StuckInTheMiddle22

[dharmaavocado]

#sal deluca union man…save me... sal deluca union man. save me sal deluca union man (via @26-cats-in-a-trenchcoat)

This must be what Batman feels like seeing the bat signal. After the dumpster fire that is s9 I think we all deserve some Sal Deluca Union Man, as a treat.

--

The very first thing Buck said at eight in the goddamn morning was: "I didn't call him."

"And hello to you too, Sunshine," Chim said, heading directly to the kitchen for his third cup of coffee of the day. "Your beautiful nephew kept me and your sister up all night. Thank you for asking."

Jee had been a nightmare of a sleeper, taking hours to drop off only to wake up around four and refusing to go back down again. The only reason they got her on any kind of schedule was because preschool tired her out. Nash was a dream in comparison. That very first night they brought him home from the hospital, Nash was out by eight and slept through the night. When Chim jerked awake at seven the next morning and realized he gotten an unprecedented eight undisturbed hours, he rushed to the baby's room expecting to find Nash dead in his crib. What he got instead was his son happily staring up at Jee's old mobile, as happy as could be. But Nash occasionally suffered from bouts of insomnia, which left him frustrated and cranky, and nothing he or Maddie did could soothe him to sleep.

"My nephew?" Buck said, trailing after him. "How is that my fault?"

"It's the Buckley genes," Chim said. God, there were so many stairs. Why couldn't the 118 be a single story? "He can't turn off his brain."

"You know Maddie is a Buckley," Buck said.

"Yeah, but she got all the good genes and is a beautiful woman who has never done anything wrong in her life." The coffee pot was finally in sight. "There better be coffee in there. Actually, is there a way we can shoot espresso directly into my veins?"

"The best I can do is a quad shot," Sal fucking Deluca said from the kitchen table where they used to have family dinner, his phone in one hand and a takeout cup in front of him. "My favorite angry barista made it. It will give you heart palpitations."

"Sal," Chim said pleasantly, like his last hope of a good morning hadn't been snatched away by Buck's big fat mouth, "what are you doing here?"

Buck opened said big fat mouth but Sal beat him to the punch. "I planned this little social visit all on my lonesome."

Chim was too tired to even begin to detangle the Raso-Deluca-Kinard-Buckley codependency web to figure out if Buck had gone crying to his union daddy about whatever had his panties in a bunch now. With Buck, it could be anything.

"If this is union business then get in line." He held out for an entire ten seconds before giving in and snatching up the cup. "I already got the deputy chief after my head about the late evaluations. You know how long it takes to write up an entire station's evals when half your shift is spent putting out literal fires?"

"I'm familiar," Sal said dryly.

Chim downed half the coffee, which was a mistake; his pulse rabbited. "What the hell is in this?"

"Four shots of espresso, a fuck ton of syrup, and I think she poured in a packet of instant coffee."

He stared in horror at the cup. "Why?"

"She fears neither god nor death." Sal stood and slid his phone into his shirt pocket. Chim would bet good money if those cell phone belt clips were still around, Sal would be a proud owner. He was such a dad. "Let's take this to your office."

His vagus nerve went wild and his pulse kicked up another notch that had nothing to do with the espresso. "You've already made yourself comfortable. We can do it here."

Sal made a point of looking around the open concept loft at where all of Chim's firefighters were doing a great job at pretending not to listen in on their conversation. He was particularly impressed by Eddie's intense pantomime of searching the fridge for the quart of milk two inches from his face.

"This is a conversation better suited to an office that has a door, Captain Han," Sal said.

Ravi, who was heading towards the coffee machine, turned on his heel and beelined straight for the stairs. Coward.

Chim forced a smile. "If you would follow me, Steward Deluca."

"I know the way, asshole," Sal said, and didn't even wait for Chim to take the lead.

"Now who's the asshole?" he muttered and hurried to catch up with Sal. He was surrounded by assholes with long legs. This was why Hen was his favorite.

They made it all the way to the office before Sal paused, hand on the doorknob. Like the bay doors, Bobby had liked to keep his office open. "It sends the wrong message if it's closed," Bobby had said once. "We're here to help. People need to know they're welcome."

Before Sal could get off a quip or, even worse, be understanding, Chim pushed past and inside. At some point between the lab and all of them returning to work, someone had packed up all of Bobby's personal effects and cleaned the place out. The pictures and the #2 Dad mug that May and Harry had gotten Bobby as a gag gift on Father's Day went to Athena. The little figurine of an old fire wagon was in the Buckley-Kinard household. He'd caught a glimpse of it when they went over for dinner, which was a whole ordeal as they had to pack up the kids and both Jee and Nash hated being in their car seats. He had been irritated when he saw it, not because he wanted the figurine—that would have been one more thing for the kids to break—but because it hadn't even been a choice. Of course it went to Buck, just like Bobby's recipe cards, written by various Nash generations, had gone to Buck. Just like Bobby's final orders had gone to Buck.

The only attempt Chim had made at personalizing the office was to put up the obligatory framed photos of the wife and kids. He hadn't seen the point of anything else given how little time he was in there since the LAFD was all in on going paperless, which meant his laptop's new home was on the kitchen table. The air was stale. A tin layer of dust covered everything. Sal sneezed.

"So," Chim said, absolutely not hesitating as he took a seat behind the desk and laced his fingers over his stomach, "why are you here, Sal?"

Sal sat across him, mimicking his posture with his own hands folded over his stomach. "I'm just curious about why Firefighter Buckley has not taken the full family leave he's entitled to as a new parent."

The effort it took not to roll his eyes hurt. "Christ, I can't believe he went whining to you about this. Actually, you know what? I can believe he went whining to you. Isn't this a conflict of interest?"

"Buckley is only married to my best friend," Sal said, deeply unimpressed. "It's not like he's my brother-in-law and I'm his direct supervisor. Now that would be a lawsuit waiting to happen."

Chim took a deep, calming breath. "Buck took a couple of weeks when Theo moved in. I can't force him to take every minute available to him." That was polite and professional and more of an explanation than Sal was owed, and yet something about Sal's face, the set of his mouth or the fact he apparently stole Tommy's bitchy eyebrows, goaded him into adding, "It's just a foster placement. It's not like he's got a new baby. Besides, Buck is the donor, not the dad."

Sal went very still and very quiet and very dangerous. "Then I guess you think Hen shouldn't have taken her family leave when she and Karen took in Mara."

Through the horrific churning of his stomach, Chim said, "That's different. Hen and Karen were adopting Mara. And Hen didn't take the full leave either. Hell, I only took a couple of weeks when my son was born. Buck isn't being singled out."

"Yeah, let's talk about PTO." Sal deliberately unlaced his fingers. If this were a nature program, this would be the point where Buck would explain to Jee and Nash what a threat display was. "I've been doing some digging. Unofficially, of course."

"Of course," Chim agreed, annoyed.

"The 118 has a lot of unused PTO sitting on the books, which I find concerning."

"Oh, do you?" The annoyance was reaching the flashover point. "Tell me more about how to do my job."

Sal's expression didn't change; he used to be easier to rile. "It's not a good sign when your people aren't using the time they're due and that they've earned. Now I don't know if it's because they're all workaholics, in which case you got yourself a culture problem, Captain Han, or because they don't think they're allowed to take it. And if they don't think they're allowed then that's where I come in."

The flashover ignited. "You know, Sal," Chim said with forced geniality, "it's a shame that you never made captain. I remember you keeping us going through all those shitty captains after Gerrard. You were good at it."

"I sense a 'but' coming," Sal said, clearly amused, which only made the Chim's anger burn hotter by sucking up all the oxygen in the room.

"But you are not a captain and you are definitely not the captain of the 118." He jabbed a finger into the desk. "You do not get to come into my house and lecture me about my job and tell me how to look after my people. And if Firefighter Buckley has an issue with the way I'm running this place then he can put on his big boy pants and come talk to me instead of running to the nearest dad shaped figure to fight his battles for him. We all miss Bobby but some of us have to be the actual grown up in the room!"

Now Sal's expression changed, but instead of the self-righteous fury he remembered Sal being so good at it, Sal just seemed sad. "Howie, do you even want to be captain?"

That shocked him out of his fury. "What kind of question is that?"

"An overdue one, I'm guessing." Sal looked around the office, taking in the blank walls and the few framed photos and, more irritatingly, the ill fitting way Chim sat behind the desk. "I was surprised when I heard Hen declined the captaincy. I had her marked down for climbing the ranks ever since that night she found the car we all missed. You remember that?"

He snorted. Did he remember the night he and Hen became partners? Like he could forget how Hen metaphorically kicked their asses into being brave enough to dump Gerrard.

"I faintly recall it," he said at his most snide.

That got Sal to smile. "That's when I knew that someday I'd be calling her chief." The smile dropped away. "But then I hear she turned Simpson down. She didn't want it anymore."

"Bobby was mentoring her. She stepped up as interim captain when he was away. She was the one making the hard decisions. That's how she got on Ortiz's shit list." He scrubbed a hand down his face. "She doesn't want it like this."

"Nobody wants it like this." Sal heaved an old man sigh. "Do you know why I became a union steward?"

"Well, Sal, if I had to guess, I'm going with the fact you got an anti-authority streak a mile wide and love to fight with the brass."

"Well, you're not wrong," Sal said, a flash of wry humor. "But I was here for Gerrard. I saw what he did to Tommy. It was worse for you and Hen, I know," Sal added before Chim could rightfully protest. "He ground us down and turned us into the worse version of ourselves."

"Us?"

"Me." Sal leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. "I hate who I was under Gerrard. I hate how I treated you. I hate that my own best friend didn't feel safe to come out to me for years. I hate that it took me so long to do the right thing. I won't let another firefighter go through what we did. I will not let the brass protect more Gerrards."

"Is this your superhero origin story?" Chim said, knowing he'd crossed the line from good natured shit talking to mean bastard, but he couldn't stop. "It doesn't have the same flair as Spider-Man's origin, but, hey, at least you get the power without the responsibility."

Sal leaned back and donned a wide smile. "I'm going to do you a favor, Howie, since you're an old friend and we were in the trenches together."

"Lucky me," he said dryly. "That favor better be getting Buck to cool it on the snickerdoodle front. If I have to so much as see another cookie I'm transferring him to Alaska. I don't care how much Theo likes him."

"I'll do you one better. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Bobby back when Firefighter Diaz almost killed a guy." Sal's smile became that of a great white shark. "I shut down the 138. I made sure there was an investigation into the culture the captain fostered and the harassment he encouraged. Every single firefighter who participated in the systematic sexual harassment was fired and denied all benefits. I oversaw the transfer of those affected firefighters to good houses with good captains. I dug and documented and uncovered every terrible, horrific thing they did, and I burned it all down and put heads on pikes and I salted the fucking earth. There will never be another Gerrard. I will not allow it, not even if it's the 118 and not even if it's your head."

"You self-righteous asshole," Chim said quietly, so furious he couldn't take a full breath. "You think you scare me? I've been dealing with people like you my entire life. I survived Gerrard. So if you want my head, Deluca, you're gonna have to fight for it."

"Howie," Sal said, not gentle because the only people Sal were gentle with was his daughter and Tommy, but kind, "do you want to be captain?"

Chim threw up his hands because the only other option was throwing a punch. "What fucking difference does it make? Hen doesn't want it. Eddie and Buck aren't anywhere near being ready to take command."

"You're not the only senior firefighter here," Sal said.

"But I am the only who fucking cares."

That was, Chim realized too late to do any good, a horrifying thing to say about the 118. It was the same thing Gerrard said every shift, the little phrase that allowed him to turn people into things: Gerrard was the only who cared about the job.

"I didn't mean that," Chim said into the asphyxiating silence.

"How did you mean it?" Sal said with what certainly sounded like genuine curiosity.

He forced himself to take a breath and then another. He brought his shoulders down a notch. "If I didn't take the badge," he said slowly, carefully feeling his way through the sentence, "then we would be stuck with whoever Simpson assigned here. We wouldn't get another Gerrard. I know you won't let that happen." He wasn't even annoyed with the way Sal tipped his head in faux modesty. "But we had a lot of captains between Gerrard and Bobby. You remember what they were like, right? They weren't bad captains but they—”

"Didn't give a shit," Sal said. "I remember."

The exhaustion ate away the last of the anger. "I don't want to get some guy who doesn't care about this place or about family dinner or about us." God, he was so tired. "We're Bobby's legacy and that matters."

Sal nodded thoughtfully and said, "I gotta ask one more time. Howie, do you want to be captain?"

"You're killing me, Smalls," Chim groaned. "Why do you keep asking that? Are you actually gunning for my job?"

"I'm asking because what it sounds like to me is that you took this job because no one else would and you were afraid the station would get saddled with a--"

"Mook?" he suggested.

Sal flashed a smile. "Yeah, with another fucking mook." The smile faded. "But you didn’t want this job, not like how Hen did and how Buckley does. And I think you resent the hell out of everyone for not stepping up and forcing you to do it, and I think that’s eating away at you.”

"I don't," he protested. "I'm not saying I would have chosen this if it weren't for everything, but I don't resent them for it. I'm doing this for them and for Bobby. We're a family."

Sal looked at him like Chim was an unstable building and Sal was trying to figure out the safest way to evacuate everyone inside. And then, with devastating precision, he asked, "And when was the last time you had family dinner?"

"Last shift," he said automatically, and then: "Wait, we had that call and Buck didn't get a chance to cook when we got back. So the shift before that. Or on Sunday. One of those days."

“You don’t seem sure about that.”

Chim opened his mouth to tell Sal to stop harassing him in his own station, but Sal had the audacity to be right: he wasn’t sure the last time they all sat down to dinner together. Buck had taken over cooking duties, but dinner was served buffet style with everything laid out so the rest of them could come and eat when they wanted to. It wasn’t like they were all retreating to their separate corners—people tended to cluster around the tv, on the couch, at the table, or leaning against counters because they were all raised in a barn—but they weren’t eating together, not like they before. Chim closed his mouth.

“Yeah,” Sal said, almost sympathetic. “This is your house now and you’re not handling it well.”

“So,” Chim said cheerfully, “this is the part where I tell you to get the hell out of my house.”

“This is what I’ve observed in the time I’ve been here,” Sal said, terrifyingly serious. “You have accused Firefighter Buckley of going behind your back by bringing me in, stated that he is not entitled to his full family leave per California law because he is only fostering Theo and implied that Firefighter Buckley is a child. You admitted to setting the precedence for not using PTO that the people under your command are entitled to and are resentful that Firefighter Buckley any family leave at all. You then proceeded to make several unprofessional and disparaging remarks about a firefighter under your command to another member of the LAFD. Is this you handling it well, Captain Han?”

“Let me tell you what I’ve observed,” Chim shot back, forcing his hands to lay flat against the desk. “Everything you just said exclusively pertains to how I’m treating Buck, which isn’t helping your case that he doesn’t immediately go running to you when another kid is being mean to him on the playground. My actual four year old daughter doesn’t complain as much.”

“That is a hell of a thing to say about your brother-in-law,” Sal said, “and an actionable offense as his captain.”

“Jesus Christ.” He dragged his hands down his face. “I know he’s your brother-husband, but this is still Buck we’re talking about. I’ve known him longer than you. Hell, I’m the reason you two even met.”

“You thought he was being unfairly treated and brought in an union rep to help him,” Sal said, tone heavy with meaning.

“Worst mistake of my life. Now I’m stuck dealing with both of you until one of us dies.” That was, Chim once again realized too late, too mean and too honest. “Bad joke.”

“That wasn’t a joke,” Sal said.

He gritted his teeth, and said, “I admit that was out of line. My son wouldn’t go down last night. I’m operating on about an hour of sleep.”

“The thing is, Howie, I don’t fucking care.” And there was the Sal that he knew and barely tolerated. “And those people out there, your people, don’t care either. You’re the captain. You don’t get to be tired or cranky or a goddamn asshole just because you missed some sleep. You don’t get to take out your frustration and resentment on Buckley because he’s your brother-in-law and you think that makes him a safe target. As you so aptly put it, Captain Han, you have to be the grown up in the room but all I’m seeing is a child throwing a tantrum. And my actual child knows how to behave better.”

“Tell me how you really feel, Sal,” he said, too exhausted to work up more anger. A tension headache throbbed behind his right eye. All he wanted was five goddamn minutes of quiet where someone wasn’t crying or grieving or expecting him to fix the unfixable. All he wanted was to be left alone so he could remember how to be a person again. “I’m serious. Dig deep. Lay it on me.”

“No one wakes up and makes the decision to be a hateful asshole, not even Gerrard.” Sal sounded as tired as Chim felt. “We give ourself little permissions every day. Your kid kept you up last night so that gives you permission to disparage Buckley in front of his coworkers. You didn’t take your full family leave so no one else should either. You care more about this job than anyone else, which means you can treat them however you want.”

Chim winced. “I get it, okay? I’m being a real asshole.”

“You don’t actually get it,” Sal said, and Chim had never seen him look so sad, not when Tommy was in the hospital and not even when he got himself fired. “I told you I’m here as a courtesy since we’re old friends. What’s happening here, all these little permissions and excuses you give yourself, this is how you get a Vincent Gerrard.”

“And you won’t let that happen again,” Chim said through a mouth gone sick and sour with shame.

“I never liked Nash, but I liked what he did for his place and what he did for you. I don’t want to have to salt the 118’s earth, but I will if I have to.” Sal stood. He wasn’t the biggest guy Chim knew—that honor went to his brothers-in-law—but had a talent for for filling the room, and right now there was no space left for him. “You saved Tommy’s life, and I am forever grateful for that, but I won’t protect you if you keep going down this road. The next time I com here, it will be in an official capacity.”

“Good talk, Sal,” Chim said, unable to summon up even the thinnest sarcasm. “My favorite part was the explicit threat at the end.”

Sal flashed that shark smile. “Don’t be dramatic. You’ll know when I’m threatening you.” The smile softened into something approaching genuine affection. “If you going to do this, Howie, you gotta do it right. And you don’t have to do it at all if you don’t want to. You can step down.”

“That will be all, Firefighter Deluca,” Chim said.

“Good to see you, Captain Han.” Sal nodded at him and then finally got the hell out of Chim’s house.

Chim got a full four minutes of quiet before the bell went off and then another minute before Hen shouted, “We gotta go, Cap!”

There was no time to be a person. Captain Han got up and went to work.

[kitty-tommykinarddefender]

Whenever the universe seems to be against you, rely on the person that knows how to make it warmer ❤️

Sometimes pookies come like out of nowhere, sometimes I struggle a little with them, so @v88sy thank you for your request, im so sorry for the waiting i hope you like it yayyyy🥰🥰🥰 (i still owe you one tho👀)

I leave the fic for people to enjoy🥰

https://archiveofourown.org/works/82639876

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

Since I told you I did almost send you a different SalBuckTommy prompt:

5 (or more) facts from an AU where...Buck is exploring LA one night and ends up ducking into a club to wait out bad weather. He does not immediately realize it is a gay club (but hey he's an ally 🌈). While there, he somehow meets Sal and Tommy and then...

1. It's pissing down rain in sheets, to the point where it's starting to hurt Buck's face both from the cold and from the impact of the massive water droplets. He has a jacket, but his face is exposed because he'd assumed a crewneck sweatshirt would be fine for the chilly day. Then he'd grabbed a bite to eat and stayed out later than he intended, but he's close enough to his place that he thought he could make a break for it. He can't, he needs to get inside for a bit. He sees a couple of guys duck into a business and follows, realizes he's going to some bar or club upstairs from the other businesses, but that means he might be able to wait out the rain without getting kicked out. He gets inside and asks the bartender where the bathroom is, and the guy points it out to him. The line is a little long, but Buck waits patiently and gets inside, taking a piss before he dries his face and hair off with paper towels. He notices a guy looking at him and shrugs. "Didn't bring an umbrella with me," he says before leaving the bathroom.

2. At the bar, Buck orders a beer. He takes his soaked sweatshirt off, and the bartender slides the beer over with a smile. "You want open a tab, baby?" he asks. "Nah, I'm okay," Buck says, putting his card in the guy's hand. He sips his beer and closes his eyes for a moment, taking in the heat of the place. There's enough people that he can feel it warming him up, and it's nice. The music is pretty loud, but he guesses it would be for a club. When he signs for the beer, he doesn't move and just keeps drinking. He's not here for the club, he's here for the shelter from the elements. There's a few women next to him talking loudly for a moment, but then they're gone once they get their drinks. Buck finishes his beer and finally turns, taking the place in for the first time. There's a lot of guys dancing. Like, a lot of guys dancing. Including a mostly naked dude dancing on a platform. And there's a giant illustration of a biker with a huge bulge at the top of one wall. "Oh," he realizes. It's not weird, it's just...unexpected. He's an ally. He went to a small Pride celebration once when he was traveling. It had been great! Comfortable, even. So he's not weirded out by any of it.

3. Just as Buck is debating if he wants another beer or if he's going to switch to water, a couple of guys break through the crowd, laughing and standing close. They're big, one's about his height and the other one's a little shorter, but they're muscular and really handsome with great smiles. When one of them spots Buck, he freezes, and Buck freezes, too. He ends up buying another beer.

4. He sees the guys dancing. They're pressed together and grinding slowly and hiking up each other's shirts and brushing lips over each other's necks and jaws and mouths. It's...hot. Jesus, it's hot. Buck feels himself get an embarrassing half chub, and he gulps the last of his beer down. He's about to leave, and then the shorter guy turns his head and looks at Buck and nods him over. Buck debates for a second before nudging past a few guys to get to them. He's about to tell them thanks but no thanks, and then there's an arm around his waist and lips at his ear. "Glad you decided to finally join us, beautiful," the guy says. And then he's slotted between them and dancing, and there's so much heat and friction. He gets hard. Completely hard. Humiliatingly hard. And the guy he's chest to chest with, the shorter one, curls his fingers in the neck of Buck's shirt and pulls him in for a kiss. It's a great kiss, and Buck kisses back and is grateful for the music, because it's overriding the alarms going off in his brain that he's kissing a dude. When the kiss breaks, he's turned around carefully and kissed by the taller guy, who's hard against Buck's dick. "You wanna get out of here?" the guy asks, and Buck nods. He wants nothing more at the moment, which is weird for him, because he hadn't even thought he could until about twenty-ish minutes ago.

5. Their names are Sal and Tommy. They're huddled under an awning and waiting for an Uber, and Buck puts in his address because they're both closer to Culver City. It's not a far drive, but he hadn't picked his sweatshirt back up and they're not wearing anything hooded, so they're shivering together. "We'll warm you up," Sal promises, drawing him into another kiss. He makes out with them until the Uber arrives, and then he ends up crammed in the back of an SUV with them. At his place, he's suddenly unsure. What's he even supposed to be doing right now? What does he want to do right now? "I've never done this before," he blurts out. "Had a threesome?" Sal asks, and Tommy shakes his head just as Buck does. "You want to do this?" Tommy asks, and Buck looks at his lips and then Sal's and nods and reaches for them until they're tangled together again and going up to his bed. He's definitely not ready to get fucked for the first time, but Sal definitely is. Buck gets a crash course in how to have sex with a dude by copying what Tommy does or doing what he instructs. He's gentle but firm about it, telling Buck when to ease up and when to press harder with his fingers, bending forward to suck gently at Sal's rim and lick between Buck's fingers before sitting back on his heels so Buck can do the same. It's unbelievably fucking hot, and Buck sinks into Sal and clutches at his hip while Sal nuzzles into Tommy's armpit and murmurs about how good Buck's dick feels. Then he swallows more of Tommy's huge dick than is probably medically advisable, and Buck reaches across his back to pull Tommy into a kiss while they fuck into him.

6. After, when they're cleaning up and being lazy after having truly some of the greatest sex of Buck's entire life, Sal goes into his bathroom and Buck hears a loud guffaw. When Sal comes out holding up the work t-shirt Buck had left on the floor before he left earlier, he's laughing. "Tommy, you aren't gonna fucking believe this."

[louferrignojrofficial]

LOU FERRIGNO JR as Tommy Kinard 9-1-1 8.05

[trilliath]

"time" for the WIP Word Guessing Game

This is from Merry Go Round in which Buck makes queer friends, starts going on blind dates again, but somehow all roads lead back to Tommy

---

"Hey, you were the one who said you wanted to get back on the horse. Prove to yourself and everyone else that you're not just gay for your ex because he was the first guy to rock your socks off-"

He scrunches his face.

"- even though you definitely don't owe anyone that shit."

He scrunches harder.

"But like, I totally get it at the same time. So, great. Go kiss some boys and suck some dicks. Get some unassailable proof that you are one hundred percent queer and nobody can ever make you doubt yourself about it again."

He huffs a sigh that ends up sounding way more longing and pathetic than he'd intended. She's not at all wrong, is the thing. He hates the feeling of not being able to point to anything concrete, of being treated like Tommy's some kind of exception that proves the rule, rather than just the guy who was so incredible he broke through an entire society's worth of pressure to be "normal" just by existing in Buck's life.

"Look. Just go on one date, meet this very cool guy, try a rebound for a second to get a little distance. Gotta start somewhere or you'll never shake off the rust… it'll be fun. You can't tell me you don't need some fun in your life right now."

He hesitates, and Lucy grins, already knowing she's got him.

---

Send me a word and I'll post a snippet of a WIP with that word, or write you 3 new sentences if it's not in there :3

[pluralityofaxes]

im fishing here im ngl so im gonna say "shower" for the wip game :)

are you fishing? you don't say 😌

i'll be real with you, the only shower scene so far is one i've already shared, but there is another one planned so i wrote you some of that one.

For 120 over 20, the bucktommy bloodplay fic

--

Buck strips out of his shirt, throws his pants in the vague direction of a bench for him to deal with later. He remembers to snag a towel before he staggers into a cubicle and hits the shower button.

Mud sluices down. It's gritty on his sore skin. Grains catch under his toes. His eyes ache from the smoke and the long hours of squinting in the dark, so he brings his equally aching hands up to rub the pain away.

He pulls them out from under the spray immediately. For good measure, he takes a step forward so the water only splashes down on his back, the rest of him dry in relative safety.

There, clotted and flaking in the fine hairs on the backs of Buck's right hand, is blood. Tommy's, he realises; he's touched nobody else with open wounds today. He'd worn gloves, of course he had, but it'd been dark and Tommy had bled a lot for such a small cut. Buck could've nicked a glove without noticing. Touched a bloodied sleeve after taking off the gloves. Something.

The water batters down on his shoulders. Buck looks at his hand. The blood has settled in his creases, drawing a line around his nailbeds. It's dried under the nails. Tommy, embedded in the whorls of his fingerprint.

--

Send me a word and i'll post a snippet of a WIP with that word, or write you 3 new sentences if it's not in there

[pluralityofaxes]

The word learn/learning for the wip word guessing game 👀

Hii 👋 and thank you for choosing one of the only words with multiple occurances, heh. This is from Prayers for the Non-Believer, aka The Buck/Athena Grief Sex Thing

--

[Athena's] thumb on his arm traces a deliberate line up the seam of his shirt. Buck can feel her manicure digging into his skin; thinks, distantly, of how long it’s been since hands this small have been on him.

Thinks, nobody’s reached out to me. He’s been fighting like hell to learn how to reach out to Eddie, to his team, but they’ve yet to reach back. Bobby said the team would need him and Buck won’t posthumously make him a liar, but if Bobby in all his dying wisdom was right then it just means Buck’s been failing at figuring out what anyone actually needs him for.

Yet Athena called. She called, and she’s got Buck here in front of her, and she’s asking for something that she needs.

She’s asking for something Buck knows how to give.

--

Send me a word and i'll post a snippet of a WIP with that word, or write you 3 new sentences if it's not in there

[pluralityofaxes]

For the WIP Word Guessing Game:

Defenestration

*big, disgustingly fond sigh* Why am i not surprised?

There is no 'defenestration' (nor actual defenestration) in any of my WIPs, so have. Uhm. A handful of new sentences that are 1) are going under a cut because they're nsfw, and b) waylaid me into a wikipedia rabbithole on christianity for an hour, because it was absolutely vital to this Pussy Eating: Grief Edition-scene to know whether it's 'episcopalian' or 'episcopal'.

Again for Prayers for the Non-Believer, which is post-S8 Buck/Athena

Bobby had died praying, she'd told him today. He'd turned away from her in his final moments, and she'd wanted to rage and scream until he'd take his eyes off his god - a god remote and silent, who was letting this happen - and make Bobby look to her again.

The church Buck's parents belonged to back in Hershey was Episcopal. His knowledge of Catholicism is abysmal and most of it comes from Bobby, but he knows this much: you pray on your knees. You drink wine that is blood and swallow a wafer that is the body of Christ, and that's about the closest you can get to your object of devotion on an ordinary day.

Athena's kitchen floor is not a prie-dieu. But Buck is on his knees with the taste of wine clinging to his molars; and as Athena holds him by the scruff and ruts against his face while her entire body trembles, he swallows her wetness the best he can and holds on.

[pollen]

happy Barely Keeping It Together Wednesday to all who celebrate

[kitty-tommykinarddefender]

I loooooved receiving this request because I live for preg pookies, and both of them cooking babies at the same time can’t be nothing but fun!!

[dharmaavocado]

Oh, for the 5 facts prompts, Buck and Tommy meet through Ravi at frisbee golf!

I want you to know I had to look up what frisbee golf was and then I went and made up a bunch of things about it anyway. Also it got away from me and went in a more, hm, poetical direction.

--

1. Covid had shrunk his life down to the essentials: work, grocery store, socially distance runs, home, video calls. Even with the vaccine roll out, Buck was being cautious.; the last thing he wanted to do was catch Covid and put Maddie and his soon to be born niece at risk. He was lonely and restless—Albert was great company when he was there, but he was grabbing as many deliveries as possible as he needed the money—which was why he didn’t laugh when Ravi said, “I have a weekly frisbee golf game with friends. You doing anything on Sunday?”

“Uh, not to sound ungrateful,” Buck said, resisting the urge to look behind him to see who Ravi was actually talking to, “but why are you inviting me? You pretend not to know us outside of work.”

With the mask covering his face, Ravi’s eyebrows were putting in overtime in the judgmental department. “It’s called having a work-life balance and actual boundaries. You should try it.”

“You’re still a probie,” Buck reminded him.

Ravi had a trick of conveying an eye roll without actually rolling his eyes. It was as impressive as it was deeply irritating. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“But why me?” Buck asked, refusing to take that bait. “I didn’t think you liked me.”

“I’m going to be honest,” Ravi said like he wasn’t that all of the time. “It seems like the pandemic has maybe sent you spiraling into madness.” He held up a hand when Buck went to protest. “You chased me with a saw last week.”

“Uh, I was trying to find you so I could demonstrate how to properly use and store the saw.”

“And the best way to do that was by pretending to be Michael Myers?” Ravi pulled out his phone. “I’m sending you the time and place. “Be there.”

His phone vibrated. “I appreciate this, but I don’t want to be your weird coworker who got a pity invite.” And, Buck added silently, he didn’t want to be the weird older guy pretending to be the same age as a bunch of twenty-somethings.

“You are my weird coworker,” Ravi said without a shred of pity, “but I’m inviting another weird coworker so you’ll have someone to be weird with.”

“Thanks?” Buck said. “Wait, what other coworker? Is it Eddie? Did you invite Eddie? Ravi!”

2. Ravi did not invite Eddie. Buck showed up to the park, compressor sleeve on his bad leg, and saw a tiny woman struggling to pull a giant cooler out of the back of her Subaru. Buck ran to help at the same time as another man hurried over, and they both managed to catch the cooler before it slipped and crushed the poor woman. The guy was masked, but his eyes were so blue and, judging by the way the corners creased, he must have had a hell of a smile.

“Nice catch,” the guy said as they navigated the cooler to safety. His voice was higher pitched than Buck was expecting for a guy that size, but it was, and there was no other word for it, melodious.

“You must be the Ravi’s weird coworkers,” she said. “Grab that and follow me.”

The guy’s eyebrows raised, but he obligingly picked up one end of the cooler and Buck took the other, and they followed the woman, who was named Skye and the co-founder of her college’s frisbee gold club. That was how she knew Ravi; they were old friends.

“Ravi, I found your weird work friends,” she called as they joined Ravi and the rest of the group at the course they were setting up.

“Most people are impressed by us being firefighters,” the guy said mildly.

Skye snorted. “Tell you what, kid, save a cat from a tree and I will personally throw you a parade.”

“It’s been a long time since I was called kid,” the guy mused, and Buck was treated to those laugh lines again. They were so deep; this guy must smile a lot. “I’m Tommy.”

“Buck. Buckley. I mean, Evan,” Buck said because apparently he lost control of his mouth. God, he wished he could see that smile. “Evan Buckley.”

“Good to meet you, Evan,” Tommy said.

“Glad you made it,” Ravi said. “We’re about to break into teams. Full warning, Skye gets physical.”

“Yeah, I do,” said Skye, and high fived another woman.

“I didn’t think this was a contact sport,” Buck said, who had spent last night reading the frisbee golf Wikipedia article and watching a couple of video of people trying to toss little discs into various baskets.

“Not the way we play it,” said Skye with a wolfish smile. “Are you ready?”

3. Buck was not, in fact, ready. The third time Skye laid him out, Buck just stayed and contemplated his mortality.

“Still alive down there?” Tommy asked, hands braced on his knees as he leaned over Buck.

“Unfortunately,” Buck said. “Do you think if I play dead they’ll forget I’m here?”

Tommy glanced at where a scrimmage was taking place further down the course. “I think it’s wrapping up. I heard a rumor that cooler we carried was full of snacks. Come on.”

Tommy offered a hand, and Buck was effortlessly pulled to his feet. “Oh,” he said, breathless. “I’m, uh, not used to people being able to lift me.”

“Benefits of being a big, strong firefighter,” Tommy said with those gorgeous laugh lines.

“Yeah, strong,” Buck agreed over the mad scramble happening at the last basket. It was either luck or skill that kept anyone from losing a mask. “This is not regulation play.”

“Yeah, it’s very Calvinball.” Tommy slid him a sly look. “I bet we can raid the cooler while they’re distracted.”

Buck was too old to get caught in the violent tangle of limbs that was happening. “Let’s do it.”

4. An incomplete list of things Buck learned about Tommy as they waited for the frisbee golf game to end:

Tommy was not just a firefighter but a firefighter pilot, which was one of the coolest jobs it was possible to have. (“That’s gotta be like having a super power,” he said way too earnest to be cool, but Tommy just smiled so wide that his nose scrunched and said, “A little bit, yeah.)

Tommy was Harbor’s sacrificial goat who got sent to the academy as a guest instructor (“I lost the final round of rock, paper, scissors,” he said in that dry tone that Buck suspected he used when he wanted to hide the truth as a joke.)

Tommy used to be at the 118 and had the best stories from Chim and Hen’s probie years (Tommy called him Howie, which was weirdly endearing)

Tommy learned to fly in the army (“The PTSD was almost worth it.”)

Tommy knew Muay Thai but had not joined an underground fight club because he was only slightly more well adjusted than Eddie

Tommy had the most beautiful smile Buck had ever seen

“So this is adorable,” Skye said, gesturing between them, “but if you don’t stop bogarting the snacks, I will take you both down.”

Tommy stepped aside and made a dorky little half-bow so Skye could get into the cooler. Apparently everyone contributed to the snack fund but Skye was the one who actually went out and bought everything because she had black market hook ups for the good chips and dip.

Once everyone had raided the cooler and they had all spaced out six feet so they could take off their masks to eat and drink, Ravi raised his can of flavored seltzer and said, “And now it’s time for the traditional poetry reading. Kay has chosen this week’s selection.

Kay, who had an undercut and a septum piercing, said, “You know I had to go with my girl Mary Oliver. You know it, you love it, it’s Wild Geese!”

Everyone cheered, and Buck found himself exchanging a bewildered look with Tommy and Tommy’s politely baffled eyebrows.

From their back pocket, Kay pulled out a phone and began to read. It was a short poem, but it filled him with a sweet ache, like the relief he felt when a wound had been sutured closed. Tommy’s face had softened with each line, and by the end he looked just like how Buck felt, like pain had given way to ease. And then it was over, and Buck wished he’d though to fix his mask back into place so he could have stood shoulder to shoulder with Tommy as they experienced the poem together.

“So,” Ravi said once they were once again masked up and reformed into a loose circle, “what did you think?”

“I wasn’t expecting to be tackled so much,” Tommy said dryly, smile once more hidden away, “but it was fun.”

“Yeah, fun,” Buck said. “Hey, what’s up with the poetry?”

What was up with the poetry was that Ravi’s college roommate was an extremely shy kid named Joshua who Ravi managed to, in the words of Skye, cajole into joining their frisbee golf club using sweet words and a muffin. Joshua hated frisbee golf, but he liked poetry and old books, and so would sit on the sidelines reading to them between plays. And soon everyone had their favorite poets and poems and started bringing them to share with Joshua until it became a tradition after every game for one member to read a new poem they found.

“He had to move back home when his dad got sick,” said Chad, who looked exactly like one of Buck’s roommates from back in the day who would howl without fail at three am every day but was in fact pursuing a masters in gender studies. “But we kept up the tradition, and we either facetime with him or send him the poem.”

“Oh, that’s really cool,” Buck said, who never had the kinds of friends who would do that. He didn’t even keep in touch with Connor, who he’d followed to LA like a lost puppy.

“It is,” said Beth, who was only slightly less violent than Skye, which was good since she was close to him and Tommy in height, “until Skye breaks up with her girlfriend of two years and does nothing but read Richard Siken poems for two straight months.”

Tommy winced, and Sky pointed an accusing finger at him and said, “I knew it! I knew you were one of us!”

Tommy’s eyebrows rose in a way that Buck could only describe as bitchy. “Kid, I was in the army under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. You’re one of me.”

“Wait, what does Don’t Ask Don’t Tell have to do with poetry?” Buck said two seconds before his brain caught up. “Oh, you’re—”

“Gay,” Tommy said, and now those bitchy eyebrows were trained fully on him.

“That’s cool! I mean, I’m an ally.” From outside his body, Buck watched as his raised his fist in the air in encouragement and wanted to die. But instead of death, he opened his mouth and said, “I put up a rainbow on my Instagram profile every June.”

Into the terrible silence that followed, Skye said, “So do you have a reminder about a flag programmed into your phone?”

“No,” he said quickly.

“Oh, he definitely does,” Chad said. “That’s adorable. Ravi, thank you for inviting him. He’s going into my thesis.”

Tommy leaned in close and said, “I think that means he likes you,” which almost made the mortification worth it.

Thank god a bunch of moms chased them to clean up and clear out so that their kids could kick around a soccer ball. He and Tommy carried the cooler back to Skye’s Subaru.

“You need to contribute to the snack fund,” Sky said, holding out a hand. “I only accept cash.”

Who carried cash anymore? Tommy apparently, and he handed over two crisp twenties. “You can get it next time,” he said, and gently knocked his knuckles into Buck’s shoulder.

“I’m adding you to the group chat,” Ravi said, and Buck was officially part of frisbee golf.

6. By the third meet up, Buck had given up on understanding the ever shifting rules and instead spent most of his time on the fringes talking to Tommy. They had started getting take out after the game and eating on Tommy’s back patio and then, because they were both fully vaccinated and careful, moving inside to watch the movies Tommy insisted he had to see.

“Do you miss going out to the movies?” Buck asked one day, perusing the two bookcases dedicated to DVDs and CDs.

“I don’t miss strangers breathing on me in the dark for two hours,” Tommy said dryly, “but, yeah, I miss it.”

“We should go when it’s safe.” Buck brushed his knuckles along Tommy’s shoulder. “I’ll buy you Twizzlers.”

The first time Tommy came to the loft, Buck was mortifingly aware of how empty it was, especially compared to Tommy’s carefully curated house. He didn’t have a single shelf of movies or even books. The only personal touch was the bike hanging on the wall, and it had been years since he’d been cycling. Thank god Albert never cleaned up against himself; his mess was the only sign of life in the entire place.

“I get the appeal now,” Tommy said, gesturing to the two balconies. “That’s almost gotta be worth what you’re getting gouged on rent.”

“Spent a lot of nights out here when I can’t sleep,” he said, and they ate lunch out on the balcony and listened to the city.

But mostly they snuck away when Buck’s leg and Tommy’s knee started acting up after too many tackles. They were deep in a discussion of which weird 80s fantasy movie to see next—Tommy was adamant that Buck needed to experience Tim Curry as the shirtless devil, and Buck wanted to see Labrinyth since he had remembered seeing that with Maddie and loving all the pupped—when Skye said, “This is why we don’t let you be on the same team.” She had evidently clawed her way free from a pile up that, as first responders, he and Tommy should really break up. “At least we’re both equally down a player.”

Tommy pointed to Buck’s leg and then his own knee. “There’s no way our old man joints would survive that.”

“Aren’t you firefighters?” she asked.

“I’ve seen the elbows you throw in there,” Tommy said. “Our job is less dangerous.”

“Ha!” Skye said, and then immediately proved Tommy’s point by trying to take down Ravi.

Chad gestured between them. “Whatever is happening between you two is adorable, and I want an invite to the wedding.”

Where Buck had been expecting Tommy’s to do their bitchy thing, Tommy’s expression instead smoothed out so quickly and completely that it felt like a flinch, like Chad had inadvertently pressed on a tender bruise.

“I don’t think he was trying to be an asshole,” Buck said once Chad had been dragged back into the pile.

“It’s fine,” Tommy said in a tone that meant it was absolutely not fine. “I forget sometimes that’s an option for me. It wasn’t for a long time.”

Buck thought of Abby and Ali and the dating apps he hadn’t opened in months, and said, “Yeah, I get that.” He touched the back of Tommy’s hand. “Want to raid the cooler while they’re distracted?”

They had snacks and made an effort to talk to people who weren’t each other, and then it was time for the ceremonial poetry reading.

Tommy stepped forward and carefully pulled out a piece of paper that had gone soft along the creases, like Tommy had folded it and unfolded it many times. Tommy cleared his throat and, a little shy, said, “This is called the undone cowboy writes to his sweetheart.”

And Tommy began to read.

7. These were the poems Buck had heard since joining the group: an ee cummings poem he remembered reading in high school; Frank O’Hara writing about New York; Sky choosing a poem about Jesus in a gay bar that had made him and Tommy tear up; a poem about the women in Stop & Shop.

He had liked all of them, but none of them had been read in Tommy’s soft, careful voice, and none of them had felt like they were spreading his ribs apart to let in the sun. God, he thought as Tommy read the last line, god just take my heart in your palm.

“I knew you were one of us,” Skye said, and tapped friendly knuckles to his shoulder.

8. The shift had been quiet enough that Buck was able to sneak away and grab the good bunk in the corner with the mattress that didn’t sag and replayed the poem in his head: could you lasso my legs, darling, and press me tender to hay bale?

Buck had spent the better part of a year working on a ranch. Hay was a lot less romantic and a lot more irritating than people thought. It pricked and itched, even through a carefully laid blanket, and Buck had no desire to have it anywhere near his dick and balls again.

And yet he placed his palm against his sternum and thought of leaning against a bale. The hay would try to scratch through his clothes but he wouldn’t notice it, not with how close Tommy would be standing. They were the same height and near the same size, although Tommy had more breadth across the shoulders and carried more muscle. Tommy was immovable when he wanted to be, and Buck had felt the heat of him when they collided on the field.

He pressed down on his own breastbone. It wouldn’t be hard for Tommy to move him. It’d be so easy; Buck would go without a fight. God, he would have to spread his legs so wide to let Tommy get in close, and Tommy would kiss as sweetly as he read the poem.

“Oh,” Buck said, ribs cracked open and his sternum filled with sunlight, “I’m one of them.”

8. Buck was a firefighter and there was a time for evaluation and there was a time for action, and so he showed up to Tommy’s house and said, “Are you the undone cowboy? Can I be your sweetheart? I, uh, also brought lunch. Hi.”

“Hi,” Tommy said, and he was laughing but not at Buck. “You want to come in, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, I really do,” Buck said.

9. Tommy kissed sweeter than the poem.

Buck sliced him an apple.

10. “I’ve got a poem,” Buck said, fumbling his phone out of his pocket. It wasn’t his frisbee gold reading, but this one was important. He wanted to get it right. “It’s from our girl Mary Oliver.”

“Yo Mary Oliver!” Kay shouted.

"It's I Did Think, Let's Go About This Slowly." He cleared his throat and began to read, and on the line, the important one, he met Tommy’s eyes and said, unafraid and full of joy, “‘But, bless us, we didn't.”

Tommy’s smile was still the most beautiful think Buck had ever seen.

11. They invited the entire frisbee golf club to the wedding.

[sad-girl-hours23]

Tommy, after sucking Buck’s brain through his dick for the first time: now turn on to your stomach for me 😏😏😏

Buck, come drunk, his brain in the stratosphere: o-okay. Why?

[kitty-tommykinarddefender]

When I read this request, I started imagining the scenario, and my mind went places I didn’t expect. @ryangcallahan I hope you like the results!!🫣🫣🤗

[icestar663]

911 hiAUtus open prompt:

Tommy (either alone or part of SalTommy) needs help dealing with the jungle that his backyard has turned into. He contacts Buckley Landscaping and gets more than he bargained for

@911-hiautus

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

hello ed. if you're still taking au prompts, how about a bucktommy/saltommy/salbucktommy (im not picky) au where one of them is a lifeguard? dealers choice on whether the other(s) is ALSO a lifeguard, a regular civilian, or still a firefighter

Okay so this is......gonna be kind of twee, sorry. It's mostly SalTommy with some SBT crumbs thrown in at the end.

1. Tommy been lifeguarding since he was 16. He's good at it, he takes it seriously, he's had to save a few people over the last few years. He's a college freshman at UCLA on a scholarship and grants. He's in the aerospace program, because he hadn't wanted to join the military and go back into the closet, not after what he risked by coming out in senior year. He'd basically lived on his friend's couch and even his car, because he'd turned 18 and the state couldn't take care of him even if he was in high school. It had been a good basis for an admissions essay, at least. So he's in a dorm and he works as a lifeguard at UCLA, because he was able to get the job easily as someone needing financial aid and with his experience level.

2. Sal is a junior Labor Studies major at UCLA. He's tired of doing the same stuff at the Fitness Center on campus, so he takes a stab at one of the recreation pools. He sees a built water polo type lifeguarding, and she's scanning the pool intently. There's a handful of people there, because it's a warm day, but it's a Thursday. People usually have class, so he'd almost expected it to be empty. Sal jumps into the pool and starts doing laps. When he stops and hooks his elbows over the side, he looks over at the lifeguard stand and does a double take. Water polo chick has been replaced by a hot beefcake who looks more like a football player than a swimmer (Tommy at freshly 19 would be nearly the size Lou was at that age, so...big). He's also scanning the pool, but his eyes pause on Sal when he hauls himself out. Rubbing himself down with a towel, he approaches the stand. "It ever get busy around here on the weekends?" Sal asks casually. "We can't get distracted on shift," the lifeguard says flatly. "Mm, my bad," Sal says. "Hopefully I'll see you around when you can get...distracted." He's proud of himself for that one as he walks away. When he looks over his shoulder, the lifeguard is glancing at him and flushes when he gets caught.

3. They run into each other at B Plate a couple days later. Well, Sal sees Tommy building a monster salad and sidles up next to him. "Didn't recognize you with a shirt on," Tommy says, smiling to himself. "Didn't know you were looking," Sal lies, following Tommy to a line for tri-tip. "Just doing my job," Tommy says. They sit together by a window, and Sal flirts with Tommy relentlessly. Tommy flirts back, but he's a little dry and subdued about it. When Sal asks him what he's studying, he's surprised to find out he's a freshman. He asks him if he wants to go into Westwood to catch a movie. Tommy pokes at his salad for a moment and looks across the table, looking too shy for a guy his size. "You asking me out?" he asks. "Absolutely," Sal says, grinning.

4. Tommy hasn't been on a real date with a guy ever. He's fooled around, he sort of had a boyfriend but not really because they'd just made out a few times and hung out at each other's houses, but when they got caught by Tommy's dad, the guy had bolted and broke things off because he was afraid of his parents finding out. Tommy had doubled down and gotten kicked out for it, over a guy who wouldn't even want to be seen in public with him. Sal does. They walk down from campus and stand between the theaters in Westwood and look between them. "What do you want to see?" Sal asks. They'd both already watched all of the "cool" stuff that was out, because Tommy had always liked spending a day in a theater as a way to stay out of his house. He spends his free time at school doing the same thing. They end up seeing some romantic Christmas movie, and Tommy kind of loves it. He actually really loves it. And Sal holds his hand halfway through and doesn't let go, eating popcorn with his other hand. After, they walk and talk about it. Sal thought the guy with the signs was a dick for doing that to his buddy, Tommy didn't understand how the hell the secretary was supposed to be fat, because guess what movie came out December 2003? Love, Actually, babyyyyy. It's Tommy's favorite because it was their first date. (Revenge of the Sith is his favorite because it's the one they went and saw after they decided to move in together right before Sal graduates.)

5. Tommy lives in a dorm, Sal lives in a student apartment across the street. He has two roommates, but one is in chem labs all the time and never there and the other one is always with his girlfriend who lives in La Brea. So he asks Tommy if he wants to come up, and they end up giving each other mediocre but fun blowjobs. When Sal goes to the pool again, he catches Tommy's eye and smiles and winks, and Tommy flushes before continuing to scan. He flirts as much as he can get away with, and Tommy calls him a liability. Except a girl has a seizure in the water one day, and Tommy's in and getting her before Sal can blink. Tommy turns into a different person in a crisis, sure and steady and commanding. Sal is using his cell phone to call 911 and takes over CPR when Tommy switches out to give specific details to the operator. When the girl is on a gurney and being loaded into an ambulance to go to the ER across from campus, Sal squeezes Tommy's hand and watches the groggy, shaking girl until the doors close. They have life affirming/that was hot how you took charge/oh my god I love you sex that night.

6. They're talking about living together by the time Sal graduates. He opts to go to the fire academy because of the near drowning incident, realizing that helping people in that way means something to him. But he gets involved with the union, too, bringing his educational background into it. When he gets an apartment, Tommy moves with him. He ends up in graduate school and then gets hired at Polytechnic Applied Astrophysics Laboratory. He learns to fly, gets his pilot's license, and it helps at his job. He ends up on a team with Dr. Karen Wilson, and they talk about being with a firefighter. He and Sal go to their place for dinner, and Sal and Hen get to talking about their stations. Sal doesn't like his, he feels like they're just using him as a body. She encourages him to transfer but warns him about Gerrard if he's going to pick her station, because Sal and Tommy weren't there to start the reporting process so he's there a little longer. They hatch a scheme to use the union to leverage getting him the hell out of there. So Sal comes into the station, seemingly fitting in with the rest of Gerrard's sycophants, and he and Hen work together to get him terminated from the LAFD. It works, he's not just transferred.

7. Sometimes Tommy misses being a lifeguard. He misses helping people, misses knowing he's the one keeping people safe. He debates being a firefighter, because he can become a pilot for them. He talks to someone at Harbor and signs up. "You'll be the most overqualified firefighter anyone's ever seen," Sal says. "But I'm proud of you, baby." So Tommy is a probie at Harbor. And then a firefighter, and then he's a pilot. He's on ground crew when there's a call from a lifeguard on duty at a swim school. There's a kid that passed out in the pool. Tommy rolls in and gets hit with the familiar smell of chlorine. The lifeguard is firing off information as the paramedics work on the boy. He still looks worried as the boy is wheeled away, coughing weakly but clearly going to be fine. "You did everything right," Tommy reassures the lifeguard. "He'll be okay now." And the lifeguard gives him a weak smile. "I used to do this," Tommy says. "And you always think you should've noticed something before it happens. You usually can't predict it unless someone's really struggling before they go under. He's probably got an underlying condition his family doesn't know about." "Th-thanks," the lifeguard says. "I, uh, guess I should get a thicker skin. I'm about to start the academy." Tommy grins, his heart doing some complicated and inadvisable shit when the guy grins back. "Yeah? Well, good luck. If you ever need anything, I'm Tommy. I work out of the 217. My boyfriend Sal works at the 118. What's your name?" And the lifeguard flushes a little. "Evan," he replies.

8. Months later, Sal plops down on the couch and cuddles up to Tommy, who's also half dead after the shift he's had. "Got the new probie," Sal mumbles into his shoulder. "He's cute as fuck, gonna be a problem."

[kitty-tommykinarddefender]

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE!!

We keep spreading the love, respect, kindness and freedom for everyone so enjoy with your beloved ones🥰

These pookies are based in a fic I wrote for last year's Pride, i leave the link below in case you're curious🥰

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

EDDDDDD

5 (or more) facts about an AU where...Buck goes on a last minute vacation and ends up double-booked in a cabin with Sal and Tommy

1. Buck is so tired by the time he gets to the cabin that it takes him a minute to register that there's already a truck there. He's frowning at the electronic lockbox for being open. Why is it open? And he opens the AirBnB app, except there's no signal and he knows the wifi info is inside the cabin on a laminated page he was told to keep an eye out for. So he tries the door, and it just...opens. He steps in and freezes, and so do the two mostly naked guys on the couch who definitely have their dicks out. Buck can't see them, but he knows. "Uh," he says, slapping a hand over his eyes. "Are you guys supposed to still be here? I thought check out was at noon." There's scrambling and muttering and then footsteps, so he uncovers his eyes and sees a shirtless guy with a hairy chest approaching. He has nothing to protect himself with, but he's being led inside the rest of the way by the elbow and the door is being closed. "Sorry, it's fuckin' freezing out there," the guy says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "You might be a couple days early, kid. We've got this place through Tuesday." And Buck had quintuple checked. He does have the screenshot to prove it, too. "Well, fuck," the other guy says as he pulls on a shirt.

2. They're called Sal and Tommy. They're also from LA, also with LAFD, and they're very nice. They reach out to the host and wait to hear a response. In the meantime, they try to figure out what to do. It's a forty minute drive back to anything resembling civilization, and it's dark by now. Buck hasn't slept in almost twenty-four hours after a call went long. The drive from town had been treacherous even in the setting sun, so he doesn't want to do it in the dark. Thankfully, they don't seem to expect him to.

3. The cabin is only one room, but he says he can sleep on the couch. The one that they had been jerking each other off on. He can be so normal about that and not think about it at all. They give him leftovers to eat and all but tuck him in, easygoing and very chill about him crashing their vacation. He lays on the sofa and pulls the blanket over his shoulders and tries not to think about what he walked in on, but not in a prudish or homophobic way. It's just...a lot. And not long after they all go to bed, he can hear the soft creaking of springs and them quietly gasping and the occasional soft moan, and he knows he must be hard up for dates, because it gets him so hard. He furtively jerks off under the borrowed blanket and tries not to think about anything specific.

4. In the morning, there's still no response. "I can go," Buck offers. "You want breakfast?" Tommy offers, already pulling stuff from the fridge and cabinets. "Just say yes, kid," Sal says with an easy grin. He's lounging in an armchair in sweats and nothing else, his broad hands curled around a coffee mug. He looks like a contented cat, a big one. Probably because he had what sounded like a really good morning blowjob. Or gave one. Buck isn't sure, but he'd heard it. "I can always stay in the motel in town," he says weakly. "Nah, we're supposed to be out tomorrow anyway. You've got this place until, what, Friday?" Sal says, and Buck nods. "Yeah, we can always leave early and get a refund for the rest of it. You deserve a couple days off, too." Tommy's smiling where he's mixing some kind of batter. "What he said," he agrees, nodding toward Sal.

5. They eat breakfast, and it's amazing. Buck gets dressed to go on a hike and tentatively asks if they want to join him. They can show him a good spot, maybe. "Yeah, we haven't left the house all that much," Sal says, and Tommy elbows him. They do get dressed, though, and they start off into the chilly woods. There's a trail, but Tommy has a bunch of survey markers he stabs into the ground on the way. "Don't want someone else having to rescue us," he explains. "I feel like half my calls are lost and injured hikers." That opens up them talking about work, and they used to be at the 118, Buck replaced Tommy or Sal, etc. This is set sometime after season 3, so this is post Red and post train derailment. Buck has to sit and rest because of his leg, and they're patient about it. Sal even offers to look at it when Buck is rubbing his calf and ends up propping Buck's socked foot against his shoulder while he massages and checks for anything worse than normal soreness. When he's done, he gently tickles the arch of Buck's foot and laughs when Buck squirms and kicks a little.

6. At the cabin, they start making lunch. Buck offers to make Bobby's lasagna. He brought everything for it. They pop open a bottle of wine, because what is vacation for if not day drinking. So he's got them lounging around and flirting with each other and a little with him, and the lasagna is in the oven when Sal asks which way Buck swings. And he's suddenly really not sure what to say. He says he's an ally but checks out hot dudes, it's not abnormal. "I used to do that," Sal says, not unkindly. "Didn't know what it meant until I was in my twenties." "What did it mean?" Buck asks, and Sal explains how his bisexuality works. It sounds a lot like how Buck's brain works. "...huh," he says, turning on the broiler for the last part of the lasagna cooking.

7. They eat lunch, and Sal and Tommy clean up. "You cooked, we clean," Tommy chides, physically moving Buck with firm hands on his waist. "You cleaned this morning," Buck points out. "Just let him," Sal says. "Sit down and look pretty." Buck sits on the barstool on the other side of the kitchen island. "See? You're a natural," Sal teases, winking. Buck feels flushed and drinks more wine. After they're done cleaning, he says he feels like he needs a nap and ends up testing out the bed. It smells like them, and he hugs a pillow to his face and feels himself start to get hard. He flops onto his back, and Tommy pokes his head into the room. "You need anything?" he asks. Buck shakes his head, even though he's getting harder just seeing Tommy's face. And Tommy's eyes flick down to his groin and back up to his face. He hums consideringly, and Buck feels pinned like a butterfly. It also makes him harder, which is fucking embarrassing. "You need a moment?" Tommy asks, nearly teasing but also kind of not. "Sorry," Buck says, flushing. "Don't be," Tommy says. "Happens to all of us." And Buck almost asks if smelling random dudes gets Tommy hard and then realizes that it definitely does, because he's gay. Buck isn't gay. But he's pretty sure he's not straight. "What?" Sal asks, poking his head over Tommy's shoulder. Buck expects teasing, Sal's more the type. But he looks at Buck like a feast spread out just for him. Buck gets up and kneels on the edge of the bed, and Tommy steps closer and tips his chin up and kisses him. An arm goes around him as he kisses back, and he drags his mouth away from Tommy's to kiss Sal's. "You want this?" Tommy asks, and Buck shivers and nods.

8. So Buck is in a bed in a cabin with two guys and they're all naked, and he's very sure he's not straight. Sal and Tommy are kissing and rubbing against each other so all Buck sees is a flash of cock, and it's just as hot as the few times he's been with two women who've also been into each other. He squeezes himself and wonders at how much they use their tongues when they kiss each other, and he lets out a soft noise. Sal and Tommy break their kiss and look at him, and Sal is crawling over to kiss him while Tommy sucks kisses into his belly. He pushes Buck's legs apart and back a little, leaving pink marks on his thighs, too. "You want Tommy to suck your cock, sweet thing?" Sal murmurs, and Buck whines and nods. "Tell him." Buck looks down at Tommy's face and asks, "Can you please suck my cock?" And Tommy smiles and mouths at the underside of his dick and teases Buck with his mouth until he sucks him most of the way down. Sal is kissing him and Buck is stroking Sal, and then he's kissing Sal's neck and chest and sucking his nipples and rubbing his face in the hair that's all over. The first time he sucks a man's dick is while he's getting his sucked by a man for the first time, it's pretty enlightening.

9. After they wring each other out, Sal gets up and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He snorts. "Guy apologized for the inconvenience, said it must've been an app glitch. Offered a refund for tonight," he says, getting back on the bed. "You don't have to go," Buck says as Tommy presses his face into Buck's neck and lets out a sleepy snuffle. "Yeah?" Sal says, rubbing Buck's inner thigh with a big hand. "Think we might have a little car trouble, it'll take us a couple extra days to get back." "Sounds bad," Tommy says, and Buck laughs.

10. They stay through the rest of his stay. They fuck everywhere in the cabin, and Buck understands how they didn't get outside before he showed up. Maddie asks for more hiking pics and he says he's been staying in and enjoying the peace. "That what we're calling it?" Sal teases, nipping at his shoulder before Buck feels him grind against his ass. "As far as she's concerned," Buck says, shoving his phone away. "Where's Tommy?" "Making lunch," Sal replies, humping slowly against him. "You want me to eat you out, baby?" And Buck groans and nods and pushes back until his ass is up, and he feels Sal's hands spread him. When Tommy comes into the bedroom, he kneels at Buck's face, and Buck sucks him eagerly. He definitely wants this after they go back to LA. He voices this after, and Sal and Tommy exchange a look, and his stomach sinks. "You okay with coming home and dating two guys?" Sal asks. "Yeah, vacation is one thing, but that can be...a lot," Tommy says. "I can handle a lot," Buck says, his nails rubbing against a scar on his leg.