#Tarlos AU

[eclectic-sassycoweyes]

Mr. Perfect, Book and Cover

- a Tarlos Library Meet Cute and a graduation gift for @emsprovisions 🥳 - pairs with this completely amazing art by @whatsintheboxmh

Eeeemmmm!!!! You did it!!! You’re freee!!! I’m so freakishly proud and over the moon for you my friend💗💗 and I’m very excited to hear what the other side is like!! (just please spare me some details until I’m done with exams in February please).

You making it to the other side, making it through every single annoying assignment, ending your days of always feeling a little bit bad for doing something you enjoy because you could be doing homework instead - all that needs to be celebrated to the fullers!!🎊 (Also you need to be celebrated because you are a kind, lovely, sexy, sweet christmas loving button who sneaks around keeping secrets and then sprinkles holiday joy on one lucky person a day after the other for this whole month.)

Without further ado, have some Tarlos Library Meet Cute for you on your last day of classes!💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Placing the novel on top of his already tall stack of cook books, Carlos turns slowly, carefully balancing them in his arms, with a plan to head to the counter. Only as he turns he comes face to face with a sight that he is by now, too embarrassingly familiar with.

For a moment he’s too stunned to realize what or rather who the sight implies, too stunned in fact to do anything but stare transfixed on two beautifully rounded globes perfectly accentuated by snug jeans, loose fitted just enough that they don’t reel anything in either.

He’s too busy wondering what it would be like to place his hands right there, thumbs pressing in just above, resting on the top of the plump cheeks, fingers gripping around soft hips; Imagining the feeling under his hands of the pink sweater that’s rucked up as if purposefully making the most magnificent ass Carlos has ever laid his eyes on pop out even more as if that’s even necessary..

He is abruptly pulled out of his daydreaming by a cheerful “Hey Carlos!” coming from somewhere above him. And then several unfortunate events transpire almost at once.

All the blood in his body changes the slow but steady downwards direction it was going in to rush up to his face, his cheeks flushing as he practically tears his gaze from the gorgeous butt, up, up, up, until it lands on the somehow even more devastating sight that is TK’s face beaming down at him.

In a voice sounding like he just travelled 15 years back in time and hit puberty all over again, Carlos yelps out a “TK!” Gathering himself and trying not to think TK probably having just caught him staring at his ass, he clears his throat to make himself sound more like his actual age and then continues to make a fool of himself “I didn’t think you were working today!”

He doesn’t phrase it as a question, rather he almost sounds accusing, and now he’s just gone and revealed that he has memorized TK’s work schedule maybe a little too well. He can feel a small bead of sweat forming on his temple and he feels stuffy in his jacket suddenly.

The worst thing is that while all this has been happening, he’s been desperately and probably very unsubtly trying to restack his books, trying and failing to look casual about it, in an attempt to hide the book he had just placed on top, the hunky, bare chested man in a cardigan and hot-librarian glasses on the cover bearing an obvious and uncanny resemblance to the man currently smiling down at him from the ladder he’s perched on.

The attempts at concealment results in several of the books catapulting dramatically out of his hands, Mr. Perfect, Book and Cover landing on the floor face up and right at TK’s feet.

Within the span of two minutes Carlos has regressed back to his teenage self, his cheeks flushed, voice rising and falling in uncontrollable pitches, and beginning to smell faintly of the type of sweat that comes from your nerves and hormones constantly being in overdrive; he has been uncharacteristically impolite, and on top of it all has managed to reveal not only that he’s memorized TK’s work schedule but also that he likes to read cheesy romance novels about hot librarians - all in front of his crush, who happens to be a librarian.

His crush, who is still smiling down at him, although now also starting to look a little puzzled and slightly concerned as he descends the ladder slowly as if worried that any sudden movements will spook Carlos further. Carlos kind of wants to hit himself on top of his head with a hammer repeatedly.

TK is bending down to pick the books up and, rising, he places them back in Carlos’ arms where the ones that didn’t escape are still stacked. It makes Carlos feel like he’s in some cheesy romantic high school comedy.

Mr. Perfect, Book and Cover is still lying face-up on the floor, and Carlos doesn’t act fast enough to prevent disaster. Before he manages to do anything to stop it, TK is bent down again, picking it up for him while Carlos stands there paralyzed watching it happen in slow motion.

All Carlos can hope for at this point is that TK won’t know that it’s a gay cheesy romance novel and he can pretend he’s just picking it up for his sister or something, but as TK picks up the book recognition shines in his eyes and Carlos cringes internally.

“Oh this is a cute one!” He says, smiling brightly as he hands Carlos the book. “Although the cover is a little cliché,” he laughs and Carlos is so dead. He’s never coming back to this library. It’s too bad though he really liked it. He hasn’t experienced a library having both such a good cook book section and an lgbt+ section that updates its selection of cheesy romance novels every month.

“I picked that out myself actually,” TK talks on but Carlos can barely hear him above the ringing in his ears. He vaguely registers TK say something about the librarian theme being his own little inside joke, and oh god, TK must be aware of how much that guy on the cover looks like him. Carlos has never felt so mortified. And okay, maybe he’s being a tad overdramatic but Carlos has also never experienced a crush like the one he has on TK, and he’s usually pretty good at keeping himself out of embarrassing situations.

“Carlos? Are you okay?” Carlos is once again brought out of a spiral, this time of another kind, by TK’s voice, this time laden with the same concern that colors his face. “Do you need to sit down?” Now TK’s is reaching out a tentative hand towards him and Carlos needs to answer before he has an even more embarrassing reaction to TK actually touching him.

“I’m fine!” He squeaks and seriously what’s up with the puberty part two he’s apparently going through right now? He’s 29 not 15 goddammit! The universe must hate him. TK is understandably not looking very convinced.

“Are you sure? It is pretty hot I’m here and you are wearing a lot of clothes.”

Carlos has to hold himself back from making the situation worse by laughing hysterically at the non-innuendo that only serves his earlier thought about being stuck in some bad romantic comedy. Or maybe more like a bad porn. Maybe removing Mr. Perfect, Book and Cover from the shelf opened up a portal that sucked Carlos in without him knowing and now he’s stuck in the story being badly flirted with by Mr. Perfect himself. He’s realizing his thoughts are a clear sign that he definitely isn’t done spiraling.

He gathers all his self control and manages a completely sane sounding “really, I’m fine,“ and even pairs it with a very normal-looking smile.

“Alright,” TK says slowly, retracting his hand to Carlos’ immense relief. “If you’re sure,” he adds, the concern dissipating hesitantly from his eyes.

Carlos realizes that now is the time to engage in polite small talk to prove to TK that he is really both physically and mentally okay, but there is something naggingly floating around just outside his head and out of reach, something his brain can’t put together. If TK recognizes the book.. if he picked it out..

He can’t finish the thought before he’s interrupted for the third time by TK, who is now the one looking sheepish for some reason, a lovely pink blush adorning his cheeks to go with the green of his eyes. One more thing that Carlos has become familiar with to an embarrassing degree considering how few times he’s actually seen them.

“So,” TK begins, looking briefly down and biting his lip, “I’m actually glad I ran into you. I was um-,” and now it’s TK’s turn to clear his throat before he continues: “Well I was wondering if uh- if- whether you were doing anything this Saturday?” He finishes, blinking back up at Carlos and smiling cutely, eyes sparkling, and looking, for the first time since Carlos met him, a tiny bit insecure.

[heartstringsduet]

First Aid

Summary:

New York City. 2016.

Two liars meet.

In a city eating him up, Carlos hides how he makes ends meet and why he keeps on knocking on TK’s window to be patched up. Desperate to be loved, TK hides his true self and relies on substances to be the perfect son, lover, friend.

Two liars meet - and fall in love with each layer unpeeled.

[Ch.1] [Ch.2] [Ch.3] [Ch.4] [Ch.5] [Ch.6] [Ch.7] [Ch.8] [Ch. 9] [Ch.10] [Ch.11] [Ch.12] [Ch. 13] [Ch. 14] [Ch.15] [Ch. 16] [Ch. 17] [Ch. 18] [Ch.19] [Ch.20] [Ch.21] [Ch.22] [Epilogue] / 23

-> Please heed the tags and warnings!

thanks to my beta readers @rmd-writes @welcometololaland ; my sensitivity reader @freneticfloetry & the tumblr helpers and cheerleaders mentioned in the notes 💕

[emsprovisions]

❄️ Day 6 - Snowy Kisses ❄️

🎁 Today's fic is dedicated to @strandnreyes!

Summary: An AU where Carlos moves to NY and starts dating FDNY TK.

Word count: 627

Prompt inspired by "sharing a warm kiss during the first snow of the season" found here

24 Days of Tarlos Masterpost

Carlos hadn’t expected anything to happen when he chose to move to New York for grad school, least of all meeting TK Strand. 

It had been the first day he moved back in August, Carlos is always careful, but the oven in his apartment is old and it sparked and there was a small electrical fire that Carlos managed to put out, but the smoke alarm triggered the call to FDNY anyways.

He’d shown up at Carlos’s door in turnouts and a helmet, T.K. Strand printed on the back of his jacket. Carlos was done for with those pretty green eyes that seemed to pierce right through him.

He brought the station cookies the next day–successfully managing not to set his oven on fire this time–and secretly hoped he’d be able to hand them off to the handsome firefighter himself. 

That was four months ago, and now, Carlos has never felt lighter than he does right now. TK holds on tight to his hand as they walk through the city.

He’s bundled up in a coat that TK only made a little bit of fun of him for wearing, but his hand in Carlos’s is warm, and his smile is even warmer, and Carlos has no clue how he happened to be lucky enough to score the world’s greatest boyfriend, but he has. 

Honestly, the whole thing has Carlos feeling a bit like he’s in some cheesy Hallmark movie–the kind his mom always coaxes him to watch with her. He’ll be home for Christmas and he can’t quite believe that he’s going to miss New York as much as he thinks he will, Though really, it’s TK he’ll be missing. 

TK smiles over at him. “Do you need hot cocoa or something, Texas?”

Carlos rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t say no, but you have to want it too.”

TK laughs and points out a nearby cafe on the street corner. “This place has amazing cocoa. I swear, I’m about to spoil your taste buds so much you’ll probably never be able to go back to anything else.”

Carlos only smiles, “I’ll take my chances.”

The cafe is warm and inviting. Despite how busy it is, it still feels cozy, and it makes Carlos step closer into TK’s space as they wait in line. TK smiles at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and rubbing him to keep him warm. 

Carlos presses his face against TK’s cheek. “You know I’m not actually that cold right? Especially not in here.”

“Your icicle nose says otherwise,” TK responds without missing a beat.

There’s a light snow falling when they step back outside and it feels significantly colder to Carlos. He clutches his hot cup of cocoa between both hands to try and warm them. It has a large marshmallow on top and looks incredible. He blows the steam off it and follows TK as he takes a sip.

“Holy shit! You were right, this is amazing,” Carlos praises. 

“You’ll never go back to any other cocoa, will you,” TK laughs, reaching for Carlos’s hand again.

“Not if I have you to spoil me,” Carlos grins, lacing his fingers back with TK's.

The snow starts coming down heavier as they walk, and with all the Christmas lights and displays in most windows, Carlos feels even more like he’s in a movie. He tugs lightly on TK’s hand.

“Hey, thank you for this.”

“It’s my pleasure, babe. I like hanging out with you and showing you my city. You’re so cute seeing all the decorations,” TK grins, stepping up to Carlos, his mouth only inches away. “You’re like a kid at Christmas.”

“Well, maybe a big kid at Christmas,” Carlos laughs.

TK smiles and closes the distance, his mouth warm and soft on Carlos’s as snow continues to fall around them.

[wandering-night19]

Carlos has a secret hobby as a writer of incredibly steamy fanfiction for the popular procedural - Austin: We Have a Problem, under a pseudonym. An online friendship blossoms on Tumblr, then Discord, with a dedicated reader (who leaves unhinged comments and, after a few months, dabbles in sketching fanart). The friendship becomes so real that - despite Carlos' nerves - he agrees to meet up with the reader when he travels to Texas to visit his father. Sparks fly ;)

Listen…I have been thinking about this for the first few hours of my shift and it has GRIPPED me.

1. Carlos has a secret folder on his computer for his fanfiction and he creates a second one to save all the fanart. He may or may not have printed out and framed one of his very favorites.

2. TK was super hesitant to share any pics over the internet. Carlos has no chill and had already shared his insta. Carlos convinced himself it doesn’t matter what TK looks like because he’s already 1000% in love. (He def blacks out a bit when he sees him for the first time at the airport)

3. It takes 0.7574 seconds for TK to blow Carlos in the car in the airport parking lot.

4. TK is super cagey about having to go spend time with his dad and has Carlos drop him off at a hotel. Carlos tries very hard not to take it personally. He knew TK wasn’t going to be able to spend all of his time with him anyway.

5. There is a very awkward run in with Owen and TK at the grocery store wherein Carlos realizes Owen is in fact the creator of Austin: We Have a Problem. Think the farmers market scene, but reverse. TK tries to play it off like they barely know each other.

Bonus: TK goes to the airport to fly home and act like it’s not killing him that Carlos is upset. But then he skips his flight and shows up at Carlos’s work and tells him he loves him. (I have the Cruel Intentions airport scene in my head. Something dramatic/romantic that involves the escalator and the reveal and definitely some heavy making out in public.)

Bonus bonus: TK totally takes Carlos to the set of the show.

[welcometololaland]

WAIT in the euphoria of knowing ALTA and Unprofessional Services are coming i forgot about 10 Things but NOW I REMEMBER

21k ish of it sitting in the G Docs graveyard...maybe it will one day have its day in the sun 💀💀💀

HERE HAVE A SNIPPET:

It’s simultaneously the fastest and the slowest minute of Carlos’ life. He tears through his room putting things away as quickly as possible – luckily, he’s fairly neat to begin with and doesn’t have the build up of dust that TK is partial to – and changes into a nicer shirt, spraying himself with extra deodorant and a little cologne. He doesn’t have time to run a wet comb through his curls and has to settle for running his fingers through it, which, in hindsight, probably makes it worse rather than better.

As it turns out, TK doesn’t think so. 

“What did you do to your hair?” he asks, handing Carlos’ coffee to him without actually looking away from Carlos’ hairline. He seems so transfixed that he doesn’t even realise he’s stepped through Carlos’ door until Carlos reaches around to close it behind him. 

“I got out of bed,” Carlos says drily. “It just does this, unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately,” TK breathes, biting his lip. “Huh.”

“What do you mean ‘huh’”? Carlos asks, stepping back into the main part of his dorm room. “That sounds like an insult.”

TK smiles, his eyes looking a little dazed. “Definitely not an insult,” he insists. “It’s beautiful. I wanna touch it.”

Carlos frowns. “Have you had enough coffee this morning? You’re acting a little strange.”

[maxbegone]

wip wednesday but it’s almost three o’clock EST and i’m literally just rewriting this whole thing to get back in the groove of it and also cannot remember if i posted this before ANYWAY! enjoy! s/o to @rmd-writes ♥️

“Question twenty-seven,” he begins, settling back in his seat. “If you were to become a close friend with your partner, please share what you think would be important for them to know.”

TK clicks his tongue. “I’d argue we’re already close friends.”

“It does feel a bit like cheating,” Carlos agrees. “But, no skipping. Pretend like we’re not and just, I don’t know, tell me something I might not actually know about you.”

He watches as TK squints at the road in front of him, thinking as his hands reset at ten and two. “I’m an addict.”

Carlos already knows that, but this isn’t his place to make jokes — not that he would ever dare to. He stays silent.

“The first time I ever touched a pill, I was in high school. Prescription pain meds that a friend of a friend was offering at a party.” He barely glances over, looking more at the gear shift than Carlos. “Opioids after that, and eventually…heroin.”

TK’s voice falls off on the last word, and on instinct, Carlos reaches for him. He doesn’t stop himself, running a hand across his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he says, “you don’t have to keep going. We’ll skip this one—”

“I almost relapsed when my mom died.”

The air in the car is still, Carlos’ heart thudding hard against his chest as he watches TK’s face. Strangely, he smiles like he did when he showed up at his doorstep the night Gwyn passed. The sad, painful thing that Carlos hoped he’d never have to see again. It’s showing up now and he hates it.

“That’s—it’s why I came to your place,” TK explains raspily. “I could’ve easily found something that night, I knew exactly where to go. Instead, I went to you. Because I knew — hoped — that if I did, then I wouldn’t even try to look. Not that day, not the next.” He sighs. “That I would be safe…So when I said I didn’t know why I came to you after I completely ruined your shirt…” TK laughs now, a short little thing that gets the corner of Carlos’ mouth to twitch up as well. “That was the reason.”

Carlos brings his hand back and forth over TK’s shoulder once again. “Thank you for trusting me.”

He nods.” Yeah. Thanks for opening the door that night.”

“You know I would have. And if I wasn’t home and you called, I would’ve picked up, I hope you know that. I always will.”

“Thanks,” TK repeats. He shakes himself like he’s shaking the heaviness of the moment away. “Your turn. Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

[taralaurel]

Last Line WIP Challenge

I was tagged by @chaotictarlos to share the last line written for a current WIP:

"Tell me what you want," Carlos whispers, voice pitched low and quiet up against TK's ear.

No pressure tags: @carlos-in-glasses, @lightningboltreader, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @sanjuwrites, @bonheur-cafe, @detective-giggles, @rmd-writes, and everyone else who has a wip (that's all of you, I know it!)

[chaotictarlos]

With love, your soulmate - Masterlist (complete)

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

Rating: Mature | Warnings & Tags: alternative universe, tarlos au, Brooklyn Love Stories AU, Alternative Timelines, Long Distance Relationship, Fluff, Soulmate AU, pen pal au, Angst, Fluff and Angst, writing letters, Tarlos - Freeform, Carlos Reyes - Freeform, TK strand - Freeform, Underage, Drug Use, Accidental overdose, parental neglect, mentions of fighting, Past Addiction, Talk of Addiction

Total Word Count: 35197

Summary: Carlos Reyes doesn’t think he has a soulmate. In the 22 years he had been alive he had never found anything that would tell him otherwise. At first, it bothered him that he was seemingly without anyone and that there wasn’t a perfect person out there for him but he learned to grow comfortable with that information. He learned to adapt, to date enough that he wouldn’t be lonely, and on the nights when he was without anyone he found ways to make himself feel good. He was content.

Or so he thought so until a letter arrived on the day of his 22 birthday. A letter addressed to him, from the past and from his soulmate.

From there, they start talking. Leaving letters for each other to find and read, falling in love through the words that they shared.

Will TK ever catch up to Carlos so that they can have their happy ever after? Or will time remain cruel to them?

**Soulmate AU based on the short film Brooklyn Love Stories - Long Time Distance Relationship with Ronen**

Author's Note: This was the first time I ever wrote a Soulmate AU. It took me 11 months to write it but I think it was worth it. Thank you to everyone who read this story and left kind messages. It truly means the world to me and your messages and comments kept me motivated to the end. I won't say I'll never return to this work, I might in the future. I don't see this being the last time I wrote about these two. If you have any requests, let me know. :)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Other Related Works:

[pragmatic-optimist]

This week's theme: Rec a 'gateway' fic - a fic that you read and it was so good it lead you to read multiple works by the same writer.

The rules: Tag a fic and explain why it was a gateway fic / what you liked about it. Then tag some people to see what everyone else is reading. Spread the love! I'll do the round up on Sunday again, so if you're still recc-ing on Saturday, no pressure. Please tag @welcometololaland or #fic rec friday so I can compile the masterlist!

*****

Very excited about this week’s theme because the first fic of an author you read is a little bit like watching the pilot of a TV show that has several seasons, but you’ve only just found it. So you fall in love, and before you know it, you’ve blinked and spent 12 hours binging as many eps as you can. It’s a great feeling, to chase the same elixir of magic in each story someone has written. There are several fics I could mention here, but I challenged myself to choose fics purely from memory because otherwise I’d be here all day looking through my bookmarks. 😂

911 Lone Star

No Right to Love You by @reyescarlos: If you’ve been following me for a while or if we’ve had conversations about our all-time favorite fics, then you’ve read/heard my unhinged praise for No Right to Love You. It is not an understatement to say that this story was my whole personality for the entirety of April 2021 lol. This canon-divergent season 1 finale fic is truly epic and filled me with so many feels (so much yearning!). Kim posted it one chapter at a time over the course of a weekend, and when she posted the final chapter, I was standing in line at the grocery store when I saw the AO3 notification and proceeded to let out a loud yelp of excitement. There were looks.😂 This story and Kim’s writing were worth the public embarrassment, I just love it so much. 🙌🏾 It was my first Kim fic, and I immediately inhaled everything else she had written for LS.  

Begins at Sunrise by @iboatedhere: Ah, Begins at Sunrise. I’ve read so many of Rae’s fics over the last two years, so it’s really fun to think back to the first fic I ever read. TK and Carlos have the “who are we to each other?” talk on a spontaneous beach getaway because Carlos can’t deny TK anything, and their conversations/interactions here are so Them™️. Also, it’s all just very romantic and there’s a beautiful thread of vulnerability that runs through each scene, tugging at your heart. Given that it is a story set in season 1 circa ep 1x10, I appreciate it was written from Carlos POV and gave us some insight into his headspace after TK got shot. He was so in love already. There are a lot of single lines in this fic that pack an emotional wallop in the best way. As soon as I finished reading it, I hit the subscribe button so fast, and every AO3 email notification I’ve received sharing a Rae original has been a joy. 

All Along There Was Some Invisible String Tying You to Me by @tkstrrand: Alternate first meeting AUs are always a lot of fun because I love the notion that these two people will always find one another no matter what. AJ’s dual POV, ER Meet-Cute for TK and Carlos is a personal favorite. The story is lovely, with TK worried about Owen after accompanying him to the ER and Carlos (a stranger at first, also at the ER worried about his partner) stepping in to offer TK kindness and conversation and then eventually both realizing they don’t want their time together to end (and as the reader, you realize you don’t want your time with this version of them to end either). I loved this one a whole lot, and I am grateful it led to me finding more of AJ’s work! 

Red, White, and Royal Blue

Before This, After That by @orchidscript:  

I have a rule about not reading WIPs because I’m just not the most patient person when it comes to waiting for the next chapter (know thyself, etc). So I wait until the entire story is posted, and then I dive in. BUT every so often, a fic comes along and makes itself the exception to my rule. Before This, After That is the most recent exception. I adore this fic—it’s a great example of why I enjoy reading AUs. I love seeing how a writer captures the essence of the characters as individuals as well as the heart of their relationship and translates it into a brand-new world. This AU does it seamlessly with Alex and Henry. There are certain parts of this story that really feel inspired by Henry’s line from canon, “I thought if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire.” Alex is hired to help Henry recover, but he realizes it’s more than just recovering from an injury, Henry needs to be brought back to life. [insert metaphor about Alex’s presence kindling Henry’s motivation to live]

I love how Alex shows care for Henry. There is a scene early on regarding Henry’s pain meds, and through a conversation, Alex swiftly resolves it. It’s a short scene but a really lovely moment. Henry feels so seen and heard in a way that he clearly hasn’t been since being hurt (or maybe ever). The whole exchange made me 😍😭🥹. The slow burn of this fic is fantastic, and I have also really enjoyed the interactions between Bea and Henry and (gasp) even Phillip. Lol. I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter, and as I wait, I’ll be reading more of orchidscript’s catalog! 

*****

Open tag to anyone who has a gateway fic that lives in their mind rent-free, please share (and tag me so I can add more fics to my marked for later lol). 

[heartstringsduet]

Tarlos + hospital/nurse AU!

Of hospitals and hearts

Carlos isn’t fazed by much anymore. Working as a nurse in the A&E unit for four years have given him plenty of twisted stomachs, headaches and sweaty armpits. But lately, his heart has been pumping wildly.

He first met TK Strand as a patient, with a gunshot to his chest, on the brink of death. He’d helped the doctors to keep his life dangling just above the lifeline.

A kid had shot the firefighter, thinking he was an intruder. Touched, Carlos had stolen up one night, to leave a flower by the bedside of a hero. The patient looked peaceful, like he was sleeping. And he looked angelic. Carlos shook his head at that thought, leaving the sunflower on the bedside, planning to water it when he returned to work. Maybe it will open the petals for the patient tomorrow.

He’d never find out because the flower was gone with the discharged patient on his next shift.

But since then, TK has been a sight on every single shift. There is an urgency to him when he and the paramedics team rush in patients, a heaviness to his brows and shoulders that fascinates Carlos, because he wonders how someone this caring can do a job like this. He’s always been taught to keep a level head. But he gets TK more and more when the 126 paramedics saunter in with a less severe case. There is still the same care in TK’s features, no matter the case, but there is more brightness to him. Any artificial light in the hospital is jealous of TK’s smile. He loves his job. Caring about patients makes him better.

Everyone in the A&E loves TK. He greets all the nurses, he stays a bit to catch everyone up on not just the patient but on the town gossip, the newest photos of everyone’s favorite dog they’ve never met Buttercup, and his million stories of the injuries he’s had and the hospitals he’s been in and how he would rank them. Even the grumpiest of nurses and doctors eventually fall under his spell. Carlos most of all.

“Hey, Carlos,” TK will say. He will always reserve the greeting for last, the twinkle in his eyes just for him. At least Carlos likes to think so. “How are you?”

“Great. How are you?”

“Zero severe cases today and we were free to assist the firefighters on saving not one but two adorable kittens out of trees…so I’m amazing.”

Carlos will try and fail to temp down the smile that has been waiting to be released ever since TK walked in. Of course after the paramedics had handed over an elderly patient who had fallen and might have a concussion and a colleague had taken over. Iris knows that if possible, she will take the 126 patients so Carlos can have a few minutes of conversation with TK.

“I’m sure you took photos?”

“Only about fifty.. of each cat.”

Carlos laughs. He laughs about the smallest thing TK says. “How many days has it been since your last injury again?”

Carlos will always ask this. And TK will lean against the counter, his shoulders stretching around the material of his beautiful black uniform and say, “163.”

“Make it 164 then.”

“Either way, you’ll get to see me on your next shift, Carlos.”

“I’d rather see you walking in though.”

TK grins and bounces on his heels. He’ll have to leave in a minute, drive back to the firehouse and wait for the next case and maybe they will see each other again before the end of the night. Maybe Carlos will ask him out then.

[jcams88]

I want a 20K word Tarlos AU based on this video. TK is the one who makes the video and Carlos is one of the cowboys. Carlos sees the video, likes it and slides into TK's DMs. TK goes back to the rodeo and they run into each other.

[craftytragedysalad]

My newest WIP

I wasn't tagged in those work in progress tags, but I decided anyway, to post a little piece of the work I'm focused on right now.

It's going to be a new multichapter fic, where TK is a pop star (songwriter, singer, and actor) who was ostracized after a series of bad choices in his career and personal life and Carlos, is a little different from the financially stable person we met in the show. In this AU, he is a photographer who is struggling to live alone while also being quite distant from his family, partly for reasons we saw in the show and partly because he decided not to work in law enforcement like his father.

Both will meet at the worst moment of their lives and slowly become each other's salvation. Because Tarlos is destined to be in any universe.

I'm so excited to start posting!

˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜ Prologue

"What is he doing?" Carlos asked his niece, with whom he was watching a music show on TV of a very famous pop star he only knew because he always ended up on social media, studying magazine covers and all kinds of photo shoots to improve his skills as a photographer and learn how these things work.

"Oh my God, he's going to ask his boyfriend to marry him!" Melissa replied with both hands covering her mouth and wide eyes.

"What?!" Carlos couldn't believe that someone would want to broadcast a moment that was supposed to be private and intimate to the entire world.

"He's been dating the top model Alex Parkland for years. Maybe he thinks it's time to get more involved." Melissa continued without taking her eyes off the TV, where the said pop star began some kind of emotional speech, and the camera began to show in parallel the clearly scared boyfriend who was being proposed to in a very fussy way.

Then the singer knelt down in the middle of the stage and with tears in his eyes took a ring box out of his pocket, opened it and began to propose.

"Alex Parkland, I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were my soulmate, the only one for me, I can't imagine loving anyone else for the rest of my life, so will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?" Carlos doesn't know why, but he can't breathe or take his eyes off the TV.

And he's not even a fan of TK Strand.

And then everything goes to hell in a handbasket.

In front of thousands of people watching him live at the show and millions more watching on TV, in prime time…

Said boyfriend, with his mouth open and a camera in his face, doesn't seem the least bit happy or excited about the situation he finds himself in.

"TK…"

[wandering-night19]

Inspiration/Seven Sentence Sunday

Thanks for the tag @heartstringsduet @thebumblecee @jesuisici33 @lightningboltreader @lemonlyman-dotcom

I think this might be the wip I work on next...I can’t give away the google doc title cause it’ll spoil it haha. 

A loud pop and the steering wheel jerking under his hands brought TK’s attention back to the road. The display in front of him screamed at him in red about zero tire pressure for the driver’s side front tire. TK didn’t need the display, he could feel it. Keeping control of the car he slows and maneuvers to the shoulder. With a loud, long sigh he puts the car in park before leaning his forehead against the steering wheel. Screaming would wake Jonah, but it is so very, very tempting. Also crying sounds like a good idea. Maybe he can have a little cry session.

Tagging: @rosedavid​ @whenshereads​ @ramblingdisaster73​ and whoever else wants to participate.

[pretendtofly]

together, we're alone

Fandom: 911 Lone Star

Pairing: Carlos/TK

Word count: 1405

Summary: Carlos is at the bar when TK gets into that bar fight in 1x03

He knows it's a bad idea even as the words are leaving his mouth but the adrenaline pumping through his body spurs him forward. It also probably accounts for how he deftly ducks the first punch thrown and makes a good jab of his own into the first guy's gut. When he turns to find the second guy, though, he's clocked right in the mouth. TK tastes the blood before he feels the pain but it's there a second later, radiating down his jaw. Everything next happens so quickly and he tunes out the noise of the bar around him as he alternates between throwing and receiving punches.

Read on AO3

[tarlos-spain]

This story is inspired by the book Boyfriend Material. It's not the same story but it really helped me get to this story. So yes somethings here may be similar to the book but a lot will be different.

Thanks as always to my betas. You are very patient with me @chaotictarlos and @morganaspendragonss

Summary:

TK, son of one of the music legends and singer of One Night Strand, has decided that he doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps and is happy in his career as an after-school teacher. Apparently, the people upstairs don't like that his father's reality show is going to have a section to find him a boyfriend.

Carlos, the future heir to a stud farm, wants to have a life of his own, find the man of his life, and get married, which is exactly what his parents don't have in mind for him. But a date to find that perfect groom for his thirtieth birthday complicates everything.

Now both TK and Carlos need to find a groom soon, before they lose control of their lives.

Chapter 01

TK knocked twice on the door of his boss's office.

"I want to see you on Monday. Come at 10. I'll be expecting you."

The message he received from the man on Friday had not been very specific about the reason for the meeting.

"If you're TK, come in, if not, I've got a lot of work, so come back another time."

Paul's voice, so gruff, almost made him wince. If he wanted to see him, it was not for anything good. When he had hired him to be a teacher at his little after-school activities facility, he had been rather reticent.

"Everyone knows who you are, your last name precedes you, and that's not a good thing for an after-school teacher in elementary schools. But it's also true that I'm not one to be prejudiced, so let's see how you do."

TK still remembered those words from his boss. He couldn't thank him enough for the opportunity he had given him by hiring him.

He thought the course was going pretty well, the kids seemed to be having a good time in their music classes. He had good opinions from the parents, apart from a little run-in with that one father, a guy who had a problem with his kids' music teacher being gay.

So now he didn't know what his boss might want to talk to him about.

Paul was just finishing up a phone call and motioned for TK to sit down and wait a moment.

"Yes, I understand what you're saying, but I'm not going to fire anyone because of what their father does." TK took a sharp breath, his boss was talking about him with the higher-ups. "No, I don't care. I have no intention of firing him because of what people think about his father... Let me talk to him... Are you serious? I really didn't think you were that closed minded. TK is a good guy and whether he has a partner or not, whether he's gay or not, shouldn't be a big deal today... I've already told you, yes, I'll talk to him and pass on your words."

Paul stared at the phone screen and sighed. He put it down on the table and folded his hands, looking at TK.

"Did I get you in trouble?"

"Nah. The guys upstairs are always banging on about something and if it wasn't your dad's new show, it would have been about...well, whatever. That's what I'm here for, to take as many slaps in the face as possible."

"I'm sorry, I never meant to get you in trouble. If you want me to leave, just say so. I'll find something else, don't worry."

"Nonsense. I have no intention of firing you and I don't want you to leave. The kids like you too much and I've had more sign-ups this year asking specifically for you. But one thing is certain, I need to talk to you." TK kept silent and waited for his boss to drop the bombshell. "I don't care who you date or if you don't date anyone, but for your dad to say on his new show that you're looking for a boyfriend and he's going to open a section for you to find you the best match - that could be a problem."

"I know and I told my dad not to do it. But it's not possible to get Owen Strand to change his mind when he gets something in his head."

"That I don't know, all I know about your father is what we see on television. But if he's still hell-bent on coming after you with cameras all day, setting you up on dates and making you go out with a different guy every night..."

"That's not good publicity for Little Arts."

[welcometololaland]

NOW COMPLETE - 9/9

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“Better once than never, for never too late." William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew

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Beautiful, serious and studious Carlos Reyes has incredible college grades and a lacklustre love life. Unfortunately for his younger sister, family rules dictate that she can’t bring her boyfriend to their older sister's wedding unless Carlos brings a date.

A plan is hatched, the scene is set and strings are pulled to orchestrate a romance. However, Romeo comes in the form of TK Strand, and TK's never been particularly good at following the script of a love story.

OR

The Tarlos adaptation of 10 Things I Hate About You.

thank you to the multitude of people who have kept me going on this one over the years(?). it's literally been almost two years. insanity. you know who you are 😘 thank you, thank you, thank you.