Chapter Text
“We are ready to roll.”
Eddie had finished the truck’s inventory and was satisfied that they were ready to hit the road to Austin. The axes were sharpened and secured, the hoses were patched, the water levels topped up and their kit stowed. As their resident Texan, Eddie seemed to have nominated himself as the leader of this little road trip, and Bobby had entrusted him with the keys and strict instructions for how to manage Hen and Buck in the event of fatigue, hunger, heatstroke and injury. He was smiling when he said it, but Eddie couldn’t help but feel the weight of responsibility for his crew settle on his shoulders, especially as they were travelling to his home state. He was going through the list again in his head when Buck interrupted his thoughts.
“You think it’s gonna be weird?” he asked, glancing sideways at Eddie. “Fighting fires with other departments?”
Eddie shook his head, hearing a tinge of uncharacteristic nerves in Buck’s voice and seeking to reassure him without making a big deal out of it.
“Not really. We work with other departments all the time. It’s just same calls, different time zone, right?”
“I guess.” Buck straightened up and wandered along the side of the truck towards him. “I wish Chim and Bobby could have come with us though.”
“I know.” Eddie fought a smile and took a few steps closer to Buck automatically. “When Hen calls you a golden retriever, she’s not wrong. You’re never happier than when you’re surrounded by your people.”
He also remembered, from personal experience, that Buck didn’t always play nicely with new people. But he was sure that once they got there, the excitement would take over and Buck would be in his element. He couldn’t help but make friends once he let go of that initial defensiveness; people were naturally drawn to his energy, the joy and enthusiasm he projected out like a beacon. He’d eroded Eddie’s natural defences in the space of about a week, and that was in spite of their rocky start.
“I’ll have you know I’m very loyal to my people, and I miss them when I’m not with them,” Buck pouted. “I haven’t seen Chris in so long I’m getting withdrawal symptoms...”
“I know. And he misses you too.”
Eddie bit back the rest of the sentence that longed to fall from his lips.
We both miss you. The house feels empty without you.
But, as always, fear closed up his throat, stifling the words. Not for the first time, Eddie wished he were better at expressing himself, so he could find a way through to Buck with words rather than just staring at him and hoping he might telepathically pick up on his thought waves. As Buck met his gaze now, Eddie’s heart stuttered against his chest. Something about the way Buck looked at him with those eyes – the exact same shade as the ocean – felt like he could see straight into Eddie’s soul. They practically read each other’s minds on calls, who was to say Buck couldn’t just look at him and perform the same trick now, and read the feelings hiding in plain sight that Eddie always fought so hard to tamp down?
Eddie looked away from Buck, checking their gear for the third time even though he knew it was all in perfect condition, but needing a moment to compose himself. The shadow haunting the edges of Buck’s face also played on his mind. He’d been quiet and withdrawn for a while, like he wasn’t quite there with them all the time, not quite himself. Maybe Eddie was being paranoid, but it seemed to himthat Buck was hiding something from them all.
As if he’d heard Eddie’s thoughts, which was not reassuring in the least, Buck rallied, hitching a smile into place as the frown momentarily vanished.
“So, Texas? And with our own native guide too. I’m pumped!”
“Me too. It’ll be fun.” Their final travelling companion had arrived, dispelling the tension, to Eddie’s relief. Hen grinned at both of them, noticing how Buck and Eddie had drawn automatically closer together while they were speaking and were now standing practically shoulder to shoulder as they looked round at her.
“I’ve never been to Texas...”
*
Chimney had just retrieved a beer from the fridge that night when his phone lit up, vibrating across the kitchen counter. Frowning, he moved to pick it up, shrugging at Maddie’s puzzled look. When he saw the caller ID, his eyebrows rose, but he kept a neutral tone as he answered.
“Hey Hen, what’s up? You don’t usually phone me...”
“I’ll tell you what’s up, Chimney. Do you know how many hours it takes to drive to Austin?”
“No, but I have a feeling you’re about to tell me,” Chim replied, settling back against the kitchen counter and making sure his beer was in reach.
“20 hours. And do you know how many Buck Facts can fit into 20 hours?”
“I lived with him long enough that I can imagine.”
“Imagine it, then double it. And if it’s not Buck Facts, it’s Buck saying ‘Ooh, did you know there are 1.5 million bats in Austin that fly out from under Congress Avenue Bridge every night?’ and Eddie saying ‘Yeah, they come out every summer, you’d like it. I’ll have to take you over there and show you if we get the time.’ And now we’re in El Paso, and Buck wants the Eddie Diaz Starline Tour, like we need to see where he learned to pitch a baseball or where he got laid for the first time.”
“Those are very specific. Are they legit stops on the tour?” Chim asked, smirking.
“I was making a wild guess, though I wouldn’t be surprised. And don’t even get me started on the playlist they’ve pulled together for this trip...if I hear Old Town Road one more time I’m going to take Lil Nas X’s advice, get a horse and ride it over both of them...”
“I’m sorry, Hen, I don’t know what to tell you,” Chim managed to choke out through his laughter.
“You can tell me why you’re not here suffering with me, Han!” his best friend replied. “You left me with them! And don’t give me any weakass excuses about your girlfriend being pregnant...”
“What part of ‘pregnant women are more vulnerable to Covid’ do you not get, Wilson?”
Across the apartment, Maddie looked up. Chimney shook his head, grinning and mouthing, ‘I’ll tell you later.’
“Albert could take care of her again! Or Athena, or Bobby. I am third-wheeling with LA’s most oblivious couple for a week!”
“Sorry kid, you’re just gonna have to suck it up. Ask to work with one of the Texans so you get less exposure time. Besides, you’re a badass medic, soon-to-be doctor. You can deal with the Buckley-Diazes for a week.”
Hen sighed.
“I’m not so sure. If I come back alone, know that there’s a Buck-and-Eddie-shaped grave somewhere out in the Texas desert.”
“Copy that. Do you want me to get Bobby to give you a call for a pep talk?”
“He’d only say I was being over-dramatic.”
“He’s not wrong...”
Hen huffed indignantly.
“And I wonder why we’re friends.”
“Because you know I’ve always got your back –”
“Ha!”
“– Even if it’s at a distance.”
Chim heard her sigh at the end of the line and smiled to himself.
“I miss you too, Hen,” he said, and waited for a sharp retort, a sarcastic comeback or put down. Nothing came, and the silence told him that he was actually pretty on the money with this one. For all their jokes, Hen and Chimney rarely worked without the other one close by. They were an extension of each other on a call, thoughts and movements so in sync that he was often told it looked like they could read each other’s minds. And even though he knew it wouldn’t be for long, a small part of Chim felt the distance between them like a physical ache.
To break up the emotion threatening to make their call heavier than either of them intended, Chim fell back on his trusty ally, humour.
“Where are you, by the way? Don’t tell they’re within earshot of this call?”
“Of course not,” Hen snorted, returning to form. “We’ve stopped for gas. Eddie’s paying, and Buck’s trying to persuade him to use the department credit card to buy five bags of candy as ‘expenses’.”
“Ooh, no one wants to be at the receiving end of that sugar high.” Chimney took a sip of his beer. “Are you staying with Eddie’s parents?”
“Yeah, they’re putting us up for the night. I think Eddie’s delaying us getting there for as long as possible so we spend as little time with them as he can manage. He’s already told us we’re getting out of there at sun up.”
“Weird. They seemed nice enough when we met them at his graduation, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, but you know what parents are like. They’re very good at presenting themselves as respectable, normal people to strangers, then when you’re alone with them their true selves come out.”
“Like a psychopath,” Chimney retorted flippantly. Across the room, Maddie looked up again with a cocnerned expression.
“Well you know what they say about birds of a feather,” Hen said, too used to Chimney to react to his psychopath reference. “None of us have gold star parenting in our lives. It’s why we all gravitate towards Bobby and Athena, and why we all over-compensate with our own kids.”
“Speak for yourself.”
“You just wait until Mango’s born. You’ll see exactly what I mean then.” She sighed. “I’d better go, they’re coming back.” She laughed, amused despite herself. “Eddie caved, I see at least three jumbo-sized bags of sweets in Buck’s hands. It’s gonna be a long night...”
*
A Text Conversation between Chimney Han and Henrietta Wilson
Hen Wilson: Chim, I’m gonna kill you
Chimney Han: Good morning to you too, Henrietta
Or should I say Yee-Haw? 🤠
Hen Wilson: Don’t start any of that cowboy crap with me. As soon as Buck or Eddie put on a stetson I’m kicking them out of the truck and letting them walk back to LA
Chimney Han: What happened now…?
Hen Wilson: Buck fell asleep when we left this morning, because Eddie insisted on leaving at the break of dawn so we wouldn’t have to spend any more time with his parents. He ended up stretched out across the back seat with his head on Eddie’s leg, and Eddie covered him with their turnout jackets so he wouldn’t get cold under the AC 😴
Chimney Han: Aww…
Hen Wilson: And Eddie gave Buck this dopey smile that I think I last saw on you when you got drunk that night we went out before quarantine, when you started telling me why Maddie was your soulmate...what is it about the Buckleys that turns perfectly normal men into jello? 🤔
Chimney Han: OK, she still doesn’t know that happened, and that’s how we’re going to keep it, OK? 🤐
Hen Wilson: You do know you’re having a baby with her, right? You’re allowed to have romantic feelings for the woman…🧐😘
Chimney Han: I thought this was about your issues, not mine
Hen Wilson: They’re not MY issues, they’re Buck and Eddie’s. I have never met two more clueless people in my life 🤦♀️
I think they think I can’t see them from the driver’s seat. What do they think the internal mirror does?!
Chimney Han: Wait, you’re not driving now, are you? 🙅♂️
Hen Wilson: NO. Eddie’s driving. Buck’s riding shotgun and talking his ear off to keep him awake. He didn’t volunteer to do that when I was driving...
Chimney Han: I haven’t had nearly enough coffee for this conversation. Which reminds me, I should be making Maddie’s daily cup of coffee…☕
Hen Wilson: Don’t you dare leave me! We’ve still got 4 hours before we get to Austin, I need someone to share this saccharine horror show of a journey with me
Chimney Han: OK, but I’m just saying, if Maddie gets mad at me because her coffee gets cold, it’s your fault. And I lived with Buck for like 6 months already this year, I’ve done my time
Hen Wilson: That was your choice. If you’d gone back to Maddie when Eddie and I went home then you could have come with us on this little working holiday to Texas and spared me this torture, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now
Chimney Han: Oh I think we would have. Eye rolls just don’t cut it sometimes
🙄🙄🙄 See? Even as emojis it’s not the same
So come on then...what else have they done since you left El Paso?
Hen Wilson: Buck shifted in his sleep and murmured something, and I swear if he hadn’t seen me looking Eddie would have run his fingers through his hair. He covered it (badly) by patting Buck’s shoulder instead
Chimney Han: Subtle. And here I thought Buck was the more grabby one 🤗
Hen Wilson: He is...
Chimney Han: 😲 Oh dear…
Hen Wilson: You’ve got that right. If he’s not shoulder bumping Eddie he’s touching his arm or leaning into his space and reading the same articles or watching the same videos on his phone. They called Christopher together on FaceTime last night. Christopher was saying something about invisible string and Buck nearly cried
Chimney Han: Invisible String? Isn’t that a Taylor Swift song? 🤔
Hen Wilson: I really hope you know that because your girlfriend does
Chimney Han: We live in LA. Don’t you watch Access Hollywood or ESPN?
Besides, there is nothing wrong with a man liking T-Swift 😁
Hen Wilson: Fair, I take that back
I don’t know what they were talking about, but Buck was looking at Eddie all misty-eyed afterwards and talking about what a wonderful kid he raised, and I nearly threw up my tacos
Chimney Han: 🤮
Hen Wilson: Then this morning Buck decided he wanted to buy Buck an El Paso Chihuahuas baseball strip ⚾
Chimney Han: Chihuahuas? In the whole wide world of animal sports team names, they pick a handbag dog?
Hen Wilson: Chim, focus…
Chimney Han: Not the El Paso Coyotes or El Paso Scorpions…
Hen Wilson: Chim…
Chimney Han: Even the El Paso Vultures would have a better ring to it!
Hen Wilson: 🙄🙄🙄
You’re right, eye rolls just don’t cut it
Chimney Han: Fine. Continue your story
Hen Wilson: So Buck wanted to buy a strip for Christopher, but Eddie wasn’t convinced
Chimney Han: Probably because it’s a shocker of a team name…
Hen Wilson: But Buck said that chihuahuas are small but tough and scrappy, and they don’t let anything keep them down, just like Christopher
Chimney Han: Aww
Hen Wilson: I literally thought Eddie was about to jump his bones there and then
Chimney Han: Eww
Hen Wilson: I know you think Buck’s talking to some ‘Covid Crush’…
Chimney Han: I’m telling you he is. He was on that iPad all the time when I was there, and Albert says he’s still disappearing for long conversations with this mystery woman
Hen Wilson: Doesn’t mean it’s a girlfriend. Or even a girl at all. It could be Eddie
Chimney Han: I know what Eddie’s voice sounds like, Hen. No, this is definitely a woman
Hen Wilson: Has no one else heard of headphones? I mean, Buck’s loft ain’t exactly private…after 3 months I feel we all know each other too well...
Chimney Han: Yeah, there’s just some things I never wanted to know about any of you. Who knew drains could get clogged with that much hair?
Hen Wilson: And how did Buck get toothpaste on the ceiling again?
Chimney Han: He claimed Eddie walked in on him brushing his teeth and surprised him...
Hen Wilson: 😒
OK, I’m calling BS on your girlfriend theory
Chimney Han: So who is she then? He’s being really secretive about it. Maddie keeps asking about her and he just ducks the questions. He won’t even tell Albert, and they’re living together
Hen Wilson: Does that sound like Buck to you? If he’s dating someone new everyone knows it. Whoever she is, she’s not a new love interest
Chimney Han: Then who is she?
Hen Wilson: 🤷♀️
How’s 🥭 this morning?
Chimney Han: 😍
Firing field goals like an NFL kicker 🏈
Hen Wilson: Sounds painful
When are you gonna tell me if it’s a boy or a girl?
Chimney Han: How many times do I have to tell you we don’t know?
Hen Wilson: 😒
Chimney Han: What are the lovebirds up to now?
Hen Wilson: Buck’s trying to convince Eddie that he can build Chris an accessible surfboard, like he bought and built him that skateboard a couple of months back. Eddie’s trying to pretend that he’s just humouring Buck, but the internal mirror tells me otherwise 🥰
I swear to you, Chim, the chemistry is off the charts here. If we don’t get smoked out by these wildfires, I might choke to the death on the sexual tension instead ☠️
Chimney Han: Good luck sharing a bunk room with them 🤣
Hen Wilson: I have earplugs, an eye mask and noise cancelling headphones. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be for earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis from the other side of the room 🙃
Chimney Han: No amount of coffee will ever be enough to prepare me for those mental images… 😳
Hen Wilson: 🤣🤣🤣
Chimney Han: You’re evil
Hen Wilson: 😈 Serves you right for not being out here with me
Chimney Han: Would it help if we named the baby Henrietta?
Hen Wilson: So you ARE having a girl?!
Chimney: Nah, I meant if it’s a girl OR a boy
Hen Wilson: OK, I’m done here
Some of us have actual work to do, you know, fighting wildfires, saving a city 🔥
Chimney Han: Make sure you don’t get burned by the Buckley-Diaz fire 🔥
Hen Wilson: I repeat: eye mask, ear plugs, noise-cancelling headphones.
And, worse case scenario, therapy with Frank…