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“Whose dads did Theo catch smooching?” Chimney slides into the chair across from them, an easy smile stretching across his face.
Buck chooses that exact moment to appear at the top of the loft stairs, freezing as soon as Chim’s words leave his mouth.
Chimney glances around the group, clearly waiting for a continuation of the station gossip. His grin fades as he slowly takes in the silence, gears turning as he clocks the red staining Eddie’s cheeks and the way Buck’s jaw unhinges itself and hangs slack.
“Oh my fucking god.” He deadpans. “Theo caught you two –”
“No, we weren’t –” Eddie tries, desperately throwing himself in front of the avalanche of lies that is quickly picking up speed and swallowing up everyone in its path.
“Eddie!” Buck interrupts, so shrill and sharp that everyone in the vicinity freezes and stares. “Can I talk to you over here, please?”
Theo mishears Eddie accusing Buck of "mooching" and accidentally sets fire to Eddie's plan to 1) come out and 2) tell Buck that he's in love with him. Miscommunication and a brief fake-dating stint ensue.
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Bookmark Notes:
Theo and the Smooch of Truth - InsightfulInsomniac - 9-1-1 (TV) [Archive of Our Own]
Date: 06/08/2026
Current Total Chapters 1 -
Bookmark Notes:
“Eddie, we were not smooching.”
“I know that!” Eddie hisses, eyes wide. “You think I don’t know that?”
“I don’t know what you know or don’t know! You’re gay, apparently!” Buck screeches, his face falling as soon as he hears himself. “Oh – fuck – Eddie. I didn’t mean to say it like that, like –”
“Buck.” Eddie levels his voice into something soft and calm, the tone he has carefully molded for eight years in order to effectively soothe Buck’s panic. “It’s alright. I was overdue on telling you, really. I wanted to talk to Chris first, but he clearly beat me to the punch. You were my next stop.”
Buck nods, so earnest in the way that he begs for Eddie’s forgiveness with his eyes alone. He knows he’ll get it – not out of entitlement, and not out of manipulation, but out of love and understanding. “Right, um, yeah. I – I’m really proud of you, for what it’s worth. I know Chris is, too.”
Eddie snorts, feeling inexplicably lighter despite the new spark of tension that ignites between them. The tension isn’t new; that tension tied itself between them after just a few short shifts together, pulling tighter and tighter as the years progressed and their lives became more inextricably intertwined. Occasionally, the pull loosens enough to let them breathe before winding itself even more taut than before. They haven’t had room to breathe in awhile, and Eddie’s starting to realize that they don’t want that room. Coming to terms with his sexuality made him understand why he’s always held so tightly to Buck, and coming out to him adds the newest tug towards the tension’s breaking point.
“He’s told me as much. God, I have the best kids.”
All of the air in his lungs dissipates as soon as the plural kids slips past his lips. Buck latches onto the word just as quickly, his expression morphing into something so soft and wanting that Eddie has to look away.
He knows he needs to tell Buck about the other half of his realization. Hell, he’s pretty certain that he knows where Buck stands in that equation, too. Once he figured out his own feelings, it was impossible not to notice the hearts drawn all over Buck’s sleeves. He wears them much too proudly to miss them.
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“Smooooooching!” Theo shouts, moving to stand on his chair. His dad instinctively places a firm hand on his shoulder, guiding him back down gently. “Buck, you should smooch Eddie!”
“Theo, buddy, I –” Buck turns an impressive shade of red. It’s honestly one of the funnier things Chris has seen recently, only rivaled by the equally bright flush of his dad’s face. “Remember when we talked about consent?”
Theo nods eagerly. “Mmhm! Ask Eddie if you can smooch him, Buck!”
Chris should look away. He wants to look away. But he grew up on telenovelas, and somehow the unfolding scene in front of him is funnier and more dramatic than any of the shows he bore witness to.
“Yeah, Buck.” His dad taunts. “Ask Eddie if you can smooch him.”
Chris does not miss the middle finger that Buck flashes his dad behind Theo’s back.
“Eddie. May I…” Buck visibly cringes, swallowing his pride for the sake of modeling healthy behaviors and relationships for his son. “...smooch you?”
His dad has never looked more smug. “Yes, Buck, I’d love for you to smooch me.”
They share the world’s most chaste peck of the lips, but everything clicks into place nonetheless. Chris knows that is how they were always meant to be.
Theo’s face pinches in confusion. “That’s not smooching. That’s kissing.”
Chris contemplates his own confusion as he watches Buck’s eyes shutter closed, taking a steadying breath before he faces Theo again. His dad looks similarly exasperated, but equally as entertained. “Theo, buddy, can you tell me what smooching is?”
Theo shrugs, unconcerned. He stabs his lasagna with his fork, swirling a piece of noodle through the sauce on his plate. “I dunno.”
Chris gapes openly at Theo, realization washing over him like he was just plunged into the most embarrassing dunk tank. “Oh my god.”
Buck catches onto his struggle immediately. He sighs, long-suffering and exhausted. “Yeah, pretty much.”
His dad, after sending an apologetic look Chris’s way, turns to Theo. “Theo, smooching is just another word for kissing. They mean the same thing.”
Theo barely looks up from the masterpiece of marinara sauce art he’s creating on his plate. “Okay. Cool. Are you and Buck gonna kiss a lot now?”
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Bookmark Notes:
Theo misunderstands mooching for smooching and causes eddie to come out and buddie to happen.