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The smell of stale ash and burnt coffee hung heavy in the 118 firehouse, a grim reminder of the shift from hell. It was supposed to be a routine fire. They had packed up, headed back to the station, only to get the call two hours later, the structure had reignited.
The investigation was swift and merciless. LAFD brass swarmed the station, asking questions, checking logs, and pulling the team apart one by one.
Hen, Eddie, Harry and Chimney had all been grilled in the captain’s office. The truth was an uncomfortable pill to swallow, one born of habit and absence. Harry, still learning the ropes as a probie, had been assigned to overhaul a section of the house. He thought he had soaked it through. He thought he’d done it right.
Normally, Buck double checked Harry’s work. Buck was the one who had taken the kid under his wing, the one who patiently walked him through the tedious, unglamorous parts of the job.
But Buck wasn’t there. He was at home, fighting a war in his own body, navigating the brutal reality of what comes after a opiate withdrawal and waiting to hear if he even still had a career. In the chaos of the scene, it simply hadn't registered to anyone to step into Buck’s shoes and check the probie’s work. They were so used to the 118 operating as a well oiled machine that they forgot a crucial part was missing. They forgot Harry didn't have someone to check his work.
The fallout was immediate. Harry was stood down, sent home with his head hanging low. He couldn't help but laugh at the comment Ravi had made a few weeks ago, about not getting the 118 tattoo, because 'what if he got fired?'
And Chimney, as the captain who bore the ultimate responsibility for the scene, was stood down pending a full investigation.
Eddie was cleaning out his locker, his mind a million miles away, when Chimney appeared beside him. He looked exhausted, the lines around his eyes carved deep with stress.
"They're benching me, Eddie," Chimney said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Until the investigation is over."
"Chim, I'm so sorry," Eddie said, closing his locker door. "We should have checked. Any of us. It’s not just on you."
"Yeah, well, the white shirt on my collar says otherwise," Chimney sighed, running a hand over his face. He looked up, meeting Eddie's eyes with a desperate kind of intensity. "I need you to do something for me. I need you to be interim captain while I'm out."
Eddie physically recoiled. "I can't do that, Chim. I'm not a captain."
"Please, Eddie," Chimney pleaded, his voice cracking slightly. "I need someone I trust to run the station. I can't leave this place to a floater who doesn't know our people, who doesn't know what we're dealing with. I have had you do paperwork, you have done reports for me, you know the basics."
"Can you get Hen?" Eddie deflected, panic rising in his chest. "She's done it before. She's great at it."
Chimney shook his head. "I asked her. She doesn't want to step up anymore. Not after everything with her health, the stress... she's focusing on not being stressed, Karen, the kids. She’s done being captain." Chimney stepped closer, placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder. "I need you. I want you to step up. I trust the 118 in your hands, Eddie."
Eddie stared at him, his heart hammering against his ribs. He couldn't form the words. The panic wasn't about the responsibility of the job, Eddie had led before, he could lead a firehouse.
The panic was about Evan Buckley.
For months, since the long drive back from New Mexico, Eddie and Buck had been a secret. Eddie had almost lost Buck, he had watched him collapse after finding him, and something inside Eddie had finally snapped into crystal clear focus. He had refused to waste another second. He told Buck exactly how he felt, terrified of the rejection, only to find Buck’s feelings mirroring his own.
They had been quietly, blissfully dating ever since. Only Christopher knew, because Eddie had promised his son no more secrets, no more lies. They had their weekly scheduled dinners, a sacred ritual to ensure they connected outside of their jobs, that's if life got in the way, they had that always booked, but the reality was their lives were completely intertwined.
When Buck had admitted his struggle with painkillers, Eddie hadn't flinched. He had held him, anchored him, and made absolutely certain, Buck knew that it didn't change a single thing between them. It only proved how strong they were.
During the search of Buck's house, checking for any pain pills or temptations, Eddie had been terrified someone would find something that would out them as a couple, before they were ready. But Eddie would take the outing if Buck was safe.
But they had survived it.
They kept it quiet because Eddie had still been working up the courage to come out to the world, and they both wanted the fragile, beautiful thing they were building to be theirs, and they wanted to make sure it was going to work, before announcing it to their family.
And if Eddie took the captain job...
LAFD rules were clear. A captain could not date a subordinate in
their own house. If Buck got cleared to return to work, he would be reporting to Eddie. If the Chief called a disciplinary meeting regarding Buck's return, his captain would have to be there. Eddie would have to sit across from the man he loved, the man he slept beside most nights, and act as his commanding officer.
It was a conflict of interest.
"Eddie?" Chimney prompted, looking confused by Eddie's prolonged, panicked silence.
"I..." Eddie stammered, his chest tight. "I have to make a call."
Without waiting for a response, Eddie turned on his heel and practically sprinted toward the back door, leaving Chimney staring after him, yelling, "Di-AZZ! What are you doing?!"
The Los Angeles air was warm, but Eddie felt cold as he paced the alleyway behind the station, his phone pressed tight to his ear. It rang twice before a raspy, familiar voice answered.
"Hey babe," Buck said, the word wrapping around Eddie like a weighted blanket.
"Hey, cariño," Eddie breathed out, stopping his pacing to lean against the brick wall. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. Tired. But I'm managing," Buck said softly. "You sound stressed. What happened? Did the investigators leave?"
Eddie swallowed hard. "Yeah, they left. Chimney got stood down pending the investigation. Harry got sent home."
"Shit," Buck breathed. "That's... that's my fault, Eddie. If I was there,"
"Stop. Do not do that," Eddie interrupted firmly. "It is not your fault. You are exactly where you need to be, taking care of yourself. But Buck... Chimney asked me to step up as interim captain."
There was a brief pause on the line, and then Buck's voice lit up, a genuine spark of joy breaking through his exhaustion. "Eddie! That's amazing! You'd be incredible. You totally deserve this."
"Buck, listen to me," Eddie said, his voice dropping. "I can't. I can't be your captain."
The silence stretched over the line as the reality hit Buck. The excitement faded, replaced by the heavy, complicated logistics of their secret life.
"Oh," Buck said quietly. "Right. Fraternization."
"If you get cleared to come back, I can't be the one in charge of you. If there are meetings with the Chief about your recovery, your job, I can't be sitting there as your boss," Eddie explained, rubbing his forehead.
"Eddie, this is a huge opportunity," Buck said, his voice taking on that familiar, self sacrificing tone that Eddie hated. "It's leadership experience. It's what you need if you ever want your own house."
Buck took a shaky breath. "Maybe... maybe it's a sign. Maybe we should call it."
Eddie’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. "Excuse me?"
"Just... just for now," Buck stammered, clearly backtracking at the dangerous edge in Eddie’s tone. "Just until we figure out my job, and you get this experience,"
"Evan Buckley, listen to me very carefully," Eddie growled, pushing off the wall. "I do not believe in signs. And that is absolutely not happening. I am not breaking up with you, not for a day, not for an hour, not for a temporary promotion. I'll turn it down."
"Eddie, I could be off for ages," Buck argued, his voice thick with emotion. "I might not even be able to come back. They might not let me. Take the role. We will deal with it if I get cleared. If a meeting has to happen, we'll cross that bridge then."
"No," Eddie said, absolute and unwavering. "You are already on a thin line with the brass right now, Buck. If they learn you hid a relationship with your captain, it’s game over for you. It's a risk I am not willing to take. I'll turn it down. And, we have declared our relationship already to the Chief and to HR."
"Are you sure?" Buck whispered, sounding so small, so desperate for the reassurance.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Eddie said, his voice softening into something entirely devoted. "I want us more than I want to step up. I always will."
A shaky exhale crackled through the speaker. "I love you."
Eddie smiled, the tension bleeding out of his shoulders. "Yeah, I know you do. I love you too. Go back to sleep. I'll be over after shift."
Eddie hung up, took a deep breath of the smoggy air, and walked back into the firehouse. He found Chimney sitting at the dining table, staring blankly at the wood grain.
Eddie sat down across from him. "Chim. I'm sorry. I just can't right now."
Chimney blinked, looking up. The rejection seemed to age him another five years right there on the spot. He looked incredibly stressed, and a heavy wave of guilt washed over Eddie. Any other time, he would have jumped at the opportunity. He would have done anything to help Chimney carry the burden. But he couldn't. He knew the rules, he followed the rules and he knew his priorities.
"Right," Chimney said, clearing his throat and standing up. "Okay. I'll... I'll get the Chief to bring a floater over, then."
"Wait," a voice said.
Hen was standing in the doorway, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She had overheard the conversation, and she was looking at Eddie with a deeply confused, calculating expression.
Eddie averted his eyes, terrified she was already piecing it together.
Hen sighed, letting her bag drop to the floor. "I'll do it. I'll step up this time." She leveled a stern look at Chimney. "But it will be the last time, Chim. I mean it."
Chimney practically deflated with relief. "Thank you, Hen. Seriously. Thank you."
The house was quiet, apart from the soft, rhythmic sound of Buck's breathing. They were laying in bed, the sheets tangled around their legs. The harsh realities of the day felt a million miles away in the warm light of the bedroom. Buck was resting his head on Eddie’s chest, tracing mindless patterns over Eddie’s heart.
"It would have been a great opportunity," Buck murmured into the dark.
"I know," Eddie said, his hand idly stroking Buck's curls.
Buck tilted his head up, his blue eyes searching Eddie's face. "Is that what you want? To move up the ranks? Make Captain eventually?"
Eddie thought about it. He thought about the pride of leading a team, the heavy weight of the helmet. "I don't know," he admitted truthfully. "I'm happy being a paramedic. I love being out in the field, getting my hands dirty. But... the experience would have been good. To see if I'm built for it. If it's something I would want to do." Eddie looked down at Buck, brushing a stray curl from his forehead. "How about you? When you get back?"
Buck sighed, resting his chin on Eddie's chest. "If you would have asked me before New Mexico, before... all this," he gestured vaguely to himself, "I would have jumped at the shot to be a lieutenant, and to move up and be captain some day. I wanted to prove I was the best." He smiled, a small, slightly sad thing. "But now? I just want to be me again. I want to feel normal in my own skin before I even consider what my career goals are."
Eddie shifted, leaning down to press a lingering, tender kiss to Buck's lips. "You'll get back to being you again," Eddie promised softly. "Take all the time you need. I'm right here."
A week later, the call came.
Buck had been reinstated. The Chief and the brass had reviewed his case, how he self reported, that he detoxed, and hasn't used since. He was allowed back, but with strict, non negotiable conditions.
Random, unannounced drug testing for a full calendar year, and he would be on probation for the full year.
It was a victory, but a fragile one.
A week after that, the other shoe dropped.
The investigation into the fire continued, providing the next stages to those involved.
Chimney was officially demoted from his captain status, back to paramedic until the bureaucratic nightmare was fully resolved and signed off by the highest levels of the department.
Harry was ordered to return to the academy for further, intensive training, and there were quiet whispers that the LAFD was considering relocating him to a different house.
The mood was somber as the extended family gathered at Chimney and Maddie's house. The backyard was filled with the smell of barbecue, but no one was really eating.
Hen stood up from the patio table, looking at Chimney with a heavy heart. "Chim, I am so sorry. But I can't be captain permanently. I stepped in for the interim to save us from a floater, but with everything going on... I have to prioritize my family. I have to put my health first. I can't have added stress. I have to step down."
Chimney looked devastated. He looked around the yard, his eyes begging. "Can any of you do it? Please. It's Bobby's house. We can't let some outsider come in and tear up the way we do things. We need someone who understands this family, our family."
He looked at Buck.
Buck held his hands up defensively, a sad smile on his face. "Chim, I can't. I'm on probation. I'm literally doing random drug tests. I am still trying to get back to myself again. The brass would laugh me out of the building if I try to step up."
Chimney turned his desperate gaze to Eddie.
"Eddie. Please. Just do it. For us. For me."
Eddie looked at Chimney, then across the yard at Buck. Buck was staring back, his eyes wide.
Eddie sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I can't, Chim."
"Why not?!" Chimney exploded, throwing his hands in the air.
"Yeah, man?" Ravi chimed in, genuinely baffled. "You're a rule guy, chain of command right? You would be great at it?"
"Because he doesn't want to, Howie, leave him alone," Maddie tried to intervene, sensing the rising tension.
"No, Maddie, it doesn't make sense!" Chimney argued. "Eddie, you're perfect for it. Why are you so damn stubborn about this?"
Eddie looked at the faces staring at him. He looked at Chimney's desperation, Hen's narrowed, calculating eyes, Athena's sharp, investigative stare. And then he looked at Buck, who was nervously chewing on his bottom lip, shrinking in on himself.
Eddie was so tired of hiding. He was tired of the shadows. He loved this man, and he was proud of him, and he was done letting Buck think he was a secret that needed to be kept.
"Fuck it," Eddie muttered.
He crossed the patio in three long strides, grabbed the collar of Buck's shirt, pulled him out of his lawn chair, and kissed him.
It wasn't a peck. It was a deep, declarative, earth shattering kiss right there in front of the grill, in front of the entire 118 family.
Buck gasped into the kiss, his hands instinctively coming up to grip Eddie's waist before Eddie pulled back, leaving Buck flushed and wide eyed.
Eddie turned back to a completely silent, shocked audience.
"Because," Eddie said, his voice ringing loud and clear across the backyard, "I can't be dating someone who works under me."
A collective gasp echoed through the yard.
"Holy shit!" Ravi yelled, dropping his fork into the potato salad.
"Oh my God," Maddie whispered, her hands flying to her mouth.
Athena just raised an eyebrow, a slow, knowing smile spreading across her face. "Well now."
Chimney looked like he was rebooting. He pointed a trembling finger between the two of them. "When... how... what?!"
"When did this happen?!" Karen demanded, leaning forward eagerly.
Buck, his face roughly the color of a fire engine, nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh. The drive back from New Mexico."
Hen let out a loud, triumphant bark of laughter. "OH! Now our conversation in the kitchen makes sense! I thought maybe you just had a little crush on him, but you guys were together!"
"You've been together this whole time?" Maddie asked, tears immediately welling in her eyes as she looked at her brother. "Even through everything?"
"You guys," Chimney said, panic suddenly replacing his shock. "You need to declare your relationship to HR. If they find out you're hiding this, you're both in trouble. Especially you, Buck, you're on probation!"
"We did," Eddie said calmly, reaching out and lacing his fingers through Buck's. "The Chief knows. HR knows. We filed the paperwork when we got back."
"Wait, so the Chief knows, but you didn't tell us?" Ravi asked, looking slightly offended.
"We just didn't want everyone to know until we knew it was going to work," Eddie explained, squeezing Buck's hand. "And, well, clearly it is."
Buck let out a wet, shaky laugh, looking up at Eddie with nothing short of adoration. "Yeah. If he stuck by me through the opiate withdrawals, the night sweats, the absolute worst version of myself... I think he isn't going anywhere."
"Never," Eddie said fiercely, turning to look Buck dead in the eye, oblivious to the audience. "You're it for me, cariño."
"Love you," Buck whispered.
"Oh, gross," Ravi groaned loudly, breaking the spell. "This is going to be worse than when Eddie went to El Paso."
Everyone erupted into laughter.
Eddie blinked, looking genuinely confused. "Wait, what? When I went to El Paso? What did he do?"
Buck frantically waved his free hand. "Nothing! Don't worry about it. Shut up, Ravi."
Eddie wanted to ask more, he definitely was going to interrogate them about that later but he turned his attention back to a still flabbergasted Chimney.
"Look, Chim," Eddie said, his tone turning serious. "I would love to help you out. I really would. But if it comes down to being interim captain or being with Buck, Buck is going to win every single time. I'm sorry."
Buck's eyes welled with fresh tears, and he couldn't help but smile, leaning his weight into Eddie's side.
"Wait," Hen said, holding up a hand, the gears visibly turning in her brilliant mind. "The rule is that you can't be his captain, right?"
"Right," Eddie said. "Which I would be."
"But it can be approved by the Chief," Hen continued, stepping forward. "If you declared your relationship before this situation arose, which you did. He already knows you guys were a thing. He can approve an exception."
"I don't think he will," Buck said doubtfully. "Eddie would have to watch me on probation. He would literally have to be the one to administer my random drug tests. That's a massive conflict of interest."
"Wait, no," Chimney said, the light returning to his eyes. "We can have someone else assigned to that specific duty. A B shift or C shift captain... or even Hen."
Hen nodded firmly. "I can do it. I'll volunteer to be the one in charge of Buck's probation and testing. I don't want to run the whole house, but I can manage Buck's return to work."
"Or I can transfer to B or C shift for the moment," Buck offered, though he looked sick at the thought of leaving his family.
"Nope. Not happening," Eddie said instantly, his arm tightening around Buck's waist.
Chimney held up a finger. "Give me five minutes."
He pulled his phone from his pocket and marched to the far side of the yard, dialing furiously. The rest of the team descended on Eddie and Buck, a flurry of hugs, backslaps, and Maddie sobbing happily onto Buck's shoulder. It felt like a massive, heavy weight had been lifted off the entire firehouse. The secret was out, and instead of breaking them, it had pulled them closer together.
Ten minutes later, Chimney jogged back over, looking breathless but triumphant.
"Okay. He's coming by tomorrow at the start of shift to discuss it all with us," Chimney announced, grinning. "He believes he can allow it, given the circumstances and the paper trail you two smartly left. But he wants to go over everything in detail. If he approves it, Hen will be strictly in charge of Buck's return to work conditions and reporting. Eddie, you will be interim captain while my investigation wraps up, and I'll go back to being a paramedic with Hen."
A cheer went up around the yard. Everyone agreed to the plan, though Eddie could see the lingering sadness in Chimney's eyes about his own situation. It was a harsh reality, the incident with Harry was just something that happened because everyone had become so rigidly set in their roles, so comfortable, that they stopped checking their blind spots. It was a brutal lesson for all of them.
But as Eddie looked at Buck, who was laughing openly at something May had said, the tension in his jaw finally completely relaxed. They were going to be okay.
One Month Later
The 118 was loud again.
Harry was back, but starting his probie year completely from scratch. He was humbled, quiet, and eager to learn. The chief had decided that Harry's failure wasn't just in his execution, but in his failure to speak up and say, "Can someone check this?" The team didn't make that mistake anymore.
Buck reinstated but still on probation, still checked Harry's work most of time.. But on the days he couldn't, someone made damn sure the probie's work was double checked.
The safety net was back in place.
Chimney had only lasted as a paramedic for three weeks. The investigation cleared him completely, citing systemic communication failure rather than gross negligence on his part. He was reinstated as Captain, and the house breathed a collective sigh of relief.
But the weeks had been enlightening. Eddie learned, much to his own surprise, that he actually loved being captain. He liked the logistics, he liked managing the scene from a macro level, and he liked taking care of his people. He had handed the helmet back to Chimney with genuine respect, but he had quietly spoken to Chimney about starting to study for the lieutenant's exam. He wanted to work his way up, eventually.
Buck had his own revelations. He loved the kinetic energy of fighting fires, but he found a deep, profound satisfaction in teaching. After his year of probation and drug testing was up, he told Eddie he wanted to look into avenues for training.
He didn't want to give up the firefighting, but he wanted to shape the next generation of the LAFD. But career goals were taking a backseat to the reality of their weekend.
"Chris, careful with that!" Eddie called out, carrying a heavy stack of moving boxes through the front door of Buck's house.
"I got it, Dad!" Christopher yelled back, a huge grin on his face.
Buck emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel, his eyes crinkling as he watched Christopher navigate the new space.
The house was chaotic, filled with the combined remnants of two entirely different lives, but it already felt like home. They had made the choice to officially move in together, surrendering Eddie's house to create a true, shared life here.
Eddie dropped the boxes in the living room and stretched, groaning as his back popped. Buck walked over, wrapping his arms around Eddie's neck and pulling him in for a slow, deep kiss that tasted like coffee and Saturday morning.
"We have so much unpacking to do," Buck mumbled against Eddie's lips.
"It can wait," Eddie smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around Buck's waist.
He looked over Buck's shoulder toward the corner of the bedroom, where his heavy steel safe had been placed earlier that morning. It held their passports, important documents, and a small, unassuming black velvet box.
Eddie knew it was early. They were just moving in together. Buck was just getting his feet back under him at work. But as Eddie held the man he loved, listening to the sound of his son laughing in the other room, he knew it wouldn't stay in that safe for long.