still fucking hate the show and the writing of it. I hope some of the writers will never be employed ever again. as writers or showrunners.
this was a Daemon episode and I fucking loved it. the competent charisma of Matt Smith in combination with incredible earnest energy of Emma D’Arcy is just chefs kiss 🤌🏻
I think the next time I will watch the show will be in season four probably around halfway through and it will have some relation to God’s eye.
i often get the feeling that i'll never want somebody else // G // 9-1-1 bucktommy // 1482 words // written for the prompt: "you make me feel like i'm home" for a writing head to head with @ambernotember
Summary:
3 times Tommy made his home more accommodating for Theo and 1 time it became Buck and Theo's home, too.
Excerpt:
Theo watched for a few moments and then said "Mr. Tommy, not-Sparky wants apple slices!"
"Do ferrets eat apple slices?"
"Yeah, with peanut butter! And caramel!"
"I think ferrets are carnivores actually," Buck said, but Theo ignored him.
Tommy laughed and said "Okay, some special ferret-safe apple slices coming up." He gave a quick salute and went to get the snack.
Boyfriend took him out to dinner. A perfectly platonic dinner. The food was great, the company was even better. They stayed until the restaurant closed.
The logic wasn't sound, but Buck figured maybe a gay person could explain another gay person's behaviour, so he told Hen about the whole thing.
”Did he put the moves on you?”
”N-no.” He kissed my cheek and I've been thinking about it for four days. ”He was really sweet.” I wish I kissed him, too.
”Maybe he thinks it's funny,” Eddie said, butting into the conversation Buck hadn't invited him to.
”What's that?” Buck asked.
”Gay guys like making straight guys uncomfortable sometimes, right?”
Hen wrinkled her nose. ”I thought you met him?”
”I did, but he spent the whole night talking to Buck.”
”He doesn't make me uncomfortable,” Buck frowned.
Eddie held up his hands. ”It was just a suggestion.”
Buck looked at Hen. ”It wasn't like that. He's really sweet.”
Eddie continued to impose, ”Hey, what was his name?”
”He didn't tell me,” Buck muttered.
Hen grabbed his arm. ”Hold up. You went on a date with this man and you don't know his name?”
Buck felt the back of his neck go hot. ”It's funny, actually, see I saved his number in my phone, but I saved him as Boyfriend, and when I told him that, he thought it was hilarious and-and he won't tell me his name.”
”Do you think it's funny?” Hen asked pointedly.
The flush spread to his face. ”I, uhm, yeah.”
Hen gave him a look she usually reserved for when he talked about sex. ”I don't think I have any advice for this situation.”
”You're probably the only person who has ever been in this situation,” Eddie snickered.
They had two calls, back to back, so the conversation was cut short, but it didn't stop Buck from continuing to think about it.
When most of the others went to get some rest, Buck found a quiet corner to himself. It took effort to put the call through.
”Hi, baby.”
”Oh, my God,” Buck muttered under his breath. He didn't do it a lot, but when Boyfriend called him baby, it sent lightning down his spine. ”Hi,” he said at a normal volume.
”What can I do for you?”
He did his best to steel himself. ”You know I'm not gay, right?”
”I do,” Boyfriend hummed. ”Why?”
He looked at the notepad on the table infront of him, going down the line of things he wanted to say. I don't want to lead you on. We've been on two dates, you should just tell me your name. Why do I feel this way when I'm with you.
Buck turned over the notepad. ”Have you been to the Tar Pits?”
”Not since middle school.”
LA native. Interesting.
”Do you wanna go? With me? There's a new exhibit I haven't seen.”
”I would love to.”
*
Buck spent the next week daydreaming about holding Boyfriend's hand infront of the dire wolf wall.
*
Leaning on a railing, looking into one of the pits, he glanced at Boyfriend and found himself blushing again. ”Sorry. I know this is pretty … I don't know. I always dreamt about being one of those people from National Geographic, you know? But you have to be really smart, and I got kicked out of college, and so,” he shrugged, without finishing any of his sentences.
Boyfriend bumped their shoulders together. ”I'm sure plenty of dumb people work for National Geographic,” he smirked. ”But you're not dumb, Evan. And you're definitely smarter than me.”
Buck didn't feel smart. He'd had plenty of opportunities to sneak a glance at Boyfriend's bank cards, or his signature, and he hadn't. Hell, he could've looked him up on Facebook. There were probably a lot of men with the last name Kinard in LA, but Buck could've found him.
”Hey.”
”Hey,” Boyfriend leaned in a little closer.
”Would you tell me your name, if I asked?”
”I would,” he smiled. ”Are you gonna ask me?”
Buck bit his lip. ”Not yet.”
They made their way through more of the exhibits, reading all the information together. Boyfriend didn't care how slowly Buck moved, or how many times he got out his phone to look something up.
”Wanna do something dumb?”
”With you? Absolutely.” Boyfriend eyed the pit. ”Unless you wanna jump the fence. I've seen people stuck in hot asphalt and it's so much more horrific than you can imagine.”
Buck shuddered. ”Uh, no, I wanted– Wanna go inside?”
Boyfriend linked their arms together, and took his weight easily, when Buck missed a step.
Most people probably wouldn't say so, but standing infront of four-hundred carefully mounted skulls was pretty romantic, as far as Buck was concerned. Or maybe it was the yellow backlight.
He'd been on a sailboat once. A small one. They sailed through the night. All of them had been young men, but when the sun set and they turned on the red cabin lights, it had been pretty damn romantic. Faces looked different in low light. Details disappeared. Freckles, eyes colours, wrinkles. It felt more intimate somehow, when people went soft around the edges.
They weren't holding hands, but they were touching. Their shoulders were resting against each other. Boyfriend was a little pink across the nose.
”What's your name?” Buck asked, without taking his eyes off the dire wolf skulls.
Boyfriend held out his hand. Buck took it. ”Off-duty firefighter-pilot Tommy Kinard with the 217.”
Buck's jaw dropped. ”We're colleagues?”
Boyfriend laughed. ”You made the same face the first time I told you.”
”You're a pilot?”
”I am.”
”Wait, no. No, if you're a pilot, you're definitely smarter than me. Pilots do so much math.”
”Being good at math doesn't make you smart.”
”Holy shit.” Buck couldn't stop shaking his hand. ”Wait, say it again?”
”Tommy.”
”I like Boyfriend better.”
Boyfriend laughed, loud and unrestrained. Buck couldn't help but join him.
”Wait, come here, I think you got a sunburn.” He turned Boyfriend's face away from the yellow light, to get a better look. ”I have aloe in my car.”
”So do I.”
”Right,” Buck ducked his head. ”First responder. Your car is probably full of shit.”
ft. Theo Riley, Evan Buckley, and a certain firefighter pilot who will be given a new name
***
It's not the first time they're out hiking, but this is definitely not how Buck predicted the day to go.
They have just got to the highest point of the trail that overlooks the Pacific. It is a beautiful sight, and Theo is still energetic enough to appreciate the panorama.
"Can we have our picnic here?" the kid asks.
"Okay, why don't we go to that tree over there and we'll have some snacks before we head down?"
"But first I wanna photo for show and tell. I wanna tell my class about us hiking sooooo far!" Theo throws open his arms for emphasis.
Buck grins and hunkers down next to the boy, phone already on selfie mode. Every time they do something new, Theo wants a picture as proof he's done it. "Alright. Biggest smile you got, kid. In one, two, three!"
But just as Buck is snapping the photo, Theo sees an interesting butterfly and spins to follow its flight path. Suddenly, the ground gives way and his foot slips. With a shriek, Theo falls.
With a desperate reach Buck tries to catch the boy, his fingers catching on Theo's watch as Buck sprawls on the ground, stopping the boy's slide for a second, but the strap breaks before Buck can swing his other arm down to grab Theo. Horrified and breathless, Buck can only watch, as Theo slides down the side of the hill, coming to a stop on a narrow ledge just under a boxthorn shrub.
"Don't move!" Buck yells. His heart is about to hammer out of his chest. Does he have ropes? Webbing? How long will that ledge hold?
"I'm scared!" Theo cries, his little face blotchy and tears cut through the dirt on his cheeks.
"I know, but you-you just flatten yourself against the slope, okay? Yes, exactly like that, and don't move, I promise you, I'm gonna get help, we'll get you out of this."
Buck wants to cry himself. Still flat on the ground, he dials 9-1-1, but the second it connects, another tremor hits. The ground under Buck shifts also and he is slipping down the side of the hill. Flailing wildly, he somehow catch hold of a thicker branch within the shrub near Theo's ledge and it stops his fall. Buck is sure that the spines have ripped up his palm, but at least he's not plummeting to his death in front of a little boy who already lost his parents in an accident.
If Buck swings his feet, he'll land on the ledge. It's only a few inches away. But he is much bigger and heavier than a little boy. The ledge isn't that large; he won't risk putting his weight on it.
"Theo, can you shuffle over very very carefully?" Buck asks. His other hand is still gripping his phone tightly, and he can hear the dispatcher on the other end of the line. "Shuffle along with your tummy to the slope, okay? Just a bit closer to me."
Theo gulps and takes one step closer. Then two.
Buck can feel his hand getting wet with blood, but thankfully the boxthorn seems to be firmly rooted.
For now.
Gingerly, he passes his phone to Theo. "Take the phone, buddy."
The boy is visibly trembling, but he takes the phone.
"Put it on speaker," Buck says, reaching up with his other hand to grab the stem, closer to the root. The prick of dozens of spines startles cold sweat along his spine and over his brow. He digs his fingers in and uses the pain to focus.
The dispatcher on the other end of the line calls out, "Hello, what's your emergency?"
"This is off duty firefighter Buckley and his son, we slipped off the side of a hill when the earthquake hit," Buck states as loudly as he can, and gives the name of the trail and how far they've come. "Theo is trapped on a ledge but he's mostly uninjured, but I'm hanging from a boxthorn shrub, and my hands are bleeding. I don't know if there'll be more aftershocks and how long the ledge will hold." He inhales sharply and racks his brain to think of how to say the next part without freaking Theo out. "My grip is increasingly compromised. But the ledge may find our combined weight unsustainable if an aftershock hits."
"Copy, firefighter Buckley. We will send an SAR unit your way right now," the dispatcher says. "If your hands are bleeding, is your son holding your phone?"
"Yeah, yes he is, he's just a step away from me." Buck inhales sharply as the thorns dig deeper. "He's a very brave boy. He's gonna... He's gonna hold on to the phone and he'll yell when you say to yell."
Theo's eyes grow big and round, but he bites his lower lip and nods firmly. "Yeah, I can yell real big."
"That's good. Theo, right?"
"Uh huh."
"How old are you, Theo?"
As Theo talks to the dispatcher, Buck focuses on breathing through the pain in his hands. He can't let go. He cannot risk letting go. He doesn't even reach over with his left foot to put a toe on the ledge, because he will never forgive himself if that is what it takes to send Theo tumbling down.
After several minutes, they both hear the steady thub-thub-thub of a helicopter. Buck both wishes and is terrified that it will be Tommy at the controls.
"Alright, Theo, time to yell really loud. Just shout, we're here! Until someone says they see you."
Theo nods, and then screams at the top of his little lungs. Buck shouts too, but his voice comes out cracked. Every time he shouts the pain in his hands deepens. Tears come to his eyes as Theo shouts and shouts, his face turning red, until finally someone at the top hollers, "We see you! Alright, stay still, little buddy, we're coming to get you!"
Buck clenches his hands around the bush even more tightly. Tommy isn't at the controls of the helicopter. Tommy is right here. Tommy is saving Buck's son.
***
It should have been the best day of Theo's life. He should be asking for a thousand photos so he can tell his class about the first time he got into a helicopter.
Instead he's burrowed into Buck's side in the back, sobbing from relief and the adrenaline crash, while Buck tries his best to soothe him with hands hastily wrapped up into something resembling mittens. Tommy is next to Theo, one big hand laid awkwardly on the boy, while someone Buck has never met flies them to LA General.
***
At the hospital, Theo is wrapped in a blanket and someone gives him a juice box from Buck's backpack while the doctor pulls boxthorn spines out of Buck's hands. His face has been wiped clean of dirt for the most part.
To Buck's surprise, Tommy is right next to Theo. His face is a mask of worry and desperate curiosity, but he manfully says nothing as Buck is being treated.
"There you go." Dr Brennan smiles ruefully, her dark eyes warm. "You're not to go in to work until the skin is fully grown back, obviously. But I fear you're gonna find it hard to manage day to day until they heal."
"We'll find a way," Buck says. He glances at Theo and then his gaze flickers up to Tommy and mouths, Take him outside.
Tommy nods. "I'm gonna make some phone calls. You wanna help me, Theo?"
"Can we call from the helicopper?" Theo asks.
Chuckling, Tommy shakes his head. "Sorry, kiddo. Right now we gotta make calls to your aunt Maddie and uncle Chimney. Come on."
Once Tommy and Theo are outside, Buck sags into the chair. His body shivers. "I can't be prescribed with anything heavier than over the counter painkillers," he tells Dr Brennan. "And will gloves help?"
"The less you use your hands, the better the skin will repair itself." The doctor makes a note in his chart. "Your partner will have to do all the heavy lifting, and even the lighter lifting for a while."
He's not my partner, Buck wants to say, but he holds his tongue.
At least it hadn't been a big earthquake. Theo and Buck had just been unlucky, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ER isn't crowded like it would've been in a multi-casualty event.
***
When Buck is finally discharged, Theo is on a chair talking into Tommy's phone very seriously. Tommy sees Buck and motions for him to take a seat too.
"It's Chim on the line," Tommy tells him. "We couldn't get Maddie."
"She's probably swamped at dispatch." Buck feels exhausted. "Thanks, Tommy. You really saved our butts today."
"And Buck said butt," Theo informs Chimney. He listens, and then says, "Buck can't hold the phone. His hands are all wrapped up. Like he's wearing mittens."
Tommy sighs and holds out a hand. "I'll speak to him."
"It's the Thub-Thub Man," Theo whispers solemnly into the phone before he hands it to Tommy. When he turns to face Buck, his eyes are red-rimmed. His gaze falls to Buck's wounded hands and he swallows visibly before he hugs himself. "Buck?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it because of me?"
Buck frowns. "Is what because of you?"
"People getting hurt. Like you. People dying." Theo's lower lip wobbles. "Like mommy and daddy."
Buck's heart breaks anew. "Oh no, Theo sweetheart. Come here. Come here, let me hug you." He wraps his arms around Theo's thin body and pulls him close. The boy starts crying. "Me getting injured has got nothing to do with you, okay? Nothing at all. You were the one who got Tommy to us, right? You did as you were told in a scary situation, and you shouted real loud when you were told to, and you were brave. It was an accident. Your mommy and daddy were in an accident, and this is an accident. We're both safe now." He kisses the top of Theo's head. "I'm safe because you were so brave, kid. You were so, so brave."
When he looks up, he sees Tommy staring at him with an inexplicable expression. Buck smiles at him weakly.
"Chimney's picking up Nash from daycare and then Jee from school," Tommy says. "He asked me to take you both home. Theo is..."
"My son," Buck says immediately. His smile tightens when Tommy raises a quizzical eyebrow. "Tell you later."
Tommy makes a face that suggests that he doesn't know how he is supposed to take that answer, but Theo is still sobbing quietly and it clearly isn't the right time. Instead, Tommy exhales a long breath and says, "Alright. Come on, let's get you boys home."
"Your car is here?" Buck is surprised. Surely Tommy didn't leave Theo alone while he went to get his car...
"Lucy and her girlfriend dropped it off just now."
Lucy has a girlfriend? Buck gently disengages from the hug but Theo clings to him. "We're going home, kid," Buck murmurs. Theo just clings tighter.
"Evan can't carry you," Tommy says gently, "so how about you hold his wrist and help him to my car?"
Theo sniffs and pulls back to look at Buck. Whatever the boy sees in Buck's face must reassure him, because he nods and lets go, long enough for Buck to stand up, and then his fingers grab hold of Buck's wrist. Then Theo turns to look up at Tommy. "You're gonna help too, right?"
"Uh."
"You said you're Buck's friend," Theo continues. "That means you'll help him too, right?"
Tommy's storm blue eyes seek out Buck's. The faintest of smiles hover on his lips. "Yes, if he wants me to."
"Of course he wants you to," Theo declares with he conviction of a four-year-old. "You rescued me and him. Buck rescued me when he was Mr Poop and we're a family now and you rescued us so you're gonna be our family too but Buck isn't allowed to die or go to heaven before you become family, okay?"
It's a lot to take in. Buck exhales shakily and smiles at Tommy. "Help me out?"
ok so I was like tenth in the autograph/selfie line so I didn't have much time to mentally prepare myself lol and I didn't really get to say much aside from nice to meet you and joking about him not getting a chance to sit down because everybody wanted a selfie lmao but he was lovely! 🧡
after this I walked to the main stage to get a good spot for the q&a, I ended up being fifth in line for the microphone so again, not much time to hype myself up but I managed to ask my question!! first of all I thanked him for representing bisexual bakers everywhere and everyone cheered 😂😂 anyways I basically asked how his relationship with tommy shaped buck as a person as well as any possible future relationships and he said it was like there'd always been something missing and a weight being lifted when he met tommy, and as for future relationships there's now theo to think of so that would be a big factor.
thanks to my discord pals for helping formulate this, they thought it was a great question 🥰
I’m very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very tired.
*soldier in a trench voice* remember when Buck had a boyfriend who gazed at him so so lovingly and made him avocado toast and fucked him silly and took such good care of him? yeah. me too. me too, buddy
for your information, when someone writes something like 'Tommy had a picture stuck to his dashboard – his boyfriend smiling brighter than the sun at the camera', this is what I am imagining
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