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Chapter Text

Evan Buckley had been at the 118 firehouse for just about a year. He’d finished his probationary period and had graduated to being a full fledged firefighter. But it never overtook the things that he’d lost in his life. His communication with his sister, Maddie, being one of them, even if they’d been fine for the better part of six months now. Maddie had been the one to raise him and teach him just about everything he knows, including how to navigate this world as a witch. Evan hadn’t told anyone exactly what he was, though he knew that they’d be more than supportive. The 118 was like a family. It was everything he’d wished for as a child.

“Buck!” Hen called from the loft, pulling him from his thoughts by the rig.

His head popped up from around the back of the ladder engine, scanning around the firehouse until he noticed Hen standing by the railing of the loft. He narrowed his eyes at the smug expression on her face as he walked toward her.

“What Hen? Why are you looking at me like that?” Buck asked as he climbed the stairs two at a time.

“No reason.” She said rather quickly, causing Buck to again narrow his eyes at her.

He looked around the loft and took inventory of Bobby standing in the kitchen preparing a meal, Chim sitting at the table and nursing probably his fourth cup of coffee. Buck’s eyes landed on Hen yet again and she looked just about as excited as someone about to play matchmaker, which never ended well for him in his opinion.

Bobby raised his head once Buck had fully made his way into the loft, a wry smile on his face. He’d considered Buck his son in most every way that mattered and continued to do so when taking him under his wing. “What she means to say, Buck, is that there’s a new recruit starting in about twenty minutes. He’s to be your partner.” Bobby hummed before continuing on with his prep for breakfast.

Buck had the decency to not look like a kicked puppy. His magic sparked at his fingertips, excited for the prospect of having someone to look over. It seemed like his magic was more entertained by the idea than he felt at least.

Hen, Chim, and Bobby continued bustling around him until the mark had been reached and then proceeded to head downstairs with Buck in tow. Said newbie was currently getting ready in the locker room and looked like he’d been sculpted by Greek gods, much to Buck’s distaste.

“Now that is a beautiful man.”

“Where’s the lie? and I like girls.”

“That’s Eddie Diaz, new recruit.” Bobby remarked, looking from Hen and Chim over to Buck.

This time he couldn’t help but look ruffled. His magic however had other plans, immediately yanking from him to go brush over Eddie, a sigh of contentment flooding through him. Buck yanked his magic back before hopefully Eddie had time to notice. It wasn’t like many people really believed in magic anyways but he couldn’t be so sure.

“What do we need him for?” Buck muttered, much to the others’ delight.

Bobby herded the group over to Eddie with regards for introductions. Buck ended up making up the flank of the little group, trying to stay as far back as possible. It was bad enough that his magic seemed infatuated with the new guy, Buck wasn’t about to let it out them in the same breath too.

”Eddie, this is Henrietta Wilson, Howard Han, and then standing too far away to be polite is Evan Buckley.” Bobby introduced his crew, looking as smug as Hen just about felt.

Hen stepped forward with a smile on her face. “If you ever call me Henrietta, I’ll set you on fire. It’s Hen, as I’m sure Bobby here knows.”

Eddie Diaz laughed, a wonderful thing that set Buck’s magic soaring for him again before he clamped down on it with an iron fist. No, he scolded. This was not the time for his magic to be a sentient lovesick thing. This was a replacement in the best of terms.

“Okay, any more nicknames I should know about?” Eddie chuckled.

Chim stepped to Eddie this time and shook his hand, a bright grin on his face. “I’m Howard but everyone calls me Chimney. And that over there looking like someone pissed in his cereal is Evan, but we call him Buck.” Chimney pointed over to Buck and kept the same grin, but it turned conspiratorial.

Buck had the good nature to place a tight smile on his face as he nodded. Eddie simply nodded back with a smile, unaffected by the less than friendly welcome he’d received from 118’s younger firefighter. Buck’s magic had decided then at seeing Eddie’s smile and hearing his laugh, that Eddie Diaz was his. The magic floated through the air, crackling like sparks at Eddie’s fingertips as it sifted through his hair. Buck snarled softly and reigned his magic back in a vice grip, shoving it back into a box in his chest with a huff.

If Eddie happened to look unsurprised at the feeling of a phantom breeze and lightning then that was between him and God. Certainly not the business of his brand new firehouse. The alarm blared loud enough to snap everyone out of their thoughts as they rushed for their turnouts and the engines. Buck continued to keep a tight hold on his magic, not willing to risk any more slip-ups.

Once the crew landed at the call, a calm settled through them. The type that could only be caused by a situation that required a heavy focus. Boots hit the ground as Bobby surveyed the scene and called out to his crew. A downed power line had caused at least three head-on collisions, one of them happening with the power line on top of the two cars. “Hen, Chim, triage the lesser accident. Buck, Eddie, get as close as you can to the middle accident without getting electrocuted, please.” He said with a pointed look towards Buck.

“There a reason for that look?” Eddie asked with a small chuckle.

Buck simply pursued his lips and began moving towards the wreck. His magic immediately wanted to flare to protect him as he walked closer but he shoved it down. Now is not the fucking time, he snapped. Eddie frowned slightly but kept pace as they approached the wreck. He looked around and tried to find a course of action that still helped the victims that are rapidly declining without getting fried. The closer he walked to the wreck, the more he felt the heat of the still on power lines as it crackled through the air.

“DWP estimates ten minutes before they can come shut it off!” Bobby called out.

Eddie wasn’t content with that answer, which basically sentenced these drivers and/or their passengers to death. He inched closer and hunkered low, calling out to the woman in the first car.

“Ma’am! Can you hear me? This is the LAFD.”

The woman groaned and shifted slightly, angling her head towards him from on top of the steering wheel.

”Can you get me out now?” She asked, blood coating the entire right side of her head.

He looked around as the power line sparked and got lower towards the ground, trying to make his way to the door. Buck snapped his head toward Eddie once the power line flared, his eyes widening.

The electricity crackled through the air in an outward motion and charged the air around them. Some of that said electricity flying towards where Eddie was crouched. Buck had a split second to decide before that electricity fried the new recruit. He flung his magic out in a shout.

His arm out to his side as he both protected Eddie and overloaded the power line, sending it flying a few feet away from the wreck. Buck’s magic arced in a wave of light blue when the power line’s electricity hit it, rippling as it yanked from him to defend his team. His crew. Which of course now included Eddie. Fuck.

”What the fuck is that?” Hen and Chim shouted simultaneously. Bobby had the good sense not to even look surprised at the incident.

Double fuck, Buck thought.

Chapter Text

On the ride back to the station after clearing the wreck, Buck knew he was in deep shit for keeping his magic a secret. The act of his magic had charged the air around them and settled some of the heaviness. Hen sat to his right, Eddie to his left, and Chimney to Hen’s right. Bobby was comfortably silent sitting in the captain’s seat. The quiet felt awkward to Buck, considering he had no idea what anyone was thinking.

“So, Evan, are we going to talk about that?” Chim asked. Hen kicked Chim not so subtly and he yelped.

“What was that for?” He hissed, rubbing his shin. Hen just gave him a look and shook her head.

Buck was nothing but grateful for her interfering because he had no idea how to handle any of what had just happened today. He’d been outed after keeping a secret for years but he’d do it all again if it meant that he’d save someone. It was always worth it to save someone. The only person who’d ever known was Maddie. Maddie who kept it a secret from the one person she’d loved without reason.

The silence cracked when Buck finally spoke. “So. I have magic.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around.

”Buckaroo, you didn’t have to hide that from us. You know that we’d support you no matter what.” Hen murmured and laid a hand on his leg, squeezing comfortingly.

Eddie looked from the rest of the crew to Buck, his eyes slightly narrowed as he observed him. He couldn’t imagine what would make the man hide an important secret from the team that considered each other family. It wasn’t even that shocking of a secret.

Eddie had known there was magic ever since he was a little boy but it wasn’t something that his family had regularly talked about, if at all. His abuela had the magic in her family line but it had dwindled out long before his father or his sisters had inherited it. The family magic was purple though, so to see such a lovely blue had been a surprise.

Buck bit his lip and thought through how exactly he wanted to explain everything to them. His magic curled around his body in a protective embrace, comforting and soothing his inner turmoil like it always had done. He held his hand out and pulled a small ball of his magic into his hand, the light blue waves weaving in and out of his fingers. It slowly expanded until it winded through the entire cabin of the engine, brushing along Bobby in a familiar childlike way. Hen looked at it in awe as Chim reached out to touch the wave that flowed in front of him.

He glanced over to Eddie who watched Buck with a knowing smile, nodding at him in encouragement. Buck’s magic took that as an opportunity to make its way over to Eddie and weave through his hair, winding around his body the same way that it did Buck’s.

“Pretty cool party trick you’ve got there, Buck. Anything else you can do with it?” Eddie asked and turned his head toward Buck.

A smile tilted up the corner of his lips as he nodded. Buck pulled in his magic slightly and concentrated it, filling the wave of color with intention. He let it flow through the cabin once more, this time flooding over his friends’ bodies and healing the problems that they carried. Hen had cuts on her hands, Chim had a pulled muscle in his shoulder, and Eddie had a cut on his hairline and bruises on his arms from shouldering in the cars at the wreck. Buck’s magic had healed them all, while soothing those aches. Hen sighed in relief as her body relaxed.

“Now that is something I can get used to.” Chim said with a groan as he stretched out those muscles. Hen then proceeded to kick him in the shin again which ended in a yelp from the abused party.

Buck just chuckled softly and looked around at the rest of his family. “I’ve had magic since I was a little kid. The only one in my family. Maddie inherited a small bit but nothing quite like mine. I haven’t told a soul, my parents made it very clear that it wasn’t a wanted trait but Maddie poured over books every night to make sure I knew how to use it and when the right time was.” He said.

Eddie watched him with a quiet reserve. The kind of nature that comes from a deep understanding of what the other person is going through. He knew what it was like to have traits that weren’t exactly wanted by their parents or any people around them. Sure it wasn’t anything as exciting as having magic, especially the kind of powerful magic that Buck possessed, but it was enough to make him sympathize with the man. If Eddie had more thoughts running through his head than just sympathy then that was between him, the magic combing through his hair, and God.

Buck laid his head back against the seat and sighed, his magic still pouring around them like a loose wave of water. As they pulled into the station, he quietly tugged it all back into him and let it wind itself around his ribcage where it stayed, settled. Exhaustion poured off of his body in drones, showcasing just how much that one well of power to save Eddie had taken it out of him. All he had left in him now was just simple party tricks. It was much easier to let it flow out of him than to keep his magic locked down tight as he normally did.

They all clambered out of the engine at last but no one said a word. A vow of silence at Buck’s secret washed over them like a bucket of cold water. Buck and Bobby were the last to leave the engine and enter the station, the older man’s hand on his shoulder.

“I won’t tell Athena until you’re ready. I can assure that Hen feels the same way about telling Karen. I’m proud of you for sharing this with us. That level of trust is honorable.” Bobby said softly.

Buck just nodded at him and offered a small smile as he walked up towards the loft. This was his family, they were going to support him no matter what secrets he kept. He felt his magic warm in his ribcage at the thought of finally belonging somewhere that actually accepted him for who he is. A secret that wasn’t necessary to keep from the people that cared about him.

The crew headed upstairs to the loft to gather around for dinner hopefully before the next call. Buck and Eddie settled on the couch as Hen and Chim sat at the island to chat with Bobby or to give them their space. A bunch of meddlers. Buck had seemed more relaxed around Eddie now that his secret was out. It wasn’t so much of a pissing contest as it was to try and be sure that he couldn’t be replaced. That he wasn’t as easily removed as a fixture in people’s lives as he felt like he was.

Eddie turned his head to look at Buck, a curious expression flitting across his eyes. “What else can you do?” He hummed.

Buck, in his defense, tried not to look surprised at the question. Not many people cared enough to learn that part of him. They just wanted to pretend that it didn’t exist. Or that he didn’t exist. He didn’t want to tell anyone for the bad reactions he received for the times that he did share the secret. They were scared or they ran away. There was really no inbetween with it. No one had looked at him with such curiosity as Eddie did now. And damn him, if that didn’t mean something to him.

“Anything you want.” Buck said, pausing for a moment. “Within reason of course.”

The new firefighter seemed to smile at that, as if the prospect of anything was the best thing he’d ever heard. And maybe it was. He didn’t just want to use Buck for party tricks or small favors. No, he wanted to learn everything there was about the man. He wanted to learn the good, the bad, and the things that were kept hidden. Something that felt strangely like devotion stirred in his chest but it was promptly ignored.

”Show me your favorite trick.” Eddie murmured and turned his body to look over at him.

Buck lit up at that, grabbing Eddie’s hand to hold in his own palm up. His magic unfurled from his chest and winded down his arms into Eddie’s waiting hand. It pooled in his palm before rushing over his body and into his hair. Within seconds, Eddie’s lovely brown hair was now a bright pink and had Buck burst out laughing.

Hen and Chim took that moment to look over, laughter bubbling out of them at the same time. Hen’s wheezing quickly overtook everyone else’s booming laughter. Bobby regarded his team with the ghost of a smile on his face. Eddie frowned in confusion at them until Buck held up his phone camera for him to see what he looked like.

“Oh what the fuck Buck!” Eddie huffed and jumped away from the man, his hands going up into his hair.

The tall firefighter could do nothing but just laugh, tears falling down his cheeks as he took in the sight before him. “You asked for my favorite trick.” He wheezed.

“Change it back right now.” Eddie glared at him.

Buck continued chuckling as he strode over and placed his hands in Eddie’s hair, ignoring how soft it felt beneath his fingers. His magic stirred but didn’t flare out, making Buck frown. “I uh- can’t.” He said. A frown deepening on his usually happy face. It seemed that the well of his magic had finally tired out. Which would explain the bone deep exhaustion that he felt.

Hen stood up from her chair and walked over to Buck, who was noticeably shaking from tiredness. Concern covered her features as she slowly guided Buck to the couch to sit down. “I think you need to rest, Buckaroo. At least before you try anything else. You look like you’re dead on your feet.” She said softly and brushed a hand over the man’s curls.

Buck sighed softly, his eyes fluttering open and shut as his body fought off the exhaustion that was pressing down. Eddie stood off to the side and watched him, his shoulders pulled tight in a protective manner. The tired man in front of him, unable to protect himself at this moment, just pulled at Eddie’s heart to take care of him.

Eddie was content to watch Buck sleep if it wasn’t for Hen and Chim staring him down. He raised an eyebrow at the duo and walked over, crossing his arms. “What?” He asked, his body tensing.

“You shouldn’t look at him like that.” Hen said softly, her sisterly nature taking root between them, an overbearing care of sorts for Buck.

This caused him to frown in confusion slightly, it wasn’t obvious to him of the expression. “Look at him like what?”

“Like he means something to you.”

Eddie let out a short laugh, though to anyone else it was more nervous than humor. He shrugged and leaned up against the kitchen table, his eyes darting from where Buck slept on the couch to where Hen and Chim stood before him. “I just met the guy. He’s cool and all but I barely know him.” He murmured, careful to keep his voice low.

Hen snorted but didn’t continue her thought. She could tell from just a few short moments of interaction between the duo that they’d be more than friends. However she could also tell that even if they weren’t, Buck was already attached.

“What?” He asked and narrowed his eyes at Hen, an eyebrow raised in her direction.

Chim just watched the exchange between his best friend and the new firefighter, his arms crossed as he popped a bubble from his gum between his teeth.

“What she means is that Buck’s had enough of people letting him down. Unless you plan on being something important to him, there’s no need to start anything.” He said lightly, taking stock of the now tense exchange. “Maddie and the 118 take enough care of him that no one new needs to be added into the mix.”

Eddie looked between the two before settling his gaze on Chimney, a part of him forgetting that the older man was even present because of his focused attention on Hen. He almost felt slighted at their immediate dismissal of his care for Buck, seniority clearly outweighing his opinions.

“He’s not a child, I think he can decide for himself if he wants me around.” Eddie all but snapped at the duo, his ire getting the better of him.

Chim held his hands up, chuckling. “Down boy. We just want to protect him.”

––

Buck awoke an hour later, a smattering of curls covered his forehead and his cheeks tinted pink. The exhaustion had dimmed to just a light wave of tiredness but the color had returned to his face, a sure sign that a nap had been exactly what his body needed. He looked across the room, Eddie’s bright head of pink hair capturing his attention first.

He blinked blearily at the sight as his eyes focused on what he was seeing. “Oh crap. Eddie, I’m so sorry.” Buck said and clambered up into a sitting position.

Eddie shrugged and turned to face Buck from his position in the armchair, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “It’s fine, Buck, really. You couldn’t have done anything about it until you slept anyways.”

Buck shook his head, standing up with a slight sway and walked over to him. He shoved his hands into Eddie’s hair and willed his magic to change the hair back to brown. The light blue magic slowly seeped out of his hands, flooding into Eddie’s hair in a small stream. It ebbed slightly but the more Buck pushed, the more it pulled from him and covered the hair. After a minute or so, Eddie’s pink hair had changed back to the lovely shade of brown it was before, a dark caramel of sorts.

Once Buck was satisfied with Eddie’s hair being back to its normal shade, he removed his hands as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. The magic dwindled out, returning to its rightful place in Buck’s chest.

“Sorry, I– I just wanted to fix it since I left you like that.” He mumbled, taking a step back from Eddie.

Eddie’s own face heated to match Buck’s, something sparking in the air between them, a label yet unsaid.

“It’s fine.” He said, clearing his throat.

Buck just nodded and returned to his space on the couch, shifting a bit uncomfortably. The magic in his chest tightened in anticipation, though of what he wasn’t sure, maybe it was Eddie or the feelings he’d been trying to push down. It was nice having someone care about him or for him, it made him feel necessary and certain. It also made his magic light like kindling to a fire, claiming and staking that feel as his own, the person as his own, like it belonged to him in every capacity. His magic wasn’t one to back down when it found something it wanted but it sure as hell made its dislike known.

The pull in his chest deepened when Eddie looked over to him, a feeling he couldn’t shake out as it settled somewhere deep in his bones.

“Hey Buck?” Eddie asked, crossing one leg over the other and facing Buck on the couch.

“Yeah? What’s up?” Buck hummed as he desperately tried to ignore what swirled in his body.

“Thanks,” He said, a smile ghosting his face. “For showing me your magic. For trusting me like that even if you’d just met me.”

Buck ducked his head bashfully, his face lighting up with a grin of his own. He’d been looked at like a problem for having this ability his whole life and yet here was someone thanking him for the chance to even witness it. The feeling was freeing. “Trust me, I couldn’t have stopped it if I tried. I think it’s really taken a liking to you.”

“Your magic?” Eddie asked.

He nodded, holding his hand out as his magic seeped from his skin into his palm. “It’s really got a mind of its own. Just does whatever it wants.” Buck murmured.

Eddie looked at it in mild awe, his eyes lighting up. Even if he’d seen what Buck could do, it still amazed him every time, just the raw power that the man had possessed. It was crazy to him that with as much magic as Buck possessed, the man was still just a gentle giant, none of it was used for evil, he only wanted to help people. For someone like Eddie who spent time in the service, it surprised him wholly. There were plenty of men and women around him who weren’t necessarily so kind with their abilities.

The magic built up in Buck’s palm before cascading outward towards Eddie, winding along his arms first and then slowly moving around the rest of his body. It tugged from Buck more and more until Eddie’s skin was covered in a wave of light blue, his magic seeked to fix whatever ailed Eddie, though the memories were all internal.

“It’s beautiful.” Eddie said softly, his voice full of quiet wonder.

Buck smiled as the pull in his chest became more prominent, a feeling that couldn’t yet be named stirred between them, a quiet musing of sorts. “Told you, it’s kind of obsessed with you. I wish I knew why though.” He said with a laugh.

He didn’t bother pulling his magic back, content to let it fill the loft of the firehouse, even as the rest of the team looked over to the living area. Hen, Chim, and Bobby watched the pair as a few moments passed, seeing before them what would happen to the two firefighters with no way to stop it. They knew that their younger firefighter had finally found a place to belong, someone to belong to, even if neither of them knew it yet.

“Dinner!” Bobby called, his voice breaking the quiet moment passing between them.

––

As they neared the end of their shift, the 118 had slowly gotten over the novelty of Buck having magic, the reality of it settling in for them. It aided in that Buck used his magic throughout the day to help them, or play fun pranks, it made their 12 hour shift go by much faster.

Hen and Chim herded around Buck with a smirk on their faces, mildly cornering him in the locker room before their shift officially ended. He knew then that the duo wanted nothing more than to question him on his budding friendship with the newest addition to their team.

“So Buck, you and Eddie looked awfully close.” Chim hummed, popping his gum.

Buck flushed from his neck to his head, his hand coming up and rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He muttered and looked around, trying to find a way to get out of the conversation.

Hen snorted and rolled her eyes at him, not buying his bullshit for a second.

“Buck, we saw how you acted around him.” Hen said, raising an eyebrow.

Buck looked down to his wrist and checked his imaginary watch, side stepping his friends to get to his locker. He quickly opened it, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Well would you look at the time. Shift’s over. Bye guys!” Buck called over his shoulder as he damn near scurried away.

“You can’t run from us, Buck!” Hen yelled after him.

“Or your feelings!”

Chapter Text

The tones blared to life overhead, sending the 118 into an organized scramble as they headed for the engines. Eddie took his now rightful place beside Buck while Hen and Chim chose to ride in the ambulance ahead of their now intense call.

Bobby turned in his seat to face his firefighters, a grim look on his face as he spoke. “Dispatch says three alarm fire, multiple trapped inside and almost fully engulfed.”

Buck and Eddie nodded mutely, the tone in the engine cabin turning somber. It was calls like these that always had less than happy endings. Buck pulled at his magic from where it was wrapped around his ribs, bringing it to the forefront of his body to ready himself to use it. It would be the most helpful thing in trying to get everyone out alive, no matter how much energy it took from him to do so.

As they arrived on scene, the 118 moved with effective grace, the efficiency leading them straight into the arms of the IC. Bobby called out to his firefighters once he received word of where they were stationed, unsurprisingly putting Buck and Eddie straight into the fire to find the missing people.

Buck turned to Eddie, dipping his head into a subtle nod and dropping his visor, taking off into the flames. Eddie followed close on his heels as the dark smoke clouded their field of vision far into the building. He opened his palm and sent his magic feathering out in front of them, the tug of it leading them straight to the first victim.

“Take them, I’ll continue on and see if I can find anyone else.” Buck said, his voice raising to be heard over the roaring fire around them.

Eddie hesitated for a moment, watching Buck carefully as he tried to determine the risks of leaving him here by himself. Eventually, he decided that there was no other way that the victim who was currently incapacitated could make it out of there alone. He leaned down and scooped them up in a fireman’s carry, sparing Buck one last glance before bustling down the hallway and out of the building.

Buck watched him leave for a moment and then turned on his heel and continued farther into the flames, his magic feeling out every new location and testing every door. He sent a wave of light blue up the stairs and fanned it out as he climbed.

“LAFD! Call out!” He yelled, his voice straining to be heard over the crackles of the fire.

“We’re here! Please help us!” A young voice cried back.

Buck took off down the hallway as the floorboards creaked with every pound of his footsteps. The building was beginning to become unstable, a thought that only furthered his swift movements. His magic swept through the floor before locating the small child and her father, covering them in a light blue blanket of protection. He followed the light until it led him to the victims, the fire nipping at his heels.

“I’m Buck, I’m a firefighter.” He said and crouched to where the child was seated on the floor. “I’m here to help you.”

The young girl nodded, tears cascading down her face as she looked up at Buck. “Simone, I’m Simone.” Her voice wobbled as she spoke.

He looked around the room, his eyes landing on a window not far from the street where the ladder truck was parked. Buck threw his arm out as a strike of blue spiked through the air, blasting the window out. The more his magic yanked from him the more the exhaustion settled deep into his bones. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping Buck on his feet.

“Buckley to Captain Nash.” Buck chimed through his radio.

“Go for Captain Nash. What’s going on, Buck?”

“Extend the ladder to the Delta side. I broke out the window, we have two vics here Cap.” Buck raced through his words and pushed his magic out of the open window, a blue homing beacon to their location.

“Copy that, Buck. Eddie’s coming your way on the ladder.” Cap’s voice crackled through the radio, confirming.

Buck turned to the little girl – Simone – and offered her what he hoped to be a pleasant smile. “Hear that? My friends are coming to save you and your Dad. Can you go over to the window for me?” He asked gently.

Simone nodded albeit a bit hesitantly before climbing to her feet and shuffling towards the window. Buck’s magic broke apart from the main bubble, surrounding the little girl as she made her way to the window, an air of calm settled around her as her breathing evened out.

He looked to the man, her father, and grabbed an arm to settle over top of his shoulders. “Alright, Sir, this isn’t going to be pleasant but you’ve gotta get out.” He warned.

Buck hoisted him up, promptly ignoring the loud groan and shuffled his way to the window as well, careful to shift his weight between his feet so as to not disturb the already creaking floor. It wouldn’t hold much longer.

He felt his magic ripple and raised his head to see Eddie pop into view at the window. A grin broke out on his face once they all got close enough.

“Glad to see you’re in one piece, Buck.” Eddie jested, his humor battling to outweigh the nerves.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Eddie smiled, nodding his head to the victim that Buck was holding up. He maneuvered the father into Eddie’s waiting arms carefully enough not to disturb whatever fractures that the man had endured in the building. Simone looked up to Buck, fear replacing the once calm nature she had possessed before.

“I don’t want to go.” She cried, shooting forward and grabbing onto Buck’s turnouts.

“It’ll be okay. My friend Eddie here’s gonna take good care of you and your Dad.” Buck murmured, looking down at the little girl.

Simone blinked up at him, her tear-stricken face tugging at his heartstrings as she slowly pulled away, untangling herself from Buck’s coat. “Okay.” She mumbled.

She made her way over to Eddie and the firefighter scooped her up, bundling the little girl within his own turnouts and holding her close to his chest.

“Your turn, Buck.” Eddie hummed, his eyes scanning the building before settling on Buck.

Buck nodded and took a step towards him, the floor giving a loud groan as the fire started to encompass the room. The crack in the floorboards was felt before it was heard, the loud sound echoing through the ears of both men. He lifted his foot with a startle, all intent to make the leap onto the ladder as Eddie backed up with the girl. The building shifted as the flames crackled, his body just a hairsbreadth too far from the window as the floor gave way with a snap.

Buck’s body soon disappeared from view as he fell two stories into the raging flames below, his magic exploding around him as it fought against the fire. The blast from the blue sent Eddie sailing back onto the ladder, his body twisting to protect Simone from both the explosion and the hard ladder beneath them. He sat up with a start, raw fear etched into the faces of the family of firefighters both below him and with him on the ladder.

“Buck!” Eddie screamed, his voice cutting through the sound of the building giving way, an amplifier enhancing the sound of something that shouldn’t be heard.

––

Hen took Simone from Eddie as soon as his boots hit solid ground, a tug in his chest pulling him back towards the building where Buck was currently unaccounted for. His eyes found Captain Nash when the man walked over, his feet striking into the asphalt, the only indicator of the worry placed in Bobby’s heart.

“What happened?” Bobby asked, surveying him from head to toe.

“It’s Buck. We have to go in there, Cap!” Eddie snapped as an unusual sense of dread filled his normally calm demeanor.

Bobby’s face took on a tight lipped look, shaking his head when he spoke. “Building’s unstable, Eddie. I can’t in good conscience send one of you in.”

“I’ll go in. I don’t care, he’s in there!”

“No need.” A voice cut through the unraveling chaos of the scene.

Full of soot and his skin littered with bright blue glowing veins, stood Buck, outside the wreckage of the partially collapsed building. He coughed hackingly and hunched over slightly, as Eddie rushed to him. Eddie hoisted one of Buck’s arms over his shoulder and took the brunt of the man’s weight, holding him up.

“Hen, Chim, triage now!” Bobby’s voice sounded, as he made his way over to Buck, the paramedics hot on his heels.

Buck raised his head to look at his Captain, soot covering most of his features save for the occult glowing he now possessed. “Cap.”

“You okay, kid?” He asked.

“Made it out in one piece, Bobby.” Buck answered with a light grin.

Hen and Chim led Buck, plus Eddie, over to the ambulance where oxygen had been prepped. She strapped a mask to his face and gave him a hard look, one that dared him to not try to remove it. Chim pressed his stethoscope to Buck’s chest, listening to the rhythmic sound of his breathing, something that shouldn’t be as stable as it was. It was nothing short of a miracle that he’d come through unscathed. Or magical.

––

“Come on, Eddie. The hospital said I was fine, there’s no need to hover.” Buck huffed, glaring in the direction of his friend, who was currently pacing around his own house. “You didn’t even need to bring me to your house.”

“I left you in there. I should’ve gotten you out right after that father.” Eddie stressed and tugged at his hair.

Buck shook his head as he spoke. “You couldn’t have known.”

Eddie turned and narrowed his eyes, somehow his glare more frightening than his own, making Buck shrink back a little. He encroached on Buck’s space, standing directly in front of where he was seated on the couch.

“Hey, at least I’m not glowing anymore. Now that was weird.” Buck mumbled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Not funny.” Eddie snapped but there was no bite behind it.

Buck just shrugged and looked around Eddie’s rather empty house. He took stock of the pile of kids toys in the corner of the floor and the abundance of pictures of Eddie with a child, a boy that looked rather young, likely no older than seven. The curiosity continued to grow with each memory that was kept in perfect view, pieces connecting quite quickly.

“So where’s your son, if I’m here?” He asked, watching Eddie.

Eddie turned to him, blanking on what would’ve been an obvious lie. He paused for several moments as he considered how to explain his situation.

“He’s with his mom.” Eddie answered carefully.

“You don’t have to kick your kid out just because you brought me here. I’m perfectly fine to go back to my apartment, they already cleared me back at the hospital.”

He rolled his eyes at Buck. “I didn’t kick my son out, it’s his day with his mom.”

Eddie paused his pacing and went over to the couch, sitting down beside Buck, his knee pressing into the other man’s. It warmed a feeling in his chest, knowing that even if Buck could leave, he hadn’t yet. He felt something open somewhere deep inside his bones, something that answered to Buck the way that Buck answered to him, like a door or a lid to a well had been opened, something that hadn’t been awoken in a very long time. When things like that awake, it can be felt for miles.

Buck turned his body to face Eddie as his magic startled, unfurling from his chest and pushing to the surface. The bright blue veins pushed through his skin and lit up his body in a soft glow, capturing Eddie’s attention again.

“Uh, Buck, you’re glowing.” Eddie said, an amused lilt to his tone.

Buck looked down at himself, cursing softly. “I don’t know why it keeps doing that. The fire makes sense but now? There’s no danger.”

His magic raised its hackles, spreading out along his palms from where they were resting on his knees and pushed out toward Eddie, trailing up his arms. It pushed and pulled along Eddie’s skin, seeming to be searching for something whether internal or external. Eddie felt his body answer the call as it awoke, a live wire moving along his skin the more that Buck’s magic prodded. He opened his hands when he felt the sparks along his fingers and looked to Buck, shock covering every inch of his features.

Buck’s magic pulled from him more and more, the glowing veins intensifying in their light. Eddie’s body answered in kind. A purple light exploded from him and filled the room, Buck’s blue soaring from him to flit around it, the two waves colliding and twisting together.

“What the fuck.” Eddie said, disbelief layered in his tone.

“You have magic.” Buck responded as he watched them, a feeling settling into his chest.

Belonging, it sang.

Chapter Text

Buck found Eddie in the kitchen, cracking open a fifth of some kind of vodka. He watched the man pour it into a shot glass and knock it back, grimacing at the burn.

“It’s not as scary as it feels. Maddie and I can help you.” Buck said gently as he walked into the kitchen, stopping on the other side of the table from him.

“I knew about it. I knew magic existed. My abuela’s family had it but it was supposed to have fizzled out.” Eddie murmured, looking down at the glass in his hands. “They always told me that we didn’t have magic anymore.”

Buck shrugged and made his way over, bumping his shoulder into Eddie’s. “Obviously there’s something that brought it out, but that doesn’t make it bad. It belongs to you. It's yours. Do whatever you want with it. Use it or don’t.”

Eddie raised his head, looking at Buck in what seemed like a very different light. After a few moments, he nodded and put the cap back on the bottle, setting it down on the kitchen table. Logically, Eddie knew that Buck was right and he also knew that Buck would be willing to help him with whatever he needed, but the disbelief stayed deep in his mind, as well as the why of it all.

Eddie’s magic flared to the surface again, purple streaks sparking from his fingertips, making him groan at the sight of it. Buck’s eyes tracked the way that the magic moved and he grinned, his own rising to meet it, the blue waves pulling from his chest and winding around Eddie. His skin glowing with blue veins as it brushed along Eddie, enticing the magic out of him.

“Now let’s hope you don’t start glowing too.” Buck joked and bumped their shoulders together.

Eddie just dropped his head into his glowing hands with another groan. This night was crazy enough without adding more magic into the mix, especially not his own that was supposed to be extremely dormant and not at all in front of him. It only complicated things more, including his feelings, as the magic was keen to Buck. His entire body felt like a live wire just ready to spark at any moment.

“I think we shouldn’t tell anyone. Not until I know what to do with it. I haven’t had years like you have.” Eddie said after a couple minutes, the reality of the situation setting in.

“I’ll keep your secret as long as you want me to, but I can’t promise that using my magic won’t bring out yours. They seem rather entwined with each other.” Buck hummed and held out his hand palm up, a pool of blue cascading through his fingers.

He felt his body tense up as the magic pulled from his skin, making Eddie raise his head at the foreign feeling, the purple sparks filling up his own hands.
“This is ridiculous.” He all but snapped, glaring at it.

“Death staring at your magic isn’t going to make it go away.” Buck pointed out unhelpfully.

Eddie turned his glaring onto Buck but it lacked all heat behind it, “It needs to go away. I’m lucky we don’t have a shift tomorrow. You need to teach me how to make it go away and stay like that.”

Buck watched him for a moment before shaking his head exasperatedly. “Fine. Let’s go, I’ll show you what I normally do and maybe that will help.” He said with a sigh and left the kitchen, returning to his spot he’d occupied previously on the couch. “It’s like second nature to me now, but Maddie went over every book and this is what we came up with.”

Eddie followed after him, taking the spot beside him and pressing their knees together in a form of comfort, unconsciously.

“Your magic seems to be like mine, it’s a living thing, but it listens. I can influence it however I want. When I pull it in, taking it in, it sits in my chest. Your magic will find a space in your body to sit until you call it out.” Buck paused for a moment and watched Eddie, a smile gracing his face.

“Focus your attention on it and pull, pull it in and let it wind itself around you.”

Eddie nodded and looked down at his hands, at the magic sparkling through his fingers, and pulled. It started off as a hesitant movement, the purple ebbing only slightly, but the more he pulled it in the more it started fading away. After a few seconds, the magic only existed around his ribcage where he could feel it, a silent protector, a warmed feeling of contentment flooding through him.

“I did it,” He said quietly.

Buck laughed, bright and full, and clasped Eddie’s shoulder tight. His own magic had pulled back in and the glowing veins he’d once possessed had calmed back down, his skin returning to a normal color. Now the pair looked normal, something they’d both wished for for years.

“That you did. Looks like you’re a fast learner,” He hummed. “I should probably head home but we can plan something tomorrow. I can come back and teach you the basics. Just– don’t burn your house down in the meantime.”

Eddie looked towards the man with wide eyes, eyebrows raised and a new sort of fear running through him. “I can do that?”

“My first night after it manifested, I burned my bed in the shape of my body. Maddie and I still have no idea how.” Buck chuckled as he took humor in the situation.

“Maybe you— you should stay?” Eddie offered, stumbling over his words, panic starting to flood in.

He watched the new witch with careful consideration, his magic tugging at his feelings like a puppet on strings, a feeling that couldn’t be named blasting through his defenses. It wasn’t a bad idea but it may just cause more trouble than he had bargained for. His magic was already unsettled at being so close to another magic user, let alone someone so vastly inexperienced, there were only so many ways you could fix magical mishaps.

“Alright,” Buck said slowly after a bit of time had passed.

––

When Buck awoke the next morning on a couch, his first thought was that his back was killing him, the second was ‘where the fuck am I?’. At the sound of coffee brewing and someone in the house, he sat up and set out feelers, his blue lines sliding throughout the house. A ripple in the magic told him that Eddie was in the kitchen.

“Eddie?” Buck called and got up.

“In here!”

Buck made his way into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and not bothering to pull the magic back into his body. He blinked at the sight of Eddie sitting at the table with two mugs, one at each chair. It was a rather domestic sight. Buck mentally kicked himself at the thought and pulled out the chair, sitting down beside him.

“Well your house is still standing, so I’d say your first night as a witch didn’t go too badly,” He jested with a laugh, raising the mug to his lips and took a sip.

“My bed is thankfully not burned, either. Not that either of us would know how to fix it.” Eddie responded in kind, an amused tilt to his lips.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, just drinking their coffee, until the sound of a door opening had both their heads snapping up and searching for the source. Crutches clacked across the floor as two voices called out from the front door.

“Dad?”

“Eddie?”

“Fuck.” Eddie swore and shot up, his knee slamming into the table and rocking the mugs on it.

Buck watched him curiously and also got up, more gracefully than the now panicked man in front of him. Eddie turned to Buck wide eyed but said nothing before fixing his hair and walking into the living room, a bright smile plastered on his face to mask the lack of sleep. He had absolutely no idea what just happened in the manner of two minutes, but if Buck could do anything, it was roll with the punches.

He trailed after Eddie, pulling in his magic despite how hard it fought to be present, eventually it listened and wound itself inside. The pull in his chest felt akin to a sharp pain, something that he wasn’t used to but was ever present these days.

“Christopher, Shannon!” Eddie hummed, looking over to the woman. “Shan, you weren’t supposed to bring him back until one.”

The woman, Shannon, shrugged a shoulder and patted the young boy’s head. “He wanted his dad, who am I to say no to him?”

Buck suddenly felt like he was intruding on a family moment rather than just being a friend to a coworker. It soured his stomach and made his magic bristle.

“Who’s that?” Christopher asked and tilted his head, watching Buck.

‘That’s— Buck. We work together.”

He smiled and walked over to Christopher, crouching over and offering his hand to the little boy. “Hi Christopher.”

‘Hi Buck.” Chris answered back with a childish giggle.

Shannon watched the interaction before turning to Eddie with an amused look, her eyes moving from her ex husband to the giant of a man in front of her son. It was obvious to her that the boys had spent the night together but in what manner, she wasn’t sure. She knew her ex was gay but did this coworker of sorts?

“So, Eddie, you and, Buck, was his name?” She asked.

Eddie scrambled for an excuse, stuttering being the first thing out of his mouth. “I– We’re– He’s a friend. He was helping me with some stuff.”

Shannon nodded, not believing a word he was saying. She turned her attention back to her son and Buck, the former taking the man to play with his legos on the living room floor. He paid careful mind to the boy and seemed just happy to play with the seven year old.

“I see.” She laughed. “So you just spent the night together because he was being helpful?”

“It’s not like that. It was getting late so I offered the couch. We were– working on something.” Eddie snapped with no heat.

She just shrugged again and patted his shoulder, gathering her purse from the floor and sparing her ex one last glance. “Sure, Eddie. I’ll get out of your hair but we’ll need to get coffee and catch up.” Shannon hummed with a wink, leaving the house.

Eddie just groaned, locking the door after his whirlwind of an ex wife had left, turning to Christopher and Buck on the ground. He was content to just watch the pair if it wasn’t for the magic stirring under his skin, prickling his senses and begging to be close to his son. Eddie wasn’t that well versed in how to keep it under wraps, his control on it quickly fraying and panic filling its place.

“Uh, Buck.” Eddie started, his voice a pitch higher.

Buck raised his head from his position on the floor and looked at Eddie, taking stock of the clenched fists and tightly wound muscles. He nodded almost imperceptibly and laid his hand behind his back onto the floor, sending out a small feeder of his magic up to Eddie. Buck influenced the stream with a feeling of calm, watching as it winded up his pant leg and disappearing under Eddie’s clothes.

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief, his magic hooking around Buck’s and hanging onto it, letting it calm his panic while he built back his control, an iron fist around the magic. Thank you, he mouthed to Buck and offered a shaky smile. The last thing he needed was his son finding out that he was suddenly magical with absolutely no control over it.

The man just smiled back at him before returning his attention to the little boy and continued their lego play session, encouraging and letting Christopher lead in the way they played. Eddie made his way to the kitchen to grab the coffee mugs, letting the blue follow him as he rebuilt his control, letting the space between them act as a barrier.

––

Eddie took his time in the kitchen with the coffee until he felt like he was able to return to the living room without Buck’s magic acting as a buffer between them. He scooped up both mugs and made his way back to his son, feeling more calm than he had in the last twenty four hours.

“So Chris, did you have fun with your mom?” He asked as he sat down, setting the mugs on the coffee table in front of him.

Christopher looked up to his father with a bright smile, his happiness flooding the room and influencing everyone, whether they knew it or not. “She took me to the zoo!”

“That’s great!” Eddie hummed, his eyes drifting to Buck before returning to his son.

Buck pulled back his magic when he felt the change in Eddie’s demeanor, letting it secure itself around his ribcage even as it warmed at the closeness of Eddie and his son. He didn’t let himself think too far into the why of his magic and how it behaved both near the new witch and away. It was a constant tug that he felt in his bones, something that only lessened when he was near the man. Something that was decided for them before they had even met.

“Well I should be going,” Buck said and stood, dusting off his pant legs. “I’m going to meet Maddie for lunch. We need to talk about some things.”

Eddie looked startled at the prospect of being alone with Chris, something that had never scared him before. He suddenly thought of all the ways that his new found powers could hurt his son and the thought terrified him more than death.

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” He asked almost pleadingly.

“I need to clean up the apartment before Maddie comes over,” Buck responded. You’ll be fine, his eyes said.

Eddie just nodded and offered Buck a small smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, we’ll talk more then, promise.” Buck returned the smile as he headed for the door.

Eddie followed him to the door and put a hand on his shoulder, clasping it tightly before dropping his hand to his side.

“You’ll be fine, Eddie. It’ll respond in kind, it won’t hurt him,” Buck whispered as they reached the door.

“Thank you, for all of,” he gestures to himself and then Buck, “this.”

“You don’t need to thank me for something that was always yours to begin with,” With that, Buck opened the door and disappeared from the Diaz house, leaving an ache in the man that he’d left.