Work Text:
Buck 🏒
Eddie
I’m watching the weirdest show
It’s called Mantracker
Guess what it’s about
It had been a month and a half since Eddie Diaz had started texting with Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley, star player of the LA Kings and overall goofball, and they still hadn’t been on a date.
Though it certainly wasn’t from a lack of trying.
The problem was the same thing that had prevented Eddie from going to games with Christopher earlier, mainly that he was still very new to the job and had a frankly ridiculous schedule, as well as a delightful but busy kid to look after. It didn’t help that Buck himself had a job that always had him either practicing or on the road, playing games in such far flung locations as Edmonton in Canada.
Which is where Buck was texting him from that evening.
Eddie
I’m going to go out on a limb
and guess it’s about tracking a man?
Eddie couldn’t help the smile on his face whenever he got a text from Buck. He never knew what it was going to be, from a random fact the other man had just read to something ridiculous a teammate had said to the strange and exciting goings on of the cities he visited while on the road. No matter what it was, though, it still made Eddie’s heart flutter in a ridiculous way each time he got a text notification. It was honestly a little embarrassing. He was a grown man.
Buck 🏒
Knew you’d get it
Smartest guy I know
Eddie snuggled into the corner of his couch, doing his best to stop blushing. They weren’t even in the same room! He hadn’t even seen the man (other than on his television) since the day they’d met. It was frankly ridiculous the kind of power this guy had over him.
Eddie
Flatterer
So they’re just … following a guy?
If there was one thing Eddie had learned in his brief acquaintance with Buck, it was that if you asked him a question, you’d best be prepared for a (long, rambling, kind of adorable) answer.
Buck 🏒
Eddie
It’s so ridiculous
Two people go out into the wilderness
and then the ‘Mantracker’ is sent after them
and it’s basically just this giant game of hide and seek but in the woods
and one guy’s on a horse.
It feels like it should be a horror movie.
It’s so dumb
You would love it
Eddie wasn’t sure he would love it, at least not on his own, but he would certainly love watching it with Buck, already picturing the tangents the other man would undoubtedly go on as the show played on in the background.
Eddie
So if it’s hide and seek
and they’re hiding from the horse dude
Does he just … not see the cameramen?
Surely that’s a dead giveaway
Buck 🏒
Don’t break the illusion, Eddie!
Eddie snorted, reaching over to grab the remote and turn something on his own television. At least that way he could pretend he was actually watching something and not just focused on his phone, giggling like a teenage girl when a cute boy texted him.
Nothing much called to him as he scrolled through a never-ending Netflix queue, all things either Chris-related or something he’d been told was good so he’d added it with no clue what it really was. Absentmindedly, he googled if Mantracker was on any streaming services but shockingly, it didn’t seem to be. Who could have called it?
His phone pinged again.
Buck 🏒
What are you up to?
That was the question, wasn’t it? What was Eddie doing? Though maybe that was a little too existential of a thought for a text to a crush.
Eddie
Failing to find something to watch
Buck answered immediately.
Buck 🏒
How tired are you?
Want to watch an episode of Bake Off together?
We could start it at the same time
and text while we watch.
Eddie hesitated for half a second.
Eddie
Or call?
Buck 🏒
Or call!
I would love to call!
Can I call??
Eddie chuckled, something loosening in his chest at those double question marks.
Eddie
Of course you can call.
He’d barely pressed send when his phone began to ring, Buck’s contact photo of him and Chris on the night that might have changed Eddie’s life flashing onscreen. With a smile, he let his thumb slide across the screen, an unbidden giddiness he only felt when talking to Buck filling his lungs.
“Eddie?” Buck’s voice rang through the phone, slightly tired but solid, there.
“Hey, Buck.”
“Hey!” There was a smile in Buck’s voice Eddie could hear over the line, the clear joy at him getting to talk to Eddie despite the time difference and the fact that he’d just played a game that’d gone into overtime, even if they’d eventually won. Somehow all of that seemed to just be background noise. “Do you have any preference on seasons? I usually like to go earlier cause I like Mel and Sue the best but we can watch whatever.”
“Are you going to kill me if I admit I’ve never actually seen the show?”
Buck’s gasp could probably be heard on the International Space Station.
“You’ve never seen Bake Off?! Eddie!!”
“I know! I know! I’m sorry!” Eddie tried to laugh it off, slightly embarrassed by Buck’s reaction. He knew it was a popular show but he was a busy guy with a kid and a job that left little time for binge watching whatever the thing of the moment was.
Before he could even try to defend himself, though, Buck was already off again.
“No, no, this is great, actually! I get to introduce you to the highs and lows of The Great British Bake Off? Hollywood Handshakes? Soggy Bottoms? We’ve got so much to watch! Literally years! I’m so excited!”
Years worth of television to watch with Buck? Eddie was excited, too.
—
Long distance Bake Off had become a habit when Buck was on the road. It wasn’t a date, not really, but it was the closest they had managed so far. Depending on their schedules, sometimes Chris joined, mostly commenting on if things looked delicious or gross.
“Why would I want to eat pie with mushrooms in it?” he gagged one night, utterly upset by his discovery of savory pies, despite Eddie having a very vivid memory of his kid going for seconds of chicken pot pie at Hen and Karen’s a few weeks ago.
Buck laughed through the speaker. “So I take it you don’t like mushrooms, then?”
“They are so gross,” Chris replied, sticking his tongue out to make his point despite the fact that Buck couldn’t see over the phone.
“I bet I could make something with mushrooms you’d like, Superman.”
The look on Christopher’s face was priceless, torn between the pure adoration he had for Buck and the upsetting reality of having to eat a mushroom.
“I’ll take that bet,” Eddie chuckled. “Ten bucks says he very politely refuses.”
“Twenty says he doesn’t think he’ll like it but takes a bite because you tell him he has to be nice and at least try it and then he falls in love with it.”
“Deal,” Eddie snorted. “You may be an okay chef but you haven’t gone up against a picky nine year old.”
“You’ll like anything I make, right, Chris?”
Chris looked worriedly at his dad and Eddie burst out laughing.
“Buck won’t be upset if you don’t like something he made,” Eddie took a moment to reassure Chris before turning back to the phone. “Stop traumatizing my son, Buckley.”
“I am ready to expand both your palates,” Buck just reassured them and though Eddie rolled his eyes, he couldn’t ignore the thrill the thought of Buck cooking for the two of them ignited in him. Buck in his kitchen, big and bulky and soft, moving around like he belonged there, maybe wearing an apron that would struggle against the width of his chest. God, Eddie wanted.
Ultimately, the woman who had made the pie with mushrooms was eliminated and Chris cheered in vindication, Buck trying to convince him over the phone that his mushroom dish would be better. Eddie listened to his son and his something lightheartedly argue with a smile on his face. Things weren’t perfect, not yet, but they were getting there.
—
It was a Friday in February when the planets finally aligned. Buck had two weeks off for the Olympic break and Eddie actually had a 72 off at the same time. Pepa had agreed to watch Christopher, a mischievous smile on her face as she double checked her calendar that Eddie refused to indulge.
It was happening. Buck and Eddie were going to go on an actual, proper date.
Buck had practically begged to be allowed to plan it, telling Eddie over and over that he was determined to “woo” him (which Eddie claimed was ridiculous, archaic language while simultaneously glad they weren’t on facetime so Buck couldn’t see his blush.) Due to said ‘wooing’, the plan had been kept a complete mystery to Eddie, Buck only saying that he should be ready by four and dressed ‘nice but like, you know, you’re up for the unexpected.’ Whatever that meant.
There were still twelve hours left in his shift, two days before the date, and Eddie was doing his best to not be nervous. He’d volunteered to restock the ambulance, needing something to do with his hands, his mind going a mile a minute as he ferried bandages and alcohol wipes to their proper homes.
Logically, he knew there wasn’t anything to be nervous about. He and Buck spoke all the time; he wasn’t a stranger. Sure, Eddie hadn’t really dated since … well, since he was sixteen but Buck already knew him, already seemed to like him. Christopher liked him. It wasn’t like he was going out to dinner with some mysterious potential serial killer or anything.
So why couldn’t he stop the constant bob of his knee under the table at dinner that night? Why could he never quite catch his breath when he jogged to the engine on their way back from a call?
“Take a breath, Diaz.” Chim’s voice came from somewhere behind Eddie. He turned to find the older man leaned up against the open ambulance doors, giving Eddie a quick up and down. “You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. You’re not headed to the gallows after shift, are you?”
Eddie huffed a laugh, though it felt more sardonic than genuine. “No, no. I’ve actually, er, got a date.”
Chimney frowned. “With who? The grim reaper?”
The genuine confusion in Chim’s voice was enough to break the anxiety bubble Eddie’d been stuck in all evening, letting him actually smile as he sat back on one of the ambulance’s gurneys.
“No, no. With this guy I’ve been talking to.”
“The guy that made you almost miss lunch yesterday cause you were too busy texting?” Chim relaxed at seeing Eddie relax, an encouraging smile on his face as he stuck a hand in his pocket.
“Yeah, that’s him,” Eddie chuckled. He’d forgotten about that. They’d been texting about something else and Eddie mentioned their earlier call to rescue someone who’d (ironically) gotten themselves stuck in an escape room. Buck had been delighted by this information, asking a million questions, eventually determining that he and Eddie would be the best escape room team, hands down. Eddie knew he was biased but he’d agreed, throwing out that they had both brains and brawn on their side. Eventually, Chim had had to chuck a balled up napkin at his face for him to realize food was on the table.
“So what’s with the gloomy atmosphere over here then?” Chim’s question knocked Eddie out of his reverie. “I thought you loved this guy.”
It was like having it said aloud was what made it finally click, Eddie all of a sudden able to put words to the way his stomach swooped at the thought of Buck on his doorstep, physically there after having just been a voice on the phone for so long.
“I think that’s the problem.”
Chim just looked at him, raising an eyebrow, waiting for Eddie to say more.
“I just, I really like him, Chim. He’s funny and smart and he actually loves talking to Chris. Like maybe more than talking to me. Which of course he does, it’s Chris but it’s just so… I don’t know. We talk all day, every day. It’s been so easy, he makes it so easy, just this comforting presence on the other end of the phone.”
Eddie took a breath.
“But now he’s going to be there, in person, and he’s going to see me, and what if I fuck it up? What if I spill my beer on him or he’s allergic to my cologne? What if he takes one look at my face and realizes that he forgot that he actually hated it?”
Eddie’s worried ramblings were cut off by a bark of laughter. Turning, Eddie found Chimney actually hunched over, apparently his glee at Eddie’s worries too strong a force to keep him upright.
“I’m glad you find all this funny,” Eddie sniffed, a little put out, but it only made Chim laugh harder.
“I’m sorry,” Chim put his hand out, as if the motion would actually stop his giggles, “I’m not laughing at you.”
Eddie gave him a look.
“Okay, yeah, I am laughing at you but come on, you’re being ridiculous. If this guy is even half as crazy for you as you clearly are for him, then none of those things are real worries. Spill beer on him? He won’t care. Allergic to your cologne? Cute story to tell the grandkids. And your face? Don’t know how to break it to you, Diaz, but you’ve got a good face. I don’t even swing that way but it’s basically an objective fact. I have a feeling this guy is already pretty fond of it.”
“Chim–”
“Ah ah ah!” Chimney cut him off. “I’ve had just about enough of your dooming, Diaz. The ambulance is already stocked and you need to get out of your head. Clearly, it’s time for me to beat your ass at MarioKart.”
“You know I’m better than you–” Eddie began with a grin but Chimney just cut him off again.
“Just cause you have a kid and thus, get more practice! But I’m telling you, I’ve been honing my skills and I’m about to smoke you on Rainbow Road. Meet me in the loft in five and prepare to be humbled.”
Eddie could feel the tension easing out of his frame as Chim jogged away. Chim was just trying to distract him, obviously, but it was working. And he was right: he was being a little ridiculous. His anxiety was still a buzzing undercurrent in the back of his brain but if his friend wanted to distract him by losing spectacularly at a video game at ten at night, then Eddie would let him.
And it worked. Eddie and Chim played several rounds, Eddie winning all but one (“I told you I’d practiced!!”), before a call came in and they had to pause, called to the scene of a multi-car pile up that looked worse than it was, a few totaled cars the worst of the damage.
After that, it was a fairly easy night with only a couple of calls. The first was for a drunken twentysomething who’d managed to hurt himself breaking into his own apartment after leaving his keys at the bar. The drunk guy was easy, just some scratches and bruises, although there was a nasty gash on his inner arm that meant they ended up having to send him to the hospital for stitches. The kid spent the entire ambulance ride rhapsodizing poetically about the girl he’d met at the bar who’d given him her number and Eddie could only hope that she felt just as warmly about him because he seemed like he might be a handful.
The other call was for a seven year old girl who’d managed to get herself locked in the attic after a dare from her older brother. They’d watched the movie Sinister that night (A ten year old and a seven year old! Eddie might sometimes feel like a bad parent but even he wouldn’t have let Chris watch a movie like that at his age) and the brother had bet his sister she couldn’t spend the night in the attic like the little demon children in the movie, something the little girl was obviously determined to prove wrong. They waited until their parents had fallen asleep before sneaking out to the hall, pulling down the attic stairs from the ceiling, and the little girl had climbed up. Of course, that was when her brother shoved the stairs back up, the hatch slamming shut behind her and waking (and panicking) the whole house. The parents had tried to get it open again but something must have gotten stuck when it slammed and now it was their job to get her out of there.
It took a little bit of muscle to break open the hatch but Eddie was the first one up after, heart breaking at the sight of the little girl, so close in age to Chris, hiccuping through sobs as she watched him climb through the opening.
“Hey Ellie,” he greeted her gently, reaching out a hand. “My name’s Eddie and I’m here to help get out of here. Is it alright if I come up?”
The little girl nodded and Eddie finished making his way up the stairs, hauling himself up into the attic space. It wasn’t very large and Ellie had crawled back towards one of the walls so he did his best to make himself compact enough to get close to her.
“How are you doing, Ellie?” he asked, doing his best to check her out for any bumps and bruises she might have acquired in all the excitement. “Does anything hurt?”
Ellie shook her head. “I just want to see my mommy and daddy,” she said quietly.
“Of course you do, honey.” Eddie’s heart was just about melted. Kid calls were the worst but at least this wasn’t anything more than bad luck. “Let’s get you down to them.”
The little girl crawled out from where she’d tucked herself, up to Eddie who maneuvered her to the steps that still reached down the hallway below.
“Chim?” Eddie called. “You ready for a special delivery?”
“Always!” Chim’s voice called back, before his spiky hair popped up into the opening. “Hey sweetie. Ready to go back down?”
Ellie gave half a smile and Eddie held her hand as she cautiously made her way from Eddie’s side to Chim’s outstretched hand. She was just being bundled up in Chim’s coat when she turned to Eddie, clearly distressed.
“I left Mr. Bun!”
Eddie turned and sure enough, one ear of a stuffed rabbit peaked out from behind a rafter.
“Don’t worry. You go with my friend Chimney to see your mom and dad. I’ll get Mr. Bun.”
Ellie looked conflicted for a moment, glancing between Eddie and Mr. Bun’s hiding place, before finally giving a little nod and a whispered ‘thank you.’
Chimney looked up at Eddie and gave him a mock salute. “See you on the other side, soldier.”
Eddie rolled his eyes before turning and cautiously making his way to the corner of the attic. Ellie had really managed to get herself up in there and Mr. Bun seemed to be wedged underneath a beam. Carefully, Eddie reached out and attempted to wiggle Mr. Bun until he gradually came loose, finally sliding free and into Eddie’s grasp.
“Got him!” Eddie called, standing up from his crouch probably a little too quickly.
And then he promptly fell through the floor.
—
“Pepa, I’m fine.” Eddie was doing his best to assure her but he wasn’t sure how convincing he was, considering he was tucked up on his couch, arm in a sling, bandage on his head, and two weeks booked off work to let his ribs heal. “It doesn’t even hurt.”
“Those are the painkillers, sobrino,” she shushed him, fluttering between the kitchen, his bedroom, and Chris’s room, putting things away, sticking food in his fridge, and generally fussing. He wished she wouldn’t, he was fine, but there was no stopping Pepa once she put her mind to something. “In a couple of hours, you’ll wake up and be glad I’ve taken care of all of this.”
Chim had called her from the hospital and she’d come in a panicked flurry at 3 AM, Christopher safely still at his Abuela’s as Eddie’d been working overnight to begin with. Once he’d managed to convince her he wasn’t dying, she’d been allowed to bring him back to his place. It was decided that Chris would stay with Abuela and Pepa for another few days to let Eddie recover a bit more without having to worry about parenting, although Pepa promised to bring him over to visit for a few hours after school. She was, of course, distressed that she couldn’t be caring for Eddie 24/7 as well, between work and helping Abuela with Christopher, but Eddie had done his best to wave that off. He wasn’t an invalid, he was just a little sore and he could heat up leftovers, wash himself, and rest perfectly fine on his own.
So Pepa had tucked him into his bed and then spent the next several hours care-proofing his house, trying to make things as easy as possible for Eddie for the next few weeks. When he’d woken up, he’d taken a shower and then been promptly sent to the couch, forbidden to help, which is where he found himself now, idly watching Pepa rush about.
“I just woke up,” he yawned. “I don’t plan on going back to sleep.”
Pepa just gave him a look before disappearing into his kitchen.
Ultimately, his aunt was right because the next thing he knew, it was two in the afternoon, the house was quiet, and there was a blanket tucked up under his chin. A note on the coffee table told him that Pepa had left him chicken in the fridge and conchas on the kitchen counter for when he got hungry, that she’d swing by with Chris for an hour or so after school but no longer because Eddie needed his rest. As much as he hated to admit it, she’d clearly been right.
He managed to rouse himself enough to grab some juice and a concha (and his bottle of pain meds), snuggling back on the couch and turning on his television to find something to halfway watch before he inevitably fell back asleep. He must have hit a button because Netflix opened itself, autoplaying the last episode of Bake Off that he, Chris, and Buck had watched a few nights ago. Mel and Sue made a joke about something or another and Eddie let himself melt back into the cushions, idly chomping on his treat as he remembered Buck pointing out when a baker did something interesting with their filo before spending the next ten minutes rhapsodizing about the cute little ovens in the Bake Off tent.
“Buck, I think you could afford one of those ovens if you really want one,” Eddie had laughed.
“I don’t think my landlord would approve a kitchen renovation when I’m already in hot water for forgetting to close my windows before leaving for away games a few times,” Buck sighed. “Between water damage from a thunderstorm and chasing a bird out a few months ago, he’s got my number.”
This had, of course, devolved into Buck telling Eddie about said bird encounter (it was a raven, they had no idea how long he’d been in Buck’s apartment, Buck thought maybe he’d lost out on gaining a familiar when his landlord chased it with a broom til it flew out the window) and Chris piping in with his thoughts (mainly that ravens were cool and he thought Buck should have been friends with the bird, too.)
A smile on his face as he sunk into the memory, Eddie dozed off again.
—
He awoke to two eyes staring directly into his own from mere inches away. It took everything in him not to startle and whack his son in the face in the process.
“Daddy!” Chris exclaimed when he realized Eddie was awake. “Tia Pepa said you got hurt! Are you okay?”
“I’m alright, mijo,” Eddie did his best to reassure Chris, despite being very aware that his painkillers wore off while he was taking his nap. He gingerly pulled himself into a sitting position so Chris could bundle himself up on the couch and under Eddie’s good arm. “Just a little sore but I’ll be right as rain soon enough.”
“I don’t like it when you get hurt,” Chris snuffled, mashing his face into Eddie’s side.
“I don’t like it either, kid,” Eddie chuckled gently, ruffling Chris’s hair. “But there was a little girl, even littler than you, who needed help and I was able to help her. That’s pretty important, right?”
“I guess,” Chris huffed, face still smushed against Eddie’s shirt.
“I’ll be okay,” Eddie promised again, knowing that reassurance was the main thing Chris was looking for now. “Now why don’t we get comfy and watch something together before your Tia Pepa takes you back to hers for the night?”
He was prepared for Chris to make more of a fuss, beg to stay home with him (and the odds of him folding, despite knowing how much he needed the rest, were high) but Pepa must have had a talk with him in the car on the way over because Chris just nodded, pulling himself just far enough away so turn his head to see the television, arms reaching out to grab Eddie’s and pull it against his chest, holding it there. It was so incredibly sweet, it took everything in Eddie not to tear up and scare his kid away.
“What should we watch?” Eddie asked, awkwardly reaching forward to grab the remote without dislocating his ribs or his son.
“Can we watch a Bake Off with Buck?” Chris asked, cheerfully.
Oh fuck. Buck.
Between the shift and the hospital and the endless naps, Eddie hadn’t checked his phone since the night before. For normal people, that probably wouldn’t be an issue but no one had ever accused Buck and Eddie of being normal people. He didn’t even want to guess how many notifications were waiting for him.
“I don’t know if he’s free, kiddo,” Eddie hedged, glancing around for his phone before seeing it at the end of the coffee table, clearly set there by Pepa so he could call if needed, despite her knowing he never would. “Let me send him a message.”
Just as he’d thought, his home screen had notifications piled on top of each other, most from one number.
The first were from just after they’d left for the attic call.
Buck 🏒
Did you know we’re closer, timewise, to the T Rex than the T Rex was to the Stegosaurus?
Like, that’s wild
I like to imagine all the dinosaurs were just hanging around, being pals
Well, I guess a T Rex and a Stegosaurus would never be PALS
But they could chill
Do you think Chris knows?
Don’t tell him
I want to be the one to tell him.
More from when he must have been at the hospital.
Buck 🏒
I hope your shift is going slow.
I’m allowed to say that, right?
Slow?
It’s the other one that’s bad.
The Q one.
Oh hey!
While we’re on the topic of superstitions
How do you feel about beards?
There was one when Buck must have woken up that morning.
Buck 🏒
Okay, you were clearly busy
How many civilians did you rescue last night, superhero?
The latest was from an hour ago.
Buck 🏒
Eddie?
I’m getting worried
Can you at least let me know you’re okay?
Despite everything, Eddie couldn’t help feeling a little guilty for leaving Buck hanging like that. Sure, he’d been in the hospital and then high on painkillers but still. It was Buck. With a sigh, he did his best to type awkwardly with one hand.
Eddie
Hey Buck
Long story
Will tell later
Bake Off with Chris now?
Buck must have had his phone in his hand because those three little dots popped up immediately.
Buck 🏒
Eddie!
Of course!
Pulling up my Netflix now
Call me whenever you’re ready
“Looks like Buck’s in,” Eddie told Chris, maneuvering his phone with his hand to press the call button. “Should I call him?”
“Yes, please,” Chris cheered, giving Eddie’s arm a little pat of excitement. “I think the next episode was Bread Week and I bet Buck has a bunch of bread facts!”
Eddie didn’t doubt it. With a smile, he hit the little handset button on his phone and Buck answered in the middle of the first ring.
“My Diaz boys!” Buck’s cheery voice came over the speaker. “I’m so happy you called! I hear we need to indulge in some Bake Off.”
“Definitely,” Chris nodded, not that Buck could see him. “Dad got hurt at work last night so we need to cheer him up.”
That wasn’t exactly how Eddie had wanted to inform Buck of his injury, especially when he heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line, but that was the gamble you took when your kid was in the conversation.
“I’m fine,” Eddie promised. “Just a little sore.”
“His arm’s in a sling and he bonked his head!” Chris added cheerfully.
“I see,” Buck replied as neutrally as possible.
“So,” Eddie tried to change the subject, “I see we’re on a bread week. Chris is ready for some bread facts.”
“I so am! You always have the best facts, Buck!” Only his son could sound that excited about bread facts.
Buck chuckled over the phone. “I’ll do my best to live up to that hype, little man. Ready to press play?”
After the typical countdown, the show began with a little skit of Mel and Sue in front of the tent and Chris and Buck were already chattering away, discussing whether the bakers were going to do well (that one seemed like she had trouble last week but didn’t she say bread was her specialty?) and what kinds of breads were going to be on the docket this episode (Chris, as always, was pulling for cinnamon rolls. Buck wasn’t sure if that counted as bread, per se, but he never knocked Chris’s enthusiasm.)
Letting the gentle balm of his two favorite people’s conversation wash over him, Eddie felt himself truly relax for the first time in days. Chim had been right, he had been overly uptight. And then, well, the accident didn’t help. Sure he was medically relaxed on the painkillers but the constant lowlevel thrum of anxiety had still been there, even if he couldn’t put a name to it.
But now it was like all of that melted away in the sweet sugarwater of Buck and Chris, two peas in a pod, chatting away about dough and yeast and the incredible disappointment of bread that hadn’t been baked all the way through. Somehow, he had the two most incredible people on the planet in his life and they were just as happy to spend time with him. Whatever he’d done in a past life to get this, he was grateful.
“What do you think, Dad?” Chris looked back at him, eagerly awaiting his answer to a question he hadn’t heard.
“What was that?”
Chris rolled his eyes. “I told you dad wasn’t listening!”
“I think your dad’s got a lot on his plate, bud. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt” Eddie could hear the soft smile in Buck’s voice over the phone. “Big question, Eddie. Which is better, pancakes or waffles?”
This felt like it had a right answer but he had no idea what it was.
“I don’t know, I like both?”
“Dad!”
“Eddie!”
After their disgust with him was made known, both Chris and Buck began separately ranting about how he had to choose a side, like there was some kind of ongoing breakfast food war Eddie’d never heard about happening and faction lines had been drawn without his knowledge. Again, he wasn’t quite sure which side either of them was pulling for, especially as Chris loved both pancakes and waffles as far as he could tell, but they were making very impassioned cases regardless.
“I suppose,” he finally tried again when there was a lull in the conversation, “I prefer waffles if we’re getting breakfast out but I’d rather make pancakes.”
Both of them were silent for a moment, considering.
“That was a hedge but I’ll allow it,” Buck finally replied.
“We’ll allow it!” Chris parroted.
“Good. I was starting to get worried.”
The rest of the episode played on, Eddie doing his best to actually pay attention this time. Chris was a little upset when one of his favorite bakers went home at the end of the day but Buck assured him that the man was doing well and had opened his own bakery, promising to text Eddie the instagram page for his shop so he could show Chris.
As if she could hear the closing credits, Pepa knocked on the door almost seconds later. Chris ran off to let her in.
“That’s my aunt,” Eddie let Buck know. “She’s going to keep Chris tonight. I should probably go say hi.”
“Of course,” Buck readily agreed. “Tell Chris bye for me.”
“I will.”
“And, uh,” Buck paused for a moment, making Eddie frown down at his phone, “could you call me back after your aunt and Chris head out? I want to talk to you some more. Only if you’re not too tired, of course!”
Eddie could feel warmth flare in the pit of his stomach and he couldn’t help smiling.
“Course I will. Talk to you soon.”
“Talk soon!”
Chris was easily foisted off on Pepa, who had run to get him some groceries (“Not that you ever cook anything! This kitchen is wasted on you!”) and various other household goods in the meantime. She promised she’d get him to school in the morning and then, as the next day was a Friday, she’d watch him at least through Saturday morning so Eddie would get proper rest. As much as Eddie wished he could protest, his bruised ribs throbbed enough for him to know it was for the best.
“Call me if you need anything,” she emphasized as she bundled Chris out the door. “Even if it’s just a quick Facetime with Amoricito over here.”
“I will,” Eddie assured her. “Thank you again, Pepa.”
“You can thank me by not falling through any more ceilings,” she teased as he leaned forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Now get some rest.”
By the time the two were out the door and Eddie had repositioned himself as comfortably as possible on the couch, it was a quarter to seven. The anxious voice in the back of his mind whispered to him that Buck was probably busy, maybe he’d gone to get some dinner after spending a good hour talking to him and Chris on the phone but he was able to squash it.
Buck had asked him to call so he would call.
“Eddie!” Buck picked up right away, worry and lightly-displaced panic laced through his voice. “How are you feeling? What happened? Are you okay?”
“Calm down,” Eddie chuckled, shuffling slightly to get more comfortable. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Eddie…” There was a warning in Buck’s voice.
“Okay, so I might have fallen through an attic on a call. But honestly, it’s not that bad. Dislocated my shoulder, have a couple of bruised ribs, and a goose egg on the back of my head. This is probably the smallest injury I’ve gotten on the job.”
“That doesn’t inspire confidence,” Buck sighed.
“Says the man who is allowed if not encouraged to punch people in the face while flinging hard rubber pucks around while balanced on top of knives in his line of work.”
“Okay, okay,” Buck laughed, “I get your point. Still, though, I don’t like the thought of you getting hurt, big hero or no. But I guess I’m just going to have to get used to it if I’m going to date a fireman, huh?”
The way his heart jumped at Buck’s words was quickly eclipsed by a sinking feeling in Eddie’s gut.
“Speaking of dates,” he frowned, “I hate this but I think I’m going to have to cancel on tomorrow. I know we were both looking forward to it but I am in no state for whatever mystery you had planned.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured.” Buck sounded disappointed, which was understandable, but not mad, something Eddie hadn’t even realized he’d been worried about before the relief washed over him. “It is what it is. We can reschedule. You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Diaz.”
“Good. Cause I don’t know if Chris would ever forgive me if I fumbled you before we even went on our first date.”
Buck snorted. “Bold of you to assume I’d let myself be fumbled. But actually, could you text me your address? I have flowers I’ve already paid for, I’ll just get them to deliver.”
“You were going to woo me with flowers?”
“I’m still going to woo you with flowers if you let me.”
Eddie was quickly discovering he’d let Buck do pretty much anything.
“Yeah, yeah,” he smiled through a yawn. “I’ll text you. You didn’t have to do all that, though, you know? Just being with you would be enough.”
Buck was quiet for a long moment, to the point where Eddie opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) to look at his phone, make sure they hadn’t hung up.
“Jesus, dude, you can’t just say things like that.” There was something in Buck’s voice he couldn’t quite place but he was sleepy enough that he didn’t overthink it. “You’re tired. Get some rest. I’ll check on you again tomorrow, okay?”
That sounded good. Eddie smiled. “Okay. Bye, Buck.”
“Bye, Eddie.” Buck’s voice was incredibly soft as the phone clicked off. Eddie drifted off to sleep, visions of warm smiles peppering his dreams.
—
The doorbell rang at two in the afternoon.
Eddie was feeling better. He’d slept pretty much straight from around sevenish to eight the next morning, only getting up at some point to turn the lights off and get into his actual bed. Despite the ache, he’d managed a shower that felt better than any shower had a right to, the power of warm water a better cure than pretty much anything else on the planet.
He’d managed a semblance of a breakfast, mostly slathering a bagel in cream cheese and pouring himself some juice before parking himself right back on the couch, prepared to watch something truly terrible on television since there was no one there to judge him.
Although he’d meant to get himself lunch around noon, he must have dozed off because the next thing he knew it was quarter to two and before he could even find his phone or conjure up the remote to mute the television, there went the door.
Eddie frowned for a minute, the timing wrong to be Pepa (who had a key anyway), before something tucked in the back of his brain reminded him of Buck’s flower delivery.
With a silly smile on his face (what was Eddie going to do with that man? Once he finally got to see him face to face again, of course), he gingerly got up off the couch and made his way to his front door.
“One second,” he called as stepped up to the entranceway, unlatching the deadbolt before clicking the main lock and twisting the doorknob.
He saw the flowers first, a gorgeous bouquet of what looked like peonies held almost directly in front of his face. Without thinking, he reached forward to take them. They smelled wonderful. It wasn’t until he pulled the flowers back, however, that he noticed the rest.
Buck stood there, a large grocery bag hanging from one hand, thermos tucked under his arm, an awkward grin on his face like he didn’t know if he was allowed.
“Surprise?”
His words broke Eddie out of his stupor, good arm flailing in delighted surprise.
“Buck! Come in!” He tried to usher the other man in with the arm holding the bouquet, the other held uselessly in the sling. “What are you doing here?”
Buck let himself be led, carefully walking past Eddie and toeing his shoes off in the entranceway, before turning to meet Eddie’s eyes again.
“I know you’re resting up and I don’t want to be a bother,” Buck began, like he truly believed Eddie could possibly be unhappy to see him, “but once I knew you were hurt, it was like a swarm of bees started buzzing in my brain and I could stop until I knew you were alright, until I could help somehow.”
“Buck.”
“And I know you don’t need me,” Buck continued, “and you’ve got it handled but it’s more for me at this point, you know? So I made some chicken noodle soup, even though I know you’re not sick but I figured it couldn't hurt, and I baked some cinnamon rolls for you and Chris, since he’s always hoping they’ll make them on Bake Off. You just have to put them in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up, I wrote all the instructions on a sheet of paper–”
“Buck.”
“--so you should be able to get them ready all on your own, even with your meager talents. Actually, I’m just going off of Chris’s word on you being a bad cook, maybe you’re secretly amazing and he’s just really picky. Which doesn’t bode well for my trying to win him over to mushrooms but I’m still going to do my best. I just wanted to drop these off and see you with my own eyes but I’ve done that now so I’ll get out of your hair–”
“BuckI”
Buck finally seemed to hear him, blinking at him dazedly, grocery bag dropped down to the floor by his feet. Eddie had the fleeting thought that he’d marry this man one day.
First, though, he needed to get this afternoon back on track.
“Help me get these flowers in a vase?”
It was the right thing to say. Buck immediately attempted to spring into action, eyes darting everywhere trying to find a proper flower receptacle, empty hand out like he might have to catch something.
“Come on, there’s stuff in the kitchen,” Eddie laughed, taking a step towards the room. “Follow me.”
He walked with purpose, trusting that Buck would follow him. There was a vase in one of the lower cabinets, a remnant of when his Abuela had sent Chris roses on Valentine’s one year after the boy had been very upset he hadn’t gotten any as television had convinced him that everyone got roses for Valentines. Chris had been delighted and Abuela had gotten a kick out of it, a picture of the two of them with the roses still on her refrigerator.
He made to crouch down to open the cabinet door but was quickly shooed away by Buck, who hissed something about Eddie’s ribs before he retrieved the vase himself. He then walked over to Eddie’s sink and filled the vase with water before turning around and setting it on the kitchen table. He reached over to take the bouquet from Eddie’s hand, gently tearing the plastic off.
“I didn’t mean you had to do it all yourself.” Eddie watched as Buck reached into his bag and pulled out shears (this man had planned ahead) and went back over the sink to trim off the bottom of the stems. “I’m not an invalid.”
Buck huffed a laugh at that, one last stem snapping as if to punctuate. “You’re supposed to be resting. I’m trying to help, not give you tasks to attempt one handed.”
“I could put flowers in water.”
“But you don’t have to,” Buck winked at him, turning back to gently place the flowers in the vase, as if demonstrating his point. “Again, here to help. Now, where should I put the soup?”
As if summoned by Buck’s words, Eddie’s stomach chose that moment to growl.
Eddie looked up at Buck, slightly embarrassed, but Buck simply laughed, his giggles infecting Eddie until they were both laughing in the kitchen, the peonies bearing witness to their silliness.
“Let me get some bowls and stay for a late lunch?” Eddie asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. “I had a bagel this morning but I don’t think I’ve eaten anything substantial since yesterday afternoon.”
Buck just grinned. “Which cabinet?”
As Eddie should have expected, Buck didn’t let him lift a finger, just had him sit at the table and point out where things were, which buttons to press on the microwave to give the soup a quick zap. There was a loaf of french bread in Buck’s endless grocery bag and he cut off a few slices for them to have with their soup before hustling Eddie out of his own kitchen to get comfortable on the couch while he finished plating everything, fully embracing Eddie’s kitchen as his own by that point. Eddie hadn’t known he could grow even fonder than he already was.
“Are you good?” Buck called as he made his way into the living room, balancing two plates with bowls of soup, bread, and fresh orange slices. “Where can I put these?”
“Just bring them here and set them on the coffee table,” Eddie beckoned, moving a few magazines out of the way to make room. “I’ll pull up something for us to watch while we eat.”
Eddie flipped the television on as Buck adjusted their place settings. They both quickly agreed they weren’t allowed to watch Bake Off as Chris wasn’t there and they were rightly worried he might murder them for watching without him (or give them the saddest look of disappointment of all time, which would be worse.) Unfortunately, Eddie was bad at picking things to watch at the best of times and now, seated next to the man who’d just shown up with homemade soup for him the day they were supposed to go on their first date as if it were nothing, the nerves were in overdrive.
As if sensing his distress, Buck laughed to himself before reaching over for the remote. “I’ve got an idea for what we can watch. Hand me that and try your soup.”
Eddie didn’t have to be told twice.
As Buck fiddled through various tv menus, Eddie let himself gingerly lean forward to get a spoonful of soup. He hadn’t had chicken noodle in ages, probably not since the last time Chris got sick and even then, it was likely just Campbell’s that he’d heated up in the microwave.
The chicken was so tender, almost melting in his mouth as he savored his first spoonful. The noodles had a light flavor to them but the broth was the standout, warm and hearty, it felt almost like eating a warm hug. There was so much thought and care put into the making of it. If he wasn’t already halfway in love with Buck, this soup would have done it.
“Buck, this soup.” He didn’t have quite the words but Buck looked over from where he’d managed to log into his Youtube account, a bashful smile on his face.
“Good?”
“The next time someone asks me if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, I’ve got a new answer.”
Buck’s grin lit up the room.
“I’m glad you like it! I actually started making the broth last night when we texted so that it could be on a low simmer all morning to let the flavor really sink in. And then I made the noodles this morning. I did the chicken a new way I saw on tik tok but I think it actually turned out pretty well! It was so easy to pull apart to put it in the broth, I knew it would–” He cut himself off with a frown. “Sorry, I’m rambling again.”
Eddie nudged him with his foot.
“Buck, I like your rambling.”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve been winning me over with fun facts for weeks and you somehow don’t know this?” Eddie teased, enjoying the flush on Buck’s face. “Gonna have to call the press, let them know how dense you are.”
“Oh, shut it,” Buck mumbled, a pleased little smile on his face. “I’ve got our show ready.”
Buck pushed play on the remote and Eddie couldn’t help but laugh with fondness as the opening credits informed them they were watching Mantracker.
—
The afternoon flew by.
One episode of Mantracker turned into two, both of them getting kind of into it, despite how dumb and staged it clearly was. This led to Buck looking up youtube videos about how the show was made, which informed them of other odd Canadian shows of the mid 2000s that they then, of course, had to try and find on Youtube. Falling down internet rabbit holes had never been as fun as they were with Buck.
Eddie hadn’t even realized that it was getting late until his phone buzzed with a message from Pepa, checking in.
“Oh, hey, pause it,” Eddie said as he flicked his phone on, gingerly sitting up from where he’d been cozied up to Buck’s side and texting Pepa back. “Let’s call Chris.”
“Oh fuck yeah!” Buck cheered, grabbing the remote from the table and pausing the tv without a thought and that, right there, was why Eddie was in so deep. How dare this handsome, funny, talented man not only seemingly like him but also get just as excited to call his nine year old son as he did? Eddie really needed to lock this down.
The phone only rang a couple times before it picked up, Chris’s voice on the other end of the line.
“Dad?”
“Hey, mijo,” Eddie smiled. “It’s me and …”
“Buck!” Buck grinned at the phone, as if Chris could see how thrilled he was through the speaker. Eddie warmed at the thought that Buck probably did this every time they were on the phone with him.
“WHAT?!” Chris yelled. “Dad, you’re hanging out with Buck without me?!”
Okay, yeah, he probably should have seen that coming.
“I’m just helping out your dad since he got hurt, remember?” Buck’s voice was gentle. “But don’t worry, Superman. I brought cinnamon rolls just for you and told your dad how to heat them up so he can get them all ready when your aunt drops you off tomorrow.”
“Yes!” Chris cheered over the phone. “Cinammon rolls! But, wait. Buck, you’re not going to eat cinnamon rolls with us?”
Eddie watched Buck’s face blanch in real time.
“If Buck is free,” Eddie stepped in, making eye contact with Buck the whole time, “he is very welcome to join us for cinnamon rolls. But Buck does have other things he has to do, kiddo. He might be busy.”
Chris wheedled on the phone (“Buck, come have cinnamon rolls with us! Come on! Pleeease??”) but Buck’s focus was solely on Eddie, as if he was trying to read something in his eyes. Eddie didn’t know exactly what the other man was looking for but he did his best to let how welcome, how very happy he’d be to have Buck at their breakfast table shine through.
Something must have made it as Buck smiled softly and turned back to the phone.
“Yeah, I think I can do cinnamon rolls.”
Chris cheered and Eddie couldn’t help it, reaching over and setting his hand on top of Buck’s. Buck gently turned his hand over, letting their fingers interlace before giving Eddie’s hand a soft squeeze.
The conversation turned to other things (how school went that day, how funny it was when Matteo fell asleep in math this morning and fell off his chair, speaking of falling oh yeah dad are you okay?) but a small portion of Eddie’s mind was distracted, just marveling over the warmth of Buck’s palm, the rough edge of the callus on the side of his index finger.
Pepa came back soon enough, telling Chris he should be getting ready for bed, to say goodbye to his father. Chris reluctantly did so, doublechecking one last time that Buck would be over for cinnamon rolls in the morning. Buck promised. Eddie was hoping to convince him simply not to leave.
The phone beeped twice, signalling the end of the call, but neither of them moved. It was quiet for a moment.
“You know,” Eddie began, watching Buck tip his head to the side to look at him, “I think this might be the best first date I’ve ever been on.”
He watched as Buck’s face cycled through emotions before finally resting on a soft joy.
“Yeah? And we didn’t even get to the hot air balloon.”
Eddie snorted. “Evan Buckley, you were not going to take me on a hot air balloon ride.”
“And what if I wanted to tell you my feelings for you were out of this world?”
“I’d be flattered but I’d remind you that hot air balloons don’t go to space.”
“You haven’t been in a hot air balloon with me yet.”
“And based on this conversation, I’m starting to think I might not want to without a space suit.”
“Wait!” Buck jumped up off the couch and dashed back in the kitchen. “I forgot!”
“There better not be space food in that grocery bag!” Eddie called after him.
“Something better, I think.” Buck walked back into the room, both hands behind his back. “I hope.”
“Yeah?” Eddie asked, cocking his head with what he hoped wasn’t too besotted of a grin.
“I mean, I might be partial,” Buck chuckled as he slowly pulled one hand around his side, a bunch of black fabric gathered in it, “but I hope you like it, too.”
Eddie reached out his hand to take the proffered bundle, let it unfurl as it landed in his lap. A large grey BUCKLEY stretched over his knee and he let his hand brush over the familiar letters before looking back up at the man who’d handed it to him.
“I can trade it in for Panikkar if you want,” Buck scratched at the back of his head in what Eddie was beginning to recognize was a nervous gesture, “but I’m kind of hoping you prefer this one.”
“Buck?” he asked, gently setting the jersey to the side.
“Yeah?”
“Get over here.”
Buck didn’t have to be told twice, folding his overly long legs almost in half to sink down on the couch next to Eddie. But that wasn’t close enough, Eddie’d waited long enough and he reached out his good hand to rest on the back of Buck’s neck, to pull him closer until–
Despite their weeks-long flirtation, somehow Eddie had never imagined what kissing Buck would feel like. His thoughts had stuck to, well, this: movie nights on the couch, cuddling and watching Bake Off with Chris. Fun facts and fresh baked cookies and nights spent listening to the breathing of the beloved warm body next to him. Everything else had just sort of faded to black.
He wouldn’t have been able to imagine this, anyway.
Kissing Buck was like settling into a well-loved chair, a spot that had been made just for him even if he didn’t know it yet. Eddie turned his head just a touch and Buck made a sound that made Eddie fall in love with him just that little bit more, made him want to kiss him so many other places to see what other sounds he could elicit.
And then Buck bit his lower lip and sucked just enough that Eddie wasn’t thinking at all anymore.
It could have been minutes or hours, there was no way of knowing, when they finally broke apart, needing to breathe but keeping their foreheads together because they’d already spent enough time not touching.
“I’d say you took my breath away but that might just be the bruised ribs.”
Buck laughed and it sounded like bells.
“Maybe I should let you get some rest.”
“Or maybe,” Eddie leaned forward, drew his nose up against Buck’s because he could do that now, “you stay and rest with me so you’re here for cinnamon rolls in the morning.”
“Yeah?” Buck breathed, sounding eager but still somehow slightly unsure. That wouldn’t do at all.
“Yeah,” Eddie promised, another kiss backing up his words. “In fact, I think you should get very familiar with the Diaz household.”
“Oh? Is there going to be a quiz later?” There was a smile in Buck’s words but Eddie couldn’t see, his eyes still closed.
“Mmm,” he sighed against Buck’s lips, “so you better hang around, study up.”
“I think I could do that,” Buck agreed before kissing him again.
And if their first date turned into a three day thing, Buck borrowing a pair of sweatpants to sleep in that were comically short, Chris’s joy at the combination of cinnamon rolls and Buck a buoyant thing that carried them through an all day Bake Off marathon which lead to a trip to the grocery store for Buck to get the ingredients to bake them a steak and mushroom pie that Chris actually ate, which turned into a lazy Sunday where the three of them simply vegged on the couch, children’s movies on the tv that Buck pretended he wasn’t watching just as intently as Chris, well that only cemented it. This was the best first date Eddie had ever been on.
And as he watched Buck ruffle Chris’s hair as the two of them laughed at some surely terrible joke Eddie’d missed, he sincerely hoped it was his last.