The flashing lights of Galaxy Games assaulted Buck's senses the moment they stepped through the doors. A cacophony of electronic beeps, boops, and triumphant jingles washed over him, mingled with the excited shouts of kids who ran by dodging and weaving through crowds.
Of course, as per usual, he wasn't on his own. Chris was right next to him, already vibrating with excitement, his eyes wide as saucers, which Buck had expected. He was sure if the teen could jump up and down, he most likely would. If Buck was his age again, so would he.
It was Eddie, back in LA for all of two weeks, who stepped in before either of them could make spectacles of themselves, ruffling Chris's hair with a grin. "Ready for some serious gaming, bud?"
"Yeah!" Chris chirped, grabbing Eddie's hand and tugging him forward. Buck followed, a warm feeling blooming in his chest as he watched them seemingly settle on what game to play first before Eddie's wallet was already out of his pocket.
It was good to have them back. Really good.
The move from El Paso had been… well, it had been necessary for Eddie and Chris. Buck understood that, logically, but the hollow ache in his chest during those months, the constant video calls that never quite filled the void, had been a constant reminder of just how integral Eddie and Chris were to his life.
Now, seeing them here, laughing, navigating the crowded arcade floor as they moved from game to game (most of which to Eddie's chagrin he loses), felt like the missing piece of him had been slotted back into place. Buck found himself smiling more than he had in months, watching Eddie patiently watch Chris or himself, his hand rested lightly on Chris's shoulder as he helped him reach for the controls (or use them to beat Buck's ass) as they settled back into some sort of unit.
Granted, they were still getting there, communication wise given you can't fix a bunch of shit with just moving states twice and not seeing therapists, but it seemed Eddie and Chris were doing a hell of a lot better than before, which wasn't exactly the greatest thing for Buck as it just made him more painfully aware that a different kind of feeling was starting to stir.
He'd always loved Eddie. Platonically, fiercely, unconditionally. He'd built his life around Eddie and Chris after a while of knowing them, their happiness becoming his priority as did a lot of other things like taking care of Maddie and her kids. He had put that need to protect them down to what had caused him to be a depressed asshole for the first few months Eddie was gone for, but of course, given his recent Tommy breakup, he fucking knew what was up and it was getting harder not to acknowledge it anymore.
It also was…different between them as well. He wanted to stop being so standoffish and all that and enjoy the fact they were both back in his inner circle when they did come back, but…he couldn't. For some reason. It was like he had a wall between them and he couldn't figure out how to tear it down.
"Hey, earth to Buck- you in there, man?" He was snapped out of his reverie when Eddie called his name and turned to look at him. "We got a shift in a couple of hours. Ticket redemption time soon?" Eddie asked, not even waiting for Buck to answer with a quick nod before checking his watch before turning to Chris. "How about one last game before we cash in?"
Chris nodded enthusiastically, pointing towards a claw machine filled with brightly coloured plushies. "Can we try for the giraffe, Dad? The tall one?"
Eddie chuckled. "We can certainly try, bud. Let's see if we can get lucky."
If only he could be so lucky. As Eddie and Chris focused intently on strategizing their claw machine attempt, Buck found himself drifting. Why was there a wall? He didn't really know (or at least, didn't want to know), but then he looks at Eddie's face. Looks into the fine lines and the smile that is lit up by the lights and it looks like the pictures he has in his head of when he used to think of Tommy like-
The realization hit him with the force of a tidal wave, yet it also felt incredibly obvious, like a truth he'd been unknowingly carrying for years, finally bubbling to the surface. He was… he was in love with Eddie.
Jesus Christ, he needed to sit down.
Or he needed to find the nearest paper bag to breathe into. You know, whatever works.
Didn't look like he was going to get either of those.
Suddenly, he spotted it. Tucked away in a slightly quieter corner, almost camouflaged by the flashing games around it, was a photo booth. Velvet curtains, a cheesy flashing sign proclaiming "Strike a Pose!", and all the seclusion in worlds for Buck to hide from the Diaz's to have his mild midlife sexuality crisis that he thought he'd already had months ago.
It was perfect…if Eddie hadn't followed him.
True to form, the minute Buck went to scream his lungs out in the tiny booth and be drowned out by the noise of his environment, Eddie's peeking in and he has to pretend he's totally not losing his mind as he sits next to him. "Lotta noise huh?"
"You could say that." Buck's forced laugh is high pitched as he kneads his thigh with his hand. "Needed a break."
"Same, Chris is determined to win that giraffe." Eddie shook his hand and fuck, that grin might actually kill Buck right then and there. "It's good to see him happy again."
"Not all his doing Eds and you know it." Buck bumps shoulders with him, choosing his own hell before silence stretches between them, a little too awkward for Buck's taste because not even two seconds later, he turns to the other. "You wanna… you wanna do a photo booth picture? For Chris? Like a welcome back to LA thing considering you were looking for wall art the other day."
Eddie looked up, a little surprised but smiling. "Sure, why not?" The look Eddie gives him as he flicked his eyes up and down his body gave him shivers. "Though I wouldn't consider you art, no offence. I see you every day. Want me to go and get Chris?"
"First of all, rude." Buck feans clutching at a string of pearls in mock outrage, but he's grinning despite himself and his feelings. "Secondly, as much as I want to be there when you manage to pry him from the claw machine, I don't have a first aid kit on me. Think it's just going to have to be us."
"You needed to be humbled." Eddie shrugged, amused before lifting a red velvet curtain and looking over at Chris and shaking his head in agreement, their knees brushing and making Buck want to shoot out of the cramped place right then and there. "Fair point. Guess it's just us then."
Buck attempted not to stare as Eddie's fingers reached towards the screen.
"What kind of poses should we do?" Eddie asked, glancing at the instructions above the camera, but Buck was already dissociating again in Eddie's presence as the man rambled on nonsensically.
There was something about Eddie's warm presence beside him, the scent of his cologne and aftershave that filled up his lungs, making his chest and his cheeks burn. He knew that he shouldn't have been and also knew this was a bad idea, but all he was thinking about was how desperately he wanted to close the small gap between them.
So he just did.
Without thinking, propelled by a surge of adrenaline and months of unspoken feelings, Buck reached out. He placed his hands on Eddie's shoulders, steadying himself, and in one swift movement, he slid forward, settling himself on Eddie's lap.
Eddie gasped, a surprised sound that was quickly swallowed as the world faded out between them, leaving them in their own corner of the planet as he went rigid beneath Buck, his eyes wide with shock.
"Buck…?" he breathed, his voice barely a whisper.
Buck ignored the question, ignored the fear gnawing at the edges of his courage. He just focused on Eddie's eyes, on the way his breath hitched in his chest, on the undeniable surprise and something else… something that looked a little like… interest? He wasn't sure, but hope, that insidious, dangerous thing, flared within him.
"Eddie," he said, his voice rough with emotion he hadn't realized he was holding back. "I… I need to do this."
Then, before Eddie could respond, before he could process what was happening, Buck leaned in and kissed him. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't tentative. It was a fucking kiss.
He did not expect what came next.
Eddie's hands, initially frozen on his lap, slowly, hesitantly, came up to grip Buck's waist, his fingers digging into the fabric of Buck's shirt. He didn't pull away. In fact, he leaned in, the kiss deepening, becoming more sure, more… real.
Everything was practically a distant him as the warmth of Eddie's lips enveloped him, the solid feel of his body beneath him and the sensation of finally, finally, being this close almost making Buck hard in his pants.
He could almost see them like that, if he opened his eyes, could see them both hard and one taking the others shorts off and then-
A voice, clear and insistent, cut through the haze and made them freeze as they heard the sound of fairly approaching crutches against the carpeted floor. "Dad! Dad, look! I won the giraffe! Dad!"
Chris.
Buck and Eddie jolted apart and scrambled to separate, Buck sliding off Eddie's lap and back onto the bench, both of them flushing crimson, breathing heavily, hearts hammering in their chests.
The photo booth, suddenly, felt incredibly small and suffocating.
"Ch-Chris… is calling you," Buck stammered, avoiding Eddie's gaze, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Eddie's breath was still ragged. He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. "Yeah," he said, his voice low. "Yeah, he is."
The curtain of the photo booth parted abruptly, flooding the small space with arcade light. Chris stood there, beaming, holding aloft a ridiculously oversized plush giraffe almost as tall as him.
"Look, Dad! I got it! I got the giraffe!" Chris exclaimed, oblivious to the charged, unspoken tension hanging thick in the air between Buck and Eddie.
Eddie forced a smile, a strained, shaky thing. "Wow, dude! That's… amazing. You did great." He stepped out of the booth, his back to Buck, focusing entirely on Chris and the giraffe. "Let's go get you some ice cream, huh? Celebrate your victory."
Chris, still glowing with pride, readily agreed. "Come on Buck!"
"Buck will be right behind you, I'm sure." Eddie, with one last look at him, steered him away, towards the ice cream stand, leaving the latter alone in the suddenly silent photo booth.
Buck sat there for a long moment, the scent of Eddie still lingering in the air, the phantom pressure of his lips still burning on his own. He reached up and touched his mouth, a shaky breath escaping him.
He'd done it. He'd kissed Eddie. He'd crossed a line he wasn't even sure he'd meant to cross and…Eddie hadn't stopped him. Shit.
He would have thought more about it, but a sudden call of "Let's go Buckaroo!" made him jolt like he had been tased before the was up and following the pair all the way to the food court, head still spinning.
(Eddie approaches him during shift to ask him to talk. Turns out furiously making out for 20 minutes before Buck gives Eddie the best blowjob of his life in the gear storage is counted as exactly that before they're on their next call.)