tkstranded

[tkstranded]

for @tkstranded

--- sometimes skills from a previous life still came in handy. at the end of his shift, when tk went to his locker to gather his things, he'd find something unexpected and something that wasn't there before.

tucked inside, carefully placed amongst his gear, was a small box wrapped in plain, non-intrusive brown paper. there was no name on it, just a little tag attached with twine that read, "to tk." there was no obvious indication who it came from.

inside the small package, nestled in a velvet pouch, was a delicate crystal snowflake ornament. once caught in the light, the intricate edges glimmered rainbows that scattered across the whole locker room. attached to it was a green ribbon, the color of tk's eyes, and a small pendant stating the year. it was simple but the intention was clear; this wasn't just some random gift.

amongst the contents of the box there was also a small envelope, just poking up from the folds of paper keeping the snowflake safe. inside tk would find two things: a photo and a small note carefully written in dean's hand.

the picture was a candid shot, one of tk and dean, their hands brushing together as they pet a pair of reindeer. the photo was taken in secret, just the two of them, sharing a moment away from the chaos of their lives. a private moment perfectly captured and a gift to link it together.

tk, i couldn't think of a better way to say this, so figured i'd let the gift do the talking. the snowflake is a reminder of something i think we both need; a little peace in the middle of all the chaos. you and me, we've seen enough of the storm. but in between that, there's still beauty and still light to be found. the snowflake made me think of you. so pretty at first glance, and then you look a little closer and it lights up the whole damn room. that's something worth holding onto. and that picture? i can't remember the last time i had a moment like that. being with you, finding the joy in those quiet, soft times... i think about it more than i probably should. it's special to me, but i wanted you to have it too. a memory that belongs to the both of us. you make me feel things i don't always know how to say. but i'm trying, dammit. for you. merry christmas and happy hanukkah, my sweet boy. - dean

[tkstranded]

TK didn't like having to be the bad guy who kept reminding Carlos that work wasn't all that he had in life that needed his attention. it made him feel selfish and ungrateful of the life that he currently had. but they were married now and that meant that Carlos trusted him enough to be that person, right? that had to be at least one of the things that came along with all of this right? a soft laugh leaves him when Carlos all but agrees to going for walks. "that seems like a scheduling nightmare for both of us, but we can try." TK wasn't opposed to the idea, but he'd thought that Carlos would put up more of a fight for him not to go out of his way like that. at least if they couldn't go for a walk, maybe they could get lunch together. or just exist together for a little while. that seemed better than this. TK hated going home alone night after night.

shifting a little closer to Carlos, there's a small smile on his own lips as they settle into eating. "oh trust me I know, it's a real shame." the tease leaves him easily, unwilling to hide how happy he was to have a husband that was such a good cook. "I'll make a better list when we get home of all the stuff that we need. I think we're out of coffee too, which will make tomorrow morning less than fun."

green roll at him, fighting to keep the grin off his lips. "I'm going to have to start packing lunches for you."

It wasn't the first time Carlos had to be reminded of the world around him. That his life wasn't just case files and dead ends. It wasn't fair to TK, he knew that. He hated that he was putting the man he loved through all of this, but he couldn't get himself to stop. Couldn't put to rest the emptiness that sat inside of him, the part of him that longed for answers. The part of him that needed to get justice and find the person who took his father away from him too soon. "I wouldn't be opposed to daily walks with you." He knew that it was TK's gentle reminder that Carlos was getting bad again. That he wasn't taking care of himself and he needed to pull himself back to the present before he was too far gone in the past.

A soft smile on his lips as he realized exactly what TK had brought. A gentle reminder that people loved him and it wasn't fair to them that he wasn't present for them. "I haven't made fajitas in a long time, we should make sure to pick up the stuff for that." The idea of seeing his mom was comforting. He was almost sure she'd want to get out of the house, especially since his sisters hadn't been around as much lately.

"I did. But I paired it with a protein shake for balance."

[tkstranded]

[ fry thief ] 8:48pm being at work doesn't count. because usually you're here with me. well hello there ;) all that for me? good thing i'm done here in just over an hour. wouldn't want you to wait too long.

📲 [ prince charming: ] 8:45pm never too busy? gonna have to call your bluff on that one. i'm alright, sweet boy. but needy for you? [image] i'll let you be the judge of that, baby. ;)

[tkstranded]

TK hadn't meant to just show up out of the blue. least of all in the state that he was currently in. unfortunately, he hadn't had much of a choice in the long run. if dean had looked out the window five minutes ago he'd have seen the all too familiar ambulance that had dropped him off. well dropped him off gave him a little too much credit. nancy had pulled him out of the bus and pushed him towards the door. the moment she'd let him go, the tears had started again and it had taken him a good few minutes to make his way to the apartment.

he stumbles slightly as dean pulls him into the apartment. a part of him wants to laugh as he gets the usual pat down for injuries. fortunately for both of them, he's currently unharmed physically. that wasn't the problem. the gentle touch to his face has the tears falling faster, leaning hard into the touch and sagging into dean's chest. he didn't have the words right now to explain what had happened. he was sure that dean was assuming that it was just a bad call. that something had gone wrong on shift. but it was nothing like that. no matter how much TK wished that it was.

it takes nearly five minutes before he can pull himself together enough to speak. or at least attempt to. "my... my mom..." he hiccups out. the idea of saying what had happened out loud had the tears picking up once more. as if saying it out loud would make it more real. would remove any chance of waking up from this nightmare.

"she's dead..."

[ TEARS ]: sender shows up at the receiver's door in tears and in need of comfort after a long day (or week, or month…)

--- crying was about the one surefire way to send dean into a panic. if someone was crying he always felt like he needed to fix it. it was made even worse by being a complete surprise at his door out of nowhere. add the crying person being his boyfriend to the mix? well, dean could feel his heart in his throat.

"tk...what--" before he could even get a fully intelligible question out he took hold of the paramedic gently by the wrist and pulled him into the apartment behind them. almost as soon as the door was shut dean was running his hands over tk, checking for injuries with obvious concern in his eyes. finding nothing physically wrong dean was at least able to breathe a little easier and focus on actually speaking.

"hey...hey," he soothed softly and cupped tk's face in his hands. he thumbed away his tears and then wrapped his arms around him; holding tk snug against his chest. "i got you, baby. i'm right here." a kiss was pressed to the top of his head, his temple and then his cheek. "what's wrong, sweetheart?"

@tkstranded | KNOCK - KNOCK PROMPTS

[tkstranded]

he's not entirely sure what the other means by that. but at the same time, it feels a little bit like an open door that he wasn't confident enough to walk through at the moment. as much as everything in him says that he should. "yeah, the only problem with that is that too many people use caring as a weapon." and maybe it made him sound incredibly bitter, but he couldn't help it. of course none of it was Carlos' fault and he shouldn't be taking it out on him, but it was hard to let himself trust anyone with his heart now.

@tkstranded liked for a starter based on a song from my playlist || Without A Believer - Jeremy Jordan

"We all just need someone to care." Carlos wasn't sure what they were, if they were anything at all. But he did know that he liked spending time with TK, and it made him feel something he hadn't felt before. He respected the space that the other needed, but wasn't going to run away when things got hard either. Carlos wanted to be here, he liked who he was around the New Yorker.

[tkstranded]

i will walk to your house and smack you Lucas

outofpie;

awww you guys really love me hahah

but go figure it was this loser who set it off

@bulletsnblood

[tkstranded]

Ask my character "How do you feel about ______?" Can be an idea, person(s), place, or thing, and they'll have to answer honestly.

Ⓦ

[tkstranded]

this post is for you. yes, you! you are so deserving of a good, happy, content life. you are so strong and resilient, and i am proud of you. you will make it through all this hardship and come out the other side doing better than ever.

[tkstranded]

...i have 75 drafts and no brain cells. please don't hate me for taking 10 ever with these...

[tkstranded]

🐝  *  ―  𝑺𝑯𝑰𝑷𝑷𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻.

send 🚢 or ( 'SHIP' ) if you ever considered shipping our characters romantically and want me to fill out the following form for our muses. bold all that definitely applies, italicize what could potentially apply. feel free to add more if you think certain options are missing or you just want to add more.

do i ship our characters together?: yes | no | not yet but maybe soon

would i like to ship with you?: yes | maybe, i'm willing to try | no

type of relationship i could see: childhood or high school sweethearts | exes | engaged | married | long-term relationship | crushes | unrequited love | fling | long distance | online relationship | just dating | new relationship | toxic lovers | friends with benefits

tropes i'd enjoy writing for them: friends to lovers | enemies to lovers | exes to lovers | fake relationship / dating | forbidden love | grumpy and sunshine | star-crossed lovers | surprise pregnancy | second chance | soulmates | amnesia / mistaken identity | forced proximity | secret relationship | slow burn relationship

would i rather plot first or jump right in and see where it goes?: develop their relationship first | jump right in | something in between ( what specifically? )

what now?: let's plot something | send me shippy memes | i'll send you shippy memes | write me a random starter | i'll write you a random starter

anything else i want you to know about me / my character / my shipping habits: ( put whatever you want here )

[tkstranded]

i would like to not just stare at my drafts and actually be able to do them. but life and my brain apparently don’t care.

[tkstranded]

Whisper something in my muse's ear and see how they react!

NOTE: the setting is someplace public! It can be during an important meeting/moment, etc. Feel free to specify, or else receiver will choose when answering!

[tkstranded]

send "You have pretty eyes" for my muse's reaction

[tkstranded]

Softer Love

"Will you hold me? Just for a while?"

"It's not too much to ask for - to be loved."

"It feels better when you're here."

"Hold my hand. Don't let go."

"Promise me you'll hold on."

"I don't feel so cold now. Because you're here."

"My heart aches when you're away."

"Share a blanket with me?"

"We should just stay in and watch a movie."

"Oh, I saw this and thought of you."

"I wanted to bring you here. I knew you'd like it."

"Let me take you to my favourite place."

"You light up the room for me."

"I can hear your breathing. It makes me feel safe."

"Can I listen to your heartbeat?"

"We don't need to do anything. I just want you to be here."

"Can I hold your hand?"

"You bought this for me..?"

"You're always cold, so I got you a scarf."

"I know you're right behind me."

"I can't sleep until I hear you get home."

"You can tell me when you're not okay."

"Just get some rest, okay? I'll be right here."

"I bought your favourite food."

"I made you your favourite meal."

"I picked up some of that tea you like."

"Oh! I saw a dog today, let me show you a picture -"

"You were talking in your sleep. It was cute."

"I can't imagine being here without you."

"I had a nightmare that you left me."

[tkstranded]

Send "3, 2, 1..." for a New Year's kiss from my muse.

[tkstranded]

beep beep how’s my portrayal ?

[tkstranded]

i'm home finally. i probably wont be working on drafts for a few days. my brain is oozing out my ears and i need to just stare at a wall for a while. but i'm always available on discord if anyone wants to talk there.

the last 48 hours have been an actual nightmare... so i'm around but i'm also not...