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Honestly, he should’ve seen it coming.
When Tommy insinuated in his - Eddie’s - kitchen that they should try again and get back together, he really should’ve known it was going to end up being messy.
That’s why when Tommy Kinard walks through the backyard doors of Bobby and Athena’s new house, Buck can only close his eyes and pray to the God he never believed in, but one that just may bring him mercy.
It’s a busy afternoon at the Diaz, and for the time being Buckley, house. Buck still isn’t quite sure how to get used to the idea of Eddie being back permanently, but he’s sure as hell not going to complain. For once in his, well, complicated life, he lets himself bask in the feeling that everything is slowly slotting back into place. With Bobby and Chimney thankfully recovered after the damned lab call, Christopher finally back in LA and no more disruptions to their entire family, Buck allows himself to breathe.
He of course still hasn’t told Eddie about the incident that took place in his old bedroom just a couple of days after he left for Texas, but well, there’s a perfect time for everything, right? And since as of now, Eddie still insists on sleeping on the couch, Buck doesn’t necessarily feel the urgency in his confession.
Ah, right. Confessions.
Is this the right time to dwell over the fact that his best friend, which as Buck had the pleasure to realize after a hook-up with his ex, Buck happens to be madly in love with? No? Shame.
When Tommy suggested they get back together, the only image that flashed in Buck’s mind was Eddie’s eyes, piercing through him with so much raw trust, right after he had offered to sublet his house. Ever since that moment, Buck has been gone for good, the only thing keeping him from falling apart was the fact he wasn’t supposed to see his best friend anytime soon, if ever again.
Which, unfortunately, didn’t go quite as planned.
Coming back to the situation he’s currently in - living under the same roof as Eddie, playing fucking house with him and Christopher, while his heart is breaking into pieces and his delusions are starting to get comfortable in the nooks and crannies of his mind.
“You sure you got everything?” Eddie’s voice sounds from the kitchen, followed by Christopher mumbling something in return.
Buck sighs. He takes one of the deepest breaths ever taken by man in the entire US history, and heads out of the bedroom. He’s literally fine, he can do this, he’s a fucking lime jell-o, or whatever Eddie said that one time on call.
He makes his way through the house, met with the chaos of the kitchen - trays of pre-made food sitting on the counter, with two of his favourite people in the world standing there looking at him.
“Hey guys, ready to go?” Buck asks, picking up the salad he’d prepared in the morning.
“Yeah, Chris was just getting his meds for tomorrow morning, I think we’re all set,” Eddie says, hands already full of food, ready to head out.
“Meds for tomorrow?” he questions, grabbing his keys from the small hook labeled ‘Buck.’ It really is starting to get pathetic, he should’ve moved out two weeks ago, around the time when Eddie and Chris got back.
“I’m going to a sleepover after the barbeque, remember?” Chris laughs, exiting the house after Buck.
“Oh, right, at Hen and Karen’s?”
“Yep!”
“Alright kid, get in the car and stop acting like getting out of the house is the best thing to happen to you,” Eddie murmurs, but there’s a hint of humor behind his words. Buck can’t help but smile. Pathetic.
Just as he’s pulling the handle of the driver’s door, his phone starts vibrating in his pocket. He pulls it out, seeing one name he really wished to never have to stumble across ever again.
“It’s Tommy,” he says over the hood of the car, locking eyes with Eddie at the passenger’s side. Something flashes through his best friend’s eyes, but Buck is otherwise occupied with the device still pulsating in his hand.
Eddie moves around the car in four quick strides, and places a hand on Buck’s left shoulder, “Pick it up, I’ll drive.”
Buck is almost clicking the green button on his phone screen when it goes black.
“Well, I guess he’s-” Buck’s words are cut off as the phone springs up to life again.
“Tommy?” Buck sighs and answers almost immediately this time, getting into the passenger’s side of the vehicle.
“No, Bobby, you don’t fucking understand, he said he needs to speak to me right now, and he’s literally on his way here!” Buck’s in the process of a screaming frenzy in Bobby’s backyard, just as Eddie hears Kinard’s car pulling up.
He sees fire. His eyes lock with Buck’s over the glass doors, the flames in each of their bodies communicating with well-known ease.
“Denny, get Chris, Mara and Jee into the guest bedroom,” Hen’s voice cuts through the air as Eddie’s making his way towards the entrance of the house.
Honestly speaking, his fighting days are long gone by now, but he’s not above taking them out of retirement for the sake of kicking the ass of his best friend’s stubborn ex-boyfriend. Now’s as good a time as any. He swings the door open and pulls it shut behind him, with seeing Kinard exit his car with way too much confidence, Eddie’s blood is coming to a fucking boil.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” he grits through his teeth as he comes face-to-face with Kinard, who has the audacity to look shocked at the sight before him.
“Diaz? I thought you were in Texas,” his voice acts as an ignition in Eddie’s body, he steps even closer, bringing a finger up to the other man’s face.
“You should be grateful I know Buck can take a swing, otherwise you’d be on the ground by now.”
“Are you seriously threatening me?”
The fucking nerve of this guy, “Oh I’m far from threatening, Kinard.”
“You know what? Why am I even talking to you? I’m here to see Evan,” the other man states before smoothly dodging Eddie's hand that was trying to grip him.
Eddie watches his best friend’s ex walk into his Captain’s house like he owns the place, and he fucking hopes Buck really can take that swing.
Buck feels anger boiling in his veins. When Tommy called him just twenty minutes ago, he didn't even think when he simply replied to his question, explaining to the other man where he was going. Huge mistake.
Honestly, he should’ve seen it coming.
When Tommy insinuated in his - Eddie’s - kitchen that they should try again and get back together, he really should’ve known it was going to end up being messy.
That’s why when Tommy Kinard walks through the backyard doors of Bobby and Athena’s new house, Buck can only close his eyes and pray to the God he never believed in, but one that just may bring him mercy.
When he opens his eyes, everyone is looking at them. Tommy’s standing at a larger distance than Buck anticipated. He feels the air between them separate into its components, Athena’s hands curling tighter on the chair she's holding onto, Bobby’s arm resting on her lower back to keep her from arresting Tommy right then and there.
Hen’s looking between the two of them expectantly, Karen standing not too far behind her with Chim, Maddie and baby Nash, all of them seemingly holding their breaths in.
Buck looks past his ex-boyfriend, his eyes locking with Eddie’s. Some of the tension is taken off his shoulders when he realizes every single person in this backyard has his back, especially the one currently sending imaginary daggers into Tommy’s back.
“Why did you come here?” he almost growls at the other man, taking three large steps towards him.
“Well, originally, I came to ask why you haven't been returning my calls since we hooked-up, but I think the answer came to greet me at the fucking entrance,” Tommy yells, throwing his arms in the air.
What the fuck is he talking about? The answer coming to greet him? Buck honestly couldn't care less about what this obtrusive man means at the moment, he can deal with that later. Right now, his priority is to get him out of the backyard, and preferably out of the house.
“I don't know what you’re looking for, I told you I don't want to get back together and I certainly don't fucking want you barging into Bobby and Athena’s house to make a scene like this!” Buck says, clenching his jaw unbelievably tight. He hears Athena hum in agreement, as well as his sister mumbling something to Chim and Karen.
“Yeah, I got that,” Tommy scoffs. “Congratulations, Diaz, I think you won yourself a man, even from a different state,” he adds, turning to face Eddie, whose face drops a bit of the anger and his eyebrows furrow.
“The fuck you mean?” Eddie’s coming up to them, the rest of their family taking what sounds like a collective gasp, which, fair.
Buck’s own breath becomes stuck in his throat as he sees the two men standing inches apart, their fists tightened as if they were just waiting for the other to make a move.
He notices the fight in Eddie’s eyes, quickly deciding that his ex is not worth whatever his best friend’s thinking right now. He steps between the two, separating them the best he can.
“Tommy, you should go.”
“No, I want to know what the fuck did he mean,” Eddie's coming closer to the other man, and Buck thinks he might die today.
“What I meant, is that Evan is not returning my calls because the fucking love of his life miraculously came back, am I wrong?” he directs his response at Buck, which earns Tommy a push to the shoulder by Buck’s very own hands.
He is so fucking fed up. This was not supposed to go like this, but he should've predicted Tommy would use Eddie as a weapon against him. Everyone is silent, even Eddie seems to be holding his breath, connecting dots quicker than Buck can blink.
“You need to fucking go, now,” Buck lowers his voice, trying to sound more authoritative than he feels at the moment.
“No, Evan, tell him. Tell him that you won't get back with me because he came back and you're too busy being obsessed with him.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
This is not going great. He might even say it's going beautifully fucking wrong. He feels everyone's eyes on him, but the only ones that matter - his best friend’s - are the ones he cannot look into right now, scared of what he might find.
Buck needs this to end, he needs Tommy to understand there was never going to be anything more between them after the initial breakup.
"I don't want your bullshit anymore, Tommy.”
“Well then you shouldn't have slept with me!”
“I told you it didn't change anything, and you fucking agreed!”
“Because I thought you needed time, you and me, we had feelings for each other, you asked me to move in with you!”
“Fucking hell, Tommy! I don't have to want to sleep with everyone I have feelings for, and I don't have to have feelings for everyone I sleep with!” he blurts out, realizing what he just did when Tommy’s face falls, and another collective gasp sounds through the backyard.
Buck’s head is spinning, he watches Tommy elbow Eddie as he walks back into the house, hopefully getting in his car and driving off.
Feelings, feelings, feelings.
Eddie thinks he must've heard this whole exchange wrong somehow, because it cannot be true. Because the words that have just left Buck’s mouth would insinuate he has feelings for Eddie, which is something he has to put aside for now, as Buck’s hands begin to tremble and he takes them into his own.
Buck doesn't want to look at him, so Eddie does something pretty fucking stupid.
He slots the fingers of his right hand with Buck’s, making his best friend’s head snap up and his eyes find purchase in Eddie’s own.
“There you are,” Eddie whispers, his thumb drawing shapes on the back of Buck’s hand.
Buck's eyes jump frantically over his face, the adrenaline crash coming quicker than expected. He drops Eddie’s hands as if they burned him and makes his way to Athena.
“Athena, I’m so sorry, I don't know what came over him.”
She holds up a hand, “Buck, you have nothing to apologize for. The only reason I didn't arrest this man the second he walked into our house is because he helped us save Bobby and Chimney. You were right to get angry.”
“No, I know I was, but it doesn't make it better,” Buck’s shoulders sag, and Eddie doesn't waste another second.
“Buck, we're going home,” he says firmly, coming up to Hen. “You sure you're still okay with Chris staying at yours tonight?”
She looks at him with wide eyes, “Of course, you go.”
“Thank you,” he says, his eyes meeting Maddie’s over Hen’s shoulder, “It's gonna be okay,” he adds, Maddie sending him a soft smile and squeezing her son a little tighter to her chest.
“I know it will, he has you.”
And isn't that the truest thing Eddie’s ever heard. At the end of the day, he has Buck, and Buck has him. They’ve got each other's backs no matter what, no matter what feelings Kinard talked about. Maybe Eddie wasn't that good at hiding his realizations after he got back from El Paso, maybe the confusing love he has for Buck is oozing out of him with every look he dares to take at his best friend. But what's important right now is getting Buck the hell out of here, safe at home, preferably by Eddie's side.
“Yes, he does,” he whispers, looking over at Buck who’s still talking to Bobby and Athena.
So, Eddie knows.
Buck isn't surprised at how silent the drive back home is, Eddie’s driving, his knuckles whitening on the wheel, and Buck spirals.
He doesn't know what’s going to happen when they get home, the home they're still sharing, by the way. No matter how hard Buck tries, he cannot bring himself to look over at Eddie’s face. Shame is pooling in his stomach, his hands still shaking even though the whole situation took place almost half an hour ago.
Eddie pulls the car into the driveway, killing the engine and turning the upper half of his body to Buck.
“You slept with him,” he says, almost accusingly, but there's no real heat behind his words.
Well, that certainly isn’t the first question Buck thought he would ask.
“Yes. A couple of days after you left. I was out with Ravi and he placed Tommy in front of me saying ‘we had a lot of catching up to do’,” he sighs, rubbing his eyes.
Eddie’s quiet, too quiet, and Buck can’t read him for the first time since forever and he really doesn't like it, so he looks over. His best friend’s eyes are burning, but he's still unable to understand what's going on in his head.
“Eddie, please say something,” Buck pleads, no shame left in his body.
“Get inside,” he snaps before exiting the car, and Buck doesn't even think of not complying.
The house is still kind of a mess, they put their keys on designated hooks and stand in the hallway, looking at each other.
Eddie scoffs and goes into the living room, not even taking his shoes off. Buck follows, plopping himself onto the couch, but he’s unable to relax with Eddie's anxious posture. His arms are crossed, he's pacing in front of the coffee table, keeping his distance from Buck. It seems like he's trying to find the words, or maybe soften their blow. He's for sure going to tell Buck to get out, find some other place to live, which would be so understandable Buck wouldn't even dare to argue. Eddie drags a hand across his face and lets out a long sight.
“Was it here?” Eddie raises his voice, his eyes finally meeting Buck’s.
“Yes,” he doesn't see a point in lying. He also doesn't see the point in being apologetic about it, which makes Eddie’s nostrils flare. Buck decides to get up, get himself at his best friend’s eye level.
“I can’t believe you fucked him in my bedroom,” Eddie whispers, his demeanor not changing, Buck feels like his best friend is a ticking bomb, waiting to go off any second now.
“It was not your bedroom anymore, you made sure of that when you fucking left!” Buck is not proud of it, but he screams the second part of the sentence in Eddie’s face. The other man flinches at the volume, his shoulders sagging instantly, his eyes becoming glassy.
“You know I did that for Christopher,” his voice barely above a whisper, but Buck has about had it with this day, so he’s not slowing down.
“Yeah, you think I don’t know that? You did what you had to do, but maybe, just fucking maybe, did you ever take a moment to think about asking me to come with you? I never wanted you to choose between your son and me, I'm perfectly aware where I stand in this equation, but maybe you could’ve just-” Buck’s screaming frenzy is abruptly cut off with two strong hands being placed on the edges of his jawline.
Eddie’s lips land on his, and to say Buck is shocked, terrified and utterly fucking dumbfounded would be an understatement. He freezes, his hands hover over his best friend’s waist, not letting himself touch.
He jumps back, his wide eyes looking into Eddie’s.
And isn’t this a sight. Eddie’s rosy lips, parted just a bit, his best friend breathing heavily because they’ve just been kissing. Well, not exactly, because Buck never kissed him back, which is probably something he will beat himself up about until the day he dies.
Eddie’s irises are almost completely swallowed by his pupils, the dark, hungry stare shimmering inside them, or maybe they’re just reflecting everything from Buck’s eyes.
“Buck-” Eddie’s pleading whisper is all he needs to grab his best friend by the neck and haul him back into a proper kiss.
Whimpers escape both their lips at the same time, their mouths clashing with an uncanny familiarity. Eddie’s hand comes up to Buck’s hair, grabbing the short hairs at the back of his head. A moan leaves his mouth, he pushes Eddie back with his whole weight until his knees align with the edge of the couch. Buck gives one last push, and they're falling onto the cushions, never breaking apart in the process.
Buck’s knee comes up to rest between Eddie’s thighs, feeling a growing bulge start to form. He finally presses his hand into his best friend’s waist, earning himself a loud gasp from the other man.
“Fuck,” Eddie whispers, placing his own hand over Buck’s on his waist, and he squeezes, trying to replicate the pressure Buck supplied when he first touched him.
He gets on with the program, he starts to rejoin their swollen lips as he’s putting a decent amount of strength into his grip on Eddie’s side, which makes the other man’s head roll back, another gasp breaking the kiss apart before it had the chance to properly resume.
Buck tightens his fingers on Eddie’s waist with newly found desperation, eager to hear the sounds he makes one more time. His lips start trailing up his best friend’s neck, which together with the constant pressure applied to his side makes Eddie roll his hips into Buck’s knee.
“Eddie, we need to slow down,” Buck whispers into his best friend’s ear, which in response makes Eddie’s back arch and his hips roll down one more time.
Eddie grabs him by his hair and slams their lips back together, he’s panting into Buck’s mouth as his other hand rests against Buck’s neck. He decides to put some more pressure against his best friend’s waist, eliciting a moan Buck’s sure he’s going to be hearing every night in his dreams.
His lips stray towards the other man’s jawline, coming up to his ear.
“Baby,” Buck whispers, which makes Eddie cry out as he grinds his hips into Buck’s thigh. “Baby, we need to slow down,” he continues, but he’s not above using some pet names as they clearly seem to get an interesting response out of his best friend.
He removes his leg from between Eddie’s thighs, and pushes himself up, no longer crowding his best friend’s body with his own.
“No, stay,” Eddie says, grabbing at Buck’s waist and hauling him back towards himself. Buck goes down, a breath rips out of his chest as he clashes with Eddie.
“What, Eddie-”
“I need you close,” his best friend whispers into his ear, and Buck physically melts into his arms.
“Okay baby, I’m not going anywhere,” Buck murmurs into his shoulder, nuzzling even closer into him.
“Good, cause we have to get rid of your bed, preferably burn it, along with the entire bedroom, and I can't exactly do that by myself,” Eddie says, a hint of humor staining his words, and Buck just laughs.
“Great, it’s a date,” Buck says as his laughter dies down, looking up at Eddie’s face.
“Can't wait,” Eddie grins at him, gently petting his curls.
“Me too baby,” Buck says and kisses him softly, Eddie’s pleased hum making its way between their lips.
“I like when you call me that,” Eddie murmurs, his lips grazing Buck’s with each spoken word.
“What, ‘baby’?”he tilts his head a bit, moving back to look him in the eyes.
“Yeah,” Eddie answers, a soft blush appearing on his cheeks. Buck is so fucking in love with this man.
“I love you baby, I promise to never call you anything else ever again,” he whispers, placing a light kiss in the corner of Eddie’s lips.
His best friend shifts his head, deepening the kiss. They stay like that for a couple extra minutes, drowning in each other, finally being able to admit the words that’ve been sitting unspoken for so much time.
“I love you too,” Eddie whispers, his eyes still closed.
And sure, they still have a lot to talk about, but right now they're going to share the couch for the night and hopefully, they're about to pick out a new bed tomorrow.