Work Text:
One day at Station 118...
Buck walked into the dressing room, the bright pink charm hanging from his black bag... immediately caught the attention of one of the firefighters. She tilted her head, squinting at it.
“Hey, Buck,” she called out, pointing at the bag. “What’s that pink thing hanging off your bag?”
Buck grinned, reaching over to lift the small charm. “This? It’s a photocard.”
“A photocard?” she repeated, her brow furrowing. “Of who?”
Proudly, Buck flipped the shiny card around to reveal the image. “Eddie!”
Her jaw dropped as she stepped closer to examine it.
“Eddie?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. A nervous laugh escaped her. The card sparkled with stickers of hearts, flowers, bows, sparkles, and across the bottom, in colorful letters, it read ‘Princess Eddie'. “Why does it have all these stickers? And—hold on—why does it say ‘Princess Eddie’?”
Buck laughed warmly, his affection clear. “Oh, that’s Jee-Yun and Mara’s masterpiece.”
Her brow furrowed even more. “Chimney’s and Hen’s kids made this?”
Buck nodded, clearly enjoying her reaction. “Yeah. They were playing around at the station and found the photo I had in my wallet. By the time I noticed, it was already
decorated.”
She raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Okay, but when exactly did you decide to hang it on your bag?”
Buck shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. “That was Mara’s idea. She said if I didn’t hang it, she’d tell Eddie I had a photo of him in my wallet.”
That got a laugh out of her. “Does Eddie know you’re walking around with this… masterpiece?”
“Oh, yeah,” Buck said, his grin widening. “Every time he sees it, he just shakes his head and mutters something in Spanish. I have no idea what he’s saying, but it’s totally worth it.”
She shook her head, her laughter bubbling over as she studied the card again.
“Wait a second—Princess Eddie? Was that Jee-Yun and Mara’s idea too?”
“Well… not exactly.” Buck bit his lip, trying to stifle his laughter.
“Oh, spill it.” Her eyebrow shot up. Buck chuckled, scratching the back of his neck as he recounted the memory.
“It all started on a day off. Eddie was with Jee-Yun and Mara having a little ‘tea party.’ The girls talked him into wearing a plastic crown and this pink cape they had. He went along with it, of course.”
“You’re telling me Eddie Diaz let them dress him up like that?” Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide.
Buck nodded, still smiling. “You know how he is with kids. He can’t say no to them. And while he was all dressed up, serving tea, Mara officially named him ‘Princess Eddie.’”
That sent her into a fit of laughter. “This is gold.”
Buck laughed along with her. “I know, right? Chimney sent me a picture because he knew I’d love it. And then I showed it to Jee-Yun and Mara, and they ran with the whole decoration idea.”
She shook her head, still laughing as she held up the card.
“So… is this, like, revenge or something?”
“Revenge?” Buck said, feigning offense. “No way. This is a tribute. I mean, who wouldn’t want to carry around such an awesome princess like Eddie on their bag?”
She snorted, trying to contain her laughter. “And Eddie’s cool with this?”
Buck’s smile stretched even wider. “Well, he hasn’t ripped it off my bag… yet. So I think, deep down, he likes it.”
Her laughter filled the room. “This is the best thing I’ve heard in weeks. You’ve gotta make sure Eddie never loses that title.”
Before the conversation could go any further, the locker room door swung open, and Eddie Díaz walked in. His gaze immediately landed on the duo, who were very obviously talking about him. His uniform was spotless, and he held a towel in his hand, like he’d just finished a workout.
Buck straightened up the moment Eddie entered, his smile stretching wider, while the firefighter tried—and failed—to keep a straight face.
“What’s going on?” Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked toward them.
“Nothing!” Buck blurted out, way too quickly, which only made Eddie narrow his eyes in suspicion.
“Sure,” Eddie said, his tone skeptical as he crossed his arms. “Why are you smiling like you just won employee of the month?”
The firefighter, unable to hold back any longer, lifted the shiny photocard for Eddie to see. “We’re admiring your photo, Princess Eddie.”
Eddie’s eyes widened in shock before narrowing as he turned to Buck. “Seriously, Buck?”
“What?” Buck said, throwing up his hands in mock defense. “It’s a tribute. It’s art.”
“It’s embarrassing,” Eddie muttered, dragging a hand down his face, though the faint blush creeping up his cheeks didn’t go unnoticed.
“It is not!” Buck protested, snatching the card and holding it up proudly. “Look at those details. Jee-Yun and Mara put their hearts into this. And, let’s be real, you rock that crown.”
Eddie let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes like he was summoning divine patience. “I can’t believe you’re still carrying it around. I thought it was a one-day joke.”
“I mean...he’s clearly enjoying this" The firefighter chimed in, looking at Eddie with a teasing smile. Buck nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh my god,” Eddie muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is worse than I thought.”
“Come on, Eddie,” Buck said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Admit it. You’re the best Princess this station has ever had.”
Eddie shot him a look, trying to stay serious, but the slight twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth betrayed him.
“You’re insane.” He shook his head, now clearly fighting not to laugh.
“Insane for my princess? Yes” Buck quipped with a wink, which sent the firefighter into a fit of laughter.
Eddie sighed dramatically and turned toward his locker. “I don’t even know why I bother.”
“Because you love me” Buck called after him, cheerfully hanging the photocard back on his bag.
Eddie made his way to his locker, still shaking his head as he tried to keep his composure. Buck, meanwhile, was clearly enjoying every second of the situation. The firefighter, still laughing, leaned against the wall, waving the shiny photocard around like it was some kind of trophy.
Before Eddie could fire back with anything, the door swung open again. Hen and Chimney walked in, both laughing about something that had happened in the hallway. Hen’s eyes immediately landed on the trio—Eddie looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, Buck smiling like a kid who just pulled off the best prank ever, and the infamous card dangling from Buck’s hand.
“What did I miss?” Hen asked, her eyebrow arching as she glanced between Eddie and Buck, clearly intrigued.
Chimney, as usual, cut straight to the point. “Oh, did you show the photocard?”
Eddie turned slowly to Chimney, his expression a mix of disbelief and a silent warning. “What do you mean the photocard?”
Smiling with a playful, almost teasing eyes. Chimney reached into his pocket and pulled out something that made Eddie freeze. It was another photocard. Identical to Buck’s, but with a few tweaks: a rainbow background and butterfly stickers. Across the top, in shiny gold letters, it read, Princess Eddie.
“Oh, no” Eddie whispered, his voice a blend of resignation and horror.
“Oh, yes,” Chimney replied with a look of satisfaction. “Jee-Yun made one for me too. Couldn’t exactly say no to her, right?”
As if on cue, Hen reached into her jacket and pulled out her own photocard. Hers was decorated with cat stickers and had a caption that read, "Princess Eddie".
“You too?” Eddie asked, turning to Hen with a look of utter betrayal.
“Of course!” Hen said, shrugging like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"And why are there more copies?"
“When Mara said she was making extras, I couldn’t pass it up. It’s a collaborative art project.”
Buck, who had been trying and failing to hold back his laughter, finally lost it. He doubled over, clutching his stomach, and leaned against a nearby table for support. “See, Eddie? It’s know a collection of Princess Eddie!”
Eddie closed his eyes, letting out a sigh so deep it seemed like he was trying to summon every ounce of patience he had left.
Before Eddie could respond, a voice came from across the room. “What’s going on in here?”
They all turned to see Bobby standing in the doorway, his arms crossed as he surveyed the scene.
Hen quickly hid her photocard behind her back, while Buck tried—and failed—to look innocent. Chimney, of course, proudly held his up like a badge of honor.
“Uh… nothing,” Eddie said quickly, glaring at his so-called friends.
“Does this ‘nothing’ have anything to do with the word princess?” Bobby narrowed his eyes, stepping closer.
“Oh, absolutely.” Chimney smiled, handing Bobby his photocard.
Bobby studied the card for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he let out a soft giggle and handed it back. “Carry on, Princess Eddie.”
Eddie groaned audibly as Buck burst out laughing again, clearly planning to milk this for all it was worth. “Cap, not you too!”
Bobby shrugged as he walked off, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Just saying, Eddie. If the crown fits…”
And with that, Eddie officially gave up. “I’m surrounded by children.”