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The shift had been brutal. An inferno in an old building, ceilings groaning and collapsing as if the house itself were trying to drag them down with it, smoke so thick it swallowed every breath. Eddie had been running on adrenaline and fear alone, his body moving on instinct, his mind stuck on one thing: survive, Buck, survive.
Even outside, long after they’d dragged the last child into the night air, the smoke still clung to him. His lungs burned with every breath, his shirt was soaked with sweat, and his helmet hung limp in his hand. Rage simmered beneath the exhaustion —rage and something darker.
Yes, they’d saved the kids.
Yes, they had all made it out.
But that didn’t erase the image of Buck, charging into danger as if death were a dare. The roof had nearly crushed him. The fire had nearly taken him. And Eddie had nearly lost his mind.
By the time they got home, the fear had hardened into words that spilled out before he could stop them.
"You can’t keep doing this, Buck!" His voice cracked, trembling from more than fatigue. "One day you’re going to—you’re going to—"
The word stuck in his throat like ash. Die. He couldn’t say it.
Buck, face streaked with soot, hair still damp with sweat, only grinned. That maddening grin Eddie hated and loved in equal measure. He raised his hands in mock surrender, like a man playing with fire had every right to play with Eddie’s heart too.
"Eds, calm down. I’m the devil himself, remember? Nothing can burn me."
The word snagged in Eddie’s chest. Devil.
Growing up, that name had been carved into him with sermons and rosaries, warnings and catechism. The devil was temptation, sin, the eternal fire. And yet… Here was Buck, standing in his living room with blue eyes that sparked brighter than any flame.
A devil wrapped in light.
"Uh-huh," Eddie muttered, rolling his eyes as if that would hide the tremor in his chest. "Well, the devil himself better stop giving me heart attacks every damn minute."
Buck smirked, always searching for a way to cut the tension. He snapped his fingers theatrically, like a magician pulling coins from thin air.
"If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it. I’ll set something you love on fire!"
Eddie opened his mouth to tell him to shut up—
And then it happened.
Fwoosh.
Orange flames bloomed along Buck’s body, curling up his arms, racing across his chest, flickering in his hair. Fire danced over him like a second skin —yet nothing burned. Not his clothes, not the floor, not even him.
Buck didn’t flinch. He didn’t notice. But Eddie did.
Eddie froze, his heart hammering. His first thought was automatic, drilled into him since childhood: the devil, eternal fire. But his heart rebelled instantly, louder, fiercer: Buck. My Buck.
His voice cracked open, raw with panic.
"Buck! What—?"
Buck blinked at him, confused, because Eddie was staring at him like he’d just seen heaven and hell collide in one body.
"What? What of what?"
"You’re—" Eddie’s throat constricted. "You’re on fire."
Silence crashed between them. Heavy. Daring.
Eddie wanted to shove the words back into his chest, pretend he hadn’t spoken, but it was too late. Buck’s grin faltered, his wide eyes flickering with shock. Then, softer than the flames licking at his skin:
"Wait… Really? You love me?"
The fire crackled, patient, as if waiting for Eddie to confess. His entire body warred with itself: the Catholic boy raised to fear sin, the man who knew damn well he’d already fallen, and the soldier who could face bullets but not the truth in his own heart.
Because yes —he loved him. He had always loved him.
And now here Buck stood, aflame and smiling like he was terrified and thrilled all at once, like Eddie’s answer might burn hotter than the fire itself.
Eddie’s chest tightened. It felt like stepping into the fire, choosing to burn.
The silence stretched —until a voice cut through it, flat and unimpressed.
"It’s about time."
They both turned.
Christopher stood in the doorway, arms crossed, face caught between annoyance and amusement.
"Would you two finish your big confession already? I’m trying to watch my telenovela."
Buck sputtered, still smoldering, eyes wide.
"You knew?"
Christopher raised a brow.
"About you being the devil, or about my dad being in love with you?" He shrugged, casual as only a teen could be. "Either way… anyone with eyes could tell."
Eddie groaned, dragging his hands over his face.
"My God…"
But deep down, he knew the battle with God had ended long ago.
Because whatever this was —fire, hell, blasphemy— it wasn’t sin. It was love.
Buck was still staring at him, stunned, but there was something new in his gaze now. Not disbelief. Hope. The fire curled around him gently, as if it belonged to him, as if it had always belonged to him. And Eddie, stepping closer, realized it wasn’t a fire to fear. It was warmth. It was home.
He moved until the flames brushed against his skin. They didn’t scorch. They only embraced. Of course it didn’t hurt. It had never hurt —not with Buck.
"Eds…" Buck whispered, almost pleading. "Really?"
Eddie didn’t answer. Not with words. His hand lifted, trembling, and pressed to Buck’s cheek. Warm, not from hellfire, but from him. And before the fear could claw him back, he kissed him.
It was clumsy, urgent, shaky with years of denial breaking open all at once. But when Buck kissed him back, the fire flared bright, wrapping them both in an impossible glow that burned nothing —except the walls around their hearts.
For the first time in years, Eddie felt no fear. No guilt. No shadow of sermons or punishment. Only warmth. Only love. Only Buck.
A loud throat-clearing broke them apart.
Christopher leaned against the doorframe, his face the picture of teenage exasperation.
"Wow," he deadpanned. "Kissing in the middle of hell. Totally normal. Want me to grab some holy water, or are you okay like this?"
Eddie flushed scarlet. Buck laughed nervously, flames flickering like nervous sparks.
"I think we’re… good."
Christopher gave a little shrug.
"Great. Then turn down your telenovela, because I’m watching mine."
He disappeared back into the hallway, leaving them in the quiet hum of firelight.
Buck turned back to Eddie, still dazed but smiling like he’d just uncovered the best-kept secret in the universe. And Eddie, with his heart set ablaze, knew it: there was no turning back now.