"This is a nice place. Maybe I should switch to dispatch," Eddie said as Buck paid the pizza delivery guy.
"Don't even joke about that," Buck warned, setting the boxes down on the couch they were about to carry in. Why make two trips when one will work?
"I don't know. Getting to sit at a desk instead of the threat of being blown up by a grenade. Sounds less dangerous."
"And a lot more boring."
"Don't let your sister hear you say that about her new job."
"Maddie could use a little less chaos in her life," Buck mumbled, before staring through the doorway he was standing by. Eddie felt the urge to ask, but stopped himself. It wasn't his business and he didn't want to pry. He could make a few guesses, especially with the high tech security system Chimney was currently installing, but he'd keep them to himself. If Buck wanted to talk, he knew Eddie was always ready to listen.
"I'm not sure about getting this couch inside. Is she sure it'll fit?" Eddie asked, giving Buck an out from his previous line of thinking.
"I think so," Buck replied, considering the piece of furniture. Eddie really didn't want to damage anything. He was used to getting things done by any means necessary, but he couldn't exactly take an ax to Maddie's walls.
"Besides not going to dispatch, remind me to never work for a moving company."
"I agree," Buck huffed. They eventually got the couch into the apartment, after Maddie came out and took the pizzas off of it. It was still tricky, but he and Buck were a good team. He took the pizzas back once he got inside, carrying them into the kitchen so he could set them out for everyone. Chimney joined him soon after, scrounging around in the fridge.
"Want a beer?" Chimney asked, holding one out in offer.
"Sure," Eddie agreed, accepting it gratefully. Chimney fiddled with his own and hovered around the counter where Eddie was setting out plates and napkins. "You okay?"
"You and Buck are close," Chimney said, glancing up at him and then back toward the living room. Eddie felt his nerves flare a little. Had Chimney noticed something? He didn't think they'd been acting like anything more than friends. If he point blank asked if they were in a relationship, should he say no or try to explain their complicated situation?
"Yeah?"
"What's he told you about Maddie?" Eddie wanted to laugh in relief. Chimney was paying attention to a Buckley, but it was a different one.
"Not much. You've known him longer than I have though," Eddie pointed out.
"Yeah, but Buck is your Hen. It's different." Were they at that level in other people's eyes already? Eddie liked the idea of that.
"I really don't know anything. Just that she was a good big sister," Eddie shrugged. That didn't feel like he was breaking anyone's confidence.
"I guess I'll have to find out for myself," Chimney muttered, just before Maddie and Buck joined them in the kitchen. He busied himself at the fridge while Eddie passed out the plates. Maddie was giving Chimney looks when the other man wasn't looking and Eddie had to hide his grin. Apparently, the feelings were mutual. Maybe they'd eventually go on double dates.
They spent the next few hours moving things around and getting Maddie settled in her new place. By the time they were done, it looked really nice. Eddie was almost tempted to rearrange his own house, even though he'd just moved in himself. Maddie promised to invite them all back for a housewarming dinner to thank them as Buck and Eddie walked to his truck to leave. He'd driven, since his truck had more room to haul things.
"You can't say anything, but Chimney was asking about your sister," Eddie said once they were back on the road. Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up, but he'd want to know if it was one of his sisters. "I told him that she was a good big sister, but that's all."
"Maddie said Chimney was cute," Buck groaned, slumping in his seat. Eddie smiled, mentally cheering them both on. They were both good people and he didn't see any harm in them seeing if there was something more there.
"How do you feel about this?" Eddie asked.
"They are both legal, consenting adults, so they are free to do what they want," Buck sighed, crossing his arms.
"That's very mature."
"You know, when Maddie said he was cute, I thought she was talking about you at first," Buck admitted, glancing over at him. "I was worried I'd have to fight my sister for you."
"Oh man, wouldn't that be something?" Eddie laughed. The thought of more than one person liking him seemed so improbable. "My pick of the Buckley siblings."
"Who would you choose?" Buck asked timidly, picking at a nonexistent speck of lint on his pant leg.
"Really?"
"I mean, she's pretty and smart. She's not your coworker. She's-"
"She's great," Eddie interrupted, reaching over and grabbing Buck's hand. "But another Buckley has already stolen my heart."
"You're so corny," Buck scoffed, interlocking their fingers.
"Not usually, but you seem to bring it out of me," Eddie grinned. Buck made him feel young and excited in a way that Eddie thought was long past him. No way he'd trade him for anything.
Eddie really didn't think he was a jealous person. With Shannon, everything happened so fast in the beginning and they didn't have time for games. She got pregnant, they got married, then Eddie was off to war. And when he was home, they were either too busy with Christopher or too busy fighting for him to worry about outside relationship threats.
Eddie couldn't really blame Buck for being so magnetic. People were naturally drawn to his charisma. He gave off the aura of someone you wanted to have around. It worked on Eddie, hadn't it? So he didn't blame Buck when Ali wanted his number. Or when he was hit on at the bar. He shouldn't have been surprised when he drew the attention of Taylor Kelly.
The sight of the helicopter at the call threatened to send Eddie into a flashback, but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. They needed to get the thing turned off before it could cause any further damage. And since it was already on the ground, it wasn't like it could crash, right?
Eddie didn't question being assigned the task of killing the engine. He probably had more experience with helicopters than any of them. Not enough to fly one, but enough to know how to work most of the controls. They sprinted to the crash site together, focusing on their individual roles. Buck was getting the woman out of the back while Eddie was trying to keep the helicopter steady enough for him to do so. As soon as the pilot was clear, Eddie climbed in and got everything shut down properly. It was easy and anticlimactic, just how he liked it.
He walked with the pilot on the gurney while Buck assisted Hen with the woman from the back of the helicopter. Eddie didn't pay much attention to the interaction, until Buck started quoting the woman to herself. He hovered in the background, listening to their casual conversation. Eddie wasn't the type to listen to traffic reports, so he had no idea who she was, but Buck seemed to know her very well. Or know of her.
But Eddie wasn't jealous. Buck was the guy who'd been worried that Eddie would choose his sister over him if given the chance. That wasn't a person who would jump at a random woman on a call. He'd proved that many times over. So he wouldn't bring it up.
"On the 405, speeds are blah blah blah," Hen mocked when they were back in the truck on the way back to the station. "Really, Buck?"
"What did I miss?" Bobby asked from the front seat.
"Nothing," Buck scoffed.
"Buck's got a new crush," Hen teased. Eddie bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to react.
"I do not," Buck argued, rolling his eyes. "I just recognized her voice. It was like meeting a celebrity."
"A celebrity?"
"Local celebrity."
"Uh huh."
"I'm a friendly guy."
"Friendly all the way to the bedroom," Hen smirked. Buck pursed his lips and glared at her, before turning away as best he could in his seat. Eddie didn't know if he should come to Buck's defense. He wanted to, just like he had with the parenting comments, but would that be going overboard? Hen's comments didn't feel malicious and Chimney's hadn't either. And Buck could stick up for himself. If their budding relationship was out in the open, he wouldn't question saying something, but would being overprotective give them away before they were ready? And having the new guy butt into established dynamics wouldn't be taken well either. There didn't seem to be a clear answer, so Eddie kept quiet and hoped he wasn't screwing things up.
As per usual when they needed to talk, Buck hovered around the back of the truck when they got back to the station. Hen took a few extra minutes to get clear of the truck, leaving Buck to pace even longer. They really needed a better system than this. Or they needed to stop encountering things they needed to talk about immediately.
"I wasn't flirting," Buck rushed out as soon as the coast was clear.
"Okay," Eddie shrugged.
"Well, maybe I was flirting a little. But that's just how I am, you know?"
"Oh, I recall," Eddie smirked, thinking of their moment in the bar.
"Right," Buck grinned, probably thinking of the same thing. Eddie couldn't resist teasing him a little.
"Although, maybe you found the redhead you were looking for?" Eddie teased. When Buck's face fell, he quickly backpedaled. "I'm kidding!"
"If you don't want me to flirt with anyone, I won't. I'll respect that boundary," Buck offered sincerely. And Eddie knew he would stick by that by how serious he sounded.
"Some innocent flirting is fine, Buck. I know you wouldn't take it too far," Eddie insisted, glancing around before taking Buck's hand.
"Are you sure?" Buck asked, still sounding unsure.
"I trust you." If Eddie trusted Buck around his son, something like this barely even registered.
"Okay," Buck agreed, finally relaxing. He rubbed his thumb along Eddie's hand, relishing in the moment they were sharing.
"Of course," Eddie started, leaning in close, "I might get a little territorial. Not because I don't trust you, but because that's my nature."
"Oh yeah?" Buck grinned, biting his lip.
"I'm protective of what's mine."
"Am I yours?" Buck asked.
"That's the plan," Eddie replied, leaving barely an inch between the two of them. "Unless you really did want that redhead?"
"She doesn't even compare to you. And besides, we'll probably never see her again."
Of course, they did see her again. Their next shift, she strode into the station like she owned the place, pointing her camera guy around like it was a set and she was the director. Funny, Eddie didn't recall auditioning for whatever this was.
He and Buck made brief eye contact before he walked up to her, making conversation. It was probably just to see what she was doing there, but Eddie still felt the urge to spray her with a hose like you would a racoon messing around your garbage cans. Not that Eddie was comparing Buck to garbage, he just wasn't very good with words when he was annoyed.
Eddie walked over as well, asking Taylor how she was feeling. Maybe if they all stayed boring and professional, she would decide to leave. It didn't work, but he did feel better being at Buck's side. Taylor explained that she wanted to do a story on them, to show they were heroes. The spin was nice, but he didn't believe it.
None of them were the type to do this for fame and fortune. They just had a drive to do what they could to help people. The fact that she wanted to use them for her own gain immediately soured his opinion of her for good. Bobby obviously wasn't comfortable with this, but she'd gone over his head. It wasn't about them at all. He'd probably have more respect for her if she was honest and said it was only about her own career, but the fact that she was trying to play both sides just made her more untrustworthy. Eddie was going to have to keep an eye on her.
The interview he gave was as bland and impersonal as he could make it, without making himself look like a complete asshole. If this really was going to be on television, he couldn't give off the impression that he hated his job. Eddie just hated this situation he was being put in. Punching the heavy bag helped him work out his frustrations. And maybe it helped Taylor move onto the next interviewee quicker.
Eddie and Buck didn't get a chance to talk about this at all while she was there, since a hot mic could expose more than they were ready to at this point. The most they could get away with was brief eye contact when the camera wasn't pointed in their direction. And they definitely couldn't discuss anything in the truck on the way to calls, since Hen kept dropping little teasing comments about Buck's new girlfriend hanging around. It wasn't malicious at all, but Eddie still wanted to boot her to the ambulance for a few of the rides.
Their calls while Taylor was around were interesting, but thankfully not dangerous. Eddie could just imagine how over the top she would've gotten if they had to run into a burning building. Seeing Taylor get startled by a giant lizard gave him more joy than he wanted to admit. And getting to push her back at Bobby's command at the bodybuilding competition. The little lecture Cap gave her was nice too. He hoped that would make it into her news segment.
Their shift was finally close to the end when the station received a little pick-me-up in the form of a pan of fudge brownies. Everyone pounced on the treat, relishing in the gooey chocolate. The edible gifts were one of the many perks of the job. Forget fame and fortune, like Taylor wanted, give him a full stomach and he was happy.
But then they got a little too happy.
At first, he felt kind of good. Like his whole body was tingling. And since Buck was feeling the same way, he didn't question it. Eddie was so tired of questioning things. Of being careful. But joining the military and having a child when he was pretty much a child himself meant growing up. But growing up was dumb.
Growing up became extra dumb when he turned into a giant and towered above the tiny beauty queens. Why couldn't he be small like them? They were so cute and little and the opposite of him. At least Buck was big too. He liked how big Buck was. Eddie would stick by his side and everything would be fine. Just as soon as he escaped the balloons.
Things started being less fun after a while. Eddie's head hurt and he felt like crying. But he couldn't cry, so he didn't. Or at least he tried not to. It got a little fuzzier when the handcuffs came out. How was Buck so happy while he was so sad? Maybe if they hugged, he would feel better. Dumb handcuffs.
A few seconds, or minutes, or hours, or days later, they were being herded into the back of some sort of vehicle. Eddie didn't really care who was taking them or where they were going, since he got to sit next to Buck. He tucked his face into Buck's neck while the man talked nonstop. Eddie wasn't sure what he was saying, but he liked the way it made his throat vibrate.
When they got to their destination, Eddie let out a whine when they were separated. They were only a foot apart, but that was too far after he'd gotten to relish in their closeness. Maybe someone could find a sweatshirt big enough for both of them to wear at the same time, so they could be pressed together in a warm cocoon.
"Come on, we're gonna have you guys checked out. Just as a precaution," someone said, nudging him forward toward a hospital. Eddie was pretty sure he knew the guy, but his name was escaping him. Something weird, probably.
"Buck," Eddie said insistently.
"He's coming too."
"No, Buck," Eddie said again, digging in his heels. If they took Buck away, would Eddie ever see him again? They had no idea what was beyond the doors.
"You can't separate us, Chimney. It's the law," Buck said seriously. Eddie vigorously nodded in agreement.
"Oh yeah? And what law is that?" Chimney asked in amusement.
"Secret law. You don't have the clearance for it," Buck huffed in annoyance. Chimney stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and grabbing them both by the elbow.
"It's no skin off my nose if you two go to the same exam room. But you better believe I'm going to bring this up just as much as you all bring up the rebar," Chimney laughed, walking them up to a nurse and explaining the situation. Someone came up from behind them to unlock their wrists, but Eddie barely paid attention. Eddie didn't care about anything, since Buck was right beside him.
They were led into a curtained off area and sat pressed together on a bed as a nurse took samples of their blood for testing. Buck was going on about different needle gauges and it sounded so nice. Everything Buck said sounded pretty.
"Pretty," Eddie mumbled. The nurse looked up at him in embarrassment before hustling out of their area quickly. Must've been something wrong with their blood.
"What's pretty? These lights?" Buck asked, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. Eddie couldn't help running his finger along the length of Buck's throat. It was so long.
"Your mouth."
"Really?" Buck preened, puckering his lips a few times. Eddie was mesmerized. He knew what those lips felt like on his neck and he wanted to feel them other places too. "Did you know everyone's tongue print is unique, like a fingerprint?"
"Show me," Eddie demanded. Buck immediately complied, sticking out his tongue as far as it would go. Eddie inspected it closely, trying to memorize each taste bud.
"Lemme thee yourth," Buck garbled, not pulling his tongue back. Eddie figured fair was fair, so he did. His wasn't as big as Buck's, but that didn't matter. It wasn't the size of the tongue, it was how you used it. Buck poked him with his finger and Eddie couldn't resist rolling his tongue to trap it. "Gimme tha back!"
"Nuh uh!" Eddie laughed as best he could with Buck's finger practically in his mouth. He just wanted to feel Buck's fingerprint with his tongue print."
"What the hell?" Eddie and Buck turned their heads, finding Chimney in their cubicle with them. Buck pulled his finger back and wiped it off on Eddie's shirt, but that was fine. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Buck and I have different tongues," Eddie explained.
"Right," Chimney smirked, shaking his head. "Well, I just spoke with the doctors. It was definitely LSD, but since all you vultures shared the pan of brownies, you didn't get too high of a dose. Should be out of your system in a few hours."
"Did you know that vultures will throw up to defend themselves?"
"Is that your way of telling me you're about to throw up, Buck?"
"Nope."
"Okay, Brundlefly."
"It's pronounced Buckley."
"Anyway, since you two aren't having any adverse physical reactions to this and you don't seem particularly aggressive," Chimney said, pausing to stare at where Eddie was pawing at Buck's arm. Sue him, the man was soft. "The doctors said you could go home and sleep this off, granted you had someone to watch you."
"We have people. Thank you, Chimney!" Buck replied, waving goodbye to him.
"You sure?" Chimney asked, eyeing them both critically. Eddie wasn't going to disagree with Buck.
"I'm gonna call them right now," Buck insisted, pulling out his phone.
"Fine, fine. I've got a few more people to check on. But if you need anything, call me," Chimney said, patting Buck on the leg before backing out.
"Are you gonna go to Maddie's?" Eddie asked quietly, picking at a thread on his pants. It made sense for Buck to leave him. Shannon had and they'd exchanged vows. Buck owed him nothing.
"Nope. I'm going to your house," Buck grinned, wagging his eyebrows. Oh, that sounded good. But was he forgetting something?
"Christopher!" Eddie exclaimed, fumbling to get his phone out of his pocket. He needed to call Carla. What was he gonna say? How was he going to take care of Christopher like this? If his parents found out, they'd do everything they could to take his son away from him.
"Hey Eddie, are you on your way home?" Carla asked after picking up Eddie's call. She was so nice.
"Carla, he can't see me like this!" Eddie choked out, pressing his face into Buck's shoulder as he sobbed. He heard Carla's startled questions through the receiver, but he couldn't answer her. It was time to cry. Buck pried Eddie's phone out of his hand, putting it up to his own ear.
"Hello Carla. Eddie and I were drugged. We're currently at the hospital," Buck informed her. He was so good at this. "There's no need to worry about us."
"They put me in handcuffs, Carla," Eddie moaned. He was still kind of salty about that.
"If it wouldn't trouble you, would you mind taking Christopher to your house for the night? Eddie and I have an important job to do tonight." Eddie could hear Carla saying something, but he couldn't make out the words. The sound of Buck's skin was too loud. "Thank you for your service, Carla." Buck hung up the call and slid the phone back in Eddie's pocket. That felt nice.
"Buck?"
"Let's blow this popsicle stand. Actually, a popsicle sounds really good. Do you have popsicles?"
"But Chimney said we had to have someone to watch us," Eddie argued. Chimney had seniority and Eddie was still on probation. Eddie was going to get fired for being high at work and not following orders. This was not a good day for him.
"And we do," Buck said, pulling Eddie's face up from where it had been resting against Buck. He wanted to go back, but looking at Buck was nice too. "I'll watch you and you'll watch me."
"I like watching you. You're handsome," Eddie said dreamily. Buck booped him on the nose before hauling them both off the bed. They walked arm and arm toward the exit, not encountering anyone they recognized on the way out. If they were supposed to sign anything or talk to anyone, they could contact their lawyers.
When the Uber got there, Eddie and Buck poured themselves into the backseat. They jostled each other playfully the whole ride, giggling uncontrollably. Who knew cars could be so much fun? The drive was over too soon in Eddie's opinion and they climbed out of the car. Again they walked arm in arm, pausing when they got to the front door.
"Eds?"
"I don't have my house key," Eddie giggled, before his face crumpled. "I don't have my house key."
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Buck soothed, rubbing his hand up and down his back. That felt nice. "I can kick it down."
"No, you can't!"
"I'm a firefighter," Buck huffed, stepping back and getting into a better stance.
"You'll break it!"
"It's okay. There are studies that show that plants have feelings, but I think that ship has sailed for this wood."
"Chris' home is broken enough," Eddie whispered, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. He couldn't keep his family together, but he could at least give Chris some proper shelter.
"Hey, no," Buck said softly, wrapping his big hands around Eddie's wrists. "Chris has an amazing home because you are his home. And there's no one better for him."
"You don't understand," Eddie mumbled. And how could he? Buck was the sun. He was bright and warm. Eddie was creeping fog, casting gloom over everything he touched. Or a black hole, dragging down everything and everyone around him.
"I understand a lot of things. In fact," Buck said, holding up a finger like he had an idea, "I know how we're going to get inside of this house."
"How?" Eddie sniffled.
"With this!" Buck said triumphantly, unclipping his badge off his uniform. He wagged his eyebrows before stooping down, sticking the pointy part into the door lock. Eddie watched as Buck poked his tongue out of the side of his mouth in concentration as he shifted the pin this way and that way. He didn't know a lot of his neighbors yet, so he didn't know if they would recognize him as the owner of the house. How would they explain this to the cops? "Got it!"
"Amazing," Eddie breathed out in awe. Was there anything Buck couldn't do? Eddie had the urge to pick him up and carry him to the bedroom. "We can't have sex."
"Hmm?" Buck hummed up at him in confusion.
"We're both under the influence and we can't consent," Eddie said seriously.
"Okay," Buck agreed easily, standing up and brushing off his pants. "But I am consenting to the food in your kitchen." Buck walked past him into the house, kicking his shoes off haphazardly as he went along. Eddie trailed after him, making sure to secure all the locks again. He needed new ones if it was that easy to break into his house.
"What are you making us?" Eddie asked, flopping down at the kitchen table.
"Why do I have to cook?" Buck groaned, throwing his head back.
"Because I'm terrible at it," Eddie laughed, shaking his head. He was terrible at a lot of things, but that was one thing it felt okay to laugh about. It was something he could shrug off and people could accept without harsh judgment. Not like all his other faults.
"I like everything you make. You can't make anything bad."
"Yeah right."
"You made Christopher. That's proof," Buck shrugged, picking a new cabinet to rifle through. Eddie laid his cheek on the table, thinking of his son. He should've been with him right now, but someone deciding to mess with their station ruined that. It wasn't fair.
"I love him," Eddie whispered, staring over at the spot Chris sat at for breakfast in the mornings. Did he deserve those mornings or were his parents right? And how could Shannon stand missing them? Chris was the sun, just like Buck.
"Cereal!" Buck announced excitedly, thrusting the box in Eddie's face as he sat down beside him.
"I'm not hungry," Eddie grumbled, ignoring the fact that his stomach immediately growled in disagreement.
"Sure you are," Buck said, grabbing a piece and pressing it between Eddie's lips. Eddie obediently chewed what he was given, recognizing the sweet taste as Christopher's weekend cereal. He gave his son a healthier brand on school days. His parent of the year award sat in the drawer right next to his silver star.
"I wish we had the pizza from your sister's house. That was good," Eddie sighed. He'd take cheese over oats any day.
"Maddie's husband hurts her." Eddie's head whipped up so fast he heard his neck crack. Buck had silent tears rolling down his face and Eddie's heart broke.
"Buck," Eddie murmured, reaching over and squeezing Buck's hand.
"I was so mad at her when she left me. How did I not know? I would've done something. I would've helped her," Buck cried, shaking his head. "Why didn't she let me help her?"
"Come here," Eddie said softly, wrapping his arms around Buck's shoulders and pulling him close. Buck melted into him, tucking his face into Eddie's neck as he wept. Eddie ran his hand through the back of Buck's hair and rocked him gently, just like he would with Christopher when he needed comfort. He didn't know what to say and would probably say the wrong thing if he tried, but he could do this. His body had been trained to be a weapon, but it was also a healer too.
"I'm sorry," Buck sniffled after a few minutes.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Eddie insisted. Buck let out a long, jaw-cracking yawn, but didn't move from where he was tucked into him. "Come on, let's go to bed."
"What time is it?" Buck wondered, drying his face off on Eddie's shirt.
"I don't know, but I am completely done with this day," Eddie sighed. This could all be a bad dream that they never thought of again. "Let's sleep until we have to be responsible adults again."
"Deal," Buck agreed, reluctantly pulling back. He didn't go far, but every inch felt like a mile. Eddie took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom. What had he said about sex earlier?
"Choose whichever side you want," Eddie directed, emptying his pockets and unclasping his gear and putting it all on the bedside table.
"Such a gentleman," Buck teased, hopping onto the bed and rolling around on it. He looked like a goofy kid and it made Eddie's insides all mushy. Or maybe he had to pee.
"I gotta go to the bathroom," Eddie muttered, making a quick escape. He did his business, then splashed some cold water on his face. The drugs seemed to be working their way out of his system, but he still felt a little off. Like his brain to mouth filter was glitching. Unlike his normal instinct, Eddie wanted to go back and purge every thought that was in his head to Buck. But it would all be too much, too soon. Eddie had to play it cool, so he didn't scare the guy off.
He carefully walked back to his bedroom, trying to flood his mind with safe things, like the color of his walls or the thread count of his sheets. Not the fact that he was about to wrap himself around Buck in bed for the first time. Eddie needed to stay cool.
Fortunately, Eddie didn't need to worry at all. Buck was sprawled out on one side of the bed, completely zonked out. His mouth was hanging open and deep snores were rumbling out of his chest. Looking at him made Eddie forget about anything else, letting contentment and exhaustion take over. Eddie flipped onto the other side of the bed, not even bothering to slide under the covers. The last thought he had before he was dead to the world was how nice it was to share a bed with another person again.
A kick to the face was not the best way to be woken up. At least it wasn't a full kick, just a nudge to the forehead. But it was still confusing. Eddie blearily blinked his eyes open, trying to figure out what was going on. A pair of socked feet were inches away from his face. He leaned up to look around, finding the feet belonged to Buck.
"Oh," Eddie muttered, laying his head back down. He must've gotten onto the bed the wrong way, then passed out before he noticed. The events of the last day started flooding his memories. Some parts of it were fuzzy, while other parts were completely gone. What he did remember was that Buck was by his side the whole time.
"Either I'm still drugged or your face looks really different, Eds," Buck huffed, poking his ankle.
"I could say the same about you," Eddie replied, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "So, yesterday was shitty."
"Definitely not my favorite," Buck agreed.
"Are you feeling okay? Any residual weirdness?"
"No more than usual."
"Good," Eddie sighed. The idea that some people took those drugs on purpose was unfathomable. Losing control like that was one of Eddie's worst nightmares.
"Do you- uh, do you remember what we talked about yesterday?" Buck asked hesitantly.
"Kind of. Why?"
"Could you not mention what I told you about Maddie? It wasn't my place to tell and I don't want her to feel bad."
"Buck, of course I won't say anything," Eddie insisted, sitting up to get a better look at him. Heaven knows he's got a lot in his past that he doesn't like to talk about. "But if you need to talk about it, or anything really, you can always come to me." Buck's face turned a little pink as he nodded in acceptance.
"Thanks, Eds."
"Anytime, Buck."
Once they started moving around, they realized the drugs had fully left their systems. They took showers and Eddie let Buck borrow some clothes so he wouldn't have to go back to Abby's. Even if they were feeling better, they still didn't want to be apart. Carla brought back Christopher later in the morning and Eddie profusely apologized and thanked her, promising to make everything up to her. Carla insisted that she was glad they were okay and she didn't mind having Christopher at all.
The three of them spent the rest of the day hanging around the house, doing whatever Christopher wanted to do. It was nice to relax, after the turmoil of the previous day. They checked in with Chimney, getting updates on the rest of the people who'd gotten the laced brownies. Everyone was fine, but Buck and Eddie felt horrible about what this meant for Bobby's sobriety. Having something you worked so hard for put in jeopardy was unfair, but they'd do whatever they could to support him.
Soon enough, it was time to go to bed. Buck had to go home, since they had a shift the next day and he needed things that were at his place. He took an Uber to the station, grabbing his and Eddie's things out of their lockers, before driving his jeep home. Buck would pick him and Chris up in the morning, since Eddie's truck was still at the station, and take them where they needed to go. It felt so domestic and comfortable.
When they got to the station, everyone was acting like what happened was no big deal. Eddie was happy enough to go along with it, talking casually about how it all felt. He wasn't going to mention how many times he cried. It helped that the news story was about to premiere, so that drew people's focus. They all sat down to watch it together, minus Bobby. Buck promised he would check in with him after and Eddie trusted him to handle it. They had that sort of relationship.
The story was surprisingly good, to Eddie's relief. And he was barely in it, which was great. He could show a clip to Christopher later and brag about how his dad was on television, without having to sensor anything. Thank goodness she hadn't gone to the call at the pageant. Buck excused himself to go talk to Bobby, while Eddie stayed with the rest of the group.
Their shift went on normally after that, with no difficult calls. And definitely no eating any food that was brought in. They'd learned that lesson. They were at the lockers and Buck seemed a little more nervous than usual, which was putting Eddie on edge. He really hoped there wasn't another crisis about to pop up.
"You okay, Buck?" Eddie asked as soon as everyone else had cleared out. Buck sighed, before facing him with a sheepish grin.
"I was thinking of going to see Taylor," Buck admitted. Eddie must not have been able to suppress the reaction from his face, since Buck quickly started talking again. "I wanted to thank her for not using the stuff with Bobby. That's all."
"And you couldn't text that to her?" Eddie grumbled. He knew he was being immature, but he couldn't help it.
"Oh, you want me to exchange numbers with her?" Buck smirked.
"Good point."
"It's really not that big of a deal. I promise not to flirt with her."
"Better not," Eddie grunted.
"You want to come with me? Be my chaperone?" Buck offered.
"I told you I trust you."
"Yeah, but I still wouldn't mind you tagging along. Any excuse to spend more time with you is a good excuse."
"As if we don't already spend almost every day together."
"And I won't be satisfied until we get rid of that almost," Buck grinned. Eddie couldn't agree more.
"Fine. And I'll try to be nice."
"I'm sure you will," Buck laughed, shutting his locker and walking toward the parking lot. Eddie followed him in his truck, working on keeping his face neutral during the drive. Just because he didn't particularly like the woman didn't mean he had to be rude. Staying quiet and letting Buck do the talking was his best bet.
Taylor was standing in the parking lot when they got there, next to a van being loaded up. Eddie could admit that he kind of hoped she wouldn't be there, but it was fine. He was mature and there was nothing to be jealous about. He and Buck walked up to her, with Eddie plastering on his practiced expression.
"Hey," Buck greeted, getting Taylor's attention.
"Buck. Eddie," Taylor replied, walking over to them. Did she say Buck's name with a little more animation than his? Was Eddie reading into things because he was a little petty? Oh well.
"We saw the story. It was good," Buck complimented. Eddie nodded next to him.
"Thank you. Everyone seemed pretty pleased with it."
"Does that mean you're off traffic?"
"Looks like. No big stories yet, but it's a start."
"I'm happy for you," Buck said sincerely. "And I wanted to thank you for not using the stuff with Bobby."
"Oh, I was going to, but that wasn't my decision," Taylor said bluntly.
"W-what?" Buck asked, blinking in confusion. Eddie felt the neutral expression slip off his face.
"Your lawyers are better than mine, apparently," Taylor said flippantly, like it was all a joke. Buck was staring at her incredulously, while Taylor launched into a speech to try to justify her actions. That this job was her dream and she sacrificed a lot to get where she was. It sounded like a whole lot of bullshit to Eddie.
"Come on," Eddie said, grabbing Buck's arm to try to pull him away.
"I'm not gonna feel bad about doing my job," Taylor huffed. That was enough for Eddie.
"Really? You don't feel bad about hurting people?" Eddie snapped, forcing himself not to storm up to her. "That's rich, coming from the person who claimed they wanted to tell our story. The story of everyday heroes. Kind of sounds like you wanted to exploit us."
"Your job is to save people. Mine is to tell people's stories. Even the ones they may not want to be told," Taylor argued.
"And who would that help? Taking advantage of someone's grief while they had already been victimized? That's who you want to be?"
"I'll do what it takes to get to where I want to be. I didn't lace those brownies, so that's not on me."
"I don't know about you, but I'd never put my career over someone's life. The fact that you have no qualms about that tells me everything I need to know about you," Eddie snarled. He really wanted to give her a chance, but this was crossing a line she couldn't come back from. Eddie would never be able to see Taylor as anything more than an opportunistic snake.
"You don't get it."
"And thank goodness I never will. My moral compass could never allow it."
"We should go," Buck said softly. He was right and Eddie turned to leave, but he had one more thing he had to say before he could.
"You say that you would've told the whole, ugly story to further your career? Well, it looks like you got what you wanted without it. Maybe remember that later, when you have to make the decision to either hurt people or help them. I hope you finally figure out how to do the right thing on your own." Eddie didn't wait to hear if Taylor had a response, before walking back to the cars with Buck.
"That was-"
"I'm sorry. I know I said I was going to be nice, but she really pissed me off!"
"Hot."
"What?"
"That was hot," Buck repeated, looking down at Eddie with a smirk on his face. Eddie wanted to slam him against the side of his truck, but they were in the parking lot of a news station with a snake of a reporter nearby. That would have to wait. "I love it when you get all stern and lecturey."
"Lecturey? Really?" Eddie snorted.
"You were right about what you said. Her fluff story got her to where she wanted. Hopefully she'll keep that in mind." Eddie doubted it, but he didn't feel the need to burst Buck's bubble. If Buck wanted to see the good in people, he'd let him keep that optimism. "And besides, we'll probably never see her again."
"Didn't you say that before?"
"Yeah, but this time, I'm probably right." Los Angeles was a big city, so hopefully luck was on their side. Eddie didn't need any more Taylor Kelly in his life. It was complicated enough.