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Eddie has been keeping himself busy since Chris left for Texas with his grandparents. He sometimes texts Eddie back but it’s not as much as he’s used to.
So he finds things to do.
Golfing, again.
Working out, a lot.
Hanging out with Buck, all the time.
Eddie is liking the last one a little too much. After Marisol ended it and with his son gone, Eddie was properly able to get past the grief over Shannon and put it past him.
Frank is a big help with that too. He started seeing him again right away, needing someone unbiased to talk to about it all and start to move forward.
He also helped Eddie realize he’s in love with Buck.
Christopher has been gone for two months now and he’s spent pretty much all of his free time out of work with Buck.
Buck comes over whenever he can—which is a lot—and spends time with him, keeping him company, being there for him while he misses Chris, doing fun things with him like hiking.
It didn’t help matters when Buck told him that he and Tommy broke up. Instead of feeling bad for his best friend that the guy he was seeing ended things, he felt relieved and happy.
Eddie came to the realization in that moment that before he knew Buck went on a date with Tommy, he liked the guy, thought he was cool and fun, but then Buck came out to him and said he ‘can’t stop thinking about him’ about Tommy and Eddie felt a pit in his stomach but didn’t know what it meant.
He started to really dislike Tommy in that moment. He was jealous of him and that’s why he stopped liking Tommy and felt relieved he and Buck ended things.
Eddie is in love with his best friend.
He’s still trying to process that fact and it’s been almost two weeks since Buck and Tommy ended things.
Buck hasn’t told him about any dates or people he might be seeing so he thinks—hopes—that Buck is still single—even though he thinks that he’s not ready to confess these feelings to him.
Buck has also spent a lot of time with him recently that he doesn’t think he’d even have time to go on dates. Unless it’s just—no, he doesn’t want to know. If Buck isn’t saying anything, he doesn’t need to think about it.
Eddie is just kind of struggling right now. His son moved away from him because he fucked up royally by probably inflicting more trauma onto the kid and he misses him so much. Chris barely ever answers him still and he doesn’t know what else to do but give him a bit of space—it’s hard though, that’s his guy, his buddy, his baby boy.
He’s also struggling with falling in love with his best friend and not being able to be with him now the way he’d like.
And Gerrard is still captain at the 118. They need Bobby back, it isn’t the same without him. Gerrard is the worst captain and human being. Eddie had to stop Buck and himself from decking the guy a few times. But he’s not worth them losing their jobs because of him.
With everything going on, he just really needs to relax. Not have to think about anything.
Eddie’s just getting home from the gym on his day off when his phone buzzes in his sweatpants. He locks the door before taking his phone out and seeing a text—two texts from Buck.
Buck
Hey! Forgot to tell you I came by earlier but you weren’t in so I let myself in to drop off some snacks for later.
Buck
I should be there in like an hour or so. It’s my turn to choose the movie tonight so don’t even think about it.
Eddie knows he’s smiling like an idiot at these texts and he can’t seem to help it. He puts a thumbs up reaction to the first one then texts him back.
Eddie
I know, don’t remind me
Eddie
No worries, I just got home from the gym so no rush.
He pockets his phone and picks up his bag where he left it on the floor and heads to the kitchen. He puts his bag down on the floor and his shaker into the sink. He washes his hands then dries them off. Turning he sees some stuff out on the kitchen table. Eddie smiles and walks over to it.
There’s a few different bags of chips and popcorn, some candy, and a few chocolate bars.
He eyes it and spots a smaller bag with gummy bears inside. Picking it up, he looks at the bag briefly, noticing it looks different—covered in funny looking characters.
There’s only maybe 30 of them in there.
He puts them back down, grabs his bag, and goes to his room.
Eddie takes a shower, dresses in jeans and a green t-shirt. He styles his hair a bit only using a bit of hairspray and thinks he looks pretty good. He finds himself spraying a bit of his cologne that he doesn’t wear very often.
After cleaning up his room, he pockets his phone and heads back to the kitchen. He checks the time and sees that Buck should be here in maybe like thirty minutes at the earliest.
Eddie spots the snacks again and grabs the small bag of gummy bears. He can have a few while he waits for Buck. He takes a water bottle from the fridge as well.
Heading to the living room, he puts the water bottle and his phone on the coffee table and plops down on the couch. Eddie turns the TV on and opens the bag of gummy bears.
——————
The doorbell rings so Eddie lifts his feet from the coffee table and checks his phone. It’s definitely Buck.
Eddie opens the door and is met with a smiling Buck. “Hey,” Buck says first.
“Hey,” he says, smiling. “Come in.”
He steps out of the way, letting Buck inside. He locks the door behind him as Buck removes his shoes by the door. “How was your day?” Buck asks.
He’s been asking him that every day. He never used to ask every day and he thinks he’s doing that now because Christopher isn’t here and he knows Chris isn’t really answering him.
“Fine,” he says like always. “Did some errands, went to the gym. You?”
“Yeah, same old,” Buck replies.
They sit on the couch and Buck grabs the bag of gummy bears and asks, “How many of these did you have?”
Eddie scrunches his eyebrows, confused. “Why?”
Buck smiles softly. “These are edibles—with THC,” he says and chuckles when Eddie’s face drops.
Eddie just had weed gummies. He gasps when he realizes how many, “It’s not funny, I had like fifteen of them! Buck, you drugged me without telling me—did you just roofie me?”
Buck full on laughs and says, “You roofied yourself—oh my God,” he’s still laughing.
“Buck, this isn’t funny, I had a lot of them, how strong are they?!” He asks, starting to panic a bit. He’s only had edibles once and it was when they were drugged at the station—this isn’t starting out well.
“Hey, no, it’s fine,” Buck says, realizing Eddie really isn’t taking this lightly. “They aren’t strong. Each gummy is like 5mg, I got ones that weren’t too strong for a reason.”
Eddie lets out a breath of relief.
“Though, you still took like 75mg so you’ll just be really high,” Buck chuckles. “Which is good though! I got them so we could get high, pig out, and just relax. Here—” he adds before taking the bag and grabbing a few. He pops at least five of them in his mouth and chews.
Eddie laughs. He watches Buck be silly to lighten the mood and really try to make him feel better, and he loves him so much for it.
Buck steals Eddie’s water and drinks some. Buck doesn’t have more gummies so Eddie says, “That’s all you’re gonna have? I had like triple that.”
Buck chuckles, “Alright—okay, a couple more but we both can’t be too fucked up.” He takes another like four gummies out of the bag.
Eddie groans. “I better not get sick,” he tells him.
Buck finishes the gummies and says, “You’ll be fine.” He pats his leg softly before he gets up. “Alright, while I get the snacks and some drinks, load up Netflix,” he says as he walks to the kitchen.
Eddie takes the remote, sits back and goes over to Netflix. He just sits there starting to feel more relaxed.
He thinks the edibles are kicking in as he feels himself comfy on the couch, leaning back into it. He also realizes that Buck being here now—with him—he knows he’s more relaxed because of it.
Buck comes back with arms and hands full of everything. Eddie reaches an arm out and Buck laughs, “Oh, you’re starting to feel it aren’t you?”
“What do you meannnn?” Eddie says, his words feel weird coming out of his mouth.
Buck puts things down himself and he’s got such a big grin on his face, Eddie feels warm inside.
“What am I gonna do with you?” Buck teases, shaking his head from side to side. He plops back down next to Eddie and takes the water bottle he brought for himself off the coffee table.
Eddie realizes how close they’re sitting since he’s leaning a bit to the middle from feeling the effects of the gummies now. His shoulder is pressed into Buck’s arm and having this physical contact feels good.
His love language is definitely physical touch—he loves being able to just casually touch Buck on calls or when they hang out and he doesn’t say anything, nor does anyone else. It’s just how they are with each other.
Buck turns slightly and looks down at him from where he’s sitting more upright on the sofa, he smiles at him softly before reaching over him and retrieving the remote from where Eddie was loosely holding it.
“So I didn’t actually have a movie in mind,” Buck tells him.
Eddie chuckles softly, “Why are you like this?”
“Like what?!” Buck asks, shifting slightly and making Eddie fall more. Buck laughs and helps Eddie up a bit. “You’re highhh.”
“And who’s fault is that?” Eddie hums. “I meant—” he continues, “You just had to remind me it was your turn to pick but yet you don’t have one in mind.”
Buck clicks his tongue, “Whatever, okay, I just figured we’d watch a comedy or something.” Buck focuses on the TV and goes to the comedy section in movies on Netflix. He starts scrolling and lands on Magic Mike XXL.
“No,” Eddie finds himself saying.
“Oh, come on! It’ll be funny,” Buck tells him. “I heard the second one is actually funny though.”
“I doubt that,” Eddie tells him.
He doesn’t want to watch this not because he’s positive it won’t be funny but because he cannot just sit here watching hot men do strip teases while sitting next to his hot best friend that he wants to shove his tongue down his throat.
“Well, it’s my pick sooooo,” Buck teases, sticking his tongue out. Eddie has to stop himself from moaning at the sight.
Buck starts the movie and puts the remote down on the coffee table before grabbing one of the popcorn bags and settling back on the sofa—closer to Eddie.
Eddie smiles softly watching Buck who turns his head to meet his eye. He tilts the open bag of popcorn towards him so they share the snacks and start watching this movie.
So Eddie’s kind of eating his words because he finds himself laughing at the scene where the big beefy guy is dancing to Backstreet Boys in a gas station.
They’re sitting closely together and he feels Buck move when he laughs and when he shifts slightly in his seat. Eddie wants him so bad. He looks so good in his loose jeans and white t-shirt under a long sleeve blue button down that he left open and rolled up and the forearms, and he smells really good, and he just—
He loves him so much.
He always has the best time with Buck, even when they aren’t really doing much. He just really wishes he could have more. He just doesn’t think Buck’s into him like that.
“The edibles are really kicking in for me now,” Buck tells Eddie, his shoulder leaning against Eddie’s where they’re both kind of stretched out but leaning on each other in the middle.
Eddie chuckles, “Finally.”
“Well, you took yours earlier than me—was supposed to be together—same time,” Buck says.
Eddie hums, “We should be together.”
He realizes what he said when Buck stiffens slightly against him.
Buck lifts himself so he’s sitting properly on the sofa, facing Eddie who quickly does the same since Buck who was helping support him where he was sitting suddenly moved.
“What do you mean by that?” Buck says softly—almost a whisper. He’s looking at him so softly and Eddie can’t place what else is there but he wants to believe it’s hope.
Eddie doesn’t know what to do but his mouth just starts moving and he can’t stop the words, “I love you, Buck—God, I’m so in love with you. I don’t even—”
Suddenly, Buck’s lips are on his and he doesn’t have to think about this—he kisses Buck back like his life depends on it because right now that’s kind of how he feels. He feels Buck’s hands cradle his face, his thumb moving softly across his jaw.
Eddie parts his lips allowing Buck’s tongue in his mouth and he moans deeply into the kiss, not holding back this time.
“Fuck,” Buck moans as he pulls back slowly to look at him.
They look at each other with blown out pupils and soft smiles, catching their breaths from that perfect kiss.
“You love me?” Buck asks softly, smiling at him like he sometimes does and he falls so much more for him in that moment.
“So much,” Eddie answers instantly.
Buck gives him another one of those smiles and says, “I love you too, Eddie, so much.”
They both chuckle and grin at each other like idiots.
“When did you realize—?”
“Uh, when I was relieved you and Tommy ended things,” Eddie laughs. “No, but actually when you came out to me and told me that you couldn’t stop thinking about him and I felt jealous. I also couldn’t stand being around you guys together and I realized after you broke up why exactly I was so jealous and didn’t like the guy anymore.”
Buck grins at him, “That’s really fuckin’ cute,” he chuckles, moving in closer and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “You were jealous,” he smirks, his face so close to his Eddie just wants to—wait, he can.
Eddie leans in and kisses him, shocking Buck slightly before he kisses him right back. Their lips are so soft against each other.
He pulls back and says, “Yeah, don’t wanna feel that again. Just want you—to be with you, like this, all the time.” He punctuates that with another soft kiss to his lips, his cheek, then his birthmark.
Buck smiles, cuddles up closer and says, “I’d love that.”
Eddie lets out a breath and starts giggling softly. “What?” Buck asks, giggling too now.
“I just confessed my love to you for the first time high on edibles,” Eddie says through his giggles.
Buck laughs with him, “It was my plan all along,” he teases, pulling him closer.
Eddie laughs, holding him close. “I needed the push—I didn’t know—I didn’t think you were interested in me in that way,” he tells him.
Buck pulls back enough that he repositions them—Buck suddenly straddling him on the couch. Okay.
He drapes his arms loosely around his shoulders. His weight feels so good in his lap. He feels really good.
“Eddie, you’re so fucking hot. It was the first thing I thought about you when I first saw you. Could practically hear what a man what a man watching you dress yourself,” Buck confesses as he grinds down against him a bit.
“Mmm,” Eddie moans. “Really? I thought you hated me.”
“I never hated you,” Buck tells him. “I wanted you, just didn’t realize it back then.”
“So when did you?” Eddie asks, his hands roaming Buck’s body—up his back then down to his ass, his hips.
“You’re why I ended things with Tommy,” he says, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead.
“What do you mean?” Eddie asks when Buck doesn’t continue.
“Like—just things he’d say or do, I found myself thinking Eddie wouldn’t say that or Eddie wouldn’t tell me that. I was comparing him to you and Eds—” he says looking into his eyes, “There’s absolutely no comparison. He could never be you. I love you and I hate that it took so long for me to realize it.”
“It’s okay,” Eddie smiles, “Me too but we’re here now.”
“Yeah, we are,” Buck smirks, making Eddie chuckle. Buck leans in and kisses him.
Eddie kisses him back and he doesn’t have to stop.