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“You ready?” Buck winked at Eddie. He was not entirely comfortable with their mission (and yes, Buck was calling it a mission, regardless of how much Bobby insisted it wasn’t) but he couldn’t deny that it was fun seeing Eddie stress about it.
“No, I’m not Buck. You’ve seen me trying to flirt. And this ? This is even worse. How am I supposed to set and talk to a random person for seven minutes, while they cringe at me? Can’t we just hang out here and see if there’s something suspicious?” Eddie was speaking fast, which further told Buck how anxious he was and Buck wondered if he should not have pushed to have Eddie join him.
When Cap had told them that they needed to go undercover, Buck and Eddie had both been excited. Then Bobby had explained to them what their job really would be. There had been threats of bombings, fires, and other attacks throughout the city. The threats had come in as notifications to various law officials so the police assumed it was the work of the same hackers who had caused the blackout. They did not trust all of the threats to be true but it was not easy to determine which ones were. Many LAPD chiefs had suggested implementing a city-wide lockdown but were shut down on the premise that it would create panic within the public. So LAPD was going to station security at as many locations as possible. Since LAPD did not have enough officers to tackle all the threats, other branches including the LAFD would be pitching in for low-level threats. The 118 had allotted a vandalism at a book launch and a gay speed dating event. Buck and Eddie were assigned the latter because they were the only ones who fit the required age bracket. Eddie had suggested that Buck go as a contestant and Eddie hang out in the area but Bobby thought it would be more fruitful for both of them to pose as contestants. Eddie had agreed only after fifteen minutes of continuous attack from Buck’s puppy dog eyes.
“Eds, you know you don’t really have to flirt with these people or make them like you, don’t you? You don’t have to treat this like the real thing. Unless you want to, that is.” Buck hesitated, adding the last comment. To be honest, he had wondered for some time if the reason Eddie did not want to be a participant was that it was for gay guys. But if it had, he would have said it, wouldn’t he?
“No, yeah, I know. But it is still weird.”
Buck knew he shouldn’t ask. He knew he was setting himself up for hurt. But he found himself speaking, regardless. “Weird because it’s men?”
“No! Weird because it’s speed dating . You know I don’t like speaking much in general and now I am going to be timed to speak. If we are going to pass off as participants, I can’t look standoffish now, can I?” Buck smiled with pursed lips, trying not to laugh at Eddie’s exasperated and nervous expression. He was relieved, even though he knew this did not necessarily mean that Eddie was into men. “Also who does speed dating anymore?” Unable to control any longer, Buck doubled over laughing, earning a glare and a punch on the arm from Eddie.
“You’ll be fine. Just ask the usual questions. What are your hobbies, what’s your favourite childhood memory, cats or dogs, do you like kids. That should cover you for 7 minutes. I am sure the other guy will also have something to ask.”
“How are you so prepared?” Eddie raised his eyebrow, clearly amused.
“I googled. That’s what normal people do, grandpa.” Buck grinned, dodging Eddie’s hand and stepping into the restaurant quickly.
There were sixteen people there, including him and Eddie. He received a number twelve tag and Eddie was number seven. There were eight tables and they would all be rotating through the tables clockwise after each date . After the second one, Buck wished he had agreed with Eddie’s idea to stay out of the event.
The first question his first date had asked him was if he would be open to bringing in animals into their “nightly activities” (his words, not Buck’s). Buck blinked for a few seconds before his curiosity took over him and he asked what kind of animals. “Oh, nothing too exotic. Just a few of my pets. Let’s see, there’s Drogo, my Labrador. I guess that’s pretty vanilla but let me tell you, he is hung very well . Then we have Aragog. She’s a Mexican redleg tarantula and is as furry as a feather. And I know what you’re thinking but her venom is pretty much like a bee sting, so it only enhances the fun. And last but not the least is my dearest drama queen, Crowley, an Eastern Hognose snake who is amazing if you are into asphyxiation, and let’s be honest, who isn’t?” Buck had simply stared at him with an open mouth until the bell rang for them to move. He quickly made some notes on the card he had been given and moved to the next table.
“So what are you looking for here?” Buck was relieved to get a normal question.
“Uh, I’m not really sure? It’s the first time I’m doing this.”
“Well, I’ve been to forty of these so far, and here I am. So my advice about speed dating? Don’t do it.”
“So why are you here again?” Buck tried to keep a straight face but he knew he was failing. It did not come as a surprise when the guy did not answer and politely excused himself to go to the restroom.
After five dates, Buck would have chosen to be crushed by a truck to this. He looked over at Eddie, who seemed to be having similar thoughts, and laughed lightly. "Why do you keep looking at that table over there? Would you rather be talking to him?" his current date asked.
They had met three minutes ago. Was this guy really acting jealous after that? But then again, he was probably looking for a relationship out of the event, not a possible arsonist. Buck told himself to try to be more interested. "No no, that is my friend and I want to see how his date is going."
"So are you hoping it is going well or terrible?" He gave Buck a knowing look. Buck started to protest but he smiled. "It's alright, I understand. You should tell him. He keeps looking over here as well." Now Buck was sure he was only teasing. There was no way Eddie could - no, he would not think about it. There was no reason to put it into words and let it lead to some not so pleasurable conclusions.
Almost an hour from when they started, Buck was sitting in front of Eddie. He had clearly not thought this through because this was not a scenario he had planned for.
"So, cats or dogs?" Eddie winked at him.
"Both" It took a moment for Buck to recover from the effect of it and reply. "As long as they do not get involved in - uh - nightly activities with me."
Eddie guffawed in response. "Why, are you not into asphyxiation? You have no idea what you are missing out on, Buck!" Buck couldn't help laughing along with Eddie.
"What did you think about Mr. I'm here on a dare?" Buck mimicked the guy. "If I can shop through a meat market of thousands of men for free without leaving home, why pay for speed dating?"
"He's not wrong."
"So if I set up a tinder account for you, you would actively use it?" Buck looked at Eddie with a mixture of amusement and challenge.
Eddie was flustered. "Hey, I'm just saying his statement is logical, not that I want either of them!" They had enough to talk about thanks to the previous dates, even though most of them had been pretty regular and boring. Both of them agreed that they had not suspected any participant to be a potential arsonist.
"They have clearly taken the speed part very seriously.” Eddie tilted his head towards a couple coming out of the restroom, with their faces red and hair disheveled. Buck laughed with him, though for a moment, he wondered what it would be like had it been him and Eddie in the restroom. He was brought out of his reverie by the bell ringing. Eddie scribbled on his card, grinning and pulling it away when Buck tried to snatch it.
They were left to socialise with each other, with some wine and appetisers while the hosts of the event went through their notes to provide suggestions on potential matches. They made their way around the restaurant to check for any signs of foul play. There was a loud noise behind them and both Buck and Eddie got into an alert position, both groaning when they realised that it was nothing but a statue falling over. They rechecked the corner regardless but by then they were certain that this had been one of the fake calls.
Once certain there was no danger, Buck made his way to the food, piling up his plate. Eddie, as always, decided not to eat the fancy stuff and then two minutes later, got himself a fork and started eating from Buck's plate. "You'd think I would learn to get two plates by now." Buck frowned.
"Don't lie. You got this shrimp for me. You don't even like shrimp," Eddie said, as he stabbed his fork into another shrimp. Buck laughed and shook his head. Just friends don't not get olives because their friend who they are sharing with does not like olives, they get two plates instead, Taylor had said after a party at his loft when Eddie had gotten a plate for both of them. No, he could not be thinking about this, , especially not when they were still at the dating location. No, he was not linking his Eddie thoughts with it.
Thankfully, the hostess, the woman in a sparkly black dress, appeared soon enough. “Hello again everyone. I hope you all enjoyed your dates today. I am glad to see that we had quite a few yeses on the would like to meet again question. Based on your answers to our online questionnaire and your notes today, we also have some suggestions for you. Wouldn’t want you to miss on the love of your life because of a bad 7 minutes, would we?” She winked and giggled cloyingly. What’s another seven minutes after three years, Buck thought to himself.
“I am happy to announce that we have two potential couples whose profiles match by more than 97%, which is not something we see very often. So, as a congratulation, we will be offering a candlelight dinner, on the house, tonight. Are you ready to hear the verdict?” Some of the participants utter an uninterested yes. Her enthusiasm was unaffected by it. “Put your hands together for our first couple number three Dean Winchester and number eight Cass Novak and the next ones number twelve Evan Buckley and number seven Eddie Diaz. Congratulations to the four of you. If you will please head to your right to meet with Molly over there, they will get you set up. Now, everyone else, just because you did not get a 97% match, does not mean all hope is lost. We still have —“
Buck ignored anything else that the woman said, turning to Eddie. He was about to suggest skipping the dinner but Eddie beat him to it. “So, we should probably stay - uh - I mean it doesn’t hurt to make sure the threat was definitely false, and it’s free dinner?” Did Eddie sound nervous? No, stop, he chided himself. How many times had he gotten his hopes up, only to be crushed? He did not even have a reason to believe Eddie was anything but straight. But he was not going to pass up on the dinner if Eddie was okay with it. That was the least he could treat himself to.
Molly guided them to a booth in a secluded but cozy area towards the back of the restaurant. The only other people there were the other matched couple, Dean and Cass. The area was dark except for a few soft yellow lights at the ceiling. As he looked at the table, Buck wished he had said no to staying for dinner. He did not think he would be able to take this.
“Buck, you okay?” Eddie asked as Buck bumped against the table while taking a seat. Buck nodded, not trusting himself to speak. “Nervous about our first date, Buckley?” Buck spit out the water he had just sipped. “Are you sure you are okay? Something on your mind?”
“No, no I - I’m fine. I’m great. If the food earlier was any indication, we’re in for a pretty good dinner. I also heard someone saying that the wine was high quality. You think they’ll include that in the dinner?” Buck rambled, unable to stop himself.
“Why, you want to get me drunk?” Eddie winked.
Fine, two could play this game. “Wouldn’t want you to miss out on the full Buckley experience.”
“Oh yeah? Which one do I get - 1.0 or 2.0?” Eddie put his elbows on the table and leaned forward.
“You, Eddie Diaz, have the pleasure of being the first person to be on a date with Buck 4.0. Sexy like 1.0, adorable like 2.0, and mature like 3.0.”
Eddie laughed softly in response. Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the arrival of their waiter with a bottle of wine. Buck half-listened to him as he listed the menu for the night, focussing on Eddie’s smile instead. Fortunately, (or unfortunately), the rest of the dinner was not much different from their usual time together. Eddie made fun of how fancy the food was and Buck made fun of Eddie for having a limited palette. By the time they were done with dessert (Panna cotta that they shared), Buck realised that he had drunk more than he realised and he was starting to get tipsy. It was lucky they did not have to work the next morning. They thanked Molly before leaving and stepped out into the cold air.
"I’m glad the threat was false but at least we got a free dinner out of it," Buck said, trying not to let his emotions take over.
"We could walk to my place and come back for your jeep tomorrow. Neither of us is in a state to drive." Buck agreed to Eddie's suggestion while his mind supplied that this meant he was going to be staying at Eddie's. Shut up, it's nothing new. He had been drunk at Eddie's place in the past. Never after you had a date where he flirted with you. He reminded himself forcefully that this was not a date. It had been work. He was trying to justify Eddie's flirting as normal to himself when Eddie's fingers brushed against his. Lightly for the first two times and then more confidently, taking his hand. Buck was too scared to look at Eddie. Silently, looking ahead, he intertwined their fingers. The slight squeeze from Eddie was all the answer he needed to let himself smile.