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Everything was dark. Everything was numb. If it wasn't for the loud beating of his pulse in his ears, Buck would guess that he was dead. If he really thought about it, he might as well be dead; entombed in a grave that could have taken many more. He saved those people, but now it is time to pay the price. The loud crash that had befallen him just minutes earlier left a sharp ringing in his ear. Still, Buck seemed remarkably okay despite the general discomfort associated with falling down two stories of a collapsing building and onto a concrete floor. After a moment of getting his bearings and breath back, Buck stood carefully, wary of the debris that he could almost make out in his path.
"118 call out!" Buck yelled, but he received only the mocking echoes of his voice in return. "Is anyone still down here?" He yelled again. This time, a faint yell from across the room caught his attention.
"Over here." A familiar voice called from behind Buck. He turned towards the voice and carefully moved in its direction.
"Is someone there?" He yelled again, and the voice grew louder.
"Buck, I'm here." Buck took a double take, Eddie's familiar tone cutting through the remnants of fuzz in his ears.
"Eddie, what the hell are you doing here? You are supposed to be on a plane right now," Buck said as he approached Eddie's voice.
"I thought you might need some help," Eddie said, much to chipper for a man who just fell down two stories.
"Are you hurt?" Buck asked as he finally made contact with Eddie's arm, ensuring he was not just a 'imim about to die' hallucination.
"I'm fine, Buck," Eddie said, and Buck raised an eyebrow. Despite the pitch-black nature of the room, Eddie knew the face Buck must be making. "Just a little banged up, I promise." He said, ignoring Buck's attempt at a physical exam in complete darkness. "Are you okay? " Eddie asked, and Buck paused for a moment, assessing his injuries.
"Likely a broken rib or two, but nothing life-threatening." Buck couldn't help but smile when Eddie also ensured that he was okay. If he blushed when Eddie left his hand a moment longer than necessary when he was checking his pulse, that was no one's business but his own.
"Can you stand?" Buck asked Eddie, and he shifted, standing carefully while holding onto Buck's arm for stability.
"Is your radio working?" Eddie asked, brushing off his turnouts as best he could. Buck grabbed his radio and tried to contact the rest of the team. He was hopeful for a moment when the small green light illuminated their faces, but they were met with plain static.
"It must be busted," Buck said, glancing up at Eddie's dimly lit face. With the bit of light, he could see their situation more clearly. The walls around them were not stable by any means, but they were okay for the moment. Using the light, Buck and Eddie walked carefully to a small area in the middle of the room that was mostly free of debris. They sat, assessing their supplies to try and make a plan.
2 flashlights,
1 02 tank
1 multi-tool
1 old granola bar
2 busted radios
The flashlights lit up the space much better than the radio's small light, which allowed them to assess the situation fully.
"It's too unstable to try and break our way out. One wrong hit, and the walls will bury us alive," Eddie said, passing around the perimeter of their small space and analyzing the rubble around them.
"Look around, Eddie. We are already buried alive," Buck said, and Eddie glared at him.
"That kind of thinking will get us nowhere," Eddie said, finally stopping his rounds of the room to sit on the floor.
"How am I supposed to think?" Buck said, his voice growing louder. "We are trapped in a game of deadly jenga with no way out, and no way to call for help." Eddie rolled his eyes.
"They will come find us soon just be patient." Eddie said.
"And how exactly will they find us?" Buck yelled. 'You aren't even supposed to be in this state, and they all think I am out helping the ambulances."
"Buck, what are you talking about?" Eddie said, His face full of concern.
"Gerard said it was stupid to come in here, so I said I was going to help transport, but I came here instead," Buck confessed, and Eddie sighed.
"Why would you do that?" Eddie asked, and Buck shook his head, avoiding Eddie's gaze.
"There was a little girl crying because they couldn't get to her puppy in here. The puppy ran out right before the building went down, but I wasn't fast enough." Buck looked down at the floor beneath them guiltily. He had gotten them into this mess, but to Buck's surprise, Eddie just laughed.
"Of course you would risk your life for a dog," Eddie said, though giggling.
"It's not funny," Buck retorted, confused by Eddie's sudden burst of laughter. We are stuck down here with no one looking for us." Eddie nodded through fits of laughter, the adrenaline and emotion from the day coursing through him.
Eddie knew the gravity of the situation. He knew the odds of the roof crashing down on them were growing higher by the minute, but for some reason, he was more calm than he had been in months. Eventually, his laughter faded, replaced by the solemn silence fit for their precarious situation.
"There is nothing we can do but wait." Eddie said softly, vocalising what they were both already thinking.
"It might be a while," Buck said, lying down on the dust-covered floor and resting his head against a piece of rubble. Eddie nodded.
***
They didn't have any way to tell the time in the rubble, but that didn't matter. What easily could have been minutes felt like years sitting in the dust-filled grave. Buck tried to sleep, closing his eyes and imagining that the hard stone beneath him was his comfortable king-size bed. He couldn't, whether it was the adrenaline from the day or the constant risk of death at any moment, Buck's brain refused to turn off.
Eventually Eddie laid down in the rubble only a few feet from Buck. He could sleep if he tried, he had been in war zones and danger before in the army but allowing himself to drift off felt like abandoning Buck so they just layed there silently, awaiting a savior that might never come.
"You were right," Buck said from his place on the ground, not opening his eyes. Eddie turned his head to look over at him, the warm light of the flashlight creating shadows in his features.
"What?" Eddie answered, laying his head on his arm to protect it from the hard floor.
"I don't want you to leave." Eddie took a deep breath, trying to collect the thoughts racing through his mind.
Obviously, Buck doesn't want him to leave, but after everything he went through, driving Ubers and barely getting by, he thought Buck would at least be happy for him when he finally got the call that he was hired in El Paso.
"The 118 is gone, Buck, and you're just gonna have to deal with it." Eddie winced when Buck opened his eyes, sitting up from his place on the floor.
"What the hell, Eddie," Buck said, his voice louder again. "How can you say that after everything that we have been through, the 118 is our family, and we need to stay together." Eddie sat up, too, looking Buck dead in the eyes.
"We aren't a family, Buck; we are coworkers." Eddie snapped and immediately regretted it when he noticed a small tear forming in Buck's eye. Buck was standing now, dragging Eddie up with him.
"Do coworkers go to movie night every Friday?" Buck said, yelling now. Do coworkers help parent each other's kids?" Buck was in his face now, and Eddie tried to ignore the tears falling down his face.
"Do coworkers come comfort you when you are having a mental breakdown and losing your kid?" At that Eddie's face dropped.
"That's a low blow and you know it Buck." Eddie said, his face red even in the dimly lit space.
"After everything we had i'm just your old coworker now?" Buck asked. His voice was softer now, and the question was genuine. Eddie shook his head, guilt filling his chest. Buck's eyes were searching, desperate for an answer to appear on Eddie's face.
"Buck-" Eddie started, his voice breaking. "You are so much more than an old coworker," Eddie whispered, only now noticing how close they were standing, their faces only inches apart. "You are everything to me, buck," Eddie said, his thumb inadvertently reaching for Buck's cheek to wipe his tear away. "You are the reason I have hope for my life, you gave me a chance to be something more in this world." A tear ran down Eddie's cheek now. "You made me feel truly happy for the first time in my life." Eddie paused, as if he was debating whether to continue. "You helped me love for the first time in a long time." At that, Buck's eyes snapped to eddies, and they were both completely silent for a long moment. For a moment, the world stopped.
"Eddie, what are you saying?" Buck whispered, trying not to break the sanctity of this moment.
"I'm saying that people fall through 12-story buildings, and houses catch on fire, and people never get the chance to share how they really feel." The space between them was virtually eliminated, and Bucks' hand had moved to grab Eddie's.
"Eddie," Buck paused momentarily, lost in Eddie's gaze. "Eddie, you are the most important part of my life. You and Chris are everything to me, and I don't know what I would do without you." Eddie gave Buck a small smile.
"It's a Good thing you'll never have to find out," Eddie said with a smile. Bucks' face broke into a smile at that.
"Thank you, " he whispered, glancing down at their interlocked hands. The flicker of the flashlight made his vision less than perfect, but he vowed to remember that feeling forever. At that moment, Eddie leaned forward close to Buck's ear.
"I love you, Evan Buckley," Eddie whispered softly. And I'm never going to leave you again." Eddie moved back slightly to see Buck's face. His heart was racing, and his cheeks were definitely bright red. Buck's smile only grew wider.
"I love you too." Buck said, his whisper matching Eddie's, "I never want to lose you." Eddie looked into Buck's eyes, and even in the dark, rubble-filled room, he could see the bright blue glint in this eye that always caught Eddie's attention. Eddie shifted forward, closing the small gap between them with his kiss. Buck was initially surprised, the culmination of everything he had wanted, and the realization that this was what he had been missing, rushing through him. After all these years of random girls and running from his feelings, he has the one person he truly wants—Eddie.
As Eddie realized what he was doing, all of the puzzle pieces started to click into place. Every pat on the back and hug that, for some reason, he didn't want to end, all of the nights spent drinking beer and playing video games—this was what he was missing. This was the final piece of the puzzle.
"I love you," Eddie said, the moment their kiss was broken. I will love you through every fire and lightning storm. I will love you when it is easy, and I will love you when it is hard. You are my family and my person, and I will never leave you behind because I love you." Eddie looked up at Buck pleadingly, only to see a massive grin on his face.
"Geez, man, save some for the wedding vows," Buck said, smiling ear to ear.
"Oh, don't worry. There is more where that came from." Eddie smiled and kissed Buck again, melting into his embrace for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I don't doubt it." Buck said, "we have a lot to catch up on."
***
Hours passed as they traded kisses and spoke quietly about their pasts and futures.
"You know, just last week, Maddie asked me if I had a crush on you," Buck said, nestled into Eddie's side. Somehow, even though they were laying rubble, this was the most comfortable Buck had ever been.
"Oh?" Eddie replied. "What did you say?" Buck laughed a little.
"That you're straight," Buck said, and Eddie leaned his head down to plant a kiss on Buck's hair.
"I don't know what I am, Buck, but I know that I want to be with you." Buck turned to face Eddie, still somewhat in his arms. He kissed Eddie softly, slowly moving to be over him. Buck moved his attention to Eddie's neck, kissing his pulse point and up by his ear. Eddie's head tilted back in comfort, allowing Buck to have more space to work. Just as Buck began, they heard a large crash from the rubble overhead.
"Oh my god, they found us," Buck said, a smile on his kissed blush face. Eddie smiled, leaning up to kiss Buck's birthmark before kissing him one last time.
"Lets get out of here Buck," Eddie said, pulling them both to their feet. "We have a lot of life to live."