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The countdown has started. Everyone gathered in the firehouse, even those who weren't on duty that night. New Year's Eve was always frantic, and drunken people and pyrotechnics shouldn't mix together.
They were already called to several scenes, but thankfully nothing too severe. A couple of small fires here, and some illegal firecrackers at another place, resulting in a couple of lost fingers.
It quieted down a bit before midnight, but they knew there would be certain mayhem soon. All the fireworks went off everywhere, and many of them did not land where they should have. In that regard, New Year's Eve was even worse than Halloween.
But they were all in the loft, those on duty sipping their alcohol-free champagne, while the others had some of the regular stuff.
Eddie wasn't on duty, but there was no place he would rather be. Christopher was asleep on the couch, even though he insisted that he could stay awake until midnight.
He had lost his battle with exhaustion somewhere after 11 pm.
Eddie was holding onto his glass with one hand, the other on Buck's shoulder, as they counted down to midnight.
"4! 3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"
In the cacophony of voice, Eddie felt like he was watching the scene from the outside. He was watching himself downing the champagne in his glass and then pulling a grinning Buck to himself and pressing his mouth on his in a desperate kiss.
All the voices disappeared from around them, it was only the taste of Buck's lips, just like he had always imagined, but somehow so much better.
It took a couple of blissful seconds and the feeling of Buck's tongue on his still-closed lips for him to realize what he had done.
He practically jumped back like he was electrocuted, his whole body shaking. Buck looked at him inquiringly, one eyebrow raised. "What?" He asked in his usual cocksure way. "I was waiting for you to kiss me for ages. How many more signs should a guy send you before you get with the program?"
Eddie looked around, but no one paid them any attention. The couple were still having their midnight kisses, and everyone else was minding their own business.
"Wait, what?" The meaning of Buck's words just got to Eddie. "What signals are you talking about? I'm pretty sure I would have noticed them."
Buck wrapped his arm around Eddie's neck to rest their temples together. "Eddie, I've been flirting with you for years. Probably way before I had even realized what I was doing. It might have been from day one. You... you are the one who made me realize I'm bi."
"You are bi?"
"Darling Edmundo," Buck said with a sigh. "You can be so fucking dense."
And without further ado, it was Buck who kissed him now, slow and sweet at first, giving Eddie a chance to back out if he needed it. But he didn't. He kissed Buck back with the desperation of a man starved, deepening the kiss, while pulling Buck closer to him with his hand on the man's waist.
The sound of wolf whistles and applause shattered their tiny bubble and as they pulled apart they saw everyone looking at them.
"Finally!" Chimney said with a pained expression. "The unresolved sexual tension was getting exhausting for everyone."
"Who had this week in the bet?" Hen asked, looking around.
"I guess that would be me," Athena said with a grin. "Pay up, suckers!"
"What?" Eddie asked, dumbfounded. "What bet?"
"There was an ongoing bet for how long will you dance around each other before finally coming to your senses," Hen explained helpfully. "You couldn't wait a couple of weeks longer?"
"Blame this guy," Buck pointed at Eddie. "He was the one who finally had the guts to kiss me. True New Year's Eve miracle."
At that moment, the alarms went off, signaling a new call. Buck leaned over for a quick kiss before putting his glass down. "Wait for me," he whispered into Eddie's ear. "We will pick this up from here."
Eddie looked after him, still bewildered by how this evening turned out. What a way to start the new year. But it had the makings of a great one.