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Knocking manically on the door, Maddie was wanting to know way Buck was late to meeting up with her, he was meant to be stopping by for lunch two hours ago. But he hadn’t showed up, so now Maddie was banging on his door waiting for him to open up, Chim had gotten off shift and was looking after Jee-Yun, more like they were both sleeping. Maddie got fed up, Buck’s music was playing and she wanted to know where her brother was and what he was doing. Unlocking the door and stepping in, Maddie called out for her brother but stopped short when she noticed the state of Buck’s flat.
He was meant to be packing it up, finally moving into the Diaz household, Buck had mentioned that he just had a few boxes to pack up. Not that he had less than half his flat to pack up. Maddie wasn’t sure what to say, she was stunned for words. He had boxes on the counter, the table, and the living room, most where still unconstructed and the rest must have been barely filled. Some of the boxes were labeled, none where taped up, Buck might not be the most organised person, but he did know how to pack and move around. He talked about the days where he just lived off a duffle bag and rucksack, bouncing around from state to state.
Turning the corner to see where her brother was, Maddie’s mind was coming up with some of the most worst possible reasons for Buck being late and not having packed up by now, “Buck?” Maddie called out, she had found Buck sat on the sofa, resting his forearms on his knees, somewhere deep in his mind, “What? What’s going on?” she asked softly, stepping over to Buck.
“Mads,” it was like a switch, Buck was out of his mind and back to masking what was worrying him, he reached over to the speaker on the coffee table and turned down his music, “Is everything all right?” he asked, standing up from the sofa and approaching Maddie.
“You said you were going to stop by for lunch, like, two hours ago,” she replied, “And when you didn’t show, I texted Eddie, who hasn’t heard from you all morning. So I worried more, and now I’m here,” Buck stood there, trying to ignore that he was meant to be packing, “What’s going on here Buck? You’re meant to be all packed by now,”
Buck tried to think of a reason why he hadn’t packed, nothing came out, he stuttered over his words, “I,” he managed out, “Do you wanna beer?” he defected, making his way to the kitchen, “Or some wine? Think I have a bottle in the fridge,” he continued.
She noticed the stress lines running along his face, he could act all carefree and happy to everyone around him, and yet to Maddie she could notice every one of his tells. She was one of the very few people that had him figured out, she grew up with him, looked after him and raised him for pretty much most of their lives, “Buck what’s going on?” she asked, ignoring what he was saying. At times like this, Buck’s words are meaningless, he could defect and lie all he wants, but Maddie could be just as stubborn as him.
“Nothing, Mads,” Buck said, shutting the fridge and passing her a beer, “I’m just thinking, trying to plan where what is going to go,” he lied.
Maddie took the bottle, thanking him for the bottle and opened it, she had a bottle of wine at home that she was hoping to open today, “You really think I’m going to believe that?” she commented, taking a quick sip of the beer and then continuing on, “I’m you sister, Buck, I know you,”
Buck drank half the bottle in one go, he had been holding out all day, “Just, more stuff than I thought,” he pointed around the flat.
“Buck, please, when I walked in, you looked like you were contemplating pretty much everything,” Maddie said, “Are you doing OK, really?”
“Yeah, I’m just realising that I have a lot more memories than I thought in this place,” he took another sip of his beer, “this place always felt like weird when I came back from Eddie’s, but now that I’m moving, I’m just realising that this place means more to me than I thought,” Buck shrugged.
“Yeah, I get it, but now you’re gonna be making more memories,” Maddie said, “What is it you said to me, you’re barely a guest at the Diaz house?” leaning on kitchen island, Maddie said softly, “What are you so scared of? Are you having second thoughts?” Maddie regretted asking the second she did, she knows how much Buck and Eddie love each other, anyone who looks their way knows it.
“What?!” Buck tensed up, “No, ‘course not, I love Eddie and Chris more than I can say,” he shook his head, “I’m just,” Buck swayed slightly, shifting his weight from one foot to another, “overthinking this, more happened there than I realised, like we had sex for the first time here. I proposed to him here?”
Maddie smiled a little bit, "Wait those weren’t on the same night?"
Buck laughed a little bit, because, in a way, they were. That night the both promised that this was it for them, not matter what the future had for them, this was it, "Very funny," he replied dryly.
“Alright,” Maddie quickly drank the rest of her beer, “We are going to finish packing you up,”
The second Buck opened his eyes, he regretted waking up, it was too bright and the world was somehow too loud. His mouth was dry and his head pounding, the sheer thought of having to move boxes around was what made him feel even more sick. When he was in his early twenties, he swore off day drinking after he woke up without any shoes and in the bath, he never found those shoes nor does he remember why he was in the bath in the first place. He also remember that now that he was older, he had more responsibilities, and it was difficult to do any of them whilst hungover.
Turning over, Buck saw that a box had replaced his bedside table, it was taped up; with a glass of water, some painkillers and some food on it. The box had been labeled ‘Bedroom’, Eddie had scribbled a little note just next to the glass of water and food he had left Buck. ‘Take these, eat something and have a drink’ he picked up the glass and took the pills before his next movements. There was another not just under the plate of food, it was some of Maddie’s lasagna, at least he finally got some lunch. In Eddie’s messy handwriting, he wrote ‘Just remember that I love you with every passing day’.
Buck smiled to himself, the note made his heart race and his stomach flutter, no one had ever perceived Eddie as the sappy romantic type, nevertheless, deep down, Buck knows how romantically sappy Eddie is. Their first date wasn’t the textbook romantic, they had tried the romantic, fancy restaurant. It didn’t make any of it less awkward, they had kissed two days before, Buck was the one who organised the dare, cashing in a favour with an old friend of his. They didn’t even make it to the meal, they had ordered some drinks, and it was just awkward. For two people who always has some sort of a conversation, or just sit in comfortable silence, they didn’t know what to do on their first date.
“Should we get out of here?” Eddie lent in to the table and whispered.
“Please,” Buck agreed, placing down some money to cover the drink they had ordered, taking Eddie’s hand and pulling him through the restaurant. The night ended with them making out in Buck’s car, they had just gorged themselves on Thai food from the takeaway they frequent after twenty-four hour shifts.
He heard rustling from downstairs, placing the plate and glass back on the box, Buck pulled himself up the bed and made his way downstairs. Eddie hadn’t clocked that Buck was standing halfway down the stairs, he was just watching Eddie tape up a final box. His flat was barren, all of his possessions had been packed up, most of the boxes had been moved out of the flat. Buck’s stomach kept flipping, not in a way that would make him want to throw up, more like a way that made him want to tackle Eddie instantly and kiss him all over. If he wasn’t dizzy to all hell and he didn’t feel like he was death itself.
Shuffling closer to Eddie, Buck sighed, “What?” he asked dumbly.
Eddie turned around, he looked as handsome as ever to Buck, “Novio,” Buck’s head spun at the nickname. He loved when Eddie used nicknames, but this one was what made Buck weak in his knees, weaker than when Eddie pulled out a ring just as Buck had pulled out his.
“You,” Buck started, looking around to see what his flat looked like, “packed up for me? How? Why?” Buck stuttered.
“Well, after you and Maddie started day drinking enough to a hangover, Chim got a text from Maddie asking to be picked up. He then called me, and then I found you passed out on the sofa, so I picked you up and carried you to bed,” he said like it was nothing, “The packing thing, well, I asked Chim to give me a hand, so he helped me carry most of them down to the truck and stopped by with some food. I’m just sorting out the last of your stuff,”
“Eddie,” Buck breathed out, “You didn’t have to,”
Eddie slowly walked up to Buck, placing his hands on Buck’s shoulders, “I didn’t, but I wanted to,” Buck wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist, pulling him into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” Buck said into Eddie’s shoulder.
Eddie kissed Buck’s temple, “Of course, Querido,” Buck pressed a kiss on Eddie’s lips, it want from a quick kiss to something more heated, Eddie’s hands travelled up passed Buck’s neck and tangled in his hair. Eddie smiled into the kiss, he couldn’t help it, pulling back, Eddie swiped his thumb over the birthmark above Buck’s eye, "How are you feeling?"
Buck took a moment to reply, "Like shit," he replied honestly.
Eddie sighed, “So, mind telling me why you were day drinking?” he mumbled, still holding onto Buck.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Buck muttered.
“Maddie didn’t buy it, neither will I,” Eddie said, “Buck, please, I’m worried about you, are you having second thoughts or something? Because I know we moved quickly, and if you wanna slow down all you have to do is say,” his voice broke, his eyes flooded with panic.
Buck pressed a kiss into his lips, on his forehead, “No, no,” he said in between kissed, “I am not having second thoughts,” he stopped, kissing Eddie once again, “Eddie, baby, it’s nothing,” Buck had been avoiding this conversation like he avoids his parents, at all costs and like his life depended on it.
“Then what is it?” Eddie asked, “Because if we are moving too fast, tell me and we can slow down,”
“Baby, please, just,” Buck hid his face in the crook of Eddie’s neck, tightening his grip around Eddie’s waist, to clear up any thoughts that Eddie was having. He let go of Eddie’s waist, pulling away and putting some space between them, “I just started thinking, and then overthinking about this. I never saw any of this happening, I’ve never moved in with a partner, let alone been engaged to one of them,” Buck started, “And this is all happening, I got scared that I’m gonna fuck this up, because let’s face it, Eds, it kinda my speciality,”
“Buck, you don’t fuck anything up, Buck, I wish you saw yourself the way I see you, you’re kind and caring, and even after you were the biggest dick to me when I first arrived. You became to most important person, you helped me with Christopher no questions asked, you don’t do things in halves, Buck, you are all in or not at all,” Eddie said, “You don’t think I’m not scared either?” Buck felt himself calm down a little, knowing that he wasn’t alone in this, “But I’m doing this with you, we’re doing it together, and as long as you stick around, I’m perfectly happy being scared with you. It’s you and me, Novio, it always has been,”
His chest swelled, his heart was beating painfully, his face flushed, Buck remember why he loved Eddie. Without thinking, Buck pulled Eddie into a searing kiss, he hadn’t even noticed he was crying, “You romantic, bitch,” Buck let out.
“Yeah,” Eddie chuckled, “That’s what you do to me,” Eddie wiped away Buck’s tears, “We’re gonna be alright, Novio, as long as you talk to me, and maybe not day drink with your sister, we’re gonna be just fine,”
Bucked pulled in for one more quick kiss, “Deal,” they moved apart and Eddie turned around to pick up the box and began to make his way to the door, Buck mentioned that he was going to sort out the box upstairs and plate, “Don’t worry, baby, I’m going to back to swearing off day drinking, especially with Maddie,”
“Please, you two hit it hard, it’s almost like you two make it a competition,” Eddie called back, “I worry for your guys’ livers sometimes,” he said rounding the corner to the lift.