for @2030david 🫶
tom is a pet name that takes time to be put into the rotation, it's not used at all during their first 6 months except a few times in the sex scenario (buck is overwhelmed and can only get one syllable of tommy's name out before breaking off into a moan). when they get back together it's the same thing for a while, only broken out during sex when buck is overwhelmed, but tommy eventually realizes that he really treasures the times buck says it (he thinks it's just bc he likes getting buck to that point of overwhelmed).
and then probably like 6 or more months in and buck's just gotten back from work and is rambling about his day to tommy who's in the other room and buck offhandedly breaks out tom like a "btw tom you'll never believe this other thing that happened" and tommy realizes OH he really likes that, bc no one who's ever called him tom has loved him and said it with the love and familiarity that buck just did, it was always people who thought tommy was a childish nickname and wanted him to "mature" to either thomas or tom. but tommy's a coward always (he's getting better slowly!) so he doesnt say anything and just goes with the flow until buck does it a few more times casually and then buck realizes that tommy really likes it too and they talk about it and then tom gets thrown into the usual rotation