L O L A

Thank you for tagging me @nisbanisba!!

This week, I have been slowly but surely making progress on my big season 5 project. It seems very slow at the moment, but I've also been keeping up with the new episodes by creating a pattern to represent each one. I'm already pleased with how it's turning out!

Here's the main part I've stitched so far:

And here it is in the context of the larger project:

OPEN TAG and

“You’re not wearing anything Christmassy. Should I avoid wearing something Christmassy?” TK pokes his head around the corner to meet Carlos’s eyes in the bathroom mirror.

Carlos quirks a brow at his fiancé. “It’s just the APD Christmas party, babe. You can wear whatever you want. You don’t need to dress up.”

“But you did.”

“This is how I dress for date night, it’s not that fancy,” Carlos frowns, backtracking through the bathroom to reenter the bedroom and set his hands on TK’s bare hips. “Is something bothering you, baby?”

TK bites his lip as he looks back at the closet. “...It’s the first APD Christmas party I’m going to with you.”

Judging by Carlos’s face, he doesn’t understand what TK’s getting at. His eyebrows are furrowed and he looks adorably confused. “Okay, and?” He asks gently, because Carlos is always kind and patient with TK. 

“And,” TK sighs dramatically. “I don’t know. I just want to make a good impression on your coworkers. We didn’t go the first year we were together because of the pandemic, we didn’t go last year because we were broken up…”

Carlos’s hands rise to TK’s shoulders to rub him gently. “Everyone knows you’re my fiancé, babe. You’ve even defrosted Lexi’s heart a bit with those lemon bars of yours,” Carlos waggles an eyebrow, making TK laugh a little.

“I know, I know. I don’t know why I’m stressing about it. I guess it’s just because I don’t know your coworkers outside of calls the way you know mine.”

“Wear a Christmas sweater if you want to, babe. Be as loud as you want. That’s why we’re getting married, right? So we can tell the whole world how much we love each other,” Carlos’s smile is soft, the way he looks at TK is filled with so much love TK’s heart could burst.

He wraps his arms around Carlos’s neck and hugs him tight. “Thanks, baby.”

“Let me help?” She asks, holding the brush out with a wide-eyed imploring expression that has Nancy’s stomach swirling with butterflies.

“Okay,” Nancy relents, she hates having to rely on others like this, but how could she say no to a face like that? This is something friends do for each other, they can still take things slow.

The shorter woman kneels behind her on the bed to reach, carefully brushing through Nancy’s hair, detangling it with ease and then methodically parting it down the centre. Soft fingertips brush ever so gently across Nancy’s scalp as Marjan’s deft fingers section her hair before braiding it into two simple French braids. When Marjan secures the second braid with an elastic she moves back in front of Nancy, grabbing a compact mirror from her purse, holding it out to Nancy so she could see herself, curtsying dramatically and exclaiming, in an exaggerated French accent, “Et voila.”

Nancy could cry in relief as she sees herself reflected back in the small mirror; just the simple act of getting her hair out of her face has her feeling more like herself than she’s felt in days, and she’s starting to look like herself again too

thank you @carlossreaders @whatsintheboxmh @paperstorm @strandnreyes

@bonheur-cafe @carlos-in-glasses @nisbanisba @reyesstrand @welcometololaland for the tags! sending love to everyone that's devastated by the election news. right there with y'all.

bringing you the first kiss of the grief group au, if that helps <3

open tag

wip wednesday

“Let me take a look?”

Marjan jumps, the familiar husk of Nancy’s voice echoing from the doorway.

“When did you guys get back?”

Nancy’s still in uniform—in her tight black AFD long sleeved shirt, her turnout pants that somehow make her seem taller—and there’s a worried downturn to the corner of her mouth. Marjan’s suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to smooth it with her thumb.

“Five minutes ago, or so?” Nancy replies, stepping further into the bathroom. Her boots click against the tiled floor. “We had to do this whole debriefing. Cap’s still finishing paperwork.”

Her tailbone pressed against the edge of the sink, Marjan watches as Nancy comes closer. She wants to prod—it sounds serious, and from the little radio chatter and murmured conversations she’s heard since their rigs separated at the derailment, she knows Nancy and TK and Captain Vega ended up having a close call—but her breath catches over the concern in the other woman’s eyes.

“Is it okay if I look?” Nancy’s voice is quieter, this time, and Marjan nods.

She holds her breath as Nancy cups her right hand in both of hers; her thumb skating over her thrumming pulse in her wrist. Marjan lifts her other hand without hesitation and lets Nancy slowly unwrap it, until she’s standing there with both burned palms on display.

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

@bonheur-cafe @strandnreyes @paperstorm

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.”

“CAWOS!!"

His name belted out as a shriek slices through the relative calm of the loft, tailwind rattling the windowpanes and piercing Carlos' heart making it stop for half a second. He fumbles with the open bottle of apple juice he's holding in one hand, resting it hastily onto the counter before pressing the other to his chest, trying to restart his heart rate to a normal rhythm. He almost pats himself on the back for not spilling anything until a tiny body slams into the back of his legs so hard that it sends half of the juice he'd just filled into a little blue plastic cup all across the countertop, running up to the crevice between the counter and the stove until it starts dripping steadily onto the floor.

Carlos hasilty rips the tea towel from where it hangs on the handle of the oven and throws it over the steadily growing yellow puddle before he goes to address the tiny body that is now digging his nails into his waist and trying to climb him like a tree.

Please take care of yourselves today my friends. Sending all the love 💜

Hello! Thank you for the tags @ironheartwriter & @whatsintheboxmh 💕 It’s a wretched day, inviting everyone under the blanket fort ⛺️

Since we have TK’s 30th birthday coming up on Monday’s episode, I thought I’d share a bit from my TK 30th Birthday Fic: TK Strand’s Sweet 16 (times 2) (minus 2)

“Hey, your birthday’s coming up. It’s on a Saturday this year,” he says. When TK responds with a blank look he explains, “I checked earlier. It’s a big one. Is there anything you wanna do?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it. Why?”

“Mom wanted me to ask if she can throw a cookout for you. If you want.”

TK’s eyes go impossibly big, his grip on Carlos’s foot tightens, “For me?”

“Yeah babe, for you,” Carlos says. He’s a little surprised at TK’s reaction. “My mom loves you and you’re turning thirty, of course she wants to have a party. You’re lucky she’s not trying to throw you a double quinceañera like she did for my sisters.”

“Aren’t quinceañeras for girls?” TK asks dubiously as he resumes rubbing Carlos’s feet.

“Don’t put it past my mom,” Carlos says with a roll of his eyes. “She’d find you a frilly ball gown and make you learn a choreographed dance. Probably hire a mariachi band.”

“That actually sounds kind of fun,” TK says wistfully.

“For you. I’ve seen you dance, babe. Nobody needs that.”

“Rude,” TK says as he grabs a pillow and throws it at Carlos’s head. Carlos dodges it, protecting his curry, and sits up with a laugh. TK pushes his feet off his lap and Carlos pokes his thigh with a toe. “Come on, babe, I’m just telling the truth.”

After a few minutes of sitting in comfortable silence, Carlos shoveling curry into his face and TK continuing to scroll through their streaming apps, TK speaks up again.

“Nobody’s ever thrown a birthday party for me,” he says softly. “I mean, except my parents when I was a kid.”

“Well,” Carlos says as he leans forward to set his bowl on the coffee table. “You’ve got a whole new family that wants to celebrate you now, TK.” He leans back and gestures for TK to come closer, “Come here.”

TK rolls his eyes before moving to crawl across the couch into Carlos’s lap, settling with his head on Carlos’s shoulder and their legs intertwined. Carlos places a series of soft kisses to the top of TK’s head, his hair is still wet and he smells like lavender bubble bath and tea tree conditioner.

Almost as good as the curry.

Read on ao3

wip wednesday

It was a tough day. Internet hugs to everyone!

Here's this art time lapse

Thanks for tagging me @ironheartwriter @carlossreaders

And hi Michele! @heartstringsduet

WIP WEDNESDAY

TK breaks their eye contact, nodding to Owen’s bedroom which is just a bit further down the hall. When they enter the room it is bright, the afternoon sun beaming into the space. “Here,” TK enters the closet, taking only a few seconds before he steps out with the shirt.

It’s entirely silly, the shirt having an image on the cowboy hat imprinted on it as well as the wise words written by big & rich. “Why does your dad have this?” Carlos asks with a small whine, already taking his shirt off.

TK stares at his chest, “I think one of his girlfriends got it for him.” He mumbles, distracted by the golden hue of Carlos’ abdomen. When Carlos notices, he smirks, moving to crack Owen’s door. He uses his fingers to beckon TK toward him, and the man listens, kissing Carlos stupid.

WIP Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, friends. I know today is gonna be rough all around, but I'm hoping to spread some distractions all around. To my other American followers, I love you, please stay safe.

Pulled this from my 100 Follower Celebration, because I'm too braindead to do much else right now, an AU that I'm hoping to write this holiday season. Enjoy.

No pressure tags: @emsprovisions, @sapphic--kiwi, @whatsintheboxmh, @heartstringsduet, @carlos-in-glasses

@chicgeekgirl89, @alrightbuckaroo, @corsage. @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @eclectic-sassycoweyes

@firstprince-history-huh, @honeybee-taskforce, @literateowl, @lightningboltreader, @mikibwrites

@nisbanisba, @nancys-braids, @paperstorm, @reyesstrand, @strandnreyes,

@tellmegoodbye, @welcometololaland, @carlossreaders, @lemonlyman-dotcom + open tag.

It's Wednesday, and I thought the tl could use some fluff... From an upcoming fic:

Henry looked at the books wistfully, so much so that Alex knew he wouldn't be able to say no to him if he asked to stay longer.

One look and “Please?” was all it took. Then Henry was running off to the graphic novels, and the fantasy section beside it. He had been embarrassed about his love for the literary world and Star Wars for the longest time, but Alex had always encouraged him to embrace what he loved.

Wide open tag, as always, for whoever wants to play! Plus lots of gentle no pressure tags for @anincompletelist @benwvatt @caterpills @blueeyedgrlwrites @cha-melodius @daisymae-12 @duchessdepolignaca03 @emmalostinwonderland @everwitch-magiks @firenati0n @getmehighonmagic @glasshouses-and-stones @heysweetheart-writes @happiness-of-the-pursuit @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @iboatedhere @inexplicablymine @itsmaybitheway @leaves-of-laurelin @littlemisskittentoes @missgeevious @myheartalivewrites @msmarvelouswinchester @theprinceandagcd @rockyroadkylers @thesleepyskipper @thinkof-england @wordsofhoneydew @welcometololaland @14carrotghoul @zwiazdziarka @tailsbeth-writes @judasofsuburbia @nocoastposts @ninzied @onthewaytosomewhere

Hello!! Thank you for the tags @thisbuildinghasfeelings @eclectic-sassycoweyes @carlos-in-glasses @heartstringsduet @nisbanisba @whatsintheboxmh @lightningboltreader @alrightbuckaroo 💕 From the upcoming next fic in the Kali Series: Tu Corazón Es Mío ❤️‍🔥

Carlos looks back at the road and shakes his head in amusement. TK’s been going through a reggaeton phase lately. His cousin Anita’s influence. They’ve been hanging out a lot since the wedding. She’s always loved TK, took an immediate liking to him from the first day they met. Over the summer she took him to a few dance classes — mostly afrobeats but he knows they went to at least one bachata class because he’d very bravely not laughed at TK when he tried practicing his new moves on him in the living room later that night — and she subs in as TK’s date to concerts sometimes when Carlos has a shift or is otherwise occupied. They swap music recommendations all the time, share a joint playlist on Apple Music, go to exhibits at the Mexic-Arte Museum downtown where Anita volunteers, and she even joined TK’s rec softball team last spring.

All of the Reyes primos accepted TK into the fold pretty much as soon as Carlos started bringing him around, to lunches at Tía Lucy’s and birthdays and the annual Fourth of July party at Tío Anthony’s lake house. Anita talked to him about the concerts he’d gone to since moving to Austin, Chuey wanted to know about all the secret spots to get good food in Manhattan, “not that touristy shit,” he’d said with a wave of a hand, “tell me where to get the real food.” Diego asked for TK’s number and immediately began abusing it to ask for medical advice any time he so much as stubbed a toe.

And TK had happily rolled with all of it, had fit in so well with his family that Carlos felt a faint twinge of regret for waiting so long to bring a boyfriend around. It passed quickly, though, as he watched TK exuberantly laughing along with Tía Lucy and his mom in the kitchen of his childhood home. There’s no one else he would have wanted to share this part of his life with. TK, with his sweetness and his openness and his kindness, who makes Carlos feel whole and unbroken and proud, has helped him feel more at home in his body and in his life and with his family than he ever had before, just by being there by his side.

wip wednesday

“Stand up for a sec, baby.”

TK’s legs feel shaky as he gets to his feet, a feeling only amplified when Carlos grabs him by the belt loops and makes him step between Carlos’ knees. He makes quick work of shoving the pants to the floor, and TK needs a hand on Carlos’ shoulder to help him balance as he steps out of them. TK expects his underwear to go next, but Carlos only holds him reverently by the hips, leaning forward on the couch to kiss his abdomen. He’s thorough with it, letting his tongue lap over all the lines and his lips press gently against TK’s skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” Carlos murmurs, and the goosebumps TK feels are replaced by a blush as he’s subjected to Carlos’ worship. “So lucky to have you. All mine.”

TK exhales shakily and reaches for Carlos’ hair, carding his fingers through the short curls.

“I love you,” TK murmurs again, because he feels like he doesn’t know what else to say.

Carlos kisses above his waistband and then looks up into TK’s eyes. His deep brown irises hold so much emotion and so much love, and when Carlos smiles at him, TK feels like they could make it through anything.

“You’re the love of my life,” Carlos tells him. “I don’t tell you that enough.”