Chapter Text
Buck shows up at Eddie’s on Sunday wearing a nice pair of dark denim jeans and a red sweater that Eddie doesn’t think he’s seen before. He looks good, Eddie thinks absently as he walks into the kitchen.
Buck has arrived exactly at four, as promised, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because Eddie has spent the last forty-eight hours completely freaking out about this dinner while simultaneously convincing himself that he’s not doing that. A curse, because he and Buck went from an extremely awkward shift on Wednesday to what seemed like normal on Saturday.
Except it wasn’t.
Buck was bright and fun like usual the whole shift, no indication that Wednesday had even happened. Eddie would have believed that it was all some weird fluke except for the fact that Buck was avoiding him, sort of.
On Wednesday, Buck had barely been able to be in the same room as Eddie. On Saturday, he was talking to Eddie, joking with him like normal, but he wasn’t touching him.
It had taken a few hours for Eddie to pick up on it, that while Buck was back to his usual self, he wasn’t around . He hadn’t sat next to Eddie at breakfast, instead electing to sit next to Hen. Every time he’d started to reach out he seemed to change his mind and his arm would drop back into his lap. He hadn’t bumped his shoulder against Eddie’s as they walked, something he always did. He hadn’t given Eddie a high-five when they beat Hen and Chim at pool. Weirdest of all, he’d curled up alone in the armchair after dinner instead of leaning against Eddie on the couch to watch the late-night news.
Eddie’s not really sure when he noticed that he and Buck were more tactile with each other than the others, it’s always just been a fact of his life. But he’s definitely noticing now, when Buck seems to be going out of his way to avoid any physical contact.
It wasn’t just that Buck wasn’t reaching out anymore either. Eddie had put his hand on Buck’s arm to stabilize him at the gym and Buck had flinched . If Eddie sat next to him, their arms touching, Buck wouldn’t last five minutes before finding an excuse to stand up.
It was weird . And Eddie can’t for the life of him figure out what he did wrong. He’s been going over every interaction he’s had with Buck in the last week trying to place it but he honestly can’t think of anything.
So he’s been a little worried about this dinner, because if Buck is mad at him then how the hell are they going to get through this?
But Buck walks into Eddie’s house with a grin and an armful of groceries so he can cook and everything seems fine. He’s come prepared with a whole pitcher of something that looks like tea and a tupperware of what Eddie thinks may be his favorite cookies. Buck greets Eddie like everything is normal and picks Chris up to spin him around, whooping as he does so. Everything is very aggressively fine.
So now Eddie is sitting at his kitchen table, watching Buck hop around the kitchen as he prepares one of Abuela’s recipes, humming to himself, and Eddie is trying really hard to think of a normal way to ask his best friend why he’s not touching him anymore.
There’s not one, because it’s a weird thing to get hung up on. Eddie knows that ok? But it’s bothering him anyway and he really wishes Buck were just outright angry at him or something. That would be easier.
There’s also a small part of Eddie’s brain that points out that it should be weird that his best friend is more at home in this kitchen than he is, but it’s been established that Eddie can’t cook, so he ignores that.
“Which recipe did she give you?” Eddie finally asks, tired of tapping his foot under the table.
Buck jumps, like he’d forgotten Eddie was there, and Eddie has to bite back a smile. “I made Abuela’s cinnamon cookies this morning after the shift cause I couldn’t sleep,” Buck says, nodding at the tupperware on the counter. “For dinner, I’m actually making two things cause I wasn’t sure what Ana might like? I’m making pork tacos with the mango salsa you and Chris love cause I know it’s a crowd-pleaser, and also Isabel gave me her tamale recipe.”
Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up. Abuela guards that tamale recipe like it’s a national secret. Eddie doesn’t even have it. Granted, he’s never asked, but given Abuela's opinions on his cooking skills, he kinda doubts she’d give it to him. “Really?”
Buck’s cheeks go red so he turns back to the pork. “It took some begging, don’t get me wrong. I promised I’d fix that broken step on her back porch once she’s vaccinated.”
Eddie is silently very grateful that Buck isn’t looking at him right now, otherwise, he’d see Eddie’s jaw on the floor and Eddie doesn’t really know how to explain the shock running through him. Among other things. Eventually, he lands on, “You’re going to fix my Abuela’s step?”
Buck nods, a little stiffly. “I was going to offer anyways but I figured it might help me get the recipe.”
Eddie nods too, pretending that any of this makes sense. He knows his family loves Buck, they ask about him almost as often as they ask about Christopher. It’s just that Abuela’s recipes have always been a very closely guarded family secret, some of them are probably going to follow her into the grave, she’s that picky about who gets them. Buck is family to Eddie and Christopher, always , but Eddie hadn’t realized how much that had extended to his family. He wonders absentmindedly how Abuela would feel about Ana and for some reason finds he can’t even picture it.
It’s a bit of a weird thought.
“Oh!” Buck exclaims like Eddie isn’t having a crisis at the table behind him. “I also made that hibiscus tea you like. It’s in the fridge,” he says, pointing. Eddie had been wondering what was in the pitcher that Buck had shown up with.
“With or without the rum?” Eddie asks, because Abuela always makes it with rum and he’s feeling a little like alcohol might make this whole crisis go away for right now.
Buck laughs, throwing him an exasperated look as he pours some kind of seasoning into his hand before sprinkling it into the pot. “Without, I figured we weren’t looking to get wasted at this dinner.”
Eddie disagrees, personally, but Buck has a point.
“But I did add mint, cause I know Chris likes it with mint.”
A strong wave of emotion hits Eddie and he stands up abruptly. “I’m gonna go see how he’s doing with his homework,” Eddie says, feeling unsteady on his own two feet.
“Yeah, go ahead, I’m good here.” Buck’s voice is nonchalant as he waves Eddie out of the kitchen. Eddie’s going to— well, he’s not actually sure what he’s going to do. He hasn’t got a single clue what’s going on in his head right now, all he knows is he needs a minute to breathe.
He does actually check on Christopher just to make sure he’s actually finishing up his writing assignment, but Chris doesn’t need any help so Eddie wanders into the bathroom and closes the door.
Eddie stares at his reflection in the mirror for a moment, trying to slow his racing thoughts. He doesn’t look like he’s freaking out. He’s wearing a dark blue henley that he doesn’t break out very often and jeans similar to Buck’s. His hair looks nice and Eddie absently thanks himself for not running his hands through it like he tends to do when he’s anxious. Then he’d just have to redo it which he doesn’t feel like going through again. His reflection looks a little tired in the mirror but otherwise, Eddie thinks no one would be able to tell that he’s kind of losing it.
The thought calms him down a little. It’s been a weird few days. Something is definitely going on with Buck and for the first time in their friendship, Eddie has no clue what it is.
He thinks that he should probably be putting more thought into Buck and Ana meeting for the first time, but he can’t really focus on that when he’s worried about his friend.
He’s also still feeling overwhelmed by that wave of emotions from earlier but try as he might, he can’t name it. It takes a surprising amount of resolve to push the feelings down but he manages it. That’s a problem for another time.
Eddie stays in the bathroom for another minute, taking a deep breath and composing himself. Everything is going to be fine.
He checks his watch as he walks back into the living room and sees that it’s already five-thirty. Ana will be here in half an hour.
He should probably feel more excitement at that notion.
Chris isn’t in the living room, but Eddie hears laughter coming from the kitchen and can’t help the smile that spreads on his features.
Buck and Chris are standing side by side in the kitchen, Chris on the stool stirring something in a bowl while Buck tells him what he’s adding as he does it.
It’s a soft scene, one that makes Eddie’s heart swell as he leans against the doorway and watches them.
“Dad!” Christopher says when he notices Eddie standing there. “Buck made Mexican cinnamon cookies! And he said that next time he makes them he’ll teach me how!”
Eddie grins, walking over to join them. “Oh, did he?”
Buck shoots him a slightly lopsided grin, the one reserved for when he feels like he’s been caught being happy. It’s one of Eddie’s favorite’s and Eddie is suddenly struck with the urge to lean over and kiss Buck on the cheek to reassure him that it’s ok that he’s happy and that he’s wanted here.
It’s a disorienting thought.
“They’re your favorite, right, Dad?” Chris asks excitedly.
Eddie tears his eyes away from Buck to grin down at his son. “Yeah, they are, Buddy.”
“Do you mind setting the table?” Buck asks tentatively. “I would do it but I wanna get these finished up.”
Eddie nods and says, “Sure.”
For a moment, he convinces himself that this is a different night. It’s just him, Buck, and Christopher making dinner together, laughing with each other, and getting settled in for a movie night.
Eddie teases Buck and Chris about making him do the grunt work as he sets out plates, glasses, and silverware. He and Buck share a fond look when Chris protests that cooking is harder than setting the table. It’s nice, comfortable. So much so that when the doorbell rings Eddie actually forgets that someone else is joining them.
“Right on time,” Buck says, wiping his hand on the towel. But something shifted, his smile is less bright and he seems tense. Eddie tries not to read into that.
“Chris, can you go wash your hands?” Eddie asks as he walks to the front door. Chris nods, also looking significantly less relaxed than he was a moment ago and Eddie has to force himself not to read too much into that either.
Ana is smiling brightly when Eddie opens the door, wearing a knee-length pink dress and holding a covered dish. “Edmundo!” She says brightly, leaning in for a kiss that Eddie reciprocates almost on autopilot. “I know you said not to bring anything but I felt bad so I made cookies.” She holds up the dish and Eddie smiles reflexively.
“That’s very sweet of you,” Eddie says, hoping that he appears less nervous than he is. “Come on in.”
She follows him into the kitchen where Chris and Buck are waiting. Buck smiles brightly at the sight of them and if Eddie didn’t know him so well he might have missed the tension still lingering on Buck’s features.
“Hi, you must be Ana!” Buck reaches out to shake her hand so Eddie takes the dish from her and sets it on the counter. “I’m Buck. It’s great to finally meet you.”
Ana smiles back at Buck, shaking his hand almost carefully. “You as well, Edmundo and Christopher talk about you so often, I feel like I already know you.”
Buck laughs, but it sounds forced to Eddie’s ears. Maybe he’s projecting.
“All bad things I assume,” Buck teases, shooting a grin in Eddie’s direction.
Teasing, this Eddie can do. “Oh yeah, we really hate you here at the Diaz household.”
Christopher laughs. “Maybe you, Buck is my favorite.”
Buck ruffles his hair. “You’re my favorite too, buddy.”
Ana is smiling as she watches the interaction but something seems off. Recovering quickly, she turns to Chris, kneeling down. “Hi, Christopher, how are you doing?”
Chris shuffles slightly closer to Buck. “Hi, Ana. I’m good.”
Ana smiles. “Glad to hear it.”
There’s a moment of awkward silence so Buck claps his hands together and says, “Well, I don’t know about you guys but making dinner has made me hungry, are we ready to eat?”
Everyone agrees so Buck shepherds them to the table, still smiling. “Food smells delicious, Eddie said you cook?” Ana asks, surveying the kitchen as she sits next to Eddie.
Buck nods, serious. “I’m only the worker bee, this little man runs the operation.”
Chris grins. “Buck’s cooking is the best, he made tamales!”
Buck’s cheeks flush slightly and he ducks his head to hide his grin. “I made two things actually, I wasn’t totally sure what you’d like.” He sends an apologetic look in Ana’s direction. “Pork tacos with mango salsa, but I also made Abuela’s Famous Tamales.”
Eddie rolls his eyes. “Buck is not-so-secretly my abuela’s favorite which is the only reason he got that recipe,” Eddie explains to Ana, who nods like she understands but is looking confused.
Buck laughs. “Hey, tease all you want, but I wear Abuela’s favoritism as a badge of honor.”
“That mango salsa sounds great to me,” Ana says, and Buck grins like she just made his day.
Buck insists on getting everyone’s food for them, so Eddie gathers drinks for everyone. He pours three glasses of hibiscus tea immediately before offering Ana wine or water. She agrees to try the tea as well, telling them that she’s never tried hibiscus tea before, which sends Buck on a miniature tangent about how he had never tried it either before his first dinner at Abuela’s and insists his life has never been the same. Eddie rolls his eyes fondly at the story so he almost misses Ana’s smile slip for a moment.
Again, she recovers quickly.
They get settled around the table with food and drinks and that’s when the two-way interrogation begins.
Buck opens Christopher’s tamale for him without being asked, which prompts Ana to ask, “How long have you guys known each other, you seem very close.”
Buck smiles, he loves this story, Eddie’s heard him tell it a dozen times. “Since Eddie’s first day at the 118, he hated my guts—“
“Not true at all,” Eddie laughs. “If I recall correctly, you were jealous of me .”
Buck rolls his eyes. “Only because I was self-centered and an idiot,” he shoots back. “The department was doing one of those hot firefighter calendars to raise money and I was a little vain back then,” Buck explains to Ana.
“Back then?” Eddie asks, mild.
Buck points his taco at Eddie. “I’m sorry, who is telling this story?” Eddie raises his hands in surrender, mouthing oops to Christopher, who laughs. “That’s what I thought ,” Buck says.
Ana looks like she’s torn between her persistent confusion and smiling at their antics.
“Anyways,” Buck continues, rolling his eyes at Ana as if to say you see what I have to deal with? “I was kind of rude to Eddie for most of that first shift because, well you’ve seen him, I was sure he was going to steal my spot in the calendar. And I was pissed everyone liked him immediately when that had not been how my first shift went. But I got over it.”
“You so did not,” Eddie cuts in. “You risked your life to prove that you were just as good as me, which you didn’t have to do.”
“I didn’t risk my life to prove a point, I risked my life to do my job, proving my point was a bonus. Anyway, that night this guy shot himself with a grenade launcher on accident.”
Ana raises her eyebrows. “How on earth do you do that?”
Buck laughs. “I know, right? Well, the guy told us it was just a practice round so we were taking him to the hospital to get it removed when Eddie noticed that it wasn’t a practice round, it was live. It’s a good thing he was there, none of us have military training like that, we wouldn’t have noticed and then a lot of lives would have been lost. We ended up having to take it out right there on the side of the road. And there I was, putting my life in the hands of a guy I was trying really hard to hate. It’s a pretty good way to bond, living through a dangerous situation like that. But he got us through it and we’ve been partners ever since,” Buck finishes with a fond look at Eddie.
Eddie grins. “Tell her the best part.”
“What? That you’re not actually impressive with bombs, you’re just a good actor?” Buck asks, teasing and Eddie grins right back at him. “The ambulance blew up like two minutes after we cleared it,” Buck explains.
Eddie laughs. “That was not on me, the grenade turned over in the safety box.”
“Uh-huh, sure ,” Buck responds, sharing an exasperated look with Christopher who laughs brightly. He loves hearing Buck tell stories.
“Hey, everyone lived, that’s a win in my book,” Eddie says offhandedly. “But no, I meant the part about the calendar.”
Buck groans. “Oh my god, that is so not the best part. But fine.” He turns his attention back on Ana, letting out a very convincing pained sigh and Eddie snorts into his tea. “Our friend slash coworker Chimney got the calendar spot. So I was mad at the wrong guy anyway.”
“He did deserve it though.”
“Yeah, he did, but that doesn’t mean he had to tell Maddie about it while I was in the room. She’s my sister, Eds.”
Eddie laughs. “I’m pretty sure you’ve seen them do worse.”
“Please never remind me ever again.”
“So you and Christopher met pretty early on as well?” Ana asks, pulling them both out of their own little bubble. Eddie feels guilty all of a sudden, like maybe he should be paying more attention to her.
“About a week later, yeah. You remember the big earthquake a few years back? Eddie was freaking out the whole shift about Christopher, by the time the shift ended I wasn’t sure he was gonna follow traffic laws on the way to pick him up. That would have been bad for everyone, so I offered to drive him to the school which is where I met Chris.”
“And he’s been my best friend ever since!” Chris announces, grinning.
Buck smiles and ruffles Chris’ hair fondly. “That’s right.”
Ana nods. “That must have been difficult to work through.”
“Natural disasters are always hard,” Buck agrees, and Eddie knows where this is going immediately. “But, I’d rather work one than get caught in one.”
“Oh?” Ana asks, glancing at Christopher like she’s connecting the dots.
“Buck was on the pier with Christopher last year,” Eddie explains, hoping they can avoid bringing up the tsunami outright. Chris is suddenly very interested in his food and honestly, Eddie isn’t totally sure how this is going to go. Chris doesn’t talk about the tsunami much, and when he does it’s mostly to Buck. Eddie appreciates it, knows that it’s more helpful to both of them, but he hasn’t forgotten the nightmares that used to wake his son in the middle of the night. He’d rather not trigger those again.
Ana is looking between the three of them, shock written plainly on her face. “I knew that Chris had gotten caught in that, I wasn’t aware you were watching him,” she says to Buck. Her voice is mostly level, but there’s an accusation lying somewhere just under the surface, and Eddie’s skin starts to prick. Buck ducks his head, the tips of his ears bright pink and suddenly Eddie thinks it’s not Chris he has to worry about. Buck still blames himself on some level for what happened that day, no matter how many times Eddie reassures him that he did everything right.
Eddie’s about to say something in Buck’s defense but Chris beats him to it. “Buck saved me.” Chris’ jaw is set and he’s looking at Ana like he dares her to contradict that statement. She looks taken aback, like she’s not sure how to respond.
Buck is still avoiding eye contact with all of them and still hasn’t said anything. Eddie flexes his hand on the table, itching to reach out for Buck, to reassure him again that there really is no one in this world Eddie trusts with his son more, but he’s aware enough that he probably shouldn’t say that in front of his girlfriend. So instead, he adds to what Chris said. “You did save him, and you nearly killed yourself doing it. We are always going to owe you for that.”
Buck seems to come back to himself slightly. Smiling softly at Eddie, and Eddie’s heart does not beat faster. It doesn’t. “I wasn’t that bad, I was fine, just worried.”
Eddie rolls his eyes. That’s the understatement of the century. “You were still on blood thinners. The three days you spent in the hospital weren’t a vacation.”
Buck shrugs, clearly still uncomfortable. They’re veering dangerously close to lawsuit territory and that’s a topic that they tend to avoid, as a general rule.
As per usual, Chris saves the day. “But now Buck knows everything about earthquakes and tsunamis,” he says excitedly.
Buck smiles sheepishly, clearly thankful to be back on safe ground. He loves nerding out with Chris, and Eddie loves watching them. “Not everything, Buddie, I just like to read, like you. So, Ana, Eddie says you’re a vice-principal now, how does it compare to being a teacher?”
The change of subject is smooth and Eddie’s grateful Buck is here. Left to his own devices, Eddie probably would have butchered the conversation even more. Ana seems glad to let the topic of conversation be about her for the time being so Eddie settles back into his food, trying to ignore the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop.
And it does, kind of spectacularly.
They finish dinner and Buck stands up to grab both plates of cookies from the counter. He’s made the cinnamon ones, which are, again, Abuela’s recipe. He really outdid himself on this dinner, Eddie knows how hard it is to get these cookies just right. Ana made simple chocolate chip ones and is clearly excited for them all to try them.
Eddie grabs a chocolate chip, to be polite. And they’re, well, fine . Not the best chocolate chip cookie Eddie has ever had but not bad. He’s craving a Mexican Cinnamon cookie though. Buck also takes one of Ana’s because he’s being aggressively nice at this dinner.
Chris, however, cheers as the cinnamon cookies are presented and immediately takes two, all but showing the first in his mouth.
Buck laughs, “Don’t eat them too fast, buddy, you can only have three cookies, remember?”
Chris pouts and Buck fixes him with a look that clearly says behave right now and I’ll sneak you another later . It’s probably supposed to be subtle, but Eddie knows all of Buck’s looks, he’s not slick.
“Christopher, would you like a chocolate chip for your third?” Ana asks sweetly, already reaching for one, but Chris shakes his head quickly.
“No, Buck’s cookies are my favorite, Dad’s too!” He’s smiling as he savors his second cookie and reaches for a third, clearly oblivious to the tension that races into the room.
Eddie probably should have seen this coming, honestly.
Buck, who might be a saint, the jury’s still out, just laughs. “Don’t worry about him,” he says reassuringly to Ana, “These cookies take forever to make and with our work schedule I don’t have a chance to make them very often, he’s just excited. These chocolate chip cookies are amazing , is there almond butter in them?”
Eddie could kiss him, honestly.
Oh.
That’s a new one.
Fortunately, Eddie doesn’t get a chance to spiral over that thought because Ana is looking both hurt and flattered, which is an impressive look to pull off, and all she says is. “Oh, um, thank you.” She shakes herself out of the shock and adds, “Yes, there is, I can’t believe you noticed.”
Eddie laughs nervously. “Buck stress bakes, so he knows a lot about what goes into cookies to make them good. And really, these are great.”
Ana thanks him quickly but she seems to be thinking something over. Buck’s phone rings, cutting through the silence. He smiles apologetically. “Sorry, it’s Taylor, I better make sure everything is ok.”
He leaves the room quickly so all Eddie hears is “Hey, everything ok?” before he’s out of earshot.
Ana looks intrigued, like she’s adding another piece to a very complex puzzle and Eddie is still feeling nervous. He wishes Buck hadn’t left the room.
It’s probably not a good sign that Eddie doesn’t want to be alone with his girlfriend and his son.
Buck comes back in, apparently having mastered the world's shortest phone call. “Sorry about that, she was wondering if she left her hoodie at my place, I told her I’d check when I got home.”
“Is Taylor your girlfriend?” Ana asks, looking extremely interested. Eddie holds back an eye roll. Buck and Taylor do fine as friends, but Eddie does not want to see what a relationship would look like between them.
Buck, to his credit, just laughs. “Oh, no. We sort of tried that—“ Eddie snorts and Buck glares at him “—but we’re definitely not compatible that way. We’re just friends. Plus, Eddie hates her, so he’d probably be a dick if he had to see her all the time.”
Eddie sniffs indignantly. “I do not hate her. I barely know her, I just haven’t really had a good interaction with her. And like you said, she’s not right for you.”
“If you don’t hate her, could you stop glaring at her every time she shows up at a scene?” To Ana, he says, “Taylor’s a reporter.”
“Reporters get in the way!” Eddie protests. “It’s not specific to her.”
Buck levels him with an unimpressed look. “Right.”
“Finished,” Christopher announces, licking cinnamon and sugar off of his fingers.
“Awesome, glad you liked the cookies,” Buck says, sharing an amused look with Eddie. “Can you put your plate in the sink for me?”
Chris nods, taking his plate over to the counter. Ana is looking between Chris and Buck, her brows furrowed.
“Can we play video games, Buck?” Chris asks, walking back over to stand next to Buck’s chair.
Buck smiles apologetically. “Not tonight, bud. It’s a school night and it’s already eight-thirty.” Chris pouts. “Another night, ok?”
“Can you go make sure all of your stuff is sorted for school in the morning?” Eddie asks, before Chris starts to beg for a movie or something.
Chris agrees halfheartedly and disappears from the kitchen.
Ana stands up quickly and both Eddie and Buck jolt at the sudden movement. “You’re right, it’s getting late and it is a school night, I should get going.”
Eddie doesn’t really have a good reason to protest that. He’s exhausted after this dinner and isn’t sure how much longer he can keep up the facade of not freaking out. “Let me walk you out,” he says.
Ana nods, turning to Buck. “It was lovely to meet you, thank you for dinner.”
Buck smiles, looking a little confused. “Of course, I’m glad you liked it. It was great to meet you too, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
Ana looks at him for a second, and when he doesn’t move to get out of his chair she furrows her brows again. Then, she nods quickly, turning on her heel and walking towards the front door. Eddie follows her, stepping out onto the porch beside her. “Thank you so much for coming,” he says. “I’m glad you got to meet Buck.”
Ana chews on her bottom lip, looking at Eddie carefully. “He seems very… comfortable.”
Eddie tenses. “What do you mean?”
Ana looks around, like she’s in a rush to leave. “I mean, well, he was very at home in your kitchen, and he told Christopher what to do after dinner like he’s Christopher’s father, which he’s not. And I guess I can’t really understand why you’re so comfortable with him around Christopher after—“
“What are you trying to say?” Eddie asks, suddenly defensive. “Buck is over a lot because he’s family and he’s a better cook than I am so he’s usually the one using that kitchen, and he’s not trying to undermine me as Christopher’s father if that’s what you’re getting at. And please don’t question my parenting, I’m comfortable with Chris and Buck being so close because of the tsunami. Buck saved my son’s life and nearly died doing it, he would do anything for that kid, loves him more than anything. I like you, Ana, I do, but you have no right to tell me what’s good for my son.”
Ana gapes at him for a moment before snapping her mouth shut. “You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s just a bit unusual how close he is with you both. I mean, Edmundo, he knows your abuela’s recipes, he knows Christopher’s bedtime routine, you don’t think he may be a little attached?”
This is not at all how Eddie saw this night going. “Of course he’s attached, like I said, he’s family .”
Ana nods slowly, like she’s trying to process something a lot more difficult to grasp than just Buck being family to Eddie. “You’re right, I’m sure I’m just looking for problems where there aren’t any.” Her entire demeanor softens and even though that should relax Eddie, it doesn’t. It feels deliberate, like she’s not actually convinced. “Thank you for dinner tonight, I had a good time.”
She’s not a very good liar. Eddie goes along with it anyway. “Of course, thank you for coming. Text me when you get home?”
Ana nods. “I will. Tell Christopher goodbye for me.”
Eddie nods. “Sure.” He leans in, giving her a quick kiss. “Drive safe.”
Ana nods, still looking deep in thought, and turns into the night.
“Everything ok?” Buck asks when Eddie walks back into the kitchen. He’s at the sink, the sleeves of his sweater rolled up as he does the dishes.
Eddie is hit with another wave of the unnamable emotions from earlier and he has to lean up against the counter for support. “Yeah, all good. You want to stay for a beer?”
Buck smiles but shakes his head. “Nah, I should get home, I have a chore list a mile long to get done tomorrow and honestly I’m exhausted.”
Eddie nods, it makes sense, but it feels weird. Buck always says yes to a beer, chores or not. “You know you don’t have to do the dishes, right?”
Buck rolls his eyes fondly. “I don’t mind, besides, you’ve got a kid to get ready for bed.”
“Ok, just don’t forget to say goodbye when you’re done. I don’t know if Chris would forgive you if you just left.”
“Don’t I know it,” Buck laughs. “He was mad at me for a week last time I did that.”
Eddie grins. “Just don’t forget. I’m the one that has to deal with his bad mood if you do.”
Buck flicks the towel at Eddie and laughs when he jumps back. “I won’t.”
Buck keeps his word, poking his head into Chris’ room five minutes later as he and Eddie are debating which chapter of the first Harry Potter book they’d finished last.
“You’re on chapter seven,” Buck says, smiling in the doorway.
Eddie frowns at the book in his hands. “Man, I could have sworn it was six.”
Buck laughs. “Your memory is going, Eds. You’re getting old.”
Eddie pulls a face at that as Chris laughs. “Are you staying for the story, Buck?” he asks, while Eddie pretends to pout.
Buck smiles apologetically. “Not tonight, bud, I have to get home, tell me all about it later?”
Chris nods enthusiastically and rushes to give Buck a tight hug. “Goodnight, Buck.”
Buck smiles softly. “Goodnight, Chris, sleep tight.”
“Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” Chris responds, like he always does, and crawls into bed.
Buck waves at Eddie and disappears from the doorway.
Eddie stares after him for a moment, wishing he had a good excuse to make Buck stay.
“Dad,” Chris says, pulling him out of his head. “Chapter Seven.”
Eddie smiles. “Sorry, I guess I’m tired. Alright, chapter seven…”
Later that night, as Eddie struggles to fall asleep, he wonders if maybe he made a mistake, asking Ana on a date.
Then, just as he’s drifting off, he thinks whatever is keeping Buck just out of arm's reach, I hope I can fix it.
And just like that, he’s asleep.