#no5

Title: Pandas and Lizards (AO3)

Summary: Buck has the worst sunburn of his life. Tommy takes care of him.

~

“I look like a panda bear,” Buck says sadly, looking at his face in the mirror. “Only in red and white.”

“A very cute panda bear,” Tommy chuckles. “But I was actually thinking more of strawberry and cream cake. Since you’re always a snack. Now …  take off your shirt.”

Buck sighs and obeys, grimacing when the rough fabric of his shirt rubs against his sore skin. “You know, if it wasn’t for the context, the way you just said that would have been so hot,” he mutters, carefully laying on his stomach on the bed.

But now he’s hot in a completely different, definitely not sexual, way. 

Buck has the worst sunburn of his life. It’s in his face, on his neck, on his shoulders, back and even his legs. Buck really thought their first trip together to the beach would end differently. Apparently, he should have applied sun cream again after going into the water. But he forgot about that. He was too busy kissing his boyfriend.

Tommy sits beside him, the bed dipping under his added weight, and starts to carefully spread the cool healing salve on Buck’s burnt skin. “That looks so painful …”

“It is very painful,” Buck mutters, squirming and squeezing his eyes shut. “And I already know it will take ages until this heals. Could be days until my skin will start to peel. Then I will turn from a panda bear to a lizard. Great. Ouch!”

Tommy hums in sympathy. “Tell me some facts about lizards,” he suggests. "Might be a good distraction,"

Buck brightens up. “Oh. Oh! Lizards … Lizards are really cool. Did you know that there is a type of lizard called North American Horned Lizard which will squirt blood from its eyes when it’s being attacked? That kind of defence mechanism is called autohemorrhaging. The jet of blood can squirt up to four feet and is used to frighten predators. But they also occasionally use it to clean dirt and dust from their eyes.”

“Fascinating. But gross,” Tommy says dryly, moving from Buck’s burnt back to the very pink backs of his legs. “You don’t happen to know some cute facts too?”

“Hmmm. Geckos have microscopic hair on their feet,” Buck mutters, closing his eyes. The even movements with which Tommy’s hands glide over his skin make him dozy despite the consistent feeling of burning from the inside. “And … Many lizards can detach a part of their tail when they have to escape from predators.”

“I know that,” Tommy says. “Sometimes, I did pay attention in school. But only if they talked about something interesting.”

“Same,” Buck chuckles. Then yawns. “I’m so tired …”

Tommy places a kiss between Buck’s shoulders, on a patch of unburnt skin. “I’m going to fetch you some water and a cold compress for that head of yours which was boiling in the heat all day. Let the salve soak in for a while, then we can go to bed, okay?”

“Okay,” Buck breathes, his heart fluttering because he has a caring boyfriend who wants to make sure he’s alright. “Thank you.”

“And is Allison responsible for that monstrosity too?” Andrew pointed in disgust at the wide brimmed sunhat that sat on his head.

“What? You don’t like it?” Neil turned in a mimic of a model’s pose, something he’d surely learned off Allison when she’d first shown him the hat she wanted him to wear.

“I hate it.” Andrew replied. Neil’s responding smile set him ablaze.

---

andrew learns why you should always wear sunscreen