Chapter Text
Approximately two weeks in the new job, Eddie could confidently say that he fit in quite better than he thought he initially would. The first few days he went around getting more acquainted with the new airport and familiarizing the other officers around the block.
Captain Athena, who now he has earned to call just Cap, had given him her stamp of approval as a good officer in these two weeks and Eddie couldn’t help but feel kind of smug about it. Now that most of the officers knew him and he was getting more recognized around the staff of the airport, in courtesy of Athenas high praises, he had been invited to a night out with some of the officers. Initially, he was sure he was not going to make it with Chris at home but Carla came in saying that she had a free day and advised (more like threatened) Eddie to take a day for himself.
The sun was setting when he got himself changed in the locker room and checked the address of the bar that Athena sent him earlier in the day. It took him a little over thirty minutes to reach the bar. Eddie entered the bar and spotted Athena waving at him from one of the tables in a corner. Eddie waved back and went towards the table. He wasn’t surprised to see Bobby sitting beside Athena but what made him stop in his tracks was seeing Buck, who was seated opposite Bobby at the square table.
“I was beginning to think you might have lost your way over here, Eddie.” Athena said as she gestured to the suspiciously single empty seat next to Buck. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
He glanced at Buck who nodded towards the empty seat, “Please.”
Eddie nodded back with a smile and slid into the seat. He gave his greetings to Bobby who looked amused by the whole situation and ordered himself a beer. The conversations between the group after that just flowed smoothly, well between the rest that were there anyway. It wasn’t like there were leaving Eddie out of it or anything, it was just most of their stories and chat were circled around them knowing each other for a long time and Eddie just… didn’t. So, Eddie decided to do what he knew best and live in the background. To just enjoy the closeness, he could feel between his new colleagues and wishing he would be able to get into the conversation as much as they do somewhere near in his future.
But Eddie hadn’t expected Buck, did he?
Because Buck was there softly nudging his arm as he introduced him to two other pilots called Hen who smirked and said ‘Oh so you are the Eddie?’ and Chimney who had a secretive smile saying ‘It’s finally nice to meet you.’ Buck was there leaning towards him to give him the details for the stories exchanged between others when Eddie looked a bit lost. Buck was there asking and leading Eddie into the conversations so he could mingle as well.
As the night reached to almost 10.30 p.m. when his phone rung with Carla’s name flashing brightly on the table. He excused himself taking a few steps away from the table before swiping in to accept button on his phone. “Hey Carla, everything good over there?”
“It’s all good here. A little man wanted to say goodnight, I’ll put him on for you.”
A few seconds pass where Eddie could hear the rustling of the sheets then, “Hi Dad.”
“Hey Chris! All ready for bed huh?”
“Yeah.” He heard his son say, “I wanted to say goodnight first. You said we always do”
“And we always will.” Eddie couldn’t help but smile into the phone, bits of guilt and regret of not being there to tuck the light of his life into bed. “Good night, my superman.”
“Night, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you too, superman. Sleep tight.” Before Chris hands the phone over to Carla he managed to slip in a “I meant it when I said two chapters max, Chris.”
When Carla spoke again, he heard her laughing at his son groaning a but dadddddd in the background that he decided to ignore. “Everything is absolutely fine here. You just focus on enjoying yourself tonight. Understood?”
Eddie laughed out his reply, “Yes ma’am.”
Eddie ended the call after thanking Carla once again for the fill in just for her to remind him that she was the one who had offered and that he definitely needed a day off in between all the moving and adjusting to the new environment. He sat himself at the table once again slipping his phone into his pocket.
“Your kid?” Bobby lightly enquired.
Eddie, for the first time in during the night was genuinely nervous due to having to discuss about his son. Not that it had anything to do with Chris, Eddie was always stupid proud about his amazing son, but rather on how people react when he says he has an amazing son and then how their expressions change when he mentions about the CP.
“Yeah.” He replied pulling up the gallery in his phone, looking at the picture for a beat (noticing Buck had moved slightly to steal a look) with a smile of where Chris was displaying one of his finished artworks, all his teeth in display in a perfect smile. He showed the picture to the pair opposite him, receiving big smiles from both Bobby and Athena. “Christopher. He is seven an- “
“-And super adorable.” Buck said, causing Eddie to hand his phone to him so he could get a better view for Buck to smile bashfully and say, “I..uh..love kids.”
Eddie couldn't help but widen his smile. Of course he does.
Buck handed the phone back to the owner, when Eddie nodded. “I love this one. I’m all he’s got.” Eddies eyes meet the rest of them, “His mother is not really in the picture. He does visit though.”
Athena raised a brow and smiled sympathetically, “I’m sorry.”
Eddie paused from drinking his beer and let out a laugh. “Oh no. Its fine really.” He began explained, “We had Chris young, way to young. We tried to make it work but… it just didn’t? There is nothing unhealthy between us, still very good friends. Definitely better off that way.”
They all nodded and when someone from the group tried to pry more, Buck had smoothly rolled in with some hot crew gossip that had everyone in interest and all focused away from Eddie and his past.
Their stories travelled from crew gossip, to abut an old lady who accidently fell into a younger mans lap causing an injury, to someone who tried bringing a monkey in their backpack- well, if the stories began to lose spark Officer Buckley was always there with a spicy new topic. Eddie was nothing but impressed on how Buck just managed to keep the place alive. He watched Buck as he waved his hands around and the ways that he does everything (even when talking) so enthusiastically that he can’t help but stare.
There was a different kind of warmth slowly growing from the bottom of his belly and Eddie disliked how much he liked it when he feels that with Buck.
After Eddies second beer, there was a third and a fourth before Athena had got up and said, “Okay, any more and I’ll have to book a van to transport a bunch of unstable humans. Get yourself home with a sober person behind the wheel.” Eddie contemplated staying for another round he was just slightly off not even tipsy but drinking alone didn’t sit well with him this particular day.
He found his way to the restroom to get a splash of water in his face, feeling a bit fresher he walked outside and paused when he found their table all empty except Buck. Buck who was smiling and helping the two other workers in stacking up the cups that once held all their beverages and in pushing in the chairs that hadn’t been earlier.
Eddie felt a rush of emotion and affection up his throat, so he turned to his right and walked out the door. He pulled out his phone and began ordering his Uber- because nope, he was not growing a crush. But the universe wasn’t so kind (or just really helpful), because Buck stepped out a minute later, spotting Eddie and said “Hey you.” Which Eddie found endearing as hell.
Eddie didn’t know were all these feelings were bursting out from but he decided he would keep himself checked caused having these kinds of thoughts this early is, well. There is going to be a nightmare if it doesn't work out the way he would love it to.
So," Eddie asks after a pause of silence between the both of them standing there, "you don’t drink?"
Buck looked genuinely confused and titled his head for his question.
"You drank two cups of watermelon juice, Buck." -and stop looking adorable, you bastard.
"Oh, uhm I, gosh it's going to sound super crazy or weird when I say this. I hope it isn’t. "
"Try me."
Buck looked at the ground, lightly playing with his keys and finally met Eddies eyes, "I actually refused to drink so I could have a chance."
Eddie nodded his head, encouraging Buck to carry on as his fingers were still paused midway in confirming his Uber. " A chance for?"
" Offering you a ride home." Buck then appeared alarmed and put his both hands forward in surrender. "Not in a bad way. Just a ride home and maybe an attempt in wooing you into something…like a date?"
Eddie stared at Buck. Honestly nothing but surprised in the turnout of tonight.
" An- and the date only if you are comfortable with it." Buck began again and dropped his hands to his sides, before lofting one up so scratch the back of his neck bashfully. "I just thought it would nice to spend more time with you, if you’d like?"
The mission of Eddie keeping his feelings in check?
Eddie conveniently threw it out the fucking window.