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Eddie stormed into Buck’s house after Chim had let them go early, the news of Buck’s suspension still burning in his chest. His face was flushed with fury. Buck sat slouched on the battered sofa, eyes glazed, an empty bottle dangling loosely from his fingers.
Without warning, Eddie snatched the bottle away and hurled it against the wall. It shattered loudly just as the front door creaked open.
Hen, Chimney, and Maddie stepped inside, their voices dying instantly as the crash echoed through the room.
“You’re ruining everything!” Eddie shouted, oblivious to the new arrivals. His anger filled the space, sharp and unrelenting. “How many times do I have to watch you throw your life away before it gets through your thick head?”
Hen froze in the doorway, eyes widening. Chim’s hand hovered near her arm, unsure whether to intervene. Maddie’s breath caught, her gaze darting between her brother and Eddie.
Buck tried to speak, but Eddie cut him off, pacing like a caged storm. “Save your excuses. I’ve heard them all before. If you want to destroy yourself, go ahead but don’t expect me to stick around and watch.”
Buck’s shoulders curled inward, shame pulling him smaller. Maddie took a step forward, but Hen gently held her back, sensing the moment hadn’t broken yet.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Eddie’s chest heaved, his fists still clenched, the rage in him refusing to settle. Buck’s hands trembled as he traced the grooves on the armrest, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.
Finally, Buck whispered, “I never meant for it to get this bad, Eddie.” His voice cracked, barely audible.
Eddie shook his head, jaw tight. “You always say that. But nothing changes. You had so many chances to ask for help, and you didn’t. I can’t keep watching you drown.”
He turned toward the door and only then noticed Hen, Chim, and Maddie standing there, stunned and silent. His expression faltered, but he didn’t speak. He simply brushed past them and left, the door slamming behind him.
Buck collapsed inward, the last of his composure shattering. Maddie rushed to him first, Hen close behind, Chim hovering protectively.
“Buck,” Maddie whispered, cupping his face as tears streamed down his. “We’re here.”
Buck broke, sobbing into her shoulder as Hen steadied him and Chim hovered close, torn between staying with Buck and checking on Eddie, his eyes flicking repeatedly toward the door before leaving determined to bring Eddie back to fix this.
The cold night air hit Eddie like a slap, but it did nothing to cool the fury burning through him. He paced along the pavement, steps sharp and uneven, hands shaking as he dragged them through his hair. His breath came in ragged bursts, each exhale a frustrated growl he couldn’t contain.
Chim hesitated for a moment, watching Eddie stalk back and forth like a man trying to outrun his own thoughts.
“Eddie,” Chim called gently, keeping his voice low, steady. “Hey. Talk to me.”
Eddie didn’t stop. “I can’t” His voice cracked, and he clenched his jaw. “I can’t watch him do this to himself anymore, Chim. I can’t.”
Chim stepped closer, hands raised in a calming gesture. “I know you’re angry. Anyone would be. But you scared him back there.”
That made Eddie freeze. His shoulders tensed, breath catching as if Chim had struck a nerve.
“I scared him?” Eddie’s voice was hoarse, incredulous. “He’s scaring me, Chim. Every damn day I walk in and see him slipping and he just acts like nothing is wrong and” He broke off, swallowing hard. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help him.”
Chim moved to stand beside him, not crowding, just present. “You don’t have to know everything. You just have to be here. That’s all any of us can do.”
Eddie shook his head, eyes burning. “It’s not enough. I’m not enough. I keep thinking if I just try harder, yell louder, push him to get better, maybe he’ll finally listen.”
“Or maybe,” Chim said softly, “he needs you to stop yelling and just… stay.”
Eddie’s breath hitched. He turned away, blinking rapidly as emotion clawed up his throat. “I’m so damn scared, Chim. What if I lose him? What if he slips too far and I can’t pull him back?”
Chim placed a steady hand on his shoulder. “You’re not going to lose him. Not tonight. Not with all of us here. But he needs you calm. He needs you steady. And right now? You’re neither.”
Buck’s world had shrunk to the circle of arms around him, the soft murmur of voices trying to anchor him, and the hollow ache in his chest that refused to ease. Even with Maddie pressed to one side and Hen stroking his hair, he felt the echo of Eddie’s shouting vibrating through him like an aftershock. Every time he blinked, he saw Eddie’s face furious, hurt, terrified and the memory made his stomach twist.
His breathing hitched again. Maddie tightened her hold, whispering, “You’re safe. We’ve got you.” Hen rubbed slow circles on his back, grounding him with every pass of her hand.
Buck wiped at his face, though the tears kept coming. “He hates me,” he whispered, voice raw. “I pushed him too far this time.”
Maddie shook her head fiercely. “No. He’s scared. That’s different.”
But Buck couldn’t quite believe it. The silence in the room felt fragile, like one wrong breath might shatter it. He curled in on himself, trying to make sense of the storm he’d caused, trying to breathe through the fear that Eddie might not come back.
A faint sound drifted in from outside—the muffled cadence of voices, one sharp and strained, the other low and steady. Buck’s heart lurched. He knew Eddie’s voice anywhere.
Hen caught the flicker in his expression. “Chim’s with him,” she said softly. “He won’t let Eddie spiral.”
Buck nodded, but the knot in his chest only tightened.
Eddie stood on the pavement, shoulders rigid, breath coming in uneven bursts. Chim had managed to stop him from pacing, but the tension still radiated off him in waves. His hands were braced on his hips, head bowed as if he were trying to hold himself together by sheer force of will.
“I can’t lose him,” Eddie said, voice cracking. “I can’t.”
Chim stepped closer, keeping his tone gentle. “Then don’t walk away. Not tonight.”
Eddie dragged a hand over his face, eyes squeezed shut. “I yelled at him. I scared him. I saw it in his eyes.”
“Yeah,” Chim admitted, because lying would only make things worse. “But he wasn’t scared of you. He was scared of losing you.”
Eddie’s breath stuttered. “I don’t know how to fix this.”
“You don’t have to fix it,” Chim replied. “Just go inside. Be there. Let him see you’re not giving up.”
Eddie lifted his head, eyes shining with unshed tears he refused to let fall. He looked toward the house the warm glow spilling from the windows, the faint silhouettes moving inside and something in him softened, just enough.
“Okay,” he whispered. “I’m going back.”
Chim gave a small nod and walked beside him, matching his pace as they approached the door. Eddie paused with his hand hovering over the handle, chest rising and falling in a shaky rhythm. Inside, Buck felt the shift before the door even opened. A subtle hush fell over the room, everyone sensing the moment tightening like a held breath.
The latch clicked. The door creaked.
And Eddie stepped inside, eyes searching immediately desperately for Buck.
Buck’s breath caught, his fingers tightening around Maddie’s sleeve. Eddie froze in the doorway, torn between guilt and longing, fear and love, every emotion written plainly across his face.
The room held still, waiting for whichever of them would move first.
Eddie took a step forward.
It was small, almost hesitant, like he wasn’t sure the floor would hold him. The sound of his boots against the wood seemed too loud in the quiet room. Buck flinched anyway bracing for more shouting he was sure was about to happen, shoulders tightening, his breath catching sharp in his chest.
Eddie stopped immediately.
“I’m not mad,” he said, voice low, careful. “I was. I’m not anymore.”
Buck didn’t look at him. His fingers twisted into the fabric of Maddie’s sleeve, knuckles pale, like letting go of her meant everything might fall apart again.
Eddie swallowed. “You don’t have to say anything,” he added quickly. “I just… I needed you to see me come back.”
That did it.
Buck’s head lifted, just enough. Their eyes met across the room — Buck’s wide and shining, Eddie’s raw and unguarded. For a moment, neither of them breathed.
“You left,” Buck whispered.
Eddie nodded. “Yeah.” No excuses. No deflection. “And I shouldn’t have.”
He took another step, slower this time. Hen shifted subtly, giving him space. Maddie’s hand loosened its grip but didn’t leave Buck’s arm.
“I got scared,” Eddie said. “And I made it worse.”
Buck’s mouth trembled. “I thought you were done with me.”
The words landed like a blow. Eddie crossed the remaining distance in two strides and dropped into a crouch in front of him, level, close but not touching.
“Never,” he said, fierce and quiet all at once. “I don’t know how to help you yet. I don’t know how to do this right. But I’m not going anywhere.”
Buck broke on a shaky breath, a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh, and leaned forward without thinking. Eddie caught him instantly, arms wrapping around him like instinct, like muscle memory.
Buck clutched at his jacket, face buried against Eddie’s shoulder, breathing uneven and desperate. Eddie held on, solid and steady, chin resting briefly against Buck’s hair.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured. Not a promise to fix anything. Just a promise to stay.
Around them, the room exhaled.