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Everything is going well. Shockingly well. Too well, actually.
When Eddie mentioned the family reunion in Texas, he wasn’t sure what to expect. A “sure, if you want to, baby,” maybe, or consideration about the logistics of losing a shift at work. He hadn’t expected Buck to be so excited about the idea, nor for Buck to take it upon himself to switch their shifts around so they didn’t lose any pay. But it all kind of made sense when Eddie thought about it.
No family is perfect, and especially not the Diazes, but most of those conflicts have been long settled. There is an admirable quality Eddie’s entire family does share: they love Buck. Like, they adore him. Every. Single. One of them. So it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Buck easily rearranged their lives to ensure he was Evancito’d and patted fondly on the cheek the entire weekend.
Eddie is sitting in his parents’ backyard, eating his fourth churro, and watching. He’s not jealous, by the way.
Yesterday, first thing in the morning, Eddie’s abuela had pulled Buck aside to “help her bake” (Eddie had caught them giggling over coffee and been promptly shooed away). Later, Eddie’s father had enlisted both of them to help set up the tents and chairs and tables, and Eddie watched Buck charm his way into Ramon Diaz’s heart. The entire day went like that. Eddie’s cousins, his mom, his Tia Pepa. They all need something from Buck, and they adore him, and Buck does it all happily with a smile.
Now, Buck is on the other side of the yard, mixing a drink with Sofia. Eddie can’t make out what story Buck’s telling her but Eddie must be featured, because he sister looks back at him over her shoulder with a glance that says she does not believe whatever Buck is saying.
Eddie takes an overly aggressive bite of his churro and slumps back in his seat.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you stop being such a loser?”
He blinks a few times and turns to look at his son with raised eyebrows. Chris, who is wholly unimpressed, eyes him with practiced teenage irritation.
“Excuse me?” Eddie asks.
“You look so mad that Buck is talking to Tia Sofia.”
“I’m not mad,” Eddie insists. “I’m fine. I’m eating my churro.”
Chris rolls his eyes. “Okay.”
“You guys were supposed to be more normal after you got married,” Chris complains.
“Ahh, that was never gonna happen,” Eddie says, waving Chris off. “If I’m such a loser, why don’t you go find someone else to hang out with?”
“Because you have all the churros,” Chris replies.
“If you ask your abuela very nicely, she’ll probably make you more.”
“Fine,” Chris sighs. “But when she asks why I’m gonna tell her you purposely took them all and refused to share with me all because you’re upset that my other dad was talking to Tia Sofia.”
By the time Chris’ words registered, he’d already left the table and was halfway towards the house. “Don’t say that!” Eddie calls after him. “Chris, seriously,” he says when Chris ignores him. “Don’t tell her that!”
Eddie will deal with that later.
A couple more hours pass; Eddie spends most of it tracking Buck from afar. Is he insane? Uh, yeah. Maybe. Everyone should love Buck, and Eddie is ecstatic that Buck has been welcomed into the family. But Eddie spends so much of his life in LA being the main recipient of Buck’s attention! It’s not the same, even when they’re sitting next to one another, holding hands, and chatting with Eddie’s relatives.
Yes, he’s being a little unreasonable. Usually, Eddie is the social butterfly. He makes friends everywhere he goes, they run into his acquaintances in the most random of places. But family is a different story. And Eddie isn’t going to pretend he’s been kept away from his husband all day, but he’s feeling needy and he wants some alone time with Buck. Is that a crime?
After helping his mother clean up most of the food, Eddie sits down on his parents’ sofa and opens a beer. The family comes in and out of the house, until upwards of twenty people have joined him in the previously empty living room. It’s the story telling effect—you get caught up in the conversation trying to pass through the room or a kid gets sent out to get Abuela because she “has to hear this,” and she brings another four people with her. You cannot keep secrets, because at some point, there will be twenty-five people shoved into one room gasping about your decorum at the wedding you had not been invited to. But Eddie likes the gossip, so he sits at attention and asks all the follow up questions.
Eddie’s tio is just getting to the best part of the story when the room falls silent.
“Edmundo Diaz,” comes Buck’s voice from somewhere behind him, firm and serious. The tone he uses when he’s upset.
Eddie freezes, beer bottle halfway to his lips. His eyes dart around the room, landing on Christopher.
“I’m out of here,” his traitorous son says.
That signals the rest of the family to move. Eddie is thrown more than a handful of sympathetic glances as everyone rushes out of the room in every direction. There’s a lot of mumbling, the consensus of which is that no one is sure what Eddie did, only that he certainly shouldn’t have done it. Sofia pats Eddie on the shoulder, saying, “You were a good big brother,” dejectedly before leaving. Adriana very helpfully walks into the kitchen and tells their mother to make up the couch because Eddie will be sleeping on it.
Having sisters is such a blessing.
When the room is empty and all the doors have been hurriedly slammed shut, Eddie hears Buck’s familiar gait moving towards the sofa. He carefully places his beer down on the coffee table and swallows thickly.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry,” Eddie says, the moment Buck sits down next to him. He grabs one of Buck’s hands and kisses the back of it.
“For what?” Buck asks, eyebrow raised.
“I, uh, for whatever I did. To make you mad at me.”
Buck gives Eddie a scrutinizing once over; Eddie’s blood pressure spikes.
“You didn’t do anything,” Buck tells him, breaking out into a warm smile. “But I do like you automatically admitting that I’m right.”
Confused, Eddie asks, “Then what’s with the full naming me? I don’t think you’ve ever called me Edmundo.”
“I did that one time,” Buck corrects. “Remember?”
Eddie shudders. He remembers. “Yeah, and it ruined the mood.”
“For, like, ten minutes max. I thought it was funny.”
“You’re distracting me from the issue,” he accuses.
Buck brushes Eddie’s hair back with his fingers then settles his hand on Eddie’s cheek. “Seemed like you missed me, and I don’t know how else to get your whole family to leave us alone,” he says.
“And you thought pretending to be pissed at me was the way to go?”
Buck’s tongue peeks out from behind his smile as he shrugs.
“You’re such a dick,” Eddie groans. He slumps forward into his husband. “You know they’re all deciding who gets you in the divorce right now.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
Eddie adjusts the two of them so his arms are wrapped around Buck’s torso and Buck is holding him close by the shoulders. He presses his lips softly to Buck’s neck. This whole being Mr. Diaz-Buckley thing has its perks (though Buck did get the better end of the deal on the name thing—Buckley-Diaz has a much better flow).
“You know,” Buck begins. “If you want me to yourself, all you have to do is ask.”
“Yeah, like I was going to say, ‘Hey, baby, my family is occupying all your time and I’ve decided to be crazy about it.’”
“Hey, it would’ve worked.” Buck hooks a finger under Eddie’s chin and tilts his head up. “It’s cute when you’re jealous,” Buck says, kissing Eddie soundly on the lips.
“Yeah?” Eddie steals another kiss. “Chris told me I was being a loser.”
“Okay, he might have a point,” Buck laughs.
Eddie gasps, shocked and appalled that his husband would ever suggest such a thing! And fishing for more kisses, definitely looking to get kissed again.
“But you’re my loser,” Buck amends sweetly. “And I love you.”
Not that Eddie would ever in a million years think of flagrantly making out on his parents couch, especially with most of his extended family visiting, but he can’t help himself. Just a few kisses, no one will ever know! His entire family thinks they’re fighting!
“Come on,” Buck says, stopping before they even come close to getting carried away. He stands up and pulls Eddie with him. “Let’s clear your name so no rumors start about our impending divorce.”
“Or, and hear me out, we could lock ourselves in my childhood bedroom and make out like teenagers.”
Buck considers. He tilts his head back and forth. Eddie can actually see him weighing the pros and cons, so he decides to give Buck’s brain a nudge in the right direction.
Eddie throws an arm around Buck’s waist and holds him close, pressing a long, deep kiss to his lips.
“Hey, you guys finis—oh my god, gross!” Adriana exclaims, coming into the room and precisely the wrong time.
He leans back to see his baby sister covering her eyes.
“Gross? Really?” Eddie deadpans. “What are you, eight?”
“I don’t think I need to see my brother and his husband going at it, thanks,” she retorts.
“Then you’re welcome to leave.”
Adriana scoffs and walks out of the room, mumbling something about being scarred for life at the sight.
“You’re twenty-five!” Eddie calls after her. “You saw us kiss at our wedding!”
Alone again, Eddie goes back for another kiss, groaning in frustration when Buck holds him back.
“I was promised a tour of your bedroom,” Buck reminds him.
They get in a solid ten minutes of making out before there’s a knock on the door wondering where they’ve gone.