Chapter Text
Tommy scrubs a plate while sneaking glances at the man standing next to him. Buck had come over for a meal, but had been strangely quiet the whole afternoon. He watches as his boyfriend plays with the edges of the dish cloth he was holding, gaze lost to a random spot on the kitchen floor, and quickly stores the plate on the draining board to approach him. He wraps his arms around his waist from the side, chin resting on his shoulder. Buck startles a little at the initial contact, but immediately relaxes into the touch with a sigh.
“Hey,” Buck whispers, a sad tone evident in his voice.
“Hey,” Tommy responds, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. “You doing okay, Evan?”. Buck lets out another sigh, eyes still trained on the ground, but makes no attempt to respond to the question. Tommy pulls back a little - though keeping his arms in place - to look at him better. “What are you thinking about so much?”
Buck squeezes his eyes tight before taking a deep breath in. He reopens them and finally turns to look at Tommy. “... I’m thinking about breaking up with you.”
*4 months later*
“So what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a firefighter.”
“No way!” Charlie leans forward with wide eyes, resting his arms on the table. “That’s impressive.”
Buck ducks his head shyly and rubs the back of his neck. Charlie is definitely attractive, with short tussled hair and possibly the greenest eyes Buck has ever seen, so the flattery was going straight to his head. “Well, you know, its… its certainly a rewarding job”
“Oh don’t be shy.” He waves a hand playfully. “What’s the craziest call you’ve ever had?”
Buck giggles and plays with his wine glass. “Umm… it’s hard to think of one. We get so many that they kind of get hard to keep track of.”
Charlie clicks his tongue disapprovingly. “That’s a boring answer.” Buck feels his smile drop a little in shock. “Come on, you’ve got to remember something . You can’t get that many.”
A weight settles in his chest, like he’d done something wrong. “I- You’d be surpris-”
“Ooh, what about the most dangerous rescue you’ve done?”
Buck freezes momentarily, mind racing at the memory. “Uhh, t-there’s been a few, but it’s just part of the job, so I try not to think about it.”
Charlie rolls his eyes and flops backwards in his chair. “Really? If I risked my life everyday I’d be bragging to anyone who would listen.”
Buck wills his face to stretch into a smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He lifts his glass to try to hide it. “So, uh, what do you do for a living?”
Charlie sighs and reaches for his own glass. “I work at a senior living facility.”
Buck sits up straighter and his smile widens. “Woah, t-that must be a pretty rewarding job too! Y’know, you’re helping so many people get through their day and live the rest of their lives in comfort, knowing they’re being cared for. That’s really cool.”
Charlie snorts. “Not really. Sometimes I feel like they’re being purposefully difficult because their family doesn’t want to deal with them and they don’t want to just die alone.” He chuckles and leans across the table, lowering his voice as if he is sharing a secret. “I hope when I get that old someone will just put me out of my misery.” Buck’s smile drops again as Charlie takes a large swig of his wine. “Now, tell me more about this firefighting stuff.”
~
“It’s fine guys, stop stressing about it.”
“Then why can I smell burning?”
At Chris’ question, Eddie experimentally sniffs the air before cursing and running to the kitchen. Tommy chuckles. “Why did we let him cook instead of ordering?”
“He needs to keep practising.” Chris sighs. He leans across closer to Tommy’s ear. “But I have DoorDash open in case of an emergency.”
Tommy throws his head back in laughter, Chris collapsing onto his shoulder as he joins in, just as Buck walks through the living room door. Tommy notices the movement and turns to see him. “Oh hey, Buck,” he greets, still chuckling and grinning widely.
“Hey,” he replies, failing to stop his own smile as he watches the pair. There’s a warmth in his chest he ignores.
Eddie walks out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Guessing it didn’t go well since you’re here this early?” he asks, checking his watch.
“If you put it lightly.” Buck flops down on the couch in between the other two occupants. “Too obsessed with my job… and weirdly angry about the elderly… I don’t really think it would have worked out in the long run.”
Eddie grimaces and leans against the door-frame. “I think you’ve dodged a bullet with that one. Luckily I made extra food in case of an emergency, if you’re still hungry.”
“Always.”
“Wait, last time you came over you said you were going on a date with Lilly,” Chris chimes in, frowning in confusion.
Tommy nods. “Yeah, what happened with her? You said you liked her.”
“We managed a couple dates but she got kinda… stressful?” He is met with three questioning looks. “I planned every date. I set the times, and the venues, and what we were doing, and even what we were eating sometimes. And I mean, yeah, I should be used to that-”
“Yeah, I might not be the best dater in the world-” Buck hums in agreement, earning him a whip from the dish towel. “-but that sounds like a normal part of dating to me,” Eddie adds.
“It used to be for me too, but I’m used to a bit of reciprocation now.” He gestures to Tommy. “You understand, right? You used to plan some of our dates o-or buy me flowers or walk me home, and it was nice. I don’t think I can go back to one-sided chivalry anymore.”
Tommy smiles and rubs his arm. “I get that. You want someone who appreciates you as much as you appreciate them.”
“Exactly.” Buck shakes his head in exasperation. “I think my expectations are too high.”
An almost sad silence fills the room before Christopher interrupts. “Dad, I can still smell burning.”
“Oh for fu-”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll finish up, you just sit down and lick your wounds,” Tommy jokes as he stands. “Gimme a hand?” he asks Chris, who grabs his crutches and follows Tommy into the kitchen.
Eddie makes his way around the couch and gently sits next to Buck. “So….”
Buck keeps his eyes on his knees, brushing his hand gently against his trousers as if trying to wipe away non-existent dirt. “... ‘So’ what?
“... these high expectations-”
Buck turns his head with an unimpressed expression. “Don’t.”
Eddie smiles innocently. “Don’t what? What did you think I was going to say?”
“The same thing you’ve been saying for months now-”
“Oh, I was saying it before the breakup, so-”
“-and it hasn’t changed anything, so what’s the point in continuing?”
“I just think that if you’re looking for someone who gets your job like Tommy does, and plans dates like Tommy did, and isn't weird about old people like I assume Tommy isn't, then maybe you should still be dating To-”
“IT’S READY!” Chris yells, prompting both men to stand, though squinting at each other as they do. They make their way into the kitchen as Tommy places the plates at the table.
“I feel bad that my guest is serving me,” Eddie jokes, eliciting a laugh from Tommy.
Buck takes in the homemade burgers, sweet potato fries, and the array of veggies spread out across the table. “Wow, that looks amazing.”
Eddie drops into his chair while pointing around the room. “I want it on record that I started the cooking. These two just dished up.” Buck chuckles as he settles in his own chair.
“I’ll make sure all compliments are directed to you,” Tommy jokes. He makes his way over to Buck’s seat and passes him a plate. “This one is yours. No tomatoes.”
Buck feels his heart flutter. “Oh, thank you.”
Tommy smiles warmly at him and takes his own seat across the table, and Buck spends the rest of the afternoon watching his friends and trying to ignore the persistent ache in his chest.