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#i suddenly realise this makes it seem like eddie has all the good lines in my fics lmao
skyfall8600 · 2 years
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Can I request a fluffy Eddie Munson x fem. reader oneshot where it’s Eddie’s Birthday and reader surprises him with a present that has a sonagram photo and a baby onesie and tells Eddie he’s going to be a father?
(I have a special request of what I want the onesie to say, so I will send you a picture of the message I would like on it. ) 🙂❤️
Of course babes.
Masterlist
Birthday Pictures
Eddie’s 21st birthday was coming up and you wanted it to be epic. With Dustin’s help, you were putting together a massive picture collage full of pictures of Eddie over the last few years. There were a range of types of pictures, school photos, yearbook photos… but many were from you and Dustin randomly capturing pictures of him.
With everything that happened with Vecna, you wanted to capture all the good moments. You never knew when it would suddenly end and everything turned back to hell on earth.
“We cannot use that one.” Dustin said, moving around the photos. He opened up a fresh packet of raisins.
The smell hit you quickly and you instantly felt sick. “Those smell disgusting! How can you eat that?”
He looked at you confusingly, “They smell the same as always.”
You noticed that lately you were noticing a lot more unique smells than usual. Your mother opened up a chocolate bar the other day and you practically gravitated towards it.
After dropping Dustin off at home, you decided to try for a midnight snack. Your body seemed to move before your mind realised what weird combination you put together. Anchovies and peanut butter.
“That’s insanely good, oh my god.” You said to yourself, shoving more into your mouth. You were enjoying every bite, until suddenly, your body disagreed with the combination.
You rushed to the bathroom and threw up everything you just ate. After twenty minutes, you sighed from exhaustion and slumped against the toilet seat unsure of what you did to deserve this. Your eyes wandered around the bathroom and that’s when you noticed something. Something that you hadn’t touched in almost two months now.
“Oh shit. Oh shit shit shit.”
You tried to recall the last few weeks, secretly hoping that maybe you did use them but forgot. But after a few minutes, the last time you remembered having your period was weeks ago.
You were physically numb as you walked over to your phone, dialing the only person who you know would be calm in this situation. “Nancy? Ah, I kinda need a favour…”
She brought you three different brands of pregnancy tests, and a large packet of tissues. She sat with you after you peed on the little sticks and held your hand as you waited for the timer to go off. When it did, you saw three dark positive tests. No faint lines, no negatives.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Nancy asked the following day. You didn’t know how you got the courage to call the doctors so soon after finding out, but it was all you could think about.
You wanted to make sure everything was okay. You wanted this. Sure it wasn’t planned, but the idea of being able to share something so wonderful with Eddie made you certain you wanted it more than anything.
“Yes please, I don’t think I can handle being on my own if they say something is wrong.”
“Nothing will be wrong. I’m sure it’s all fine. Let’s get you some food before you go, your appointments at 1pm yeah?” Nancy asked and you nodded.
All your nerves came back when you were seated in the waiting room. Lots of baby pinks, flowers and fruit decorated every inch of the room. Thankfully you didn’t have to wait long before the doctor called your name.
They asked you basic questions at forced. Then you proceeded to lift up your shirt for the sonogram machine to confirm the pregnancy. You screwed your eyes shut, unable to bring yourself to see the screen out of fear. But all of that floated away when you heard the faintest of heartbreaks echo through the room. Nancy excitedly kissed your forehead as a congratulations but your entire world and focus were on that screen.
Two and a half months pregnant. That’s what the doctor said.
The days that followed went by in a blur. Eddie’s birthday was one day away and you were scared. You wanted to surprise him with the news as an extra birthday gift, but the ‘what if’ was driving you insane.
What if he didn’t want it?
What if you lost it?
What if…. What if….
“You okay love?” Eddie asked, watching you from the other end of the couch. “Thought this was your favourite movie lately.”
“It is, I just… feel really tired. Might go to bed to make sure I’ve got lots of energy for your birthday tomorrow.” You tried saying with a smile, but it was a challenge that he didn’t buy.
“Babe, what’s wrong? You’ve been off all week.” He asked, moving closer to you. “Are you coming down with something? I promise I won’t get mad if I have to spend my birthday looking after you if you're sick.”
His cool rings grazed your forehead as he checked you out. God you loved him.
“I promise I’m fine. Just tired, plus if we sleep the faster you get to open your presents.” He smirked at that, always a sucker for birthday sex as his favourite gift.
You were surprised how well you were able to keep it a secret from him. Once you were sure he was fast asleep, you decided to get over your nerves and place one final photograph in the middle of the collage. You taped the edges of it, allowing for it to be taken off once it’s done it’s purpose. The other surprise, a personalized baby onesie was stashed behind the board. Unsurprisingly, Eddie woke up very early to claim his first gift.
He kissed all alone your face and down your neck, waking you up in the process. “Good morning birthday boy, happy 21st.”
You kissed him passionately.
By the time everyone arrived for the party, Eddie was so engrossed with everyone that he managed to not notice the nerves radiating from your body. Nancy was whispering words of encouragement by your side and you decided it was finally time.
Everyone gathered around giving him small gifts and tokens. Then all eyes landed on you, the last person with a gift still in their hand. You didn’t say a single word as you placed the covered collage in front of him, the onesie now hidden behind Nancy.
“Aw looks amazing! Didn’t think I’d ever have so many photos of me!” Eddie said, his eyes roaming over the different stages of his life. He paused for a moment, looking at the little black and white sonogram photo. “Oh, that looks insanely good quality for a 21 year old photo. Surprised that anyone actually kept it.”
You could hear the sadness in his voice. He thought the baby in the sonogram was him.
“Look at it a bit closer Eddie.” You whispered to him, using your eyes to guide his to see the date that clearly stated the current year.
“It’s recent- why would you-“ the words caught in his mouth and his eyes started to water, “are you saying that- oh my god, is it-“
He was a rambling mess, placing down the collage delicately and moving so his entire body was facing yours. You nodded, extending out your hand to Nancy who gave you the onesie that said ‘Hello Daddy, I can’t wait to meet you’ in black cursive letters.
“I’m pregnant Eddie.”
And with the words finally said, he became a crying mess. Instantly hugging you with all his strength before he remembered the precious cargo you had in your abdomen and he gave you a bit more distance between your bodies.
“I’m gonna be a Dad?”
“Yeah, you are.”
He nodded, his hands rubbing your face before moving down to hold your stomach. “I’m gonna be a dad. I’M GONNA BE A DAD!”
Everyone erupted in cheers and celebrated for the rest of the night.
“Best gift ever.” He said, giving you on final kiss.
———————
Eddie Munson Taglist:
@fentyreligion @littlelunarfox @coconutchumby @eempxth @superflannel @fluffycookies22 @yearwalker96 @magicalchocolatecheesecake @grungegrrrl @m1rkw00dpr1ncess @dixontardis @buckyslwts @bratckerman @dani-d0rk @reddisteddie @tomshelbystits
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aroreiel · 4 months
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Hiya. So I wrote this earlier in the year as just a one off little Eddie POV, as I hadn't written anything in so long. I was encouraged to continue it. However, circumstances in my life had left my motivation in an up and down spiral. I would like to carry on with it, but just thought I'd share it again to give me another kick.
It's tame as I posted it originally on Facebook. A swear word and very briefly implied sexual reference. Could change with the second part. 😏
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Summer Secret
You walk down to the edge of the pier.
Slipping your combat boots off, you then sit down at its edge and let your bare feet meet the waters of the lake. It's warm. Finally. Summer. You let your legs lightly swing out and watch the ripples of the clear crystal water drift out in front of you. The view is beautiful. Secluded. Tall trees and clear blue sky surround you and, other than a few birds making their song, there is very little sound. No other signs of anything. If only he was here to feel this with you. But he doesn't even know you exist. 'I guess I don't belong in his world' you think. You then quickly close your eyes and take a deep breath, exhaling that anxiety away. Well you've never been one for taking risks. But you've always felt safe here. And you're too relaxed to care now. You take one last look around you. Behind you are more trees and an old, long since neglected shed sitting sadly and randomly on its own. No one else knows this spot, it's so hidden. 'Yeah. Why not.' Stepping up onto your feet, you lift your floral-blue summer dress over your head and drop it to the ground. You're finally doing it. Small risks. You feel a rush as the warm air hits your exposed body. Taking several steps back from the edge, you then tentatively run up and with a scream you leap in with a splash. Coming up for air, you giggle with abandon. You feel free for the first time. Dipping your head back you begin to glide languishely on your back, humming the intro to Dio's The Last in Line over and over. You're now in your own world. Not realising that old shed has an occupant...
This part of the lake is also his escape. When things get too chaotic and he needs to think straight, clear his head, he comes here. He brings his acoustic and a roll up and sits on the bank, just next to the pier, and writes another song. It inspires him. On this particular afternoon, the song he's writing is about a girl. One girl in particular, who doesn't even seem to notice him. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and with it his fingers instinctively plucked at the strings of his guitar. A short time passes as he's drifted into melody. Suddenly interrupted by the rustling of the trees sitting to his right. 'Is it someone else?' There's no way anyone else knows of this place. "Damn it." He leaps up from the ground, and his knees buckle under him after sitting for so long. Shaking out his legs he then clumsily sprints towards the abandoned shed that sits just a little further up the bank, throws himself in and closes the rickerty door. He carefully places his guitar up against the wall and, with his roll up still hanging between his fingers, creeps up to the small window, eager to see who found him out. Then they appear through the trees. A girl. The girl... 'How did she know?' He flinches back from the window, fearing she'll see him. He then watches her glide effortlessly down the hill and onto the pier. She looks like an angel to him. Okay. This was the perfect opportunity to finally speak to her alone. No one could mock his awkwardness when he asks her out, that cocky bravado of his would just go out of the window. And no one will see the pain and dejection when she turns him down. It could all happen without anyone knowing and that's fine, he can deal with it on his own. 'She's too good for me anyway' he thinks. But instead of moving towards the door he keeps watching her as she gets up from sitting on the pier and... "Sweet jesus" he rasps, a lump now forming in his throat. He should look away but he can't bring his eyes from doing so. They drink in all your curves and begin photographing them to memory. Like he hasn't before but this was, well, different. Has hasn't even realised that he's holding his breath. He closes his eyes, if only to refocus his breathing, and opens them again. His fingers tremble as takes a long puff from his cigarette and continues watching you. It feels like slow motion. "Oh God." His jeans are feeling tighter now as he pulls at them to give himself more room. As you let out a wild giggle and leap into the water, a warm smile spreads across his face. He can hear you humming that familiar Dio intro. 'Really. This is too good to be true', he thinks as... a loud twang from his guitar interrupts the tension as it slides down the wall and hits the ground hard. "Shit!"
As you continue floating and the sun's glow basques your face in heat, your thoughts have now drifted to him again. They could never stay away for long. You've already photographed him from memory, watching him from a distance as he'd revel in his theatrics or just sat quietly with his friends. Or on his own. Your breathing suddenly increases. You feel a tingle. You're feeling brave again, as your one hand dips under the surface of the water and drifts down to... THWANG. It's a jarring sound that echoes through the quietness. You're startled out of your daydream and swim in a panic to the edge of the pier, lifting yourself up and haphazardly throwing your dress back on. It's sticking to your wet body but you don't care right now. Your eyes immediately dart towards that rundown peice of wood yards from you. Shaking but, in yet another fit of bravery, you run up and pull open the rickerty door and...
Your eyes meet. He's lept back up from the ground after trying to save his guitar. You just stands frozen in the doorway. "Er, hi." you shiver. "Hi." He repeats, now looking away from you. "So how long were you..."
".. Look I wasn't watching you swim okay, I was just minding my own business playing my guitar and..."
"...So if you weren't watching, how did you know I was swimming?"
His gaze reaches her face again. Your eyes are now gleaming and they're locked onto him. This has become a day for you taking risks, and seeing him now standing there all sheepishly cute, it catches your breath...Well, you decide to continue with it. You close the door, still keeping your focus on him.
God, he hopes he's reading this right, as he sees your eyes darken. He tests this. "So you like Dio, huh?"
"Yeah. Love them." your voice drops a register. His eyes now lock with yours. "Me too." Their smiles now signal to each other a mutual understanding.
"So...how did you find this place?"
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prettyboybuckley · 1 year
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One Line, Any Fic
Pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the midpoint, pick a line, and share it! Then tag you’re it!
tagged by all these lovelies: @monsterrae1, @elvensorceress, @buddierights @rogerzsteven @princessfbi
I used one of those random wheels to choose these because there is, well, a lot of choice. And it means you guys get a little bit of everything! (Well, none of the sentences are really that smutty, but half the fics are). Also, some of them are two lines.
1. parents always yelling (telling us to get our acts together)
“What on earth made you make this decision, Eddie? Didn’t we say you shouldn’t drag Christopher down with you?” his father says.
2. oh i'm so tired of thinking like this all the time
And he knows that the phrasing was different the first time, that he's supposed to tell Frank what he wants to gain from these sessions, but it seems that his brain-to-mouth filter has completely left the building as he blurts out: "I just want to be enough for once."
3. stupid for you (you take my breath away)
"I don't think mom would appreciate it if you guys fucked in her kitchen," she says, and Eddie can feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. 
4. open up again (i believe in second chances)
He desperately wants to hold on to Buck, but he's too paranoid that his claws might come out and he'll hurt him. 
5. tell me, would you cry for me?
“Come on, baby,” Eddie says, letting go of Buck's neck to tangle his fingers in Buck's curls. “Cry for me, yeah?” 
6. oh, to think i could have lost you
"Stop being so distracting," Eddie mumbles as the water finally starts to run clear, the soot all washed away. It's easier than any single love confession that could fall from his lips right now. 
7. when will my reflection show who i am inside
There is something about being accepted by someone who picks you. Who decides they want to be with you just how you are.
8. welcome to the end of being alone inside your mind
"No, no," Eddie says with a chuckle. "Just putting out some things so you can cook, because I want pasta. I'll make the little princess some banana mash."
9. i've got my eyes on you
Eddie should be ashamed, he should look away, should go back downstairs, but he can't tear his eyes away from the sight.
10. stole my heart and i knew before we even met
"I can't believe you're here," Eddie murmurs after a while, brushing Buck's hair back from his forehead and gazing down at him. "It's kind of insane." 
tagging @swiftiediaz @holdmygum @lostinabuddiehaze @bigfootsmom @morganofthefairies @honestlydarkprincess ❤️
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clusterbuck · 3 years
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how about 4 from the prompts list? "I'm here, aren't I?"
okay fun fact when i sat down to fill this prompt and turned my spotify on shuffle the first song to come up was i'm here by sweet talk radio so like... that's appropriate lmao
thanks for the prompt!!
"i'm here, aren't i?" buck mutters under his breath. "stop looking at me like that! it's rush hour on a friday, i did the best i could with the traffic conditions i had."
"i know, i know," eddie whispers next to him. "i'm not mad at, you, i just—" he cuts himself off and sighs. "i was going to talk to you about something before we went in."
"why am i here, anyway?" buck asks, looking around at all of the parents and teachers milling around the foyer of christopher's school. "i mean, you know i don't mind, but you made it sound really—"
he's interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice, somewhere on eddie's other side. "mr diaz, there you are! and this must be the husband."
buck whirls to look at eddie, because—if eddie has a husband, this is the first he's hearing of it.
please, eddie's expression seems to say, desperate and cornered and a little hopeful. and buck's never been able to deny him anything.
he's always been quick on the uptake, and even if he wasn't, eddie's arm sliding around his waist would probably make the pieces slip into place. so he schools his features into his best approximation of what a husband probably looks like and turns to face the woman next to eddie.
she's bright and bubbly, the platonic ideal of a suburban california soccer mom. she holds out a hand, and buck grins as he shakes it. "that's me," he confirms.
"and are you mr diaz as well?" she asks, and buck breathes an internal sigh of relief when she doesn't add anything along the lines of i don't really know how it works with you people.
"buckley, actually," he tells her. "buck." then he drops his voice and leans in like he's sharing a secret. "makes it easier at work, you know, so our captain knows who he's talking to."
she laughs, and eddie squeezes his hip. "i've heard a lot about you," she says with a smile. then she inclines her head at eddie. "he won't shut up about you, actually."
buck grins. "is that so?" he asks, turning to look at eddie.
eddie rolls his eyes. "i talk about you a normal amount," he says. "don't go getting an ego about this."
the woman introduces herself as somebody's mother. next to him, eddie falls into an easy conversation about math homework and the upcoming science fair, but buck is only half-listening. he's mostly preoccupied by the fact that eddie, apparently, goes around telling people that they're married. which is definitely news to him.
he's also more than a little preoccupied by the warm weight of eddie's arm resting around his waist, and the casual way eddie's hand curls around his hip like it belongs there. before he can think better of it, buck leans further into eddie's embrace, and eddie adjusts his grip mid-sentence like this is something they do every day and not something out of buck's wildest daydreams.
eventually, the woman excuses herself to go and find some teacher or the other.
"husband, huh?" buck asks. "that's funny, i don't remember you proposing. or, you know, asking me out."
as he speaks, eddie detaches himself from buck. when buck turns to look, eddie is already wearing a guilty expression.
eddie sighs. "i was going to tell you," he says. "that's what i wanted to talk to you about before we came in."
"i mean, yeah, knowing ahead of time that i'm supposed to be acting like your husband would have made life a little easier," buck says. "also, uh, why am i supposed to be acting like your husband, again?"
eddie looks away, squirrely in the way buck knows he only gets when he's embarrassed. "there was a teacher a while back," he says. "she kept, uh, hitting on me? so i panicked and said i was married."
"okay, so, why me?" buck asks, and wonders if eddie can hear the unspoken question. why are you pretending to be married to a man? eddie's never given any indication that he's anything other than straight. it's the biggest reason buck has him firmly mentally labelled as never going to happen, buckley, you might as well stop dreaming about it.
it hasn't worked so far, but repetition is key.
"i guess christopher talks about you a lot," eddie says. "she asked if it was you, and it seemed easier to say yes than to invent some kind of fictional spouse that i'd have to remember details about."
"romantic," buck says, and eddie laughs and elbows him.
"shut up."
"so why didn't you just tell me?" buck asks.
"i was going to, if you'd been here when you said you would!"
"hey, it's not my fault the 146 didn't manage their pile-up scene properly and traffic backed up!" buck says. "besides, you could also have told me at any other point in time between now and—how long have you been telling people this?"
"uh... six months, give or take," eddie says. "that's why it was so important you come tonight—i've been making excuses for you at school events, but the other parents have started to question it and i don't want them thinking my imaginary husband is a shitty person."
"clearly you have better taste than that," buck agrees.
eddie sighs again, but it's good-natured. "god, i should have known you'd be insufferable about this."
"and yet you picked me anyway," buck beams. "so why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"i was worried you'd think it's weird," eddie says. "and i really needed you to be here."
"mm, being addressed as your husband out of the blue was definitely less weird," buck says.
"so it didn't go exactly to plan," eddie says. "thanks for just rolling with it, by the way."
"of course," buck says. "i've got your back, remember?"
"somehow, i don't think this is what either of us envisioned back in that hospital parking lot," eddie laughs.
and it's true—buck had envisioned doing a lot of things with eddie, back in those first few days before he'd realised he didn't have a chance, but fake marriage was never one of them.
"so is there anything specific you need me to do?" buck asks, in an effort to distract himself from thoughts of the things he did envision.
"just—sell it, i guess?" eddie says. "i'm pretty sure i've only told people things about you that are true anyway, so there's no elaborate cover story or anything."
"except that we're married," buck says.
"except that we're married," eddie agrees. "for—about a year now, i think i've said?"
"a year, okay," buck repeats. "cool, i'm on it." then he steps closer to eddie again and slips his hand into eddie's back pocket.
"buck," eddie hisses. "what are you doing?"
"selling it," buck replies.
"where? in high school in the year 1987?" eddie asks, but he relaxes into buck's side.
"hey, no judging," buck says. "maybe this is my signature move."
"i mean, you do you," eddie says. buck doesn't argue, because he doesn't want to have to tell eddie that he's mostly doing it because this might be the only opportunity he ever gets to touch eddie's ass.
it's only as they set off to meet with the first of christopher's teachers that buck realises he might have miscalculated. because now his hand is on eddie's ass, and he's suddenly hyperaware of even the smallest twitch of his fingers. how much of it can eddie feel? is eddie going to think he's trying to make a move if he accidentally flexes his fingers a little?
it's not that he doesn't want to make a move. it's just that he doesn't think that eddie would be very receptive to it.
except eddie turns out to be a very affectionate fake husband. if buck's hand isn't in eddie's pocket then eddie is holding it. when they sit side-by-side listening to teachers talk about how smart christopher is, eddie's foot is hooked around buck's ankle. in the hallway between meetings, eddie turns to drop a kiss on buck's cheek, and a shiver radiates through him.
buck doesn't know what to make of it. he's used to a certain amount of physical contact from eddie—shoulders brushing together as they walk next to each other, working together so seamlessly their limbs might as well be extensions of each other on calls—but this feels different. it's not just that the touches are different—there's an ease to eddie's actions that makes buck wonder for the first time in years if maybe his mental label for eddie isn't quite as accurate after all.
he doesn't know how else to explain the fact that eddie keeps touching him. it's more than enough to sell their ruse—bordering on excessive, even, especially for a middle school parent-teacher conference.
and buck isn't exactly innocent himself, either. he wonders if a year into a fictional marriage is too far to claim honeymoon period, because that's the closest he can come to describing the feeling—like now that he has permission to touch eddie, the dam has broken and he can't keep his hands off.
they're still holding hands when they spill out of the school doors and into the dark warmth of the september evening. eddie makes no move to let go, and so neither does buck.
buck's jeep is clear across the other side of the parking lot, but he follows eddie to his truck anyway. they reach the car, and eddie brushes his lips against the corner of buck's mouth, closer than he has all night. buck freezes.
eddie pulls back, horror clear across his face. "i'm sorry," he says. "i didn't—i just—i forgot. that we're not inside anymore."
there's just enough wistfulness in his voice that buck makes a split-second decision. he takes a step forwards and takes eddie's face in his hands, stands still for two heartbeats just in case he's reading everything extremely wrong and eddie wants to protest, and then he's kissing eddie.
eddie kisses the way he does everything else, with a steadiness that keeps buck tethered to reality and a quiet intensity that bubbles just under the surface. it's a combination that's uniquely eddie, one that makes buck feel like he could take on the world and win and like he's coming home.
"i don't want it to be just inside," buck says, just in case eddie didn't get the message. "i don't want it to be fake. i mean, it might be a little soon to get married, but—"
"someday, though," eddie says, and buck laughs.
"someday, yeah."
eddie grins at him. "in the meantime, do you want to come home with me tonight?"
"yeah, i really do."
send me a starter line from this list and i'll write a ficlet for it!
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hmslusitania · 3 years
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75+77 for buddie
75. Bed Sharing + 77. In Vino Veritas
I didn't mean to actually end up turning this into a ficlet but, uh, anyway here we are. I think it’s my penance for the fact I’ve had two prompts from you in my inbox for literal months that I haven’t gotten to yet 😬
tw: alcohol use. Nothing happens with it, there isn’t even drunken kissing, but they are drunk for this ficlet, because as the prompt says, there is truth in wine.
-----
The wedding goes off without a hitch.
Buck has never been happier to see Maddie happy. He’s done this one before – walked her down an aisle – but he likes this one so much better than the last time. He likes everything about this wedding better, from the groom (Chimney, of course) to the setting (a vineyard, with the entire attached villa rented out for the wedding party to stay at).
But the party’s wound down now. Mr and Mrs Lee are watching Jee-Yun, and Maddie and Chimney have been bundled off to the bridal suite, and the only people left in the main reception hall are Hen and Karen, slowly revolving in place together even though the music stopped maybe an hour ago.
All that’s left is for Buck to go find his room.
Of course, when he does, it’s full. Buck considers the scene before him, hands on his hips, and finally shakes his head. The three boys – Harry, Denny, Chris – have constructed a pillow fort out of all the bedding in Buck’s room and are sound asleep, still in their formal wear.
Buck’s phone looks a little blurry when he pulls it out to text Athena, Hen, and Eddie to let them know exactly where their boys are, and then he’s got to find somewhere else to sleep. He tiptoes past the kids to get his toothbrush from the bathroom, and as is so often the case, notices exactly how drunk he still is when he catches sight of his own face in the bathroom mirror.
He collects his toothbrush and talks himself down a little and then heads off to try and find somewhere to sleep that hasn’t been utterly ransacked by eleven-year-olds. He only makes it halfway down the hall before he stumbles into Eddie, who seems soberer than he is for all of three seconds before he starts plucking at Buck’s suspenders.
“You’re wearing suspenders,” Eddie announces, hooking his finger under one of the straps and letting it snap back against Buck’s chest.
“Yeah, it’s fancy,” Buck replies. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Chris, I was gonna check on Chris,” Eddie says. He plucks at Buck’s suspender again and giggles at the snapping sound it makes.
“Chris is good, they made a fort in my room,” Buck says. “So I was gonna sleep on the…”
He trails off when he realises he doesn’t actually have an endgame here.
“On the?” Eddie prompts.
Buck shrugs broadly, and with the amount of wine he’s had that night, it messes with his equilibrium enough that he tips backwards. It’s only Eddie’s fingers wrapped around his suspenders that keeps him from going over.
“On the other side of my bed,” Eddie says, and starts pulling him down the hallway. Buck can barely walk backward while he’s sober, so he’s very impressed by Eddie’s ability to do so now.
“Can I borrow your toothpaste?” Buck asks, because it is suddenly the most important thing in the world that he brush his teeth.
Eddie’s face goes deadly serious. “No,” he says. He lets go of one of Buck’s suspenders to open the door behind him and pulls him inside. “No, man, there’s a line in friendship and toothpaste is just—”
Before Buck can do more than tilt his head, confused, Eddie breaks and starts giggling again.
Buck’s never really seen him drunk before, he realises. And when he’s been tipsy, it’s been on beer. Wine-drunk is a whole different ballgame.
“No, of course you can use my toothpaste,” Eddie says. “Do you need to borrow my toothbrush, too?”
Buck holds his own up obligingly.
Brushing your teeth when you’re drunk and giggly and your best friend is also drunk and giggly and keeps bumping into you while trying to brush his own teeth turns out to be a challenge, but they somehow make it through and finally collapse on Eddie’s bed.
They start off in their full suits from the wedding, but after lying there for a few minutes, Buck sits up – ignoring the sudden surge of dizziness – and takes off his jacket so he can slip the suspenders down off his shoulders. He lays back down, spreading his arms out flat across the surface of the bed to try and get his head to stop spinning. A moment later, Eddie sits up and removes his already loose tie from around his neck and drops it off the edge of the bed, followed quickly by his jacket. When he lays back down, it’s on his side and Buck only notes that they forgot to turn the lights off when he realises he can see every detail of Eddie’s face while Eddie stares at him.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Eddie asks at something that is probably supposed to be a whisper.
“Yes, absolutely, please do,” Buck says.
“I love weddings,” Eddie says.
Buck grins at him, oddly endeared that this is a secret.
“Shh,” Eddie says, pressing a shushing finger to Buck’s lips.
Buck goes cross-eyed trying to see Eddie’s finger, and Eddie goes cross-eyed doing the same and then shakes himself.
“I mean, shh,” he says again, this time pressing the finger to his own lips.
Buck makes his best solemn, nodding face.
“Not – not the big ones? With the frilly white dresses and the bridezillas and the terrifying mothers-in-law and stuff,” Eddie says. “But the ones like this where – where you know the sky could fall down around everyone but it would be okay because the people getting married love each other so much.”
“It was nice,” Buck agrees. “Nicer than the last time Maddie got married, too. That was a big frilly dress wedding. I didn’t like that one.”
Eddie wrinkles his nose in distaste. “What about the other weddings you’ve been to?”
It’s hard to tilt his head sideways in confusion when Buck is already lying down but he gives it his best effort. “What other weddings?”
“The other weddings you’ve been to,” Eddie says, which is just the same thing he said before but in a statement instead of a question. “What were they like?”
“I haven’t been to other weddings,” Buck says.
Eddie gasps. “What?”
“The only weddings I’ve been to are Maddie’s,” Buck says.
Eddie doesn’t seem able to comprehend this. “What about your cousins and stuff, though?”
“Don’t have any,” Buck says.
Eddie makes a face at him like this is utterly unacceptable. “Well, when we get married, it’ll be like this. It’ll be nice.”
Buck’s heart does a full three-sixty in his chest. “Say that again?”
“Maybe not a vineyard? Like, somewhere – I don’t know, but I like this with everyone staying over, maybe like a cabin or something? I don’t know,” Eddie says.
“Eddie, we’re not dating,” Buck says.
The look Eddie gives him would be funny in any other circumstance except Buck is way too drunk to handle it right now.
“We’re not?” Eddie asks.
“No,” Buck says. And then, suddenly, he’s second guessing himself. “I don’t think we are, at least?”
“Well, that’s stupid,” Eddie replies. “We should be dating.”
“Obviously,” Buck agrees. “Probably, like, years ago.”
“Yeah,” Eddie says. “Duh.”
“Duh,” Buck echoes, and then bursts out laughing. When Eddie starts laughing again as well, Buck rolls over and tucks his head into Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie wraps and arm around him and Buck hooks a leg around one of Eddie’s.
They’re still entangled when the sun comes up.
Fanfic Trope Mashups!
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vro0m · 2 years
Text
vro0m’s rewatch - 37/288
2009 Malaysian GP
Recap + GIFs!
And here we go then, first scandal of the season...
What happened?! Why did we see an image of Lewis saying “i can’t tell you how sorry i am”? What is this?
Oooooh. Friday, Martin Whitmarsh, who’s now replacing Ron Dennis, suspended team manager Dave Ryan and then admitted to the press that his team had misled officials after the Australian GP?! What? Oh so he lied and “directed Lewis to do the same”. We’re told ever since the penalty in Belgium 2009 (which is when Lewis was penalised after the race for overtaking Raikkonen too quickly after giving back advantage when he cut the chicane) McLaren has been paranoid about such things happening again. So back in Australia, Lewis overtook Trulli and Trulli went off track so he radioed “The Toyota went off a line at the second to last corner. I overtook him. Is that OK?” and Dave Ryan told his engineers to play it safe and instruct Lewis to give back the place (remember when he was P3 and then suddenly P4 and we didn’t really know why?). However, Lewis was right, he didn’t have to do that. Ryan realised that and felt guilty, because it cost Lewis the podium. So afterwards, they went to the stewards and Ryan said the engineer didn’t make that radio call and Lewis backed him up. Basically the point was to make it look like Trulli overtook Lewis under safety car.
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I mean this is dumb AF. The FIA has access to the radio logs anyway. And it worked : Trulli was penalised and Lewis got his P3 back.
Oh this is bad. Really not a good look for Lewis. Really disappointing. This sounds like something Alonso would do. Hence why Lewis was apologising, because obviously they got caught. On top of that he was right from the start so he would have gottent his 3rd place back anyway, so it’s twice as stupid. Anyway Dave Ryan has been suspended, Whitmarsh puts the full responsibility on him as a senior of the team. He’s kind of apologetic of Lewis saying he’s young and an excellent champion and a good ambassador for the sport. He says they have to guide him to do better because this is an embarrassment to everybody involved. Yeah. Well Lewis acted incredibly stupid this time. Anyway, there might be further consequences to all that further down the line.
Qualifying report now : Ferrari was overconfident (lol), Massa is 16th, Buemi got off track, Lewis 12th, Seb 13th because he got a 10-grid penalty for that accident in Australia. Brawn still in the front.
Omg, that new journalist I hate (Eddie Jordan, btw, I didn’t know his name last time around) is now interviewing Ecclestone and they’re talking about Max Mosley who, may I remind you all, got caught in the act with pr*stitutes in n*zi uniforms, and Ecclestone is saying he was out of line to ask him to step down but they were under pressure from investors and now it’s all okay anyway because everybody has forgotten about it. He literally said that. Dear God. I hate them all.
There’s been a tropical rainstorm in the morning and they are definitely expecting more rain for the race. As always it’s extremely hot here, one of the toughest races of the season.
Aha they’re talking about the upside down plane thingy that is making a comeback in 2022 iirc? That’ll be interesting to get a look at what it does then.
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Formation lap.
And they’re racing!
Wow, Nico jumped right in and gets out of the first corner in the lead! Lewis up in 10th! Kovalainen off, out of the race! 2nd round, 2nd DNF for him. Kubica is also out. He complained about a weird noise in his engine during the formation lap.
10 laps in. Nico, Trulli, Button, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Alonso, Webber, Glock. Lewis still in 10th, behind Seb, who pits.
Almost 20 laps in, it seems it’s starting to rain? Ouh yeah. It is. It’s an actual thunderstorm. Like, there’s lightning bolts and everything. Whew that’s gorgeous. Alonso is off. Jenson pits. It’s all about timing to get the wets before the actual downfall. Yeah here we go. A lot of them pit now, including Lewis.
He has issues with his engine? He’s really calm on the radio though.
Almost 30 laps in, the rain is still light. It’s inter territory for now, as the commentators note. OMG THE COMMENTARY BOX JUST GOT HIT BY LIGHTNING?! We lost all the images and then it came back on. Crazy. Now it’s starting to rain more heavily. Safety Car deployed purely for the rain. I guess it might get red flagged. I mean yeah, we now see many replays of cars spinning all over the track. Yep. It’s a red flag.
Lol, Massa is on the radio complaining about needing another visor and his mechanic just told him “Felipe, baby, stay cool!” (I posted a video of that here btw)
Wow, the thunder is LOUD.
The commentators are perplexed by the fact that they stopped the watch. The drivers are soaked. Everybody is worried because the race is somehow happening later than usual and it might start getting dark soon. Of course, we’re now talking about half-points. Nobody thinks this race is gonna start again. Raikkonen is literally gone to the point it raises questions. While everybody is waiting for a decision, they all state how very experienced Charlie Whiting is and how much they trust his judgement. The respect is obvious, unlike with Masi.
Now it’s weird, because they’re bringing the cars back on the track. Aligning them on the grid. They’d like to avoid a half-points situation, they would only need 9 more laps to count full points. But the commentators are still weirded out about the fact that they stopped keeping time. If they had kept doing it, they would get close to the cut-off. The regulations state that the watch and the time keeping (unsure what the difference is, I think one is for the time on track and one for the window in which the race can happen if I remember correctly?) are supposed to go on during red flags. Also people are now unlapping themselves on the grid. I don’t know what’s going on and apparently nobody does. If there was to be a restart, the lapped cars would be released 1 minute and a half early (why??? as they have unlapped themselves??).
Raikkonen is literally out of his driving gear chilling in the Ferrari HQ.
10 minutes to the official end of the race? And they’re supposed to give a 10 minutes warning if there’s gonna be a restart?
It’s over, I think?
So, Jenson Button has won, Heidfeld P2, Glock P3. Whiting had to go into the cooldown room to tell them exactly what the order was because it’s so chaotic right now nobody knows. There’s the whole rule of the standings being decided on the last completed lap before the red flag and everything. Lewis is P7 in the end.
The drivers all agree that the decision to stop the race was right. Nico says he was aquaplaning at 30km/h on full wets. Lewis learns from the journalist he’s P7, he thought he was P5. He asks confirmation to whatever McLaren representative is with him who says “officially seventh but we are still discussing it”. Please don’t discuss it too much though, it didn’t go well the last time you tried that shit eh?
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He says it was undriveable and the worst conditions he’s seen for sure. Aaaaaand they’re ending the broadcast on a terrible cover of Umbrella by Rihanna.
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Text
In Case of Emergency (Ch 5/10)
Ao3 | 2.8/8.9k | Eventual Buddie | Status: Incomplete
Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter
Chapter 5: Bad memories can make the worst nightmares Buck has a bad night in the time after he gets out of the hospital following the firetruck accident. Set somewhere in the season 2 finale, around the time of Eddie's probation graduation. 
Eddie was woken suddenly in the middle of the night to the sound of his phone ringing. Barely glancing at the screen, he accepted the call without checking to see who was calling at such an absurd hour and buried his face back into his pillow with a mumbled, “Hello?”
Thinking it might be a prank call upon hearing the prolonged silence accompanied by the sound of heavy breathing, he dropped the phone from his ear and properly looked at the caller ID. It was only when he saw Buck’s name glaring back at him does his heart rate spike as he quickly brought the phone back to his ear, sitting up with a sense of urgency, completely awake.
“Buck?”
No response.
“Buck, what’s wrong?”
The only possible indication that Buck had even heard him was a slight hitch in his breathing which was now beginning to sound more and more laboured, like he was on the threshold of a panic attack.
“Buck! Evan. Talk to me, what’s going on?”
Eddie was already scrambling out of his bed, phone held between his ear and shoulder as he slipped on some pants and then shoes that were tossed beside his bed. As he gathered up a hoodie and briefly checked on Chris, he fished his keys from the bowl beside the door as an almost inaudible whisper came through causing him to pause.
“…Eddie.”
He heard a few thuds and clatters from Buck’s end of the call, sounds that Eddie couldn’t quite decipher until he heard the recognisable sound of rushing water. It was at that point that the call suddenly ended, with three ominous beeps. Eddie swore, setting the house alarm knowing that Chris wouldn’t be moving around in the middle of the night, and rushed to his truck as he hit redial, putting the phone on speaker as he started driving, the dull ringing tone the only sound filling the silence.
“Come on Buck! Answer the damn phone.”
His call rang out without being picked up and Eddie just hit redial again, doing his best not to take his eyes off the road. Buck still didn’t answer the second time. Giving up on the phone, Eddie tossed it on the passenger seat and pressed his foot down further on the accelerator, pushing the speed limits, thankful that the late hour meant minimal traffic.
It had only been a couple of days since Buck had managed to convince Maddie he would be fine back in his apartment. When he first got out of the hospital after all the surgeries to his leg, she had insisted that he stayed with her until he was more mobile on his crutches.
That was little more than a week ago and now with the way the call ended, all Eddie could do is fear the worst thinking maybe it was too soon for him to be by himself, far removed from help. He had stairs in his apartment, what if he had fallen down them? Recalling hearing the sound of water, maybe Buck slipped in the bathroom and he reinjured himself through the cast? All these scenarios played in his head as he made his way to Buck’s place.
Finally arriving at the apartment complex, Eddie haphazardly parked his truck and flew out the door, barely stopping to lock it with the button over his shoulder.
He took the numerous flights of stairs two at a time, easily arriving at Buck’s apartment in half the time the elevator would’ve taken. Fumbling with the keys, Eddie easily picked out Buck’s new blue one for this apartment thankful that it was easy to identify. As soon as it was open he rushed inside, calling out to Buck.
“Buck! Buck? You here?”
A croaky reply of, “In here,” could be heard coming from the downstairs bathroom.
It was only now that he heard the shower running and found the bathroom door wide open. From where he stood, Eddie could see Buck’s crutches laying messily inside the door frame.
Stepping inside, his attention was immediately drawn to the bathtub revealing Buck lying inside still fully dressed and completely soaked to the bone by the running shower, his casted leg awkwardly hanging over the side.
“…Buck.” Eddie breathed out with a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding taking in Buck’s appearance for a moment before he swiftly moved to the bath, pushing up his sleeves. The ice cold water splashed on his exposed arm causing Eddie to flinch at the temperature as he reached for the tap to turn it off.
Buck only acknowledged his presence when the water was no longer running over his head and he looked up at Eddie with a haunted expression marring his features. The nearly healed scratches beside his eyebrow look even more pink than usual, standing out against Buck’s pale, cold skin.
His eyes looking almost sunken, shadowed in the lighting as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. A small whimper passed through his lips as recognition set in, tears intermingling with the water droplets that were still falling from his hair.
Buck reached a desperate hand out to him, and Eddie took it in his own, kneeling down next to the bath now at eye level with Buck.
“Eddie? You’re…here?”
“Yeah Buck, I’m here. You called me, remember? And then you hung up on me and wouldn’t answer your phone, I was worried.”
“Oh.”
“Come on. Let’s get you out of the tub and into some dry clothes.”
Eddie helped hook Buck’s other leg to the side of the tub and turned him around so his body was facing out and all he had to do was pull him up to a standing position. He then guided Buck to the toilet and got him to sit down so the water from his shorts didn’t drip down into his cast.
Eddie handed him his towel that was hanging on the towel rail and instructed Buck to dry off as much as he could while he went to get some plastic wrap and fresh pajamas. Searching in his chest of drawers, he easily found some comfortable and warm clothes, and coming back to the bathroom, Eddie was greeted with a much more alert Buck who was still soaking up as much moisture from his shorts as he could with the towel.
“I have something dry for you to change into and some plastic wrap to cover the top of the cast while you change if you think you need it.” He set both items on the counter next to the sink and picked up the crutches that had been left abandoned, resting them within Buck’s reach. Catching Buck’s eye, Eddie gave him a quick nod before leaving the bathroom, closing the door behind him for privacy.
While he waited, Eddie was able to take in the state of the apartment, noting all the details. Every single light was turned on, from the kitchen to the living room making it seem like it was daytime. The couch had been turned into a fold-out, with blankets and pillows strewn across it. His work duffle bag was resting open next to the couch, presumably containing a selection of clothes for Buck to wear instead of having to go upstairs every day to get dressed.
His attention was brought back to the man in question, who awkwardly managed to open the bathroom door with his crutches and sheepishly ducked his head as he moved past Eddie to get to the couch bed. Eddie followed him and took a seat in the armchair next to the tv. He waited, watching Buck as he straightened up the pillows and blanket around him, doing what he could to avoid eye contact.
Buck finally sat down on the edge, briefly making eye contact with Eddie before running a hand through his hair and letting his gaze slide away, “You don’t have to stay you know. I’m good now.”
Knowing that he wouldn’t get a straight answer from Buck by pushing him with questions, Eddie stayed quiet leaning back in the chair with hands resting on his stomach, clearly indicating to Buck that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It didn’t take Buck long to realise this, so he picked up a pillow and rested it on his lap, smoothing out the wrinkles in the pillowcase as he traced random shapes that only he could see. He exhaled slowly before opening his mouth.
“I’ve been getting nightmares about the bomb, ever since I got home and was off the heavy meds. From what I can remember it tends to be the moments leading up until the explosion with me and the guys riding in the back of the truck except I always know what’s going to happen before it does, and I always managed to wake up just as it went off.”
Buck paused and gathered the pillow up in his arms, hugging it. Eddie waited patiently, giving him the time to gather his thoughts.
“Before, when I was in the hospital, I said that I couldn’t remember anything after the explosion and at the time it was true while I was all doped up. And I’ve remembered bits and pieces, but tonight was different.” His voice cracked before he breathed out, “Tonight I remembered everything.”
“I remembered all the pain from being thrown out of the truck, and the crushing weight of it on my leg. I remember thinking that I was going to die there, stuck and alone when that kid came over in his vest, surrounded by this intense heat trapped from the explosion in the metal and radiating from the road. There was no escaping the heat, it felt like I was burning from everything around me.”
Eddie leaned forward, concern colouring his voice with his observation, “I’m guessing that’s why I found you freezing yourself in a cold shower.”
Buck nodded, knowing where Eddie was going with that line of thinking, “I don’t even remember getting in the bath, but I guess even in my panicked state I recognised that I needed something to cut through the heat and properly pull me out of the memory.”
Eddie hummed, knowing all too well the need for a shock to the system to break of a memory.
“I’m surprised you managed to call me if you were that far gone.”
“I honestly don’t remember doing that either, I just remember you holding my hand back then, and then you actually were.”
Eddie bit his lip, recalling that moment and all the conflicting feelings that came along with it, his heart and his head fighting for control as he tried to decipher what they all really meant.
“What do you need?” he eventually asked after a moment of quiet.
Buck looked at him in confusion, not understanding the question.
“You called me – what can I do? What do you need me to do?” Eddie clarified, wanting to be of use, to help the person that has helped him through so much, his closest friend and confidant since moving to LA.
Buck answered with a shrug, looking away. “I- I don’t know. Really, you should just go home to Chris, I don’t want to keep you from him. I’m fine now, honestly.”
Shit. Eddie chewed his lip feeling both guilty for leaving his son and torn, wanting to help his friend who was clearly in need of some comfort but with the reminder, he didn’t want to leave his son for any longer than an hour even with the security alarm on.
Coming to a decision he shifted to the edge of the chair and leaned forward, “Do you trust me?”
“More than you could know Eddie.” Eddie couldn’t help but smile at that.
“Lie down. On your stomach.” And Buck does as he’s told, hugging a pillow under his face which he turned to the side to watch Eddie as he settled a pillow under Buck’s cast before moving around the apartment to turn off most of the lights.
He left the lamp beside the couch on, so now the apartment was bathed in a soft glow without feeling oppressively dark. Once all that was done, he took a seat beside Buck who gave him a questioning look but said nothing.
“Just close your eyes, let’s see if we can get you a few more hours sleep.” Buck shut his eyes without question, showing Eddie how much he really did trust him, which had him hoping against all hope that this idea would work.
He started to hum, a soft tune that his mother used to sing to him as a child that he now sings off-key to Christopher at times when he couldn’t get to sleep and started tracing the backs of his fingernails in lazy circles across Buck’s shoulders and back, gently enough that wasn’t scratching but firmly enough that it didn’t tickle.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long before the tension in Buck’s body started to bleed away until his breaths evened out into a slow deep pattern. It looked as though he’d fallen quickly into a deep sleep and he didn’t stir when Eddie stopped in his ministrations. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief to see Buck looking to be at peace before he headed home to his son.
** ** ** ** ** ** **
Buck woke disorientated, somehow feeling more refreshed in the few hours of sleep he’d gotten than in the days after he’d left the hospital, unsure of how he even managed to fall asleep in the first place with that lasting memory still fresh in his mind.
It was only as he started paying attention to how he got in this position did Buck begin to notice the quiet clattering of dishes in the kitchen and the low murmuring of two very familiar voices causing him to blearily open his eyes to see not only Eddie but also Christopher huddled together over the island bench bathed in the morning sunshine making his heart flutter over their presence.
Seeing Eddie brought back the rest of his memory of what happened in the time after he’d woken from the nightmare and put himself in the tub. Remembering that Eddie had not only come at such a ridiculous hour because he’d called him in an irrational state of panic, but he also helped him out of his sorry state with zero judgment and stayed long enough to him get back to sleep which he didn’t think he would be able to do.
Sitting up slightly he sniffed the air, smelling the familiar scent of pancakes permeating the air and drew the attention of Eddie who caught the movement, gesturing for him to stay put while looking quite pleased with himself. Buck turned over to sit in a more comfortable position as the two Diazs’ continued murmuring to each other as they finished before they changed tact and made their way over to him in the living room laden with the freshly cooked breakfast.
“What are you guys doing here?” he asked, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice at having them being there on a weekday morning, “Not that I don’t appreciate that you’re here and made me breakfast, but shouldn’t you be at work, school?”
Buck watched bemused as Eddie carefully settled the tray on his lap, ensuring no coffee was spilled and sat down on the arm of the couch as he answered, “Well, Chris has just started spring break and I have an afternoon start, so I figured you might like some company for at least part of the day,”
They share a meaningful look at that and Buck gave him an appreciative nod, before patting the spot next to him, inviting Chris to join him, and laughed when Eddie quickly rescued the coffee mug just before Chris bounced into position excitedly.
“And I’m guessing you’re the genius who decorated these delicious smelling pancakes.” Buck proclaimed to Chris as he surveyed the strawberry slices and whipped cream smiley faces adorning the stack.
“Yep, Dad let me do it!”
“That’s a good thing, I don’t think your dad could have done a better job.” He said in a staged whisper to Chris.
“Excuse you! I managed to cook these pancakes, didn't I?” frowned Eddie in feigned indignation, causing Buck to laugh.
“Of course, Eds, and you did a great job,” he answered lightheartedly with an appreciative pat to the knee before reaching to reclaim his coffee which Eddie begrudgingly returned to him.
As he sipped at his mug, Buck couldn't help but feel his heart swell over having these two in his home taking the time out of their own free time together to spend the day with him, for no reason except to make sure that he was okay. And if he was ignoring his crush on Eddie that was slowly but surely growing, it was near impossible to ignore now.
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diazactually · 4 years
Text
hey, could you come over?
Eddie was perfectly okay with ignoring and doing nothing about his feelings for his best friend, then Buck gets Christopher a modified skateboard.
(read it on AO3)
happy birthday, @buckleysbabe​! 💖 💖 💖 i hope you like this!
It was getting close to seven pm and Eddie was driving over to Buck's place. That in itself definitely wouldn't be something out of the ordinary. However, what was out of the ordinary, was the message he got from Buck resulting in his visit. Christopher was at abuela's, he has been in a bad mood lately following the skateboard accident at school, quieter, dejected, which did not suit the joyful, bright little boy at all, and so abuela proposed teaching Christopher how to make enchiladas because the boy loved to help his bisabuela in the kitchen, and so Eddie said yes, of course he did. Which is why he was home alone sitting on the couch, not actually watching what was happening on the screen of the tv when he got the text from Buck.
Reaching his best friend's apartment, Eddie turns off the engine and takes his phone in his hand to reread Buck's message again.
(6:24 PM) Buck: Hey man, could you come over? (6:24 PM) Buck: There is something I'd like to show you (6:25 PM) Buck: If that's okay
See? Weird. The thing about him and Buck, is that since the very day they met, after Buck got over his little inferiority complex, that is, they were oddly comfortable in each others company. Normally, if Eddie comes over to Buck's place, or the other way around, which is to say it never starts with a direct invitation. It's always hey man, I just bought two packs of beer if you are in the mood for some or feel free to join in trying to contain an 8-year-old on a sugar high. The two of them always seem to be able to communicate without actually having to say what they want or need. Which is how Eddie found himself being introduced to Carla or Buck suddenly felt Eddie bumping his shoulder into his outside the operating room in the hospital, waiting for news about Chim after Maddie's kidnapping. That's just how they were, Eddie and Buck, Buck and Eddie, always knowing what the other needs and offering it without being asked. But, now? He has no idea why his best friend would ask him to come over like that, making it sound like Eddie was doing him a favor, sounding nervous of all things.
Eddie has an unsettling feeling in his stomach as he gets out of his car and starts walking towards the front door which he doesn't usually feel while in the company of Buck, not counting the way his body lights up when the other man looks at him with his mouth pulled into a teasing grin or stands just a bit closer than necessary, which, yeah, let's just ignore that.
He knocks on the door and waits for a few minutes, getting nervous by the second. He is wiping his sweating hands into his pants when the door finally opens and his best friend's face appears.
"Hi." He says.
"Eddie, hey." Buck breaths out as he opens the door wider, Eddie can actually see the nervous lines around his eyes now, which does not help him at all in trying to slow down the beating of his heart.
The two of them stands around awkwardly for a few moments, then Buck steps aside to let him inside. "Right, come on in."
Eddie walks into the apartment and for the first time, he doesn't make himself at home. He could almost say nothing changed since the last time he was over, if not for the conspicuous cleanliness. Buck wasn't usually a messy person, so it's not like his place being clean was weird in itself, but somehow the apartment seemed almost too clean. Not a single plate in the sink, no book on the coffee table, even his best friend's shoes were in strict order. Something was definitely going on.
"So..." He heard the man in question say from behind him, and he turned around to see him wringing his hands. "I asked you to come over."
"You did."
"There is something I want to show you."
"So you've said..." Eddie said and it almost sounded like a question with the way his was getting more and more confused by Buck's behavior. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes!" The other man said a bit louder than necessary, startling both of them. "I mean, yes. Yeah. Everything is great. It's just... I called you here because I did something."
... What?
"Nothing bad!" Buck said instantly, clearly taking in the suspicous expression on Eddie's face. "I mean, I hope. I did something but not like, like something illegal."
Eddie snorted. "Buck, just tell me." He said fondly, because how could he not. Somehow seeing Buck this nervous and having trouble voicing what he wants to say calmed him.
"Okay, so... you know how after Christopher's skateboard accident, we talked about how you didn't know how to have that conversation with him?" And there went Eddie's calmness. "Like what to actually tell him if he asks why can't he go skateboarding?"
It was no secret how much pain it caused Eddie to say no to Christopher when it came to doing mundane things his classmates did on a daily basis without a trouble, to deny him anything at all. That kid deserved everything good in life and more.
"Yeah." Eddie answered tensely.
"Now, after that conversation, I started thinking." Buck said and started to walk towards the stairs, facing Eddie while walking backwards. Eddie walked after him. "And thinking turned into furious googling," Eddie snorted, because that's just so Buck. "-and I found this article about this boy, João Vicente, who was born with CP, just like Chris and he was able to skateboard thanks to these guys who make these awesome skateboards, modified ones that allows disabled kids to experience what non-disabled kids can and just help them live a fuller life, you know." He said as he kept waving his hands around while explaining. "And I was thinking how Chris deserves this. He deserves to life life to the fullest, because he is amazing. He is so selfless and kind and smart and he has a heart of gold and he is the bravest person I've ever met. He- He deserves everything." Buck said softly as he looked up at him and by that point Eddie forgot how to breath. "Anyway, I contacted these two guys who developed these skateboards and asked them how long it would take for the skateboard to arrive." What? "And it arrived! Today!" Buck said excitedly and nervously at the same time as he turned around to motion his hands in a "ta-da" sort of way, revealing a skateboard equipped with frames and straps, trying to gauge Eddie's reaction.
... who was standing there frozen, unable to form any words, eyes burning, staring at his best friend and the modified skateboard. The skateboard that would allow his son to do something he never would have been able to otherwise. The one Buck got Christopher so he could experience what it was like to do the things he desperately wanted to with the other kids, so he would feel included and equal.
Before it even realised in him that he moved, Eddie was standing before Buck, reaching up to cradle his face in his hands and pulling him down, cutting off his stuttering. He distantly registered Buck taking in a startled breath and then he was closing the last bit of space between them, pressing his lips against Buck's. For a few seconds, that could have been minutes or even hours, everything was still and then Eddie started to move his lips gently over Buck's, pouring every single emotion into the action. Gratefulness, relief, joy, fondness, love.
And then Buck was kissing him back.
Their hands wandered, Buck's settling on his waist and squeezing, while one of Eddie's slowly sneaked its way into his best friend's hair, the other finding that secure place in the junction of Buck's neck and shoulder, thumb pressing into his pulse. They stayed like that as everything else faded into the background, the sound of the cars outside Buck's window, the ticking of the clock on the wall, the distant sound of the water dripping from the tap.
They slowly pull away to take a breath, pressing their foreheads together. Eddie pulls back while not letting go of Buck, never letting go.
"You are something else entirely, you know that?" He says fondly, looking into his best friend's eyes, no doubt presenting a hopeless case of heart-eyes, but it doesn't matter because Buck's face is the perfect reflection of his, soft lines and warmth. The other man raises his hand up to Eddie's jaw, cradling it as he tenderly swipes his thumb across his best friend's chin.
"Stay over?" Buck whispers into the air between them, pulling him closer against his chest, making him chuckle.
"As if I'd ever leave." Eddie says fondly.
Buck leans in to run the tip of his nose over Eddie's chin, tickling him with his breath as he says, "We could pick up Chris from your abuela's place in the morning before work and take him to school, then we could take him skateboarding the day after."
Eddie pulls back to press his lips to his best friend's again, smiling as he whispers, "Can't wait."
They would have to talk about this, about what they were to each other, but for now, it could wait. They already knew everything that mattered.
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blondekasp · 3 years
Text
Absolutely Smitten
hihi!! so this is my gift to @november-hydrangea for the @itfandomprompts gift exchange, i’m sorry it’s a little late (had some internet troubles haha) but i hope you like it!
read on ao3
“Hey there, blondie. S’it okay if I sit here?” He wasn’t expecting to interact with someone so soon. But this is good, he supposes, it’s better to get the weight of first interactions with new people out of the way right out of the gate—he’ll maybe feel more prepared for class, later.
So he smiles, nods n’ watches the man sit down on the bench at the other side of the table, chunky ringlets bouncing around his head as he offers a braced grin. “Are ya just starting here?” Eddie short circuits for a moment, then remembers what the man must be talking about, n’ he sits up a little straighter.
“Oh, yeah, it’s my first year. Are you?” He receives an enthusiastic nod and a flash of buck teeth emerging from behind curved lips. His glasses are clunky, maybe a little too big for his face. The lenses are thick, too, magnifying his eyes to the maximum, n’ it’s maybe not a conventional look but it somehow completes his appearance. “Do you need directions or something?”
“Nah, I’ll figure tha’ stuff out, don’t worry, pal. I was actually wondering if ya wanted to join, a club, maybe more of a group, of sorts that me n’ my best girl Bev are starting?” He nudges his coke bottle glasses a little further up his nose, “It’s for, as Bev likes ta say, ‘friends of Dorothy’, so, would ya happen to be one?”
He’d heard about friends of Dorothy before, mostly whisperings between them in high school, n’ maybe it was because he paid too much attention, but he knew what it meant. Something twists achingly behind his ribs.
“Oh, I, uh, no! Uh, I…”
“Hey, hey, s’only a question, promise. M’not trying to catch you out.” The man’s eyes widen a little, azure irises covered over by pale lids, n’ then revealed again as he holds up his hands, as if to show that he meant no threat. Eddie suddenly feels his cheeks begin to burn like the eventide. “If you’re not, tha’s cool, but if you are, tha’s swell, too. N’ if ya wanna hang out after your classes or somethin’, we’ll be at the café across the street. Five o’clock.” He jerks his thumb behind him, n’ Eddie’s line of sight follows. He memorises the name, even if he’s not going to go.
Rather than open his mouth n’ embarrass himself further, Eddie nods. The man breaks out into a grin, “Neat, m’Richie by the way. I didn’t get your name either, blondie.”
“Oh, oh, it’s Eddie.” Richie holds his hand out, Eddie takes it slowly, shakes it, n’ lets it go soon after.
He’d thought that Richie would leave right away, now that the conversation is over, but it appears that he plans to stay. It’s silent, mostly, other than Richie making a passing comment or two about the weather, or people walking by. He asks Eddie about his classes, what his major is. He finds out in return that Richie is a drama major— it makes sense, Eddie thinks.
“Okay, I have to go, I have class now.” Eddie rises from the bench, gathering up his water n’ backpack, sun catching in his eyes for a moment before he raises his hand to shield them. “It was nice meeting you, Richie, you’re an interesting character.” He chuckles in spite of himself.
Richie stands, too, picking up his own things n’ smiling to Eddie. “You too, Eds, you’re a real cutie.” He winks, overly playful, a little ironically, n’ Eddie’s grip on his backpack tightens a little.
“My name is Eddie.” He reminds the man, face betraying him with a small smile. “I don’t usually go for nicknames.”
He’s met with a faux thoughtful expression, “Isn’t Eddie already a nickname?” N’ he can’t seem to think of a response to that, “See ya ‘round, Eds!” Before he can protest, Richie’s already bouncing away, but Eddie doesn’t have time to see where he goes off to, he has to go to class.
College isn’t what Eddie had thought it would be. Honestly, he’s not too sure what he’s been expecting until now, but he knows that it’s different. Classes are more laid back than they were in high school, the people are friendlier—though it wouldn’t be hard to find people to be nicer than most he’s met before, having grown up in the murder capital of Maine. Generally, though, the entirety of it is a breath of fresh air. He gets to stay in a dorm, by himself, away from the prying eyes of Ma, away from church, away from everyone who’d had a ruthless comment or two to make about him back home.
Five o’clock comes faster than he’s been anticipating, n’ as much as he dislikes the fact, he’s actually considering going to the little café across the street. It would be a nice way to wind down, ‘cause even if he’s elated to be here, the transition is stressful. But he wonders if he will be admitting something to himself if he goes.
By the time he makes it to the café, it’s gone quarter past five—if he hadn’t spent time fussing over whether or not he was actually going n’ walking back n’ forth between the college n’ the sidewalk where he’d have to cross, he’d probably have gotten there earlier.
Upon entering the café, he feels slightly intimidated. He hopes people aren’t staring at him, in Derry they stared a lot. “Eds, hey!” Thankful that he won’t have to awkwardly search for them, now, he gives Richie a tight lipped smile, n’ slowly walks across the room to their table. There’s seven of them, he realises, all very different looking people.
“That’s Miss Marsh, otherwise known as Bev.” Richie stands from the table, gesturing towards the red-headed woman who approaches him, holding out her hand. “She’s a real spitfire.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Eddie. D’ya like coffee?”
Eddie nods, “Oh, yeah, I like coffee. It’s nice to meet you, too.” He doesn’t like coffee, not really, anyway. It’s too bitter for his taste, even with sugar to sweeten it. He drinks it, though, every morning, if only to spite Ma. She’d never let him have coffee, or any caffeinated drink—said it would damage your heart, Eddie bear, you know how fragile it is. It hadn’t, of course.
“Great, I’ll go order you some.” She winks, reminiscent of the one Richie had thrown his way earlier in the day. He’s greeted by five others, Stan, Patty, Mike, Bill n’ Ben, or as Richie likes to call them—Stan the Man, Patpat, Micycle, Billiam n’ Haystack. They introduce themselves one by one, with kind smiles n’ a hug or a handshake to offer. He watches all of their eyes briefly flicker to his left shoulder, where his shirt is tied off n’ there’s a distinct lack of an arm, but they don’t ask, or look at him strangely, like he’s used to people doing.
Bev comes back a few minutes later, sits a cup n’ a small plate with a cookie on it down in front of Eddie, “Oh, thank you.” He smiles, finally pulling his jacket down from his shoulders n’ draping it over the back of his chair. “I’m Eddie, by the way.”
“Thanks for coming, Eds. We just thought this would be a good way to meet some new people who have things in common. Make things easier, have some good chucks.” Good chucks? “Stan, Patty n’ Mike are together, Bill has a girlfriend called Audra but she couldn’t make it n’ me, Miss Marsh n’ Haystack are all single pringles. Ya got a sweetheart yourself, Eds?”
“Oh, no, I don’t. Not many options where I lived, before I came here.” He explains, taking a sip of coffee. They all nod, murmurings of understanding coming from around the table. “Are all of you in college?”
Mike starts first, “I’ve been working on my family’s farm back home for years, I’m here with Stan an’ Patty while they get settled in n’ then I’ll just be visiting at weekends.” Stan takes Mike’s hand n’ squeezes it gently, Patty watches, smiling softly. “The rest of you are in college, right?”
“Yeah, n’ it’s already better than high school.” Richie interjects, “My comedic genius went very underappreciated in high school.” He explains solemnly, dramatically, n’ Eddie can’t help but chuckle.
“I’m yet to hear some of this ‘comedic genius’ that you speak of.” Eddie remarks, n’ Richie gasps, throwing a hand over the right side of his chest.
“Oh, you wound me, Eds! Already broken my heart n’ I’ve barely known you a day.”
“Your heart is on the left side, Einstein.” Richie waves him off, leaning over the table. Eddie feels himself lean closer, narrowing his eyes playfully. “Can I help you with something?”
Richie pinches his cheek gently, “You're a real cutie, Eds. You’ll be positively chuckalicious in no time, I promise m’hilarious.” He sits back, wiggling his eyebrows obnoxiously at Eddie, before taking a bite of his sandwich. He rolls his eyes at Richie, shaking his head as if in disagreeal. “Don’t believe me?”
“No, not really. How could I?”
“Alright, let me prove it.”
Suddenly, it’s six-thirty n’ he’s been watching Richie prove his comedic skill for an hour. About forty minutes ago, he was trying his best to blow Eddie away with his impressions which yes, even if Eddie tried hard not to show it, he thought were actually very funny. Twenty minutes ago, he decided that he wanted to showcase his ventriloquist act, but explained that since he doesn’t have his doll with him, he’d have to draw a face on his hand n’ improvise. Eddie’s almost thankful for the lack of preparation for this act, ‘cause the sight of Richie using his hand to flirt with Eddie is truly something else.
The others have almost faded into the background, ‘cause, unexpectedly, Richie is right at the forefront of his attention. He’s almost mesmerising, his confidence n’ charm to be admired. “Awh, come on, Eds. Whatddya say, my buddy here has all the top tier characteristics required of someone who can treat you right.” He moves his hand up n’ down rhythmically, as if to make it nod along with him, “He can be real handy when you need it.”
“Oh my God, Richie.” Eddie pushes him back a little, rolling his eyes n’ giggling as his face blooms red, “M’sorry but I think I’ll have to reject your hand, I already have a great one. I can write with it n’ everything.” He waves his right hand in front of Richie’s face, n’ proceeds to have it ‘kissed’ by Richie’s hand-puppet.
“That’s too bad, you two would’ve been great together, pal.” Richie nods solemnly at his hand, before putting it in his pocket. “So what’s your verdict, Eds? Do you deem me funny enough to be worthy of your friendship?” He casts a hand over his eyes, dramatically awaiting Eddie’s ‘important decision’.
Eddie giggles, “Yes, okay, but just know that even if I’m rejecting him, it was your hand friend that convinced me. He’s funnier than you.” He watches, amused, as Richie goes on another spiel about his poor broken heart n’ how he’ll never recover. When Richie’s finally done, n’ he’s flopped back down into his seat, Eddie finishes off what’s left of his coffee, still smiling to himself. Putting his cup down, he checks his watch, “Alright, I think I’m gonna go back to m’dorm now, m’kinda tired.”
“Okay, no worries, Eds. Think I’ll turn in for now, too. I could walk you back, if you like.” He offers, starting to pack up his bag as Eddie does the same. “Only if you want me to, of course.”
A little more time with Richie would be nice, he thinks. “Oh, sure, Richie. If you want to.” He nods, standing up, “It’s been great to meet you all. I hope we can hang out again soon, it was fun.”
“Of course! I’m glad you had fun, Eddie.” Ben pipes up, reaching up to pat his arm. Bev nods beside him, delighted, n’ the others all share murmurs of agreement. They’ve been kinder to him in a few hours than any of the people in his hometown in eighteen years.
Eddie says his goodbyes, lets Richie do the same, n’ then they’re off. The walk isn’t too long, the weather is still nice n’ the sun is just setting. It’s still busy on the streets, presumably other college students going out with their friends. “My dorm is just over here.” He points to the block closest to them. Richie nods, walking him over to the bottom of the building.
“Did ya have fun, today?” Richie asks when they stop outside the door, finally facing Eddie fully. He shoves his hands into his pockets, rocking back n’ forth on his feet. “I hope I wasn’t too, uh, loud, for you.”
Eddie shakes his head quickly, “Oh, no, of course not. I had a lot of fun, actually. More than I’ve had in a long time. So thank you.” Richie grins, looking sort of relieved. He pushes his glasses up again, Eddie thinks it might be a nervous tic of some sort.
“Of course, Eds, I’m glad.” He pauses for a moment, like he’s picking his next words carefully, “Say, uhm, would you maybe like to have breakfast with me, tomorrow? If you’re free?”
“Oh.” Eddie begins, taken aback. He hadn’t been expecting any of them to ask for more time with him outside of meeting all together. It’s a good thing, though, he supposes, to have made a new friend so quickly. Hell, to have made seven by the end of his first real day here. This is why he’s here. He doesn’t need Ma anymore. “I think that would be great. What time?”
“Ten o’clock? I’ll meet you out here? I saw a little diner a few streets away, we could maybe try it out.”
“I’d like that.” He agrees, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rich.”
Richie comes a little closer, n’ bends down to press a short kiss to Eddie’s cheek. “Bye, Eds, see you tomorrow.” Then he’s moving back, waving briefly, n’ walking off the same way he had this morning. Eddie's heart picks a little, just enough to send a warm buzz around his ribs, into his fingertips.
“Yeah, tomorrow.”
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thewintermusketeer · 4 years
Text
This started off as a little reddie drabble to cheer up @skinks , based off her tags and thirsting for bill hader, particularly inspired by this post. It’s now over 1.5k and I absolutely did not read it over before punting it off to my love @benevolentbridgetroll to look over, so if this makes sense it is only due to her help.
Disclaimer: I have not seen the movie/read the book/am not part of this fandom so this is purely based of the SCU (skinks cinematic universe).
They’ve been couch shopping. Of all the things, that’s the catalyst. If Eddie were a pessimist (which he’s not, he’s just sensible, Christ, Richie, it is literally my job to think about worst case scenarios) then he’d say the whole ‘being stabbed in the face and then stabbed again in an even more vital area, in a manner commonly called impaling’ had messed with his judgement. However, that would imply that something else is messing with his reasoning, and Eddie has been through enough therapy by now to understand exactly which thoughts and behaviours are his own. And this? Unfortunately, this is all Eddie.
Anyway, the issue is that Richie sat on a couch. A couch that they were buying together, because they live together. They live together, and they cook together (or rather Eddie tries to cook healthily, and then when he ruins it Richie makes something with far too much fat and salt in it, that’s still better than take out at least). They go shopping for groceries together. They’re the most boring middle-aged couple in the world, and yet neither of them have actually got the balls to call themselves one. They both know there’s something there. Something hanging in the space between them, important words swallowed behind more and more insults because Eddie never thought he’d feel like he’d die if he didn’t hear another ‘yo mama’ joke. It was strong enough for Eddie to move to Florida with Richie, to get away from New York and Myra, even if the latter was something he’d have done anyway, as soon as his memories started coming back. But it’s still unsaid. Not acted upon.
And Eddie is pretty sure they’d have stayed like that for a while longer, in a holding pattern made comfortable by the fact it’s not comfortable; Richie pushes him, dares him and goads him like he did when they were children, and Eddie still can’t believe he forgot how it feels to want to shove Richie right in his stupid square face, even as he can’t stop laughing. Richie makes him feel like life is actually worth living, and not something to be calculated and analysed and rationed. Of course, Richie also makes him feel fucking horny. Which is exactly the problem.
Richie sat on a show couch – and Eddie doesn’t even want to think about how many other fucking people have been near that thing – and Eddie barely stopped himself from crawling onto his lap right there in the shop and jerking off onto his shitty logo t-shirt. He was wearing converse for Christ’s sake. Shoes that provide no fucking ankle or arch support. No forty-year-old man should look sexy wearing converse and a baseball cap. And yet Eddie wanted to measure the exact diameter of Richie’s chest using his thighs. Maybe years of being called a loser and a square had sunk in, subliminally, because the fucking stupid rectangular breadth of Richie’s chest had made Eddie feel crazy.  He wanted to be wrapped up in Richie’s gorilla arms, wanted to feel the gentle scratch of his arm hair against his own bare skin. Wanted to watch the clench of Richie’s hands against the back of the sofa if Eddie dropped to his knees in front of him, telling him not to touch his fucking hair until he’d washed his hands, Jesus Christ. Wanted to see if Richie would laugh during sex, as well.
But he didn’t. Instead they bought the couch, after he’d checked the fire regulations. He had left the shop with Richie, who’d slung one arm around his shoulders, and the weight of his arm, the warmth of him against Eddie’s side, was as reassuring as it was a turn-on.
“Guess we’re parents now, Eds. Or, we will be when our bouncing baby boy gets delivered next week.” Eddie feels the laugh building in Richie’s chest before he even speaks. “I’m so glad you kept your figure though, babe, a couch that big must’ve been murder on your hips.”
“You’d know all about bad hips, fuck face, or am I imagining the old man complaining I heard this morning?” Eddie would say he’d replied on autopilot, but a larger portion of his brain than he liked to admit was always focused on Richie, like a radio that always tuned back to one station.
“It’s not my fault your mom rode me so hard last night, is it?”
Eddie hadn’t been able to stop his snort. Forty fucking years old and the same joke was still funny. He’d looked out the corner of his eyes at the dumb smile Richie was sporting, all because he’d made him laugh. Richie needed a shave and stepping outside the air conditioned shop was enough to make his glasses steam up a bit, but it hadn’t stop Eddie’s raging, improbable thoughts about the line of his jaw beneath the stubble, about how he wanted to turn it into a slip n’ slide with his dick. About how he wanted to feel the bob of his Adam’s apple fucking massaging Eddie’s armpit, or something. 
Eddie hadn’t even realised they’d reached the car until Richie’s arm left his shoulders as he walked round to the passenger door. But now he was here, sat in the driver’s seat of the car – of course I’m fucking driving Richie, you drive at about 100 miles an hour even though you get car sick – sweat drying on his skin as the A/C blew, unable to tear his eyes away from the long, be-denimed legs that were currently folding themselves into the car. The slight jolt of the car’s suspension as Richie settled the breadth of his shoulders against the seat felt like it went straight to Eddie’s dick.
Fuck it. Fuck this ‘unsaid thing’ bullshit. Fuck pussyfooting around, when the two of them already share a life together. Fuck Richie Tozier in particular, and hopefully fucking soon.
“What’s wrong? Have I got something on my face? I don’t think I do, I’ve been told that that’s unfortunately just how my face is.” Richie’s eyebrows look like they’re attempting to perform the macarena with the kind of enthusiasm only seen at an eight year old’s birthday party when cake time is announced. Eddie wants to lick them.
“Should I get a cool face scar? I mean you’re really pulling it off - ” Eddie cuts Richie off with his mouth. He was aiming for Richie’s lips but he’ll take the chin he gets, mouthing openly, the stubble stinging his lips.
“Wha-” Richie gets out, more an exhalation of air that Eddie feels against his face. He steals Richie’s next breath, kissing him properly, one hand leaning across to brace him against Richie’s thigh. One of Richie’s hands comes up to cradle his face and fuck, Eddie wants it to never leave his body, wants it on his face and his neck and his legs and his back, and to hold it with their fingers interlaced like a promise. Richie pulls back just far enough to press a kiss to the scar on his cheek and Eddie feels like he might cry.
Instead, he says, “I love you. Dickwad.” The insult is tacked on the end almost as an afterthought, because for all it’s funny to insult each other, Eddie wants Richie to know how serious he’s being. The problem is that the moment feels too serious. They’re in their own little bubble in the car, but Eddie is still acutely aware of the people walking past on the other sidewalk, can hear the sounds of traffic. He suddenly wishes it was just the two of them, back in the home they’re making together with their terrible decorating choices and the orthopaedic mattress Eddie is now hoping they’ll be sharing.
Richie’s face turns soft. “I wanted to say it first, asshole. Always stealing my thunder. I can’t have anything in this relationship. Didn’t even get to choose our anniversary date.”
Eddie tightens his grip on the thigh beneath his hand, sliding his fingers down onto Richie’s inseam; Richie’s legs spread gratifyingly fast, and Eddie can’t help but lean back in for another kiss. Richie seems to be trying to suck his tongue into his mouth this time, and he can’t help but be extremely into it. They’re only interrupted by a honk from a passing car, and Eddie is reminded again that getting home is a good idea. He separates himself from Richie reluctantly and fastens his seat belt, raising an eyebrow at Richie until he does the same. He starts the engine, but just before he prepares to pull out the parking space he considers Richie’s last statement.
“You can decide our anniversary if you propose. Of course, your mom might get there first, but if you think about exactly what you want do to when we get back to the house, it might net you preferential treatment.”
Richie looks a bit dazed. “You want a list, baby? I can do that, Mr Sexy Analyst. Alphabetical?”
The look Eddie levels him is particularly judgemental. He cannot believe he’s about to fuck this man. “Chronological, moron.”
“Anything you want, Eds.”
Eddie doesn’t think Richie knows exactly how long that list is. He’s looking forward to finding out himself.
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solac1um · 4 years
Text
inspired by a couple of tweets by des/hornsandtales! it reminded me of when i was learning to free dive and used to get panic attacks in the water. also, my mc has no sense of self preservation and neither do i so here we are lmao. i don’t write levi a lot so,, sorry if he’s ooc. but I had to write this. pls have mercy.
"you ready?" leviathan's hand finds yours, weaving his fingers between your own. he's confident, here; this is his territory. you bring his hand to your lips, plant a fleeting kiss.
"ready as ever, gorgeous."
you let him lead you into the waves.
the first thing you notice is how at home he seems in the water, more comfortable than he is on dry land. you aren't surprised, but it was something else to see in person. and a welcome distraction from the unease in the pit of your stomach. you paddle behind him, relishing the way your fins push against the water. you travel more effortlessly than you're used to, with the three kilograms of your weight belt; the water seems to carry you. today, the ocean is your lover's arms.
leviathan turns to check on you every few strokes, the muted sunlight glowing in eyes the colour of the sunset on a clear day. you flash a smile through your mask.
he stops, and the water eddies around the both of you. "here."
you let your legs sink under you. you don't need a float here, not with him. the sea waits with you, this time. you start your breathe up, holding his forearms instead of a floatation device. he watches, head tilted. everything feels so still, this time. all you can hear is the beat of your heart, pounding in your ears, the jolt in your blood that accompanies the prospect of a held breath. leviathan catches your vacant stare and holds it. you got this. you smile weakly and take the penultimate breath of your preparation.
"you okay there?"
you nod, with more assurance this time.
"alright, then. i'll go down with you. take your time. i know you said you want as little help as possible, but i'm here. it'll be okay. take that final breath good and slow."
you empty your lungs and breathe in so much ocean air you think you will explode. and then, head over heels, you plunge into the depths. you see the glint of sunlight on levi's tail. he's there. and you give chase.
he is never more than two meters ahead of you. he lets you navigate the water, as you requested, but stays close. you are moving, but the space in your head is quiet without the rattle of your breath. thirty seconds, probably. you're still comfortable. you allow yourself a grin as you chase the bright blue of levi's scales. he turns, coming to swim beside you, and you stop.
you look up, away from him for the first time. the reef extends above and around you both. for a moment, you forget the tension in the back of your throat, the fear in your chest cavity. it's wondrous.
"i thought you'd like it." levi's voice echoes in your head. you blink at him, surprised, and he laughs. "wanna go closer?"
you nod, smiling, all fear forgot.
you glide together over the bright corals, for a few heartbeats. the fish are surprisingly agreeable, under leviathan's sway. it is as if they don't see you at all. you watch, wide-eyed, as they swim around you, brushing up against you harmlessly as if you are just so much coral. levi smiles at your excitement from beside you. you reach out to take his hand, when you realise your lungs are burning.
he looks up at your touch into your wide, panicked eyes. you struggle, your hand now a vicegrip on his wrist. he is beside you in a flash, eyes boring into yours. "love. try to relax. we'll get you out in a bit."
you don't hear him, your eyes vacant. he makes to pull you to the surface, but watches the air in your lungs escapes in a veil of bubbles. your body tenses, eyes screwed shut, you struggle to keep from reflexively inhaling water -
- and suddenly, the touch of lips on yours, and the pressure ebbs. you open your eyes as your body completes the breath it begun. you feel the water rush into your mouth and out your... gills? you give your hands a quick once-over and, satisfied to see you are still very much human, you stare at him in open-mouthed confusion.
levi looks abashed. "i-i-i-i-i, uh, i made you able to breathe underwater for a while."
your laughter dissolves in a cloud of bubbles. his expression is apologetic. "should i have.... not? i know you wanted as little help as possible, but you looked like you were in trouble and i-"
you take his chin in your hand and kiss him firmly, fastening your arms around his torso. you look up, your heart swelling at the blush of tender blue that graces his cheeks. you press his hand. thank you. he smiles shyly, and you stare agape at the light glistening on his face.
he holds your gaze, suddenly serious.
before you, slowly, his demon form ripples and changes. you watch as his body lengthens, changes, twisting. watch as limbs grow and fuse, watch the spines and fins rising from his back, watch as the irises that behold you are now no longer two, but four, still the same violent colour of a sky at sundown. you watch them, watch you imperiously. the grand admiral of hell's navy. you're transfixed. leviathan watches you, wordless, and you feel the entirety of the ocean around you holding its breath.
somewhere, at the back of your mind, you remember that the word for fear and the word for awe in another language somewhere were one and the same, or something along those lines. you are entranced by the iridescent scales. "good lord," you breathe, forgetting yourself, forgetting where you are, that the water swallows every sound, your words disappearing into streams of bubbles. "you're beautiful."
this must be what it feels like to behold a god. awe and fear and terror and love. you do not flinch, despite the cocktail of emotions sparking in your veins. you hold levi's gaze, watch as he blinks slowly at you. you're not sure if you should reach out, break the precariousness of the moment.
and then it is over, and the demon is there again, still watching, still waiting. breath after inexistent breath, you grasp for something steadying, but simply stare, agape. and you reach out steadily, to beckon him wordlessly to the surface.
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lionheartedghost · 4 years
Text
Summary: Buck is the last one to the bar, so the team vote him the designated driver by default. By the time he shows up it’s chaos, but luckily, he loves them so it doesn’t matter.  
Written for Evan Buckley Week, Day 1: “That’s My Family” + Fluff
I promise this was meant to be fluffy! It just kind of ended up being chaotic. 
Tags: @sofuckingchuffed; @evansdiaz; @gigi-raven; @orchidlover; @maddiehans; @kiki742; @scandalnewbie
-
Buck wasn’t sure how he ended up as the designated driver.
Actually, no. He knew exactly how he’d ended up as the designated driver. They’d managed to line up their days off, they’d found babysitters, they’d even gone as far as reserving a table in the bar, and really, who did that? But that had been the plan since they’d arranged it, Chim and Maddie and Hen and Karen and Eddie and him. The same bar as always. 8:30pm.
Except Buck had got caught up running errands after his shift all afternoon, of all things, and God didn’t that make him feel old? He’d been stuck in a line for what felt like forever at the bank, sat in traffic for another ten years, at least, and to top it all off he’d had to search three different grocery stores just to tick everything off his hastily-scrawled list. 
The call had come as he’d been unpacking the last of the bags in his kitchen.
“Hey, Buckaroo!” Hen’s voice was already a little more slurred around the edges than he was used to. The time on his phone screen read 9:48pm. “Where are you? We took a vote and now we’re all drinking and you’ve got to stay sober. You snooze you lose. Get here soon!”
There was a minute or two of tinny laughter and clinking glasses, followed by an “oh, shit!” as Hen realised she hadn’t ended the call. 
Buck had unpacked the last of his groceries, picked up his wallet from the counter, and warily made his way back out to his truck. 
He made it to the bar at 10:12pm exactly. He remembered the time, because he’d taken a moment for himself to enjoy the relative calm, the time blinking at him almost hypnotically on his dash. His phone had buzzed from where he’d dropped it on the passenger seat, Hen’s name popping up on the lock screen with nothing but a string of seemingly random emojis beneath it in lieu of asking where he was. 
Buck took a breath to prepare himself. Then, with all the gravitas of Neil Armstrong preparing to step out onto the surface of the moon, and with all the trepidation of someone preparing to tightrope walk their way across Niagara Falls, Buck climbed out of the truck and made his way into the bar.
It was chaos. 
He spotted Maddie and Chimney almost immediately. It wasn’t difficult: they almost always ended up at the karaoke booth, and by the looks of the other patrons, their borderline theatrical rendition of ‘Need You Now’ wasn’t their first performance of the night. 
Hen and Karen were lounged against each other in the booth they’d booked, alternating between trying to sit up and regain some composure, and catching each other’s eye and dissolving into snorts and cackles. Beside them, Eddie sat with his chin resting on the table, studying the room through the brown-tinted glass of the empty beer bottles stacked in front of him. 
The bartender spotted him looking at them and quirked an eyebrow. “You know them?”
“Yeah,” Buck said with a tired smile. “They’re… That’s my family.”
“Huh,” the bartender considered them. “Lively family you’ve got there, man.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“Buck!” Hen sat up straight, throwing out an arm in his direction. “Get over here!”
Eddie lifted his head off the table so suddenly that the beer bottles rattled, one teetering precariously on the edge. Buck caught it before it could fall. 
“Hey,” Eddie grinned, somehow stretching the word out to cover three syllables more than it had. “Nice save.”
“I’ve always got your back.” Buck took the empty seat next to him, his eyes wandering to the glasses in front of them. “So, uh… looks like you guys were having a good time without me.”
“Chimney’s idea,” Hen gave an exaggerated shrug. “He said if we got all-out drunk before you got here you’d have to be the sensible one.” 
“Sure,” Buck nodded, “but there are six of us. I don’t have that much space in my truck.”
Karen blinked slowly. “Oh.”
“So we leave Maddie and Chimney behind,” Hen said after a moment. “They won’t notice. They’ve been doing karaoke for the last half hour anyway.”
As if on cue, the opening notes of ‘Summer Nights’ began to play. Chimney picked up a glass, took a swig to drain it, and set it down again with a definitive thunk in time to sing the opening line.
Buck opened his mouth to reply; he closed it again with a shake of his head. “I… okay.”
“I was gonna get you a beer,” Eddie said, scrunching up his face apologetically, “but Chim said if you were driving us all then you shouldn’t have any just to be safe. And then he drank my beer. So.”
“See, I wouldn’t do that to you,” Buck shrugged. “But that’s what happens when you listen to Chim.”
“I’m sorry.” Eddie sighed tiredly, sitting back to lean his forehead against Buck’s shoulder. “I’m gonna regret this in the morning. I can feel it.”
“I think you’re all gonna regret this in the morning.”
“Mm.” Eddie closed his eyes. “But you still love us, though, right?”
Buck sank backwards into the seat. “Yeah, Eddie, I still love you.”
“Even if we puke in your truck?”
Buck wrinkled his nose. “I’d rather nobody puked in my truck. But yeah. Even then.”
Eddie hummed. “Good.”
“He has to love us.” Karen reached across the table to pat his cheek. “We’re his family. He’s stuck with us.” 
“But,” Hen said slowly, peering conspiratorially across the bar, “if we leave now, we won’t be stuck with drunk Chimney.”
Karen’s eyes widened. 
“Yeah,” Eddie sat up. “I‘m ready to go.” He got to his feet, patting Buck on the shoulder. “Lead the way, man.”
Buck glanced back at Chim and Maddie, who still didn’t seem to have noticed his arrival, never mind his imminent departure. He stopped at the bar and leaned across the counter to be heard over the increasingly loud chorus of ‘tell me more’s. 
“If they come over this way,” he nodded in their direction, “can you tell them I’ll be right back?”
“Not sure they’re getting off that stage any time soon, man, but sure.” The bartender smirked, watching Eddie take three attempts before managing to open the door. “Families, huh? Who’d have ‘em?”
Buck watched Chimney fumble to catch a glass he’d knocked over. He saw Maddie look across the stage at Chim with so much fondness that Buck could almost feel it. He heard Hen and Karen laugh, long and loud and carefree, as they made their way out into the parking lot. 
“Me,” Buck smiled. “Have a good night.”
Eddie held the door open for him as he passed through, nudging Buck with his elbow. “Sorry we went a little off the rails.”
“Nah,” Buck grinned. “It’ll be worth it when you’re all still hungover at the start of shift in two days.”
Eddie groaned. “But next time-”
“Next time,” Buck interrupted, “Chimney’s driving everyone home.”
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clusterbuck · 3 years
Text
i can't breathe without you (but i have to)
(2k words, rated T, complete) read it on ao3
trigger warning: minor character death (on a call)
@911week day 6: "please don't leave me" + angst
The call is rough. They always are, when someone dies, but this one hits harder than most. It climbs inside Buck and makes a home within his ribs, and he knows he’s going to carry it with him for a long time.
It’s their first call of the day, a head-on collision on one of the twisty little roads that line the coast. Someone had come flying around the corner a little too fast and crashed into an oncoming car. These roads are usually empty, and the fact that these two cars had happened to cross each other in the worst possible place is just bad luck. A freak accident.
The driver of the speeding car has barely a scratch on him, and at first, Buck thinks everything is fine. But then he looks over to where Eddie is checking on the other car, just as Eddie looks up at him and shakes his head, almost imperceptibly.
Buck leaves his driver with Bobby and hurries over to Eddie. He knows he probably won’t be much help, but Bobby doesn’t need him either, and there are two passengers in the other car.
The second he reaches Eddie, he can see that it’s bad. There are two teenagers in the car—a girl, conscious and sobbing in the passenger seat, and a boy slumped over the steering wheel. Blood flows from a gash at his hairline, staining his blonde curls a deep shade of rust, and his neck is bent at an awkward angle.
Eddie takes a step back and tugs at Buck’s wrist, pulling him back with him. “I already checked, he doesn’t have a pulse,” he says in a low voice. “Looks like he hit his head and the impact broke his neck.”
Buck looks back at the car, where Hen is trying to help the girl out of the car. She’s inconsolable, straining against Hen’s arms and trying to get to her friend. He can’t imagine what she must be thinking. Her entire life has changed in the blink of an eye.
Chimney comes over to start extracting the boy’s body, and Buck goes over to help Hen. He doesn’t think there’s anything he could say to comfort the girl, not when she’s just watched her friend die in front of her, but the least he can do is distract her so she doesn’t have to watch as they manoeuvre him out of the car.
“Hey,” he says, crouching by the door. He takes one of her hands in his, hopes it grounds her, even a little. “I’m Buck. What’s your name?”
The girl blinks, and for a moment Buck thinks maybe she’s so in shock she didn’t understand him. Then she takes a gasping, shuddering breath, and wipes at her eyes. “Sarah,” she whispers, hoarse and watery.
“And your friend?” Buck doesn’t know if it’s a good idea to bring her attention back to him, but—she keeps looking over anyway, frantic glances every few seconds like she doesn’t know how to exist without him at her side.
“Jordan,” she says. “His name was Jordan.” Fresh tears spill from her eyes, but she isn’t wracked with sobs the way she was a few moments ago. “And he’s not just my friend,” she continues. A laugh breaks free, hollow and humourless. “I’ve been in love with him since the seventh grade. I was going to tell him today.”
Buck’s blood runs cold, ice spreading from his chest to the very tips of his fingers and toes. He can’t grasp the enormity of what Sarah has lost, what’s been snatched from her in the blink of an eye on what was supposed to be one of the best days of her life. He’s looking around before he knows what he’s doing, gaze seeking out Eddie, and something inside him settles just a little when he sees Eddie talking to Bobby over by the ladder truck. He stares at Eddie just a little too long, reassuring himself that Eddie is fine.
His attention is pulled back at the sound of Hen’s voice, giving Sarah her condolences in a gentle tone as she looks the girl over. She seems satisfied that Sarah isn’t injured, but it’s protocol that all car accident victims get taken to the hospital for examination, so she turns to direct Sarah to an ambulance.
That’s when Buck notices there are only two ambulances, and they have three patients. Sarah is going to have to ride with her dead best friend, or with the man that killed him.
“I’ll go with Jordan,” Sarah says, and her voice is small but there is steel in it. “And I should—I need to call his parents.”
“They can do that at the hospital, if you want,” Hen says softly.
“No, it’s—I should do it,” Sarah says, and Buck watches as she straightens her spine, visibly pulls herself together before climbing into the ambulance beside the black body bag.
He looks on in awe. For three seconds, he lets himself consider how he’d react if he had to zip Eddie into a body bag and climb into an ambulance with it.
He doesn’t think his body would hold him up long enough to do it.
The rest of the day drags on, an odd contrast to the heaviness of their first call. There are barely any calls, and by the time day starts fading into night, Buck is dozing off on a sofa in the corner of the lounge.
One moment he’s in that halfway place between waking and dreaming, and the next he’s right back on the cliffside from this morning, except this time he’s the one in the car. He is the one in the car, and Eddie is slumped across the steering wheel next to him, blood smeared around lifeless eyes that stare at him, unseeing.
And on some level, he knows he’s dreaming, but that doesn’t stop him from surging across to Eddie, examining the wound on his head as if there’s something he can do about it. He finds the source of the bleeding, but every time he manages to plug it, another wound opens, and there’s nothing he can do to keep Eddie’s blood inside of him.
Not that it would matter, anyway, because Eddie was dead long before he ever started trying.
Buck is still frantically trying to hold Eddie’s body together when he jerks back awake, so suddenly it takes him a moment to understand what’s happened. There’s someone in front of him—Eddie, he realises—with one hand on his shoulder, and the other pushing his damp hair back from his face.
“What—is there a call?” Buck asks, looking around. He can’t see any of the typical rushing around that comes with the alarm, but then he can’t see much of anything else either, because everywhere he looks he sees the image of Eddie bleeding out.
“No call,” Eddie says. “You just—you looked like you were having a nightmare.”
“That’s definitely a word for it,” Buck mutters, and Eddie frowns.
“Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” And Eddie looks so concerned, so open, that for a second Buck wants to tell him everything.
Then he takes a breath, and reminds himself of the truth that sits heavy in his chest like an anchor. The truth that keeps him weighed down, keeps his feet on the ground when his head threatens to float into the clouds. The truth that keeps him from doing stupid things, like pouring his heart out to his best friend in the middle of the firehouse in the gathering dusk.
The truth is this: Eddie is with Ana. The truth is this: Eddie is with Ana, and he is—well, Buck doesn’t know if he’s happy, but he’s definitely content. He’s content, and settled, and in a stable relationship, and Buck can’t be the one to take that away from him.
“Just the usual,” he makes himself say, and he thinks he pulls off a somewhat passable grin. “I’ll manage.”
“If you’re sure,” Eddie says, and it looks like he’s about to say something else, but then the alarm really does go off and they’re both scrambling into action, everything else temporarily forgotten.
Calls start picking up again after that; they usually do, once night rolls around, almost like darkness doubles people’s propensity to do stupid shit. Eddie doesn’t try and ask him again, but every now and then Buck catches Eddie watching him like he’s worried.
Eddie follows Buck home after the shift, like he often does when they have overnights and get off work mid-morning. He doesn’t usually stay long—they’ll have breakfast, maybe play a couple of rounds of a video game, and then Eddie will head home to try and get a couple of hours of sleep before Christopher gets home from school.
But today, the thought of Eddie leaving—the thought of being all alone in his loft—feels suffocating, so every time Eddie looks like he’s about to leave, Buck comes up with something else to do. And it works for a while, but eventually Eddie looks at the time, and he frowns.
“I should really—”
“Stay,” Buck cuts him off. “I just—I don’t want to be alone right now. Please don’t—don’t leave me.”
And he doesn’t know who he hates more: himself, for the way his voice cracks, or Eddie, for the way he immediately softens and settles back into the couch.
Ana, Buck reminds himself. It doesn’t mean anything.
“You sure you’re okay?” Eddie asks. “You’ve seemed a little off since I woke you up earlier.”
“I just keep thinking about the call this morning,” Buck admits, because it’s as close as he can get without touching on the real heart of the issue.
“Yeah, that was a rough one,” Eddie agrees.
“I know we see a lot of shit,” Buck says. “I know it comes with the territory. But those kids today—they were so young, you know? They were supposed to have their whole lives ahead of them.”
Eddie’s quiet for a while, and then: “She’s going to regret it for the rest of her life. Not telling him.” He looks over at Buck, just a quick there-and-back dart of his eyes.
And what the hell is Buck supposed to do with that?
Ana, he reminds himself again.
He searches for something to say for so long that Eddie clears his throat and starts talking again. “Want to play Mario Kart to distract yourself from the random cruelty of the universe?”
And Buck agrees, but he can’t help but feel like he missed something. He just doesn’t know what, and now that Eddie’s moved past it, he doesn’t know how to ask about it. It sits between them on the couch as they race each other’s virtual characters, and over the course of the day it calcifies around his ribs, is added to the pile of things he can’t talk to Eddie about.
Eddie stays late into the night, and for scattered moments here and there Buck forgets that this isn’t what they do. That they don’t have the kind of life where they spend hours together just doing nothing. Because Eddie has Christopher, and he has Ana, and he has a whole life outside of Buck. Because Eddie doesn’t want Buck the way Buck wants him.
But every time he forgets, the anchor in his chest is there to remind him; the weight of it is as familiar to him as his own skin. And finally, Eddie leaves, like he always does. And this time Buck doesn’t ask him to stay, because that request isn’t his to make.
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Text
It’s The Avengers (03x02)
Loki x Reader Avengers The Office AU (Slowwwwww Burn)
Season 3 Episode 02: The Boyband
Series Summary: Living in the Avengers facility post-apocalypse in a better timeline   Tony Stark has decided to capture every moment by pulling The Office on the Avengers. All of housemates are pretty used to the idea except for you, who had just come here to finish her degree, and the newest member- Loki.
Warnings: cute? mad? possessive?
Word Count: It is not until the blood gushes out do you realise that those stupid tears you cried in the office in front of everyone due to some fucking pentup emotions was the PMS all fucking along.
Written for @serpienten ‘s 1k Writing Challenge. Thank you so much for letting me participate! I was supposed to start with the Season with the challenge but due to some stupid screwup from my end I wasn’t able to. My apologies.
MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)
The camera panned in on your face, recording your hair flying in the desert loo while you had your face covered with your shirt, your jacket wrapped around your waist, letting the maroon tank top absorb the sweat your body had churned up on the walk to whatever town you and Loki were supposed to head to.
Speaking of Loki, the camera moved a few degrees forward to show Loki walking ahead of you, his face covered by a helmet 'borrowed' from the wolf army. Though both of you were in boots, the movement through this slippery sand had not made any of it easier. Which was why Loki wanted to cover more of this hard ground you three were on before nightfall.
"You okay, Javi?" Your weak voice called out, making the camera come back to you, panning out to take the entirety of your defeated figure in one frame. Javi's shadow by your side on the ground did a thumbs up.
"We're close," Loki announced, "let's keep moving."
"But I'm tiiiiiiiiiiiii-yu-huh-huuuuuuuh-d!" You moaned, on the verge of tears, coming down on your knees at the nearest pile of husk shining under this alien sun. "Let me just rest by this grass bunch."
The camera caught Loki turning around, his eyes on the edge of rolling till he saw you. "Uh...Y/N, that's no-"
You felt something fluffy stroke your head, making you scream and jump; which in turn made the little pile of grass scream and jump away from you.
"IT MOVED!"
"Because that's not grass. That's a living breathing organism."
"THAT THING MOVED!"
"That's a Has-krot Nuer."
"That Grass-got-boo MOVED!"
"Not gra-"
Loki stopped midway, the camera taking a subtle angle to catch the clench of his perfect jaw as he closed his eyes and breathed in a lungful.
Loki: *looking far away into the barren land* I have survived the craziest of creatures. I have even survived death. *stops as the camera zooms just a little to record you looking at the hairy creature with crazy curiosity and shouting 'Loki, it's not doing anything. Is it okay?!'* *blinks at the camera without any change in this facial expression* I don't think I can survive her.
*In the background, you raise your finger cautiously to poke that creature*
Loki: *instantly* *without even looking* Do not poke it!
"They're amphibians. Versatile creatures. They can live in any environment. But they're usually in groups," Loki contemplated, getting down on one knee and taking the back of his fingers to stroke the creature. "It's unusual for one to be alone like this. They can't survive without their family for long."
The creature purred at the touch, bending a little towards Loki's hand. Loki's eyes shifted from the purring being to you, followed by a furrow of his brows.
The camera turned too, catching you face experiencing an emotional rift.
Javi moved a few feet back to catch both of you in a single frame, making the camera jiggle a little as he did.
"Y/N, no." His words came out like a soft cautious tale. Almost too poetic.
Your lips pressed on to each other, while your brows stood arched in a sad curve. "Loki-"
"No," he raised his hand, pointed his finger at you to stop, "don't."
"Come on!" You whined.
"But-"
"We're already three people with no means on a foreign planet. There is no way we're taking this one with us."
"Loki, pl-"
All through the bickering, the golden husk kept turning between the two of you, making a low hooting noise like an owl.
"No!"
You didn't speak this time. Your eyes went wide while your lips pressed into each other. Loki was already shaking his head at it. Your cheeks- already red from the heat- blew up a bit. "Mm-mm. No." And the combination of it all created the best puppy-eyed face.
"Y/N, we are not taking it with u-"
Loki: We're taking it with us. *sigh* *camera focuses out of Loki's face to show you scratching your little hay-buddy and it purring back at you* *camera focus back on Loki*
*closes his eyes* *whispers to himself* curse those stupid eyes.
"We'll help you find your family, okay?" You tried to convince the little one, who tilted- what apparently was its head- at you. "Hopefully before we find a way back to ours. So-" you got up and turned in the direction you were heading earlier- "wanna join us?"
The head tilted up in your direction, then towards the way you were looking, then back at you.
Loki meanwhile stood with his hands on his hips. "I don't think this is a good time to make promises, darling. Especially not for someone who has zero ideas about the universe."
A chirp came out of it, bringing your- and Loki's- attention to its cute little motion of 'walking' a few steps ahead of you before what seemed like an arm protruded out of it and pressed somewhere in the middle of his anatomy. Out came a click sound.
"Did it just press its stomach?" You asked your universe guide, not realising he wasn't looking at you or the creature. But at something far out in the barren land.
"Yeah, not the thing we should concentrating on for now."
Your eyes were barely able to register the dusty whirlwind at first. "Is that a sandstorm?" You asked Loki while shading your eyes with your hand.
"A sandstorm does not rise like that. Not with aliens in it."
You tried to squint hard to look at it but could not see anything except riled up dust. Suddenly it wasn't the sandstorm that was taking away your attention.
Music.
There was music coming from somewhere.
Clearly, Javi knew it before anyone else, for the camera was pointing at the little guy as the tempo and volume increased a little.
"It's coming from...this one," you told yourself.
The little one was doing little jumps on the beats while seemingly looking at the dust storm.
And soon enough, the camera too could see what Loki was seeing.
A vehicle shaped like those monster trucks from Mad Max hoarded an entire bunch of aliens on it. Aliens that looked human enough as the monstrosity on wheels got closer.
I don't trust nobody I don't even trust my mind
Faces started to appear out of the dust. And oh! What faces indeed. You could feel your eyes wanting to blink again and again just to make sure they were not dreaming.
Losin' everybody They can never take the grind People always switchin' sides People always hit my line Never ask me how I'm doin' They just wanna waste my time
The vehicle stopped a few feet in front of the party. The creatures- all looking like humans but coming in various shades of the galactic rainbows- came with quite some attitude, stepping down onto the ground.
So I don't hate nobody Just stay up out my life And I won't hurt nobody So just stay up out my sights
"Holy fuck," you whispered, scrutinising those perfect beings from head to toe, "looks like Tom Hardy had kids with a K-Pop band."
Indeed. The close slo-mo zoom-ins by the camera on every face could vouch for the fact.
People always hold me down They just told me that I'd drown When you livin' how I'm livin' All these leeches come around
Loki's brows furrowed as he turned to you. "Tom who?"
You tskd, a little annoyed to have to rip your eyes away from the buffed up alien boyband.
'Cause we don't trust nobody We don't even trust our minds Losin' everybody From them lows to them highs I was always gettin' high Never took a look outside I was livin' in the dark Thinkin' I would never shine
"You know that guy from...did I show you Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?"
No answer from Loki assured you you didn't.
"How about Batman?"
"...a man who is a...bat? Is that a comedy?"
"... you're lucky no batman fan can hear you right now. Okay...um...oh yes! Remember that guy Eddie we met at the tavern?"
"Eddie who?"
"That guy who's got a parasite. He goes by the name Venom."
"Oh yes, I remember him. And the parasite. Is that Tom?"
"Oh no. He looks like Tom. Just a little more rugged...and weird. Hot, no doubt, but a little weird."
Loki couldn't help but notice you lick your lips and hide that hint of a smile on the edge of your lips.
Loki: *gives a knowing look* so, she has a thing? A thing for the weird. *smirks at the camera* Well, aren't you naughty, Y/N Stark.
"You guys lost?"
You and Loki watched as those seven boys- aliens- stood in a perfect formation and the one who looked like a leader addressed your party of four.
"Yea, we were looking for the nearest tow-"
"We're fine," Loki cut you short, "are you all travelling northwards? I'd suggest you prevent those rocky hills. Met some weird knuckleheads in those parts."
You looked at the camera and blinked.
"Come on, Y/N. Javi. And...and you," he addressed the little hay, who chirped back with excitement and followed him.
"Actually," you started, making Loki stop and turn to grab your arm but not before it was too late, "it would be really helpful if we could hitch a ride to the nearest town. If it's not too much trouble for you boys." You clasped your hands in peace, not resisting the need to whisper, "Gods, you look so much like that familiar K-Pop band. They have no idea how many girls could go crazy over them."
"Yes, it would be too much trouble for them," Loki insisted, trying to pull you in his direction, "come on, we'll find something on the w-"
"We don't mind at all," the leader spoke, stepping forward towards you. You did not see it coming. Neither were you ready when his pale hands took your left one ever so gently, making you let out a muted a gasp while Loki stood there watching the whole thing unfurl with dull shock. "This is the least we could do for a heavenly beauty like you."
Loki's eyes rolled so hard it felt like they might go all the way back.
Another click sounded through Little Hay's stomach and out came another song.
You're so beautiful, girl a blind man could love you (Woo! yeah. woo! yeah)
"Really," Loki called the new member out flat. Little hay shrugged and hooted while pointing at you and the rainbow K-Pop.
You're so beautiful, girl a blind man could love you (Woo! yeah. woo! yeah)
"Stop it," he ordered, making it let out a whine before reluctantly clicking its stomach to stop.
Loki was about to speak but you cut him away like a sharp sword cutting the wind in half.
"Alright, listen, you galactic rip-offs," you started, taking your hand away from that pale- almost white- guy and crossing your arms across your chest, "we need a ride to the nearest town. Drop that sweet talk, start your engine and get us there before it's dark."
Loki, mouth just a little agape, stood there in veiled awe, sharing a look with the camera.
"Now." You pressed your authority, making the leader call out for the green-skinned boy to start the engines.
"Anything for you, my love," he declared ever so sweetly, trying to take your hand again.
"Touch me and I'll rip your arms off your body," you announced every so softly.
The leader paused where he was, bowing in respect and directing you towards the vehicle.
You turned towards Loki and Javi, your expressions making a one-eighty, replacing the dark with the cheery, "shall we?" And then you skipped away towards the vehicle.
Loki: Hm. Maybe we will survive space. Or maybe we will land up in more trouble. *Shrugs* Guess it'll depend on what mood she is in.
You: I think we'll be fine. *scoffs* Hm? Oh, I don't like it when someone is too forward. Too flirty. Blame my childhood and those stupid truth or dare games where boys would dare each other to tell me they liked me. My defence mechanism got a bit strong since and whenever anything like this happens I metaphorically smack that person into just getting away from me.
*looks at Javi* *furrows brows* what? Ugh? Why would harsh words be a kink?
You turned to look to your left where Javi was pointing. The camera panned out to show Leader looking at you all starry-eyed while resting his face on his palm as the vehicle moved over the rough terrain, letting you all shift with the inertia
You shifted a bit away from Leader, never turning away from him while he continued looking at you with a smile. Uncomfortable, you got up and made your way next to Loki, who turned at the graze of your arm on his, watch you cocoon yourself while staring at Leader with an uncomfortable glare.
"Don't worry," Loki sighed, looking at the road ahead, "He's just a puppy. He isn't going to come near you till you tell him to."
You grunted with disgust at the fact. "Bad dog."
Leader whimpered while speaking something you didn’t understand. Two of his companions, one the colour of the sky and the other looking more orange than a tangerine, looked at you the same way, with different undertones. The sky guy practically blushed and shied away looking at you. The tangerine oozed with sluttiness, biting his lips and licking them, often moving his fingers over his jaw or his neck, trying to throw hints in your direction.
And you? You sat there with disgust plastered on your face the whole ride while Loki chuckled silently and closed his eyes for a nap.
 The Lounge- Night-Time
"Oh my God!"
Disgust-filled curses, shocked exclamations and scoffs echoed through the dark lounge with the only light coming from the big screen showing the white alien taking your hand in his.
"The audacity of this alien bitch," Peter whispered with a mouthful of popcorns, pointing his hand- again, filled with popcorns- at the screen, "right in front of my O-" he stopped, watching eyes turning to him, freezing for a second- "my popcorn. Right in front of my popcorn."
Peter relaxed only when everyone went back to the screen -whether in confusion or agreement- and looked at Scott who mouthed, 'dude!'. 'I got caught in the moment,' Peter mouthed back. Both of them immediately whipped their heads to the screen when Bucky turned back to look at Peter, almost sure he heard him whisper something.
Steve sighed with a worried look on his face. "These aliens don't seem that bad."
"Why didn't we ask for Thor's help, again?" Sam asked a logical question, once again.
"Tony did," Natasha acknowledged, "He said his people needed him and that Loki was smart enough for the three of them to figure his way back home."
"... okay?"
Vision looked at Sam with questioning eyes. "You don't seem okay with that decision."
Wanda, Peter and Scott were the only ones still crunching on their popcorns through the judging silence where everyone waited for an answer.
"What. I know y'all thinkin' the same thing. If it were my brother I'd go look for him, no matter how bad that s-o-b is."
Natasha narrowed her eyes at him.
"I saved Bucky's ass in the Philippines, didn't I?"
Bucky looked at the camera with a tensed jaw and a tired look while everyone else silently agreed.
"Someone should talk to Mr Hammertime about this," Sam stressed. Everyone paused, looking at each other before immediately raising their fingers shouting 'not it'. Everyone except Sam.
Sam: *resting bitch face* kids.
"Wait," Pietro interrupted, "what did that guy say to Y/N?"
"Something on the lines of 'your boyfriend doesn't know how lucky he is'," Natasha murmured while busy licking the remains of tater tots in the bowl in her hand. She stopped midway as all eyes rested on her in question. "What."
"How do you know?" Scott asked.
"Their dialect has a strong base of Korean," she simply shrugged, going back to the bowl.
"She's right," Bucky chimed in.
"Huh," Pietro wondered out loud, "are they really a space K-pop band?"
"Yeah, space band or not," Steve declared, "let's just keep the boyfriend thing under wraps. Away from Tony."
Everyone agreed.
"Or Clint," Wanda added as she munched on the chicken wings.
"Yeah," Steve agreed, "what is with him lately? He seems to act pretty defensively whenever Loki's in the room."
"Tell me about it," Scott muttered through a mouthful of popcorns and an eye roll.
"He still ain't over the whole monkey business?" Sam asked Nat.
"He told me Loki apologised and told him how Thanos was pulling the strings. As far as I know, Clint's over the whole thing. There's something else he seems to be mulling over."
Everyone seemed to take a few moments- between the crunches and munches to think it over. Steve, with his brows of justice, suddenly seemed to have a realisation before anyone else who was actually trying to think.
Steve: I think I know what's bothering Clint. *smiles*
Nat's voice: What?
Steve: *nearly jumps* *hands curled into fists* Jesus! Where the heck did you come from?
Nat: I've been sitting here the entire time, Steve.
Steve: *tries to speak* *stops* *shifts in his seat* *exchanges glances between the camera and Natasha*
Nat: So? *rests one leg on another* *tilts towards Steve* what's bothering Clint.
"Those aliens look quite, how you millennials call it, hungry," Vision stated as he watched Mr Tangerine try to make his move on you. Everyone shouted curses and made faces at him. Vision observed the reactions before looking at the camera.
Vision: I think I...*slowly raises hands to make finger guns* nailed it.
"Suddenly, I'm really glad she's got Loki by her side," Steve mentioned, surprised at his own words. Bucky and Sam agreed. Scott and Peter smiled at the exchange, fist-bumping at the back of the sofa.
"The moment she gets back, we gotta work on that defence mechanism of hers though," Sam added, "otherwise she'll never get a date."
"I think she'll be fine," Nat enunciated, "I'm sure when the time comes she'll like the right one."
"As long as she gets to enjoy it all," Sam raised his beer bottle to get a cheer from Nat's.
"I have to say I like that little hay," Sam pointed out, getting 'amen' from the room, "dude's got a freaking boombox inside him."
"Y/N's going to adopt it, isn't she?" Pietro chuckled.
The cutest howl left Zuko as he sat beside Bucky, looking at Pietro with angry eyes.
"Ay, you're makin' her baby angry," Sam guffawed. Everyone laughed, cuddling and cooing at the little fur-face to calm him down. He did calm down, but he was still furious at Pietro.
On the screen, the camera showed the vehicle come to a halt. Leader-Kun got out first, along with Loki, and had his hand out for you.
You paused, looking reluctant to do anything with those eyes stuck on you. Taking a step to your side, you waited for Loki- who was scrutinising the place- to turn to you.
When he did and took in Leader-Kun’s eagerly waiting arms, he didn't just open his own.
"Oh I'm sure your lover here is happy to help you ou-"
"Shut up and get me down," you spat back, your arms stretched out, waiting for his shoulders to come close.
"Are you sure?" Loki stressed, "Because I don't want to make him jealous-"
"Loki, for f***'s sake, I don't like being teased about men I don't like as much as you don't like being compared to your brother. So, if you don't want me to blabber about Thor for the rest of the way-"
"Alright, fine! Fine!" He quipped, feeling the sour taste in his mouth.
He stepped forward, letting you rest your hands on his shoulders as he grabbed you by the waist, helping you down safely.
"Damn," Sam chuckled, "our girl plays dirty."
"You play dirty, woman," Loki stated right after, earning a smile from you. "Thanks," you raised your shoulder in appreciation, "I learned from the best."
Natasha looked at the camera with a smirk.
Natasha: *holding out a knife with sharpest edges, its hilt holding a beautiful carving of Black Widow's symbol* this is my birthday present. The one Y/N made me and was supposed to gift me before she left for space.
*swings the knife in her hand* I've been preparing her since she arrived. If anyone's going to take advantage in space, it's Y/N. If anyone tries to hurt her, then they *catches the knife in attack position* and Loki will answer to me.
The new place greeted them with a tavern by the road and all sorts of creatures going in and out of it. The tavern, seemingly made of wood that was entirely blue, stood with neon signs spelling out something supposed to attract customers.
Feminine figures, green luminescent blobs, purple tentacled odd creatures stood outside the entrance at different corners.
"O...okay-" you narrowed your eyes at the whole scene- "I may be wrong...but this does not feel like a place one normally visits."
"It's a tavern cum brothel," Loki acknowledged, looking around the area, at the minimal housing along the road. "Looking at the size of the town, it seems like it's for the crowds that travel here from other planets. This might be a stop."
"Good, we can ask for a lift back home then," you agreed, ready to walk towards the building.
"What?" Loki stopped you short, "you cannot just walk in there?! Heaven knows what kind of miscreants hoard this place."
You sighed. "I'm guessing that's what's to happen any place we visit."
Loki scoffed. "Of course, it will. You should be more scared of space."
"I am scared, Loki," you stated, taking his arm that was holding onto yours, "I'm scared like hell. I barely go around town for the fear of being mugged or raped or murdered. Think what I'm going through right now. Look, the thing is, bad guys are everywhere, your survival skills are peak perfection and I am a weight you'll be carrying around till we find a way back. Come in terms with the fact that I will be going to places I shouldn't even know about and you can only do so much."
A warm breeze blew Loki's hair, letting shadows play over his face in this planet's golden hour.
Wind blows Blew me to where I belong
"Not now, sweety," you called out, making Little Hay hoot and click his stomach and stop the song.
The silence was used by the two of you to come to terms. "I don't like it either but judging by how little you've said about ways to get back, I figured we don't have much to work with right now. So we'll need all the firepower we can," you declared softly. “Don't worry. Being there for each other in grim times, that’s what friends are for.”
Loki took in a lungful, closing his eyes, dropping his head before finding back his stature.
"I hate you," he finally admitted.
"Aw-" you broke into a smile- "I love you too!"
"If we're going in there, you have to stay close to me, not touch anything strange, no talking to strangers, especially the ones who look alluring."
"My my, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're being possessive."
"..."
"What. I like it," you teased him, "as long as it's healthy."
A chirp came from Little Hay, as he rubbed itself on your leg while moving around.
"Come on, guys, stay close," you announced, walking with Loki towards the tavern while turning towards Loki, "you know, we should really give a name to our little hay baby."
"He's not out baby, Y/N."
"Hey! Don't say that in front of it. You might hurt its feelings."
 The silence in the lounge was suddenly broken by low sniffles, slowly making heads shift towards teary-eyed Scott and Peter barely holding the moisture in their eyes, their smiles too wide to contain.
"You okay, Peter? Scott?"
Both of them nodded. "We're fine," Scott's broken voice reassured them. "Mmhmm," Peter added."
"There was too much spice in my tater tots." Scott nearly broke again at the end of the sentence.
"I just remembered Mr Barton has my special Spider-Man suit and he said he won't give it back to me," Peter sniffled while poking at the empty popcorn bowl in his hand.
"Oh, he won't be saying that anymore," Natasha pressed, "I promise you that."
Sam: Well, Clint's 'bout to die.
"Let's try calling Carol in the morning," Steve declared before getting up and looking at the screen. "Everyone, get some shut-eye. We'll catch up with them in the morning."
Everyone greeted goodnight and made their way to the dorms- all except Scott and Peter.
"No, Cap," Scott nearly shouted, making Steve freeze halfway to the screen's power button, "leave it like that. Please?"
Steve stood back straight, a shade of concern over his face. "Sure you guys okay?"
The camera focused in on Scott and Peter.
Scott and Peter: crying with joy Scott: Babbiees! *squeals and sniffles* Peter: ow my heart! *clenches his chest* 
“Yes,” Scott nodded with the purest smile, “we’re okay.”
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Text
Request; Kombat Krew and them falling for you+ Saying I love you.
I guess this is a sequel to them flirting? Not even sure. But this is a kind of when they realised, they loved you, and when they actually confessed it. Trashy, kind of long and not as many characters as I wanted to include. But it’s still warm and sticky over here, writing on my laptop is really uncomfortable! I will do a part two I swear. Under the cut due to length.  Warnings; Little NSFW, NSFW implied I guess? Better to be on the safe side. 18+. Angst, mentions of angst, fluff, tooth rotting fluff. Trash.  GIFS do not belong to me.
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Sub Zero (Kuai Liang);
·         Kuai Liang is a complex man. A complex man full of ice puns and good advice. A shame he can never take his own advice. Not that he has much to give in terms of romance.
·         He realises he is attracted to you slowly. It’s not a massive ‘Oh dear, oh dear, I seem to have fallen for Y/N!’ situation no. It takes a little bit for him to realise that he does have, more advanced feelings. Feelings that go past the usual, friendship type which he shares with the majority of people.
·         What brings him to the realisation that he has strong romantic feelings for you are quite varied. You laughing at his puns and jokes, you debating with him and holding a conversation with him. The fact he can stay awake with you and discuss various things, no matter how stupid they may seem to him. And the fact that you listen to him and actually take his advice, lord knows someone should!
·         He will end up confessing his initial attraction to you one night. You both cannot sleep, so you’re sat atop the temple watching the snow flurries fall.
·         He’s nervous. His throat feels dry and he has no idea what to say to you. How does one profess their attraction? Bi-Han told him to compliment you, but everything seems so crude and forward. Smoke told him to write it down and give you it. That seemed lazy and cowardly. He’s the fucking Grandmaster of Lin Kuei. He’s fought through hell, and yet, he cannot confess his attraction to you.
·         He is literally Shang from Mulan. “You fight Good” but instead he talks about how committed and loyal you are. How you’ve got honour and he respects you. Before getting a little sweeter and managing to choke out a few words, on how he feels strongly towards you.
·         His ears are bright red by the time he says he wishes to be with you, if you want him that is, he understands. As Jonny says, cold hands are not ideal for much.
·         You swear you hear him squeak a little when you plant a kiss on his cheek. Admitting the attraction is mutual. Queue him smiling and laughing, before wrapping an arm slowly and tentatively around you.
·         No one can see you. So, this is fine. He can be Kuai Liang, a guy who just got himself the best partner in the world tonight.
·         The ‘I love you’ comes later on. It’s when you’re both in bed one night. His frosty breath ghosting your neck. One arm around your waist, holding him to you tightly. Not wanting to ever let go. He’ll whisper it before planting a cold laden kiss to the back of your neck. When you sleepily utter it back, he feels content, tightening the grip on your waist.
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Smoke;
·         What. Is. This. Fucking. Feeling. If you thought Kuai was bad, meet Smoke, Smoke is 110% worse. He wants to scream, because even though he’s read many a book, he cannot find the right words to say to you.
·         Luckily, he wrote it in his rainbow unicorn dream journal, and it happens to be Bi-Hans favourite book. So, have no fear, the better Sub-Zero Brother is here! His words not mine. Bi-Han gives terrible love advice, but he does listen to how he fell for you.
·         He got hit with the realisation, that he had the feels for you, pretty damn hard. So hard, it nearly knocked him out. But I’ll get to that later. You’d known each other a bit. You both used to read the same book, before discussing it when neither of you could sleep. Which is often with Smoke, since he has a smoke demon living within him, one that sometimes, will not shut the fuck up (I’m going off the HC that it’s like a Symbiote relationship. Eddie and Venom style, since Smoke can turn into an Enenra)
·         You’re both discussing the latest chapter in the current novel you’re reading. You’re hands briefly touched, and he just could not cope. It had been a while since he’d been touched that softly. For the rest of the night, he was immersed with watching you speak, didn’t matter what you were saying. He wanted to hear it.
·         Before you left, you mentioned there was a book you were looking for but could not find. After you left, Smoke hunted that fucker down. Top shelf, to the right, behind Bi-Han’s ‘forbidden book’ Long story short, he slipped, fell and the book fell onto his head. Nearly knocking him out. Nobody saw, so it’s fine.
·         “You love Y/N, we love them too. They have a nice…’ That damn Enenra will not stop discussing you. He wants to meet you, but that is never happening. Not in a million fucking years. Never. Smoke doesn’t like fucking meeting him, why the fuck would he let it meet you?
·         He struggles with what to say. Bi-Han suggested just being out-right and forward. If it failed, he could always leave the temple and become a smoke machine. Really not helping.
·         In the end he does write you a note. He slips it into the book you’ve been looking for. It details how he was struggling to say the words, so he thought he’d write them for you. He highlights about what he loves about you. How soft you are with him, how you help braid his hair, how you laugh at his jokes and how you aren’t afraid of him.
·         He doesn’t expect you to be so quick with you reply, if at all. The Enenra does fill him with doubt. Doubt that you could ever love someone like him. Well, jokes on it. When Smoke returns from training, he went extra hard to try and take his mind off of the note; he’s surprised to see you’re sat waiting for him in his room.
·         You’re holding the note and smiling. He’s about to speak, but you quickly cut him off, listing everything you love about him. How he smiles, his grey eyes and how they remind you of the sea. How he’s essentially a warm beacon of light in this frozen hell. How he smells of apples all the time. And how when you’re sick, he’ll always bring you soup and read to you.
·         The ‘I love you’ comes when you’re both ice skating. He said there was a frozen lake near the temple. Nobody goes there, because what’s the point? So, it’d be a nice chance to be alone for once.  He’s actually pretty damn good at it. Not surprising since, you know, he’s essentially a ninja. But he’s got an arm around you, you’re both kind of just spinning, he’s a firm grip so no chances of you falling. It tumbles from his lips after you share a quick kiss. When you say it back, he can’t help but smile and press his forehead to yours.
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Kabal;
·         Pre-Burn; For Kabal. When he gets the feels, he gets them HARD. He’s a laidback guy so he’s not going to get flustered. He’s just gotta make sure you feel the same. And also, that he can make it a day to remember when he confesses.  
·         He realised he was attracted to you, when you were training together. The Fight Club had closed early. Kano was away, it was dead, so you decided to close up shop. Kabal offered to stay back and help you clean up. You’d been flirting for fucking weeks.
·         It turned into you wanting to learn to throw a punch. Kabal was more than happy to help. You’re both joking about, you’re trying to hit the air and stumbling. Both of you are laughing, having a good time and then BAM. THE FEELS ARE THERE. He catches you when you stumble and pulls you close.
·         Suddenly this whole plan of him taking you out to dinner and a movie goes to shit. He kind of just leans in and kisses you. When you kiss back, it affirms that you have feelings for him.
·         After you break apart, he confesses that he’s been attracted to you for a while, and he thinks he’s falling for you pretty hard. He’ll ask if you want proof of how much he’s fallen for you. Because if you want proof, he can show you something he’s not shown anyone but Erron before.
·         You’re a little bit curious so, fuck it why not. That and spending time with him is always a bonus.
·         Brings you back to his apartment and will literally show you his living room. It’s decked in nerdy memorabilia, the latest console and a high-spec gaming PC; which is logged into his trolling WoW account.
·         Whilst you’re busy looking at his action figures and comic books. And his extensive collection of Johnny Cage films (You’ll have to talk about that later to him, since he told you he hated them.) He’s busy fumbling around in his bedroom.
·         When he returns you see he’s wearing thick framed glasses. He asks you not to laugh. And to not tell anyone. But yeah, Erron only saw this shit because he barged in un-invited one day. Saw Kabal sat there, near butt ass naked, watching TV with his glasses on. He’d have seen it all if the Pizza box hadn’t been covering his dick.
·         When you burst out laughing at his story, it kind of cements that he has feelings for you. He loves to make you laugh, because it’s the sweetest sound in the world.
·         He will tell you that. And then asks if it’s proof enough, when you say no, but a kiss would. He’s more than happy to oblige.
·         The ‘I love you’ portion comes further down the line. You’re both sat in the car, belting out some absolute fucking classics. He looks over, catches you smiling and singing along like there’s no tomorrow. Still in your pjs, because you both decided a late-night drive was a great idea. He just cannot stop smiling, you’re all his. He just randomly says it. It does make you spit out your Mcflurry though.
·         Post-Burn; Okay so this is angst central. The confident and laidback Kabal has gone. Replaced with Self-loathing. He hates his appearance now. So when the feels hit him, he starts to feel guilty, why should you be saddled with him?
·         The feels and realisation that comes with them, rise up when you help take care of him after his accident. When you offer to rub lotion on his skin, offer to help with his mask and gear. The fact you visited him in the hospital every day. You offer to go out and grab his shopping or to get medicine, when he doesn’t feel like leaving the house. The fact you aren’t ashamed to be seen with him. God, he loves you.
·         The fact you don’t mind going out in public with him, does put some of his self-doubt to rest. But not a lot.
·         He ends up confessing his attraction one evening. He couldn’t sleep one hot and sticky night. His skin is extra sensitive after the accident, so hot nights kill him off. He merely messaged you casually, explaining what was going on and asking if you were up; safe to say it came as a surprise to see you at his door, takeout in hand.
·         You both end up eating pizza and watching a movie. The AC is now cranked on full. You end up asking if it’s okay to cuddle up to him. He’s nervous and stuttering but he says yes. He needs to be a bit more adventurous.
·         You’re falling asleep, cuddled into him, eyes half-lidded fighting to stay awake. He’s laying back, stroking your hair and enjoying the feel of having someone’s skin against his own.
·         He ends up mumbling that he’s falling for you and he’s sorry for that. Queue you sitting up, arms stretched out to wrap around his neck. Telling him to never apologise for giving you what you want. He’ll press his masked forehead to yours, hands clutched in his, with him caressing the knuckles.
·         The ‘I love you’ Post-Burn is such a tender moment. It’s very raw and emotional. He’ll have taken his mask off to show you his face. When you accept him, caressing over the creases of his skin, slowly fluttering your fingertips. He feels so warm and content. He closes his eyes, leaning into your touch. After you kiss him for the first time, he’ll breathlessly utter it. His breath will hitch waiting for your retort; he’ll only relax when you say it back. He’ll smile, making eye contact before stroking your face. You’re everything he could have ever wanted and hoped for.
·         Crispy Kabal is such a sweetheart. And I fucking love him.
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Erron Black;
·         Aw hell no. After Nitara and Skarlet, he swore no more feels. But then he met you and well, aw shit here we go again.
·         Erron is confident in his approach and is not ashamed to admit his feelings. If he has feelings for you, he’s going to tell you. He’s very straight forward like that. No point wasting precious time you two could be dating after all.
·         He realises he is attracted to you when he’s teaching you to shoot his pistol. He’s got his arm around your waist, hand helping to adjust your aim; and you’re sort of dressed a little like him. You did it as a joke, but you look mighty fine in that poncho and hat.
·         He’s impressed with your aim for a rookie, he’ll compliment you on it and admit he’s mighty impressed. Pretty face, good aim and as sweet as sugar, ain’t you the complete package That’s enough to make you blush.
·         He’ll take his hat off and ask if you fancy just grabbing a drink. He’s got a lot to tell you. Mostly about how he’s falling for you. By the end of the night, he’ll have listed off nearly everything about you. Which is on the ‘what I adore about you’ list.
·         He’ll love how you’re blushing and laughing. He’ll wrap an arm around you and ask if you fancy tagging along with him. He needs a solid partner, someone he can rely on and can go with the flow. You do all that.
·         He’s such a charmer in all honesty.
·         Him saying ‘I love you’ comes one night when you’re camping. You went for a hike, set up camp and you’ve been chatting bubbles for the past few hours. He was telling you all about his life, by god he’s lived a long one and has a lot of stories. You’re laid in between his legs, looking up at the stars. Whilst he makes up constellations.
·         Each time you go along with his made up bullshittery he smiles and laughs a little to himself. The three words just escape his mouth, he’s pretty relieved you say it back. He’s never really said ‘I love you’ before. It makes him feel all soft and fuzzy inside. It is time he settles down he thinks.
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Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi);
·         This man is the most conflicted out of everyone. He cannot be falling for someone else. He feels guilty, how could he be doing this? He feels joy, he can finally feel again and not be emotionally numb. He feels scared, he doesn’t want to lose you. He feels nervous, he knows what to do and what to say. But that doesn’t mean he’s confident about it.
·         He, like Kuai, realised that he was falling for you slowly and it was over a period of time. He didn’t just think ‘OH DAMN’ not that he’d ever think that. It was small things. How you’d bring him tea after his morning meditation. How you’d meditate with him, do yoga and train with him. To you making him little paper cranes and leaving them around him.
·         The thing that made him realise that he was falling in love with you; was one night, the two of you were sat drinking and you asked him to dance. He doesn’t do dancing… but he couldn’t say no to you, not when you were looking up at him like that.
·         One thing he does do is swaying. He can sway like no tomorrow. He ends up swaying with you. He can feel your heartbeat against his chest, you fit so nicely in his arms, and you feel so warm.
·         He’ll end up leaving quickly, excusing himself, the guilt becoming too much for him to cope with. He cannot do this… or can he? He ends up asking Takeda for advice, who in the end, says it’s okay to eventually move on.
·         You’ll go back to your room and he’s sat there on your bed. He’s smiling nervously before apologising and confessing why he left. He’s attracted to you and it’s making him feel guilty. You’ll have to take things slow with him, but it is worth it in the end.
·         The sacred three words comes a bit later. More so than the others. He feels conflicted and he over-thinks saying it so much. What does he say? How does he say it? What if you don’t say it back?
·         In the end it sort of happens naturally and when he’s not even thinking about it. You’re both walking through the Fire Gardens. You’re asking him some questions about it. You both stop on the bridge. He pops a blossom in your hair, smiling as you adjust it and look up at him. The words leave his lips so quickly that he doesn’t think. He’s racked with fear and guilt, till the words leave your mouth in return. Then those feelings subside, replaced by happiness and joy.  
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whileyoursleeping · 4 years
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Grand Gestures
Prompt: we know buck was for grand gestures while he was in a relationship with Abby i.e. the hot air balloon what if he tried something similar with Eddie and Christopher either before or after they were dating and maybe he doesn't even realize it until someone asks him didn't he try doing that before and looking back maybe he has been doing some sorta date like outings with the Diaz boys huh like swan boat rides and mini golf then on a different day watching the sunset or like a picnic too lol
first things first: i’m sorry this took so long. secondly: this prompt got absolutely and wildly out of hand
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The thing is, when he's not working, Buck's got about ten brain cells and they're evenly divided up between researching random facts, working out, and loving his friends.
So he doesn't think things through. It's endearing, right? Mostly? At least after he cooled his jets a little and got out of his Buck 1.0 phase, he thinks it might've become endearing. His fire family joke about him being a golden retriever more times than he cares to count and he'd never admit it but they're probably right.
So he doesn't think about it when he starts taking the Diaz boys places.
He and Eddie have had a rough shift. It's sort of a rough shift in a line of weirdly rough shifts and they're both beaten down, and when Buck picks Chris up from school one day and Chris says, "Bucky, why is Daddy sad?" Buck immediately has to fix it.
He plans a day feeding giraffes at a zoo. Normally his go-to is the pier, but, well, that seems like tempting fate.
"I'm coming over," he announces to Eddie, early on a Saturday morning.
"Okay," Eddie's voice comes, sleepily. "Will you make pancakes?"
Buck's heart swells. He couldn't ever say no. Just thinking about Christopher's face lighting up at the surprise makes him want to drive faster.
When he gets to the Diaz residence, he lets himself in and immediately busies himself in the kitchen, making pancakes. For all Eddie is an amazing firefighter and dad, he's really bad at cooking, and the only reason there are even ingredients around is because Buck leaves them here.
When Christopher stumbles into the room ten minutes later, his face lights up. "Buck, Buck!" he cries, and Buck grins as he leans down and suddenly has an armful of eight year old.
"Hey, buddy!"
"Dad didn't say you were coming! DADDY, BUCK'S HERE!"
Kid has a set of pipes, and Buck almost winces at the volume. "Chris, can you set the table?" he asks.
"Yes!" Chris heads for the drawers and begins laying out plates and cutlery, just as Eddie wanders into the room, shirtless and wearing a pair of sweatpants that have been cannibalised into shorts. He looks surprised to find himself in the kitchen.
"You're actually making pancakes," he says, amazed. "Dios te amo, Buck."
Buck flushes, unsure if he's feeling suddenly flustered because of Eddie speaking Spanish to him or because Eddie isn't wearing a shirt. "Yeah," he mumbles shyly. "You asked."
Eddie smiles, and it's a little soft and sleepy around the edges, and for a moment Buck feels the weight of the last few shifts lift from his shoulders, and like they've gone back to real normal after the lawsuit. "Gracias a dios por ti," he says.
Does Eddie know what Spanish does to him? It isn't fair either way.
They sit down for pancakes, and Buck immediately sets to cutting Chris's into pieces so Eddie can focus on eating. He's losing the hunted expression he's worn for the last few days, and Buck's proud of himself for that at least.
"So," Eddie yawns, after they've sent Christopher to get dressed. "Not that I mind, but why're you here?"
Despite Eddie's words, and how warm and kind he's been this morning, Buck feels a little anxious suddenly about overstepping his boundaries. "Um," he says. "Well I - I can go if it's not a good time-"
"Buck," Eddie says, gently, and reaches across the table to grab his forearm. "I like having you here. So what's going on?"
Bolstered a little by Eddie's words, Buck smiles. "It's a surprise," he says. "But you should get dressed."
Eddie doesn't like giving up control, Buck knows, but the man only shrugs as he gets up from the table and heads towards his bedroom. While he's gone, Buck takes the dishes to the sink and gets a headstart on them. His mama might not have taught him much, but one thing he did learn is that it's rude to leave dishes in someone else's sink.
"Buck," Eddie's voice says. "You cooked."
"I don't mind," Buck says, mouth drying as he turns to find Eddie in the doorway, wearing a pair of light blue jeans that hug his legs and the white henley he once had on when dragging Buck out of bed. "Um, you look nice."
Eddie's smile only widens. "So do you."
Whatever weird moment they're having, it's shattered when Chris yells, "I'm ready, I'm ready!" and leaves his bedroom on crutches, moving with speed only a motivated eight-year-old has.
~*~
If Buck is a little distracted on the way to the zoo, it's only because he's thinking about how excited Christopher will be, and not because he's analysing hit outfit choice after Eddie's comment.
When they pull up, Eddie's looking out the windshield at the gates with an unreadable expression. "Too much?" Buck asks nervously, as Christopher whoops with glee in the backseat.
"He's wanted to come for ages," Eddie says quietly. "How'd you know?"
"I didn't," Buck admits, "I guessed, but it's been a rough week so I figured something fun would be nice."
That expression doesn't leave Eddie's face, leaving Buck feeling a little nervous as they unpack Chris from the backseat. Eddie ends up with his backpack, as Christopher proclaims his desire to ride on Buck's shoulders his time.
The kid isn't heavy, and it's not like Buck hasn't ever carried him. Still, it's a cool day and his crushed leg aches a little, which Eddie seems to realise as they walk through the park, with Christopher pointing out all the animals to them.
"Your leg okay?" Eddie asks.
Buck thought he was better at covering the limp by now. Apparently not. Eddie was there during his recovery, and Buck's worked really hard at not limping even when he is in pain, but the added weight on his shoulders makes it hard.
"It's okay," Buck says.
"If he's too heavy-"
"He's not," Buck rushes to say, squeezing Chris's shins where they sit around his chest. The kid is holding onto his collar with one hand, the other pointing and waving. "He's not too heavy."
"Okay," Eddie says, slowly, "but I'm buying lunch."
They sit down in the restaurant to eat overpriced fish and chips, and Christopher and Buck trade facts about the animals and ponder which ones would make the coolest hybrids. "Did you know you can make Pokemon hybrids?" Christopher asks.
"No way, can you?"
"Yeah! I'll show you!"
Buck willingly passes over his phone, and he and Chris spend most of lunch giggling over the strange combinations they can make. Eddie watches on, eating quietly, only ever interrupting to ask them a question.
Just past twelve, Buck herds them out to the giraffe enclosure. "Wanna see the giraffes?" he asks Chris.
"Yeah! They're tall like you!"
He laughs, and says, "how 'Bout really up close?"
His heart swells too big for his chest at the shout of joy Christopher gives, and he spends the next half hour feeling like he'll choke on it while they feed the giraffes, with Christopher taking to the baby one in particular. By the time they leave, it's past two, and Chris - who's been awake since seven - has fallen asleep in Buck's arms.
Buck straps him into his seat as Eddie loads the car up with everything from the zoo's gift shop and the photos they took feeding the giraffes. When both car doors close, it's quiet for a moment.
"Thank you," Eddie says quietly.
"I hope I didn't overstep," Buck says quickly. "Maybe it was something you two wanted to do together-"
"I've wanted to bring him for ages," Eddie sighs, "only between physical therapy, rent, bills, Carla, and everything else, I haven't had the time or the money. You didn't overstep."
Buck relaxes a little, feels warm. "Glad I could help."
~*~
Chris is still sleeping when they get to Eddie's, and Buck's the one tasked with bringing everything in while Eddie tucks him into bed. It's early, but there's no harm in letting the kid get some extra sleep, especially when he still occasionally has nightmares about the tsunami.
It's an exhaustion Buck can relate to.
He brings everything in, putting things on the table quietly before going back to shut up his truck. He's limping again - slow walking, especially with an eight year old on his shoulders most of the day, seems to cause his injury to flare up more than almost anything else.
"You okay, Buck?"
He smiles at Eddie. "I'm okay."
"Be honest," Eddie says, in his patented Dad Voice. "I can see you limping."
Eddie's concern feels foreign, especially after the lawsuit and the admittedly still strained relationship they share at times. Buck doesn't push, doesn't ask for anything, and is content just being able to be back in Eddie's life. It's still weird, but he's happy.
"Uh," Buck says. "It hurts a little sometimes. When it's cold. Today was just lots of walking, that's all. I'll down some Tylenol and I'll be okay."
"How about you stay?" Eddie asks. "Rest up before heading home. I'll find you some Tylenol."
Buck - who hasn't felt this wanted for a long time - can't even argue.
~*~
The next time they have a rough call, Buck plans a day out on a river boat. The time after that is a beach picnic, and after that, mini golf.
Every time something really bad happens on a call, Buck rushes to fix it. It's after one of these calls, when he's only halfway out of his fire kit and already looking up fun places to be in winter in L.A, that Hen says,
"Back at it with grand gestures, Buckaroo?"
He looks up, blinks. "What?"
She looks almost sympathetic. "The grand gestures?" she asks. "Didn't you already try this with Abby, baby?"
"Abby?" Buck feels about ten steps behind. "Grand gestures?"
Hen is like a mom slash sister to him, and she patiently explains, "The hot air balloon you organised for Abby when her mom was sick? Isn't that why you're taking Eddie and Christopher out on all these dates?"
Dates? Abby? Eddie? Hen's drawn a parallel between Eddie and Abby? Dates?
"Oh fuck," Buck says.
"He didn't know," Chim says, who's just entered the room. "Way to break it to him, Hen."
"I've been wooing Eddie," he realises aloud, a sense of panic creeping up on him.
"Wooing?" Chimney asks.
"Yes you have, Buck," Hen replies patiently.
"When did I start doing that?!"
"I think it was the Ferris wheel," Chimney supplies helpfully.
"No, it was the zoo, when they fed the giraffes," Hen counters. "That was the first one."
"Wait, how come I'm the last person to realise this?!" Buck demands. "You guys knew I was - and you didn't - what?"
"You've done it before," Hen says, very reasonably. "We just figured you were doing it again, only with Eddie."
"Eddie's a man!"
"So we've noticed," Chimney says.
"A beautiful man, though," Hen points out. "He's definitely in my "if I was straight" column."
"You have a column?" Chimney asks.
Hen suddenly looks at Buck. "Oh," she says. "This isn't about Eddie, is it? You didn't actually know that you were trying to date a man. Oh, that's what this is about."
"Buck," Chimney sighs.
"I can't help it, okay! I've been straight for twenty seven years!" Buck is undeniably panicking, because if he was going to have a sexual crisis this late in life why did it have to be about Eddie, of all people?
"First time for everything," Chimney says cheerfully. "Try not to panic, Buck. I don't think you've got anything to worry about."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Buck demands.
Before he can get an answer, Bobby walks in, takes in the sight of them - Hen and Chimney, grinning from ear to ear, and Buck, red-faced, flustered, and half undressed, and says slowly, "What's going on here? Buck? Are you alright?"
"Eddie's a man," Buck says, and flees the room, ignoring the peals of laughter behind him and Cap's stunned face.
He's so flustered he forgets to continue researching activities for all of them to do.
~*~
Buck lays off the grand gestures for a bit, thoroughly and completely freaking out.
He doesn't care much about being into dudes all of a sudden, because it doesn't seem like much to worry about in the grand scheme of things - he still loves and wants to bang women - it's the Eddie factor that's got him all confused.
So he sort of hides and doesn't say or do anything that could make Eddie think that Buck's got any untoward intentions, and if he trips over himself more than once trying to escape being literally no feet away from Eddie, well, that's his business.
~*~
Because he's Buck, and because some cosmic entity hates him and personally fucks with him at least once a month, things do not travel smoothly for him after his Hen-enforced I've Been Wooing Eddie Diaz (and possibly his son) realisation.
They have a call-out to an apartment fire that has decimated at least two floors, and Buck's whole body is pounding with adrenaline before they even get there, wiring him for action. This is what he lives for - the rush, the victory at the end. Lately, they haven't had many wins.
He's sent in to level three, which is maybe the second most on fire part of the complex, and he manages to find three people before he goes back for a fourth.
This is when the shit hits the fan, of course.
"Got another one, Cap!" he says into his radio, and he's just beginning to herd the woman out when the floor crackles ominously beneath him.
"Oh my God," she whimpers.
"Go!" Buck yells, and pushes her to the window. "Towards the window, Eddie will-"
The floor cracks, and she takes off, right before the entire foundation beneath him crumbles and sends him crashing through to the second floor.
Miraculously, he maintains consciousness, but he feels a rib give as he hits a hard wooden coffee table on the floor below and then goes through it. His breathing apparatus has stopped working from the impact, and there's smoke filling his lungs.
Buck's not dumb. He's got a few minutes at most to try and make it out of this fire, has to hope that the stairwell isn't blocked off. He wraps a tea towel from the kitchen around his face to stave off as much of the smoke as he can, drops to the floor, and begins to feel his way out blindly.
He finds the front door, he thinks, lies on his back to kick it open. His lungs are filling with smoke. His head pounds, and it's so hot, and he can hardly see or hear anything.
Hands on his back, rolling him over, pulling him up. He knows enough to cling, feels a strong set of shoulders under his arm and knows instinctively that it's Eddie.
"Sacrificado cabrón," Eddie swears.
"Whatever that means," Buck gasps, "I'm guessing it's not nice."
They're outside, and the air is blessedly cool. Eddie deposits Buck fairly non-ceremoniously onto a backboard, where Hen and Chim are immediately fussing over him, calling out his stats and getting a mask over his face.
His helmet is pulled off, along with his fire resistant jacket. They're checking for burns - temperatures that hot, your own sweat can turn to steam and burn you inside your clothes - and the oxygen flows through the mask, sweet and relieving and cool against his throat and lungs.
"Easy, Buckaroo," Hen says gently. "We got you."
He nods. Eddie's face appears over his. He's soot-darkened and his mouth is pressed into a thin line, and Buck could swear he looks almost pale underneath all the grime.
"Idiota," Eddie mutters.
"Rude," Buck replies, and still considers it worthwhile when he starts to cough.
"How's he looking?" Bobby asks.
Hen turns. "He'll be okay, Cap," she says, smiling with relief. "He inhaled some smoke and he might have a few bruises, but he's alright enough to be talking smack with Eddie. We'll take him to hospital just to be sure, though."
Buck groans. "No," he says. "I'm sick of-"
The looks of the entire crew silence him, and he shrinks back into the backboard meekly. "Okay," he mumbles.
~*~
Buck has one broken rib and several bruised ones, plus all the external bruising he suffered from the fall, but there's no concussion, no lacerations, all his organs are where they're supposed to be, and with pain medication, he feels better, so the hospital deems him disgustingly healthy and decides to send him home.
He's in bed, waiting for a change of clothes, when the door opens, revealing Eddie. Buck is pleased to see him for all of a second, until he notices the thunderous expression on Eddie's face.
"Hi," he says, thinking maybe this will be movie-levels of epic and Eddie will be so relieved to see that he's alright he'll forget to be angry and sweep Buck into his arms and kiss him and maybe take him-
"What the fuck were you thinking?"
When has life ever been movie-levels of stellar for Buck, after all?
"There was still someone in there," Buck argues. "Eddie, I was just doing my job. Nobody told me not to go in there."
Eddie laughs hysterically, which sounds dangerous, and says, "What am I supposed to tell Christopher if you die?"
Buck opens his mouth, then closes it. Shannon's death still haunts Eddie, and Buck has to tread carefully with what he says, he knows that. Telling Eddie he isn't going to die won't make the guy feel any better.
"He needs you," Eddie says, pacing up and down now. "I need you. Stop being so reckless."
"I can't." Buck feels like he's getting scolded for stealing cookies from the jar. "It's my job, Eddie. We knew the risks going in."
"Would you have gone in if you'd known the floor would collapse?" Eddie asks.
Buck looks at him evenly. He loves Eddie, which he's sort of come to accept, and he wants Eddie in his life and wants, more than anything, for the ever-present cloud of his lawsuit to fuck off so that things can go back to normal. This might fracture their relationship again, but Buck can't lie.
"Yes," he says.
The fight seems to go out of Eddie, then - his shoulders slump. He's hardly even showered enough to get the grime off. "Okay," he replies.
He puts a bag at Buck's feet. "I got you your clothes," he says tiredly. "A change. They said you're getting released."
"Yeah," Buck mumbles.
They're silent while Buck changes, his chest throbbing a little and his heart heavy. Things are never going to go back to the way they were - he knows that now. He's going to spend the rest of their relationship on the back foot, trying to make up for everything, trying to make the Diaz boys happy. He finally screwed up too badly to just pay up - he's racked up debt now.
Eddie waits for Buck to get changed before offering a curt, "I'll see you," and taking his leave.
Buck sighs. Good thing he texted Maddie to pick him up.
~*~
The great thing about hospitals is the hospital-grade painkillers he gets given.
The not-so-great thing about hospitals is getting released with about four hundred tiny holes from IV medication in his arms, a sense of exhaustion from not quite sleeping right, and the painkillers wearing off, leaving him in pain and miserable.
His broken rib hurts, and he's still coughing from the irritation to his lungs. His leg throbs, because any fall he takes now jars the rod and pins in it, and on top of all that, he's miserable with the thought that he's fucked things up with Eddie.
It meant a lot, to have the Diaz boys in his life. They were like family to Buck.
He's woken from a nap to a knock on the door and has to ease himself off the couch, wincing as he limps to the front door. It's probably some kind of marketing something but Buck always feels bad for not answering if he's here.
He opens the door without looking, mumbling a short, "Hello, I'm not-"
Eddie looks up at him, smiling a little. "Hey, Buck."
Buck blinks. "Hi," he says.
Eddie's eyes rake over him, taking in the bruises on Buck's face and arms, of the way he's a little hunched to try and ease some pressure off his ribcage. "You look like shit."
Buck snorts. "That's real nice of you, Eddie. Come here to say that?"
"No," Eddie says, and takes a deep breath. "I brought pizza. And snacks."
Sure enough, there's a grocery bag hanging from his left arm and a pizza box balanced in the other. Buck blinks.
"It's not a grand gesture or anything," Eddie admits quietly. "I don't really have the resources for that. But I haven't seen you in a  while, outside work anyway. Whenever we had a bad shift you'd take us out to make us feel better. I thought it was my turn."
Just like that, Buck feels a whole lot better, like his ten off-duty braincells have exploded into little heart emojis. Eddie Diaz, who he's pretty much in love with, brought him pizza because Buck's hurt.
Without thinking, he steps forward and wraps his arms around Eddie happily. He's taller, but not so much that he can't tuck his face into the crook of Eddie's shoulder and say, "I've really missed you, Eddie."
He swears Eddie is blushing against him, even as hugs Buck back. "Lo siento," he says quietly.
"That's not fair," Buck complains. "I don't understand that."
"I said I'm sorry," Eddie says.
"It's alright," Buck says earnestly, stepping back to let Eddie in and shutting the door.
"It's not," Eddie says. "I haven't been good to you at all. I shouldn't have yelled at you for doing your job. But I was scared and I let it get the better of me. You should hold me accountable for being shitty, Buck."
"But you apologised, so it's fine," Buck replies.
Eddie stares up at him, then smiles. "It really is that easy with you, huh?"
"Yes?" Buck asks sheepishly, and Eddie laughs.
"C'mon. The pizza is getting cold."
~*~
Chris is with abuela, Eddie explains, once they've demolished the pizza and they're moving onto the snacks. He didn't want to overtax Buck if he's in pain.
Buck is in pain, but it's not as bad with Eddie sitting with him on the couch, pressed up against him. "You disappeared," Eddie says.
"I did?" He knows he did, but sometimes a combination of playing dumb and puppy dog eyes gets him out of trouble.
"Yeah. We stopped hanging out. Why's that?"
Eddie sounds like he knows and Buck is nervous as hell. "I, um-"
Eddie's hand lands on his thigh - his upper thigh - and Buck's brain short circuits. "You're a man," he blurts.
Eddie's eyebrows crease. "As far as I'm aware, yeah."
"You're a man and I used to do this stuff with Abby, I'd take her out to amazing places and then Hen and Chim pointed out that I'm taking you places and how that worked out for me last time-"
"Buck," Eddie says, squeezing his thigh, "slow down."
Buck takes a deep breath. "I was trying to woo you only I didn't realise," he mumbles nervously, "and I'm really sorry because I didn't realise that's what I was doing but I totally was and Hen and Chim pointed it out to me and I got nervous and I didn't want to mess things up so I stopped asking you to go places so that I wouldn't have to try and-"
"Remember what I said about slow?" Eddie teases. "You didn't mess anything up, Buck."
That doesn't sound right. He feels confused.
Eddie laughs a little. "Dios, Buck. I've liked you since the moment we worked on getting that live grenade out of the guy when I started at the 118."
Buck blinks. That also doesn't sound right.
Eddie turns to face him on the couch. "I know Abby left you," he explains, quietly, and Buck finds himself suddenly blinking back tears. "I know that even after everything she left you and it broke your heart. But I'm not Abby, Buck. I'm a sure thing."
Buck's heart does this funny thing where it thumps twice, and then Eddie is taking his face in his hands and kissing him softly, and Buck kisses back, because he's wanted this for so long he doesn't remember starting. It feels like a dream.
"I might not be," he explains, brokenly, when they separate. His voice sounds small.
Eddie frowns. "What do you mean?"
"I want this, Eds," Buck admits. "But what if I let you down? What if - what if I let Chris down?" His voice wobbles. "I already have. Doesn't matter where I go, someone seems to get hurt. I couldn't protect Maddie from Doug, and I couldn't protect Chris in the tsunami - then the lawsuit, and..."
"You saved Chris," Eddie says quietly. "You found Maddie. The lawsuit sucked, yeah. But you did it to get back to us, and I was a real asshole about that too, Buck. I'm willing to try if you are."
He remembers, then, speaking to an elderly man about his husband and their life together - "I hope someday I find something like that," he'd said, and the old man had replied, "You don't find it, son. You build it" and here it is. This is his chance to build something.
"Okay," he says, and Eddie's face lights up like Chris's does when Buck makes pancakes or tucks him in or surprises him. The Diaz boys will almost definitely be the end of him, and he's okay with that.
"We can't tell Chim and Hen," Buck mumbles as Eddie pulls him into another kiss. "They'll gloat for months."
Eddie smiles against his mouth, pushes Buck lightly to crawl between his legs and lie on top of him, a thrilling, heavy, muscular weight that Buck isn't familiar with just yet. "Worth it," he mumbles, his hands on Buck's face tipping his head up. "So worth it."
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