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Eddie didn’t mind driving Buck places. Sure he preferred to be in the passenger seat, window down and Buck in the driving seat with his sturdy hands wrapped around the wheel, looking at the road mostly but occasionally glancing at Eddie when they were talking or in the comfortable silences.
So, yes, Eddie was a bit of a passenger princess. Sue him. Buck liked driving anyway. He said it calmed him down, made him focus in a way he only managed to when he got super into something. (Side note: Eddie should really drag Buck to an ADHD assessment one of these days.)
It was Eddie’s turn to do the driving this time though as he was driving Buck to get his wisdom teeth removed.
Wisdom teeth, in Eddie’s opinion, were stupid and could go die in a hole. Around five million Americans got their wisdom teeth removed every year according to Buck. What was even the point of them if they had to get taken out so frequently? Plus, they’d been causing Buck so much pain the past few weeks that Eddie kind of wanted to fight them.
Finally, Buck’s appointment was coming round. He was going to ask Bobby to drive him there and back but Eddie had insisted on doing it himself. Buck had done so much for him and his son. This was the least he could do for Buck.
Speaking of Christopher, the boy was far too excited about the whole thing.
“It’ll be like one of those YouTube videos,” he said ecstatically as he shovelled cereal into his mouth.
“What YouTube videos?” Buck asked. He was looking adorably messed up with his hair a tangled mop and a pink cardigan pulled over his shoulders.
“When you start coming back from the anesthetic, you go loopy,” Chris said gleefully. “People say all sorts of things.”
Eddie glared at his son, resting a hand on Buck’s shoulder.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he reassured him. “Besides, it’s only me.”
“Y-Yeah,” Buck said and, uh oh, that was his nervous voice. “Just you.”
Buck had a variety of voices. He had his signature happy voice, his excited voice, his sad voice, his angry voice (not to be confused with his frustrated voice) and his nervous voice. This was his nervous voice.
Eddie raised an eyebrow at Christopher and gestured towards Buck. Chris, the wonderful kid he was, picked up the hint.
“Don’t worry, Buck,” he said. “You’ll be okay. Only a very small percentage of people have complications. Although, only a very small percentage of people get struck by lightning…”
Eddie glared harder and Christopher shut his mouth with a click.
“It’s not that,” Buck said. “Just a bit worried about what I might say.”
“You don’t have any secrets, do you?” Eddie asked, suddenly worried.
Buck shook his head a little too quickly. Eddie hummed. They didn’t have time to unpack that. Chris had to get to school.
“Come on,” Eddie said, grabbing Christopher’s bag. “Time to go.”
Buck was coming with as Eddie was driving him straight to the hospital. While the risks were small, it had been recommended that Buck have them taken out there instead of at the dentist’s because of his history of blood clots.
Chris climbed into the back and Eddie took the unfamiliar position of the driver’s seat.
“It’s weird not having Buck driving,” Christopher remarked. “He’s better at it.”
“Hey!” Eddie said. “I’m a great driver, thank you, Christopher.”
Chris rolled his eyes. Eddie wasn’t used to having a teenager for a kid. They rolled their eyes a lot, he’d found.
As they pulled up to the school and Christopher got out, Buck rolled down the window.
“We love you, Chris!” he yelled obnoxiously loudly.
Chris rolled his eyes so hard Eddie thought they were going to roll out of his skull, drop to the ground and start rolling away.
Eddie grinned. “Have a good day at school!”
Buck rolled the window back up as they pulled out of the car park, Eddie still grinning from ear to ear.
“He’s going to hate you for that,” Eddie said, chuckling.
Buck laughed. “I’m just defending your honour as a driver.”
Eddie patted Buck’s thigh. “And the world thanks you for it.”
He thought he caught Buck’s eyes lingering on Eddie’s hand for a moment too long but brushed it off. He was probably just tired.
The hospital was busy, packed with people groaning and moaning about their pain and their waiting times and their doctors. Eddie couldn’t blame them.
He noticed Buck’s leg bouncing up and down and rested a gentle hand on it. Buck smiled at him. Eddie smiled back. For a moment, it was just them and Eddie could feel Buck’s breath so close to his face and his shoulder brushing against Eddie’s and–
“Evan Buckley!” the nurse called out. Buck stood up.
“Guess that’s me,” he said, pulling at the sleeves of his cardigan.
“I’ll see you when you’re done,” Eddie promised and watched as Buck left down the corridor.
The wait was long and boring. Eddie had brought a book but the book was long and boring too. Eventually, a nurse came out with Buck in tow. Buck had two enormous gauze bandages in his mouth and he was swaying even more than usual as he walked, looking dazed.
“And he’s so smart,” Buck was saying to the nurse, chatting animatedly. “And kind and–”
“Eddie Diaz?” the nurse called.
“Eddie’s here?” Buck asked, lighting up.
Eddie stood and went over to take Buck away from the nurse who smiled at him only a little wearily.
“Eddie!” Buck exclaimed, pulling Eddie in for a tight hug. It wasn’t like their usual hugs. It was more like the one when Eddie left for El Paso, long and tight with Buck’s head almost in the crook of Eddie’s neck.
Eddie was the one to clap Buck’s back and pull away. He thanked the nurse and led Buck down to the car.
“Where are we going?” Buck asked loudly as he was piled into the car. Eddie smiled apologetically at all the passers by.
“Home,” Eddie said.
Buck beamed. “I’m so glad I live with you. You’re so great. You know who else is great? Christopher. When can we see Chris? I wanna see Chris!”
“Christopher is in school right now,” Eddie said.
Buck pulled a face, folding his arms and huffing. “Well pull him out!”
Eddie laughed. “I can’t pull my son out of school just so he can hang out with you.”
“Why not?” Buck whined. “He’s my best friend, Eddie.”
“I thought I was your best friend,” Eddie said, pretending to pout.
“Oh my God, Eddie,” Buck said, tears springing into his eyes. “Oh my God, don’t cry! I’m so sorry! You’re my bestest friend ever. I pinky promise!”
Eddie wanted to burst out laughing.
“It’s okay, Buck,” he said. “You can have two best friends.”
“I can?” Buck gasped. “I’ve never had a best friend before, let alone two. Actually, Maddie’s my best friend too. And Jee-Yun. And Chim. And Hen. That’s a lot of best friends.”
“That’s because you have a lot of friends, Buck,” Eddie informed him.
Buck did start crying at that, so violently that Eddie was half in a mind to pull over to the side of the road and possibly start driving back to the hospital.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I have friends.” Buck sniffed. “I never… I nebber… I neverder…”
Eddie couldn’t stop smiling.
They pulled up to the house and Eddie helped Buck get out of the car and get inside onto the couch.
“This is a nice couch,” Buck said, patting it. “Comfy couch. Good couch.”
“You didn’t have a couch at your old place,” Eddie told him.
“Maybe I was just looking for the right couch,” Buck said. “This is definitely the right couch.”
“If you say so.”
“No, Eddie!” Buck stood, grabbing Eddie’s face and sandwiching it between his hands. “I love this couch.”
Eddie laughed. “Okay, buddy, you love the couch.”
“No, you don’t understand. I am in love with this couch.”
“What?” Eddie blurted out. He was too stunned to think of anything to follow his question for a good few moments. “You do know the couch is an inanimate object?”
“Ugh, you’re so stupid.” Buck sighed, sitting back down again.
“Okay, bud,” Eddie said.
He managed to keep Buck entertained for most of the day with movies and ice cream.
When Christopher came home, it was impossible to separate them.
“Christopher!” Buck cried as soon as Chris came through the front door. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Christopher grinned. “Hey, Bucky.”
Buck sniffed, eyes wet. “I love it when you call me that. You never call me that anymore.”
“I’m sorry, Bucky,” Chris said. “I’ll call you that more often. You’re my Buck. You know that.”
Buck started full on wailing. Eddie sat down next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay,” he said to Christopher, who looked a little shocked. “He’s been crying all day.”
“I have not,” Buck said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “I just… I love you so much. And I love this couch so much!”
“What?” Chris said.
Eddie shook his head. “Don’t ask.”
“We love you too, Buck,” Chris said, sitting on the other side of Buck.
“You and the couch?”
“Sure, me and the couch. And Dad.” “No!” Buck said. “You don’t get it either! It’s a methmagore.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow. “A meth what?”
“A mettamogone.”
“A metaphor?” Eddie guessed.
“Yes!” Buck snapped his fingers. “Exactly! See, I knew you get me.”
“Yeah,” Eddie said fondly. “I get you, Buck.”
Their eyes meet, Eddie’s hand still on Buck’s shoulder, thumb rubbing in comforting circles. Eddie could drown in Buck’s blue, blue eyes.
“What’s the metaphor?” Christopher asked, interrupting their moment.
“The couch,” Buck whispered dramatically, “is your dad.”
Christopher blinked.
Eddie felt his stomach swoop.
Buck sat there grinning.
For a moment, Eddie reevaluated everything Buck had ever done or said and everything he and Buck had ever been. Had they ever been anything other than this: best friends, roommates, lovers in all but name and sex?
“Buck,” he began and then shook his head. Now was not the time. When Buck wasn’t high, maybe.
“Why don’t we watch another movie?” he finished.
The next morning, Buck woke up early in his bed. Eddie knew this because he was halfway through making Buck breakfast in bed when the guy showed up in the kitchen, sleepy and rubbing his eyes.
“Morning,” he grumbled, taking the cup of coffee on the side.
“I was just making you breakfast in bed,” Eddie complained.
“Wow,” Buck said, suddenly looking more awake, “what’s the special occasion?”
“You said some things yesterday,” Eddie said casually and he watched as the colour drained from Buck’s face.
“Oh, really?” Buck asked, trying and failing to match the casual vibe.
“You told me you were in love with my couch,” Eddie said.
Buck pulled a face.
“That’s what I thought too,” Eddie said, “but then you told me it was a metaphor. And that it was a metaphor for me.”
Buck’s eyes widened. “Look, Eddie–”
In two strides, Eddie had his hands on Buck’s face and was kissing him. Buck pushed him away for a moment, eyes searching Eddie’s face, then pulled him back in and kissed the life out of him.
“Gross!” Christopher’s voice came from behind them.
“Chris,” Eddie said. “We were just… Um…”
“Making out in my kitchen?” Christopher said. “Haven’t you embarrassed me enough these past two days?”
“Hey, it’s our job to embarrass you,” Eddie said, his arm wrapping around Buck’s waist and pulling him closer. “We’re your dads.”
Christopher rolled his eyes. “Yeah, my dads. Bucky and Couch.”