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The look on Eddie’s face scares Buck when he comes off the phone, his eyes wide and with a look deep in them that shows that Eddie is unhappy, his mouth twisted into a frown. “What’s up?” he asks, patting the sofa next to him and Eddie folds himself into the gap and sighs heavily, sneaking a look around to check that the rest of the crew are not near enough to hear.
“It’s my parents,” he says. “They’re flying in for Christmas and they’ve organised a big meal tonight. And I know just what they’re going to say to me, and how they’re going to make me feel, I’ve failed Christophe, it’s just me again, I can’t find another parent for him, why am I so useless? I hate it, being around them, when they make me feel like a failure.”
“You know that’s not true, right?” Buck rests his hand on his best friend's arm, trying to think of what he could do to help. He’s in love with Eddie, he made peace with that fact a long time ago, and he’s almost sure there’s something brewing between them, but neither of them yet have made that move. And now, now is definitely not the right time. Even if he could literally make Eddie’s parents pay for making him feel like this. They both have shitty parents, even if they come from completely different points of view, one set who doesn't care and the other who cares too much, but he gets exactly how Eddie feels.
“It’s hard to think any other way,” Eddie says, his voice quiet and he blinks back tears and Buck is so angry he has to take deep breaths so he doesn’t say anything he’ll regret.
It takes him a call and lunch to think of a plan, and he corners Eddie whilst they’re restocking the ambulance. “I could come with you?”
“I would love nothing more than you being there,” Eddie breathes out. “And you know Chris and Abuela and Pepa would love it too. But they’re awful and they insist on only family and they don’t care how much we love you.”
“What if they thought I was family?” Buck braces himself and asks the question, knowing he’s putting part of his feelings out on the line and wondering if it goes wrong how he could reel it back in.
“What?”
“Then I’ll be there and I’ll have your back and I promised I would, and you’ve done that with my parents, I still remember how they told me what you’d said about me and I don’t want you to go and be alone. We can tell them we’re family, that we’re dating, if they ask. Just, I don’t want to let you think those things when you don’t deserve them.”
“Evan,” Eddie breathes out and then he’s hugging Buck, tight and firm. “God, Buck, if you’re sure, I’d love you to be there.”
“Then I will,” Buck says and that’s that.
They have a plan that tentatively includes saying they’re together. They test the water on Abuela and Pepa, amazed when they don’t even bat an eyelid at the suggestion. Christopher doesn’t care, just overjoyed that Buck is going to be at the meal and so it’s set. And Buck takes great care in getting ready, choosing his nicest shirt and jacket and pants, almost like he’s actually trying to impress his boyfriend’s parents, and picks a ridiculously nervous Eddie up for the meal.
Christopher is singing to himself in the back seat, the travel tablet on some Christmas movie, and Buck takes the chance to reach over and squeeze Eddie’s knee. If they are pretending to be dating, even if it’s only for one night, he’s going to get in as many touches as he can. It may be the only chance he gets after all. “It’ll be ok,” he says, keeping his voice low not to disturb Christopher.
“You’re here,” Eddie says and his face is open, his eyes lingering on Buck’s hand on his knee like he doesn’t want Buck to move it away either. “It’s going to be fine because you’re here. We have each other’s backs.”
“Yeah, we do,” Buck smiles, waiting until Eddie returns the gesture. “We always do, Eds, always.”
The Diaz parents are already waiting in the restaurant when the three of them get there, Ramon frowning as they make their way over and Helena standing up, trying to pick Christopher up to carry him the remaining distance. When Ramon shakes Buck’s hand first, he actually gives Eddie a stern look and Buck can’t believe it as he says, “the gaps between the tables are so narrow, Edmundo, why did you even let Christopher try to get to us by himself? It’s so unsafe?” and Buck can see the way Eddie’s jaw tightens.
He jumps in immediately. “Christopher is more than capable of getting across a restaurant, Sir, we take him places all the time. Besides, Eddie was close enough to help if he needed to. I don’t think there’s any need to worry.”
“Hmmm,” is all Ramon says, turning the same look on Buck, but as they sit down, Eddie slides his hand onto Buck’s thigh as a thank you, his shoulders relaxing slightly and so Buck considers that as a win.
Abuela and Pepa join them soon enough, Pepa driving them both there, and Christopher sits in between Helena and Ramon, even if the look he sends Buck is almost funny in its despair. Buck understands immediately, as they order food for him and then proceed to baby him, asking for a straw for his drink, cutting his starter up into small pieces. Eddie gets more and more tense and Buck tries to keep conversation as light as he can between himself, Abuela and Pepa just to try to stop them descending into awkward, horrible silence.
He’s talking to them, still holding Eddie’s thigh under the table, keeping an eye on Christopher and so he fails to notice when the conversation changes, until he sees how stiff Eddie has become under his hand. Somewhere along the line, Eddie’s parents disapproval has become more evident, in the way they’re fussing over Christopher whilst simultaneously glaring at Eddie. When Buck actually tunes into their conversation he’s stunned into silence.
“You’re not providing a good, stable environment for him!” Helena is saying, trying to keep her voice low. There’s a vein twitching in Eddie’s jaw, which is clenched so tight because Buck knows he doesn’t want to cause a scene, but he’s slowly getting angrier and angrier.
“You’re in a relationship with a man we barely know, you’re not handling being shot well, what happens if you get hurt again? We’re so far away. You should transfer back to El Paso, at least then he has family around to help when you can’t!” Ramon adds.
“Buck isn’t a random man,” Eddie starts to get out, through gritted teeth. “We love him and he knows us…”
“Edmundo!” Helena starts to interrupt, and Buck’s overcome, with emotion for the fact that Eddie actually started off by sticking up for him, not the other horrible stuff that was said, and with anger for the way that Eddie’s being treated. He checks Christopher is still engrossed in his ice cream and leans over the table. Everyone else goes quiet, he spots Abuela and Pepa’s faces, shining with acceptance and he feels the way Eddie jerks then relaxes into his touch that’s never faltered because there is no way in hell he’s letting them get away with this.
“Eddie is the best father,” he says, his voice leaving no wriggle room for discussion. “He always puts Christopher first. He cares about him so much and I’m privileged to even see a little part of that. He’s my best friend in the entire world and we’ve been through a lot together. I’m proud to know him and to have him as part of my life and I see how incredible he is every single day. You have no right to say he’s not providing a safe environment for his son, when that’s everything he ever does and wants. And if anything was to happen to him, which I will try to prevent happening with every single bone of my body, Christopher isn’t alone. He has family here.”
“And Buck,” Eddie adds and he moves his hand and tangles his fingers with Buck’s. “Buck is his legal guardian if anything happens to me. He’s in my will. I named him because I know how much he loves Christopher and how much Chris loves him.” He turns to look at Buck and he knows that this last bit is directed at him. They’ve not really spoken about the will. “I gave him my heart because he’s the only person I trust with it. He is my family and he’s always been my family. There’s no one else I want to look after my son, because Buck is everything to both of us.”
Fuck. Buck’s thought a lot about the will, about how he thought it meant that Eddie was giving him a family but conditionally, only if he wasn’t there. But that’s not it. It’s a declaration of love, of forever. He gave Buck his heart, both figuratively and literally and Buck is overcome.
“And I love both of them too,” is all he says and he turns back to Ramon and Helena and stares them down. “And so, you’re wrong. Eddie is the best father ever and we make a pretty good team and family. And that’s not going to change.”
The rest of the dinner is interestingly stilted, on the Diaz parents side, but both Abuela and Pepa twinkle at him and so Buck thinks he’s ok. Eddie is quiet too, but his hand stays laced with Buck’s.
They drive home in silence and Christopher is sent to the lounge to set up some video games and then Eddie pulls him into the kitchen, backs him up against a counter and then finally, finally kisses him.
There’s a beat, where Buck is stunned before he moves, his hands sliding around Eddie’s waist and pulling him in close, letting his mouth open slightly and gasping as Eddie takes that chance to lick into him. Their tongues brush and Eddie makes a noise low in his throat as he tries to get even closer, his hands skimming down Buck’s sides and then back up to curve around his neck and card through the hair at the nape.
They only break apart to breathe and Eddie keeps so close Buck can feel his breath skirting over his lips. His eyes are dark and full of emotion as he pecks Buck’s lips gently, before nuzzling against his cheek. “Evan,” he says, and his voice is full too. “No one has ever done that for me before, stood up to my parents. Shannon tried, I know she did, but that, what you just did, was the most incredible thing ever. You love me?”
Buck swallows, seeing the look in Eddie’s eyes makes him realise that he’s not alone in his feelings. “Yeah,” he breathes out and then Eddie is kissing him again, showing his feelings in actions.
“I love you too,” he says in between kisses, “I love you.”
“So my fake dating plan actually ended up being a real date?” Buck gets out and then laughs against Eddie’s lips and forgets talking in order to kiss some more.
Later on, when Christopher is in bed and they’re lying on the sofa, Eddie’s hands up the back of his shirt, tracing patterns over his skin as they trade long, languid kisses, Eddie pulls back to look into his eyes and starts to laugh.
“I wondered,” he says, stroking up every vertebrae of Buck’s spine. “I wondered why no one thought anything was strange when I said we were going to be dating. Do you think everyone knew?”
Buck thinks back to their friend's reaction and smiles. He knows he’s not exactly been subtle since their first shift, and he guesses to anyone but him, Eddie’s been the same. “Probably,” he agrees, shifting until he can press another kiss to Eddie’s lips. “But it took a while for us to get here, and I’m glad we did this first, being best friends, I mean. Because you and Christopher are the most important people in my life and you’re my best friend first and foremost and that’s why I know this will last forever.”
“Forever,” Eddie echos, kisses him once more. But then he frowns a little. “I guess I owe my parents a really good Christmas present to thank them for opening my eyes though.”
“Get them a set of wooden spoons,” is Buck’s suggestion, “for meddling in your life. Imagine them using them when we see them again and only we know the true meaning behind them.”
Eddie laughs now, then tackles Buck to the sofa so he’s on top of him and presses him into the couch cushions. Buck can tell he’s so happy at the suggestion they’re going to be together forever and he is too, curling a hand around his neck and keeping him close. “I love you,” Eddie says and then he’s kissing Buck again until he can’t think of anything else.
It may have been a shit evening, but Buck’s come out of it with so much more than he ever thought possible.