Chapter Text
As the family reads over the contract, Buck finds himself standing in silence with his great-grandfather. It kind of feels weird for all of this to have happened because of their kinship, while they've barely exchanged a word.
“So,” Buck says nervously, “what does being an heir entail?”
Joseph looks at him in surprise. He looks so human. If Buck had met him as a colleague or serviced him during his many jobs, he wouldn’t have suspected a thing.
It's hard to believe - if Buck hadn't seen it with his own eyes - that not only is Joseph a Fallen Angel, but a Throne even. In the highest house of angels. Buck can’t believe he has anything to do with that.
The casualness is also a little odd. All of this has become a big deal because of Buck’s status and yet Joseph acts like any other guy.
But that's what being a demon is all about, right? Smoke and mirrors that distract you from what's hiding in the darkness.
“Not more than you are already,” Joseph says. “I have some land and some duties in Hell, but as you probably already know, you can't go to Hell anyway.”
“I can't?”
“No.”
Buck leans in. All the books he has read about human-born demons have been theoretical when it came to the afterlife and he has actually always had a small worry about what would happen. “What about when I die?”
Joseph shrugs. “No idea, son.”
“Okay,” Buck says. “But if I can’t help you with Hell… then what?”
Joseph shrugs. “I actually don’t know,” he says. “I guess I just like the thought of it. Having someone.”
“For what?”
“Why so many questions?” Joseph asks, but he doesn’t sound bothered. He seems nonchalant more than anything.
Buck shrugs. “I don't like hurting people and I’m not good at it either.”
Joseph lifts a brow. “You’re much more powerful than you think,” he says. “And you don’t need to be very experienced to enforce it. Focus on your intention, don’t overthink it and your magic will do the rest.”
“But you said I needed centuries to counteract your deals?”
“That’s a question of magnitude of power, not capability. I used to be a Throne after all. But I harbor no ill intent or maliciousness towards humanity or anyone else for that matter, unlike my siblings. But don’t tell anyone that. I benefit from their fear.”
“They can hear us though,” Buck says awkwardly.
“Yes. But we’re speaking Demonspeak. They do not understand a word.”
“Oh,” Buck says and frowns. “But… why don’t you dislike humans? Because Thrones are more passive?”
Joseph shoots him a look and smiles crookedly. “Because I wasn’t part of the rebellion. I’m deeply apathetic to humankind. I fell a long time after the others.”
Buck stares at Joseph. He hasn’t ever met a demon that didn’t Fall because of the rebellion or because of their discontent towards humans. In a way it’s nice that Buck doesn’t have a bloodline based on what everyone fears about him. It’s not going to make a difference, really, but… it’s still nice to know that he actually hasn’t inherited a demonic need for harm.
“Then why did you leave?” he finally asks.
Joseph shrugs. “It's complicated. All the fun people were gone for one. Second we all saw dad differently afterwards and not all of us in a good way. But to me, I was just curious about the thought of being self-serving. If you're the wheels of a chariot for enough millenia, I think everyone will start to think like that. Thrones aren’t nearly as mobile as the other angels, so we don’t get to leave his side unless we Fall.”
Buck nods. “Yeah, I get that you might have wanted something different,” he says. “If I can ask… why show up now though? It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been in danger.”
Finally, Joseph turns to look at him. “I never left your side, child.”
Buck feels his mouth fall open. “W-what do you mean?”
Joseph shrugs and turns back to observe the Kinards. “I was one of the nurses when you were born. I was your kindergarten temp. I was a janitor at your college, your PT when you broke your arm, a fellow ranch hand and a customer during many of your bartending jobs. We’ve talked many, many times, but I did start to see you less once my seed took and you became what you are. It was harder to blur your memories and you suspected me faster.”
Dumbfounded, Buck needs a minute to think. He always assumed that either Joseph didn’t know about Buck or that he was only distantly aware of Buck and just didn’t care. But to know Joseph has been involved since day one makes Buck feel… surprisingly warm. It means there always has been someone, that he hasn’t been as alone as he thought.
It also explains why Joseph is acting so casually around him.
“Why were you making me forget about you?” Buck finally asks.
“I wanted you to be completely self-serving,” Joseph says. “You couldn’t do that if I was influencing you.”
“That’s fair, I guess?” Buck says. That’s actually very fair. “Uh, sorry, I’m probably not what you expected me to be.”
“I didn’t expect you to be anything,” Joseph says simply and it somehow doesn’t sound like an insult. “That would defeat the purpose of letting you be self-serving. That’s also why I can’t stay in your life consistently after this.”
“But you’re marrying me away,” Buck says. “How is that helping me be self-serving?”
“I’m marrying you to an apex predator and a highly nutritious food source, who has a substantial fortune,” Joseph says and turns to look at Buck, his eyes intense with curiosity. “That you also happen to love. How does it feel? Loving something not all powerful?”
Slumping his shoulders, Buck whispers: “Like that. It feels like loving something all powerful.”
Joseph hums and is about to reply, when Marina looks up from the cluster of heads examining the contract. “What about heirs?” she asks. “Will they be part of your tribe or our clan?”
With a sigh, Joseph meets her eyes. “Your son’s specific seed and adoptees will be yours. My seed will be mine.”
“What if the child is both?” Alice asks.
Joseph frowns. “How is that supposed to happen?”
“You never know,” she says smugly.
Turning to look at Buck with a confused face, Joseph asks: “Can that happen?”
“Why is it that neither your son or mine can end the marriage prematurely?” Charles interrupts before Buck can answer, which is good, because Buck has never considered that being a possibility at all.
“Because it defeats the purpose of being a forced marriage?” Joseph replies with a frown, looking at Charles like he’s a slow child instead of this being Charles carefully pushing the limits.
“Ignore him,” Tommy says.
“So my child’s child will be part of our clan?” Marina asks.
“Being that your son is my son’s property, Evan can choose to take ownership of the child even if the child isn’t part of our tribe,” Joseph says and Buck has a strong inkling that he just said that because he knows the Kinards are about to challenge him.
“Dad,” Buck interrupts. “Tommy’s not my property. Change the word from property to partner. And I want a clause added that states specifically what I mean by partner with the word consent being a keyword.”
“Done,” Joseph says. “But I require complete sexual fidelity.”
“For 50 years?” Charles says dryly.
“ 50 years ?” Buck repeats.
“Mutual fidelity then,” Charles says, breezing over Buck’s shock.
“No,” Joseph says. “My heir needs multiple sources of sustenance.”
Charles doesn't look surprised.
“Who says I'm even going to live that long?” Buck asks.
“Your partner has a long lifespan, so it is only proportionate,” Joseph says, though Buck does notice that he’s not answering the question.
“What’s with the glamour though?” Davis says with a lifted brow. “Why do you want him to wear glamour that parallels the age of Buck in public?”
“For the vanity of my heir,” Joseph says. “As I did for my late wife.”
“Aaaw, that’s so - ” Alice coos, who’s interrupted by a shove of her mother’s elbow.
“Uh,” Buck says. He meets Tommy’s eyes, feeling a little bit panicked with the gravity and intricacy of the contract, but Tommy just shrugs. “I don’t know, dad. I mean, not fucking- I mean seeing someone else for 50 years? Is that fair to him?”
“You do realize this contract serves as a punishment, do you not?” Joseph inquires. “No more squirming or I’ll set it for higher.”
Like many other things in Buck’s life, the fine print makes him hesitate. If the contract requires sexual fidelity for 50 years, then, even if they broke up within the marriage, Tommy would be tied to him. That’s not fair, especially if the parents are coming around to smoothing this out with the other clans anyways and Tommy’s safety is no longer at stake.
But Davis and Alice have kids and Alice has a steady partner. Breaking up families with a marriage doesn’t seem fair either.
Truth is that Buck knows he and Tommy have something good, but they’ve known each other for a few months and most of that has been distant, unlabelled or careless. But now with a whole set of rules in place that makes it impossible for Tommy to move on for at least 50 years…
“How long would a child be tied to you as a prize?” Buck asks Joseph. “What would that entail?”
Joseph lifts a brow. “Whatever I see fit,” he says. “Seeing as the dragon won't be part of my tribe as they would as a bride, they will not get as many benefits. But I can agree that the dragon will get more freedom in their personal life.”
It turns quiet. Charles and Marina are watching him and Joseph like hawks. So far, choosing the other option of giving a child as a prize and not as a bride has not even come into question because of Buck’s initial decision. And sure, it has more benefits.
But Tommy is no longer in danger and Buck doesn’t want to take away that big of a part of his life. Just because Tommy is being cooperative right now, that doesn’t mean he wants that either. And sure, this is a punishment and it’s not supposed to be fair to the Kinards. But Buck has to reconsider his options if he’s going to give Tommy a life with as much freedom as possible.
“Are you, like, going to use him as a weapon or something?” Buck asks. “Force him into doing something he doesn’t want to?”
“If I choose so,” Joseph says and Buck believes it. Just because Joseph doesn’t have anything against humans, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have enemies. “Time will tell. For now, I don't see a dragon being of any use. However, unless the prize cuts ties from their clan, I can still demand a part of their clan’s fortune. If not, I can claim the prize’s fortune.”
Buck knows that Joseph isn’t interested in the Kinard’s fortune though, unless it’s something crazy specific, so that doesn’t concern him too much.
“But would you allow him to have a family? Or a marriage o-or a partner he gets to choose for himself?” Buck asks.
Joseph lifts a brow. “As a prize, the dragon’s personal life and their services to me will stay harshly separated. Changing your mind?”
“I mean, I don’t want to be a literal ball and chain,” Buck says sheepishly.
Joseph turns to look at the parents. “Because I see no use of a dragon now or in the foreseeable future, I will have to extend the period of time that this contract is valid. However, if you agree to give me a child as a prize, I will allow you to pick the child yourselves.”
“How long would the contract be extended to?” Davis asks.
Joseph shrugs. “Long enough that I will probably have a bone to pick with my old man by then.”
“Wait, God ?” Buck says, even though he knows Joseph is just messing with them.
“Hold up,” Tommy says and lifts a reprimanding finger at Davis. “We’re not discussing this. Celibacy does not outweigh becoming a weapon to a demon, especially if being a weapon doesn’t protect our fortune or us against enemies. Don’t be ridiculous.”
That’s true. Buck is not putting either Tommy or his siblings through that. He will just have to get over his guilt.
“I think we will just settle with the marriage,” Marina says warily.
“But, I wanna fight God,” Davis says.
—--
By the time the Balkani arrive, they still haven’t come to an agreement. What they have agreed, however, is that fighting God is not a good idea no matter how much fire you can spew, that fertilized dragon eggs would not survive cryofreezing, that succubi and incubi should not be used as gender but instead of whether you prefer to top or bottom at the given moment and that Tommy will dissociate if his family starts fighting about the same issue for more than 8 minutes.
Joseph has his feet kicked back on the couch table, leaning back with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, seemingly sleeping, seeing that the Kinards have spent the past hour arguing about the smallest of phrasings and debating every word of the contract with extreme consideration. Buck never knew dragons were that literal. The worst thing is that they have actually not come into an agreement with any of it, so they haven’t engaged with either Joseph or Buck at all.
The most important parts of the contract are in place either way, at least for Buck. He has defined the role of a bride as a partner as much as possible to make sure that Tommy would never worry about being taken advantage of or mistreated.
When they hear the ring of a clock announcing the Balkani’s entrance, it’s a surprise and Buck doesn’t have time to hide. Suddenly the Mongolian clan of dragons are just there , right in the safe room. They’re dressed in burgundy, silk tunics that reach to just below their knees and fan out at the bottom with dark green ropes around their waists (Buck thinks the clothing is named deel? Or was that the Punjabi tunic?) with majestically shaped headdresses in dark blue. Their long hair varies from jet black to snow white, but outside that, the members of the clan look eerily similar to each other, their gender all very ambiguous.
Turning around, Buck realizes that Joseph has already popped out of existence while Buck himself is blocked by the door. Cursing his great-grandfather’s name in his head, he presses flat against the wall and tries to discreetly edge around the guests.
Marina and Charles look nervous as they speak with the elders of the Balkani in a foreign language. Alice and Davis are already greeting some of the other Balkanis their own age with politeness and respect.
Everyone is socializing, except for Tommy who has stayed still through all of it, eyeing the people around the room.
Then he picks up the pen.
“Tommy, no!” Buck hisses as Tommy quickly scribbles his signature.
The contract immediately disappears from Tommy’s hands and Tommy sends Buck a smug look.
“Son of a - “ Buck mutters as Tommy snaps his fingers and Buck pops out of the room.
—--
The meeting ends up dragging out.
Buck is so anxious about it, that he can barely take much notice of the very physical link he feels he has with Tommy now. Unlike their previous deal, he doesn’t feel weighed down with chains, which makes sense since he isn’t in Tommy’s debt anymore. He really hopes Tommy isn’t feeling the bond like a weight though. 50 years is a long time, even for Tommy.
Buck paces the hallways. What’s so tough about handing over a bag of money and getting on with it? They’re probably talking it out; Buck really hopes Charles and Marina get roasted. They’re probably also working over a new peace treaty. Buck feels both worried and relieved that Tommy won’t be included in that, seeing as he’s longer part of the Kinard-clan.
Outside, golden dragons start to arrive in front of the barrier. They don’t seem aggressive or impatient; it seems more like they’re guarding the area to make sure there won’t be any interruptions more than anything. Now that Buck looks at them outside battle, they look gentler than the Kinards are with their mild-colored golden scales and softer angles of their wings and horns. Buck does recall the news stating that their clan is one of the most peaceful ones.
But it’s all sheep's clothing. No matter their history of conflicts or their looks, they still targeted Gem. They killed her. And Buck will never forgive them for that.
At some point, a dragon meets Buck’s eyes through the window and Buck flips it the bird. The dragon huffs, a weak spray of blue fire fanning out, but Buck knows it won’t dare to touch him.
“Go ahead,” he says, even though the dragon probably can’t hear him. “I’ve been riding dragon dick, I’m built different.”
Even if Buck could somehow overpower the dragon, he couldn’t touch it anyways. He’s pretty sure the contract of peace with the Sivas is still in effect. Buck wonders what Joseph claimed from them in retribution, but decides he doesn’t want to know and that he doesn’t care. They probably got off easy, since their flames weren't even targeted at him, but at Gem.
They probably didn’t even care about that until Joseph showed up.
Gem herself probably hasn’t been the least on their minds.
Well, they’re about to have her on their minds now.
—--
Now that the wards around the castle have dropped and his target is sleeping, Buck finds the dragon easily.
It’s blending in and seemingly no different from the small cluster of dragons it’s resting among. But Buck knows this is the one that came that day; despite only having caught a glimpse of it, he had latched onto it by its physical proximity alone.
He stands in his astral form and surveys it, loss throbbing in his chest as his mind replays Gem’s screams of pain over and over again. He could do nothing that day.
But the dragon is in Buck’s territory now.
The dragon slowly opens its eyes and the scenario changes as Buck gets pulled into its dream. It’s resting outside the opening of a cave with its body leaning against a sun-warm rock. It senses him in the darkness right away, its sharp eyes trying to pick him out in the vast shadows of the inside of the cave. A flare of blue fire briefly lights up the darkness, long enough for Buck to come into view, but the shadows quickly choke out the fire again.
“You don’t scare me,” Buck says, his voice echoing.
The dragon eyes the darkness considerably. It must realize who Buck is, now that it has met Joseph and been made aware of its actions against his heir.
Sorry about your house, it says, proving Buck right. Its voice is deep and old, probably even older than Tommy.
“You should be,” Buck says, his lip trembling.
The dragon tilts its head as if confused. I didn’t enjoy it.
Buck can feel angry tears well up in his eyes, his entire soul bleeding as he stares at the dragon that looks so small now. “That doesn’t help me much,” he chokes. “She was innocent in all of this.”
The dragon slowly raises its head, extending its neck to tower over Buck. The Kinards stole our farms.
“You didn’t steal her. You killed her,” Buck snarls. “She wasn’t just a farm. She was my best friend. She had a soul . ”
The dragon doesn’t reply, its ears lowering against its skull.
That’s when Buck realises it. “You knew,” he says and his heart screams and the beast of hatred that was created that day bursts through the surface like an animal. Everything becomes black and white. Nothing matters. Only revenge does.
“You knew and you did it anyway,” Buck croaks.
Theft bears grave consequences among our kind.
“Was it your decision?” Buck whispers and the dragon spews another mouthful of fire to localize him in the darkness, but this time it doesn’t reach him.
Finally alarmed, the dragon turns to face the darkness straight on, intelligent eyes trying to track the sound of his voice.
“Don’t lie,” Buck says. “I will know.”
The dragon doesn’t answer. It probably knows that no matter what the answer is, it won’t change Buck’s mind. It won’t stop Buck’s blood from boiling. And it knows that Buck can sense the apathy it felt that day, how Gem was just another job to be done.
That snaps Buck out of the black and white thinking, the beast soaring into his throat like acid. “You got your wealth back,” Buck says. “But no amount of money can give her back to me. Do you understand that?”
My condolences for your loss, the dragon only replies.
Despite the words, Buck can tell that it doesn’t care that much. And why would it? At the end of the day, it knows that Buck can’t touch it. For one, because Buck is not powerful enough outside this realm to do any real harm and second, even if he was powerful enough to harm it, the contract doesn’t allow it. In the real world, Buck is no threat.
But this isn’t the real world. This is a dream.
The dragon doesn’t know that the immunity the contract provides doesn’t apply here. It doesn’t know about Buck’s list. It doesn’t know that Buck knows that sleep is its kryptonite.
“Can’t really use that apology for shit, can I?” Buck asks, his voice muddy and shaking. “Tide.”
At her name, the vast shadows he’s hiding in take shape and condense, until Tide emerges from the cave with a growl that sounds more like the rumble of thunder. Here in the dream world, her size has changed, easily as big as the dragon’s, Buck’s head barely reaching her ankle.
Dragons might be powerful out in the sun and in the material plane. They can spew fire and own castles and use celestial magic. They can break souls and Buck’s heart.
But here, he and Tide are king.
“ Eat .”
—--
When Buck has slid back into his body, he doesn’t feel victorious. Revenge would never bring Gem back nor the innocence Buck just lost. Not only had he let Tide do what she did; he has made sure that she will do it every time the dragon closes its eyes. He thinks that it's only fair that the nightmares of the dragon will last as long as his grief.
He has hidden his traces, made sure that the dragon forgot about the dream that came before the nightmare, so this doesn’t bite them in the ass later.
It’s time to find Tommy.
—-
The sky is a dark-blue and a little purple when Buck walks outside and to his surprise, Tommy is already resting on the lawn in his dragon form. Buck can’t help but smile when he sees it. They’re going home. It’s finally over.
“Hey,” he says, stopping in front of Tommy and reaching out his arms. “You look so beautiful. Get down here so I can see you.”
Indulgently, Tommy lowers his head that’s easily the same size as a caravan. Buck paws at his leathery snout, his hands gliding over the nostrils that are calloused with fire.
“You’re as a black as a raven,” Buck says with wonder. “Or black oil.”
Is that a compliment?
Buck smiles. Even in this form, Tommy’s voice is calm, fond. “Of course it is,” he says. He grabs one of the nearest scales and hikes himself up onto Tommy’s snout.
Tommy huffs indignantly and Buck continues his climb until he reaches Tommy’s horns.
“Wow,” Buck says and rubs at the rough keratin. The horns are duller than the golden dragons’, a cold egg-shell color. “Didn’t think they would be so smooth.”
I feel like a show pony, Tommy says as Buck climbs over his head and stops at his neck.
“Nonsense,” Buck says and strokes Tommy underneath the eye. It blinks, first the regular eyelid coming down and then his third eyelid coming sideways. It looks pretty disturbing in this magnitude and this up close.
Buck kisses the top of his forehead, before leaning down so Tommy can see him better. “You’re my bride.”
It appears so, Tommy says and Buck jumps down from his head to fully see him.
Tommy fits the more classical profile of a dragon. His scales are diamond-shaped and his wings much like Buck’s; leathery and with a spider web of bones keeping the flesh together. In this form, Buck can see the tears and burns of recent battles and scars of old ones.
There’s a particular thick keloid along his ribs, matching the one Tommy currently has in his human form.
Buck glides his hand down Tommy’s stomach; there’s no outlines of ribs but like his back there’s a long external ridge of bone. Having seen the drawings of dragon anatomy, Buck knows it’s a second spine, not attached to his main one, that protects his back and also stomach from attacks.
That tickles, Tommy says.
“Does not,” Buck says, rolling his eyes. “Your sensitivity is probably shot to shit in this form.”
You don’t know that.
“I’m just admiring you,” Buck says and senses the small spark of pleased satisfaction in Tommy. It’s a nice surprise, because normally Buck only senses sins, lies, negative feelings, weakness. Maybe he should meet up with Joseph once in a while just to unlock new powers.
Tommy’s four legs are thick and end in a paw-like manner with five talons so long they actually dig into the ground. His tail is long and thick, and looks more like an extension of his chest than anything, ending with at least ten spikes, colored and textured like the horns on his face.
Do I pass inspection? Tommy asks, once Buck has walked all the way to the end of his tail.
“You look stunning,” Buck breathes. “But how am I supposed to ride with you back? You’ll be too fast for me to keep up and the wind will be too strong for me to hang on.”
I’ll create an air pocket around you, Tommy says. Let’s go.
“Now?” Buck says.
Yes. My parents have already exchanged the reparation payment and I’ve said my goodbyes. I was just waiting for you to wake up.
—--
Even though Buck knew that Tommy would be fast, nothing had prepared him on just how fast. He takes a seat in-between Tommy’s neck and chest, safely secured by an air pocket and two spinal spikes.
Tommy takes flight without further ado. The ground quickly shrinks beneath them, but Buck can’t see much and like Tommy promised, Buck can barely feel the wind or the pull of his strong movements as Tommy shifts direction.
They climb onto a higher altitude quickly and thankfully Buck doesn’t feel the turmoil of when he was in an airplane, though Tommy does waver a little bit. It should be freezing cold, but instead Buck finds himself drowsy, the night’s lack of sleep coming back for him hard.
Go to sleep, Tommy says. I’ll wake you when we’re close.
—-
It actually winds up being Tommy’s phone in the fanny pocket that wakes Buck up.
All around them, the sea and clouds are still surrounding them, so it’s quite impressive that there’s any signal at all. The sun has moved past zenith though, so it must be afternoon and they’re already much closer to the west coast than Buck expected.
Buck picks up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Heya Buck,” Bobby says, sounding unusually nervous. “Tommy texted me that you would be here in 9 hours time. How far are you, if I may ask and how much space fits in the airplane?”
Buck suddenly finds himself wide awake. “Why, what’s going on?”
“We’re currently on a hillside surrounded by an army of goblins,” he says. “We tried to escape in the engine, but we ran out of gas and now we’re stranded on a hillside. Solomon is keeping up a shield, but he’ll get too tired eventually.”
“Solomon?” Buck repeats, more and more confused. “The guy who beat me up?”
“Yeah, that one,” Bobby says. “Turns out, when you’re the recipient of a dragon burning down your house and is presumed dead, your face will be all over the news. He sought us out and asked if we needed help with anything.”
“And why are you surrounded by goblins again?” Buck asks, swaying slightly as Tommy picks up speed at his words.
“When Tide escaped, she brought with her some remains of Gem that she vomited all over my carpet,” Bobby says. “Hen, Eddie and Chimney went behind my back to see if they could find any trace of her magic in the remains, which they did and they kind of revived her. But, when it comes down to it, old magic contained in items is very expensive and rare on the black market and will definitely catch the attention of the wrong creatures.”
“Gem is alive?” Buck breathes and at that Tommy practically shoots through the air. It’s too good to be true. But of course, the 118 would pull something like that. They never abandon anyone that has even the smallest chance of survival and they never give up on making the impossible happen.
How did Buck become so lucky to have people like that? And … was he really going to see Gem again?
“We’ll get a helicopter as soon as possible!” Buck exclaims, heart hammering in his chest.
Forget the helicopter, Tommy says. I’ll pick them up like this.
“You sure?” Buck asks. “They’ll see you.”
It will be worth it, Tommy replies.
Buck nods harshly. “Bobby, share your location.”
—--
To get to Ritter Ranch Park, you have to fly over half of LA and Buck finds himself nervous when he sees first the coast and then the pier come into view. Smoothly, Tommy drops altitude, unfaced by the myriad of streets underneath them. Buck can’t see much; they’re still far above ground, but he can see cars stopping in the middle of the roads.
He doesn’t know if they’re scared and trying to escape on foot after the last appearance of a dragon in LA or if it’s to take pictures or whatever, but it does make him nervous. What if the army thinks Tommy is hostile and is sending fighter jets or something? What if people are tracking them and can narrow it down to where they’re going?
Buck doesn’t get to think for too long. Tommy is rapidly lowering to the ground and by the time Buck can see people clearly, they’ve already swept over the worst of the LA hills.
Thankfully, the 118 is easy to find with most of them standing on top of the vibrant red of the fire engine, but they quickly throw themselves down on their stomachs when they see Tommy come into view.
The goblins surrounding the engine by at least 65 feet, are almost imperceptible in the desert, their brown and green colors merging in with the vegetation. Tommy utters a loud growl as a warning and the dog-sized goblins do frighten, but instead of running away they crowd the fire engine, trying to stay compacted to avoid exposure.
Tommy roars this time and streams of them finally scatter. When not much else changes, he finally emits a ray of blue fire that hits the ground and sweeps over the goblins. The goblins immediately draw up their armour and turn into stone. It won’t protect them forever, but Buck knows Tommy is not out to kill them, only to pacify them.
Tommy huffs, undulating in the air and another stream of goblins drop their armour to flee. The ones remaining also drop their armour, but only to crowd up against the engine. It’s only when Tommy floats around the engine, that Buck sees why.
Chimney is on the ground in front of the engine; on his back half of a chandelier is strapped underneath a sheet, and he’s fervently trying to get off the ground. Bobby is hanging over the engine, reaching out for Chimney’s hand. The ladder is gone, the 118 probably having disposed of it to make sure the goblins wouldn’t be able to scale it. Something must have knocked Chimney off. Hen is locked tight between a long piece of curtain and a bedframe.
Protecting Chimney’s back, Tide and Eddie, in his wolf form, are on the ground, keeping the line of goblins back with snarls and bites. Solomon is standing frozen besides them, his mouth gaping at the sight of Tommy.
Buck realizes that Chimney, Tide, Solomon and Eddie are too close to the goblins to be safe from the line of fire and Tommy realizes it as well.
Buck doesn’t even hesitate, he only starts his transformation. He can feel himself growing several inches taller and his muscles and bones expanding, cracking open his shoes and button-down. Scarification morphs his smooth skin with square patterns and his vision turns multi-dimensional as his eyes turn from blue to scarlet red and his pupils slim down to slits. His horns and tail grow even longer and stronger and with a cry his wings splurts out of his back, breaking the skin and tank top with a splatter of blood.
With a confidence he has never felt before in this form, Buck jumps down Tommy's back and his wings snap out to break the fall. Flashing through the air, he tackles through the myriad of goblins in front of Eddie and Solomon to create some space, but it won’t keep them back for long.
Focus on your intention, don’t overthink it and your magic will do the rest, Joseph had said.
Joseph better be fucking right. Here goes nothing. Turning sharply back around Buck thinks wallwallwall, pleasepleaseplease, wallwallwall, makewallplease, wallwallwall. And it actually fucking works. Behind his wake, a trail of fire blazes up into the goblins faces and as soon as the goblins turn into the stone, he powers up the fire until it’s easily taller than the engine.
Buck lands in front of Chimney and notices that Tommy has landed besides the engine. He has lowered his back and Hen is already on top with the curtain in her lap, reaching out for the bed frame that Bobby is holding out for her.
“On top of Tommy,” Buck says. “Now!”
“How - “ Chimney gets to utter before Buck wraps his arms around him and flies up to Tommy's waiting back, depositing him in the air pocket.
Buck flies back to the ground and with a quick apology, he picks Eddie up from the ground. Eddie does a small yelp as they leave the ground, not used to being picked up. He’s the same size as a horse, but right now when Buck is in this form, Eddie might as well have been just a big dog.
Buck drops Eddie on top of Tommy perhaps a little carelessly. Eddie clumsily lands, but thankfully with Tommy’s broad back, Eddie’s size isn’t really a risk.
When Buck returns, Solomon has already jumped onto the engine and with another jump, he lands onto Tommy’s back. Buck really has to find out what breed Solomon is.
Buck whistles and Tide turns away from the fire she has been glaring through, and wags her tail.
“Tide, up, up!” Buck calls, holding out his arms and she jumps straight into his arms with a bark, even though he’s a fair distance away from the ground. He catches her ice-cold figure with a grunt and flies back to Tommy to put her on his back.
As a final warning Tommy sprays another wave of fire at the ground, which turns the goblins into stone again and extinguishes Buck’s own meager wall of fire.
With that done, Tommy takes off, Buck on his heels.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Chimney screams when they soar, wobbling as he tries to get a firm grasp on the spine he’s sitting behind, while still holding the chandelier that is the same size as his body. “I can’t believe it, I thought Tommy was only beefing with dragons, not that he was one.”
Stay still, Tommy orders. Evan, climb on.
Buck lands behind Eddie, who has lied down to stay as flat as possible. He’s about to approach, when he sees Eddie sway back, which makes Buck pause.
Eddie stares at Buck for a second and Buck realizes he's inspecting Buck’s other form. With a glance around, Buck realizes that they all are. Then Eddie nudges forwards his snout and Buck sits down, so he can hold out his hand for a sniff.
A moment passes where Buck starts to feel anxious, and then Eddie sticks out his tongue and licks at first Buck’s hand, then sits up to lick Buck’s forehead. Buck laughs and wraps his tail around one of Eddie’s legs.
“I thought you'd look scarier,” Chimney says. “Like Hell Boy or something.”
When Buck looks at the others with a raised brow, Hen just shrugs and Bobby sends him a comforting smile.
“I wouldn’t have punched you that hard if I knew you looked like that,” Solomon says.
Buck is about to reply when Tide tackles him, jumping onto her back legs to lick his face enthusiastically.
“Oh, yeah, sorry I didn’t pick up your dog while down there,” Solomon says. “She kind of… non-materialized when I tried.”
“She does that,” Buck says and giggles as he pats her head. “Who’s been a good girl for daddy? Is it you? Have you been a good girl?”
She barks eagerly and he ruffles her head.
“This is your other daddy,” Buck tells her seriously and pats Tommy’s back. “The one I told you about, remember?”
Even though Tide doesn’t really have a face, he can feel her confusion.
“Daddy,” Buck says and points down. “Tommy, say hi to your daughter.”
Tommy rumbles and Tide barks again. Easily, as if gravity isn’t a factor to her (it probably isn’t considering the jump she made down there), she runs across Tommy’s back and neck to sniff his ear.
Down, girl, Tommy says, his ear flickering. Evan, I thought you said dog.
“She’s dog- looking ,” Buck empathizes.
I do see a little doberman, Tommy says. He huffs again and when Buck looks down, they have already swept through the landscape and are back over the roads again. Evan?
“Yes?”
You look lovely.
—-
When they land, they do it in the middle of the desert.
There’s only a small house there and a dusty truck. Buck immediately feels the multiple wards surrounding the grounds, easily dropping when Tommy nears it. It’s completely isolated, far away from any roads and Buck assumes it's from here that Tommy usually changes shape to migrate.
Tommy lands gently on the ground, flattens his torso and folds out his wings so they lay flat against the ground. Tide is the first one gone, jumping off directly from his back and running around the grounds to sniff at the air and take a look around.
Eddie trots down a wing and lands with a huff, before he shakes sand and dust out on his fur. Buck slides off next and holds out his hand to catch Bobby, who’s balancing the bedframe in his arms. As soon as they’re all off Tommy’s back, Tommy stands up.
He walks around, making the ground literally shake underneath them, until his body turns into a ring surrounding the house. He lies down again, this time with his wings tucked to his sides and his long neck stretched out. With a deep exhale, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.
It serves as a reminder that Tommy has been up all night too, flown all day and been in battle for weeks. He needs his rest.
Buck turns to Solomon. “Thanks, man,” he says and holds out his hand for a fist bump.
Solomon smiles crookedly. “When I offered my help, I assumed it would be used for funeral arrangements or something,” he says, returning the fist bump. “That was wild.”
“I see you held your own though,” Buck replies. “Are you in the military?”
“What? God no. I’m a librarian. I just happen to be half witch, half giant. Yes, I know you can’t tell the giant part, no one does,” Solomon says. “You think someone who cried like a child after assaulting you would be in the military?”
“Probably not,” Buck says sheepishly. “Still, consider your favor repaid.”
“Neat,” Solomon says.
That being over with, Buck walks over to Hen. He doesn’t need to say anything; she simply passes him the piece of curtain she’s holding with a mild smile.
Grateful and teary, he wraps it up and presses his nose into it, inhaling deeply. For a second he doesn’t sense much - just the vague smell of basement - but then a small tingle of worry and relief touches him.
She’s there. Small and fragile like an infant’s heartbeat. If this was post-revival, Buck can’t imagine how weak she must have been before.
Buck extends his tendrils into the fabric. The little tingle of old sentience he just felt is already gone and the curtain turns flat and lifeless. He lets his hand stroke down the threads, his heart beating quickly with worry and then gingerly he locks his tendrils into every fiber of the fabric.
And there it is again. Small, dying seeds of old magic.
He sees her remains like gold flakes, hidden in the cracks in the bottom of a river, but threatened with the force of the stream. He manifests his intention, willing his magic to do his bidding. He needs to extract her flakes, without losing them in his grip to be lost.
He twists his tendrils and extends them in branch-like structures. He imagines them plunging into the water, grasping for the gold flakes inside the cracks and picking them up like sticky fingers. Not all of them come out unscathed; some come out in pieces, others fall into the flood.
But he has enough of her now. Out of the water, the handful of gold flakes vibrate in his tendrils and before they can start to sour, he pours all of his magic into her. For a second he doesn’t feel a thing and he fears the flakes have turned infertile, that he has made this worse.
But then a power softly pushes back into his tendrils; it comes from a story and a place a long time ago. It’s not strong; not even influential. But it’s stubborn and it’s alive.
Safer and more stable, the gold flakes finally knit together in low rows and Buck keeps pouring his magic into them until they’re fabric, until it strengthens, until it comes alive like a sun flare in his eyes.
In the real world, he feels the curtain flare out in his hands, expanding like a wave crashing onto hard rock. It slides down his arms and falls onto the ground. Buck doesn’t dare open his eyes, just listens until he hears it.
Gem’s gentle hum.
Fervently, he dives in deeper for her, but she’s no longer a thin riverbed. He plunges into her encompassing waters and it rushes with life, sounds, intentions, music, safety, books, food, leather, silk. Home. All he can feel is her.
“Welcome back, Gem,” he whispers and lowers the curtain from his face. In return, he feels a sense of relief coming from the curtain and then a wave of undignified irritation.
“I know, we will get you settled into your new home as soon as possible,” Buck coos. “Echo Park is very pretty, you know? Wouldn’t a change of scenery be nice?”
She does a metaphorical grunt and turns quiet.
“She's a seedling compared to before,” Bobby says behind him, startling Buck. “It will take a long time for her to grow into what she was before, but she’ll get there eventually.”
Buck looks up at the team. “Thank you,” he says and harshly rubs his eyes when they start to tear, everything hitting him at once. “Thank you so much. You don’t k-know how much this means to me.”
“We do,” Bobby says with a smile and puts a hand on Buck’s shoulder. “That’s why we fought tooth and nail to make this happen.”
“We were only stranded, because the chandelier was shaken off the engine when we were escaping,” Solomon says. “Chimney jumped straight down to get it.”
Chimney sheepishly scratches his neck. “Yeah, that could have gone horribly wrong.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” Buck says.
Tide barks for attention and Buck kneels down to ruffle her ears.
“Is that why you started eating away at her that day?” Buck asks her with a whispering voice. “Did you know?”
Tide only licks his face and then goes away to sniff at the bed frame.
Buck lifts up the curtains and runs over to Tommy’s head, lying outside what would be Tommy’s hearing range.
“Tommy,” he says and pats Tommy’s cheek “Tommy, wake up.”
Tommy’s eye opens and the slitted pupil flicks over to Buck.
“See?” Buck says and holds up the curtain. “She’s okay. Right? She. She’s okay. Right? Tell me she’s okay.”
Tommy doesn’t answer, only exhales sleepily. Blinking slowly, he turns to look at the curtain and then over at the chandelier and bedframe. After a second he opens his mouth and a stark thread of black and white energy slides out and fades into the three objects. Buck can feel Gem’s strength spike even more and in front of his eyes, he sees the chandelier turn whole as well as the bedframe.
Tommy slumps.
—--
Eddie is the one who finds the key for the house. It’s no surprise that the Kinards haven’t made a big deal out of hiding the key either; not many would be able to survive the hike, there were wards and the house is clearly only a passage point.
When the team tramples inside, Buck stops Eddie when he’s about to follow them.
“No dirt in the house,” he says.
Eddie whines and then looks sourly at Tide as she struts right inside.
Buck finds a hose at the back of the house and miraculously the water is working, God knows how. He rinses Eddie down and occasionally hoses him in his mouth to get the wolf hydrated. He shoots a concerned look at Tommy as he does it. When has he last had something to drink? Isn’t he hot? He’s a reptile so Buck knows that Tommy should like to bask, but he should at least get a little bit of water in him.
That would have to wait until Tommy wakes up though.
Finding a towel, Buck waits on the porch as Eddie changes shapes.
Eddie yawns loudly as he gets himself dry, but otherwise stays quiet.
In the house, the team has stripped themselves of the turnout jackets and Chimney is gulping down a bottle of water like his life depends on it. The rest of them are sipping leisurely.
“Okay,” Chimney says after having smacked down his bottle on the table. “What the Hell is going on?”
“Uh,” Buck says. “To be honest, I don’t know a ton. All I can say is that Tommy’s family started beef with another family, hence a dragon burning down Gem in revenge. Tommy went there to defend them. A peace treaty was signed this morning, so that’s why we’re back.”
“Oh,” Bobby says and nods once. He’s visibly crashing.
“Look, you need to keep this a secret,” Buck says nervously. “If there’s anything I’ve learned the past two days is that their kind is not to be messed around with.”
“Of course,” Hen says. “He looks like he’s in rough shape.”
Buck grimaces. “It hasn’t been easy,” he settles on saying. “Solomon, I need you to promise to keep Tommy’s identity safe.”
“I promise,” Solomon says easily and then pauses. “Oh shit, I just made another deal with you, didn’t I?”
“A promise isn’t the same as a deal,” Buck says, waving him off. “Oh, guess what, I met my great-granddad!”
—-
The 118 crashes hard, apparently having pulled an all-nighter too and soon the little house is littered with sleeping bodies. Buck stays by the window and watches over Tommy.
By the time the dragon rouses, the sun has gone down. As soon as Tommy opens his eyes and yawns, Buck is outside.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
Tommy sighs and hums a little. Shakily he gets on his feet and Buck watches him with worry as he shakes his head and yawns again. Then Tommy just seems to collapse on himself.
“Tommy?” Buck asks.
Tommy opens an eye and there’s something so… resigned that comes over him. With a long exhale, his skin starts to glow and a flash momentarily brightens the dark desert.
And then Tommy’s just sitting there in his human form. Buck hurries up to him, only to freeze with horror.
Tommy’s skin is completely spotted with spores now. They look bulging, even leaking and cover his arms and legs in larger clusters and on his face, they’re smaller and almost bead-like.
“I don’t understand,” Buck whispers, reaching out to touch Tommy’s bumpy cheek. “You… You were getting better. Why has it gotten worse?”
Tommy sighs, his lids heavy. He looks so tired. “The reparations negotiation inflamed all of us again,” he whispers. “The Sivas wanted much more than we expected them to.”
“But… It will go away now, right? Now that you’re away from them.”
“Sure,” Tommy says. “But I will have to sleep. Alice and my parents are already asleep.”
“Oh,” Buck says. “You can go inside or we can sleep in the truck.“
But when Tommy looks at him with heavy eyes, Buck knows that it isn’t that simple.
“Dragon sleep, Evan,” Tommy says gently.
Buck steps back. “But that will take years.”
It looks like Tommy’s head weighs 20 pounds as he sluggishly nods.
“O-okay,” Buck says. “I… Isn’t there… any medicine? I mean, if you need to rest I want and need you to, but…”
“It’s a long time. I know,” Tommy says. “That’s why I figured that I would go to the celestial plane and bathe in the springs over there.”
Buck’s shoulders drop. There must be a reason why Tommy didn’t offer that initially. “But?”
“Time passes oddly over there,” Tommy says. “And I won’t be strong enough to come back to this plane unless I’m healed. I won’t know how long it takes over there either. I can also get lost on my way back to this plane.”
Buck stares at him. Tommy is turning grey right in front of him. “So what do you choose?”
Tommy smiles tiredly. “I’d rather risk being away from you for a month than five years.”
Buck straightens with an idea. It would be a bet, but it won’t hurt to try. “Let’s make a deal then.”
Tommy sends him a crooked smile. “And what would that be? I’m already your bride.”
“Maybe if we make a deal, that deal will work as a pathway,” Buck says.
Slowly, Tommy nods. “And what do you want?”
“I want you to return within a year,” Buck demands.
“And in return?”
It has to be big. Grand. Something that’s too good for Tommy to resist.
“An heir,” Buck states.
At that, Tommy’s eyes widen and Buck knows he hit the spot. Babies are important to dragons and even though Tommy has never said anything about wanting children, he must still have had a wish of being a father.
“Our heir,” Buck says, taking Tommy’s hands and putting them on his stomach.
“Deal,” Tommy says so quickly Buck doesn’t even have the time to think about how the Hell he was going to make that happen.
“Good,” Buck says. He drops Tommy’s hands and adds jokingly: “Don’t think you can sleep away our marriage, okay?”
“You can get ahead of the wedding planning,” Tommy suggests.
“Wedding?”
“Yeah. I’ve been dreaming about a gay wedding since I was a kid,” Tommy says as his skin starts to glow and he disappears from the ground in a ball of light. “Goodbye, Evan.”
“But Tommy, I don’t know how to do a gay wedding!” Buck exclaims as a flash blinds him. When he looks up, Tommy is already in the sky in his dragon form. “I’m only a baby bi!”
Tommy opens his mouth and a blaze of pure white and black comes out of his mouth. He wobbles as it happens, dipping in the air as if losing strength. A bright ring of white lights up the desert and Tommy takes flight towards it.
You’ll figure it out, Buck hears and then Tommy is gone. I love you too, Evan.
The night turns deadly quiet. There's only the moon and remaining stars left in the sky, but who the fuck cares about the Milky Way anyway, when the most important of stars is gone.
“Fucking eavesdropper,” Buck whispers.
Nine months later
Buck stands up. Despite his headband, sweat has still dripped into his eyes and he tucks up his shirt to wipe his forehead.
It’s day five of the heatwave. It should be a horrible day to do garden work, but it took weeks of planning to get everyone here to help him out.
“I can’t believe it,” Eddie grumbles beside him.
“She can hear you,” Buck says in warning.
“She bit off more than she can chew,” Eddie whispers, because he knows damn well by now that if anyone points out that Gem can’t maintain herself the slightest she will expand the grounds even further to prove a point that she’s not quite able to pull through yet.
Buck still has no idea how she does it. The street is exactly as long as when Buck moved in, as well as the sidewalk along the garden. But somehow when you get into the garden, it seems five times bigger.
The only reason why maintaining the grounds has been somewhat accomplishable is because Buck woke up five months ago with a conservatory and two months ago with a second guest bedroom. The rooms have been gradually growing wider and higher too and so far Gem has been able to maintain the cleaning, but she’s not quite powerful enough to maintain the garden.
They’re interrupted by Jee-Yun running over to them. She’s wearing her new sun hat with watermelons and a matching dress.
“Here, Uncle Buck, Uncle Eddie,” she says and passes them two bottles of water.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Eddie says as he wipes his brow.
Jee-Yun giggles and bounces back and forth on her heels. “Aren’t you excited for today?” she asks giddily. “Today is going to be awesome! I missed him.”
With those words, she runs off again. She takes her place between Maddie’s knees, who’s resting in a garden chair, her big pregnant stomach practically looking like a boulder.
While Eddie and Buck are hard at work weeding the garden, Hen and Chimney are trimming the hedges that have grown far taller than the rest of them - another one of Gem’s ideas for privacy. To watch his back, Bobby is taking care of the grill and Athena is chasing the children around the house with her water gun. She’s not going easy on them at all, all of them soaked while she’s dry but they’re having a good time.
Buck watches them serenely until he feels a cold shimmer down his body. When he bows down again to continue the weedwork, Eddie shoots him a glance.
“Christopher is at a sleepover on Saturday,” he says nonchalantly.
Buck doesn’t go out to feed alone anymore - never really got the chance to. As soon as the team had noticed him losing his bulk, Chimney and Eddie had shown up at his porch as his wingmen.
It had been hard maintaining his eating schedule without Tommy, but as a firefighter, Buck needs his strength and now that the bitter sting of loneliness isn’t such a substantial part of his life anymore, he gets through his feedings easier.
“Now, now!” Jee-Yun shouts and points at the sidewalk.
Buck stands up to look.
A few seconds later, Buck sees a familiar figure coming down the sidestreet. He’s wearing a tank top, his shirt slung over his arm. He’s dewy with sweat too and when he sees Buck looking, he waves.
His hair is lighter and the black spores that had blemished his skin are gone, healthy, tan skin practically glowing.
Buck throws away the raker and rips off his gloves.
Tommy stays standing with a bright grin as Buck runs up to him. He holds out his arms and Buck throws himself into them.
“Missed me?” Tommy asks. They’re both sweaty and a little gross in each other’s arms. He presses a kiss onto Buck’s lips anyway.
“Not at all,” Buck says. “How was your bath?”
“Heavenly,” Tommy says. “It’d been better if you were there with me though.”
Buck kisses him again. “Next time our bathtub will have to do. You’re not going anywhere.”