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“Ma’am, please put down the skull.”
The older lady frowns at them, her hands shaking as she places her rabbit’s skull back on the table. Hen and Chimney step towards her and set their medical bags on the floor. Hen guides her to take a seat as the woman sways on wobbly legs.
Bobby orders Eddie and Buck to extinguish the several candles and burning herbs in the house. They stumble upon multiple jars of dark liquids, pages of bizarre symbols and scripture, and piles and piles of shiny rocks and stones placed in each room of the house. Buck quietly completes his duties while eavesdropping on the conversation in the kitchen.
“What’s your name?” Chimney asks, pulling out the blood pressure cuff and securing it around her arm.
“Dorothea,” she responds, her eyelids heavy. “I’m not feeling well.”
“I can see that, Dorothea. 9-1-1 said you fell in your kitchen and are feeling light headed?”
Dorothea tilts her head and brings a shaky hand to her forehead. “I fell?”
“90/60” Chimney reads, pulling off the cuff. “Dorothea, are you on any blood pressure medications?”
“No, no. I don’t think so,” she says, shaking her head. “And, I didn’t call 9-1-1.”
This catches Buck’s attention. He glances between Dorothea and the small, white skull sitting on the table.
“You didn’t call 9-1-1?” Hen asks, slowly.
“No, I-I don’t even know where my phone is,” Dorothea admits, laughing lightly and shrugging.
Her thin lips press into a line as she glances around the room, taking in everyone’s confused expressions. There’s a thick haze in the room from the extinguished candles and Buck clears his throat.
“You have a landline in the living room,” Buck says, gesturing behind him.
Dorothea turns his head to face him, and observes him with a curious smile and shiny eyes. “Ah. Yes. That must be it then.”
“So, you called before or after you fell in the kitchen?” Hen asks, confused.
Dorothea is grinning wildly at Buck now, causing him to squirm in his boots. Suddenly, Eddie rounds the corner and holds up a disgustingly dirty furnace filter. Buck sighs, thankful for the interruption.
“Your furnace needs some maintenance, ma’am,” Eddie says, showing the clogged filter to Bobby. “I’m guessing all the candles and incense caused your HVAC system to stop working properly.”
“Explains the lightheadedness and fainting,” Chimney concludes.
Hen furrows her eyebrows but eventually nods. “It could explain the confusion, too.”
“Oh, I’m not confused, dear,” Dorothea says, her eyes still glued on Buck. “Donald must have called 9-1-1 for me.”
“There’s someone else in the house?” Bobby asks, handing the filter back to Eddie.
“No,” Dorothea responds simply. Finally breaking eye contact with Buck, she turns and gently strokes the head of her rabbit skull.
After that, they quickly decide that Ms. Dorothea needs a trip to the emergency room. As they’re strapping her onto a gurney and loading her into the ambulance, she becomes restless.
“Wait, wait, where’s that young man? I need to speak with him. Wait!”
“What young man?” Hen asks, hooking her up to the heart monitor.
“The one with the birthmark. Please, I need to speak with him, just for a second.”
Hen, who has just about had enough of this call already, sighs and steps out of the ambulance.
“Buck!” She calls. “Buck! Dorothea wants to talk to you.”
Hesitantly walking over to the ambulance, Buck’s eyes widen as he’s met with another wickedly infamous Dorothea smile.
“Yes, how can I help you?” Buck asks, shooting Hen a desperate plea for help.
“C’mere, son,” Dorothea beckons, her clenched frail hand reaching forward. “Please, take this.”
Buck pales at her request. “T-take what?”
“Open your hand.”
Hen should win an honorary award for keeping her composure during this moment. Buck wears the face of pure terror as he extends his palm towards her. Dorothea gently opens her fingers into his awaiting hand, her sparkling eyes never leaving him.
Buck swallows hard, feeling the weight of something cold and smooth in his grasp. He pulls his hand back and turns it over to examine the object. A polished, light pink stone about two inches in size sits perfectly in the center of his palm.
“A rock?” Buck asks, his eyebrows turned down with reprieve but also utter confusion.
“I can tell you need it more than me.”
“You’re the one in the ambulance, Dorothea,” Hen points out.
She gives Hen an amused smile before turning her attention back to Buck. “He knows what I mean.”
Before Buck can respond and say he has absolutely zero idea what a pink rock is supposed to mean, Chimney rounds the corner of the ambulance.
“Are we ready to transport?”
Hen can’t seem to wipe the smirk off her face, so she just quickly nods and jumps back into the ambulance. Buck watches as they drive away, completely dumbfounded and speechless. He turns the stone over in his fingers some more, examining the wavy white streaks throughout the solid pink hues.
“Whatcha got there?”
Eddie suddenly appears from around the side of the engine, hands shoved in his pockets as he glances over at Buck with curious eyes.
“A rock from the witch doctor,” Buck mutters. He holds up his new prize to Eddie, who purses his lips in thought.
“Kinda matches your birthmark,” Eddie comments, pointing at the blot of pink above Buck’s left eye. “Maybe that’s why she gave it to you.”
Buck chuckles, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Right. This has nothing to do with curses, bad vibes, magic, Billy Boils, or anything out of the ordinary... Dorothea is just a nice and moderately creepy elderly woman who likes gifting people rocks… sure.
“Ready to head out?” Bobby calls.
“Yes, Cap,” they both respond, jogging over to load up the engine.
Eddie bumps his shoulder into Buck, offering him a comforting grin as they climb into their seats. Buck thinks the pink stone matches Eddie’s blush pretty perfectly too.
—
On their next shift, the 118 responds to a typical Monday morning fender-bender on the highway. A middle aged man claims the sun got in his eyes and he didn’t see the blue Honda Odyssey slamming on their breaks. They work through the scene as usual. The passengers in the minivan decline a trip to the hospital.
As Buck finishes sweeping up the remaining debris on the road, he spins around and trips over a taillight he missed. He falls face first, his helmet smacking the pavement. His vision goes white and spotty for a moment before coming into focus. Buck rolls onto his back, his hands flying up to touch his aching chin. When he pulls back, his fingers are dotted with red.
He glances to the left, where Chim and Hen were finishing up with a patient just a moment ago, but they’re nowhere to be found. Before he can scramble to his feet and access the damage, Eddie rushes to his side.
“Hey, hey, you okay?”
Eddie falls to his knees, a gentle hand removing Buck’s helmet and another pressing against his forehead.
“Eddie, I’m fine.”
“I saw you fall. You hit your chin pretty hard,” Eddie says, his expression a mix of annoyance and concern.
“Don’t I feel it,” Buck groans. His fingers brush along the underside of his chin again. He tries scratching out the tiny pieces of dirt lodged in his skin before Eddie grabs his hand.
“Stop. Let me clean it,” Eddie insists. He gets to work quickly, pulling out a liquid disinfectant to clear out the wound and a bandage.
Buck lets his eyes flutter shut for a moment. His chin throbs and stings, but he doesn’t think he hurt his head or anything else. Eddie’s fingers are so gentle and careful as he works, Buck almost forgets he’s lying on his back in the middle of the road.
“All done. You think you can stand?”
Eddie reaches out a hand to help Buck up. He pulls him off the ground in a swift motion, his hands on Buck’s shoulders to steady him. They stand still for a moment, one of Eddie’s hands dropping to hold Buck’s waist until he stops swaying. Buck squints into the sun and at Eddie’s worried appearance.
“I’m fine,” Buck says, offering a smile as Eddie observes his pupils with a pen light.
“I get to determine if you’re fine,” Eddie mumbles, tucking his light back in his pocket. “But, I think you’re right. Doesn’t look like you hit your head hard enough to cause a concussion.”
“See? Just some road rash. No big deal.”
Eddie rolls his eyes, but smiles as he turns away. Buck sighs and picks the evil tail light off the road, tossing it in their garbage bin. After completing his remaining tasks, Buck swears he sees the flash of two nosey paramedics disappear around the corner of the ambulance as he walks towards the engine.
—
“Did you take my phone?”
“Buck, why would any of us take your phone?”
Buck crosses his arms in front of his chest, staring down each person in the station’s loft. They’re all sitting on the couch, watching Guy’s Grocery Games as a way to pass the time before their next call.
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
“Have you checked the locker room?” Bobby suggests, eyes focused on the TV.
“Yes, I’ve checked the showers, everyone’s locker, the kitchen, the engine, the ambulance, under the tables-”
“You looked in everyone’s lockers?” Hen asks, frowning.
“I couldn’t think of where else to look,” Buck admitted. “Seriously. Can someone help me?”
“Try calling it,” Chimney offers, munching on popcorn.
“It’s on silent,” Buck groans loudly.
“I’ll help you look, Buck,” Eddie says, standing from his spot on the sofa. He stretches his back before flashing Buck a smile. “I’ve got a skill for finding missing items. Just ask Chris.”
Buck nods, happy that someone offered to solve his dilemma, especially Eddie. Buck waves for him to follow him downstairs to the showers.
“Last place I had it was right before I went to shower. So, it has to be in the locker room somewhere, I’m assuming.”
Eddie hums as he peers around the shower stalls and changing room. Thankfully, it’s empty so it makes their searching a little less awkward and invasive. After a few minutes of digging around, Eddie breaks the silence.
“Chris found your rock yesterday. I didn’t know you kept it.”
Eddie and Christopher moved back from El Paso over a month ago. Of course, Buck’s letting Eddie sleep on his couch and Chris has his old room back. He figures they’re allowed to stay as long as they need, or at least until Eddie can build up his savings to buy another house.
Buck pauses, arms elbow deep in a basket of towels. “I-I didn’t know what else to do with it, honestly. Felt wrong to just… throw it away?”
Eddie chuckles. “He says it’s a rose quartz. Apparently, some people believe they have healing powers and certain energies, or something crazy like that.”
Buck groans loudly. “Great. Just what I need. Another case of mysterious boils or curse of the quartz.”
Eddie scoffs. “I don’t think a rock can give you a curse. And, you got those boils from touching a rotten corpse, Buck. It wasn’t a curse.”
Gasping suddenly, Buck spins and faces Eddie, who stares at him with raised eyebrows. “That’s why I burnt my toast this morning! And, why I stubbed my toe! And, why I scraped my chin earlier!”
“Buck,” Eddie warns, stepping forward and placing a steady hand on Buck’s shoulder. His grip is firm and warm, instantly calming the buzzing beneath Buck’s skin. “Stop spiraling. It’s just a rock, I promise. Chris didn’t say anything about it causing bad luck. It doesn’t work like that.”
Buck narrows his eyes. “You sound skeptical of this rock’s abilities.”
Rolling his eyes, Eddie drops his hand and shoves them in his pockets. “I’m just saying this is nothing to fuss over. Now, let’s find your phone so we can get back to watching mind-numbing television. Okay?”
After ten more minutes of searching, Eddie finds Buck’s phone under the bench in the locker room. Buck swears he had already looked there at least three times, but Eddie only offers him a smug smile in return.
—
Their next shift on Wednesday did not start or end well.
Buck found himself knee deep in thick, smelly mud early in his shift. Which, somehow, ended up spraying him in the face as he carried a large Labrador Retriever, Max, to safety. Max’s family was more than grateful that Buck saved him from a mucky creek bed, which made the taste of worms a little less disgusting. Not by much, though.
He barely had time to shower and scrub the dirt from behind his ears before they were out on another call. Eddie could tell Buck was feeling the effects of non-stop emergencies. Not that Eddie would ever admit it, but he grows softer when Buck needs someone to lean on. He made sure Buck got the first fresh cup of coffee from the pot, with a little extra cream and sugar. Eddie even suggested they watch The Great British Bake Off to pass the time between calls, Buck’s current favorite show. Then, made sure to show Buck a bunch of pictures with his nieces and nephews from his time in El Paso. It always brings a smile to his face.
On their last call of the shift, they arrive at a residential home. As the 118 pulls up to the scene, Dispatch informs them that a forty-five year old male at the residence is suffering from hypothermia.
“Hypothermia?” Hen questions, jumping down from the engine and grabbing their med bags.
“It’s 75 degrees out. Who’s getting hypothermia?” Eddie asks.
“Technically, you can get hypothermia in temperatures as high as 65, in the right conditions,” Chimney adds, following behind the team as they walk up to the building.
They enter the house through an unlocked door, but there’s no sign of anyone inside. But, once the team rounds to the backyard, it becomes clear why the call came in.
There’s a small, hot-tub sized pool with a middle-aged man sitting neck deep. The issue? The top layer of water is covered in a sheet of ice.
Buck walks up beside the pool and knocks his fist against the surface, it’s at least an inch thick. Chimney and Hen rush to greet their patient, med bags flying open on the ground beside them.
“Thank god you’re here,” the half-frozen man mumbles.
“Sir, how long have you been sitting in here?” Hen asks, reaching to feel a pulse on his neck. “Can you move your arms and legs?”
The man nods slowly and Buck watches with amazement as limbs flail beneath the ice.
Eddie appears around the corner of the pool and gestures down at the filtration system. “I’m guessing not long. He has a portable cooler plugged in. Must have malfunctioned and dropped the temp too fast.”
“Bingo,” the man slurs. “At least I brought my phone outside with me. Had to ask Siri to call 9-1-1.”
“I didn’t think those things could get that cold?” Buck questions, watching as Hen and Chimney share a worried glance.
“They don’t, typically,” the man says. “I was taking an ice bath and wanted it to stay cold for as long as possible.”
“That could explain the sudden freeze over. The water was barely above freezing to begin with,” Bobby says, his lips pressing into a thin line as he watches his team work.
“Who’s willingly getting into a tub of ice?” Chimney winces.
The man chuckles a little before his words start slurring together again. “It’s supposed to be good… for your…”
“His pulse is dropping. Cap, we need to get him out now,” Hen warns.
“Buck, Eddie. Hammers and axes. Let’s carefully break away this ice and get him out. Let’s go!”
Jumping into action, Buck begins to gently chip away at the ice in the pool. Eddie’s working on the other side, tossing out the floating pieces. After a minute, the ice is broken up enough that the man should be free, but he’s no longer moving.
“His breathing is shallow. Buck, help me get him out!”
Buck hoists himself onto the pool’s edge and squats to lift the man out of the water from under his shoulders. Thankfully, the man takes ice baths with a swimsuit on.
Hen and Chim have the gurney and a warming blanket ready. They settle him on his back and Hen confirms that his pulse is already growing stronger.
“Give me your hand, I’ll help you down,” Eddie offers to Buck after they watch their team load up the ambulance.
As Buck reaches to take Eddie’s outstretched palm, he slips on the slick edge of the pool.
All he feels is cold. Freezing, teeth grinding, frigid cold. Buck’s head is barely under the water for a second before Eddie’s pulling him out and laying him on the grass.
“You’re okay, breathe. Buck, breathe,” Eddie coos, his hands rubbing up and down Buck’s arms.
Buck gasps suddenly, not even realizing he was holding his breath since he fell in. He’s completely soaked, head to toe. Once the color returns to Buck’s cheeks, Eddie rolls his eyes and smiles down at him, relieved. Buck doesn’t think he’s seen an eye roll more adoring.
—
Once at the station, Buck makes a bee-line for the showers. He couldn’t seem to stop shivering the entire ride back. Eddie kept shooting him worried looks, like he had been all shift. What a perfectly typical ending to such an unfortunate day.
“I’ll wait for you,” Eddie calls out as Buck closes himself in a shower stall.
Buck’s too focused on the thought of a hot shower to respond. He can feel the chill to his bones, like the ice somehow made its way inside.
Except, he stands impatiently and waits for the steam to start rolling, but it never does. Five minutes pass, and when Buck reaches his fingers out to feel the temperature, it’s still cold. Tears prickle his eyes when a voice calls to him outside the stall door.
“Buck… I’m sorry. Bobby just told us the water heater went out again. It should be fixed by our next shift, but not anytime today,” Eddie informs him, his voice heavy with pity.
Turning off the facet and stepping out of the stall with a towel, Buck gives him a defeated look.
“It’s that rock, Eddie. It’s that damn rock.”
Eddie sighs and shakes his head. “No, it’s not. Because at least our dryers are still working. I put your clothes in there to warm up.”
Blinking back tears, Buck’s eyes follow Eddie across the room as he fetches his sweatshirt and pants from the dryer. When Eddie hands Buck his freshly fluffed clothes, he almost falls to the floor and sobs. His body finally relaxes after slipping on the warmed clothes, appreciating how the fabric wraps his limbs like a hug.
When he’s done changing, Eddie leads him out to their cars, saying he’ll drive them both home instead of driving back separately.
“Eddie, that’s silly. I don’t want to leave my car here overnight,” Buck counters, shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pockets.
“What’s silly is that we drive separately in the first place. We should be carpooling anyways,” Eddie says. He’s leaning against his car now, the sun causing him to squint. Buck shudders slightly, the chill from his unexpected ice bath still lingering beneath his skin.
“I know, I know. We’ll drive back home and carpool from now on. How about that?”
Eddie wets his lips but eventually nods. “Fine. See you at home then.”
Buck nods, but then realizes his key fob didn’t unlock his car door. Weird. He has to manually unlock the driver's side and then quickly realizes the problem.
“Actually,” Buck calls out. Eddie turns to look at him. “Guess you will be driving us both home after all.”
—
“I’m not sure anything could convince me that this stupid rock isn’t cursed!”
Chris and Eddie watch as Buck paces their living room, glaring at the stone between his fingers.
“Rocks can’t curse you, Buck,” Chris says, doing his best to hold back his laughter.
“Well,” Buck huffs. “ This one can! What else explains my sudden influx of bad luck?”
“Someone stole your car battery, Buck. That’s just theft, not bad luck,” Eddie reasons, his eyes following Buck as he marches across the room again.
“Okay, fine. And, what about my ridiculously stupid injuries? Losing my phone after I know I didn’t misplace it? The water heater going out the day I fall into an ice bath?! The sudden mysterious stains on all of my freaking uniforms?!”
Eddie’s on his feet now, his hands finding Buck’s shoulders to stop him in his tracks. He’s full on spiraling now. It’s Eddie’s responsibility to attempt to bring Buck back down to earth.
“Stop, stop,” Eddie says. “You’re right. All of that sucks and I’m sorry. But, I just really don’t think a rock is causing all of this bad shit to happen.”
“Language,” Buck and Christopher say in unison.
Eddie rolls his eyes before continuing. “Take a breath. Let’s have dinner and we can do some research after. Sound good?”
Buck sucks in a deep gulp of air and forces himself to relax into Eddie’s grounding touch. Brown eyes stare him down like a threat, patiently waiting for Buck to agree. Of course, Buck does without a second of hesitation. When has he not?
—
After dinner and dishes, Chris, Eddie, and Buck gather around a laptop on the kitchen table. They’ve gone through multiple articles about rose quartz and other similar stones. None of which are meant to cause bad luck or carry the power of curses.
“Rose quartz assists with healing the heart by dispelling any old or negative emotions,” Christopher reads from a website. “It brings gentleness, forgiveness and tolerance. While also clearing out anger, jealousy, and resentment.”
“See? None of that sounds even remotely threatening. It all sounds kind of nice, even. If a rock could do anything except just be a rock,” Eddie says, smirking to himself. Such a non-believer.
“Well, it sounds like it's the universal love stone too? Rose Quartz is supposed to open the heart and restore peace and harmony in all kinds of relationships,” Buck reads. “It can attract new love or deepen existing relationships.”
“So, what? This magic stone can find you true love?” Eddie asks, skeptical as he holds the smooth pink quartz up to the light.
“I think it’s based more on energy and vibes rather than magical powers,” Buck admits, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
“There’s so many kinds and they all do different things! Look at this one, a Bloodstone. A powerful healing stone. It can heighten intuition and increase creativity,” Chris reads, scrolling further down on the webpage.
“So, does that mean you’re done blaming this rock for your misfortunes?” Eddie asks Buck with a smirk.
Buck sighs and rolls his eyes, but there’s nothing but amusement behind them. He observes Christopher reading the many different descriptions for a while before responding. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s just a pretty, love-granting stone.”
“That witchy lady must’ve sensed how hopelessly single you are,” Eddie teases. There’s a lightness in his tone that Buck missed having around.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes,” Christopher chirps, giggling to himself.
They joke and laugh at the table for a while longer until Christopher asks if there’s any dessert they can make together. After a complete mess of the kitchen and a couple dozen chocolate chip cookies later, Eddie and Buck find themselves at the sink washing dishes as Chris gets ready for bed.
“Is it bad that I sort of hoped that rose quartz was the cause of all my bad luck?” Buck asks, breaking their comfortable silence.
Eddie’s eyes are turned down as he dries a couple spoons. “No. Strange, yes. But, I can understand wanting bad situations to have a greater meaning.”
“Yeah,” Buck agrees. “And, maybe it would be nice to believe something as simple as a stone can bring you love and good fortune, too.”
Eddie hums in response. “I was joking about you being hopelessly single, you know.”
Buck nods, looking up to hand Eddie the plate he finished scrubbing. Their fingers brush as they exchange the dish, Buck’s soapy hands leaving a tiny bubble on Eddie’s finger.
“D’you meet anyone special back in Texas?” Buck asks. He’s not that curious, nor does he really want to know. But, he’ll do anything to get the spotlight off of him for a moment.
Eyes flickering over slightly, Eddie clears his throat. “N-no. Not really. Wasn’t there long enough to find anything meaningful…”
Buck can’t hide his smirk. “Oh? Sounds promiscuous.”
Eddie laughs wetly and shifts beside him. “Yeah, I-I guess you could say that.”
Curiosity wiggles its way in Buck’s brain, so he keeps pushing. “Any that were noteworthy?”
Clearing his throat again, Eddie shakes his head and grabs a glass to dry next. “Someone I met at a bar held a really good conversation. Wasn’t even meant to go any further than a few beers during a baseball game... But, it was kinda nice, ya know? Even without the sex, he was just a cool person.”
A cookie sheet clatters against the edge of the sink, causing a spray of dish water to splash Buck’s forehead. Eddie’s just as shocked, barely reacting in time to step back from the soapy explosion.
“I-I oops, I- um, s-sorry,” Buck stutters. He regains control of the metal sheet and resumes scrubbing its already clean surface.
“Very casual reaction there, Buck,” Eddie mutters, stepping back into his dish drying position.
Buck can’t seem to stop scrubbing a hole through this pan. Because what?
Even without the sex, he was just a cool person...
He?
HE?
Allowing a few awkward moments of silence to pass, Buck eventually finds his voice.
“I didn’t know you were… you know, with men?”
Eddie sighs and tosses his towel onto the counter. Turning to face Buck, Eddie gently touches his elbow and forces Buck to stop assaulting the cookie sheet and look at him.
“The pronoun slip was accidental. But, yes. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I guess, now you know.”
Buck nods curtly. “A-am I the first person you’ve come out to?”
Eddie nods, his eyes never leaving Buck’s gaze. Buck tries to slow his heart rate and breathing, but he’s honestly too startled and overwhelmed to process this new information. He never would have predicted this. Buck recalls the conversation he had in this exact kitchen with Tommy and the one he had with Maddie. Defending Eddie’s sexuality to his last breath and completely ignoring the implications.
Eddie’s straight, Eddie’s straight, Eddie’s straight.
Buck’s never thought to think overwise. Until now.
“Thanks for telling me, Eds,” Buck whispers, offering a reassuring smile. “I’m happy for you.”
Eddie exhales easily, his shoulders visibly relaxing. Their eyes search each other for a moment before they step forward, arms snaking around each other in a comforting hug. Warm dish water from Buck’s hands seeps into Eddie’s shirt, but it’s the least of their concerns right now.
During this quiet moment in their shared kitchen, what matters is that they have each other. In every way that two people can be tangled together in their web of life, Buck and Eddie have it. They’ve been here for years, whether they knew it or not.
When they pull apart, Buck notices a shine in Eddie’s eyes that causes his chest to ache. He rubs his hand up and down Eddie’s arm, letting him know that he will always be here. No matter what.
That night, as Eddie settles onto the couch and Buck in his bed, he can’t stop his mind from racing. Buck tosses and turns and wonders if Eddie needs the power of the rose quartz more than he does.
—
Thankfully, Buck and Eddie have the next two days off. But, they spend it cleaning the house, running errands, catching up on sleep, helping Chris with his school project, and planning their calendar for the rest of the week.
Although Eddie and Christopher have only been back in LA for a month, Buck and Eddie have their routine down to a science. Almost seamlessly, they’ve combined their lives together. A sort of unique family dynamic that they’ve built brick by brick.
Maybe it’s Eddie’s constant presence putting Buck at ease, or just simply the time off from work, but Buck’s bad luck seems to have come to an end, for now. No more missing phones, shoes, car keys, or batteries. Far less mysterious stains and hot water for three showers plus some. Buck figures that Eddie and Chris are his good luck charms and he didn’t need a special stone after all.
Until evening arrives once again, and sleep can’t seem to take Buck without a fight. He had just said goodnight to Christopher and Eddie, but he’s tossing and turning again and again like the night before. This time, there’s nothing really on his mind except their plans to visit the aquarium tomorrow.
After thirty or so minutes of restless fidgeting, Buck rationally concludes that this bed must be too big.
Before Buck can use any functional parts of his brain, he’s pattering down the hallway and out to the living room.
“Eddie? Eddie,” Buck calls, his voice just above a whisper.
“What?” Eddie whispers back.
“I can’t sleep.”
Eddie sits up from the couch and squints through the dark at the restless Buck. “I can’t really either. Excited for our trip tomorrow?”
Buck sighs. “Yes, I am. But, I don’t think that’s why I can’t sleep. I don’t know.”
Eddie hums and rubs his eyes. “Maybe make some tea?”
“I’ve already had two cups after dinner. Maddie says that brand helped her sleep after having Jee, but it doesn’t seem to work on me.”
Eddie’s quiet for a while and for a second, Buck wonders if he fell asleep sitting up.
“I can come lay with you?” Eddie suggests, voice low.
Butterflies flutter against Buck’s ribs. “A-are you sure? You don’t have to.”
Eddie nods and stands from the couch. “Yes, I’m sure. I wouldn’t mind sleeping on a mattress for a change anyways.”
Buck ducks his head and tiptoes back to the bedroom. He feels a buzzing in his ears that wasn’t there before, and it only grows louder as Eddie follows and gently closes the door behind them.
Wordlessly, they crawl into the bed and under the covers. Buck turns on his side to face Eddie, who’s laying on his back. Eddie turns his head and offers a sleepy smile.
“Better?” he asks.
Buck simply nods and studies the curve of Eddie’s ear and jaw in the dim moon light. Eventually, Eddie’s eyelids droop close and a sense of calm floods Buck’s nerves. The rhythm of Eddie’s steady breathing seems to set Buck in a trance. There’s something so soothing and peaceful about the delicate rise and fall of his chest.
Careful not to wake him, Buck places a gentle palm right in the center of Eddie’s chest. The feeling of his constant heart beat beneath his fingers is exactly what Buck needed. He feels the warmth radiating off Eddie’s body even through his t-shirt. The sensation grounds Buck instantly and he breathes in deeply to absorb the feeling.
Before Buck completely drifts off, he feels the weight of calloused fingers resting on top of his hand. He won’t be sure of it until the morning, but when he peeks his eyes open, he notices how perfectly their hands lay stacked together right over Eddie’s beating heart.
—
“Have we gone too far?” Maddie asks, chewing on her bottom lip.
Hen immediately shakes her head. Karen and Chimney exchange a look and take a sip of their coffees.
“Purposefully staining Buck’s uniforms so Eddie had to share with him was maybe crossing a line, but it worked like a charm. So, I don’t see any harm,” Hen reasons with a sly smile.
“Hiding his phone was my favorite part. I just knew Eddie would volunteer to help look for it,” Chimney adds.
“ I switched out the box of tea I gave him last week,” Maddie confesses suddenly.
Karen raises an eyebrow, her steaming mug of coffee swirling between them. “You did what now?”
“It was impulsive. I told Buck it was an herbal tea that helped me sleep after I had Jee. But really, I switched the boxes for a high energy caffeinated kind.” Maddie sets her lips in a line. “I was hoping it would disrupt his sleep schedule just a little bit, and he would spend more time with Eddie or something?”
Hen bursts into laughter and Karen hides a smile behind her hands.
“Oh, my god. That makes so much sense,” Chimney says, quickly setting his mug down on the table.
Maddie tilts her head, an ounce of worry leaving her face. “It does?”
“I overheard them talking in the locker room yesterday!” Chimney exclaims, keeping his voice hushed so the other tables in the café won’t overhear him. “Eddie asked if Buck had been sleeping better now after their new arrangement. I had no idea what that meant at first, but maybe…”
“You think they’re sleeping together?” Karen gasps, her eyes widening.
“Sleeping in the same bed at least. Who knows what else,” Chimney ponders.
Maddie twists up her face. “Okay, ew, I don’t need any more details. I just want him to finally open his eyes and realize what’s right in front of him!”
Hen scoffs. “I just can’t believe he hasn’t suspected any of us for messing with him yet. Instead, he blames a piece of quartz! But, he also hasn’t realized he’s in love with Eddie either, so.”
“I take full credit for planting that seed,” Karen quips, raising her hand with a grin. “Buck will believe anything is a curse.”
“And Eddie will believe anything Buck believes,” Chimney adds.
The four of them giggle in hushed tones and enjoy their coffees. Their little scheme to get Buck and Eddie together may have gone a little far. Granted, all they did was get the ball rolling. The rest of Buck’s unfortunate events were just dumb luck. But, of course, Eddie was by Buck’s side every (mis)step of the way.
All they had to do now was take their hands off the wheel and allow the ship to sail itself.
—
“Why do you think it’s called a rose quartz? Roses are traditionally red,” Buck asks.
“That’s a good question to ask Christopher later,” Eddie responds, blinking sleepily.
Ask Christopher later, because currently, they’re taking a post-shift nap in bed together. Even after the week of Buck’s mysterious bad luck and restless nights had ended, Eddie never returned to the couch.
Buck’s arms are wrapped tightly around Eddie’s torso from behind, because Eddie prefers being the little spoon. Their legs are tangled together in a way that’s somehow comfortable and so characteristically them.
“I think I’m happy that that lady gave me that stone,” Buck says. His breath tickles the back of Eddie’s neck, causing a wave of goosebumps.
“Really? You thought it had cursed you, like barely a week ago,” Eddie says, huffing a laugh.
“Yeah, I know, I know. But… I think it has brought me some good things, too.”
“It’s a rock.”
“Shush. I’m just saying, I feel more at peace with my past. And, I feel really hopeful for the future. More than I have in a while. I’m… happy,” Buck explains, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Eddie’s silent for a moment before wiggling around in Buck’s arms so they’re face to face. Buck smiles at him, his eyes shiny and bright.
“I’m happy that you’re happy, Buck.”
Buck nods, closes his eyes and just breathes. Their noses are almost touching; they're so close. Buck’s addicted to the warmth and sense of peace Eddie brings him. He always sensed it was there, but it’s been harder to ignore these last couple weeks.
“Sleepy now?” Eddie whispers.
Buck blinks open his eyes and takes in the view of Eddie’s golden brown eyes and dark eyelashes. A spray of tiny freckles and a nose that he sees on Christopher. Perfect.
“Mm, a little.”
The small space between them seems to grow smaller somehow. Before Buck can register why, the tips of their noses are brushing together and Eddie’s eyes are fluttering shut.
A sharp inhale is caught in Buck’s throat, but he doesn’t pull away. Slowly, Eddie presses his lips against Buck’s and Buck swears he feels Eddie’s heart pounding against his own chest.
Eddie kisses him soft and sweet, his hand coming up to caress Buck’s cheek. After every nerve in his body wakes up and screams, he kisses Eddie back. Thankful that he’s not sugar, Buck melts into Eddie and soaks in every tender brush of skin. Their lips move against each other in a way that’s oddly familiar, but it doesn’t stop the shivers that run down their spines. A final piece of the BuckandEddie puzzle, falling into place.
Eddie’s never been the one to believe in curses or signs from the universe. But, he’s willing to give it a fighting chance if it means kissing Evan Buckley for the rest of his mortal life.
—
A month later, Ms. Dorothea receives a large bouquet of roses and a tiny package. After unboxing the familiar rose quartz, she discovers a small, handwritten note hidden at the bottom.
Thank you - I know what it means now. He was with me all along.