Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The shifts been very slow or should I say

                    Q-U-I-E-T.

the kind that only really exists in between back to back chaos.

The sun is drifting in through the high windows casting that familiar golden light across the floor.

Chim is by the coffee machine again having what looks like his daily argument with it. Hen’s on the couch with her legs kicked up and nose deep in a book about trauma informed care that she swears is “just for light reading”

Bobby’s in his office and who knows what Ravi’s doing.

Buck is sitting at the kitchen table with a beat up sudoku book he found somewhere in the back of a drawer while being bent over it with a mechanical pencil in hand and a little furrow in his brow that deepens every time he has to erase something.

Eddie’s sitting on the far end of the room with his clipboard in his lap.

He's supposed to be reviewing their training schedule for next week.

That’s what he told Hen earlier when she asked what he was working on.

But the truth is… he hasn’t turned a single page in twenty minutes.

Instead he’s watching Buck.

Not in a creepy way he tells himself.

It’s not like he’s staring.

He’s just… noticing.

Observing.

Like always.

Right now Buck’s muttering something under his breath as he erases a number while smudging his own page and accidentally marking his cheek with pencil dust when he scratches at it.

Eddie watches him tilt his head in deep concentration with that stubborn little wrinkle forming between his brows.

Then Buck lets out this bright and triumphant laugh when he finishes the puzzle.

It's a sound that shoots straight through Eddie’s chest.

“Ha! Got it!”

Buck says to no one in particular grinning like he just solved cold fusion instead of a level three sudoku.

Eddie swallows.

Something inside him stumbles.

Trips.

And then completely derails.

He shifts in his seat and looks down at the clipboard in his hands.

The training schedule blurs in front of him. Buck’s laugh still echoes in his ears.

God he’s in deep.

When did this even start?

When did Buck become more than Buck?

Because he’s always been Buck loud, impossible, golden-hearted and maddening.

A walking contradiction with reckless loyalty and the kind of laugh that makes Eddie forget about gravity for a second.

But lately…

Lately it’s felt different.

It’s the way Buck looks at him during calls.

The way he reaches out to steady Eddie without thinking.

It’s the way Buck listens when Eddie talks really listens like every word matters.

Like he matters.

It’s the way Buck’s voice softens when he says

“Hey you okay?"

The way he never pushes but always stays close.

The way he makes Eddie feel safe and seen

and also like he’s standing on the edge of something terrifying and beautiful and new.

Eddie stares down at the paper with his heart pounding and the heat rising in his chest.

He can’t tell anyone this.

He can’t say it.
Not even to himself well not completely.

Because what would that mean?

What would it mean to want Buck like that? To love Buck like that?

He can’t be in love with his best friend.

He can’t.

That’s not part of the plan.

He’s a dad

….Catholic maybe?

He’s spent years building walls around the things he’s not supposed to want.

But Buck…

Buck makes him want everything.

Even the things that scare him.

Eddie squeezes his eyes shut for a second. Tries to breathe.

Tries to not think about Buck’s smile.

Or his stupid curly hair.

Or the way he talks to Christopher like he’s the most important person in the world.

Like he’s family.

And maybe that’s what really breaks him.

Because Buck is family.

He always has been.

But what if… what if he wants more?

“Hey”

Buck’s voice cuts through the haze and Eddie literally jumps like he’s been caught stealing.

He looks up and there Buck is suddenly standing in front of him with his hip cocked, pencil tucked behind his ear, eyes wide and blue concerned.

“You good?”

Buck asks with his tone light but warm.

“You’ve been staring at that clipboard like it insulted you”

Eddie opens his mouth.

Closes it.

Forgets how to speak for a second.

Buck’s smiling now.

Not the big and showy grin.

It’s softer.

Something close.

Something that makes Eddie feel like he’s floating and falling all at once.

“I’m fine”

Eddie says sigh his voice a little too quiet.

Buck raises an eyebrow.

“Sure about that?”

Eddie shrugs, trying to steady himself.

“Just… thinking”

“Dangerous”

Buck teases but it’s gentle.

There’s a beat of silence between them.

And Eddie almost says something.

Almost tells him.

Almost blurts out everything he’s been holding in.

But instead he just offers a crooked smile.

“Nothing important”

Buck tilts his head like he knows that’s a lie but doesn’t push.

That’s the thing about Buck.

He never forces you to say it out loud.

He just waits always close and always ready.

“Alright”

Buck says finally.

“Well, let me know if that clipboard starts throwing hands I’ll back you up”

he turns and walks back toward the kitchen while humming under his breath.

Eddie stares after him with his heart still hammering in his chest.

His hands are shaking.

He’s never been more terrified.

Or more certain.

He presses a hand to his chest and closes his eyes while exhaling.

“…I’m so screwed”

Buck is now cleaning off a tool cart by the rig.

He’s using way too much Windex and there’s foam building up everywhere.

But he’s smiling.

Happy.

Completely unaware that he’s been the cause of Eddies internal spiral for the last twenty five minutes or maybe even longer.

At this point Eddies lost the amount of times this has happened.

Eddie gets up from and seat and is drill watching Buck.

Eddie’s standing near the turnout lockers now with his arms folded pretending he’s focused on re folding a towel.

He’s not.

He’s watching Buck.

Again.

Hen appears like a damn specter slow and deliberate with a half-eaten granola bar in one hand and the smuggest expression known to man already forming.

She leans next to him casually.

“You know”

she starts with her voice deceptively mild.

“I’ve seen that look before”

Eddie startles and nearly drops the towel.

“What look?”

Hen just grins.

“The one you’re wearing like a flashing neon sign. The one that says ‘I’m a man in love and I’m in somuch denial about it that I’m about to fold that towel into confetti’”

Eddie glances down.

Sure enough the towel is a wrinkled mess in his hands.

“I’m not—”

he starts then stops.

“It’s not like that”

Hen tilts her head while taking a bite of the bar.

“Mmm. Sure. That’s why you’ve been staring at Buck for thirty solid minutes like he just invented fire”

“I wasn’t—”

Eddie lowers his voice while glancing toward Buck who’s now inexplicably using a toothbrush to scrub a metal bracket.

“Hen come on”

“I am coming on”

she says cheerfully.

“I’m coming on to the scene of a slow burn romance so slow it’s practically geological”

Eddie groans and leans back against the lockers.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing”

Hen softens.

The teasing stays in her eyes but she nudges his arm gently with her elbow.

“You’re falling in love Diaz”

she says quietly now.

“And you’re scared”

Eddie doesn’t say anything.

He can’t.

His throat is tight and there’s a lump building behind his ribs.

Hen keeps her voice gentle.

“You don’t have to say it out loud yet. But you should admit it to yourself”

Eddie stares at the floor.

Then at Buck again.

Buck is humming loudly.

There’s Windex in his hair.

God, he’s so—

“Yeah”

Eddie whispers before he can stop himself.

“I think I already did”

Hen’s smirk returns in full force.

“Took you long enough”

Eddie closes his eyes.

“Please don’t tell anyone”

“Eddie”

Hen says while raising a brow,

“you do realize everyone already knows, right?”

Eddie blinks.

“What?”

Hen shrugs.

“Well, except Buck. But that’s just because he thinks the world of you and would rather implode than assume you want him like that”

Eddie’s breath catches.

That’s… too much.

Too honest.

Too true.

“I can’t—”

he starts while shaking his head.

“It’s not that simple”

Hen nods with more of an understanding now.

“Of course it’s not. But it’s real. And it’s yours. And whether you decide to do something about it or not—”

she pauses while glancing toward Buck.

“-I think he’d choose you in a heartbeat”

Buck turns at that exact moment and flashes them both a bright and blinding smile while lifting a dripping rag like he’s just won a gold medal in over cleaning.

“Hey, Hen! Do we have more of that scrubby stuff? The one that smells like eucalyptus?”

Hen gives Eddie one last look the look before calling back

“Bottom shelf, next to the backup trauma kits”

“Thanks!”

Buck grins then goes back to humming and scrubbing the cart like it personally wronged him.

Eddie lets out a long and slow breath with the towel forgotten in his hands.

Hen’s voice is quieter now but no less certain.

“You don’t have to rush it”

she says resting a hand briefly on his shoulder.

“Just don’t run from it either”

She walks off toward the kitchen leaving Eddie alone again.

Only… he doesn’t feel alone.

Not really.

He looks over at Buck so loud,so messy, so entirely himself and Eddie feels something in his chest settle.

Ache.

Bloom.

He’s so far gone.

Buck is now on his third round of cleaning the same damn metal cart.

The thing already gleams he knows it does but he needs something to do with his hands.

Something not involving staring across the room at Eddie like a complete idiot.

Too late.

He glances up and yep.

There Eddie is.

Across the garage standing near the lockers while talking with Hen with his arms folded like he owns the place and his face tilted just enough toward Buck that it’s not subtle anymore.

And when their eyes meet just for a second.

Eddie’s eyes go wide like he wasn’t supposed to get caught.

Buck’s heart lurches.

Eddie looks away fast suddenly hyper focused on… a stack of towels?

Buck blinks.

His stomach flips.

Okay what the hell is that?

Eddie had been staring.

Not like casually.

Not like “hey bro pass the wrench.”

No.

That had been soft.

Lingering.

Almost vulnerable.

And the worst part?

Buck’s face is burning now.

He spins back to the cart scrubbing aimlessly at a spot that’s not even there trying not to have a bisexual crisis over his best friend who’s in love with and who may or may not also be in love with Buck back.

His pulse is in his ears.

He can still feel the weight of Eddie’s gaze like a palm on his skin.

God.

He’s so screwed.

He leans forward and rests his forehead on the cool metal for a second closing his eyes. As if that’ll help.

As if that’ll slow down the way his heart is absolutely thundering.

This isn’t new.

Not really.

He’s been in trouble for years now.

It’s in the way Eddie laughs when Buck says something stupid.

In the way Eddie always shows up next to him without being asked.

In the way Buck sleeps better when Eddie’s around or in Eddies bed and worse when he’s not.

It’s in how he can’t stop thinking about how Eddie looked on the Fourth of July in that gray t-shirt and holding a sparkler and smiling at Chris.

How Eddie leans in just a little too close when they’re sharing a story.

How Buck’s first instinct when anything good or bad happens is to tell him.

It’s in the way Eddie says his name.

It’s in the way Buck never quite gets over it.

He stands upright again with his cheeks still warm and dares to look back across the garage.

Eddie’s gone.

Buck frowns.

Where—?

Then he hears it footsteps retreating quickly up the stairs.

Eddie.

Escaping like the building's on fire.

Buck exhales slow and shaky.

His chest hurts.

Because if Eddie was staring at him like that it means something.

And if he ran?

It means more.

Buck doesn’t know what to do with that.

He brushes a hand through his hair with a still feeling and the echo of Eddie’s eyes on him  for a second just a second he lets himself imagine it

If Eddie did feel the same.

If this thing between them wasn’t one sided. If it could be something more.

Real.

Soft.

He shakes the thought off fast because wanting that… wanting Eddie like that…

it’s dangerous.

It’s heartbreak waiting to happen.

But he finds himself smiling.

Just a little.

Because Eddie looked at him like he was made of light.

Buck’s fallen in deep and he doesn’t know if that’s good or bad.

The tones drop suddenly overhead about a vehicle rollover on the freeway and multiple injured.

Within seconds the station kicks into motion.

Hen tosses her granola bar into the trash, Chim grabs his gear mid-sprint and Bobby’s voice echoes sharp and clear as they pile into the rig.

Buck and Eddie slide into their usual spots with muscle memory taking over with radios clipped, gloves secured and everything practiced.

Smooth.

Buck’s still reeling.

And Eddie hasn’t looked at him.

Not really.

The city flies past the windows in a blur of gold and red.

The sun’s dipping lower casting long shadows across Buck’s knees where he sits with his helmet balanced in his lap.

Across from him Eddie’s staring out the opposite window with his jaw tight and leg bouncing just a little.

It's subtle.

Most people wouldn’t notice.

But Buck does.

He always notices.

The rig rumbles beneath them as they take a turn.

Hen’s voice is low up front exchanging dispatch details with Bobby.

Chim’s checking gear in the seat next to them.

… Buck’s tuned in to the space between him and Eddie.

To the silence.

Not uncomfortable.

Not really.

Just thick .

Like there’s something humming between them neither of them wants to touch.

Buck clears his throat.

“You’re quiet”

Eddie glances at him surprised

Like he hadn’t realized he’d been silent at all.

“Just thinking”

He says softly again like he didn’t use the excuse already.

Buck nods bur doesn’t press.

They sit with that for a moment with the sirens wailing faintly outside and the city stretching out in flashes of light and shadow.

Then Eddie speaks again with his voice low.

“Ever think about… what we’ll be like in ten years?”

Buck turns his head blinking.

“What like… career wise?”

Eddie shrugs not looking at him now.

His gaze is fixed on the road ahead through the windshield.

“Life, maybe”

It’s a strange question.

Or maybe not strange just unexpected .

But Buck hears the weight in it.

The vulnerability.

He gives a soft laugh but it’s not mocking. It’s gentle.

“Is this because you finally admitted you’re turning thirty eight next month?”

Eddie rolls his eyes but the tension in his shoulders eases just a little.

“Thirty-seven you jackass”

“I was rounding up”

Buck says teasing just enough to draw a smile out of him.

And it works.

Eddie looks at him again.

And Buck swears for just a second the rest of the rig goes quiet.

Just them.

Just this .

Buck leans forward slightly with his voice softer now.

“I think about it sometimes”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah”

Buck says.

“Like… where we’ll live. What kind of calls we’ll be running. Whether you’ll finally get over your hatred of karaoke”

Eddie chuckles while shaking his head.

“Not happening”

Buck shrugs.

“You’ve got time to evolve”

Another pause.

Then Eddie asks now quieter this time.

“Think we’ll still be doing this?”

Buck tilts his head.

“What—firefighting?”

“No”

Eddie says.

“This”

Buck’s heart trips.

He doesn’t ask what this means.

He doesn’t need to.

Because he knows.

Riding side by side.

Taking care of each other.

The constant presence.

The closeness that neither of them names but never lets go of.

Buck swallows.

His voice comes out softer than he expects.

“I hope so”

Eddie doesn’t respond right away.

But he’s looking at Buck again.

And there’s something in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

Something tentative.

Raw.

Then the radio crackles overhead with Maddie’s voice.

“118, be advised two vehicles, possible entrapment. One critical, CPR in progress”

Bobby’s voice is sharp from the cab.

“Copy dispatch”

“Get ready. We’ll need triage and extraction!”

They’re moving again

fast and focused.

But as Buck clips on his helmet and checks his gloves, he feels it.

Eddie’s hand brushing against his knee in the tight space between them.

Not quite a touch.

Not quite nothing .

A heartbeat.

A promise.

A question not yet asked.

Buck holds his breath.

Because for all their teasing and banter all the unsaid things and long stares they’re circling something that feels dangerously close to real .

And he’s terrified of it.

The rig screeches to a halt as the headlights flash red and blue.

Traffic’s backed up for miles with mangled cars sit ting near the guardrail one flipped on its roof and the other crushed like a soda can against the divider.

Smoke curls into the air.

Someone’s screaming.

It’s chaos.

Bobby’s voice is sharp over the roar of engines and panic.

“Hen, Chim — second vehicle! Possible spinal trauma! Eddie, Buck — we’ve got CPR in progress on the driver of the overturned car! Go!”

Buck and Eddie are running before the sentence is finished cutting through broken glass and twisted metal their gear bags slapping against their sides.

A woman in her mid 30s is on the ground beside the flipped car with chest compressions already in progress from a bystander who’s drenched in blood and shaking.

“Move, we’ve got it!”

Eddie says while dropping to his knees.

Buck takes over airway.

Eddie starts compressions.

The rhythm is brutal, fast and urgent.

“No pulse”

Buck says with his voice tight.

“I’m not letting her go!”

Eddie growls.

“Not on this road”

Bobby’s voice cuts in on the radio.

“Vehicle’s unstable  Buck, Eddie get ready to move tow rig is en route but that car’s sliding”

Buck glances up.

The flipped car is creaking with metal groaning as gravity and angle fight over its final position.

One wheel shifts slightly and dust showers down.

They don’t have much time.

Buck meets Eddie’s eyes.

They don’t need words.

They never need words.

Eddie is still refusing to stop doing compressions

“Still no pulse”

Buck mutters with sweat running down the back of his neck.

“I’m not stopping”

“Eddie—”

“ I’m not stopping ”

And Buck gets it.

He really does.

Eddie’s voice is tight, desperate familiar.

Too familiar.

Because this isn’t just about the woman.

This is about every call they couldn’t fix. Every person they couldn’t save.

Every time one of them almost didn’t make it home .

The car groans again even louder now

Then it shifts hard.

Everything happens fast .

The rear axle gives.

The car slides just inches but enough.

Buck throws himself over Eddie instinctively tackling him backward into the asphalt as the flipped car drops a few more inches and lands exactly where Eddie had been kneeling seconds ago.

The woman’s body is still partially underneath.

They’ve lost her.

But they haven’t lost each other .

“ Jesus ”

Buck gasps with his chest pressed to Eddie’s back and heart pounding like a war drum.

“Are you okay?”

Eddie breathes hard with his eyes wide staring at the ground like it might vanish beneath him.

“Yeah”

he whispers.

Then again louder.

“Yeah. I’m fine”

Buck rolls off him and sits up still dazed.

Eddie turns with their knees knocking together.

For a second they just look at each other covered in soot, sweat and blood that isn’t theirs with sirens blaring in the distance.

“Thanks”

Eddie says with his voice rough.

“I wasn’t gonna let that thing crush you”

Eddie gives a small and stunned laugh.

“I didn’t even see it move”

Buck’s still breathing hard with his voice is barely there.

“I did”

He always sees Eddie.

Always has.

Before Eddie can even respond Hen shouts across the lot

“We need assist with the second vehicle now!”

They scramble to their feet.

Back to work.

Back into the storm that they just escaped barley.

But Buck’s hand brushes Eddie’s arm as they run and neither of them pulls away.

The adrenaline is gone.

What’s left is bone deep exhaustion, sweat-soaked uniforms and the kind of quiet that buzzes in the aftermath.

Eddie’s sitting across from Buck again.

But now he’s watching him openly.

Still rattled.

Still thinking about what almost happened.

Buck catches the stare this time.

Holds it.

“Don’t look at me like that”

Buck says softly and worn.

Eddie’s voice is barely above a whisper.

“Like what?”

“Like I scared you”

“You did”

Buck swallows.

His voice is barely holding steady.

“I had to pull you out of the way”

“I know”

Eddie leans forward slightly with his elbows on his knees.

His tone shifts lower and heavier.

“That’s the part that scares me”

Buck blinks.

“Why?”

Eddie hesitates.

He wants to say it.

Buck sees it.

The weight behind his silence.

The unsaid ache.

But the rig jolts slightly as it moves down the street and the moment passes.

Eddie just leans back with his breath hitching and says.

“Let’s just… not scare each other like that again”

Buck nods but his heart’s a mess.

He knows.

He knows that Eddie almost said something real.

And he doesn’t push.

Not yet.

The rig rolls back into the bay with the headlights cutting across the floor before dimming into silence.

Everyone moves slower now.

Exhausted.

Quiet.

Hen and Chim head toward the lockers muttering about split shifts and pulled shoulders.

Bobby disappears up the stairs after giving them all a pat on the back and a

“get cleaned up”

Buck and Eddie hang back lingering by the rear compartment of the truck.

The air still smells faintly like smoke and diesel.

Eddie’s scrubbing blood off his forearm with a rag with his eyes distant and jaw tight.

Buck’s trying not to look at him while failing completely.

His brain is still replaying the moment he tackled Eddie out of the way how close it had been.

How he’d felt Eddie’s heart pounding under him.

How his own hands had trembled with something too raw to name.

Now, in the quiet… it’s louder .

Somehow.

Too loud.

Buck scratches the back of his neck and clears his throat.

“I, uh…”

He shifts on his feet.

“I’m gonna hit the showers. Get all this… off”

His voice sounds too casual.

Like he’s trying to talk around something heavy in his throat.

Eddie looks up at him.

And Buck freezes.

Because that look it’s not like before.

It’s not quiet concern or gratitude or even friendship.

It’s charged.

Intent.

Like Eddie’s still in that moment under the car.

Like he hasn’t stopped thinking about it either.

Buck’s breath stutters.

Eddie doesn’t say anything.

Doesn’t need to.

The silence stretches.

And it’s thick with something they’re both trying really, really hard to ignore.

Buck breaks it with a crooked and awkward smile.

“I’ll just… yeah”

He turns quickly and heads for the locker room walking fast enough to escape the weight of the stare he feels on his back the whole way down the hall.

The lights are too bright in here.

The tile is cold beneath his feet.

Buck peels off his uniform slowly trying not to wince when the fabric sticks to his skin.

His hands are still shaking a little.

Whether it’s from the adrenaline,the exhaustion, or Eddie he doesn’t know anymore.

He steps into the stream and lets the hot water crash over his shoulders while tilting his head back and eyes squeezed shut.

But even here under the pounding rhythm of the water in a space meant to clear his

head he can’t stop thinking about him.

The way Eddie had looked at him.

The sound of his voice after the call.

That look when Buck mentioned the shower.

Like maybe they’re not just dancing around something anymore.

Like maybe they’re teetering on the edge.

Buck exhales hard and presses his palms to the wall.

He wishes he could scrub Eddie out of his mind but that’s not how this works.

Eddie’s not just in his head he’s under his skin.

In his chest.

Everywhere.

The way he’d said “you scared me” in different words.

like it mattered .

Like Buck mattered more than he was supposed to.

Buck had wanted to say something.

Do something.

He’d wanted to reach across the rig and close that last inch of space  say me too   but not because of the car.

Because of you .

Because the thought of losing you is unbearable.

Buck drops his head against the wall while letting the water run down his spine.

His mind wanders uninvited to what would’ve happened if he had said something.

If Eddie had followed him into the shower room.

If that look had turned into a touch .

He grits his teeth.

Shuts his eyes harder.

It’s not the time.

It’s not the place.

But his heart’s racing anyway.

And now every breath feels heavier with the weight of all the things they haven’t said.

Eddie stands just outside the shower room door  still in his grimy t-shirt and uniform pants.

His hand hovers near the door for a long moment.
He doesn’t move.
Doesn’t knock.
Doesn’t go in.

But he’s thinking about it.

And the way his throat tightens when he hears the faint sound of running water from inside

It tells him everything .

He’s in trouble.

And he’s not sure how much longer he can pretend he’s not.

And now it’s been maybe half an hour and Eddie is still standing there with his arms crossed.

Leaning against the wall like he’s waiting for something but not sure what.

The station is quiet now with everyone doing whatever they want and the post call haze settling over the halls like smoke.

Hen and Chim disappeared somewhere

Bobby’s office light is off.

It’s just Eddie.

And the low sound of running water behind the door he almost knocked on.

He’s about to give up  about to walk away — when the door opens.

And Buck steps out.

Hair damp with his curls a little wild and dripping clinging to his forehead.

A gray towel slung around his neck.

Loose sweatpants and a navy 118 shirt that clings slightly from the leftover steam.

His skin’s still flushed from the heat and he looks—

Eddie freezes and blushes immediately.

Buck rakes a hand through his curls and notices Eddie just standing there.

His brows lift in surprise.

“Oh—hey”

Buck says a little breathless.

“You, uh… still here?”

Eddie clears his throat and forces himself to look up   not stare.

“Yeah. Just… was passing by”

Buck tilts his head.

“You’ve been standing in that exact spot for like ten minutes”

Eddie flushes deeper immediately.

“I wasn’t waiting for you or anything”

Buck smiles and it’s dangerous .

Soft and teasing and aware now.

“Sure you weren’t”

he murmurs.

Eddie opens his mouth to deny it but Buck walks past him  and Eddie catches the faintest scent of soap and something warm. Clean.

Familiar.

Eddie’s brain goes offline for a second.

Buck’s already a few steps away when he calls back over his shoulder.

“I was gonna make dinner for the house. You hungry?”

Eddie blinks and follows Buck slowly.

“You’re cooking?”

“Caps mac and cheese”

Buck says proudly stepping up the stairs turning into the kitchen.

“The real one from scratch he made me swear not to butcher it”

Eddie can’t help but smile at the way Buck says that casual and cocky but proud in the way only Buck gets when he’s doing something for someone else.

His cheeks are still pink.

Damp hair curling wildly.

And now he’s humming grabbing a pot and moving around the kitchen like he belongs there.

And he does.

Buck always makes places feel warmer.

Eddie stands at the edge of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets watching him with something dangerously close to affection blooming in his chest.

“How’d you convince Cap to give you the recipe?”

Buck grins not turning around.

“I told him I wanted to make it for someone important”

Eddie’s heart trips.

“Someone important?

Buck glances over his shoulder and meets his eyes for a second too long and then shrugs and looks back to the stove.

“Yeah. The team. Everyone. You know”

But Eddie hears it.

You.

It sits there, unspoken.

Between the soft hum of Buck chopping onions and the gentle clatter of pans.

Eddie crosses the threshold finally and steps up beside him close but not touching. Just watching.

Eddies wtancing Buck as he stand next to hiked with his arms crossed pretending not to watch him with the intensity of someone watching something dangerous and beautiful .

“You’re really taking this seriously”

Eddie says smirking.

Buck doesn’t look away from the pan.

“Bobby said if I messed up the sauce, he’d revoke my right to even look at the spice rack”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“That’s dramatic”

Buck grins.

“Yeah, well. He was dead serious ”

Eddie eyes the bowl of shredded cheddar nearby and inches closer like he’s being sneaky.

Buck catches it.

“Don’t even think about it”

Eddie snorts.

“Think about what?”

Buck points the spoon at him.

“You cheese-thief. I saw that look”

Eddie leans just a little closer to the bowl.

“I’m literally keeping track of the cheese”

Buck says while scooping a generous portion into the sauce.

“You steal any, and the whole balance of the universe is thrown off”

“Sounds like a you problem”

And then swift as hell Eddie snatches a pinch of cheese and pops it in his mouth smirking victoriously.

Buck gasps.

“ Eddie! ”

“You gonna stop me?”

Eddie teases with his voice slightly muffled from chewing and grinning like a child .

Buck tosses the spoon into the sink dramatically and lunges toward him in mock serious.

Eddie stumbles back while laughing until he’s cornered against the counter.

Buck boxes him in without thinking with his hands on either side and leaning in like he's interrogating him.

The space between them narrows instantly.
The laughter fades.
Breathing shifts.

Buck’s grin softens and his voice going low.

“You’ve got cheese on your face”

Eddie blinks.

“Where?”

Buck’s gaze drops to his lips.

“Right there”

he says barely more than a whisper

Eddie’s throat bobs.

His smile fades just a little not gone just gentled into something quiet and undeniably real .

Their faces are so close now .

A breath away.

Buck's eyes flicker up to meet Eddie’s just as

“.. Buc k”

Eddie murmurs almost without meaning to. His voice catches on the syllable.

A question.

A want.

Buck stills.

Everything freezes.

And then—

“WHOA WHAT AM I WALKING INTO HERE?!”

Chim explodes into the kitchen like a wrecking ball waving an empty water bottle and staring at them like he just caught a soap opera live.

Eddie flinches back instantly with his cheeks going red .

Buck jumps like he just got hit with a stun gun nearly tripping over his own feet as he stumbles away from the counter.

“ Nothing! ”

Buck blurts.

“You’re not—you didn’t see— shut up, Chim! ”

Chim’s face is a gleeful explosion of mischief.

“Was that a moment?! ”

Chim asks pointing wildly between them.

“That looked like a moment. You were definitely about to kiss. I know a pre-kiss face when I see it—”

“ Get out! ”

Buck yells with his face now bright crimson , grabbing a towel and whipping it in Chim’s direction.

Eddie’s already walking toward the pantry trying to look completely unbothered and failing miserably.

He rubs the back of his neck, muttering something in Spanish that sounds like “ this is why I never talk about my feelings ”

Chim ducks the towel still grinning like he’s just won the lottery.

“I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW IT. Hen owes me five bucks and I’m telling mad-“

“ Chim! ”

Buck practically hisses.

“Out. Of. The. Kitchen”

“Fine, fine! I’ll leave the lovebirds to it—“

Eddie throws a bag of breadcrumbs at his head.

“OKAY, I’M GONE”

Chim yelps and finally retreats still cackling all the way up the stairs.

Silence falls.

Buck exhales.

Hard.

Eddie leans back against the counter still red.

Then Buck glances over.

“You said my name”

Eddie meets his eyes.

And the tension comes back not as sharp but smoldering .

Quiet.

Building.

“Yeah”

Eddie says.

His voice is soft again.

“I did”

Buck’s heart stumbles.

But before he can say anything else the timer dings.

The mac and cheese is ready.

Because of course it is.

Hen’s the first to appear following her nose with a suspicious squint.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Buck grins proudly from where he’s plating up servings.

“The one. The only Cap’s mac and cheese”

Chim slides in right after clearly recovered from his earlier chaos bomb moment.

“The sacred recipe?”

He gasps theatrically.

“Did Cap bless this?”

“I supervised”

Bobby’s calm voice as he enters behind them setting a water bottle on the table.

“Watched him grate every ounce of cheese. Even counted the paprika shakes”

Ravi appears next wide eyed and hopeful.

“Are we… allowed to eat this? Or is this like a… ceremonial offering situation?

Buck chuckles while handing him a plate.

“No ceremony. Just grab a fork before Chim steals your portion”

“I will ”

Chim says already halfway through stealing a piece of crispy corner cheese from Hen’s plate.

Hen smacks his hand.

“Touch my carbs again and we’ll have a real emergency”

Everyone settles at the table with a mix of groans and laughter digging in like it’s the last meal before the apocalypse.

Bobby takes a seat at the head of the table solemn and reverent with his fork poised over the mac like it’s a religious relic.

Buck watches him nervously while biting his lip.

Bobby scoops a bite.

Chews slowly.

Thoughtfully.

Everyone’s watching.

Then with the faintest nod Bobby says.

“You did good, Buck”

Buck glows and his  grin is unstoppable.

“Yeah?”

“Perfectly creamy. Just enough heat. Crust crisp but not burned”

Bobby takes another bite then pats Buck on the shoulder.

“You honored the sauce”

Buck’s chest swells.

“Hell yeah, I didl

Hen raises her fork.

“I gotta admit, this slaps. Like, hard”

“Forget slaps”

Chim mumbles through a mouthful.

“I’d marry this”

“Please don’t”

Ravi says horrified.

“That’s cheese. You’re talking to cheese”

But Buck’s not paying attention to them anymore.

Because Eddie just took his first bite.

And he’s paused.

Frozen almost.

Buck watches with amusement turning quickly to anxiety.

“Uh… Eddie?”

Eddie looks up with his eyes wide like he’s genuinely staggered .

Then slowly and reverently says.

“ Jesus, Buck. This is amazing”

Buck laughs a little breathless.

“Yeah?”

Eddie nods once.

“Seriously. Like… this is criminally good”

Buck shrugs but his face is red now.

“I had to do it justice. For Bobby. And, you know…”

Their eyes meet for a beat too long.

You.

Again

Eddie’s gaze softens lips curving upward, quiet but full of something warmer than the food in front of him.

“You really did”

Buck looks down at his plate still grinning and still blushing.

Because praise from Bobby was one thing.
But that look from Eddie?
That’s the one that makes his heart skip.

The rest of the table is already arguing about seconds and fighting over corner pieces but for a few seconds it’s just the two of them again.

Caught in their own little moment.

No interruptions.

No teasing.
Just warmth.

Dinner’s over now.

The rest of the team has trickled away one by one Hen heading to her bunk with a satisfied sigh,Chim still loudly arguing with Ravi about who got the crispier corner piece, Bobby retiring with a quiet

“good job Buck”

and a rare proud smile.

Now it’s just them.

Buck stands at the sink with his sleeves pushed up and forearms wet as he rinses the dishes.

Eddie leans against the counter beside him towel in hand and drying everything Buck hands off.

It’s quiet.

Peaceful.

The kind of silence that feels full instead of empty.

“I still can’t believe Chim tried to propose to the mac and cheese”

Buck says while scrubbing a casserole dish grinning .

Eddie chuckles softly while handing over a dry plate.

“Honestly, I get it. I thought about doing it too”

Buck laughs and flicks water at him with the back of his hand.

“Hey@

Eddie grins ducking back.

“I’m serious. That was, like… legendary. Chris is gonna be pissed he missed it”

Buck smiles at the mention of Christopher.

“You think he’d like it?”

Eddie hums.

“He’d love it. Especially with those crushed goldfish crackers you added on top”

Buck grins.

“Secret weapon”

Their hands brush as Buck passes him another plate a soft and accidental touch that lingers just a second too long.

Neither of them pulls away.

Not right away.

Their fingers slide apart gently slowly and the air shifts warmer now.

Thicker.

Still.

Buck clears his throat after a moment with a soft smile tugging at his lips.

“Speaking of Chris…”

Eddie looks up with his eyes warm.

“Yeah?”

“There’s this science exhibit at the Griffith Observatory next weekend. Interactive stuff. Rockets, space junk, something about quantum foam—don’t ask, I didn’t get that far”

Eddie’s smile grows.

“He’d love that”

Buck nods, a little shy now.

“I thought maybe the three of us could go? I mean, if you’re not working. Or if he doesn’t already have plans. I know he’s got more of a social life than I do these days”

Eddie watches him for a second.

Something in his expression softens like Buck has no idea how easy it is to say yes to him.

“I’ll make sure we’re free”

Eddie says.

Buck’s eyes lift.

“Yeah?”

“YeahL

Eddie pauses then adds with his voice quieter.

“He misses you when you’re not around, you know”

Buck swallows.

“Yeah? I miss him too”

Another pause.

Then gentler

“And you?”

Eddie’s brows lift surprised.

Buck shrugs while pretending not to be holding his breath.

“You know. Do you… ever miss me?”

Eddie smiles slowly and sincere.

He doesn’t hesitate.

“Every time you’re not there”

Buck looks at him really looks at him. Something shifts behind his eyes something unspoken but full.

They’re standing so close now .

The only sound is the drip of water in the sink and the soft hum of the fridge.

The last dish is dry.

The towel is still in Eddie’s hand.

But neither of them moves.

Buck’s voice is barely a whisper.

“Cool”

Eddie leans in just slightly not enough to close the gap.

Just enough to feel it.

“Yeah”

he murmurs.

“Cool”

And they stay like that until Buck says something about going to go to the bunks to try to get some sleep and Eddie just shrugs and follows him like it’s the most normal thing ever.

Buck heart literally flutters when he sees Eddie just following him to the bunks

The lights are dimmed Chim’s faint snoring hums from the other side of the room. Someone’s pager beeps once and then stops.

Buck lies flat on his back with his eyes wide open.

He’s already flipped his pillow three times. Tried adjusting the scratchy firehouse blanket.

Counted ceiling tiles

Nothing helps.

His heart’s still full.

Still too fast.

Still stuck on Eddie’s voice earlier in the kitchen.

“Every time you’re not there”

It keeps echoing.

Over and over.
It felt like something they weren’t supposed to say yet.
Something he’s not sure Eddie realized he said out loud.

And it cracked something open in Buck  something that makes it really hard to just… sleep.

He glances toward the other end of the room.

Eddie’s silhouette is still.

Curled on his side back to the wall.

Blanket up to his chest.

He looks peaceful. Probably asleep.

Buck sighs.

Then like a man possessed he very slowly and quietly grabs his phone off the side shelf.

He stares at the screen for a second.

Then starts typing.

Buck:

You ever think about how if we lived on mars mac and cheese would boil weird?

Pause.

Backspace.

Backspace.

He frowns.

Rewrites.

Buck:

if we go to space one day, will you let me cook for you there too?

Buck stares at it.

Then winces.

Buck:

not like. romantically. unless?? no nvm

He groans softly and hides his face in the blanket.

Then he’s still flushed but he sends it anyway.

Across the room nothing happens for a long moment.

Buck swallows.

Regret. Regret. Regre—

Then his phone buzzes.

Eddie:

I would eat your space mac any day.

Buck stares.

Blinks.

Then his phone buzzes again.

Eddie:

and fyi.

I’m not asleep.

also. don’t say “space mac” ever again.

Buck covers his mouth to keep from laughing.

Another text comes in:

Eddie:

unless you mean that romantically too. in which case. maybe.

Buck’s face goes red.

Like full-body blush .

He curls into his side, grinning into the blanket in the way someone does when they’ve just been kissed even if they haven’t been.

Not yet.

His thumbs hover.

Then he types:

Buck:

noted. no more space mac.
just… regular earth mac and maybe feelings too?

Eddie doesn’t answer right away.

Then:

Buck:

feelings too.

Buck tucks the phone under his pillow with just eyes wide and heart hammering and a smile blooming across his face in the dark.

From across the room Eddie shifts slightly.

Buck turns over and watches the soft curve of his silhouette in the bunk and feeling something dangerous and sweet rise in his chest.

They’re still ten feet apart and yet they’ve never felt closer.

It’s been about 2 hours since the last text message from Eddie and Buck is still wide awake laying still in his bunk still on his side. Still facing Eddie’s bunk across the room. The firehouse is silent now

He thinks maybe Eddie’s fallen asleep after that last text.

He wouldn’t blame him.

The adrenaline’s worn off.

The dishes are done.

The mac and cheese is long gone.

But then…

Eddie shifts.

A quiet rustle of sheets.

The barely-there squeak of the mattress.

Buck holds his breath.

Eddie turns over slowly in his bunk facing him now.

They just look at each other.

Across ten feet of dark in the warm hum of the bunk room.

Just watching.

It’s not intense or dramatic.

No heavy breathing or aching stares.

It’s quiet .

But it’s everything .

Eddie’s head is nestled on his pillow with his expression soft and open.

There’s the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Buck mirrors it without thinking.

No words.

Just smiles.

Just… them.

Then Buck’s phone is still under his pillow and vibrates once.

He lifts it carefully and unlocks it and sees the name and immediately smiles.

Eddie:

You wanna go up to the roof?

Buck’s heart does a somersault.

He glances up again and Eddie’s still watching him face half-lit by the red glow of the emergency light and smile deepening just a little now, like he knows what he just did.

Buck doesn’t hesitate.

He types back quickly

Buck:

meet you there in 2?

Eddie:

already grabbing my hoodie.

Buck’s grinning as he kicks off the blanket and swings his legs out of bed as quiet as he can.

He grabs the nearest hoodie from his locker probably Hen’s whatever and pads toward the stairs.

Behind him he hears the soft creak of Eddie’s bunk as he follows.

The city sprawls beneath them its quiet and glowing with a  hazy smog layer softens the horizon but above them the sky is surprisingly clear.

The stars blink gently overhead scattered like a secret only a few people bother looking up for anymore.

Buck is already there with his hoodie zipped up sitting on a folded blanket he found which is also probably Hen’s

He’s leaning back on his palms with his legs stretched out and face tilted up toward the sky.

Eddie pushes open the access door a moment later carrying two paper cups of whatever sad excuse for coffee was left in the kitchen.

Buck turns his head and grins.

“You came bearing gifts”

Eddie shrugs.

“You’re the one who stayed up past your bedtime”

Buck laughs while taking a cup.

“It’s space. It’s always worth it”

They sit side by side with their backs against the low wall.

Buck spreads out the blanket over both of them without asking.

Eddie doesn't protest.

Their shoulders brush.

And their legs.
And their elbows.
And maybe that’s on purpose.

They sip in silence for a moment while watching the night.

Then Buck says with his voice soft but animated,

“Okay, see that one? Right above that weirdly orange-looking billboard?”

Eddie squints.

“Kind of?”

“That's Orion’s Belt. The three stars in a row. People always recognize that one”

Eddie hums.

“You always remember this stuff”

Buck smiles down at his cup.

“Yeah, well… space was kinda my first escape. As a kid. Before I found firefighting or…”

He glances sideways.

“Other things”

Eddie meets his eyes.

“Other things?”

Buck’s gaze lingers for a beat too long.

“You know. Life stuff”

Eddie smiles but there’s something shy beneath it.

Buck looks back up at the sky.

“You ever hear of the Pleiades?”

“Sounds familiar”

“It’s a cluster of stars. Also called the Seven Sisters. Some of the stories say they were daughters of Atlas, turned into stars to escape being hunted.”

He pauses.

Some stories say they were running from heartbreak”

Eddie’s quiet.

“Did it work?”

“What?”

“Running”

Buck glances over.

“Depends which version you believe”

Another moment passes.

Then Buck points again.

“There’s Cassiopeia. That W-shape? It’s a queen. In mythology, she was cursed for being too proud of her beauty. Ended up chained to the sky forever”

Eddie snorts.

“Sounds dramatic”

Buck smirks.

“Ancient gods were basically messy drama queens”

“Like Chim”

“Exactly like Chim”

Buck says with a laugh while nudging Eddie’s knee with his own.

Eddie bumps him back gently with their legs staying pressed together now under the blanket.

Neither one moves.

Then Eddie murmurs,

“You ever want to go there?”

Buck blinks.

“Where?”

“Up there. Space”

Buck exhales through a smile.

“As a kid? All the time. I thought it’d be the only place I could be quiet”

Eddie’s voice is softer now.

“And now?”

Buck glances sideways again.

This time his answer is slower and quieter

“Now I think I found something better”

Eddie looks at him and Buck’s already looking back.

Their legs are still pressed together.

The blanket’s warm but the heat between them is something else entirely.

“I like this”

Eddie says.

Buck raises an eyebrow.

“Sitting in the cold on a roof with burnt coffee and myths about vengeful stars?”

Eddie nods once and it’s sincere .

“With you”

Buck swallows.

Hard.

His voice is rough when he says it

“Yeah. Me too”

Eddie shifts his hand just slightly  and lets his pinky graze Buck’s.

Buck doesn’t move away.

Neither of them speaks.

They just sit there.

Under the stars.

Shoulders touching.
Knees still pressed.
Coffee forgotten.
Breaths slower now.

Buck and Eddie haven’t moved in minutes with their legs pressed together under the blanket and hands just barely brushing now and then hearts beating just a little too fast.

Eddie shifts slightly while he stretches out a leg and murmurs,

“We should probably head back”

Buck nods he’s reluctant but knowing.

“Yeah. Before Hen wakes up and finds out I stole her good blanket”

Eddie chuckles low and warm standing slowly and offering a hand.

Buck takes it.

He doesn’t have to.

Could’ve stood on his own.

But he takes it anyway.

Their fingers stay linked half a second too long before Eddie lets go.

Buck folds the blanket over his arm as they head toward the rooftop door wound their shoulders brushing and neither saying much.

The kind of silence that means something.

They descend the metal stairs one slow step at a time their footsteps are soft almost careful.

Every movement feels… intentional.

Like neither wants to break the spell of the rooftop.

Eddie nudges Buck gently with his elbow as they round the last step.

“Thanks for coming up”

Buck smiles while turning slightly toward him.

“Thanks for asking”

They stop outside the bunk room door.

For a moment neither opens it.

Eddie leans his shoulder against the wall.

“You ever gonna run out of star facts?”

Buck shrugs while smirking.

“Not a chance. I’ve got a whole galaxy of them”

Eddie huffs a soft laugh the kind he only does when he’s really, really fond of someone.

“Of course you do”

Another pause.

One of those quiet moments where it feels like something could happen.

Like maybe Buck could lean in.

Like maybe Eddie wouldn’t pull away.

But Buck just smiles again softer now.

“Night, Eds”

Eddie meets his eyes.

“Night, Buck”

They step into the bunk room into their separate bunks.

Buck lies on his side now again with his blanket pulled to his chin.

Eddie’s already settled in his bunk across the room and turned toward the wall.

Or at least that’s what Buck tells himself so he won’t keep looking .

But his mind’s still racing.

Back on the rooftop.

The way Eddie’s hand had hovered next to his.

The way they’d smiled at each other in the dark.

The way Eddie had said,

“I like this. With you”

Buck should’ve kissed him.

He could’ve.

He almost did.

And now with the room still and the blanket too warm and his heart aching in his chest, he whispers to no one but himself

“…I should’ve kissed you”

But Eddie doesn’t hear.

Or maybe he does.

Maybe he’s lying there wide awake too, staring at the wall biting his lip and thinking he should’ve kissed Buck .

Either way they don’t sleep for a long time.

And they don’t stop thinking about each other once.

Buck stirs awake

His eyes blink open slowly and his body stiff from sleeping too warm under the firehouse blanket with his heart still a little full from last night.

He rolls onto his side automatically glancing toward the bunk across the room.

Empty.

He blinks again.

Sits up slightly.

Eddie’s not there.

And his blanket is neatly folded.

Pillow fluffed.

Like he left a while ago .

Buck rubs a hand through his sleep-messed curls while frowning and maybe smiling just a little.

Then he hears it

Pans clinking.

Something sizzling.

The smell of bacon and eggs wafting in from the kitchen.

Eddie is standing  at the stove in his soft gray t-shirt LAFD and sweatpants with his hair still slightly damp from the world’s fastest shower.

He’s humming under his breath some soft Spanish tune that only comes out when he thinks no one’s listening.

The bacon pops in the pan.

The eggs are already plated.

Two mugs of coffee sit side by side on the counter.

Hen walks in halfway through and immediately narrows her eyes.

“You’re up early”

she says suspiciously casual.

Eddie shrugs without turning.

“Didn’t sleep much”

Hen folds her arms smirking.

“Sure. That wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain rooftop stargazing session, would it?”

Eddie freezes mid flip of a pancake.

“Hen”

She raises a brow.

“Look, I wasn’t gonna say anything—”

“You’re saying something”

“—but when two grown men go missing at the same time in the middle of the night and return looking like someone hit them with a box of feelings, I notice”

Eddie doesn’t respond.

He  just focuses on the pancake.

“Let me guess”

Hen adds.

“You didn’t kiss him”

Eddie blushes .

“Hen!”

Hen grins.

“You’re lucky he’s just as stupid about you”

At that moment Buck wanders in from the hallway still half-asleep and the LAFD hoodie slung over one shoulder.

He pauses at the doorway taking in the sight of Eddie at the stove with two plates already ready and Hen looking entirely too smug.

“Uh… morning”

he says with his voice scratchy.

Eddie turns and softens immediately.

“Hey”

he says with his voice a little too warm for someone supposedly

“just making breakfast”

Buck grins while rubbing his neck.

“You made food?”

“For us”

Eddie says.

Like it’s obvious.

Hen sips her coffee.

“Wow. Both of you. Doing so well pretending you’re not in love”

Buck chokes on air.

“I—I’m sorry—what—”

Eddie glares at her.

“Hen”

Hen shrugs.

“What? I’m just observing. This is basically a romantic comedy but with more smoke alarms”

She pats Eddie on the shoulder as she walks past.

“Good luck with the pancakes, Romeo”

She’s gone before either of them can respond.

Buck and Eddie are now sittting across from each other with breakfast plates steaming between them. Bacon, eggs, perfectly golden pancakes. Coffee mugs. Silence.

Not awkward.

Just… full.

Buck pushes a bite of pancake through syrup and grins.

“Okay, you win. These are better than mine”

Eddie shrugs like it’s nothing.

“Chris taught me”

Buck laughs softly.

“Yeah, that sounds about right”

As Buck takes another bite and Eddie pulls out his phone and taps out a message.

Eddie:

Hey, bud. Remember that science exhibit you wanted to go to? What do you think about next weekend?

A second later Chris replies.

Chris:

YES!!!!! when do me and Buck go?? is he gonna be the rocket again??? can he come in the car???

Eddie stares at the screen.

Smiling and shaking his head fondly.

Buck glances up mid-chew.

“What?”

Eddie tilts the phone so Buck can see.

Buck reads it and his ears go pink immediately.

“You didn’t even say I was going”

Buck says stunned.

“I didn’t”

Eddie agrees while chuckling.

“But he just— assumed —”

“Yeah”

Eddie says softer now with his thumb brushing the edge of his plate.

“He always assumes you’ll be there”

Buck looks down at his fork.

Swallows.

His voice is quieter now.

“I… I wanna be”

Eddie looks at him. Long and warm.

“You are”

And Buck smiles.

Not the cocky one.

Not the goofy one.
The one that says: I’m here. I’m yours. Even if we haven’t said it yet.

beneath the table their feet bump once
and neither one pulls away.

The end-of-shift sun slants across the dashboard as Eddie pulls away from the station with one hand on the wheel and the other resting near the gearshift.

The windows are down just enough to let in the breeze.

It smells like warm asphalt and distant jacaranda blooms.

Buck’s in the passenger seat with his legs stretched out,and sunglasses on with his hair still damp from a  rinse off.

He’s got his phone in his hand but hasn’t looked at it in a while instead he’s been sneaking glances at Eddie every few seconds.

Not that he’s counting.

“You always drive like this after shift?”

Buck asks finally breaking the silence.

Eddie glances over.

“Like what?”

Buck grins.

“Like you’ve got nowhere to be and you’re trying to soak in every yellow light like it owes you something”

Eddie chuckles under his breath.

“That obvious?”

“Kinda charming, actually”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“Charming?”

Buck shrugs.

“You’ve got post-shift dad energy”

Eddie groans while thumping his head lightly against the headrest.

“Don’t say ‘dad energy’ while I’m trying to be cool”

Buck snorts.

“It’s endearing! You’re like… mellow. Chill. You’ve got the windows down and one elbow out the window. You’re practically a country song”

Eddie laughs now, full and warm.

“You’re ridiculous”

“Am I wrong, though?”

“Only about the country song. I’m at least a sad indie track with unresolved feelings”

Buck raises his eyebrows.

“Wow. You do listen to May’s playlists”

Eddie just smirks.

The breeze rushes through the cab for a minute.

It’s quiet again but not uncomfortable.

Buck leans his head against the window and watches the city blur by.

“I used to hate this part”

Buck says suddenly.

Eddie glances over.

“What part?”

“The end of shift. The… drive back to regular life. Felt like losing something. Like I didn’t know what to do with myself outside the station”

Eddie hums.

“Yeah. I remember that”

Buck swallows, eyes still on the window.

“Doesn’t feel like that anymore”

Eddie doesn’t answer right away.

When Buck finally looks at him he finds Eddie watching him already.

“What?”

Buck says with heat blooming in his chest.

Eddie’s voice is quiet.

“Maybe that’s ‘cause you are part of someone’s regular life now”

Buck blinks.

He opens his mouth but nothing comes out.

The air in the cab changes like the weight of those words is still floating between them settling gently into the silence.

Then Eddie clears his throat and quickly changes the subject.

“Chris is gonna lose it when he sees you’re in the car”

Buck grins with gratefulness and aching all at once.

“Think so?”

“He always asks if you’re coming when I pick him up. Even when you’re not scheduled. Like it’s a given”

Buck exhales a laugh.

“He’s the only person who doesn’t make me feel like an accidental third wheel”

“You’re not”

Eddie says while looking over at him for a beat.

“You never have been”

Buck’s heart thuds in his chest.

“Yeah?”

Eddie nods.

“You’re just… part of us.”

Buck looks down at his hands.

“I like being part of you”

Eddie’s jaw tightens like maybe he hadn’t meant to say all this out loud.

Like maybe hearing Buck say that hits harder than it should.

They don’t talk for a minute.

But the silence feels loud now.

The school comes into view just up the street.

Buck straightens a little while pushing his sunglasses up on his head.

“So, you think Chris’ll be excited?”

Eddie lets out a breathy laugh.

“Excited? He’ll probably assume we’re picking out tuxes next”

Buck’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Wait—tuxes?”

Eddie gives him a pointed look.

“Have you met my son?”

Buck grins and already laughing as Eddie pulls into the pickup lane and throws the truck in park.

Eddie leans his head back against the headrest and smirks trying to hide the fact he’s blushing.

And then, before either of them can say anything else

Chris comes walking cheerfully.

Big smile.

Backpack bouncing.

Walking like a kid with a mission.

Buck waves.

Chris waves back then squints at the truck.

At both of them.

And the smile turns mischievous.

Eddie sees it.

“Oh no”

he mutters under his breath.

Chris yanks open the back door and climbs in like he owns the place.

“Hey Dad. Hey Buck”

Pause.

“Did you guys kiss yet?”

Eddie whips around with his eyes wide.

“Christopher!”

Chris just smirks.

Buck’s jaw drops.

“Wait—what?!”

Eddie mouths furiously at his son

“Shut. Up.”

Chris raises both eyebrows and shrugs

“I mean, you obviously want to”

Eddie slams his head lightly into the steering wheel again.

“I’m never picking you up with Buck again”

Buck’s wheezing now.

“Too lat

Chris says from the back seat acting smug and proud.

“You love him”

Eddie turns and glares.

“You’re grounded”

Chris shrugs.

“Still worth it”

Buck’s laughing so hard he can’t breathe.

Eddie pulls out of the pickup lane muttering under his breath.

Chris leans forward between the seats, clearly not done.

“So are we having pancakes tonight or are you guys gonna flirt the whole time and pretend I can’t see it?”

Eddie just groans, but Buck is blushing and beaming as he turns back and says

“Obviously pancakes”

Chris throws a fist in the air.

“Yes! I love love!”

The kitchen is alive with the sound of music.

Christopher’s perched on a stool by the kitchen island with his phone propped in front of him grinning like the tiny chaos gremlinhe is.

He’s got a curated playlist titled “LOOOOOVE ❤️🔥💍” and it’s currently blaring “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.

He hits the volume up.

Buck groans from where he’s whisking pancake batter in a giant mixing bowl.

“Okay, seriously—Chris, do you have any songs that aren’t wedding slow dances?”

Christopher smirks.

“Nope”

Eddie flips a pancake on the stove with one hand smirking to himself.

Buck points his spatula toward him.

“You’re letting him do this”

Eddie shrugs innocently.

“I don’t control the DJ”

Chris snorts.

“You can’t control me, I’m in love song mode!”

Buck groans dramatically.

“We’re making pancakes, not prom proposals!”

“You’re flipping pancakes”

Eddie says while walking past Buck to grab the cinnamon from the cabinet.

“I’m making art”

Buck gasps.

“Did you just insult my pancakes?”

Eddie throws him a grin over his shoulder.

“If the batter fits…”

Buck immediately flicks a little flour off his fingertips at Eddie’s back.

Eddie freezes.

“Don’t”

he warns without turning.

Buck’s grinning like a menace.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that your very fragile chef ego?”

Eddie turns around slowly.

“You wanna talk about egos, Buckaroo, we can pull out your signature ‘I once fought a grease fire with my bare arms’ story again”

Christopher is giggling maniacally.

Buck lunges with flour-covered hands outstretched.

“You take that back!”

Eddie yelps and spins out of reach just in time.

“Don’t you dare touch me with those hands!”

Buck’s cackling.

“Oh, I dare!”

Chris slams his phone down.

Guys!! Not in the pancake zone! This is a love kitchen!”

Buck freezes mid chase.

Eddie ducks behind the island.

Both of them dissolve into laughter.

It’s been about 20 minutes later and now there are stacks of fluffy pancakess in a tower on plates in front of them sigh butter melting and syrup glistening.

Buck and Eddie sit across from each other while Chris pours exactly too much syrup on his plate and smiles like the king of domestic matchmaking.

Chris chews a bite thoughtfully, then swallows and says,

“Sooo… when’s the science thing?”

Eddie glances up.

“Next weekend. Saturday”

Chris nods quickly and groans.

“I really wanna go!!”

Buck smiles.

“We figured. Rockets, black holes, slime that glows in the dark?”

Chris grins.

“It’s cooler if you’re there too”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“What, I don’t add coolness points?”

Chris chews his pancake.

“You’re like… three coolness points. Buck is like, seven”

Buck fist pumps.

“Finally, someone acknowledges the truth”

Eddie laughs.

“I’m being replaced in my own home”

“You’ve had a good run”

Buck says solemnly.

Chris is grinning.

“Can we go early?”

Chris asks.

“I wanna see everything. Maybe twice.”

Eddie nods.

“We’ll get there first thing. Grab snacks. Make a whole day of it”

Chris beams.

“And can we take pictures? Like… family pictures?”

Eddie freezes just slightly.

Buck does too.

Chris looks between them like it’s the most natural request in the world.

Because for him?

It is.

Buck recovers first.

“Yeah, bud. Of course. I’ll bring my good camera”

Eddie meets Buck’s eyes and there’s something unspoken there. Something soft. Wide open.

He nods, voice quiet.

“Yeah. Family pictures”

Chris doesn’t notice the pause he’s too busy humming along to whatever love song has started playing now on his tablet.

But Buck does.

Buck notices everything.

And even though they don’t say it he can feel it in his chest like gravity.

They all eat laughing and smiling and now the dinner plates are in the sink.

The music has faded.

The only light comes from the glow of the TV and a single lamp in the corner painting everything in amber.

Buck and Eddie are sprawled on the couch not touching but close.

A bowl of popcorn sits forgotten between them.

Their knees keep bumping but neither of them moves away.

Christopher is curled up on the other end with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a burrito with his eyes on the screen.

A nature documentary plays

. Something about bioluminescent sea creatures narrated by a soothing British voice.

And it’s…

Peaceful.

Until—

Chris groans loudly and sits up.

“This is very boring”

Eddie blinks.

“You picked it!”

Chris shrugs dramatically.

“Well, I was wrong. I’m gonna go play games. You two can watch fish kiss or whatever”

Buck chokes on a laugh.

Eddie just stares.

“Fish don’t—okay, never mind”

Chris stands grabs his phone and heads toward his room without another word.

He pauses in the doorway to point at them both.

“Try not to fall in love without me”

Eddie turns bright red.

Buck is wheezing.

The bedroom door clicks shut behind Chris, leaving them alone in the cozy dim.

Buck sighs a soft little sound as he slouches lower on the couch.

His eyes are heavy and his body is  limp from food and laughter.

He blinks once.

Twice.

Then yawns.

“Man”

he mumbles rubbing his eye with the back of his hand like a kid.

“Why is your couch so comfortable?”

Eddie glances over smiling faintly.

“You can lay back if you want”

Buck slouches more while still obviously fighting it.

“I’m good. I’m fine. Just watching some fish kiss”

Eddie watches him for a beat longer with his  eyes fluttering and shoulders sagging clearly two seconds from passing out but still pretending he’s “fine.”

“Buck”

Eddie says with his  voice gentle.

“Come here”

Buck freezes.

Turns his head slowly.

“What?”

Eddie shifts slightly, opening his arm just a little.

Not a big gesture.

Nothing demanding.

Just enough.

“I mean, you’re already falling over. Might as well make yourself comfortable”

Buck blinks at him stunned for a second.

Then slowly and hesitantly he scoots closer and carefully  lowers himself down and resting his head against Eddie’s chest like he’s done it a million times in a dream.

Eddie settles his arm around Buck’s back, hand warm against his shoulder.

Buck melts.

Lets out a slow breath like he’s been holding it for hours.

Eddie’s heartbeat is steady beneath his ear. His t-shirt soft.

His scent familiar soap and cinnamon from earlier and something just Eddie.

Buck lets his eyes drift closed.

“You good?”

Eddie murmurs.

“Yeah”

Buck mumbles.

“This is… better than watching fish kiss”

Eddie chuckles quietly and pulls the blanket off the back of the couch to throw over both of them.

Buck doesn’t move.

Just nestles in closer.

Eddie rests his chin on top of Buck’s head.

Doesn’t say a word.

But the way his fingers gently skim over Buck’s shoulder

the way he breathes like he’s finally calm

The TV’s gone quiet since asking “Are you still watching?” and being ignored.

The only light now is the streetlamp glow spilling through the window

Eddie glances down.

Buck’s still nestled against his chest with his breathing slow and steady and his eyelashes brushing his cheek.

Not quite asleep but close.

Eddie can feel every tiny shift in his weight the way Buck twitches slightly when he yawns and the way he’s unconsciously curled closer in his sleep.

His hand had ended up bunched in the hem of Eddie’s shirt somewhere along the way, and now he’s holding it like it anchors him.

Eddie clears his throat softly.

“You should come sleep in my bed”

Buck doesn’t respond right away.

His body tenses just slightly with a flicker of alertness behind the sleep.

Eddie keeps his voice low, careful.

“The couch’s gonna kill your back. Just crash in my room”

Buck finally shifts a little pulling back to look up at him with one eye cracked open.

“You sure?”

he murmurs with his voice hoarse with sleep.

Eddie nods not quite trusting his voice.

Buck blinks slowly clearly too tired to argue.

“Okay”

he whispers.

He peels himself off Eddie with the clumsy grace of someone who is ninety percent asleep.

He yawns huge and rubs at his face as he trudges toward the hallway.

Eddie watches him go stunned for a second that it was that easy.

That Buck didn’t overthink it.

That he didn’t.

Maybe they’re both too tired to be scared of what this means.

Eddie turns off the last of the lights and follows.

The room is cool and quiet.

The covers are still pulled back on one side from the other day.

Buck’s already sitting on the edge with his hoodie peeled off now just in a worn t-shirt and sweatpants blinking down at the floor like he’s still trying to remember how legs work.

Eddie steps inside and crosses to the bed. He doesn’t say anything and just sits on the other side pulling the comforter up.

Before he can even settle in properly

Buck climbs into his space.

No hesitation now.

He just moves, like gravity’s pulling him there.

He flops right on top of Eddie with his cheek pressed against Eddie’s chest and arms loosely wrapping around his torso like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

His body is warm and solid and soft with trust.

Eddie makes a startled little sound and his hands fly up awkwardly and land against the pillows behind his head.

“Okay”

he says breathlessly staring up at the ceiling.

“Hi”

Buck hums sleepily against his chest.

“Sorry. Just… comfier here”

Eddie laughs softly with his arms still frozen.

“Yeah, no—totally. I, uh… I noticed”

Buck doesn’t lift his head.

Just shifts slightly until he’s fully molded to Eddie with one leg hooked over Eddie’s thigh now and a deep sigh leaving his body like every muscle finally let go.

Eddie hesitates then lowers his arms.

Wraps them carefully around Buck.

Lets his hands settle at the small of Buck’s back and his chin resting gently on Buck’s forehead.

It feels like peace.

Like belonging.

Like he’s been waiting to hold Buck like this for years.

Buck murmurs something almost too soft to hear.

“What was that?”

Eddie whispers.

“…Told you I liked being part of your life”

Buck mumbles already half-asleep.

“Told you…”

“I know”

he whispers.

And then they both go still.

Wrapped in warmth.

Heartbeat against heartbeat.

No space left between them.

Buck blinks awake slowly.

At first he doesn't know where he is.

Then he shifts slightly and everything clicks.

Eddie’s arm is slung heavy over his waist.

Buck’s head is tucked under Eddie’s chin.

Their legs are tangled.

And Eddie is holding him.

Tightly.

Like maybe Buck is something precious he doesn’t want to let go of.

Buck's heart stutters in his chest.

His whole body is cocooned in warmth

not just from the blanket but from Eddie . From the scent of clean cotton and cinnamon and home.

For a moment Buck just lies there. Breathing.

Soaking it in.

And then slowly and carefully he tries to move.

He shifts just enough to create a little space trying not to wake Eddie.

But

A low sleepy murmur escapes Eddie’s chest

“Don’t…”

Buck freezes.

“…don’t move”

Eddie mumbles still barely conscious.

His voice is thick and slow with sleep.

“You’re warm”

Buck’s breath catches.

He swallows.

“Eds?”

he whispers.

Eddie’s grip tightens slightly around him, his cheek resting more firmly against the top of Buck’s head.

“Just… stay”

he mumbles.

“You always leave too early in my dreams…”

Buck’s eyes go wide.

His heart pounds.

But he doesn’t move again.

Not even a little.

Instead he settles back in his head against Eddie’s chest one hand curling gently into the front of Eddie’s shirt.

“Okay I’ll stay”

Outside, the city begins to wake.

But inside this room wrapped in Eddie’s arms Buck stays exactly where he is.

And when Eddie breathes in and he smiles in his sleep.

The sun is higher now m

The house is quiet too early still for Christopher to be up and the city beyond the window is just beginning to stir.

Buck wakes first.

His eyes flutter open slowly with his

Buck’s cheek is still tucked into Eddie’s chest, and their legs are… very much still intertwined.

Buck is panicking internally .

Okay, it’s fine,

he tells himself.

Just don’t move too fast. Don’t freak him out. Don’t act like you’re hyper-aware of every place your body is touching his. Don’t—

Too late.

Eddie shifts with a soft groan.

Buck goes absolutely still.

“Mm”

Eddie mumbles while stretching slightly beneath him.

His voice is husky with sleep.

“What time is it?”

“I—I don’t know”

Buck says way too quickly and voice cracking like a teenage boy.

Eddie blinks open one eye head still on the pillow.

And then he sees it

Buck.

In his arms.

Staring at him with wide with his bright blue eyes and absolutely zero chill.

There’s a beat of silence.

Then

“…Morning”

Eddie says awkwardly.

“Morning”

Buck replies trying and failing to sound casual.

Another pause.

Buck clears his throat.

“Slept great”

Eddie nods, still not moving.

“Yeah. Me too. Very… restful”

Buck glances down.

Sees that his hand is still resting right over Eddie’s heart.

He retracts it quickly like he touched a stove.

“Sorry”

he says sitting up a little too fast.

His curls are a mess his shirt riding up on one sideband he’s got that freshly woken look that would be adorable if he wasn’t trying to disappear into the mattress.

Eddie props himself up on one elbow, suddenly very aware that his entire torso is still warm from Buck’s body heat.

“No, you’re fine. It’s… it’s fine”

They stare at each other.

It is not fine.

It is definitely not “just best friends crashing”

Buck rakes a hand through his hair.

“I can—I should make coffee. You probably want coffee. I’ll just…”

He starts to get up swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

But Eddie’s voice stops him.

“Buck?”

Buck freezes.

“Yeah?”

Eddie sits up fully now, rubbing the back of his neck.

His voice is quieter.

“You didn’t… have to leave”

Buck turns halfway with his eyes soft.

“I didn’t want to”

That hangs in the air for a second.

Eddie’s mouth curves just slightly.

“Good”

Then Buck because he cannot, smiles shyly.

“You talk in your sleep, you know”

Eddie groans flopping back onto the pillow.

“Oh God. What did I say?”

“Something about me being warm”

Buck says grinning now sith the tease creeping into his voice.

“And that I always leave too early in your dreams”

Eddie dies inside.

He yanks the blanket over his face.

“Nope. Not hearing this. I’m asleep again”

Buck laughs it’s soft and genuine the tension lifting just slightly.

“I stayed”

he says gently.

Eddie peeks out from under the blanket.

His eyes are still sleepy, but there’s something else there now something real and open.

“I know”

And for a long and quiet moment and neither of them moves.

Then—

A knock on the door.

“Are you guys awake? I smell coffee and also you left the pancake batter out!”

Buck and Eddie both jump like they were caught making out in high school.

Buck bolts for the door, trying to fix his hair.

“I got it! I got the batter!”

Eddie chuckles under his breath while watching him go.

Then he flops back onto the bed,l with arm over his eyes still smiling to himself like a man who just woke up who had the best night of his life.

Buck steps out of Eddie’s bedroom slowly trying to look normal.

His shirt is wrinkled and his curls are wild he’s definitely got Eddie’s blanket lint on his shoulder.

He pauses and straightens his shirt a littleand rubs at his eyes before heading toward the kitchen.

He’s halfway down the hallway when—

“Good morning… sleepyhead !”

Buck jumps like he’s been caught sneaking out after curfew.

He turns to find Christopher standing in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed and eyebrow raised like a judgmental older sibling who’s seen things.

Buck clears his throat.

“Hey, buddy. You’re up early”

Chris doesn’t move.

“Did you sleep in my dad’s bed?”

Buck freezes.

“Uh—technically, yes?”

Chris grins.

“Did you cuddle ?”

Buck’s ears go bright red.

“W-what? No. I mean— yes? Maybe? It was cold! The couch sucks! Your dad offered!”

Chris just smiles like this is going exactly how he planned.

“Mm-hm. And how long have you two been secretly in love and pretending you’re not?”

Buck makes a strangled noise. “What happened to you being a sweet, innocent kid?”

Chris shrugs.

“I live here. I observe ”

Behind the wall just around the corner, Eddie is standing absolutely still clutching a coffee mug to his chest like it’s the only thing tethering him to earth.

He is dying.

He’s trying not to laugh.

He’s also trying not to scream.

Buck’s still floundering.

“Okay, look”

Buck says with his hands up.

“Nothing’s happened. Not really. We’re just… figuring stuff out. Like… slowly. Grown-up slow. Okay?”

Chris tilts his head.

“So you like him?”

Buck swallows.

“Yeah. I really do@

Chris nods like that’s acceptable

“So when are you gonna kiss?”

“ Christopher! ”

Buck nearly yelps.

Eddie chokes on his coffee around the corner.

Before Buck can answer Chris checks the microwave clock and lets out a gasp.

“We’re gonna be late! ”

Buck spins around.

“Wait, what time is it?!”

Chris is already dashing toward his room to grab his bag.

“You were too busy cuddling to set an alarm!”

“ It wasn’t like that!! ”

Buck yells after him.

Eddie finally rounds the corner pretending like he hasn’t been eavesdropping the whole time.

“He’s right though—we’re gonna be late. Shift starts in twenty. Go throw on your uniform”

Buck blinks.

“I’m wearing half of it!”

“You’re barefoot”

Buck looks down.

“Okay. Technicality”

Eddie smirks.

“Hustle”

Chris reappears with his backpack tossing Buck his shoes from the floor with surgical accuracy.

“Let’s go, lovebirds!”

“ We are not— ”

Buck starts then gives up with a groan.

There’s shoes thudding,Keys being grabbed,Backpack zippers and Buck slamming a travel mug lid on crookedly. Eddie herding them both toward the front door with his “Dad Voice” fully activated.

“Chris, jacket! Buck, keys! No, not my keys—yours! The red ones!”

“I don’t know where I put them, I was half-asleep and on your chest!”

Eddie pauses

“Okay well— now you’re awake. Move!”

Chris mutters to himself gleefully.

“I should’ve recorded this”

Buck jumps into the passenger seat of Eddie’s truck.

Eddie slams the driver’s door and starts the engine.

Chris climbs into the back like this is the most routine morning ever.

They all look a little disheveled.

A little chaotic.

But they’re smiling.

Soft, crooked and secret smiles.

Because despite the flustered morning and the wild child matchmaker in the backseat...

This is exactly right.

Chapter Text

It’s finally Saturday.
After of hours and days of Chris complaining about how he wants to go so bad.
The museum is buzzing with kids darting between exhibits, squeals of excitement echoing off glass panels and concrete walls. Planets hang from the ceiling like slow swaying mobiles and holograms project solar flares across the floor.

Buck and Eddie walk side by side with warm coffees in hand watching a group of kids try to lift a replica meteorite with a pulley system.
Christopher is nowhere near them he vanished as soon as they arrived claiming he saw some of his friends by the Mars rover display.
He didn’t even wait for permission.

“Do you think we’ve been officially abandoned?”

Buck asks while sipping his drink.
Eddie hums.

“Oh yeah. This was a coordinated drop-and-ditch”

Buck glances over at him, grinning.

“He planned this, didn’t he?”

“He's his father’s son”

Eddie says while tting his head toward Buck.

“He knows how to play the long game”

Buck raises an eyebrow.

“You calling me manipulative?”

“I’m saying he gets his matchmaking tendencies from somewhere”

Buck lets out a huff of a laugh.

“I don’t matchmake. I just… gently encourage”

“With shoves”

“Little nudges”

“You once sent Ravi and that dispatcher on a date with a fake raffle prize”

Buck shrugs.

“Worked, didn’t it?”

Eddie shakes his head while smiling
They pause near a glowing moon sphere display.
A kid is laying underneath it pretending to be crushed.
Buck stares for a moment.

“That’s gonna be me in, like, ten minutes”

Eddie’s brow furrows.

“Crushed by a fake moon?”

“No”

Buck says while sighing dramatically.

“Crushed by the weight of how good you smell”

Eddie goes still beside him.
Buck sips casually.

“I—uh—what?”

Eddie asks blinking.

“You heard me”
Buck says with his eyes forward and voice nonchalant.

“You smell like cedar and danger”

Eddie’s mouth twitches.

“That’s the cologne you gave me for Christmas”

“Exactly”

Buck turns to him while smirking.

“So technically, this is all my fault”

“I’m gonna throw this drink at you”

“You won’t”

Eddie takes a slow sip of Buck’s drink instead of his own.
Buck stares.

“Hey. That’s mine!”

“You were holding it out”

“I was gesturing”

“You handed it to me”

“No, I didn’t”

“I took it. Same thing”

“You’re impossible”

Eddie takes another sip and shrugs.

“You like me that way”

Buck tries to snatch the cup back.
Eddie lifts it higher out of reach.

“You wanna fight?”

Buck challenges.
Eddie lifts an eyebrow.

“You gonna make a scene, Evan?”

Buck eyes him with his lips curling into a grin. “L

“Say my name like that again”

Eddie immediately drops the cup back into Buck’s hands and steps away with an exasperated sound like he’s genuinely afraid of what might come out of his mouth next. But his ears are pink.
Buck sips smugly.
They drift toward a new section of the exhibit astronaut suits and moon landing displays with a a simulated gravity jump. Buck’s distracted by the jump machine but Eddie keeps looking at the suits.

“You’d look good in one of those”

Buck says offhandedly while watching Eddie examine a NASA replica.
Eddie glances over.

“Yeah?”

Buck leans closer like it’s a secret.

“Something about you in head-to-toe gear, barely breathing in a pressurized suit? It’s a vibe”

Eddie glances sideways slowly.

“You’re insane”

Buck’s eyes glint.

“Takes one to know one”

They’re standing too close now.
But the kind of close where a bump of the arm would mean something.
The kind of close that makes the air tight.
And then someone clears her throat behind them.
It’s a woman in her 40s holding a museum brochure and smiling warmly at them.

“Sorry to interrupt”

she says,

“but you two are just… so cute.”

Buck blinks.

“Oh—uh—thank you?”

“I saw your son earlier curly-haired, glasses? He’s with the Mars rover kids?”

Eddie nods slowly.

“Yeah that’s him”

The woman beams.

“I just love seeing families like yours. You can tell you really love each other”

Buck opens his mouth to respond.
Nothing comes out.
Eddie just smiles while being polite and noncommittal.

“Enjoy the rest of your day”

she says brightly while walking away.
Buck watches her leave.

“Did that just—?”

“She thinks we’re married”

Eddie says not even hiding the amusement in his voice.
Buck turns toward him with wide eyes

“You didn’t correct her”

Eddie shrugs.

“Why ruin her day?”

Buck stares.

“You’re enjoying this”

Eddie looks him up and down while smirking.

“Maybe”

They walk in silence for a few beats but the air between them is electric now.
Every brush of their sleeves feels like a spark.
Buck glances sideways.

“So. We’re married now?”

“Common law”

Eddie replies dryly.

“It’s been what—ten years of pining?”

Buck stops. “You just admitted it.”
Eddie keeps walking.

“Admitted what?”

“That you’ve been pining”

Eddie doesn’t look back.

“Don’t know you mean”

Buck jogs a step to catch up.

“Oh, I know exactly what you meant”

Eddie hands him his own drink without looking.
Buck takes it.

“This is yours”

Eddie shrugs.

“Tastes better when it’s yours”

They both stop realizing he just said the same thing Buck did earlier.
Eddie looks at him.

“What?”

Buck’s voice drops just a notch.

“Nothing. Just… déjà vu”

Before it can get any heavier Chris runs up to them from the opposite hallway slightly breathless.

“Max’s mom said we can go see the rover controls before the show starts”

Eddie nods falling back into dad mode in an instant.

“Let’s go, then”

Chris eyes both of them.

“You two look weird”

Buck straightens.

“We do not”

“You look like people who almost kissed by the space toilets”

Eddie glares.

“Christopher.”

“I didn’t say did!”

Chris grins while running ahead again.

“You’re welcome!”

Buck mutters,

“We’re raising a monster”

Eddie sighs while rubbing his hand over his face.

“We really are”

They follow after him and Buck reaches for Eddie’s arm lightly with their fingers brushing his elbow.
A touch.
Nothing more.
Just enough to say I’m here.
I felt that.
All of it.
Eddie doesn’t shake him off.
And Buck doesn’t stop smiling.

Eventually Chris starts begging Buck and Eddie to go to the gift shop and Buck can never refuse Chris so he started begging Eddie to go to the shop also.
It’s buzzing with kids clutching glow in the dark star maps and parents “pretending they’re not about to spend $60 on a moon-shaped nightlight”
In eddies exact word.

Buck’s looking at a lava lamp that’s clearly meant for children with his eyebrows furrowed like he’s debating whether he can justify buying it for himself.
Eddie is beside him and picks up a plush alien with googly eyes and holds it up.

“This looks like you before coffee”

Buck glances at it.

“That thing is missing half its brain”

Eddie smirks.

“Exactly”

“Wow”

Buck says deadpan.

“Thank you for your love and support”

“You’re welcome”

From the other side of the shop Chris appears with his eyes wide and breath fast like he just sprinted there.

“Okay”

he says with his voice low and dramatic.

“I have a business proposition”

Eddie narrows his eyes.

“Christopher…”

Chris ignores him entirely and turns to Buck pulling a crumpled wad of bills and coins from his hoodie pocket.

“I have forty-three dollars and thirty-six cents”

Buck blinks.

“Impressive. Do I… win a prize?”

Chris huffs.

“I need you to buy me the meteorite fragment in the glass case”

Buck follows his gaze to a black velvet pedestal near the register and there’s a palm sized piece of rock is displayed under a little LED spotlight, with a tag that says
"Certified Lunar Meteorite – $112.00”

Buck blinks.

“Chris. That’s a hundred and twelve dollars”

Chris thrusts the money into Buck’s hands.

“I’ll pay you back over time. I have a plan”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“Do I want to know the plan?”

“No”

Chris says quickly.

“Is the plan legal?”

“Technically, yes”

Buck’s laughing now while folding the bills and handing them back.

“Chris, why do you want a piece of space rock?”

“Because it’s awesome. And cool. And it’s from the moon. And I already have a display shelf ready”

Eddie leans down slightly.

“How about something under fifty dollars that isn’t from an unconfirmed planetary origin?”

“But it’s real, Dad. It came from space! You can’t just put a price on that!”

“You can”

Eddie says dryly.

“The museum clearly did”

Chris turns back to Buck with his best puppy dog eyes.

“C’mon. You’re the fun one”

Buck looks helpless.
Eddie crosses his arms.

“Don’t you dare cave”

“I’m not caving”

Buck says with his hands raised.

“I’m just… considering the importance of a child’s scientific curiosity”

“You’re considering being an enable

Chris looks at Buck.

“Fifty now, sixty-two later. I’ll mow lawns”

“You don’t even have a lawn”

Eddie mutters to Buck.

Buck grins.

“Look, I admire the hustle”

“Thank you”

Chris says while clutching the meteorite case now like it’s sacred.

“But”

Buck continues gently,

“maybe you start with a mini version. You know? One that doesn’t cost more than my electricity bill”

Chris groans and drags himself dramatically across the floor to the discount bin muttering something about betrayal and injustice.
Buck watches him go still laughing
and then turns back to Eddie.

“He almost had me”

Buck says while shaking his head.

“Those eyes should be illegal”

“They are in some states”

Buck glances down at Eddie’s hands where he’s absently spinning a museum pen between his fingers.
The way he always does when he’s trying not to look at Buck too directly.

“You know”

Buck says while tilting his head

“I’d buy you something too. If you used those same eyes”

Eddie looks up.

“You want me to pout at you for a stress ball shaped like Saturn?”

“I want you to admit you want the stress ball so I can mock you and then secretly buy it for you later”

Eddie chuckles while glancing at the display of solar system merch.

“I’m not above liking squishy Saturns”

“Didn’t think so”

Buck grabs two one shaped like Saturn and one shaped like a red heart.
He tosses the heart at Eddie.

“For when I annoy you”

Eddie catches it without looking.

“So… constantly?”

“You wound me”

“You’ll survive”

Buck steps closer to the counter with the items nudging Eddie’s arm with his own as they wait in line.
He doesn’t move away.
Neither does Eddie.
They stand there in the soft hum of the gift shop noise and shoulders pressed together the air charged again.

Eddie finally says with his voice low,

“You were really gonna spend a hundred bucks on a space rock, huh?”

Buck shrugs.

“He wants the moon. You give the kid the moon”

Eddie looks at him.
His voice is quieter now.

“And what do you do when you’re the one who wants it?”

Buck meets his eyes with his breath catching a little.
Then Chris reappears between them, clutching a glowing astronaut keychain like it’s the next best thing.

“Fine”

he says.

“I’ll settle for this. But when I’m famous, I’m buying my own moon”

Buck ruffles his hair.

“Deal”

They check out.
Eddie insists on paying for everything and Buck tries to argue but Eddie just fixes him with a look.

“Don’t fight me in front of the planets”

Eddie says.

“You’ll lose”

Buck rolls his eyes but lets him win because, deep down he likes it when Eddie insists.
They walk out of the gift shop and a plastic bag swinging in Eddie’s hand with the keychain already clipped to Chris’s backpack.

The sun’s just starting to set outside the big museum windows.
It makes the whole place glow gold and soft.
And Buck is walking a half step behind them while watching Eddie reach out without thinking with his fingers brushing the back of Buck’s hand again not quite taking it.

The truck hums down the road the as the gift shop bag rustles slightly on the floor by Buck’s feet.
Chris is in the back seat stretched out with his arms crossed over his chest and head tilted toward the window.

His astronaut keychain dangles from the zipper of his backpack catching the light as it sways.
He’s half-awake and half-dozing definitely not listening.
Buck turns down the volume on the radio, just enough to keep it from being awkwardly quiet.

“Do you think he’ll still want to be seen with us when he’s fifteen?”

Buck asks softly while watching the rearview mirror.
Eddie doesn’t take his eyes off the road.

“Depends. Will you still be making laser gun noises in the middle of museums?”

Buck grins.

“I was enhancing the exhibit”

“You were scaring toddlers”

“Not my fault if they don’t appreciate commitment to the bit”

Eddie huffs a laugh.

“You’re lucky you’re cute”

Buck freezes.
Eddie seems to realize a second too late what he said but he keeps driving like he didn’t just casually launch a missile between them.
Buck shifts in his seat turning toward him slightly.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“You just called me cute”

Eddie shrugs while being a little smug.

“I’ve said worse”

Buck smirks.

“You’ve never said that”

“I’ve thought it”

Eddie mutters like that’s safer somehow.
Buck stares.

“Jesus”

Eddie glances at him out of the corner of his eye.

“What?”

“You can’t just say things like that while we’re trapped in a small, moving vehicle”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Maybe”

Buck’s leg bounces a little with restless energy coiled up tight in his muscles.
He presses a palm to his knee like he can force the tension to stay contained.
Eddie finally adds casually,

“You were doing the thing again you know”

Buck frowns.

“What thing?”

“The thing with your mouth”

Buck blinks.

“Eloquent”

Eddie grins.

“Where you bite the inside of your cheek when you’re nervous. Or thinking too hard. Or pretending you’re not watching me”

Buck’s breath catches.

“Okay, wow”

Eddie glances at him again all smug and soft and that little smirk is doing things.
Buck groans while leaning back in his seat dramatically.

“This feels illegal. You’re driving. You’re hot. There’s soft music playing. You’re noticing things about my mouth. I’m dying”

Eddie snorts.

“You’re being dramatic”

Buck turns his head voice quieter now.

“You like it”

Eddie doesn’t answer right away.
His hand flexes once on the wheel.
Then again.
He doesn’t look over when he says it

“Yeah”

he says quietly.

“I really do”

The silence that follows is heavy with it.
Not awkward.
Not even nervous.
Just charged.
Like the universe is holding its breath.
In the back seat Chris shifts and mumbles something about “lunar soil" in his sleep.
Eddie exhales slowly.
Buck turns to the window for a second, presses the back of his knuckles to his mouth.

“Hey”

he says after a minute.
Eddie hums.

“Hmm?”

Buck doesn’t look at him.

“If I asked you what you’re thinking right now, would I regret it?”

Eddie’s voice drops, low and smooth.

“Probably not”

Buck’s fingers curl against his thigh.
Eddie finally glances at him again with his eyes dragging slowly across Buck’s jaw, his throat, down to his hand.

“I was thinking about how you looked earlier”

Eddie says.

“When you were holding Chris’s backpack.”

Buck turns confused.

“That’s what got you thinking?”

Eddie nods once.

“Yeah. You had that look on your face”

“What look?”

Eddie shrugs acting casual too casual.

“Like you belonged there”

Buck swallows hard.

“In your truck?”

“In our chaos”

The words settle in Buck’s chest like a slow burning fuse.
Eddie keeps his eyes on the road, but his voice has a smile in it.

“Also you had blanket lint on your shoulder this morning. It was mine”

Buck groans again.

“Okay, no, you don’t get to flirt with me while driving. That’s a hazard”

“You could sue”

“I’d lose”

Chris stirs again and mutters something unintelligible.
They both go quiet for a moment listening to his soft breathing.
Then Buck says with his voice hushed,

“You always notice everything, huh?”

Eddie finally turns his head just enough to meet his gaze for a single beat at a red light.
His voice is barely more than a breath.

“Only when it’s you”

The light turns green.
And the truck keeps moving.

The next morning is smooth and light on the calls luckily nothing major.
Now though,Bobby is in his office like usual
And The station is Q-U-I-E-T for once.

Hen lounges at the table, typing something on her phone while sipping coffee.
Chim is scrolling aimlessly on his phone occasionally looking up.
Ravi’s organizing supplies halfheartedly, clearly not focused.
Hens voice is firm as she speaks not looking up.
“Okay. We need a plan”

Chim sighs
“If this is about another team-building karaoke night, I swear to God, Hen—“
“No, not that. Something important. We need to get Buck and Eddie to finally admit they’re in love with each othe

Ravi perks up
“Finally! I thought we were just letting them slow-burn until one of them explodes like a dying star”

Chim snorts
“More like implodes. Emotionally. Repeatedly”

Hen nods in agreement.
“Exactly. I’m sick of the longing looks, the “accidental” hand brushes, the domestic co-parenting while pretending it’s notdomestic co-parenting”

Chim looks unamused at this point
“Eddie literally picked a sesame seed out of Buck’s hair last week and acted like it was normal”

Ravi squints his eyes.
“He called it “affectionate grooming.” Like they’re wolves”

Chim sighs again
“Yeah, and Buck just stood there grinning like a golden retriever”

Hen grins like she won the lottery.
“Anyway, tonight? After shift? Karen and I are going to that club downtown. Buck and Eddie are coming”

Chim is suspiciously staring at her now.
“Since when do they go clubbing?”

“They don’t. That’s why we’re going to strongly encourage it”

Ravi grins and points to her
“You mean ambush them”

“Exactly. Controlled chaos. Low lights. High music. Encouragement to touch. Alcohol”

Chim makes a disgusted face
“I’m not going if I have to watch them make googly eyes for two hours”
“You’re going because you owe me for covering your shift last Tuesday”
“Damn it”

Ravi is cheerfully smiling

“I’m just excited to see Albert. He said he’s wearing the mesh top I got him for his birthday”

Hen and Chim both look up.

Chim is straight-up recoiling now
“Okay, why are you talking about my brother like I’m not right here?”

Ravi blushes
“I mean… you said he could come!”
“Yeah, to hang out. Not to be mentally undressed by you!”

Hen laughs
“You should’ve known better, Chi
“Okay, yeah, maybe I didn’t need to say the part about the mesh-“

Chim puts a hand up.
“Please stop saying the word mesh.
Suddenly, the door to the common area opens”

Buck and Eddie walk in at mid conversation and still carrying the golden and talking about the chaotic energy from their day at the science museum the other day with Buck’s hair is slightly messy and his jacket halfway off Eddie’s cheeks are pink from the sun.
—I still can believe he tried to bribe me. Bribe me! With forty-three dollars in crumpled bills and Canadian coins”

Eddie laughs
“And you almost did it”
“I was weak! He called me “the fun one.” I folded like laundry”
“You were ready to drop a hundred bucks on a rock”
“A space rock, okay? That’s different”

The room goes still for a beat. Hen, Chim, and Ravi stare at them in silence.
Buck notices.

“What?”

Chim coughs flatly
“Nothing”

Eddie suspiciously looks at them.
“You guys look…weird”

Hen responds on the most sweet and innocent tone ever
“Oh, just talking about club plan

Buck blinks
“Club… plans?”

Rabi is grinning like a man with secrets

“Hen’s taking us all out. You guys are coming”

Eddie starts to object
“Uh, I don’t—“

Hen interrupts him.
“Don’t even start you owe me three favors and Buck said last week he “needs to get out more”

Buck panics

“That was about, like… fresh air! Not… club air!”
“Too late. Karen already made you a playlist”

Ravi is still grinning.
“And I already warned Albert. He’s bringing backup sunglasses”

Chim groans
“Because apparently mesh reflects light now. God”

Buck and Eddie both pause and exchange a glance that look that’s just a little too long, a little too knowing.

Buck talks in a los tone to Eddie
“We could fake an emergency. Say Chris broke his telescope?”

Eddie smirks

“We just came from a museum. They’ll never buy it”

Hen is not amused.
“We can hear you, you kno

Chim rolls his eyes
“I’m so excited to watch you two stand awkwardly next to each other while pretending not to look at each other’s mouths all night”

Ravi teases the’.
“Or do look at each other’s mouths. I’m just saying—let nature take its course”

Eddie is straight-faced
“You guys are deranged”

Buck rubs the buck of his neck.
…What time are we meeting?

Eddie sighs
“I hate how easily they get us to agree to things”

Buck smiles

Eddie grins back.
“Unfortunately”

Hen raises her mug in triumph.

“It’s happening”

Chim grumbles and stands.

“I’m bringing earplugs. For the music and the flirting.”

Ravi shrugs.

“I’m bringing singles. For Albert”

Chim is horrified
“Ravi, no— I’m going to throw up”

They all head out toward the locker room, voices overlapping.
As Buck and Eddie trail behind Buck nudges Eddie’s shoulder lightly.

“So… you gonna wear that tight black shirt? The one from Chris’s birthday party?”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“You remember what I wore that night?”

Buck smirks.

“I remember everything”

Eddie pauses.
Looks at him.
Then says

“Guess I’ll have to return the favo

And that’s the moment Hen is halfway down the hallway as she turns back and yells.

“I heard that!”

Buck and Eddie both laugh.
Quiet.
Warm.
And maybe a little nervous.
Because something’s coming.
And they both know it,the both can feel it

The room is a war zone of fashion indecision with shirts tossed across the bed,two pairs of pants discarded over a chair and one lone black boot lying upside down on the floor like it gave up.

Buck is standing in front of his full length mirror in a partially buttoned black shirt and perfectly fitted tan pants.
His hair is styled with his sunglasses are pushed up on his head and he’s pacing with his phone pressed to his ear.
“Okay, but what if he shows up in that gray shirt again? The one that hugs his arms like it was made to ruin me?”

Maddie is mid-eyeliner and lets out a long sigh.
She’s wearing a deep red top,l with her her hair done, and she’s got that Big Sister Expression on the mix of fondness and exasperation only Buck can bring out of her.
“Buck. You are not about to have a breakdown over Eddie’s biceps”
“I might! You weren’t there, Mads. Last time he wore that shirt, he leaned on the bar and I blacked out for like three seconds!”
“Oh, so this is about survival now?”
“Yes! Emotional survival! He was all—smirking and flirting and—God, Maddie, he stole my drink! Like it was normal!”
“It’s called sharing. People in love do it all the time”
“Shut up we’re not in love!”
“Sure you’re not”

Buck groans and throws himself onto the bed dramatically with one arm over his face like a Victorian widow.
“I’m losing my mind. I spent ten minutes trying to figure out which cologne says “I’m cool and flirty” but not “please make out with me behind the DJ booth”
“Please tell me you didn’t spray five different ones and try to mix them”

Buck grins on the other side of the phone.
...Define “try”

Maddie sighs
“You’re lucky you're pretty. And that I love you”
“I mean, you’ve seen him, Mads. He’s gonna show up all tan and smug with that little smirk, and I’m just—done. I can’t function around him when he smirks”
“Buck, you live with a literal mirror. Pull it together”

Buck completely ignores her.
“Should I unbutton the top two? Or three? Or is that too much?”
“If you unbutton more than two, you owe everyone in that club an apology and a warning”
“But what if he likes it?”
“Do you want to survive the night or have a mutual public meltdown?”
“Honestly? I’m flexible”

He sits up messing with the buttons again. Ends up leaving two undone.
Just enough collarbone to be lethal.
He throws on the sunglasses.
Looks in the mirror.
Pauses.
“…I look hot, right?”

Maddie takes a deep breath.
“You do. Unfortunately. So please, for the love of all that is holy—go to this club, flirt back, and either kiss him or shut upabout how he smelled like cedar and danger for the next two weeks”
“You remembered that?”
“You told me four times”
“Right”

There’s a buzz at the front door.
Buck jumps.
“Oh God. That’s my Uber. It’s happening. I’m going out. I’m wearing sunglasses. I’m gonna die”
“Nope we are gonna go have fun and your gonna have fun with your future husband and stop acting like this is an episode of a CW drama”

Buck is standing.
“Okay. Okay. I’m going. I got this”

“Wait, should I bring breath mints? Do I look like I’m trying too hard?”
“Buck?”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve been trying too hard for 8 years”

Buck pauses.
Smiles.
It’s soft crooked and nervous.
“Yeah… okay. Wish me luck”
“Always”

She hangs up.
Buck stares at himself in the mirror one last time.
He adjusts his sunglasses and breathes out slow and mutters:
“Okay, Buck. Be cool. Just talk. Flirt. Don’t fall in love on the dance floor. You’re fine. Everything’s fine. You’re wearing tight pants. You’ve got this”

The door buzzes again.
He grabs his phone, wall , and courage, and heads for the door with his heart hammering smile building and everything about him alive with the anticipation of maybe tonight being different.

There’s a long line outside the club with neon lights pulsing from the entrance and a velvet rope stretching down the block.
The low thump of bass spills into the humid night air.

People are laughing and drinking from mini flasks shouting over the music already leaking from the inside.
It’s the kind of night where anything feels possible.

A sleek black Uber pulls up at the curb.
The back door swings open.
Buck steps out.
And it’s… a moment.
The sunglasses are still on.
Hair styled just messy enough to say yeah, I woke up like this. Confidence layered over nerves like cologne.

He adjusts the sunglasses with one hand and scans the line.
Spots them immediately.
Maddie, leaning into Chim, both dressed to kill.
Ravi is there too all nervous energy in a leather jacket practically buzzing.
Albert stands next to him in the infamous mesh shirt.
Hen and Karen are a few people ahead in line already dancing to the beat not even inside yet.
But Buck’s brain short circuits before it can take in the full squad, because
Eddie
Standing off to the side sipping from a water bottle like he hasn’t just committed fashion arson.
White tank top.
Green cargo pants.
Black boots.
And a black cowboy hat.
Tipped back just enough to show off that strand of hair that Buck loves with the gold of his skin and the line of his throat.
He turns.
And smirks when he sees Buck.
Buck stops dead.
Physically stumbles.
Maddie is watching with her arms crossed.
“And there it is”

Chim is very concerned
“Did he just trip over the air?”

Ravi is grinning at Albert.
“I think he just had a spiritual event”
“Honestly? Same”

Hen cackles to Karen
“Okay but why does Eddie look like a gay cowboy who fixes motorcycles and breaks hearts?”

Karen has a straight face
“Because that’s what he is”

Buck stares.
Blinks.
Stares again.
Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“You good there, Buck?”
“What… what the hell are you wearing?”

Eddie is very amused.
“You don’t like it?”

Buck opens his mouth.
Closes it.
Tries again.

“I—You—I mean—”

Eddie walks up slowly with the boots heavy on the pavement.
Stops way too close.
His tank top stretches ever so slightly as he shifts with his arms crossed.

“Wow”
Eddie says with his eyes dragging down Buck’s body like he’s doing a personal study.

“You’re really out here in the Tan Pants of Doom, huh?”

Buck blinks.

“I—what?”

Eddie nods at Buck’s pants.
“You know the ones. The ones that make people walk into traffic”

Buck blushes so hard he has to tip his sunglasses down to hide it.

“They’re just pants”
“Not on you, they’re not”

Maddie elbows Chim so hard he yelps.
“Are they flirting-flirting in front of us now?”

Chim is very concerned
“Why is this happening in public?”

Ravi grins.
“No one look directly at them. You’ll burn out your corneas”

Albert leans into Ravi
“So, we’re on the same side now?”
“I always support good fashion and slow-burn tension”

Buck adjusts his shirt collar like it’s suddenly way too tight.

“You wearing the hat all night?”

Eddie shrugs while tipping it forward slightly.

“Only if you keep the sunglasses

Buck swallows.

“You… you look like a cowboy who just got off a spaceship”

Eddie smiles slowly
“You say that like it’s a bad thing”

Buck runs a hand down his face.

“ I meed to sit down”

Eddie chuckles.

“We’re not even inside yet”

The bouncer finally waves them toward the front of the line.
Hen throws a victorious fist in the air.
“This is gonna be fun”

They head toward the entrance
one chaotic found family unit.
Eddie is walking behind Buck which is not helping Bucks condition and mutters under his breath:
“I swear to God, I’m not surviving tonight”

Eddie glances over his shoulder.

“You better. I didn’t wear this hat for nothing”

Buck glares at the back of Eddie’s head.
“I hate you”

“No, you don’t”

He’s right.

the bass hits like a punch to the chest.
Strobe lights slice through the thick air. Hazy smoke coils around pulsing beams of color.

The music is blasting loud enough to make conversation an Olympic-level sport.
The DJ’s remixing something synth-
heavy and fast with the vocals chopped and sped-up, beat absolutely feral.
Buck is already shouting with a wide smile.
“THIS IS INSANE! I LOVE IT!”

He throws his hands in the air like he’s already been here an hour.

Eddie grins while leaning in.
“WE JUST WALKED IN”
“IT’S A VIBE, OKAY?!”

They’re swallowed by the crowd instantly Hen and Karen vanish into the fog, Maddie and Chim veer left toward the bar and Ravi and Albert are already dancing under a violet spotlight like nobody else exists.

Buck grabs Eddie’s hand tight with his fingers curling around his wrist yanking him closer just as another surge of bodies pushes through the main dance floor.
“DON’T GET LOST!”

Eddie stumbles forward with their bodies bumping together.
He barely hears the words the music’s pounding like a heartbeat but he feels the grip.

Their hands stay locked.
Buck’s bouncing in place now with sunglasses still on and head already nodding to the beat singing along off-key but loud.

“WHY AM I ON MY OWN ON A SATURDAY NIGHT SEND ME YOUR LOCATION THE UBERS OUTSIDE FRIENDS ALL ON THE, BATHROOM SO I CUT THROUGH THE LINE
RUNNING OUT OF TIME!”

Eddie laughs.
Actually laughs bright and boyish and it hits Buck harder than the bass.

Eddie teases Buck while shouting.
“YOU ALREADY HAD A REDBULL, DIDN’T YOU?”
“ONE! AND A HALF! MAYBE TWO!”
“YOU’RE BOUNCING LIKE A GOLDEN RETRIEVER”
“THANK YOU FOR NOTICING!”

Buck spins around still holding Eddie’s hand tugging him through the shifting crowd like he knows where they’re going (he absolutely does not).

The dance floor is glowing with people moving like a wave, sweating, laughing, letting go.

Eddie watches him watches the sunglasses slipping down his nose and the way his shirt clings to his chest when the strobe light hits him just right how he sings the wrong lyrics with full commitment and zero shame.

Buck feels Eddie’s hand still in his.
Warm.
Strong.
Not letting go.
He spins back toward him.

Buck is leaning in with his breath hot against Eddie’s ear
“you look ridiculously hot,by the way”

Eddie freezes.
Blinks.
Blushes
hard.
“YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THAT IN PUBLIC!”
“TOO LATE! YOU WORE THE COWBOY HAT! THIS IS ON YOU!”

Eddie covers his face with his free hand and laughs with his shoulders shaking.
Buck just squeezes his fingers tighter and doesn’t stop smiling.

The beat drops again hard and Buck jumps in place pulling Eddie toward the center of the floor completely possessed by the rhythm.

Eddie follows him
He lets Buck guide him through the chaos, lets the music thrum in his chest lets himself be tugged closer.
Not quite dancing yet not fully but swaying. Watching.

Buck spins again this time with no warning, still holding on their chests colliding for a brief second sweaty, flushed and electric.
Their eyes lock.
The world doesn’t stop but it tilts.
Buck licks his lips.
Still grinning Still high on the moment.
“You’re gonna dance with me, right?”

Eddie doesn’t answer.
Just nods once.
Small.
Intense.
Because hell yes he is.
Suddenly the lights flash crazily and Buck is jumping again with his hands in the air with Sweat shining at his temple.
Eddie is actually dancing now and not just swaying.

He’s moving.
Hips shifting side to side in rhythm cowboy hat tilted low arms flexing when he spins. His tank top is criminal.
His smile is worse.
They're face to face in the center of the dance floor, moving like they forgot the world exists outside of this moment.
And then—
The music shifts
The beat morphs, melody sneaking in under the chaos.

The crowd gasps a little.
Buck’s eyes go wide.
“NO. WAY”

Eddie laughs
“Oh my God”

Buck is actually screaming now

The first verse hits

"I've tried playin' it cool But when I'm lookin' at you I can't ever be brave Cause you make my heart race..."

Buck starts screaming the lyrics at full volume not even singing just joyful shouting, bouncing up and down like he’s been electrocuted by happiness.

Eddie’s still laughing with his cheeks flushed and hands half-up but then…
Then he joins in.
Not just lip syncing.
Really singing.
Loud. Off-key.
Into Buck’s face.
“Shot me out of the sky! You're my kryptonite!”

Buck gasps.

“DID YOU JUST—”

Eddie grins
“YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH TASTE, BUCKLEY!”

They’re both bouncing now.
In sync.
Together.
Blushing and breathless and wild.

“You keep making me weak Yeah, frozen and can't breathe— “

Hen, standing near the edge of the crowd with Karen and her drink just stares in amazement.
She lifts her phone slowly.
Click.
“Got it”
“You’re gonna frame it, aren’t you?”

Hen grins proudly.
“Already planning the slideshow for the wedding”

The flash doesn’t register for Buck and Eddie.
not when Buck’s hand slides up to Eddie’s bicep tugging him in closer during the chorus.

Not when Eddie spins Buck like an idiot and they both stumble into each other laughing too hard to stand up straight.

“So get out, get out, get out of my head And fall into my arms instead”

Buck’s sunglasses fall off.
Eddie catches them mid drop and slides them onto his own face without breaking rhythm.

Buck is flushed and breathless.
“You’re gonna break me”

Eddie grins.
“Not if you break me first@
“Wanna bet?”

Eddie just laughs and keeps dancing with his hat dipping low as he throws a wink. Buck’s face goes red to his ears and he looks away, grinning so hard it hurts.

“I don't, I don't, don't know what it is But I need that one thing!!”

They both sing that part scream-singing it really with arms thrown around each other’s shoulders now barely registering the crush of people around them.
They’re caught in their own rhythm, spinning slowly in a storm only they can feel.

“And you’ve got that one thing!”

It’s joy.
It’s tension.
It’s pure electric them.
Maddie, Chim, Ravi, and Albert all see it from across the dance floor.

Maddie is softly watching.
“They’re gone@l”

Chim takes a sip of his drink and loudly talks.
“They’ve ascended!”

Ravi elbows Albert
“Blushing and dancing. That’s love”

Albert looks back at Chim.
“You owe me twenty bucks, Chim”

Chim sighs and pulls out his wallet.
Meanwhile—m
Buck’s hands are on Eddie’s waist now.
Just resting there.
Loose but warm.
Eddie’s arms are over Buck’s shoulders. Cowboy hat tipped forward.
Close enough that he has to lean in to shout.
“You’re ridiculous”

Buck grins.
“Takes one to know one”

Their foreheads almost touch.
Buck’s smile falters just a second.
Then Eddie leans in even closer.
“I like this side of you”

Buck quietly speaks.
“What side?”

Eddie just smiles.
And they keep dancing.

The music fades into a new beat slower but stil heavy.
The kind that makes everything feel closer.
Buck and Eddie are still in the middle of the floor with their bodies almost pressed together.

The crowd around them has shifted with people dancing in their own little worlds. Lights pulse red, then blue, then gold hazy warmth wrapping around them like a secret.
Buck leans in too close on purpose brushing his mouth near Eddie’s ear.
His voice drops smooth and flirty and way too confident for how his heart is pounding.
“If I kiss you here, you gonna pretend it didn’t happen?”

Eddie freezes just for a second.
Then his eyes drop to Buck’s lips.
Slowly.
Intentionally.
Buck doesn’t move.

Doesn’t breathe.
He just watches Eddie’s gaze fall and watches Eddie’s fingers tighten slightly on his hip and feels the heat rising between them like they’re the only two people in the building.

Eddie tilts his head just barely and Buck leans in.
Closer
And even closer.

“EVAN! HEY!”

The sound cuts through the music like a needle scratch.
They jump apart instantly like teenagers caught making out in a parked car.
Buck stiffens already knowing the voice.

Tommy.

Wearing a too tight designer shirt and a smug smirk all the self-importance of a man who’s never had to say he’s sorry.

“Didn’t expect to see you here”

Buck blinks stunned.

“Tommy?”

Eddie steps forward slightly.

“Of course”

Buck swallows.

Tommy flashes a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

Tommy’s eyes flick to Eddie’s cowboy hat, unimpressed
“Diaz? Didn’t recognize you without your badge and your ‘Dad of the Year’ routine”

Eddie’s smile goes razor sharp.
“Didn’t recognize you without your fake charm”

Tommy laughs it’s the smug, condescending kind.

“Wow. So you brought your bodyguard tonight, Evan?”

Buck takes a breath.
Tries to stay calm.
His cheeks are still red from almost kissing Eddie from the adrenaline, from the sharp burn of seeing him.
“We’re just here with friends”

Tommy snorts
“Yeah, sure. Just friends. Totally normal for “just friends” to whisper into each other’s ears like that”

Eddie’s jaw tightens.
“We don’t owe you an explanation”

Tommy lifts his hands mockingly.
“Relax, cowboy. You look like you’re about to throw a punch, and I’m wearing a $200 shirt”

Eddie is so over it.
“You should be more worried about who’s standing behind me”

Tommy scoffs looking past Eddie to Buck again.
His tone dips into something darker.
“So this is what you’re doing now, Evan? Playing house with a guy who probably cries during Pixar movies?”

Eddie steps forward even more now.
“Don’t talk to him like that”

Tommy grins
“Or what?”

Eddie doesn’t move.
Doesn’t blink.
He doesn’t need to.
There’s something in his eyes that makes Tommy hesitate.
Buck gently touches Eddie’s elbow.
“It’s not worth it”

Tommy is smiling at Buck.
“Still letting other people fight your battles for you, huh”

That one lands like a slap.
Buck flinches not visibly but Eddie sees it. And that’s all it takes.
“Say one more thing like that, and I won’t care how much your shirt costs”

Tommy’s smile falters for the first time.
“i forgot how intense you are. You two make a great pair — a coward and a guard dog”
“And you’re still a manipulative piece of shit!”

The words land.
Sharp.
Blunt.
Final.
Tommy’s face goes hard.
Cold.
“Enjoy the drama, Evan. I’m sure it’ll go great with your next panic attack”

Buck’s breath catches a low blow.
Too personal.
Too calculated.
Eddie fully steps in front of him now, blocking Tommy’s view completely.
“We’re done here”

Tommy holds Buck’s eyes one last time something bitter and cruel behind his fake-smile exterior then turns and disappears into the crowd.
Buck lets out a long and shaky breath.
Eddie turns around slowly with his eyes searching his face.
“Are you okay?”

Buck nods but he’s lying.
His fingers are curled tight at his sides. There’s a tremble in his shoulders like he’s trying not to break apart.

Buck slightly laughs.
“Well. That was fun”
“You want to get out of here?”

Buck blinks up at him.
“Just outside. Air. Quiet. Just us”

Buck nods.
“Yeah. Yeah, okay”

Eddie doesn’t wait.
He just reaches for Buck’s hand again it’s warm and solid and starts walking guiding him through the crowd through the lights and the beat and the noise..
Buck doesn’t let go.

The music is still thumping inside its muffled now distant like a memory that’s already slipping away.
Out here it’s quieter.
Cooler.

The air smells like city and cigarettes and night.
Buck is pacing a little with his hands on his hips.

His head tilted back like he’s trying to breathe through it, jaw tight, lips pressed together.
Eddie leans against the brick wall watching him carefully.
Giving him space.
But staying close enough in case Buck tips.
Because he looks like he’s on the edge of it.
“You don’t have to pretend”

Buck scoffs and doesn’t meet his eyes.
“I’m not pretending. I’m just… processing”

Eddie pushes off the wall and takes a few steps forward.
“He doesn’t get to do that to you. Not anymore”

Buck turns with his voice too loud.
“Yeah, well, he did”

It slips out sharp.
Raw. Buck
immediately flinches at his own volume and looks away, like he’s embarrassed just for feeling.
“He always knew exactly where to hit. Where it would land. What would stick”

He pauses with his breath catching.
His voice drops.
“And the worst part? I let him. I let him do that”

Eddie’s chest tightens.
“Buck…”
“I knew he wasn’t good for me. I knew he’d turn everything I said into a weapon. But I stayed. And now just seeing him — hearing him — it’s like my whole body remembers how small he made me feel”

He laughs a little but it’s hollow.
“And I hate that I still feel it”

Eddie steps in then.
No hesitation.
He reaches out and grabs Buck’s wrist gently and tugs.
Buck looks up startled but lets him.
And suddenly he’s pulled into Eddie’s chest.
Held.
Buck’s breath leaves him in one long and quiet exhale.

His forehead drops against Eddie’s shoulder without resistance.
His hands hang at his sides for half a second
Then one of them lifts.
Grabs a handful of Eddie’s shirt.
The other curls around Eddie’s waist.
he lets himself fall.
With his head turned and face buried in Eddie’s chest with his eyes closed.

Eddie whispers softly
“There you are”

Eddie wraps his arms around him sigh one firm across Buck’s back and the other lifting to slide fingers gently into his curls right at the base of his skull.
Buck’s breath hitches again.

Not a sob not quite but close.
Something shaky and vulnerable and real.
Eddie stays quiet.
Doesn’t ask him to talk.
Just keeps holding him.
“You didn’t deserve what he did to you”

Buck doesn’t answer but his shoulders loosen a little.
“You’re not weak for still feeling it. That’s what makes you… you. You love too big. You trust too hard. And you still choose to care. That’s not weakness, Buck. That’s… everything”

He says it into Buck’s hair it’s soft and reverent like a prayer he didn’t know he believed in until just now.
Buck presses closer.
Letting Eddie be the steady thing.
The safe place.
His voice is a whisper barely there.
“Don’t let go”

Eddie’s arms tighten.
His fingers slide deeper through Buck’s hair stroking once.
Slowly.
Purposefully.
“Never”

Eddie’s hand is still in Buck’s hair with his fingers slowly combing through soft curls. His other hand rests between Buck’s shoulder blades and warm and grounding.

Then Buck speaks muffled with his voice low against Eddie’s shirt
“…We should go back inside”

Eddie shifts just slightly not pulling away.

“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I mean... we did come here to dance. And drink. And pretend we’re cool and mysterious”

Eddie chuckles soft and real.
“You wore sunglasses inside. I think you nailed it”

Buck lifts his head just enough to grin at him.
Still close still wrapped in Eddie’s arms.
“You wore a cowboy hat and cargo pants and managed to look hot. I think you’ve got me beat”

Eddie flushes.
Tries to hide it.
Fails miserably.
“I was going for practical”
“You were going for “Buck won’t survive seeing me like this,” and guess what? You succeeded”

Eddie rolls his eyes and gently tugs on one of Buck’s curls.
“Come on. I’ll buy you a drink before you combust from all that smooth talking.
Buck smirks, still not letting go quite yet”
“..Can we stay like this for another thirty seconds?”

Eddie’s voice drops.

“Yeah. We can.”

So they stand there thirty more seconds. Maybe longer.
Close.
Quiet.
Their breaths slowing in time with each other.
And then Buck finally pulls back but only a little hands still brushing Eddie’s sides.
“Let’s go pretend we didn’t almost have a full emotional breakdown outside a nightclub”

Eddie shrugs.
“Speak for yourself. I look great”

Buck laughs brighter this time.
“Yeah, well. You always do”

Eddie opens his mouth to say something, something right on the edge of vulnerable but Buck’s already tugging him back toward the door with his fingers brushing against Eddie’s palm like he might take his hand again without realizing it.

Buck squints into the lights with Eddie close beside him a little quieter now and a little softer but not stepping away.
Buck leans into Eddie
“Okay. Operation: Get a Drink Without Getting Dragged Back Onto the Dance Floor?”

Eddie smirks
“Is that a real operation or something you just made up because you're emotionally dehydrated?”

“Both. I contain multitudes”

They make their way to the bar with their elbows bumping lightly.
Buck keeps glancing sideways at Eddie his hat still somehow perfectly in place with his jaw set just so under the strobe lights.
It’s criminal.
Eddie leans one arm on the counter, tilting toward Buck.
“What are you drinking?”
“Surprise me. But not like tequila surprise me. Like… flirty, mysterious cocktail surprise me”
“So a whiskey sour?”
“You do know me”

Eddie flags the bartender with an easy nod. Buck rests both elbows on the bar and leans in with his eyes still drifting toward Eddie just in time to catch him doing the same.
They both look away.
They both smile.
“Well, look who decided to come back”

Hen appears at Buck’s left shoulder grinning like the cat who caught the slow-burn canary.
Karen’s behind her sipping something pink and clearly entertained.
“You two disappear for twenty minutes and come back looking like you’ve either cried, confessed feelings, or made out behind a dumpster”

Buck shrugs
“Can’t it be all three?”

Hen laughs way too loudly.

“I KNEW IT”

Eddie gets defensive
“We did not make out behind a dumpster”

Karen grins
“Oh my god, that’s a confirmation if I’ve ever heard one”

Eddie laughs
“I’m just clarifying!”

Buck hides his face behind his drink as the bartender drops it off.
He takes a long sip muffled and muttering.
“i hate all of you”

Hen smirks and bumps his shoulder affectionately.

“You’re glowing, Buckley”

Buck nearly spits his drink.

Eddie sips his beer with his eyes flicking to Buck
He always glows.
It’s his natural state.
Hen and Karen both make a sound of oooooooh.
“That was smooth”

Hen claps
“I’d say get a room, but you’ve probably already got one booked”

Buck grins
“Hen, please. Christopher exists”

Eddie looks at Buck blushing
“…And he’s probably at home right now texting Maddie asking if “cuddling means dating”

“He would”

Buck and Eddie laugh it’s soft and full and they don’t even realize their bodies have turned fully toward each other.
Their knees are brushing now.
Their drinks forgotten on the bar.
Their friends are loving this.
“Oh god. They’re doing the eyes again”

Buck turns to find Chim, Maddie, Ravi,
and Albert approaching like a very chaotic entourage.

Chim does these weird gestures and blurts out literally everything.
Chim is very drunk at this point.
“The staring thing. The whole “I want to kiss you but I’m being a coward” thing. It’s exhausting. Can we fast-forward to the part where you make it official and stop holding up everyone’s betting pools?

Buck is shocked
“You bet on us?!”

Maddie shrugs.
“Don’t act surprised. I started it”

Ravi is confused but delighted
“I lost thirty bucks but I regret nothing. You’re a slow-burn masterpiece”

Albert grins
“You were glowing when you came in, dude. Like post–Disney-princess glowing”

Eddie smacks his head against the table
“Oh my god”

Buck downs the rest of his drink like a man trying to escape his own body.
“Okay, that’s it. New plan. We dance again until they all get distracted and leave us alone”

He looks at Eddie and holds out a hand cocky grin back in full force but eyes soft underneath.
“You in?”

Eddie doesn’t even hesitate.
He takes Buck’s hand.
“Always”

The team whistles and catcalls behind them as Buck leads Eddie back into the chaos of the floor.
They don’t let go of each other’s hands.
And they don’t stop smiling.

The sunlight cuts in hard through the loft’s blinds, gold and unapologetic.
It streaks across the floor in long rectangles, highlighting the controlled mess of Buck’s space jacket half-off the back of a chair Eddie’s hat on the kitchen island and two pairs of boots by the door side-by-side like they’ve lived there forever.
Buck groans.
His head is pounding.
He’s flat on his back in bed tangled in a mess of sheets and he realizes slowly that he’s wearing Eddie’s hoodie.
The sleeves are too long
the fabric soft and warm with Eddie’s scent baked in.
He shifts and winces as he presses a hand to his face.
“Ohhh my god, I’m dying”

And then he remembers.
The club.
The dancing.
The heat.
Eddie’s hand on his waist.
Eddie’s laugh god, that laugh.
The slow song.
Their lips
Almost.
So close.
So close he still feels the phantom warmth of Eddie’s breath across his mouth.
Buck sighs like he’s been punched in the chest.
“Would’ve been perfect.
Before Tommy opened his mouth and ruined it. Of course”

He shifts again squinting toward the window.
The coffee machine is going.
Coffee.
He didn’t make coffee. He… definitely didn’t.
So who—
Oh.
Buck blinks blearily toward the kitchen.
He doesn’t see Eddie but the familiar click-hiss click of the coffee maker is unmistakable.
The smell drifts through the air like some kind of angelic intervention.
“He stayed?”

That shouldn’t make his chest do weird things.
But it does.
Of course Eddie stayed.
Of course Eddie made coffee like he’s done it a hundred times before in Buck’s kitchen. Because they’re... whatever they are. Something warm.
Something steady.
Buck sits up.
Or tries to.
The moment he lifts his head more than five inches the world tilts violently and his brain screams in protest.
“Oh no.
Nope. Nope nope nope”

He drops back down with one arm flung across his eyes like the sun personally betrayed him.
“Okay. Okay, I’m definitely hungover.
I didn’t drink that much, right?
...Right?”

There’s a moment of stillness. Then in his attempt to shift and sit up again
THUD.
He rolls off the side of the bed and hits the hardwood with spectacular force

“Buck?!”

Eddie yells from downstairs.

Footsteps.
Fast ones.
A mug clinks against the counter.
Then the sound of Eddie’s feet on the stairs quick and urgent.
“What the hell was that??”

Buck doesn’t even try to get up.
He’s spread eagled on the floor with his hoodie riding up slightly and his hair a chaotic mess of soft curls and pillow dents. His legs are still kind of tangled in a corner of the sheet.
“I’m dying. This is it. I have achieved death”

Eddie appears at the top of the stairs
“You fell off your bed?”

Eddie’s holding a coffee mug in one hand and a look of fond amusement on his face that makes Buck want to die for an entirely different reason.

Buck raises a single hand from the floor.

“This is your fault”
“You’re blaming me for gravity?”
“You wore a cowboy hat and made me dance with you and then almost kissed me, and now I’ve got a head like a war drum and no dignity left. So yes. I’m blaming you”

Eddie snorts.
“You’re such a drama queen”

“I hate you”
“No you don’t”

Buck rolls his eyes.
“Fine. I hate you, but like, affectionately”

Eddie walks over and kneels beside him, setting the coffee mug within reach.
“Drink. It’ll help”
“What if it just makes me die faster?”
“Then I inherit your motorcycle. Win-win”
“That thing is a death trap and you know it”

Eddie smirks
“Then I’ll give it to Christopher. Tell him to sell it and use the money to fund his evil genius labs
“That’s beautiful. You’d be a great co-parent to my motorcycle”

Eddie rolls his eyes and ruffles Buck’s hair.
“Come on, you’re not staying on the floor all morning”
“I want to stay on the floor. The floor understands me!”

Eddie offers a hand Buck sighs like it’s a tragedy and takes it letting himself be pulled upright.
He leans a little too hard against Eddie when he stands and Eddie steadies him with a hand on his back.
They don’t move apart right away.
Buck’s still half drunk on sleep with a headache,m and the memory of almost.
“Did you sleep on the couch?”

“Yeah. After I made sure you didn’t choke on your tongue”

Buck lets out a little laugh.
“You’re a real romantic, Ed’s”

Eddie shrugs.
“I try”

They move down the stairs together with Buck’s grip lingering on Eddie’s wrist a little longer than necessary.
The loft feels warm.
The coffee’s still steaming in the mug.
A pan of eggs sits on the stove.
Eddie heads over to plate breakfast like this is normal.
Like he does it every weekend.
Buck leans against the counter watching him.
Watching the long sleeve shirt he’s wearing slip down Eddie’s forearm.
Watching the way he hums softly under his breath.
It would’ve been good.
We would've been so good.
He presses the mug to his lips.
And tells himself there’s still time

Chapter Text

The eggs are good.
The toast is slightly burnt.
The coffee is working its magic.
And the tension is astronomical.
They’re seated across from each other at Buck’s small kitchen table.
Eddie’s still barefoot with his sleeves rolled up and one knee bouncing.
Buck’s leaning forward on his elbows stabbing a piece of scrambled egg like it personally offended him.
Neither of them mentions the dance floor.
Or the slow song.
Or how close they got.
Or how badly they both wanted to kiss.
Nope.
Just breakfast.
Totally normal.
Eddie clears his throat.
“So… we still pretending you didn’t fall off the bed like a sitcom character?”

Buck opens is mouth and grins
“First of all, I slipped with style. There was grace in that fall”
“Pretty sure you screamed “ow” like a cartoon and cursed gravity like it was personal”

“Gravity and I have history”

Eddie hides a grin behind his coffee mug. Buck stares at him with his eyes lingering a second too long on his mouth.
“You make fun of me a lot for someone who made me breakfast in my own kitchen”
“You’re not gonna start calling me “baby girl” again, are you?”

Buck raises an eyebrow.
“You say that like you didn’t like it”

Eddie chokes slightly on his toast.
“You’re the worst”

“Yet you’re still here. Hoodie-thief. Coffee-maker. Bed-hog”

Eddie smirks.
“I slept on the couch”

“You should’ve slept in the bed”

That lands.
Heavy.
Unspoken.
Eddie glances at him.
“Yeah. Maybe”

Silence stretches between them.
The kind that's thick with everything they’re not saying.
Buck clears his throat and gets up and takes his empty plate to the sink.
He rinses it absentmindedly with his hands moving on autopilot.
He hears Eddie behind him.
Then footsteps.
A moment later Buck’s back on the couch hair still messy and sleeves pushed up.
He exhales with his eyes unfocused with his body still catching up to how much his brain is spiraling.
Then—
“Move your arm?”

Buck blinks down just in time for Eddie to lay his head in Buck’s lap curling into the cushions like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Buck stiffens just for a second.
Because this isn’t casual.
But Eddie closes his eyes with one arm draped over his own chest with his hair brushing against Buck’s stomach.
He looks relaxed.
Peaceful.
Like he belongs there.

Buck speaks quietly
“You… okay?”
“Mmhm. Just comfy. Hope that’s allowed”
“Oh. Yeah. Totally. Super normal”
“Guys do this all the time the ol’ bro-head-in-lap maneuver”

Eddie grins with his eyes still closed
“You talk so much when you’re nervous”

Buck looks down at him,at the long sweep of Eddie’s lashes,the curve of his mouth, the slight flush still on his cheeks from earlier.
And something in Buck’s chest twists.
He brushes his fingers through Eddie’s hair without thinking.
Once.
Then again.

“That feels nice”

Buck grins
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You have surprisingly gentle hands for someone who wrestles flaming beams for a living”

Buck laughs it’s soft and quiet.
“You’ve got surprisingly soft hair for someone who’s basically a walking jawline”

“Did you just compliment my hair?”
“Shut up and enjoy it”

Eddie smirks but doesn’t say anything else.
He just lies there.
Letting Buck pet his hair.
Letting the silence stretch again but this time it’s comfortable.
Until Buck glances down and sees Eddie looking up at him.
Eyes soft.
Warm.
Unmoving.
Their gazes lock.
Everything else fades.
The kitchen.
The toast crumbs.
The headache.
The sunlight.
It’s just them.
So much unsaid.
So much waiting.
Buck’s fingers pause in Eddie’s hair.
Eddie doesn’t move.
And for a second a long, breathless second it’s like they’re right back on that dance floor.
Lips almost touching.
Hearts pounding.
Everything hovering on the edge of more.

Buck whispers almost afraid like.
“Eddie...”
“Yeah?”

Buck swallows.
But before he can say anything else Eddie’s eyes flutter shut again.
neither of them moves.
And neither of them lets go.

The afternoon slipped away without either of them noticing.
Eddie’s still on the couch half-curled up and Buck’s legs are stretched out along the cushions now with a a throw blanket tossed haphazardly over both of them at some point like they weren’t even pretending anymore.
The TV is on playing something neither of them is watching.
The sound is low.
Background noise.
But now reality creeps in.
Eddie checks the time on his phone and sighs.
“We’ve got shift tomorrow”

Buck blinks slowly.

“We dol

Eddie doesn’t move right away.
Neither does Buck.
“I should probably go. Shower and pick up Chris from Tia Pepas,Be a responsible adult again”
“You sure you don’t wanna stay? I could be convinced to order tacos”

Eddie chuckles but it’s quiet.
Almost regretful.
“If I stay, I might not leave. And I think I need to… leave. For now”

Buck nods, even though it kills him.

“Yeah. Okay. I get it”

Eddie finally sits up stretching with a soft grunt.
Buck watches him stand with his eyes trailing down the line of his spine, the curve of his shoulders under his shirt.

He swallows hard.
Eddie grabs his phone off the coffee table.

“You really don’t remember how much you drank last night?”

Buck gets defensive
“I remember enough. I remember you dancing in that cowboy hat like a menace”

Eddie grins.
“You liked it”
“Not the point”

They walk toward the door slowly.
Neither of them wants this to end not really.
Buck leans in the doorframe with his arms crossed trying not to look too much like he’s hoping Eddie changes his mind.
Eddie stands just in front of him closer than necessary.
His hand brushes the doorknob but he doesn’t turn it.
The tension is back again.
Pressing.
Immediate.
Hot.
“Hey, Buck?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for… everything. For last night. For this morning. For not… pushing”

Buck shrugs a little with his eyes soft.

“I didn’t want to mess it up”
“You didn’t”

A beat.
Their eyes lock.
And for a second the world disappears again.
Eddie steps closer.
Buck doesn’t move.
They’re inches apart now.
Barely breathing.
Buck’s gaze drops to Eddie’s mouth.
His heart is hammering so loud it feels like a drum in his ears.
Eddie leans in slowly and hesitantly like he’s scared he’s imagining this.
Their noses brush.

Buck voice is below a whisper.
“Eddie…”
“Yeah?”

Buck tilts his head.
Barely.
They hover. One breath. One heartbeat. Almost.
And then—
Eddie pulls back.
Just a fraction.
Eddie sighs.
“We’ve got shift tomorrow”

Buck blinks with heartbreak flickering behind his smile.
“Right. Shift”

Eddie lingers for a second longer.
His hand lifts like he’s going to touch
Buck’s face… but he stops short.
Drops it.
“Goodnight, Buck”
“Night, Eds”

Eddie opens the door.
The air rushes in like a cold reminder.
Buck watches him go standing in the doorway long after Eddie disappears down the stairs.
He presses his hand to his chest.
And tries not to ache.

It’s been hours since Eddie left.
The kitchen is a war zone.
There’s flour on the counter, cinnamon on the floor, a half-mixed bowl of batter next to a tray of slightly overcooked cookies.
The oven is preheated and something smells like it’s burning, and Buck is talking to himself like a contestant on Great British Bake Off: Emotional Meltdown Edition.
He’s got a smudge of chocolate on his cheek with the sleeves of his shirt
shoved up his arms and he’s muttering as he scoops cookie dough with more force than necessary.
“It’s fine. Totally fine. Almost kisses happen all the time”
“It’s a totally normal thing to almost kiss your best friend twice and then watch him walk away like it didn’t mean anything and not say anything and not DO anything and-“

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Buck jumps and nearly drops the spoon.
“Who the—?”

He moves toward the door wiping his hands on a kitchen towel and heart still pounding from flour-induced adrenaline.
He opens it to find—
Maddie
Arms crossed.
Hair in a messy bun.
Looking at him like he’s a problem she’s both worried about and deeply,deeply annoyed with.
“Maddie? What are you—what are you doing here?”

Maddie looks at buck sternly
“You weren’t answering your phone”
“I was—there was flour—and the timer went off—and I—“

Maddie sighs as she brushes past him
“Oh my god. Buck”

She walks into the kitchen and stops dead.
“What. Is happening”

Buck closes the door behind her sheepishly.
“Stress baking”

Maddie turns to him slowly.
“I can see that. The question is: why are you stress baking like you’re auditioning for a Food Network breakdown?”

Buck bites his lip and avoids eye contact as he stirs something aggressively that absolutely does not need more stirring.
“Okay, I may or may not be in love with my best friend who may or may not be gay and who also may or may not have almost kissed me again tonight and then LEFT like it was NOTHING and now my brain won’t shut up and I can’t stop thinking about it and I didn’t know what else to do so I made three kinds of muffins and burned the brownies and I think I made scones but I’ve never even HAD a scone, Maddie, and-“

He stops with his chest heaving.
Maddie just stares at him.
Then takes a deep breath.
“Okay. Buck. Breathe. Seriously—inhale”

He obeys.
Takes a deep and dramatic breath like he’s doing yoga for the first time in his life
“Good. Now exhale before you pass out and fall face-first into that tray of whatever the hell that is”

Buck raises his eyebrow.
“I think it’s supposed to be banana bread?”

Maddid surveys it
“It looks like banana despair”

Buck slumps into one of the kitchen chairs while rubbing his face.
“Mads, I almost kissed him. Again. Like—for real this time. We were just… looking at each other. And he leaned in. And I leaned in. And then we just… didn’t”
“Again?”

Buck nods helplessly
“again”
“Tell me you didn’t almost kiss him again and not do it”
Buck sinks lower in his seat
“We were so close. He was right there. I could feel his breath. I was already tilting my head. There was a forehead lean,Maddie. A lean”

Maddie has her hand to her forehead
“Oh my god, just kiss already! What is wrong with you two?”
“I don’t want to scare him! What if I read it wrong? What if he’s not ready? What if he regrets it? What if—“
“Buck”
“What if he doesn’t want me like that?”
“Buck. Look at me”

He does.
Reluctantly.
Eyes glassy with panic.
“You are not crazy. You didn’t imagine it. If Eddie didn’t want to kiss you, he wouldn’t be two almost-kisses deep and letting you cuddle him like a human weighted blanket. Okay?”
“He laid in my lap. On purpose. That has to mean something, right?”

“Yes! Of course it does!”

She moves closer while softening her voice.
“Buck, you love him. And it’s obvious—to literally everyone. You’re not gonna scare him away. Not if he feels even halfof what you feel”
“…What if he’s scared too?”

Maddie sighs and rests a hand on his shoulder.
“Then maybe one of you has to be a little brave”

A long beat.
Buck looks down at the mess of flour on his shirt.
At the tray of banana despair.
Then back at her.
“I should probably stop baking”

“Yeah, this kitchen looks like a pastry crime scene”

Buck grins
“You want some sadness muffins?”
“Absolutely not”

Buck huffs a soft laugh.
Maddie smiles.
They sit for a second quiet again.
Safe.
“Thanks for coming”
“Always. Even if you’re an emotionally repressed baking gremlin”

Buck smirks

“I learned from the best”
“You’re lucky I love you”

The house is quiet.
The kind of quiet that presses in too close.
The kind that makes every breath feel loud.
The kind where overthinking thrives.
Eddie is in his bedroom, pacing slowly.
He’s changed into a T-shirt and sweats, freshly showered, hair damp and soaking wet at the ends still
But there’s no calm to him.
No stillness.
He walks from one side of the room to the other, like the movement will burn off whatever is twisting in his chest.
His phone is in his hand.
Lit up.
Opened.
On Buck’s contact screen.
He’s looked at it ten times in the last thirty minutes.
Texted nothing.
Called no one.
Just stared.
“I should’ve kissed him.
I should’ve done it.
He wanted me to. I felt it”

He stops near the window and leans against it while pressing his forehead to the cool glass.
Outside with the street is empty.
The lamplight casts a soft glow across the lawn.
Christopher’s door down the hall is closed. Safe.
Asleep.
While Eddie is literally spinning.
He turns away from the window and sits down heavily on the edge of his bed.
The mattress creaks under his weight.
He runs a hand through his hair while gripping the back of his neck and elbow on his knee.
His phone slips out of his hand and lands beside him on the comforter.
He stares at it like it might bite.
Then he whispers—
“What the hell am I doing?”

He leans back lying flat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Everything from earlier replays in flashes:
Buck in that black shirt.
His sunglasses.
That laugh.
His hands on Eddie’s hips.
The way their eyes locked.
That lean.
That near kiss.
So close.
And then the moment shattered.
And Eddie let it.
He closes his eyes and exhales slowly like guilt and frustration swirling in his chest like smoke.
“I should’ve said something.
I should’ve stayed.
I should’ve kissed him”

He rolls over and buries his face in his pillow as he groans.
His phone buzzes.
He jerks upright like he’s been electrocuted, grabbing it instantly.

Hen:
I’m just gonna say it: you’re both idiots.

Eddie stares at it-blinking.
Then

Hen:
Tell him you love him before one of you combusts.
Or we’re staging an intervention.
He exhales through a laugh that sounds like it might turn into a cry.

“I do love him.
God, I love him so much I’m scared to breathe”

But he still doesn’t text.
He just sets the phone on the nightstand, turns off the lamp and climbs under the covers where he lies awake staring at the ceiling.
Eyes open.
Waiting.
Wanting.
And wondering how long they can keep dancing around the truth before one of them breaks.

The morning at the station is the usual calm and also chaos there’s the smell of burnt toast, overbrewed coffee and early shift crankiness lingers in the air.
Hen, Chim, Ravi, and Bobby are all seated or moving around the kitchen with mugs in hand half-awake but alert.
Because it’s 7:03 a.m. and Buck and Eddie are late.
Which never happens.

Chim sips his coffee eyeing the clock
“So... what do we think? Overslept, or post-almost-kiss awkward tension made them walk here separately and now they’re both waiting outside like idiots?”

Hen flatly talks
“They’re emotionally constipated. I give it ten minutes before one of them accidentally says “I love you” in a whisper and then denies it for six month

Ravi chuckles
“You say that like they didn’t almost kiss in the middle of a club surrounded by flashing lights and shirtless guys”

Chim is so annoyed at this point
“Exactly! So, I’m saying… four shifts. Tops. Buck’s gonna break first. He’s got that “I might monologue in a firetruck” energy”

Ravi raises his eyebrow
“How much?”
Chim grins
“fifty bucks. One of them cracks before end of shift Fridayl

Hen scoffs
“You’re both ridiculous. And way too invested”

Chim looks offended
“Hen. You literally pulled me aside two days ago and said “if they don’t kiss by next week, I’m throwing them in a hose closet and locking the door”

“…Okay, that’s fair”

Bobby is sipping his coffee tiredly.
“They’ve been like this for years I’m just waiting for the day Buck walks into roll call and blurts it out by accident like, “Oh sorry, I was late because Eddie’s mouth—” and then just passes out”

Chim raises his finger.
“You joke. But you know it could happen.
The kitchen door creaks open—“

And both Buck and Eddie walk in at the same time.
They freeze when they realize the entire team is already there.
Then do that thing where they move at the same time and almost collide.

Buck mutters.
“Sorry”
“No, you go—“
“No, you go”

Hen mutters under her breath.
“Oh my god”

They finally enter, side-by-side but with just enough space between them that it’s suspicious.
Buck’s curls are still damp.
Eddie’s shirt is inside out.
Nobody says anything for a second.

Ravi murmurs to Chim and leans into him closer.
“Ten bucks says they didn’t sleep”
“Wholesome sleep? Or—“
“The spiraling kind”

Bobby looks at them sternly
“Okay. What is going on with you two?”

Buck blinks.
Eddie immediately starts pouring coffee like it’s his job.
“You’re never late. You’re always coordinated. And now you’re… not looking at each other, blushing, and hovering like you accidentally got married and forgot to tell anyone”

Buck gets defensive
“We didn’t get married!”

Eddie responds too quick.
“Nobody got married!”

Chim scoffs
“Wow. That was… convincing”

Hen talks into her mug.
“It’s like watching a teen drama but with more trauma and less kissing”

Eddies eyes are wide
“Nothing’s wrong!”

Buck is blushing.
“Everything’s normal”

They both finally look at each other.
Long beat.
Too long.
They both look away.
Hen claps
“That’s it. I’m getting the hose closet ready”

Buck opens his mouth.
“Hen!”

Bobby sighs.
“Guys. I’m saying this with love. And a lifetime of patience. But… you two need to figure it out. Because whatever this is?”

He gestures vaguely between them
“It’s radiating into the walls. The station feels tense”

Ravi shakes his head

“It’s not bad tension. It’s like… unresolved fanfic tension. You’re living in chapter twenty of a seventy-chapter slow burn”

Chim pats Ravi’s shoulder.
“Ravi’s reading a lot lately@

Buck looks around the kitchen.
“Okay, we’re gonna go… uh. Gear check”

Eddie also does.
“Yeah. Hose maintenance. Truck inspection. Other... manly, firefighting things”

They flee.
Everyone watches them leave in silence.
Then—
Chim speaks very loudly.
“They’re totally in love”

Hen sighs
“God help us al

Bobby pragmatically speaks

“I’m gonna order more kitchen chairs. Because once this all comes to a head, Buck’s gonna fall out of one”

Ravi grins.
“Wait—should I raise the bet to seventy-five? I think we’re hitting “kiss or combust” territory”

Chim grins
“Do it. And add five bucks if it happens on a call”

Hen groans.
The team disperses buzzing with energy.

Buck leans against his locker taking a deep breath.
Eddie stands across from him awkwardly tugging at the hem of his shirt.
They glance at each other.
Both flustered.
Both smiling.
“You wore your shirt inside out”

Eddie looks at buck
“You didn’t dry your hair”

They laugh quietly.
The space between them isn’t very far.

Buck looks up at the exact wrong moment catching sight of Eddie’s bare collarbone, the small scar at the edge of his shoulder.
Their eyes lock.
Way too long.
Then the alarm blares
Dispatch voice crackles over the intercom:
“Station 118, possible flood damage with structural collapse — abandoned warehouse, 5439 Haverhill. Missing person report from bystanders. Respond Code 3”

Buck is almost relieved
“Well. That’s us”

Eddie grabs his gear.
“Yep”

They both bolt for the garage and neither of them finishes the conversation.

Rain slams against the windshield like fists. Sirens scream.
The engine cuts through the soaked streets of L.A. like a bullet.
Buck and Eddie sit side by side on the bench seat in the back with water already dotting their boots.
They keep glancing at each other when the other isn’t looking.
The silence in the cab is... not subtle.

Chim whispers to Hen.
“They’re doing it again. The awkward eyes. The fidgeting. This is pre-kiss energy”

Ravi raises his eyebrow.
“I thought it was post-almost-kiss energy?”

Hen grins.
“It’s “we’re in love but refuse to say it so we make it everyone else’s problem” energy”

Bobby clears his throat in the front seat.
“So… May called me yesterday”

Everyone looks up — grateful for the distraction.
“She was helping organize that community fundraiser. Said she’s thinking of applying to the county emergency management team. It’d be a big mov

Hen smiles.
“That’s huge”

Chim shrugs.
“She’s already running half the city. Wouldn’t surprise me if she ends up mayor”

Bobby smiled
S”he said to tell everyone hi. She misses us”

As Bobby talks Buck lets his arm fall to the side and it brushes against Eddie’s leg.
He doesn’t move it.
Eddie shifts slightly so their arms are pressed together.
Neither says anything.
Neither breathes for a full five seconds.
Chim whispers to Ravi.
“Ten bucks Buck cracks first”
“You’re on”

Bobby is focused on the road.
“ETA three minutes. Everyone be sharp — if this structure’s as old as dispatch says, rain damage could be serious”

Eddie looks at Buck.
“Buck, you with me?”

Buck nods.
Tense.
Focused.
But not okay.
“Always”

Their eyes meet again.
Too much.
Too intense.
Outside lightning flashes.
The storm is getting worse.
And as they pull up to the abandoned warehouse, the entire team already knows
Something’s about to break.

The firetruck skids to a stop with red and blue lights flashing through the sheets of pouring rain.
The warehouse looms dark and half collapsed ahead, windows shattered, water pooling around the crumbling foundation.
Bobby steps out first with his voice cutting through the storm.
“Hen, Chim — exterior perimeter and power check. Make sure nothing’s gonna spark while we’re inside”

Hen nods motioning Chim to follow her around the side.
“Ravi, take gear and assist with triage if we find anyone. Stay out of the main structure until we clear it”

Ravi nods.
“Got it, Cap”
“Buck. Eddie. Interior sweep. Two floors. We’ve got a possible missing person — last seen by bystanders near the northwest stairwell”

Eddie steps forward while tightening the strap on his helmet.
“We’ll move fast. Stay in contact”

Buck nods slowly, but his eyes they’re already on Eddie.
Locked.
Unblinking.
Afraid.
Bobby notices.
“Buck?”

Buck swallows hard and forces a breath through his nose.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good”

But he’s not.
He keeps glancing at Eddie like every second is pressing against something fragile inside his chest.
Like this moment feels different.
“You two go in together. You stay together. No cowboy shit tonight”

Eddie grabs a flashlight and clips it to his vest.
“Buck always follows my lead”

Buck cracks a small and shaky smile.
One second too late.
“Unless I see you do something stupid, then it’s my job to stop you”

Eddie grins
“Since when have you ever stopped me?”

Their eyes hold again before heading inside.

The door groans open and rain pours inside like it’s chasing them.
It’s dark.
Half the ceiling has caved in.
Water drips steadily from beams above.
The floor is slick and uneven, debris scattered everywhere.
Buck and Eddie move in together, flashlights cutting across broken crates, fallen metal shelving, and cracked cement.
Eddie speaks into husband radio
“Interior sweep beginning. Still no visual on the subject. Heading north wing!”

They move deeper.

Buck looks skeptical.
“You sure about this structure? It’s giving “sneeze and collapse” vibes”

Eddie is still scanning the place.
“Just don’t sneeze”

Buck huffs a breathless laugh.
He keeps glancing sideways
not at the structure.
At Eddie.
“Hey, just—when we’re done here, we should… talk. About, you know…”

Eddie doesn’t look at him. Keeps walking.
“Buck, don’t”
“I’m serious. Last night—what almost—“

CRACK.
The ceiling groans above.
“Eddie, wait—!”

Too late.
A beam gives out.
A wall of water crashes down with a sickening roar and
Eddie’s gone.
Swept away into the far side of the building behind a collapsed metal shelf and a burst pipe.
“EDDIE!”

He charges forward while scrambling over debris half-slipping in the muddy water.
“EDDIE! TALK TO ME!”

The raido crackles.

Bobby’s voice comes in.
“Buck, what happened?! We heard the collapse”

Bucks voice is breaking.
“Eddie’s down. He’s not answering. I can’t—I can’t see him. I’m going after him”
“Buck, do not your going to get hu-“
“I’m not leaving him!”

He tosses his radio aside and climbs through the wreckage.
Water rises to his ankles.
He shoves aside broken shelving,l swinging his flashlight wildly.
“EDDIE!”

The beam catches on something—
A hand.
Then an arm.
Then Eddie who’s half-pinned under a chunk of drywall coughing and gasping but alive.
“Oh my god—EDDIE—“

Buck throws himself forward and drops to his knees in the water and grabs Eddie with both arms and pulls him in like he can’t help it.
“Jesus Christ, I thought—I thought you were—“

Eddie is straining his voice while being breathless.
“I’m okay. I’m okay. It just knocked the wind outta me”

Buck voice cracks.
“I heard the crash. You didn’t answer. I couldn’t see you and—I thought you were gone”

He’s clinging to Eddie like it’s the only thing anchoring him.
Eddie lets him.
Hands tight on Buck’s soaked back with his cheek pressed to Buck’s shoulder.
Their helmets knock slightly with water dripping between them.
Neither moves to break the moment.

Hen softly speaks.
“Y’all good?”

Buck looks up at her.
His expression is wrecked.
Hen stares at them for a beat soaked to the bone and flashlight glinting off the rain between them.
She just shakes her head smiling a little to herself.
“Idiots”

Buck and Eddie sit side by side in the back of the truck.
Dry towels hang around their shoulders but their hair is still damp.
Clothes clinging.
Bruised knees.
Shaking hands.
Neither says a word for a long time.
Then—

“You were really scared, huh?”

Buck doesn’t answer right away.
Just stares ahead.
Then turns to him.

“I thought I lost you”

Eddie’s hand twitches on the seat between them.
Then he moves it.
Covers Buck’s.
Their fingers stay there barely touching.
But held.
No one else in the truck says a word.
But behind them
Hen smirks.
Chim slips Ravi a twenty.
Bobby just sighs.
“Finally”

The engine rumbles into the bay as thunder echoes faintly overhead.
Rain is still pouring unrelenting like the storm just hasn’t gotten the memo.
Buck and Eddie step down from the truck, boots squelching against the soaked pavement.
Their gear is still damp.
Their hair is a mess.
Shirts cling to their skin.
They're both shivering but not from the cold.
Just inside the station glows warm and dry, a sharp contrast to the storm behind them.

The rest of the team is already moving through the post-call rhythm hanging gear, yawning, toweling off.
Chim hums something tuneless.
Hen’s sipping what must be her eighth coffee.
Buck peels off his jacket sigh his hands moving on autopilot, but his eyes flick again and again to Eddie across the room.
Eddie’s unzipping his outer layer.
His shirt underneath is soaked and see-through, clinging to every line of muscle.
He doesn’t notice Buck staring.
Or maybe he does.
He just doesn’t look back.
There’s too much between them right now too close, too raw, too unspoken.

Chim speaks to Hen under his breath.
“Why does it feel like we’re in the finale of some slow burn drama
“Because we are”

“And it’s starting to piss me off”

Ravi walks by with a towel around his neck, nods toward Buck and Eddie.
“Should we even say goodbye? Or just let them stand around dramatically and pretend it’s casual?”

Bobby sighs
“Let them have their moment. Or whatever this is”

Buck finally speaks too loud, too fast.
“Welp. Shift’s over”

Eddie nods still wringing out the edge of his shirt like it's done something wrong.
“Yeah. Um. Guess I’ll head home. Chris probably crashed without me”

Buck forces a small smile.

“Tell him I said hi”
“I will”

A pause.
Just the sound of rain pounding against the station roof.
Buck shifts his weight.
Eddie rubs the back of his neck.
Neither moves.
“So… I guess I’ll see you later”

Eddie jaw clinches.
“Yeah. Later”

More silence.
More staring.

Buck looks at Eddie with soft eyes
“You sure you’re okay? After the call?”

Eddie replies sincere softly.
“You pulled me out of a flood and hugged me like you were gonna break apart”
“I’m okay. Are you?”

Buck swallows.
Shrugs.
“I don’t know. Everything feels..”
he laughs nervously.
“..wet. And weird. And like we’re tiptoeing around something big and stupid”
“Yeah”

Buck’s eyes flick to his lips.
Then away.
Eddie does the same.

Bobby speak loudly from across the room.
“If one of you doesn’t go home soon, I’m making you clean the showers!!”

Buck startles.
Eddie grabs his jacket like it just gave him an excuse.
“Okay! Yep. Leaving”
“Bye!”
“Bye.”

Buck watches Eddie walk out into the rain.
He stays standing there, gear half-hung, still dripping on the floor.
Hen walks past him.
“You know “later” doesn’t mean “never,” right?”

Buck blinks at her.
She keeps walking.
And the rain keeps falling.

Wipers squeak across the windshield in a steady rhythm.
The rain hasn’t let up it’s still pounding against the glass, blurring the city outside. Orange dawn light struggles to break through the clouds.
Eddie’s hands are tight on the steering wheel.
White-knuckle grip.
His jaw’s clenched.
The heater’s humming but he doesn’t feel warm.
The radio’s on low.
Some soft acoustic ballad playing the kind that makes your chest ache if you’re already halfway drowning in your own thoughts.
And Eddie is very much drowning.
He’s not even sure when he started replaying it the hug, the flood, Buck screaming his name like the world was ending.
The way Buck grabbed him.
The way he held on like he didn’t know how to let go.
The way Buck looked at him.
Like he wasn’t just trying to find Eddie in the wreckage.
Like he was trying to find something else too.
And then… the locker room.
The ride.
The goodbye.
That almost kiss again for the 100th time.
Eddie breathes out hard through his nose and grips the wheel tighter.
“This is getting ridiculous”

He shifts in his seat.
Rainwater still clings to his jacket.
His shirt is damp at the collar.
He should be thinking about Chris.
About breakfast.
About literally anything else.
But all he can see is Buck’s face.
The soft flush in his cheeks.
The slightly parted lips.
The flash of something desperate behind his eyes like he wanted to close the space between them so bad it hurt.
Eddie’s stomach twists.
His heart pounds.
He actually pulls the truck over near a red light puts it in park and leans forward, pressing his forehead to the steering wheel.
“I want to kiss him”
“God, I want to kiss him so bad”

He laughs bitter and breathless while shaking his head at himself.
Rain drums against the roof like it’s mocking him.
“I almost did. Again”

He sits back, exhales and rubs his hand across his mouth like he can somehow scrub away the memory of how close they were.
The heat of it.
The weight of it.
“I can't keep doing this”

But he knows he will.
Because Buck was standing there water running down his face, his shirt clinging to him, his voice cracking as he said, “I thought I lost you.”
And Eddie almost said it then.
Almost closed that last inch.
Almost let himself feel it fully.
But he didn’t.
And now he’s sitting in his truck parked in the rain thinking about Buck’s lips and how they were so close he could feelthe breath between them.
The light turns green.
Eddie finally pulls back onto the road.
Still silent.
Still spiraling.
Still full of want.

The loft is quiet except for the rain hammering the windows and the sound of Buck’s pacing boots across the hardwood floor.
He’s changed into sweats and a hoodie but the storm in his chest hasn’t let up.
If anything, it’ worse now.
He’s been pacing for what feels like an hour.
One hand buried in his curls and the other fisting the hem of his hoodie like it’s the only thing keeping him grounded.
His phone is on the counter.
He keeps glancing at it like it owes him answers.
He keeps replaying the moment Eddie’s breath hot against his face.
Their soaked shirts clinging.
The way Eddie looked at him scared, yes, but something else too.
Something electric.
Something hungry.
“God, I should’ve kissed him”

He stops moving.
Just stands there chest rising and falling.
Then—
“Fuck it”

He grabs his phone.
Shoves it in his hoodie pocket.
Yanks the hood up.
And bolts.

The city’s still asleep. Gray light.
Empty streets.
Flooded gutters.
Buck is sprinting through the storm with rain immediately soaking through his clothes.
His sneakers slap against the pavement, hoodie plastered to his back.
He doesn’t stop.
Doesn’t even slow down.
He doesn’t think about the fact that he has a jeep
Or how far Eddie’s house is.
He just runs.
Because his heart is pounding too loud.
Because his body made the decision before his brain could.
Because if he doesn't do this now he's going to lose his mind.
Every step is fueled by months of tension,years of longing and too many nights thinking about Eddie’s mouth,
his hands, his laugh.
That look he gives Buck sometimes the one that says I see you. I’ve always seen you.
“What am I doing?”

Another splash.
Another street.
His clothes are soaked.
His lungs burn.
But then he turns the corner.
And he sees it.
Eddie’s house.
Lights still on inside.
A warm glow in the kitchen window.
Buck slows to a walk finally gasping for breath bent over slightly drenched from head to toe.
He steps onto the walkway.
His hoodie drips water onto the concrete. His hands are shaking.
He doesn’t even knock at first.
Just stands there, soaked and breathing hard staring at the door like it holds every answer he's ever needed.
Then he lifts a trembling fist
And knocks.

There’s a knock at the door.
It’s not loud, but it’s urgent.
Eddie’s in the kitchen, barefoot in sweatpants, a coffee mug in one hand, staring blankly out the window.
His phone is on the counter, Buck’s name still glowing from when he last checked his contact
He hears it again the knock.
Then a third time fast a little frantic.
Eddie frowns and sets the mug down as he walks toward the front door.
As he opens it—
Everything stops.
Buck is standing there.
Soaked.
Shaking.
Hair plastered to his forehead.
Hoodie clinging to his frame.
Rain dripping from his eyelashes.
Chest rising and falling like he ran a marathon.
And he probably did.
eddies voice is soft and stunned.
“Buck?”

Buck blinks at him.
Then huffs out a broken laugh almost in disbelief that he’s actually here.

“Hi”
“What the hell—you're—you're soaked. Did you walk here?”

Buck laughs again watery and breathless.
“No. I ran. I didn’t—I didn’t think. I just—god, I just had to see you”

Eddie steps forward instinctively hand halfway out like he’s not sure whether to pull Buck inside or shake him.
“Buck, what’s going on?”

Buck wipes a hand over his face completely drenched with water running down his neck. His eyes are glassy not from the rain.

Buck voice cracks.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t. Not after last night. Not after the flood. Not after any of it”

Eddie stares at him frozen.
“You could’ve died in that warehouse Ed’s and all I could think was that I never told you. I never said it”
“Buck—“
“No, let me—just let me finish”

Buck takes a shaky breath with his fists clenched at his sides.
His hood falls back with rain matting his curls down.
“I’ve been in love with you for so long I don’t even remember what it felt like before it started. And I’ve tried so hard to be patient, to give you space, but Eddie—every time we almost kiss, I feel like I’m drowning in it”

Eddie’s lips part, eyes wide, heart thundering.
Buck takes a step closer with his voice softer now, almost broken.
“And if I don’t kiss you now, if I don’t try—I’m gonna regret it for the rest of my life”

The rain keeps falling.
So hard it’s deafening.
And then—
Eddie drops his coffee mug on the porch.
It shatters instantly.
He steps out into the rain and grabs Buck’s face in both hands wet and trembling and pulls him in like gravity gave him no choice.

“Shut up and kiss me, Evan”

Buck barely has time to exhale before—
Eddie kisses him.
Hard.
Messy.
Desperate.
Teeth clashing.
Lips slick.
Hands in Buck’s drenched curls
Buck grabbing fistfuls of Eddie’s soaked shirt, yanking him closer.
It’s not perfect. It’s real.
And they are drenched both of them soaked to the bone kissing like they’ve wanted this for years like it’s oxygen, like it’s the answer to every question they’ve been too afraid to ask.
Buck mumbles into the kiss.
“Took you long enough”

Eddie smirks against his lips.
“You ran through a damn storm”
“I’d do it again”

Eddie kisses him again softer this time. Fingers stroking Buck’s cheekbones. Thumbs brushing under his eyes.
Their foreheads press together breathing each other in.
“Then let’s get out of the rain. You’re freezing”
“You gonna kiss me again if I come inside?”
“I’m gonna kiss you either way”

Buck laughs.
Shivers.
Eddie pulls him in by the wrist and slams the door behind them.

Buck barely has time to take a breath before
Eddie pushes him back against the hands gripping his dripping hoodie mouth crashing into Buck’s again like he’s making up for every second they didn’t do this.

Buck speaks breathless against Eddies lips.
“Eddie—“

Eddie mutters.
“Been wanting to do this for so long”

Buck groans as Eddie presses against him pinning him completely.
The rain from their clothes seeps into the floor, into the wallsbut neither cares.
Not even a little.
Eddie kisses down Buck’s jaw to the corner of his mouth then his neck open mouthed and rough lips dragging over skin that’s already flushed and damp.

Buck gasps.
“Jesus. Eddie—“

Eddie pulls back just enough to breathe, eyes flicking toward the hallway.
The house is quiet.
Still.
Chris is asleep.
They look at each other soaked and panting.
And then Eddie takes Buck’s hand and starts walking him backwards toward the living room.
“Couch. Now”

Buck laughs dazed and giddy and completely in love.
“God, okay, bossy”
“You like it”

Buck eyes darken

“Yeah,I really do”

They trip over their shoes and each other soaked socks slapping against the hardwood.
And then—
They hit the couch.
Eddie pushes Buck down onto the cushions and straddles him knees on either side
clothes still clinging wetly to both of them.
The room is dim with the only light coming from the stove clock and a lamp left on in the hallway.
Their eyes lock.
Eddie smiles softly.
“Hi”

Buck looks up at him glowing, rain-speckled, stunned and aching.
“Hi”

Eddie laughs and leans in with their foreheads brushing and noses nudging.
Their soaked shirts press together. Rainwater drips from Buck’s curls onto Eddie’s bare arm. It’s messy and cold and absolutely perfect.
“We’re ruining my couch”

Buck grins.
“I’m not sorry”
“Neither am I”

Buck’s hands slide up Eddie’s hips.
Eddie leans down again and their mouths meet slow now exploratory and reverent. Like they’re learning each other in real time.
They’re not rushing.
Not anymore.
But they’re not stopping either.
Because this is it.
Every missed chance, every almost, every “we’re just best friends” lie — this is where it all breaks open.
And neither of them is turning back.

Eventually they stumble into Eddie’s room still dripping,
still breathless,
still clinging to each other like they’re scared to let go.
The rain outside is softer now tapping against the windows like a heartbeat.
Eddie tugs at the hem of Buck’s soaked hoodie and Buck lifts his arms letting it be peeled off.
His shirt follows.
Then Eddie’s.
The room smells like rain and sweat and warm skin.
No rush.
No pressure.
Just gravity.
They’re quiet as they change into dry clothes Eddie hands Buck a pair of old sweats and a too-big T-shirt that Buck recognizes immediately.

Buck chuckles.
“Is this my shirt?”
“You left it here. Like… a year ago”
“You kept it?”

Eddie shrugs like it’s not a big deal but his eyes betray the truth.
“Didn’t want to throw it away. Smelled like you”

Buck just stares at him for a second with his heart full and lips parted.

Eddie walks over reaches for his hand
and pulls him gently to the bed.

They lie down not tangled, not frantic but close.
Eddie settles in behind Buck with arm slung around his waist and his face tucked into the crook of Buck’s neck.
Buck lets out a long shaky breath.
He feels safe.
He feels like he could cry from the relief of it.

Buck speaks softly.
“You’re really cuddling me right now?”
“You’re warm. Shut up”

Buck smiles with eyes fluttering shut for a second as he melts into the moment.
And then Eddie’s voice breaks the quiet, barely above a whisper.
“I meant it, you know”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”

“Especially the part where I’m in love with you”

Buck turns in Eddie’s arms just enough to see his face.
To really look at him.
“Say it again”

Eddie’s hand brushes through Buck’s curls. Slow.
Steady.
“I’m in love with you, Buck.”

Buck’s breath hitches.
His chest caves in with the weight of it and the relief that it’s finally been said.
“I love you too. I have for… a while”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah”

Eddie leans forward and presses a slow, warm kiss to Buck’s forehead.
Then his nose.
Then finally his mouth.
Gentle.
Barely even a kissjust presence. Connection.
Home.
They rest like that for a while.
Breathing in sync. Limbs tangled.

Eddie raises his eyebrow
“You still cold?”
“Only where you’re not touching me”

“Cheesy
“You love it”
“yeah”

Buck smiles against Eddie’s collarbone.
Everything is finally still.
Everything is finally real.

Buck stirs first.
He blinks slowly, groggy and warm and very aware of the strong arm draped across his bare waist.
He shifts slightly and feels the press of Eddie’s body still tangled with his under the sheets.

Bucks voice is raspy.
“Mmm. Eddie”

Eddie hums sleepily behind him with his lips brushing the curve of Buck’s shoulder.
“Five more minutes”

“You said that twenty minutes ago. You’re basically a space heater. I’m gonna melt”

Eddie smirks into his skin.
“That’s what you get for hogging all the covers”
“I’m literally naked, Ed’s”
“That sounds like a you problem”

Buck laughs rolling onto his back and Eddie doesn’t hesitate he follows leaning in and pressing a slow and lazy kiss to Buck’s neck. Then another an a little lower.
Buck inhales sharply.
“Hey. Easy. We have a kid in the house”
“Chris sleeps like the dead”
“And we’re very naked”
“So? He’s not—“

Chris yells from down the hallway.
“I CAN SMELL BACON!!”

Buck and Eddie freeze.

“We didn’t make bacon.”

Eddie whispers back.
“We didn’t even go to the kitchen”
“Is that… psychic child energy?”
“ARE YOU GUYS MAKING BREAKFAST OR NOT?”

Eddie groans, collapsing chest-first onto Buck’s stomach. Buck snorts.
“We should probably get dressed”
“Or pretend we’re still asleep until he gives up”
“We won’t be able to explain why we’re both in your bed. With no bacon”

Eddie sighs against his skin then props himself up with his hair sticking in five different directions and eyes soft and crinkled with sleep.
“Rain check on the making out?”
“Rain check on the everything”

Eddie kisses him once slow and sweet and so full of promise it knocks the air right out of Buck’s lungs.
“I WILL START MICROWAVING STUFF. DO NOT TEST ME!!”

Eddie yells back.
“WE’RE COMING, BUDDY”

He glances at Buck, grinning.
“Round one: cockblocked by a bacon hallucination”
“I still can’t believe you kept my T-shirt”
“Don’t make it weird”
“Too late”

They start gathering their clothes bumping shoulders and laughing softly as they pull on sweatpants and T-shirts.
And even though their morning was interrupted…
They’re smiling.
They’re finally together.
And bacon or not?
It already feels like home.

The the scent of real bacon now sizzles in the air now as Buck stands behind Eddie at the stove arms lazily wrapped around his waist and chin resting on Eddie’s shoulder, swaying them both side to side in a gentle rhythm.
Eddie’s trying to flip bacon with a straight face.
“You’re not helping”
“Yes, I am. I’m providing moral support”
“You’re also a giant koala and I’m cooking over fire”
“You love it”

Eddie huffs.
Doesn’t deny it.
Buck presses a quick kiss to the curve of his neck and Eddie smirks just as the sound of a door opening down the hall echoes through the house.
Footsteps. And then—
“Did you guys make actual-“

He freezes in the doorway.
Christopher stares at them.
At Buck.
Hugging his dad.
From behind.
Like it's the most natural thing in the world.
And then—
Chris’s voice crack with excitement.

“ARE YOU GUYS DATING NOW!?”

Buck and Eddie both jump.
Buck laughs.
Eddie almost drops the spatula.
“Chris!”

Chris is grinning and spinning in circles.
“OH MY GOD I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!! I’M A GENIUS!”

Buck laughs.
“Can we… have breakfast first before the parade?”
“NOPE! THIS IS THE PARADE!”

He runs over, literally throws his arms around both of them in a three way hug shaking them side to side like a giddy little whirlwind.
“I CALLED IT. I TOLD YOU. I AM NEVER LETTING EITHER OF YOU FORGET THIS”

Eddie laughs.
“Okay, okay—let the bacon finish first before someone ends up in the ER”
“Fine. But you have to sit on the same side of the table now”

Buck raises his eyebrow.
“That a rule?”

“It is now”

Buck glances at Eddie grinning.
Eddie just sighs and leans back into him slightly relaxed, warm, home.
“Told you he wouldn’t be subtle”
“You kidding? Kid’s got a flair for the dramatic. He’s definitely yours”

Christopher is already pulling plates from the cupboard like this is just another Saturday morning except infinitely better.
Because now?
His two favorite people are finally holding onto each other like they mean it.
And he called it.

All three of them are gathered at the table Buck and Eddie sitting shoulder to shoulder on one side with Christopher across from them, still grinning like he just won the lottery.
Buck stabs at his bacon dramatically with a fork.

Buck sighs.
“Great. Now we actually have to tell everyone”
“You say that like it’s a tragedy”
“It’s not a tragedy, it’s just—Hen will scream”

Eddie is laughing.
“Oh, she’ll definitely scream”

“And Chim’s gonna choke. Or cry. Or both. He’s unpredictable”

Chris grins.

“You should let me tell them. I’ll make a PowerPoint”

Eddie nearly chokes on his coffee.
Buck covers his face with both hands, laughing.
“You’re really going for that “most dramatic child in LA” award, huh?”

Chris shrugs.
“You raised me right”

Buck groans again.
“Can we do the slow reveal? One person a week? Like a test launch?”

“What are we, a new iPhone?”
“Exactly. Let’s soft-launch this relationship. Limited beta access only”

Chris giggles.
“Too late. You launched it the second you koala-hugged my dad while he was cooking”

Buck mock-gasps.
Eddie smirks and bumps his shoulder against Buck’s.
“He’s not wrong”
“Remind me to never be affectionate in your kitchen again”

Chris grins.

“I already texted Tía Pepa”

Eddie glares at Chris.
“Christopher!”
“Just kidding! …Maybe”

Eddie groans.
Buck chuckles and leans over to kiss Eddie’s cheek, catching him by surprise.
Eddie blushes.
Buck doesn’t care.
He just grins and returns to his bacon like it’s the most casual thing in the world.

Eddie is still blushing.
“We really gotta tell the team though”

Buck sighs.
“God help us”

Chris is still grinning.
“Can I wear a suit when we do?”

“You’re gonna wear the suit and bring snacks. If we’re doing this, we’re going all in”
“We should probably do it before Hen finds out from someone else and burns the firehouse down”
“So… end of shift tomorrow?”
“Deal”

They fist bump under the table like it’s a legally binding contract.
Chris just shakes his head at them, but he’s smiling so hard his face hurts.
This is his favorite version of them.
Happy.
Teasing.
Together.
Finally.

The station buzzes with the usual noise clattering gear, radios crackling, boots stomping.
But all of a sudden the air shifts.
The entire crew is glancing at Buck and Eddie.
And not just casual looks.
No.
Intense, dramatic, soap-opera-level staring.
Hen is leaning against the coffee table, arms crossed trying to look unimpressed but failing spectacularly.
Chim and Ravi are quietly trading bets whispering.
Bobby is leaning on a wall with his arms folded, eyebrows raised.
Buck and Eddie both catch the vibe.

Buck whispers to Eddie.
“Why does everyone keep staring at us like we’re the finale of a reality show?”

Rain shrugs
“Maybe they’re just jealous of our sexy, wet T-shirt moment from last night”

Buck rolls his eyes but smiles.
Suddenly Hen’s eyes widen.
She pushes off the coffee table and strides over to the middle of the room,
climbing up onto the coffee table herself commanding attention.
“Okay! Okay! I get it”

Everyone turns fully to her.
She looks right at Buck and Eddie
like she’s just pieced together the final puzzle
“You two are… together@

The room goes silent for a heartbeat.
Then Hen throws her arms in the air and screams:
“EVERYONE PAY UP RIGHT NOW!!”

She pounds on the coffee table for emphasis.
Buck groans and covers his face with his hands.
“Oh my god, Hen”

Eddie is trying to stay calm
“This is a surprise for who exactly?”

Hen glares at him playfully.
“For everyone who lost their bet!”

The firehouse erupts in groans.

Chim pulls out a wad of cash and tosses it into a hat someone grabbed from the kitchen.
Ravi pulls out a handful of bills and smirks.
Ravi whispers to Chim.
“I win. Pay up”

Chim grins throwing bills into the pot.
The others follow stuffing bills and coins into the growing pile on the coffee table.
Buck and Eddie just stand there
looking at each other in disbelief.

Buck is wide eyed.
“What the hell is happening?”
“Apparently, we’re the most profitable couple in firehouse history”

Buck laughs while
shaking his head.
“Oh yeah, and we still have to tell Maddie.
He rubs the back of his neck, already imagining the drama”

Eddie smirks.
“She’s probably gonna cry”

Buck sighs sigh his eyes softening.
“Yeah. But hey — if this is the reaction from the team, I think we’re gonna be okay”

Eddie nods while wrapping an arm around Buck’s waist.
“Best bet I ever made”

They share a quiet smile with the chaos swirling around them.

Bobby comes over to them and clapping them on their shoulders.

“I’m proud of you two. Took you long enough, but I’m proud”

Buck and Eddie exchange a surprised glance, then both grin.

Buck smiles
“Thanks cap that means a lot”

Eddies eyes soften.
“Yeah. It really does”

One by one the crew starts moving in for hugs.

Chim grins.

“Alright, alright, before you get too comfortable—“

He pulls them both in a quick firm hug.
“Just please, please, don’t make out in the firetruck after every call”

Buck and Eddie laugh with eyes wide.

“We’ll try to keep it professional”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.
No promises.

Hen smirks.

“I’ll hold you to that”

Ravi steps forward with a sly smile.
“We should probably start a betting pool for how long before the next “professional” make-out session”

Everyone laughs.
Buck pulls Eddie close, squeezing his hand.

“Feels good, huh?”

“Feels like home”

Bobby grins proudly.

“That’s what family’s for”

The team exchanges looks while nodding a found family stronger than ever.
And in that moment Buck and Eddie know
They’re not alone anymore.
They have the 118.

Chapter Text

The station kitchen smells like chili and cornbread.
Hen’s dishing out bowls.
Ravi’s slicing cornbread like it’s an Olympic sport.
Chim is complaining about how spicy Bobby made it.
Again.
Everyone’s seated around the long firehouse table with bowls steaming and laughter echoing.
Buck and Eddie sit side by side with their shoulders brushing and legs pressed together under the table.
Eddie’s hand casually rests on Buck’s thigh with his thumb tracing small lazy circles.
Buck’s trying to eat normally.
Really, he is. But Eddie’s hand?
It's a problem.

Buck leans into Eddie.
“You’re gonna make me drop my spoon”

Eddie is grinning without looking at him.
“Then eat faster”

Across the table Hen narrows her eyes.
“Alright. What’s going on under that table?”

Buck nervously laughs.
“Nothing!”

Chim chokes on chili.
“Please. You’re practically sitting in his lap”

Ravi is assumed.
“It’s like watching a Hallmark movie. But thirstier”

Hen slams her hands on the table.
“That’s it—Eddie. Hands on the table where we can see them!”

Eddie smirks while placing his hands just slightly above the table.
“Better?”

Buck eyes Hen.
“Hen, I swear to god, if you put a spray bottle on the table—“
“Don’t test me, Buckley”

Everyone laughs.

Chim gestures with his spoon
“Look, I’m happy for you guys. Truly. Love wins, blah blah”

“Just—can we not get a full rom-com in surround sound while I’m eating spicy beans?”

Bobby chuckles.
“It’s good for morale Chim”
“What, their thigh groping?”

“Their happiness. Their chaos is just extr

Ravi puts his hands up to defend himself.
“I’m not even mad. I’m just impressed it took this long”

Hen raises her glass of water like a toast.
“To the world’s slowest burn finally catching fire”

Buck turns to Eddie and nudges his leg against his under the table.
“Think they’re gonna keep roasting us forever?”
“Yup”

“Love that for us”

Eddie grins leans over slightly and murmurs
“I’ll make it up to you later”

Buck chokes on his cornbread.

Hen screams.
“BUCKLEY. WATER. NOW”

More chaos erupts
Bobby just shakes his head fondly.

It’s been weeks at this point and Buck and Eddie still haven’t told Maddie they are officially dating.
Buck had to pay Chim 200 bucks just for him to shut up and not tell his wife because god knows that Chim can’t keep a secret for shit.

The loft smells amazing with garlicky pasta, something roasted and buttery.
There's soft music playing and the table is set with actual placemats Buck tried and a tiny vase of flowers sits in the center like he Googled “how to impress your sister with dinner.”
Buck is wearing a slightly-too-nice sweater. Eddie’s in a Henley and jeans helping stir sauce while Chris is on the couch playing with one of Jee’s stuffed animals he “borrowed for training purposes.”
Buck peers at the door like it’s about to explode.
“Okay okay okay. This is fine. This is good. Just a totally normal family dinner. No pressure. No drama”
“Buck, she’s your sister. You’ve literally survived earthquakes together. You’ll be fine”

PThis is worse than an earthquake. I was supposed to tell her weeks ago and now she’s bringing her baby, and she’s gonna be mad and hormonal and probably wielding mom-strength. And then she’s gonna cry, and then I’m gonna cry—again—and it’s just gonna be a lot of crying and garlic”

Eddie grins.
“Then I’ll cut the garlic with more butter. Balances out the emotions”

Chris perks up.
“They’re here!”

Buck visibly flinches.
He rushes to the door and opens it before Maddie even knocks.
“Hi! You’re early!”
“I’m five minutes early, relax. Jee was getting fussy and Chim kept trying to eat cookies I made so we left”

“Fair. Come in. Hi, Jee-“

“Uncle Buck!”

Buck grins.
“Yep, that’s me”

Chris zooms over and gives Maddie a huge hug.
“Aunt Maddie!”
“Oh my god, look at you! You’re getting so tall!”

Chris shrugs causally.
“I’ve been drinking chocolate milk. That’s why.”

Buck snorts.
Eddie steps out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel.
“Hey, Maddie”

Maddie is staring slowly.
“Hi, Eddie. Fancy seeing you here. In Buck’s kitchen. Wearing an apron. Stirring things”

“I stir very well”

Buck smiles nervously.
“He does. Stirring game? Top tier”

Maddie glances at Buck.
“Okay. What’s happening”

She glances between Buck and Eddie back to the cozy table, back to Buck's nervous sweater, then—
“Why do I feel like I’m about to get emotionally ambushed?”

Chris grins.
“Because you are”

Buck looks shocked.
“Christopher!”
“What?! She was gonna find out anyway!”

Maddie is in find-the-clues mode engaged
“Wait. Wait. Wait. Are you two—?”
“Yes”
“We are”

Maddie finally blinks.
“Oh my god. You’re— you’re finally dating?!”

Buck smiles.
“Yeah. Uh. Surprise?”

Maddie puts Jee down i on the floor and immediately throws her arms around Buck.
“I knew it. I knew it! I KNEW IT! You’ve been in love with him since like 2019!”
“We had… a long build-up”

Eddie blinks.
“Slow burn”
“SLOW?! Buck, you moved in the speed of light with every other relationship in your life and with Eddie you turned into a Victorian housewife waiting for a telegram?!”
“I panicked! He’s important!”
“Oh my god, I am so mad you didn’t tell me. You’ve been lying to me for weeks!”

Eddie scratches the back of his neck.
“We were waiting for the right moment”

Chris grins.
“This isn’t even the first time they kissed. They kissed like three weeks ago in the rain”

Maddie gasps.
“You kissed in the rain?!”

Buck is gonna kill Chris.
“Christopher!!”
“What? You did! And then you almost kissed again like four times before you finally actually talked about it”

Maddie has her arms crossed.
“Okay. You know what? That’s fair. I forgive you. I’m too happy. I’m not even mad. I’m just… so proud”

She wipes her eyes and then scoops Jee up.
“Uncle Eddie, come hold this squish. She likes you better than Chim anyway”

Eddie freezes.
Buck’s soul visibly leaves his body.
“Wait—what?!”

“Are you sure? I mean, I—“
“Yes, hold your niece, dummy. You’re family. Get used to it”

Eddie gently takes Jee holding her like she’s made of sunlight. and she immediately giggles and grabs a piece of his Henley.

Buck is just standing there staring at them like someone hit him with a frying pan.
“Okay. Cool. Cool cool cool. I’m fine. Everything is so fine”

Maddie looks at Buck.
“You’re literally about to cry”
“I’m just—look at him! Holding a baby! That’s illegal”

Eddie laughs.
“I think she’s chewing on my collar”

Chris laughs.
“She’s bonding”

“Buck. Deep breaths. Don’t explode into feelings. I don’t want chili on the ceiling”

“I’m not crying, you’re crying”

Maddie grins.
“You are crying”
“Shut up”

They all laugh.
Eddie is still bouncing Jee like a pro.
Maddie finally walks over and nudges Buck’s shoulder.
“So. You and Eddie, huh?”
“Yeah. We’re… finally doing this”
“Good. You deserve happy. Both of you”
“It doesn’t even feel real yet”
“It is. Look at you. Cooking. Blushing. Staring at him like a rom-com hero”

Buck laughs.
“I’m gonna need therapy after this dinner”
“You’ve already had therapy”
“And I’m gonna need more”

Eddie walks back over with Jee now dozing on his shoulder.
“Hey, uh. She’s asleep. Where should I—?”
“Give her here. I’m gonna go cry in your bathroom and pretend I’m not crying because of how cute this is”

She takes Jee and retreats.
Chris grabs a breadstick and follows her.
Buck stares at Eddie.
“So... Uncle Eddie?”

Eddie grins.
“You like the sound of that?”
“You have no idea”

They share a smile that says a thousand things and head back to the kitchen.

The Buckley-Diaz house is quiet in that way it only ever is when both Christopher and the city are still asleep.
It’s barely past 6 a.m on a Sunday and a soft mist clings to the edges of the windows while filtering in a pale grayish light.
The room smells like clean linen and Eddie’s cedar shampoo.
Buck stirs in bed with one hand blindly patting the mattress beside him instinct, now that it’s been months since he officially moved in.
He doesn’t even remember what it felt like to wake up alone anymore.
His half of the closet is full with his shoes are by the door and his cereal is in the pantry next to Eddie’s favorite coffee.
His toothbrush is next to Eddie’s.
His life is here now.
But something feels… off.
His T-shirt is damp.
And not from him.
Buck blinks blearily and turns his head. Eddie is practically wrapped around him, forehead pressed to Buck’s shoulder,l and arms around his waist with his breath shallow. And he’s shaking.

Bucks voice is groggy from just waking up.
“Eds?”

No answer.
Just a muffled groan and an arm pulling tighter around his stomach.
Buck turns fully whole shifting so they’re chest to chest and freezes.
Eddie’s skin is hot. Burning.
His face is flushed with his lips dry,l and his eyes barely open.
“Whoa. Hey—hey, baby. Look at me. You okay?”

Eddie winces while not really opening his eyes.
“You’re so warm. Stay there”

“You’ve got a fever. Like—serious fever. Jesus, Eds, how long have you felt like this?”

Eddies voice is very weak as he mumbles.
“Mmm… just last night. Maybe? Don’t remember”

Buck brows furrow
“You were shivering in your sleep. And you’re soaked. Why didn’t you say something?”

Eddie buries his face in Buck’s chest with his voice muffled.
“Didn’t wanna ruin your sleep. You looked happy”

Buck sighs softly.
“You’re such a dumb, sweet idiot. You always tell me if you’re sick”

Eddie mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like “hypocrite” and Buck snorts.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I fake-laughed through a broken rib once. But that’s not the point.”

Buck reaches up and gently feels Eddie’s forehead again with his fingers brushing the damp hair away.
His palm lingers there
“You’re seriously hot, babe. Like, dangerously close to toaster setting five. I’m getting you meds and water and calling cap We’re not working today”

Eddie grumbles.
“Don’t call in. It’s just a fever”
“Eddie. You’re shaking and whispering like a Victorian orphan. You’re not going anywhere”

Eddie weakly pulls Buck back down against him.
“Just stay. You’re warm. And soft. And you smell like cinnamon”

Buck mutters.
“I don’t know how you make being delirious so adorable”
“‘Cause I love you. And you’re soft. And—are you wearing my shirt?l

Buck glances down at the rumpled gray fabric.
“Yeah, I couldn’t find mine last night. Yours is softer”

Eddie grins sleepily.
“It looks good on you. Everything does”
“Okay. Let me up before you flirt yourself into a coma”

Eddie makes a protesting sound with his arms tightening again.
“No. Stay. I’ll be fine in an hour. Probably”
“Or you’ll pass out mid-sentence. Please let me take care of you”

Eddie exhales shakily then slowly nods.
“Okay. Just… come back fast”
“Promise”

Buck leans down and kisses Eddie’s forehead then gently untangles himself from the mess of sweaty sheets and fever
heavy limbs.
He pads into the bathroom, grabbing the thermometer,NyQuil and a cold compress from the hall closet.
Then he heads downstairs while flipping on the dim kitchen light and filling a glass with water.
When he returns Eddie’s exactly where he left him except he’s watching the doorway like a lost puppy.
Buck chuckles than crouches at the bedside and brushes Eddie’s hair back again.
“God, you’re such a clingy patient. It’s kinda cute”
“M’not clingy. You’re just magnetic”

Buck gives him the meds and gets him to drink some water while
He places the cool cloth on his forehead. Eddie sighs like Buck’s just handed him heaven.
“You should’ve moved in sooner. You’re really good at this”
“Yeah, well, I plan on sticking around. Through sick days, grumpy days, bad dreams… all of it”

Eddie murmurs.
“Forever?”

Buck climbs back into bed while sliding in behind Eddie wrapping his arms tight around him.
“Yeah, Eds. Forever”

Eddie smiles as he’s half-asleep already.
He sighs contently
“I’m glad it’s you”
“Me too, baby”

Buck rests his chin on Eddie’s shoulder and closes his eyes as he lets himself settle back into the rhythm of Eddie’s breathing. Even if it’s labored.
Even if it’s warm.
Even if they’re both gonna smell like sweat and NyQuil by noon.

It’s noon now and Eddie is awake and being very clingy to Buck.

Buck sets the final blanket onto the mountain of others draped across Eddie on the couch It’s a full operation fleece, flannel, the questionable dinosaur one Chris outgrew years ago.
Buck even brought down Eddie’s extra pillow from the bed and one of Chris’s squishmallows.
Eddie looks like a sick little blanket burrito. Except… he’s glaring.
“You’re hovering”

Buck grins.
“You’re vibrating with fever and trying to act like it’s fine. I am hovering”

Buck finishes tucking in the corner of the blanket.
Eddie immediately sticks an arm out and grabs the front of Buck’s hoodie.

“Don’t go too far”

Buck raises a brow.
“I’m literally going to the kitchen. To make you tea. I can still see you from there”

Eddie tugs Buck closer.
“Just—sit. For a second”

Buck sighs but lets himself be dragged down to the couch.
Eddie slumps dramatically into his side sigh his head resting on Buck’s shoulder with a pathetic little groan.

Buck sighs.
“You’re milking this”

“I am suffering. And your body is exactly 98.7 degrees. I need it. It’s science”
“I am not your heating pad”
“You're better. You kiss me and you make grilled cheese”

Buck smiles despite himself shims brushing a hand through Eddie’s still damp hair.
“You're such a baby when you're sick”

“I’m not a baby. I’m just… very attached to you”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere. But I am making you tea, and you will drink it”

Eddie grins like a little shit.
“What if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll pout. Real hard”

Eddie leans in and presses a kiss to Buck’s jaw—messy and a little hot from the fever.

“Fine. But only because your pout is devastating”

Buck pulls back with a smirk while gently detaching himself from Eddie’s grip and standing up.
“I’ll be right back. No sneaking off the couch, no pretending you feel better, and definitely no trying to fold laundry. I will hide the detergent”

Eddie rolls his eyes.
“One time I folded towels with the flu and now I’m banned for life”
“Damn right”

Buck moves around the kitchen quickly while filling the kettle and grabbing Eddie’s favorite mug the black one with the fading cat.
He grabs honey, lemon, and the sleepy time tea that somehow tastes like grass but always helps.
As the water heats Buck looks over into the living room… and sure enough—

Eddie Is Half Off The Couch.

“Eddie! What are you doing?!”

Eddie freezes mid-slide onto the floor like a kid caught stealing cookies.
“My sock fell off!”
“You're wearing three blankets! You don’t even need socks right now!”
“I missed you!”
“I’ve been gone four minutes!”