Archive of Our Own ^beta

2023 SEASON 

“There is much to say about the league this year.” 

Evan Buckley shifts in his chair, watching Taylor Kelly as she refuses to let her eyes leave his. 

Interviewers were always like that with him. They never gave him a moment to breathe, always watching him during their conversations, as if the lies he was spewing could be caught from the way his eyes moved. 

He exhales. “Is there, Ms. Kelly?” he swallows thickly, praying his microphone doesn’t pick it up. “I haven’t really had the chance to keep up with other teams.”

He was lying, of course.

Every night, much to his coach’s dismay, he would set aside time to look into other players, learning what made them tick and their common moves so he could go to practice and have the ability to one-up them.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t confident or comfortable with his own abilities.

He was twenty-four, and he was one of the most beloved soccer players. And sure, originally he wanted to accomplish that goal and quote-on-quote title by the time he was twenty-one, but he didn’t. So, he just moved forward, setting his mind forward, towards the next goal.

People online gushed about him during off-weeks, he got passive aggressive messages reminding him to drink water, it was everything that he could have hoped for.

“Yes.” Taylor says, and Buck can see panic settling in. She clearly hadn’t thought about how this would go if he didn’t have much to say surrounding her planned talking points. “Obviously, there are the people on your team. Henrietta Wilson, Howard Han, Jonah Greenway…” he nods. His own team mates, he could easily talk about for hours. “But, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Edmundo Diaz.”

Buck winces.

Taylor smiles.

Shit.

Edmundo Diaz, from what Buck understood, was a twenty-six year old from Texas. He was moving through the ranks, and he had been star power on the field ever since he started playing. For now, until a team permanently picked him up, he was floating. One week he played for one team, and the next week, he played for another team.

And Buck had to admit that he was talented. The way that he moved through the field, never stopping when he had the ball, but he also knew when to pass it, allowing another team mate to take it to the goal. He was skilled, and Buck hated it.

He didn’t have a coach that had to help him through every move like Buck did.

He didn’t have to run from his house just to make a name for himself like Buck did. 

He didn’t have to walk around watching what he said about who he was in a relationship with just because he wasn’t out of the closet like Buck did.

He didn’t—.

Taylor leans forward, eyes wide. 

Buck sighs. “I can’t stand the guy, honestly.”

Oh.

He wasn’t supposed to say that. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise, and Taylor’s eyes were locked, staring into his soul like he was her pray, and she was ready to pounce.

Then, the flood gates burst open.

“Explain.”

EVAN BUCKLEY ON FUTURE OF THE LEAGUE CONDUCTED BY TAYLOR KELLY JANUARY 26 2023, EDITED JANUARY 27 2023 

Evan Buckley, 24, has been rising through the ranks and narrowly avoiding most calls from Taylor Kelly, however, on the 26th of January 2023, he finally agreed to sit down. 

If you have managed to exist in today’s age without hearing of the twenty-four year-old, that makes one of us. Evan is a player for the 118 soccer team, based in Los Angeles, California, and he is easily the most popular member of the team. 

As of our interview and discussion, Buckley has 10.3 million follows on Instagram, as well as 1.3 million on Twitter/X (@ebuckley for both). For comparison, this time two years ago when he had just started in the league, he had 900k and 120k followers. 

Below you will find some highlights of our conversation.

How does he feel about the sudden fame? What up and coming player does he have a problem with? Where does he seem himself moving in the league, if anywhere? The full conversation can be found here as of the 27th of January.

KELLY: So, as a native of Pennsylvania, do you ever find yourself wishing that you had played for a Pennsylvanian team instead of coming out to California?

BUCKLEY: To be honest, no. The soccer scene in Pennsylvania is much less serious than the one in California. I did play in high school, but other than that, I’ve never considered playing there. Plus, soccer and California was calling me.

KELLY: Makes sense. 

KELLY: So, how do you feel about all of the attention that you’ve been getting recently? I imagine the shift hasn’t been easy.

BUCKLEY: Oh, it hasn’t been. But, my coach Bobby Nash has been great through it all. Plus, my sister, Maddie Buckley-Han, and Athena Grant-Nash, Bobby’s wife, have taken it upon themselves to more or less manage me. So if I ever have any kind of problem, I go straight to them. [Pauses] I don’t think everyone is cut out for the fame, though. It’s a hard business and lifestyle.

KELLY: Any specific incident that comes to your mind to make you say that? Or is that more of a general statement/observation you’ve made since becoming a figure-head?

BUCKLEY: No, nothing specific. I just figured I’d use my time with you and in this setting to say that. I see young people trying to sky-rocket themselves with the idea in their head that it’s easy, but it’s not. I just want to make sure they know what they’re getting themselves into.

KELLY: Do you see yourself in this league forever?

BUCKLEY: Forever? God, no. [Laughs] But for now, it pays the bills and I get most holidays off. I can’t really complain, yet. I’m enjoying my time. But I know that at some point, I’ll step down. Give some young people the chance they deserve to be in the spotlight.

KELLY: There’s much to say about the league this year.

BUCKLEY: Is there, Ms. Kelly? I haven’t really had the chance to keep up with other teams.

KELLY: Yes. Obviously, there are the people on your team. Henrietta Wilson, Howard Han, Jonah Greenway… But, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Edmundo Diaz.

For those of you that do not know of Edmundo Diaz, 26, he is a up and coming player who originates from Texas. As of right now, he is a floater waiting for the perfect team to pick him up permanently. 

People online have said that Diaz is the new Buckley.

BUCKLEY: I can’t stand the guy, honestly.

KELLY: Explain. I mean, from my perspective, he seems like an okay player. Have the two of you had an unpleasant interaction to make you feel this way?

BUCKLEY: [Hesitantly] Okay, can’t stand, can you italicize that for me, please? Might be a little bit of a stretch. Truthfully, I haven’t met the guy. He hasn’t floated his way over to the 118 yet. I can’t imagine he will, either.

KELLY: And why is that?

BUCKLEY: He doesn’t seem to be the right fit for other teams, I can’t imagine that he will work for the 118. Plus, I mean, I’m already on the team. They don’t need two aces, do they? What kind of game would that be?

Taylor Kelly’s article comes out at 12:30pm on a Thursday. By 12:45pm, Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz are sitting on a zoom call together.

Buck had gotten an email (as well as a strongly worded text) from Athena. The email insisted that he had to join a meeting with Eddie and the text was more or less her just yelling at him with language that the manager of the league would have major problems with. But Buck kept his mouth shut, rolled his eyes and joined the meeting regardless.

There was no point in making a big deal about it, he couldn’t physically stir the pot anymore than he already did.

So, Buck is staring at Eddie. 

Buck’s camera is off for the moment, mostly because he didn’t want to see Eddie and because he didn’t need Eddie to see him while he watched him.

Eddie’s hair is loose and free, and there’s a single piece of hair on his forehead. Unlike the rest of his hair, it’s curling around in a circle in a way that reminds Buck of a pasta noodle. His house, office probably, seems put together. Behind Eddie, just out of focus are posters of other soccer players. He can’t quite see who they are posters of, but Buck shrugs it off. It was probably narcissistic of him to think that Eddie would have a picture of him on his wall, so he sighs and turns on his camera.

Eddie blinks, and the two make eye contact.

(Eye is a stretch since the two are just on a zoom meeting and not standing in front of each other, but Buck counts it anyways. Plus, he doesn’t really want to meet Eddie if avoidable.)

Eddie’s microphone turns on and Buck panics. 

He knew better than to unmute himself, so he just watches. Watches as Eddie visually deliberates, his mouth curving into a soft smile and opening slowly.

“Evan.” he says slowly.

Buck lets out a breath, unmuting his own microphone. “Diaz.”

“Don’t call me Diaz.”

“Don’t call me Evan.”

“What am I supposed to call you, then?” Eddie challenges. “Isn’t that the name on the back of your jersey? ‘Evan 13’, right? It’s your username on Social Media, is it not?”

“It’s ‘Buckley 13’.” Buck corrects slowly. What world Eddie lived in that he thought someones first name would be written on their jersey, Buck didn’t want to know. “And I go by Buck.”

Eddie leans back. “I’m surprised your girlfriend didn’t call you that before you ripped me to shreds, then.”

“My what?” Buck stutters, slightly shaking. “And I did not rip you to shreds. You can’t rip someone with a nonexistent career to shreds.”

“It is not nonexistent.” Eddie retorts. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t privileged enough that my father bought my way into the league. I didn’t realize that had to be how I started to have a shred of your respect.”

And that.

That is something Buck wasn’t expecting.

Because the last time Buck checked, he didn’t have a relationship with his father. Much less that his father had any kind of pull in the league that he was working his way through.

The last time Buck had spoken to Phillip Buckley, he was a businessman in Hershey, Pennsylvania. And that was the reality Buck lived with his time growing up. Every time Buck had a soccer game, he couldn’t make it because he was always somehow busy doing something vague with business that Buck didn’t care enough to understand. 

He never mentioned his father in interviews, and he never waltzed the line of interacting with anything related to a bad father/son relationship online with the fear that people might see ‘liked by @ebuckley’ and jump to conclusions.

(Those conclusions would most likely be correct, but that was not the point.)

“My father did not buy my way anywhere.” he replies shortly, turning off his camera and muting his microphone once more. He watches Eddie’s face, and the lack of remorse makes him shiver.

Eddie mutes himself soon after, and before Buck can leave for a second to throw up from the rage and anxiety roaming in his stomach, Athena and Bobby join the meet.

“Buckley.” Bobby says immediately. “Camera on.”

Buck rolls his eyes, turns his camera on and unmutes. “Hi coach.” he replies, ignoring Eddie who is just watching him. “So… what’s going on?”

“I’m leaving that to my wife.”

Athena nods, kisses Bobby on the cheek and centers herself in the camera frame. “Buckley. While that interview and what you said about Diaz has brought the 118 a lot of attention, it has also put us in some hot water. Especially with the news of Greenway not returning for this upcoming season.” 

“Jonah’s out?”

“Greenway is out.” Athena repeats. “He has decided that a different sport, in a different state might be a better fit for him. That being said, we need to replace him. Training starts next month and Bobby would rather train with a full team rather than a trade in every practice.”

Buck nods. “Okay? How does my interview affect this?”

“Our best bet is for Diaz to join us.” she says slowly, and Buck breaks. His expression changes in a millisecond and he watches as Athena pulls out her phone. “Diaz got amazing stats during the previous season and he is considered a top player now. Bobby managed to convince him to join the 118 permanently, and with your interview being out, his manager is having second thoughts about this.”

Before Buck can think of something better to say, he says; “You have a manager?”

And Eddie, the cocky ass, smirks. “Yes. Just because I don’t seem to be the right fit for any other teams, that doesn’t mean I’m not being managed.”

“Okay, so, if my interview screwed us, what do you need me to do?” Buck asks, promptly ignoring Eddie. If he started fighting him, he wasn’t going to stop until he won and he didn’t need to do that right now. He could save that for later.

Athena purses her lips and Buck can hear her exhale. “The two of you, together, need to go on a podcast that is going to air in two weeks.” he opens his mouth to say something but she raises a hand. “All you need to do is go on there and discuss being teammates and say that you got over whatever problems you had with Diaz.” 

“What podcast?”

“Sports Declassified.” Athena responds.

And Buck almost cries.

Sports Declassified was a podcast hosted by Tommy Kinard, who was a retired soccer player. He never got anywhere of note with his career, mostly just existing as a permanent floater.

The only thing that he did of note was play for the 136 the year that they won the championship. He had taken that victory, let it go straight to his head and said that it was because of him that the incompetent 136 managed to win because of him.

That aside, Buck had made an appearance on Sports Declassified right before the 118 picked him up, and Kinard as well as his co-host kept insisting that Buck must have slept with someone to get to a good team so quickly without having to float.

Buck, naturally, panicked.

The episode came out and it was one of the most viewed episodes that they had done, so naturally, they kept reaching out to Buck to see if he wanted to do some kind of follow up.

(The headline “Evan Buckley Lets his Anger Out” was plastered across various news stands and Twitter the next day. Buck didn’t leave his room for a week.)

“Oh! I love that podcast!” Eddie says, his voice laced with the most happiness Buck had heard. “It was the podcast I listened to on podcast Fridays at the gym. When is that interview going to be shot?”

Athena smiles. “It is being shot next week. I expect both of you to be on your best behaviors.” she sighs. “And Buckley, following Diaz on Twitter might be a good start. Just to start soothing the waters.”

“You’re right.” Buck says through gritted teeth.

“I’m glad we agree.” Eddie responds.

Buck breathes out. “Don’t get used to it, Diaz.”

And he promptly leaves the call.

Soon after, he does get a notification from Twitter; “@ediaz started following you!” and if he waits a few hours to follow him back, than he does.

Evan Buckley Updates @buckleyupdates

Evan Buckley has reportedly followed Eddie Diaz on Twitter as well as Instagram!

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char 🌿@dqstcrdly

Replying to @buckleyupdates

after what he said the other day i’m not surprised

mon ༘☆ @bckddiaz

how do i make this about evan and eddie friendship

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willem dafoe @pinkponydiaz

Replying to @bckddiaz

how do i make this about evan just hates him at this is his manager trying to make sure that he doesn’t ruin his career by hating eddie 

kay ♡🫶 @drewnotsogooden

someone put evan in pr jail at this point

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collette @cloudyycolfer

Replying to @drewnotsogooden

pr jail is for movie stars he’s just a guy

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kay ♡🫶 @drewnotsogooden

Replying to @cloudyycolfer

i think they can make an exception for him

Evan Buckley ✓ @ebuckley

Did y’all know most angler fish that people are scared of are actually female and not male like most people believe them to be?

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ez ☾ @bottomdiaz

Replying to @ebuckley 

what does this have to do with soccer

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collette @cloudyycolfer

Replying to @ebuckley @bottomdiaz

don’t listen to her evan

Buck meets Eddie for the first time on a Wednesday.

And, okay.

The fact that people outside of the 118 don’t know aside, Buck is extremely bisexual.

Therefore, he can admit that Eddie is nice to look at. He can admit that in person, Eddie’s face looks warm and like if Buck were to somehow be close to him, he could find comfort in the way that he smiles. He can also admit that the way Eddie is looking at him makes him uncomfortable.

“I feel like we got off on the wrong foot.”

Buck turns to him. “What foot did we get off on?”

“The… wrong one?” Eddie repeats, his eyebrows furrowed. “I just think that if we’re going to be teammates, then we should try and get along. Plus, you said it yourself, we’re both good at what we do. We could easily help the 118—”

Buck shakes his head. “You won’t last on the 118.”

Eddie stumbles backwards. “What are you talking about? I’ve had a few meetings with the coach, he seems to be pretty confident in my abilities as a player. Plus, I don’t know if you’ve seen any of my stats, but a lot of teams have heavily praised me.”

“Let me ask you a question, pretty boy. If you’ve been so heavily praised, as you say, why have you been floating from team to team without any of them choosing you? You do know that the only reason the 118 chose you is because we need you, right? We don’t want you.”

And Eddie… looks… almost defeated.

His eyes are overcast, and he’s watching every movement Buck makes like a hawk.

“Are you threatened by me?”

“Of course not.” Buck retorts. “I am on the 118 because I was chosen during tryouts. Not because the were in desperate need of another player to fill the roster.”

“Are you sure that’s why you’re here?”

Buck sighs. “Of course I am. Why else would I be here? How else would I have gotten to this point in the league so fast?”

Eddie grins, teeth on full display. “Maybe because your dad is the coach.” he says, lifting one finger. “Or, could it possibly be because your girlfriend is one of the most beloved reporters who loves to do sports coverage?” he lifts another finger. 

Buck inhales.

“Alright, gentleman. We’re ready for you.”

Buck exchanges a quick glance with Eddie and walks into the podcast recording room. His eyes drift to the host immediately, and a chill goes down his spine at the sight of him, but he extends a hand anyways.

“Evan.” Tommy says. “Good to see you again.”

“It’s still Buck.”

He moves his hand away from Tommy and turns so that he can speak to Eddie. “And you must be Eddie! I’m—”

“Tommy Kinard, host of Sports Declassified, I know.” Eddie says, his voice laced with the same excitement he had on the video call with Athena, shaking his hand. “You know, meeting you has been on my bucket list since I joined the league.” 

“You haven’t joined the league, yet.”

“So, what is this beef about, anyways?”

“There’s no beef, Kinard.”

Buck can feel Eddie’s eyes on him, but he just lets out a breath and sits in front of one of the microphones, praying that everything went quickly enough that he could erase it from his brain.

The recording process of the podcast goes fine, all things considered.

Afterwards, Buck and Eddie are walking out when Eddie grabs Buck by the fabric of his shirt, like if he lets go the floor beneath them will break, ending their lives.

“What the—” 

Eddie shoves Buck into a supply closet and Buck wants to die. The close contact with Eddie makes him squirm right out of his skin, and the intensity that is being held by Eddie’s gaze doesn’t help.

“Okay, listen. Like it or not, we are going to be teammates. And I’m not about to sit here and say that we need to be friends.” Buck nods. “However, you seem hellbent on us being enemies and I want to know why. If there’s going to be beef between us, I want to know the origin.”

“There’s no beef.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “You told a reporter on the record that you couldn’t stand me. And you’ve been nothing but cold to me since we met.”

“You’ve only known me for two hours, tops.”

“And I’ve followed your career for a year!” 

Buck sucks in a breath. “Excuse me?”

“Do you need me to spell it out for you?” Eddie almost shouts. Buck doesn’t say anything and just stands there, his mouth agape. “I’ve been following your career for a year. I watched you play with the 118 last season. Hell, I watched your try-outs that they made public after you got chosen! And I thought that maybe if I ever got into the league that… I don’t know! That I could meet you. That I could thank you for inspiring me to get into this!”

Buck staggers backwards. “Well, they say never meet your heroes for a reason.” Before Eddie can get a word in, Buck continues. “And, if I may, can I ask, if you wanted to meet me so bad, why are you being an asshole?”

“Me?”

“Yes!” Buck shouts. “What kind of assumption is it that my father bought me a place in the league when you apparently watched me try out, same as everyone else? What kind of assumption is it that Taylor Kelly of all people is my girlfriend? Do you really think that if she were my girlfriend that what I said about you would have been made public?”

Eddie’s eyes widen. “Because your father is the coach, of course—!”

“Bobby?” Buck interrupts.

“No, your other father! Yes, Bobby.”

“Bobby isn’t my father.”

“What?”

Buck lets out a breath. “Bobby, the coach of the 118, is not my father.” he says slowly. “He’s just my coach. Sure, I have a good relationship with him and I kind of see him as my dad, but legally…”

Eddie shrinks into himself. “And I’m assuming…”

“Taylor isn’t my girlfriend, either. Just like I told you on the zoom meeting.” Buck insists. “I’ve never dated Taylor, and I’m never going to date Taylor. We’re not even friends. She’s just a reporter who’s desperate to interview me because she knows it’ll get her views.”

The two sit in silence for a few minutes before Eddie opens his mouth, breaking the moments of peace that Buck had taken solitude in.

“You never answered my question.” he says, voice barely above a whisper. “You clearly have some kind of problem with me. If we’re going to be teammates, I want to know why.”

“Because you’re good.” Buck tells him. “Because I’ve worked my ass off since I was in high school to get to this point and you waltz in, talented.” he lets out a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Even when the 118 chose me, Bobby still had to privately coach me away from the rest of the team for months. Because he saw potential. He didn’t see someone who was already great. And then you get brought in because you can replace Gree— Jonah easily. Because you don’t need extra coaching. You don’t need extra help away from the group to ensure that the team won’t fall apart once you’re added. It was a risk for Bobby to add me. I was just some kid from Pennsylvania. He’s shaped me into what the public loves.”

Eddie sighs, heaving in a breath. “So, what, you’re…”

“Don’t say scared, Diaz. I’m not scared.”

“I wasn’t going to say scared!”

Buck rolls his eyes. “Yes, you were.”

“No, I wasn’t.” he says, quieter, like lowering his tone will make Buck understand. “You do know how terrifying it is to be me right now, right? I mean, I’m working alongside players I’ve idolized as their equal. I’m terrified to properly be in the public eye, I mean, I’ve already turned off the ability to reply to my Instagram stories.”

“Were you posting thirst traps?”

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Why, are you interested?”

“No.”

“I just, it’s not easy being in this line of work. Like you said. And, I mean, I don’t know, having someone be on my side from the 118 would have been easier. Eased me into the world slower.”

Buck smiles softly. “Well, I’m by your side now.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Buck parrots. “Can I ask one question, though?” Eddie nods. “Why did we have this conversation in a closet?”

SPORTS DECLASSIFIED: EVAN BUCKLEY AND EDDIE DIAZ EPISODE #102 EXCERPT 2 FEBRUARY 2023

KINARD: Welcome to Sports Declassified episode one hundred and two! Today, we have very special guests. With me in the studio we have Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley!

DIAZ: Hi! Thank you for having me!

BUCKLEY: Hello. Thank you for having me again, Kinard.

KINARD: Tommy is fine with me, Evan.

BUCKLEY: And Buck is fine with me.

KINARD: [clears throat] Yes. Well, Buck, I’m sure everyone listening is curious as to how you and Eddie are doing after your interview with Taylor Kelly was made public.

BUCKLEY: We’re doing fine.

DIAZ: Yep. Once Evan and I worked through everything, it’s all good. Nothing to be concerned about! Nothing that is going to ruin this upcoming season or anything.

BUCKLEY: Yes… Eddie and I are in a much better place with each other now. And I look forward to playing on the field with him during this season. I think he’s going to be a great addition to the 118.

KINARD: I’m sure everyone is looking forward to this season! Eddie, how do you feel about joining such a prominent team in the league?

DIAZ: I’m looking forward to it! I’ve been following the 118 for quite some time now, so I think it’s going to be nice to properly be on the team rather than just watching from the sidelines where I’ve been since I was a teenager.

KINARD: You’re from Texas, correct? [DIAZ nods] That’s a pretty big move. Is there anything about Texas that you miss or was it an all around happy change for you?

DIAZ: I mean, I’m going to miss my sisters, but being out here means that I can chase something I’ve wanted since I was younger. It’s a blessing, really. And I’m looking forward to it.

BUCKLEY clears his throat. 

KINARD: Something you would like to add, Evan?

BUCKLEY: No, of course not. I just had something in my throat. Please, I insist, carry on.

KINARD: Alright… So, Buck, it was made public that Jonah Greenway left the 118. How do you think that is going to affect the dynamic of the team?

BUCKLEY: Other than the fact that naturally we have his replacement joining us, I don’t think it will really change much. The 118 has always been a well-working machine and one little change and replacement isn’t going to shake us this upcoming year, I don’t think.

Sports Declassified ✓ @ sportsdeclassified  

New episode with @ebuckley and @ediaz is now live! I had so much fun chatting with them about all things soccer. We talked rumors, the future of the 118 with Eddie’s introduction and more!

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moon @fogwrites

Replying to @sportsdeclassified @ebuckley @ediaz

on a scale from 1-10 rate their sexual tension go

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spence !! @buddiecoded

Replying to @fogwrites

on main is insane btw

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moon @fogwrites

Replying to @buddiecoded

what are you saying youre not curious

✧｡⋆ maia ⋆｡✧ @meeksirl

what is up with buck and eddie jeez

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bee @ummrys

Replying to @meeksirl

at this point put them in a room

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Eddie Diaz ✓ @ediaz

Replying to @ummrys

We already got one, don’t worry.

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bee @ummrys

Replying to @ediaz

CRAZY THING TO SAY HELLO?

ੈ✩‧₊˚ lex 𖦹 @castlutz

did anyone else get the vibe that evan prefers being called buck or was that just a me thing

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rory @soulsuckerbuck

Replying to @castlutz

no, i noticed it too !! he seemed uncomfortable when tommy kept calling him evan. idk if that’s a new thing though he’s never publicly said anything about a name preference

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charlie🍂 @mooneyedbuck

Replying to @castlutz

i think he’s said a few times that he like the name buck but i could be imagining that

Evan Buckley ✓ @ebuckley

I’m sure you guys already know but if you didn’t, I had the honor of appearing on @sportsdeclassified again! If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do :) I had a lot of fun!

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Evan Buckley ✓ @ebuckley

Replying to @ebuckley @sportsdeclassifed

Yes, by the way, I’ve seen people asking, I do prefer being called Buck! Evan is just my birth name and therefore my professional name, but I do want to change my legal name eventually! 

Eddie properly joins the 118 and starts training with everyone and Buck feels fine.

Sure, initially it’s weird to see him with Hen and Chimney learning to run plays that Buck has known for months like he’s a baby deer and it’s his first time standing, but he gets used to it. 

He learns to get comfortable with the ‘Diaz 8’ written on the back of a blue and black jersey that matches Buck’s ‘Buckley 13’ that he had gotten so used to wearing.

He learns to get comfortable passing the pall to Eddie during practice, rather than ignoring the position that he was playing like he was so used to doing with Jonah. 

Eventually, though, Buck comes to a staggering realization; he’s not out to Eddie.

And sure, he had come out to the 118 because they felt like family, but since he had done that, they had all gotten so used to making comments about how his taste in women and men sucked, and he found himself laughing at every chance he got.

But, recently, they weren’t making those jokes.

Because Eddie didn’t know.

And sure, Eddie didn’t really need to know. Who Buck dated and with whom he spent his time with wasn’t really something that concerned him, but it was apart of him. It was apart of him that he was semi-comfortable with and he wanted Eddie to know.

He wanted to go to work and be surrounded by people who were going to be supportive of him. Which was another reason that he hadn’t properly come out to the older man, he just wasn’t sure how he was going to react.

Sure, he had reacted positively when Hen told him about her wife, but that, all things concerned, was small. He could have easily masked his true reaction, hiding his disgust from her. 

It’s the first game of the season when it comes out.

(Pun very much intended.)

It wasn’t really planned, Buck had just let it slip. It started with a simple question from Hen while they were getting ready; “So, what plans do you guys have for this weekend?”

“Time with the wife and kids, you know how it goes.” Chimney responds, lacing his shoes. “Maddie is actually coming to see this game! She managed to get a sitter for Jee.”

Eddie smiles. “Not much, to be honest. Probably just going to call my sisters on my drive home and spend the weekend relaxing after the game.”

“What about you, Buck?”

“Oh, I finally managed to match with someone on one of those damn dating apps Maddie has been insisting I download.” Buck replies, without thinking. “He and I are going out for drinks tomorrow. No soccer talk, either, I banned it while we were picking the place.”

“So, no sports bar?” Chimney questions.

Buck nods. “Exactly! A lot of the bars around here are obsessed with playing our games on repeat.” he replies, turning to Eddie. “Last season when we beat 123, they would not stop… what?”

“Nothing.” Eddie tells him, slipping on his shoes and running a quick hand through his hair. “Do you think it’ll work out, with him, I mean. I can’t imagine dating is easy when you’re you.”

Buck frowns. “Oh, I mean, it’s not hard, or anything. I tend to—” he pauses, stares at Eddie. Eddie who just said, with him. Eddie, who knows that Buck… Oh. “Oh shit.”

“You know it’s fine, right?” Eddie asks him. “With me.” 

“I do now, yes.” Buck responds. “You’re not… I don’t know, you’re not weirded out by it or anything? I know some straight dudes have a problem when their buddies come out.”

“I don’t have any problems with it, Buck.”

Buck smiles. “Okay, good.”

“If you two are done having you’re moment, can we get going, please! The game starts… two minutes ago!” Hen exclaims, dramatically tapping her wrist where a watch would be.

They end up winning the game against the 136, and when Buck goes online and sees people saying that Eddie is just as talented as Buck, for the first time, he doesn’t have a problem with it.

EDDIE DIAZ ON JOINING THE 118 AND HIS FORMERLY ROCKY RELATIONSHIP WITH EVAN BUCKLEY CONDUCTED BY TAYLOR KELLY APRIL 2 2023, EDITED APRIL 3 2023

Eddie Diaz, 26, former floater, has seemingly gotten pretty comfortable with his new team of the 118. Right before the season started, news broke that Jonah Greenway would be making his departure from the league. While this would have come as a shock and would have been a topic that was covered, the topic on everyone’s mind in the soccer world was Eddie Diaz replacing him.

Prior to joining the 118, Eddie originated from El Paso, Texas and has been floating for just under a year, moving from team to team helping whoever needed a stand in. However, since landing the gig with the 118 and multiple viral tweets about his relationship and dynamic with fellow 118 member Evan Buckley, Taylor Kelly has finally managed to sit down and have a discussion with him.

Below you will find some highlights of the conversation. The full interview, as always, can be found here on the 3rd of April.

KELLY: So, Eddie, thank you for meeting with me. I have to say, you are much easier to get a hold of than Evan. He spent months dodging my calls.

DIAZ: Maybe he just didn’t want to talk to you. [Pauses] [Laughs] Kidding! It’s good to be here, Ms. Kelly. I’m looking forward to this.

KELLY: Alright, so, I have to ask. After Evan’s interview a few months ago, you were in some hot water. Did the sudden wave of attention affect you in anyway?

DIAZ: Not really, no. I mean, sure, waking up after the article was published to see myself trending a bunch of missed calls from my manager wasn’t great, but the public other than that has been great. Plus, existing fans of the 118 have welcomed me with open arms.

KELLY: I’m glad to hear that. [Pauses] How are you and Evan doing now? I imagine that as teammates, there isn’t much time for a disagreement. 

DIAZ: Buck and I are definitely on better terms. I don’t think that the means and the way that we mended our relationship is really something that should be made public, but we are over whatever issues we had.

KELLY: I’m glad. A lot of fans have been very invested in your relationship, it’s good to hear that the two of you are doing better.

DIAZ: Oh yeah. He’s actually one of my best friends now. Not to say that Chimney and Hen haven’t been great, because they have been. But I spend a lot of time with Buck. He’s been helping me a lot, get used to this whole ‘in the spotlight’ stuff. It’s new, but he’s been great.

KELLY: That’s great to hear. So, I have to ask, how long do you see yourself being in this league? I mean, you’ve raised through the ranks quite quickly, do you see yourself here forever?

DIAZ: Recycling questions, Ms. Kelly? [Laughs] Anyways. Forever? Of course not. I never thought I would get this far, much less be able to stay here forever. Ultimately, eventually, I want to settle down. Start a family, the whole thing. I’ll be here for as long as the league will have me. If that’s one season, if that’s two seasons… it’s whatever happens.

KELLY: Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say that I hope that you stay in this league longer than just one season.

DIAZ: Oh, me too. I just have to be slightly pessimistic. 

Six months into the season, Buck makes a mistake.

He’s out bar-hopping, alone, which was his first big mistake. He was okay at holding his alcohol, that was never the concern or something people were concerned with when it came to him.

However, the minute had a few drinks in his system, his motor functions that told him how to keep his career alive fizzled out.

The second big mistake was that he wasn’t paying attention.

He wasn’t paying attention as he and a guy he had met at a bar slipped into an alleyway.

He wasn’t paying attention when the guy shoved him against the wall, kissed him, wrapping his arms around his neck and running his fingers through his curls.

He wasn’t paying attention when he moaned into the kiss, deepening it indefinitely.

He wasn’t paying attention when a simple SNAP echoed through the alley. 

And he definitely wasn’t paying attention when the whole alley was lit up in white light for a millisecond before being brought back to darkness, his mind only full of the man in front of him.

Evan Buckley Updates @buckleyupdates

Evan Buckley has been reportedly spotted with a mystery man in downtown California!

50.6k Retweets 100.2k Quote Tweets 400.3k Likes

|

jor @jhutchify

Replying to @buckleyupdates

this is a really weird thing to tweet

|

luna @fitzcmobi

Replying to @buckleyupdates @jhutchify

yeah fr… ik it’s technically an “update” but

ethan @blackcoffeebuck

we should normalize not spreading the pictures of buck that the “updates” account tweeted

|

em @bvckleydiazz 

Replying to @blackcoffeebuck

people are spreading them??

|

ethan @blackcoffeebuck

Replying to @bvckleydiazz

yeah unfortunately :(

✧｡⋆ maia ⋆｡✧ @meeksirl

ik i asked about the tension between buck and eddie a few weeks ago but please don’t start spreading the pictures of him that came out this morning

|

collette @cloudyycolfer

Replying to @meeksirl

obviously you’re correct, but that was months ago…

|

✧｡⋆ maia ⋆｡✧ @meeksirl

Replying to @cloudyycolfer

MONTHS?? ARE YOU SURE??

|

collette @cloudyycolfer

Replying to @meeksirl

i’m 100% positive, it was before the season started

tess ☆ @nebuIastarlight

i just woke up why is the tl in shambles

|

Alyx @MySadBlanket 

Replying to @nebuIastarlight

tess please go back to sleep PLEASE

|

tess ☆ @nebuIastarlight

Replying to @MySadBlanket

wait why what happened

|

sofi 🪩 @poetbuckley

Replying to @nebuIastarlight

you don’t want to know.

Evan Buckley is outed on a early September morning. 

And depending on who you ask, he received the news the best way he could.

It wasn’t from checking his social media account which were blowing up with story replies, messages and tweets.

It was from going to respond to the string of texts that Eddie had sent him while he was asleep. 

Eddie:

Buck are you doing okay?

Nobody has managed to reach you

Respond when you wake up

Buck:

other than the hangover yeah i’m okay

why wouldn’t i be okay?

Eddie:

Have you checked Twitter?

Buck:

no? i never check it early in the morning

eddie, please just tell me what happened. if something happened i’d rather find out from you than people being assholes on twitter begging me to address something that doesn’t involve me

Eddie:

This involves you, Buck.

[image.png] description: a screenshot of a tweet from “@buckleyupdates” showcasing photos of buck kissing a man in a barely lit alleyway. details of the other party are unknown, but the flash perfectly captured buck himself.

Buck:

what the fuck

And Buck throws his phone across the room, fit with a bang as it hits the wall and falls to the floor. He makes a quick mental note of where it was so he could grab it later, but his mind was spinning so fast that remembering his phone wasn’t a priority. 

The pictures, what he saw of them, were damning.

He was there, moaning into a man that he had met an hour beforehand. A man who had told him that he was getting too hot and wanted to go outside to get to know him better. A man who had said that he didn’t care that Buck was… well Buck. 

A man who had most likely paid someone to take the photos and leak them.

Because, the thing was, Buck was ashamed that he was bisexual. That wasn’t the problem. He just knew that after Bobby spent the previous season molding him into the picture-perfect player, he couldn’t let that all fall away because of his sexuality.

He couldn’t let everything he had worked for since he was a teenager break in front of him because there was a chance he would fall in love and spend the rest of his life with a man.

And yet, in front him, it was his worst fear.

Everything that he had worked so hard to protect was laying out there for everyone to see. Every close-minded brand that he had partnered with, every big name soccer player in the league that had expressed interest in taking him in eventually, watching him. There were always a million eyes on him, but usually when that happened, it was because he did something good. 

He did something worth watching.

He didn’t do anything this time, and the eyes were suddenly not blinking, watching his every move. Every big reporter was probably flooding his messages more than usual, desperate to be the first one to talk to him after the leak. Every minor reporter was probably there too, actually. Equally in need of one big break to make their career worth the sleepless hours.

Everything was closing in on him.

Every time he did an interview and had to catch himself on pronouns. Every time he had reminded the 118 that they couldn’t bring his love life up in interviews.

(Because for some reason, reporters were obsessed with his love life when he first joined the 118. None of that made sense to him, but there was no point in questioning why anything worked the way it did.)

Eventually, Buck feels his phone buzzing on the floor so much that he was irritated with it. Slowly, he made his way over to its position to find a flood of texts from the 118, tweets he was tagged in, a bunch of missed calls from Athena and a few texts from his parents.

Athena (Manager):

Buck. I’m assuming you saw what happened. Please call me when you get the chance. I promise you this is going to be okay. I’m sorry, kid. I know this isn’t how you wanted this to get out.

He dials her slowly, and she picks up immediately.

“Buck.” she says slowly. “Are you safe?”

He nods weakly and when he realizes she can’t see him, he manages a quiet and muffled, “Yes.” A pause. “Why wouldn’t I be safe?”

“This is a lot, Buck.” Athena says. “I just need to make sure that you’re safe. You know people can be, and I know that this is a lot. Your safety is always my number one priority.”

Buck huffs. “I’m all good, Athena. So, how do we go about fixing this? I mean, I’m not appearing on Sports Declassified again if that’s something you thought I was going to do.”

“Buck, if you need to take a few days—”

“The next game is next week.” Buck interrupts. “I can’t just go back out there, play the sport I love and then do a string of interviews after. You know that they’re all going to ask me about it. It’s better if I just, settle it beforehand, go to the game, and move on. I ask again, what’s the plan?”

Athena lets out a breath. “You’re not going to like it.”

“I don’t like anything about this.” Buck reminds her, a chuckle bubbling to the surface. “One more shitty thing isn’t going to be the thing that breaks the camel’s back.”

“Free your calendar for tomorrow, then. I’ll text you the details.”

Buck nods, thanks her, and lets out another breath once he’s off of the phone, away from prying ears. There’s a new string of notifications that weren’t there before, which momentarily makes him want to crawl into a hole, but he finds Eddie in the sea of them, sends him a quick text to ensure the older man knows he’s alive, and closes his eyes promptly, his mind overwhelmed with thoughts of tomorrow.

(When he comes back to reality, he does end up seeing Eddie’s reply. It’s simple, but he holds it close and prays that nobody ever tries to take it away from him. Because unlike his coming out, nobody was getting in the way of his relationship with Eddie.

Eddie:

I’m here if you need anything.)

EVAN BUCKLEY EXCLUSIVE CONDUCTED BY MAY GRANT SEPTEMBER 30 2023

As we are sure most of you have seen by now, a few days ago, Evan Buckley was seen in the middle of an intimate act with who appears to be a male in an alleyway. 

While the 25 year old soccer player has been reluctant to interviews and persistent on not talking to anyone until he was ready, we managed to get a hold of him. 

Unlike most interviews that have been conducted in the past, however, this was not conducted in a sit down format. Rather, we had Evan Buckley himself come to our studio, say what he wants to say and we are publishing that instead. His manager, Athena Grant-Nash, has been persistent that he does not do a sit down interview style until he is ready.

The following is unedited and what the 25 year old wants everyone to hear right now. Going forward, please be respectful of his wishes and do not try and bombard him on social media desperate to learn intimate details.

Those details are for him, and not us.

GRANT: Whenever you’re ready, Buck.

BUCKLEY: [Inhales] As I’m sure most of you have seen by now, I was seen and photographed kissing a man. Yes, I can confirm, I was indeed kissing a man. And no, this was not some fluke, and it was far from a one time thing. I am here today to tell the truth. While the intimate details of my relationships as well as my sexuality are not something I see myself mentioning often, it has been brought to the spotlight. Therefore, I must follow it swiftly before more speculations are made. Before I continue, I want to say that my sexuality does not change anything about me. I am still a twenty five year old soccer player from Pennsylvania who was given an amazing opportunity to play with the 118, who have become a second family for me. If what I am about to say changes your viewpoint of me, that’s fine. I probably wouldn’t like you as a person anyways. I am bisexual. I have always been bisexual. I have been bisexual since before I joined the league, and I will be bisexual long after I leave the league. It is a part of me. A part that does not affect my soccer playing, which is why I’ve kept it a secret, but a part of me regardless. [Pauses] You can ask me something, May.

GRANT: Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.

BUCKLEY: Please. I can only hear myself talk for so long.

GRANT: Oh. Okay, um, ‘how are you doing’ is a bad question, right? [BUCKLEY shakes his head] Oh. Well, how are you doing then?

BUCKLEY: I’m actually doing pretty okay all things considered.

GRANT: I’m sure you’ve seen the influx of comments regarding this on social media. 

BUCKLEY: I actually haven’t. I’ve been a little nervous to check my tags or anything since the quote-on-quote ‘news’ broke. Um, thank you I guess to the people who are being supportive. I imagine, and hope, some people are being supportive.

GRANT: People are being very supportive. What would you say to the people who maybe, aren’t having such a good reaction to this?

BUCKLEY: I never understood why people felt the need to be assholes about other peoples sexuality. So what, I’ve kissed a man. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m good at my job. My sexuality doesn’t change me, and if there are people who call themselves fans of me that can’t see that, they might have to… what’s the word?

GRANT: Unstan?

BUCKLEY: Unstan! Yes! I don’t want any homophobes or biphobes in my tags and mentions yelling at me about anything. All I want is people telling me that the 118 is going to win at our upcoming game. Because that’s what matters, at the end of the day.

GRANT: Do you think, hypothetically, that if you were to ever have a long-lasting relationship you would talk about them publicly? Even if you were still in the league?

BUCKLEY: [Laughs] Maybe. It’d have to a specific person for that to happen. I don’t think that a lot of people can handle me in general, so I can’t imagine people could handle me with cameras and such on me at all times. If that does happen and they are comfortable being in the spotlight, then, that would be a conversation we’d have privately. 

Evan Buckely is on Twitter/X and Instagram at @ebuckley. While he doesn’t want people going there and yelling at him, following him might be a good idea anyways.

Evan Buckley ✓ @ebuckley

I had the honor of talking to @maygrant about certain photos that came out. I would like to apologize that I haven’t really been around, but thank you for the kind comments. I have seen them, and they do mean a lot to me. I will do my best to keep making you guys proud. <3

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bri LOVES #13 @598stars

Replying to @ebuckley

so proud of you buck <3

|

char 🌿 LOVES #13 @dqstcrdly

Replying to @ebuckley

“what’s the word?” “unstan?” you’re so silly in the best way possible !!

|

collette LOVES #13 !! @cloudyycolfer

Replying to @ebuckley

proud of you buck <3 hate that you had to come out this way, but so proud of you regardless

|

Eddie Diaz ✓ @ediaz

Replying to @ebuckley

Proud of you man. Drinks later is a must

|

Hen Wilson ✓ @hwilson

Replying to @ebuckley

Welcome to the club, Buckley

|

Chimney Han ✓ @chimhan

Replying to @ebuckley @hwilson

he’s never opening twitter again after this whole thing, i hope you know that

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The first game after Buck’s coming out goes… well.

It goes.

And that’s all Buck can ask for. Nothing too terrible happens in the first half, sure, he sees some people waving poorly made poster board saying that gay men shouldn’t be playing sports. 

He makes a mental note to himself to wonder why people can’t seem to grasp the concept that he’s bisexual, and why they only have a problem with men. Because it wasn’t that he wanted Hen to start getting yelled at, but she was out and proud since before she joined the league, and she never shied away from mentioning her wife and family in interviews and online.

However, when he’s walking behind Eddie but before Chimney to go rest for the halftime, he’s pulled aside by Maddie, who pulls him over by his right wrist. 

Maddie was not quote-on-quote ‘in the spotlight’, but she was the one who encouraged Buck to join the 118 and move out to California, and once she saved up enough money and left her relationship with Doug, she followed him.

Soon after he joined the league, she met and fell in love with Chimney, which was a mystery Buck never had the energy to ask her about.

Now she was more or less his biggest cheerleader, his second (less harsh) manager, and the only tie to his childhood that he kept around.

“Evan.” she whisper-shouts. “I have been trying to reach you since yesterday. I thought you were glued to your phone, when did you become so hard to reach?”

“First of all, I’m not glued to anything.” he replies, snatching his wrist out of her grasp. She protests, but he shifts his body away from her, persistent on keeping the distance. “And second of all, I’ve been trying to spend less time on my phone since coming out. Twitter has been a mix of support and my name trending every other hour. It’s been a lot. You know where I live, why didn’t you just come to my house if you needed to talk to me this badly?”

Maddie huffs out a breath. “This is something that I wanted to talk about… not in person.”

“Maddie, please just get to the point. I only have fifteen minutes before I have to get back out there.” Buck tells her, sighing. “Whatever it is…”

“Dad texted me.”

“Okay?” Buck asks, crossing his arms. “He texts you all the time, doesn’t he?”

“Well, yes.” she tells him, her voice slowing down with every syllable that comes out. “But, he texted me about you.”

Buck resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Oh, did he, now?” Yes, technically there were a string of texts from his dad sitting on his own phone, but he hadn’t read any of them, and he didn’t plan on it. “And what does Phillip want?”

“Nothing good.”

“I’m shocked.”

His sister frowns, pursing her lips together. “Just, know that I love you, okay? And know that everyone in this locker room is here for you, okay?”

Buck nods. “I know that Maddie.”

Slowly, she turns her phone to face him. Sitting on her screen is a string of texts from their dad and Buck feels his blood run cold.

Dad:

Maddie. I haven’t managed to get a hold of Evan.

Maddie:

oh, he’s probably just preoccupied right now

i’ll let him know you wanted to talk to him, i’m sure he’ll answer when he has the chance

Dad:

No. Don’t. I don’t want to talk to him.

Do you know why he didn’t deny it?

Maddie:

deny what?

Dad:

The rumors that the gossip channels are spreading.

Maddie:

that he’s bisexual you mean?

Dad:

Whatever the kids are calling it these days.

If I was his management team, he would have been seen kissing a woman by now to bury those rumors before they ruin his career.

Maddie:

they’re not rumors, dad. he publicly addressed his sexuality

Dad:

Whatever.

Just, if you must tell him anything about this conversation, tell him that I don’t want to hear from him until he gets his act together. He’s going to ruin the Buckley name like this.

Buck’s stomach starts doing flips, nausea from the shock setting into his system. His eyes dart up, and he finds Maddie, still standing there, with tears running down her face.

Next to her is Eddie, who is watching Buck with a confused expression on his face.

“What did I just walk in on?” Eddie questions.

Buck huffs out a breath, and a muffled sob comes out with it. “I think…” he tries to breathe, but the only thing that comes out is more tears, his eyes burning. 

Eddie, to his credit, doesn’t panic. He does, however, immediately rush forward, grabbing Buck in a weird combination of a hug and a grounding, rubbing circles on his back. “Take it easy, Buck.” 

Another sob comes out, and Buck can feel the tears running down his cheeks, leaving hot wet marks on his skin and those same tears are dripping onto Eddie’s jersey. “I’m sorry. I… God. I’m…”

“It’s okay.” Eddie turns to Maddie, nodding. “I’ve got him.” Maddie makes some kind of hum in agreement and walks away from the two of them, leaving Buck in Eddie’s arms, his eyes red.

“Are you okay?”

Buck’s stopped shaking, but he feels more tears forming in his eyes. “Yeah, I think so.” he breaks the contact with Eddie, rubbing his eyes. “God, that… I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all good, man. What… what happened?”

“My dad saw my coming out.” Buck responds simply. There’s not much more to say. “He… he told Maddie that I was ruining the Buckley name. Sounds like he disowned me to me.”

“All because…” Eddie ponders. “You like men?”

Buck nods. “Shocking news.” he replies with a wet chuckle. “I mean, I’ve been bisexual my entire life. And I’ve known since I was in high school.”

Eddie purses his lips together, shrugging. “I mean, I’m no dad, but I think if there was a world where I was, I can’t imagine I would ever react poorly to their coming out.” He pauses, and Buck watches as he considers. “Especially under my circumstances.”

Buck is about to reply when—

Under my circumstances.

“What circumstances?” he asks before he can stop himself.

Eddie turns to him, eyes heavy. “I’m gay, Buck.”

And Buck, God Buck could do so many things.

He could lunge forward and kiss him, despite having a moment in time.

He could say how proud he is of him.

He could urge Eddie to not make out with strangers in alleyways.

He could hug him and never let go, keeping him safe from the horrors of the internet. He—

“I didn’t realize.”

Eddie laughs. “You weren’t supposed to realize.” he admits quietly. “I’m not out to many people, I guess. I’m only really properly out to my sisters and you.”

“Eddie.” Buck sighs. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Remember a few months ago when you hated me?”

“I don’t think I ever really hated you…”

Eddie frowns. “Sure…” he pauses, inspecting the younger mans face. “What’s on your mind? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing, I just… be safe, okay?”

“In what regard?”

Buck sighs. “You know in what regard.”

“I don’t plan on kissing men in alleys.” Eddie assures him softly. “If that’s what you mean.” Buck smiles, leaning into Eddie once more. “Plus, I don’t think romance is something on my mind right now. Unless it’s someone special.” 

And Buck moans in the back of his throat at that. 

“You heard that, huh?”

“Yes.” Eddie deadpans. “Something you would like to share with the class?”

“Not right now, no. Eventually, I think, when we’re in a different and better place. I would love to act on something I’ve been feeling for months.”

Eddie purses his lips together, leaning close to Buck’s ear to the point that his lips are touching Buck’s sensitive ear-lobe, “If it’s the same thing I’ve been feeling since before we met, I look forward to it.”

Before Buck can think of something witty to say, Eddie pushes himself off of him, runs his hands down his body all the way down to his thighs (Buck wants to scream) and walks away.

“See you out there, Buckley!”

“Don’t call Buckley, Diaz!”

The 118 Updates @the118

Final game of the season and the 118 have secured the win! Congratulations to Buck Buckley, Eddie Diaz, Henrietta Wilson and Chimney Han! Here’s to 2024/2025! ⚽🔥

|

bia LOVES #13 @diazownsme

Replying to @the118

buck and eddie’s names next to each other i said oh i’m sure

|

ivy @ivyskarma

Replying to @the118

giggling at ‘chimney’ like ok sir

|

ains ♡ LOVES #13 @bi_buckbegins

Replying to @the118

buck and eddie always at the scene of the crime

moon @fogwrites

okay i’m happy the 118 won and everything but…

|

pao @torturedbuckley

Replying to @fogwrites

oomf please don’t say anything

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moon @fogwrites

Replying to @torturedbuckley

BUT WHY WAS THERE TENSION THE SECOND HALF. “it could mean nothing” THIS MEANS SOMETHING TO #ME

collette LOVES #13 !! @cloudyycolfer

oomf yapping about buck eddie tension and i’m just giggling at the look on buck’s face after he scored the winning goal like…

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moon @fogwrites

Replying to @cloudyycolfer

you could just @ me next time goddamn,,

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collette LOVES #13 !! @cloudyycolfer

Replying to @fogwrites

oomf is @fogwrites and they’re owning this

|

moon @fogwrites

Replying to @cloudyycolfer

i will be remembering this

Eddie Diaz ✓ @ediaz

And that’s the end of my first season with the 118, which is also my first full season with a regular team. Thank you to the fans of the 118 and @bnash for accepting me and bringing me into this world with open arms. I will be forever grateful.

|

Bobby Nash ✓ @bnash

Replying to @ediaz

Happy to have you here, #8. Here’s to more seasons.

|

Evan Buckley ✓ @ebuckley

Replying to @ediaz

My arms will always be open for you, Diaz

|

Eddie Diaz ✓ @ediaz

Replying to @ebuckley

Remember when you hated me?

|

Evan Buckley ✓ @ebuckley

Replying to @ediaz

I don’t recall that at all, no.

2024 SEASON

The break between seasons brought a lot of changes for Evan Buckley.

The first one being that he has blood clots that reopen. And, okay, yes. To most people, that would probably be the one that was the most important. The fact that he was comfortably existing one minute and throwing up blood the next wasn’t ideal, sure. But he managed to get cleared for light playing during the upcoming season, so he didn’t have much room to complain.

The next thing is that Maddie tells him she’s pregnant. The fact that he’s going to be an uncle hits him straight in the heart and when she later tells him that she’s having a girl, he squeals, hugs her and swings her around, careful to put her back on the ground. Interviewers were obsessed with talking to Chimney since the news broke, and that was something Buck reveled in.

Because that meant that they weren’t focused on him.

They weren’t focused on the fact that he had been soft launching someone on his Instagram for weeks. Granted, most of the photos he posted were subtle, blink and you’ll miss the fact that he’s supposedly taken by a mystery man whose face was never seen. There was never any identifying body parts (other than his own) in frame. He made sure of it.

So… the third thing that changed was that Buck was dating someone. He was head over heels in love with someone, every thought he had was full of him. Every breath, he imagined that he was breathing somewhere else in perfect unison. Everyday when he checked his phone, he smiles. Because he always texted him a good morning message. 

(And they weren’t always cute. Occasionally he would just send a quote he said through sleep deprivation or a gif that he found that he enjoyed.)

Anyways.

Everything was going great for Buck.

The day that training starts is a warm and bright Sunday afternoon, and he wakes up on that morning with his arm wrapped around someone’s waist, his face nuzzled in the crook of his neck. 

He hums into his hold, running his hands through his messy hair.

“Why are you awake?” he questions, his voice thick with sleep. Buck rolls his eyes and keeps going with the motion, inching closer to his better half. 

“Probably because we both have practice in a few hours.” he replies, yawning. “And I don’t know about you, but after last night, I need to shower before anyone outside of this house sees me.”

His partner grunts, hiding his face under his pillow. “If we don’t get to shower together then what’s the point?”

“Eddie, we can shower together.” Buck insists, kissing his shoulder. “I just have to get up in order to shower, and you have to get up soon if you plan on joining me.”

Eddie makes another sound of protest. “Hmph.”

“You don’t have to join me, you know.” Buck insists, sitting up.

“Hey wait.”

Buck turns back to face Eddie, whose sitting up, holding himself up by his elbows with his bedhead on full display. 

Over the last season, Buck watched Eddie morph into a public figure.

He watched him turn into someone who watched everything he said, he watched him look uncomfortable when they were out getting drinks. He watched the progression of ‘Eddie-Diaz-who-openly-got-excited-about-Tommy-Kinard’ morph into ‘Eddie-Diaz-who-is-respectful-all-the-time’ and the change broke his heart. Even though Buck was initially irritated with Eddie, his personality, his real personality was something he found himself loving.

There were a few times that Buck and Eddie shared when Eddie morphed back into himself, and during those moments, Buck revels in it. 

He acted like that during the mornings, especially.

He was laced with sleep, and the words that came out of his mouth were only the words he meant, and not the words he thought he should mean. 

Everything came out in the morning, and Buck loved it. Buck loved watching Eddie be comfortable in his own skin, basking in the love that radiated off of Buck at all times.

“You were keeping me warm.”

“Eddie, sweetheart, we have this debate most mornings.” Buck says, turning to face Eddie, quickly mirroring his position on the mattress. 

He huffs and pouts. “Yeah, I thought you would’ve learned that I don’t like when you leave by now.” he counters. Buck sighs and moves forward, connecting the two of them in a fluid motion. Eddie, despite the sleepiness, kisses him back and wraps his arms around Buck’s neck, making their way into his curls. Buck feels Eddie moan into him and he feels it in his throat when Eddie says, “You’re just warm. I love being with you.”

Buck disconnects the kiss, leans back and holds Eddie around his neck in what he could only describe as a half hug. “You’re about to spend the entire day with me.”

“Yeah, but we can’t be…” 

Buck knows what he means, of course.

Eddie wasn’t ready to come out, and while he was okay with Buck soft launching him online, he wasn’t okay with revealing their relationship quite yet. Buck understood, plus, watching people online try to uncover the secret of the mystery man made him smile. The theories they were coming up with were worth more than his coming out.

“I know.” Buck says slowly. “But I’m still going to be by your side the whole day. God knows Bobby won’t separate us when we run plays. He knows how well we work together.”

Eddie sighs. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“The sooner you realize I’m always right, the easier dating me is going to be.” Buck reminds him, kissing his cheek. “Now, if you want to join me, we should get going.”

He smiles at him and Buck lets out a breath.

Between the seasons, Buck had gone back to seeing his therapist semi-regularly.

He was the only one other than Buck and Eddie themselves that knew about their relationship, and he was easily the reason that Buck felt comfortable enough seeing Eddie at all. 

Because sure, the attraction was there. Buck finding Eddie attractive wasn’t the problem.

The problem arose when Buck’s face was on a tabloid a week into dating Eddie and he panicked. Buck spiraled himself into the worst panic attack he had in years, all based around the concept of keeping Eddie and his identity safe. Buck didn’t get to have that. Buck didn’t get to choose what photo he posted to reveal his sexuality. He was just thrown into a reality where it was the topic on everyone’s mind, and he was desperate to make sure Eddie didn’t have that experience too.

His therapist had explained that it was guilt and some internalized homophobia coming up to the surface. Buck, in the moment, hated everything about that. The thought that he was guilty or had any kind of homophobia made him sick.

But it happened again. 

Some news tabloid photographed him leaving the store alone, and when the pictures dropped, Buck fell to his knees and let out a sob, afraid of what would be said about Eddie if anything came out pre maturely. 

So, yeah.

Add that to the roaster of things that made up Evan Buckley.

Eddie, though it at all had been amazing. Which Buck was eternally grateful for. Having someone like Eddie by his side was something he never thought he’d be able to have, and thanked God every day that it was his reality.

“You okay?” Eddie asks him slowly.

Buck turns to him. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.”

Buck’s leg is been acting weird during their game against the 136.

It doesn’t help that its raining, the sky above them overcast and dreary, like something was coming from a place high above that couldn’t be detected by innocent eyes and could never be stopped. 

The first half goes fine.

There are a few moments when Buck has to slow down, afraid that something might happen to him if he pushes himself too much, but the thing that pushes him over the edge happens in the second half. He spends half time with Eddie, rubbing his leg around where his muscles were tensing. Eddie, of course, immediately notices and insists that if something is bothering him, he should immediately tell Bobby about it.

Buck, being difficult himself, refuses.

The second half starts and the overcast has transformed into a full spring storm. Rain is pelting the top of Buck’s head, and he can feel Eddie’s eyes on him as his curls gain more volume. 

Rain water is running down his back as he follows number 6 down the field. He moves his right leg, moves his left, moves his right, moves his left, and goes to move his right when— tense.

He feels his bone snap, and in the moment, he couldn’t react.

Instead, he keeps running, his eyes stuck on the player in front of him. They still have the ball and they’re moving really fast toward the goal, and Buck is moving just as fast. The pain is moving up his leg, up to his knee, but he can’t. He can’t focus on anything other than the task in front of him.

Quickly, he glances around, spotting Chimney, who’s running a little bit behind him. Buck reaches his right leg forward and snatches the ball from the opposing player, quickly kicking it over to Chimney. Before Buck can react or chase the ball down the field with Chimney as backup, his feels his right leg give out. 

Unable to form words, he blinks.

The water is streaming down his face and the 136 player he had been chasing is looking at him like they had just seen a ghost. 

Slowly, Buck blinks again. 

He opens his mouth to say something, but the only thing that comes out is a stream of thin red blood, which causes a stark contrast on his hands. He watches for a moment as it drips onto the field, and he breathes in, only to force out more.

He doesn’t hear the 136 player call for anyone, but Eddie is somehow in front of him, picking him up and carrying him—

And everything goes black.

Eddie Diaz is no stranger to hospitals.

Throughout his childhood, for some reason, his sisters were often sick. And when his father was out on business that would fall onto his lap. He learned hospital etiquette before he learned his right from left. He knew how to pronounce every nurses name in the El Paso hospital before he could pronounce his own full name.

Anyways.

When he joined the 118 and started getting closer to Buck, he learned quickly about his past with medical problems. 

He learned about Maddie taking Buck to get hearing aids when he was thirteen because he was struggling with his hearing. He learned about how his parents freaked out when that happened, saying that their son was no freak who needed hearing aids. Buck, as a teenager, didn’t know any better and stopped wearing them promptly. It wasn’t until moving out to California that he invested in a new pair.

He learned about Buck’s chronic pain. The way that his muscles would tense, the way that his blood would stop flowing consistently to parts of his body. It wasn’t something Buck himself knew about until he was in his twenties, but apparently the nurses and doctors said it had been affecting him since he was a teenager. He was reportedly shocked to learn that the reason he felt winded after most physical activities in high school was because of the pain and not because he was just being lazy or weak. 

Never in a million years did Eddie see himself running through the hospital doors in California, holding Buck in his arms. Bobby, Hen and Chimney were behind him, following close.

His heart was moving a million miles an hour and all he could think about, other than if Buck was going to be okay, was everyone in the stands who watched him rush to Buck’s side.

Everything had happened so fast, Eddie easily could have accidentally outed their relationship without even realizing. All he knew was that he saw Buck on the floor of the field on his knees in the rain, and he ran to check on him. Once he saw the blood and that Buck was unconscious, he acted on instinct more than anything else.

Eddie hands Buck over to a nurse, his partners blood on his hands, tainting him with the taste and feeling of the most important person in his life. 

Distantly, he hears Bobby explaining to the nurses his medical history, but his mind is spinning. Wordlessly, Hen grabs Eddie’s shoulder and walks him over to the waiting room. He follows her, trudging his feet along the floor. Eventually, he gets to a chair and sits down, hands shaking in his lap.

“You know he’s a fighter, right?” Hen asks after a few moments. “I mean, I know that’s not much, but you know that he’ll always fight for you, right?”

Eddie turns to face her, his eyes wet with a mix of rainwater and unfallen tears. “Yeah, of course. He’ll always fight for all of us.”

“You most of all.”

Eddie purses his lips and sucks in a breath. “Are we that obvious?”

“Not to outside viewers, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Hen reassures him. “But to people that see the two of you almost every day, yes.” 

They sit in silence for a moment before Hen clears her throat. 

“Is that something you’re worried about?” Eddie turns to her, dumbfounded. “Other people finding out about the two of you, I mean.”

“Yeah, I mean, you saw how shitty it was for Buck last season when he was outed.” Eddie says slowly, kind of absentmindedly. “People are still assholes to him sometimes, saying shit about how queer men shouldn’t play sports. I can’t imagine how bad it’ll get if he comes out as a queer man in a relationship with another queer man who also plays a sport.”

Hen nods. “I get it.”

“Do you ever regret coming out to everyone?” Eddie questions. “I mean, obviously it’s kind of different since Karen isn’t in the league, but, you’re still public about your relationship and family.”

“I didn’t come out in the traditional sense.” Hen tells him, and that was not something Eddie was expecting her to say. Distantly, in the back of his mind, he had thought about asking her, but he never imagined her response being something similar to that. “And no, I wasn’t outed like Buck was. I started the league and immediately got a lot of attention because I was a black woman in a sport dominated by white men. I didn’t really intend on ever coming out, but I gave an interview ages ago, and I said that when people looked at me, I wanted them to see me for who I was. I wanted them to see me as a black woman, as a lesbian, as a soccer player.”

Eddie purses his lips. “Do you ever wish you got to come out in the traditional way?”

“Not really, no.” she responds. “Especially now. I’m happy with my life. Raising Denny, being with Karen, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted. But, Eddie. My journey is not your journey. Buck’s journey is not your journey. Just because the two of you are together, that doesn’t mean you have to move at the same speed and pace as each other.” 

“I know we don’t.” Eddie says quietly.

Hen smiles at him. “So… you and Buck, then?”

“Yep.” Eddie responds, his heart heavy. He was head over heels for Buck, but there was something about the fact that he was in a hospital for Buck made him not want to think about him.

“I’m happy for you, Eddie. I guess I know why the two of you have seemed so happy at practice this season.” she says. “The two of you deserve this.”

Eddie nods, making a silent under his breath prayer that everything was going to be okay. There was a world where Buck didn’t survive whatever they were doing to him, and Eddie knew that he didn’t want to live in that reality if avoidable. 

He wanted to experience everything and anything under the sun with Buck.

What feels like a lifetime passes before a voice echoes through the waiting room. “Family of Evan Buckley?”

Eddie is the first to stand. “Yes? Is he okay?”

The woman smiles warmly at him. “He’s okay. I need to speak to his emergency contact. Is…” Eddie watches as she searches the clipboard in her hand, but he already knows what she’s going to say. “Eddie Diaz here?”

“That’s me.”

“Oh! That makes that easy.” she says, holding back a laugh. “As I’m sure you know as his contact, Evan has some leg as well as muscle problems that are lingering from an injury he experienced in his adolescence. I understand that he is a soccer player, so naturally injuries and tense ups are going to happen, but what happened today… was a close call. An extremely close call. If he wasn’t brought here so quickly, we might have had to perform emergency surgery to ensure he could still walk.”

Eddie huffs out a breath, frowning. “What… what happened? I mean, I imagine he had flare ups before this. What made this one different?”

“Has training for this season been more intense than his previous seasons? Because it seems like he’s been putting a lot of pressure on his psyche as well as his muscles, more than he had been previously.”

“We’ve been working on some new drills, yeah.” Eddie admits quietly. “They are a little tough, even on me, and I don’t have as many problems as he does. What does this mean for his career? I mean, is it safe for him to continue doing this?”

The woman sighs. “Unless his training changes… this career is not sustainable for him. I imagine that by the 2026 season, he won’t be able to keep moving with his resting problems.”

“Did… did you tell him?”

“No. I figured I would leave that to someone he trusts over a stranger.” 

Eddie nods. “Can I see him?”

Eddie walks into his room, frowning at the sight of Buck in front of him.

He’s laying in a hospital bed, arms spread out on his sides, and the curls that Eddie had come to find comfort in were drooping on his forehead. 

Once Buck registers who is standing in the room, he brings his hands back to his sides and smiles softly at him. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Don’t sweetheart me, love.” Eddie says. “I’ve been worried sick. I thought you were going to go to Bobby if anything happened that was concerning.”

“Nothing was concerning.”

“You played a full half of a game and didn’t feel like anything was wrong?”

Buck purses his lips and nods. “Yep.”

“Evan...” Eddie responds slowly, walking over to his bedside. “The nurse said that you can’t do this forever. This easily could have been something that ended your career now.”

Buck frowns, reaching out to him. “I know I can’t. I’ve always known that I couldn’t do this forever. I never wanted to do this forever, either.”

“So what, you put yourself in harms way so you could end your—”

“Hey, hey, no.” Buck insists. “Of course not. The way that you’re wording it makes it sound like I was willing to kill myself for the game. I’m not. These past two seasons have been amazing, and I’ve loved everything it’s brought me. You included.”

Eddie frowns, leaning into Buck’s hold. “Do you know when you’re going to announce your departure? Is this a soon thing? Should I be prepared?”

“I’m leaving after this season.” Buck responds quietly, like it's poison on his tongue to admit it. “I was always going to leave, regardless of if I was injured today or not.”

Eddie heaves out a sigh, planting a kiss in Buck’s curls. 

The two of them sit there in silence for a few minutes before Eddie shifts on the bed, fidgeting for his phone. “I want to come out.” he admits, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh? What’s inspired this?”

Eddie shrugs, inching closer to Buck. “I was taking with Hen about how my journey with my sexuality isn’t hers and it isn’t yours.” Buck nods, rubbing circles on Eddie’s back. “And, I was thinking about how you didn’t get to come out on your own terms, and I don’t want that to happen to me.”

“I don’t want that to happen to you, either.”

“But, I also don’t want to be a spokesperson.”

“You don’t have to be.” Buck says. “Do you need anything from me?”

Eddie smiles. “I actually do, yes.”

He pulls out his phone in one swift motion and positions camera in front of their faces, careful to hide any identifiable parts of Buck. He smiles at him, kisses him on the mouth, pouring every feeling he’s ever had for Buck into one kiss like it would be their last. Eddie snaps a few photos and smiles at them. Staring back at him was Eddie, kissing a man. The man himself was unknown, the only thing visible was a mop of air-dried curls. 

(Knowing the internet, people were going to be able to figure out it was Buck just from the curls, but Eddie smiles at it anyways.)

He takes one more picture, just of them sitting there, kiss-swollen lips and matching smiles on their faces just for them.

“You are a menace.”

Eddie nods. “Yep.”

Eddie Diaz comes out with a simple Instagram post a few hours later. 

He’s still in the hospital laying next to Buck, who’s getting discharged the following day. He stares at the draft, his eyes wet, and he drifts his gaze down to Buck next to him, peacefully sleeping.

ediaz: <3 proud to be yours. (i’m gay, btw, in case that wasn’t clear)

Eddie posts the photo gets an influx of texts and closes his eyes, leaning into Buck, resting his face in the crook of his neck and breathing in his scent.

“I’m proud to be yours, too.” Buck says, his voice engulfed with sleep, but it rolls down Eddie’s back anyways. “A very you way to come out. I like it.”

Eddie smiles and leans into his hold. “Go to sleep, love.”

Doing interview coverage was one thing.

Buck could ask people to edit things out when it was done in that format. Sure, they didn’t always listen, but it was always something he suggested. Most interviewers knew better than to question him or not listen to him when he made requests. 

However, when he announced his departure from the league (as well as the fact that he had a clean bill of health but no one was focusing on that), too many reporters wanted to dig their claws into him. He was getting texts, messages and requests from reporters he didn’t even know existed. Eventually, Athena had encouraged him to take their call and set up a meeting for after a game.

So, that’s how Buck was sitting in a press conference room, in front of over two dozen of fold out chairs with various people of varying ages watched him. The official conference didn’t start for another five minutes, but he had gotten there early, and so had plenty of other people, evidently. 

Soon, the conference starts and Buck wants to die.

He had watched plenty of conferences in his life, from fictional ones all the way to sports players he respected.

Usually, they made everything look so easy.

You point at someone, they stand up, they say their name and what paper they’re from and they ask a pre-planned question. And Buck, somehow, would think of a witty response and anecdote that would cause an uproar of applause. 

That.

Well that was complete bullshit, Buck found.

He points to a woman front row first.

She looked excited, like she had been waiting for a moment like this for years. He smiles as she stands, her eyes never leaving his. “Abigail Clark.” she says, fumbling through a notepad. “I was wondering what has inspired this departure.”

Okay. Easy enough.

“Well, Ms. Clark, like I said online in my statement, I realized I couldn’t do this forever.” he responds easily. “When I got hurt at the beginning of the season, I’m fine by the way, it sped up the clock for my leaving. I don’t want to get hurt on a game and that be the thing that forces me out. I always wanted that power to choose.”

She scribbles something down, a vague translation of what he said, he imagines. He breathes in, scanning the room for the next period to choose when— 

“Can I ask a follow up?”

“Oh. Um, sure, I don’t see why not.”

The way she looks at him makes him think that he walked into something that he should have avoided like the plague, but there were few topics that he didn’t want to talk—

“You’ve been very vocal about the LGBTQ+ community since your coming out.” Buck holds back a laugh, laced with a correction. Athena had reminded him during his preparation that he had only made one public interview after his outing and other reporters were going to have questions about it, so he just smiles, waiting for the point. “I was just wondering why you’ve been so quiet about Eddie’s coming out that went public a few weeks ago.”

Oh.

He hadn’t commented on Eddie’s original post, he knew that.

He hadn’t said anything about it afterwards, he knew that.

He had liked the post, told Eddie he loved him, and moved on. He knew that, too.

Buck clears his throat. “I don’t see why or how that’s relevant to anything, but whatever. I’ve known about Eddie’s sexuality since last year. He came out to me at the end of last season. He knows how much I support him and how proud I am of him.” 

And that’s that.

That’s the last question about Eddie he’s asked for ten minutes. 

During those ten minutes, he’s asked about the severity of his injury (“nothing I can’t handle”), his plans for after he leaves the league (“get some sleep”) and if he’s going to keep a social media presence once he leaves (“well naturally. Where else are people supposed to get their silly facts”).

That promptly changes when a woman in the second row clears her throat and stands.

Her eyes are fiery and there’s something about the look that she’s giving him that makes him squirm.

“Have you met the person in Diaz’s post?”

Buck sighs. “No introduction or anything?” he questions, voice cold. “I thought the whole point of this was that I got to choose who speaks.”

“Ali Martin.” she replies. “Now, have you met the person in Diaz’s post?”

“Yes, I have.”

Ali squints. “Does he know the person that you’re dating?”

“Eddie or the person he’s dating?”

“Either or.”

“Eddie does, yes.” Buck replies shortly. He can feel his body temperature increase as he forces himself to respond to her questions without revealing anything damning. “Can’t speak for his partner, I’ve only met him once or twice personally.”

“But you know him well enough that he was at the hospital when you were injured.”

Buck had imagined ways in which the public would figure out it was him from Eddie’s post. From the curve of his smile, to the curls that Eddie refused to edit out when he posted it, but what Ali was suggesting was so far from anything he imagined that he almost falls under the pressure.

Almost.

“What makes you figure that, Ms. Martin?”

She smirks. “The date Eddie posted his coming out. It was the same day that you were injured.”

“And if that is true, Eddie and his partner easily could have taken the photo prior and just decided to come out coincidentally on the same day I was in the hospital.” he smiles. “And if you’re trying to imply that Eddie and I are dating each other, learn subtlety before you poke and pry into someone’s personal life again.”

“Defensive doesn’t look good on you, Buck.” she says, sitting down. “Tell your partner, whoever they may be that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The rest of the press conference moves forward without any questions about Eddie, Buck’s sexuality or his dating life.

(There is one question he gets asked after the conference is over and everyone is piling out.

A young man came up to him, his eyes starry and asked him, “Are you happy with them?”

And Buck, being lovesick and excited to see them when he leaves the room, smiles and nods. “I’m very happy with him, yes.”

He watches as his eyes get wide, realizing what Buck had just confirmed, but before he can say anything else or dig a little deeper in the mystery of his love life, Buck leaves the room.)

Buck leaves the league on a Thursday night. Eddie comes up to him the next day with a shit-eating grin on his face that makes Buck fall ten times harder.

Buck is standing at his island counter, baking a thank you gift for Bobby and Eddie comes up from behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing his neck soundly. 

“Hey, sweetheart.” Buck says warmly, mixing some dry ingredients. “If I make two batches of these, would you eat them? I wanted to make a little thank you thing for Bobby and Athena.”

Eddie nods. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Can I keep mixing this while we have this conversation? I feel like it might be smart for me to be doing something in case this goes sour.” 

His boyfriend frowns. “It’s not going sour.” he insists. “I was rewatching the press conference you did.”

“Ugh.” he rolls his eyes. “Eddie, I love you, but please stop watching that. I get sick whenever I think about it. I mean, the way that I answered some of the questions and my tone? God I’m surprised I would still have some kind of career had I not left the league. I mean… that English accent I did? Probably offended everyone that watched it—”

“Love.” Buck frowns, raising his eyebrows in one fluid motion. “First of all, I don’t think very many English people care about American soccer. Second of all, I wanted to see if you were okay with us posting officially that we’re together.”

Buck turns to face him, his dry ingredients suddenly unimportant. “What?” 

“Hearing you have to jump through hoops about knowing who I’m dating… I don’t want to have to hide my love for you anymore.” Eddie says slowly. “I want to be us in public. I want to be able to gush about my boyfriend. I want to be able to say that I’m taken by my best friend. I want to be able to say that yes while you did hate me, we’re different now. Together, unified. I want—”

“I’m not saying no.” Buck says. “I just want to make sure this is what you want.”

Eddie nods. “I figured it would be smart until after the season was over and you were out of the league. Plus, if anyone gives me a hard time, I have better media training.”

“Hey, I’m not an actor for a reason.”

He brings his arms from Buck’s waist to his neck, holding him close. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I know you probably had your own timeline… I don’t want to force—”

Buck rolls his eyes and closes the distance, pushing every feeling he’s ever had for Eddie into the embrace. He feels Eddie kiss back, leaning in so that Buck is practically pushed against the counter.

Eddie, as expected, is running his hands through his curls and Buck would be surprised if he ever stopped. Buck slips him a little bit of tongue and leans away, smiling at his kiss-swollen lips and slightly disheveled hair staring back at him.

Before Eddie can move a muscle, Buck grabs his phone from his back pocket and snaps a few photos of them. There’s one of Buck kissing Eddie’s cheek, and a matching one of Eddie kissing his, and the two of them smile at the assortment of photos.

“Is this really how we’re doing this?”

Buck purses his lips. “I don’t see why not. It’s basically the same way you came out, a nice little callback and reminder that it’s been me all along.”

“Hm… it really has been, hasn’t it?” 

Buck hates him so much he kisses him over it.

ebuckley: he comes running over to me <3 @ediaz

ediaz: better than any trophy <3 @ebuckley