acknowledged frog guy

A few years later, Tommy quits the 118 and ends up joining the LAFD's Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) team. On one of his rescue missions (maybe in LA, maybe elsewhere) he gets bitten by a werewolf (I hadn't really thought about if Tommy was born a were or if he got bitten, but I think it would be fun and slightly diabolical if he has werewolves/shifters in his family and for most of his life he thinks he's escaped that destiny, only to be bitten 🫣). I'm not sure if I want him to know right away that he was bitten by a werewolf—maybe it was dark and he didn't quite see the animal well enough, could have been a rabid dog for all he knows. He gets a rabies shot and thinks that's the end of it. But then he starts not feeling well and the next thing he knows, he's shifted and can't shift back. He ends up getting attacked in the woods and hurt pretty badly by a wild animal. But then he smells a scent he recognizes a couple miles away and that's how he finds himself on the doorstep of Bobby's place (he lives on the same land as the sanctuary).

Bobby takes wolf Tommy in and takes care of him and about a week into Tommy's stay, Bobby walks out to Tommy's enclosure—which he has all to himself because the other wolves there wanted nothing to do with him—and finds human Tommy passed out naked in the den. Bobby nearly drops his coffee mug. Tommy stirs awake and says that he can explain. Bobby just raises his eyebrows and says, "I'll get you some clothes," and turns on his heel and walks back into the house and tries to remember what the world looked like five minutes before.

Tommy tells Bobby everything that he can remember and also of his family history and Bobby says that the supernatural isn't his area of expertise. "I don't know what I can do for you."

"I had nowhere else to go."

"Then you'll stay," Bobby says as he refills Tommy's coffee.

So Tommy stays and he helps out at the sanctuary in exchange for a place to stay. He still gets to keep his enclosure—and Bobby politely looks away whenever wolf Tommy splashes around in the kiddie pool—and he gets his own room in the house as well.

I don't know the timeline on this story, but let's say a few years later—Tommy is wandering through the woods in wolf form when he catches the scent of blood and the sluggish beating of a heart. He follows it and finds a rabbit in pretty bad shape (Buck's shed his antlers so Tommy probably doesn't know he's a jackalope? maybe he just thinks he's a regular jackrabbit). Tommy knows the animal won't make it if they don't get help right away and he'll never make it fast enough on foot, so he does best to try to appear non-threatening which is basically impossible when he has to clamp down on the rabbit's neck to carry them (luckily able to avoid any of their injuries).

Buck is terrified, but barely conscious and couldn't get away if he tried. So he's surprised when he wakes a few days later—alive and in much better condition—although quite naked in the middle of an unfamiliar room with two unfamiliar men (Buck had been staying in a small padded enclosure in Tommy's room so he could keep an eye on him, but luckily Tommy had brought him out to the parlor room to have more room to re-dress his wounds).

Bobby pinches the bridge of his nose. "This is not what I signed up for."

Tommy just grins.

Buck does his best to cover himself as he sits up. "What is going on? I thought"—he shakes his head—"did I dream that wolf?" he's not sure if he's asking them or himself.

Tommy shakes his head. "That was me."

Buck stares, remembered sensations and images of sharp teeth and a cold nose in his fur. "Huh."

They all introduce themselves and Buck and Tommy are still just looking at each other when Bobby clears his throat and looks at Tommy. "Well, are you going to get him some clothes?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I'll just—"

He nods at Buck. "I'll give you some privacy."

Tommy's halfway to his room, grateful Buck can't see him blush at the way Bobby had said 'you' like he meant the two of them. He gets clothes for Buck, a soft and worn white Henley and a pair of sweats. Then Tommy makes Buck chicken noodle soup and later gives him a tour.

Bobby doesn't have a spare room that's ready, but there's a sofa bed in the parlor that he can sleep on. Tommy offers his bed since Buck is still injured and it'll be more comfortable, but Buck doesn't want to put him out.

Tommy's woken up in the middle of the night when Buck sneaks into his room. He sits up in bed. "Is everything okay?"

Buck smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, I can't sleep. Everything's so unfamiliar." He looks around the room. "Almost everything."

"Of course. Why don't you stay here? I can sleep on the sofa bed, it's not a big deal."

Buck gets into bed as Tommy starts to get out, but Buck stops him with a hand on his arm and asks him to stay.

The next day, Buck keeps close to Tommy and he's wearing another set of his clothes and Tommy can't stop noticing how Buck keeps turning his head so he can sniff at the collar of the shirt. Buck catches Tommy catching him and they both blush and turn away. Tommy has the day off and Buck still needs lots of rest and they spend most of the day watching movies on the couch. Buck falls asleep with his head on Tommy's shoulder.

Later, Tommy's in the kitchen boiling water for tea and googling stuff on his laptop when Bobby seems to appear out of nowhere. "Something you want to talk about, Tommy?"

Tommy yelps and slams his laptop shut, hoping that Bobby hadn't seen his search for whether jackrabbits can imprint on other animals, but Bobby's chuckle tells him otherwise.

Bobby watches him for a moment. "I know you've talked about leaving, finding your pack"—he smiles when Tommy snorts—"and I'm not going to stop you, but maybe you could stay a little longer. I think Buck could really use a friend. You're good for him."

Before Tommy can ask Bobby what he means by that, he's squeezing Tommy's shoulder and saying goodnight.

The next day, Tommy takes Buck clothes shopping.

He doesn't mention it when Buck still wears Tommy's clothes.

Buck learns to take care of the animals and he knows that when he leaves someday, this is what he wants to do. But, he wants to create a safe haven for shifters as well.

[there's a lot of gross pining and making Bobby regret all his life decisions, but Buck and Tommy don't do anything about their feelings yet]

Buck finds out that Tommy talked to Bobby about leaving years ago, but he stayed—for him. And he has a lot of feelings about that.

Buck has tentative plans to buy land about 50 miles west of Bobby's sanctuary; nothing is certain, but he'll figure it out, he always does.

Buck and Tommy haven't really talked much about either of them leaving, but on the day of—after they've said their goodbyes to everyone else—Buck asks Tommy what he's going to do now.

"Find my pack, I guess, like Bobby says."

"You don't have one, right?"

Tommy shakes his head.

"Then I'll guess you'll have to make one."

"I guess so."

"Come with me."

"Yes."

Buck laughs. "I didn't think it was going to be that easy."

"Neither did I."

Then they travel west in a jeep Buck bought used that Tommy is very wary of but Buck insisted it had to be a jeep and they buy the land and build their sanctuary and they fall in love and take care of animals and each other.