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Mirror in the Sky, What is Love? by carlos-in-glasses (stormwriting)
Fandoms: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
08 Feb 2026
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Summary
Firefighter TK Strand and window washer Carlos Reyes first meet far above the Manhattan streets, with TK rescuing Carlos from the forty-fourth floor of the Chrysler Building before his safety line snaps. When Carlos seeks his hero out to thank him, TK is going through a nuclear-bad breakup and back living with a father who is deeply affected by 9/11. But by letting Carlos into his life, maybe it’s TK who will feel himself falling.
Or: What if Carlos was the window washer that TK saved in the Pilot? And what if Judd was with Owen on 9/11?
Sometimes, he can feel the phantom bruise of the Narcan on his thigh, the light of himself blinking chaotically before snapping back on, how he’d sobbed against his terrified dad. But that’s not all there is anymore. He can still feel Carlos clinging to him as he was lifted to safety. He can still feel Carlos inside him, from nights ago, the angle he found, the way he moved. He can feel Carlos kissing his shoulder.
And after.
He can feel the after.
Lying at the foot of the bed, spent and breathless, the weight of Carlos’ sleepy head in his naked lap, TK running his fingers through his curls.
He can feel it all.