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“Uncle Buck?” Jee-Yun asks, in what is clearly meant to be a whisper but isn’t low enough.
Buck holds back a laugh as best as he can. “Yes?” he half whispers back.
“What’s uncle Eddie’s favorite color?”
Buck looks back at Eddie, sitting on Maddie and Chim’s couch and definitely within earshot, who’s smiling really wide and trying to look like he can’t hear them.
“Um, I don’t know actually,” Buck says, returning his attention to Jee. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“Because it’s a surprise!” she complains. “You said you’re best friends,” she says, like it’s absolutely inconceivable that Buck doesn’t know his best friend’s favorite color.
“You’re absolutely right,” he says, getting up from the floor. “Let me go find out for you.”
“But don’t tell him!” she warns him.
Buck raises his hands. “I won’t, I promise!” He sits on the couch next to Eddie. “Hi.”
Eddie smiles at him. “Hi.”
Buck throws a glance to Jee and winks, making her giggle. “Hey, Eddie,” he says, loud enough for her to hear everything. “I was just thinking, since you’re my best friend, I should totally know what your favorite color is. For no reason at all.”
Eddie laughs. “Wow, Buck,” he says, matching Buck’s tone. “I never thought about that, but you’re absolutely right. My favorite color is, um…” he trails off, like he’s thinking about it just now, looking at Buck. “Blue.”
“Okay! Good to know! Great choice, thank you for telling me.”
“You’re very welcome. Thank you for asking me.”
Buck makes his way back to Jee, who’s excitedly waiting for his report like she didn’t just hear every single word of their conversation. “Okay,” he whispers again. “His favorite color is blue.”
Jee nods, seriously. “Good, thank you.”
—
Eddie knows something is up with his feelings the moment he and Chris settle back at home and Buck still hasn’t moved out. Sure, he’s been looking at houses, but it’s been a few weeks and he’s still living with them and they have developed a perfect routine by now, and Eddie has never felt more comfortable in his life.
It’s just that he doesn’t know exactly what is up with his feelings, but he’s starting to suspect it when he looks at the pictures hanging on their fridge, next to Jee’s very blue drawing dedicated to Uncle Eddie, and when Buck still helps Chris with homework after seven years even though Chris is getting better at it and Buck is getting worse, and when he sits next to Buck for breakfast or on their couch in the evening to watch a movie, when they leave home for work together and come back together, and Eddie suddenly feels like his head is spinning.
A week after Jee’s masterpiece, Maddie and Chimney drop off both their kids at Buck and Eddie’s house for babysitting duty while they go out.
Eddie loves it, and loves watching Buck still being insanely good with kids the way he was when Chris was younger (and still is now that he’s a teenager hiding in his room to play video games).
He watches as Buck puts the baby to sleep way too easily and then sits next to him and Jee on the couch to watch whatever Disney movie she’s now obsessed with.
Halfway through, when Eddie gets up to get a glass of water, Jee says it. “Do you have to get married?”
“Nah,” he hears Buck say, walking back in the living room, “Not if you don’t want to. I’m not yet!”
To which Jee starts laughing.
“What?” Buck asks, his voice infected by her laughter.
“Yes, you are! Don’t be silly!”
“Am I?”
“With uncle Eddie!”
Eddie chokes on his drink, which catches Buck’s attention. He looks at Eddie wide eyed, then back at Jee. “Jee, we’re not married.”
“Yes! Like aunt Hen and aunt Karen!”
Eddie cautiously makes his way back to the couch, while he tries to get his heart to slow down.
“Jee, we’re just best friends,” Buck says.
She nods. “Mom says her and dad are also best friends.”
Eddie can’t help but laugh at this point. Buck gives him a pointed look. “Okay, yes, but-”
“You live in a house with Chris and are always together like mommy and daddy and aunt Hen and aunt Karen.”
Buck doesn’t say anything and Eddie suspects it’s because he doesn’t really know how to defend them from that. Jee happily returns her attention to the movie, the argument long gone from her mind.
Eddie looks at Buck, who’s frowning, and he knows he’s gonna overthink it for the next week. Eddie just shrugs at him, and tries not to do the same.
By the time Maddie and Chim come back to collect their kids, Buck seems to not be bothered by the marriage conversation anymore.
“Hungry?” Buck asks, when they all leave. “We’ve got those leftover cookies that Jee didn’t finish.”
Eddie smiles. “I’ll go check on Chris.”
He knocks on his door, waits for Chris’ answer to go in, and leans against the door. “Hey, it’s late, take a break from that screen.”
“Okay, give me a second.”
Eddie walks into the room and reaches his kid, running a hand through his curls, to which Chris lightheartedly complains. “We’re having cookies, do you want some?”
Chris smiles like Eddie. “Yeah, coming.”
They join Buck in the kitchen a minute later, sitting around the table with a plate of cookies between them, and Eddie takes in the moment for a second. There’s another two drawings by Jee hanging next to her blue one, this time one dedicated to Uncle Buck and the other to Christopher, and he shakes his head. Maybe they are a little married.
—
Buck barely lets Maddie open the door. “Jee thinks Eddie and I are married.”
She sighs and steps aside. “Come in.”
“Why does Jee think we’re married?” Buck asks the moment they make it to the kitchen.
Maddie sits down. “I didn’t tell her that, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No, I know-” He sighs. “She said Eddie and I are married.”
“Okay… Did you tell her you’re not?”
“Well, I tried, but she made some compelling arguments.”
She stares at him. “Compelling arguments? She’s four.”
“Do Eddie and I seem married?”
Maddie takes a deep breath. “Buck…”
“What? No, come on, we’re just best friends behaving like best friends, right?”
“Why is this bothering you so much?”
“It’s not!”
“You came all the way here to rant about it in my kitchen.”
“I’m not ranting, I’m just asking.”
“Yes, Buck,” she sighs. “Yes, you seem married. You’ve been acting married for years.”
Buck sits down and takes his head in his hands. “Fuck.”
“So, what’s wrong?” she asks, gently, a hand on his shoulder.
“I can’t be in love with him, Maddie.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s my best friend and he’s straight!” he says, looking up again.
“Well, have you talked to him?”
“About what?”
She shrugs. “It takes two to be married.”
Buck hits his head on the table.
—
Two days later, Buck just can’t stop thinking about it.
“Do we seem married to you?”
Eddie sighs from his spot in front of the sink, washing the dishes. “Of course you're still thinking about that.”
“Well?”
“Buck, a four year old thought we were married, it’s not a big deal.”
“She still does,” Buck corrects him, holding a finger up. “We haven’t been able to convince her we’re not.”
“Okay. A four year old thinks we’re married. It’s still not a big deal.”
“How is it not-”
“Why does it bother you?” Eddie asks. “I’m gonna take it personally.”
“Why doesn’t it bother you? If people keep thinking there’s something between us, you’re never gonna find a date again.”
“Honestly, Buck? Not my main concern right now.” He frowns. “Also, ‘people’? It’s one child.”
Buck realises the misstep when he doesn’t say anything and Eddie looks back at him. He turns off the water and faces Buck, grabbing a dishcloth to dry his hands. “Who else thinks there’s something between us, Buck?”
Right. Maybe he forgot to tell Eddie about that conversation with Tommy. In his defence, it didn’t really matter. He looks at the ground. “…Tommy.”
There’s a moment of silence. Buck thinks maybe Eddie didn’t hear him, but then he finally speaks. “Tommy. Your ex boyfriend Tommy.”
“How many others do we know?” Buck says, looking up at Eddie again.
“I’m sorry, since when? Did he say something while you were together?”
“Um, no, not while we were together.”
“Before? Because he never mentioned-”
“Not before.”
It takes Eddie a couple of seconds to realize. Then he sighs, heavily, rolling his eyes. “Buck…”
“It was a one time thing!”
“When did that even happen?”
“After you left, but that’s not the point.”
“That seems like exactly the point? What happened?”
“He said something about you being competition and me having feelings for you because I lived in your house.”
“And?”
“And then I said something mean about not having feelings for everyone I sleep with.”
Eddie frowns. “I’m a little confused about the conversation that you two had?”
“It doesn’t matter. Point is, he thought we had something going on and that’s apparently why he dumped me.”
“So that’s the issue? You’re mad at me because he broke up with you?”
“No! No, I’m not mad, and definitely not at you. It was for the better, anyway.”
“Okay, so ou- your niece, who’s a four year old child, and Tommy, who is an idiot, think we have something going on. So what? Did you tell him we don’t?”
“Yeah,” Buck says, because duh, of course he did. “I told him this wasn’t even your house and that you’re straight.”
Eddie frowns even more, then laughs. “You do realize that doesn’t mean anything, right?”
“What do you mean? Of course it does.”
“No, it doesn’t. What if I wasn’t straight?”
Buck pauses for a second. “But you are.” Eddie breaks eye contact and Buck feels his heart sink. “Eddie?”
Eddie doesn’t say anything for a moment, eyes on the ground. He takes a deep breath, then looks at Buck again. Buck is pretty sure his heart stops now.
“What if I wasn’t?”
“But you are.”
Eddie laughs again, shaking his head. “Not exactly what someone wants to hear before coming out.”
“You’re-”
“Buck, I’m gay.”
Buck blinks. Then blinks again. “What?”
“I don’t know how much more clearly I can say it.”
“You’re gay?”
“Yes.”
“As in, into men?”
“Buck.”
“Sorry, just-” Realization hits Buck all at once. “Oh my god.”
Eddie watches him, slightly amused, and raises an eyebrow. “Oh my god?”
“Not as in-! Not a bad ‘oh my god’!” Buck hurries to explain himself, because while he’s been trying to wrap his mind around it, Eddie has literally just come out to him. “Just… wow! I wasn’t expecting that!”
He and Maddie really are related.
“Okay,” Eddie says, a smile creeping on his face. “Thank you.”
“Is this… a recent development?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“And how, um… how did you know?” Buck really hopes he’s sounding supportive and encouraging, because his brain feels like it’s definitely shut off for the day.
“Well, I realized I’m kind of in love with my best friend, so…”
Buck’s heart stops again. What? “What?”
“It’s not going great, though, apparently he’s not in love with me because I don’t actually own this house-”
“Eddie-”
“But I can look into it, if it’s a deal breaker for you.”
“Eddie.”
“What, Buck? Yes, I’m in love with you. Yes, I’m sure. No, I’m not joking.”
“You can’t be in love with me?”
“I think that’s up to me to decide.”
“Why are you so casual about this?”
“I’m not!” Eddie says, rubbing his hands over his face. “This is actually terrifying so I would appreciate it if you said something that isn’t that I can’t be in love with you for whatever reason you’ve convinced yourself you’re not worth-”
The moment Eddie’s voice breaks, Buck closes the distance between them without thinking. He crashes into his arms and only starts breathing again when Eddie holds him too, and then his heart breaks when he feels him cry on his shoulder. Maybe he starts crying a little too.
They stand there for a minute, then Buck pulls away just enough to look at Eddie. “You’re in love with me?”
Eddie laughs breathlessly. “Yeah.”
“I’m in love with you too.” Buck is glad Eddie is holding him, because the smile he receives in return would have made his legs give out.
“Yeah?”
Buck nods, resting his forehead against Eddie’s. “Have been for a while.”
“Me too.”
“So we've been really stupid about this?”
“Yeah.”
They start laughing, Buck’s head slips on Eddie’s shoulder again. “So what now?”
“How about you let me kiss you, first,” Eddie says, and Buck looks up at the speed of light, “and then we talk about it.”
Buck nods. “Please.”
So Eddie does kiss him. Buck melts into it immediately, and he thinks that he could happily do this for the rest of his life.
When they break apart, Buck leans in for another kiss immediately, even though they’re both smiling too much for it to work properly. Buck couldn’t care less.
“I guess we just keep acting married,” Eddie says.
“Mhh. I want a ring.”
“Of course.”
After a second, Buck leans back to look at him. “Wait, actually?”
Eddie chuckles. “Maybe one thing at a time.” Buck nods. “But eventually.”
Buck almost cries again. “Really?”
“God, Buck, there’s no one else in the world I want to spend the rest of my life with. There can’t be. It’s you and me.”
“It’s you and me,” Buck repeats, and his face hurts by now from smiling. “Oh, just so you know, there’s absolutely no one else in the world for me either.”
“Good.”
“Good.” Buck kisses him again. God, he loves doing it. It’s gonna take a miracle to make him stop. “So… everyone was right.”
“Yeah…”
“I think Maddie knew it too.”
“I think everyone knows it, Buck.”
“You said it was only Jee!”
“Well, obviously not!”
A couple of days later, it gets confirmed when they announce they’re together and their whole family starts exchanging money for their bet.
—
“Oh, that lady dressed as an elf!” Buck exclaims, out of the blue, days later.
Eddie frowns. “What?”
“Years ago, when we brought Chris to talk to Santa. There was a woman dressed as an elf who thought we were married.”
“I don’t remember that?”
“Oh, no, because you’d left already. But she told me we had an adorable son.”
“And what did you say?”
“I said thank you? He was pretty adorable.”
Eddie shakes his head, laughing. “And it took you eight years to realize you had feelings for me?”
“Hey! What was I supposed to do? Argue with an elf in front of Santa?”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too. And by the way, it took you eight years to realize you had feelings for me too-”