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firewasabeast · 3 months

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The Ultimate Treasure Hunt

summary:

When the opportunity to go on another treasure hunt comes up for the 118, they all join together for the adventure. However, this hunt may be life changing for a certain member of the team.

disclaimer: I have never been to California, so I'm sure a lot of the information here is wrong, although I used google to the best of my ability. Please suspend disbelief (as we do each week while watching 911) and, if you see something wrong... no you didn't. Also, there's a dose of everyone in this fic, but it is mainly bucktommy. You've been warned!

Read below or on ao3 (6.1k words)

“What?!” Buck groaned, exasperated as he cracked open the door.

First, there had been a single knock on the door, which he had gladly ignored in favor of taking Tommy's shirt off.

Then there were three knocks in a row, which caused them to pause, before Tommy continued kissing his way down Buck's chest.

Finally, a rapid and endless succession of knocks had Tommy flopping down beside Buck on the bed, declaring that he gave up.

Buck grumpily grabbed his own shirt off the floor and put it on before heading downstairs.

Which led to now, a sexually frustrated Buck standing at his door with all of his coworkers staring back at him.

Every. Single. One.

Even Ravi.

“Why are you all here?” Buck asked, both confused and annoyed.

“We need to come in.” Bobby sounded serious.

Buck stood straighter, his heart began to race. “Is... Did something happen? Maddie, is she-”

“Maddie's fine,” Chimney interrupted. “She's home with Jee. All good.”

“Christopher?”

“He's good too,” Eddie answered.

“So...”

“So we need to come in, Buck,” Hen whined.

“Yeah, you're being really weird, dude.” Eddie pushed his way past the rest of the group, getting closest to the door. “Come on, open up.” He opened the door, ignoring the resistance from Buck on the other side.

Everyone began to filter in, stopping when they noticed Tommy making his way down the stairs, tugging on his shirt.

“Tommy's here!” Hen exclaimed with a knowing smile.

“Yes, he is,” Buck replied. “It's the first time we've had forty-eight off together for almost two weeks.”

Buck had gotten right to it as soon as Tommy opened the door that evening. Tommy had suggested dinner first, but going two weeks without seeing his boyfriend naked made him hungry for something other than baked chicken.

“Hello everyone,” Tommy greeted, giving them a wave.

Chimney smiled. “Good to see you, Buddy!” he exclaimed, wrapping Tommy in a hug. “Solid as ever,” he noted.

“Okay, okay,” Buck pulled on Chimney's arm, “Let's not discuss the solidity of my boyfriend. Why are you all here, and how do I get you all to leave?”

“There's another treasure out there,” Ravi explained, speaking up for the first time since they'd arrived at Buck's door. He handed Buck a piece of paper. “Apparently, we all have to find it together.”

“Hey, if you wanted the treasure all to yourself,” Chimney said, eying Ravi, “you shouldn't have told Cap.”

“I didn't!” Ravi defended. “He read about it over my shoulder at the station.”

“Well, that's just a lesson on being aware of your surroundings,” Buck replied, looking over the paper.

“I'm confused,” Tommy said, “Another treasure? As in, there was one before?”

“There was,” Bobby replied, excited.

“Sort of,” Hen added.

“We were robbed,” Chimney explained.

“I was robbed,” Ravi corrected. “Technically, I found it first.”

“I don't really get what I'm reading,” Buck said, holding out the paper.

Hen grabbed it from him, “Different guy, real treasure,” she explained simply.

“This guy does treasure hunts around the US,” Ravi continued, “You get on a list, and when one comes to your area, you get notified.”

“How do you know this isn't a scam?” Buck asked. “What was found in the other hunts?”

“He posts about these hunts on YouTube, has a pretty big following,” Ravi answered. “I don't know what people have found. Everyone who participates has to sign an NDA.”

Tommy lifted a hand to speak. “But you guys have done this before?”

“Ugh!” Eddie groaned. “We are wasting so much time. The hunt we did before was different from this one. Buck, please explain to your man so we can go.”

“It was a whole thing,” Buck said dismissively, “we searched for the treasure, showed up to a dead guy's house, were briefly accused of murder, blah, blah, blah.”

Tommy paused before answering. “Okay, I definitely want to circle back to the whole blah blah blah part later on, but yeah... yeah, I'm in.”

Buck's eyes widened. “You... you are?” He asked.

Tommy shrugged. “A treasure hunt sounds fun.”

“Excellent, excellent." Chimney clapped his hands together. “Let's get this show on the road. Grab your coats and shoes, boys, time's wasting.”

“Oh, wait, wait,” Ravi said, pulling something up on his phone and handing it to Tommy. “You both have to sign this.”

“What is it?”

“The NDA. All involved must sign. Once I send it, then we can start.”

Both Tommy and Buck signed, then handed it back to Ravi, who pushed a button that caused a whoosh sound on his phone.

“All good?” Hen questioned.

“All good,” Ravi confirmed. “Let's go.”

----------

“You rented a van?” Buck asked as Bobby slid the rear door open.

“There's a lot of us, Buck. You wanna ride in the bed of an F150?”

They loaded into the van one by one, Ravi calling shotgun since, “it was just supposed to be me”, and Bobby hopped in the driver's seat.

“Where are we even going?” Buck questioned.

Ravi pulled his phone from his pocket. “The first clue says 'LA is very bright, even so at night, but if you'd like to see the stars, come to me- you may even see Mars.'”

When no one spoke up, Buck rolled his eyes. “Come on, guys, that's like the most obvious clue ever. It's gotta be Griffith Observatory.”

“Oh, that's a good catch, Buck,” Hen replied.

Eddie poked at Chimney's shoulder. “I told you we'd need him for something.”

Bobby put the van in drive. “First stop: Griffith Observatory.”

----------

“This is odd,” Buck said as the pulled up to the observatory parking lot.

“What is?” Chimney asked.

“There's no one here. This place stays open until like ten o'clock, it's usually packed.”

“People can rent it for private tours though,” Ravi suggested. “Maybe someone did that.”

“And what, never showed?” Eddie asked.

Bobby parked the van. "Let's go find out."

They walked up to the observatory entrance, where a piece of paper was taped to the door.

“Come on in,” Hen read. “We've been waiting.”

She glanced back at the group, met mostly with shrugs, before reaching for the door and opening it.

“Lights are on,” Tommy observed.

“Yeah, and no one's home,” Chimney added.

Buck began wandering around, eyes filled with wonder. “This is...”

“Weird,” Ravi said.

“Cool,” Buck corrected. “I, uh, I usually come with Chris on the weekends and it's a madhouse.”

“So, the first clue got us here,” Chimney said, “but did it say anything about where we'd find clue number 2?”

Ravi shrugged. “The first clue is the only one you get sent, the rest we look for.”

Buck walked over to Tommy, who was focused on a display that talked about gamma-ray bursts. “Hey,” he said, wrapping his arm around Tommy's waist.

Tommy smiled at him. “Hey back.”

“Are you really okay with this?” Buck asked. “It's, uh, kinda ridiculous I guess, and was thrown on us out of nowhere.”

“I don't think it's ridiculous,” Tommy replied softly. “It's kinda fun, actually.”

He could see the relief come over Buck. He got like that sometimes, too much in his own head. He'd worry that everything was going to come crashing down. That he'd be too much, or his coworkers- no, his family, would be too much. It didn't matter that they'd been together for close to two years now. That Tommy enjoyed the chaos, enjoyed the friendships and found family. Buck still had those moments, those doubts, and Tommy always found a way to make them disappear.

Tommy took Buck's hand, “Come on,” he said, leading them away from where everyone else was looking around.

“Where are we going?” Buck asked.

“The main attraction, of course.”

As they walked down the hall toward the Zeiss telescope, Buck made a few pitstops at some of the exhibits. He stared at a couple photographs taken from the telescopes, then he looked over at Tommy. “You remember when we brought Jee here last year?” He smiled at the memory.

“How could I forget?” Tommy replied, nudging Buck. “You found my way with children so attractive you asked me to move in with you two days later.”

Buck laughed, but the blush that rose on his cheeks let Tommy know he wasn't far off from the truth. “Actually, I think you found my planetary knowledge so irresistible that you had no choice but to move in with me.”

“That's not not true,” Tommy admitted. He leaned over and gave Buck a peck on the cheek. “Come on, let's go before the rest of the group catches up.”

When they reached the telescope, Buck looked at it like he was a kid staring at unopened Christmas presents.

Tommy let go of his hand, moving it to his back to gently nudge him forward. “Go on,” he encouraged.

Buck cautiously walked up the steps. “I feel like I'm committing a crime.”

“Well, it is highly possible we are. This is sketchy as all hell. Might as well enjoy it before we get formally charged, though.”

“Ha ha.” Buck looked into the telescope, his breath catching at the sight. “I- It's so... It's beautiful. Tommy, you gotta come look.”

Tommy walked up the steps as the rest of the group started filtering into the room. “Wow. That's... wow.”

“I know.”

“Alright, alright, no hovering,” Eddie said, standing at the bottom of the staircase. “We all get turns.”

As they all took turns looking in the telescope, Buck noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground. He walked over to it and picked it up. “Guys!” he called out. “I found the next clue!”

The group circled around him, Bobby leaving the telescope last. “What's it say?”

“It's a menu.”

“Why would a menu be our clue?” Tommy asked.

“It's to the Churro Factory at the LA Zoo.”

Chimney reached over and took the paper. “The Churro Factory has a menu?”

“Well, I've never seen a printed one before, but I know that's it. I- I might get them every time I go,” Buck said, then quickly added, “for Christopher, of course.”

Eddie nodded. “Of course.”

“They don't have much there and, quite frankly, the churros are underrated.”

“He means no one likes them but him,” Tommy explained, rubbing Buck's back.

He was met with a glare that held no true irritation.

“Alright,” Bobby said, “to the zoo!”

Buck reached for Tommy's watch. “The zoo closed like three hours ago.”

“And no one is at the open observatory,” Hen replied. “Make it make sense.”

As they began to leave the room, Buck looked over at the telescope, biting at his bottom lip.

“Go,” Tommy said. “They won't leave without us.”

----------

“How do we just walk into a closed zoo?” Ravi asked as they headed toward the gate.

Hen shrugged. “The same way we walked into the observatory.”

Buck started looking all around, taking note of every security camera he could see. “We're going to end up on national news, aren't we? Group of Firefighters Arrested on Multiple Counts of Breaking and Entering.”

Eddie stared off into the distance, thinking. “I would not do well in prison."

Tommy smirked. “Oh, I think you'd be very well liked.”

For a second, Eddie smiled. “Really?” He asked, mulling it over for a moment before realization hit him. “Wait-”

“Okay, guys,” Bobby interrupted. “No one's going to prison. This has obviously been well planned out and okayed by the establishments we're entering.” He picked up the pace, leading them into the zoo, before mumbling out, “Hopefully.”

Red rope lined the sidewalk of the zoo, leading them directly to the churro stand. While all the other fast food stations were closed and locked up, the Churro Factory was open, with lights on.

Eddie looked down at a paper on the countertop. “Make your favorite, clean your mess.” He shrugged. “I could eat.”

Hen opened the side door to get into the stand. “They left the soft serve machine going. Churros in a warmer. Even have little donut holes.” She picked one up, throwing it over to Buck with a smile. “Since it's your favorite.”

Buck rolled his eyes, but popped the donut in his mouth anyway, moaning at the taste. “I swear, I don't understand how anyone could not love this stuff.”

“Alright, just gotta say I will not be taking orders.” Hen grabbed a cup for the ice cream, “But I will be serving myself first.”

They all fixed themselves a treat, then sat at some nearby tables and benches while they ate.

“You know, I've had a lot of really weird nights,” Buck said to Tommy, licking ice cream off his spoon, “but this one takes the cake.”

Tommy smiled. “In a good way?”

“Mhm. Great way. First the observatory, now this. I don't even care what the treasure is.”

Tommy reached over and stole a bite of Buck's whipped cream. “Great lie, Ev. You totally care about the treasure.”

Buck didn't argue. “Okay, I do. It- It's gotta be good, ya know? All this stuff is so... elaborate. It's gotta be huge.”

“I don't disagree. A little bummed we can't actually see any animals though.”

“Oh, the animals start resting around four-thirty every day, wh- which is why the zoo closes at five. It would totally screw them up if they were out walking around in the viewing areas right now.”

“Are you two plotting ways to steal the treasure and leave the rest of us behind?” Eddie asked, walking over and sitting down next to Buck on the bench.

“Oh we'd take you,” Tommy joked. “Christopher too. Flee the country, somewhere the rest of them would never find us.”

“Yeah,” Buck agreed. “But I'd need Bobby, and he'd need Athena.”

Tommy hummed. “I'd feel bad leaving Chimney behind.”

“Which adds Maddie and Jee.”

Eddie bit off a piece of churro. “Hen's a must. And Karen and the kids.” Tommy and Buck nodded in agreement.

“We'd have to take Ravi,” Buck resigned. “He'd be lost without us.”

Tommy wiped off his mouth with the napkin in his hand. “Well, Evan, I think this effectively spoils all of our plans to run away with the treasure.”

Buck patted his thigh. “Afraid so.”

Once they'd finished their snacks, they began searching for what was needed to clean up. “Found it!” Chimney yelled, pulling out a plastic tub of cleaning supplies. He removed the items one by one until a paper fell flat into the tub. “Explore nature and culture from the inside out,” he read, then lifted the page so everyone could see. “There's a picture of a butterfly on the paper.”

“That's the slogan for the Natural History Museum.” Buck didn't even have to think about it. “They have a butterfly pavilion there.”

“You're on a roll tonight, Buck,” Bobby said with a smile. “No one else stands a chance.”

----------

It took about twenty minutes to get to the Natural History Museum and, just like the previous places, there wasn't another car or person nearby.

“The butterfly pavilion is this way!” Buck waved them in his direction, practically hopping out of the van.

“He's been trying to see this for a couple years now,” Tommy explained to the group, no one able to match Buck's pace. “But it's seasonal and the timing was just never right.”

Hen watched Buck fondly as he opened the museum door and whined at Eddie to hurry up. “He's certainly not wasting the opportunity.”

Everyone was entranced when they got into the pavilion. Thousands of butterflies fluttering around them, some landing on them as they walked around.

“This is so cool,” Buck said in awe, staring at the monarch on his hand.

Tommy couldn't take his eyes off of Buck. “Yeah, it is.”

“It's like... It's like they know me, or something.”

“Who? The butterflies.”

Buck snorted and the butterfly flew away. “No, you buffoon. Whoever set this hunt up. It's basically been everything I love.”

“You're not too far off,” Ravis said, coming up behind them. “The guy who does this does research on the people he chooses for a hunt. I'm constantly hearing about the things you do on your days off, and sometimes tagging along, so...”

“So the hunt is kind of tailored to you?” Buck questioned.

Ravi shrugged. “Us, I think. Oh, I gotta see that yellow one!" He scurried off before he could be asked anymore questions.

Buck reached out a hand for Tommy to take. “Walk with me?”

“Always.”

“This treasure guy really goes all out,” Hen said, watching two butterflies as they did a dance around each other.

“Yeah,” Chimney agreed, “but I haven't seen anything that leads us to our next spot.”

Bobby came up to them, holding a little figurine in his hand. “Because you've been too distracted by these little guys. Look what I found.”

Everyone came over to look, staring at the tiny ferris wheel in Bobby's hand.

“No note?” Ravi asked.

Bobby shook his head. “No note.”

Buck took the ferris wheel from Bobby. “The pier?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Buck looked confused. “It does?”

“Well, doesn't it?”

“I don't know,” Buck looked around, eying each member of the group. “E- Everyone's agreeing with me really quickly and it, uh, it's throwing me off.”

Hen rolled her eyes as she reached behind him and started to push him toward the door. “We're agreeing cause it's obvious, you just suck at letting someone else have a turn.”

“Yeah, and we'd like to sleep sometime tonight, if possible,” Chimney added.

----------

The ride to the pier took longer than expected, and everything was in the middle of closing down as they began their stroll. Buck was surprised that neither of the security guards that passed by them said a word to them and, if he didn't know any better, he'd swear one even nodded in their direction.

“I got cotton candy!” Eddie yelled, and Buck hadn't even realized he had trailed off from the group in the first place. He walked over to Buck, pulled a chunk of the cotton candy out, and handed it to him.

Hen put a hand on her stomach. “Ugh, how can you guys even eat that after the churros?”

Buck would've responded, but he was too busy stuffing the cotton candy in his mouth.

“Popcorn?” Chimney had a huge bag of popcorn in his hands, walking up opposite from where Eddie had come from. When had he disappeared?

“I think we need to go to the ferris wheel,” Bobby said, looking down to where the wheel was still lit up, despite the lights going off everywhere else.

Chimney took a handful of popcorn and shoved it in his mouth before pointing and yelling, “to the wheel!”

When they got to the ferris wheel, the attendant was still there waiting. He let them on in groups of two, Tommy and Buck, Bobby and Ravi, Chimney and Eddie. Hen decided to sit it out, not wanting her churros to make a reappearance that night.

“This is where we said I love you the first time,” Tommy said quietly, snuggling closer to Buck as the wind picked up slightly.

Buck smiled softly, looked over at Tommy and gave him a kiss on his temple. “I remember.”

Buck had taken Tommy on a tour of what he called his “greatest hits” showing him all the spots where some of his biggest personal disasters occurred. They'd gone to the spot the firetruck landed on him, the lot where Bobby and Athena's home once stood- the spot of his pulmonary embolism; where he was struck by lightning, even the outside of Maddie and Chimney's old apartment- where he was basically told he was never actually wanted by his parents, just needed. But it was when they got to the pier, and Buck was in the middle of telling Tommy about losing Christopher, that he realized Tommy had actually listened to all of his stories. He'd asked questions, comforted him when the conversations got rough. Tommy always either had a hand on Buck's back, or he'd link their hands together tightly, so Buck knew he wasn't alone.

Buck had stopped mid story, stared at Tommy like he did the first time they kissed, and when Tommy asked if Buck was okay, he just said it.

“I love you, Tommy.”

He wasn't scared, didn't even care if Tommy said it back. He meant it. More than he'd ever meant it before. He didn't just love him, he was in love with him.

It didn't take long for Tommy to say it back, as soon as he got over the initial shock. “I love you, Evan,” he breathed out, as though he'd been holding it in for far too long, “so much.”

They kissed, giggled and whispered like little schoolchildren, then Tommy had asked Buck to finish his story.

Buck wrapped his arm around Tommy's, the memory leaving him feeling warm against the coolness of the night. “You made that day perfect.”

“You make every day perfect.”

He said it with such ease, like he didn't even have to think about it. Buck knew he should be used to it by now. This wasn't the first time Tommy casually informed him that Buck being in his life made it better. He did it regularly, often in passing, like it was the simplest, most honest thing in the world.

“Really?” Buck questioned once the butterflies in his stomach flew away. “Even the day we moved into our place and I tried to replace the toilet but somehow I ended up flooding the bathroom with neighborhood sewage?”

“Oh God, don't remind me,” Tommy said with a groan, although he couldn't stop himself from grinning. “I still have nightmares about that smell!”

Buck laughed. “That was a disaster.”

“Yeah, and Maddie loved us showing up on her doorstep at midnight with a week's worth of clothes.”

“A true bonding experience.”

“Mhm. Definitely.”

The ride ended too quickly in Buck's opinion, but he knew they had more important things to do.

“Were we supposed to see something up there?” Ravi asked. “Because I got nothing.”

“There was a definitely an arrow in the sky, pointing us toward the east.” Bobby was convinced.

“That was a plane, and it was not pointing us anywhere.”

“While you nerds were going on a ride, I actually talked to the kind attendant over there,” Hen said, pointing to the man who was now closing up the wheel, “and he handed me this.” She held up a paper. “It's coordinates. Two, actually.”

“We're supposed to go to two places?” Chimney asked.

“This is all I got.” Hen handed the paper to Tommy. “Top one's got a drawing of a chopper on it and says 'hope you can fly.'”

Tommy studied it for a moment before speaking. “Okay. Okay, Buck and I will go to the first coordinates, you guys go to the second and we'll call when we get there.”

Chimney put his hands on his hips. “Wait, why do you guys get to go to the chopper?”

“Uh,” Tommy looked around to the group, “do any of you know how to fly a helicopter?”

When no one responded, he nodded. “Thought so.”

“Well, a couple more of us could go with you,” Eddie suggested.

“Some helicopters are two seaters,” Tommy explained, eying Eddie. “Would you like to hang onto the landing skids should the situation arise?”

Buck sighed. “Okay, guys, it- it's obvious I get boyfriend-of-the-pilot privilege, so lets, you know, get moving.”

----------

Once Tommy looked up the coordinates and saw it was only about a ten minute walk away, he and Buck set off on foot while the others took the van.

They arrived at a building that, at the top, had a helipad. “I've landed here a couple times for emergencies. Actually, once was after the tsunami.”

"First of all, show off,” Buck said with a laugh. “Second of all, sometimes I- I still can't believe all the times we were so close to meeting but, just, never did.”

“I know. It kinda sucks to think about, but everything happens when it's supposed to, right?”

“I think we did.”

Sure enough, a chopper was waiting at the helipad. There was a note on the door with another coordinates, stating that coming here was only the first part of the clue. It also mentioned that, should there be any others joining the expedition, they would see them again once they arrived.

“Why don't you shoot Bobby a text,” Tommy suggested as they got seated in the cockpit. “We'll call when we get wherever we're going.”

Tommy put the coordinates on his phone, then did a quick check before getting the chopper up and running.

“It's so beautiful up here,” Buck said, looking all around at the city lit up against the darkness of the night. They'd been in the sky for a while now, and Buck had no idea where they were going, but right now he didn't really care.

Tommy glanced at Buck. “Yeah, it is. Reminds me of when we first met.”

“That was a little less beautiful,” Buck recalled, but he was still grinning from ear to ear. “But, yeah. We've been on a lot of these rides since then.”

“No opportunities for my fake mouth static since the first time though, which is severely disappointing.”

“And it was so good too.”

“Oh, it still is, Evan. Trust me.”

Buck motioned with his hand to encourage Tommy. “Well, please, let's hear it.”

Tommy let out a hesitant breath. “I'm not sure you're ready.”

“I think I can handle it. Come on, hon, give it to me.”

“Okay, okay, but hold onto something cause this is- it's serious.”

Buck dramatically grabbed onto his seatbelt as Tommy cleared his throat and began a round of fake mouth static that had Buck turning down the volume on his headphones.

“Wow,” he said once it was over. “That was...”

“Amazing? Incredible? Earth shattering?”

“Just as terrible as the first time,” Buck laughed out.

“Aye!” Tommy feigned offense. “I literally won an award for that.”

“It, uh, might've had more to do with the rescues, but-”

“Semantics.”

“Is it though?”

“Well, looky there,” Tommy said, changing the subject as he began to descend, “we have reached our destination.”

They landed in a clearing smack dab in the middle of what looked like nothing but woods. Buck couldn't be sure though, because it was dark all around them.

“I swear, if we get murdered, I'm gonna come back and haunt Ravi,” Buck said as he unbuckled and got out of the helicopter. “Should we, uh, should we call the guys?”

Tommy paused, looking off into the distance. “I see a light this way,” he said, pointing toward a clearing through the woods. “Looks like a path. Let's go look,” he suggested. “We'll call in a minute.”

As they started down the path, small lampposts with flickering lights began to light their way.

“Where are we?” Buck asked with wonder in his voice.

“I think it's a state park.”

They came upon a white bench, which Buck wouldn't have paid much attention to if not for the small, black box sitting on top of it.

“You think it's for us?” he asked.

Tommy nodded. “I'd bet on it.”

Buck picked it up, opening it to find an old looking key. He smiled. “I think we're getting close.”

Tommy grinned back, reaching out for Buck's hand and nodding toward the path. “Let's keep going.”

“It's weird,” Buck said as he moved closer into Tommy's space. He always found himself doing that; he loved being as close to Tommy as he could, and he loved it even more that Tommy loved it. “I've known pretty much all the spots we've gone to tonight, but not this one.”

“Hm,” Tommy hummed. “Yeah, that is weird.”

It got a little brighter as they went on, and eventually they found themselves in a large, open area with tons of brightly blooming plants, and a gently flowing creek with a wide white bridge over it, connecting two separate gardens. Buck would've been fascinated by it, but he was too focused on the fact that he and Tommy were not alone anymore.

The rest of the group was already there, plus a few more. Athena, Karen, and, “Maddie? What are you doing here?”

She shrugged. “Carla came over with Christopher to watch Jee. Chim said something about treasure, and I'm not missing out. ”

Tommy let go of his hand and Buck took a few steps forward. “How- How did you all get here already?”

“We're like a twenty minute drive out of the city, Buck,” Hen told him.

“But... What-”

“Alright, alright, you've got the key, Buckaroo,” Chimney interrupted, snapping toward Buck for him to get on with it. “It's all you.”

Buck hadn't even noticed the treasure chest, set dead center on the bridge. Bobby was closest to it, but he was just standing there, a softness on his face that would have had Buck asking questions if it weren't for the fact they found the treasure!

Buck continued until he reached the chest, then bent down, placing the key into it. He turned it, but paused before opening the box. “So we all agree to share everything that's in here?” He trusted his friends, he really did, but it never hurt to clarify.

Bobby gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I think this one's all for you, kid,” he said before walking over to Athena.

Buck barely heard him. He was already opening the box to see a single ring lying on top of a fluffy, velvet pillow.

This is when realization should have set in. Actually, when he'd think back on it later, there were many times realization should have set in, but it didn't.

Instead, Buck picked up the ring to take a closer look. Black silicone with a red line around the center. “It's a ring,” he said to the group. “And it... it says something on the inside, I think.” He squinted, trying to focus on the words, but the low light from the nearby lampposts wasn't nearly enough.

“Buck,” Maddie was practically pleading, “turn around!”

“What?”

Groans came from the people all around him.

“Turn around!” Hen echoed.

“For the love of God, Buck!” Eddie yelled.

“Okay, okay!” Buck stood, ring still held between his fingers, and turned around. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Tommy there, kneeling, smiling up at him.

“It says 'to me, you are perfect,'” Tommy began, his voice shaky, but not from nerves. “Which I know is a little cheesy,” he admitted, “but it's true. Evan Buckley, getting to share this life with you for nearly two years now has been my greatest adventure. They say love finds you when you least expect it, and I think I can speak for the both of us when I say ours was a little unexpected. I love you so much. Every part of you. Evan, will you marry me?”

Stunned was too light of a word to use, if you asked Buck. He was frozen in place, mouth hanging open, unable to find words until he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

“You... you did all this for me? Th- the whole treasure hunt?”

“Yeah, yes. Yes, it was for you. For this.”

Buck sucked in a shaky breath, reaching down to hold onto Tommy's shoulders and pull him up. He put his hands on Tommy's cheeks, rubbing his thumbs gently along the scruff, staring into his eyes as his own reddened with tears. He leaned in, pressing his lips gently to Tommy's before deepening the kiss, moving his arms to wrap around Tommy's neck.

After a few seconds, Tommy pulled away slightly, resting his forehead against Buck's. “Is that a yes?” he asked breathlessly.

Buck nodded, sniffling. “Yes,” he said through shaky laughter. “Always, yes.”

They didn't hear the sounds of everyone clapping and cheering as Tommy let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, “Oh, thank God,” he said, his face scrunching up into a smile. “That could've been really embarrassing.”

Eddie cupped his hands over his mouth. “Put the ring on,” he called out, earning him a smack to the gut from Hen.

Buck laughed. He gave Tommy the ring, who then slid it on his finger. “I've got you one at home,” Buck admitted, using his other hand to wipe tears from his face.

Tommy was taken aback. “You do?”

“Mhm. Bottom drawer of the nightstand, my side of the bed. It says 'True love lasts a lifetime.'”

"I love you so much," Tommy said as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Love you more."

“Can we hug you guys yet?” Karen asked, bouncing slightly with impatience.

They laughed, letting go of one another to get hugs from their family.

When Buck got to Bobby, Bobby held onto him tightly. “I'm so happy for you, kid,” he said quietly, just loud enough for them to hear. “So, unbelievably happy.”

“Thank you, Bobby.” Once they let each other go, Buck asked, "You knew from the beginning, didn't you?”

Bobby nodded. “The second you walked into the hospital room with soot all over your face, I knew we'd end up here,” he said, giving them both a laugh. “You had the biggest smile I think I'd ever seen, and so did he,” Bobby pointed over to Tommy, who was laughing with Hen and Karen. “You're good for each other, Buck.”

Buck had to give Bobby another hug, tears filling his eyes once again. “I love you, Bobby.”

“Love you too, kid. Now, go,” he said, patting Buck's back, “be with your fiancé.”

They all headed to a 24 hour diner after all the congratulations had died down. Eddie immediately started on best man duties for Buck.

“You don't even have to ask. I already have a week's worth of bachelor's parties planned. We're starting with the 70's and working our way through each decade. I've got it all figured out.”

Tommy had already talked to Chimney a few days earlier, asking him to be his best man.

“You're getting beers and a movie marathon,” Chimney informed him.

Tommy breathed a sigh of relief. “I knew I chose correctly.”

After eating too many all-you-can-eat waffles and sharing desserts, everyone gave a final congratulations before heading home.

----------

Buck laid back on the bed, grabbing for Tommy's hand as he tried to catch his breath. He intertwined their hands and rested them on top of his chest, feeling his heart pound as he used his other hand to fiddle with the ring that now had a place on Tommy's finger.

“We're engaged,” Buck sighed into the dimly lit room.

“Would've done it a lot sooner had I known the sex would be that good.” Tommy turned onto his side as Buck laughed. He splayed his right hand over Buck's stomach, stroking up and down gently, giving Buck goosebumps. He pressed a kiss to Buck's bicep. “Did you like your proposal?”

“Like it? God, Tommy, it was... it was perfect. How did you get us into the observatory? The zoo? The history museum?!”

“I know people,” he replied simply.

"Of course you do. And you actually did know about the treasure hunt from before? I don't remember ever telling you about it."

"You didn't. When I went to Eddie about my plan, he told me. Not about the whole murder thing though, so I would actually like more info on that sometime."

"Noted. I- I can't believe you got everyone in on it. They all spent their entire night doing that for me."

"Couldn't have pulled it off without them."

“That makes it even more special.” Buck moved them around until Tommy's head was resting on his chest and he was running his fingers through Tommy's hair, slowly massaging his scalp. “I do have one more question though.”

“Hmm?” Sleep was already starting to take over Tommy. He never lasted long with a scalp massage.

“What was the NDA thing we signed with Ravi?”

“Oh, he was supposed to just send your sister a message saying we were getting started, but he came up with that whole thing himself. Probably should've read the fine print on that.”

“Oh God. It's something he's gonna use against me at work, isn't it?”

Tommy tucked himself in even closer to Buck, his eyes fluttered shut. “Most likely.”

Buck groaned, but didn't let himself stay annoyed for long. That was a worry for another day. Another day where he would clearly state to Ravi that whatever he signed was signed under false pretenses and would never hold up in court!

For now though, he reached up to turn off the lamp before pulling the covers up over him and Tommy. “I love you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Tommy's head.

“Love you more,” Tommy muttered back before they fell into a peaceful sleep.

#bucktommy #911 #tommy kinard #evan buckley #tevan #firefam #911 fic #im not sure if I like how this all turned out but I didn't write 6.1k for nothing so here we are #also I didn't read over this well #see a mistake #tell it to the lord

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