#Domestic Tarlos

[chicgeekgirl89]

Rating: G Words: 2622 Summary: When Carlos comes home from a shift to find his husband a bundle of nerves, he spends the evening figuring out the best way to get T.K. to talk. A/N: So believe it or not I've had this one lying around since the end of last season. With the recent info drop about Season 5, it seemed like a good time to put it out there. Enjoy!

Read on AO3

When T.K. greets Carlos at the door of the loft with a bouncy, bubbling, “Hey baby,” Carlos can immediately tell that something is off. It’s too bright, too aggressively friendly, even after a full day apart. 

Carlos always knows when T.K. has something on his mind. His husband is basically an open book. Emotions can’t live hidden inside his body; they bleed out of him in the lines of his face, the stiffness of his shoulders, the set of his jaw, even when he’s trying not to let them. Carlos can tell with one look, one word, one sigh exactly how his husband is feeling. 

The problem is that T.K.’s open book might as well be in French for all the good it does Carlos. He can read the words, but interpreting them? That’s another skill entirely.

T.K. barks when he feels threatened, hides away when he’s feeling sad, runs when he feels overwhelmed. So even when Carlos knows what T.K. is feeling, he always has to take a breath and deduce what it is that T.K. really needs. Sometimes it’s a listening ear, sometimes it’s space, sometimes it’s sex or cuddles or just a snack. And if he picks the wrong one? That doesn’t usually work in either of their favors.

Something is lurking under the surface tonight and Carlos fights the urge to ask what’s wrong, biting his tongue instead until he can assess the situation and decide the best course of action. Sometimes his husband is an emergency situation, and you never want to walk into one those without as much information as you can get.

“Hi,” Carlos says in return, accepting T.K.’s kiss and patting his hip gently, giving it a squeeze. He’ll start small. Extra physical affection usually gets positive results. It’s a reminder that he’s here, that’s he’s supportive, that he’ll listen if that’s what T.K. wants or needs.

“I made coq au vin,” T.K. says, a slightly breathless, manic tone in his voice as he ushers Carlos toward the kitchen to see. “And I picked up an apple pie from the market for dessert.”

“Dessert on a Tuesday, huh?” Carlos says, raising his eyebrows. Now he definitely knows something is going on. He affects a teasing smile, keeping his voice light and fun. “Are you divorcing me?”

T.K.’s head snaps up sharply. “No. What? Why would you think that?”

“Babe, I’m kidding,” Carlos says calmly, putting a hand on T.K.’s upper arm and squeezing gently. Okay so not a time for humor. Understood. “It all smells amazing.”

“It’s almost done. Do you want to shower first? Or later? Do you want a glass of wine with dinner? Probably a red, right?”

T.K. is already off and moving without waiting for an answer to any of the questions he’s posed and Carlos watches, studying him. He’s chattering on, which is sometimes a sign of happiness or contentment, but tonight there’s a nervous undercurrent to it. Something’s on his mind, and instinct tells Carlos he needs to let T.K. come to him with it in his own time. Sometimes he can be pushed, but other times Carlos’ prodding spooks him like a wild animal and they end up in a fight.

He’d rather not do that tonight.

Instead they sit through dinner with T.K. ping ponging back and forth between chatty and reserved, another sign that he’s nervous. There are a few quiet moments where Carlos thinks he might be about to spill whatever is bothering him, but he clams up at the last second each time, the words still locked inside of him. 

When they’re done Carlos washes the dishes and T.K. sort of wanders the loft a little bit before settling on the couch and turning on some K-Drama that Paul got him obsessed with.

Carlos studies him as he cleans up. There’s a stiffness to T.K.’s relaxing, a look on his face that says he’s not really paying attention to what’s on the screen, but instead watching something inside of his own head.

“Do you want anything before I sit down?” Carlos asks as he hangs up the dish towel he’s been using, all the dishes now neatly put away in their cabinets.

He doesn’t get a response. “T.K.?” he tries again.

“Yeah?” T.K. finally turns at the sound of his name.

“Do you want anything? Water?”

“Oh, no. Thanks.”

Okay then. Carlos grabs his own water and then settles onto the couch next to his husband as a new episode rolls onto the screen. He watches for a bit, waiting, another strategy in play. Sometimes T.K. will turn the show off and talk when something is bothering him, but that doesn’t seem to be happening tonight.

So Carlos tries another technique. He lets one hand rest gently on T.K.’s knee and then slowly moves his thumb back and forth in a soothing motion. When T.K. doesn’t look up Carlos escalates by lifting his hand, first kissing his palm, then his wrist. 

“Baby,” he says quietly.

“Hm?” T.K. glances at him and then back at the TV.

“Do you wanna…?” Carlos lets his sentence hang, waiting for T.K. to take the bait.

“What?” T.K. asks, throwing him another glance.

Carlos bites back a sigh. “Never mind.”

So not sex then. It was a long shot anyway. If that was what T.K. needed, he probably would have initiated it in the first place. Carlos has been attacked by a randy T.K. on more than one occasion the second he walked in the door. But it was worth a try.

Running out of options Carlos resorts to one of his emergency T.K. anxiety plans as they ready for bed.

“Well goodnight,” he says, snapping his book shut and setting his glasses on the nightstand the second T.K. returns from brushing his teeth. He leans over to peck his surprised husband on the lips and then turns off the light on his nightstand before snuggling into his pillow and closing his eyes.

“Oh, you’re going to sleep?” T.K. asks, sounding confused and a touch disappointed.

“Yeah, I’m tired,” Carlos says, even though he definitely still has enough energy to read for a bit. But if he lets T.K. go to bed first, there’s a good chance they’re going to have this conversation at four am. He doesn’t mind when T.K. wakes him up in the middle of the night to talk. Sometimes it’s what he needs and Carlos is always willing to give it to him. But he has found that if he ‘goes to sleep first,’ sometimes that’s enough to get T.K. to start opening up and avoid a middle of the night wakeup.

He lays there with his eyes closed, breathing evenly, waiting. T.K. shifts a little bit, the sheets sliding toward his side of the bed. Carlos doesn’t have to see him to know he’s thinking, probably chewing the inside of his lip as he decides if he’s going to broach whatever topic is on his mind.

After about ten minutes Carlos finds that he’s starting to drift. He’s about to give up on getting answers tonight and let sleep drag him under when T.K. finally speaks. “Enzo called me today.”

There it is.

Carlos opens his eyes. “Oh yeah? Everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

T.K. doesn’t elaborate further, fiddling with the top of the duvet instead.

“How’s Jonah?” Carlos asks, prodding a little now that he’s finally been let into the anxiety spiral.

“He’s good.”

“Did you talk to him? Or just Enzo?”

“Just Enzo.”

“He still happy with the nanny?”

“Yeah he said she’s great. She takes Jonah to a library story time every week, they go for walks in the park, he can even count to ten now.”

“That’s amazing,” Carlos says. He knows it eats at T.K., being so far away from his brother, especially since his mom isn’t there anymore. Carlos wishes they could go to New York more often, but financially and work-wise it’s just not feasible to fly out more than a couple times a year. “Maybe we should invite them for Christmas. Show them what Austin has to offer at the holidays,” he suggests.

“Yeah?” T.K. asks.

“Yeah,” Carlos says. “My mom would love to have them join us. The more the merrier.”

“I’ll ask him,” T.K. says. “That would be fun.”

Carlos lets silence reign for a moment. “Was Enzo just calling to chat or…?”

“He um, he has a couple preschools in mind. He’s going to send them to us. If you’d want to take a look with me?”

“Yeah, of course,” Carlos says, still not sure what exactly is causing his husband’s nerves. This doesn’t feel like it.“Ana had to do it for both kids. I can give her a call if you want.”

“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”

He lapses into silence again and Carlos decides he’s obviously still not ready to reveal whatever’s bothering him. He closes his eyes, preparing himself to actually go to sleep this time.

“That’s not all he called to talk about.”

Carlos’ eyes pop open. “Okay.”

“Um.” T.K. shifts nervously, his voice breaking a little bit.

Carlos pushes himself upright and turns his light back on, suddenly alarmed that the situation is more serious than he was anticipating. “Hey.” He reaches over and covers T.K.’s fiddling hands with his own. “Is Enzo okay? Is Jonah okay?” Panic creeps down his throat as fear for their long distance family grabs him.

“Yeah, no he’s fine.” T.K. blows out a breath and Carlos waits anxiously. He has no idea what could possibly be going through his husband’s head. 

“He um, he called because he’s updating his will. And he—” T.K. swallows and finally looks up to meet Carlos’ eyes. “He asked if we would be willing to take Jonah in the event that he, you know, if Enzo dies.”

Carlos feels his lips part and he can’t stop the surprise that crosses his face. That is not at all something that he had on his incredibly long, ever growing list of things that T.K. could possibly be worrying about.

“I know you said you didn’t want kids,” T.K. says quickly, like he’s trying to head off Carlos’ thoughts before he can even get them out. “I heard you when you said that. This isn’t me trying to force fatherhood on you. So I—I get it if you wouldn’t want to do that. Enzo said his sister might be able to take Jonah or maybe his niece if we can’t do it. He just, you know, he thought maybe I would want to. He knows my mom would want Jonah to be with family and I’m his next closest blood relative and he—“

“T.K., T.K. stop,” Carlos finally says. 

T.K. immediately clams up, searching Carlos’ gaze, trying to parse meaning from the curve of his eyebrows and the shape of his lips. 

“Of course we would take Jonah,” Carlos tells him. “Baby, of course we would take him. We can take him tomorrow if Enzo needs us too.”

“Really?” T.K.’s voice sounds so vulnerable, so uncertain, and it breaks Carlos’ heart.

“Yes T.K. He’s our family. He’s not going to Enzo’s cousin’s mom’s sister or some other random person. Your mom would want the two of you to be together. We would make it happen.”

T.K. exhales a shaky breath and Carlos watches as a tear slips down his cheek. “Were you afraid I’d say no?” Carlos asks, worried that somehow he’s caused a massive lack of trust in their relationship and trying to figure out how that happened.

“No? I—I don’t know,” T.K. says. “I guess I just…I didn’t want you to feel like I was pressuring you into something we’d both agreed to put on hold for now.”

“Asking me if I’d be willing to take in your brother and help you raise him is not the same as forcing me into fatherhood,” Carlos says. “It’s not, T.K. I’m not sure I can be a dad, but I can be a damn fabulous brother-in-law. If, god forbid, something happens to Enzo, Jonah comes to us. End of story.”

It’s crazy how strongly he feels about this. Realistically T.K.’s right; gaining Jonah would essentially be them gaining a child. It would be a type of fatherhood. But where Carlos has always felt so much uncertainty about raising a kid of his own, there’s not an ounce of fear in him when it comes to saying yes to this. It’s the right thing to do. If it happens…he’ll get past his doubts and insecurities. Somehow. 

None of that even matters right now anyway. They’re talking hypotheticals. All that matters is that T.K. understands how deeply Carlos supports the idea of them all being together.

“Seriously?” T.K. asks, his eyes damp with tears. “You’d want him here?”

“I want him here anytime baby.”

T.K. blinks, his eyes saying so many things it’s like they’re screaming at Carlos. “I love you so much, you know that?”

“I love you too,” Carlos says, reaching out and sliding his hand down the back of T.K.’s neck. “And I love Jonah. We’d figure it out, okay?”

T.K. blows out a shaky breath. “Thank you.”

Carlos squeezes gently. “Did I do something to make you think we couldn’t talk about this? I know I was adamant about the kids thing the first time but, we’ve talked about it since then and I thought we were okay. Did you feel like I wouldn’t hear you out?”

“No, no,” T.K. says quickly. “No I think I just, I built it up in my head, you know? I was worrying about stuff that I didn’t need to. I should have known you would listen and we would talk about it. I just, the idea of Jonah going to someone else…I can’t stand it. He’s already been through so much, you know?”

“I know.” Carlos nods sympathetically.

“And I think I panicked a little over that thought and then I let it spin me out. You know how it goes.” T.K. ducks his head sheepishly.

“Well next time don’t let it go,” Carlos says, making a silly face so T.K. knows he’s teasing. He’s aware that it’s not that easy. “We’ll call Enzo tomorrow together, okay?”

“Okay.”

Carlos leans forward and presses a soft kiss to his lips. “Feel better?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” He settles back down and reaches over to turn off the light, thrilled that he’s accomplished his mission for the night and they can both go to sleep with worry-free minds.

T.K. remains sitting up and lets out a soft, timid little, “Oh.”

Carlos looks up at him confused. “Was there something else?” It had seemed like T.K. was done letting out all his anxiety.

“No, just…” T.K. shrugs. “I kind of thought you were starting something earlier on the couch and…”

Carlos busts out a laugh. “Oh now you want to have sex? Now you want me to seduce you?”

“Well you don’t have to seduce me, you could just, I don’t know…” T.K. grumbles as Carlos reaches up and pulls him down into mattress, hooking a pajama clad leg over his hip.

“Oh you don’t know?” he teases, kissing his cheek.

“Yeah, I don’t know…”

[guardian-angle22]

Tarlos Wedding Celebration Event [Week 10] -> favorite hug(s)-> 3.13

[serensational]

tk happily cooking his husband his six meals a day because he wants to. that’s it, that’s the post

[laylawatermelon]

Now all we need is a queer club scene a la lone Star.

Buck would absolutely flourish, henren would be flirting, Eddie would be sitting at the bar doing a beer watching Buck like a hawk and sometimes smiling, Tommy would be in the void floating (sorry babe I'm a Buddie 4 lifer), and for a lil pizzazz Maddie and Chimney also go.

(it evolved into a tiny fic 🥺if you wanna read you can🥺)

ao3 link :

Ravi is probably there somewhere with someone in the VIP section looking down at them both happy but also a bit worried to see them.

(he's been working with them for a while now he knows the rumors of that many collective jinx powers they hold)

He sends them drinks periodically and they all wonder if someone is about to get a sugar daddy and then realize they're all couples so who's the couple who's getting a third?

Hen has her hands permanently glued to her wife's side and her head in her neck. She's murmuring sweet nothings and Karen giggles it away as she rubs any part of her that's closest to her and sips her drink.

Chimney and Maddie chat as they become a two-headed, four-limbed creation that smells of tequila, love, and laughter.

Maddie is constantly getting compliments on her shiny outfit and nails and ends up beside Buck periodically through the night, both of them like radiant sunlight to others.

Chimney also magically appears next to her almost instantaneously but vanishes and returns with drinks for his friends eventually chatting up the biggest guys he can on their gym regimen and suggesting they buy a calendar to support the new Asian Sex Symbol.

Of course, they sell a few copies.

Buck is the crown Jewel of the drag queens who are all shapes, sizes, and identities getting off of a show to have a nice night out.

He's marvelous and praises their outfits before quickly getting sucked into impromptu makeup and drag lessons, cards for shows, drunken histories, sexuality stories, and good ole fun lip-syncing.

And of course, since he's a bright star who everyone loves, many people begin their hunt.

A quick wink, a lingering smile, a hand on his lower back that lingers as long as a guy slides past him.

Okay, that's it.

Eddie orders another two beers, checking his phone for the babysitter's update before pocketing it.

He slides up behind Buck sliding a beer in his hand and resting his head on his shoulder his hand coming up to his waist.

The girls immediately gush about the two saying there are Two Hot Firefighters ready to put out their fire and Eddie bursts out in laughter.

They begin to fawn over him next complimenting his jawline and face suggesting he go into modelling or movies.

One of them says it's a waste but they'd be all fired up if they see him covered in soot. Another asks if he's on the same calendar as the sexy Asian guy.

Buck pouts telling them no and he's the focus again.

The drag queens then launch into a spiel about fire safety and if they could do a lecture at a show or help them.

Buck ends up video calling Bobby at the request and he and Athena are laying in bed amused as they watch him stumble through his words before a crowd of colorful queens squeeze into the frame.

He assumes them he'll think about it and the comment on Athena's beauty before the call is cut.

Bobby turns to Athena after the call and she laughs. "Your boy is always getting into trouble." He kisses her forehead softly. "We should go next time." "Let's."

Later that night as Christopher's finally dozing off, his phone slipping out of his hand he jolts at the sound of the front door bursting open.

Harry and Denny freeze on the phone, their faces both lit up by their computer screen, "What was that?"

Chris reaches for his glasses and slips them on staying quiet.

He listens again and relaxes as he hears giggles and shushes.

He rolls his eyes and pulls his covers over his head. "It's my dads."

The shuffling gets louder and he groans softly as his door is knocked on before it's pushed open.

Eddie grins down at his son's lying form and stumbles over as gracefully as he can. Buck is in the kitchen filling two (plastic) cups with water and shakily walking to his room.

Eddie walks to the left of his bed and kneels down resting his head on his arm.

He pats his head suddenly emotional, "I love you so much you know that?"

Chris frowns at his distressed tone but also notices the softness in his touch.

They watch him and Buck tiptoe in to hand Eddie a cup and rest his on a nightstand.

"We should probably let him sleep, okay babe?"

Eddie drinks from his cup smiling and pats Chris' head one last time. "Okay. Night son."

As they're leaving Buck sticks his head back in, "By the way your phone light is still asking through the blanket. Go to bed, Chris."

Harry and Denny burst out laughing and Chris promptly hangs up. He closes his eyes with a smile on his face as his dads fall into bed sloppily in the next room, leaving their problems for themselves tomorrow. 

[kiankiwi]

5,9, and 41 please!!!! 🥰🥰

5. help 9. falling 41. comfort food

YOU'RE SETTING ME UP TO WRITE SOME FLUFFY FLUFF DOMESTIC BLISS, my FAVORITE! THANK YOU!

TK knew that smell as soon as he walked into the house... brisket and kugel. His comfort foods... How did he get so lucky?

TK walked closer to the dining table to find Carlos pouring what looked like sparkling water.

"A-are we celebrating something? What am I forgetting?" He asked his husband nervously.

And his wonderful man looked at him with those beautiful Carlos cow eyes. "No... Nancy just told me you had a couple hard calls. Figured I could make your favorite dinner..." TK smiled and leaned forward to kiss his boy.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm constantly falling more in love with you every day?" TK sapped. Carlos chuckled. "No but you're a sappy sap and I love you too. Sit, sit."

"No wine tonight?" TK asked as they both sat down and started passing the dishes back and forth to fill their plates. "Nah, I don't need to drink... I knew you had a bad day... didn't want to..." TK nodded as his husband trailed off.

Later that night after their fifth episode of Survivor, Carlos could feel TK's body growing heavy against him. Carlos glanced down and could see TK could barely keep his head up and his eyes open.

"C'mon baby, let's go to bed, You're exhausted." Carlos whispered as he tried to help TK to his feet. "Nnnnngh..." TK whined as he hugged onto Carlos. "I know, I know, you're sleepy... c'mon."

[actuallybrini]

Perfect start into a new week 🩵

I really hope we finally get to see some domestic Tarlos. Just some scenes in the Tarloft where it's just the two of them. And even more I wish for a kiss. The last and only ones we saw this season so far were in episode 2. It's been a while. I want love 🩷

new still from Tim Minear's Facebook

[detective-giggles]

Husbands

Just a little fic filled with soft domestic fluff for @chaotictarlos! Thank you to @bonheur-cafe for the beta, and thank you to @noxsoulmate for suggesting the title. There are no warnings, except for a blatant overuse of the word husband.

🩷🩷🩷

TK sighs in relief as he lets himself into the loft. His first 24-hour shift since returning from their honeymoon had run long and TK was so relieved to finally be returning home to see his husband.

Except Carlos is nowhere to be seen. TK drops his bag by the door and makes his way into the empty kitchen. There’s sauce simmering on the stove and one of TK’s records playing softly in the background.

He turns the knob on the stove to turn the heat down and gives the sauce a quick stir before leaning in for a quick taste. TK can smell the spices but when he tries it, it’s perfect and doesn’t burn his tongue, even though he knows Carlos will add hot sauce to his own later.

Humming along with Frank Sinatra, TK washes his hands and then settles in at the kitchen island, trimming the ends off the green beans Carlos had left out.

He’s almost done when Carlos comes out of the bedroom. “Hey babe!” TK says. “Missed you.”

Carlos laughs and slips his arm around TK, pulling him in for a kiss. “Missed you more,” he says, like he always does.

He moves past TK to stir the sauce and check on whatever is in the oven. “What are you thinking about?” Carlos asks. “You have a goofy little grin.”

“Nothing. I just love coming home to you.”

“You’ve been doing that for a while, you know?”

“Yeah, but now I’m coming home to my husband.”

:readmore:

“Well I’m happy to have my husband home. How was my husband’s day?”

“Not bad, actually.” TK scoops up the beans and tosses them in a colander. He rinses them, leaves them in the sink to drain and starts to set the table.

“Did Nancy give you shit about…” Carlos gestures vaguely and TK’s hand flies to his neck, his fingers brushing the one hickey that wasn’t able to be covered by his uniform shirt.

“She did,” TK says, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “How did you spend your last day before having to go back to work?”

“The usual. Laundry, meal prepping— I even managed a workout.”

TK gasps and pouts. “And no sweaty workout selfie for your new husband?”

Carlos rolls his eyes and huffs out a laugh. “You’ll live. This will be ready in two minutes. Go have a seat and I’ll bring it in.”

TK grabs two bottles of mineral water from the fridge and takes them to the table and Carlos follows a minute later with two steaming plates laden with food.

They eat together in a comfortable silence, and TK is more than a little giddy everytime Carlos moves and TK catches sight of the ring on his finger. Dinner and cleanup doesn’t take long and they head for the sofa to relax and watch the new episode of Grand Designs.

Carlos takes his favorite spot on the end and TK curls up on his side, his head on Carlos’ lap. Carlos drapes his hand over TK’s shoulder and rests his hand on his chest. TK sighs contentedly as they snuggle.

Laying down was a bad idea TK realizes. He's definitely ready to go to bed. He sneaks a peek at Carlos who’s completely enthralled and looks like he’s one step away from taking notes on paint colors or something and decides to just close his eyes for the commercial break.

The next thing he realizes, he’s being nudged awake. “Hey, come on, let’s go to bed.”

“No, I’m awake! We can finish our show,” TK protests, sitting up.

“You’ve had a long day today, and I’m gonna have a long day tomorrow. Let’s go get some rest.”

“Yeah, okay,” TK agrees.

They stand and together they make their way into the bedroom and crawl under the covers.

Carlos cuddles close, his back pressed to TK’s front and TK curls around him, protectively.

“Wake me before you go to work in the morning.”

“Of course. Good night, husband.”

“Good night, husband,” TK echoes. “Sleep well.”

🩷🩷🩷

Taglist: @chaotictarlos @plaidbooks @meditating-honey-badger @noxsoulmate @tailoredshirt

[tarlosmalec]

I Stay Close, Hold Steady on AO3

When Carlos nods and hauls himself up the stairs, TK stands there and watches him for a minute as a mix of concern and curiosity swirls in his mind. He knew his man had a long shift today from the way his eyes were dim, but he hadn't anticipated this. Carlos only asks him to read something before bed when his head is noisy. TK can't help but wonder what might have happened today and if there's anything he can do to help ease Carlos's burden.

[strandnreyes]

no because tarlos is THAT GIRL!!!! hook ups to boyfriends to exes to boyfriends to fiancés to husbands to parenting together they have done it all!!! they been one of the main—if not the main ship—for five seasons. they have major storylines every season. they’ve never had either character disappear for an extended period of time. they never cheat, they’re never with anyone else. we’ve seen them kiss and fight and make up and make life decisions and have domestic nights in and fear for the other’s life and be teammates and have sex and hang out with their friends and adopt pets and humans and carry each other through grief and cuddle and celebrate each other and love each other above all else!! no one is doing it like them!!

we have gotten everything and more with them.

[chicgeekgirl89]

The Luck o’ the Irish

Fandom: 911 Lone Star

Characters: Carlos Reyes, T.K. Strand

Summary: St. Patrick's Day with a Kindergartener means only one thing: Leprechaun traps. And Carlos isn't thrilled with the results.

A/N: I teach K-5 music and St. Patrick's Day is BY FAR the biggest day of the year. They've been making traps all week long and I couldn't help but write a little something for the boys.

Read on AO3

Carlos stares at the monstrosity on his kitchen table. It’s an eyesore and it hurts him to even be in the same room with it. Maybe if he just…

He stands and walks closer, eyeing the offending object with his hands on his hips. He’s reaching out to try and adjust a couple things when he hears T.K. coming down the hall, causing him to whip around, hands held innocently behind his back.

“Okay, it took three books and the goodnight song, plus an extra monster check and a drink of water, but he’s down,” T.K. says as he rounds the corner. He spots Carlos and his eyes narrow. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Carlos says. “Nothing. I was just looking. Three books? It’s supposed to be one.”

“Well I had to bargain him down from six. He’s definitely your kid,” T.K. says with a smile as he starts making hot water for tea.

That their kid loves reading as much as Carlos does makes Carlos’ heart soft with happiness on a regular basis. It’s amazing to see pieces of yourself in the tiny human you’re raising. 

Unfortunately Carlos does not see a single piece of himself in the abomination that takes up a third of their table. He frowns down at it again, then sticks out a finger to swipe at some errant glue.

“Don’t touch that,” T.K.’s voice says behind him and Carlos can’t take it anymore.

“We can’t let him take this to school tomorrow.”

“Because…you want bring shame on our family by having our child to be the only one in his class that doesn’t have a trap to catch the leprechaun?”

“T.K., his teacher is going to take one look at this and think we’re terrible parents! It’s a disaster!” He looks down again at the pile of floppy, wet cardboard and paper. “Look at this ramp! It’s not even close to ADA compliant, it couldn’t bear the weight of a fly let alone a small mythical creature. He didn’t even cut straight lines or use any of the stickers I got him.”

Carlos points to the unopened packages of shamrock and gold star stickers that he’d purchased to adorn their child’s masterpiece. As it turns out, their kiddo isn’t interested in arts and crafts at all. He’d spent fifteen minutes on the thing, sticking some green paper to the outside of a box, and then emptying an entire bottle of glitter glue (Carlos’ reluctant compromise to having glitter in their house) at the bottom of a paper towel tube he’d haphazardly placed along the side. 

“Well first of all, I think it’s a slide, not a ramp, and considering that no creature, mythical or otherwise is going to be inside of it, I don’t think we need to have the safety inspector come out,” T.K. tells him. “And I’m sure his teacher has seen worse.”

“It looks like a five-year-old did it.”

“That’s because our son is a five-year-old,” T.K. tells him as if he’s a small child too. “This is what five-year-olds do.”

“Not me,” Carlos says defensively. “My school projects were masterpieces. Whatever this is, he gets it from you.”

“Are you saying you’re perfect and I’m a mess?”

“No, I’m saying I’m fastidious and you have a more carefree approach to life,” Carlos tells him. “What if I redo it and we tell him the leprechaun came early and helped fix it up?”

T.K. raises his eyebrows. “The leprechaun came to help build his own trap? I don’t think our kid is going to buy that one babe.” 

He’s right. Their child may not be a Picasso, but he definitely outsmarts them both on a regular basis. “Let me at least try and get some of the glitter glue out of it. It’s never going to dry.”

“I think that’s the point. The leprechaun goes down the slide and gets stuck in the glue.” T.K. takes a sip of tea, sending his husband an amused look over the rim of the cup.

“You’re enjoying this,” Carlos accuses. 

“A little.”

“It doesn’t bother you that our son is going to school with a subpar project?”

“Nope,” T.K. pops the ‘p’. “For three reasons. One, I know most of the other kids are going to have projects that look exactly like this. Two we always said we’d let our kiddo be his own person; clearly arts and crafts are not his thing right now and that’s okay, plus he’s very happy with how it turned out. Three, we promised that when we had kids we wouldn’t be those parents who do their kids’ work for them. It’s his project, not ours.”

Carlos deflates a little. “Those are very good reasons.”

“I know they are.” T.K. walks over and hooks a finger into the waistband of Carlos’ sweats, tugging him close. “And you do too. You’re just blinded by your perfectionism and need for aesthetically pleasing artwork.”

Carlos blows out a breath and tries to release all of the anxiety that’s pent up inside him. “You really don’t think his teacher is going to think we’re bad parents?”

“Babe you bought her like forty boxes of tissues and helped with the Halloween parade and the holiday party. Plus you freaking sewed costumes for the class play when you don’t even know how to sew. I think she likes us just fine.”

“Okay, okay, you’re right,” Carlos says, running his hand up and down T.K.’s arm. “I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as you will be when our son is the first Kindergartener in the history of Maplewood Elementary School to catch a leprechaun,” T.K. teases, making Carlos chuckle. 

His laughter quickly melts away and turns to horror as the words sink in. “Oh god, what if he’s upset that he doesn’t catch one? How are we going to explain that to him?”

“Okay Papa, that’s enough stress for you tonight,” T.K. says with a roll of his eyes. “Let’s go to bed.”

“T.K. he’s already asking questions about Santa, what if he thinks we lied to him?”

“Carlos.”

“Maybe we should tell him in the morning. Be up front with him.”

“Carlos.”

“I don’t want him to think—“

He’s cut off when T.K. grabs his face with both hands, kisses him hard, then looks him directly in the eyes. “If you come to bed with me right now, I promise you will forget all about this.”

Words like that still make his stomach flip, even after all these years together, and he melts into T.K.’s touch. “Oh yeah?”

T.K.’s eyes glint with mischief. “Oh yeah. You, Carlos Strand-Reyes are about to get very, very lucky.”

[rangersoup]

I’m doing it guys. I’m manifesting a Ranger Reyes spin off. With lots of domestic Tarlos. And Tarlos as parents. And more of Mr Ranger Soup man and him and Carlos being a chaotic duo. And TK and Mrs Soup being bitchy Ranger wives, first towards each other and then later on WITH each other. And little play dates between Jonah and the little soup dumplings. And Carlos getting shot again because lord knows they didn’t have nearly enough drama last time. Im manifesting it with all my might. I’m using all of my strength to will it into existence. It’s gonna work, guys!

[watmalik]

Ummm, ok. I see you my little Gordon Ramsay protégée

#TK CAN COOK

[nqueso-emergency]

sorry if this ask is repetitive, but i want to highlight something else about the possibility of them fleshing tommy’s character more.

first, let me say some to the point reasons that explain why i think the issues they face will take largely into context tommy’s past:

-we know buck. this is a chance for us to get to know tommy more.

-bringing past issues would be repetitive. ie the cheating and lucy and taylor SL with Buck.

-buck is our main character. we will be following him during this time. it wouldn’t make sense for us to follow him if he’s just waiting for tommy to process how he feels. it makes more sense if we see buck being the one to do so, first by talking to his close people, and then (hopefully) learning how to navigate that with tommy.

so. with all of that out of the way.

we are in season 8. i know some people believe ABC can try to milk 911 for a lot more seasons, but I honestly don’t see it. A few more sure, but 911 won’t be another Grey’s imo. So. Why take precious time in Season 8 to develop a character, if the intention is not to let him be there long term?

And I know the main argument will be Taylor and the storyline with her Dad and how she was still gone after that. And I will say, that was a good attempt from the writers to get us to care about her and the relationship with Buck more. But they never were that popular together, and Taylor was overall disliked (personally, I didn’t dislike her. But I do think Buck and her weren’t a perfect match), and not in a Tommy way. Most people still were upset at her for what she did to Bobby.

Long story short: Season 8, with Oliver expressing he wants Buck to have more domestic storylines and to, essentially, stop having short relationships in the series + tim agreeing and making an effort to make buck’s next LI one that could work (related to the first responder world, can interact outside of buck, good chemistry, we can invest) + lou embodying that to perfection and winning over a good portion of the fandom & the GA + Tim losing Tarlos after LS ends and there is BT, who is the only unmarried couple in 911 rn and thus, is a whole new playground for him…

Giving Tommy a background is very much intentional.

Thiiissss

[guardian-angle22]

maybe you’ve already done this but I would love to know your top underrated tarlos moments

Thank you for asking! I did make a set once for my favorite background moment. That set is here. I do like that one!

As far as underrated, I think that can be tough with a fandom like ours with as much hiatus time on our hands as we've had... because I think we've hyped up about every possible tarlos moment we possibly can. 🤭

HOWEVER, I can't leave you empty handed here. So! here are some of my Top Slightly-Maybe-Underrated Tarlos Moments:

Carlos Being at Owen's Remission Cake Celebration. Something about the exchange between TK & Carlos at the beginning of this scene just always strikes me. Carlos says, "It's cool your mom came down here for this." and TK says, "It's cool you did. Thanks for being here, babe." and something in his face after that exchange just says to me that he's not used to having a boyfriend show up for things like this. So it feels like a subtle but big moment for them!!

TK & Carlos Shopping at the Farmer's Market. There's something very domestic and sweet about the two of them walking through the farmer's market together swinging their tote bags, buying flowers, sniffing random plants, checking out the local jam offerings.

TK & Carlos Cuddling on the Couch. Much has been said about the cuddling specifically in this scene, the equal opportunity big/little spoon situation. but also I just love the thought of them doing this regularly: cuddling up in front of the TV at the end of their shifts, decompressing, and telling each other about their day and their struggles. encouraging each other. and then also cuddles.

Holding Hands at Owen's Intervention. The tone they kind of took this scene in with the music and editing made it seem less serious, but I feel like the situation would've been very stressful for TK (especially as someone who had been on the other side of an intervention before like he said) and I love the silent support Carlos offers here and the way he tucks his fingers into TK's sleeve.

TK Sleeping on Carlos as He Works. This probably isn't underrated but. it's one of my All Time Favorite Moments and therefore it makes this list. Here is a set I made for it awhile ago that I still really enjoy. The way TK tries to get Carlos to stop working in the middle of the night and when he realizes that's not going to work, he says okay. I'm gonna sleep right here and be with you then. He said I'm not going to sleep alone ever again if you're here so MAKE ROOM, BABY!

Carlos Keeping His Eyes on TK. not sure how else to describe it tbh, but just the way Carlos zeroes in on TK taking the phone call at the end of 3.07... it's like he always has a feeler out for what TK is doing at all times, even when surrounded by their friends. I truly wish we got to see the aftermath of that phone call. the way Carlos would've taken care of TK in that moment.

Scritchy Scratches. that's it. send tweet.

Soft!Dom Carlos Backing TK Up. listennnn this scene might be talked about a lot. but never enough. the gentle dom carlos of it all truly eats at my brain constantly. the way he backs TK up, reigns in his spiraling and calms him down with just a couple words and grip of the neck. I cannot.

TK Offering Carlos Back Rubs. another instance of TK waking up because Carlos isn't next to him. recognizing that Carlos needs comfort and offering to rub his back, like he's probably been doing for multiple nights now. it's just another sweet look into the way they comfort and support each other that might not get fully shown but is still there.

The Wedding Leg Grip. this is my Most Favorite of all the gifs I've made for the touch series. idk what it is about this particular gesture, but the way Carlos grabs TK's leg will forever be famous to me and we should be talking about it every week.

[sageandred]

no, you don't understand. Tarlos are a loving, domesticated couple who knew they were soulmates from the first night they hooked up. They traded a one-night stand for the promise of forever that developed gradually over time and they said, hi nice to meet you and drove it home to "marry me" & "i do". For gays on a primetime network, no one was doing it like them. By the standard of queer storylines at that point and the pace at which they were going, they would've either been background or broken up by now. Thank god & Tim Minear & that they took note from the fans.

[cjlouwho]

In the spirit of positivity, how do you think Buck and Tommy say I love you for the first time? 🥰 Feel free to send this ask to others 💕

Ohhhh I kinda have a fear that we won’t get to see their first I love you, because if I remember correctly we didn’t get to see the tarlos one on lonestar but…

There’s no big moment, no grand gesture, that happens. Buck is just at Tommy’s place. They’re doing their own things while sharing space on the couch. Tommy’s legs are in Buck’s lap. Buck is looking up recipes on his phone when the domesticity of it all hits him. He looks around at the comfort of the home, catches a glimpse of Tommy (who’s invested in his monster truck magazine), and pats Tommy’s leg. Tommy places the magazine on his chest and gives Buck a “hm?” To which Buck looks him in the eyes and says “I’m in love with you.” Tommy’s a little caught off guard. He sits up, says, “I’m sorry. What?” And Buck repeats it, no doubt in his voice. “I am in love with you, Tommy. I love you, and I’m in love with you.”

Before he even has a chance to tell Tommy that he doesn’t have to say it back, Tommy is maneuvering himself so he’s on his knees, pressed against Buck’s side, one hand under the chin as he goes in for a kiss. When he pulls back his eyes are red and watery as he replies, “I am so in love with you, Evan. Have been for a while. I love you so damn much.”

They forget the recipes and the magazine after that, with Buck taking Tommy’s hand and leading them to the bedroom.