Roo and Tanner Bonus Ficlet
Roo
Vegas is hot. Who would have thought being in the middle of the desert would fry my skin like this? I'm fucking Australian, mate, and even this heat is too much for me.
"How are you supposed to compete in this?" I ask Tanner.
He's grinning. Ever happy and excitable, but even more so right now. Since Tanner decided he was entering the World Firefighters Games this year, it's been our whole life for months. He works, he trains, he eats, he trains, he sleeps and shits, he trains.
He's damn lucky he's still finding time to smother me with attention or I'd be feeling left out. But that's Tanner. He doesn't know how to be anything less than enthusiastic.
"Yeah, the heat has me a little worried," he says, pinching his thumb and forefinger almost together. "But I've been hydrating all morning, and there are people here from areas colder than the pacific northwest."
"Well, at least we know you won't come last." I mean it as a pithy response, but Tanner stops walking.
"L-last. You think I'll come last?"
I'm an idiot. "No, of course not." I link my arm with his to pull him along, and he relaxes against my hold. "I just said there'll be others who cark it before you do."
"You think you're helping, but you're not."
"I'm here, aren't I?"
We approach the huge crowds around where the event has been set up.
The games take place over a full week with parades and multiple events run in heats.
Today's Tanner's first day competing, and little does he know, I'm not the only one here to show my support.
Jules, Laura, Circus, Leon, Dahlia and Rafe all made it down and we purposely kept it from him because my man gets stupidly nervous at the best of times.
"Don't think of it like a competition," I remind him. "Just picture an actual burning building with people screaming for help inside and you'll do fine."
He gives me a concerned look before tugging me in for a kiss. "Somehow that helped, thank you. I'm not sure how that helped, but it did."
I grin, loving the warmth I feel every time I look into his face. "You can always count on me."
"I know. Now get that sexy ass into the stands and prepare to drool over me." He slaps my ass.
As I walk away, I throw back over my shoulder, "I've been preparing for this moment my whole life."
It's not far from true. Even after years together, I still have these holy whoa moments some days when I wake up and find him sleeping right beside me.
I've spent more time in love with him and not able to touch, than I have with him, and it takes me a moment to recalibrate my brain to the fact that, yes, I am living my dream.
A great house, our two cats and multiple foster animals, a job I like, and coming home every day to Tanner. Nothing could ever make me happier.
"How is he?" Rafe asks as I reach the stands where our friends are sitting.
The first event is the hose pull, and despite my multiple dirty jokes about assisting him with practice, it's exactly as it sounds.
They get kitted out in full gear and have to race to a fire with a heavy as hell hose.
They're timed and the first one there progresses. It's going to be a long day.
"Nervous, but fine. It's Tanner. He doesn't want to win, he just wants to have fun and not fall on his ass."
"You know, I'm starting to understand this whole firefighter kink," Dahlia says.
Jules bats her lightly. "We don't need to objectify the pretty men."
"Yeah we do," Circus interjects, flicking down his sunglasses. "Wait until I tell Rowan what he missed out on."
Leon chuckles and fans himself against the heat. "Unless one of them trips over the hose and somehow sets the stands on fire, I don't think any of them will be my type."
"Still wish Auggie had made it."
Leon shudders. "We don't need the whole of Las Vegas shut down due to an"--he makes quote marks with his fingers--"accident, thank you."
"Like a sex accident?" Circus asks.
I snicker as Leon sighs. "It's anyone's guess when it comes to him."
“Cam is looking out for him,” Rafe reminds Leon.
The competition starts, and I enjoy myself more than I thought I would. We take bets before each heat on who we think will win and dollar bills are passed back and forth between us.
It's fun: until Tanner's turn.
I just about scream myself hoarse cheering for him as he takes the line, but when it starts, my friends have to take over for me.
Here's the thing.
I know Tanner's hot.
I know he's fit and capable.
I know my man is a literal fucking hero.
But as I stand there and watch him, in full gear, powering across the asphalt toward this fire, dragging a giant fire hose behind him, I think I fall in love all over again.
"Aww." Rafe nudges me with his elbow. "You've got hearts in your eyes."
"And in my dick. Am I really living with all that?"
Dahlia cackles and Circus leans around Rafe to bat me across the head.
I know, I know, these dickweeds are just jealous. Tanner's all mine and I don't share.
Tanner
I'm on a high. Out of the two thousand firefighters who signed on today, I made it into the top eight. Eight. There was only one other American who made it too, so I'm taking that as a fucking win.
Plus, all of my incredible friends are here to cheer me on.
"To the hottest guy in this bar," Roo says, holding up a shot glass. "The only American in the top ten."
The others cheer, and I hate to correct him.
"I wasn't the only American."
"Pfft," Roo says, downing his drink. "The cocky guy from Seattle doesn't count."
"And why is that?"
Circus laughs. "He's pissy that the dude's boyfriend was hotter than him."
Roo crosses his arms. "I never said that."
"Didn't have to," Rafe mutters into his drink.
Roo flips him off.
"I talked to him actually,” I say. “He was really nice. His sister died in a house fire when he was younger."
That information obviously takes the table by surprise because everyone falls quiet. Except Roo. He lets out a long, drawn out groan instead.
"Does that mean I have to like him?"
"Sure does." I press a kiss to the scar by Roo's ear. "You're not allowed to have individual thoughts and feelings outside of me."
Roo squirms his way onto my lap, and I wrap my arms around him. Being this close to him, breathing him in, feeling his body heat against mine, it's home. It always has been home.
Dahlia face palms. "I was just about to say that somehow you've become less codependent since you got into a relationship, and then you go and fuse yourselves together."
Roo nods. "We save our codependency for the bedroom now."
"Don't need to know."
"Mmm but I do," I mutter into his ear.
Roo turns on my lap, purposely wriggling against my cock, and smiles down at me. "I'll tell you all about it later. While we reenact a fireman fantasy I didn't know I had."
"What?"
"Babe ... Babe. Seeing you today, I couldn't pick my jaw up off the ground."
"It's true," Rafe sighs. "I'm pretty sure I spotted drool as well."
Roo hurries to nod. "Definitely drool. I have developed a whole new appreciation for you and how lucky I got."
"Lucky? You?" I can't believe my ears. "You do know I get to spend my life with you, right?"
"Stop, I'm going to get nauseous," Jules moans.
Roo flips her off, his loving way of telling people to shush, and presses his lips to mine. As always, he doesn't give a fuck who's watching, just kisses me like I mean everything to him, and I kiss him back the same.
My heart hurts with him around. Feels like it's straining out of my ribs. Knowing that I very nearly missed having this and how empty my life would have been without him.
I still can't believe he waited our whole lives for me, and I continue to make it up to him every day.
Our house is a freaking animal shelter at this point because he's told Margot, in no uncertain terms, that any of the animals that need adopting can stay with us until they find their forever home.
He's tried using those big eyes on me to adopt more than half of them, and the only time I came close to agreeing was the parrot who kept saying bullshit at the most inappropriate moments.
The deal breaker was trying to make love with a background track of "bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit," in time with the creaks of the bed.
But other than the animals, I let him walk all over me with no hesitation. Life is too short, and I’d rather focus on making our lives as happy as they can be.
I nip his bottom lip. “Just wait until tomorrow,” I tell him. “Or the next day, when we have to use ladders to scale a building. You’re gonna come in your pants.”
He shivers. “I think you should enter these things every year. Multiple times a year.”
“They hold it in different countries.”
“That sounds like traveling with a tax write-off to me.”
I laugh and truly consider it. I’ve never been big on travel, but I have to admit that I did love the few trips we’ve taken to Australia. What does the rest of the world look like?
All I’m sure of is that Sunbury is the greatest place on earth because it has Roo. It has our memories, and it has our future.
“Whatever you want,” I assure him. “Always. Anything you want, it’s yours.”
He perks up. “The bullshit bird?”
“Except that. Anything not already living and breathing, the answer is always yes.”
“You’re gonna regret that,” Leon murmurs.
And while Roo looks way too excited by the prospect I don’t even care.
When it comes to Roo, regret is impossible.