Chapter Text
Daniel’s Cookie Jar was normally closed on Sunday and Monday, to give Buck and other employees something like a weekend. After the fire, however, Buck made the decision to open on Monday to start collecting toys and clothes for the families.
He slept overnight at Tommy’s place. They’d gone to bed early, curled up together and talked. They talked about being honest with each other, about where they hoped this relationship would go, and affirmed they would find a way to make it work despite what might happen with the bakery. By 9 p.m. they’d fallen asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.
At 3 a.m., when Buck’s alarm went off. He shut it off quickly and tried not to audibly groan. Beside him, Tommy stretched, then sat up.
“Go back to sleep,” Buck said tiredly, not even finding the energy to sit up himself. He scooted over to Tommy and wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his face into his hip.
Tommy ruffled Buck’s hair a bit before rubbing his shoulder. “I thought I’d come with you and hang out for a bit.”
That sounded nice. That sounded really nice. After talking last night and deciding they wanted to make this work for as long as they had, every minute felt precious. He was happy to have as many more minutes as he could.
“That sounds nice,” he mumbled.
“Ok but that means you have to actually get up,” Tommy said, moving out of Buck’s hold to get up off the bed.
Buck let out a tired groan of protest.
“C’mon sweetheart,” Tommy said, patting his leg as he walked by on his way to the bathroom, and Buck couldn’t stop his smile at the endearment.
Buck got himself dressed and ready for the day in jeans and a tee shirt with a plaid flannel shirt over top that he snagged from Tommy’s closet.
He walked out to the smell of eggs, toast and coffee. Tommy looked up from the stove, then looked at Buck with a smirk.
“Nice shirt.”
“I was cold,” Buck said, taking a seat at the table.
Tommy slid eggs (over easy, just the way Buck liked them) onto a plate with a slice of toast, then picked up a mug of coffee and brought it all over to the table and set it down in front of Buck. It was such a sweet and simple gesture that made his morning so much better.
“God, I love you,” Buck said with a sigh like relief and picked up his fork. He hadn’t even realized what he’d said for several seconds.
Beside him, Tommy went completely still. The gentle hiss of the coffee maker broke the long silence as Buck’s words hung between them.
“You…what?” Tommy said quietly.
He looked over at Tommy, who seemed to be holding his breath. Buck hadn’t meant to say it like that, so casually. He’d been doing a good job of holding it in for a while now, knowing it was soon to be saying things like that. But he was tired and Tommy was so sweet and he just let it slip. And he didn’t regret it.
He set his fork down then pushed up from his chair and took Tommy’s hands in his. Tommy watched Buck carefully, almost afraid.
“I love you, Tommy,” Buck said, an easy smile spreading over his face. “And it’s okay if-”
Tommy cut him off with a sudden, breathless kiss and wrapped his arms around Buck’s shoulders. He pulled back just a little.
“I love you too,” he said to Buck’s relief, then kissed him again.
Buck’s entire body lit up with excitement and joy. He held tight to Tommy’s waist, keeping him close and kissing him while the eggs and coffee grew cold. And for a brief few moments he was happy - not worrying about the bakery or what might happen next - just soaking in the blissful glow of being held in the arms of the man he loved, who loved him back.
They managed to make it to the bakery at a reasonable time, despite spending a good amount of time making out in the kitchen before having to reheat their breakfasts.
While Buck got to work baking, Tommy put together a spot for donations. He repurposed some flattened cardboard Buck hadn’t recycled yet and made a big box, then printed some signs in Buck’s office.
“What do you think of this one?” Tommy asked, walking over with a piece of paper. Buck was in the middle of kneading some dough, so Tommy held it up for him to see. It was a plain piece of paper with ‘donations’ in all caps with a clip art shirt and a clip art set of toy blocks.
“It’s perfect,” Buck said, grinning because he was too adorable.
Tommy turned the paper back toward himself and studied it. “Maybe I should print it in color.”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Buck offered.
Tommy nodded in agreement and went back toward the office. He stopped, backtracked a few steps, then leaned in to give Buck a quick kiss before leaving the kitchen, leaving Buck with giddy butterflies in his stomach.
Tommy popped into the kitchen every so often to show Buck the things he’d created, stealing quick kisses while Buck’s hands were busy kneading dough.
Buck had never really minded being up early in the morning and spending a few hours alone, but it was a nice treat having Tommy here with him. He loved that Tommy was comfortable in the space. This place was more a home to him than his tiny apartment and he wanted Tommy to be a part of that. The same way Buck felt comfortable and at-home at Tommy’s place.
When Tommy finished his project, he came into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, watching while Evan scooped dough onto baking sheets.
“What are you making?” he asked over the top of his mug of coffee.
“Chocolate chipless cookies,” he answered with a smile at Tommy’s confused face. “They’re chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips.”
“They were Daniel’s favorite,” he continued as he scooped. “My mom was making chocolate chip cookies one day and didn’t realize we were out of chocolate chips. So she just baked them without and Daniel loved it. She stopped making them after he passed away. And I’ve never made them either.”
Tommy walked over and put his hand on Buck’s back gently and Buck looked over. Tommy gave him a soft kiss in support.
“I just felt like it would be a nice giveaway today, a little way to remember him too.” Buck said.
“I think it’s perfect,” Tommy kissed him again, then stepped back. “Can I do anything to be useful or will I get in the way?”
Buck looked at him affectionately, not saying a word.
“I’ll make you another cup of coffee,” Tommy laughed as he stepped away to do just that, getting the nespresso pods out of the cabinet.
Tommy had the day off, so when it was time to open the shop, he disappeared into Buck’s office to eat a warm cinnamon roll and stay out of the way.
Buck worked the register while Ravi continued work in the back, keeping things moving. Things were usually slow at 6am when they first opened and today was no exception. Around 7 a customer came in carrying a few toys, brand new in packaging. She put them into the box Tommy had set out.
“Thanks for donating,” Buck said excitedly. “Let me get you a cookie.”
“Thank you for doing this,” the woman said. “I saw the story on the news and it’s just devastating.”
Buck nodded in agreement and handed her a chocolate chipless cookie.
“I’ve never been here before, have you been open long?” she asked, holding her cookie and looking at the bakery cases.
“No, just about 6 months? I moved from Pennsylvania to be closer to family.”
“Lovely,” the woman said with a kind smile. “I’d also love to get a dozen donuts to take to work.”
“Absolutely,” Buck said, getting a box out from behind the counter.
While she waited, she took a bite of her cookie. “This is delicious, what is it?”
Buck smiled at the opportunity to share.
A few more people trickled in, dropping donations, getting a free cookie. Most people bought something as well. Soon the trickle turned into a steady flow, then a long line out the door. Buck had to grab Tommy from his office to help with customers, which made the man adorably flustered. The donation box was quickly overflowing with clothes and toys to the point where Tommy had to empty it into a pile in Buck’s office to make room for more.
“Sorry, I know you had other plans for your day,” Buck said, sometime in the early afternoon when they’d managed to get the line under control.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Tommy said, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
They managed to make it through to the end of the day, having to stay open an extra hour to accommodate everyone who wanted to drop off donations. Buck sighed, looking at the nearly empty display cases in disbelief. They took one load of donations to Tommy’s, then came back with Tommy’s truck to get the rest.
Buck’s heart was full as they spent the next couple hours, both exhausted, sorting through the donations, organizing clothes by sizes and toys by types.
After a late dinner they climbed into bed, Tommy’s arms wrapped around Buck, his nose pressed into Buck’s hair.
“That was better than I could have predicted,” Buck said tiredly.
“Exactly what I like to hear in bed,” Tommy joked, planting a kiss into his curls.
“I meant the donations,” Buck said, Tommy chuckling warmly in his ear.
“Sales seemed good, yeah?”
Buck made a soft affirmative sound. The numbers he saw when he ran his closing reports for the night looked very good. But it was one day. And he wasn’t sure how many of those people would be repeat customers in the future. All he could do was wait and see.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said honestly, then shifted his focus to the warmth of Tommy’s body pressed against his, arms wrapped around him, breath hot against his skin. He sighed happily, wanting to stay like this forever.
“I love you,” Tommy whispered, then kissed him behind his earlobe. “Good night.”
“Love you too,” Buck smiled as he drifted toward sleep.
Buck called his part-time employees to come in for the next few days to help with the volume of customers. They were eager for the extra hours, especially right around the holidays. It was a steady flow of customers with some times when the line stretched out the door and down the sidewalk.
The days went by in a blur. He and Tommy traded vehicles before he left for his shift so Buck could have his truck to haul donations each night. Buck had been staying at Tommy’s for the week, using the excuse that it was closer to Daniel’s. Plus, they were storing the donations there anyway, because he had more space. But really, they wanted to soak up as much time together as they could, just in case.
Finally, it was Christmas Eve. The bakery was only open until 3 p.m. so Buck and his staff could enjoy the holiday. Buck closed up and drove the donations back to Tommy’s. He did a final sort, the entire living room full of items - clothing and toys boxed up and ready to go. They’d deliver them to the temporary housing tomorrow.
Buck sat on the couch, enjoying the pine scent and warm glow from the Christmas tree, running numbers on his laptop. The rush this week had done enough to buy him just another couple months but he felt cautiously optimistic. His follower numbers on social media had more than quadrupled.
The front door unlocked and Tommy walked in, kicked off his boots and dropped his duffel.
“It’s so nice not to come home to an empty house,” Tommy said, giving Buck a soft smile before he bent over the back of the couch and kissed him, “I like seeing you here after work.”
Buck caught him with a hand on the back of his head and kissed him a little longer before letting him go. “I like being here.”
“Is it for me or the Christmas tree?” Tommy grinned as he walked around the couch and sat beside him. Buck shut his laptop and moved it to the coffee table.
“The tree obviously,” Buck answered in a mocking tone, turning his body to face Tommy’s, a bent leg up on the couch. “After Christmas is over tomorrow I’ll definitely be back at my own place.”
Tommy took Buck’s hand, holding it on top of his own thigh. “What if you didn’t?”
“Didn’t what?”
“Didn’t go back to your place,” Tommy said, his smile growing broader, his voice soft. “Move in with me.”
Buck’s heart jumped in his chest. “A-are…are you serious?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” Tommy said. “It’s closer to the bakery, it’d save you on rent and-”
“Yes,” Buck said with a bright smile that felt like it was bursting with sunbeams.
“Yeah?” Tommy said in surprise and Buck nodded.
Tommy leaned in and kissed him, both of them smiling so much they mostly just knocked their teeth together and laughed against each other’s mouths. Tommy pulled back and looked at him, cupping his cheek in his hand.
“I really hope you stay, Evan,” Tommy said earnestly, running his thumb across his cheekbone.
A hint of sadness settled over the moment. They’d agreed to be honest about how they were feeling about the possibility of Buck leaving someday, even if it hurt. But, Buck had been giving this a lot of thought, and he’d come to a decision.
“I’m staying,” he said.
Whatever happened here with the bakery, they’d get through it together. He couldn’t imagine going back east anymore. He couldn’t picture a life where he and Tommy weren’t side by side. When he’d made up his mind this morning an incredible sense of calm settled over him. He knew it was right.
He wanted nights out with friends and impromptu visits to the fire station to buy Tommy’s colleagues’ affection with baked goods and ogle Tommy in his uniform. He wanted to be there when Tommy came home after a bad shift, to take care of him when he needed it, and to spoil him with all the chocolate chip cookies he could ever eat. He wanted to be together, not apart.
This was his home now and this was where he wanted to stay with the people he loved - his family, Tommy.
Tommy’s hand dropped from Buck’s cheek and his brows rose in surprise, hope written across his face. “Was this week enough? Will you be able to-”
Buck shook his head. “It’s bought me a month or two but that’s not the point.” He took both of Tommy’s hands in his. “Even if I have to close, I want to stay here in Los Angeles.”
“Evan…” Tommy said like a gentle warning not to say things he didn’t mean. Buck shook his head gently to clear away his concerns.
“I’ll work for someone else; I don’t care. There’s nothing left for me in Hershey. My parents are gone. The family I have left is here. I want to be here with Maddie and Howie. I want to see my nieces grow up,” he said, then cupped his hands around the sides of Tommy’s neck. “I want to be with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely sure.”
Tommy let out a breathy laugh, an exhale of relief. “Thank God,” he said.
Buck pulled Tommy closer and kissed him, then leaned back and pulled Tommy on top of him, letting his comforting weight settle over him. Tommy’s hands slipped beneath Buck’s shirt, seeking out the warm skin of his waist, then up toward his ribs. A rush of rightness flowed into him, fully cementing his decision to stay, to live here with Tommy.
They kissed and kissed until Tommy broke away long enough to suggest going back to the bedroom - their bedroom. They raced back there, hand in hand, giddy with the excitement of kids on Christmas morning, then tore into each other’s clothes and tossed them aside like wrapping paper, eager for what was inside.
They tumbled into bed and made love, unhurried, because time was something they had plenty of now.
Afterward, Buck lay in bed staring at the ceiling, still catching his breath while Tommy lay half on top of him, arm and leg sprawled across Buck’s body, head resting on his chest. He smiled while he trailed his fingers up and down Tommy’s back, drawing a contented sigh out of the other man.
They had a full day ahead of them tomorrow. Buck’s alarm was set for a reasonable 6 a.m. He’d already prepped the cinnamon rolls to rise in the refrigerators overnight so all he had to do tomorrow was bake them. Then, he and Tommy would deliver fresh cinnamon rolls and toys and clothes to the families displaced by the fire. When that was done they’d go to Maddie’s for the rest of the day to celebrate Christmas with her and Howie and Jee.
Buck let his head fall to the side and looked over at the digital clock on Tommy’s bedside table. 12:14 a.m.
“Merry Christmas, Tommy,” Buck said, combing his fingers through Tommy’s hair.
Tommy lifted his head and smiled. “Merry Christmas, Evan.”
3 years later…
“Uncle Buck! Uncle Tommy!” Jee screeched as she ran toward the front door where the two men had just walked in, arms full of gifts and food they brought to contribute to the Christmas day celebration.
Buck shifted what he could to one arm, using the other to scoop up his growing niece.
Danielle came running in a few seconds later. “Uncle Buck! Uncle Tommy!” she said, trying to mimic her beloved sister, though her little toddler voice was not quite as clear.
She looked up and pouted that both of her uncles had their hands full. Tommy stuck out his leg and shook his foot. “Hop on, kid.”
Dani giggled and sat down on his foot, then wrapped her arms and legs around his leg, holding on tight while he walked.
“Here, let me help,” Maddie said apologetically, wiping her hands on her apron.
“We got it,” Buck said cheerfully while they made their way to the kitchen to set down the food and gifts.
Buck could hardly imagine that three years ago there was a possibility that he’d leave Los Angeles. Daniel’s Cookie Jar was thriving now, with loyal customers and a solid place in the community. He had regular orders with several local independent coffee shops - with the chocolate chipless cookies being one of the most popular items across the board.
His relationship with Tommy was better than he could have ever imagined. They had their bumps along the way in the last three years together but they came out stronger every time. They were deeply woven into each other’s lives. Buck knew the other firefighters at the station by name and favorite cookie flavor. (He’d been right about Captain Deluca - oatmeal raisin). Tommy stopped by Daniel’s often and chatted up the staff when Buck was too busy to flirt. Tommy’s friends - Ernie, Weston, and Taylor - had become Buck’s friends. He and Tommy loved having people over, hosting barbecues, and surrounding themselves with the people they cared about.
On top of it all, staying on the west coast meant he’d been a part of his niece’s lives. He’d been able to meet Dani in the hospital on the day she was born. He was able to attend Jee’s Sunday soccer games every week. He and Tommy babysat often, taking one or both girls overnight every so often to give Maddie and Howie a break. Buck cherished the mornings where his nieces would storm into their bedroom to jump on the bed and demand pancakes for breakfast. He and Tommy weren’t sure about having kids of their own but they loved being uncles.
Dani and Jee talked over each other in a jumble of excitement about what gifts they’d found beneath the tree this morning.
“Come see, come see,” Jee said, pulling on Buck’s hand.
“Come see,” Dani mimicked, tugging on Tommy’s pant leg.
Buck took a few things out of a canvas tote bag, setting them on the kitchen counter. “I have to help your mom make dinner but why don’t you show Uncle Tommy.”
Tommy grinned. He loved Buck’s nieces like crazy and they loved him right back. Buck would never forget the shocked, teary-eyed expression on Tommy’s face the first time Jee called him ‘Uncle Tommy’ or the careful, tender way he’d held baby Dani for the first time when they visited the hospital.
Hands now free, Tommy scooped up one of the girls under each arm while they squealed and giggled, then marched back toward their playroom to get the tour of all the new toys, some of which Howie was still in there assembling.
“So…” Maddie said, craning her neck to make sure Tommy was out of earshot before looking at Buck. “Have you asked him yet?”
Buck shushed Maddie before doing his own check down the hall. “No,” he said. “It was a busy morning and we were rushing to get here on time…”
Ever since their first Christmas together, he and Tommy had done some kind of donation drive at Daniel’s to collect toys or clothes or books then made deliveries on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, if Tommy’s schedule allowed. This year they delivered gifts and baked goods to local foster kids and families. Tommy had been adamant that each kid receive something that wasn’t a need, having had too many of his own Christmases receiving a backpack with new socks, shoes and a coat. In the end he’d gone out on his own and purchased a bunch of toys and fun stuff for the kids.
Buck loved him so much.
Which was exactly why he planned to ask Tommy to marry him, with a simple gold ring nestled in a box of chocolate chip cookies.