#tarlos coda

[kiras-sunshine]

a little ficlet, a tarlos 5x06 coda really

Carlos frowns when TK's name flashes on his phone screen.

Usually, he would be glad to hear of his husband, but he knows he is in the middle of a shift. TK is also aware that he is at work, too.

Usually, nothing good comes out of unexpected phone calls in the middle of the work day in their fields.

Especially when they have agreed not to call each other while working unless it really matters and is urgent and important.

Carlos tries to shake the ominous feeling and the worry from his shoulders as he answers the call.

"Hey."

It feels as if his stomach is turning inside out.

"Hey, babe."

The fact that TK himself is the one talking on other end of the line feels like a small blessing already. He does sound a little bit out of breath, but otherwise okay.

Carlos is aware that his brain is obsessively scanning and overanalysing just those two words to figure out if anything is wrong.

It seems that things are alright, but his heart does not seem to believe it. It is beating heavily and it almost hurts in his chest.

"Everything okay?"

Carlos is aware that he does not succeed keeping his voice as light as he hoped and that his fingers have started to tap the surface of his work desk.

"Yeah, everyhting is okay," TK says softly, "we just had a--rough call. I wanted to call you."

Carlos thinks the worry literally melts away from his body as he hears TK's words. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply.

He sends a mental thank you to whatever god is looking after his husband.

"That's more than okay," he says, just as softly, "what happened?"

Their office is full of noises. There are people talking, typing on their computers and phones ringing. Still, all he is able to focus on is the sound of TK's voice.

"A man got crushed by a vending machine," TK huffs, "he died on the scene. There was nothing we could do."

Carlos is more than familiar with the bottomless feeling of helplessness that comes with calls like that.

He feels so useless and powerless when it happens and he hates that he cannot really help TK with that feeling.

He would love to take it away from him.

"That sounds brutal."

"It was," TK agrees, quietly, "he had not told a person he liked that he was into her. It made me want to-- not waste a moment and call you and say that I love you."

Carlos tries his best not to smile too widely. It feels weird to feel joy and being loved when they are talking about someone's dying regret.

But yet, he does feel loved and he does believe those words should be said as often as possible.

Especially after the state their marriage has been as he has been too stuck in the endless cycle of trying to find his dad's killer.

The realisation of that soothes his heart a bit.

It feels like a little miracle that TK wanted to call him just to say those three words, and therefore, he is going to treat it as a miracle.

"I love you, too," he murmurs, not really caring which of his co-workers nearby hear it.

"Hmm," TK hums, little happier than before, "I'll order dinner before you get home."

Carlos' heart is overwhelming with love and gratitude, for more reasons than one.

"Sounds good."

"Be careful out there," TK says, but there are sounds in the background, and Carlos knows they need to hang up soon.

He looks at the forms on his computer screen that he needs to fill in on the latest case that he and Campbell solved.

It seems that his shift is spent safely inside doing the paperwork.

"You too."

It feels like saying I love you all over again.

[chaotictarlos]

Dreamy Officer Reyes and his nincompoop sidekick

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

rating: explicit | warnings/tags: 4 x 11 Spoilers, 4 x 11 "Double Trouble" Ridiculous smut, Carlos and TK roleplaying, M x M smut, Oral Sex, Jerking off, bad dirty talk, face riding, ass eating m x m sex, fun sex, silly sex, lots of laughing

summary: Carlos and TK have some roleplay fun.

author's note: this fic is the full fault of @kiloskywalker. Is it the best smut I've written? No. But it was so fun. I couldn't take myself or TK and Carlos seriously as I wrote this. I hope it's as enjoyable to read as it was to write. ANd yes, TK rolls his eyes an absurd amount of times but who wouldn't in this situation? It's funny. It's a fun fic. I hope you all enjoy it. Comments are always appreciated and nice to get!

Thank you @noxsoulmate for beta'ing this for me!

Check out my other season 4 fics!

---

“Dude that’s crazy!” TK hears Nancy explain as he and Carlos walk into the fire station. Carlos has the day off so he thought he’d tag along and get in some much needed fiancé time - they’d both had been working so much to pay for the wedding and the honeymoon that will follow that they haven’t had much time to just be together.

TK plops down on one of the comfy chairs in front of Mateo while Carlos grabs the one beside him and immediately puts a hand on TK’s thigh.

TK smiles at Carlos before turning his attention to Mateo and Nancy.

“What’s crazy?” TK asks, always up for a fun story.

“Mateo was just telling me about the dream he had when he hit himself on the head the other day,” Nancy says. “It’s wild.”

Mateo nods. “Yeah, like it was my past but in a sitcom way, and people I know now replaced my actual family.”

“Was I in it?” TK asks. He always likes to know when he’s in people’s dreams and what weird things they dream of him doing.

“Yeah! You were a cop and Carlos’ nincompoop sidekick,” Mateo says with a laugh.

TK frowns. “I’m not a nincompoop! I’d do great as a cop.”

“No offense, man, but no,” Mateo says. “The entire time in my dream you were licking your lips and swaying around. I don’t think you knew what you were doing.”

“That’s because you dreamed it. Had it been me I would have gotten the job done,” TK looks over at Carlos. “Tell them, babe. I would make a good cop or detective! I found you when you got kidnapped.”

Carlos lets out a laugh, shaking his head with an amused look on his face. “I don’t know. I kinda like having you as my sidekick. My little nincompoop.”

TK just stares at him, mostly because he can’t believe that Carlos said the word nincompoop.

“Unbelievable.”

“It would be fun! I could whip you into shape.” Carlos winks at him. “You’d learn a lot from me.”

TK rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, pouting at them as they continue to talk about the dream and nincompoop TK.

--

TK has learned to expect the unexpected when he comes home on days that Carlos doesn’t work. His fiancé always seems to be up to something and most of the time this something has to do with sexy times - especially lately when they haven’t had many shifts that lined up together - and tonight’s not any different. When he walks into the loft, the first thing he notices is Carlos casually leaning against the counter in a police uniform, drinking coffee.

READ THE REST ON AO3

tags: @strangefurychaos @sapphire11 @first-kanaphan @noxsoulmate @rangergurlgleek1211 @detective-giggles @tarlos-spain @lonestardust @bubblesandroses8 @thebumblecee @mooshkat @importantbailiffpaperpony @cowlos-reyes @meditating-honey-badger @paperstorm @otter-love-asl @kiloskywalker @angeltk

[carlos-in-glasses]

Thank you for the tag @ironheartwriter @whatsintheboxmh @lemonlyman-dotcom @carlossreaders

@bonheur-cafe @strandnreyes @paperstorm

Today is hard and scary and I'm so sorry and I love you. I wish I had some wise words but at the moment the only thing I have up my sleeve is our two favourite idiots 🧡 I hope this snippet of my TK POV 4x12 coda brings you some cheer. Planning to post tomorrow.

Three hours later, Carlos is scurrying around the living room, picking up what they’ve already knocked over and knocking other things down in the process. Meanwhile, TK has been tasked with searching the bedroom for the fifth time.

“He’s not under the bed!” TK yells, “I can confirm – he’s not in the sex toys.”

“Good!” Carlos hollers, lifting up a throw pillow and jumping out of his skin even though nothing is there.

“We should use the purple plug more often,” TK calls.

“Okay!”

“And the rainbow beads. I know they’re gimmicky–”

“Sure, anything you want.”

“I’ve been thinking about your foreskin lately and how sensitive you–”

“TK, I really can’t talk about this right now!” Carlos cries, spinning around at the sound of scuttling. “I think he’s in the kitchen!”

“On my way!” TK yells, struggling to secure the lid onto their very-full toy box before rushing out of the bedroom.

Carlos, armed with a Swiffer mop, is poking at the gap between refrigerator and cupboard.

TK joins him there, poised with his hands out, ready to pounce.

They stand still, silent.

“I don’t hear anything,” TK whispers.

Carlos gazes all around with a haunted expression. “Neither do I anymore.”

Open tag and tags below!:

@thisbuildinghasfeelings @goodways @reyesstrand

@lightningboltreader @welcometololaland @rmd-writes

@alrightbuckaroo @heartstringsduet @herefortarlos

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

@never-blooms @orchidscript @three-drink-amy

@chicgeekgirl89 @freneticfloetry @theghostofashton @honeybee-taskforce

@sugdenlovesdingle @tellmegoodbye @carlos-tk

@emsprovisions @sapphic--kiwi @irispurpurea

@pimento-playing-hopscotch @eclectic-sassycoweyes

@captain-gillian @butchreyes @kiwichaeng @anactualcaseofthetruth

@fifthrideroftheapocalypse @corsage @nisbanisba

@the-126-family @henrygrass @nancys-braids @mikibwrites - if you want to share/haven't already! No pressure ever! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜

[eclectic-sassycoweyes]

Happy (Seven Sentence) Sunday !!! Thank you @heartstringsduet @ironheartwriter @nisbanisba for the tags! <3 <3

This is actually very close to seven sentences hehe, and is from a 5x05 coda that is unsurprisingly turning long and introspective and also suddenly containing an over the top amount of sea and boat metaphors over which I had no control. Here’s to manifesting that it’ll actually be finished at some point soon🤞🏻👀

His parents had been crashing waves of passion, and a sea of love so deep it felt impossible that they were suddenly stranded in the shallows, hitting rock bottom. At least for a seven year old mind who couldn't grasp all the details. At seven, to TK it had felt like waves that turned suddenly loud, dangerous, nauseating and then out of nowhere they stilted. Suddenly the way they looked at each other was so... eerily neutral, the same with their tones when they sat him down and explained that they were getting a divorce. None of the banter, or the over-the top PDA or even the fight was there anymore. And TK, at seven, felt like he was suddenly drifting along in his own little boat, watching it happen, wondering why the three of them weren’t together in the rolling waves of love and laughter that gave tummy aches.

(As always) OPEN TAG for anyone who wants to play,

And ✨No Pressure✨ tags under the cut:

(I have taken the liberty to add a few to the list who I know play or who I see around and who have interacted with my wip posts before - please lmk if you want to be removed or added to the list :) !!!)

@welcometololaland @firstprince-history-huh @lemonlyman-dotcom @lightningboltreader

@thisbuildinghasfeelings @never-blooms @carlos-in-glasses @pimento-playing-hopscotch

@cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @paperstorm @heartstringsduet @herefortarlos

@carlos-tk @alrightbuckaroo @ladytessa74 @strandnreyes

@captain-gillian @goldenskykaysani @rmd-writes @your-catfish-friend

@nancys-braids @emsprovisions @thoughtsickles @nisbanisba

@ironheartwriter @corsage @whatsintheboxmh @goodways

@the-126-family @meditating-honey-badger @chicgeekgirl89 @theghostofashton

@freneticfloetry @liminalmemories21 @carlossreaders @literateowl

@dramalets @reyesstrand @lonestardust @lutavero

@tkslittlesway @loustyleshtommo @mrs-corrections-78 @sapphic--kiwi

@tellmegoodbye @decafdino

[chicgeekgirl89]

Summary: After the gas cloud dissipates, Carlos and T.K. go home and Carlos starts to realize just how much his work interfering with his life.

Read on AO3

Carlos had never realized exactly how much a person can say with a hug until he fell in love with T.K. Strand. Before that, hugs had just been a quick way to say hello or give a little comfort to someone else. Truly, as an adult, the only people he really hugged were his mom, his sisters, and his niece and nephew. Now hugs are one of the top five ways of finding out what his husband is feeling.

Hugs from T.K. Strand can be put into the following categories:

Happy Hugs- Tight, but squishy, sometimes a little bouncy and they don’t tend to last very long because T.K. usually has things to say to go along with them.

Silly Hugs- T.K. flopping as much of his body onto Carlos as humanly possible and smothering him with his weight. If they’re upright this results in lot of staggering around and potentially falling to the floor, if they’re on the couch or in bed then Carlos is usually smashed flat into the horizontal surface. T.K. considers it a bonus if he can do it while wet, dirty, smelly, or naked and make Carlos squirm in discomfort.

Worried Hugs- Fast, quick squeezes of reassurance that are over within seconds because T.K. needs to run his hands over Carlos and check for injuries; physical and emotional. 

Tired Hugs- Floppy, boneless, short and usually followed by T.K. requesting that Carlos shower or come to bed with him. Sometimes the latter part can be circumvented by the promise of food.

Sexy Hugs- These involve the running of T.K.’s hands up Carlos’ chest first, before he loops them around his neck. This type of hug is accompanied by a lot of kissing and grinding until Carlos gives T.K. what he wants.

I Almost Died Today Hugs- Carlos hates these hugs. T.K. sags into him, like he can barely hold himself up anymore and needs Carlos to take over. He smushes his face into Carlos’ neck and exhales and clings on so incredibly tight. There have been too many of these in the short time they’ve known each other, more than anyone should have to endure.

It’s the last kind that Carlos gets when T.K. and Tommy come through the front door of Tommy’s house and it immediately makes him worry. He’d known that they were in a tenuous situation out there with the train crash and the gas cloud, but it isn’t until T.K. basically collapses in his arms that he understands without words that he almost lost everything today. 

He holds on tightly, aware that they have an audience, some of whom are very young and don’t need to realize the danger that almost made them orphans today. So he says nothing, instead rubbing his hand up and down, trying to soothe away the fear and exhaustion he can feel eking out of his husband’s bones. 

He cups T.K.’s cheek in his hand when they pull apart, searching his eyes. “You okay?” he asks.

T.K. nods wordlessly and then their attention is pulled to the awkward situation happening around them. Carlos doesn’t envy the conversation Tommy and Trevor are about to have, so they make their excuses and head out.

By the time Carlos has stowed his things in the back of the Camaro, T.K. is already in the passenger seat, head tipped back, eyes closed. Carlos buckles his seatbelt and looks over at his husband. “Do you want to talk about it?”

T.K. shakes his head without opening his eyes. “Not yet.”

“Are you hungry? Do you want to pick something up?”

Another shake. “I just want to go home.”

He turns his left palm upward, a silent request, and Carlos obliges, slotting the fingers of his right hand into place. T.K. has already put his ring back on after work and Carlos can feel it tucked in between his fingers, a reassurance that whatever happened today, they are still here and things are okay.

They pull out of the driveway, Carlos steering with one hand. “Was Trevor at the house when you got there?” T.K. asks.

“He was,” Carlos says. “I guess he wasn’t supposed to be.”

“Did he tell you about what’s going on with him and Tommy?”

“He did.” Carlos keeps his voice mild despite the concern swirling inside of him. He’s not sure he really wants to hear how close he came to becoming a widower today, but T.K. will need to process it eventually and he’s more likely to spill how he’s feeling if he thinks Carlos isn’t freaking out. “Quite an ultimatum he laid down.”

“Almost as bad as a secret wife.” T.K. turns his head and finally opens his eyes, the ghost of a teasing smile on his face.

“Almost,” Carlos says with a chuckle. “Do you think Tommy’s going to do it? Meet with Trevor’s ex?”

T.K. shrugs. “I don’t know. Probably. Tommy talks a big talk, but when it comes down to it, she’s a mom. I think she gets it. She’ll want to try and make it work. And after today…I think she knows what she wants her priorities to be.”

After today. It’s an opening and Carlos waits, letting the opportunity to talk sit comfortably between them so that T.K. can choose to take it if he wants to. It turns out he does.

“We were trapped in a school,” he says, his voice quiet, hand still holding onto Carlos’. “We weren’t supposed to be there, but there was a missing woman and the gas cloud was coming and Tommy wouldn’t leave her behind. She told us to go, but we didn’t.”

“You couldn’t leave her alone,” Carlos says in understanding. 

“No. We couldn’t.”

There’s a moment of quiet. “Did you find the woman?” Carlos asks curiously.

“She died.” T.K.’s voice is flat and Carlos feels a stab of sympathy. “It was…awful. A terrible way to go.”

Carlos hears the words T.K. doesn’t say: he watched a woman die a horrific death and thought he and two of the people he loves most in the world were next. Carlos squeezes his husband’s hand in reassurance before raising it to his lips and pressing a kiss to his wedding ring. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

T.K. leans his head back against the seat. “Me too.” He’s quiet for a moment and then, “I used a fan.”

Carlos thinks he misheard. “A what?”

“A fan. There was a fan in the classroom and when the gas started coming in I turned it on to try and blow it away.”

Carlos bites the inside of his cheek. “You thought a fan was going to save you all from a giant cloud of toxic gas?”

“Well it sounds dumb when you say it like that!” T.K. huffs indignantly. “It was all we had Carlos!”

“Maybe you all could have just started blowing really hard. Feels like it would have had the same effect.”

“I hate you,” T.K. says grumpily, but he doesn’t let go of Carlos’ hand and the tension that was clinging to him seems to have shaken loose.

“I’m sorry,” Carlos says, keeping his tone light and teasing. “I’m sure you and your fan did a great job.”

“Damn right we did,” T.K. grumbles, shifting to get more comfortable. “You’d better be nice to me or the next time you want something blown I might say no.”

“Really?” Carlos throws T.K. an amused look. “You love blowing me. You’d last five minutes.”

“Longer than you’d last with my mouth on you,” T.K. shoots back, a wicked smirk on his face.

The car falls into comfortable silence and a minute later T.K.’s fingers go limp. Carlos glances over and finds T.K.’s head is leaning against the window, cheek smushed adorably into the glass. He smiles and curls his fingers a little more tightly so their hands don’t slip apart.

When he pulls the Camaro into its parking spot he cuts the engine and speaks softly, trying not to startle his husband. “Hey, we’re home babe.”

T.K. blinks awake and looks at him, eyes slightly unfocused. “Did I fall asleep?”

Carlos nods. “Just for a few minutes.”

T.K. groans and stretches as much as the confines of the car will allow. “Almost dying really takes it out of you.”

“Come on. Let’s get you upstairs. Everything will feel better once we’re home.”

When they’re inside Carlos sends T.K. to shower while he heats up some soup from the freezer and throws together a small salad. “I’m really not hungry,” T.K. says when he returns, bundled up in a hoodie to fight against the chill of the air conditioning.

“I know,” Carlos says, cupping the back of his neck and pressing a kiss to his damp hair. He smells like soap and shampoo. “But you need to eat something.”

They sit at the table, T.K. slowly making his way through the bowl, one spoonful at a time while Carlos pulls out yet another file, this one about a murder his father worked for six months in 2003. He already went through four files at Tommy’s house tonight, he doesn’t need to keep looking. It’s more of a habit than anything else at this point, or maybe a compulsion. When he has downtime he looks. One of these days, all of that looking is going to pay off, he knows it. And the faster he gets through these files, the faster that payoff will come.

T.K. doesn’t give him a pointed look or ask him to put the files away. He doesn’t say much of anything really, just eats two thirds of his meal before pushing the bowl away. Carlos looks up at the sound of the porcelain sliding across the table. “Do you want something else? I can make you a sandwich. Or there’s a little bit of pasta left from the other night.”

T.K. shakes his head. “I think I’m going to go to bed. Are you coming?”

Carlos checks his watch. It’s already after eleven. He has work tomorrow, it would probably be smart to curl up beside his husband and get a decent amount of sleep tonight. “Let me just finish up with this case and then I’ll be in. Twenty minutes tops.”

T.K. opens his mouth and then closes it without saying anything, his shoulders slumping a little. He looks small tonight, vulnerable in a way that hurts Carlos’ heart. Carlos almost closes the folder in his hands and gets up. He almost wraps his husband in his arms and whispers how much he loves him, reassures him that he’s safe, that they’re alive and together. He almost pulls him into the bedroom and makes soft love to him until he forgets the horrors he saw today.

But before he can do any of that T.K. turns and walks away and it feels like something between them shifts a little bit in a way that Carlos can’t quite figure out. And then he looks down at the file again and sees a name he recognizes from another case and he’s no longer at home finishing up work for the night, he’s digging deep into the past until his neck aches and his eyes feel gritty. When he finally looks blearily at his phone it doesn’t say eleven twenty pm but one forty-seven am and he feels a shock that so much time has passed without him realizing it.

He hastily puts things away and cleans up the now cold soup bowl, leaving it in the sink for the morning before quickly brushing his teeth and pulling off his clothes for bed.

The light on his side of the bed is still on. T.K. must have left it for him, thinking he’d be in soon. Or maybe just hoping he would be. Carlos can’t actually remember the last time they went to bed together. It’s been…weeks probably. 

The realization disturbs him. T.K. had a terrible day, he should have been in here comforting him, not working an impossible case that he’s completely lost on. But he’s here now, he tells himself. T.K. could have asked if he needed Carlos to be with him.

Usually when he climbs into bed, T.K. instinctively rolls toward him, even if he doesn’t wake fully. But tonight T.K. stays firmly on his side, almost on the edge of the mattress. Carlos’ side feels colder than normal and there’s an odd ache in his heart that he can’t figure out, almost like he needs to cry, but the tears won’t come. 

He shifts his body closer to T.K.’s, sliding a hand over his hip until he’s spooning against his back, but T.K. still doesn’t stir. He’s got his airpods in and when Carlos cranes his neck he can see that T.K.’s moody playlist is on. That makes him feel like total shit. T.K. was hurting tonight and instead of asking Carlos for help he’d come in here and wallowed in his sadness alone. 

Carlos closes his eyes and swallows around the lump in his throat. He knows he’s been drowning himself in work lately. He knows it’s taking a toll on him and that he hasn’t been the best husband.

He’ll be better, he promises silently to himself and to T.K. in the dark and quiet safety of their bed. He’ll leave the office on time tomorrow night. They can have dinner together, maybe watch the new episode of Only Murders in the Building or Secret Lives of Mormon Wives because he knows how much T.K. loves trashy reality TV and he’s heard some chatter around the office that it’s fun in a horrifying kind of way. 

Tomorrow, he thinks as he begins to drift. Tomorrow he will hold his husband in a tight hug that means “I love you, I’m sorry, I’m glad you’re safe, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” and kiss him and love him the way he deserves. Tomorrow he will start trying to fix what he suspects he’s been slowly breaking for months. 

But the problem with tomorrow is that by the time it arrives, you often forget the promises you made yesterday.

[decafdino]

its wednesday, and despite the fact that it's finals season and i am starting to really feel the burn out, i ended up posting a little coda after the most recent episode. thanks to @henrygrass @whatsintheboxmh @heartstringsduet and @lemonlyman-dotcom for the tags today! here is an excerpt from you can breathe now:

Tears well in TK's eyes. "Hey, baby." He cups Carlos' cheeks in his hands and kisses his forehead. There's no reaction from his husband—Carlos just watches him tiredly, then falls back asleep. TK has to remind himself that it's just a normal reaction to anesthesia and not some underlying, life-threatening problem.

It happens again about five minutes later, and this time Carlos is able to look around the room a little before he's dragged back under. By the third time, the nurses have taken the tube out of his throat. TK squeezes his hand at the look of confusion on his face.

"You're in the hospital, but you're okay," TK tells him. "Everything's okay."

"TK?" Carlos rasps, obviously not having processed what he's just said. He shuts his eyes again, and for a moment TK thinks he's fallen back asleep before Carlos mumbles, "Thought he was gonna kill me."

TK feels his blood run cold. "What?" he asks, but Carlos doesn't respond. "Carlos, what do you mean?"

[honeybee-taskforce]

I need somethin' soft, down feathers over rocks

a 5x01 coda, M, 1.7k

~

Six months ago, Carlos made a phone call. The first of many.

Carlos imagines so many different scenarios, one where he comes home early to surprise TK with dinner cooked and a hug, another where he calls off work and lays in bed with his husband on their impromptu day off together, all sorts of different nights and ways that they can spend their time together. TK fighting with him over the control of the remote turns into a tickle fight and then some, TK berating Carlos for trying a new shampoo because now he smells “off”. So many nights together.  Instead, they might spend the night apart for the first time since TK had moved into the loft. 

read on A03 here.

[sapphic--kiwi]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand Characters: Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star), TK Strand Additional Tags: Post-Episode: s01e10 Austin We Have A Problem (9-1-1 Lone Star), Fluff, POV Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star), carlos has a LOT of thoughts. specifically about tk and his eyes, who said the yearning has to end when you enter a relationship. i say keep it going, title from unsteady by x ambassadors Summary:

"Carlos is still having a hard time wrapping his head around the whirlwind of events. After so long of wanting, wishing, waiting…TK Strand is his boyfriend."

*********

The morning after TK and Carlos begin their relationship, Carlos ponders his new reality.

[livelaughbuck]

5x03 Tarlos Coda

TK's exhausted from the day, and he's grateful Carlos is driving them home. He rests his head against his seat and dozes as they move through the quiet streets back to their loft.

TK loves and hates living so to downtown Austin. Being close to the nightlife, restaurants, and coffee shops is great, but after a long day he wishes for the quiet neighborhood where he lived with his father.

He feels Carlos' hand on his shoulder and he opens his eyes to see they're in the parking garage of their building. Carlos gives him a small smile and says, "Let's get you upstairs."

The elevator ride is quiet and the swoosh of the loft door opening is a welcomed relief. TK drops his bag at the door and toes off his shoes before walking over to Lou's tank to say hello.

He's too exhausted to take Lou out and rub his back like he likes to do after a shift to let Lou know he's the best boy.

He makes it to the bedroom and sits on the end of the bed before it becomes to much. The adrenaline wore off long ago and what's left is the very real emotions that he almost died. He sees the tears fall onto the floor more then feels them and he can't help the sob that leaves his lips.

He feels Carlos put his arms around him and he leans into his husband.

"I've got you," Carlos whispers into his ear, "I've got you."

He doesn't know how long he cries but his throat is raw and his eyes hurt from the tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispers and wipes at his eyes.

"For what?" Carlos asks.

"Getting snot on your shirt," TK replies, "I don't know where that came from."

"You had a big day."

"I didn't think we were going to make it," TK confesses, "We were in this classroom and there was no way out. Nancy had covered all the windows and we used our jackets to cover the cracks under the door but it wasn't enough. I had to sit there and listen to Tommy tell Wyatt her safe lock combo and to tell Judd to take care of her girls. We weren't supposed to make it out."

Carlos' arms tighten around his husband.

"I thought some stupid little room fan was going to help keep the gas out. I was so scared," TK continues on, "Then as fast it came it over. The wind changed and we were safe."

Carlos kisses the top of head, "I was scared too. I had to pretend like everything was okay for the girls, but I was checking my phone every 5 seconds for updates."

"I can't imagine," TK says, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

"Life of being married to a first responder," Carlos replies.

TK chuckles at that. He pulls away from Carlos' arms and sits up. He wipes at his eyes again, "I'm exhausted."

"Let's get you into bed," Carlos says. He stands up and grabs TK's hands to pull him up with him. He pulls at TK's shirt to get it over his head. His hands go down to unbutton TK's jeans and then pushes them to the floor. He bends down to kneel and take off TK's socks next.

TK just stands there and let's Carlos take care of him. He's too sleepy to do much else. Carlos pushes him over to his side of the bed and pulls the duvet up to let TK settle into bed. TK curls onto his side and his eyes close once his head hits the pillow.

Carlos pulls up the covers and TK cuddles into the sheets more.

Carlos makes quick work of his clothes and gets into the other side of the bed. He curls onto his side and he feels TK move around until he's close enough that Carlos reaches out and pulls him close. He holds his husband close and breathes in his scent as he falls asleep.

[wandering-night19]

I can't believe I'm finally posting this! I also know that if I don't post it now, I probably never will. It has truly been a labor of love to write this. It is 5 chapters and is mostly complete. It will be updated every Friday in October with the final chapter being posted on Monday October 30 in honor of my own dad's passing 9 years ago. A huge special thanks to @whenshereads for being the most amazing beta and for all the encouragement and seeing me through every breakdown I had about writing this. Also @steddie-as-they-go as always for listening to all the rants and being the reason I even wrote this in the first place. When I texted her the day after the finale to tell her I had an absolutely terrible idea she cackled and demanded it be written.

The Weight of Grief

43.7k . Carlos Reyes/TK Strand . Explicit

With all the loss they've suffered Carlos and TK deserve a happy ending. In their post-Honeymoon bliss they just weren't expecting to have to work so hard for it.

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five

Tagging those who showed interest in the snippets under the cut.

@welcometololaland (seriously biggest cheerleader award) @carlos-in-glasses @liminalmemories21 @strandnreyes @lemonlyman-dotcom @lightningboltreader @jesuisici33 @thebumblecee @alrightbuckaroo @rmd-writes @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @lutavero @heartstringsduet @thisbuildinghasfeelings @rosedavid

[tellmegoodbye]

our love will guide us home

rating: T

word count: 30k

“That's the thing about love. Most of the time, it's beautiful. It's a feeling unlike any other, and even when it got complicated it was almost always worth it. Sometimes, it also sucks. It brings pain and heartache, and every now and then the bad memories begin to overpower whatever love that once existed between two people until it ultimately tears them apart in the end." Carlos has been lost these past couple of months without TK by his side. To his friends and his family, every day is simply just another day. He figures that as long as he keeps his pain locked away, the hurt will eventually dull. It's his shield. It's the only way he's ever known how to grieve. The universe has a different plan for him this time. All it takes is one frozen lake, one fateful radio call, and the possibility of losing TK forever that forces him to confront it all.

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listen to the spotify playlist

[welcometololaland]

A honeymoon, reimagined.

Carlos/TK | E | Chapter 8/8

(a big thank you to @celeritas2997 for listening to my 3094283948 voice messages on grief, talking things through and directing me to some great resources)

Also - thank you to everyone who has shared their experience of grief with me as I write this fic. I love all the stories that people have shared and I'm very grateful for your vulnerability and willingness to discuss something so personal.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter 2: Day 1

Chapter 3: Day 2

Chapter 4: Day 3

Chapter 5: Day 4

Chapter 6: Day 5

Chapter 7: Day 6

Chapter 8: Day 7

“Do you want me to say anything?” TK asks, his voice rough as he feels another tear form, clouding his vision.

“No,” Carlos says softly, reaching between them to tangle their fingers together, even though both of their hands are sweaty from the heat. “I just need you here.”

“Always,” TK whispers, and looks up to see Carlos blink furiously, tears streaming down his face. 

They stand there for a few additional minutes, the silence interspersed with Carlos’ little sniffs. TK lets his mind wander, think about all the interactions he’s had with Gabriel over the years – everything from shaking his hand at a farmers market, irritated about being introduced as Carlos’ friend from work, to the dinner they had before their wedding, Carlos’ eyes interlocked with Gabriel’s as they shared a toast. It’s all muddied by a murder now, TK thinks, and it’s sad. Carlos deserved more time and Gabriel deserved to know his son better. That growth was all just starting to take shape when it was cut short.

“I love you, Papa,” Carlos says softly, inspiring a fresh round of tears from TK as he disentangles their fingers. Then Carlos sighs deeply and moves towards the shovel as TK steps back. 

He watches Carlos tip the displaced earth back into the hole, covering the wooden box until it’s completely gone from sight, packed in with a discernible mound over the top. Then Carlos places a small circular stone at the head of it, stands back up and crosses his right hand over his chest in an easily-recognisable yet invisible cross – his lips moving silently in the name of the father, the son and the holy ghost.

TK waits for a moment, then catches Carlos’ eye as he turns to him. “It’s done,” Carlos says softly, with an air of calm finality, before reaching for TK’s hand. TK lets himself be led back towards the house in silence.

Read chapter eight on ao3

[chaotictarlos]

My coda for 4 x 13 is done, but I think I'll post it tomorrow. What do you guys think?

[carlos-in-glasses]

✨✨Keep the Lights on✨✨

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

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

✨✨✨✨

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 1: Let me Hold Your Hand

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

Read on Ao3

[eclectic-sassycoweyes]

WIP Wednesday!!! I can’t believe I both have something to share today AND am kicking us off☺️ (from my 5x05 coda) (I made this header really quickly and will not be taking any constructive criticism at this time including compliments bc I will not believe them🤭)

“I remember my mom’s eyes when she looked at him.. she looked so in love.. I mean I was fifteen so I thought it was disgusting at the time but..” he mumbles sleepily.

TK can’t help but let out another short laugh. “That sounds like a really good memory.” he says softly, his hand moving from the back of Carlos’ head to gently brush a thumb over his temple. It catches on the edge of his eye, TK’s own eyes catching on Carlos’ even though they’re closed; on the relaxed softness around them, the lashes fanning out over his cheeks.

“Yeah.” Carlos sighs. The single breath holds both happiness from the memory and sadness. The same feelings rush through TK, like they’re being transferred between them by the breaths they share, just as their pleasure had been earlier, by their hands and lips and tongues.

OPEN TAG AS ALWAYS!!! Plus no pressure tags under the cut:

@meditating-honey-badger @the-126-family @goodways @whatsintheboxmh

@corsage @ironheartwriter @nisbanisba @thoughtsickles

@emsprovisions @nancys-braids @your-catfish-friend @rmd-writes

@goldenskykaysani @captain-gillian @strandnreyes @ladytessa74

@alrightbuckaroo @carlos-in-glasses @carlos-tk @herefortarlos

@heartstringsduet @paperstorm @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @pimento-playing-hopscotch

@literateowl @lemonlyman-dotcom @welcometololaland @sapphic--kiwi

@reyesstrand @theghostofashton @lonestardust

[ramblingdisaster73]

Safe in Your Arms

TK smiled proudly at the TV as he and Lou Two watched the news segment showing Carlos on the press conference that had been held by the Texas Rangers after solving their month-long armored car heist case. One that had resulted in one fatality and a several injuries. A few of which the 126 had responded to.

This was the first case that Chief Bridges had let Carlos take the lead on and Carlos had definitely been feeling a whole new level of pressure on the job than he had previously dealt with as a patrol officer. He had spent several long nights in the office, sometimes bringing his files home to continue working on while TK tried to help or slept on him while he worked. TK couldn’t believe that an offhand comment about traffic backing up had led Carlos to the suspects, but his husband had good instincts.

Last night, Carlos had told him that they were working on a plan to try to catch the suspects in the act, that he and the soup guy would be the bait. It wasn’t like it was a surprise to TK that Carlos would be in danger on the job, they both were on a daily basis. They had talked about the realities of what could happen should the men act in the way that they had in their last attempt. It also wasn’t lost on either of them who would most likely be on the call if things went wrong if the bad guys kept to their preferred section of Austin.

TK had spent several hours listening to the radio calls a little more closely than he usually did, hoping that one wouldn’t come requesting the 126 for assistance and that things would go the way that the rangers had planned. He didn’t pray often, but he did that day.

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