Chapter Text
Tommy was fine, in fact Eddie liked the guy. He had a dry sense of humor that rivaled his own. He was someone who understood life after the Army, who Eddie could talk to about all the things he saw and experienced. They worked on the Chevelle together, played basketball, Tommy flew him to Vegas to watch some fights, and more than once the man had laid him out when they sparred together. They had become easy friends. So yeah, Eddie liked Tommy.
Until Tommy kissed Buck. Until he left him standing alone outside the restaurant on their first date. Until "they had henleys in the 80s."
Until "Evan."
It wasn't that Tommy was the only person who called Buck by his given name, outside of the Buckley parents and occasionally Maddie. The fact that Buck hadn't corrected him on it showed that the man himself didn't seem to mind.
It was the way he said it.
As a teasing warning when Buck would get too flirty or handsy when they were all out together, "Evan."
Exasperated when Buck would absentmindedly steal all his fries, after claiming he didn't want any, "Evan."
Grossed out, chiding when Buck would talk with his mouth full or share some graphic fact or story, "Evan!"
Worried that time Buck had gotten hurt on a fire line they had all ended up working together, "Evan!"
Relieved when they got back to the station after Tommy had watched Buck being Buck on the news and rushed there to wait for them, "Evan."
As part of a yawn.
In surprise.
Annoyed.
Angry.
"Evan."
"Evan."
"Evan."
"Evan!"
Eddie was pretty sure he was going to snap the next time that 4-letter word came out of Tommy's mouth in his presence. He'd stopped hanging out with Tommy and had started trying to avoid being around the pair together. But it's hard to avoid your best friend and with Chris in Texas he didn't have many excuses these days.