hi so sorry for the delay in answering this my friend!

I have several thoughts at once so let me start with a prequel to recipe(s) for disaster, of Buck floating through pretending he’s totally fine.

second idea is a bucktommy reconciliation fic that starts with them both missing each other and then they reach out or have a chance meeting and agree to start again and then it’s how the days pass for them. could be done out of chronological order, too, the format of ‘then’ and 'now’ parts of chapters that show the differences

third idea is a future buck-raises-theo fic where Theo’s like, I dunno, in high school and Buck’s settled into being a parent and reminiscing. could have Tommy, could possibly not. probably evolves into whether or not the 118 fixes its shit or Buck transfers, or maybe becomes captain! who knows

wait hang on had another thought and it’s from the pov of like either Bobby pre-death or Athena pre-and-post Bobby’s death watching things evolve

my first immediate thought was Buck at the 118 post Bobby’s death. with the way people were uh. ya know. being not super great. It’d probably fall on the harsher side of critical? I don’t think Eddie would come out of it looking great, and probably not Chimney, either. It’d be like a ‘I kept giving and giving and giving and now there’s nothing and no one to catch me’ although knowing me there’d be some Tommy involved too. it’d have to be one where Buck didn’t leave the 118 until too late, probably.

Honestly, a bit cliche but frankly the realization on both sides would be an explosion that Buck’s injured in a lot like the bombing, and everyone starts to try to show up for him and he explodes too, because of course now that he’s hurt they care. they only see him when he’s where they expect him to be: injured because he’s “too reckless” or making stupid decisions (despite the explosion not being his fault).

even worse could be he gets hurt and he’s worried that everyone will pull that shit and instead they just. don’t show up. and in their minds they’re not doing it on purpose; Buck’s got a whole support system, right? Maddie and Chim are on it obviously (they’re not, between the kids and promotions they hardly notice they haven’t seen Buck in months), oh he and Eddie practically lived together for a while after all (nah man Eddie has a high schooler now he’s not Buck’s keeper), oh Hen’s been too sick to have the space, Buck would understand (honestly he does understand but that doesn’t make it hurt less). Tommy does show, but not immediately; he probably heard Buck got hurt, called Chim for an update, or Eddie, or someone, and got a snarky little 'oh now you care?’ (hypocrites) and hung up on, so he didn’t try again.

don’t ask me how this ends I don’t have a clue.

there’s also a version of a fic with this title that’s Tommy putting his job on the line for Buck again and again because he can’t help but want to help Evan, despite everything, that is either Tommy reminiscing on what has been and whatnot, or Tommy being cynical and bitter and nothing being resolved