When Eddie first brought up the idea of trying to go on a few dates with other people, he didn't put too much thought into how it would turn out. Like, logically he knew that going on a couple dates wouldn't be the magic answer to fixing all of his resentment towards Shannon, but it didn't quite click how complicated it could get.
He had to debate on whether or not to explain to whoever he goes on a date with that he wanted it to be temporary right off the bat, but not so temporary that it was just a dinner-fuck-bye Tinder date.
Then, by some coincidence the same day he brought up that plan to Buck he ran into Ana Flores.
Dating Ana was, well it was easy. She's the kind of woman that his family would want him to date. And she was also his type. Strong, confident, funny, good with Christopher... but she still wasn't Buck. Not that she was supposed to be, but he couldn't help but compare her to him.
However, nothing prepared him for Buck's reaction to it. When they had talked about it, Buck had seemed fine with him dating someone else to dip his toes into the water before they got together. But recently Buck hadn't been spending as much time around him on their time off of work. It wasn't enough to have Christopher worried, but Eddie could feel the difference, and it was creating a tension that was building between them.
It only raised after Taylor Kelly started coming back around. He knows it's his own fault that he feels threatened by her being around. If he hadn't suggested that they both try to date around a little, he wouldn't need to be worried. As much anyway. She was still a cut-throat, manipulative, and backstabbing person who hurt Buck and tried to rip their reputations into pieces.
He grabbed a beer from the fridge before grabbing Christopher's homework to look over. He may be the reason for why his life was starting to look like he was digging his way through a pile of horse shit with a spork, but that doesn't mean he can't help out Chris while trying to figure out how to fix things.
"So..."
"So?" Maddie prompted.
"So I was thinking that we may have screwed up a little," Chimney said.
Maddie nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I honestly thought that Eddie would've snapped at the idea of Buck going on a date with somebody. Who would've thought that he'd become the problem by getting his own girlfriend!"
He sank down onto the couch, trying to think of a way to salvage the situation.
"What if we tried getting Buck to actually start dating again? I mean, he kind of quit after that mess with Veronica, so it's not like we could really expect Eddie to get that jealous," he suggested.
Maddie hummed as she thought about it. "I don't know, don't you think that might backfire again? It's kind of what we already tried."
Chimney leaned forward as he talked, "Well, the problem was they just had no chemistry between them, so it was just doomed to start with. But what if he went with someone who he already gets along with, and who Eddie hates?"
Maddie threw a sock at him. "You can not tell me you want us to encourage Buck to date Taylor Kelly of all people! What if they ended up working out? Can you imagine going to parties over at Bobby and Athena's and him bringing her with?"
Chimney leaned back into the chair and let out a groan of defeat.
"Damnit, I hate when you're right."
"So Buck, how are things?"
"I feel like this is a trick question, Athena."
"Now why is that?"
"Well," Buck tapped on the window. "You have me in the backseat of your squad car, so that's not normally a sign that everything is all hunky-dory."
"Now Buck, if you want to quit ending up in the back of my car, all you need to do is quit playing detective," Athena said with a smile.
"So, does this happen often for you?" Taylor asked.
He blushed. "Not that often, just, well, it's happened a few times."
"Buckaroo's been causing trouble since he first came to LA, haven't you Buck?"
He nodded without paying that much attention. He was busy reading a text from Eddie.
Eddie: So you know how I was planning on talking to Ana today? Well, I did. And I told her I'd prefer if we stop going on dates.
Me: You did?
Me: How'd she take it?
Me: How'd you take it?
Me: Why now?
Eddie: She was fine with it. We had talked already about wanting this to be more of a for fun thing than an actual relationship. I told her about wanting to see if I could handle dating again after Shannon. I'm okay too. I didn't want to ruin things between us.
Buck locked his phone instead of replying and leaned his head against the car window. He didn't know what to say to that. This was what he wanted, but he wasn't sure that it's what Eddie actually wanted. What if he broke things off with Ana because he felt obligated to be with him?
His phone buzzed.
Eddie: Did you know that Green Sea Turtles don't actually have green shells?
Me: They don't?
Eddie: Nope. Turns out they're kinda like flamingos. Their diet makes them change color. Only instead of having feathers turn pink their fat turns green.
Me: Weird
"Buck. Buck. Buckaroo. Earth to Buck," Athena was calling.
"Sorry, what'd you say Athena?"
"Well, I was going to say that you were free to get out as long as you don't go back to playing detective, but now I'm a little worried about you. Is everything going okay?" Athena asked.
He looked around and noticed that Taylor was already out of the car and had disappeared, obviously not wanting to wait on him.
"I was just wrapped up in my thoughts. It's all cool, nothing to worry about," he said
She gave him her best mom look. "Now how about you tell me the truth this time?"
He blushed a little at the scolding.
"Eddie just split things off with Ana," he deflected.
"Mm-hmm, and how are you taking that?"
"What? What do you mean, how am I taking it? I'm not the one going through a breakup!"
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Well, no. You're not. But your best friend is. And you two are pretty close. I just thought you might be upset about it."
"Well, don't be a stranger, Buck. If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me," Athena told him before ushering him out of her car.
"Of course, Athena. I'll see you around," he said getting into his car.
He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he debated what to do. He couldn't go bug Maddie about the baby, she would happily slaughter him at the moment. He couldn't go back to crime-solving, or Athena would kill him and toss his corpse into a jail cell. He couldn't talk to Dr. Copeland. They hadn't arranged an appointment for today, and this didn't really warrant an emergency session.
He could bite the bullet and call Eddie. Or he could stall a little longer. Or he could pick up some supplies to make them some drinks and dinner later. He grabbed his phone.
Me: Dinner?
He set his phone on the seat next to him while he looked for a notepad to write out what he would need to get. By the time he found the notepad and pen, Eddie had already texted him back.
Eddie: Sure. Do you want to cook or should I pick up something?
Me: I'll cook
Me: How about tacos and margaritas?
Eddie: Sounds good!
Alright, plan made. Let's do this.
"Dad! Dad! Your phone is ringing!" Christopher shouted.
"Okay, mijo. I'm coming!" Eddie said as he finished drying his hands off and came out of the kitchen.
"Here you go," Christopher said as he handed over the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Eddie?" a woman asked.
"Yes, who is this?" he answered.
"Hi Eddie, this is Marianne Gomez at Mercy Hospital. You were one of the recent contacts listed on the phone of a man brought into our E.R. a little while ago. He was unconscious, so we couldn't ask him any questions about how he got in that state. Can you come in to see if you can tell us anything about his medical history that we should know?"
He started trying to think of anyone that he could have recently talked to. Really, it could be anyone. Buck, Bobby, Chim, hell, it could even be Josh!
"Eddie? Are you still there?" Marianne asked.
"Yes, yes, I'm still here. Do I need to come alone? I have my son with me, would it be better if I have someone watch him while I'm there?" he asked.
"If you can, yes, have someone watch your son. We have a limit on visitors due to the virus."
"Alright, I'll try and swing by as soon as I can."
He hung up before grabbing things for Christopher. Luckily, he had emergency bags always packed for situations like this.
"Christopher! We're going to have to leave in a minute! Grab your homework to take with you!" he shouted while grabbing his shoes to put on.
"Dad? Where are we going? Is it going to be overnight?" Christopher asked.
"I'm not sure, mijo. Hopefully, it won't be that long."
He grabbed his phone to start calling around.
"Hey, Eddie. Is something wrong?"
"Bobby, can I drop Christopher off with you real quick? I just got a call from Mercy Hospital and they want me to go id somebody that was brought in unconscious and I don't want to take him in with me," Eddie hurried to say while helping Christopher into the car.
"Of course! Though I'm surprised, why didn't you call Buck?" Bobby asked.
"Your house is on the way, Buck's is in the other direction. But we'll be there in a few minutes," Eddied said before ending the conversation.
The drive from Bobby's to the hospital may not have been long, but it was torturous anyway. And the torture didn't end there.
He raced into the Emergency Room and hurried towards the woman at the front desk.
"I got a call about a friend of mine that was brought in unconscious, my name is Edmundo Diaz."
She tapped at her computer for a second before speaking, "Right, Marianne called you. He's on the second floor, if you go through those doors, the elevators will be on the left. There will be a reception desk, just tell them you're here to try and identify your buddy."
"Thanks!" he called over his shoulder as he speed walked towards the elevator.
A short trip later, he was being guided down the hall towards the room of whoever was hurt.
"Can you tell me anything about his condition?" he asked.
The doctor just shook his head. "Sorry, I can't do that. Once we find out who it is, we might be able to give you a little more information, but in general I can't tell you anything. Alright, this is it," he pushed open the door after giving a quick knock.
"Buck!" he hurried over to the bed.
"Ah, so you recognize him then. Do you know anything about his medical history?" the doctor asked.
He barely heard the doctor, he was so focused on staring at Buck's sleeping- no- unconscious form. He had a bruise forming on his face, likely part of the reason he was knocked out.
The doctor rested a hand on his shoulder, jerking him back to reality.
"Yes, sorry. His name is Evan Buckley. He used to take blood thinners after a crush injury to his leg, but he's off of them now. He's not on any medications currently."
After a few more questions, the doctor left them alone so he pulled up a seat next to Buck.
"You know, Buck. I can't say that I love you yet. I'm sure you did this on purpose," he teased. "You know how much I hate bedside love confessions. So you better wake up pretty quickly so we can get out of here."
"Well that sounded a bit like a bedside confession to me, Diaz."
Eddie wasn't too proud to admit that it was pure spite that kept him from kissing Buck right then.
"Nope, you heard me. I said you're not getting that while you're in the hospital."
Buck rubbed at his head before wincing.
"How'd they know to call you?" he asked.
"Well, they did a little bit of snooping into your recent contacts. I guess you and Taylor aren't the only ones that played detective today," came a voice from the doorway.
"Athena! How'd you know to come?" Eddie asked.
"Well, I heard from Bobby that you had to swing by to see which of our boys was the one hogging a bed, so I was already thinking about coming by when I could. But then the hospital called for a police officer since it looked like you'd been assaulted. So, I volunteered. Now tell me, Buck. How'd you end up like this?" Athena said as she swapped from teasing Mom-friend mode to cop mode.
Buck looked away for a second.
"Remember that fire we had at the golf course a few months ago?" he directed at Eddie.
It took him awhile to place it.
"Um, the one with the drunk man that crashed his golf cart into the port-a-potties? Where that construction guy had been smoking a cigar in one of them?"
He nodded. "Well, that construction worker was pissed off because we didn't get him out of there quick enough, and he ended up getting some nasty burns to his...thighs," he said after a glance at Athena.
"Yeah," Eddie said, trying to figure out where this was going.
"Well, turns out he's been real pissed since the incident. And he stole some of the golf clubs that were being routed out at the course, and he's been trying to find a way to get revenge on us ever since. He got me in the head pretty good with them too," Buck said and he raised his hand towards the bruise.
Athena was taking notes over everything Buck said.
"So, how do you know all of this anyway?"
He shrugged, "He wanted to monologue before he finished knocking me out. You know, it all could've been avoided too if I hadn't ended up doubling back because I forgot the limes."
Buck just shook his head in annoyance.
Turns out, pissed construction dude had gone to the store to grab stuff to make anchovy dip, but when he saw Buck run into the store, he saw an opportunity. It took him awhile to actually grab his golf clubs and he originally got turned away as he was coming in because he forgot to take his mask with him. By the time he got everything worked out and was able to go inside to hunt down Buck, he would've been too late.
"So the only reason he was able to actually catch up to you was because you had to run back inside to grab some limes?" Athena clarified.
"Yep, as I was headed back inside he saw me and boom! Knocked over the head with a club and doomed to listen to his villain speech. I guess I got lucky since it wasn't a baseball bat or something!" Buck tried to joke.
They both gave him annoyed looks. He mimed zipping his lips.
After another checkup, Buck was allowed to go home with him. Though he was warned not to try going into work the next day. Or to really do much of anything.
"You seem to be doing okay, but I want you to take it easy. Try to avoid anything super stimulating like strobe lights or concerts, got it?" the doctor had joked around.
Athena wormed her way into keeping Christopher overnight even though Buck was released. Apparently Harry and Chris were also plotting to have Denny come over so all of them could hand out.
With everything sorted out, that left them to finish their own plans for the evening.
"Okay, Eddie. I need you to listen carefully. Put down the knife," Buck joked.
"What, don't want to go back to the hospital so soon?" Eddie taunted back.
"But no, seriously, Eddie. What's even with this? You don't need to grab these bulbs of garlic. No, look. Put those back. Okay, now go into the spice rack, there's one labeled 'Garlic Salt', grab that one. Use that for the guacamole," Buck directed.
He exaggerated everything he was doing, half wanting to annoy the shit out of Buck. Not that he didn't know what he was up to. Buck knew his Abuela had made sure he knew how to make guac properly when he was at least Christopher's age.
By the time he finished making dinner, he felt like Linguini from Ratatouille. Though nothing made him happier than looking over to Buck and watching him being determined to mix them margaritas to go with their tacos.
Hearing Buck pleading with the blender to love him as he fought to get it mixed to the consistency he wanted was enough to have him fall a little more in love with his best friend.
AN: Sorry I took so long on this! Things have been crazy with the semester coming to an end and me trying to get my BFA show put together...which you guys can check out at /FightingTheOdds 3
But who's ready for this season finale? I'm not. I can't deal with the long break that's about to be happening between seasons.
I also made a tumblr account for this! So I can share updates on there and you guys can ask me questions or I can scream my fic recommendations into the void. (Though you can always do that here too!) It's X2WritersBlock.