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Buck struggles with new people, especially when they come to the 118, because he doesn't want them to take his place or ruin his family bond with the firehouse.
Buck was like that with Eddie until: "You can have my back any day." "Me?" "Yeah, you're a badass under pressure, brother." "Or you could, you know, have mine."
The two have been inseparable ever since.
But now Eddie is in Texas to be with Christopher, and Buck is living at Eddie's house, and Buck is partnered with Ravi, who he really has never talked to that much, other than chasing him around with a chainsaw thing when he was a probie.
So, at Bobby's demand, the two had to spend time together outside of the firehouse to get to know each other so they could work together a lot better and communicate better on calls.
So today they're at a bar, playing quarters with tequila shots, and all Buck has done is just talk about Eddie.
Ravi just sighs to himself as Buck goes on to another rant about how Eddie is so amazing, that he's the best dad ever, how he would never do anything illegal, that he has a silver star, etc.
"I wish I had just died in that hospital, Jesus Christ," Ravi grumbles as he knocks back yet another shot.
Buck looked at Ravi, shocked and confused, his mouth wide open, unsure of what to say.
"Wh...what?"
Ravi pales slightly. "Oh shit..I said that out loud, didn't I?"
Buck could only nod dumbly. "Y...Yeah...w...what did you m...mean by that? Hospital?"
Ravi sighs. " Oh, it's just a joke made when I was a kid... I uh... hate talking about it though."
Buck scoots closer to the table, leaning on both of his arms, completely invested.
Ravi chuckles softly. Buck really is just a giant golden retriever in human form.
"Well, I had cancer as a kid—leukemia. I spent most of my childhood getting treatments instead of having fun with my friends."
Buck teared up hearing Ravi talk about his childhood, and it reminded him of what Maddie had told him about Daniel.
Ravi stared at Buck comfortingly, reaching across the table to place a hand on the blonde's wrist. "But hey, I am fine now; it's good, I am okay."
"My older brother had leukemia!!!" Buck blurts out, startling Ravi.
Ravi raised his brow, confused; he had only met Maddie. "I didn't know you had a brother?"
"Well, he's dead. He died from leukemia when he was seven. I was only one. I was actually born to be a bone marrow match for Daniel, but it didn't work..."
Ravi's face falls. "Oh, Buck, I'm so sorry. That's terrible."
Buck shrugs, clearing his throat. "It's okay. I didn't even know about it until four years ago."
"What?" Ravi asks, his voice cracking slightly, his brows raised.
Buck nods, taking a sip of his disgustingly warm tequila, spitting it back into the shot glass, setting it back down on the table, making Ravi laugh.
"How about some water instead?" He offered Buck.
Buck smiles. "Sure."
The two talked for hours until a worker had to tell them that the bar was about to close and they needed to wrap it up.
They talked so much that, for the first time in two weeks, Buck forgot about how much he missed Eddie. Ravi even got him to smile and laugh, forgetting about the Chris-and-Eddie-shaped hole in his heart.
Over the course of the next couple of months, while Eddie repairs his relationship with Chris in El Paso, Buck and Ravi become closer friends, bonding over their trauma and shared interests.
Sure, Buck and Eddie FaceTime at least once a day, but he also spends time with Ravi, setting him up with May because he knew they had crushes on each other but were too scared to do anything about it, and he still goes over to the Grant-Nash house for Bachelor Night Mondays and weekly dinners with Bobby, Athena, May, and Harry—which is how Buck found out about May's crush on Ravi.
Then Eddie and Christopher moved back after the lab incident where Bobby and Chimney nearly died, but they are fine and back at work full-time, and so is Eddie.
Everything was finally normal again.
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It wasn't until Eddie's first shift back that he realized just how close Ravi and Buck were, because usually at the end of shifts, Buck and Eddie would be making plans for their days off, but Buck was too busy laughing with Ravi about something—he didn't catch what it was, but Buck wasn't even looking at him.
So Eddie changed into his civilian clothes and let them be with a pout on his face.
As he was hopping into his truck, he saw Buck and Ravi walking out of the station, walking close together, smiling at each other as they talked.
They even parked next to each other...they never do that; only Buck and Eddie do that.
Eddie then has a horrendous thought that the two might be dating because he knows that Buck is bisexual, and he found out at the team's annual game night that Ravi is pansexual.
So they could actually be dating...and Eddie cannot stand that thought; it makes him want to smash something and/or drive off a cliff.
Eddie stewed in his anger and frustration for a while, becoming out of sync with Buck, which never happens.
Bobby couldn't help but notice how out of sync Buck and Eddie were; I mean, it's BuckandEddie and Bobby has had enough of Eddie's attitude towards Ravi. The poor kid just asked if he was okay after a call, and Eddie nearly ripped his head off.
Buck is with Ravi and the team up in the loft, and Bobby has called Eddie into his office for a discussion about his behaviour.
"Sit down, Eddie. We need to talk."
Eddie sighs upon seeing the look on his captain's face, knowing he is in for a long chat. He sits down nervously as Bobby sits in his chair, his arms folded on the desk, waiting for Eddie to speak.
"Yeah, Cap?"
"I don't know what is going on with you and why you're so pissed at Ravi, but you need to get your act together before someone gets hurt," he says firmly. "And clearly it's affecting your ability to work with Buck. So figure it out, Eddie."
Eddie lets out a long breath. "You got it, Cap. Sorry."
"Maybe you should tell that to Ravi instead of me."
Eddie resists the urge to roll his eyes and nods in agreement, then leaves Bobby's office to take a shower to cool off.
Eddie does not, in fact, apologise to Ravi.
Why would he? Ravi is literally stealing Buck from him.
Like right now, Ravi and Buck are cleaning the glass around the locker room together.
Buck and Eddie always do that. It's their thing.
Ravi and Buck have to be like dating or something because there's no way they're not, with how they've been all buddy-buddy lately.
It sickens Eddie.
Yes, he knows he is in love with Buck. He went through a whole self-discovery thing in Texas.
He knows that he is very gay and in love with his best friend; he knows, and he was so ready to come out to Buck and confess his feelings whenever he and Chris came home.
Chris even helped him practice what to say.
But no, his dreams are now crushed because Buck and Ravi are dating for some reason.
The bell rings, signaling the end of yet another hard shift.
Eddie heads towards the locker room in a rage-filled state as he watches Buck playfully punch Ravi's arm and laugh.
Eddie couldn't help but scoff at the pair before opening up his locker to change into his civilian clothes as May walks into the station, smiling happily at Buck and Ravi.
Then Eddie hears May say to Ravi, "You're the only one for me."
Eddie freezes, his shoes making a loud screech when he suddenly stops walking.
"And you are the only one for me," Eddie hears Ravi flirt back to her, bending down, connecting his lips to hers.
Buck just stands there smiling at the pair.
Then Eddie has a thought. "Are the three of them together?"
But no, that doesn't make sense because Buck has treated May—and Harry—like siblings for years.
So what the hell is happening???
May and Ravi end the kiss after about ten seconds, then they wave at Buck, who waves back, then the two walk hand in hand out of the firehouse.
Leaving only Buck and Eddie, since Hen and Chim and the rest of A-Shift—other than Bobby, who is in his office working on paperwork as usual—left to go home already.
Then Buck turns to him with that priceless smile that always takes Eddie's breath away.
"I see you, Eddie," Buck says with a smirk. "It's hot when you're jealous."
Eddie stutters and blushes, flustered at being called out.
"I wasn't jealous, Buck."
Buck chuckled. "Yeah, totally, Eds. See you at home?"
Eddie's brows jump up as he stumbles over his words. "Y-yeah...see you there."
Buck smiled happily, his dimples showing, making Eddie's heart pound heavily in his chest.
Once Eddie can think straight—haha—he heads out of the firehouse, Buck just slightly ahead of him.
Eddie's heart races the whole way home, his knee bouncing nervously for what is about to happen next.
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Buck gets to Eddie's house just a few minutes before Eddie.
And of course he's in the kitchen, looking like he's getting ready to make some scones before Chris comes home in a few hours.
Eddie smiles as he steps into the kitchen. "You just love this kitchen, don't you?"
Buck snickers. "Well, yeah, it's my kitchen, Eds. What's not to love about it?"
Eddie rolls his eyes as he leans back against the counter, watching Buck move around the kitchen with ease, knowing exactly where everything is, his muscles stretching with his movements, too tight in that shirt that he's wearing...Eddie can't look away.
"So, why did you snap at Ravi today?" Buck asks as he gathers the ingredients for the scones.
Eddie sighs. He knew this was coming. "Nothing."
Buck gives him the look where he knows that Eddie is lying.
"Ugh, fine," he groans. "I got pissed because you two have been spending so much time together."
Buck breaks out into a fit of laughter. "Seriously?"
Eddie blushes, embarrassed, nodding curtly.
Buck then steps closer to him, talking to him in a seductive yet fond tone. "You, Eddie Diaz, are my one and only. I love you, and only you, okay? No one else."
Eddie smiles, his heart swelling with the love he has for his best friend, who's also the love of his life. "I love you too, Evan Buckley. So, so much. I thought that you and Ravi were dating because I'm obsessed with you."
Buck giggles, stepping even closer to Eddie. "I'm obsessed with you too, Eds. How could I not?"
Eddie blushes a deeper red. "Flattery will get you everywhere."
Buck smirks mischievously, leaning down the two-inch gap between them, their faces now inches apart. "Oh, I know."
Eddie's breath caught in his throat as Buck closed the gap between them, connecting their lips for their first kiss.
Eddie doesn't hesitate to kiss Buck back.
A couple of minutes later, the two make their way down the hallway to the bedroom that they've been sharing since Eddie and Chris returned home, pressing each other against the walls, their lips not parting once, ending up entangled in their sheets for hours before Christopher comes home from school.
If Buck knew that becoming friends with Ravi would cause him and Eddie to finally get together, he would become friends with Ravi a hell of a lot sooner, but Buck's not complaining one bit.