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Eddie’s lips taste like sweat and dedication. It sounds weird, to know what dedication tastes like. But he knows that dedication is coming home after a long day and only wanting to see your son. Dedication is leaving your troubles at the door as you step into your boots to help those in need.
Buck knows what dedication tastes like because he experienced it the first time he kissed Eddie.
The pizza’s been sitting on the kitchen counter for hours now, and Chris has been put to bed already. They usually don’t do this, but it’s been a long day, and all they want is to sit in silence for a while. Eddie’s stretched out on the opposite end of the couch, his head leaning against the arm and his eyes closed.
Buck tries not to stare for long, as he knows Eddie can feel his gaze. But he can’t help it. Eddie looks so peaceful, with his cheeks a bit flushed and his hair growing out. There’s a faint tan line from where his work shirt stops on his arms.
“Buck?”
“Hm, yeah?” He shakes his head. Eddie’s looking at him questionably, his eyebrow raised, “What’s up?”
“There a reason you’re looking at me like that?” He sits up.
“Like what?” God, maybe if he plays dumb he’ll get away with it.
“Like I’m a pot cupcake you want to eat,” Eddie smirks.
“Hey, the one time I had pot cupcakes, we didn’t know they were contaminated or whatever. You can’t hold me accountable for my actions.” He sits up all the way and points a finger at Eddie. “And who says I’m looking at you like you’re a cupcake I want to eat? For your information, I don’t eat cupcakes anymore, it’s all protein and fiber to keep my muscles big.” He smirks as his words cause Eddie to chuckle.
“Yeah, yeah, you and your big shoulders. You’ve been working on those for a while.” Eddie scoots closer, so they’re sitting side to side instead of across from each other. They bump once, and the smirk on Eddie’s lips turns to something softer. “How are you doing, man?” Another bump. He doesn’t move away the second time though, so their shirts brush against each other and if he focuses hard enough, he can feel the heat coming off of Eddie’s arm.
“I should be ready for bed but I’m not.” He shrugs.
Eddie stirs a bit, sitting up, “I can leave you alone to sleep if you want-”
“No, you can stay. I like sitting here.” He not-so-subtly pushes Eddie back against the couch. Then he leans in a little more to press against him. They’re touching shoulder to wrist now and he feels the vibrations of laughter before he hears them.
“Alright, we can sit here then.” Eddie presses a little harder into him, bumping their knees together.
A thought crosses his mind, “Shit. Unless you want to go to bed? I don’t want you to stay up with me just because I don’t want to be alone.” Eddie smiles. He moves away slightly but before Buck can even think to get upset about it, his arm settles on the back of the couch.
“No, I’m good right here.” Buck’s stares for a minute at him. He’s still smiling but now his eyes are closed and his head’s leaning against the back of the couch. He looks peaceful, and the space where his arm used to be, looks a little empty.
“I’m good too.” He mumbles while moving a little closer to Eddie. Eddie welcomes him readily, pulling his body closely as Buck fills the space on his side. Huffing, he curls up until his feet come off the floor. Instead of putting them on the couch, he drapes them over Eddie’s knees.
“Rough day?” Buck hums in response. It wasn’t rough, just long. Between the lack of calls and Eddie hanging out with Hen all day, he didn’t get much of his best friend. Usually, the slow days roll by without issue because Eddie’s at his side. He tilts his head to get a better angle at Eddie’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, man?”
“Nothing, it was just long.” Now it’s Eddie’s turn to hum. He begins drawing little patterns on Buck’s arm, seemingly without realizing it. They say nothing more. He thinks about doing this all the time, coming home with Eddie, being domestic. He shouldn’t yearn for it, but a part of him does. He misses Eddie every day that he doesn’t see him. God, he missed Eddie today and they were on the same shift. He mumbles, “I missed you.” as he closes his eyes.
Eddie stirs a bit next to him, probably moving to get comfortable. “You missed me? I’m right here, Buck.” His voice is closer than before, and he can feel the breath hit his cheek. The hand drawing on his arm moves up, gently cupping his jaw.
“I always miss you, Eds,” Buck says his name like it’s a prayer. He tips his head into Eddie’s hand, not opening his eyes. Silence. Something touches his lips. It’s soft and slightly wet, cushion-y. He gasps, realizing it’s Eddie’s lips. Eddie moves a bit closer as his mouth opens a little. His free hand gently grips Buck’s left thigh. He’s soft, careful, and nothing like Buck thought. He’s imagined their first kiss a few times, and always figured it would be teeth and tongues, with one of them pressed into a wall. But this is nothing like that. Eddie’s slow, like Buck’s a scared deer.
“I always miss you too.” He pulls away just enough so the words are mumbled on his lips. Although he doesn’t come back once he’s down. Eddie pulls away more, giving Buck space. He doesn’t like that, he wants Eddie to be as close as possible. He whines a little, displeasure becoming known. “What?”
“I still miss you, come back.” Buck pouts a little, lifting his chin to meet Eddie’s lips in another soft kiss. It’s ruined to the snort Eddie lets out.