A series of rapid knocks startles Maddie as she's doing the washing up, it's so frantic that she doesn't even wash her hands, flicking droplets as she answers the door. Her heart breaks when she sees it's Buck standing on the other side of the door, who looks shell-shocked, eyes red-rimmed and lips bitten.

"Buck?"

"Tell me it's not true, Maddie."

Maddie's eyes brim with tears, and it hurts that she knows exactly what he's referring to. "I'm so sorry, Evan."

He deflates. Despite what the others had said, there was a small part of him still hoping it wasn't true - that his sister hadn't been keeping this massive secret from him his entire life.

"I didn't know how to tell you," she cries, reaching out to pull him into her apartment; somehow, he still lets her. Her damp hand clenching and unclenching on his bicep as if to reassure herself that he's still there with her.

Buck makes himself pull away, not wanting to allow himself the comfort of her embrace when it would just cloud his judgement.

He forces himself to walk towards the kitchen and leans against the counter, running his hands through his hair. "Please, Maddie, just explain it all to me. I- I don't know what's going on anymore."

"I'm so sorry," she walks towards him to reach the other side of the counter, facing him. "I'm so sorry," she repeats, emotion brimming to the surface. "I wanted to tell you so many times, I promise. I just didn't know how."

"I don't even know who I am anymore," Buck says, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice but failing as it cracks.

"You will always be, Buck," she says, firmly, moving as if she was going to reach out for his hand but decides against it. "Okay?"

Buck shakes his head.

"Buck-" Maddie begins.

"How am I what I am?" Buck begs. "What are you? What's Mum and Dad?" Questions and thoughts were running rampant through Buck's head, overwhelming him.

"We're all human," Maddie says, not looking at him.

"How?"

Buck can't comprehend how he's an angel, and the rest of his family are human. He wonders what's wrong with him; what happened that made him different from everyone else?

When he lived with his parents, he felt completely separated from everyone else like he was a stranger renting a room in his own household. Now it all made sense, he wasn't welcomed or wanted because he was never one of them.

"The angels blessed mum because she couldn't get pregnant, and they gave us you, our little angel."

"Are we even related?" Buck asks, breathing heavily.

"You're my little brother, and I don't care what anyone says," Maddie responds fiercely, hand clutched over her heart and tears running down her cheeks. "I love you, I will always love you. You're my little brother."

Buck's still confused, "Why did they even ask the angels for me?" He remembers what it was like growing up - the absence of love that he was only able to feel because Maddie made sure to impose it into him with every inch of her being.

Maddie hesitates and seems to be fighting with herself. "We had a brother."

Buck's eyes widened, "A brother?"

Maddie nods slowly. "His name was Daniel," her voice wobbles.

Buck's taken aback - today he had already been thrust into a world he never knew existed and now he's been told he had a brother too. He tries to draw his mind back, but he can't remember a single memory of Daniel.

"He died," Maddie croaks.

Buck's head shakes slowly in shock, thoughts altogether leaving him as if they were water slipping through his fingers, "How?"

Maddie looks away as she says, "Cancer."

Buck pauses and tries to catch the expression that flitters across Maddie's face. He thinks he can see a little bit of guilt and shame colouring her expression but can't quite figure out why until he recites her last words back to him again.

Cancer. Daniel had cancer.

"Was I-?" Buck finds the words hard to get out.

The silence hangs between them, and it's the most suffocating thing he's ever felt.

"A saviour sibling," Buck says bluntly, with almost no emotion as if all of it had been completely drained from him.

"Evan-" Maddie says, choking on a sob.

"I couldn't save him," everything seems to be becoming so much clearer for him now. "They hated me because I couldn't save him."

Maddie shakes her head, "They didn't hate you."

"I had one job, and I couldn't even do that," he continues. "What's the point in being an angel if I can't do my goddamn job?"

"This isn't on you. No one blames you."

"They do," Buck chuckles mirthlessly, he's a little broken, and it makes him realise that he's always been this way. He couldn't save Daniel. He has no right calling himself an angel - he's defective, a black smudge on the race he was born into.

"Our parents were too blinded by their grief over Daniel."

He scoffs. "It was all about Daniel."

"Mum and Dad couldn't get pregnant again, and they begged for you, and the angels blessed us."

Buck's hand subconsciously reaches for his birthmark, what Maddie always referred to as an angel kiss and what their parents always branded as a devil's mark. He didn't know what to believe anymore.

"But they didn't want me," he emphasises.

"The minute I held you in my arms, I wanted you. I would've done anything to protect you, okay?" Maddie implores, "Anything."

"But I couldn't save him," Buck says helplessly.

"That's not your fault. Daniel was dying… not even a miracle could save him."

Buck looks away, the devastating thought that he was supposed to be that miracle flaring inside of him.

"Daniel loved you," Maddie promises, staring intently at him until he finally meets her eyes. Her dark eyes holding all the reassurance and love that Buck desperately craves. "He loved you so much. We used to do Buckley movie nights together and tell stories in blanket forts."

Buck tries holding in a sob, but he can't, and it rips out of him as though he's been keeping it in his whole life. Maybe it has. Buck never could mourn the loss of his brother. He was kept in the dark, and all these realisations piling on top of him at once are making him slowly lose control. Maddie reaches out to pull Buck to her, but he moves away not looking up - he couldn't bear to see the flash of hurt on her face.

"Evan, you're so loved. Please believe me."

Buck was finding everything hard to believe right now.

"I need to go," Buck mumbles quietly, "I… I need space. This is all a lot."

"Evan, you shouldn't be alone right now," Maddie pleads.

"I need to go," he repeats, moving to the door and nearly tripping up in his haste to get there wanting to separate himself from the situation. He wasn't running away, although it felt like it, and he couldn't help a small part of him that feels that shame. This was him needing to remove himself from a situation that was suffocating him.

Maddie seems to realise that, which makes him even more upset. She knows him so well, so well, and she still kept him in the dark.

"Okay," she finally accepts. "Can you text me later?"

Buck hesitates, not knowing whether to agree or disagree, before nodding.

He finds himself agreeing simply to appease her and then walks out the door without a backward glance.

It's dark by the time he makes it back to the apartment and Buck's still finding it hard to wrap his head around everything that's been dropped on him today. Taking the scenic route back hadn't even calmed down his nerves and when he drove past the firehouse, the anger he pushed down from earlier caused him to grip his steering wheel with white knuckles.

Once he gets back, he leans his head against his door and just takes a deep breath. He can't wait to move into his new apartment soon - to finally have his own safe space that's just his.

Buck stiffens when he sees a figure sitting on the couch but immediately relaxes when he notices the familiar head of hair.

"How did you even get in here?"

"I made a key," Eddie said, waving the gold key he has in his hand.

Buck chuckles, but it lacks its usual conviction. "Of course you did."

Eddie's face twists in sympathy.

"Make sure to get rid of that when I move," he mutters, turning around to lock the door - his limbs feeling heavy like everything is trying to drag him down, and he's struggling to stay above the surface. "What are you even doing here?" He turns towards Eddie and makes his way towards him.

"I wanted to see you?"

"You mean check on me?" He says bitterly.

"No," Eddie is persistent. "See you."

Buck pulls out his phone and sends a quick message to Maddie - it's to the point, and only so she doesn't end up coming over herself. It also gives him an excellent excuse not to look at Eddie right now.

"How are you handling everything?"

"You mean the fact that I've been lied to my whole life, there's a world out there I had no clue existed and, oh yeah, that's right, I'm also an angel," Buck shuffles so he can face Eddie head-on. "How do you think I'm handling it?"

"Not good," Eddie says bluntly.

Buck guffaws, his eyes blinking widely at Eddie's. "Well, that's one way to put it."

"Sorry, do you want me to sugarcoat it?"

"Nope, think I've had enough of that to be honest."

Eddie nods and takes a sip from the bottle of beer that he had probably snagged from the fridge whilst waiting for Buck.

He realises, from what the team had been implying, Eddie was probably something too. Although there's that deep feeling of betrayal running rampant through him - his curiosity is getting the better of him. He wants to know about everyone on the team, about this world, about things he could only envision from movies and books.

"So, what are you?" Buck asks, trying to go for nonchalance, but his curiosity shines through.

Eddie smirks, obviously catching it, and leans back to put his hands behind his head as he does his shirt rides up exposing a sliver of smooth flesh - Buck can't help but look.

Eddie's mouth twitches in the beginnings of a smile, like he's noticed Buck's admiration. "I'm the King of Hell."

Buck's gaze snaps back up to Eddie's. "The King of Hell?" Eddie nods, and Buck gulps.

"Wow." He had made out with the King of Hell.

"So you run Hell?" Buck asks slowly.

Eddie smiles in amusement. "That is the job description, yes."

"And there is a Hell?"

Eddie gives him a weird look and places the beer down to turn to look at him properly. "Buck, you're an angel?"

"Right, right…" he trails off. "But doesn't," he gestures up and down Eddie, "your world, hate angels?"

Eddie hesitates. "Yes and no."

Buck raises an eyebrow.

"They're annoying and a nuisance," Eddie rolls his eyes in thought. "Most of the time," he hastily adds when Buck's face twists in offence. "They're just antithesis to everything in hell, it's a rivalry at this point. But there's not an outright civil war of angels versus demons if that's what you're hinting at."

"Oh," Buck pouts.

Eddie's eyes narrow. "Are you disappointed there's no civil war?"

"No," he says petulantly with a small smile as Eddie moves close to analyse his expressions. It's hard not to smile when Eddie is looking at him intently like he's some kind of exotic treasure that he wants to explore more of. It's Eddie's expression - the slightly raised eyebrows, the quirked lip, and the playful gleam in his warm eyes that never fail to make Buck react positively.

"Sorry, this isn't like… what did you say that show was Supernatural?" Eddie laughs.

"So you're saying you're not the Dean to my Cas?" Buck teases.

Eddie blanches, "Who?"

"Never mind," Buck shakes his head. "You're the King of Hell anyway, it would be more like Crowley and Cas and who ships that," he mutters to himself.

Eddie just looks confused now.

"You need to get out more!" Buck exclaims with a bright grin.

"I'm the King of Hell, Buck," Eddie deadpans.

Buck pauses. "That's a good point," he sighs. "So there's no problem between angels and demons then, you and me?"

Eddie hesitates, he says eventually, "There are no problems between you and me."

"Are angels and demons not a good match then?" He tries to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Eddie surprises him, just like always.

"Well, you know what they say," Eddie whispers, leaning into Buck's space, his breath hitches, and all honest thoughts leave his brain. "Opposites attract."

Buck's in big big trouble.

It's when he's lying in bed trying to forget about the whole day when he decides that he really can't, and he lets the hand inching towards his phone finally reach for it once again. It's becoming a repeated occurrence and sooner or later, he's going to end up not getting any sleep. Not that he gets much anyway.

Pulling up a search engine, he starts typing in Angel and anything to do with Angels.

Considering the supernatural exists in this world, you'd think the search engines would be legitimate and factual. But then again, that would give it all away, and it's supposed to be hidden for humans. Right? Or is it? Buck doesn't know anything, and it annoys him even more that he's entirely in the dark where everyone else around him isn't.

He's getting off-topic.

There are all the usual biblical tales, but Buck finds himself skipping those. After growing up in a household with highly religious parents that try forcing it down your throat, Buck finds himself drawing away from it entirely. It brought back unsettling childhood memories of being clapped in irons and forced to play a part.

He starts to read the Bible passages about Mary and her pregnancy but soon stops himself, finding it probably is nothing like what happened with his mother. The best person to ask is Maddie, and he's not ready to have that long conversation, to pretend like everything is completely normal just yet.

He considers going to the Supernatural wiki to research angels but decides against that. His imagination suddenly runs wild, wondering whether the writers, producers, and actors are actually part of the Supernatural world and it's all some act or inside joke.

He shakes his head and rubs at his tired eyes, he needs to stop relying on that show so much. However, it's the one thing he's watched that has supernatural elements he can relate it to. The only reason he even watched it, since he's really not up-to-date on pop culture, was because one of his old ex-boyfriends introduced it to him one night when he was hiding out from Bobby and Athena - chasing away the lingering traces of alcohol.

The boyfriend didn't last very long, but Buck still carried on watching the show.

The thoughts whizzing through his mind like go-karts out of control on a racetrack are making it hard for him to sleep now.

Deciding it was probably best to move away from the internet, his finger hovers over his text messages, the red notification glaring at him with the double-digits of the many messages he's left unread and unanswered.

Pops: Please let me know you're okay.

I'm sorry for keeping things from you.

I never meant to hurt you.

I love you, okay.

Mads: I'm so sorry, Evan.

Chim: Please don't be too mad at Maddie! We're all here for you!

Hen: Always here if you need me, Buckeroo.

Buck still can't reply to Maddie or even think about having another conversation, yes the others may have lied to him, but it's been twenty-five years of lies building between him and Maddie, and he's finding it really hard to let that go right now.

It's all way too fresh.

He ends up replying to Bobby, scoffing at Chim's message, and sending a couple of emojis to Hen. He wants so badly to stay mad at them all - but he finds himself comparing them to his parents, who couldn't love him even when they shared the same blood.

His found family loved him in spite of that.

He just needs some time, he's allowed that. Everyone else has had their whole lives to come to terms with everything - he's only had a day.

Looking back at it all now, Buck appreciates the family that found and loved him anyway. It's what makes him send another message to Bobby.

I love you too, Pops.

When Buck comes into the station the next day after… Well, everything was dropped on him, he finds the station surprisingly quiet as if everyone is trying to gauge Buck's mood - waiting for him to make the first move.

They're all upstairs sitting around the table like they're about to have a meal - but for once, there's no food there. Buck only allows himself a small amount of time to lament about not getting Bobby's cooking straight away.

He's pulled into a memory of when he first arrived at the station as a Probationary Firefighter for the 118 - nerves dancing in his veins, but also anticipation and excitement for the next chapter of his life. He was first introduced to it by everyone sitting at this table with food surrounding them, warm smiles, and poised utensils.

Buck's smile is small as he approaches them. "Hi, guys."

All conversation had stopped the moment Buck had come up the stairs, and now they were all staring at him with wide eyes filled with hope and wariness.

Buck doesn't really know where to go from here, so he gets straight to the point. "Look, I'm not mad, mad. I'm a little confused, hurt by everything, but I'm honestly more curious than anything," he waves his hand. "Besides, I hate holding grudges."

He really does, people have always accused him of being too forgiving - letting people walk all over him, pushing his own feelings to the side in favour of everyone else's. Honestly, they're right and he's working on it. Truly he is.

Truth is a fickle thing to him and it may take some time for him to build that back with everyone. But, he really can't find it in himself to be mad at them for much longer, it would make work especially awkward and he can understand that in their own messed up way they believed they were protecting him.

Chim goes to open his mouth.

"That being said, I don't want to talk about Maddie - I'm not ready yet, and that's between me and her anyway," he looks pointedly at Chimney, relaxing when he's given a brief nod of acknowledgment.

Buck's glad that's now out of the way, he slides out a chair and places his elbows on the table with his head on top of his hands.

"So," he says conversationally, "What are all of you then?" Buck asks, dragging a finger across everyone sitting at the table.

Even when they told him that they had been lying to him, his mind had seemingly focused on their implication that they were also part of this world - meaning they had to be something. Buck really wants to know what that something is.

Everyone at the table turns to look at one another with fondness and amusement.

"I'm a warlock," Bobby finally says.

Buck perks up, "A witch!"

Bobby gives him a flat look, "A warlock," he repeats. "Mainly in elemental magic."

Buck grins, "So cool," he breathes out. "Like Avatar."

Chim frowns, "The blue guys?" But he looks a little excited. "You know the movie?"

Buck looks at him in confusion. "There's a movie? I was talking about the TV show."

Chim looks at him in almost disgust, while Hen snorts in amusement.

"Athena is a shifter," Bobby admits. "Mainly in the form of a lion."

Buck nods, which fits entirely with her personality - she's always been a fierce protector. Of course her main form would be the literal king of the jungle and he had watched Lion King before, remembering when Maddie sat him down one day when he was sick to watch it together, without the knowledge of his parents, clutching him the whole time as she sang softly along.

The aching hole in his heart pulses at the thought of Maddie.

Buck turns towards Hen, directing his attention to her.

"And you, Henrietta?"

She gives him a warning glare, but it's mainly teasing - not knowing where to push the boundaries since everyone revealed they had been lying to Buck all this time.

"I'm a healer."

Buck softens, "That's perfect for you." Then a look of realisation crosses his face, "That's how you knew about the bruise the night we met."

Hen nods, tapping her head, "Smart cookie."

Buck brushes past Eddie with an 'already know what you are' which causes the others to look at him in surprise.

Buck turns excitedly to Chim, "And you?"

Chim puffs his chest before saying, "I can understand and talk to animals."

"Oh," Buck deflates. "That's it?"

Eddie snorts as Chim sputters and Hen starts howling with laughter, even Bobby seems to be struggling to keep it together.

"What do you mean that's it?" Chim demands.

"Well," Buck explains slowly. "It's not the coolest."

Hen is wheezing now and wipes away tears as she pats Chim on the back. "Think the King of Hell is hard to beat," she gestures towards Eddie, who rolls his eyes.

"Not the coolest, what does he want me to grow wings, damn fluffy angel?" Chim mutters to himself with the expression like a child who didn't get what they want.

"Better than being Snow White, princess," Buck retorts back, setting Hen off again. Bobby has gone bright red in the face, too, trying to stop himself from bursting into laughter, but he's struggling, and in the end, he starts laughing just as much as Hen having to turn away to hide his face and endless chuckles.

"To be honest, that crow did bad mouth you," Hen finally managed to get out through her tears of laughter.

Buck giggled, "A crow bad-mouthed you?"

Chim scowls, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he whirls around to Hen. "I can't believe you told him that, you traitor."

Hen shrugs, a playful grin lighting up her face. "Come on, Chim, we tease him all the time."

"Yeah, come on, Chim," Buck echoes with a big smirk moving towards Chim to elbow him in his ribs in jest.

Chim pushes him away playfully, "Back off, feathers."

Buck throws back his head and laughs freely. It makes Eddie involuntarily grin hearing Buck's laughter once again.

Buck feels that starting with his firefam was the right way to go, rather than sorting everything out with Maddie. It takes away some of the pressure already building on him, and he feels lighter than he has in a while. It feels good to be laughing with all of them again now that there's nothing between them holding them back.

Buck finally feels as if he can truly begin to be himself.

It's been a hard couple of days trying to process everything. Everyone has been helping out as much as they can with explanations poised at the ready and endless patience for Buck's many questions he throws out.

He's not fully there yet, everything still feels too raw like he's walking around in a skin that isn't his own. Maddie has been trying to contact him, but he's been avoiding her and never meeting Chim's eye as he declines yet another one her calls. He's just waiting for the bitter resentment to leave him so that he doesn't end up saying something he'd regret and hurt his sister in the process.

Now, Buck stands in front of the mirror of the station toilets, running a finger along his face and tracing the bridge of his nose. He doesn't feel any different, he knows that there's no reason he should. But still, he even looks the same as before, he prods at his cheek as if trying to shift it somehow.

"What are you doing?" A voice asks from behind him.

Buck looks into the mirror seeing Bobby standing behind him, looking amused. He whirls around to face him, hoping his face conveys complete innocence.

"Nothing," he says quickly, hands swinging from behind his back and face going a little red.

Bobby raises an eyebrow, obviously not believing him, as he moves to stand next to Buck.

"Admiring yourself?" Bobby queries, turning his head to look at him. Buck keeps looking into the mirror, staring at both of them standing there. It's strange - even though Bobby isn't his biological father - they could easily pass as father and son.

The thought sends a warm feeling through his body.

"You look like you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar?" Bobby chuckles. "I haven't seen that look in a couple of years."

Buck flutters his eyelashes. "Because I've grown up and now I'm the golden child."

"Or you've gotten better at lying," Bobby seems to think it over for a little bit. "Actually, no, your ears still go red when you do," he points out.

Buck squawks and involuntarily goes to cover his ears before speaking again. "Okay, I'm just trying to see if anything's different," he finally admits.

"With your reflection?" Bobby's brow is furrowed.

Buck rolls his eyes, old people are slow. "With my appearance."

"Why would anything be different?" Bobby still doesn't seem to be getting it, looking even more puzzled over Buck's actions.

Buck thinks he may be being a bit dramatic but chooses to tell Bobby anyway. "Because I've just found out something life-altering, and I wanted to see- I mean… well, see if I can notice anything different about me."

Bobby's eyes flash with understanding. "Ah, I don't think you're going to find any angel-defining qualities by looking in the mirror."

Buck sighs, going back to look at his reflection, and pokes at his birthmark, muttering, "Maybe."

Bobby grabs his finger and replaces it with his own, stroking his birthmark lightly and running a hand through Buck's hair. It's a calming gesture and serves to relax Buck. He remembers when Bobby used to do this whenever he felt down, sick, or anxious. His most prominent memory is during his first few months living with Bobby when his anxieties were most profound. Worries stemming over whether or not Bobby would make him leave and how long he could get away with playing pretend family. Bobby would just look at Buck on those days and pull him towards the sofa, grabbing the blanket off the back to cover them, putting on a film, and just running his hands through Buck's hair to reassure him that he's there and not going anywhere until he fell asleep.

"How are you really doing with all this?"

"I'm managing, I'm sorry if I scared you at first."

Bobby smiles tightly and continues scratching his fingernails over Buck's scalp, who leans his head on Bobby's shoulder, dragging his eyes away from the mirror. (Probably Bobby's intention the whole time.) "I should've told you sooner."

"I don't think it was your job to tell me."

"It was my job the moment I found you on that curb."

Buck smiles softly, burrowing his head into his shoulder even more. "We're here now."

"Yeah," Bobby says lightly.

Buck knows that Bobby's itching to ask more but is holding himself back, he's grateful because he's not yet ready to have a lengthy discussion, especially if he's going to ask about Maddie.

He's getting there.

They pull away from each other, and with a heavy pat on the shoulder, Bobby leaves Buck standing there, alone again. Buck doesn't turn to look in the mirror again.

Instead, he leaves.

Buck has the biggest urge to find Eddie right now, looking up to the balcony in the station where he knows he's probably just brooding as he always does. A zing rushes through his spine at the fond thought of him and for the first time in the past few days - he feels something stronger than crushing betrayal and sadness.

"Edmundo," Buck sings, bounding up the stairs like an overexcited puppy.

"I regret telling you my full name, " Eddie deadpans.

"I do not," Buck comes over to lean into Eddie's side and surround himself in the presence of Eddie. He can feel Eddie accommodate Buck beside him and he takes that as an okay to all but melt into the other man.

"You still helping me move this weekend?" Buck eventually asks.

"Of course."

"Bet you're glad I'm finally getting out of that apartment."

Eddie smirks, his face clearly showing his delight. "You have no idea."

"Oh, I think I do," Buck says with a light laugh.

"No, Buck," Eddie says, seriously, his expression twisted. "Abby's a werewolf, and that place stunk." His nose wrinkling at the mere thought.

Buck pauses, stunned. "Abby was a werewolf?"

"You think that weird mutt smell just sprouted out of thin air?"

"Huh," Buck murmurs, rocking back, suddenly Abby's excuse of not wanting to let go of Buck makes so much more sense. It also angers him; she refused to give him up because she knew about him and wanted an angel for herself.

"Is there anything else I should know?" He turns to Eddie, who seems to think it over before saying anything.

"Taylor Kelly is a demon."

Buck grimaces, "So I did sleep with a demon." Eddie had been trying to tell him the truth this whole time, and he had been too oblivious to see it - it makes him feel a little silly until he reminds himself that he didn't have any idea about anything.

Eddie snorts, "Yeah, many."

"Many demons?" Buck exclaims, mouth flapping open and eyes widening.

"So many."

Buck puts his head in his hands and groans. "Oh my-"

"Nope."

Buck scowls at Eddie for cutting him off, "Seriously?"

Eddie's face twists in disgust, "We don't get on."

Now this sounds interesting, Buck leans forward but pouts when Eddie waves him off with "another time."

"Fine," Buck says petulantly, then remembers what they were initially talking about. "How did I end up sleeping with so many demons?"

"Have you looked in the mirror?" Buck flushes and looks down. "But, it's also because of your glow."

Buck frowns. "Glow?"

Eddie nods, looking serious, "Yeah, when you're happy or whatever, I don't know how it works for definite."

Buck stares into Eddie's dark gaze trying to see whether or not he's messing with him, but he's being completely honest - as he usually is and he finds himself even more confused than before.

"Do I actually glow when I'm happy?" Buck asks, trying to keep his voice down to a hushed tone and looking around as if this was some top secret he had to keep.

"I'm afraid so," Eddie says seriously.

Buck groans. "That's so embarrassing."

"I think it's cute," Eddie points out, making Buck blush. He tries so hard not to show how pleased that makes him, but he's probably failing.

"You do?" Buck asks breathlessly.

"Oh, yeah," Eddie smirks, running a hand through Buck's hair and twirling one of the curls around his finger. Buck doesn't even care that Eddie's just running the product out of his hair, as long as he continues what he's doing - the motion so relaxing Buck feels he could probably fall asleep right there and then, standing up and all.

Eddie hums thoughtfully, "You're doing it right now."

Buck's eyes fling open, and he looks into Eddie's, searching his gaze for something, anything.

"You're always doing it around me."

His flush seems to be spreading, and he realises, embarrassingly, all this time he had been displaying his feelings for Eddie like some tremendously big shining beacon - letting everyone around him know how much he feels for Eddie. And Eddie himself, he thinks in horror.

"Why can't I see it?" He asks instead of dwelling on that point.

Eddie shrugs, "It's just is you," he says simply as a way of explanation.

The crew yesterday had said he glowed, but his research hadn't mentioned anything like that, and he found himself not really thinking about it until Eddie brought it up again.

It seems to be the only defining thing about being an angel, despite apparently being way too nice. However, something about it feels off, he wants to be excited about finding out this new thing about himself. But a dark shadow clouds the moment when he realises that so many people who were attracted to him before might have been just because of that. Not him. He wasn't good enough for them to stay. They were drawn in by his glow, and then when they met him, they couldn't leave him fast enough.

Eddie seems to know where Buck's train of thought is going.

"You're so much more than that though," Eddie says quietly.

"I wasn't enough for people to stay once they got their angel fix," Buck mutters, staring down at his hands. Eddie grabs them lightly in his bringing them towards his chest - Buck can feel the steady beating of his heart underneath his palms.

"None of them matter if that's what drew them to you in the first place. We don't care about them, okay?" Eddie rubs small circles on Buck's hand.

"We?" Buck inquires, smiling lightly.

"I'm not leaving."

Buck ducks his head to hide his slowly growing pink face, Eddie squeezes his hand like he knows what Buck's doing but will allow it anyway - for Buck's sanity.

"Okay?" Eddie reaffirms.

"Okay," Buck echoes, the smile across his face growing. He once again thinks how grateful he is that he met Eddie, even if he is the King of Hell.