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“Same again.” Eddie tells the bartender, lifting his empty glass and offering one of his coy smiles – the kind that leaves no negotiations, the kind that has anybody’s heart speeding up. The kind that got Buck to fall in love with him in the first place. Turning back to face Buck, Eddie dances his fingertips down Buck’s arm, tilting his head in slightly so Buck can hear him better over the music. He’s close enough now that, as he speaks, his lips brush against the shell of Buck’s ear. “I’m gonna hit the head, I’ll be right back.”
With another bright smile, Eddie dips out.
Buck watches him slip easily into the throng of drunks, unable to wipe the stupid smile that he knows is on his face. Who can blame him, though? With a boyfriend as ridiculously beautiful (and kind-hearted) as Eddie Diaz, army medic and father of the world’s cutest damn kid to ever exist, Buck has every right to be smitten.
There’s a clang on the countertop behind him and Buck swivels back around on his stool, nodding his thanks to the bartender after she places their fresh beers down. Idly watching the drops of condensation pool around the outside of his glass, Buck doesn’t notice the body sidling up beside him.
Not until a cool hand presses itself to his arm, that is.
“Hey there, gorgeous,” a honey-warm voice practically purrs in his ear. Buck fights back a grimace, turning just enough to get a glimpse of the stranger. She’s cute, he’ll give her that, and maybe a couple years ago he would’ve played into her game, taken her home, never seen her again. But he’s changed now; he’s settled down and on a rare date with the man he intends to spend the rest of his life with.
So, instead of attempting to flirt back, Buck merely offers her a tight smile. “Hi. I’m actually with someone.” He gestures to Eddie’s currently vacant seat.
The girl follows his gaze, frowning slightly. “Well, she’s obviously blind if she’s not here right now.” She tilts her head, pulling her lip between her teeth in a way that’s probably supposed to attract him. The affect is ruined when she accidentally gets pink lipstick on her front teeth. “Has anyone ever told you that you have the most captivating eyes?”
Buck wants to snort at that. The lights are so dim in here that he highly doubts she can actually see his eyes, but he decides not to tell her that. “Yes, actually, my bo-”
She gasps, cutting him off.
“Oh my God!” She leans in further, affectively causing Buck to lean back. “You’re- Oh, Becky is gonna freak-” She rests an elbow on the bar, unbothered by the certain stickiness of the surface, and grins at him. “You’re that cute firefighter from the news! With the rollercoaster? I totally watched that the other day, you were amazing.”
Ah, there it was. The one thing that could completely wipe the smile off of Buck’s face.
He really didn’t want to be reminded of that call.
The guilt he felt from that night still hadn’t gone, nor had the irrational anger, and the whole situation had been made worse by having to come home to an empty bed. Eddie had still been deployed at the time, unable to even video call with him until a day later, and Buck had wallowed in his own private hell as a result.
“I think you’ve got the wrong person.” he says, hoping she’ll accept it and move on. To the other side of the bar, preferably.
Buck’s luck isn’t that high, unfortunately. She shakes her head, reaching out to trail her hand down his arm again and definitely not getting the hint as he pulls back once more – absently wondering how far he can lean before he ends up falling off of his stool.
“No, no, I would recognise your face anywhere.” She stares at him, biting her lip not so subtly, “What was it like? Being that high up? I bet it gives you a thrill, huh? It would me.”
Buck gently guides her wandering hand away from him. “Please, I think you’re mistaken.” he tries again, but she’s not having any of it.
Stepping closer, she bumps their legs together. “Seriously, wha-”
Buck goes to interrupt her, tell her to leave him alone in the politest way he can, when another voice speaks. “You heard him, you’ve got the wrong guy.”
It’s magic! Buck can talk without moving his lips.
Her gaze shifts from Buck to the person now stood behind him, the hungry look in her eyes changing into something harder. Buck doesn’t need to look back to know who it is, obviously. Especially not as a very familiar hand finds home on Buck’s waist.
A breath that Buck hadn’t even realised he’d been holding suddenly releases and he finds himself smiling once more as he feels Eddie step closer still, until Buck is practically leaning back against his chest. Clearly Buck wasn’t the only one worried he might topple backwards sometime soon.
“We were just having a conversation.” the girl snaps, frowning now. She stands up straighter, getting defensive, and Buck notes that she’s definitely not as pretty now.
“Didn’t look like much of a conversation to me.” Eddie sasses back, grip tightening ever so slightly. Buck smirks; that’s his man.
Gesturing at the previously empty spot next to Buck, the girl’s lips curl up into a snarl and she cocks a challenging eyebrow at Eddie. “He looked lonely. I just thought I’d come and keep him company. Pretty boy like this shouldn’t be ditched like that.”
Eddie drapes his free arm over Buck’s shoulder, palm resting comfortably over Buck’s abdomen, and Buck absently thinks that the only way Eddie could possibly be any more possessive is by laying his claim on his neck. Which is a nice thought, actually. Buck should keep that in mind for when they get home.
“Well,” Eddie says, and oh God…his voice has dropped an octave, a low growl right by Buck’s ear. “I’m here now.” It’s three words. It’s not even threatening; doesn’t even explicitly tell her to leave them the fuck alone and, yet, it feels like so much more.
Eddie may as well have outright said, “He’s taken.” and it would’ve sounded the same.
The girl pauses for a moment, which feels like it drags on forever and Buck would succumb to the horribly awkward tension that’s encircled the trio if it weren’t for Eddie’s grounding hold on him. But, eventually, and with a glare that shoots daggers Eddie’s way, she lets out a begrudging huff and pushes herself away from the bar. “Whatever.” she mutters, leaving them without another glance back.
Buck lets out a long sigh the moment that she’s gone, leaning even further back into Eddie’s chest. “Thank God she’s gone.” he chuckles, feeling more than hearing Eddie’s responding laughter. Buck tilts his head back, glancing up at his boyfriend, and smiling wickedly at him. “You’re hot when you’re jealous.”
Eddie gapes, an affronted noise escaping him. “I was not jealous!”
Buck purses his lips together, raising a brow in disbelief. “Uh huh, sure, babe, whatever you say.”
“Shut up,” Eddie scoffs, trying desperately (and failing miserably) to keep the smile off of his face. He swats lightly at Buck’s arm before dipping his head down, his face hovering an inch above Buck’s. “What do you say we get out of here?”
Buck smirks, letting Eddie close the distance between them and relishing in the feeling of lips on his own. He pushes up into the kiss, a sigh slipping out, and only just about manages to resist the urge to grab hold of Eddie’s arms and stop him from pulling away.
He wastes no time hopping to his feet, smiling to himself as Eddie drops his hand to entwine their fingers together. They leave a tip by their unfinished drinks before Eddie begins pulling him towards the exit, his other hand by Buck’s waist as he guides him through the crowd – something that definitely doesn’t go unnoticed by Buck.
As they finally make it to the door, the cold air hitting them the moment they step out into the carpark, he leans back to whisper in Eddie’s ear, “Yeah, you weren’t jealous at all.”
Eddie rolls his eyes, but there’s a smile playing on his lips as he ducks in to press a quick kiss to Buck’s cheek. “Just get in the damn truck.” he groans, slapping Buck’s ass as he untangles their hands. Buck laughs, but does as he’s told.