So this took me a few days to kind of organize, my bad. But I come to offer headcanons for Tommy finally.
The first person that Tommy ever actually came out to was Sal. It went about as well as you'd think. He told him at the tail end of a shift.
He never told Chimney or Hen that he was gay. By the time he'd gotten comfortable with himself, they only really talked every few months, so he never felt like it was welcome information.
He did, however, tell Bobby when he figured himself out even after his transfer went through. He just felt like he was losing his mind and needed someone who he knew would listen when he was freaking the hell out over it all. While he doesn't consider himself close with the captain, he still feels like he owes the man for being his rock when he was struggling. It's part of why he signed up so fast to lie to the fire chief to go rescue the man.
While on the topic of his dynamic with Bobby: Bobby is the one who presented the idea to Tommy of transfering to Harbor station to work air support.
Tommy still has Sal as his emergency contact in his phone and on any official forms to this day.
He ended up with Sal's jacket (the famous beige jacket from both Bobby Begins Again and the Harbor Tour) because he'd called Sal after getting hurt one night while off shift. It was given to him as a sort of shock blanket, and Tommy just ended up keeping it because it kept him calm and Sal never asked for it back.
He's not a big drinker. He keeps some kind of craft beer in his fridge but otherwise doesn't drink at all. No liquor for him.
Prefers tea over coffee, but knows that on days where he has shifts he HAS to have coffee. He makes both drinks the same way - some cream or milk and a spoon of sugar. He likes to be able to taste the tea or coffee under the additives.
He does not share his food easily.
Chews his nails. Occasionally will paint his nails to keep him from chewing on them if he's been more stressed than normal lately.
he rocks as a self-soothing habit. It's also something he uses to try to keep himself from bolting the second he gets spooked (canon, can be seen in a few clips in the show, INCLUDING the infamous "I don't have to have feelings for everyone I sleep for" kitchen scene.)
He'll duck his head if he's feeling bashful or is worried how someone's going to take something. He does this surprisingly often when he flirts, even if he doesn't always break eye contact.
His signature self-protection is sarcasm and a completely deadpan tone, even when joking. Sometimes he clings to his usual confusion a little heavier, too (a la the "confrontation" at the medal ceremony where Hen and Karen tried to give him a shovel talk)
He's so dismissive about his own feelings. If you miss the flicker of them before they're hidden away again, you're just out of luck. He's trained to hide, and he's damn good at it.
He tends to go semi-verbal at best when he's hurt. clipped words, guarded tone, won't look at someone, the whole thing. Takes "anything you say can and will be used against you" very seriously.
He's an absolute nightmare when he's sick. Refuses to take medicine, refuses bed rest. It's like he shifts into high gear the second he's sick.
to be very clear: the only way to get him to take his meds and sleep when he's sick is to force it. Sal tends to just drug him and hope for the best because otherwise it's going to end in a hospital visit that no one wants.
switches from sweats to shorts to sleep when he's sick because he gets too warm. The fever-ish behavior is usually the first sign.
don't tell him anything he needs to remember while he's sick. His brain absolutely takes a full leave of absence during that time.
Tommy doesn't handle fireworks well. The fourth of July is one of those days where he's barred from working. His captain at Harbor was pissed that no one else had ever considered his mental health in the midst of everything when that came out.
He loves sparklers and stuff, but anything that so much as pops is off the table.
Like most veterans, he doesn't handle the grocery store well due to the mix of too-bright fluorescent lights triggering a sensory overload and the crowded environment. He struggled a lot with it when he first came home and still occasionally freezes up when he goes grocery shopping on his own if the store is too crowded. Has started shopping at smaller stores at non-peak hours even if it means he has to adjust his own schedule in a way that's inconvenient just to avoid the triggers.
He gets paranoid during his PTSD episodes. Quiet, constantly looking around, and doesn't handle people moving around him very well.
He doesn't snap when an episode hits, he isolates. He usually barricades himself in his bathroom. Small space with only one way to enter or exit, obviously that's the safest place.
Despite the fact that he didn't see a lot of combat overseas due to being a pilot, he did see a lot of blood. Sometimes heavy medical calls trigger an episode.
Will just go radio silent on people during the bad days. Sometimes he just holes up in the bathroom for a few days with MREs and a blanket, sleeps in his tub. Other times he can't drag himself out of bed.
Additional to the PTSD, occasionally the amount of loss he saw overseas just takes him down. This is especially true on the back of losing someone on a call at work - he will just shut down for a few days afterwards. Sometimes it's just too heavy for him to carry.
Not a chip person, but keeps honey mustard pretzels on hand for any instances of stress eating.
Favorite cookie: white chocolate macadamia nut, followed by sugar cookies
he's a tried and true coca cola drinker when it comes to soda. But he also keeps sparkling water at his house because it's more about the carbonation than the caffeine for him.
Cookies and cream ice cream is his favorite, but he'll eat just about any kind you put in front of him.
LOVES fudge, hates brownies. It's a texture thing.
Typical pizza order is probably meat lovers or pepperoni, sausage, and bacon or ham, hand tossed crust, no sauce but extra cheese. That said, he is so not picky. Doesn't like peppers on his pizza, but will eat just about anything else.
he likes spaghetti but can't eat it after coming home from overseas. He's started trading the marinara sauce out for alfredo and that's helped some.
Has a major sweet tooth. Very easy to bribe with baked goods.
