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Sometimes, Tommy can’t believe how much his life has changed ever since Bobby became the Captain. He considered leaving for a bit, agonized over it during the nights, but something kept him still - maybe Howie and Han, maybe Bobby and his warm, welcoming persona, but Tommy stayed. He has no idea how his life would look like if he hadn’t, but… It’s good.
He’s getting there.
Tommy comes out. It’s rough and he’s left shaking and choked up, but Hen hugs him and he falls apart. Bobby is just there with a kind smile and something dark under his skin.
Tommy heals.
He apologises to Hen and Howie, and promises to do better. He lets them in, hesitantly, with Sal gone and a hole in his life, his heart. They’re good friends, and Bobby is a good Captain, and even though something happens and the other man disappears for a bit, he comes back better than ever.
Slowly, Tommy allows himself to get closer to his coworkers. He helps with cooking and jokes around with Howie, he meets Hen’s wife and discovers the queer dating scene.
It doesn’t go great, but he’s free and that’s all that matters.
“I’ve heard we’re getting a newbie sometime next week,” Howie says excitedly one day, eyes shining. “Bobby’s been dropping hints. He’s some military guy, fresh from Academy.”
Immediately, Tommy’s apprehensive. He knows military guys, he knows how they act, how they react to queer people, especially gay men. He just got comfortable, and he doesn’t want to see it ruined.
Apparently, over the last few months, he let his coworkers get too close, because Hen smiles at him gently.
“Bobby wouldn’t let anyone bad in,” she says softly. “He cares about us, and he knows I’d just kick a bigot out. I’ve done it before.”
That startles a laugh out of Tommy, and he does his best to cling to that belief. And then Eddie comes, and it fits. They’re not immediately perfect partners, but they work well together, and Eddie’s an okay guy, with an adorable kid. Tommy keeps him at arm’s length for his own protection (a military Texan guy with a son does not scream acceptance), but the other man proves himself quickly.
He’s more than capable, cool under pressure, completely focused. He also has dry humour that Tommy appreciates, and he slowly opens up to them. Life is good.
And then they’re called to a scene with an actual grenade.
Suddenly, Tommy’s back in the Army, flying with a dangerous cargo on board, and he doesn’t want to be there. He wants to be in LA, running into the fire, not bullets, and he can tell Eddie feels the same.
The guy is like a miracle.
“Hey!” They all turn around to see a tall guy walking towards the police tape, determination set in his shoulders. There’s a gorgeous woman walking next to him, matching his steps. “I heard you guys have a grenade inside some guy.”
Bobby frowns. “We do. We’re waiting for the bomb squad.”
“He doesn’t have that long.” Eddie is the one who speaks up, suddenly determined. “Cap, let me-”
“No.” The new guy interrupts firmly, already ducking under the tape. “You’re a firefighter, man, you don’t need to deal with this.”
“I’m an Army medic,” Eddie snaps back, immediately on guard. “I’m the most qualified here, except maybe Tommy. He was in the Army too.”
That puts Tommy on the spot, and he wants to squirm as a pair of bright blue eyes focus on him. They’re gorgeous, clear and determined and he gets a bit weak in the knees actually.
“Okay,” the guy says calmly. “But you’re out of the military, you guys don’t need to risk your lives. Let me and my friend do it.”
“What?” Eddie questions, immediately stepping closer to the man. “And who are you, what makes you so qualified?”
The other man smiles sheepishly. “Lieutenant Evan Kazansky, of the US Navy SEALs. This is my friend, Lieutenant Katherine Seresin, same team. She’s a medic, I’m a demolitions expert. Trust me, we’ve got this. Just let us in.”
Well. That certainly does mean qualified. Tommy can tell Eddie thinks the same, because his shoulders lose some of the tension and they turn to Bobby, who’s watching Evan with a thoughtful look in his eyes. The blonde smiles, but there’s urgency on his face.
“Just… I know you’ve got no reason to trust us, but please- We can do it.”
“We’re the best for a reason,” Katherine speaks, voice cold and melodic and determined, and they all watch as Bobby breaks.
“Go,” he mutters. “And if I get fired for this, I’ll let you know.”
Evan laughs. “You won’t get fired, promise. We’ve got some strings to pull.”
They step into the ambulance in civilian clothes, completely relaxed. It’s the tensest 10 minutes of Tommy's life, but they step out of it without a scratch, just some blood on their clothes. The victim gets transported to the hospital and they all just stand there, aware of the insubordination, before the ambulance explodes.
Tommy and Eddie barely flinch while the others duck, but Evan and Katherine just stand there, watching the wreckage.
“Well, that was fun,” she drawls. “Just wait until I tell Ice all about it.”
“No, you won’t, because I will,” Evan mutters. “We did a good deed, he should be proud.”
“He’s always proud.”
Evan laughs and the tense atmosphere breaks. Tommy watches as Eddie steps closer to the man, speaking quietly, and for a second, he wishes he could do it too. There’s something about the blonde that makes Tommy’s heart skip a beat (and not just the explosion), and it feels like he’s meeting someone important to him. He wants to keep Evan close and learn all there’s to learn about him.
Eddie gestures at Tommy with a laugh, and Tommy straightens when those stunning eyes look at him, a smile on the man’s face. This is a trained SEAL, but somehow he has the same energy as a golden retriever puppy, and Tommy wants. He can’t remember wanting anything this much.
Unfortunately, they get going before he can do anything. There are things to gather, trucks to clean, reports to submit, and Tommy never gets to talk to the man who casually stepped into an ambulance with a grenade and saved a man’s life. It’s a shame.
Only, it doesn’t stop there.
Bobby finds Athena and Tommy is shocked but glad. Things are moving, and his life is much more happy than it used to be, but it’s only when he goes to his Captain’s barbecue that his heartbeat picks up again. Because there, in the lush garden, stands the man that Tommy keeps dreaming about, smiling at them all.
“Fancy seeing all of you here,” Evan says, spreading his arms wide. “Hope you don’t mind some company?”
They laugh and start asking questions, and Evan mans the grill as they settle in. It's Bobby who explains.
“I met him the day before I started at 118,” he says with a smile. “In a shop, buying the worst-looking carrots I’ve ever seen in my life. I had to step in.”
“Hey!” Evan cries out in playful anger. “No one’s ever taught me that stuff! I can cook, but my dads always just brought stuff home.”
The word ‘dads’ immediately registers in Tommy’s mind, his heartbeat picking up. This man was raised by two men, ones he calls ‘dads’. He’s clearly not homophobic, but it doesn’t mean he likes men. Tommy has to calm down.
“It somehow escalated, because I… Maybe I assumed he couldn’t cook anything and-”
“And I wanted to prove him wrong,” Evan finishes with a smile. “So I sorta, uh, invited myself, and showed the old man how it’s done. I know for sure you’re still dreaming about those pierogi.”
“They were very good,” Bobby allows. “And we just kept in contact ever since. Having said that, I wasn’t expecting him to come up to us on scene, asking to be let into an ambulance with a live grenade.”
Evan shrugs, effortlessly gorgeous in the sun. He’s relaxed and happy, but as Tommy looks closer, he can see the military background - the way he’s always aware of everyone and all the exits, the way he shifts his weight. Tommy can bet that he has a concealed gun somewhere on him.
“I like adrenaline. There’s a reason I signed up to the SEALs of all places,” he says.
“Why SEALs, then?” Hen asks, leaning forward. “It’s not an easy path.”
“My dads are both Navy. Aviators. I thought about it, but with my name, it would’ve been…rough to survive there.” Evan winces and rubs the back of his neck. “And I’ve always needed to move a lot, so…”
“Your name?”
Tommy sees Eddie perk up, eyes wide. “Wait, Kazansky… Your dad is the fucking Commander of the Pacific Fleet?”
Evan laughs as they all splutter. “Yep! Sure makes for a fun story to tell to your friends. He’s an aviator, so I didn’t really want to get into it, and SEALs are removed enough it’s not immediately obvious. It works.”
“How long have you been in the Navy?” Tommy’s the one to ask, heartbeat immediately picking up as those gorgeous eyes look at him. “You look…”
“Young?” Evan finishes with a smile. “Yeah. I enlisted at 18, and I’m 27 now. Almost a full decade, and… Y’know, I’ve been thinking about leaving, and then I met this random Fire Captain and it’s like things started making sense.”
It takes a second for Tommy to understand. “You started the Academy?”
“Sure did! I’m trying to beat some records, seems fun! And firefighting is awesome.”
An excited Evan is an adorable Evan, and Tommy doesn’t know what to do with himself. Especially as the blonde man migrates closer to him, and then they’re sitting side by side, sharing stories and laughing. He can’t remember the last time he took to someone so easily, but it makes sense - Evan is like a golden retriever with a wolf buried inside, bright and fun and cheerful, but with darkness in his eyes. Tommy can relate.
No one leaves the military unharmed, be it mentally or physically.
He’s not sure when the time passes. It’s like between one blink and the next, eyes drinking in the sight of Evan’s throat as he throws his head back with a laugh, it’s completely dark. Tommy’s friends are saying their goodbyes, but he doesn’t want to cut the evening short. He wants to keep talking to Evan, get to know him.
The other man touches his shoulder, drawing Tommy’s attention. “So, uh… I know it’s late, but how about, uh- Fuck. Do you want to get drinks together? I know a place.”
Tommy finds the stutter adorable. Fuck him, but a hardened capable SEAL stumbling over his words while asking him for a drink is intoxicating. Tommy can’t say yes fast enough.
He can spy Hen’s smirk as they say their goodbyes, Evan hovering nearby, and Tommy allows himself a moment and lays a hand on his lower back, almost dripping over his legs when the other man leans into it. Fuck, but he’s in so much trouble.
“You okay to drive?”
Tommy hitched a ride with Howie, so he doesn’t have his car, but Evan leads him confidently to an old Jeep, clearly well-loved and taken care of.
“Yeah, just had one beer at the beginning. Besides, it’s not far.”
Somehow, Tommy gets drawn into a conversation as Evan drives, completely at ease. There’s something about this man, something too fascinating and right, and Tommy wants to throw caution to the wind and go all in.
It doesn’t help that Evan’s looking at him with adoration in those blue eyes, seemingly just as drawn to Tommy.
The place Evan knows is a small pub, tucked away by a park. Music is playing quietly as they walk in, a game on the big screen, and Evan leads him to a booth in the back, immediately claiming a seat with his back to the wall. Tommy smiles at him.
“Order something for me,” he requests, feeling daring. It’s not how he operates usually, but it’s late, he’s with a gorgeous interested man, and he wants to see where this goes. Maybe this is the perfect place for Tommy to finally let go of the tight control he has over his life. “Surprise me.”
Evan laughs and makes his way to the bar, but he keeps glancing at Tommy the whole time. It’s one hell of a power trip, having this hot man seemingly as entraced by him as Tommy is, and he can’t help but laugh when the blonde returns with two bright pink drinks. One has glitter and an umbrella, and the other just a pink flower.
Tommy stares at the flower in his drink, and then raises his gaze to Evan. The man shrugs.
“Hey, don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it! Macho men don’t know what they’re missing out on, I promise.”
He laughs and takes a sip, and fuck, but it’s good - sweet and tart, and he can’t taste the alcohol, which is just a bad sign. But Tommy’s committed, and Evan is beautiful under the dim lights, inching closer and closer to him, until they’re pressed together, their second drinks on the table.
The conversation flows easily, something Tommy doesn’t often experience. People like him, and he likes people well enough, but he’s reserved and cold to some, too confident and untouchable to many, and even with the work he’s put in those last few months, he’s often too much.
Thankfully, he’s not too much for Evan. No, Evan overwhelms him in the best way, clearly interested, bright and unapologetic and strong, gathering everyone’s attention. And, if only for one night, he’s all Tommy’s.
He’s not sure when the time passes once again, but he suddenly realises it’s really late, he’s well on his way to drunk, and he really wants to kiss Evan. With the way the other man is looking at him, Tommy thinks they’re on the same page, but he doesn’t want to ruin it. Especially not with sex, not when he likes Evan so much.
“Want to head home?” Evan asks quietly, eyes intense just before they widen in alarm. “Not- Not that I mean to sleep, uh, just… No, I mean do you want to sleep over at my place? No-no funny business.”
Tommy watches, delighted, as a bright flush makes its way to Evan’s face, and makes the bold decision to grab the man’s hand. Evan’s eyes snap to their hands, and he relaxes and gives a sheepish smile.
“I promise I’m not trying to proposition you, I just really don’t want to let you go yet. I live- I live close by, we can just sleep.”
It’s a stupid idea. It’s an extremely stupid idea and Tommy shouldn’t be thinking about it, but he is and there’s only one answer.
“Lead the way, sailor,” he murmurs with a smirk.
They stumble outside, the air cool and sweet on Tommy’s face, and he boldly grabs the other man’s hand as Evan leads them to his place. He’s hooked up with a few men before, and it was never anything spectacular, but this time he really believes Evan that they’re going to simply sleep. The tension between them is clear, and even Tommy can’t ignore it, but the idea that Evan also wants more makes his heart flop.
He bumps his shoulder into Evan’s, smiling when the other man chuckles, and then Tommy’s pressed against a wall, the other man in his space. In a drop of a second, the air between them becomes electric, charged with tension, and Tommy wants.
So he gets it.
Evan meets him halfway, and then they’re kissing deeply. The kiss tastes of fruity drinks and chips they ordered, and the other man is wonderfully solid against him, those strong hands holding Tommy so gently. He pulls Evan closer, his hands following the smooth curve of his lower back until they rest on Evan’s hips, and it’s wonderful.
“Come home with me,” Evan murmurs against his hips, breathless and flushed. “I’m going to cuddle the fuck out of you.”
And what can Tommy do, except laugh and accept?