#Cig's 1x05 coda

[carlos-in-glasses]

✨✨Keep the Lights on✨✨

12k, E, 2 chapters. now on Ao3.

In a nightclub somewhere in Downtown Austin, Paul becomes a voice of wisdom when TK and Carlos are each flirted with by other men – and jealousy, confusion and a little bit of chaos ensues. Will our heroes end up going home together? (A 1x05 coda)

✨✨✨✨

It’s attempt number three of trying to lean coolly against Carlos' car while they wait for Paul to appear after finishing his shift.

TK descends into laughter again, and Carlos feels so fizzy he can't stand still. 

"He's going to walk out here and think we're a pair of idiots," TK whispers, shoving Carlos playfully.

"I'm happy for him to think you're an idiot." Carlos shoves him back. "But I want his first real impression of me to be more accurate than that."

"Nah, he already thinks you're hot and sophisticated," TK says, poking Carlos’ cheek. "So, it's time we prove him wrong."

"Shut up." Carlos tickles at TK's hip, a spot he discovered the thrills of the other night when TK writhed under him and creased into a snort-laugh. 

"I mean, we can't disprove your hotness.” TK chuckles against Carlos’ touch. “But your sophis– wait, I think he's coming!"

Chapter 1: Let me Hold Your Hand

Chapter 2: And Babe, I'll Make You Stay

Read on Ao3

[carlos-in-glasses]

Snap @paperstorm - my snippet also has Carlos rushing off to pee! Needs must. Thank you also for the tag @honeybee-taskforce @whatsintheboxmh @heartstringsduet @lemonlyman-dotcom

@bonheur-cafe @orchidscript and @reyesstrand 🩷🧡💛

This is from my 1x05 coda:

He loves to see it again – TK’s swagger overcoming his lack of skill on the dancefloor. In other contexts, swagger in lieu of competency is annoying, but here and now it's genius, and it's inspiring. Carlos loves to dance in theory, but he usually needs a couple of drinks in him to really let loose. Tonight he’s sober, yet it's like he isn’t. He just feels phenomenal. Can’t explain it. Doesn’t want to. There he goes, shoving his hand into TK's and jumping up and down with him while Paul finds himself in the center of a group of beautiful women. Two of the women dance sexily, the other two are just goofing around like them. Carlos watches with an emotional smile as Paul gets drawn farther and farther away from him and TK.

"How about that?" Carlos shouts over the music.

"Right?" TK yells back with delight as he descends into some sort of disco finger move. "Look at him go!"

The DJ ends Rhythm of the Night with a scratchy spinback and the opening synths of Insomnia pour into the air. Everybody cheers. Carlos feels like he's not touching the floor anymore. He loses TK for a second – but it's TK who finds him, snaking his arms around his waist from behind and swaying him as if to a slow ballad. Carlos twists to face TK, puts his hands on his shoulders. There's something chaste and junior-prom about it. He wants to kiss TK but he feels strangely shy out of nowhere, as if he's never kissed him before, and he's not sure if he's reading TK's face right. They'd neglected to establish any rules of engagement around P.D.A. for this evening, as though nothing needed saying. There’s a part of Carlos that realizes it's not too late. He has an opportunity to simply ask TK right now, "Can I kiss you?" or even just lean in and see how TK responds. But he swallows the question like a large pill without water, chokes a little, feels overwhelmed. “Ah, I really have to pee,” he says instead. Sexy.

"Okay!" TK replies happily, bouncing away as the beat drops. Carlos smiles and nods to hide a shimmer of hurt he's sure would cross his face otherwise. TK could have been disappointed to lose his dance partner, or could have eagerly joined him in a stall, but it seems like he doesn't much care. TK is only here to throw himself around the dancefloor. It’s fine. It’s fair enough. This night is about Paul, anyway. And he actually does have to pee, so.

Open tag and tags below

@thisbuildinghasfeelings @strandnreyes @lightningboltreader

@goodways @rmd-writes @welcometololaland

@never-blooms @ladytessa74 @liminalmemories21

@alrightbuckaroo @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @sanjuwrites

@chicgeekgirl89 @freneticfloetry @theghostofashton

@sugdenlovesdingle @herefortarlos

@tellmegoodbye @carlos-tk @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad

@eclectic-sassycoweyes @actual-sleeping-beauty @kiwichaeng

@literateowl @safeaswrites @captain-gillian

@nancys-braids @fifthrideroftheapocalypse

@ironheartwriter @emsprovisions @sapphic--kiwi

If you want to share/haven't already! No pressure ever! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜

[carlos-in-glasses]

Thank you for the tag @ironheartwriter 🩷

Taking a little break from Poet Fic snippets to share some 1X05 CODA! I wrote this in early 2023(!) but then put it down to focus on other things. Finally, I am dusting off its steel-toed dancing shoes with intention to drop it in Juiy. I love it! I'm excited!

"He really likes you."

"Did he say that?" TK kicks himself for asking this so automatically.

Paul laughs harder. "Seriously. You two."

TK looks over at the club's doorway just as Carlos exits through it, as though he could already sense he'd be there. He could swear he gets these tingling senses about Carlos - although maybe it's not a spiritual thing so much as Carlos being reliable. It's not unusual for Carlos to show up right when TK is thinking about him because TK thinks about him all the time.

Carlos walks over to TK and Paul slowly, as though approaching something that scares him. There’s an already-broken piece of TK's heart that cracks a little more at the edges to see the look on his face.

“Sorry about–”

👀👀👀 What happened in the club?! 👀👀👀

Open tag and tags below!

@lemonlyman-dotcom @heartstringsduet @paperstorm @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut

@three-drink-amy @tellmegoodbye @liminalmemories21 @theghostofashton

@chicgeekgirl89 @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @goodways

@bonheur-cafe @ladytessa74 @thisbuildinghasfeelings

@herefortarlos @eclectic-sassycoweyes @emsprovisions

@kiwichaeng @rmd-writes @welcometololaland @strandnreyes

@reyesstrand @lightningboltreader @sapphic--kiwi

@fifthrideroftheapocalypse @nancys-braids @captain-gillian

@literateowl @safeaswrites @carlos-tk @orchidscript

@sugdenlovesdingle @honeybee-taskforce @freneticfloetry @whatsintheboxmh

@alrightbuckaroo @never-blooms - if you want to share/haven't already! No pressure ever! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜

[carlos-in-glasses]

Thank you for the tag @ironheartwriter @alrightbuckaroo

@tellmegoodbye @strandnreyes @lemonlyman-dotcom

@heartstringsduet @honeybee-taskforce @sanjuwrites 🩷🩷🩷

This is a 'work is published' as both chapters of my 1x05 coda Keep the Lights On are now up on Ao3.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Paul asks, flipping TK the bird and grinning. He's been trying to keep a laugh at bay and is failing. "I leave you guys alone for ten minutes, and both of you get punched in the face? How did that even happen?"

TK just groans at him, surly.

"Who was that guy?" Carlos asks, turning to them.

TK's left eye is swelling and he can't open it properly, but his right eye unmistakably glares. "I didn't catch his name."

"Really? It seemed like you might know him pretty well."

"Oh yeah? And what about Mr. California who you were all over?"

"Mr. California?"

"Mr. Speedos Model."

"What? Ezekiel?"

"Ezekiel?" Paul remarks. "You know a Speedos model called Ezekiel?"

Read more of these Idiots in Love on Ao3

Open tag and tags below

@sapphic--kiwi @emsprovisions @fifthrideroftheapocalypse

@nancys-braids @captain-gillian @safeaswrites @literateowl

@kiwichaeng @pimento-playing-hopscotch @eclectic-sassycoweyes @carlos-tk @whatsintheboxmh

@orchidscript @herefortarlos @sugdenlovesdingle

@theghostofashton @freneticfloetry @chicgeekgirl89

@cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @liminalmemories21 @ladytessa74

@never-blooms @welcometololaland @rmd-writes

@lightningboltreader @goodways @reyesstrand

@bonheur-cafe @paperstorm @thisbuildinghasfeelings - if you want to share/ haven't already! No pressure ever! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜

[carlos-in-glasses]

I love love love your new fic. There is something about season 1 Tarlos that I love. The newness the uncertainty the overwhelming attraction. In canon season 1 Tarlos fics are like crack for me so I can’t say thank you enough

Thank you ahhhhh this is the loveliest thing ever to hear! You are so welcome and I thank you with my whole heart for reading! I'm really happy to have brought a season 1 fic to you without even realising it was wanted ❤️ There really is something about season 1 Tarlos, knowing what we know now. They are canon married after starting out unstable. A pair of bumbling soulmates finding their way. It's imperfect, it's sexy, it's glorious.

I wrote this fic back in very early 2023 but put it down to focus on other things once season 4 started airing. So I only recently picked it up again and gave it a polish. It really took me back to when I was first writing fic and became active in the fandom. It was such a specifically magic time. I hope that the 'magic' or at least the joy of it has come out in this fic.

Look at them!!!! I love them so much!!!! And I'm OBSESSED with the shot where we see them swinging into the club from behind. CINEMA!

Thank you, anon, a thousand times thank you!