Chapter Text
1.
Buck kept kissing him until he shifted apart. "What are you doing?" he whispers.
Eddie's too busy touching Buck's back, torso and arms going forward to his belt. "Guess it."
"Not in my sister's house." he smiled, kissing his neck. "If you'll keep it quiet..." Eddie added but the younger wasn't going to follow. "Nope, stop it."
"Oh, c'mon." Eddie's hands just dropped by his sides and their foreheads touched. "Think about this...it's Chimney's...also." Buck's wording came out as convincing. "Okay, you've got a point."
"Glad to help." he replied like he won an important argument.
"I'll go undressed then '' Eddie shrugged and went to unbutton his pants. "Eddie, no!" he said loudly in a chuckle and they heard a knock on the door; both of their hands locking the other's mouth.
"Buck? You there?" Chimney's confused voice was ahead and he was the last person they wanted to be found by. Eddie looked at Buck, pressing his hand on his face in saying 'Don't' but Howard knocked again and he could surely see the light inside. "Yeah!" Buck said and when the door opened he shoved Eddie in the open closet closing it. "Hey, we're about to start the game....What are you doing here?"
"I was....uhm, looking for my jacket." he convinced himself, feeling his own frown. "I think it's on the couch." Chim thought of it.
"On the couch?" he put a hand on Chim's shoulder to make him turn to the hallway, "What a terrible guest." and closed the door for Eddie who laughed, closing his eyes..
He waited to hear the distant voiceover to slightly open the door to look outside where, after a quick move, he made it up just to be stopped by a little figure who stared at him. Eddie smiled big and kneeled near Nia. "Hey, you. We haven't spent much time together yet."
"You Eddie?"
"Yup, that's me."
"You look funny."
"Oh, I'm the entire circus." he winked, "Circus isn't good... they treat animals bad."
Eddie chuckled. "You're clearly your mom's daughter, aren't you?" Nia smiled.
"Can I lift you up and see what the adults are doing?" she just lifted her arms in the air, giggling.
"Oh, no, you don't know what you're doing. You'll never gonna have her on the floor again." Karen said from her spot behind the little girl. "Oh, I'll live. Ready?"
He sat on the couch, Hen, Michael and David were into a deep conversation about med school and how they could help the community, Karen was helping Maddie with food, Buck was still talking to Chim because it wasn’t impossible for Buck to know everything and still haven’t watched important movies.
Bobby and Athena were out of town for the first part of the honeymoon in between work they never had after the fight about keeping secrets and deciding on the others' back, they found a compromise: different trips, for the groom and for the bride.
Athena would've asked for another agent to work with on patrol and Bobby would tell her when he was ready to retire, speaking of which, he wasn't yet. They left Harry at May's new apartment to keep her company in the early days and Christopher was spending the night at abuela's, some cousins were visiting.
"Oh, you're finally here, Eddie." said Maddie, taking the Pictionary and Charade's boxes to the table.
"I’m gonna team up with Hen" Michael lifted his hand.
“That can’t be right. It’s like me choosing Hen, we do have our own language” Chim remarks. “Don’t you have it with me?” Maddie says skeptically. "Michael?" David asks in the same way, lifting eyebrows.
“We're not saying that.” Grant replies.
“So…” Buck took a seat near Eddie. “And you can’t sit with him either.” Chim points out. “Nobody’s ever gonna win if you separate brains.” Hen smirks.
Michael laughed but David marked. "You're underestimating me, babe. I'm a jolly in these games"
"Okay then." he smiles.
“Do the kids count?” Karen asks.
All of them eyed Denny and Nia, “Nia, are you ready to spend some quality time with your new best friend Buck?”
She giggled and made her way to his lap, “I won.” Eddie laughed by his side.
“Denny, choose wisely your next step” Hen said to her son, Denny looked around, “I want to play with uncle Michael”
“We just lost our children” Karen took the first card.
“What’s your emergency?” Linda asked on the line.
“Help! My friends are gonna fall! The bridge is falling!”
There was a car almost falling over a bridge on a cliff, they were a group of friends and some of them were hysterical watching the car’ small cracks every time Chim, Eddie and Buck tried to go down.
"Hey, hey! I'm working here, okay?" Buck said with his arms up, he was taking some other gear from the truck.
"On what exactly?! Watching us while my friend is up there?"
Buck knew the guy was just worried, "I'm waiting for my team to know what to do, without getting us harmed. It's not easy."
"Buck. We're going there, get ready." Eddie just arrived.
"Finally!" shouted the guy getting closer in a threatening way. "Get your ass there and do something!"
"Hey, what's happening here?" Eddie stopped and looked at a distressed Buck, "Your colleague is just losing time."
"Okay, listen. You should calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down!" the guy snapped.
"Okay, sorry."
"If that was one of your friends-"
"We've been harmed before, it's tough, we know. Just let us do our job. Your friend will be perfectly fine."
The guy shot a look at Buck then moved a step back looking at Eddie "He better be." and went away, Eddie wasn’t looking at the guy’s back anymore just to Buck’s hopeless look so he squeezed his arm. "C'mon, don't mind him." pulling him to go.
Buck was strangely silent back at the firehouse, he even ate not even half of his usual meal and kept playing with the fork, "Buck? You alright?" Bobby asks and of course Eddie’s attention was still on him.
"Yeah."
"Who wants ice cream?" Athena made her entrance, losing her dark glasses showing a plastic bag. "Hope there's a lot of chocolate." said Buck, "You're covered, boy."
Bobby swung his attention to his wife in a wide smile and when she got closer he kissed her fondly. "Oh, someone really wanted ice cream" she replied.
Eddie smiled, laying to the back of the seat. "How's the honeymoon going?"
"Great." Bobby said. "We've been in Costa Rica," counting with his fingers. "Greece." Athena continued. "Vienna and we're going to Rome and Venice next time."
"Cool. I've never been to Italy." said Buck.
"Are you getting the postcards?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, I guess I'm gonna do it with those."
"What's going on, Buckaroo?" Athena asked, reaching him and passing one hand on his shoulder, her gaze on Hen but she didn't know.
"Just a guy with angry panic on the scene today." Eddie adjourned.
"You shouldn't get them on your mind. They don't know what we're doing most of the time." Bobby comes back to his chair.
"I know. " He shrugged.
"We're gonna get you a big present on the next trip." Athena added.
"You see? He's the favourite." Chim underlined. "Just because he's younger." Hen joked and Chim tilted his head in agreement. "Spoiled."
"Children, don't be jealous. Mom's gotta work now. Bye, guys.”.
It was Hen and Chim' turn to take care of the leftovers and Eddie took advantage of the moment, aside from Bobby who was reading something on his phone, to reach Buck's legs under the table. They were intertwined and he just put a foot over them and one at a side. Buck looked at his cup of ice cream first then at him who had two big longing eyes and Buck just wanted to share that spoon of chocolate with him like that night at his loft...but he couldn't. So he just swallowed that bite and the others in the company of the small weight of comfort.
"Do you trust me?" Said Buck over the phone.
Eddie shifted some papers on his bed. He was finally back to his usual mood. "Yes...but don't start a conversation like that, it's scary."
He could hear him tapping on the keyboard of his laptop."Just, wheels and a handlebar"
"Buck..."
"Hey, have I ever done something to hu-"
"Okay, okay, I'll listen."
"So, the skate isn't easy to handle, right? I was thinking about a modified bike. I'll paint it cool."
"Do you need help?"
"Yeah, you got a garage for starters and on paper it looks easier."
"You designed it, already?"
"It's three months until Christmas, we should work on it yesterday."
Eddie leaned against the wall, school papers on his lap, a pen between his fingers. "Eds?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Did you...have something else in mind? We can come up with two gifts."
Eddie smiled. "It's not that."
"Will you elaborate?"
"Not really."
"You don't like the bike idea?” he could hear his signs of sadness. “We could-"
"Buck, your idea is good. I-...I just keep thinking about how I was right in letting you two get so close."
Buck smiled shyly on his couch, "Why don't you come over tonight?"
"I'll try to ask, you know, we can never know the answer." Eddie scoffs, getting up to reach Chris's bedroom while Buck grinned. "Christopher"
"Mh?"
"Do you want to have dinner at Buck's tonight?"
"If he'll be able to help me with math also."
"He can't stop complaining about my math skills" he moved back to talking on the phone.
"Since you got none, even with extra classes…" Buck smirked allusory.
"Stop it." Eddie bumped his back on the wall to go back to the living room.
"Never going to happen, sorry. Pizza?"
"I was in a Thai mood, actually." Eddie admits walking down the corridor.
"I've got the right number then, a new place."
"See you in twenty."
In the waiting, Buck tried to find a good website to learn 6th grade math, he ended up yawning so opened Facebook for last resort.
Who can teach me 6th grade math in five minutes gets a big box of cookies. ASAP .
He soon gets a reply from TK Strand:
@TK Strand @Paul Strickland someone needs you '
It's good to hear from you, guys! he adds.
@TK Strand We helped Mateo with his dyslexia for the test. Paul is great in boring subjects '
@Paul Strickland Hey, Buck. Tell me everything .
Buck looked for their direct chat.
Buck Buckley
Hi! My friend's kid, Christopher, needs help with homeworks… we suck.
Paul Strickland
Don't worry, but it'll be easier on a webcam. I've got a board, the kitchen board 👌
Buck Buckley
You make it sound fun, gimme your number, I'll call after dinner, is it okay for you?
Paul Strickland
Sure! See you later.
"I've got a facetime call for us later" he says to Chris already claiming his dinner on the table. "Another teacher?" he soothed.
"No, he's a colleague from Texas."
"Who?" Eddie asks, opening the beer.
"Paul."
"Oh great. We should visit them again and thank him a lot."
Buck took his laptop to the kitchen island, Eddie was washing the dishes and Chris was ready with Buck' notebook. Paul accepted the call and saw Buck fixing the screen, "Hi!"
"Hello! How can I help you?"
"Since my dad and Buck are a mess I needed someone qualified to teach me--"
Eddie laughed and shook his head, Paul could see his back then he turned around. "If you could teach him social etiquette too, it would be awesome. Thanks for helping, Paul."
Chris smiled and Eddie ruffled his hair. "Not to mention it. So, expressions are easy to do, the difficulty is memorizing the formula."
While Paul kept talking and the kid asked questions he noticed Buck on the background to the right, near Chris, replying to Eddie and the other passing beside him once in a while touching his waist, shoulder, neck and Buck smiling every time. He was famous in his team for getting clues in cases but that happened in his life too… especially with people he didn't know much about, with relatives it was harder because of feelings, closeness that could catch you off guard. He got something going on between them and, by what TK told him after the first time they met and the Instagram posts… he was even more sure.
Two hours after, homeworks went brilliantly done and Chris was feeling more positive about an upcoming test. "Thanks for your help" Chris smiled and Buck helped him to get off the stool.
"Thanks man, and I wasn't kidding about the cookies. Send me an andress." Buck charmingly smiled..
"Oh I will, I never say no to cookies. If you need me weekly, I'm in."
"I might fall for it, don't fool me!" Eddie appeared on the screen.
"Just give me a call."
"You're awesome."
"I'll leave you now, have a good night!" Buck waved.
"You too, bye!"
When Paul closed the call he found TK chat's blinking red.
TK Strand
Hey, was that Eddie's kid, right?
Tell me everything
You remember what I said to you about Buck?
Paul Strickland
We ended the call just now…
TK Strand
So?
Paul Strickland
TK you know I don't like to talk on anyone's backs
TK Strand
We're not doing that! It's just you and me
Paul Strickland
Why do you want to know?
TK Strand
Because he's hot and can't also be single
Paul Strickland
...🤨
TK Strand
and my radar is never wrong!
Paul Strickland
All I will say to you is…
TK Strand
'You were right.'
Paul Strickland
They're cute and funny
TK Strand
Paul! C'mon
Paul Strickland
Should I really say something if that's obvious?
TK Strand
Wait...where were they?
Paul Strickland
By Buck's IG pictures that was his loft, they had dinner and Chris's homeworks
TK Strand
...🤭
Paul Strickland
...he tagged me on IG, wait
The picture showed Chris with an almost empty box on a coffee table looking unamused to Buck before the TV. Eddie, near him in the background, laughing watching the tv.
The description was:
Hope you like hazelnuts 'cause Chris ate all the choco ones, he says he's sorry.
Paul lifted a brow and commented: Everything else but raisins!
TK Strand
omg!!
Paul Strickland
no need to be so loud!
TK Strand
OMG
Paul Strickland
this isn't a tv show
TK Strand
more like...soap opera.
Paul Strickland
🤦♂️
"Your IG is... focused, Buck"
"It has never changed… It's been six years since I shared our pics" they took away the blanket from Buck's bed. "If I stop now… it will become suspicious." Chris was already sleeping on the bed downstairs.
"I'm gonna share breakfast on stories tomorrow" he challenged when they were both under the sheets.
"Oh no, you will not." he smiled.
"I will."
"Nope." he turned his back to him and Buck lended on it, Eddie scoffed out a breath laughing. "You're not exactly a feather"
"Are you saying I'm heavy?"
"Just a little."
"I've got an idea to help that." he whispered to his ear.
"Buck?" he felt the other going down and removing his underwear. "Don-" he was interrupted by Buck's tongue between his cheeks, he repressed a moan into the pillow.
Buck giggled softly, dressing him. “Lesson learned”