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“Bad news team,” Bobby starts with a grim look on his face, “we drew the short end of the stick again and we’ll be on duty for Thanksgiving this year.” Groans erupt around the table where they had all gathered for lunch halfway through a 24-hour shift.
“But Cap, we just worked Halloween and we all know what a disaster that was!” Buck is the first to protest. Hen grimaces and Chim shoots him a look that Buck interprets as “too soon.”
“While that was not the most tactful way to put it, Buck does have a point.” Hen concedes. “Why do we have to work two holidays in a row?”
“Yeah, what’s up with the B-team?” Chim adds on. “They’re really living up to their name right now.”
“Chim,” Bobby warns in his paternal tone, but the effect is lost in the smile he’s trying to fight back. “You all know that we rotate which shift works each holiday. It just so happens that this year we get to work Halloween and Thanksgiving.”
“But it’s Mara’s first Thanksgiving with Hen and her new family!” Buck tries again. “And what about Jee-yun? She’s old enough to remember these things now. And isn’t May coming home from USC for the weekend? And-” he glances at Eddie and trails off. Chris is talking to them more now, but not much, and Thanksgiving for the Diaz family probably just means an uncomfortable facetime until Helena drags Chris away from the phone.
Eddie gives him a tight smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “No complaints here, Cap. It’s not like I had any other plans.” Bobby offers him a sympathetic smile as he passes the bowl of cheesy mashed potatoes. The team sits in silence for a couple seconds, not sure if they should ask about Chris or not.
“Hey wait a minute,” Chim breaks the silence as he looks around the table, “is this why you grilled steaks for us today? Trying to butter us up or something, Cap?”
“That depends… is it working?”
Chim cuts off another piece of meat and takes a bite, letting the juices run down his chin. He lets out an obscene moan and points his fork at Bobby.
“It’s a damn good thing you can cook.” he says, stabbing the air for emphasis. Bobby rolls his eyes as the rest of the team bursts out laughing.
Buck uses the opportunity to steal a glance at Eddie- he’s laughing with the team, but Buck knows the man well enough to know his heart isn’t in it. Even though Chris had left months ago, Buck is still startled every time he sees darkness reflected back in Eddie’s eyes instead of his usual flame. He’s worried that if this goes on much longer, Eddie won’t ever get his light back.
Well, he thinks to himself, I guess I’ll just have to do something about that.
—
buck added Athena Grant, Maddie Buckley-Han, and Karen Wilson to the group
buck changed the group name to “pumpkin to talk about🎃”
-
pumpkin to talk about🎃
buck:
I’ve gathered you all here today for a TOP SECRET mission. should you choose to accept, you cannot tell a single soul outside of this group text. do you accept?
maddie:
“hi maddie, how are you today? by the way, would you like to get roped into my latest crazy scheme?”
buck:
hi maddie!
how are you today!
would you like to get roped into my latest super
awesome scheme??
karen:
what’s up with the group name?
buck:
ugh guys will you just
athena:
I’m in.
buck:
YES!!
maddie? karen??
maddie:
I can’t tell anyone? not even Chim?
karen:
yeah, I don’t know how I feel about keeping secrets from Hen…
buck:
come on, I promise it will be worth it!
karen:
count me in. don’t make me regret this, Buck
maddie:
oh I know I’m going to regret this, but I guess count me in too
buck:
YES!!
I knew I could count on you guys :))
time to commence operation: save thanksgiving🦃
athena:
We’ll work on the name.
—
Buck smiles as he closes out of his texts. He knew they would be onboard with his plan to save Thanksgiving, but it was nice to have the confirmation. He looks up and notices Eddie is already staring back at him.
“Tommy?” Eddie questions. They’re sitting on Eddie’s couch after work, like they always do. Buck had cooked dinner, like he always does. Eddie washed dishes, like he always does, while Buck flipped through the channels before finally settling on a documentary, like he always does. It was more than just a routine at this point- they were simply ingrained into each other’s lives.
Eddie nudges Buck with his knee and Buck realizes he hasn’t answered.
“Oh, uh, no. Not Tommy.” Actually, now that he’s thinking about it, Buck doesn’t remember the last time Tommy texted him. Two days ago? Three? Huh. Buck makes a mental note to check in with him later.
“Not Tommy?” Eddie muses. “What’s got you smiling at your phone like that, then?”
Shit. Buck panics- he hasn’t thought that far ahead in his plan yet.
“Uhh, just a cute picture of Jee that Maddie sent me. Hey, have you heard from Christopher this week?” Buck quickly changes the topic so that Eddie won’t question his weak excuse.
Eddie lets out a loaded sigh, several months in the making and Buck regrets asking almost immediately. He takes a big sip of his beer before answering.
“We facetimed Monday, but my mom was there the whole time. He said maybe three sentences total.” He runs his hand over his face and Buck studies the motion. His eyes are drawn to Eddie’s upper lip, notably marked by the recent absence of his mustache. Buck had finally gotten used to how good he looked with it, when Eddie suddenly shaved it off and came out as gay- completely rocking Buck’s world off its axis in one fell swoop.
“We’ve been texting some, but it all just feels so… formal. Like I don’t even know how to talk to him anymore.” Eddie’s voice brings him back to their present conversation.
Buck hates how small Eddie looks right now. He wants to hold him in his arms and shield him from everything bad in the world. He wants to hop on the next flight out to El Paso and scream at Helena and Ramon until he is blue in the face. He wants to drag Christopher back by whatever means necessary and force them to talk it out. He wants his family back together.
Instead, he settles for bumping their shoulders together and resting his hand lightly on Eddie’s leg.
“I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but I promise things will eventually go back to normal” he insists. “Chris will come home, y’all will talk things through, maybe go to therapy together, and someday down the road this will be something we can all laugh about. Like, hey remember the time Eddie found his dead wife’s doppelgänger and Chris ran away? How crazy was that?!”
Eddie shakes his head and lets out something between a scoff and a laugh.
“You know what, Buck, I hope so. I really do.”
Buck squeezes Eddie’s leg before letting go as they turn their attention back to the TV and settle into a comfortable silence.
—
pumpkin to talk about🎃
karen:
so what is this “top secret” plan, Buck?
maddie:
great question! I’ve been wondering the same thing…
buck changed the group name to “much ado about stuffing”
-
much ado about stuffing
wtf did you guys know there is no stuffing emoji??!!
what’s the difference between stuffing and dressing anyway?? I always get them confused
athena:
They’re basically the same dish. Stuffing is prepared in a turkey, dressing is served separately.
buck:
I can always count on you, Athena🩷
maddie:
now that we have that great mystery solved, can we get back to Karen’s question?
buck:
I’m so glad you asked!
as the wives of the 118 I’m sure you all know that we have to work on thanksgiving day :/
but never fear, operation: save thanksgiving is here!
maddie:
that still doesn’t tell us what the plan is, Buck
karen:
and I think I agree with Thena- the name definitely needs work
buck:
I’m getting there just hold on!!
okay so you remember a couple years ago when Athena and I planned a surprise Christmas party at the station and everyone came??
well the plan is basically that, just make it thanksgiving!
athena:
I think that’s a great idea. Just tell me what you need.
maddie:
oh Evan I love that! count me in for sure❤️
karen:
Hen has been so stressed about missing another holiday with Mara, especially after what happened at Halloween. she’s going to love this!
buck:
YAY I’m so glad you guys are in!
even tho I would have made you participate either way… at least now it’s not forced!😄
so I figured each of us could be in charge of bringing our own food and families that way there’s enough for everyone!
athena:
On it. I’ll let May know too.
karen:
sounds good to me!
maddie:
what about Eddie? who is in charge of his food and family?
buck:
me obviously! you have Chim, Karen has Hen, and Athena has Bobby so I’ve got Eddie covered
maddie:
oh, obviously…
karen:
👀
maddie:
we’re going to circle back around to that later
buck:
to what??
I have literally no idea what you’re talking about
athena:
Oh honey.
karen changed the group name to “the real housewives of the 118”
—
Now that the first part of Operation: Save Thanksgiving was underway, Buck had time to focus on the next step- somehow convincing Chris to come home and celebrate the holiday with his real family. Not that Helena and Ramon weren’t Chris' family, just, not in the way that he and Eddie were. Buck knew he had to go about this in just the right way so he didn’t scare Chris off, and he DEFINITELY couldn’t let Eddie catch on and ruin the surprise. He started to put his plan in motion at the end of their next shift.
“Hey, dinner at my place tonight?” Eddie asked as they finished changing in the locker room. Buck tried not to stare, but it was hard when Eddie was shirtless and within arm’s reach.
“Sorry Eds, I uh, already have plans.” Buck really was sorry. He hated letting Eddie down and had to remind himself that this would ultimately be worth it. It had to be.
Eddie’s mouth twisted into a frown. “Plans? Tommy again?”
And yeah, why not? It was the weekend- it would only make sense that he was going out with his boyfriend. Not that Tommy felt like much of a boyfriend these days. Buck hadn’t seen him since the previous weekend, and even then they had just gone to a bar with a bunch of Tommy’s friends.
“Uh, yeah. That’s what I’m doing. Tommy.” Eddie’s eyes shot up and Buck could feel the blush spreading across his face. “I mean, no, that’s not what I’m doing of course. I’m not doing Tommy, I’m doing something with Tommy.” Buck stammered through, looking anywhere but Eddie.
“Relax, Buck. I know what you mean.” Eddie said with a sly grin. “Besides,” he continued, “He is your boyfriend, isn’t he?” He nudged Buck’s shoulder and winked as he closed his locker. Buck was positive his face was as red as the engine parked a couple feet away.
“I mean, what about you?” Buck tried, hoping to get the attention off himself. “Had any hot dates recently?” Between Marisol, Kim, and the whole late-in-life gay thing, Buck knew Eddie’s love life had been close to nonexistent the past several months, but he was still curious.
“Hot dates?” Eddie practically snorted. “You know as well as I do that the only hot date I’ve had anytime recently has been with the couch.”
Buck wasn’t entirely sure why, but he felt a little relieved by that.
“Will I see you after or are you spending the night with Tommy?”
“After, for sure.” Buck reassured. “Save a beer for me?”
“Always.”
—
Buck didn’t love lying to Eddie, but at least now he could focus on convincing Christopher without any distractions. He grabbed a quick shower and then set himself up at the island to make the call since he still didn’t have a couch. He sent a quick prayer up to whoever was listening and pressed “call.” Buck held his breath as it rang three, four times before Chris came into view on the screen.
“Buck? What’s wrong? Is my dad okay?” Chris rushed out in one long breath. Buck winced- it hadn’t occurred to him that after 6 months of minimal contact, that would be a logical place for Chris’ mind to go.
“Hey Chris, no, nothing’s wrong. I’m good, your dad’s good, we’re all fine here.” He plastered a giant smile across his face that was probably a little too big and too bright to fool Chris.
“Oh. Well why’d you call then? I’m supposed to be doing homework.” Chris didn’t even try to hide his annoyance.
“Come on, can’t I just miss you?” Buck tries to tease, but he’s met with an eye roll and silence. “Right. I do miss you Chris, so much. And so does your dad. You have to know that.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Chris gives in a little. “Is that why you called? Because I already knew that, Buck.”
“No!” Buck quickly protested. “I mean yes, of course I wanted to make sure you knew how much your dad and I love you and miss you, but I also wanted to talk to you about something else.”
“Well?” Chris said with an eyebrow raise that made Buck feel like he was looking in a mirror.
“Well… honestly bud, your dad’s not doing too well without you. Have you thought anymore about when you’re coming home?”
That seems to stump Chris. They sit in silence for so long that Buck taps on his phone to make sure the call didn’t disconnect.
“Chris?” He asks after another second, starting to doubt the boy even heard him.
“Yeah Buck, I heard you.” Buck smiles despite himself- 800 miles has nothing on their seven year bond.
“I don’t know,” Chris answers honestly. “I miss you guys and my friends, but I’m still so mad at dad. I don’t know if I’m ready to come home yet.”
Buck’s heart aches at the pain in Chris’ voice and he wants to reach through the phone and wrap him up in his arms like he could when Chris was younger.
“I get that, and you have every right to be mad,” he starts, “but I think it would be really nice if you came home for Thanksgiving so we can celebrate as a family. I know it would mean a lot to your dad. And me, too.” he adds.
Chris sighs and scratches at his overgrown curls. He starts to say something but catches himself. Buck doesn’t press- he doesn’t want to spook the kid.
“What if-“ he trails off, then tries again. “What if, I mean, it was like a visit? I don’t think I’m ready to come back yet, not officially. But I could maybe come for a couple days, like when school gets out?”
Buck feels his heart grow three sizes and he has to take a deep breath to calm himself down before he can reply.
“Yeah Chris, absolutely! A visit would be perfect!” He knows he sounds too enthusiastic but he can’t contain it. “I’ll talk to your grandparents about it, but I already have everything arranged. I found the perfect flight and Tia Pepa agreed to fly out with you!”
“I guess I’m okay with a visit, especially if it gets me away from having to listen to mis abuelos argue nonstop.” Chris rolled his eyes again, but this time it was accompanied by a growing smile.
“Uh Buck,” his voice was smaller than before. “Are you gonna tell my dad? Does he already know I’m coming?” He looked down at something, his homework maybe, like he didn’t want to see Buck’s face when he answered.
“Well it’s totally up to you, but I was actually kind of hoping that we could just keep this between us for now. I’d really love to surprise your dad- that is, if you’re up for it.” he quickly added.
Chris nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I’d like that. Maybe then he won’t have time to get all weird and ‘dad’ about it.” Buck can’t help the laugh that bubbles up out of him. Hearing Chris tease Eddie like that makes him so happy it hurts. He almost feels like he can let himself be hopeful again.
“You’ve got a point there, kid,” he says, still laughing. “I promise your dad won’t know anything about it until you want him to, as long as it means we get to see you.”
“Whatever,” Chris scoffed, but the blush creeping across his cheeks betrayed the flippant manner he was putting on.
They spent a couple more minutes finalizing plans before signing off with the promise to see each other soon. Buck was so giddy he forgot all about his plans to check-in with Tommy and raced over to Eddie’s. He might not be able to tell Eddie about the big surprise yet, but it was all going to be worth it to see the look on his face when Chris walked into the 118 on Thanksgiving day.
—
the real housewives of the 118
buck:
wait who changed the group chat name??
it doesn’t even make sense I’m not a housewife
I mean you guys technically aren’t either but at least you’re wives. I can’t even say that!!!
athena:
Hello, Buckley.
karen:
are you sure about that…
maddie:
yeah, why don’t we ask Eddie what he thinks?
buck:
eddie???
what does eddie have to do with housewives??
karen:
I mean you’re the one who cooks and cleans for him…
maddie:
be serious, Evan. you basically live with him at this point
buck:
…
anyway!
buck changed the group name to “all about that baste”
-
all about that baste
buck:
operation: save thanksgiving has evolved
we are now (drumroll please🥁)
operation: save thanksgiving and reunite kinfolk
or
O.S.T.A.R.K for short
maddie:
kinfolk?
karen:
I don’t think it was possible but you somehow took a bad name and made it worse
athena:
🥁
buck:
ugh guys!!
aren’t you going to ask me how the plan evolved??
maddie:
I’ll bite. Evan, please tell us how the plan has evolved?
karen:
we’re on the edge of our seats!
buck:
CHRIS IS COMING HOME!!!!!!!
well sort of
maddie:
okay you have to give us more than that
buck:
long story short
he’s not ready to officially come home but he is ready to come visit so we’re surprising eddie on thanksgiving!!!
I have everything set up he’s actually going to be here!!
karen:
that’s awesome Buck, I’m so excited for you and Eddie!
maddie:
I can’t believe we’re all going to get to be with our families❤️
athena:
Now that is something to celebrate.
buck:
😄🩷😄🩷😄
one week guys!!
remember- don’t tell ANYONE!
—
Between figuring out travel plans, going back and forth with Helena over the phone more times than he would like, and a couple of pre-holiday shifts from hell, the next week flies by. And thank god, honestly, because if Buck had to keep a secret from Eddie for one second longer than necessary he might actually burst. Eddie had to know something was up, the way Buck was dodging his questions and running out of the room with lame excuses about peeing or doing inventory again. (There’s only so many times a day you can say you’re going to pee before your medic friends start to ask questions.)
Chris and Tia Pepa arrived late Wednesday night, while the 118 was already in the middle of their 48-hour Thanksgiving shift. Buck planned it that way so he wouldn’t be tempted to go see Chris and have to lie to Eddie again. Chris texted when they landed, and again when they made it back to Pepa’s house, so Buck knew that Operation: Save Thanksgiving and Reunite Kinfolk was ready to go.
It was a little after 2 A.M. and Buck was lying in the bunk room, too excited to sleep. He rolled over on his side and noticed Eddie in the bed next to him, on his phone. He got up and crossed the short distance between their beds, nudging Eddie to scoot over.
“What’s wrong?” he said, with a frown as he plopped down, legs crossed, at the foot of the bed. Eddie let out a sigh and sat up, pulling the blankets with him. He closed his phone and tossed it on the bare ikea nightstand next to him.
“My parents, Christopher, Thanksgiving- take your pick.” Eddie said with a shrug, resigned. “I haven’t heard from them all week. I was supposed to facetime Chris tomorrow, but who even knows if he’s going to answer anymore. I thought we had made some progress but it feels like we’re back to square one again and I don’t even know what I did to fuck things up this time.”
Buck deserved a trophy, or medal, or at the very least one of Athena’s sweet potato pies all to himself tomorrow for the Herculean efforts it took not to break down and tell Eddie everything right then and there. He had to physically bite his tongue to keep the secrets from spilling out all over the bunk room and ruining tomorrow’s surprise.
“Hey Eds, no,” he started softly, “no, you didn’t do anything wrong. I know you didn’t. You love Christopher and you’ve been trying so hard to get him home.” Shit. He swore to himself. He’d been so focused on bringing everyone together for Thanksgiving that he hadn’t stopped to think about how Eddie would feel in the meantime.
“I don’t know, Buck. It just feels like no matter how hard I try, I can’t do anything right anymore.” Eddie hugged his knees tight to his chest like he was desperate for something to hold onto. Buck knew he had to be that anchor for him. He scooted closer and grabbed Eddie’s shoulder, forcing him to acknowledge the contact.
“Eddie- I promise this is not your fault. I’m sure they’ve just been busy, or had bad reception this week. I know Chris and I know he wouldn’t stand you up if you had plans, especially for Thanksgiving.” He said it so earnestly that he hoped Eddie would believe just by sheer willpower. “Besides, even with Chris in El Paso you’re not alone. You still have a family here who loves you- Tia Pepa, the 118, me. We’re all here for you.”
Eddie pulled back from Buck’s touch and gave him a strange look that Buck couldn’t quite discern.
“You’ve never said that before.” he said, so quietly Buck wasn’t sure he heard him right. His arm was still stretched out in the space between them.
“I mean I knew you loved Chris, or hoped so at least, after I put you in my will.” Eddie continued with a bitter laugh. “But me?” He turned his eyes on Buck’s- desperate, pleading. “You love me?”
That startles a small laugh out of Buck, like he can’t believe what Eddie is asking.
“Eddie, do you even have to ask? Of course I love you, just like I know you love me.” Buck says simply, like the sky is blue, or the grass is green, or Evan Buckley and Edmundo Diaz love each other.
Eddie doesn’t reply, but starts crying- like the dam that’s been holding back the emotions of the last several months has finally broken. They move towards each other at the same time, the way they do on calls, and Buck ends up resting against the headboard with Eddie tucked under his arm. They stay like this for a while- Eddie crying and Buck rubbing circles on his back- until they fall asleep. And if Hen thinks anything of the fact that she wakes up a couple hours later to find the two men asleep in the same bed, she decides to keep it to herself.
—
all about that baste
buck:
today’s the day!!
the sun is shining!!
the tank is clean!!!
buck changed the group name to “pour some gravy on me”
-
pour some gravy on me
maddie:
do I need to cut you off from watching Finding Nemo with Jee?
karen:
someone is awfully chipper to be 24 hours into a 48 hour holiday shift…
athena:
The tank is clean?
buck:
okay so making sure we’re all good on the plan
I’ll text when we have a call around lunch time
you guys sneak in and set up
I text when we’re on the way back
and BAM best thanksgiving ever!!
karen:
sounds easy enough!
maddie:
I’ve worked it out with dispatch to send calls to other houses once you give us the go ahead. all good here!
athena:
Food is prepped and ready to go in the oven at the station.
buck:
YAY
O.S.T.A.R.K. is a go!!
see you so soon🩷
karen:
is that really the name we settled on?
—
The tones start to blare and Buck shoots off a quick text to group chat as he jumps in the engine next to Eddie. They’re called out to a one-alarm fire, a deep-fried turkey gone wrong. Luckily for the family involved, they’re able to put out the fire pretty quickly and the most serious injuries are a couple of singed eyebrows. Buck tries to stall as long as possible- trading recipes and offering tips for less flammable ways to cook a turkey- but Bobby cuts the conversation short and they load up the engine to head back to the station.
The truck is quiet as they head back, equal parts exhaustion and loneliness that comes along with spending the holidays without your family.
“Well, that guy was definitely no Bobby in the kitchen,” Buck tried to joke, but he only earned a couple of weak smiles in response.
“Deep fried turkey is good, but I like to keep it simple with a traditional roast.” He continued, trying to fill the silence. “My favorite thanksgiving dish is definitely mac and cheese though. Maddie’s not the best cook but she always made the best mac and cheese when we were younger. What about you guys?”
“Growing up in Minnesota, our Thanksgiving dinners consisted of every type of casserole known to man- green bean, sweet potato, corn, mashed potato.” Bobby chimed in, always willing to talk food. “I’m partial to a nice honey-glazed ham though.”
“When my mom was alive, she loved celebrating Chuseok, which is similar to Thanksgiving in South Korea.” Chim explained “She always made these rice cakes called songpyeon that I love. Mrs. Lee makes them now, and sharing them with Jee-Yun makes me feel like my mom is still here.”
The crew exchanged sad smiles and settled into a comfortable silence, deep in thought about their families waiting for them at home and the memories they were missing out on.
“Abuela’s tamales.” Eddie said after a minute or two. “It doesn’t really feel like Thanksgiving without Abuela’s tamales. I texted Chris earlier and told him to eat some for me, but he hasn’t texted back.” He lets out a noise that’s probably supposed to be a laugh but sounds more like a sigh. Buck knocks his knees against Eddie’s from where they are already intertwined.
“Hey,” he starts softly, just for Eddie’s ears, “I’m sure Chris will text you back later. He just wouldn’t ignore you, not today.” He offers Eddie a smile and leans in closer with a mischievous grin. “Besides, he’s probably busy eating all the tamales, just like his dad.” Buck winks and Eddie rolls his eyes as he fights back a laugh.
They pull into the station to find all the lights off and Buck feels like he’s going to vibrate out of his skin with excitement.
“What’s going on?” Chim is the first to speak up as they file out of the engine and start to shed their uniforms. “Did we blow a breaker or something?”
“Not likely, but we should check anyway. Buck, Eddie-“ but before Cap finishes giving his orders he’s interrupted by the lights turning on and a chorus of their loved ones yelling “surprise” from the second story.
Turnouts are abandoned in the middle of the station floor as the 118 stops what they’re doing and rushes past Buck and Eddie, up the stairs. Buck turns to Eddie with a knowing look and clasps his shoulder for support.
“C’mon, let’s go celebrate Thanksgiving all together, as a family,” he tries to encourage Eddie but the man just shrugs his hand off his shoulder.
“As a family sure, but not all together,” he said sadly, “not without Chris.”
“I don’t know, Eds,” Buck takes a couple steps forward towards the steps and turns back around to face Eddie. “You might be surprised just how much family you have here.” Eddie gives him a quizzical look in return, but shrugs and begrudgingly follows him up the stairs.
They’re greeted by the welcome sight of holiday chaos at the landing- Jee running around the long table, followed closely by Mara. Hen and Karen deep in conversation with Maddie and Chim about how they pulled this off. Bobby somehow already has an apron on and is taking orders from Athena in the kitchen. In the back corner by the pinball table Denny is in the middle of a heated game with-
“Chris?!” Eddie half-shouts, and the room falls silent. Chris turns around slowly and shakes his head. Everyone holds their breath- waiting to see what happens next.
“God dad, do you have to be so embarrassing?” Chris teases, a big smile breaking out across his face. You can almost hear the collective sigh that’s let out at his friendly response.
“Chris,” Eddie whispers this time, eyes already welling up with tears. He’s frozen in place.
“Well,” Buck starts, “ what are you waiting for? Go get your kid.” He pushes Eddie towards Chris, but Eddie stops himself.
“Buck, you- you did this? For me?” he manages to choke out. “You brought Chris back to me?”
“Not quite… all I really did was book the plane ticket. He’s here for the week, and I thought now would be a great chance to get the two of you talking again.” Buck explains. “Besides- I didn’t just do this for you,” he adds defensively, “I missed Christopher plenty myself!”
He barely finishes getting the words out before Eddie has launched himself into Buck’s arms. It’s a one-sided hug at first, with Eddie’s arms around Buck’s neck and Buck too stunned to react. After a second he realizes what’s happening and slides his arms around Eddie’s waist, pulling him tighter. Eddie’s head fits perfectly in the crook of Buck’s neck, which is now wet with tears. Buck holds on tight and doesn’t let go until Eddie does. He doesn’t think about what it means when his stomach flips at the slight blush on the other man’s cheeks when they step back from each other.
“Buck,” Eddie starts and stops, choosing his words carefully. “I- I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Eddie,” Buck says with a big smile, “go get your kid back.”
—
Twenty minutes later Athena has pulled the last dish out of the oven and they’re all gathered around the table, plates piled high, when Buck hears someone call out his name from behind him.
“Tommy?” he turns around from his spot between Eddie and Bobby and nearly drops the fork in his hand out of surprise.
“Uh, hey Evan.” Tommy stops on the top step at the sight of the families gathered around. “Am I interrupting something?” he says with an awkward chuckle.
Buck feels his blood run cold. In all the excitement of planning the surprise, it had never once occurred to him to invite Tommy. How was he supposed to explain that to Tommy, though?
Luckily Bobby speaks first.
“Tommy, Happy Thanksgiving! We’ll have to find another chair, but you’re welcome to grab a plate and join us.”
Tommy lets out another awkward chuckle and scratches the back of his head. “Thanks Captain Nash, but I wouldn’t want to impose. Evan, a word?”
Buck sits there for a second, like the words don’t register. Eddie clears his throat, snapping Buck from his stupor.
“Buck, you should go talk to him,” Eddie urges quietly, tilting his head towards Tommy. Buck lets out a heavy sigh and sends up a silent prayer to whoever might be listening before scooting his chair back.
He goes in to greet Tommy with a kiss but is met with a stiff smile and turned cheek.
“I’m glad to see you, but I thought you were working today?”
“I go in at two. I thought I would surprise you by coming to have lunch with you, but apparently I’m the one who got surprised instead. What the hell is this, Evan?” Tommy kept his voice leveled and quiet so the rest of the room wouldn’t hear, but his words dripped with anger.
“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” Buck argued, “it’s just Thanksgiving with our families. When we were scheduled to work today everyone was sad about missing the holiday with their loved ones, so I thought it would be nice to organize this surprise. That’s all it is.” he said with a shrug.
Tommy scoffed. “So this whole thing was your idea, and I still didn’t get an invitation? Cool. It’s real nice to see where I rank among your loved ones.”
Buck winced- he didn’t have a good argument against that. Weeks of planning and plotting and coordinating schedules and not once had Tommy crossed his mind.
“I’m sorry Tommy, you know I didn’t mean it like that. Come on, I’ll pull up a chair and we can squeeze you in next to me.” Buck tries to plead with him.
“Oh yeah? And who are you going to have move over- your wannabe father figure or the guy you’re raising a kid with? Let’s face it, I don’t fit in your life. Goodbye, Evan. I can tell when I’m not wanted somewhere.” Tommy turned and stomped down the stairs, and for the second time since his arrival, Buck was left speechless.
He slowly turned around and walked back to the table, where conversation had grown suspiciously quiet.
“So uh, I guess you all just heard that?” he asked, afraid to look anyone in the eye.
“Sure did.” Chim said through a mouthful of food. “And may I be the first to say good riddance.” Maddie whipped her head around and smacked him on the arm but Hen laughed in agreement.
“I’ll cheers to that!” she said, raising her glass across the table to meet Chim’s. Karen rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue with her wife.
“Why don’t we take this opportunity to toast everyone who helped pull off this wonderful celebration?” Bobby said, magnanimously steering the conversation away from Buck and Tommy. “To Athena, Maddie, Karen, and of course to Buck.” The room fills with a chorus of agreement and glasses clinking.
Buck tucks back into his seat, trying to make himself as small as possible. Eddie drapes his arm across the back of Buck’s chair and offers the other one up, glass in hand to toast. Buck reluctantly grabs his untouched tea and brings it up to Eddie’s.
“To Buck.” Eddie echoes Bobby’s words, but says them just for Buck to hear. He doesn’t break eye contact until Chris speaks up from the other side of them.
“I know it’s cheesy, but dad always makes us go around the table and say what we’re thankful for. I know this year has been different but I think we should still keep up the tradition.” Eddie’s eyes start filling with tears again. He’s too choked up to speak and it’s Athena who responds first.
“I for one think that’s a fantastic idea. I’ll go first.” They took turns sharing what they’re grateful for- ranging from a pregnancy (Chim and Maddie), to being ungrounded from Fortnite (Denny), to Athena’s cooking (Bobby), to Moana (Jee), to spending Thanksgiving with both her moms (Mara).
It’s quiet for a beat and Buck looks up from where he’s been pushing the green beans around his plate since he sat back down. Everyone looks at him expectantly.
“Oh um, right.” He coughs. “I guess I’m thankful to be spending today with all of the people that I love- and more importantly, who love me.” He warms instantly at the smiles and cheers that his gratitude elicits from the table. Maybe Tommy was right, he thinks to himself. Maybe he doesn't have a place in my life.
Eddie moves his arm from where it’s still resting on the back of Buck’s chair and pats his back affectionately. He moves his other arm around Chris, pulling him in tight despite Chris’ protests.
“And I,” Eddie boasts, “am thankful that I get to spend the holiday with my two favorite boys. Buck, I don’t know how you pulled this off but I don't think I’ll ever be able to repay you.” He stares at Buck with nothing but admiration in his eyes. “I love you. Both of you,” he clarifies, turning to Chris.
“Chris, I don’t care how long you’re here for- a day, a week, forever- I’m just so thankful that you’re here giving me another chance.” He plants a loud, sloppy kiss on top of Chris’ head before the kid manages to push out of Eddie’s grasp.
“Well I am thankful that you couldn’t do that on facetime!” the table erupts in laughter. “But seriously dad, I’m thankful to be home with you and Buck, and I’m really thankful that tia Pepa made so many of abuela’s tamales!”
—
The rest of the meal goes off without a hitch. They get their full hour to eat uninterrupted, as promised by Josh diverting calls at dispatch. As soon as the hour is up, the alarms start to go off and they are called to a medical scene after a family dispute over which silverware to set the table with turned ugly.
They come back to the station after transporting the patient to the hospital and giving statements for the police on duty. Everyone rolled out of the engine, exhausted.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely need a nap after that. I’m heading to the bunk room before we get another call.” Buck could barely stifle the growing yawn to get his words out.
“I’ll come with!” Eddie interjected a little too eager, still riding his Chris-high from earlier.
He trailed closely behind as Buck shuffled into the bunks and collapsed on the closest bed. He sat on the next bed over, facing Buck instead of laying down.
“I still can’t believe you pulled this all off. Chris, the surprise, Thanksgiving, everything. You never cease to amaze me, Buck.”
“I am pretty amazing, aren’t I?” Buck pushed himself up onto his forearms and grinned back at Eddie. “But I can’t take all the credit- Maddie, Athena, and Karen helped just as much as I did. We even had a secret group chat to plan! I wanted to call it Operation Save Thanksgiving and Reunite Kinfolk- or O.S.T.A.R.K. for short, but Karen kept calling us the Real Housewives of the 118.” he explained. “Obviously my name was way better, right?”
“The Real Housewives of the 118?” Eddie raised a bemused eyebrow.
“Well yeah, she and Maddie said we were the housewives of the station.” he said sheepishly, ducking his head.
“I get that name for Athena, Karen, and Maddie, but how are you a housewife?”
“They uh, they said I was your housewife.” Buck could feel the heat from his face. “Because I cook and clean for you and other domestic things. It’s stupid.”
Eddie threw his head back and laughed, like genuinely laughed, with a freedom that Buck hadn’t seen from him in months. He wished he could bottle the sound and listen to it on repeat.
“I love you.” Eddie blurted, still laughing.
“I know.” Buck assured.
“No, Buck, you don’t understand,” he pleaded, more urgently this time. “I love you.”
“Eds, I told you,” he says simply, like the sky is blue, or the grass is green, or Evan Buckley and Edmundo Diaz love each other. “I know.”
Buck barely had time to sit up before Eddie had closed the space between them and was kissing him like his life depended on it. It was exhilarating and mind numbing and hands in hair and lips on stubble. Buck slipped his arms around Eddie’s waist and guided him down until he was straddling Buck’s lap. He pulled again, trying to pull Eddie closer and closer but it wasn’t enough. Eddie could crawl under Buck’s skin and it still wouldn’t be enough.
Eddie is bold and hungry as he bites Buck’s lower lip, getting lost in the ungodly sound that escapes Buck as he does so. He starts to work his hands lower- towards the edge of Buck’s shirt or buckle, Eddie isn’t quite sure- when they hear a cough at the door. Buck all but throws Eddie off as they spring apart.
“Hey, guys!” Hen raises a mischievous eyebrow.
“Hey Hen, uh what’s, what’s up with you?” Buck is clearly flustered and holding a pillow in front of the space Eddie had just been occupied.
“What’s up?” Her eyes twinkle and Buck just knows he’s going to suffer from whatever comes next. “Great question! Hey Chim?” she hollers out the open door. “Come here and tell Buck what’s up!”
“You wouldn’t.” Buck moves the pillow to cover his face.
“You might want to bring your wallet too!” Hen adds, so giddy she can’t contain herself. Chim walks around the corner a couple seconds later.
“Son of a bitch!” He yells. Eddie and Buck exchange confused looks. “You two really couldn’t have waited until Christmas? This just cost me $20!”
—
pour some gravy on me
buck:
hey guys, thanks again for helping pull off the surprise on thanksgiving!!
I couldn’t have done it without you🩷
🥰🤩😍💞
karen:
it was such a great plan Buck, we were happy to help! Mara had a great time with her family.
athena:
I’m always happy to help.
maddie:
Jee had a great time with her family too! this was a great thing that you did, Evan.🩷
speaking of families… any update on chris?
buck:
yes! sort of!
he and eddie talked (and fought) a lot over the weekend which is great!!
he wants to finish out the semester in el paso but then he might come home over christmas break!
karen:
come home for good? or another visit?
maddie:
that’s great, I’m so glad they were able to talk.
buck:
for break at first but then if all goes well (fingers crossed) FOREVER
athena:
🤞🏾
buck:
speaking of eddie…
maddie:
???
karen:
oh my god is this it? is it finally happening??
buck changed the group name to “the real housewives of the 118”
-
the real housewives of the 118
maddie:
Evan, please tell us why you changed the group name immediately.
karen:
I knew it! I knew this was why Hen was acting so smug after work yesterday!
buck:
let’s just say I finally get why all changed the group name in the first place…
and I think it’s very fitting :))
🧑🏻🚒🏳️🌈👨🏽🚒