Hello! For the five au facts thingy: season 1 Buck meets Tommy on a call, maybe Tommy’s the boyfriend of the guy with the worms 👀👀👀 orrrrrrr Buck meets plant enthusiast Sal and his indulgent boyfriend Tommy at a market and sparks fly?
consider: what if we combined both ideas? have some s1 salbucktommy
Sal runs a market stall selling plants. Maybe he gets injured on the job as a firefighter and gets real into plants? Reconnects with Tommy somewhere along the way and they end up dating. It's still reasonably new, but comfortable. Tommy's hanging out at the stall when [something happens] and part of Sal's not-quite-well-maintained stall collapses, wounding him in the process. Some panic ensues and the 118 are called out.
Fresh-faced probie Buck hangs back a little, since Hen and Chimney and Bobby apparently know these guys? And there's a moment of surprise between them until they're right down to business, and Hen and Chim are fussing over the injured guy. He's not too hurt, it looks like, since they're joking around and catching up. Bobby seems to be keeping his distance, mostly busying himself with talking with police about whatever. Logistics stuff. Then Buck spots the other guy - apparently they're both former 118? it tracks with how big they are - standing all awkwardly and worried looking. So Buck wanders over, tells the guy, "Hey, don't worry, your friend will be fine." Look at him, anticipating the needs of everyone at a scene, showing initiative. He hopes Bobby notices.
The wounded guy snorts, and the big worried guy looks at him warily, but that doesn't stop the wounded guy when he barks a, "you hear that, baby? we're friends." and the big guy rolls his eyes affectionately and it takes a second to land for Buck and then he's all "oh shit, I'm sorry, that's cool, I mean, it's - uh, normal! not cool as in weird. not- not that I think it wouldn't be normal!" and Hen and Chim are staring at him and the wounded guy seems really amused and the big guy has his arms crossed across his chest and his eyebrows raised and - fuck - even Bobby has noticed and Buck has fucked up so so bad and he fumbles to salvage this whole thing with an "I'm an ally."
"I can tell," the wounded guy says pointedly and Buck's not really sure what he's getting at but the big guy (he's so big - how are they the same height but he's so much bigger? - Buck's gotta get his workout routine) claps him on the shoulder and tells him it's fine and asks his name and Buck kind of forgets he's Buck now so he stumbles out an "Evan" and then he goes "wait, Buck," and that gets him some more raised eyebrows until he clarifies he's "Evan Buckley aka Buck but uhh- it's, fine?" which... maybe doesn't clarify anything, but at least both guys seem amused and not offended, and the big guy introduces himself as Tommy. Then he introduces "that idiot over there" as his boyfriend, Sal, adding that at least he is for now, because he should've just let him fix the damn stall last time he offered, at which the boyfriend - Sal - responds that it's "nothing a little ducttape won't fix" and Buck gets to watch a fascinating array of emotions flit across Tommy's face until he sighs a "Salvatore, I swear to god--"
They pack up and leave soon after, but Buck leaves with a heavy feeling of shame. He mentions it on the ride back, and Chim tells him cheerily that at least it's a lesson in not making assumptions, and Hen replies with a "You can say that again" that makes Buck feel like he's missing something, but whatever. It's not like he's a stranger to sticking his foot in his mouth, but he's usually been pretty good at shrugging it off and moving on. He's young, he's expected to be a bit of an idiot, it's fine. Except, it's not fine. He can't stop thinking about the two guys at the market, can't help but feel like he's gotta make amends somehow. Properly tie up loose ends, or something. So, on his next day off, he goes by the market and tries to remember where the stall was and only remembers he doesn't have a plan when he's practically walked right into Sal The Boyfriend and he stumbles out a "Shi-- shoot. Hi. I. Uh, should've brought something?" and Sal goes "What?" and Buck goes "To apologize?" and looks around and goes "Where's Tommy?" and Sal says he'll be back in a few, he's just getting coffee, and does he want to stick around until he comes back, maybe figure out what he's trying to say in the meantime? And it's... really fun, actually, and before he knows it he's spent all morning chatting and he finds himself making promises to bring them lunch next time and somehow it becomes A Thing, him showing up to Sal's stall and bringing food, or going on coffee runs with Tommy who doesn't technically work with Sal because he's a pilot - which, what the fuck, so cool - but he likes to hang around on market days. And it becomes a thing, the three of them, and when Tommy kisses him one evening after dinner Buck goes "What?" and Sal goes "C'mon, I thought you were an ally" and Buck speedruns his bisexuality realization by kissing Sal just to make sure.
