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Buck let out a deep sigh, eyes fluttering closed as he leaned his forehead heavily into his fist. The weight caused his elbow to dig deeper into the wooden table, legs creaking loudly across the room drawing a pause from Tommy at the stove.
“Sweetheart, you alright?”
He shrugged, pulling his pen up to his lips to chew lightly at the lid as his eyelids pried themselves back open and he stared at the pile of papers in front of him.
“Yeah, for now.”
There was a soft chuckle, footsteps getting closer before a set of heavy palms were on his shoulders, thumbs digging into his skin in a way that had him moaning and leaning back against the chair.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
His head hit the back of the seat as he locked eyes with his boyfriend, wiggling until he was a little more comfortable and Tommy was massaging in just the right spot.
“My rent is going up again.”
Something akin to understanding flooded his eyes, staring at Buck with a gentle smile before he dropped a kiss against his forehead. Buck was trying not to stress, but this seemed to be an ongoing pattern with his building and this next increase is beginning to push him into an uncomfortable position. His bills were already tight, but he was now on the line of restricting how much was going into his savings and stress was starting to grow heavier on his shoulders.
“I see, I don’t miss those days, especially now.”
“I just,” he sighed again, struggling to find the words, “worry about how much longer I am going to be able to afford to live here. The other options if I had to downgrade are across the city and it's so much farther from work.” His tone was borderline whiny, a pout gracing his lips as he turned to press a gentle kiss against Tommy’s hand. “And from you.”
“How tight are you on money?”
“I mean, I have my savings. I don’t have anyone else I have to provide for, my other bills are still borderline reasonable, but the next increase could really put me in a rough spot. I knew when I moved to LA it would be expensive, but these last few years have been getting ridiculously expensive and at a pace I didn't see coming until it was too late.”
The hands pulled away after a few minutes, finding his back and pushing him upward until he was on his feet, watching Tommy take his chair. Before he could open his mouth the hands were on his waist, dragging him to sit on his boyfriend's thigh as arms circled around him to sift through his papers. He took the moment to lean back into his chest, tucking his forehead into the man's neck as he eyed the red letters printed boldly under the thick fingers.
“Baby.. this doesn’t look like you’re one increase away, this looks like you’re one month away. I don’t understand why your rent is so high.”
The body around him tensed, forearms brushing against him as they reached farther for the paperwork that had fallen a little further away from his grasp.
“Jesus, this is robbery, what was your rent when you moved in?”
Buck swallowed heavily, looking around his space and forcing himself to take a deep breath as Tommy sat up a little taller.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to let go of this place. It was my first real home here, I watched Christopher grow up here, and Jee. I’m proud of this apartment and I really don’t want to lose it.”
A soft kiss fell against his curls as Tommy gently set down the paperwork, arms circling his waist and dragging their bodies together until Buck could feel his breath against the side of his face. It was warm, intimate, and he couldn’t help but mourn as he realized that he wouldn’t be in this loft for much longer.
“With how our shifts go, Tommy, if I lived farther away I wouldn’t be able to see you as often as the little time we have now. I can’t race over for dinner, or sleep over impulsively with the chance to run home the next morning before work. Its too far- And I’ll be so far from Maddie, the traffic in that direction is a nightmare and it’s probably gonna add another forty minutes there and back to my day.”
“Well, when is your next pay increase? I know the department has been working on a new salary for a few stations across LA. Weren’t you guys included in that?”
“Yeah, but that's not until the end of the year. This increase starts at the beginning of next month.”
“Alright, how about you tell me how much you need and I’ll help you.”
Buck forced out a laugh, grabbing Tommy’s wrist and letting his thumb sweep against his skin as he shook his head.
“It’s not that simple. It’d be at least a couple grand just to keep me afloat. Like I said, I have savings, but-”
“How about we start with 10?”
It didn’t hit him until another minute, body shooting up drawing Tommy’s head to pull backwards just in the nick of time. They barely avoided collision, but he could only focus on the serious look on Tommy’s face as he watched him. “Jesus, babe-”
“Ten what? Ten thousand? Are you crazy?”
Tommy’s confused smirk was followed by a tilt of his head, eyes searching his for a second before he asked, “What? Is that not enough?”
“I can’t ask you for ten grand- I could only imagine how much you pay for your house right now!”
“Evan, I own my house. I paid that off years ago, besides, that's nothing for me.”
“Nothing?” Tommys chuckle was now a laugh, hand finding his thigh and squeezing tightly. “I know we haven’t talked about finances, baby, but you can’t be that blind.”
“What do you mean?”
He took a deep breath, palm cradling Buck’s jaw as he raised an eyebrow.
“How many cars do I have?”
“Uh, three? I think-”
“What did we go up in last weekend?”
“Your helicopter-?”
“Exactly, my helicopter. That boat we went on last month, that was mine.”
Bucks eyes widened, lips caught around words he couldn’t form as the thumb dug gently against his cheek.
“I have money, babe. It’s why I spoil you, it's actually how I spoil you-”
“Have you- are-”
“What, sweetheart?”
“Have you been my sugar daddy?”
Tommy burst out in laughter, drawing him into a quick kiss before shoving him gently and collecting the papers across his dining room table. Buck could only stare, watching him tuck everything back into their respective folders as he headed back toward the stove that was now shooting up steam from his pan.
“I mean, I’ve never thought of it that way, but if you want to put a label on it, I guess we can start there.”
“I guess I just don’t understand-”
“Well, then maybe over dinner I’ll give you an answer. However, I do have another option for your rent, if you don't want my money.”
He turned off the stove top, sliding the pan across the counter top before turning back toward the younger man across the room. He motioned him forward with his finger, a smile across his face as Buck immediately gravitated toward him, wrapping his arms around his waist and letting Tommy’s hands intertwine against his lower back. He was only an inch or two taller, but it made a difference as he hovered slightly over him, dropping a kiss against his forehead and letting his fingers drift just low enough beneath the waistband of his pants.
His breaths jolted, his own smile growing as he pressed their bodies even closer together.
“And what option is that?”
“That you can just move in with me?”
At first he thought he would panic, moving in such a big step that he’s only really experienced once before with Taylor. However, staring up at Tommy he couldn’t help but feel his smile widen, lips barely touching as they hovered over each other from the way they were standing so close. He was practically leaning against him and he let his arms wrap around his shoulders as he let out a deep breath.
“I would love that.”
The blue eyes above his lit up in surprise, Tommy pulling away for a second to get a better look at him, searching his face, probably to make sure he was one hundred percent confident in his decision.
“Really?”
“I love you, practically since our first date, not the messy one, but the real one when you raced to the hospital still in turnouts and covered in soot to make it to my sister's wedding. You didn’t stop to clean your face, or to change, and you let me come out to my friends in a way that was so me and you have never once doubted any of my decisions-”
“Except your music-”
“Hey, passengers get to pick the music, that's just it. You won’t let me drive-”
“I like you being my passenger princess- although, now sugar baby.”
He felt heat rush up the sides of his neck, knowing his face was red as he struggled to look away from his boyfriend.
“And I like when you blush, it's adorable. You are adorable.”
“Anyway, yes. I am sure.”
“Good, because nothing would make me happier than to be able to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life.”
By the time they sat down for dinner, Buck was a rambling mess, full of energy in a way that had his side of the conversation constant and hands uncontrollable. When they first started dating he was always worried that Tommy wouldn’t be able to handle him, like most other people that had been in his life, but midway through a rant he could see the man’s gaze staring right at him, eyes soft as he nodded along like he was actually listening.
Even at times when he stopped to drink water, or grab a bite to eat and he forgot what he was talking about, Tommy was there to tell him where he left off. Because, Tommy was actually hearing what he was saying, and asking questions, and it almost brought tears to his eyes with how much he loved this man. He was so excited for this next chapter of their lives and they didn’t even have to talk about when, because Tommy had mentioned getting boxes the next day from work and would have them dropped off over the weekend.
And later that night, as they laid in bed together watching youtube videos on their phones about increased rent across the state of California, Tommy just dropped a kiss against his birthmark and let his lips move across his skin.
“I can’t wait to spoil you for the rest of your life, Sweetheart.”