#tarlos head canon

[nisbanisba]

This may or may not make it into my sickfic WIP but I just wanted yall to know that Carlos' sick day movie is "The Princess Bride" and when Buttercup describes Westley to the Man in Black, Carlos tells TK, sniffly and sweet but also smirking a little, "Eyes like the sea after a storm -- that's you, babe." TK thinks Carlos is way prettier than Buttercup

[liminalmemories21]

Hi Lim! ⛰️🤡 for you please

⛰️What’s one hill you’ll die on regarding this show? (the more trivial, the better)

Okay, I know that we all agree that TK can't stack a dishwasher. But, I would point out that we only hear about this from Carlos. And, I maintain that actually TK can stack a dishwasher just fine - it's just not the way Carlos would stack a dishwasher. So, Carlos comes along behind TK and restacks the dishwasher because he's just a little bit uptight. TK knows, and he has reached a zen place about letting it go, and has passed through to a place of acceptance and finding it endearing.

for @rmd-writes and @welcometololaland specifically.

🤡 What’s your biggest clown moment in the fandom? Or what are you clowning over that you know will never happen?

S5 shower sex. Also S5 waking up in bed together, and starting to have slow sleepy sex, before they are presumably interrupted by someone (let's be honest - Owen)

[sweettkstrand]

This mornings empty head thought is that I did not have TK making Carlos beef Wellington on my bingo card.

[cowboytarlos]

911 lone star’s favourite Taylor Swift songs:

Owen Strand: Red. Like Mateo, only knows the popular songs. Unlike Mateo, isn’t willing to learn.

Gwen Morgan: Sad Beautiful Tragic. Red would be her favourite. Went to the tour, has loads of merch. Have so many copies of the original and Taylor’s version.

TK Strand: You’re On Your Own, Kid. He’s always felt like he’s travelling life on his own. and even though he’s not on his own anymore, he is who he is because of the mistakes he made on his own. He’d bawl his eyes out every-time this came up on shuffle.

Carlos Reyes: Mastermind. He was hard to pick for. I have so many choices for him. The archer, Snow On The Beach, Coney Island, Right Where You Left Me, Mirrorball. This man is a raging swiftie. But he’d relate to mastermind hard.

Marjan Marwani: The Man. She’d love this song. She relate hard, especially working a stereotypically man’s job.

Nancy Gillian: Paper Rings. Reminds her of Mateo now, but it always be her no.1 since the album came out.

Mateo Chavez: You Belong With Me. He’d only know the stuff on the radio. But he started to listen to all of them once he started dating Nancy (she’s a big swiftie, obvi).

Tommy Vega: The Best Day. Reminds her of her girls.

Paul Strickland: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. Huge reputation fan. Absolutely huge. His entire top 10 Spotify wrapped for 2021 was rep songs. But this one regined supreme.

Judd Ryder: Fearless. Prefers her country songs more than her pop. (Sings Shake It Off to charlie cause it makes her laugh, but he won’t tell a soul).

Grace Ryder: August. She’d love the Betty/August/Cardigan trio and its lore, but August would be her top pick.

[outrunningthedark]

I never saw the Ryan quote about Kim coming back for season 8 until you posted it. This man can’t be more open about what he wants for his character. Also with the news about LS and Oliver’s comments on BuckxTommy maybe being the next Tarlos it’s pretty clear where that is heading as well.

Literally just had a [hand over mouth] moment @ your last sentence because TARLOS WON'T EXIST ANYMORE. AND THE 911VERSE WOULDN'T HAVE A CANON M/M SHIP IF BUCK WASN'T BI. OH. (Isn't THAT interesting timing!)

[rmd-writes]

a love note (and some fics)

Sometimes I wonder if there's really anything bigger out there - the universe, some kind of higher power, fate - and then I think about how extremely lucky I am that I became obsessed with a certain tv show and its characters at just the right time so that I could befriend someone who then introduced me to a particular book at exactly the right time to fall in love with those characters as well. And then, because of my need to have more of those characters, I went looking for more stories about them at exactly the right time to meet a group of people (some of them together, some of them later, but that doesn't matter) who would go on to become my friends.

There must be something, right? To bring together a group of people who live in five to seven different time zones depending on the time of year. To create my safest spaces on the internet. To share not just our love for a book and its characters, but parts of our lives with each other. To have them all wedge themselves into the soft spaces of my heart and never leave.

I've been thinking about this a lot over the last two weeks, because those people conspired and collaborated to gift me a collection of 10 incredible fics for a milestone birthday (tomorrow!) - even though some of them haven't written fic for months and months, or don't write for this fandom at all anymore, or have recently been finding it hard to make words work and finish fics, or are just plain busy with other projects and life. That they took the time to find and make words for me means everything and more 💖💖

I've been absolutely overwhelmed with love these past 10 days (probably to the surprise of no one, I have cried at every single fic drop and I'm crying writing this now). So, I want to share the wonderful fics that they've written for me with you all because it's the least I can do to pay it forward and they're objectively stellar fics. If you haven't come across them already then you should definitely add them to your to read lists/open tabs/MFL. Please show my friends some love and read their work.

The Rae of Sunshine! collection, in order of publication (with my very short summaries):

Take It Back (4.2K) by @three-drink-amy

Henry is the head chef at a French restaurant and there's one patron who keeps sending his dishes back. How can they resolve this?

Dick, Dick Dick (You Down) (10.2K) by @everwitch-magiks

Alex runs the craft services trailer on the set of actor!Henry's latest movie. Is he the only person who sees behind the façade?

A deceptively soft story, given the title.

Precious Love (1.3K) by floatingaway4

The fluffiest follow up to one of my favourite AUs Amigos y Migas (aka the food truck au).

Midnight ice cream (5.8K) by @the-amber-fox

Emotional support Cornettos? More likely than you think.

Make it Right (5.3K) by @three-drink-amy (that's right, Ally wrote me TWO FICS)

A rogue little Tarlos fic in amongst the firstprince - a post-season 1 canon divergence that sees TK working in a taco truck while he finds his feet.

a taste of life (7.4K) by @indomitable-love

A journey through Henry's life, told through food. (This one is not my summary, indomitablelove already summed it up perfectly)

Risotto + Melanzane + Dolce (a love story) (16.8K) by @villiageidiot

Alex starts working at an Italian restaurant and is terrible at his job. Somehow, Henry doesn't seem to mind.

Cursed is a State of Mind (WIP) by @welcometololaland & @dustratcentral

A 5 + 1 treatise on cursed coffee consumption.

12 Year Starter (6.6K) by @clottedcreamfudge

When Pez can't make it to Henry's Michelin-star birthday dinner, he arranges for Henry's friend, Alex, to take his place. Featuring CCF's signature banter and fun, and a menu that I wish was real.

Pour Your He(art) Out (WIP) by @athousandrooms

A 5+1 ode to latte art (featuring actual art!)

You can find the entire collection here on Ao3.

[guardian-angle22]

Thank you to @heartstringsduet & @liminalmemories21 for tagging me in a revival of Fic Rec Friday! I wasn't sure what fics to pick for this one so I went through my history on AO3 and here are all of the completed 911LS fics that I read (or re-read) in the month of May!! (if I also added the WIPs or the fics from other fandoms we'd be here all night so I narrowed it down 😅)

◆ Meet me in the afterglow by @mi1kc0ffee (Words: 2.9K; Rating: E)

So maybe Carlos is just a bit upset that his new boyfriend isn’t into cuddling after sex. Or, TK experiences aftercare for the first time.

◆ The Shadow of You by @littlemissmarianna (Words: 798; Rating: G; TW: discussion of grief & canon character death)

TK should be safe in the grocery store, and yet, Carlos feels himself begin to panic when aisle after aisle turns up empty. The cans and boxes are in perfect rows on each shelf, and the strangers seem friendly enough when Carlos passes by them…but TK has vanished.

◆ Hold me too close by @paperstorm (Words: 1.8K; Rating: T; TW: discussion of grief & canon character death)

“Hey, baby,” TK whispers, soft enough that were they a few inches further apart Carlos might not be able to hear him. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you cry.” Carlos’s lips curve into a small responding smile and he shakes his head. “It’s okay.” He tilts his chin forward, asking for a kiss, that TK gives him readily because he thinks it would hurt like having a limb ripped off if he didn’t. Carlos’s lips are smooth and damp against his, wet with the salt from his tears. “Wanna go for a walk?” TK asks when they part, and Carlos quickly nods. - A small extension of the scene after Tommy sings at their wedding.

◆ Five fingers on each hand by @sloganeeer (Words: 323; Rating: G)

Carlos didn’t put a shirt on last night, after, and TK gets to rubs his palm over the short curls of Carlos’s chest hair. “You wanna?” he asks. - Or, TK wakes up with his husband.

◆ love in a series of bursts and inches by @lemonlyman-dotcom (Words: 35K; Rating: G)

It’s Eid 2024 and Tarlos is preparing to host Marjan and her parents for a celebratory dinner at the loft, where they will be meeting Joe for the first time. Over the night before and morning of Eid, both TK and Marjan reflect on the past four years in Austin, and the Eids they’ve spent together building a bond as found family.

◆ breathing deeper than i've ever done by @your-catfish-friend (Words: 4.6K; Rating: E; sweat/scent kink)

Carlos smells good, and TK has feelings about it.

◆ Silence and Gloom by @wandering-night19 (Words: 13K; Rating: T; TW: PTSD, physical abuse, aftermath of torture & violence)

Carlos is fine. So he wishes TK would stop looking at him with those wide, green eyes like he's something fragile that might shatter at any moment. He's fine.

◆ all is not lost by @strandnreyes (Words: 14K; Rating: M; TW: brief discussion of grief & canon character death)

As they tear through the loft, Carlos gets flashbacks to when he had to do the same for a lost lizard. Twice. Except this time it’s not a reptile, but a very expensive engagement ring that doesn’t even belong to them. They flip cushions and roll rugs and dig through the dishes filled with pretzels or chocolate covered almonds, but even after their home looks like a tornado ripped through it, they’re still empty handed. TK slumps down on the living room floor after a last ditch effort to look under the couch, staring up at Carlos with wide, horrified eyes. “The ring is gone,” he mutters, and all Carlos can do is swallow past his dry throat and nod. Or, a tale of three lost rings

◆ The Rest of the World Was Black and White (But We Were in Screaming Color) by reyestrand (Words: 9K; Rating: T)

TK Strand doesn’t like the world he lives in. The best part of his day is at night when he closes his eyes so he can’t see anything, and the worst part is in the morning when he has to open them again - open them back up to a world that lacks in beauty. He wakes up and everything is just gray. All there is are shades that are making him numb every day that passes without meeting the one person who will bring color into his world. - A soulmates AU where the world is seen in black and white until soulmates share their first kiss

◆ Thirst Trap Thursday by @chicgeekgirl89 (Words: 40K; Rating: M)

When Carlos accidentally sends a sexy picture to a random stranger he apologizes and vows never to text again. But when T.K. Strand receives that picture, he can't help but start texting back. It starts with a thirst trap. It ends with love.

◆ You Keep Coming Back With a Bird In Your Teeth by vaguenotion (Words: 133K; Rating: T; TW: kidnapping, stalking, violence, non-consensual touching)

When a gesture of goodwill is misinterpreted, a patient begins to develop a dangerous attachment to TK. The whole point of the job is to save patients, not to have to be saved FROM them.

◆ The Greatest Gift I’ve Found, The Sweetest Thing I’ve Known by @lemonlyman-dotcom (Words: 7.3K; Rating: E)

“You know, there’s a lot of things to adore about TK. But do you know the thing we love the most about him?” He makes a questioning noise. She points a finger into the dimple in his cheek. “This.” He furrows his brow in question. “Oh, I’ve known you for thirty years, niñito.” He bites back his quip about how he’s not 30 yet, wanting to know where she’s going with this. “But I’ve never seen that smile, not until about four years ago.” “When I met TK.” “When you met TK.” She nods. “We all knew something was different. Even if it took you a while to work up the courage to bring him around. You seemed so light, so happy. We knew something had happened.” He looks over to where TK is chatting away with his abuelita. “He’s a special person,” Carlos says. “He is, but honey. So are you,” Lucy grips his bicep softly. “We love you, Carlitos, and I’m sorry that we ever made you feel like you had to hide any of your specialness from us.” --- Nochebuena at the Reyes house. It's Tarlos's first Christmas as husbands, and the family's first without Gabriel.

[nqueso-emergency]

Buddie seems to think we have a problem to them shipping or rooting or believing for their ship. But it’s not, have as many couch and color theory as you want. Hell, everyone has different approach and conclusion to the character and/or their relationship from watching the show, I get that. Fandom is for having theories discussing them, making head canon and creating works around them.

What people have problem is them being the absolute vile human being to the real life people be it a fan, crews, and even the actors themselves. We have problem with them because their counterproductive has always been at the expense of others. One of which treating their own fanon or ideas as canon and/or true fact. I discovered 911 universe thru LS first. And from the beginning they’ve always say that Tarlos was the replacement for Buddie. That Tim was going to green lit them before he left but the exces was not having it. When asked the buddies never provided actual interview or press and as long if seen they just replied with tweet that comes from another buddies with different variation of wording. And listen I don’t have a problem if they believe that, but they keep running it as a fact, then dismissing Tarlos as a legit relationship because they started too soon (which I seem to remember the most paying ship from that show doing this too, but I guess if it’s a queer relationship it has to have the fanfiction plot 🤷🏾‍♂️) or they started from hookup instead of years of slow burn (which surprise most relationship goes from casual then taking the leap of faith to pursue it seriously or not). Then the other day they come again saying that the Rafael or Ronen have beef with each other. Which I don’t care about the RL actors but also what a fucking weirdo you have to be to micro-analyze two actors especially from the show you say you didn’t like. Oh they definitely had been bothering the LS actors too asking about their opinion on Buddie (bc of course that’s just regular behavior for them) and being mad when the actors answered in neutral and the other answered he only has eyes for his own show and relationship, because I guess even they knew how obsessive these fans can get

Before 2024, the buddies weren’t this massive and “openly” hateful and it was mostly Tarlos because from their own mind that they choose to believe as real factual information, Tarlos was the one thing preventing Buddie to “happen”. Now while I don’t closely join the 911, due to algorithm I have witnessed how nasty they have been to the idea of BuckTommy/ just Tommy in general. Because now this new guy is also the one preventing my two preferred men to kiss.

I think wishing you guys well and for Buddies to enjoy their ship without bothering others seems like a big imagination because it’s either being mad at the exces for making other couples instead of their preferred one or being mad at themselves for getting too worked and baited up by their own theories that was made by their own mind and choose to believe it as canon. I guess that’s why a lot of them seem to be mad if they’re not going to have buddies this season. Because what a waste of 7 years being baited by your own brain 🤣

This

[pelorsdyke]

making a new pinned post to neaten up my fic links! my name is k, i love writing wlw ships, and ill be so real with you rn a lot of them are rarepairs. find me here on ao3. my tumblr fic tag is here, and I often post wip peeks for tag games.

some ships I’ve written once or twice include: spemily (pll), buffy x tara (btvs), jackienat (yellowjackets), donnajoey (the west wing), maggie x sophie (leverage), and wayhaught (wynonna earp). I also wrote a lot of ronance (stranger things) during the s4 era.

marjan marwani & nancy gillian (911 lone star):

who will come into my kitchen and be hungry for me (test kitchen au)

and love isn’t a fact, it’s a hunch at first. (paul helps marjan come to terms with her feelings for nancy)

and your keys, your ring of keys (marjan starts to realize some things about herself, with the help of an oc. lesbian marjan)

underneath your hands I become poetry (some celebratory sex after tommy announces nancy will take over as interim captain while she’s away. inspired by the bts pic where nancy appears to be wearing a name tag that says captain gillian)

your essence is the ink in the word forever (nancy has tattoos. marjan notices.)

so swing your hips and do a little dip (nancy, marjan, and tarlos go to a gay bar)

I will do my best to get it right (nancy and marjan’s first anniversary plans go awry)

I’m gonna love you for a long time (marjan’s lesbian flag hijab, but also just like. 1k words of established fluff)

I’ve been under scrutiny (you handle it beautifully) (marjan and nancy are actors on the firefighter show austin 126. nancy may have a tiny baby crush)

everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it (post-canon, nancy thinks about moving on. it’s kind of terrifying.)

lucy tara & kate whistler (ncis: hawai’i):

the room is empty, and the window is open (a spiderwoman lucy au, the tumblr tag for the series is here)

february, the thirteenth (kacy celebrates valentines day early, as per lucy’s way of handling holidays)

blue scooby-doo fruit snacks and unrequited love, probably (high school au kacy flirting)

sit down, breathe, and just listen (post-3.04, kacy talks about marriage and promises)

in response, your glorious laughter (a snapshot of a sweet married kacy early morning)

hear the desert wind roll by (kacy first meeting cowboy au, pwp)

one single thread of gold tied me to you (kai buys lucy a virtual meet-and-greet with her celebrity crush, kate whistler. it turns out they may be a little more familiar with each other than lucy’s remembering.)

hen wilson & karen wilson (911 abc):

I did think, let’s go about this slowly (karen and her instinct to let insecurity drive her decision-making.)

I wanna get stuck in your head (some soft henren fluff about parenting, flirting, and finding the time to talk to your wife.)

[lemonlyman-dotcom]

New Fic Live on Ao3 Now!!

Why Do You Think I Ran

T | 900 words | Tarlos, canon compliant

Official playlist

“I wasted so much time,” TK says, and now Carlos understands where this is coming from. Up until about four hours ago, TK was living on a countdown. A death sentence hanging over his head — over their heads. Apparently he’s not done spiraling about the finiteness of life, the time he feels he’s wasted. He curls in a little closer, propping his chin on Carlos’s bare chest, and looking up at him with shiny sea glass eyes he says, “I was scared because I’d just had my heart broken, and I told myself I’d never put myself in that position again. Never let somebody get close enough to hurt me that badly. And then there you were, with your big generous heart, and your sweet soulful eyes, and those hips…” He wrinkles his nose, “and your fish.”

“Oh my god, I’ve never tried to make you fish again, have I?”

---

A 4x16 coda. A few hours after the phone call from Owen, TK and Carlos have a vulnerable talk in the sanctuary of their bed.

Continue reading on ao3.

Tagging a few folks who might be interested @chicgeekgirl89 @carlos-in-glasses @liminalmemories21 @birdclowns @ambiguouspenny @basilsunrise @ladytessa74 @never-blooms @welcometololaland @alrightbuckaroo @rosedavid @reasonandfaithinharmony @rmd-writes @freneticfloetry @fangirl-paba @lutavero @mikibwrites @heartstringsduet @bonheur-cafe @thisbuildinghasfeelings @thebumblecee @your-catfish-friend @louis-ii-reyes-strand @tarlosmalec @guardian-angle22 @just-inside-her @orchidscript @wandering-night19 @lightningboltreader

[thebumblecee]

There’s been a bit of a weird vibe in the fandom recently

Here’s some domestic Tarlos head canons no one asked for just for fun:

Carlos watches TK complete a crossword puzzle in one sitting and has never been more turned on in his life.

When Carlos is home alone he talks to Lou II when he’s doing the housework. Standing by the sink doing the dishes and filling Lou in on what’s been happening. He won’t admit to it ever, of course.

TK’s left over food game is out of this world. He has lunches at work that have people drooling.

TK has banned Carlos from working out in the livingroom when TK has to go to work. If he’s late again Tommy will kick his ass.

They both went into work exhausted one day and just let everyone wink wink nudge nudge them because they didn’t want to admit they weren’t up having wild sex but accidentally stayed up all night watching Greys Anatomy reruns and suddenly the sun was rising

[carlos-in-glasses]

Wonderful wonderful cig.

Not too long ago I rewatched ‘Unlikely Event of An Emergency’ and like always I sobbed, no matter how many times I watched it.

But the feeling multiplied tenfolds because I was somewhat taken a back to your work ‘Where All This Loves Comes From”.More specifically the scene where Owen tells TK that being loved is the first thing he ever experienced on Earth. And also the one in 2020 where TK and Gwyn was on Spring Street before he was about to propose to Alex, and Gwyn reminded TK of how both of them love him.

I think it’s lovely how work can fandom can enhance and just unconsciously be adapted to the canon-show. Because now every time I think about the Strand family, my mind goes back to the work you have beautifully created. There’s so many works from canon compliant to canon divergence to AUs, that has been cemented in my mind and heart, even when the show or the pairing has ended, and that’s the beauty of fandom.

So I just want to say thank you, to you and so many amazing member of the fandom for being the heart to the journey of enjoying the show. Whether you are a creator or an enjoyer, on the sideline cheering on our lovely creators giving them loves and positive feedbacks.

The wonderful people who has been majorly open and accepting, the works created, the meta, the silly discussion has been majority part of why I enjoyed LS so much so I won’t be worried when the show end. So, I hope the show ending wouldn’t discourage a lot of people in joining and/or creating, because the main part of fandom has always been the community, the genuine love and excitement from fan.

p.s.

I can’t wait to read the Poet Fic and unravel what you had in store for us. A 117k work 😱 you spoil us

😭 Oh wonderful wonderful anon! I don’t even know what to say. This is such an amazing message. That you remember anything about my fics after reading them completely knocks me off my feet. I get it, because so many fics live in my head rent free, but it just feels amazing to be told this about my own too, in particular during a tough week where I’ve been feeling quite worried about lots of things. And that Unlikely Event of an Emergency sparked you to think of it!! I’m hugely flattered, thank you!

Anyway - I completely agree with you about the works in his fandom. My love for LS and Tarlos goes beyond the show and belongs within the versions of the characters that are created by the writers here, some of whom I’ve been lucky enough to befriend, and others who I don’t really know but think are immensely cool and talented. I did have a bit of a hard time with the opening arc of season 4 (and the ending! Gosh) but the fics, gif sets, art, meta posts, made all the difference. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but when the show ends, the characters do not. They will be available to rewatch anyway, in hours and hours worth of episodes (which is more than some fandoms get) AND they become ours. Like a special gift. The fandom will change a bit after season 5 (in a way I hope includes new fans arriving!) but I will be here, I will be writing and reading, and I’m really happy to know lovely people like you will be too. I feel your positivity right in my heart, and I hope lots of other creators and enjoyers of the fandom see it too - because this is such a gorgeous love note to them, not just me 🥰 So I’m adding the 911 Lone Star and Tarlos tags to this.

And thank you for wanting to read Poet Fic! I’m so excited about it and feedback has been amazing, so I hope you like it if you do get to it! 🌈

How your message finds me:

[liminalmemories21]

Lim!

🫂 Favorite platonic pairing and why?

⛰️What’s one hill you’ll die on regarding this show? (the more trivial, the better)

Please and thank you!

Thank you!

🫂 Favorite platonic pairing and why?

Definitely Paul and Marjan. I think partly because the show has actually shown them being friends. So there are a lot of other pairings that fandom has sold me on, but the show has actually done some work here, and I love that for them - that these two people who were both a little lonely before they got to Austin, found each other - and that doesn't have to be romantic. That can just be besties.

⛰️What’s one hill you’ll die on regarding this show? (the more trivial, the better)

Carlos is a cat person. That man has such cat person energy. Give that man a cat to cuddle up with on the couch while they watch Grand Designs, give him a cat to sleep with on nights when TK is on shift. Give that man a cat to pet.

(okay, so we are hand waiving at how hard it is to actually adopt a cat, but what happens is - TK stops by a shelter for reasons (?) and there's this one cat who keeps trying to climb his leg, and Nancy's going, I think he likes you. And the shelter volunteer is like, that's wild, she's usually really standoffish. And then they leave, but TK can't stop thinking about the cat, and swings by on his way home, and thinks, we'll it's almost our 6 month anniversary, and Carlos always said he wanted a pet to pet. But then it turns out the cat is part of a bonded pair, and they can't be separated. And that's how the Tarlos loft ends up with two cats.)

[chaotictarlos]

The Loft

ship: Tarlos | fandom: 911 Lone Star | author: chaotictarlos | read on ao3

Rating: Explicit | Warnings/Tags: Canon Compliment, Season 4, Post 4 x 18, Could be a 4 x 18 Coda, Feelings, Angst, Hurt / Comfort, Anal Sex, Blow jobs, Anal Fingering, M x M Smut

Summary: TK and Carlos decide that they're going to stay home for their honeymoon instead of going someplace else.

Author's Note: This fic took a lot longer than I thought it would to write, but in the end I'm happy with how it turned out. I have ideas for fics to follow this one, and I might write them but I have a few projects I would like to get done before doing that. I am sorry that this took me so long to write, but I do hope that it was worth the wait. Nice comments are always welcomed, negative comments need to not be posted.

Thank you @lightningboltreader for being such a doll and beta'ing this for me!

----

TK stares up at the ceiling. His arms are wrapped around Carlos loosely, one hand rubbing up and down his back in an attempt to soothe him. Carlos’ head is on his chest, ear pressing against the spot where TK’s heart is the loudest. Carlos has been laying on TK a lot like this, needing to hear his heartbeat loud and clear, to make sure he’s alive. Carlos told him the other day that it helps ease some of the anxiety and dread he’s been feeling, and tonight is no different. TK will do anything to soothe his fiance.

They had crawled into bed shortly after Carlos came home and proposed to TK. This time the proposal hadn’t been followed by them making love, but instead reaching for each other's arms and just holding each other. They’re laying quietly, listening to their breathing, knowing that sleep isn’t going to come. Carlos is too scared to sleep - too scared to let sleep take him because of the nightmares he’ll have and TK stays awake to be there for Carlos when he needs him.

It makes for a long night but TK doesn’t care, it’s just another sleepless night in a week of sleepless nights and grabbing naps when their bodies are too exhausted to move anymore.

TK focuses on Carlos’ breathing, tracking the way he sounds when he breathes in and out in case it changes and TK’s full attention is needed. His heart hurts for his fiance and he wishes that there was something more he could do. 

"I know we planned to travel for our honeymoon but can we just stay home?" Carlos asks softly, his voice breaking the stillness of the night. 

TK doesn’t say anything at first, just processes the words that float between them.

"I just want to be with you," Carlos continues. "I don't need to go off to some destination to do that. I just want you, safe in my arms. I-"

"We can do that," TK says, cutting him off and running his fingers up and down Carlos' back. "I don't care where we go or what we do. I just want to be with you, Carlos. Even if we stay here, in our apartment, and enjoy being married together. It'll still be the best time of my life."

Carlos raises his head and looks at TK. TK knows he can’t make out much in the darkness of the night but Carlos didn't need light to make TK feel like he was staring into the depths of his soul.

"Are you sure?" Carlos asks and TK can hear the worry in his words.

"I am baby,” he says softly, cupping Carlos’ face and running his thumb over his cheek. “I just want to be with you and if you want to have our honeymoon at home we will.”

Carlos nods and lays his head back on TK’s chest. There’s a want bubbling up in TK to talk to Carlos, but Carlos will talk when he’s ready. For now, they’ll just lay here in silence.

It has to be enough for now.

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tags: @strangefurychaos @sapphire11 @first-kanaphan @noxsoulmate @rangergurlgleek1211 @detective-giggles @tarlos-spain @lonestardust @bubblesandroses8 @thebumblecee @mooshkat @importantbailiffpaperpony @a-j-cowwley @meditating-honey-badger @paperstorm @otter-love-asl @kiloskywalker @angeltk @firstprince-history-huh @brouill3r @liminalmemories21 @herefortarlos @tavners

[fallout-mars]

thank you for the tag @sznofthesticks and @carlos-in-glasses <33 here is a little piece of the next hs tarlos chapter (likely posting tomorrow) featuring carlos' birthday 🥹 (side note, the writers need to give canon carlos a birthday)

“Happy birthday to you,” TK starts singing the moment he kicks his bedroom door open. He finds Carlos sprawled out on his back, limbs starfished onto TK’s side of the bed, so he wanders over and sets the breakfast tray onto the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the mattress. He toys with a particularly tight curl drooping on Carlos’ forehead as he continues singing, “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Carlos ‘my-favorite-person-in-the-world’ Reyes. Happy birthday to you!” By the third line, Carlos has opened one eye and struggles to hold back his smile. By the end, he’s openly beaming at TK despite the sleepy look on his face, and TK leans down to kiss him. He means for it to be a peck, but Carlos brings his hand up to cup the back of his head, so they linger for a moment until they part for air, both of their smiles bright. “Good morning, birthday boy,” TK murmurs, and Carlos brings his hand around to cup his jaw. “Happy birthday. How did you sleep?” “Good. Always sleep good with you.”

they're so sappy

open tags and no pressure:

@paperstorm @thisbuildinghasfeelings @reyesstrand @whatsintheboxmh @inkweedandlizards @kiwichaeng

[alrightbuckaroo]

Hi Ada! 15&25 please 💜

Hello Dalawa!! I love the new color of your blog! Cranberry is a very underrated shade of pink/red.

15. Who was the better student in school?

Alright, so I aggressively head-canon that while TK kind of went through a bit a tumultuous journey with love during high school (please allow me to shamelessly plug 29 Going on 30, you've made me so very happy, goodnights and goodbyes), I do think he was a good student!

Maybe not Honor Grad, but definitely maintained a B average that probably started to somewhat falter his final semester of senior year.

That said, I just feel like there's so many aspects of Carlos that point to him being a phenomenal student. Not just academics wise, but I feel like teachers loved him!!

He presents himself as eager to listen even if his mind is on 20 different things (I think of his conversation with Owen in Bad Call) and the fact that he stayed up all hours of the night to work on a case OFF RECORD just proves he pulled all nighters to make sure the power point looked perfect.

25. Who has the better disappointed™ face that guilt traps the other?

Answered here :)

ask me about tarlos!