I started answering a different prompt and this grew into its own monstrosity that I couldn't reasonably shoehorn into the other ask. So have Kiss #1 - kiss on the cheek
Tommy still doesn’t know how he got here. Here being Howie and Maddie’s house while Evan babysat their two munchkins. Actually, that’s a lie. He does know.
Evan called.
Evan called and when has Tommy ever not picked up?
Before he could get out so much as a 'hello' there were immediate ramblings of gratitude and bargaining. One long breathless string of I'msosorryIdidn'tknowwhoelsetocallIhavethekidsandwater'sgoingeverywhere.
Somehow the thought didn’t really cross his mind to suggest a plumber or using common sense to shutoff the water supply. Because apparently all of his common sense disappears when it comes to Evan.
So he said, "Be there in twenty."
And that's how he found himself across town, faced with two littles covered in mud and gleefully patting it into little cakes, while Evan directed him to the shutoff valve in the basement. Thankfully, the setup didn't require shutting off everything, leaving the majority of the pipes available.
A fact, he remembers as he steps into the backyard, that will be vitally important.
He points to the matched set of mud demons still happily slopping about. "Do you want help with them? Guessing bathtime is gonna be kinda rough."
“O-okay,” Evan stammers, soft and hesitant, cheeks turning pink. "I'd like that. A lot."
His traitorous heart, with the overgrown soft spot for one Evan Buckley, trips in his chest.
"Let's get to work then," he says, instead of something stupid like 'I miss you'.
Together they manage to get both kids bathed, shampooed, rubbed down with lavender lotion, and into fresh clothes for a nap. It pokes at an ancient domestic ache, something he stopped believing he could have, that he doesn’t want to examine too closely right now.
After the kids are down, conked out with treasured stuffies in their tiny arms, he starts to excuse himself for a hasty--and very necessary--exit. Before he can, Evan grabs his wrist.
"Stay?"
So, Tommy stays, wordlessly joining Evan on the porch, each of them with a glass of water.
It doesn't take long before the silence becomes too heavy, breaking through the tenuous connection.
“Why am I here, Evan?"
"What do you mean? I needed help and-"
"I know that you, as a trained member of the LAFD, know what to do in a situation like this. You didn't need me to turn a handle.”
Evan ducks his head and nervously rubs at the back of his neck. He even has the decency to look sheepish as he admits, “I didn’t want to leave the kids alone and I guess I could've just taken them inside. But I kept thinking how I wished I had someone else here with me. How I wished I had you. Because that’s who I always want with me.”
The confession hits Tommy like a Mack truck, considering their last interactions. The most conversation he ever expected them to have again involved transfer of care.
“Could've fooled me.” It's harsher than he intends and maybe he'll feel bad about it later. For the moment, he's wondering how many times he'll allow himself to be called back like a dog.
“Oh," Evan says quietly. "I, um, I don't know if this means anything but I am sorry. About before. When you said- I was caught off guard and let my emotions get the best of me. I never should have said that, about not having feelings for you.”
He weighs the apology in his mind. It's not that he doesn't believe it, or doubts that Evan believes what he's saying. But if they're going to do this he wants to do it right. Wants to put some work in on himself and stop trying to change the tires while the car is moving.
“I need time,” he says simply.
“Uh, yeah. Of course.” Evan turns away, trying and failing to surreptitiously swipe at his eyes.
“I should, uh,” Evan gestures towards the house. “Thanks for your help, Tommy. I mean it.”
“Hey.” It’s his turn to stop Evan and make sure everyone is using their words for once. “I mean it too. I want to have my head on straight next time. Don’t you think we deserve that?”
Evan softens, answering with a watery smile. “Yeah, actually, I really think we do. And for me to do the same.”
It's sincere and feels like a turn out of the muddled darkness.
"I'll see you around, Tommy?"
He nods, takes a step in Evan’s direction and presses a kiss to his cheek. A promise.
“I’ll see you around, kid.”
