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Almost the entire 118 A shift is sitting around the table in a beautiful outdoor wedding venue. Evans from B shift was getting married and invited everyone. His wife, a beautiful trauma surgeon named Laura, did everything in her power to make the venue look exactly like it belonged in a fairytale.
Fairy lights sparkle softly on the backdrop of the sky where the sun is slowly setting and the combination of otherwise incredibly mismatching flowers – and the decoration that seemed like they got from English countryside or a fairytale – made everything glow in that low light that made it seem like a perfect fit.
Even the mismatched cups and utensils were perfect for each other. The ceremony was long over and everyone was finishing with their meals, slowly creeping to the dance floor. The bend played music softly in the background while the DJ was preparing to take over soon.
The A shift of the 118 had the biggest table amongst the fruity crowd.
Which was understandable.
If there was one thing they all craved for in the past few years was to finally celebrate something rather than be veiled in grief and catch up in hospitals.
Eddie looks around the table – May and Ravi murmuring something to each other, bright smiles all over their faces – eyes glistening like they were the only people on the world right there and then.
Eddie smiles to himself.
It might’ve been a bit of a shock when they found out they were in a relationship but when he really thought about it they were perfect for each other – and right now, looking at them looking at each other like that he kinda believed that the Universe sometimes did something right.
Next to May and Ravi were Chim and Maddie – Maddie leaning on Chim’s shoulder and watching the bride and groom on the dance floor gliding softly leaning on each other. They are holding hands in Maddie’s lap and Chim is slowly thumbing over Maddie’s knuckles.
Hen was sitting alone, with her elbows on the table – also looking at the dance floor, with tears in her eyes – when Karen hugged her from the behind, whispered something in her ear making Hen smile then pulled her up and led to the dance floor.
Jones, Sanchez, Davidson, Julie Rosen and their respective partners were opening the wedding favours and giggling over something Eddie really didn’t want to find out right now.
Harry was at home on mandatory rest due to sprained ankle and was on teen duty with Christopher and Denny.
Mara and Jee were helping out Athena with baby Nash and Theo back at Buck’s house. Ever since she became a detective their schedules were awful to match and Athena wanted to spend as much as time as possible with the kids. So, she offered to take care of them while the parents take the night for themselves.
Buck was so nervous for leaving Theo with Athena. He knew Athena could handle everything, but was afraid that Theo would be the thing that would finally break her. He was clutching his phone the entire evening and rhythmically tapping his foot under the table.
Eddie reaches out and gently places the palm of his hand over Buck’s knee.
‘’They’re fine. Athena can handle them,’’ Eddie says softly finding Buck’s eyes in the dimly lit venue.
Buck exhales then puts his hand over Eddie’s and just leaves it there.
Eddie glances at their hands then looks at Maddie and Chim now rubbing their noses together and giggling like high school sweethearts – to May and Ravi talking with someone, probably Harry, over facetime while Ravi plays with a loose curl of May’s hair – to Hen and Karen slowly moving on the dance floor – then back at their hands.
Eddie would’ve lied if he told you that nothing changed in the past few months after Theo arrived into their extended 118 family. Hell, things changed years ago, he was just refusing to see it for what it was.
_
Then, the other day while driving after dropping Theo off to daycare – Buck was covering a double shift – the radio station flipped from his usual pop rock ballads to one of those ‘Love, actually’ specials where they would offer people random love advice or just listen to their problems.
Eddie would also lie if he told you that he never listened to it. He loved it, the drama and occasional stupidity. It was shorter and americanised version of his favourite telenovelas but it was a good laugh for half an hour he needed to get to the station.
This time though, the programme had a love therapist on and for a second he thought about changing the station. It was one thing to listen to people yap about their problems and hosts to improvise advice; it was another thing to actually listen to real love therapists’ advice.
He didn’t want to scratch that itch just now.
But he was bored, Buck was on a call and couldn’t call him while he was stuck in the traffic. Christopher was in school and his Instagram was more boring than usual.
So, he turned the volume up and decided to listen what the love therapist had to say.
He missed the beginning of the talk since he was desperately trying to think of anything other than the words coming from the speaker.
‘’… In the end it all comes down to who comes to your mind first,’’ the voice on the radio says as Eddie finally focuses on the show.
‘’What do you mean by that?’’ The familiar voice of the host Eddie knew asks.
‘’Who is the first person you think about when something good happens? Who do you notify first?’’
Oh, that’s easy – Buck. Eddie thinks. Mentally giving himself a high five.
‘’Who is the first person you call when you’re in trouble or something bad had happened?’’
Stupid question, it’s obviously Buck. Or Athena if it’s something illegal or crime related – but after that definitely Buck.
‘’Who can come unannounced to your door at any given hour and you wouldn’t mind disrupting your peace?’’
Eddie chuckles, a small fond smile tugging on his lips when the car in front of him finally moves. As long as he brings pastries and/or himself to make said pastries Buck could manifest out of thin air at 2am in the morning in the Diaz residence and Eddie wouldn’t bat an eye.
Wouldn’t question it for anything in this world.
Buck was like a permanent fixture in his house at this point. As Eddie was in Buck’s.
They weren’t actually guests – they kept explaining that to others when from time to time they’d find Buck at Eddie’s or Eddie at Buck’s without the other one around.
Eddie was too tired from the shift he couldn’t get home straight from work so he crashes at Buck’s while Buck is with Maddie on a brunch. It makes sense.
Buck makes a batch of crumpets at Eddie’s because he promised the B shift a sweet treat after they handled their dirty engine after the sewer explosion the other day.
Eddie, at the same time, was helping Pepa out with plumbing and his place was the first address he came to without second thought. Eddie had the oven and a complete copy of Buck’s baking utensils. Eddie didn’t mind. It was completely normal.
It didn’t matter whose house it was, it was theirs to share.
‘’Who is the person you could listen forever without getting bored?’’
Like that’s even a question. Buck in my ear is one of my favourite things – but he can never know. He’d be insufferable.
Eddie giggles when he realizes he missed a question or two from the cohost and focuses again, dialling up the volume to hear better.
‘’Who is the person you’d give everything up in a heartbeat if they needed help?’’
Oh. Well… Bu…
‘’Is there a person who’d do the same to you, no questions asked?’’
Oh.
‘’When you open your eyes in the morning who do you imagine next to you?’’
Bu…
Oh.
‘’Now imagine if that person doesn’t exist in your Universe, how would that make you feel?’’
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
Eddie glances over at the radio like the host will jump out from the speaker and show him Buck’s portrait. The traffic fastens and he goes with it, mind racing – when his phone rings.
It’s Buck.
Naturally.
He smiles and answers the call.
‘’Eds, you wouldn’t believe what just happened!’’
Buck starts talking immediately and Eddie grins listening him yap how they were called to an animal rescue and three cats willingly climbed on him under his turnout coat while the captain of B shift explained the animal shelter employees the importance of working smoke detectors.
Eddie’s heart skips a beat when Buck laughs as he can fully imagine him, the eyes crinkling – his little tongue-poking-through-teeth smile and the slight lean of his head.
Yeah, that’s the face he wants to wake up to for the rest of his life.
_
The realization didn’t make Eddie panic.
It didn’t make him want to run to a different state or change his name.
It came like the air he breathed.
Like something finally clicked into place.
He didn’t have any doubts whether or not Buck felt the same because, well – he just knew.
The same way his arms and legs knew how to move on their own he knew that Buck felt the same.
Buck just never realized that he was allowed to feel the same.
And Eddie needed to change that.
After the realization hit they were on back-to-back different shifts for a few days to cover all Evans’ shifts for the wedding and the honeymoon so they rotated on childcare and barely saw each other – other than the pickups and drop offs – as well as constant texting.
Now, looking at those few worry lines over Buck’s forehead thinking about Theo torturing Athena Eddie knew that it was the time.
Because the only thing he wanted to do right now was kiss the worry out from Buck’s face.
Instead, he takes Buck’s hand in his own and brings it to his lips and kisses it slowly. Buck turns to look at Eddie and his lips slowly part.
Confusion or realization? Eddie thinks and decides to focus on the realization part.
‘’Dance with me? The phone will be there in another five minutes,’’ Eddie says finally.
Buck slowly blinks as tears poll into his eyes and nods swallowing a lump in his throat.
Eddie, not dropping their interlocked hands guides them to the dance floor – something soft still playing in the background – and spins Buck on the spot making him chuckle.
Buck is not blinking anymore as his eyes are trained on Eddie, noticing every change in expression.
God, I love him. He probably thinks I’m either mad or drunk.
Eddie slowly goes over Buck’s bicep to his elbow and takes him slowly by the hand, slotting them together like puzzle pieces. Buck relaxes into Eddie’s neck as Eddie pulls him closer. Eddie can feel Buck’s rapid heartbeat around his collar and hums softly with the music, drawing slow circles on the small of Buck’s back where his other hand rests.
‘’You’re fine. Theo’s fine,’’ Eddie starts softly. ‘’He’s with the strongest woman in the world who beat up Chimney and the Lees in mahjong at the age of six. Oh, and Athena is there.’’
Eddie teases, mentioning Jee and Buck laughs lifting his head from Eddie’s neck and leaning it on his temple instead, swaying in the rhythm Eddie leads them.
‘’She got that from her uncle,’’ Buck teases.
‘’What, me?’’ Eddie says pinching Buck’s back. ‘’She did learn a couple of Spanish phrases from my telenovelas that I pray to God Maddie never looks up the meaning of.’’
Buck snorts. ‘’I meant me, dumbass.’’
Eddie kisses Buck’s temple and looks him in the eyes. ‘’I know. I just love seeing you all flustered when I call myself her uncle.’’
And Buck offers him that tongue smile again, eyes all sparkly. ‘’I just love how it sounds,’’ Buck admits quietly.
‘’Yeah? Me too,’’ Eddie says then leans his head fully on Buck’s chest and at this point they are just swaying, legs not moving on the floor.
Buck holds Eddie tighter and racks his hand through Eddie’s loose hair, gel free.
Eddie hums happily then drops a small kiss over Buck’s heart then looks at him.
‘’I love you.’’
Buck twists his face like he’s going to sob but then smiles through it as tears drop steadily over his cheeks. He brushes his thumb over Eddie’s jaw not knowing where to look at first.
At Eddie’s doe eyes.
At his perfect little beauty mark under his eye.
Or at his flushed cheeks.
He inhales deeply and smiles.
‘’I love you so much Eddie,’’ Buck finally says dropping a featherlight kiss on Eddie’s forehead and engulfs him in a tight hug.
‘’Can we stay like this forever?’’ Eddie asks letting Buck lift his head with a finger under his chin, eyes darting from his eyes to lips over and over again.
‘’Mhm, as soon as we say good night to our kids. Deal?’’
Buck looks at Eddie’s eyes again like he’s searching for any doubt there – but he doesn’t find any as Eddie goes on his tiptoes for the remaining inch and closes the distance.
The kiss is soft and feels like the World finally makes sense.
The voices around them are muffled and the only thing Eddie sees when he opens his eyes are the fairy lights reflected in Buck’s irises and the blush creeping up to his birthmark. He kisses Buck on the cheek next, then the birthmark and the tip of his nose making him chuckle again.
‘’Deal,’’ he says spinning Buck around the dance floor when the tune changes and the DJ takes over with a faster beat.
Buck yelps but doesn’t let go of Eddie’s hand.
Nobody makes a big deal out of it that night.
Hen and Karen hug Eddie and whisper something in his ear making Eddie shed a tear.
Maddie kisses Buck’s birthmark with a proud look on her face.
Chim claps both of them on their shoulders and mentions something about HR paperwork.
There will come a time – probably early tomorrow morning – when they’ll find the full extent of the 118 teasing ability about their decade long partnership but right now, in this little bubble of warmth and happiness nobody is brave enough to burst it and say something stupid.
Well, not until –
‘’So, does that mean you’ll join me and May on double dates now?’’ Ravi suddenly says and every single head at the table turns bewildered as May kicks him under the table.
‘’Ow, what? We’ve been wanting to go to that Drag Karaoke bar for ages and no one wants to go with us,’’ Ravi says innocently as everyone starts giggling.
‘’Babe,’’ May kisses Ravi on the temple. ‘’We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Let the teasing go for tonight.’’
‘’Teasing, but I’m not teasi…’’ He rolls his eyes and slumps into the chair whisper yelling to May. ‘’ Babe, Kiki Caliente is performing the day after tomorrow and…’’
May shuts him up with a kiss and Ravi forgets what he wanted to say in the first place.
Buck and Eddie look at each other like they scored a jackpot with their friends when Athena’s request for facetime fills the screen and Theo’s nose is in high resolution.
‘’Love you Buddie,’’ Theo says immediately.
‘’Buddie?’’ Eddie says in disbelief as he pats Buck on the back as he chokes on some water.
‘’Yeah. My Buck and Eddie,’’ Theo says matter of factly then lifts his little arms in the air and yells again. ‘’Buddie!’’
Athena shakes her head in the background but sees the blush creeping on Buck and Eddie’s faces and narrows her eyes trying to figure out what happened. Buck sees that and immediately turns the conversation over –
‘’So, what did you do today buddy?’’
‘’Jee is teaching me how to play mahjong,’’ Theo answers eyes following Jee somewhere in the room.
‘’Oh, is she now?’’ Buck asks.
‘’Yes. She says I can’t be better than her but I can be second best and beat Chim Chim with her.’’
‘’That sounds perfect honey,’’ Eddie says as Theo ignores them and starts talking his way through the day they had with Athena.
Athena watches them suspiciously the entire call and then at the end of it just lifts her wine glass and winks.