Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Eddie knows something is going on. He can feel it—there’s something different in the air, Buck is acting a little strange, and every time he walks into a conversation at the station, everyone goes quiet. But he decides to ignore it; maybe he’s overthinking a bit and it’s all in his head.
Until little things start happening between Buck and him that make him think maybe he isn’t completely wrong.
But he doesn’t want to… get his hopes up.
Maybe for a while now, he’s been noticing something.
Maybe the affection he feels for his best friend isn’t exactly “best friends” kind.
Maybe he shouldn’t get so nervous every time Buck walks around shirtless. Or imagine what a life together would look like, raising Chris.
Which, in a way, is kind of what they already do.
Just without the kissing, touching, and sharing a bed— things Eddie’s mind tends to add in his daydreams.
And that’s fine. Eddie has to accept that maybe he likes his best friend a little.
Or well… maybe he’s a little in love.
A little very in love.
Yeah, Eddie is hopelessly in love with Buck.
But come on, you can’t judge him.
Sure, maybe it took him almost eight years to realize this.
But he was raised in a super religious family. He didn’t know queer people existed until basically high school, and it’s not like they were exactly welcomed in his family.
Liking his best friend isn’t something his brain could process quickly. And being in love with him? Even less.
Still, he’s not sure if Buck feels anything for him.
Most of the time, he thinks it’s probably not the case, since Buck keeps telling him about all his dates—sometimes more details than Eddie’s poor heart wants to know.
But there are certain moments that make him think maybe his friend does feel something. That maybe someday they could be together, happy, raising Chris and…
Yeah, Eddie really needs to calm down, for God’s sake.
But moments like what happened yesterday keep feeding his madness.
One day earlier
Buck went to spend the day with them. They were supposed to go to the zoo and get ice cream, but unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on their side and it started raining hard.
Chris wasn’t really disappointed about staying home—you know, teenage stuff—but Buck kept insisting to Eddie that they had to do something anyway, so Chris wouldn’t feel bad about not going out.
Eddie totally understood that.
It was that thing about still seeing his kid as a little boy and not wanting him to grow up, as if Chris wasn’t completely fine just staying in his room playing video games.
But he didn’t want to kill Buck’s excitement, so he went along.
They decided to make Chris’s favorite cookies and surprise him.
They were both in the kitchen. Buck, obviously, was the one doing the baking; Eddie wasn’t exactly great at it, so he was just there handing him ingredients and sneaking little bites of chocolate here and there.
“Eds, pass me the—”
Buck turned to look at him and caught him eating a piece of chocolate.
“Edmundo Díaz? Are you seriously eating the chocolate for the cookies??We’ll run out before we even add it.”
Buck looked at him incredulously.
“Hey, don’t call me that,” Eddie said, blood rushing to his cheeks.
Only his mom called him that, and honestly he hated it, but coming from Buck… well, to be honest, it caused a very different reaction.
“Call you what?” Buck laughed. “Edmundo?”
And Eddie didn’t know if he was imagining it, but this time Buck said it in a voice that sounded a little… sensual? Was Buck flirting with him?
God, Eddie had to stop overthinking everything, so the only thing he could think of in that moment was to throw a handful of flour at Buck.
“Eddie, what the hell!” Buck laughed. ““Oh, you’re definitely going to pay for that.”
And that’s how the war in the kitchen started: flour flying everywhere, eggshells on the floor, cookie dough smeared on their faces. About five minutes later, they were both doubled over laughing on the floor.
“Okay, okay, let’s finish this before Chris comes out of his room,” Eddie said, still catching his breath.
He got up and went to wash his face and hands at the sink. When he turned around, Buck was right behind him.
“Hey, wait, you still have—”
“What? What do I have?” Eddie asked quickly, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“No, no. You have cookie dough there, on—”
Buck stopped mid-sentence, looking down at his hands to see what he could use to help clean them quickly.
Eddie kept rubbing his face.
“No, you still hav… emm… okay, wait.”
His friend was still searching for something to clean his hands, but everything happened fast.
Buck stepped closer to Eddie.
Too close.
Close enough that Eddie could feel his breath.
If he hadn’t been so focused on remembering how to breathe, Eddie could swear he saw Buck’s gaze drop to his lips.
And before he knew it, Buck just licked the cookie dough –he assumed– was on the corner of his mouth.
But… he basically kissed him.
Yes.
Buck just kissed him.
On the mouth.
Oh god
His friend stepped back quickly, smiling. It all must have happened in seconds, but for Eddie it felt like forever. He stayed there, processing what had just happened.
“Sorry,” Buck said, laughing. “My hands were all covered in dough, and you still hadn’t cleaned the dough off your mouth.”
He laughed a little nervously, but was surprisingly calm for what he had just done. How was he so calm? Eddie didn’t understand.
Then Buck simply changed the subject, and they started cleaning up, and the moment passed.
But not for Eddie, who kept replaying that sequence in his head over and over all day.
And he knows he must look completely ridiculous, but… damn.
Yeah. He’s completely fucked.