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It’s been a long week, and as Josh comes home to kick off their shoes and grab a much-needed drink, their cell phone rings a familiar tone before they can take two full steps in the door.
It isn’t an unwelcome disruption, not when the familiar melody signals that the call is coming from Buck.
“Hey babe, are you home yet?” Buck asks, and Josh realizes he must’ve done the math almost perfectly to account for traffic to time this call.
“Just got in, what’s up?” Josh can hear a strain in their boyfriend’s tone that makes them wonder if this isn’t a call just to hear their voice.
“So… I have a problem. Something’s come up with Eddie’s family, and he needs me to watch Christopher tomorrow…”
Tomorrow, which is the only overlapping day off the two of them have for the next two weeks. They planned to spend the day out, with their only solid plan to hit up the pier and then see where the rest of the day will take them. Josh fears their day may just take them to the sofa, again. Unless… “Bring him with,” Josh suggests.
“What?”
“Bring him with! Unless you think he’d have a problem with me being around. I mean, we’re going to the pier, not a strip club or something. He’ll have a blast,” Josh insists.
“I’m sure he will,” Buck says with a chuckle. Josh smiles hearing the sound, imagining the way they know the corners of Buck’s lips are crinkling with the motion. “I was more worried about you having fun.”
“I’m happy just to spend time with you. I suppose it wouldn’t kill me to share you with Christopher for a little bit,” they joke. “Seriously. I know Christopher’s important to you, so he’s important to me, too. That’s how this works.”
Josh hears a choked-off noise from Buck’s end of the line, and can practically hear their boyfriend melt over the sentiment of their words. They mean it - Eddie is Buck’s best friend, and Buck talks about Christopher all the time. Josh would love to meet the kid Buck’s so fond of. And seeing Buck with kids? Honestly, this is just a win-win for Josh all around.
“Alright,” Buck says finally, then repeats the word with more surety. “Alright. We’ll meet you there, then.”
---
They’ve only been at the pier for an hour or two, but the three of them are having such a good time that it’s passed in the blink of an eye. Christopher seems to be picking up on Buck’s cues that Josh is a safe friend and it isn’t long before Chris and Josh are both teaming up to tease Buck about how bad he is at some of these games.
“They’re rigged!” Buck insists.
“Or you just have horrible aim, dear,” Josh counters, watching Buck miss the target on the water gun stand by several inches. “Which, for someone who needs to aim water at actual fires to put them out, concerns me.”
“Maybe I should be the firefighter,” Christopher chimes in from his seat next to Buck, where he’s doing a much better job.
“I’m never getting the two of you together again,” Buck groans, as the bells ding to signal some girl at the far end beating both of them for the prize. This is the 5th round Buck and Christopher played, and for some reason, Buck is being strangely insistent on playing until he wins. At the rate he’s going, they’re going to be here the rest of the day or until Buck runs out of money, whichever comes first.
“I’ll be right back,” Josh says, excusing themself to go find the nearest bathroom.
They’re barely gone for 5 minutes but when they come back it’s to the sight of Buck with a stuffed animal nearly the size of Christopher in his arms and a dopey grin on his face.
“Eddie’s going to kill you for sending Christopher home with that,” Josh says, shaking their head.
“It isn’t for Christopher,” Buck says, beaming as he holds the animal out to Josh. Now they can see that it isn’t just any animal - it’s a giant otter, Josh’s favorite animal.
Josh absolutely isn’t ready for the swell of emotion that clogs their throat at the sight of it. “I-”
Buck’s smile falters just a smidge. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” Josh says, pushing past the lump in their throat. They cross the space to squish the otter between themself and Buck as they wrap their arms around him. “And I love you.”
“Love you too, babe,” Buck says. “C’mon, let’s get something to eat.”
It isn’t until after they’re done eating and Josh makes an off-handed remark about not believing Buck actually won this for them that the truth comes out.
“Buck didn’t win it,” Christopher says, smirking. Buck immediately brings a finger up to his lips as betrayal fills his eyes, but Christopher isn’t deterred.
“Oh, he didn’t?” Josh prompts.
“I thought we had an understanding,” Buck accuses Chris.
“You told me lying is wrong,” Christopher counters cleverly, knowing exactly what he’s doing, then turns to face Josh.
“He paid the guy who did win $20 for it,” Christopher stage-whispers to Josh, even though Buck can obviously hear him.
Josh rolls their eyes but levels their boyfriend with an endearing grin. Buck may be a little ridiculous at times, but Josh wouldn’t have him any other way.