#tommy kinard x evan buckley fanfic

[callsign-dexter]

Beach Vacation

Summary: Tommy and Buck decide to take their 6-year-old daughter, you, on her first beach vacation. A few surprises come along.

Pairings: Evan Buckley x Daughter!Reader, Tommy Kinard x Daughter!Reader, Evan Buckley x Tommy Kinard

Warnings: fluff, angst, Buck's past trauma with tsunami, tsunami mentioned

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @justabigassnerd and her need for these two being together and just being cute.

Evan and Tommy had been dating for a year before they decided that they wanted to have children. Seeing as they couldn't have children they decided to do a surrogate. They had been looking for a while when they had found the perfect person, Maddie Buckley, Evan's sister. They had been through several other interviews but none of them seemed right and then Maddie said she would be thrilled to do it and Chimney is very supportive of it. You would have the Buckley genes and bloodline, it was perfect.

So they went ahead with the process and it was a success. Everyone was thrilled. Everyone stuck by Maddie through the ups and downs and was just there for her and you growing inside of her. When the ultrasounds came you were very active and much like Buck and they laughed. 9 months later you were born screaming into the world. You were somehow the perfect mix of them, it was crazy how similar you were to them. You were the final piece to make the family perfect. They fell in love right then and there and the rest was history.

You were now 6 years old and spunky as all get out. You weren't afraid to speak your mind but then again most kids weren't. You tested your parents but always respected them. You loved the fact that they were both firefighters and lit up whenever someone asked what your fathers did, Evan and Tommy just smiled at the spark that came into your eye as you told everyone what they did.

---------

It was the last day of school for you and that had hyped you up for some unknown reason. Hyped you up so much that you were waking up at 5 AM and rushing to your dads' room. You ran and jumped on the closest one which happened to be Tommy. "Papa! Daddy!" You squealed which had them shooting up and Tommy to let out a grunt.

"Oof." Tommy said as his hands immediately went to catch you.

"Y/N/N what are you doing up at," Evan said looking at the clock "5 AM?" He finished and you looked at him like he was crazy.

"It's the last day of school!" You shrieked as you bounced and that made Tommy groan.

"It's too early. You need to go back to sleep." Tommy said moving you to the side to give his body a break.

"I'm not tired." You said but a yawn escaped you and they chuckled.

"Go back to sleep and Papa will make you your favorite breakfast when we get up." Evan said and you sat there thinking while Tommy looked at his boyfriend with the same look you gave but more of a questioning one and they had a silent conversation.

'Did you just bribe our daughter with food?' Tommy asked and Evan looked back at him with a smirk.

'Yes I did.' Evan said proudly and Tommy rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Ok." You eventually said and they smiled.

"I got her." Tommy said already getting up and picking you up. You immediately laid your head on his shoulder.

"Love you, Daddy." You called out and Evan smiled.

"Love you too, Sweetheart." He said and you and Tommy disappeared out of the room and down the hall to your room. As Tommy was carrying you, you had started to fall asleep in his arms and head on his shoulder. That made him smile.

"Papa?" You asked sleepily.

"Yes, Pumpkin?" He asked, using the nickname he had given you that just slipped out one day.

"Wanna go to the beach." You said lifting your head and looking at him with tired eyes.

"We can do that this weekend. We don't live too far away." He said and you shook your head.

"No. I wanna go to a beach house." You said and he looked at you as he stepped into your room.

"But we live 20 minutes away from a beach." He said

"No beach house." You said whining tiredly.

"Ok ok. I'll talk with Daddy and see what we can do." Tommy said and you nodded eyes started to droop. He laid you down and covered you up. As soon as your head hit the pillow you were out. "I love you." He said and kissed your head and got up and started walking out.

"I love you too, Papa." You said and that made him smile and he cracked the door. He walked back to his and Evan's room. When he got in there Evan was still up waiting for him.

"How was it?" He asked and Tommy smiled as he climbed into bed and gave him a quick kiss.

"Easy. Started to fall asleep on the way to her room. She did tell me something." Tommy said and Evan looked at him.

"She did?" He asked and he nodded.

"She wants to go to a beach house." Tommy said hee.

"But we live 20 minutes away." Evan said and Tommy nodded.

"That's what I told her but she wants to go." He said "I think it would be good to get away from here. Away from work." He added and that got Evan thinking.

"You're right. We need time to ourselves, just the three of us. How long are we thinking?" He asked

"Maybe a week. Leave on Saturday and get back on Saturday or we would do longer." Tommy said and Evan nodded.

"I'll check out some places later." Evan said and Tommy smiled and nodded and kissed him.

"Try and get some sleep. I have a feeling she's going to be pouncing on us again maybe soon." Tommy said chuckling and Evan chuckled but nodded his head. They kissed each other and laid back down, Tommy opened his arms and Evan burrowed himself into them. Tommy fell asleep quickly but Evan stayed awake. Thoughts about the tsunami he had been in with Christopher came flooding his mind and he had doubts about going, but he didn't want to be the reason their daughter was disappointed. He would be willing to put his fears aside if it made their little girl happy. Evan eventually fell asleep in Tommy's arms.

When it came time for them and you to actually wake up, you were sound to sleep. Evan chuckled and shook his head because he knew that this would happen. Now came the part of waking you up and you loved your sleep. "Alright, sleepyhead. Time to actually get up." Evan said as he started the wake up process with you. You groaned and turned away.

"No." You said and he smiled

"You wanted to be up early and now you don't? Something doesn't seem right with that picture." He said amused

"I'm tired." You said

"Papa is making you breakfast for your last day of school." He said rubbing your back.

"Pancakes?" You asked

"Yes pancakes and bacon." He said

"Ok." You said and got up still sleepy.

"You really are like me aren't ya? Love your food." He said not expecting a response. He carried you to the kitchen where Tommy was starting breakfast.

"That was fast." He said

"Food was mentioned." Evan said

"Ah, I see." Tommy chuckled as Evan put you in your chair and got you situated while Tommy got your plate of food and something to drink for you.

"So, Y/N/N Papa said you want to go to a beach house." Evan said and you looked up at him and nodded.

"Uh-huh." You said stuffing your mouth.

"We live 20 minutes from the beach. Why a beach house?" He asked and you looked at him with the same eyes Tommy and he had.

"My friend Holly is going to one. I wanna go to one too." You said now looking down and they both nodded.

"Ok. We'll look into getting one." Evan said and you looked up and your eyes lit up.

"Really?" You asked and they nodded.

"Yes really. Now finish up and then we have to get you ready for the last day of school." Tommy said and it seemed like you shoveled your food in.

"Done!" You said excitedly and they chuckled. Tommy got you ready and they both were heading out with you in tow to take you to school. The drive to the school was nonstop chatter from you and both men getting a word in when they could. They were both working 12-hour shifts so it was agreed upon that Maddie would be picking you up from school and keeping you until they came and picked you up.

"Are we thinking about staying in California or going somewhere else?" Evan asked Tommy as he drove him home so he could grab his Jeep.

"Maybe out of California so we can actually have a family vacation." Tommy said and Evan nodded.

"That makes sense. What about South Carolina?" Evan asked

"That's a 37-hour drive. I don't think we want to do that." Tommy said and Evan nodded. "Mexico?" He asked.

"We don't have her passport yet, even though we put in the paperwork for it." Evan reminded him.

"Actually I'm going to pick it up today, I got the call yesterday. We could always fly to South Carolina." Tommy said, they both had agreed that Tommy would be in charge of important documents unless Evan said he wanted to be.

"That's true. Do you want to plan on doing that?" Evan asked and Tommy nodded.

"It would be our best bet unless something else pops up." Tommy said and Evan agreed as they pulled up to their house. They kissed each other and Evan was getting out and walking to his Jeep and then they were both off to work.

---------

"Hey, Buck!" Eddie said as he saw his friend walk through the doors.

"Hey!" He replied as he met up with Eddie and they walked to the locker rooms together where Buck started to get dressed and ready for the shift.

"How's Y/N/N and the boyfriend life going?" Eddie asked

"She's good and it's going great. I want to take the next step with him." He said and Eddie smiled

"That's great! Y/N will really love that." He said and Evan nodded.

"Yeah she would. She's been wanting us to get married for a while. Speaking of my daughter, she wants to go on a beach vacation." Evan said

"You live 20 minutes away from the beach." Eddie said confused.

"We know but her friend is going and she really wants to go to one. Tommy and I agreed we just don't know where to." Evan said as he pulled on his shirt and they started to walk out and up to the kitchen.

"Are you guys staying in LA?" Eddie asked and Evan shrugged.

"That's the part we're struggling with. We don't want to be on the road for days or hours maybe 8 hrs max. We thought about flying." Evan said catching Bobby's attention.

"Did I hear vacation?" Bobby asked and Evan nodded.

"Y/N wants to go on one and Tommy and I agreed." He explained and Bobby nodded.

"Have you found a place?" He asked and Evan shook his head.

"No, we thought about driving but we also thought about flying to South Carolina." He said

"Has Y/N been on a plane before?" Eddie asked

"No." Evan replied

"It may be a good first experience for her." Hen said coming into the conversation and Evan nodded.

"I would say go for it. You may not find something even remotely close to here. Also it would give you chance to be away from LA and work." Chimney said chiming in.

"Alright I will let Tommy know. He thought it would be a good idea to fly too." Evan said and before anybody could say anything else the bell was ringing.

---------

Later that day when Tommy was heading to pick you up he got a call from Evan.

"Hey, what's up?" Tommy asked

"So I thought about it and talked it over with the team and I think it would be a good idea for us to fly." Evan said

"I think it would be a good idea too. It would be the first time Y/N/N would be on a plane." Tommy said and Evan smiled.

"Nothing like experiencing her first flight with her two dads." Evan said and Tommy chuckled.

"That is very true. Who knows some surprises may come along the way." Tommy said as he stopped in the line to pick you up and pulled out a small box and looked in it and smiled. Just then the bells rang.

"I gotta go. Tell Y/N hi and I love her." Evan said "I love you." He added

"I love you too and I will." Tommy said and then they were hanging up and Tommy was putting the rings away.

Tommy got to the front of the line where you were smiling and what looked like bouncing on the balls of your feet. He smiled as the door was opened and you hopped into the front seat. "Hi, Papa!" You said and he smiled.

"Hi, Sweetheart. How was your day?" He asked "Oh, Daddy said hi and he loves you." He added and that made you smile.

"It was good! We spent the entire day outside!" You said excitedly and then you were turning to look at him and he gasped.

"Y/N! You're burnt!" He exclaimed

"But I was outside!" You said not seeing anything wrong with it. He gently took your face into his hands and looked at you.

"I'll put some After Sun on you when we get home." He said and you nodded and then he was kissing your forehead and you both were heading home. The rest of the ride home was spent with music playing and you both having conversations that really made no sense. When you both got home Tommy parked and killing the engine and the you both got out and headed inside of the house. You dropped your stuff off and he was closing the door behind you and closing the door. You had ran off to your room to grab something and he walked into his and Evan's bathroom to grab the After Sun. When he walked out you were in the living room cuing up the Xbox One. As it was cuing up he came and sat in front of you. "Your Dad needs to see this." He said and grabbed his phone and snapped a picture and then he was putting the After Sun lotion on your face.

"It smells good." You said and he chuckled and nodded.

"That it does." He said and then his phone dinged and he looked at it. It was a text from Evan.

Evan: What the hell!? She's burnt!

Tommy: I know. I already put some After Sun on it.

Evan: What happened?

Tommy: All day outside for the last day of school.

Evan: They should've given them sunscreen.

Tommy: I know

He didn't hear anything else from him. While you played on the Xbox One and he was getting supper and looking at beach houses and flights he was also checking in on you. Occasionally he would come over and put more After Sun on you and then going back to his task. Once the beach house and flights were booked he was sending everything to Evan and then he was calling you for supper. When supper was finished you both cleaned up and then heading to the living room. The night ended when you had fallen asleep cuddled in his arms 40 minutes into the movie you both had picked out, he smiled and just let you sleep in his arms like you had done when you were little and a baby. Tommy had just started playing a game when his phone rang and it was a FaceTime from Evan.

"Hey, Babe." Evan said smiling and even more when he saw you asleep on Tommy's chest.

"Hey, how is it going?" Tommy asked

"Good so many calls." Evan said "I wanna see her face." He said and Tommy nodded and repositioned you and showed him your face.

"It's gone down since putting After Sun on it." Tommy said

"I still can't believe she got so burnt." Evan said and Tommy nodded.

"It happens. We should've sent some sunscreen or told them to put some on her." Tommy said

"Well we didn't know that she would be out there the entire day." Evan said and Tommy nodded.

"That is true. Anyways you saw that I booked the house and tickets right?" Tommy asked and Evan nodded.

"Yup. Bobby has already given me the time off. I can't believe you got the house on such short notice." Evan said

"Someone canceled." Tommy said "We got lucky." He added

"We sure did. Get some sleep and cuddle her for me." Evan said and Tommy smiled.

"Will do. We love you." He said

"I love you too." Evan said and then they were ending the FaceTime and Tommy repositioned you and he went on playing his game.

---------

1 week later

It was the week that the three of you were leaving for South Carolina more specifically North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The flight left at 10 AM. You three would be leaving at 9 AM to give time to get there and through security.

Currently, the three of you were at the airport. Chimney and Maddie said they could drop you off and they were thankful for that because they didn't want the worry of having to find a parking space. As you were walking to your gate after getting through security your eyes were wide open in amazement. Evan and Tommy just smiled at the sight. "It's amazing isn't it?" Tommy asked and you nodded without looking at him and they chuckled.

"I'm glad the burn went down." Evan said. You could see where you got burned but now it had turned into a tan.

"Yea me too. It wouldn't have been fun with it peeling. I brought it with me just in case." Tommy said

"Good. I have a feeling we're going to need it." Evan said as you three arrived at the gate. During the trip there you were mostly quiet taking in your surroundings in amazement. You honestly were an easy kid at the airport you mostly stayed by the window and watched the planes taxi in and take off. When it was your time to board Evan picked you up and carried you on the plane and you looked around wide eyed.

"Papa you fly?" You asked looking at Tommy and he chuckled shaking his head.

"No, Pumpkin not this one. I fly a helicopter." He explained and you nodded and was silent as they find their seats. They had you sit in the middle of them to keep you seated and safe but once in the air you could move around.

"Daddy, food?" You asked Evan and he smiled and pulled out some snacks and gave them to you.

"Here, Baby Girl." He said.

Soon the flight attendant was going over the procedures and then you were being taken to the runway and then you were taking off to South Carolina. After a 6 hr flight with one lay over you had arrived in South Carolina. You had fallen asleep on the layover and had stayed asleep until you landed.

After getting a rental car and getting you settled in your car seat that they had brought with them. The three of you were heading to North Myrtle Beach to your beach house. It had a boardwalk and a pool. Evan still had his concerns about the ocean and there potentially being a hurricane but he also knew it wasn't hurricane season so he didn't have to worry, but that didn't mean he didn't worry.

Once you reached the beach house you were practically buzzing with excitement and they smiled at seeing you this excited. "Beach!" You yelled and they laughed.

"Ok, we will go see the beach before unpacking." Tommy said

"Yay!" You yelled and practically leapt out of the car when Evan got you unbuckled and you would have if he wasn't there to catch you.

"Easy there don't want you getting hurt on the first day of vacation." Evan said and you looked at him and nodded and put you down. "Let's go through the house." He added.

"Good idea." Tommy said and that is what they did.

"Ocean!" You yelled and pointed at it when you stepped out on the balcony.

"Alright lets go." Evan said and picked you up as they started to walk down the stairs and onto the boardwalk. They took theirs and your shoes along with the socks and headed down to the beach. As you got closer the waves could be heard and you started to wiggle. "Alright alright hold on." He said and put you down on the sand and watched you run to the ocean with them not far behind.

"Its nice isn't it?" Tommy asked and you nodded and giggled and then the water hit you feet and you squealed and thankfully Evan and Tommy were both filming and the pictures and videos were sent to everyone.

"It's cold!" You yelled excitedly and stomped your feet.

"You'll get used to it. It's cold at first." Tommy said and Evan agreed even though he was absolutely petrified he was putting on a brave face for you and would gladly do so anytime. After a few minutes the three of you went back to the house and Tommy had to carry you because you didn't want to leave but when the pool was mentioned you went.

While Tommy entertained you Evan went and unpacked the car but after a minute or so you and Tommy ended up helping, you 'helped' but only the light stuff. Once everything was unpacked and in the house Tommy and Evan started to put stuff in rooms and once that was done the night started and vacation started.

4 days into the vacation many hours were spent at the beach and in the pool and you were loving every minute of it. Evan was very cautious about everything and it may not have been noticeable to you but it was noticeable to Tommy, he was going to get to the bottom of it. So when they had an action packed day and then dinner and gave you a bath Tommy told Evan to meet him in the pool no questions asked. The pool was heated and there were lights so it was perfect. While Evan was putting you down Tommy grabbed some drinks and headed outside to the pool.

10 minutes later Evan was coming down shirtless to a shirtless Tommy "Hey, Sexy." Evan said as he stepped into the pool and Tommy turned around and smiled.

"Hey yourself." Tommy said looking his boyfriend up and down. He met him halfway and gave him a kiss as Evan got settled in and Tommy gave him his drink. "She go down easy?" He asked and Evan nodded.

"Very. Was out before her head even hit the pillow." He said and Tommy chuckled "I'm so glad we came here. It's been so nice just getting away from everything." He added and Tommy nodded in agreement. Now was the chance for Tommy to get to the bottom of things.

"Are you ok?" Tommy asked and Evan looked at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked

"You've been tense. Y/N may not notice but I did. What's up?" He asked and Evan sighed.

"A few years ago I was watching Christopher for Eddie while I was off the job and I took him to the beach. We had a great time but a tsunami came through and wrecked everything and I lost him. I was scared shitless. I thought he was dead and I wouldn't know how to explain it to Eddie when I saw him after walking over to the team. But a lady came and was carrying him and everything was good but it still haunts me and I blame myself for losing him." Evan explained and Tommy listened to him intently.

"Oh, Evan. That was not your fault , it was a natural disasters fault. You saved him. That is like a one and a million chance and I can't guarantee it won't happen again but if it does I'm here for you and so is our daughter. I love you and so does Y/N. Come here." Tommy said and Evan leaned over to him and he took him in his arms and kissed him. "You're not getting rid of us that easily." He added once they pulled away and Evan smiled.

"I love you both." He said and Tommy smiled and kissed him again. "Now let's talk about these scars you have." Evan said smirking and Tommy smirked back.

"Gladly." He said and so that is what they did until they were both yawning and then they were getting off and drying off and heading into the house and to bed but not without checking on you first.

The next morning it was like the atmosphere around the house had changed and it was so much lighter. This time around instead of you waking them up it was them waking you up but not too early. "I wanna go to the beach." You said and they chuckled.

"We will but first we need to eat and get ready for the day." Tommy said and you sighed.

"Fine." You said pouting and they chuckled. After breakfast everyone got dressed, teeth brushed, sunscreen applied and then it was time to head down to the beach. Evan grabbed the towels and the beach chairs while Tommy grabbed the bag full of sunscreen, snacks, food for lunch, and drinks. He also grabbed a blue velvet box and slipped it in without the two of you notching. When you got there they both went to work setting everything up. Once set up you headed for the water but Tommy was quick to stop you.

"Hold on there." He said and you stopped "You can't go to the water by yourself. You either need me, daddy, or both of us. Got it?" He asked and you nodded staring at him intently.

"Yes, Papa. I'm sorry." You said and he nodded.

"It's ok. Just don't do it again." He added and you nodded. "Now do you want to go down to the water?" He asked and you nodded.

"Please." You said

"Alright. Lets go." Evan said and the three of you went down to the water. You splashed around and giggled and even tried to run away from the waves and they found that hilarious and they made sure to get everything on video. You three started to dig around and you found shark teeth and that made you excited and a lot shells, which you were going to keep. After awhile you came up to them.

"I'm hungry and thirsty." You said and they smiled. It was getting around lunch time.

"Alright, come on. We need to reapply the sunscreen anyways." Tommy said and you made a dissatisfied sound but did as you were told. While Evan was getting snacks Tommy reapplied your sunscreen while you made faces and put up a fight but he just smiled and got it done, he was used to uncooperative people. After that was done then lunch was started. Tommy and Evan reapplied sunscreen to themselves. While you were playing very close to them with Evan, Tommy knew it was time. He dug around in the bag until he pulled out the box. He opened it and smiled and then got up and walked over to the two of you. "Evan." He said and he turned around and saw Tommy standing there and you were confused just as Evan was.

"What's up?" Evan asked

"I was going to do this eventually but I knew this would be the perfect time. We have out daughter to thank for that." Everyone chuckled and then he noticed the box and stood up as Tommy got down on one knee and you stared at them but grabbed Evan's phone and started to record. "I've known for 7 years and that time with you has been amazing, we even got one perfect little girl out of it. I knew from the moment we started dating I wanted to to be with you and marry you one day. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our beautiful daughter. So, I'm asking will you marry me?" Tommy asked and Evan smiled and nodded.

"I wouldn't want it any other way. Yes." He said and Tommy smiled and slipped the ring onto his finger and they kissed and you squealed and then stopped recording.

"Finally!" You yelled out and they chuckled and turned to you. "This is the best vacation ever." You said and they chuckled and pulled you into a hug.

It really was the best first vacation for you. It was one that nobody was ever going to forget.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

@angenu01-blog

@talesofreading

[imakatperson22]

Eddie: Kicks the 3rd woman he’s dated out of his house because of repressed catholic guilt after avoiding having sex with her.

Buck: absolutely flailing as a baby disaster bisexual and sending his date running for the hills before they even finish their meal.

Chris, “out of town” somewhere, sitting on a curb and smoking a cigarette: Jesus Christ, these two fucking idiots…

[elliethefroggy]

Buck doesn’t let his jealousy get the better of him, doesn’t body check Eddie at the basket ball match, Tommy doesn’t go over to his apartment, there is no kiss, Tommy does not ask Buck out on a date.

What happens instead is this:

Tommy becomes an honorary 118 member, starts hanging out more and more with everyone from 118. By extension, Tommy starts spending more and more time around Buck. Tommy finds it very inconvenient when he starts crushing on a supposedly straight Buck (Tommy tries to resist but that resistance crumbles every time Buck smiles at him).

Queue Tommy secretly pining over Buck, and sighing longingly whenever he catches a glimpse of Buck.

Now in my mind, Tommy and Chimney remained pretty close after Tommy left, close enough for Tommy to drop everything the moment Chim calls to steal a helicopter. Chim also undoubtebly knows about Tommy’s sexuality.

This means that Chim is witness to Tommy’s pathetic pining. This also means that Chim is there to catch Tommy spending far too much time looking longingly at Buck’s various assets.

“Buck’s going to remain straight no matter how long you stare at his ass,” Chim reminds Tommy. This is not the first time Chim has had to remind Tommy of this.

Tommy sighs despondently, “I know. Doesn’t mean I can’t admire the view.”

“This wouldn’t be nearly as difficult if Evan didn’t have both gorgeous looks and gorgeous personality,” Tommy says one night at a bar. Being a good friend, Chim has started taking Tommy out whenever Buck’s straightness becomes too much for Tommy to bear.

“He’s just so adorable,” Tommy continues.

“I know, buddy,” Chim says, patting Tommy on the back (Chim has also had to pat Tommy on the back a lot as of late).

“Are we sure Evan’s straight?” Tommy asks after the first beer.

Chim, with absolute certainty, says “Yes, now get over yourself, you sad, sad man.” And then Chim buys Tommy another beer because he’s a good friend.

And because Chim is such an amazing friend, Chim can’t help but pay attention whenever Buck and Tommy interact, mostly to make sure Tommy doesn’t make too much of a fool of himself.

Which means he’s also watching Buck, and he’s watching Buck watch Tommy.

And that’s when the doubt creeps in.

Chim’s known Buck for a few years now, has seen what Buck is like around women he’s attracted to, knows what Buck’s pining face looks like.

And he’s seeing that face now whenever Buck looks over at Tommy.

At first Chim doesn’t believe his eyes, figuring that listening to Tommy compliment every single aspect of Buck from his eyelashes to his laugh has corrupted Chim’s brain, making Chim see things that aren’t there.

Because Buck’s straight.

Right?

The more Chim watches, the less he’s sure. Because there’s Buck being somehow both endearingly awkward and seamlessly smooth around Tommy. There’s Buck spending way to long gazing into Tommy’s eyes, and staring at Tommy whenever Tommy’s not looking. There’s Buck zeroing in on Tommy every time Tommy enters the room; There’s Buck holding onto every word coming out Tommy’s mouth. There’s Buck laughing at every one of Tommy’s jokes (and, sure, Tommy’s a funny guy with a real dry sense of humour, but he’s not that funny).

If Chimney didn’t know any better, he would say that Tommy’s not the only one who’s got a crush.

All signs are pointing to Buck wanting to hold Tommy’s hand, go on romantic walks along the beach with Tommy, as well as do more than PG13 things to Tommy.

Does Tommy actually stand a chance?

Chim doesn’t want to get Tommy’s hopes up straight away. He needs to make sure that his hunch is correct. He needs to gather more data.

So Chim starts inviting Buck and Tommy everywhere he can think of, and then pretends to take a really long time in the bathroom so that Buck and Tommy can have some alone time while Chim is hiding behind a bush or a potted plant depending on the location, spying on them.

Tommy, because he’s a very observant person, notices Chim in the bush with binoculars pointed at where Tommy and Buck are seated, and confronts Chimney after Buck has gone home.

And Chim can’t keep a secret for shit, so of course he tells Tommy about his doubtS even though he really doesn't want to disappoint Tommy if it turns out that his hunch is wrong.

“I’ll keep investigating,” Chimney says, once again patting Tommy on the back, watching hope bloom on Tommy’s face.

Chim continues inviting Tommy and Buck to hang out, sometimes inviting others as well to avoid suspicion (Buck isn’t suspicious at all, but Hen has start narrowing her eyes at Chimney).

Tommy calls it torture, Chim call it science. Oblivious Buck is just concerned about the amount of time Chim spends in the bathroom. He asks Chimney if Chim’s having any any bowel problems. Chimney insists he doesn’t, but Buck figures Chim’s either putting on a brave face or is too embarrassed. Buck doesn’t bring it up again, but he does leaves some pamplets regarding bowel problems and their causes in Chim’s locker as well as sends Chim links to various medical websites.

Chim is mortified. Tommy finds it hilarious. Chim decides to attempt a different approach.

To try and throw Hen off the sent and to further advance his research, he gets Karen to drag them all to a gay bar to see how Buck reacts around other queer men (Karen is very amiable once Chim tells her of his suspicions; she always enjoys gossip).

Chim and Karen sit opposite Tommy and Buck, the better to observe them. Eddie, poor confused Eddie had to be discretely elbowed aside when he tried to sit next to Buck, and has been dragged next to Karen, supposedly so that Karen can arrange a play-date between Christoper, Denny and Mara. Though Karen is paying much more attention to Buck’s every micro-expressions than any word coming out of Eddie’s mouth.

Unfortunately, the gay club is a bust because Buck’s too busy learning about monster trucks from Tommy to pay attention to any other attractive man at in the bar. It’s hard to tell if Buck’s attention is due to an attraction to Tommy or if he’s just really interested in soaking up new information in that spongy brain of his.

Chim starts leaving queer memoirs scattered around the fire station (Karen gives excellent book recommendations).

Chim starts commenting on attractive men they see on the tele when it’s a particularly slow day at the station. He does this to such an extent that some of the members of B shift are wondering if Chim’s the one with a case of latent bisexuality. That thought is strengthened in their minds when Chimney starts bringing some those magazines with the romance quizzes in them: ‘Best guy for you’; ‘Your ideal guy’; ‘What your celebrity crushes say about your love life’; ‘Take this quiz to reveal your partner’s star sign’; etc.

Then Chim very loudly goes on about how gay and single Tommy is whenever Buck is in earshot (and now some of B shift think Chim’s planning on leaving Maddie for Tommy).

The first time Chim brings up how gay and single Tommy is, Tommy takes him aside to ask him what the hell that was about.

Chim says in response, “Listen, if Buck isn’t 100% straight, he needs to be aware that you’re on the market so that he doesn’t go check out all the other male fish in the sea.”

Buck doesn’t make a big deal out of Tommy being gay, acts his usual self. Though he does manage to slip into conversation that he’s an ally. And when Buck does that, Tommy feel his hope to one day hold Buck’s hand during a romantic sunset walk along the beach shrivels up a little inside him. Chim gives Tommy yet another commiserating pat on the back, and takes Tommy to a bar later that night so that Tommy can drink his problems away.

Meanwhile, Buck knows that Tommy being gay isn’t a big deal, but for some reason Buck can’t stop thinking about it.

It’s not like he’s ever had a problem with anyone’s sexuality before, so what is it about Tommy?

And representation really does matter. Here Buck is, being confronted with a Man, a big, muscular man like himself, who enjoys going to the gym like himself, who’s in a similar profession to him. And this man is gay.

And that’s going to cause something in his mind to shift. Maybe he doesn’t notice that shift at first, maybe it’s only subconsciously.

Maybe he’s going to start picking up a few of those memoirs that Chim’s been leaving around; Buck’s always been fond of non-fiction after all.

Maybe he’s going to ask Hen and Karen about their experiences figuring out their sexuality, their coming out stories (during this conversation, Karen will be staring intently at Buck, looking for any signs of the queer thoughts Buck may or may not be having).

(Chim is very happy with this because pointedly asking Hen and Karen about their queer experience was next on his game plan.)

Buck doesn’t ask Tommy about his sexuality though, not yet at least. Buck can’t seem to bring himself to ask Tommy. Though he doesn’t know why.

Then Buck does as Buck does best and goes on a research binge about all the different sexualities, but more specifically bisexuality (I imagine there is at least one sexuality quiz during that research binge).

And, at the end of that research binge, the results are conclusive. Buck is bisexual. Maybe he says that out loud in his empty apartment “I am bisexual” and it feels right and it feels so very exciting.

Once he realises that he’s bisexual, a lot of things start making sense. Including Tommy’s ass. Tommy’s very fine ass that Buck can’t help but stare at. And Tommy’s eyes. And Tommy’s hands as well. And Tommy’s laugh; And definitely Tommy’s smile. Basically all of Tommy.

Buck keeps his newly discovered sexuality to himself for a bit, wanting some time to himself to live in this new reality of his, basking in this new part of himself.

Also so that he can spend a few days staring at attractive guys without any knowing looks from his loved ones.

Turns out he spends most of those few days staring at Tommy which, again, makes sense.

Because he is such an open book, it doesn’t take Buck long to come out.

He decides to tell everyone at the next get-together. They’re all outside, having another barbecue at Bobby’s and Athena’s. Tommy is also present for this.

Everyone is of course supportive and happy for Buck. Chim is forcing himself to stay still, even though he really wants to jump up and down, high-five Karen, high-five Tommy, and then shove Tommy in Buck’s lap.

Meanwhile, Tommy is in his chair, having a deer-in-the headlights moment, staring up at Buck, wide-eyed, slightly pale, a forkful of potato salad halfway to his mouth. Tommy is so frozen that Chim has to nudge him so that his fork continues its journey to his mouth.

Tommy chews on the potatoes mechanically, no longer paying attention to the delicious taste that he’d been previously enjoying, too busy trying to act normal and trying to rein in his growing hope. By Chim’s side-eyes, Tommy isn’t doing a great job.

As the night goes on, Tommy forces himself to not approach Buck no matter how much he wants to, mostly because has forgotten how to act like a normal human being.

But then Buck is right there, in front of him.

“Hey,” Buck says.

“Hi,” Tommy replies. So far so good.

Buck is looking at him, and Tommy is trying to remember what he’s meant to do with his hands.

“Congratulations,” Tommy forces out because congratulations are definitely in order, “How are you feeling?” He asks, genuinely curious.

“Good,” Buck says in that sincere way that comes so naturally to him.

“Yeah?

“Yeah, great. I feel, I don’t know, lighter I guess. I mean, I’m still me, but now I know why I spend so much time staring at men’s asses.”

Tommy snorts, “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

There’s a pause. Buck’s staring at Tommy, and Tommy’s staring at Buck, and neither want to look away.

“Hey,” Buck finally says, “tell me if I’m completely off base, but there’s this little Italian restaurant I’ve been meaning to try, and I was wondering if you’d want to come with me.” Buck stops, swallows. Tommy watches his adam’s apple move. Buck continues “Like, as a date.”

Tommy forces his eyes back up away from Buck’s neck.

“A date?” Tommy repeats, the hope inside him soaring.

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Tommy says, smiling, not sure if he can believe what he’s hearing.

“Okay,” Buck says, smiling back. It’s a smile so soft that Tommy wants to trace it with his fingers, but they’re definitely not there yet and Tommy’s trying to act normal.

“Okay,” Buck repeats a little breathlessly, that soft smile still in place.

(During this whole interaction, Chimney is hiding in a bush, binoculars in hand. Karen is at his side, asking him what they’re saying.

“I can’t read lips!” Chim says, though he tries anyway with mixed results.

But then, Hen comes along and puts a stop to it, dragging Chim and Karen out of the bush and confiscating Chim’s binoculars.)

[wikiangela]

you're my happily ever after (so i'll take my chance now, risk it all somehow)

rating: G

words: 2.6k

8x06 fix-it, because I'm pissed - I or my fics aren't going anywhere tho <3

thank you to @evansboyfrend for beta reading, ily 🫶

[also on Ao3]

It feels like the whole world is crumbling down. It feels like the Earth should shake, burst on fire, open up and swallow everything around. As dramatic as it is, he kind of expects it to happen, and it’s weird that he’s still sitting here. His ears are ringing, panic rising in his chest with each of Tommy’s words. He watches Tommy get up and head for the door, and he’s frozen to his spot. It’s not- it can’t be. It fucking can’t be. “Wait,” he finally manages to say, trying to keep his voice from trembling, “did you just break up with me?” He asks, hoping to any entity that listens that he just misinterpreted it, that he got it wrong. Because- because he can’t lose Tommy. He’s falling for him so fast and so hard. He’s ready for the next step. He’s ready to move in together. He’s ready to talk about one day, eventually, maybe getting married. He knows he wants that. He knows what he wants, and he wants Tommy.  “Yeah, I guess I did.” Tommy answers, glancing back at him, his expression sad but firm. But Buck knows him. Knows that this mask will crumble into something devastated as soon as he leaves. That Tommy’s heart will shatter, just as Buck’s is right now. He can see through Tommy, he knows that he cares about Buck. It just- it doesn’t make sense. What was he even talking about… It was all so much, so fast, Buck’s brain is still scrambling trying to understand it all.  “Believe me, I didn’t see-” Tommy starts, but Buck shakes his head and interrupts him. “No.” He stands up, his legs feeling shaky. Tommy fully turns towards him, confusion in his face. “What do you mean, ‘no’?” He frowns.

“I mean, no, you’re not breaking up with me.” Buck says more confidently than he feels. Because this can’t be it. The last six months, the best six months of his fucking life, can’t end like this. Can’t end at all. He won’t have this. “I know you care about me. And I care about you. And I don’t want to break up.” He sees Tommy open his mouth to speak, his expression hardening – putting on a mask again, trying to hide the hurt. He speaks again before Tommy can. “If you truly, genuinely want this, not because you think it’s gonna be better for me or you, but because you don’t want to be with me, fine, I can respect that. But I won’t accept it without a fight. I- I wanna fight for us, Tommy.” Buck steps closer to him, hoping that Tommy doesn’t step back, that might just break him. He doesn’t, he’s stuck in place, sad eyes on Buck’s. “Let me fight for us. You-” he adds quickly, on a roll now, not wanting Tommy to interrupt until after he’s done, after he’s said his piece. He needs to say it all now, let Tommy know how he feels. He can’t watch him leave without trying to fix it first. Tommy’s looking at him intently, just listening, not even trying to speak. “You gave me a second chance once, when I fucked up our first date, and I- I want to believe it wasn’t for nothing. So- so you’re my first man, so what?” Buck throws his hands up in frustration, he thinks he’s starting to sound a little frantic, speaking faster and faster. He just can’t let Tommy leave without him knowing exactly how Buck feels. “It’s far from my first relationship ever. Why- why is it so different just because you’re a man? It shouldn’t be. I don’t need to date other people, experiment or whatever else. I’ve dated people, slept around, did it all. I know how that goes, how it feels, and I don’t want to do it again. I know what I want, Tommy. And I want you. And don’t you dare tell me how I feel.” He feels anger seep in, Tommy’s words ringing in his head. What the actual fuck was he thinking? “I’m a grown man, I know how I feel. Yeah, it’s new and exciting, but it’s also real. It’s real to me, and- and if there’s any chance of forever, I want to take it. And-” he takes a breath. He feels like he’s been speaking in one breath, feeling a little lightheaded now, his heart hammering. Or maybe that’s just the panic. “And don’t start with the whole ‘I’m not your last’ bullshit.” He shakes his head again, tears welling up in his eyes, anger still building. Really, what in the world? How could Tommy want to just throw away the most wonderful relationship that’s happened to Buck in years? Maybe ever? “You don’t know that. I don’t know that. Yeah, we could break up one day. But you could also be my forever, and I could be yours. I’d love a chance to find out, even if it hurts in the end. But maybe that’s just me. Maybe I’m the only one here brave enough to risk it. And- and what about my heart, huh?” Tears are threatening to spill, his voice shaking now, with sadness and anger, and desperation. He can’t let him go, he can’t. “You said I’d break your heart eventually. But this, right now? This is you breaking mine.” He finishes, almost panting now, his monologue taking the wind out of him, wanting to say everything on his mind, in his heart. He hopes he got his point across. 

“Evan.” Tommy just whispers, with a pained expression. There are tears in his eyes, too, one lone one slipping through, falling down his cheek. Buck’s hand itches to reach out and wipe it off, but he’s not sure if he’s allowed to anymore. 

“Give us a chance, Tommy. Let us fight for this. Fight for me, for us. Fight with me.” He’s aware he sounds like he’s begging at this point, but he doesn’t care. This is too important. “I thought it’s been so good between us lately-”

“It has!” Tommy rushes to say. “It’s been amazing. You make me so happy. That’s why I’m scared, I just- I’m sorry, Evan, but I can’t let myself get hurt like this again. Because I- I’ve been there before, and it was hard to get back up, and with you- I don’t think I’d be able to ever recover from this one.” He admits, his stone-faced facade crumbling, and Buck can see his own feelings reflected in Tommy’s expression. Sad, devastated, heartbroken. 

“We can- we can take some time apart.” Buck says around a lump in his throat. He feels like he can’t breathe. All he wants is to rewind until before he dropped the moving in bomb which must be what made Tommy freak out. He could say anything else, and take it slower, and maybe they’d be on their way out right now, a date night like they planned. “If that’s what you need. A break. But not for good. And then let’s come back to it clear-headed, knowing for sure what we want. And if you still want to break up, I- I’ll respect that. But I already know what I want,” he repeats firmly, decisively. “I want a future with you. I want to move in together, and one day down the line get married, and- and I want it all with you. We can slow down if I’m rushing this. I tend to do that, and if it’s scaring you, I’m sorry.” He adds, not wanting to backtrack any of this, but aware of how intense he’s coming off. He’s never been more serious about anything in his life. “But the past six months have been the best in my life. I’ve never felt so happy, so free, so comfortable, so safe. And I’m not giving up on you, Tommy. I will fight for you until I can’t anymore, until you tell me that you don’t care about me and I should just fuck off.”

“Evan. You know I’ll never say that.” Tommy responds quietly.

“I know. Because I’m confident in us, in the fact that you do care, and you do want me. I know that.” Buck emphasizes, and realizes, not for the first time, that he never felt like this before. This secure. This confident about someone wanting him. “I also know you’re just trying to protect yourself, your heart, and I get it. But I can’t let you go without a fight. I won’t. I messed up a lot in my life, and I won’t mess up this. I refuse to. Because I-” he takes a sharp breath, the words pressing on his lips. He doesn’t want to say it for the first time in a possible break up, a moment of such anger and devastation. But he needs to put it all out there. Needs Tommy to understand how much he’s trying to throw away right now. “I love you, Tommy.” He confesses, sees Tommy’s face melt into the saddest expression Buck’s ever seen on anyone, tears spilling freely now. Both of theirs, he realizes, feeling wetness on his cheeks. “I’ve been falling for you a little bit more with each day we spend together, with each minute. And I know- I hope you feel the same. But if you can look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t-” he swallows thickly, the thought alone is too much to bear. 

“I can’t do that.” Tommy interrupts quickly. “Of course I love you, Evan. It happened so quickly it kind of scared me a little.” 

“I noticed.” Buck says dryly, and Tommy lets out a humorless chuckle. “If you ask me, which you didn’t, by the way, you decided for both of us, which was an asshole move,” he points out, and Tommy looks away, as if ashamed. Good. Buck loves him, which means he’s gonna call out when he’s acting shitty. “I’d rather give us a real try and get my heart shattered if it comes to this, instead of always wondering what if, always wondering if you’re my one who got away. Which you would be.”

“I’m sorry.” He shakes his head, takes a step towards Buck, now just half a step away. “I’m sorry, maybe breaking up is too hasty. Impulsive,” he scoffs at himself, probably remembering how he called Buck that just a few minutes ago. Well, so maybe they’re both a little impulsive. Not a problem, in Buck’s opinion. “I don’t- I don’t want to break up. I never want to be away from you.” He says, his voice barely above a whisper. His hand flinches at his side, like he wants to reach out, grab Buck’s, touch him. Buck hopes he does. “It just- it seemed too fast. Like you got wrapped up in the moment. It’s still so new, I thought we were taking it one step at a time, and I didn’t-” he takes a deep breath, as if bracing himself, and Buck knows what he says is going to sting – and it does, it feels like a gut punch, actually, “I didn’t think you were as serious about this as I was getting. And I realize we should’ve done the mature thing and talked it out. I’m sorry. It’s just, we’ve barely talked about any future here. But I want it, of course I do. I’m just- I’m scared. My heart has never been in this much danger.” He looks into Buck’s eyes as he says it, more vulnerable than ever. This is everything Buck wants right now, for them to talk, to discuss this, to try fixing it, instead of one of them running away and the other giving up and not fighting for it. Buck’s been there, he doesn’t want a repeat.

“Tommy.” Buck is the one to close the distance between them, carefully brings his hands up to cup Tommy’s face, giving him a chance to back away, but he doesn’t. Instead, he breathes out a sigh of relief, like he craved Buck’s touch as much as Buck craves his. “You remember when I told you I wanted something with you? Even though I didn’t know what that something was yet?” he asks and Tommy nods slightly, Buck’s palms still resting on his cheeks. “I’ve been serious about you since that precise moment. About pursuing this, and wanting some kind of future with you. I know I tend to rush into things, it’s been a problem before.” He huffs a self-deprecating laugh. “I tried not to do that with you, but I failed, clearly. I just think from now on, we both should stay and talk and try to work it out if we have any issues with something. If you still want me.” He adds a little anxiously, but relaxed when he feels Tommy’s palms settle on his hips.

“Of course I want you, Evan. I always will.” Tommy says, that loving look in his eyes, that always makes Buck’s heart melt a little. That look that Buck loves so much, that made him think that Tommy might feel the same way.

“Good. Like I said, I’m not letting you go. Ever.” He says decisively, a huge weight that’s been there since the topic even started finally lifting off his chest. This might be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and no matter the conclusion – which he’s pretty sure will be the happily ever after he’s always craved – it’s worth the risk, it’s worth everything.

“Good.” Tommy echoes, that gorgeous, scrunchy smile of his slowly spreading on his face, and it’s like sunshine came out from behind stormy clouds. “I don’t intend on letting you go, either. I love you, sweetheart. And I’m so sorry for… for this mess. For overreacting.”

“That’s fine, we’re past this- well, actually, we are gonna talk about it more, but at least we’re on the same page now, I hope.” Buck says, slowly leaning in. “I love you so much. I never want to lose you.”

“I’m sorry.” Tommy says again, and Buck just wants him to stop saying it. It’s fine, they’re fine now. “You won’t. You have me for as long as you want. I promise.”

“What if I want you forever?” Buck whispers, his face so close to Tommy's, their lips almost brush. It sends a shiver down his spine, like he hasn’t kissed him in days, when they just exchanged a quick kiss hello a few minutes ago.

“That works for me.” Tommy smiles again, and finally dives in for a kiss, but it lasts barely a second before he’s pulling away, Buck trying to follow. Tommy chuckles, running a comforting hand up and down Buck’s side. “But maybe let’s put a pause on the whole moving in together thing, huh? At least until we fully talk everything through.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Buck nods, his gaze flickering between Tommy’s eyes, now sparkling happily, and his pretty, kissable lips. It feels so good to be able to just have a mature conversation and resolve whatever issues arise. If they keep doing that, he thinks they’re going to be okay. He’ll make sure of that. “No need to be impulsive,” he adds, his lips twisting into a teasing smirk.

“Okay.” Tommy chuckles quietly, his cheeks reddening. “Just kiss me.” 

Buck doesn’t need to be told twice. He kisses Tommy like he means it, like he’s his person, like he’s the love of his life, trying to put all those emotions into a kiss. He knows for sure he’s getting the same intent back. And at this moment, in his kitchen, narrowly avoiding losing his love because of a stupid reason, he decides it. One day, not too quickly, but not too far into the future, he’s going to ask Tommy Kinard to marry him. And he’s more than sure of the response he’ll get.

[also on Ao3]

[louiseolivier]

08x06 Delulu

Tevan are at the Italian restaurant. The Hot Waiter flirts with Buck. Buck's kinda oblivious. He unintentionally flirts back. Buck pays this time, and inside the folder with his card and receipt is Hot Waiter's phone number. Buck is a little weirded out because he feels like it's obvious he and Tommy are on a date.

For the most part, Tommy watches Buck and Hot Waiter's interaction in amusement. He jokes whether Buck is he's going to call him, and Buck is taken aback. Then Tommy gets serious.

"We haven't really talked about the kind of relationship you want."

Buck's confused. "What does that mean?"

"Just that there's more than one way to be in a relationship. I've been in a couple that were open."

"Open?"

"We were allowed to sleep with other people."

"I know what it means, Tommy. Is that what you want?"

"I want you to be happy. I want you to know I'm amenable to that if you're interested. Truth be told, Evan, the most important thing is that you're in my life, whether we’re together or not. 

Suddenly, the Ironside siren goes off in Buck’s head, and he’s spiraling.  

Tommy clasps his hand and looks at him like he’s the goddamn sun, moon, and stars. “Think about it. It’s not like it’s something you have to decide today.”

Cue Buck, going to Bobby. “I don’t know what to tell you, Buck, but I’ve seen you two together. I don’t think breaking up is something Tommy is even thinking about. The other stuff...you should talk to Tommy. Be upfront. Be honest. 

Cue Buck, going to Maddie. “Buck, he kissed you while you were still covered in boils. I saw that with my own eyes and wished I hadn’t. I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but he does seem very committed to you. And to be perfectly honest, the open relationship doesn’t sound like something he’d suggest out of thin air. Maybe you said something...”

“You’re blaming me? Come on, Maddie! You know damn well that’s not how I roll. I slept around, yeah, but not while I was in a relationship - and don’t you dare bring up Taylor! Besides, an agreed upon “open” means consensual. I just - how did I miss that this was something he was interested in? Why would he wait six months to bring it up?”

A sound of disgust emanates from the corner of the call center's breakroom, and the Buckley siblings' heads swivel to its location. Josh is sitting at a table, sipping his coffee and rolling his eyes. “You sweet naive baby bi.” He gets up from his chair, sidles up to Buck, and eyes the donuts he brought for Maddie. “I don’t suppose there's a Bavarian cream in there?”

“There’s a jelly,” Buck says. 

“But jellies are my favorite,” Maddie complains. 

“Too bad. I’m about to help your chaotic brother out, so I deserve it.” Josh bites into the donut and gives an appreciative moan. “Oh god, I haven’t had refined sugar in three days. How I missed you.”

“Back to me, please,” Buck says with a whine.

“Look, it’s pretty simple. There are only two types of guys who want to open up a relationship after the six-month mark. Assholes carrying multiple red flags or..”

“Tommy’s not an asshole,” Buck tells him firmly. 

“Considering he’d whittle a rocking chair if you asked him to, I’d agree. Buck, my guess is he’s scared. He's worried that if he doesn't give you a free pass, that you'll get bored with him and leave.”

“That’s so stupid,” Buck cries in dismay. 

Maddie lays a supportive hand on his bicep. 

“It is,” Josh agrees. “But just because your man is a solid L.A. nine doesn’t mean he’s not carrying around a lot of insecurities. Talk to him. Tell him. And hey, if it all blows up on you, send him my way. I’d love to be that man’s shoulder to cry on.”

Buck shows up at Tommy’s door. Tommy is supposed to come to his after finishing his laundry, but Buck doesn’t want to wait that long. “Hey,” Tommy greets him with that scrunchy smile Buck loves so much. 

“I don’t want to have sex with anyone else,” Buck tells him as he barges through the door. 

“Oh-kay,” Tommy says, closing the door behind Buck. 

“Do you want to have sex with other men?”

Tommy crosses his arms, and his head tilts towards the ground. “No. I’ve come to learn that’s not an ideal situation for me.”

Buck scoffs. “Then why suggest it?”

The buzzer on the washer goes off, and Tommy moves towards it to switch out the load. “I don’t know. I’m pretty used to you flirting with everyone.”

“You think I flirt?” 

“Evan, you told the waiter you liked his chinos while eyeing his ass. Most of the time, I think it’s cute how you rile people up without realizing it, but then I have a thought like, what if Hot Waiter would be a better match for you? So I panicked and threw out that suggestion.” 

“Jesus, Tommy. For the past six months, my brain has been consumed by nothing but you. Yet you think I can be swayed by some guy in a comfortable pair of pants? I only want you.”

“I know. I do. You prove that to me every day. I didn’t suggest it because I don’t trust you.” Tommy tosses one of Buck’s hoodies into the dryer and starts it. He can’t keep eye contact with Buck for more than a few seconds, and he looks paler than when Buck first arrived. Tommy’s also picking his middle fingernail with his thumb, and that’s Tommy’s tell that he’s feeling overwhelmed. “Uh, so like, I’m in this for the long haul. I think you’re it for me, Evan, and I don’t want you to ever feel like you’ve settled or...”

“I love you,” Buck tells him with a certainty he doesn’t think he felt even eight hours ago, but it’s the god’s honest truth. “Just seeing you makes me feel so full I could combust. ”

Tommy’s eyes are glossy and he blinks rapidly to keep the tears at bay. He finally locks eyes with Buck. “Loving you has been living in the back of my mind since...I honestly don’t know how long. I’ve been trying to temper my expectations because I haven’t been super successful in relationships. But then you started leaving clothes here, and suddenly you’ve infiltrated my life like no one else has been willing to. Next thing I know, I’m at a funeral for a long dead cowboy. I watched you embrace the memory of a forgotten man, and I realized I couldn’t love you more, Evan. Boils and all.”

Aaaaand that’s it. I’m tapped out.

[sweaters-and-silly]

My 9-1-1 prediction for 2025 based on nothing and absolutely pulled out of thin air:

Buck begins to act more erratically. Tommy can’t really remember breaking up with Buck, he knows it happened but the night was a blur. But as time goes on, it gets more clear that Tommy was confused and is feeling clearer away from Evan.

But it’s not Evan. It’s his apartment.

Because Buck feels better when he’s baking, when he’s got the kitchen fan on circulating the air.

Things escalate, Buck is finding notes in his place that he didn’t write. He’s feeling paranoid and off-kilter. He kidnaps Maddie to keep her safe from the person that’s been haunting his home. Chimney has been texting Tommy on and off and breaks down when Maddie is missing and Buck is nowhere to be found.

That’s when Tommy remembers the night they had too much wine and “moved the couch” a little too much into the wall, hearing something break. He uses the spare key and lets himself into Buck’s place, only a few minutes there he’s feeling off-kilter again.

So he checks beside the couch. The thing they heard shatter behind the couch was the carbon monoxide detector. He’s able to fix it, and plugs it back in. It immediately starts beeping an urgent alarm.

Tommy opens all the windows and calls Evan.

Evan answers, paranoid and sick. Tommy gets him to tell him where he is. Gets him to give the phone to Maddie, she’s safe and of course she’s not hurt, Buck would never hurt her, she’s not scared for herself just for Buck. Conferences in Chimney while he drives to get the Buckleys.

At the hospital, while Evan is in oxygen they get to talk. The carbon monoxide leak is why they were having trouble remembering their serious conversations of the last six months. Tommy wants to be with Evan but he’s not sleeping in that loft again. It’s time Evan comes home with him.

[diazsdimples]

Tommy can remember the day he knew he was going to kill Vincent Gerrard. Or, not kill exactly, but do some serious, irreparable damage to him. He'd kind of figured this day would come, if the way he felt like ripping the old man's mustache right off his face whenever Buck came home upset was anything to go by. He just didn't think it would happen quite so soon. He's held Buck plenty of times after rough shifts, where Gerrard would make him man behind for no other reason than "I want this place clean and perfectly organized. That's what you people do, isn't it?". He's heard enough stories from Eddie, and Hen, and Chim, about the abuse they were all getting but how most of Gerrard's hellfire seemed directed towards Buck.

But nothing could prepare him for the fury he felt when that day arrived.

He'd gotten a text from Eddie, a short and simple "he needs you", and he'd been in his car in a flash. The whole drive he'd been worrying, not sure what he'd be arriving to.

When he gets there, he knows it’s bad. Hen and Chimney are locked in a furious screaming match with Gerrard, their faces all varying shades of puce, and it looks like Hen's about to punch Gerrard in the nose, based off the hand Chimney has wrapped tightly around her wrist.

He spots Eddie and Buck immediately; they're in the locker room and Eddie has his arm around Buck's shoulders. When he looks up and locks eyes with Tommy, he can see the flames of rage licking behind Eddie's eyes. Buck's got his face in his hands, and his shoulders are shaking in a way that tells Tommy that he's crying. Tommy's across the station in 3 quick strides, dropping to his knees in front of Buck and taking his face in his hands, stroking his thumbs over his cheekbones.

"What the hell happened?" he asks Eddie, because Buck's not in any shape to breathe right now, let alone talk.

Eddie doesn't reply immediately, but his jaw ticks and he looks like he's carefully picking his words. Just as he's about to speak, Buck's voice, quiet and broken, cuts through the silence.

"He made me watch."

Tommy's brow furrows in confusion, and a ball of dread settles in the pit of his stomach. Buck swallows convulsively and even Eddie looks like he might throw up. It's bad.

"Watch what?" Tommy asks carefully. He doesn't want to push it, not if Buck isn't up to speaking, but he needs to know.

Eddie speaks up first, and his voice is shaky too.

"We were called to a massive haemorrhage at the Pride Event in West Hollywood. A man and his husband had been attacked by one of those bible bashers that stand there and tell everyone they're going to hell. A bystander said they'd been arguing with him and he pulled a knife. Got the first guy in the stomach, second just above his heart. There was nothing we could do."

Buck takes a deep breath, a whine issuing from the back of his throat. Tommy puts a hand around the back of his neck and rubs soothing circles just below his hairline.

"He made me watch," Buck repeats again, a little louder this time, and Tommy's heart clenches cause he knows, he fucking knows what Buck is going to say next. "He said "ride with Wilson, Buckley. This is a good opportunity for you to increase your medic skills." He knew they weren't going to survive but he made me...." Buck trails off, unable to finish his sentence, and Tommy's vision goes red. He's never hated anyone more than he hates Gerrard right now.

That is, until Buck finishes his sentence.

"He said "you might learn something valuable," but he wasn't talking about the job."

Buck's fists are clenched so tight his knuckles are white, and there's blood under his fingernails. Eddie's got a fistful of Buck's shirt clenched tightly in his fist and he looks like he's doing all he can to not run upstairs and tear Gerrard limb from limb.

There's a ringing in Tommy's ears and everything sounds kind of muffled, like his head is underwater. He's clutching the back of Buck's neck so hard that it's got to be painful, but he can't make himself let go.

When he left the military, Tommy made a vow that he would never take another man's life. But for this - for Gerrard - for what he did to Buck, the light of Tommy's life, he might just make an exception.

[cosyvelvetorchid]

Bucktommy prompt

Out on a call Buck accidentally says his last name is:

'Kinard. No...wait, BUCK...BUCKLEY!'

and the whole team hears it.

He's super embarrassed because he's only been dating Tommy for a couple of months, and the 118 rib him about it for the rest of the shift.

This one made me laugh so much! Thank you!

You can send any bucktommy, saltommy or Tommy prompts to my ask 🩶

*****

5 months, 14 days and 18 hours. That's how long Evan Buckley had been dating Tommy Kinard. And yes he had counted. It had been both a whirlwind and the calmest relationship he had ever been in. Every day felt like the flirty, giddy honeymoon phase, and simultaneously with the ease of a decade together.

Buck knew he had a tendency to get ahead of himself; to go all in with what he wanted or was passionate about, but Tommy had the, quite frankly magical, ability to pull Buck back down to earth without making him feel like an over excited child. That didn't stop how from secretly imagining a future with Tommy of course.

The 118 arrived on scene of a scaffold collapse to find a construction worker on the ground underneath a large piece of wood.

"Chim, Hen you assess him, I'll speak to the foreman."

"Uh that's me." The portly middle-aged aged man standing above his injured colleague called out. "Colin Denison." He reached out his to shake Bobby's hand.

"Captain Nash." The man then held out his hand to Buck.

"Kinard.. No wait! BUCK! BUCKLEY!"

Bobby, Hen, Chim and Eddie's eyes all shot to Buck, whose face burned with the fire of a thousand sun's. He made a silent prayer for more scaffolding to fall and land directly onto him. Only death could take away this level of embarrassment.

"What did you just say?" Eddie asked with a smirk.

"Nothing" Buck replied quickly.

"Did you just say you're name was-" Chim tried to ask but Buck cut him off.

"Nope." A lie. An obvious, slap in your face, kick you in the crotch lie. He knew it, they knew, God himself knew it. He turned his attention to Bobby and the foreman and tried to ignore the stifled giggles behind him.

"Im just glad the rest of my guys were at lunch. If they have all been up there.." Colin shook his head. "Is Dave gonna be okay?" He fielded the question toward Hen and Chim.

"Couple of lacerations, definitely a broken wrist and he's gonna have some gnarly bruises, but he'll be fine."

"Hey Tomm- sorry Buck.. can you bring the gurney." Hen teased. Buck shot her a glare before walking back to the ambulance, coming back a moment later with the gurney.

"Thanks, Tommy." Chim sang.

"Come on guys." Buck pleaded, wishing another sinkhole would appear and swallow him whole. Or maybe a lightning strike. Hell, being on a capsized cruise ship would be better than being here right now.

"He's stabilised Cap. We just need to get all this crap off of him." Eddie informed him. "You wanna help Tommy?" He added. Buck groaned.

"Hey guys let's keep it professional - we have a job to do."

"THANK YOU Cap." Buck praised narrowing his eyes at everyone. Cap pointed to the large piece of wood covering the man.

"Eddie, Hen, Chimney, you take that side. Kinard you're with me."

"Bobby!"

***

Buck was more grateful than ever for his shift to be done with. Even more so that he was headed straight to Tommy's. He let himself in, kicked off his shoes - stopping to admire how warm it made him feel looking at both his and Tommys shoes sat side by side - and walked into the kitchen where Tommy was busy preparing dinner.

"Hey babe." He was stirring some sauce in pot as Buck walked over and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Good shift?"

"It was fine." Buck answered plainly. He had already humiliated himself enough today.

"Nothing happened?" Tommy asked.

"Nope." Buck said popping the 'P'. Tommy stopped starting and turned to face him.

"Really? Nothing? Nothing at all?" Buck noticed the glint in his eye.

"Who told you?!"

"Who do you think?" Tommy laughed. "I don't think Chims ever texted me that much before. Actually, it was mostly voice notes of him and Hen laughing."

"Oh god." Buck held his head in his hands as embarrassment soared through him. It was bad enough everyone else heard him but now that Tommy knew about it..

Tommy laughed and walked over to him, putting his arms around his waist.

"Hey." He said, wanting Buck to look at him, which he slowly did.

"Look, Evan.. were not near that step quite yet, bu-" Bucks head went down again, and he groaned. "But-" He said louder so Buck would look at him again. "I like that the idea of it doesn't freak you out. It's.. its actually kinda nice."

"Y-Yeah? You don't think I'm an idiot that's going overboard again?"

"Oh I definitely think that," He said with a laugh "but.." He placed soft kisses onto Bucks forehead, cheek, birthmark and finally his lips. "..I happen to love that about you." Buck sighed with relief.

"Although, what if I wanted to be a Buckley?" He asked half teasing.

"Are you kidding? I don't want to be a Buckley, so you're definitely not."

"Oh is that so?" Tommy questioned kissing him on the lips again.

"Yep." Buck smiled kissing him back.

"Noted." Tommy stated. "Now, come taste this sauce." He took Bucks hand and led him to the stove.

[aaronsinferno]

Just a reminder…

The cast doesn’t hate Lou. They have absolutely no reason to hate or dislike him. He’s a sweet guy who’s just doing a job that he loves.

Tommy isn’t a bad character. He isn’t racist or homophobic or an issue in any way. He’s causing no problems whatsoever for the main characters and is actively part of a storyline about a main character finally coming into himself in a positive and healthy way.

I support Lou and hope that his position on the show becomes permanent.

[spidermans-l-o-v-e-r]

Sink or Swim

Pairing: Eddie Diaz x Reader

Word count: …whoops

Notes: Guys I’m posting this while at the salon, my hair is processing it’s gonna be b l u e

Day 1: Public Sex

“I’m telling you man-” Buck puts his arms up on the edge of the pool and Eddie rolls his eyes “You just gotta get laid”

Eddie had been on edge lately, everyone had noticed it, after his latest fling had fizzled out he’d been hitting the gym more, hitting the bar more. Hell, he’d even started going to the library again.

He was this close to taking up bungee jumping.

“I don’t need-“

“Don’t even start” Buck puts his hands up “Literally do not. I swear to god you’re gonna burst at any second if you don’t just get some”

Eddie sighs “You know, sex doesn’t actually solve everything?”

“Oh, but it sure as fuck would this time” He winks and Eddie rolls his eyes again, crossing his arms over his chest as he puts his back against the wall.

“You know that’s not me dude… I’m not- I’m not a one-night stand kind of-“

“We’re here!!”

Both boys look up to see Tommy walking in through the house, Buck immediately gets up and swims over to the stairs.

“Hey gorgeous,” Buck says as he gets out, coming over to Tommy. Tommy takes his chin in his fingers, pulling him forward and giving him a little peck on the lips with a wink.

“Oh fucking gag”

A voice comes from behind him and Buck pulls away, giddy as ever

“Hi Y/N”

“Hi Ev- Buck” She corrects herself as she steps out of Tommy’s ginormous shadow.

Eddie comes out of the pool now, the water cascading down his body, he shakes out his hair and smoothes it back.

Buck looks at Tommy. Tommy looks at Buck.

“Hey Eddie, c’mere I want you to meet someone”

He steps aside and holds his arms out, presenting you to Eddie, he gives Tommy a nod, who rolls his eyes and does the same thing.

“Tada,” He says sarcastically and Eddie shakes his head, chuckling as he walks over.

“Eddie Diaz” He holds his hand out and you smile, shaking it

“Y/N Kinard. I’m-“

“Tommy’s little sister!!!” Buck squeals and puts his arm around Eddie.

“Jesus Christ” Tommy mutters under his breath as he grabs Buck by the arm and pulls him off of Eddie.

“She’s staying with me, I thought it’d be nice if she came to hang out with us!”

“If you don’t mind” You pipe up and Tommy has to fight to keep Buck from going feral

“Oh no! Of course, I don’t come on I’ll show you where to put your stuff” Eddie reaches for your pool bag and you hand it to him, your cheeks flushing a little as he leads you over to the pool chairs.

“Evan- Evan you have to-“ Tommy puts his hands on Buck's shoulders as he’s nearly bouncing out of his shorts.

“Evan let it happen, it’s gotta be organic okay? We’ve done our part”

“So I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t play my baby-making playlist?” He shakes his head and Tommy shakes his head with him

“No babe, no you shouldn’t”

Eddie sets your bag down on the pool chair and you smile up at him, he knows what the guys are doing god does he know.

But fuck if you’re not the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen in his life. He’s surprised you’re even related to Tommy you’re so… petite. You’ve gotta be a good foot shorter than he is and god the way your curves fill out that swimsuit.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” You rub the back of your neck awkwardly “I know you probably like wanted a boys thing and-“

“Oh no! No, I’m glad you decided to come!” He puts his hands on your arms and you blush, he pulls his hands back quickly and copies your stance, rubbing the back of his neck

“I’m uh- I'm glad you’re here…Do you- do you have sunscreen? Gotta… make sure you’re all… sun protected”

You snicker a little and turn away from him to go through your bag and he nearly pulls his hair out as he digs the heels of his palms into his eyes, groaning to himself. He’s never this fucking awkward around women.

“You think Tommy would let me go anywhere without it?” You joke as you stand back up “Did you need some?”

“Uh no- no I’m covered but um- I can-‘I can get your back for you if you’d like” He offers as he puts his hand out and you shrug, pouring some into it.

“Thanks”

“Mhm!!” His voice is high-pitched as you turn around and lie down on the beach chair. He gets on his knees, rubbing his hands together before rubbing your back, you reach back and pull the string of your stop, letting it fall off and adjust yourself a little

“That should make things easier,” You say as you pull your hair to the side and Eddie has to work very hard to ignore the perfect view he has of your side boob.

“Ha yeah. So- so much easier yeah” He rubs your shoulders first, working the lotion down your sides and across your golden skin. He likes the way it shimmers as it dries into your skin, how soft your skin is, how pretty it is. He’s so busy giving you a massage, rubbing the lotion in he doesn’t even realize the little noises you’re making at first until you moan his name. His hands freeze in place and he finally snaps out of it.

“You’re pretty good with your hands,” You say softly, propping yourself up on your elbows.

“I work with them,” He says dumbly and you giggle while he internally terminates his life contract.

“Yeah, I know, with Buck, right? You’re a firefighter too?”

“Yeah actually, it feels like my calling sometimes you know? Helping people just feels right. Plus you know I get to ride in a fire truck and who doesn’t want to freaking do that”

“Yeah he’s like super sexy, he saves people!! He’s a hero!!!” Buck pops up behind Eddie who nearly swings on him and you scream

“I’m sorry I’m so-“ Tommy lifts Buck by the waist, throwing him over his shoulder.

“Eddie can do this too!! I’ve seen him do it!!” Buck yells before Tommy dumps him into the pool and jumps in with him to try and drown him

You laugh as you get up, facing away from Eddie, you look at him from over your shoulder and Eddie practically melts, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Mind retying this for me?” You ask and he nods absentmindedly, his hands fumbling a little as he grabs the strings and ties them back for you

“This good?” He rests his hands on your shoulders and you look up at him

“Uh huh…” You both stare at each other for a second and he smirks, blushing

“Cool. You ready to get in? Or?” His hands travel down your sides and he grips your hips

“Yeah I guess I’m-“

Before you can even finish your sentence Eddie grabs you by your hips, running over to the pool.

“Wait, wait no wait!!!” You scream as he launches you both into the water. You come back to the surface and jump on him, trying to shove him back under

“You asshat!!”

He’s laughing as he grabs you again and dunks you back under, his body staying pressed to yours as you make him bring you back up.

“Hey, that’s not fair!!” You kick and splash and he turns you in his arms so you’re facing him

“Awwwww is the Princess pouting?” He smirks and your jaw drops

“Princess??” You scoff “I’m not a Princess.”

“I don’t know that” Eddie shrugs “Maybe if I got to know you better…”

“Is he asking you on a date” Buck comes up out of the water and Eddie shoves him right back down.

“Because Tommy and I are going out for lunch after this!! I was just gonna make Eddie take you home but this works too”

Now it’s your turn to shove him back down

“How bout it? Just a little getting to know you”

“I’m just saying it could be a double date”

You sigh, leaning your head on Eddie’s shoulder, and smile, shaking your head.

“Yeah Buck we can go on a double date”

“Why do you indulge him” Eddie groans as he goes running through the water, splashing wildly to tell Tommy.

“Because he won’t stop popping up if we don’t”

Buck actually stops bothering you two after that, not that it’s really much to bother you about now that you’ve agreed to a date. You spend the next couple of hours just messing around with them, playing stupid pool games and even mermaids with Buck. He keeps making you do hair flips like Ariel and Tommy puts a stop to that the second you nearly smack your head into the wall after how dizzy it’s made you.

Buck eventually finds a way to convince Tommy to play chicken and he promises he’ll take it easy on you as he helps you onto Eddie’s shoulders and pats your butt.

Eddie though nearly has a heart attack as you settle on his shoulders, your thighs are so perfect and soft and warm, his head rests against your breasts and he tries to be normal about it he does but they’re just so perfect.

He’s never been more glad he’s in a pool because you can’t see the way his cock is rock hard as you squeal and laugh while fighting Buck and trying to shove him over. Eventually, you fall over onto Buck and you both go laughing and splashing into the water and Eddie feels the tiniest hint of jealousy at the way you cling to Buck as he stands you both up.

He quickly passes you back to Eddie though who is more than happy to be holding you again.

“Hey, Ed why don’t you uh- go inside, maybe help Y/N get ready to go?”

“Did you just call me Ed-“

“Yeah yeah go go” He shoves you and Eddie out of the pool and the two of you gather your stuff up and leave just as Tommy pulls Buck over to him, cupping his face and pressing their lips together.

You and Eddie make gagging noises and Buck flips you off

“I literally hate having siblings,” You say as you both walk into the house, Eddie holds the door for you and you sneak under his arm

“Buck is the closest thing I have to a brother here. I can painfully agree with you”

“At least you don’t live with him” you laugh, as you start to dry off more. You rub your arms, trying to generate some heat and Eddie reaches for you

“For warmth” He shrugs like it doesn’t really mean much, trying to pretend like he’s not internally freaking out as you pull your arms to your chest and snuggle into his, he wraps his arms around you and rests his chin on your head

“Better?” He asks, feeling you squirm a little and you shrug, clearing your throat

“Uh huh, a lot better”

His body is so warm and so… hard. His abs feel nice under your fingertips and you try not to get caught as you totally feel him up and he tries not to get caught feeling you up. His hands rub your arms slowly, his fingertips sliding up your back and massaging you gently again.

“We should probably see what’s keeping them” You pull away after a little bit, biting your lip.

“Yeah… probably” he makes you pull away from him, he doesn’t want to do it himself. You take his hand and pull him back over to the door with you and open it.

“Guys? Can we go please soon?? I’m star-“

Buck is bent over the side of the pool, his head hanging low as he moans, Tommy is over him, kissing his neck and buried deeply inside him.

“MY EYESSSS” Eddie screams as he slams the door shut

Buck has been crazy about double dates, really he just wanted you and Eddie to hang out more and he also wanted to hang out with Eddie and since he wanted to be with Eddie and Tommy it just made sense to bring you too because you’re Tommy’s little sister and he wanted to hang out with you too.

Or at least that’s how he explains it as Eddie blinks at him over his morning coffee.

It wasn’t like it bothered him you tagged along, things were starting to heat up between the two of you. You’d been calling and texting all day since you’d met and he was really starting to feel something for you.

What that was?… he wasn’t really ready to put it into words.

Too bad Buck was.

He’d sent the “What are we?” Text from Eddie’s phone one night when he slept over, and though it got him beat the fuck down Eddie had woken up to an endearing, awkwardly-worded text saying that you “maybe kinda sorta” didn’t mind being his girlfriend.

That’s when the pictures started.

And if getting with you meant you’d be sending him that? Well fuck he would have manned up so much sooner. The first pic arrives when they’re on their way back to the firehouse, he can see the text-

“Is this cute enough for our date?”

And he opens it like a complete dumbass. Because there you are, standing in front of your mirror wearing a sheer corset and a pair of blue jean shorts that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. His jaw drops as he stares at you, and his eyes travel up your body… right to the dripping popsicle you’re eating.

“Holy shit” He lets out a quiet breath as he stares at you. Buck looks over at him and makes little grabby hands.

“Hey is that Y/N? Lemme see!!!”

Eddie hugs his phone to his chest like the gentleman he is, protecting your virtue.

“Uhhh it’s just a picture of her rabbit!! It’s- it’s just you know- a really, like super furry rabbit that’s all it’s nothing! It’s nothing it’s fine”

You guys ended up staying in that night.

A couple days later Buck invited you and Eddie for brunch, he said all cool couples go to brunch (really he just wanted the blueberry pancakes they had at this place and you both agreed to go.

“Hello beautiful” He smiles, pecking your lips as he pulls back your chair

“Hi, Eddie” You blush, kissing him back. He sits next to you puts his arm on the back of your chair and pulls you closer to him

“Can you guys stop being so gross” Buck sips his mimosa and Eddie rolls his eyes

“Dude how many times have I caught you and Tommy fu-“

“Not in front of the kids!!!” Buck nearly spits his drink out as he covers Eddie’s mouth with his hands

Buck and Eddie go back and forth like children before Tommy grabs Buck by the chin and turns him toward him, planting a sweet kiss on his lips

“Focus on the pancakes babe”

Buck pulls away, her cheeks pink, his eyes a little dazed

“Yeah… okay..”

The rest of the time is fun, the boys are really into whatever stupid story they’re remembering and trying to tell you but they keep laughing and talking over each other.

You’re nodding along absentmindedly when Eddie feels your hand. He thinks it’s just a fluke, an accident. But… no? It’s creeping higher up his thigh, stroking his muscles softly.

He can feel his cock hardening in his pants, and he tries to maintain his composure, keeping the conversation going with Buck and Tommy.

He thinks? Are they talking about like bees now? Or maybe horses? He has no fucking clue, not with your fingers doing a little walk up his thigh.

He leans back in his chair, allowing your hand to inch closer, and when you finally touch his growing bulge, he lets out a soft breath, his eyes drifting shut for a moment.

You giggle at something Tommy said, rolling your eyes at the stupid dad joke before glancing at Eddie, your nose crinkles, your eyes sparkling with mischief as you start to stroke him slowly.

Eddie's breath hitches at your touch, his body tensing slightly. He forces himself to relax as best he can, keeping his composure as he listens to the conversation. Your giggle sends shivers down his spine, his heart racing. He’s not sure how much longer he can keep this up before he just shoves you down on the table and fucks you right in front of Buck’s salad.

“Eddie?” You look up at him innocently, acting like the sweetest little angel “Can you show me where the bathroom is?”

His eyes light up as he looks over at you, eager to please. His voice is huskier than normal and Buck definitely picks up on that.

“Yeah of course” He gets up from the table, clearing his throat “Excuse us” he takes your hand and pulls you behind him, leading you toward the back of the restaurant. You can feel the excitement and anticipation building up in your chest, and you can see from the grin on his face he’s feeling exactly the same way you are

He pulls you into the family bathroom and pushes you against the door the second it closes, kissing you passionately as he locks it. Your hands come up to cup his cheeks, your tongues battling for dominance. His fist hits the door beside you and you gasp into his mouth, he grins, his tongue winning easily now.

“Oh… oh you like it rough don’t you?”

He chuckles darkly as he attacks your neck, biting and kissing. You pull at his belt and whine.

“We don’t have much time, it has to be quick!” Your breath is ragged as he scoops you up and carries you over to the counter

“You think you’re wet enough for me?”

He shoves your skirt up around your waist and pulls your panties to the side, his eyes widening at the sticky tendrils of your wetness plastered against them.

“Holy….”

“I think I’m wet enough” you whisper seductively, reaching for his belt and taking it off.

He pulls his thick cock from his pants, stroking it slowly and tapping your clit with it, your body shudders as he rubs it through your folds, gathering your wetness all over the tip. Your head falls back as he thrusts into you in one quick motion, the wind is knocked out of you as you slap your hand over your mouth, trying to muffle your moan.

He gives you a few moments to adjust to his size before he sets a brutal pace, he has to, not that you’re complaining in the least. You wrap your legs around his waist, pushing him in deeper each time. His grip on your thighs tightens as your nails scrape over his skin.

“You feel so fucking good” he groans, his body burning with need. Your breathy moans and whimpers spur him on. His hand comes up to brace himself against the mirror as he loses himself in your body, the sounds of the way he’s fucking you echoing in the small bathroom. He can feel your tightness, how wet you are for him, the way you clench around him with each thrust like he belongs inside you, like you own him.

“Y-you have to p-pull out” you pant harshly, your head falling back so you can see yourself in the mirror.

“Oh baby girl, if you think for one second I’m not making you sit at that table with my cum dripping between your legs?”

His thrusts become sharper and you cry out

“I’m not fucking you dumb enough”

He covers your mouth as he thrusts into you harder, keeping all those high-pitched whines and noises quiet. He wishes he didn’t have to keep you so quiet, but he doesn’t care all that much when you take his hand and push it up further covering your nose too.

“Oh, Y/N” He moans, holding his hand down harder so you can barely breathe, it sends his head spinning, his hips stuttering and jerking messily as he pounds into you so desperately.

His lips spill praises for you, “Good girl” “so fucking tight” he can feel you clenching around him more and more as your back arches and your body shudders, your orgasm rippling through you and that’s all it takes for him to cum with you, pumping his seed into you.

He pulls his hand away and you gasp in air as he collapses against you. You hug him to your chest as he nuzzles his face into you.

“Fucking hell” he moans into your neck and you trail your fingers through his hair in response, tugging lightly so he’ll look up at you. You press your lips to his, giggling quietly and he grins, kissing you back.

“You think they know?” You blush while he sets you back down, helping you rearrange your clothes, your legs are still wobbling and it just makes him want to do it all over again

“I mean, probably” he chuckles, and you groan, letting your head fall against his chest.

“That’s…. Something”

“Hey you’re the one who started this, you really didn’t think it through huh?” He taps your forehead and you huff at him while he gets himself put back together. You make him bend down to fix his hair and he smirks, staring into your eyes while you do it.

“Quit it!!” You frown a little and that just makes him smile more

“You’re really pretty”

You look at him, your fingers tangled in his hair and he leans in, giving you a soft kiss, still staring into your eyes.

“You’re really intimidating” you admit shyly and he gives you a funny look

“Honey we just fucked in a public bathroom and now you want to get all shy on me? Now you want to tell me how intimidating I am?”

“Oh shut up!!” You whack his chest and shove him away and he laughs, pulling you back into him and kissing your neck

“Awww don’t pout baby girl, you’ll turn me on again”

“Eddie Diaz!” You squeak and before he can embarrass you anymore there’s a knock at the door

“Occupied!” Eddie calls out as he pushes you against the wall now, you whimper and lift your leg around his waist and he picks you back up

“Yeah I know, Tommy and I are hungry. Are you guys done yet?? Because she’s gonna be too exhausted to eat”

Your mouth drops open and Eddie lets his head fall onto your shoulder. He chuckles and shakes his head before setting you back down carefully

“Yeah... Buck. We’re done.”

Two weeks later Eddie comes into work, a little pep in his step. He jogs up the stairs and stops at the top, his team standing there. Bobby has a cake in his hands as the other three cheer and a little burst of confetti is thrown on him.

“Whaaat’s this all about?” He laughs, shaking the confetti from his hair

“Congratulations on getting laid!!” Chimney cheers

“Continuously!” Hen adds and Bobby shows him the cake that says “Congrats! You got laid!” With a cute little bed in the middle of it

“We’re gonna be brothers!!” Buck squeals as he jumps on him

[louisferrignojr]

teacher buck x mechanic tommy au // [read on ao3]

[more moodboards edits here]

[weewoowings]

Could this be it?

Buck and Tommy were draped over the couch, their limbs tangled in a comfortable mess. The living room was dim, the soft glow of a forgotten TV casting flickers of light across their faces. Something played on the screen—neither of them cared to follow it. The background noise was a hum, barely registering beyond the sound of their steady breathing.

Tommy’s head rested against the back of the couch, his eyes half-lidded, heavy with exhaustion. His fingers idly carded through Evan’s curls, the motion slow, soothing, as though each stroke could erase the weight of the long day from both of them. His boyfriend was pressed against his chest, his body relaxed, sinking into Tommy as if they were trying to merge into one.

They were quiet, their breaths syncing with each rise and fall of the other’s chest. The rhythmic in-and-out filled the space between them, steady, grounding. It was the kind of quiet that felt like home—words weren’t needed, the silence was enough.

His thumb traced the shell of Evan’s ear before his hand returned to its soft path through his hair. He could feel the tension slipping out of Evan’s muscles, the way he melted further into him, like he’d been waiting for this moment to finally let go. Tommy pressed his cheek against the top of his head, inhaling the faint scent of his shampoo, mixed with the lingering smell of the day’s sweat and city air. It wasn’t perfect, but it was perfect because it was them.

“You okay?” Tommy asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, as if anything louder would break the quiet.

Buck made a soft noise in response, something between a hum and a sigh. He shifted slightly, his face burrowing into Tommy’s neck, the warmth of him pressing in, seeking comfort. Tommy’s hand stayed in his hair, fingers curling gently, his touch so soft it almost tickled.

“I love you,” Buck mumbled, barely conscious of the words as they tumbled out of his mouth. They were unplanned, said without thought, like a secret whispered into the dark where it felt safe.

Tommy froze for just a beat, the words sinking in, and then he smiled. His hand stilled in Evan’s curls, his other arm wrapping tighter around him, pulling him impossibly closer.

“I love you too,” Tommy murmured, pressing a kiss to his birthmark. His voice was as gentle as his touch, as if the words themselves were something precious.

Buck, half-asleep, smiled against Tommy’s chest, his body growing heavier with the weight of comfort and certainty. The simple exchange of words had settled something deep within him, something he hadn’t even realized was tense. Saying I love you hadn’t been a decision, it had just happened—and the way Tommy had pulled him closer afterward, the warmth in his voice, made Buck feel like he’d found a home in that moment. He could still feel the echo of Tommy’s words, I love you too, lingering in the quiet, wrapping around his heart like a second layer of comfort.

Tommy’s hand had stilled in his curls, but Buck could feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath his cheek. He knew Tommy was awake, probably thinking the same thing, maybe replaying those words like he was. The ease between them now felt like breathing—natural, effortless. He didn’t need anything more than this right now. Just them, just being.

Tommy’s heart thudded steadily under Evan’s ear, and he found himself smiling softly too. There was no rush, no need to say anything more. The moment was full enough, and Tommy knew they had time—plenty of time for more words, more quiet moments, more soft confessions. This was the start of something new and easy, and the certainty of it settled over him like the perfect blanket.

They both lay there, wrapped in each other, breathing in the quiet, as the flicker of the TV faded into the background.

[weewookinard]

Mommy, who's your daddy?

Jee-Yun has a question for her mom before bed. “So, does it mean Uncle Tommy is your daddy too?”

Or, the one where Maddie learn about her brother's daddy kink in the worst way possible, inspired by the great @judymarch15 and her incredible fic who's (not) your daddy ❤️

Go read it on AO3

I'll write another chapter with Maddie confronting Buck if you want!

Tagging people that likes me enough not to tell me to shut up lmao ❤️

@do-androids-dream-ao3acc @sunnywithachanceofbi @waywaychuck @aplaceinme

@kinkley-are-adorkable-flirts @sunset-bobby @geekfan67 @nymeria1105

@sweaters-and-silly @firewasabeast @hyperfocusthusly @jyt1891

@half-oz-eddie @dadbodbuck @magicallarynx @dark-alice-lilith

@gyraethere @flyboyhan @unfuckablebogtroll @a-mel0n

@pati79 @bobbinsnash @quintessenceofdust88

[wannabanauthor]

"Evan," Tommy muttered against his lips, followed by a low moan when he felt Evan tugging at his belt. "Evan!"

The hand on his nipple stilled, and he groaned helplessly.

"If you're still talking, then I'm not kissing you hard enough," Evan whispered and kissed the soul out of Tommy. His tongue was deep in his mouth, exploring every inch of this man.

Tommy was already hard when Evan's hand slid into his pants and wrapped around his cock.

Evan had him pinned against the wall of a hospital supply closet, and Tommy was too tired and horny to protest. He admitted he enjoyed Evan being feral over him showing up to the hospital in his turnouts covered in soot.

A shower was the last thing on either of their minds. Using Tommy's own leftover sweat as lube for a handjob was creative in and of itself, and Tommy was impressed by Evan's ingenuity.

Evan had gotten him so worked up with that initial kiss that it only took a few minutes for Tommy to come. Evan kissed him through the aftershocks, softer than before.

When Tommy finally came down, he slumped against the wall, the energy and cum drained out of him.

"Was that good, baby?" Evan whispered in a husky voice.

Tommy brought his hands up to Evan's cheeks and kissed him tenderly. "It was perfect, Evan." He kissed Evan again, and again.

Finally Evan pulled away with a dazed but satisfied. He opened a box of wipes to clean off Tommy's dick and his own hands before turning back to Tommy.

"Le'ts get you something to eat. I think they're probably serving the cake," Evan said and let his eyes wander all over Tommy's body.

"If you look at me like that again, we're going to miss the reception," Tommy said and straightened his gear.

Evan glanced at his phone for the time but quirked an eyebrow at Tommy, almost like he was up for it.

"Evan, no. I would still like to meet your sister and congratulate her and Howie," Tommy said firmly.

"Fine," Evan said with a little whine and stepped back. He reached for the door handle, but Tommy stopped him.

"You have soot on your face."

"Good," Evan said with a grin. "I want everyone to know I'm yours."

Tommy groaned low in his throat and followed Evan out of the supply closet, hand in hand.

[wikiangela]

you know when you know (I think I do)

rating: G words: 1.4k

[read on Ao3]

___

“So, you and Buck.” Eddie finally gets on the topic he was clearly inching towards the whole evening. Tommy’s lips involuntarily turn up into a smile.

“Yeah. What about us?” He asks, still turned towards the TV, then takes a sip of his beer.

“You guys are, uh, together. Dating.” Eddie fiddles with the label on his beer bottle, sounding a little hesitant and awkward.

“Have been for weeks now.” Tommy nods, smile widening at the mere thought of Evan. He leans his head back against the back of the couch, then turns more towards Eddie. “Any particular reason you’re bringing it up now?”

“Uh, not really. I mean, I’m so happy for you guys, and, uh, it’s none of my business, I just-” He takes a deep breath. Tommy waits, curious about what his friend might have to say. “Listen, Tommy, I don’t wanna be one of these friends who’s all ‘if you hurt him, I’ll kill you’, that’s not me.” Eddie starts, cringing at the words. “Besides, he’s a grown man who’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself.”

“True.” Tommy nods. He can already see where Eddie’s going with it. Tommy finds it sweet how much people in Evan’s life love him and care for him, and are protective of him, but not to a weird or unhealthy degree. He can appreciate that.

“But he’s my best friend.” Eddie continues. “And I just worry.”

“Okay?” Tommy prompts when Eddie falls silent, a frown on his face, like he’s considering his next words.

“He’s been through a lot. In general, but also relationship-wise. I’ve seen only part of it, but I’ve heard it all. And I just- I don’t want him to get hurt again.” 

“I’m not planning to hurt him, Eddie.” Tommy says softly. It’s obvious, and he knows what Eddie meant, but he wants to voice it anyway. He would never, ever, in a million years, do anything that could even remotely hurt his Evan. And if he did so unknowingly, he doesn’t think he’d forgive himself. Evan is such a ray of sunshine, he’s so good and sweet, and genuine, and Tommy would do anything just to keep that radiant smile on his face. 

“I know that.” Eddie shakes his head briefly. “People rarely do. It’s just that, Buck always gives a thousand percent of himself into everything.” A fond smile appears on his face, and Tommy is once again witness to the amazing bond those two have. This kind of friendship is so rare, they’re both so lucky to have each other – and Tommy is lucky to be let into it, even just a little bit. “Once he’s in, he’s in. And, Tommy,” Eddie looks him in the eyes, “Buck is definitely in, all the way, no turning back. He’s falling for you so hard and so fast, and letting all his guards down. Because that’s Buck, that’s what he does. And I just don’t want him to get too deep before you’re ready, before you’re both ready, and I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“I get it.” Tommy nods once, because of course he sees where Eddie’s coming from. “But you have nothing to worry about, Eddie. With Evan…” His lips curl into a smile around the word. “I’m already so far gone.” He shakes his head a little. “I know it’s soon, but I’m really falling for him.” He says quietly, but surely. He’s not used to this, talking about his feelings, about dating, about a person he’s seeing, especially not with someone he’s only known for such a short time. But he and Eddie became fast friends, and he’s Evan’s best friend, and Tommy feels safe enough to say it. He’s also honest and straightforward, and he likes to say it how it is, and this is how it is. He’s falling – or, to be honest, has fallen already – very fast and very hard for Evan Buckley, and he doesn’t feel the need to hide it. Evan is it for him. And he’s going to tell him that soon.

“Good.” Eddie says, tone serious, but a soft smile is forming on his lips. “He’s very lovable. You’d be an idiot to not fall for him.”

“I know.” Tommy grins. From the moment they met, he knew there’s something about Evan, something that pulled him in, got his attention right away. They laughed about it later, after they officially started dating and talked about that whole situation, how Evan put so much effort into trying to get his attention, but he had it anyway, from the start. Tommy was just more subtle about it, and he couldn’t figure out if Evan was flirting that day he gave him the Harbor tour or not. Seems like even Evan didn’t know. He’s so adorable, and kind, and bright and happy like sunshine personified. How was Tommy supposed to take one look at him and not develop a crush, that only seems to keep intensifying the more he gets to know him?

“And, for the record, I don’t want you to get hurt, either. We’re friends, too. Unless you break my best friend’s heart, that is.” He adds, his tone a little teasing, before his smile changes into something fond and genuine. “I’m really happy you guys found each other, truly. I’ve never seen him like this.” He chuckles quietly, shakes his head. “I know we don’t know each other that well yet, but I can already tell you two just make sense. So, take good care of my best friend, Kinard.”

“Of course. I plan on it.” Tommy says, meaning it from the bottom of his heart. 

“Just, not too much PDA when I’m hanging out with you guys, yeah?” He grimaces. “I don’t wanna feel like I’m third-wheeling a boys' night.” He laughs, and so does Tommy.

“Well, I’m not really a big PDA guy anyway.” He shrugs, a smirk tugging at his lips. “But who knows, I can’t really keep my hands to myself around Evan.”

“And it’s time to change the subject,” he shakes his head furiously, “I don’t wanna hear more than I have to. Buck already tells me way too much.” Eddie says quickly, and Tommy laughs again. 

But the subject changes, and their attention is mostly back on the game playing on the TV. They spend the rest of the evening like this, watching sports, drinking beer and chatting. That’s how Evan finds them when he lets himself into Tommy’s house later, since he left the door unlocked.

He walks into the room, says hi to Eddie, then unceremoniously plops down in Tommy’s lap, giving him a long, sweet kiss, smiling into it. Tommy’s free hand circles around his waist, the other still holding his beer.

“Hello to you, too, Evan, how was your day?” Tommy chuckles when they pull away, his nose rubbing against Evan’s. He was spending the day with Jee-Yun, giving Maddie and Howie the day to themselves.

“It was good, we went to the playground, and then to help Bobby and Athena with unpacking, and then had coffee at Hen’s.” Evan grins, his face still so close to Tommy’s he almost looks blurry. “But I missed you so much.” He presses another kiss to Tommy’s lips, which Tommy obviously reciprocates. When he pulls away and glances at Eddie, expecting him to have an amused but annoyed look on his face, or maybe a faux-disgust, but what he finds instead is the fondest, proudest look he’s seen from him, as he looks straight ahead at the TV, giving them a semblance of privacy. Eddie looks just genuinely so happy for his best friend, for both of them. It warms Tommy’s heart. Eddie glances at them, and their eyes meet, and he just rolls his eyes fondly, but is still smiling.

“Okay, baby, I missed you, too, but let’s leave that for later or Eddie won’t want to hang out with us anymore.” Tommy says, and Evan pulls away further, chuckling.

“Eh, we always have each other.” He teases and shrugs, and Eddie scoffs loudly.

“You know I can’t watch basketball with you. Or do Muay Thai.” Tommy raises his eyebrow, giving Evan a knowing look. He can barely watch any sports with Evan, actually, because he never really gets into it, and whenever he gets bored, somehow they end up making out through the whole thing. Evan’s really good at distracting Tommy from just about anything.

“Oh, that’s all you need me for?” Eddie raises his eyebrows. “Fine, then I’ll just leave you two-” he starts getting up, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Sit down and drink your beer.” Buck laughs, as he climbs off Tommy’s lap and pulls out a phone out of his pocket. Eddie sits back down, laughing as well. “I’m gonna order pizza for dinner. Any preferences?”

[read also on Ao3]

[tevanavernus]

how about some angst for established bucktommy? i only got vibes for you: held at gunpoint on a call, one of them gets in between the gun and the other, wanting to shield them 👀❤️

[Thanks for the request! I see your angst and raise you: they're both idiots trying to protect each other. Hope you like this! Also, they're still...technically on call right? ❤️]

In hindsight, Tommy should have known the other shoe would eventually drop. He should have prepared himself for it, should have anticipated that the universe wouldn't let happiness linger around him for too long. But it was easy to forget, wrapped up in Evan's orbit, with his blinding grins and the way he wore his heart so openly on his sleeve. It made Tommy drop his guard, lulled him into a sense of security.

That's not to say it was all sunshine and smiles. They had their bad days—days when they got snappy with each other or when an argument dragged on for longer than it should. There were cold shoulders, fueled by pride or stubbornness, but those days never lasted long. One of them always caved, and they'd find their way back to each other, realizing that whatever it was just wasn't worth staying mad over. It had taken Evan a while to truly believe that Tommy wasn't going anywhere, but eventually, even he came to accept it.

So now, a year after their failed first date, Tommy's old house was cluttered with moving boxes and scattered belongings, as they tried to find permanent spots for Evan's things. The chaos drove Tommy a little insane, having to step over things and deal with the mess of combining their lives. But if it meant Evan was in his bed every night? It was more than worth it in Tommy's opinion.

The morning, though, should have been the first clue that the day was about to turn to shit.

Evan had an early shift, so by the time Tommy woke up, his side of the bed was cold—a sure deduction of points right off the bat. Then came the next blow: apparently, Evan had left in a rush and, in doing so, had used up the last of the oat milk. Which meant Tommy was now doomed to drink black coffee. He'd sighed in resignation as he spotted the sticky note attached to the fridge that read, "Sorry babe, I'll buy more after shift! Ily <3"—but pocketed it for safekeeping despite the frustration. Sure, it was a small inconvenience. But still, it set the tone, didn't it? Little things tend to pile up.

The biggest clue? The storm. It was meant to be stormy all day, and in Tommy's experience—other than meeting Evan—storms never led to anything good, especially for Harbour. People tended to get careless, acting like they weren't facing weather they were completely unprepared for.

Tommy's instincts were proven right when, not even halfway through his shift, they were called out to a massive pileup on the highway. Multiple vehicles were involved, and dozens of people needed transport to hospitals. So, as always, Tommy did what he did best: jumped into a helicopter and flew out to the scene with his team.

From the bird's-eye view, he hissed in sympathy at the sight. The wreckage was bad—mangled metal, cars overturned, and scattered debris everywhere. It wasn't pretty. But there wasn't time to dwell on that. As soon as they touched down, his team sprang into action.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the familiar 118 number at the scene. Over the past year, he and Evan had crossed paths at work more often than either had probably anticipated, but never for anything small. When Harbour and the 118 were both on-site, it usually meant there was no time to spare, not even for a quick hello.

Tommy knew how this went. Most of the time, he didn't even leave the cockpit while his team prepped patients for transport. And today wasn't any different. He stayed put, eyes scanning the scene, focusing on his job. He sighed, knowing he'd have to wait until they were home to talk to Evan. Though, for a brief moment, he thought he saw a familiar pair of wet curls rushing through the chaos, the saw in hand.

It wasn't until the fourth round trip that the storm really began to pick up, and Tommy found himself battling the wind and gusts of rain to safely land on the hospital's helipad. The helicopter shook slightly as the weather worsened, and Tommy had to grip the controls a little tighter, to guide the aircraft down through the increasingly erratic winds.

Just as they touched down, the call came in over his headset to ground them. The storm had escalated to the point where it wasn't safe to fly anymore. Tommy let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that even though it was the right call, it meant he wouldn't be able to get back to the scene. Grounded meant he would be stuck in the hospital, waiting out the weather.

His thoughts drifted back to Evan—out there in the middle of it. So, when Tommy was the last one in the helicopter, he took a moment to pull out his phone, hoping for a text or update. But the screen was empty. No messages, no missed calls. He knew he shouldn't worry—Evan had handled worse, and a storm was just another part of the job. But despite that knowledge, his stomach clenched uncomfortably.

Tommy pocketed the phone, feeling a bit ridiculous for worrying so much. He exited the helicopter, and even in the quick dash to the hangar door, the rain managed to half-drench him. His pilot suit clung uncomfortably to his skin, the chill seeping in. He grimaced, brushing a hand through his damp hair.

"Great," he muttered to himself, shivering slightly as he pushed open the door and stepped inside. From there, he navigated the labyrinth of hallways, heading down toward the ED. After years on the job, Tommy had learned a few secrets from some of the nurses—like the fact that the coffee in the cafeteria near the ED was much better than what they had in other wings of the hospital.

It seemed like luck was on his side when Tommy noticed the familiar set of curls hunched over the nurse's station as he entered the ED. Evan hadn't noticed him yet, which gave Tommy a moment to take in the sight—completely drenched, looking like a wet rat after being caught in the storm. Tommy had to bite back a laugh at how disheveled he looked.

"Hey, handsome," Tommy grinned as he slunk up to where Evan stood.

Evan jumped slightly, glancing up from his notes. His expression softened into a tired but genuine smile, water still dripping from his curls.

"Hey yourself," he said, brushing his wet hair out of his eyes. "What are you still doing here?

"Dropped off the last patient. We're grounded for now, thanks to the weather," Tommy replied with a shrug.

"You've got time?" Evan asked, his voice a little too eager as his eyes darted around the busy ED. "I could probably make up some excuse with Bobby... We could grab coffee?"

Tommy raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Is my coffee going to have some milk this time?"

Evan gave him a sheepish grin, stepping closer until their shoulders nearly brushed. Without hesitation, he reached out and laced his fingers through Tommy's. "I promise, I'll grab some on the way home."

Home. Tommy felt that familiar flutter in his chest at the word again. Evan had started to throw it around more casually lately, and each time it hit Tommy in a way he wasn't quite used to. It made everything feel more real—not just some wishful daydream Tommy conjured up when his place felt too lonely with only him in it.

"Mhm, I have that in writing too," Tommy reminded him playfully, squeezing Evan's hand. "But, yeah, I've got time."

Just overhead, a loud roar of thunder echoed through the hospital, followed by a sharp crack of lightning that struck somewhere nearby. A moment later, the lights began to flicker and dim, casting the hall in an eerie, unstable glow. Instinctively, Tommy looked up at the ceiling, his grip on Evan's hand tightening ever so slightly.

"Great," Evan muttered, his gaze following Tommy's, as the lights struggled to stabilize. "Just what we needed—a power outage in the middle of all this."

"The generators should kick in any moment now," Tommy mumbled, more to himself than to Evan, his eyes still fixed on the flickering lights above. They stopped flickering.

When Tommy would look back at that moment, guilt-ridden as he replayed the events over and over in his mind, he would think of all the things he should have done. He should have grabbed Evan's hand and dragged him right out of the hospital, ignoring every instinct as a firefighter and instead said, "Screw it". He should have known, sensed it—should have put Evan first, before everything went sideways.

Except, he didn't.

When the shouts and screams erupted from a room somewhere to the side, Tommy didn't do any of those things. Instead, he frowned, shared a look with Evan, and stayed put by the nurse's station.

His mind went into a familiar mode: assess, analyze, act. The screams grew louder, panicked voices echoing off the sterile walls, but neither of them moved just yet. They were waiting, watching, gauging the situation. And then, there was no more time.

The next second, a commotion erupted from a nearby room. A shuffle broke out as one man pushed another through the door. Chaos spilled into the hallway. Tommy vaguely heard a nurse's voice shout, urgent:

"Security! Code silver! Active threat in the ED!"

And then a bang.

Tommy blinked against the brief, blinding flash of light that followed, and before he could process what was happening, a body hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Tommy froze. For a split second, everything around him blurred—the gunshots, the chaos, the sound of bodies hitting the ground. It was a moment he'd never fully forgive himself for. His feet were rooted to the floor as security rushed past them, but it didn't matter. The gun was still raised, and another shot rang out.

Another body hit the ground.

The shattering of glass, splintering into a million pieces, finally snapped him back to reality.

Evan was already moving, ripping his hand from Tommy's grip and dropping to the ground to check on the security guard who had fallen. Tommy's heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself into action, his mind racing to catch up as adrenaline surged through his veins.

A scuffle broke out, the chaos intensifying as some people scrambled to evacuate while few of the staff rushed to help the injured.

For a moment, Tommy lost sight of Evan, the blur of bodies clouding his vision. His heart lurched painfully in his chest, panic clawing at him as he scanned the area frantically, searching for that familiar figure amid the chaos.

He didn't see as the shooter grabbed someone in a choke-hold, with a gun raised to their head. His attention was set somewhere else.

"Evan!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the noise as he finally spotted him crouched. Relief surged through him, but it was short-lived. Just as Tommy moved to get to him, the shooter's attention snapped toward them.

The man's gaze locked onto Evan, and in that split second, Tommy's blood ran cold.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Evan exclaimed, raising his arms slowly, palms open. "We're firefighters! We can help!"

"No, no. Only one of you," he said finally, his voice shaky but determined as he waved the gun between the woman he was holding and their general direction.

Tommy's stomach dropped, a sense of dread settling in like ice in his veins. The shooter was barely in control, panicked and irrational, and every movement felt like it could tip things into disaster. This was spiraling, fast, and Tommy knew it was only going to get worse.

He was no stranger to guns. He'd grown up seeing them in his father's hands, the man recklessly firing off rounds in their backyard when temper mixed with alcohol took over. He'd seen guns in the military, had been trained with them, witnessed firsthand what they could do. He saw it almost daily in the gunshot victims he transported at the back of the chopper - too many lives torn apart by bullets. He had become desensitized to it, to the violence they brought.

If it was pointed at him, his pulse likely wouldn't even spike. His hands wouldn't shake.

But this was different.

Now, his pulse thundered in his ears, and his hands trembled with an intensity that terrified him, because the gun wasn't aimed at him. Instead it was dangerously close to pointing at the one person who meant everything to him— Evan.

The love of his life.

"Okay," Tommy finally managed to force out, though his voice wasn't quite steady. "What do you want?"

The man growled, his eyes wild and darting around the room. "How do I lock the doors?"

A nurse, her hands trembling, hurriedly pulled out a pair of keys from a drawer and held them out, showing them to the man. Tommy's heart sank; it meant their only exit was about to be cut off. The situation was rapidly closing in on them, both figuratively and literally.

But as the shooter's focus shifted toward the nurse, instructing her to do it, Tommy saw it—an opening, a brief moment of distraction.

Without thinking twice, he moved closer to Evan, subtly shifting his stance so he was positioned just enough to shield Evan from a clear shot, should the man spiral even further and snap.

He wasn't sure if Evan noticed the shift, and he didn't care. If something went wrong, he wasn't going to let Evan be the one in the line of fire. If he had to, he'd gladly take the hit first.

There was no universe, no reality in which he'd allow himself to be standing with his hands covered in Evan's blood today. Not ever.

"Tommy," Evan hissed quietly beside him.

Ah, so he did notice. But Tommy didn't dare glance at him, didn't risk looking into Evan's eyes and seeing the concern—or worse, the fear—there. There was too much at stake to get distracted, and Evan was his weak spot. Seeing those emotions would break his focus, distract him—and distractions could get them both killed.

"Hey, they can see where I... They're going to shoot me!" the shooter yelled, panic creeping into his voice.

'Yeah, no shit,' Tommy thought briefly, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. But he stayed silent.

"Hey, you!" The shooter's focus snapped back to them, and Tommy's shoulders tensed, his body instinctively shifting just a little more in front of Evan. "I have to cover the windows! What do I use?"

"I don't know." Tommy replied curtly, his voice clipped.

"How about- how about the sheets?" Tommy took a glance where he gestured toward one of the rooms "Alright, they have lots of those, right? Do it. Now."

Tommy's stomach twisted. He didn't have much choice, but still, he hesitated. His eyes flickered to Evan, who was still on the ground, kneeling next to the security guard as he tried to put pressure on the wound in the shoulder. Moving now would leave Evan completely exposed, utterly vulnerable.

If anything went wrong, if the shooter spiraled even further, Evan wouldn't stand a chance. Not even if he had the fastest reflexes in the world.

It would be an execution.

For a split second, Tommy's world shrunk, zeroing in on that one horrifying thought, the fear tightening its grip on his heart.

But the thought of that combined with Evan—his Evan—didn't compute in Tommy's mind. His brain outright refused to entertain the idea and his body locked up as if physically rejecting the command.

Whether the shooter noticed Tommy's hesitation or simply felt the walls closing in on him, he made a sudden move, shoving the woman he was holding toward Tommy and ordered her to help him.

Fuck.

Tommy finally moved, with a heavy heart, every step feeling like he was walking through a minefield that he might set off with one wrong step. His every instinct screamed at him to stay, to protect Evan, but he had no choice

It felt like betrayal, stepping away from Evan.

Almost like an out-of-body experience, Tommy moved mechanically, helping the woman as they covered the windows, sealing off any visibility into the room and sucking out all the oxygen.

The doctor with the first victim started to talk with the shooter, pulling his attention away. Tommy crept back to Evan, without taking his eyes off the shooter, Tommy squatted down beside Evan. His hand found Evan's instinctively—like it always did—and he squeezed it tightly. Whether it was to reassure Evan or to ground himself, he couldn't tell. Maybe both.

"Listen, I just want to get my girlfriend out of here. I don't want to hurt anybody else, but I will if you get in my way." The shooter's voice wavered as he spun around, his eyes wild and desperate. His gaze locked back onto them, and Tommy felt his muscles tense.

"Hey, you. Back where you were," the man barked, gesturing toward Tommy.

Tommy hesitated, his grip on Evan's hand tightening.

"It's okay. Go," Evan mumbled softly, when Tommy made no move. Tommy glanced down, eyes locking with Evan's for a brief moment, silently pleading for something. To tell him to stay? Maybe?

"Go," Evan repeated, more firmly this time, giving Tommy's hand a squeeze before letting go.

Tommy swallowed hard, his throat tight as he slowly stood, feeling the warmth of Evan's hand slip away. Taking a breath that felt too shallow, he stepped away, forcing his feet to move back to where the shooter had pointed.

Tommy's blood ran cold as the gun swung in Evan's direction, the finger on the trigger making his heart lurch painfully in his chest. The air in the room seemed to freeze.

"You!" the shooter barked, voice harsh and desperate. "Get those cuffs. Now."

Tommy's pulse roared in his ears, panic clawing at him, but he forced himself to stay still, forced himself to swallow the instinct to rush forward.

"Take it easy," Evan said, his voice steady despite the danger. He reached for the cuffs, holding them up for the shooter to see. "I'm getting them. Just... take it easy."

"Cuff him to that desk."

Tommy flinched as the cold metal of the cuff locked around his wrist. He glanced down, frowning in confusion. The metal bit into his skin, his arm instinctively tugging against it, testing for any give. But before he could react further, another click echoed in the air—Evan securing the second cuff to the desk.

Tommy's heart dropped.

And then he felt it—Evan's hand briefly wrapping around his forearm. The words that followed were barely a whisper, soft but devastating.

"I love you," Evan murmured, his voice filled with emotion.

A wave of panic and dread crashed over Tommy, his throat tightening painfully. He shook his head, eyes burning as he met Evan's gaze.

"Don't," Tommy choked out, his voice strained. Don't say it like that. Please.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out from one of the nearby rooms—the same one where the shooter had come from originally. The noise set the man off. He jerked in response, taking several threatening steps closer to them, his movements frantic and unpredictable.

And Tommy couldn't do a damn thing. He couldn't move, couldn't act—his wrist still cuffed to the desk, helpless to stop what was about to happen. He could only watch Evan, without hesitation, moved in front of him, his arm stretching out protectively, shielding Tommy with his own body.

Of course Evan did. Evan, who always wore his heart on his sleeve, who rushed headfirst into things without thinking it through. Evan, who seemed to believe it was his responsibility to protect everyone.

Tommy loved him.

Tommy would never forgive him for this. For being so fucking reckless. As if Tommy needed his protection more than he need him. As if he wasn't Tommy's entire world.

But then the shooter spun around, distracted, pacing erratically as he moved in and out of the room. He could feel Evan tense beside him, could see the wheels turning in his head. His hart seized with paralyzing fear.

"Evan," Tommy hissed, grabbing at his arm, his grip tight with desperation. "Don't. Don't do anything stupid."

Tommy would plead if he needed to. He'd drop to his knees and beg if it meant Evan would stand down. Because he knew Evan. Knew how his mind worked, how he was wired. Evan wasn't the type of man to stand by and do nothing. He wasn't someone who waited for the danger to pass; he ran into it.

And Tommy couldn't lose him. Not like this. Not now, not when they had just really started building their lives together. Not ever.

His grip tightened on Evan's arm, his fingers digging into his skin, until Evan had no choice but to look at him. Evan's jaw tightened, but he didn't say anything. Didn't move. Not yet.

And Tommy clung to that sliver of hope like a lifeline. Even if he knew, deep down, that it was false.

For a fleeting moment, it was nice. Almost comforting.

It last all of a few minutes.

Because the next time the shooter passed by them, Evan, honest to God, lunged at the man.

Tommy's heart stopped.

"No!" Tommy's shout ripped from his throat before he even realized it.

The time stood still.

Tommy's eyes were wide open, unblinking, but it was as if he couldn't see. Maybe it was because Evan's back was turned to him, as he wrestled with the shooter for the gun. Maybe it was because Tommy's mind was too busy processing the raw sound of his own voice—hoarse and desperate—screaming as he pulled against the cuffs with every ounce of strength he had. Or maybe, he did see everything but his brain, in its cruel mercy, refused to let him process it.

It was too much. Too loud. Too fast.

Another bang erupted, deafening in the enclosed space, and Tommy's world stopped.

A body dropped to the floor.

The world tilted on its axis, and Tommy's breath hitched. His heart stopped for one agonizing second.

No. No.

Hands were suddenly on his face, trying to steady him, trying to make him focus. But Tommy couldn't. He flinched at the touch, his body trembling violently, too overwhelmed to respond. He shook his head, refusing to let the scene before him solidify into anything real.

He couldn't look. Couldn't force himself to look.

"Breathe, baby, breathe." Evan's voice cut through the haze, repeating the words like a mantra. "Breathe."

Tommy choked in a ragged breath, his chest tight and painful as the words slowly registered. He blinked, and slowly, too slowly, the world began to come back into focus. Evan was there, right in front of him, alive and breathing, with his hands still cupping Tommy's face, trying to steady him.

Tommy's hands instinctively reached out to touch him, to make sure he was real, even though there were specks of blood splattered across Evan's skin. But the cuffs yanked him back, cutting his reach short. A pitiful sound escaped him, more like a wounded animal than a man.

Evan did it for him, closing the gap, he wrapped himself around Tommy and buried his face in Tommy's neck. It took Tommy longer than it should have to wrap his free arm around Evan, to actually feel his warmth, his solid presence. To know he was really there.

"You're okay," Evan murmured into his neck, his breath warm against Tommy's skin. Soft lips pressed into his neck, bringing a flicker of warmth back into his cold, numb body. "We're okay."

"I hate you," Tommy whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking.

"No, you don't," Evan hummed back, his tone matter-of-fact.

Tommy let out a trembling choked out laugh, his body sagging. "No, I don't," he admitted quietly, finally squeezing Evan tighter.

There were so many things he wanted to say, things he needed to say. He will tell Evan how much he loved him. He will berate him for doing something so stupid, so dangerous. He will make sure Evan didn't leave his sight for days, maybe weeks.

But all that would come later. After his heart stopped racing like it was about to leap out of his chest. After his mind could fully register that Evan was here, alive, and okay.

Because there was an after.

[ ps: This was heavily inspired by an episode of Chicago Med, credit is where it's due]