Chapter Text
“Buck is being weird about food again”
Hen leaned against the wall on the far side of the loft, coffee in hand, watching him move around the 118 kitchen.
“What’s he making?” Chimney asked.
“No idea. He’s been guarding that pot like a feral animal”
Buck stood at the stove, humming under his breath as he stirred something that smelled weirdly good. Every so often stopping to glance into the pot and grin to himself.
Then Eddie comes up the stairs.
Hen immediately locked in, coming closer to the sitting area and straightening herself. To watch the least straight shit ever.
“Shut up. Observe,” she said.
Eddie didn’t even announce himself. He just drifted up behind Buck, peeking over his shoulder, haunting his personal space.
“What are you making…?”
“Nothing for you.”
“That smells amazing.”
Eddie reached out around him, clearly aiming to steal a free sample.
Without even looking, Buck caught Eddie’s wrist mid air.
“Hey. Stop that.”
“C’mon dude, just one bite.”
“No.”
Buck shifted Eddie’s hand away from the pot and, with his focus got straight back to stirring, without realizing, rested that same hand against the side of his own body, tapping Eddie’s fingers against his ribs.
Neither of them seemed to notice.
Eddie kept talking, Buck kept cooking. Occasionally feeling Diaz’s chin rest on the side of his bicep.
The hand stayed exactly where it was.
Across the room, Hen blinked.
“Interesting,” Chimney adds.
“Mm.”
Five seconds passed.
Ten.
Buck laughed at something his partner said and leaned back slightly into his space. Eddie didn’t move.
The hand remained.
“Maddie told me Buck still insists that’s normal friend behavior” Chim commented, talking over his mug filled with tea. “Do you remember when they were roommates for like 6 months?”
“Oh, vividly.”
“Eddie would genuinely tell me about Buck falling asleep next to him, then look me in the eye and say ‘Yeah, thats what best friends do’, like what the fuck” He took a slow sip of his tea.
“Personally i’ve never held a friend’s hand against my ribs while cooking.”
“I don't know Hen, maybe we’re doing friendship wrong”
“Apparently,” she let out a laugh “ever since they met i believe we lost the place of number one bromance in this firehouse.”
Buck finally looked down.
“Oh,” He released Eddie’s hand.
A beat.
Their eyes meet for half a second as Eddie moves out of the way so that Buck can reach another.
Then immediately reaches for a piece of food from the pan and darted away.
“Worth it,” he declared, running away like a child and going down the sliding pole.
Buck groaned and chased after him, remembering to turn off the stove beforehand.
Hen watched them disappear around the corner. Chimney shook his head. “Oblivious”
“Painfully.”
Hen considered it for a moment.
“No”
“Yeah,”
Chimney agreed. “Probably not.”
The knock came right as Buck was getting Theo to put his socks on.
“No!! no no, they make my feet too hot Mr Poop.” Theo protested, darting away from the chair and setting himself free after a few kicks to Buck’s forearms, like a giggling tornado.
A sockless giggling tornado.
“You’ve been saying that for three months kid c’mon”
Another knock.
“Coming!!”
Buck stepped over a pile of crayons and toy trucks and opened the door.
Eddie stood there with Christopher beside him, one hand holding a grocery bag.
“Hey”
“Hey.”
The familiar smile on Eddie’s face made something warm settle in Buck’s chest.
Without thinking, Eddie stepped forward and pulled him into a quick hug.
Buck hugged him back automatically.
And then, because Eddie was slightly shorter, because he was right there, because their faces were at perfect level and Buck’s brain decided to take the day off…
Buck directed his face to his friend’s face and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s forehead.
A soft, unplanned little mwah.
Silence.
Buck froze.
Eddie froze.
Their eyes widened.
And Chris stormed around them, already used to their situationship since he was 8 years old, going in Theo’s direction to say hi.
Buck and Eddie slowly pulled apart.
Buck felt his face heat instantly. Oh my God.
Why did i do that?
Eddie looked equally confused. And neither of them said anything.
They slowly turned to face the two little witnesses, sitting on the couch looking up from Chris’s nintendo switch.
“Oh wow”
“Chris-” Eddie tried to get a word in.
“NO, no don’t let me stop whatever that was.”
“It wasn’t-”
“I don’t even know what that was,” Buck blurted.
“Me neither.”
Another awkward silence. And then the laughs, the familiar laughs you hear after they’re 5 minutes in the same place as each other, maximum. Whatever the fuck that was doesn’t matter, cause they’re friends, Eddie would never judge Buck based on an embarrassing moment.
Before either man could even defend themselves or think too much about it, a small blur launched from Chris’s side across the house.
“Wait Theo!”
Too late.
Theo crashed directly into Eddie’s legs.
“Eddie!!” he screamed, almost knocking over Eddie’s grocery bags, which Buck quickly took over to help the man.
Eddie laughed despite himself and bent down to catch him before he could fall over “Hey spider man.”
Theo pointed at Buck immediately after being at his eye-level. “He kissed you.”
Christopher doubled over laughing. “Oh my god.”
Theo looked delighted by the reaction.
“He did!! I saw it!!”
“Okay!” Buck said loudly, removing the crazy little hurricane from Eddie’s hands.
Eddie who had turned an alarming shade of red, probably not from all the laughing.
“Is Buck going to tuck you in?”
“THEO.”
“What? You give me forehead kisses when tucking me in…”
Chris was openly dying from laughter now. “Please,” he wheezed, “please keep talking.” And Theo happily obliged.
“Sometimes Buck kisses me on the forehead when I'm sleepy. Or sad. Or when I fall down. Or when I draw pictures.”
“Oh so you’re a repeat offender” Eddie manages to say, even with the tomato cheeks and his son dying laughing from how gay he was with his best friend
Buck peeked through his fingers. “I really don’t think offender is the word you’re looking for.”
“Serial forehead-kisser then”
“That’s somehow worse,” Buck dropped his head into his hands.
Christopher was finally able to breathe “So, what i’m hearing is my dad got the premium preschool treatment”
“Chris.”
“I’m just saying…”
Theo nodded happily. “That just means Buck likes you.”
The house went quiet. Buck slowly looked up, Eddie’s eyes were already there waiting to be met. None of them said a word to each other.
Chris groaned. “Okay you guys are making it weird again”
The moment shattered instantly. The tension melted right away as the two went back into their default settings, laughing at each other.
“Sorry,” Buck said, rubbing the back of his head and closing the door behind Eddie “That just… happened.”
Eddie shook his head, still smiling. “It’s fine” He assured, “We’ve done weirder things.”
“AYOOOO PAUSE” Chris interrupted, melting into the couch with his switch in hands.
Before either of them could react to that, Theo wiggled out of Eddie’s arms and grabbed his hand, immediately dragging him toward his own room. “Come see my trucks”
Eddie let himself be pulled along. Chris stayed put, shaking his head.
As Buck passed through him, making his way to the kitchen, he muttered, “For the record, that was the most married thing i’ve ever seen.”
Buck stared at him, and somehow despite the embarrassment, Buck found himself hiding a smile.
The parking lot was busy enough that nobody paid much attention to the two men sitting in the front seat of Buck’s jeep. Which was good.
Because Buck was currently pretending to be interested in absolutely nothing.
The engine has been off for almost ten minutes.
Neither of them had made any move to get out.
Buck sat behind the wheel, one arm hooked over the steering wheel, staring out through the windshield at the familiar street he lived in a little less than a year now.
Beside him, Eddie was doing much the same.
They were all ready to leave, strapped in, pulling away from the driveway when Theo suddenly yelled “STOP STOP WAIT”, he had suddenly remembered that he needed to bring the stuffed shark Christopher had given him for his birthday.
Apparently the aquarium would be significantly improved by the presence of Sharles.
Christ had gone with, to help him look.
Which had left Buck and Eddie alone.
In a very quiet jeep. For ten whole minutes. Buck broke the silence by drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.
Eddie glanced at him, making him stop immediately. The last thing he needs right now is a fight, or to have Eddie stressed, especially after the wonderful time they just had with the boys over lunch.
A beat passed.
Then-
“So.”
Buck groaned. “There it is”
“There what is?”
“The tone.” Buck side eyed.
Eddie smiled. “What tone”
“The one that means you’re about to make this moment difficult”
Eddie’s smile only widened. Very few people knew how much getting on Buck’s nerves pleased Eddie. “I kind of liked it.”
Buck turned so quickly he nearly pulled something in his neck.
“What?”
“The forehead kiss,” Eddie closed the fist he had posed on the outside of car window, “It doesn’t have to be a whole thing.”
Buck stared. Part pleased that Eddie didn’t see the whole forehead kiss thing as a big deal. Cause it shouldn’t be. And partially because Eddie seemed too calm about this.
“It was nice.” Eddie added, not avoiding eye contact, just completely unphased.
Buck blinked, once, twice. Just enough times to be sure that wasn’t a dream, or some sort of fucked up hallucination from something he ate. Then looked away.
“Don’t say things like that”
Eddie laughed softly “What? Why not?”
“Because.”
“Compelling argument”
“You’re just teasing me,” He lets his head fall back against the seat, “I didn't even mean to do it”
“I know,” Eddie paused, “I think that’s why i liked it.”
Why does he gotta say stuff like that as Buck is actively trying not to fall in love with his stupid face.
Buck groaned loudly “No, seriously, it just happened”
“Exactly”
Buck finally looked over again, Eddie with those eyes on his face, cause of course where else would he keep those eyes. “What?”
“It was kind of instinctive.”
“No.” Damn it totally was. “No it was not.”
“Oh bullshit Buckley,” Eddie laughed. “You said it yourself you didn’t even think about it”
“I did think about it.”
“You absolutely did not.”
“Maybe not.” Buck admitted.
Eddie’s grin widened. “I’m just saying it’s nice, i didn’t grow up with much affection and it’s nice that you express your love that way,” He paused, “You hugged me and your brain just went, forehead kiss”
“Not how it happened”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Buck.”
Buck knows something that would help him sleep at night…NO NO NONONOOO DON’T.
Instead of saying that he just rolled his eyes. “This conversation feels very targeted”
“It is.” He shifted in his seat, “You know what else is interesting? I hug people all the time.”
“Okay… and??” Buck answered, totally not jealous of the previous statement.
“And somehow i’ve never accidentally kissed any of them”
“It wasn’t accidental” the words left his mouth, way before his brain could even consider to stop them.
Silence. Neither of them moved. Until Eddie turned towards him, fully completing the shift and sitting sideways in the jeep seat.
That's when Eddie’s grin became absolutely unbearable. And he just laughed, once again breaking the tension that Buck thought would take his life away.
“You know,” Eddie turned back around, “You don’t have to get weird about it, you’ve always been like this.”
“Like what?”
“Affectionate.”
The teasing was mostly gone, something warmer taking over its place in Eddie’s voice. Gentler.
Eddie looked down at his hands, “Ever since we became friends i got to see all your barriers coming down at the 118, just little things.”
Something warm settled in Buck’s chest.
“We went from ‘rivals’ to partners and slowly you let me into your world, just company, hands on my shoulder, hugs” Eddie smiled, “And now forehead kisses apparently.”
Buck’s head fell back as he hid a giggle “Right.”
“All i’m saying its i’m glad there was so much evolution in our friendship that you, or your subconscious idk, felt comfortable enough to do what you did.” He paused, “And that i don’t mind if you do it again.”
“Yeah, well.”
“I’m serious.” Eddie leaned back.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The air inside the truck felt weirdly still. Buck found himself staring at the dashboard, at the other houses. Anywhere but Eddie, because that was somehow easier.
Then, mercifully, Buck’s car bluetooth started playing some weird variation of a Noah Kahan song, probably from the new album. And the house’s door opened.
Christopher emerged first, holding the stuffed shark over his head like a prize.
Theo burst out behind him.
“WE GOT SHARLES” The shark was immediately snatched from Christopher’s hands.
His voice could be heard all the way from the car, “How was that under your pillow” now standing next to the door waiting for Theo, so that he could lock the door.
“Nice, the carplay already connected, come on buddy,” He looked up, only to meet Buck and Eddie’s frozen gaze staring at him through the windshield, “Jesus, weirdos, you scared me. A little hand with the toddler please?”
Buck left the car in a matter of seconds, and so did Eddie, they worked together to get the boys into the car, Theo strapped in once again, Chris’s crutches safely stored in the trunk, and his wheelchair if he decided to chill at the aquarium.
“Are we finally ready to go?”
“Yes!” Theo announced.
Then he held up the stuffed shark, “Sharles is ready to be reunited with his friends.”
“Should we be worried that he’s gonna throw that plushie into the shark’s habitat?” Eddie wondered.
Chris answered from the back seat “Yes.” without lifting his smiling face from his game.
Buck laughed. And when he glanced over, he caught Eddie smiling at him. Not teasing this time. Just warm.
Buck looked away first, and a few moments later, he started the car.
The lights of the aquarium reflected in such a nice way into Eddie’s stupid eyes. Buck watched them across the room as Chris dragged him to look at the new octopus the owners had just rescued a week ago.
Theo was quiet, for once, in Eddie’s arms.
His little eyes focused on all the amazing fishes and the actresses that played mermaids. The only moments he stops like this is when Eddie is with him, alone, just the two of them.
Guess Theo and Buck have that thing in common.
“Buck, quit staring at my dad and focus, they’re telling the little guy’s story.” Chris said as he tugged on Buck’s shirt.
“I wasn’t-” Buck smiled, “Sorry kid.”
From the other side of the room, Eddie was busy explaining to Theo how mermaids can breathe underwater, he snuck in a promise that they would watch ‘Barbie in a Mermaid Tale’ later.
He shifted the boy in his arms, making a little chair so that Theo would have his back to him.
“I still don’t get it”
“That’s okay,” Eddie smiled, “Why don’t you go ask the guide if you can meet one of the mermaids, i’m sure there are other kids who have the same questions as you”
He put Theo on the ground and paid close attention as his feet joined the others, surrounding a visibly confused and overwhelmed tour guide.
“I’m pretty sure you just made that guy’s day 5 times harder” Buck comes up behind Eddie, startling him a bit.
“Don’t be dramatic, more like 3” Eddie shrugs.
“That’s just mean dad” Chris adds, standing behind him and leaning slightly, putting some of his weight on Eddie’s back.
Eddie extended his arms behind him, pulling Chris into a half hug. “Hi big guy, are you enjoying yourself?”
Christopher relaxed, his face turning into a carefree smile. “Definitely, we were over there learning all about the rescue mission they did to save that little guy”.
Before Chris could get into the subject, a lively little hurricane came crashing into the bench they were all sitting in “BUCK, EDDIE, CHRIS, WE HAVE TO GO” Theo says, danger in his voice.
“What’s up man?” Buck embraced the boundless child.
“The man said the mermaids sometimes swim with the nose shwarks at the shwark tunnel” Theo said, jumping in place.
“Nose sharks?” Eddie asked.
“He probably means nurse sharks” Chris and Buck said at the same time.
Eddie laughed at how nerdy (and cute) they were together.
“They’re slower sharks, normally divers and… mermaids… swim with them cause they’re more friendly, and they do have a tunnel in their habitat here.”
“Cool, we should go.” Eddie adds, already standing up and putting his arm around Chris’s shoulders.
In the shark tunnel, the lights come back, back into Eddie’s eyes, and possibly back in Buck’s imagination.
If everybody saw Eddie the way he sees him, no one in this aquarium would be preoccupied with anything else, they’d all just stare at him.
Like Buck is doing right now. But he does have a toddler to look after.
Theo is in his arms, enchanted by the little fishes and the plants, so colorful all around them.
When the sharks make their appearances every few minutes, the kid’s body shifts, following the animal’s movements around them.
Chris is following a bit behind, willingly, with his phone out trying to get a good picture for his insta, or for his and Buck’s collection, they like to write down all the different kinds of animals they see together.
Eddie is in front of all of them, checking his phone for activities nearby they can do after here, so that their day is not cut short.
A cleaning lady settles on the other side of the tunnel, stopping her cart and taking out cleaning supplies. She stops for a moment to look at the four of them.
“You guys have such a cute family” Eddie shifts his attention, lifting his head to look at her, “Your boys seem to be having fun”.
Buck smiles awkwardly, but before either of them can defend themselves, “Yeah! It’s my fwirst time seeing fishes here!!” Theo jumps in.
She walks away, cleaning the tunnel glass in circular motions as she goes.
Chris tries, and fails, to hold in a laugh, and the two of them try to ignore that.
The rest of the visit should have felt the exact same, them being confused as a family was nothing out of the ordinary, but normally they correct the people or at least are polite enough to say thanks, they’re strangers after all, it doesn’t mean anything.
But not this time, this time they both froze. Did not say a word, the 4 year old had to intervene.
So no. It did not go the same way.
Nobody mentioned the cleaning lady. Nor the word family.
But somehow, Buck found himself noticing things he normally wouldn’t.
The way Eddie walked always on the outside of the path. Keeping himself between the boys and the crowd. The way Theo always behaved better when Eddie was out with them.
How his smile looked different when it was aimed at Christopher. So proud.
And Buck caught himself staring more than once.
And, unfortunately for their denial. Eddie seemed to be having the same problem.
Every time Buck looked up, Eddie was already looking. Across the jellyfish exhibit. While Theo dragged them across the penguin plushies in the gift shop.
Reflected in the glass of a sea turtle tank.
But never for long, just long enough to be noticed. Enough that the both of them would immediately look away.
Chris noticed on the third time. On the fourth, he took a picture. On the fifth, he sent it to Buck.
Buck’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and as he pulled it out, he looked at Chris, already knowing what it was about. The photo was blurry, clearly taken in secret, Eddie looking at him, Buck looking at Eddie.
Neither of them paying attention to anything else. The attached caption simply said: “this is getting embarrassing.”
Buck looked up. Chris was already being dragged by Theo, looking back and shaking his head, evil grin on his face.
In between the boys and Buck, Eddie smiled to himself, already knowing, somehow, exactly what the interaction was about.
“BUCK!” Theo's voice carried all the way from the other side of the room. “What are manta rays? The guide said we could touch them!”
“Manta rays,” Buck smiled in his direction and knelt beside him. “They're like gentle, giant birds of the ocean. They have huge triangular 'wings' that let them glide smoothly through the water, and some of them can grow as large as a car.”
Theo’s face gave away a bit of fear after the car comment, but Chris was quick to reassure him, “And, completely harmless to humans.”
Buck smiled, “Yes kid, they cannot hurt you”.
Theo considered that for a moment, “Okay then i want to pet the manta ray.” he admitted.
“Great, let’s go.” Buck extended his hand so the kid could grab on.
“No no… i want Eddie to take me” The kid looks up at Diaz, those cute blue eyes and the gaptooth smile.
Buck makes lasting eye contact for the first time since the cleaning lady incident, “Do you… mind going with him?”
Eddie catches his breath, the one he didn’t even realize he was holding, “No, not at all.”
Chris groaned.
“Just go, not everything has to be a rom-com scene you guys. Me and Buck will watch you from the other side of the glass”
Theo grabbed Eddie’s hand and pulled him into the almost empty line, there were just enough people so that Buck and Chris could get to the other side to see them with the manta rays. Chris took out his phone and started recording.
Theo spotted them almost immediately and began making funny faces through the glass. Chris responded by sticking out his tongue, laughing quietly as he kept filming from the other side.
“I’m glad you and Theo are bonding so much, i was a bit scared,” Buck said, looking down affectionately at the teenager beside him.
Chris glanced up at him, “...Of what?”
“I don't know, you feeling replaced? You were the only kid in my life for so long.”
“You literally have a 3 year old niece and a newborn nephew.”
Buck looked down. He had always been terrible at expressing his feelings. “You know what i mean, Chris.”
Chris smiles a bit, not mockingly this time, but comfortable and warm. He leaned into Buck, wrapping an arm around his side while keeping his phone pointed at Theo and Eddie.
Looking at Theo with obvious affection, he said, “I’m glad he’s here”
Buck felt his eyes sting slightly. But before he could say anything, Theo’s voice cut through the exhibit.
“I’M GONNA TOUCH THE MANTA RAY”
Chris immediately pointed his phone at the screaming child. “This is either gonna be really cute or really funny.”
Theo marched right up to the stool that the little kids use to reach, determination all over his face.
He crouched down. Reached out a hand, the manta gliding toward him.
And his confidence lasted exactly two seconds. “Oh.” The animal surfaced, “OH.”
Then he squeaked and immediately hid behind Eddie’s leg.
Chris doubled over laughing. “Theo!! Remember what i said, it can’t hurt you.”
“IT’S BIG”
Eddie rested a hand on top of his head, trying not to laugh himself. “Buddy that’s kind of the whole point”
The little hands tightened their grip on Eddie’s leg. “I changed my mind.”
As Eddie tried to convince Theo to touch the animal, reassuring him, patting his back, holding his hands, Buck found himself again with that feeling around his chest, warm and cozy, stares getting more noticeable by the second.
Chris noticed, as always, and said, “You know, normal people don’t stare this much.”
Buck rolled his eyes, refusing to look at the grinning teenager beside him. Acknowledging him would mean he’s right, and Buck’s not ready to face it yet.
Theo recovered surprisingly fast, a few minutes later he was already jumping around and running from tank to tank, “Look, a shark!”
“Yeah buddy that’s the same shark” Eddie laughed. Theo pressed himself against the glass of the stingray exhibit. And a large ray glided toward him.
“Woahh-”
Then it suddenly passed right in front of his face.
Theo yelped and threw himself backwards. “AHHH!!!!!”
Buck and Eddie moved at the same time, catching him before he could fall. Both ended up with a hand on his shoulder, fingers overlapping. For a second, neither of them moved.
Then Theo pointed dramatically at the tank. “THAT THING TRIED TO EAT ME”
“It absolutely did not,” Buck laughed.
Chris watched the whole thing, suffering. With a sigh, he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the three of them before they noticed.
After getting the kid off the ground, past the gift shop again, past the ice cream truck conveniently placed by the parking lot, and into the car, they both found themselves loading the trunk with the 10 souvenirs, their backpacks and the scaringly big manta ray plushie that Chris convinced them they needed, so that Theo would remember this day forever.
After closing the trunk, Buck stopped for a moment, looked straight (as straight as possible in this scenario) at Eddie, and hugged him.
“Thank you for today.” He took a step back to reestablish eye contact and did something he never thought he would do on purpose, kissed Eddie in the forehead, again.
He turned around and entered the car, leaving a very confused, but pleased, Eddie outside the car, who joined them about five seconds later.
Chris was back to playing tomodachi island on his switch, and Theo was dead asleep.
So that’s how the forehead kisses between them started.