Chapter Text
Sun beats down on him; burning hot and angry.
His feet are slamming down hard onto the path as he ducks and dives between trees and dog walkers. His lungs are expanding excessively as he breathes, the organs pushing against his ribcage as if they are trying to burst out of his chest.
He can see the end in sight, can already taste victory and fruit smoothie on his tongue. Ravi should know by now that making bets with Buck isn’t a good idea; he is incredibly competitive, a sore loser, and an absolute menace.
He lets out a sharp breath and pushes through the bolts of pain shooting up his left leg and hammers harder. There is a bead of sweat rolling down his spine; it's chilling and slightly irritating, but he does his best to ignore it.
He has to win this.
He reaches the bench and cheers, throwing his hands in the air, whooping loudly. He drops down onto the bench, breathes out hard and watches for Ravi to appear from over the horizon. The younger man has slowed down now, clearly given up his attempt to win.
When he reaches Buck, he collapses onto the grass with a loud groan, stretching out his body over the soft ground. “I hate you for making me do that.” He complains.
Buck laughs. He extends his leg forward and lightly kicks Ravi’s foot. “I did not make you do anything. You said that you could run faster than me, and I just proved that you can’t. Now stop being a sore loser, you owe me a smoothie.”
Ravi pushes himself up and looks at Buck for a moment. He mutters something under his breath that Buck misses before fully standing and heading over to the smoothie stand.
Grinning like a Cheshire Cat, Buck stretches out both legs in front of him. He puts his arms on top of the picnic bench behind him and lets his head fall back. His eyes flutter closed as he takes a moment to appreciate the soft breeze feathering against his skin.
Then, there is a yelp, and his eyes snap open.
He looks down and finds a golden retriever puppy with distinctive black spots, sitting by his feet and chewing sweetly on his sneakers. He can’t help but laugh as he leans down and scratches the dog behind its ear.
“Those are not chew toys,” Buck says with a smile. The puppy just barks and rolls onto her back, exposing her tummy to him. He laughs again, leans further forward, and runs his hand up and down her stomach. Her head rolls to the side, her tongue flopping out of her mouth, and she smiles at Buck.
“Oh, god. I’m so sorry! Bailey!” A voice comes from above. Buck whips his head up and sees a very distressed, very attractive man jog towards him. He’s wearing a tiny pair of running shorts, a sleeveless tank and a backwards baseball hat. The sight stirs something deep in Buck’s gut, but he does his best to ignore it.
“I’m still training her to walk off leash, but all she wants to do is make friends.” The stranger adds as he kneels down next to Bailey.
Buck hears him tell her off, with a smile on his face and a lack of malice in his voice. Bailey rolls over until she is standing on her legs and starts licking wildly over her owner's face as he secures the leash onto her collar.
“I’m Tommy, by the way. And obviously, you have already had the pleasure of meeting Bailey.” The stranger — Tommy, says as he extends his free hand forward. Buck takes it and shakes firmly.
“E-Evan. But most people call me Buck.”
“Nice to meet you, Evan.” Buck feels his cheeks pinken as he ducks his head, laughing gently. The way that Tommy says his name makes his heart flutter like a thousand butterflies.
By his feet, Bailey starts pawing at his knee, whining for his attention. He gives in to her demands and reaches forward to pet her gently on the head.
“She’s a beautiful dog. Her spots are so interesting, is she a mix?” Buck questions. He brushes his thumb over the patch just above her eye. Bailey tilts her head, trying to lick his hand as it trails up her face.
“Nope, purebred golden. She has a rare mutation that gives her the black patches.” Tommy answers as he pushes up from his knees and sits down on the bench next to Buck.
“Well, she’s adorable. Hey Bailey, look! We have matching patches!” Buck points up to his birthmark, and Bailey takes this as an invitation to jump into his lap, standing on her hind legs and resting her front paws on Buck’s chest, extending her neck up to lick over his face.
Buck and Tommy laugh in unison.
“Yeah, she isn’t the only adorable one,” Tommy mumbles just quietly enough for Buck to hear. Buck turns his face to look at Tommy, taking in the way his face falls softer, how the smile lines on his face become more pronounced the more he watches Bailey with Buck.
They sit in mutual silence; eyes locked, puppy licking wildly.
“They didn’t have that weird ass green juice you like, so I got you the blueberry one, I hope you don’t —“ Ravi’s voice breaks the trance. Buck looks up towards his friend, who is now frozen solid a few feet away.
“Oh,” Ravi says awkwardly. He looks tense, shoulders up to his ears, hands gripping the smoothies so tightly Buck fears they are going to burst.
And he’s blushing, blushing.
Buck shrugs it off as Ravi being the awkward guy that he is and stands from the bench. “Thanks, man,” he starts as he steps forward and takes the smoothie. He then turns to face Tommy, who has followed Buck’s lead and stood from the bench, Bailey’s leash firmly in his hand.
“This is my friend Ravi. Rav, this is Tommy and his puppy Bailey.” Buck beams between the two men. He watches as Tommy reaches out a hand for Ravi to shake, a playful smile and teasing gaze in his eye.
“Hey man, nice to meet you,” Tommy says easily.
Ravi is still standing frozen in time, his free hand has fallen limp by his side. Buck watches as he opens and closes his mouth a few times before he lets out a staggered breath and takes hold of Tommy’s hand, shaking firmly.
“Nice to meet you, too,” He chokes out awkwardly. He then splutters out a cough as he pulls back his hand. He shuffles on his feet for a moment before he starts stepping back.
“I, erm, just remembered that I got a…thing. I best go before I’m late. I’ll see you at work!” Ravi runs on his heels and speeds off, throwing a wave over his shoulder.
He leaves them standing there; Buck confused as hell, and Tommy grinning ear to ear. He will probably text him later to make sure he is okay, or maybe he will call and see what the problem is.
Though that thought quickly melts from his brain at the sound of Bailey whimpering from behind.
“I know you want to play with him, sweetheart, but we probably should head home too.” Tommy coos. Buck turns back around and watches as Tommy gently strokes over her head, soothing her.
“Sorry, Bailey. I’d love to hang out more, I promise.” Buck says as he closes the gap between them.
“Well maybe, you would like to join us on a hike tomorrow. You know, for Bailey, of course.” Tommy suggests with a smile, his eyes slowly panning over Buck.
“I mean, if it’s just for Bailey, then I would love to come. No other reason. Definitely not for her super hot dad.” Buck replies, and Tommy laughs. He preens at the sound because it’s so bright and joyful, and he made that happen.
They quickly exchange numbers and say goodbye before heading off in their separate ways; Buck buzzing with excitement for tomorrow.
Tommy: What's your coffee order?
Buck: Black coffee, no sugar and no milk. Very basic.
Tommy: Hmm, makes sense.
Buck: How so?
Tommy: Because you are sweet enough, no need for the extra sugar.
Buck laughs as he steps out of his car, catching sight of Tommy standing a few feet away, legs tangled with Bailey’s leash while the puppy weaves in and out of the gaps. He can see that Tommy is laughing as well, his eyes are crinkled, and he has a cheek-splitting grin on his face.
“I see the leash training is going well?” Buck quips as he jogs over to Tommy, reaching for the tray of coffees that are on the verge of falling from his hands.
Tommy looks up from Bailey and towards Buck, smiling even wider and passing the coffee to him. “She really likes to keep me on my toes.”
Buck laughs again as he looks down at the coffee, finally noticing that Tommy was carrying two cups. “Is this why you asked how I take my coffee?” Buck asks as he looks back up to Tommy.
Tommy shrugs nonchalantly. “Nothing beats a coffee on an early morning hike.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Buck replies gently. Tommy finally untangles himself from Bailey’s leash and steps forward, reaches and squeezes Buck’s hips lightly. The warm grip and soft press of fingers make Buck's heart beat faster.
“I know. I wanted to.”
They take off towards the trail; it’s still early in the morning, so the foot traffic is light. Tommy decides to let Bailey off her leash, pulls a tennis ball from his pocket and throws it ahead. Bailey takes off with speed, fumbling over her humongous paws; she hasn’t quite come around to learning to slow down, so she falls and rolls as she stops.
She comes running back, ball in mouth and tongue lolling out the side of her mouth — she collides into Tommy’s legs when she is close and yelps for the ball to be thrown again.
“So what is it that you do for work?” Buck asks as they continue walking up the trail. Tommy throws the ball for Bailey, stays silent and looks at Buck briefly. Almost as if he is trying to size him up.
“I work in the entertainment industry,” Tommy replies after a beat.
Bailey comes hurdling back and this time, crashes into Buck’s legs with the ball in her mouth. He laughs as he bends down to take it from her. “That’s cool! Anything that I would have seen?”
Tommy is quiet again, and Buck throws the ball. “Trust me, if you had, you would know,” Tommy mumbles. “I’m also a co-founder of a small LGBTQ+ charity. I volunteer at a couple of youth centres, teaching teens about safe sex practices. Things like that.”
“Wow.” Buck awes. He is completely in awe of Tommy. Not only is he hot as hell and a dog dad to the cutest puppy in the world, but he is also charitable, kind, and so interesting. He feels like he’s hit the jackpot.
They carry on talking as they walk.
Buck tells Tommy about his life as a firefighter and the 118, about his sister and her kids, about the sourdough loaf he is trying so hard to master and the knitting circle he recently joined. Tommy seems highly interested in what Buck has to say, listens to every word, and never tells him he’s being too much.
He shares with Buck just as much. Tells him about the cottage he recently bought that he is in the middle of renovating. About the feud he had with his next-door neighbour and his missing trash cans. About that one time he went scuba diving and ended up swimming with sharks.
And before he knows it, they are back at the start, heading back to the parking lot. Tommy is holding Bailey in his arms; she gives up walking halfway back down the trail and is asleep in his arms.
It’s midday now, and the sun is beating down on them. Buck is glad that he only wore shorts and a t-shirt today, even more glad that Tommy is wearing the same — he has a great view of his ass as he walks ahead towards their cars.
Buck feels a swoop in his stomach as they get closer. He’s not ready for his day with Tommy to end; he wants to stay with him as long as he can.
“You hungry? There is a dog-friendly cafe around the corner that makes amazing food.” Tommy says, as if he read Buck’s mind.
He stops and turns. His cheeks are tinted pink, and his hair is swooping to the left from where the wind had been blown. He’s smiling at Buck, so fond and sweet.
They head over to the cafe and grab a seat in the garden. Bailey is awake now, so she lays on the floor, chewing on a treat that the owner gave her. Crowds of people walk by and stop, saying hello to the pair and petting the very happy and very eager puppy by their feet. Tommy tells him they are regulars here, and Bailey's spots are the main attraction.
Tommy pays for lunch when they are done, playfully refusing Buck to see the bill as he gives their server his credit card and heads back to their cars.
“So I was thinking, maybe you should let me take you out on a real date?” Tommy says as they approach the Jeep. Buck laughs, pulls his car keys from his pocket and stops just short of the driver's side door.
“What, so you paying for both coffee and lunch wasn’t a date?”
“Well, I don’t tend to make it a habit to bring a third wheel along on first dates.” Tommy starts. Both men look down to his feet towards where Bailey is sitting, panting with her tongue poking out as she looks up at the two of them with bright eyes.
Buck reaches down, scratches her behind her ear, and Bailey’s tail whacks loudly against the pavement. “But you are such a great third wheel, aren’t you, Bailey?” Buck says.
Bailey barks, Tommy chuckles.
He steps into Buck’s space, backing him up against the car, closing the gap between them. “Saturday night, let me take you out. I want you all dressed up and pretty for me.” Buck watches as Tommy’s eyes dip and lock onto his lips before shooting back up again.
“Pick you up at eight?” Tommy finishes.
“Sounds perfect,” Buck replies.
“See you then,” Tommy steps away, and Buck finds himself immediately mourning the loss of his closeness, of the smell of his cologne mixed with a hint of salty sweat.
“Just don’t Google me before our date.” It’s the last thing Tommy says before him and Bailey walk off towards his car, leaving Buck standing alone — breathless and bemused.
Just don’t Google me before our date.
Tommy laughed when he said it, a playful smile spread across his face, and a teasing twinkle in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder. But the words made something turn in Buck's stomach.
He has to be hiding something? What if he’s married with kids? What if he’s in the news for something utterly embarrassing and he doesn’t want Buck to know? What if he’s a murderer?
He spends the rest of the afternoon thinking about it, while he is in the shower, while he packs his duffle bag for work the following afternoon. And by early evening, he has practically driven himself crazy with a million what if’s bouncing around his head.
With a huff, he reaches for his laptop and squints at the harsh light emanating from the screen as he opens it.
For a moment, his fingers hover over the keyboard. Is he really about to do this? Is he really going against the only thing that Tommy had asked from him? A part of him wants to keep the mystery, to let himself find out who Tommy is on his own. But another part of him really wants to know if he’s about to get murdered.
He types Tommy’s full name into Google and clicks search.
And what appears on his screen makes his heart hammer hard against his chest.
The most popular search.
Pornhub.
Tommy is a pornstar, and a rather famous one at that.
And Buck is about to go on a date with him.