Work Text:
While they had some down time, chatter around the table turned to what they were doing for Halloween at the 118 this year. "All right, so given the actual dead mummified guy Buck brought as a decoration, the higher ups have decided to gear our Halloween to a more family friendly, educational route. Like, instead of scaring these children, inspire them,” Bobby introduced the parameters of what the idea needed to be before any true discussion got started.
“Aw, come on guys, we can’t discuss that with Buck not here,” Eddie said, trying to stop the conversation. Halloween and Christmas were Buck’s favorite holidays and it didn’t feel right that he wasn’t here for the discussion.
“It’s not our fault that he isn’t here,” Chimney said, tilting his head towards Eddie’s direction.
“Yeah, we didn’t poison him….” Hen added.
“I did not poison him….I just didn’t cook the chicken as well as I thought….Hey, I was trying to be romantic,” Eddie defended himself. It was the first time he had cooked dinner for Buck since they had gotten together and he wanted to try to dazzle him with his new cooking skills he picked up while living on his own in El Paso. And he had found this recipe while scrolling through TikTok. Thank God Chris had been at Tia Pepa’s for the night or he’d be having to stay and take care of both of them.
“There’s a reason why Buck and I are about the only ones allowed to cook in this kitchen,” Bobby chimed in, from his post up behind the kitchen counter, giving it a rub down with a rag, cleaning up some phantom spot that only Cap could see some days.
As the rest of the 118 laughed at his expense, Eddie had a light bulb moment. “Hey, why don’t we make Buck our theme this year?”
“Come again?” Chimney asked, looking at Eddie like he’d just spoken a foreign language.
“No, what I’m saying is like, Buck’s had so many jobs before he came to the 118–let’s have a little bit of fun–we’ll put all his occupations in a helmet, draw them out and then, without telling him, come in dressed as Bucks of the past.”
The rest of the 118 shared looks with each other before all coming to an agreement. Bobby appeared at Eddie’s side with a pen and paper.
“Why do I got to write them down?”
“Who knows Buck better?” Bobby put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He had been the first person that Buck and he told when they decided to make their relationship official. Naturally, Chim knew because Buck told Maddie the morning after they had ‘the talk’ and as Eddie overheard the conversation, he knew that on Maddie’s end of the phone conversation, Chimney was eagerly listening as well. The next morning they all worked a shift together, Eddie and Buck had walked in to Hen collecting money from everyone–apparently winning whatever bet they had made on them.
Eddie folded the paper up and tore them into strips and started writing:
Bartender
Cowboy
Construction Worker
…..
Eddie’s mind went blank after that….in all the time he’s known Buck, he’s known that he’s had an array of interests that lead him to his careers….and then just as a joke to himself, he wrote on another sheet of paper:
Fire Marshall.
He didn’t like to say it out loud, but he loved Clipboard Buck, especially when he liked to take charge. In the bedroom, it had him going from six to midnight in a matter of seconds. Eddie shifted in his seat just thinking about it and secretly hoped that he would draw that one so that he and Buck could have a fun time after their shift. As he continued to chub up, he had to clear his throat and shake his head. Focus, Diaz….come on.
Conversation continued around him and he tapped his pen as he tried to wrack his brain for an idea of what else Buck did before he became a firefighter and couldn’t think of any more. But he didn’t want to leave anyone out. So, he jotted down some of the interesting stories Buck had told him—after he found the box of postcards that Maddie had kept one night when they were babysitting Jee.
Surfer
He pushed the pile of papers towards the seat next to him that Bobby had occupied after he brought the paper. “To keep it fair, Cap. You should fold ‘em up and put them in the helmet.”
“Alright. Chim, go get me a helmet.”
“Wha-Why me?” In his usual joking manner, Chimney complained and got up and went anyway.
“What are we gonna tell Buck the ‘theme’ is going to be if we’re all dressing up as him?”
“Hmm,” Eddie said. He hadn’t thought that far ahead when he came up with this idea. Buck did like to go all-in when it came to his Halloween costume. What he would like Buck to dress up as for Halloween and what was appropriate for the firehouse were two different subjects, so Eddie had to focus on the appropriate options. “Old Hollywood? Give him an excuse to get dressed up?”
“We asked for options for Halloween costumes, not role playing ideas for you two later on….” He heard Chimney reply from the stairwell.
Fair, Eddie thought…thinking back to that night they dressed up to go play poker back when Buck had his super math skills after being struck by lightning.
“Chim, we don’t need that image in our minds,” Ravi groaned from the opposite end of the table Eddie was at.
“This is tame compared to what I gotta listen to being Brother-in-law, okay? To hear him and Maddie,” and then Chim made a gag noise as he put the helmet on the table.
“All right, enough personal talk,” Bobby said, dumping the folded pieces into the upturned helmet. “Rules: No trading. No discussion. No putting back for a better one. And the most important rule? Do not tell Buck.” And Bobby’s eyes zeroed in on Chimney…and everyone around the table followed suit.
“Then you shouldn’t have told me!”
“Okay, you can tell Maddie but you make her swear not to tell Buck. And just avoid being alone with Buck for the next two weeks,” Eddie conceded in his glare at Chimney.
Bobby took the first slip of paper out of the helmet, chuckled at himself and then walked over to Ravi. Eddie watched as Ravi breathed a sigh of relief at what was written on his piece of paper. Hen was next and her reaction was neutral, which was to be expected from her.
Chimney was last, well next to last if Eddie counted himself. He laughed and went “Nooooo!” as he did.
“Last but not least,” Bobby put the helmet in front of him. Eddie reached in and grabbed the last slip of paper in the helmet. He opened it and felt his own face contort in confusion. Blank. His piece of paper was blank. He looked around at everyone else and nobody was really paying him attention, still offering up ideas for what the lie was going to be to Buck. Eddie was still trying to figure out how he got a blank piece of paper—there were five of them, six including Buck. Did he get the count wrong? Why would Bobby put a blank piece of paper in the helmet? Eddie offered to take the helmet back down to where their gear was just to make sure there were no other pieces of paper and there weren’t.
He put the helmet up and pulled his phone out of his pocket. There was a text from Tia Pepa that she brought Buck her special sopa and some other things while he was at home sick. Christopher was in school so he didn’t have to worry about an update from him. But his heart did ache knowing he was the reason Buck was at home, feeling miserable and that ache was enough for him to be hitting the FaceTime option on his phone as he sat on the bench in the locker room.
After two rings, his screen shifted to show Buck laying in their bed, one side of his face pushed up against a pillow, his curls a mess against his forehead. “Mi amor, you look terrible.”
“Feel terrible,” Buck mumbled, his bottom lip sticking out as he pouted.
Eddie wanted nothing more than to wipe that pout of Buck’s face and make him feel better–-but Buck had insisted Eddie go in today. “Ah, amor, I’m sorry. It’s my fault you feel bad.” Eddie rubbed at his chest where the ache was that he was the cause of Buck’s current suffering. “Uh, Pepa said she brought you some sopa and some Gatorade. Did you see her or did she just let herself in?”
“What do you think?” Buck queried and that told Eddie all he needed to know. Of course, Tia Pepa let herself in. She looked and treated Buck like he was family since they were first introduced all those years ago. When she found out they were together, she hugged Buck and told him to make sure he took care of Eddie. “She made sure I sat up and drank at least a glass of water while she was here. And then left me a Gatorade on the bed side table and a bowl of sopa in the microwave when I felt like eating today. Which just the thought had me in the bathroom after she left.”
Eddie watched as Buck closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, no doubt trying to fight nausea at the mention of food. “I’m never cooking again…”
“Hey, no….” Buck shifted around in the bed and soon, Eddie saw him propped up on some pillows. “That’s not what I want, Eds. I love when you cook for me.”
“But I did this….”
“It’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me. It’s a little food poisoning. I’ll survive,” Buck assured him, offering his best smile…and Eddie couldn’t help but smile in return. “How’s everyone at the firehouse? Did y’all decide on the costumes yet?”
“Not yet….it was going on when I dipped out a little bit to check on you. Once I have an answer, I can guarantee you will be the first to hear, okay?” And as if, by divine intervention, the alarms sounded and his ruse of not telling Buck what the true plan for the 118’s Halloween costumes were thwarted by a call. “Of course,” he complained, for his boyfriend’s benefit but said a silent prayer of ‘Thanks’ to the man upstairs for the distraction, “Get some rest, okay?”
“Of course. Stay safe,” Buck said, his face going solemn, cause he of all people know how the simplest call could go wrong.
“I’ll try. Love you, mi amor,” Eddie said, as he always did when he ended any conversation with Buck.
“Love you too, Eds.” and Buck ended their FaceTime with blowing him a kiss.
As Eddie rode in his usual spot on the truck, he thought about what he was going to do for his costume, since his paper was blank and he was following Cap’s rules. He also just kept thinking about Buck and hoping that he’d be feeling much better soon, cause working a shift without him was hard, because they worked so well together that it was as easy as breathing. Not that the other members of the 118 weren’t capable and the best damn firefighters Eddie had ever worked with….But they were no Buck.
20 hours, 4 calls–1 a big structure fire–later and Eddie was home. Chris was still staying at Pepa’s while Buck was recovering. Eddie wanted to make sure Buck rested and if he was taking care of Chris, he wouldn’t be taking care of himself. Much to Buck’s protestation, and convincing from him and Chris, Buck agreed. The porch light at the front door was on and the lights in the living room were off, so Buck must be asleep still. He hurriedly unlocked the door and set his bag in the doorway, toeing off his shoes and making a beeline for their room. The hall light that shown through the doorway illuminated Buck was curled up on Eddie’s side of the bed, hugging Eddie’s pillow close to him. As if his clothes were on fire themselves, Eddie shed his shirt and pants as fast as he could, keeping as quiet as he could, so he wouldn’t disturb Buck….until he was sure he was well enough for the activities that Eddie had in mind.
He slid into bed behind Buck, turning the 6 foot 2 inch man into the little spoon he secretly loved to be. Eddie took a deep inhale and the clean and crisp scent of the soap Buck uses, mixed along with just the natural musk from Buck sleeping and convalescing in the bed for the last 24 hours. For a few moments, Eddie just soaked in the feel of Buck in his arms, and how warm and right it felt.
Buck shifted, letting out a groan or moan, Eddie wasn’t too sure on that, as he stretched, turning to face him all in one chaotic motion. “Oooh, you smell smokey.” Buck nuzzled his cheek against Eddie’s and then kissed him. “Also, hi,” he greeted.
“Rushed straight home after we got back from our last call–that’s why I’m late…Wanted to be here.” They shared another kiss. “How you feeling, mi amor?” Eddie ran his fingers through the mess of curls on Buck’s head before playing a gentle kiss to his birthmark.
“Nothing irregular has come out of me in,” he raised up a little, looking at the alarm clock on the nightstand just behind Eddie’s shoulder, “little over 6 hours. Safe to say, I’m cured.” Buck leaned in and kissed Eddie, this time with fierceness of want after being away from him for a whole day. He rolled him onto his back, pressing him into the mattress with his whole body.
Eddie let out a gasp as Buck pressed his hips to his aligning his hard length against Eddie’s own rapidly filling cock. “Ah, amor, just like that.” As he thrust his hips up as Buck focused on the spot just below his ear that made him weak. He reached out his hand, grabbing at Buck’s hip, pushing his thumb under the waistband and stroking the sharp angle of his hip, trying to ease some space between them. On a particular gyration of Buck’s hips, he managed to get his whole hand fully into his boxer-briefs. The first pump of his hand earned him a quick nip of his pert nipple that was already in Buck’s mouth. “Ah, you like that, mi amor?”
Buck dropped his head onto Eddie’s chest as he bit back a moan as Eddie continued his slow, lazy strokes. Just as soon as the ministrations started, Buck reached down and pulled his hand away and held it up by Eddie’s head and continued kissing his way down his body. Eddie watched as those beautiful blue eyes looked up at him through hooded eyelids and those beautifully long lashes as he kissed the rigid length of his cock through his underwear. Buck released the hand that was holding Eddie’s down above his head, hooking his thumbs into the waistband and ridding Eddie of his underwear, nuzzling the thatch of hair in between his legs as he raised his hips to help Buck slid them down over his cheeks. The underwear were discarded haphazardly to the side as Buck’s attention was elsewhere–which Eddie was not complaining. “Love that you didn’t shower.” Buck kissed the inside of his thigh, taking in a deep breath at the crease of his thigh. “Smoke, sweat, all mine…” Buck placed another kiss at the base of his shaft before running his tongue up the underside of his cock, following the thick vein to the tip, circling the bead of precum at the tip with his tongue. “It’s how I love you to smell….natural,” a kiss to the head, “raw,” and then Buck’s voice was silenced as he swallowed him down.
“Ah, Dios….” Eddie’s brain tended to short circuit when Buck had any body part of his wrapped around his dick–and that’s when he tended to revert back to his mother tongue. He grabbed a handful of Buck’s curls and gave them a tug before cupping his cheek as Buck continued to suck and lick Eddie toward completion. “Ah, fuck…I’m close.” That seemed to spur Buck’s efforts more and had him reaching out for Eddie’s free hand, slotting their fingers together as he brought Eddie over the edge. Eddie saw stars as he came, feeling Buck take it all in, every drop. As the last aftershock of his orgasm rolled through, Eddie felt Buck kissing his way back up his body. “Good Morning to me….” Eddie rasped, his throat dry and voice hoarse from his climax.
Buck nudged his erection against Eddie’s hip. “It’ll be a good morning to both of us here in a little bit…” He kissed him, slipping his tongue into his mouth and Eddie could still taste his spend on his tongue.
“Hmm, querido, I don’t know if I can follow up that performance,” Eddie was already making his way down Buck’s body with his own kisses. He focused his attention going over every tattoo, teasing around his sensitive nipples, knowing that direct contact would have Buck closer to cuming than Eddie wanted him to be.
“Ugh, I’m still bummed we didn’t get together until after you shaved the mustache….Would’ve loved to feel that….ah,” Buck stopped speaking as Eddie closed his lips around Buck’s right nipple.
“Hey, my gay realization was the night I shaved my mustache…and then you came over here all brokenhearted and puppy-dog eyed cause that pendejo Tommy broke your heart.” The fierce urge of jealousy and protectiveness bubbled up but with the touch of Buck’s hand to his cheek. “And I had to wait for you to heal before I even thought about telling you,” Eddie rubbed his cheek against the soft pudge of Buck’s stomach. “And then I moved….”
“And I was heart broken again….”
Eddie didn’t like to think about hurting Buck…ever. So he stopped talking, stopped thinking and just decided to focus on making Buck feel good. He didn’t have to instruct Buck at all. When Eddie reached for the waistband of his boxer briefs, Buck lifted his hips. When Eddie wanted to kiss, suck and fondle his sack, Buck let his legs fall open and give Eddie as much space as he needed. When Eddie shifted his attention slightly, lifting two fingers to Buck’s mouth, letting him coat them in spit. And when Eddie teased Buck’s hole with one finger, Buck let out a moan that almost had Eddie coming all over again. He almost wished Buck hadn’t gotten him off first so he could fill Buck’s needy hole properly. He prodded a little further, popping past the rim of muscle, trying to make his search quick, to spare Buck some dry probing–cause stopping to get the lube was a real mood killer. When Buck’s hips raised off the mattress as he brushed against the little bundle of nerves he was in search for, he focused his attention back to Buck’s leaking cock–tempting and beautiful….just waiting for him. He wasn’t able to take Buck down all the way…he was still new to the ‘giving’ end of blowjobs–but Buck was a great teacher and was very understanding…and patient. In being patient, is where they learned what would aid Buck in cuming until Eddie’s skills got better.
“Ugh, Eds, come on. I’m dying here….” Buck whined, raising his head off the bed. Eddie flexed that finger, brushing the bundle of nerves again as he took Buck with his mouth–reducing Buck to a series of moans and pants. He was lost in the task at hand and the beautiful sounds that Buck was making that he didn’t realize how close Buck was to cuming until just before when Buck pulled him off, spilling onto Eddie’s lips and chin. A thin layer of sweat had broken out over Buck’s skin as he sat hunched over him, his hand loose around his spent cock, panting.
“Close call, huh?” Eddie joked as he used the top sheet bunched up under them to wipe his face.
“I know how you are, so I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” Buck looked away from Eddie, almost like he was embarrassed that he almost came down Eddie’s throat.
“Hey, no, Buckito, it has nothing to do with you. I-I-I’m still getting used to all this, okay?” He sat up on his knees, taking Buck’s face in his hands, looking into those sad blue eyes. “I love you, okay? And I’ll shout it from the rooftop of the firehouse to all of Los Angeles, if I have to.” He pressed a kiss to his forehead before pulling him into a hug.
“Hmm, I’m glad you’re home. It was very lonely here without you and Chris.”
“Yeah, well, now that you are better, he can come home today. I’ll need to text Pepa at some point that one or both of us will be picking him up from school today.” Eddie pulled away from him, watching Buck pout at the loss of his touch.
“Before you go planning out our whole day, why don’t we go shower? Then you can do whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want, hmm?”
Buck pulled Eddie to his feet and put his arms around his waist, resting his hands at the small of Eddie’s back. “Don’t get too crazy of an idea…Our kid’ll be home,” Buck punctuated the end of his sentence with a chaste kiss.
Eddie felt his breath hitch at the phrase ‘our kid’. He knew early on that he wanted Buck to be a constant presence in Christopher’s life. When he realized his feelings for Buck–he felt so comfortable with Buck being that parental figure for Christopher. And to have Buck share that sentiment just made him love Buck more. “God, I love you, so much.” Eddie rested his forehead against Buck and just basked in his feelings, his love for Buck.
“I love you, too, Eds. More than you know.” Buck kissed him. “Now, let’s shower.”
After a nice hot shower, Eddie found himself blissfully relaxed in Buck’s arms, Buck’s fingers carding through his hair, causing Eddie’s eyes to droop. As he drifted off to sleep, he relished in the thought that he didn’t want to be anywhere other than right here in Buck’s embrace.
When Eddie registered light hitting his face, he opened his eyes to see the sun shining bright through the bedroom window, like a beacon shining directly on Eddie. His first thought: Buck left the curtains open again. When his cheek made contact with the pillow rather than the firm but also surprisingly soft chest of his boyfriend, he was fully awake. Where was Buck? The exhausted fog took a few blinks and the rub of a finger before he saw a folded piece of paper next to him. He sat up, rubbing a hand across his face as he read the note.
Went to take Chris to school. I’m also getting us some breakfast.
Buck🤍
Eddie looked back over at the alarm clock, 9:17am. How long was I asleep? What time was it when I got home? When he got home, his main focus was on getting to Buck, feeling his touch. He didn’t even realize he had left his phone on the table by the front door where they left their keys and wallets. Fuck, he was really gone on Buck.
“Alright, Diaz, let’s get up,” Eddie gave himself a pep talk to get out of bed. His first stop was the bathroom to take a piss and brush his teeth. He hadn’t bothered to put clothes on after their shower so finding clothes was next. He settled on basketball shorts and a t-shirt, keeping it relaxed for his day off. He knew traffic from home to Chris’ school was a bitch on a good day and then add to that Buck was grabbing them breakfast–there was no telling what time he would be home.
On his morning trek around the house, he retrieved his phone–firing off a quick text to Pepa, thanking her for taking care of Buck while he was working. His next message addressed was from Christopher. It was a simple ‘Good Morning, Dad’ followed by a selfie with him and Buck. Eddie quickly saved that to his phone. Out of habit, he opened the 118 group chat, noticing not much chatter except for some ridiculous meme that Chimney had sent while he was either on baby duty or drop off for Jee. Eddie hadn’t quite gotten the chance to tell Buck what the “theme” was for the firehouse, well, what the theme for Buck was, anyways. Which they had come to the agreement of ‘childhood dream jobs’--which had sounded innocent and believable enough.
To keep the rest of the team updated on Buck, he sent the selfie of him and Chris to the group chat, followed by the caption: He lives! Eddie quickly pocketed his phone and went to the kitchen.
There was a sticky note on the coffee maker: Just press the power button.
Buck thought of everything. He was usually already on coffee number 3 if he had to take Chris to school–so his little cat nap had him behind on his caffeine intake. It had to have been after 6am when he got home cause no matter what, Eddie wakes up at 6am–it’s just the way his internal clock has been since basic training. He must’ve been so focused on getting home that he hadn’t noticed if the sun was just starting to creep up into the horizon or not….he just wanted to be home with Buck. His glance over to the glaring sun in the kitchen window reminded him that the sun was indeed out and shining, and Eddie needed way more coffee than just his first cup to deal with it.
His phone buzzed against his thigh and he reached in to look at who it was. The 118 was responding to his picture and letting Buck know they were glad he was on the mend.
Chimney: Glad to see Diaz didn’t kill you!
Hen: Unnecessary, Chim! Look at those two smiling faces!
Bobby: Glad to see you’re doing well, Buck!
Chimney: Already got him on dropoff duty, Diaz? Someone must be in the dog house!
Eddie was halfway through typing out his response to Chimney when he saw Buck’s message pop up in the chat.
Buck: I wanted to let Eddie get some sleep….
Buck also sent a winky face emoji. Was Buck texting and driving? Eddie had to delete his message to Chimney and start typing his message to Buck.
Eddie: Are you texting and driving?
Eddie waited and waited as other members of the 118 chime in to the conversation. Come on Buck, answer. Ever since Shannon’s accident, texting and driving was a big no-no and also, triggered something in him that was almost the same level of panic attack that he had when he and Ana started getting serious. What felt like eternity but in reality as minutes at most, Eddie got his answer of Buck walking in their kitchen, plastic bag and coffee in hand.
“No, I am not texting and driving. I just got in the driveway when I saw Chim’s message. You know I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Eddie pulled him into a hug after he had sat the food down on the counter, just to reassure his nerves and anxieties that Buck was okay. “Okay…” Eddie took in a deep breath and let it out, slowly, trying to lower his heart rate.
Buck let him hug him for as long as he needed, rubbing his hand on his back in soothing circles until Eddie’s anxieties calmed. “Better?”
Eddie just nodded and turned his attention towards the coffees on the counter and bag of food. “What’d you get?”
“Oh, I went to that food truck Chimney was telling us about, with the awesome breakfast burritos. They also have coffee in the mornings, so I figured why not try it.” Buck’s face was so animated as he talked about the food truck and the coffee–in that cute way he talked when was very excited about something.
Eddie slid his arm around Buck’s waist, pulling him to him and kissing his cheek. “Thank you, mi amor.”
“I thought about making you breakfast but figured I’d save my cooking skills for dinner tonight when Chris is home.”
“That too….Thank you for taking him to school.”
“Are you kidding? I missed that kid while I was sick….so since I was awake and feeling better, figured why not. Oh, and Pepa invited us over for carnitas on Saturday, after our shift.” Hearing Buck add a little accent to carnitas had Eddie’s pulse racing a little–he was slowly learning Spanish from Eddie and through the telenovelas they all watched together.
“And what’d you tell her?”
“That ‘Of course’ we would be there–was there ever any argument for not going?” Buck asked proceeding to hand him a foil wrapped breakfast burrito.
Eddie nodded in agreement to that. He always kept Pepa updated on his (and now Buck’s schedule) so if the stars are aligned, they wouldn’t have a late call and they could make it–cause even if Buck was this amazing cook, nothing beat his Tia Pepa’s cooking.
As they both dove into their breakfast, they just remained standing in each other’s space, not entirely wanting to separate or sit down.
“Oh, so tell me, what are the plans for Halloween? I kept waiting for a text but I figured you got busy with calls and you guys hadn’t had a chance to discuss it yet.”
Eddie chewed through his current bite of his burrito slower than he usually would. He didn’t like lying to Buck….even if it was for a good cause. He chased his bite with a swig of coffee. “Uh, childhood dream jobs.”
“Oh, that’s such a cool idea. I mean, I had a bunch I feel like…if I remember correctly….” And Buck continued his ramble of excitement and Eddie just stared. This, he thought, was one of the many reasons I love this man. The passion and excitement to which he went at everything in his life–he usually never complains about something and always tries to find the positive side to things. Not that Eddie was a pessimist by any means–but he’s had his fair share of letdowns so he was under no impression that everything was sunshine and rainbows all the time. The lull in the conversation brought him back to reality instead of just staring at his boyfriend.
“Huh?”
“I asked, what you were going to go as?” Buck smiled at him.
“Uh, Cap said that we couldn’t discuss it with each other,” Eddie shoved the last bite of his burrito in his mouth to avoid answering the question.
“Aw, come on. Cap can’t expect us not to tell each other. I mean, we’re mar-I, mean,” Buck seemed to flounder and drop his burrito as if his little slip of the tongue was going to send Eddie into a panic, like the idea of serious commitment had with Ana. “I’m sorry…I did-didn’t mean…”
He immediately regretted shoving the burrito in his mouth cause now he had to chew and swallow twice as fast as he wanted to before Buck spiraled. “No, hey, shh…” He said tucking his bite into his cheek like a squirrel before actually swallowing his food like an adult so he could talk. “It’s okay….” He pulled Buck to him by his hands and then brought his hands up and secured them around his neck, placing his own hands at Buck’s waist. “When it comes to you, I’m not scared of the future. You’re it for me, Buck, okay? No panic attacks or anything when I think about spending the rest of my life with you.” To convince him, he leaned in and kissed him and he could immediately feel Buck relax in his arms.
When they finally pulled apart, panting in each other’s space, Eddie couldn’t help but look at Buck. His lips were slightly red and were begging to be kissed again and he just had this blissed out look on his face. “Yeah, Eds? That’s how you feel about us?”
“Absolutely.” Buck’s smile grew wider and his head dipped as if he was trying to hide the blush in his cheeks at the thought.
“Is that how you feel?” Eddie asked, his own self doubt creeping in.
“I think I’ve been gone on you since I first saw you in the firehouse almost 7 years ago,” Buck bit down on his bottom lip as he looked back up at Eddie, the blush still spread across his cheeks.
“And the fact that I had my shirt off had nothing to do with that….?” He joked.
Buck rolled his eyes and chuckled, scrunching his nose up like he was giving the idea some thought. “I mean, have you seen you with your shirt off?” And as if to reiterate his point, he slid his hands to the hem of Eddie’s shirt, lifted it up and over his head, dropped it on the counter, next to the discarded bits of burrito. “But in all seriousness, you’re it for me too, Eds. Completely.”
When they first started talking about the seriousness of their relationship, Eddie did wait for that dread feeling he remembered with Ana to pop up, but it never came. He now realized it wasn’t commitment that had sent him into panic attacks–it was that Ana wasn’t the right person….
Buck was…is the right person.
Commitment wasn’t terrifying when it was Buck. The blush was still staining Buck’s cheeks which made the pink of his birthmark stick out more, the blue of his eyes more exquisite–which sent blood southward and his skin heat. Eddie bit down on his lower lip as he looked Buck up and down, noticing he suddenly had on way too many clothes. “So, how’re you feeling?”
Buck didn’t let on if he was picking up what Eddie was putting down. “Much better. Why? Thinking about going for round 3?” Buck arched the eyebrow that was bracketed on the end by his birthmark as he moved into Eddie’s space, standing up straight to his full height.
While Eddie was no short king, he still had to look up a little, which he used to his advantage as he nosed at Buck’s jawline before placing a kiss to his pulse point, feeling it thrum under his lips. “I was thinking about going for the title….only if you’re up for it though.”
Eddie felt Buck’s adams apple bob against his lips as he swallowed hard. Oh, he was up for it all right…, he thought as he skimmed the waistband of the gray sweatpants riding low on Buck’s hips. “You think three times in a day is the title? Oh, Eds….”
“You’re not that young buck anymore….Buck,” Eddie teased as his hand dipped into those gray sweatpants, feeling Buck continuing to plump up against his hand as a chuckle vibrated through his chest.
“I’m not that…oh,...much older….” Buck stuttered in his sentence as Eddie continued to stroke him.
“Ten months…We could make and have a baby in the time it takes for me to be the same age as you,”
“Oh fuck….” The first bead of precum dribbled onto Eddie’s palm as he continued to work him up, Buck’s head dropping to his shoulder, muffling his moans into his shoulder.
Eddie removed his hand and put his hand on the back of Buck’s neck as he nuzzled his cheek against his, “Lube, cariño?”
And as if his hand had short-circuited Buck’s brain, his question seemed to bring it back online. Buck straightened back up and moved slightly away from Eddie, to reach up on top of the refrigerator. After a few empty pats, he moved further away from Eddie, raising up on his tiptoes and peering on the top of the fridge. “Uh, did we move….”
Eddie pressed up against Buck after he came back onto a flat foot, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. “Don’t you remember, cariño, after the awkward moment and look I got from Tia Pepa when she was helping us unpack the kitchen, and she asked me why we had a ring cutter in with our kitchen utensils.”
They both laughed. Buck had remained speechless and found some excuse to leave the kitchen, leaving Eddie to blush like a kid whose parents just found his porn stash. After that, he decided to remove the lube stowed away at the top of the fridge back to the bedside table it had been in before they got a little too frisky in the kitchen. “Wasn’t one of your mottos ‘Always be prepared….’?”
“That’s the Boy Scouts, cariño, I was in the Army.” Eddie turned Buck back around to where they were face to face and slowly pushed him up against the fridge. “And ‘Be All You Can Be’ was an advertising slogan used in like the nineties,. Buck…as much as I love your side tangents, I got a little bit more pressing matters than discussing military slogans. Lube?” He pressed his straining erection against his and rutted a little bit to make his point.
“Damn, yeah, okay…Uh, if you moved it, then it’s probably in the bedside table.”
Eddie laced their fingers together and started walking towards the bedroom. “So let’s go….”
Buck halted their steps and pulled Eddie in for a sloppy kiss. “God, I love you.” Eddie rolled his eyes and returned the kiss and continued pulling them towards their bedroom. After a few more hungry kisses once they arrived at the bed, Eddie pried himself away from Buck’s touch to search through their bedside table for the lube in question. As he clicked the cap open, he looked down at Buck. His lips were red and well kissed, his eyes were glossy with lust and adoration–but overall, Buck looked at him with so much love that for a second, Eddie felt that familiar rise of panic he felt long ago with Ana, but it wasn’t panic–it was excitement. It was excitement at what he wanted, what he was ready for. “Querido,” he stole a few kisses from Buck’s lips as he sat on his lap.
“What, Eds?” Buck panted against his lips as they exchanged a few more kisses.
“I want….I want….” Eddie whined as he ground down Buck’s lap, chasing friction and finding it against the tented material of Buck’s gray sweatpants. Buck palmed Eddie through his shorts and Eddie felt himself swoon at the overwhelming touch. He rested his cheek against Buck’s as he leaned into the touch. “Iwantyoutotop,” Eddie said quickly, more like whispered hurriedly in Buck’s ear.
Buck’s hand stayed its motions in between them and leaned back, searching for Eddie’s eyes. “What?”
Eddie swallowed past the lump forming in his throat. “I want you…to top.”
Buck’s hands went to his thighs–he didn’t see them, he just felt the strong grip on his thighs. “Really, Eds?”
Eddie nodded. “More than anything, baby.” Eddie barely recognized his own voice with the amount of emotion in it.
“Okay.” Buck kissed him tenderly. “Stand up for me.” Eddie unfolded himself from Buck’s lap and stood in front of him. He felt his body hum with excitement, wondering if he would vibrate out of his skin from nerves, excitement…want. No, not want, need. “Arms up.” He was instructed and did as asked. Soon, he felt Buck’s strong hands slip under his shirt, sliding it up. Once the shirt was free of him, he leaned in to capture Buck’s lips in a kiss. As the kiss turned heated, he felt the familiar skim of Buck’s hand down into his basketball shorts, pushing them past his hips and after a few shimmies, the mesh material pooled at his feet. Baring it all, literally, Eddie searched for those blue eyes that calmed any anxieties in him and when their eyes connected, any trepidations Eddie ever had about this physical aspect of their relationship evaporated in a shuttered sigh as Buck smiled at him. “You okay?”
“Ye-yeah, yes.”
“Okay,” again, Buck’s answer was tender and sweet as he ushered him onto the bed. He half expected Buck to join him, but he turned on his side to watch as Buck shed his own clothes, starting with the light gray sleeveless tank top he was wearing–which, for anyone else in late October would be ridiculous, but here in L.A., it was still like the surface of the sun, so long sleeves were not found. Eddie liked when Buck wore no sleeves because he could see all his tattoos that littered his skin, danced along certain muscles that had Eddie thinking naughty thoughts when he should be focused on other tasks. And as much as he loved his man in gray sweatpants, he was ready for Buck to not be wearing them anymore.
After Buck was down to nothing but his own naked tattooed glory, he joined Eddie on the bed, hovering over him as he pressed his hips into his, lining up their cocks and just rutting a little bit, getting Eddie back in that aroused state he had been on Buck’s lap just minutes ago. He watched as Buck fumbled around, his hand searching for the discarded lube that had surely made a little puddle to wherever it had been dropped when Eddie climbed on him. His throat was dry as he tried to speak, he wanted to let Buck know that he was ready–but his words were escaping him at the moment. Lucky for him, he had a partner who could read him like a book and soon after Buck kissed his way from the scars on his chest from the sniper attack, up along his throat and then pressing a kiss to the corners of his lips, Buck instructed, “Roll over, sweetheart.”
Eddie felt like his limbs were gelatinous almost as he rolled onto his belly, finding a particular comfy fold in the still unmade bed from earlier for his cock to rest in as it continued to stand at attention. He felt the bed shift and soon Buck appeared over his right shoulder, kissing him and bumping his forehead against his before he slowly started a trail of kisses down Eddie’s spine, taking his time and sending goosebumps across Eddie’s skin. When Buck’s lips got to the dip in his lower back, Eddie’s breathing turned shallow–as he tried to control himself and heard his pulse roaring in his ears, drawing out Buck’s reassuring tone and reminding him to relax–Eddie tried to follow his instructions. Come on, Diaz, relax….You got this. You love this man. You trust this man with your whole heart. You love him…..Eddie repeated this mantra in his mind as he felt tension start to ease out of him. He felt like he started to melt into the mattress as one of Buck’s big hands on one of his cheeks, spreading it a little for access and then the cool touch of a finger at his rim sent all the tension that had left his body right back in like he was a sponge.
“I’m sorry–I tried to warm it up before,” Buck apologized as he continued circling his finger around his apprehensive hole.
“It’s okay,” Eddie tried to get his voice under control but nerves had it coming out shaky. “Just go slow, okay, querido?” He did a small sign of the cross before he dropped his head onto his forearm. His body shuddered as he felt Buck apply a little bit more lube on the area and continued his circles. After a few minutes (or eternity if you asked Eddie), he felt the burn of Buck’s finger going in. “Ah, mierda…Hmmmm….”
And yet, Eddie didn’t feel pain. The burn was not unpleasant…it was good and sent his skin humming with heat.
“You okay, Eds?” Buck asked after the only sound coming from him was steady, deep breaths.
“Hmm-hmm,” was all Eddie could say as he felt Buck’s finger start to move. Soon, his muscles weren’t tensing up as much and his deep breaths were turning to moans. And then, one wasn’t enough. “Another,” he mumbled into the comforter.
Buck’s movements stilled. “What, Eds?”
Eddie found his voice as he rocked back onto Buck’s finger. “Another, amor.” He looked over his shoulder in time to see Buck smile as he added a second digit to what was now becoming Eddie’s needy hole. The burn of the second finger sent another wave of heat along his skin, his hips rutting into the bed and precum to smear along the comforter his dick was currently nestled in. Every few thrusts of Buck’s fingers would brush along Eddie’s prostate and Eddie’s vision would white out and he’d start dirty talking/mumbling in Spanish, which seemed to spur Buck on in his ministrations.
“You’re doing so good, Eds,” Buck said against the skin of his back as he leaned into place kisses along Eddie’s sweat laced skin. “Ready for another?”
“Hmmm-hmmm,” seemed to be the only moaned reply Eddie could give. As the third finger made its way in and that stretch of Buck being three fingers deep had Eddie up on his elbows, giving himself some leverage to rock back into the feel.
“Ah, so good, Eds.” After a few minutes, Eddie felt Buck’s lips at the dip in his back. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” was all Eddie’s brain could think to say.
“Ready for…?” Buck didn’t need to articulate the end of his question before Eddie repeated his first answer. And that answer was rewarded with another kiss at the same spot and then a trail of kisses went up Eddie’s spine and then once Buck placed a final, longing kiss on his lips, another command was uttered: “Roll over?”
Now, Eddie was no stranger to this position when it came to two dudes–it’s how he preferred to fuck Buck, so he could see the pleasure he was giving the man he loved–there was nothing more beautiful than when Buck came. But, for his first time? Eddie wasn’t so sure–but again, he trusted Buck. So he maneuvered onto his back and then rearranged himself on the bed to allow for Buck to have the space he needed. He watched as Buck walked on his knees towards him on the bed, lazily stroking his cock as he took in the sight of Eddie–and just the look in those blue eyes of his had Eddie harder than he had ever been in his whole life….he was pretty sure of that fact. He was 100% sure of the fact that Buck needed to hurry up and fill him with every inch of his beautiful cock that he was currently stroking and then fold him like a cheap lawn chair and find another couple of inches to fill.
Once Buck was settled in between his legs, he slid his hands up the backs of Eddie’s thighs and replaced his hands with Eddie’s, “Just for a little bit…until you get adjusted.”
Eddie nodded and swallowed dryly, his answer of understanding transforming into a whine. He took in a few deep breaths as he waited, what felt like eons, before he felt the head of Buck’s cock breach his hole and what he wasn’t sure was a moan or a groan came out in a stifled ‘hmmm’ as Buck pushed in just a little further and stilled, locking eyes with him–looking for reassurance that he was okay. “‘m okay, querido.”
Buck smiled at his reassurance and gave it a few more moments as Eddie could feel his muscles contracting, stretching and relaxing at the length and width of Buck’s cock currently inside him.
Slowly, Buck moved forward, stilling for a minute or two, waiting for Eddie to adjust and then continued that process until he was buried to the hilt in Eddie–who wasn’t sure what he had been so afraid of when it came to anal, but as Buck moved and picked up speed in his thrusts, he was instantly turning into a fan. A particular thrust hit Eddie’s prostate and had his vision whiting out and a moan cry out, followed by ‘Ah, fuck, Buck….like that, hmm…”
His statement seemed to spur Buck on cause soon, Buck’s hands, that had been somewhere in the vicinity of Eddie’s waist, hiked Eddie’s knees up closer to his body, angling him in such a way where each thrust was a direct hit to his prostate. And just like that, Eddie came. “Ah, Buck….fuck….,” he parroted, this time out of breath. He felt the sticky warm feeling of cum on his belly as he watched Buck, still above him, riding out his orgasm as well. Eddie was in a euphoric state of feeling everything all at once, that it didn’t dawn on him until his thighs were being eased away from his chest, that warmth pooled beneath him and dripped from where Buck had pulled out. But Buck hadn’t pulled away from him–no, he was lazily kissing him, resting what felt like his whole weight on top of him. They breathed in each other’s space as they kissed, caressed and basked in each other’s afterglow.
After a much needed shower, they were cuddled on the couch. Buck had his head on Eddie’s shoulder and Eddie’s fingers were carding their way through Buck’s curls, massaging his scalp. “How are you feeling, Eds?”
How was he feeling? Eddie’s inner monologue thought. Sore, the part of his brain that was thinking of how all their acrobatics he was definitely gonna feel for a few days. Sated, cause a need he didn’t know he had, had been fulfilled. Hunger, cause he knew he wanted more. Loved, because Buck was all his. “Perfect.”
Their Next Shift
While Buck was ingrained in a heavy conversation with Chimney about ‘if caveman and astronauts got into a fight, who would win?’--why or how this conversation got started, Eddie wasn’t sure–but he was leaving before he learned anymore about prehistoric man than he already knew thanks to his boyfriend's insatiable need to watch documentaries–he slipped away to find Bobby in his office, working on paperwork. He rapped his knuckles on the door, waiting for Bobby to acknowledge his presence in the doorway before asking, “Hey Cap, you got a second?”
Bobby put down the file folder in his hands, “Of course, Diaz. What can I do for you?”
Eddie shut the door behind him and took a seat across from him. “Um, so I wanted to ask…uh, ask….” Why couldn’t he get the words out? Were his nerves getting the best of him? Or were these just butterflies–at the excitement of what he was about to do. “I need to get new nametags.” He watched as Bobby’s face contorted into confusion as he zeroed in on the nametag Eddie was currently wearing on his uniform.
“What’d I do? Misspell the one you got on?” Bobby pointed at the one pinned to his shirt.
Eddie had to look down, forgetting that it’s four letters and they haven’t been misspelled since he started working. He laughed, “Ah, no, Cap….Um, I need two that say ‘Buckley-Diaz.’ I’m going to propose to Buck.”
Cap tried to school his face into a serious look but it lasted maybe ten seconds before a smile broke out and he was walking around the desk. Eddie rose to greet his open arms. “Congratulations, Diaz. That’s a big step.”
“I can’t believe it’s taken me this long. I’ve loved Buck for a long time.”
After another squeeze from Bobby, the two separated. “How soon do you need them?”
Halloween
Eddie had gotten Buck out of the house with little to no fuss over his “lack of costume” because Eddie gave the excuse that he couldn’t drive safely with it on. In reality, his “lack of outfit” was part of his plan.
Buck had decided to go as a daredevil a la Evel Kenivel, star-spangled outfit and everything. Eddie wasn’t complaining–his boyfriend-soon-fiancé looked damn good in a jumpsuit. Did he feel a little bad that everyone else was dressing up as various versions of Buck? A little–cause Buck wasn’t in on the joke. But once he had hatched his plan on how he was going to propose, he wasn’t deviating from the plan.
Once they arrived at the station, Eddie kissed Buck’s cheek before he made the excuse of needing to change into his costume. The raucous laughter that came from upstairs before Eddie closed the door to the change room and took a steadying deep breath. Come on, Diaz, you got this, he decided to give himself a pep talk. He put his bag in his space and dug both new nametags out of it, tucking one into his palm as he neatly fitted the other into a velvet box–which was no easy task cause his hands were shaking. When he had proposed to Shannon, that had been out of obligation and necessity more than love. But this time? This was Buck…his Buck. He wanted forever with him and he knew Buck wanted the same. So why was he nervous? He tried another steadying deep breath, hoping to calm his nerves. Once his hand stopped shaking, he pocketed the box and reached behind his turnouts, where he had stashed his dress uniform on one of the rare instances where he and Buck didn’t work the same shift. He made quick work of the buttons on his dress uniform and then pinned his new nametag into place. He wanted to get upstairs as quick as possible to execute his plan, before he lost his nerve.
⛯
While Buck was being the subject of healthy ribbing from his coworkers, he was wondering what was keeping Eddie. He had been pretty hush-hush about what his costume was. Was Eddie too embarrassed to even tell Buck? He’d hoped not. But right now he was looking at all iterations of his past occupations. Hen was rocking the clipboard Buck look pretty well, with her stylish glasses, crisp white shirt and very neatly tied tie. Ravi was dressed in his usual uniform, just with a Hi-Vis vest on and traded in his fire helmet for a hard hat. Cap was wearing some form of tropical shirt, had puka shells around his neck and was wearing aviators.
After some of the laughter had died down and the jokes had stopped, Buck asked, “So who came up with this bright idea?”
“That would be me,” the ever familiar voice of his boyfriend came from behind him, somewhere near the stairs.
“Ah, Cap, not fair. Diaz didn’t come in costume.” Buck heard Chim say from off to his left.
“Chim, hush,” Cap responded.
“I had Maddie give me frosted tips to match the picture Buck had sent her back in his bartending days. Not fair, Diaz.”
Buck finally zeroed in on Eddie standing at the top of the stairs to the loft. He was wearing his dress uniform and was carrying his helmet. “Eds, you always dreamed of being a fireman?” Obviously not because they were all going for versions of him. Dumb question, Buckley, Buck thought to himself as he watched Eddie take a deep breath.
“When I was younger, I always dreamed of what I wanted to be when I got older. When Christopher was born, I wanted to be a good man, good father–someone he could look up to. When I thought about what I wanted in a partner, it wasn’t as easy. Of course I wanted someone who loved me, even when it was hard. Someone who wanted me and supported me. And after Shannon d-d-d,” Buck watched as Eddie swallowed hard, trying not to let his emotions come up, “After Shannon died, I wanted someone who would love Christopher like they were his own and be there for him, when I couldn’t…..I wanted someone who had my back.”
By the time Eddie finished his speech, he was in front of Buck and he took him a second to take in the sight of him. His hair was slicked back like he usually wore when they had their dress uniforms on. His beautiful brown eyes were glassy with tears and Buck wanted nothing more than to hug him. He took in his dress uniform and then as his eyes landed on his name tag and his vision blurred almost instantaneously at the altered name. Buckley-Diaz. When he finally blinked away the tears blurring his vision, Eddie was down on one knee. “Evan Buckley, you are that man for me. You have my back, in work and in life. You’ve loved Christopher like he was your own kid since I’ve known you. You’ve seen me. You’ve loved me when I thought I couldn’t love myself. And when I think back to my younger days and what I wanted in someone to spend the rest of my life with, it’s you. The man that you’ve become, especially in the time that I’ve known you, is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.” He opened the box in his hand, and revealed another name badge that said ‘Buckley-Diaz’. “So what do you say, Buck? Will you marry me?”
Buck gasped, along with Chimney and Ravi. Hen clapped her hands together, no doubt excited about whatever bet she just won and Cap, was beaming with pride. When the first tears fell, Buck finally swallowed around the lump in his throat and found his words. “Yes, Eds.”
Cheers erupted as Eddie got off his knees and pulled Buck in for a kiss. He really wished Buck had on his uniform, so he could put the nametag on, solidifying their engagement. They would pick out their rings together–that had been decided a long time ago, so that it suited both their personalities. But the name tag, on their next shift, was going to say ‘Buckley-Diaz’. Cap had said that it was going to take longer to get turnouts with the new name, but that could wait until after they’d made it official with a wedding. The nametag was enough.
Buck was enough.