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The mug of tea had already cooled down while Buck was too engrossed in an article about flying foxes, which ironically had nothing to do with bats. They certainly didn’t hunt them in the air, as their namesake counterparts did in the woods. If he had told Christopher earlier the story of how foxes glide through the air to catch a bat, he would have been impressed. But now Chris would be more excited by a new video game. Besides, flying foxes didn't eat meat; they were cuties who adored sweet fruits.
"What are you reading?" Eddie asked, setting his mug down on the countertop before pulling out a chair on the opposite side of the dining table. A few strands of dark hair fell alluringly across his forehead, and he combed them back with his fingers in a familiar motion. Pity. Buck liked this slight casualness.
“I’m reading about flying foxes,” Buck explained, turning his phone around and pushing it toward Eddie to show a photo of the animal.
“Oh, I’ve seen videos of them swallowing bananas that are larger than themselves,” Eddie shared with a small smile, studying Buck’s face. “Thinking of dressing up as a flying fox for Halloween?”
“Would it suit me? I like them. They look like puppies. And having pointy ears… that sounds pretty enticing,” Buck chuckled softly under his breath. His gaze involuntarily caught Eddie’s ears. Or rather, the cartilage on top of his ears, as if someone had slightly curved them, pinched the edge with their fingers, leaving a small dent, and then they retained their new shape like polymer clay or plasticine.
Fucking elf.
"Hey, Eddie, have you come up with your costume yet? Want to be an elf?" Buck asked bluntly. He had no problem saying exactly what was on his mind at any given moment. Most of the time… unless it involved unrequited feelings.
"Dark or light?" Eddie asked, chuckling carelessly into his mustache and taking a large sip of coffee. "Actually... I haven't decided yet."
Actually, this was only half the truth. Eddie already had a costume for the celebration at the firehouse when the kids came trick-or-treating during their shift: a werewolf. But without Chris, he really didn't want to celebrate this year.
"Are you having trouble coming up with an idea?" Buck asked sympathetically, leaning over the table and reaching for his phone. "We could brainstorm."
Eddie scratched his chin. He wasn't the best at coming up with ideas, but since Buck was offering to help, he was willing to put in the effort.
"Um… how about a serial killer?" he said and immediately realized that Chim would already dress up as Jason for Halloween at 118. Although… Eddie could put on his hockey mask, and then he wouldn't have to worry about maintaining a carefree appearance since no one would see his face anyway. "Just the first thing that came to mind."
"Oh, and who's the serial killer and who's the victim?" Buck perked up, obviously not seeing the problem the way Eddie did.
"I don't know... maybe me?" Eddie shrugged. “The dark version of me. The evil twin that I will portray.”
Buck looked at him thoughtfully. Judging by his face, intense work was now going on in his head. He was probably already thinking about where he could get a decent suit and what kind of evil doppelgangers even existed.
Eddie frowned and rubbed his forehead, smoothing out the crease between his eyebrows. No. No doppelgangers. Not after the story with Kim, who looks like Shannon... So no twins or doppelgangers, please.
Only a couple of moments later did it dawn on him that Buck was hinting at matching suits.
They never figured out what to dress up as, but throughout the shift, Buck would pop up in front of Eddie and, without any prelude, say something like:
“Zombie? Frankenstein? Vampire? You can take the fangs from the werewolf costume.”
As they sat in the firetruck and drove to calls, Buck poured out ideas like a cornucopia. The rest of Station 118 also eagerly contributed suggestions, although Chimney was adding to the chaos with his sarcasm rather than offering anything useful.
This continued throughout the day and into the evening, until one moment—
“The Addams Family,” Buck announced, appearing in the doorway of the locker room, where Eddie had come to change into a dark blue long sleeve shirt with the Los Angeles Fire Department logo instead of a T-shirt.
Eddie was taken aback, frozen near his locker as he pondered for a few moments. He had no intention of agreeing to anything just to calm Buck down and get him to leave him alone. He genuinely appreciated Buck's caring nature and enthusiasm, as well as his desire to bring a bit of celebration into his life.
Besides, the idea wasn’t half bad. As a child, Eddie enjoyed watching “The Addams Family” series on TV, which he would tune into without his parents knowing. They would hardly have appreciated his hobby due to their religious views...
“Why not?” Eddie nodded, shrugging and looking at Buck curiously. “And who’s going to be who?”
“I’m definitely Gomez!” Buck beamed, walking into the locker room and sitting on the bench not far from Eddie.
“Ah, indeed! How did I not guess that right away?” Eddie fake-rolled his eyes and then immediately laughed, shaking his head.
“What, you want to be Gomez?” Buck asked playfully, studying Eddie’s face carefully and grinning at his reaction.
“Yes, I’ll be Gomez,” Eddie confirmed, feeling a rush of excitement. Curiosity flared up inside him. The idea suddenly seemed wickedly tempting.
“Because you speak Spanish fluently and don’t need a fake mustache?” Buck teased cheerfully, rising from the bench. He moved closer and leaned his shoulder against Chimney's locker door.
“Sí, eso es exactamente,”1 Eddie nodded, speaking with sultry Spanish notes in his voice.
Perhaps it was the ease with which he always interacted with Buck or the fact that Eddie actually liked the idea… or both. But at that moment, for a few seconds, he really wanted to dress up in a pinstriped black-and-white suit and pretend to be Gomez Addams. Escape from problems. To stop being Eddie Diaz.
“Okay, you’ve convinced me,” Buck smirked. “So… who am I then? Oh, I could be Lurch! I’m taller than you.”
“Just two inches,” Eddie snorted, finally taking off his T-shirt to put on the long sleeve. “Besides, Lurch doesn’t say a word; he just hums. It would be hard to keep you silent.”
Buck laughed lightly and didn’t look away when Eddie stood bare-chested in front of him.
“Then maybe Fester?” he suggested. “Uncle Fester is a talker. We could be the Addams brothers.”
Eddie smiled but froze as he realized he was staring into Buck’s eyes.
“Y-yeah, that’s a good idea! Two brothers, a dynamic duo. Just like us,” he agreed animatedly.
Buck playfully patted Eddie’s bare shoulder, signaling that they had finally made a decision. But although the idea was good, Eddie knew it wasn’t what he truly wanted at all. Yes, it was great — Gomez and Fester… They could even rehearse the dance of their brotherly love “Mamushka”… the version that excludes juggling bladed weapons… But Eddie didn’t feel satisfied.
“Or you could be Morticia,” he blurted out suddenly and then bit his tongue.
Buck smiled broadly and devilishly.
“Morticia?” he repeated with a grin. “In a long black form-fitting dress with a deep neckline, right? That will definitely show off my pecs.”
Eddie was rooted to the spot. The conversation had clearly veered off course, but it was too late to take it back. He turned away and began hastily pulling on his long sleeve shirt so Buck wouldn’t see his face.
“Yes, and you’ll look amazing in it—” Eddie abruptly cut himself off mid-sentence, realizing he was digging his grave even deeper. His voice was muffled by the fabric. “...I-I mean, it'll suit you— you'll look like a real Morticia Addams.”
Buck snorted in surprise next to him, and Eddie waited with a frozen heart for the sharp and categorical refusal. He had allowed himself too much... made a painfully obvious hint that even a blind person could see!
“But I have short blond hair, and I'm not a twink anymore.”
Eddie let out a long breath. Buck was Buck and always responded easily to his statements, as if deliberately ignoring the hidden meaning.
“And... you want me to play your wife?”
…Or not.
Embarrassed by his mistake, Eddie groaned internally. He pulled down the hem of his long sleeve and leaned over to check his perfectly tied shoelaces, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks.
“Ah, well... we don't need one hundred percent similarity, do we? You can wear a wig and carry a bouquet of roses with the buds cut off—” Eddie said casually, trying to avoid a direct answer while looking at Buck's shoes.
“Yes, a wig and a bouquet... That’s a pretty good idea,” he confirmed, nodding thoughtfully.
“Besides, you have the same... qualities as her,” Eddie said almost simultaneously, feeling as if he were poking an anthill with a stick.
"Really?" Buck said warily, then smirked smugly. His voice dropped an octave. "The same qualities? Which ones?"
“Well...” Eddie paused, mentally trying to convince his face not to blush even more while choosing his words carefully. He straightened up and scratched the back of his head nervously, trying not to look at Buck's face but over his shoulder. "She's caring, sweet, sarcastic, cool, and really... attractive."
“Hmm, I guess,” Buck agreed cautiously, as if weighing his answer on an imaginary scale. “Well, Mr. Gomez Addams… I’d love to be your sexy, cool wife.”
“Mierda—” Eddie breathed out a Spanish curse in despair, finally fully realizing what exactly he had suggested to Buck.
Dios mío, this is all so fucking embarrassing and awkward! Eddie had never screwed up so badly in front of Buck… He desperately wanted to cover his face with his hands to stop complimenting Buck and Morticia, but that would only make him look more suspicious.
“Ah, and we'll have this foreign language thing, huh?” Buck suddenly perked up, grinning like an idiot. "You know, when Morticia says something in French and Gomez goes crazy and starts kissing her.”
Eddie groaned inwardly again, cursing himself and Buck's childish enthusiasm.
"Sí, I would do exactly the same as Gomez… I'm crazy about you…" flashed through his mind, but he managed to stop himself before the words left his lips.
He imagined himself kissing Buck's shoulders. And Buck... in an extravagant black dress...
“Maldita sea—”2 Eddie cursed under his breath again.
“Me gusta, querido,” Buck chuckled, studying Eddie’s reaction and looking at him from beneath his long, light eyelashes.
Eddie's cheeks turned red as his body froze in shock at the unreality of the situation… Buck had offered him... He had just offered him... He had offered him kisses?!
“¿Qué? ¿Cómo… cómo? ¿Te gusta? Ah, mierda—”3 Eddie just couldn't shut up!
He barely noticed what he was saying, muttering incoherently in Spanish as if something in his head had switched irreparably. He was terribly confused! He tried to calm his nerves by counting to ten, thinking about Jell-O, and remembering to breathe… But it wasn’t working, damn it!
“¡¿Por qué no puedo callarme?!”4
Eddie mentally roared in frustration. Realizing what was happening and the ridiculous position he was putting himself in, he gritted his teeth and cursed out loud again, feeling a surge of panic rising within him. It felt as if his life was flashing before his eyes, heading downhill...
“¿Por qué no soy tuyo? ¿Por qué estoy tan enamorado de ti?”5 Eddie continued to ramble. He was mortified and wished he could bury himself in the ground, just to avoid further disgrace...
His heart was pounding loudly and rapidly in his chest, his pulse roaring in his ears, as if he were once again running from a swarm of bees around the pool. His unfocused gaze prevented him from realizing that Buck had stepped closer.
“¿Por qué me castigas? Después de todos estos años, sigo enamorado de ti... y no sé cómo parar.”6
Eddie froze and looked at Buck, noticing that he was right in front of him. He clapped his hand over his mouth nervously, realizing he had said all that out loud.
“Hey, Eddie...” Buck said worriedly. He walked closer and reached out, touching Eddie's shoulder. "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong? You're so nervous, and I don’t even understand ten percent of the words..."
“I-I just… Buck,” Eddie stammered, his cheeks burning with a hot wave of shame. He was now a blushing mess. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you…”
He turned away and nervously scratched his nails across his smooth-shaven cheek. He didn't want Buck to find out his secret.
"You're lucky I sucked at Spanish in school," Buck grinned, patting Eddie's shoulder reassuringly as if to say there was nothing to worry about. "So, what about Morticia? Maybe you could help me out with a few phrases she could say to Gomez?"
Eddie sighed in relief, turning around and trying to stop his knees from shaking. Buck hadn't realized what he'd just let slip... Gracias a Dios! Eddie was terrified at how close he had come to being exposed.
He thought for a few seconds before nodding.
“Yeah, sure. Any specific phrases? Something flirty?”
“Something like that,” Buck agreed with a wide smile. “You know, when I... I mean, she. When she says something, and then Gomez goes crazy and starts eagerly kissing her forearms, shoulders, and...” He continued, his voice dreamy and thoughtful as he pictured the scene in his mind.
Eddie stroked his mustache with his fingers, finally regaining control of himself and thinking of the perfect flirtatious line the two of them could pull off for Halloween. He snapped his fingers loudly as an idea occurred to him.
“I got it! You can say... 'Quiero que nuestros cuerpos se fusionen en un ataque de pasión.' This translates to... 'I want our bodies to merge together in a rush of passion.’ Sounds... canonical?”
“Oh, yeah! Me gusta! Let’s try that line!” Buck’s face lit up like the polished bumper of a fire truck. Just as quickly as he became enthusiastic, he fell silent and chewed his lip thoughtfully. Eddie could have sworn that Buck was carefully turning the words over in his head, trying to repeat them. “Quiero que nuestros cuerpos se fusionen en un ataque de pasión,” Buck said quietly and hoarsely, playfully raising his left eyebrow and attempting to imitate Morticia’s voice.
Buck was mangling the unfamiliar words; his attempt sounded clumsy, but it still had the desired effect — Eddie's eyes widened slightly as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Ah, now he was finally starting to understand Gomez and his passion for languages... It was... hot. Insanely hot. Especially hearing it from Buck, knowing that he understood the meaning of what was said and played with it using intonations.
“Say it again. You did well... ‘Quiero que nuestros cuerpos se fusionen en un ataque de pasión.’”
Eddie repeated the phrase once more, just in case, trying to sound casual. Buck cleared his throat and looked at Eddie from beneath his half-lowered lashes. His fingers traced small circles on the fabric of Eddie's long sleeve.
“Quiero que nuestros cuerpos se fusionen en un ataque de pasión… Gomez,” Buck purred, lowering his voice to a sultry whisper.
Eddie's arms twitched, desperate to embrace Buck. His chest felt tight, his face and neck burned with heat, and his heart was beating like crazy. Everything was overwhelming but also not enough. It was never enough when it came to Buck.
“And here...” Buck pointed at the stunned Eddie, pressing the pad of his finger to his chest, “Gomez usually starts kissing Morticia madly. Um… Damn… Do you mind if we?.. I understand if you feel awkward... but you'll have to kiss me, even if it's just for fun.”
Eddie froze, disoriented. He looked down at where Buck's finger had touched him and then back up into his eyes, gliding over the deep pink birthmark. He nodded, silently answering the question, then smiled slightly. His head was spinning. He felt like he was dreaming. This was all an illusion… a wonderful fever dream he didn't want to wake up from.
“No, I... I'm fine. It's just for fun, right? So I don't mind.”
Eddie lied. But he didn't want Buck to know he had feelings for him. Not now. His arms trembled with excitement, and before he knew it, he had wrapped his arms around Buck's waist. Eddie pulled him closer until their chests touched. He looked straight into Buck's eyes, his heart racing in his chest as if it was counting down the minutes until Judgment Day and the global apocalypse.
He had almost forgotten that behind the glass walls of the locker room they were on public display, like strange exhibits in a freak show… Only the late hour gave him a ghostly hope that no one would see them.
Eddie gently cupped Buck's face, running his thumb over his cheek. Buck gasped and moaned, pressing himself against Eddie, against his hot body. Eddie's breath hitched at those delicious sounds; he felt like he was burning up from the inside out... His fingers slid along Buck's back, freezing at his waist.
"It's a game... Es solo un juego,"7 he tried in vain to convince himself, but the pure and genuine emotions in Buck's eyes... how could they lie? Could they give reason to be mistaken?..
“Repeat… your line,” Eddie said quietly, his voice dripping with desire and confidence at the inevitability of what was about to happen.
Buck's eyes widened as the warmth of Eddie's hand enveloped his waist through the fabric. He swallowed hard and nodded, looking into Eddie's big brown eyes.
“Yes, I… Right,” Buck muttered in confusion and licked his lips. “I’m saying a line, and you’re kissing me eagerly.” His expression instantly transformed; his gaze became more languid and captivating… Buck pressed himself against Eddie, forgetting that they were still at the firehouse. “Quiero que nuestros cuerpos se fusionen en un ataque de pasión, Gomez,” he whispered in a sultry voice.
Eddie exhaled shakily at Buck's sexy whisper, a fire igniting inside him as if someone had thrown gasoline on an open flame. His eyes sparkled with desire and love… He had to behave with restraint so as not to get carried away and then find the strength to pull away. But it was unbearably difficult to be so close, pressing their bodies together… counting down the seconds until their lips touched. Eddie moved even closer to Buck, as if wanting to become one with him… and leaned in, pressing his lips to Buck’s, kissing him with such passion and eagerness.
Eddie pinned Buck against the locker, parted his lips slightly, silently requesting entrance to his mouth. He ran his tongue along Buck's bottom lip, craving more, wanting to fuse with him, wanting everything he could get and everything Buck was willing to give him.
Buck hummed uncontrollably, pushing his tongue inside, feeling Eddie's teeth, the tickling sensation of his mustache, the softness of his lips, and the delicate movements of his tongue. Eddie moaned into his mouth. The taste of Buck and the heat of his body, the soft moans, the faint smell of sweat, and the scent of cologne… Eddie felt himself getting tipsy from the sensations.
Buck's hands moved lower to Eddie's ass, squeezing it gently as Eddie ran his fingers through Buck's hair, tangling them in the soft curls and sliding his tongue over Buck’s… It was too good to be true. Kissing Buck was something Eddie had imagined many times before. But now he was experiencing a desire that surpassed his wildest fantasies. He nipped at Buck's lower lip, wanting more, more, more—
Eddie couldn't help the soft moan that escaped his chest as he pushed his knee between Buck's legs while Buck was grinding against his hips. His heart raced; Eddie could hear the sound of surf in his ears from his quickening pulse...
He swallowed hard, trying to think straight. Eddie was so focused on desire that common sense was eluding him. His heart screamed at him not to stop, but his mind reminded him they were still at the firehouse, with Bobby, Chim, Hen, Ravi, and everyone else…
He pulled away slightly. His wet lips from the kiss still brushed against Buck's, a string of saliva stretching between them. Eddie's eyes locked with Buck's, his chest rising and falling rapidly from their passionate kiss.
“Buck, we... we shouldn't do this here…”
“You’re right, you’re right... I just... got carried away,” Buck murmured, pressing his forehead to Eddie’s. The corners of his mouth curled into a wide, boyish smile. "You're a good kisser."
"Yeah... I got carried away too, querido..." Eddie smiled softly and kissed Buck chastely on the lips. His mind was still spinning from the intoxicating kiss. "Your Spanish pronunciation is... impressive."
“Thanks,” Buck grinned even wider. “I lived in Peru for a few months, so… I’m not that bad.”
"Oh yeah, Peru," Eddie repeated, smiling slightly. "Say something else; I want to hear your Peruvian Spanish."
“Okay. I don’t want to scare you…” Buck stroked Eddie’s collarbone through the fabric of his long sleeve with a mischievous grin. “Pero entendí algo de tus murmullos en español.”8
He bit his swollen lower lip in anticipation. Eddie's eyes widened in realization. He desperately hoped that his mumbling had been more like a rambling stream of words, but it sounded clear enough for Buck to understand… and Buck had listened.
“¿Qué… entendiste… exactamente?”9 Eddie blushed, gulping nervously and looking away.
“Well… besides the fact that you didn’t know how to shut up?” Buck chuckled softly, continuing to stroke the fabric and the protruding bone. “The way you feel, Eddie… and the way I feel about you… ¿te importaría tener una cita conmigo?”10
"Y-you... y-you... You really..." Eddie cleared his throat nervously, trying not to stutter at such a crucial moment, but his voice seemed paralyzed with horror. "Did you understand everything? All... all of this?!"
“Not everything,” Buck shook his head, trying to catch Eddie's eye. “But… a lot. You were mumbling under your breath, but I heard some of the phrases.” Eddie looked confused. Buck cupped his face and smiled. “Look at me.”
Eddie's gaze immediately flicked to Buck. Despite how flustered he felt, he strangely found comfort as Buck cupped his clean-shaven cheeks. Eddie gently pressed his face into Buck's palm, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again and nodding at Buck, making no attempt to hide the love clearly visible in his gaze.
"I see you, Eddie," Buck smiled softly and tenderly. "I know you. And I feel the same way. About you."
Eddie's breath caught in his throat at Buck's words, his heart pounding. He wrapped one hand around Buck's and looked back into the beautiful blue eyes he adored so much. His mind was still racing, but the new wave of panic was slowly receding.
“Really? You... you feel the same way? About me?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m crazy about you.” Buck’s thumb brushed Eddie’s cheek. “And the idea of couples' Halloween costumes is my excuse to spend more time with you. Me agreeing to be Morticia… and this language kink between her and Gomez… it’s another reason to be closer to you, Eddie.”
“Dios mío…” Eddie beamed and coughed sheepishly. He pulled Buck closer by the waist and captured him in another deep kiss. It wasn’t as breathtaking and fierce as the last one; it mirrored what Eddie felt in his heart. He gently cupped Buck’s face, kissing him slowly and sweetly.
After a moment, he pulled back slightly, but his eyes never left Buck's. If Eddie tried to describe what he was feeling right now... dizzy, lightheaded, excited, and ecstatic.
“You will be the perfect Morticia.”
Buck chuckled softly, looking at Eddie from beneath his eyelashes, and pressed his forehead against Eddie's.
“Ah, stop it! You'd look great in a black-and-white striped suit like Gomez's,” he laughed. “So... do you want to hang out tomorrow after our shift as... a couple?”
Eddie smiled happily in response and nodded, his heart skipping a beat at the word “couple.”
“Yeah. I want to, Buck. I’d love to hang out with you… as a couple,” he purred, then nuzzled into Buck’s neck, his neatly trimmed mustache tickling his skin.
Buck wrapped his arms around Eddie's back, pulling him closer, and sighed with satisfaction, stroking his lower back with his fingertips. Eddie hummed blissfully, basking in the warmth of his body, and then placed a light, ticklish kiss on Buck's throat when a tempting idea suddenly came to him.
“How do you feel about performing the Morticia and Gomez tango?”
Buck's palms froze.
"You want to tango with me?" he snorted, and Eddie lifted his head with a smile to meet his gaze.
"I'll teach you," he promised, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It’s a very… tactile dance. Lots of touching… hugging… and passion,” he finished dramatically with a breath.
Buck looked at him with a challenge.
“Sounds almost as good as... horizontal tango. It involves a lot of hugging and touching too.”
Eddie raised his right eyebrow playfully, unable to believe that Buck had actually said that... that he was so bluntly and shamelessly hinting at sex.
“Want to teach me the horizontal tango, querido?”
Buck's lips curled into a smile, giving an eloquent promise.