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"I tried to divert the spotlight away from a person so dear to me once. Distancing myself from her, thought it was the best for her, but that only anguished me more than ever." Says a man with a crisp British accent dressed fancily in a three-piece suit that Eddie is sure cost more than his annual salary.
"Huh?" Eddie tilts his head in confusion, following the man's gaze towards the detective being checked out by Hen with Buck assisting her. Chimney and Bobby had went off with the first patient, a home bulgary/attempted kidnapping victim, leaving them to tend on the other residents and police squad who need medical attention. And unfortunately the detective got herself grazed with a knife.
Suddenly remembering that the man standing beside him is with the police, Eddie just smiles and nods to whatever monologue the man just spewed to him. Being a first responder himself, Eddie understands well enough how hard it is to keep a stable and steady relationship, one of the many reasons he broke it off with Ana last night after two months of dating.
"I'm sorry for your...loss." Eddie finally offers after seeing that the man won't budge anytime soon.
"Yes. Yes. Such a tragic loss at that time. It had dawned on me that ultimately, I couldn't control the world around her." The man diverts his focus back on Eddie, and something in his eyes make Eddie squirms in his shoes. He felt...pierced.
"I'm sorry, I really don't follow..." Eddie is just trying to finish packing up the equipment, and making small talks on...whatever is eating this man's heart is really not his forte.
"I almost lost her. And when it was too late, I finally realized, I've made a horrible, horrible mistake." The man sighs deeply, his face pinched in anguish as if the prospect of losing this 'lady' physically pains him. And seeing the longing gaze the man gives towards the lady detective, Eddie is starting to put two and two together.
"Oh, I see." Eddie offers eloquently, because he really doesn't know where this conversation is heading.
"And you might be making the same mistake too, if you keep going with this pace and direction."
What?
The man looks back to him in all seriousness.
And Eddie felt, judged.
"What are you..." Eddie completely lost the conversation track with the man, not like he was having a two way one in the first place.
"I wouldn't wish for anybody to ever feeling that way, and believe me, I've seen extensive methods for torture. Yet, a broken heart is the most painful of all." Sincerity pours from man's brown orbs.
"I'm sorry, Mister umm..." Eddie completely lost him, but this conversation definitely is heading towards a weird turn, some place Eddie honest to God, doesn't want to venture out to. He hasn't told anybody yet about his breakup with Ana, but honestly, he doesn't really felt all broken-hearted when things ended between him and her. Like...at all. Should he be?
"Lucifer. Lucifer Morningstar at your service, Firefighter Diaz." The man beams brightly, baring his canines like a Cheshire cat.
"Right..." Eddie drags the word as long as humanely acceptable. Eddie might not be religious, but naming your son after The Devil is like on another level of rebellion, he guess.
"I almost lost her too many times. To other man, to the universe, to Dad, to the bad guys. Thought giving her up is what best for her, to protect her from the reality. I only wish for her happiness. But the pain, it was worse than getting your wings clipped." The man, Lucifer gaze soften right after the lady detective makes eyes contact with him, her eyes twinkles in the afternoon light, and just as soon, Buck follows her line of sight, catching Eddie in the way and they share their silent smiles, Buck's eyes glinting with hidden excitement. Something that Eddie had missed these past few weeks.
"Seems like she's your everything." Eddie comments without losing the sight of Buck, the blonde's eyes crinkles at something Hen says that makes the detective chuckles.
"Yes. Indeed she is, both my weakness and my strength. And I see you have one for yourself too, if you're not too afraid to admit, hmm?" Lucifer drawls the last bit, insinuating something Eddie is trying so hard to keep at bay.
"Look Mr. Morningstar, did you hurt your head in any way during the struggle?" Eddie tries to change the subject, because hell no he is talking about his feelings with a complete stranger.
"What? No. Oh, for Dad's sake, I can't believe I need to do this on you." The man mumbles before his eyes harden on Eddie as he leans forward and says, "so Eddie, what is it that your heart desire the most?" Something in Lucifer's eyes grip the stem of Eddie's stream of consciousness.
Not able to turn his gaze away, Eddie suddenly felt this compelling urge to spit every truth, to bare every crevices of his bruised heart, and to scream his every fear of losing Buck, remembering every moments they almost did. And the few times that he actually did in the most literal sense. Buck had coded twice after the bombing, and once during the pulmonary embolism fiasco.
And Eddie did lose him to the distance both of them had drawn up themselves after Eddie started dating Ana, and Buck casually hangs out with Taylor.
The feeling of loss. It's unbearable.
"Buck." Eddie gulps, feeling the cold sweat of not understanding why the name slips involuntary from his mouth, but it seems like he is far from done because then he continues. "I want Buck to be a family unit with Christopher and me. I want Buck to be my partner, in every meaning of the word. I want him to love me like I love him, but I want to love him harder than what he could give to me, because he deserves all the love in the world."
"Eddie?"
And just like that, the spell breaks, and Eddie finds himself looking at Buck who is gaping at him all wide-eyed.
"Buck." Eddie breathes.
"And I'm Lucifer. So nice finally meeting all of you, Buck, Hen. Thank you for treating the Detective. Goodbye." And with that the couple hastily off on their merry way, leaving Eddie and Buck in a staring contest, with Hen looking at both of them with a smirk on her face.
"I really don't know what's going on here," She points out at Eddie, before continuing, "but you guys need to figure it out. I'm going to sit in the truck in the meantime." Her point finger moving between the two men. "Update me soon!" She yells from afar.
With Hen leaving for the truck, Eddie swallows hard trying to soothe his dried throat, attempting to look for a word that could magically resolve the situation. Because he did not just do that. It was like an invisible power clenching its vice grip on his heart compelling and squeezing the truth out of him.
And Buck had heard them.
How much of it, Eddie isn't sure, but if the truth finally came out, he might as well comes clean. There's no going back from this.
"I meant what I said. Each and every words." Eddie starts, glancing at the blonde in front of him, who is still frozen in place as if the news shocked him to the core.
"You do?" Buck croaks after minutes of silence, something akin to hope flashes in the baby blues, yet his body still stiff and rigid from what Eddie reads as self-preserving mechanism. Fight or flight.
"Yeah. I know I shouldn't confessed them first to some random guy, but it's like...Devil got my tongue." Eddie smiles sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck to drive away the nervousness and the disbelief that he really had did that. Because hell damn, the man, Lucifer, really is persuasive. No wonder he's with the LAPD. Wonder why Athena never mentioned of him. Maybe because of his ability to get underneath your skin, and Eddie personally believes that is someone Athena would vehemently avoid. That is definitely something that he would brought up at their next gathering.
Buck chuckles at Eddie's confession, before a sudden realisation hits him hard and the smile fell completely off his face.
"But Ana..."
"We broke up. Last night. She's not the person I want to be with." Eddie immediately supplies as he strides towards the younger man, grabbing both of Buck's hand into his.
"She's not you."
Buck swallows hard. "Yeah?"
"Definitely." Eddie rubs the calloused pair of knuckles in his palms. The difference as compared to Ana's delicate and soft skin is staggering, but he'll take calloused and battered anyday if that means he'll finally be happy with the one he loves.
"I don't know what to say." Buck whispers, disbelief still dancing in the blue pools. This is not how he imagined his afternoon will be. Definitely not witnessing the man he deeply in love with, who is infamous for clamming up everytime feeling is brought up, confessing his heart out loud, what's more to a complete stranger.
"Just be with me." Eddie whispers back. Because words mean nothing to him right now, because his heart is screaming to be joined together with Buck's, something beyond words can describe.
"You have me. You have all of me." Buck promises, his shoulders slowly loosen up.
Eddie looks up, searching for the meaning hiding behind the baby blues, but all he sees is plain truth.
And Eddie can't stop the smile that breaks on his face, because he finally has this. He finally has Buck.
Suddenly the firetruck's horn blare loudly, effectively interrupting the moment and blowing up the bubble they share.
"I think Hen wants the update now." Buck says meekly, shy smile never fell from his lips.
Eddie cheekily clicks on his radio. "Buck and I are in love." He announces, earning a loud 'hell yeah' from the cabin and few wolf whistle from the crews.
"I have some HR forms with your names on my desk." Bobby suddenly chips in the radio out of nowhere. They must have done with the handing over.
And both of their worlds finally collide and merge together that afternoon, just like the universe intended them to do.
///
"Brother, you really don't have to do my job, you know. I've got this." The Cupid mutters as he sharpen his arrow.
"I know, dear brother. I know." The Devil smirks. "But these two got the universe screaming at them and yet, they didn't listen. Oh, the density, it's outstanding." Lucifer shakes his head in disbelief.
What can you say, the Devil is just a hopeless romantic.