I Give Up. You Win.

But tensions are obviously going to be high at times because it's stressful having to put Tommy's house up for sale and packing up his things, whether to donate or sell or keep and move to Buck's. They, naturally, get into arguments about who is going to keep what and a lot of Buck's things are newer rather than sentimental and Tommy's are mostly the opposite and there are times where it feels like they are fighting about something else.

Buck has a clipboard and checklists and eventually they make it almost all the way through, room after room, relationship intact. The last room is the bedroom and it should be the easiest of all because Tommy isn't attached to any of the furniture and Buck's dresser and closet are big enough to share.

What trips them up is their sex toys, which really should be a non-issue. They hardly take up any room at all; they could both keep their respective trunks in their shared closet and it'd be no imposition at all. But Tommy's feeling more put out than he realized. Maybe he's still scared and it's manifesting in this silly, final attempt to dig his heels in even if he doesn't quite get why. Maybe that fear will never truly ever dissipate.

Because of this though, Tommy says that if they had to consolidate all the other rooms and belongings, they have to go through their sex toys too.

Buck looks at Tommy like he's grown two heads. "How are we supposed to figure out which ones to keep?"

Tommy gestures towards the clipboard in Buck's hand that he's imagined throwing in the trash at least half a dozen times. "I don't know, you figured it out for the rest of the rooms--"

Buck bites his lip so he doesn't say something he'll regret.

Tommy walks out Buck's bedroom--their bedroom--in a huff.

When Buck emerges two hours later, he presents Tommy with his solution--a spreadsheet he created listing all of their sex toys in one column and then a few more columns with the determining factors, such as cost, ease of use, pleasure of course (with 2 separate columns for both their names each, as giver and receiver if it applies), and probably some others I can't think of right now.

There isn't really a way for them not to biased at all, but to make the results the most reliable and fair, they determine that the answers in regards to level of pleasure, etc need to be new.

They have a kid-free 3-day weekend ahead of them and they go down their list, toy by toy, vigorously testing each one. [this sounds so clinical, but they really have a good time although by the end of it they definitely don't plan on having another sex marathon any time soon or maybe ever]

They think they're getting somewhere until they get to the dildos they cloned of their own dicks which Buck has counted as duplicates (because of type and also because he himself was feeling dickish] and the last Tommy wants is to get rid of Buck's because one of his greatest joys in life is sucking Buck's dick while being fucked with Buck's dildo, but the last last thing he wants is to concede. They stare at each other in a silent stand-off so long Tommy thinks they might have an actual duel with dildos.

Buck breaks first. He flops onto the bed. "This is so stupid."

"You think?"

Buck scowls. "You started it!"

Tommy gives him a look. "You started it, with your clipboard and the crockery."

"Is that what this is about?"

Tommy sits on the bed and sighs. "I don't know what this is about."

"I do."

Tommy raises his eyebrows.

"You're giving up a lot, Tommy. Your house. Your things. I don't want you to think I don't acknowledge that. I think I could have been more understanding though. I'm sorry."

Tommy shrugs. "I'm gaining a lot too." He takes Buck's hand. "I get to come home to you and to Theo. And our two cats."

Buck laughs. "We are not getting cats."

"It was worth a shot."

"Uh huh. Stop deflecting."

"I just want to come home to you. And your 200 thread count sheets."

Buck laughs and bumps their shoulders. "Shut up."

Tommy turns, grips Buck's chin, and kisses him. "So are we in agreement that we're keeping all the toys?

"Yes."

It's then that the doorbell rings.

Tommy frowns. "Are you expecting someone or something?"

"Uhh--"

Tommy gets up and goes to answer the door. The UPS driver is already pulling away. Tommy picks up the box from the porch--a box that is suspiciously discreet.

Buck walks out, smiling and blushing.

"Are you serious?"

"What? When I was looking up the costs of the toys, I found some things I thought we'd like."

"Some things? This box is big enough to hold a microwave."

Buck checks his watch and grins. "We've still 24 more hours to ourselves. Should I make another spreadsheet, baby?"

Tommy's only a little ashamed at how fast that question gets him hard.

Two - broken up bucktommy but not recently + Tommy has amnesia. So, again, I'm thinking of the title as a line of dialogue. But in a much longer story, it would probably be something that is repeated often and I'm imagining it inflicting some psychological damage on Buck, so---

Tommy gets in an accident and has amnesia that causes him to forget the last few years, including ever meeting Buck (this is probably not realistic but let's go with it) and while he can form new memories, he probably struggles a bit cognitively too, although he does keep that part to himself unless he really needs to explain (it gets worse when he's tired, stressed, etc)

When it happens, Buck and Tommy haven't spoken in over 2 years, but of course Buck goes to see Tommy in the hospital, though Tommy doesn't remember it. Buck didn't stay in Tommy's room long after finding out Tommy didn't remember him (and he was so grateful he didn't go there alone and that Chim and Hen were there and they made some excuse about Buck having been one of the crew to rescue Tommy--which of course he hadn't, he had been expeditiously removed from the scene when he proved unable to handle it). Still, Buck stayed for hours in the waiting room, practically becoming one with the hard plastic chair, just waiting and hoping for a different update and really just being unable to make himself leave while Tommy was there hurting and alone (Tommy had visitors of course, even some who loved him, but Tommy didn't know the full extent of the worry and love that was felt for him because he couldn't even remember Buck. And now he would never know that Buck loves him). Anyway,

When it becomes clear, Tommy is probably not getting his memories back, Buck decides it's best to stay away. And he tries but somehow, after not running into Tommy for years, Buck sees him everywhere it feels like. At a coffee shop--their coffee shop, Buck thinks gloomily--and Tommy doesn't remember him in any way that counts, but he keeps looking Buck's way and frowning in concentration. Buck grabs his coffee and flees before Tommy can make the connection.

Buck has been sitting on some transfer papers for a fire station all the way up in Seattle and having an ex-boyfriend who doesn't remember him and who he can't forget is the final push he needs to leave.

[I am going to disrupt the flow here because I selfishly don't want to go back and rewrite it, but the first time Tommy says "Captain Buckley, I presume" is when Buck goes to see him in the hospital because Chim had joked that Captain Buckley was on his way in (Buck actually has been sitting on several transfer options, one which included being captain at a station not in LA but still around southern California and they've been jokingly calling him Captain Buckley about it). And it was funny when Tommy said for all of 20 seconds before Buck realized Tommy didn't know who he was and he was so flustered he didn't bother correcting him, nor did anyone else.] okay moving right along

Buck has been settled in Seattle for about a little over a year when he runs into Tommy again at a badge & ladder. Apparently Tommy's been in Seattle for 6 months and has just been promoted to captain of his fire house (air ops of course) [also random tangent but i love how efficiently they list their firehouses and the types of rescue units they have to deploy https://www.seattle.gov/fire/about-us/fire-stations] and Buck's at the bar waiting on his drink, not in the middle of the fray, but close enough to hear the conversations. It isn't long before Tommy breaks away from the group and is standing at Buck's side and offering his hand to shake, saying "Captain Buckley, I presume?"

And it takes all of Buck's strength to control his face as he shakes Tommy's hand and "introduces" himself. Somehow the appreciate look Tommy gives him makes it easier.

They run into each other from time to time on calls and at bars, always pulling at the tension between them. They make out one night at a club, but before it can get too heavy, Buck makes an excuse and leaves. Later, he pretends not to remember which is equal parts ironic and cruel.

Then, Tommy gets hurt again. He has to actually have surgery this time to relieve the swelling in his brain, but he'll be okay.

When he's cleared for visitors, Buck goes to see him (he hasn't left the hospital the whole time actually). He doesn't know what to expect and he almost cries in relief when Tommy's sitting up in bed, banged up and bruised and visibly tired, but alive.

Maybe it shows on Buck's face because Tommy tilts his head a bit when he regards him. "Captain Buckley, I presume."

So the nurses must have told Tommy who would be visiting him, that's good because Buck doesn't have the strength to keep re-introducing himself. Before he can formulate a reply, Tommy's speaking again.

"It suits you."

Buck's brow furrows. Looks down as if to see if he was still wearing his captain's uniform without remembering. It had been a stressful, hectic 48 hours. He steps closer to the bed. "How can you know that?"

Tommy smiles and grabs his hand. "Because I know you, Evan."

It's as if the strings that have been holding him up have been cut. Buck collapses into the chair and cries. He can't speak for a full 3 minutes, but he keeps holding Tommy's hand, feels him squeezing every so often. When the tears finally stop coming, he scoots the chair closer. "Do you remember everything?"

"I'm sure there's a few holes here and there, but I remember the important things." Tommy gives him a pointed look.

Buck tries and fails to bite back a smile. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

Buck laughs. "You did not."

"I may not have always known what I was missing, but I knew I was missing something."

Buck looks towards the ceiling, voice wobbly when he says Tommy's name. He meets Tommy's eye again, unwavering when he finally says, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Even though I lied to you?"

"What else could you do? You only did what you thought was best."

Buck shakes his head. "How can you know that?"

Tommy brings Buck's hands to his lips. "I told you, Evan. I know you."

When Tommy is released from the hospital, Buck stays with him for a few days to keep an eye on him and they talk and talk and make up for lost time.

A year later, Buck is dropping off some paperwork to air ops and he knocks on the doorframe of Tommy's open office door before leaning against it.

Without looking up from his paperwork, Tommy says, "Captain Buckley, I presume."

Buck tilts his head, even though Tommy isn't looking yet. "Captain Kinard, actually."

Tommy finally looks up, relaxes in his captain's chair, and grins. "I just really love hearing you say that."

Buck shoves off the doorframe, closes the door, crosses the office, and sits in Tommy's lap, and kisses him. "Then I guess I'll have to keep saying it."