Work Text:
It had been raining for three days, downpouring like Los Angeles had never seen: sun hidden, ocean distressed, storm drains clogged and entire streets flooded. Rain bombarded rooftops and sidewalks, muting the vibrant metropolis, seeping into kitchens, breakrooms and socks, canceling plans. Residents stayed indoors, stayed home, watched from windows. They nestled in living rooms and bedrooms, shut away under blankets and sweaters, cuddled next to fireplaces, space heaters, each other. The City of Angels was hiding, it seemed – perhaps grieving, or sick in bed.
The city’s first responders, however, were far from cozy. The onslaught of gloomy days and intensified calls drenched, exhausted, and demoralized firefighters, paramedics, and hospital personnel. The weather’s severity and unusual duration caught emergency workers unprepared. Wind and water strained both supplies and tempers as relentless incident after incident beleaguered rescuers. Three days of torrential rain had created more human demise than the city could manage.
A particularly harrowing rescue just shy of mass casualty dragged Evan “Buck” Buckley and Eddie Diaz several hours past the end of shift. Thoroughly soaked and shivering, the two firefighters shed their wet and bloodied uniforms in the locker room of Station 118 and stood twice as long under shower heads to chase away bone-deep cold to no avail, hot water turned lukewarm and carrying neither chill nor fatigue with it into the drain.
Exhaustion settled deeper than the cold, past bone and into soul. No words were spoken. Reassuring pats on the back were met not with smiles but with passive nods. All felt the weight of dreary sorrow born in rainfall and reared in tragedy.
Eddie entered the locker room to find Buck hunched toward his cubby. He rested a firm hand on Buck’s shoulder, bidding the other man look back at him. Baby blue pleaded to hazel brown not to make him go home alone. Eddie’s silent and warm reassurance resulted in the two men sitting, quietly but comfortably, in Eddie’s truck as it cut through wet black blurry night.
Minutes later, or months later, the truck arrived at the familiar house, porchlights ablaze and piercing the bleak night like lighthouses along rocky ocean cliffside. It bid the two men enter safely into harbor; the men willingly obeyed. Inside, the house emanated its promised calm. Nearly 30 hours of adrenaline and panic began to give way.
Barely through the door, Buck bent to remove his boots but instead melted into tears and sobs, face in hands, strength and resolve gone, all but lying on the floor, shaking. Eddie knelt beside his friend and wrapped cold but compassionate arms around him. Buck leaned into the comfort.
Before long, Eddie let go, moving to untie Buck’s boots. He removed his own and helped Buck stand. Silently, he guided Buck with a hand on his back into the bathroom. Eddie turned on the shower and the chill in the room softened. Steam billowed from the enclosure. Eddie turned to Buck.
Approaching him, Eddie unbuttoned his own shirt and removed it before unbuttoning Buck’s. Buck neither spoke nor moved, but watched with reverence, tear-stained and shivering, as Eddie stripped both of them of their damp clothing. Eddie gently unfastened and unzipped their jeans, removing pants and underwear with ease together in the same motion first for Buck, then for himself. Stunned and exposed in many ways, Buck still could only shiver as Eddie’s hand rose to his back and guided him to the shower and under the enticing cascade of steaming water. Buck breathed in relief as warm water and Eddie’s hands in his scalp washed away, finally, chill and despair.
Buck’s limbs finally regained their strength and will, reaching toward Eddie and pulling him inward. Buck hugged Eddie, nakedness notwithstanding, and Eddie hugged back. Buck felt love and life reenter his whole self as skin on skin augmented steam and shower in warmth that melted where his heart had frozen, mended where it had broken. Buck turned with Eddie in his arms to bring the other man under the water, raising his own hands to work the water’s calm and soothing heat into Eddie’s hair.
Once satisfied, Buck moved his hands to cup either side of Eddie’s neck, daring a glimpse back into his eyes. Eddie’s visage burned in adoration, arms raising to envelop Buck at the waist. Buck pulled Eddie in closer and lips met lips in a simple but life-altering, all-consuming kiss. The two firefighters leaned back from each other. Gazes piercing through the ilk of overexertion and sleep deprivation, Buck allowed himself to fall against Eddie, allowed his arms to hold tight around him, allowed himself to smile for the first time that day, to be comforted, to feel hope and renewal.
Before long, the hot water relented. Eddie turned off the shower and reached to grab a towel. Glowing, Buck commandeered the towel and took his time drying off his companion, starting with his hair and moving systematically to the man’s feet. When he stood back up, Eddie pulled him into another affectionate kiss, taking the towel from Buck in a swift and sudden movement. He patted Buck down, top to bottom.
Dry and consoled, the men moved to the bedroom, seeking soft sweatpants and t-shirts, heeding the call of bed and blankets.
Falling into bed was understood, unspoken, unquestioned – crawling into each other’s arms, equally so. Encased in each other, the final stubborn pangs of chill and despair relented, comforted into oblivion, cast out like thieves into the night. Two bodies, tangled together, rose and fell with each inhale and exhale of breath. Silent smiles gave way to a silent kiss as the two men lay together, peaceful and reassured, the stress of toil and loss dissolving ever further from mind and body.
Outside, the raging storm and water finally gave way to crisp, chilly starshine. Inside, the inviting tide of sleep rose, carrying the men through the night – snug, safe, and steady – gently resting them on the shore of the new day’s sunrise.