Owen Strand - Tumblr Posts

Soon You’ll Get Better

Prompt -  'Holy orange bottles, each night I pray to you, desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too.’

Owen knew he had to tell you. He had told Judd, as hard as it had been to say the words out loud for the first time, he had told him. He had told TK, or more accurately TK found out himself and Owen could no longer deny the truth, could no longer smile and pretend it wasn’t real, not when TK had looked at him with those wide, watery eyes and a tremor in his voice.

He knew he had to tell the team but he couldn’t do that because he had to tell you first. He knew Judd and TK wouldn’t tell you but they had both had countless conversations with him about how you needed to know and he knew they were right. If he were being honest with himself he was holding off telling you for the same reason he hadn’t told TK back in New York when he’d found out, he was scared.

Owen Strand was scared and it was easy to put on a wide smile and hide behind it, to push the diagnosis to the back of his mind and enjoy the time he had with you. He liked to think he was a strong man but this was different, it was different in the same way he was weak opposite TK who was hurt and terrified, he was weak because he didn’t think he could stand seeing the fear in your eyes, the look on your face every time you looked at him knowing that the cancer was eating away at him. He couldn’t stand the thought of you looking at him like he was already dead, nothing but a walking corpse.

He hadn’t known you very long but it was long enough to know you were special, to know that you would be somebody who changed his life. He cared for you deeply, from the second you walked into the firehouse and flashed him that warm smile before sitting opposite him and TK to talk about your place in the 126. He liked to think he had done a good job hiding how much he liked you from your half hour meeting but the second you left TK had turned to him with a wide grin of his own and Owen rolled his eyes as he told him to shut up before any words even left his mouth, something that only made TK smile wider.

Working alongside you was thrilling, Owen had had partners before but the way the two of you moved with each other, always knowing what the other was thinking without either of you needing to voice anything wasn’t just helpful in your line of duty but it also made Owen smile every time he thought of your silent communication, knowing that you had become so close after only a few weeks together. He let himself think of a future, he had to because he refused to think about what could happen if the chemo didn’t work. He let himself think of months or years working side by side with you, the two of you in perfect sync. It was a thought that made sitting in the hospital slightly more bearable.

Owen knew you weren’t stupid. He knew you had noticed him sneaking off during shifts only to come back slightly shaky and pale, he had gotten lucky that you hadn’t pushed it, only asking if he was ok and making sure he had a bottle of water when he returned. He knew this wouldn’t last for long though, eventually you would start pushing, asking him what was wrong and the last thing he needed was you dragging him to Michelle.

So he had to tell you, something that was easier said than done.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. In fact countless times he had invited you over with the intention to tell you about the cancer only to back out at the last second, pushing it to the back of his head as best he could before focusing on your company. He had called you into his office multiple times where there were no distractions before he always decided against it, telling Judd and TK’s disappointed looks that telling you at work wasn’t the best idea.

But he knew he couldn’t put it off any longer and swore to himself that today was the day he would tell you.

He had already invited you around for a dinner he was in the middle of cooking, TK had left the house with a warning that he better tell you tonight and Owen would make good on that promise.

Things between you and Owen were good, the two of you had been close from day one. It felt like you had known each other forever, there was no awkwardness, no strained silences. The two of you got to talking and immediately hit it off. Owen knew it was going in a good direction, he knew you liked him and God knows how much he liked you. He had seen the hints when you had been over at his place, knew that if he had just leaned in and kissed you that you wouldn’t have pushed him away.

But he couldn’t. It didn’t feel right to start something with you without you knowing about the cancer. He wouldn’t judge you if it were too much, if you decided to just be friends and stop the flirtatious looks and teasing remarks. He’d be devastated, no doubt about it, but he would understand. Jumping into a relationship with a sick man wouldn’t be ideal.

By the time you were knocking on the door Owen felt like a nervous mess and without any alcohol to soothe his nerves he felt ready to back out of this conversation again.

All the stress seemed to melt away as he opened the door, seeing you standing there with a smile on your face brought a matching one to his. You weren’t dressed up, you had long since switched from that to a more comfortable attire with the more time you spent at Owen’s house and yet somehow you still managed to take his breath away.

“Can I come in?” You laughed, causing Owen to snap back to reality and smile wider at you, shaking his head to clear his mind as he opened the door wider for you.

“Please do, dinner’s almost ready.” Owen told you as he took your coat. “Beautiful as always, dear.”

He couldn’t stop his smile from widening even as he knew the eye roll was coming.

“You okay? You sounded…I don’t know you sounded weird on the phone.” You asked as you leaned against the counter and watched Owen walk towards the pans resting on the stove.

The silence stretched for a moment too long and you frowned as you stared at his back, watching as he tensed up before seemingly forcing himself to relax.

“Owen?” You asked again and heard him sigh before turning the heat down.

He turned to face you with a serious and almost sad look on his face causing you to look at him warily, not sure what bad news he was about to deliver but knowing it was coming.

“Hey, talk to me.” You prompted softly, watching as Owen let his eyes fall closed as he took a deep breath. “It’s me, whatever it is we’ll deal with it.”

Those words had Owen smiling and opening his eyes to stare at you in wonderment. God, you were too good for him, he had no idea what he had done to deserve even meeting you. Here you were, so ready to stand beside him and create a solution to whatever it was that was bothering him.

If only it were that easy.

“I was going to wait until after dinner to tell you.” Owen began, feeling like his throat was swelling up on him.

“Tell me what?” You asked, keeping your voice soft even as your brows knitted together as you looked at him in confusion.

“C’mere,” Owen said, knowing full well he was doing nothing but buying himself a few more seconds of living in a world where you didn’t know but there was no going back now.

You let your fingers entwine with Owen’s when he held his out for you, squeezing his hand reassuringly as he led you to the living room and onto the sofa. Neither of you let go of the other as you sat next to each other, nor did you move your legs when your knees brushed together.

Owen opened his mouth only to close it against every few seconds, sure he had gone over what he was going to say to you a thousand times and that was all well and good but actually sitting here beside you, your hand in his with your thumb brushing against his skin, it felt impossible to get the words out.

“Hey,” you said quietly, not talking until Owen looked over at you and you smiled sadly when you saw fear on his face, “whatever it is I’m right here.”

Owen forced himself to swallow around the lump in his throat, his eyes suddenly burning at your words before he took a breath and nodded.

“I don’t know how I got so lucky finding you,” Owen murmured and took comfort in how your smile shifted and brightened your face. He let himself relax as he looked at you for a second longer before forcing the words out. “I should’ve told you a long time ago but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

“Tell me what, Owen?” You asked again and Owen squeezed your hand before he spoke.

“I’ve got cancer, Y/N.” There, the words were out. He had actually told you and even though a weight was still resting heavily on him he felt a little bit better knowing that you knew, that going forward he was being totally honest with you even if it meant losing you.

Owen never took his eyes off you as he told you the secret only four people knew, five now that he included you. He watched as your eyes widened, watched your skin pale, saw the way your mouth fell open and tears filled your eyes seconds later once the words fully hit you.

He hated that he was the reason for such a reaction, he only wanted to draw smiles and laughs from you.

Then there was the fear that clouded your eyes, the fear he so desperately didn’t want to see. You were scared for him and Owen didn’t want that, he didn’t want you worrying that every second you spent with him would be your last or if he was suddenly going to kneel over mid conversation.

“Y/N, I’m alright.” Owen said when minutes had passed and you had yet to say anything. His words seemed to snap you back to reality and you swallowed around the burning lump in your throat, feeling tears well in your eyes as you stared at Owen.

“No, you’re not.” You whispered, a hundred questions racing through your mind.

“Hey,” he said softly, not letting go of the hand he was holding as he lifted his other to cup your cheek and wipe the few tears that had leaked out. “I’m really ok or as ok as I can be. I’m on the treatments the doctors want me on and they like my chances. I’m ok, sweetheart, I promise.”

You leaned into the touch on your cheek before shifting forward to press your forehead against Owen’s and heard the soft chuckle as he held you close to him, both of you silent for the next few minutes as you took in what he had told you.

“You said you're on the treatment, does that mean chemo?” You whispered, not wanting to move away from him.

“Yeah, yeah they have me on chemo. That part is hard, I won’t lie but they say it looks good so I can’t complain.” Owen reassured you and you nodded against him, needing another moment to take in everything.

“Does TK go with you?” You asked, hating the thought of Owen going through this alone.

“He has been but he only found out not too long ago-”

“You’ve been doing this alone?” You asked him, interrupting whatever else he was going to say.

“Of course that’s the part that upsets you the most.” Owen chuckled but brushed his thumb across your cheekbone, keeping you in place when you went to pull away. “It’s not too bad, well except for this guy who comes in when I do and, well story for a different time but I’ve been ok.”

You nodded again and let the silence stretch despite having more questions to ask, wanting to know exactly what type of cancer he had, how far along it was, how long had he been on chemo, how long had he been dealing with this alone if TK only found out recently? Instead of asking them though you squeezed Owen’s hand in yours and lifted your free one to rest on top of his still resting on your cheek. Owen smiled as you turned your face slightly to press a soft kiss to his palm.

“I really don’t know what I did to deserve you.” He told you again and you shook your head with a smile because really it was the other way around.

Seeing Owen sat in the hospital chair, wires connected to a machine and a needle being pushed into his skin, made your heart ache. He looked tired though and yet even now, even when he was the one who needed you to be brave, there he was smiling over at you and reaching a hand out for you.

“I’m alright.” He assured you and you couldn’t help but laugh softly.

You forced yourself to relax in your seat as you reached for his hand and squeezed it softly, letting your thumb brush against his skin as you smiled at him. Even though he knew you were scared you couldn’t tell him that, not whilst he was the one suffering.

It was hard to hide your fear though, under the hospital lighting Owen looked exhausted, his own fear well disguised for your sake no doubt. You knew it was your turn to push away how scared you were, Owen needed you to be brave right now.

It had been two weeks since you found out he had cancer, weeks you had spent trying to come to terms with it but it seemed impossible. Owen having cancer seemed like it wasn’t real, how could this man, this charming, confident, caring man suddenly be sick, be in a hospital chair getting treatment for cancer?

It didn’t seem real and yet here you were with him.

In the two weeks you had known you had familiarised yourself with orange bottles filled with different pills, listened as Owen explained what they were for. More than once you had raised the issue of if he should be working, if he should be running into smoke filled buildings when he had lung cancer but each time he brushed you off and told you he wasn’t going to give up his job.

Some nights you found yourself so consumed by fear it felt like you were going out of your mind, the idea of losing Owen…

Every time TK called you you got a burst of anxiety, expecting the worst and then having to swallow down how scared you had been for a second once he started talking and everything was fine. You had never been heavy on religion, never found much comfort in praying but you had spent countless nights since finding out praying to anyone who would listen that Owen would be ok.

“I know you are.” You told him, proud when your voice didn’t shake.

“You sound like you actually believe that.” Owen told you with a laugh and you couldn’t stop your smile from widening.

“Of course I believe it,” you told him, letting yourself focus on being with Owen, on making sure he was as ok as he could be and not having to worry about you. “You’ll be out of here before you know it.”

“It’s not so bad now that you’re here.” Owen smiled and you squeezed his hand again, watching as his eyes drifted down to them before he raised them to press a kiss against the back of yours. “Thank you for being here, sweetheart.”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be.” You told him, forcing your smile to stay in place and the tears to disappear before they had the chance to fill your eyes.

“I can think of a hundred different places I’d rather take you.” Owen chuckled and you found it easy to laugh with him causing his smile to grow.

“Soon you’ll get better and we can go wherever you want.” You grinned at him and he kissed your hand again as he smiled over at you, completely enamoured by you.

When he told you about his cancer he had expected you to put distance between the two of you, to put a stop to the flirting and the touches, the lingering gazes, he expected all of it to stop. Never in all the scenarios he had played out had he imagined you sat at his side at every doctor's appointment or chemo session, never had he pictured you squinting down at orange bottles, frowning at the long words and googling what they were.

He didn’t know what he had done to deserve you, it was a question he pondered before telling you about the cancer and it was a question that he couldn’t wrap his head around after telling you. He knew you were scared but no matter what you stuck to his side, if he tried to sneak away to throw up you were there with a glass of water and his toothbrush, if he needed a minute to catch his breath you were there comfortingly rubbing your fingers along his back. Whenever he needed you you were there and he thanked God for bringing you to him every day.

He’d get better, he’d seen the chemo out and do whatever the doctors asked of him if it meant he could make good on his promise to take you to the hundred other places he’d rather be with you, to experience a life and a future with you.

Owen Strand would get better and you would be there every step of the way.

---

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Prompt -  After the move from New York to Texas, the gang try to set Y/N up on several dates.

When your dad had first brought up Texas you hadn’t exactly been over the moon with the plan but there wasn’t much you could do to argue against it considering the circumstances surrounding why you were leaving. Besides there was no way TK would have moved out there without you and you would have hated home without him and your dad.

Now though it felt like this place was more like home than New York ever had been, something that you had thought would be impossible a few months ago. You’d had friends in New York of course but they were nothing compared to the friends you’d made in Texas, friends who you saw on a daily basis, friends who felt more like family even after only knowing them for such a short amount of time.

By all accounts not much should have changed for you really, you were working the same 9-1-1 operator job you’d had back in New York, your boss had been great helping with the transfer to the Texas call centre. You were on your way to getting your own apartment which you couldn’t wait for, much as you did enjoy living with your dad and TK.

And yet somehow everything felt different than it had in New York, it felt like you could be yourself here, let yourself enjoy your life properly instead of putting on a show for your friends.

Texas had no bad memories but New York…well New York was full of them. New York reminded you of days spent hesitating to answer your phone in fear of hearing that TK had been found in a ditch somewhere, that he was already dead or that he was too high to move and you had to find him in a drug den. New York was your mom and dad fighting whilst you and TK desperately tried to drown out the shouting.

Texas was better. Texas had a TK who had been clean since being here. It had your dad who seemed happier than you’d seen him in a long time. You hadn’t always been close with your dad, it took a while after the divorce for you and him to sort things out between each other, after countless apologies and talks the two of you were closer than ever.

Then there was TK. You had never not been close with TK, the two of you had been attached to each other's side for as long back as you could remember. Your twin brother, though if you asked TK he’d include the word older in there, he was older than you by a mere ten minutes and damn if he didn’t take the chance to tell anyone you met, always had your back even if it had been rough when he was using and you always tried to look out for him, tried to keep him alive.

You and your mom didn’t particularly get on well, your relationship with her was already strained but when you and your dad started getting along she hadn’t taken it well. You weren’t overly sad to leave her in New York but despite that you would always be grateful to her. She had been the one to do what you never could, she was the one that got TK into rehab and clean.

So when your dad called you one day you hadn’t been scared to answer the phone, TK had been clean for a while now and all the anxiety you had over answering calls was pretty much gone. Of course then he went and undid all that progress by telling you that TK had overdosed and he was in the hospital.

You had been shocked to say the least, devastated at the thought of TK using again. It seemed wrong, you’d seen him yesterday and he had seemed completely fine. It wasn’t until you got to the hospital and after wrapping you in a tight hug your dad told you that Alex had been cheating on TK. Your heart had ached, more so when you saw TK in the hospital bed and his eyes filled with tears as he hugged you.

It wasn’t long after that your dad told you both of the plan to move to Texas, TK was given no choice in the matter, he was leaving New York and he wasn’t going down that path again. Your dad had told you that if you wanted to stay in New York he’d understand, though the gutted look on his face told you he didn’t want that and the look TK had given him told you TK was ready to fight him on it.

You had about as much choice as TK had in the matter though, if your dad and TK were leaving New York then so were you. It’s not like there was much holding you there anyway.

You still remembered the conversation when TK had come over to your apartment, remembered how small he seemed as he curled up on your sofa and apologised that you had to uproot your entire life just because he was a failure. Your heart broke as you took a seat next to him and let him cuddle into you and you had spoken to him well into the early hours of the morning, promising you wanted to be with him and your dad no matter where that was. You knew he hadn’t been fully convinced, you knew it would take more than one conversation to make him believe it, but TK had nodded as you spoke and smiled at you, even if it was only a small one, and it wasn’t long after the two of you had fallen asleep together on the sofa.

From there it had been easier than you had thought to pack your things up and leave New York behind. Sure there was the sadness that came with leaving the place you had grown up in behind but you didn’t feel like you’d regret your decision.

And you hadn’t. Not weeks into being here, not months into being here. It felt easy to make Austin your home, it was easy to find a routine and settle in. It was worth it to see TK smile wider than he had done in New York, to watch him fall in love again with a guy you trusted to take care of him. It was easy to watch your dad make friends and hang out with them whenever their shift ended.

It was refreshing having a set of friends who actually seemed to care about you. You and Grace had made quick friends at the call centre on your first day when you had been introduced to her and placed on the desk opposite her. Conversation flowed easily between the two of you and it wasn’t long before you were meeting up outside of work, going for coffee or grabbing a bite when your shift ended, and being invited over to her house for dinner or drinks.

Life in Austin was good.

“So,” Grace grinned as the two of you walked into the break room after hours of sitting at your desks, you rolled your eyes knowing where the conversation was going. “How’s the crush going?”

That was another thing that was good in Texas. The dating scene in New York hadn’t been for you, sure you’d been on dates and met guys in clubs but actually, properly dating somebody just seemed impossible back there. Not that here was much different, you hadn’t actually gone on a date here yet but there was Ethan. Though you’d protest out loud to it being called a crush you could admit to yourself that it absolutely was one and a big one at that.

You’d met Ethan a few weeks into working at the call centre and after a small talk in the break room you had made your way back to your desk to see Grace already grinning at you. After she had finished teasing you she told you Ethan had lived in Austin all his life and had been working at the call centre for just over two years now. She had told you that from what she knew of him he seemed to be a fairly good guy, no one had said anything bad about him so far.

From there your attraction to the man had grown and while you were pretty sure he liked you too neither of you had made a move, much to not only yours but also TK and Grace’s disappointment.

“There is no crush.” You told her, a smile pulling at your lips at her groan and moved to get Grace’s and your lunch from the refrigerator.

“Y/N, you know I love you but I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” She told you, causing you to laugh as you sat opposite her. “I mean the two of you spend all day sneaking glances at each other, never mind the fact that when you talk he spends more time looking at your lips than anything else.”

“Okay, okay, so there’s an attraction,” you admitted, making her smile widen. “But, I don’t know Grace, I really like him, you know? I mean sure I dated around in New York but there was never anyone who I really liked.”

“Let it happen then, keep talking to him, keep sneaking glances and whatever happens is meant to be.” She told you and you took a deep breath whilst nodding at her.

It had been a long shift and when you walked through the door of your dad’s place, where you would be living for only a few more weeks whilst your apartment was getting ready, you could tell you weren’t going to rest any time soon.

“Hey kiddo,” Owen greeted as he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you into a side hug. “We’re getting ready to head to the bar, you in?”

“Yeah sure, just give me a minute to change.” You told him, watching his smile brighten as he let you go and it wasn’t long before the two of you walked into the bar together, TK already there and as you looked around you could see Carlos at the bar.

“Y/N!” TK grinned as you walked up to him and you couldn’t help but grin back, it was good seeing TK this happy, it looked good on him. “How was work?”

“Shut up!” You groaned whilst pushing him away from you causing him to let out a laugh as he moved back and leaned against you.

“Ok, ok but seriously when are you and Ethan getting together?” He asked and your dad gave you a questioning look. “I mean I see the way your face lights up, no one in New York made you smile like that.”

You couldn’t stop the soft smile pulling at your face as you leaned your head against TK’s shoulder. He was right, you could feel how much lighter you were and whilst it wasn’t all to do with Ethan you were really glad for the move to Texas. All three of you were much happier.

“Same goes for you, TK, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were half way ready to call it love.” You murmured as Carlos headed towards your group and took great delight in watching TK’s cheeks heat up.

“What are you two talking about?” Carlos asked as he smiled at TK whilst handing drinks out and you saw a few extras, figuring the rest of the 126 would be joining tonight.

“Oh I was just seeing when Y/N was going to go on a date.” TK told him, grinning at you when you shook your head at him even as a smile threatened to pull at your lips.

You had sworn your dad, TK and Grace to secrecy over your little crush. You weren’t sure why, maybe it was because this was the first time you had really been into a guy and wanted to experience it privately before telling them, but all of them had kept their word even if TK found other ways to draw attention to your dating life.

“Have you met anyone here, Y/N?” Carlos asked with a smile, “I know a guy down at the station and I think the two of you could hit it off.”

You glared at TK as you watched his grin grow wider and Owen couldn’t stop a chuckle that he hid behind his glass as he looked between the two of you. Before you could say anything you were stopped by the rest of the 126 joining the table and silently thanked whoever was listening for the change in conversation as the rest of the night was able to continue without a single mention of your love life.

The next few weeks were fairly eventless, something you weren’t used to considering who your family and friends were but you welcomed the quietness. Not much had changed, the call centre took up most of your hours and after a long day you were able to crash in your new apartment which made Texas feel even more like home. Somehow even though you’d moved out of your dad’s house you still found yourself hanging out there after your shifts.

During the week not much happened, there were still the stolen glances across the room from you and Ethan, waiting to see when the other would get up so you could bump into each other in the break room and have lunch together whilst you got to know each other better.

Today you had started out stressed after your phone hadn’t charged meaning your alarm never went off making you nearly an hour late for work and every call from then on seemed to only reach you if it were a matter of life or death. By the time Grace gestured for you to take a break you were more than happy to, not even sparing a glance across the room today but instead just grabbing your coat and leaving the building, needing to be away whilst you steadied yourself.

“Hey,” Somebody called but you didn’t turn around, the streets of Austin were busy so you didn’t think much of it until you felt somebody touch your arm. “Hey, are you alright?”

It was Ethan. You didn’t know what to do with the fact that you felt some of the tension ease just from his touch, from his presence. You hadn’t hesitated to accept his offer of lunch at a coffee shop not too far from the call centre and barely felt the time passing until he checked his phone and his face dropped slightly as he announced the two of you should probably get back to work.

“Wait,” He said as he took your hand in his to pull you out of the way of people walking in the street. “Listen, I really like you, Y/N, and I’ve wanted to ask you out for months but you were new here and I thought it was best to let you settle in before I asked you. I’d really like to take you out if you’d let me.”

You hadn’t been able to stop the smile that spread across your face, your bad morning and the constant flood of calls momentarily forgotten about as you nodded your head and made plans for dinner the coming Friday before making your way back to the call centre, all the while his hand never left yours.

That night you ended up in the bar with the 126 and Grace, Grace who hadn’t stopped shooting you looks all day and seemed unable to stop grinning at you whenever she so much as glanced in your direction.

“Oh hey, Y/N,” Carlos said after everyone already had a few drinks in them, “you never did say if you wanted me to set you up with my friend down at the station.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Judd interrupted, causing you to smile as he raised his hands to look at you, “you’re goin’ on a date?”

You watched as Grace and TK, who had seemingly realised through Grace’s looks that there had been a development, grinned over at you causing you to roll your eyes.

“No, I’m not going on a date with Carlos’ friend.” You told them and Grace nudged your knee causing you to roll your eyes.

“I know a guy up in one of the other houses, real nice guy, why don’t you let me set you up with him?” Judd asked and you shook your head, smile still in place, but before you could say anything Marjan jumped in.

“Wait, my friend knows this guy and he’d be perfect for you, Y/N!” She told you and you couldn’t help but laugh as you finished the last of your drink and stood up to head to the bar, turning towards the group before you left.

“Thank you all but I can find my own dates.” The group's laughter followed you as you made your way to the bar and ordered another drink, smile widening as you felt somebody move next to you before nudging his shoulder with yours.

“You seem happy today.” TK prompted and you shook your head as you leaned into his side, pausing to let him order his drink before you spoke.

“He asked me out.” You told him and looked over at him to see him beaming at you and you couldn’t stop yourself mirroring the expression back. “It might not go anywhere but…I’m excited.”

“I’m really happy for you, Y/N.” TK told you softly squeezing your hand in his and you let out a soft chuckle as you nodded.

“I’m happy for you too, TK.” You murmured, shifting to look at the group but with the exception of your dad and Carlos no one else glanced in your direction. “I know the reason we moved down here wasn’t great but-”

“I’m still sorry about that.” TK interrupted, shifting his gaze from you to the glass he had been handed. “Looking back I know I should have spoken to you or dad but in the moment, everything just seemed so…but I never thanked you.”

“TK I’ve told you a hundred times you don’t have to apologise.” You sighed and watched as he lifted his gaze to you, eyes wide and watery. “And what didn’t you thank me for?”

“For moving here with us.” He said as he tried to blink away the tears and paused to take a sip of his water. “I mean dad’s been amazing with all this, you know, but I couldn’t have done it without you here. I know you uprooted your whole life and I never thanked you for that.”

“TK, you don’t have to thank me either. There was never any doubt that I’d come to Texas with you and dad, I liked New York, hell I thought I loved it there but moving here was the best decision of my life. I know we didn’t move down here under the greatest conditions but you’re good now and I can’t picture being anywhere else.” You told him sincerely, glancing back at the table and smiling softly at the family you had made gathered together.

“I really love you Y/N, I’m glad you’re happy here.” TK said as he pulled you into a hug and you heard him sniff quietly but didn’t say anything as you wrapped your arms around him.

“I love you too, TK.” You murmured into his shoulders and the two of you took a second more before pulling away and heading back to the group.

Months passed since that night at the bar and it was now coming up to being a year since you had moved to Texas. It felt like a whole different lifetime since you were in New York, not realising how unhappy you were as you went about your life until you came to Austin.

Now everything had changed, you and Ethan had been dating for three months and you had yet to tell the rest of your friends. You had told your dad when it was just the two of you at his house, TK out with Carlos for the night, as you both curled on the sofa and played movie after movie. During one of the breaks where you had headed into the kitchen for a food break you had told your dad that Ethan had officially asked you out and that you had said yes. Owen had just beamed at you and pulled you close, murmuring how proud he was of you and how glad he was that you were happy.

You hadn’t needed to tell Grace, that woman knew from the second you sat at your desk the day after Ethan had asked you to be his girlfriend that something had happened. You hadn't even been able to keep a straight face through her teasing, grinning back at her as the two of you leaned across your desks and spoke about the date in hushed voices, missing the fond looks directed at you from across the room.

TK seemed to have whatever superpower Grace had because when he had come to your apartment with takeout and had given you a questioning look before his face broke out into a grin you couldn’t do anything but groan as he came to the conclusion you and Ethan were official. The two of you spent the night talking about your lives since moving to Texas and gushing over your boyfriends.

It was a few nights later you found yourself in the bar, everyone from the 126, as well as Carlos and Grace sat around a table and as always seemed to be the case after a few rounds the conversation shifted to your romantic life.

“I’m just sayin’, she’s been here what nearly a year? I know a guy who I think is good enough to date her.” Judd said and you couldn’t help but laugh as Carlos shook his head and gestured to you.

“I know Y/N and her and Logan would be great together.” Carlos insisted, causing Owen to chuckle as you buried your head against TK’s shoulder, feeling his laugh as he watched the conversation.

“What’s wrong with my guy?” Judd asked but before Carlos could respond another voice cut them off.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt.” He said and your head snapped up from TK’s shoulder to grin at Ethan as you stood up and made your way round to his side, wrapping your arm around his waist, leaning into him as he wrapped his around your shoulder.

“Neither of your guys are good.” You told Carlos and Judd, watching as they frowned whilst looking between you and Ethan. “Everyone, this is Ethan, my boyfriend.”

The look on Carlos and Judd’s face was priceless to say the least, both of them doing a good job looking betrayed as you introduced everyone to Ethan and took your seat next to each other.

“You’ve had a boyfriend this whole time?” Judd asked before he looked at Grace who smiled sweetly at him. “And you’ve known, y’all let me sit here trying to set her up how many times and didn’t think to mention anything?”

“You knew too, right?” You heard Carlos asked TK and laughed when TK just sipped his drink. “She did tell us she could get her own dates.” Carlos shrugged towards Judd who let out a put upon sigh.

“Yeah I suppose she did.” Judd murmured, watching as Ethan excused himself to go and get a drink before he turned his attention to you. “You happy, kid?”

“Very.” You told him without hesitating and if that didn’t tell him everything he needed to know then the smile that was on your face did, he could see you were serious with Ethan, could tell that you were a good pair.

“That boy better look after you, you know?” Judd warned, causing TK and you to laugh whilst Grace nudged his chest.

“He will but if he doesn't, well then I’m sure there will be a line for you to join.” You grinned as you looked over to your dad who just nodded, sat back in his seat looking at ease, not worried in the slightest. He’d met the boyfriend, as had TK, and both of them saw the way you look at each other.

“Damn right.” Judd agreed just as Ethan sat back down and the topic switched to getting to know the man and your friends asking how you got together.

As Ethan spoke you leaned back in your seat and smiled, maybe Texas had never been part of the plan, you had never once imagined yourself settling down here, making a life here, but now you couldn’t picture being any place else. TK was happier than ever, you were happier than ever and so was your dad. There really wasn’t much more you could ask for.

__________

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My thoughts on 9-1-1: lone star season 2 episode 7 (DISPLACED)

• this relationship between Owen and Gwen is not going to last

• a funeral, yay! fun!

• well shit, that was unexpected!

• paramedic!TK

• didn’t 9-1-1 have a missing fingernail thing? The women who shot herself by the pool?

• not a great start to TK’s paramedic career

• Ayy! She’s not dead!

• these two need to learn how to compromise, or they’re not gonna last long

• ooooh! Who got her the bowl? There’s some sort of story there

• she’s how old and almost a black belt???

• he changed the system?

• not a good idea

• respect the system TK!!

• read the door sign dude!!!

• ayy! They nakey

• this is brilliant

• also why do the dudes get to keep their shirts but not cap. Vega?

• I’m not complaint she looks great but still

• how is she not dead??

• wait never mind spoke too soon

• ok these are some clever paramedics

• Therapist!Judd is on the case!

• ok Judd and Grace need a kid ASAP, they would be the best parents ever!! Judd would be the best dad!!

• yep someone needs to write about Judd being a dad!!

• that’s my new thing now, goodbye fire fam big bro!Judd, hello dad!Judd

• I sense some paramedic drama!

• I love a loop but I don’t like this weird competition between Nancy and TK

• well shit, that backfired!

• soft!Tarlos = ✨amazing✨

• FOREHEAD KISSES!!!!!!

• SNUGGLES!!!!!

• Carlos spitting pure facts!

• TK’s little sad face 😟

• Judd and Grace = 126 unofficial therapists

• is the baby not his??

• who the fuck is Enzo??

• she broke quarantine to fuck some dude named Enzo???

• i knew it wouldn’t last

• oh! Well the odds make everything better don’t they now!!

• ok Vega’s husband is amazing!!

• food fights solve everything!

• shit! They’re all their it’s gonna be sad

• these mfs tryin make me cry??

• if so, they did

• when I said I wanted fire fam bonding I meant happy stuff, not sad!!

• but also naming the ambulance after Tim has me in tears!!! 😭😭😭

• also just in general, where is buttercup????

~cute animal time~

My thoughts on 9-1-1: lone star season 2 episode 8 (bad call)

• so I’m stressed for this episode

• cause I watched the promo which I don’t normally do but for the episode I did for some reason

• also 9-1-1 was relatively calm which normally means lone star will be dramatic so join me for the ride

• also side note I’m watching this at 1:10am just for the lols

• yay!

• fire fam feels

• and Nancy’s there as well

• shit! They haven’t told TK about the baby? That’s not gonna end well

• that’s not good

• also whether purposeful or not the bank tellers mask having the pink purple blue is giving off fabulous bi vibes!

• they better not hurt Carlos

• why they gotta bring Enzo into this? Fuckin everything up

• someone give TK a hug ASAP!

• oooh Carlos in trouble....

• dad?

• this is not gonna end well

• can someone explain what the Texas rangers are? Are they police are they fbi? Serious question there is nothing like them in the uk as far as I know

• I was prepared for TK getting hurt not Carlos!! I am not mentally stable enough for this

• if at any point in this episode they have TK break his sober streak I will be very annoyed

• STOP MAKING CARLOS SAD!!!!

• while I’m loving supportive owen he should probably save some for TK cause at some point they gonna need to talk about the baby

• yay! A proper fire rescue

• Judd does not need the stress of another fire team getting blown up in front of him... again

• saying you can’t comment is a shitty way around not complimenting your son!!

• go Carlos you tell him!!

• well this is not gonna end well

• someone is gonna get shot or at least pistol whipped

• smart TK! Making good decisions under pressure

• are they planning on ending this episode with both TK and Carlos being traumatised?

• TK’s gonna do something stupid isn’t he

• I take back my comment about TK being smart

• well shit!

• no! Carlos is getting anxious and I don’t like it

• if it weren’t for the blood TK kinda looks like he’s sleeping

• BAMF!Vega is on the case

• “I’m angry” ✨iocnic✨

• I did not like the noise TK made it did not sound good

• what the hell is wrong with that dude he should not have that much strength

• and he shot his brother. Great. Just great.

• Carlos is not having a great day today really

• ok Carlos is impressive

• woop woop! Go Carlos!

• TK is not looking great

• not Nancy she’s been through enough recently

• ok I get that she the captain and all but she does have a husband a kids so..

• both Nancy and Vega are BAMF!!!

• yes!! Help has arrived!

• the way TK said “ his baby” 🙁🙁😩

• they did not need to traumatise TK and Carlos to get them to hug, I mean I appreciate the hug but still, next time can we get the hug without the emotional scarring ?

• Owen standing up for Carlos!!

• just remembered Carlos’ parents don’t know about him and TK

• okay maybe they do

• maybe Carlos dad isn’t as big a douche I thought

• shit why are they showing us Judd and Grace at the end of an episode?????!!!!?!?!?

• yes!! Judd and Grace need kids!!

• YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• no no no no no no no no no no no no no

• that better have been some sort of fucked up dream sequence because I am not emotionally stable enough to wait until April 19th to find out what happened

• they can’t tease us with Ryder babies and then do that??!!!!!!!!!!!!

~cute animal time~

~you get all the animals cause that was a stressful episode and we deserve it~

Do y’all think the other cops tease Carlos when Owen gets in trouble?

Like when he gets arrested for punching someone again one of the officers walk over and be like “Reyes, I saw your father in law today” or something.

You know you're fully invested into a ship and show completely when your "try this post" section is legit all filled up with "Tarlos" and "911 Lone-Star" posts.

An accurate representation of the hole named tarlos and 911 lone star that ive fallen into

Die Jahren

-Ich weiß nicht, ob es an den Jahren liegt,,,,, aber ich habe die Lautstärke von dem, was ich gehört habe, leiser gestellt und das, was ich fühle, erhöht. -Ich freue mich auf einen Sonnenuntergang, ein Schluck eines guten Kaffee in guter Gesellschaft, eine schöne Melodie, die Wärme eines Aussehens, die Kraft eines Kusses. -Ich weiß nicht, ob es an den Jahren liegt, aber ich fange an, das Leben so schön zu sehen, wie es ist.

LG Khamis 🌹

The only Owen post I'm looking foward to see on my dash is a parallel of him asking if he's going to make it to his sons wedding in 1x01 and him actually being at TKs and Carlos's wedding

SPOILERS for 2x02

Okay so i just finished watching lonestar and when that scene happened I was in pain and maybe a lil' misty eyed but when Nancy mentioned Tim's cat and I couldn't hold back the tears 😭

Brianna Baker did so well in that scene I could feel her pain through the screen!

Also i just want to say that Grace Ryder was amazing as always she is my favorite character by far!!

Just finished Lone Star 5x3 and im sure, 100% sure, that Owens paper is empty. He was just waiting for either Paul or Marj to step up and say that the other one should have it.

So is no one going to talk about episode 12 of 911: lone star or are we all just to shocked about the ending. If anyone finds anyone talking about it let me know be I want to see theories about what happened!?!?!?!?!