#c/arlos r/eyes

[softsnzstuff]

Notes I’m taking on the 911 Lone Star finale

•Carlos’ dad used to put on puppet shows when they were sick

•Carlos looks HELLA sad when he cries like I just wanna hug him

•Judd either doesn’t get sick often or doesn’t use his sick days when he does

•TK gives Carlos back rubs when he’s not feeling good

[softblesses]

Part 2 💚

It had been almost three hours, and TK’s forehead was growing a little warmer. Carlos really didn’t want to wake him, but he also didn’t want him to dehydrate, or overheat. He needed to wake up for some water, at least. Just for a little bit. “TK… baby, wake up. I’m sorry… just for a minute.” Carlos spoke softly, gently running his fingers through TK’s hair.

“Hnngh. . . Hm? — hhH’tchoo!’

A grin plastered across Carlos’ face. “Ha! That’s the first time you’ve —“

‘H’nxgft. T’chgKkk.’

“— sneezed properly around me. Babe, you’ll give yourself a headache surpressing them like that, remember? I really do not care if you sneeze a little louder, Tyler Kennedy.”

TK just glared up at him, and closed his eyes again. Sniffling profusely, he couldn’t exactly pretend he was asleep.

“TK, you have to sit up for just a minute, okay? We should get some water into you and check on your temperature.”

“You don’t get a fever with a cold.” TK grumbled, still keeping his eyes closed. Still sniffling.

“Well, you might if you’ve been through hypothermia. Anyway, this could be something else. Will you sit up for me? I’ll get you some tissues.”

“No.”

“TK…” his tone was warning, but with no real threat. He was just worried about him. “I’ll let you watch rom-coms for the rest of the afternoon.”

That seemed to have peaked his interest, because one eye was now open. “You’ll watch themb with me?” He sounded so stuffed up, but Carlos couldn’t help but find it adorable. TK was adorable.

“If you cooperate with me and sit up, I guess I’ll have no choice.” He smiled, leaning over the coffee table to pick up the water and hand it to TK. He picked up the vapour rub next, unscrewing the cap and scooping some onto his finger.

He watched as his boyfriend pushed himself to sit, and took a few sips of the drink. “Are you gonna ask me to take off my shirt?” TK murmured, a small smirk teasing at his lips.

“No, but I am gonna lean over and put some on.” Carlos hummed softly, kneeling on the sofa with one leg, and reaching over to rub the de-congestion balm onto his boyfriend’s chest. He pressed a kiss to his forehead afterwards, for good measure.

“Thank you,” TK said quietly.

After a few more minutes, Carlos was lying on the couch, with TK now positioned atop of his chest. He held him close, pressing kisses into his hair every now and again. The movie had just begun playing, and he could see TK getting drowsy. Carlos rubbed his back, listening to his congested breaths.

“TK?” He asked gently, watching those two blue eyes look up at him. “Are you okay with me taking care of you? A little fussing? Why does it seem to bother you a lot?”

A frown settled on his boyfriend’s face, before he rested his head back against Carlos’ chest.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to push you.”

“It’s just… a lot of this reminds me of older times. Darker times, you know?” TK eventually murmured. “I don’t want to — I… I just don’t like being a burden. It reminds me too much of back then.”

“Tyler Kennedy, you are not a burden. And, I’m sorry that things like this remind you of harder times. If you want to talk about it, or if you need to call your sponsor… I’m here. But, you’re not a burden. You’re my boyfriend, who’s kind of endearing and who has a really adorable sick voice.” Carlos chuckled softly, pressing another kiss atop of TK’s head.

A few moments went by in silence, besides the quiet sniffling, and Carlos didn’t push TK to speak. He sighed heavily, before looking up at Carlos again. “I love you,” he mumbled. “Thank you.”

“Always.” Carlos leaned to kiss his forehead, before TK settled against his chest again. A few minutes passed, and despite his favourite genre of movie being on TV, TK Strand was now snoring.

Post Hypothermia Problems.

Part 1. 💜

‘Hh— Ngxt. . gxxtCh! He’nxcT.’

“Hey, TK? You know, I’m starting to find it really hard to tell the difference between you and Buttercup’s favourite squeaky toy.” Nancy pulled up beside him at the coffee station, taking notice that he was opting for tea rather than his usual. “You sure you’re okay?”

“That’s real funny, Nance.” Her fellow Paramedic muttered, stirring a little sugar into his teacup. “Really, I’m fine.”

“You’ve been sneezing more than usual. Is it your allergies? You sick, or something?” She took a small step backwards, but it was mostly just for show; they were around sick people all day everyday. It was literally their job.

TK shrugged, blowing on the tea and bringing it over to the table. The fire crew were out on a call, but EMS weren’t needed for cats in trees. Multiple cats, apparently, were indeed stuck in a singular tree. Tommy had promised to leave out some Benadryl for Mateo when they got back.

“Usually you’re pre-tty quick to jump on the fact that you don’t have allergies.” She pointed out, standing behind him at the table.

He scrunched up his nose, sniffling slightly. “Yeah, well, Texas hits different. You and Carlos always tell me that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but—“ the trill of the emergency bell cut her off, and TK was on his feet before she could even think about finishing her sentence.

They were being called out to a fairly standard emergency; an elderly man had taken a fall in the garden helping his wife, and they arrived within ten minutes of the alarm bells. The woman was standing waiting for them out front, quick to lead them to her partner. “Oh, thank you for coming! He insists he’s fine, but you know how stubborn men can be!” The elderly woman chuckled, giving a fond look over at her husband currently lying on the grass.

“Oh believe me, I do know.” Nancy muttered, earning a slightly questioning look from Tommy and a glare from TK.

“TK, check his ABCs and Nancy prep a splint. Wrist injury looks to be likely, and we’ll check to make sure nothing else is broken.” Tommy knelt down beside him, whilst TK knelt on the other side. He checked his pulse, blood pressure and breathing; all were a little out of range, but nothing that warranted huge concern.

They were loading the man onto the gurney within fifteen minutes, having diagnosed him with a mild concussion and broken wrist. He’d need to be further treated at the hospital, and so Nancy and Tommy were loading him up now whilst TK carried the equipment back. Until, once again he was caught being betrayed by his nose.

‘H’nxxtt, xXgGt, he’ng—Tt. Ow,’ A haphazard attempt to use his elbow to cover, whilst still holding the equipment… and tripping himself up the garden steps. At least nobody saw. Or, at least he’d thought so.

“Gesundheit, dear. You shouldn’t force them all quiet like that, I read an article, you know. The internet can be helpful! My grandkids showed me how to get a Facebook just last year. Come over here, take this and let me help you.” She held out a handkerchief, that TK assumed was clean, and it had little embroidered daisies on it.

He could feel himself blush with sheer embarrassment, really hoping that maybe she somehow just had really really good hearing for a sweet old lady, and didn’t just see him fall up her steps. “Oh, it’s okay, Ma’am. I’m — I’m okay.” TK answered politely, but he clearly wasn’t, with the incessant sniffling that had started up again.

“Now, you might think I’m a gullible old lady. . But, I’m not that gullible, young man. Come on over here.”

She seemed like a force not to be reckoned with, and TK didn’t want to be rude. Plus, the team were most likely waiting for him now. He walked over, taking the handkerchief and thanking her quietly. He swiped at his nose a few times on their way to the front of the house, before sniffling and pocketing it. He couldn’t just ruin his dignity and blow his nose in front of her, could he? Thankfully, there weren’t too many questions when they made it out front, and the ride to the hospital was uneventful. Everything seemed normal again… until TK stepped out of the ambulance back at the station, and both of his crew members stopped him.

“Do you guys… need something?” He questioned, silently cringing at the congestion starting to stick to his voice.

“Yeah. For you to sit down, come on.” Tommy took him by the arm, and lead him over to the seating area in the kitchen. To make it worse, the fire crew were back too.

“Oooh, looks like TK’s in trouble!” Marjan grinned over her mug of coffee, attracting the newfound attention of both Mateo and Paul.

TK swallowed as he sat down, grimacing at the worsening pain in his throat. Now that the adrenaline of being on call was beginning to wear off, he really didn’t feel great. “I’m not in trouble. Cap, what’re you —“ he was cut off as she spoke to him, holding an in ear thermometer out before him.

“Sit still, and hush, TK. I’m checking your temperature.”

“But, I’m fine!”

“Has he been doin’ that little squeaky chew toy sneeze again? He was doing that this morning.” Paul cut in, waving around the salad fork he had in his hand in an accusatory manner.

“Yes! See, told you!” Nancy placed both hands on her hips, looking directly down at her partner.

The thermometer beeped after that, saving him from a little more humiliation. Tommy took a glance at the screen. “Well, you don’t have a fever, but you’re running a little warmer than usual.” She took a small flashlight from her pocket. “Open. Say ‘aaaaah.’”

TK sealed his lips tight, folded his arms and shook his head.

“Come on, TK, really?” Nancy sighed.

“We’ll have to go get your Daddy if you don’t do as Tom says.” Judd’s voice joined the crowd, and in that moment TK really just wanted to fall into a hole and hide in it.

A pause was made, before Marjan gave a side glance to some of her colleagues. Her look said ‘let’s give them some space,’ and sure enough Paul was conjuring up some excuse about needing more water bottles, Mateo had to go pee (he couldn’t think of anything else) and Judd was going to check on the fire trucks. TK appreciated it, and he slowly opened his mouth.

“I’mb not saying ‘ahh’ — oh, wait.” He frowned, and leaned back in his chair as his Captain gestured for him to open up again. He did as he was told this time, and he certainly didn’t like the way she ‘tsked’ at him in response.

“Your throat’s pretty red, TK. That accompanied by the slightly raised temp, sneezing and congestion. I think you ought to go home and rest.”

“But—“

“Ah, ah! No buts, no ‘I’m fine’s and no telling me that it’s just a cold. It probably is, but if you recall the middle of this last winter, you were in hospital with hypothermia. Your body needs rest, even now. And despite all that… if you push yourself, post hypothermia or not, you’ll get worse and you’ll also risk other patients.” The micro lecture felt like it had lasted forever, or maybe that was just because his ears felt stuffy and his head was starting to ache and it was becoming harder to focus.

“… okay.” Came the eventual, defeated reply.

It hurt both Nancy and Tommy’s heart a little bit, and Marjan’s, who had been quietly taking over the salad prep behind them. “I can take you home,” she offered, stepping closer. “We’re on break, and if I’m honest? I could do with some fast food. Paul would never know.” She smiled, offering TK a hand to help him stand.

He stood on his own, looking down at his hands and picking at a fingernail. “Marjan, you… you don’t have to take me. I can Uber home.” He sniffed, a small noise of discomfort slipping past his lips as he swallowed again.

A glass of water was suddenly placed in his hands, and he looked up to find her looking at him expectantly. “TK, I’m getting my fast food fix, so really you’re not even the main priority!” She grinned.

“Thank you?”

“C’mon! Before the call bell goes off and I starve. You don’t want to be responsible for that, do you?”

TK shook his head, turning back at the others who only gave sympathetic smiles, which made him even more uncomfortable. “I’ll just… go grab my stuff.” He muttered, turning and walking back to the lockers.

The ride back was as uneventful as earlier’s, but that was only because TK fell asleep before Marjan had gotten to the takeout place. He stayed asleep until she was parking outside his and Carlos’ place, and jolted awake with a start as she gently shook him.

“Hey, TK, it’s just me, we’re—“

“Home. Thank you, I — sorry.” He was already reaching for the handle, not looking like he wanted to stick around. “Thanks again, Marjan. Um, enjoy your food.”

“Get better!” She called out, just in time before the door closed. She watched as he waved, and eventually disappeared out of sight.

When TK got through the door, Carlos was situated on the couch reading. It was his day off, after a night shift the day before, but TK wasn’t surprised to see him awake already. He always seemed to rise early, no matter the occasion.

“Babe!” His boyfriend was immediately on his feet. “I would say I told you so, but—“

“Stop it, Carlos. I don’t want a fuss.” His voice was worsening; congestion settled in thick, and a hoarseness from his scratchy throat. He sounded awful, in other words. “Just want to lie down.”

“I left a change of clothes for you in our room,” Carlos said softly, staying a few steps away so as to keep the boundary. “And, there’s leftovers in the fridge if you want them. I’ll grab you some water.”

“‘M not very hungry,” TK replied, before making his way into their bedroom. He emerged a few minutes later in a pair of sweatpants, and Carlos’ APD hoodie. It was comfortable, and with the small amount of ability that he had left to smell, TK appreciated the familiar and comforting scent of the attire.

He took a few sips of the water left on the coffee table for him, and snuggled up underneath the blanket atop of the couch.

“Can you stomaxh a few crackers? Are you nauseous?” Carlos approached hesitantly, holding a packet of crackers in one hand and a plastic bowl in the other. Affectionately coined ‘puke bowl’ the last time TK had the stomach flu. Besides that, this was one of the first times Carlos was actually seeing him sick; not in a coma sick. He’d seen that in enough bouts for one lifetime.

“I’m not nauseous, but thank you for bringing back Percy the puke bowl.” A tiny smile ghosted his lips, before a scrunch of his nose and a slightly aggressive rub at it.

Carlos chuckled, shaking his head at the nickname he’d refused to agree with back then. “Crackers, then?”

TK whined. “When I wake up?” He negotiated, eyes already closed.

Carlos sighed, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. TK probably needed sleep more than he needed a snack, and at least he’d drank some water. In fact, he was snoring before Carlos could even consider asking him if there was anything he’d like to eat later on. So much for the ‘I’m fine, Carlos!’ He’d gotten this morning, after informing his boyfriend that he might be coming down with something. He’d been snoring. TK doesn’t snore, unless his nose is stuffy. But, alas, Carlos’ detective skills had gone unnoticed once again.

He left him to rest, keeping himself busy with tidying the place a little and preparing what he coiod for when TK woke. He knew he wouldn’t want any painkillers for obvious reasons, but they had other remedies for colds and flu that they could try. Vapour rub (of course), different kinds of herbal tea, honey from the farmer’s market and tissues. Lots of tissues. Now, Carlos just had to work out a happy medium that fell somewhere between wanting to take care of the man he loved, whilst not fussing over him. This one might take a while.

[bbloveseevees]

I did a BIG thing.

I PRESENT…

BB’s Song Writing Challenge!

It’s basically: people give you a letter, and you try to write a fanfic based off of a song’s meaning and stuff. This is my first ever writing prompt challenge please don’t rip me to shreds :(

(This can apply to any fandom you feel like writing for)

(The Alt options are if you don’t feel like doing the first option :3)

You can reblog this if you wanna do it I guess :3

A: Alien Blues (Alt: Animal) (the living tombstone version, not DECO*27)

B: Bang! (Alt: Boys Will Be Bugs)

C: Candle Queen (Alt: Conversations With Strangers)

D: Don’t Be a Fool (Alt: Day Job) (it’s by Emerson Brophy btw)

E: Eighth Wonder (Alt: Everything Stays)

F: Full Disclosure (Alt: Find The Keys)

G: Ghosts Play to The Audience (Alt: God-Ish)

H: Harpy Hare (Alt: Help Me) (The OR3O song)

I: I’m Just Your Problem (Alt: Inertia) (AJR WOOO!)

J: Join The Party (Alt: Just Another Night in New York) (Yes, it’s an I Heart Arlo song, ITS GOOD ‘N ANGSTY THO)

K: Karma (Alt: kyu-kurarin) (AJR’s Karma is recommended, but you can use OR3O’s :3)

L: Language of the Lost (Alt: Lemon Boy)

M: Magical Girl and Chocolate (Alt: Matryoshka) (USE AN ENGLISH COVER IF YOU CAN’T WRITE BASED OFF OF THE JAPANESE LYRICS)

N: New Invention (Alt: Night Dancer)

O: Our Word (Alt: Open Up Your Eyes) (Go ahead… call me a brony…)

P: Paparazzi Murder Party (Alt: phony)

Q: queen of broken hearts (Alt: SPIN A WHEEL!) (aka: I only have queen of broken hearts)

R: Rabbit Hole (Alt: (Rotten) Apple Dot Com)

S: Scrawny (Alt: SIU)

T: Tangerine (Alt: This Comes From Inside)

U: Uptown Funk (Alt: (Un)Natural Selection)

V: Vending Machine of Love (Alt: Victorious)

W: Writing on the Wall (Alt: What’s Inside) (Is it the Will or Lia version? That’s your choice) (also: What’s Inside by PinocchioP)

X: uhhhhm, you pick???

Y: You’ll Be Gone (Alt: Your Reality)

Z: Zero (Alt: uhhhhhh any of your favorite Vocaloid songs) (Btw: it’s the PinocchioP song, but use the SMG4 one if you want idgaf)

[nochi-quinn]

candela obscura chapter 1 episode 2: hey entire table what the fuck

still enjoying matt in shirtsleeves

still weird that his wrists are naked

are his sideburns going grey? like under the bulk of his hair

this is a scene that jumped into matt's head fully formed and he has to give all the details

source: been there

auggie!

that's my son!

vexnvax syndrome strikes again

going 'yum' just as charlotte's art pops up: correct

if there's one thing anjali's going to do it's play a hot lady in period clothing

"I've been smoking since I was eight" "then you can find your own smokes"

"sir, ma'am - " "doctor"

mala: the three genders

is "otherwhere" like ffxiv and "anyroad" or is it like. a place.

if there's one thing laura's gonna do it's try to get a magical item out of the GM

thank you, howard

witcher potion

auggie, whose friend turned into an ice ghost not even a month ago: fuck you, werewolves aren't real

arlo: maybe SOME PEOPLE - not me - are just SHY - I'm not tho - and have TROUBLE with PEOPLE - except me, I'm fine

bidet

"let matthew know" snickersnort

"what's my name?"

your name is also matthew

I don't know why "make a sneak" makes me smile but it does

howard just faceplants in the background

the story's too long to tell here but one time a woman brained herself on a hamster cage in petsmart and that's all I could think of with the guard blocking auggie

this voice is very endearing

not weird but WEIRD weird

all this for a loaf of bread?

matt making up names off the top of his head

aha! drugs

oh no

Quite Betrothed

fate dating au

"have you ever seen boiled bacon?" revolting!

"I have moments where new information makes me somewhat uncomfortable" autism mood

"I'm gonna touch it" to "this was a mistake" pipeline

if any of them were gonna succeed this seems like where you would want to succeed

yeah, DEAD SCIENTISTS, HOWARD

howard is now craving bacon

I WAS JOKING

I also enjoy this voice very much

aha. veterans.

he is An Doctor

bottom table is ND as f u c k

channeling patrick loller from tiktok: "if you thank me for my service you have to give me $5"

pocket bacon!

yeah see, $5

"we're not doing Get Help"

and that's just what the couple did to the room!

oh shit it's the fuzz

"our first victorian shit!" robbie what

joke three people in the world will get: you can only poop in the designated areas

the whole table: howard no robbie: HOWARD YES

nose punch go CRUNCH

"HOWARD WENT ROGUE"

howard said acab

what is anjali feeding her dice

robbie do you want to tempt the wrath of the whatever

the secretary's a werewolf

with a very cute accent

"he was a horn player" "I bet he was"

"s e x u a l i n t e r c o u r s e"

howard

"I wanna take his badge" fearne lives

he ran into a doorknob"

"WHY DID YOU TALK"

"stairs is faster" confused me until I remembered some people can actually walk down stairs instead of having to take them one at a time, one foot then the other, while clinging to the rail for dear life

laura

the way my brain autofilled "stayed open during the pandemic"

"is he a tall lanky boy" tailed by slenderman

grumbles in public transportation

everybody gets to punch a cop!

cable car fun fact: I was reading dashiell hammet for the first time and had to google what a broadway car was bc he said it like 90 times in the first three pages

and I'm STILL not sure I got it right

"how do you know I'm OUP" "the everything about you"

"my name is gertrude! I mean ethel!"

"spend all the drives! you won't need them later!"

"steal the man of the cloth's cloth!"

[witcher voice] for your discretion

"if only you knew how I was making my money"

ty for not popping your shoulders out on stream anjali

(I originally said "popping them out" and decided specificity was necessary)

this music is a+

"first name trio" is a good name for a band

disco elysium crossover

"she's having an idea….and it hurts" mood

"SHE DID IT" my crackpot theory is vindicated

that is certainly a way to put it

eddie? eyes emoji?

ashley very quietly reaching for her pencil

bacon plague!

banana spiders

"make sure you bring your hand with you"

c o n s u m e

"I've been working on this really great YA novel" MATTHEW I have already snorted lemonade through my nose once tonight, you can't say shit like that

ARLO

AUGGIE

I love them

why was my only thought AT THE OPERA TONIGHT

"do I recognize her as a TA?" "she's an ex-student" you get how that's worse, right

you have buried the lede slightly arlo

anjali: "I shouldn't curse" matt: who told you that shit

"that's poor people talk"

classism!

arlo

"THAT MAN TOUCHED MY BREAST"

"JEEEEEEEMY GOD"

we never should have given matt buttons

matt you live in LA you're giving them all trauma

kickin buddies

[pounding table] werewolf weREWOLF

that's. not a werewolf.

that's a bloodborne monster

just the panicked yelling dlkfjls

I too yell wordlessly when forced to make decisions

"until it was trying to merge with your body" hate THAT wording

hey matt what the fuck

HEY MATT WHAT THE FUCK

"if I'm still aliVE YOU NERDS HELP ME" bakugocore

"its own viscosity" despise it

hey. hey howard. whatcha doin.

[justin mcelroy voice] DON'T DRILL A HOLE IN YOUR HEAD

DON'T YOU PUN RIGHT NOW

hey robbie what the F U C K

"a gun! :D"

hey. hey arlo. hey arlo whatcha doin

some fullmetal alchemist shit is what

I hate everything about this

laura has just decided all her characters are coloring books now

"this arm doesn't have function anymore" oh mood

"takE IT, ROBBIE"

"you just do. what other choice is there?" hey I don't need this right now

hey howard what the fuck

HOWARD'S HAUNTED

see this is why you don't drill a hole in your head, you get ghosts

[acorrespondence]

Thanks @boydcrowdr for tagging me! Oh gosh, my username is so long, haha. I’m just going to go through my recents on Spotify and choose from there. Here goes:

a - Atlantic City (Live at MSG) by Bruce Springsteen

c - Curse of the Blackened Eye by Orville Peck

o - Old Friend by the Allman Brothers Band

r - Round Here by the Counting Crows

r - Rumbrave by Murder By Death

e - Empire Now by Hozier

s - Stick Season by Noah Kahan

p - Pain in My Heart by Otis Redding

o - Only Wanna Be With You by Hootie & The Blowfish

n - Nose on the Grindstone (OurVinyl) by Tyler Childers

d - Don’t Wanna Fight by Alabama Shakes

e - Eugene by Arlo Parks

n - No Church in the Wild by Jay-Z, Kanye, Frank Ocean, The-Dream

c - Chainsmoking by Jacob Banks

e - Empty Bed Blues Pt. 1 by Bessie Smith

Tagging anyone who thinks this looks like fun!

username song tag game! decided to start one of these to get to know my moots taste in music 💗

s - she's always a woman to me by billy joel.

o - oblivion by grimes.

f - forever young by alphaville.

t - the other side by hugh jackman & zac efron.

f - flaca by andrés calamaro.

e - earth angel (will you be mine?) by marvin berry.

m - (marie's the name of) his latest flame by elvis presley.

d - don't cry by guns n' roses.

o - one kiss by sofia carson.

m - movin' out (anthony's song) by billy joel.

no pressure tags! @marsbabysblog , @rambosgirl , @elflutter , @gingersforeverbox , @honey-and-olives , @fairlyang , @lostnighterarts + anyone who wants to join in!

[uno-writing]

k e e p t h e a r l o c o n t e n t c o m in g

Y E E E E E

Limbs tangled together as the only noise heard in the room are two soft breathes. Arlo’s eyes trail lazily over Y/N’s face as his fingertips trace shapes into the exposed skin on their shoulder. Y/N’s eyes stare into his, their eyelids opening and closing slowly, a content smile on their face as they feel the warmth radiating off Arlo. Arlo’s eyes drift up to meet theirs and he shifts closer, their foreheads touching and Arlo presses his lips haphazardly to their face. Y/N giggles and Arlo intertwines the fingers on his free hand with theirs.

Y/N kicks off the floor, the chair spinning with the motion. “You’re going to get dizzy.” Arlo speaks, not looking up from his book as Y/N spins. “Yep.” Y/N pushes themself again, spinning around faster. Before they can kick off again, hands grab at the back of the chair, reeling back and spinning them hard. A shocked squeal comes from their throat and they laugh loudly, Arlo spinning them faster every time the back of the chair reaches him. Their feet hit the ground, slowing them and Arlo grabs the back of the chair once again, this time stopping them completely. Y/N rests their head on the back of the chair, smiling goofily up at him, their eyes moving uncontrollably as the room spins for them. An amused smile appears in his face while he stares down at them. Y/N reaches a hand up to touch his face, missing by a couple inches. Arlo shakes his head and moves away. “Hey! Come back here!” Y/N exclaims, spinning around to look at him and standing, their knees wobbling. Arlo’s hands appear on their back and arm, steadying their uneasy form. Y/N turns and grabs his face in their hand, squeezing gently to squish his cheeks. Loud laughter falls from their lips and Arlo’s eyes roll as he grips their wrist gently, pulling it away from his face. Y/N’s bottom lip pouts out as they whine dramatically. “You’re ridiculous.” Arlo teases, raising an eyebrow at them. “It’s not my fault you’re gorgeous.” Y/N scoffs, raising their other hand to cascade through his blond hair. His head subconsciously leans into their hand, his eyes closing as he sighs, Arlo’s shoulders sagging as he relaxes. Arlo raises their hand to his lips and presses a kiss to their palm.

[strywoven-moved]

@phantasmaw​ asked : “Yo, Kaen, I’ve been thinkin’,” Arlo starts slowly, eyes fixed on the dusk-drenched sky overhead. Loons call from a nearby lake as they ready for the coming darkness. A summer wind blows through both individual’s hair, tussling stray locks and pinching noses with its stale warmth. The grass tickles against his bare arms as he adjusts his position beside his friend. “You ever been road-trippin’? I think it’s just summer blues or whatever, but… I’ve been feeling restless. Kinda like, I just wanna go down the way for a bit. Get what I’m saying?”

           Kaen is r e s t l e s s as ever , it only worsens with the warm-seasons ; thankful they are for Arlo to come and break the monotony of their routine , they were starting to go a little CRAZY doing the same things everyday for the last several months ( or for the last couple years , more like ) .  Sitting there on the knoll beside their friend , the Faun has their typical cup of flavored coffee in hand – they smell like a fresh bakery , this time it’s the distinct scent of blueberries spilling out of their cold brew and wafting off of them in waves. ��Feet have gone tucked off to the side , wee tail swishing idly back n’ forth behind them as they watch the summer-hot sun fall from his throne ; the sky is smeared in vibrant swathes of orange and yellow , Kaen can’t help but feel some moment of p e a c e in the midst of the GOLDEN HOUR which swaddles the two of them.  

          Furred ear flicks at the sound of Arlo’s voice , soon followed by the cant of antlered head in his direction.  One hand raises to push glasses further up the bridge of their nose as they listen to his musings.  “Y’know , Ah’ve ne’er really done anythin’ like tha’ b’fore.  Ah kinda’ planted m’ roots ‘ere in th’ city an’ been ‘ere e’er since.”  A pause , a sip from their cup.  “Might explain why Ah’m goin’ a lil’ nuts these days , huh ?”  They laugh a bit , realizing the dilemma.  The truth was they were DESPERATE to travel and see things , it was in them to wander and to get lost. . . But where would they s t a r t ?  “Ah get wha’ yer sayin’ , Arlo.  Ah wanna get away from this place , too , even fer a lil’ while.”  Gentle digits reach out to push back the fallen locks of hair obscuring his eyes.  “. . . Is- Is tha’ an OFFER ?  D’ye wanna go somewhere ?”  It might be wrong to seem hopeful , but they are ; even as opposites in most cases , Arlo was still considered one of their best friends , it would give them such j o y to go on a makeshift vacation with him ( even if that meant they would just be going out of town for a day or two ) .

[taste-in-music]

Incredible Artists You Should Check Out

I haven’t made one of these posts in a big long while, so here we are! I’ve been cultivating this list for some time now, so without further ado, some artists that I think deserve a little love. 

Emotional Oranges: This group has it all. Male and female vocals, both of which are silky as heck? Check. A chill R&B sound with bubbly beats that’ll sweep you off your feet? Check. Summery vibes that will keep you warm even during the coldest of winter months? Check. This group’s music is so refreshing, with a zesty twist, almost like... what is that fruit? A lime? Yeah, definitely a lime.  

Check Out If You Like: Dominic Fike, Frank Ocean

My Top Tracks: Motion, Just Like You

Love You Later: This woman’s music has been my one-stop shop for melancholic dream pop as of late. Her first longer project is called How Many Nights Do You Dance With Tears in Your Eyes?, and I think that about sums up the atmosphere of her sound. Her emotional performances, paired with glistening, synth-laded production make for songs you could slow-dance to with a pang of sorrow in your heart. 

Check Out If You Like: The Japanese House, Lorde

My Top Tracks: Emily, Making Plans

Ariana and the Rose: If you’re on the hunt for some euphoric synthpop, then I have some good news for you. Ariana and the Rose has been dropping singles for actual years now, but I found her music through her most recent release, her “Constellations Phase 1″ EP from last year. It’s got some of the freshest pop bops I’ve heard in a while, from the funky, “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe-eque “You Were Never My Boyfriend” to the endlessly danceable “True Love.” 

Check Out If You Like: Foxes, MUNA

My Top Tracks: True Love, You Were Never My Boyfriend

Half Wolf: This woman may only have a handful of tracks to her name, but she’s already established herself as a fantastic balladeer. Her voice ranges from delicate and soaring up into the upper register to powerful and rich in vibrato. Her instrumentals are simple, but never boring, always serving to elevate her beautiful performances. 

Check Out If You Like: Jade Bird, Julia Jacklin

My Top Tracks: Pretty Lonely, Cigarette Smoke

Joy Crookes: I am obsessed, OBSESSED, with this woman’s voice, her cadence and intonations are so laid back and effortless. The way she blends hip hop and R&B sounds with organic instrumentals is so relaxing, and it projects an aura of warmth that I can’t get enough of. She’s got three EPs out and they’re all gold. She also did a Kendrick Lamar medley that’s amazing. 

Check Out If You Like: Khalid, Jorja Smith

My Top Tracks: Hurts, Yah/Element (Medley)

Kelsy Karter: I mean, her Spotify bio says: “If Angelina Jolie and Mick Jagger had a one night stand you’d get me,” and I’m not here to disagree with that. Kelsy Karter is a force to be reckoned with, she’s got a voice full of husky grit and rock star swagger. Her songs balance classic-sounding instrumentals and a modern wit in the lyrical department, like in her song “Harry,” which plays off a crazed stan character à la Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” over a crunching electric guitar. 

Check Out If You Like: Amy Winehouse, Elle King

My Top Tracks: Harry, Liquor Store On Mars

Stereo Jane: This power-pop duo came up on my Instagram feed a few weeks ago and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. Mia (right) slays on the drums, and Sydney (left) kills it with the vocals. Their sound blends brooding lyrics and instrumentals with a spark of energy that will make you want to take on the world. They’ve only got three recent singles, but it seems like they’re building up steam for something big. Also they’re twins!

Check Out If You Like: FLETCHER, Madison Beer

My Top Tracks: Strangers, Real World

Arlo Parks: With her smoky-smooth vocals and confessional songwriting, Arlo Parks is making waves at just nineteen years old. Her music is so achingly relatable in both its simplicity and its genuine execution. Whether you’re looking for chill indie pop ballads to yearn to or a new bisexual icon to stan, then I can’t recommend her enough. 

Check Out If You Like: King Princess, Daniel Caesar

My Top Tracks: Cola, Eugene

Blu DeTiger: What about this woman isn’t cool? Her name is cool, her aesthetic is cool, and most of all, her music is cool. I first came across her due to her bass-playing videos on TikTok, (which are all FIRE,) and her instrumental skills really come across in her tunes. Her music is fun, funky, and always has a killer groove driven by an awesome bass line. 

Check Out If You Like: The Aces, HAIM

My Top Tracks: Tangerine, Mad Love

No Frills Twins: This identical twin duo had such a long hiatus I feared that they had disbanded, but no! With the release of their latest single, it appears that they are back on their game. If you’re into music with a danceable pulse, thundering bass, sharp synths, and a twinge of strangeness, then you’ll dig this group’s thrilling take on no-frills pop. Not only that, their voices have a distinct deep timbre that is totally unique. 

Check Out If You Like: MARINA, (especially The Family Jewels era MARINA,) Charli XCX

My Top Tracks: Love Me Tender, Paper Love

LoveLeo: Apparently this guy is John C. Reilly’s son? I don’t really care, because he’s dropped nothing but bops. His music has this breezy, playful, and jaunty feel to it that slots perfectly into a Summer stroll playlist. If you’re into laid back, somewhat low-fi bedroom pop or indie pop then you’ll love what he has to offer. Also his visuals are mind-bendingly creative.

Check Out If You Like: Gus Dapperton, Still Woozy

My Top Tracks: BOYFREN, ROSIE

[toomanysurveys9]

A Art: When was the last time you painted something? I don’t even remember. Adventure: When was the last time you really felt alive, and what were you doing? Family vacation to TN with the family this past Memorial day weekend. It was a nice break from the “real” world. Allergies: What is one thing that you are allergic to? Grass. It fucking sucks. Answers: What is one question you would like an answer to? Why me? Age: What has been your favorite age so far? As much as I don’t like getting older... I love being a mom. So now.

B What month is your birthday? September. I’m 28 this year. Have you ever played house inside a big box? Probably. Are you boisterous? Definitely not. Have you ever dated a bad boy? Kind of, I guess.  Name one thing you like that is blue: Blue moon ice cream. C Cinnamon–yay or nay? Usually I enjoy it.

Chocolate: do you love it? I have to be in the mood for it. Name one favorite type of candy. Lately I’ve been craving skittles and gummy candies. Children: Name one favorite thing to do with kids while babysitting. Movie night with drinks and snacks! Carefree: Are you carefree? Definitey not. D When was the last time you danced like no one was watching? A few weeks ago with the kiddos. Do you daydream? I do. Dreams: What is one of your dreams? Have my own marriage and family therapy practice.. What is one thing you are currently dreading? My ultrasound tomorrow. I’m SOO excited but I am also dreading it because I’m always afraid they’re going to say my baby is gone.. Even though I can feel her move now. It still scares me. Or that they will tell me something is wrong with my baby. Name something delicious. Smoothies. E Would you ride an elephant if given the opportunity? I have once when I was younger and my mom took my siblings and I to the circus. Do you live life on the edge? I don’t think so. Name something you like to eat: These days.. watermelon. Do you believe in everlasting life? No. I wish. But no. Name something that comes easy to you. Being a mom.. usually. F Name a fragrance you like. There are several from Bath and Body!  Are you a free spirit? I don’t think so, no. Are you fickle? No. Are you hiding your feelings from someone? I mean.. maybe. Name one flavor you like. Hm. Caramel. G Are you gentle? Yeah. I think so. Are you generous? I try to be.. but I could probably do better. Name something green. Cucumber. Name a famous giant. The Iron Giant! Are you a girl? I am. H Are you generally a happy person? I’m happier now than I used to be. The days I want to go back to self-injury are further between each other. Do you honor the holiness of the day? No. Do you believe in Heaven? No. I wish. Name one thing you are hoping for. Our ultrasound to go well tomorrow. Name one thing you hate. Not having our own house even though it’s our house. I Imagination: Write the name of one of your imaginary friends from when you. were younger. Pebbles. From the Flintstones.  Issues: Name one magazine you subscribe to, if there is any. Family Therapy Magazine. Internet: Name one website you visit often. Facebook and my school website. Itinerary: List one place you would like to visit. Italy. Interest: Name one thing that interests you. Marriage and family therapy.  J Are you joyful? Eh. I dont’ know about joyful. When was the last time you were filled with joy? Watching my kids have fun when we went to the pool last Friday. Can you jump high? No. Name one girl’s name that starts with a J that you like. Jenna. Name one boy’s name that starts with a J that you like. Jacob. K Have you ever been kissed? Yup. Have you ever feared that you would be killed? Something like that. Are you kind? I try to be.

Who is your kindred spirit? I don’t know.

Name one thing you liked as a kid. Playing house with my sister. L Do you love someone? Yes. My kids. Jacob. The rest of my family. My friends. Do you live out loud? I don’t think so. I feel like I live pretty quietly compared to others. Also. This question made me think of my boss/the owner of the company I work for because her Facebook bio thing says something about coming to live out loud. Do you read food labels? Occasionally. Name something local that you like. Our local ice cream place!

List one thing you like to do at the lake. Swim. M Do you like… monkeys music musicals mansions miracles N Do you want something…. new nice neat never-before-seen nature-inspired O How old are you? 27. What is the last great opportunity you missed? I missed a deadline for joining this group I wanted to. Hopefully I get an invite again next year. Name one thing you like that’s orange (besides oranges). Orange sherbet. Are you open? Not so much in person. Name something odd. My cat, Arlo. Lol. He’s the best though. P Are you… patient perky pale peaceful passionate Q Do you own a… quilt quail queen-size bed quill pen book of questions R Do you like to… run rave riddle rhyme rap S Are you ever… shy sensitive secretive sure stable T Are you… ticklish trouble tall thankful tactful U Have you ever… ridden a unicyle used an umbrella visited an uncle been undecided played a ukelele V Do you own a… violin vehicle violet dress vampire cape veil for a wedding dress W What is something you wish for? Cures for so many illnesses. Wonder: When was the last time you opened your eyes in wonder? I don’t know. Name five words you like. I’m too tired to think that much. What is something you wonder? Why they picked me. Name someone who thinks you are worthless. MEEEE. X Have you ever… played a xylophone had an x-ray enjoyed exercise had excision surgery been excluded Y Are you young? I’m 27. So ish. Are you youthful? I guess so. Did you have a big yard growing up? Not really. But it was enough for us. What did you do yesterday? I worked. Came home. Took care of my kids and my parents kids. Took care of Jacob because he wasn’t feeling well like I haven’t been. Do you like yams? I’m not sure I have had them but just the name makes me not want to. Z Zeal: What are you passionate about? Mental health. Which is hilarious considering my own. Zing: Do you like raspberry lemonade? I do! What’s your favorite zoo animal? Monkeys. All the monkeys. Do you own anything from Zales? My wedding ring set... that has now been lost. List a name that starts with a Z. Zelda.

[shcnley]

╰ ✧ ZOEY DEUTCH. MUSE SEVEN. BISEXUAL. ❞ say hello to the s club’s very own SHANLEY EVANS! a TWENTY-THREE year old CISFEMALE that goes by SHE/HER pronouns. i heard they were voted MOST TALKATIVE in high school, which says a lot about them because they’re very VIVACIOUS and DEPENDABLE, but watch out for their IMPULSIVE and STUBBORN side as well. i hope they’re ready to take a break from being a TEACHER and finally get this summer started! 

hiiii friendssss, i’m gigi!!! and here’s my lil french fry lovin’ bb, shanley. sooo excited to plot w/ you allllll <333 

B A S I C S

full name: shanley nicole evans gender: cisfemale pronouns: she/her sexuality: bisexual age: 23 years old birthday: january 27th 1997 birthplace: NYC currently living: chicago, il relationship status: single zodiac: aquarius sun, virgo moon, leo rising occupation: teacher ( 1st grade )

I N S P O

characters: jessica day ( new girl ), lorelai gilmore ( gilmore girls ), harper ( set it up ), summer roberts ( the o.c. ), alexis rose ( schitt’s creek ), & amy march ( little women ). music: click this sentence for playlist !!  pinterest: click this sentence for pinterest !! 

B A C K G R O U N D

kso, i’m going to be honest. shanley had an extremely normal and happy childhood. her parents met in high school, fell in love and were married after graduating college. her father ( theodore evans / think sandy cohen from the oc ) is an executive vice president of an insurance company while her mother ( clara evans / think kristina braverman from parenthood ) is a stay-at-home mom. born and raised in new york city. she has an older sister ( haddie evans / think prue halliwell from charmed ) who is three years older, she has an extremely close relationship with her. shanley is obsessed with family, tbh. she tells them just about everything. they had dinner together every night and talk about their days, have inside jokes, go on family vacations every summer ( before sclub summers ). overall, her parents are very loving and supportive, wanting only the best for their daughters. in high school, shanley was convinced she wasn’t like other girls *pUkeS*. she was very outgoing. like she literally made friends with anyone and everyone. a friendly face; probably the student who showed the new students around. it was rare to see shanley upset or rude to anyone unless she was defending someone. she had good grades (our shanny was v advanced), kind of a teacher’s pet but like still got her seat moved or sent to the hallway because she wouldn’t stop talking. i almost made her superlative most likely to say something stupid because like that’s her too. she was on the yearbook committee, played volleyball, and was a part of the student government. if she wasn’t at school or home, you would most likely find her with arlo, which whew. a story there. when it came to the sclub, she spent whatever free time she had left with them. encouraging all the trouble; shanley will do ANYTHING you tell her to and probably doesn’t think about it. don’t give her dumbass a dare because she will do it. sorry , i forgot what i was going to say; let’s change topics. NO i remembered, lets carry on. she’s always up for a good time. don’t hesitate to invite shan...even if you don invite her...she’ll invite herself SO. fast forward to college, shanley was accepted to loyola university and moved to chicago. how excite!!!!  kso she always knew she wanted to go away for school yanno be miss independent thats why they love her BUT college life wasn’t easy, not in the beginning at least. she was going through a breakup and lost herself for a while. became cold and detached; honestly after the break up her routine was to go to class then back to her dorm, study, cry and repeat. she was only friends with her roommates till finally they forced her to go out and deal with her heartbreak the “””normal””” college way aka getting stupid drunk. *tiktok vc* it izz what it izz. joined a sorority then dropped it because it was too culty for her. she got a part time job at insomnia cookies. slowly became high school shanley again. her spirits were especially lifted when she began student teaching. the kids made her so happy. they also proved to her that teaching was what she was meant to do. next thing ya know, four years are up and our girl has a degree in elementary education.  no one probably asked but her love life !!! like mentioned earlier shanley is single. she was convinced she was going to end up marrying arlo, maybe not right after high school like people assumed but eventually. they just connected on another level so when he ended things after their first year of college, shan was crushed. but if you’re curious, she's still got the hots for arlo. are we surprised tho? no? exactly. thanks for reading, pals. dsjkn okay i’ll add more. fine. so she hooks up with people and goes on dates but no one sticks. she doesn’t want them to stick either. she knows she had that like one great love and doubts she’ll ever feel it again so she just prefers to be on her own. she don’t need no man !!!!!!!! except for one...but mind ur business. so like what is shanley nicole evans up to now? well, her original plan was to move back home once she had graduated. but she was offered a teaching position in chicago and gladly accepted it. she figured since she loved living in chicago so much and it was at the school where she completed her student teaching; it all felt right for her to stay there. this was a fresh start for her. and she got it!! ya girl moved into a beautiful ( expensive ) apt near lake shore drive, started her own tiktok account where she randomly went viral and fell in love with all her students who she calls her kiddy beans!!

E X T R A !!

has 4 tattoos:       portrait of her dog, on her left calf // why? again obsessed w/ her dog       aquarius symbol,  on her right outer elbow side // zodiac hoe. Is v proud       coffee mug, on her right wrist side // her first tattoo. couldnt think of anything else.       honey bee, back of her arm above elbow // got really drunk, heard a song, thought of arlo, ended up at a shop with friends as a joke and woke up the next morning with it. 8 piercings: 3 each lobe. Industrial ( left ). tragus ( right ). sings when she talks sometimes most of the time speaks in really bad accents; new jersey being her fav is always in a dress...look at her pinterest...all she has is dresses. she likes to show off her legs ok. obsessed with animals ( if she’s not paying attention, its bc she’s thinking about her dog and/or bunnies ), coffee, and junk food. a jonas brothers stan, nick is her favorite brother. shelf is her favorite song. cries whenever she hears when you look me in the eyes ( she sang it to arlo when he took her to their concert ). has a big following on tiktok. on the teacher side. she posts her ootd and weird shit her students have said. sometimes even reenacts scenes from new girl. a reality tv show about birds she sees. its quite entertaining.  potatoes and pasta are her favorite foods. grew up making fairy gardens has a concentration face  dances for no and every reason.especially if she’s excited or beat someone in something. rambles way too much, forgets what she’s talking about mid sentence, attention span of a fruit fly. she has a hammock named bartholomew and she chills on it when she’s sad...so most of this trip. :-)))

welcome 2 the end; gimme all ur plots. i wanna plot with you all. i am down for everything and anything. 

[myster-tea]

Wholesome and/or Funny OC “Head Cannons” because they are technically not head cannons but i haven't confirmed that they are 100% cannon yet with my friend, Jade.

(The ocs that are my friend jade’s will be listed here cause i don't want people to think her amazing ocs are mine: scorpion/[his real name shall stay a secret], Hazin, Serena, Val, Zeke, Puma, and Zyx) 

-Hazin and Aqua probably just hug each other for really long periods of time because of recent events in Hazin’s life, they don't get to see each other as much as they used to 

-Unknown definitely tries to braid/ play with Scorpion’s hair, but fails because Reason A: she is a smol bean and Scorpi is a tol boi, And B: Scorpion probably has his hair up most of the time. But when Scorpion has his hair down and is at a level where Unknown C A N reach his hair- she will pull him to their bed and cuddle with him for what seems like forever, playing with his long, black hair.

- Before Zeke h a t e d Milo, I imagine them making flower crowns together, each crown matching someone at the Villain Circus, and then giving them to the corresponding Circus member. 

- Gemini gets nervous around Val (her gf) a sh*t ton of times, like- at least 5-7 times a day because Gemini thinks Val is r e a l l y fuqing pretty and Gemini thinks she isn’t. I think Val would notice that and after that, make sure that she compliments Gemini randomly throughout their days together. They are eating breakfast? Vall says Gemini looks adorable in her pjs (witch is definitely a onesie of some kind or those while lice night gowns)  They are just existing together? Val plays With Gemini’s hair and says her eyes look beautiful. Also i feel like Scorpion dose the same thing for Unknown because Unknown has basically z e r o self confidence. 

-Mia really hates the fact that she has a bunch of scars and freckles on her body, so I think Zyx would lightly trace them with his finger when they are cuddling and when Mia asks what he is doing, Zyx would just reply, “im playing connect the dots”, Mia would laugh quietly and say “thats a lot of dots to connect...” zyx would shrug, continue to trace his finger from scar to scar and freckle to freckle, then say quietly “its... calming for me” they would both slowly fall asleep after that.

- Unknown and Serena would 100% be b e s t friends. They would be those moms that hang out in the kitchen after the kids are asleep (even though their kids have a V E R Y big age gap) And they both have healing powers, so they may even share crazy stories about injuries people have came to them for. Or Serena would be like another Mom for her- because- ya know- Unknown’s adopted mom (Cara) is a ghost and they cant talk that often because of that-

-Puma would m a y b e volunteer to be a babysitter for the twins and Arlo if the Villains need to go do sh*t, And Arlo l o v e s when Puma is around and will always want her to hold him cause he is a smol child that likes being held. I think Puma (when she first held him) was very surprised, but happy that Arlo purrs when held, so she also likes holding the smol bean. But one of the cutest things about that is i think that Arlo would do grabby hands up at Puma when he wants to be held, witch is adorable as f u q on its own.

ill do more soon ig

[spacexmagicxandxsheepxbleats]

Continued from here

The Titan’s obvious disgust was of no consequence to her and she was seemingly quick with a reply:

“...What better way to scare a Devil than to wear the skin of his fallen kin...?.....Yes, I’m ready......I carry all I need and if I’m missing something or find I need anything I make it.....”

Though she was quite a bit shorter than him she was able to keep pace rather well, considering Ulfar was nigh eye level with Sinner, perhaps a few inches shorter and Arlo not to far behind, the diminutive Warlock was used to keeping an easy trot in order to not fall behind....

His visor did draw her attention, as did his shortened gate, something she appreciated but didn’t find to necessary. She wouldn’t comment on ether however, not wanting disrupt the fact he was speaking, allowing the hollow eyes of her helm to bore through the vacant holes in the wolf hide...perhaps he’d notice her unspoken curiosity, perhaps he wouldn’t. 

The fact was, she rather liked it when he talked so when the matter of Outlaw burbled to the surface she didn’t answer him immediately, indicating she’d partly zoned out to the tone of his voice as well as making a mental check list concerning his statement that they’d be facing a Baron and an untold number of his underlings...

When his question and Outlaw’s name finally filtered through her prep thoughts she gave her head a slight shake, scattering some rain drops as she murmured sheepishly for the momentary laps in concentration. 

“...Er, sorry....I, was taking a mental inventory of what I’ve got...what we may need......”

The girl trailed a moment in her speaking as another thought filtered in, but she shelved it to finish his answer.

“He left out the Gate opposite this one, across the city...The Vanguard pulled Hunters from all teams on downtime for a mass scouting, most haven’t returned and Outlaw is one of them...So they sanctioned their respective teams to go searching.....”

A bitter disappointment crept into the thought of having to go find him, a not so subtle venom coating the other Exo’s name as it slipped from her lips as she spoke, showing that she’d rather the Hunter rot in the wilds than return.

“It was Arlo who spotted you first, not that your exactly hard to miss...for, you know, taller folk....”

Her strange humor seeped into the sentences, wanting to lighten things up a bit from discussing rank trash.

“So, knowing how much I love Outlaw he gave me a choice: Blitz across several city blocks and catch up with you to see if you’d accept my company or, go and likely pull his feet from the fire so to speak....”

The roll of her eyes was audible when the ‘L’ word gagged burbled from her throat, as was her gratitude for Arlo’s offered choice and Sinner’s consent for her to go with him. She wasn’t sure if the Titan noticed, but she seemed quite relieved, her elation at having escaped seeing the Hunter was scarcely kept in check but she managed as they drew closer to the gate, the arch way looming tall above even Sinner as they passed through, the brief cut in the rain and then its renewed fury lifted a weight from her... a weight she’d only ever identify as captivity with in the Cities Walls....

A soft string of words, archaic in nature whispered softly from her, as if she were greeting the wilds before them like an old friend or beloved family member as an obvious shudder rattled her frame, a bit of ‘dance’ skipping her steps, tinkling the hammered brass bells and other baubles that hung around her robes...looking a bit like a kid released to the park for some rough housing with friends and tussle with the yard bully....

Her gloved fingers brushed tree trunks and other plants alike as they wandered further from the City, her tension bled away with the wash of rain and her motions became even more relaxed and fluid...as if she were a different person, happier and more at peace somehow.

“.....Sometimes...I think about leaving, about slipping back into the trees and stones of the mountains....to be a shade among shadows again.......”

She had wound her way a head of him somehow, had wandered up the trunk of a fallen pine and stood on the tree to watch him approach at nearly eye level, considering him carefully as he drew closer.

“But...that would mean I’d never see you, or the others, again.....”

The gentle confession was made freely, a lightness to it that indicated she accepted what she was giving up in favor of what she’d gained. She had a relatively nice room to sleep in at Arlo’s home, the man’s wife was kind more than kind enough to her and Ulfar was the ‘big brother’ that evened the family out even if Outlaw was literally their black sheep.

But Sinner was something different. He was, really, the only other Guardian she’d interacted with other than in passing up until then.

Aside from the obvious ones, when ever she encountered another Risen before joining the City it was a death match, so one could imagine her isolation when she found herself in an entire C I T Y absolutely F U L L of other Risen who W E R E N T trying to kill or subjugate innocent civilians...Let alone that Sinner was an Exo, of all ‘races’.

After all, an Exo Warlord murdered her young charge.

An Exo Warlord nearly cost her her life.

And an Exo Hunter now threatens her every time he lays eyes on her.

No. Truth be told, she felt a certain fondness for his company. Something about the way he carried himself the first day they met and the way he continues to conduct himself in their interactions stood him out from the rest...

So when he drew closer to her impromptu perch she took a few more steps along the incline to bring herself to his level, practically eye to eye or skull to visor in this instance as she reached into the confines of her robes layers, drawing her hand back she held it out to him, her fingers closed in a fist around the glimmer of forged iron chain links.

“Þat kann ek it ellifta: ef ek skal til orrostu leiða langvini, und randir ek gel, en þeir með ríki fara heilir hildar til, heilir hildi frá, koma þeir heilir hvaðan...”

Ezra would wait, her hand still outstretched towards him, waiting for his own to be beneath her palm before dropping the necklace into his hand. The iron links were lightly oiled and clearly hand turned, from its center hung a rather well carved likeness of a large bear from bone, wreathing it on ether side were the claws of said animal...

“Þat kann ek it fimmta: ef ek sé af fári skotinn flein í folki vaða, fýgr-a hann svá stinnt, at ek stöðvig-a-k, ef ek hann sjónum of sék....”

She spoke softly but with purpose, if he asked she’d explain the meaning of the words, but for the time being she seemed satisfied with her obscure behavior in presenting the Titan with his gift, a gesture not made lightly, seeing as none of her teammates had received such things from her.

Translations ~ 

An eleventh I know, if needs I must lead To the fight my long-loved friends; I sing in the shields, and in strength they go Whole to the field of fight, Whole from the field of fight, And whole they come thence home.  A fifth I know, If I see from afar An arrow fly 'gainst the folk; It flies not so swift That I stop it not, If ever my eyes behold it. - Derived from the Havamal 156-160 and 146-150

@sinner-the-stoic-titan

[radiumwolf]

i was tagged by @strangetimes1986 for this, thank u!!! totally meant to do this earlier and ended up forgetting, my bad

Rules: make a new post and spell out your url with song titles then tag as many people as there are letters in your url

E - every other freckle / alt-J

A - alice’s restaurant massacree / arlo guthrie

R - roses are falling / orville peck

T - true trans soul rebel / against me!

H - hairspray queen / nirvana

2 - 25 minutes to go / johnny cash

C - coxton yard / title fight

O - outcast stomp / G.L.O.S.S.

W - waiting room / fugazi

P - politicians in my eyes / death

O - oh my lovely / daniel lanois

K - kiss off / violent femmes

E - earthmover / have a nice life

i am only tagging @indistinctchatter96 and @horsw because i don’t really know anyone else <3

[uno-writing]

P l e a s e f e e d m e m o r e p r e a r c a r l o c o n t e n t, I'm obsessed with your writing

S u r e t h i n g!!!! Happy you enjoy everything :D <3🍿

“Hey Y/N! What are you planning for the project?” Isen asks after class ends, walking with them out into the hallway. Isen continues walking with them as they talk, oblivious to the harsh glare he’s getting from Arlo at the moment. Arlo rolls his eyes, an angry pit of jealousy forming in his stomach. It’s times like this where Arlo regrets making the decision to have a private relationship rather than a public one. His glare grows harsher when Isen playfully throws his arm around Y/N’s shoulders and pulls them into him, making them stumble before he lets them go, laughing.

“You good man?” Holden asks and Arlo glances at Holden, having forgot that Holden was walking with him. Arlo takes a minute to answer and Holden glances back to where Arlo was glaring, seeing Isen. “Did Isen or Y/N do something?”

“No. I’m fine.” Arlo grumbles, turning his attention back to Y/N and Isen. He notices Isen rub the back of his neck bashfully and takes a deep breath, obviously building up courage for something. Something Arlo would be very upset about. Arlo walks up to Y/N and Isen, Holden following.

“Yeah, I was actually wondering if you’d like-” Isen hums, getting interrupted by Arlo.

“Y/N.” Y/N glances at him, smiling.

“Hey Arlo!” They greet and Isen shifts slightly on his feet, feeling a little uncomfortable at Arlo’s appearance.

“I’m gonna get to class.” Isen murmurs and Y/N turns their attention back to him.

“Okay! I’ll talk to you later!” Isen walks away and Arlo relaxes slightly. He takes his attention off of Isen and notices the two concerned looks from Holden and Y/N.

“What?” Arlo asks, a little snap in his tone. Holden puts his hands up in defense, sharing a look with Y/N as Arlo continues walking.

[avinmotion]

CES 2020 | Top 20

HZ2000 OLED TV (Master HDR OLED Professional panel supporting Dolby Vision IQ and Filmmaker Mode) by Panasonic

Filmmaker Mode by UHD Alliance

Simulated Reality Development Kit (32” 8K Spatial Desktop machine) by Dimenco

ThinkPad X1 Fold (13.3″ OLED Foldable Display, up to 1TB NVMe, Win 10 Pro, up to 11hr battery) by Lenovo

Looking Glass 8K Immersive Display by Looking Glass Factory

ConceptD 7 Ezel (Pro) Notebook (with Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000) by Acer

Q950TS 8K QLED TV (Infinity Screen) by Samsung

ThinkVision Creator Extreme (27" HDR1000, 1152 mini-LED zones and 10,368 LEDs for dynamic local dimming) by Lenovo

ConceptD 700 Workstation by Acer

DoubleTake (the next-generation in digital binoculars) by NexOpticTech

ONE R 1-Inch Edition (co-engineerd with Leica) by Insta360

Teslasuit Glove by Teslasuit

Bluetooth LE Audio Standard (The Next-Generation of Bluetooth Audio) by Bluetooth SIG

Smartglasses Light Drive System (World’s first all-day transparency smartglasses solution) by Bosch

JBL Bar 9.1 True Wireless Surround Sound (supports Dolby Vision & Atmos, Airplay 2 and Chromecast) by JBL

Vidrian Mini-LED TV (World’s First Mini-LED TV) by TCL Electronics

etee (Complete Control in 3D) by TG0

Envy 32 All-in-One Workstation (with Nvidia RTX graphics) by HP

Lyve Drive Mobile System (collection of modular storage solutions) by Seagate 

Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable Certification Program by HDMI Licensing Administration

What also caught my eye

Meural Canvas II (photography—all in one frame) by Meural (Netgear)

Elevate P-Series model Soundbar (sports rotating speakers and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X) by VIZIO

Trio Wireless Charging Pad by Satechi

TBT3-UDZ Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Docking Station (with 10GbE, 100W charging) by Plugable

NVMe PCIe Gen 4.0 M.2 SSD by Kingston Technology

Canvas Plus line SD UHS-II Cards by Kingston Technology

HomeKit Smart Lock (uses physical NFC keys) by Netatmo

90″ See-Through Display by Sharp

Airmega (works with Google Assistant) by Coway

OptiPlex 7070 Ultra by Dell

BLK2GO by Leica Geosystems

360 Anywhere (8K Portable 360º Camera) by Teche

EyeOn (eye-powered tablet control) by EyeTech

Smart Frame (digital picture frame) by Lenovo

VG-879 8K HDR Digital Video Signal Generator (HDMI 2.1) by AstroDesign

VA-1847 HDMI 2.1 Protocol Analyzer by AstroDesign

Mimic Go by Smart Mimic

Dock Wave (Wireless Charger, Powerbank and Docking Station) by Alogic

Ultra HD VR Eyeglasses by Panasonic

Home Center 3 by Fibaro

ATOM 500 Wireless Video System by Vaxis

XTAL 8K VR Headset by VRgineers

Pimax Vision Artisan VR Headset by Pimax

Pimax 5K SUPER VR Headset by Pimax

Amplify Glass Anti-Microbial Screen Protector by Otterbox

Go:Livecast (Livestreaming Studio for your phone) by Roland

A-88MKII Keyboard (with MIDI 2.0 and USB-C) by Roland

Tiger Lake Processors (Next-generation Core mobile platform) by Intel

DG1 Discrete Graphics Card (Xe GPU platform) by Intel

Horseshoe Bend 17″ foldable OLED Tablet Concept (with Tiger Lake mobile processor platform) by Intel

Thunderbolt 4 ( four times as fast as USB 3.0) by Intel

Portégé X30L-G 13″ Notebook by Dynabook (Toshiba)

HD 350BT/450BT Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-ear Headphones by Sennheiser

Pro Rugged Memory Card Collection by Manfrotto

Xsens DOT (Precision Motion Tracking) by Xsens

The Wall Micro LED TV (new sizes) by Samsung

LG Signature Rollable OLED TV by LG

Project Archery 2.0 Headset Display by TCL Electronics

LG Signature 8K OLED TV R by LG

LG Cylinder OLED by LG

LG Light Field OLED by LG

H9G Quantum 4K ULED TV (180 Local Dimming Zones, 1000-nits PB, Quantum Dot WCG, Dolby Vision & Atmos) by Hisense

A9S 4K Master Series OLED TV (with support for Airplay 2 and HomeKit) by Sony

Z8H 8K Full Array LED TV (with support for Airplay 2 and HomeKit) by Sony

Laser TV L5 Series Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector by Hisense

3D Real-Time Video Camera (Light Field) by Wooptix

Predator CG552K 55” UHD OLED Gaming Monitor (120Hz Nvidia G-Sync) by Acer

M-Byte e-SUV by BYTON

Ocean EV Crossover by Fisker

Mustang Mach-E by Ford

Vision AVTR Electric Concept Car by Mercedes

Vision-S Electric Concept Car by Sony

AI:Me Self-driving Concept Car by Audi

Virtual Visor by Bosch

SenseGlove DK1 by SenseGlove

IQbuds² MAX Smart Earphone (with Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation) by Nuheara

NextMind Dev Kit by NextMind

Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus 2nd Gen (with Google Assistant) by Lenovo

ThinkBook Plus (with E Ink Display) by Lenovo

8K Signal Generator by Murideo

Wi-Fi 6E Standard by Wi-Fi Alliance

Mevo Start (livestreaming video camera) by Mevo

50mm F1.8 Anamorphic Lens (for APS-C) by SIRUI

Q9U XLR/USB Dynamic Broadcast Microphone (with XLR output and 24-bit/96kHz USB-C connectivity) by Samson

RZ-S500W Wireless Earbuds (with Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology) by Panasonic

EAH-AZ70W Wireless Earbuds (Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology) by Technics

Galaxy Chromebook (with 13.3″ 4K AMOLED screen) by Samsung

ONE R (Twin Edition) by Insta360

GPS Smart Remote by Insta360

10th-gen H-series Processors by Intel

ZenBook Duo Dual-Display Notebook by ASUS

Chromebook Flip (with Intel 10th Gen. processors) by ASUS

48″ 4K OLED TV by LG

Hexagon Light Panels by Nanoleaf

Learning Series by Nanoleaf

8TB SSD Slim Prototype Drive (with transfer speeds up to 20Gb/s) by SanDisk

Dual Drive Luxe USB-C (1TB Dual Connector Drive) by SanDisk

PowerBlock lineup GaN-Based Wall Chargers (come in 30W, 45W, and 96W) by Griffin

Omnia Series GaN-Based Wall Chargers by Aukey

Wemo WiFi Smart Plug (integrate’s with HomeKit, Alexa and Google Assistant) by Wemo (Belkin)

Wemo Stage Control Accessory (integrate’s with HomeKit) by Wemo (Belkin)

Boost Charge USB-C GaN Wall Chargers (come in 30W, 60W, and 68W) by Belkin

Boost Charge 3-in-1 Wireless Charger by Belkin

Boost Charge Dual Wireless Charging Pads by Belkin

Boost Charge Wireless Charging Stand and Speaker by Belkin

Boost Charge Wireless Car Charger by Belkin

Boost Charge Portable Wireless Charger and Stand Special Edition by Belkin

Velop WiFi 6 System by Linksys

Linksys Wellness Pod by Linksys / Origin Wireless

Wacom ONE FHD Pen Display (with support for Android) by Wacom

Soundform Elite HiFi Smart Speaker (with Google Assistant) by Belkin

Chora Speaker Range (with incorporated Dolby Atmos technology) by Focal

Concept UFO by Alienware (Dell)

Concept Duet (dual-screen laptop) by Dell

Concept Ori (folding tablet PC) by Dell

Ryzen 7 4000-series Processors by AMD

Threadripper 3990X (64-core, world's fastest processor) by AMD

Radeon RX5600 Series GFX Cards by AMD

Nighthawk AX6 AX5400 WiFi 6 6-Stream Router (RAX50) by Netgear

Nighthawk Mesh WiFi 6 System (MK62) by Netgear

Netgear AX1800 4-Stream WiFi 6 Mesh Extender (EAX20) by Netgear

Ballie Robot Assistant by Samsung

HDMI Surge Protector by Metra

Junior3 EDID Regenerator by Metra

D780 DSLR Camera by Nikon

Coolpix P950 Superzoom by Nikon

EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR Camera (FF CMOS Sensor, 4K60 10-Bit 4:2:2, Canon Log and 5.5K Raw Video) by Canon

Mirage Smart Speaker (Immersive Sound Experience with Flexible AMOLED Display) by Royole

RoWrite 2 by Royole

RoTree (display tree) by Royole

NC10 series Mini PC (based on Intel Whiskey Lake) by Shuttle

LG Signature WineCellar by LG

SoundSticks 4 (Celebrates 20 Years of Iconic Speaker Design) by Harmon Kardon

Vizio OLED TV by VIZIO

P-Series Quantum X LED LCD TV (792 dimmable light zones) by VIZIO

Hades Canyon NUC (NUC 8) by Intel

The Frame (new sizes) by Samsung

Sero TV (Horizontal/Vertical Screen) by Samsung

HDfury Diva triggering UHD Alliance Filmmaker Mode by HDfury

Q91 75″ 8K IPS LED TV (with Dolby Atmos 2.1.2) by Skyworth

RealMax 100 (100.8° Large FoV AR Glasses) by RealMax

Muzo (Portable App-enabled Sound Machine) by Celestial Tribe

LoCoMoGo (learn code through play) by LoCoMoGo

AONIC 50 Wireless Headphone by Shure

AONIC 215 Wireless Earbuds by Shure

Deco Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Routers by TP-Link

Inspire Studio by Zotac

ZBOX Edge MI643 (Mini PC) by Zotac

EF-100 Smart Streaming Wireless Laser Projectors (with Android TV) by Epson

Codi (Interactive AI-enabled Smart Toy) by Pillar Learning

Smart Doorlock (with Apple HomeKit support) by Netatmo

Nixplay N by Nixplay

Neo 2 Eye VR Headset (world’s first commercial standalone VR headset with native eye tracking) by Pico / Tobii

Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock (featuring 10GbE) by OWC

Elite Dragonfly G2 Notebook by HP

Spectrex360 15″ Convertible Notebook (with 4K OLED Screen option) by HP

COLORFUL ProMaster H1 by Colorful Technology

HaptX Gloves by HaptX

RoomMe with support for Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri by Intellithings

ThinkCentre M90a AIO (All-in-One Desktop PC) by Lenovo

ThinkSmart View (Microsoft Teams) by Lenovo

VAVA 4K Dash Cam by VAVA

Arlo Pro 3 Wireless Floodlight Camera by Arlo (Netgear)

Kamvas 13 Pen Display (featuring dual Type-C ports) by Huion

Club ONE over-ear Headphone (with True Adaptive Noise-Cancellation technology) by JBL

Gaming/esport related

Aegis Ti5 (The World’s First HMI Oriented Gaming Desktop) by MSI

MEG381CQR (The World’s First HMI Oriented Curved Gaming Monitor) by MSI

MEG342CQR (The World’s First 1000R Curved Gaming Monitor) by MSI

Optix MAG161 Portable IPS Monitor (Type-C, 240Hz) by MSI

UpStream Pro Video Production Switch (all-in-one multi-channel mixer) by IOGEAR

UpStream 4K Game Capture Hub (capture, mix, and stream live videos in HD UVC format) by IOGEAR

BIG O 2020 Edition (features liquid cooled PC with an integrated Xbox or PS4, and an Elgato 4K60 capture card) by ORIGIN PC / Corsair

Quantum Series Gaming Headphones (with echo-cancelling boom mics) by JBL

Key Light Air by Elgato

4k60 S+ (Portable Dedicated HEVC 4K60 HDR Video Capture over USB 3.0 and/or an SD card) by Elgato

Corsair iCUE now works with ASUS Aura Sync by Corsair / ASUS

FireCuda Gaming SSD (Portable NVMe SSD, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, up to 2TB, and customizable RGB lights) by Seagate

BarraCuda Fast SSD (Portable SSD up to 2TB with USB-C up to 540MB/s) by Seagate 

Legion M600 Wireless Gaming Mouse by Lenovo

Legion M300 RGB Gaming Mouse by Lenovo

Legion K300 RGB Gaming Keyboard by Lenovo

Xenia 15.6″ Gaming Laptop by XPG

Zephyrus G15 Notebook (AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS-powered) by ASUS

Zero 2 Controller (for Nintendo Switch) by 8Bitdo

Odyssey G9 Gaming Monitor (5120x1140 @ 240Hz) by Samsung

ROG Swift 360 (World’s First 360Hz Monitor powered by Nvidia G-Sync) by ASUS

ROG (Republic of Gamers) Strix GA/GT Gaming Desktops by ASUS

ROG (Replublic of Games) Zephyrus G14 (The World’s Fastest 14” Gaming Laptop) by ASUS

Zotac VR backpack (with Nvidia RTX graphics) by Zotac

Legion Y740S Gaming Laptop by Lenovo

Legion BoostStation eGPU by Lenovo

G5 15 SE Gaming Laptop by Dell

Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor (AW2521HF) by Alienware (Dell)

Cloud Flight S Headset (with Qi wireless charging) by HyperX

ChargePlay Base (15W) by HyperX

Archer GX90 AX6600 Tri-band WiFi 6 Gaming Router by TP-Link

Sila (5G Home Router Concept) by Razer

Tomahawk (Gaming Desktop & Chassis) by Razer

NC100 Enclosure by Cooler Master

Arcadeo Gaming Chair (The World’s First Connected Gaming Chair) by Arcadeo

LEO Cabinet System (The World's First Self Service VR Arcade) by VRLEO

AORUS RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Box (he World's First Water-cooled eGPU) by Gigabyte

AORUS RAID SSD 2TB Expansion Card by Gigabyte

AERO 15 OLED Notebook for Creators (240Hz) by Gigabyte

AERO 17 HDR Notebook for Creators (144Hz) by Gigabyte

[softblesses]

Part 3. 💙

“You okay?” He rubbed his back, reaching for the glass of water on the coffee table and handing it to TK.

After downing almost all of the glass, he nodded. “How long’d I sleep for?” His voice sounded scratchy, and still congested.

“About two hours, I think. It’s almost five.” Carlos shuffled closer to TK, wrapping an arm around him. “How about I run you a bath? Then we can have dinner.”

TK groaned, leaning into Carlos’ chest. Well, falling into it. He nestled into him, and wrapped both arms around his middle. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“Will you eat something? I can make soup.”

“Do I have to?”

“You have to eat something small. How about that, mi amor?” Carlos hummed, moving to kiss his boyfriend’s head again, only to have him dodge out of the way all of a sudden. “Where are you g—“

‘Heh’tcHooo. . . H’tSHhiew, t’cHoo..’ TK kept his head buried in the crook of his elbow, before eventually lowering it and shaking his head a little to snap himself out of the daze he was in. He sniffled, about to reach for the tissue box, only for Carlos to already be holding it out for him.

He took some, leaning back against the couch cushions with a congested sigh. But, when he looked at Carlos, he was grinning. TK immediately frowned.

“You sneezed!” Carlos exclaimed, still looking too cheerful in TK’s humble opinion.

“Yeah, I kdnow.” TK sniffed, and rubbed his watery eyes. “You didn’t bless me.” He pouted slightly, looking over at his boyfriend again.

An arm was wrapped carefully around him, before Carlos gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “I mean, you actually sneezed. You didn’t stop it in front of me.”

TK rested his head against Carlos’ shoulder, and closed his eyes. “You’re so welcome. You’re just too special. Nobody else has the privilege.” He sniffled, swiping clumsily at his nose with the balled up tissue in his hand.

Carlos chuckled softly. “I am honoured,” he played along, “and, bless you, babe. Three times, like always.”

“It’s annoying, isn’t it?” TK grumbled, still clutching at his tissue and sniffling.

“It’s cute. But, babe?”

TK looked up at him.

“You need to blow your nose.” He kissed his cheek, moving to stand up. “I’m going to get started on some soup… don’t look at me like that! I’ll literally be just over there, Tyler.”

“Over there isn’t over here, though.” He whined, reaching for the tissue box beside him.

“Why don’t you watch something on TV?” Carlos suggested, taking out the vegetables and placing them onto a chopping board.

TK paused to blow his nose, giving up on any notion of doing anything but curling up. He must’ve fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing he knew, Carlos was gently shaking him awake.

“Baby,” his voice echoed in and out of TK’s ears. “… fever… wake up for me?”

Carlos slowly helped TK into a sitting position, and then there was a thermometer being placed under his tongue. He was still half asleep, so his boyfriend held the instrument in place.

“This isn’t good, babe. What can I do to get it down?” He asked softly, his voice finally becoming clear to TK’s ears.

“N—no pills.” Before he could stop it, he felt his eyes fill with tears.

“Hey, hey, hey—“ Carlos sat down beside him, bringing him gently into his arms. “No pills, I know, Tyler. I’m going to call Tommy.”

“Don’t go,” TK sobbed, clinging onto his shirt like he needed it to stay afloat. “I — I—“

“Shhhh,” Carlos hushed gently. “My phone’s in my pocket. I’m not going anywhere, mi amor.”

He tugged his phone from his pocket with his free hand, letting TK rest against his chest and gently rubbing his back while he did so.

“Hey, Tommy, it’s Carlos… yeah, it is, actually. He’s spiked a pretty high fever, and his breathing sounds kind of… chesty? Uhuh. Yeah, I’ll get some damp cloths — that was my next plan of action. Are you sure? Twenty minutes? Okay, see you then. Thank you so much. Okay, bye.” He hung up the phone, and looked down at TK, who had quietened significantly and was now shivering.

“TK?”

“Mhm?”

“I have to go and get some cool cloths, is that okay?” He runs his fingers through TK’s sweaty hair, not moving just yet. “And, as much as you love me and I love you, you can’t really say no. You’re a paramedic, remember?”

A groan was expelled in return, and TK accepted Carlos’ help in siting up. Now that he could get a proper look at him, it was obvious he was running hot. His cheeks were more flushed than his nose was red, and now tear stained too. He looked… a mess. But, a loveable and adorable one at that.

“Are you… staring at me ‘cause I look really hot and irresistible right ndow? Or b’cause I look awful.” TK squinted at Carlos. “Or… both?” He sniffled, scrunching his nose.

Carlos laughed, despite how concerned he was about the other. “I’m just worried about you, babe.” He replied gently, getting to his feet.

“So, I dodn’t l—look heh—hot?” TK muttered, fighting an incoming sneeze (or three.)

“Well, you do have a fever.” Carlos snorted slightly, making his way to the clean pile of laundry in their room. He grabbed a few cloths, and ran them under the cold tap.

When he came back, TK was staring at the wall ahead of him, still scrunching and unscrunching his nose. Carlos would’ve made some sort of bunny comparison, but he had bigger priorities in the moment.

“Tyler, you have to take off my hoodie now, I’m sorry. And the blankets.”

That snapped his attention back, and he gave Carlos a look of heartbreak at the instruction. But, even with a high fever, TK knew the rules. He was cold, because he was hot. He held up his arms as a signal for Carlos to help him, hugging himself once the item of clothing was off.

“You can keep one blanket,” Carlos negotiated, helping his boyfriend lie back, and propping him up with a few couch cushions. “This is gonna be cold, sorry, baby.” He gently laid the cloth over TK’s forehead, and placed the other two on his arms.

“Y—you should pu—put one on… on my stomach.” He shivered, teeth chattering. “Cool m—me down.. f—aster.”

Carlos nodded, taking one from his arm and lifting up his shirt to place it there. TK flinched, and Carlos felt awful.

“Ca—an I lie with you again?”

TK didn’t have to ask twice. Carlos carefully helped him to sit, and then maneuvered himself underneath him. His skin was burning to the touch, and the heat radiated off of him as Carlos felt him settle against his chest again. He gently stroked his hair, feeling his boyfriend slowly start to relax under his touch. He shivered a little more harshly when Carlos readjusted the cloth on his forehead, but soon relaxed again.

“Carlos?” He mumbled, his fingers now tracing little shapes against Carlos’ skin.

“Yeah?”

“My nose is itchy.” TK shifted slightly, so that he was more lying next to Carlos and looking at him. The cloth fell from his forehead and landed on his boyfriend’s chest.

“Babe, lie down. You gotta keep this on.”

Instead of lying down like he was asked, TK moved to sit, and Carlos followed. He kept one arm around his waist and the other was trying to position the cloth against his stubborn partner’s forehead. He sighed as TK swatted it away, clearly becoming slightly delirious with the fever, giggling to himself as the cloth fell.

“Tyler Kennedy, I swear—“

‘Hhh’heinNntchoo! Tsch… heh’tchoo!’

“Bless you.”

“Ugh. Finally.” TK mumbled, searching for a tissue, and resorting to one of the scrunched up used ones on his lap. He inhaled slightly, his breath getting stuck in his throat, causing a coughing fit that was definitely starting to sound chesty.

There was a knock at the door a second later, as if Tommy had known the perfect moment to arrive. Carlos, still with his boyfriend situated somewhat on top of him on the couch, turned his head. “It’s open!” He called, making TK startle slightly.

“Sorry, baby,” he hummed, rubbing TK’s arm.

He finally laid back down, curling up with his head resting against Carlos’ chest. He didn’t even register the front door opening, opening his eyes when he heard faint footsteps through the slightly muffled hearing in his stuffy ears.

“Oh, hey, Cap.” TK murmured, closing his eyes again. “Don’t worry, I’ve already diagnosed myself.”

“Hey, TK, honey.” She greeted back, fishing out an in ear thermometer from her bag. “Oh? What’s your diagnosis?” Tommy decided to humour him, being as gentle as she could whilst taking his temperature; his ears were red, and the slight whimper that he made told her that they were also a little sore

“Well, it’s a cold. Went from here…” he tapped against his head. “… down to here.” And then his chest.

“I don’t think you’re wrong, but I do think you’re missing some details.” She answered, checking the thermometer screen. “A temperature of 102.3 isn’t usual with just a cold.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m special.”

Tommy shook her head, but there was a fond smile upon her lips. She checked his blood pressure and his o2 levels, which were only slightly low. But, given his recent medical history and the fever, as well as the cough and slightly laboured breathing she recommended Carlos to take him to urgent care now. It was much better to be safe than sorry, and that was her professional and personal opinion.

“Do we have to?” TK groaned, sitting up now as he was passed some more water.

“I can drive you both — don’t argue, Carlos. You know I am not a force to be reckoned with!” She wagged a finger at him, and he promptly closed his mouth.

“I’ll go and get ready. Thank you, Tommy.” He disappeared out of sight, making up a small bag of things they might need, and changing out his contacts for his glasses.

Post Hypothermia Problems.

Part 1. 💜

‘Hh— Ngxt. . gxxtCh! He’nxcT.’

“Hey, TK? You know, I’m starting to find it really hard to tell the difference between you and Buttercup’s favourite squeaky toy.” Nancy pulled up beside him at the coffee station, taking notice that he was opting for tea rather than his usual. “You sure you’re okay?”

“That’s real funny, Nance.” Her fellow Paramedic muttered, stirring a little sugar into his teacup. “Really, I’m fine.”

“You’ve been sneezing more than usual. Is it your allergies? You sick, or something?” She took a small step backwards, but it was mostly just for show; they were around sick people all day everyday. It was literally their job.

TK shrugged, blowing on the tea and bringing it over to the table. The fire crew were out on a call, but EMS weren’t needed for cats in trees. Multiple cats, apparently, were indeed stuck in a singular tree. Tommy had promised to leave out some Benadryl for Mateo when they got back.

“Usually you’re pre-tty quick to jump on the fact that you don’t have allergies.” She pointed out, standing behind him at the table.

He scrunched up his nose, sniffling slightly. “Yeah, well, Texas hits different. You and Carlos always tell me that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but—“ the trill of the emergency bell cut her off, and TK was on his feet before she could even think about finishing her sentence.

They were being called out to a fairly standard emergency; an elderly man had taken a fall in the garden helping his wife, and they arrived within ten minutes of the alarm bells. The woman was standing waiting for them out front, quick to lead them to her partner. “Oh, thank you for coming! He insists he’s fine, but you know how stubborn men can be!” The elderly woman chuckled, giving a fond look over at her husband currently lying on the grass.

“Oh believe me, I do know.” Nancy muttered, earning a slightly questioning look from Tommy and a glare from TK.

“TK, check his ABCs and Nancy prep a splint. Wrist injury looks to be likely, and we’ll check to make sure nothing else is broken.” Tommy knelt down beside him, whilst TK knelt on the other side. He checked his pulse, blood pressure and breathing; all were a little out of range, but nothing that warranted huge concern.

They were loading the man onto the gurney within fifteen minutes, having diagnosed him with a mild concussion and broken wrist. He’d need to be further treated at the hospital, and so Nancy and Tommy were loading him up now whilst TK carried the equipment back. Until, once again he was caught being betrayed by his nose.

‘H’nxxtt, xXgGt, he’ng—Tt. Ow,’ A haphazard attempt to use his elbow to cover, whilst still holding the equipment… and tripping himself up the garden steps. At least nobody saw. Or, at least he’d thought so.

“Gesundheit, dear. You shouldn’t force them all quiet like that, I read an article, you know. The internet can be helpful! My grandkids showed me how to get a Facebook just last year. Come over here, take this and let me help you.” She held out a handkerchief, that TK assumed was clean, and it had little embroidered daisies on it.

He could feel himself blush with sheer embarrassment, really hoping that maybe she somehow just had really really good hearing for a sweet old lady, and didn’t just see him fall up her steps. “Oh, it’s okay, Ma’am. I’m — I’m okay.” TK answered politely, but he clearly wasn’t, with the incessant sniffling that had started up again.

“Now, you might think I’m a gullible old lady. . But, I’m not that gullible, young man. Come on over here.”

She seemed like a force not to be reckoned with, and TK didn’t want to be rude. Plus, the team were most likely waiting for him now. He walked over, taking the handkerchief and thanking her quietly. He swiped at his nose a few times on their way to the front of the house, before sniffling and pocketing it. He couldn’t just ruin his dignity and blow his nose in front of her, could he? Thankfully, there weren’t too many questions when they made it out front, and the ride to the hospital was uneventful. Everything seemed normal again… until TK stepped out of the ambulance back at the station, and both of his crew members stopped him.

“Do you guys… need something?” He questioned, silently cringing at the congestion starting to stick to his voice.

“Yeah. For you to sit down, come on.” Tommy took him by the arm, and lead him over to the seating area in the kitchen. To make it worse, the fire crew were back too.

“Oooh, looks like TK’s in trouble!” Marjan grinned over her mug of coffee, attracting the newfound attention of both Mateo and Paul.

TK swallowed as he sat down, grimacing at the worsening pain in his throat. Now that the adrenaline of being on call was beginning to wear off, he really didn’t feel great. “I’m not in trouble. Cap, what’re you —“ he was cut off as she spoke to him, holding an in ear thermometer out before him.

“Sit still, and hush, TK. I’m checking your temperature.”

“But, I’m fine!”

“Has he been doin’ that little squeaky chew toy sneeze again? He was doing that this morning.” Paul cut in, waving around the salad fork he had in his hand in an accusatory manner.

“Yes! See, told you!” Nancy placed both hands on her hips, looking directly down at her partner.

The thermometer beeped after that, saving him from a little more humiliation. Tommy took a glance at the screen. “Well, you don’t have a fever, but you’re running a little warmer than usual.” She took a small flashlight from her pocket. “Open. Say ‘aaaaah.’”

TK sealed his lips tight, folded his arms and shook his head.

“Come on, TK, really?” Nancy sighed.

“We’ll have to go get your Daddy if you don’t do as Tom says.” Judd’s voice joined the crowd, and in that moment TK really just wanted to fall into a hole and hide in it.

A pause was made, before Marjan gave a side glance to some of her colleagues. Her look said ‘let’s give them some space,’ and sure enough Paul was conjuring up some excuse about needing more water bottles, Mateo had to go pee (he couldn’t think of anything else) and Judd was going to check on the fire trucks. TK appreciated it, and he slowly opened his mouth.

“I’mb not saying ‘ahh’ — oh, wait.” He frowned, and leaned back in his chair as his Captain gestured for him to open up again. He did as he was told this time, and he certainly didn’t like the way she ‘tsked’ at him in response.

“Your throat’s pretty red, TK. That accompanied by the slightly raised temp, sneezing and congestion. I think you ought to go home and rest.”

“But—“

“Ah, ah! No buts, no ‘I’m fine’s and no telling me that it’s just a cold. It probably is, but if you recall the middle of this last winter, you were in hospital with hypothermia. Your body needs rest, even now. And despite all that… if you push yourself, post hypothermia or not, you’ll get worse and you’ll also risk other patients.” The micro lecture felt like it had lasted forever, or maybe that was just because his ears felt stuffy and his head was starting to ache and it was becoming harder to focus.

“… okay.” Came the eventual, defeated reply.

It hurt both Nancy and Tommy’s heart a little bit, and Marjan’s, who had been quietly taking over the salad prep behind them. “I can take you home,” she offered, stepping closer. “We’re on break, and if I’m honest? I could do with some fast food. Paul would never know.” She smiled, offering TK a hand to help him stand.

He stood on his own, looking down at his hands and picking at a fingernail. “Marjan, you… you don’t have to take me. I can Uber home.” He sniffed, a small noise of discomfort slipping past his lips as he swallowed again.

A glass of water was suddenly placed in his hands, and he looked up to find her looking at him expectantly. “TK, I’m getting my fast food fix, so really you’re not even the main priority!” She grinned.

“Thank you?”

“C’mon! Before the call bell goes off and I starve. You don’t want to be responsible for that, do you?”

TK shook his head, turning back at the others who only gave sympathetic smiles, which made him even more uncomfortable. “I’ll just… go grab my stuff.” He muttered, turning and walking back to the lockers.

The ride back was as uneventful as earlier’s, but that was only because TK fell asleep before Marjan had gotten to the takeout place. He stayed asleep until she was parking outside his and Carlos’ place, and jolted awake with a start as she gently shook him.

“Hey, TK, it’s just me, we’re—“

“Home. Thank you, I — sorry.” He was already reaching for the handle, not looking like he wanted to stick around. “Thanks again, Marjan. Um, enjoy your food.”

“Get better!” She called out, just in time before the door closed. She watched as he waved, and eventually disappeared out of sight.

When TK got through the door, Carlos was situated on the couch reading. It was his day off, after a night shift the day before, but TK wasn’t surprised to see him awake already. He always seemed to rise early, no matter the occasion.

“Babe!” His boyfriend was immediately on his feet. “I would say I told you so, but—“

“Stop it, Carlos. I don’t want a fuss.” His voice was worsening; congestion settled in thick, and a hoarseness from his scratchy throat. He sounded awful, in other words. “Just want to lie down.”

“I left a change of clothes for you in our room,” Carlos said softly, staying a few steps away so as to keep the boundary. “And, there’s leftovers in the fridge if you want them. I’ll grab you some water.”

“‘M not very hungry,” TK replied, before making his way into their bedroom. He emerged a few minutes later in a pair of sweatpants, and Carlos’ APD hoodie. It was comfortable, and with the small amount of ability that he had left to smell, TK appreciated the familiar and comforting scent of the attire.

He took a few sips of the water left on the coffee table for him, and snuggled up underneath the blanket atop of the couch.

“Can you stomaxh a few crackers? Are you nauseous?” Carlos approached hesitantly, holding a packet of crackers in one hand and a plastic bowl in the other. Affectionately coined ‘puke bowl’ the last time TK had the stomach flu. Besides that, this was one of the first times Carlos was actually seeing him sick; not in a coma sick. He’d seen that in enough bouts for one lifetime.

“I’m not nauseous, but thank you for bringing back Percy the puke bowl.” A tiny smile ghosted his lips, before a scrunch of his nose and a slightly aggressive rub at it.

Carlos chuckled, shaking his head at the nickname he’d refused to agree with back then. “Crackers, then?”

TK whined. “When I wake up?” He negotiated, eyes already closed.

Carlos sighed, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. TK probably needed sleep more than he needed a snack, and at least he’d drank some water. In fact, he was snoring before Carlos could even consider asking him if there was anything he’d like to eat later on. So much for the ‘I’m fine, Carlos!’ He’d gotten this morning, after informing his boyfriend that he might be coming down with something. He’d been snoring. TK doesn’t snore, unless his nose is stuffy. But, alas, Carlos’ detective skills had gone unnoticed once again.

He left him to rest, keeping himself busy with tidying the place a little and preparing what he coiod for when TK woke. He knew he wouldn’t want any painkillers for obvious reasons, but they had other remedies for colds and flu that they could try. Vapour rub (of course), different kinds of herbal tea, honey from the farmer’s market and tissues. Lots of tissues. Now, Carlos just had to work out a happy medium that fell somewhere between wanting to take care of the man he loved, whilst not fussing over him. This one might take a while.