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“I swear, Evan Buckley, if you’ve gotten us lost in here...” Eddie forced out through gritted teeth. He should have known better than to trust him in the corn maze, even though he insisted he had an “excellent sense of direction” and “was always the first one to get through these things as a kid”. Well, that sense of direction appeared to have abandoned him somewhere between Pennsylvania and California, because they’d passed the same distinctive marks on the ground three times now.
“I haven’t gotten us lost! I’m just...trying to find my bearings.” Buck turned around in a circle, once, twice, three times, then faced the way they’d just come and pointed. “It’s definitely this way!”
“For fuck’s sake, we’ve been that way! Three fucking times already!” Eddie hissed, trying not to let his son hear, but the kid had bat-like hearing, and gleefully announced that two swears equalled one dollar in the jar when he got home. Eddie made a mental note to take a twenty out of the ATM if they ever got out of there, because he had a feeling that he was going to owe that jar a lot of money today.
“Yes, I know that, but if we go back that way, turn left instead of right this time, I’m sure there’s a vantage point there somewhere that I can climb up.” Or they could just raise the flag that they'd just passed and let the people who work here come and get them, Eddie thought. But the two of them had already told him he was complaining too much, and to loosen up, so he didn’t say a word. Sighing as he followed his best friend and his son, who Buck carried on his shoulders like he weighed nothing, he stared at his boots. He couldn’t look up, couldn’t stare at the man that held his entire heart, especially when the three of them looked so much like a family at that very moment. Just two dads and their son out for a fun day out.
“Come on dad, we’re almost there!” Chris yelled back, and Eddie picked up the pace. OK, so maybe Buck was right, the vantage point was right there. Placing Christopher down on the ground, Buck climbed the steps and gazed over the maze, his fingers tracing an imaginary line around it.
“Let me see!” Their son begged (because biology or not, it had become clear recently that the kid belonged to both of them), and Eddie lifted him up while Buck reached down to grab him. Jesus, that boy was getting heavy. He wasn’t a scrawny seven-year-old anymore, that’s for sure, he’d stretched and grown since they’d arrived in LA all those years ago, and now was a strapping ten-year-old. Practically too old to be lifted and carried. But they did it anyway, because they always said his CP shouldn’t get in the way of things he wanted to do, and today he’d suggested this corn maze. So, the three of them adapted and adjusted to make that suggestion a reality.
After another thirty minutes, a small argument and God knows how many wrong turns, the three of them stumbled out of the exit and over to the benches facing it. Well, Eddie and Christopher collapsed on one, Buck disappeared, telling them he’d just be a moment, then came back with three ice cold bottles of water.
“Thanks dad!” Christopher exclaimed as he grabbed one of the bottles. Buck didn’t say anything, just looked down at Eddie, who smiled, silently trying to tell the other man not to panic, not to overthink it, he’d more than earned that title over the past three years. And honestly, it warmed his heart to think that his son felt so close to Buck.
“No worries.” Buck replied, sliding in between the two Diaz guys, seemingly understanding their silent conversation. Handing the bottle in his right hand to Eddie, he took a swig of his own and turned his head to listen to Christopher as he excitedly yattered on about all the other things he wanted to do before they left.
“Can we go and see the pigs? Oh, and they have candy apples near the entrance, can I have one? And can we do the tractor ride? It looks so cool, and I promise I’ll be fine myself in the trailer, you guys don’t have to come with me.”
Buck turned to Eddie, not wanting to say yes or no to any of those suggestions. Even though Chris had called him “dad” a moment ago, and Eddie hadn’t corrected him, it wasn't really his place to do so. He waited for a moment and watched as Eddie placed the bottle to his forehead, then moaned, almost obscenely, at the relief it gave his sweating brow. Buck bit his lip at the sound, a sound, he had to admit, he’d desperately like to hear again, although in the privacy of his own bedroom. God, he was so far gone on that man it was unbelievable.
“Can we at least get some lunch first?” Eddie finally asked, his head thrown back, eyes closed. Probably a good thing, Buck thought, because he couldn’t see how much he was driving him crazy. Especially since he’d shed his sweater and was sitting there in a t-shirt that was so tight that it left very little to the imagination.
“Yeah, lunch, uh, I’ll just go and get the picnic basket from the back of the car, if you two go and find a table?” Buck suggested. Eddie opened one eye and turned his head to look at him.
“You brought a picnic?”
“Yeah, didn’t know what they’d have here. Kevin from the deli made it up for me.”
Their favourite deli, the one that had the pastrami that Eddie loved, and all those different types of cheeses displayed at the counter. So many that he could eat a different one every day for a month and still have some left over. As if reading his thoughts, Buck nudged him slightly a grin on his face.
“Pastrami and Swiss on rye for you, that OK?”
“God, I love you.” The words were out of his mouth before his brain could even compute them. His other eye snapped open, meeting the blue ones above him that seemed to have widened at his words. Christopher had snapped his head round so quickly that Eddie was surprised his son hadn’t given himself whiplash.
"I, um, I mean, I...” Eddie finally heard himself stammer, and then stopped when Buck’s hand found its way to Eddie’s, linking their fingers together in a way that was new, but felt so right.
“You mean that?” A nod, because no more words were forthcoming. “Good, because I love you too.” The blonde murmured, leaning over and brushing his lips against Eddie’s, just briefly, a quick declaration that he meant it too. Pulling away, he gazed into a pair of beautiful brown eyes for a second, then turned around, sensing movement behind him. Christopher had taken his phone out of his pocket and was typing on what looked like a group chat. “Who you talking to?”
“Uh, no one...” He lied, trying to slide the phone back into his pocket, but Buck was too quick for him, and he grabbed it before he could. Passing it to Eddie, who unlocked it, the two of them stared at the photo displayed, one that Chris had obviously taken moments before, of them kissing, with the caption “Do I win now?” Then they watched as the messages started to come in thick and fast, from Maddie, Chimney, May, Athena, Bobby, Karen, Hen, all asking if this was real, whether they were actually together, complaining that Christopher had won the bet and asking if he planned it.
“Christopher Diaz! You’ve been betting on us getting together?” Eddie exclaimed, aghast at the fact that his son had been so devious as to team up with practically everyone they knew in order to try and make some money. Buck pursed his lips together, trying his hardest not to laugh, because honestly, that was something he would have done when he was younger too.
Christopher shrugged as he plucked his phone from his father’s hand and muttered something about it being inevitable that they’d get together anyway, might as well make money off it. After all, they’d almost kissed at least twice (that he knew of), and it was so obvious that they were in love. Eddie just sighed and shook his head. That kid was far too smart.
“Alright, now can I go get lunch?” Buck asked, and not waiting for an answer, he stood up, leaned down, gave Eddie a soft kiss and smiled.
“Eww, are you two gonna be all kissy and lovey and everything now?” Christopher complained.
“Think of it as your punishment, son.” Eddie laughed, leaning in for just one more addictive kiss, because now he’d tasted those lips, he was sure no one else would ever compare. Not that he wanted to try.
“Fine, but I’m asking for a microwave and a fridge in my room for Christmas, so I don’t have to watch you two make out.” Their son grumbled as Buck walked away. Shuffling across the bench so he was closer to his son, he ruffled his hair, eliciting another groan because, as he kept reminding them, he wasn’t a little kid anymore. “Dad, you know I’m happy for you. He makes you happy. I don’t want you to be sad again, like after mom...” He trailed off, and Eddie pulled him in tight.
“I know.” He whispered. “I know. Now, about that bet, how much have you won?” He asked, but his mind was elsewhere. Who would have thought getting stuck in a corn maze would have ended up like this? If he had, he'd have suggested getting lost a long time ago...