Chapter Text
The shifts been very slow or should I say
Q-U-I-E-T.
the kind that only really exists in between back to back chaos.
The sun is drifting in through the high windows casting that familiar golden light across the floor.
Chim is by the coffee machine again having what looks like his daily argument with it. Hen’s on the couch with her legs kicked up and nose deep in a book about trauma informed care that she swears is “just for light reading”
Bobby’s in his office and who knows what Ravi’s doing.
Buck is sitting at the kitchen table with a beat up sudoku book he found somewhere in the back of a drawer while being bent over it with a mechanical pencil in hand and a little furrow in his brow that deepens every time he has to erase something.
Eddie’s sitting on the far end of the room with his clipboard in his lap.
He's supposed to be reviewing their training schedule for next week.
That’s what he told Hen earlier when she asked what he was working on.
But the truth is… he hasn’t turned a single page in twenty minutes.
Instead he’s watching Buck.
Not in a creepy way he tells himself.
It’s not like he’s staring.
He’s just… noticing.
Observing.
Like always.
Right now Buck’s muttering something under his breath as he erases a number while smudging his own page and accidentally marking his cheek with pencil dust when he scratches at it.
Eddie watches him tilt his head in deep concentration with that stubborn little wrinkle forming between his brows.
Then Buck lets out this bright and triumphant laugh when he finishes the puzzle.
It's a sound that shoots straight through Eddie’s chest.
“Ha! Got it!”
Buck says to no one in particular grinning like he just solved cold fusion instead of a level three sudoku.
Eddie swallows.
Something inside him stumbles.
Trips.
And then completely derails.
He shifts in his seat and looks down at the clipboard in his hands.
The training schedule blurs in front of him. Buck’s laugh still echoes in his ears.
God he’s in deep.
When did this even start?
When did Buck become more than Buck?
Because he’s always been Buck loud, impossible, golden-hearted and maddening.
A walking contradiction with reckless loyalty and the kind of laugh that makes Eddie forget about gravity for a second.
But lately…
Lately it’s felt different.
It’s the way Buck looks at him during calls.
The way he reaches out to steady Eddie without thinking.
It’s the way Buck listens when Eddie talks really listens like every word matters.
Like he matters.
It’s the way Buck’s voice softens when he says
“Hey you okay?"
The way he never pushes but always stays close.
The way he makes Eddie feel safe and seen
and also like he’s standing on the edge of something terrifying and beautiful and new.
Eddie stares down at the paper with his heart pounding and the heat rising in his chest.
He can’t tell anyone this.
He can’t say it.
Not even to himself well not completely.
Because what would that mean?
What would it mean to want Buck like that? To love Buck like that?
He can’t be in love with his best friend.
He can’t.
That’s not part of the plan.
He’s a dad
….Catholic maybe?
He’s spent years building walls around the things he’s not supposed to want.
But Buck…
Buck makes him want everything.
Even the things that scare him.
Eddie squeezes his eyes shut for a second. Tries to breathe.
Tries to not think about Buck’s smile.
Or his stupid curly hair.
Or the way he talks to Christopher like he’s the most important person in the world.
Like he’s family.
And maybe that’s what really breaks him.
Because Buck is family.
He always has been.
But what if… what if he wants more?
“Hey”
Buck’s voice cuts through the haze and Eddie literally jumps like he’s been caught stealing.
He looks up and there Buck is suddenly standing in front of him with his hip cocked, pencil tucked behind his ear, eyes wide and blue concerned.
“You good?”
Buck asks with his tone light but warm.
“You’ve been staring at that clipboard like it insulted you”
Eddie opens his mouth.
Closes it.
Forgets how to speak for a second.
Buck’s smiling now.
Not the big and showy grin.
It’s softer.
Something close.
Something that makes Eddie feel like he’s floating and falling all at once.
“I’m fine”
Eddie says sigh his voice a little too quiet.
Buck raises an eyebrow.
“Sure about that?”
Eddie shrugs, trying to steady himself.
“Just… thinking”
“Dangerous”
Buck teases but it’s gentle.
There’s a beat of silence between them.
And Eddie almost says something.
Almost tells him.
Almost blurts out everything he’s been holding in.
But instead he just offers a crooked smile.
“Nothing important”
Buck tilts his head like he knows that’s a lie but doesn’t push.
That’s the thing about Buck.
He never forces you to say it out loud.
He just waits always close and always ready.
“Alright”
Buck says finally.
“Well, let me know if that clipboard starts throwing hands I’ll back you up”
he turns and walks back toward the kitchen while humming under his breath.
Eddie stares after him with his heart still hammering in his chest.
His hands are shaking.
He’s never been more terrified.
Or more certain.
He presses a hand to his chest and closes his eyes while exhaling.
“…I’m so screwed”
Buck is now cleaning off a tool cart by the rig.
He’s using way too much Windex and there’s foam building up everywhere.
But he’s smiling.
Happy.
Completely unaware that he’s been the cause of Eddies internal spiral for the last twenty five minutes or maybe even longer.
At this point Eddies lost the amount of times this has happened.
Eddie gets up from and seat and is drill watching Buck.
Eddie’s standing near the turnout lockers now with his arms folded pretending he’s focused on re folding a towel.
He’s not.
He’s watching Buck.
Again.
Hen appears like a damn specter slow and deliberate with a half-eaten granola bar in one hand and the smuggest expression known to man already forming.
She leans next to him casually.
“You know”
she starts with her voice deceptively mild.
“I’ve seen that look before”
Eddie startles and nearly drops the towel.
“What look?”
Hen just grins.
“The one you’re wearing like a flashing neon sign. The one that says ‘I’m a man in love and I’m in somuch denial about it that I’m about to fold that towel into confetti’”
Eddie glances down.
Sure enough the towel is a wrinkled mess in his hands.
“I’m not—”
he starts then stops.
“It’s not like that”
Hen tilts her head while taking a bite of the bar.
“Mmm. Sure. That’s why you’ve been staring at Buck for thirty solid minutes like he just invented fire”
“I wasn’t—”
Eddie lowers his voice while glancing toward Buck who’s now inexplicably using a toothbrush to scrub a metal bracket.
“Hen come on”
“I am coming on”
she says cheerfully.
“I’m coming on to the scene of a slow burn romance so slow it’s practically geological”
Eddie groans and leans back against the lockers.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing”
Hen softens.
The teasing stays in her eyes but she nudges his arm gently with her elbow.
“You’re falling in love Diaz”
she says quietly now.
“And you’re scared”
Eddie doesn’t say anything.
He can’t.
His throat is tight and there’s a lump building behind his ribs.
Hen keeps her voice gentle.
“You don’t have to say it out loud yet. But you should admit it to yourself”
Eddie stares at the floor.
Then at Buck again.
Buck is humming loudly.
There’s Windex in his hair.
God, he’s so—
“Yeah”
Eddie whispers before he can stop himself.
“I think I already did”
Hen’s smirk returns in full force.
“Took you long enough”
Eddie closes his eyes.
“Please don’t tell anyone”
“Eddie”
Hen says while raising a brow,
“you do realize everyone already knows, right?”
Eddie blinks.
“What?”
Hen shrugs.
“Well, except Buck. But that’s just because he thinks the world of you and would rather implode than assume you want him like that”
Eddie’s breath catches.
That’s… too much.
Too honest.
Too true.
“I can’t—”
he starts while shaking his head.
“It’s not that simple”
Hen nods with more of an understanding now.
“Of course it’s not. But it’s real. And it’s yours. And whether you decide to do something about it or not—”
she pauses while glancing toward Buck.
“-I think he’d choose you in a heartbeat”
Buck turns at that exact moment and flashes them both a bright and blinding smile while lifting a dripping rag like he’s just won a gold medal in over cleaning.
“Hey, Hen! Do we have more of that scrubby stuff? The one that smells like eucalyptus?”
Hen gives Eddie one last look the look before calling back
“Bottom shelf, next to the backup trauma kits”
“Thanks!”
Buck grins then goes back to humming and scrubbing the cart like it personally wronged him.
Eddie lets out a long and slow breath with the towel forgotten in his hands.
Hen’s voice is quieter now but no less certain.
“You don’t have to rush it”
she says resting a hand briefly on his shoulder.
“Just don’t run from it either”
She walks off toward the kitchen leaving Eddie alone again.
Only… he doesn’t feel alone.
Not really.
He looks over at Buck so loud,so messy, so entirely himself and Eddie feels something in his chest settle.
Ache.
Bloom.
He’s so far gone.
Buck is now on his third round of cleaning the same damn metal cart.
The thing already gleams he knows it does but he needs something to do with his hands.
Something not involving staring across the room at Eddie like a complete idiot.
Too late.
He glances up and yep.
There Eddie is.
Across the garage standing near the lockers while talking with Hen with his arms folded like he owns the place and his face tilted just enough toward Buck that it’s not subtle anymore.
And when their eyes meet just for a second.
Eddie’s eyes go wide like he wasn’t supposed to get caught.
Buck’s heart lurches.
Eddie looks away fast suddenly hyper focused on… a stack of towels?
Buck blinks.
His stomach flips.
Okay what the hell is that?
Eddie had been staring.
Not like casually.
Not like “hey bro pass the wrench.”
No.
That had been soft.
Lingering.
Almost vulnerable.
And the worst part?
Buck’s face is burning now.
He spins back to the cart scrubbing aimlessly at a spot that’s not even there trying not to have a bisexual crisis over his best friend who’s in love with and who may or may not also be in love with Buck back.
His pulse is in his ears.
He can still feel the weight of Eddie’s gaze like a palm on his skin.
God.
He’s so screwed.
He leans forward and rests his forehead on the cool metal for a second closing his eyes. As if that’ll help.
As if that’ll slow down the way his heart is absolutely thundering.
This isn’t new.
Not really.
He’s been in trouble for years now.
It’s in the way Eddie laughs when Buck says something stupid.
In the way Eddie always shows up next to him without being asked.
In the way Buck sleeps better when Eddie’s around or in Eddies bed and worse when he’s not.
It’s in how he can’t stop thinking about how Eddie looked on the Fourth of July in that gray t-shirt and holding a sparkler and smiling at Chris.
How Eddie leans in just a little too close when they’re sharing a story.
How Buck’s first instinct when anything good or bad happens is to tell him.
It’s in the way Eddie says his name.
It’s in the way Buck never quite gets over it.
He stands upright again with his cheeks still warm and dares to look back across the garage.
Eddie’s gone.
Buck frowns.
Where—?
Then he hears it footsteps retreating quickly up the stairs.
Eddie.
Escaping like the building's on fire.
Buck exhales slow and shaky.
His chest hurts.
Because if Eddie was staring at him like that it means something.
And if he ran?
It means more.
Buck doesn’t know what to do with that.
He brushes a hand through his hair with a still feeling and the echo of Eddie’s eyes on him for a second just a second he lets himself imagine it
If Eddie did feel the same.
If this thing between them wasn’t one sided. If it could be something more.
Real.
Soft.
He shakes the thought off fast because wanting that… wanting Eddie like that…
it’s dangerous.
It’s heartbreak waiting to happen.
But he finds himself smiling.
Just a little.
Because Eddie looked at him like he was made of light.
Buck’s fallen in deep and he doesn’t know if that’s good or bad.
The tones drop suddenly overhead about a vehicle rollover on the freeway and multiple injured.
Within seconds the station kicks into motion.
Hen tosses her granola bar into the trash, Chim grabs his gear mid-sprint and Bobby’s voice echoes sharp and clear as they pile into the rig.
Buck and Eddie slide into their usual spots with muscle memory taking over with radios clipped, gloves secured and everything practiced.
Smooth.
Buck’s still reeling.
And Eddie hasn’t looked at him.
Not really.
The city flies past the windows in a blur of gold and red.
The sun’s dipping lower casting long shadows across Buck’s knees where he sits with his helmet balanced in his lap.
Across from him Eddie’s staring out the opposite window with his jaw tight and leg bouncing just a little.
It's subtle.
Most people wouldn’t notice.
But Buck does.
He always notices.
The rig rumbles beneath them as they take a turn.
Hen’s voice is low up front exchanging dispatch details with Bobby.
Chim’s checking gear in the seat next to them.
… Buck’s tuned in to the space between him and Eddie.
To the silence.
Not uncomfortable.
Not really.
Just thick .
Like there’s something humming between them neither of them wants to touch.
Buck clears his throat.
“You’re quiet”
Eddie glances at him surprised
Like he hadn’t realized he’d been silent at all.
“Just thinking”
He says softly again like he didn’t use the excuse already.
Buck nods bur doesn’t press.
They sit with that for a moment with the sirens wailing faintly outside and the city stretching out in flashes of light and shadow.
Then Eddie speaks again with his voice low.
“Ever think about… what we’ll be like in ten years?”
Buck turns his head blinking.
“What like… career wise?”
Eddie shrugs not looking at him now.
His gaze is fixed on the road ahead through the windshield.
“Life, maybe”
It’s a strange question.
Or maybe not strange just unexpected .
But Buck hears the weight in it.
The vulnerability.
He gives a soft laugh but it’s not mocking. It’s gentle.
“Is this because you finally admitted you’re turning thirty eight next month?”
Eddie rolls his eyes but the tension in his shoulders eases just a little.
“Thirty-seven you jackass”
“I was rounding up”
Buck says teasing just enough to draw a smile out of him.
And it works.
Eddie looks at him again.
And Buck swears for just a second the rest of the rig goes quiet.
Just them.
Just this .
Buck leans forward slightly with his voice softer now.
“I think about it sometimes”
Eddie raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah”
Buck says.
“Like… where we’ll live. What kind of calls we’ll be running. Whether you’ll finally get over your hatred of karaoke”
Eddie chuckles while shaking his head.
“Not happening”
Buck shrugs.
“You’ve got time to evolve”
Another pause.
Then Eddie asks now quieter this time.
“Think we’ll still be doing this?”
Buck tilts his head.
“What—firefighting?”
“No”
Eddie says.
“This”
Buck’s heart trips.
He doesn’t ask what this means.
He doesn’t need to.
Because he knows.
Riding side by side.
Taking care of each other.
The constant presence.
The closeness that neither of them names but never lets go of.
Buck swallows.
His voice comes out softer than he expects.
“I hope so”
Eddie doesn’t respond right away.
But he’s looking at Buck again.
And there’s something in his eyes that wasn’t there before.
Something tentative.
Raw.
Then the radio crackles overhead with Maddie’s voice.
“118, be advised two vehicles, possible entrapment. One critical, CPR in progress”
Bobby’s voice is sharp from the cab.
“Copy dispatch”
“Get ready. We’ll need triage and extraction!”
They’re moving again
fast and focused.
But as Buck clips on his helmet and checks his gloves, he feels it.
Eddie’s hand brushing against his knee in the tight space between them.
Not quite a touch.
Not quite nothing .
A heartbeat.
A promise.
A question not yet asked.
Buck holds his breath.
Because for all their teasing and banter all the unsaid things and long stares they’re circling something that feels dangerously close to real .
And he’s terrified of it.
The rig screeches to a halt as the headlights flash red and blue.
Traffic’s backed up for miles with mangled cars sit ting near the guardrail one flipped on its roof and the other crushed like a soda can against the divider.
Smoke curls into the air.
Someone’s screaming.
It’s chaos.
Bobby’s voice is sharp over the roar of engines and panic.
“Hen, Chim — second vehicle! Possible spinal trauma! Eddie, Buck — we’ve got CPR in progress on the driver of the overturned car! Go!”
Buck and Eddie are running before the sentence is finished cutting through broken glass and twisted metal their gear bags slapping against their sides.
A woman in her mid 30s is on the ground beside the flipped car with chest compressions already in progress from a bystander who’s drenched in blood and shaking.
“Move, we’ve got it!”
Eddie says while dropping to his knees.
Buck takes over airway.
Eddie starts compressions.
The rhythm is brutal, fast and urgent.
“No pulse”
Buck says with his voice tight.
“I’m not letting her go!”
Eddie growls.
“Not on this road”
Bobby’s voice cuts in on the radio.
“Vehicle’s unstable Buck, Eddie get ready to move tow rig is en route but that car’s sliding”
Buck glances up.
The flipped car is creaking with metal groaning as gravity and angle fight over its final position.
One wheel shifts slightly and dust showers down.
They don’t have much time.
Buck meets Eddie’s eyes.
They don’t need words.
They never need words.
Eddie is still refusing to stop doing compressions
“Still no pulse”
Buck mutters with sweat running down the back of his neck.
“I’m not stopping”
“Eddie—”
“ I’m not stopping ”
And Buck gets it.
He really does.
Eddie’s voice is tight, desperate familiar.
Too familiar.
Because this isn’t just about the woman.
This is about every call they couldn’t fix. Every person they couldn’t save.
Every time one of them almost didn’t make it home .
The car groans again even louder now
Then it shifts hard.
Everything happens fast .
The rear axle gives.
The car slides just inches but enough.
Buck throws himself over Eddie instinctively tackling him backward into the asphalt as the flipped car drops a few more inches and lands exactly where Eddie had been kneeling seconds ago.
The woman’s body is still partially underneath.
They’ve lost her.
But they haven’t lost each other .
“ Jesus ”
Buck gasps with his chest pressed to Eddie’s back and heart pounding like a war drum.
“Are you okay?”
Eddie breathes hard with his eyes wide staring at the ground like it might vanish beneath him.
“Yeah”
he whispers.
Then again louder.
“Yeah. I’m fine”
Buck rolls off him and sits up still dazed.
Eddie turns with their knees knocking together.
For a second they just look at each other covered in soot, sweat and blood that isn’t theirs with sirens blaring in the distance.
“Thanks”
Eddie says with his voice rough.
“I wasn’t gonna let that thing crush you”
Eddie gives a small and stunned laugh.
“I didn’t even see it move”
Buck’s still breathing hard with his voice is barely there.
“I did”
He always sees Eddie.
Always has.
Before Eddie can even respond Hen shouts across the lot
“We need assist with the second vehicle now!”
They scramble to their feet.
Back to work.
Back into the storm that they just escaped barley.
But Buck’s hand brushes Eddie’s arm as they run and neither of them pulls away.
The adrenaline is gone.
What’s left is bone deep exhaustion, sweat-soaked uniforms and the kind of quiet that buzzes in the aftermath.
Eddie’s sitting across from Buck again.
But now he’s watching him openly.
Still rattled.
Still thinking about what almost happened.
Buck catches the stare this time.
Holds it.
“Don’t look at me like that”
Buck says softly and worn.
Eddie’s voice is barely above a whisper.
“Like what?”
“Like I scared you”
“You did”
Buck swallows.
His voice is barely holding steady.
“I had to pull you out of the way”
“I know”
Eddie leans forward slightly with his elbows on his knees.
His tone shifts lower and heavier.
“That’s the part that scares me”
Buck blinks.
“Why?”
Eddie hesitates.
He wants to say it.
Buck sees it.
The weight behind his silence.
The unsaid ache.
But the rig jolts slightly as it moves down the street and the moment passes.
Eddie just leans back with his breath hitching and says.
“Let’s just… not scare each other like that again”
Buck nods but his heart’s a mess.
He knows.
He knows that Eddie almost said something real.
And he doesn’t push.
Not yet.
The rig rolls back into the bay with the headlights cutting across the floor before dimming into silence.
Everyone moves slower now.
Exhausted.
Quiet.
Hen and Chim head toward the lockers muttering about split shifts and pulled shoulders.
Bobby disappears up the stairs after giving them all a pat on the back and a
“get cleaned up”
Buck and Eddie hang back lingering by the rear compartment of the truck.
The air still smells faintly like smoke and diesel.
Eddie’s scrubbing blood off his forearm with a rag with his eyes distant and jaw tight.
Buck’s trying not to look at him while failing completely.
His brain is still replaying the moment he tackled Eddie out of the way how close it had been.
How he’d felt Eddie’s heart pounding under him.
How his own hands had trembled with something too raw to name.
Now, in the quiet… it’s louder .
Somehow.
Too loud.
Buck scratches the back of his neck and clears his throat.
“I, uh…”
He shifts on his feet.
“I’m gonna hit the showers. Get all this… off”
His voice sounds too casual.
Like he’s trying to talk around something heavy in his throat.
Eddie looks up at him.
And Buck freezes.
Because that look it’s not like before.
It’s not quiet concern or gratitude or even friendship.
It’s charged.
Intent.
Like Eddie’s still in that moment under the car.
Like he hasn’t stopped thinking about it either.
Buck’s breath stutters.
Eddie doesn’t say anything.
Doesn’t need to.
The silence stretches.
And it’s thick with something they’re both trying really, really hard to ignore.
Buck breaks it with a crooked and awkward smile.
“I’ll just… yeah”
He turns quickly and heads for the locker room walking fast enough to escape the weight of the stare he feels on his back the whole way down the hall.
The lights are too bright in here.
The tile is cold beneath his feet.
Buck peels off his uniform slowly trying not to wince when the fabric sticks to his skin.
His hands are still shaking a little.
Whether it’s from the adrenaline,the exhaustion, or Eddie he doesn’t know anymore.
He steps into the stream and lets the hot water crash over his shoulders while tilting his head back and eyes squeezed shut.
But even here under the pounding rhythm of the water in a space meant to clear his
head he can’t stop thinking about him.
The way Eddie had looked at him.
The sound of his voice after the call.
That look when Buck mentioned the shower.
Like maybe they’re not just dancing around something anymore.
Like maybe they’re teetering on the edge.
Buck exhales hard and presses his palms to the wall.
He wishes he could scrub Eddie out of his mind but that’s not how this works.
Eddie’s not just in his head he’s under his skin.
In his chest.
Everywhere.
The way he’d said “you scared me” in different words.
like it mattered .
Like Buck mattered more than he was supposed to.
Buck had wanted to say something.
Do something.
He’d wanted to reach across the rig and close that last inch of space say me too but not because of the car.
Because of you .
Because the thought of losing you is unbearable.
Buck drops his head against the wall while letting the water run down his spine.
His mind wanders uninvited to what would’ve happened if he had said something.
If Eddie had followed him into the shower room.
If that look had turned into a touch .
He grits his teeth.
Shuts his eyes harder.
It’s not the time.
It’s not the place.
But his heart’s racing anyway.
And now every breath feels heavier with the weight of all the things they haven’t said.
Eddie stands just outside the shower room door still in his grimy t-shirt and uniform pants.
His hand hovers near the door for a long moment.
He doesn’t move.
Doesn’t knock.
Doesn’t go in.
But he’s thinking about it.
And the way his throat tightens when he hears the faint sound of running water from inside
It tells him everything .
He’s in trouble.
And he’s not sure how much longer he can pretend he’s not.
And now it’s been maybe half an hour and Eddie is still standing there with his arms crossed.
Leaning against the wall like he’s waiting for something but not sure what.
The station is quiet now with everyone doing whatever they want and the post call haze settling over the halls like smoke.
Hen and Chim disappeared somewhere
Bobby’s office light is off.
It’s just Eddie.
And the low sound of running water behind the door he almost knocked on.
He’s about to give up about to walk away — when the door opens.
And Buck steps out.
Hair damp with his curls a little wild and dripping clinging to his forehead.
A gray towel slung around his neck.
Loose sweatpants and a navy 118 shirt that clings slightly from the leftover steam.
His skin’s still flushed from the heat and he looks—
Eddie freezes and blushes immediately.
Buck rakes a hand through his curls and notices Eddie just standing there.
His brows lift in surprise.
“Oh—hey”
Buck says a little breathless.
“You, uh… still here?”
Eddie clears his throat and forces himself to look up not stare.
“Yeah. Just… was passing by”
Buck tilts his head.
“You’ve been standing in that exact spot for like ten minutes”
Eddie flushes deeper immediately.
“I wasn’t waiting for you or anything”
Buck smiles and it’s dangerous .
Soft and teasing and aware now.
“Sure you weren’t”
he murmurs.
Eddie opens his mouth to deny it but Buck walks past him and Eddie catches the faintest scent of soap and something warm. Clean.
Familiar.
Eddie’s brain goes offline for a second.
Buck’s already a few steps away when he calls back over his shoulder.
“I was gonna make dinner for the house. You hungry?”
Eddie blinks and follows Buck slowly.
“You’re cooking?”
“Caps mac and cheese”
Buck says proudly stepping up the stairs turning into the kitchen.
“The real one from scratch he made me swear not to butcher it”
Eddie can’t help but smile at the way Buck says that casual and cocky but proud in the way only Buck gets when he’s doing something for someone else.
His cheeks are still pink.
Damp hair curling wildly.
And now he’s humming grabbing a pot and moving around the kitchen like he belongs there.
And he does.
Buck always makes places feel warmer.
Eddie stands at the edge of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets watching him with something dangerously close to affection blooming in his chest.
“How’d you convince Cap to give you the recipe?”
Buck grins not turning around.
“I told him I wanted to make it for someone important”
Eddie’s heart trips.
“Someone important?
Buck glances over his shoulder and meets his eyes for a second too long and then shrugs and looks back to the stove.
“Yeah. The team. Everyone. You know”
But Eddie hears it.
You.
It sits there, unspoken.
Between the soft hum of Buck chopping onions and the gentle clatter of pans.
Eddie crosses the threshold finally and steps up beside him close but not touching. Just watching.
Eddies wtancing Buck as he stand next to hiked with his arms crossed pretending not to watch him with the intensity of someone watching something dangerous and beautiful .
“You’re really taking this seriously”
Eddie says smirking.
Buck doesn’t look away from the pan.
“Bobby said if I messed up the sauce, he’d revoke my right to even look at the spice rack”
Eddie raises an eyebrow.
“That’s dramatic”
Buck grins.
“Yeah, well. He was dead serious ”
Eddie eyes the bowl of shredded cheddar nearby and inches closer like he’s being sneaky.
Buck catches it.
“Don’t even think about it”
Eddie snorts.
“Think about what?”
Buck points the spoon at him.
“You cheese-thief. I saw that look”
Eddie leans just a little closer to the bowl.
“I’m literally keeping track of the cheese”
Buck says while scooping a generous portion into the sauce.
“You steal any, and the whole balance of the universe is thrown off”
“Sounds like a you problem”
And then swift as hell Eddie snatches a pinch of cheese and pops it in his mouth smirking victoriously.
Buck gasps.
“ Eddie! ”
“You gonna stop me?”
Eddie teases with his voice slightly muffled from chewing and grinning like a child .
Buck tosses the spoon into the sink dramatically and lunges toward him in mock serious.
Eddie stumbles back while laughing until he’s cornered against the counter.
Buck boxes him in without thinking with his hands on either side and leaning in like he's interrogating him.
The space between them narrows instantly.
The laughter fades.
Breathing shifts.
Buck’s grin softens and his voice going low.
“You’ve got cheese on your face”
Eddie blinks.
“Where?”
Buck’s gaze drops to his lips.
“Right there”
he says barely more than a whisper
Eddie’s throat bobs.
His smile fades just a little not gone just gentled into something quiet and undeniably real .
Their faces are so close now .
A breath away.
Buck's eyes flicker up to meet Eddie’s just as
“.. Buc k”
Eddie murmurs almost without meaning to. His voice catches on the syllable.
A question.
A want.
Buck stills.
Everything freezes.
And then—
“WHOA WHAT AM I WALKING INTO HERE?!”
Chim explodes into the kitchen like a wrecking ball waving an empty water bottle and staring at them like he just caught a soap opera live.
Eddie flinches back instantly with his cheeks going red .
Buck jumps like he just got hit with a stun gun nearly tripping over his own feet as he stumbles away from the counter.
“ Nothing! ”
Buck blurts.
“You’re not—you didn’t see— shut up, Chim! ”
Chim’s face is a gleeful explosion of mischief.
“Was that a moment?! ”
Chim asks pointing wildly between them.
“That looked like a moment. You were definitely about to kiss. I know a pre-kiss face when I see it—”
“ Get out! ”
Buck yells with his face now bright crimson , grabbing a towel and whipping it in Chim’s direction.
Eddie’s already walking toward the pantry trying to look completely unbothered and failing miserably.
He rubs the back of his neck, muttering something in Spanish that sounds like “ this is why I never talk about my feelings ”
Chim ducks the towel still grinning like he’s just won the lottery.
“I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW IT. Hen owes me five bucks and I’m telling mad-“
“ Chim! ”
Buck practically hisses.
“Out. Of. The. Kitchen”
“Fine, fine! I’ll leave the lovebirds to it—“
Eddie throws a bag of breadcrumbs at his head.
“OKAY, I’M GONE”
Chim yelps and finally retreats still cackling all the way up the stairs.
Silence falls.
Buck exhales.
Hard.
Eddie leans back against the counter still red.
Then Buck glances over.
“You said my name”
Eddie meets his eyes.
And the tension comes back not as sharp but smoldering .
Quiet.
Building.
“Yeah”
Eddie says.
His voice is soft again.
“I did”
Buck’s heart stumbles.
But before he can say anything else the timer dings.
The mac and cheese is ready.
Because of course it is.
Hen’s the first to appear following her nose with a suspicious squint.
“Is that what I think it is?”
Buck grins proudly from where he’s plating up servings.
“The one. The only Cap’s mac and cheese”
Chim slides in right after clearly recovered from his earlier chaos bomb moment.
“The sacred recipe?”
He gasps theatrically.
“Did Cap bless this?”
“I supervised”
Bobby’s calm voice as he enters behind them setting a water bottle on the table.
“Watched him grate every ounce of cheese. Even counted the paprika shakes”
Ravi appears next wide eyed and hopeful.
“Are we… allowed to eat this? Or is this like a… ceremonial offering situation?
Buck chuckles while handing him a plate.
“No ceremony. Just grab a fork before Chim steals your portion”
“I will ”
Chim says already halfway through stealing a piece of crispy corner cheese from Hen’s plate.
Hen smacks his hand.
“Touch my carbs again and we’ll have a real emergency”
Everyone settles at the table with a mix of groans and laughter digging in like it’s the last meal before the apocalypse.
Bobby takes a seat at the head of the table solemn and reverent with his fork poised over the mac like it’s a religious relic.
Buck watches him nervously while biting his lip.
Bobby scoops a bite.
Chews slowly.
Thoughtfully.
Everyone’s watching.
Then with the faintest nod Bobby says.
“You did good, Buck”
Buck glows and his grin is unstoppable.
“Yeah?”
“Perfectly creamy. Just enough heat. Crust crisp but not burned”
Bobby takes another bite then pats Buck on the shoulder.
“You honored the sauce”
Buck’s chest swells.
“Hell yeah, I didl
Hen raises her fork.
“I gotta admit, this slaps. Like, hard”
“Forget slaps”
Chim mumbles through a mouthful.
“I’d marry this”
“Please don’t”
Ravi says horrified.
“That’s cheese. You’re talking to cheese”
But Buck’s not paying attention to them anymore.
Because Eddie just took his first bite.
And he’s paused.
Frozen almost.
Buck watches with amusement turning quickly to anxiety.
“Uh… Eddie?”
Eddie looks up with his eyes wide like he’s genuinely staggered .
Then slowly and reverently says.
“ Jesus, Buck. This is amazing”
Buck laughs a little breathless.
“Yeah?”
Eddie nods once.
“Seriously. Like… this is criminally good”
Buck shrugs but his face is red now.
“I had to do it justice. For Bobby. And, you know…”
Their eyes meet for a beat too long.
You.
Again
Eddie’s gaze softens lips curving upward, quiet but full of something warmer than the food in front of him.
“You really did”
Buck looks down at his plate still grinning and still blushing.
Because praise from Bobby was one thing.
But
that
look from Eddie?
That’s the one that makes his heart skip.
The rest of the table is already arguing about seconds and fighting over corner pieces but for a few seconds it’s just the two of them again.
Caught in their own little moment.
No interruptions.
No teasing.
Just warmth.
Dinner’s over now.
The rest of the team has trickled away one by one Hen heading to her bunk with a satisfied sigh,Chim still loudly arguing with Ravi about who got the crispier corner piece, Bobby retiring with a quiet
“good job Buck”
and a rare proud smile.
Now it’s just them.
Buck stands at the sink with his sleeves pushed up and forearms wet as he rinses the dishes.
Eddie leans against the counter beside him towel in hand and drying everything Buck hands off.
It’s quiet.
Peaceful.
The kind of silence that feels full instead of empty.
“I still can’t believe Chim tried to propose to the mac and cheese”
Buck says while scrubbing a casserole dish grinning .
Eddie chuckles softly while handing over a dry plate.
“Honestly, I get it. I thought about doing it too”
Buck laughs and flicks water at him with the back of his hand.
“Hey@
Eddie grins ducking back.
“I’m serious. That was, like… legendary. Chris is gonna be pissed he missed it”
Buck smiles at the mention of Christopher.
“You think he’d like it?”
Eddie hums.
“He’d love it. Especially with those crushed goldfish crackers you added on top”
Buck grins.
“Secret weapon”
Their hands brush as Buck passes him another plate a soft and accidental touch that lingers just a second too long.
Neither of them pulls away.
Not right away.
Their fingers slide apart gently slowly and the air shifts warmer now.
Thicker.
Still.
Buck clears his throat after a moment with a soft smile tugging at his lips.
“Speaking of Chris…”
Eddie looks up with his eyes warm.
“Yeah?”
“There’s this science exhibit at the Griffith Observatory next weekend. Interactive stuff. Rockets, space junk, something about quantum foam—don’t ask, I didn’t get that far”
Eddie’s smile grows.
“He’d love that”
Buck nods, a little shy now.
“I thought maybe the three of us could go? I mean, if you’re not working. Or if he doesn’t already have plans. I know he’s got more of a social life than I do these days”
Eddie watches him for a second.
Something in his expression softens like Buck has no idea how easy it is to say yes to him.
“I’ll make sure we’re free”
Eddie says.
Buck’s eyes lift.
“Yeah?”
“YeahL
Eddie pauses then adds with his voice quieter.
“He misses you when you’re not around, you know”
Buck swallows.
“Yeah? I miss him too”
Another pause.
Then gentler
“And you?”
Eddie’s brows lift surprised.
Buck shrugs while pretending not to be holding his breath.
“You know. Do you… ever miss me?”
Eddie smiles slowly and sincere.
He doesn’t hesitate.
“Every time you’re not there”
Buck looks at him really looks at him. Something shifts behind his eyes something unspoken but full.
They’re standing so close now .
The only sound is the drip of water in the sink and the soft hum of the fridge.
The last dish is dry.
The towel is still in Eddie’s hand.
But neither of them moves.
Buck’s voice is barely a whisper.
“Cool”
Eddie leans in just slightly not enough to close the gap.
Just enough to feel it.
“Yeah”
he murmurs.
“Cool”
And they stay like that until Buck says something about going to go to the bunks to try to get some sleep and Eddie just shrugs and follows him like it’s the most normal thing ever.
Buck heart literally flutters when he sees Eddie just following him to the bunks
The lights are dimmed Chim’s faint snoring hums from the other side of the room. Someone’s pager beeps once and then stops.
Buck lies flat on his back with his eyes wide open.
He’s already flipped his pillow three times. Tried adjusting the scratchy firehouse blanket.
Counted ceiling tiles
Nothing helps.
His heart’s still full.
Still too fast.
Still stuck on Eddie’s voice earlier in the kitchen.
“Every time you’re not there”
It keeps echoing.
Over and over.
It felt like something they weren’t supposed to say yet.
Something
he’s not sure Eddie realized he said out loud.
And it cracked something open in Buck something that makes it really hard to just… sleep.
He glances toward the other end of the room.
Eddie’s silhouette is still.
Curled on his side back to the wall.
Blanket up to his chest.
He looks peaceful. Probably asleep.
Buck sighs.
Then like a man possessed he very slowly and quietly grabs his phone off the side shelf.
He stares at the screen for a second.
Then starts typing.
Buck:
You ever think about how if we lived on mars mac and cheese would boil weird?
Pause.
Backspace.
Backspace.
He frowns.
Rewrites.
Buck:
if we go to space one day, will you let me cook for you there too?
Buck stares at it.
Then winces.
Buck:
not like. romantically. unless?? no nvm
He groans softly and hides his face in the blanket.
Then he’s still flushed but he sends it anyway.
Across the room nothing happens for a long moment.
Buck swallows.
Regret. Regret. Regre—
Then his phone buzzes.
Eddie:
I would eat your space mac any day.
Buck stares.
Blinks.
Then his phone buzzes again.
Eddie:
and fyi.
I’m not asleep.
also. don’t say “space mac” ever again.
Buck covers his mouth to keep from laughing.
Another text comes in:
Eddie:
unless you mean that romantically too. in which case. maybe.
Buck’s face goes red.
Like full-body blush .
He curls into his side, grinning into the blanket in the way someone does when they’ve just been kissed even if they haven’t been.
Not yet.
His thumbs hover.
Then he types:
Buck:
noted. no more space mac.
just… regular earth mac and maybe feelings too?
Eddie doesn’t answer right away.
Then:
Buck:
feelings too.
Buck tucks the phone under his pillow with just eyes wide and heart hammering and a smile blooming across his face in the dark.
From across the room Eddie shifts slightly.
Buck turns over and watches the soft curve of his silhouette in the bunk and feeling something dangerous and sweet rise in his chest.
They’re still ten feet apart and yet they’ve never felt closer.
It’s been about 2 hours since the last text message from Eddie and Buck is still wide awake laying still in his bunk still on his side. Still facing Eddie’s bunk across the room. The firehouse is silent now
He thinks maybe Eddie’s fallen asleep after that last text.
He wouldn’t blame him.
The adrenaline’s worn off.
The dishes are done.
The mac and cheese is long gone.
But then…
Eddie shifts.
A quiet rustle of sheets.
The barely-there squeak of the mattress.
Buck holds his breath.
Eddie turns over slowly in his bunk facing him now.
They just look at each other.
Across ten feet of dark in the warm hum of the bunk room.
Just watching.
It’s not intense or dramatic.
No heavy breathing or aching stares.
It’s quiet .
But it’s everything .
Eddie’s head is nestled on his pillow with his expression soft and open.
There’s the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Buck mirrors it without thinking.
No words.
Just smiles.
Just… them.
Then Buck’s phone is still under his pillow and vibrates once.
He lifts it carefully and unlocks it and sees the name and immediately smiles.
Eddie:
You wanna go up to the roof?
Buck’s heart does a somersault.
He glances up again and Eddie’s still watching him face half-lit by the red glow of the emergency light and smile deepening just a little now, like he knows what he just did.
Buck doesn’t hesitate.
He types back quickly
Buck:
meet you there in 2?
Eddie:
already grabbing my hoodie.
Buck’s grinning as he kicks off the blanket and swings his legs out of bed as quiet as he can.
He grabs the nearest hoodie from his locker probably Hen’s whatever and pads toward the stairs.
Behind him he hears the soft creak of Eddie’s bunk as he follows.
The city sprawls beneath them its quiet and glowing with a hazy smog layer softens the horizon but above them the sky is surprisingly clear.
The stars blink gently overhead scattered like a secret only a few people bother looking up for anymore.
Buck is already there with his hoodie zipped up sitting on a folded blanket he found which is also probably Hen’s
He’s leaning back on his palms with his legs stretched out and face tilted up toward the sky.
Eddie pushes open the access door a moment later carrying two paper cups of whatever sad excuse for coffee was left in the kitchen.
Buck turns his head and grins.
“You came bearing gifts”
Eddie shrugs.
“You’re the one who stayed up past your bedtime”
Buck laughs while taking a cup.
“It’s space. It’s always worth it”
They sit side by side with their backs against the low wall.
Buck spreads out the blanket over both of them without asking.
Eddie doesn't protest.
Their shoulders brush.
And their legs.
And their elbows.
And maybe that’s on purpose.
They sip in silence for a moment while watching the night.
Then Buck says with his voice soft but animated,
“Okay, see that one? Right above that weirdly orange-looking billboard?”
Eddie squints.
“Kind of?”
“That's Orion’s Belt. The three stars in a row. People always recognize that one”
Eddie hums.
“You always remember this stuff”
Buck smiles down at his cup.
“Yeah, well… space was kinda my first escape. As a kid. Before I found firefighting or…”
He glances sideways.
“Other things”
Eddie meets his eyes.
“Other things?”
Buck’s gaze lingers for a beat too long.
“You know. Life stuff”
Eddie smiles but there’s something shy beneath it.
Buck looks back up at the sky.
“You ever hear of the Pleiades?”
“Sounds familiar”
“It’s a cluster of stars. Also called the Seven Sisters. Some of the stories say they were daughters of Atlas, turned into stars to escape being hunted.”
He pauses.
Some stories say they were running from heartbreak”
Eddie’s quiet.
“Did it work?”
“What?”
“Running”
Buck glances over.
“Depends which version you believe”
Another moment passes.
Then Buck points again.
“There’s Cassiopeia. That W-shape? It’s a queen. In mythology, she was cursed for being too proud of her beauty. Ended up chained to the sky forever”
Eddie snorts.
“Sounds dramatic”
Buck smirks.
“Ancient gods were basically messy drama queens”
“Like Chim”
“Exactly like Chim”
Buck says with a laugh while nudging Eddie’s knee with his own.
Eddie bumps him back gently with their legs staying pressed together now under the blanket.
Neither one moves.
Then Eddie murmurs,
“You ever want to go there?”
Buck blinks.
“Where?”
“Up there. Space”
Buck exhales through a smile.
“As a kid? All the time. I thought it’d be the only place I could be quiet”
Eddie’s voice is softer now.
“And now?”
Buck glances sideways again.
This time his answer is slower and quieter
“Now I think I found something better”
Eddie looks at him and Buck’s already looking back.
Their legs are still pressed together.
The blanket’s warm but the heat between them is something else entirely.
“I like this”
Eddie says.
Buck raises an eyebrow.
“Sitting in the cold on a roof with burnt coffee and myths about vengeful stars?”
Eddie nods once and it’s sincere .
“With you”
Buck swallows.
Hard.
His voice is rough when he says it
“Yeah. Me too”
Eddie shifts his hand just slightly and lets his pinky graze Buck’s.
Buck doesn’t move away.
Neither of them speaks.
They just sit there.
Under the stars.
Shoulders touching.
Knees still pressed.
Coffee forgotten.
Breaths slower now.
Buck and Eddie haven’t moved in minutes with their legs pressed together under the blanket and hands just barely brushing now and then hearts beating just a little too fast.
Eddie shifts slightly while he stretches out a leg and murmurs,
“We should probably head back”
Buck nods he’s reluctant but knowing.
“Yeah. Before Hen wakes up and finds out I stole her good blanket”
Eddie chuckles low and warm standing slowly and offering a hand.
Buck takes it.
He doesn’t have to.
Could’ve stood on his own.
But he takes it anyway.
Their fingers stay linked half a second too long before Eddie lets go.
Buck folds the blanket over his arm as they head toward the rooftop door wound their shoulders brushing and neither saying much.
The kind of silence that means something.
They descend the metal stairs one slow step at a time their footsteps are soft almost careful.
Every movement feels… intentional.
Like neither wants to break the spell of the rooftop.
Eddie nudges Buck gently with his elbow as they round the last step.
“Thanks for coming up”
Buck smiles while turning slightly toward him.
“Thanks for asking”
They stop outside the bunk room door.
For a moment neither opens it.
Eddie leans his shoulder against the wall.
“You ever gonna run out of star facts?”
Buck shrugs while smirking.
“Not a chance. I’ve got a whole galaxy of them”
Eddie huffs a soft laugh the kind he only does when he’s really, really fond of someone.
“Of course you do”
Another pause.
One of those quiet moments where it feels like something could happen.
Like maybe Buck could lean in.
Like maybe Eddie wouldn’t pull away.
But Buck just smiles again softer now.
“Night, Eds”
Eddie meets his eyes.
“Night, Buck”
They step into the bunk room into their separate bunks.
Buck lies on his side now again with his blanket pulled to his chin.
Eddie’s already settled in his bunk across the room and turned toward the wall.
Or at least that’s what Buck tells himself so he won’t keep looking .
But his mind’s still racing.
Back on the rooftop.
The way Eddie’s hand had hovered next to his.
The way they’d smiled at each other in the dark.
The way Eddie had said,
“I like this. With you”
Buck should’ve kissed him.
He could’ve.
He almost did.
And now with the room still and the blanket too warm and his heart aching in his chest, he whispers to no one but himself
“…I should’ve kissed you”
But Eddie doesn’t hear.
Or maybe he does.
Maybe he’s lying there wide awake too, staring at the wall biting his lip and thinking he should’ve kissed Buck .
Either way they don’t sleep for a long time.
And they don’t stop thinking about each other once.
Buck stirs awake
His eyes blink open slowly and his body stiff from sleeping too warm under the firehouse blanket with his heart still a little full from last night.
He rolls onto his side automatically glancing toward the bunk across the room.
Empty.
He blinks again.
Sits up slightly.
Eddie’s not there.
And his blanket is neatly folded.
Pillow fluffed.
Like he left a while ago .
Buck rubs a hand through his sleep-messed curls while frowning and maybe smiling just a little.
Then he hears it
Pans clinking.
Something sizzling.
The smell of bacon and eggs wafting in from the kitchen.
Eddie is standing at the stove in his soft gray t-shirt LAFD and sweatpants with his hair still slightly damp from the world’s fastest shower.
He’s humming under his breath some soft Spanish tune that only comes out when he thinks no one’s listening.
The bacon pops in the pan.
The eggs are already plated.
Two mugs of coffee sit side by side on the counter.
Hen walks in halfway through and immediately narrows her eyes.
“You’re up early”
she says suspiciously casual.
Eddie shrugs without turning.
“Didn’t sleep much”
Hen folds her arms smirking.
“Sure. That wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain rooftop stargazing session, would it?”
Eddie freezes mid flip of a pancake.
“Hen”
She raises a brow.
“Look, I wasn’t gonna say anything—”
“You’re saying something”
“—but when two grown men go missing at the same time in the middle of the night and return looking like someone hit them with a box of feelings, I notice”
Eddie doesn’t respond.
He just focuses on the pancake.
“Let me guess”
Hen adds.
“You didn’t kiss him”
Eddie blushes .
“Hen!”
Hen grins.
“You’re lucky he’s just as stupid about you”
At that moment Buck wanders in from the hallway still half-asleep and the LAFD hoodie slung over one shoulder.
He pauses at the doorway taking in the sight of Eddie at the stove with two plates already ready and Hen looking entirely too smug.
“Uh… morning”
he says with his voice scratchy.
Eddie turns and softens immediately.
“Hey”
he says with his voice a little too warm for someone supposedly
“just making breakfast”
Buck grins while rubbing his neck.
“You made food?”
“For us”
Eddie says.
Like it’s obvious.
Hen sips her coffee.
“Wow. Both of you. Doing so well pretending you’re not in love”
Buck chokes on air.
“I—I’m sorry—what—”
Eddie glares at her.
“Hen”
Hen shrugs.
“What? I’m just observing. This is basically a romantic comedy but with more smoke alarms”
She pats Eddie on the shoulder as she walks past.
“Good luck with the pancakes, Romeo”
She’s gone before either of them can respond.
Buck and Eddie are now sittting across from each other with breakfast plates steaming between them. Bacon, eggs, perfectly golden pancakes. Coffee mugs. Silence.
Not awkward.
Just… full.
Buck pushes a bite of pancake through syrup and grins.
“Okay, you win. These are better than mine”
Eddie shrugs like it’s nothing.
“Chris taught me”
Buck laughs softly.
“Yeah, that sounds about right”
As Buck takes another bite and Eddie pulls out his phone and taps out a message.
Eddie:
Hey, bud. Remember that science exhibit you wanted to go to? What do you think about next weekend?
A second later Chris replies.
Chris:
YES!!!!! when do me and Buck go?? is he gonna be the rocket again??? can he come in the car???
Eddie stares at the screen.
Smiling and shaking his head fondly.
Buck glances up mid-chew.
“What?”
Eddie tilts the phone so Buck can see.
Buck reads it and his ears go pink immediately.
“You didn’t even say I was going”
Buck says stunned.
“I didn’t”
Eddie agrees while chuckling.
“But he just— assumed —”
“Yeah”
Eddie says softer now with his thumb brushing the edge of his plate.
“He always assumes you’ll be there”
Buck looks down at his fork.
Swallows.
His voice is quieter now.
“I… I wanna be”
Eddie looks at him. Long and warm.
“You are”
And Buck smiles.
Not the cocky one.
Not the goofy one.
The one that says:
I’m here. I’m yours. Even if we haven’t said it yet.
beneath the table their feet bump once
and neither one pulls away.
The end-of-shift sun slants across the dashboard as Eddie pulls away from the station with one hand on the wheel and the other resting near the gearshift.
The windows are down just enough to let in the breeze.
It smells like warm asphalt and distant jacaranda blooms.
Buck’s in the passenger seat with his legs stretched out,and sunglasses on with his hair still damp from a rinse off.
He’s got his phone in his hand but hasn’t looked at it in a while instead he’s been sneaking glances at Eddie every few seconds.
Not that he’s counting.
“You always drive like this after shift?”
Buck asks finally breaking the silence.
Eddie glances over.
“Like what?”
Buck grins.
“Like you’ve got nowhere to be and you’re trying to soak in every yellow light like it owes you something”
Eddie chuckles under his breath.
“That obvious?”
“Kinda charming, actually”
Eddie raises an eyebrow.
“Charming?”
Buck shrugs.
“You’ve got post-shift dad energy”
Eddie groans while thumping his head lightly against the headrest.
“Don’t say ‘dad energy’ while I’m trying to be cool”
Buck snorts.
“It’s endearing! You’re like… mellow. Chill. You’ve got the windows down and one elbow out the window. You’re practically a country song”
Eddie laughs now, full and warm.
“You’re ridiculous”
“Am I wrong, though?”
“Only about the country song. I’m at least a sad indie track with unresolved feelings”
Buck raises his eyebrows.
“Wow. You do listen to May’s playlists”
Eddie just smirks.
The breeze rushes through the cab for a minute.
It’s quiet again but not uncomfortable.
Buck leans his head against the window and watches the city blur by.
“I used to hate this part”
Buck says suddenly.
Eddie glances over.
“What part?”
“The end of shift. The… drive back to regular life. Felt like losing something. Like I didn’t know what to do with myself outside the station”
Eddie hums.
“Yeah. I remember that”
Buck swallows, eyes still on the window.
“Doesn’t feel like that anymore”
Eddie doesn’t answer right away.
When Buck finally looks at him he finds Eddie watching him already.
“What?”
Buck says with heat blooming in his chest.
Eddie’s voice is quiet.
“Maybe that’s ‘cause you are part of someone’s regular life now”
Buck blinks.
He opens his mouth but nothing comes out.
The air in the cab changes like the weight of those words is still floating between them settling gently into the silence.
Then Eddie clears his throat and quickly changes the subject.
“Chris is gonna lose it when he sees you’re in the car”
Buck grins with gratefulness and aching all at once.
“Think so?”
“He always asks if you’re coming when I pick him up. Even when you’re not scheduled. Like it’s a given”
Buck exhales a laugh.
“He’s the only person who doesn’t make me feel like an accidental third wheel”
“You’re not”
Eddie says while looking over at him for a beat.
“You never have been”
Buck’s heart thuds in his chest.
“Yeah?”
Eddie nods.
“You’re just… part of us.”
Buck looks down at his hands.
“I like being part of you”
Eddie’s jaw tightens like maybe he hadn’t meant to say all this out loud.
Like maybe hearing Buck say that hits harder than it should.
They don’t talk for a minute.
But the silence feels loud now.
The school comes into view just up the street.
Buck straightens a little while pushing his sunglasses up on his head.
“So, you think Chris’ll be excited?”
Eddie lets out a breathy laugh.
“Excited? He’ll probably assume we’re picking out tuxes next”
Buck’s eyebrows shoot up.
“Wait—tuxes?”
Eddie gives him a pointed look.
“Have you met my son?”
Buck grins and already laughing as Eddie pulls into the pickup lane and throws the truck in park.
Eddie leans his head back against the headrest and smirks trying to hide the fact he’s blushing.
And then, before either of them can say anything else
Chris comes walking cheerfully.
Big smile.
Backpack bouncing.
Walking like a kid with a mission.
Buck waves.
Chris waves back then squints at the truck.
At both of them.
And the smile turns mischievous.
Eddie sees it.
“Oh no”
he mutters under his breath.
Chris yanks open the back door and climbs in like he owns the place.
“Hey Dad. Hey Buck”
Pause.
“Did you guys kiss yet?”
Eddie whips around with his eyes wide.
“Christopher!”
Chris just smirks.
Buck’s jaw drops.
“Wait—what?!”
Eddie mouths furiously at his son
“Shut. Up.”
Chris raises both eyebrows and shrugs
“I mean, you obviously want to”
Eddie slams his head lightly into the steering wheel again.
“I’m never picking you up with Buck again”
Buck’s wheezing now.
“Too lat
Chris says from the back seat acting smug and proud.
“You love him”
Eddie turns and glares.
“You’re grounded”
Chris shrugs.
“Still worth it”
Buck’s laughing so hard he can’t breathe.
Eddie pulls out of the pickup lane muttering under his breath.
Chris leans forward between the seats, clearly not done.
“So are we having pancakes tonight or are you guys gonna flirt the whole time and pretend I can’t see it?”
Eddie just groans, but Buck is blushing and beaming as he turns back and says
“Obviously pancakes”
Chris throws a fist in the air.
“Yes! I love love!”
The kitchen is alive with the sound of music.
Christopher’s perched on a stool by the kitchen island with his phone propped in front of him grinning like the tiny chaos gremlinhe is.
He’s got a curated playlist titled “LOOOOOVE ❤️🔥💍” and it’s currently blaring “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley.
He hits the volume up.
Buck groans from where he’s whisking pancake batter in a giant mixing bowl.
“Okay, seriously—Chris, do you have any songs that aren’t wedding slow dances?”
Christopher smirks.
“Nope”
Eddie flips a pancake on the stove with one hand smirking to himself.
Buck points his spatula toward him.
“You’re letting him do this”
Eddie shrugs innocently.
“I don’t control the DJ”
Chris snorts.
“You can’t control me, I’m in love song mode!”
Buck groans dramatically.
“We’re making pancakes, not prom proposals!”
“You’re flipping pancakes”
Eddie says while walking past Buck to grab the cinnamon from the cabinet.
“I’m making art”
Buck gasps.
“Did you just insult my pancakes?”
Eddie throws him a grin over his shoulder.
“If the batter fits…”
Buck immediately flicks a little flour off his fingertips at Eddie’s back.
Eddie freezes.
“Don’t”
he warns without turning.
Buck’s grinning like a menace.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that your very fragile chef ego?”
Eddie turns around slowly.
“You wanna talk about egos, Buckaroo, we can pull out your signature ‘I once fought a grease fire with my bare arms’ story again”
Christopher is giggling maniacally.
Buck lunges with flour-covered hands outstretched.
“You take that back!”
Eddie yelps and spins out of reach just in time.
“Don’t you dare touch me with those hands!”
Buck’s cackling.
“Oh, I dare!”
Chris slams his phone down.
Guys!! Not in the pancake zone! This is a love kitchen!”
Buck freezes mid chase.
Eddie ducks behind the island.
Both of them dissolve into laughter.
It’s been about 20 minutes later and now there are stacks of fluffy pancakess in a tower on plates in front of them sigh butter melting and syrup glistening.
Buck and Eddie sit across from each other while Chris pours exactly too much syrup on his plate and smiles like the king of domestic matchmaking.
Chris chews a bite thoughtfully, then swallows and says,
“Sooo… when’s the science thing?”
Eddie glances up.
“Next weekend. Saturday”
Chris nods quickly and groans.
“I really wanna go!!”
Buck smiles.
“We figured. Rockets, black holes, slime that glows in the dark?”
Chris grins.
“It’s cooler if you’re there too”
Eddie raises an eyebrow.
“What, I don’t add coolness points?”
Chris chews his pancake.
“You’re like… three coolness points. Buck is like, seven”
Buck fist pumps.
“Finally, someone acknowledges the truth”
Eddie laughs.
“I’m being replaced in my own home”
“You’ve had a good run”
Buck says solemnly.
Chris is grinning.
“Can we go early?”
Chris asks.
“I wanna see everything. Maybe twice.”
Eddie nods.
“We’ll get there first thing. Grab snacks. Make a whole day of it”
Chris beams.
“And can we take pictures? Like… family pictures?”
Eddie freezes just slightly.
Buck does too.
Chris looks between them like it’s the most natural request in the world.
Because for him?
It is.
Buck recovers first.
“Yeah, bud. Of course. I’ll bring my good camera”
Eddie meets Buck’s eyes and there’s something unspoken there. Something soft. Wide open.
He nods, voice quiet.
“Yeah. Family pictures”
Chris doesn’t notice the pause he’s too busy humming along to whatever love song has started playing now on his tablet.
But Buck does.
Buck notices everything.
And even though they don’t say it he can feel it in his chest like gravity.
They all eat laughing and smiling and now the dinner plates are in the sink.
The music has faded.
The only light comes from the glow of the TV and a single lamp in the corner painting everything in amber.
Buck and Eddie are sprawled on the couch not touching but close.
A bowl of popcorn sits forgotten between them.
Their knees keep bumping but neither of them moves away.
Christopher is curled up on the other end with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a burrito with his eyes on the screen.
A nature documentary plays
. Something about bioluminescent sea creatures narrated by a soothing British voice.
And it’s…
Peaceful.
Until—
Chris groans loudly and sits up.
“This is very boring”
Eddie blinks.
“You picked it!”
Chris shrugs dramatically.
“Well, I was wrong. I’m gonna go play games. You two can watch fish kiss or whatever”
Buck chokes on a laugh.
Eddie just stares.
“Fish don’t—okay, never mind”
Chris stands grabs his phone and heads toward his room without another word.
He pauses in the doorway to point at them both.
“Try not to fall in love without me”
Eddie turns bright red.
Buck is wheezing.
The bedroom door clicks shut behind Chris, leaving them alone in the cozy dim.
Buck sighs a soft little sound as he slouches lower on the couch.
His eyes are heavy and his body is limp from food and laughter.
He blinks once.
Twice.
Then yawns.
“Man”
he mumbles rubbing his eye with the back of his hand like a kid.
“Why is your couch so comfortable?”
Eddie glances over smiling faintly.
“You can lay back if you want”
Buck slouches more while still obviously fighting it.
“I’m good. I’m fine. Just watching some fish kiss”
Eddie watches him for a beat longer with his eyes fluttering and shoulders sagging clearly two seconds from passing out but still pretending he’s “fine.”
“Buck”
Eddie says with his voice gentle.
“Come here”
Buck freezes.
Turns his head slowly.
“What?”
Eddie shifts slightly, opening his arm just a little.
Not a big gesture.
Nothing demanding.
Just enough.
“I mean, you’re already falling over. Might as well make yourself comfortable”
Buck blinks at him stunned for a second.
Then slowly and hesitantly he scoots closer and carefully lowers himself down and resting his head against Eddie’s chest like he’s done it a million times in a dream.
Eddie settles his arm around Buck’s back, hand warm against his shoulder.
Buck melts.
Lets out a slow breath like he’s been holding it for hours.
Eddie’s heartbeat is steady beneath his ear. His t-shirt soft.
His scent familiar soap and cinnamon from earlier and something just Eddie.
Buck lets his eyes drift closed.
“You good?”
Eddie murmurs.
“Yeah”
Buck mumbles.
“This is… better than watching fish kiss”
Eddie chuckles quietly and pulls the blanket off the back of the couch to throw over both of them.
Buck doesn’t move.
Just nestles in closer.
Eddie rests his chin on top of Buck’s head.
Doesn’t say a word.
But the way his fingers gently skim over Buck’s shoulder
the way he breathes like he’s finally calm
The TV’s gone quiet since asking “Are you still watching?” and being ignored.
The only light now is the streetlamp glow spilling through the window
Eddie glances down.
Buck’s still nestled against his chest with his breathing slow and steady and his eyelashes brushing his cheek.
Not quite asleep but close.
Eddie can feel every tiny shift in his weight the way Buck twitches slightly when he yawns and the way he’s unconsciously curled closer in his sleep.
His hand had ended up bunched in the hem of Eddie’s shirt somewhere along the way, and now he’s holding it like it anchors him.
Eddie clears his throat softly.
“You should come sleep in my bed”
Buck doesn’t respond right away.
His body tenses just slightly with a flicker of alertness behind the sleep.
Eddie keeps his voice low, careful.
“The couch’s gonna kill your back. Just crash in my room”
Buck finally shifts a little pulling back to look up at him with one eye cracked open.
“You sure?”
he murmurs with his voice hoarse with sleep.
Eddie nods not quite trusting his voice.
Buck blinks slowly clearly too tired to argue.
“Okay”
he whispers.
He peels himself off Eddie with the clumsy grace of someone who is ninety percent asleep.
He yawns huge and rubs at his face as he trudges toward the hallway.
Eddie watches him go stunned for a second that it was that easy.
That Buck didn’t overthink it.
That he didn’t.
Maybe they’re both too tired to be scared of what this means.
Eddie turns off the last of the lights and follows.
The room is cool and quiet.
The covers are still pulled back on one side from the other day.
Buck’s already sitting on the edge with his hoodie peeled off now just in a worn t-shirt and sweatpants blinking down at the floor like he’s still trying to remember how legs work.
Eddie steps inside and crosses to the bed. He doesn’t say anything and just sits on the other side pulling the comforter up.
Before he can even settle in properly
Buck climbs into his space.
No hesitation now.
He just moves, like gravity’s pulling him there.
He flops right on top of Eddie with his cheek pressed against Eddie’s chest and arms loosely wrapping around his torso like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
His body is warm and solid and soft with trust.
Eddie makes a startled little sound and his hands fly up awkwardly and land against the pillows behind his head.
“Okay”
he says breathlessly staring up at the ceiling.
“Hi”
Buck hums sleepily against his chest.
“Sorry. Just… comfier here”
Eddie laughs softly with his arms still frozen.
“Yeah, no—totally. I, uh… I noticed”
Buck doesn’t lift his head.
Just shifts slightly until he’s fully molded to Eddie with one leg hooked over Eddie’s thigh now and a deep sigh leaving his body like every muscle finally let go.
Eddie hesitates then lowers his arms.
Wraps them carefully around Buck.
Lets his hands settle at the small of Buck’s back and his chin resting gently on Buck’s forehead.
It feels like peace.
Like belonging.
Like he’s been waiting to hold Buck like this for years.
Buck murmurs something almost too soft to hear.
“What was that?”
Eddie whispers.
“…Told you I liked being part of your life”
Buck mumbles already half-asleep.
“Told you…”
“I know”
he whispers.
And then they both go still.
Wrapped in warmth.
Heartbeat against heartbeat.
No space left between them.
Buck blinks awake slowly.
At first he doesn't know where he is.
Then he shifts slightly and everything clicks.
Eddie’s arm is slung heavy over his waist.
Buck’s head is tucked under Eddie’s chin.
Their legs are tangled.
And Eddie is holding him.
Tightly.
Like maybe Buck is something precious he doesn’t want to let go of.
Buck's heart stutters in his chest.
His whole body is cocooned in warmth
not just from the blanket but from Eddie . From the scent of clean cotton and cinnamon and home.
For a moment Buck just lies there. Breathing.
Soaking it in.
And then slowly and carefully he tries to move.
He shifts just enough to create a little space trying not to wake Eddie.
But
A low sleepy murmur escapes Eddie’s chest
“Don’t…”
Buck freezes.
“…don’t move”
Eddie mumbles still barely conscious.
His voice is thick and slow with sleep.
“You’re warm”
Buck’s breath catches.
He swallows.
“Eds?”
he whispers.
Eddie’s grip tightens slightly around him, his cheek resting more firmly against the top of Buck’s head.
“Just… stay”
he mumbles.
“You always leave too early in my dreams…”
Buck’s eyes go wide.
His heart pounds.
But he doesn’t move again.
Not even a little.
Instead he settles back in his head against Eddie’s chest one hand curling gently into the front of Eddie’s shirt.
“Okay I’ll stay”
Outside, the city begins to wake.
But inside this room wrapped in Eddie’s arms Buck stays exactly where he is.
And when Eddie breathes in and he smiles in his sleep.
The sun is higher now m
The house is quiet too early still for Christopher to be up and the city beyond the window is just beginning to stir.
Buck wakes first.
His eyes flutter open slowly with his
Buck’s cheek is still tucked into Eddie’s chest, and their legs are… very much still intertwined.
Buck is panicking internally .
Okay, it’s fine,
he tells himself.
Just don’t move too fast. Don’t freak him out. Don’t act like you’re hyper-aware of every place your body is touching his. Don’t—
Too late.
Eddie shifts with a soft groan.
Buck goes absolutely still.
“Mm”
Eddie mumbles while stretching slightly beneath him.
His voice is husky with sleep.
“What time is it?”
“I—I don’t know”
Buck says way too quickly and voice cracking like a teenage boy.
Eddie blinks open one eye head still on the pillow.
And then he sees it
Buck.
In his arms.
Staring at him with wide with his bright blue eyes and absolutely zero chill.
There’s a beat of silence.
Then
“…Morning”
Eddie says awkwardly.
“Morning”
Buck replies trying and failing to sound casual.
Another pause.
Buck clears his throat.
“Slept great”
Eddie nods, still not moving.
“Yeah. Me too. Very… restful”
Buck glances down.
Sees that his hand is still resting right over Eddie’s heart.
He retracts it quickly like he touched a stove.
“Sorry”
he says sitting up a little too fast.
His curls are a mess his shirt riding up on one sideband he’s got that freshly woken look that would be adorable if he wasn’t trying to disappear into the mattress.
Eddie props himself up on one elbow, suddenly very aware that his entire torso is still warm from Buck’s body heat.
“No, you’re fine. It’s… it’s fine”
They stare at each other.
It is not fine.
It is definitely not “just best friends crashing”
Buck rakes a hand through his hair.
“I can—I should make coffee. You probably want coffee. I’ll just…”
He starts to get up swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
But Eddie’s voice stops him.
“Buck?”
Buck freezes.
“Yeah?”
Eddie sits up fully now, rubbing the back of his neck.
His voice is quieter.
“You didn’t… have to leave”
Buck turns halfway with his eyes soft.
“I didn’t want to”
That hangs in the air for a second.
Eddie’s mouth curves just slightly.
“Good”
Then Buck because he cannot, smiles shyly.
“You talk in your sleep, you know”
Eddie groans flopping back onto the pillow.
“Oh God. What did I say?”
“Something about me being warm”
Buck says grinning now sith the tease creeping into his voice.
“And that I always leave too early in your dreams”
Eddie dies inside.
He yanks the blanket over his face.
“Nope. Not hearing this. I’m asleep again”
Buck laughs it’s soft and genuine the tension lifting just slightly.
“I stayed”
he says gently.
Eddie peeks out from under the blanket.
His eyes are still sleepy, but there’s something else there now something real and open.
“I know”
And for a long and quiet moment and neither of them moves.
Then—
A knock on the door.
“Are you guys awake? I smell coffee and also you left the pancake batter out!”
Buck and Eddie both jump like they were caught making out in high school.
Buck bolts for the door, trying to fix his hair.
“I got it! I got the batter!”
Eddie chuckles under his breath while watching him go.
Then he flops back onto the bed,l with arm over his eyes still smiling to himself like a man who just woke up who had the best night of his life.
Buck steps out of Eddie’s bedroom slowly trying to look normal.
His shirt is wrinkled and his curls are wild he’s definitely got Eddie’s blanket lint on his shoulder.
He pauses and straightens his shirt a littleand rubs at his eyes before heading toward the kitchen.
He’s halfway down the hallway when—
“Good morning…
sleepyhead
!”
Buck jumps like he’s been caught sneaking out after curfew.
He turns to find Christopher standing in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed and eyebrow raised like a judgmental older sibling who’s seen things.
Buck clears his throat.
“Hey, buddy. You’re up early”
Chris doesn’t move.
“Did you sleep in my dad’s bed?”
Buck freezes.
“Uh—technically, yes?”
Chris grins.
“Did you cuddle ?”
Buck’s ears go bright red.
“W-what? No. I mean— yes? Maybe? It was cold! The couch sucks! Your dad offered!”
Chris just smiles like this is going exactly how he planned.
“Mm-hm. And how long have you two been secretly in love and pretending you’re not?”
Buck makes a strangled noise. “What happened to you being a sweet, innocent kid?”
Chris shrugs.
“I live here. I observe ”
Behind the wall just around the corner, Eddie is standing absolutely still clutching a coffee mug to his chest like it’s the only thing tethering him to earth.
He is dying.
He’s trying not to laugh.
He’s also trying not to scream.
Buck’s still floundering.
“Okay, look”
Buck says with his hands up.
“Nothing’s happened. Not really. We’re just… figuring stuff out. Like… slowly. Grown-up slow. Okay?”
Chris tilts his head.
“So you like him?”
Buck swallows.
“Yeah. I really do@
Chris nods like that’s acceptable
“So when are you gonna kiss?”
“ Christopher! ”
Buck nearly yelps.
Eddie chokes on his coffee around the corner.
Before Buck can answer Chris checks the microwave clock and lets out a gasp.
“We’re gonna be late! ”
Buck spins around.
“Wait, what time is it?!”
Chris is already dashing toward his room to grab his bag.
“You were too busy cuddling to set an alarm!”
“ It wasn’t like that!! ”
Buck yells after him.
Eddie finally rounds the corner pretending like he hasn’t been eavesdropping the whole time.
“He’s right though—we’re gonna be late. Shift starts in twenty. Go throw on your uniform”
Buck blinks.
“I’m wearing half of it!”
“You’re barefoot”
Buck looks down.
“Okay. Technicality”
Eddie smirks.
“Hustle”
Chris reappears with his backpack tossing Buck his shoes from the floor with surgical accuracy.
“Let’s go, lovebirds!”
“ We are not— ”
Buck starts then gives up with a groan.
There’s shoes thudding,Keys being grabbed,Backpack zippers and Buck slamming a travel mug lid on crookedly. Eddie herding them both toward the front door with his “Dad Voice” fully activated.
“Chris, jacket! Buck, keys! No, not
my
keys—yours! The red ones!”
“I
don’t know
where I put them, I was half-asleep and on your chest!”
Eddie pauses
“Okay well—
now you’re awake.
Move!”
Chris mutters to himself gleefully.
“I should’ve recorded this”
Buck jumps into the passenger seat of Eddie’s truck.
Eddie slams the driver’s door and starts the engine.
Chris climbs into the back like this is the most routine morning ever.
They all look a little disheveled.
A little chaotic.
But they’re smiling.
Soft, crooked and secret smiles.
Because despite the flustered morning and the wild child matchmaker in the backseat...
This is exactly right.