Archive of Our Own ^beta

“All right, here they are. The keys to your new home! I have to say, you might be a real asset for his town , Mr. Buckley. You'll fit right in.” The rough but kind voice of Mr. Sanchez, his new landlord, chirped happily as he trusted the dangle of keys in his hand.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Sanchez, especially for allowing me to move in at such a short notice. You’ve really helped me out. And please, call me Buck or Evan. No need for the Mr.” Buck answered, accepting the keys and holding them tight in his hand.

“So, the house is still fully furnished, right? Just like we discussed?” Buck asked, hesitant to shove the keys into the lock and open the door. Mr. Sanchez nodded. “Yes, exactly like we discussed.  Fully furnished and ready to use. And looking at your measly belongings, you could use it.” His new landlord laughed and slapped Buck hard across the back, making him stumble a little bit.

“Ah, yes. You might be right about that.” Buck answered awkwardly once he recovered his footing. He looked behind him, eyes trained on the lonely suitcase with his brand new ‘LAFD’ duffle bag resting on top of it. God, he really didn’t have a lot to his name, did he? It was borderline pathetic.

“Never mind all of that!” Mr. Sanchez grinned, his perfect white teeth showing. “I’m glad the stuff inside is going to be of use to you. Previous guy left a lot behind. But don’t worry, we packed up his essentials and stored them in the garage. Hopefully, he'll come by and pick them up later. It’s a shame, though. He was the perfect tenant. No complaints from neighbors, always on time with his payments. But not a very outgoing one. Tended to keep to himself. Never even told me his first name.” He added, placing a hand on his hip, reminiscing about the guy.

Buck nodded. He couldn’t help but be a little bit curious. “Any idea where he is?” He questioned. Mr. Sanchez shook his head. “Honestly? No idea. He just went to work one day and never came back home. Disappeared into a cloud of smoke. But if you’d ask me, I think he went home.” His landlord answered.

“Home, sir?” Buck asked. “Yeah. Guy was from out of town. Texan, I believe. What was that town called again? Lord, he mentioned it once. Something Paso…” Mr. Sanchez muttered to himself.

“El Paso?”  Buck suggested. He remembered seeing a little town with that particular name on the map that was stored in his car. He had also driven past it on the way to his new home here in LA.

“Yes. That was it! You know it?” Mr. Sanchez asked him, intrigued and surprised Buck knew of the town. “Not familiar,  just drove past it on the way here. Took a long road trip through the country to get here as I saw it on the map. But I didn’t stop in it.” He explained and leaned against the wall with his shoulder.

“That reminds me. You’re also not from around, right? Your accent doesn’t match up.” Mr. Sanchez asked him. Buck chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, I’m originally  from Pennsylvania. Hershey to be exact.” Buck answered the man, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“That’s a long way from home, my boy. Could I ask why you decided to come here of all places?” His landlord asked, making the calculations inside his head. Buck looked down at his feet, a flurry of emotions almost taking over. “I needed a change in scenery and people. I, uh, wasn’t really accepted where I lived.” He explained.

Mr. Sanchez stared at Buck with genuine interest and kindness. “Not accepted?” He asked, hoping the young man before him would elaborate on that.

“Yeah. Hershey is a small town with small minded people. They didn’t really enjoy having queer people in town. And especially not on the workforce. Once they found out that one of their firefighters was a bisexual man, they all turned on me. Got severely excluded and bullied, even outed in front of the whole town. So I packed up my stuff, put in the request for an transfer and drove straight here the minute it got accepted.” Buck explained, eyes trained everywhere but the man before him. He was comfortable with himself, don’t get him wrong. But after what he experienced when he got outed, Buck couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable with telling new people about himself.

His bubbling worries melted as snow in the sun when he saw his landlord grin at him. “Well no need to worry about that here! We’re in LA. The most accepting place in the USA. And a firefighter. That’s exciting. I saw the logo on your bag but I didn’t want to assume. Come to think of, the guy who lived here before you was LAFD as well. Don’t remember his station number though.” Mr. Sanchez replied and placed his hand on his chin. It had been a little while since he last saw the previous tenant, and with his age catching up to him, some things were getting hard to remember.

“Really? What a coincidence. I have to admit, that makes me feel more at home already.” Buck smiled and stood upright again, ready to get in his new place. His long travels and busy days afterwards were slowly catching up to him. A silent yawn escaped him, barely hidden behind a closed fist.

“I’m taking up to much of your time, aren’t I?” Mr. Sanchez asked. It was obvious he had seen Buck yawn. “I’m so sorry about that, Mr. Sanchez. I’ve had a couple of busy days. Lots of paperwork to file. It’s starting to catch up.” Buck laughed, hiding an embarrassing blush that crept up on his neck and face.

He felt a rough hand come down hard on his shoulder. “Nothing to apologize about, son. Happens to everyone once in a while. What are your plans for the next few days? Melinda and I could always come around and help with things if needed.” His landlord suggested with a smile.

Buck quickly shook his head. “No need, sir. But thank you so much for the offer. I’m just going to slowly settle in and explore the neighborhood a little bit. Friday is my first shift at the 118. And since we are only Monday, I have all the time of the world.” He answered. Buck held out the key again with one hand and grabbed his luggage in his other, ready to go inside.

“All right.” Mr. Sanchez said, stretching his back and popping his knees. “You go on inside now. Take a breather and get some rest. And remember, me and Melinda are just across the street if you need anything. Don’t hesitate to ask!” He added as he walked off the property and crossed the street. He waved at Buck one last time before going into his own house.

Buck had waved back one more time before turning to the tacky blue door of his new home. He held out the key and slid it right into the lock. He turned it twice before pressing down the handle, unlocking and opening the door to his first ever house.  

“I can’t believe I did it. My own place. ” Buck mumbled to himself as he dragged himself and his luggage inside. He closed the door behind him and rolled the suitcase against the door. He hung his new keys on the little keyhole next to the door. Those were his keys. He actually had keys to his own house now. No more sleeping in his Jeep or in bad motel beds.

Buck took his first steps deeper into his home. A beautiful living room was the first room that greeted him. Most of the furniture was wooden, brown in color. Probably oak if Buck had to guess. There was a beautiful rug on the floor with a blue couch resting on top of it. Numerous shelves hung throughout the room, ready to be decorated  with all of Buck’s small trinkets he had brought.

The next room he encountered was the hallway. It wasn’t really a room, just a narrow pathway leading to other rooms of the house. He walked inside and stuck his head into the first door he passed. A humble but cozy kitchen greeted him. It was small, sure, but it had everything he needed. Burners, microwave, and most importantly, an oven. He was planning to bring some of his famous raspberry-white chocolate muffins to his first shift. He could maybe bake some extras to give to his neighbors and landlord. Yeah. He liked that idea.

Buck continued his exploration of the house. He found the door to the garage, where his Jeep was already situated. He then found the bathroom. Followed by  a small, empty room that could serve as a guest room. And finally. The master bedroom. His room.

The master bedroom wasn’t really all that big, but big enough for him. He walked around inside, quickly taking note of everything. He noted the navy painted walls. The color was absolutely beautiful. It reminded him of his new uniform. In the middle of the room was an oaken queen sized bed, already covered with bed sheets. That must’ve been Melinda’s doing. She was kind like that. It was a welcome surprise.

Buck toed his shoes off and flopped onto his back on the bed. He closed his eyes for a second, getting used to the feeling of being in the room. He laid there for at least five minutes before opening his eyes again. His eyes continued scanning around the room. There was an oaken dresser pushed against the wall to his right. Across from his was a little walk-in closest, perfect to store his clothes, uniform, and shoes. On the left was a wall with a big row of windows, letting in the warm afternoon sun.

Buck hummed happily. This was perfect. This was everything he needed and more. A sudden idea came to mind.  He grabbed the phone from his pocket and opened his camera, opening it on selfie mode. He held the phone way up high and took the first picture inside his new home.  He pulled close to him again to inspect the picture. It had turned out almost perfectly if it wasn’t for the weird little lens flare right next to his face. Not that he really minded. Buck opened up his Instagram, quickly adding the picture to his stories.

He closed the app and leaned over and to place his phone on one of the nightstands. That’s when something caught his eye. Something was hidden under the nightstand, a corner of the item barely poking out. Buck leaned over as far as he could and grabbed it tight between his fingers. He pulled the item away and raised it up.

A confused look passed on his face. He was holding a picture. On it was a man in-between an older couple. Buck couldn’t help but stare at the man in the middle. The really, really gorgeous man. He had brown eyes as warm as the evening sun. A smile brighter than the most beautiful sky.  He was dressed in casual clothes that consisted of a pair of jeans and V-neck shirt. That must’ve been the guy that lived there before him. Buck turned the picture around. A few words were scribbled on the back.

‘Diaz family

Helena, Eddie and Ramon’

That was weird. Hadn’t Mr. Sanchez said that he and his wife had boxed up the previous guy’s stuff. How come he had found a picture? Yet Buck had to admit, the item was hidden quite well under the nightstand. They may have just missed it. No harm. He could place it with the other stuff in the garage later. For now, he closed his eyes. He was getting sleep as he lay on top of the covers. He desperately needed a good nap. Sooner rather than later.

Buck began close his eyes, falling into a deep and well-deserved slumber. He managed to miss the soft flicker in the corner of his room. There, in that lonesome corner, a figure appeared, dressed in a V-neck shirt and soft jeans.

The man from the picture.

He was there, just barely for a second, before he flickered again, disappearing into a cloud of mist just a moment after.

Buck woke up early the next morning. He didn’t know how he managed to do it, but he slept all after noon and throughout the night. He sat up in his bed and stretched out like a cat. He raised a hand and rubbed his eyes to wake himself eve more. Buck sat there, letting it dawn onto him that, yes, he woke up in his own little place. He groaned and rubbed his hands together, ready to start for the day. He reached over to grab his phone, wanting to check on the time and perhaps some notifications he had received, only for his phone to be gone.

That was weird.

Buck rubbed his eyes, thinking he was imagining it, but no. His phone truly wasn’t in the spot he had last left it. He leaned over the bed when a buzzing caught his attention. There, on the fluffy rug under his bed, was his phone. Again, weird. But maybe he had accidentally knocked it off while sleeping. He wasn’t really known to be a peaceful sleeper. That must’ve been it.

The phone buzzed again. And Buck finally leaned over to pick it up. A look of confusion passed on his face. An unknown private number was calling him. He was completely new to LA. Who would be calling him right now?

Buck raised the phone up to his ear. “Hello? Who’s this?” He answered unto the phone. He waited and waited for a reply, but none came. All that greeted him on the o her side of the line  of a bunch of loud static.

“Hello?” Buck repeated, hoping to get someone’s attention. Yet no one answered again. All there was was the loud, annoying static. Unknown to him, someone was trying to answer him. Under all that static was the voice of a man, calling out to him.

“Okay……I’m hanging up now.” He muttered into the phone and hanged it up. He stuffed the device into his pocket and walked out his new bedroom.

He passed by his little guest room first, still barely awake. Next was his bathroom. He flicked his eyes inside as he walked past. And in the corner of his eyes, it looked like Buck saw a little floating white ball. The man did a double take and popped his head back inside the bathroom. There was nothing.

Buck stared ahead of himself for a second before fully stepping into the bathroom. He went to the sink and flicked open the tab, letting the cold water flow. He cupped his hands underneath and splashed some cold water in his face. Good. That should fully wake him up. No more dreaming.

Buck grabbed the edges of the sink and held it in a white knuckled grip. He took a  few deep breaths and raised his head, watching himself in the mirror. Cold water dripped from his chin down on his shirt and hands. He took another deep breath and blew it out. What greeted him was his own misty breath. Like the breath that leaves him when he was outside in the freezing cold. But that shouldn’t be possible. It was a comfortable 21°C inside. He had checked the thermostat on the wall the day before. Nothing had changed.

“Okay…I must still be sleeping.” Buck muttered to himself and left the bathroom. He walked through his hallway and inside the kitchen. He stopped himself before his new fridge and opened the door. Excitement turned into disappointment. Yeah, that’s right. He was new to town. With nothing to his name. And that included groceries.

“Shit.” Buck mumbled to himself and threw his head back. “How could I forget. I totally forgot to go yesterday.” He added and closed the door to the fridge.

He walked out his kitchen and down to the front door, where his luggage was still planted against it, and grabbed his suitcase. He wanted to pull his ‘LAFD’ bag of it, but it was already gone. The bag wasn’t there anymore. Just like his phone. Buck looked around and spotted the bag on the couch. Had he done that and accidentally forgotten it? Maybe. But it was still such a strange coincidence.

Deciding to ignore it all for now, Buck grabbed the suitcase and wheeled it behind him to his bedroom. He picked the case up and pushed it onto his bed. He opened it up and pulled all his clothes out.  Buck sorted them out on his bed, quickly emptying it out. He pulled the case from his bed again and closed it up. He stored it underneath his bed for now. He could shove it in his closet later.

Buck grabbed a pair of black sweatpants and a gray hoodie. Perfect outfit to start a lazy day of settling in, baking, and going to the store to grab some necessities.

He walked back out of his room and down to the bathroom once more. He closed the door behind him and started up the shower, letting the freezing water warm up. He stripped himself of his clothes, threw them in a ball in the corner of the bathroom, and got into his shower. Hot steam began to form all around the bathroom. Buck did enjoy his showers hot.

He began to hum a happy tune, closing his eyes as he massaged the shampoo into his hair. The steam began to fog up the glass door of his shower. Unknown to him, a translucent finger appeared by the door. It slowly wrote a message on the fog. ‘Please…help me’. It wrote down. But before Buck could turn around and see it, new steam fogged up the written message, forever making it disappear from this world.

Buck eventually got out the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. He stepped around his abandoned clothes and stopped in front of the mirror. He couldn’t immediately see his reflection, seeing as the mirror was completely fogged up. He gently swiped his hand and over it , wiping the fog away.

“Aarggh!” Buck screamed out as he looked at himself in the mirror, frightened. Behind him was that floating white ball again. Buck quickly whipped around, hoping to see it with his own eyes, but it was gone. It wasn’t there anymore.

Buck turned himself back to the mirror and slapped himself across his face. He was actually going crazy. What was in the LA air? He hadn’t been here for 24 hours yet, and things were already happening to him.

“It’s fine, Evan, you are fine. You are just exhausted from everything going on right now. It’s just exhaustion.” Buck said to himself and raked a hand through his hair.

He grabbed his fresh clothes and quickly dressed himself. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and whatever else he needed. He walked back out the bathroom and towards the kitchen, where he had left his phone. He grabbed it and walked to his front door, where he pulled the keys of the hook. He quickly opened the front door and stepped out, turning back to look over his shoulder one more time before closing the door behind him.

“Please let everything be okay  when I get back.” He mumbled to himself in a quick little prayer. He shoved his key in the lock and locked the door behind him.

“No…don’t…go…”  A crackling voice whispered silently from inside the home, hoping that it would reach the new occupant of the house.

But sadly enough, it didn’t.

Buck drove down his street and turned his Jeep onto the driveway of his home. He parked the car and shit it off before stepping out. He walked around the back and opened the doors to his trunk.

He pulled out the numerous bags and placed them down by his feet. He wasn’t really in the mood to walk to his car again, so he was planning to carry all the bags in at once. Buck wrapped all the loops around his arms and stood upright. He turned around, only to see a little old lady  standing right behind him.

“Jesus!” He yelped and jumped back, almost dropping one of his bags. The little old lady chuckled. “Oh, I’m so sorry, my dearie. I live right next to you, and I was working on my flowers!” She apologized and held out a hand.

“I wanted to come and introduce myself. I’m Jeanie. And who are you, sweetie?” She asked sweetly. Buck grabbed her hand and shook it slowly. “My name’s Evan. Evan Buckley.” He answered her.

Jeanie nodded. “Well, welcome to LA.” She welcomed him and let go of his hand. “You know, you are as handsome as that man that lived here before you.” Jeanie said as she studied Buck’s face, making him blush.

“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate that.” Buck answered and rubbed his arm. He was never really that good with compliments. “Could you perhaps tell me something about him?” He questioned.

Jeanie shook her head. “I wish, but there is not that much that I can tell. He didn’t talk a lot, you see. He would spend most of his time alone. His name was Eddie. And he came here from Texas.” She explained.

Buck nodded. “Mr. Sanchez told me that was well. It’s like he is a ghost. No one knows anything about him.” He muttered. Jeanie smiled at him. “I do know something else.” She said, making Buck perk up.

“Oh, please tell me.” He immediately answered. Jeanie nodded. “I know that he was a firefighter, and he came here after a fall-out with his parents. Something about family, money, and his love life. I don’t know everything. But I heard him talking about it one night.” She explained.

Buck nodded. Huh. Another coincidence. “He’s a bit like me. I came here because of the same reasons.” He admitted. Jeanie placed a hand on his arm. “I understand, dearie. We all need a fresh start once in a while.” She replied.

Jeanie‘s eyes trailed over to all the bags Buck was holding. “Need some help, dearie? That’s an awful lot of stuff. Is it you and your girlfriend that live here?” She asked.

“No ma’am. It’s just me. Why do you ask?” Buck replied, curiosity getting the better of him. He grew extra curious once he saw her face shift a little.

“Ah, oh, it’s because we’ve been hearing a lot of noise coming from inside all day.” Jeanie admitted, adjusting the sun hat she was wearing while working in her front garden.

“Oh, maybe and animal got inside. I left the back door open. I’m so sorry about that. I’ll come by later and bring you some cookies. What do you think about that?” Buck suggested with a cheeky smile.

Jeanie grinned at him. “I’ll prepare the tea.” She answered and turned herself around to go back to her own house. She waved Buck goodbye from her porch before she let herself inside.

Buck waved back at her before focusing back on his previous task. He pulled the keys from his pocket and walked back to the front door. His prayer from that morning came back to him, and Buck couldn’t help but whisper it to himself again.

“God, let everything be okay.” He mumbled and unlocked the door. He pulled the handle down and pushed the door open. He walked his way inside and kicked the door shut behind him. Buck looked around as he went straight to the kitchen. A big sigh of relief left him. Everything was still as he left it.

Buck placed the bags down on the kitchen island and began to unpack them. He gathered everything he needed for his cookies while placing the other groceries away in their respective places. He pulled the apron he had gotten from the store om and began to work on his  chocolate chip cookies.

Evening began to approach slowly. Buck had managed to finish his chocolate chip cookies and had gathered them in a container. While walking it his home, a sudden idea came to mind.

He picked up an extra egg and placed it in the middle of the kitchen counter. With everything that had been going on, it didn’t hurt to try.

So, as he was standing in the open doorway of his house, he did a thing  he would later regret. “Spirits, if you are truly here, please move the egg I left on the kitchen counter. To show me you are here.” He shouted into his home, both wishing and not that something would happen to the egg.

Buck nodded to himself and closed the door. He quickly locked up the place and crossed his driveway to his neighbor’s for a fun evening.

It was close to midnight when Buck went back home. He had met Jeanie’ husband, Andrew. And my God, both were such a delight. Buck had one of the best evenings in his life. They were your typical mom and pop grandparents. The two couldn’t help but continuously boast about their grandson. Buck couldn’t help but be a little jealous. He wanted someone to talk about him like that as well.

So when the clock chimed at midnight, Buck found it an appropriate time to leave. He left the cookies with the couple and said his goodbyes. The two bid him goodnight  from the porch as Buck made his way back to his own place. He opened the door and waved them goodbye before getting back inside.

Buck was ready to get undressed and jump straight into bed, when his idea from a few hours ago popped back into his mind. He pulled himself out of his room and trudged his way to the kitchen.

An somewhat disappointing sight greeted him. The egg he had left was still in the same place at the same position. Okay. So, no ghosts. Yes. Awesome news.

Buck felt the weight fall of his shoulders and pulled away, going back to his bedroom. He changed into a loose pair of gym shorts and crawled into his bed, ready to fall asleep.

A soft, sad moan sounded from the kitchen. The ghostly flicker of the man was back. There was a frustrating look on his face. While the egg hadn’t moved, the cookie crumbs that were next to it had been neatly stacked in a small tower.

Today was the day. His first shift at the 118. His new firehouse. Buck had woken up early in the morning, even before his alarm. He practically jumped out his bed and sprinted to his bathroom to get ready for the day.

He took a quick shower before dressing himself in his best jeans and shirt. He got out and went straight to the kitchen, completely bypassing the floating orb in the hallway.

Buck opened a cupboard and pulled out a self-made loaf of bread. He took two slices and popped them in his newly acquired toaster. He ousted the toaster handle down, only for them to pop right out the machine again.

“Already getting finicky? I just got you.” Buck muttered as the toast popped up a second time in a matter of seconds. He popped the toast into the machine a third time and popped the handle down. And again, as he predicted, the toast popped up again almost immediately.

“Okay, I guess. No toast for me.” Buck mumbled as a weird sound started to get his attention. His eyes focused on the toaster on the counter. The toaster handle was vigorously slamming up and down the machine.

Buck just stared at the machine in shock. This was new, even to him. He put his hand on the toaster and gently smacked it, trying to make it stop. But it didn’t help. The handle kept going up and down and up and down. Buck reached over the toaster and pulled the plug from its socket. His eyes widened in shock as the handle kept going up and down, even if he had pulled the plug out.

“Uh…what…I” He whispered to himself, stumbling over his own words. He stared at the cord in his hand, completely dumbfounded by the whole situation. What happened next was good enough to fully freak him out.

The kitchen light above him began to dim and brighten up. It could’ve been a coincidence. It could’ve been. Really. He would have believed it. Except for the fact that the light was in sync with his toaster.

“Okay. I have had enough.” He called out and threw the power cord down onto the counter next to the toaster. He held up his hands and turned around. Buck grabbed his ‘LAFD’ duffle bag in one hand, his keys and phone in the other, and marched himself straight out the front door. He’d get his breakfast and coffee somewhere else.

“118…118…118…118…118…118…” A voice called after him, hoping to be heard.

The incident with the toaster and the kitchen light kept replaying itself in Buck’s mind. What the hell was that? His landlord had never mentioned anything about the issues with the electricity. This was definitely something he would need to call about.

His train of thoughts ended when Buck finally pulled up the firehouse parking lot. He drove and parked his jeep in the first empty lot he could see. He grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and quickly got out.

Buck walked up to the large building, eyes flicking around in awe. This was it. This was what he needed. His old building at the 148 was nothing compared to this one.  He walked through the opened bay doors and did a little spin as he looked around him. An all modern building with open plan. Lots of natural lighting. A glass staircase leading up to what seemed like a loft type situation. It was gorgeous.

“Excuse me? Can I help you?” A voice called out to Buck, catching his attention and making him turn around. A beautiful black woman was standing by his side. She had an amused smile om her face. “Yeah, actually. Evan Buckle, call me Buck, I’m looking for Captain Nash. I’m new.”  Buck said and held out his hand.

The woman grinned and took his hand, happily shaking it. “Henrietta Wilson, but just call me Hen. And you’re the transfer right? All the way from across the country?” She questioned.

Buck nodded. “Yes! From firehouse 148.” He answered after releasing her hand. He heaved his bag up tighter on his shoulder and gave her an awkward smile. “Captain Nash?” He asked quietly.

Hen chuckled and nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry! He’s right up there.” She said and pointed up to the loft area. “You can go ahead and just get up there. He's probably in the kitchen. And Buck, welcome to LA!” She explained and gave him a kind wave before walking off.

Buck gave her a kind nod and walked to the staircase. He took the steps two at a time, going up as soon as he could. The loft was pretty quiet. There was an Asian man lounging on the couch. He looked up as he heard Buck come up and gave him a thumbs up.

“New guy, I presume? The name is Chimney! Cap’s back there, in the kitchen.” Chimney said and pointed behind him with his thumb. Buck quickly thanked him and walked up to the kitchen.

And as Chimney said, there was indeed an older man in the kitchen. He was standing behind a stove, pan in his hand. He was flipping a beautiful golden pancake. It was the best pancake Buck had ever seen.

“Excuse me? Are you Captain Nash?” He asked the older man. The man looked over and stared at Buck from top to bottom. “No, you just met her. She’s downstairs. Probably called herself Henrietta Wilson. She loves pulling that joke on new recruits.” The man answered.

Buck stood there like a deer in headlights. “Oh. I am so sorry. I. Oh my Gods. I” Buck stuttered, stumbling over every syllable. The man just laughed at his reaction. “I’m joking. I’m joking. I am Captain Nash. Bobby Nash. And you must be our transfer. Evan…?” The man said and held out his hand.

“Buckley, sir, Evan Buckley. But please call me Buck.” Buck answered and grabbed the offered hand, vigorously shaking it. Bobby smiled. “Right, right. So Buck. There must be a story behind that nickname.” He suggested with a raised eyebrow.

“Not really, sir. There were like 4 other Evan’s in my class, so I decided to start and use Buck. It just stuck around.” Buck explained as he let go of the man’s hand.

Bobby nodded. “Good to know. Good to know! So, why don’t you sit down and we’ll get over your first day here.” He said and pointed to a chair next to the kitchen island. Buck did as he was told and eagerly sat down on the chair.

“So. First of all, get dressed in you’re uniform soon. Second of all, please stop calling me sir. Just call me Bobby or Cap. Next  we’ll show you around so you can get familiar with the house.  I’m making you man behind for the first one or two emergencies. I want you to get a feel for the station. Also let you meet everyone else here, since you are joining A shift with us. But you’ll be out today. I promise. I did see your resume. Quite impressive! The 148 lose a great asset.” Bobby said in between cooking his pancakes.

“Alright. Thanks so much, Cap. And thank you for the compliment!” Buck answered him. He could get behind the plan provided for him. Sounded like an awesome first day.

“Perfect. Now go and sit down at the table. Breakfast is ready!” Bobby said. He yelled down for everyone to come and eat. Footsteps eagerly ran up the stairs and bodies plopped themselves into chairs. Buck quickly followed and sat down the empty seat next to his captain.

“So, Buck, tell us a little more about yourself. Where are you from? How come you transferred?” Bobby asked while everyone was digging into their breakfast.

“Oh, I’m originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania. I was stationed at the 148. I, uh, transferred here after I was outed to them and my whole town. Suddenly they weren’t comfortable working with me anymore. So I got out of there. Needed a fresh start.” Buck explained while enjoying his pancake.

“I can understand that. I’m from Minnesota myself. I get the need for a fresh start. How long have you been in LA for?” Bobby questioned him. Buck looked up when he heard the question. “For a week now.” He answered.

“And how has it been?” Hen, who was sitting next to him, asked. She had held up a fist bump for him earlier when she heard he said something about being outed. She understood. She had leaned in afterwards, telling him he was a lesbian herself.

“It’s been, you know, special. The house I moved into seemed perfect during the showing. But I’ve been experiencing some weird things in there. Electricity is starting to act up, things seemingly moving, stuff like that.” Buck explained as he shoved the last of his food down his throat.

Hen laughed. “The electricity I can explain, not the other things!” She responded and nudged her shoulder playfully against his. “Anyway, welcome home. You’ll fit right in.” Hen added, almost making Buck tear up. She was right. He already felt at home.

“Any questions for us? Chimney asked from across of him, still munching on his food. Buck nodded. “Yeah! I’m lucky I was able to find this listing for the job here. What happened to the previous guy?” He asked.

The mood in the room suddenly seemed to turn a bit sour. Buck could already feel the panic start to consume him. ‘Way to go, Buck. You already ruined something good.’ he thought to himself.

“Oh, well, the story is…” Bobby started to explain, but the loud sou d of the sirens ringing interrupted him. “We’ll tell you later! For now, we got to go.” He added as everyone shot upright and ran down to the engines.

Sadly enough, they never did tell him later. And if he was honest, Buck did completely forget as well.

Time was slowly passing by. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Most of them had been fairly quiet. Electricity still acted up every day, but Buck had gotten used to it. He did never use his toaster after the first time anymore, though.

Stuff of his was also still going missing. He’d hang his keys on their designated hook, only to find them on the kitchen counter the following morning. Buck had actually managed to some of his things, including a picture of him and his sister, Maddie. He’d been heartbroken when that happened. He was so sure he’d placed it on his bedside table. He’d gone to sleep, watching it. And when he had woken up, it was gone. Buck had looked everywhere. He had actually overthrown his whole house to try and find it, but no luck. It seemed to have disappeared from this universe.

Everyone at the 118 never believed Buck when he told them. They would all laugh and joke with him, thinking he was pulling their leg. Buck learned to accept it. They wouldn’t believe him. No one would.

Mr. Sanchez also didn’t believe him. Most days, the lights flickering didn’t really bother Buck. Old house, faulty wiring. It was all explainable. Hen had explained that to him as well.

Yet it had all gone to shit one day. The day had started just as one of the others. Buck had woken up early, got ready for the day and walked into his kitchen to see his coffee maker grinding down some beans. A deep sigh left him. Because of course, it had been grinding so much that his whole kitchen was covered in ground coffee.

Buck immediately pulled the plug of the appliance and threw it down his counter. “You know, spirit…” Buck started as he pulled his dustpan from underneath the kitchen sink. “I would really appreciate it if you stopped the grounding when the container is filled up. I love not having to do it myself, believe me, but this is too much.” He muttered sarcastically, clearly pissed off at the ghost occupying his kitchen.

The ghost apparently didn’t appreciate his sarcasm. And it made it known. Buck came home after a hard shift to find every appliance in his house running.

The lights were flickering on and off. The TV was running a steady static in the background. The Roomba he had gotten was resting close by the wall. It’s batteries had run empty. Little dents covered the machine, as if it has been constantly banging itself against the wall.

The kitchen was the worst of all. The oven was on, blasting hot air everywhere. His coffee maker was back to grounding down beans, even though it still wasn’t plugged into the socket. His toaster was popping up and down. It had been popping so much that the handle had flown of the machine.

Buck stood in the middle of his home and just watched what was happening all around him. Okay. He needed to film this. To prove to everyone that he a, he wasn’t going crazy. And b, he wasn’t lying.

The minute he pulled out his phone, everything stopped. No more lights, no more static, no more annoying grounding beans. His house was as silent as mouse. It was so silent, Buck was sure he could hear a pin land if he were to drop one.

As soon as he lowered his phone, everything started acting up again. The TV started full on blasting the static. The sound jumping from extremely loud to as silent as possible. His mixer, that also had been running, was shaking so much that it managed to move across his counter and fall towards the ground. The kitchen light was flickering so violently that it blew up one of the bulbs.

That was a reaching point for Buck. He grabbed his phone and wallet and practically ran out the door. He barely managed to look right to left as he crossed the street towards Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez home. He pounded his fists loudly against the door.

“Mr. Sanchez. Please! I need your help!” Buck cried as he pounded his fist hard against the wood. The firefighter could feel the wood scarping open various small cuts om his fist.

Mr. Sanchez and his wife, Melinda, were quick to open the door as they heard their tenant. “Buck? Something wrong? Are you okay?” Mr. Sanchez asked as he watched the panicked man standing in front of him.

Buck grabbed their arms and dragged them outside with him. “You have to come with me. The house, the electricity, whatever it is, it is going absolutely nuts!” He cried as he dragged the couple with him.

The elderly couple looked at each other with confusion. They had heard Buck ‘complain’ about the electricity before, but not on this level. They had never seen him act as frantic and panicked as he was now.

“Buck, please, sweetheart, calm down. Tell us what’s wrong.” Melinda asked, obviously alarmed by the state of him. But Buck couldn’t answer. He was so shaken up that he was actually shaking. He raised a hand and pointed to his front door. “I…Inside…everything…crazy.” Buck eventually managed to spit out.

The elderly couple shared another look between themselves. Mr. Sanchez walked up the front door and slowly but surely opened the door. Melinda was right by his side, watching over his shoulder as her husband opened the door. The two shared another look, this time of confusion as they stared into the house.

“Buck. Honey. Are you okay? Do you feel lightheaded? Or did you hit your head?” Melinda asked as she walked to Buck’s side. She pressed her hand to his neck and his forehead, checking his temperature. “No? Why?” He answered her quietly, trying to calm himself and his shaking body.

Mr. Sanchez finally turned to look at him. “Because there’s nothing going on. Everything is normal.” He answered the question. Buck stared at him in shock. “Tha…that can’t be. I swear. I. I.” Buck stumbled and staggered over his words.

He pushed past the couple and ran inside. And they weren’t lying. The whole house was completely silent. Nothing was up and running. Nothing was happening. Buck was ready to drop to his knees. He was convinced he was actually going crazy.

Mr. Sanchez and his wife appeared by his side. Buck hadn’t realized it yet, but his breath had picked up to a dangerous pace. His head was beginning to fill with cotton while 18329 thoughts were going through his mind at the same time. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t.

Buck’s chest began to constrict in pain. His breaths were shallow but alarmingly fast. The cotton continued to fill up his head. His body was fully shaking. Sweat was forming on his brow and running down the sides of his face. He was having a panic attack. And a severe one.

Melinda had been talking to Buck. She had recognized the signs of the panic attack and tried to help him out of it. But it didn’t seem to work. No words of hers seemed to register. The young man wasn’t hearing anything at all. He was practically gone. The older woman looked over at her husband. They needed to bring that boy with them home to get him to calm down.

Both husband and wife grabbed one of Buck’s arms and looped it around one of their own. They dragged the firefighter home with them and deposited him on their couch. Melinda had planted herself down next to him while her husband went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

It took some coaching and some time, but Buck eventually managed to calm down. His breath slowly turned back to normal. The shaking started to subside, and the cotton began to leave his head. Buck was going to be fine.

With the panic leaving, another feeling began to take its place. Buck had worked himself up so much that exhaustion hit him like a brick. And it showed in the loud yawn he released. Melinda gently helped the man lay down after deciding not to bother the man any longer. He needed to rest.

Mr. Sanchez had disappeared down their hallway. He reappeared a moment later with a homemade quilt. Together, the two of them covered Buck up and watched as he fell asleep on their couch.

That morning after, both Buck and the couple went back to the home. They had tried to reason with him that he could have imagined it. There could have been a gas leak. Maybe something else. But Buck was convinced it wasn’t.

So there they stood that following morning, right before his front door. His landlord stood in front of him while his wife was hiding behind Buck. Mr. Sanchez opened the door again slowly. The same sight as before greeted them.

Utter silence.

Things finally came to a climax a few weeks later. The activity in his home hadn’t slowed down. Not. At. All.

The past weeks were a flurry of light-bulbs breaking, toasters and other machinery getting replaced, and just overall more stuff going missing. It had been more than frustrating, especially since Buck couldn’t really talk to anyone about it. No one believed him about any of it.

Buck had been up quite early. Not that he had particularly slept a lot. His digital alarm clock was ringing every five minutes, even though it’s batteries were completely empty. His phone getting called every hour with static didn’t help the situation.

Finally. Finally! His alarm om his phone went off. Buck jumped from his bed and went straight to the bathroom. Skipping breakfast was a given now since it was impossible for him to make anything in his own kitchen.

Buck undressed himself as soon as he stepped inside his bathroom. He had turned the shower on, letting the warm steam envelop him. Buck pulled open the class door and stepped inside. The hot water was an immediate comfort. Like a warm hug he so desperately needed that morning.

He hummed happily as he started to shampoo his hair and wash his body. He was facing the wall before him but turned around suddenly. A new and eerie feeling crawled up his spine. Something was wrong. Something was there with him. He knew it.

The glass door was fogged up by the steam from his scorching shower. But somehow, some way, there was a darker outline etched into the fog. Like there was someone standing outside the door.

A sudden fear overtook him. Had someone broken into his home? How? And why? Buck swallowed hard. This couldn’t be happening. He raised a shaking hand and laid it against the glass door. He slowly pushed it open. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was frightened of what he would find on the other side.

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing on the other side. “Oh God.” Buck whispered to himself and rested his hands on his knees. He took a deep breath and blew it out. “So no serial killers. That’s good. Very good.” He whispered to himself, blowing out another deep breath.

Buck closed the door again and quietly finished his shower. Did he perhaps keep an eye on the door the whole time? Maybe. But that was something only for him to know. It mad feel better and more secure.

Buck stepped out the shower, towel secure around his waist and planted himself before the mirror. He groaned as he saw the fog covering it. He lifted his hand again and wiped some of the fog away. He looked up at himself before screaming bloody murder.

There, behind him, right over his right shoulder was a head floating. Buck really couldn’t make out any features other than it not having a body. He whipped his head around at an alarming speed to try and find the head. But there was nothing.

Buck whipped his head back around to face the mirror. And there it was, still floating above his shoulder. A head. This time it seemed to be more in focus. Like it had come a little closer. Buck could see what looked like a mop of brown hair and the same colored eyes. He wasn’t really sure as the head began to flicker in and out of existence.

An idea quickly came to mind. Maybe he could take a picture,  especially with the head seemingly close to disappearing. He raised his phone from where it laid on the sink and opened the camera up. He held it up into the mirror and took a snap.

Buck opened the gallery app next and selected the phone. A shocked gasp left his lips. The head wasn’t in the picture. Instead there was a ball of floating white light above his shoulder. It looked like a lens flare from the sun. But he knew that it wasn’t that. He knew what he saw.

Buck’s calm 24-hour shift turned into a harrowing 48 one. One of the firefighters on B-shift had gotten food poisoning. And with Buck’s constant need to replace broken appliances, he really did have a need to the money.

So he volunteered himself. It was a dumb idea, honestly. But it was a way to get some extra money and some extra love from his colleagues. Bobby wasn’t really fond of the idea at first, but the sick guy promised to take over one of Buck’s shifts as soon as he was back.

The B-shift was quite unlucky that day. Their 24 hour was filled with back to back accidents. From motorbikes to buses. They got the whole shebang.

Buck was finally on the way home. He’d survived the 48 hours of excruciating work. His eyes trailed down to the little clock in his Jeep. 6:17 in the morning. God how much he hated those shifts. The sun was right about to go up when he parked his car onto the driveway. He was to tired to open his garage. So outside would do for now.

Buck grabbed the duffle from beside him and opened the door. He climbed out the Jeep, fumbling his hands around his pockets to find his keys. With his keys finally found, Buck unlocked the door. He walked inside, eyes barely open and half awake. He threw his duffle on the couch and marched straight into the kitchen to get himself a drink.

Buck rubbed a hand over his eyes as he stood himself before his fridge. He reached out for the handle, only to miss it. He tried again, but he still managed to grasp nothing. Buck finally pulled the hand away from his face and was met by a peculiar sight. The fridge he was standing before. The one appliance that was closed most of the time. Yeah, that thing was wide open. Buck had a face full of condiments and protein shakes.

“What the hell?”  Buck whispered to himself. He tried to move off to the side, but yelped out in pain when his hip collided with something sharp. He turned his head and saw that a drawer was fully opened. His eyes were pulled to the cupboard underneath the drawer. It’s door was also opened.

Buck fully raised his head and scanned his kitchen. Fear filled his body as he stood frozen in his kitchen. Every cupboard, drawer, rack, or door was pulled out or opened. His coffee maker was back to grounding beans. His partially destroyed mixer was up and running again.

A sudden loud slam came from behind Buck, making him jump into the air. He watched over his shoulder as the door to the fridge had slammed itself shut.

And suddenly, BAM, there was another slam. Buck whipped his head around, and now, the oven door had been slammed shut. Another BAM sounded from his left. The drawer he was standing by was roughly shoved back in its slot.

Another slam. And another. And another. Buck watched as the doors to everything he had in the kitchen began to slam open and close. It was a violent ordeal of doors and cupboard slamming open and close. All his appliances started running at their maximum power. The tap opened up and water began to pour out.

Buck didn’t know how long he stood there, watching as everything moved or powered on violently around him. He covered his face with his hands. He didn’t want to see it anymore. He was about to sink to his knees and cry, beg, pray, or do whatever he needed to do to stop it. He couldn’t do it anymore.

And then it all stopped.

Buck pulled the hands away from his face and slowly looked up. The kitchen light began to weirdly flicker in a pattern. A short flicker at first, followed by a long one. Then another short flicker, again, followed by a long one. And afterward, eight small flickers. Buck watched as the light flickered through the sequence over and over again.

Unknown to Buck at first, something, or rather someone, had appeared under the flickering light. “Ex…Excuse me.” The someone called out, grabbing Buck's immediate attention.

Buck let his eyes wander to the source of the voice. And there, before him, stood the most beautiful man he had ever seen. At least, a translucent version of the man.

Chocolate brown eyes met his own baby blue ones. Buck was still frozen in his spot, watching the translucent man before him. Both were silent, just staring at each other.

Oh my God. Buck actually had a ghost.

The ghost before him tried to take a step forward and Buck retaliated by taking one backwards. The ghost was about to say something, but Buck stopped him by raising a hand. He took a deep breath and looked at his ghost.

“You know what? No. Not today. I am so not in the mood. I just had a 48 hour shift and all I wanted was a glass of water. This must all be a dream or something. I’m going to bed. You clean your mess up. Goodnight.” Buck said to his ghost and pushed right passed him, even though it was more through him.

The ghost didn’t say anything back to him. It watched Buck pass him by and march straight to his bedroom. If the ghost was honest to himself, this was definitely not the reaction he had anticipated.

Buck woke up feeling A-ma-zing. He hadn’t slept like he had in weeks. He groaned as he sat up and leaned over to pick up the phone from where it was charging on his bedside table. He unlocked it and read the time. 6 o’clock in the evening. He had slept for 12 hours straight. That was a blessing.

He checked his social media for a moment before he was so rudely interrupted by his stomach growling. “All right, All right. I’ll get you some food.” Buck muttered to his stomach. He was ready to stand up, but halted his movements as something grabbed his attention. There, in front of him, sitting by his side on the bed was a certain spirit.

Memories of that very morning flashed through his mind. The cabinets, the lights, the machinery. It all came back to him. And obviously, the gigantic elephant in the room, the ghost.

“You’re still here.” Buck said and crossed his arms. His eyes were down to his lap. Looking up would make it real, and Buck didn’t want it to be real.

“I am.” The ghost answered him. Buck could feel the entity staring at him. A deep sigh left him. “So it wasn’t a dream.”  Buck whispered, fiddling with the blanket in his lap.

“No. It wasn’t.” The ghost answered him again. Buck opened his mouth, ready to ask a million questions before a loud ringing from his phone interrupted him. He looked over, seeing that it was the private number from months before.

“For the love of God, could you stop doing that? You ruined every piece of technology I have. Do you know how many things I had to replace because of you?” Buck almost yelled. He finally looked up, ready to continue his tirade, but was stopped by the man before him.

The ghost looked actually upset by his outburst. His eyes were turned downward. His form was flickering and the sound of static seemed to engulf him. “I’m sorry. I can’t control it! I don’t know what to do. I need help. You need to help me.” The ghost cried out. He got so upset that Buck’s phone began to ring uncontrollably  and the lights flickered rapidly. It’s body seemed to go in and out of focus as well, like it had trouble continuing to manifest.

“Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. It’s okay. Calm down. I didn’t want to upset you. And I don’t want to change another light-bulb.” Buck said, trying to place his hand on the ghost’s arm, only for it to go through him.

The ghost nodded and began to calm down. His phone stopped ringing, but the light above him kept flickering. It wasn’t as fast as before, luckily for him, except that Buck noticed something strange about it. It was back to flickering in that weird pattern. The short burst followed by a long pause. Another short burst followed by a long pause. And than the 8 short burst. The pattern kept repeating over and over.

“I really am sorry.” The ghost whispered as soon as it had calmed down enough. It came back into focus after a few moments. Buck couldn’t help but feel guilty. He’d been so mad about everything that happened that he never suspected the possibility that it was all an accident.

Buck shook his head.  He held out a hand for the ghost to grab. “Forget all of that for now. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. How about we start over? My name is Buck. What’s yours?” He asked.

The ghost tried to take his hand, but obvious, his hand passed through Buck’s. Both men couldn’t help but chuckle. “Right. Uh. That’s dumb of me.” Buck muttered, but the ghost shook his head. “It’s okay. Really. And to he honest with you. I don’t know my name.” The ghost replied.

Buck looked confused. “What do you mean? You don’t know it or don’t remember it?” He questioned. The ghost nodded. “I don’t remember it. I don’t remember much. The only thing I remember is a flash of white, electricity and waking up here. ” It answered sadly.

“That must be frustrating.” Buck answered as he slowly got out of his bed. He pulled his phone from the charger and popped in into the pocket of his sweatpants. He mentioned for the ghost to follow him as Buck went to the kitchen. He desperately needed a drink to continue this conversation.

Buck pulled out a long drink glass and his bottle of Vodka. He popped an ice cube into the glass and filled it up to the brim with the vodka. The ghost gave him an amused smile paired with a raised eyebrow. “Is that all you remember?” He asked, deciding to ignore the look he got from the ghost.

The ghost shook his head in response. “Kind of. I remember waking up here and being all alone. I don’t know how long time passed. My energy seemed too strong at first. I could walk and talk. I did everything in my power to try and get someone’s attention, but it didn’t work. Over time, I seemed to lose my energy.” It replied.

“Until I came in the picture?” Buck asked, still not really looking up at the man. He took his glass and took a few desperate sips. Was this actually happening? Was he actually talking to a ghost?

“Until you came in the picture. At first, I tried to get your attention by moving your stuff. It’s all I could do. But you didn’t really think about it. And then you brought in those toaster.  I could feel my energy return. The electricity helped me. So when you brought in more stuff, I started to gain more energy. Until it got uncontrollable.” The ghost explained.

“So the toaster, the coffee maker, and my mixer?” Buck asked, suggesting that it was the ghost’s fault. “It was all me. Again. I’m so sorry.” The ghost apologized.

Buck waved him off with the flick of his hand. “It’s fine now that I know you didn’t do it intentionally.” He replied and finished his glass of alcohol. He immediately poured himself a second one. “So how come you are able to manifest now?” Buck asked him.

The ghost shrugged. “I don’t know. Really. But I think it’s thanks to you. You getting all your technology and such. I think it helped. So thank you for giving me that much energy.” He answered his question. One of his translucent hands reached over and rested above Buck’s.

Buck was the ghost hand approach his own. How it hovered above his. Buck’s eyes flicked over to the ghost. He stopped in his tracks. Lord, the ghost was already handsome in the flickering kitchen light. But now, with the evening sun shining through the window. He was drop dead gorgeous.  Buck couldn’t help but stare. Those beautiful brown eyes, like pools of molten chocolate. His brown hair with a slight curl to it. His face was handsome, perfect bone structure and a smile that could light up the world.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn’t start crushing on a ghost, could he? Could he?!

As Buck continued to stare at the ghost before him, all dumbfounded and still now knowing what to answer, something clicked in his mind. He had seen the ghost before. He recognized him.

The ghost saw the look on Buck’s face. “What’s wrong? Do you know something?” The ghost called out desperately. Buck nodded as he scrambled upright. “Wait here!” He called out and ran from the kitchen to the garage. He snooped around the boxes until he found the right one. He opened it up and pulled the family photo he had found the first day he stayed out of it.

Buck did a little happy dance and ran back towards his kitchen, where the ghost was still waiting for him. He stood by his side and held the photo up in his face for him to see. “This is you, isn’t it?” He grinned at him.

The ghost inspected the picture. “Yes. Yes! That is me! I recognize myself! I’m the one in the middle!” The ghost replied, trying to take the picture from him. Buck pulled the photo away and smirked at the ghost. He, again and quite stupidly, held his hand out. “Your name is right here on the back.” Buck said, ready to surprise the ghost with his name. “So, nice to meet you, Eddie Diaz. I’m Evan Buckley. Call me Buck.” He chuckled.

“Eddie Diaz.” The ghost muttered to himself. And after hearing his own name, a flurry of memories went through his mind. He could see numerous people calling out to him, saying his name.

“Eddie…Eddie…Eddie…Eddie…Eddie..”

That was his name! Buck had found out his name.

The ghost, or rather Eddie, grinned back. He, of course, tried to take his hand again, laughing as his ghostly hand went through the living hand. “Nice to meet you, Buck. My name is Edmundo Diaz. Call me Eddie.” Eddie grinned back at him.

“So, you’re my ghost.”

“I’m your ghost.”

This was a new start for the both of them.

A beautiful start to an utmost weird friendship between the dead and the living.

Eddie never left ever since his first manifestation. He couldn’t and didn’t want to. And neither did Buck. Not that they would tell the other.

The two of them learned to live together over time, Ghost roommate to living roommate. Both of them loved to do little things for each other. It made their time together more pleasant.

At first, it was hard. Very hard. Eddie had a lot of trouble containing his electric energy, especially when his emotions got the better of him. Buck would regularly wake up  with technology going crazy in his home.

It had once gotten to the point where the two of them fought about it. Buck had woken up to his house practically underwater. His shower had turned on, and Eddie, instead of coming to wake him, tried to fix it himself. He tried to use his electrical surges to stop it, but to no use. The water only flowed faster and faster, and eventually, it flowed over.

Buck had been so furious when he woke up that morning and planted his feet in a few inches of freezing water. He watched with anger as a photo of him and his sister at her graduation floated by, absolutely drenched.

The two of them had yelled so much at each other that Eddie actually managed to short circuit the whole house, making Buck even more furious. Awful words had been said between the two. Words both still regretted up to the day.

“I wish you would just disappear from my life! You made my life a joke! No one believes me any time I mention my ghost. They ridicule me! Do you know how that makes me feel?! I thought I was crazy for weeks! I still do!” Buck had screamed at Eddie. His face had grown so red that his ghost was sure it was going to explode

Eddie had been staring at Buck while the man continued his frustrated rant. He felt his emotions, specifically his sadness and rage, grow in size at every word Buck spew his way. Why couldn’t he understand that he was trying so hard to be good. To not break anything else of Buck’s. He wanted to keep him happy.

“Do you actually think I want this? That I want this misery! I hate this even more than you do! If it weren’t for this stupid house, I would have been long gone already! Being stuck here all day with nothing to do but see you whine about everything is exhausting! You are exhausting! No wonder everyone left and turned on you!” Eddie yelled back at him. He got so upset that the house suddenly turned dark. His manifestation had trouble staying in sight. His form continuously appeared and disappeared.

Buck’s heart broke as soon as he heard Eddie’s words. His eyes welled up with tears. The  firefighter couldn’t help but be a little glad that the power went out. So he could release his tears without the both of them seeing.  

He had stared into Eddie’s eyes before the power went out. And he saw the pain there as well. They had both hurt each other without actually wanting to. Guilt was eating him up. It was eating the both of them up.

“I’m going to work. Please, don’t do anything else.” Buck whispered, voice clearly choked up with tears. He got his phone out of his pocket and quickly unlocked it. He turned on the flashlight and walked to his room to find some dry clothes. Not even 10 minutes later, he was out the door, leaving Eddie for the day.

Eddie had stood there for God knows how long. Guilt and shame overtook him immediately.  Had he actually made the one person who could see him, who could help him, hate him? The ghost fell down to his knees and cried out. His wails were so loud that the house shook with the power of them.

His cries eventually subsided. Eddie picked himself up from the ground. He needed to do something. He needed to make it up to Buck in any way possible. Eddie first tried to will the water away. But that obviously didn’t work. So he did the second best thing.

Eddie went around the rooms that were covered in water. He used his energy to pick up whatever trinkets and things were in the water. He managed to move them to the kitchen counter, a safe space for now. He needed to dry them in any way possible. So Eddie managed to open a curtain in the window and let the sun come in. He used his energy to lift the trinkets and photo to the windowsill and place them in the sun.

And that’s how Buck found him when he got home that day. He walked into his drenched, but no longer dark,  house to find his ghost in the kitchen. He was bend over a counter filled with trinkets and photos and other important things.

That was Buck’s first unknown sign that he was not just crushing on his ghost, but falling in love. Eddie had been using his limited energy to save what he could from the water. He had used his energy to try and get them dry. All just for Buck.

“Eddie…” Buck whispered, catching the attention of his ghost. Eddie’s head shot up. His chocolate eyes staring at Buck’s blue ones. “Buck. I. I tried to save as much as I could.” The ghost explained and took an awkward step aside so his roommate could see.

Buck slowly walked over to the windowsill. His eyes trailed over every little thing. Most of it was replaceable if he was honest. But there, on the end, was the one thing that wasn’t. It was that picture of him and his sister. He reached out with a trembling hand and picked it up. “You did this? For me?” Buck asked Eddie, tears again gathering in his eyes.

Eddie gave him a kind smile. He took a step closer to and stood right next to him. “I know it’s not much. I tried to save as much as I could.” His ghost answered him. Buck immediately shook his head and wiped a hand across his eyes. “No, Eddie. This means a lot. Thank you.” He replied.

His ghost grinned at him, clearly appreciating his words. Buck took a deep breath and turned to face Eddie. “How about we clean up together and afterwards we’ll talk?” He suggested, earning him a nod in return.

So both of them worked together. Buck got the floor squeegee out. He opened the back door to his garden and began to push the water out.

Eddie, in the meantime, used his energy to lift and carry objects to the kitchen for them to dry. He opened every curtain and window with his energy, hoping that the warmth and sun from outside would dry the place up.

It took them a few hours of teamwork, but eventually the place was dry and surprisingly clean again. Sweat rolled down Buck’s neck as he rested his body against the wall. “We did it. And rather quickly as well.” Buck said happily.

Eddie nodded. He was still bend over the multiple trinkets and objects, watching and waiting as they dried up. “Thank you for allowing me to help. I’ve been feeling useless ever since I appeared. This gave me something to do.” He admitted.

“You’re welcome. Now. Let’s have a little talk, okay. We need to air some things out.” Buck replied as he pushed himself off the wall. He walked to the kitchen island and sat down in one of the chairs.

Eddie followed his example and sat himself down next to his roommate. He crossed his arms over the island, hands tightly clasped together. Both men didn’t start speaking immediately. They needed some time to decompress.

“First. I want to apologize.” Buck said eventually. His blue eyes met chocolate brown ones. “I’ve had a rough couple of shifts and a lot of sleepless nights. I think it all bundled up together and it exploded. I said some cruel words I never should’ve said. And I’m so sorry about that.” Buck whispered, starting the difficult conversation happening between them.

“I’m sorry too, Buck. I said some awful things. I’m just so frustrated that I’m not able to do anything but stand around. And seeing you being able to do what I couldn’t. It made me jealous.” Eddie replied and stared deep into Buck’s eyes. He gently reached over and placed his translucent hand over Buck’s.

A weird feeling went through the both of them. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but Buck could feel Eddie’s touch. It was as light as a feather, but it was there.

Eddie, however, felt like his touch had some weight to it. Like his hand wasn’t just floating, but like it actually had skin and muscles and bones.  Like it was alive again.

Both men were lost in each other’s gaze. They sat there, staring deep into each other eyes. Blue eyes met brown ones. Butterflies began to flutter in their stomachs.

Oh God. They were actually falling for each other.

Buck scraped his throat and quickly turned his eyes away. He coughed and turned his attention back to his ghost. “Eddie. I. When we fought earlier, you said something about wanting to leave but not being able to. Could you explain it?” He asked.

Eddie shook his head. “No. I can’t. But I can show you of you want.” He suggested. Buck immediately nodded. “Yeah. Please do.” He responded.

The ghost nodded and stood up from his chair. “Follow me.” He said and walked to the front door. Buck stumbled up from his chair and followed him to the door. “Open it for me, would you?” Eddie asked as he crossed his arms.

Buck raised an eyebrow but did as he was told. He unlocked the door and pulled it wide open. “Okay. What now?” He asked. Eddie quickly glanced at him. “Step outside and come back in.” He ordered.

Again, Buck did as he was told. He stepped outside his house and back inside again. The ghost nodded. “Now watch.” He whispered and walked towards the open doorway. He tried to step over the threshold, but what seemed like a blue wall of energy prevented him.

“What the…” Buck whispered. His eyes grew in shock and confusion as he watched Eddie try and walk out the doorway. “It’s like your stuck.” He muttered.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” The ghost mumbled to himself. Buck gave him a look, obviously having heard him. “Maybe this is a good thing?” Buck suggested.

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked, uncrossing his arms. He was intrigued by Buck’s idea. “Well, a ghost is linked to a place or an item, but it’s still allowed to roam free. They have free will. They can move from location to location. Their body is gone, not their spirit. Maybe you can’t because your body is still alive. Still in this world. And we need to find it.” Buck suggested.

Eddie stared in Buck at disbelief. What he had suggested actually made sense. A lot of sense. Maybe, maybe, it could be true. The idea filled Eddie with so much happiness and hope that the light above him began to flicker. “So, I might not be dead, but…” Eddie asked, bu was interrupted by Buck. “I think you are having an out of body experience. And I’m going to try everything in my power to help you find your way back to the living. I promise” He answered

“You…You would do that for me?” Eddie whispered. Tears had gathered in his eyes and trailed down his translucent cheeks. Silent sobs made his body tremble.

Buck stepped up with a raised hand. He wanted to gently wipe the tears away. Seeing his ghost cry made him want to cry as well. He slowly raised his fingers up to Eddie’s cheek, but as he anticipated, they went through him. Yet his ghost seemed to appreciate the gesture. He closed his eyes and seemed to lean into the touch.

Buck closed his eyes as well, wanting to enhance his other senses. He could feel Eddie close to him. He could feel his warmth. He could feel the bond between them getting stronger and stronger. They had something special, the both of them.

Eddie eventually pulled back, pulling his presence away from Buck. Buck followed his moves and opened his eyes as well. He was staring at his ghosts again, intrigued by the look he was getting from him.

Suddenly, the light above them began to flicker. Buck studied it for a second. He couldn’t help but notice that that familiar pattern was back again. One flicker. One long pause. Another flicker and another long pause. And then eight small flickers.

“You know, wherever you stand, that keeps happening.” Buck commented and pointed up the light. Eddie followed his movement and looked up at the light. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“The light. Whenever you are underneath a light, it flickers in a specific sequence over and over again. I noticed it first months ago. But I never really thought about it. It’s always in the same pattern. A short flicker followed by a long pause. Another short flicker followed by another long pause. And then eight small flickers. 1, 1, 8. Do those numbers mean anything to you?” Buck explained before asking that question, eyes never leaving the flickering light.

Eddie shook his head. “No. Not that I can remember. The only thing we know is my name.” The ghost answered as he placed his hands on his hips. His eyes were also trained on the light above.

“Not really. We know something else.” Buck said and quickly glanced at Eddie. His ghost turned his head to him in confusion. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“Well, we also know your job. Mr. Sanchez and your neighbor told me about it when I first moved. You are a firefighter. Just like me.” Buck chuckled. He pulled his eyes away from the light as well and turn the em to Eddie. His own baby blues grew worried as he saw the look on his ghost’s face.

“Eddie? Are yo…” He wanted to ask but was interrupted by the man. “118. They do mean something to me.” The ghost answered and stood close to Buck.  Memories of happy and sad times flashed through his eyes. “That’s my firehouse number. I’m Eddie Diaz from the 118.” He replied.

Buck’s arms fell to his arms in shock. His lips were parted a little. He was frozen in shock. His complexion turning as white as Eddie’s. “Evan?” He asked, pulling Buck from his shock.

“Eddie. The 118. That’s my firehouse as well. I work at the 118.”

The two roommates made a plan over the following weeks. In order to find out more about Eddie, Buck needed to ask everyone else at the 118.

He had been planning to do it for ages, but never got the chance to it. It was like the universe was against him. Like the universe didn’t want him to find anything out. His shifts had been so busy and hectic that he constantly forgot about it. And every time he came home and Eddie asked, it broke his heart to admit that he forgot again.

But today was a day he wasn’t going to ask. He wasn’t really in the mood. He hadn’t been all week. Buck dreaded this particular day every year since he had been alone. Today was Maddie’s, his sister, birthday.

Buck hadn’t seen or heard from his sister in ages. Ever since she had married her husband and he had been driven away from his town, communication was non-existent. When he still lived in Hershey, he had been able to visit or message her regularly. But now, with him in LA. It was far more difficult.

Buck really did miss her.

Eddie had immediately known something was wrong. He could feel and see it. Buck acted different. He had been so down. Not like his normal self. His eyes were swollen up and red with unshed tears glistening in them.  The ghost didn’t say anything. He just quietly followed Buck to his bedroom and watched as he crawled into his warm bed. He sat down  by his side and pressed a gentle hand to Buck’s cheek, trying to wipe the silent tears away. He’d been doing that a lot lately, sitting by his bedside as he slept. Eddie had been feeling very protective over him over time. And buck appreciated it. It made him feel safe, made both of them feel safe.

But that didn’t matter for now. Buck woke up early that morning after he had barely slept. He sat up in his bed and hid his face away on his hand.

It was Maddie’s birthday. Today was her actual birthday. The only person he had left in his life. The one who accepted him and kept him safe for so long, whisked away from his side by her husband.

Buck bit down on his lip, trying to keep his tears at bay. He’d been biting so hard that he actually managed to split his lip open.

It took him a while, but Buck finally managed to get up and out the bed. He didn’t bother dressing himself quite yet. He had only had a small shift starting that noon, taking over a few hours for someone who had an important appointment.

“Good morning!” A voice called out as Buck quietly entered the kitchen. He looked up to see his ghost leaning against the counter. The coffee maker by his side was already turned on. That had been Eddie’s doing. One of the things they had compromised on. Eddie had been wanting to help around the home, so Buck had given him the task to prepare him fresh coffee every morning.

“Morning.” Buck whispered, his voice hoarse and choked up. He didn’t look up at the man before him. He was sure he would burst out in a heap of tears when those gentle and worried eyes would meet his own troubled ones.

Eddie, of course, noticed something was wrong almost immediately. He moved and stood right by his side. “You okay?” He whispered quietly, just loud enough for them to hear.

“No. I’m not.” Buck muttered as he shook his head at the same time. His body began to tremble. And Eddie knew it was because of the silent tears trailing down again. He didn’t say anything, knowing that keeping silent would provide Buck the most comfort at the moment.

“Are you sure you want to go to work today?” Eddie questioned silently, suggesting he stayed home instead. But Buck nodded. “Yeah. I need the distraction.” He answered quietly and wrapped his arms around himself.

Eddie nodded. “Okay. But promise me that you’ll be safe. Okay? And take any breather you need. It’s only six hours. You’ll be home by six.” His ghost replied and stood a little closer, providing that extra push of comfort.

“Yeah. It’ll be over soon.  I need to go and get ready. I’ll come turn Netflix on as soon as I can. Okay?” Buck whispered, resting his chin against his own chest.

“Amor…” Eddie whispered unknowingly to both of them. “You don’t have to. I want you to take care of yourself today. I don’t know what’s wrong. But I can see that it’s hitting you hard. I don’t like seeing you this way.” He added and ducked down to look at Buck’s pained eyes.

Buck closed his eyes quickly. He was sure he was about to burst into tears if he saw Eddie’s worried eyes focus on his own. He knew Eddie was studying him, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. “I’ll tell you when I get home. But I really need to go now.” He said shakily. He turned around and almost ran from his kitchen to his bedroom.

Eddie sighed and nodded. He knew Buck was prone to keep emotions bottled up. He’d been taught to do that. And Eddie had seen it forehand. The two had grown close enough, so Buck didn’t do it as much around him. But still. He wished the man would trust him a little more.

Buck came barreling down the hallway And into the living room after he was done with his shower and dressing. He had his duffle strapped around his shoulder. “Eddie. I’m gonna go now. I’ll see you later.” Buck called out.

He, first, stopped before the TV and turned it on. He opened the Netflix app and started up an episode of the  series Eddie was following. He placed the remote back down and went to his front door, ready to leave.

“Evan, wait.” His ghost called out from the kitchen. Buck watched as Eddie came from around the corner. He shuffled from side to side, waiting for him to continue to come to him.

Eddie walked right up in his space. His movements were gentle and calculated. He made sure Buck could see it all. He gently raised his hands and tried to cup them around his cheeks. But as they had known for ages now, it didn’t work. They couldn’t touch.

Not that it stopped the ghost. He hovered his fingertips against Buck's cheeks. Oh, how he wished he could touch the living man before him. He leaned his head up and pressed a ghostly kiss to his cheek. “I’ll see you later, Amor.” Eddie whispered. He turned himself around and left  Buck standing in the doorway.

Buck was frozen solid. He would never admit it. Not to himself and not to Eddie. But he had felt the frozen touch of Eddie’s finger and the kiss on his cheek. His hand had shot up as his ghost left him standing there. A deep blush adorned his cheeks.

He was so in love that it was honestly disgusting.

His six out shift felt more like an 16 hour one. Not only to him, but to Eddie as well.

The ghost had spent most of his day watching Netflix. Buck had been so kind to let him do that after he had admitted how boring most of his days were. Eddie had been staring more at the clock than at the TV. Six in the evening had finally rolled around. Buck was due to arrive any moment now.

Eddie watched anxiously as 6:15 rolled around. Okay. Five minutes later than normal. That’s okay. Maybe Buck had hit traffic. When 6:35 rolled around, Eddie got worried. Where was Buck? He needed him home. At 7:24, Eddie was downright anxious and panicky. The TV had long turned from Netflix into static. The lights above him were frantically flickering.

That’s when he heard it. A subtle sob. But where was it coming from? Eddie stood up and began to look around their home. Had Buck come home and had he missed him? That wasn’t possible. Eddie would never miss him.

The ghost passed by the back door, ready to check out the other rooms. But then he heard it again. That subtle sob. It immediately stopped him in his tracks.

“Buck? Are you out there?” Eddie asked as he stood by the door. Another sob answered him. Okay. So it was coming from the back porch. That was something he could establish. More worry overcame him.

Eddie bit his lip and popped his head through the door. His eyes turned soft and kind with empathy. Buck was sitting there on the back porch. He had a beer in his left hand and a tissue in his right.

“Aw, Evan…” The ghost said. He popped himself fully through the door and walked over to his side. His manifestation worked in a truly peculiar way. While Eddie couldn’t leave through the front door, he could leave through the back. But only on the porch. That was the extent of his reach outside.

Eddie gently sat down next to Buck. He didn’t make his presence actually known, but he knew for a fact that Buck knew he was next to him.  And as always, Eddie was right.

“Hi, Ed’s.” Buck whispered as he took another swing from his beer. He refused to look at his ghost. Instead, his eyes were focused up at the brightly lit moon.

“How long have you been home? I didn’t hear you come in.” Eddie asked kindly. He was leaning back on his hands, eyes also upturned towards the moon.

“For around 20 minutes now. And I didn’t come inside. I walked around. I…uh…didn’t want you to see me like this?” Buck admitted. He rested his hands between his knees. The sweat of his beer bottle fell down to the wooden steps underneath him.

“Why’s that?” Eddie asked gently. Buck didn’t immediately reply. He bit his lip again, working up the courage to look at his ghost. “Because this is embarrassing.” He finally admitted.

Eddie couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Why would you think that? It’s perfectly normal to cry. Why don’t you tell me what made you cry on this beautiful evening?” He asked, hoping Buck would talk to him.

A deep and shaky sigh left Buck. He looked down at the sweating beer bottle in his hand. It took him a while to answer, but Eddie kept patiently waiting. Buck would talk on his own terms. He knew that.

“Its my sisters birthday.” Buck eventually was able to push past his lips. His bottom lip began to wobble again as soon as the words left him. More tears gathered in his eyes, threatening to fall.

“Is she….?” Eddie wanted to ask, but Buck was quick to interrupt by shaking his head. “No, she’s still alive. As far as I know. I haven’t heard from her in years. She….She was my best friend.” Buck interrupted. His eyes looked back up at the sky, hoping the cool breeze would dry the tears on his cheeks.

“Where is she now?” Eddie asked. He turned his full attention to the man sitting next to him. His eyes were soft and questioning. “Back in Hershey, I suppose. Where everyone else is.” Buck muttered and took another sip of his beer.

“Hershey is home?” The ghost asked quietly and sat a little bit closer. His living roommate shook his head again. “It was home. Until a year ago. I left that place behind. I had to.” Buck replied.

Eddie hummed. He flicked his eyes over to Buck, keeping silent. If Buck wanted to elaborate, he would.

“I haven’t told you the story before, haven’t I?” Buck asked and finally looked at Eddie. His whole face was covered in tears. Shiny droplets of water ran down his cheeks in numerous rivers.

Eddie shook his head. “No. You haven’t. Will you tell me?” The ghost questioned. He covered Buck’s hand with his own translucent one, hoping the man could feel it.

Unknown to Eddie, Buck could.

“I came here to escape from Hershey. Before I worked here at the 118, I was firefighter Buckley of the 148. The only firehouse of Hershey. Hershey is a small town, you see. Nothing compared to El Pa&nbspso or LA. It’s mindset is also small. Backward even.” Buck started his tale and leaned closer to Eddie. He didn’t want to talk all that loud.

“I was one of the best over there. A real daredevil. Nothing was too much for me. I’d do it all. My fellow crew and colleagues loved me for it. Or so I thought. One day. I walked up into the station, and everyone was just cold and distant. They all just stared at me. Like I had grown a second head. And I was so confused. But then, I was called up to the captain’s office. A photo had been making it’s way round on social media. One of my colleagues had seen me go on a date. With another man. He took a picture and posted it. Everyone saw. I was outed to the whole city.” Buck slowly explained. He started picking at the label of his beer.

Eddie gasped gently. “So, you are…” He whispered, keeping the question open so Buck could fill it in if he wanted to. “Bisexual.  Yes, I am.” He answered quietly. “When they found out, they weren’t comfortable with me anymore. Not in the community and not in the workforce. They started to bully me, exclude me. I wasn’t allowed on calls anymore. Suddenly, I was nothing more than a stranger. My parents started to do the same. They were not okay with my ‘life choices’. They blamed me for the judgy looks they received. They threw me out the house. Excluded me from everything.” Buck added to his explanation.

“I fell low. Really low. Dangerously so. But then there was Maddie, my sister. She was the only one supporting me. Even though her husband didn’t allow it, she took me in. She would stick up for me every time we would go outside and someone would stare at me. She came into my firehouse with me and demanded that either they started to act normal again, or they would grant me a transfer. They chose the second option. Maddie helped me find the spot at the 118. And she was coming with me.” He continued quietly. He moved his eyes back up at the night sky, watching as the starts flickered in the twilight.

“But then her husband interfered. And suddenly, I was outside her house alone.  She was on the driveway, watching me, telling me she couldn’t come with me. She told me to go. Maddie handed me the keys to her Jeep and all her savings from over the years. And she sent me on my merry way. I haven’t seen or heard from her ever since.” He finished. Buck burst out in tears. Loud, heartbroken sobs wrecked his body. He buried his face in his knees and cried his heart out.

“Oh Evan, I'm so sorry. I know how you feel. The same thing kind of happened to me. My parents found out I liked men as well. We had a fight. A huge one. And I left. I couldn’t handle it. So I ran.” Eddie replied sadly. He moved closer to Buck and leaned his head against his shoulder. Normally, he would expect his head to just go through him, but it didn’t. His head kept itself rested on Buck’s shoulder. If he were to guess, he would have to thank his blooming energy for it.

Buck felt Eddie’s presence land on his shoulder. It wasn’t really a physical feeling, more like a mental one. The feeling that came with it was one of calm and warmth. Pure comfort and gentleness. Buck had never felt so loved as in that moment. He closed his eyes and relished in it.

A little spark of hope filled Eddie. He did something risky, even for him. But it was something he wasn’t gonna regret later. He lifted his arms and gently wrapped his them around Buck’s one, cradling it close. Again, it wasn’t a physical feeling to Buck. Eddie closed his eyes as well, enjoying the comfortable silence between them.

“We’re a couple of misfits. Aren’t we?” Buck whispered after few minutes of silence. A broken chuckle left his lips. “I miss her, Eddie. I miss her so much. I had this picture of us with me when I moved here. Just the two of us. And I lost it too. I don’t have anything of her anymore.” He cried again.

Eddie crawled a bit closer. “I know you do, Evan, but you aren’t alone anymore. You have me in your corner now.” He whispered, hoping it would comfort the man next to him.

Buck didn’t immediately reply, but Eddie could see him nod after a while. The two sat there for hours in absolute silence. Their presence together was enough for them. They didn’t need more.

It was close to midnight when Buck began to yawn. His eyes were drooping shut. Exhaustion from the insomnia and his emotions quickly began to shut his body down.

Eddie looked up when he heard the first yawn that escaped Buck. A soft chuckle left his lips. “Come on, Amor. Off to bed with you. You need some well-deserved rest.” The ghost whispered.

Buck nodded. He was far to tired to fight back. He slowly got up from the porch steps and cracked his back. Next, he turned around and opened the back door to get into the kitchen. He placed his warm and stale beer next to the sink, ready for him to get rid of it in the morning. He slowly stumbled from the kitchen to his bedroom.

Eddie had been following him the whole time. He never said a word, just let Buck do what he needed to do. He followed the alive man into the bedroom and watched as Buck changed from his jeans and shirt to comfy sweatpants and a hoodie.

Buck pulled back the covers and crawled on his side into his bed. He picked his phone up from where he had deposited it onto his nightstand and plugged it in to charge. He snuggled in his pillow comfortably and hummed happily. His eyes began to droop again. The darkness was overtaking him. Restful sleep was close.

But something woke Buck right back up. He felt a certain presence lay behind him. A comfortable presence he had gotten accustomed to ages ago.

It was Eddie. His ghost had laid himself behind. His ghostly chest to Buck’s alive back. Comfort, peace, and love washed over him. He knew for sure. This was the best sleep Buck was ever gonna get. And if he was honest, he could get used to the feeling of Eddie sleeping next to him.

“Thank you for everything, Eddie” Buck whispered and promptly fell into a deep slumber. Eddie smiled. “You’re welcome, Amor. Goodnight.” He whispered back.

And indeed. Just as he suspected when he awoke that morning. Buck had gotten the best sleep in a while. Probably the best sleep ever. No insomnia. No nightmares. Just peace and quiet. Buck turned on his pillow to face Eddie, ready to wish him a good morning, but the ghost was already gone.

A slight disappointment came over him, but the feeling quickly vanished when he saw something resting on Eddie’s pillow. He slowly sat up and took a good look at the item. Fresh tears gathered in his eyes as he began to shake. He covered his mouth with one hand to contain his cries and shock.

Because there, on Eddie’s pillow, was the picture of him and Maddie he lost when he first came to live in his new home.

Oh, how he loved that ghost of his.

It had been weeks since their heartbreaking conversation on the back porch. And ever since, the two had grown impossible close. The comfort that Eddie brought him was something didn’t know he so desperately needed.

When Buck had went to sleep that following night, he invited Eddie to come lay down with him again. It was something he was afraid to ask. Afraid to he ridiculed, or to be rejected. And yet, to his surprise, Eddie accepted the invitation.

The following night, Buck asked once more. And of course, Eddie accepted. The night afterwards, he suggested the same to his ghost again. And as he suspected, the ghost accepted. And now, weeks afterwards, they were still doing it.

So Buck woke up, barely surprised, as he saw his ghost right in his face. “Buck! Amor! Please! Wake up!” Eddie yelled in full panic, having tried to wake his roommate for ages now.

The intensity of Eddie’s voice woke him up immediately. Buck sat upright at alarming speed, almost giving himself a whiplash in the process. His hand shot up to his neck, massaging the pain away. Next, he rubbed his eyes, getting rid of the sleepiness still lingering in them. He planted his hands back in his lap before turning to his ghost. His eyes widened in shock.

“Eddie? What’s happening?” Buck questioned, alarmed by the sight that greeted him. The ghost next to him was covered in purple and yellow static. The intensity was insane. Buck could practically feel it coming off Eddie.

“I don’t know! I don’t know!  As soon as midnight passed, this started happening. I tried to get it away but it didn’t work. So I woke you!” The ghost cried and held his arms out. The purple static was only getting worse and worse. Eddie’s voice sounded like a weird static.

Buck nodded as Eddie explained his situation. He cautiously held out a hand near Eddie’s staticky arm. A spark of electricity went over his arm, making him hiss out in pain. The ghost besides him saw his reaction and pulled himself away from Buck’s side. He didn’t want to hurt him.

“Hey, Eddie, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll find out what’s wrong, okay? We’ll find out. Let’s just get out of bed for now and take a breather.” Buck said, hoping to calm down the ghost. His ghost stared at him with terrified and shame filled eyes.

“I hurt you, Evan. I hurt you.” The ghost said and curled his arms to himself. That hiss of pain would be forever haunting him. Buck immediately shook his head. “No, no, no, no, no. I’m not hurt. I promise. Please, calm down, I don’t want you to short-circuit the house again. There is probably a reasonable explanation for all of this.” He answered him, keeping his voice soft and calm.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll try to calm down. I promise.” Eddie said as he got off the bed, Buck following his lead. “You have work today, right? I’ll start your coffee. You dress up.” The ghost said, followed by him walking through the wall to the kitchen.

Buck pulled some clean clothes from his closet and chucked them on at rapid speed. He opened his door and walked out to meet Eddie in the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the ghost in the kitchen, frozen to his spot. He did the exact same thing when he saw what was happening.

His whole kitchen was going crazy. Machines were running, cupboards and doors were opening and closing. The light was blinking in its familiar 118 pattern, but at an alarming speed. Buck was sure the bulbs were going to explode again.

His eyes glanced over at Eddie. He expected the ghost to be doing something, but the thing is, he wasn’t. He was completely standing still. Just standing in the kitchen, looking around at everything that was happening.

“Eddie? What’s happening? Talk to me.” Buck asked quietly. He took a step into his kitchen, unknowing of what was about to happen. “Duck!” A loud scream belonging to his ghost, came from behind him.

Buck did as he was told and ducked without a second. He watched as a thick cookbook flew over his head and landed on the ground behind him. “What the…?” He questioned but was silenced by another book flying past his head.

Okay. This had never happened before. This was new. And this was a good time to get worried. Buck stood back upright once he managed to dodge another book flying its way towards him. He turned his body back to the figure frozen in the middle of his kitchen

“Eddie? Eddie!” Buck called out as soon as he stood in front of the ghost. He desperately needed to get his attention. Chocolate brown eyes met his own blue ones. “You have to listen to me, okay? Why don’t you spend the day outside? On the back porch? Where there is the least amount of technology. I will go to work and find out what happened to you. Is that a deal?” Buck suggested and snapped his fingers in Eddie’s face, making sure he continued to watch and listen to him.

Eddie gave a single nod. Yeah. He could do that for the day.  He could spend it outside. Outside was a good idea. There is no technology there. That meant less spark. Birds were nice. He could watch the birds.

Buck nodded. “Okay. I’m going to go now. I have a 12-hour shift today. But it’ll be over before you know it. And I promise you. I will come back with some answers. You deserve some answers. And I will get them.” Buck exclaimed rapidly. He was scrambling around his own home, picking up whatever he needed for his shift.

Eddie just nodded once more. He couldn’t believe he was doing it again. It had been under his control for so long, and now, it was happening again. His energy was ruining everything.

“See you later, Eddie!” Buck yelled from his front door as he sped outside. He was on a mission today. And he was gonna succeed. He watched as Eddie did what he was told earlier. The ghost floated through the backdoor and onto the porch. Good. That was good. And now it was his turn.

Buck had driven to the firehouse at rapid speed. He was quick to shave off at least 5 minutes from his 20 minute drive.

He drove his car up the parking lot and into the first available spot he could see. He grabbed his duffle from next to him and exited his car in the most graceful way, by almost falling out. Buck stormed his way inside the firehouse, ready to thoroughly interrogate his fellow firefighters.

But what he found when he entered was something else. Something bad. Everyone had a down and somber look on their faces. Like someone had just died or was about to. The firefighters passing him by barely looked at him. A fear ran through him. Had he been outed again? Were they also against him being bisexual? It couldn’t be, Hen was a lesbian herself.

His run turned into a quick pace as he reached the staircase and climbed up. “Mor…ning…” He panted, resting his hands on his knees.

Buck looked confused as he didn’t immediately get an answer back. He looked around and saw everyone sitting around in a circle near to a small table. He walked around a few firefighters and stopped by Hen’s side.

Over the months of him working there, the two had gotten close. They shared some things in common, one of it them being both part of the queen community, only strengthened their friendship.

He took a good look at her, shocked by her show of emotions. Her cheeks were covered in steady streams of tears. “Hen? What’s wrong? Is everyone okay?” Buck questioned as he placed a hand on her back, gently rubbing it up and down.

Hen sniffled and shook her head. She turned her head around and buried it away in Buck’s stomach. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his waist. Okay. This was not going to be a normal day. Hen wasn’t really known to be a hugger. Buck placed his arms around Hen’s neck and held her tight against him.

A soft hand landed on his left shoulder, catching Buck’s attention. He looked to his left, seeing Chim with tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. “Chim? What’s going on? Is everyone okay?” He asked and raised an arm for the man to curl into.

“It’s…No…I can’t. I’m sorry.” Chim responded and buried his head in Buck’s shoulders. Silent sobs whacked his frame. He wrapped one of his arms around Hen while the other grabbed the back of Buck’s uniform.

Buck stood there for a while, comforting two of his closest friends. The question of what was going on kept cycling through his mind. He had never seem them like this.

Something in the side of his eyes caught his attention. Cap, or rather Bobby, was slowly making his way over. He too had a somber look on his face. His eyes were filled with an incredible guilt.

Buck watched as his captain crouched down next to Hen and said some words of encouragement. Their words were hushed and quick, obviously only meant for their ears. Bobby gave her a quick hug before he stood back upright and moved to Chim’s aide, doing the same for him as he did for Hen.

“Cap? What’s going on?” Buck asked as both Chim and Hen released him. They curled together on adjacent chairs, comforting each other. Bobby gave them a quick look filled with empathy before steeling himself. He turned to Buck and mentioned for him to follow.

The two took the quick trek towards the small table filled with candles and pictures. Buck was about to pick one up when Bobby stopped him. “Today marks the one year anniversary of a firefighter falling into a coma. The one you replaced. Eddie Diaz. It’s finally time for you two to meet.” He said and twisted his upper body to pick up a picture. He turned back to face Buck, who stood before him with his mouth open and an expression full of shock. Buck’s baby blue eyes were glued to the picture frame in his hands.

“Buck? Is everything okay?” He asked quietly, stepping a little closer to check the man over. He fretted over him, still confused by what had overcome the man. He pressed a hand on Buck’s shoulder again and shook his from his frozen state.

Buck managed to slowly overcome his shock. He swallowed the thick bile that had risen up his throat and took a deep breath to calm himself down.  “Cap. Uh. That’s my ghost?” He whispered.

“Your ghost?”

“Yeah, the ghost haunting my house. That’s him. That’s my Eddie.” Buck whispered and flicked his eyes up to Bobby’s hardened eyes.

“Evan. This is not funny. If this is your idea of a joke, its in really bad taste.” His captain as he crossed his arms. Buck could practically see the rage coming from him.

“No. I swear. I am not joking.” Buck said and held up his hands in defense. They needed to believe him. He would never do something so cruel as to laugh with what was happening.

Hen appeared by Bobby’s side. She placed a hand on their captain’s shoulder and shook her head at him. “Buck. You’ve been talking about that ghost for ages. All this time we thought you were joking. But you weren’t, weren’t you?” She questioned.

“I wasn’t. I promise you guys. I wish I could prove it, but whenever I try, it doesn’t work out. Pictures, videos, they would all freeze up.” He explained and looked down at his hands. He was anxiously rubbing them together.

Hen nodded. “I believe you. I do. But I…” She said and looked away. Of course, they wouldn’t truly believe him. Not that Buck could blame them. He wouldn’t believe it either. “Edmundo Diaz…” Buck answered quietly, almost to quiet.

Both Hen and Bobby looked at him with their mouths hanging open. “Wh…What did you say?” Bobby stammered. Buck swallowed and braced himself. “His name. Edmundo Diaz. Brown hair, brown eyes. He’s a little bit shorter than me. Just a few inches. Has the most amazing bone structure. A few tattoos on his body, but specifically one on his arm with some text.” He explained quietly, hoping his description of Eddie would convince them.

“Do you know what it says? On his arm?” Hen asked and took a little step forward. Her eyes were twinkling. Was she believing him?

Buck quickly shook his head. “No, I don’t know. His manifestation isn’t clear enough for me to figure out. But it’s Spanish. That I do know. And it’s at the same place on his left arm as mine!” Buck said as he nodded his head to his own two-line tattoo on his arm.

“But why mention it now? Why today of all days? Why not earlier?” Chim questioned, joining the conversation. He had heard all the three had been saying between them.

“Many reasons, really. You guys didn’t believe me. And that hurt. So I learned to just keep it to myself. And at first I was afraid of what was happening to me, but now, with Eddie being able to manifest. We learned to live together. Me and him. We just, I don’t know, we work. It’s been…” Buck answered, struggling and stumbling over his words. Was he actually going to admit he had fallen in love with the ghost that was haunting him.

But Hen understood. She saw it in a second. He walked forward and placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. “You’ve fallen for him. Haven’t you?” She chuckled.

Buck nodded. “Deeply. He did these things for me. Simple things, but it meant the world to me. And he said some things, I’ve never felt so loved as by his side.” He explained to her. He looked away, hiding his blush over his shoulder.

Hen chuckled. She let her hand fall from his head down to his arms and squeezed it. “That sounds really sweet, Buck.” She replied. Buck shrugged, still not looking at her. “But it’s not mean to be. How would we…I don’t…” He stammered again.

Buck slapped his own hands against his cheek. Right. This was not the time for that. He was on a mission. He had learned something important about Eddie. It was a new development in the case. He needed to focus again. And Eddie was his focus.

“Cap. You said something about Eddie being in a coma? Where? Can we go visit? I need to see him!” He said, planting himself an inch away from the man. He was like a Duracell bunny with two new batteries shoved up its butt.

“Yeah, he’s close. At Presbyterian. I’ll take us offline and then we can go and visit him. It looks like you really need it.” Bobby said and left Buck with Chim and Hen. Buck nodded and watched as the man ran towards his office. He grabbed his elbow with hand and shrunk in on himself.

He was finally going to see Eddie. His Eddie.

He couldn’t believe it.

“Buck. Before we get out to go see him, I have to warn you.” Bobby said as he parked his car in an empty spot. He unbuckled himself and faced the younger firefighter next to him.

“What do you mean?” Buck asked as he too unbuckled himself. He was ready to get out the car and run inside the hospital.

Bobby didn’t reply. He just sighed and  got out the car, waiting for Buck to do the same. He watched as the younger man crawled out and came to stand by his side. Bobby made sure to lock the car before starting his walk to the hospital doors.

Buck followed quietly, not saying a word. He needed Bobby to continue what he was talking about. But no more words left the man. He followed his captain through the many hallways and corridors of the immense building.

Bobby came to an abrupt stop by a window, almost making Buck crash into him. He slowly lifted a finger and pointed to something behind the window. “That’s what I mean.” Bobby eventually said, eyes focused to what was before him.

Buck eyes followed his Captains finger. He looked through the glass window at the room behind it. What he saw shattered his heart in a thousand pieces.

There he was, his Eddie. The one who had spent so many hours dreaming about. Wishing he could see him. Touch him. And he was so close to him. The only thing between them was one door.

Buck carefully took in the sight before him. He hated to admit it, but Bobby was not wrong. It was an harrowing sight. Eddie was stuck in a hospital bed. About a million tubes came from his body. A few were connected to his mouth and nose, while others were enveloping his arms.

“Today marks the one year of his coma.” Bobby whispered, making Buck look up at him. The younger man nodded and swallowed a wave of upcoming tears.

“Bobby. His accident. Does it have anything to do with electricity of some sort?” The young man asked and wrapped his arms around himself. He quickly shifted his eyes over to his captain, not really wanting to know, but it was important.

Bobby nodded after a good while. He crossed and uncrossed his arm, shifting from side to side. It was obvious the captain wasn’t comfortable with the whole situation. “How did you know?” He eventually asked.

“Whenever he manifested, he was always surrounded by this weird, staticky feeling. Like lightning was continuously going through his body. His pulled his energy from technology, specifically electronics needing electricity to function. But today it was bad. Purple and yellow lightning consumed him. I’ve never seen it before.” Buck explained. He turned his eyes back to the body behind the window, staring as the machines breathed for Eddie.

“You hit the nail head on.” Bobby said. He turned his body from the window and walked to the opposite wall. A lonely small bench was pushed against it. Bobby slid down the wall, sitting down on the small bench. He covered his face with his hands and took a shaky breath.

“A year ago, a bad storm tore through LA. It was a vicious one. Lightning, rain, thunder. It had everything. We were called out to an emergency at a house. Lightning had hit a nearby tree, toppling it over right on top of the house. It trapped the occupants on the second floor of their home. Eddie was the one being send up the ladder to save them.” His captain explained. His voice was strained with tears, shaky with emotion.

Buck refused to look at the older man. He kept his eyes trained on the lifeless body behind the window. “That’s when he got hit with lightning?” He asked, quickly glancing at his captain over his shoulder.

“Exactly. He fell over the ladder and hung in the air. We tried to save him as quick as he could. We did. But his heart had stopped. Hen was the one who managed to bring him back from the dead. Together with Chimney, she kept him alive until we arrived here. Eddie was immediately wheeled into surgery. But we were to late. He’d fallen into a coma.” His captain added to the tale.

“The same coma as he is in now?” Buck questioned, finally uncrossing his own arms. He turned around to face his captain. His eyes were dark and stormy. He was angry. No, more like furious.

“The very same.” Bobby answered. “But today will be the last day of it.” He added. Buck turned his blue eyes up to look into his captain’s eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re pulling him off life support, Buck. We waited a year. Nothing’s changed. It would be cruel for us to let this go on.”

Buck didn’t day anything. How could he? What was he even going to say? That he was angry at Bobby for sending the man up the ladder in such terrible weather conditions. What was he thinking? That was a recipe for disaster.

Or that he was angry at Eddie. Angry that he had listened to Bobby. Sure, he was following an order. But still. He should’ve known better. He should’ve stayed on the ground.

But most importantly, that he was angry at himself. Angry for finding out so late. Angry that it took him so long. And now, he was going to lose Eddie. They were going to pull out the plug. They were going to let him die. And Eddie would be leaving him for good.

Buck turned back to the window and crossed his arms again. He needed to calm himself down. Understand everything he was feeling right now. And most importantly, he needed a private moment with the man behind the window. To tell him what he wanted to tell for so long.

“Can I go sit with him? Alone?” Buck said after a while. The silence that had fallen between them was awkward and uncomfortable. He needed an out.

“Yeah, of course. Take all the time you need. I’m going to take a walk around the block. I’ll be back in around 10 minutes.” His captain said and got up, leaving Buck by the window.

Buck waited until Bobby was completely vanished from his sight. He had been watching the older man’s every move. He hated to say it, but he didn’t really trust him at the moment.

He waited an extra minute before he walked to the door that separated him from Eddie. He placed a trembling hand on the door and slowly pushed it open. He took a deep breath as he stood inside. He didn’t know what he expected, but this wasn’t really it. He knew Eddie was hurt, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to have his out of body experience. But this whole situation was on a whole other level.

Buck slowly walked over, taking careful and calculated steps and stood by Eddie’s side. His eyes scanned  over the silent body in the bed.  Over every tube and  machine that kept him alive for now. He hated this.

Buck raised a soft hand and placed it over Eddie’s hand, gently grasping the cold fingers in his own. He flinched as he felt the cold seep onto his own fingers. Tears that he hadn’t known gathered in his eyes began to trail down his cheeks quickly, but they almost immediately evolved.

Short but quick sobs began to leave his trembling body. They overtook him in a matter of seconds, almost making Buck tumble to the ground. The man raised his free hand and covered his mouth to muffle the sound of his cries. He didn’t need anybody else to hear. This was a moment between them.

Buck cried for a while. He let the tears flow. He let the sobs overtake him. Not that he really cared. He was about to lose another man he loved. Another person who had meant the world to him. So excuse him If he wanted to cry and sob his heart out.

“Hi Baby. God, can you believe it? I found you. I actually managed to find you. And by pure coincidence, no less. I wish I could be happier about it. About seeing you for the first time. Do you know that your even more gorgeous in real life? I got so used to seeing the translucent you, that I totally forgot you had a real body. An actual ‘living‘ one.” Buck whispered to Eddie, finally sitting down by his side. He had managed to drag a lonely chair to his side and promptly say down.

“All I’ve ever wanted to do since I met you was stay by your side. You felt right to me. At first I was so afraid of you. So afraid that you could hurt me. Or kill me. But then you came to me as a manifestation. And I knew at that moment that you weren’t just a ghost. You were my ghost. And I developed a crush Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? To have a crush on a ghost?” Buck asked the comatose body on the bed. Droplets of tears rolled down his chin and onto Eddie’s bedside.

His fingers slowly interlaced themselves with Eddie’s, needing that connection. “But you were so much more than a mere crush. I fell for you, Eddie. And hard. Face planted the ground and everything. And you only made me fall harder for you. How you saved those trinkets and pictures. And how you managed to recover the photo of me and my sister. How you sat by my side as I cried on her birthday. Those were the moments that I realized I was in love with you. I was in love with a ghost.” He cried, his sobs getting worse by the second. Buck was barely able to breathe. He lifted his other hand and laid it on Eddie’s arm, slowly stroking the skin.

Bobby appeared back by the window, watching the two of them. Buck didn’t really care if his captain saw what was happening. He was about to lose the one man he wanted to spend his life with. He was allowed to grief what he could’ve had.

“I began to imagine our life together, you know. I didn’t care that you were a ghost. The house we shared wasn’t my home. You were. I just needed you to stay by my side. I wished for it every night. But that dream has turned into a nightmare. I have to let you go now. They want to pull you off life support, and I can’t help but agree with them. I can’t, in good conscious, keep you hooked up to these machines. This is not the life you deserve. You deserve so much more. You deserve to be free, without any pain, any misery. And if I have to give you up for you to get that, I will do that.” Buck whispered, his words barely recognizable. His sobs and tears were overtaking him so much that he could barely say anything else. But he had to continue.

“I wish we got some more time together. If I’d know earlier, I would have come to visit everyday. I’d spent every moment I had available by your side. I will regret not finding you earlier the rest of my life. I will carry that fault with me. Will you forgive me?” He whispered quietly.

 Bobby was still by the window, watching him as he confessed his griefs and regrets to who could have been his lover. A doctor appeared by his captain’s side, handing him a stack of papers to sign. It was time. Buck buried his face against Eddie’s arms, letting the tears soak the sheet underneath him.

“I love you, Eddie. And loving you also means letting you go. And I need to let you go now. Will you wait for me? On the other side? In the light? Will you be the one to call me into that light when I pass on? To welcome me home by your side?” Buck whimpered so quietly, voice barely there. Those words were only meant for them.

Buck stood up from his chair and stepped closer to Eddie’s face. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss onto his cold cheek. He took a few steps away from the bed, ready to go but not without letting his interlaced fingers linger with Eddie’s for a moment.

“You don’t have to let me go just yet, Amor.” A voice whispered gently, making Buck look up. Eddie’s ghost was standing before him. His face was covered in tears, just like Buck’s. But he was also sporting a beautiful smile.

“Eddie? What…?” Buck questioned, slowly lifting his hand to wipe some of his tears away. “How are you here? The house? I thought you couldn’t leave it?” He asked desperately. He needed an explanation.

“I thought so to, Evan. I was sitting on the back porch, watching as the birds flew by. And suddenly, memories began to flood my mind. My time at home. My time at the 118. Everything I had forgotten about myself and my situation came back to me. And then I heard you talking.” Eddie said and took a step closer to his body. His gaze trailed down, following the numerous tubes coming out of him.

“Hearing you say all those words broke me. Not because of sadness or despair. Not because I was losing hope. No. They broke me because I could feel the love coming from them. I still can.” Eddie said. His ghostly body walked over to Buck’s side. He wrapped one of his translucent arms around Buck’s waist. The other, he laid onto of Buck’s hand that was still holding his own. He curled their fingers over each other, knowing that Buck could feel the gesture.

“You found me, Evan. I’m ready to come home now. So won’t you wait a few minutes for me?” Eddie asked gently. He needed to see the confirmation that Buck would wait.

Baby blue eyes met his own chocolate brown ones. “I promise.” He answered, eyes wide with uncertainty. What was happening?

“Good. I’ll be back in a matter of minutes. You just wait here for me.” Eddie said and gave Buck a blinding smile. He let go of Buck and leaned over his body. He held out a hand and pressed it down over his heart, smiling at Buck as he disappeared from the world of the living.

Minute ticked by slowly. Meanwhile, Buck looked shocked as Eddie was gone from his side in a matter of seconds. His eyes frantically searched around for the ghost, his ghost. He was about to call out, beg him to come back, when a feeling in his hand caught his attention. He looked down where his and Eddie’s hands were still intertwined together.

There it was again. A subtle squeeze of his hand. His eyes shifted over the two interlaced limbs, needing to find the source. And Buck, he saw it. The twitch of a few fingers. How those fingers carefully squeezed the hand holding his own.

 Buck’s eyes shot up to Eddie’s face. And he was met by most gorgeous sight he had ever seen. Tired, but awake, chocolate brown eyes were looking at his own baby blues. Tears of joy welled up almost immediately and rolled rapidly down his cheeks.

Eddie was alive. He was alive and awake. He somehow was awake and alert. He had managed to get back in his body and wake himself up.

Buck didn’t know what to do. Jump in his arms? Scream for the skies? Or just flat out faint? Everything was an option right now.

“Eddie. Am I dreaming?” Buck asked eventually, deciding that was the best option for now. He could cry and scream later. That small question earned himself a little chuckle from the man in the bed. “God, I hope not. Because seeing you right now is the best thing that ever happened to me.” He whispered quietly. A broken laugh turned into a soft cough, making Buck immediately fret over him.

Buck wasn’t entirely convinced that he wasn’t dreaming. He was frozen to his spot, scared that if he were to move, this all would be gone. Eddie could read the man like an open book. He used what little power he had and tugged on Buck’s hand, urging him to come closer.

Eddie pulled those trembling fingers towards his lips and pressed a little kiss to each knuckle. “Does this make it feel more real?” He questioned with a small, sly smirk.

Buck quickly shook his head. “No…” He answered, his body was still trembling. “…Do it again.” He ordered the man.

Eddie full on laughed, tubes and machinery be damned. He had to keep himself “Anything for you, Amor.” He replied and pulled those precious knuckles close to his lips again.

In the meantime, Bobby and a few doctors had inside the room. They were scrambling around, confused as how Eddie had managed to wake up. That morning they were convinced the firefighter wasn’t going to wake up. And now, he was having a full-blown conversation. Just, not with them.

The doctors were firing questions at the comatose man. How was he feeling? Was he in pain? Did he remember anything? But Eddie wasn’t answering. He wasn’t even paying attention. He was flat out ignoring them. No, all his attention was turned to the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his days with.

Bobby saw the looks the two firefighters were giving each other. They were bursting, overflowing even with love. The doctors tried to separate the two, but to no avail. Bobby watched as Buck took a little step closer to Eddie. He was not ready to leave. And Eddie was not ready to let go. Separating them would cause trouble.

So the captain took one of the doctors aside and explained the situation. He explained everything and managed to convince her to let Buck stay. She wasn’t happy about it. But the compromise Bobby suggested was approved. Buck could stay if he didn’t interfere with the doctors.

Buck had been informed by his captain and agreed to the idea. The doctors really needed to check Eddie out. So he took a step back, letting them do what was necessary. Eddie however, didn’t agree. He fought back, wanting to keep Buck close to him. Both still had a little trouble believing and understanding what had happened over the past minutes. So Buck stepped forward again and took Eddie’s hand back in his own. He let his thumb run over the hand in smooth circles.

“I’m not leaving you, Eddie.” He had whispered gently, making sure no one but the other firefighter could hear. Those few little words brought Eddie immense comfort. So he kept quiet, answered every question and let the doctors poke and check him over.

“A clean bill of health. It’s unbelievable. You were practically dead this morning, and now. I. How. What.” One of Eddie’s main doctors rambled on, flipping between the notes and documents in his hands.

 Another one piped up next. “We’re keeping you here for the rest of the week. But you can go home next week after you’ve strengthened up. We’ll leave you be for now. Get some rest.” She said and ushered her fellow doctors out.

Eddie laughed. His eyes trailed back up to Buck’s. He squeezed their hands together. “How about for now, we just call it a miracle?” He suggested and pulled on the hand in his own, bringing the man closer to him.

“I'm glad you are back with us, Eddie.” Bobby said as he stepped up. He placed a hand on Eddie’s knee and slapped it a few times. “But it’s true. It’s nothing short of a miracle.” He added.

Eddie shook his head. “Not really. I’ve got Buck to thank for that. He was the one who brought me home. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be a ghost.” He answered. He hadn’t pulled his eyes away from Buck, and he wasn’t planning to. How could he? With such a gorgeous man holding his hand, playing with his fingers.

Bobby understood the non-verbal hint he was receiving. “All right. How about I leave you two lovebirds alone for now? I'll come back in the morning with some paperwork for you two to fill out.” He laughed and walked to the door. He bid his goodbyes to the two men and left the room.

“Now are you finally kiss me?” Eddie asked once they were alone for the day. His eyes were growing tired. His energy slowly depleting. But he refused to close his eyes, not without getting his kiss.

Buck chuckled. He stepped closer and sat down on his bedside. He reached out and rested a hand on Eddie’s neck. “I thought you’d never ask.” Buck replied and pressed their lips together in a deep, desperate kiss.

Brown and blue eyes widened for a moment before they fell close. Fireworks, bombs, the whole shebang went off.  This was it. The thing they needed. Their lips were made for each other. They were made for each other.

Buck slowly deepened the kiss. He gently bit down on Eddie’s bottom lip, making him part his lips. He slipped his tongue between those perfect lips and let it explore around. They kept kissing for a good while before Eddie pulled back.

His cheeks were a deep red with blush. His lips were swollen, and his mouth was hanging open a little. “Evan, Amor, Not that I didn’t like that, because trust me, I do. But I still need to be able to breathe.” He chuckled, and he grabbed Buck’s shirt in his hands, pulling him in for a round two.

Buck eagerly complied and pressed their lips together again. If it were up to him, he’d never stop smashing their lips together. But Eddie was right. He was still hurt and tired and needed his rest. And he had seen that subtle yawn Eddie tried to hide before.

“You need your rest.” Buck said after he had pulled back. His cheeks were covered in the same, deep blush. He pressed his fingers to his lips, still amazed by what they had done.

Eddie nodded. “You to, Evan. So why don’t you go home and get some rest?” He suggested. Buck stared at him like he had grown another head. He burst out laughing. So hard that tears managed to gather in his eyes.

“Eddie, Baby, if you genuinely think I’m leaving you alone ever again, we might have to call those doctors over. Because you clearly hit your head.” Buck laughed and wrapped his arms around Eddie’s neck, hugging him close.

“Wouldn’t want it any other way.” Eddie replied. He crossed his arms over Buck’s back and held him close in the embrace. The two were enveloped by a comfortable silence. So comfortable that Eddie was slowly falling asleep. His arms fell limp from Buck’s back onto the sheets next to him. His head fell back against his scratchy pillow. His eyes stayed closed for longer each time he closed them.

“Goodnight, Buck. I love you, Mi Amor.” Eddie whispered. He reached out for Buck’s hand and interlaced their fingers.

Buck planted a deep kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight, baby. I love you too.” He whispered. His soft and calming voice made Eddie fall asleep.

When Bobby came back that following morning with Chim and Hen following behind him, he stopped the two from entering. They had been loud as they went through the hospital hallways, ready to welcome and hug Eddie back to this world. But Bobby needed them to be silent.

“Sshhht.” He whispered and nodded inside the room both Hen and Chimney looked over his shoulders. “Oh, that’s adorable.” Hen said as she took her phone out, immediately snapping a picture of the adorable sight to send to everyone later.

And the sight was indeed absolutely adorable. Buck had fallen asleep in the same position he was in the night before. He was still sitting by Eddie’s bedside. His left hand was still intertwined with Eddie’s. His other hand was clutching onto his shirt, bunching up the fabric in his fist. Buck’s head was resting in the middle of Eddie’s chest, right next to his heart. The steady drum of the heartbeat kept the young man asleep.

Eddie was awake, but barely. Not more than five minutes if Bobby were to guess. His eyes were nothing more but slits. His right hand was still intertwined with Buck's. But the other was resting in Buck’s hair. It was slowly going up and down the mop of beautiful curls, scratching at the scalp underneath. His cheek was resting on top of Buck’s head.

The soft sound of a tune being hummed filled the room. Seeing that Buck was sound asleep, Eddie could be the only culprit. Probably started to hum it to keep Buck asleep in his arms.

“Eddie. Hi. How are you?” Hen asked as she pushed passed Bobby into the room. He tiptoes her way to Buck’s previous abandoned chair and sat herself down.

Eddie interrupted his humming as he heard Hen ask her question. A grin appeared on his face. He moved his eyes from Hen back to the sleeping man on his chest. “Never better, Hen, never better.” He whispered and moved his hand from Buck’s hair to his back, gently tracing some circles on it.

Hen laughed. Her eyes turned soft. She placed her hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “So, when’s the wedding?” She chuckled.

Eddie chuckled. He pressed a loving kiss on top of Buck’s head. “Soon.” He answered, turning all of his attention back to Buck.

“Soon.” The voice of a sleepy Buck replied as well. He nuzzled his face into Eddie’s chest. And Eddie did the same, cradling Buck close to himself.

“Careful! Careful!” Buck called out as he helped a freshly released Eddie walk over the threshold of their home. A week had passed in that dreadful place, and Eddie was finally allowed to go home, with some stern instructions, of course.

Buck had driven Eddie home himself. He’d been allowed to take the day off to take care of him. He’d have to thank Bobby a million times for letting him take so much time off. Maybe he could bake him a pie or something.

“Amor. I’ll be okay. You don’t need to worry so much about me. I can walk on my own just fine.” Eddie answered. He looked to see Buck’s cautious blue eyes focus on his own. He leaned up and pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek, catching him off guard.

And that was his chance. He winked at Buck and marched right into the house. “See, told you so.” He smirked and disappeared around the corner I to their living room.

“Hey! Come back you.” Buck mumbled as he stumbled after him “Eddie. I swear to God if you do that again I will…” He threatened as he appeared around the corner.

“You’ll what?” Eddie asked as he settled himself on the couch. He had a devilish smirk om his face. He knew how to rile Buck up. “I’ll do nothing. But please, just let me help you.” Buck said. He walked to Eddie’s side and lifted his legs onto the couch, settling him on his side.

Buck reached over and took the thick woolen blanket that was draped over the couch. He opened it up and tucked it around his boyfriend, yes, his boyfriend. He was allowed to say that.

Eddie was watching him the whole time. A constant smile was plastered on his face. Ever since he had awoken, it never disappeared. He’d been so deep in thought that it took him some time to realize that Buck was asking him a question.

“Sorry, Amor, what did you ask?” Eddie asked. He grabbed Buck’s hand and held it palm up in his own. He began to draw little patterns on it. Buck watched as Eddie distracted himself by playing with his hand. “I asked if you wanted to eat something?” He questioned.

“I’d love to have something.” He answered as his stomach began to grumble. Buck laughed loudly. “Obviously. How does breakfast for dinner sound?” He asked next.

“It sounds perfect.” Eddie responded almost immediately. Eggs and bacon sounded like heaven. “All right.” Buck answered. He stood up and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s cheek. He leaned over him and grabbed the remote from the small table next to the couch. “I’ll go make that right now. You, watch your Netflix.” He ordered and pressed the remote in Eddie’s hand.

“Aye aye, Captain!” Eddie laughed and held his hand up to his head in a salute. Buck just shook his head playfully. He stood back up and walked to the kitchen to start to prepare dinner.

Eddie was busy watching his show until a happy humming caught his attention. He slowly stood up from the couch, using the arm rest to get himself upright. He picked the blanket up and wrapped it over his shoulders. He’s been having some problems getting warm.

Eddie walked from the living room to the kitchen doorway. He stopped in the doorway and leaned his shoulder against the side. An amused look graced his eyes as he watched Buck.

The man had turned on the radio to listen to some music as he cooked. He was humming to a happy song, swaying his hips to the music. God, he was adorable. Buck had placed a few slices of bacon into a hot pan when he finally noticed Eddie watching him.

“Like cold ice tea and warmer weather.” Buck sang along to the song before he saw Eddie. His blue eyes grew worried as he saw his boyfriend in the doorway. “Eddie? Is everything okay? Are you in pain?” He asked, placing the pan on the stove. He walked right up to Eddie’s face and began to inspect him.

“I’m fine, Amor. I just wanted to come and see you. I heard you hum along to the music and I was intrigued.” He chuckled and wrapped his arms around Buck’s waist, pulling him close. He raised Buck’s chin with a fingers and pushed him own against them. Buck hummed happily and immediately kissed him back.

A beautiful slow song began to play. It was as if the radio knew the two were having a moment between them. Eddie pulled back and held a hand out to his boyfriend. “Evan, can I have this dance?” He asked.

Buck laughed. He placed his own and into Eddie’s and nodded. “Of course, Edmundo.” He teased with a small smirk. Eddie gave him a look, but quickly wiped it from his face when Buck began to laugh again.

Eddie pulled Buck close to him in the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Buck’s waist again and pulled him close to his chest. Buck immediately wrapped his own arms around Eddie’s neck.

Eddie was the one to lead. He pulled Buck with him as they waltzed around the kitchen. They only had eyes for each other, chocolate brown to baby blues. So when Buck accidentally bumped himself on the counter and hissed out in pain, another idea came to Eddie’s mind.

He stopped his waltz and pulled Buck closer to himself so they were chest to chest. He began to sway from side to side, in rhythm with the music. He began to hum with the tune.

Buck looked up at Eddie for a second. He could down in those eyes of his. Buck smiled and laid his head down on Eddie’s shoulder. He buried his face in Eddie’s neck, a happy sigh leaving his lips.

Eddie turned his head down and hid it away in Buck hair. He pressed a soft kiss to his head. “I’m so glad to finally have you here, in my arms. I may have been your haunting, but it’s been our love story.” Eddie whispered between them.

Buck smiled. He leaned up and pressed another kiss to Eddie’s lips. He laid his head back down on his shoulder as they continued their swaying.

“I love you so much, Amor.”

“I love you to, Baby.”

And if the bacon burned that evening, it was no fault of theirs.