Title: Landslide
Rating: T
Pairings/Characters: Buck/Eddie, Eddie/Ana
Warnings: one use of the 'f' bomb, not Ana-friendly
Notes: 9-1-1 Bingo Square - Landslide. Buddie Bingo square - Ana Flores
Landslide
Eddie was stiff as Ana leaned against him on the couch, her head on his shoulder as the movie played on the television screen. He tried to shift away, in order to give himself some breathing room, but for every inch he moved away, Ana moved two inches closer. If that was possible. He sighed. He might as well as just suck it up and deal with it. Ana didn't seem to understand the definition of "personal space."
Not for the first time that day, Eddie wished Christopher was there. His son could have been the buffer, sitting right between Ana and him. But Christopher was busy having a play date with Harry and Denny.
His phone vibrated on the coffee table, and Eddie used it as an opportunity to dislodge Ana's python-like grip to get it and see what the message was. Buck sent a picture from where he stood on the edge of a cliff in Malibu, California. The view was beautiful, and Eddie knew Buck felt it worth the hike just to see it in person."
"Who's that from?" Ana asked. He heard the frown in her voice.
"Buck sent a picture from his hike. I wonder if I'd be able to talk him into going back to Malibu. I would love to see this in person."
"Or maybe you and I can go, Edmundo? We can even have a romantic picnic at the top."
Eddie scrunched up his nose. "Nah. That's kind of my thing with Buck. He's always finding cool hikes to do. Sometimes, if they're not too bad, Christopher comes with us. The rest of the time, he stays with either Abuela or someone from the 118."
"Wouldn't it be fun if we did it together, though?" Ana tried. "Imagine it. Just you and me. Alone in the wilderness. What could be better?"
And Eddie heard the jealousy in her voice. And displeasure. She wasn't the type to enjoy hiking, but she'd do it to keep Eddie's attention focused solely on her. He knew he should placate her, but truthfully, he would have more fun doing it with Buck. And that should have been a neon sign right there and then that this relationship wasn't working.
"Ana, you're not the outdoors type. And I can't imagine you'd enjoy it. I think it's best I keep my hiking endeavors with Buck. And you and I do our own thing."
Ana crossed her arms with a very unladylike grunt of anger. "If that's how you feel, Edmundo." And his name sounded like a curse.
Eddie leaned back against the couch, doing his best to ignore the tension between them. At least Ana was no longer holding his arm in a death grip as if it was a hostage so he had some breathing room.
They watched the movie silently, but during the climax, just when the bad guy looked like he was going to get away with the homicide, a news bulletin interrupted it.
"Can't they do these during commercials?" Ana complained.
Eddie didn't answer. Too busy listening as the news anchor reported on a landslide in Malibu, California.
Eddie swallowed down a lump that suddenly felt lodged in his throat. He grabbed his phone and hit speed dial 2. He put his phone to his ear and stood up, pacing back and forth. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," he chanted. There was no answer. Just voicemail. "Buck, when you get this, please call me so I know you're okay." He ended the call.
"Edmundo, what's wrong."
"What's wrong is Buck was hiking in Malibu beach."
"What's the chance he was where the landslide happened?"
Eddie rolled his eyes. "Knowing Buck's luck, very good." He tried calling once more, but again, there wasn't an answer.
He thought about who to call. He hated the idea of worrying anyone when he didn't know if anything had happened to Buck, but he knew people would want to know.
He called Maddie. She picked up on the first ring. "Have you heard anything from Buck?" she began without preamble.
"I guess you saw the news, and there's no point in asking if you've heard from him."
Eddie felt as well as heard Maddie's sigh. "What if he was trapped in it? He survived a truck bombing, a pulmonary embolism, and a tsunami."
"Which just means how strong he is and he never stops fighting to survive. And we need to have faith that's he'll be fine."
"Right, I need to remember that. He never gives up."
"If I hear anything, I'll call," Eddie promised.
"Same here,' Maddie whispered.
They ended the call. Eddie stared at his phone, silently urging for Buck's ringtone to be heard.
"You know, I hope you'd be this worried if something like this happened to me," Ana remarked
Eddie took a deep breath, telling himself to not lose his temper, but he couldn't help it. He exploded. He whirled around and glared at her. "Are you fucking kidding me? My best friend might be trapped, or even killed, in a landslide, and all you care about is yourself. Have you always been this self-centered and I just didn't notice it?!"
Ana didn't back down. "If you spent half the time thinking about me the way you think about Buck, we might actually have something. Buck is just a friend. I'm your girlfriend. I should rank higher on your list of priorities."
"Buck is not just a friend. He's family. And family always ranks highest. The only one higher than Buck is Chris. And if you don't like that, you know where the door is."
"You'll regret this, and when you come to me, begging for a second chance, you better get on your knees. Only then, will I consider forgiving you." And she stormed to the front door, opening it, stomping out, and slamming it shut behind her.
"Good riddance," he muttered. And despite his worry about Buck, he felt somewhat lighter with Ana gone. His relationship with her had been like an albatross around his neck, and now he was free.
"Nearly two hours later, his cell phone rang. He quickly answered it when he saw the caller ID. "Maddie?"
"Buck's fine. His phone got damaged in his escape from the landslide. And then he joined in with the rescue efforts."
"Of course he did," Eddie muttered to himself.
"He has a sprained ankle from his run, but other than that, minimal bruises and scrapes. He called as soon as he could, and I told him I'd let you and everyone else know he was safe."
"Do you know when he's going to be back?"
"His truck is kind of trapped thanks to the landslide. If it even works now. He needs someone to pick him up."
Eddie didn't even need to be asked. "I'm on it." He paused, thinking maybe Maddie might want to go. "Unless you…"
"I would. Believe me when I saw I want to, but I don't think I can make the drive. This pregnancy is kicking my ass."
Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't enjoy the idea of waiting even longer to see Buck. "I'm leaving now."
"When you see him, call and let me know if his injuries are actually what he said they are or if he understated them."
"You got it. Talk to you in a couple of hours."
He grabbed his keys and called Bobby as he got into his truck. "I'm on my way to pick up Buck. Can Chris stay the night?"
"Of course. Just go bring our boy back home, Eddie."
"Thanks, Bobby."
xXx
When Eddie got to what had been the hiking trail in Malibu Beach, he had to park quite a bit away because of the destruction and the first responders. He got out and began walking, eyes scanning for a familiar face.
Luck must have been on his side because a sighting of Buck happened much sooner than he thought it would. "Buck!" he screamed as he began jogging to a figure that was sitting down on the bed of a pickup truck. He was talking to a guy. Maybe the owner of the truck?
Buck looked and a big smile spread across his face. He got up and met Eddie halfway. His gait was easy and relatively painless. So it seemed he wasn't lying about the extent of his injuries. For once.
They came together in a hug.
"Thank god you were okay," Eddie muttered as he buried his nose in Buck's hair. "I truly believe you were a cat in a past life. How else could you have nine lives?"
Buck's answer was to squeeze Eddie's waist harder. "I'm fine."
They eventually pulled back, and for the first time that day, contentment settled upon Eddie. He was always the most content when he was with either Chris or Buck or both.
And that was when it hit him. The reason everything with Ana felt forced. The reason he preferred spending time with Buck. How he always forgot Ana existed if Buck was there. How he'd drop whatever he was doing if Buck needed him. And the reason the breakup with Ana didn't even register as a big deal to him.
He was in love with Buck. The shock of the realization almost made him swallow his tongue.
Buck, always knowing Eddie's facial expressions, tilted his head. "Are you okay?"
Eddie thought about lying. He thought about playing it safe. But Buck has had so many close calls. And one of these days, he might not avoid fatal injury. And Eddie always told Christopher to be brave and to be honest. He never wanted Christopher to have any regrets; he should take his own advice.
He took a deep breath and cupped Buck's cheek. "Ana broke up with me."
"I'm sorry," Buck whispered.
"I'm not. She wasn't my person. Definitely wasn't someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, to be a family with."
Buck's tongue came out and licked his bottom lip.
Eddie couldn't help but watch it and nearly groaned as Buck's lip got wet. "Buck, you're my person. You're already family. I trust you more than anyone else in my life. I want us to be together forever. I want to grow old with you, watch Christopher get married with you at my side. I want us to become grandparents together. I want everything with you. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize it."
"Well, as long as you got there," Buck replied. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Eddie's in a soft kiss. When they separated, he said, "And just in case you're unsure, I want all of the above with you as well."
Eddie grinned, his heart racing as he claimed Buck's lips in a second kiss. This one was much more passionate.
And air became a necessity, they broke apart.
"Let's go home. I want sleep," Buck exclaimed.
Eddie nodded. Just as they reached the car, he remembered his promise. "I need to call Maddie. She didn't trust you when you told her about your injuries."
"My own sister doesn't trust me?" Buck pouted.
"Well, to be fair, you have a habit of lying about how serious they are."
"Fine, I'll forgive her for her lack of faith."
Eddie grinned. "Let's get this call out of the way, and then we can go home."
"Home, I can't wait," Buck sighed.
X
(word count: 1,919)