Sal walks over to say hi to Han, and catches the tail end of Han saying to a firefighter named Buckley, "We don't need a repeat of the firetruck missing because you wanted to impress someone."
"That was like ten years ago, Chim, give it a rest," Buckley retorts without any real bite. He sounds tired, actually.
That must be Tommy's Evan Buckley then. Tall as Tommy, not as broad, long legs. Is that a limp he's seeing? The man is favoring his left leg and putting more of his weight on the right.
Frowning slightly, Sal strides over and offers a hand. "Congrats, Han. Finally made captain." He tilts his head and adds, "Sorry about Nash, though."
"Not that I wanted to get it, but..." Han shrugs and accepts the handshake. "How have you been?"
"I'm good. Heard about Wilson getting sick. That Buckley, is he new?"
"Nah, he's the next most experienced in this station other than me," Han replies. He motions to someone to the left to re-roll the line, and Buckley jogs over immediately to help. "He's my brother-in-law too, if you can believe that."
"I can," Sal answers. His eyes track his team, pleased that they're working fast, and in the meantime he observes the new 118, noting how often Buckley steps up to assist whoever needs an extra set of hands.
When Buckley nearly trips over a first aid box as he is talking to a fresh-faced kid, Han sighs and calls out, "Watch where you're going, Buck!"
"Who's the idiot who left the kit there?" Sal throws in, his voice rolling through the scene. A dark-haired man pokes his head out of the ambulance, scowling. "Pick up your shit, medic, unless you want more people you need to treat."
Han turns to him, half-smiling, and not too friendly. "I don't need you captaining my guys, Sal."
"Not sorry, though. Buckley could've hurt himself." He doesn't point out the now-obvious discomfort on Buckley's face as he leans on the ambulance or the way his hand is massaging his left knee.
Han shrugs. "Won't be the first time. Ravi, we ready to go?"
"Five more minutes, Cap."
"Alright, hustle up, we're heading back in two!" Han bumps his elbow against Sal. "Another time, Deluca. Ravi, Harry, get a move on. Buck, c'mon. Time to go."
Buckley holds up a thumb. His other hand is still rubbing his knee. Han doesn't comment on it.
Sal goes back to his own team. Lim has just taken off her helmet and is climbing into her seat. Sal joins her, nodding to Peters to take the front seat with Booker.
"Think you can find a way to poach Buckley from the 118?" Sal asks.
"Can you do that?" Peter exclaims from the front.
"I can and I will. I just wanna find the easiest way to do it."
Lim doesn't even glance up from her phone. "Thought you'd prefer Greene from the 206." Then she snorts. "It'll have to be stealthy, though. Everyone and their moms want him at their station."
Except for Han, Sal doesn't say. "He's Han's brother-in-law. Do what you can with that info."
"Gotcha, Cap."
Sal leans back and lets his team chatter away at one another. It isn't polite to poach, but Salvatore Deluca has never claimed to be a gentleman.
Buck and Theo are out and about at the park. Where lo and behold, Tommy and Sal are there with Sal’s three girls. Mind you: Buck has not met any of Tommy’s friends in canon, so Buck has no idea who Sal is. But they’re acting affectionately towards each other (SalTommy platonic soulmates!!!) so obviously Buck jumps to conclusions.
Okay okay BB Idk if you meant it that way but I'm taking this as a 5 (+) facts AU prompt bc it is juuuicy and fun:
1 - First of all I fully believe that Buck and Tommy could date for six months and Buck never meet any of Tommy's friends, and especially Sal and his family. Tommy would be very wary of bringing people for Sal to meet because in his mind, it means it's getting very serious (like, introducing to family levels of serious), and Mr. Commitment Issues would suffer with that. So he'd make sure his Deluca time didn't overlap his Evan time.
2 - Like established, Sal has three daughters: Giovanna, Gio, who's 10; Vittoria, Vitti, who's 4, and Bianca, Bia, who's 2. Tommy has known all of the since they were born and is Sal and Gina's go-to babysitter whenever they need. He was actually the one who drove Gina to the hospital when Vitti was born because Sal was on shift.
3 - Ever since breaking up with Buck, Tommy has been spending even more time with the Delucas. Sal and Gina love having him around, the girls even more, and it's better than him moping around his house on his own. So, on a Saturday morning when Gina asks Sal to get the girls out of the house for a while because she has an important meeting, he doesn't think twice before grabbing his phone and bullying Tommy into joining him for a park trip.
4 - Meanwhile, Buck has been with Theo for a couple of months and has settled into a routine that helps both of their ADHDs, and that routine means that Saturday mornings are for park time. Theo loves the playground, loves seeing the dogs and loves chasing the ducks (not feeding them cause 'Buck, did you know bread is actually bad for ducks?')
5 - Usually, while Theo spends some of his very high energy in the playground, Buck sits in a bench and keeps half an eye on him and half on kid-friendly recipes they can bake together once they get home (another part of his routine). This time his scrolling is interrupted by Theo rushing to him in full excitement:
"BUCK! BUCK! Can my new best friend come over?! Her name is Vitti and she's MY age and her dad's a firefighter just like you and we wanna play firefighters together!"
6 - Buck quickly looks up so he can scan the playground for Vitti and her parents; he's low-key very happy because finding first responder parents that can relate to him is always interesting. However, his stomach drops to his knees when his gaze follows to where Theo is pointing and finds no one other than Tommy with a ginger-haired little girl chatting his ear off.
7 - The vision is like if someone took Buck's most secret dreams but twisted them. Because Tommy is talking to the little girl who's apparently Theo's new best friend while giving a smaller one sips from a sippy cup. All while standing next to a man. A burly, handsome man who, very sadly, is not Buck.
8 - For a second, Buck can't move. He just stares. Stares at Tommy in that soft gray hoodie Buck stole more than once, with his arms wrapped around this very cute toddler who's completely comfortable with him. Stares at the man beside Tommy, who's talking to a girl who looks a little older but is similar enough to the other two that Buck can only assume they're sisters (a treacherous part of his brain is yelling that yeah, figures, Tommy definitely reads as an amazing girl dad)
9 - "Buck?? Can she??"
He's brought back to reality by Theo's voice, who's still waiting for an answer. And Buck realizes he'll have to face the music and talk to Tommy and his husband.
(shall we continue?)
”I got you all wrong, didn't I?” Buck asks, the first time they see each other in however long.
Tommy doesn't know what he's referring to, but says, ”Probably.” They got a lot of things wrong.
Unbeknownst to Tommy, Buck met Sal a while ago. They were responding to a 3-alarm, where Sal's crew were first on scene. The accident turned out less severe than suspected and the 118 ended up standing around for the most part, wrangling civilians.
As things wound down, he introduced himself to Sal and they talked for a bit. Sal called him Tommy's kid and Buck spent a heated couple of minutes ranting about all the ways he wasn't. Sal thought it was funny. They've been going out here and there, when they have the time. Sal being sober never came up, when Tommy spoke of him.
Sal has been a bit of a godsend, actually. He doesn't know Buck, outside of the LAFD grapevine and Tommy. And he's a captain – which is intimidating at first, but Sal is just a guy. A mediocre firefighter at best, in his own words. A blatant lie, but Buck likes that about him. Sal doesn't take himself too seriously.
The company one keeps says a lot about a person and Sal is no exception. Apparently Tommy was too embarrassed to talk about Buck, so Buck reluctantly agrees to cover some of the highlights. Sal laughs himself sick, not because of anything Buck does, but because he knows Tommy and knows exactly how Tommy must have felt at any given moment, based on what information Buck presents.
Which leads them here. They're both in their turnouts, both ready to call it a night, but it's a full moon and they have 12 hours left of their shifts. Buck's hands feel numb, from holding the hose for too long. Tommy is hiding from his captain, too proud to admit he came back to work too soon after an injury.
Buck looks at him, in the harsh, white light of someone's LED headlights. He looks tired and worn, and a lot less confident than Buck remembers. He wonders how much of the Tommy he knows is just a fabrication of his own desires. Buck is always looking for someone to take the lead. Someone older and wiser than himself, never quite trusting himself.
Or that's how he used to be. He's not sure he's the same person Tommy knew either. He's grown a lot of edges, as of late. He's not as soft and malleable as he once was. Crazy what a bit of life altering trauma can do to a person. And proper therapy. Buck is angry in ways he's never allowed himself to be before. According to his therapist, it's always been there, he's just used to dismissing it as something else.
Tommy has done nothing to change, in the time they've been apart. Nothing at all. He goes to work and maxes out his flight hours, like he's always done. And works out like his life depends on it.
He's been thinking a lot. Mostly about all the things he did wrong with Buck, and how he isn't cut out to be with anyone.
There's a streak of dirt on Buck's cheek, and Tommy wishes he was the kind of suave guy, who could reach out, wipe it off, and make it feel like a come on. But he's not. Tommy is a tired guy, who's most of the way past his prime and will probably die alone – or on Sal's couch, if he's lucky. He's not brave enough to die heroically, although engine failure is always an option. But he's already survived 3 helicopter crashes, so he's not holding out hope on that one.
”Sal's nice,” Buck offers.
”No, he is not.”
”He's an asshole,” Buck amends, ”but in a good way. I see why you like him.”
Tommy has 10 different scenarios in his head, as to how Buck would know that, but they all center himself, and he can't make himself ask. It probably has nothing to do with him. ”I don't like him.”
Buck snorts and smiles at him. Tommy is crouched against one of the engine wheels, on the side facing away from the action. His helmet is off and perched on his knee.
It's inapropriate for many reasons. For who they are, for what they used to be, for being at work, but Buck can't stop thinking about it. Sal hasn't said it out right, but he has hinted at it heavily. Buck pulls off a glove and puts his hand on top of Tommy's head. His curls are plastered to his head, but it doesn't really matter. Buck's touch is light. He feels Tommy freeze.
He slides his hand back, toward Tommy's crown, and further back. ”You're OK,” Buck says, only loud enough to be heard. Tommy exhales and closes his eyes. His back is still rigid, but his shoulders are lower. It doesn't prove anything, not really. It confirms some things. Mainly the way it makes him feel.
”What're you doing later?”
”Passing out on the drive back to Harbor.”
Buck doesn't have nails to speak of, instead he pinches Tommy's hair between his fingers and tugs lightly. ”Don't be a wiseass.”
Tommy clears his throat. ”I don't have plans.”
”You should come to mine. Sleep it off.”
Tommy tilts his head back and looks up. ”With you?”
Buck lets his fingers trail down the side of Tommy's face, just shy of cupping his cheek. ”With me. You can cook me breakfast.” The moment is interrupted by Buck's phone. He feels the vibration against his chest and pulls it from his jacket. Chimney says the screen. Buck rolls his eyes.
Before Tommy can ask, Buck holds up a finger. ”Hold that thought, daddy has to take this.” Tommy makes a face between outrage and interest, but sits still and keeps quiet, while Buck is on the phone.
The 118 is heading out and Buck needs to return to the engine. He sighs, but agrees. Things must be under control. Tommy is probably heading out soon, too.
”You have my number, yeah?” Buck asks, as he puts his phone away.
”Uh, yeah. I do, yeah.”
”I'll text you the address.”
Tommy watches Buck leave, wondering what the fuck just happened. And wondering how he's gonna get up. His legs are asleep.
Tommy glanced down as his phone rang, seeing Howie Han pop up across the screen.
Looked like Howie hadn’t lost his number. Tommy snorted derisively, and watched it ring through to his voicemail.
It rang a second time.
Then a third.
Tommy finally picked up on Howie’s fourth attempt. “What?” He bit out.
Howie sounded taken aback. “Hey, Tommy.”
"What do you want?”
"Uh— I was just going to invite you out for a drink.”
Tommy looked around his cramped office, searching for a reason why Howie would be inviting him out. He didn’t find one. “Why?”
"I realized I’ve been letting a lot of things fall by the wayside,” Howie admitted. “I haven't seen you since…” he trailed off, the funeral hanging in the air, unspoken.
"Well, I’m glad you’re figuring that out,” Tommy managed to say, “but considering you weren’t there when I needed you, I’m not really interested in getting a drink and reminiscing.” He hung up before Howie could say anything else, putting his phone on silent and flipping it face down on his desk. He checked the wall clock. An hour left. Enough time to type up his last report.
Fire Marshal Thomas Kinard, report on 6348 N Sepulveda Blvd, March 29, 2026 …
it was hard to stop a train once it got started. buck still wasn't sure he wanted to.
8x18 coda. canon compliant? pardon the terrible trix joke, it amused me.
"Han!" The bellow shook the station. "Get your scrawny ass down here right now."
Chimney put his coffee cup down slowly, dusting off his pants. "'Scuse me, everybody," he said calmly. "I heard my name."
Hen snorted into her drink. "Bakersfield heard your name," she said, abandoning the table and heading for the railing. "This should be good."
Buck hesitated for a beat longer than everyone else, only moving when Ravi knocked his hand against Buck's shoulder. He hovered a step behind Ravi, worried that if he got too close to the front the two of them would notice him and the argument would escalate.
"So," the enormous man on the apparatus floor said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You want to explain why, on the day my new transfer's supposed to be starting, I get a call from the Chief saying whoopsie?"
"I was short a guy, turns out. Buck agreed to cancel the transfer," Chim said easily, tipping his chin up and meeting the other man's stare.
Ravi turned to Buck, his eyebrows jumping up. "That's you," he mouthed, pointing at the showdown. Buck elbowed Ravi cautiously, grinning when he shoved back at him.
"Bullshit, Howie. We both know you're not good at keeping yourself on the sidelines. And I'm down two guys — or gals, Wilson — so you can get yourself to the back of the line."
"Today was supposed to be your last day?" Ravi whispered, not looking away from the floor.
Buck shrugged. When Chim had asked for, and gotten, the captaincy it just seemed easier to give him time to grow into the role without having to train someone new at the same time. Besides, if the station was just a number now, it wasn't like going somewhere else was going to mean he'd be somewhere more like Bobby's station. At least here he had Ravi to partner up with.
"Who's that?" Buck asked Ravi, leaning in close. He hadn't paid much attention, or asked too many questions, when he'd handed in his transfer paperwork. The Chief had told him he'd send the assignment along when it was figured out, but then Buck had pulled his name from consideration and… well, it hadn't mattered then.
"Deluca, 122. You really don't do the whole firehouse gossip thing, do you?" Ravi asked him, amused.
"I mean the fun stuff, sure. Rodriguez over at the 126 ended up going to a furry convention by 'accident'," Buck told Ravi, waggling his eyebrows.
"He used to work with Chimney and Hen back in the day," Ravi continued, making a face at him.
"Huh." Buck inched closer to the railing, peering over it. Deluca wasn't menacing Chim, exactly, but he did have enough height on him that there was some looming going on. He might even have a little height on Buck. "He looks… tall."
"Chim's compact," Hen said easily, knocking her arm against Buck's gently. "But he's scrappy. He's got this."
Deluca lowered his voice and kept going, gesticulating wildly at Chim's equally quiet response. Buck found himself wishing they were still bellowing. He couldn't help but feel a little invested in what appeared to be a fight over himself. He wasn't sure who he wanted to win.
"Do not make me arm wrestle—" Deluca's voice rose, amused, before dipping low again.
"Don't do it, Chim!" Hen hollered.
Sal and Chimney both glanced up at that, seemingly realizing that everyone on shift was paying rapt attention to what was going on. Buck was pretty sure the only thing that would break their concentration was the bell or a knock down drag out argument in the loft. He found himself glancing over at Eddie, sighing when he kept his eyes focused forwards.
"That doesn't seem very ride or die," Ravi said smugly, shuffling closer to Buck. He knocked their shoulders together and Buck grinned tiredly at him.
"Sal held the station record for almost a decade," Hen shot back. "It's very ride or die to make sure Chim doesn't embarrass himself."
Chimney stepped towards Sal, making him take a step back. Buck held his breath, looking between them as they kept talking, volleying back and forth. "Does this feel like a tennis game to anyone else?" Buck wondered quietly.
"Fine," Chim snapped his gum, irritated. "But only until your chicken pox epidemic clears up."
"Pleasure doing business," Sal drawled, draping an arm over Howie's shoulders. "Buckley, grab your gear. We're headed out." He looked up to the loft, finding Buck immediately. Buck blinked, taking half a step back before he stopped. Obviously he would have gotten Buck's file from the chief, it wasn't weird that he could pick Buck out of a crowd.
Hen squeezed Buck's hand, her mouth pursed in a frown. "Hang in there, Buck. He's not as cranky as he sounds. Promise."
"The rest of you, what are you, new? No one taught you how to eavesdrop stealthily? Come on, that's embarrassing."
The bell went off.
Sal gestured to Buck, loping up the loft stairs after everyone had cleared out. The silence hung between them, muffling the sound of the disappearing sirens. Sal caved first, taking a deep breath. Buck smirked, just a little.
"Who really cancelled the transfer?" Sal asked, eyeing him up and down.
Buck shrugged. It wasn't as if it mattered. He was here at the 118 with everyone else.
"Your brother-in-law got captain and asked you to stay, so you did. Noble, but," Sal headed into the kitchen, picking through one of the boxes of doughnuts that Ravi had brought in, grabbing one for himself. "Howie can handle himself. I, however, need someone to hold my hand," Sal continued, taking an enormous bite out of it. Buck stared at the smear of powdered sugar on his cheek.
"Uh, you have a little something just… yeah." Buck nodded, watching Sal grab a napkin. "This the kind of hand holding you're looking for?"
"Okay, not into metaphors. I didn't mean literally, but I had a guy leave and then three of my squad go down with the pox in rapid succession. So. Arm Wrestle Mania 25 commenced."
"You didn't arm wrestle Chim," Buck said, feeling off-kilter. He wasn't sure what Captain Sal Deluca, 122, wanted from him, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to make it happen.
"Hell no, I'd probably break his wrist and he's got a baby to hold. Nah, Wrestle Mania was with the other stations that needed staffing."
"Multiple stations arm wrestled. Over avoiding having to take me," Buck said flatly. "I'm honoured."
"Oh, you misunderstand. Everyone wanted you." Sal finished off his doughnut, looking back in the box. "What the hell." He took another. "You got a car here?"
Buck shook his head. "Yearly service. I got a ride."
"Perfect. Grab your shit, let's blow this pop stand."
Buck trailed him back down the stairs, emptying his locker out on autopilot. "Wait — multiple stations wanted me?"
"Yeah, but I'm bigger and scarier so I won." Sal looked over his shoulder, frowning at the expression on Buck's face. "You're surprised."
"The, uh, the lawsuit, I thought…" Buck shrugged. "Kind of a liability."
"Once in nine years? Hell, Buckley, if you were gonna be a pest about it, there'd be more than one. Personally, I would have sued a few times — the hell was that heist accusation about? Or the lightning? Or hey, leaving your captain to rot at the bottom of the ocean because there wasn't enough proof they were out there." That last one came with air quotes and startled a laugh out of Buck.
"It wasn't a nuisance lawsuit, and honestly, a bunch of us tore a strip off the union for not taking care of it before it got that far," Sal continued, opening the trunk of the captain's truck. "In here. You've got one of the best records from both trips through the academy, you've pulled off some crazy ass rescues, and you're basically fearless. Seeing your name on the transfer list had me racing Mehta to the Chief's office."
"Oh. Uh. Thanks, I guess?" Buck said, trailing behind him. He dumped his bags, sliding into the passenger seat when Sal went for the driver's.
"Yeah, no problem. Like I said, not a hardship." Sal waited until Buck was settled before flipping his phone into Buck's lap. "Can you type a reply to that? We public servants should be safe drivers, and all," he added, winking at Buck.
"Sure, uh — the contact name is a donkey emoji?" Buck squinted at the phone. "Are you sure you want to give me your lock code five minutes after we met?"
"There isn't one; I do this a lot. Just open and start typing what I say. The donkey is because he's being a jackass. He can get his contact information back when he gets his head screwed on straight — I do want you typing that, Buckley."
"Oh, right, got it." Buck quirked an eyebrow, typing quickly.
"Had to steal my new transfer back, on the road, Gina says you need to come for dinner soon, uh," Sal tapped his fingers against the wheel, coming to a stop at the red light. "What was his question, again?"
"If you wanted to go to the game tomorrow? What game?"
Sal looked sideways at him. "Angels. Jackass and I split a couple seats with a group, but since we organized it we get to dibs the good games. Not that there are many, because they're the fucking Angels. But it's that or the National League and fuck that," He paused. "What do you prefer, by the way? Buckley? Buck? It's Evan, yeah?"
Buck shrugged. Maybe it was time to try out a new one. New house, new name, new… attitude? Maybe. Bobby had thought his attitude was good, it was just everyone else that seemed to have a problem with it these days. "Really not picky. I'll answer to anything."
"Okay, we'll let Ferb at ya when we get there. Not his actual name, he just likes the cartoon. —Can't make the game, covering for B shift, fucking pox, Stella is in her sports phase again — that's my kid, jackass is her godfather, or would be if either of us were into that kind of crap — if he wants to take her for some quality bonding time."
"He's asking who the transfer is."
Sal snorted. "You can probably answer that one without my help."
Buck cracked a grin at that, typing out his name and station. The response came back immediately and Buck frowned down at the phone. "He says sure and he's gotta go."
"Yeah, he hates when I dictate to someone else." Sal shrugged. "Dickhead. It's not like I'm sharing private information out loud."
"Well, so far I know that he's a jackass and he's your daughter's uncle, so. How private does he think that information is?"
"Sometimes I think he hates it when folks know his last name," Sal cackled. He pulled into the station parking lit, popping the trunk. "We can get you set up at Jonesy's locker for now — he's the one that left." He paused. "They're gonna be loud."
Sal hopped out of the truck and hoisted both of Buck's bags over his shoulder before Buck could get out of his seat. He waved Buck off when he tried to take one. "I got this, relax kid. Buckle up."
They walked into whoops and cheers from the loft, the entire shift hanging over the railing. One of the younger firefighters climbed onto the bottom rung of the railing and leaned forward, warbling "All hail the conquering hero!" as they passed the back of the engine. He got yanked back before he could fall by a guy Buck's age, laughing.
"All right, all right, shut up," Sal called, pointing up at the loft. "This is Buckley, nickname to be determined. I had to arm wrestle my way to the front of the line for him, unlike you jokers, so if anyone scares him off…" Sal trailed off threateningly.
"You like hash brown casserole?"
"I've got a fifty-point nickname survey!"
"Ferb, Sal just said don't scare him away!"
"Nerds," Sal said to Buck, his voice fond. "Give him a minute to get settled! Then you can all start asking him about himself. We've got a month, so pace yourselves."
Send me a made up fic title and I give you a fic I'd write for it!
Picture it: Los Angeles, 2015
Place: O'Malleys, your run of the mill firefighter bar hangout.
People involved: Sal Deluca, sitting at the bar, complaining to his bartender - newish guy, just started last week - that his best friend "Is a MORON. I love him, but he's a MORON. He's stil planning on GETTING MARRIED."
Buck: "??? You don't think he should get married?"
Sal, on this third whiskey: "Not to a woman!"
Buck: "...okay?"
Sal Deluca: "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. IT'S NOT JUST KRISTEN STEWART HE DOESN'T WANT TO FUCK. MARRIAGE IS HARD ENOUGH WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO FUCK THE OTHER PERSON."
Buck: "... So you're saying, in the loudest way possible, that he's gay."
Sal Deluca: "Exactly! See? You get it. I got it. Everyone who has ever met him - except the fiancee - got it. Isn't he supposed to come out of the closet at some point? I watched half a season of Glee with my oldest kid, I know how this works."
Buck: "I never watched Glee. But uh. Maybe he just needs to meet the right man?"
Sal Deluca: "He's getting married in SIX MONTHS, kid. We are running out of time. I need a plan."
Buck's fellow barkeep: "I knew a woman who was getting married and all the bridesmaids to be hated the man's guts, so they hired a really hot escort to tempt her. It worked! She also married the escort and they have like 4 kids now."
Sal: "....So youre saying I need a male escort."
Buck: "...That escalated very quickly."
Sal: "You're cute enough. You want to sabotage this horrible wedding to be, before Tommy jumps into the abyss of loneliness and despair and terrible sex? I'll pay you."
