If Eddie thought that Afghanistan made him tired from PTSD alone, firefighting was something else.

Man, he was tired. Exhaustion clung to Eddie like a damp blanket as he trudged through the front door. Another shift down, another explosion averted, another life saved. All he wanted was to see Chris, maybe grab a sandwich, and collapse on the couch.

He expected the usual cacophony of sounds – Chris's enthusiastic chatter, the clanging of pots and pans if Pepa was still around. Instead, an ethereal melody drifted from the living room, something delicate and unfamiliar. He wasn't usually one for classical music personally, but as the sound tinkered through the short hallway, he could recognise Buck and Chris's low voices against the melody.

Curiosity piqued, Eddie cautiously peeked around the corner and what he saw made his jaw drop, only briefly however before it snapped shut like a clam so as not to make any noise.

There, in the middle of the living room, bathed in the soft afternoon light, stood Buck. Not the Buck he knew – the adrenaline junkie, firefighting Buck obviously, the one who tackled buildings and climbed ladders with a reckless grin. This Buck was… different.

He was explaining something to Chris over the music, his hands gesturing with fluid grace. He wore his trademark soft grey sweatpants and a t-shirt usually reserved for his off-shift days when he came over to babysit his son, but his posture was ramrod straight, his shoulders relaxed and open and more at ease than the latter had ever seen him.

"See, Chris? You have to extend through your fingertips, imagine you're painting the sky." Buck demonstrated, his arm arcing in a perfect curve. He rose onto the balls of his feet, his body a picture of controlled elegance, more than Eddie had ever seen in…well, literal years.

Chris, sitting on the couch, giggled. "Do it again, Buck! Like a swan!"

Buck chuckled, a warm, unforced sound. "Okay, okay. Yes, exactly like a swan, but you have to try it too!" He gently guided Chris's arms with his own, placing his hands carefully on his back to sit him up gently, correcting his posture.

Eddie watched, completely mesmerized. It was… ballet. Buck was teaching Chris ballet. He had seen Shannon do something similar once or twice when they were in high school quite early in their relationship, but the way Buck was talking sounded like he'd done it for a lifetime.

He didn't exactly mean to, but he cleared his throat and to his chagrin, both heads snapped around. Buck's face, once composed, flushed a shade of scarlet Eddie had never seen before before he righted himself, turning the stereo off. "Eddie! Hey! You're back."

Chris, oblivious to the situation at hand, grinned, stumbling on unsteady feet up to his Dad and grabbing onto him as much as the teenager can. "Dad! Buck's teaching me ballet! He says I have to be a swan!"

Eddie forced a smile, trying to process what he was seeing. "I can see that, bud. Ballet, huh?" He feigned nonchalance, but his mind was reeling.

Where had this Buck been hiding? Also, why was his heart beating so fast at the thought?

"Yeah, well, you know…" Buck trailed off, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked everywhere but at Eddie. "It was…kind of forced. Maddie used to have classes when we were kids and uh… sometimes I would… fill in."

Eddie's eyebrows shot up. "Fill in? For Maddie? As in… dance ballet?"

Buck fidgeted. "Okay, look, it was a long time ago. Maddie absolutely hated them after a week or so, but Mom and Dad had already paid for them and weren't going to let her not go to them, so she used to send me and hang out with her friends. Plus," he mumbled, kicking at an invisible speck on the carpet, "I was actually… pretty good. So I kept going till they stopped paying. I still remember some stuff."

The image of Buck, leaping and pirouetting on some random stage, flashed through Eddie's mind, momentarily displacing the image of Buck in sepia tones and window light that normally took up that space.

The difference in both was almost comical.

"Pretty good?" Eddie echoed, a teasing smile creeping onto his face. "I'm going to need to see some proof."

Buck groaned, the embarrassed flush deepening. "Absolutely not. That is not happening."

"Oh, come on, Buck! Just a little demonstration for Chris and me!" Eddie persisted, unable to resist the urge to tease him further.

Chris piped up, clapping his hands. "Yeah, Buck! Show us the swan!"

Trapped, Buck sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. But just one and no laughing." He glared pointedly at Eddie.

"Can't make any promises."

Buck rolled his eyes before he faced Chris, taking a deep breath. "Okay, Chris, remember what I showed you. The arms are important, like you're holding a big, beautiful feather and you have to point your toes!"

He had the remembrance to turn the music back on before he straightened, his shoulders squaring and suddenly, the shy, embarrassed man…vanished.

Before Eddie could truly register it, Buck was moving. Simple, elegant steps at first on his toes, then a plié, then an arabesque, before his legs stretched towards the ceiling and up to the sky. He wasn't leaping or spinning (at least not yet), but even with the minimal movements, the grace and control were undeniable.

Eddie watched, mesmerized, as Buck transformed into something… different. Something beautiful. Something… unexpected. Something…something.

He barely pulled himself back into his body as Buck finished with a soft curtsy, his cheeks flushed but his eyes sparkling, while Chris clapped enthusiastically, cheering. "That was so cool!"

Eddie, still speechless, managed a weak, "Wow."

Buck chuckled, the blush returning. "Okay, okay, enough of that, it wasn't that great," He said, trying to downplay the performance as best he could. Typical Buck behaviour. "Let's order some pizza, huh?"

Later, after Chris was asleep and the pizza boxes were stacked in the trash, Eddie found Buck washing dishes.

"So," Eddie said, leaning against the counter, "ballet, huh?"

Buck sighed. "Don't start, Eddie."

"I'm not starting," Eddie replied, his voice soft. "I'm just… impressed. You were really good."

Buck turned to face him, a small smile playing on his lips as he put the last plate into the drying rack. "Thanks. It's… just something I haven't thought about in a long time. I only just remembered the other day myself."

Eddie paused, then asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Buck shrugged. "I don't know. It just… didn't seem like something that fit. You know, 'Hey, Eddie, I'm Buck, I fight fires, and I used to dance ballet. Plus, at the time, we kind of hated each other, so yeah.'"

Eddie chuckled. "Yeah, I can see how that might not exactly be a conversation starter." He was silent for a moment, then added sincerely, "It's amazing, Buck." He lowered his voice. "You're amazing."

Buck looked down, a faint blush creeping up his neck again. He reached out and gently squeezed Eddie's arm, shaking his head. "You don't mean that."

"Yes I fucking do." Eddie used the moment to draw Buck closer till they were touching, faces so close that he could feel Buck's breath against his chin. "I think you're amazing. Always have."

Buck's eyes stared at him, hopeful. "Yeah?"

Eddie swallowed, blinking his own and pausing for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah I do."

Then, in a moment of whatever the fuck had shifted from this afternoon to now, Eddie lent down and kissed him.

It felt natural, almost as natural as the way Buck moved, before he found himself moving Buck in a different way as he lifted him onto the nearby countertop as they continued to make out. However, Eddie just had to make sure that he was totally not going to lose someone he loved (fuck he loved him) out of this, so despite Bucs whine, he pulled away to stare. "We good?"

Buck, panting, nodded jerkily. "We are so damn good right now - if I knew it would take busting the ballet card out to have to finally kiss me, would have done it a whole lot earlier."

"Cheeky." Eddie grumbled, pinching one of Buck's thighs and making him yelp before nosing his cheek, feeling the muscle flex as Buck arched it up above him as he moved to his neck. "Maybe you could show me some of those moves sometime."

He felt Buck laugh and pulled away as the latter watched him, grinning. "I'm sure we can aim for that, always wanted to try them on a clumsy flamingo."

The ass even winked and now Eddie was the one rolling his eyes, letting out an incredulous huff as Buck reached for him, letting himself melt into Eddie's chest. "Wanna watch some terrible action movie? I think I've had my fill of graceful movement for one day, my tailbone is also killing me being on this bench and I want to finish what we started without feeling like I've been riding a horse."

Eddie smirked, hands cupping the other's waist. "Play your cards right and you'll be riding something else."

Buck just smirked back. "Bring it on, cowboy."

Eddie chuckled, helping Buck down from the counter, hand in his. "Come on, before Chris wakes up and gets any ideas about joining us."

"Noted." Buck squeezed his hand, falling in step before he turned to him. "Hey, you know I love you, right?"

Eddie hesitated, stopping in his tracks before he looked at him and squeezed back. "Yeah. I know. I do know. I love you too."

It was impossible for him not to. At least, not anymore. His therapist would have a field day with this.

Buck's smile was so, so worth it though. "Good."