Fandom Fire Station, Friday

[designateddadfriend]

The radio had said something about another firefighter in town, so Travis was going maybe a little bit nuts making sure the little station was in fit shape. He really should have been doing so all along, but being the only firefighter around, he'd let himself get a little bit lazy, let the dust pile up a little bit high in the corners. Probie trotted around after him as he took a white glove to various surfaces and made sure the engine gleamed. . . .

Fandom Fire Station
Never do anything you wouldn't want
to explain to the paramedics

[open! sign insp]

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[firehousehimbo]

Buck settled himself into his apartment yesterday (as settled as you can be with no furniture), and today wandered around town until he found the fire station. It really didn't take too long. This island wasn't that big.

"Oh my god you have a dog." First thing he would notice, of course.

[designateddadfriend]

Probie hopped to her feet, wagging her tail. Travis turned from where he was wiping down the equipment locker.

"That's Probie," he said, and nodded to the pitbull puppy, letting her know it was okay. She burst into motion, running at Buck to properly say hi. "I'm Travis. You . . . are new."

[firehousehimbo]

Buck crouched down to pet Probie. "Just got here yesterday. I'm Buck. Well, Evan, actually but everyone calls me Buck."

[designateddadfriend]

"Buck," Travis said, nodding. "So, you the new firefighter I heard about? Or did you manage to slip in under the squirrels' radar?"

He blinked and shook his head to himself. "I can't believe I just said that with a straight face. . . ."

[firehousehimbo]

"That's me," he said. "That squirrel thing is amazing, by the way, but kiiiinda invasive."

He still thought it was some sort of recording device called a squirrel rather than an actual squirrel. He'd learn.

[designateddadfriend]

"They're not great with boundaries," Travis agreed. "But you get used to it. I've started keeping a stash of rum in the aid car, just in case. Not that I've had to use any of it yet."

[firehousehimbo]

Okay, that was a little odd, but Buck could see the benefits of having alcohol on hand, for several reasons.

"It's good to meet you, Travis," Buck said with a smile. He gave the station a quick once over and noticed how quiet it was. "Is it just you here?"

[designateddadfriend]

Travis looked around with a sigh. "Just me and Probie, yeah. Before me, this place was just empty, if you can believe it. Tell you what, Buck, someone ever offers you a promotion to move across the country? Read the fine print."

[firehousehimbo]

"...well I moved here from California, so..." Too late, Travis. Too late.

[designateddadfriend]

Travis winced sympathetically. "Ah. Well. At least there's two of us now?"

He shook his head. "Whereabouts? I'm from Seattle, myself."

[firehousehimbo]

"Los Angeles, the 118," he said. "I grew up in Hershey, though, so I'm not gonna be a baby about the cold weather, I promise."

[designateddadfriend]

"Well, you'll be one up on me, then. Seattle doesn't really get cold that often."

And the last blizzard he'd been through there had been . . . rough.

"The 118, huh? Don't know that one. I was down your way a couple years ago to help with the wildfires, but I didn't get the chance to know very many houses."

[firehousehimbo]

"If that experience was anything like the wildfires I had to help with in Austin, then I totally understand," he said. "Not really a chance to get to know anybody well in that chaos."

He did, however, get to know someone well enough to accidentally ask him out on a date. It happened more than Buck would like to admit.

[designateddadfriend]

Travis managed to get to know someone well enough to purposefully end up in bed with him! So, you know. . . . That was a thing.

"Yeah, you kind of end up just running around like your head is the thing that's on fire," Travis said, shaking his head. "Well, either way, this place is . . . definitely going to be more boring than that. Or than your usual shifts in LA, I'm guessing."

[firehousehimbo]

"Yeah, I kind of gathered that already," Buck said. "But my new landlord said I'll have enough insanity to keep me busy. I like the sound of that."

[designateddadfriend]

“Well, let’s see. . . . There was the night every fire alarm on the island went off at once. And the guy who calls himself the Devil who had a luggage bonfire in the middle of the street once. Oh, and half the town got sucked into a hole by a raccoon. Mostly though . . . it’s pretty quiet day to day.”

[firehousehimbo]

See, viewed in a certain (new person) light, that didn't sound too bad.

"Explains why this place is so clean." What with nothing else to do.

[designateddadfriend]

"Ha, yeah . . . only so many times you can make yourself run the same drills."

[firehousehimbo]

"Well now we can run two person drills." Phrasing? "So cleaning, drills, wait for the next luggage bonfire?"

He could roll with that, especially when only a few weeks removed from the serial killer that targeted only firefighters back in Los Angeles.

[designateddadfriend]

"Day in the life of a Fandom Firefighter," Travis agreed. He'd been here long enough to kind of miss the idiots back in Seattle insisting on doing things like climbing cell towers or going for walks in giant windstorms.

[firehousehimbo]

"I'm pretty sure I can handle that." Until he started dying of boredom, but that was a problem for another day. "Any shift you want me to take in particular, give you a break from the thrilling cleaning?"

[designateddadfriend]

“Take your pick. I usually try to make sure the place is open for walk-ins on Fridays, if you want to do another day of the week.”

[firehousehimbo]

Buck thought about that for a moment. Then realized it didn't really matter. "Uh, how about Tuesday's then? I just picked a random day, but Tuesday sounds good."

[designateddadfriend]

"Tuesdays are all yours," Travis said. "Welcome to the team, Buck. Uh, such as it is."

Probie barked her agreement, tail wagging like crazy.