#also drew carlos today

[dahldahlbills]

nano day 15

total word count: 582 😬

my main priority was finishing scene 9. which I did! I’m a bit clueless as to how scene 10 is gonna go, and I’m too tired to think abt it rn so that’s tomorrow’s problem lol

Officially halfway through nano!! Total word count is 21174, leaving me ~4k short from the goal. I’m hoping I can pick up the pace a bit next week. I keep telling myself that it’s fine if I don’t hit the 50k and I know it’s fine if I don’t. But being short 4k kinda stings lol. Like it’s right there. ah well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ we still have 15 days who knows what’ll happen

thank you to everyone who’s cheered me on so far!! The encouragement is extremely appreciated :’)

[russellsppttemplates]

I’m assuming that Carlos’ reader teaches like 11-12 year olds so if this isn’t what you imagine feel free to alter it, but a student in your class being a big fan of Carlos and not knowing your his wife and the student tells you about how much Carlos inspires him and writes an essay about him being your hero so you like tell Carlos and he invites the kid to the next race or something similar🥰

Note: I imagine it for primary school, and where I live that goes from 6 to 10, but I can tweak it a little! 🫶

"Today's essay is about your heroes - you're going to write about the people you look up to and why you look up to them", you said as the students gathered the materials they needed, "Can we also make a drawing at the end?", one of the girls asked, "sure! But only after you've written the essay", you stated, smiling as they started working in it.

When you collected all of the essays, you smiled as you took a peek of the people they mentioned: some mentioned family, friends, characters on TV but the drawing of a Formula One car caught your eye. It was your husband's car, the 55 on the side announcing it as much and the essay all about how he was someone the boy looked up to and wished he could meet him.

One perk of teaching children is that they would be curious to ask you all kinds of questions, but they would never bother with titles and names, and since you had kept your maiden name, you were sure none of them knew you were married to a Formula One driver.

You took a picture of it to show Carlos by the time you got home, "he drew me? My car, that is", Carlos said as he zoomed in on the photo, "wow, he's a big fan from what I can see", he smiled, "he should come to the next race here if you wouldn't mind having him for the weekend too", he teased.

A couple of months later, the boy and his parents sat with you in the garage, watching Carlos get ready for qualifying, giving him a high five before he kissed your cheek, "drive safe, we're rooting for you!", you smiled.

"Come with me, we can go and congratulate Carlos on his pole position!", you stretched your hand and ran to Parc Fermé, greeting Carlos and the boy spoke up, "that was amazing! You were so fast, it's unbelievable!".

(Thank you for sending this in ✨️)

[aphrostiel]

Mary & John Winchester

Today is the last episode of The Winchesters season 1. I had so much fun with this show, I really loved it. For this occasion I drew Mary and John, both wonderfully played by Meg and Drake <3

I also previously drew Latika and Carlos. Carlos def became my fav character from this show. All of the cast made a beautiful job. I hope to see them again.

[proustianlesbian]

today, i'm thinking about the moment i met Rodrigo Elgueta at this year's international comic festival. he did the drawings for a book he made with Carlos Reyes : "Les Années Allende" (The Allende Years). he was very kind and wrote me a dedication for my book, as well as drew Salvador Allende. i also spoke with another writer at this table who was spanish and we talked about Raúl Ruiz (my favorite movie director ever) who he knew and Guy Debord.

[myloveforhergoeson]

That's All She Wrote - Chapter 15

Previous chapter

Find me on wattpad and ao3!

Show: Big Time Rush

Pairing: James Diamond x Original Female Character

Chapter 15: Was I The Only One (1.15) ~ 12.5k

It had been one week since “Z-Day” as Camille and Jo had taken to calling Roxy’s break up, and the writer deemed overall that she was handling it pretty well. Especially if watching Pride and Prejudice on repeat while choking down her sixth frozen hash brown for the morning and bawling her eyes out counted as handling it pretty well. 

The girls had been more than generous when it came to sharing their time with the writer, who knew full well they had many important auditions to attend, but couldn’t bring herself to finally tell them she felt fine enough to be alone until this morning. Not only were they probably sick of hearing about Dak, but they also likely wanted a space to gush about their own new relationship developments without fear it would bring Roxy into a spiraling state of sadness. More than once did Jo mention her new official status with Kendall, and more than once did Roxy try and fail to hold back her tears - wishing she still had a faithful, loyal boyfriend.

She knew choosing to end their relationship was the right thing to do, but wished it wasn’t causing her so much pain.  

With Camille and Jo away, Roxy had planned to spend today in a similar movie-watching- hashbrown-eating fashion - she couldn’t get enough of Lizzie and Darcy and their stupid, perfect, amazing relationship that still worked out even though she was way out of his league - but Gustavo had called her to make sure she kept an eye on the boys for a little while. Apparently, he had a top-secret, surprise guest at Rocque Records and he didn’t want them making fools out of themselves in front of them. 

It probably would have been a better use of her time if he had told her who to look out for, but he had generously granted her the last week off of work, so Roxy didn’t say anything about it before her boss hung up the phone.

As the assistant made her way down to the lobby, she spotted Big Time Rush lounging by the pool reading their respective favorite magazines: Hockey Action Magazine for Kendall, Future Doctor for Logan, HELMET for Carlos, and Pop Tiger for James. Spying an empty chair by the long-haired boy, she scooted past him and noticed he had this month's new edition of the magazine. It featured one of her current favorite singers, Jordin Sparks, but unfortunately also featured a picture of Dak in the upper right-hand corner. 

What took over her, she didn’t know, but she smacked the magazine out of the boy’s hand before settling down on her chair and taking out her songbook to polish a few chords for her new song. 

James scoffed, picking up the magazine once more and reading one of the blurbs on the cover. “Hey, do you guys want to know Dak Zevon’s secret to perfect toast?”

Seems like someone’s mad I never replied to his message. Roxy registered, doing her best to not reach out and wring his neck at the mention of her ex. At least it had been long enough that she didn’t tear up at just the mention of his name.

The rest of the band shot James a death glare before hissing out a chorus of “No!”

Throughout the last week, they had seen her sparingly; only a few times on the way to the second-floor ice machine and once at the vending machines in the lobby, aggressively taking her anger out on a package of Cheez-Its that wedged itself in the gap between the glass. 

“It’s all in this month’s Pop Tiger.” The boy explained, waving the magazine around before Carlos snatched it out of his hands. 

“What I wanna know is, we’ve been in L.A. for four months,” He began, staring into magazine Jordin’s bright eyes. “When are we gonna meet some totally cool and hot celebrity, like Jordin Sparks.”

Yeah, because the last celebrity we met was just so cool...

Biting her tongue, the assistant drew out a few music staffs as a young woman with a large blue suitcase walked up to the teens. 

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Mr. Bitters.”

The sound of her voice was near perfectly recognizable from the writer, who had spent a lot of time listening to the album Battlefield this past week. Roxy looked up so fast that her notebook nearly slipped out of her lap and onto the damp pool concrete at their feet. 

In front of her stood Jordin Sparks, there in the flesh, asking her - and less importantly her band - for directions to the front desk. Maybe the band did hold the power of manifestation. 

Big Time Rush was less than cool about this, as they all huddled in towards Carlos, holding the magazine cover up a few times to compare image and reality before ultimately confirming they were the same person. All at once, they began talking, tripping over their words and giving nonsensical statements, to which the woman was taken a bit back. 

“Hi, Ms. Sparks,” Roxy greeted, pulling the pop star’s attention away from her dumb, babbling friends. “The front desk is right through those doors! And I’m Roxanne, if you need anything else.” 

With a nod of her head, Jordin thanked her and made her way toward the double doors to the lobby. 

So much easier talking to Jordin than… 

Thankfully her thoughts were swiftly cut off as a few beats of a melody came to her, fixating itself on the first lines of her song. These days, the only good it did her to think about Dak was in terms of songwriting.

Roxy was barely able to get anything down before the band jumped up, presumably to follow the famous singer, and dragged her along - not that she was complaining. There were only so many days she could sit in her apartment watching her movies in the dark; seeing what the newest person at the Palm Woods was up to seemed like an exciting alternative.

Catching up to the star, the four boys were calling out her name over and over again in order to grab some of her precious attention. Poor Jordin was just trying to get to the elevators, signaling to the assistant she would be staying in the hotel for at least a few days. Maybe she had a new project coming up, like an album writing or recording session.

Is it possible she’s Gustavo’s special guest?

“We just wanted to say welcome to the Palm Woods!” Kendall blurted out, seemingly very ecstatic that Jordin would be sticking around for a bit. Out of the four, he was normally the one to be the least starstruck.

Carlos beamed, following with, “We’re Big Time Rush.”

“We’re recording at Rocque Records.” Bragged James, running a cool hand through his hair.

Nest in line, Roxy waved. “I’m their songwriter-assistant! And a huge fan of yours.”

“What are you doing here?” Logan finished, eager to learn what the singer was up to while in Los Angeles. 

Slightly frazzled, Jordin looked between the five as she internalized their statements, “I’m recording at Rocque Records.”

Oh, my God…

***

Of course, the song Jordin had written to record with Gustavo had to be a love song. A sweet, sappy love song about being open and vulnerable and surrendering to your feelings for another person, while begging them not to rip out your heart and stop all over it. It was slow and incredibly melodic, perfect for Jordin’s soothing voice coming from the recording booth. 

As Roxy sat in the control room with Gustavo, she was focused on not allowing the oddly specific lyrics to hit too close to home - even if the words put her feelings into words better than “Stuck” ever did. As each line fell smoothly out of Jordin’s lips, she prayed that it was just this first verse that would bother her. 

Reaching back into the recesses of her mind to access as much information she had about Jordin Sparks allowed her to tune out the words and focus on the beautiful piano melody filling her headphones. Along with winning American Idol a few years ago, Jordin had released two full-length albums since then that had easily landed her as one of the hottest new artists on the Billboard charts. To have her recording a new song at Rocque Records was more than an honor; it was just another step in Gustavo’s path back to the big time. 

Easily singing the last high note of the song, Jordin inadvertently opened a small window for Big Time Rush to reveal themselves in the back of the control room, startling their boss, in order to cheer for their new label-mate. A smattering of compliments came flying out of their mouths, praising the singer for the perfect execution of her carefully crafted song. 

From the booth, Jordin cringed a bit, seeming to recoil at the praise. “Are you sure you guys like it? ‘Cause I’m not sure I’m feeling it yet.”

Immediately, the band switched up their words entirely to agree with her. 

Yikes, good thing that’s not one of my songs.

Beside the assistant, Gustavo stood up to silence the boys with a wave of his hand before turning to address his guest. “Don’t worry about the song, okay? Just take a little more time with it, and give me some time to fill in the chorus and add some layers. This song is gonna be a big hit. It’s gonna be great!” 

Absentmindedly, Roxy reached out and messed with a few of the buttons on the large control panel to save Jordin’s preliminary recording for the producer to listen to later as he was reworking the song. Though her headphones were nice and plush with wonderful noise-canceling abilities, she was still able to hear Gustavo yelling to the band behind her the moment he flipped off the two-way communication with the pop star. 

“Dawgs, Roxanne, I got a big present for you in my office!” 

There was no time wasted as the band rushed towards the other room, eager to see what Gustavo had for them. 

When Roxy didn’t move, still messing with the control panel in front of her, the producer hung around for a minute, waiting for the assistant to follow her band. 

“I know there isn’t anything in your office, Mr. Rocque,” Roxy said plainly, pretending to be incredibly interested in the tone and pitch sliders on the board. “Besides, you don’t need me today, I mean, you’ve already got a song-”

“It’s just a meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page. Come on.”

It wasn’t a request at this point, and the girl had nothing else to do besides follow the man to his office. On the way there, she unfortunately realized that would be the first time she would be in that room post-break up and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle it as gracefully as she had been handling everything else this past week. 

As she pushed open the large black door, she hesitated for a moment as she rocked back on her heels, before she looked up to find Big Time Rush locked in Freight Train’s embrace. This was certainly a better sight than imagining her and Dak holding each other in the center of the room, gently swaying to the dulled music from the dance hall. 

“Freight Train’s squeezing us!” Kendall squeaked once Gustavo entered the room behind his assistant as if that would help his situation at all. 

A bit red in the face from the pressure, James looked less than pleased, “This is our big present?”

“Yes!” Gustavo confirmed, making sure to look each boy dead in the eye as he spoke. “Because I want you nowhere near Jordin Sparks!”

Once Freight Train was sure everyone got the memo, he let the band go. 

Between breaths for air, Carlos cried, “What? Why?”

“Because you’re bad luck and destroy everything you touch.” Their boss deadpanned. 

Logan chucked a bit, nonchalantly leaning his hand back onto the desk behind him for support. “That is so not true.”

Once a bit of weight hit the big, black desk, the wooden leg crumpled and sent everything on top crashing to the floor. Papers flew, mugs shattered, and, much to the assistant’s pleasure, the large computer monitor hit the floor particularly hard, destroying the glass screen. 

From across the room where Roxy was leaning on the glass-paneled wall, she spoke up, “I’d say they’re the opposite. In fact, I think they’re my good luck charms.” 

Narrowing in on his point and ignoring all that had just occurred, their boss continued. “Jordin and her team picked me to produce her new song over every producer in this town. ‘Cause word on the street is, Gustavo Rocque is back.”

Yeah, thanks to my songs! was a thought the girl chose not to vocalize. 

“Now, Jordin is staying at the Palm Woods, which means, if she is by the pool, I want Bad Luck Rush to be in the lobby!” Gustavo screamed at the band, before turning to the young girl behind him. “And I want you to switch your focus to helping Jordin for the duration of her stay. Anything she wants, make it happen, and if she so much as breathes the same air as these four, I need you to call Freight Train and have the situation dealt with as I fix this song.” 

***

After Roxy had gotten Jordin back to the Palm Woods, the two sat out by the pool examining the song she and Gustavo had written. 

On the ride back, the singer explained to her temporary assistant her fears about being caught by the paparazzi at the hotel - since winning one of the biggest reality TV shows in the country, they had made her life a living hell. Wanting to make a good impression on her, Roxy had promised to do her best to keep her out of the public eye and since then had been on high alert.  

For the last 20 minutes, Jordin had been marking up the lyric sheets with suggestions for different notes and changes to the general melody while listening to the song over and over on her MP3 player; the assistant had cracked her notebook open in hopes of making any more progress on her own song. In the last week, she hadn’t been able to get anything down after her session with James in Studio B - which was both good and bad. At the very least she hadn’t been thinking of Dak every waking moment of today. 

From a quick scan for paparazzi across the pool, she noticed her band standing arms crossed inside the doorway to the lobby. It was clear they wanted to come say hi, but were respecting their boss’ wishes and staying away from the pop star. 

Quickly excusing herself, Roxy popped up and made her way toward the boys, catching the tail end of their conversation.

“Bad Luck Rush?” James scoffed, peering over at Jordin, “He’s wrong!”

Logan nodded his head in agreement, “It’s more like Roxy said, we’re good luck charms.”

“In fact, the best luck Jordin could have is spending her entire day with me!” The wannabe continued, pulling out a hand mirror and comb to freshen up before the rest of the band gave him some nasty side-eye. “Uh, I mean, us!”

Sucking in a breath, the girl laughed, “Oh I could think of much better ways for her to spend her day - like songwriting with me.” 

Evidently, her words startled the long-haired boy who must have been too absorbed in his primping to see her walk up, causing him to yelp and drop the mirror at her feet with a loud crash. 

Wide-eyed, Roxy looked down at the destroyed glass at her feet before panning up to the band. Each member had an equally terrified look on their face as they realized the ramifications of James�� actions.

Carlos was the first to speak, “You broke a mirror… That’s seven years bad luck!”

Pulling the remains of the shattered mirror off of the carpet and ringing the comb back to his hair, James rolled his eyes, “That’s ridiculous.”

“Heads up!” 

In a second, Logan grabbed Roxy’s hand and pulled her behind the large doors along with Kendall and Carlos. This left James wide open as a large beach ball coming from the pool bounced off of his head, followed by a large squirt of bright, white sunscreen from someone on a lounge chair directly onto his gray button-up. As the boy attempted to collect himself, Logan pulled the writer even farther back as a stampede of children appeared seemingly from nowhere headed directly for the pool, and by extension James. In no time he was mowed down by the kid mob.

Though it took a few seconds to collect his bearings, the singer eventually pulled himself off the ground looking a little worse for wear. 

“Oh!” He cried, holding the mirror up once more to examine his form through the sharded glass, before dropping it at the ugly image in the frame and running off towards the elevators. No doubt to get cleaned up and attempt to impress Jordin later in the day.

Kendall, stepping out from behind the doors, turned to his friends. “Guys, we’re not bad luck, and don’t let Gustavo get to you. Just enjoy the day, like I’m gonna enjoy my day with Jo by the pool.”

From across the way, Jordin got up from her seat and began collecting her items. 

“Ah, that’s my cue,” Roxy stated, giving a quick wave to the boys before taking off. “Stay safe! Don’t let James anywhere near Jordin!”

 After they had taken in what she had said, Carlos and Logan held Kendall back and began arguing about something unintelligible by the time the assistant made her way back to Jordin.

“Anything I can help with, Ms. Sparks?” She asked, grabbing her bag off the seat beside the star. 

Jordin picked her things up as well, “That’s alright, but thanks! I’m going to take a few laps around the pool to try and sort this song out.”

Beaming, Roxy nodded, “I’ll join you, then. I’m always looking for new songwriting techniques to try!” 

As the pair made their way down the stretch of the pool, the assistant noticed a twitch in the planter box beside them. From among the top of the foliage, she spied something that didn’t belong: a tree hat attached to the head of Reginald Bitters, holding a sleek black camera. 

What the… 

Scanning the area in front of them she noticed a vivid, yellow banana peel by the side of the pool - directly in Jordin’s path. The singer was too buried in her lyric sheets to notice and with her headphones back in to listen to the song, Roxy’s attempt to call her name was futile. 

Click!

Once the shutter of Bitter’s camera released, Roxy rushed forward and placed herself in Jordin’s path to stop her from stepping any closer to the banana, but in her haste miscalculated where her foot would land. Of course, in her heroic attempt to save Jordin from the paps, she would be the one to slip the moment her foot hit the peel.

Center of gravity shifting, she let out a small yelp as she helplessly began to fall backward. Anticipating a hard fall, the girl closed her eyes, tensing her body to brace for impact before someone’s hands shot around her waist to save her. 

Blood from her racing heart pooled in her ears as she slowly opened her eyes, to find Kendall peering down at her, worry written across his face. 

“Woah,” Roxy breathed, trying to catch her breath as she stood weightless in his arms. “I’m so sorry-”

“Don’t worry about it, it was a lucky catch.” The boy grinned, giving her some time to collect herself.

Behind them, a pair of footsteps stopped echoing on the pool deck.

“Uh, Kendall? Roxy?”

Without thinking, the girl dipped her head back to find an upside-down image of Jo burning into her retinas. The assistant felt Kendall’s hands tense the moment he registered her voice.

“Jo.” He greeted calmly, peering down at his assistant before looking back up to his girlfriend. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

Roxy watched Jo’s knuckles turn white as she gripped her beach bag. “Really? ‘Cause it looks like you’re embracing my best friend.”

“It does look that way…” Roxy mumbled, watching in dismay as Jo began to walk away before she could explain what had happened.

Broken mirror, banana peel, jealous girlfriend… Maybe they are bad luck.

Once Kendall helped her back up, she gave him a fleeting statement of gratitude before running after Jordin. She, thankfully, had been able to keep her from wiping out in front of Mr. Bitters but since this scheme had failed, who knew how many more traps he could have potentially set up around the hotel. While being a bodyguard wasn’t on her list of dream jobs, for now, Roxy was content to keep the singer safe. 

A few dozen laps around the pool later, Jordin was still lost in her own little world, leaving Roxy on high alert as they continued to pace - even with her aching feet. While this strategy seemed to work for Jordin, the assistant found that her hyper-awareness of their surroundings did not make for good songwriting material. The only thing she could think about as they went around and around was Jo and how much she couldn’t wait to explain what had happened earlier. 

It was interesting to learn that her friend was the jealous type; that felt more like a Camille quality than anything. 

Another go around allowed the acute danger-detecting sensors in her brain to spot Logan and Carlos moving around the pool like they were in a cheesy spy movie while talking into their watches like walkie-talkies. Dressed in nice black suits with a lapel pin of a four-leaf clover and dark aviators, the assistant could only assume it was some form of protest against Gustavo’s title of “Bad Luck Rush.”

The fake spy antics brought the two together at a table by the side cabanas that had been set up for what looked to be a nice, romantic lunch. Kendall stood beside them, adjusting the tablecloth - suggesting that his day at the pool with Jo was quickly turning into an apology date. 

It reminded her of Dak more than she cared to admit. 

Caught up in her head now, Roxy let her guard down for a moment as she tried to push the thoughts of her ex-boyfriend out of her mind. The last week had been more than enough time to get her act together and she hadn’t even gotten a good song out of it yet. 

Losing my mind is all I can do, ‘til I forget about you… 

Now, in front of both the pop star and the assistant was a fairly large black cat sitting down, licking one of their hind legs. 

Too concerned with digging around in her bag to find her songbook and write that thought down, Roxy was unable to stop the unlucky obstacle from bothering Jordin. Thankfully, unbeknownst to her, both Logan and Carlos bolted over and picked the animal up to relocate it, cooly saying hi to the girls as they passed by. 

“Hey Jordin, hi Roxy!” Carlos cooed, cradling the cat in his arms and doing his best to act very nonchalantly about it. “‘Sup!”

“Working on the song…” Both the girls mumbled, holding up their respective projects and ignoring any other interference. 

Wearing a satisfied smile, Logan held his hand out, “You two go do that!”

Their speech grew fainter as the pair continued their laps, both writing more on their respective pages as more ideas began to formulate.

Maybe Jordin’s right… The writer thought. This does seem to be helping.

Roxy’s revelation was quickly forgotten as someone from behind called out her name, causing her to turn around, only to be met with a large, angry, black cat landing directly on her face. 

Terrified, a scream left her lips as she dropped everything she was holding to try and pry the creature off of her. The cat, equally as terrified, thrashed around; scratching her face, digging its claws into her scalp, and tangling its limbs in her hair - causing an extreme amount of pain on the girl's part as she continued to wail in hopes someone would be able to help her. 

The writer was hopeless as she tried to stumble to a chair in order to ground herself, her vision obscured by the angry creature. Entirely focused on the warm blood she could feel rolling down her cheek, her actions quickened, causing her to knock down a pool umbrella, a palm tree planter, and even send someone unexpectedly flying into the pool.

Trying to form an apology, the only sound she could make was “Mhh-orry!” as the cat continued to stick to her.

More struggling occurred, but only for a few more moments until she bumped into a chair and fell harshly down into it. 

Screw it.

With as much force as she could muster, she snatched the animal around the waist and pulled, fully detaching it from her body before gingerly placing it on the pool deck. As soon as it hit the ground, it ran off, scattering between two orange planters on the other side of the pool. 

Tangled hair covered her eyes, it took Roxy more time than she would have liked to gather what she could into a side part. A few places were sticky - with blood or something else, she didn’t want to know - and a few chunks detached into her fingers. Gently taking one hand, she reached up to her cheek and immediately winced. There was at the very least one visible mark left on her skin and it was taking everything she had in her not to burst into tears out of both embarrassment and shock.

Finally able to catch her bearings, she noticed a small table in front of the chair she was sitting on covered in a beautiful tablecloth and a variety of little finger foods arranged around a pastel flower bouquet. Across from her sat Kendall, mouth agape, who moved to shoo her away as fast as he could. 

“Oh!” Someone called from behind her, making her cringe. The frontman wasn’t trying to be rude, he was just trying to save her from another awkward situation with Jo. Safe to say he had not succeeded.

Jo stood, arms crossed behind the writer, staring her boyfriend down. “Now you’re having a girly, romantic lunch with Roxy.”

With a sigh, the girl stood up to face her friend. Cat scratches, matted hair and all, “Do you really think I’m in a space to be going on a date right now? You just sat with me for days on end while I was sobbing and trying to come to terms with my last relationship ending. I’d never do anything to hurt you like that, Jo.” 

“Seriously, It’s not what it looks like!” Kendall chimed in. 

“Just because you couldn’t keep your boyfriend doesn’t mean you can steal mine!” Yelled the actress before shoving past Roxy and Kendall, back into the hotel. 

All the writer could do was sit there as her jaw dropped and her eyes threatened to spill over with the tears she was desperately trying to hold back. There had been too much crying over the past seven days for her liking. 

“Rox, I-”

“Save it.” She cut him off, lip beginning to tremble. “Keep an eye on Jordin, please, and just… Stay away from me.”

Forgetting she had even dropped anything, she got up and practically ran into the hotel. A few cold drops fell from her eyes, hitting the cut on her cheek and bringing a salty, stinging pain. Whatever hurt more, the physical or emotional damage, Roxy couldn’t tell as she used the heel of her palm to wipe everything away. 

Typically, the staircase was a safe bet for getting onto the upper floors undetected and she had made it to the top of the second-floor stairwell before motioning to pull the door open. Since she had been just so lucky today, it shouldn’t have shocked her that as she pulled the door towards her, someone on the other side pushed it open - causing her to fall backward onto the carpeted landing. 

This cannot be happening to me right now.

“What the hell is your problem?” The girl bit, pausing for a moment to register who the figure in the doorway was. 

Looking back at her was James, hand still on the door handle, as pale as a ghost. 

They both stared for a second before the singer broke the silence, crouching down to her level trying to comprehend what had happened to his assistant. 

“Roxy…” He whispered, so gently, as a few more tears escaped her eyes. Though she should have, she didn’t stop him as he reached one hand out to cup her face and slowly swipe his thumb over her non-injured cheek. “How did you-”

Not bothering to finish his thought, the boy ran one hand down her arm to grab her hand - using it to pull her off the ground and back towards their apartments. 

***

One thing no one ever talks about after a breakup is the feeling of utter worthlessness one will experience. 

Over the course of the last week, it was safe to say Roxy was feeling quite worthless. Like she wasn’t good enough, or interesting enough, or pretty enough for anyone to have any sort of feelings for her. Did Camille and Jo actually want to be her friends or were they only interested in using her to get to the band? Do Gustavo and Kelly really think she’s a talented songwriter or did they just want to take a load off and use her to get rich off her music? 

Is James helping me because he cares about me or is he just trying to use me like Dak did?

An unfair thought for sure, and the girl knew that, but she couldn’t escape the little voice in the back of her head telling her there was no way another human being could care for her in any capacity. Even as James was delicately holding her chin to the side and wiping away at the cut on her cheek with an alcohol wipe from the small first aid kit he had found in the bathroom, she knew logically he must be doing this out of some form of care. However, based on his naturally flirtatious disposition, and the fact he asked her out hours after she had dumped her ex, Roxy had a sinking feeling form in her chest as she burrowed back into the orange couch. 

After the week I’ve had, I need someone to take care of me - even if it may send him mixed messages.

The sting of the alcohol bit at her damaged cheek, bringing her back to the present and out of her head. It had been a nasty place to live since Z-Day 

“Uh,” She tried, thinking a bit of light conversation might keep her from any more selfish thoughts. “Were you going somewhere? Earlier I mean, in the stairwell.” 

Pausing for a moment, James swallowed loudly before pulling his hand back completely. “No. Nowhere more important than being here.” 

Wow.

“And… I’m sorry for what I said this morning at the pool. I knew it would hurt you, and I was upset about how I ruined our night at the dance-”

“You didn’t ruin it. The only person who ruined the dance was Dak.” 

In fact, you made it better, was a fact she almost let slip, but was able to refrain from sharing as she followed his reach into the first aid kit. Talk about sending mixed signals.

It was hard to ignore the snort that left James’ lips as he pulled out two bandaids in their white, crinkly packages, holding them out in a ‘V’ shape. “Fuck that guy. Now, want the Incredible Hulk or Scooby-Doo to help you heal?”

Tell him, tell him, tell him! 

Finally, the metaphorical angel on her shoulder made its appearance to remind her of her selfishness as she dodged his question. 

“I’m sorry I ignored your messages afterward, I should’ve been clear with you. I’m not interested in seeing anyone for a little while.” 

“Scooby-Doo it is.” James declared, opening the package and leaning in close to her face to place it. 

Roxy thought about recoiling, but it was hard to deny the jolt that ran down her spine as the hand once holding her chin made its way down to the couch, pushing down a part of the cushion dangerously close to her thigh. 

“And it’s fine,” He said, practically whispering into her ear, as the sticky substance on the back of the bandage connected with her cheek. “I’d just hate to see another douchebag break your heart.” 

Only able to muster a quiet “Oh”, Roxy sank backward onto the couch as he turned away and moved to put the first aid kit back in the bathroom. Generously, he had left her a hairbrush on the coffee table to fix the number that the cat had done on her. 

Mind a complete blank for the few minutes he was in there, all the girl could do was let his words echo in her head as she untangled out her locks. When her heart wasn’t racing, he could be quite easy to talk to. 

Now who’s sending mixed signals? 

“I’m gonna head to the park now, unless you need anything else.” The boy called from the kitchen sink, washing his hands.

 Stay with me for a bit-

“Ah, I think Jordin said she was heading there. Something about a lucky wishing well? I swear I’ve been to that park a million times and I’ve never seen one... Probably a good idea for me to go with you.” 

With the well not at all related to wanting to spend a bit more time with James, the pair silently left the apartment - no one bringing their previous conversation any further than what they had already discussed. 

Not entirely sure how to feel about the whole exchange, at the very least Roxy left that apartment knowing for sure someone in Hollywood cared about her. She knew the rest of her friends did too, and she would soon realize once the effects of heartbreak wore off and put to ease the voice in her head telling her otherwise. 

The thought to find Jo and fully explain their situation crossed her mind, but the writer wasn’t quite sure how to face her yet. Even if they were best friends, Jo’s words had cut her to her very core. To insinuate she was interested in stealing Kendall was just plain rude, especially with the additional, backstabbing comment about not even being able to keep a boyfriend. 

Not like that hadn’t been the only thing she had been thinking about for the last week. Jo even knew, holding Roxy as she rocked back and forth on her bed in her blanket of stuffed animals, listening to her sob about how boring of a person she must have been to have Dak actively seek out another partner while they were dating. 

Keeping him isn’t the problem, Roxy realized as she stepped out into the beautiful, grassy area behind her home. It’s just a matter of picking the right guy.

Finally, after having such a strange, bad-luck-filled first half of her day, the writer wanted nothing more than to sit on one of the park benches and bask in a bit of sun while Jordin continued to work on the song. Thank goodness, she could spy the pop star from where she and James were standing together, lost in thought as she slowly walked towards the well on their right.

She would have to ask Bitters about the well later, still swearing it had never been in the park before, but to be fair, if pop sensation Jordin Sparks asked her to build a well out back the hotel, she absolutely would too.

The monument stood about seven feet tall, covered in mossy stone and long hanging vines as if it had been a permanent figure in the park for ages, along with a weathered sign reading Wishing Well. Its beautiful stone base was decorated in small, orange flowers that almost felt dangerous to trod on in order to throw a coin down the well. There was even a small hand crank to retrieve what should have been a bucket on a string to collect water, but as the girl peered over the ledge down the hole, she realized there was nothing but dirt covering the bottom. 

Instinctively reaching to her back to open the flap of her small bag and grab a coin, Roxy realized she didn’t have it with her; meaning her songbook was nowhere to be found. 

Anxiously, the girl mentally retraced her earlier steps in hopes of determining its location before finding herself amidst a breakdown. 

Maybe it’s in the stairwell… or had fallen off my back after that cat attacked me.

“Ugh,” The girl growled. “I hate this bad luck curse!”

Preoccupied with her thoughts, she was a bit distracted in trying to find a place to think when she noticed James drop onto the grass - hands and knees and all - as he began to comb the piles of clovers spread out along the field. 

He glanced up at her from his place on the ground, “Then get down here and help me find a four-leaf clover. I’m trying to counter my mirror-breaking bad luck with good luck.”

“Mmm, I think I’ll pass. Rolling around on the grass doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time.” The writer decided, leaning against the edge of the wishing well. “Besides, I think I lost my bag. Did you see me drop it in the stairwell?”

Shaking his head, the boy went back to his search. 

Behind Roxy, the soft sound of footsteps being cushioned by blades of grass let her know that Jordin had arrived. 

Even though she was listening to the song through a pair of long, white earbuds, the faint tune was loud enough to be carried by the wind to the other side of the well. 

Sighing, the pop star dug a coin out of her back pocket. “Okay, wishing well, I’m recording a new song today, and I need some good luck.” 

Tell me about it. Roxy agreed, trying to focus on the beat of the song flooding across the well’s opening. The slow song filled her ears, if only it were a bit faster it would fit the band’s style perfectly. Maybe even a duet?

Across the field, a pair of agents dressed in black suits popped out from behind a tree, clearly spying on the two girls at the edge of the well. Logan and Carlos were still in their weird spy get-ups, talking to each other through their watches as they peered around the park. Whatever they were doing earlier had caused her more trouble than it was worth, so she silently prayed the two wouldn’t bring any more bad luck to Jordin’s - and by extension, her - day. 

Tap tap tap

Sounds of a hammer striking a nail instinctively caused the girl to glance to her right, where she noticed Kendall - keeping a respectful distance between himself and his assistant - setting up a game of horseshoes a few feet away from the outdoor lounge area while James continued to look for his clover. How much more cliche could this day get; now all the band needed were repeating 7’s, some ladybugs, and a wishbone to complete whatever bad luck countermeasures they were taking. 

Exchanging a few pleasantries with the boy in the grass, the assistant overheard that the frontman was setting up another date and made a mental note to avoid the right side of the field at all costs. The wannabe tried explaining his strange behavior, before realizing one of the game pieces might be good luck, lunging towards his best friend and trying to take the horseshoe from him. The pair struggled for a bit, unknowingly turning the object upside down in the middle of their tussle. 

Roxy was just about to go and break up their fight, and turn the horseshoe right side up, before Jordin called out to her from the other side of the well.

“I see you’re doing better!” The beautiful woman noticed. “I was pretty concerned after your catfight.”

Letting out a light chuckle, the writer didn’t feel like explaining the fight with her best friend hurt even more, before holding a finger up to her bandaged cheek. “I got lucky, just a little scratch.”

The statement was a bit ironic, considering the cat was black, but the two thought nothing of it. 

“Well,” Jordin said, reaching into the large stack of songwriting books and papers she had been cradling into her arm before pulling out a familiar black, leather-bound journal. “You dropped this when you were attacked. It looked really important so I held onto it.”

Eyes lighting up, Roxy rushed over to the singer and made a move to grab the book. “Oh, you have no idea how much that means to me! Thank-”

Ding

Something large and metallic hit the back of her neck, shocking the assistant as she felt herself begin to slip in and out of consciousness at the force. Still gripping onto the journal, she wasn’t aware of her body enough to let go as she tumbled forward, eyes closed - dropping completely into the well and accidentally taking Jordin with her. 

***

A few minutes later, Roxy came back to consciousness.

Save from her monster headache dominating what felt like every square inch of her skull, as she held out her limbs for a once-over she seemed to escape with no cuts or bruises. Someone, presumably Jordin, had propped her up against the cold, stone walls of the bottom of the well and a shiver shook her body as the cool atmosphere ran through her. 

“Thank goodness!” She heard Jordin squeal. “I was so worried you were seriously hurt… What even happened?” 

Rubbing the back of her neck, the girl winced as her fingers ran over the spot she had been hit. “I have no idea… Something hit me in the back of the head and I just… Passed out. I’m so sorry I dragged you down here with me. Are you okay?”

Leaning forward to collect some of her scattered books and papers, the singer nodded, giving her a sheepish look. “Yeah, you kinda broke my fall.” 

Roxy had no words about that, choosing instead to examine their surroundings and try and figure out a plan to get out. First, she checked her pockets, only to find she had left her phone in her missing bag - calling 911 was out of the picture. Next: the walls of the well. The smooth stones were embedded in some kind of concrete, making it impossible to get a grip or foothold out of any of the gaps. Then finally, she held her hand up to block the sun from her eyes as she peered up towards the top. The well was too deep for her to stand on Jordin’s shoulders to climb out and there was no bucket with a rope to pull themselves out with. 

We are so fucked.

Putting on a brave face, the assistant turned to Jordin with a bright smile, “We’ll find a way out of here.” 

That dream, however, was short-lived as the girl attempted to stand. The sudden movement of it all, combined with the aching of her joints as she slowly rose caused her knees to wobble, bringing her straight back to the floor. Her stomach churned, bile rising into her throat when she tried again placing her officially out for the count. 

A moment later, a penny flew down the well, conking the assistant on the head. It took everything in her not the empty the contents of her stomach right there as she hissed out, “Ow!”

It was even beginning to hurt with every word that left her mouth. 

“Guys, is that you?” Jordin called out, standing up as she tried to find which side of the well they were on based on the direction of their voices. 

As she spoke louder, an echo emanated off the stone walls, driving the girl crazy as her headache worsened. 

“Uh…” The sound of Kendall’s voice falling down on them felt like taking a cheese grater to her brain. “Don’t worry, you two. You can count on us! How are you doing? You good?”

Jordin threw her papers down in anger, “We’re in a well!”

Making the “phone” motion with her thumb and pinky fingers, Roxy tried to ask the pop star if she had hers on her person but weakly dropped the gesture as more echoes filled her ears. Just as much as the sound bounced off the walls, it felt like they were bouncing around her skull too.

“We have to call the fire department…” Logan said, voice not carrying since he wasn’t speaking directly into the well. 

Kendall scoffed, thinking his voice was out of earshot, “We can’t call anyone, or Gustavo will find out and kill us!”

“The second I’m out of here, I’m going to kill you.” Roxy declared through gritted teeth, hoping her voice would carry enough to reach the blond. 

Up top, someone shuffled around, “He’s going to think we’re bad luck.”

“Carlos!” James called, sounding incredibly irritated. “We are!”

A slap on the brick let the pair know someone was leaning over the edge of the well. “Jordin! Roxy! Everything’s fine. We’ve got a plan!”

Simply based on the panicked tone of Carlos’ voice, Roxy knew that was a load of bull. It was both a good thing and a bad thing she had gotten to know the boys well enough to tell their mood based on the way they spoke. Right now, she wished she could believe him. 

A bit of incoherent mumbling came from the surface that Roxy was unable to focus on. Though she knew she should be working to find a way out with Jordin, for now, all the girl could do was pull her knees to her chest and rest her forehead there. She had been the punching bag a few too many times today and the pain was starting to take its toll on her body. 

Across the well, the song lazily jumped out of the singer’s headphones allowing the girl to focus on it as her eyes fluttered open and closed. 

What had I been thinking earlier? Roxy questioned, trying to recall the idea she knew she had to help Jordin fix her song. Right now, all the calm melody was succeeding at was putting her to sleep. 

“Woah, woah!” Jordin started, glancing over at her trapped companion. “You need to keep those eyes open for me.” 

The task felt close to impossible, but Roxy did her best to keep her eyes on something; ultimately deciding to count the number of bricks that made up the circumference of the well. When that got boring after about 30 bricks, her attention turned to the song sheets the pop star had strewn over the ground. 

Gingerly, the girl leaned forward and snatched a few of the sheets and a pen Jordin had let fall as well. Perhaps by looking at the song, the assistant would be able to remember her earlier thoughts. 

Riddled with notes and add-ins from Jordin, the pages were a bit complicated to read, but it was nothing compared to the girl’s mess of a notebook. Quickly adapting, she learned that the singer used similar notation and was able to somewhat understand the changes she was wanting to make to the song. Most of the chorus flowed together nicely and the subject of the song was very romantic - Roxy tried to save herself the pain of thinking of her ex - but there was something off about the individual verses themselves. They didn’t fit together as well as the chorus did.

“Hey!” Kendall called from above, startling both of the girls who eagerly looked his way. “The boys are lowering me down. We’ll get you guys tied to this rope and get you out of here in no time.” 

There were a few seconds of silence before the blond let out a fearful scream, landing a few inches from where his assistant had decided to stretch her legs. At least his landing was far more graceful than hers could have been. Not only that, his arrival kicked a large amount of dust at the bottom of the dry well. The substance coated the girl’s lungs causing her to cough, another action that could be felt tenfold due to her injuries. 

“Oh, hey…” The blond said nonchalantly as if his plan hadn’t just ended in horrible failure. “What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Jordin hit back, picking one of the music sheets off the ground and gripping it so hard her knuckles turned white. “I’ve got a song I can’t figure out…”

Roxy let out another involuntary cough, “I slipped on a banana peel and got attacked by a cat…”

“And again!” The singer took over, “We’re in a well!”

Anger radiating off Jordin in waves, the writer made sure to cover her ears as the echoes rolled off the sides of the pit. 

At least now I can convince Gustavo to kill Kendall instead of me.

Another voice rang out from the entrance, “Kendall? Is that you and Roxy? And Jordin?”

The delicate voice of her best friend filled her ears, causing her to bury herself into her knees once more. She hadn’t even had a chance to discuss everything that had happened with Jo yet, and here she was again, ready to misinterpret another unfortunate accident. 

The three shared a similar statement, “It’s not what it looks like!” and based on the lack of response, it was likely Jo had already left the park. 

Did it ever cross her mind that we might need some help?

Trying not to think too much about her best friend’s terrible assessment of their situation, the writer turned back to the lyric sheets before a conversation between Jordin and Kendall erupted. Working on her own songs with noise in the background was already tough, but now with a fresh and new song, the task felt unachievable. 

“Look, I’m sure Logan, aka the Big-Time Brain, is concocting an amazing rescue plan as we speak.”

A scream coming from someone above grew louder and louder, telling the three that Kendall’s assessment of the situation was incorrect. 

3… 2… 1… 

Logan landed on the bottom of the well with a thud! kicking up yet another cloud of dust in his wake. A few seconds later a tape measure clattered to the floor beside him. Now that there were more people in the well, the narrow area for landing without hurting another person was growing smaller and smaller. 

Trying her best to get to her friend, Roxy was able to get a few inches closer to the center before a wave of nausea washed over her. 

“What plan was that?” Hissed Kendall, pressed flat against the wall of the well, as if he was trying to make himself smaller. 

Laying horizontal on the floor, Logan turned around to face the blond with a scoff. “Oh, I’m fine. Thank you.” Pausing for a moment, the singer rummaged around for the tape measure. “I was measuring the diameter of the well to fashion a crude pulley system when I slipped.” 

“Don’t worry guys!” Carlos’ voice rang down, “James and I are on the case!”

“You can count on us!”

At their words, Roxy gripped the papers she was holding just a bit tighter before sighing, “We’re never getting out of here, are we?”

The boys in the well agreed: “We’re gonna be here a while.”

Above, the pair began to vocalize their plans and ideas to save their friends from their entrapment - each plan dumber than the last. Though oddly enough, it was quite inspiring to the writer as she listened in. They were dedicated to helping, despite their natural skill sets falling away from detailed plans and daring escapes. 

Collaboration… She thought, reading over the lyrics once more. The entire love song, from Jordin’s perspective, was a heartfelt and open discussion about first loves and wanting to be cared for. So in her own head about fixing what she already had, the pop star had been blind to the possibilities that this song might be better suited for one - or in their case, four - more people. She just needed a different perspective. 

Taking the pen and underlining the second verse and a bit of the pre-chorus, Roxy took the choppy lines and wrote BTR beside them. Another once over, this time imagining all of the singers together, Roxy quickly etched out the rest of the sheet where she thought Jordin’s lines fit the narrative of herself and where her lines fit the narrative of her lover. 

“Jordin-” Roxy began, delicately picking herself off the ground and leaning against the side of the well for support. However, she was quickly cut off as Logan called something to the boys above.

“Carlos, did you just come up with an ingenious water displacement plan?” 

“Uh,” Carlos sounded unsure, “Yeah!”

Song first, then tell them I’m probably not able to swim.

Trying again, the writer finally caught Jordin’s attention this time. Shuffling over to the singer, she held up the page she had marked up and quickly explained her idea pointing wildly all over the sheet. “I think your song could benefit from a little extra help from a different singer - well, singers. If you sing part of the verse here… and here… then here again, and let the boys sing… these sections here, your love solo turns into a beautiful love duet. Like, a conversation of expectations before agreeing to be in a relationship.” 

At her own words, a small verse quickly popped into her head to the tune of Jordin’s song that would fill up a small bit of the instrumental break in the middle.

Anything I’m doing, I’d drop it for you

‘Cause you’re the one I’m giving my heart to

But I’ve gotta be the only one

Ouch.

Glancing over to the woman, Roxy noticed her eyes running back and forth over the page, mouthing the words to the sections the writer had designated as hers. 

“Ah, I don’t know-”

“Ahhh!”

Knowing this sound well enough by now, the four in the well pressed themselves up against the brick as James crashed down to the bottom, a green hose following in his wake. Before anyone was able to move to help him up, the boy placed his hand down on the floor, taking a handful of the dirt and letting it fall through his fingers. Remaining in his hand were a small group of shiny, copper pennies. 

His face lit up, “Millions of lucky pennies! I’m saved!”

Taking more handfuls and tossing them up in the air like a lucky-penny shower, James missed a distinct “Wah-hoo!” coming from the top of the well. Roxy barely had enough energy left to grab the back of his button-up to pull him back towards her before Carlos landed at the bottom. 

Neither of them said anything as the dust cleared, just a nod of thanks from the wannabe. 

As Carlos stood up, the rest of the band stared at him menacingly, “What did you do that for?” 

“I was lonely!” The boy defended. 

Silence flooded over the well as Jordin scrambled to put her papers together, handing a few more to the girl to no doubt mark up for a duet-style piece. 

Logan let out an anxious chuckle, clasping both of his hands together as he glanced over at the pop star, “Well, it looks like you may not make your recording session.”

Defeated, the boys lowered themselves to sit on the dusty ground. Assistant moving to join them, she gingerly laid her head on Kendall’s shoulder as she set about fixing the lyric sheets Jordin wouldn’t get to use for the day. 

“It’s okay,” The singer said, sitting down as well. “ Just when I thought we might have figured out the song, looks like I might not get to record it.” 

Clearing his throat, James stated, “I didn’t think the song was bad. How did you change it?”

Beside Jordin, Roxy gathered up the sheets and distributed them out to her friends. If they examined the writing she had made on the page, hopefully they’d be able to sell the singer on the idea of a duet. 

Softly counting down, the long-haired boy started from the pre-chorus, “One, two, three, four, to the five-”

“Now, Logan, can you add some background? And Kendall and Carlos, harmonies?” Roxy asked, writing down James’ part on the sheet she was holding. Though the boy’s voices were quite loud, she pushed through the pulsating pain to prove to Jordin that this song would benefit from some extra help.

Trying again, the band executed her wishes perfectly as they made their way to the end of the chorus. Their voices melded beautifully together, and the acoustics from the open space of the well aided them as the sound bounced around the group.  

Making a note to add lots of reverb, Roxy waved her hands in a circular motion to encourage Jordin to jump in too. 

The five sang the chorus one more time, this time deciding to end on a gorgeous high note that probably made its way to the farthest edge of the park. 

By now, there was no denying that not only was their song perfect, it just needed a little extra nudge to get to the place Jordin wanted it to be. 

“That’s it!” The singer cried, a grin splashing across her face. “That’s exactly how I wanted it to sound! Now you’ve got to get me out of here.”

In the middle of the well, Roxy spied the smattering of items the boys had brought down with them. How can we fit a rope, a hose, and a tape measure together?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Kendall sighed, “Well, there’s only one guy I know that can pull six people out of a well.”

***

Before the six of them knew it, they were tumbling out of the well and hitting the hard ground of Palm Wood’s Park all thanks to Freight Train’s incredible strength. 

Would it kill Bitters to seed this lawn?

Admittedly, Roxy still wasn’t feeling the best, and now she had rope burn covering her palms, but anything was better than being trapped down a well. 

The group expressed their thanks in a cacophony of groans and grunts as they worked to untangle themselves from one another. It was hard to tell where her limbs ended and her friends’ began. 

Before they were able to properly stand, Bitters popped out from behind a tree, holding the camera Roxy had seen him with earlier before she slipped on the banana peel. “Aha! Jordin Sparks pulled out of a well, tied to five losers. I’ll be rich!’

As quickly as she could, the girl threw her arms out to try and shield the pop star before yelling, “Freight Train, the camera!”

Thankfully, the man caught her drift as he reached one gigantic hand over the lens and crushed it. Hundreds of little plastic pieces dropped to the ground before Bitters wasn’t even able to get his finger on the shutter release. 

Of course, the hotel manager began to complain, but as he squared up to Freight Train it was clear he was fighting a losing battle. Like a dog with his tail between his legs, Bitters ran off in the direction of the hotel lobby. 

“Hey, guys!” Freight Train greeted, before giving out an ominous warning, “Gustavo isn’t happy. He knows about the well and he has a skunk in his studio that he can’t get rid of.”

Looking around at each other, the boys began to laugh, “Gustavo can’t get rid of a skunk?”

Finally able to get up, the band helped the girls gather their belongings before following Freight Train to the parking lot of the Palm Woods where a car was waiting to take them back to Rocque Records. 

The ride gave the girl a little bit of time to close her eyes and rest her body, warding off any more unwanted nausea. 

Upon arrival, the band ran up the stairs, assistant in tow, as they beelined for the kitchen and janitor's closet near Studio B. Freight Train was kind enough to show Jordin the way to Studio A in the meantime. 

Each boy grabbed a tool to wrangle the stinky little creature: Carlos, a can of Sexy Dog Dog Food, Kendall, a cardboard box fashioned onto a long rope, James, a large piece of cardboard, and Logan, a packing tape gun. Before making their way out to the hallway, they handed their assistant a pair of bright yellow dish gloves. 

“No way I’m helping you catch a skunk.” She deadpanned, trying to hand the items back, “Knowing my bad luck I’ll just get sprayed.”

Logan waved her off before crossing his arms and leaning back-to-back on Carlos, “It’s nothing the Good Luck Patrol can’t save you from!”

“We’re pros at this, don’t worry.” Kendall jumped in to assure her. “You just need to hold the box steady so Logan can tape it down.”

Carlos twirled the can of food in his hand, “It’ll be fun, we promise!”

They must be out of their minds.

Begrudgingly, she slipped the gloves on and followed the four out into the hallway. 

Towards their boss’ office, they noticed he and Kelly were pressed with their backs up against the wall - a small black and white fluffy creature at their feet. With its tail up, there was no mistaking this was an angry skunk, ready to attack the adults at a moment’s notice. 

Counting backward from five, Carlos leaped into action.

Sliding down the hallway on his knees and a “Wah-hoo!” the boy opened the can of food with a satisfying crack! catching the animal’s attention. Once its head turned towards the singer, he threw the can at an angle, letting it spin out over the carpet right in front of the skunk to keep it distracted and in place. 

As it moved closer to the can of food, Kendall, who had made his way to the other side of the hall, swung the box-on-a-string a few times in a circle, before sending it flying in the animal’s direction. Just as the skunk went to take a little bite of the food, it was captured under the box.

Now, it was Roxy’s time to shine. Running down the hallway, giving Carlos a high-five on the way down, she made her way to the large box of cardboard that trapped their prey. On her left, James jumped out from behind the couch with his piece of cardboard and as she held the box down so the skunk couldn’t escape, he slid his item under. Now that there was no open space, the skunk would be unable to roam freely around the studio. 

Still holding it down just in case, she watched as Logan popped out from behind Kendall with his tape gun. With James folding the sides of his cardboard to fit the dimensions of the box, the other boy was able to take his tape and run it all along the edge to ensure the skunk was trapped inside. In another fluid motion, he detached the rope from the top.

Once the boys backed away, Roxy picked the box up carefully, being very mindful of the creature inside. Turning to face her boss, she pushed it into his hands as her band proudly proclaimed, “Here’s your skunk!”

There were no thanks, just shocked looks on their boss’ face as he yelled, “How did you do that?”

“We catch stuff all the time in Minnesota,” Kendall stated as though it was an obvious fact anyone would have known about them. 

Carlos clapped once, jumping in, “Yeah! What did you use as bait, a lady skunk puppet?”

Laughter rang out over the floor of Rocque Records, from the assistant, her band, and her bosses. The latter laughed just a bit too long, suggesting Carlos’ comment may not have been all that far-fetched. 

“Enough!” Their boss cried once he caught wind the teens were laughing at him and not with him. “Let’s hit the studio, it’s time for Jordin to record her song.”

As their boss said, everyone piled into Studio A, ready for what the rest of their day would bring. 

The band naturally formed a straight line, while the other adults and Roxy stood to the side, which Gustavo used to pace back and forth between them as he gave out his orders. 

When Kendall had made the phone call to Freight Train earlier, Roxy had learned the boys were the ones who caused her to fall into the well. As she had reached to take her songbook from Jordin, they had all been arguing over a metal horseshoe from the game Kendall had been setting up. It had slipped out of their hands, flying through the air in just the right manner to hit the writer in the back of the head and send her tumbling down the well. 

Their actions had been horrible and caused her a lot of pain, but more than anything she was happy it lead them down a path where they were able to work out Jordin’s song. She had forgiven them, but now it was up to their boss to see whatever disciplinary action he would like to take. 

“Now, in light of recent skunky events, I have decided not to kill you. 

The band loudly breathed a sigh of relief. 

“However, you blatantly disregarded my orders to stay away from Jordin Sparks and proved once again you are Bad Luck Rush.”

“Mr. Rocque!” Roxy called from the other side of the studio, a slight shake in her voice as she stood up to the producer. “I think I’m the bad luck charm. In the span of a few hours, I slipped on a banana peel, I got attacked by a black cat, and I was the first one to fall down the well. If you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.”

Gustavo turned back to face her, face growing red.

“No, no!” Jordin said from beside her, holding her arms out in defense. “Roxy and the boys are good luck!”

At the statement, Kelly raised a brow. “They knocked you down a well.”

“Yeah, but if I hadn’t fallen down the well, we would have never figured out the song.”

Their boss blinked a few times, allowing the statement to fully resonate. “They helped you figure out the song?”

Excitedly, Jordin shook her head. “It’s not a solo, it’s a duet!”

Gustavo let out a bout of laughter at her comment, raising his voice a pitch higher in disbelief as he began to point backward toward them. “A duet? A duet with Big Time Rush? That is the most,” He paused to catch himself in front of his new client, “...Greatest idea I’ve ever had.”

Of course… No love for the writers.

At her boss’ command, the girl grabbed five microphones and set up the dance studio for an impromptu recording session. The boys were given plenty of time to learn their parts, and Gustavo had even listened to a bit of her input as he was picking different settings on the soundboard. 

He quickly tracked the piano, along with the assistant on her muted acoustic guitar so the band and the pop star would be able to have a background track as they sang. 

After reading Jordan’s pages over and over again in the well, Roxy had internalized the song - so much so it barely made her think of Dak anymore as she had on her first listen. As the song said, love was dangerous, a message she had unfortunately found out the hard way. But, after a day of being with friends and getting back to work, her heart hurt just a little less than it did yesterday. 

I’m going to be okay, she determined as the song began playing for the five to record vocals to, reaching up to touch the plastic bandage on her cheek. 

Slowly, the low R&B melody filled her headphones in the control room and she watched as the recording process began. Though she was happy to see her friends do their job, it always felt kind of awkward for them to perform a song for the first time. Mostly, the girl had taken to imagining music videos the band could make and putting them in that scenario in her head.

For this song, visions of black and white on a classic late-night talk show sound stage filled her head. Both the band and Jordin would be dressed in vintage suits and a vintage dress with the pop star taking the lead. 

Quickly jotting the idea down in her songbook, she focused on that as the song quickly came to an end. 

A cheer from everyone in the studio lit up the singers’ faces, letting them know they had nailed their initial take. 

“Gustavo, that was awesome!” Jordin cheered, hands still gripping her microphone in excitement 

Her boss nodded, taking his headphones off, “So awesome, in fact, that I’m teaming you up for one more project.”

Gathering everyone back in the studio, he clued them into why a skunk had miraculously appeared in Rocque Records. Apparently, since the ‘90s their boss had been locked in a conflict with another music producer, the owner of Hawk Records. Once Hawk had caught wind that Jordin Sparks had chosen Rocque over him, he sent the skunk in hopes it would convince her to jump ship and pick his record company instead. 

Proposing a quick trip to Hawk Records, skunk included, Gustavo came up with a plan to distract Hawk long enough to place the skunk into his limousine as payback. 

Hawk Records was clear on the other side of town, and it made Roxy incredibly nervous to travel with the skunk, but once they got there their plan was set into motion. 

Handing the assistant her phone, Roxy quickly dialed the number Gustavo had given her. 

“Hawk Records. Hawk speaking.”

“Hello, Mr. Hawk, I’m calling you from the office of Jordin Sparks. Please wait one moment while I get her on the line.”

“Jordin Sparks- as in Jordin Sparks?” The man on the other line didn’t even try and hide his excitement. 

Quickly taking over the phone from the writer, Jordin said, “Yup, that’s me. You were right, Rocque Records stinks. I want to record my song with you instead.”

While the man on the other line continued to speak, she covered the speaker with her hand and made a shooting motion with her hand - meaning it was finally go time. 

The moment Hawk’s silver limousine pulled up in front of the building, the band managed to open the door to the backseat and gently let the skunk go. Once outside of the box, the animal understandably ran as far away from it as possible. Now, Hawk was in for a taste of his own medicine. 

When the doors to the building opened, everyone ducked behind the vehicle as they heard him call out, “Get me to Rocque Records. I beat Gustavo again! Yes!”, as he entered the limo before emitting an evil laugh. 

Pulling away, the car moved a total of 30 feet before the driver slammed on the brakes. The door to the backseat was nearly knocked off its hinges as Hawk let out a guttural scream, holding his hands up to his eyes. 

Guess old Skunky did the tick.

***

The following morning, the band and their assistant got up bright and early to see Jordin off before heading to work. 

Once they had successfully pulled their prank and made it back to the hotel the previous night, Roxy made a beeline for Jo’s apartment - showing up with flowers and a signed copy of Jordin Sparks’ new album Battlefield before explaining everything she had seen was a product of her bad luck. Thankfully, the actress had already had some time to think about what she had said to her friend and profusely apologized for her harsh words. After seeing Roxy get cheated on, she explained it was like a switch had flipped in her brain. Any time she saw Kendall with another girl it freaked her out, but she had never meant for her friend to get caught up in it. 

After a lengthy conversation, the two had finally made up. Not only that, Jo had been meaning to return the mini backpack she had found poolside when she ended up catching the pair on their “picnic”, so Roxy was finally able to reunite with her other precious belongings.

Now, the boys were standing off to the side of the hotel check-in desk talking to Jordin, who had already wrapped the writer in a bone-crushing hug. 

“Good luck with your writing, I’m sure it’ll save more than me one of these days.” The singer gushed, gathering the assistant in another hug she happily returned. Hopefully, they’d cross paths again. 

“Thanks, Jordin,” Roxy replied, handing her a sticky note with her phone number on it. “Call me if you’re ever in another bind - be it writing a song or stuck down a well.”

The two shared a giggle before Jordin turned to face the band, “And you guys, good luck on your album! ‘Cause I could use a really great opening act in concert.”

Reaching out, she pulled Carlos and Logan into a hug as well. Behind her back, the two did their Good Luck Patrol handshake before she moved to hug James. He, of course, ever the dramatic, needed to be physically pried off the singer by his bandmates. 

“And I hope you and Jo work things out,” She said, reaching out to embrace Kendall. 

He assured the singer they’d be fine, but not before Jo walked into the lobby, witnessing their sign of physical affection. With an Ahem! his girlfriend caught his attention before storming off towards the pool. 

“Dude,” Roxy face palmed, “I just smoothed things over for you! Way to make it worse.”

“Wait, here!” 

In an instant, Jordin had pulled a beautiful bouquet of flowers that were sitting in a vase on Bitters’s desk and pushed them into the frontman’s hands. It didn’t take long for him to run after her, assuring her the action was not what it had looked like. 

A loud honk from the parking lot let Jordin know her ride had arrived, and as everyone waved goodbye they were filled with a large sense of satisfaction. 

Today, a song with Jordin Sparks, tomorrow, who knows?

[milkcartoncatkid]

GUYSGUYSGUYGSGSTSHSGE HERES MY PERSONA FR THIS TIME

and here’s the analysis of his design :3

INTRO

name: aspen

pronouns: he/they

species: chaos demon, half baku

age: ageless

agere: yes

likes: making friends with apparitions, video games, multiverse hopping, tricking people, music, poem writing, those cookie ice cream sandwiches, kisses, hand holding

dislikes: alc0h0l/drvgs, loud noises, bright/flashy lights, crowds, clocks, dresses

universe of origin: anti-void (hi undertale fandom)

multiversal friends(I AM CRINGE BUT I AM FREE): Tsukasa Yugi, Magolor, Marx, Taranza, Susie, Kasane Teto, Rin Kagamine, Kokichi Ouma, Carlos De Vil, Pearl Houzuki, Frye Onaga, Callie Cuttlefish, Una Otomachi, Idia and Ortho Shroud, Killer!Sans, Horror!Sans, Ink!Sans, Mizuki Akiyama, Emu Otori, Saki and Tsukasa Tenma, Flamberge, Francisca

lives: goes back and forth between universes to Planet Popstar, Splatsville, and Empty Sekai

HEADCANONS

spends a lot of time on Planet Popstar, but often retreats to Empty Sekai if things get too overwhelming

they always spend Splatfest weekends in Splatsville, and will occasionally take the train to Inkopolis

he HATES clocks. they remind him of Bad End Night, and Galactic Nova

loves to cause chaos, but usually runs from it pretty quickly as he doesn’t like the aftermath

”DAMN bitch you on dat ZAZA OR SUMTHN??” - Aspen during Magolor’s boss fight

loves plushies and WILL steal them

im gonna make a special age regression post about him someday

they actually were on a lower level of the tower but did witness the events that happened in the Hell Of Mirrors in the tbhk universe

can only universe hop about three or four times a day, or else he gets really sick and nauseous (the exception is the anti-void; they can get here whenever they need to with ease)

he can also jump around timelines.. spooky dude

may or may not have been the reason Lor Starcutter crashed…….. dont ask

has a special music box, it plays Isabella’s Lullaby from TPN, but it was a birthday gift from Susie

CHARACTER DESIGN (rlly bad srry)

his hair is messy becuz i like messy hair, the horn thingys are inspired by both Taranza and also Tamari from Reckless Battery Burns/Qualia Automata, the wings are inspired by Meta Knight and Marx (when retracted they look somewhat like Meta Knight but when extended they look more like Marx), the clothing is inspired by Tamari, the shirt design is supposed to be like the warp star from Kirby, the jeans i mention i just thought of becuz i like the jeans a girl named Kaitlyn usually wears in history, just any random sneakers will work when drawing him, and the sleeves are over his hands becuz one im too lazy to draw hands two it fits that alt art style and three it just looks cute, and i drew a star on his face to represent the Star Allies Sparkler from Kirby Star Allies in tribute to it being the first (and so far only) Kirby game ive finished

i rlly like his design and fun fact the first time i drew his final design today was on the back of a statewide testing material for science :3

[rabbitcruiser]

National Mousse Day

National Mousse Day is celebrated on November 30 every year, and we can’t wait to whip up some lovey-dovey sweetness for our near and dear ones. If you’re fond of decadent desserts, you should definitely get the most out of this food holiday. Did you know that the word ‘mousse’ is derived from French? In Old French, it means ‘froth’ or ‘foam’. As the name suggests, this appetizer is made by beating egg whites and cream until they turn light and fluffy like foam. Although it is more popularly served as a dessert, mousse can also be prepared as a savory. Depending on the type of mousse, its consistency can vary from thick and creamy to light and airy. Originally prepared in France, mousse found its way into the United States only in the late 19th century. And aren’t we all glad that it did?

History of National Mousse Day

When someone says ‘mousse’, don’t you often imagine it as a chocolaty delight? We know — almost always! Surprisingly, mousse was first concocted as a savory dish in 18th century France. It was only in the latter half of the 19th century that fruit mousses became a thing. The French would add whipped cream into fruit, coffee, or liqueurs, or pour the cream on top in the shape of a pyramid. They called this ‘crème en mousse,’ which means ‘cream in a foam’. Present-day recipes of mousse have branched out from this bygone tradition. If you are not a fan of whipped cream, you may consider replacing it with some viciously whisked egg whites.

The most popular version of mousse today, chocolate mousse, wasn’t always so popular. In fact, it really got into the public eye in the U.S. in the 1930s. This was the time when chocolate pudding was being introduced into American food culture. You could say that the chocolate mousse drew its inspiration from pudding.

Mousses are ideally served cold, while sweet mousses are sometimes served frozen. The best thing about mousse is that it conveniently lends itself to both savory and sweet recipes. From a thick salmon mousse as a starter to smooth raspberry mousse or the classic chocolate mousse for dessert, there is practically no limit to the flavors that a mousse can embrace. Whereas it also works as a filling in pastries and parfaits, a savory mousse goes well with cheese and fruit platters, turning them into good-looking appetizers.

In many restaurants today, savory mousses are prepared using foie gras, shellfish, avocado, poultry, vegetables, cheese, and other ingredients. Commonly dished out as a light entrée or an appetizer, mousses are often stabilized by adding gelatin to them.

National Mousse Day timeline

1892 The Mousse is Documented

The first-ever documented record of chocolate mousse comes from a Food Exposition held at Madison Square Garden, N.Y.C.

1897 First Recipe Appears in Print

The Boston Daily Globe publishes one of the first recipes for chocolate mousse, in its  'Housekeeper’s Column.'

Late 19th century Fruit Desserts Make an Entry

The first sweet mousses make their entry into America, and they are fruit mousses topped with whipped cream.

1930s Mousse Introduced

Chocolate pudding — the predecessor of chocolate mousse — is introduced into American food culture.

National Mousse Day FAQs

Is there a separate holiday to celebrate chocolate mousse?

Yes! While National Mousse day celebrates all kinds of mousses, we have a day designated only for chocolate mousse. We celebrate it on April 3.

Is vegan mousse a thing?

Very much. With a lot of people turning vegan, restaurants are trying to incorporate vegan mousses into their menus. Some of the commonly known substitutes for whipped egg whites are avocados, cashew nut paste, and chickpea brine.

What are some of the best places to try mousse in New York?

While there are innumerable places in New York that serve mousse, the best ones include Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffe in East Village, Ferrara Bakery on 195 Grand St., Carlo’s Bake Shop on 625 8th Ave, and Dulce Vida Latin Bistro on 1219 Lexington Ave.

National Mousse Day Activities

Try a new mousse recipe

Go out for a moussey dinner

Shout out on social media

National Mousse Day is the perfect occasion to try your hands at baking, and whip up a unique mousse recipe. We place our bets on salted caramel mousse, pumpkin mousse, and blue cheese mousse. Go on, let your friends and family oooh with your baking skills!

On a food holiday, what could be a better way of celebrating it than going out for a sumptuous dinner with your loved ones? We’d suggest you opt for a mousse parlor and try out interesting mousse dishes.

This National Mousse Day, raise a toast to the makers of mousse, for bringing this delicious treat into our lives. Create an appreciation post on social media to let the world know of this amazing food holiday.

5 Important Facts About Mousse

Thanks to electric mixers

What a fish!

Largest mousse in the world

Why foamy?

Hot or cold?

The invention of electric mixers led to the widespread popularity of mousse — it is assumed that the first mixer with an electric motor was invented by Rufus Eastman in 1885.

Fish mousse, paired with bread and butter, used to be a much sought-after meal in America — although it has lost its popularity in recent times, fish mousse is still served as a party dip, by esteemed mousse aficionados.

Aventura Mall in Miami set a  Guinness World Record for the largest chocolate mousse, by preparing a mousse weighing about 496 pounds.

Eggs and cream when beaten to perfection form air bubbles that give mousse its light and airy texture.

Mousse can be frozen to make ice cream, as well as served hot.

Why We Love National Mousse Day

A divine dish

Versatile

Meetups and hangouts

Isn’t it wonderful to have a day designated to appreciate the beauty of mousse? You can’t deny that a scoop of creamy mousse has the power to brighten an otherwise mundane day.  And we absolutely love that about mousse!

Whether you’re craving a dessert or a savory appetizer, mousse can always bend itself to suit your taste buds. Basically, it can make everyone happy.

Mousse Day gives us the opportunity to invite our friends over for a bake-over (like a sleepover) and hang out with them at our favorite dessert parlor. Isn’t that lovely?

Source

[f1]

A bit of learning for everyone in Piastri-Sainz collision Stella | RaceFans Round-up

In the round-up: McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says his driver Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jnr can both learn from the collision which ruined their races in Spa. In brief The stewards did not investigate the first corner collision which left Piastri and Sainz with race-ending damage. “We trust their operations, we trust their judgement,” said Stella in response to a question from RaceFans. “It doesn’t change the outcome. Carlos got his damage as well, he needed to retire, so there’s a bit of learning for everyone and we move on. Piastri retired because the collision left him with broken steering. “There was no way to continue,” Stella confirmed. “I briefly took a look with Oscar at the incident and it looks like, to be honest, Carlos kind of either he didn’t know that Oscar was there, or because he needed to avoid the car ahead just drove onto Oscar and there was a wall delimiting the space available, so a big shame.” Williams’ speed vexes rivals Williams failed to score at Spa but the straight-line speed of their FW45 drew jealous remarks from rivals. “I’m going to probably have nightmares of that Williams rear wing because these guys, it seems like a different category in the straights,” said Pierre Gasly, who put a superb pass on Alexander Albon in the middle of the lap. Zhou Guanyu scrapped with the other Williams. “I tried to get past Sargeant,” he said. “The Williams, they’re so quick on the straight. At old Monza they would be winning.” Pourchaire staying humble after regaining lead Theo Pourchaire moved 12 points clear at the top of the Formula 2 championship after a double podium weekend in Belgium. Former leader Frederik Vesti failed to start the feature race after crashing on the reconnaissance lap. But with six races left, Pourchaire is aware “we have to be consistent” to stand a chance of delivering the title. “I try to stay humble, I try to stay focused on myself, you never know what can happen,” he said. “I need to take it race after race, push, and the championship, that’s for sure a dream. That’s my goal. But we never know what can happen. So I’m just focused on race after race and doing my best.” Goethe and Gray get grid penalties Oliver Goethe has been given a 10-place grid penalty for the next race he competes in, after his Trident team personnel remained on the grid after the 15-second signal before the start of yesterday’s feature race. He was initially given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, but because that was converted to a grid drop after he retired from the race. Oliver Gray was given a five-place grid penalty for the next race he competes in after causing a collision with Hugh Barter at Spa. The Carlin driver locked up at turn 18 and hit his rival who was trying to pass him. Race control deemed Gray “predominantly responsible” for the collision in view of the mixed conditions. Gray was initially given a 10-second time penalty which was later converted due to him not finishing the race. Two penalty points were also been added to his licence. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Happy birthday! Happy birthday to Egc and Osvaldas31! On this day in motorsport 40 years ago today Mario Andretti won the CART IndyCar race at Road America via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[landinoandco]

A Game of Chess

Carlos Sainz x reader

Request from @leesuhnakamoto-krys "Carlos Sainz x reader fluff"

Warnings: fluff, a slight reference if you squint.

Word count: 2.2 k

Requests are open :)

This year - due to the current pandemic - there were to be two races in Austria, however to keep with the theme of ‘no two races the same’ they were to be called different things: the Styrian grand prix for the first race and the Austrian Grand Prix for the second. This weekend saw the first of the two and your boyfriend Carlos Sainz finished a respectable 6th place behind his former teammate and current best friend Lando Norris. 

The majority of the grid had decided to stay in the surrounding area, making the most of the time they had - not only to keep on training but to explore. 

Travelling the world with Carlos was a dream come true and you were so lucky to be able to do your job on the move - you were a travel blogger/vlogger and were pretty well known for it as well. A large following of people that enjoyed watching your weekly lifestyle and travel vlogs alongside the photography that came with it. 

It was the Monday following the race so Carlos had taken it as a rest day, you had woken up that morning in his arms, tracing circles on one of them as you both spoke about your plans for the day. 

“And a haircut is what I really need.” He said to you, as you moved a strand that had fallen into his eyes. 

“No, I like it long, you look more -” You paused. “Mature.” Giggling, you moved your hands up to run your fingers through his hair. He shook his head at you, a large smile plastered onto his face. He leaned forward onto his forearms, connecting your lips together for a brief second before pulling away and rolling out of bed. Leaving you, still huddled in all of the covers, watching him as he strode across the room to the hotel chest of drawers, pulling out two t-shirts; one of which he put on and the other being chucked in your general direction. 

“So, cariño, what is your plan for today?” Carlos asked, flopping onto the bed and looking up to you.

“I think I’m going to go and explore the town, some of my followers have recommended a few places so I think I am going to check those out, take a few photos-” You trailed off as he began to draw patterns onto the palm of your hand. You smiled fondly at him, you had met just before lockdown completely by chance after you bumped into him in a train station. He had asked for your number and feeling like he had given you no reason to say no, you did and as it turns out, it was the best decision of your life. “What is your plan for the day ahead, mi Amor.” 

“I think I am meeting Lando this afternoon at a café down the road. I’m going to teach him to play chess.” He said proudly, emphasising the word ‘chess.’ 

“Chess?” You questioned, reaching over for the top and putting it on. It was one of his old team McLaren t-shirts, you scoffed at his still apparent loyalty to the team; admittedly it was your favourite but Ferrari didn’t need to know that. 

“Yes.” Carlos stated, he then pointed at the t-shirt you were wearing. “I would recommend not leaving the hotel room with that t-shirt on. I don’t want to get into trouble.” He fought to keep the smile off of his lips. Your eyes lit up, “I wouldn’t even dream of it, mi Amor.”

You had agreed with Carlos that as soon as you had finished what you had set out to do that morning, you would meet him in the café alongside Lando. “Do you fancy playing a game of chess with me, later?” You had asked before you went your separate ways. 

Carlos gave a lopsided grin and kissed your forehead. “We will see, cariño, we will see.” With that he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked down the street. Styria was a beautiful town, a handful of buildings situated in the mass of rolling hills and mountain tops that covered the landscape for as far as the eye could see. 

You had walked up to a stone viewing point at the peak of the town, a small bench that overlooked the south past Styria and into the Austrian countryside.

You loved this time you got to yourself, it allowed for you to sit and reminisce; bathing in all of the memories that lead up to this point in your life. You thought back to the day Carlos asked you to move to Italy with him - due to him changing teams. It almost broke your relationship, the thought of leaving all of your family and friends behind in England but in the end you decided it was an adventure too thrilling to pass on...

It was a breezy summer evening in London, the clouds had blanketed the city and a faint rumble of the traffic could be heard from your apartment. Carlos had messaged you earlier that day, asking if he could talk to you when he got home - for the remainder of that afternoon nerves had settled comfortably in the pit of your stomach. At last you heard the unlocking of the door, your head whipped around to see a tired looking Carlos to fall through the door with a sigh. As soon as he looked up and saw you sat on the sofa, his eyes gleamed. “Mi amor.” He said tiredly, his brows knitted momentarily before he nodded his head. “Right, my text message.” You nodded unsure of where this conversation was heading. It was early days in your relationship so anything was possible. 

“I got an offer from Ferrari-” He started, making his way over to you, you watched him intently, nibbling on your lower lip. “It’s an offer that in this industry you don’t turn down, obviously there is a lot to consider because it would mean leaving McLaren and-” He sighed, “This country behind.” 

A line appeared between your brows, you didn’t speak for fear of interrupting his train of thought. He took your hand in his. 

“If I signed with Ferrari, I would have to move to Italy-” Your mouth made an ‘o’ shape. “Which is why I wanted to ask you if you would come with me.” 

You definitely didn’t expect him to ask this, any expression that was on your face before had been wiped as you took to staring. “I’m asking a big thing and obviously you don’t have to answer straight away.” He rushed in response to your dumbfounded expression. 

For the next few days - after that conversation - the atmosphere between the pair of you had become tense, you had decided to call your sister and explained the whole situation to her. In a nutshell she called you an idiot for not saying yes immediately.  

“I’ve been thinking-” You began to Carlos that evening . “I would love to move to Italy with you. It’s a good opportunity to really write our story, explore the world - together. It will be such a great adventure.” Carlos didn’t need to ask you twice and he enveloped you into his arms and span you around, meeting your lips with his. 

“I love you.” He said, placing his forehead on yours. That night was also the first time those three words were exchanged. “I love you too.” You replied sweetly, your lips brushing his as you did so. 

You smiled fondly at the memory. You were so lucky to have found Carlos - actually you found each other - you like to believe that it was the universe who had a hand in it. Carlos was your soulmate and you were honoured to be able to call him that. 

Deciding it was time you made your way back to him, you started on your journey back to the main town - down the steep, winding path, birds darting overhead and the chirp of crickets sounding in the hedgerows. 

You reached the café and as soon as you opened the door, you were hit with the smell of warm coffee, you went over to the counter and ordered yourself a latte - casting your gaze around the old fashioned shop, you were surprised to see that only a few people were sitting inside; an older couple, who had taken extreme interest in the pair you were here to see. You chuckled to yourself as the barista placed your drink onto the counter in front of you. 

“Drew quite the crowd earlier.” He leant over the counter, pointing to the pair, they were stuck in an intense game of chess and by the looks of it - Lando was winning. Carlos looked up, shaking his head as Lando moved another one of his pieces off of the board; as he did he noticed you standing there and waved you over. 

“Yes, I bet they did.” You chuckled, taking the drink and nodding ‘thanks’ to him. Carlos pulled a chair up for you and motioned to the chess board in anguish, “You will not believe it, mi Amor. He is beating me.” Lando was sat on the other side wearing a cocky grin and his arms crossed onto the table. 

“So what you are trying to tell me, Carli , is that you taught Lando too well and now he is beating you.” You pointed out, the corners of your eyes crinkled. Carlos only glared at you, sighing dramatically. Lando played incredibly well and did take the victory, punching his arms in the air as he called out ‘checkmate.’ 

“The student becomes the master.” He cheered, high fiving you and offered to shake Carlos’ hand but Carlos pouted and pushed it away with his index finger. “No. How on earth did you win? I’ve only just taught you.” He cried out. 

You looked at Lando as Lando looked at you, both fighting the urge to laugh. You couldn’t hold it in as you held onto the table - both doubling over. 

“I love you, Carli, I really do but - boy - are you a sore loser.” You managed to say. 

“Well, cheers, mate.” Lando said getting up, wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes. “I’m going to head off now. Dinner with Jon.” You waved as he left, fist bumping Carlos on his way past. 

“Do you fancy a game with me now?” You asked, your elbow was resting on the table so you leant on the heel of your palm. 

“On one condition.” Carlos said, setting the chess board back up, “As long as you promise not to beat me like Lando just did.” 

“Of course, mi Amor.” You said, a hint of mocking in your tone. You admired the way he scrunched up his nose as he concentrated, working out what his first move was going to be. 

“The aim of chess is to be in control of your opponent, you want to be able to trick them into doing exactly what you want them to do.” Carlos said, moving his first piece. “You have to play with dominance.” He added theatrically. 

“You want me to be dominant?” You repeated incredulously, a smirk toying with your lips. “Well, why didn’t you say so. After all this time-” 

“Mi Amor.” He gasped, lowering his voice. “Not like that -” He stammered, a pink flush rising up his neck. You only winked in reply and made your move. 

“Go on, tell me more about chess.” You urged him on, watching as he went to make his move. He paused, met your gaze and narrowed his eyes. You shrugged innocently and he carried on; his gaze softened as a reminiscent haze coated his eyes. 

“You know,” Carlos began, placing the chess piece down and resting both of his elbows onto the table. “When my dad first met my mum, he taught her how to play chess and they used to sit in the kitchen on a Sunday morning after church and play. It was then my mum who taught me, on the weekends when my dad was away racing; we used to sit in the kitchen together on a Sunday after church and play. It was always the highlight of my weekend.” You watched as he fondly spoke about his family, warmth filled your chest. 

“You teach me well then and maybe we could turn it into a tradition.” You spoke gently, reaching over the table to take his hand in yours. Awe transformed his face as he gazed at you. 

Many years later you would end up making it a tradition, as you taught your daughter how to play on a Sunday after church as she watched her daddy race. You would tell her the story every time you would go to play and every time you would think about how lucky you were to have bumped into that stranger in the train station. They say that you will find your soulmate when you least expect it and after all these years - you would have to agree. 

[theamityelf]

Okay, so now I'm thinking about the Descendants characters in customer service roles, due to @go-sullivan's tags on this post, so here are my customer service headcanons for them, if they were all waiting tables.

Mal is not a people person and does not take negative feedback well. She's not used to working a job; she finds the work itself boring and the amount of it overwhelming. When customers are rude to her, she is yells back; when her manager scolds her, she cries and shouts. "This is really hard, okay?! I don't have to be here!" She drew a perfect diagram of which tables want which meals, but she does not have a good system of getting things to people quickly, and the angrier they get, the more spiteful she gets. Her greatest asset is that she can hold hot plates with her bare hands without a problem. She is strong enough to carry trays but not good at balancing objects on the trays. She drops a tray of drinks and gets angry at everyone else. She has absolutely been rude to people in the service industry before, and taking on their role prompts no introspection about this.

Evie is good at getting customers to like her. Just her demeanor alone deflates anyone who tries to have a problem with her. The few who do manage the audacity to say anything rude end up feeling foolish, just from her primly unimpressed expression. She is not efficient, but she is not terribly inefficient. When customers complain, "I haven't gotten my [whatever food] yet," she just smiles and says, "Oh, I'm sorry; it's not ready yet." It totally is ready; it's been sitting on a tray in the kitchen for several minutes now. but she has other trays to carry to other tables, and she will not rush. She walks like a princess, always. When customers flirt with her, she first breezily warns, "It's unfair to flirt with people who are on the clock." If they keep it up, she will just as breezily offer them a thinly-veiled threat relating to her family's history of poisoning people. They leave. Her manager is exasperated, but Evie doesn't mind.

Jay half-does it. He does the customer-facing part of it, because he's really good with people and he's curious how much he can get away with. If the customers see him enough, they won't think of him as negligent even if they haven't gotten any of their food yet. He wants to see how little work he can do while keeping everybody happy. Like Evie, he'll lie that their meals aren't ready yet. He'll also lie that someone else will be taking over the table for him (usually Carlos, as a joke), so that, when they're realizing that they haven't seen a waiter in half an hour (during which Jay is getting food to the half of his tables he hasn't told that lie to), he gets to walk over to them like, "Oh, have you not been served yet? I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll take over for Carlos, then. Let me get you those appetizers." His customers love him. He is a master at nailing the bare minimum.

Doing chores and being yelled at is a bit too familiar to Carlos. He follows all the rules to a T and nothing more or less. Follows the script exactly, with exactly the right intonation. It's how he avoids showing any of his weak underbelly. Moreover, it's how he avoids letting any pent up defensiveness or anger come out on anybody. He epitomizes the standard waiter. He is remote and accommodating. The customers who are nice manage to bring him out of his shell a little; when they ask what entrees are good, here, he gives a detailed answer about the flavor profile of everything on the menu.

Ben goes into it with full genuineness and kindness. "Good afternoon. My name is Benjamin. Can I take your order?" (His manager had to teach him how to sound casual, since he's used to waitstaff who use much more flowery language.) The first time a customer is rude to him (about not having received their appetizers yet; the place is packed today), he is more perplexed than anything. "I'm sorry, I'll get that to you right away," he says, with a quizzical frown. Are people really like this? As he gets to see more and more of this kind of treatment, he becomes frustrated, not on his own behalf (as, at the end of the day, he's still the king, and anyway he's had to deal with councilmembers who, while nowhere near as rude and dehumanizing, have inconvenienced him more), but on behalf of the people who had to work these jobs all the time for so little pay. The last two hours of his shift is spent thinking through what laws he could push forward that would make things better for those people.

Audrey likes talking to people, and she likes being passive aggressive when they aren't nice to her. It's fun. Her fake smile is on point, she's good at keeping track of orders, but she gets one of her coworkers (probably Chad or Gil) to carry her trays for her, because they're too heavy and wobbly, and she will just straight up ghost customers who have an attitude. Her manager complains, "Audrey, you didn't even give them their check! They didn't pay!" She just takes out her wallet like, "I'll pay for their meal. It's worth not having to talk to them." Also, she will straight up stop doing her job if she gets distracted by a customer's cute baby or cute outfit ("Where did you get it? Oh, I go there all the time! Did you hear about...?"). When customers flirt with her, she giggles nervously.

Chad hates every second of it. He refuses to be deferential to customers, and if he gets the slightest vibe that they view him as a servant of any kind he will be disrespectful. He's snarky with his manager and acts obtuse about his mistakes. "Chad, you gave all of these people the wrong credit card back. They're very upset." "So? Just cancel that card, get a new one." He actually has a great memory and can be charismatic when he wants to be, but he doesn't care enough to use any of his skills. The closest he gets to good(?) customer service is that he always speaks to customers in their own language, since (as a prince) he's learned so many.

Uma is used to the food service industry, but she's not used to the Auradon idea of being unfailingly polite to customers. Nor does she adopt it. She doesn't go full-Isle, but she also doesn't go anywhere close to full-Auradon. She doesn't do the scripted customer greetings or put on a bubbly persona. She walks up to the table and says. "Hi. I'm Uma. What do you want?" Sometimes, she even tells customers she won't get them what they ask for. "Yeah, no, that dish takes forever to make and there are a million people in here. How about something the chef can get to you before we close?" Of course, she's gotten a lot of complaints to her manager, but there are also those who love that she's to-the-point and organized. She may not mince words, and she may be weirdly bossy for a waitress, and she may have an expression as if this whole thing is annoying, but she gets them their orders quickly, and that table over there hasn't even gotten their drinks yet (probably because Audrey is chatting with them about tourney; they don't seem to hate it, but they do seem slightly bewildered). She dominates them, but she takes care of them.

Harry does not care in the slightest. He mostly just socializes with his fellow waiters, sometimes following Uma around to talk with her. (They'll be at one of Uma's tables, and he's holding a full conversation with her, and the customers are asking her for more napkins and drink refills, and she's answering them both. She can talk to multiple people as well as she can fight multiple opponents.) When he does bother to visit his own tables– managing to say "What can I get you today?" with a sort of dismissive tone of voice –he, like Audrey, often finds himself off-topic. He'll start up banter/arguments with them by judging their choice of food or drink. His customers (mostly) don't find it endearing, but they do find themselves ordering more expensive things out of a misguided need to impress him. (The grin he flashes them when they order one of the more elaborate drinks is ridiculously rewarding.) His manager is almost intrigued; Harry earns so many complaints, but he's also a master of upselling, when he actually does his job.

Gil has a great attitude, and he's doing his best, but he's messing up orders left and right. It doesn't help that half the time Harry casually asks him to cover his tables, and of course Gil always agrees to it. His fellow waiters have to quickly learn how to dodge him, because he's always running through with a tray of food that he forgot to deliver, and it's not uncommon to bump into him. He's never dropped food on anyone, thankfully. Drinks are another story. (He apologized profusely to Chad, who straight up walked out the door.) His customers mostly feel sorry for him; not one person has yelled. Which is good, because Uma would cross the room so fast!

[dahldahlbills]

nano day 16

word count: 385 (don’t look at meeeeee)

this is so embarrassing T_T every day this week the wc has gotten lower and lower but I’m doing my best okay I’m tryingggg

this does not bode well for the remainder of the month…

[baronvonkrieger]

The Munsters at home.

Since 1964, there have been a family of monsters living in the spookiest house in Mockingbird Heights. The look and appearance of the family may have changed over the years, but the basic idea of the Frankenstein monster and his Vampire bride raising their werewolf like son, with Count Dracula as a live in relative has not. With Rob Zombie doing a new Munster movie, I thought it might be fun to look at the way the Munster family home has looked over the years.

When Chris Hayward and Allan Burns, writers for the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, brought their concept of a monster family to Universal Studios, the studio saw potential, as there was a growing popularity of monster culture, especially among young people. The series was handed over to  Norm Liebmann and Ed Haas, and they further developed it into a pilot.  Since the family was to live in a spooky old house, a facade on Colonial Street was chosen to represent the spooky old house, and the set was dressed up for the pilot. The pilot showed potential, but changes had to be made, if the CBS network was going to buy it as a series. The vampire mother wife looked too much like a character Charles Addams drew that by 1962 was known as Morticia, and the house also looked too much like a Charles Addams type house. Yvonne De Carlo’s “Lily”, replaced Joan Marshall's Morticia like “Phoebe” and the house was restyled to look more Gothic, with the Tower and center dormer, given a restyled look.

The style of the Munster House would look largely like this, throughout the  series and the feature film “Munsters Go Home” (1966). How quickly the remodeling took place can be seen in as early episode “Low Calorie Munster”, which has an opening shot though the attic window, which was based on the way the house looked in the color pilot, but that had been eliminated, when the house facade changed. The Munsters were a big hit with audiences, and people who took the studio tour during the times the Munsters were filming, could actually watch some of it being filmed. For a period of time even after the Munsters were no longer being filmed. Universal Studios Hollywood, on the Upper lot, you even had a bit of the Munster house you could visit.

The setup was so you could go enter the front porch, go through the entrance hall, through the staircase, into Grandpa’s lab. As a child, during my first trip to Universal Studios, the set up was still there, and i really loved going through it. I was disappointed when it was removed during later visits to the studio. 

the next attempt to bring the Munsters back, was an animated show called “Mini-Munsters”, which never went beyond the pilot. For that version, the house was of course a drawing.

The next attempt to revive the series was “Munsters Revenge”, which reunited three of the original  actors. Although Yvonne De Carlo was back as Lily, the made for TV movie focused on Grandpa and Herman. Rather then dress up the Munster House facade for the shooting, a photo of the Munster House from “Munsters Go Home” was used instead. 

When the Munsters did return to television, it was the series “Munsters Today”, and it lasted from 1989-1991. For this version of the Munsters residence, a model was used to represent the Munsters home. On a trip to Universal Studios in 2011, this model was on display in a walk through about Universal horrors over the years.

In 1995, the Munsters were once more back on television, in “Here Come the Munsters” and rather then use a model, or dress up the original Munster house set, a 1910 Los Angeles House was given a spooky make over. This time around, it was the home of Herman’s sister and brother in law, and the Munsters move in to help their family out. After the filming was over, all the spooky touches were gone, and the house returned to it’s more passive Craftsman style looks.

You can’t keep the Munsters down, and the next year, we had “Munsters Scary Little Christmas”. With this film being made in Australia (passing for Southern California) a suitable house for the Munsters was found in “Heathcote Hall” (1887) in  New South Wales

In 2012, a new attempt to revive the Munsters, called “Mockingbird Lane” was filmed. This time around, the series was to be less silly, and more like the series Grimm. In this version, the family move into a home once owned by a serial killer, who would target the homeless. To represent a home suitable for a family of monsters, a grand facade was built in front of Universal’s Chicken Ranch set. 

The series wasn’t picked up, and ten years later, we have a new Munster property about to be released. Rob Zombie will be directing a new Munster film. The facade for the new film was built in Budapest Hungary, and whatever you may think of the project, that Munster House facade is awesome. The Munster House hasn’t looked this good, since the 1960s.

[zephersspace]

Today's post it's sponsored by my dinner time AGAIN.

These last few days have been so fucking stressful. College started fucking hardcore, stuffing us with work and books and papers... also, there's this bit of drama between me and a classmate and I just don't have the energy to deal with it.

I currently have to read the letters Hernán Cortés sent to Carlos V... and let me tell y'all that man was fucking repetitive!

Also: a friend drew me Dazai and akdhsagsjsks 🖤

That's it, that's the post.

⟨Salut, strangers⟩

[thisisarcanereverie]

When in Love (Sam Wilson x Reader)

A/N: I love Sam Wilson period. 

ULTIMATE MASTERLIST 

REQUEST SOME PROMPTS

Summary: Bucky did indeed flirt with Sam’s sister again........and now they’re getting married. Sam brought you as his date to their big day. 

“It’s not too late to get Carlos,” Sam said as you straightened his tie, Sam could do it by himself but then he wouldn’t have an excuse to have you near him. 

“I’m pretty sure people would notice if the groom weren’t to make an appearance.” You said as you finished straightening his tie, letting your hands linger there for a while as you looked up into his dark eyes. 

“Don’t know unless we try.” Sam half heartedly said. He was only half joking, for the past few years he saw Sarah happier than she had been in years. He knew Bucky treated her well and that he loved the kids as well. Sam knew Bucky would never hurt them. 

Didn’t mean that Sam didn’t have Carlos on speed dial and an alibi set up just in case. 

(Y/n) lightly smacked her hand against Sam’s chest as he laughed. His warm dark eyes lit up as he looked at her. 

(Y/n) smiled and rolled her eyes. She had gotten ready before driving over and Sam couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she was in sky blue. 

Sam had been nervous when he asked (Y/n) to be his date to Sarah and Bucky’s wedding. He knew she wasn’t one for parties where she didn’t know anyone but she had surprised him by accepting. 

“We have a wedding to get to.” You drew him from his thoughts while grabbing your clutch on the bed and walking out the door to wait for him. You had no idea the effect on Sam, even the way your hips sway when you walked away drove him insane. 

Sam took a deep breath in to calm his nerves as he readied himself mentally. Sam was not only going to be one of Bucky’s groomsmen but also the one giving Sarah away. 

Their father was the one to give her away the first time she got married, and now since their father had passed Sam was the only one left for the job. 

Sam gathered his thoughts and headed out of the bedroom and down the stairs to see your figure waiting for him patiently at the bottom. 

You hear the stairs creak under his feet and look up. You had always thought he looked attractive, but put that man in a suit and your knees began growing weak. 

You barely managed to tear your eyes away from him for a second as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Ready?” you asked, trying to keep your voice even. 

“Ready.” 

---

The wedding had been beautiful, it was held at the church. The aisle and booths were decorated with white flowers and ribbons. 

On Bucky’s side there was Dora Milaje and T’Challa. Along with Thor, Brunheilda, and the Guardians. Rocket was mostly looking at Bucky’s metal arm though. 

The Ceremony had been just as beautiful, Sarah walked down the aisle in a beautiful white gown which made Bucky tear up with Sam. AJ and Cass were already by Bucky’s side, after all Bucky had named them his Best Men. 

While Sarah and Bucky said their vows Sam’s gaze couldn’t help but wonder to you. You were seated by Sarah’s side of the church along with almost everyone in town. You smiled and wiped a few tears as the vows got increasingly emotional. You had been seated near a glass stained window and all of its colors bathed you in it’s light. You just got more beautiful the longer he looked at you. 

Suddenly your eyes had met with his, and he felt his heart stop and breathing suddenly became difficult. It wasn’t unwelcomed though, in fact it was quite the opposite. Sam didn’t look away and neither did you. You both had stared at each other until Sam decided to be bold and wink and flash his intoxicating smile. You smiled bashfully before winking back and tearing your eyes from his to focus back to the stars of the day as Sam did the same thing. 

The reception was back at the house, Sam and a few other people from town helped set up the yard yesterday. Making an area for dancing, dining, food, socializing. Decorating it with magnolias and fairy lights and it looked stunning. 

The sun had almost begun to set by the time everyone got back to the house to enjoy the party. 

Bucky and Sarah did their first dance as husband and wife to an old 1940′s song and was later joined by AJ and Cass. Bucky had gone above and beyond to make sure the boys had been included in everything. 

After their dance ended, something faster paced began to play and almost everyone began to make their way to the dance floor. You and Sam being among them. Sam had twirled you around and danced with you until it was time for the toasts to begin. 

“I just want to thank everyone who came here today,” Bucky began to speak on the microphone, a beer in his hand. “I especially want to thank AJ and Cass for letting me into their lives, and my beautiful wife Sarah.” Bucky paused and gave her a wink, Sarah winked back and smiled. “I promise to uphold my vows and protect and love you and the boys with everything I have.” He raised his beer bottle in cheers before taking a quick swig out of it. 

AJ and Cass had performed their toast next, welcoming him into their family and just an overall sweet speech which ended with Bucky in tears for the second time that day. It made your heart swell to see Bucky so happy after all these years he had to endure alone and tortured. He deserved this, they all did. Sarah, Bucky, Cass, and Aj deserved to be happy together. 

A few other people gave speeches before Sam gave his. Even Rocket gave an impromptu speech. 

“Can I have that arm now?”

“No.”

“I’m getting that arm.” 

You saw a quick look of fear cross Bucky’s face as Rocket was approached by Dora Milaje and struggled to hold in a small laugh. 

Sam made his way up the stage to give his speech. He straightened his jacket before grabbing the microphone. 

“Sarah as your brother I am so proud of you and I know if Dad and Mom were here they would say the exact same thing. They would be proud of the woman and of the mother you have become.” Sam said with tears at the corners of his eyes at the mention of their parents, Sarah wiped her tears away as well. “Bucky as your friend I know Steve would be as proud and as happy for you as I am. Happy that you have finally found your peace and I welcome you to the family with open arms.” He raised his glass to Bucky who returned the favor. “Although I do recall telling you not to flirt with my sister,” laughter then ensued as Bucky chuckled and shook his head. “As Sarah’s brother,” Sam then motioned to Carlos sitting at one of the tables, “I want you to know that it’s not too late for me to get Carlos to feed you to the fish if necessary.” Carlos then waved and laughed at the groom who returned the favor. “treat her and the boys well and I guess we’re no longer co workers.” Laughter erupted as Sam took a drink in congratulations as did everyone else. 

---

As the party began to die down you had snuck out the pier to get some fresh air away from everyone. 

It wasn’t like you didn’t enjoy their company and didn’t get to meet some pretty interesting people. It was just you needed a moment to yourself to relax. You were an introvert at heart and so many people at once tended to overwhelm you sometimes. 

You watched as the water moved gracefully, breathing in time with it. The lights from the party reflected in the water and the music could still be heard although softer now. 

You didn’t even seem to notice a certain man making his way to you before you heard a silent ‘oh shit’. 

If Sam thought you had looked beautiful before, now you were angelic. The sun had long before set and now your figure was illuminated by the faint lights of the party and the moon. It gave you an almost ethereal glow as he noticed your hands fidgeting. A habit he noticed a long time ago, you always have to do something with your hands. He honestly found it cute. 

Sam had been so caught up in you that he hadn’t noticed a little loose board and nearly tripped over himself. 

Your hands stopped moving as you saw Sam holding onto the wooden railing of the pier for dear life. You laughed a little at Sam’s embarrassed expression as he tried to walk it off as though it didn’t happen. 

You looked back out to the water as Sam finally made his way to your side. Out of the side of your eye you caught a glimpse at the man beside you. The light of the party and the moon made him look romantic, and you noticed that at some point in the night Sam discarded his tie and jacket, rolled the sleeves up his forearms and unbuttoned a button or two on his shirt. He started fidgeting with the watch on his wrist as you both look at the water dancing. 

You could hear the upbeat music from the party change to another slow dance. 

“You wanna dance?” 

You turned and saw Sam with his hand out, ready to take your hand if you accepted. Which you did. 

Slowly you and Sam moved with the beat, the music was quiet and the lights had made the moment all the more romantic. 

Sam held your hand in one and his other hand went to your waist, pulling you flush against him making your heart beat out your chest. 

Neither of you said a word, Sam hummed in tune with the song as you smiled at him. 

Sam’s heart was beating out of his chest, usually he was smooth. Usually Sam had no trouble speaking to ladies, but it seemed as though you were the exception. 

A couple of seconds passed before Sam finally broke the silence. 

“Usually I can speak just fine in front of someone,” He started his deep voice quiet, “but now I can’t seem to speak without getting all tongue tied.”

You laughed a little at that, Sam loved your laugh. He couldn’t understand why but your laugh always seemed to put him in a better mood. 

“What’s so funny?” Sam asked with a smile on his face, you wondered if his smile would ever stop making your heart beat faster. 

“It’s just something my Mum used to tell me,” you explained, “what you just said reminded me of it.”

“Tell me.” He said his eyes focused on you, eyes reflecting the light from the reception. You looked down bashfully before meeting his eyes again. 

“When in love speech becomes meaningless.” 

Sam’s dark eyes stared into yours intensely as if you had become the only thing left in the world. 

For a moment you wonder if you had misread the signs, maybe you had scared him. Panic starts to fill you as you begin to apologize before his hands move from their places at your waist and hand to either side of your face and kiss you. 

The first thing you noticed was that Sam tasted of beer and spice. The next thing you noticed was how soft his lips were on yours and how gently he moved against you. 

You had been so lost in the kiss that you hadn’t noticed the music dying down and the lights going out, all there was, was you and him. 

You both pulled away reluctantly and watched as the moonlight reflected off the water. Content with not speaking another word and just holding each other in peace.

[marjansmarwani]

maybe, I’m afraid 

3.8k || ao3

Episode 2x06, but with Carlos (as it should have been)

Just me here again to give Carlos the screen time he should have had. 

A little late to the party maybe (I have no idea how you all manage to get fics up within 24 hours of the episode, I am in awe of that ability) but I still felt the need to make my contribution.

--------

Most days Carlos was pretty sure that after 7 years on the force he had seen everything there was to see. 

Other days he got a call to respond to two teenagers trapped in a homemade minefield and he was forced to reevaluate that sentiment. 

It doesn’t take long to figure out all there is to know, including just how bad it really is, and by the time the familiar ladder truck pulled up (because of course it was the 126) he was waiting outside the passenger door to give Owen the rundown. 

“Officer Reyes,” he greeted when he saw him, “I’m surprised to see you. I thought this would be a little out of your jurisdiction.” 

Carlos shook his head, “Just barely within it, another half-mile and the sheriffs would be handling the call.”

“But you managed to snag it, lucky you.”

“Can’t say I would have been too upset if I had missed out on this one,” Carlos agreed drily. 

Owen hummed in agreement as he surveyed the scene, “What are we looking at, exactly?”  

It was a bleak picture: two brothers, trapped. One injured, both scared and stuck in an active minefield without a map. And the bomb squad was at least 40 minutes out. He saw his concern reflected on Owen’s face as he considered the situation and all the implications. If they waited, the boy would die. If they went in, he would be possibly sending some of his people to die too. 

And yet Carlos knew what choice he was going to make before he even opened his mouth. He had learned so many things during his time with TK, and one of them was that in so many ways he and his dad were a lot alike. If it were his call, TK wouldn’t have been able to leave those boys in there either. So when the instruction came, he wasn’t surprised. 

“We’re going to need the heaviest duffel we can find and spray paint - the brighter the better.”

Carlos locked eyes with TK briefly as he and the rest of his team turned to start gathering supplies, giving him a smile and hoping that it conveyed everything he wanted him to know: it would be alright, no matter what. 

He almost believed it too. 

All was calm at the start, the 126 functioning like the well-oiled machine they were. In no time they were prepped and Owen was striding back towards the ambulance, asking the new guy if he was ready to go. The discussion quickly transformed into an argument and Carlos couldn’t help but glance back over at the minefield and the brothers. Every moment they argued was one less moment these boys had. Carlos was considering stepping in when a new voice entered the discussion, effectively bringing the escalating argument to a halt. 

“I’ll go.” 

And Carlos froze because he knew that voice. He would know it anywhere, it drew him like a moth to a flame in any room. He turned slowly to find TK standing slightly apart from his crew, stance relaxed but jaw set in determination. 

“I was a dual function FD medic in New York,” he explained, voice calm and firm, “all my certifications are up to date. I can do this.” 

Carlos didn’t need to be looking at him, didn’t need to see where his gaze shifted to know that those last words were directed at his dad. The knowledge made Carlos’s heart ache. The fact that his boyfriend still felt the need to prove himself to his dad after all this time and all he had accomplished killed him, but the thought of TK willingly walking into the minefield killed him even more. 

But it wasn’t his choice to make and when Owen nodded, he felt a cold dread spread throughout his body. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go. Today was not supposed to be the day he watched his boyfriend walk into an active minefield. That day was never supposed to come, and yet here it was. 

He walked over to where TK was switching out his gear, struggling with a strap that was twisting over his shoulder. He reached out for the strap without a word, smoothing it out and snapping it in place. They didn’t speak as Carlos stepped back, surveying the harness and gear for any other twists or issues. 

“It’s going to be fine, Carlos.” 

TK’s voice, soft and reassuring, broke the silence and Carlos met his eyes sharply. He wanted so desperately to believe him, but there was a field filled with explosives that had already claimed one life today behind them and he was finding it hard to be optimistic. 

“Are you sure about this?” he asked instead. 

TK pulled his helmet on, his steady gaze never leaving Carlos, “Of course I’m sure, the kid’s going to die if we don’t go out there, Carlos. I need to help if I can.” 

Carlos reached down to grab his medical bag and held it out to him. He didn’t like the thought of the man he loved purposefully putting himself in harm’s way, but he also knew TK. As much as he might hate it sometimes, this was TK: always ready to help, always willing to put himself at risk if it meant saving someone else, and there was nothing Carlos could do to change that. And he wouldn’t want to - it was a part of TK that made him who he was: someone that Carlos loved with all his heart. 

When TK reached out to take the bag from him, he didn’t release it immediately. He let his grip linger for an extra moment as he studied TK, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Just, be careful,” he told him softly. TK gave him a small smile, and Carlos released his grip on the bag, allowing TK to walk away, towards the minefield. He was still watching as he ascended the ladder that would drop him out onto the minefield when he felt the presence of others appearing at his side. 

“He’ll be okay kid,” Judd said quietly, eyes never leaving the sight of the two Strands climbing to the end of the ladder. 

“You don’t know that Judd,” Carlos responded just as quietly, already feeling his fingernails digging into his palm as he clenched his hands at his side. 

“No,” the older man agreed softly, “I don’t. But I do know they’ll be as careful as they can.” 

Carlos nodded, eyes tracking every movement desperately. They had reached the edge of the ladder now and he watched as Owen tossed down the duffel, as they both reeled back in preparation for an explosion. He could feel his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat as they waited, but there was only silence and after a moment, he allowed himself to breathe again. 

“I don’t know if my heart can take this,” Paul lamented from his left, “that was nerve-wracking and they still have a long way to go.” 

Carlos nodded wearily, but caught his retort before it slipped out of his mouth: if they made it that far. He didn’t need to release that idea into the universe and the others didn’t need to hear it. So he swallowed it and continued watching. Each and every movement they made was agonizing to watch, but each and every thud of them landing unharmed gave him a moment to catch his breath, a brief reprieve for his heart to beat normally. They had settled into a rhythm, and everything was going smoothly. 

Until it wasn’t. 

The sound of the mine exploding filled the air around them and worked its way into Carlos’s soul. It sent shockwaves through his body as he watched, desperately trying to see through the haze of smoke and debris. He couldn’t see him, he didn’t know if he was okay. 

That fact was more than enough to bring on the fear. It attacked him with a vengeance, freezing him to the spot. He felt as if the whole world froze in that moment; suspending him in the terror of not knowing, trapping him with doubt and fear. 

And then he heard TK’s voice, and he could breathe again. It might just be the most wonderful thing he had ever heard. 

When Owen’s voice sounded across the radios, confirming that they were both in one piece, time picked back up at its usual pace. He felt himself sag in relief, grateful for the knowing and supportive hand on his shoulder from Judd. He spared a glance at the others, seeing his relief reflected on their faces and in their stances. 

Marjan let out a long breath, “That was…” 

“Intense,” Paul agreed grimly, “let’s never do that again.” 

They all nodded, and Carlos couldn’t agree more. 

If there was an upside to that moment it was that the path forward was now clear and the two Strands made quick work of the rest of the journey, closing the distance between them and the boys in seconds. Carlos watched in awe as TK slipped into medic mode the moment he reached the boys’ sides, calmly managing the scene and taking care of the patient. It was a wonder to watch. He handled it all with focus and compassion, quietly reassuring the boys even as he gave instructions to his dad and administered care. He was cool and steady even as he delivered the lifesaving compressions, forcing the teen’s blood to pump through his veins with his own hands. It was only minutes before his voice sounded over the radio, announcing that the injured boy was stable and no amount of fear or worry could have stopped the intense pride Carlos felt in that moment. 

“Kid’s got some skills,” Judd observed with a fond smile and Carlos could only grin. 

Paul nodded, “Looks like someone’s been holding out on us, that was pretty impressive I must admit.” 

“Badass is more like it!” Mateo exclaimed and Marjan, standing next to him, laughed even as she placed a hand on his arm. 

“Steady Probie,” she reminded him, “they still have to get out of there. Let’s not jinx anything.”

Her words tempered the celebratory mood of the group, but even though Carlos had never let go of that fear (he knew he wouldn’t until TK was out of the minefield and at least 2 miles away) it felt different from before. It was wrapped in that pride now, and even as Carlos watched them prep to move and the bomb squad moved out to locate and detonate any mines along the path, he couldn’t shake that. It was almost stronger than the fear now, this pride he felt for TK. That was his boyfriend; the person who had just saved two young brothers in the middle of a minefield was the man he loved. Just when he thought that he had come to know every bit of his body and soul, he managed to surprise him all over again. 

It took every ounce of restraint and professionalism Carlos had to not rush over to TK the moment he cleared the edge of the minefield. He forced himself to wait, focusing on his own job while keeping a watchful eye on TK as he reported back to Captain Vega, as he got an exam from the new paramedic. It wasn’t until he headed back to the ladder truck that Carlos broke away from the crowd, meeting him at the side of the engine. TK looked up as he approached, a smile on his face and a greeting on his lips, but Carlos pulled him into his arms before he even had a chance to speak. 

He held him tightly, savoring the feeling of his breath on his collar and the faint sound of the beating of his heart. His familiar scent filled Carlos’s head with each breath and he closed his eyes. He would have been happy to stand there forever, feeling this and just being them and while he knew they couldn’t, he was determined to have at least a few moments more before the world interrupted. If nothing else, the universe at least owed him this. 

“I’m okay Carlos,” TK said evenly, his voice muffled against Carlos’s shoulder. 

But you almost weren’t. The words rang through his head, but he didn’t speak them. Instead he pulled away just enough to see TK’s face as he asked, “Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” TK assured him firmly, placing a steady hand on his chest, “the new medic looked me over but I could have told you anyway, I’m fine. Not injured, my dad and I both made it out and so did the boys. This was a win Carlos, I’m more than okay.” 

And he was, Carlos saw as he studied him. He was beaming; enthusiasm pouring out of him. His eyes were alight with something Carlos couldn’t name and he was practically vibrating. Despite everything, Carlos couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He was still worried, still terrified by all the ‘what ifs,” but seeing TK like this gave him a lightness he couldn’t have imagined feeling even a few minutes before. 

He shook his head, trying to mask his smile with little success, “I am glad you’re so pleased with yourself, considering you almost gave the rest of us a heart attack.” 

He had been going for a joke but he instantly regretted it when TK dimmed, “I’m sorry,” he told him sincerely, “I didn’t mean to scare you guys, especially you. I just knew I could help…” 

Carlos interrupted him, moving his hands so they were on each of TK’s shoulders, “You have nothing to apologize for Ty,” he assured him firmly, “you did the right thing. You saved a kid’s life and you did amazing. I am so proud of you.” 

TK’s smile returned, softer than before but still glowing with pride, “You are, are you?” 

Carlos leaned down to place a soft and tender kiss on his forehead, “I am. So incredibly proud. You’re a pretty impressive guy, you know that?”

TK’s smile could have lit up the world and Carlos would have been happy to let it. But they were both still on the job and decidedly not alone, as they were suddenly reminded when Paul peaked around the side of the engine. He smirked at them before calling over his shoulder, “Yeah, they’re decent back here, you guys can come around.” 

Carlos rolled his eyes at his friend while TK casually flipped him off. Paul crossed towards them, completely unfazed before reaching out and pulling TK into a hug of his own. “You can’t keep scaring me like that man,” he told TK when they pulled apart, “I’m getting too old for that crap.” 

TK rolled his eyes at his teammate and Carlos chuckled. He looked behind him to see the rest of the team materializing. 

“That’s my cue,” he told TK, “I need to get back to work and get this scene wrapped up anyways. I’ll see you at home later?” 

TK nodded, reaching out to squeeze his hand, “I’ll be there right after my shift.” 

“Think you can make it until then without nearly dying on me again?” 

“I’ll do my best,” TK assured him and Carlos smiled. 

“That’s all I ask,” he responded, “I love you.” 

“Love you too, Carlos.” 

Carlos smiled at that, the warmth he felt every time he heard those words from TK rushing through him. With one last squeeze of the hand holding his own, he stepped away, letting TK’s team get in their time. As he reached the corner of the engine he looked back, still feeling the whirlwind of emotions deep in his chest. 

But TK was safe and happy - he couldn’t ask for anything more. So he turned the corner and returned to the task at hand. 

----------

“You know, that call today? It felt good, really good.” 

Carlos looked up from his dinner sharply to see TK idly playing with his, his focus clearly elsewhere. “Please don’t tell me this means you have decided to become a real-life minesweeper, I am going to have some objections to that,” Carlos deadpanned. 

TK laughed lightly, shaking his head, “No, not quite.” 

“Thank god, I don’t think my heart could handle that.” 

TK shook his head fondly at Carlos before his expression grew more pensive, “I didn’t mean the minefield, or even the danger or adrenaline. I meant the saving the boy part. I know I do that all the time as a firefighter, but there’s something different about doing it as a medic. I haven’t had the chance to really do any medical calls since moving to Austin, with the way the department is structured.” 

“You’ve never really talked about it before,” Carlos noted, “I’ve seen you do medical stuff in the field, but before today I didn’t even know you were dual certified.” 

TK shrugged, “It just never really came up, I guess. It’s pretty typical in New York, but their firehouses are structured differently. I guess once I made my peace with being down here I never really thought about it again. It’s not like I could do both the same way I used to.” 

His tone was almost wistful as he turned his gaze down to his plate, but Carlos had a feeling he wasn’t really seeing the food on it. “Sounds like you miss it,” he ventured after a few more moments of silence. 

“Sometimes I do.” 

“So why not go for it?” 

TK looked at him sharply, but Carlos just shrugged, “What? You’ve spent most of the past hour talking about it and you mentioned how the new guy quit and there’s an opening on the paramedic team within your first 10 minutes of showing up tonight. I know you and I know you’re already thinking about it, so why not try it?” 

“Even if I applied, there are so many other candidates. There’s no saying she’d pick me.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. She knows you and how dedicated you are to your job. She saw you in action today, willing to take the risk that someone else wasn’t in order to save a patient. You did the job well and you did it under insane pressure after months of not doing it. If I were her, I’d be wondering what you’d be capable of on an average day.”  

TK looked startled at the efficient takedown of his doubts, but Carlos just raised an eyebrow, “Next?” 

He would dismantle his boyfriend’s doubts with logic one by one if need be. Whatever it took for him to start believing in himself the way Carlos did. 

“I’d have to leave the team,” he said softly, “I wouldn’t be working with them anymore. We’re like a family, I can’t just leave them.” 

Carlos reached across the table to take TK’s hand in his own, “It’s not like you’d be leaving the station,” he reminded him, “you’d still be in the same building and on the same schedule. And they’re not going to feel like you abandoned them, Ty, they’ll still be right there. And right here,” he added with a laugh, gesturing towards his living room, “we’ve fed them, I don’t think we are ever going to get rid of them now.” 

That pulled a smile out of TK, but there was still so much doubt in his eyes that it hurt Carlos to see it. 

“What do you think they would say, if you told them it was something you wanted?” he asked instead, “Do you think they would tell you to forget about it? To stay with them because it was more comfortable?” 

“No,” TK said quickly, “of course they wouldn’t.” 

“So why are you worried about them? They want what’s best for you and they always will. Unless,” he hedged when TK’s expression didn’t clear, “they’re not the ones you’re worried about.” TK pulled his gaze up from the table and Carlos saw all the confirmation in them that he needed, “Your dad?” 

TK nodded, and Carlos sighed. “TK…”

“It would be a big change Carlos,” he said softly. “Except for my probationary period, I have always worked with my dad. I don’t want him to take it personally.” 

“But it is a little personal, isn’t it?” 

He was careful to keep his tone even, non-judgemental and he watched TK closely, waiting for his response. 

“Maybe a little, yeah,” TK admitted. “I feel like this would be a way for me to really see who I am without him right there. It’s not like this is a reaction to him or any news he may have shared recently,” he added hastily, “I would hope I’m past the ‘blowing my life up to piss off my dad’ point, but it is something to consider. And…” 

He trailed off, but Carlos had a feeling he knew what was going to come next, “And you’re worried he might take it personally?” he suggested. 

TK nodded and Carlos sighed and set down his fork, reaching across the table again to pull both of TK’s hands into his own, “Look,” he began, “what’s important is why you’re thinking about this. So, what is it? Why are you thinking about becoming a paramedic?” 

“Because I think I’d love it,” TK said without any hesitation, “because I feel like it’s the best way I can help people.” 

Carlos smiled at him, squeezing the hands in his grasp softly, “Then I think you have your answer. You should do this because it is what you want and because it is right for you. That’s all that matters. Everything else - and everyone else - will fall into place.” 

“And if they don’t?” TK asked softly, and Carlos felt a pang in his heart at the sound of so much doubt in the other man’s voice. 

“They will,” Carlos assured him. “Nothing ever stays the same, remember? And your dad knows that. We all know that. And,” he added, leaning forward in his seat to close some of the distance between them, “I will be here for you, every step of the way. No matter what.”  

The smile TK gave him warmed every inch of his body. They sat in companionable silence for a while, intertwined hands connecting them across the table until TK spoke again. 

“If you really mean that,” he began with a grin, “I could probably use some help with my resume.” 

“Anything for you,” Carlos quipped back, but even as he said the words he squeezed their clasped hands. He meant that, in every way possible. He would be here for resumes and job interviews and everything in between, as long as TK wanted him to be. 

Judging by the way TK met his eyes, and the soft ‘thank you’ that fell from his lips, he had a feeling he felt the same way too. 

[justapoet]

For a Tarlos - prompt TK & Carlos sharing a bath together

Thank you for the prompt! I really hope you like it :)

if i share my thoughts with you, would you share your life with me?

After a shift from hell, Carlos could use a little bit of kindness.

1.5k

Usually, TK would be the one to show up covered in dirt and dust ― and blood, considering his incredibly bad luck. Even after becoming a paramedic, the new-yorker would find a way to put himself in danger or end up in a hospital bed, and Carlos could swear he'd have gray hair at the age of thirty-five because of his reckless and way too selfless boyfriend.

But that night, he was the one covered in dust, dirt, blood, and exhaustion when he finally came home from a twenty-four-hour shift. There were bad days, but, honestly, that was one of the worst. Not only because he ended up having to be checked up by doctors after having to face a maniac with a knife, rolling down a hill to catch him ― at least this part went right ― and ending up with some scratches and superficial cuts, which took him two extra hours of work, but also because he barely had talked to TK the whole day.

He knew his boyfriend would spend the day with the 126 crew, Nancy and Grace included, once they all had a day off, and he didn't want to send a message and interrupt anything, nor worry TK with his tired voice through a phone call. So he just kept quiet, call after call, checking his phone periodically as always. At some time in the middle of the day, TK had sent "I love you" and "just so you don't forget", which made Carlos smile sweetly, replying that he loved him too.

Carlos checked his phone again when he got to the car after getting out of the station, but there were no new messages but his Tía Lucy and her "good night" images with a cliché phrase. Since there were no messages from TK, his first thought was that the paramedic would spend the night at his father's house ― and his, too, Carlos needed to remind himself. TK spent a lot of time at Carlos' place, but they didn't live together, after all; and the cop did want that to happen, but they were taking it slow, after all. So he just kept quiet and bit his tongue every time he wanted to ask TK to move in.

He sighed when passed the door, letting his bag by the door frame and his keys inside the bowl on the sideboard, feeling all his muscles aching as the day finally rests over his shoulders. He bent his body forward, closing his eyes for a second as his foot stopped by the first step of the stair. His body ached enough for him to consider sleeping on the couch without even showering.

And then he heard bare feet steps getting closer fastly, but stopping suddenly. He looked up, seeing a, now, worried TK dressed in one of his APD shirts, looking at him with frowned eyebrows and shiny green eyes. He must've sensed Carlos' confusion and slight surprise as he slowly went down the stairs to meet him, his hands hesitating for a second before touching his right cheek.

Carlos bent to the touch, sighing and holding his feelings in before giving in to the tears he'd been holding the whole day. He just wished it could end soon.

"What happened to you?" TK asked carefully, his voice low and caring. Carlos shrugged, his shoulders bending even more.

"Bad day," he said, simply. "Thought you'd be at your house" confessed while the shiny eyes analyzed him up and down.

"Tommy called me saying you rolled down a hill with a maniac and a knife," he said, his thumb carefully caressing Carlos' cheekbone. "And that you ended up in a hospital to be checked up, even if nothing major happened".

"Sorry I didn't call you" his voice was barely a whisper.

"She also said you seemed to be having a hard day" TK continued, ignoring his apologies. "And might need a little bit of kindness".

Carlos swallowed his tears, even if his voice sounded hoarse and heavy with them, next.

"Think I could use that," he said, and TK smiled gently. He didn't say more, then, his hand resting on Carlos' lower back and the other taking his hand, carefully putting his arm around his shoulders. Carlos could walk by himself, but having TK close was good and calming, so he allowed himself to be taken care of, this once.

Their way was slow and quiet to the bedroom and, then, the bathroom, with TK carefully leading them both. They stopped close to the bathtub, and the paramedic stood in front of him and smiled kindly before making him sit on the toilet and checking the water temperature, which made Carlos realize that he'd already let everything ready for when he came home.

"Did the doctors say something?" TK asked, his voice low and his hands finding their way to Carlos' clothes. "Can I?" he asked again, and the cop nodded before closing his eyes as TK unbuttoned his uniform.

"That I'd feel sore for a while," he said, his voice just as low as his boyfriend's. "My captain gave me a few days off because of that".

TK smiled a little.

"So did mine" the paramedic answered, and Carlos' eyes widened a little. "She said that I owed her that after not taking days off work after all the hostage situation, months ago. I think she just wanted you not to be alone and was using it as an excuse. She likes you" concluded, his eyes getting lost on Carlos' body and shinning with worry with the bruises and shallow cuts.

"Don't know why" Carlos whispered, shrugging. TK's light eyes looked up at his tired face, and he moved to help Carlos to get up. Once on his feet, TK got closer to the man and scooped his face on his warm hands.

"I have a lot of reasons," he said. "A few more than the sky has of stars" his voice was sweet, and his boyfriend tried to smile, but stopped as the tears threatened to fall again. TK didn't say more, his hands ghosting over Carlos' side before helping him take his pants and underwear off.

He led Carlos to the bathtub and kept a hand on his arms as he let himself on the water, breathing deeply and bringing his legs close to his chest, his head against the wall as he closed his eyes. TK sat on the toilet, one of his hands on the water before he carefully caressed his wet fingers through Carlos' messy and short curls. Carlos sighed happily.

"Is your body hurting too much?" TK asked, breaking the silence. Carlos could lie and say that he was okay, but his mind was conscious of each aching muscle and nerve under his skin, and, honestly, he knew TK could read him easily.

"I can take it" he answered.

"Not quite what I asked, babe," TK said. "although I'm pretty sure about the answer. Did you eat today?" Carlos nodded.

"Spencer didn't let me forget," he said. TK hummed in agreement.

They stood quiet, then, with TK slowly moving his hands to clean Carlos' tan-skin. He could almost hear his boyfriend purring when he massaged his scalp with his shampoo to clean his hair and, once he was done, he took Carlos' fingers in his hands and kissed his knuckles sweetly. Carlos let out a happy sigh, relaxing under each touch of his boyfriend on his skin.

The bathtub was emptied once and then refilled so Carlos could relax a little more. When TK got up to prepare the bed for them to sleep, Carlos held his wrist and made him stop on his feet, looking down at the most lovely eyes he'd ever seen.

"You okay?" TK asked, and Carlos nodded, suddenly looking ashamed of whatever he was thinking. He looked down at the water and TK smiled fondly at the possibility of what was going on inside his head. "Do you want me to get in with you?" he asked, and Carlos looked surprised with the facility TK read his mind.

He nodded, though, and watched as TK took his ― stolen ― shirt off and then his underwear, coming closer and putting his hand on Carlos' shoulder. When they were comfortable, Carlos' back against TK's chest, the latino let himself relax completely and placed his head on the crook of the new yorker's neck.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, the warmth of the water and their bodies making them feel safe. TK's fingers drew patterns on each spot of Carlos' skin they could reach, making the man feel sleepy and cared about.

"Thought you'd be at your house" Carlos repeated his previous words, a whisper against TK's soft skin. He could sense that the paramedic smiled.

"Thought about coming home" he answered, softly, and Carlos took a few seconds to understand. He could feel TK's heart racing a bit under his skin, and a warm feeling spread across his chest. "If you let me," it mostly sounded like a suggestion or even a question. 

"Always" he whispered back. "And forever, if you want" now that, said as a suggestion, sounded more like a promise. TK smiled, Carlos could sense it, and so he pulled one of his hands out of the water to tangle their fingers together.

"Forever sounds good" he replied, his voice low and full of love and caring.

Suddenly, Carlos wouldn't mind if that day didn't come to an end.