Archive of Our Own ^beta

Thanksgiving

“Is Eddie coming to Thanksgiving” Tia Pepa asks

“Of course he is, why?” Abuela questions

“I just didn’t know if he was spending this year with his boyfriend’s family, they spent the last few years with us. I feel bad for keeping Buck from his family.” Tia Pepa comments

Abuela Scoffs “None of that. I believe his sister and her husband and daughter are joining us. We aren’t keeping him from anyone”

“Ah husband.” Tia Pepa smiles, “Eddie needs to lock that man down soon before he gets tired of waiting. You don’t find a man like that every day.”

A few days later is Thanksgiving. While not being her first time meeting Buck’s sister, it was the first time since becoming official family… probably as they didn’t know when exactly their idiots got together.

Thus, Abuela and Tia Pepa drag Maddie inside to fully welcome her into the family.

“It’s so nice to see you now that we’re finally officially family” Abuela ant Tia Pepa hug Maddie

“Wait are they actually together? They told you?!”Maddie squeals

“Have you seen them, those two are so in love with each other, they remind me of my husband” Abuela gushes

“It can’t be because I asked them and they said they were just friends. And there is no way they could keep this from the firehouse” Maddie sighs

“So if they haven’t told you either, why are they so ashamed to tell us. That can’t do. They are our family and they deserve to be themselves. They shouldn’t have to hide” Tia Pepa frowns

 Friends

So Buck and Eddie refuse to share that they are dating. That won’t do. Do they not feel supported? or do they think that just because Abuela is old-no- experienced means she is homophobic. She is not. And she is mildly offended that her dear nieto would think that of her. Fortunately, she has a plan to fix those assumptions

“I’m going to meet up with Cindy and her wife for lunch”

Her daughter pulled her to the side

“What are you doing? Since when do you know a Cindy?” Tia Pepa hissed

“They haven’t told us they’re dating yet. I want to make sure they don’t think i’m homophobic or something. I’m making a supportive environment”

“Oh smart. I didn’t think of that” She whispered

Louder she said, “Oh Cindy, I love her. If she wasn’t taken when we met I might’ve snagged her for myself”

“Cindy huh? Glad you’re making new friends” Eddie chuckled

(Eddie is thinking about how he didn’t know his Tia was gay(bi?), and questioning if she could be a resource for his ongoing sexuality crisis. Tia pepa is not gay, she just panicked)

Cooking

Abuela did not consider herself to be a private person. She loved food, she loved sharing food. She would gladly bake her meals for anyone, especially if they were sick, or just needed someone.

Her recipes, however, were a different story. She had to know the person would use them properly, not change them willy nilly. She had perfected them, and would not stand them being messed up.

She only trusted herself to make the recipes properly. But she was getting old, and she wanted her family to continue to enjoy them for generations. They were good meals, you know.

But who?

She wanted to keep them in the family, but most of her blood were hopeless cooks. They did not get her genes.

Helena had been digging her for the recipes for decades by that point, as long as Helena was in the house, she would peer behind the walls trying to figure them out.

How rude!

Abuela did not like that woman. She was constantly criticizing her Eddie. Abuela was positive that her son and that woman were the reason Eddie refused to announce Buck as part of the family. She knew it was true.

That women could not be trusted to respect the recipes.

Buck on the other hand…

Eddie’s precious boyfriend was a ball of sunshine. He already helped her out in the kitchen with the simpler parts, such as stirring. And he didn’t try to force himself in. If she didn’t want help, he would step back and give her all the space she needed.

Such a gentleman. Eddie chose a good one.

She knew he would respect her. Plus he was already good in the kitchen, and an avid learner. She could trust him.

So Abuela already had her Evancito coming to her place once a week to help her cook. She allowed him to take a bigger part in the activity. She left him to do most of the work, telling him all the techniques to make it just right.

He was so kind, eager to learn everything she had.

One day, Abuela fell ill. Buck brought her some food. It was her own recipe. Oh how it tasted so good. Her evancito truely was a master.

At that moment, she knew, her recipes would live on, and all her worries were for naught. Eddies boyfriend would take good care of them. She just hoped she lived long enough for him to put a ring on it. She wanted to cook for their wedding.

 Propose

“So biznieto, have you heard any talk of marriage from your dads?”

“What do you mean”

“I mean, have either of them asked for your blessing, or have you gone ring shopping with them? Anything like that?”

“Oh no they’re already married”

“Really? and they didn’t invite me?”

Christopher just shrugged and walked away

BBQ

Abuela is quite offended. Her boys got MARRIED and didn’t even invite her, much less tell her.

How long ago did this happen? she must know

she’s currently sitting at one of the 118’s BBQ’s at the captains house. Everyone is talking. Finally she spots a someone alone, Ravi, she thinks, and decides he is the perfect person to clear up her confusion.

“Hello.”

“um hi eddies abuela?”

“Do you mind if i ask you a question kind sir”

“Not at all ma’am”

“When did my Eddie and Buck get married”

“Oh a few years now, it was before i started working at the 118 so i don’t know exactly when”

Abuela Frowns

“Wait your his grandmother, why don’t you know?”

“I wasn’t invited to the wedding. i’m pretty sure they think i’m homophobic. I don’t know what i would’ve done to give them that idea, i’m literally pan myself”

“Cool same.”

30 minutes later

“Hey eddie” Ravi scoots closer

“Uhh hi ravi?”

“Your abuela isn’t homophobic”

“Yea i know. Her best friend’s name is cindy and she has a wife”

“okay. Just keep that in mind in case you ever need to tell her something” ravi declares pointedly

Eddie just scrunches his eyebrow together in confusion

Truth

“So Eddie, will your husband be joining us for dinner this saturday” Abuela asks

“Husband? I’m single” Eddie points to himself

“Eddie honey, you don’t have to lie to us. We know you and your buck got married a few years ago. Abuela attempts to sooth

“Buck!?” eddie chuckled “we’re not married, he’s my best friend.”

“Good. I was getting worried you forgot to invite me to the wedding” Abuela states

“We support you two. He’s a good man” Tia Pepa adds

“Tia you too? We’re not dating- how long have you thought- no. He doesn’t-“

Abuela smacked him “Why the hell not?”

“Huh”

“That man is literally perfect. Who could you possibly find that’s better than that. What are you waiting for. Any longer and someone else will swoop in and snatch him. If that happens that’s on you. I will not let you just stand there while a perfectly fine man slips through your fingers. What are you doing?”

“Abuela I can’t. He doesn’t like me like that. Christopher loves him. I’m not going to ruin that with a relationship.”

Abuela lets out a storm of curses and storms off. Eddie is such an idiot

+1

Abuela and Tia Pepa storm together side by side trying to figure out how they could be so wrong

“What does he mean there’s no relationship?”

“I mean, he could be lying?”

“I don’t think he was. You saw the look in his eyes, he looked so heartbroken when he denied it.”

“Okay we know there’s feelings there, what can we do”

“I have a plan. We each take one and fix this”

Tia Pepa takes Eddie

“My dearest Eddie you have been single for too tragically long”

“Tia I wouldn’t call it tragic, i’m perfectly fine with it just being me buck and chris. I don’t need a fourth person to mess with that”

“Well i have found the perfect person for you, and you are going on a date with them this thursday”

“Uhhh sorry, i can’t do that, me and buck have movie night on thursdays, oh well guess im just too busy to date”

“No you don’t. Movie nights friday so chris doesn’t stay up on a school night. And bucks already busy with something else so i know you don’t have plans with him”

“well if bucks busy i’ll have no one to watch christopher”

“Im right here! And im perfectly capable of watching him. So you have no excuse. You’re going”

“Okay fine Tia”

Abuela takes Buck, seizing the opportunity while they were cooking, or more like buck was cooking, abuela was enjoying some good meals.

“Soooo buck” she starts, “You’re single right”

“Uhh yes Isa- Abuela, I am”

“So there’s this guy i know, also single, I think you two would get along.”

“Abuela are you trying to set me up on a date”

“You’re free Thursday night right”

“Uhh yes i should be”

“not anymore.”

Thursday came and went. the next time they run into Eddie he has a big smile on his face. The type that looks like nothing can ever remove it

“So. How was your date?”

“Good. it was good” Eddie grins

“So will there be a second one?”

“Definitely”

“if that’s the case then while you know I love you, we like Evancito better, so if you mess this up we’re keeping him. So don’t you dare mess this up.”

Eddie just smiles “Don’t worry Tia, I like him better too”