This takes place while Kate and Anthony are in the library together in Victory.
The storm that rages outside of Aubrey Hall keeps him up that night, and he settles at the window, gazing out at the rain, breathing deeply, letting his eyes drift shut.
“Forgive me,” a soft, sweet voice whispers from the doorway. “I seem to be lost.”
Benedict opens his eyes and looks to the door, finding Sophie standing there in a nightdress and dressing gown, her hair loose, softly framing her face.
“It is a very large house,” Benedict tells her with a sympathetic smile. He gets to his feet and steps over to her. “And it is dark.”
Sophie nods and jumps a little, settling a hand on her chest as the sound of thunder rumbles outside.
“It is alright,” he tells her gently. “The storm will pass by morning.”
She nods, steadying her breath with her eyes closed. “It is so very difficult to sleep when it storms this way.”
Sophie is startlingly beautiful standing here in his doorway, lit by the dim light of the waning candles. The rise and fall of her chest and her parted lips.
Benedict shakes his head. “I should take you back to your room.”
She opens her eyes and nods slowly. “Yes.”
He swallows as neither of them move. “You are not really lost, are you?”
Sophie shakes her head slowly.
Benedict reaches out, gently playing with the loose sleeve of her dressing gown. “If you are found here with me, alone, in the middle of the night…”
“I know,” she says. “And I am usually the most sensible of my sisters. The most level-headed. The least likely to act according to my passions or my rage.”
He gazes at her. “And yet. Here you are.”
“I blame you,” she says. “I cannot seem to stop thinking about you. You and your…your stupid eyes and your stupid hair and that stupid smile.”
Benedict smiles slowly and tugs her closer by the dressing gown. “You like me.”
Sophie huffs. “Do not tease.”
He leans closer, his lips less than an inch from hers. “Sensible Sophie. Showing up at my door in the middle of the night. What is it that you were hoping for?”
She swallows nervously. “I…I do not know. I just wished to see you.”
“A kiss, maybe?” Benedict asked.
Sophie takes a shuddering breath and lets her eyes drift shut.
“Your sisters fight over the Viscount; over who is to be adored by him, and you are feeling a tad neglected in all of it?” He asks.
She shakes her head. “It is not jealousy. It is you.”
Benedict pauses and swallows. “What-what do you mean?” He mutters.
Sophie opens her eyes, gazing into his. “You. You are sweet and funny. You, who has been so kind to me. You. Handsome, clever you.”
He stares back, stunned into silence.
She reaches up, pressing a slow, gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. It sends a shockwave through him.
She strokes his cheek tenderly, and he doesn't get a chance to respond before she slips out of the room.
Buck woke up to a cool hand sliding up his bare back, starting at the dip of his spine and gliding up to tangle gently in his hair. He cracked his eyes open, but the room was still dark.
"Mm, time is it?" He mumbled, burying his face back in his pillow. Sal let out a quiet huff of laughter
"A little before six." Buck groaned.
"Then why the fuck am I awake?"
"You looked too pretty laying there, couldn't help myself," Sal murmured, tugging gently on Buck's curls. Buck reached a hand out blindly and grabbed the buckle of his belt, tugging Sal closer.
"Shift doesn't start until eight. Come back to bed."
"As tempting as that offer is," Sal said, leaning in and pressing his lips against Buck's shoulder, "the cheif wants all the captain's on a conference call at seven. I'm heading out."
Buck rolled over and sat up.
"About what?"
"Dunno." Sal cupped a hand around Buck's jaw and kissed him. Buck sighed into, trying to pull him closer. Sal smirked against his mouth and pulled away. "I'll see you in forty-eight."
Buck huffed and fell back against the mattress. Sal looked down at him, his eyes tracing the contours of his body, now decorated with the fresh marks Sal had left on him the night before. He forced himself off the bed and out of the house before he got himself fired.
--
"Do you think they're connected?" Buck kicked his legs up on the coffee table of the station's loft, leaning back into the couch. His team had just made it back to the 118 after clearing the scene of the most recent bombing. Sal sighed on the other end of the line.
"I don't know. I mean, it's possible. But it could also be some sick fuck just dropping them at random locations. Most people hate lawyers and insurance companies."
"That's what I said."
"Whatever it is, you don't pull any stupid shit. Leave it to the bomb squad this time. And don't go following Diaz into any ambulances." Buck smirked.
"Still jealous about that, hm?"
"I mean it, kid. No playing hero. I need you safe." Buck's heart sped up a little.
He and Sal had been together nearly two years, and things were solid. They had been lucky, considering the level of danger their jobs entailed. They had remained relatively unharmed, just a handful of concussions and the regular scrapes, bruises, and burns of their shared profession.
"You, too. You we're a big enough pain in the ass when you threw your back out a few weeks ago. If you were seriously injured, I might have to put you down."
He could picture Sal rolling his eyes on the other side of the phone and smiled. The alarms rang out in the station, sending everyone into motion.
"I gotta go. I'll see you soon."
He tossed his phone on the table and grabbed his turn out coat, following the rest of the crew to the engine.
--
"How's your shift going?" Buck asked, leaning on the railing of the mezzanine. He didn't usually call Sal so much during a shift, but these bombings had him on edge, especially now that they were getting closer to people they knew. Sal had been on a scene when they heard about the bomb at Athena's, so Buck had left him a long voice mail with the details he had.
"Nothing major. A couple of accidents on the freeway, a residential fire in Brentwood. Easy enough."
"We had a guy nearly get scalped by his car, pretty gnarly. Then, some chick with maggots in her face."
"Maggots?"
"Yeah. It was kinda cool. Hen said they came from a mosquito bite she got on vacation. Hey, you might could see me on her Instagram. She was live streaming when one crawled out."
"I don't understand your generation." Buck laughed. He looked up and saw Chimney walk out of the captain's office.
"Oh yeah, Bobby called. He said he thinks they figured out who the bomber is. A kid named Freddie Costas."
"Costas? Sounds familiar."
"Bobby said the kid's dad burned his own restaurant down a while back for the insurance. He and Athena figured it out and the guy got sent to jail. His son was pretty pissed, especially at Bobby. The bomb squad is checking ojt his place now in case the kid sent a package there."
"I remember that call. I pulled that kid out. His dad didn't know he was in the building when he lit the place up."
The alarm rang above Buck's head.
"Duty calls. It's my turn sit up front this run."
"We all know how much you love riding captain," Sal said lowly and Buck felt a heat start to rise in his gut.
"Three more hours," He said, like a promise. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Buck smiled and hung up his phone. They didn't say it very often, they didn't really feel the need to. But hearing Sal say the words always shot a thrill through him.
"What's with the face?" Eddie asked as he climbed into the engine.
"He was on the phone with his hot daddy fire captain," Hen teased as she passed. Buck flipped her off, but he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. She laughed and got into the ambulance. Eddie shook his head, smilingly knowingly at Buck.
"At least you managed to keep your zipper up this time."
--
Sal was staring at the papers on his desk, but his eyes were tired and the words were starting to blur together. He leaned back in his chair, groaning as his back cracked. This shift wasn't a hard one, but it felt like it had lasted forever. He was ready to go home and sit back on his couch with beer. After his comment on the phone, he knew Buck would be handsy when he got home. He could almost feel his fingers sliding teasly up his up legs.
He looked up and saw Parker standing in the doorway, his face drained of color.
"You alright there? You look like you saw a ghost."
"Cap, I-" Parker stopped and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The news. You need to see the news."
Sal's brows furrowed as he stood up and followed him out into the loft. His whole team was staring at the television, all in similar states of shock. Jameson looked like she was going to puke.
"What the fuck is going on?" Sal asked, walking around the back of the couch. When he saw the screen, he froze.
There was an engine laying on its side in the street. Several bodies were scattered nearby, though they all thankfully seemed to be in one piece.
"There seems to be a first responder pinned under the wreckage," The anchor was saying over the footage. Sal's knees nearly buckled as the camera zoomed in just enough on the familiar form.
Parker put a hand on his shoulder and Sal jerked away. There was man standing over Buck now, but, goddamn it, the camera wasn't close enough. Sal couldn't tell what was happening.
"We've just been informed that the bomber is on the scene," The anchor reported. Sal's stomach lurched. "Our sources tell us he appears to have another bomb strapped to his chest."
"I've gotta get down there," Sal rasped, stumbling back. Parker was still right behind him and he nearly knocked him over.
"There's no way, Cap. The roads are closed, traffic's backed up for miles."
"Then I'll fucking run," Sal growled. "That's Buck out there."
"I know." Parker grabbed his shoulder again and Sal thought about ripping his arm off. "We've already checked every route. Even if we were able to get an engine out there, Sal-"
"Don't finish that fucking sentence."
"It appears that the first responders on scene are trying to negotiate with the suspect."
Sal watched as Han walked closer to the wreckage with his hands up. The kid was yelling at him, waving the dead man's switch in his hand around wildly. Buck's face was pressed into the blacktop, unmoving. The kid spun around and Sal could see Bobby Nash edging closer to him, walking around him as he talked, his own arms raised.
Time was moving too slow and too fast. Bobby somehow got his arms around the kid and the switch controling the bomb was out of his hand. Buck had lifted his head minutely as his team surround him. Diaz was knelling next him as the rest of the 118 tried in vain to lift a 40 ton truck off it's side.
Suddenly, there were people everywhere. The bystanders had crossed the barricades and were there pushing against the truck. Buck was pulled out out the wreckage and lifted onto a stretcher.
If the ragged breath that punched out of Sal's chest sounded like a sob, no one said anything. His team was moving, talking quickly, making a plan.
"We're gonna get you to the hospital," One of them was saying next to him. Sal couldn't move, his eyes still locked on the mess playing out on the TV. His stomach felt like lead. He thought he might throw up.
"Captain."
"Yeah," Sal agreed, his voice rough. He allowed Parker to lead him out of the station, though he couldn't focus on anything he was saying as the guilt started eating him alive.
--
The first person Buck saw when he woke up in the hospital was Carla. They had met when Buck was still in his probationary year and had helped a lady with dementia who had wandered away from home and gotten lost and confused. He and Carla had clicked immediately as friends, and she had tried to get him to let her set up with the lady's daugher. Buck had laughed and told her he didn't think his boyfriend would appreciate that. One look at a picture and Carla was fanning herself.
"There's my Buckaroo," Carla smiled, squeezing his hand. "How you feeling, baby?"
"Like I just got fucked by a fire truck," Buck groaned. "What's the damage?"
She looked down the bed and Buck followed her gaze. His leg was wrapped in a cast, but he couldn't feel anything thanks to the IV in his arm.
"You're now the proud owner of a new titanium rod and a handful of screws."
"At least it's still attached."
They looked up as the door to his room opened and Maddie walked in. She hurried to his bedside and hugged him tightly, crying into his hair.
"It's okay, Mads. I'm alright," Buck told her, rubbing her back. She pulled away and scrubbed a hand over her tears. "Where's Sal? Is he here?"
Maddie and Carla exchanged a look and Maddie sat down next to his bed.
"Sal was... asked to leave. No one would tell him anything while you were in surgery and he got a little belligerent. Bobby managed to get him out of here before security was called." Buck shook his head.
"That's my man," He murmured. Maddie smiled a little.
"They'll let him come back tomorrow once he's calmed down. He was kind of a wreck."
"I should call him." Buck started to sit up, then realized his phone was probably busted in the melee. "Can I borrow your phone?"
"Buck, it's three in the morning."
"He's definitely not sleeping. Please, I- I need to hear his voice."
Maddie slid her phone from her pocket and handed it to him. She and Carla exchanged another look, and she stood up.
"We'll give you some privacy. Don't stay up all night. You need rest."
Buck rolled his eyes and dialed Sal's number.
"Maddie? Did something happen? Is he okay?"
"Heard you showed your ass and got thrown out on it."
"Buck." Sal's sigh of relief sounded almost like a prayer. It sent a warm hum down Buck's spine. "I'm sorry I'm not there."
"It's okay. I'm okay." Buck looked down at his cast again. "Just a quarter of the way to being the bionic man."
"Baby," Sal sighed. Buck had a mental picture of him at the table in their kitchen, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Sorry. Not funny. But, really, I'm alright. They have me on the good stuff. Can't feel a thing right now." As if saying it out loud made the medication more powerful, a loud yawn forced itself out of his mouth. Sal laughed lightly.
"You should sleep. You've been through hell."
"Don't want to hang up," Buck said, his eyes sliding closed.
"I'll be there first thing. Nothing could keep me away." Buck smiled.
"You're getting soft on me," He murmured.
"Not a chance of me being soft around you, baby. Rest now. I'll see you in a few hours."
Buck hummed and the phone slid out of his grip as sleep over took him.
--
The crutches dug uncomfortably into Buck's armpits as Sal held their front door open for him.
"This sucks," He muttered, hauling himself across the living room to the couch. He collapsed onto it, wincing a little.
"Beats the alternative. We'll work on them later, get some kind of padding over them."
Buck tilted his head back as Sal walked by the couch and the other man leaned down to kiss him briefly.
"You need anything?" Buck shook his head.
"Just sit here with me."
Sal carefully lowered himself next him. He had been nothing but careful since he stepped foot in Buck's hospital room. Light kisses, soft touches, like Buck was something he could break. If it was someone else, Buck might have thought it was sweet, but it just wasn't Sal. They had never been gentle with each other and it was driving Buck a little crazy already.
"We're finally alone," Buck murmured, leaning into Sal's space. Sal smiled and put his hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer.
"You need to take it easy," He reminded, teasing.
"What I need is your tongue in my mouth. Among other things."
Sal hummed and pressed his lips against Buck's, biting his lower lip just the way he liked before pushing his tongue into Buck's mouth. Buck's hand slid up the inside of his thigh and Sal grabbed his wrist.
"Behave," He warned. Buck huffed, pouting a little. Sal chuckled and tugged his hair. "Brat."
He kept his hand on Buck's wrist as he leaned in, pressing his lips right under Buck's ear. Buck shuddered a little and Sal smirked.
"Be a good boy and keep your hands to yourself and I might let you play later."
He pulled away and stood up and Buck nearly whined.
"Where are you going?"
"To fix lunch. You need to eat before you take your meds." He shot him an annoying wink and walked into the kitchen.
Buck threw his head back in exasperation. It was going to be a long three months.
--
Sal could hear the banging and slamming from inside the house before he even got near the front door. Buck was in the kitchen, leaning over the sink.
"The neighbors are gonna call the cops of you keeping making so much noise," Sal said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.
"Fuck them," Buck muttered.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing." Sal pushed himself up and walked closer.
"Wanna try that again?"
"I said it's nothing." He went to reach for his crutches but Sal boxed him in, one hand on either side of the counter.
"It's not nothing. Talk."
"Just fuck off," Buck snapped. Sal immediately dropped his arms and stepped back. Buck sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face.
"I'm sorry. It's just been a shitty day." He reached out and Sal came back to him. He tucked his face into Sal's neck. Sal's hands ran up his sides and down his back. "The doctor still can't tell me if I'm going to be able to go back to work, even after the second surgery. The new pain meds aren't helping anything. I feel like I've been stuck in own head for the past two months, like my skin doesn't fit right, and normally you can fuck that feeling out of me and right now you can't and I'm just.... I'm sorry."
"Sorry? For what?"
"Everything. You didn't sign up for this."
"Hey," Sal pushed him back and tilted his chin up, waiting for Buck to meet his eyes. "I signed up for you. Not just your good days, but your shit ones, too. We always knew something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, I'm just surprised it took this long."
"I still shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's not your fault."
"Isn't it? I'm the one who pulled that kid out of that fire." Buck looked taken aback.
"That's what you were supposed to do. We save people. You're not the one who put that bomb on the truck, you're not the one who showed him how to build them. You can't control what people do with their second chance, Sal."
"I know." Sal pressed his forehead against Buck's. "Doesn't change the fact that I hate myself for giving him the chance to this at all."
"You'd hate yourself more if you'd let him burn."
"I'm not so sure about that. Seeing you on the news that night with that truck on top of you, not being able to do a god damn thing but watch, I thought that was the worst moment of my life. Then I was in that fucking hospital and no one would tell me anything because I wasn't your family. I had to get everything from Maddie, who wasn't doing much better than I was at that point, and I felt like I was going to rip someone's throat out if they didn't just tell me where you were. That was the worst moment of my life. I had to come home not knowing. And all I could think, fuck, all I've been able to think about since then is that I never want you to have to go through that."
"What are you saying?" Buck whispered, anxiety filling his heart. There was no way Sal was ending this. Not now.
"I'm saying... No one should ever be able to tell you that you aren't my family." Buck sucked in a breath.
"Sal-"
"Evan. I'm asking you to marry me."
--
Buck pushed Sal through the door as soon as he managed to get it unlocked. He kicked the door shut behind him and wrapped his hands around the collar of Sal's shirt, backing him further into the house, kissing him hard and fast and desperate.
"Take your pants off," He panted when they broke apart, pausing only long enough to pull his own shirt over his head before yanking Sal in again.
He could feel Sal grinning against his mouth as they fumbled their way to the living room. The back of his knees hit the arm of the couch and they tumbled backward on it.
"Someone's needy," Sal teased, pulling Buck's hair a little. Buck groaned and ground his hips down against Sal's.
"Three months," He reminded, reaching down to shove his own shorts to the floor. Sal pushed him back and tugged his shirt off, tossing it aside as Buck attacked his belt, tugging it loose and popping the button of his jeans.
"Don't you think we should move this to the bedroom?" Sal asked, hissing a little as Buck wriggled his hand into his open fly, gripping him through his boxers.
"I can't wait that long." He pushed Sal back against the cushions and pulled his pants down his legs, leaving his fiance completely naked before him.
Holy shit, he had a fiance. The word still sent shockwaves through him. He lowered himself to the floor between Sal's legs, grimacing a little as his knee twinged. Sal frowned.
"Are you-"
"I'm fine. Just feels kind of weird, being able to move freely again." He leaned forward and licked long and slow up the length of Sal's cock, groaning softly as he wrapped his lips around the head. Sal moaned and gripped his hair.
"Hold on. Let me..." He shifted a little a grabbed a pillow, dropping it on the floor near Buck's leg. "Lift."
Buck pulled back just enough for Sal to get the pillow under his leg. He ran his fingers through Buck's hair, looking down at him with soft eyes.
"Don't stay down there too long. If it starts hurting, stop." Buck nodded and dove back in.
God, he had missed this. Getting on his knees for Sal was one of his favorite positions. He loved worshipping him like this, loved having Sal look down at him like he was the best thing that ever happened.
"Come up here," Sal panted, tugging his hair. Buck scrambled up into his lap and Sal wrapped his arms around him. He laid him back on the couch and settled on top of him, pressing their hips together before kissing Buck deeply. Buck moaned into his mouth and rolled his hips up, working a hand between them to take them both in his hand.
"Fuck, baby," Sal groaned, dropping his head on Buck's shoulder and rutting against him. "Fuck. Bedroom. There's no-"
Buck reached between the couch coushins and retrieved the bottle he had stashed there earlier. Sal raised an eyebrow, smirking. Another day, Buck may have played embarrassed, but right now he was too desperate for games.
"Three months."
"Slut," Sal teased. He sat back and squeezed the lube into his hands, quickly getting between Buck's thighs to work him open. Buck threw his head back, his hips jumping, seeking friction. "God, you're gorgeous. A fucking masterpiece."
"I'm ready," Buck said, grabbing for his shoulders and pulling him in. Sal slid an arm under his leg and pressed in between his thighs.
"I'm not going to last long," He murmured, pressing his cock against Buck's entrance.
"Me neither." He was already on the edge. He had a feeling he'd be gone the moment Sal pressed in. "I just need to feel you."
Sal wrapped him up in his arms and pushed inside. He let out a strangled moan, gripping Buck tightly.
"Fuck, you're so tight. So perfect, baby. Still can't believe you're all mine."
"Forever," Buck promised, digging his fingers into Sal's hair and arching his back. They both only lasted a few strokes before they were coming together. Sal pushed the sweaty curls off Buck's forehead and kissed him like an oath.
"Forever."
--
"I got you something."
They were laying in bed. Buck had his head on Sal's chest and was almost dozing when he spoke. He tilted his chin up to look at his face.
"Me?"
"Is there anyone else here?" Buck pinched his nipple and Sal chuckled, batting his hand away. He moved Buck to lay against the pillows and leaned over to open the nightstand.
Buck gasped a little when Sal pressed the small velvet box into his hand. The simple silver band shone dully in the lamplight. Buck swallowed around the lump in his throat.
"I know you can't wear it on shift. You may not want to wear it all, and that's fine, too. But I wanted you to have it."
"Of course I'm going to wear it." It was a symbol - a simple proof that, for the first time in his life, someone wanted to keep him. He was going to show it off everywhere. "Put it on me."
Sal smiled and plucked the ring from the box. He took Buck's left hand and pressed a kiss against his palm.
"I love you," Sal said, looking into his eyes as he slid the ring onto his hand. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I love you, too." Buck wrapped his arms around Sal's neck and kissed him. Sal slid an arm around his waist and tugged him closer.
WHY YES ANON CLARA IS ADORABLE, THANK YOU FOR NOTICING <3
Here are the next twenty-ish sentence of Ground Support for you!
(Disclaimer: I don't intend to be Eddie-bashing or even Eddie-critical in this fic. I intend for him and Buck to become friends eventually, but I had way too much fun reimagining Buck's jealousy not being about the station, but about Bobby specifically)
- 🧁 (cont. from here)
At least that worry is soothed the next time the bell over the door jingles. Clara lets out a shriek of joy, and Buck looks up to see Bobby Nash himself stepping into the bakery, still in uniform, that familiar hint of tiredness clinging to him like a wet blanket.
He’s closely followed by his crew: Chimney, Hen and—ugh—Diaz.
Eddie Diaz. Buck’s most recent arch-nemesis.
The fact they’ve never met is entirely irrelevant.
In all fairness, Buck is sure Diaz must be at least an average guy. It’s just…
His dad hasn’t shut up about him for the last two weeks. Buck knew today was Diaz’s first shift with the 118 because Bobby had been so excited about it.
In fact, Buck knows much more about Eddie Diaz than he ever wanted to. He knows he’s an army vet (big deal, so is Tommy. And Tommy’s also a pilot, so take that, Diaz). He also graduated top of his class at the academy, and apparently half the stations in the city were fighting to get him.
For days now, Bobby’s been all Diaz this and Diaz that.
Whatever.
Not that Buck is jealous or anything. He just doesn’t see why he has to be happy about his dad’s new golden boy.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
AYYYYYY I got the first two chapters up on A03
This bad boy’s A03 is now in my Pinned Post as well, which I finally updated lol. Meant to get it up whatever two days ago was but alas, I crashed and then had a Bad Health Day BUT IM GOING STRONG RN SO
asdfgghjklhgfd sorry for taking so long to get back to you on this one, I'm currently working on thumbnails for a comic about that au so here are some teasers!
Viktor in s2 hearing about alluther and asking about them being siblings and Allison just chuckles a bit leading to Viktor asking "what's so funny?" And Klaus spilling the beans about Viktor's own romance with Five.
