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“Eddie, wait-”
Buck follows behind Eddie into the side room of the wedding reception where some of the extra food and decorations were being stored. When Buck enters the room, it’s full of rounded tables with white tablecloths draped over, with extra food and desserts sitting on platters from the wedding dinner earlier, including some unfinished red wine glasses that the waiters must've taken from guests when dinner was over. The room is slightly dim with only one light on in the corner, accompanied by some extra tealight candles on a few of the tables.
“Eddie, just, hang on-” Buck says as he quietly closes the door behind him. The walls seem a bit thin as he can still hear the chatter and music coming from the wedding reception just on the other side of the door. Eddie is still facing away from Buck, his suit jacket off and in his left hand, standing right in front of one of the tables in the room.
Eddie lets out a quick sigh. He throws his jacket on a chair under the table as he turns around and says, “You can’t just do that Buck.”
“Do what?” Buck asks innocently.
“Do what you just did.” Eddie says, flailing his arms around. He looks at Buck as he continues, “Giving that whole speech about love in front of everyone, about how you’ll never know when you’re going to meet the right person until it hits you, about how you don’t go looking for love and that love will find you, and all of that other stuff, all while you’re looking at me?”
Buck stands there frozen.
Eddie looks down and says softly, “You can’t do that.”
Buck begins to stutter, “Li-listen Eddie t-that wasn’t about you, you know, you’re my best friend, you know, we’re best friends, so, you know, I wouldn’t want you to think…”
Eddie stares at him and sighs again. “Listen, Buck. I know you’re just coming to terms with your sexuality and like I get that, you know. I mean, after my breakup with Marisol it even put things into perspective for me too - not in, you know, that way - but like, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want in a partner and seeing you with Tommy on that date that one time, and how you’ve been like a shining light ever since you realized you were bisexual…” he takes a short breath. “I’ve realized that I haven’t felt light like that in a long time.”
Buck takes a step towards Eddie. “Well, you know, Eddie, you don’t have to figure it all out right now. Just because I’m just now figuring it out doesn’t mean that you have to force yourself to do the same.”
Eddie nods his head, still looking at the ground. He looks up to the side, shakes his head and goes, “It’s just, like, what am I missing in my life? Why do none of my relationships with women ever work out? At first I thought I was just picking the wrong woman over and over again, but really, is it just me? Am I just not meant to date anyone after Shannon? Is that it?” He’s now looking at Buck.
Buck takes a few more steps. “No, Eddie, there’s nothing wrong with you, of course not. You deserve to date after Shannon, you deserve to find love again, you know?”
Eddie’s looking down again, slightly moving his head. “I don’t know. I mean,” he looks at Buck, “how am I supposed to feel like it’s meant for me if I can barely hold onto the women I date for no longer than a couple of months.”
Buck looks into Eddie’s eyes. He doesn’t remember taking this many steps towards Eddie, but now he’s suddenly only a foot away from him. He takes a few shaky breaths, not wanting to say what he’s about to say, but he goes for it anyway.
“What if dating women is your problem?”
“What?” Eddie says in a lower voice than before, slightly shaking his head then looking at Buck.
Buck inhales nervously. “I don’t know, I mean, I kind of always wondered the same thing about myself, and it wasn’t until I kissed a guy that I knew I liked kissing guys, and suddenly I felt more… complete, I guess. Like a light had turned on inside of me, or something.”
“So what, you’re saying I should maybe try kissing a guy or something?” Eddie scoffs. “Listen, Buck-”
Buck interrupts him, feeling embarrassed. “N-no I’m not saying you have to do that. I’m just saying that maybe your options just aren’t as… open, as they should be, and that’s why it hasn’t worked out for you, that’s all.”
“I'm not gay, Buck.” Eddie says sternly, although it sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself.
Buck takes a moment and says, “Well, you know, I didn’t know I was bi until I kissed Tommy, but I mean, if you know that for sure-”
Eddie exhales and shrugs as he says, “I mean, listen. I’ve never kissed a guy, but I know I’m not gay or bi or whatever.” Eddie looks down as he says, “I mean, I would just know if I was, right?”, his voice getting slightly higher than it was before.
Buck shrugs shyly. “I mean, I personally didn’t know.” Eddie is still looking at the floor beneath them, slightly nodding his head. Buck notices his uneasiness and continues, “But hey, listen, you know, maybe that’s just me and how I figured it out because you know, everybody’s story is different and-”
“Kiss me, Buck.” Eddie exhales, still looking down.
Buck feels as if the wind has been knocked out of him. “...What?” he says softly.
Eddie looks up and into Buck’s eyes. “Kiss me.” he says again.
“E-Eddie, y-you’re my best friend, I don’t want-”
“Look, Buck.” Eddie interrupts him, moving slightly closer. “I’ve never kissed a guy before. And if you’re okay with it, maybe, we…” he shakes his head. “I don’t know. Maybe let’s forget about it.”
“Hang on,” Buck starts, leaning his head slightly towards Eddie’s, “if you really wanted to, like, if this would help you figure it out, then… then I’d be okay with that.”
“What?” Eddie says, with a hint of embarrassment behind his eyes for even suggesting it in the first place.
“You can kiss me. I mean, if it’ll help you, if it could make you figure some things out… I’m okay with it.”
Eddie looks at Buck softly. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re being used-”
“You’re not.” Buck says, slightly smiling. “In fact, if this solves any problems you feel like you have within yourself, I’m more than happy to be the one to help you with that.”
Eddie nods, looking at Buck, then down at his lips, then back up at his eyes. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Buck says, now looking at Eddie’s lips.
As Buck starts to lean in, Eddie whispers, “This won’t change anything between us, right?”
Buck leans back slightly. “N-no. Of course not.”
“Okay.” Eddie whispers as he starts to close his eyes.
Buck takes a breath before closing his eyes, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on Eddies’ lips.
The kiss starts off soft then turns passionate. It only lasts for a moment, maybe 8 seconds. Buck pulls away rather quickly, immediately opening his eyes to look at Eddie, scared for his reaction.
Eddie is looking down at the ground, then slowly looks up into Buck’s eyes.
They both take a few shortened breaths staring at each other, and before Buck can even speak, Eddie cups Buck’s face with both hands smashing his lips into his again. Buck is taken aback but immediately leans into the kiss, placing his left hand on Eddie’s waist while his right hand grabs his shoulder. Eddie slams Buck into a table behind him with so much force that the cupcakes and platters of food immediately fall into them, as well as the glasses filled with red wine that spill over, one of which spills onto the right side of Buck’s pants. Their makeout quickly turns into Buck putting both hands under Eddie’s dress shirt, causing Eddie to rip it off entirely and throw it behind him. They both slightly smile as Eddie slides Buck’s suit jacket off of him and throws it on top of the food-filled table then quickly starts to undo Buck’s belt. Buck’s hands move so fast on Eddie’s pant’s zipper that even with his eyes closed he’s pretty sure he’s broken it. Eddie has Buck’s belt completely undone before they are both stopped by the smell of something burning.
They quickly pull away as Eddie snaps his head behind him. His dress shirt that he had thrown onto the ground just before is now accompanied by one of the tealight candles that must've fallen off of the table and has now lit the shirt on fire.
“Shit!” Eddie sharply exhales, frantically looking around for something to put out the fire, going around the table looking for his suit jacket that he placed down earlier.
“H-hang on!” Buck exclaims as he tries to stomp the fire out with his right foot only resulting in the fire catching the bottom of his pant legs.
“Uh, uh oh” Buck says as he starts kicking his leg in the air. He grabs his suit jacket from on top of the table next to him and starts hitting the flame on his pant leg as Eddie whips around from the other side of the table and slams his jacket on top of the slightly engulfed dress shirt, putting out the flame. Eddie notices Buck’s dilemma and quickly grabs a glass of water from the table and throws it on Buck’s leg, putting his fire out as well.
Eddie sits there on his knees as he looks up at Buck.
They’re both slightly out of breath, from their sudden makeout sesh-turned fire hazard. Buck lets out a half-smile. “You would think we would be faster at putting out a little fire for being, ya know, firefighters.” he huffs.
Eddie lets out a small laugh. “Yeah well we were in the middle of something..” he says, getting up from his knees. He tries to zip up his pants that he can no longer find the zipper for. “I think my pants are broken,” he laughs.
“Oh, um,” Buck starts, looking down at his own open belt. “Here,” he says, swiftly sliding the belt out of his pant loops. “You can use mine.”
Eddie giggles. “Thanks,” he says, taking the brown woven belt out of Buck’s hands.
As Eddie is sliding the belt through the loops of his trousers, Buck stutters, “About uh, what had just… um, listen, Eddie, I know I said you’re my best friend, and everything, and I know I said that I don’t have feelings for you in that way, so I just want you to know that-”
“Buck, stop.” Eddie interrupts, shaking his head with a slight smile on his face as he finishes putting the belt on. “I initiated that. I wanted to.”
Buck blinks at Eddie. “Y-yeah?”
Eddie chuckles and takes a step towards Buck. “Yeah.” He shrugs. He takes a breath before saying, “You know, I think that light you mentioned just turned on in me too.”
Buck’s mouth slightly opens, his eyes a bit glossy. “Oh.” He says softly, looking down at Eddie’s lips then back up at his eyes.
Eddie smiles at Buck then looks at the door. “Now let’s go.” he says tilting his head towards the door. He turns around and picks up his suit jacket on the floor, which is now slightly covered with ash.
“Go?” Buck puzzles.
“Yeah.” Eddie shrugs, having taken a few steps towards the door, the reception music and laughter still blaring on the other side.
As Eddie begins towards the door, Buck looks at his dirty suit jacket he has clutched in his own hand. “W-wait, you’re just gonna back out there? When we look like this?” he says, holding his jacket out with his right hand and his left hand in front of him, trying to point out to Eddie how disheveled they now look.
Eddie stops and turns around. He gives a cocky smile. “Actually,” he says coyly, “there’s a side door right outside of this one… I was thinking you could meet me at the exit.”
Buck cracks a smile as he exhales. He watches Eddie give him a quick wink as he smiles at him then quickly slides out the door. Buck takes a moment to stand there to take in what had just happened. It's almost as if a whole new light has turned on inside of him. As he smiles and starts to head for the door, his head rushes with all of the possibilities of what that could mean, and what could happen next.
The End.