#otp: firefly

[kinardsevan]

my heart, my life, will never be the same

maybe, someday, love - part 4 cw: hospitalization, helicopter crash, related injuries; word count: 1991, total wc: 6458 (sorry, yall. I got the flu and that kicked my ass for the better half of the past two weeks. But here's the next--possibly final--part!)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Three days. Three days and Burr holes is what it takes for Evan to stop seizing and wake up. Tommy fights for every minute he’s allowed to leave his own room and cross the hall the first two days, even though is body is far from capable of handling the movement. By the third day, his doctors are starting to discuss moving him to the telemetry floor, but every moment that he’s awake and confined to his own room is another fight with his doctors and their family to let him get to Evan’s side and be there for him. Still, being down a spleen and part of his liver is nothing to scoff at. 

He’s pushing his luck when he finally sees Evan’s eyes flutter, already exhausted and past the twenty-minute allowed visitation that his nurses have set him at. He straightens up immediately in his wheelchair, squeezing the younger man’s hand. 

“Come on baby, I’m right here,” he says softly. Evan tries to groan, still on the ventilator for his body to have one less thing to stress on in its healing state. His eyes flutter again, and Tommy strokes his thumb over the back of his knuckles, watching him with rapt attention. It takes a few more seconds, but Evan’s eyes finally slide open, quickly finding Tommy’s as he takes in his surroundings. They grow wide as he seems to realize where he is and Tommy’s current state, but his hands are still strapped down, keeping him from pulling at anything. 

“Hey, you’re okay,” Tommy tells him softly when Evan tries to pull on the hand he’s still holding. Evan squeezes it tightly, his eyes flooded with worry as his gaze shifts over Tommy, the IV pole he’s still attached to. Still, before he can get too rowdy or start asking questions, Tommy presses the call button purposely placed nearby so he can call for a nurse. 

The door opens a few moments later, and nurses are entering along with Maddie and Bobby. 

“You’re awake, Mr. Buckley,” one of the nurses says in a cheerful tone. He winces, and she apologizes, speaking in a softer tone. Evan looks back over at Tommy and tugs on his hand, drawing his attention back before moving his fingers as best he can to gesture at the restraints. 

“I think he’s asking why he can’t move his hands,” Tommy explains. 

“You suffered smoke inhalation in the crash,” one of the nurses explains as she checks his vitals. “Your lungs have taken longer to heal, and restraints were to keep you from pulling the tube out. I can remove them as long as you don’t try to remove the tube. We’re working on getting you off of it.” 

Evan nods as best he can, and quickly, his hands are slipped free from the bindings. He takes Tommy’s hand back quickly, looking back over at him with a concerned expression. He lifts his free hand and starts writing in the air. 

How?

“I don’t really remember,” Tommy answers him. Behind him, Bobby clears his throat, and they both glance toward him. 

“Fire investigation said by some miracle you managed to crash into a thick patch of trees, which cushioned the crash. You both still took some hard hits, and it’s also probably what made the fuel go up in flames, but without that, you both could’ve burned in the wreckage,” he explains. 

How long? 

“About a week ago,” Maddie interjects, stepping forward. She walks over to Evan’s other side and squeezes his forearm lightly. He looks up at her, and then down at her stomach, reaching out and touching it. She’s still months away from giving birth, but the prospect of having missed any of it…

Evan glances back at Tommy, looking him over again with that same worried expression. He squeezes Tommy’s hand again, holding on this time. Tommy nods, holding back with the same grip. 

“I know,” he murmurs. “I know.” 

. . . 

It’s still a fight to get across the hall, except once Evan is awake, the nurses station is getting it from both sides. For the most part, they end up having to settle for a continuous facetime video chat, given that neither of them is strong enough to be out of the ICU, and Tommy is still struggling to tolerate being out of bed for more than half an hour at a time.

Still, there are little wins. By the end of the first day he’s conscious again, Evan is taken off the ventilator. His neurological scans come back showing positive results, and Tommy’s blood counts are trending in the right direction, given the organ damage he survived. 

On the second day, they finally move Tommy out of the ICU. He doesn’t really leave, given that the minute he’s settled into his new room, he returns to Evan’s. The younger firefighter still can’t really talk, mostly due to the ventilator rubbing his throat raw, but he manages. It mostly leads to a lot of hand-holding and silent conversation with a fair amount of eye-fucking that drives their friends out of the room. 

And then on the third day, Evan is moved from the ICU to the neurology unit to allow for more observation before he can be discharged. It keeps him and Tommy apart more, mostly due to the need for both of them to be observed, but they stay in contact by text and video chat, at least as much as they’re able to when they’re awake. 

. . . 

“Evan, lay back down.” 

“I can-..” 

“Lay. Back. Down,” Maddie all but growls at him. She turns her head and scowls at Tommy. “And where do you think you’re going?” 

Evan smirks at the attitude Maddie is giving the pilot as he leans back into his pillows, wincing as he tries to shift his leg. 

“Why did I agree to come home with you,” Tommy grumbles under his breath. “My legs are fine, Maddie.” 

“Maybe so, but did we forget the whole ‘no spleen, damaged liver’, of it all,” she counters at him. “Your body needs to heal.” 

“I’m just trying to get some water,” Tommy complains. 

“Howie!” 

The paramedic pops around the corner a full minute later, carrying a tray with light snacks and two bottles of water, a knowing smirk on his face as he crosses into the guest room and sets it on the bed. 

“There you go,” Maddie states, gesturing at the tray. “Now. I better not hear any movement out of this room before dinner unless someone needs to go to the bathroom.” 

“I can take myself!” Tommy whines. “You’re impossible.” 

“Maybe,” she counters. “But Evan can’t, and you can’t take on his weight with his leg unless you want to rip your stitches.” She leans forward and pushes him with a featherlight shove, but it’s enough to get him to lean back into the pillows stacked behind him. She presses the TV remote into his hand after that. “Find something to watch and take the caregiving with a smile.” 

Tommy clenches his jaw before forcing a smile onto his face at her and grumbling a low ‘thank you’. Maddie pats his cheek dramatically before exiting, and Howie follows behind her, laughing quietly as he pulls the door closed until it’s just ajar. Jee-Yun has been told that her uncles aren’t really able to play, but they still need to be able to hear if Evan or Tommy need help. 

“This sucks,” Tommy states, glancing over at Evan briefly before he looks back at the TV. “I’m capable of-..” 

“You are literally the world’s worst patient,” Evan cuts him off. When Tommy scowls at him, it only makes him laugh, smiling at Tommy with an amused expression. 

“I’m not that bad,” he counters. “You-..” 

“I once tried to get you to drink tea when you got a sore throat after a three alarm, and you told me that you didn’t need me to pander to you,” Evan tells him. 

Tommy narrows his gaze at the younger man. “I was fine. And this is coming from the guy who wouldn’t take a nap with a hundred and three degree fever after working a full twenty-four under Gerrard. So who’s the impossible one here?” 

“You both are!” Howie yells from the hallway. 

Evan throws a pillow across the room, hitting the door with enough force to nudge it a few inches more closed. 

“Well. Shit.” 

Tommy snorts at him, turning towards him and pressing a finger to his own lips in a ‘shh’ sign. He slides off the bed and walks over to the door, wincing as he leans down to pick up the pillow. Still, he moves slowly, and returns to the bed a moment later, settling back into it gingerly before lying down next to Evan. He won’t say it out loud, but the five steps to the door was an exhausting trip. 

“Maybe we should just take a nap,” Evan comments, reaching out for the tray on the bed. Tommy grabs his water and sips from it before settling it on the nightstand along with the TV remote Maddie handed him. He glances back over at Evan as he shifts gingerly down on the bed. 

“Is your leg ok? Do you need the wedge adjusted?” 

Evan shakes his head. He reaches up for the pillows behind his head, and Tommy helps him ease down as best he can while keeping him from actually moving his leg. Once he’s settled Tommy moves in closer, but Evan is the one to reach his hand up and wrap his fingers around Tommy’s, given the way his sling has his arm pinned to his chest. 

“Still can’t believe I let you lot convince me to bring me back to Howie and your sister’s house to heal,” Tommy murmurs, his eyes already closing. 

“You can’t be alone right now,” Evan responds just as wearily. “And I can’t climb stairs. Suck it up, buttercup.” 

Tommy snorts, but he doesn’t open his eyes back up. Still, Evan is awake and when he doesn’t hear him nodding off, it keeps him from being able to. 

After five minutes, he cracks an eye open and raises an eyebrow at Evan staring across the room, looking befuddled. 

“What’s going on in that injured brain of yours,” Tommy murmurs. 

Evan turns his head toward him, looking slightly amused. “We survived a helicopter crash. In the god-damn mountains.” 

Tommy chuckles, nodding wearily. “Yeah, we did.” His eyes slide shut again, but he can feel Evan moving his thumb back and forth over the first knuckle of his fingers. 

“Kinda ruined my vibe though,” Evan says, his voice still sounding amused. “I mean, I told you I love you, and then we fell out of the sky.” 

Tommy opens his eyes, his expression deadpan as he looks up at Evan. “Are you really calling me out for trying to keep us alive instead of admitting a near-death love confession?” 

The corners of Evan’s mouth pull up just slightly, and Tommy rolls his eyes before closing them again. 

“You really are ridiculous,” he mutters, tilting forward and resting his forehead against Evan’s shoulder. 

“Seems like something that belongs in one of your romantic comedies, is all I’m saying,” Evan says back, his voice soft. 

“I love you, Evan,” Tommy replies, his voice lilting with just the slightest hint of annoyance, although it’s entirely affectionate. “Take that to your romantic comedy theories.” 

He hears Evan laugh quietly, followed by a soft groan at the pain it causes. Still, when he settles again, the way his breathing shifts tells Tommy that he’s finally starting to settle. Tommy shifts his head slightly, resting more against Evan’s shoulder. He continues to listen to the younger man’s breathing deepen, and for the first time in months, lets it lull him down the way nothing else has ever been able to. 

[witchern]

[bisexualbrainrots]

It's the way buck looks at him through the whole thing and tommy's voice *screams* that does it for me

i live here now (the way he says 'god i hope so' ?? insane)

[dailyhsrwlw]

DAY 2 - STELLEFLY

heh

[ksilberne]

"I'll bring the stars to you."

[90s-kid-sad-adult]

i dont know

good answer

[hungryblackbird]

The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave To the dark and the endless skies, my love To the dark and the endless skies xx

[nero-draco]

Now Firefly is a galactic baseballer too.

[kurayamineko]

[kinardsevan]

so um, has anyone considered the ramifications of the hinting this show gave us when they made the first two hobbies we know Tommy likes be flying and and Muay Thai? Because when you tie those two things together in context of the discussion in Buck's kitchen, ("I don't know Muay Thai" "I could teach you" "is that gonna be right after our flying lessons?") it's another one of those things that makes it so obvious.

Muay Thai, which would have their bodies pressed up against one another.

Flying, which would get them alone in a tiny metal flying object.

Like...the fact that Tommy offered to teach him both things and Buck said yes to both. Suggesting that they don't just want to get hot and sweaty together, they then want to spend extended periods of time in close quarters with one another. and they don't even know each other yet.

[witchern]

just thought about that little moment at the cafe with buck putting his hand on tommy's on the table and then tommy putting his other hand on buck's. all while sitting out in the sunshine. almost threw myself down the stairs after thinking about it for too long. you know, the usual.

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

The Princess and the Frog is peak romance: two incredibly heartwarming love stories for the price of one!

At first, Tiana and Naveen.

A story of two dreamers with so many differences between them, who start at odds, but then learn so much from each other (Tiana by allowing herself to have fun, Naveen by achieving a new sense of responsibility), becoming happier for it. And when they finally reach their goals, it's because they stayed together and supported each other.

And then, Ray and Evangeline.

A story of faith and devotion. A firefly utterly in love with a star sounds ridiculous at first, but it's an infatuation like that, so strong and pure, that inspires others to open themselves to love. Even at the expense of being seen as weird, Ray never once doubts that he'll be able to join the love of his life in the sky, and ultimately, he was proven right.

See that? Peak romance! ❤️

[mrprettywhenhecries]

𝑨 𝑻𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒎𝒂𝒏–𝑳𝒆𝒘𝒊𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠

Despite the demons in their pasts, Gator and Win both find themselves missing certain holiday traditions, and for their first real Christmas together, they decide to recreate them and make better memories in the process.

Gator Tillman ✗ Win Lewis

❄︎ 𝒞𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓂𝒶𝓈 𝒞ℴℴ𝓀𝒾ℯ𝓈 Win laments that she wishes she had her mom’s Christmas sugar cookie recipe, but refuses to call her dad to get it, so Gator takes it on himself to do so, surprising her.

❄︎ 𝒪, 𝒞𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓂𝒶𝓈 𝒯𝓇ℯℯ Gator finds out that Win’s never had a real tree before and insists they pick one out together, taking her on an adventure to cut one down.

❄︎ 𝒮𝓃ℴ𝓌𝒷𝒶𝓁𝓁 ℱ𝒾ℊ𝒽𝓉* A day out in the snow leads to warming up together afterwards.

❄︎ 𝒢𝒾𝒻𝓉 𝒲𝓇𝒶𝓅* Appalled by his lack of wrapping skills, Win helps Gator wrap his gifts to the Lyons, and then lets him unwrap an early Christmas gift. 

[ *denotes smut ]

[moonsavior]

Staple them into my brain

[90s-kid-sad-adult]

you spin me about

[supercalime]

Im terrible at predicting storylines but im doing it anyway cause hyperfixations gotta hyperfixate.

We are all going through tommy withdrawals and it’s very clear he won’t physically show up until the finale (he may show up in the penultimate episode or be mentioned here and there but I’m not really counting on it or expecting as Buck won’t have the spotlight for this latter half of the season).

That being said, I’m actually cooking in my head that we could get one tommy mention when we eventually have a scene where buck calls eddie out for his dead wife clone situation. I expect them to have a fight and maybe say things they didn’t mean. I imagine eddie could go the route of “I always supported you, why can’t you support me?” or even throw a low blow, which would include a tommy mention, like “you lied to me about being on a date with tommy, so why are you mad at me?” (Which obviously isn’t the same thing cause buck not being secure enough in being bi and eddie cheating on his gf aren’t comparable, but eddie isn’t thinking clearly and he knows what to say if he wants to hurt someone), which could be a good damn reason for buck to cut him out, at least for now since we know eddie will be cast aside and isolated from his friends. I can imagine buck saying that the two situations aren’t the same, or even something like “Tommy isn’t an affair”.

I doubt this fight will drag on to next season though. There could be a chance for the season to end with some lose treads or even a big cliffhanger because the series is already renewed, so I can’t be 100% sure, but let’s see. What do yall think?