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When Abby essentially broke up with Buck without even telling him and immediately moved out of the country, Buck was confused.
He completely understands why she did it, but she could have at least made it clear that she wasn’t going to come back.
Buck currently sits in the apartment that she once occupied, flicking through the channels on the television to find something, anything, to take his mind off of her. When he’s unsuccessful, he drags himself to the kitchen to pull out a beer and his eye catches on the pile of mail he’d taken in that morning after his shift and he’d yet to go through it. It was all for her anyway.
Abby Clark, Abby Clark, oh yeah, and one more for Abby Clark.
One thing stands out from the pile: a flyer for a new bar that’s opened a few blocks from here. Well, it technically is new but not as new as it could have been when he planned on taking Abby a few days before she decided to drop the news on him of her departure, but Buck never found the opportunity to head down there himself. He’s just been holed up in her apartment feeling sorry for himself and sending her a text every few days in hopes that she’s going to answer him back.
It’s been a few months since Abby Clark left and he’s getting quite fed up with seeing the same four walls of his apartment. The teal colour of the kitchen is beginning to get to his head.
He needs to get out of there.
Once he’s showered and thrown on what he thinks is a decent enough outfit, (a white t-shirt, blue jeans and a jacket) – nothing too fancy – he sends off a message to the 118 group chat to see if anyone wants to join him.
No one’s available.
He shoves his phone back into his pocket and gets the hell out of there.
If you asked Buck a year ago what he’d be doing if he went to a bar on his own, he’d probably be out of there in a record breaking time of five minutes with someone new to hook up with.
That’s not who he wants to be now.
The bar is a little classier than he’s used to, considering he wants- wanted to take Abby here.
He orders his drink and makes himself comfortable on the stools at the bar when a guy walks up next to him. Tall, dark hair, leather jacket. Definitely Buck’s type.
They make brief eye contact and the guy gives an awkward smile. Buck’s instantly drawn to him and he desperately wants to know more.
Except he leaves him alone. He watches as the guy walks over to a booth and sits down alone. He’s not doing the hookup thing anymore.
Buck sticks around the bar for about an hour, engages in a little conversation, only surface level, but his eyes keep drifting to the guy in the back of the bar, in the booth all alone. He loses track of the guy at one point with a group of people taking over the booth.
Buck finishes up his drink and begins to head back to his apartment at about ten o’clock which is unheard of for Buck, especially on one of his days off. If Chimney was here, he’d be making a big deal over it.
“I can’t uproot my life again, I moved here three months ago.” Buck hears as he walks out of the doors of the bar. The guy is leaning up against the brick wall, his back to Buck. “I start my new job next week, I can’t do this to him again.”
Buck stands there looking at this guy who’s now leaning his head against the wall, eyes closed. He knows that he should move on, go home, back to his apartment but he’s rooted to the ground watching this guy, who eventually hangs up his phone and leans his head against it.
“You okay man?” Buck calls over.
The guy looks up, a little startled and Buck realises that he probably didn’t know anyone else was out here with him. He clears his throat before he says: “All good over here.” Buck sees him scrunch up his nose to the response he just gave. It’s cute.
“I’ve been told I’m a good listener if you want to talk about it,” He’s spent the last few months trying to be there for Abby whenever she needed someone, and he’s discovered that he wants to be the shoulder that people lean on, even if he knows nothing about this guy. “No pressure though.” Buck holds his hands up.
“Can’t burden you with this.”
“I was the one who offered?” Buck shoves his hands into his pockets.
The guy goes silent for a few seconds, presumably thinking about it, before he shrugs his shoulders and begins walking towards Buck. He holds the door open to the bar and gestures for the guy to go in first.
They slide into the last empty booth and there’s an awkward silence that falls over them. It’s to be expected considering they don’t know each other. Buck supposes he should break the ice.
“My girlfriend just left to go on a ‘eat pray love’ experience, and didn’t tell me she was breaking up with me, so now I still live in her apartment a few months in and I haven’t heard from her in about three weeks, and I don’t even know where we stand. Going to go with ‘broken up’.”
The guy ponders for a second, biting his lip while he thinks, then says: “You know she’s fucking other guys right”?
“As I’ve been told. Many, many times.” Buck laughs.
He picks up his beer and begins picking at the label. “I moved to LA about four months ago.”
“Didn’t think you were from around here.”
“Texas,” He takes a sip of his beer. Buck isn’t even quite sure when the beers got here if he’s being honest, he’s been too wrapped up in… he doesn’t even know the guys name yet. “El Paso, to be more specific.”
“Nice to meet you cowboy, you got a name?” Buck internally is banging his head against a wall as this guy only agreed to talk, not to be flirted with.
“Eddie.”
“Buck.”
“Got a story there?” Eddie raises an eyebrow.
“Not really, just too many Evan’s in my class so Buck just stuck because of my surname.”
Eddie nods, staring back down at his beer label.
“What made you choose LA?” Buck tries to change the subject back.
“I’ve got family here and it was the furthest place I wanted to have a fresh start in but still be near some of my family.”
“Parents causing some issues I’m guessing?” Buck knows a lot about that.
“Something like that.” Eddie lets out a sigh. “It was almost… suffocating? Everything I did wasn’t good enough when I felt like I was doing the right thing. I wanted to please everyone all the time but I couldn’t so getting out felt like the next best option.”
Buck nods. “I don’t know the exact feeling considering my parents didn’t really care about me, but I get it.”
“Not from around here either I’m guessing?”
“Nah, Hershey.” Buck takes a sip of his beer.
Eddie lets out a whistle, “Pennsylvania? That’s a long way to come.”
“Couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I traveled around a bit before I settled here.”
Buck ends up talking to Eddie for longer than he thought he would have and his initial judgement was completely right. There’s something about him that’s so captivating to Buck and he can’t get enough but he can’t go there, he won’t go there.
“What brings you here tonight then?” Eddie asks, drinking the last of his beer. They’re probably on their third one each, Buck can’t quite remember how many he’s had by now so it’s a good estimate and they’re feeling more relaxed.
“Tonight?”
Eddie nods slowly, keeping eye contact with Buck. He’s beginning to really notice how attractive Eddie is, not that he didn’t notice it earlier as he certainly did, but he’s not letting his mind wander there.
“The teal of Abby’s walls was getting to my head, and I needed to get out of there.”
“Teal? Damn man.” Eddie laughs. Buck notices that Eddie looks down at his lips and then instantly snaps his gaze back up to his eyes like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t be. “Want to get out of here?”
Buck must look like a deer caught in headlights as Eddie corrects himself almost instantly. “I mean like go for a walk.”
Buck laughs it off, “Yeah, sure.”
It’s nearing midnight when their walk makes it to the front doors of the apartment building, but there’s something so intriguing about Eddie that Buck doesn’t want the night to end.
“I know you don’t know me, and the same for you but do you want to come up for a bit?” Buck asks, also very wary that Eddie could so no and bolt at any moment.
Eddie nods his head ever so slightly and says, “Sure.” He smiles as he looks down at Buck’s lips again very quickly.
They stand side by side facing the doors as the elevator goes up. Buck can see Eddie sneak a glance at him, so he does the same, hoping Eddie doesn’t catch him looking.
“Wow,” Eddie says as he walks inside the apartment. “I see what you mean by the teal. I can feel the headache coming on already.”
They both let out a laugh which trails off as soon as they make eye contact.
A few strands of Eddie’s hair have fallen onto his face from his gelled back style and Buck wants to run his hands through it.
Buck turns around to the fridge, breaking eye contact. “I think I have some beer here, if you’re wanting one?”
He turns around and holds it out to Eddie, and their fingers brush.
“Thanks man.” Eddie clears his throat, and shrugs off his jacket, throwing it over the chair at the kitchen table.
Buck walks through to the living room, and takes a deep breath in. The remote is still on the couch where he put it down earlier in the evening, wine glasses on the table where he’d left them after last night when Maddie had shown up on his doorstep and he’d yet to take them into the kitchen.
And then there was Eddie. Eddie from El Paso, Texas and he doesn’t even know his last name or what he does for work and yet he wants more. He’s never wanted to know more about anyone as bad as he wants to know about Eddie right now.
“I’ve never done this before,” Eddie admits as he sits down on the couch, “The whole hook up thing. It’s not who I am.”
“Eddie, that’s not why I invited you up here.”
“I know. Believe me, I know it wasn’t your intention. You can generally tell when that’s someone’s intention.” He shifts until he’s facing Buck. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel it.”
Eddie’s right. Buck can feel it.
“Also, I want it to be known that I’m not the kind of guy who spills some of his life story to a random guy at a bar he’s never been to before, and then takes them back to their ex-girlfriend’s apartment.”
Eddie laughs at that and Buck makes a silent vow to make Eddie do that for the rest of their time together. He deserves to be happy.
For the first time this evening, Buck lets his eyes drop down to Eddie’s lips. He leans forward to place his beer on the coffee table and copies Eddie by angling himself in his direction.
He isn’t sure which one of them closes the gap, but before he knows it, he’s sliding his hands around Eddie’s waist who is slipping a hand around the back of his neck and using the other to cradle Buck’s jaw.
Eddie slides a hand up and buries it in his hair as he begins to deepen the kiss. He’s pretty sure that he can feel Eddie’s heart beating as fast as his own as he begins to guide Eddie down onto the couch and their chests are pressed together.
Buck begins to press a series of kisses to Eddie’s jaw, causing him to push his head further into the couch cushion and lightly pulling on the hair at the base of Buck’s head. His lips hover over Eddie’s neck as he softly presses kisses to the skin, and Eddie, the bastard, emits a moan as Buck trails further down. He knows it’s going to leave a bruise or two but he thinks that Eddie couldn’t bring himself to care right now, or at least he hopes he does.
Eddie’s hand guides its way under Buck’s shirt, exploring the lower of Buck’s back. He doesn’t break the kiss while he’s bringing them up to a seated position with Buck straddling his lap, working his way down Eddie’s neck.
Buck pulls away momentarily while he pulls his shirt over his head, and throws it… somewhere. He’ll deal with that in the morning.
Watching Eddie slowly discard of his own shirt might as well be a slow motion affair as Buck can’t stop staring, he can’t take his eyes away as he catches:
“Is that an eight pack?”
“No Buck, of course it isn’t.” Eddie rolls his eyes playfully as Buck smirks, looping his fingers through Eddie’s belt loops, and pulls him back in for a quick kiss to the lips.
Buck’s never found Abby’s couch to be the most comfortable thing in the world. He swings his leg back over and slowly begins to stand up, and Eddie almost instantly follows him up.
There’s a pause between them as Buck looks at Eddie, and he knew that he was gorgeous when he first met him but Buck doesn’t think he’s met anyone more beautiful than Eddie.
Buck’s hands move from Eddie’s waist and down to his thighs to lift Eddie up, who immediately wraps his legs around Buck’s back and winds his arms around Buck’s shoulders. Eddie laces his fingers into Buck’s hair and draws him back in for a kiss.
He guides them back to the bedroom, lying Eddie down on his back on the bed. Eddie’s become almost desperate in his kiss as he gently tugs on Buck’s hair.
“Slow down baby, we have all the time in the world.” His hands are braced above Eddie’s head, looking down at him.
Buck never knew that it could feel like this. He didn’t know it could feel like this with a guy.
It’s something until this evening he’s never actually considered thinking about, because sure, he can appreciate if a guy is good looking but Eddie, he’s mind blowing.
He’s so wrapped up in Eddie that he hasn’t noticed the change when they’re suddenly up by the headrest and Eddie’s flipping them over so he’s on the top of him.
Buck could get used to this; he could get used to Eddie.
They go late into the night lazily trading kisses, Buck running his fingers through Eddie’s hair, Eddie’s hands holding onto Buck’s waist as they sink deeper into the sheets.
“Stay?” Buck asks, brushing his thumb over the freckle under Eddie’s left eye.
“Of course,” Eddie nods.
Buck goes to sleep with Eddie in his arms and he doesn’t expect Eddie to be there in the morning. No one has ever stayed.
Except Eddie.
Buck rolls over in his sleep onto the warm side of the bed where Eddie was lying. However Eddie isn’t there and the sound of a cabinet door closing from the kitchen.
Buck pulls on a pair of sweatpants that are hanging from the chair at Abby’s vanity table that goes untouched, collecting dust.
Buck watches Eddie while he leans against the doorframe into the kitchen. It appears that he hasn’t found his shirt as he stands at the stove, a pair of Buck’s sweatpants hanging low on his hips, the LAFD logo down the side.
“Guessing you want to stand there watching me while I look for another pan for these eggs.” He holds up the first one which they’ve stuck to.
“I can do them,” Buck walks over to the fridge to grab the eggs and the orange juice. “My captain’s been teaching me how to cook.”
Eddie meets Buck halfway and loops his arms around Buck’s waist and kisses him. Buck is well and truly fucked.
“I had fun last night,” Eddie says once he’s found the cabinet containing the glasses. “I don’t normally do that-“
“You don’t need to explain yourself Eddie, I had fun too.”
Breakfast is a little more silent, forks scraping against plates instead of conversation. Eddie looks down at his watch and then dropped his fork,
“Shit, I can’t be late.” He looks up at Buck apologetically.
He rounds the table and runs a finger over Buck’s jaw as he gently cradles his face. He smiles before leaning forward and kissing him.
Buck savours the kiss as he watches Eddie flit around the apartment looking for all of his clothes, and stopping by the notebook on the kitchen counter and writing something down.
“My number,” He points down at it as he pats his pockets for his phone. “I wish I could stay.”
“Eddie, it’s okay.” Buck laughs gently.
He whispers a gentle goodbye as he opens the door, and quickly leaves.
That doesn’t happen very often. Someone who spends the night with Buck and then leaves their number.
He never usually sees them again but something tells him he’ll be seeing Eddie again.
──⋆.˚✧ ✧⋆.˚──
“Buck, come on over,” Bobby motions for him as he’s walking down the stairs, staring at Eddie’s contact he’d put into his phone a few minutes after he left a few days ago.
It’s not like he’s been avoiding messaging Eddie, but he deserves more than a ‘hey, that was mind blowing, wanna do that again?’ response. Except Buck doesn’t know how else to say it.
“Well, I think it’s pointless.” Hen states.
“What’s pointless?” Buck slides his phone into his pocket.
“The firefighter calendar.” Hen turns around to face him, crossing her arms.
“Woah, it’s not like that. I think it’s good to celebrate the heroes of the LAFD.” Buck puts his hands on his hips.
“That’s because you want to be on that calendar.”
“Who doesn’t want to be on it?” Chimney walks up to them. “I’m thinking April would be the best month for me.”
“Henrietta doesn’t want to be on it apparently.”
“If you call me that one more time, Evan-“
“Now,” Bobby claps his hands together in an effort to stop them, “We have a new recruit joining us today, and I need you all to be on your best behaviour.” He looks over at Buck, who furrows his brow.
Hen and Chimney divert their attention to the locker room, the latter letting out a low whistle.
“Now that is a beautiful man.”
“Where’s the lie? And I like girls.”
Buck notices as Bobby keeps an eye on him when he begins to turn around in the new guy's direction, and Buck notices that they’re completely right. That is a beautiful man and that beautiful man was underneath him a few nights ago, and his contact is open on his phone.
It’s the beautiful man that Buck hasn’t stopped thinking about.
The one Buck said had an eight pack. Said it to his face.
Fuck.
Oh no. This is bad.
He watches as Hen and Chim walk over to greet him, shaking their hands, and smiling. Eddie runs a hand through his hair as he flashes his own smile at them .
Buck was on the receiving end of that smile a few nights ago and now he’s standing in the same firehouse, about to be formally introduced to him by his own captain as his new coworker.
Bobby told him he’d be getting a new partner soon, and never in a million years did Buck think it would be Eddie.
Buck is completely and utterly fucked.
The others filter out of the locker room, while Buck slowly walks in, hands shoved in his pockets before he does something silly, like kiss him senseless. That would make an impression.
“I was wondering if you’d come in and talk to me,” Eddie’s got his back to him, facing his locker and shoving his duffel bag in there, conveniently the one next to Buck’s. “Or you’re avoiding me, which is okay too.”
“I wasn’t avoiding you,” Buck takes a step forward. “Eddie, I was going to text you.”
“It’s okay Buck, you don’t have to explain yourself.” Eddie closes his locker and turns around to face him. So beautiful. “Neither of us knew I was going to end up here, and I didn’t know you worked here. Even though the sweatpants should have been a giveaway,”
“You can keep those,” Buck mentally face palmed. Now why would he say that? “I have… many of them.”
Thankfully Eddie laughs. “We can be professional about this right?” He gestures between them both.
“Of course.” Buck nods.
──⋆.˚✧ ✧⋆.˚──
Buck can’t be professional about this.
Working alongside Eddie every day for the last few months has been great, he’s the perfect partner. He’s always on the same page as Buck during an emergency, passing him anything he needs even before he asks for it and is right by his side wherever he needs him.
Except being professional is killing him. Especially when they’re in the gym before a shift and Eddie offers to spot him. He’s always there.
In his matching t-shirt and shorts and his stupid socks and shoes which match too. Hair pushed back from his face but one random strand that falls in front of his face which is stupid and Buck wants to run his stupid hands through his stupid hair.
It’s all stupid.
He walks over to Bobby in the kitchen who’s already started on breakfast but makes himself useful by breaking the eggs for omelettes.
“How’s Maddie settling in?” Chimney comes up to the pair, stealing one of the slices of bell pepper and moving his hand quickly before he gets it tapped by the spatula that Bobby’s holding.
“And I’ve wondered where all of them go before I even get to cooking them.” Bobby rolls his eyes.
“You know I can’t resist them.”
“No, you just don’t know how to be patient.” Hen joins in as she walks up to the kitchen.
“How do you even know about Maddie?” Buck turns the conversation back around.
“She came to the firehouse last week?” Chimney furrowed his brow. “You showed her around? How can you not remember that?”
How can one person (Eddie) take up his brain so much that he doesn’t even remember introducing his sister to his coworkers? He needs help.
“Anyway, she’s dropping by later with some pastries after she has her interview at dispatch.” Chimney takes one last pepper from the bowl before Bobby moves it to the other side of the counter.
Everyone turns to look at him.
“What?”
“How do you know that she has a job interview at dispatch?” Buck squints at him.
“I have my ways Buckley,” Chimney pauses to look at all of them. “Right, fine, we text.”
Buck stares at him.
“What are we all looking at Chimney for, or staring in Buck’s case.” Eddie walks up to the group of them. It just gets worse doesn’t it.
“He’s been messaging Maddie, his sister, but neither of them told Buck.”
“They don’t need to tell me,” Buck clears his throat and straightens his back. “They’re mature enough to do what they want.”
Hen snorts and Chim swats her on the arm.
He throws the egg shell into the bin and it makes a noise louder than the others did which makes everyone turn to face him once again.
“You okay there Buck?” Eddie asks.
“Yep.” He throws another egg shell in the bin. “Just perfect.”
Buck’s phone buzzes in his pocket.
Maddie: Chimney tells me you’re in a mood about something.
And again.
Eddie: You okay?
He looks up at Eddie who’s already looking at him. Buck shrugs back.
There isn’t actually anything technically wrong with Buck. Except Eddie’s looking at him, all stupidly pretty and that’s what’s wrong with Buck.
Eddie: Chris and I are having a movie night and we can order pizza if you want to come over?
Oh, and that’s another thing. Biweekly movie nights with Chris and Eddie are a thing. If he’s not in his apartment which he moved into a couple of weeks ago (he’s grateful that he was able to find somewhere quickly and move out of Abby’s), he spends most of his nights with the Diazes or Maddie.
All squished together on the couch with Chris’ latest choice of Finding Nemo playing on the tv in front of them, Chris in the middle of both of them, Eddie’s arm on the back of the couch which reaches towards Buck, sometimes his fingertips brushing his shoulder or his neck.
Buck sends back a salute emoji to Eddie before replying back to Maddie.
Buck: You and Chim? Since when?
Maddie: You’re one to talk. What about you and Eddie?
Buck: Nothing’s happening there I don’t know what you’re insinuating
He pockets his phone before turning back to Bobby. He can ignore what his brain’s thinking for a few hours right?
Turns out it was entirely impossible. Eddie right in front of him in the engine, pressed up right next to him on the couch and across from him at the table made him possible to ignore.
He text Eddie after their shift that he was heading over to Maddie’s for a while before their movie and it gave him the perfect amount of time to learn to be cool about Eddie, if that was even possible.
“Not that I don’t like spending time with you,” Maddie said, opening the door to Buck. “But what are you doing here?”
“I slept with Eddie.” He blurts out. Perfect, just how he wanted to start that off.
“You did what?” That voice wasn’t Maddie. It sounded like…
“Chimney?”
“Here I was thinking about a few hours away from you and yet I have to learn about you sleeping with our coworker? Since when?” He walks over to them with the bowl of popcorn.
Buck looks between him and Maddie.
“One second,” Maddie turns to Chimney and they disappear into the kitchen for a few moments, leaving Buck with his own words hanging over his head. Why did he say that right there and then?
“So, what’s this about you and Eddie?” Maddie comes back with a glass of water and hands it to him.
“It wasn’t recently,” He takes the glass and practically downs half of it.
“You slept with him in the first few weeks?” She raised an eyebrow at him, and when he didn’t answer, “A few days?”
“You make it sound worse than it was.” Buck mutters.
“Do not tell me that it was the first day.” Maddie raises her eyebrows at him when she sits down on the couch.
“Actually, it was a few days before.”
Maddie stares at him, and blinks before a sound comes from the kitchen.
“You didn’t know him then!” Chimney exclaims through the kitchen door. “Sorry, I’m not listening.”
Buck sighs, “Just come in here, but you can’t repeat this to anyone, not even Hen.”
“What makes you think that I tell Hen everything?” He says, practically running over with the bowl of popcorn still in his hands like this is his own show that he’s tuned in to watch. Buck raises an eyebrow at him, “Fair point, continue,”
“Let me get this straight, you slept with Eddie before you started working together?”
“Exactly that,” Buck reaches over for the popcorn.
“You never mentioned that before.”
“That’s because I didn’t know I was going to run into him again. He left his phone number when he had to run the next morning, didn’t explain why at the time but I’m assuming it was to pick up Christopher, but it had only been a few days and I hadn’t texted him yet.”
Maddie and Chimney shared a look that Buck but couldn’t quite make out what it was.
“I’ve met Eddie that one time at the firehouse last week and I’m sure Chim will tell me you’re an idiot for not texting him back.” Maddie answered.
“Well-” Chimney started before Buck cut him off.
“I was standing on the stairs at the fire station with the contact open and I was just about to message Eddie when Bobby called me over and it was to, surprise, meet Eddie.”
“You were going to ask him on a date when you were at work?” Maddie asked.
“He’s done worse.” Chimney replies.
“I didn’t know that Eddie was going to be there, and then we agreed to be professional about it and now it’s getting harder to do that.” Buck sits back until he hits the back of the couch and runs his hands over his face.
“I mean, it’s all making a lot of sense,” Chimney begins.
“What is?” Buck removes one hand from his face.
“The way you look at him and it lingers sometimes, and when he tries to catch your eye at the gym and when he does he puts on a little bit of a show, which he will deny if you ask him but I’ve seen it many, many times. Shameless the pair of you.” Chimney takes a sip of his beer which Buck doesn’t know where he got it from but would really like one himself right now.
“What I think Chim’s point is is that you both might like each other more than you thought and you probably should do something about it.” Maddie added.
Buck changed the conversation swiftly after that as there was too much to consider and the less Chimney knew about his feelings for Eddie the better. As soon as Chimney told Hen, someone else would have overheard it as he knows Hen can keep a secret, and then the whole station would know about it soon enough and Eddie would never talk to him again.
Maddie would tell him he’s being dramatic but Buck thinks he’s being the right amount of cautious.
A little later on, he makes his way over to Eddie’s house. Two pizzas on his passenger seat and a tub of Chris’ favourite ice cream (and a pint of vanilla for Eddie and some extra strawberry sauce which he always denies but Buck always makes sure he gets for him and his ‘secret’ sweet tooth). He hasn’t even realised he’s made it to his destination of South Bedford Street before he notices the orange tree in Eddie’s front garden. The radio plays some top 40 tune that he doesn’t recognise, it was probably left on from when Chris was last in the Jeep with them from their trip to the zoo last weekend.
He parks it on Eddie’s driveway and then freezes. Both hands are still gripping the steering wheel, thinking about how he’s going to be normal about this. Normal about Eddie since he’s acknowledged something about how he’s feeling.
His phone on the dashboard buzzes, Eddie.
Eddie: I can see you out there.
He looks up towards the house to see Eddie’s pulled the blinds open and is looking at him.
Buck: Creepy much? Staring at me like that Eds, your neighbours will start to worry.
Eddie: Just get in here.
He throws the car door open so hard that it flies back at him. He doesn’t look over at the front door as he knows Eddie’s going to have been looking at him already.
“I thought for a second that we’d have to take you to the ER with an open wound on your forehead if you didn’t dodge that door.” Eddie laughs as Buck’s leaning over the console to grab the pizza and ice cream.
“You’re a trained medic, I’d be in safe hands.” Buck tries to make it sound like he’s not flirting but he’s not sure he succeeds when he looks right at Eddie who’s red in the face. Interesting.
Eddie ducks his head and gestures for Buck to enter the front room when he hears, “Buck! You made it!”
“And I come with Hawaiian pizza, and a margherita for your dad who’s weird and doesn’t like pineapple.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like pineapple, I just said that it doesn’t belong on pizza.” Eddie takes the food out of Buck’s arms and walks through to the kitchen, where Buck follows. “He’s been talking about you all evening non stop.”
“Glad to know at least someone likes my presence.” Buck turns to grab the plates out of the cabinet when he realises there's a distinct lack of noise behind him. “What?”
“You gotta stop doing that, putting yourself down.” Eddie shakes his head. “There’s plenty of people who like spending time with you.”
Eddie turns to the cutlery drawer before saying, “I do.”
Over the last few months, Buck has tried to not be in such close proximity with Eddie again, which he can’t help when they’re on a call, but he doesn’t know what the protocol would be if he found himself close to Eddie like their first night.
Meaning, Buck doesn’t know what the protocol is right here. Eddie’s practically backed him into the sink with no place to escape and his eyes keep sinking down to his lips briefly but Buck notices it.
Something flickers across Eddie’s face before he dives in to kiss Buck. His hands fly to his waist, mostly to steady himself, whilst Eddie’s hand comes up to to cradle the back of his neck.
Buck didn’t know he could miss something this much. Miss kissing Eddie. Miss being this close to someone he spends over twenty four hours with regularly.
Eddie presses him further into the counter and Buck grips on tighter whilst the kiss deepens. Eddie’s hand travels up through his hair, and they’re now standing impossibly close so Buck can feel Eddie’s heartbeat in his own chest.
“Are we still watching this?” Chris’ yells cut through the kitchen, both of them jumping apart from each other at the sound.
Buck freezes as he watches Eddie run a hand through his own hair, spin around looking for various things that he’s not even sure he knows what he’s looking for, before grabbing the plates and saying: “Not sure where he got the impatience from, sure enough it wasn’t me.”
Buck’s met Shannon once (or maybe twice, his brain is too mush to remember the finer details) but he knows Chris definitely gets it from Eddie.
Example: just now. Eddie wouldn’t have waited until the end of the night before kissing him as now he’s got to sit through Finding Nemo with a seven year old between them and Buck will be thinking about that kiss all while Dory is telling him to just keep swimming.
He reboots his brain quickly enough to shove the ice cream into the fridge and then follow Eddie into the living room, sitting on the left side of the couch. Not close enough as he would like to be to Eddie but somehow not far enough away either.
It’s just enough for Eddie to be able to drape his arm over the back of the couch, brush his fingertips against Buck’s shoulder without it being suspicious. However, Edmundo Diaz has taken this one step further by reaching over far enough to run his fingers through his hair.
Between them Chris has fallen asleep on Eddie’s shoulder by the time they’ve made it halfway through Finding Dory, which Chris was insistent that they watched next. Whilst Eddie’s carrying Chris to bed, Buck begins on cleaning up the plates, bowls and all other things, and washing them up.
“You don’t have to do that,” Eddie says, leaning against the fridge and making Buck jump out of his skin. “Chris wants to say goodnight.”
Buck heads off to Chris’ room, Eddie not too far behind him to give him a nudge to go further into the room.
“Can you come with us to the zoo at the weekend?” Chris says as Buck sits on the edge of his bed. “Dad really wants you there too.”
“Chris-” Eddie starts.
“What dad? It’s true.” He giggles sleepily.
“I’d love to.” Buck smiles at him. “If he says yes of course,” He reaches over to ruffle Chris’ hair. “Night buddy.”
“Night Buck.” Chris yawns and slowly closes his eyes.
Buck walks back out into the hallway while Eddie is continuing to say goodnight to Chris, all in hushed tones so Buck doesn’t hear the plans that Chris is making for them (there was a loud zoo spoken with Chris quickly shushing his dad and giggling). Buck goes back into the kitchen and pulls two beers out of the fridge, a pack he’d brought over earlier in the week and meets Eddie in the living room.
He sits on the couch, first facing towards the direction Eddie would come from, then turning back to face the tv which has nothing playing so that’s pointless. He runs his hands over his jeans, palms becoming sweaty all of a sudden, then picking up his beer, putting it back down. He’s fidgeting and he knows it.
Eddie eventually joins him in the living room, and picks up his beer from the table.
“You know,” Eddie says, taking a sip of said beer, “It probably should have been obvious to me that you worked at the LAFD.”
“What?” Buck narrows his eyes at Eddie.
“I borrowed your sweatpants and didn’t give them back,” Eddie turns to Buck, “The night I met you? I couldn’t find my jeans so I borrowed your sweatpants, the ones with the LAFD logo on them, and with Station 118 on the leg too?
“I’ve been looking for those.”
“They’re in my room, I’ll give them back to you.” Eddie laughed. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
“For what?”
“Kissing you.”
“Eddie,”
“I’ve been thinking about it for months, and I know I should have asked if you wanted me to kiss you or at least warn you that I was going to do that-” Eddie begins rambling but Buck is stuck on the first thing he said.
“You’ve been thinking about it? For months?”
“Buck, of course I have.”
Buck has been driving himself insane, trying not to think about it and Eddie’s been thinking about it?
“I was trying to be professional about it like we agreed but I can’t be any longer.”
Buck is entirely convinced his brain has short circuited.
“I knew this was a bad idea.” Eddie stands up and walks to the doorway to the dining room, running his hands over his face.
“What’s a bad idea?”
“Telling you. God, I knew it wouldn’t go right.”
“Who says it’s going wrong?” Buck walks over to where Eddie’s pacing.
“You haven’t said anything!” Eddie looks like he’s about five seconds from passing out.
“Because you haven’t let me.” Buck leans forward and grabs one of Eddie’s wrists before his pacing takes him out of the room. “I was just processing it all.
Eddie finally turns around to look at him. There’s that beautiful face he’s been thinking about.
“You have no idea how professional I’ve been trying to keep this. Maddie thinks I’m insane for not asking you on a date and Chim thinks we’re shameless. That little thing that you’ve been doing in the gym? He’s noticed.”
Eddie goes bright red. “And I’m guessing you didn’t notice it?”
“Oh I noticed,” Buck smiles, “I just had to think about puppies, kittens and rainbows before I did something stupid like walk over there and kiss you.”
“I would have liked that.” Eddie admits.
“But our coworkers probably wouldn’t.”
Eddie begins to smile, and Buck can’t help but start laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“We’re really stupid. Chris definitely thinks we’re stupid.”
“Shannon’s been asking me whenever I drop Chris off before a shift if I’m going to ask you on a date.” Eddie avoids making eye contact.
“You’ve been talking about me?”
“Chim was the one you chose to talk to about this.” Eddie counteracts.
“Chim just happened to be there when I went to talk to my own sister about this.”
“Wait, Maddie and Chimney? The same Chimney we work with?” Eddie snorts. “Imagine he ends up your brother in law.”
“Then he’d be yours too.” Buck adds but doesn’t mean to.
“Oh,” Eddie takes a step forward, lacing his hand into Buck’s. “You want this to go that far.”
“I can only hope it goes that far.” Buck makes sure the gap between them is completely closed by taking the last step forward.
“I really like you Buck,”
“I really like you too Eddie,”
Their kiss doesn’t last very long but it’s long enough to keep Buck wanting more.
“Stay tonight?” Eddie asks.
“We haven’t even gone on a date yet,” Buck jokes.
“Shannon’s happy to take Chris after we go to the zoo on Saturday.”
“You haven’t even asked her yet,”
“She’ll be happy that she doesn’t have to keep asking me about you. What she’ll probably do is throw a party now that this has happened.”
“I haven’t said yes yet,”
“Buck-”
“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.” Buck presses a kiss to his lips. “I see what you’re trying to do Diaz, you’re trying to get me into bed with you,”
“Not the first time Buckley,”