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For four months, Ravi and May had been secretly dating.
For four months, Buck and Eddie had been doing the same.
Neither couple had the slightest clue about the other.
They both had perfected the art of secret glances, May sneaking a smile at Ravi across the table at family gatherings, Eddie brushing Buck’s hand as they passed each other in the loft, Buck using every excuse in the book to swing by Eddie’s place 'Chris needed help with math', 'Eddie needs help with something', 'the dog ate my charger, oh wait, I don’t have a dog'.
When Valentine’s Day rolled around, both men had the same idea, go far enough away that no one from the 118, Athena or Dispatch would see them.
Eddie had it all planned. Table for two, low lighting, expensive steakhouse two towns over. Buck looked devastatingly good, navy shirt, sleeves rolled, grin that could power Los Angeles.
“Eddie,” Buck said as they were seated, “this is the nicest restaurant I’ve ever been to that didn’t involve Chim’s Yelp obsession.”
Eddie smirked. “Well, I figured I’d impress my boyfriend for once.”
Buck’s face went red enough to match the wine.
Across the room, another pair arrived, Ravi in a black button up, May in a soft red dress, both grinning like kids sneaking into a club. Ravi whispered, “I picked this place because nobody from the 118 ever drives this far.”
May grinned. “Smart man, and you’re cute.”
They were halfway through laughing over their shared entree when May froze.
“Ravi,” she whispered, “don’t look now, but that looks like… Buck?”
Ravi turned. His eyes went wide. “And Eddie. Together.”
Buck noticed them at the exact same moment. His fork clattered. “Oh my god. That’s May and Ravi.”
Eddie blinked. “...Wait. May and Ravi? Together?”
There was a long, awkward pause before Buck half raised a hand. May did the same.
Then, at the same time, they all just said “...You wanna just...?”
“Yeah. Let’s just dine together.”
The waitress blinked at them but smiled as she slid the empty table next to Buck and Eddie closer, May and Ravi grabbed their things and joined the other two.
The awkwardness lasted maybe ten seconds. Then Buck, being Buck, laughed first.
“Well, guess we’re all bad at hiding things.”
Ravi exhaled. “Oh thank god, I thought, you were going to tell Athena and I was about to get written up by Athena Grant for fraternization with her daughter.”
Eddie chuckled. “You’re fine. Just…we all know how to keep secrets."
Within minutes, it was fun genuine, easy laughter between the two couples. Ravi and Buck debated whose secret it was harder to keep "Mine," Buck said, “Eddie blushes if anyone says the word feelings”, and May teased them all mercilessly.
By dessert, the waitress had left extra chocolate hearts, and Buck grinned. “You know what? This is actually kinda perfect.”
Ravi raised his glass. “To secrets… and maybe not keeping them forever.”
They clinked glasses. The start of something new.
Over the next months, the four of them became inseparable. The others at the 118 started noticing.
“Why are Buck, Eddie, and Ravi always together?” Chim questioned one morning.
Hen shrugged. “Maybe they’re starting a boy band. The Fire Alarms.”
Even Bobby raised an eyebrow when Buck brought three coffees in one day for Eddie, himself and one for Ravi.
May just smiled sweetly whenever Athena asked where she’d been: “Oh, study group.” (A study group that involved a lot more pasta, wine, and Buck trying to show Ravi how to grill steak properly.)
One evening, all four sat around Eddie’s kitchen table after Christopher went to bed. Ravi looked at the others, cheeks pink from laughter.
“I think we should tell them.”
“Yeah,” Buck agreed. “It’s getting weird pretending I don’t know what Ravi’s favorite dessert is when Hen offers him cupcakes.”
Eddie leaned back. “But we do it together. That way, if they swarm one couple, the other distracts them.”
May nodded. “Halloween, then. One year since you two got together, and Ravi and I also did.”
Eddie smiled at Buck. “Yeah. Feels right.”
A week before Halloween, Eddie took Buck out under the idea of shopping for decorations.
They ended up at Griffith Park, where the city skyline glittered below.
“Remember last Halloween?” Eddie said quietly. “You showed up with fake fangs and turned your spare turnouts into a vampire costume and said you were ‘Count Buckula.’”
Buck laughed. “You kissed me anyway.”
“Yeah,” Eddie said, pulling something from his pocket, “and I’m planning to keep doing that for a long time.” He held up a simple silver ring. “Evan Buckley… you make everything so much brighter. I love you, will always love you. Marry me?”
Buck froze, eyes wide, tears spilling before he could stop them. Then he laughed through them. “Eds, you beat me to it! I literally have your ring!”
Eddie blinked, then burst out laughing too. “You do not.”
Buck pulled his own ring from his jacket. “Guess we’re both idiots in love.”
They slipped the rings on each other right there, under the city lights.
The 118’s Halloween party was already in full swing when May and Ravi walked in, hand in hand, dressed as Sandy and Danny from Grease. May in a black off shoulder outfit, Ravi in a leather jacket and too much hair gel.
Hen was the first to react. “Oh my god, you two are adorable! Wait, is this...are you together?!”
Within seconds, everyone swarmed them. Chim was filming, Bobby looked delighted, Athena was smirking knowingly.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Hen demanded.
“Because we didn’t want,”
“...to get ambushed,” Ravi finished weakly, exactly as cameras flashed.
Then, someone said, “Hey, where are Buck and Eddie?”
The door opened.
Buck and Eddie walked in wearing matching black skinny jeans and personalized LAFD shirts. That read “Buckley-Díaz”. Both gleaming silver rings on their fingers.
“Nice costumes,” Chim said. “What are you supposed to be, matching probies?”
Bobby frowned. “Why does your shirt have both your names on it?”
The room fell silent.
Eddie glanced at Buck, who shrugged. They turned around at the same time, showing the backs of their shirts “Buckley-Díaz” in bold letters, across both.
The room erupted.
Hen screaming “WAIT, WHAT?!”
Chim pulling out his phone again “HOLD ON. HOLD ON. You two?”
Athena smirked “Called it.”
Bobby just rubbed his temples “Okay. Everyone breathe.”
Then Chim gasped again. “WAIT. Are those rings?!”
Buck and Eddie froze. Then Eddie laughed, throwing an arm around Buck. “Yeah, those are rings.”
Chaos. Absolute chaos.
Half the crew swarmed Ravi and May again “How long have you been dating?” the other half shouted questions at Buck and Eddie “Who proposed?” “When?” “You’re getting married?!”
May groaned, “We literally just got ambushed,”
Ravi pointed at Buck and Eddie. “You just had to one up us!”
Eddie smirked, eyes gleaming with affection. “Couldn’t not, just look at my man.”
That sent everyone into even louder laughter, the kind that left cheeks sore and hearts warm.
Hours later, when the crowd finally calmed, Buck leaned against Eddie’s shoulder. Ravi and May were cuddled on the couch, still getting teased by Chim.
Hen raised a drink. “To the secret couples of the 118 and don't hide things again.”
Buck grinned. “We are definitely hiding something else in the future, this was fun.”
Eddie smiled, hand brushing his fiancee's ring. “Couldn’t agree more.”