Chapter Text

“Okay, listen up!” Bobby calls out, his commanding voice carrying in the cavernous firehouse. 

Eddie has already bagged himself a good spot on the couch, a mug of fresh coffee in hand as the last few stragglers arrive for Bobby’s regular team catch-up at the beginning of every shift. 

After a few tough weeks pulling doubles to cover for a few crew members who were off sick, Eddie is finally back on normal shift patterns, and with a good eight hours of sleep under his belt to mark the occasion. Combined with the knowledge that he’ll be home at a normal time to see his son, his mood is light, and he laughs softly as Hen and Ravi race for the last chair. Hen wins and Ravi grumbles as he settles a butt cheek on the arm of the chair.  

Once everyone has arrived and settled down, Bobby goes through a few admin items. People aren’t clearing out old food from the fridge, please don’t make him come chase you to sign up for refresher training, and a few shift personnel changes that don’t affect Eddie. 

“Finally,” Bobby punctuates the word by wedging his clipboard under his arm. “We’ve got a special guest joining us for the next six weeks. As you should all be aware, Chimney recently signed up for the LAFD/LFB exchange programme. He will be spending the next six weeks in England seeing how they do things over there, meanwhile, we have one of London Fire Brigade’s finest joining us. He’s already been up at the Academy for the past few days getting some extra training to learn how we do things over here before officially starting here next week. He’ll be shadowing us for the first few days and then he’ll be a fully-fledged part of the team until he returns home. I'm sure he’ll have lots of questions so please help him out. I expect you all to make him feel welcome.”

“Uh Cap?” Hen’s the one to ask which is great because Eddie’s coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, “Does this Brit have a name?”

Bobby frowns and retrieves his clipboard to peer at the name he has scrawled down at the very bottom of the sheet. 

“Evan Buckley. Send him my way if you see him, won’t you?”

Week 1

The 118’s temporary guest arrives just forty-eight hours after they bid farewell to Chimney with hugs and theatrical tears as they promised jokingly not to forget about him. The gap Chimney leaves behind feels enormous. It’s hard not to expect him to be standing right there, smacking his gum with a movie reference on the tip of his tongue. Eddie reminds himself it’s only six weeks, it’ll pass quickly and Chimney will soon be back where he belongs.  

Eddie can only hope whoever joined them was at least semi-capable. He’s aware of the London Fire Brigade’s reputation for highly experienced crews, but that doesn’t stop Eddie from worrying about who on earth they’re getting in return for Chimney. As far as he’s aware, London firefighters don’t have a lot of experience with earthquakes, forest fires and mudslides. Bobby had just shrugged when any of them looked to him for more information on this Evan Buckley. 

He’s halfway through polishing the truck, one of his preferred jobs in-between calls when Eddie catches movement out of the corner of his eye. He pauses mid-wipe to take in the figure walking towards him, duffle bag slung over one shoulder.  

The sun shines brightly down on the man like he’s being personally lit by God, and his height and build would make him stand out in any situation. 

When he reaches the large open bay doors and steps into the shade he pulls off his sunglasses, and Eddie can’t help but stare at the beautiful man looking back at him. The combination of dark blond curls, bright blue eyes, and strong jawline stirs something in him that he hasn’t felt since he was still married. It’s like a spark hitting dry kindling. Even the rosy pink birthmark above his eye, stark against pale skin is doing something for him. His mouth goes dry and his heartbeat picks up as the man comes closer and closer.

“Um, hello, am I in the right place?” The stranger asks, breaking eye contact briefly to glance around his surroundings. 

“Well, this is a firehouse,” Eddie replies, attempting to sound unflustered in the stranger’s presence. “Were you looking for a firehouse?”

The man responds with a wide grin, flashing his teeth and causing a whole new wave of emotions to pass through Eddie’s body. That smile could stop a tsunami in its tracks.  

“Back home we call them stations, not houses.” 

Eddie blinks as he processes what the stranger said. He hadn’t noticed the accent right away. “You’re the Brit,” He blurts out and the man laughs. “Sorry, it’s Evan, right, Evan Buckley?”

Evan walks up to Eddie, stopping just a couple of feet away and holds out his hand. 

“That’s me, although everyone calls me Buck. There were like, three other Evans in my year at school, the nickname just stuck.” He shrugs. 

“Eddie Diaz,” Eddie takes the offered hand and the first touch of the Englishman’s hand against his feels like he’s been hit with a few hundred volts from a defibrillator. As his nerve endings recover from the connection, his hand tingling, he wonders if Buck feels it, too. 

With another beaming grin that hides any effect Eddie might have had on him, Buck finally pulls his hand away. “Well, very pleased to meet you, Eddie Diaz, I’m looking forward to working here. Well, for the next six weeks at least…Everything really is bigger out here isn’t it?”

Eddie almost chokes on his own spit. “I’m sorry, what?”

With an amused look, Buck nods to something over Eddie’s shoulder. “Your engines.”

Eddie follows his eyeline and puts two and two together. “Oh, the trucks?”

Buck raises an eyebrow. “What did you think I was talking about?” 

Before Eddie can fumble out an answer, a voice interrupts them. 

“Ah, you’re here.”

Bobby materialises from behind Eddie and Buck’s focus switches quickly from him to Bobby. Their captain welcomes Buck with a handshake, and Eddie stares unashamedly at Buck’s solid tattooed bicep flexing during the greeting. Luckily no one seems to notice. 

“Captain Nash, it’s really great to be here.”

“We’re glad to have you with us.” Bobby replies sincerely, “I hope you’ll find it valuable and hey, maybe we’ll all learn something from you, too. Now, let me show you around”

Buck nods sharply, “Yes Sir.” 

“Please, Cap or Bobby is fine.”

Eddie can only watch, the sound of static filling his ears, as Buck is led away. He’s grateful to whoever designed the station’s open-plan layout that allows him to discreetly watch Buck throughout Bobby’s tour of the building. 

Bobby shows Buck to the locker room first where he’s given an empty locker to use during his stay. Bobby waits as Buck stows his bag and changes into the brand new uniform he’s already been supplied with. 

Eddie tries very hard to concentrate on the job in front of him, but the minute Buck’s shirt is pulled up and over his head ‘Whatta man’ starts playing in his head and the half-polished truck is all but forgotten. Once he’s dressed in a pair of very well-fitting navy pants and a matching LAFD shirt that stretches perfectly across his chest and biceps, Buck is guided upstairs for a whistle-stop tour of the kitchen and lounge area. Bobby brings him back downstairs five minutes later to show him where they store all the equipment before he’s led to Bobby’s office and finally out of sight. 

*********************

Stepping into the imposing 118 fire station for the first time, Buck hears his sister’s voice in his head, reminding him not to be nervous. “You’ll be fine,” she had insisted at Heathrow, moments before he’d disappeared through security. 

His first week in LA had been spent at the LAFD Academy receiving a crash course in all of their procedures. Five years of being a firefighter back in the UK had given him a good headstart over the young fresh-faced and energetic recruits he found himself training alongside. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to combine their specific skills, equipment and firefighting tactics with his own experience and be signed off by the Chief. 

Whilst at times it had felt like going back to school again, something he hadn’t particularly enjoyed the first time around, the whole experience had reminded him how much he loves his job, and he couldn’t wait to actually get to work. However, some of the stories he heard from recruits of tsunamis and plane crashes did make him wonder what on earth he was getting himself into. 

Of course, the moment he meets Eddie Diaz, all his nerves fall away. The firefighter is tall, and self-assured in a way Buck has always found attractive. He welcomes Buck with a wide smile and when their hands touch, there’s an immediate spark that can’t be ignored. Despite an immediate attraction, he has to remind himself here for work, not play, and plays it as cool as possible. 

He’s pulled away from Eddie much too soon, and whilst he appreciates the tour his new Captain gives him, his mind returns again and again to those warm chocolate eyes that feel instantly more like home than his own country ever has. Eyes, he realises, that follow him around the firehouse. The back of his neck heats up from the attention and he forces himself to concentrate as Bobby talks. He’s actually relieved when he’s led into Bobby’s office and out of Eddie’s line of sight.  

*********************

Only when Bobby leads Buck into his office and out of sight does Eddie realise he’s been polishing the same spot for the last ten minutes or so, and if that isn’t bad enough, Hen has noticed. 

She peers over the frames of her glasses at him knowingly. “This is going to be interesting.”

He groans at being caught and tries in vain to regain some focus on the task at hand. 

He’s never been so grateful for the bell ringing. He drops the cloth, pulls on his turnouts in half a minute and climbs into the back of the truck, Ravi and Hen not far behind. A moment later Bobby jumps into the front seat and then Buck, sans turnouts, also climbs in. 

“Buck’s just shadowing today,” Bobby reminds them. “Buck, meet the rest of the crew, Hen, Ravi, and Jacobs.”

Eddie watches Buck greet the team, leaning across the cramped space to shake their hands and the team immediately respond with questions to get to know their temporary team member better. 

“So Buck, you live in London?”

“Yep, me and my sister share a flat in Brixton. I work at a station not too far away, just a couple of stops on the tube and a short walk, so it’s an easy-peasy commute.”

Eddie snorts at the blank looks Buck receives; like he’s just spoken in a foreign language. 

He realises his error and winces. “Oh, er, apartment? South London?” He supplies. “Howard and I have done a bit of a house swap actually, he’s staying at mine and I’m at his.”

“Who the hell is Howard?” Ravi asks with a wrinkle of his nose. 

Buck just looks lost, like maybe he turned up at the wrong firehouse after all. Hen smiles at him. “We call him Chimney.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Buck’s cheeks flush red and it’s the cutest thing Eddie has possibly ever witnessed in the back of a truck. 

“Don’t worry,” Bobby calls from the front seat, sensing Buck’s discomfort. “You’ll pick this all up in no time.”

“What does your sister do?” Hen inquires. 

“She’s recently started as a 999 call handler for the London Ambulance Service. She used to be a nurse and according to her, it’s been helpful to have some medical training for the calls. Just last week she helped a husband deliver his baby.” 

The way Buck speaks about his sister reminds Eddie about his own sisters and he makes a mental note to call them later. It’s been too long since he caught up with them properly. 

Buck continues. “I’m a very proud younger bro. She’s had a bit of a tough time of it the last few years, but she picked herself up and now she’s doing great.”

“Well, Chimney will look after her, he’s one of the good ones, you don’t have to worry,” She promises.

Buck looks relieved by the reassurance, then his face changes and after a beat asks, “So uh, why do you call him Chimney?” 

*********************

Eddie does his best to focus on the car accident and the couple trapped in the car, but out of the corner of his eye, he spots Buck watching from his spot beside the truck. He looks like he’s itching to help and Eddie understands the feeling. There’s a reason why he became a firefighter, he’s not one for standing on the sidelines when he can help.  

His attention snaps back to the car when he hears Bobby bark an order at him for the jaws of life. After following Buck around the firehouse, it’s his turn to be watched and he feels Buck’s eyes follow him as he runs back to the truck to retrieve them and then back to the car. 

Thankfully, the rescue runs smoothly and they’re able to extract the couple with only minor injuries and it’s not long before they’re dispatched off to the hospital in two ambulances. 

In the truck on the way back to the firehouse, he can’t help but notice the goofy grin on Buck’s face. 

“What?” Buck asks when their eyes meet. 

“You haven’t stopped grinning.” 

Buck’s smile only widens. The contagious grin sets them all off and by the time they are pulling into the station, everyone looks slightly deranged. 

Eddie is the first to jump out of the back of the truck when it comes to a full stop in the engine bay, although Buck isn’t far behind. 

As Eddie removes his gear and begins hanging things up, he once again becomes aware of eyes watching him. 

“You okay there?” 

“Oh, I’m just taking my shadowing job seriously,” Buck replies, though the grin is back so Eddie’s not sure he can believe him. The British sense of humour is a complete mystery to him. “It’s actually useful to see how you store your tunic and trousers.”

“My what and my what?”

“I think he means your coat and pants,” Hen interjects from a few lockers down. 

“You know, I thought the main hurdles coming over here would be learning the rescue methods or the equipment, turns out it’s the language,” Buck laughs. 

“Don’t worry,” Hen pats him on the shoulder as she passes. “We’ll get you speaking like one of us in no time.” 

“I look forward to it?” Buck’s reply comes out more like a question. Eddie snorts. 

Buck turns back to him, a look in his eyes Eddie can’t decipher. 

“By the way, you have a little something-” Buck motions to his face. 

Eddie wipes at his face with his sleeve, but by the amused look on Buck’s face, he probably just made the smudge of dirt worse. A visit to the bathroom to survey the damage is next on his to-do list, despite knowing as soon as he’s cleaned up they’ll be out on another call and he’ll be dirty again in no time. 

“So, erm, any chance there’s a cup of tea around here somewhere?”

“Iced?”

Buck pouts. “English breakfast?”

“Sorry,” Eddie shakes his head.

Disappointed, Buck sighs. “Been gasping for a proper brew since the plane took off.” 

*********************

Eddie lets out a long groan when he makes it to his car at the end of his shift and remembers there’s no food in the house for dinner. Luckily, there’s a large grocery store not far from the station that he likes because the food is fairly cheap and they stock Christopher’s favourite cereal, so he heads over there, despite wishing he could just drive home and collapse on the couch. 

He knows the layout of the store well enough by now that he can navigate on autopilot, so he’s not really paying much attention to his surroundings. He certainly isn’t expecting to bump into anyone he knows in the cookie aisle. 

“Eddie?”

Startled, he spins around sharply and he comes face to face with the 118’s newest member of the team. His mouth goes dry. Even underneath the fluorescent light of the store, Buck looks annoyingly handsome. 

“Buck, hi.”

“Looks like we had the same idea.” 

Buck lifts his basket up to proudly show off his goods. He looks delighted by the chance meeting and for a moment Eddie might have mistaken Buck for a Golden Retriever. If he had a tail it would be wagging. 

“Although, I haven’t the foggiest where anything in this place is. This place is ginormous. I swear I’ve been looking for eggs for fifteen minutes now.”

“Aisle six,” Eddie answers automatically. 

Buck looks around, peering up at the signs hanging from the ceiling but he still looks lost. Eddie’s amazed at how such a large guy can look so helpless yet so cute at the same time.  

“C’mon, this way.” 

With a nudge, Eddie leads Buck down the middle of the store towards the eggs. 

“Good first day?” He asks on the way, feeling the need to fill the silence. 

“Amazing, honestly, although I’m absolutely knackered.”

“Uh-”

“Tired,” Buck quickly explains. “Sorry, I’m not doing it on purpose, I swear.”

“You sure?” Eddie jokes. 

Reaching the eggs, Buck does a double take. “Wait, you refrigerate your eggs?”

“You don’t?”

“Nope,” Buck shakes his head. “But thanks, I’m not sure I would have checked down here.” Buck chooses a twelve-pack of eggs, checking them briefly for broken shells before lowering the carton down into his basket. 

“You mind helping me out with the rest of my shopping list?” He pulls out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “I might get out of here before midnight with a little help.”

Despite his exhaustion and his desire to go home and chill, he can’t seem to say no to Buck. 

“Sure, what’s next?”

Buck lists out some of the items scrawled out on the paper, and Eddie begins to direct Buck through the grocery store, picking up some items on his own list along the way. Buck seems to notice the goldfish crackers, Lunchables and Mickey Mouse fruit roll-ups that he adds to his basket and makes the obvious connection. 

“You have kids?”

“Just the one, Christopher.”

Buck’s eyes light up. “I love kids.”

“I love this one.”

“We do these family fun days at the station in the summer, all the kids get their faces painted, and they get to climb into the engine and play with the lights and sirens. I swear it’s my favourite day of the whole year.”

“We do something similar at Christmas, there’s a toy drive and lots of activities.”

Buck pouts. “Shame I won’t be here then, that sounds fun.” 

Eddie doesn’t know why he says it, but there’s a defensiveness that bubbles up inside him when he catches Buck’s eyes return to the basket for a split second. He’s encountered more than his fair share of opinionated know-it-alls. 

“He gets fruit and vegetables, too, I promise. I do my best, y’know considering his mom isn’t in the picture.” He doesn’t know why he adds that last bit. 

“Oh, I’m sure you’re a great dad Eddie,” Buck replies quickly. It’s a nice sentiment but Buck barely knows him so he takes the complement with a pinch of salt. “Trust me, I’m not close with my parents, they’ve always been kind of distant, don’t really know why.” Buck shrugs “I only had their attention when I was hurt or in trouble. You have to understand, they're not bad people; they're just bad parents.”

Eddie’s defensiveness fades away almost instantaneously. If there’s something he understands, it’s having crappy parents. 

“I’m sorry, that sucks, I get it, believe me.”

“I’m honestly not even sure they’re aware I’m in another country right now.”

Eddie laughs. “Mine would rather I was back in Texas, next-door neighbours if possible!”

“Is that where you’re from then?”

“Born and raised,” He tips an invisible Stetson which earns an amused grin from Buck. 

“I’ve never been, but I’d like to go. I travelled all over Europe before I became a firefighter, but this is my first time across the pond.”

“Well, Texas is a big state, but if you’re ever down that way let me know and I’ll recommend some great barbeque pits.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

Having found everything both of them need, they head to check out, picking adjacent cash registers. Buck is first through and instead of heading off, Eddie is surprised to find him waiting at the other end of the cash register for him so they can walk out together.

“Where are you parked?” He asks as they step out of the store and into the parking lot. He digs into his back pocket for his car keys as he speaks. 

“Err,” Buck winces. “I got an Uber here.”

“You’re kidding me.”

Buck looks a little embarrassed. “Well, Chimney left his car for me to use, but I haven’t gotten the hang of driving over here yet. When you live in a city with some of the best public transport in the world, you don’t do a whole lot of driving.” He explains. “Plus there’s the whole wrong side of the road, wrong side of the car thing. But I mentioned something to Bobby earlier actually and he said he’d take me out before our shift tomorrow, help me get confident behind the wheel.”

He’s unsurprised. Of course, Bobby offered to help. Eddie has often tried to emulate Bobby's natural fatherliness, admiring the support and guidance he always offers to the team.

“Well,” He readjusts his grip on his bag of groceries to stop them from slipping through his arm. “Until then, you need a ride home.”

“Don’t be daft, I’m sure I can get home from here.” 

“I’m very stubborn once you get to know me, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

The grateful smile Eddie receives in response is worth it.

Chapter Text

Week 2

“Alright!” Bobby calls out from the front seat, seeking the team’s attention. Conversation in the back of the truck immediately dies down and all eyes look to their captain. Buck is shifting in his seat, evidently excited to finally be in full turnouts and ready for whatever LA has to throw at him. 

“We’ve got a two-alarm fire, two-storey dwelling and the family is unaccounted for. Buck, Eddie, you’re going to go in, clear the place as best you can. Hen, Ravi you’re on hoses, I don’t want the fire spreading to the houses next door.”

As they get closer and closer to the fire, Buck sits a little straighter, every muscle tensing up in preparation for what's to come. Buck doesn’t need to say anything for Eddie to know exactly what he’s thinking and feeling right now. He meets Eddie’s eyes and nods, and Eddie sees it for what it is, a silent promise to have his back. Eddie returns the nod and it feels more momentous than it should.  

They pull up to the house a few minutes later, flames already bursting out from the windows and licking up the sides of the building. Thick black smoke fills the air and a crowd of neighbours are gathered on the sidewalk, gawking at the ongoing emergency. 

“Stand back, let us through,” Eddie barks and a pathway immediately opens up to them. 

Whilst Eddie deftly slips on his mask, Buck is slower. He’s still getting used to the type of masks the LAFD uses, and it takes him an extra second or two to ensure a tight seal. 

“Ready?” Eddie asks, his voice muffled by the mask. 

“Ready!”

With a steadying breath to calm his racing heart, he steps into the house, Buck close behind treading exactly where he steps so they don’t lose each other in the thick smoke they’re walking through. They start upstairs, clearing rooms as quickly as possible, calling out to whoever might still be inside. 

“Buckley, Diaz.”

Eddie reaches for his radio first. “Cap?”

“The family have just arrived home, all accounted for, you can pull out, but double time it. I don’t like the look of that roof.”

“Got it.” 

They don’t hesitate to turn around and head back towards the staircase as quickly as possible. The flames are closer on the return journey, licking at their ankles and roaring above their heads. He keeps moving forwards no matter what, Buck just a few inches ahead of him leading the way. A moment later they’re stepping across the blackened threshold into the fresh air and away from the brutal heat. 

He quickly pulls his mask off and immediately meets Buck’s eyes.

“Not bad,” He says, nodding approvingly at the newest member of the team. 

“We didn’t even do anything,” Buck huffs. 

With his mask and helmet off, Eddie takes a moment to appreciate the way Buck’s curls have gotten even messier. 

“Still, you can have my back any day.” 

Buck’s whole face lights up at that, his face flushing from the praise. “Or, you know, you can have mine,” He returns. 

Heading back towards the truck, Eddie notices a young couple and two children, with matching distraught faces. Looking back at the house behind him, he knows there won’t be much to save, and any thrill he feels from walking through literal fire is dampened by the knowledge that there’s not much they can do apart from protect the nearby houses, and wait for the fire to run out of energy. 

“Good job in there,” Bobby pats Buck on the back once they’ve returned to the station. The praise reignites the flush in Buck’s cheeks. “I think you’re gonna do just fine here.”

Eddie thinks so, too. 

*********************

Eddie frowns at the unknown number flashing up on his cell. Reluctantly, he swipes to answer the call and presses the phone ear whilst he attempts to flip Christopher’s grilled cheese with his left hand. 

“Hello?”

“Err, hi, Eddie? It’s Buck.”

Eddie almost drops the phone into the pan.

 “Oh, hey, yes, everything alright?”

“I’m really sorry to bother you-”

“You’re not, I promise,” He insists, though he can smell the cheese beginning to burn. Christopher refuses to eat burnt cheese. Sliding the sandwich onto a nearby plate, he turns off the stovetop and sits down at the table. “How can I help?”

“It’s silly really, but I’m in Chimney’s laundry room and I have no idea what I’m doing, I would call him but it’s late in the UK and I don’t want to disturb him.”

“Well, uh,” Eddie scratches his head. “I’ll see what I can do from here, are they top or front loaders?”

There’s a pause before Buck answers. “Umm..what?”

Eddie lets out an amused huff. “Okay, you know what? I’m going to send you my address, why don’t you come over and do your laundry here, at least until we get Chimney’s laundry room situation figured out.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” He insists. “It’s no problem, and hey, Christopher is excited to meet you, keeps asking when you can come round.”

“Well in that case I’ll be right over,” Buck responds without hesitation. 

Eddie receives a thumbs-up emoji as soon as he sends over his address, and twenty minutes later he opens the door to find Buck on the porch with a large bag of clothes to wash. 

Even though an entire week has passed since Buck first walked up to the firehouse, the way Eddie’s body reacts to Buck hasn’t diminished. Eddie's breath hitches every time Buck is there, just an arm's length away. As much as he wants to reach out and remove that distance, he has no idea if Buck even likes him in the same way. He’s also very aware that whatever might happen between them could only be temporary, and a ‘fling’ is the last thing he’s interested in right now.  

“Eddie?”

Eddie’s eyes refocus on Buck standing opposite him with a raised eyebrow and winces at being caught with his mind elsewhere.

“Sorry, come in,” Eddie steps back and Buck crosses the threshold, his eyes immediately scanning the living room. Eddie follows Buck’s gaze around the room which pauses briefly at the family photos before looking back at Eddie. 

“Thanks for doing this, I feel bad putting you out like this.”

“Nonsense,” Eddie waves him off. “Washer is this way.” 

Eddie notices Buck’s confused expression as they pass the kitchen and come to a stop beside a closet in the hallway. He pulls open the door to reveal his washer and dryer, one stacked on top of the other. 

“Huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing!” Buck says quickly. “It’s just a bit weird, we keep ours in the kitchen back home…or the utility room.”

“What’s a utility room?”

He shakes his head. “Never mind.”

Buck drops his bag of clothes in front of the machine, but before he can begin loading it a door opens followed by the sound of crutches and footsteps squeaking against the floor. 

“Finished your homework?” Eddie asks, eyebrow arched at his son as Buck turns to look in his direction. 

“ Yes, Dad,” Christopher groans as only a pre-teen could. 

“Alright then, come and meet Buck.”

“Hello, Christopher, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Buck smiles at the boy. “Your dad hasn’t shut up about you.”

“He talks a lot about you too,” Christopher replies and Buck’s eyebrows shoot up at that bit of information. He suppresses a groan at his son’s inability to keep things to himself. 

Buck is smirking. 

“Oh, really ?”

“Not a lot,” Eddie quickly argues. “A very normal amount.” 

“You want to see my room?” Chris asks, oblivious to the looks passing between the two adults. Eddie’s thankful for the distraction. 

“Definitely,” Buck answers enthusiastically, his eyes tearing away from Eddie’s to focus back on Chris. “Lead the way.”

His laundry temporarily forgotten, Buck follows Christopher to his room. Eddie stands in the doorway watching silently as Buck is introduced to every dinosaur toy, and shown every drawing and book in his possession. He knows he’s smiling, but he can’t stop. Instead, it seems to grow every time Buck asks Chris a question about school or his friends. It’s nice to see someone genuinely interested in his son’s life. 

The next thing Eddie knows, Buck and Chris are in the living room playing Super Mario Kart and Buck is losing spectacularly. Eddie leaves them to it for a bit, cleans up dinner dishes he hadn’t finished earlier, and then returns a short while later with a beer for Buck, and a bowl of chips for them all to share. 

After losing three races in a row, Buck gives up, shaking his head at Chris’ gloating. 

“Think it’s time to order a pizza,” Eddie suggests, glancing at his watch. 

“Oh, my washing!” Buck winces as he launches to his feet. “Guess I should ring Chimney early tomorrow, I’ll get out of your hair, let you eat your dinner.”

Eddie’s nose wrinkles. “What? Don’t be ridiculous, sit down, we’ll order pizza and then figure out your laundry.”

“Are you sure?”

“What toppings do you like? And if you say pineapple, then I will kick you out.”

Buck laughs. “Pepperoni, jalapenos and extra cheese?”

“You got it.”

In the thirty minutes it takes for the pizzas to arrive, Eddie and Buck tackle the bag of laundry, leaving Chris to sort drinks and get out some napkins. 

When the food arrives, Buck attempts to pay but Eddie nudges him out of the way with a strategically placed elbow. Ignoring Buck’s protests, he puts forty dollars in the hand of the awkward-looking teenager on the doorstep and tells him to keep the change. 

The pizzas are consumed quickly, leaving nothing but greasy boxes and empty plates littered across the table. Halfway through the film they watch, Buck moves his clothes into the drier and gets that going. By the time his clothes are clean and dry, Christopher is fast asleep in bed, and Eddie and Buck are on their third beer each. 

“This has been nice,” Buck admits softly. “Really nice, certainly better than sitting around Chrimney’s flat, uh, apartment , with nothing to do.”

“Well, you’re welcome over any time.”

Buck’s face does something funny.  

“What?”

“Oh, it’s just we say things like that a lot back home but never actually mean it, and certainly don’t believe anyone who says that.”

“Well, I mean it,” Eddie says firmly. 

“ Sure. ”

“Do you need a written invitation?”

“Yeah, I think I do,” Buck grins. 

He can’t be a hundred percent sure, but it almost feels like Buck is flirting with him. There’s a glimmer of something warm and teasing in his eyes, and they’re leaning towards each other despite the size of the couch.

“Chris and I will come drag you over here if we have to.”

“Looking forward to it.”

*********************

“Mads! Hi!” A pang of homesickness hits Buck the minute his sister’s face appears on the screen. She looks well, happy , and the overprotective side of him relaxes slightly. “I miss you!”

“I miss you, too! Looks like that LA sun is agreeing with you,” She observes, skipping the pleasantries. “Hope you’re putting on that sun cream I packed for you.”

He groans, “Yes, Mum. ”

“Okay, okay, you said you would show me around, let me see then.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Buck switches to the front camera and immediately pans the phone around the firehouse. “Alright, this is the 118 firehouse.”

Using his own tour of the building as a blueprint, he walks around, pointing the camera at different things around the station that he thinks are interesting, and stopping to introduce his sister to members of the team he passes on the way. 

“Oi, wait,” Buck snags Eddie’s elbow as he walks past and pulls him into frame. “Maddie, this is Eddie, from the 118, Eddie, this is my amazing older sister Maddie.”

Eddie peers over Buck’s shoulder and waves politely to the smiling brunette on the screen. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too, you’re looking after my brother over there aren’t you?”

He gives Buck a friendly nudge. “I’ve got his back, don’t worry.”

Buck rolls his eyes and hip-checks Eddie out of shot. 

“So, you’re having a good time?” Maddie checks softly once Eddie has walked off. He’s used to her concern in the same way he’s used to the lack of concern from their parents. 

“It’s so different out here Mads.”

“Different bad?”

“No…it’s tougher definitely, everything’s bigger and the calls are weirder. Yesterday we responded to a man’s head concreted inside a microwave.”

Maddie laughs. “How on earth did that happen?”

“Oh, some kind of stupid YouTube stunt I think, Eddie and I had to scoop him out of a swimming pool.”

“Okay, definitely weirder,” She agrees. “I hope Chimney isn’t bored with the emergency calls you would normally be responding to.”

“Shit, I hope not.” 

“He’s cute by the way.”

Buck grins in Eddie’s direction. “Yeah, you should see his kid.”

Maddie looks back at him in surprise. “Wait, Chimney has a kid?”

*********************

Eddie resists the urge to say the Q word, but the afternoon passes with no calls. When a shift is this peaceful, the team usually separate off into their own corners of the station. Bobby hides himself away in his office to catch up on paperwork. Hen grabs her book and heads for the comfiest chair in the lounge area, sticking her feet up on the coffee table. Ravi likes to nap in the bunk rooms, quiet and empty at this time of day. Eddie, on the other hand, prefers the gym. Not many jobs not only have a gym on site but actually pay you to work out during your shift. 

Of course, he’s still not used to having Buck around, and his alone time is interrupted by the Brit who also seems to enjoy using the spare time they have to burn off excess energy. He doesn’t mind the company though, even if he loses count during his last set of reps when Buck starts stretching right beside him. Those thighs make Eddie’s mouth go dry and he bites his lip to stop himself from doing something inappropriate. 

Of course, the bell decides to go off just as he’s reaching for his water bottle, and Eddie only manages to glug a mouthful of the cool liquid before he’s rushing to change. Buck is right behind him, and as he looks back he sees a flash of a grin on Buck’s face. He understands the thrill of a call, especially after hours of doing nothing. It’s almost Pavlovian, the way adrenaline begins rushing through his body immediately. 

Dressed, Eddie jumps up into the cab and as soon as Buck climbs in behind him, the truck accelerates away from the station. 

They arrive at a meat packing warehouse just under ten minutes later, already armed with the knowledge that a worker is trapped inside an industrial-sized freezer, a set of shelving pinning him to the ground. Not knowing exactly what they’re going to find, they equip themselves with all sorts of tools they might need and head inside the building where a middle-aged man in a neon vest waves them down. 

“This way,” He starts walking and they pick up their pace to follow. 

As soon as they reach the huge walk-in freezer, they hear the groans of a man in pain and a moment later he comes into view. A huge shelving unit covers half his body, whilst the other part is flat against the icy cold floor. His skin is almost blue from the cold and the lack of shivering worries Eddie. 

“We couldn’t lift it,” Another man tells him. 

“It’s okay,” Bobby replies. “We’ll take it from here…sir, what’s your name?”

“Victor,” He grits out. “Victor Marsh.”

“Okay, Victor, hold tight. Hen, Eddie, look him over. Buck, Ravi, let's get this thing off of him.”

As Eddie and Hen get to work, Hen with her stethoscope and Eddie placing an IV into the man's freezing cold hand, Bobby and Buck begin clearing the area whilst Ravi heads back to the truck for some airbags to lift the shelf up enough to slide Victor out.  

A sudden blast of freezing air passes through the room and Eddie can’t help but curse under his breath as the cold breeze slips under his turnout, triggering a full-body shiver. 

“Can we get those fans turned off?” Bobby asks. 

“And spoil the meat?” One of the men retorts. 

Bobby shakes his head in disbelief and returns to the job at hand. 

“Cold?” Buck asks. 

“We’re in a huge freezer, what do you think?” Eddie’s response comes out a little grumpier than planned. 

Buck’s cheeks are adorably rosy from the cool temperature, but he doesn’t look bothered at all by any of it. 

“This is nothing, I’ve sunbathed in cooler weather back home.” 

“Impossible, it’s what, twenty-four, twenty-five degrees in here right now, if that.”

“Twenty-five? That's shorts and t-shirt weather back home,” Buck frowns. 

“Fahrenheit, Buck, twenty-five Fahrenheit, that's like minus three Celsius.”

“It’s frickin’ cold is what it is,” Victor interrupts sharply. “Can you please hurry up and get me out of here?”

“Boys, less talking please,” Bobby reminds them firmly. 

Eddie winces and does his best to focus on keeping Victor alive until the others can get him out. By the time they are able to slide him out from underneath the shelves and lift him onto a gurney, Eddie is shivering so much his teeth are chattering and every muscle in his body has seized up painfully. He can’t remember the last time he felt this cold. When you grow up in Texas, have been deployed to Afghanistan, and live in LA, you get used to a certain temperature. 

Stepping back outside, he angles his face to catch the most of the warmth from the sunlight, feeling it begin to seep back into his chilled body. It’s not enough though. He finds himself still shivering back at the firehouse, like he’s unable to shake off the icy breeze from the freezer. 

To make matters worse, he left his hoodie at home, so instead, he’s sitting in just his short-sleeved shirt, rubbing his bare arms and drinking a hot coffee to try and warm up. 

“Here.” 

Something drops onto his lap and Eddie stares down at the piece of clothing now resting over his thighs. It’s Buck’s hoodie. 

“You look cold, and I don’t need it,” Buck shrugs. “When you live in a country that’s freezing half the year, you get used to it. I wasn’t kidding about the sunbathing. As soon as the sun is out, you’ll find me outside, no matter the weather.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate it.”

With a nod, Buck disappears off, and Eddie quickly pulls the hoodie on, pulling the cuffs over his cold hands, and hugging his arms tighter to his body. He immediately feels warmer, though he can’t tell if that’s from the soft material or Buck’s thoughtfulness. He can’t stop himself from closing his eyes, ducking his head and breathing in the unmistakable scent of Buck deep within the fabric. 

When he opens his eyes, he realises there’s someone watching him. Hen looks back at him with a smirk. She doesn’t say anything, but Eddie knows exactly what she’s thinking. 

Chapter Text

Week 3

“So anyway, I was in ‘Spoons with some mates I hadn’t seen in donkey’s years getting absolutely plastered, and this complete muppet walks in and starts getting lairy with the bar staff. I stepped in, like a gent, next thing you know he’s smashing a pint glass over my head. Spent the next few hours in A&E and I’m gutted because, not only is my night mucked up, but I’d wangled a date with this like, really fit bloke from Croydon the next night and my face was all swollen and minging. So I just told him I had the lurgy until the stitches came out. We dated for a few months actually, called me a numpty when he found out about it. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, that night in A&E, I ended up having this chinwag in the waiting room with a firefighter, telling me these proper bonkers stories and it sounded a right laugh. So I sent in my application and Bob’s your uncle.”

After finishing his story, Buck looks around the table and seems surprised by the blank faces staring back at him, including Eddie’s.  

“Can you say that all again, just slower ?” He asks. 

“Are we sure that was English?” Hen adds. 

Ravi frowns. “You have an uncle called Bob?” 

“What? No?” Buck matches Ravi’s frown. 

Bobby chuckles from his spot in front of the stovetop as he slowly stirs a large pot of chilli. Bobby’s chilli might just be one of Eddie’s favourite things to eat, and he can’t wait for a huge bowl of it later.  

“Speaking of a night out on the town,” Hen begins, a devious look in her eyes that worries Eddie. “A little birdy told me you haven’t properly enjoyed our LA nightlife yet.” She stares Buck down whilst he shoots Eddie a knowing look. Of course, it was Eddie who informed Hen that Buck had barely explored LA outside work calls and the grocery store. 

“What do you have in mind?” Buck asks. 

“Well, Karen and I have a babysitter organised for this evening, so how about we take you to a favourite spot of ours, it’s actually where Karen and I met, thanks to some meddling from Chimney. We’re all off tomorrow so we can let loose. How about it?”

Hen stares Buck down, leaving him no choice but to nod and smile. “I'm up for it.” 

“Great! Eddie, you’re more than welcome to get Carla to drop Chris off at ours after school and join us? How long has it been since you’ve had a night out?”

Eddie groans. “ Please don’t remind me…okay, I’m in.” He doesn’t need much convincing.

“Me too,” Ravi adds. 

“Cap?”

“I’m sure I could join you for an hour or so, I’ll see if Athena wants to join us.”

“Perfect!” Hen immediately pulls out her phone and begins to tap out a message. She sticks her tongue out as she types and Eddie knows that means she’s in planning mode. A few moments later her smile softens which can only be the result of some nauseatingly sweet response from her wife. 

“I’m going to regret this aren’t I?” Buck asks under his breath. 

Eddie pats Buck on the shoulder. “Yup.” 

The rest of the day passes with the usual mix of calls that keep them on their toes. They handle an ice skate embedded in a man’s chest and a woman’s hand caught in a pin-setter at a bowling alley. Eddie has gotten into the habit of watching Buck when they’re out on a call. He’s equally amused by Buck’s wonder at some of the weird and wonderful situations they find themselves dealing with, whilst also turned on by Buck’s biceps as he lifts a stretcher, or wields a Halligan. 

So far, only Hen seems to be aware of his minor crush. Which is a relief, the last thing he needs is Bobby giving him some kind of fatherly talk about professional working relationships and proper focus on the job. Of course, it’s hard to stay professional when he’s sitting opposite Buck at dinner time, hearing him moan each time he eats a spoonful of Bobby’s chilli and licks his lips after every mouthful. He’s not one to wish for a call, especially not when he’s eating, but he would give all his worldly possessions, which to be honest isn’t all that much, for some kind of distraction. 

Thankfully, the rest of the shift passes uneventfully and it’s not long before C-shift begins to arrive, heading for the locker room. Once it empties, Eddie heads there to change out of his uniform and prepare himself for a rare night out. Just as he whips off his shirt, he hears footsteps behind him and he turns just in time to see Buck’s eyes flick down his body and back up again. It happens so quickly he could easily doubt his mind, but Eddie is sure he caught Buck checking him out. 

“So, how long has it been?”

“Hmm?” Eddie hums, suddenly very self-aware that his body has risen in temperature a few degrees since Buck arrived. 

“Since you last went out?” Buck continues as he opens his locker and yanks off his shirt. 

Eddie watches Buck’s back muscles shift out of the corner of his eye and notices a couple of tattoos on his side and shoulder. He wonders briefly what other tattoos Buck has in other places. 

“Too long,” Eddie admits. “As much as I love being a parent, it doesn’t exactly allow for an active social life.”

“So, no girlfriend?” Buck asks bluntly. “Boyfriend?”

Eddie’s head whips around so fast that his neck clicks. “What? Uh, no, no girlfriend,” Buck’s eyes dim, disappointed at his answer. “Or boyfriend.” He blurts out. 

Buck’s whole face brightens and he smiles. “Good to know.”

Suddenly, Eddie’s eyes are drifting down to Buck’s chest and all he can think about is their bodies pressed together, maybe the weight of Buck holding him down. He also pictures something softer, like his head resting on Buck’s pectoral, listening to his heartbeat underneath, or resting against Buck on the couch as they watch a film together. 

“Come on you two,” Eddie’s daydream is abruptly cut short by Hen stepping into the room and clapping her hands, unaware of what she’s interrupting. “ Chop-chop , no dilly-dallying, or lollygagging .” She says, putting on a poor attempt at a British accent. 

Buck winces.  

“No more teaching Hen British slang,” Eddie insists after she leaves. “ Please. ”

Buck laughs, the tension broken. “I make no promises.”

*********************

As they walk up to the bar, Buck is flanked by Hen and Karen. Hen has her arm hooked around his like she expects him to flee at any moment. Not that he could with Eddie, Ravi, and Bobby right behind. 

Despite Eddie not getting out much, he’s become familiar with Hen’s choice of venue for the evening. It’s not the first time Hen or Chimney have dragged him there after a tough shift. Because of that, it’s become one of his favourite places in LA. 

The music, a mixture of upbeat country, pop, and indie, is loud, though not too loud to speak over, and it’s busy enough to have a good atmosphere without it feeling overcrowded. There’s a chill vibe about the place that makes Eddie instantly relax, a perfect medium between too fancy and too seedy. 

He follows the others straight to the bar where he orders a beer, happy to go for whatever is on tap. Whilst Karen and Hen look through the cocktail menu, Buck also orders a beer, and Ravi picks a Jack and Coke while Bobby requests a soda water. 

“Go find us a table,” Hen directs at both him and Buck as she flips to the next page of the extensive cocktail list, Karen peering over her shoulder. “This might take a while.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Buck responds, doing his own impression of an American accent, punctuating it with a sloppy salute. 

She snorts and waves him off. 

Buck is the one who spots the spare booth, pointing at it across the room. Eddie finds the other man’s hand slipping into his and is pulled across the floor towards the spare seating before anyone else can get to it. He’s a little disappointed when Buck’s hand falls away, but then he’s immediately distracted by being pressed up against Buck’s side as they squeeze into the booth, leaving enough room for the others. 

Bobby and Ravi aren’t far behind and they slip in, too, Ravi beside him and Bobby opposite. 

“Athena will be by soon, she just has some paperwork to complete,” Bobby tells them. 

“You said your wife’s a police officer, right?” Buck asks. 

“A sergeant.” 

Bobby beams with pride as he begins to talk about his wife and Buck gets drawn into a conversation with their captain, somehow asking all the right questions about their relationship without hitting any sore spots for Bobby. He wonders if someone gave Buck the lowdown in his first week so he wouldn’t accidentally put his foot in it. 

As Bobby continues to talk, Eddie is increasingly aware of the warmth of Buck’s body pressed against his, their thighs squished together and Buck’s arm resting along the back of the booth behind him. All he can think about is the hopeful expression on Buck’s face when he revealed he’s single. Since Buck first stepped into the 118’s firehouse, he’s been drawn to the Englishman. Not just because he’s insanely hot, but because he’s warm and funny and kind and great with Chris. A deadly combination in Eddie’s books.  

As far as Eddie can tell, Buck is attracted to him. He’s caught his new teammate staring at him in the locker room on more than one occasion, and the flirting feels like it’s leading to something. What that is, Eddie doesn’t know. It’s been far too long since he’s been romantically interested in someone, not that he would admit that to anyone. 

When Hen and Karen finally make it to the table, they each have an extravagant-looking cocktail in their hand, with all sorts of garnishes and fruit on top. As soon as they sit down, they clink their glasses and take a sip before switching and trying each other’s drink.

His eyes catch the free pool table a few feet away and he turns to Buck, nudging his knee against his to grab Buck’s attention.

“You play?”

“Hmm?”

Eddie nods over to a free pool table. 

“Can I play? Yes. Am I any good?” Buck winces. “Let’s just say I’m deadly with a cue in my hands, and not in a good way.” 

Eddie laughs. “Perfect, I’m a sore loser.” 

Eddie doesn’t give Buck a chance to say no and pushes him out of the booth, Ravi clambering out of the way before he gets trampled by the two men. 

“Probie gets to break,” Eddie teases as he racks up the balls, looking up through his lashes as he speaks to catch Buck’s reaction. 

“Hey!” Buck splutters. “I’m not a probie thank you very much.”

“Is that so?” Eddie grins and takes the spare cue out of Buck’s hands. “So, you don’t want to break?”

“I didn’t say that,” He argues. “I need all the help I can get.” He mutters it under his breath but Eddie still manages to hear him over the din and barks out a laugh. 

“Go on then.” 

Buck leans over the table, cue resting in between his fingers just an inch or so away from the cue ball. Of course, Eddie decides to stand right across the table in his line of sight and stare at Buck intently. It distracts Buck enough to make an absolutely terrible break shot and Eddie muffles a laugh. 

“Wow, you said you were bad, but I didn’t realise you were this bad.”

“Shut it,” Buck retorts, though there’s no heat behind it. 

Eddie smirks and goes to make his shot. He immediately pockets two stripes before missing the third. Despite the slip, Eddie gives Buck a cocky look and motions for Buck to step up to the table for his turn. Ignoring Eddie’s gloating, Buck eyes the table for the best angle, carefully lines up his shot and misses by a mile. He lets out a frustrated huff. 

Eddie is amazed he’s doing so well considering what he’s working against. Buck has to know the effect he’s having on Eddie. The way he grips the cue, the way his ass sticks out as he makes his shots, the way he gulps down his beer. Even the way he chooses to stand just a little too close to Eddie when it’s his turn. It’s driving Eddie absolutely crazy. 

Somehow, he sinks another couple of balls and when it’s Buck’s turn again he messes up a tricky corner shot. Eddie feels the heat of Buck’s body beside him as the Brit lines up, pulls back the cue, and once again watches as the ball bounces off the side rail just millimetres from the solid he was aiming for.    

“This isn’t some pool shark strategy of yours, right? Make me think you suck and then kick my ass when we start playing for Benjamins?”

“Benjamins?” Buck parrots. 

“Money,” Eddie explains. 

“Ha, trust me, this is no act.” 

Eddie pockets another ball before nimbly stepping around the table to find his next shot. As he brushes past Buck, Eddie lets his hand trail lightly along Buck’s lower back, the man’s breath hitching at the contact. 

It’s not long before Buck gets his own back. Eddie watches as he lifts his half-finished beer bottle from the corner of the table and brings it to his lips. Slowly, making sure Eddie is watching, he throws his head back and swallows deeply. Eddie stares at the way Buck’s full lips wrap around the mouth of the bottle and the long line of Buck’s neck, begging to be traced with his tongue. His heart rate picks up and his mouth drops open. 

When Buck puts the now empty bottle down and looks over, his grip on the cue has turned his knuckles white and he smiles victoriously. 

“Are you going to play or are you going to stare?” Buck asks cheekily. 

Caught in the act, Eddie retaliates by absolutely wiping the floor with him. Buck only manages to get two balls in by the time Eddie pockets the 8-ball. Buck doesn’t seem to mind how badly he loses, not when Eddie is strutting around the table, a smug satisfied expression plastered across his face. Once he’s finished gloating, he steps back into Buck’s personal space. 

“So uh, what do I win?”

“You win the satisfaction of beating me… somewhat fair and square.”

Eddie shakes his head. “Rematch. If I win, you have to do my chores next shift. If you win, I’ll do yours.”

“Did you not just witness how terrible I am at this?” 

Eddie lets his eyes flick down and travel slowly up Buck’s body, letting himself have a moment to enjoy the view.

“I could give you some pointers, if you’d like.”

Buck’s response is to lick his lips. “Fine,” He agrees after a moment. “But I want a head start.”

“What are you, five years old?”

Buck sticks his tongue out. 

Their second game takes twice as long as the first. Not only has Eddie decided to teach Buck by draping himself over him and guiding his shots whenever he gets a chance, but Buck has decided the only way to win is to play dirty, which means doing everything in his power to distract Eddie. He coughs just as Eddie strikes the cue ball twice, and manages to completely divert Eddie’s attention for half a minute with an exaggerated yawn and stretch that lifts his shirt just enough to show off the v of his pelvis. 

In the end, Buck wins, though if anyone asks Eddie will say he let Buck win. Better that than admitting to the effect Buck has on him.

“Best out of three?” Eddie tries. 

Buck barks out a laugh. “Nice try, enjoy cleaning the loos next shift.” 

Just to add insult to injury, Buck swipes the rest of Eddie’s beer and strolls back to the table with an extra sway in his hips. Eddie is right behind him unable to stop himself from muttering under his breath about bathrooms and Britishisms. 

“So, who won?” Karen asks as the duo slides back into the booth. 

“I did,” They end up saying at the same time. Karen giggles and Hen snorts as Buck and Eddie turn to look at each other. Eddie feels his face heat up at Buck’s proximity. 

“It was a draw,” Eddie answers for them. 

*********************

Athena and Bobby are the first to make their excuses and head out, Bobby’s hand resting protectively on the small of his wife’s back as they go. After revealing he picked up a last-minute shift for the next morning, Ravi is next to leave, already yawning deeply as he orders an Uber. 

By the time Ravi disappears through the crowds, Buck is on his fourth beer and Eddie is still only on his second. Hen and Karen have steadily worked through the cocktail menu and are in no fit state to get themselves home, so Eddie designates himself driver and savours his drink. 

Even mostly sober, he's able to have fun. Buck is animated as he tells him stories of firefighting back in London as well as some tales of trouble a much younger Buck got into. He could sit and listen to Buck talk for hours.

“Shit, I’ve been talking your ear off, you should have shut me up.”

“Never,” Eddie says a little too quickly and Buck’s face softens. 

There’s a giggle from across the booth that catches their attention and Eddie looks over to find Karen practically in Hen’s lap, the couple whispering and giggling to each other like giddy teenagers. 

“Okay, they’re pissed, how much booze was in those cocktails?” Buck laughs. 

“I should get them home and pick Christopher up.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Buck looks a little disappointed that the evening is ending. 

“You need a ride?”

“Seems like you have your hands full with those two,” Buck nods his head in their direction. 

“My hands are big enough for more,” Eddie argues and then as Buck’s eyes widen, he realises what he just implied. “I absolutely did not mean it like that.” His cheeks burn with embarrassment. 

“ Sure, ” Buck’s eyes drift down to Eddie’s hands on the table. 

“Just help me get them to the car will you?” He growls.  

Buck throws his head back and laughs. 

It takes both of them to herd the drunk couple out the door and into the back seats of his pick-up. During the twenty-minute journey, he and Buck are treated to an out-of-tune rendition of various musical numbers. Thankfully, they don’t seem to remember many of the lyrics and get distracted when they spot a dog in a car at a stop light, and by the time they remember them again, Eddie is turning onto their street. 

Hen and Karen manage to make it up the path into their house under their own steam, even if they do nearly trip each other up on the way. Hen somehow manages to find some bills to pay the babysitter and Eddie collects a fast asleep Christopher. He would have preferred to let him sleep through until morning, but they weren’t prepared for a sleepover and he still has school the next day. 

Chris snuffles in Eddie’s arms and he looks up in time to catch Buck looking over at them softly. 

“Your turn now,” He says quietly. “C’mon.”

With Christopher carefully placed in the back, seatbelt secured across his slumbering body, Eddie climbs back behind the wheel and heads towards Chimney’s apartment. It’s a much quieter journey, with just the radio on low filling the silence. 

Buck almost looks disappointed when they pull up outside the building and doesn’t make a move to leave. 

“Thanks for tonight, I enjoyed it,” He says softly. 

“It was Hen that organised it.”

“True,” Buck agrees, shifting in the small space to face Eddie a little better. “But you are the reason I had fun.” He admits. 

“Yeah?” Eddie’s heart lurches at the admission. He can’t remember the last time he felt this way about someone, the last time his body reacted like this to another person. He licks his lips. 

Buck glances into the back and Eddie follows his gaze. Chris is still fast asleep, his chin tucked into his chest, his breathing slow and steady. 

Seemingly satisfied by what he sees, Buck looks back to Eddie. For a moment he doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything and then Buck begins to lean in, slow enough to give Eddie a chance to say no. Eddie doesn’t say no. He feels Buck’s warm breath against his face as he inches closer, and Eddie breathes in deeply just before those soft lips he’s been staring at for three weeks are pressed against his. 

Despite the tension that’s been building up between them since their first meeting, the kiss is steady, firm, and unhurried. The thudding of his racing heart fills his ears as Buck changes the angle and deepens the kiss, allowing Eddie’s first taste of Buck’s tongue against his. At some point, a hand reaches up and cups his cheek to hold him in place, and Eddie lets Buck’s skilful lips lead the kiss. 

There’s a snuffle from the back seat and they break apart abruptly, Eddie’s eyes instantly narrowing in on Buck’s reddened lips. Now that he’s had a taste, all he wants to do is dive right back in for more, but he doesn’t. A realisation hits him without warning, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He can’t do this. 

Buck is smiling and Eddie sees him begin to lean back in.  

“Buck,” He shifts back. “We shouldn’t.”

Buck’s smile fades, taken aback by Eddie’s words. “What? Why?”

“Because you’re leaving in three weeks,” Eddie reminds him, unable to hide the sadness in his voice. “Long distance doesn’t work, trust me. ” 

Long-distance relationships suck. He knew that better than anyone.  A few hours away would be okay, a state away manageable, but a completely different country and timezone with over five thousand miles between them is impossible. If he couldn’t keep his marriage together whilst he was in Afghanistan, how could they ever make it work with Buck an ocean away? 

He hates that he’s doing this. But he has to protect his heart…and Christopher’s.

 “I can’t do this, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you kiss me. It was selfish.”

Buck’s eyes shutter, his emotions locked away behind a stoic face. It just makes Eddie feel guiltier. 

“I get it,” Buck replies, though Eddie suspects he’s saying what he thinks Eddie wants to hear. 

“Friends?” Eddie asks awkwardly.

“Friends,” He agrees quietly, not quite meeting Eddie’s eyes. 

It feels like he’s ruined everything.  

“So, I should go, let you two get home,” Buck says, already climbing out of the car. 

“See you next shift?” Eddie asks stupidly. Of course, he’ll see Buck next shift. 

“See you next shift,” Buck sighs. He shuts the door carefully and heads towards the entrance to the apartment building. He doesn’t look back. 

Eddie lifts his fingers to his tingling lips and curses. 

Chapter Text

Week 4

Eddie trudges into the firehouse next shift, unsure what he’s walking into. Despite Buck agreeing to remain friends, he’d seen the disappointment in the man’s eyes, and the last thing he wants is for things to be awkward at work. 

Buck is already in the locker room when he enters, sitting on the bench tying up his boots. He glances up at Eddie briefly as he enters, not saying a word. 

Thankfully, they’re the only ones in the room so there’s no one to overhear Eddie as he asks. 

“Are we okay?”

Buck tugs a little rougher on the laces. “Why wouldn’t we be?” He asks, refusing to meet Eddie’s eyes. 

“Buck-”

“You’re right, I’m only here for a few more weeks, what’s the point in starting something.” 

Eddie’s never witnessed someone tie their shoelaces with so much intensity before. 

“I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

Finally, Buck looks up at him. “Why would things be weird? Nothing happened, right?”

“Right,” Eddie replies weakly. 

Despite Buck’s words, Eddie feels like he’s fucked everything up. 

“Okay then, I have to go, those toilets aren’t going to clean themselves,” Buck goes to leave. 

“Hey, wait!” He frowns. “I lost the game, I got your chores, remember?”

“Does it matter?” Buck shrugs and leaves without another word. 

Despite the uncomfortable situation, both he and Buck manage to put their personal issues to one side and focus on work. Eddie hoped that things would go back to normal after a shift or two but the next day Buck is still keeping him at arm's length and it’s starting to bother him. 

He corners Buck in the kitchen later in the day. “Are you going to be like this for the rest of your time here?” He asks under his breath. 

Buck pauses mid-pour of his coffee and his eyes flick over to meet Eddie. “Hello to you, too, Eddie.” He fills up his mug and brushes past Eddie to retrieve the milk out of the fridge. 

“I hate this,” Eddie admits. “Please?”

Silently, Buck finishes making his coffee, returning the milk to the fridge. 

“Are all Brits this stubborn?” He growls, a little too loud. 

Buck still doesn’t respond, just walks away, lowering himself down into a chair by the TV. 

Of course, it’s Hen who overhears, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. He hates it when she does that. “Trouble in paradise?” She asks wryly.

Thankfully, she keeps her voice low so Buck doesn’t hear.  

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Eddie replies through gritted teeth. 

She gives him a sympathetic look. “Well, at least we know it won’t be awkward around here for too much longer.” 

“Helpful, thanks,” He says sarcastically. 

“Karen’s working late tonight if you want to come round and talk about it?”

“Thanks for the offer,” He replies, but leaves it at that. 

Any further words of comfort from his friend and teammate are interrupted by the bell going off. Eddie spurs into action, racing down the stairs and pulling on gear in a matter of moments. As he climbs into the back of the truck, he realises too late that he’s lowered himself down right next to Buck, their bodies squished together in the cramped space. 

Buck doesn’t look at him for the entire journey. 

Hen on the other hand won’t stop looking at him. 

They pull up to a hotel, smoke billowing out of one of the top floors and people pouring out of the entrance. The 133 is already on the scene, and Eddie spies Captain Mehta in his IC vest, barking orders and speaking into his radio. 

As the team prep their gear, Bobby heads over to Mehta for their orders, returning a few moments later with tasks for all of them. “Ravi, you and I will take the east stairwell, make sure everyone from floors 10 and below are evacuated. Hen, you’re on triage. Buck, Eddie, there are still people trapped on the eleventh floor, Mehta needs you up there immediately.”

Of course, he and Buck have been paired up. Bobby has absolutely no idea what happened two nights ago and has seen previously how well he and Buck work together. Hopefully, their little personal setback won’t affect their professional relationship. 

With the lifts a no-go, he and Buck have to double-time it up eleven flights of stairs with all their equipment on their back, including their 30-pound oxygen tanks. The higher up they go, the thicker the smoke gets and they have to pause on the eighth floor to place their masks on. 

When they finally reach the 11th floor, Eddie feels the door for heat. Satisfied there’s not a fire immediately on the other side, he slowly pulls it open and steps through. Buck is right behind him as they enter the smoke-filled corridor. They can hear the roar of flames from further down as well as an ominous creaking sound, early indications of structural failure. He briefly wonders how old the building is but he pushes the thought to the back of his mind and focuses on the task at hand. 

“IC, this is Diaz. We’ve made it to eleven,” He speaks into his radio.

“Copy,” Mehta replies sharply. “9-1-1 call came from room eleven fifteen, should be south of your position, there might also be a woman trapped on twelve, still to confirm.”

“On our way.”

Eddie uses the wall to guide him towards room fifteen, Buck staying close behind him. Without any visibility, it’s slow going but they push forward in silence, stopping at every door to check the number. 

Every slow step they take puts them closer and closer to the fire, the heat hits his body like a wave. The flames are spreading fast and they don’t have a lot of time. 

Eventually, they make it to the right room and with combined effort, break the door down. 

“Fire department, call out!” He shouts as loud as he can. 

“In here,” Someone croaks back weakly. 

Buck grabs his arm. “The bathroom.” 

Buck reaches the door first and pushes it open, finding a young couple huddled in the shower, eyes wide with fear and faces black from soot, both coughing heavily. 

“Hi guys, I’m Buck, this is Eddie. Is it just the two of you?” Buck asks and they nod. “Okay, we’re going to get you both out. just do exactly what we tell you to do.”

As Buck preps the couple ready to move, Eddie reaches for his radio once more. “Diaz to IC. We have the couple from eleven fifteen, ready to evac.”

“Copy. Frances and Pelham are heading your way to collect. I need you both to head up to twelve, woman confirmed trapped.”

“Copy that,” He turns back to Buck. “Ready?”

Buck nods. 

“Okay, guys, we’re going to head to the stairwell at the other end of the hallway. Eddie is going to take the lead, stay close behind and keep as low as possible. I’ll be right behind, alright?”

They respond with matching shaky nods and then Buck is guiding them to fall in line behind Eddie. The hallway is even hotter than before, with flames creeping up both walls and inching along the ceiling

“Stay close, don’t stop moving!” He shouts over the rumbling fire. 

As best they can, Eddie and Buck guide the couple through the corridor and back towards the stairwell. He resists the need to keep turning back to check Buck is still with him, he can only trust that he's there, pushing the couple forward. When they do get to the fire exit, Buck pushes the couple through the door first, then waits for Eddie to step through before he brings up the rear. 

They make it through just as the two firefighters from the 133 are jogging up the last section of the staircase. “Diaz and Buckley, right?” One of them asks. 

“That’s us,” Eddie answers. They hand over the two panicky patients, report into IC and then begin heading up to twelve. 

The fire is more involved on twelve, forcing the two of them to literally walk through the fire. They can only hope that the person trapped on the floor is protected from the flames. Mehta provides them with an update, guiding them to a room a few doors down. This time there’s no need to kick the door down as the fire has already burnt most of it away. They push through and head into the room, discovering the damage already wrought by the fire. 

“LAFD!” Eddie calls out. “Anyone there?”

“Help!” A woman’s voice responds. It's quiet, but it’s there. “Ple-ease!”

They move slowly, feeling their way through the room. The ceiling has already started to collapse above them with blackened wooden beams blocking their way, and chunks of plaster littered across the room. The floor creaks underneath them, their boots landing on worryingly soft patches of carpet at times. They don’t have long until the whole place is unsafe. 

“Call out!” Eddie shouts again, unable to see where their patient is trapped. 

“Out here!” She replies. “The balcony!”

“We’re coming, hold tight.”

They work together, moving what they can, guiding each other to the most sensible route, until they make it to the other side of the room. There they find the balcony, glass doors almost completely blown out. 

Using his halligan, he clears away the biggest shards of glass before stepping through the door frame. As smoke pours out behind him, Eddie spots the patient. Some of the balcony from the floor above has come down and pinned the woman to the floor. It looks heavy, but not impossible to move. He’s concerned about her injuries and how they’re going to get her downstairs safely, especially with the fire growing stronger every moment they’re not doing anything.  

Kneeling at her side, he checks her pulse. “Hi, my name’s Eddie, what’s yours?”

“Jessica, Jessica Pope.”

“Hi, Jessica, we’re going to get you out of there, okay?” A tear rolls down her cheek, but she nods. “Can you wiggle your toes?” 

“A little,” She answers. 

“That’s good.”

“What are you thinking?” Buck asks, kneeling down beside him. 

There’s another groan from above them, loud and foreboding. Eddie grimaces. 

“We need to scoop and run, let's just get this thing off her,” He replies and then turns back to their patient. “Jessica, we’re not going to be able to lift this very high, when I say go, I need you to pull yourself free, can you do that?”

“I…I think so.”

“Great.”

Buck gives him a sharp nod and the pair wedge their Halligans underneath the concrete. 

“On three, one, two, three!”

With teeth gritted, Eddie pushes all his weight onto the Halligan. With both him and Buck levering it up, it slowly lifts enough that Jessica is able to shift her body out from underneath it, though he can tell from her moans that the movement is causing her pain. 

“I’m out!” She cries, just as Eddie’s biceps begin to burn from the strain. The concrete slab slams into the place where Jessica had just been, kicking up dust and triggering another ominous creaking noise from the building. 

“What now?” She asks. 

“Now, I carry you out of here,” Eddie answers her. “It’s going to hurt, but there’s no time to wait for help, do you understand?”

With a look of grim determination, she nods and Eddie lifts her up as carefully as possibly, deftly hoisting her up into his arms. She whimpers quietly as the movement jostles her injured legs but doesn’t cry out. With twelve floors to walk down, he knows he’s going to cause her more pain before they’re clear of the building. 

“Hold on,” He tells her. “Breath slow.”

“I’ll go ahead, figure out the best route,” Buck volunteers. 

With Buck in front leading the way they’re able to get out the room and into the hallway quickly. Jessica tenses in his arms when she realises they’re surrounded on sides by the fire, pressing her face into Eddie’s chest to block it all out. He just holds her tighter and picks up the pace. 

“Shit!” Buck exclaims, loud enough to be heard over the roar of the fire. 

“What’s going on?” Eddie shouts back. 

“There’s a beam blocking our path, just a mo.” 

Peering over Buck’s shoulder, he sees the beam, a huge chunk of wood too big to climb over or under with Jessica in his arms. Suddenly, Buck is ducking his shoulder underneath the highest section of the beam and pushing his whole body against it. It’s heavy, that much Eddie realises from the way Buck grunts as he begins to slowly raise it up and out of the way.  

“Eddie, I…can’t hold it forever!” Buck tells him through gritted teeth. 

Spurred into action, Eddie steps through the gap made by Buck, his body brushing against Buck’s in the narrow space. Once free and clear, he’s relieved to see the rest of the corridor unobstructed, and they’re only twenty feet or so from the stairwell. They’re almost out. 

“We’re free, you can let go!” He says, turning back around to face Buck. 

Buck begins to lower the beam, but then there’s a rumbling sound, deep and sinister. Buck’s eyes widen for a moment before the floor collapses out from underneath him and he’s gone. 

Eddie’s heart seizes. “Buck!” He cries. “Buck!”

There’s no answer. 

All he wants to do is jump in after Buck, anything to make sure he’s alive, but there’s an injured woman in his arms depending on him to save her life. 

Fuck. 

He has no choice but to leave and call for help. It’s the hardest thing he’s ever had to do. Each step towards the stairwell feels like a stab to his chest, but he doesn’t stop until he’s in the stairwell and able to temporarily put Jessica down. His hand flies to his radio. 

“Mayday, Mayday, firefighter down! I repeat, firefighter down! Twelfth floor, east side!”

There’s an immediate response. “Copy, help is on the way. Can you confirm who’s down?”

“Buckley. Buckley, is down. Fell through the floor. I’m with a patient, I can’t get close enough to check on his status.”

“Rescue teams are on their way, you need to evacuate Diaz.”

“I can’t leave him,” Eddie admits, unable to hold back the sob as he speaks.

“Get your patient out of the building now. That's an order.”

It goes against everything inside him to pick Jessica back up and begin working his way down the stairs. All he can do is send a silent prayer to anyone who is listening that Buck is alive. 

On the eighth floor a squad of firefighters pass him by at pace, some names he recognises and some he doesn't. Amongst the crew heading up into the depths of the fire to rescue Buck is Hen who gives him a sympathetic look through her mask as she passes. 

It feels like the rest of the journey out of the building takes hours but probably only takes five minutes. There’s a certain level of relief when he steps out into fresh air, but then he immediately feels guilty about it when he remembers Buck. 

He lowers a grateful Jessica onto an empty gurney, two paramedics instantly hovering over her to check her injuries. He doesn’t waste any time, ripping his mask off and hunting down Mehta. 

“What’s going on?” He demands. “Do they have him?”

“Eddie,” Bobby is suddenly at his side, a firm hand on his shoulder. “They’re still looking, come on, there’s nothing more you can do.”

“He was right there Bobby, I should have done something.”

“You did what you were supposed to do, you saved your patient.”

“I left him,” Eddie admits. “I left him all alone up there.”

“Eddie,” Bobby sighs. “He would understand.”

“Don’t fucking talk about him like he’s dead,” Eddie growls, a surge of anger bubbling up inside him. 

Bobby could absolutely pull rank and discipline Eddie for his behaviour. Instead, his eyes soften. “I haven’t lost hope, I promise.”

Time drags on with no news and then suddenly there’s a flurry of activity around Mehta and Eddie runs back over, heart pounding in his chest. 

Mehta meets his eyes. “They found him.”

“Is he-”

“He’s alive,” Mehta responds, knowing exactly what he was asking. “Unconscious, but alive.”

Eddie feels his legs begin to go out from underneath him. He might have completely collapsed if it wasn’t for Bobby grabbing hold of him, and lowering him down to the lip of the truck. A bottle of water is forced into his hands and he drinks it on autopilot. 

“He’s on his way out Eddie,” Bobby tells him. 

He counts the seconds before he sees Buck again. After 563 seconds pass, a group emerge from the hotel’s entrance, a limp body carried between them. He barely sets eyes on Buck’s body before he’s slid into the back of an ambulance and transported off to hospital. 

He can finally breathe again. Buck is alive, Buck will be okay. 

“You can follow him to the hospital if you want,” Bobby suggests. 

Eddie wants to, so much. But something stops him and he shakes his head instead. “I should head back to the station and get cleaned up, gotta pick Christopher up.”

There’s a knowing look in Bobby’s eyes. Despite him being unaware of their kiss two nights ago, there’s a spark between them that even an idiot would notice. 

“He should have someone familiar by his side when he wakes up. He doesn’t have any family here, remember?”

Bobby’s right, but there’s still something stopping him. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

*********************

He gets a message from Bobby just as he arrives home with Chris. 

He’s awake. 

Followed by a second a moment later. 

And he’s asking for you. 

Eddie doesn’t respond.

He goes to bed not long after he gets Christopher down, but sleep doesn’t come easily. 

At work the next day, both Bobby and Hen try to talk to him about it, but Eddie manages to change the subject quickly and they leave him be. It’s strange being at the firehouse without Buck. Even though he’s only been with them for four weeks, it feels like a lot longer. At times, it’s like he’s walking around only half a person, and by the looks he gets from his teammates, they can all see it, too. 

It’s a tough shift, but he makes it through and he’s close to escaping when Bobby appears by the doorway to the locker room. 

“He’s back home by the way,” Bobby updates him. “He was lucky, you know, just a minor concussion, a few stitches, could have been a lot worse.”

Eddie nods, unable to comprehend worse. 

“You should know, he was offered the chance to finish the program early, head back home to London.”

That triggers an unexpected reaction out of Eddie. His head snaps up sharply, locking eyes with Bobby. Is Buck leaving? 

 “What?”

Bobby smiles softly. “Don’t worry, he said no, quite insistent in fact. He’ll be back on shift in a few days.” Bobby peels away from the doorframe and disappears. 

He’s relieved to hear Buck is out of the hospital and isn’t leaving the country, but he’s still not sure how he can possibly face Buck after what happened. 

“Can Buck come over again?” Christopher asks over dinner the next night. Eddie hides a grimace behind a sip of his water. 

“Maybe, I don’t know.” 

“Well, can you ask him?”

Eddie wants to say no, but his son is looking up at him with those wide puppy-dog eyes that are really hard to say no to. Of course, he wants to call Buck, wants to see Buck is okay with his own two eyes. It’s just not that simple and Christopher won’t understand that. 

“Sure,” He says instead. “I’ll ask him.”

Like Buck can read Eddie’s mind from four miles away, his phone beeps not long after dinner. 

Why are you ignoring me

Come over

That’s all it seems to take. 

Eddie drops a confused Christopher at Pepa’s and makes the journey across town to Chimney’s apartment. 

When the door swings open, Eddie takes in the sight of Buck, the only evidence of his recent hospital visit a small line of stitches across his right temple. Considering his near-death experience, he looks good, really good. 

Throwing all caution to the wind, Eddie launches himself at Buck, their lips colliding in a bruising kiss. Buck gets with the program quickly. As their tongues battle for dominance, Buck’s arms wrap around Eddie’s waist tightly and his fingers grab at his shirt desperately, yanking it out from his jeans in order for skin to meet skin. He’s tugged into the apartment and Eddie goes willingly, his fingers already grappling with Buck’s fly as he kicks the door closed behind him. 

Chapter Text

Week 5

It’s the heat that wakes him. 

It’s not a stifling heat or the intense heat he knows all too well from walking into burning buildings. Instead, it’s a deep warmth that has seeped into his bones and spread down to his toes that peek out from under the covers. 

It’s a warmth, radiating from the body pressing back against his chest, that he’s so wholly unprepared for. 

As his mind clears of sleep, he becomes more aware of every touch point. There’s not an inch of room between his chest and all that smooth warm skin of Buck’s naked back. Lower down, soft hairs tickle as Buck’s legs tangle with his. Sometime in the night, his arm had found itself slung over Buck’s waist protectively, and his hand is now splayed across his chest.

Memories of the previous night fill his mind. How Buck had nimbly pulled him into the bedroom, barely breaking their series of deep wet kisses as they undressed. He licks his lips at the memory of how Buck tasted on his tongue and the way he responded to Eddie’s touch. The weight of Buck’s naked body pressed against his for the first time overwhelmed his senses, leaving him desperate and needy for anything that Buck was willing to give him. 

Later, after they’d found their release and cleaned up, Eddie had kissed the bruises across Buck’s body from the fall, carefully traced every tattoo and scar, and pressed his ear against Buck’s chest to hear for himself how alive he was. 

Hours later, with the sun beginning to rise, he feels Buck’s heartbeat, still steady underneath his fingertips, and can’t stop the smile he presses into his pillow. 

He could get used to this. 

His heart flutters at the thought and then a second, sobering, thought causes his heart to stutter instead. All of a sudden the warmth is gone and in its place a realisation that in just over two weeks Buck is leaving.

He doesn’t mean for his body to tense up at the thought, but Buck begins to rouse a moment later. 

It takes Buck a moment to shift his body weight to face Eddie, and when he does he cracks one eye open. “What’s wrong?” He croaks out. 

“Nothing,” Eddie says a little too quickly. 

Buck’s more awake now and with both of those startlingly blue eyes focused on him, it’s harder for Eddie to evade the truth. His mouth is dry but he swallows anyway. 

“You’re still leaving.” 

The words hang between them like a helium balloon that’s lost its height.

“If it makes you feel any better, I really don’t want to.”

“It’s alright,” Eddie lifts his hand to cup Buck’s cheek and traces his thumb across the contours of his cheekbone. “Your life is in London, mine’s in LA…we should just make the most of your time here.”  He’s accepted what this relationship will be. 

Buck says nothing. He shifts again, this time onto his back, drawing himself away from Eddie’s touch and staring up at the ceiling. 

“Buck?” Eddie tries, trying not to see the motion as rejection. 

“It’s going to be hard to say goodbye,” Buck finally speaks. “Going to be really fucking hard to leave,” 

“I know,” He lowers his head to tuck it against Buck’s, his forehead nudging Buck’s temple. “Believe me I know.”

Buck throws an arm over Eddie and pulls him in tight. 

As Buck’s legs shift under the sheet, tucking his feet back in close to Eddie's, another thought occurs to him and he snorts. 

“What?”

“Whatever happens, we can never admit to Chimney that we had sex in his bed.”

Buck laughs. “Deal.”

*********************

Buck is in the kitchen by the time Eddie is out of the shower and dressed. By the sounds of the one-sided conversation he hears, Eddie realises he’s on the phone so he pads into the room quietly and heads straight for the coffee pot. He pours himself a mug, knowing Buck well enough by now to know he’s made himself a tea. 

With his mug in hand, warming his fingers, he takes in the sight of Buck, pacing back and forth, his hair still damp from the shower he had before Eddie. If they didn’t have work soon, Eddie would be tempted to drag Buck back to bed. 

“I’m fine…I am!..... It’s just a few stitches, I’m already back at work today... Mads…you don’t have to worry about me…” Buck looks up, noticing Eddie. “I have to go, we’ll chat later…I love you, too.”

“Your sister?”

Buck nods. “She worries.”

“That’s what sisters do, trust me, I have two of them.”

Buck grins in response. Leaning back against the edge of the kitchen counter, he opens his arms and Eddie, on autopilot, lets himself be drawn into the embrace, stopping briefly to put his coffee down on the side. Buck’s long arms wrap tightly around him and Buck presses his nose into the crook of Eddie’s neck. 

“I understand the worry, I do…I got hurt and there’s nothing she can do when she’s thousands of miles away,” Buck relaxes his arms and pulls back enough to meet Eddie’s eyes. “I was in A&E a lot as a teenager, got myself into all sorts of trouble, bit of an adrenaline junkie,” Buck’s eyes dim slightly like he's reliving something painful. “Maddie was always there with me when they put a cast on my arm or stitched up a cut.”

“Not your parents?” Eddie asks, immediately regretting it when Buck’s eyes drop away from his.

“Early on they would be…mum isn’t a big fan of hospitals,” Buck doesn’t elucidate. 

“I worry, too,” Eddie admits softly. “I saw you drop…and I couldn’t do anything about it, I just had to leave you there.” Just saying it leaves a bitter taste on his tongue. 

“Hey,” Buck’s eyes lock with his once more. “I don’t blame you for what happened, you know that right?”

Standing so close together, with just a couple of inches between them, Eddie is forced to look right at the angry line of stitches on his temple. It’s a stark reminder of what happened, as well as what could have happened. Eddie doesn’t say anything. The guilt of leaving Buck behind to possibly die fills his chest and makes it hard to breathe. 

“Eddie,” Buck says firmly, forcing Eddie to pay attention over the ringing in his ears. “You did what you had to. I would have done exactly the same thing if our positions were reversed. Would you be pissed at me if I had to leave you behind to save a patient?”

“What? Of course not,” Eddie scoffs. 

“So, why is it any different when it’s you?”

Eddie’s mouth opens and closes. He doesn’t have an answer. 

“Is this why you’ve been avoiding me ever since they pulled me out?”

“Maybe,” Eddie grumbles, reluctantly. 

Buck laughs. “You numpty. ”

“I’m sorry, what?” Eddie splutters, blindsided by another word that he’s pretty sure Buck has completely made up. 

Buck doesn’t explain any further, his hands reach up to frame Eddie’s face and he gives him a stern look. “No more feeling guilty over the hotel fire, alright? I won’t allow it.”

“Oh, won’t you?” Eddie retorts, doing his best to imitate Buck’s accent. 

Buck’s furrowed eyebrows relax and the corners of his lips curl up. “Did you like me calling you a numpty?” He asks, his voice low and husky. He shifts his hips just enough to line up with Eddie’s. It sends a spark of heat to his groin and his breath stutters. Buck's expression darkens knowingly. “You did, didn’t you.”

“We have to be at work in less than an hour,” He argues weakly. 

“What about pillock?” Buck continues without even acknowledging what Eddie said. Punctuating the British insult with a kiss to Eddie’s jaw. “Lummox?” Another to his cheek. “Scallywag?” The tip of his nose. “Nitwit?” His other cheek. “Plonker?”

“Shut up,” Eddie growls, unable to take any more. He cups the back of Buck’s head firmly and directs their lips together, ignoring the way Buck grins triumphantly into the kiss. 

Despite Eddie sliding his hands down to cup Buck’s ass, and his lips slipping down Buck’s neck to suck at a patch of skin below his collarbone, Buck pulls away before Eddie’s coffee is cold. Eddie lets out a disappointed whimper and Buck barks out a laugh. 

“I’m sorry, I need to make a stop on the way to the station.” 

“What kind of a stop?” Eddie asks, using the distraction to calm certain parts of his body down. 

“You’ll see,” Buck brushes a kiss to Eddie’s cheek as he flies past Eddie and disappears to finish getting ready. 

With separate cars, it makes sense for them to make their own way to work, though Eddie realises on the journey from Chimney’s apartment that they haven’t exactly discussed how public they planned on being. Eddie’s never slept with a colleague before, let alone one who will be leaving the country in two weeks. He’s not sure he wants all the pitying looks from his colleagues when he’s moping around the firehouse. 

With his worry at the forefront of his mind, he parks up at work and decides to wait for Buck outside so they can agree on keeping whatever was happening between them on the down-low. As the clock ticks closer to the beginning of their soft, Eddie taps his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel and hopes Buck appears before Bobby kills them both for being late. 

Finally, with just a couple of minutes to spare, Buck pulls in and Eddie jumps out of his truck. As he walks up, he sees Buck pull two paper bags of groceries out from the back seat, hugging both to his chest. 

Whatever he had planned to speak to Buck about flies out the window immediately. “Groceries? What’s all this for exactly?”

“You’ll see,” Buck says once again and marches off towards the large open door to the engine bay, Eddie hot on his heels. 

Stepping over the threshold, his eyes spot Buck already halfway across the space, his longer legs carrying him quickly in the direction of the stairs. Curious, Eddie follows, bypassing the locker room completely. 

“Good to have you back with us,” He hears Bobby greet Buck. “How are you feeling?”

“Never better,” Buck responds. “Fit to work at least.” He adds a moment later. 

“That may be so, but you’ll forgive me if I make sure you have an easy first day back.” 

Eddie shakes his head fondly at their overprotective captain. 

“Well, that’s perfect, it’ll give me more time to prepare.”

Hen, appearing from behind Eddie is the one to ask the question he’s been so desperate for an answer. “Prepare what?”

“Well,” Buck turns to Bobby. “I hope you don’t mind if I cook lunch today? Don’t get me wrong, your cooking is delicious, but I wanted to say thank you to all of you for saving my life, and the way we do that back home is with food.”

“Kitchen’s all yours,” Bobby offers without hesitation.

“Uh, Cap, are we sure we want to let the Brit cook?” Hen stares suspiciously at the grocery bags. “They eat blood pudding and something called Spotted Dick over there, who knows what he’s got in there.”

Buck snorts. “First of all, black pudding is delicious and I will make you try it at some point, second of all, I’m going to make a delicious beef roast dinner, with Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy.”

“Wait,” Ravi’s head pops up from the other side of the couch. “Pudding, with beef ?” He looks horrified. Eddie shares his unease at the unusual combination but keeps his expression nonchalant. 

“Yorkshire puddings are savoury and fucking delicious,” Buck rolls his eyes. “Trust me, me and my sister cook a roast every Sunday we’re both free, you’ll love it.”

“Come on,” Bobby finally intervenes, motioning for everyone to leave the kitchen. “Let’s leave the chef to it.”

Reluctantly, Eddie also pulls himself away from Buck’s side, going downstairs to change before Bobby can comment on his lack of uniform. As soon as he’s dressed, he makes his way back upstairs and sits himself at the counter. Without even asking, Buck pauses his prep and pours him a coffee, sliding it across the work surface until it stops within reach of his hand. 

“My Hero,” Eddie says as he brings the mug to his lips which makes Buck blush. 

It turns out Eddie doesn’t have to worry about Buck spilling the beans about the change in their relationship. Whilst Buck chops vegetables and gets the beef prepared, they bicker like nothing has changed. Although, if any of the team looked a little closer, they might notice the heated looks that pass across the kitchen, or the hint of a hickey peeking out from underneath Buck’s collar. 

They get their first call mid-morning, and they all leave Buck behind to go rescue an elderly couple who had taken a wrong turn and driven into a lake. It’s a fairly easy call and the couple make it to hospital with only minor injuries, though Eddie comes out of it stinking like stagnant water. When they reverse back into the bay an hour later he heads straight to the showers. Once in fresh clean clothing, he lets the delicious smells emanating from upstairs guide him back to his spot watching Buck cook. 

He can’t help but admire the way Buck’s hands skillfully handle the knives or the way he throws the dishcloth over his shoulder and pushes his sleeves up past his elbows. He also can’t help the way his eyes drop down to check out Buck’s ass every time he turns around to check on the beef in the oven. 

Buck’s cheeks are flushed from the heat of the oven, and the collar of his shirt is damp by the time he serves everything up. He places bowls of roasted carrots, and the crispiest-looking potatoes Eddie’s ever seen, on the table alongside a jug of thick brown gravy, and a mountain of steaming peas and cabbage. Piled high on a serving dish are the Yorkshire puddings, crispy brown cups of cooked batter and, as soon as everyone is sat at the table, Buck brings over the large beef joint, sizzling and juicy. There’s a round of applause as he places it down in front of him and Eddie’s mouth waters when he begins to cut into the joint, revealing a perfectly pink centre. 

Eddie grabs a bit of everything, taking three thick slices of beef from Buck, two Yorkshire puddings and at least five roast potatoes, before covering it all in the gravy. 

Buck looks nervous at first as people begin to eat, but soon the room is filled with the moans of people enjoying their lunch and Eddie can’t help but look across the table at Buck, unable to conceal his pride. Buck’s shoulders relax and he returns the look with a soft happy grin. 

“So, when did you two get your heads out of your respective asses and make things official?” Hen asks. 

There’s a clatter of cutlery and the conversation stops. 

Buck’s eyes, still locked on Eddie’s, widen. 

“What are you talking about?” Eddie tries, weakly. 

“Oh, come on, the looks, the flirting, the hickey on Buck’s neck. It’s pretty obvious something happened.” 

Buck’s hand unconsciously flies to the mark on his skin. Meanwhile, Eddie’s eyes dart to Bobby at the head of the table to try and gauge his reaction. He’s never needed to read through the policies on relationships between firefighters at the same station, but even if LAFD was against them, he’d kind of assumed it wouldn’t apply to Buck. Bobby doesn’t seem surprised or bothered by the news which is a relief. In fact, he looks pleased by the news. 

“The question is,” Hen continues, nudging Eddie in the ribs. “Who kissed who first?”

Eddie looks back at Buck and blushes. 

“Ah, so it was you,” Hen surmises. 

“How the hell do you do that ?” Eddie cries out in disbelief. 

Hen looks smug as she answers. “It’s a gift,” She says, stabbing a chunk of carrot and popping it into her mouth. 

*********************

It’s important to sleep when you can on overnight shifts, which is why every bed in the bunkroom is occupied. In the corner, Jacobs is snoring softly, whilst Eddie is fast asleep in the bed next to his, his knees curled up to his chest. Everyone is asleep apart from Buck. 

Whilst he would love nothing more but to climb into Eddie’s single and wrap himself around the other man until the bell rings, he suspects the others might not appreciate it, and neither of them would be well rested in those cramped conditions. Instead, he slips his boots back on as quietly as possible and creeps out of the room. 

Buck has fallen in love with a lot of aspects of life in LA. He loves the weather and the beaches. He loves the wild calls they respond to, and the team he has so quickly come to think of as family. One aspect he hadn’t expected to fall in love with was the peacefulness of the station at night. For someone who loves noise and activity, he wasn’t expecting to enjoy the quiet. The 118’s location in a quieter spot of LA was a far cry from the central London station he’s used to. 

Heading up to the kitchen, he doesn’t waste time heating up some water on the stove top whilst once again wishing he had brought his kettle with him to LA. As he waits for the water to boil, he retrieves a mug from the cupboard above the microwave, and from another cupboard, pulls out a box labelled ‘Buck’s Tea Bags’. 

Not long after discovering a severe lack of proper tea at the firehouse, Buck had gone on a research binge and found a shop half an hour from the firehouse that sold British food and drinks. Despite the prices being almost triple what he would find back home, he’d stocked up on some Yorkshire tea bags, multiple packets of Jaffa cakes and digestive biscuits, as well as few tins of Baked Beans. He’d brought the box of teabags into work the next day, and it was Ravi who'd dug out a label maker from Bobby’s office and stuck the label on the front. 

As soon as the pan of water begins to boil, he carefully lifts it from the stove and pours it into his mug, the water immediately turning a dark brown as it comes into contact with the bag of dried tea. Steam rises from the surface and Buck digs out a teaspoon to give the hot drink a stir. 

Whilst he waits for it to finish stewing, he hears footsteps against the metal staircase and looks over curiously. Half expecting and hoping, it’s Eddie, he finds he's not disappointed when it’s his captain who appears. 

“Tea?” Buck offers. “There’s enough hot water for two.”

Bobby looks like he wants to say no, but decides against it. “Sure, why not.”

Buck gets out another mug and tea bag and fills it with the leftover boiling water. 

Neither of them say anything for a couple of minutes. Buck gives the drinks another quick stir and then gets the milk out of the fridge. 

“Milk?” He checks. 

“Uh,” Bobby looks unsure. 

“Trust me, it’s the way to do it.”

“Okay, then.”

Pleased, Buck pours a splash of milk into both mugs, disposes of the teabags and hands one of the mugs to Bobby. He follows Bobby to the living area and they sink into adjacent chairs.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Bobby finally asks. 

Buck gives Bobby a half-shrug. “It just happens sometimes, hazard of the job, I think.”

Bobby nods in agreement. “But you’re okay? I know we didn’t really get to talk properly after the hotel fire.”

Buck uses the excuse of taking a sip of his tea to give himself enough time to formulate an answer. “I knew the job was going to be tougher out here…it was honestly one of the reasons why I signed up to the exchange, things were getting a little same old, same old back home and I was in need of a challenge.”

“But?”

“But I don’t think I was expecting that …For a split second, as I dropped, a part of me wondered if that was it for me, game over.”

“You were very lucky,” Bobby agrees softly. 

Buck hasn’t always felt very lucky. For most of his life, he’s felt like bad luck has followed him around like a grey cloud above his head. Every failed relationship, every accident that landed him in the hospital, every stupid argument with his parents over something so inconsequential. Now he’s in LA and he’s made amazing friends, has Eddie, he’s never felt so lucky. A luck he’ll be giving up in less than a fortnight. 

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this,” Buck admits softly. 

“Do what?”

“Leave this all behind.”

“Leave Eddie?” Bobby guesses. 

Buck nods. “I can’t explain it, we’ve known each other a matter of weeks, been more than friends for twenty-four hours, but the thought of walking away from him, flying thousands of miles away and not looking back, I don’t know how to say goodbye to what feels like the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Leaving doesn’t mean saying goodbye, you know.” 

Buck huffs bitterly, “Long distance isn’t exactly known for producing long-lasting relationships.”

“Well,” Bobby sips his own tea. “If I’ve learnt anything about relationships from being with Athena, it’s this, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and go for what you want.”

Buck smiles, despite the moisture in his eyes. “You know, I don’t think you told me the story of how you two met.”

“Ah, well it all begins with a chicken on the loose….”

*********************

As C shift begins to stroll in and get changed, Eddie loiters by the door, waiting for Buck. Despite the whole firehouse knowing about them, he still would like to keep, whatever they are, separate from work so despite wanting to head into the room to ogle the man, he keeps his distance. They’ve made no plans, but Eddie hopes at least that they can make some.  

That’s the other thing Eddie would like to figure out at some point. What are they exactly? They’re together, for now at least, but are they boyfriends? Is this just casual? What happens when Buck does leave? There’s so much to figure out and not a lot of time left for the two of them to do it. 

“You okay?”

Eddie blinks, pulled from his spiralling thoughts by the sight of Buck standing in front of him with a worried look in his eyes. 

“I’m good,” Eddie smiles reassuringly at Buck. “We uh, we didn’t talk about it earlier, but I was hoping you would want to come back to mine, hang out with Chris, talk a bit more, etcetera.”

Buck licks his lips and leers at Eddie. “I like the sound of etcetera.”

“You have a one-track mind,” Eddie rolls his eyes at Buck’s antics and pushes him away, “Follow me home?”

“Yeah, I’ll follow you home.”

Eddie’s chest warms at Buck saying those words, quickly followed by a tight icy feeling that he hides by almost running to his truck. He’s completely gone on this man and unfortunately, he knows that it can only mean heartbreak for him. 

Chapter Text

Week 6

Eddie jolts out of his daydream when a naked body presses against his, a pair of arms sliding down his sides. He realises a moment later that there’s no-one else it could be but Buck and relaxes back into him. There’s not a lot of room in the shower, certainly not for two firefighters over six feet, but they make it work. 

Buck turns them both to allow the water to hit their sides and then tugs the cloth out of Eddie’s hand. He soaps it up and runs it up and down Eddie’s back in long leisurely strokes. Eddie moans low under his breath. It’s been far too long since anyone has cared enough about him to show this kind of attention and care. The cloth in Buck’s hand dips down, swiping over one buttock followed by the other, whilst Buck’s free hand reaches around to Eddie’s front. 

“Do we have time for this?” Eddie gasps. 

“Chris is still fast asleep,” Buck tries to reassure him. 

“Please don’t mention my son when your hand is-” Eddie cuts himself off with another moan as Buck’s grip tightens. Buck’s smug smile is pressed into the soapy wet skin of his shoulder. 

“Fuck, okay,” Eddie gives in, his head drops back onto Buck’s shoulder and he lets Buck take what he wants, succumbing to the pleasure Buck wrings out of him. 

Afterwards, they clamber out of the cramped space with sore elbows and a thrum of endorphins running through their bodies. Eddie immediately grabs at Buck’s damp skin, pushing him up against the sink and kissing his lips until their jaws ache. They giggle like children and then hush each other so they don’t wake Christopher, and when things start to heat up again, Eddie reluctantly pulls back before they can get carried away. 

“Stop looking at me like that,” Eddie chides, though with a toothbrush in his mouth, it doesn’t have nearly the effect he’s aiming for. 

In the mirror, he meets Buck’s gaze. He’s leaning against the wall, completely naked, and clearly enjoying the view in front of him. 

“Can’t help it,” Buck answers softly. “Have you seen you ?” 

Eddie shakes his head and bends over to spit. Once he’s finished, he grabs a towel from the rack and chucks it at Buck before grabbing one for himself for the quick dash across the hall to his bedroom. 

“I was thinking,” He starts as they get dressed. 

“Go on.”

“It’s your last week, we’ve got the next couple of days off, we should try and pack in as many of the sights as possible. The Hollywood sign, Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory.” He lists out. 

“I’d like that.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course,” Buck crosses over from the bed and leans in for a kiss that Eddie happily reciprocates. “Sounds perfect.”

“Okay then, I'll attempt to wake up the pre-teen, you plan the route?” 

“Deal.”

Eddie drives them to a favourite breakfast place of theirs first, where Buck and Christopher order matching plates of pancakes and bacon, whilst Eddie goes for some eggs and hashbrowns. Once their bellies are full, they drive up to Griffith Observatory for the amazing views across LA. They walk around for a while, take a photo of the three of them with the Hollywood sign in the background, which Buck immediately sends to his sister, and then they’re back in the car for the hour-long journey to Santa Monica. 

“And I thought trekking across London was hard,” Buck groans when they get stuck in traffic halfway. “At least your car has air conditioning, the Victoria line does not.”

Eventually, they park up, pick up some sandwiches from a nearby deli and head over to the beach, armed with a blanket, soda and sunscreen. They hang out on the sand for a few hours, digesting their food, watching the world go by and listening to the relaxing sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. It’s only a matter of time before Chris is nudging them impatiently and pointing towards the colourful pier. 

The three of them make the short walk to the pier, Chris in between the two men, and his excitement is contagious. They ride the rides, waste money on the games, eat fried donuts and all cram into the photobooth, pulling funny faces as the camera flashes. By the time they make it to the end of the pier, there’s a blue plush dinosaur tucked under Buck’s arm, and a balloon held tightly in Eddie’s hand. 

Eddie is exhausted but he honestly can’t remember the last time he was this happy. His cheeks hurt from grinning, his feet ache from all the walking, and he honestly doesn’t know how the three of them are still standing. So he spies out a free bench and tugs Chris over to it, Buck right behind them. 

“Someone please check if I still have feet,” He groans. His back cracks as he sits back against the wood slats of the bench and he suddenly feels like twice his age. 

Chris leans over and nods. “Yup, two feet.”

“Good, right where I left ‘em.”

Buck huffs in amusement. “You know we’re going to have to walk all the way back right?”

“Please don’t remind me.”

“Need me to carry you?” Buck offers. 

Eddie gives Buck a heated look over the top of his son’s head. “Maybe later.” 

They sit for a while, watching people walk by with sticks of cotton candy almost as big as their heads, and the fishermen reeling in their catches from the ocean below them. When Chris begins to yawn, Eddie knows it’s time to head back. Without skipping a beat, Buck offers Chris a piggyback ride back to the car and Chris almost jumps onto Buck’s back. 

It doesn’t take long on the hour-long drive home for Chris to fall asleep. They keep the radio quiet on the way home, and after double-checking that Chris is definitely unconscious, Eddie reaches out to rest his hand on Buck’s knee for the rest of the journey. 

Arriving home, Eddie reluctantly moves his hand to put the car into park. His eyes flick up briefly to check on Chris in the rear view mirror before looking over at Buck.  

“Here again,” Buck notes in amusement. It wasn’t that long ago that they were in this exact position, but Eddie had rejected Buck. That definitely wasn’t happening this time. 

“Come on,” Eddie jerks his head towards the house. “There’s leftover pasta in the fridge and I’ve got last night’s game recorded.” It’s as simple as that. They climb out of the car quietly, Eddie reaching into the back seat to lift a slack Christopher into his arms. Buck follows him up the pathway with the teddy and the balloon, already floating lower than a few hours ago. 

*********************

It’s still early when Eddie arrives back home but the house is still suspiciously quiet. He slips his shoes off, drops his keys into the bowl by the door and pads down the hall to investigate. He’s surprised to find Buck, still fast asleep in his bed. 

His eyes soften at the way Buck hugs Eddie’s pillow and his toes just peek out from the bottom of the covers. Climbing back into bed is an easy decision to make. He undresses quickly and slides back under the covers that are still warm from Buck’s body. 

As soon as Eddie’s body makes contact with Buck’s, Buck stirs. His head jerks up and he looks blearily at Eddie, like he’s trying to work out where he is and who the hell just climbed into bed with him. As the realisation comes, Buck relaxes back against the pillow and sighs. “What time’sit?” He mumbles?

“After nine,” Eddie answers softly before beginning to press equally soft kisses to Buck’s warm skin. His lips drag across Buck’s shoulder and across his bicep, before returning back up to meet Buck’s lips, not caring about the morning breath he encounters. 

“Wait,” Buck pulls away, now more awake. “Where’s Chris?”

Eddie snorts. “It’s Monday, Buck, I just dropped him off at school.”

“Oh.”

“So,” Eddie begins, sliding his arm across Buck’s waist and slipping his fingers underneath his boxer shorts. “We have the whole house to ourselves.”

Buck grins. “I like the sound of that.”

“And Hen is going to pick Chris up after school so I can take you out.”

“Oh yeah?” Buck asks curiously. 

“Well, we haven’t had a first date, or any date really, so I thought we should rectify that before-” Eddie can’t even say the words. He clears his throat. “So, what do you say?”

Buck’s arms wrap around Eddie, almost pulling him completely on top of him. “And what should I wear for this date? Something fancy? I’m not sure I packed anything smart.”

Eddie leans down for a kiss. “Comfortable clothes and shoes, you might want a jacket, too.”

“And you’re not going to tell me where we’re going?”

Eddie shakes his head. “It’s a surprise.”

“I like surprises,” Buck smiles. 

“Good, now we don’t need to leave until this afternoon, so what shall we do until then.”

“Oh, I have some ideas.” 

Eddie is naked moments later, Buck’s underwear disappearing soon after. 

They spend the rest of the morning in bed before Buck reluctantly heads back to Chimney’s apartment to change into clean clothes. Eddie picks him up just before four and immediately drives them away from the city. 

“You’re really not going to tell me where you’re taking me?” 

Eddie mimes zipping his lips shut. 

“How can I be sure you aren’t taking me into the desert to kill me and bury my body?”

Eddie laughs. “That feels like way too much effort.”

“Good to know.” 

Eddie pulls into the parking lot for the hiking trail just under an hour later, finding a shady spot under a tree to park. From the trunk, he retrieves a backpack and throws it onto one shoulder. 

“Should only take us about half an hour up that path,” He nods in the direction of a well worn trail that disappears through some trees. 

Buck’s eyes travel up the incline ahead of them. “Whatever is up there better be worth it.”

“Trust me,” Eddie steps up behind Buck and kisses the nape of his neck. “It’s worth it.” He adds and then gives Buck a gentle push towards the trail. 

“Hey, did you know London has three thousand parks, and like, eight and a half million trees?”

“Really?”

“Some people say London is the world’s largest urban forest. Cool, right?”

Eddie snorts. “You’re such a dork.”

Buck spins around to face Eddie, deftly walking backwards up the path. “But a hot dork, right?” He asks with a smirk.

“Very hot, now turn around, I was enjoying the view.”

Buck shakes his head and turns back around, giving his ass a shimmy as he continues forward. 

The sun is low in the sky as they walk up to the top of the trail, but it’s still light and warm, and they joke and tease each other like they’ve known each other for six years, not six weeks. Buck has never looked more beautiful in the golden light, his smile bright and his laughter infectious. He tries to appreciate the journey, but every time he tries to stop and take in the moment, Buck pulls him right back into the present. 

When the trail widens, Buck falls into step with Eddie and without words, links their fingers together. Their woven hands swing gently between them as they walk, only separating when there’s a big rock to clamber over or a narrow pathway between two big trees. 

Finally, they make it to their destination, Eddie lets Buck step into the small clearing first, watching his eyes widen at the view of the ocean below them. The ledge, hidden by bushes and sheltered from the wind by big rocks, is the perfect place to watch the sun set. Whilst Buck stands there, jaw open, Eddie fishes out a blanket from the backpack and lays it out on the ground. He digs back into the bag for some sandwiches he’d prepared as well as a couple of ciders, fruit and chips. 

Sitting down on the blanket, he uses one of the rocks to rest his back against before motioning for Buck to join him. “Come on.” 

Buck lowers himself down, fitting snugly into the space between Eddie’s legs, his back resting against Eddie’s chest. 

“Comfortable?”

“Yep,” Buck answers. 

They eat the picnic slowly, their eyes more focused on the orange sun dipping below the horizon than the food. Buck’s whole body relaxes against Eddie and he wraps his arms around Buck’s waist, holding him tightly. 

“Perfect first date,” Buck murmurs.

Eddie hums in agreement. 

“You’re not too bad at this whole wooing thing, although you should know I’m a sure thing.”

Eddie laughs softly and presses a kiss behind Buck’s ear. “Oh, I know.”

They stay until the sun completely disappears and the stars, visible this far away from the bright lights of LA, begin appearing in the dark sky. When Eddie feels Buck shiver in their embrace, they pack up and make the journey back down the trail. 

“Thank you,” Buck says on the journey to pick Christopher up from Hen’s. “For tonight, and yesterday, and everything else since I got here.”

Eddie’s throat tightens as he remembers he’ll be saying goodbye to Buck in a matter of days. “You’re welcome,” He manages, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. 

*********************

“Oh, before I forget,” Bobby says at the end of his briefing. “I'm grilling up a feast at mine and Athena’s on Friday, so we can all say our goodbyes to Buck before he leaves us to head back to London.”

“You really don’t have to do that, Cap,” Buck tries, but Bobby holds his hand up. 

“It’s happening, everyone is expected to come, end of story.” 

“Like I’m gonna turn down your barbeque,” Hen scoffs. “Let me message Karen, let her know.” 

“You going to be there?” Buck asks Eddie. 

“If you’re there, then I’m there,” Eddie replies with a shrug. It really is as simple as that. 

“Buck,” Bobby reappears. “You got transport to the airport?”

“Oh, er-”

“Me,” Eddie answers for him. “I’m taking him.”

“Great, make sure we have your flight details, alright?” Bobby smiles, pats Eddie on the shoulder and heads towards the kitchen.

“You really don’t have to,” Buck says quietly when Bobby is out of earshot. “I can get a taxi.” 

“Of course, I’ll take you to the airport.” 

“Yeah?”

As hard as saying goodbye to Buck will be, Eddie is planning on spending as much time as possible with Buck between now and his plane taking off, that includes the journey to the airport. 

“I can’t promise you’ll end up at LAX, might just kidnap you and keep you from leaving.”

Buck’s eyes soften. “I probably wouldn’t complain if you did.”

Eddie opens his mouth, some sappy response on the tip of his tongue, but the bell goes and the conversation ends there. 

Despite Eddie wishing the week would pass slowly, it feels like Buck’s last week passes in the blink of an eye. Buck spends every night over at Eddie’s and the whole thing feels domestic in a way that hurts Eddie to think about. Buck watches Eddie cook, stealing bites of food when he thinks Eddie isn’t looking. They eat at the table, all three of them, and then watch TV all huddled up on the couch until Christopher’s bedtime. 

At night their bodies entangle under the sheets and they grip each other tightly like Buck might just disappear in the middle of the night. 

Suddenly, it’s Friday evening and Buck will be flying home in less than twenty-four hours. A fact that seems to be on repeat in Eddie’s mind. Buck has some final packing to do before his leaving party so he’ll meet Eddie and Chris there. When they arrive, Bobby is already at the grill, cooking up sausages and burgers and ribs, whilst Athena is putting the finishing touches to the salads. 

Hen and Karen aren’t far behind him, and as soon as Denny, Harry and Christopher spot each other they disappear into the backyard to play Nintendo DS together. 

“How are you doing?” Hen asks, talking to him more like a patient she’s treating than a colleague. 

“I’m fine,” He answers quickly. Her eyes drop down to where he’s gripping a bottle of beer so tightly his hand has turned white. 

“Well, if you want to talk about it, you know where I am,” She gives him the out and then guides Karen to the drinks table. 

The party has filled up a bit by the time the guest of honour finally arrives. 

“Bloody hell, you guys,” His eyes light up as he sees the living area full of people Buck has come to know over the last six weeks. “You honestly didn’t need to do all this.”

“There’s the British humility we know and love,” Before Eddie gets a chance to greet Buck, Hen throws an arm around his waist and leads him through the party towards the food table. 

The rest of the party goes like that. Every time Eddie tries to catch Buck’s attention, Buck is saying his goodbyes to someone or another, or being whisked off to do something. The kids monopolise his attention in the yard with selfies and TikToks he happily participates in, and just as they’re finished Athena asks Eddie for some help in the kitchen. By the time he’s done, Buck is standing in between Bobby and Ravi at the grill in the middle of what looks to be a deep conversation. 

Another chance passes him by when he heads towards Buck only to be interrupted by Bobby gathering everyone's attention for a speech,  

“I know you have only been with us for six weeks, but for us, it feels like we’ve known you for much longer.”

Buck’s eyes find him in the crowd when Bobby speaks and Eddie just stands there looking back. He feels so close but so far away. 

“Your work as a firefighter has been exemplary, and whilst I’m sure we will all be pleased to have Chimney back with us next week-"

“Who?” Ravi interrupts, triggering a ripple of laughter amongst the partygoers. 

Bobby continues. “We will all be pleased to have Chimney back with us next week, but that also means we have to see you go. It didn’t take long for us all to consider you part of the 118 family, so please don’t be a stranger, keep in touch, and we wish you all the best with whatever you choose to do next,” Bobby lifts his glass of sparking apple up. “To Buck!”

“To Buck!” Everyone repeats. 

“Thanks, everyone,” Buck looks a little red-cheeked and teary-eyed at the attention and kind words. “I’ve absolutely loved my time here, I’ve learnt so much about being a firefighter over here and I know I’ll be going back to the UK better at my job thanks to all of you.”

There are awwws from the crowd and Eddie swears he sees Hen wipe away a tear. Buck’s eyes lock on to his once more. 

“I’ve met people who have completely changed my life and to them, I say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and you won’t get rid of me that easily, I promise. I am so grateful for how you’ve made me feel so welcome and I will miss you all, more than you’ll probably realise, so thank you.”

There’s more applause and whooping, Eddie’s cheers cutting through the rest and Buck shakes his head fondly at him. 

“There’s one more thing,” Bobby steps back beside Buck. “A small gift from all of us.”

“Seriously?” Buck looks surprised but takes the box Bobby hands him and pulls at the red ribbon holding it closed. Once open, Buck’s eyes widen at the scrapbook sitting on a pile of tissue paper. He lifts it out and someone takes the empty box from him as he flips through the pages. Buck is quiet as he flicks through, though Eddie can see the emotion in his eyes. 

On every page in the scrap book are photos from the last six weeks alongside handwritten messages from the 118, sharing their favourite memories of the last six weeks.   

Eddie spots a photo of the two of them playing pool at the bar that he doesn’t remember anyone taking. He and Buck are staring at each other across the table and it’s clear to anyone within a ten-foot radius that they’re completely gone on each other. On the last page, are the pictures from the photobooth he, Chris and Buck took on the pier just a few days ago. Buck barks out a laugh at the silly faces they’re all pulling and looks up at everyone. 

“I love it, thank you,” His arms pull the book to his chest and he hugs it tightly. 

Bobby nudges Eddie. “It was actually all Eddie’s idea.”

Buck’s eyes light up and he turns back to Eddie. “Oh yeah?” 

“Something to remember us all by,” He explains awkwardly. 

Buck looks almost offended. “Like I could ever forget you.” 

Their conversation is cut short when Buck’s phone rings. “Oh, it’s Maddie, I should take this,” Buck tucks the scrapbook under one arm, lifts the phone to his ear and disappears out in the yard to answer the call. 

He waits for a moment, watching Buck pace back and forth through the doorway, taking it all in like he’s trying to memorise every feature. When he realises the phone call might take a while, he turns away in search of Chris. 

He finds Chris in Harry’s room, having moved on from Nintendo to Xbox. He’s already organised for Chris to stay the night so he and Buck can have some much-needed privacy for their final night together.  After saying his goodbyes to Chris, a kiss pressed into his mop of curls and a reminder to be good and brush his teeth, he heads back out into the living room. 

He doesn’t immediately see Buck despite the crowd thinning as it gets late. The urge to seek Buck out is strong, but something stops him and instead, he turns to go up the stairs and out the front door for some fresh air. 

It’s cool enough that he shivers slightly, but he sucks in lungfuls of chilly air and strolls away from the front door until the music and the chatter from the party fade away. 

Turning back to look at Bobby and Athena’s home, he wonders briefly if anyone notices he’s gone. He wonders if Buck notices he’s not there. All evening it feels like he’s been chasing after Buck, always just a step behind. Now, as he pivots and takes a few more gradual steps towards the street, he feels like it’s Buck’s turn to chase him. 

A part of him quite likes the idea of not saying goodbye, just disappearing in the night to avoid a conversation that both of them have been avoiding for the last two weeks.

He would regret it of course. Forever wondering what would happen if he had stayed. 

“Hey.”

Eddie’s head snaps up and of course Buck is there, hands in his pockets, looking at Eddie with a bemused expression on his face. He greets Buck with a smile. 

“You weren’t leaving without me were you?”

“Me? Nah.”

“Good, I’d be a bit miffed if you did, I’ve got plans for you this evening.”

“What kind of plans?”

Buck winks. “Take me home and find out.”

As Eddie loads the truck with Buck’s luggage, Buck goes to say his final goodbyes to everyone. He steps back outside the house with red eyes and his scrapbook. He climbs into the truck without saying a word and Eddie doesn’t push him to speak. The journey back to home passes in complete silence, and as soon as they are across the threshold Buck spins sharply, loops an arm around Eddie’s shoulders and drags him into a deep kiss. 

Eddie gets with the program quickly, kicking the door shut behind him and spreading his hands up Buck’s ribcage. 

The silence is broken, first by the sounds of breathy moans and second by soft terms of endearments whispered into ears. 

Afterwards, as their sweat-slick skin begins to dry and their heart rates return to a normal pace, Eddie turns onto his side to slide his hand over Buck’s hip. 

“So, how long are we going to put off the conversation we need to have?” He asks, his voice suddenly sounding harsh in the quietness of his bedroom. 

Buck’s head shifts on the pillow, and his eyes meet Eddie’s, though Eddie is suddenly distracted by his swollen lips. 

“Hmmm,“ Buck hums. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Eddie slips his hand down and slaps a buttcheek. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Not tonight,” Buck replies. It comes out like a plea, his voice breaking slightly as he speaks. 

“Buck-”

“Please,” Buck throws a leg over Eddie, bringing their bodies together once again. “Not tonight.” 

He kisses Eddie then, like he thinks if Eddie’s lips are busy there’s no possibility of talking. Eddie understands the need and doesn’t pull away, but there’s been a heavy weight that’s been growing inside him since the moment he and Buck first kissed, and he’s scared of what will happen when Buck disappears through the security gates tomorrow. He’s bursting to ask Buck to stay, but he can’t, not when Buck has a family and a life back home. How can he possibly ask Buck to stay when they’ve only known each other for a few weeks? It would be crazy. 

As they begin to sink into each other for the second time that night, Eddie makes a decision and begins to memorise every scar and freckle on Buck’s body. If this is one of the last moments he’ll ever get with Buck, he wants to remember every second of it. 

*********************

Buck’s flight is mid-morning, so they wake before the sun has risen, their peace rudely interrupted by the shrill peal of his alarm clock. They get ready in silence, taking turns in the bathroom before heading out to the truck. 

The journey to LAX takes an hour, followed by another twenty minutes finding somewhere to park. Buck pushes one suitcase along whilst Eddie looks after the other until they step through the automatic doors of the airport and come face to face with a long row of check-in desks. 

This is it. His last chance to talk to Buck before he’s gone. 

“Buck-”

“I don’t want things to end,” Buck admits, before Eddie can have the chance to say the exact same thing. 

“Me either, but Buck, baby,” Eddie lifts a hand and cups Buck’s cheek, brushing his thumb across his cheekbone. Buck leans into the gesture, triggering a skip of Eddie’s heart. “How is this ever going to work?”

“I don’t know,” Buck admits. “But I want to try, we can figure it out right?”

“Long distance sucks,” Eddie reminds him. 

Buck sighs in agreement. “The only thing stopping this from working is us. We’ll set up regular calls and we can message all the time and I should be able to take some time off in a couple of months. I can come back and visit and, hey, you and Chris should come over to London, I can show you Buckingham Palace and the London Eye, and make you drink lots of tea.”

Eddie responds with a wet laugh. He doesn’t know when his eyes started tearing up but he feels the salty tears run down his cheeks. “I’d like that.”

“You can call me, day or night, I’ll pick up, I promise.”

“Likewise.”

“Okay, then,” Buck lowers his head, pressing his forehead against Eddie’s. “We can do this.”

“We can do this,” Eddie repeats. 

“I’m going to miss you so fucking much.” 

Eddie’s throat tightens. He can’t speak to tell Buck how much he’ll miss him, too, so he just guides their lips together and hopes he can convey it in a kiss. It’s the perfect goodbye, slow, and deep and all-consuming. This is what he’ll hold on to until Buck is in his arms again. 

He doesn’t want it to end, but reluctantly he pulls away. He takes a moment to wipe away the tears from Buck’s cheeks before his hand drops back down. 

“Call me when you land?”

Buck nods. “I promise.”

Watching Buck walk away is hard. Despite promises to stay in touch, neither of them can know what the future holds for them. He stays rooted to the spot, his eyes never leaving Buck until he heads for security. Buck looks back, one last time, mouths something Eddie doesn’t quite catch and disappears from view. 

Chapter Text

Two months later

Eddie checks his phone for what feels like the millionth time. His last message to Buck, sent last night has been read, he can see the blue ticks on the message to confirm Buck had definitely received and read it, but the lack of response leaves an uneasy feeling in his stomach. 

It’s not the only message Buck has been slow to respond to. Over the last couple of weeks, there’s been a distinct lack of messaging from Buck. He even tried calling Buck a few days ago and despite a promise to always pick up, day or night, the phone rang and rang until Eddie gave up. 

Not that long after he arrived back home, Buck had been making plans to visit again. He’d booked a week off work for two months time and at the beginning, it was all he could talk about. But it’s now two months later and there’s been nothing from Buck about his visit. No flight details, nothing. 

Everything Eddie feared is coming true. He knew it couldn’t last. 

“Okay, gather up!” Bobby shouts out as he exits his office. Conversation amongst the team dies down and they begin finding somewhere to sit for the morning briefing. With a sigh, Eddie puts his phone away in his back pocket and leans against one of the concrete pillars near the back. Ravi perches on the edge of the truck, and Hen and Chimney find space on the benches at the front. 

“Alright,” Bobby says as soon as all eyes are on him. Eddie somehow manages to pay attention to the list of items their captain has to go through, even with his thoughts elsewhere. He hasn’t told anyone about his worries just yet, though he thinks Hen might suspect something. 

Bobby starts by reminding everyone of a shipment of new equipment being delivered tomorrow which doesn’t affect Eddie, though Chimney is roped in to check everything is in working order. Next on the agenda is a plea to cover two shifts next week for someone in C-shift who has mandatory training up at the academy. Ravi ends up taking the first and Eddie ends up offering to take the second. Bobby sends him a grateful look before moving on to the next item on his list. 

“As I’m sure most of you know, next week is Ainscoe’s last week with us,” A few eyes turn to the young firefighter sitting behind Hen and Chimney. “He’s moving up to San Francisco and will be joining a new crew up there, of course, we’re sad to see him go but we know you’ll do a great job up there.”

“Drinks at Monte Carlo's after my last shift,” Ainscoe interjects and a few people cheer. 

“I’m sure a few of you will be wondering who will be replacing Ainscoe,” Bobby continues as soon as the cheers have died down. 

“Please tell me we’re not getting a floater,” Chimney groans. They’ve all had bad experiences with random firefighters who don’t seem to gel well with the way the 118 does things.  

“Not this time,” Bobby smiles. “He’s actually here today to get reacquainted.”

Reacquainted? Eddie frowns. 

A moment later, a familiar face is stepping out from behind the truck. 

“Buck?” Eddie can’t believe his eyes. 

Buck immediately heads in his direction, ignoring the reaction from the rest of the team. 

“Hey,” Buck greets softly. He looks nervous, like he’s worried Eddie won’t be happy to see him. Meanwhile, Eddie is still trying to take everything in. He can’t quite believe it.  

“This is real?” Eddie asks. “You’re here?” He realises something in that moment. “Wait, you’re moving here? Permanently?”

Buck nods. “I spoke to Bobby not long after I got back and he pulled some strings, even helped me sort out my visa. I have to be fully certified, which I should be on Monday, but then I’ll be an official member of the LAFD.”

“For me?” He finds himself questioning. Buck is moving halfway across the world. If it doesn’t work out, he would hate for Buck to regret making the move. 

“For me, ” Buck replies. “I realised pretty quickly once I got back to London how much LA felt like home, how everyone here had become family, I didn’t want to give that up. But hopefully this can be for us too, if that’s what you want?”

Eddie’s face breaks out into a wide smile. He reaches out and rests his hand around the back of Buck’s neck. “Like you have to ask,” He murmurs before bringing their lips together for a firm kiss. He ignores the whoops and cheers, having completely forgotten about their audience during their reunion. He feels Buck smile against his lips before they pull apart. 

“Alright, alright!” Bobby claps his hands. “I don’t want to be seeing any PDA from you two on shift next week, you understand?” 

“Yes, sir,” Eddie responds whilst Buck just blushes. It’s a beautiful sight after seeing Buck only through a phone screen for the last two months. 

Bobby sighs. “Okay, let's just end the briefing there shall we?” Most people get up and get back to work, but Eddie and Buck stay exactly where they were. Eddie still can’t quite believe it. 

“I thought-” Eddie starts. “You weren’t responding to my messages.”

Buck winces. “I’m sorry, I wanted this to be a surprise. I was so close to blurting it all out and spoiling the surprise so many times, I ended up avoiding you a little bit.”

“Well,” Eddie’s arms go around Buck’s waist. “I guess it was for a good reason.” He pulls Buck in for another kiss, taking advantage of the PDA whilst he still can.   

A voice clears their throat behind them and they pull apart. 

“Good to have you back, Buck,” Hen smiles at him. 

“Thanks, Hen,” Buck returns, before his eyes move to the figure standing next to her. “Hi Chimney.”

“Buck,” Chimney nods at him. “Nice to finally meet you, I feel like I know you so well after hearing all about you from your sister.”

“About that, there’s something you might be interested to know.” 

Chimney raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

“I’m not moving to LA alone.”

A second figure appears from behind the truck, as though waiting for a cue. The woman looks familiar but Eddie can’t immediately place her, not until Chimney launches himself across the engine bay and into the woman's open arms. She laughs as he spins her around. 

“You’re here, you’re really here,” He says softly and Eddie understands the sentiment completely. 

At some point, Buck’s hand slipped into his and Eddie squeezes it. 

“Your sister,” He realises, finally recognising the woman from the video call. 

Chimney pulls back to kiss Maddie, her fingers sliding into Chimney’s hair as she happily returns the kiss.  

Buck nods. “Our parents are kind of pissed with us right now, but neither of us wanted to stay there when you two were here. Bobby was able to pull a few more strings, she starts at the 911 call centre in a couple of weeks.”

“A part of me still thinks this is all a dream,” Eddie admits, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Buck reaches out with his free hand and pinches Eddie’s forearm. “Does that help?”

Eddie laughs. It’s real, Buck is here and they have a whole future ahead of them. “It’s a start.”

Bonus scene:

“So, you’ve found somewhere to live?” Eddie enquires a little bit later, when the shock of Buck moving to LA has worn off. 

“Oh yeah, Maddie and I have found a two-bed flat- sorry, apartment, just down the road actually.”

“You know what that means right?”

“We can have sex without a pre-teen overhearing?” Buck answers, “Or God forbid, walking in on us?”

Eddie shudders, “God, I’d rather have sex in Chimney’s bed again than that.”

“I’m sorry,” A third, very familiar voice pipes up and Buck and Eddie freeze. Eddie doesn’t need to turn around to know Chimney is standing right behind them. “You did what ?” 

Fuck.