Chapter Text
Tommy Kinard was enjoying life for the first time since breaking up with his boyfriend. He had even decided to take up his old friend Howie’s invitation to meet up for drinks.
It was their usual place, and it had been a minute since he had gotten together with Howie. But it was nice to sit with a friend. Howe strolled in a grin on his face as he slid in across from him and took a big sigh.
“Long shift?” Tommy asked as the waitress popped over to grab their drink orders.
“It’s been an interesting few months,” Chimney responded. “By the way, drinks are on me,” Tommy was about to protest when Howie continued. “I’ve been a bad friend lately, and I should have taken you out after that electrical fire.”
“You promised to tell me the story of why you were recovering from a stab wound when you called,” Tommy added as the girl brought over their beers and took their food order. A plate of nachos for the table, please.
Chim laughed, “It’s kind of a wild story. But um... did I ever tell you about the probie we got after you left?”
“Some punk kid who had no concept of what a movie reference was?” asked Tommy.
“That’s the one,” Chim supplied.
“What about him?” he took a sip of his beer. “Didn’t you say Bobby almost fired him?”
“Yeah, he was a bit wild there for a bit,” Chim chuckled sipping his beer before he headed off into the story of meeting Buck’s charming sister, finding out she escaped from an abusive husband, wanting to be her friend, but catching feelings for her and meeting this guy who became a friend and offered advice, who turned out to be that abusive ex-husband, “And then, on what would have been our first date, the bastard stabs me and kidnaps Maddie. It took us a bit to get there and we’re taking it slow. But we’re dating now.”
“Wow, that’s…that’s a hell of a story.”
“Now enough about me,” Chimney told him. “Tell me about you. Last I heard you were dating that guy what was his name… Chad?”
Tommy chuckled. “Chet, and he dumped me.”
“What?” asked Chim incredulously. “Is he blind or stupid?”
Tommy shrugged taking a hard drink of his beer. “Thanks, Howie,” he told him with a soft smile. “It’s um… it was a lot of things. But honestly… I wanted more and he wasn’t interested.” He sighed. “I need to get out and socialize with people again, keep my mind off it. I’m over the breakup itself. Just…don’t want to be alone anymore, need to keep myself busy.”
“Well, you’re always welcome to come hang out with me,” Chim supplied. “Anytime I’m not on shift or with Maddie, I am down for beer, movies, and I’ll even go to Muay Thai match with you.”
Tommy chuckled. “I appreciate that.”
“Wait…I have an idea,” Chim said, putting his beer down, jumping in his seat slightly as their nachos arrived. “You want to get out of the house more, right?” Tommy nodded. “Buck, uh, was the firefighter that got crushed under the ladder truck. It’s perfect.”
“Him getting crushed by a ladder truck is perfect?”
“No, sorry. He’s been kind of down.” Chim took a bite of the nachos, “He’s working towards his recertification and honestly, he could use someone to hang out with, and maybe to relax a little. He’s a good guy, but outside of his sister and the 118, I don’t think he really has anyone.”
“That’s depressing,” Tommy said grabbing at the nachos and wincing, knowing he just gave Howie the perfect shot.
“Yeah, figure you can relate,” Howie supplied.
“I can’t actually,” Tommy replied, in complete deadpan. “I don’t have a sister I talk to.”
Howie gasped at Tommy’s candor and the sad reality of that statement. “Wow, you really need some more friends. Buck’s cool. He likes to read, and he researches like no one is.”
“Didn’t you once call him a reckless and said something about him having sex on the roof of the firehouse?”
“That was like two years ago. He’s grown up a lot,” Chim explained, mouth stuffed with food. “So, what do you say?”
Tommy hesitated for a moment, munching on their food, the heat from the jalapeno gently hitting him. What did he have to lose?
“Alright, I’ll meet the kid,” Tommy responded, “So what’s he like now?”
Chim smirked and pulled out his phone. “Trust me, you two are gonna be the best of friends.” Somehow Tommy doubted it. But Chimney seemed so sure of himself. “This is him,” He turned the phone to Tommy with a picture from one of the hangouts he’d gone on with Buck and Maddie. Tommy had to admit, he was pretty cute, and knowing Tommy’s luck, probably completely straight anyway.
Chimney, ever the clever invites Maddie, Hen, Karen, and Buck for trivia at their favorite karaoke bar, a bar he knows Tommy also frequents. It’s not super loud yet as he arrives. Hen and Karen are there already, drinks in hand, waving him over.
Karen jumps up and hugs him before he turns to Hen. “Always a pleasure,” he tells them. “Where is everyone else?” He sat down beside them.
“I think they’re parking,” Hen replied checking her phone “Correction, Maddie and Chim are parking.”
“And Buck is walking through the door,” Karen replied sipping her rum and coke. “Hi.”
Buck hugs Hen and Karen before turning to see Tommy. He freezes slightly and winces as he balances on his bad leg just a smidge off-kilter, causing him pain. Hen and Karen turn to look at Buck who seems just a little star-struck.
“Uh hi, I’m Tommy, I used to work at the 118 with Hen and Chim,” he introduces himself.
“Uh….” Buck clears his throat. “E…Evan Buckley,” he replies, and Hen waits a beat for the part where he adds “but most people call me Buck,” but it doesn’t happen. Interesting. She and Karen exchange glances, the kind married couples have that easily denotes we will have a lot to talk about on the drive home.
Tommy eyes him for a second before responding “Nice to meet you, Evan,” and Buck practically melts into the chair beside him. Chim and Maddie arrive giggling together.
“Parking my butt,” Hen whispered quietly, but Tommy heard her.
“Oh good,” Chim said, “You’ve met. Buck, Tommy ditched us before you joined to work for air ops out of the 217.”
“So you’re a pilot?” Tommy nodded. “That’s really cool, um…d…you to like it?”
“Love it. I was a pilot in the army for a minute and it’s been amazing to fly again. I even fly on the weekends.”
“Y..you do?” Buck asked as a charming waitress took their drink orders.
Tommy nodded with a slightly flirtatious smile. “Yeah, if you want, I can take you up sometime?”
Hen and Karen glanced questioningly at Chim, who looked slightly confused, yet delighted over the exchange.
“That um… sounds really cool.”
“So cool,” Hen said in a slightly mocking tone, but her face was more bemused,
“And I’m Maddie,” Maddie extended her hand “His sister,” Though Tommy had completely forgotten other people were there. They shook hands.
“Ok, we need an epic team name. We are here to win people,” Hen said.
The First Responders seemed like the best choice, even though someone—Chimney—grumbled that it wasn’t quite creative enough. Especially compared to the Stone Temple PolyScys and Deadpool’s Death-pool. But he did a fine job of masking it.
The first category was film, and whoever managed to get the right answer first had to go up and sing the song from the movie. Buck groaned slightly at the category, finding himself lost for words.
This award-winning queer Broadway musical was later turned into a film utilizing largely the same cast of people like Anthony Rapp and Idina Menzel.
The buzzer on their table went off before the sentence had even finished.
“First responders!” called the host.
“Rent” Shouted Karen and Hen together.
“You guys ready to sweat your Broadway chops? Pick two people to go up and sing.” Karen and Maddie exchanged glances, everyone else nodded and they went over to sing an amazing rendition of Take Me for What I Am.
“That’s 100 points for The First Responders.”
“Wow Karen,” Tommy commented as she sat down amid applause. “You missed your calling.”
“I was a bit of a theater nerd in high school. But Science, she is my first love,” Karen replied sipping her colorful drink through a straw.
“That was incredible,” Chim said leaning over and kissing Maddie on the cheek.
“If the whole dispatcher thing doesn’t work out,” Buck said and turned to Tommy. “There’s gonna be like major local theaters that do like Broadway-level productions, right?”
“Thanks, little brother, but I think I’ll stick to being a dispatcher.”
This iconic song from this iconic British group's album, A Day at the Races utilized gospel-like choir techniques.
Tommy knew the answer, but alas he was interrupted by another group buzzing in. “The Beatles, Come Together.” Tommy snorted as the host declared the group’s answer incorrect.
Tommy buzzes in for their team. “Somebody To Love, Queen,” Tommy said with a wink to Buck. The host sighed in relief at hearing the correct answer.
“Alright hot stuff,” The host indicated, “Let’s see what you got?”
Tommy got up as the team cheered on, “Ok I can’t compete with my friends Maddie and Karen and I am no Freddie Mercury, so bear with me.” The song turned on and Tommy did ok, his range wasn’t as broad as Freddie’s but then, who’s is? He did already and brought the house down, hands up in the air, waving as the crowd sang along with the chorus, “Find him, somebody, to love, find him somebody to love… love… love...”
Buck watched Tommy sing his heart out and he was mesmerized, the guy was strong, and he could sing, he was a pilot...and that cleft. By the time Tommy finished the song and sat down back beside him, Buck’s hand reached out and gave him a gentle, friendly pat. But boy were those muscles strong.
“Dude, that was awesome,” Buck told him.
“Thanks, Evan,” Tommy replied as Maddie looked at Chim and mouthed “Evan” to him. Her boyfriend shook his head. He had no idea what was going on either.
“So do you like own a gym?” asked Buck and boy did that sound better in his head than out loud. If he wasn’t with his friends he would have slapped himself.
“No,” Tommy replied casually, with a small laugh. “I got a bit of a setup at my house.”
“Ah yes, responsible homeowner, Tommy Kinard,” Chim praised, raising a glass to him.
“But like….” Buck began. “How much do you bench press?”
Tommy was not planning on flirting, but something in Buck’s eyes told him to go for it. “Want to test me out?”
Buck coughed into his beer not expecting that kind of answer from the guy. “uh…s…sure.”
“Give me your number,” Tommy suggested taking his phone out. “Why don’t you come to my house tomorrow and I can show you my setup and you can see if I can bench press more than you.”
Buck put his number into Tommy’s phone and sent a text to himself from it, trying to hide the giddiness in his voice. “Is um… morning ok, say 8?”
“Yeah. My last shift for the week ended this morning.” Buck smiled brightly at the confirmation.
Suffice it to say Team The First Responders crushed it in their first-ever Trivia competition. They got their drinks comped as part of their prize and began to slowly pack it up as Hen and Karen had to relieve the babysitter, and Maddie had a shift the next morning.
“I should totally invite Josh next time. I think he’d like the vibe here. Plus he’s always looking for more queer-friendly spaces that aren’t just clubs,” Maddie said. “He’s my co-worker at the call center.”
Tommy nodded to her. “Trust me, it's so hard, the LA hookup culture is strong. It’s hard to meet people, especially ones that understand the insane hours.” He looked between Chim and Maddie. “You two are lucky.”
“And what am I? Chopped liver?” asked Karen coming up behind him.
“You are a rocket scientist,” Tommy explained. “You are in a class of your own, far above the rest.”
“Damn,” Hen said, “That was smooth. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were hitting on my wife.”
“Could never,” Tommy replied, and he and Hen laughed, as they all headed out of the bar. Buck hung behind everyone to casually check out Tommy, cause of course the guy was built, and it was totally normal for one dude to just admire the physique of another dude.
Everyone made it to their cars. Hen and Karen hugged Tommy tightly. “Don’t be a stranger Kinard,” Hen told him. “We want to see more of this Tommy.”
Tommy blushed lightly putting a hand on his neck. “For sure.” Hen and Karen got into the car, with Karen in the driver’s seat. She turned on the car before Hen flagged her to wait.
Maddie shook his hand before getting in the car with Chimney.
“It was um...nice to meet you,” Buck said, “And I’ll see you Friday.”
“It was great meeting you Evan,” Tommy said, his voice smooth, relaxed. “See you Friday.”
He got in his truck as Buck headed to his jeep.
“Was Tommy?” Asked Karen.
“And did Buck?” Asked Hen. They both nodded, a silent conversation occurring, and as Karen backed out of the parking space, and out onto the main street, there was definitely gossip to be had.
“Ok, so do we think Buck realizes he’s into him?” asked Karen.
“Definitely not. At least not yet. I give it a week…maybe two before he gets it. But Tommy’s definitely into him.”
Karen nodded as she pulled into the driveway. “Good. He deserves to be happy.”