Work Text:
“Don’t move out.”
Eddie was standing in the lobby of the apartment building, the one with the apartment that had more character, whatever that meant. Fancy arches didn’t replace family.
Buck looked up from the apartment brochure he was flipping through, a flicker of confusion spreading across his face. “Eddie? What are you doing here?”
Eddie sighed and rubbed his eyes, almost wincing as he forced himself to meet Buck’s eyes again. “You heard me.”
“But…I thought—you,” Buck gestured aimlessly with the hand not holding paper that had the power to chart their future, “you’re moving back in with Chris.”
“I am.” Eddie nodded, crossing his arms. “That doesn’t mean you have to move out.”
“Yeah, but how would that go?” Buck couldn’t believe the man had tracked his phone, chased him down to this apartment, and now stood in front of him telling him not to leave.
Eddie sighed. “Look, Chris has missed you. He wants to spend more time with you.”
“So this is for Chris.”
“And for me,” Eddie conceded. Then, a little softer, “We both have missed you.”
Buck tapped the paper on his jeans. “And where do we sleep? What’s the protocol for bringing someone home? Put a sock on the front door?”
Something indiscernible flashed across Eddie’s eyes, something neither of them could name.
“Look, Buck,” Eddie started, “Texas wasn’t just for Chris, I figured some things out too, for myself.” Like, I’m in love with you.
It hadn’t been an “Oh” moment, well, it had, when he could finally name it. But lying on his bed in Texas, the stupid creaky house threatening all of the collapsing building nightmares to resurface, he had come to question what that feeling was that burrowed deep in his stomach. It clenched his heart and felt like something was sitting on his chest. At first, he thought it had been another series of panic attacks, like when he had been dating Ana. In hindsight, it probably was, but not for the reasons Eddie thought. It wasn’t an oh shit moment, it was “why do I feel so lonely” with the answer of “Buck isn’t here”.
It was tangible emptiness. There was a Buck-shaped hole in Eddie’s heart, and it wasn’t until their series of facetime calls that the mosaic pieces began slotting back into place. The only thing that held them together was Buck himself. One piece was cooking (Buck was trying a new strawberry cheesecake recipe), another was the random series of fun facts Buck loved to tell him (something about the derivative of the word “awful”), a third was taking Chris to the zoo (but with all three of them), and it didn’t take long before Eddie realized that the person he needed to feel whole was Buck.
Buck, who was 809.3 miles away from him.
But now he was back. And he didn’t want Buck even 0.8093 miles from him. He wanted him right next to him. Maybe only partly to try and persuade Buck to keep making lasagna.
“Like what?”
Buck’s voice brought Eddie back to the present, the momentary movie-reel of their memories that flashed through his mind dissipating instantly.
“Well,” Eddie cleared his throat, “that I really like having you around.”
Buck let out what was reminiscent of a scoff. “Oh good, I’m glad.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Buckley?”
Both men turned to see the listing agent holding a clipboard full of papers.
Eddie smiled to himself, knowing that Buck loved clipboards.
“I have the papers for the apartment, if you’re ready to sign.” She smiled at them both.
Buck reached for them, but Eddie grabbed them out of her hands. “Sorry,” he said with a small smile, “I don’t know that Buck’s made up his mind yet. Can he have 48 hours to think about it? Great.”
Eddie didn’t wait for her to respond as he grabbed Buck’s wrist and all but hauled him out the front door of the lobby, Buck protesting behind him.
“Eddie,” he whined, “I really liked that one.”
“No,” Eddie said sternly, “you’ve already got a home.”
Eddie had conveniently parked right next to Buck, close enough that Buck could have teased him about his parking skills, but he didn’t.
“Sure, and what happens when you guys get tired of me, and want me to leave?” Buck’s eyes flashed, but there was something else behind them. Sadness? Guilt?
Eddie vehemently shook his head. “Come on man, you know we’re not going to get tired of you.”
“Everyone always does.”
Eddie’s finger flew up, and all at once, Buck saw Eddie in their kitchen again. But this time, neither of them were nipping at each other’s ankles.
Their kitchen.
“We are family,” Eddie said firmly. “You do not get to walk out on us any more than we get to walk out on you.” He had already anticipated Buck’s next sentence. “We came back.”
Buck’s face was unreadable, his face holding some sort of mixture between despair and relief. Eddie just stood there, staring at him.
“At least come back and talk about this.” Eddie’s eyes softened. “Please.”
Buck nodded, not trusting his words. “Yeah, okay.”
Eddie smirked. “See you at my place.” It came off sounding more loaded than he meant it, but Eddie didn’t look back as he got in his car. He didn’t need to to know that Buck was right behind him.
***
They pulled into their designated spots in front of their house. Sorry—they pulled into their designated spots in front of their house.
Because they parked in the same places they had for years. Followed each other up the same stairs to the front door that they had for years. Revolving tenants but route memory.
The house was silent when Eddie opened the door. “Chris is at a friend’s,” he explained. Buck nodded his head in reply.
Eddie turned around and threw his keys back into the ring holder and sighed. “Can we talk about this now, please?”
“What is there to talk about?” Buck’s hands had found their way into his pockets.
“We need to talk about you wanting to walk out on us!” Eddie’s voice rose slightly, desperation leaking in. “You, Chris, and me. We’re a family. You are supposed to come home after shift—and, and bake lasagna, and maybe carrot cake.”
Buck looked slightly startled, but he didn’t interrupt.
“We are supposed to tease each other getting ready for karaoke night, and find—” Eddie blew out a breath, “find those documentaries you love because I love hearing you add your own knowledge about them.”
Buck still didn’t say anything, but a tinge of red danced onto his face.
We’re a family. Because they were. Eddie followed his son to Texas, but Buck stayed home to make sure their son had a place to come home to. Buck knew long before Eddie had left for Texas that his soul was warmer around Eddie. You wanna go for the title? Didn’t even begin to cover it. Buck (with Hen and Karen) had come to realize he didn’t just want the title, he wanted the ready-made family that was supposed to be waiting for him at home every night. That he could bake cupcakes for (Chris had a school bake sale), or a birthday cake for Eddie (he would even put extra frosting to see it catch on his mouth so he could kiss it off), or cook some dog-safe treats for when they expanded their—their—family.
“Why do you care so much about me staying?” Buck’s voice was barely above a whisper. “We’ve never lived together before but we've still done all those things.”
Eddie’s eyes met his, and both of them could have sworn the world suspended for a second. That the universe was slowing, just to give them an extra second with each other.
“Because, Evan.” His thumb came up to rest on Buck’s pulse point, and Buck’s breath hitched in his throat. “Because, Evan, you are my home.”
Buck swallowed thickly. “What are you saying?”
Eddie rolled his eyes, his hand never leaving Buck’s shoulder. “You’re an idiot, aren’t you.”
A small smile broke out across Buck’s face, Eddie unable to contain the love hidden in his eyes.
It wasn’t a question, but rather, a unique way of saying, “I love you.”
“Tell me more about the things you figured out for yourself.”
They had somehow moved even closer together, the words Buck had just said dancing off lips, Eddie’s close enough to inhale them.
Eddie’s voice was soft. “Can I just show you instead?”
Buck’s cheeks flushed, his birthmark becoming even more pink. He couldn’t get the words to form, didn’t know what was happening, didn’t know how to process that Eddie Diaz was about to—
And then Eddie’s lips crashed into Buck’s, his right hand staying steady feeling Buck’s heartbeat while his left one slid up to tangle in Buck’s curly hair.
Buck didn’t hesitate, letting out a small whimper as he pulled himself closer to Eddie, if that was even possible.
Neither wanted to break apart first, learning new parts of each other they never knew—and they knew almost everything—but Eddie realized that he could do this forever. That he wanted to do this forever. He wanted to come home, hold Buck, make out like teenagers. For the rest of his life. This was the missing piece to the Buck-shaped hole.
When they finally broke apart, gasping for breath, Buck sighed with hidden smile. “Guess you learned a little bit about yourself in Texas, huh, cowboy.”
Eddie’s face flushed. “Yeah, I guess I was always missing you.”
Buck moved back towards Eddie, who easily stepped into Buck’s space. “This was a good welcome home.”
Eddie’s eyes immediately captured Buck’s and his breath caught in his throat. “You’re here? You’re home?”
Buck didn’t know how he would ever leave Eddie’s side again. Whatever puzzle pieces felt out of place had just fallen into the correct frame. Any lingering doubts he had, Eddie had just kissed away. He smiled. “Yeah, I’m home.”
“Come here.” It was gently spoken, not demanding, but the intensity with which Buck kissed him back with felt like fire. Caustic, both of them drowning in a blaze of simplistic familiarity.
It wasn’t until Buck’s phone began rapidly buzzing that they broke away for the second time, Eddie’s arms coming to wrap snugly around Buck’s waist. Buck’s smile changed, his swollen lips (which, Eddie would be proud to admit he was the cause of) curving into a different kind of smile, one that was reserved for pure, unbridled joy. The kind of smile Eddie always loved to see.
“It’s Maddie!” Buck announced. “She’s in labor!”
“Tell them we’re on our way. Does she need anything?” Eddie’s voice grew fainter as he ran into their bedroom, emerging only seconds later with two sweatshirts—both Buck’s.
“Nah,” Buck shook his head. “Just us.”
Then the two of them raced out the front door, knowing that in just a few hours, all three of them would be back under that same roof.
Because they were home. To stay.