The thought blooms fully fledged in Buck's mind on Saturday as he wakes up, and it is so unlike anything he has ever thought that he goes from what the fuck to What. The FUCK.
Sitting up in bed, he checks his phone. Saturday 8.07am, eight minutes before the alarm goes off. He has a basket of laundry to do and a list of groceries to pick up from Trader Joe's; there are two library books due and he is supposed to be baking something for the Stitch and Bitch.
Tommy Kinard dies on Thursday at 3.49pm.
His heart thumps painfully at the thought that repeats in his head. It will be weird, won't it, for him to call Tommy and ask, hey, what are you doing on Thursday, say around late afternoon? Oh, nothing, I just can't shake the feeling you're gonna die.
He should leave out that last part.
Maybe Tommy has a shift on Thursday. A pang of something twinges in his chest. They used to have each other's shifts on a common calendar. Tommy&Evan. Sometimes they picked up extra shifts here and there, and they left notes for each other.
The last message he's had from Tommy was "let me know if you need anything". Buck had reacted with a thumbs up and nothing else.
Taking a deep breath, he texts Tommy and asks if he's working Thursday.
No, I'm free. Gonna finish up the pergola in the backyard. What's up?
Tommy doesn't even sound bothered by Buck's message out of nowhere. Like they've been conversing all along.
It shouldn't make tears come to Buck's eyes, and yet. He inhales sharply, and sends, all by yourself?
Yep
I'm quite handy around the house
as you know đ
Buck wants to flirt back. But he can't shake the thought that woke him up from the front of his mind.
Tommy Kinard dies on Thursday at 3.49pm.
He takes a deep breath and holds it until he wants to burst. Then he calls Tommy.
"Hey," Tommy replies on the second ring. "I don't think I can borrow another helicopter until 2099."
"I'll make a note," Buck says, smiling despite the hammering of his heart against his ribs. "I'm just wondering if it's okay for me to, um, to go over on Thursday. T-to hang out."
There's a pause on the other end of the line. Finally, Tommy asks, hesitation in every syllable, "Why would you wanna do that?"
Because you might die. You might actually die and I can't risk that without me seeing you one more time before then. You may die on Thursday at 3.49pm and if I'm not there it might really happen, and if it does and I could've done something but I didn't because I wasn't there, and what if I don't even have the chance to say-
"I love you."
Buck's hand flies to his mouth in shock. That is not what he intended to say. His face grows hot and his feet icy. He wants to bury himself in the foundations of his new house and never be found again. He wants to be shot into the surface of the sun. He wants to be standing right in front of Tommy to see his expression.
He wants Tommy to know.
He wants Tommy to say something.
There isn't a reply. Buck hears breathing, and a quiet gulp, but no words.
"I... I didn't mean to-to blurt that out," Buck whispers when the silence is a little much to bear. "I just... I miss you, and I can't stop thinking about you even now, and I... I love you. I'm sorry. I should have said that earlier. Much earlier. I'm so sorry."
"I'm free now," Tommy answers, not in response to anything Buck has just said.
"What?"
"I'm free now," Tommy repeats. "You don't... You don't have to wait for Thursday. You can come here, now. Come here, a-and tell me. Tell me in person." A shaky inhale, and then a hushed, "please".
A single tear escapes Buck's control and rolls down his cheek. It is so simple. It has always been so simple.
God, he's been so stupid about this.
"Okay. I'll be there in twenty." He smiles and nods. "I'll be there. Don't... Don't go anywhere."
"I'll be waiting."
+++
Tommy Kinard dies on Thursday at 3.49pm.
Evan Kinard dies on Thursday, 4.06pm, hand in hand with his husband, celebrating forty years of marriage.
entirely bc of @v88sy 's comments, i wrote a continuation of this supposed one-shot!! don't pay attention to the fact that the word count doubled... enjoy!!
rated G | 7635 words
read it on AO3
There's spumoni on their first date.
Does it count as a first date if it's them trying again? A second first date? Does it matter?
(âŠ)
It doesn't matter. They're here now.
[ the one where tommy stays ]
Fic summaries in quotation marks are the author's own!
Unfinished fics are marked as 'In Progress', and any important notes are in parentheses after the summary!
đȘsupernatural/fantasy AUsđ»
Tell Me Where the Good Men Go by @harmonic-intervention
One Shot, Rated: T, Words: 19,023
"Bobby death fix it inspired by Just Like Heaven"
Tell Me I'm Wrong by @setmeatopthepyre
One Shot, Not Rated, Words: 1,494
Reaper. Tommy. Enough said!!
An Educated Thirst series by Aithi/ @trombonechurchill
One Shots, Rated: M/E, Words: 19,268
"or 5+1 times Bartender!Buck tried to guess the favorite drink of his new, totally human patron, Tommy."
Light in the Storm by @annepi-blog
One Shot, Rated: E, Words: 10,167
A grumpy lighthouse keeper stumbles across a man (or ???) on the shore after a storm and offers him shelter
From Marble by @pghumfort
One Shot, Rated G, Words: 12,135
"Stone carver AU inspired by Oliverâs tattoo âI saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him freeâ. In which apprentice stone carver!Buck falls in love with the angel he sees in one of the marble blocks delivered to his mentorâs workshop"
Spark by Audithea/ @station18908
One Shot, Rated: T, Words: 9,821
"âSo how did you get the fire under control so quickly?â Tommy finally asks, because he needs to say something to move past this awkward moment.
The cute guy grins at him once again, snaps his fingers and whispers: âMagic.â"
Fate is Just the Weight of Circumstances by prufrocks/ @geddyqueer
One Shot, Rated: M, Words: 1,919
"Buck gets cursed by a mummy. Luckily, Chimney knows a guy who owes him a favor."
To Wither and Bloom by anoukinspace/ @seen-the-stars
One Shot, Rated: M, Words: 8,604
"the dnd au. sometimes home is the stranger who takes care of your injury, and sometimes your soul finds its missing link completely on accident."
Occupational Hazards May Include Hauntings by @daniwib
Multi Chapter, Rated: M, Words: 12,256
"Buck is being haunted. Or more accurately, Buckâs locker is being haunted. No one believes him until Chimney comes back to work. Together they try to piece together the ghostâs identity so they can lay his spirit to rest.
Things get complicated from there."
Fae!Tommy series by ThatOneNerdGirl/ @kingmlem
One Shots, Rated: M/T, Words: 3,771
"Evan Buckley ventures into the woods, the backdrop of a typical suburban neighborhood, in search of something of an insurance policy."
The Ballad of Wally Coyote by @capitalnineteen
One Shot, Rated: E, Words: 22,222
"Tommy Kinard has wings.
âHow long?â Evan eventually asks.
It might be hard for Evan to see with the way Tommyâs wings are still curled around him but he lifts one shoulder and drops it. âAlways?â
âBut⊠how? Theyâre, uh⊠kinda hard to miss.â
âThey used to disappear.â
âThey used toâŠâ Evan exhales slowly. âI don't know how to take that. This. Any of it.â
Tommy snorts. âYeah. Me either.â"
Maybe Together We Can Get Somewhere by Polish_Amber/@the-amber-raven
Multi Chapter, Rated: T, Words: 62,459
"Tommy has always been able to see ghosts.
Usually, they stick around for a few days or weeks, maybe several months before they get what they need to move on. There was one ghost, however, who appeared when Tommy was young and seemed to be unable to get the closure he needed to let go and so he just⊠never left.
He got used to it, after a while, and Daniel became a consistent companion throughout his life."
Not a Ghost by iwroteafictoday
Multi Chapter, Rated: G, Words: 103,110
"After being struck by lightning, Buck fought to get out of his coma dream and back to reality. He succeeded somewhat. The problem was that not only was his body still lying in the hospital bed, but he was also staring down at it with no one able to see or hear him. Well, that wasnât true. This random firefighter named Tommy could see and hear him."
In Progress: The Water's Wide by @queermccoy
Multi Chapter, Rated: E
"What happened?
The sudden storm, the crashing waves, the boat capsizing. He'd been soaked through from a frigid rain, fingers and toes going numb before the feeling crept up his limbs. The last thing he remembered, freezing and scared and loosing his footing on deck, was a strong light flashing between sheets of torrential rain.
He must have died. Except, if he was dead and this was heavenâit had to be, nothing so beautiful could be from hellâwhy did his whole goddamn body hurt so bad.
or, Tommy is rescued after a terrible shipwreck."
(BuddieTommy)
In Progress: We Met at the Wrong Time, Fell at the Right Time... by @xtarmanderx
Multi Chapter, Rated: M
"Buckâs only been in the ghost hunting business for a few years and heâs seen his fair share of odd things on the job, but heâs never met anyone like Tommy Kinard."
okay i'm sorry!! i tried to make buck an assassin but he refused. so we're still doing crime but it's just a different type! and it's not really mr and mrs smith because. well. there's flirting before but they find out before they get together.
buck met athena in minnesota. or perhaps it's more accurate to say that athena robbed the art gallery that buck was doing security at, but instead of knocking him out or shooting him, she offered him a job. (because buck was only working security in order to find out how to get through it so he could steal a painting of his own.)
athena's got a crew; bobby, who used to be on the other side until he retired for reasons that never get talked about but that even buck knows about â eddie, their muscle, may and harry, athena's kids and props department (and infrequent medical staff), and ravi, who hacks and does a lot of stuff that buck only half understands at the best of times. they rob and grift their way across the country, aiming for people who have done their own fair share of something bad. it's a very pointed karma.
he and athena take turns at being the grifter, depending on the con, and bobby's always in charge, and buck's⊠got people he can rely on for the first time since maddie left. the second a job starts, he knows they're all getting out of there just fine.
a few years after buck joins up, they start hearing rumours about another crew who are doing the same sort of thing that they are. bobby starts muttering to himself but buck is happy to let them do their thing â there are more than enough bad guys to go around â right up until this other crew starts going after their targets and getting there first.
bobby, eddie and ravi spend an entire week picking their base apart and looking for bugs. may and harry hit the dark web looking for clues. athena reaches out to her old partner romero. buck seethes and drinks coffee and stares at the hot guy who's started showing up at his gym. he's gotta ask about that routine. maybe if he gets enough practice in, he can back eddie up when he needs to. (buck is a fast runner, but his punches are. eh. there's room for improvement.)
they get their first look at the other crew on a job in chicago and buck â buck has to wonder if tommy kinard knew who he was when he flirted with him outside the gym in portland and asked him out to coffee while he promised to show him a new routine.
buck's offended and turned on in equal measure, and he feels a little bad about the jerking off he does that night. he wakes up the next morning and thinks: good. okay. focus on taking them down.
well. he does do that. but the jerking off doesn't stop.
tommy and the rest of his crew (sal, the mastermind, chim, the hacker, hen, the grifter, tommy â the muscle, obviously â and karen, their thief) start haunting them. bobby knows sal from back in the day, and sal seems to be offended that bobby has switched sides and is determined not to let him get away with anything.
buck takes that as a challenge. he's a good grifter and a great thief, and with the rest of his team to back him up he has a feeling he can get just about anything that exists.
he snatches a painting that karen was two floors away from right before she gets in position. he distracts tommy while athena and eddie are liberating a surveillance program that ravi's going to yeet into space.
he distracts tommy in what buck thinks is a terrible wig, enough foundation to cover his birthmark, a smooth english accent and a smoother whiskey, and once he's got confirmation that athena and eddie are out and no one's the wiser he plants a kiss on the corner of tommy's mouth, slips him a hotel room key, and sashays out of the bar.
he saves the screenshot of tommy walking into the empty room and looking disappointed right before he realizes what happened as tommy's contact photo. not that he actually has tommy's number.
his phone rings when he's halfway through cracking the safe and he thumbs it to his headset. whatever it is must be important if they're calling him instead of using the radio.
the safe swings open as the call connects and buck is staring at an empty safe. no diamonds. "better luck next time, sweetheart," tommy says, voice so smooth buck feels a little drunk with it, and then then buck is listening to the dial tone.
"son of a bitch," buck mutters, his face impassive by the time he turns around. they're probably watching and he refuses to give them the satisfaction.
"i'm gonna punch him in the face the next time we're in the same room," eddie swears, pushing a takeout container down the table after he takes a spring roll for himself.
"he's got a few inches on you," buck says, taking a mushu pork for himself.
"sal? no he doesn't."
ah. buck knows exactly what he wants to do to tommy the next time they're in a room together, and also knows he can't. tommy doesn't like him. and any one of their team members could walk in. but he thinks about it. he thinks about it a lot. it's a bit of a problem.
the only thing that keeps buck from having an inappropriate reaction to seeing tommy in person the next time is that they're both in the middle of fleeing some very angry, very armed bodyguards, and the fear is overriding the urge to get a boner. and the urge to offer to give tommy one.
they skid around the next corner fast enough that none of the guards can see which hallway they ran down, and tommy tugs buck into an empty office. "shh," tommy whispers, pressing buck against the door.
"buck, everything okay?" bobby's voice comes over the intercom and buck taps it twice as an okay, then a rapid three for an sos. "ravi, what'sâ"
"oh boy," ravi chimes in, the sound of typing in the background. "someone appears to have doubled the guards tonight."
buck grimaces as someone runs through the hallway, tensing up when tommy leans into him. he opens his mouth to ask him to back off, and then there's a big hand over his mouth and tommy's holding a finger to his own, and there's the crackle of a radio outside their door andâ
"party crashers," a new voice chimes in, and buck jumps. would jump, if he wasn't wedged between a door and a mountain of a man. as it is, he mostly just twitches. "this is why we rsvp, people. it's embarrassing to have two parties on the same night."
tommy's jaw tightens like he wants to say something.
"they linked into our comms," ravi warns. they can be heard, so be careful. "we've got two friendlies stuck in an office on the fifth floor, and â any ideas how to clear it?"
"normally we'd send t to go bust some faces, but your thief seems to have gotten him caught."
"don't worry, i can bust some faces. starting with yours."
"eddie. take the west stairwell. athena, front door. draw as many guards away as you can without looking like threats."
"ladies, east side."
"ravi can youâ"
"already blocking the radios," chim says, and buck thunks his head back against the door. damnit. they're good at pushing buttons. he kind of hates them.
there's no noise of bone against wood because tommy saw what he was doing and slid his hand behind buck's head. so now buck almost gave them away, tommy's hand is still over his mouth, and his other hand is cradling buck's head, and buck wants to crawl into a hole and die because he's blushing. it's better than the alternative but not by much.
"really? the guards?" are the first words out of athena's mouth when she opens the door. tommy keeps buck from stumbling, and he shoves his hands in his pockets.
"doubled the numbers," buck retorts. "maybe like someone told them we were coming?"
there's a damning silence from the other end of the comms but buck catches tommy wincing.
"come on, eddie's holding our exit," athena says, looping an arm through buck's. tommy trails after them, maintaining a prudent distance. buck's not sure if he's afraid one of them is going to hit him or if he's worried they'll try to pick his pockets. (joke's on him, buck already lifted the patent and squirrelled it away while they were waiting for a rescue.)
tommy's waiting outside his hotel room when buck gets back that night, a wry grin on his face. "you picked my pocket."
"i'm very good at what i do. it's already gone," buck adds, in case tommy is thinking about trying to get it back. buck still isn't as good at punching as he'd like, but eddie says his grappling is getting better.
"bit disappointed that i didn't notice," tommy continues. "not every day a cute guy feels me up."
"do you have a concussion? are you trying to get me to say something embarrassing?" buck checks, because what. what does tommy mean, he wishes he'd felt buck stealing something out of his back pocket.
"why? what would me admitting that i find you attractive make you say that you would find embarrassing?" tommy asks, raising an eyebrow. buck doesn't appreciate how quickly he's able to turn that into a â a flirtation. damn it, he's flustered. and he grabbed one single beer at dinner, so his brain to mouth filter is a little looser than it normally would be. especially when confronted by the guy he's been a little obsessed with for the last year.
"how many times i've thought about getting you naked."
"how many times?"
"lost track."
"when was the last time?"
"about twenty minutes ago."
"when's the next time?" tommy asks, the smirk softening into something a little more genuine.
"right now," buck says, pushing his hotel room door open and yanking tommy in by the neck of his t-shirt.
eddie pelts buck with a pillow when he comes in to get him the next morning, and bobby mutters something about a truce while sending a text.
I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has followed this journey, liked or commented on my work, or taken the time to write a comment. It means the world to me that you enjoyed my writing and stuck with this story until the end.
I had a blast creating this universe and exploring this version of Buck and Tommy, while trying to stay true to their characters.
I know, I know, Tommy was a total dumbass in the last chapter. But let's see how this beautiful mess gets resolved!
Without further ado, let's dive into the finale!
Enjoy!
Chapter 12
(I will be on vacation starting Friday, and I have no idea if I will have internet access during this time. So, if I don't respond to your comments immediately, that's why! But I promise I will answer everyone!)
my friend's discord server has a "proof of touch grass" channel where they post pics of them doing regular activities outdoors/in public. i think many online spaces could benefit from such a thing
Thereâs an auto repair shop in my neighborhood and when I go walking, I walk past the service garage so naturally I am thinking of mechanic Tommy
And Buck who has to bring his jeep in when it wonât start
And Tommy has to act so so cool and not like he has a big fat crush on the guy who heâs seen running shirtless past the garage several times a week for the past year
The older i get the more i understand why some people become obsessed with privacy, not because theyâre hiding something, but because being constantly perceived starts to feel spiritually exhausting.
Did you know that soda machines at restaurants and movie theaters spy on you? That most common new cars now record your sexual preferences and send it to the manufacturer (and also data about anyone who also gets in your car, walks by your car, and maybe happens to be within visual range of your car)? That grocery stores are trying to force customers to download an app to scan barcodes on shelves instead of putting up prices, so the app can scan the phone, decide how much that customer should be squeezed for, and adjust the price? That more and more innocent people are being sent to jail for crimes committed hundreds of miles away because an AI facial recognition algorithm spit their faces out and the cops didn't bother to do the most basic of checks?
I am not uptight about privacy because I'm hiding something. I'm uptight about it because the people who dismiss my right to privacy are dangerous to you and me and our families, personally, all the time.
They have food at home (Or: Why Buck and Tommy really shouldn't be in the kitchen at the same time) - Part 8: Take out
~
âI think we need to admit to ourselves that this just isnât working,â Buck states very calmly, watching Tommy across the kitchen island.
The corner of Tommyâs mouth twitches in amusement. âEvan, are you banning me from your kitchen? This kitchen right here?â
âYes,â Buck confirms. âWell, no. But kind of?â
âOkay. Very clear. Super precise,â Tommy snarks.
âItâs not like you canât use the kitchen at all,â Buck clarifies. A full ban is never going to work, and every rule needs a few exceptions. âAnd you can still make breakfast.â
Tommy crosses his arms, but he still looks far more amused than displeased. âOh, can I? Arenât you worried Iâll burn the place down?â
Buck ignores the obvious sarcasm and gives Tommy what he hopes is a very charming and innocent smile. âThings only go wrong when weâre both in the kitchen and get distracted. If you get up early and make French toast, thatâs totally safe.â
âSo you still want breakfast in bed,â Tommy states very seriously. âBut if youâre cooking, Iâm supposed to be on the sofa.â
âOr in bed. Or maybe in the shower. Showering is nice.â
Tommy nods, still with a very grave expression on his face, but Buck can tell heâs struggling not to smile. Finally Tommy breaks, grinning and shaking his head at the same time. âYouâre so lucky youâre cute.â
Buck beams at him. âSo we agree thatââ
âOh, absolutely not,â Tommy tells him. âWeâre two grown men, we can figure out how to make dinner without setting the place on fire.â
âDinner isnât the problem,â Buck points out. The issue is how easily they get distracted by each other, and how quickly they lose track of time or their surroundings.
âI know,â Tommy admits with a smirk that does things to Buck. âBut speaking of dinnerâŠHow do you feel about ordering Chinese? Or Thai?â
âThai sounds good,â Buck agrees. âBut youâre still banned.â
Tommy sighs and raises his right hand. âI hereby swear to keep my hands to myself when weâre cooking together.â
âAnd your mouth,â Buck insists with a grin.
âAnd my mouth and my dick. Happy?â
âSo happy,â Buck confirms and leans over to kiss Tommy.
When the delivery service rings Buckâs doorbell an hour later, Tommyâs jeans are on the kitchen floor once again.
still thinking about broken up bucktommy cock warming and I love the idea that it's not something they've done before...
Buck hasn't been out in months, so of course it's his luck that he runs into Tommy again (never mind that it's the same bar)
They go home together, crash through Buck's door (different door this time, but it's almost like no time has passed at all since the last time, or the first time; this could be them still together--one, three, six months in)
Buck promises Tommy a tour--after--if you stay, heavily implied.
They're hot and heavy, all the way to the bedroom, peeling off the layers, hardly giving each other room to breathe. But stripped down to nothing, just them and everything left unsaid between them.
Buck pushes Tommy onto the bed. Buck is hard and dripping precum already, eager and needy. Tommy is...not. His cock is still soft, but it's okay because he hasn't taken his eyes off of Buck the whole time, has only stopped touching him to take off his clothes, even now he reaches out to him.
Buck gets on the bed, crawls between Tommy's thighs. He always loved this part anyway...taking Tommy into his mouth soft and getting him hard, getting to feel the progression of it.
Five, ten minutes go by and Buck's given up on stroking Tommy's shaft and massaging his balls. Tommy's cock is still soft in his mouth, heavy on his tongue. It's not what Buck was going for, but--he really likes it. Without the burning need to make Tommy, and himself, feel good--to get them both off--he can appreciate how it feels to just...hold part of Tommy inside of his body. To just be.
Tommy sighs. "I should go."
Buck blinks in confusion. He looks up at Tommy, a discontented noise springing from his throat.
"This isn't working."
Buck slowly, reluctantly, lets Tommy's cock slip out of his mouth. "It's working for me." His voice is rough, like it hasn't been used in days. Which is just as well--when was the last time he'd said anything meaningful to Tommy, anyway?
Tommy gives him a weird look, but doesn't comment.
"Can you just"--stay--"let me have this?"
Tommy swallows. Nods. Threads his fingers through Buck's curls. He settles back against the bed, his thighs bracketing Buck's body the way Buck likes.
Buck takes Tommy's soft cock into his mouth again, lets the weight settle against his tongue--lets it settle him. He's held down and floating at the same time, body and mind relaxed knowing that Tommy isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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