Chapter Text
You’re breathing like the end is near
And your eyes look everywhere, but here
Why does Buck have ash on his face? Thought Eddie. No one was commenting about it, or maybe he was paying way too much attention to him as per usual.
It hurt in his heart that Buck was seemingly distancing himself from him. Did he do something wrong? Was he showing too much affection that it was making Buck uncomfortable?
He let out a frustrated sigh that quickly turned into a smile that spread across his face. He looked down at the floor to hide his strange joy.
Eddie couldn’t stay mad at Buck, he had never been able to. Especially right now since he started to recall the moment just last week when he had fallen head over feet for his best friend.
He thought Buck looked like a doe - eyed foal staring at the refrigerator. The kitchen light accentuating the pout on his lips & his hope of something new magically appearing.
“Yeah I think…” Buck says in a drawn out voice “That we should go grocery shopping, but without any arguing over any lawsuits” he joked
Eddie crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at that comment. “Right… I should sue you for how much of the food you eat” he also joked
He recognized that the smirk Buck gave him in response would in any other scenario be interpreted as “flirtatious”. But that was just their dynamic, an unironic bro-mance.
He moved to check the fridge to see how dire the situation was. It was painfully naked. Eddie proceeded to go into the living room where Chris was playing to tell him that they were going to get groceries.
“Can I get a new action figure?” The little one said with genuine concern “The 2 I have are fighting and the blue one needs another one to make the red one jealous” Chris said with the utmost sincerity.
Eddie kneeled to Chris, making eye contact and putting his hand on the other's shoulder. “Buddy, jealousy isn’t the way to solve conflict” Eddie eyes Buck as he pretends to admire the paintings on the walls he had previously barely acknowledged.
“We aren’t getting a new action figure, but we can get some candy, how does that sound?” Eddie smiled hoping today wouldn’t be a day where Chris goes teenage rebel on him.
“Fine” Chris lets out with a sigh “But if my figures fighting causes the house to burn down, it will be on you guys to fix.”
Eddie, trying not to laugh, managed to say “Okay, bud” before turning his head away and letting out a tiny chuckle. With that, they were off to go shopping.
While on the drive the family were noting things they needed to buy with some sneaks thrown in there. Eddie shot down suggestions like “emergency cake” and “6-pack iced caramel lattes” like Zeus threw down lightning (in the words of Buck).
Still, Buck & Chris conspired, steepling their fingers like villains in movies do when they were scheming. Eddie shot the both of them an unimpressed look before turning back to the road before letting a huff and smirk escape him.
Whenever the 3 went shopping for stuff, each member had different shelf levels they were responsible for. Chris was in charge of the lower shelves (1-2), Eddie of the middle ones (3-4), with Buck having shelves 5 and up.
They always started in the aisles before getting the frozen goods because Buck, knowing way too much about mold & fermentation, insisted on getting the frozen goods last.
Eddie had always mentally routed the paths around the stores they went to. Purposefully avoiding the toy/electronic sections for Chris’s wandering eye. And yet, they always managed to end up there, one way or another. He doesn’t know how they do it.
He had let his guard down looking for sliced bread with the farthest expiration date. When he looked up Buck and Chris were gone. “Ergh those weasels” escaped from Eddie’s grit teeth.
The first place he went to look was the bakery. Those hooligans knew it was a bad look to return sweet bread from the trays/shelves, and have taken full advantage of that in the past. When they weren’t there, Eddie realized what their true goal was.
Eddie practically ran to the toy area to prevent another hit to his bank account (which was not pretty after purchasing a house in El Paso). He saw Buck raising Chris up to grab an action figure. He was about to say something until Buck, right as Chris was reaching to grab the toy, swung him around in his arms, making airplane noises.
Seeing Chris laughing, having the time of his life while Buck was giggling, face wild, joyful and red, Eddie realized something. It hit him like an entire store shelf falling on him. He was madly, madly in love with his best friend, the one who had always been there for him and Chris. Eddie just stood and stared at Buck while he felt every part of his body rosy and whole.
He caved and let them buy the toy on the condition that Chris worked out the problems the other 2 action figures were having. Eddie tried to not let his eyes linger on Bucks’ for too long, but he desperately wanted to lose himself in those ocean blue eyes.
The rest of the day blurred together as Eddie tried to hide the sheer joy Buck made him feel. That joy quickly turned to dread and fear when he realized how awful things could become if he didn’t feel the same way.
“Oh, Buck” Eddie whispered for no one to hear, as he looked over to Buck, looking out the window. He wasn’t losing the person he loved the most besides Chris, was he?