Eddie doesn't even bother waiting for the ambulance to come to a complete halt before he's jumping out of the cab, leaving the keys in the ignition and the engine rumbling. He barely hears the click of the handbrake over the blood rushing in his ears, but he couldn't give less of a fuck about a runaway ambulance when the doors open.
As Chim rolls the gurney out, Hen, shaky and ragged, shouts,
"Switch!"
Eddie doesn't think. He doesn't make a conscious decision. His body just knows what to do.
Its instinct to interlock his fingers and push all of his body weight into Buck's chest. Its instinct to climb onto the rail of the gurney, so Chim and Hen can push him along as he keeps up chest compressions. Its instinct to ignore the tears burning at the corners of his eyes and whisper broken pleas to Buck's broken heart.
Its an instinct as natural as Eddie's desire to protect Christopher from every miniscule bit of pain the world throws at him. Its an instinct as natural as Eddie's urge to throw himself up an electrified ladder for Buck. Its an instinct as natural as breathing.
So, Eddie pushes.
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
Thinks about a stupid pink and yellow heart with a smiley face and it imagines it under his hands as the first rib breaks.
"Come on, Buck," he hisses. "Don't you dare do this to me."
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
Buck kept the blood sealed in Eddie's body when a bullet tore through his shoulder, the least he can do to return the favour is keep Buck's heart beating.
He'd do it for the rest of his life if he had to.
If Buck trusted him with it, wanted him to have it, Eddie would hold Buck's heart close for eternity.
Given the choice, Eddie would carry that heart with him forever.
Its another instinct that hits him then. One he can't satisfy, but the urge is there all the same.
The urge to rip Buck's heart from his chest and tear open his own ribcage so he can nestle Buck's heart right next to his.
It'd be safe there.
Eddie would make sure of it.
And if it just so happened that Buck's heart refusing to beat stopped Eddie's too, well then, so be it.
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
Another rib breaks.
"I'm sorry," Eddie whispers. "I'm so sorry."
Bobby rattles his stats off to the doctor's swarming around them, but Eddie doesn't hear it anymore than the faint ringing that's been echoing around his head since the lightning threw him to the asphalt.
Its always asphalt, he thinks bitterly. When one of us is hurt and the other can't reach them, its always asphalt sticking to our goddamn skin.
A hand lands on his shoulder, but he shrugs them off.
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
"Sir," the clinical tone raises his hackles, but he doesn't stop pushing. "Sir, let us take over, please."
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
"Please, Buck."
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
Another rib breaks, and Eddie imagines the bone spearing Buck's still heart.
The bile that rises in his throat tastes a lot like bloody words left unsaid.
"Sir!"
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
"Eddie." Its Chimney's voice.
"Eddie, let them take over." Hen.
"Eddie," Bobby calls out. Its the broken voice of his captain that makes his rhythm falter for the first time.
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
"Eddie, stop. That's an order."
A thousand ugly words spill onto his tongue, a thousand scathing comments about dead sons and giving up, but Eddie bites them back and instead:
He pushes and pushes and pushes.
"Buck, please."
He freezes, hands on Buck's chest. He thought...
A thump.
An unsteady, weak thump.
But a thump all the same.
Eddie lets his crew peel him from Buck's limp body, lets the doctors roll him away. He steps forward, goes to follow them, but...
The world begins to turn black as the doors swing shut.
The last thing Eddie hears is Buck's voice echoing in his head,
We don't go past the glass doors.
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maddy and her mommy issues
maddy (mc): and this b- mmm... you know what she said to me?
mandie (mv): what this time?
mc: she said "are you done being petty and ready to come back yet?!!' like WHAT?
mv: back? like to georgia? in the middle of the semester?
mc: that's what i'm saying! and first of all it's not petty if you're a massive cunt for 20 years.
mv: literally. it was too late a long damn time ago but she wants to play mommy now? the fuck is wrong with her?
mc: a whole fuckin lot apparently. i do miss grandma though.
mv: yeah but is it worth it to go back and deal with your mom again?
mc: *sighs* no, not even remotely. it just sucks i guess because like.. at the end of the day she is my mom, you know?
mv: i get it. that's how i feel about adam. but they have to WANT to change before you even consider fixing what they broke
mc: … ugh i hate it when you're right
mv: ahh you love me
mc: yeah i do
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LIPxLIP and the Filming of the New Year’s Special Programme: Chapter 4
hakama h e l p
previous part (chapter 3)
next part (chapter 5)
The Day of the Programme—
Host: Now, let’s begin the New Year’s Variety Programme! May the participants please say a few words each…
Host: And here are our star attractions of the day… The popular heartthrobs from the idol unit of LIPxLIP!
Aizo: It’s nice to meet you!
Yujiro: I’ll do my best to achieve victory!
Host: Hey, Aizo and Yujiro. You guys are always seen together, but this time, you’re facing off against each other in a solo competition.
Host: How are you taking this?
Aizo: Ahh— I’m feeling nothing but the jitters, y’know?
Aizo: (Just kidding. I’m actually super chill with it, though.)
Chancing a glance at Yujiro, Aizo noted that, unlike their encounter on their day off, Yujiro had a friendly smile spread across his face.
Yujiro: I’m feeling rather uneasy too.
Yujiro: I’m so used to having Aizo by my side, so not having him here is a little…
Cheers and murmurs arose from the audience seats, as well as from the tiered gallery where all the performers were situated.
Yujiro: I think Aizo’s better suited for this kind of stuff, especially when it comes to variety programmes.
Yujiro: But I’m going to do what I can… to the best of my ability.
Aizo: Aww, if only I could support you by your side~! But we just so happen to be enemies this time~!
Aizo: (I’ll have to do my very best to stick around till the final round! If I don’t, this competition would’ve been for nothing!)
Host: Yup, yup, that’s sweet! I can see the love between you guys! Be sure to give it your all against each other!
Host: Now then, next up is—
Following that, the livestream continued to progress smoothly. However, the first event was, against Aizo’s expectations, the high jump—
Aizo: (Just as I’d expected, there’s a sports-related event, but…)
Aizo: Dammit! It’s hard to move in this hakama!
Host: Oooops! Aizo has knocked the bar over!
Aizo: No, it was the hakama! The hakama hit the bar, not me! I’m still in!
Host: Whether it was the hakama or not doesn’t matter! That was an out! You’ll get to jump another time, so good luck!
Aizo: Dammit! What’s with the strictness?!
Despite joking around with a smile, a mild feeling of irritation burned away at the bottom of Aizo’s heart.
Aizo: (Despite the state of his physical strength, Yujiro’s movements were weirdly nimble… If I lose here, he’s gonna laugh at me for the rest of our lives.)
Aizo: I can roll up my hakama and take a running start, right?! It’s fine, right?! I’m rolling it up, okay?!
Yujiro: Hey, don’t do that. How shameless…
Host: Ooh, how bold of you, Aizo!
Host: Will he be able to jump over it this time? He’s jumping… and he made it~!
Aizo: Awwright! I’m still in the game!
On Yujiro’s end, the results of the New Year’s-themed events were, sure enough—
Yujiro: (It feels as though these events were made just for me. I’m truly grateful, really.)
Having been familiar with the features of the cultural events like calligraphy, flower arrangement, komamawashi, and hanetsuki from his childhood days, Yujiro had fared very well in them.
Yujiro: (Aizo, on the other hand…)
Aizo: Hooold it right there!
Aizo: Why isn’t this hanetsuki thing anything like badminton?!
Aizo: The shuttlecock isn’t going where I want it to! It’s so hard!
Host: You’re fighting a tough battle, aren’t you~?
Yujiro: That’s just how it is. If you lose, I’m going to draw circles and crosses on your face.
Host: Oh my, he has already prepared his brush for the painting! Hey Aizo! Your partner’s waiting for you to lose!
Aizo: Why?! Cheer for me instead!
Host: Now then, whether tears were shed or laughter was had, we’re at the final event! The only people remaining after the many death matches are—
Host: Aizo and Yujiro! The pair that make up LIPxLIP!
Yujiro & Aizo: …
Host: By a strange coincidence, the two of them will have to face off against each other in this event… namely, a “Scavenger Hunt”!
Yujiro: (I definitely… won’t lose to him…!)
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