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The first time it happens, Buck’s absolutely not expecting it.
*
“Have you seen Chris’s homework?” Eddie asks, rummaging through the pile of papers on the dining room table. “He sent me a text and said he needs it for fourth period or his teacher’s gonna be a dick about it.”
“Are those his words or yours?” Buck asks, joining Eddie in his rummaging.
“His,” Eddie admits with a sigh. “I probably should have said something, shouldn’t I? It’s just that we’re finally back and I don’t want him to change his mind and decide he wants us to go back to Texas and—”
“Woah,” Buck says, holding his hands out in front of him in a ‘calm down’ gesture. “I think you’re overthinking it, Eds. He’s not gonna demand we all go back to Texas because you told him he couldn’t call his teacher a dick.”
Buck hopes Eddie doesn’t notice the slip-up, but it wasn’t a lie. If Eddie and Christopher left again, he’d be following them without hesitation.
“Logically I know you’re right,” Eddie concedes. “But the—”
“Irrational fear is still there?” Buck finishes his sentence, squinting down at the papers in his hand. “I get it, I do. But you can’t keep living like that. Chris loves you, and he’s happy back home in Los Angeles. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“I will if I don’t find this homework,” Eddie points out. “How hard can it be to—”
“Found it!” Buck exclaims, holding Chris’s homework up in the air. “Told you there was nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie grumbles, but the slight smile on his face gives him away. “You’re a lifesaver.”
Buck flushes.
“You would have found it soon enough,” he says bashfully.
Eddie doesn’t seem to notice his reaction, too busy looking around for—
“Keys,” Buck says, grabbing them off the side table and handing them over to Eddie.
“My hero,” Eddie jokes, tucking the keys into his pocket and grabbing his wallet. “I better get this homework down to the school.”
“Drive safe,” Buck says, offering an awkward wave that he immediately regrets. “I’ll be”—Eddie presses a swift kiss to his mouth—“here.”
Did that really just happen?
“Thanks again, I’ll be right back,” Eddie says, grabbing Chris’s homework off the table and heading for the front door.
Buck’s very much still frozen by the time he hears Eddie’s car start and back out of the driveway.
When Eddie gets home, he doesn’t say a word about the kiss.
***
The second time it happens, Buck tells himself it must be a coincidence.
*
“Are you sure you want me to come inside with you?” Buck asks, sitting beside Eddie in the car while they wait until it’s time to head inside for Chris’s parent teacher conferences. “Because I know you and Mr Franklin don’t get along. But I’m sure you could—”
“Buck,” Eddie says firmly, turning to face him fully. “If you really don’t want to come, you don’t have to.”
“I want to come,” Buck insists, turning off the ignition. “Of course I do.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Buck sighs.
“What if they think we’re married again?” he blurts out. “Because last time—”
“I don’t care,” Eddie interjects. “Let them think Chris has two dads. If Mr Franklin acts weird about it maybe I can get him fired.”
“Eddie,” Buck hisses. “That’s awful.”
“That man is awful,” Eddie responds with zero regret in his voice. “He—”
“Said he didn’t like your shoes one time,” Buck fills in with an amused look on his face.
“It was twice,” Eddie throws back at him. “But he also gave Chris a B on that science project last month and you guys worked really hard on it. And I’m not gonna lie, I’m still a little offended on your behalf.”
“That’s actually kind of sweet,” Buck has to admit.
“Yeah, yeah, are we going in or what?”
Eddie gestures towards the clock on the dash, and Buck notes the time.
“Fine,” he groans. “But you owe me one. Playing mediator between you and your arch-nemesis is going to be exhausting.”
Eddie rolls his eyes, unbuckling his seatbelt. “I’ll buy you fro-yo on the way home.”
“You can’t placate me with”—Buck finds himself cut off by the press of Eddie’s lips to his once more—“treats.”
“Sure I can, Buckley, you’re easy to please.”
And with those final parting words Eddie exits the car, leaving a dumbfounded Buck in his wake once more.
***
The third time it happens, Buck has to admit this might be becoming a pattern.
*
“I can’t find the cereal Chris likes,” Eddie’s voice comes from across the aisle at the grocery store. “I swear it’s never here. Every time I look, I scour the shelves; it’s mysteriously not here until someone else looks though.”
Buck laughs.
“If it’s never here, then how do I find it every time?” He makes his way over to Eddie, reaching past him to grab a box of Chris’ favourite cereal. “See.”
“That wasn’t there a second ago,” Eddie insists, despite the falseness of his claim being rather obvious. “It wasn’t.”
“Right.” Buck pauses to toss the cereal into the shopping cart. “I pulled it out of thin air.”
Eddie huffs, pushing the cart away in the direction of the checkout.
“Come on,” Eddie calls out behind him. “We’re checking out before I lose what remains of my sanity.”
Buck trails after him.
“You can just admit you didn’t see it, you know?”
“It wasn’t there.”
Buck laughs the entire way to the checkout.
They join the line behind a nice elderly woman who introduces herself as Cora. They exchange pleasantries, and Buck preens when Cora says he reminds her of her husband when he was younger; apparently Cora’s husband was very handsome back in the day.
Eddie seems a little out of sorts after that, but Buck pays it no mind as he continues making small talk. At least not until Eddie facepalms.
“Shit,” Eddie mutters. “I forgot your ice cream.”
Buck pauses his conversation.
“It’s fine,” he says with a reassuring smile. “I think I have a little left at home.”
But Eddie’s already shaking his head and glancing at the checkout line.
“Wait here,” Eddie says, darting forward to kiss Buck before turning and rushing off towards the frozen aisle. “I’ll be right back!”
Buck presses his fingers to his lips.
“You’re a lucky duck,” Cora says, grinning at him.
Buck would be inclined to agree, if only he weren’t sure that his best friend had no idea what he was doing.
He turns back towards the checkout in an effort to distract himself, shuffling forward as the person in front of them leaves.
He helps Cora unload her basket onto the conveyer belt before starting in on his and Eddie’s cart.
Briefly, he wonders if Eddie will make it back before the cashier is done scanning their groceries, but that’s the least of his concerns right now.
***
The fourth time it happens, Buck’s got some explaining to do.
*
They’re in the locker room finishing up getting dressed after shift when Eddie decides it’s imperative they discuss dinner plans instead.
“Are you sure we can’t get pizza?”
Buck rolls his eyes.
“We got pizza last Friday,” he reminds Eddie, trying not to be too obvious about the fact that he’s staring at Eddie’s bare chest. “I told Chris we’d do something different this week.”
“There’s nothing wrong with pizza,” Eddie insists, tugging his shirt over his head and closing his locker. “I don’t see why we can’t have it two weeks in a row.”
“There’s absolutely something wrong with your pineapple infested pizzas, Eds, but—
“Oh, don’t start,” Eddie interjects. “I saw you steal a slice last week and you loved it.”
“You can’t prove a thing.”
Eddie laughs loudly.
“You know the two of you sound ridiculous, right?” Hen’s voice comes from somewhere behind them. “Why don’t you order pizza for you two and get Chris something different?”
Buck had almost forgotten Hen was present, to be honest.
Eddie looks contemplative.
“That’s not a bad idea, actually, I mean—”
“No,” Buck cuts Eddie off, tugging his own shirt over his head finally. “We’re not ordering from two different places. That’s two delivery fees and it’s completely unnecessary.”
“Wow, you’re really trying to claw that credit score back, huh?”
Buck gapes at him.
“Low blow, man,” he eventually says. “Low blow.”
Eddie shrugs. “I call it how I see it.”
“Okay Mister ‘I-put-a-downpayment-on-a-house-sight-unseen’,” Buck jokes. “I see how it is.”
“That worked out pretty well for me though, don’t you think?”
“Uh-huh, sure did,” Buck agrees distractedly.
“Right,” Eddie says, grabbing his backpack and stepping forward to give Buck a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kiss. “I’ll go wait in the car for you. But if you’re longer than five minutes I can’t be held responsible for how many places I might order food from.”
And with that, Eddie takes his leave.
Buck turns to see a wide-eyed Hen staring at him.
“What the hell was that?” she asks as soon as Eddie’s out of earshot. “Eddie just kissed you, right? I'm not hallucinating?”
“I’m not sure he realises he’s doing it?” Buck responds through a slightly hysterical laugh. “I really don’t think he has any idea at all.”
“That wasn’t the first time he’s kissed you?” Hen asks.
Buck shakes his head in the negative. “The fourth.”
Because yeah, he’s been keeping count, sue him.
“Buck, that’s…”
“Insane?” Buck’s aware. “Yeah, I know.”
“Are you going to say something to him?”
“Probably should, huh?” Buck’s not looking forward to it. “Before he does it in front of Chris or something.”
Famous last words.
***
The fifth time it happens, Buck realises he should have been expecting it.
*
“Did you know Humboldt penguins can swim at speeds of up to thirty miles per hour in the water?” Buck asks, looking over at Eddie. “And they can dive up to five hundred feet underwater when they’re looking for something to eat.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Eddie says, glancing at Buck before turning back to the penguin exhibit. “What else do you know about these little guys?”
“Uh, they can live for fifteen to twenty years in captivity?” Buck offers. “And they have claws on their webbed feet so they can navigate the rocky environment they live in in the wild.”
“Do they do the pebble thing?” Eddie asks, studiously watching the penguins.
“Yeah, the male penguins give the female penguins a pebble kind of like a proposal that they should build a nest together,” Buck explains. “They try to find the best looking, shiniest pebbles in the hope their prospective partner will choose them. There’s even been cases where male penguins will bring another male penguin a pebble because they…”
Buck trails off as he looks away from the penguins only to see Eddie staring at him adoringly. He’s pretty sure he can feel his cheeks heating up.
“What?” Buck asks. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Eddie shakes his head affectionately. “No reason.”
But Buck’s not letting it go this time.
“Come on,” he insists. “You’re—”
“I’ll be right back,” Eddie says, cutting Buck off as his eyes snap to something over Buck’s shoulder. “Stay here with Chris.”
Eddie presses a firm kiss to Buck's lips before ducking off into the crowd, and Buck watches him go with a dazed look on his face.
“You guys are kissing now?” Chris asks curiously. “I didn’t think he’d told you yet.”
That drags Buck back to reality.
“Huh?” he says. “Told me what?”
Chris raises an eyebrow. “Dad’s told you how he feels, right?”
“It’s just been the kissing actually,” Buck admits, still a little out of it. “I don’t think he’s fully aware he’s doing it?”
Chris gives him a judgemental look. “And you haven’t thought about addressing it?”
“Well, that’s—”
“Here!” Eddie’s voice appears right next to his ear, and Buck spins around to find Eddie waiting, hand outstretched. “For you.”
Buck extends his hand and watches as Eddie drops something into his open palm.
“Is this a pebble?” he asks once Eddie moves his hand out of the way.
“I saw they had them over by the gate there.” Eddie points over in the direction of the exhibit. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” Buck admits, rolling it around slowly. “Do I get to keep it?”
“Of course.”
That’s all Eddie has to say.
Of course.
Of course Eddie kissed him.
Of course Eddie got him a pebble.
Of course Eddie is actively trying to drive him insane.
Luckily, Chris interrupts the semi-awkward exchange. “If you’re done with whatever this is, can we go see the giraffes? At this rate we drove an hour and a half just for penguins.”
Buck would like it noted on the record that he would have no problem with having driven an hour and a half to the Santa Barbara Zoo just for the penguins actually.
He smiles down at the pebble in his hand.
Totally worth it.
***
The first time Buck kisses Eddie, he never wants to stop.
*
“You almost done with the popcorn?”
Buck checks the microwave.
“It’s got another forty-five seconds,” he says, reaching up into the cupboard for a bowl. “You want extra salt?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“The kind where I don’t want you having a heart attack because your sodium intake is too high,” Buck throws back at him. “I haven’t forgotten that time you saw the cardiologist.”
“For a panic attack,” Eddie reminds him. “My blood pressure is fine, thank you very much. Add the salt.”
“Can never hurt to be cautious,” Buck grumbles to himself, grabbing the popcorn out of the microwave just as the timer goes off. “Can you grab the beers?”
“Worried about salt but not about alcohol consumption, I see how it is.”
Buck rolls his eyes. “Just grab the beers.”
Eddie salutes him as he makes his way back into the living room, and Buck follows with a roll of his eyes after taking a moment to salt the popcorn.
“What movie are we watching?” Eddie asks as they sit down next to one another on the couch. “I don’t think you said.”
“I didn’t really have anything picked out,” Buck admits. “Did you have something in mind?”
Eddie pops the caps off their beers before responding.
“How about a rom-com?”
Buck narrows his eyes, taking the second beer when Eddie offers it to him.
“You want to watch a rom-com with me on a Saturday night?” Buck clarifies. “While we’re sitting in the dark, almost in each other’s laps. Really?”
Eddie shrugs. “Sure, why not?”
Sure, why not?
Seriously?
“Okay give me that,” Buck says, tugging Eddie’s beer out of his hand and ignoring Eddie’s offended noise. He also places the popcorn bowl on the table. “What the hell are we doing?”
“What do you mean?” Eddie asks, sounding like he very much knows what Buck means.
Buck crosses his arms and attempts to give Eddie a serious look.
“You’ve been kissing me,” Buck says plainly, watching the way Eddie freezes slightly before relaxing again. “You’ve kissed me five times, actually. I’ve been counting.”
Eddie’s only response is, “Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t.”
Buck can’t help but laugh.
“There’s no ‘maybe’ about it,” he insists. “You’ve been kissing me.”
“Okay, so what if I have?” Eddie responds, shifting so that he can face Buck. “You weren’t complaining.”
Well duh, of course he wasn’t complaining. But that’s not the point.
“You can’t just kiss someone and hope it turns into boyfriends or whatever it is you’re angling for here,” Buck points out. “That’s not how these things work.”
“It's not not how it works,” Eddie grumbles quietly to himself, but Buck hears it anyway.
“You’re ridiculous, you know that, right?” Buck can’t help but smile though.
“Yeah well, you’re into it.”
Buck laughs at that.
“I’m into it, am I?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “You sound pretty sure about that.”
Eddie raises an eyebrow right back at him. “You haven’t told me to stop.”
And yeah, okay, fair point.
“Look, I’m gonna need you to spell it out for me,” Buck says after a moment. “Because I feel like I’m pretty sure what's going on here, but I don’t want to get my hopes up if you’re just kissing me because you feel like it, you know?”
“I gave you a pebble!” Eddie says immediately. “I thought I was being pretty clear with my intentions.”
“Please tell me you know we’re not penguins, because—”
“Okay, well, I’m in love with you,” Eddie interrupts casually. “How’s that for clear?”
The silence is deafening.
“Crystal, thanks,” Buck manages to choke out after a moment. He pauses for all of a second before he realises he should probably say it back. “And hey, I love you too, so that’s good, right?”
Eddie gives him a vaguely amused look. “Definitely good; some may even say great.”
“Great.”
“Great.”
“Glad we could have this chat,” Buck says, reaching for the popcorn. “Now what movie are we watching?”
“Seriously?” Eddie asks. “We’re gonna watch a movie now? After all that?”
Buck shrugs. “Unless you’ve got a better suggestion?”
“No, that’s fine,” Eddie says, sitting back against the couch cushions. “Go ahead and pick a movie.”
Buck’s face drops, and he sees the corner of Eddie’s mouth twitch in obvious amusement.
“You’re a dick,” Buck states jokingly.
Eddie loses the battle against his smile, and Buck can feel himself smiling back.
“Come here,” Eddie says, tugging at the sleeve of Buck’s shirt.
Buck lets himself be moved until he’s inches away from Eddie’s face.
“You gonna let me kiss you first this time?”
Eddie nods and opens his mouth to say something, but Buck doesn’t give him the chance.
He surges forward and captures Eddie’s mouth like he’s been waiting an eternity for this exact moment. In some ways, it feels like he has. After seven years of build-up he can finally have Eddie the way he’s probably wanted him deep down since the day they met.
They kiss for god knows how long before Buck finally manages to make himself pull back. He bites his own lip and has to hold back a groan because it’s so, so tempting to keep going.
“We need to hit pause,” he mumbles against Eddie’s lips as he can’t resist one more kiss. “We can’t do this on the couch.”
“Confident, aren’t you?”
Buck feels himself flush.
“I wasn’t—I didn’t mean—”
“Calm down,” Eddie says through a laugh. “You’re right. I absolutely would have let you fuck me on the couch if your self-restraint hadn’t won out.”
Buck blue-screens a little at the thought. “And is that still an option, or…”
Eddie laughs.
“We probably shouldn’t,” Eddie says, glancing down at his watch. “We won’t be alone in the house for much longer and I kinda promised my kid I wouldn’t let him walk in on anything inappropriate in any areas of the house we share.”
“Sounds like a fair deal.”
Eddie hums his agreement.
“Why don’t we watch a movie?” Eddie suggests, nodding towards the television. “That was the original plan before I seduced you.”
“You didn’t seduce me,” Buck argues, sliding off of Eddie’s lap and onto the seat next to him. “You un-seduced me if anything.”
“I don’t know,” Eddie says as he reaches for the popcorn. “I’m pretty sure you were seduced.”
“But I’m not now,” Buck insists, grabbing their beers and handing one to Eddie. “Therefore, un-seduced.”
“Are we gonna watch this movie, or what?”
“Sure,” Buck agrees, flicking the television over to Hulu so they can pick something to watch. “But don’t think I don’t know you’re just saying that because you know you’re wrong.”
Buck’s forced to dodge a handful of popcorn for that remark, but it’s totally worth it.