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There’s a familiar flutter in Buck’s chest when they pull up to the scene and his eyes land on the 133 engine already parked up.
Buck can’t believe it’s only been eight weeks since he and Eddie fell through the floor of a collapsed building and nearly died. Well, he nearly died, Eddie escaped with just a broken leg. As rough as that night was, Buck wouldn’t change it for all the money in the world. That’s the night he first met Eddie Diaz. Since then, Eddie is all Buck has been able to think about.
The connection between them had been palpable; like they’d known each other for years and all he wanted was the opportunity to see if that spark was a fluke or the beginning of something else entirely. All he could do after being discharged from hospital was hope that he and Eddie would run into each other again.
He really didn’t have to worry too much about that.
This is the third time in the space of a month that the 118 and the 133 have ended up on the same call together which is strange considering before the warehouse collapse, Buck doesn’t remember running into them much at all.
It feels like everywhere he turns, there Eddie is.
It’s like the universe is screaming at them or something. Or at least that’s what Buck tells Eddie as they’re clearing up a multi-vehicle accident side by side.
Eddie just snorts. “The universe doesn’t scream. There are no such things as signs or omens, it’s just coincidence.”
A car whizzes past barely a second later, ignoring the cones and the flashing lights, and Eddie has to almost launch himself at Buck to get out of the way.
“Sure, coincidence,” Buck grins, his hands a steadying presence on Eddie’s hips
Buck earns an eye roll from Eddie as a police car speeds off after the impatient driver. A moment later Eddie pushes himself away and puts a good amount of distance between them. Buck can still feel the heat of Eddie’s body pressed up against his own hours later.
A week later he’s back at the academy to help Bobby teach a class. Buck’s only there because Bobby told him he’s the best at the 118 at rope rescues and apparently a bit of praise and a lot of flattery will make him do pretty much anything people want.
It’s a hot day and there’s next to no shade on top of the tower. As Bobby directs from the ground, Buck helps each recruit harness up before watching them climb over the edge and slowly lower themselves down.
By the time all twenty recruits have made it to the bottom, his shirt is soaked through with sweat and he daren’t take off his helmet to see what state his hair is in. He deftly follows the last one over the edge and he double-times it down.
He’s gulping down an entire bottle of water at the refreshments table when he hears a familiar voice from behind him.
“Well, well well. Don’t tell me they had to send you back to the Academy?”
Buck swallows, wipes his mouth with his forearm and then finally looks at Eddie who’s standing there a little too smug for Buck’s liking.
“Are you stalking me? Because I’m just minding my business and yet here you are.”
Eddie’s eyes look him up and down and Buck’s body temperature rises even more, “You think very highly of yourself don’t you.”
“Avoiding the question?” He takes the opportunity to step up into Eddie’s personal space, no more than a foot away from each other. From this distance, it’s easy to get distracted by the way Eddie’s Adam’s apple bobs and the stubble across his jawline that Buck would very much like to feel against his thighs in the near future.
“You’re ridiculous!”
“I could say the same about you,” Buck returns, feeling his insides somersault. There’s something about their back and forth that makes him feel like he’s been jolted with electricity. He’s more alive when Eddie is sparring with him and he might just get addicted to the feeling.
As they’re staring at each other, he hears one of the young recruits whisper, “I can’t tell if they’re about to fight or fu-”
“Panikkar!” Eddie’s voice is sharp and the group stand to attention sharply.
Panikkar elbows his way through the group and stops in front of Buck and Eddie. There’s a look in his eyes like he regrets all his life choices up until this moment.
“Why don’t you lead your fellow recruits in a 5k run?” Eddie suggests calmly. The recruits groan and reluctantly they jog away, leaving Buck and Eddie alone.
“You know I uh, saw you rappel down the tower,” Eddie mentions and there’s a blush to his cheeks which makes Buck’s stomach do somersaults.
“Yeah? I hope you learnt a thing or two.”
Slowly, Eddie reaches past Buck, his arm brushing against Buck’s chest as he retrieves his own bottle of water.
Just before bringing the rim of the bottle to his lips, he gives Buck one more look, “The harness really does bring out the blue in your eyes.”
Eddie’s gone before Buck’s brain starts working again.
The last person Buck expects to see just a few days later is Eddie. He’s not on shift or at the academy which are the most logical places to bump into a fellow LAFD firefighter. Buck doesn’t even spot him at first, as he walks down the aisle of the grocery store on the hunt for something to have for dinner.
The second time he passes the cereal aisle he stops, backtracks a few steps and smiles at the sight of Eddie, looking intently at the granola options. Buck has only seen Eddie out of uniform once, when he came to visit Buck in the hospital after the warehouse collapse. He had been way too hopped up on painkillers to really appreciate the sight of Eddie in a pair of well-fitting jeans and a henley. As much as he’s come to enjoy Eddie in his uniform, there’s something particularly pleasing about Eddie out of uniform. There's a softness to his posture that suits him.
Unable to help himself, he creeps up behind Eddie until he’s just a couple of feet away.
“I like the chocolate chip one myself.”
Eddie spins around, his surprised expression quickly replaced by a shake of his head and an arched eyebrow as he realises who it is.
“Now who’s stalking who?” Eddie greets him.
“Uh, this is my local store,” Buck defends himself. “Never seen you here before though.”
Eddie doesn’t respond and simply turns back towards the shelves and continues his appraisal of the options in front of him. Buck takes the opportunity to be nosy and have a look to see what’s in Eddie’s basket.
“Huh.”
“What?”
“Fruit loops, Kraft Macaroni and Dino-nuggets, great choices, very healthy.”
Eddie glances down at Buck’s basket, “Says the man with a six-pack of beer and three packets of sour laces in his basket.”
“I have a sweet tooth.”
Eddie finally picks the banana chocolate granola option and places it in his basket before heading down the aisle. Buck follows just a few steps behind.
“I’m supposed to be picking up ingredients for dinner but to be honest I’m not that hungry, you see Bobby, our captain? He cooks for us on shift, he’s actually really good at it- you name it, he makes it, lasagna, meatloaf, curries, his mac and cheese is to die for and there are always leftovers because he makes so much and I try and sneak some of the leftovers when most people are sleeping- of course, sometimes Chimney wakes up and catches me in the act and I have to share to buy his silence but it’s honestly a small price to pay.”
As Buck talks, they move up the next aisle and Eddie places a few more things in his basket.
Eddie looks over with a bemused expression, “What’s happening here, Buck?”
“It’s called ‘getting to know each other’ Eddie.”
“Don’t you have to, I don’t know, ask questions for that? I can’t be sure, but I don’t think you took a breath that whole time.”
“Well, I can hold my breath a long time you know,” Buck says with a blatant wink.
“Oh my god” Eddie nearly trips over his own feet and collides with the corner of an elderly lady’s shopping cart. She looks just as scandalised as Eddie does.
After she shuffles off, Eddie turns back to Buck and stares him down.
“What?” he asks innocently.
Somehow, the pair manage to finish their respective grocery trips without further incident, pay side by side and head out of the store together.
“Well uh, I guess I’ll see you at work sometime,” Eddie says a little awkwardly, like he doesn’t know how to say goodbye.
“I can’t convince you to come back to mine and help me drink all this beer?”
It’s a casual offer, or at least he means it to be casual. He just wants the opportunity to get to know Eddie better outside of turnouts and totalled cars.
“I have an early shift,” Eddie is quick with the excuse and Buck’s hopes fade just a little but there’s a look in his eyes like he wants to say yes and he holds onto that expression tightly.
“Alright then, till next time,” Reluctantly, Buck heads off towards his Jeep, looking back briefly to see Eddie head towards his own car.
He wonders how many moments they’ll have like this. Brought together by fate, a spark of attraction fizzling between them and then parting like nothing ever happened. It makes the thought of going home to a dark empty apartment even worse.
The frustration almost makes him miss Eddie bent over the front wheel of his car as he passes by. He slams his foot down on the break and winds down the window.
“A flat?”
Eddie looks up and nods.
“You need help putting on the spare?” He offers.
Eddie sighs, “That was the spare.”
“Get in,” he says with a nod of his head.
“Buck-”
“It’s alright, you can call a mechanic to pick it up when you’re home, I don’t mind, honestly.”
“Buck-”
“Just get in the damn car will you?”
For a moment, Buck is convinced Eddie is going to be stubborn and say no but a second later he’s collecting his shopping and heads towards the Jeep. He hands over his address without much resistance and Buck pulls it up on his phone to guide his way. The address doesn’t look like it’s too far out of the way for him.
“So,” he begins after a few minutes of silence. “LA Native?”
“Hmm?”
“You said I wasn’t asking questions, so now I’m asking questions. You grow up around here?”
Eddie shakes his head, “Texas actually.”
“Really?”
“Whatever visions you have of me in a cowboy hat and spurs right now-”
Buck barks out a laugh, “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m a city boy, okay?”
“Same,” Buck replies softly, “Hershey.”
“How’d you end up in LA then?”
“I travelled a lot for a long time, tried a lot of different jobs in a lot of different places. Then I found firefighting and a place to call home,” Buck answers honestly. “And you?”
Eddie doesn’t answer and Buck wonders what the story there is. Glancing over, Eddie looks deep in thought.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to-”
“I just needed to get out of El Paso, start afresh,” Eddie finally says, though there’s still a whole lot more story there that Buck isn’t getting.
“Now that I understand.”
It’s not long before they’re pulling up outside Eddie’s place and Buck’s honestly disappointed the journey isn’t longer. It feels like they were just getting somewhere and now he has to say goodbye again.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime.”
Buck watches Eddie reach into the back for his groceries, nudging the car door shut with his elbow.
“Hey!” Buck calls before he even realises what he’s doing.
Eddie turns and raises an eyebrow.
“Just say the word and I’ll stop.”
“Stop?”
“The flirting, the innuendo…I’d rather have you as my friend than not have you at all.”
Eddie considers Buck's words for a moment and then smiles, “Goodnight Buck.”
“Wait, does that mean-?” Buck shouts through the car window.
Eddie is already halfway up the path but he shouts back, “Goodnight Buck!”
Buck grins the entire way home.
“Hey look, your boyfriend is here,” Chimney grins and nudges Buck right in the ribs with his elbow.
They’ve just pulled up outside a thirty-story apartment building with flames already licking up half of it. Looks like the 133 was first on site as he spies Captain Mehta in the Incident Commander vest with a tablet in hand shouting orders.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Buck immediately argues back as he reaches into the storage for his oxygen tank. “Not for lack of trying,” he adds under his breath.
Turning around, he catches Eddie looking right at him and wonders how long he was looking in Buck’s direction. He just can’t figure Eddie out. They flirt like crazy and there’s palpable chemistry that even Chimney of all people has picked up on and yet whenever Buck suggests more, Eddie pulls back. Just a couple of weeks ago Eddie implied he didn’t want Buck to stop flirting, he just wishes he knew what Eddie is thinking. Buck still hasn’t even managed to get his phone number yet.
Buck is about to go over there and say ‘hi’ when Bobby’s commanding voice demands attention. His head turns automatically and his orders send him in the opposite direction to Eddie. It’s a five-alarm fire so there’s no room for distractions. It takes all of his energy and all his concentration to make it through the burning building to look for victims and by the time he’s out he’s hot and exhausted.
He sits on the edge of the truck and pours an entire bottle of water over his face and down the back of his neck. Out of nowhere, a fresh bottle is pushed under his nose and he looks up to find Eddie staring down at him.
“Drink this,” Eddie tells him firmly.
Buck takes the bottle, uncaps the lid and downs half of it in one go. “Thanks,” he says afterwards and then takes a proper look at Eddie, “You weren’t inside?”
Eddie shakes his head, “I was helping with triage.”
Buck nods.
“You doing okay?”
Without asking, Eddie takes hold of Buck’s wrist and starts to check his pulse. A shiver runs up Buck’s spine from the gentle fingers pressing into the inside of his wrist and wonders if Eddie’s touch will always have this effect on him.
“Worried about me?”
“Mildly concerned you might collapse right in front of me,” Eddie corrects.
Buck puffs out his chest a little and gives Eddie a lazy grin, “Me? I’m good, I promise. Could probably run a marathon right now.”
“Liar.”
“Okay,” Buck shrugs, “Maybe not, but I promise I won’t collapse any time soon.”
Eddie seems happy with Buck’s heart rate and releases his grip on his wrist.
“But if you really are concerned about my well-being, you should probably make sure I get home alright tonight,” he tries.
“Hmm,” Eddie hums, like he’s actually considering it, “I think I’ll risk it.”
Shot down. Again.
“Are you sure? I’m a magnet for trouble you know,” he gives it one last shot.
Eddie laughs softly, “Trust me, I know. I’ve seen it first hand, remember?”
“Diaz!” A voice Buck doesn’t recognise calls across to them and Eddie gives him an apologetic look.
“Gotta go, see you around.”
“Fingers crossed,” Buck returns, a little weakly, and Eddie just shakes his head.
The last person Buck expects to see standing half-naked in the 118 locker rooms is Eddie.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Buck is still recovering from a pretty NC-17 dream he had about Eddie last night and his mind completely shuts down at the sight of all that golden skin.
Of course, the only thing worse than having to spend the next twenty-four hours right by the subject of a recent sex dream is having just told your co-worker about it.
In detail.
Hen is grinning like the cat that caught the canary right beside him “Oh this is going to be fun,” She sings into her coffee mug.
Buck does the mature thing and elbows her.
“What’s he doing here?” He can’t help but ask, his eyes fixed firmly on Eddie as he slides on a t-shirt in what looked like slow-motion.
Buck doesn’t see Bobby come up beside him, “That’s Eddie Diaz, you know him right, from the 133?”
Buck just nods dumbly.
“He was looking to pick up some extra shifts and we’re down a few right now so Eddie was more than happy to help out, did you know he served multiple tours in Afghanistan as an Army medic? Guy’s got a silver star, we’re lucky to get him, even if it’s only for the next shift.”
Finally fully dressed, Eddie strolls over to them like he’s worked at the 118 for years. A little too comfortable for Buck’s liking.
“Diaz, come to see how it’s really done?”
Eddie laughs, “Nice to see you too, Buck.”
Buck somehow forgets, in between their brief encounters, just how attractive Eddie is. The warm smile and deep brown eyes that he could quite happily drown in. He’s spent more time than he’ll ever admit to thinking about Eddie’s lips and what they might actually feel like against his. Then there are also those strong shoulders that narrow down to those sinful hips that triggered that sex dream in the first place.
“You coming?”
Buck looks up and sees Hen, Bobby and Eddie halfway up the stairs.
He looks down, “Uh, in a minute.”
Hen’s cackling echoes in the cavernous space.
The rest of the shift is pure torture for Buck. From the knowing looks Hen gives him all day to the way Eddie’s thigh presses up against his on the way to calls. Eddie touches his back as he passes by, sending shivers right down his spine, even with his heavy-duty turnout coat on.
“Oh My God,” Eddie moans when he takes his first bite of lunch, a lemon chicken tray bake that Bobby whips up and Buck immediately gets flashbacks.
Buck is forced to listen to those moans after every single bite. He grips his knife and fork so tightly his hands go white.
The bell goes off right as the last plate is cleared from the table and Buck couldn’t be more grateful for the distraction. Although seeing Eddie work up close all day hasn’t been easy. Whilst he’s known Eddie is good at his job since the night they first met, it’s another thing to be reminded of it left right and centre.
It’s actually quite annoying how well Eddie seems to fit in at the 118, and how quickly he’s become part of the team. He’s not the only one who has noticed either.
He’s dozing on the couch just an hour before the end of their shift when he overhears an offer made by Bobby.
“I’d be crazy not to give you the option, I know you like it at the 133 but we’d love to have you here.”
“Thanks, Cap. I’ll think about it.”
Buck can’t tell if Eddie is just being polite or if he’s actually going to consider joining the 118. At shift change, Buck finds Eddie in the locker room to get an answer.
“Are you going to do it?”
Eddie’s face appears from behind the locker door, eyebrow arched, “Do what?”
“Transfer.”
“I said I’d think about it, I assume you overheard that bit too.”
“Yeah,” Buck admits.
“Look,” Eddie closes the locker and turns to Buck, “The 133 is great, there’s a lot going for it. Mehta is a good captain and the station is only a short commute from home. We’re a team.”
“But?”
“But you guys, you’re-"
“A family?” Buck interjects, somehow knowing exactly what Eddie would say.
Eddie nods, “Yeah…might be nice to have one of those here.”
He wants to ask Eddie what it would mean for them if he does transfer, but he stays quiet. There is no them. There’s flirting and banter and a connection Buck doesn’t remember ever experiencing before, but that’s it. Maybe that’s all they’ll ever have. He wonders if he can subtly ask Bobby about workplace relationships without giving the game away.
To be honest Bobby probably already knows.
Buck is pulled from his thoughts by a pat on his shoulder
“This was fun. Till next time.” Eddie says as he heaves his work bag onto his shoulder and heads for the door.
“Oh and Buck?” Eddie stops in the doorway and turns back to Buck, “Sweet dreams.”
He grins a little too triumphantly as he leaves.
Buck is going to kill Hen.
They’re all at the tail end of a very long 48-hour shift when the ring of the bell fills the air. Buck is on his feet in seconds, dropping the game controller onto the couch cushions as he rushes to the pole.
The adrenaline races through his body just as fast as it did on the first call of the shift and he feels ready for anything as he leaps up into the cab just as the truck pulls out of the bay and out onto the road.
“What do we know?” Hen asks over their headsets.
Bobby cranes his neck to look at his team, “Three-alarm fire at the Planetarium, it’s going to be all hands on deck.”
“What?” Buck’s eyes widen and his back straightens in his seat, “No!”
“Didn’t realise you were such a fan of the place Buckaroo,” Chim says, sharing an amused look with Hen.
“Are you kidding? I have an annual pass!”
Chim pats him on the knee. “You might want to look into a refund, buddy.”
“Sounds like there were at least two school groups on site when the alarm was raised along with at least a hundred visitors and thirty members of staff. Evacuation is in progress but we have to assume there are still people inside. We’ll be first on-site so Buck, Chim, you’ll head inside and start looking for casualties, Hen, start triage and coordinate with the other paramedics as they arrive.”
Thick black smoke billowing out of the building greets them as they pull up outside. It looks like most of the staff and visitors are already outside, huddling in the parking lot, but a woman rushes up to Buck as soon as he jumps out of the cab.
“Please, you have to help!”
“Woah, calm down, what’s going on?”
“A couple of our students got separated from us on the tour. My colleague went to go look for them not long before the alarm went off. They’re not out here, I’ve looked everywhere for them.”
“Do you know which direction your colleague went?”
“Jenna Teague, she was heading for the third floor, she thinks they got distracted by one of the interactive displays up there.”
“Alright, stay here, we’ll find them.”
Hen leads the woman away as Buck and Chim gear up. As they head towards the front entrance, he hears more sirens heading their way and can’t help but briefly wonder if he’ll be seeing Eddie again.
Despite it being the middle of the afternoon, it’s dark inside the planetarium. The smoke is thick and Buck and Chimney only have the green glow of the odd emergency light and their flashlights to guide the way.
They head up the stairs first, working from the top to the bottom to hopefully find the missing children and their teacher, plus whoever else might be trapped in the building.
“Made to the third,” Chimney reports as they reach the top floor.
“Copy,” Bobby’s voice crackles through the radio, “The 122 and the 115 are on site and heading in to help.”
“Chim,” Buck reaches for his teammate, “You hear that?”
There’s an all-too-familiar roar coming from just down the corridor. Even from a distance, there’s a heat in the air that tells them all they need to know.
“Oh yeah,” Chim answers. He thumbs his radio once more, “Cap? Think we’ve identified the source of the fire, third-floor alpha side.”
“Copy that.”
“You think they’re down there?”
Buck shakes his head, “That interactive display is on the opposite side, but we should be quick, that fire’ll spread quickly.”
“Okay, you go find the kids, I’ll assess the situation here, look for any survivors.”
“Stay safe, my sister will kill me if I let something happen to you.”
“Yeah yeah,” Chim waves him off.
Separating, Buck continues on down the dark corridor, through a set of doors and into one of the display areas.
“LAFD, call out!”
Buck doesn’t like the look of the ceiling above him. There are already cracks forming down one side and there’s a glowing spot in the corner that has him concerned.
“Fire department, call out!” he shouts again a few more feet into the room.
A muffled sound, a possible voice reaches him and he freezes on the spot. “Hello?”
“Please, help!”
He hears it more clearly that time.
“Keep talking so I can find you!”
“We’re in here!”
His flashlight crosses the far wall as he searches for the source of the voice, all too aware of how little time they all have before this whole section of the museum is up in flames. After searching every inch, the light finally picks up the outline of a door in the corner and he rushes over to it.
“Hello?” He bangs his fist on the wood.
“Thank God, please help us.”
He tries the handle but it won’t budge and guesses the metal latch has expanded in the heat. Even a couple of heavy shoves into the door are useless.
“Chim, I need you over here,” He gives his friend directions and continues searching for a way into the room.
“We’re working on getting you out of there,” he calls through the door. “How many of you are there?”
“Three of us, I’m with two students. Please hurry.”
Thankfully, Chimney appears a few moments later but there’s a grim expression on his face.
“How’s it looking?” Buck asks quietly.
“Not good, you?”
“Three stuck behind this door, need your crowbar.”
Chim hands it over and Buck wastes no time slamming it into the tiny crack in the door and pulling. The door begins to splinter, he can feel how close he is.
“Again” Chim urges.
With his teeth gritted, he pulls hard, straining what feels like every muscle in his body.
It works.
There’s a large cracking sound and then the door swings open, revealing a young woman and two very frightened boys.
“Hey guys, I’m Buck, this is Chimney, we’re going to get you out of here.”
“What are your names?” Chim asks, kneeling down next to the boys to quickly check them out. It looks like the door kept most of the smoke out but they need to get them out quickly.
“Jenna, Jenna Teague” The teacher croaks out, “This is Sam and Christopher.”
“Hi Sam, hi Christopher,” Buck smiles, hoping to ease some of their fears, “Can you walk?”
Sam climbs to his feet, clearly desperate to leave but Christopher stays seated.
“He has cerebral palsy,” Jenna explains
“I can walk,” Christopher argues, “But I need my crutches,” Christopher adds, patting the pair of blue aluminium crutches by his feet.
A waft of smoke invades the room and the two children immediately start coughing. There’s no more time left.
“Chim, you take Jenna and Sam, I’ve got Christopher.”
“Copy,” Without hesitation, Chim pulls Sam close to his side. “Stay close,” Buck hears him tell Jenna and then the three of them are carefully working their way out of the building.
“Hey Christopher, it’s your turn now. I’m gonna have to carry you, is that okay?”
Christopher nods and then starts coughing again. Buck doesn’t like the sound of that.
Decision made, Buck deftly releases the mask off his face and quickly lowers it over Christopher’s. Within seconds he can feel the thick ashy smoke begin to fill his lungs, but he doesn’t care as long as the boy is breathing fresh oxygen.
With the mask fixed as best as possible around Christopher’s head, Buck carefully lifts him, making sure he has a tight grip on the young boy before he backs out of the small room and heads back towards the stairs.
His throat tickles as he moves through the damaged exhibition space and into the stairwell. He moves as fast as he can down the three flights of stairs, hearing the rumble and groaning of the building begin to collapse around him
“Buck, get out of there!” He hears Bobby’s voice over the radio but there’s no time to answer.
Thirty feet from the front entrance is where he starts feeling light-headed, but it only makes him grip Christopher tighter against his body. His teeth gritted, he forces himself to take one more step after another until he at long last reaches the front entrance.
Just a few steps from the doors he feels hands grab him, stopping his legs from collapsing under him. It’s Bobby holding him up whilst Hen lifts Christopher into her arms, removes the mask and carries him to the ambulance.
He doesn’t remember being led over to the same ambulance or the strong hands lifting him up into it. The fog only begins to clear after a good five minutes of oxygen from the mask forcibly placed over his mouth.
“How are you doing Christopher?” he checks, dropping the mask as soon as Hen is distracted.
His small hand curls into a shaky thumbs up and Buck suddenly notices the way his whole body is shivering. Whether it’s from the shock or the cool air Buck doesn’t know but he quickly reaches into a cabinet above his head and pulls out a heavy blue blanket and wraps it tightly around the boy.
“There, much better” Buck smiles at him. “So you been to the planetarium before?”
“A few times” Christopher answers softly as the blanket begins warming him up. “I like the asteroid display.”
“Hey! That’s my favourite too.”
“It is?”
“Of course, Space is so cool. When I was your age I wanted to be an astronaut.”
“Astronauts are okay, dinosaurs are cooler.”
Buck grins and pulls the calmer boy into a discussion about their favourite dinosaurs.
Once the shivers are completely gone, He reaches over and ruffles the boy’s slightly sooty curls, “You were so brave.”
“My dad is a firefighter too,” Christopher reveals.
“Oh yeah? What’s his name? Maybe I know him.”
Christopher opens his mouth but his answer is cut off by another voice, one Buck has become very familiar with.
“Chris?” The voice is desperate, frantic.
The puzzle pieces slot together and he looks back at Christopher with fresh eyes. Only now does he see the features in the young boy’s face that match his father’s. The odds of him being the one to rescue Eddie’s son are slim. Almost like the universe once again sending a message.
“In here!” Hen calls and what feels like a split-second later Eddie is launching himself into the back of the ambulance. He pulls Chris into a tight embrace with shaking hands whilst Chris’ smaller hands grip handfuls of Eddie’s turnouts and Buck’s heart clenches at the sight in front of him.
Finally, Eddie pulls away just enough to give his son a once over, his hands skimming over the boy’s body looking for injuries, “Are you okay?” His eyes take in the oxygen mask and the pulse oximeter clipped to his finger “Is he okay?”
Hen slings her stethoscope back around her neck and sends Eddie a calming smile, “He’s fine, minor smoke inhalation, we just wanted to be sure so we’ll take him in to get checked up but they’ll probably let him out in a couple of hours with a sticker and a lollipop.”
Chris’ eyes widen at the thought of sugar.
“Thank you,” Eddie directs at Hen.
“Thank him,” Hen nods at Buck, “He’s the one who ignored procedure, gave your son his oxygen mask and carried him through a burning building.”
Eddie’s head turns sharply to face Buck, “You did that?”
Buck feels his cheeks warm up, “I have a feeling you would have done the same thing.”
“Thank you,” he croaks out. “Thank you.”
Buck realises, as they stare at each other like they’re the only two people on the entire planet, that Eddie’s fingers have slid into his. The rough calluses you only get from fighting fires on his hand press against matching ones on Eddie’s.
“Alright, let's get you two off to hospital.”
The bubble bursts and Buck feels Eddie pull away. A feeling he’s all too familiar with now. He goes to leave but he’s barely up on his feet before Hen pushes him back down.
“Uh-uh, I meant you too. You inhaled a hell of a lot more smoke than he did.”
Buck groans but doesn’t fight it. Eddie quickly makes contact with his captain to let him know what’s going on and then they’re departing the scene.
Once through the hospital's double doors, Buck is taken one way and Eddie and Chris are led off in another. After a few hours on oxygen and more than his fair share of prodding and poking he’s finally cleared to leave. It’s dark outside at that point and he’s more than ready to go home and climb into bed. Before leaving though, he needs to check that Chris is okay too. He looks in the most obvious places, but there’s no sign of them and none of the staff are willing to give him any information about them.
He’s back at work two days later, but Buck can’t get Eddie out of his mind. The look he gave Buck when he realised what had happened is seared in his memory and of course, there’s the whole Christopher of it all.
Whilst he vaguely remembers Eddie mentioning Chris whilst trapped in the warehouse together, he’s come to understand over the last few months just how close to his chest Eddie plays his cards. He’s slow to trust, slower still to give over parts of himself.
His son is important to Eddie, Buck saw that clearly in his eyes in the back of the ambulance. He understands now why Eddie has kept Buck at arm’s reach. It must be hard dating when there are someone else's feelings to consider. But knowing about Chris doesn’t change his feelings towards Eddie. In fact, his feelings have only grown stronger. He just hopes Eddie offers him the chance to prove that.
He finishes his shift on time for once and is ready to go home and drink enough beer to not think about Eddie for at least the evening. He says goodbye to Bobby, waves at Hen and then trudges out of the building.
Only to discover Eddie, leaning up against Buck’s Jeep, presumably waiting for him.
“Uh, hey,” Buck says as he slowly crosses the lot towards his car.
“Hi,” Eddie doesn’t move, just pushes his hands deeper into his pockets and returns the greeting, the expression on his face unreadable.
Eddie doesn’t say anything else which just leaves Buck even more confused. It seems like it’s up to him to figure out why he’s leaning against Buck’s Jeep.
“Is Chris okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course, he’s being spoilt rotten by my Abuela right now…thanks to you.”
“Just doing my job.”
“I know.” Eddie smiles softly.
Again, Eddie doesn’t offer anything more.
Buck “Is he why you’ve been-” he looks for the right word.
“An asshole?” Eddie fills in for him.
“I was going to say cautious.”
Eddie huffs, “Yeah, he’s one of the reasons.”
“I love kids Eddie, and from the short time I spent hanging out with Chris, it seems like you’ve got a cool one.”
“I do, I really do,” Eddie answers quickly, the pride visible in his eyes. “He’s all I’ve got, he comes first, always. You understand why I had to be careful right?”
“Yeah, I really do,” Buck smiles, “So what’s the other reason?”
“Hmm?”
“You said Chis was one of the reasons.”
“I did say that, didn’t I,” Eddie scratches his head, looking a little caught. “To be honest with you, I haven’t ever felt this way about someone before, not even Christopher’s mom.”
“Yeah?” Buck’s eyebrows rise up into his hairline.
“You’re… overwhelming Buck,” Eddie’s admission comes out in a soft exhale, like a breath he’s been holding since the first time they met, “In a really really good way.”
Buck’s surprise turns to satisfaction and he can’t help the smirk that spreads across his face
“Oh stop looking at me like that,” Eddie rolls his eyes, “You really don’t need me stroking your ego any more than it already has been.”
“I’ll show you what you can str-”
Eddie places his hand over Buck’s mouth. “I beg you not to finish that sentence.”
Buck’s smile only widens underneath Eddie’s hand. It’s enough of an answer for Eddie and he lets go.
“I feel the same by the way.”
Eddie huffs, “Yeah, you weren’t subtle about it.”
Buck gives a half-shrug as if to say 'Can you blame me?'
“So, with that out in the open,” Eddie steps in a little closer, just within arms reach, though he doesn’t reach out, “Would you like to go to dinner with me?”
“Dinner as in…?”
“Somewhere nice, with proper napkins, maybe some live music, good food, a walk along the beach and then home, where I plan on escorting you to your front door and kissing you for the first time.”
“That sounds nice,” Buck answers, unable to help the smile or the flushed cheeks that match Eddie’s. He takes a risky step even closer, boxing Eddie in and he’s now close enough to feel Eddie’s warm breath against his skin.
“But uh, do you really want to leave it until the end of our first date to kiss? Might take some of the pressure off if we, y’know, get it out of the way now.”
Eddie’s eyes sparkle and he holds back a grin, “You think there’ll be pressure?” he says, going along with it.
Buck shrugs, trying to act casual whilst his heart skips a few beats,
“Do you want to risk it? This might be the last first kiss you’ll ever have, do you really want to spend the next couple of days building it up in your head?”
His eyes flick down to Eddie’s lips and back up again. Suddenly the air is thick and his body heat has risen a few degrees.
He’s surprised when Eddie leans in and his eyes slide shut, waiting for the inevitable press of lips against his, but he’s shocked when at the last moment Eddie’s head turns and he presses a chaste kiss to Buck’s cheek instead. At the same time, he feels Eddie slip something into the chest pocket of his shirt and then he slips away, leaving cold air in his wake.
Buck just stands there, speechless.
“Good things come to those who wait, Buckley,” Eddie calls back as he walks away.
Buck shakes his head and dips into his pocket to see what Eddie has left him. He retrieves a scrap piece of paper, folded in half and opens it up to reveal Eddie’s phone number.
Fucking finally, he thinks.