Chapter Text
The change wasn’t immediate and it wasn’t expected. Okay, Chimney privately thought to himself, maybe it should have been at least a little bit expected. Of course he didn’t know exactly what Tommy was going through. He never had a long term girlfriend, let alone a fiancee he had lived with for two years. He had thought that Abby and Tommy were doing good, but Tommy had come into work three months prior to announce their split. It did lead to the new hang out spot of Tommy’s newly purchased house in WeHo, however, so Chimney didn’t miss the cookies she used to send in all that much.
If Chimney had to really say when he noticed the difference, it was probably after Tommy returned from the honeymoon. Okay, not a honeymoon, as it was just Tommy who flew to Peru for a month to day drink at a resort and learn how to surf. Tommy had explained it by saying the resort tickets were nonrefundable. Sal was supposed to go with him, but Gina went into labor early.
He came back with a nice tan and a better attitude. There was something free about him. Something that Chimney couldn’t put his finger on, but something had definitely changed.
Maybe it was the way Tommy began to grab drinks from a local coffee place each morning for them, or the way that Tommy would invite them out for drinks more often, or even the way he was suddenly glued to his phone. Even Abby and Tommy’s entire relationship they hadn’t been the type to call and text throughout the day. But Tommy came back with a flip flop tan line and someone new to talk to.
Contrary to popular belief, Chimney knew how to be tactful. He waited until everyone else cleared out of the locker room to corner Tommy, crowding him against lockers.
“Hi, Howie.” Tommy greeted him, carefully taking him by the shoulders to push him back a little, “Can I help you?”
“You’re texting someone.” Chimney stated, peering up at him, eyes squinted in suspicion.
“Howie, I’m talking to you right now, I can’t text anyone.” Tommy protested, shrugging nonchalantly. It didn’t hide the brief flash of panic in his eyes, however, and Chimney clung to that clue.
“You know what I mean.” Chimney insisted, poking a finger into his chest.
“I really don’t.” Tommy told him, holding his hands up in surrender. Chimney hummed to himself as he looked him up and down. His phone sat on the bench, unlocked with a text chat open. Before Chimney could really think of a plan, he grabbed it, running out of the locker room, Tommy hot on his tail. He locked himself in the unisex bathroom and ignored Tommy’s banging on the door as he began to search through his conversations.
His own was at the top but Chimney ignored that one, along with Hen’s and Sal’s. There, sitting innocently in the middle of all of them was a conversation with ‘E’.
Scrolling back to their conversation, Chimney let his curiosity get the best of him.
Tommy, outgoing; Sorry I left without waking you this morning…You looked so sweet, I couldn’t bring myself to you.
E, incoming; You should be sorry! Now I have to wait 48 hours to see you!
Tommy, outgoing; I’m sorry, baby. We’ll have the whole weekend to ourselves after I get off!
E, incoming; I guess…You better make it up to me ;)
Before Chimney could decide if he even wanted to read more, the door to the bathroom swung open. He forgot Bobby had a universal key for the facilities.
“Give me that!” Tommy snapped, red faced and sweating. Chimney felt bad for a second before Tommy harshly grabbed the phone from him, pushing at his shoulder when he didn’t loosen his grip.
“You could’ve just told me you had a new girlfriend, Kinard,” He sniped as he walked out of the bathroom, ignoring the disappointed look that Bobby gave him.
…
“It’s not a girlfriend.” Tommy sat down heavily next to him in the middle of their shift. It was half past midnight and Chimney wasn’t able to sleep. He was planning his next date with Tatianna and had to get it perfect. She loved the adventurous stories he might have embellished just a little bit.
“A friend with benefits that stays over is also a girlfriend.” Chimney told him snidely, scrolling through an online magazine with tips for dating above your league.
“He’s not a friend with benefits either.” Tommy offered, nudging their knees together. Chimney’s world stopped for a moment. He?
“You’re gay.” Chimney guessed, looking over at him with wide eyes.
“I’ve been hiding my whole life, Howie.” Tommy told him, “My dad, Gerrard, the army…None of that was an accepting place.”
“I’ve always had your back.” Chimney protested, more than a little hurt that Tommy couldn’t trust him with this.
“I know, Howie.” Tommy sighed, “That doesn’t make it any less scary.”
“So how long has this been going on?” Chimney finally asked, knocking their shoulders together.
Tommy grinned that happy, crinkled eye grin of his. “I met him in Peru. He was a bartender at the resort. I asked him to come back to the states with me. He said yes.”
“So he doesn’t just sleep over-,”
“He lives with me.” Tommy told him, unlocking his phone to find a photo of a curly haired blonde with a wide grin and pink birthmark over his eye, Tommy kissing his cheek.
“Damn,” Chimney said, falling back against the couch, “I thought lesbians moved fast.”