#silvarafael

[badthingshappenbingo]

CONGRATULATIONS TO @silvarafael FOR FILLING EVERY SQUARE ON THEIR CARD!

We hope you enjoyed playing Bad Things Happen Bingo, and we wish you good luck on your next writing endeavor!

Readers, if you haven’t yet checked out their completed prompts, go take a look!

[breannacasey]

congrats on 700 ac!! 🥺🚑 + tarlos

Thank you!

Misfortune in the Ambulance. 601 words. Teen and Up. ao3

“Captain Vega from the 126, requiring immediate assistance for an armed robbery of our ambulance. Suspect currently holding a gun to two paramedics. Patient stable but requiring transport ASAP.”

Carlos froze. If Tommy was on the radio, it meant the two paramedics being held up were Nancy and TK. She proceeded to explain where she was and how she’d stepped away for a minute to make sure no one else was injured since their patient was young, unconscious and unable to confirm they were alone.

“363-H-20 responding,” Carlos radioed as he got his cruiser started and drove straight into that direction.

He didn’t care that he was alone and ideally you’d head to a situation like that with backup. He simply couldn’t sit back while TK was in danger. Tommy was there, safe, he could team up with her to help, they’d figure it out in time. All that mattered for him now was to get there, where he might be able to make himself useful.

He got to the scene, left his car a little on the offside so it couldn’t be seen and ran closer, only for Tommy to put a hand on his chest to stop him. She was right though, he couldn't simply run into danger. He needed to take a breath and think about the best and safest way to do this. Something that was a lot harder to do now that he could see TK standing at the wrong end of a gun, his hands up and his eyes constantly darting toward their patient.

Nancy seemed just as worried. Both of them were evidently more concerned about the chances of survival of the person in their care than they were about the possibility of getting shot. Carlos knew them well enough by now that he could tell they were counting time for a save and running out of it.

"We've given you everything we have, we don't carry any more drugs, please go and leave us alone," Nancy pleaded.

"Unless you want to be responsible for this teenager's death," TK added.

While the man hesitated, Carlos had an idea. Whether it was a good idea was up to debate, but he didn't give Tommy a chance to talk him out of it. He climbed in his cruiser and drove. He made sure to slow down a little before he hit the man. He wanted to stop him, not kill him, after all.

"Are you insane? That was your plan?" Tommy exclaimed as her and Nancy ran to the man's help, TK resuming care for their initial patient.

"It worked, didn't it? And he'll live."

As the paramedics drove away to the hospital with their now two patients, Carlos was forced to remain on the scene to give his statement, without even getting to hug his boyfriend first. It was a whole half hour before they were finally reunited and as he wrapped his arms as tight as he could around TK, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to let go.

"You really scared me today."

"But you were there to save me."

"I'd much prefer not having to do so."

He kissed TK and then kept him in his arms all night, closely tucked against his heart as they watched a movie. TK didn't say anything, but Carlos could feel him shake a little. He was clearly still unnerved by the situation and Carlos made sure his boyfriend had managed to calm down and relax before they went to bed. All he wanted was for TK to know he was safe and loved with him.

[bellakitse]

very interested in #2 👀

Nancy & Carlos trapped together - This is going to be for day 2 of Lonestar weekend. it will be from Nancy’s POV, she runs into Carlos at the Pharmacy, they’re both grabbing somethings because there is a tornado warning. The tornado hits, trapping them in the place and Carlos is hurt, Nancy has to keep him awake/alive until they can be rescued.

(Very excited about this one)

[morganaspendragonss]

hurt or comfort?

thanks jamie! these are from the same fic

hurt

Tommy hums, then directs Carlos into the back of the rig, jumping in after him. “Get back here, TK. Nancy’s driving.”

She has a teasing look in her eyes that instantly makes TK suspicious, but he moves to comply, shrugging off his turnout coat as he does. The movement hurts, which is weird, but he thinks nothing of it.

comfort

Carlos sends him a wobbly smile, which ends up turning out to be more of a grimace, but it’s a comfort nonetheless.

send me a word and i’ll post a line from my wip doc that contains it!

[moviegeek03]

well.. maybe i'll just have to send more words 👀

bruise and scream? (i'll go a little more up your alley lmao)

I can do that one lol. It's from the Smiley Face AU I need to finish lol (though building up more motivation for this one thanks to you with the sling talk...)

His phone buzzed more as he rode to the practice field. He nearly wrecked his bike with the incoming messages constantly going. He only earned himself a bruised knee. No real answers.

And here is scream from Holly's.

His body slammed into the bottom of the bank, landing against rocks and other debris. His head head landed against a particularly nasty one. He didn’t have time to grab his radio, to call for backup like he’d promised. He couldn’t scream for help. Nothing. He barely had time to take stock of anything before the blackness crept into his vision.

[pragmatic-optimist]

☀️ + tiniestmite (i can play my own ask game right? 😅)

Hi Jamie! You can definitely play your own ask game 😂. I love talking about fics and sometimes I forget to go back to leave comments on the ones I love because life. This game is super thoughtful, thanks for letting me play along.

So when I saw your ask, two fics immediately came to mind: Get Me off the Boat, I'm Ready to be on Land and I’m Not the Same Man I Was in the Spring.

Get Me Off the Boat, I’m Ready to Be on Land:

Gosh, I love this story so much! On my list of things I wish the show spent more time exploring in canon, TK’s sobriety is near the very top. I just want a deeper dive into his recovery journey (Season 3🤞🏽). In the meantime, I’m grateful for fic writers like you! You took us through key season 1 moments and did a fantastic job capturing TK’s headspace as he navigates the urges/struggles of recovery. So many of these scenes are my favorite from season 1 and you gave us a new perspective that makes me appreciate them (and TK) even more. Through it all, TK’s voice remained authentic to how we perceive him on the show. Same for Carlos. Each vignette was beautifully written and it all felt so very real, especially your depiction of TK’s strength and how it is a conscious choice daily to stay sober. My favorite part is definitely the last scene that you wrote with Carlos, showing us the value of a support system while in recovery. The strength it takes to ask for help and the relief in sharing some of the weight with those who love you, you captured this so well in the Carlos and TK end scene. It made me emotional. 🥺

I’m Not the Same Man I Was in the Spring:

OOF. This story. THIS STORY. The angst was *chef's kiss*. First, all of the different relationship moments in this story – TK/Carlos, Owen/Carlos and Carlos/Grace – loved each one. Especially the quality Carlos/Grace bonding. Another friendship I want to see in canon, but in the meantime fic fills the void. I loved when Grace opens up to Carlos about Judd’s accident and Carlos feels like someone understands, allowing him to open up too. Grace looking out for Carlos and his well-being, yes yes yes. Here for this! 🙌🏾 Grace and Carlos are my favorite characters and their interaction was definitely a story highlight.  

The way you wrote the tension between TK and Carlos throughout parts of the story was excellent and realistic. TK is stubborn and Carlos is a patient boyfriend, but he also has his breaking points. I appreciate how you showed us the chinks in their armor as TK’s prognosis doesn’t change, even if it did hurt to read it lol. I felt like you wrote an honest portrayal of how solid relationships navigate the hard knocks of life: the pain of seeing someone you love hurting, how sometimes we lash out at the ones we love the most, how it is important to take care of ourselves when taking care of others, and how in certain moments the frustration is very real but the love is deeper. You captured all of this in your story and I loved it. I don’t know if I’m doing a good enough job of explaining why this story is the best, but truly everyone should read it. It's incredible.

Honorable Mentions: Even Dust Was Made to Settle (love the 126 firefam and you capture each of the character voices perfectly, especially Mateo. Paulteo roomie fic when? 👀) + I Want to Hold You Like You’re Mine (another wonderful fic of accident prone TK Strand being vulnerable and Carlos Reyes being the best boyfriend).

send me a ☀️ + your ao3 and i’ll tell you my fav fic(s) of yours

[kitchenscene]

❤️🎬👤 :)

❤️ - share one of your favorite lines.

Eddie’s healing, he really is, but he’s on the street. It’s been ten weeks since Buck carried him, blood, bones, and all off the street, but he’s here and Buck’s still here and he’s still on the street.

🎬 - share the last line you’ve written.

He looks down at the roses in his hand, and he makes a promise to himself to keep them alive as long as possible.

👤 - share a line that shows a character’s personality.

“Oh, well apologies if I’m not great at prison breaks, I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it.”

ask game: wip excerpts

[lonestarbabe]

hey elise! i would love to see a bonus scene for "holding out for a hero 👀

I love the way you think! An excellent choice!

The First Show

Carlos watching T.K.’s first show on the tour.

One of the moments on tour that Carlos could never forget was the very first show. Carlos could hear the crowd roaring from where he stood backstage, and he pitied the poor souls in the crowd who hadn’t thought to bring earplugs to the concert. He’d been to a lot of concerts in his teenage years and early twenties, so he was familiar with the exuberance that could fill a crowd of people coming together over beloved songs, but he’d never heard a crowd as rowdy as the one at T.K.’s concert. While he had never seen T.K. perform live before, he’d been T.K.’s bodyguard long enough that he knew the Strand Stans vied to show their support for T.K. to alarming concerns at times.

The other day, T.K. had gone out to a restaurant, bring Carlos as his company, and after a fellow patron of the restaurant had posted a sneaky picture of T.K., a group of around fifty fans mobbed the restaurant, all wanting a moment with T.K. Carlos had felt panic bubble when the owner of the restaurant had told him that they didn’t have a back entrance. “They’re not dangerous,” T.K. had told Carlos when they stepped out to flashing lights and The fans didn’t mean harm, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t a threat. Carlos took his job seriously, and that was partly because for all the partying and reckless behavior, T.K. took his job seriously too, which meant that he liked to go right out into the mob, sign autographs and take pictures even if it was dangerous to do so. T.K. didn’t want to let fans down and Carlos didn’t want to let T.K. down. Even when there was a back entrance, T.K. didn’t like to use it.

Before the show, Carlos hadn’t been sure that there would be a show at all with the way the day had gone. T.K. had been in a bad mood all day, probably because he was hungover. He looked sick, and no matter what anyone tried, a miserable expression remained on T.K.’s face. When Carlos found T.K. throwing up in a trashcan just thirty-minutes before the show, swaying on his feet, the chances of the show going on seemed slim. It was only the first day of the tour, and things were already tumbling off course.

“Are you okay?” Carlos had asked.

T.K. had forced a smile, and said, “Pre-show jitters. I’m fine.”

“Does this always happen before your shows?”

“I’ll take one of those magical anti-nausea pills and I’ll be fine,” and sure enough, he’d gone on stage forty minutes later with a grin and a greeting to the crowd that was full of bravado and not a hint of sickness.

T.K. was a different person when he was on stage, Carlos noticed. Carlos couldn’t help but smile as T.K. joked with the crowd between songs. If Carlos was put in front of a crowd of thousands of people, he’d be awkward and uncomfortable, but T.K. had no problem entertaining them. It was no wonder his fans were so dedicated. Carlos was becoming a convert himself, becoming enchanted by the mystery and the charmer that was T.K. Strand.

After the show, T.K. wanted to go to a party, and Carlos noticed that T.K.’s confidence wavered when he was off stage. His smile darkened, and the voice of an angel was swapped for a black hole of self-destruction. “Are you sure you don’t want to take it easy?” Carlos said.

“What? Why?” Judd had warned Carlos about tour T.K. and how much wilder T.K. got after shows, and Carlos wanted to combat T.K.’s self-destructive tendencies as well as he could. T.K. had been sick all day, and he was in no state to do god knows what with god knows who.

“You were sick,” Carlos argued.

“Yeah, before the show. I’m better now,” T.K. assured Carlos, the weariness he’d had before nowhere in sight. “Shows are the best medicine.”

“Yeah, but you still need sleep or you’ll wake up feeling like shit. You have a full agenda tomorrow.”

“Don’t be the fun police.”

“You’ll have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Even the threat of waking up early didn’t get to T.K. “That’s why I’m going to have fun now.” T.K. was starting to look annoyed, so Carlos knew that pushing him any further.

“I can’t force you to do anything,” Carlos conceded. He felt like an enabler, watching T.K. spiral and even taking part in it, but he was doing a job, and if T.K. had no interest in keeping himself safe, Carlos would stand by his side, ready to step in if things got dire. “I’m just trying to be…” he wanted to say friend, but he also didn’t want to cross too many boundaries. “A good bodyguard.”

“Then, act like the good bodyguard and hang over my shoulder all you want but don’t tell me what to do.”

“I can’t stop you from going out, but don’t try to slip away from me like you did last time.” T.K. was alarmingly good at sneaking away from Carlos even after Carlos warned him how dangerous that behavior was.

“I can take care of myself.”

“I’m paid to make sure you don’t have to.”

“I think your shift is over.”

“I get paid extra during overtime.”

“You seem like the kind of guy who would rather spend his time with friends and family than make more money.”

“Yeah, well, we’re not exactly home right now,” and Carlos knew that he would be up all night worrying about T.K. anyway. T.K. could get out of a lot of situations on his own, but he was still a celebrity and there was a reason Judd had hired Carlos in the first place.

T.K. shook his head. “Why do you care so much anyway?” his voice is acerbic.

“Because Judd would kill me if something happened to you,” and I’d never forgive myself.