The first time it happens, they're in bed together.
Buck is drowsing in the afterglow of his orgasm, eyes closed, all of his limbs pleasantly heavy, when he feels the bed shift. He doesn't need to open his eyes to know that Tommy is going to the bathroom to get a washcloth.
Their relationship is still relatively new, and Buck enjoys discovering Tommy's little quirks. Like getting a washcloth even though there's a perfectly good pack of wet wipes in the nightstand.
Buck is absolutely not complaining about it though. Because Tommy comes back and starts wiping off his stomach so gently, carefully, like it's a tender ritual and not a necessity. It feels a thousand times better than any wet wipe ever could, and Buck wishes Tommy would keep doing it for a while longer, even though he's probably cleaned up already.
He opens his eyes a little bit and gives Tommy a sleepy grin. "You take care of me so well."
Tommy smiles back, but he kind of ducks his head, almost shily, in a way Buck has never seen him do before. Then he presses a soft kiss to Buck's mouth before he gets up to put the washcloth in the hamper.
Right before Buck falls asleep, one arm thrown over Tommy's chest, he's still wondering about that little moment when Tommy looked happy but also a little bit... What? Self-conscious?
Tommy seems so settled, so secure about what he likes and what he wants, so how did Buck do that? And even more importantly, how can he do it again? Because here's something new to discover out about Tommy, and as soon as Buck had some rest, he's going to —
Buck decides to experiment a little bit, just to see if he can get the same reaction from Tommy again.
Everybody enjoys being appreciated, right? Buck certainly likes to know he's doing a good job, not just in bed but in all aspects of life. So he's going to praise Tommy more often, more deliberately, and hopefully he'll get to see that shy little smile again along the way. It's going to be fun!
Four dates later Buck is ready to rescind that opinion. Tommy will happily accept compliments on his body, his overall looks, his stamina and his skills as a pilot, but everything else seems to be hit or miss. Sometimes Tommy looks baffled but accepts the compliment nonetheless, other times he deflects and starts praising Buck instead.
Buck suspects that Tommy isn’t used to getting compliments, so of course he’ll keep doing it. But he still doesn’t know what button he pushed that night in bed.
The next time it happens at the end of a very long shift. Buck's leg hurts like hell, even after a long shower, some painkillers and a gel pack.
"Come here," Tommy murmurs and carefully pulls Buck's foot into his lap.
Buck is too tired to protest, so he just shifts into a more comfortable position on the couch and closes his eyes. Tommy rubs his leg for a while, slowly but firmly, and it feels heavenly. But when Tommy digs his thumb in and massages the cramped muscles, Buck winces in pain.
"Too much?" Tommy checks immediately.
"Just hurts, but keep going please?"
Tommy nods and starts massaging his leg in earnest. After a couple of minutes the worst of the cramping eases up and the throbbing pain turns into a dull ache.
Buck lets out a sigh of relief and opens his eyes. "Thank you, that feels so much better."
And there it is again; the half hidden smile, small but pleased.
"Anytime," Tommy says, and Buck is pretty sure he means it too.
The third time Buck almost misses ‘the smile’.
His shift ran over by more than two hours because of a three-alarm fire in an apartment building, so when Buck finally makes it home, he’s not just tired but also grumpy because he had to cancel date night. It was just dinner and a movie, but he’s still disappointed.
He’s just thinking about ordering some food when there's a knock on the door. Buck heaves himself off the sofa with a groan and gets to the door, only to find Tommy standing outside.
Before he can ask any questions, Tommy holds up the bags in his hands and says: "Dinner and dessert."
Buck smiles at him. "Can I get a kiss with that?"
"Always." Tommy kisses him, but then he steps back and looks Buck up and down. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, a little sore and tired, but my night just got a lot better.”
Buck means it. No matter how tired he is, just having Tommy here is lifting his spirits right away.
"Wait, did you cook for me?" Buck asks when Tommy starts putting tupperware containers on the kitchen island.
He would’ve been happy with take-out, but apparently he’s getting a home-cooked dinner and it smells delicious.
Tommy shrugs like it's nothing. "Thought you might like some comfort food."
He's right about that, but it's not just the food that's comforting. Tommy easily could’ve called to check on Buck, but he chose to come by instead. Not because Buck missed their date, but to take care of him after a long shift.
"Thank you for being here," Buck tells him. "For making sure I'm okay." Then he slides his hand over Tommy's shoulder to the back of his neck and draws him in for another kiss.
It's only later, when they're curled up on the sofa together, that Buck realizes he kissed away the specific smile he wanted to see again.
It's not hard to put the pieces together after that, but Buck still feels the need to test his theory the next time Tommy comes over. He waits until Tommy sits down on the couch before he unceremoniously straddles his lap.
"Oh hello," Tommy murmurs playfully and runs both hands up and down Buck's back.
"You are an amazing boyfriend," Buck tells him and gives him a brief kiss. "You are so good at taking care of me." He adds another quick kiss. "You make sure I'm okay when I have a tough day." Kiss. "You notice what I need." Kiss. "And you make my life better in so many small ways."
Buck finishes with one last kiss, but he makes no move to get up.
Tommy looks slightly bemused as he sits there with a lap full of Buck. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say you want me to keep doing what I'm doing?"
"Yes. But I'd also like to know why you get embarrassed when I notice that you're doing it."
Tommy blinks in surprise, and there it is again, this slight hint of self-consciousness Buck can't quite place.
"I wouldn’t say I’m embarrassed," Tommy replies slowly. “But sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t do it?”
Buck isn’t sure what answer he expected, but it wasn’t this. “Why?”
“It’s hard for some men to let somebody take care of them. The last guy I dated told me he wanted a man, not a mother hen.”
Buck swears under his breath before he shakes his head. “I’m not him.”
“Trust me, I noticed.” Tommy’s tone is bone dry, but his words are quickly followed by a warm smile. “I like that you don’t need to prove your masculinity every time I do something for you.”
“Why would I?” Buck grins at him. “You want to show me you care by giving me a massage or by bringing me a home-cooked meal? Sounds great, sign me up!”
Tommy laughs and pulls him closer for another kiss, and Buck lets himself melt against his boyfriend. Acts of service are a love language. Why would he ever say no to that?
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