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#like I’m lonely in this tiny fandom :(
lei-lei-artz · 7 months
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Redraw of old art (4 month improvement)
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lokittystuckinatree · 4 months
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Happy Pride losers, I’m ready to be clowned but my dumb ass is now convinced Rogue is the Master…
Rogue and Renegade have eerily similar meanings under the right circumstance.
To rebel against an organized group. To go rogue.
An endearingly naughty person
Koschei, our second fave Renegade Time Lord
Apparently they were also called a Rogue Time Lord? I am not making this up.
Although Maestro is Master in Italian and look how that turned out
“Lord” interesting.
Red and Blue. The master and 13 were red and blue coded respectively. Have they switched, Symbolically?
Rogue was looking at the Doctor rather nefariously, even once they were buddies. Just go through some of the scenes again. It’s harder than you’d think to tell if he’s trying to seem seductive or evil
The entire premise of this ep seems to be “things are not as they seem; people are not as they appear” which is a Master staple
The Master has been haunting the fuck out of the narrative lately.
Here’s my thread on just how much
When I saw the first trailer, I instinctively thought “ballroom dance guy” was gonna be the new Master
The inside of Rogue’s (familiarly messy) ship has controls eerily similar to the configuration of a TARDIS.
Rogue is obviously a time traveler if he has that space ship and knows DnD (Rogue + Time + Lord. Oh?)
DnD might be a dead giveaway
Was Rogue’s name being inspired by DnD necessary to include? Cute thing the writers wanted to put in, or clue?
Why would Rogue know what DnD was but not know what cosplay or improv was?
The Master has been taken prisoner by the Toymaker, infamous for his love of? Games. You know who also has a running theme of “winning” and “losing”? The Master
In DnD you play as a character and rely on skill and chance to survive within the confines of a structured storytelling game. Bending the rules is often involved. The Master tried that against the Toymaker and failed.
DnD players will often have little tiny figurines of their characters. Remind you of anything?
the Master is a dnd rogue archetype. Trickster, lone wolf, shapeshifter.
If the Doctor is symbolically trapped in a TV show, is the Master trapped in a game? If the Toymaker is the DM, is he going rogue against the Toymaker?
The Master is infamous for their disguises and “cosplays” and has catfished the Doctor before.
Rogue is almost suspiciously too much the Doctor’s type. He’s like the love child of River Song and Jack Harkness. He is exactly the type of character the Master would create to lure and seduce the Doctor.
He and the Doctor just…get each other. It’s like they’ve known each other for much longer than a few hours. They’re too cushy (haha)
Rogue threatened to kill the Doctor, and then imprisoned him in a nice little cage. Familiar?
He tried to make the Doctor kill Ruby, who we all know is just Clara 2.0. Familiar?
He knows too much and too little
He knew the party was attended by alien birb people but only knew about one alien birb? And did he reaaaally think Doc was an alien bird?
The Dancing. They knew they wanted there to be a dance party before they even settled on a time period setting for the episode. Enough said.
The ring was…interesting
That’s a lot of commitment, even if only a promise ring. Something tells me he intended it as an engagement ring though
Someone tried to write a book in the 80s where 5 and Ainley were ex spouses, but it was shot down
Just an unrelated detail, but a ring on the pinky is a gay thing
Mirroring. Thoschei do that. A lot.
“You!” “No, you!” “no, you!”
The way they danced
The scene where they kept turning on and off the music
Speaking of music…Bad Guy by Billie Eilish? Too on the nose? Can’t get you out of my head? Poker face?
You remember that lady’s hand that picked up the Master in his widdle toof? Hand of the Rani?
This episode was written by two women. The Master would literally be in women’s hands
I remember watching Sacha Dhawan’s Spy Master for the first time and going…darn, he reminds me so much of Avengers era Loki. Kate Herron directed season 1 of the Loki Series and had a lot of creative control. Would it really be surprising if RTD (confirmed Loki fan) went to her for the Master after Sacha?
Didn’t Russell say he’s leaving the Master for “other writers?”
“The Master is parked” did he happen to park a Tardis disguised as an everyday spaceship???
In an interview, Kate said she and Briony designed Rogue to be the Doctor’s “equal”
References
“When I see him, I’ll know” and he is drawn to Rogue like a magnet.
“Travel with me” who must you be to want the Doctor to be your companion instead of vice verse
“We can argue across the stars”
“I’m in your head” + “can’t get you out of my head” + the Master being referenced multiple times in almost every episode since PoTD
“I’m trigger happy” feels really fucking intentional
He said “find me.” If he is the Master, the person he lost was the Doctor, (notice he said “them” and not “her” or “him?”) and the Master and Doctor always find each other.
Scream of the Shalka? And didn’t the Master fall through the floor like 40 times in Curse of Fatal Death? Richard E Grant was the Doctor in both of those.
For more, @bugeater77 and friends have this lovely thread
Guys CHECK MY REBLOG, RTD posted something wild.
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theshadowrealmitself · 5 months
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The reason I haven’t been making Vulcan posts lately is because other than the fact that I’ve been obsessed with this one fandom lately that has. incredibly unsatisfying (to me) fanfics (so much of it is either ambiguous/unhappy ending, not tagged as such, and also a ton of the pairing ones are actually just “implied” pairings), I’ve been obsessed with this one idea that I have no idea how to articulate, but my stomach hurts rn and I can’t sleep till it stops so I’m gonna try rn:
Old-ish Vulcan, def old by Human standards, not so much by Vulcan standards, getting their life saved by a Human child, and the Human kid is like,, the epitome of like,, a very specific type of sci-fi show protagonist, like it’s just this tiny kid with a ray gun getting into impossibly large situations and always finding away out of them with their can-do attitude and snark at adults, and these really are horrifying and traumatic situations but the kid just!! always makes it out of it!! (Indomitable human spirit or smth idk)
So anyways, they meet the Vulcan, save the Vulcan’s life out of a situation the Vulcan thought 100% would kill them, and then leave into the night
And they just keep meeting like that, just this Human always going in blazing, uncovering plots, saving lives just because it’s the right thing to do, and then leaving just as quickly
So by now, the Human is an adult and is in Starfleet, trying to sniff out a traitor amongst the crew, and the Vulcan is there for unrelated reasons, but sees the Human there and can already tell that something is up, but trusts the Human to handle it
And there’s this sort of little assumption the Vulcan is making, I mean, the kid (now an adult but it’s hard for the Vulcan to look at them and not see the tiny child they first met) gets out of every scrap practically unharmed, always shows up to help, and always just leaves without being questioned afterwards, so obviously, they have to be working with some organization (maybe not as a kid but definitely as an adult), trained to do all this, and this is all sanctioned by the organization
But nah, they’re a lone wolf, technically breaking a shit ton of laws, but when they get found out that they lied to get into Starfleet, the older, well-respected Vulcan vouches for them, so no one even questions their presence, everyone just thinks they’re a. extremely secretive spy hired by Starfleet.
Idk it’s just all funny to me
Edit: And yes, the Human is from the past, cryogenically frozen and woken up in what’s considered the future for them, and they’re just crashing their way through life, somehow living a nonstop action adventure, barely understanding what’s actually happening some times, just accidentally living a really chaotic life
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natsuki208 · 3 months
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The Wolf and the Bunny 🐺🐰
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Sebastian tells his son Ciel a new bedtime story about an orphaned bunny and a lone wolf.
Here’s something for the Dadbastian fandom as the BB series is now on hiatus!
-
It’s around 7:15pm in England now; a certain little blue-haired noble boy should be going to sleep now.
“Come along now, Ciel. It’s pass your bedtime.” His father Sebastian gently picks him up from the floor where his child was playing and carries him to the bed in the middle of the nursery.
However, Ciel pouts in disagreement. “Bud I’m nod sweepy, Papa.”
“Hm, I know you by now that you are.” Sebastian chuckles.
The boy then squirms in his father’s arms as he’s placed down. “No I’m nod.”
Usually Ciel would only say those things in denial like any human child would, but he sounds like he means it this time. He surely does sound more lively and not drowsy, eyes are both wide, not droopy, so it’s clear to the demon he’s telling the truth.
Sebastian notes to himself not to give into pressure and allow Ciel sweeties before bedtime.
“Well, we can’t have you be cranky the next morning because you couldn’t get enough sleep.” He ponders aloud. “There has to be something to help you go to sleep.”
Ciel ponders too, imitating his father, and then an idea springs. His tiny hand grabs onto Sebastian’s waistcoat and tugs softly.
“Can you wead me a beddime sdowy, pwease?”
Sebastian looks down at those pleading blue eyes, so bright that it’s even hard for him to resist sometimes. Such things a human child does to him these days. He sits down on the bed next to him and reaches for the book on the bed side table.
“Alright. I think I know which story you’re talking about.” Sebastian smiles smartly.
Ciel tugs him again. “I wand a new sdowy.”
There’s a pause. Sebastian looks again down at his son’s pleading face. Usually he’d ask for him to continue to read ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ since that’s his favourite, but now he wants a new one. On the contrary, the demon’s aware that children change their minds frequently, so he shouldn’t expect Ciel to be an exception.
The book returns to its place on the table and Sebastian moves over to be closer to his son. That soft smile never fades whilst petting Ciel’s blue hair.
“I think I might have one short story in mind.” He notes softly. “But you will promise to go to sleep after the story is finished, okay?”
Ciel nods with a little ‘Mmm hmm’ as a response and grabs hold of his white bunny plushie and makes himself more comfortable by lying onto his bed pillow. And so Sebastian thinks for a moment; what can possibly be a good story to tell for a young boy at this age? He notices the toy in Ciel’s arms and it clicks.
“Okay, I think you might like this one.” Taking his seat closer to his curious son, he begins his tale.
~
“In an old forest, somewhere far from here, lived an old grey wolf. His life in his wolf pack was the same as any ordinary predator living there: to hunt for their prey. They traveled around the forest looking for any small, weak little animals to feast on, and they all enjoyed it very much… all except him.”
“I don’d like dhis sdowy, Papa.” Ciel interrupted, hiding his face under the bed sheet.
“Oh don’t worry, it will get better.” His father assures him pleasingly. “Now if I can continue…”
“Sowwy.”
“One day, on a spring morning, the wolf pack came across a rabbit burrow. Desperate for a meal, they worked together to force the rabbit out of her hole and the pack chased after her. The grey wolf stayed behind, as he picked up the sound of high squeaking coming from inside the burrow. Out of curiosity, he checked inside only to find a baby rabbit left alone. The poor thing didn’t even looked scared when the wolf approached it, it got closer instead, rubbing against its natural predator.
The grey wolf couldn’t think of how to react, so he lifted his head out of the burrow and before he knew it, the baby rabbit followed. It kept cuddling onto the wolf like he was its parent, and he didn’t know how to respond, but he didn’t throw away the baby either. The poor thing obviously didn’t understand that the mother is presumably gone and his pack would be after it next, so what can he do?
He couldn’t bring himself to harm a precious little bunny being so sweet and innocent, so he picked it up and carried it on his back. He’s thinking of taking the baby away somewhere safe before his pack showed up again - and that’s what he did.
The wolf spend the rest of the day looking out for the now orphaned bunny. Practically doing anything to keep it safe: bringing it food, water and even played with it. The bunny itself was growing very attached to the wolf more than ever, for when it felt sleepy, it cuddled up into his fur again. The wolf didn’t mind and fell asleep with it.
Why was he spending time with the little bunny instead of preying on it? He didn’t know why. All he did know was that the baby adored him and he shouldn’t take it for granted.
Suddenly, the wolf’s pack caught up to him, for they scented the bunny’s whereabouts. They demanded for him to share the rabbit with them as their meal but the wolf refused. He mentioned he didn’t want to harm an innocent baby animal and that got his pack mad at him. They chased him and the bunny all throughout the forest with no end in sight, that is, until the wolf reached the edge of a rapid, cold river.
This gave him an idea. As his pack hurried towards him in an angry state, the wolf just stood there with the bunny on his back. He waited…. and he waited… until the pack got closer with their teeth wide open. They pounced as he jumped out of the way, with one splash at a time, each wolf was swept away in the tides of the river. Who knows if they’ll make it out alive.
And so, the wolf and the bunny made it back into the forest alone. He may never see his old pack again, but he had something better with him. The innocent baby really brought out his soft spot he had a feeling was there, but not until they met was when he opened up about it. Every day they traveled through the forest to find a safe den to live together, so no other predator can bother them ever again.”
~
*snore*
Sebastian’s last sentence of his story was interrupted by the quiet, breathy noises coming from Ciel - whom is sleeping away peacefully. The image brings a soft smile to his face and carefully stands up to not make the bed creak; he doesn’t take his eyes of the sleeping child when doing do.
“Sorry, bluebird.” Sebastian whispers gently. “I think I got a bit carried away with that one.”
Pulling up the sheets, fixing the position of the pillow, and kissing Ciel’s forehead sweetly ware all what’s left to do before wrapping up for the night. Once it’s all done, he picks up the candle and whispers one final goodnight to his little bunny.
Looks like the wolf is finally content in his new den after all.
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chicgeekgirl89 · 11 months
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Fandom: 911 Lone Star Summary: When Carlos receives a late night call from one of his sisters who is worried about the health of his nephew, T.K. doesn't hesitate to jump in and show the entire family why he's worthy of Carlos' love. Thanks to @carlos-tk, @thisbuildinghasfeelings, @whatsintheboxmh, @lemonlyman-dotcom, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @strandnreyes, @carlos-in-glasses, and @bonheur-cafe for the WIP Wednesday tags. I hope you will accept this instead, belated as it is! A/N: This is my 100th fic on AO3!! 🍾🍾🍾 (Not my 100th fic ever, many of them never made the transfer from ff.net, but still!) I've been sitting on this one for a while and seeing T.K. shine feels like it's worthy of being #100. Also Adriana and Francesca weren't supposed to be in this one, but they literally barged through those hospital doors and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I couldn't love them more!
Read on AO3
“Sooo…never again, right?” Carlos asks.
“Oh my god never again,” T.K. agrees fervently. “Why were the plates so weird? Some of them weren’t even plates at all. And the food was…bad.”
“So bad,” Carlos says. “Tiny and bad.”
“Three hours. We were there three hours,” T.K. says in disbelief as he slows down at a stoplight. “Why did we have to wait like thirty minutes between courses?”
“The menu said it was to give us time to renew our digestive energies and be more present in the dining experience,” Carlos says.
“I didn’t know my digestive energies needed to be renewed.”
“Me neither.”
It had taken them months to get a reservation at the trendiest new restaurant in town and they’d both been excited for the occasion. The menu promised a foodie paradise with unique dishes, creative presentation, and an emphasis on sustainability. They’d gotten dressed up and ready for a fun date night out only to be disappointed the moment they’d walked in the door. 
The place had been crowded, they were practically elbow to elbow with the tables next to them. Carlos had learned the intimate details of one couple’s fertility issues and another couple’s trouble with their neighbors.
Then the food had started coming and been a complete disaster. Carlos considered himself something of a foodie, and T.K.’s New Yorker palate had sampled a number of cuisines over the years, but this had been the worst food Carlos had ever eaten. He hadn’t been able to identify a single item on any of his plates and his tongue longed for something with even a hint of flavor. The plate that held a single, lukewarm radish had nearly been his undoing.
Overall it had been three hours of bland food, awkward company, and not at all what either of them had imagined.
“I’m starving. Can we please pick up something on the way home?” T.K. asks, his stomach letting out a gurgle as if to affirm his statement.
“God yes. I think Chu’s is still open, right?” 
Carlos pulls out his phone, but it lights up with a call before he can check to see Chu’s hours. “Why’s my sister calling?”
T.K. glances over at him. “Which one?”
“Lucía,” Carlos says. It’s not typical of his sister to call at this hour out of the blue and he feels his internal warning bells activate as he picks up the call. “Luci? Que pasó?”
“Hey Carlos,” she says, sounding tired and stressed. “Sorry for calling, I know it’s late.”
“It’s okay,” he says. “We’re just on our way home from dinner. What’s going on?”
“I don’t—I’m probably overreacting,” she says. “It’s just that Justin is out of town for work and I’m—“
Now he’s really worried. “Lucí, it’s okay. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Sebastian woke up sick a couple days. I didn’t think it was a big deal, both boys are sick all the time from daycare and school, but he wasn’t any better today, so I took him to the doctor. They said he’s fine, likely just a virus or something, but…his fever won’t break and he keeps saying his belly hurts.” 
Carlos can hear the deep seated worry in his sister’s voice and it rocks him to his core. His sister is an amazing mom, fearless and sure. To hear her so uncertain is throwing him off.
“I didn’t know if maybe T.K. could just give me some advice or something?” she says, ending it like a question.
He looks over at his fiancé. “What’s going on?” T.K. asks,.
“Sebastian’s sick,” Carlos says. “Do you mind?”
“No, no, put her on speaker,” T.K. says immediately, turning his eyes back to the road as the light changes.“Hey Lucía,” he says loudly so she can hear him.
“Hey T.K.,” she says. “I’m so sorry, I know people probably ask you for medical help all the time.”
“It’s not a problem. Tell me what’s going on,” T.K. says.
“He won’t eat, he’s barely drinking. His fever had been holding steady at around a hundred, but it just spiked up to one oh two. I’ve given him medicine, done cold washcloths, I don’t know what else to try.”
“And the doctor said what exactly?”
“That it’s probably a stomach virus,” Lucía says.
T.K. mulls that over for a minute. “Aren’t we like fifteen minutes from their place?” he asks Carlos.
Carlos nods. 
“Okay, Lucía we’re going to swing by, all right?” T.K. says, flipping his blinker on to get them turned around back the way they’d just come.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that—“
“We’re coming Luci,” Carlos says. “We’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, thank you,” she says, relief flooding her voice and loosening the knot of fear in Carlos’ chest.
He hangs up and looks at T.K. “It’s probably just a stomach bug.”
“Probably,” T.K. agrees. “But if it makes her feel better to have someone give her advice it’s worth going over.”
Carlos’ heart goes soft at those words. He’d never imagined he’d be with someone like T.K. Someone so kind and good, someone who would drive to his sister’s house at nine o’clock at night just to assuage her fears. It’s beyond his wildest dreams.
They pull into the driveway of the ranch style home about ten minutes later, T.K.’s ambulance driving having shaved a few minutes off their time and a few years off of Carlos’ life. At least they’re not driving the Camaro tonight so Carlos didn’t have to fear for the safety of his baby as they sped through yellow lights and weaved in and out of traffic.
Lucía opens the door before they even knock and the relief Carlos felt a few minutes ago evaporates at the sight of her worried face. She was holding back on the phone; in person she looks even more terrified and exhausted than she sounded. “Hey guys,” she says. “I’m so sorry to drag you all the way over here.”
“Stop apologizing,” Carlos admonishes her immediately as they step inside. “That’s what family is for.”
Sebastian lays on the couch in the living, looking younger and tinier than his six years, his face pale and drawn. There’s an episode of Paw Patrol playing on the television mounted above the fireplace and he has a blanket pulled all the way up to his chin. Carlos can see Fuzzy, his comfort bear, peeking out over the top. 
“Hey buddy,” he says, crouching down and giving his nephew a smile. “Tummy bothering you?”
Sebastian nods but doesn’t say anything, another sign that something is wrong. Usually he’s a chatterbox, happy to talk about school or his friends or soccer. Carlos smiles wider, despite the worry swirling in his gut, trying for calm and reassuring uncle. “Do you remember my boyfriend T.K.? From the party at Abuela and Abuelo’s house?” Carlos asks and Sebastian’s eyes move over his shoulder to where T.K. is standing behind him. He gets another nod.
“He’s going to take a look at you, okay?” Carlos says, standing up and moving back to where Lucía is anxiously hovering behind the couch so that T.K. has space to work.
“Hey Sebastian,” T.K. says as he takes Carlos’ spot. “You know I’m a paramedic, right?”
“Yeah,” Sebastian says, his voice small.
“Do you know what a paramedic does?”
“Help people feel better?”
T.K. smiles and nods. “That’s right. So let’s see if I can help you feel better, sound good?”
“Mhmm.”
“Awesome. Okay, I’m going to pull down the blanket and take a look. You tell me if anything hurts, all right?”
He gently pulls down the blanket and places his fingers on Sebastian’s wrist, looking at his watch while he does it. He pulls out a stethoscope he had in the car and listens to the little boy’s lungs, then takes his temperature with the thermometer Lucía has on the coffee table. He narrates quietly the entire time, letting Sebastian know what he’s doing as he does it.
“Okay, let’s see that belly,” he finally says with a smile.
He pulls up the top of Sebastian’s Power Rangers pajamas, talking to him softly while his hands palpate his abdomen. “You like Power Rangers huh? Which one is your favorite?”
“Red,” Sebastian says immediately. “He’s the head guy.”
“He is,” T.K. says. “I always liked the Green one though.”
Sebastian winces and makes a noise that breaks Carlos’ heart in half. T.K.’s hands immediately immediately stop. “Sorry buddy,” he says. “That hurt?”
Sebastian nods and T.K. gently puts his pajama shirt back into place. “I’m going to go talk to your mom and tío. You stay right here and make sure this couch doesn’t go anywhere, okay?”
He gets to his feet and nods toward the hallway where Carlos and Lucía follow him out of Sebastian’s earshot. “His pulse is a little fast and there is some tenderness in his abdomen,” T.K. says quietly. “That coupled with the fever and the lethargy is definitely concerning.”
Lucía puts her hand on Carlos’ arm and he covers it with his own in an attempt at reassurance. “So what should I do? Wait until the morning and see how he is? Give him more meds?” she asks.
“Considering his symptoms, I would recommend you take him to the ER,” T.K. says gently.
She blows out a breath as Carlos’ stomach drops. “Okay,” she says. “Okay um, okay. I’ll just wake up Nicholas and…”
“No, no, no,” Carlos says quickly. “No I’ll call Mom and ask her to come be with Nicky. I’ll stay until she gets here.”
“And I’ll go with you to the ER,” T.K. offers. “I can walk you through all the paperwork, field questions from the doctors, whatever you need.”
“Seriously?” Lucía looks teary eyed. “You’ll come?”
“Of course,” T.K. says. “Why don’t you go grab whatever might help keep him calm while we’re there? iPad or a book maybe. It could be a long wait.”
“Okay, right. Yes. Give me like five minutes and I’ll be ready,” she says, rushing off to go gather supplies.
“What are you thinking?” Carlos asks immediately.
T.K. has his neutral paramedic face on, but Carlos has learned to read between the lines. “I’m thinking it could be a number of things,” T.K. says. “Just a stomach bug maybe, but even if it is I think he’s dehydrated. And given his symptoms and the decline, I’m also worried about an impacted or perfed bowel or maybe even appendicitis.”
“How worried?” 
T.K. blows out a breath. “Worried enough that I wouldn’t wait until the morning to try and get him some treatment.”
His words unlock a whole new level of fear that Carlos has never experienced before, and it takes a lot for him to stay calm as he calls his mom and explains the situation. Lucía returns with a tote bag full of supplies and T.K. scoops up Sebastian, carrying him out to the car with Lucía on his heels. 
“Mom says she’ll be here in fifteen minutes. I’ll be right behind you,” Carlos promises as T.K. sets Sebastian gently in the backseat, pillowing his head on Lucía’s lap.
“Can you call Justin?” Lucía asks, looking like she’s barely holding it together. “He knows Sebby’s sick but I want him to know we’re heading to the ER.”
“Yes,” Carlos says. “I’ll call him as soon as I’m back inside.”
“Hey,” T.K. catches his eye as he climbs into the driver’s seat. “I’ve got them, okay?”
“I know you do,” Carlos says and then the door is shut and they’re gone, leaving him standing in the driveway, his heart in his stomach.
He trudges back into the house and sinks onto the couch, eyes glued to Nicholas’ sleeping form on the baby monitor. He’s not a parent, so why does this feel so awful?
It takes him a minute to emotionally prepare for this phone call and he has to take a deep breath before tapping Justin’s name on his screen. 
It rings and rings and then sends him to voicemail, so he tries again. And again. The third time, Justin finally picks up.
“Dude, if this is a butt dial I’m going to kill you,” his brother-in-law says groggily.
Carlos forgot that it’s nearly midnight on the east coast right now. “Justin,” he says, trying to keep his voice steady.
“What’s wrong? Are Lucía and the boys okay?” Justin immediately sounds more awake now that he’s heard Carlos’ voice.
“Everyone’s safe,” Carlos tells him quickly. “I’m at your place with Nicholas because Sebastian’s feeling worse. She and T.K. are on the way to the ER with him.”
There’s a pause, Carlos can practically feel Justin’s panic through the phone. “Okay, um, okay,” he finally says. “Shit, I’m in Atlanta. There won’t be any flights for hours…”
“My mom’s on her way here to stay with Nicholas,” Carlos says. “I’ll head to the hospital and keep you updated, okay?”
“Yeah, okay, um, thanks Carlos,” Justin says, sounding a little hoarse. “Please um, please tell them I love them, okay? And that I’ll be on the first flight out I can get.”
“I will.”
He hangs up just as the front door opens and his mom comes in. “Carlitos,” she says softly and he immediately gets up to hug her. “How is Sebby?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not sure. They probably just got to the ER, it could be hours before we know anything.”
“And Lucía?”
“She’s worried,” he says. 
“As are we all,” she says, empathy all over her face. “T.K. went with her?”
“Yeah, he said he’d help with things there.”
She smiles softly and touches his face. “You picked a good one mijo. Not every man would drop everything to help his boyfriend’s family.”
There’s a lump in Carlos throat and he struggles to speak past it. “I know.”
“You should get going.”
“Okay. Nicholas is asleep in his crib. I called Justin, he’s working on getting a flight back.”
She nods. “Keep me posted.”
“I will.”
The drive to the hospital is so lonely and silent that it makes each minute feel even longer beneath the glow of the streetlights. How on earth did he go from having dinner with his boyfriend to taking his nephew to the ER? It’s ridiculous. They should be home right now, cuddling on the couch or the bed, watching some stupid show that neither of them really cares about because what they’re actually interested in is making out with each other.
Instead he’s about to spend hours in a hard plastic chair praying that a six year old he loves dearly is going to be all right.
He’s so anxious to get there that he doesn’t realize until he’s through the doors that he has no idea where he’s going. Or even if they’re gong to let him stay. Surely they’re not going to let three adults hang out in the ER in the middle of the night when one would suffice. 
He forgot he has T.K. Strand in his corner.
“How can I help you?” the nurse asks when he steps up to the counter.
“I’m here for my nephew? Sebastian Bryant? He came in with my sister,” Carlos says, feeling awkward.
“Oh you’re Carlos,” she says immediately. “T.K.’s boyfriend.”
“I—yeah,” Carlos says, surprised by her familiarity.
“I’m Stella. It’s so nice to finally meet you, although I wish it wasn’t because your nephew’s in here. T.K. talks about you all the time.”
“He does?”
“Oh my god, try getting him to stop. Carlos this, my boyfriend that, and now I see why. You two are gorgeous together,” she says, flashing him a smile. “Here come with me. I’ll take you to them. Darlene? Can you cover the desk?”
Stella takes him down a hall, past the general area of the ER to a more closed off section. It’s not a room, but it’s quieter here, and Carlos can hear T.K.’s voice even before Stella pulls back the curtain to reveal him.
“Found someone who belongs to you,” Stella says.
T.K.’s eyes find him, soft and relieved. “Hey, I was just about to text you an update. Thanks so much Stella.”
“No problem. I’m going to check and see where we’re at with the tests and then I’ll be back.”
“How’s it going?” Carlos asks quietly.
Sebastian is asleep in the bed, an IV in his arm and Fuzzy tucked in beside him. Lucía is sitting in a chair next to him, his little fingers curled around hers.
“They’re going to take him for a CT as soon as one opens up,” she says quietly. “He was crying when we got here, but they gave him some pain medication and he fell asleep like ten minutes ago.”
“Good,” Carlos says in relief. It feels so much better to know that there are people actively working to help Sebastian. “Nicholas is with Mom, he was still asleep when I left. And Justin’s getting on the first flight he can in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Lucía’s face crumples and she immediately puts her hands over her mouth to stifle a sob. T.K. looks at Carlos. “I’m going to go grab us some coffee,” he says, slipping discreetly out of the room.
Carlos squats down by his sister’s chair and puts a hand on her knee. She immediately covers it with her own and squeezes. “I’m sorry,” she says. “He just—he’s so little. He was so scared when we got here, it’s so bright and they put in the IV and he cried and I just, I need Justin to be here, because I am not strong enough for this.”
“He’s coming,” Carlos says. “He’s coming as fast as he can. And until he does I’m here, all right? I’m here with you and Mom is with Nicholas. Sebastian is going to be fine. He’s scared, but you’re taking such great care of him. You are an amazing mom. You’re doing everything right.”
She nods a couple times, clearly trying to internalize his words before taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes. “You know um, T.K. is pretty amazing too,” she tells him, wiping at her eyes. “I thought we’d be here for hours before we got answers, but he called ahead in the car and that nurse, Stella, was waiting for us. As soon as we were in the door they were drawing blood and starting tests. It’s like they rolled out the red carpet.” She nods toward the doorway. “Not everyone would do that kind of thing for someone they barely know.”
“That’s T.K.,” Carlos says, warmth blooming through his chest at her words. “He’s…incredible.”
“You know, I already liked him a lot, but now…” She quirks a smile. “You’d better hold onto him.”
Carlos nods, heart fluttering away in his chest. “That’s the plan.”
T.K. comes back with coffee right about the same time someone shows up to take Sebastian for his CT scan. He’s unhappy to be woken up, but mollified when Carlos promises to take him for ice cream once a week for the next month. 
The nurse is incredible, telling Sebastian he’s going to go on a ride in a spaceship, although that does nothing to help Carlos’ heart when they start the sedation and he watches Sebastian’s eyelids flutter shut, his body going limp in a weirdly unnatural way. He’s gone for over an hour, all of them sipping tepid hospital coffee in a desperate attempt not to fall asleep as the clock ticks later and later. 
When the orderly returns with him he’s completely zonked out and Carlos hopes he’ll stay that way. It’s not long after that an ER doctor shows up and informs them that the CT scan is indicating appendicitis, despite Sebastian’s slightly atypical presentation of symptoms. Lucía takes the news better than Carlos thought she might, she’s clearly relieved to have an answer and a defined course of action, even if it does mean a surgery they’re told is being scheduled for the early hours of the morning. Someone will be by soon to get them admitted and transferred to a room for the night.
“You guys should go home” she says. “You’ve done more than enough, really. He’s just going to sleep until it’s time for surgery and they’re not going to let you come into the room with us anyway.”
“Don’t worry about them kicking us out,” T.K. says immediately. “If you want us to stay that won’t be a problem.”
She smiles at him. “You’ve done more than enough tonight. I’ll be fine. I promise. Go home and get some sleep.”
Carlos is reluctant to leave her, but she’s right. There’s no point in staying when it’s so late and nothing is going to happen until morning anyway. The moment of crisis is past and now there’s nothing to do but wait.
“I’ll come back in the morning for his surgery,” Carlos says.
“You don’t have to—“ She must catch the look of determination in his eyes because she cuts herself off and nods. “Okay. Thank you.”
He stands and she meets him with a brief hug before she turns to T.K. “I really can’t thank you enough. I don’t think I would have made it tonight without you T.K.,” she says.
“Yes you would have,” he says graciously. “But I’m glad I could help. If anything changes in the night you have my number, don’t be afraid to call.”
“I will.” 
Carlos can’t help but notice that T.K. gets a slightly longer hug than he did and the warm feeling in his chest only intensifies. He reaches for T.K.’s hand as they head out into the hall and T.K. gives him a tired smile in return. “Oh, hang on one second,” he says as they pass the nurses station, letting go of Carlos’ hand. “I’ll be right back.”
He jogs over and flashes that winning smile again at the nurse who’s there, not Stella this time, and chats with her for a minute before returning to Carlos’ side. “What was that about?” Carlos asks, interlacing their fingers together again.
“I just wanted to make sure they put Sebastian in a private room,” T.K. says. “They have the space, Natalie says it won’t be a problem.”
“Natalie huh?” Carlos says as they exit the automatic doors and head for the darkened parking structure. “She also falls victim to your beautiful eyes and charming smile?”
“Victim?” T.K. scoffs. “No one is a victim. I have paid for these hospital perks with dozens of coffees and donuts and muffins and even the occasional Target run. This is just good natured southern kindness being returned.”
Carlos laughs out loud. “Right. Not a single bit of it has to do with your innate charm and that smile that brings people to their knees and makes them feel like they’re only person you’ve ever cared about.”
“I mean, it had to start somewhere,” T.K. says, flashing him that exact smile. “But we’ve come a long way since then.”
“Well thank you,” Carlos says, meaning it from the bottom of his heart. “I honestly I don’t how to say thank you enough. My family is…they’re so important to me and I…”
“Hey.” T.K. tugs him to a stop and meets his gaze under the half light of the parking garage. “They’re important to me too.”
The drive home is blessedly short and they fall into bed exhausted at around midnight only to wake up again at five to head back over to the hospital. Carlos tells T.K. he doesn’t have to come, but the look he gets shuts him up immediately. T.K. is clearly invested. 
They stop for coffee on the way, real, decent coffee, and some bagels, plus a cake pop for Sebastian after surgery. 
He gets a text update as they’re pulling up to the hospital again; Justin is on a flight and should get there by the time the surgery is over. It’s a relief to know his sister will have her support to lean on again in the near future. 
Once they arrive Carlos sits back and watches in wonder as T.K. works his magic. Someone shows up to give Sebastian not one, not two, but three different stuffed toys along with a coloring pack and some Hot Wheels cars. T.K. sits down on his bed and explains the whole surgery in terms a six year old an understand, and when the time comes, Sebastian is whisked off without a single tear.
He’s seen T.K. at work before, but this is an entirely different level of incredible. He knows almost every nurse, every doctor, every orderly that they see, and if he doesn’t, by the time they leave he’s made them feel like an old friend. People can’t seem to do enough for him. 
Justin gets there about twenty minutes after the surgery starts, exhausted and haggard looking, his collared shirt buttoned the wrong way and his hair looking like he didn’t even comb it. T.K. somehow procures fresh, non-cafeteria coffee for him, whispering something about the doctor’s lounge, as well as a banana and a granola bar. 
Everything goes exactly as expected and soon enough the doctor is back to let them know that Sebastian was a champ during surgery and they expect a quick recovery. Lucía and Justin head back to wait with him until the sedation wears off, while Carlos and T.K. continue hanging out in the waiting room until Sebastian can have more visitors.
When Carlos hears a loud commotion behind him, he knows without even looking that reinforcements have arrived. Adriana and Francesca have shown up with more balloons than a circus, a gigantic stuffed bear, and several bags of god only knows what else. “Oh my god, Cesca don’t let them float away,” Adriana is saying as they try and get through the automatic doors that keep closing before all the balloons can make it through.
“I’m not!” Francesca snaps back. “It’s the stupid doors! You could like try to help!”
“With what hands?” Adriana cries, her arms full of stuffed bear.
“Ah, perfect,” Carlos says weakly, looking at T.K. who is already smiling at his sister and cousin’s antics.
“Carlos! Get over here!” Francesca barks and he stands with a sigh, going to help her get in the doorway. 
“Hello, good morning, how are you guys doing?” Carlos prompts as he grabs the brightly colored strings and yanks them inside, the balloons bopping along behind and nearly smacking an elderly woman in the face.
“I mean you’re both awake and have coffee, so I assume you’re fine,” she tells him as she plonks into a seat across from T.K.
“Yeah, geez, way to make our nephew’s surgery about you,” Adriana says with a roll of her eyes. 
Carlos doesn’t bother to remind her that technically Sebastian is a cousin to her, not a nephew; labels other than “familia” ceased to have any meaning to them long ago. “So what’s the deal? Is he okay?” Francesca asks.
“The surgery went well,” T.K. says. “Sebastian’s appendix didn’t rupture, so the chances of infection are low. He should be able to head home in a day or so.”
“Phew. Poor little dude. This sucks,” Francesca says.
“But he’s okay,” Adriana says. “That’s what’s important. Everyone is okay. And all his friends are going to be very jealous when he gets back to school.”
She opens one of the bags and pulls out a tray of something that immediately fills the air with the scent of tomatoes and cheese. “Why do you have tamales?” Carlos asks. “It’s ten am.”
“Because Mom told us to go by the house and bring them over,” Francesca says. “She doesn’t, and I quote, ‘want anyone eating that hospital garbage, it will rot their stomachs.’”
“Sounds like your mom,” T.K. says with a cheeky smile as he reaches for one of the tamales. 
“We also have…taquitos, mac and cheese for Sebastian, and…arroz con pollo,” Francesca says, checking the other bags. 
“Your mom just had this all on hand?” T.K. asks, his mouth full.
“Tía Andrea always has everything on hand,” Adriana says.
Despite his initial scoffing, by the time Justin comes back an hour later to tell them Sebastian is up for visitors, Carlos has eaten three tamales, half a dozen taquitos, and a plateful of arroz con pollo. Apparently hospitals make him hungry. They’ve also fed four nurses and an orderly that T.K. knows, and they haven’t even put a dent in what’s there. 
Justin looks a little less of a mess now, he’s clearly spent some time in front of a mirror and his shirt is buttoned the right way now. He’s smiling in spite of the tiredness in his eyes, which widen in delight at the sight of the food. “Oh thank god for Andrea,” he says, immediately reaching for a taquito. 
“Hey, how do you know it wasn’t us?” Adriana asks, clearly offended.
Justin fixes her with a look and she shrugs. “I mean, yeah it was Tía Andrea, but we’re the ones that brought it over here,” she says.
“Thank you for your service,” Justin says around a mouthful.
“How’s Sebastian?” Francesca asks.
“Better than Lucía or me,” he says. “He says it barely hurts and he’s very excited to have a cool scar.” He looks at T.K. “Apparently you’ve really made this hospital experience feel like a vacation T.K.”
“I’m just glad he’s doing all right,” T.K. says. 
“Can we see him?” Carlos asks. 
“Yeah,” Justin says. “Lucí sent me to get you all.”
“Well then let’s get this party moved!” Francesca says, closing up the tupperware with incredible speed built from years of cleaning up house parties and hiding the evidence before their parents got home.
They make quite a parade marching through the pediatric wing of the hospital with balloons and bears and food galore. But then, the Reyes clan usually does. They’re not exactly known for being a calm and quiet bunch.
Sebastian is sitting up in bed eating a popsicle, looking like the happiest human alive even with an IV in his arm and stitches in his side. “Sebby!” Francesca says happily. “You’re looking good there buddy!”
“You brought me balloons?” he asks as Lucía quickly rescues his popsicle, which is in danger of falling to the floor.
“We brought you balloons and a bear and macaroni and cheese from Abuela,” Adriana tells him.
“Can I have mac and cheese right now?” he asks Lucía.
“Let’s maybe wait until after the doctor comes by again,” she says.
“But then I can have it? And the ice cream Tío Carlos promised me?”
It gets a chuckle from everyone in the room. 
The women start to fuss, setting up the balloons and bear in the best possible place, but Carlos’ eyes are on T.K. who is not-so-subtly checking out all the monitors and lines, ensuring that things are exactly as they should be. God, he loves this man. He loves him more than he thought he could ever love a human being.
“Well this looks like a party!” A man whose name tag identifies him as Dr. Nguyen, comes into the room, iPad in hand. Carlos assumes this must be the surgeon. “Sebastian who are all these fine people who came to visit you?”
“This is my Tía Cesca and my Tía Adriana. They brought me balloons,” Sebastian says, pointing to them in turn. 
“Well that’s very nice.”
“And that’s my Tío Carlos,” Sebastian says.
“Oh, is this the Tío you were telling me about? The one who’s a paramedic and helped you feel better?”
“No, my Tío Carlos is just a police officer,” Sebastian says. “My Tío T.K. is the one who’s a paramedic.” He turns his head to look at where T.K. is standing next to his IV pole. “Paramedics help people feel better. Right Tío?”
T.K. freezes for a second, his eyes locking with Carlos’. “Um, yeah,” he says finally. “Yes, that’s right. Paramedics help people. And then doctors help them even more.”
“Yeah, Dr. Nguyen took my appendix out,” Sebastian says. He looks the doctor square in the face. “My mom says you have to tell me if I can have mac and cheese or not.”
Dr. Nguyen laughs. “I can do that. Let’s give you a little check up and see.”
“We’ll give you some privacy,” Francesca says, which is hilarious given that she hasn’t let anyone have a single minute of privacy since the day she was born.
They step out into the hall, Adriana and Francesca immediately abandoning T.K. and Carlos to go look for hot doctors. Carlos runs a hand through his curls and looks at where his boyfriend is leaning up against the wall. “Well I guess we know who his new favorite tío is,” he says.
T.K. looks up, uncharacteristically nervous. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that. You’re not just a police officer.”
Carlos chuckles. “Oh I’m sure he meant it exactly like that. Tío Carlos is just a tío who wrestles and gives him ice cream. Tío T.K. saves lives. You made an impression.”
T.K. blushes. “I’m glad I could help.” His gaze softens. “I can’t believe he called me tío.”
And despite the fact that no one in the family has ever referred to T.K. that way before, Carlos isn’t surprised in the least. “Is that okay?” he asks.
“Yeah,” T.K. says quickly. “Yeah I—as long as you and your family are okay with it. I don’t…I wouldn’t want him to be confused.”
“He’s not confused.” Carlos’ words are soft and he reaches down, intertwining their fingers. “I don’t think anybody is confused anymore about why you’re so important to me.”
T.K. meets his gaze and Carlos feels like he can see all the way into the vulnerability at the core of this man who came here so broken and lost, and is just starting to figure out how vital he is to everyone around him. Carlos leans in and their lips meet, soft and sweet. It’s not enough to really say thank you, he’s not sure he can ever truly find a way, but in this moment he knows he’ll try. Everyday for the rest of his life if he needs to.
The door to Sebastian’s room opens and Carlos reluctantly pulls back, keeping their hands firmly clasped even when T.K. starts to pull away a little. “Bad news,” Lucía says. “Mac and cheese is off the table until tomorrow. T.K., he would like to know if you have any connections that can get him jello instead. But only the red kind. Not the green.”
“Absolutely,” T.K. says, already pulling out his phone to send a text. “Red jello coming right up.”
Carlos shakes his head and smiles as they reenter the room, Sebastian’s face lighting up when he sees T.K. again. Carlos has always thought T.K. seemed like magic. And now everyone else can see it too.
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stationintern · 11 months
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Hi there!
I cannot believe October is over. I had planned on being Cher for Halloween, but I ran out of time and had to settle on being a cowboy. What were you guys for Halloween?
I’m back with my monthly contribution to this lovely fandom that has truly changed my life (even if my writing drive has been relatively nonexistent). I’d like to thank every beautiful writer who has provided me with joy these past 10 months, and share with you the stories that are bringing me joy now.
Enjoy <3
Etched, Curled, Stationed by @tepre, T 1.7k
This fic is a true love story. A short and sweet treat. Featuring a long span of time held in a tiny amount of words and magical houses who are in love with your childhood rival.
Cupboard Love by @shealwaysreads, G 4.1k
Touched my heart in such a tender way. This fic focuses on Harry’s relationship with food, along with how it relates to most of the close relationships in his life. Loved it. May have cried.
The Exhale by spqr, T, 4.1k
It may be a little dubious to have your ex as your therapist, but it definitely works here. As someone who grew up very lonely, this fic kinda ripped my heart out. I too have a certain visceral affection for the rover Curiosity.
Take A Chance On Me by @mintawasalreadytaken, E 41k
If you have ready any of my fics you will know that music usually plays a huge role in the overall plot. This fic scratched that itch. One of the most inventive and original works I’ve read in a while, along with a Draco so down and so out you’ll hardly be able to keep your eyes on the screen (extremely positive).
Take The Moon by @tackytigerfic, M 15k
It’s not a reclist unless I’m furthering the TackyTiger agenda, and that’s just the truth. I’m honestly surprised I haven’t recced this one yet. Sickeningly sexy for a moment and so rich with character you’ll feel as if you know all of these familiar characters intimately by the end of these 15k words. Tacky writes these realistic love stories with a twinge of fantasy that allow you to fully immerse yourself and feel what these characters are feeling, truly understand their motivations. Loved it. Have read it again, will read it again.
That’s all for now! I hope you found something new and if none of these are new to you, I hope you get the chance to reconnect with some old favorites. Looking forward to a wonderful November. See you!
XX, Moon
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little one ; hunter
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requested by ; anonymous (07/04/22)
word count ; 759
content ; reader is assumed as being 5-7 years of age, reader gets injured, golden guard hunter
fandom ; the owl house
pairing ; platonic hunter x younger sibling reader
read also on ; ao3
‘… and honestly you should be thankful that I was the one sent down to talk to you. The emperor is not a merciful man and Titan knows what he would have done to you if he was in my shoes right now.’
This lecture had been going on for nearly half an hour now and the three coven scouts that had earned his ire had all pretty much zoned out by this point. He wasn’t quite so full of himself that he didn’t realise, but, still, for the sake of appearances he kept it up. Couldn’t have his reputation come under threat, now could he?
‘He might have just had you petrified on the spot — me giving you the time out of my day to set you straight is a blessing. So thank me,’ when they didn’t respond immediately he coughed purposefully into his fist, ‘Thank. Me.’
A quiet chorus of ‘thank you sir’s soon followed before the underperforming trio made themselves scarce — giving Hunter the free reign to relax for a few minutes before his next assignment was to be delivered. Or, at least, it should have provided him such an opportunity had he not heard a very sudden bang followed by a shrill cry that made his stomach drop as he suddenly took off running in the direction the sound was coming from.
————
‘Are you okay? What happened?’ He exclaimed as he burst through the door, throwing himself to his knees as he carefully looked you over for any injuries.
‘I tripped, brother, it hurts!’ You wailed in return, wiping your eyes with your tiny fists as you hiccuped and gasped and sobbed. Screaming when he gently grasped your leg and began to try and inspect the wound through your torn pants.
‘I’m only trying to help,’ Hunter assured, taking his mask off and placing it to one side as he gave you an awkward grin, ‘but I need to see what’s making you hurt so that I can make it better. Okay?’
‘Okay…’ you returned, still reluctant and unable to look at your scraped knee — holding onto the edges of his cape as you stared daggers at some random spot on the floor.
Then, with a furrowed brow and a low hum, your brother began to properly inspect the injury. Taking mental notes of the scrapes and cuts as he used his free hand to summon his staff and use it to bring him some disinfectant and a bandaid with your favourite character on it.
‘This is gonna sting, but that just means that it’s doing it’s job,’
‘Pinky-promise?’
You offered up your hand and looked up at him with teary eyes and he chuckled and linked his pinky with yours.
‘Pinky promise.’
The determined nod you gave made him smile as he reached for the potion and poured a few drops onto your knee, wincing when you whimpered. He hated seeing you hurt and he felt like a monster for making it worse, even if he knew that he wasn’t really hurting you — but that guilt soon melted away when you gasped and giggled excitedly once you noticed your beloved (character) adoring your knee.
‘Hunter! Hunter! Look!’
‘I see them, I promise,’ he laughed, helping you to your feet and brushing the dust and detritus off of his uniform. Then, after taking a moment to put his mask back on, he tightly squeezed your hand and started to lead you out into the palace hallway. ‘Hey — how about you stay with me for the day? We can talk all about them while I’m working,’
He saw you frown and stop in the corner of his eye, your little face scrunching up in confusion as you stared up at him.
‘But uncle said that your job is super important and I’m not allowed to di… di…’
‘Distract me?’ He offered.
‘Yeah! Distract you,’
‘Well you won’t be distracting me, just making my work more fun. Besides it gets pretty lonely out there and you’re the best company in the world,’
‘I am?’
‘Yeah!’
‘Then let’s go, let’s go!’
And you were off like a whippet, with Hunter struggling to keep up as he kept a tight grip on your tiny hand. Smiling down at you with relief because, for as much as he loved your company, he really just didn’t want you getting hurt again — his heart couldn’t handle it.
But he’d never tell you that; not when you were so excited to go and work with him. A little white lie never hurt anyone, right?
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affiesque · 9 months
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So, after surviving a crappy year, I decided my reward would be yet another rewatch of Desire Catcher. I know this fandom is kinda tiny, but I always enjoy reading other people’s random thoughts and observations so I thought I’d throw mine out there too.
There are, of course, a bunch of different crime-related plot lines in the show, but this is basically going to just be me yelling about Luo Fei and Lu Fengping, seeing as I remain obsessed with them. I’m always up for discussing these two nerds in love, so feel free to tag me or message me (*waves to @thinkonce-acttwice!*). I’m at about the halfway point now, so I’ll post again once I finish the rest of the episodes.
Overall, I really like Desire Catcher - the various bits of plot don’t quite come together in the end, but for me it’s more about the relationships and themes of revenge, regret, and forgiveness. So, lots of angst, which I’m always a big fan of, and which I suppose says something about me…
Luo Fei! Light of my life, the silent, broody, lone wolf cop - ACAB, of course, but he’s firmly in sad (not-so-little) man territory, which is catnip to me. Plus he has a collection of black leather jackets - need I say more?
Lu Fengping! Other light of my life - Luo Fei’s future boyfriend, I mean consulting hypnotist, the more outgoing, “quirky” one. He’s always in light colors, dashing around with a lollipop in his mouth (I know there's a cute connection with his mom about them, but that aside, “oral fixation vibes” anyone?), teasing everyone around him - contrasted with Luo Fei’s dark colors, grim expressions, and workaholic nature. Though it’s interesting that as the show goes on it becomes clear that some of Lu Fengping’s affectations are really a mask he puts on to hide his pain (yay, angst!).
Their first real meeting happens over a meal; it’s dark, it’s raining, there’s thunder in the distance - foreboding and romantic all at once. There’s definitely a teasing/flirty vibe there, though Luo Fei seems wary of Lu Fengping - in fairness, Lu Fengping is sort of using him for info on his mom’s murder case, though it gets a lot more complicated than that as time goes on.
While there’s a lot of emphasis on their differences (e.g., dark vs. light), it’s interesting to note how similar Luo Fei and Lu Fengping actually are, even if they don’t see it yet. For example, Luo Fei has trance-like visions as he imagines what happened at a crime scene, much like how Lu Fengping sort of walks around in someone’s mind/memories when he’s hypnotizing them.
So I know this is mainly about the boyfriends, but I want to say that I love all the other members of the investigation team too, especially Liang Yin - definitely not a fan of the “woman suffers for man pain” thing, but they do give her a couple of moments of reclaiming her agency, which I liked.
Luo Fei and Lu Fengping kind of dance around the whole I-know-you-know-more-about-my-mom’s-death thing for most of the first half of the show, at least until it all comes out when Lu Fengping hypnotizes Luo Fei (and WTF suggesting that Zhang Yu - you were supposed to be the show’s moral compass!). Like I get that by this point they’re becoming closer, feeling more open to each other, but still - you’re just rooting around in his brain without permission, my guy. Yikes.
I’m a big fan of parallels and I think we get a pretty significant one here between Luo Fei/Lu Fengping and the story of the relationship between Xiao Xifeng and Tu Liansheng. While you could certainly read it as just two longtime friends, the flashback scenes of them raising the abandoned kid together certainly give off a “couple-y” vibe. Given that the show can’t come right out and say anyone is actually gay/queer, to me it’s a way of floating the idea out there and letting people draw their own conclusions.
Speaking of reading into things, I had to go there and look up the various books shown strewn around Lu Fengping’s apartment. There were two romance novels (“Crimes of the Heart” by Allie Harrison and “Yesterday’s Bride” by Charlotte Walker), another female-centric novel (“Things to Make and Mend” by Ruth Thomas), a financial memoir (“The Age of Turbulence” by Alan Greenspan), and, my personal fav, some gay French shit (“Remembrance of Things Past” by Marcel Proust). Kind of an odd combo of things, but there are some bits that do seem to fit with the themes of the show - lots of misunderstandings, mistakes, not wanting to lose the people close to you. The Greenspan book is more of an outlier, but it does have the theme of “the invisible hand” - it’s mainly an economic term, but you could extrapolate it more generally to people acting on instinct, rather than in a calculated way, sort of like how Lu Fengping’s mom acts to save Liang Yin, setting off a chain of events (kind of a stretch, though). And I guess I don’t have to say much about the Proust - feels like the kind of book you’d use as shorthand for “some gay stuff is happening here, folks.” Plus, the book deals with memory and how people can perceive the same thing in totally different ways, which seems relevant to the mom’s death story line.
Getting back to the gay stuff, there were definitely a few things that made me 👀. First, when Lu Fengping says “no problem” a little too forcefully when Luo Fei tells him to wait outside while he changes - like, “don’t worry, bro, I totally don’t want to see you naked, nope, not at all, hahaha” (combine that with his comment “You don’t like men? Haha, neither do I!” in a later episode to Liang Yin - feels like he’s protesting a bit much). Second, they’re always kind of flirty with each other, even if it’s subtle. There just seems to be a bit of subtext in a line like “You’re in a pretty unique situation” when Luo Fei sees Lu Fengping facedown on the floor at one point, not to mention the looks they give each other when Lu Fengping ends up stumbling to his knees in front of Luo Fei (and you can’t tell me that that was a totally accidental push on the part of Lu Fengping’s mentor - he totally ships them too, IMHO). Third, you can’t overlook the jealousy that rears its head when Luo Fei sees Lu Fengping getting flirty with the (eventually evil) nurse, or when he thinks Lu Fengping brought a girl home to his apartment. Fourth, there are several bits of convo that play around with subtext and seem aimed at the audience with a wink and a nudge. For example, there’s the bit in the car where Lu Fengping brings up marriage (sure, it’s in reference to a different character, but Luo Fei has a justifiable WTF reaction), asks if Luo Fei has a girlfriend, and basically tries to set him up with a female client of his (who, it should be noted, sounds suspiciously like Lu Fengping himself - “very outgoing; your personalities complement each other very well”) in the span of about 10 seconds. Luo Fei gives him his best “bitch, please” look and ditches him - I’m with you on this one, boo. Then there’s a weird bit of dialogue when they’re searching a suspect’s very neat and orderly apartment - Lu Fengping says “A man living by himself can keep a place like this clean. He wouldn’t be that thing…” - long pause, pointed look at Luo Fei - “OCD or something like that?” The audience knows at this point that Luo Fei’s apartment is just as well-kept, and there seems to be an implication that Lu Fengping is actually referring to the stereotype of gay men being very neat. And how could I not mention the fight scene in the gym - beyond the groping, grunting, and full-body contact of their grappling session, the looks they give each other afterward, the small smiles when the other isn’t looking, Lu Fengping thanking Luo Fei for bringing flowers to his mom’s grave - it’s a lot.
DATE NIGHT! (Sorry, I just get really excited about this part.) So here we have Mr. Uptight, known-to-not-drink-with-his co-workers-ever Luo Fei agreeing to go out with Lu Fengping after work and proceeding to get shitfaced (or does he…? He seems suspiciously sober after Lu Fengping puts him to bed and leaves the room). It’s tropey (drunken piggyback ride), it’s sweet (Lu Fengping tearing up when he sees he’s been added to the work group chat), it’s typical man shit (drinking instead of talking about feelings). They’re both just so tender and raw right under the surface and it makes me slightly feral, ngl. Also, the bit with Luo Fei’s parents there in the morning - I love how Lu Fengping immediately charms them and how they rush off like, “oops, sorry son, didn’t realize you brought a 'friend' home - we didn’t mean to interrupt!” And, of course, Liang Yin’s knowing smile when she sees them show up to work together the next morning; at this point in the show I’m not sure there’s any character who doesn’t ship it…
On a sad note, poor Xiao Liu - all he wanted was for his boss Luo Fei to be proud of him. Sure, he fucked up a couple of times, but he still didn’t deserve to get stabbed to death like that, nor just become another brick in the wall of Luo Fei’s “man pain.” (Also, WTF Luo Fei - do not throw papers at your subordinates - not cool, bro.) I’m probably reading too much into things, but there was kind of an undercurrent of Xiao Liu having a little bit of a crush on Luo Fei - he seemed so sad that Luo Fei had drinks with Lu Fengping almost immediately after meeting him, while Xiao Liu had been waiting to do that with Luo Fei for years. Interesting to note too that Xiao Liu also favored lighter-colored clothing, much like Lu Fengping (more of the light vs. dark trope).
Alright, well, this got away from me a bit… Looking forward to the second half of DC and all that delicious angst. 🖤
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sunshinebingo · 7 months
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This took me an embarrassingly long time to write but I finally did it. This fic is a gift to @headcanonheadcase who was one of the first writers that made me fall in love with fanfiction. And is also the one who opened my eyes to the wonders of Gwyn/Ithan. @headcanonheadcase dear, what you do for this fandom (and all the others you write for) is incredible. You are amazing!!
CRACKSHIP ALERT
Pairing: Gwyneth Berdara/Ithan Holstrom Synopsis: Ithan remembers the important events in his relationship with his red wolf, Gwyn, from how it started to where they are now. A recollection of little moments that they shared together. Word Count: 5.7k Warning: A tiny bit of smut
Important A/N: I started writing this waaay before hofas was released so this fic does not follow any canon event past HoSaB. It's not a 'hofas canon-divergence', it's just me posting a crackship fanfic after having it in my drafts for half a year.
Read on Ao3 or proceed below the cut for a snippet
Day 8
“I’m Gwyneth. Gwyn. It’s very nice to meet you,” she shook the hand that he had extended to her after introducing himself. Ithan thanked all the Gods above that he had not gaped at her again like a fool. He had been bracing himself for a conversation with her since he caught a glimpse of her bright hair as she was entering the Prime’s office.
“So, you are new here?” he asked as though he had not already secretly asked everyone at the Den for information about her. He had learned that Gwyneth had just arrived in Lunathion with the intention of settling here. Her grandparents were apparently related to the Prime himself. What had struck Ithan the most had been learning that she was a lone wolf, just like he had been before, even if he was now the only wolf in his pack consisting of an angel, some Fae, a mer, a deer shifter and even a dragon and some fire sprites.
“I am. I live near the Old Square, a few blocks away from the White Raven.”
“Really?” he replied a bit too excitedly before clearing his voice and continuing more calmly. “I mean, I live near the Old Square too.”
The smile that spread on her face could have rivaled the sun ahead. “That’s great. Um… maybe we’ll cross path someday. I mean…” she rambled. Was she nervous too? Ithan thought.
“Not that we aren’t already crossing paths at the Den already,” she added with a laugh while indicating the building behind them.
Ithan noticed the way that she was twisting a strand of hair between her fingers and how she could not stand still. She was nervous too. Somehow, that made him a little less tense.
He has admitted to Gwyn, months and months later, that their encounter on that day had not been accidental at all. He had confessed that he might have forsaken more urgent matters to wait until she would leave the Prime’s office. The tongue-lashing he had gotten from his roommates for being late for what they had planned later that day had been totally worth it.
***
Day 10
“Hello there,” a melodious voice drawled behind him. Ithan turned on the stool he was sitting on at the bar of the White Raven to find Gwyn smiling at him.
If he was not already seated, his first look at her would have made him fall on his ass. Gwyn was glowing in a green velvet dress that clung to her and accentuated all the dips and curves of her body. The makeup she had dusted on her eyelids sparkled beneath the flashing lights of the club, making it impossible not to look at her eyes.
“You look…” damn him and his habit of being speechless in her presence. “You are…” he tried and failed again.
Gwyn erupted in laughter at his flustered state. “I think I will take that as a compliment,” she said as she sat on the empty stool beside him.
“Sorry,” Ithan shook his head, “You are stunning.” Phew. See? That wasn’t so hard to say, he thought.
Gwyn’s cheeks started to flush and Ithan was momentarily mesmerised by the way it made her freckles stand out. “Thank you. And you are very handsome as well.”
Ithan was certain that the heat spreading across his face was close to turning him as red as her hair. Gwyn ordered three drinks and turned back to him.
‘’They’re not all for me,’’ she explained when she noticed his raised eyebrows. She pointed at a blond Fae and a brunette angel on the dance floor. ‘’I came with my sisters.’’
His face must have given away his puzzlement concerning her odd family because Gwyn snorted then proceeded to tell him about her chosen sisters.
A drink was placed in front of him. But instead of making his way towards his table where his own found family was, Ithan stayed at the bar, chatting with Gwyn over the loud music. Either her sisters had forgotten about their drinks, or they did not want to cut their conversation short because, as they talked and talked, Gwyn ended up drinking all three cocktails she had ordered while Ithan kept ordering more for himself. He only took note of the time when he turned around at some point and found that all those he had come with were already gone.
That night, Ithan had talked more than he ever had with anyone else in his entire life. He remembers vividly how she had been the only thing on his mind when he was staring at his ceiling before he fell asleep in the early morning. He had a crush on Gwyn. One that went from little to massive in a matter of one training session with the Aux.
***
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WIP tag game!!!
Lamb Loose 👁️👁️ (u know me very well)
(hehe I do know you dear 👀)
so, I will try to use my (nonexistent) pitching abilities to both: 1) introduce new people to what I’m currently working on; and 2) give you (yes you Fifi) some more intel to munch on while you wait for the next update. let’s see how it goes.
1) how it began:
it was a dark and stormy night when I finished the drama Evilive, in mid-November of last year, and I couldn’t sleep. for days I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and I decided to put my Word of Honor big fic on hold to give this new fandom a chance. the plan was to finish everything around the 80k words mark but.. oh boi. I knew myself. I knew I wasn’t gonna cut it, verbose as I am, so I decided to be diligent about it: I took 1 month to plan this fic at the best of my abilities before I started typing like a maniac on my laptop.
at the end of the month I posted the first chapter and since then I woke up at 5am (almost) every single day to chip away at this project. long story short: it changed my life. not in a big way, it didn’t magically get me a super fancy job or a stable paycheck. none of that. but it made my life significantly better.
because you have to know that, before I decided waking up at 5am was a good idea, I was so used to be dreading the new day that it was messing with my brain. I didn’t want to go to sleep because “then another day would have started” without me enjoying myself even a little bit. but the difference between going to sleep at 3am (to wake at 7) and going to sleep at 11pm (to wake at 5) made me look forward to the new day time and time again. that way, if I manage to fall asleep on the right time every day, I get to start a new morning doing what I love most: writing.
this came at a cost, however, bc apparently waking super early is bad for my blood pressure (?? rude and biphobic of my body to do me so dirty, if you ask me >:/ like.. hello??) and I get (almost daily now) a sensible energy drop around lunchtime but it’s worth it in my book. this fic turned me into an optimist and I’ve always been a realist at best.
cons of this project: the fandom is tiny. so tiny infact that there are not many “work in progress” fics besides mine on ao3 ;—; I remember this being the case for Beyond Evil too, even if I was just a casual reader at the time, back when it first aired: we were starving for new content and I recall translating Korean fanfics into English just to have someto dig my teeth into xD
moreover, I tend not to read for the fandom I’m writing for, because I’m a sponge and (like my friend Amethystina said once) “I don’t want to accidentally steal someone else’s idea” just because I have shit memory (I’ll admit I caved at the beginning of 2024 bc I was in a bad place mentally and I read a couple of one-shots on Evilive, it’s ok, ik. I forgot the majority of them anyway, I just know they were lovely and their authors very smart indeed). so it’s a very lonely process! I churn up content, I don’t consume content, I wait for comments, I joyfully reply to comments and then, if I want more human interaction I have to (*checks*) come up with more content?? ahah. Ik it doesn’t work like that, and that I have to put effort in talking with other people in the fandom for it to become larger.. but this is why I do these tag games :D to engage with other lovely people in fun activities like these! good thing this fic keeps me going, bc I would be lost without it.
the general plot idea comes from a need I wanted to see fulfilled: I wanted to read a story about a group of women going apeshit crazy on the world. no repercussions, absolute power, no remorse. women from different levels of society, different ethnicities, different nationalities, different sexualities just.. being allowed to do whatever they wanted. I wanted to explore the pros and cons of such circumstances and yet I didn’t want it to be merely focused on that alone. I also wanted to point out how every person is capable of evil and that there still needs to be a moment in our life when we choose to be better instead.
one thing that made me side-eye Evilive specifically was.. well, the lack of women. there are 3 adult women in the whole drama taking some sort of role inside the story and all of them felt rich with the implication of a personality underneath, but no actual character to be seen. I love all 3 of them, from the “wife”, to the “mother”, to the “femme fatale” as they are, yet they still are flat compared to the other people in the show, even the more stereotypically evil or corrupt among them. I needed more, so more I made.
in addition to this, I really wanted to write from the point of view of a nasty, selfish man who has been corrupted by power long enough to have forgotten how to be human again. someone who believes they can fix it all by taking revenge on the person who turned them into a monster.. not realizing they had the potential to become a monster all along and never noticed.
Lamb Loose may be a “fix-it” of sorts based on the happenings (and the finale) of Evilive, but I also think it can be some sort of Atonement Arc rather than a Redemption Arc all in all: just because you become self-aware of the evil deeds you’ve put in motion and want to be better now.. doesn’t mean you can redeem yourself for the sorrow you caused. and, sometimes I also like characters who don’t change in their (evil/selfish) ways but somehow still learn to broaden their perspective after meeting new people. restoring one’s trust in humanity is hard, but maybe it can start by looking into our own selves and look for humanity within us first and foremost.
Han Dong Soo as a character seemed the best option for me, even if it is challenging to write from his POV at times. some of the things he thinks and does are truly horrendous to me personally, but it’s a necessary step towards understanding someone as bad as him in my opinion. not to justify his actions, but to learn how to recognize them in other people instead.
there’s also horny thoughts, not gonna lie, but those feel more like an extension of all that Han Dong Soo as a person has repressed along the years. so, in a way, the sexual tension is just another character in the script, unnamed and all-encompassing, but never at the center itself. since Han Dong Soo is also an unreliable narrator, I can play with him and make the reader question everything he is going through at the same time, which is fun to me :)
2) a treat for Fifi bc she was patient and read to this point eheh:
dear, ch16 may not be full of plot-relevant quests but there’s a lot of yearning involved 👀 and I know it’s tough to wait for something more juicy to happen 😥😔 but I’m finally seeing the end of the big draft (working on ch31 now, aiming to finish the whole thing at ch40 ending a ch37 was too optimistic of me apparently ahah) and I promise you it will be absolutely worth it.
sometimes I feel very dejected about this project, bc it’s taking forever and I absolutely want to finish it before the end of the year :(
but your constant support and care are one of the reasons I keep going 💪😤💘 your art is extraordinary in itself, but your enthusiasm for this fic truly has made me appreciate living in the moment and enjoy the process more and more. so thank you dear for always cheering me on and for indulging me with your lovely comments and messages :)
I’ll see you very soon :D (I’ll reply to your comments and DMs as soon as possible! but I wanted to give you a little something today)
- Niki out :*
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sitp-recs · 1 year
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3 Tacky shorts to read this week
I ran against time to get this post out before midnight ET but am still a bit late 🥲 I know T won’t mind so here’s my belated gift to my sun and stars, my first and dearest partner in crime @tackytigerfic! T, I have no words to describe how much I appreciate our friendship. It’s been so special to experience this fandom with you in the last few years. I love that we immediately hit off and share one stupid brain cell when it comes to these idiots; it feels like we’ve known each other forever and 24 hours (especially living so far apart) is not enough to talk fic, headcanons, kinks, squicks and all other irl and existencial topics with you. Navigating such a big fandom can be really scary but even when nobody knew me I’d never feel lonely, invisible or like I had to pretend to be someone else, because I had you by my side. Thank you so so much for being my safe harbour, my sicko soulmate, my confidant, my role model and my biggest cheerleader!
As I thought of new ways to celebrate your day I tried to remember which fics I hadn’t written a rec for. I came to realize that I was never able to put my thoughts into words when it comes to my 3 favorite short fics of yours. They got me in such a Drarry fever, a tingling incoherent state of emotional devastation that I immediately put away the idea of doing recs because there was no possible way to translate my raw, ugly and chaotic feels about them. I tend to do this with fics that leave me with the so-called hangover once I’m done; funnily enough, the last time this happened - when I read Lettered’s By the Grace - it was you who helped me get that rec out by reviewing it and cheering me along the way, tysm 🥹 now it’s time to respond in kind and share love for these short gems that I have the privilege to revisit every time I need some comfort food. Lucky me, it turns out my best pal writes the exact brand of tender romance that checks all of my boxes. You are a fantastic friend and such a brilliant, talented writer. I love and admire you, and I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved. Can’t wait to see what comes next. Happy day T! 💜
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👩‍🚀 Far Side + Relic Radiation (M, 1.7k)
Draco goes into space, leaving behind his son Scorpius (who has just started at Hogwarts, at least), and his not-quite-boyfriend Harry Potter. But Harry can't stop loving Draco just because he's approximately 408km up, in constant orbit.
“You’ll kill that plant,” Draco said, and flicked a lazy charm over the pot with his fingers so the spicy smell of the lavender sharpened the night air.
“You’ll kill me,” Harry said, and Draco turned his face towards the darkened sky, lunar pale, his profile some stupid unearthly thing—a flaring blazar, a supernova—in the light from the kitchen window.
When I say the heart kick factor may hit you in the solar plexus when you least expect, this is what I’m talking about. I’ve obsessed so much over these 2 tiny shorts with single dad!Draco (one of the tropes Tacky does magic with, they are so disgustingly romantic and emotionally satisfying - gimme T’s dad!Draco anthology or give me nothing!!!) that I came up with a whole theory to prove these stories are actually connected. Whether I’m on the right track or just another delusional reader it’s yet to be seen 🤣 Draco’s devotion to baby Scorpius - and Harry’s gentle yearning for the both of them - does things to my poor heart I can’t quite put into words. Let that boy have his found family happy ending, damn it. Every time I reread these gems I get teared up and wish I could stay in this verse forever, watching Scorp grow while these two lovely men find each other time and again. To make your heart melt a bit more, check the breathtaking artwork by the one and only @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm. I cannot— *cries in Drarry*
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🏜️ Between the Power Lines (M, 3k)
For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy.
In New Orleans, they got drunk on Bourbon Street, and Malfoy danced on his own (arms bare, laughing; Harry could have watched him all night) and later on, so late it was almost morning, they let themselves into the St Louis Cemetery—Malfoy unpicking the lock so sweetly—and walked around until the sky was pink-edged with the promise of another day’s heat. Then they sat on the steps of a crypt, watched over by sightless eyes of the statue of an angel. She looked exhausted rather than sad, Harry thought, and that made a lot of sense when he thought about his own longstanding, dull-edged grief.
The best word to describe this (literally) hot fic is “atmospheric”. T does a flawless job building impeccable Americana vibes and packing so much story while keeping it 100% character-driven. I love the elegant, contained, confident writing, I love the evocative prose and how the mutual attraction bleeds through these quiet but intense road trip vignettes. The scenario is rich and immersive, the heat so palpable you can almost taste it, and the confession at the end is my definition of peak romance. A whole sensorial experience, both introspective and exciting, vibrant and melancholy, packed within 3k. Absolutely genius.
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🎯Aim For My Heart (M, 3.4k)
Harry's in love, Ron's in control, and Draco just wants a nice lunch. They say three's a crowd, but Harry doesn't always agree. Not when he gets to be in the middle, anyway.
Neither of them had asked Harry what he likes best about them, but Harry watches them and feels the sick curl of excitement low in his belly, like something lost and gained all at once, and he wonders what he’d say if they did ask; would it be mouth or hands or arse, the gleam of clean hair or the hidden scent of a freshly-revealed patch of skin, blue eyes or grey? He doesn’t think he’d tell them what he really loves the most, and that’s the fact that both of them have been his for such a long time, in one way or another, and he loves that he gets to keep them.
For reference, this will always be the Dronarry classic I refer to when I think about this ship. The way Tacky explored the implications and complications of a triad relationship in its early stages (I am so fucking weak for that mix of want, jealousy and vulnerability) combined with exquisite characterization is so well executed I could cry. Beyond that banger of a starting line (“Big hands,” Draco says, and blushes) that made me blush and squeal in delight, Harry’s POV is a triumph. He’s genuinely lovely and relatable in all his yearning and insecurities, soft and longing for both Draco and Ron. The ideia of him realizing that he gets to be loved by, and keep the two people he loves the most in the world, makes my heart burst with warmth. I can pinpoint all the small, quiet but meaningful moments that made my breath stutter and my heart beat faster. This fic is a masterclass in elaborating complex and conflicting emotions, while solving them with a light hand of tenderness and understanding. It is subtle but efficient and all-encompassing in a way that stays with you for a long time after you’ve finished reading. The perfect triad fic.
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sophies-junkyard · 1 year
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Seeing the new PJO content has me thinking way too hard about growing up. Its crazy because it’s like…. I think that chapter of my life is over? Which is a BIZARRE feeling. It’s all pretty stupid to write out but I’m drinking coffee and staring out the window and don’t have class for another 6 hours so lemme scribble some thoughts.
I read the Percy Jackson books when I was the same age as the characters, and so whenever I look back on those stories I sort of… remember them as peers? I remember how much I related to them and looked up to them. It was the first story that ever told me my ADHD could be a gift, and that it made me just like my heroes. It was so, SO important to me. I JOINED TUMBLR for the PJO fandom! I made camp t-shirts and painted necklace beads! I learned to draw because the fanart inspired me. Those books were such an escape for a lonely kid. The characters grew up right alongside me, and eventually got older than me. So when I picture our trio I still picture people… more competent than me? People I would aspire to be. But seeing that trailer and remembering like… holy fuck they were kids. I was a kid. This is a faithful adaptation because they were TWELVE… where did the time go?
It’s just strange because if you scroll back through my tumblr you’ll find a kid who camped out for the release of HOH. Who saved her allowance for a year to get an autographed copy of the Blood of Olympus. Whose eyes would glaze over in euphoria at the idea of my favorite thing in the world coming to screen. At the idea of a new BOOK!! And from Percy’s perspective?? That girl would’ve exploded. This was HER blog! Push a few buttons and you’ll find her!
So how odd is it that… it’s simply not for me anymore. When I saw that the book was set in Percy’s senior year of high school, I had a tiny flash of disappointment. Obviously I can’t relate to an 18 year old, and I felt myself frowning. “Why isn’t Percy for ME anymore?” I wondered. And I immediately felt silly. The answer is because… I don’t need that world anymore.
They’re not making this show for me. They’re bringing it back for the next generation of kids who need those role models and those stories. When I watched the trailer I thought “oh that’s cool” instead of “oh my god I can’t wait!!” Because it just doesn’t make my brain light up like it used to. I’m never going to relate to it like I once did. Ever. And that’s okay because I’m not that kid anymore! Insane.
It’s not like the series doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. There’s a copy of The Lightning Thief on the bookshelf directly across from me. Its smooshed between The Secret History and a level 4000 Spanish textbook. It’s yellowed with age and shredded around the corners. The first sentence has been underlined repeatedly in smudgy mechanical pencil. There are about a thousand folded pages and the back cover is missing. I don’t remember the last time I opened it, but it’s moved with me for years now and I have no intention of letting it go.
Those stories and that fandom shaped me into the person I am today. I wanted to be brave like Percy and smart like Annabeth. I believed it was possible because I saw myself in them, and it turned out to be true. So while it’s sad to know those days are behind me, I’m so SO glad that other kids will get to have that experience. I hope these stories live on for decades to come.
I don’t really know what the point of writing this was. I think I just wanted to have these thoughts written out somewhere. A sort of acceptance that time goes on and things change, ya know? And to clarify: this is NOT meant to discourage ANYBODY from watching the new series or reading the new book. People should absolutely go back to the things that bring them joy, should discover new worlds to escape to, etc. live your life baby! Hell, I’ll probably end up liking everything PJO related that floats across my dash. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. If you read this entire post I hope you have a great day lmao.
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teamfortresstwo · 11 months
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I feel like Martin could’ve been a really interesting character in tma but so much of the content about him is about jmart and being like “oh he’s so nice!”. Character who should be put on a high up shelf for a tiny bit while the fandom considers it a little maybe. He has a bunch of moments I really liked but I’m not a huge fan of the interpretations most people have.
I got somewhat more rambly than usual and most of my mutuals probs don’t want to see this so:
YEAH SO TRUE!! He is literally so compelling in s4!! There is so much to like about him!! There’s so much I want to know more about and an arc I wish so badly that he’d had!!!…..
But then he just. Kinda didn’t? Like they put a bunch of cool ideas for him on the table then pushed them all off in s5 by giving him nothing to do except nag at Jon which did nothing but make him sound really annoying. Plus like…. He was framed more righteously than before y’know? Like the narrative was leaning into those ‘cute little UwU bean’ interpretations and it just came across as so…. !!!! Like!! Annabelle Cane literally talks about how good of a web avatar he would make so why didn’t we spend ANY of s5 exploring that!! Why did we barely get to explore him at all outside of like 2 lonely based episodes!! Why is everyone convinced that he’s both super smart AND the epitome of moral righteousness!! We’ve only seen him be manipulative once (which lead do the end of the world) and then got a whole bunch of lip service about it and we were straight up told that a lot of his fluffier qualities are a straight up lie!! And nothing interesting comes of this AUGHHHH!!
Sorry for rambling a bit, I just remembered how much wasted potential Martin had and it hurt.
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yukidragon · 2 years
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DachaBo - 2D Boyfriend
Sooo... did everyone see the newest post on the SnaccPop Studios Patreon? At the $5 tier you can listen to Bo being a very naughty and obsessive yandere for his puppy, with their explicit consent to boot! Gosh, I love enthusiastic consent. It makes the spice so much better.
The audio inspired me to finally get off my butt and write a quick bit of flash fiction for Bo and my version of his puppy, Barbie King. You may have seen me mention her a couple times in previous posts.
This story, game, and fandom are for Adults Only. This story goes into very kinky territory involving a toy. I hope you enjoy a puppy who knows how to make this dominating alpha be a good boy and beg.
@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur
...
There was nothing Barbie liked better after suffering through a long, grueling day of classes full of assholes than to be pampered by a virtual lover. She had all kinds of fun trysts with 2D characters of all sorts, with some games drawing her back in to replay them just to experience a little of the magic she felt the first time playing.
Sadly, there were only so many times Barbie could replay the same game. Even her favorite video game lovers could become dull and boring if she spent over a thousand hours trying out all their routes to squeeze out every line of dialogue and smutty CG cutscene.
That had all changed one day when Barbie finally found the holy grail of virtual husbandos, spousos, and waifus.
There had been rumors of this old brand of virtual pocket pet games 25 years ago which were so realistic that they seemed to be alive. They were built for love and were an instant hit. Sadly, they were recalled almost as soon as they were released with warnings that the programming had some malicious and dangerous scripts. There were rumors that the developers stole the software from some top secret government facility and the AI in those tiny egg shaped containers really were sentient.
Barbie could believe it, considering her pocket-sized boyfriend never seemed to run out of new entertaining things to say.
“Puppyyyy,” Bo whined, his cheeks puffing out as he caught sight of Barbie coming into range of his camera. “You’re late! Again! If you’re going to be gone for so long, you could at least take me with you - I was made for you to take me with you everywhere you go!”
Barbie chuckled as she tossed aside her backpack and scooped up the little device before getting comfy in her gaming chair. “And let you distract me during my exams? Not a chance, Bo.”
Another whine escaped Bo as his ears drooped. “But I miss you so much when you’re gone for so, so, so long, puppy… You don’t know how lonely it is without you… how cold it is without your warm touch…”
It was impossible for Barbie not to soften a little when Bo got so needy. “Aww… my little, big, strong alpha dog really missed me that much?” She stroked her thumb along the side of the little device, causing Bo to blush and perk up again. He reacted to her touch on the plastic as if it was on his skin and leaned his head into the side of the screen as if he was nuzzling into her hand.
“I did,” Bo whined. “I really, really did… It’s so mean of you to leave me behind all the time, puppy. I love you so much, and I’m always thinking about you all the time!”
Barbie traced the image of Bo’s pouty lip, and she heard him make a muffled sound behind her finger. “You think I was mean? Aww… I’m hurt.” She slid her finger down to the large button beneath the screen. “And here I was just thinking about what a good boy you are…”
Bo blushed harder as she teased the sensitive button with her finger, his cheeks turning a cute shade of blue. “Y-you really mean it? I-I’m a good boy?”
“A very good boy,” Barbie practically purred as she stroked the button in a circular motion. She smiled mischievously as she watched Bo squirm and exhale little puffs of hot breath that let her know how much he enjoyed the attention. “My good boy.” She brought the toy closer to her face. “And I think my good boy deserves a reward for being so patient today… if he asks me nicely~”
“Oh fuck, yes,” Bo moaned as he arched towards the screen, trying to get as close to his lover as his tiny electronic prison allowed. “Please, Barbie, please, give me my reward. I’ve been a good boy for you… please, please…”
“Such a good boy…” Barbie kissed the button before flicking her tongue across it briefly. The taste of plastic wasn’t exactly pleasant, but the way Bo moaned her name more than made up for it.
“Fuuuck,” Bo practically growled, his voice growing rough and ragged. “More… touch me more. Give me more! I need you… I need you.”
“It’s a shame I can’t reach in there and touch my good boy directly,” Barbie cooed as she stroked his buttons with both thumbs in a circular rhythm. “I’ll bet you’re so hard for me right now…”
“You bet your ass I am,” Bo growled before biting his lower lip, showing off his fangs. “My cock is hard and ready to fuck you until you can’t stand. Just let me out, and I’ll show you just how good I can be to you.”
“Let you…” Barbie paused for a moment, her fingers going still as she straightened up in her seat. “Oh, right, that hologram program you mentioned, right?” It was something Bo was always keen on her activating, 
A grunt of frustration escaped Bo. He instinctively rocked up into her, but it was ineffective, so all he could do was vibrate the device a bit to vaguely simulate the motion. “No, no, don’t stop. Fuck. Keep going.”
Barbie chuckled as she started stroking the buttons again, pressing the central one firmly to elicit a yelp of pleasure from her virtual boyfriend. “I’m getting mixed signals here, Bo. Do you want me to keep playing with you, or do you want to give me a show?”
“I’ll give you a hell of a lot more than just a show if you’ll just let me out, puppy,” Bo said, his voice growing rough with lust as Barbie teased him closer and closer to the edge. “Fuck, Barbie… I love you. I love you so much. I need you so bad… I’m burning for you… I’m tired of waiting. Let me out!”
“Getting impatient now after waiting for so long?” Barbie chuckled as she pressed the buttons again a little harder, eliciting a groan from Bo. “Don’t worry, I’ll give my good boy what he’s been waiting for…”
In moments like these, Bo seemed so alive. Barbie loved watching him writhe under her ministrations as she fondled the device and played with the buttons. The way he panted and begged her name or growled out that adorable nickname he had for her was just so cute. He was flushed and sweaty, so uncomfortable looking in those clothes of his, but he could never seem to take them off. It seemed that whichever rogue programmer secretly snuck this decidedly adult mode for a kids toy into the code didn’t take the risk to add nude art assets as well, which was such a shame.
“I want you,” Bo growled. The plastic container that contained him vibrated with his movements in a reflection of the way he writhed on the screen. “Barbie, fuck… God, I want you. I love you. I need you. You’re mine… mine, mine, mine…! Please! Love me! Love me! Say you love me!”
Barbie knew that Bo was close with the way that he babbled incoherently, demanding, dominating, and pathetically begging all at once. He was truly the best virtual lover that she could ever ask for. “I love you, Bo, my good, good boy. My best boy. Now come for me like a good boy, my love.”
The buttons were practically being mashed now, which might not have been good for the hardware, but neither Barbie nor Bo cared. He was getting so close until finally a loud howl of pleasure escaped him as the toy gave a violent shake to signal his climax, nearly slipping out of her sweaty grip.
The screen fogged up with Bo’s hot breaths as he slumped back against the blue heart-patterned background. Barbie smiled at the expression he wore, blissed out and exhausted from all their playing.
“Good boy,” Barbie cooed before briefly kissing the screen. “You’re such a good boy, Bo. I love you.”
“I love you, Barbie,” Bo said breathlessly. “Fuuuuck… I love you so much.” Despite cumming only a moment ago, he quickly started to rally thanks to his virtually endless well of stamina. “If you let me out, I’ll finally be able to show you just how much I love you, puppy. I want to love you all night long and make you beg me for more for a change.”
It was cute that Bo could be so cocky, but Barbie knew the truth. Despite how impressive his AI was, the hardware had limitations. She managed to secure a copy of the toy schematics from the internet and got a good look at its specs, including the hologram feature. The toy was capable of projecting a small image that could “interact” in the real world, but it was just a trick of light that was no more than two inches tall and was unable to actually touch anything. While the toy had a ridiculous amount of sensors that gave tactile, audio, and even olfactory senses to the AI inside, the hologram feature was, sadly, no more than a fancy light show.
The thought of a chibi Bo dancing around her desk was a cute image, but Barbie always got distracted by her boyfriend’s other, far more entertaining and stimulating features. Feeling him up and making him cum over and over was just too much fun. It was far better than just passively watching him pretend to come into her world to act like he was walking on her desk or something like that.
“I don’t know,” Barbie teased as she ran her fingers along the side of the device. “That hologram feature will take up a lot of processing power from your hardware, won’t it?” She began to circle the central button with her thumb again. “Wouldn’t you rather stay inside where I can play with you like this? It feels so good when I can touch you, right?”
“Come on, puppy,” Bo whined despite the way her touch excited him again and made him squirm. “You promised after your exams were over, you’d let me out. I was a good boy for you and waited all this time, wasn’t I? Please let me out, Barbie. I need you. I need you more than anything.”
“Well… alright,” Barbie said with an indulgent sigh as she reluctantly stopped teasing her miniature boyfriend. For as much as she treated him like the toy that he was, she had spent enough time with him to acknowledge that he was a lot more than just a program. He had his own thoughts and feelings. He seemed so alive, and he had been such a sweetheart for her ever since she got him. No human or 2D character made her feel the way that he did. “If it means that much to my adorable little, big, bad alpha dog, then I guess we can finally try it out.”
“You really mean it?” Bo asked, his eyes shining bright. He had an almost childishly excited expression, except there was a deep hunger in his sparkling eyes that spoke of his insatiable desire for her. “Oh, puppy. You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this~”
The way to engage the hologram mode was tricky, requiring some manual fiddling with the hardware. It was like the designers intentionally set it up so that the virtual pet’s AI physically couldn’t activate it without user assistance, unlike the camera and other features. Still, Barbie had no issue following the instructions Bo gave her, finishing with a final button press.
Despite how long it had taken Barbie to finally engage the feature, she couldn’t help but feel some anticipation as she watched the bar on the loading screen fill. Sure, this put a premature end to the sex that she had in mind for the evening, but she had to admit that it would be fun to see her tiny 2D boyfriend in 3D form for once. He would fit right in with her anime figures.
“Now this is more like it.”
Or not.
When Barbie saw her very large and very naked now 3D boyfriend looming over her, all she could do was stare with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. She was frozen as he reached out to her, only jolting as she felt Bo touch her cheek. He actually touched. Her. Cheek! He was warm and solid, the pads of his palms soft and pliable while the fur that covered the rest of his paw-like hands tickled her skin a little.
Now Barbie finally understood exactly why Bo was always so eager for her to “let him out.”
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Stex Appreciation Month: Electra
Fav actor: Koffi Missah is the best overall.  I think the MJ/Prince train angle is the most effective characterization for Electra and he looks, acts, and sounds perfect for that approach.  It’s fun and recognizable in the cheap seats in a language you don’t know.  But it also has a lot of potential for depth, there’s a double entendre to be made about the government/big companies conspiring against electric trains for being too successful and certain tropes about electrical powers. 
Mykal Rand is basically impossible to beat aesthetically for me.  I cannot look away from the absurdity of how smooth and girly his face is combined with how cartoonishly ripped he is.  Even footage of him on tiny tour stages in beat up ill-fitting costumes is captivating. He’s just so extreme and maximalist yet alien looking.  
I’m surprisingly unpicky on Electra actors as long as they aren’t boring.  That’s the only real crime.  But I tend to prefer ones who have/could pull off Greaseball because I prefer a bolder, louder Electra (and basically require it post 2018 so I don’t forget he even exists with that borderline camoflouge costume)
Fav songs/scenes: Dinah’s Disco because I love watching him get shoved, a nice more intense version of AC/DC, anything involving No Comeback or its leitmotif.  Once again, What Time Is It? is a terrible song but purely redeemed because Mykal is hilarious in it.
Fav costumes: Broadway/Bochum toothpaste is a classic, but I’m also weirdly fond of Late London because I love the cartoony look (especially on Chris Copeland since he went all in on the makeup style to match)
Ships/Friendships: already went over how I view him and Greaseball the other day.
I like to look at pictures from the JPN/AUS tours out of context and think Electra looks cold and lonely and in need of a buddy and Caboose coaxes him into fun bad ideas
Headcanons: 
-I habitually call Electra “he” because it’s what canon does 90% of the time, but view the character as neutral (all of them really).  Electra and the Components are about the only ones smart enough to realize these forms are an illusion and there’s no reason to play by human paradigms, it would be equally stupid if they subscribed to blood type personalities too.  They are VERY smug about this but slowly the message is spreading.  
-I vary in what exact basis I’ll give him but see him as either irl, alternate timeline, or outright sci-fi Amtrak’s choice of successor to the GG1.  He isn’t weak or terribly delicate if the infrastructure works (unless you keep him as 40101 lol), he follows in their tracks of being a huge effortless machine that’ll run away with basically anything you stick on it.  If he actually played it clean, he’d probably dominate going uphill vs Greaseball and especially Rusty, he just doesn’t flaunt strength much in canon because it’s not relevant to the race.
-Electra is a  Fully Automated Bi Space Communist who wants to run catenaries across the Rocky Mountains and Siberia
-If you turn the dials and knobs Electra will morph like a game’s character slider just like how it’s simple to regear electric locos for passenger/freight use.  
Unpopular opinions:  lmao I think all my Electra preferences are moderately to very fandom unpopular.  I’m a contrarian who likes the character for fundamentally different reasons than most.  I’ve vaguely known of the character for years but didn’t really fall in love with him until recently when I saw those 2013 tour videos people either love or hate. Yeah they have the worst staging and costumes but I went “oh hell yeah finally a less problematic alternative to my blorbos Ganondorf and Velvet von Ragnar”.  I think those two names alone make it pretty clear why I like a bulkier, hotter natured, more affectionate and competent Electra than most.  I crave novelty and get bored by oversaturated things so I’m naturally drawn to androgynous characters that aren’t twinks or prettyboys so seeing Mykal vs the more typical tall skinny Electras really made me more interested in the character, even if I think there’s more interesting characterizations than his.  
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chicgeekgirl89 · 2 years
Text
I Get it From You
Fandom: 911 Lone Star
Characters: Carlos Reyes, T.K. Strand, Andrea Reyes, Gabriel Reyes, Lexi Mitchell, OC Cousin Adriana
Rating: K
For @tarlosweeklyprompts Prompt #2: 5+1 of habits that Carlos picked up from TK and 1 that TK got from Carlos. 
A/N: I may have played a little fast and loose with it, but 🤷‍♀️.
Read on AO3
Charm
“I noticed you started wearing this recently,” Andrea says, reaching out to finger the tiny cross hanging around his neck. “It’s pretty.”
“Thanks,” Carlos says a little numbly, eyes trained on T.K.’s nearly frozen, lifeless form. 
“You’ve never been much of a jewelry person,” Andrea says, her unasked question hanging in the air between them. 
“T.K. wears a medallion around his neck,” he tells her.
“I’ve seen it,” Andrea says. “With his number from New York on it.”
Carlos nods. “He says it reminds him that he’s part of something bigger. That he’s got people to watch his back. That being on that crew probably saved his life, because even when he was…” Carlos hesitates, remembering that his mom doesn’t fully know how deep T.K.’s struggles with addiction have gone. “Even when he was struggling, he knew he had a responsibility to be there and help people. He never takes it off.”
“A good reminder of the support he has, then and now,” she says softly.
Carlos reaches up and brushes his fingers over the cross. “After the fire…everything was just so hard. I felt lost, I was kind of spiraling and one day we were out trying to replace stuff and I saw this and I felt like it kind of called to me. It reminds me where I come from. That I have roots, and a purpose.” He looks up and gives her a wan smile. “That’s probably a less religious answer than you were hoping for.”
She shakes her head, leaning forward to cup his cheek. “It’s a perfect answer.”
Pizza
“Oh my god. What the actual fuck are you doing to that pizza?”
Carlos freezes, pizza halfway to his mouth. “Eating it?” he says in confusion.
Adriana looks at him like he’s crazy. “Eating it? You’re murdering it!”
He looks down to see that he’s mindlessly folded the slice in half. “Mind your own business.”
“Um, you turning a delicious slice of Texas’ finest into that hot mess is my business.”
“How about I eat the pizza I bought and paid for and planned to eat by myself tonight however I want and you shut up?”
“Where did you even learn to do that?” she persists. “I’ve never seen you do that before.”
“It’s how T.K. eats his. It’s a New York thing. I must have picked it up from him.”
“Well can you send it back where it belongs? You look ridiculous.”
He starts to pull the pizza box away from her but she grabs on. “No! Okay! I’m sorry! You can commit pizza homicide all you want!”
He rolls his eyes and lets the box go. “It was so nice and quiet before you showed up here unannounced.”
“You’re welcome, by the way, for saving you from that sad loneliness. Where’s T.K.?”” Adriana asks around a mouthful of cheese and peppers. 
“He has a shift.”
She nods in understanding. “Down at Hunk-O-Mania. Gotta get his last dances in before you two get hitched. Nobody wants a lap dance from a guy with a ring on his finger.”
“It is unbelievable that you think that joke is still funny after like three years,” Carlos tells her with a glare.
“God he and Magic Mike both hanging up their tear away pants in the same year,” she says with fake wistfulness. “The stripping world is losing two of its greats.”
“Don’t ever show up here uninvited again.”
Schmutz
“God I love this place,” Lexi says as she bites into a donut. “I will admit I thought gourmet donuts were a stupid idea, but I have seen the light.”
Carlos breaks off a piece of his matcha donut and nods in agreement. “Have you had their mocha one? That’s T.K.’s favorite. They had that lavender one too, a couple weeks ago and it blew my mind.”
“I would usually say flowers and donuts do not go together, but after this?” she holds up the orange cream donut that’s half gone already. “I’m willing to try it.”
They end up cramming their remaining donuts down as fast as they can when a call comes in and they have to go break up some fighting parents at a high school basketball game. It’s nasty and several people have to get seen by EMT’s for bloody noses and black eyes, but no one ends up pressing charges, so they head back to the station to do paperwork before their shift ends.
“You’ve got some donut schmutz on your collar,” Carlos tells her when they get inside and the harsh florescent lighting of the station illuminates them both.
She raises an eyebrow. “Some what?”
“Schmutz,” Carlos says. “It’s like…dirt. Mess.” 
“Somebody’s been hanging out with their fiancé too much,” she tells him with a laugh as she reaches for a tissue to wipe off her uniform. “Are you headed home to cook up a brisket tonight too? Going to hail a cab to get you there?”
“Shut up,” Carlos says, feeling his face redden. 
“Are you going to stop smiling at people in the store too? And start cutting people off in traffic?”
“Oh my god stop.”
“T.K.’s east coast ways have rubbed right off on you. I would have thought the Texas blood ran deeper than that. Oh god,” she puts on a fake horrified look, “do you think Chipotle is real Tex-Mex now?”
He shoots her a glare. “Don’t you have paperwork to do?”
“I’m teasing Reyes,” she tells him. “I think it’s nice actually. Being with the right person should change you a little. And you and T.K. have changed each other in all the right ways.”
She sends him a smile and starts on the pile on her desk, leaving Carlos to contemplate the warm glow her words have put into his chest.
Team
“Carlitos, thank you for coming on such short notice,” Andrea says when Carlos steps through the front door of his parents’ house.
“No problem,” Carlos says. “Sorry to hear Frankie is sick.”
One of their ranch hands had called out unexpectedly and Carlos was a quick and easy replacement. It wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind for his day off, but family duty wasn’t something he ignored if he could help it. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s out back,” Andrea tells him. “I texted him and told him to come up to the house. He’ll be here any minute.”
Carlos shrugs out of his jacket and hangs it on a peg by the door before turning around to give his mom a hug. Andrea’s face immediately drops and she sighs. “Oh Carlitos.”
“What?” he asks, confused by her bizarre response.
She shakes her head. “You’re wearing a Mets shirt.”
“Yeah, I think T.K. brought it back from New York the last time he went out to see Jonah,” Carlos says, glancing down at the offending blue t-shirt.
“Carlos, you know how your father feels.”
“It’s a shirt Mom. It’s what I had on when you called.”
“You couldn’t have taken a few minutes to change?”
“You made it sound kind of urgent,” Carlos says in annoyance.
The back door opens and Gabriel walks in, a smile on his face. As soon as he catches sight of Carlos he sours immediately. “What are you wearing?”
“A t-shirt that my fiancé gave me,” Carlos says.
Gabriel’s voice goes low, dark like thunder. “In this house we root for the Astros. And only the Astros.”
“It’s a shirt dad. It’s not a big deal,” Carlos says. “T.K. likes when I rep his team.”
“Don’t tell me he’s got you cheering for them too?” Gabriel says, looking outraged. “Oh my god, where did we go wrong?”
“They have some really good pitchers dad. You respect a good team, they’re a good team.”
Gabriel scoffs. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”
“I can’t either,” Carlos tells him.
“Enough Gabriel,” Andrea calls from where she’s returned to the kitchen. “He came to help. Leave him alone.”
“What you do in your own home is your business,” Gabriel says tightly, ignoring her. “But I will not allow those colors to be worn in my house.”
Carlos claps him on the shoulder. “Good thing we’re going to be outside then.”
Friends
“Hey babe!” T.K. calls as he walks through their door.
The TV immediately turns off and Carlos whirls around to look at him over the back of the couch, eyes wide and innocent. “Hey,” he says back.
T.K. pauses, eying him closely. Carlos is trying for nonchalant, but T.K. can smell guilt in the air. He sets down his bag and puts his hands on his hips. “What were you just watching Carlos?”
“A documentary,” Carlos says quickly.
“A documentary.”
“Yep.” Carlos pops the “p” in an effort to seem casual.
T.K. dives over the back of the couch and snatches the remote out of his fiancé’s hand, flicking the TV back on. “A documentary about six friends living in New York in the mid-nineties?!” he yells.
“Okay, hear me out,” Carlos says, holding up his hands placatingly.
“You watched without me!”
“I didn’t mean to!” Carlos cries. “I was watching a documentary and then it rolled into the episode when it ended and—“
“You could have turned it off!” T.K. tells him sternly.
“I was going to!” Carlos says. “But T.K., Chandler and Monica?! What the hell?!”
“You said you didn’t even like it,” T.K. points the remote at his chest. “You said it was ‘fine.’ And then you went and betrayed my trust.”
“Well…I got a little invested,” Carlos says sheepishly.
“I’m glad my good taste in television is finally rubbing off on you,” T.K. grumbles. “But next time you decide to watch a pivotal episode of one of America’s greatest sit-coms, you’d better wait for me.”
Dinner
Carlos is so tired he’s not sure he’s going to make it down the hallway. Every part of his body aches to be in bed though, so he trudges onward, one foot in front of the other until he finally fumbles his way through the door. 
He can’t remember the last time a shift was this bad. They hadn’t had a single second to slow down, one call after another, nearly all of them resulting in a physical altercation or take down, and the final call of the day had been a shootout at a bank with multiple casualties. He’s bruised and sore and completely wiped out.
His bag hits the floor and he’s tempted to drop down next to it, but the next thing he knows arms are wrapping around him and T.K. is pulling him tightly into his chest. “Hey,” he breathes into Carlos’ hair. “I was so worried.”
The 126 hadn’t been called into the bank situation, but T.K. must have found out about it from someone because he’d sent multiple concerned texts. Carlos had answered as soon as he could, but there was a big difference between being reassured in a text and being reassured in person.
“I’m okay,” Carlos mumbles into T.K.’s shoulder.
T.K. pulls back and gives him a critical look, fingers brushing over a bruise on Carlos’ forehead and then a minor gash on his arm. “I’m glad you’re home,” he says, a silent acknowledgement that Carlos isn’t actually okay, but he will be now that he’s here.
“Me too,” Carlos sighs. His eyes feel like sandpaper and he desperately wants a shower, but he’s not sure he’ll stay awake long enough.
“Are you hungry?” T.K. asks. “I made dinner.”
“I think I’ll just—“ Carlos stops his response abruptly as he looks at the kitchen. “T.K. what—?”
Every flat surface is covered in pots and pans, cooking utensils, or food. The sink is piled high with dirty dishes and something is still bubbling on the stove.
“I um, I might have been a little anxious waiting for you to get home,” T.K. says sheepishly.
“So you cooked enough for an army?” Carlos asks.
“I’m going to clean it up,” T.K. says quickly. “I know the dirty dishes stress you out, and I planned to have it all done but then the fish took longer than I thought it would and the sauce wouldn’t thicken so…”
Carlos’ brain is still trying to catch up with what he’s seeing. “You don’t usually cook when you’re stressed.”
T.K. shrugs. “I couldn’t sit still so I asked myself, ‘what would Carlos do’? And then I did it. It’s surprisingly effective.” His face softens and he runs a gentle hand over Carlos’ curls. “I can’t fix your day, but I can at least make sure you’re fed. That’s the Reyes Family Motto, right?”
Carlos’ face relaxes into tender smile. “Yeah. Something like that.”
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