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“Do you have plans on…” Buck pauses, his beer frozen a few inches from his lips as Eddie scrolls on his phone and turns to look at him a moment later, ”Tuesday night?”
“This Tuesday?”
“Yeah.”
“Not that I know of?”
Eddie pushes himself deeper into the couch, relaxing into the cushions. He turns to Buck and steals the beer from his hands. He smiles.
“Go out with me?”
Buck laughs.
“Can I know what we’d be doing?”
“No.”
“Eddie.”
“I wanna plan it, surprise you.”
“You want to surprise me?”
“Yeah, you always plan stuff for us, for Chris. Let me do it this time? If you say yes, I mean.”
Buck softens at that. Eddie’s been trying to do more things for himself, he called it drinking the juice. He doesn’t really understand what it means but Eddie looks happier, like everything he was holding onto is slowly falling off his shoulders.
“You know the answer was always gonna be yes.”
The beer bottle clinks as it hits one of Eddie’s bracelets. He sets it down on the coffee table in front of them and grabs one of Buck’s hands.
“Really?”
Buck looks down at their hands, smiling softly at how comfortable it feels to be held by Eddie.
“There’s no world were I’d say no to a night out with you Eds. You know that.”
Eddie smiles at him, his hand not leaving Buck’s. Instead, it slowly intertwines with his. Buck’s cheeks warm. They’re not strangers to cuddling up on the couch, of holding each others hands so that they don’t get lost when they take Chris out to a some new exhibit, but it’s started happening more and more. He didn’t even notice they were doing it until Chris, who had surprised them by coming home a few days ago, pointed it out to both of them. Neither Eddie or Buck had a good response for what was happening but Chris seemed to move on immediately. If he’s honest, Buck doesn’t have it in him to question it either, not if it means he can pretend that Eddie is his, even for a little bit.
Buck walks into the station on Monday morning with no clue what Eddie has been planning for the past few days. He’s been quiet, ignoring Buck’s pleas to just tell him. He even tried asking Chris, but the traitor just told him that Eddie had already bought his silence by giving him permission to go out with friends over the weekend. He dresses quickly and bounds up the stairs to start some food for them, his phone sitting open to the Los Angeles Eventbrite page.
Footsteps fall onto the stairs leading up to the loft and Buck rushes away from the stove, his hand still holding the skillet, to flip his phone over. He looks up to see Eddie smirking at him, his arms crossed over his chest.
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“You flipped your phone.”
“Did I?”
“Whatcha looking at Buck?” Eddie’s voice pitches up slightly, Buck rolls his eyes. He knows what Eddie’s doing, he remembers this exact conversation, but it’s nothing like that. Eddie walks slowly up to the counter and tries for the phone. Buck stares at him, careful to not spill any of the sauce covering the tortilla chips in the skillet. He sighs and gestures at Eddie to pick up the phone. He opens the fridge and brings out a carton of eggs. Eddie only raises his brow and picks up the phone, quickly typing in the passcode. The smile is immediate.
“Are you trying to figure out what I planned for tomorrow?”
Buck gapes at him.
“Come on, Eds! You haven’t given me anything. Are we going to be inside or outside? Is this a casual laid-back situation or a dress up little? I don’t even know if I should eat before.”
Eddie laughs and steps closer to him, taking Buck’s hand in his own again.
“You get one hint. One. Chris has made fun of me for it, and you have definitely been interested in trying it.”
Buck furrows his brow, that could be any number of things.
“Your hint sucks.”
Eddie shakes his head and lets go of Buck’s hand, only to run it over his face, pushing back an overgrown curl.
“I just need you to look pretty for me tomorrow. That’s it. I’ll take care of everything else. Let me woo you, Buckley.”
Buck lets out a shaky breath and nods. Someone clears their throat behind them. Eddie steps back as Buck swallows and tries to turn his attention back to the chilaquiles he’d been trying to make for the team.
“Sorry Cap. Didn’t mean to distract him.”
“It’s fine Eddie. Shift doesn’t start for another ten minutes. How ‘bout you go set the table for us?”
Eddie nods, looking at Buck again before grabbing a stack of plates. Bobby moves towards the pans on the stove, stopping in front of Buck.
“I thought I was making breakfast today?”
Buck blinks, taking a few eggs into his hand.
“I got here a bit early, wanted to surprise everyone.”
“With Eddie’s favorite breakfast?”
“It’s not just — ” Bobby raises his brow at him, “okay fine. I was trying to bribe him.”
Bobby laughs and moves Buck over a bit, lowering the heat slightly and adding a bit of olive oil to a skillet.
“Over easy eggs right?”
“Yeah.”
“How many?”
“Maybe two for each of us?”
The first two eggs drops into the skillet with a soft sizzle, Bobby tossing the shells into the compost.
“Why did you need the bribe?”
Buck freezes, his breath hitching.
“Because I didn’t know what he was planning for our first date.”
Bobby hums.
“Hm. He finally asked.” It’s a statement, not a question, and it’s making Buck want to absolutely spiral.
Someone said the q-word, he fucking knows it. Dispatch keeps sending them out to med call after MVA after god knows what else out of their normal service area, something about the 136, Harbor, and Station 6 needing the back up while they dealt with a structure fire turned MCI.
Ravi stills for a moment and looks up at him.
“Are we always the ones going into the major emergencies?”
Bobby laughs from the front of the truck. He turns to face them.
“You would think so. I don’t mind, means we can do our part for the houses that cover us when we need it.”
Buck smiles and leans his head back, only closing his eyes for a minute before dispatch is in their ears again.
On a scale of doesn’t even faze them to what the hell is this, someone getting blunt force trauma because they decided to take their couch out through their 2nd story balcony is barely enough for Buck to find himself paying attention. He keeps staring at the Eddie’s hair keeps falling into his face, at the stubble that’s been growing since he shaved off the mustache.
“Can I ask a question?” Ravi leans against the truck next to him.
“Sure?”
“Would you be okay if I stepped in as your partner more often?”
Buck looks at him, bewildered.
“What? Why?”
Ravi puts his hands up.
“Cap asked me after breakfast. I don’t know why okay, just that it’s could be a temporary thing or a more permanent one?”
“Probie —”
“Not a probie anymore.”
“Shut up. You said this happened after breakfast?”
“Yeah?” Ravi’s eyes widen. “Please tell me I’m not being shoved in the middle of whatever you and Eddie have going on.”
Buck takes a breath and holds it, the words dying on his tongue. He doesn’t really know what’s happening between him and Eddie.
A crackle on the radio startles him.
“Captain 118, come in.”
Bobby’s voice fills the radio.
“What can I do for you dispatch?”
“We’ve rerouted Firefighters Han and Wilson to a medical call. Please have your engine respond to the 701 State Dr. Caller reported a physical altercation between two patrons, possible lacerations to extremities and face. ”
“Got it, keep us posted on ETA for our RA Unit.”
Ravi pushes off the truck and huffs out a laugh.
“How much you wanna bet they fell into the rose bushes?”
Buck shakes his head and opens the truck door, stepping in.
“Knowing us? It’ll probably be something much more dramatic.”
Eddie’s standing by his truck when he walks out of the station. Buck smiles at him while he tosses the bag into his backseat.
“What time did you want to meet tonight?”
“I was planning on picking you up.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I haven’t been this excited about a date, ever. I want to do it right.” Eddie steps forward and drops a kiss on Buck cheek. “I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”
Buck touches his cheek, the feeling of Eddie’s lips lingering on his skin. He watches Eddie hop into his own truck and drive away. He huffs out a breath, disbelief burning out of him. He pulls out his phone and hopes Maddie isn’t on her way to work. It rings and he finds himself silently cursing when his bluetooth doesn’t automatically connect.
“Mads, please tell me you have time today.”
“Is this an *I have to wait for Chim to take Jee* situation? Or can she join?”
He smiles wide.
“You can absolutely bring her. I’ll pick something up for us to eat. Meet you at the loft?"
“Sounds good.”
The little patter of Jee’s feet as he opens the loft’s door make him smile. He sets down the food and drinks before running up behind Jee and spinning her around.
“Where’s your mom, Jee?”
“Bathroom,” Jee breathes out, trying to wrangle out of his hold, “did you get snacks?”
He laughs.
“I did. They’re on the table. Did you wanna eat?”
Jee nods and pulls on his hand to lead him to the table. He hears coughing from the downstairs bathroom and a flush at the toilet. A few minutes pass before the door opens.
“Are you okay?”
“Morning sickness is killing me.”
“I have ginger tea if you,” Buck turns to her, catching her eyes, “hold on. Maddie, are you?”
Maddie nods.
“It’s only the first trimester, we weren’t planning on saying anything yet but can't exactly hide it if I'm puking in your bathroom.”
“Holy shit, well that makes my news seem way less serious.” Buck laughs.
“What happened?”
“I’m um,” Buck huffs out a breath, “I’m apparently going out on a date with Eddie tonight.”
“Huh. Okay.” Maddie looks at him for a moment then moves to take a bite into her food, trying her hardest to savor it. Buck waits. She swallows and grabs the drink carrier. “Did Jee already pick at it? She had food before we came so she might not be hungry.”
“Yeah, she had a good bit of it. Mads, Did you just hear what I said?”
“Yeah, you’re going on a date with Eddie, your best friend, the man you’ve been co-parenting with for what, six years now? ”
Buck stands from the table his hands coming up to wipe at his face.
“I didn’t know out was a date.”
Maddie looks up at him, straw halfway to her mouth. She puts the cup down.
“How exactly did you not know?”
“Okay, so we’ve been closer since the break up you know —”
“Right.”
“And there’s been moments where I thought maybe this was something I wasn’t reading into, but like that could all be just him asking for what he needs.”
“Like what?”
Buck flushes.
“He’s been holding my hand a lot.”
“Buck.”
“He’s been on this whole drinking juice thing.”
Maddie frowns. “He’s on what?”
“When I showed up at his house after the breakup, he told me that he had a conversation with a priest about how he got a water instead of a juice or something. He said that he couldn’t do that anymore that he wanted to drink the juice instead, it was the first time he held my hand, it happens almost every day now. Then today he kissed me on the cheek.”
“Okay.” Maddie sits up and wipes her hands on a napkin. “What exactly did he say when he asked you out?”
“Do you want to go out with me?”
“Buck, what the —” she turns and makes sure Jee is by her toy set up, “actual fuck.”
“It gets worse.”
“Of course it does.”
“I told him that it was always going to be yes and he told me he wanted to plan everything. I have no idea what we’re doing tonight.”
“You know, sometimes I would really like to shove you both in a closet so you could get on the same page.”
Buck laughs.
“Technically he never came out.”
“Oh like you have room to talk.” Maddie fixes him a look. “Let me see if I understand what you clearly didn’t.” Buck squawks at her. “Nope, you, my dear brother, are never living this down. He told you in very clear words that he wanted to take you out, he’s been planning everything, and he kisses your cheek today —”
“He may have also said to make myself pretty for him?” Buck grimaces as Maddie rubs at her temple.
“You make my head hurt…Evan, I love you but you truly are so fucking oblivious. He got water instead of juice right?” Maddie stares at him. “Think about it, if I really wanted this delicious fruit smoothie, thank you by the way, but I stopped myself and said no, I’ll just get a water, even though I know the smoothie is what I want, that the water isn’t going be the same. What would you say to me?”
“That you’re punishing yourself for no reason. You had a craving, why not satisfy it?”
“Why not indeed.”
Buck stares.
“So Eddie was punishing himself?”
“You tell me.”
“About what? Why? That man does nothing but try his hardest to be the best for everyone in his life, he’s had to sacrifice so much… oh.”
“There it is.”
“Mads, am I part of him choosing himself?”
She smiles softly at him.
“Only he can answer that.”
“Shit. He asked me out.” Suddenly Buck feels the weight of that sentence and sinks into the nearest chair. “He asked me out and I didn’t even have to think about it.”
“Does that scare you?”
He shakes his head.
“Is it bad that it doesn’t?”
“I think your heart knew before your head did.”
He’s holding flowers. Eddie Diaz is holding flowers out for him and looks absolutely insane in a light brown button down polo shirt and cuffed jeans. Buck looks down at himself and feels slightly underdressed with his pant and cardigan combination. He walks into the kitchen with Eddie behind him to find a vase for the flowers.
“You look really good, Buck.”
Buck flushes at the compliment.
“I feel underdressed.”
“Not at all, it’s more casual than you think. The cardigan is a nice color on you.”
“Yeah?”
Eddie steps closer to him, a hand finding his waist. Buck exhales softly, searching Eddie’s eyes.
“I want to kiss you so badly, but I have a plan.”
Buck laughs.
“What’s our first stop?’
“Ramen and Drinks. The venue we’re going to is right down the street from it. I saw the menu, I think you’ll really like it.”
Buck pulls away and starts putting the flowers in the vase careful not to ruin the arrangement. They’re pretty and remind him of the small ones he has tattooed on his arms.
“You know it took me a minute to realize you were asking me on a date.”
Eddie quirks his brow.
“Thought I was pretty clear about my intentions.”
“Oh, you were.”
Eddie leans his elbows on the counter and looks up at him.
“Then why were you confused?”
Buck puts in the last flower and moves the vase to the center of the counter. He wipes his hands on the kitchen towel and stops in front of Eddie.
“Because I knew I wanted this, I just didn’t think it would happen so when it did, I blue-screened.”
Eddie nods.
“You ready?”
“Woo me, Diaz.”
Eddie laughs.
“Planning to.”
Buck threads his hand with Eddie’s as they drive. The restaurant is on the smaller side, it feels nice, intimate. When the waitress comes over and asks them what they’re doing out all dressed up on a Tuesday night, Buck can’t help but stare into Eddie’s eyes when he answers.
“It’s our first date.”
“Thank you for spending it with us. I’ll go put in your order, would you like your appetizer to come out before or at the same time as the rest of your food?”
“Before is good, thank you.” Eddie answers, not looking away from him. For a moment, there’s a tension that neither of them want to burst, then… “I want this to be the last first date either of us goes on.”
“Eddie —”
“I know, fuck, as much as I want to hear it, not right now amor please, I have a plan remember?”
“How much of it includes making me feel like I want to say screw the plan and just take me home?” Buck breathes out.
Eddie bites at his lips.
“Behave.”
“Watch your mouth then.”
“Love declarations get you going?” Eddie smirks.
“When they come from you? Absolutely.”
“It’s just a few hours, you think you can handle that?”
Buck takes a deep breath and nods. Their food gets to them and soon enough Buck is trying to hide Eddie’s wallet so he can’t pay. Eddie only shakes his head and uses his phone, earning a betrayed expression from Buck. They walk hand in hand to the narrow entrance of Hello Stranger. Eddie pulls out his phone and has their tickets scanned, soft salsa music playing from inside.
“Eddie.” Buck stops a few steps into the building. “Eds, did you bring me dancing? Like ballroom fucking dancing?”
“Mhmm, it’s a salsa and bachata dance lesson with some free dancing at the end.”
“You said Chris made fun of you for it.”
“Because he found the costumes I wore for competitions. We’ll be fine, it’s just for fun.”
Eddie hold out his hand and Buck takes it. As they get closer to the bar and dance area, the music grows louder. Buck recognizes some of the lyrics, it’s lively and has clapping throughout the song.
“This is Marc Anthony right?”
Eddie nods.
“You recognize it?”
“Yeah, you play it at the house when Tía Pepa and Abuela come over.”
“You’ll hear a lot of those songs today. Abuela is the one who got me into dancing salsa.”
The announcer steps up to the microphone and welcomes everyone and thanks them for coming to their pride night event. The bar claps as the DJ is introduced and they go over the basic rules of the night. The dance instructor walks to the center of the room and lets them know the first lesson will be the basic steps to a salsa, she goes over the counts, how they are not only free to mess up but encouraged to. Buck looks at Eddie beside him and smiles nervously.
“Before we get into pairs, let’s practice the movement. Take your left foot and step forward, not too much but enough to make a difference. Now this next part we call rocking back, but I want you to think of it as just lifting and setting down your foot as if you were finding your balance. You do that with your right foot.. good… now step back with your left, it should be about half way past your right toes. Okay, now we pause for a beat. Now step back with the right, find your balance with that left foot, and right goes forward. That’s fantastic, let’s move onto —”
Buck is sweating by the time they’re able to turn to each other and practice. The song starts almost immediately, the steady beat keeping him on time with Eddie’s more fluid movements. He steps out incorrectly and leans his head on Eddie’s shoulder laughing. Eddie twirls him out and pulls him flush against him, their breaths closer than they’ve ever been. The song ends as Eddie dips him. The room claps and soon enough they’re being taught the basic steps to a bachata. Buck sighs in relief when the steps seems infinitely easier to remember. Then Eddie is pulling him close.
“You ready?”
“This one seems so much easier.”
“It can be. It’s less spinning. The focus is on the closeness of the dance partners. Just follow me okay?”
Buck nods and the songs transitions.
Tonight you’re mine completely
You give your love so sweetly
Eddie moves them slowly, until the beat drops into something more complicated, then suddenly Buck is being spun and his back is pressed to Eddie’s chest, his left arm extended, Eddie’s grip loose and gentle. His right arm is covering Eddie’s on his stomach.
Ven dímelo, y ya no preguntaré
Si me amarás mañana
Eddie turns him out again and Buck flares an arm out, laughing at the ridiculousness of not knowing if he’s doing it right.
Tonight with words unspoken
You say that I'm the only one, the only one
Buck listens to the words and presses himself closer to Eddie, stepping in tandem with Eddie as the people around them slowly start dispersing.
Mi corazón no responde
Si lo engañas y le causas dolor
Eddie shifts his hands, holding Buck at his waist and bring Buck’s hand to his neck. Buck blinks and feels his lashes gently touching Eddie’s face.
I'd like to know that your love
Is love I can be sure of
Buck runs his hand through Eddie’s hair, a smile forming on his lips. Eddie tilts his head up slightly and leans in, hesitating for a moment before pressing his lips to Buck’s. The songs dwindles and claps start all around them. They separate and look around to see only themselves on the dance floor, Eddie laughs and intertwines his fingers with Buck’s.
“Let’s go.”
Buck smiles.
“Where to?”
He pulls the hand up and kisses it gently.
“Home, where I can show you just how much I’ll still love you tomorrow.”
Buck nearly trips over someone’s bag pulling Eddie out of the building.