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Hen looks over to Chimney, checking that she’s seeing this correctly. Chimney subtly nods to her before looking back at the two morons still looking through their phones, pressed against each other on the otherwise empty couch.
“So, Buck? Your wallpaper is interesting.” Chimney walks around to sit on the couch, a normal distance away from Buck. Hen follows sitting on the arm of the couch.
Buck smiles going back to his home screen, which displays him, Chris and Eddie standing outside of the State of California Capitol Museum. Each of their faces contain wide smiles and crinkles by their eyes. Buck and Eddie pressed together with both setting a hand on Christopher’s shoulder.
“Yeah, isn’t it cool? We all went for Christopher’s birthday. He wanted to go see the historic rooms exhibit but I surprised him with a few more tours. He had so much fun!” Buck smiles as wide as he can, his eyes lighting up. His hand moves wildly, Eddie smiles softly as watches Buck speak.
“Yeah, I can’t really tell who had more fun. Buck or Chris? It was a good trip. Buck surprised me with the plane tickets and didn’t really say where we were going until we all got there.” Eddie adds in, setting his hand on Buck’s shoulder. He squeezes Buck shoulder a little, giving it a gentle shake.
Chimney and Hen pass a look between each other, before looking back at them. Hen crosses her arms over her chest, looking at the two in disbelief.
“Uh huh…” Hen nods, “And your wallpaper?” They all turn to look at Eddie. He gets a fond look on his face for a moment. Buck smiles at him, squeezing his knee for a quick moment.
Eddie holds up his phone, waving it slightly before setting it back down. “Just a picture from when we went to visit my abuela.” He shrugs as if it means nothing because it is nothing. Abuela knows Buck extremely well at this point. Buck even gets a few recipes from her via text. He checks in on the woman often and even learns bits of Spanish from her.
Hen fights the urge to sigh. “And you guys go to visit her… together, often?” Her voice lifts at the end, hands moving out of her lap in a small gesture. Surely, they can see that this isn’t normal. Taking your friend to meet the family in a button down and slacks, is more of a ‘Meet the boyfriend’ gathering.
Buck turns around to shrug. “First day off of the month, at least. She makes great food.” He gives his belly a pat. Eddie let’s out a small chuckle, looking back to the image on his home screen for a moment.
Chimney blinks. “Uh huh…”
Eddie and Buck share a confused look. “Are you guys, okay?” Eddie asks, “Have you guys… eaten gift brownies again?” His eyebrows come together as he recalls the LSD incident with a shudder.
Buck looks at them concerned. “Yeah… you guys are acting weird.” Buck leans forward, eyes squinting as if he would find some noticeable differences. He looks between the two of them, eyes darting back and forth.
Hen can’t hold back her laugh. “We’re acting weird? Chimney…” She points her thumb at Buck and Eddie in a ‘Can you believe this?’ sort of way. After they share a look of amusement, they look back to Buck and Eddie. “We’re fine. You two are morons.” She laughs out as she steps away from the couches.
Buck looks affronted while Eddie looks confused. “She means that lovingly,” Chimney adds, “but truthfully.” He nods following behind her, eye rolling once the two can no longer see his face.
Buck looks at Eddie and then back to his phone. “Okay…” Eddie shakes his head, silently answering Buck’s unsaid question.
Hen and Chimney make their way down to the ambulance, pretending to do a restock, despite having already done it. They fiddle with the security straps and pull a few objects out of place to set back.
“Can you believe those two?” Hen starts. Her hands moving to shut the first aid kit without even looking through it entirely. She sets the first aid kit back where it belongs, tightening the security straps.
“I know! It’s like they don’t realize that they’re already dating!” Chimney tosses a pack of gauze onto the stretcher. He sighs in annoyance, hand outstretched for whatever Hen plans to hand him next.
“Okay but to be fair… you didn’t know you were dating Maddie so…” Hen trails off holding a glucometer out to him. She raises an eyebrow expectantly. Chimney takes the glucometer with a scowl.
“We figured it out, though. I mean, we’re literally dating with a kid. Those two are just… with a kid!” Hen stops what she’s doing to look at Chimney. “You know what I mean.” Chimney sighs. “And we weren’t around each other for 56 hours a week, terrorizing everyone with our love.” Chimney sets the glucometer down in its spot.
“You’ve got a point there. I’m so close to asking Bobby to move me to B-shift.” Hen rolls her eyes. She shakes her head, bringing her hands up to her face.
“Oh, there’s no way you’re leaving me to suffer alone!” Chimney whisper yells. “Take me with you!” Chimney grabs her shoulder, shaking her slightly. Hen’s hands leave her face, grabbing the nearest item.
Hen smacks Chimney’s knee with the BVM. “We can’t both leave… then Bobby will suffer alone.” Her hand gestures somewhere behind her to the general direction of Bobby’s office. Chimney lets out a groan, standing up to exit the back of the ambulance.
~
Buck and Eddie sit upstairs in silence, waiting until Chimney and Hen have left. “So that was weird right?” Buck asks, scrolling through an article on his phone as he leans against the Eddie.
Eddie nods, “extreme understatement…” Eddie’s fingers tap against Buck’s knee as he thinks, trying to understand what just happened. His leg bounces slightly before Buck bumps it with his leg.
“You don’t think they’re mad we didn’t include them?” Buck sets his phone down, looking at Eddie with a concerned look.
Eddie snorts. “Hen, maybe. Chimney, no way he wants to spend his days off at a political history museum.” He shrugs. “It’s probably something else. I still haven’t ruled out brownies.” Eddie’s face turns to his investigative expression.
Buck lets out a loud laugh, his leg jerking Eddie’s. “They aren’t risking that department drug test Eds.” Eddie pouts, leaning back against the couch. Buck’s body molding into the shape to fit against his.
~
“I’m gonna tell them.” Hen says, watching the two men, press Christopher between them while making their plates. They’re all sat at Bobby and Athena’s house, sat outside in the backyard. Hen and Chimney sit to the side, originally listening in on Karen and Maddie’s wine preferences until those two started acting in love and dumb.
Chimney pinches his nose, bouncing Jee up and down on his knee. “Your Uncle Buck is a silly lovesick man.” Jee babbles something in response, eyes locked on Hen’s necklace.
Jee suddenly lets out a squeal, slapping a hand on Chimney’s arm. Hen nods, “exactly Jee, we need to slap some sense into him.” She turns to smile at the baby, talking as if Jee can understand what she’s saying. She gently tickles Jee’s belly, sending her spiraling into another squeal.
Christopher heads over to sit with Denny, the two having grown inseparable over the years. Buck carries his plate over to the chairs the two boys have decided to claim. Eddie walks over with both, his and Buck’s, plates in hand. As he sits down, Buck jogs over, taking a spot right beside Eddie. Their chairs are pushed so close together, their knees touch.
Athena smiles whispering under her breath to Hen, “they do know there’s a whole yard full of space, right?” She raises an eyebrow looking at the two, doing their best to get settled.
Hen gives Athena a bored look. “This isn’t even the worst. They have matching family photos as their wallpapers.” She looks back at the two of them now, rolling her eyes.
Chimney nods, opting to stay silent as Buck and Eddie look up. The two now settled enough to join the conversations around them.
“Jee!” Buck takes Jee out of Chimney’s hold without hesitation. He lifts her up in the air with a small ‘wee.’ Chimney rolls his eyes at Eddie’s lovesick expression. Buck smiles as she babbles to the man, nodding along as if she’s telling the most interesting story.
Eddie smiles at Buck, moving his hand to lightly pinch one of Jee’s cheeks. “Looks like someone’s happy to see Uncle Buck.” His hand moves to catch a little drool slipping down her chin, wiping it on her mashed carrot covered bib.
Jee lets out a squeal, stomping her feet down on Buck’s thigh as her fist makes its way to her mouth. Chimney intervenes then, handing a pacifier over to an already waiting Eddie. Eddie slides a pacifier past her lips at the same time Buck moves to gently push her fist back down to her side.
Eddie holds up Buck’s plate. “Alright I know you’re excited to play with your niece, but you’ve still got to eat. Don’t make me get Christopher over here.” He threatens lightly. He holds the plate closer to Buck, but doesn’t hand it over to the man. Buck smiles, picking some food off the plate to shove into his mouth.
Hen rolls her eyes, whispering to Chimney. “And now, poor Jee has been subjected to this.”
~
“Okay! That’s it!” Chimney storms past Hen into the Wilson residence. “I just had to sit through dinner with those two!” He waves to Karen as he come into the living room. “Hi, Karen. Don’t mind me, I’m just losing my mind.” Chimney flops down on the couch. His head tossed back and eyes pinched closed.
Hen follows behind. “Okay… Hi, Chimney. How are you? Wow, that’s great. I’m fine too. Why, exactly, are you here?” Hen asks sarcastically, sitting down on the opposite couch, beside Karen. Her hand rests on Karen’s thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze with a soft smile.
Chimney lets out a dramatic sigh. “Hen, you’re not listening!” He tosses his hand up dramatically. “I just had dinner with thing 1 and thing 2.” He pauses for a moment to let that register. “Buck and Eddie?” He clarifies when Hen looks at him confused.
Hen groans. “So, you came to me? I can’t hear one more word about those two.” She holds her hand up, as if to stop him from speaking.
Karen laughs, “Guys, I’m sure you two are just being dramatic. They can’t be that bad.” Karen give Hen’s wrist a soft squeeze, before Hen lifts her hand away from Karen’s knee. Karen looks concerned as neither of them laugh it off. “Right?”
“They have their family photos as their wallpapers on their phones.” Chimney starts.
“They look at each other like they’ve just seen heaven for the first time.” Hen adds to which Chimney nods and points at her.
“And just tonight, they were finishing each other’s sentences, eating off each other’s plate, and discussing how well Chris is doing in school… together!” Hen’s head snaps to Chimney. He lets out a groan eyes clenching shut as he rubs his temples. It was already enough that Eddie had been invited to family dinner. He thought dealing with Buck and Albert was bad, but now he realizes that he would take that any day over… BuckandEddie.
“You’re kidding…” Chimney shakes his head with a completely serious expression. Hen lets out a dramatic groan, matching Chimney’s earlier one.
“Okay… I’ll go get the wine.” Karen stands up, heading towards the kitchen.
“Eating off each other’s plates?” Hen asks, incredulously. She scoots forward on the couch. Hand sat on either side of her.
“They both had the same exact thing.” Chimney leans forward. His hands lift in exasperation. “The exact same thing Hen!” He rubs at his forehead as if trying to soothe his brain.
Hen’s head falls back against the back of the couch, letting out a sigh of annoyance. “We have to tell them. I can’t take it anymore!” She tosses her hands up.
Karen comes back, wine glass held between her fingers by the stems and a bottle of wine in the other hand. “Don’t you dare! Meddling never works.” She sits back down in her spot, leg pressed to Hen’s. After setting the bottle down she lines up the wine glasses, pouring each one out.
“I seem to remember that meddling does work.” Chimney cuts in, looking between Hen and Karen, raising an eyebrow. He smiles holding his arms out. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Okay that doesn’t count. You got lucky. There also wasn’t an established relationship with a kid that you needed to worry about.” Karen points to Chimney. At that time Denny hadn’t even been born, so there was no kid to let down if someone were to up and leave the other. “And we weren’t best friends before we started dating.”
“But there was a kid…” Hen cuts in with a look to Karen. Her arms open as she shrugs. Karen gives her an unamused look.
“No. The answer is no. No more meddling, ever. If these two actually love each other, they’ll figure it out.” Karen looks over to Chimney. “Or this will be your karma for meddling the first time.” She smiles, innocently as she lifts her wine glass to her lips.
~
Eddie and Buck arrive at the station together, no longer riding in separate cars. The walk beside each other, the backs of their hands brushing with each step. “Hey guys!” Buck rushes forward, excitedly to say hello to Hen and Chimney. In his haste, he trips almost falling over the stretched-out hose if not for Eddie grabbing his waist. “Probie!” Buck huffs looking down at the hose.
“Please be careful. It’s too early in the morning for me to save you.” Eddie gives Buck a small smile as he helps steady the man. His hands work gently on Buck’s waist.
Buck rolls his eyes. “What happened to ‘You could have my back any day’?” Buck pats the back of Eddie’s hands once he’s upright and not at risk of falling over. Eddie’s hands let go of Buck’s waist after one last squeeze.
“Cute. This isn’t what I meant.” Eddie scowls playfully. He brings his hand up to lightly smack Buck’s arm, his face setting back into a soft smile once his hand lays back at his side.
“Okay! I quit! I’m meddling!” The voice shockingly comes from Hen. She steps forward, arms thrown up in the air.
“Me too!” Chimney steps forward. His hands go on his hips as he leans forward. “You two are in love! Love! L-O-V-E!” He slowly spells it out to the two, dumbfounded men as if their the most idiotic people in the room.
Hen gestures to Chimney. “Exactly! The screen savers, the touching, the eating off each other’s plate, you raise his son together!” Hen rants aloud, listing everything out with her fingers. Behind her Chimney starts pacing back and forth, hands mussing his hair.
“The finishing each other’s sentences, the talking about each other constantly, the family vacations!” Chimney continues effortlessly.
“The riding together, taking Chris to school, eating home cooked meals together” Buck adds in. He leans against Eddie, smiling up at the man.
“Exactly! And the… wait what?” Hen stops speaking while Chimney’s pacing halts suddenly as he looks back and forth between the two.
“Don’t forget the cuddling, kissing, sleeping in the same bed…” Eddie adds wrapping his arm around Buck’s waist. “Or the legally adopting Christopher.” Eddie points to Buck, the two men nodding before looking back at their two friends.
Hen and Chimney’s jaws drop. “Yeah so we’ve been dating for about six months, by now…” Buck fiddles with Eddie’s fingers. Eddie wiggles his fingers against Buck’s waist.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Chimney exhales. “This whole time we’ve been suffering and you two… I hate you guys.” Chimney storms off to the upstairs lounge, definitely not pouting.