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It was their weekly tradition. If you asked either of them, they wouldn't be able to tell you how it got started. But it worked, so they didn’t question it and didn’t try to change it. One day a week, when both Eddie and Buck had the day off, they got on the phone and kept each other company while doing their respective household chores. Buck liked to call them “Chore Chats.” Eddie did not.
…
1
It started when Christopher was at camp. Eddie had a list of chores to do and no one in the house to keep him company, so he called the one person he knew he could count on. Buck didn’t answer right away like he usually did, which sent a pang of guilt through Eddie’s chest. Maybe he was busy, or had company, or just didn't want to talk.
But before he could end the call, Buck’s cheerful yet breathless voice came on the line. “Hey, Eddie! What’s up?”
His brow furrowed. “Why are you out of breath? Did I… interrupt something?”
“What?” He could perfectly visualize the adorable way Buck's brow furrowed when he was confused. It took a moment for him to catch on to what Eddie suggested, but it eventually clicked. “Oh! Oh, no, no, I was cleaning out my freezer and my phone was up on my nightstand. What’s up?”
“Oh…” Eddie grinned. “Well, I was about to clean my bathroom.”
“Is that why you called?” Buck asked, and once again Eddie could see Buck’s confusion in his mind’s eye. He studied Buck’s facial expressions way too much. “Do you need tips or something?”
“Wha- no, Buck, I know how to clean a bathroom.” Eddie rolled his eyes. “It’s just… usually the sound of Chris playing or watching cartoons fills the silence while I do the chores, but…”
“He’s at camp,” Buck finished for him, his tender and understanding tone shifting to a teasing lilt. “Eddie, are you lonely?”
For just a moment, Eddie considered lying to save face, but this was Buck he was talking to. Buck never judged him for anything. There was no reason to put up a front. “Yeah, actually, I am.”
“Oh. Shit. I was just teasing.” There was a pause, and for once, Eddie had no idea what Buck’s face was doing. “Well, okay then. I guess we can just keep each other company while we clean.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not! You know me, I’m an extrovert. I’ll take any human interaction I can get.”
Eddie chuckled. “Yeah, I guess my lonely ass got pretty lucky meeting an attention whore like you, huh?”
“Fuck you,” Buck laughed. “Okay, I guess we’re doing this. Hang on, let me connect my air pods. Can you say something?”
“Um, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say… testing one two--?”
“Got it. Okay! Back to the kitchen for me.”
“You said you were cleaning out your freezer?”
“Yeah, once a week I clean out my fridge and freezer and do some meal prep with what’s going bad soon.”
“Smart. What are you planning to make?”
“Dunno yet! Let’s see what I’ve got.”
Eddie put his phone on speaker and laid it on the counter by the sink. Slipping on his long pink gloves (they had other colors. He liked pink), he attacked the soap scum in the corners of the shower while Buck talked him through what he was finding. Eddie was scrubbing away, happily listening to Buck go on about tacos, when something clattered loudly.
“OWWW ow ow ow!”
Eddie’s heart dropped. “Buck?! What happened?!”
“Fuckin’ dropped some frozen meat on my foot!” Buck exclaimed through clenched teeth.
Eddie grimaced in sympathy. “You okay? Did you break something?”
“No, no I’m fine,” Buck groaned. “Just hurt like a motherfucker.”
“I can imagine,” Eddie chuckled.
And thus began their weekly ritual of cleaning, talking, and sustaining minor injuries.
…
2
It was their second Chore Chat, and Eddie was tackling the most exciting chore of them all: laundry. Despite his Abuela's instructions, he was not the type to separate the clothes into colors. He felt that it took up way too much time, water, and electricity, so he just dumped everything in together. But washing and drying wasn’t the part he hated. What he hated was folding and putting it all away. Especially since Eddie had a habit of letting the laundry pile up until he was faced with only two options: go commando at work, or do the fucking laundry. So, with a towering pile of warm laundry fresh from the dryer and his phone nearby on speaker, Eddie set to work.
“What are you tackling now?” Eddie asked, trying to figure out if the socks he was holding were both black, or if one was navy blue.
“Getting some water,” Buck chuckled. “Man, I really need to get one of those robot vacuums. I freaking hate sweeping.”
“On our salary?” Eddie scoffed, listening to the crunch and clink of Buck flexing an ice tray, then dropping cubes into a glass. “I’d have to save for a year to get one. No thank you. A broom from Dollar Tree works just fine.”
“The beauty of being a childless bachelor. I have the mone--YOW OW OW!”
Eddie tensed, gripping the towel he’d been folding as he stared at his phone. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Buck hissed through gritted teeth, letting out a few curses that made Eddie glad Chris was at school. “No blood, just pain.”
Shoulders sagging with relief, Eddie shook his head in fond irritation. “What the hell did you do?”
“I stepped on a piece of ice.”
Eddie stared blankly at his phone, as if it were Buck himself. “That’s it?”
“It was sharp!” Buck defended, going from an indignant cry to a pouty whine like a switch was flipped. “And now my sock is wet.”
Closing his eyes, Eddie tried really hard not to laugh. Whether it was at the absurdity of the injury or how adorable Buck sounded when he pouted, he didn’t know, but he was too amused to try and figure that out at the moment.
…
3
“What are you up to now?” Buck’s voice filled the garage from Eddie’s phone.
At the moment Eddie had his hands on his hips, staring at the stack of plastic storage containers lined up against the wall. “I’ve had these Rubbermaids in my garage since I moved in. Clearly I haven’t missed anything that’s in them, so I think it’s time to go through and get rid of as much as I can.”
“You need some help? I could come over.”
“Nah, I think I can handle it,” Eddie smiled, glad that they weren’t on facetime as he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. “But if you want to come over and keep me company in person…”
Buck’s little amused hum was so adorable. “Sure. Just let me put my laundry away and I’ll-- OW! Ow ow ow…”
Buck had hurt himself so many times during their "Chore Chats" that Eddie's reactions had shifted from panic to mildly concerned amusement. “What’d you do this time?”
“I was headed up the stairs with the laundry basket and rammed right into the end of the bannister.” Buck’s voice was a little strained, and Eddie could clearly imagine the way Buck’s nose scrunched when he was in pain. “Oh that is definitely gonna bruise.”
“What am I going to do with you?” Eddie chuckled, shaking his head. “Stop and get some bubble wrap on your way over, I've got an idea.”
He could practically hear Buck’s eyeroll, but Eddie knew he was smiling. “Keep teasing me and I won’t come keep you company.”
“Okay, then I won’t give you some of the ceviche Abuela--”
“I’ll be there in twenty!”
Eddie’s phone beeped to indicate Buck had ended the call, and he couldn’t hold in his laugh. Grabbing the device off the work bench, Eddie hit the button to close the garage door and headed inside. He would get started on the boxes once his entertainment got there.
…
4
“Is it really Chore Chat time again?” Buck chuckled in lieu of a greeting when he answered the phone. “Man, this week flew by fast.”
“Okay, one, we are still not naming this. It’s just two friends keeping each other company while we work. And two, even if we did name it, it would most definitely not be “Chore Chats.” That sounds like a talk show on public access TV that’s hosted by an old lady in a cat sweater.”
Buck’s laughter never failed to fill Eddie’s chest with a delightful warmth, especially when he was the one to make it happen. Smiling proudly, he dunked his mop into the bucket.
“So what’s the first task of the day?” The giggly lilt of Buck’s voice made Eddie’s heart swell with fondness.
“Mopping,” Eddie sighed dramatically. “I figured I'd get it done early so it could dry completely before Chris gets home from school. Reduce the potential for slips.”
“You’re such a thoughtful dad.”
The sincerity in Buck’s voice made heat rise to Eddie’s face. With practiced ease, he sidestepped the compliment and changed the subject. “What are you up to?”
Eddie knew Buck noticed his discomfort at the compliment, but he let him get away with it this time, and Eddie was grateful. “Writing out a birthday card to my aunt.”
The mop made a wet plop sound as it hit the floor. “Is this that cool aunt of yours? Aunt Robin?”
“I’m impressed you remembered,” Buck chuckled, and Eddie tried not to take offense to the bewilderment in his tone.
“You know, I do listen when you talk,” Eddie quipped. “Well, sometimes. I’ve gotten pretty good at tuning you out when you start babbling.” The only reason Eddie teased him with that was because they both knew it was a straight up lie. Eddie hung on to every word when Buck babbled.
“Ha ha,” Buck deadpanned. “I want you to meet her someday. She's so awesome. Honestly, I can’t believe she’s related to my dad. They’re so different. I mean, she’s this badass feminist lesbian linguist who has never let me doubt her love for me, even for a second. While my dad… well, he's a homophobic asshole who ignored his kids. Especially after I came out.”
The mop handle fell right out of Eddie’s grasp, clanking loudly against the floor. Suddenly his throat was competing with the Sahara Desert for the title of driest place in the world.
“Eddie?” Buck asked, voice hesitantly concerned. “You okay?”
“Uh, yeah! Yeah, just… the mop slipped right out of my hands,” Eddie chuckled, hoping he sounded more casual than surprised and hopeful. He cleared his throat, forcing his voice to come out more calmly. He could fuck this up if he sounded too shocked. The last thing he wanted to do was make Buck nervous about what he’d just admitted. “I don’t think we’ve ever talked about sexuality. You’re not straight?”
“Oh, yeah, I guess we never have,” Buck huffed in amusement. “I never really felt the need to make a big deal about it. I mean, nobody comes out as straight, right?”
Picking up the mop and getting back to his task, Eddie tried to keep his voice an even, casual tone. “Right, that makes sense.”
There was a moment of silence, and Eddie could practically see the tension building in Buck's shoulders. He knew Buck, knew his insecurities. Eddie was already mentally kicking himself for seeming so awkward and uncomfortable.
“That’s… not a problem, right?” Buck asked, and god the anxiety in his tone was heartbreaking.
“No!” Eddie all but shouted, abandoning the mop with another loud clack against the floor. “No no no, Buck, no problem. Not at all. I’m friends with Hen and Karen, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, but… I also know some guys feel differently when it’s another guy--”
“Well I don’t." Eddie stated firmly, leaving no room for doubt. If only he’d been able to stop himself there. “You're my best friend, Buck. I love you.”
“OW!”
Eddie was stunned silent, both by his own words and the poor timing of Buck’s injury of the day. Staring at his phone, listening to Buck hiss and mutter on the other end of the line, Eddie didn’t know whether to laugh or stick his head in the oven for letting those words slip out.
“You okay?” Eddie asked, his voice trembling slightly.
“Yeah," Buck sighed. "I stabbed myself with the pen. I can’t tell if that’s blood or red ink…”
Brows shooting up, Eddie’s slip up was instantly forgotten. “How bad is it? Do you need to go to the ER?”
“Nah, it’s just ink,” Buck chuckled softly. “I’ll live.”
“Oh, good. That’s… that’s good.” Heaving a sigh, Eddie folded his arms on the kitchen counter and dropped his head down on them.
Silence settled over them again for a moment, and Eddie was just starting to think (hope) Buck had missed what he’d said. But then his best friend’s voice came over the line, nervous but clearly happy.
“I love you, too.”
Eddie was pretty sure Buck hadn’t caught the true meaning behind his words, and knew that Buck didn’t mean it in the same way as he did, but it still made him smile.
…
5
When Eddie opened his locker to get ready to go home that morning, he had been surprised and confused to find a tiny green gift bag with blue tissue paper sticking out of it. He glanced around the locker room, seeing no sign of anyone hanging around and watching him. Who the hell had his locker combination? He was a little nervous as he picked it up and removed the tissue paper, peering inside.
He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a brand new pair of AirPods. With wide eyes he pulled the little box out of the bag, turning it over to inspect it closely. It looked legit. Carefully, he opened the flap and holy shit they were real. Absolutely confused, Eddie took another look inside the gift bag for a note or tag. Surely someone had gotten his locker confused with someone else’s. But at the bottom of the bag was a pink sticky note with a familiar scrawl across it.
To improve the quality of our Chore Chats :)
Eddie didn’t know whether to feel moved by the kind gesture, or if he wanted to flick Buck’s ear for spending that much money on him. Slipping the box back into the gift bag, he grabbed the rest of his stuff and hurried out of the station, a little disappointed when he found that the Jeep was already gone.
He climbed into his truck and pulled out his phone, dialing Buck as he took the box back out of the gift bag. Buck’s cheerful hello filled the cab from the speaker. It felt like a warm hug.
“Buck, I can’t accept this,” said Eddie, jumping right to the point. “I appreciate it, I really do, but--”
“No buts, Eddie. You deserve it.” He could practically hear the smile on Buck’s face. “Besides, it’s a little bit selfish. I can barely hear you when you have me on speaker and you're moving around the house.”
Perhaps it was possible to be moved by the gesture and flick Buck’s ear.
Accepting any kind of gift was always hard for Eddie, especially one that expensive. But his best friend sounded so excited and pleased with himself that refusing it was just as hard.
“Well, thank you, Buck,” Eddie said, staring fondly at Buck’s contact picture on his phone. “Give me a sec and I’ll set them up and try them out.” Opening the box, he dumped the contents out onto the passenger seat. “Where are you?”
“I just now got off the elevator, about to go inside. You?”
“I’m still in the station parking lot,” Eddie chuckled as he carefully followed the setup instructions. “You wanna come over tonight? Chris is at a sleepover, so I thought maybe you and I could finally talk about some stuff.”
The beat of silence before Buck answered wasn’t lost on Eddie. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’d like--”
Eddie heard a thump, quickly followed by a familiar word.
“OW!”
“Buck? What happened?”
The other man groaned, and when he spoke he sounded like he was pinching his nose closed. “I tried to open my door, but I hadn’t unlocked it yet, and I… I kinda walked right into it.”
Eddie lost it.
“It’s not funny!” Buck cried in his best, though unintentional, impression of Squidward. “And after I gave you a gift. What betrayal.”
Eddie struggled to contain his giggles enough to speak. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s mostly my pride that was bruised, though my nose does hurt now.” Eddie could hear the door being unlocked and opened. “Anway, yes, I’d love to come over tonight.”
“Great! Just… try not to injure yourself too badly before then. I kind of prefer you to be in one piece.”
…
+1
Armed with a sponge, a bucket of suds, and his new AirPods, Eddie was ready to make his truck shine. Sure, he had to trade in the brand new truck for a used one with a more affordable monthly payment, but it was still a nice truck, and it deserved to shine.
“Do not get those AirPods wet,” Buck warned playfully. “I didn’t get the protection plan.”
Eddie rolled his eyes as he dipped the sponge in the sudsy water and got to work. “What’s your task for today’s Chore Chat?”
Buck audibly gasped, and Eddie could hear the smirk in his voice. “I knew I’d wear you down.”
“I can just listen to a podcast--”
“Noooo! I’ll behave,” Buck giggled, sending warmth rushing through Eddie’s chest. “I’m about to head upstairs and clean out my closet. I’ve got way too many clothes that either don’t fit anymore, or that I’m just plain bored of.”
“Hey, it’s a rule that your boyfriend gets first dibs on any and all hoodies and sweaters in your donation pile.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. It’s a rule. Look it up.”
“Okay, I’ll make a deal with you,” Buck offered. “You get a couple of my hoodies, if I get that super soft Queen shirt I love.”
Eddie considered this for a moment, scrunching his nose in disgust as he scrubbed at some bird poop. “I guess that’s a fair trade.”
“Great! I’ll bring my donation box over later for you to--” Buck’s word cut off with a sharp intake of breath, followed by a rapid series of loud thumps, and then silence. When he didn't hear the "ow" right away, his stomach dropped.
“Buck? What was that?” Eddie asked. He pulled his phone out to check it, finding the call still connected. And then he heard coughing. “Buck? Buck!”
As the coughing subsided, he heard a rustling sound, like fabric was being rubbed against the mic. When Buck finally spoke, the singular word came out riding on the tail of another cough. “Oops.”
“Are you okay?” Eddie demanded, tossing the sponge into the bucket. “What happened?”
“I think so?” he groaned. “I got the wind knocked out of me.”
“What? How?”
“I uh… I kinda fell down the stairs…”
“You what?!” In a flash Eddie was in the truck and starting it. “I’m coming over.”
“No, it’s okay! I’m fine! I--” Buck gasped. “Yeah, no, I’m not fine. Please come over.”
He definitely didn’t miss the crunch of the water bucket under his back tire, but at the moment he gave zero fucks. In his hurry to back out, Eddie barely had the presence of mind to hit the button on his mirror that closed his garage door. He took off down the road, half of the truck still covered in suds. “I’m on my way, Buck. Stay on the phone with me. Are you bleeding?”
“I don’t think so?” Buck groaned, which turned into a pathetic whimper. “I don’t know where my AirPods went.”
“What?”
“They fell out.”
“It’s fine, we’ll find them. Did you hit your head?”
“Not hard.” Buck grumbled under his breath. "This is all Chimney's fault."
Eddie was utterly confused. "How the hell is this Chim's fault?"
"He gave me these damn fuzzy socks!"
Eddie forced himself to take a slow, deep breath. He had to stay calm, and that meant no freaking out, and no laughing his ass off at Buck's ridiculousness. “Just stay where you are, I’m almost there.”
“Oh I am definitely not moving on my own, don't worry.”
…
When Eddie opened the door, the sight that greeted him was absolutely pitiful. Buck lay sprawled out on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, flat on his back. His phone was lying on the floor beside his head, lighting up as Eddie ended the call. Buck turned his head toward the door with a sheepish smile.
“Hi, Eddie.”
“Hi, Buck.” Eddie came to kneel beside him, giving his boyfriend a compassionate look as he softly caressed his cheek. “I’m beginning to think our Chore Chats are cursed.”
“Nah, I hurt myself at least once a day, whether or not I talk to you.” Buck chuckled, grimacing at the slight motion. “This one takes the cake, though.”
“I’m gonna check you over, okay?”
“Kay,” Buck grinned, wiggling his feet as he gave Eddie a thumbs up. “I can feel and move all limbs.”
Eddie huffed a soft laugh. “Good. That’s good.”
With gentle, well trained hands, Eddie started with checking the back of Buck’s head and neck. No blood, no goose eggs, no neck injury. Good. Movement and feeling rules out spinal injury. He pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it in Buck’s eyes. “No concussion. Can you tell me what hurts?”
“My back, along the left side. Not my spine. I think I hit the steps at an angle. It kind of hurts when I breathe, but not like broken ribs. I guess just from the muscle moving?”
"Yeah, probably." Carefully, Eddie ran his fingers along Buck’s left ribs, pressing here and there. He shook his head, smiling down at Buck. “I’m pretty sure your ribs are still intact, but I’d feel better if you got checked out at the hospital.”
“Nooo no hospital,” Buck whined pathetically. “What’s the point of dating an Army medic if I still have to go to the hospital?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Eddie tried and failed to keep a straight face. “Oh, I see how it is. You’re only dating me to get free at home medical care?”
“No, that’s not the only reason,” Buck rolled his eyes, grinning. “I’m also in it for the kid.”
Eddie considered this for a moment then nodded. “That’s fair. Does anything else hurt?”
“Just my pride,” Buck sighed, finally starting to sit up now that he knew it was safe to do so. Safe, but not without pain.
“Then I’ll let the hospital slide for now, unless something changes.” Slipping his hand under Buck, Eddie helped him sit up slowly. Jaw clenched, eyes squeezed shut, Eddie knew Buck was holding in a cry of pain and it broke his heart.
"Hang on, before I get up." Buck tugged the purple fuzzy socks off his feet and threw them across the room as if they'd insulted his mother. "I'm suing Chimney for damages."
"Did you not learn anything from the last lawsuit?"
"Yeah, don't involve you in it so I don't have to stop talking to you."
"Yeah, I guess that's all you need to know," Eddie gave his boyfriend an amused grin. “Anyway, I think you'll be okay. For the pain, I’m prescribing you Advil and cuddles. Good luck finding a pharmacist willing to fill that for you.”
That made Buck huff a breathless laugh. Even with miserable tears in his eyes, Buck’s smile was dazzling. “Hell yeah. Fuck chores. Let’s go cuddle.”
Eddie stood up first and grabbed Buck’s offered hands, pulling him up to his feet. “Alright, let’s get you up these traitorous stairs and into bed.”
With an arm around Buck's waist so he wouldn’t fall again, Eddie started to lead him up the stairs. They took the steps one at a time, each movement sending a shockwave of pain through Buck's back. After what seemed like an eternity of careful steps, they made it to the loft.
“I really don’t like stairs anymore,” Buck said as Eddie helped him lie down carefully.
“So move in with Chris and I. No stairs.”
The words fled from his mouth without his permission, but Eddie found that once they were out, he didn’t regret them. Buck looked up at him from his pillow, eyes wide and glistening.
“Isn’t it a bit soon?” Buck asked hesitantly. “I mean, we just got together last week.”
“Considering we’ve known each other for three years, at least half of which was spent basically in relationship foreplay, I’d say we’ve waited long enough. It’s not like we’re strangers.”
"... several points were made."
"Plus, if you live with me, you'd increase your number of daily kisses by at least fifty percent."
Buck beamed up at him, his eyes bright with more excitement than pain. “Then my answer is yes. Now get your ass in this bed and hold me."
"Hang on a minute." Eddie leaned down and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead.
He hurried downstairs and gathered a few things he thought they'd need. Upon his return, Eddie helped Buck sit up again just long enough to take some Advil, and then lie back down gently. Then from his pockets, Eddie produced Buck's phone and the two white earbuds, setting them on the nightstand.
"You found my AirPods!" Buck's entire face lit up.
Stroking his fingers through Buck's hair gently, Eddie leaned down and captured his lips with a soft, loving kiss. "Do you need anything else? Ice? Heating pad?"
"You."
Eddie couldn't help his grin as he hurried around to the other side of the bed, kicking off his shoes and climbing in. Careful to move slowly as to not jostle Buck, Eddie settled in behind his boyfriend, wrapping a protective arm around him.
"I have an alarm set for when I need to go pick up Chris from school." Eddie kept his voice low and soft. "I was thinking I can pick up some food on the way back, and then we can have a nice, quiet evening watching movies in bed with Chris."
"I like the way you think," Buck grinned. "Are you sure you want to be with an impulsive, accident prone firefighter with a hero complex?"
Eddie nuzzled the back of Buck's head, pressing kisses to the soft skin at the nape of his neck. He felt Buck relax completely in his arms, releasing a contented sigh, and Eddie's heart ached with love for this adorable man. "I knew exactly what I was getting into when we started this thing."
…
Their weekly tradition would continue, with the two of them keeping each other company while tackling boring but necessary tasks. The only difference was that, when Buck inevitably said "ow," Eddie was there to kiss it better.