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People always tell chris that he reminds them of his dad, his dad always says he reminds him of his mom, but personally he thinks what he’s about to do comes from the Buckley side of his DNA.
He’s a meddler. His aunt Maddie and uncle Chim are the King and Queen of meddling, and he learned everything there is to know from them. That’s why he knows his 6 step plan to get his dad and Buck to get their head out of their asses will work.
He’s going to need reinforcements, and it just so happened that he finds them when his dad tells him that he and Buck are going to be babysitting everyone’s children for Valentine’s Day.
Chris would like it to be known that the below plan is his last resort. It’s been 7 years and he doesn’t know how much longer he can last without just locking them in a closet together.
Operation Save the Diaz Family From Themselves:
Step 1 - Provide so much chaos that Dad & Buck are exhausted
Step 2 - Take away the chaos and give them a semblance of peace
Step 3 - The Questions (Mara & Jee this is your part)
Step 4 - Eavesdrop on teenage angst (This is me and Denny)
Step 5 - Set the atmosphere (Cute Valentine’s Day movie, preferably one with friends to lovers)
Step 6 - Get them to talk to each other
All in all it’s a perfect plan actually……..Let’s just hope there’s a perfect execution.
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Step 1 -
“Now are you guys sure you want to do this?” Hen says with hesitation in her voice. Why is she acting like we’ve never watched children before. Hell we’ve watched her children before so what’s happening.
“Hen relaxxxxxxxxxx! It’s their problem now. They agreed to do this and that means there’s no take backs……That’s mean you Diaz, I can see you hiding in the kitchen” Chimney always the chaotic one yells from the doorway.
“You guys I promise we’re fine. Just go have fun and enjoy your Valentine’s Day. We have done this before and the only difference is now baby Robbie is joining the party.” Buck is slightly panicking, but over he has this.
Plus Eddie is helping, and he has a silver star so of course they’ve got this.
“But I-“ Maddie starts but is promptly cut off by Chris. “Aunty Maddie go I promise I’ll watch out for them” Chris says pointing to Buck and his dad. “We won’t let them get out of control and stay up past their bedtime.”
Teenage angst is no joke, but there’s an evil glint in Chris’s eye that kind of makes Buck nervous. Buck just wants everyone out so that him (and Eddie duh) and the kids can start doing the valentines activities that he planned.
“Okay we’re going! Dinner and the movie should be done by 10 and we’ll be here by 10:30. Call any of us in case anything goes wrong” Maddie says as she’s walking to the door.
Eddie’s finally had enough of hiding and makes his way out the kitchen, “Jesus, okay. Everyone get out. Teenagers to Chris’s room because the video games are already set up, Mara and Jee if you go sit at the dining room table Uncle Buck will join you soon to start cookie decorating, and little Robbie you’re with me bud. We’re gonna have the best time. And you people” Eddie points at Maddie, Chim, Hen and Karen, “Please get the hell out our house and go enjoy your date please and thank you.”
You’d have to be blind to miss the look the 2 couples shared, but Eddie couldn’t care less because he just wanted to stop all the second guessing everyone was doing.
The couples leave and it looks like things are looking up, but then something happens. Buck and Eddie aren’t sure what, but it seems like the door closing was an under 18 signal to total start losing their fucking minds.
Chris and Denny start arguing over games, and for some reason they feel like the entire neighborhood needs to hear them.
Mara and Jee are in the kitchen, but they didn’t wait for Buck so now there are 2 little girls who have been eating the special icing that Buck made for cookies.
And it was like Robbie just knew that it was his turn because at the moment Eddie yells for the boys to turn the volume down and Buck tries to wrangle the girls and their giddy energy, Little Robbie lets out a scream that sounds like it belongs to someone who wasn’t born only 6 months ago.
What the fuck is happening, Buck thinks to himself because there’s no way that the peaceful evening he planned just went out the window within 30 seconds of the door closing. And for the life of him, he cannot figure out what just went wrong because these kids aren’t usual like this. In fact he normally gets bored and calls Eddie when he’s babysitting because they just entertain themselves after like an hour.
“You guys cannot be this loud! There’s a baby and the girls are about to have a sugar crash out of this world. Please just relax!” Eddie yells at the boys.
“Uncle Buck LOOOOOOOOOK! My hands are red!” Jee yells and when Buck looks at her all he can see is a long night ahead.
“Yeah Uncle Buck look! We’re dressed for the holiday! Can we have more icing please?” Mara says as she holds a spoon to her mouth that’s piled high with more of the demonic red icing.
“WAHHHHHHHHHHHH” Oh that, that’s just little Robbie attempting to break every glass in the house. You know just normal things.
There’s so much noise happening at the moment and Buck thinks he’s 3 seconds from running out the door and leaving this all for Eddie.
Before Buck can sneak out the house something amazing happens, Eddie happens.
“Okay Niño guapo let’s calm down a little because your Uncle Buck looks close to tears. I know everyone is being loud and you wanted to join in on the fun, but it’s okay to do your own thing.” And it’s almost like Robbie knows what he’s saying because his wails turn to smaller screams then to little whimpers before he finally is calm enough and stops crying.
“And you two” Eddie says pointing at Jee and Mara “you know that icing was for the cookies and Buck worked really hard on them so what do we say to him?”
Two sets of big eyes find Buck and his heart melts because he knows that these 2 girls would never purposely do anything to hurt him. “We’re sorry Uncle Buck” Jee and Mara say together in small voices. And at that moment when the chaos in the kitchen dies down, Buck realizes that he no longer hears 2 teenage boys establishing World War III over games.
Eddie should call himself the child whisperer because holy fuck that was amazing, and by far the hottest thing he’s ever seen in his life.
Buck finally finds his voice again and claps his hands together, “It’s okay guys! We still have plenty of icing and we can still decorate some cookies.”
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Step 2 -
Eddie isn’t sure what the fuck just happened, but everything is as it should be again. Robbie is sleeping on Eddie’s chest in his carrier, the boys are still in Chris’s room and it’s quiet (too quiet in Eddie’s opinion, but who is he to look a gift horse in the mouth), and the kitchen is filled with laughter from Buck and the girls.
All in all Eddie thinks everything for the rest of the night should be smooth sailing.
After about an hour he hears Buck say that he is going to start on dinner, and there is nothing more that Eddie wants than to be in Buck’s orbit as he makes his way through the kitchen.
Eddie puts Robbie in the playpen that they bought for him so Maddie and Chim didn’t have to lug one around, and makes his way to the kitchen to help Buck. He knows Buck won’t actually let him do anything besides cut stuff up, but that doesn’t change his plan.
“You know you don’t have to help right? You’ve done so much already and you could probably use a break” Buck asks with a side-eye to Eddie.
“Buck if I need a break then so do you” Eddie looks back at the girls in the living room to make sure they’re okay before turning back to Buck “I want to be here with you. You’re making dinner so here I am helping you make dinner.” Eddie notices a little blush on Buck’s face, and he knows that it’s probably just from the compliment but Eddie can’t help the way his heart flutters from the possibility of it being from him.
When everything is done Eddie watches as Buck makes his way around calling all the kids for dinner. They sit in the living room because Chris wanted to watch a movie. For some reason he picked ‘Love, Simon’, but Eddie won’t complain because he knows Buck likes this movie and they watch it all the time.
After dinner everyone goes back to their separate corners of the house, but this time Buck and Eddie swap kid duties. Buck takes little Robbie to the back to get him fed while Eddie grabs coloring supplies for the girls because the next Valentine’s activity is heartfelt cards to whoever they want.
Eddie considers making a card for Buck, but quickly changes his mind because what good would that do him when he’s like 92% sure that Buck doesn’t like him like that.
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Step 3 -
Eddie Diaz would like everyone to know that his responses while he panics should never be held against him. Even if that means throwing his best friend, and love of his life, to the wolves. The wolves being two teenage boys, two little girls and a newborn.
Eddie Diaz is a brave man, but he’s not brave enough to handle the range of questions being thrown his way tonight.
The questions start off simple. The girls are making their cards, one for each parent, when Jee drops the first question.
“Uncle Eddie how come you aren’t making a card for Uncle Buck?” Again Eddie is a strong man, but nothing could’ve compared him for that.
“Well Jee, your uncle and I don’t need to make each other cards. We’re not each other’s valentines.” Eddie responds as he scratches the back of his neck.
He should’ve know that wasn’t the end, instead it was the start.
Mara is next up with her question, “well why aren’t you each other’s valentine? Mama Karen says that even if you love each other, you should still show them with actions”
“Well Karen I’m very smart and she’s right. You should still show love with actions and words.”
“So what actions have you taken with uncle Buck.” Man Mara is not letting up. She should go for a debate team or something.
“Well I show Buck that I love him in different ways. Just not on Valentine’s Day.” Eddie responds really hoping that’s the last question.
He forgot that Jee is in her why phase, “Why uncle Eddie.”
“Because our relationship isn’t like that.” “But why?” “Well because we’re just best friends.”
That’s stops the why from Jee, but it doesn’t stop Mara’s next question. “We my mamas are best friends with each other, and Uncle Chim and Aunt Maddie are best friends with each other. Why is it so different from you and uncle Buck?”
And cue the next why from Jee, “Yeahhhh why is it different?”
Again what Eddie does next he’s not proud of, but his cherry red face needs a break. He knows that Buck is giving Robbie a bath so he knows he can’t run away which is why he looks at both girls and damns Buck to a fate worse than baby bath time.
“You know your Uncle Buck can probably answer that better than I can.” And like a flash of lightning, both girls take off towards the bathroom.
No one is around to judge Eddie for what he does next…..Eddie makes his way, as quietly as possible, to the bathroom and just listens.
“Hi uncle Buck!”
“Hi Jee. Are you guys okay? What happened to cards with Eddie?”
“Well we had questions and Uncle Eddie didn’t seem to have a lot of answers.” Eddie knows that Mara is just being honestly but Jesus way to make him sound like a dummy.
“Well that can’t be right. Eddie always has answers when I need them” Buck responds with a laugh, and there goes Eddie’s heart again doing that stupid thing.
“Okay well did you make a card for Uncle Eddie?” Man Jee really comes out swinging every time.
“I-. Well no, but I didn’t need to because he’s not my valentine.”
“Well why isn’t he?” Again Jee with the why questions, but Eddie would also like to know that answer to this question.
“Well because we’re just best friends and you don’t have to make a valentine for your best friend.” Eddie takes a leak in the bathroom and catches the way Buck’s face flushes red. He also notices the smile on Mara’s face that tells him the next question is going to really be bad.
“Did you and Uncle Eddie fight?” Jee says at the same time that Mara drops her Karen wisdom. “Well mama Karen says you can love your best friend. Do you love Uncle Eddie?” And Eddie knows he shouldn’t be listening to this, but he can’t get his feet to move away from the bathroom.
“Of course I love Uncle Eddie, but I’m not sure it’s the same way your mom was talking about. And no Jee we didn’t fight. I promise.” Buck says and there’s something in his voice that Eddie can’t place.
“Well then did you guys break up?” And that’s the moment that Eddie decides it’s time to check on the boys. He’s not even sure who asked the question honestly. And as much as he wants to hear Buck’s response, Eddie realizes that his brain is processing the fact one of those sweet angels (the jury is still out on that classification) think he and Buck broke up.
Which means they think they were together in the first place, and that is a thought that Eddie can’t get out of his head as he walks down the hall to his son’s room.
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Step 4 -
Eddie walks down the hall in a daze.
“Did you guys break up?” Plays on a loop in his mind with the question getting louder with every step he takes.
They didn’t break up because in order to break up you have to be together, and as much as Eddie wants that, he’s not sure if Buck wants that.
As he approaches Chris’s door he gets a text and stops to look at it.
“Hey just checking in on you guys! How’s Robbie and Jee? And are Denny and Mara alright? We miss them, but thank you so much! I don’t know what we’d do without you! ❤️” Maddie always the sweetest.
Eddie shoots a quick text back, “Stop worrying! Everyone is good and they’ll be in one piece when you get here”, and goes to knock on the door, but stops short at what he hears.
“Dude come on! You can’t seriously be telling me that your dad and Buck aren’t together!” Denny says.
“I’m telling you they aren’t, but I mean I tell people they are.” Chris’s response is so nonchalant that it takes Eddie back.
Wait let’s revisit that…….Chris tells people that Buck and I are together? Huh not what I would’ve thought.
“I mean seriously though Buck is at everything. Like they’re literally babysitting together right now. They do everything together. Dude the way they look at each other. It’s fucking gross how madly in love they are.” Eddie should probably put a stop to this because Denny shouldn’t be cussing. He knows Hen would flip, but Eddie is a selfish man when it comes to Buck so he just stands there and keeps listening.
“My dad and Buck do this weird dance around each other. They have to be sick of it by now. Hell I’m sick of it, your parents are sick of it, Aunt Maddie told me she was sick of it, and I know the women of LA are really fucking sick of it.”
Again Eddie should really put a stop to this, but now his mind is flooding with questions. Does Buck see me that way? Does our kid actually see us like that and is okay with it? Is he blind? When the fuck did my kid start cussing? Should I have made Buck a card?
“Okay let me get my head together. Come on Diaz you got this.” Eddie says to himself before he raises his hand and knocks 3 times.
“Yeah” comes a response from the room.
“Hey I’m just checking on you guys. Are you okay? Need anything?”
“No dad” Chris says with an eye roll and Jesus where the fuck is all this sass from. “We’re good. Just playing the game and talking.”
“Okay well yeah if you need anything just let me or Buck know.”
“Actually dad we were talking and we want to watch a movie with all of us together. That okay with you?” Chris has a look in his eye, but when your teenage son who’s been allergic to quality time with his dad asks to watch a movie what else can Eddie say except
“Yeah Mijo! Of course we can.” And Eddie is floating back out the room and down the hall not even realizing that he just played right into their hands.
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Step 5 -
“Okay status reports people! It’s 8:30 which means your parents will be here in 2 hours and we need to finish the plan. Jee and Mara what happened with the questions.” Jee is paying no attention to Chris because he bought her a new stuffed dinosaur that stays at the Diaz house so she has something to play with, but Mara speaks up.
“Well they both tried to avoid our questions, but I really think they get them thinking. Uncle Eddie was making a card when we walked in here and uncle Buck kept asking how uncle Eddie answered our questions.”
“Chris why won’t they just say they love each other?” Jee looks at everyone with this wide Buckley eyes and Chris hates that he can’t really answer her.
“I don’t know Jee, but if our plan works hopefully they will.” Chris says and he really hopes that’s the truth because he wasn’t lying when he told Denny that he’s tired of them terrorizing him and the women of LA.
“Well Denny and I dropped some hints and I think my dad heard it because he was in the hall outside my door for like 2 minutes before he knocked.” Denny nodded in agreement because yeah they heard him coming and saw his shadow under the door before he actually knocked.
“Okay here’s the next step, it’s movie time! We’re gonna put on ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ because they need to see friends turning into something more. We’ll dim the lights and then 20 minutes in Mara will yawn which means you’ll yawn Jee” all the kids looked at Jee to make sure she got it and when she nodded her head Chris kept going. “Denny and I will agree that it’s getting late and that we’ll help you guys and Robbie get to bed. That’ll just leave them by themselves and hopefully everything we did leading up to that moment will give them the final nudge they need. Everyone got the plan?”
A chorus of yes’s went around and that was when they knew to get step 5 into action.
The kids walk out of Chris’s room and make their way to the living room. Buck is in the kitchen making his hot chocolate that they all love and Eddie is on the couch cooing little noises at Robbie. Everyone finds a spot in the room and Buck brings out the hot chocolate passing everyone a mug. “Alright guys what are we watching? It should be on theme because you know Valentine’s Day and all that.” Buck says as he drops down next to Eddie.
Chris is the first one to speak up, “well we’ve decided that we’re watching ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’. It’s perfect for you guys.”
Now Buck is wondering what the hell that can possibly mean, but as long as they don’t have to spend forever finding a movie he’s good with it. “Okay yeah that’s fine. Everyone get comfy and I’ll find the movie.”
Chris dims the lights and Eddie looks at him with a weird look. “What dad! I’m just setting the mood.” Again Buck thinks that’s a weird response, but it clearly been a weird day. No need to think too hard into it.
The movies starts and Eddie is so into it, it’s one of his favorites but he’ll deny it if anyone asks, but Buck is noticing the fact that Chris, Denny and Mara keep looking at each other like their communicating with each other. Chris has a particular look in his eyes that startles Buck, but he can’t figure out why that look startled him.
And that’s when it starts.
Mara lets out a yawn, and then nothing happens. A few more seconds go by when she does it again. Buck is just trying to figure out what is happening because it seems like she’s waiting for something.
Buck gets his answer when Mara nudges Jee and lets out a yawn again. Whatever is happening was waiting on Jee so when she let out a yawn of her own it’s like a new form of life was breathed into the room.
Before Buck can ask what’s going on a soft question comes from Mara, “Jee are you sleepy?” And Jee who normally dreads bedtime, especially when friends are around gives off a very quiet “yeah.”
From there Buck watched as these kids moved faster than he’s ever seen before.
“Come on Jee. Let’s get you in your jammies and if you want you can lay down in my bed.” Chris says, and yeah Buck might be paranoid but that let him know something was up because Chris also loves this movie and would fall asleep on the floor before missing it.
“Come on Mara, you too. I saw you yawn before Jee did. I packed some pjs for you just in case.” Denny is such a good big brother, but that doesn’t make Buck any less suspicious.
The thing that finally pulls Eddie from his movie trance is when Denny grabs Robbie with a quick “Come on guy, you look like you could use some sleep too.”
“Wait! Where’s everyone going? The movie’s just getting good!” Eddie finally chimes in.
“Well I guess the kids are tired. There seems to be a bunch of yawning and a mutual desire for bed. You know like kids always seem to have.” Buck provides a response and he wonders if anyone can hear his heart pounding because he definitely can.
“Well uh yeah, we’re heading to bed now. Denny and I will make sure everyone is cleaned and tucked in. You guys just stay out here and enjoy the rest of the movie. I know how happy this movie makes you dad, and I know how happy you get seeing my dad happy Buck.” Buck sees the glint in Chris’s eyes again and he finally knows why it startled him so much in the first place.
Chris has the Maddie Buckley-Han meddler sparkle in his eye. Has that always been there or is that something he learned from Maddie? Buck wasn’t really sure, but he’s never loved that kid more.
On his way out, Chris dims the lights and just shrugs with a simple, “You always have to make sure the mood is right.” And Buck is just sitting there wondering what the fuck just happened and why did he just notice that the left side of his body tingles with butterflies in the places the Eddie is pressed against.
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Step 6 -
“So um Eddie, I- I’m just wondering if you noticed anything going on with the kids. They’ve uh been a little strange today.” Buck scratches his neck as he asks because if he doesn’t look at Eddie then there’s no way Eddie will notice the look on his face.
“You’re right! They did act weird, but Mara and Jee actually convinced me to do something and I think I want to show it to you.” Buck knows that he wasn’t looking at Eddie as he spoke, but the fact that Eddie isn’t looking at him kind of makes his skin tingle in a way that he doesn’t like.
Eddie gets up and goes over to the front table to pick up something before coming back and sits closer to Buck than he was before.
Buck isn’t sure if he’s imagining it, but he swears that it’s a card in Eddie’s hand and something warm and fuzzy grows inside of Buck like never before.
“I know you had a good day because I know that you always have a good day when you’re watching all the kids, but I also know that you could’ve been anywhere else so I just wanted to make you something special. It’s not a lot and it’s really not good, but I want you to know that you’re being thought of.” Buck’s been watching Eddie as he talked and he’s heard what he said, but Buck can’t seem to look away from the blush on Eddie’s cheeks that started off as a faint pink then turned into a cute cherry red color.
Buck takes the card and it’s so ugly that it’s cute. There’s so much glitter and Eddie has never had the best handwriting, but it’s personal so Buck will always love and treasure this card.
The front on the card is simple, “To all the valentines I’ve had before, you’ll never be able to compete with the man reading this card.” Buck feels like his heart stops, but when he looks up and meets Eddie’s eyes his heart starts to beat all over again.
“Oh Eddie this is great! I love it. Okay let me read the inside.” And Buck opens up the card only to have his heart stop all over again.
“I’ve always known I’ve loved you, but it took 7 years for me to realize that you could love me back. You’re my best friend which means loving you is easy, but it took me a long time to realize that I could love you in other ways.
P.S. - The kids in our family scheming definitely made me realize that we should get our heads out of our asses.”
Buck has tears by the end, and he’s never been happier.
“Eddie, are you sure? I want this, but I want to make sure you want it too because you’re the last person I want.” Buck is holding onto the card like it’s his lifeline.
“Buck yes! Of course I want this. I was too scared to ask you out for Valentine’s Day so I told everyone we could babysit. You have options, but I want to be the person you pick so I get it if this is all too much.”
“Are you dumb?” Buck stares at Eddie with a small smile on his face. “Did you not just hear me when I said I wanted this. Yes I want this and I don’t care that you have us babysitting instead of on a date because it finally gave us the chance to say how we really feel.”
Eddie reaches over and rubs a hand across Buck’s cheek and Buck just smiles before another thought pops into his head, “Did you know that Chris has the Buckley meddling glint. Like full on to perfection. Even I don’t do it that well.”
“Well yeah I’m sure he learned from Maddie. They hang out like every other week, and I think it just started as an excuse to meddle in our lives before they actually started bonding.” And well Buck didn’t know that. That’s strange because he knows everything about Maddie and he knows everything about Chris.
Well at least Buck thought he knew them both………..
“Can whatever crisis you’re having over there wait for a second please? I really want to kiss you, but I won’t be able to enjoy it if you’re distracted. Okay that’s a lie, I’ll probably enjoy it, but Buck I really want our first kiss to be normal.” And you know who is Buck to deny the love of his life something that he asked for.
Buck isn’t sure who moved first or who moved more, but one second he and Eddie are sitting next to each other and the next Buck is experiencing the most intense kiss of his life. The kiss was simply the best that he’s ever had and at this moment he knows he’ll never be able to kiss anyone else ever again.
Evan Buckley is completely and unyieldingly in love with Edmundo Diaz, and no matter before this matters because it all lead to this time and place for them.
Buck and Eddie pull apart and press their foreheads together as they work to level out their breathing.
“So uh don’t be mad, but I didn’t get you anything for Valentine’s Day.” Buck says with a laugh. “Geez Buck already starting off on the wrong foot. No wonder none of your other relationships worked out.” Eddie responds with a laugh of his own.
“Oh fuck off!” Buck says with a laugh as he pushes Eddie. “Just kiss me again you dick. We still have 20 minutes before they come pick up the kids”, Buck says to Eddie hoping that he does what he wants.
And who is Eddie to ever deny Buck anything so he leans in for another kiss.
“Ehhhhh look the plan worked! Uncle Buck and Uncle Eddie didn’t break up! They love each other!” Both heads turn to the hall to see Chris, Denny, Mara and Jee all standing together with wide smiles on their faces.
Now as the adults they know they should ask about this plan Jee just mentioned, but neither of them actually cares enough right now to say anything other than “Come guys and let’s finish the movie. Your parents will be home soon.” Everyone finds a spot and just as Eddie goes to play the movie he adds on “And Chris just know we’ll talk about this in the morning as a family.”
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Chris created a 6 step plan and yeah he’s a good planner, but he didn’t that that all of the steps to the plan would be done with such perfect execution. The Wilsons and Hans show up just after 10:30pm all smiles and joy, and the only thing that Chris can think of as he says goodbye to Denny, Mara, Jee and little Robbie is that next year his dad and Buck will have that much joy coming from dinner too.