles when he went shopping the other day.” She sends a reproachful look behind her, but the effect is offset by her fond smile. “You know they do the best ones here, so out we came. And here you are.”

“Here I am,” Carlos agrees through gritted teeth. He tries to extricate himself from her grip. “Look, mami, I don’t want to keep you. I’ll go, and you can -”

She stops suddenly, planting her hands on her hips. “I don’t see my only son for weeks, and the second we run into him, he wants to escape?” she demands. “No. You’re coming home with us, and you can help me with the food.”

“It’s hardly been weeks, mami,” he says weakly, knowing he’s already lost this argument. When Andrea Reyes makes up her mind, nothing can sway her.

“Psshh, details.” She waves her hand dismissively and takes his arm again, leaving Carlos no choice but to follow her to their car. He directs a wordless plea for help back at his dad, but he just holds his hands up, shaking his head.

“Your mother’s right, you know,” he says. “We barely see you these days. Give us the afternoon, at least.”

Which is how Carlos ends up in his mother’s kitchen, silently helping her prepare chiles rellenos and trying not to wallow in his grief over TK.

He fails miserably - miserable being the operative word.

His mom is being suspiciously silent, and if Carlos had any energy left, he would call her out on it. He knows they’re going to end up having a discussion at some point, but he’s in no mood to provoke it. Easier just to let her initiate it herself.

“That boy at the market,” she starts eventually, far too casually for Carlos’s liking. “What was his name again?”

“TK.”

She hums. “You’ve never mentioned him before.”

He sighs heavily. “We’re friends, mami,” he reminds her wearily, the lie coming easier this time, which is something he really doesn’t want to read in to.

“I never suggested otherwise,” she says. “He seemed nice.”

“He is.”

She sighs, clearly fed up with his reticence, and sets her knife down. “¿Qué pasa, mijo?” she asks, turning to face him.

“Nada, mami, no pasa nada,” he insists, though he’s not entirely sure why he’s still bothering to lie.

“Don’t pull that shit with me, Carlos Reyes,” she says sharply, startling him. “Soy tu madre; te conozco. Now, I’ll ask again - what’s going on?”

He meets her gaze, seeing only warmth and concern there, and it nearly breaks him. “It’s difficult to explain.”

“Try me.”

Carlos bites his lip, deciding how best to break the news to her. He’s still not ready, not really, but he’s made his bed. Time to lie in it.

“I’ve met someone,” he hedges, trusting her to fill in the blank of TK’s name. “I’ve known him for a while, but we’ve only been seeing each other for the last four months.”

There’s a brief silence, then, “Why did you not tell us?” she asks, her tone gentle, not at all accusatory. “Is it not serious?”

He hesitates, swallowing past the lump in his throat. “I don’t know,” he admits, half-whispering. “I don’t… He… I…”

Carlos shakes his head, giving up on speech. He doesn’t protest when his mom reaches up to draw him into an embrace, resting his head on her shoulder.

“I’m scared, mami,” he chokes out, squeezing his eyes shut and letting the tears fall. His mom holds him tight, rubbing comforting circles on his back as he shakes in her arms.

They stay like that for a while, until she moves her hands to his shoulders and eases him away from her. “Why are you scared?” she asks. Her eyes narrow. “He’s not hurting you, is he?”

Carlos recoils at the thought. “No,” he says, the words bursting out of him in a half-shout. “He would never.”

“Then, what is it?”

He hesitates again, the thought of telling her everything suddenly very daunting. She clearly notices, as she reaches around him to push the half-prepared food away. Carlos’s eyes widen at that; his mom never stops cooking once she’s started. She smiles ruefully, then leads him over to the couch, pulling both of them down onto it.

“Tell me.”

And Carlos does. He doesn’t divulge all of their long, complicated history, but he tells her enough for her to understand. He talks about TK’s reluctance to start anything, his own determination to try anyway. He talks about those days after TK got shot, and the solar storm, and that night under the stars when they finally agreed to give them a shot.

He talks about his fears that it’s all just a fantasy, that any day now the rose-tinted glasses are going to come off and TK is going to realise that he’s made a mistake, and Carlos will be left behind again. And he talks about his guilt for even thinking it, the way he wants so badly to believe that this is it.

Because, for him at least, Carlos is fairly sure that it is. He just wishes (hopes) the same is true for TK.

When he’s done talking, he glances hesitantly over at his mom. She’s watching him with a small smile on her face, her hand gently squeezing his knee.

“Oh, Carlos,” she says, shaking her head. “You’re in deep, aren’t you?”

He grimaces and nods. “I’ve ruined it all,” he says. “I hurt him, and now he’s never going to trust me again.”

“Oh, no you don’t,” she admonishes. He frowns up at her, only to meet a spectacular frown of her own. “You’re going to go to him, right now, and explain everything like you’ve just done for me. He’ll listen, and if he doesn’t then clearly he’s not good enough for you.”

“He’s good enough, mami,” he says, cracking a small smile. “I don’t know where he is, though; he was lying when he said he had to meet his dad.”

“Then you’re going to go home and wait,” she says, matter-of-fact. “If half of what you’ve said is true, he’s going to want to talk just as much as you do.”

Carlos doubts that, but he supposes it’s as good a plan as any. He could call TK, but he doesn’t want to rush him. Better to let him decide when he wants to talk to Carlos - Carlos had been the one to hurt him, after all.

He leans into his mom’s side, smiling at her. “Thank you, mami.”

She kisses his temple. “Te quiero, my son. Now, go. If this boy is as good as you say, I’ll never forgive you for letting him go, let alone him.”

Carlos laughs, then gets to his feet and leaves his parents’ house, filled with a sudden determination to fix this.

He doesn’t think he could live with himself if he didn’t at least try.

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #tarlos #tarlos fic #911 lone star spoilers #lone star #carlos reyes #tk strand #tk x carlos #911ls #fanfiction #my fanfiction #writing #my writing #userjillian #userkimmy #tuserpaige #anonymous

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justapoet · 4 years

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Infinity times infinity

For years, it lost its magic. Looking up was just useless and he was happy to avoid more questions without answers because those related to the Earth itself were already exhausting enough to keep him awake at night. And, then, TK happened.

Carlos loves stars, and he, somehow, found them inside of the most beautiful irises he's ever seen.

2.2k

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There's something about the nights that makes Carlos's mind feel light and peaceful. Since he was a child, even more as a teenager, he'd sit on his parent's house's balcony and stare at the sky for hours until his father called him back in, so he wouldn't mess up his sleep schedule too much.

Yet, he'd spend most nights looking out his window thinking; about the stars and the most random things. He'd spend sleepless nights naming constellations and trying to remember the myth behind each one, explaining to his own shadow under the silver glow of the moon. His cellphone used to always have notes and pictures of planets and galaxies, his calendar always marking the nights and days when some astronomic event would happen so he could convince his mother to let him stay awake the whole night.

When he joined the police academy, though, he stopped thinking about it. Carlos didn't even notice when he stopped looking up, but somehow, when he did, it started to make his neck ache enough for him to give up soon. He didn't search for constellations or planets anymore and no longer knew when it would happen a meteor shower or a red moon, and his cellphone's gallery also didn't have pictures of anything related to space.

And, then, TK happened. After years without looking up, there was TK Strand, who would drive him crazy and make him come up with more questions without a single answer and sometimes without even a question mark, making him doubt all of his steps and sentences. Then, all of a sudden, there was this beautiful firefighter with terrible luck, a gorgeous smile, and the most beautiful eyes Carlos has ever seen in his twenty-seven years of life.

TK happened and, somehow, looking up and forward didn't seem to ache anymore.

Oh, well; if being honest, TK happened, and looking down was way more painful when they were riding an ambulance with a bleeding wound on TK's abdomen and sirens blaring on the streets. Seeing the pain clouding those pretty eyes hurt way too much and, yet, he needed to ― someone needed to keep him awake.

"C'mon, babe; you have to keep your eyes open. You know the drill" Carlos said again, probably for the fifth time in five minutes. "Keep your beautiful eyes open for me, uh?"

"'ou like m'eyes?" TK grumbled. Carlos hummed in agreement. "Why?" his voice was low and full of pain, and he winced as Tommy touched close to the wound. Carlos squeezed the paramedic's hand in his, smiling quite embarrassed.

"There's this, uh... Planetary nebula, a young one. It's called Butterfly Nebula because of its wing-like appearance, a few more than three thousand light-years from us ― from Earth ―, on the Scorpio constellation" he started, shyly. His words caught TK's attention immediately, those big green eyes, even filled with pain, focused on Carlos' worried and beautiful face. Tommy, beside them, seemed to be curious, too, about where the conversation was going.

"It's one of the most complex planetary nebulas ever found, you know?" he asked, smiling little. "And the colors seem to change, too. Some pictures of it show us a dark nebula with points of light, some red, blue, and a lot of shades of orange" TK frowned, and Carlos could tell that this time, it wasn't because of the pain, but because he couldn't understand how it was related to his eyes. "My favorite thing about it is that it always, in every single picture, has shades of green light close to the center of it and on its edges"

Carlos chuckled a little when both Tommy and TK let out an "oh" with a sigh. He looked at their entangled hands before starting to speak again.

"I used to think that, if I looked through a telescope, as a kid, I'd be able to see it," he said, smiling nostalgically. "My father would tell me it was impossible and it would only give me an aching neck, and my mother would say that some things are just out of reach" he shrugged before looking up again, meeting those unfairly green eyes. "Turns out they were both wrong"

TK pressed his lips together, and Carlos could tell that there were new tears in his boyfriend's eyes in a second. The beeping sound around them went a little faster, and Tommy turned her head and smiled towards them both, focusing on Carlos for a second. He blushed, knowing that it was TK's heart racing for what he'd just said.

They got to the hospital minutes later, and Carlos was left in the same waiting room he always ended up in as they carried TK away to another surgery. He let a few tears fall before trying to breathe steadily again, his leg bouncing with anxiety brought by the uncertainty. No matter how many times he ended up there with the same questions and situations, he could never calm his heart and mind down until he had a concrete answer, and Carlos knew well enough that he wouldn't have it for a few hours.

When, hours later, they were all allowed to check up on TK ― the team had arrived after their shift ended ―, Carlos stood close to the window as his boyfriend drifted back to sleep. He looked up at the sky that night and counted constellations until a nurse came in to check the man's vitals. Then, he sat back at the bedside and took TK's hand in his, spending another sleepless night counting the dots on TK's arm.

From that day on, he'd find himself constantly looking up when the sunset on the horizon gave the sky away to the moon. He could tell TK was curious, slightly worried about Carlos' silence most nights, so the cop would just hold tight to him and kiss him slowly. TK didn't complain about that ― he could never ―, and he didn't ask either. Carlos mentally thanked him for that, otherwise, he wouldn't know what to tell his boyfriend.

It was nostalgic, now, to sit on his balcony and look up at the dark skies above him. It was a Friday night, both TK and him out of a twenty-four-hour shift, and it was silent and peaceful. Carlos sat on the ground, and his knees were brought close to his chest, his chin resting over his folded arms.

He wasn't searching for anything specific, although his eyes could easily name one or two constellations immediately. It was late, already past midnight, and he couldn't tell how much time he spent in that position on the balcony.

At some moment, though, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and then a cup filled with a smokey liquid was put in front of his face. A second after his hands were around the cup, a warm body was next to his and big, bright eyes were staring at his profile. He smiled while looking at the sweet tea, the smell filling his lungs, and then looked back at the sky.

"Trying to find a nebula?" TK asked, his voice low and sweet. Carlos chuckled, shaking his head politely.

"Remembering my favorite stars," he said, and TK looked at him with curiosity, waiting for more explanation. "I used to love looking up at the sky and naming all the stars and constellations I could remember"

"Used to?" TK asked.

"I stopped looking up at some point in my life" Carlos shrugged. "Imagining any other worlds started to be painful".

TK didn't answer Carlos' words, processing them in a painful moment. He analyzed the man's face carefully, each edge and spot filling his heart with a fast, welcoming, and safe feeling, and each one of his words filling his chest with heaviness and some kind of gray cloud.

Slowly, he bent his head to the side so it was carefully placed on Carlos' shoulder. The cop took a sip of his tea, his head lightly leaning against TK's, his eyes still focused up at the stars as if he would miss something truly important if he ever stopped looking. TK found it adorable, one of his hands touching Carlos' arm and his fingers wrapping on his long-sleeve t-shirt.

"The butterfly nebula?" his voice was barely a whisper, and a tiny shy smile took over the latino's lips. "Do my eyes really remind you of it?"

Carlos nodded.

"That's probably the best compliment I've ever received in my entire life," TK said, the joke being said with a quite bitter truth behind it. "And what you've been searching for in the sky, now?" he asked once Carlos tangled their fingers together, kissing the back of the new yorker's hand.

"I'm not searching for anything," he said, slowly shaking his head. "Just wondering" concluded, and TK turned his head to place his chin on the cop's shoulder.

"What about?" questioned.

"About how... You know, we have more than we can count, on the Universe. More stars than we can put in numbers, more planets than we can put in names, and more mystery than we can put in theory" Carlos said, sighing. "There are more possibilities than we will ever imagine, and more life than we will ever be able to put among births and deaths. And, yet, here we are" he seemed lost in a trail of thoughts. "Putting time in clocks, names in stars and lives inside boxes. It's insane that, with everything we could discover, this tiny little space, this minimal planet... This tiny piece of nothing drifting in the edge of the Universe is everything we have"

He stopped, and TK absorbed the words calmly. It was something to think about, indeed, all of the things we praise so much being just a little thing, a grain of sand ― or maybe that's too much ― in the middle of something way bigger than we could ever imagine.

"And yet?" TK asked, knowing his boyfriend way too much to supposed he was finished with his thoughts. Carlos smiled gently, and TK felt the heart-melting feeling inside of his chest.

"And, yet, I wouldn't trade it for anything" Carlos stated, and TK could only admire him with a silly and loving smile.

Carlos squeezed TK's hand in his.

"So, I was just wondering about how, among uncountable stars, planets, stars, nebulas," he started, and TK smiled sweetly once again. "Among all of the possibilities inside and out of the way we see the Universe, among all the time in its totality; life, death, whatever time is," he said, still looking up. Then, his eyes went down and his face softened even more as his beautiful, dark, brown irises met TK's green, light ones. "How, on Earth and out of it, did I have luck enough to find you?"

In a second, TK lost his breath and ability to speak. His eyes widened a little, his chin no longer using Carlos' shoulder as support when his mouth just went open in incredulity with the weight those words had. He didn't even realize when tears gathered at the edges of his eyes, his heart insanely beating inside his ribcage with strength enough he could swear his ribs would break.

It didn't last more than five seconds, TK knew it, but for a moment it felt like forever. Carlos watched, a sweet smile taking over his lips and a purely joyful sparkle glimmering on his eyes as TK processed the words and, in seconds, threw himself against Carlos.

The cop laughed, his arms quickly wrapping TK's waist to pull him closer and his lips happily parting so TK could kiss him the way he wanted to. He felt something in his chest exploding, and he could only imagine that, whatever it was, it was just as bright as his boyfriend's smile between kisses.

Because Carlos could never imagine, as a child, that he would love someone the way he always heard love was. He couldn't convince himself that, somehow, among all things they could have, a feeling so pure and especial would be a possibility. Something so good, so unbelievably safe and warm could be his.

And, somehow, now TK was in his arms, kissing him breathlessly and caring, making him feel as if all the questions he ever made had an answer. They didn't, he knew it deep down, and he didn't really give it much importance as TK curled himself against Carlos, breathing deep as his nose went to the crook of the cop's neck.

"I love you," TK said. "The stars are witnesses to this" his voice was a low whisper against Carlos' skin, and he could only smile widely and hold TK close as they both looked back up at the skies.

"They'll forever be" Carlos answered, and he could tell TK was smiling.

There's something about the nights that makes Carlos's mind feel light and peaceful.

There's something about TK that makes Carlos feel infinite.

#tarlos #tarlos fic #tk strand x carlos reyes #carlos reyes x tk strand #tk x carlos #carlos x tk #tk and carlos #911 lone star #911 lone star fic #my writing #my fic #carlos reyes #tk strand #paramedic tk #paramedic tk strand

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alwaysablossom · 4 years

Text

Fic: 365 Days of Knowing You

Summary: Everyone has learned to tune out Probie for the most part, because they are all used to him not shutting up. So that’s what TK is also doing, until he hears Mateo mention, “Can you imagine it’s almost a year since we all started here.”Or: The 126 celebrates their 1st anniversary and TK tries to show Carlos how much he means to him.

Notes: So two days ago, I posted my first Tarlos FF on AO3. I thought I might share it here as well. Hope you all like it. Please do let me know if you do.

Here goes..

TK has been mindlessly scrubbing the firetruck clean, half listening to Mateo and Marjan’s usual banter. Everyone has learned to tune out Probie for the most part, because they are all used to him not going on and on. So that’s what TK is doing, until he hears Mateo mention, “Can you imagine it’s almost a year since we all started here.”

He shouldn’t really be surprised really. He has been carrying his one-year sobriety chip for a few weeks now. But the realization that he has been with the 126 for almost a year brings another realization, that he has known Carlos just as long. And although they didn’t officially start dating till a few months later, he can still remember the first time he laid his eyes on Carlos, that rainy night of their first shift, the dancing at bar and the sexy times which followed.

“Hey TK, coming?” he hears Marjan says, breaking him out of his thought. Paul and Judd are setting the table for the lunch that Paul has been making for the previous hour. TK nods, jogging up to catch up to her. “Dreaming of Lover boy?” Marjan teases. TK huffs as his ears tinge pink, and Marjan laughs reaching up to ruffle his hair.

Once they are sitting at the table, they all start talking about how to celebrate the one year anniversary of all of the new 126 and decide to do a party the day before at the firehouse because all of them are not working the day of.

The one-year celebrations at the firehouse starts at the end of a 24-hour shift, but there is laughter, food and family. His mother, Grace, and Tommy’s family as well as Carlos join in on the celebration. His dad gives a speech, and they all have cake which is shaped like a firetruck this time.

He moves next to Carlos, wrapping his arms around Carlos’s waist. Carlos automatically wraps his arms around TK’s shoulders, pulling him in closer, pressing a kiss to the crown of TK’s forehead.

“It’s been a year huh?” Carlos asks him softly. “Yeah”, he answers softly, tilting his head, to press a kiss to Carlos’ chin. “Thanks for coming, even if you have a shift in an hour”.

“I wouldn’t have missed it, we kept missing each other this past week, I wanted to be here.” TK moves to stand in front of Carlos, wrapping his arms around his neck. Carlos adjust himself, his arms coming to rest on TK’s hips. “I have missed you” he says. “Well, I get done with my shift at 10 and nothing unexpected happens, I should be back before midnight. Then we have two days free.” TK nods, they have discussed this before. “Will you be there, tonight?” Carlos asks him, worrying his bottom lip. And before TK can answer he adds, “You need not be, I mean you have to rest, you are just finishing a 24 hour shift and- .”

“Hey, Carlos,” TK interrupts. “I will be there, I have all of your shift to rest. Maybe even bring some pancakes for a midnight snack from the diner, for a midnight snack.” He moves his hand, his fingers, caressing at the edge of Carlos’ lip, where he has been biting it. “I would love that” Carlos answers. “We could have a slow morning, I could make breakfast” “Hmm..” TK replies, his lips finding Carlos’ and although the thought of what they are going to do tonight or in the morning tomorrow make him want to deepen the kiss, he is reminded he is still at his work place, even though they are having a party, so he keeps it light.

“I know you are having brunch with your parents tomorrow, but do you think we could spend the afternoon together?” TK asks him as they part from the kiss. “I would like nothing more.” Carlos replies, going once more for a kiss when they are interrupted by Marjan.

“Lover-Boys, come on. I know you haven’t seen each other for more than a few minutes this past week, but you can suck faces later. Right now, I want photos.” She says loudly. Paul and Judd snicker in the background and Carlos hides his face in TK’s shoulder as he feels the blush rising, TK pulling him forward towards the group. “How did you know we haven’t seen each other?” He asks Marjan, but it’s Paul who answers. “Your boy never shuts up, and it’s worse when your shifts don’t line up.” TK pinks up at the comment, and Carlos feels all warm. He knows both of them rarely hide how they feel for each other, but it fills him up with some sort of undeniable comfort, when someone else points it out. “Now come on, the celebration demands pictures before you have to leave.” Carlos has known them for a year now, and knows not to protest, that he is not a part of the fire-family or he is going to get an earful from all of them. So, he joins in.

“I’ll see you tonight” Carlos tells TK as he gets ready to leave. “You bet, I love you. Stay safe.” TK tells him. Giving him a small kiss. “I love you too.” Carlos whispers back, squeezing TK’s hands before getting into his car to drive to work.

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

After leaving the firehouse, TK decides to take a nap at his own house, and prep a few things that he needs for tomorrow. The rest he will do when Carlos is with his parents. He packs a duffel for the weekend at Carlos’ although he has enough of his stuff there. He is back at Carlos’ before dark. Changing out of his jeans, he slips on a some sweats and Carlos’ APD hoodie, he relaxes on the couch, switching on some mindless TV waiting for Carlos to get back.

TK is waiting for Carlos when he gets home from his shift. Carlos had texted him when he was almost done with his work and was wrapping up. And in the meantime, TK had gone out and grabbed them the pancakes that he had promised. Once Carlos gets home, he got changed and joins TK on the couch.

“I can’t believe you have pulled me into the dark side” Carlos says, taking a bite of the pancake. “Pancakes at midnight is the best comfort food there is Carlos.” TK argues. Carlos, smiles at him, moving forwards, kissing the pout on his lips. TK tastes like the syrup and the blueberries from their mid-night snack. “I have to admit, I am enjoying them. I was a bit skeptical when you suggested it the first time.”

“My dad and I used to have pancakes at night. Sometimes after his late shift and I just couldn’t fall asleep, because that was the only time, I could spend with him. There was this diner, near his apartment in New York, we would go there and eat pancakes.” He admits softly.

Carlos’ heart breaks for TK, when he listens to him speak about times like that. He knows TK isn’t complaining, but he just wishes he could go back and hold the teenage TK in his arms all the time telling him he is not alone. Instead, he puts his plate down on the coffee table and gathers him up into his arms. “Thanks for telling me.” He murmurs to the crown of his head. “I didn’t mean to make this depressing.”

“Not depressing, okay?” he tells TK, pressing a kiss to his lips. TK hums in reply, moving his plate out of the way, to deepen the kiss. Carlos, lets out a soft laugh when they part for air, “Not in the mood for pancakes anymore?” He asks, smirking knowing where this is going. “Later,” is the only reply he gets, before TK is kissing him once again. They don’t think about the pancakes for a while.

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

TK putters around the house once Carlos leave to meet his parents. He washes the dishes from the night before and this morning from the breakfast that Carlos cooked them both. He puts in the laundry as well. They have both been busy this past week, with nigh shifts and overtimes. Once that is done, he moves on to preparing for the date he plans for Carlos.

He decides to stick with his strengths, not attempting to cook anything big, but he does make something of an evening snack for them and puts everything into the basket he finds in the kitchen, along with all the other stuff. He puts everything in the back seat of his car.

TK opens the door when he hears the Camaro pull in with a bouquet of bright orange gerberas in his hand, before Carlos can use his keys to come in. “Hey” he greats him softly. “Hey, that for me? What’s the occasion?” Carlos asks, taking the flowers into one hand, and the other wrapping around TK’s waist, titling a bit to give him a kiss. “Baby, you are always the occasion” he says, with a smirk. “Smartass” Carlos replies with a chuckle, rubbing their noses together.

“Go on a date with me?” TK asks instead. “Flowers and a date, Ty?” Carlos smiles in question. “Will you?” TK has his lower lip between his lips, brows furrowed. “Of course. I’ll go on a date.” Carlos replies and TK. “Okay then” He replies, pulling them both towards his car in the driveway.

“You meant right now?” Carlos asks, “Of course.” He replies. “You didn’t have any afternoon plans, did you?” Carlos shakes his head no but stops TK from pulling him “Then at least let me put these in water, I don’t want them to get spoilt.”

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

They drive for a little while, a bit outside the city and TK pulls up to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. “Why are we here in the middle of nowhere, Ty?” He asks, puzzled. “This is where we met, a year ago today…” TK starts slowly, “The car accident and the baby in the tree” Carlos remembers them meeting as vividly as if it happened yesterday, but he hadn’t remembered that this was the exact spot he had laid his eyes on the person who has now become the most important person in his life.

“Happy one year, ‘Los” TK whispers, bending over the console to give Carlos a lingering kiss. “I know we didn’t start dating till a few months after but meeting you that day is the best thing that happened to me in a long time.” He explains. “Happy one year Ty!” Carlos replies softly, as if speaking a bit louder will break the spell. “You are the best think that happened to me too.” He holds TK’s face in both his hand, pressing their lips together once again.

“So our date is here?” Carlos asks, although it is sentimental, it feels kind of weird to have a date at the edge of the road where they first met. “No” TK laughs. “I just wanted to bring you here, to tell you how much you mean to me, I guess. Now it kind of feels silly.” TK feels his cheeks tinge pink in embarrassment. This all seemed better in his head. “Hey, babe, not silly okay. It means a lot to me too. So, what was your plans?” he ask, gently running his fingers on TK’s neck.

Instead of answering, TK tilts his head a bit, kissing the inside of Carlos’ wrist, before taking the car out of park. They drive a bit more, before they reached the field where they spent the night of the solar flare. This time because Carlos is more aware, he catches up faster.

“The night of the Solar flare, when I decided to give us a real go.” TK says, although he knows that Carlos understands the significance of the place. “I know the sky is not all blue and green, but I thought we could have a picnic and watch the sunset?” he asks. “Yeah” Carlos breathes out.

In all his relationships, Carlos has been the one who has planned dates, made the grand gestures, he did that with TK as well. He never expected anything in return. “Come on” TK says getting out of the car and grabbing a basket and a rug from the back. He should have seen that he is a police officer, he is supposed to notice things, but he was paying attention to his gorgeous boyfriends. Carlos shakes his head, following TK out of the car.

They find a tree; below which TK spreads the rug out and puts the basket down. “Come here” he tells TK once he is sitting with his back to the trunk and looking at the horizon. TK goes willingly, settling between the V of Carlos’ legs, leaning into the chest. They are quiet for a few moments, just enjoying being with each other soaking in the calm and the quiet. Carlos occasionally tilting his head to press a kiss to TK’s head or TK pressing some kisses to Carlos’ jaw and neck, wherever he can reach, without moving too much.

After a while, when TK starts feeling a bit hungry, he shifts out from Carlos’ arms, but Carlos tightens his arms, whining a bit and nuzzles his nose into TK’s neck. “I thought we could eat something” TK tells him with a chuckle, indicating to the basket. With another kiss to the base of his head, Carlos lets him go. TK does not go far, pulling the basket closer and settling right next to Carlos, their shoulders and thighs touching this time. “Please tell me you didn’t cook?” Carlos asks teasingly. “I didn’t want to kill us both and burn your kitchen, but I made some sandwiches and I have some drinks.” TK says defensively. “So it’s a school picnic, then?” He asks, a teasing tone still in his voice. “Carlos” TK pouts. “Sorry sorry. I was just teasing” Carlos raises his arms up in surrender. They finish food TK has brought in comfortable silence.

It’s almost time for sunset, the colors in the sky are changing slightly when TK brings out a box from inside the basket. “Happy one year Carlos” he says handing it over. “What’s this?” He asks opening it, inside it is filled with scraps of paper.

“The first anniversary is the Paper Anniversary, these are our memories from last year” TK tells him softly. Indeed, inside all types of paper, which some people would have thrown out thinking they are scraps. The tab from their date at the bar, tickets stubs from their time at the drive through, post it notes that Carlos has left TK when he had to leave early, a card from the flowers he sent over among others.

“Ty…” He starts, not knowing what to say. He looks up from the box in his lap to TK’s face, beyond him the sky is a pretty shade of pinks and purples and oranges, but he can only see the pink on TK’s cheeks and his green eyes.

“Carlos, last year when I came here to Austin, it was because my dad dragged me here. My life was all grey and cold. Each day this past year, you have added color and warmth into my life. Last year all I wanted was to get through each day, but now I look forward to not just the next day but the years to come, with you, if you will have me.” TK holds both of Carlos’s hand in his. Carlos’ eyes fill with tears.

“Move in with me?” he says instead. “What?” TK asks, surprised by the question. “My life may not have been grey before you got here Tyler, but it is only in this past year that I knew there were so many colors. You changed my life. I know you stay over like most of the time, but move in with me officially, lets make memories at home?

“Yeah…” TK breaths, moving forwards, capturing Carlos’ lips in a bruising kiss. “Yes, yes, yes” he breathes out, punctuated by kisses. Carlos, returns the kisses just as enthusiastically, both of them smiling through the kisses.

Carlos has filled his life with so much joy and warmth, TK can’t wait to show him how much Carlos mean to him. And he is going to do just that, everyday until Carlos lets him.

#tarlos #tarlos fanfic #first fic #first anniversary #carlos reyes #tk strand #126 fire family #marjan marwani #paul strickland #mateo chavez

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tootiredmotel · 4 years

Text

That damn front door (or “Hey, TK”)

Read on AO3

Word count: 6.8k

After months of living with his dad, TK finally gets his own place, only to find that his next door neighbor is that handsome police officer he's been crushing on from afar.

---

“Any other day. Any day but today. Why today?” TK muttered as he turned off the ignition and pulled up his hoodie. “It never rains in Austin. Except for today. Why.” He sat there for just a minute, head against the back of his seat and fingers fiddling with the cord of his hood, all the while entranced by the drizzle hitting the pavement and the raindrops racing down his windshield. TK was never one to turn down a rainy day, he loved them, but only when he had the choice to stay in; Hulu or Netflix browsing and some hot chocolate, or perhaps practicing on the guitar that no one knew he owned, while any and all outside distractions were blocked out by the curtain of white noise that was a steady rainfall outside his window? A perfect day in his book. He’d get plenty of those in New York during the late summer, and he made the most of them on the few days he had off from work, but in the five months he’d spent in Austin, not once had there been a rainy day such as this one.

And it just had to be the day he was moving into his new house.

It was 6am on a Sunday, his one day off, and his dad had all but dragged him off the bed. Owen was otherwise occupied that day with a certain professor of psychology, but he had helped TK pack and stuff all the remaining boxes into the car the night before (not to mention, he was lending TK the Cherokee in the first place), so he couldn't exactly complain. He could still, however, curse under his breath as much as he wanted, which is exactly what he did as he willed himself to get out of the car and run back to the trunk.

He was struggling to get it open (because of course, it was going to give him trouble now) when he heard another car pull up behind him. He hoped and prayed for lightning to strike him down then and there, as it would be less embarrassing than being seen for the first time struggling with his car by one of his new neighbors, but the trunk popped open before he could finish the thought; perhaps a little too suddenly, since it almost hit him in the chin. It was a day of almost-bad luck for him.

Half curiosity and half paranoia forced him to take a peek over his shoulder, but the rain and darkness of the early morning wouldn't let him make out the person in the driver's seat of the Camaro. The car was still running even though it was parked, meaning the person was maybe waiting for the rain to let up, therefore, they'd see TK's entire ordeal. So TK, being TK and looking to make an impression, took a box, then another, then piled a third on top before realizing his abysmal mistake. The tower of boxes came up to his nose if he held his head up.

With much effort and coordination between his left arm and his torso, he managed to shut the trunk, cursing his father for not investing in the hands-free feature for the car. He then heard the Camaro turn off behind him and the driver's door opening, prompting TK to resume his silent request for lightning to make quick work of him.

"Here, let me help you with that," He heard the person's voice through the spattering of the rain. Any second now, lightning, TK thought.

Not wanting to come off as rude, he turned around and let them take the top two boxes before immediately facing the ground to hide his face under his hood.

It was him. It was the hot cop.

Every once in a while (multiple times in a week, if he was lucky), TK would spot this hunk of a policeman on calls or patrolling around town, but he’d never get the chance to talk to him. He was damn good at his job, and TK had once or twice seen him respond to the name 'Reyes'. That's all he knew about the man, apart from the fact that his patrol uniform was just tight enough around his shoulders to make TK stare without meaning to. And now, he knew that his smile could make even a day this bleak look brighter.

TK muttered a quick thanks as he briskly made his way towards the door of his new modern home, Hot Cop Reyes following close behind. Once under the small roof of the entryway, waiting for TK to open the front door, Hot Cop balanced the boxes against his torso with one hand and used the other to shake the rain out of his curls. He must've noticed TK staring out of the corner of his eye, because he smiled at him again, and TK turned away so as to not be blinded by the sight. He was fumbling to get the key into the knob when Hot Cop spoke up.

"Are you new to Austin?"

God, even his voice was hot. TK had heard him yelling orders before, from a distance, and that was enough to make his breath hitch; hearing him up close, casual and easy and right over TK's shoulder, it made the hairs at the nape of his neck rise. Good thing he was wearing a hoodie.

He snapped himself out of it to mumble a reply. "Uh no, I- I've um, I've been here a few months."

Smooth, TK.

He finally got the lock open, wondering why every single door that stood in his way that morning was out to get him, and led Hot Cop inside.

There wasn't much in the house yet; a couch, a wall-mounted TV, a half-stocked fridge, a couple of kitchen appliances, and enough in the bedroom and bathroom to last him until he could buy whatever was left with his next paychecks; but the cream and brown tones of the walls and the little but functional furniture he had made TK feel good enough about the small house to not make any excuses or apologies about not being settled in yet.

TK set his box down next to the door, and Hot Cop followed suit.

"I'm Carlos, by the way."

Finally, TK thought, turning to find Carlos with an outstretched hand and a tight smile that only broadened when he saw TK's face. There was a knowing glint in his eyes, and TK figured there was no more use in hiding, so he pulled back his hood and shook Carlos' (strong, callused, and yet, somehow, soft) hand.

"TK."

"Yeah." Carlos slightly tilted his head to the side. "You're fire department. You're pretty good at what you do."

TK's heartbeat picked up. Had Carlos (gosh, he loved knowing his name) noticed him too? Like, how TK had noticed him? He let the sliver of hope boost his confidence a bit. "You're not so bad yourself, Carlos."

---

Had he told Michelle to meet up at an earlier hour, Carlos didn't even want to think about what could've happened. Had he not stopped to check his mail on his way out, he might have already left. For all he knew, if he hadn't been at home that particular day at that particular time, TK could've burned down the whole neighborhood.

He just knew his heart dropped to his stomach when he heard his neighbor's fire alarm go off.

His feet were rushing him toward the house before his brain could even fully process the situation (something he would later mark up to police training instincts). Carlos quickly assessed the structure: he couldn't see any smoke, at least from the front of the house, and he could only detect a faint smell of burning from the front steps.

He tried the knob and found it locked. "TK! TK, I'm coming in!"

With one hand reaching for his phone to call for help, he slammed his body against the door, knocking it open at the third try. He instantly found himself drowning in white smoke and the stench of burning... fish?

"TK!" He called out again.

A cough from the kitchen and a tired "Here," was his response.

Carlos made his way over, still staying low and covering his nose and mouth with his elbow. TK stood in front of the stove, cooking mitt and rag in his hands, defeated eyes on the blackened salmon in front of him. Mirroring his stance, Carlos stood next to TK, and after about two minutes could no longer suppress it. He chuckled.

"Don't laugh."

"I'm sorry," Carlos muttered behind his fist, laughing more.

"Dude, seriously, don't laugh," TK repeated, starting to smile himself.

Carlos leaned back against the counter, now on the verge of hysterical. "The fireman almost burns down his new house while cooking a fish, mano, that's hilarious."

TK playfully threw him the cooking rag, telling him to shut up in between chuckles that turned into coughs. After a good while of laughing along, TK exhaled. "I should probably open some windows."

"I think so, yeah," Carlos sarcastically played along, earning himself a cooking mitt to the shoulder.

As TK began opening windows around the house, the wheels in Carlos' head began to spin. He was a pretty experienced cook, and next to him on the counter were a couple more fish. Michelle would understand if he texted her that there was an emergency with his neighbor and he wasn't going to make it to eat before their shifts.

He spoke up before his nerves had a chance to betray him. "Hey, TK."

It was weird. So very weird, Carlos thought. Weird how drawn he felt to this man. Weird how much he wanted to be in his company. They'd only spoken a few times since TK moved in, but spending time with him was just so easy. Carlos was... let's call it curious.

"You want some help with this, man?" He asked, inspecting the salmons.

TK looked over his shoulder as he opened the last of the windows, scanning Carlos up and down. He was probably taking note of his uniform, but Carlos could've sworn his gaze held something else. "Don't you have a shift?" He questioned, walking over.

"Not until 8. I usually leave about two hours early to run some errands." That was technically true.

TK stopped mere inches in front of Carlos, leaning against the same counter. His eyes searched for something, scanning Carlos' expression (he figured TK was debating whether to let him stay or not); out of nature, and maybe looking to impress a little, Carlos straightened up to his full height, while still maintaining a soft (hopefully friendly-looking) smile.

"Yeah alright." TK finally said, and Carlos couldn't help how his smile became wider as TK turned away from him and toward the fish. "You a good cook?"

"I would hope so", Carlos replied, shooting a quick apology text to Michelle, letting her know that he wasn't going to make it to the food truck today. "My tío Andrés and tía Valeria own a restaurant out in Luling."

"Where is that?"

"About an hour away, Guadalupe county, right along the San Marcos river."

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's where you grew up?"

"God, I miss going to the river."

"Ya know, in New York, if you wanna swim, rivers aren't really an option. You either hit up a public pool or hike to a watering hole somewhere."

"Did you ever do that? Hike to a swimming hole?"

"A few times. There was this one weekend-"

And thus the conversation rolled on. Carlos spoke about his family, about growing up in Texas, about becoming a cop; TK spoke about his adventures in New York, about his dad, about all the nutjobs one has to deal with in the big apple (Carlos made sure to take note of him mentioning a guy he dated). The hour and a half it took to prepare the meal seemed to go by in a blink, the two of them chopping and stirring and working around each other like a surprisingly well-oiled machine, all the while exchanging stories and laughs and smiles and more than a few stolen glances. Every accidental touch and brush of skin in passing would send chills up Carlos' spine, and as he guided TK through properly cooking the salmon he stood just a bit too close behind him, but TK didn't seem to mind.

Just as they put the finishing touches and seasonings on the dish, Carlos caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. "Shit."

"What is it, what did I do?"

TK's panicked expression as he took a step back from the fish made Carlos chuckle. "Nothing man, it looks great," Carlos noticed TK exhale before he continued, "but I have to go."

"Wait, you're not gonna eat?"

But Carlos was already gathering his belongings. "I have 20 minutes to clock in, TK."

"Ah shit, I'm sorry dude, if I hadn'-"

"Don't worry about it, really." He turned around halfway to the door, walking a few steps backwards as he said, "I had fun."

"Yeah," TK smiled at him. "Me too."

Carlos smiled back and began showing himself out, but stopped one last time at the doorway, thinking about how to ask him to do this again without being too forward. "Hey, TK?" TK hummed in response, and Carlos threw him a look over his shoulder. "Next time you try cooking something new just... check if I'm home first?"

TK's toothy grin made his heart leap all over the place. "Will do, Carlos."

Carlos kept smiling to himself even after shutting the door and rushing to his car; he thought he heard TK call out to him from inside that he was going to save him some leftovers.

Much later that night, his suspicions were confirmed. When he arrived home after his excruciatingly exhausting shift, at around 2am, he was met with two tupperware containers on his front steps, along with a quickly scribbled note on top that read:

"It turned out delicious. Could be thanks to you. Buen provecho! -TKS"

That night, Carlos enjoyed what was one of the best after-midnight meals he'd had in his life. It could've been thanks to their combined talents in preparing it that made the dish so good, but it could also have been because, the whole time, Carlos was thinking about the cute gray-eyed fireman right next door, about how much he loved spending time with him that afternoon, and about how much he wanted to spend some more.

---

"You've done a great job with this place TK."

TK turned around and smiled at his dad, who was taking a look around from his seat at the counter.

"Learned from the best," He replied, making his way from the cupboard to the fridge.

"I know it's only been, what, three months?"

"And a half."

"Three and a half months," Owen corrected himself," but the house feels pretty empty without you, son."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure it does," TK brought over their glasses and shot his dad a look, the one with a raised eyebrow that both generations had mastered. "Especially with how much time Professor Hottie has been spending there."

After a sip of his water and a second to look at the ground, Owen replied, "No comment."

Their shared laugh was interrupted by a light knock on the front door, and a voice casually calling out "Hey, TK." Not a second later, Carlos let himself in, not taking his eyes off a large book in his hand as he put the spare key back in its spot, on top of the outdoor wall lamp. It was commonplace for them to do this by now, they'd walk into each other's houses with little to no announcement (which led to a couple of slightly awkward, partly naked encounters at the beginning, but neither of them made much of a fuss about it), whether to rant about something that happened on one of their calls, or to try out a new recipe one of them found, or simply to hang out. TK could've sworn, however, that he had told Carlos his dad was coming over for dinner that night, although, with everything they tend to talk about from day to day, he wouldn't even take his own word for it.

"So my tía came to town and I asked her to let me borrow this for a while," Carlos started as he shut the door behind him, and Owen sent his son an questioning look. "It has a bunch of my family's recipes, so I thought you and I could-" The instant he looked up and noticed the present company, Carlos shut the book closed and held it at his side, standing up straight and donning his stoic policeman face. "Captain Strand."

"Officer."

At Carlos' deer-in-headlights expression, TK tried his best (and utterly failed) to contain a snort.

"At ease, Reyes." Owen continued, rather amused. "Surprised to see me here? You do know he's my son, right?"

"Yes, yes I did, sir. Um- I just didn't- I didn't know you would-"

Now this was a sight to behold for TK. Carlos Reyes, embarrassed in front of his dad. He let a smile grow onto his face, not really to mock or poke fun at his friend, but more because he couldn't help it. Smiling around Carlos came naturally at this point; besides, the situation was kinda funny.

"I'll just leave you to it."

TK's smile faltered, slowly vanishing as Carlos walked back to the front door. Owen seemingly noticed his son's expression, though, since he quickly spoke up while rising from his seat.

"Won't you join us?"

Carlos turned around with wide eyes, looking to TK for any indication as to what to reply. TK simply shrugged; why his dad was inviting Carlos to stay for dinner, he had no clue, but he didn't really have any reason to complain about it.

"I don't want to impose, sir."

"Please." TK watched as his dad motioned for Carlos to take a seat, before saying, "Call me Owen."

Carlos took tentative steps toward the counter. "Are you sure, sir?"

"Owen," He corrected again, "And of course, there's more than enough to go around! TK, tell him what we're having."

"Well, Carlos," TK sent his friend a teasing smile as he played along with his dad, reaching into the oven to pull out the appetizer. "The menu tonight consist of vegan cheddar and broccoli quinoa bites, to start-"

Owen's eyes lit up as he muttered, "I love me some quinoa."

"And in a bit, we'll be having some grilled asparagus and shiitake tacos."

Owen leaned towards Carlos. "I'm a bit of a health nut, hope you don't mind."

"Sounds delicious, TK." Carlos stared pointedly at him, his eyes conveying 'I can't believe this', or maybe 'I can't believe you'. TK decided it was the former. In an attempt to provide a bit of comfort, TK softly squinted at him with an easy, closed-lip smile, hopefully letting him know there was nothing to worry about.

That exchange must've taken longer than it seemed, because they were interrupted by Owen clearing his throat before speaking up.

"So, Carlos," He pointed at the book Carlos was still holding, "You were saying about the book?"

"Right." He placed the book on the counter. "My tía Valeria, she owns a restaurant, she has been holding on to this for years, and I asked her if she could let me borrow it for a few weeks." The book was old, handmade, and on the genuine leather cover were scraped the words 'Recetas de los Reyes'. "It has all of my family's best recipes going back four generations. I thought maybe..." He trailed off, smiling softly at TK.

TK, seeing in Carlos' eyes that this meant more to him than he had initially let on, told him, "Carlos, I would love to try your family's recipes with you."

TK noticed Carlos' brow relax and his smile widen. He noticed how handsome his laugh lines were, how he bit his lip as he looked down. And he noticed how softly his hands moved across the book as he opened it and began scanning through, before realizing he was probably staring too much.

"You think there's anything vegan in there?" Owen asked, peering over the book.

"I highly doubt it, Guatemalan diet is ridiculously meat-heavy. I mean look at this, the first three recipes are for churrasco."

TK felt a certain warmth in his chest at the picture in front of him: his dad and Carlos wrapped up in conversation, sharing a moment and some quinoa bites. He watched them for a few seconds with a smile that he couldn't explain if he was asked about it, before taking an appetizer for himself and then finishing up the tacos.

Once seated around the dining table, after already starting with the main dish, Owen spoke up.

"So, if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you two been-"

"Oh, we met that same day I moved in," TK chimed in, having been ready since earlier for the 'how long have you known each other' interrogation. "We started hanging out a couple weeks later."

"Does he know about the fire alarm incident?" Carlos asked him.

"I'm sorry, the... fire alarm incident?"

"That's a no, then."

TK and Carlos then launched into the story, followed by multiple recounts of cooking mishaps they'd had over the last three months: the dried out turkey, the spilled tres-leches batter (of which there were probably still remains in the nooks and crannies of the kitchen), and that one time they almost flooded Carlos' house, although that one was less about the cooking and more about the chaotic dish-washing that came after (to put it simply, they both ended up soaked and covered in soap suds). Owen himself had more than a few stories of his own, which earned him a lot of shushing and 'dad-that's-so-embarrassing’ facepalms from TK.

Just as their laughter was dying down from the story of TK getting reprimanded two days into the job for accidentally taking out six firefighters with the hose (five of which found the whole ordeal hilarious), Owen's phone chimed. TK began clearing the empty plates, Carlos quickly standing up to help, as his dad checked the message.

"Ah, I'm sorry boys, I'm gonna have to skip dessert. Michelle needs me to fill out some stuff at the firehouse. Says it's urgent." He stood up and held out his hand to Carlos, who handed TK the dishes he was holding so he could shake it. "It's been a pleasure getting to know you, Carlos."

"Likewise capt- Owen." They shared a chuckle. "Say hi to Captain Blake for me."

"Will do. I'll see you out there. TK," He called to his son, who had heard the exchange from the kitchen where he was dumping the mountain of plates he'd had to carry to the sink. "Walk me out?"

As he made his way back, Carlos passed him and let him know he'd get started on the dishes. TK thanked him and approached his father, who put an arm around him as they walked to the front door.

"You found a good one, TK."

With a mystified chuckle, he asked him, "What do you mean, dad?"

"I mean I like him." Owen looked back at Carlos and contentedly put his hands in his pockets. He turned back towards TK as he opened the door. "You've had much worse boyfriends."

TK almost choked. Simultaneously, he heard Carlos fumble and drop a dish in the sink, awkwardly clearing his throat afterwards.

"And none with a better ear apparently." Owen commented.

TK could feel his ears, his face, his entire body probably, heat up at the thought, before quickly correcting his dad without meeting his eyes.

"Dad, he's not m- we're not-" He couldn't even get the words out, but his dad knew him so well that he didn't have to.

"Really?" Owen whispered incredulously. "Could've fooled me. I mean with how much you've been talking to each other while on calls, all the looks and the smiles-"

"Goodbye dad!" TK gave him a quick hug before practically shoving him out the door. He heard him quickly call out "See you at work, son!" before the slam of the door cut him off.

Shit, was he right? Did they come off as a couple? Maybe there was a certain domestic vibe to them, but that's because they mostly hung out at their houses! Had his team gotten the same impression? Surely, there would've been a lot more teasing if they had...

When he noticed he was lingering at the door just a bit too long, he made his way back to the kitchen. Carlos kept washing the dishes as if he’d heard nothing, so TK decided to just shove it to the back of his mind for now and tried to restore the mood.

"Ya know, maybe it's a good thing my dad left," He remarked casually as he pulled dessert out of the oven. "Or else there wouldn't have been enough chocolate chip zucchini bread to go around."

He heard Carlos behind him quickly put down the dishes and, in a split second, he was standing next to TK, drying his hands and ready to pounce on the small loaf of bread. TK had to all but run away from him to get the first bite, and they ended up sitting on the counter chairs munching on the entire thing.

"This how you thought you'd spend your Tuesday night?" TK spoke up after a while.

Carlos laughed into his beverage before putting it down. "Having a vegan dinner with the captain of the 126? No, definitely not.” He took a bite with a smile. “Thought it'd be you, me, a bit of google translate, and a growing grocery list."

TK couldn't help but grin at the domesticity of the thought.

"The food was amazing though," Carlos commented, mouth still half full from the last bite of bread that TK let him have. "And your dad's a fun guy."

"Yeah. Trust me, he knows. Goes to his head sometimes."

"No me digas." Carlos laughed.

TK loved hearing his bits of spanish come out here and there, and proceeded to ask with a smile. "What's that mean?"

"It's like saying 'you don't say', but not... in a sarcastic way."

At that moment, TK realized that he’d found himself noticing more little things about Carlos that night than he ever had before. Like how much he gestured with his hands when he explained something, and how he tended to puff his chest out when he did so. Like how his right eyebrow always sat just a little higher than the left. Like how wickedly sharp his jaw was and how his eyes seemed to sparkle when he laughed. He let his mind and his gaze wander, giving his dad's comment the benefit of the doubt, before cutting himself off. There was no way, something would've happened between them by now. He couldn't believe the man.

"Who? Your dad?" It was then TK realized he'd said that last remark out loud. "What are you thinking about, TK?" Carlos asked, leaning his elbow on the counter and letting his head rest on his shoulder, eyes and attention fully fixated on TK.

It made his heart race, it made his guts turn, but he figured there was no harm in talking about it.

"My dad, he uh, he thought-” He cleared his throat, focused on the plate of crumbs in front of him. “Well, he assumed we were.. a thing, I guess." It wasn't until he fully made his way through the sentence that TK let himself look up at him. Carlos momentarily raised his eyebrows as he blinked, as if in realization, before donning a slight smile and looking away from TK.

"Right. Yeah, I thought I heard something like that."

"And that's..." TK searched Carlos' gaze, prompted him to finish the sentence, practically begging him to voice his thoughts about it. "Ya know, it's..."

Carlos looked back up at him, seemingly searching for something too, before letting his gaze fall again. "It's... it's ridiculous."

"Is it? Is it so ridiculous that I do want to date you? That I kinda want to kiss you right now? Would it be so ridiculous if we were a thing?" These were all the things going through TK's mind at that moment, all the things he could've said, instead of feigning a chuckle in agreement, saying "Right? The guy's crazy."

TK hoped and prayed he wasn't giving away how much his chest hurt as he asked his friend (and nothing more), "Don't you have an early shift tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir, I do," Carlos exhaled as he checked his watch. "Who needs an agenda when I have a TK?" He lightly patted TK on the arm as he stood up and made his way out, exchanging a quick and quiet "See you."

And just like that, all was back to normal, or so TK had hoped it would be. The next day at the station, various coworkers asked him what was wrong, if he was okay (Judd even pulled him aside and asked if he'd had some sort of relapse). The rest of the week he tried his best to seem as upbeat as possible, though that wasn't very hard with friends like Mateo, Marjan, and Paul. Owen did approach him however, and asked him if everything was okay between him and Carlos, having noticed that they weren't talking as much on the field. TK blew it off as "they were quick calls, we didn't have much time" while fully aware that his dad knew him better than that, but thankfully he dropped it. TK had no choice to be aware of the fact that he was, indeed, avoiding Carlos as much as possible, and he hated it. Hated that he was doing it, and hated that Carlos had become such a big part of his life that no one would let him ignore it. He hated that he needed Carlos, hated that he wanted him, and hated, most of all, that Carlos had given no indication of feeling the same way.

---

"Chica, I don't know what to do." Carlos rubbed his face in his hands, throwing himself back against his couch. "He's been avoiding me all week, something changed that night."

"You talk to him, Carlos," He heard Michelle's voice through his phone, which lay on the coffee table in front of him. "You will not know what changed, if anything, until you ask him."

"What if he just doesn't want anything to do with me anymore?"

"You said things were going great with him, that you were building up to asking him out, right?”

“Yeah, I was,” Carlos emphasized the word. “But then when his dad assumed we were dating, he acted like he couldn’t bear the thought.”

Carlos heard Michelle sympathetically click her tongue before speaking. “Oh, I’m sorry Carlos.”

“No it- it’s fine. If he doesn’t like me like that then, that’s okay, I just-” He fiddled with one of the cords of his sweatpants as he (figuratively and literally) swallowed his pride. “I miss him.”

Michelle allowed a few seconds of silence before saying, “I still think you should try talking to him.” As she spoke, Carlos began noticing a faint sound. “Maybe you clear things up, or maybe things slowly get back to norm-”

"Wait, wait, shh." Carlos cut her off. The sound was music, coming from outside, toward the back of his house. "Sorry, let me call you back, Michelle."

Without letting her reply so much as an "okay", Carlos hung up the call and began making his way to the back door to investigate. As the music became louder, he made out that it was a single guitar, and the sound was too bright and clear to be coming from a speaker. He walked out onto the small, board-fenced backyard that he didn't use much, with only a couple of chairs and a barbecue grill, and quietly followed the sound toward his left. He stopped in front of the fence where his yard met TK's and stood there for a second, entranced by the melancholic, unfamiliar melody, the strings becoming softer and softer until there was only silence in the early evening air.

Carlos waited a few seconds before knocking on the fence. "Hey, TK?" he called over gently so as to not startle him.

He figured it didn't really work when he heard a loud exhale on the other side. "Yeah?" The voice he'd missed hearing so much replied.

"Was that you playing?"

TK took just a little too long to answer. "No?"

"Liar." Carlos chuckled. "Can I come over?"

"Yeah, you know where the key is."

Carlos felt a clench in his chest when he noticed the apprehension in TK's voice, but he turned around to go to his house anyway. He stopped short when he noticed the stack of chairs against the wall though, and decided that there was a quicker way to get there.

He took the chairs (thankful that they were on the sturdier side) and carried them over to where he was previously standing. He used them as a step to boost himself over the 7 foot fence, landing swiftly on the other side before turning to a surprised TK.

"Who says I need the key?"

TK laughed, clearly amused, using the hand he had propped up on the guitar to cover his face. Carlos grinned at the sight.

"You know, for security purposes, those should really be higher," Carlos said, smoothing out his t-shirt as he walked over to TK. "That was way too easy."

"You're a show-off."

"Yeah, maybe a little."

Carlos took a look around TK's much nicer backyard. There was a small, still barely-grown vegetable garden to one side, and close to the house was one of those wooden table and bench sets. This was where TK was sitting, on top of the table with a black acoustic guitar in his lap, his hair a fluffy mess under one of his hundreds of hoodies. The last moments of golden hour upon him made his skin gleam and his cloudy eyes twinkle, and Carlos only noticed he was staring when TK scooted over to let him sit. He chose to sit on the bench rather than on the table, letting TK have space if he so wanted it.

"You never told me you could play."

"I’ve never told anyone I can play." TK responded, starting on another, sweeter, simpler melody. "Not even my dad."

"And he never found out?” Carlos propped his elbows up on the table behind him, resolving to watch the sunset overhead. “Even while you were living together?"

"This is the first time I’ve taken it out since we got to Austin."

Carlos tore his eyes away from the swirl of colors in the sky to shoot TK a shocked glance, or what was meant to be only a glance. Once his eyes landed on him, he couldn't rip them away, as if spellbound by TK, who was casually focused on the chords he was playing, chords that seemed infinitely complex to Carlos.

"I guess some people just don't lose their touch." Carlos remarked more to himself than anything, but it made TK smile, which made him grateful to have said it out loud. Carlos had long realized he'd probably do anything if it meant making TK smile. He watched him for a little longer, still unfamiliar to the melodies his fingers carried, and let him finish the song before speaking up again. "I always wanted to learn. Guitar, piano, something." He turned back towards the sky, now darker but just as colorful as it was three minutes before. "I was always taking care of my siblings, and then I got into the academy so young, I just... never really had the chance, I guess."

After a few seconds, Carlos noticed TK silently handing him the guitar from the corner of his eye. He took it and placed it on his lap as TK shifted from his seat on the table to the bench, a leg on either side of it, facing Carlos. He took Carlos' left hand in his own, positioning it on the arm of the guitar. He slowly and carefully placed Carlos' three middle fingers where they needed to go, one on the first fret of the third string, and the others on the second fret of the fifth and fourth strings.

"Now strum," He told him, and Carlos did so. It rang out beautifully. "That's E major." A bright and youthful smile grew onto Carlos' face.

TK repositioned Carlos' fingers into a new chord, an A major, now on the second fret of the second, third, and fourth strings. He strummed again, his smile widening and his insides flipping at the thrill of both making music and of TK's hand on his own (not to mention his knee against his thigh, and his breath on his shoulder; pretty much every bit of proximity was driving Carlos crazy).

Still, he played on under TK's tutelage, and soon enough was strumming what could be considered a song after learning a third chord (D major). After a while of practicing a specific progression, once he was finally getting the hang of it, TK began humming over his shoulder. Then he started singing softly, right by Carlos' ear and sending chills down his spine.

"If I lay here... If I just lay here... Would you lie with me and just forget the world..."

"Hey, I know this." Carlos managed to say without breaking the strumming, allowing TK to keep singing with an amused smile on his face as he watched how much Carlos was enjoying himself.

"I don't quite know... How to say... How I feel..."

Before jumping into the next verse, Carlos turned to TK. He was still bobbing his head along to the strumming, but he managed to join into the lyrics.

"Those three words..." They sang in unison. "Are said too much..." Neither of them could help their gazes traveling down to the other's lips, only a few inches away from each other. "They're not enough..."

When the chord change for the chorus came, Carlos stumbled and simply stopped playing. The sour notes lingered in the air around them, like something in wait, in need of being fixed. Something to be cleared up and made right. A crackle of energy, of magnetism, yearning to be fulfilled.

Finally, it was TK that uttered the words "Fuck it," cupping Carlos' face and softly kissing him. Carlos took a mere millisecond to respond, carefully putting down the guitar and turning to pull him closer. The kiss was gentle, slow, careful, both of them savoring every movement and change as if it was the most beautiful melody on Earth. Their lips fit perfectly into each other as if in harmony, and every touch was like a new instrument joining into the grandest symphony ever heard.

They eventually parted, both repeatedly coming back for smaller kisses until they were left leaning their foreheads together. TK's hands still slowly roamed Carlos' torso, while Carlos caressed TK's cheeks and hair.

"Guess my dad wasn't so crazy after all..."

Laughing, Carlos let his head drop onto TK's shoulder, which TK took as an opportunity to bury his nose into the crook of Carlos' neck and wrap his arms around his shoulders. Almost instinctively, Carlos returned the embrace, and that was, perhaps, what felt the most right. How perfectly their bodies fit into each other, how blissful and comforted they both felt in the other's arms, and they both just wondered why the hell this hadn't happened until now. They stayed there until the sky was almost fully dark, and it was Carlos who pulled away and stood up in front of TK.

He held out his hand and cleared his throat. "Tyler Kennedy Strand,"

"Wait, how do you know-"

"Irrelevant," Carlos interrupted his question, to which TK responded with an eye roll and a grin. "Tyler Kennedy Strand, will you go out with me?"

TK took his hand and stood up in front of him. "Yes, Carlos Reyes, I will go out with you." He intertwined their fingers and brought his other hand up to the back of Carlos' neck, kissing him again with just a little more fervor than before, running his fingers through his hair. TK pulled away only to whisper: "Not tonight though."

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endless-vall · 7 years

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Prompt 2 &28 to Rayden+Kena if u dont mind. Tks.

No running awaySummery: At the night before meeting with Raydan’s sister, the Adder of Lykos, Raydan worries bringing Kenna to Lukos might be putting her in too much danger, and sleep doesn’t come easy to him. As it turns out, neither it does for Kenna, and they share a talk. While talking to her, Raydan realize the depth of his feelings for her, and what he’s willing to do for this woman.Written from Raydan’s POV.Author’s note: Hey anon! Thank you for your prompt! ❤️I have a confession, I actually forgot about the second prompt at first and wrote a piece just using to first one. haha ^^” but thennn I added the second one and could focus on Raydan’s feelings for Kenna.This is set in book two, between chapters 6&7. I think Raydan, at this point, doesn’t really believe that Kenna - as a queen - would pursue a relationship with him. -It’s the night before meeting with the Adder of Lykos, withhis sister, Raydan sighs. Lykos is a dangerous place, and taking Kenna here, ofall, made Raydan shake at his core.They arrive in town late at night, and settle in road house upstairs of someTavern, Raydan promising to get in touch with The Black Asps first thing in themorning, even though they probably already would know of their presence.They’re not known here, and no one suspects of them, so they can take a breathof relief. Still, Val and Raydan take the rooms closest to Kenna’s, in order tobe able to protect her if anything were to happen.Sleep doesn’t come easy to Raydan. If thinking of meeting with his sister, whomhe parted ways not in good terms, now he also worried for Kenna. He shouldn’thave brought her here. Lykos is too dangerous. He’d know, he grew up here,after all.After turning for the god knows what time in his bed, he finally stood up, andput his shirt back on. He exited his room, and was about to knock on Kenna’sdoor when he realized how late at night it was. He hesitated, then knocks delicately.He doesn’t hear anything from inside of the room, and thinks to himself he’dbetter go back to sleep, when finally he hears a light shuffling. Soon, Kennaopens the door, slightly, to look who’s knocking.When she sees him, her face lights up, and she opens the door completely forhim to enter, still in her nightgown.“Come in,” She says in a soft voice, and holds the door out for him.She’s breathtaking, Raydan thinks to himself, before shaking thatthought away and entering.He’s not so sure that Kenna’s guardians would approve of her inviting him inwhen she’s so underdressed, but they weren’t here and she could decide forherself.“I’m sorry to come in such a late hour to you, but I couldn’t sleep.” Raydan confesses.Kenna nods, sitting on her bed and inviting him to do the same.“Honestly? Neither could I. I’m drifting in and out of sleep for hours.” Sheexhales, and Raydan relaxes, for a moment. He can be her steady shoulder, hersystem of support. He swallows. “Are you nervous?” He asks, suddenly, wonderingif she’d tell him the truth.“I’m not sure if nervous is the right word. But I am worried. Lykos is thecapital city of the kingdom of Abanthus, the kingdom Luther rules.”Kenna says his name with disgust. “If he’s that horrible and ruthless I canonly imagine what this place could be like.” Kenna admits, shrugging hershoulders. Raydan considers for a moment.“This place is ruthless, as you said, but other than that, it’s very much like anyother city. There’s poor people everywhere. It just happens to be that herethey’re treated even more harshly.” He explains, remembering his own experience.Kenna listens carefully, and he can see she wants to ask further, but trys toavoid asking about his own past, not to pry.She has a certain look in her eyes, a look saying ‘you can tell me when you’reready’, and Raydan’s grateful for that.“Then we’ll meet with you sister in the morning-“ Kenna tells him again, and awave of nausea and anger washes over him. No. If he wasn’t sure aboutdoing this before, now – he’s positive it’s a bad idea. He can’t do this.“I’m sorry Kenna, I can’t.“ He swallows.“Raydan.” She says in a stoic voice. “We talked about this, we’re already here.We have to-“ “I’m not doing this.” He starts saying, there must be another way, onethat won’t put Kenna in danger.“Huh,” She suddenly moves away, withdrawing from him, a look of shock andbetray written all over her face.“Fine. Run away, you’re good at that.” This time, he can hear theemotion in her voice. She’s clearly hurt by his actions.“I-“ He’s getting worked up, too. But her words are harsh, and make Raydan feela pinch at his heart. He has to stop himself, to compose himself, before continuingfurther. This woman right here… He’s already head over heels for her, aren’the?“I didn’t mean it like that. I’ll meet with her by myself, at least.” He triesto explain himself, to show Kenna that the act of withdrawing from this decisionis not a cowardly act, but just an outcome of his feeling for her. God. Feelings?Raydan knows he can’t have those kind of feelings. He’s not in that position.And even if he can, she can’t. Doesn’t. He reminds himself.“No.” She says, sharply. They both maintain eye contact for a long second.“No?” He questions, taken aback.She slides back into him, sitting close enough for him to question what he justhad to remind himself. “Raydan, you said it yourself. You didn’t part in good term, and there’s a goodchance she’ll try and kill you tomorrow.” Kenna stops for a second. “I won’tbe able to live with myself if that happens.” Kenna admits, quietly. Raydan’s breath catches in is throat, but he continues listening. “But if youcome with a queen by you side, I do really think we’d have a chance in this.”She finishes, looking sure of herself once again.Maybe he was wrong to say she doesn’t. But they both knew that even ifthey were to establish some sort of relationship, there are still so manythings standing in their way.“I won’t be able to live with myself if anything was to happen to you, too,because I brought you out here.” He replies, despite trying to hold himselfback, and caresses Kenna’s cheek.She sighs against him, like she’s been waiting for his touch the whole night.Like it’s the only thing that can comfort her. His words must mean something toher, since she considers for a while before replying.“I guess we’ll just have to watch each other’s backs.” She finally looks backup, at his eyes, and Raydan can’t help but oblige. Love isn’t easy. Butit’s worth it. He comes to the conclusion. Kenna’s worth it. So he’ll giveit a shot, even if every muscle in his body tells him to run away. He’ll stay.For kenna.He never felt this way towards any other woman, he never let himself fall inlove. But with Kenna, it wasn’t a question of letting yourself. The opposite,you tried not to. But you fell anyway, and you sure as hell hoped she’d bethere to catch you. “As you wish, your majesty.” He wants to lean in, to kiss her, buthesitates. He doesn’t know if she feels the same way.But then she shoots a look to his lips, and he gives in. He doesn’t careright now if she doesn’t love him back. Because for this moment, she wants him.And he’s willing to do anything for her.The kiss is desperate, and needy. They suck and bite at each other’s lips, handsexploring and pulling at each other as they cling even closer.Finally, they break up for air, sinking into the bed.“Sleep here tonight?” Kenna asks, looking at him through her lashes.“I thought you’d never ask.” Raydan wraps a hand over her, and they drift intoa peaceful sleep, all tangled up together.

#playchoices #the crown and the flame #kenna x raydan #kenna rys #raydan lykel #fanfic #my writing #I can't get enough of them

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morganaspendragonss · 3 years

Text

The Broken Soul of TK Strand (1/?)

so, that bonus fic i mentioned. i cannot take credit for it - it is a translation of 'la esencia rota de tk strand' by road1985, which in turn was inspired by my fic, 'out, damned spot'

i am so grateful to the original author for not only taking the time to write something based on one of my works, but also for allowing me to discuss the plot with her and translate it into english, especially when i am still learning her language. the only thing of this that is mine is the translation, and i sincerely apologise for any mistakes on this front 💚

ao3 | 3k | hurt tk, worried carlos, rituals, kidnapping, angst and hurt/comfort

The man leaned out from the alley and watched the scene. He had spent so much time preparing, he had carefully chosen the victim from many candidates weeks ago, and now it had all gone to shit because of a cigarette and some curtains embroidered by an old woman for her grandson.

He liked the fire. It was erratic, unpredictable, and powerful, just like his Lord, just as he himself aspired to be.

He watched the flames and longed to get closer, to touch them and know first hand the home of his master. But he still wasn’t prepared; he was missing one more sacrifice, the last one. He just needed one more soul, and then the doorway to hell would be open for him.

But it wasn’t just any soul he needed; he couldn’t choose the first stranger who crossed his path. That would be too easy - his Lord had told him so in dreams. To open the door to hell, he had to find pure souls which were close to the dark side, good souls that had been through horrible experiences and whose pain could be extracted together with their body’s vital liquid.

With each one of the souls he had already extracted, he had improved the ritual a little more. It was becoming cleaner, more discrete, and it seemed that the police still hadn’t found the other three bodies. With luck, he would finish the ritual before that happened.

But because everything couldn’t be perfect, the fire had ruined his plans.

He had spent days researching the people living in that building. All of them had problems, but David Archings was his target. An orphan and divorced, it was said that his parents died because of him, and this had destroyed his marriage even though the police found no proof. Now he lived alone in a small flat where no-one ever visited him.

He was a sad man, consumed by grief, and few would miss him.

But the fire had taken him before he could do anything, and this delayed his plans.

Or not.

Whilst he watched the flames consuming the building, the firefighters arrived. They worked quickly and in a matter of minutes, the fire was under control and almost extinguished.

He hated these people who always destroyed the work of his Lord. Who were they to put out the flames of the kingdom of darkness?

On more than one occasion, he had thought out teaching the firefighters a lesson, showing that that they weren’t and never would be stronger than the power of his master.

But there were always so many of them, always with police involved. For someone who enjoyed going unseen and carrying out assignments quickly, it would be too complicated and too much work to hurt them.

Despite everything, that night, the cards played a very different hand, one which could solve all his problems.

In that first moment, he didn’t know why he noticed the young paramedic, but there had been something about that that caught his attention. He had a special aura, which changed from dark to light and dark again, depending on the moment.

It was easy to focus on him. If men interested him, he would say that he was truly attractive. If he were searching for a pretty face, there was no doubt that the boy had it. He didn’t know him at all, but he could tell that he had a sad smile which hid fear and regrets - exactly the kind of darkness that he wanted and needed.

“TK,” an older man said, one of the firefighters who, judging by the resemblance, was clearly his father. “We couldn’t have done anything even if we had arrived earlier.”

“I know, but I can’t get the idea out of my head that it was my fault we got here late.”

“It could have happened to anyone.” The older man put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You are one of the best firefighters I know, and now one of the best paramedics. We all have the right to make mistakes sometimes.”

The man began to see some of the darkness he needed for the ritual, but he needed more.

Another man, a police officer, came closer to the young man and opened his arms. The firefighter buried himself in them and the officer kissed his head. It was obvious that they were a couple; they weren’t hiding that they were together, and there was a great love between them. The officer was worried for the paramedic - it almost seemed like it had been taken from a romantic novel.

“Ty, your father is right. You shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened. Tommy said that the man was dead before you got here.”

“I know, but I always think that it’s not fair, that things could have gone another way.”

The man smiled; the paramedic blamed himself for these two deaths but it was easy to see that he carried more guilt inside him.

“When these things happen, I remember what happened to me. If it hadn’t been for my dad always worrying about me, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“That’s a thing of the past and, look, thanks to it, you are here. Have you thought about it that way?” The police officer kissed him and they hugged again before leaving.

It was incredible. He had only thought about taking a soul who was close enough to what he needed. But that paramedic who had been a firefighter, that TK, was exactly what he needed. He was a broken soul, an aged vase in danger of shattering into a million pieces. A firefighter, perfect for punishing those meddlers, and, further, in a relationship with a police officer.

But he was surrounded by people and in the middle of a shift; he wouldn’t be able to take him that night. His master had taught him to have patience, so he let him go, taking note of the firefighters’ station number, so he knew where he worked.

The idea that he would have the soul he was sure was the perfect subject excited him greatly. He didn’t want any mistakes or to find him with a perfect family at home, so he decided to wait and do things right.

TK didn’t sleep well that night. They returned to the station after the fire, but he needed time to get to sleep and he woke up many times. When he finally did manage to sleep, he had nightmares about the idea that they could have saved those two strangers.

It wasn’t his fault, not directly at least, but if he had been ready earlier, if he hadn’t forgotten to replace the bandages in the ambulance, they would have arrived on time. Maybe then things would have turned out differently. He couldn’t be sure of course, but the nightmares did nothing but tell him just that.

He got up. Everything was still; with a little bit of luck nothing else would happen and they could finish the shift calmly and go home. But this didn’t make him feel any better, so he made himself a tea - if he had a coffee he wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink - and left the station. There were barely any buildings around it, so there was always a beautiful view of the sky.

A little while ago, they had placed some deck chairs on the small back patio and TK sat on one, with a blanket around his shoulders as it was a cool night. He drank the tea slowly as he watched the stars; they never changed, no matter what happened below. Whether people lived or died, the stars remained unshakeable and, in a certain way, this comforted him.

He liked the idea that there were things that couldn’t be changed, things that always happened in a certain way and, as much as he or anyone tried, it couldn’t change.

He closed his eyes - maybe he would be able to sleep out here, and in the worst case, he would catch a cold and spend a couple of days in bed with Carlos. That didn’t sound bad at all. TK drank the last drop of the tea and tried to relax; he had almost managed it when a noise at his back grabbed his attention.

It sounded like a crack, like branches breaking or something similar. He got up and peered into the darkness but there was no-one there and nothing moved. The sound returned, a little closer; maybe it was a wounded animal or one that was trying to get into the station’s trash in search of food.

“Hello?” TK called, only to feel like an idiot a second later; he already knew that there was no-one there.

He headed towards the trash cans but there was nothing there, and he sighed in relief - he would not have wanted a pissed-off raccoon to throw itself at him. TK turned around, but a dark figure, wearing a large coat or cape that didn’t even show a centimetre of skin, appeared in front of him.

“Who are you?” he asked, taking a step back and throwing two of the dumpsters to the floor.

He received no response other than seeing the gleaming edge of a knife the man had taken from under his clothes as he approached him.

The station lights turned on - throwing the dumpsters had raised the alarm. The stranger turned - he wouldn’t be able to do what he wanted, but before Paul and Judd arrived, he used the knife against him. TK raised his arm in defence and shouted at the sensation of the blade cutting his skin. He stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, but no-one was there save for his friends running towards him.

“TK, are you okay? What happened?”

He looked around him, but the stranger had already managed to disappear. “Where did he go?”

“Who? Hey, that cut looks bad,” Judd said, helping him to his feet.

“There was someone here, he attacked me with a knife.”

Owen and the others arrived a moment later, and searched the station, but found no-one. Judd pushed TK to go back inside so that Tommy could treat his arm.

“It’s not a deep cut, but it has nicked a couple of veins so it looks worse than it is,” his captain said as she finished bandaging his arm. “You said that a hooded stranger did this? It’s possible that you tripped and cut it on glass or a broken bottle.”

“There was someone in front of me, he had a knife.”

“Something tells me that the fire today affected you a lot,” Owen said behind him. “Captain Vega, don’t you think it would be a good idea for him to go home and rest?”

“No! I’m fine, really. That man attacked me and then disappeared.”

But they forced him to go home.

Carlos was waiting for him; he had been asleep but he always left the sound on his phone in case anything happened to TK. Judd had called him and told him what had happened and that TK had been put in a car home.

He met him at the door, barely having time to prepare himself before TK was hugging him.

“I’m not crazy, babe, and the fire didn’t affect me so much that I’m having hallucinations of people attacking me.”

“Shhh, I know. I know you’re not crazy.” Carlos left kisses on TK’s forehead and cheek, and did the same when he took his hands, kissing the palms and the back as he led him to the sofa. “You need to sleep and relax. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“But…”

“But nothing, baby. Sleep, and I’ll stay awake so no-one else tries to hurt you.”

TK wasn’t sure if Carlos believed him or not, but he always felt safe in his arms. He let go and, without bothering to change his clothes, curled up next to Carlos on the sofa. He sighed, feeling his arms surrounding him, and closed his eyes.

They were all right about something - between the last shift and what had happened by the dumpsters, he was exhausted and needed sleep, so it wouldn’t hurt to do it.

When he woke up, Carlos was still awake, reading. By the yawn he gave, it was clear that he had fulfilled his promise and not slept all night.

“Are you feeling better?”

TK looked at his arm, hoping that what had happened the previous night had been a dream. But the bandage was still there.

He nodded. It was stupid to think that someone wanted to hurt him, or that they’d wait around the station until dawn to do it. Maybe it was true, maybe he had had a nightmare about the fire and ended up cutting himself with glass, like Tommy had said.

The kiss to his cheek brought him back to reality.

“Should I make breakfast?”

“We could do it together?” TK offered, but Carlos clicked his tongue and laughed. “Okay, sorry, what I meant is that you make breakfast and I’ll lend a hand.”

“Perfect.” With another kiss to the forehead, Carlos circled his waist and made him get up. He looked happy, with that warm, perfect smile that made TK feel as if nothing could go wrong. “What’s up? Why are you looking at me like that?” Carlos asked.

TK shook his head and the smile returned. His arm didn’t hurt and the fear of the hooded stranger disappeared all at once. He took Carlos’s hand to go to the kitchen and they spent the next hour making a breakfast that, between laughs, games, caresses, and a round of sex on the kitchen island, ended up more on them instead of being eaten.

“Happy anniversary,” Carlos whispered in TK’s ear, feeling the fast beat of his heart.

“Oh, are you serious? We’ve been together for a year today?”

“You forgot, right?”

“Babe, I’m so sorry, I… No, I did forget, but I’ll make it up to you.”

Carlos took off his flour-covered shirt and gave him a quick kiss. “You don’t have to, don’t worry,” he said, before heading to the bathroom.

“Carlos, babe, wait.” TK tugged at him. “Everything’s been so perfect with you. And it’s gone so fast too. When we started dating for real, I didn’t want to give myself hope that we would last and I decided to take it day by day. I was always scared that…”

Carlos took his face in both hands. “I’m not Alex, nor could I ever be Alex.” He never lost his smile; even now that he was hurt, he kept smiling and kissing TK. “And I’m going to be here, with you, forever. I love you, Ty. I love you so much, so I’m going to carry on as if I hadn’t heard anything, and I’ll wait for you at the precinct at six tonight so we can celebrate our anniversary.”

“Okay, though what we just did…”

“That was just the appetiser. Babe, you have no idea what I have prepared for tonight.”

TK worked that shift like normal, though every once in a while, he looked at his arm. He’d convinced himself that it was impossible that someone would have attacked him. Why go to the station to hurt him? Why him? It didn’t make sense.

Luckily, the shift was quiet and it enabled him to rest; they only went on one call and the rest of the day, Tommy and his father both told him to take it easy. But now that he wasn’t thinking about the fire, he couldn’t get out of his head how bad Carlos must be feeling after TK forgot their anniversary.

He had to do something, to somehow make it up to him.

“Can I leave a little early today?” he asked Captain Vega, before telling her everything that had happened.

“Go, buy him something pretty - forgetting the first anniversary is very serious.”

He had studied the area, parking the car somewhere that wouldn’t appear suspicious, but also a place where he could see the soul he lacked.

His blood was perfect; the ritual he had done last night had been a success, and its taste was exquisite. Now all that was left was to take him and prepare him for the final ritual.

He had decided to wait until his shift was over, but there was no doubt that fate was helping him, as he saw him leave two hours early. He got out of the car, seeing him put in his headphones, and raised his hood to avoid the wind.

“Hey, TK!” a voice behind them said, the only thing that hadn’t gone as he expected, the only thing that made him improvise.

He hid the syringe he carried in his jacket pocket and, gripping tightly to the iron bar he’d found nearby, hit his victim in the head.

TK fell to the floor, sounds reverberating around him, barely able to see anything other than white lights.

“He’s already left,” said another voice inside the station.

“I’m… I’m here. Help,” TK breathed, his voice barely there. Even that was painful as he watched the stranger, the same from the previous night, approached him with an iron bar in his hand. “Dad… Judd… Please.”

“For the return of the Great Dark Lord,” said the other man, closing the gap that separated him from TK. He knelt in front of him and placed the iron on his chest. “For the Lord of the Dark to walk the earth, you will give your life, your blood, and your soul. You are the fourth chosen. The fourth cardinal point to mark his return.”

“Please, you’re wrong… I’m not the one you’re looking for.”

“You are. Soon you will see.”

Before TK could say anything else, a second blow to his head left him sprawled on the ground, like a broken toy.

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #tarlos #tarlos fic #tk strand #carlos reyes #owen strand #tommy vega #judd ryder #911ls #lone star #fanfiction #my fanfiction #writing #my writing

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marjansmarwani · 4 years

Text

The Boss’s Son (Part 4)

A 911: Lone Star Role Reversal AU

[Read on Ao3]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

Firefighter Carlos Reyes and Officer TK Strand’s secret relationship is out in the open now, thrust into the spotlight when TK was shot.

They’ve taken their time to regroup and heal, growing closer all the while. Now the recovery period is over things are going back to normal and they’re learning that there is no such thing as business as usual anymore. This experience has changed both of them, and now they have to find a way to live in this new reality. Thankfully they have each other, and that is the one thing they know for sure.

---

Tarlos Week Day 7: Writer's Choice

Finally finished Day 7 of @tarlosweek2020 just in time! If you haven’t read the rest of this AU requested by @buttercupstrand that I started back in May and thought I was done with (I was wrong). Essentially, Carlos is a firefighter at the 126, TK is a cop with APD, they meet and hook up not knowing Carlos works for TK’s dad and then things happen from there. The first three chapters follow season 1 fairly closely, but this new one concerns events after the end of the season.

Should I maybe not have written a 10k extra chapter to an AU for an event? Probably, but I did so here you go. It has been a pleasure writing for this week and seeing and reading what everyone else has put out. I am once again in awe of this fandom. I sincerely hope you have all enjoyed my works this week and that you enjoy this one!)

------

TK tucked his shirt in neatly, before moving his hands to do up the last two buttons of his uniform shirt. If still fit just as well as it always had, but it felt foreign now; unfamiliar. It felt like a remnant of a different lifetime and in a way, it was.

It had been over a month since that night and that call; a month since TK had kicked open a door and been shot by an 8-year-old. He could still feel the ghost of the bandage on his collarbone, could still feel the phantom pull of the stitches. He noticed that his hands trembled over the last button and he let it go, forcing them back to his sides, willing them to stay steady.

He was fine, really. It was just desk duty. He wouldn’t be allowed back into the field until he had been fully cleared by a doctor and department psychologist. He could handle this.

The most ironic part, he thought to himself as he examined himself in the mirror, studying his uniform for imperfections, was that before this he never would have thought for a moment that he might have even a moment’s hesitation about jumping back into the field. He became a cop to help people, and he didn’t see how he could do that from a desk. (There was also the mountains of paperwork to consider, but that was another matter altogether.) He had never been a very sedentary person - his father had often joked that he hadn’t seen him hold still since the moment he was born and one time he had the flu when he was 8. He had never thought that given the chance there would be any hesitation, any doubt in his mind that jumping back into the action was the right thing - the only thing.

Now in the after, he was filled with hesitation. It wasn’t fear per se; and it had nothing to do with the actual pain and injury. It had everything to do with the people he loved and the hurt he had seen in them when he almost didn’t pull through. TK had always known the risks of his job, had always known there was a chance that something could happen to him. But until he had seen it, until he had known the effect that it had on the people he cared about most, he had never truly appreciated it. He didn’t want to put any of them through that ever again.

A voice from the doorway interrupted his reverie, “still fits, huh?”

He turned to find Carlos, also ready for work in his AFD uniform, sipping a cup of coffee as he leaned on the doorframe.

“Like a glove,” he responded glibly. Carlos set his mug down on the shelf by the door and crossed the room so he was standing in front of TK. He studied him closely before reaching out a gentle hand to straighten his badge. TK watched as he trailed his fingers up from the badge to his collar, pausing almost imperceptibly in the spot where just weeks before a bullet had ripped through his flesh and almost ended it all. Neither of them said a word as Carlos pulled himself back to the present and continued his journey up to TK’s collar, straightening it with a gentle tug.

“It’s just desk duty, Carlos,” TK said into the silence, “it’ll be fine.”

Carlos blinked and seemed to come back to himself, “Of course it will be.” But the smile he gave TK didn’t reach his eyes. TK reached down to find Carlos’s hand, still resting on his collar, and covered it with his own. “It’ll be fine,” he repeated using his other hand to softly lift Carlos’s chin so he could look him in the eyes, “I promise.”

Carlos nodded again and this time his smile seemed more genuine. “Now that I believe in.”

TK returned the smile and leaned forward, capturing Carlos in a kiss. Carlos leaned into it and TK reached down to snake his arms around the other man’s waist, pulling him closer. He deepened the kiss, but Carlos pulled away, causing TK to let out a disgruntled sound.

Carlos chuckled, “Sorry babe,” he said as he pressed a light kiss to TK’s forehead, “as much as I would love to keep going with this, we both have to work this morning. Personally, I don’t think your dad would find this an acceptable reason to be late and am sure Mya will be waiting not very patiently for you at the precinct.

“Spoilsport,” TK complained with a pout. Carlos chuckled again as he leaned forward to speak into TK’s ear. “Besides,” he began, voice low, “it would be a shame to wrinkle that uniform before you go to work. We can save that for later.”

Then he pulled away, walking back towards the door to pick up his abandoned mug and exited the room.

TK stood rooted to the spot, still standing in front of the mirror, dumbfounded. It was several moments before he was able to get words out.

“You’re a menace, Carlos Reyes.”

----------

“How’s Lover Boy’s first day back in the saddle?”

Carlos looked up from his phone to find Judd staring at him with raised eyebrows. “Must you call him that?” he asked drily.

“Since you knew exactly who I was talking about, yes, I think I do.”

Carlos rolled his eyes before returning his gaze to his phone. He could feel Judd’s gaze still on him. He ignored it for several long moments but when he realized the older man had no intention of stopping he sighed and looked up again, “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “He hasn’t sent me more than a mention that Mya says hi all morning and I don’t want to bombard him so I’m just...waiting.”

“You’re not very good at waiting,” Judd noted.

Carlos shook his head ruefully, “Don’t I know it. I mean,” he continued, “it’ll be fine. I have nothing to worry about. It’s desk duty. He’s fine. It’ll be fine.”

“You know if I were to hazard a guess, I might say that you don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

“I don’t know,” Carlos replied wearily, “I just...I don’t know.”

Judd nodded sagely, “Glad we cleared that up,” he noted as he took a sip of coffee.

Carlos was debating whether he needed to dignify that with a response or if a rude hand gesture would suffice when Paul entered the kitchen. “How’s TK’s first day back going?” he asked Carlos as he reached for a mug.

“He doesn’t know,” Judd answered helpfully.

Paul paused and looked frowned over his shoulder at Carlos, “How do you not know?”

“TK hasn’t said much and he doesn’t want to keep texting him so he’s just waiting.”

Paul nodded solemnly, “He’s not good at waiting.”

“Do I even need to be here for this conversation to happen, or are you two good on your own?” Carlos snapped.

Both Paul and Judd gave him pointed looks, “Someone’s feisty today,” Judd noted as he took another sip of his coffee.

Carlos groaned, but forced himself to take a deep breath and put his head in his hands. After a few moments, he looked up again. “I’m sorry guys,” he said somewhat sheepishly, “I really didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just…”

“Concerned?” offered Judd.

“Worried?” Paul suggested.

Carlos nodded in agreement, “and I don’t really want to say anything to him about it because he looked a little freaked out himself when he was getting ready this morning. He doesn’t need my worries on his mind too.”

“I hate to break it to you man, but he probably already knows,” Paul informed him.

Judd nodded his agreement, “You don’t exactly have the best poker face brother, especially not when it comes to your man.”

Carlos ran a weary hand through his hair. “You’re probably right, but I wish he didn’t know. I wish I were better at hiding it. He has so much on his plate, he doesn’t need my irrational fear too.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it irrational,” Paul responded reasonably, “especially considering recent events.”

Carlos turned to him with a raised eyebrow, “So it’s normal to be worried about my boyfriend the cop getting murdered at his own desk in the middle of a police precinct in broad daylight?”

“No, I think that might cross into irrational territory,” Paul allowed.

“Good to know I’ve got that going for me,” Carlos responded drily.

He could see Judd and Paul exchanging looks, but they were saved the trouble of having to respond to his neurosis by the alarm. They set down their coffee cups in tandem and jogged over to the engine bay.

“It’s going to be okay man,” Paul assured him softly as they climbed onto the rig. Carlos gave him a tight smile in response but while he appreciated his friend’s effort, he just couldn’t move past this. Not yet.

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

TK entered the bullpen to applause. He was so taken aback that he froze, trapped in the entrance like a deer in the headlights. When the familiar faces of his colleagues registered he felt himself relax and smile. He held up a placating hand as he crossed to his desk, smiling at his coworkers and receiving more than one affectionate pat on the shoulder.

He paused again when he reached his desk, or where he had at least thought his desk was. What stood in front of him now seemed more like the inside of a recycling bin on Christmas morning than any desk he had ever seen. Wrapping paper and bows covered almost every inch, save for about 8 inches on the front where a sign declaring “Welcome back Strand!” was visible. He raised a bemused eyebrow at his desk before turning his gaze the desk beside his own where Mya sat, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

“Your doing, I assume?”

“Why would you say that?”

“Oh I don’t know,” he said mildly, setting his coffee cup down on a corner that was relatively level, “it has a certain kind of flair that reminds me of you.”

She chuckled, “I would be flattered, but the Lieutenant's kids were here last night and they helped. They may have gotten a little carried away,” she added with a ‘what are you going to do?’ kind of shrug.

TK laughed appreciatively, “remind me to thank her later.”

He located his chair between some particularly ambitious bows and pulled it out before taking a seat. Mya joined him, perching herself on the corner of his desk. She studied him intently. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

TK rolled his eyes, “You literally saw me two days ago Mya - I’m fine. I was fine then and I am fine now. It’s fine.”

She peered at him suspiciously. “What?” he asked defensively.

“Just wondering if maybe you were a little too quick to say how fine you are.”

“Why would I lie Mya? I’m…”

“Fine?” she suggested.

“Yes,” he agreed firmly, “completely, totally, 100% fine.”

She was still looking at him with a doubtful expression, so he changed the topic in self-defense: “Don’t you have a partner you’re supposed to be patrolling with?”

“Temporary partner,” Mya reminded him, “only until you’re back in the field. And that better be soon - I don’t know how much more I can take of Thad.”

“His name isn’t really Thad, is it?”

Mya nodded solemnly, “While you’ve been out recovering I have been stuck with the latest rookie - Thaddeus Sterling, the third.”

“You’re making that up,” TK accused.

“I am not. I wish I was.”

“There are two more Thaddeus Sterling’s in the world?”

“It’s a ‘family name,’ apparently.”

“Ouch.”

Mya rolled her eyes, “I’d feel worse for him if he wasn’t such a dense pretty boy.”

TK raised a skeptical eyebrow, “that bad?”

“The man has been flirting with me for three straight weeks, TK. He does not understand the concept of a lesbian and the fact that I have zero interest in dating anyone of the male persuasion, let alone him. Not to mention that his entire personality revolves entirely around the fraternity he was in at UT. If I have to hear anymore about the Longhorn’s defensive game this year, I cannot be held responsible for my actions.”

TK winced sympathetically, “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“Just get better so you can be my partner again,” Mya said with an exasperated sigh, “I can handle him, I just don’t know for how much longer.”

Any response TK could have made was cut off when a young guy with artfully spiked hair appeared at the side of his desk. “Ready to ride Esquilin?” he asked Mya, before sparing a glance at TK. Somewhere between the wrapping paper explosion that was his desk and his proximity to Mya, something seemed to click for him. “Oh hey,” he exclaimed, turning to face TK, “You must be Strand, right? The one who got shot!”

“Yep, that’s me,” TK confirmed.

“That’s intense,” the kid - Thaddeus Sterling III, TK assumed - observed. “But hey, you gotta have a cool scar now, right? I bet the chicks dig it!”

“I wouldn’t know,” TK responded drily, ignoring Mya’s dramatic eye-roll from behind Thad’s shoulder. Thad, for his part, simply looked puzzled. TK wondered if he should elaborate, but was saved the trouble by Mya slipping off his desk with a sigh, “Let’s get moving Sterling, we have work to do. And I am not ready to ride, I am ready to drive. Don’t think you’re going to pull a fast one on me.”

As Thad walked away Mya paused to glare down at TK, “You better get well soon.”

“You know, most people don’t make well wishes sound like a threat.”

Mya gave a significant look at Thad’s back before turning her expression back to TK with raised brows. He held up his hands in surrender, “Fine, I get it. I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“Remember, murdering your partner is bad!” TK called to her retreating back. Her only response was a rude hand gesture thrown over her shoulder.

TK chuckled and shook his head fondly. It was nice to be back. He didn’t know what he was so worried about. It would be fine, really.

He was so lost in thought that the slamming of a desk drawer at a nearby desk startled him back to reality. It caused him to jump and sent his heart racing. He peered around the bullpen only to see that no one else had reacted: to the slamming drawer or his reaction. He closed his eyes and took several deep, measured breaths.

He was fine, really.

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

The ladder truck arrived at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident and the crew piled out, each taking in the scene with a practiced eye. There were some scenes that you pulled up to and knew instinctively that they were going to be bad. Full of pain and suffering and images that would haunt you for days or weeks to come.

This wasn’t one of them.

Sure there was an alarming amount of vehicles involved but the atmosphere radiated annoyance and anger, not fear and despair. A quick survey didn’t reveal anything beyond a minor injury - Carlos hoped that maybe that could hold true.

They split up and waded into the crowd and cars, checking in with each person, searching for anyone trapped or seriously injured. Thankfully the initial assessment proved correct and there were none. The scene still needed to be cleared and injuries needed to be looked at, but there was no immediate threat staring them down. They all got to work and Carlos found himself helping Michelle and her team with basic first aid until a familiar voice called his name.

He turned to see Mya, a younger guy with very deliberately styled hair at her shoulder. He grinned at her as the woman he had just finished with jumped off the gurney serving as his exam table. “Hey Mya, how’s it going?”

She raised an eyebrow as she drew closer, “My day is fine, but that’s not what you're asking, is it?”

He gave her a sheepish grin and she rolled her eyes but answered his unasked question: “He seems fine. He says he’s fine.”

“What do you think?”

She shrugged, “Too soon to tell, but I don’t see any reason not to believe him. If he says he’s fine, then he probably is.”

The younger guy pulled level with them and looked between them suggestively, “Someone you need to introduce me to, Partner?”

Carlos’s eyebrows rose as Mya heaved an exasperated sigh, “Carlos, this is Thad - my temporary partner. Thad, this is Carlos - TK’s boyfriend.”

Thad looked puzzled and Mya rolled her eyes at him, “You know, TK. My regular partner: has been out on medical leave, you met him this morning?”

“Yeah, I remember,” he said “I just thought that you two…” he trailed off suggestively and Mya took a deep, measured breath.

“No, we are not. I don’t like men, remember? We’ve been over this like, 5 times.”

“Huh,” was all he said and seemed to be seriously considering this information. Mya gave Carlos an exasperated look and gave Thad a nudge. “Go find something to help with,” she instructed with a gesture towards the accident scene, “I’ll be along in a moment.”

He obliged with a parting wave to Carlos and they watched him leave before Carlos spoke, “he seems like fun.”

“Oh yeah, a barrel of laughs,” Mya deadpanned.

“His name isn’t really Thad, is it?”

“Thaddeus Sterling III.”

“You’re making that up.”

Mya rolled her eyes, “I swear you two are the same person, it’s ridiculous.”

Carlos frowned at her, “Me and Thaddeus?”

She swatted at him, “No! You and TK. I had the exact same conversation with him this morning. You two are so alike sometimes it’s scary.”

Carlos laughed appreciatively before the mention of TK’s return to work reminded him of his concerns. “You really think he’s okay?” he asked Mya again.

She shrugged, “He seems to be. Only time will really tell, but right now he seems fine. Almost like nothing happened.”

Mya’s name was called and they both looked over towards the accident scene to see Thad waving his hands in the air and looking far too pleased with himself. Mya sighed again, “I better go see what he wants. Hopefully, he didn’t break anything this time. The faster TK is back in the field the better; I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” she flicked her gaze back to Carlos, “Catch up with you later?”

He nodded and gave her a smile that she returned before striding off to find Thad. The moment she was gone Carlos let the smile slip. He knew Mya would never put TK at risk and would never push him to do anything before he was ready, but their conversation had filled him with dread.

He shook it off and pulled himself up straighter. He had a job to do now - he could go back to worrying about his boyfriend later.

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

“Please, take a seat, Officer Strand.”

TK sank into the chair indicated and watched as the department psychologist - a woman in her mid-40s - settled into one across from him, crossing her legs neatly at the knees and balancing a clipboard in her lap.

“Have you ever participated in any kind of therapy before, Officer Strand?”

TK nodded, “I have been seeing a therapist off and one since I was about 16.”

The psychologist - Dr. Said - nodded and gave a small smile, “Good, then you should be fairly familiar with how this works. That should make this easier - people who have never done any form of therapy often take a while to feel comfortable enough to effectively share.”

TK nodded and drummed his fingers, waiting for the doctor to lay the groundwork. As the silence dragged on he could feel his anxiety growing. “So how does this work?” he finally blurted out, caving to the crushing silence.

Today we are just going to have a chat. This is considered the beginning of your probationary period, for lack of a better word - of being cleared for full and active duty. We will meet once more toward the middle of this mandated time, and then once again at the end. Then my reports and recommendations, along with your doctor, and your Captain will all be reviewed and a determination for your fitness to serve - both physically and mentally - will be made.”

TK nodded, running all the steps and names through his head once again. “How long does this usually take?” he asked. Dr. Said shrugged, “somewhere between 2-4 weeks. Since your injury was severe I would say that your case will be pushed out closer to the 4 weeks mark so everyone can feel certain about their findings.”

TK nodded. He glanced around the office, avoiding the doctor’s piercing gaze as he asked the question he truly dreaded: “and if I am not deemed fit to serve?”

Dr. Said readjusted her clipboard and uncapped her pen, “Then alternate options will be discussed at that time. But let’s get started before you start jumping to worse case scenarios. It won’t do any good to dwell on them.”

TK nodded and Dr. Said continued, peering at him over her clipboard, pen poised and ready: “Now,” she asked, “what can you tell me about the night of the incident?”

TK swallowed. This was not going to be fun, at all.

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

Carlos entered his house to find the light already on and upbeat music drifting from the kitchen. He smiled as he dropped his bag by the door, kicking off his shoes and heading towards the noise and his boyfriend. He turned the corner to find TK bobbing his head to the music as he pulled plates out of the cupboard, turning and setting them down beside a platter of food on the counter. Carlos crossed the room and found TK’s phone on the counter. He reached across and using the side buttons, lowered the volume.

TK spun around as the music faded, but his surprised look faded into one of pleasure when he noticed Carlos.

“Hey babe,” he said, crossing the room to give Carlos a kiss, “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Carlos raised a single eyebrow, “I’m not surprised. I don’t know how you can hear anything with the music that loud. I am surprised the neighbors didn’t call to complain.”

TK waved off his concerns, “They’re fine. Besides, the windows are shut so there is no way they should have heard that. My phone speaker is not that powerful.”

Carlos rolled his eyes and then narrowed them when he noticed the food. “You didn’t cook, did you?” he asked, glancing around the kitchen, “I don’t see any scorch marks.”

TK put a hand over his heart, “Ye of little faith!” he exclaimed dramatically, “do you really think I cannot manage even a basic dinner without property damage?”

“Yes,” Carlos deadpanned, “because I have extensive experience to prove that point. Do I need to remind you of the breakfast in bed incident?”

“That was not my fault,” TK said quickly, “but no, I did not cook. I ordered this from that Korean place you like.”

Carlos chuckled and leaned down to place a kiss on the side of TK’s neck, “my hero.”

TK laughed lightly but reached forward to grab the food. “Can you grab the plates? We should get to this before it gets cold.” Carlos obliged and once they were settled at the table with full plates, he asked the question that had been eating at him all day.

“How was your first day back?” he hoped his voice didn’t betray any of the anxiety he had felt all day.

TK shrugged and she scooped some rice onto his fork, “Pretty uneventful. Mya wrapped my desk in wrapping paper, and then I had to spend all day at it doing paperwork.” At Carlos’s raised eyebrow he added, “I took off the wrapping paper halfway through the day, the crinkling was driving me nuts.”

Carlos grinned, “I ran into Mya today actually. Met her new partner.”

“Temporary partner,” TK corrected quickly, like a reflex.

“Right,” Carlos amended, “temporary partner. Did you get to talk to him at all? He seems…”

“Interesting?” TK provided.

“That’s one way to put it.”

TK nodded, “She can’t stand him. She keeps telling me I need to get back out into the field before she snaps and murders him.”

There is silence in the wake of the quip, as they both realize the elephant in the room has just been brought into the light. Back in the field is a statement that haunts both of them, for different reasons.

“I had my psych eval today,” TK blurted out, cutting through the silence.

Carlos looked up from his food, “You didn't say anything about it before,” he noted. He kept his face neutral while all the while his mind raced with implications.

TK shrugged, “I didn’t really know what to tell. I wasn’t sure if it was a one and done kind of thing of if it was a process. Turns out, it’s a process.”

TK’s voice was neutral, but Carlos knew him well enough to know that it was forced. He wasn’t feeling as calm about this as he was letting on, but Carlos wasn’t sure why.

“What kind of process?”

TK sighed, leaning back in his chair as he explained, “It’s going to take 3-4 weeks, at least two more meetings with the department psychologist, a recommendation from my Captain, and then they all have to agree on it. But it’s pointless, there’s nothing to agree on - I’m fine.”

Carlos considered that before he spoke. He noted that TK’s posture was anything but relaxed. His arms were crossed so tightly against his chest Carlos wondered about the possibility of bruising. He was tapping his foot against the floor in a light staccato pattern. Carlos liked to think he had come to know TK Strand fairly well over the past few months, and this was not TK Strand relaxed.

“Isn’t that a good thing though?” he asked eventually, “Isn’t it for the best to make sure, isn’t it smart to be absolutely sure that all the officers in the department are at the top of their game? Letting someone in the field who’s not ready to be there, that could lead to problems. It could be dangerous, for both the cop and anyone else involved. Isn't it better not to risk that?”

TK shrugged, but Carlos could see some of the tension leaving his body, “You’re right,” he agreed, “but it’s still frustrating. I’m fine.”

Carlos nodded. He turned his attention back to his dinner, but not before adding one last thought: “It’s okay to not be fine yet Ty.”

TK met his gaze for a moment before looking away quickly. “I know,” he replied softly, “but I am.”

Carlos gave him a smile but as they turned back to their meal in silence he couldn’t shake the feeling that TK was lying.

[Read the rest on Ao3 - it was too long to post it all here!]

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #tarlos #tarlosweek2020 #tk strand #carlos reyes #my writing #gonna try to tag some people #userjilly #userkimmy #sunsetcxrve #sunshinestrand #officerrxyes #lonestarbabe #buttercupstrand #sneetchestoo #lire-casander #bellakitse #reyesstrand

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marjansmarwani · 4 years

Text

Who You Gonna Call?

A Ghost Hunting AU - 4.9k

[Read on Ao3]

A charity event brings together the two most notorious internet ghost hunting teams: Marjan and TK of the borderline irreverent Spirit Squad and Paul and Carlos of the historically accurate Paranormal Investigators. Their task: investigate Austin’s notoriously haunted Littlefield House. The twist: they have to swap partners for the night to do so. It should be entertaining, if nothing else.

Or, The Ghost Hunting AU literally no one asked for.

I didn’t write anything for Halloween because I’ve been busy with work and have a few other projects going on, but I did write this ghost hunting AU back in May. I figured I would share it here again because it definitely has the spooky vibes, plus some excellent TK & Marjan and Paul & Carlos friendships (plus flirting Tarlos!). Some of you may have seen this the first time around, but it was a while ago so who knows! Either way, I hope you enjoy! 👻

Oh, and Happy Halloween! 👻🎃

--------

A chorus of swearing greeted Grace as she unlocked her front door. She entered the kitchen to find her husband messing around with the Keurig, which was apparently the subject of his ire. She shook her head fondly and crossed the kitchen to wrap her arms around his waist, “Struggling there, my love?”

Judd relaxed ever so slightly at her touch, but didn’t back down, “The goddamn thing never works for me! I don’t understand why we can’t just have a regular coffee maker instead of this infernal thing.”

Grace scoffed, “We have that because it was a Christmas present from my parents, and because you broke the coffee maker, remember?”

Judd deflated a bit at this, but continued his grumbling, “I still think it’s too complicated. I just want some coffee and it’s messing with me I swear!”

Grace leaned around him and reached around the back to flip the power switch. The machine beeped and began to brew the pod Judd had put in the chamber. Judd turned to face her, face sheepish, “Have I told you lately how wonderful and talented you are?” he asked.

Grace laughed and leaned into him, “You may have yesterday, but it’s always good to hear. Now, what’s up with you that’s got you so flustered you can’t figure out a simple machine?”

Judd’s scowl returned, “I have that job tonight, and I’m not looking forward to it.”

Grace frowned, “The charity one? Why are you upset about that?”

“Because it’s a bunch of kids playing ghost hunters. They’re ‘youtube people,’ I’m sure they're going to think they’re too good for this and be whiny and just annoying kids in general.”

Grace burst out laughing and Judd looked at her, bewildered, “What’s so funny?” he demanded.

“I’m sorry Judd, I just didn’t realize I had married a Scooby-Doo villain. You do hear yourself, right? You’re about one rubber mask away from “you meddling kids” and frankly, I think it’s adorable.”

Judd tried to scowl, but he couldn’t hide pleasure that his wife’s laughter brought him. “Just you wait,” he told her, “they are going to be ridiculous and needy and probably get themselves into all sorts of trouble, and it’s going to be up to me to save their asses.”

Grace nodded with mock sympathy, “Well, I guess you’d better go before you’re late,” she said handing him the travel mug now filled with coffee, “you wouldn’t want to keep those meddling kids waiting.”

Judd shook his head as he leaned down to give his wife a kiss, “You’re a menace.”

“But you love me anyway.”

“That I do.”

---------

“We’re here at the hauntingly historical Littlefield House on UT’s campus. The house was--”

“Cut!” Marjan called, looking up from her camera. She raised an eyebrow at her partner, “Hauntingly historical? Really TK?”

“It’s alliteration, Marj. It’s good storytelling technique!”

“It’s cheesy is what it is. Why don’t you try it again without the cheese factor, or I can do the intro.”

“You did the intro last episode, we rotate these things Marjan.”

“But this is a special episode outside of our regular season, so our usual rules don’t apply.”

“You’re only saying that because you like the spotlight.”

“No, I’m saying that because you should give the people what they want!”

“That hurts, Marj.”

Marjan’s retort was interrupted by the appearance of two men weighed down by bags of equipment approaching the house. “Hello,” the taller of the two shouted as they grew closer, “you must be the Spirit Squad, TK and Marjan, right?”

The pair nodded and walked forward, intercepting the pair halfway down the front walk. “And you must be Carlos and Paul; the Paranormal Investigators. It’s good to meet you both,” TK said, reaching out to shake both their hands.

“The P.I.s for short,” Paul reminded him, returning his greeting.

There was a flurry of handshakes and polite greetings before they all turned to look at the building in front of them.

“Looks pretty imposing,” Paul noted, “are we sure there’s only one ghost in that whole place?”

Marjan shrugged, “Only one agoraphobic mental patient at least. Who’s to say what else?”

They all studied the house, a stately victorian, for a few more silent moments.

“Well,” said Carlos, breaking the silence, “shall we?”

TK gave an exaggerated arm flourish and a beaming smile, “After you.”

Paul and Carlos continued their journey up the walk and TK turned to join them, but paused when he saw Marjan shaking her head at him exasperatedly, “Two minutes and you’ve already started with the flirting,” she said mournfully, “Tonight is going to last forever, isn’t?”

“Lay off Marj, have you seen him? How could I not?”

Marjan took a deep sigh and looked up to the sky in exasperation, “What did I do wrong in a past life to get stuck with you?”

TK rolled his eyes, “Don’t even start, you know you love me.”

“Don’t get too cocky Casanova. There are plenty of windows in this place, a tragic accident might just happen.”

“You’d miss me.”

“But think about the peace and quiet I could have.”

---------

Judd sipped his coffee as he watched the 4 kids enter the property. He was so not looking forward to this. He understood why the university was hosting this; he just didn’t know why he had to be the one in charge of them. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he told Grace how much he was dreading tonight. He just knew this was going to be a long, pointless night. As they cleared the entrance and began looking around he heaved a weary sigh and set his mug down on top of the piano he had been leaning on and walked over to them.

“Welcome to the Littlefield House,” he said with what he hoped was a passable imitation of enthusiasm - or at least tolerance. “My name is Judd Ryder, head engineer for UT’s campus. I’ll be your contact tonight. If you have any questions I’ll try to do my best to answer them and I’m going to go over some ground rules before you get started. Any questions so far?”

The small group all shook their heads and Judd carried on, “Good. Rule number 1 - don’t touch anything you don’t need to. Everything in this home is old, valuable, and much of it was donated by some of the University’s very generous benefactors. You break it, you buy it. Rule 2: don't do anything stupid. I'm not looking to spend tonight pulling anyone out of a hole or anything of the kind. Follow those two rules and we'll get along just fine. Any questions?"

Carlos nodded, “Mr. Ryder,” he asked, “Would you mind giving us a little background on the house and it’s supposed haunting?”

Judd looked at him incredulously, “On camera?”

Carlos nodded patiently, “That is how we tell our stories sir. I think our viewers would appreciate having it come from an expert - it makes it all seem more reliable. I’m sure as a highly respected employee of the University you must have some first-hand knowledge of the history, and may have seen some of the instances first hand. Your input would be invaluable.

Judd straightened, “Well,” he began, “I suppose that I would be uniquely qualified.”

Carlos smiled warmly, “Excellent. Let’s get it set up.”

Judd was busy flattening out the wrinkles in his shirt; he didn’t notice the fist bump that Carlos and Paul subtly exchanged or the look that passed between TK and Marjan.

-----------

“The Littlefield house was built in 1893 for Civil War veteran George Littlefield,” Judd began, “at the time of its construction it cost $50,000 dollars to build. As I’m sure you can imagine, it would cost a pretty penny more to build today.”

“Three guesses which side he was on,” Paul muttered and Carlos swatted at him, motioning at Judd to continue.

“Major Littlefield even went as far as to have a Himilayan Cedar imported and planted on the property. It is still standing today and is one of the most distinctive trees on campus. You can see it through that window right there,” he said gesturing towards the window to their left, “When his wife Alice Littlefield died in 1935, she donated the house and its property to the University, or which she and her husband had always been big supporters. These days the ground floor has been maintained in its former glory for hosting events and tours, while the second floor houses offices.”

“What about the third floor?” TK asked from off-camera. It looks like there are turrets from the outside, are those accessible.

Judd looked thoughtful, “I think they might be used for storage. To tell you the truth, no one really goes up that far much. It gets real hot up there on those upper floors.”

“Can you tell us more about the spirit that supposedly resides here and the activity that people have witnessed?” Marjan prompted.

Judd nodded, “The ghost is said to be that of Alice Littlefield, the widow of Major Littlefield. People say that she still haunts this house as she never really left it even in life. Some say that she was agoraphobic, others say that her husband kept her locked in the attic. No one knows for sure, but everyone agrees that she didn’t get out much and that’s probably why she is still here.”

“What kind of experiences have people reported?”

Judd scoffed lightly, “people say that they have seen a ghostly figure walking past the windows at night or wandering the grounds. A few even claim they’ve heard the piano playing when there was no one there to play it.”

“To clarify, you mean this piano, right?” Carlos asked, panning towards the grand piano next to them.”

“That’s the one,” Judd confirmed with a nod.

“What about you Mr. Ryder, have you ever had any experiences with this spirit?”

Judd shook his head, “No, can’t say that I have,” he said evenly.

“Wonderful,” Carlos exclaimed, shutting off his camera, “That was great, thanks so much for your time Mr. Ryder.”

Judd nodded as they began sorting through equipment, “Not a problem. Listen, the university has me on call tonight for y’all, so if you need anything let me know. I’ll be around. And please,” he added as an afterthought, “don’t break anything. I hate filling out that paperwork.”

The group gave him solemn nods as he exited, sighing heavily and muttering something about kids under his breath.

The group watched him leave and then looked at each other, each trying their best to hide their grins.

“So,” TK asked, “shall we get started?”

---------

The deal was this: a charity had asked the two most popular ghost hunting teams on the internet to get together for a special fundraising episode, with a twist (to be decided by a vote from their viewers). A week of polling provided them with the result - the two teams were going to be partner swapping tonight.

According to charity’s PR rep, fans had commented that they wanted to see this partner swap because the two teams were so different. The P.I.s were very fact-driven; their show erred on the side of documentary. The Spirit Squad, on the other hand, was much more sensational. Sure they did the facts, but their show revolved a lot more around their antics than the history. Fans were eager to see what kind of dynamic a mashup would bring.

Which brings us back to this moment as the two teams divvy up their equipment and head to meet their new partners for the evening. TK hands a microphone pack to Marjan, humming to himself all the while. She levels a glare at him, “Would you stop that?”

“Stop what?”

“Stop being so pleased about this!”

“Marj,” TK began emphatically, “Of course I’m happy. I get to spend an evening with Mr. Paranormal Heartthrob over there. I’m fucking thrilled.”

Marjan rolled her eyes, “Great. While you are off doing salacious things on company time, I am going to be stuck with Mr. Encyclopedia.”

“Come on, he doesn’t seem that bad.”

“TK, you’ve seen their show. The dude somehow knows literally everything and can spend multiple minutes talking about the significance of various wood types in regional architecture. I might not be pushing you out a window tonight, but I might end up jumping through one.”

Now it was TK’s turn to roll his eyes, “Give the guy a chance Marj. You know how it can be when you’re filming. He might be a completely different person off-camera. You might be surprised and actually end up liking him.”

Her expression softened incrementally, but her voice was still firm, “We’ll see.”

Across the room, a similar conversation was happening.

“You can’t seriously expect me to spend a night working with her do you, Carlos?”

Carlos raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong with her?” he asked skeptically.

Paul seemed to falter a bit, “I mean, it doesn’t seem like she takes much seriously. She’ll probably be off-task all night. Besides, she’s the one who’s catchphrase is ‘come at me demon!’ Actually, I feel like the fact that she even has a catchphrase is telling enough.”

“I think you’re being unfair.”

“Unfair? I would never!”

Carlos narrowed his eyes at him, “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not right now and it is honestly concerning to me. You need to give her a chance.”

“No, I don’t think I do.”

Carlos sighed, “What did we say about not being a dick around people who don’t know you’re always kind of a dick?”

Paul looked at least slightly chastised, “Fine, I’ll play nice.”

“That’s all I ask. Now,” he said cheerfully, snapping the last of his gear on, “it’s time to go meet our new partners!”

“You know, sometimes I kind of hate you.”

“I’m okay with that.”

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

Marjan swung her flashlight around the grounds as she walked. She and Paul had taken the grounds and first floor while TK and Carlos would be tackling the upper floors. So far all she had seen was a lot of grass and awkward silence.

“So,” she began, turning to face her companion, “any thoughts on what we’ll find?”

Paul shrugged, “Not too sure. All the lore says that if we see anything, it should be Alice so I’m hoping we’ll find some evidence of her. The reports make it seem like she’s pretty active, I’d love to catch some of that.”

Marjan hummed in agreement, “That would be cool. I’m a slut for some good audio evidence.”

Paul raised an eyebrow at her. “What?” she asked defensively,

He shook his head, “Nothing. I just figured you were more about the video evidence. You know, where you could be seen doing something crazy.”

She scoffed, “Yeah, that stuff’s fun, but when it comes to actual evidence, I find audio to be more reliable. There are just too many factors when dealing with video evidence. Besides,” she added as she crossed to the other side of the yard, “It’s not that I don’t enjoy doing all that stuff, but it’s all for ratings. I know how to make a brand.”

“You know Marwani, I might have been wrong about you.”

“You can’t believe everything you see on the internet Strickland.”

Paul laughed, “No, I suppose you’re right.”

They continued in silence for the next few minutes, each studying their devices. After completing a full circuit of the yard Paul sighed, “Guess that was a colossal waste of time.”

Marjan shrugged, “I guess it depends on how you look at it. I’m just glad we were able to put entire floors between ourselves and that,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder towards the second-floor window that revealed flashlight beams moving.

“You mean the flirt fest? Yeah, I’m not too broken up about missing out on that either.”

Marjan nodded emphatically, “Don’t get me wrong, I love TK like a brother, and I want nothing more than for him to be happy. But I don’t feel the need to be in the room as it happens.”

Paul hummed his agreement, “Carlos is my best friend but when he is infatuated with someone, he is basically unbearable. I’ll take ghost hunting outside over witnessing that any day, thank you.”

Marjan glanced back up at the window, “How gross do you think they are being right now?”

“On a scale of 1 to 10?”

“Sure, why not?”

“11, definitely.”

-----------

“So,” TK started awkwardly, “how’d you get into ghost hunting?”

“I watched my family die and have been determined to find their spirits ever since.”

TK’s eyes grew wide, “Seriously?” he asked.

Carlos chuckled, “No. I just liked scary movies and ghost stories as a kid and have always believed. You?”

TK shrugged, “I guess I’ve always believed too. My dad is huge into this stuff, so I learned a lot about it growing up. Then I met Marjan and we hit it off and she needed a partner so I just kind of, did it.”

“Are you and your dad close?”

A small smile spread across his face, “Yeah. He’s the best. He’s a firefighter, and growing up I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, but this came along and kind of just fit, you know?”

Carlos nodded thoughtfully, “Yeah, I think I do. If you had told 15 year old me that I would be ghost hunting for a living, he would have thought you were crazy. But, I like it. I get to see new places, meet interesting people, and spend time with my best friend.”

“Well,” TK said, “I think it was a good choice.”

Carlos looked at him curiously, “Why’s that?”

TK grinned suggestively, “Because it means we met.”

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

So far, the inside was not much more interesting than the grounds.

Marjan was starting to get antsy. She knew that ghost hunting was generally a “hurry up and wait” kind of situation, but she hated the long periods of nothing. At least she normally had TK to banter with. Tonight, she was stuck with a companion who was studying an abstract painting with far too much interest.

“I think this is an original Kelpe,” he said eventually.

“A what?” Marjan asked incredulously.

“A who,” he corrected, “Paul Kelpe was an American painter from about the 1930s until he died in the 80s. He was known for abstract art and retired to Austin before he died.”

Marjan stared at him, “How in the actual hell do you remember this stuff?”

“My mind is like a steel trap.”

Marjan had several things she’d like to say in response to that, but before she could even begin eerie music floated down the hall, effectively ending their conversation.

They looked at each other, and Marjan was gratified to see her excitement reflected on Paul’s face. “Is that...” she started to ask at the same time Paul exclaimed “The piano!”

They looked at each other for just a moment more before they hurried down the hall, back towards the piano.

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

It took a few tries, Carlos managed to get the door to the turret room open. He and TK walked inside slowly, shining their flashlights around the room.

“Wow,” TK said, and Carlos nodded his head in agreement.

The room was filled with the scattered paraphernalia of life. It looked like everything had been left as is, as if the resident of the bedroom had just walked out the door, ready to start their day. If that day had been about 80 years ago, judging by the dust.

“It doesn’t look like anyone has been in here in ages,” TK noted as he gently brushed the dust off an ornate hand mirror.

Carlos was studying the doorway, “I think you might be right. It doesn’t look like there is any kind of lock or reason it should have been stuck, but it definitely did not open like a door that is commonly used.”

“I wonder whose stuff this is?” TK muttered as he examined the contents of the desk. “Whoever’s it is either loves antiques or it has been sitting here since it was new.”

Carlos had halted abruptly in his own exploration, staring at something on the table by the door. When he spoke, his voice was shaky.

“I think you might be spot on with the later,” he said.

TK turned around, frowning. “What makes you say that?”

Carlos picked up the item he had been studying and turned so TK could see it. It was an antique calling card, yellowed with age, but the name printed in delicate script was still legible; it read “Mrs. Alice Littlefield.”

“Well, shit.” TK breathed. Carlos nodded.

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

They reach the piano at the same time, equally out of breath. They each examine their various devices. “I’m getting some pretty strong readings,” Marjan noted.

Paul nodded, “Me too. He moved around the piano, examining it, “I don’t see any wires or triggers, or anything that suggests that this could have been caused by another person.”

Marjan ran an experimental hand across the keys. They played normally. She hit a few notes, but they all sounded as they should. “It seems to be working just fine too.” She lifted the lid and they each shone their flashlights inside.

“Everything looks normal in here too,” she noted after a while. She looked around the room and gestured at one of the cameras they had set up. “Maybe the static cam caught something.”

Paul nodded, pulling out his phone to make a note, “I will definitely look. Hopefully we got good audio too.”

Marjan nodded, “This is so cool,” she gushed.

Paul smiled, “It is, isn’t it?”

-----------

Tk looked around at the contents of the room, “It doesn’t look like anything has been touched since she died.”

Carlos nodded, gently fingering a lace handkerchief on the bedside table, “It looks like she just up and left. It’s kind of sad, actually.”

TK looked at him curiously, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it doesn’t seem like she had anyone who cared enough to go through her things after she died. Once she died it seems like she just…stopped existing and the world went on.”

TK didn’t really know what to say to that. He glanced around the room and then back at Carlos.

“Unfortunately, I think that is generally what happens, no matter who is left behind. But if it makes you feel any better, if people are right about Alice being the ghost here, she apparently had different plans.”

“I honestly don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.”

TK shrugged, “Me neither.”

“I guess what really bothers me is the thought of what will happen to us when we’re gone. I don’t have much family left as it is, and not too many friends outside of Paul. Would there be anyone left to remember that I existed, or would it just be a room full of stuff that says Carlos Reyes used to exist?”

TK studied him for a moment before speaking, “I know where you’re coming from, believe me. All I have are my dad and Marjan. But I think that it’s more a matter of what we do than what we leave behind.”

Carlos smiled at him, “That’s pretty wise.”

TK grinned, “I do my best.” He took a few steps closer to Carlos. They were so close now that he could every nuance of brown in the other man’s rich, warm eyes. “If it makes you feel any better,” he said softly, “I’d care if you were gone. I’d help to keep your memory around.”

Carlos smiled at him, “Then I guess that means I should do the same for you.”

“It’s a deal then,” TK replied, sticking out his hand. Carlos took it and the shook, but their hands lingered for several moments longer than necessary. Carlos was the first to pull away, albeit reluctantly.

“I guess we should keep going with the actual investigation part before our respective partners hunt us down and murder us.”

TK nodded solemnly, “True. What good is our pact if we both die at the same time, murdered by our perfectionist co-workers?”

They exchanged a grin, but Carlos frowned as TK’s expression shifted and his gaze drifted past him. “Everything okay?” he asked hesitantly.

TK didn’t answer right away, “I’m not sure,” he said eventually. “I thought I saw something but...I don’t know. Probably just a trick of the light.”

Carlos looked like he wanted to say something, but the sound of his phone alarm cut off whatever it was that he had to say. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “That’s the 15-minute warning. We have to be out of here pretty soon. We should head back downstairs and help the others gather the equipment.

TK nodded and began to disassemble the camera they had set up in the corner of the room. “Hey Carlos?” he asked as he worked.

“Yeah?”

“We make a pretty good team, don't we?”

Carlos grinned, turning away to hide the blush darkening his cheeks, “Yeah, I think we do.”

---------

A few days later, TK was walking up the sidewalk towards Paul’s house when he heard his name being called from behind him. He turned to see Carlos rushing to catch up with him. He couldn’t help the little flutter his heart did at the sight of him. He paused, letting the other man catch up.

“Hey,” Carlos greeted as he reached him, “What are you doing here?”

TK shrugged, “Honestly, I have no idea. Paul called me and asked me to come over.”

Carlos frowned, “He asked me the same thing. Which, is not weird since we are friends and business partners, but you being here too is strange. No offense,” he added hastily.

“None taken,” TK assured him. “Honestly, I was thinking the same thing.”

They stood awkwardly on the sidewalk for another moment before Carlos shrugged, “I guess the only way to find out is to head in.”

TK nodded and gestured towards the door, “After you.”

Carlos let them in and led TK towards the office. When they entered the space, they were even more surprised that Paul was not alone.

“Marjan?” TK asked incredulously, “What are you doing here?”

Paul answered, “I called her first because I needed someone else to confirm that you two are as big of idiots as I thought you were.”

Marjan nodded solemnly, “And I can confirm, you are the biggest idiots.”

TK and Carlos looked at each other, baffled. “What did we do?” TK asked defensively.

Marjan and Paul simply exchanged a look before Paul turned his laptop around for them to see. There was a video feed paused on it. It seemed to be one of the feeds from the turret room. Carlos gave the other two a confused look, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh, just wait,” Paul said, reaching down to hit play.

They all watched silently, Marjan and Paul watching their companions more than the video. TK and Carlos watched as they moved through the frame, getting closer. TK blushed as they grasped hands. He knew what part this was, he just had no idea how sappy they actually looked. He was just grateful there was no sound. As he watched, he saw a figure appear over Carlos’s shoulder. His eyes widened. That couldn’t be…

“Is that an FBA?” Carlos asked weakly, looking up at Paul and Marjan. Paul glared at him, “Just watch.”

They all turned their attention back to the screen to see as the figure became more solid. There was no denying that it was the ghostly figure of a woman. She remained there, just past Carlos’s shoulder, for a least a minute before vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.

Present Carlos and TK looked at each other. “I guess you did see something,” Carlos said weakly. TK was still too shell-shocked to respond. They had been in the same room as a Full-bodied Apparition – the holy grail of paranormal investigating – and they hadn’t even noticed.

He looked over at their partners, who seemed torn between amusement and frustration. He understood the feeling.

Eventually, Paul spoke, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that you two were so busy flirting you did not notice a literal ghost not even two feet from you.”

Carlos ran a shaky hand through his hair, “Yeah, I think that about covers it,” he said weakly.

Marjan snorted, “Actually, it looks like she yeeted herself out of there as soon as possible. Face it – you guys are so gross that even the dead don’t want to deal with you.”

TK and Carlos locked eyes. After a moment Carlos shrugged and TK groaned, “The shippers are going to have a field day with this. We will never have another moment of peace.”

Carlos considered this for a moment, before a sly grin spread across his face, “Maybe, or we could just beat them at their own game?”

TK frowned at him, “What do you mean?”

“TK Strand, would you like to go on a date with me?”

There was a beat of silence before Paul and Marjan groaned and TK grinned, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Marjan looked at Paul, “Our lives are ruined,” she said mournfully.

He nodded grimly, “Let’s be real though; we never stood a chance.”

Notes:

I actually did a lot of research for this one and since once an English major always an English major or something like that, you can find my sources here, here, here, and here. If nothing else it's worth it for a look at the house (which is a real place) because it does give off some serious spooky vibes in my opinion.

[Read on Ao3]

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #halloween fic #tk strand #carlos reyes #marjan marwani #paul strickland #I normally wouldn't bring back something but #...it's halloween #and this is a ghost hunting au #so here you go I guess #yes it's a day early but frankly today has not been a great day and i need the distraction #also it's the 30th it counts

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