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1. Bobby
Bobby has had enough. When he spoke with Eddie several weeks ago about moving on, he’d hoped that Eddie would go on a date with Ana and open his eyes to what he’s been missing all along. But, since the famous Ana Flores is sitting across from him at the family barbecue right now, he realizes that maybe he had overestimated Eddie’s emotional intelligence.
Now, he’s stuck watching Buck sulking and glaring at Eddie and Ana from several seats away, his attention in no way focused on whatever story his sister and Chimney are telling. Bobby raises an eyebrow and sneaks a glance at his wife, who seems to be on the same page. She just smirks and shakes her head before handing Ana the potato salad.
Classic Athena, she puts on her best polite smile and tilts her head. “So, Ana…how are things going with you and Firefighter Diaz here? He’s not causing any trouble, is he?”
Ana smiles and wraps a hand around Eddie’s arm as she passes along the potato salad. “Oh, he’s no trouble at all. Things are pretty great. Edmundo is nothing but a perfect gentleman.”
Athena’s eyebrows rise. “Edmundo? Is that what we’re calling you now?”
Eddie, who has been suspiciously quiet, looks up from mashing up the corn on his plate. “Oh, uh, no. It’s…it’s her, our…thing.” He shrugs and offers a weak smile.
Bobby mirrors his wife’s bemused expression and looks over at Buck, who is severely failing at pretending that he isn’t listening to this conversation. The young man’s face is scrunched up, a whisper of “Edmundo?” leaving his lips.
It takes everything in Bobby’s power to not ruin this whole meal and tell these idiots to get it together, but he knows patience is a virtue…especially with these two. As Buck moves his attention to Christopher, who’s interestingly enough seated with the Buckleys and not with his father and Ana, Bobby just presses a smile onto his face and tunes back into his wife’s conversation with the vice principal.
"Oh yes, Edmundo is terrible at math. We're working on it, though, aren't we?"
God, help them.
2. Hen
When Hen had uttered “Ana who?” after the first time Buck brought it up, she really wasn’t trying to be funny. She was, in fact, utterly shocked that Eddie was seriously considering dating someone. Because in her mind, he and Buck were only mere steps away from moving from the friend zone into new territory. It only seemed natural after they had spent the past two years forming a family unit and finally working through their individual issues over the past several months.
But apparently, she had been dead wrong. But she knows she’s hardly ever wrong, so the problem isn’t her, it’s definitely the two idiots in question.
It’s been almost a month of Eddie & Ana, and Hen is at the end of her rope. She’s sitting on the couch in the loft, listening to Eddie tell yet another half-hearted story about Ana and Christopher spending time together. Hen doesn’t know who Eddie is trying to convince more how cute the friendship is, himself or her.
As he’s swiping through some photos of them at the zoo, Hen gives him an occasional aw, but her attention is focused on Buck, who is doing the dishes in the kitchen, his eyeline directly on Eddie.
Hen likes to think that, after all of their years working together, she understands Evan Buckley’s emotional tells. Though, she admits, it hasn’t been all that difficult to see them as of lately. It seems that the only person who is oblivious to Buck’s subtle outbursts is the person who is causing them.
As Eddie swipes to another photo, this one of Chris and Ana in front of the lemurs, Buck drops a plastic bowl into the dishwasher with extra force.
Oh, god… Hen pinches her nose and stretches away from Eddie’s phone. Quietly, she pats his shoulder. She leans in and whispers, “I thought Buck said something recently about him and Chris doing a report together on lemurs?”
Eddie frowns and locks the phone. He glances quickly at Buck, who is now avoiding any and all eye contact, shoving the dishwasher drawers shut. Buck presses a few buttons, rushes a shout to them about the dishes being done, and hurries down the stairs.
Hen looks back at Eddie, who is staring after the blonde man, still frowning. He slowly focuses back on Hen. “I, uh, I hadn’t thought about that. Now I feel bad.” His eyes look slightly watery, and his whole face is tense.
Hen doesn’t know whether to hug him or shake him to death.
3. Chimney
Chimney loves Maddie, so he has been very accommodating to Buck crashing their alone time every night for the past two weeks. Chim, he’s in a very fragile state right now, I know he’d rather talk it out with us than with Albert. she had told him the first night.
But now, two weeks and 14 nights later, Chimney wants nothing more than to tell Buck to talk to Dr. Copeland or just go plant one on Eddie.
“—and then he kept going on about them at the zoo, Maddie! Do you know how long we’ve been talking about the three of us going to the zoo together? Months! And he takes Ana after a few dates? I can’t believe this.”
Chimney takes another drag of his drink as Maddie rubs her brother’s back. “You know, maybe you should just say something, Buckaroo.”
Both siblings shoot a look at him.
He holds out his arms. “What? I mean, what else can you do, Buck? Are you just going to sit on our couch and whine forever? It seems to me like you have two options, either get over it or do something to fix it.” He takes another sip. “I hope for all of our sakes, you pick the latter. You don’t exactly have a good track record with getting over people.”
Maddie narrows her eyes at him before turning back around to Buck. “Evan, while Chim is coming at it the wrong way, he’s right. You do need to do something…you have to find a way to cope with this. Hiding from him at work all day, secretly listening in on his conversations? It isn’t healthy, Buck.” She soothes circles into his shoulder. “I honestly don’t think it will last. I think Eddie just needs time to figure things out for himself.”
At that, Chimney drags the rest of his drink, ignoring the burn. If they have to wait for Eddie Diaz to get it together, Chimney can look forward to Buck being on his couch for the next ten years.
4. Christopher
Christopher is tired of being nice. And for Christopher Diaz to be tired of being nice, it means that he’s really over it. When Dad had told him about Ms. Flores, Chris decided it might be fun to have another face around the house and welcomed her with open arms.
But now? The pandemic is over, he’s back in school, and he honestly is tired of Ms. Flores. She’s nice, always has been, but he just doesn’t feel comfortable when they’re together. He misses Buck. He hasn’t said anything to Dad, but Chris just feels wrong when Ms. Flores spends time with them.
One night, when Dad and Ms. Flores are out by themselves and Buck is over to babysit, Chris decides to say something.
They’re in the middle of a game of Scrabble when Chris lets out a heavy sigh. Buck immediately has a hand on his shoulder and is looking at him with an unspoken Are you okay? Christopher relaxes into Buck’s touch. “I don’t like Dad being with Ms. Flores,” he whispers. He doesn’t want to get into trouble.
Buck nods slowly and leans back. “Is this about what we talked about before? Are you afraid she’s going to leave?”
“No, I want her to leave.” Chris throws down his hand. “You, me, and Dad are a family, and she’s ruining it!”
Buck is blinking over and over again, his mouth slightly open. He finally shakes his head and pulls Chris in closer. “I know, kid. It sucks, huh?”
Chris tilts his head back and peers at Buck. “Do you like Dad, Buck?”
“Of course, buddy.”
“No, Buck. Do you like Dad? Don’t lie.”
Buck lets out a shallow laugh. “You really are your father’s son, huh?” He tugs Chris in again, and Chris rests his head on Buck’s shoulder. “I guess I can’t lie to the world’s smartest kid…” He cards a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath before continuing. “I love your dad. He’s my best friend. You and him are the two most important people in my life. I love you both. But your dad…he likes Ana. And if that makes him happy, then we need to let him be happy, okay? Just because he doesn’t feel the same way I do, that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. I promised you that, and I don’t break my promises.” He gives him a squeeze.
Chris feels better hearing Buck tell him the truth, but then he’s mad again. “If I can see that you love him, but he doesn’t, then Dad’s stupid.”
He feels Buck’s stifled laughter. “Can’t argue with that, bud.”
5. Ana
Ana Flores really, really likes Edmundo Diaz. Ever since he walked into her classroom last year, she’s had a big crush on the handsome firefighter, and since they’d run into each other on the street, she’d told her friends that he really could be the one she’d been waiting for.
At first, things were great. Sure, there was a hiccup with Christopher early on, but things have gotten better since then. They’d spent a lot of time together, the three of them, and Ana enjoyed every moment. But…a few weeks into their relationship, she had started to notice that that there were, surprisingly, problems when it was just her and Edmundo on their own.
When he had set an alarm for Christopher’s bedtime during one of their first date nights, she’d understood, but after several weeks of him having some type of excuse to get home before they could get past first base, Ana was starting to feel frustrated.
He’s probably just feeling shy. You did say there hasn’t been anyone since his wife, her friends had said when she confided in them. She thought they’d had a valid point, until she accepted Edmundo’s invitation to a joint game night at Dave and Buster’s with his work friend, Buck. When they got to the arcade, Buck had given her a curt hello before whisking Christopher away and heading for ski ball.
She’d met Buck a handful of times since she’d started dating Edmundo, and she knew that the man was a constant figure in the Diaz home, always a main player in both Edmundo and Christopher’s stories, and she’d seen several photos of him and Christopher hanging throughout the house. From the few get togethers she’d attended with the 118, she could see that he was well-liked by all of his coworkers, their partners, and their kids, so it struck her a bit odd that he didn’t share the same warmth with her that was freely given to everyone else.
As the game night progressed, however, Ana was starting to add up the math. Sitting in their booth, keeping an eye on Christopher’s prizes (most gifted to him by Buck), Ana notices how often Edmundo’s arm wrap around the taller man and how he naturally gravitates into his space. Buck doesn't seem to mind, leaning into Edmundo’s touch almost every time. When Buck leans in and whispers something into his ear, Edmundo laughs, his smile reaching his eyes, and Buck gazes down at him like he’s hung the moon. That’s when Ana knows that she is definitely the odd one out in this trio.
Later, back at the Diaz house, Christopher asleep in bed, Ana politely says no when Edmundo offers her a drink. “Edmundo…” She places a hand on his arm. “I don’t think this is going to work.”
He blinks at her for several moments before setting down his beer. “I’m sorry, uh…why? Did I do something wrong? Did you not have fun tonight?”
She smiles softly. “You didn’t do anything wrong; you’ve been very nice. I just—I had an opportunity tonight to see some things and…I think that they’re maybe things that you don’t see.”
Edmundo looks absolutely perplexed.
She squeezes his arm and adjusts the purse strap on her shoulder before looking him in the eyes. “I think, Edmundo, that there is someone else that you’re in love with. And they’re in love with you. You already have a family together. Just think about it.”
She kisses him on the cheek and leaves. She doesn’t need to look back to know that he’s still standing there confused. Good luck, Buck.
+1
Contrary to popular belief, Evan Buckley is no idiot. Everyone thinks they’ve been really subtle over the past few weeks, but he knows that they’ve been gossiping about him and Eddie. He sees Bobby and Athena looking at him and whispering to each other at the get togethers when Eddie shows up with Ana, sees Hen keeping an eye on him whenever Eddie whips out pictures from a weekend spent with Ana and Chris, and Chimney has been very vocal about him needing to just make a move already.
He briefly wonders if Eddie has picked up on all of the nonsense, but then decides that Edmundo is probably too blinded by his new romance to notice anything at all.
But then—
It’s the day after their weird hangout with Ana at the arcade, and Bobby’s assigned the two of them to clean the main engine. Usually, washing the truck takes the whole squad, but Hen and Chimney are out on a medical call, and Bobby is working on paperwork in his office. Buck usually would be thrilled to get to spend some time alone with Eddie, but Eddie is being weird today.
As Buck’s worked his way down one side of the truck, Eddie has been shining one hubcap for thirty minutes straight.
Buck turns the corner of the front of the engine, sees Eddie still zoned out, and sighs.
“You know, I think that hubcap is as polished as it’s gonna get.”
Eddie snaps out of it and gives a look to Buck before looking between the rag in his hand and the shiny silver. He slings the rag over his shoulder and leans against the side of the truck with a deep sigh. “Sorry, man. I guess I’m not helping too much, am I?” He puts his hands in his pockets and looks Buck in the eyes. “My mind is somewhere else today, I guess.”
Buck tilts his head, opens the driver’s door and perches on the step. “Yeah, I can tell. What’s going on? Everything okay with Chris?”
At the mention of Chris, Eddie brightens a little. “Yeah, Chris is good. He wouldn’t stop talking this morning about how much he kicked your ass at the arcade. Had a great time with you last night, thanks for that.”
Buck laughs and folds his hands together between his knees. “I love that kid, even if he does kick my ass at air hockey.” He peers up at Eddie. “So, what then? Something happen with Ana?”
Eddie scoffs and runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah…” He looks at Buck for a long moment before pulling the rag off his shoulder and wringing it over and over again. “She, uh, she broke up with me.”
Buck’s eyebrows raise, and it takes everything in his soul to not cheer and run a lap around the truck. He suppresses his joy and leans into his knees more. “Oh? Did she say why? I hope I didn’t cause any trouble last night. I know I wasn’t the friendliest, but my priority was Chris—”
“Buck, stop.” Eddie puts up a hand and starts pacing in a short line. “She said it wasn’t going to work out because I’m in love with someone else. Which—” He stops, looks at Buck, then goes back to pacing. “Which is true, and it took me all night to really figure out that it is, but the problem is that she also said that this person is in love with me too, which is just—” He throws a hand in the air and lets out a dry laugh. “Ridiculous.”
Buck leans back onto the step and peers at him for what feels like the longest minute of his life. “Wow, Christopher really hit the nail on the head when he called you stupid.”
Eddie halts and looks at Buck, looking like a deer in the headlights. “What?”
Buck stands up slowly and approaches Eddie. Once he’s in front of him, he carefully extracts the rag from Eddie’s hands and throws it into the water bucket. He leans in, and with a low voice says, “Your son asked me if I was in love with you, and when I said yes, he told me that you’re stupid if you don’t see it.”
Eddie gulps and fidgets. “You…you said yes?”
Buck grins, pulls Eddie in at the waist and backs him into the side of the truck. “Yes. Apparently, everyone we know figured it out. What took you so long?” He leans back ever so slightly and smirks. “Did I hear you wrong, or did you say that you’re in love with me too?”
The way Eddie is looking at him makes Buck’s heart soar. Eddie tilts his head onto the side of the truck and peers up at him, his brown eyes dark and sparkling. “Yeah, I did. I’m in love with you, Buckley.” He places a hand on Buck’s cheek, trembling ever so slightly. “I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up. I'm an idiot.”
Buck laughs, the happiest he’s felt in weeks, and he kisses him. It’s the most natural thing in the world, and everything feels right. Buck feels himself smiling, and they break apart as Eddie smiles too, their grins making it impossible to go on. When they open their eyes and look at one another, Eddie’s eyes are sparkling and happy, and he’s shaking his head.
“So what do you mean everyone knew before I did? Who knew before me?”
“Buckley, Diaz! Get up here and sign these relationship forms, they've been ready on my desk for too long!”
They pull apart and look up, Bobby leaning over the loft railing, Hen and Chimney next to him, back from their call and laughing. Bobby feigns a serious look before smiling and winking at them.
“Be right up, Cap!” Buck smiles and manages to flip a bird at Chimney before turning back his attention to the man in front of him. “Like I said…everyone!”
Eddie just laughs, grabs his hand, and leads the way to Bobby’s office.