911 BuckTommy sideblog, occasionally dabbles in Louliver | likes/follows from hippolotamus 💞🦛 | Minors DNI | header by olismabel | icon by KinleyCafe | on semi hiatus |
Greetings and Salutations! I’m Alyx (she/they) and this is a sideblog for the 911 on abc BuckTommy ship. Here's the schtick:
My works and content skew more mature so you must be 18+ to interact here. I obviously can't stop you, but if I discover you're a minor I'll have to block you.
Spoilers will be tagged until midnight EST the following Monday
In this house:
we do not disparage other characters/ships
no going after actors for their *fictional character’s* behavior
Current WIPs
🔥 when you see me like this (BuckTommy)
❤️🔥 i could fight but what's the use? (Louliver)
Prompty Things
Angsty || Zesty || Short & Impactful
My inbox and asks are always open for anyone respectful and civil 💞
"I think I'm falling for you," Evan whispers to Tommy's sleeping body, "I, uh, I'm sorry bu that's true. And it fucks me up so hard. I never had questions about who I am when it comes to dating and sex, but I've missed it all. And I still barely know myself … But I … I'm bi and falling for you. These two things I'm sure about," Evan spoons closer to Tommy's body before he would have to come back to his room, "and maybe … soon you'll know yourself better too and, if I'm too lucky like never before, you'll fall for me too."
If you’re still doing AU prompts - what about salbucktommy- sal is a sociology professor who’s married to tommy who just gained tenure and teaches Gender Studies and Buck goes back to school after the truck bombing and enrolls in both their classes
Okay so I'll be honest, I found out sociology involved formulas when I first started college and said fuck that, so Sal is a Labor Studies professor instead I'm so sorry.
1. Buck is hobbling around a college campus and remembering why he used to skip class to party. But he also remembers taking a women's history class to meet girls and really enjoying it, so he'd signed up up for a class. He'd signed up for a few classes, actually. He can't sit around and do nothing until he's ready to go to physio and then train to go back to work. So he sees what's available and ends up in an introductory Labor Studies class, a class about American history that he's pretty sure is a Gender Studies class, and a history class about religion and the occult. The last one is online, the other two are Tuesdays and Thursdays and close to each other on campus. It's just a matter of getting to those classrooms. He has to go early so he can take breaks, because he's still braced up to his thigh. When he finally arrives, he's gross and a little sweaty. There's a guy in his mid- to late thirties standing at a laptop that's sitting on a lectern, and he looks up to greet Buck and then immediately points to the front row and tells someone to get up, please. It's tables instead of desks or the weird little chairs with the desk thing that flips up from the side. So Buck thanks him and the guy who moves and sits down carefully. He pulls his laptop out of his bag, because he always struggled to take notes by hand quickly enough. And he wants to start Intro to Labor Studies with Professor Deluca.
2. Professor Deluca has a slightly hoarse voice, but it's nice to listen to. He seems pretty easygoing, but he warns them that the reviews are true and he doesn't screw around when it comes to deadlines and grading. He hands out his syllabus and has them do an ice breaker. The class isn't very big, so getting through Two Truths and The Dumbest Thing You've Ever Done isn't too bad. "Hi, I'm Evan Buckley," he says, craning his neck around as he raises his hand sheepishly to wave at people. "Uh, I was a firefighter until a couple months ago--guess I'm still one for now, I used to be a bartender in Peru at a surf beach, and I spent my college tuition on motorcycle mods and crashed it after I got kicked out of school, like, eight years ago." "That's almost too cool to be dumb," Professor Deluca says, grinning. "But I'll let it slide. Alright, the syllabus is next. It's boring, I know, but if you come to me and claim that you didn't know that you had to create an outline for the paper, I can point to this handy little bullet point and say, 'Yeah, you did.'" They get through all of it, and he sits on the table at the front of the class. "Alright, now it's my turn to do our game-slash-explain my background, and then I'll give you more of an overview about what we'll be studying in here. I'm a first generation Italian and very proud of it, my parents moved here when they were little kids, grew up in the same small farming town, and moved two blocks from each other in a suburb outside Pittsburgh. I've worked with unions, just like Ma, including the one I'm in now as a professor at this school. I moved into teaching because I wanted to help the new generation of workers and union reps learn what this is all about. That's surprisingly not my dumbest thing." He grins as they laugh, and Buck likes how his eyes seem to light up. "I once had to have, appropriately, the fire department called because I choked on a marshmallow trying to impress a guy." Buck used to jump off jungle gyms to impress Josh O'Reilly, so he can relate. "It was fifteen years ago," Professor Deluca adds, and they all laugh again.
3. Buck is the last one up, because he doesn't want to whack anyone with a crutch. "You gonna need to miss any class?" Professor Deluca asks as he packs up his own bag. "I don't think so," Buck says. "Uh, I'm not starting physical therapy for a bit. Everything has to...go back together." "If you wake up one day and it hurts beyond belief, give yourself a day," Professor Deluca says. "My class ain't that important. You tell anyone I said that and I'll fail you." Buck ducks his head and laughs. "Yeah, okay," he agrees. "Do you know where 310 is?" The professor's lips twitch like he's trying not to smile. "Yeah, elevator and one floor up, go to the end of the hall. You got Kinard?" Buck nods. "Guy's a hardass, likes to be called 'sir,'" he says. "Thanks for the tip," Buck says, swinging his bag over his shoulder. Dr. Kinard is teaching a queer literature class, not a women's literature class, but it's classified under both Gender and LGBTQ+ Studies. And he quietly tells Buck during a free moment that he doesn't have to call him 'sir,' and Buck sinks in his seat. "Sorry, Professor Deluca--" "Whatever that man tells you outside lectures, don't listen," Dr. Kinard says dryly.
4. Buck is going to Dr. Kinard's office hours, because he's pretty sure he doesn't understand the book they're reading. Like at all. And he's not even halfway through it. When he approaches, he sees Professor Deluca bend and kiss Dr. Kinard before murmuring something and stepping back. He waves to Buck and walks away, and Buck looks between them for a moment. He's pretty sure professors can date, right? His parents worked at the same school for a decade without any problems, and they were just teaching high school. "Ah, yeah, that's my husband," Dr. Kinard says, waving him in. "What's up?" "I don't understand this book," Buck says, easing himself into a chair. "It's Djuna Barnes, no one understands it," he says, smiling. "But what's sticking out to you?" And Buck pulls out his copy. He's got sticky tags poking out all over. "Uh," Dr. Kinard says. "Green is 'possible quote to pull for the paper,' yellow is 'interesting,' red is 'I don't get it,' and blue is 'I think I get this but I should make sure,'" Buck explains. "Uh, there's a lot of red and blue." "I...can see that," Dr. Kinard says, smiling. They discuss the book until the end of his office hours, and Buck finds himself thinking a lot about some things that he's never really considered before. He gets on his bus and leans his head back against the window and blinks at the ceiling. By the time he's getting into his elevator, he thinks he might not be as straight as he'd always believed himself to be.
5. He's trying to get dates lined up for physical therapy, but the workman's comp system is jerking him around on the timeline, even though his doctor cleared him to start. He goes to Professor Deluca and asks him what he should do. "You're in a union, use it," he says. "Every step of the way, you have them on speed dial. They'll make sure you're not screwed over, that's why they exist. You've been getting workman's comp, right?" "Yeah, it's a little weird, though," Buck admits. "Uh, it's kind of...the first time they've ever seen this kind of claim. So there was a whole thing about it." "You're a firefighter, they've never had one break a leg before?" Professor Deluca asks, frowning. "Oh, no, my leg got crushed by a ladder truck," Buck says, and Professor Deluca's eyebrows shoot up. "There was a bomb." He tells him the story, and Professor Deluca scribbles something on a sticky note and hands it to him. "That's my cell," he says. "You get screwed around over this at any point, you call me. Jesus, kid, I'm sorry that happened to you." And Buck kind of awkwardly thanks him and settles in for class as students start trickling in. He goes to Dr. Kinard's class after and kind of accidentally comes out during the class discussion, because today is apparently the day he's oversharing. After, Dr. Kinard asks him if he's okay, because the discussion had been a little heated. "Yeah, uh, sorry," Buck says. "Don't be," Dr. Kinard says, smiling. "I'm just glad you're okay. See you at office hours?"
6. He finds himself bouncing between constantly wanting to impress and please his professors and also realizing he's spending more time with them outside of class than any other students. He talks to Bobby about it one day when Bobby's making dinner with him. "Haven't you ever had a crush on a teacher?" Bobby asks incredulously, and no. Buck's parents are teachers, so he's never seen the appeal. But now he's self conscious about what he's doing but also afraid to change his behavior in case they notice. He's noticed that they don't ever brush him off, and Professor Deluca even shows up to office hours and gets in on the discussions or debates. They honestly seem more and more married as time goes on. "Thomas, I swear to god I will divorce you if you try to convince me--" "It's a queer reading, not--" "It's the fucking Babadook!" And they both look to Buck to settle the argument, but he's never seen it. Then he's given access to a Google drive that he's not allowed to tell anyone about, and it's filled with movies and TV shows. For academic purposes. Dr. Kinard keeps the files to refer to them, pull clips for classes, and for research. There's even corresponding documents with notes that are timestamped that don't always make sense, because they're referring to other media or papers. But Buck starts watching them when he's got free time, and he eases himself into the chair in Dr. Kinard's office and says, "I mean, it could be about the coming out process." Professor Deluca shakes his head in disappointment. "You're dead to me, Buckley," he says as Dr. Kinard pumps his fist behind him. "You're just mad because you've got no imagination," Dr. Kinard says. Professor Deluca quirks an eyebrow and smirks at him. "Now you know that ain't true, baby," he says, and Buck feels it sink low into his belly.
7. He makes it through the semester. He starts physical therapy. He has to do online classes only, and they're fine but not as engaging. He almost dies from blood clots. He's in class when the tsunami hits. He gets stuck behind a desk. And he gets told the college is due for an inspection. When he shows up in Professor Deluca's office, because Dr. Kinard's was empty, he sees Dr. Kinard sitting on the corner of the desk and leaning forward while they look at each other like they're ready to sweep everything off and go at it. "Fire Marshal," Buck says, and they look to him and both grin. They get to talking, checking in with him and looking concerned when he tells them about everything that's happened. "Kid, you should go into academia," Professor Deluca says. "If only so we can keep an eye on you." He flushes and shrugs and tells them he's okay now. He does have to finish his inspection, but he wanted to say hi and thank them for being so great. Not long after, he calls his union steward and then waffles before shooting a text to the rarely used number for Professor Deluca. He shows up at Buck's office. He looks infuriated. He helps Buck draft an email to the LAFD brass, Bobby, and his union. They attach the letters from Buck's doctors clearing him for all duty. Buck gets squirmy when Professor Deluca adds in something about possible legal action. "You put the fear of God in them or they'll keep waking all over you," Professor Deluca says. "C'mon, I'll buy you lunch."
8. It's over lunch that Buck accidentally tells his former professor that he's got a crush on him and his husband, which is crossing a line and he knows it. "Yeah, well, we crossed more than few with you," Professor Deluca says. "You think I'd show up to give personal labor rights advice to just anyone?" "I mean, you might," Buck says, smiling. "Kid, I ain't that nice," he says, grinning. "You planning on taking more classes?" "I don't know," Buck admits. "I guess it depends on what happens from here. I really loved being back in school, but...I'm a firefighter. I don't wanna be anything other than that. It's not just a job for me." He expects disappointment, but there isn't any. Instead, a few days later, he shows up to Dr. Kinard's office. He's packing up, it's later in the day. "Hey, you almost missed me," he says, smiling. They walk out toward the faculty lot, and Professor Deluca is leaning against an old car. "They're giving me my job back," Buck says. "So, uh, I guess I'm dropping out again." "Good," Professor Deluca says, smiling. "You wanna grab a bite to eat?" And Buck looks between them and realizes what he's actually being asked and nods eagerly.
9. It's after dinner and then another dinner and then lunch that he finally kisses them. They'd been taking this slow, calling it hangouts more than dates, because they're married and he was their student and he just went through a whole lot. Once he kisses them, it's full speed ahead, though. They're on dates once a week, he's in a text thread with them that's 80% debates and discussions about books or movies or shows. Their schedules finally line up in a way where he's got four days off right as they've got three, and he goes to their house and barely makes it out of bed for two days. He's just gotten his dick sucked by his two genius, hot boyfriends and has them cuddled up on each side of him when he realizes this might be getting really serious for him. Or already has.
10. The morning after he goes out with everyone and tells them he's dating two men and who those two men are, he walks into the station and gets "Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen blasted over the PA system.
2,416 words. cw for homophobia (from Tommy's family). also, i know nothing about construction, sorry for any inaccuracies. This ended up pretty Tommy-centric but I hope you enjoy <3
There is a drive-in theater that has been in Tommy's family for generations.
For all of Tommy's childhood his paternal grandfather owns it and Tommy spends a big chunk of his childhood there and even helps out with concessions and odd jobs when he is--not yet old enough to legally work but still young enough that his grandfather still at least tried to mask his disdain for Tommy's...'less than masculine tendencies' (Tommy's father telegraphed it more than enough for the both of them)
So even though, now, many of his memories are tinged with a sadness he didn't know he would one day feel about them, the drive-in is where he learned to love movies and grew his sweet tooth (Tommy spent many hours perfecting his own soda mixes--most of them looked grotesque, but they tasted delicious-- his grandfather never agreed to put them on the menu, but some of the regulars asked for them anyway)
Tommy's grandfather gets sick and can no longer handle owning the business and Tommy's dad doesn't want to do it either; he begrudgingly picks up the slack of work while he secretly tries to find a buyer before it's even legally his.
Tommy, all but estranged from both of them, visits his grandfather and tells him what his father is trying to do and asks him to leave the business to him (you would think he'd begged with how shameful being in his grandfather's presence makes him feel), that his father is just going to sell it or leave it to rot.
His grandfather looks him dead in the eye and says, "let him." Tommy's heart crumbles. The only time he's ever felt that same hurt--that same shame--was when his father said he'd rather Tommy be dead than be gay [not the word he used] and Tommy knows that's what his grandfather's saying even if he won't say it; he'd rather have his family's legacy crumble to dust than leave it in Tommy's hands--in the hands of a gay man.
And that's what happens.
Tommy's father can't sell it. Tommy offers to take it off his hands with what little money he has, to keep it running--anything has to be better than actively losing money on it.
His father refuses.
Eventually the place shuts down and is left to rot. His father can't even scrap it or sell the lot. But he keeps it from Tommy anyway, out of spite.
Years go by and Tommy watches it wither away.
Sometimes he'd drive out to the empty lot and sit in his truck with the windows down or sit in the truck bed and remember the good times, but as the building rusted, so did his memories of it.
That should have been enough to make Tommy just drive on by, change his route maybe, but he was a sucker for twisting the knife and he couldn't make himself stop.
His father made the decision for him. However he found out Tommy would spend time there--not hurting anything or anybody, but what did that matter to him--he'd called the cops on him one night. It was still his after all; Tommy's pretty sure his father just wanted to remind him.
Luckily the officer was a familiar face--sergeant Grant--who takes pity on him and just tells him to go home.
Years pass and suddenly Tommy has to retire from firefighting—because of injuries from the mall explosion or some other negligence—with disability pension.
It isn't long after that Tommy hears from his father and he's shocked; it was unexpected, in addition to being unwanted and unwelcome, but he answers the call anyway.
His father needs money.
Tommy laughs down the line. Very nearly hangs up on him until he realizes he finally has leverage over his old man for the first time in his life.
Tommy refuses to just give him the money, but says he will buy the drive-in for the amount his father's just asked for.
His father may be a miserable, spiteful, bigoted asshole, but he's not stupid.
It's an amount of money Tommy's comfortable parting with and now he has the thing he's always dreamed of owning and a new project to boot (there's only so many home renovations one man can stand to make without turning his home into a cold, lifeless model house).
The first thing Tommy does after he signs the deed is drive to the empty lot, park his truck, and cries. In relief. In grief—for all that he's lost or never had and never will. But there's hope in there too and a dream for what could be. What can be.
And Tommy already has plans; sketches, contacts, the means. Even when he doubted he would ever own the drive-in, at least not while his father was alive, he'd never stopped dreaming and planning.
Not too long before the last time Tommy visited the lot, it was just before sunset and he was parked in his usual spot—3 rows back, in the middle of the row (what passes for it anyway, as all the paint that once marked the parking spots has been lost to time)—when a truck pulled into the lot and parked a few spaces down from him. Tommy's whole body tensed, wondering if there was going to be trouble, but the man—probably around Tommy's age—got out of his truck, didn't approach Tommy but leaned against his own driver's side door, like he had no agenda and all the time in the world.
Tommy waited a minute, then got of out his truck too, rounding the front. Before he could figure out what to say, the man said he'd seen Tommy's truck parked here a few times and wondered if Tommy knew who owned the place. Tommy puffs up his chest, asks him who wants to know—
The man holds up his hands in a placating gesture and Tommy sees he has a small, white card in his right hand. He introduces himself as Clayton and says he owns a construction company that specializes in restorations and if Tommy happened to know the owner, maybe he could give them his card.
Tommy makes no promises but he takes the card.
He takes the card out of his wallet, now, and makes a call.
Clayton accepts the job, though he's currently working on another project, so he'll be appointing somebody else as foreman, an Evan Buckley.
Tommy's relieved that for the first few meetings, Clayton is also there—Tommy's not sure he would have been very useful otherwise. Evan is…gorgeous, built, utterly charming.
But Evan's more than just a pretty face; he's competent, he respects Tommy's vision, and cares about the job. When the official work starts, Evan doesn't mind Tommy hanging around the site and he often stays after the workday is done—going over the plans, talking about Tommy's vision for the place, Tommy telling stories about the drive-in from his childhood (though he leaves out all the bad parts and sticks to his nostalgic sugar-coated version), only parting for the night when they realize just how late it's gotten and how long it's been since they've both eaten. It isn't long, though, before they start eating dinner together—in the construction trailer—so they can keep on talking. Evan talks about his life before LA; his travels, and how most of the movies he was able to see were at drive-ins, offers some suggestions for modifications to Tommy's plans. Tommy finds that he doesn't mind.
They don't text or call unless it's about the job, but Tommy finds himself composing unrelated messages and never sending them, far too often than he'd like to admit. On a few occasions, he sees that Evan's typing too—even though he never sends them either, it makes Tommy smile.
As excited as Tommy is for the project to be complete, to have his drive-in operating, he isn't ready for his time with Evan to come to its inevitable end.
Tommy starts feeling restless around the time they're preparing to install the new movie screen. He must not hide his impatience—or surliness—as well as he'd thought because Evan practically hightails it out of there as soon as his crew leaves for the day.
Tommy retreats to the projection booth to sulk, even though he does have his own office in the same building. He doesn't know how much times has passed while he stared at his and Evan's message thread, thumbs poised over the keypad, when a knock on the booth door startles him. Tommy hadn't bothered to pull the window shade down and he sees Evan on the other side, gesturing for him to come out. As soon as Tommy opens the door, Evan asks for the key to Tommy's truck. He doesn't know what it says about him that he offers it up without question, only raised eyebrows.
Tommy follows Evan out to the parking lot, to his truck parked in its usual spot. Evan unlocks and lowers the tailgate, then goes to his jeep and takes out a picnic basket, puts it in the truck bed and climbs up. "Sure, make yourself at home," Tommy says dryly.
Evan smirks at him. "Come up here."
And what is Tommy to do but whatever Evan asks of him?
Tommy climbs into the truck bed as Evan unpacks a blanket and food—drinks and snacks too—and a portable DVD player. There are sandwiches from Tommy's favorite deli, glass bottles of a soda Tommy hasn't had since his childhood, and Red Vines. "You remembered," Tommy says, voice rough.
Evan smiles. "Of course." He starts the movie and it's one of Tommy's favorites—Pride and Prejudice. "I haven't seen this one."
It isn't until later that night, when Tommy's lying in bed unable to sleep, that he realizes Evan had been uncharacteristically quiet.
Evan's crew is officially finished at the end of April and then it's just up to Tommy finish the business end of things—marketing, hiring employees, etc.
On the last day of work, Evan stays behind again. He stands with Tommy in the parking lot, looking up at the big screen. He bumps Tommy's shoulder. "Your grandpa would be proud."
Tommy snorts. "Oh, god no, he would have hated this." The thought warms Tommy's heart. When Evan gives him a confused look, Tommy is honest about the parts he left out. Evan gets a stricken look on his face, and he's obviously floundering what to say. Tommy shakes his head. "It's okay, Evan, it was a long time ago."
Evan shakes his head. "It's not." Then he pulls Tommy in for a hug, their cheeks pressed together. "I'm proud of you, okay?" When Tommy eventually tries to pull away. Evan holds on tighter, mumbles, "I'm not done with you yet."
Tommy laughs. He's never going to be done with Evan Buckley.
Evan lingers, drags his feet but eventually leaves, urges Tommy not to be a stranger.
Tommy's miserable in May, though he can't afford to be. It's the longest he's gone without talking to Evan, but he can't seem to make himself press send.
He mails a flyer for the grand re-opening to the office for the construction team and one to his old firehouse too.
Tommy takes extra satisfaction in re-opening the drive-in on June 1st and having a whole movie line-up dedicated to Pride the whole month long (and future plans to make it a regular series).
The parking lot is packed on opening night and everything is going off without a hitch. Tommy tries and fails not to look for Evan's face in the crowd, so really it's his own fault for the bittersweet feeling he gets when he sees Evan at the concession stand, talking and laughing with a pretty brunette.
He wants to turn right back around, but he hasn't seen Evan in a month and his feet betray him, keep him rooted to the spot. Evan sees him then, gives him a look he can't decipher, and waves him over. Tommy plasters on a smile and walks over.
Evan introduces Tommy to Maddie, his sister, in a way that feels pointed but that Tommy can't parse before a familiar face joins them.
"Howie?"
Howie pulls Tommy in for a hug. "You didn't think I would miss this, did you?" Truthfully, Tommy hadn't known what to expect. They'd stayed in touch somewhat, but they hadn't actually seen each other in over a year. Apparently, Howie was dating Evan's sister—Tommy couldn't believe what a small world it was. "Hen and Karen and Bobby and Athena are here too."
After everyone gets their snacks, they head back to their cars. Evan drags Tommy along too so he can say hello to the rest of the group, with hugs and promises to stay after the movie to properly catch up.
Chimney waggles his eyebrows at Evan. An insider tipped us off to the best row."
Evan laughs. "Yeah, but I've got the best spot."
Tommy knows he's staring, but he can't help it. He can hear Hen and Karen whispering, and he has a feeling Bobby and Athena are sharing knowing glances, but his focus is narrowed to Evan as he pats the hood of his jeep—parked in the middle, 3 rows back—and says, "C'mon, I saved you a seat."
Tommy's in a daze as he gets in the jeep. Evan makes a sweeping gesture, at the dashboard and cupholders holding Tommy's favorite snacks and drinks, opens his mouth to say—something that never makes it past his lips, turned to garbled sounds when Tommy kisses him. Tommy pulls back, unsure if he should apologize or ask if it's okay—
Evan just shakes his head and says, "don't you dare," and then his hand is on the back of Tommy's neck and his lips are on Tommy's. They pull apart, but not away, heavily breathing each other's air. "Finally," Evan murmurs.
Tommy rests his forehead against Evan's, nuzzles his nose, feels Evan's smile against his. "So, that night we watched the movie…?"
Evan laughs quietly. "Yes. I mean"—he shakes his head—"probably so much earlier, but yes."
"Me too." He kisses Evan again, because he can, and ignores the cheering from the cars on either side of them. They don't stop kissing until the opening notes to "We Are Family" start playing through the radio.
Sidenote: I meant to add, but couldn't really find a place to put it that didn't disrupt the flow--I am eternally head-canoning Tommy as having lost his mom when he was young (pre-teens usually) sorry to Tommy and his mom, but whenever his family (whether that was just him and his mom or his dad too) watched a movie at the drive-in, they would always park in the middle spot 3 rows back
tagged by @setmeatopthepyre, thanks pal! reluctant to tag anyone in my oc musings so let's call it an open tag. show me what you're working on fam.
this au fill has taken up residence in my mind and uhhh i guess i'm writing tommy and jack's whirlwind romance now. i know, i know, there are so many other things i should be working on but! the title of the post is fuck it friday, so we are where we are.
The night before Jack has to leave, they barely sleep at all, spending the night together in Jack's big hotel bed, alternating between talking and fucking and just making out like they're a pair of kids who've just discovered the concept. Early in the morning, Tommy springs for a stupidly extravagant room service breakfast and watches Jack do the packing Tommy had distracted him from last night. When they're done, he follows Jack to the car rental place and then gives him a ride to the airport. He even pays the thirty five bucks for parking and they ride the shuttle bus together to the terminal.
They get coffee and wrestle their way to some seats where they can split a couple pastries. When they're done, Jack slots his hand into Tommy's, tangling their fingers together and squeezing gently. Tommy can't believe he didn't know this man five days ago.
When Jack's gate gets called, they both pretend not to hear it the first time. Eventually, reluctantly, they stand and Tommy walks with him as far as he can before he hands over the carry-on bag he'd insisted on holding. Jack takes it and looks at him for a long moment.
"I'm gonna see you again real soon, Tommy Kinard."
"You better," Tommy says.
One last kiss, and Jack turns to leave.
Before Tommy's even got back to the shuttle bus, he has a string of messages.
I miss you already.
You make me feel like a fucking teenager what the hell man.
I'll call you when I land.
The final one is a string of dates when Jack's kid will be with her grandparents.
By the time he's back at his truck, Tommy has put in his request for leave the following month and sent Jack the screenshot.
It's only when he's back at his house that he realizes he didn't think twice about any of it. He didn't second-guess himself, or wonder whether Jack actually meant it, or feel foolish about the intensity of his feelings.
AU where Abby is still engaged to Tommy, when she meets Buck. Sparks fly and Abby forgets she's not supposed to do anything about that. Things with Tommy have been… stale, for a long time. Comfortable, but nothing like what she feels when Buck pays her the smallest amount of attention.
Tommy notices. Abby isn't subtle. She mentions Buck, maybe more than a little. Tommy isn't hurt, doesn't ask any of the questions he's supposed to. He's been wanting to end things for a long time, but he fears if he's the one to end it, it will hurt Abby more, than if she was the one to leave.
The more she talks about Buck, the more things begin to crystalise. If Tommy can push her into Buck's arms, maybe things between them can end well. Abby will have a brand new boyfriend and Tommy can… Tommy can figure out what comes next.
Buck shows up at the apartment, unplanned. Maybe Abby sounded sad when they spoke on the phone. Something makes him want to check on her. But Abby is working late, so he meets Tommy. Tommy invites him in, tries to be subtle, but Buck isn't picking up what he's putting down, so he ends up saying it as it is. If Buck has feelings for Abby, he should pursue her. It doesn't go the way Tommy thought it would.
Buck asks what's going on. Are they in an open relationship? Is it a cuck thing? A unicorn thing? Tommy is annoyed that Buck doesn't say sure, Tommy! I'll seduce your fiance, you don't have to tell me twice! No, Buck is inquisitive and wants to know everything. Abby comes home, before Buck can get his answers.
Abby gets flustered and realises what her relationship with Buck might look like. It's a mess of an evening. Buck stays for dinner. Abby spends the whole night trying to convince all three of them that things are decidedly platonic – also after Buck leaves. Tommy says it's OK, even though Abby is clearly frustrated by that. Tommy could at least pretend to be a little bit jealous!
Buck talks to Hen about it. He figures Bobby is a little too traditional to be helpful with whatever is going on. When Hen realises it's Tommy Kinard, she gives Buck his phone number.
Things only get more complicated when the two of them meet up. Tommy tries again. Buck understands Tommy's plan, but he doesn't understand why Tommy doesn't like Abby. Tommy has to patiently explain that he loves Abby, but not in the way she deserves. Buck is little dense, and Tommy sees no other way out, than coming out.
The concept of not liking women at all throws Buck for a momentary loop, but he gets back on track and makes puppy eyes at Tommy, because that sounds really tough. And sad. For everyone involved. Buck agrees to keep seeing Abby and see where things go. He doesn't know her that well yet, so he can't say for certain, but if Tommy promises it's OK, he'd like to spend more time with Abby.
Being with Buck makes Abby light up in ways Tommy has never seen before. Tommy is happy for her. He himself feels lighter.
Until Buck starts checking up on him. Buck's been wanting to kiss Abby for a while now, but he needs to know it's still OK. If Tommy is still OK with it. If Tommy has talked to Abby about it yet. Tommy was hoping he didn't have to, but Buck insists.
It's a difficult conversation, with no clear conclusion. Abby is free to do whatever she wants to do with Buck, but he doesn't label it. Neither one of them do.
It works out, for a while. Abby is happy with Buck, and Tommy is happy for her – for both of them. Unexpectedly, Abby wakes up to the fact that she can do whatever she wants. All these things she figured she was getting too old for. Hearing about all Buck's travels inspires her. Suddenly, Buck and Tommy are single.
They try to make sense of things together. They've been together in this, in a way. They can't exactly explain the situation to anyone else. Buck loves a project, so he asks Tommy if he needs help with the whole coming out of the closet thing. Tommy says no, at first, but after thinking it over, he wouldn't mind the support. Buck thoroughly researches gay bars and finds what he considers is the best one.
A lot of revelations happen in that gay bar. No one is more surprised than Buck. They have fun, at first, but with every guy that approaches Tommy, Buck gets more wound up. He doesn't know Tommy that well, but he knows Tommy can do better – Tommy deserves better. Buck is too busy guarding Tommy, he doesn't notice the attention he's getting himself.
They've hardly had anything to drink, when Tommy herds them back out the door. Buck is ranting about the state of things, making sweeping generalisations about gay people and LA's nightlife, when Tommy asks if he wants to head back to his place. Buck looks at him, with those eyes of his, and says yes.
They share a beer in the kitchen, the air between them too charged to sit down. Months of knowing each other from a distance culminate in a clumsy and curious kiss. They both know all the reasons why Abby liked each of them, but they don't know each other like that, not yet. Buck can't believe how right it feels to kiss another man. How good it feels to be wrapped in Tommy's arms. Tommy is overwhelmed by how uncomplicated it is. He doesn't have to convince himself he likes it.
Tommy has complicated feelings about having sex in the bed he bought with Abby – a bed he knows Buck has shared with her, too – but his feelings for Buck aren't complicated at all.
special thanks to @theotherbuckley and @siratonin who listened to me yapp about that au that 2024 post-break up time <33333 thank you my lovelies!
“It-it sounds like you need to hide a body or something else illegal, Tommy,” Buck says and loves how Tommy laughs. God, he missed this laugh.
“No,” Tommy shakes his head, but then frowns, “nothing like that. I need help with your special skills. You know,” Tommy moves his eyebrows, but Buck just looks at him blankly.
That’s when Tommy makes the gesture Buck loves to use, when he summons his powers and makes fire appear. Buck showed him. The only person except Eddie, who he showed. And Eddie only knows because man saw how Buck touched the fire and stopped it by absorbing all of its energy.
“Oh,” Buck nods, “you need to set something on fire?”
Tommy chuckles, “you’re adorable, when you’re confused. And no, not set something on fire. I need you to absorb the warmth and energy that fire left on me. Heal my burns. You said you can do it.”
or Buck has fire powers after the lighning strike, but nothing really changes in his life
had an idea and wanted to put it in the format of the "five facts AU" game despite nobody prompting it :) and it is in fact 23 facts (plus some sub facts. honestly there is not a whole lot of consistency in the format). It started as a "what if Evan wrote postcards to Tommy before he even met him?" and this is what came of it. This is very Tommy-centric due to needing to lay out his backstory, as Buck's is the same as in canon and the actual bucktommy of it all is mostly in the back half, but I hope it's enjoyable anyway :) okay enough yapping, here's what i wrote instead of my wips (thanks, brain!) cw for mentions of death and unspecific disease
1. Maggie Kinard (only ever Margaret to her mother when she was in trouble and to her husband after the honeymoon phase of their marriage had ended) was a photographer; of people, of landscapes, of buildings, of nature.
1a. She received a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from USC (she minored in Photography) and had a dream of one day having her photos in National Geographic magazine.
1b. When she married Thomas Kinard, he made it clear that it would never be anything but that: a dream.
2. Tommy Kinard doesn't remember the years he lived in California when he was a child; all he has is a box of mementos, including photographs his mother took, her journals, and a half-completed baby book.
2a. The first time Tommy's family moved, he was 3. He had to move 8 more times by the time he graduated high school; he was no longer just an army brat, but a new recruit.
3. At age 7, they move to Colorado. Tommy's mom gets sick. She teaches him how to take photos and how to develop them; she doesn't want Tommy to ever forget her.
4. Tommy's 10 when he has to move, to start over, again. His mom never gets to see Maryland. His father sees right through him most of the time; it's worse when he doesn't. Tommy doesn't make many friends, but he takes lots of photographs. and he aches and aches and aches.
5. Georgia at age 11 and it's more of the same.
6. Virginia at age 12. Tommy learns how to surf. He'd much rather take photos of the ocean than be in it.
7. Florida at age 13. He meets a boy, Jackson, from Michigan who's on vacation with his family; they hold hands in the dark at the cineplex. Tommy never sees him again. He spends more time in his darkroom than he does in the sun.
8. Arizona at age 15. He joins the football team because that's what boys do. His father doesn't allow him to take yearbook as an elective, but he gets involved anyway. He has more friends than he ever has before. He tells himself to enjoy it while it lasts.
9. Oregon at age 17. Tommy's almost free…to—well, probably to live the life he's always known, but at least it will be lived far away from his father.
9a. Tommy takes a photography class in school and his final project, Wish You Were Here, is a series of postcards he creates from his favorite photographs he's taken from over the years; from Maryland to Oregon. He gets an A+ and his project is picked to be displayed (he's 1 of 20 students who are picked) in the halls for a "gallery night" where parents get to come look at their kid's projects. He goes, alone. When it's over, he sits in his truck in the school parking lot and cries.
9b. His project is featured at an actual gallery and somebody wants to buy the postcards, which are definitely not for sale. But he does compromise and agrees to have the photographs printed for a legit collection of postcards (without the notes he'd written to his mom on the back). The postcards eventually make their way to stores in the cities that are featured on them.
9c. Tommy makes enough money from the sales that he can buy a gravestone for his mom to be put next to her parents at a cemetery in Arcadia, just like she always wanted.
10. At age 18, Tommy enlists in the Army.
11. Evan leaves PA and ends up in Maryland. He buys a postcard and doesn't send it. He's still mad at Maddie.
11a. He can't sleep the first night he stays in a motel; the sheets too scratchy, the air conditioner too loud. He switches on the bedside lamp, which illuminates the postcard on the bedside table. He picks it up, looking at the picture of a rocket on the front, and wishes Maddie was there.
11b. The caption on the bottom says it was taken at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, photograph credited to Tommy Kinard. Evan first researches the space flight center and decides he'll go the next day. Then he spends over an hour researching the history of postcards. Finally, he searches for Tommy Kinard, curious to see more of his photography.
11c. Evan finds a bare bones website featuring Tommy's photography, a few links to magazines his photos have been featured in, as well as an article from an Oregon newspaper about Tommy's postcard project. A lump forms in his throat as he reads it. There's an email address to contact him about freelance work and an address for a PO box in Los Angeles.
11d. Evan's in awe of all the places Tommy had been by the age of 18, wonders if it was lonely to move around so much, wonders if Tommy finally settled in one place and if it feels like home. Evan's lived in one place his whole life, but that came with it's own type of loneliness, and here he was 100 miles from the only place he's ever known searching for home.
12. Evan spends hours at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. When he gets back to the motel, he grabs a pen and the postcard and crams as much of his experience as he can onto the blank space. He spends a few more days in Maryland, mails the postcard before he leaves, doesn't yet know where he'll be by the time it arrives in California.
13. Evan arrives in Virginia. He buys two postcards this time. He's not mad at Maddie anymore. He mails her postcard within days of his arrival. He falls in love with the ocean, learns to surf, falls in love with a women. He visits the boardwalk on the postcard—another one of Tommy's—and wonders about Tommy's time spent in Virginia, if he loved to surf too. He knows he'll never get a response, but he asks anyway.
14. Every new place, Evan buys and sends two postcards, knowing he'll never get anything back. He may not know anything that's going on in Maddie's or Tommy's life, but at least—if they received them—they'd know there was somebody out there in the world wishing they were there.
15. When Tommy checks his PO box, he wasn't actually expecting anything to be in there. He's lived in his own house in LA long enough to no longer really need it and he hardly ever does freelance work anymore, now that he's a firefighter. But there it is, a familiar postcard from an unfamiliar person. He doesn't know what to make of the gesture from this stranger named Evan, but he supposes it's sort of sweet. He doesn't let himself overthink it, he buys an LA postcard—featuring a photo he took of Griffith Observatory—and writes back. He thanks Evan for his postcard and wishes him well on his travels.
15a. A few weeks later, Tommy checks the box again. There are two postcards this time—one from Evan, now in Virginia, and Tommy's postcard returned, undeliverable.
16. Evan continues to send Tommy postcards, even from places Tommy's never been. Tommy continues to send Evan postcards back, even though they're all returned.
17. Tommy thinks he'd like to visit Peru someday.
18. One day, Tommy receives a postcard from an address in LA. He doesn't want to name the feeling in his chest. He reminds himself that Evan is a stranger, that Tommy doesn't know him no matter how many postcards he's received from him over the years. That truth does little to stop him from wanting to know Evan. He sends a postcard back, on it is a photo he took last year of the Pacific Wheel.
18a. A few weeks later, Tommy has no new postcard in his mailbox, but the one he sent hasn't been returned.
18b. Tommy sends another, this one has a photo he took of his favorite Italian Ice stand at Venice Beach. He writes the address to the boardwalk, along with a date and time (in two weeks). He also writes: wish you were here
19. Two weeks later, Tommy's at Venice Beach. He's early, only 10 minutes, but it feels like a lifetime as he waits—he paces, wrings his hands, sits on a bench only to stand right back up again. Somebody says his name like a question. He turns, nearly loses his breath when he sees the man approaching him—a bit wary, but there's a gleam in his eye that does dangerous things to his insides. "Evan?"
20. Evan nods and stops in front of Tommy. They're both smiling, but there's a few long moments of awkwardness—do they shake hands or hug or do neither of those things? Evan gestures towards the vendor's stand nearby. "So…Italian Ice?" Tommy sighs in relief and nods.
21. They eat their dessert as Evan tells Tommy about his time in LA so far, how he thinks he's going to stay, that it feels like it could be his home.
22. Tommy gives Evan all of the postcards he wrote to him.
23. Never again will they have to wish each other was there.
