What if, instead of the loft, Ali and Buck found him a nice house in Tommy's neighborhood?
1. Tommy comes back from his vacation in Yosemite, the one he was supposed to take with Chuck until Chuck decided they were "not heading somewhere real." He sees that the tenant at the house on the corner is finally moved in. There had been some kind of delay, and he'd been expecting to wander over and greet them--a couple, he's pretty sure, he saw a few coming through to see the house--before he left. The house had stayed empty, but now there's a Jeep in the driveway. He puts his stuff away, shoves everything else in the washing machine, and starts making a welcome baked ziti. When he walks it over later, there's a delay on the door getting answered, and it's because the guy who opens it is on crutches. "Hey, I'm your neighbor down at the purple-ish house," Tommy says, smiling. "You're...Evan, right?" He'd heard the guy's girlfriend call for him after the viewing. "Uh, y-yeah," he replies, smiling. "Nice to meet you, uh--" "Tommy," he says, holding up the tray of food. "I hope you like pasta and cheese." "Love it," Evan says. Tommy offers to bring it in, because he's not about to make him juggle the tray on crutches. The house is pretty sparse, even though it seems to be unpacked, and there's no sign of the girlfriend. Tommy scribbles down reheating instructions on a grocery list pad and sets it on the tray before putting it in the fridge with other covered dishes. "Meal train," Evan explains. "I got hurt at work."
2. It's a few days later when Tommy realizes he never sees the girlfriend, so maybe she didn't move in? But he's outside and checking his mail when he hears a familiar voice shout something. He looks up and sees Howie, of all people. Tommy drops his mail back in the box and crosses the street. Evan's balancing on his crutches, and Howie and a shorter woman are out front. "Who the hell let you in my neighborhood?" Tommy asks, and they both whip around, and Evan looks alarmed for a moment. But then Howie grins and laughs and all but tackles him in a hug, which still sends a little thrill through Tommy even if he'd squashed that crush years ago. "What the fuck, man?" Howie says, laughing. "How do you guys know each other?" Evan asks. "Tommy used to be one of ours, then he left us for the wild blue yonder," Howie explains. "You actually replaced him." And that's how Tommy finds out Evan is a firefighter. Within a couple of minutes, it's how he also connects the dots that Evan is the firefighter who was nearly killed by a bomb in a ladder truck.
3. Tommy sees a revolving door of people he used to work with, and it's surreal. They'd been so removed from his life for the last few years, and then they're suddenly just there. There's a day when Evan can't get to physical therapy because Bobby got called in, so Tommy takes him. And then takes him again. He also goes on quick walks with him, gets on Evan for trying to run too soon. "I just want to get back to work," Evan says, looking like he's about to cry. "You will," Tommy reassures him. "But you can't hurt yourself and set yourself back." And he fucks up for a second and squeezes the back of Evan's neck, but Evan doesn't freeze or flinch, he just nods and sniffs and they get back on their feet from the bench they'd stopped at. When Evan is trying to catch his breath and says his chest feels tight, Tommy asks if his leg is hurting more than it was a couple days before. "It's just sore," Evan argues, but Tommy hauls him into his truck and drives him to the ER. The pulmonary embolism isn't a huge clot, but it's there. Tommy squeezes his hand and calls Maddie, and they bring Evan back to run a catheter through his lung to get a clot busting drug straight into it.
4. Evan is staring up at the ceiling in the hospital and not speaking. He's awake, he can speak, but he's been quiet. Tommy's on his third logic puzzle in the book he'd bought in the gift shop. "You don't have to be here," Evan says finally. "I don't have to be most places," Tommy says, putting a dot in one of the boxes. "It's a matter of choice, and I'm choosing to be here. Unless you don't want me here." There's no response, and Tommy stays until Bobby shows up. Then he goes into the waiting room, and then Bobby drops into the chair next to him an hour later. "How bad was it?" Bobby asks. "Could've been worse," Tommy says. "You saved his life," Bobby points out. "I don't know what I'd do if this killed him." "It didn't, though," Tommy says. "He's going to be fine, he can even get back on the job soon if he wants." Bobby's mouth twists unhappily. "He'll want to. If you won't take him, I'll tell Sal to pick him up." "God, anything but that," Bobby says with a harsh laugh. "Kid's been through enough as it is." Tommy smiles and flips the page to a crossword. "Yeah, well, don't put him through more," he says, and Bobby hums.
5. The day of the tsunami, Tommy's checking in on the radio as much as he can. He's trying to use his phone, too, but the lines are down or jammed. All he can think of is Evan telling him he was going to take Chris to the pier, because he's still a little ways out from being duty ready again. Tommy flies over, sees that it's basically fucking gone, and he radios Bobby. No word, nothing. He's flying all day and into the evening, and there's a radio call for him and Evan's at an emergency triage center. Tommy finds the nearest clear spot to touch down at, and Evan's on a cot. Hen and Howie are nearby with patients, Bobby is talking to another firefighter, but Tommy runs straight to Evan. "Chris?" he asks. "He's okay, Eddie's taking him home," Evan says, shoving himself up to sit. "I th-thought--he was gone, I thought he was--" And Tommy hugs him and feels the way Evan clutches at his flight suit. "I thought you were gone," he admits around the lump in his throat. "I flew over the pier, and--god, I thought I lost you." When he pulls back, he presses a hand to Evan's cheek and they look between each other's eyes, and there's a long moment when Tommy isn't sure and then they're both leaning in. He kisses Evan, feeling the desperation from both of them. He's thought about kissing Evan a lot these last few months, but he'd imagined tenderness or hunger, not clinging to damp clothing and grimy skin after a natural disaster. It's still everything he wanted, Evan's still everything he's wanted. When the kiss breaks, he presses his forehead to Evan's. "Yeah?" he asks softly, and Evan nods. "Yeah," Evan confirms.
areudirty
dededos
origamiaround
ellievsbear
kaledo-art
