#and let's be real taylor isn't answering a phone call anyway

[stalebagels]

[lanawinterscigarettes]

you're a cowboy like me (Simm! Master x reader)

Summary: when the drums get too difficult for him to handle, you're the only one that can help

Warnings: mentions of the drums meaning there's definitely some angst, hurt/comfort, swearing, soft Master (might be a bit ooc for him but eh)

A/N: this fic isn't actually based off cowboy like me by taylor swift, it just has some of the lyrics in it near the end (it'll make sense once you read it, I promise) so it's not nearly as devastating as it could've been had I chosen to go that route. also the reader is taking the role of the master's spouse when he was the prime minister, so lucy is out of the picture here (sorry)

The Master's hands twitched in annoyance as he sat at the desk in his office. Sifting through boring and completely unnecessary paperwork was bad enough by itself, but with the constant sound of the drums ringing through his ears it just made it worse.

He hated having to do it, but he had to keep up public appearances if his plan was going to work properly, meaning he had to fulfill whatever tasks the real Prime Minister was supposed to, even if that meant sitting through tedious meetings and filling out stacks and stacks of paperwork.

He let out an exasperated sigh, glaring at the several files and forms that laid on his desk that still needed to be signed. It almost felt like they were mocking him, in a way.

The Master tapped his pen against his desk in a weak effort to help calm him down, to no avail. He was just about to say 'fuck it' and flip over the entire desk in frustration when he heard the door to his office open.

"Not now, I'm busy," he called out as he closed his eyes, rubbing at his temple at an attempt to hopefully dull the throbbing headache being caused by those damn drums. His body tensed up when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, though he instantly relaxed when he realized it was you.

"Hey, honey," you greeted softly, rubbing his shoulders in a comforting manner. "Rough day?"

He let out a grunt in response. "You have no idea," The Master mumbled tiredly, feeling like he could pass out right in his chair under your soothing touch.

Pulling away from him, you walked around him until you stood in front of his chair. "Is it the drums?" You asked quietly, your hand reaching out to lightly caress his cheek. It was obvious what the answer was, but you felt the need to ask anyway.

He sighed heavily as he set down his pen. "Is it really that obvious?" He didn't acknowledge your hand on his face, even though it was providing him some much needed comfort.

"It is to me." You knelt down in front of him so that you were level with his line of sight, making it practically impossible for him to avoid your gaze. "Master, you need a break. I know that your plan is important to you, but you won't be able to carry it out properly if you're exhausted."

As much as he wanted to protest, he knew you were right. He nodded his head before moving to stand. "Alright, fine. If you insist."

You got up from where you'd been kneeling on the floor and took one of his hands in yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I do. Come on, I'll go with you."

He allowed you to lead him from his office down the long hallway to your shared bedroom, where you carefully pushed the door open before walking him over to the bed. "Would you like me to turn on some music for you? It might help drown out the sound of the drums," you suggested, watching as he got on the bed and laid down.

"Yeah, okay." At that point, he would've said yes to a lobotomy if there was even a slight chance it would quiet the constant pounding in his head.

You pulled out your phone and scrolled through your playlists before settling on one that you thought would help soothe him the most. Setting it on the nightstand, you pressed play before getting in bed next to him.

He closed his eyes and let the sound of the music wash over him as he allowed you to pull him close to your chest, holding him protectively. "I'm sorry I can't do more," you said quietly, one of your hands running along his back while you spoke.

The Master shook his head before responding. "Don't be. You've already done more than enough," he whispered back, sounding grateful.

You smiled at his words, pressing a loving kiss to his head. "Try to get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

He merely nodded, not having the energy left in him to formulate another sentence. He snuggled up close to you as he got comfortable, the lyrics of the song resonating through his head and finally putting the drums to rest, at least for now.

The last thing he heard before he drifted off to sleep was the melody of a bittersweet love song, almost like his own personal lullaby.

'You had some tricks up your sleeve

Takes one to know one

You're a cowboy like me

Perched in the dark

Telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear

Like it could be love

I could be the way forward

Only if they pay for it...'

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[imtheiliad]

you'll be a real good listener, you'll be honest, and one day you'll be brave [1k | 5x17 coda |uncle!buck | feelings realization (in more ways then one) | phone calls] {ao3} a/n: i srsly have no idea where this came from lmao. i started with the picture of buck talking through things with jee and then eddie called and then it was a thousand words 🤷. title inspired by a better son/daughter by rilo kiley. takes place a few minutes after the end of 5x17, major spoilers.

Buck stares at his niece, she's sitting in his lap, leaning against his legs that are propped up on the coffee table, and is studying the hem of her shirt intently.

"Eddie really chose the worst week to go to Texas huh kid," he sighs rubbing his thumbs over her toes. She looks up at him and scrunches her face, shakes her head and lets out a "Buh!"

"Sorry, I'm not pleasant company Jee," he pauses, "Your parents are being real silly you know that? But they've done this before. Took a minute. And then you happened!" He pokes her belly and she lets out a shriek of giggles, "But whatever happens, I hope you know you have the best mom in the whole world. She fought so many battles to have you, to be with you. And your dad, well, he put up with me, and survived so much too. You're a really lucky kid. But mostly cause you have me for an uncle," he smiles softly, and Jee's eyes begin to droop as he brings her to his chest, his hand spanning her entire back as he stands and makes his way to her room.

He sits in the rocking chair and reads her Pat the Bunny a couple times and then hums a few songs until she is solidly asleep. He just holds her for a moment. And a lump settles in his throat as a realization washes over him. He wants this. He has this. Well not this exactly, but something close, and close enough.

He sets her down in her crib, and she shifts and snuffles, but ultimately settles, taking a deep breath and sighing.

His phone is buzzing on the coffee table when he returns to the living room. He doesn't even look, and just hits the side button, sending the call to voicemail. Because it was probably Taylor. Calling to explain herself. And he can't yell at her. Not with Jee asleep down the hall. He doesn't want to talk to her anyway. He's not even sure what he would say.

His phone starts buzzing incessantly again. So he answers. Because she'll probably just keep calling. Even though that doesn't sound too much like her. So he answers, not even looking at the screen.

"Look Taylor, I can't do this with you right now. Jee is asleep, and if I yell-"

"It's not Taylor," Eddie's warm voice washes over him,

"Oh," he breathes out, the tension falling out of his shoulders, "your dad picked out a really shitty week to have a party. Chris isn't on the phone is he?"

"No, he's asleep," Buck can hear the soft smile that plays across Eddie's lips, "So, what happened? Why are you with Jee? Maddie and Chim okay?"

"Jonah kidnapped Hen and Chimney," he takes a breath, "Eddie, he killed him twice and brought him back twice thank God. He killed Claudette. They're both fine, just staying overnight at the hospital for observation, but Eds-"

"Holy shit. And where the piece Taylor fit in?"

"She helped put the Claudette pieces together. Or rather, had the evidence in the form of news footage. She said it was off the record but-"

"She reported it anyway," he doesn't question.

"She had this look in her eye, called it all fascinating. God I feel so stupid. She hasn't changed an inch in three years."

"You believed in her. Saw the good. That doesn't make you stupid. That's one of the things that makes you, you Buck."

"How's it going over there?" Buck asks,

"I'll answer but don't think that doesn't mean we're done talking about your stuff."

Buck rolls his eyes and huffs out a breath.

"So, guess who's dad has been hiding heart issues for over a year?"

"You're kidding."

"Three stents, Buck," he sighs, "and all it took was me berating him for making me grow up too fast."

"And you said that you didn't want any drama."

"Turns out I am the drama," he laughs a little, "May taught me that. We talked more later. I cried in front of him, Buck. I told him about my panic attacks, and therapy. And he told me he didn't want to miss anymore of my life. I never thought-"

"I'm so proud of you Eddie. So proud," Buck squeezes the phone in his hand wishing he could look Eddie in the eye right now. "And I'm gonna tell you again when I can hug you and- But I am so proud of you. And I'm happy for you. For both of you."

And silence washes over them. Listening to each other breathe.

"I have to break up with her don't I?" Buck sighs after a few minutes.

"You said it not me."

"And it's not just this one thing. I don't know that I'm in love with her. I kept telling myself that I had to be, cause she said she loved me. But when I think about the future she's not the one I'm thinking about. I think about my kids and my future and I-I don't see her, I don't see little red haired and blue eyed babies. And I need partner. Someone I can trust. Someone who doesn't make me look over my shoulder at every turn. Someone who has my-" he swallows the last word before he says it.

"Yeah, I think that's what we're all looking for at the end of the day," Buck hears the smile again, "and to quote you, that's not how you talk about someone you're in love with,"

"Yeah," he swallows, "Well, it's late there. And we both has weird days. So I'll let you get to bed. Give Chris a hug for me. See you at the airport tomorrow."

"Will do. See you tomorrow. Goodnight, Buck."

"Night Eddie."

He hangs up the phone and takes a breath. He pads down the hallway to check on Jee, still sound asleep. And grabs a pillow and a blanket from the closet before settling on the couch. It hits him, what he almost said, "I think about my kids and I see Chris...Someone who has my back."

"Shit," he whispers to the ceiling.

[writtenmemxries]

"We broke up."

Buck stared at his phone in disbelief. He did tell Eddie he should reconsider his whole relationship with Ana, but he didn't expect him to actually do it. Not so soon anyway. Yet here he was, staring at those three little words that made his head spin.

He briefly thought about Taylor, how she would spend the night at his place sometimes, how he would wake up and find her blissfully sleeping next to him. He felt a pang of something he could not identify. Didn't want to identify, actually.

He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. His mind wandered towards places he did not want to explore. He thought about Eddie. It was always about Eddie. He looked at his phone again.

"We broke up."

Did Eddie want him to come over? Did he want to come over?

Goddamn, yes. For the past few months, it was all that he wanted. He wanted to go home with that man he so undeniably loved, and he wanted to find a boy with golden locks waiting for them on the couch. He wanted a family so bad it hurt. And he had one. God, he had one, it almost felt like he had them, but they were both too close and too far away to reach. There was Shannon and there was Ana and there was Taylor and they were two men and what if Eddie found it weird and what if Chris found it weird and what if-

He shook his head and went to the bathroom. He looked at the mirror, looked at his stupidly dilated pupils and could not contain the laugh that managed to escape. He was pathetic, wasn't he? In love with a man he could never have. When did he even realize it was Love, capital L?

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Buck, you there?"

"You were right. I'm not in love with Ana. Have never been. She's not the one."

"You busy right now?"

His heart skipped a beat. He sucked on his bottom lip so hard it almost bled, thinking about what to say. He needed to see him, he needed to look at those brown eyes and hear him say that it was over for real. He wanted to tell him that they weren't, they would never be over. They were BuckandEddie, a whole package.

A few minutes later, his phone started ringing. He didn't even need to look at the screen to know who it was.

"Eddie," he answered breathlessly.

"Hey Buck, I- shit, you're with Taylor, aren't you?" came Eddie's voice from the other side.

"What? No, I-"

"Sorry man, I guess I just wanted to talk, but-"

"No Eddie, listen-"

"No pressure, just call me when you're free, alright?"

"Eddie, listen to me! I don't want to be with Taylor anymore!" Buck exclaimed.

Eddie was silent for a bit, Buck's heart pounding in his ears.

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked, with something too similar to hope in his voice.

"I..." Buck hesitated. "I guess... she's not the one."

"Oh."

"I'm on my way, okay?" Buck asked sheepishly.

He could feel Eddie's smile like he was standing in front of him.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I'll be waiting."

Buck smiled. Pathetic, isn't it?