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The start of October was finally coming around, which meant announcements for submissions for the Annual LAFD Calendar.
“Wait, so that’s actually a thing?” Ravi asked as Buck put the flier down on one of the tables in the common area.
“Oh! It’s definitely a thing,” Buck said. “I’ve tried to get into it for the last seven years, but still haven’t even gotten selected as a finalist.”
“I got in the first time I applied,” Chimney chimed in as he sat down at the table across from Ravi, a playful smile on his face.
“Really?” Ravi huffed a laugh. “You were selected before Buck?”
Chimney turned to give Ravi a fake glare. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t even want to talk about that,” Buck said. He shook his head then. “Anyways, this is the year I’m going to make it! I can just feel it!”
Ravi took a second to read over the flier. “What are they even looking for with this?” he asked.
“I need to submit five photos,” Buck started. “At least three in uniform, and all with a clear image of my face.”
“What’s this?” Eddie asked as he walked past the table to grab something from the kitchen. His eyes caught sight of the heading of the flier in Ravi’s hands. “Oh, is that the calendar thing again?” he asked.
“Oh, don’t say it like you weren’t trying to get into it too,” Buck threw back at him.
Eddie held his arms up. “Hey, that was one year, and I was only going out for it back then to mess with you.”
“Really?” Buck asked.
Eddie laughed. “Oh yeah, you were just making such a big deal out of it back then that I felt like I had to.”
Buck shook his head as he turned back to Ravi. “Anyways, as I was saying-”
“Oh, don’t tell me Buck’s trying out for that calendar thing again,” Hen said as she walked up the stairs into the kitchen and passed by the table.
“Oh come on Hen, don’t say that,” Buck said. “All the profits go to charity. This year it’s going to…” Buck turned his head to look at the paper Ravi was still holding in his hand. “The LA County Animal Shelters. Don’t tell me you don’t like those little cats and dogs.”
Hen rolled her eyes. “I’d rather just donate the twenty bucks to the animal shelter directly then buy one of those calendars,” she said.
“Hey, maybe Tommy can give you some pointers this year,” Chimney said.
“What do you mean?” Buck asked.
“You mean Tommy never told you?” Hen asked. “After all this time? He never told you he had made it onto the calendar?”
Buck blinked, caught off guard by this information. “No.”
“Wait, Tommy got into the calendar?” Eddie said. “When did that happen?”
Chimney hummed as he tried to remember. “I think it was 2013 or 2014. It was the year before Bobby came here,” he said.
“Wait, are you two both serious?” Buck asked, still not really believing them. “Tommy got in it?”
“Oh, we’re serious,” Hen said. “Unless you don’t believe that you’re boyfriend is hot enough to get a spot on it.”
“No,” Buck denied that accusation. “I- I believe you! It’s just that I was… caught off guard.”
Hen eyed him. “Sure,” she said.
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The next morning, as soon as their shift ended, Buck made his way straight over to Tommy’s house. He had questions.
Questions that needed answers.
Tommy had just sat down on his couch to drink his morning coffee when Buck barged inside, taking off his shoes and then making a straight beeline to the living room.
Tommy looked up at him. “You know when I gave you a key last month, I didn’t think it meant making you this at home,” he said.
Buck didn’t take the time to process what that statement meant, he could do that later, right now he needed to know, “Is it true you were in the firefighter calendar?” he asked, straight to the chase.
Tommy blinked, totally caught off guard. “You mean that funny little thing headquarters does for charity every year? Yeah, I did that back in like… 2014?” Tommy tried to recall the year. “Wow, was it really ten years ago?” he asked himself.
Buck was silent as he processed that question. Tommy called it a ‘funny little thing.’ One of the events he had been trying to get selected for for the last eight years. One of the events he had put his everything into. How many of Jee’s cookies had he passed up so it wouldn’t mess with his figure?
And Tommy talked about it as if it was something he had just randomly sent in pictures for?
On a whim?
Tommy was silent as he gave Buck a tentative smile. “I take it you’re not happy about it?” he asked.
‘N- no,” Buck said, shaking his head. “It’s just… I’ve tried to get into it for years now .”
“Really?” Tommy asked as he stood up and stepped closer to Buck. “You’ve been trying to get it for years now?”
Buck nodded.
“How many years?” Tommy asked as he leant in even closer, his arms coming up to wrap around Buck’s shoulders.
“Like… as many years as I’ve been a firefighter,” Buck said, their faces mere centimeters away from each other now. “How many did you need to try for?”
“Oh, I don’t think you want to know the answer for that,” Tommy asked as their mouths met for a kiss.
“What do you mean?” Buck asked when they broke apart.
Tommy backed Buck up onto a wall. “Oh, I got it on my first try,” he said.
And if that didn’t make Buck feel bad. He knew Tommy was hot, he’s looked at him enough, all of him. But he thought he was pretty good looking too.
“You probably don’t want to know the reason I applied for it,” Tommy said.
“Well now that you mentioned it I do.”
Tommy gave Buck a considering hum. “Oh, Sal had made it the year before and had kept bragging to everyone, so when the next round of submissions came up I entered just to see if I could shut him up.”
“Did you?” Buck asked.
Tommy hummed. “Only when he was in my presence.”
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Later that day, Buck collapsed next to Tommy’s side on the bed, breathing heavily. “I want to see it,” he said.
“See what?” Tommy asked.
“The calendar,” Buck said. “I want to see what you looked like in the calendar.”
Tommy chuckled as he rolled over onto his side to look at Buck. “It’s in the storage closet in the hallway,” Tommy started. “The box on the top shelf, mixed in with a bunch of other stuff.”
Buck smiled, and didn’t take another second’s rest before he jumped up to go run and find it. Three minutes later he came back running into the room with the calendar in his hands.
“Which month are you?” he asked as he began flipping through the pages looking for him.
“It was either June or July,” Tommy said. “One of the ‘J’ months.”
Buck smiled as he found Tommy on the July page, front and center. And… oh! The abs were even more defined back then. Although his arms weren’t as large.
Buck laid back down on the bed right next to Tommy. “You look so hot here.”
Tommy laughed. “Thanks… I guess.”