thank you for the seven sentence sunday/wip wednesday tags from this past week @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @heartstringsduet @strandnreyes @carlos-tk @lemonlyman-dotcom @orchidscript @alrightbuckaroo @louis-ii-reyes-strand @carlos-in-glasses <33 i’ve been focused on my secret santa wip, so i’m going to follow in the footsteps of some others and share my most recently published fic balancing act instead until i have can share something new <33 here’s a bit from chapter 5:

“My abuela died when I was eight,” Carlos says quietly and it’s enough of an unexpected statement that TK pulls back enough to look his boyfriend in the eye. Carlos’ expression is soft with memory, even as he wipes under TK’s eyes with his thumbs. “It’s not the same, but it was the first time I remember feeling so…alone.”

TK’s heard bits and pieces of Carlos’ upbringing—of how isolated he felt, almost a decade younger than his sisters and feeling the deep-rooted shame of difference when girls in class didn’t pique his interest the way boys did. TK also remembers stories of Carlos’ grandmother; how she was the one to bring him into the kitchen, how she was the one to let him explore, and how that gave him the space to find his voice.

“I didn’t really understand what was going on when she got sick,” Carlos continues, staring down at their tangled fingers. “I didn’t understand any of it, the doctor’s visits or the specialists in Houston. But when we got that phone call that she was gone, my world kind of ended.

“It was my mom who promised me she’d always be with me. She said because so many people loved her, she’d get to live on forever and complain about how nobody could make her tea right.”

TK smiles at that, and squeezes Carlos’ hand.

“It’s the same with your mom,” Carlos tells him, eyes full of promise. “I know it, TK. And when it gets hard…I’m here, sweetheart. I always will be.”

leaving an open tag for wip wednesday, no matter the content! tag me bc i’d love to see <3