Turning Point

Summary: Buddie fic. Caught off guard by a sudden self-revelation, Eddie is faced with a crossroads that could lead to the point of no return for his relationship with Buck. Meanwhile, Buck is trying to figure out why his best friend is suddenly pushing him away, determined to get answers and fix whatever has broken.

Disclaimer: I do not own 9-1-1 or anything associated with the show.

Author Notes: Posting this now because I might not get the chance over the weekend. I'm also back to work next week so updates might slow down slightly, but I'll be aiming for a new chapter every week.

Set after season 6.

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Chapter 4

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The house was too quiet, which only served to make Eddie's thoughts too loud. He took a swig of his beer and looked down at the bandage covering his left forearm. The fear that had gripped him at the sight of that car barrelling toward Buck, it almost washed away the rage he felt at the driver. But underneath it all was the memory of Buck's blue eyes staring up at him, safe and bright and beckoning.

A thumping at the door interrupted his thoughts and he pushed up from his couch, leaving the beer on the stand as he made his way toward the front door. He barely even managed to open it before Buck pushed past him and into the house. He opened his mouth to argue, but Buck held up a hand to cut him off and paced back and forth across the floor in front of him.

"Let me just…" Buck started, before finally coming to a stop and turning to look at Eddie. "So, here's the deal, I have no idea what I did, but I must have done something to piss you off and I am so sorry for whatever it was. And I want to fix it. I need you to let me fix it."

"There's nothing to fix, Buck," Eddie answered, and his heart ached so much.

"What does that even mean?"

Eddie opened his mouth to answer but found he wasn't entirely sure how to, and let go of a breath instead, offering up a shrug.

"See, this… You can't keep pushing me away."

At that, Eddie snorted. "Oh yeah?"

Buck took a breath and held his arms open. "You wanna take a swing? Fine. If that's what it takes, go ahead."

"I'm not gonna punch you, man."

"But you want to." Buck took a step forward as he pointed at Eddie, closing the gap.

He was almost a breath away and it took everything in Eddie to shake his head and turn away. He almost made it, almost managed to fight back against the heat rising up inside of him, and he probably could have done, if Buck hadn't grabbed his arm and forced him to face those blue eyes once more. Tension gripped Eddie, every ounce of resolve he had melting away, unable to compete with the hunger anymore.

He pushed forward, grabbing hold of Buck, and gave into the thoughts he had tried to bury. The kiss was deep and longing, everything else fading away for the briefest of moments before it all came colliding back to him and he pulled back, completely releasing his hold on a dumbstruck Buck. He took a step back, heart hammering as he waited for Buck to dart toward the door, but Buck simply stood there, tongue snaking out across his lips, as if tasting the lingering kiss, his brow furrowing.

"I, err… I don't understand," Buck finally answered, confusion written in those eyes that stared at Eddie.

"Por el amor de Dios," Eddie cursed under his breath. His head fell back in frustration before he looked to Buck once more. "It's you, Buck."

But Buck didn't say anything, instead he still stood there as if he was contemplating life itself or trying to discover why the sea was blue when water was clear.

"I'm in love with you," Eddie all but growled.

Buck let go of a light snort of laughter, before he seemed to realise that Eddie was serious, his gaze falling for a moment before looking up once more. A smile played across his lips, his tongue playing at the tip of his canine as he met Eddie's eyes. "You love me? What is it, my sparkling personality, or my stunning good looks?"

"You're an ass." Eddie shook his head. "I just opened my heart up to you and you're making jokes. I mean, really, what did I ex-"

His complaint died somewhere between Buck's lips, Buck having surged forward as if he were desperate for air and Eddie was his lifeline. His hand wrapped around the side of Eddie's neck and Eddie instinctively matched his energy, pushing forward and into Buck. But before it could go any further, Buck pulled back a little, concern written in his yes.

"Wait… where's Christopher?"

"He's out with Carla," Eddie answered, husky and annoyed, pushing in to kiss Buck once more.

But Buck pulled back again. "They're not at the zoo though, right? Because you know, the zoo-"

"No," Eddie interrupted, knowing very well that the zoo was Buck and Christopher's thing, a fact he could not care less about in that instant. Every inch of him begged to be closer to Buck and when Buck pulled back once more after another kiss, he found himself glowering into those mischievous blue eyes.

"Wait, wait," Buck said, "I think I left the oven on."

"Now you're just doing this deliberately," Eddie groaned, pulling at Buck's jacket to take it off.

Buck obeyed, allowing himself to be pushed backwards as he did, colliding with the wall. In between each desperate kiss, he tried to speak, his breath hot against Eddie's skin. "And what if it catches fire?"

"Then someone will call 911." Eddie began undoing Buck's belt, but before he could go any further, Buck pushed back, unpinning himself from the wall to pin Eddie there instead, smiling down at him with hunger in his eyes.

When he began to lower himself, Eddie pushed back against the wall for support, his breath ragged and uneven. He tried to speak, tried to say Buck's name, but all that came out was a strangled and desperate moan, his hand gripping hold of Buck's shoulder, sure that if he let go, he would be completely lost for sure.

.-.-.-.-.

The worst part of waking up after a good dream was the sinking feeling as you realised it wasn't real. That was what Buck expected when he opened his eyes, the buzz of euphoria still playing across his skin and winding through his body, a lingering memory of what he could only describe as the best dream he'd had in a long while. So, as he rolled over to find himself looking at the face of a sleeping Eddie, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips.

He held himself still, drinking in every inch of what he could see, afraid that if he moved or breathed, it would shatter whatever illusion he had surely fallen under. The dark hair that was usually so neat and tidy, now messy and covering Eddie's forehead, the tension that furrowed his brow constantly, gone, peace replacing it, and his lips ever so slightly agape, sending a fresh rush of want throughout Buck.

His heart fluttered in his chest and he pushed up and forward, hovering above those lips before finally giving in to temptation. Eddie captured his kiss with a grunt, pushing up enough to meet Buck before opening his eyes and lowering his head back to the pillow.

"Hey," Buck said, still hovering and looking down at Eddie, unable to shake the smile.

"Hey," Eddie answered, sleepy but content, his own smile reflecting Buck's. He stretched his arms up above his head and rolled his shoulders, the covers falling away to reveal the terse muscles of his chest. He pushed up so his back was against the pillow and rested an arm behind his head, his gaze looking over Buck. "Am I dreaming or did we…?"

Buck nodded. "Yeah, we did."

Eddie looked like he was about to say something else, but as noises echoed from outside the bedroom, his eyes widened and he grabbed hold of the alarm clock, looking at the time. He met Buck's gaze just as two familiar voices called out through the house.

"We're back," Carla shouted, followed by the sound of a happy Chris calling for his dad.

"We should…" Buck started, already making a move to climb out of the bed, only to get tangled in the sheets and fall to the floor.

He was up before Eddie had chance to turn and check on him and began searching for his clothes as Eddie quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a shirt as he headed for the bedroom door.

"Er, just a minute," Eddie called out to Carla and Chris, pulling the red shirt over his head. But before he opened the door, he paused, hand on the handle, and cast a glance back at Buck, a lazy smile trailing across his lips.

Buck furrowed his brow, a questioning smile on his own lips as he looked back, fastening up his jeans. "What?"

"Nothing," Eddie answered, clearing his throat a little before slipping out into the hallway and out of sight but not out of earshot.

Buck stalled, shirt in hand, and listened, imagining Eddie picking Chris up in a tight hug as he welcomed him home. He heard amusement in Carla's voice as she spoke.

"Did we catch you at a bad time?" she asked, tone teasing, "'cause if we did, we can always go back out for ice cream."

"What? No…" Eddie answered, sounding flustered. "I was just…"

"Working out?" she offered up, and Buck emerged from the hallway in time to catch her looking Eddie up and down, mischief lighting up her face.

"We were just fixing up a couple of broken things," Buck answered, unable to keep the sheepish smile from his face.

"Buck!" Christopher called out, his face bright and happy.

"Hey, buddy!" Buck pushed forward, clapping his hands together and rubbing them as he looked between Eddie and Carla. He pointed to the door and began skirting around Eddie, spotting his jacket on the floor near the couch. "I should go…"

"No," Chris whined before looking to Eddie. "Can Buck stay for dinner?"

Eddie looked at Chris then at Buck. "Yeah, I mean, sure… if he wants to."

Buck beamed at that, his entire body relaxing. "I mean that depends on who's cooking. 'Cause no offence, but your dad's cooking… well, you know."

Eddie raised a challenging eyebrow at Buck but said nothing in return, Carla beating him to it as she placed her hands on Christopher's shoulders and looked between Buck and Eddie.

"How about I take Christopher with me to pick up some takeout – give you boys time to wash up before dinner?" She was already grabbing his coat and helping him into it.

"Can we get pizza?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, bud," Eddie answered with a nod, "we can get pizza."

"Oh, get the meaty one with all the different kinds on," Buck added as Carla ushered Chris out of the door to leave Eddie and Buck alone once more. He smiled, watching them go, before leaning up against the wall, folding his arms loosely over his chest. He looked to Eddie, wincing slightly. "Do you think she knows?"

"Oh yeah," Eddie laughed, eyeing Buck up and down and causing Buck to look at his dishevelled reflection. "I'm pretty sure she noticed." He moved closer, removing his hands from the pockets of his jeans. "You know, Christopher isn't the fastest walker…"

Buck nodded, but said nothing as Eddie moved into his space, the heat from his body pressing in on Buck.

"I reckon we've got maybe another half hour before they get back."

"Oh yeah?"

Eddie put on a thoughtful and playful frown, glancing toward the door before looking at Buck once more. "What do you say we go for round two?"

"You sure you can take another round?" Buck teased in return, his arms falling away from his chest and to his sides instead, fingers desperately wanting to reach out as he breathed Eddie in.

"Oh, I'm sure…" Eddie answered, lips practically touching Buck's as he spoke. "Why don't you try me?"

Tongue snaking out to dampen his lips, Buck smirked, and leaned in close enough that he could almost taste Eddie. "Why don't you make me?"

.-.-.-.-.

The firehouse was already busy and full of life by the time Hen had changed and was climbing the stairs to the loft. She grabbed a plate of breakfast from Bobby with a thankful nod and took a seat at the nearest table. It wasn't until the first bite of scrambled eggs had made it past her lips and she opened her eyes after savouring the taste, that she clicked. Eddie and Buck sat side by side opposite her, their own plates almost empty, elbows occasionally grazing each other, and faces brighter than she had seen in a long while.

"Buck!" Chimney called, taking a seat beside Hen and nursing a coffee. "Where were you last night? Maddie kept calling but you didn't answer."

"I guess my battery died," Buck answered. "I stayed out last night, and I must have forgotten to charge it."

Chimney raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh really? Who's the girl?"

But Buck smiled, a small sheepish smile, and shook his head. "Nah, it isn't like that."

"I find that doubtful." Chimney let go of a chuckle and took a swig of his coffee.

"Actually, I was at Eddie's. Chris was out with Carla and I thought Eddie might want the company."

Chimney nodded his head lightly before narrowing his eyes on the pair. "Wait, weren't you two fighting or something?"

Hen cleared her throat and looked between Eddie and Buck, a sly smile settling onto her face. "Oh, something tells me they've kissed and made up."

Eddie's eyes flashed up to her at that and he choked on the bite of sausage he had just taken, coughing as he thumped on his chest. Buck looked at him with concern, but Eddie held a hand up to signal he was fine.

"You okay there, Eddie?" Bobby questioned, coming to join them at the head of the table, his eyes narrowed, concern clear.

"M'fine," Eddie choked out, nodding his head before taking a drink of the orange juice in front of him. "Just went down the wrong way."

"You sure?"

Eddie wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before pushing his plate away from him. "You know, I think I'm full. I'mma get a head start on the inventory check." He pushed away, offering a quick questioning glance to Buck.

Buck nodded in response and shoved his last bite of food into his mouth, already pushing up and grabbing the plates. "I'll get the clipboard."

Hen watched in amusement as the pair headed off and raised an eyebrow at Bobby.

"Look like they finally figured it out, huh?" Bobby smiled, nursing his own cup of coffee as he met Hen's eyes.

"It's about damn time," Hen answered, enjoying the confusion seeping out from Chimney as he looked between them.

"Huh?" he questioned "What am I missing?"

But Hen took another bite of her breakfast and Bobby took another sip of his coffee instead of answering.

"Guys? Hen? Cap? What did I miss?"

Hen simply smiled, already able to hear Buck reading over the checklist, Eddie playing along and acting exhausted of him already. The sound definitely beat the strained silence that had echoed through the firehouse over the past week. The moping about and longing looks, unspoken words finally coming to light… Yes, Hen thought to herself. It really was about damn time.

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A/N: I may eventually add an extended/delete scene in the form of a oneshot, but for now, I didn't want to stray too far into R rated territory :P Thank you for reading, more to come soon.