#i love the evan buckley that you show us and i love your vision

[rugretti]

🥺oliver stark

[dragonydreams]

BuckTommy Fic: Stuck in the Middle With You

Title: Stuck in the Middle With You Fandom: 9-1-1 Rating: Teen Audiences And Up Pairings/Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Tommy Kinard, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz, Eddie Diaz & Tomy Kinard Additional Tags: post-episode: s08e06 Confessions, this is not a buddie story, second chances, Eddie's a good friend, Fix-It Summary: Eddie promises Buck he'll talk to Tommy to try to get his friends back together. Word Count: 2,701 Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Reamworks, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision, Ryan Murphy Television, and 20th Television. Betas: Thank you to @medieshanachiefor looking this over for me. Author's Note: I'm not really sure where some of this came from. I had a line in my head and it kind of spiraled from there. Then Tommy got notions and wouldn't give them up. 

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They drank their beers in silence, but after a few minutes when Buck was still staring at the fireplace with that kicked puppy expression on his face, Eddie couldn't keep his rising worry in anymore.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what happened?" he asked.

Buck looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. He watched Buck take in his bare face and legs. "I could ask you the same thing," Buck said, rather than answering.

"A priest told me to do something joyful," Eddie said. 'Your turn."

"A priest…? We're coming back to that." Buck takes a swig from his beer bottle. "Tommy dumped me."

Eddie nearly dropped his beer in his haste to turn to face Buck. "He what? But you just had your six month anniversary!"

"Took me by surprise, too," Buck said. "I don't think he was planning it, but as Athena would say, I went full Buck and scared him off."

Eddie winced. "What happened?"

"I asked him to move in with me," Buck admitted.

Eddie blew out a breath. "Is that how you phrased it?"

"Yeah, how else would I do it?" Buck asked, confused. 

"You didn't suggest moving in together, but for Tommy to move in with you," Eddie said.

"What difference does the phrasing make?" Buck asked, getting annoyed. He came here for comfort, not an inquisition.

"At any time while you were deciding to ask Tommy to move in, did you remember that Tommy has a house with a two car garage?" 

"I– What–" Buck's brow furrowed. "Of course I've been to Tommy's house."

"And you asked him to move in with you," Eddie said, again. 

Buck huffed in frustration. "I didn't mean my loft, literally."

"Did he know that?"

"I don't know, he was too busy breaking up with me to discuss where exactly we'd live," Buck said. "Why are you taking his side?"

"I'm not," Eddie said, holding his hands up. "I'm just trying to understand what happened."

"Did you know he used to be engaged to a woman?" Buck asked. "To Abby?"

Eddie's eyes went wide. "Not your Abby?"

"Yes, my Abby. Although I guess she was his Abby first," Buck said. "How could the two most important people I've dated been engaged to each other?"

"That is quite the coincidence," Eddie mused. "Is that what led to the idea of moving in?"

"Maybe?" Buck admitted. "Josh said all this stuff about me coming out in a post-Glee world, but he and Tommy came out in a pre-Glee world that wasn't so understanding and I wanted Tommy to know that I respected how hard it must have been for him and show him that I was all in."

"Had the two of you said I love you yet?" Eddie asked. 

"Why does everyone keep asking me that," Buck muttered. "No, but had you and Marisol said it before you asked her to move in?"

"No, we had not, and look how that turned out," Eddie said. "Our exes definitely had some big secrets."

"Yeah, but I knew about Abby before asking Tommy to move in. You didn't find out about Marisol being a nun until after," Buck pointed out.

"Almost a nun," Eddie corrected him automatically. 

Buck slumped back against the couch, draining the rest of his beer. "I went too big, too fast, didn't I?"

"You do have a tendency to act before thinking things through," Eddie agreed. 

"It's part of my charm," Buck said.

"Is it though?"

"Apparently not," Buck admitted. "I thought people liked big romantic gestures. Tommy loves all that rom-com stuff."

"Maybe, but not when it's a reaction to learning about a shared former lover," Eddie said. 

"How do I fix this?" Buck asked, tears filling his eyes. "I don't know that I am... Was… am in love with him, but I'm not ready to be without him."

"I don't know that this is something that you can walk back," Eddie said. 

"He said that while he may have been my first, he wasn't going to be my last. Did he tell you that he wasn't in this for the long haul?" Buck asked.

"We tried not to talk about you too much when we hung out," Eddie said. "But from what I could see, he was in it as much as you were." 

"Then why would he say something like that to me? Just because he's the first man I've been with doesn't mean that I want to be with other men."

"I can't speak for him, but maybe it's been his experience that when one man is just starting to date men and the other isn't, they don't usually stay together that long," Eddie said. "I'm just guessing here. You'd have to talk to him."

"Or-or you could," Buck suggested. He sat up on the couch, suddenly eager. "Yeah, can you do that? Can you go tell him that sometimes I leap before I look and I don't want this to end?"

Buck was looking at him with such sad yet hopeful eyes, that Eddie found himself saying, "Okay, fine, I'll try. Once."

Buck tackle hugged him. "Thank you. You're the best friend ever."

"I can't promise I'll change his mind," Eddie cautioned. 

"I'm not asking you to. I just need him to talk to me," Buck said, pulling back. "And now I think I need to know where your pants are."

Eddie laughed. "Yeah, um, so have you seen the movie Risky Business..."

~~*~~

Eddie stood before Tommy's front door, food offering in hand, and took a deep breath before ringing the bell.

It took a few minutes, but Tommy opened the door looking as rough as Eddie expected. 

"Had a feeling you'd need this," he said, holding up the bag containing a couple of breakfast burritos. 

"Did he send you?" Tommy asked, warily eyeing the bag of food.

"Yes, but I also wanted to see how you're doing," Eddie admitted. "I'm your friend, too."

Tommy stood back and let Eddie in before following him to the kitchen. Eddie got down a couple of plates while Tommy started making coffee.

"Should have known he'd run straight to you," Tommy muttered. "That man has been in love with you for as long as I've known him."

Eddie snorted. "No, he's not."

Tommy stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "I know he claimed he was trying to get my attention after you and I started hanging out, but I can tell you, he was most definitely not."

"He may have been trying to get my attention, but that's just the way our co-dependent friendship works sometimes. It's not because he's in love with me," Eddie protested.

"You tell yourself whatever you need to," Tommy said. 

"If he was in love with me, why would he have come to my house last night with a six-pack of beer and practically beg me to come ask you to talk to him to try to change your mind about breaking up?"

"Because you're his best friend," Tommy said.

"His straight best friend," Eddie reminded him. He idly wondered why he had to keep telling men he was straight. 

"You sure about that?" Tommy asked. "Should I kiss you and see if you have the same revelation Evan had?"

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Eddie said. "Because one, I'm not bicurious and two, I'm here on behalf of my heartbroken best friend."

Tommy poured them each a cup of coffee and they moved to the dining table. They each took a few bites before the conversation resumed.

"So, Buck's Abby was also your Abby," Eddie said. 

"It appears so. Did you know her?" Tommy asked.

Eddie shook his head. "She was before I moved to L.A. But I was there for the aftermath. Did he tell you about their breakup?"

"We didn't really get into that," Tommy admitted. "He just said she was one of his most transformative relationships, before me."

"From what I've heard, Buck slept around a lot before Abby. Bobby actually fired him his probationary year because he kept stealing engines for hookups."

Tommy choked on the bite he'd just taken. "I'm sorry, he stole fire engines to have sex? He wasn't kidding when he said he was a himbo."

Eddie nodded. "That's not the guy that I met, though. I met a guy who was living in his girlfriend's apartment even though she'd been traveling in Europe alone for months after her mom died."

"I did read about that. I sent her flowers," Tommy said.

"She basically ghosted Buck. He was staying true to her while she ran around without any real intention of coming back. She broke something in him."

"Because I broke something in her," Tommy said.

"That's not what I'm saying," Eddie said, quickly.

"Then why tell me about it?" Tommy demanded.

"To help you understand Buck. In case you haven't noticed, he has a fear of abandonment. Of not being enough," Eddie said.

"Who doesn't?" Tommy countered.

"He also tends to overcompensate when he's afraid," Eddie said.

"You're saying that he asked me to move in to his loft because he was afraid I'd leave him for a woman once he knew I used to be engaged to one?" Tommy asked, incredulously.

"No, I'm saying that between learning about Abby and something Josh said to him about how hard it was for gay people pre-Glee he wanted to show you how "in" he was in this relationship by asking you to move in."

"He's done this before? I'm not sure if that makes me feel any better."

"Did he tell you about suing the city after Bobby wouldn't let him return to work as soon as Buck wanted to after the ladder truck crushed his leg? Or asking Taylor to move in with him instead of just telling her he'd kissed Lucy back after she'd kissed him?"

"So he has done this before," Tommy said, solemnly. "Wait, Lucy Denato?"

"Or the time he tried grooming Ravi to take his place because he was convinced we all hated him after Chimney went chasing after Maddie when she left after Jee-Yun was born?"

"Or the time he thought he was cursed because he grew boils after an allergic reaction?" Tommy added.

"Exactly. He gets stuff in his head and reacts without thinking."

"And instead of talking it out, I just reacted to the words he was saying instead of talking to him about where they were coming from," Tommy said.

"Do you love him?" Eddie asked.

"Not yet, but I was close," Tommy admitted. "I didn't get into this relationship expecting love. I wasn't looking for it, but it was starting to sneak up on me."

"And that scared you," Eddie guessed.

"It did, because, as I said before, I didn't want my heart broken when you finally realized you were as in love with Evan as he is with you," Tommy said.

"I told you, I'm not," Eddie insisted. "I'm not gay, or bi."

"That's why you grew a Freddy Mercury mustache? To show how straight you are?" Tommy asked.

"Is that why the hot priest was hitting on me?" Eddie wondered aloud. 

"I'm sorry, a hot priest was hitting on you?" Tommy made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.

"He called my mustache very handsome," Eddie said.

"So you ran home and shaved it?"

"No, I shaved it because I realized I didn't need the mask anymore," Eddie said. "And not to mask that I'm straight. That's just the truth."

Tommy held his hands up. "Okay, fine, you're straight. You have no interest in bedding Evan."

"No, I don't. I'm not a threat to your relationship."

"There is no more relationship," Tommy said.

"If you're willing to try, there still could be," Eddie said. 

"I need to think about it," Tommy said.

"That's all I'm asking," Eddie said.

~~*~~

Can we meet for coffee?"

Buck nearly fumbled his phone as he read the text when they got back to the station after a call, four days after Tommy had dumped him. He frantically looked around for Eddie.

When he spotted him on a couch he ran over to him, holding out his phone. "Eddie, Eddie, he texted."

"Are you going to respond?" Eddie teased. 

"Oh, uh, yeah, of course," Buck said, pulling his phone back.

Yes! When and where?

Tommy responded right away. 

Tomorrow morning, 10am. You know where.

The coffee shop of second chances. Third? I'll be there.

"So?" Eddie asked.

"We're meeting for coffee tomorrow when we get off shift," Buck said, his face lit up with his smile.

"That's great, man. Good luck," Eddie said.

~~*~~

Buck was sitting at an outdoor table, two cups of coffee before him. The main difference this time is that he knew he had Tommy's order right.

"I'm feeling a bit of deja vu," Tommy said as he sat down across from Buck.

"Coffee should be better this time," Buck said.

Tommy brought the cup to his lips and hummed with appreciation. "At least you didn't try to be cute and order the wrong thing knowingly."

"I'd never do that to you," Buck said, offended.

"I know," Tommy said. "I'm sorry, I know that I have no right to be snarky."

"I'm the one who got dumped," Buck pointed out. "If anyone's going to be snarky, it should be me."

"I'm sorry, Evan," Tommy said.

"So it's Evan again?" Buck snarked.

"I deserved that," Tommy said. 

"What are you sorry for?" Buck asked.

"I'm sorry that instead of talking out my concerns that you were moving too fast I pulled away completely," Tommy apologized.

"And I'm sorry if you thought that I meant I wanted you to move into the loft. I was just so excited about the idea of living together, I didn't stop to think about where it would be," Buck said.

"I guess that's something we'll both need to work on; pausing to think before saying things," Tommy said.

"S-so there's something to work on?" Buck asked, hopefully. "Are we getting back together?"

"I think we need to have some long conversations about what we're looking for in this relationship, but I'm willing to have those discussions," Tommy said.

"Me too," Buck said, eagerly.

"But first, I want to ask you something that I should have done from the beginning," Tommy said.

Buck licked his lips nervously and nodded. "Okay, ask."

"Are you in love with Eddie?"

Buck laughed, then noticed the stern look on Tommy's face. "Oh, you're serious."

"Very."

"No, I'm not in love with Eddie. He's my best friend. My soulmate, but my platonic soulmate."

"Are you sure about that? Now that you know you're bi, are your feelings for him still just platonic?" Tommy pressed.

"Totally," Buck assured him. "He's always going to be an important person in my life, but he's not the one I want to share a bed with. My turn for a serious question."

"I deserve that," Tommy said.

"Can you handle Eddie and Christopher's role in my life? I'm always going to drop everything if one of them needs me. Are you going to be okay with that? Most of my girlfriends couldn't."

"Hell, I'll probably be the one driving you," Tommy admitted. "They're both pretty special people."

"They're the best," Buck agreed. "And I think you should take Eddie to the Lakers game instead of me. I really hate basketball."

Tommy laughed. "You know, somehow I just knew Eddie was going to end up at that game."

"Can we kiss and make up now?" Buck asked. 

"God, yes," Tommy said, both of them standing and reaching for the other. 

The kiss was fairly chaste since they were in public, but their hunger for each other was clear. This was something they both desperately wanted.

"You wanna get out of here?" Buck asked, somewhat breathless.

"Come back to my place?" Tommy suggested. 

"I'm right behind you," Buck said.

"Hmm, no, I think we should be face to face," Tommy said, smirking. 

Buck's face flushed. "That's not what… I mean yes, absolutely."

Tommy kissed Buck's cheek. "I'll see you soon."

The Beginning (Again)

[tevanbegins]

~So my ultra-futuristic, utopian endgame vision for Tevan led to this fic (This is officially the second fic I wrote, but the first one I am posting anywhere.) Hope you enjoy, please comment and RB if you like!~

Math Troubles

Summary: On his day off, Buck steps in to help out his and Tommy's teenage daughter with her math assignment, while Tommy is out on duty. Unfortunately, Buck turns out to be more trouble than help, and Tommy has to intervene over the phone.

----

"Dad," Spencer sighed in utter exasperation. "I think your help is taking me longer to do my math homework than if I were to do it on my own!"

"But sweetheart, it's taking longer because you aren't following the exact steps I'm showing you," Buck said adamantly, refusing to admit defeat. The father-daughter pair was sitting on the bed in Spencer's room, with the thirteen-year-old's books and stationery items scattered all around them.

"No. I'm calling Papa right now. Only he can save me from this--- this situation," insisted Spencer. She promptly video-called Tommy despite Buck's protests, desperately hoping he would answer. Meanwhile, Buck ruffled the pages of her Geometry textbook in search of some solid proof to back up his argument. Luckily for Spencer, Tommy's warm and scrunchy smile beamed through her phone's screen in a few seconds. "Hey Spence, my love. What's up?" he asked her.

"When are you going to be home, Papa? I need your help with my math homework, especially with this geometry assignment," Spencer replied, a pleading expression on her face.

"Sorry darling. My shift is on for another six hours at least, so I won't be home until later in the evening. I thought Dad was going to help you out since he is off-duty today?" Tommy enquired with a raised eyebrow.

"There. Thank you, Tommy!" Buck interrupted the conversation, rotating the phone in Spencer's hand horizontally so that Tommy could see them both. "That is exactly what I am doing, but our stubborn daughter refuses to solve the math problems per my methods. She says only you can save her from this situation, because apparently I can't. How humiliating is that!" Buck complained.

"I understand, Evan," Tommy gave Buck a mock-apologetic cluck, trying hard to stifle his laugh. He was well aware that math proficiency was his husband's biggest weak point-turned-self-esteem issue.

"C'mon Dad, you're just over-reacting," Spencer rolled her eyes at Buck. "I love you, but you need to accept that you are terrible at math!" she tried to soothe the burn with an extra sweet smile.

Tommy burst out laughing at Spencer's remark, but immediately pursed his lips when Buck shot him an angry look through the screen.

"No, I'm not!" Buck retorted, turning his attention away from the phone towards their daughter. "Spence. I agree I wasn't always the greatest at the subject, but haven't I told you the story of how I became a mathematical genius after getting struck by lightning?"

"Yes Dad, you have, about a million times. I know that legend by heart, but the genius part is hard to believe when you keep asking me to use the Pythagoras theorem on an oblique triangle!" Spencer justified her stance.

"Well, you won't even try using it before shooting me down like that!" Buck groaned. At that, Tommy felt an instant need to intervene before this Buckley-Kinard family conversation took a more hilarious turn, else his coworkers at the station would think he was going crazy from how hard he was laughing.

"Evan, my sweet, sweet husband," Tommy let out a deep sigh, still unable to get over how adorable, dorky, stubborn, and unintentionally funny Buck could be even after fifteen years of marriage. "You cannot use the Pythagoras theorem on an oblique triangle. It is simply not possible. You know why? Because it doesn't have any damn right angle in it!" he tried to reason.

"What now? The theorem doesn't apply to non-right angled triangles?" Buck gasped in shock.

"You see? Papa knows!" Spencer gave Tommy a thumbs up and a wide victory grin. "That's why I said only he can save me in this situation!" she said, looking at Buck. "Because your knowledge of basic geometric concepts itself seems questionable to me, sorry not sorry, Dad!"

"So you think your Papa is better than me at math? In spite of my lightning-induced mathematical super-abilities? Well, he can't be any better at math than I am!" Buck declared obstinately.

"Hey! Now that's a controversial thing to say. I'm a formally-licensed pilot — it's literally a prerequisite for my job to have good math skills!" Tommy cut in. "Have you maybe considered that your lightning thing was a limited-period offer from the Gods? I mean, poor Pythagoras must be rolling in his grave right now because of you, Evan," Tommy sniggered.

"What a snob!" Buck cried, looking flushed with embarrassment. "Remember, you won't be able to hide behind the phone screen when you face me at home tonight, Tommy!" he added in a stern voice, and then dramatically moved out of the view of the front camera lens.

"Spence darling, what trouble have you got me into with your Dad? I'm going to have to stop at a florist's shop on the way back home now," Tommy exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Tell him that only flowers is not going to cut it. He needs to get a big box of chocolates too, or else he won't be allowed into the house tonight," Buck nudged Spencer to convey the message, but Tommy had heard it loud and clear.

"Yes Evan. Flowers and chocolates it is!" Tommy responded, hiding a chuckle. "Well, I am going to hang up now. Before I can say anything more to piss him off," Tommy whispered to Spencer and winked. "Bye darling, see you later!"

"B-bye Papa, love you!" Spencer blew Tommy a kiss and then put her phone away after the call ended. Looking at Buck's expression, she snorted and got into a wild fit of laughter, so much that her belly hurt. And despite his pseudo-attempts at pretending to be upset over this roast session of his math skills, Buck burst out laughing too, alongside his daughter.

Good at math or not, Spencer knew she had the sweetest, funniest, and the most loving dads in the whole wide world, and she was the luckiest girl ever to have them both.

------

[fakescenarios-tohelpyousleep]

crazy golf| evan ‘buck’ buckley

summary| when you blackout on a mini golf course the 118 gets called to the scene

“Your dad?! You have a dad?” You couldn’t help but chuckle at the shock that spills from the speakers of your phone. While you had the day off from the firehouse, your boyfriend Buck, wasn’t so lucky. In fact today was when he worked one of the dreaded 24 hour shifts. “Everyone has a dad, Buck.” You laugh at him sarcastically and you can hear your boyfriend scoff over the other end of the call. “I know that, it’s just that... I don’t know, you never really talked about your dad before.” Now you scoff. “Yeah there isn’t much to tell, he left when I was still really young and our communication was little to none throughout the years.” “So explain to me why you’re meeting with him exactly.” You could hear the voice of Chimney make it’s way into the conversation and you could bet that he and Hen had now gathered around Buck to hear the conversation.. if you’re lucky Bobby and Eddie probably joined as well. 

“I don’t know, he and his new family is in town for vacation so I figured why not meet up with them.” As you make your way through your and buck’s shared house to the living room, where you sit yourself on the couch. “If you guys don’t talk, how does he even know you live in LA?” Hen now spoke, proving you correct. “My mom’s Facebook most likely-” Eddie scoffs at the comment. “Oh cause you and your mom talk so much more Ms. I didn’t tell my mom I moved across country.” “You didn’t tell your own mother you moved across the country?” Now Bobby’s voice comes over the speaker... the gangs all here. “Okay shut up both of you!” “Is it really a good idea, Y/N? I mean, you haven’t seen him in years. Are you sure you want to go alone?” Buck’s voice is finally heard again. You could picture the exact face he was making in that moment. The concerned Buck face. “It’s not like he’s a psychopath, Buckley.” “Y/N’s a big girl, she can handle it.” Bobby joked in the background of the call. “Is it just you and him or are there more people that will be there?” “Most likely him and I, his wife, and her 2 kids.” At that the loud ring of the fire bell ignites. “Y/N, we have to go. I’ll talk to you later, be careful, I love you.” “I love you too and shut up about me being careful, take your own advice.” 

_

“Pants, are you crazy girl? It’s 90 degrees out!” The hounded of your father begins the second you approach the group of them at the entree of the mini golf course. “90 degrees is nothing if she goes into burning buildings with practically a winter jacket on.” The countering voice of the eldest step brother replied to his comment before I could. The eldest, named James, was my favorite of the three kids. Not that I saw much of them, but from what I did, he was always the nicest. Kayla, younger than James but older than myself, was always more bitchy, however we knew each other back when she was a teenager. “You’d be surprised for being a firefighter, putting out fires is only like 2 percent of what I do on a day to day.” 

“Hey-” “Stop worrying she’ll be okay.” Buck practically jumped from his skin when Eddie snatched his phone from his hands. Buck frantically looks around to the other as they unpack the truck from the recent call. Chimney and Hen laugh at him for the way he’s acting. “I’m just checking to be safe!” Buck defends snatching his phone back, checking the screen for any miss calls before sighing and sliding his phone back into his pocket. “You’re worrying about an ex-detective turned firefighter meeting up with her dad... how does Y/N deal with you.” Chimney questioned earning another eye roll from Buck. “You just never know. I know what it’s like to not have a good relationship with your parents. I’d be dying right now if I were in her position.” Buck explains and Hen shows a bit of empathy for the boy. “Y/N isn’t you Buck, she’s not any of us, she’s her. If you hadn’t noticed she doesn’t really hold grudges, she gonna go see him, pretend like nothing happened and then when he disappears again she’ll forget that he even came back into her life.”

“Vending Machine, you want anything?” James questioned as you reach the midway point of the course. “My god, yes please.” You huff, wiping the sweat from your forehead. You join James and Kayla near the machine, taking a seat besides Kayla on her bench. “Water please.” “There is only soda.” James calls back and both girls groan, rolling there eyes. “It’s too hot of soda.” Kayla groaned, you nod in agreement. “Sprite, I guess.” “Coke for me.” You lean your head back to hang in exhaustion. “So.. how has LA been? Any boyfriend?” Kayla starts up conversation, different from how she use to be. “Better than back home and yeah, yeah a boyfriend.” “Boyfriend? What’s his name?” James over hears, turning and handing us our respected can of soda. You open it and down half of it, placing the cold can on your neck before replying, “Buck, well Evan Buckley but we call him Buck. We work together.” They nod, as dad and his wife join us ready to continue the game. You go to stand and suddenly stumble back at the blackness that suddenly clouds your vision. “Whoa, Y/N you okay?” Your dad reaches out to stop you from falling. “Yeah, yeah, just stood up to fast. I’m fine.” You remember, you haven’t eaten since you’ve left work the night prior and water.. well water isn’t exactly your drink of choice. “Are you sure?” James double checks. “Yes I’m fine.”You shrug your dad’s arm from your shoulder and start the small uphill hike to the next hole, however before you can get your bearings you’re suddenly on the ground slumped again the rocks of the golf course, the world around you coming in and out. 

The blaring of the alarm puts everyone in the 118 into motion as the team climbs into the firetruck and ambulance and as the truck pulls into drive, Buck’s phone goes off in his pocket. His sister Maddie. “Maddie what is it? We’re on a call-” “Yeah yeah I know, it’s about the call... it’s Y/N.” 

“LAFD please clear the way.” Bobby, followed by the team arrives onto the scene where James is waiting at the beginning of the course to lead them to the still incoherent Y/N. “What exactly happened?” Bobby questioned, Buck and Eddie standing to each side of him as Chimney and Hen make there way onto the course to evaluate her. “We stopped to get a drink from the vending machine and then when we went to continue she went to walk up the hill and just boom, dropped.” “Her vitals are all good, she’s coming in and out, she’s extremely dehydrated!” Hen calls from their position, Hen and Chimney kneels on the ground besides you. “Y/N!” Buck yells going to take off to join them, however, stopped by both Eddie and Bobby. “Buck stop! Go get water from the stand, Eddie from the ambulance get a gerny, I’ll go get Y/N, Eddie set up under the sprinklers here.” “Bobby, let me go get her-” “Buck follow the order.” With a red face, Buck stomps away from his captain in the direction of the convent stand to get water. Bobby treks his way through the course joining half of his team as well as her father and step mother. Hen has already inserted an IV with water into Y/N arm and slowly was she regaining her consensuses. “Y/N, it’s Bobby we’re going to move you, okay?” “Bobby?” You mumbled as he counted to three, lifting you effortlessly, Hen holding the IV bag as Chimney follows with the medical bag in hand. Bobby knows you’re with them as he can feel you holding onto his neck as he carries you but as your head drops forward, he begins talking. “Y/N talk to me.” “I’m okay.” Your voice trails off, head dropping completely backwards as your arms go slightly limb as they arrive to the beginning of the course again, where Eddie had a gerny, Buck had water and sprinklers were raining water lightly down. “Y/N come on, wake up!” Bobby’s voice gets louder as he sits you down completely out cold. “Y/N!” Buck’s voice calls louder as he shoved the bottle of water into Eddie’s hands. “Y/N!” Buck shakes you, both hands on either side of your face and with the shakening and the sprinkling of water as well as the IV coursing water into your body, you’re eyes flutter open. “Buck, I’m fine.” Buck smiles, sighing in relief, his head dropping forward grateful for you’re eyes opening. “Y/N when was the last time you ate?” Hen’s judgmental voice speaks up as her arms cross. “Um-” You shut your eyes tightly, the exhaustion not leaving your body. “Cap, what did you make for dinner late night?” Scoffs from your team fill the air. “You are an idiot.” Buck mumbles besides you and you lightly push him off. “Eddie, go get get a milkshake or something please.” Bobby orders and Eddie nods rushing off to get it. “Chocolate! She doesn’t like Vanilla!” Buck calls after his teammate, his eyes falling to her family, standing just off to the side watching in silence as she mingles with the team that just saved her. “So... I’m assuming that’s Buck?”

[rafael-silva]

LET'S SPREAD SOME LOVE: TAG YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE/BLOGGERS AND LET THEM KNOW HOW APPRECIATED THEY ARE 💗

so this took me a while because I was compiling a list and wanted to make sure I don't forget anyone! I have a feeling I still might have, and I'm sorry if I did, but honestly, if we're mutuals, know that I appreciate you so much!

@reyescarlos: KIM! I’m so incredibly grateful for you and your beautiful heart and soul. you always make me smile and I’m so blessed to have you in my life. I love our conversations about everything, I adore you and your friendship means so much to me. and your writing! your talent! I’m always in awe and always blown away every time you post a new fic. your vision and your way with words are always captivating and so stunning and I feel blessed I get to read your beautiful works! and your constant support and encouragement towards me means the world to me, and always uplifts me and really gives me so much motivation and strength. and you know how much I get excited and love reading your tags!! you’re absolutely wonderful and I’m so thankful for you and for the force that brought us together! (I know I keep telling you this every chance I get, but your tarlos playlist really is a gift to this world!)

@reyesstrand: MADDIE! I’ve adored your blog for so so long, I would literally be like “I really want to be her friend” when I’d see you on my dash and I was so so happy when we started talking and so grateful we’ve become friends! you’re one of my closest friends on here and I love love love our conversations and how we’d talk about the episodes together after watching them and how we delve into headcanons together and build on each other’s ideas! when I get ideas about headcanons and character dynamics and scenes and I'm always like "I can't wait to tell maddie about this and talk about it together!" and you’re always so supportive, sweet and good to me, talking to you always brightens my day! and your fics! I literally adore everything you write, you capture the characters so incredibly well and I love all your ideas so much! you’re so talented and I’m always so excited when you post something new! I’m truly so grateful for you and for your friendship!

@actuallysara: SARA! I don’t think there are enough words to express how grateful I am that we started talking and quickly became so close. you’ve always been so so supportive, literally from the first moment we started talking and you offering to read my fic before I post it and giving me feedback. and you’re always so lovely and sweet and good to me, I’m so blessed to have you in my life! I love our 300 conversations at once so much, ronen would be proud of us fhgskjhgs and thank you for always listening to me ramble about my sets and fic ideas and always being there for me, your encouragement towards my ideas and life in general always uplifts me and your kind words motivate me! we literally talk about anything and everything and I love going !!!! with you about so many things! you’re beautiful inside and out and I’m so thankful for you and for your friendship!

@rafaelsilva: JILL! you were one of the very first lone star blogs I followed and you and your blog have been bringing me joy ever since! I remember seeing your gifs and being completely amazed by the way you color the color, how all your colorings are so pretty and so vibrant and beautiful! the amount of love I have for your sets and you helped me to start figuring out how to color lone star and have scenes look good! and I adore talking to you and freaking out over the episodes together and talking about what we want to see and have explored on the show and literally going !!!!!! together! and also our love for the old guard, all your old guard sets are also *chefs kiss* and so stunning! you’ve been so supportive and so lovely and welcoming to me from day one, and all your love and support means so much to me! I’m so grateful for you and so blessed to have you in my life!

I also have so much love for:

@strandtk @marjansmarwani @kenzaridavid @eddiediaz @olyphant-tim @howtosingit @sunshinestrand @buckeybarns @reyeslonestar @ronenrubinstein @morganaspendragonss @chrishemsworht @tkstrrand @laelipoo @natashasromanofff @bosemanchadwick @strangehighs @kamalaskhans @bartonclinton

and the lovely weewoofam, I’m so incredibly grateful for you all and so happy to be part of our fam! all of you guys, and the server, have become such a big part of my every day and you’re all so sweet and supportive, I have so much love for you all!

@maygrant @evanbuckleys @briannabaker @taylorjoy-anya @diazchristopher @alberthan @buckleys-diaz @silvarafael @jddryder @buckleystrand @karenwilson @buck-evan @chrissiewatts @lucifersmorningstars @diazalex @inejs-kaz @marjvn @ravens-words @themandarin @diazactually @theedorksinlove @peachbuck @buttercupbuck @lesbiandiaz @alkaysani and its not letting me mention anymore people but literally every single person in the fam!

[half-bakedboy]

he is your heart (and you are his) (read on ao3)

Pairing: Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz Rated: Teen Summary: Eddie couldn’t remember why he was flicking aimlessly through the blank channels on the television. He couldn’t remember getting to his house. That wasn’t… right.

A knock on the door echoed in his ears like a gunshot.

He stood up and walked over mindlessly, reaching out his hands in front of him to slide his index finger through the splatter of what looked like blood on the back of the door. He leaned forward and through the peephole was the last person he had ever expected to see.

“Shannon?”

Or... What happened in Eddie's subconscious after being shot changed everything for the better.

Eddie couldn’t remember why he was flicking aimlessly through the blank channels on the television. He couldn’t remember getting to his house. That wasn’t… right. He turned off the screen so he could focus and glanced around the room, barely recognizing what surrounded him. The photos that should have been on the wall were blurred, but even when he blinked his eyes repeatedly, his vision didn’t clear. 

A knock on the door echoed in his ears like a gunshot. 

He stood up and walked over mindlessly, reaching out his hands in front of him to slide his index finger through the splatter of what looked like blood on the back of the door. He leaned forward and through the peephole was the last person he had ever expected to see. He threw the door open, uncaring for the mess it might have made when it hit the wall, and tears rushed to his eyes. 

“Shannon?” 

“Eddie,” she said, her voice like music to his ears. 

He pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his nose into her neck, breathing in the scent of cinnamon and… burning rubber? He shot back, holding her shoulders tightly as he took in her presence. She was standing right in front of him, looking as beautiful as the day he met her. In fact, she looked exactly as she did the day he met her, white sundress and all. 

“What’s going on? Why are you— How are you here?” he asked, breathless. He tried to hold in the sobs that threatened to burst out of his mouth, the pressure on his chest almost too much to bear. 

“Because you needed me, silly. Can we sit? We’re going to miss the show!”

Her smile lit up the room, as it always had, and she pulled him toward the couch, joy never faltering even as he hesitated to follow her. When they sat, she laced their fingers together and pulled them up to her mouth, kissing the back of his hand gently. She rested them back on her lap and turned toward the television as if waiting for the black screen to light up on its own. 

“You have to turn it on, Eddie. Christopher isn’t going to wait forever,” she noted, patting his shoulder lightly. 

“Where is Christopher? Where am I?” Eddie stared unblinking at Shannon as if she would disappear if he looked away. “How are you here, Shan?” he asked again, pleading through a barely contained sob. 

“We have to watch the show, okay?” she urged again, eyes still unblinking as she stared. “Eddie, we don’t have much time.” Even though her voice sounded pleading, the smile stayed wide on her lips. 

“Okay, what do I do?” 

Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the remote and pressed the power button. The TV sprang to life and the telltale sound of a baby crying resounded through the room. There was a hospital room on screen and doctors he recognized surrounded Shannon’s bedside. He even saw himself on the other side of the bed, tears of joy springing to his eyes. 

“God, he was so small. Do you remember him being that small?” Shannon asked, leaning her head onto Eddie’s shoulder. 

“He was six pounds, two ounces of pure love,” Eddie said and Shannon nodded in response. “He’s almost up to my shoulders now, you know. I swear he’s going to be taller than me,” Eddie noted with a laugh. 

“He gets that from my side of the family,” Shannon responded. Eddie leaned over to kiss the top of her head as the screen switched. 

Christopher was six years old, Eddie remembered. He had surprised his family by being home for Christmas and he and Shannon spent the entire week fighting. He remembered how much Shannon resented him for coming back for such a short amount of time. Every time he came back meant she would have to watch him leave again and she didn’t think that was fair to her. 

“It wasn’t, but we made it through,” Shannon said. He didn’t think he was speaking out loud, but he didn’t allow himself to put much thought into how she knew what he was thinking. 

“We made it through and Christopher still talks about that Christmas like nothing bad ever happened.” 

Eddie remembered that he had brought it up a few months ago. He still had the coloring books Shannon had bought him and the stones for his rock collection Eddie had found in Afghanistan. He loved that Christmas and looked back on it fondly, not as the last one before his mom left, but as the one he spent with the woman he admired most. 

“Who’s this?” Shannon asked as another memory popped into view. 

It was Ana. 

Eddie’s heart warmed. She was sitting on the couch with Christopher leaning into her side and Eddie just a few feet away, leaning against the doorframe to watch them. Christopher seemed happy and Ana was as content as one could be. She was reading him a story, one that Christopher had picked out because she apparently sounded like the female character looked, and Eddie was listening and admiring, just taking it all in. 

“She’s really good with him.” 

There was no jealousy or sadness in her tone, just… quiet observation. 

“She’s wonderful, but—” Eddie choked on something in his throat, but pushed the feeling aside in favor of turning toward Shannon again. “She’s not you, Shan.”

Shannon’s laughter was bright but she looked understanding when she reached over to cup Eddie’s cheek in her hand. 

“Of course she isn’t, Eddie. If she was, no one would allow you to keep dating her,” she noted, a hint of sarcasm in her tone that almost had Eddie chuckling.

“It wouldn’t matter what they thought, you know that,” he said instead, pressing his hand over hers. 

“You are stubborn. It’s part of why I fell in love with you.”

“You always were the one to knock me down when I got too high and put me back in my place, weren’t you?” 

A few memories filtered across the screen of the first time Eddie had met Shannon and their first few dates up until he asked her to marry him. It had been one of the most incredible days of his life, only matched by the arrival of Christopher and maybe when he started at the one-eighteen.  

“As I was saying,” Shannon began, making sure Eddie was staring into her eyes. They looked exactly how he remembered them but maybe just a little less sadness and more peace in them than before. “No matter what you do, Eddie, Ana is never going to be me.”

“I know that, I—” She silenced him with a finger on his lips. 

“Because as much as you loved me—and I know that you did, I never doubted that for a second—we were never meant to be together. You never wanted me the way that I wanted you and that was only solidified between us once Christopher arrived.” 

“What does that mean? I always wanted you, Shannon. I’d take you back in a moment if I could,” Eddie pleaded, closing his eyes and breathing her in, hoping that if he just focused enough he could stay with her forever. 

“You stayed with me because you thought that’s what was best for Christopher and I stayed with you because I didn’t think I could ever find another man that would choose him one thousand times over.” She took a breath and ran her thumb over his eyebrow, a source of comfort she always provided to both him and their son when they needed it. 

“Christopher is everything,” Eddie whispered. 

“He is, but that doesn’t mean you have to set what you deserve aside. He has the biggest heart because of you, Eddie, which means sometimes, you have to follow your own above his.” 

Be sure you’re following your own heart, not Christopher’s, okay? 

Eddie hiccuped, “I just— I miss you so much.” 

He pressed their foreheads together, holding onto her face as tightly as he could without hurting her. 

“I miss you, too, Eddie. But keep watching, okay?” Shannon urged, pressing her palm against his cheek and pushing his face back toward the television. 

He didn’t care what was on the TV, though, because he wanted to look at her . He wanted to take her in; the floral dress she was wearing seemed to blow in the nonexistent wind and her wavy hair framed her sharp jaw, softening her features and making her look almost angelic. He wanted to gaze into her eyes and see the light in them that he had watched dim to nothing only a few years prior. 

He didn’t care what was on the screen, he just wanted—

“Christopher!”

Buck. 

The crack in his best friend’s voice had Eddie’s eyes glued to the television again. Buck was covered in dirt and drenched to the bone. He was trembling and his skin was red and raw. He had a limp in his walk but he kept pushing forward. 

“Christopher!” 

“No, I— I don’t want to see this,” Eddie begged. 

He grabbed the remote and pressed whatever buttons he could, but the remote he thought he grabbed wasn’t that at all. It was Christopher’s glasses, shattered in his hand. He dropped them like they burned his skin and suddenly his arm was on fire, burning deep into his core. He screamed and held onto Shannon’s hand tighter, squeezing so hard that it must have hurt her. She didn’t even flinch. 

“You have to, Eddie. You have to keep watching,” Shannon urged. 

Eddie loved her smile and while it usually calmed him down and settled the nerves under his skin, that time it caused fear to tingle down his spine instead. 

“Why? Why are you here, Shannon?” he asked; pleaded. 

“Look!” she said with a laugh. “I used to love playing I-Spy with Christopher. He would always figure out exactly what I was spying so quickly because he was so smart. He is the smartest kid, isn’t he?” Shannon asked, leaning back against Eddie as if to try and calm him down. 

Eddie watched as Buck wrapped his arm around Christopher’s shoulder and pointed up at a building halfway underwater. They were on a firetruck, that much Eddie noticed. He could see the bright red through the grimy water and the yellow stripes of Christopher’s shirt stood out starkly against it. His son was grinning up at the building, too focused on whatever Buck was pointing at and saying to notice the flood of bodies moving behind them. 

“Why are you showing me this? Why are we watching this?” Eddie closed his eyes to try and stop the tears that threatened to fall again. 

“Because Eddie, you’ve never been good at following your heart,” Shannon said with a shake of her head. “You always listen to your brain and make decisions you deem as logical without letting what your heart is screaming at you have any say.” 

“That’s not true,” Eddie began, but Shannon cut him off with a raise of her eyebrows. 

“Your brain made the choice to enlist even though your heart told you to stay with me and your son.”

“That’s not fair,” he sobbed, bringing her hand up to his lips and letting his lips rest on her skin. “I had to do what was best for our family, for Christopher.” 

“Did you ever think that what’s best for Christopher might be having a father who shows him that he can follow his heart? That what’s best for you might be exactly what Christopher needs?” Shannon asked. 

At that moment, memories of Buck flashed across the screen. 

Buck with Christopher. Buck with Eddie. All three of them together, like a family. 

He watched his son and Buck skateboarding, surfing, picking up groceries, at the movies, out to dinner, grabbing ice cream, going to a baseball game. Everything under the sun that they had all done together played across the screen. There were moments that went on longer where Buck had picked up Christopher from Abuela’s house and soft kisses on cheeks were exchanged with those Eddie cared about most. There were clips of Buck helping Christopher with his math homework even though he had no idea what he was doing and showing up with stacks of books on whatever interested Christopher that week. 

Eddie had to look away or risk his heart bursting out of his chest. 

“Keep watching,” Shannon whispered, her smile widening. “This is my favorite part.” 

Her favorite was apparently their moments alone, just Buck and Eddie existing without any other cares in the world. In each one, Eddie could see his feelings bright as day on his face and hoped it wasn’t as obvious as it looked on the television. He knew how he felt—it was almost impossible to avoid it—but to see it on screen as clear as day was almost hard to watch. 

He could see how much he wanted with everything in him to reach out and pull Buck into a hug when he was sad or hurt. And when Buck was so happy he didn’t know how to contain the smile on his face, Eddie grinned right back like nothing could possibly bring them down. His eyes shone when Buck so much as glanced in his direction and when possible, Eddie was pressed right against his side as if it was the most normal thing in the world. 

His heart seemed to explode inside of his chest at the small gestures of love he saw between them. He leaned forward in his seat, loosening his grip on Shannon’s hand subconsciously as comfort flooded through him. He yearned to reach out to the screen and put himself back in front of Buck, finally take the chance to touch him a little more than platonically or kiss him like he had meant to for the last two years. 

Then he recoiled and his heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, the pain in his shoulder radiating throughout his entire body at what he saw next. 

He watched himself stare, barely any emotion on his face when Buck was crushed beneath the ladder truck and saw his own face fall into panic as Buck coughed up blood at Athena’s house, eyes locked with Eddie’s like a silent plea for help. He blinked away tears while Buck dug at the mud that had trapped Eddie underground, screaming and sobbing his name as Bobby pulled him to comfort.  

The last memory seemed to move in slow motion. One second he was standing in front of the ambulance that was bringing Charlie to safety and then next, Buck was covered in blood. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and all Eddie wanted to do was reach out to him and make sure he was okay. There was so much blood. 

Eddie reached toward the screen and everything went black.  

“What happened? Shannon, what’s going on?” he asked, grabbing for the remote again but that time, cold metal was in its place. 

The gun was too heavy in his hand and he felt wrong to be holding it in the home he had worked so hard to keep his horrible, violent past out of. Before he could discard the weapon, it went off. He flinched, checking himself for injury before he saw the blood darkening the white sleeve of Shannon’s dress. Eddie pressed at the wound instinctively with his palm, grabbing the closest thing in reach to put pressure on it. 

An eerily familiar white shirt. 

“Shannon?! Shannon! Oh my god, Shannon. I got you, I’m here, okay? I got you,” he pleaded, holding onto her smiling face with one hand while keeping pressure on the hole in her chest. He sobbed over her, tears streaming down his face and his stomach twisting in fear.

When the shirt had soaked through, he pulled it away to change it, but the gaping wound was gone. It was like it never existed. The blood still stained her dress, but instead of a puddle of red, it was splattered across her chest and face, small droplets that fell down her cheeks like tears. She reached out to touch over his heart and when she did, her fingers grazed a bullet-sized hole in his own shoulder. 

He found himself unable to breathe as she laughed joyfully in front of him. 

“Can’t you see, Eddie?” Shannon asked excitedly, practically bouncing where she sat. 

“See what?” he pleaded. 

“He is your heart, Eddie. And you are his. He needs you.”

“I can’t breathe, I can’t— Shannon, wait,” he broke off, panicked as she started fading right in front of him. “No, no, no! Please, don’t go. I can’t do this without you,” he begged. 

He didn’t care for the way his shoulder seized in pain or how his heart bled out of his chest, his uniform covered in the sticky substance that would never wash away. He didn’t want her to go, not yet. He had so many questions, so many things he wanted to say to her, to make sure she knew. 

“I know, Eddie. I miss you, I love you, I would give anything for you to come with me,” she said, running her thumb over his eyebrow again before cupping his jaw in her hand, “but I know of two—and a lot more—people who miss you right now and who love you more than I can even begin to show you.”

“I’m scared, Shan,” Eddie admitted, leaning into her touch even as it drifted away. She was practically a ghost, cool touch and transparent skin, in front of him. “What if I can’t do this without you?” he asked, frozen.

“You have been,” she said simply. “Now, go. Think about what we’ve talked about, okay? You deserve to be just as happy as you’ve made our son.” 

Eddie wanted to hold onto her tighter, stop her from floating through the front door because he knew he would never see her again, not like that. He didn’t want to lose the memory of her smile or the way she felt against his hands now that it was so clear in his mind. He stood up to follow her, but behind him, he heard a voice. 

He heard Buck. 

He wandered down the hallway until he stood in Christopher’s doorway, watching Buck sit next to his son, a worried look on his face like he was holding back tears. Eddie wanted to wipe them away and wondered why he was crying. He hated seeing Buck sad. 

“You know, your dad is, uh... he's tough as nails. He's a fighter, right?” Buck said to Christopher. He sniffed back emotion and Eddie kneeled in front of them. 

“Hey, I’m okay, I’m right here. I’m not fighting anymore,” Eddie reminded them, but neither looked away from each other. They had no idea he was there. 

“So, uh, he—he’s with the doctors now,” Buck explained. Eddie tilted his head as the pain in his shoulder increased minutely. 

“Like the ones that fixed you?” Christopher asked. The smile on his face looked just like the one on Shannon’s and Eddie’s heart squeezed in his chest. He tried to reach out but he couldn’t move his arms. 

Why couldn’t he move his arms?

“Uh-huh, yeah. Like the ones who fixed me,” Buck agreed. 

After a few brief moments of silence, Christopher asked, “Then he's gonna be okay, right?” 

“I’m going to be fine, Christopher. I would never leave you. I would never leave either of you,” Eddie said firmly. 

As he tried to stand, to pull the two of them close and remind them that he was right there, the pain in his shoulder intensified and a heavy weight pressed down on his chest. He felt like he was being ripped in half and he screamed in pain as an invisible force started to pull him toward the door. 

“No! Not them, too! I won’t leave them!” Eddie swore, grabbing onto the doorframe as Buck’s phone chimed in his hand. When he opened the message, a breath of relief pushed from his lungs and he smiled for the first time since Eddie had walked into the room. 

“Yeah, I think so, buddy. I think so.”

As Eddie let go of the frame, his screams intermingled with the sobs that poured from Buck’s mouth. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Buck.” 

If Christopher said it, Eddie had to believe it. 

--------------------------

He woke up slowly, the telltale sounds of machines whirring and beeping solidifying what he already knew. He was in a hospital room and he was hurt, badly if the pain radiating throughout his entire body said anything. 

“You gonna stay awake this time?” Ana asked. She pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles gently, taking a deep, relieved breath. “You gave all of us quite the scare, Edmundo.”

“What happened? I— Is Charlie okay? Buck, he— There was blood. He was covered, is he—?” 

Ana was already pressing a hand to his chest to keep him laying down before he could even think about getting up. His eyes scanned the room but he only saw Ana. He hated how disappointed that made him. She deserved more than that. 

“Charlie is okay, Buck is okay. Everyone is okay,” Ana said slowly, pushing his hair back from his sweaty forehead gently. “Charlie is up in the pediatric ward until the social worker comes by. He’s going to be staying with me when he’s out,” she noted. 

“You’re going to foster him?” 

Ana nodded and said, “I’ve thought about it before, but something about him just pushed me to my decision. His mom is getting the help she needs and they think she’s going to be okay to reunify with him at the end of it. It’d be nice to have some company, you know?” 

“I didn’t know you had thought about that. I didn’t realize—”

“Buck saved your life,” she said quickly as if she was ripping off a bandaid from a wound she wasn’t sure was healed. 

“He did?” Eddie asked. 

“Yeah, he did.” 

He pressed his eyes together and tried to remember what had happened. He felt the sting in his shoulder and the numbness that followed. He saw the bright red blood splattered across Buck’s face and soaking his stark white shirt. He felt the rough concrete scraping against his back and the insurmountable worry when he regained consciousness and Buck was still covered in blood. 

“I need to…” He wasn’t exactly sure what he needed to do, but Ana was already smiling softly over at him. 

“He’s on his way. I called him when you woke up about fifteen minutes ago but you know how L.A. traffic can be,” Ana explained. 

“Why isn’t he here? Where’s Christopher?” He glanced up at the clock and realized it was after the time he was supposed to be home to relieve Carla. “Did anyone check on him? Carla was supposed to—”

“Eddie, it’s been three days.” His heart sank. “Between Carla and Buck, they had it covered.”

“Oh,” he breathed, running a hand over his face. “Ana, I—”

“I’ve never heard someone so worried for another person before,” she interrupted. “When Buck called me, I was sure you were dead,” she said almost conversationally.

“It always seems that way,” Eddie explained. He remembered watching his friends, his army family, be injured in the line of duty. Every one had the worst-case scenario flashing through his mind first and foremost. 

“You don’t understand, Eddie,” she began, squeezing his hand a little tighter. “When Buck called me, I had to console him. I had to calm him down enough so that he could actually tell me what was going on. I was worried, of course, but Buck? He was devastated. ” 

“He’s my—”

"If you say best friend I swear to God I’m walking out of this room without saying another word,” Ana threatened. Eddie kept his mouth shut. “I have to ask… Did you know that he’s in love with you?” 

Eddie thought about the question. Did he? Wasn’t he sure that Buck would never leave him and Christopher’s lives, so positive he made Buck the legal guardian of his son in case of his demise? Wasn’t he positive that Buck was the one taking care of Christopher at that very moment, not worried about his son because he knew he didn’t have to be? Wasn’t that the love that Shannon told him all about? 

“I don’t think either of us knew,” he said honestly. He couldn’t look at her, opting instead to focus on the IV dripping what he thought must have been morphine into his arm. “I’m sorry, Ana.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Eddie. Moments like this put things into perspective. You weren’t the only one who made some realizations the last few days,” Ana said with a small laugh. When Eddie sent her a questioning gaze, she explained, “I always thought I needed a husband in order to have a family. That’s what I was taught growing up, what society has pushed on me. It was the only way I thought I would ever have worth.”

“That’s not true,” Eddie interjected, running his thumb over the back of her hand. 

“I know that now. I could have fallen in love with you. I could have married you and been a parent to your child, but I don’t know if that would have ever made me happy. What I’m about to do, with Charlie? That’s what I’ve always wanted. To open my home to those in need while still maintaining the independence I didn’t think I could have.” 

“You’re incredible, Ana Flores, you know that?” Eddie asked, reaching up to stroke her hair gently. “Any person would be lucky to have you in their life in whatever way you want them,” he noted, “and I hope that doesn’t mean we can’t…” He trailed off in hopes that she would fill in the blanks to what he was thinking. 

“I will always be there for you and Christopher.” After a moment, she added, “And Buck.”

Eddie laughed, “Yeah, I guess we are more of a package deal than I originally thought.” 

“It would be great for both of you to talk, maybe… now?” she asked, glancing through the glass that surrounded them. 

That’s when Buck came into view. He ran down the hallway like he was running to a scene, his breath panting out of him as he stopped at the door, the brightest smile Eddie had ever seen tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“Hey, Buck,” Eddie whispered. 

“Hey,” Buck responded, relief clear even with only one word. 

“I’m going to get going,” Ana said as she stood. She leaned over and pressed a kiss between Eddie’s eyebrows and then his cheek before whispering, “Remember what I said, okay?” He nodded and kissed her right back, holding her hand until she was far enough away that he had to drop it. 

She walked over to Buck and pulled him into a tight hug, pushing up on her toes to whisper something in his ear as well. Eddie couldn’t hear what she said, but the shock on Buck’s face was enough to have him pressing his lips together to contain a laugh. She patted his cheek gently as she pulled away and turned enough to shoot a quick wink in Eddie’s direction before walking out the door. 

Buck stood where he was for a second, seemingly thinking about whatever Ana had said to him, but Eddie didn’t like him so far away. 

“I’m okay, Buck, thanks to you, I’ve heard,” he said, holding out a hand and smiling when Buck instantly took a few steps forward, taking it in his own. 

They had never held hands before—at least, not out of happiness instead of hurt—but somehow it felt right. It felt like they had done it a million times before and would do it every chance they got in the future. 

“You know, I’ve always been worried about you running into fires or being lowered into wells, but being shot was never on my radar,” Buck said as an attempt at humor. Eddie laughed but Buck couldn’t seem to make the sound. “I wasn’t sure I was going to get you out of there and then once I did, I wasn’t sure I could keep you alive,” Buck whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. 

“Hey,” Eddie said, urging Buck to look at him with a squeeze of his hand, “I’m okay.” He repeated the words even though they were obvious. “I’m more than okay, Buck. I— I saw Shannon,” he said quickly. 

When he expected Buck to stare at him like he was insane, Buck just tilted his head in worry. 

“How is she?” he asked and Eddie fell just a little more in love. 

“She’s still beautiful, happier, I think. She still knows how to put me in my place,” Eddie commented. 

“Well, someone has to when you’re unconscious and I can’t do it,” Buck retorted, smacking Eddie’s hand playfully. 

“She, uh, showed me a lot of… she made things more clear for me. About myself, about… well, you.” 

“Yeah? What about me?” he asked. Eddie recognized that hopeful tone and it healed him more than rest ever would. 

“She said that I don’t follow my heart and that I listen to the logical part of my brain more than I should,” Eddie noted. He could tell Buck wanted to agree, but he stayed silent, nodding for Eddie to continue. “She made me realize that I’ve spent so much time making decisions for Christopher, I never stopped to think about what I deserve.”

“What Christopher needs is the most important,” Buck pointed out. 

And suddenly, he understood what Shannon meant a little more. Eddie would choose Christopher one thousand times over, but so would Buck. His heart matched the size of Christopher’s and Buck had given it to both his son and Eddie from the moment they met. 

Buck was Eddie’s heart and he deserved to finally follow it.  

“I love you,” Eddie blurted out. “I love the way that you love my son and the way that I know you love me. What Christopher needs is more important, but I guess we’re pretty lucky,” he noted. 

“Why is that?” Buck asked, that hope still shining in his face as he leaned closer as if he couldn’t control it. 

“Because what Christopher and I both need is you.” 

And it really was that simple. 

When he kissed Buck, it was like all the pieces of the puzzle slotted into place and what everyone else had apparently already known was made as clear as day to the two of them. Eddie didn’t want to pull away, but he had no say in it when Buck pulled his head back and sent Eddie an inquisitive look. 

“So, your ex-wife and ex-girlfriend really did all this, huh?” Buck teased. 

“Shut up,” Eddie said with a roll of his eyes.

What he knew Buck heard, though, was I love you, I’m never leaving you, I need you in my life forever, and I’ll try not to get hurt again.

And Eddie was grateful Buck said as much right back. 

[tripleaxeldiaz]

maybe one day i’ll fly next to you

chapter 5/8

read on ao3

start from the beginning

The Final is a big deal. Even more so this year since it’s the last international competition before the Olympics — the last chance to show the world that you’re worthy of their attention come February. Buck’s been to five of the last eight Finals, and usually all the extra attention from press and fans, even during non-Olympic seasons, make him giddy with excitement, adrenaline pumping through him for almost a solid week before he actually competes.

This time, however, it’s been a week of feeling like he’s going to throw up any second.

It’s not because he’s doing bad at practices — in fact, he’s feeling better than ever, even got to work out his shaky landing on his quad flip that’s been haunting him for weeks. Ice looks the same no matter where you are, so it’s easy for him to get lost in the two hours he’s out there and forget everything and everyone else around him while he works.

When he steps off the ice, though, he’s thrust right back into a world where everyone is keeping an eye on him, watching him to see if he’ll live up to the expectations of being one of the best US skaters a top Olympic hopeful, or if he’ll crumble under the pressure of trying to be the best but always falling a little bit short, especially since the last Games. He’s always viewed it as a redemption — overcoming his injury and clawing his way back to the top — but he can’t control how outsiders view it, has no idea if they feel the same way or have counted him out all together. ESPN can do as many pieces on him as they want, but they can’t guarantee that people are still rooting for him. He’s sure people are talking about him, but he’s steered clear of social media knowing that even if there are nice things about him floating around, it’ll still make him feel worse, crushed by more and more expectations that he’s still not sure he’s going to live up to.

He misses when all that attention would make him feel like he was invincible. 

The biggest thing keeping him sane — despite the 6,000 miles between LA and Turin — is Eddie. They’d seen each other plenty before Buck left, Eddie still coming to the rink every day for PT and light workouts so he could stay in shape while he recovered. It was good, it was normal, even if Eddie wasn’t skating. 

But the night before his flight to Italy, the prospect of being at one of the most important competitions of the season, of his life, without most of his other teammates had hit him hard once again, sucking all the air out of his lungs and making the room spin. 

He called Eddie without even thinking and barely heard him say “Hello?” before he was spilling everything, letting out all the fears and worries he had been trying to keep under control since Bobby told him he was going to the Final. Despite being caught very off guard at 12:30 in the morning, Eddie had listened to it all — really listened, Buck could tell even over the phone. He sympathized with his fears and doubts and didn’t try to downplay them with empty platitudes. And somehow, in those frantic moments, to be heard like that was enough. Enough for the worries in Buck’s head to quiet down and retreat back into the shadows, enough for him to finally be able to breathe. They kept talking afterwards, the smooth timbre of Eddie’s voice making his eyes feel heavier and heavier, until they close and open again to sunlight filtering into his room, his phone on the pillow next to him with a disconnected call and a text that says You’re going to be amazing. Call me whenever you need me.

Buck didn’t think he’d take Eddie up on that, but he’s called him every day since he arrived and every time, no matter what time it is, Eddie picks up and listens to him.

On the last day of practice before short programs, dread settles heavy in Buck’s stomach and doesn’t get any lighter as the day wears on. He skates at the practice rink until his fingers feel numb with cold, and works out after even longer, blasting music in his headphones so he’s not alone with his thoughts for too long. He’s exhausted when he gets back to his room, the quiet that’s become so unfamiliar mixing with the dread and weighing down Buck’s entire body, feeling like it’s trying to push him straight down into the earth. Sinking onto the bed, he dials Eddie’s number.

Five rings, and no answer. He tries again. Nothing.

He tosses his phone to the side and sighs. The dread had lightened ever so slightly at the mere prospect of getting to talk to Eddie, but now it’s back in full force. If he lays here for too long, he’s worried he might melt right into the bedspread.

There’s a knock at the door, and takes every ounce of mental and physical strength he has to get him up. He has a brief, delusional thought that maybe the person on the other side of the door is the same one who didn’t answer his phone, but it’s quickly squashed when there’s another knock, followed by a voice that’s definitely not Eddie’s.

“Buck? I know you’re in there, and I can get my hands on a master key if you don’t let me in right now.”

Hen. 

He opens the door quickly, because he thinks she’s bluffing, but there’s also a very real chance that she’s not. He stands at his full height, pushing back against the dread, and plasters on a smile. “Don’t tell me you have notes 12 hours before the competition starts?”

She looks him up and down, looks through him it seems, judging by the way he suddenly wants to curl in on himself, hide whatever it is she’s looking for. She finds it, he guesses, because she nods decisively and pushes into his room. She grabs his still packed skating bag from the foot of the bed and tosses him his jacket as she goes back into the hallway.

“Come on,” she calls over her shoulder. “We’re going for a drive.”

It takes a minute for Buck’s brain to catch up with everything, but when it does, he hustles to meet her at the elevators. They make their way to the parking lot next to the hotel, where Hen unlocks the Fiat Bobby had rented for the week to get them around. “Bobby’s cool with you taking the car?”

She shrugs. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt me.”

“So I’m basically being kidnapped right now.”

“You would’ve stayed in your room if you really didn’t want to come.”

He smiles a real smile at that — she knows him too well.

Turin is beautiful at night. The city bustles with energy as people mill around, window shopping and filling up tables outside of cafes despite the early December chill. Christmas decorations have already been hung in windows and strung over rooftops, thousands of lights washing the streets in twinkling colors. Buck lets his eyes relax as he stares out the window, losing himself in the colors that pass by, hoping they’ll burn the heaviness right out of him. They stop outside the Palavela, standing out in its shadowy height among the brightness, decked out in ISU flags in anticipation for the start of competition tomorrow. Hen turns off the car and gets out, walking into the shadows of the arena and almost disappearing before Buck catches up. They make their way to the service entrance at the back of the building, where Hen pulls a key out of her coat pocket and unlocks the door.

Buck’s jaw drops. “I believed you about the hotel, but how did you get a key to this place?”

“A lot of people owe me a lot of favors,” she says, leading the way through the back hallways. 

It occurs to Buck that he doesn’t even know why they’re here, didn’t bother to ask, but regardless, he follows her deeper into the belly of the building. Hallways twist and turn as they follow them seemingly at random, until they finally make it to a set of double doors. Hen pushes them open, and Buck has a moment of panic when he sees what’s on the other side.

“Isn’t it bad luck to see the main rink the day before a competition?”

Hen rolls her eyes and walks inside. “You’re not getting married, Buck. And we’re not just here for the ice.” She keeps moving, up into the stands and further up the stairs to the mid-level walkway. It’s a former Olympic venue, so there’s thousands and thousands of seats, and the reminder that in a few short hours, they’ll be filled with people waiting to see Buck thrive or fail spectacularly weighs him down even more, coming down on his shoulders and threatening to make him stumble. He does stumble when he runs into Hen, who’s stopped dead center of the walkway, eyes warm and bright as she nods towards the other side of the rink.

Tears swim into his vision, but not because of shot nerves or worry this time (though those may be contributing to how quickly this is making him emotional).

Fans bring posters to events all the time — beautiful, handmade posters emblazoned with flags and encouraging quotes, showing their love for their favorite skaters and teams. They’re made of cardboard or printed on fabric, but are usually small, hard to see unless you’re watching on TV or very close to the boards. Sometimes, though — with special permission from the venue, usually — they go big, creating huge tarps that get hung up on the banisters surrounding the seats and stay there all week, loudly cheering for their favorites even when they may not be in the stands.

Which is exactly what Buck comes face to face with — two banners hung across part of the middle banister, covering at least 15 seats. One has a picture of him from Autumn Classic, smiling with his gold medal, with “Go Buck Go!” in big block letters over his head, all on a deep red background and surrounded by golden fireworks. The other — the one that really takes his breath away — is a collage of pictures from his programs over the years, some of his more memorable spins and poses emblazoned across the dark blue fabric. His final pose from his short this season, reaching toward the crowd and looking off into the distance, is featured most prominently, with an ornate script next to it that reads “Evan Buckley: Future Olympic Champion”.

He grips the railing a little tighter to keep himself steady, feels Hen’s hand rubbing up and down his back.

“How—” he starts, voice a little raw.

“Bobby and I saw them when we came by earlier to get our credentials. We think someone hung them up after the short dance today so they’d be ready for tomorrow.”

“Wow,” is all Buck can manage. He’s seen his face on plenty of posters, but never like this, never something that he could see from anywhere in the arena, loudly proclaiming that there are fans in his corner, people beyond himself and his sister that see him at the top of the Olympic podium. He knows they're out there, rationally, when he’s not riddled with nerves and self doubt, but still. It’s nice to be reminded. And what a reminder this is.

“I know it’s been a rough week for you,” Hen says quietly, hand still on his back. “But just...take this in. Let it push you through the next few months. They’re rooting for you, Buck. We all are. You’ve got to keep rooting for yourself too.”

As usual, she’s right — Buck went into this season as his own biggest fan, with one goal in mind that felt like it had been slipping farther and farther away with every fall and every less than perfect score. That drive to win gold becoming more and more desperate as the weeks wore on — like if he didn’t get back to where he should be, where he needed to be, he might not survive. But he has people — his team, his family, and fans like this — who are still envisioning that success for him, who believe in him no matter what. Who will still be in his corner even if he doesn’t make it to the top. Who he wants to prove right for believing in him.

Hen pats his back one last time and heads back down the stairs. Buck lingers a little longer, taking in every detail of the banners that he can, since he won’t be able to appreciate them properly tomorrow. He sneaks a few pictures on his phone, quickly shooting them off to Maddie and Eddie. It doesn’t feel like bragging — they’re at the very top of the list of people that have constantly pulled him up when he falls down the hardest. He knows they’ll appreciate this for him, just like Hen did. They’ll understand how much this means to him.

As he follows Hen’s path down the stairs, the heaviness he had convinced himself was etched into his bones feels like it stays behind, making it easier to breathe, easier to be.

Hen’s next to the boards holding his skates out to him. “You’ve got like 30 minutes — skate it out. I’ll stand watch by the door.” He takes them and sets them on the bench before enveloping her in a hug, rocking back and forth as she laughs into his shoulder. She ruffles his hair and pats his cheek before going to her post.

He feels at peace on the ice, finally. The cold isn’t harsh, it’s invigorating. The fluorescent lights aren’t too bright, they’re comforting, lighting up the grooves and divots of the ice, showing all the paths Buck can follow. A couple of laps gets his blood pumping, roaring in his ears and blocking out everything else. He starts with some easy steps — rockers and three turns, over and over like he did in skating lessons when he was a kid, losing himself in the repetition. When he feels good, really good, he goes for a quad flip, confidence flowing into every stroke as he gets in position. He takes off, and he feels light again — right again — like he’s flying, not falling, not sinking.

Figuratively and literally rising.

~~~~~~~~~~

There’s two missed calls from Eddie when he gets back to his room, and still riding the high of his good mood, he FaceTimes him. 

“Wow, I really missed that smile,” Eddie says when the call connects, and Buck rolls his eyes, not even bothering to hide the blush he can feel warm his cheeks. Eddie must have just gotten back from PT — his hair is falling in swoops over his forehead, damp with sweat, his tank top sticking to what little Buck can see of his chest. His blush gets a couple of shades darker, he’s sure, as he tries not to let his eyes linger anywhere for too long.

Buck flops onto the bed on his back, holding his phone in front of his face. “I had a pretty good night,” he says with feigned nonchalance.

“Seeing banners of your giant face already proclaiming you the next gold medalist will do that to you.” Buck laughs and Eddie laughs with him, the sound like pure happiness, burning out the very last of the dread that had been following him since he arrived. It stops quickly when Eddie sits down on his couch and hisses, wincing as he shuffles to get comfortable. 

“Rough day with Lena?” He saw her every day for two months straight once upon a time, he knows how hard she can push.

“Rough couple of days.”

“Are you feeling better, at least? Do the doctors think it’s healing okay?”

“I have a check-up tomorrow, but it’s fine. Just sore.” He finally settles but he still looks like he’s in pain. Buck wants to press, wants to know every detail of his last few days — what exercises he’s done, when the pain really got worse, if he’s resting enough. But this isn’t his injury, and everyone heals differently. And he trusts Eddie, trusts him to know how to take care of himself like he promised he would.

“Anyway,” Eddie says lightly, clearly trying to change the subject. Buck lets him. “I’m sure this good night will make for a good day tomorrow, too. You feel ready?”

“I do,” Buck answers. He’s pleasantly surprised to find that he actually means it. 

“Good. I know you’ll be great. And you’ll have my sleep deprived text commentary to look forward to when you finish.”

Buck winces. “I’m not gonna be skating until like 4AM your time, you really don’t—”

“I really do. I really want to. And there’s not a whole lot you can do to stop me.” Eddie flashes his crowd-charming smile and Buck feels like he’s melting into the mattress again. He tries for a snappy comeback, anything to keep Eddie talking, but he cuts himself off with a yawn, the exhaustion from the week seeming to catch up with him all at once.

Eddie’s smile gets a little softer. “Go to sleep, Buck. I’m gonna take a nap too so I make sure I wake up on time.”

“Okay, okay. Goodnight Eds.”

“Goodnight. Knock ‘em dead tomorrow.”

After they hang up, Buck gives himself a minute, just a minute, to really bask in that, in Eddie’s active support of him from halfway across the world. It’s one thing to have your teammates watch your programs from the stands, but to find competitions on TV, if they’re being shown at all? To figure out time zones and wake up at ungodly hours just to watch you skate live? It may not seem like much, but it’s everything to Buck. He’s only gotten this kind of commitment from one other person in his life — even his parents stopped keeping up once he started competing abroad more. And it’s different with Maddie — they’ve been on this road together for almost two decades, so intertwined with each other’s successes and failures that they’re hard to differentiate sometimes. Sure, Eddie’s been a part of his life for years now too, but as competition, an obstacle he kept trying and failing to overcome. It’s different now that they’re...whatever they are. Friends. Almost something else. 

For the second time tonight, Buck’s reminded of how grateful he is to have another solid, supportive presence in his corner. The last lingering bits of heaviness and loneliness evaporate from within him, and he knows this weekend will be good for him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Second place.

Second place is fine. Second place is great, actually. Second place is enough to show the USFSA that he’s still a contender, that he can still keep up with the best of the best despite a rocky first half of the season.

But second place is not first place. Even if it’s only six points away.

Overall, Buck is happy with his performance. He was clean on his step sequences, attacked every jump, and didn’t fall once. And six points behind the skater from Japan that everyone considers Eddie’s biggest international rival, his biggest threat against his potential Olympic gold, would make most other people ecstatic.

He’s not most other people, though. This past week has reignited the fire in his belly and it’s burning brighter than it has in a while. The medal ceremony, the interviews, the gala, everything flashes by because all he can think about is getting back to work, changing transitions and tweaking spins until even the smallest gap between him and any other skater is erased. Until he knows his programs are undoubtedly gold medal worthy.

It’s refreshing — a relief — to be back in this headspace, being pushed forward by obstacles and less-than-perfection instead of dragged into spiraling sadness.

He almost loses it a couple of times, especially when he decides to take an innocent peek at Twitter to see what fans had to say about the Final, the words “overscored” and “inconsistent” swimming in front of him until they don’t mean anything anymore, just leave doubt lingering, trying to find the home in Buck’s brain that it had just vacated. In those moments, he goes back to his messages and rereads the live texts he’d gotten all weekend, and one in particular that makes his heart skip two beats every time he sees it: 

[from: Eddie] I think you make everyone fall a little bit in love with you every time you skate

Eddie sent it in the middle of his free skate, in the middle of dozens of other compliments and criticism of other skaters, and Buck’s sure he was half awake when he sent it, but it fills him with something he doesn’t quite have a name for. Something that makes all of the harsh words and doubts disappear, because none of those matter when Eddie is here telling him that he’s good, that he deserves all of his scores and praises. That he’s loved, no matter how often he may forget.

Another fire is burning in him, a little above the one in his gut, but it’s pushing him just as hard to prove his worth. 

~~~~~~~~~

There’s four weeks left until Nationals, and Eddie still isn’t better. 

Buck can tell he’s getting frustrated too — the tension in his shoulders gets tighter and tighter, the set of his mouth harder and harder each day he comes to the rink still wearing his air cast, only able to work in the gym and with Lena, far away from the ice and the excited chatter of preparing for the second half of the season. Buck tries to be there, a shoulder to lean on, someone to listen, but he also knows how Eddie operates — he’ll slap on a smile and say he’s fine until he’s really not, until he cracks from the inside out and finally explodes with everything he’s been holding in so he keeps up this air of perfection he’s made for himself. Buck used to think it was annoying, that perfect facade, but now he knows it’s more defensive than anything, Eddie just trying to protect himself from the world and maybe from himself.

Buck doesn’t take it personally anymore, and he’s going to do his damned best to be there to keep the cracks from spreading.

It’s after 10pm when he walks into the gym, still breathing heavily from practice, his muscles burning from overuse and the need to be stretched. He was certain he was alone, so he just about jumps out of his skin when he sees someone lying on the padded floor in front of the mirrors. When he gets closer, his blood runs cold for an entirely different reason.

It’s Eddie.

Buck’s first thought is to call for an ambulance, because why else would Eddie be lying on the floor if he hadn’t hurt himself again? But as he gets closer still, Buck thinks this might be intentional. He’s on his back, headphones on, eyes closed, rhythmically tapping his hands to whatever song he’s listening to on his stomach. As Buck's shadow passes over his face, he opens his eyes and blinks at him for a minute before giving a half-hearted smile and closing his eyes again. He looks sadder, somehow, than he has in the past weeks, dark circles under his eyes and none of the golden glow that seems to follow him wherever he goes (though that may be coming just from Buck’s own imagination anyway).

Buck’s not really sure what to do here, how to fix whatever it is that’s making Eddie feel so bad.

So he lays down right next to him and waits.

The headphones come off after 10 minutes, and Eddie doesn’t open his eyes for another five. When he does, he looks over to Buck, and rather than something supportive or sweet or literally anything else, he says the first dumb thing that comes to his head:

“Are we meditating?”

But he gets an actual smile out of it from Eddie, so he takes it as a win. 

Eddie scrubs his hands over his face. “Trying to, I think.” He turns onto his side, facing Buck, and Buck turns to mirror him. He can tell Eddie is searching for his words, the right phrasing to get his point across, and he’s willing to wait as long as he needs to for Eddie to share. 

Finally, he takes a long, steadying breath. “My doctor said I might not be able to skate until the end of January, which means I might miss Nats, which means I might not—” he gestures vaguely at that, like he expects Buck to know what his silence means. Buck knows exactly what he means, and it makes him ache for Eddie, makes him reach out and squeeze his wrist when his eyes start to shine, thumb tracing over his pulse point trying to soothe him. “I’ve worked my ass off for weeks now to get better, and it still might not be good enough.”

“I’m sorry,” Buck says quietly. “I know it sucks. More than anything.”

Eddie goes quiet again, eyes drifting to where Buck is still holding his wrist. He pulls away for just a second before slotting their fingers together properly and gently squeezing. Like always, Buck marvels at how right it feels, to be holding Eddie’s hand.

“Did you know they’ve been saying I’m the favorite to win gold for three years now? Not to brag, but—” he says quickly, eyes wide. Buck chuckles because he knows — knows now — that Eddie doesn’t have an arrogant bone in his body. He squeezes his hand back and waits for him to keep going. “It’s all I can think about. Every time I fuck up a level or finish off podium, it just stays with me, makes me feel like I’m about to crash and burn and everyone is going to be disappointed in me because I’m not actually as good as they think.” Eddie’s trembling, squeezing his hand tighter to try and stop it. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe I tricked everyone into believing in me, and this stupid busted ankle is—”

“Hey, hey, no,” Buck says, pulling them up to sitting and cupping Eddie’s face in his hands as his tears threaten to spill over, slipping through the cracks. “You don’t deserve this, Eddie, no one deserves to be injured. Believe me, I know what it’s like to put all of your worth into this, and I still do it, but...you’re worth so much more than just your skating. To the fans, to the team. To me.” Eddie’s eyes drift away from his, trying to find an escape, but Buck holds firm until they drift back. “You are good. Not just a good skater, but a good person. You’ll always have that, gold medals or not. And if no one else believes in you, I do.”

Eddie stares at him, looking dumbstruck, and he’s quiet for so long that Buck worries he went too far, bared himself a little too much. He’s about to backtrack, save both of them whatever awkwardness might come, but Eddie surges forward before he can and kisses him so fiercely he swears the earth stands still.

He pushes away just as quickly, eyes wide in panic. “Shit, Buck, I’m sorry, I know we—” but Buck cuts him off, kissing him slow and deep, hands tangling into Eddie’s hair trying to pull him as close as possible. Eddie’s everywhere, his taste, his smell, his touch, and when he feels Eddie’s smile against his mouth, a smile that he put there, he feels like flying.

It finally clicks for Buck that he doesn’t have to — doesn’t want to — compartmentalize his life so much anymore. Skating and Eddie make him happier than pretty much anything. Why shouldn’t he have both?

They break apart slowly and rest their foreheads together. Buck ended up in Eddie’s lap at some point, and from here he can’t see anything but Eddie, gets lost in the curve of his cheekbones and the pout of his lips, and mentally smacks himself for thinking it was really better not having all of this. Eddie is in his corner, always, and he wants to be in Eddie’s too. Wants him to know he’s there, to remember even at his lowest points that he’s not alone, ever.

Eddie finally opens his eyes and smiles at Buck, soft but absolutely breathtaking. He squeezes his arms a little tighter around Buck’s waist, and Buck is more than happy to get as close as he can, would crawl into Eddie’s chest and stay there forever if he could.

“What are you thinking?” Eddie asks quietly.

Buck’s thinking a lot of things, or at least he was, but now that he’s focused on honey brown eyes so full of affection he could drown in them, his only real thought is Eddie Eddie Eddie.

“I think we’re stupid,” he says after a minute, and Eddie’s laugh echos around the empty gym.

“We’re stupid?”

“Okay, I’m stupid. But I think I want to fix that.”

“Oh really?”

“I think I want to be here for you, for everything.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“I think I want to remind you how amazing you are whenever I can.”

“Buck—”

“I think I want to convince you of how incredible you are whenever you stop believing it.”

Eddie’s eyes are shining again, but his smile could also put the sun to shame.

“And I think I really, really want to keep kissing you.”

Eddie shakes his head, smile getting bigger and somehow pulling Buck even closer. “I think we can make that happen,” he whispers. 

He kisses him again, and Buck is soaring.

[nico-di-genova]

What’s in a Name

Prompt: Carlos calling TK, Tyler Kennedy Strand while proposing.

(Huge thanks to @evan-buckley-diaz for helping me come up with the proposal idea!)

       “Wait, don’t look yet,” Carlos says, moving his hands from TK’s shoulders to his face so he could cover the man’s eyes.

       TK paused for only a moment at the lack of sight, before he felt Carlos press against his back reassuringly, and took another hesitant step forward. Arms outstretched before him, shuffling forward slowly, he made his way to what he assumed was the backyard. Carlos had been weird from the moment he’d gotten home, meeting TK at the door with a kiss that felt a bit more enthusiastic than his usual greeting. Dressed in grey slacks and a tucked-in white button up, TK had almost immediately picked up on the strangeness of the whole situation. He was dressed like they were about to go out, not like this was a regular Tuesday night and TK had just gotten home smelling like smoke and sweat. Now, he was being led outside to what he could only assume was Carlos either showing him a body he’d just buried, or the grill that they hadn’t used in months. It was the middle of January, not exactly the perfect time for a bar-b-que.  

       “You’re being so weird,” he says, as Carlos tells him to step down, so he doesn’t trip.

       They must be in the backyard by now; he can smell freshly cut grass and feel the gentle breeze blowing around them. He’s thankful he’d taken a moment to change at the station, trading in his Austin FD attire for jeans and a black bomber jacket; it’s chillier than he was used to. Four years spent in Texas had turned him soft, he didn’t have the endurance he used to have against the cold.

       “Can I look now?”

       They’d come to a stop, Carlos still pressed solidly up against his back. TK leaned further against him, soaking up the body heat that rolled off him in waves. Where TK tended to run cold, Carlos operated as a human furnace. At night, curled up underneath the man’s thick comforter, it could get unbearable. Right now he was just thankful for the warmth.

       “Just a second, jeez, you’re so impatient,” Carlos huffed. TK could hear the smile in his voice, could almost picture it. The flash of perfect white teeth, and the dimples that would pull at the corners of his mouth. TK had seen that smile enough times that it was ingrained in his memory, impossible to forget.

       As odd as this was, TK had to admit it was nice. He’d spent most of the day dealing with pure stupidity. There was the man who’d set off fireworks in his kitchen and was surprised when his house actually caught on fire. The women who’d left her baby in her car while she went grocery shopping, only to realize she’d also locked her keys in the vehicle as well. Even his own team was being weird today. Marjan kept smirking at him like she knew something he didn’t, and his dad seemed to be going out of his way to avoid him. Judd and Paul had kept whispering behind his back as well and making snide comments that rubbed him the wrong way. All in all, it had been an annoying day, and as confused as he was by Carlos’ behavior he was also glad that he was finally home and not out dealing with anymore bullshit. Carlos being strange was something he could handle, at least it was a familiar strangeness.

       “Okay,” Carlos finally said, pulling his hands away, “you can look.”

       TK wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.

       “Oh,” he breathed, “wow.”

       Their backyard had been transformed into something rivaling that of a middle aged mom’s Pinterest board. String lights ran from the trees and entwined around the beams of the pergola above him; they were a soft golden glow in the black of the night. He studied them in a sort of lovestruck awe, dazzling at the way they’d been so artfully draped around the yard. There were flowers too, hanging in streams from the lights, and petals scattered at his feet. They were white and stood out in stark contrast to the dark green of the grass.

       “What-?” he started to ask before the words left him. He was amazed, if not a little confused, and he couldn’t help but wonder just how long this must have taken Carlos to put together.

       “Do you like it?” the man asked. From the corner of his eye, TK could see the way Carlos was watching him. It was with the sort of intense interest that TK still wasn’t quite used to. His brown eyes drinking in every part of TK. No matter how many times Carlos told him, whispered it against his skin on late nights, TK would never truly believe that he was worth this. Whatever this was, it seemed like something befitting a storybook character.

       “I-. It’s beautiful,” he mumbled, not quite able to find his voice still. It was like he’d stepped into a fairytale, like Carlos was some prince who’d whisked him away to a world of wonder and whimsy. He was utterly captivated.  

       Carlos beamed, “I’ve been working on it all day. Well, technically, Michelle did help me a little bit, but it was mostly me.”

       He turned to face the man, taken further aback by the look in his eyes. Carlos was watching him with nothing but pure adoration in his features.. TK could feel his heartbeat quicken under his gaze.

       “Why?” He asked, voice quiet, “I love it, but why?”  

       It’s here where something filters across Carlos’ face. It’s small, just a flash, but TK can read it: hesitation. Carlos clears his throat and shifts to put his hands in his pockets.

       “Well, I um-. I had something I wanted to ask you actually.”

       TK feels his heart beat faster, hears the way his breath catches in his throat. There’s an inkling of something at the back of his head, something that tells him he knows where this is going. He tries to ignore that part, mostly because he doesn’t want to believe it just yet. He forces himself to wait, to listen, before he starts jumping to any conclusions.

       Carlos moves from TK’s side, coming to stand in front of him. In the soft light that surrounds them, Carlos is positively radiating. His eyes are catching the golden glow just right, shining brightly. TK could get lost in the way he’s smiling, beautiful and brilliant. He wants to lean forward and kiss the man, drink in the feel of that smile against his lips and feel the warmth that’s spreading through his heart grow. Carlos’ shirt is tight on his muscular frame, sleeves cuffed right at the elbow, and the first few buttons left undone to expose his perfectly sculpted chest. He’s effortlessly beautiful, and it’s enough to drive TK mad.

       “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, but I wanted it to be perfect.” he takes a moment to breathe, to collect his thoughts, before continuing, “because TK… I’m in love with you. Like, head over heels, suffocatingly in love with you. I love the way you look in the morning, before you’ve woken up, when I can just watch the sunlight fall across your face. I love the way you laugh, how it fills up a room. I love you when you’re mad at me, and your eyebrows furrow up in the cute way they always do. I love you even when you don’t want me to, because you’re worth loving TK. Every day, for the rest of my life, I want to love you. I choose to love you, more than anyone I’ve ever loved before, because you’re worth everything to me.”

       TK can feel tears burning at the corners of his eyes, turning his vision blurry. He manages to blink them away right as Carlos smiles at him, gentle and honest, and gets down on one knee. If TK was breathing before he’s certainly not now. Air lodges itself in his throat, as his eyes widen, and he has to take a startled half step back.

       “What are you doing?” he manages to choke out, hand coming up to cover his mouth in shock.

       Carlos laughs, “what does it look like I’m doing?”

       The tears well right back up. Even though they’ve been dating for close to four years, he still can’t possibly believe this might actually be happening. It doesn’t seem real, “Are you serious?”

       Carlos nods, “yeah, tiger, I’m serious.”

       TK watches, in disbelief, as Carlos reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring. It’s silver and catches the light as he holds it in his hand.

      “I love you so much,” he says, voice beginning to waver, “so, Tyler Kennedy Strand will you marry me?”  

      The words spill out of TK’s mouth before he’s even had a chance to think about them, “fuck yes.”

      It’s so easy to ignore any other part of him. To push away the insecurities, or the past, because he can look at Carlos now and see nothing but honest, open, truth. He’s loved, intensely so. He’s loved so much that the man he’s going to spend the rest of his life with has spent all day setting up this ridiculously cheesy proposal. It’s a little over the top, a little cliché, but it’s perfect. Carlos is perfect, and nothing else in the world could matter to him right now.                

                                                   ******

       It’s later, curled up in Carlos’ arms, that he notices something about the ring he’s twirling between his fingers.

       “Is their something on the inside?” he asks, holding the band closer to his face so that he can see the engraving that’s been etched into the metal. Carlos shifts beside him on the bed.

       “Yeah, it’s um-. It’s my initials, in my handwriting,” there’s a blush burning it’s way onto his cheeks. He must know how sappy it sounds, but TK is so in love that he thinks it’s probably the cutest thing he’s ever heard.

       “Seriously?”

       “Yeah. I just wanted something for us, you know. Something private.”

       And TK had thought he was done feeling emotional for the night, but apparently not. He slides the ring back on his finger, loving how perfectly it fits, like it was some missing piece of him. It’s got just enough weight to it that he can feel it and know he belongs somewhere. It may have taken him a few years, but he’s finally gotten it right. No botched proposal, no drugs bought in the early hours of the night, just Carlos beside him, warm and familiar.

       Shifting, so he’s straddling Carlos’ hips, he looks down at the man beneath him with a lopsided grin.            

       “You’re such a sappy idiot,” he says, teasing and light.

       Carlos grins right back, “the sappy idiot you’re marrying, Tyler Kennedy Reyes.”

        He can’t help but laugh at that, “Reyes, huh?”

       “Carlos Strand doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”

       He doesn’t particularly care what name he ends up with, because in the end, they’re both equally his.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Movies in September 2020: Theaters, Streaming, and VOD

https://ift.tt/2CUVT60

Movies are back! Granted they never really left either, with Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and others keeping us satiated with content these past five months. Still, the streamers are about to be reinforced for those willing to return to movie theaters: Major Hollywood blockbuster releases are coming, and limited rollouts are slowly making their way back into cinemas around the world.

For that reason, we’ve assembled a list of potential moviegoing experiences in September, whether on the big screen (please consider the risks of attending a theatrical screening) or at home via video on demand. It’s time for the popcorn to get popping.

Bill & Ted Face the Music

Now playing in theaters and VOD in the US (September 23 in the UK)

One of the biggest movies yet to eschew its intended theatrical window for a premium video on demand (PVOD) release is this most excellent adventure. It’s been 29 years since we last saw Alex Winter’s far out Ted or Keanu Reeves’ perpetually astonished Bill, yet it’s good to have both back in their legendary stoner roles. 

The fact they’re middle-aged and still having adventures through time and space, and against the visage of Death—he’s still cheating!—is pretty sweet. As is Keanu coming back to this role one Speed, three Matrixes, and nearly five John Wick chapters later. But this time they’ve got daughters (played by Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine)… but rest assured, the children are as amused as their dads.

Tenet

Now playing in the UK (September 3 in the US)

Already playing in the UK, Tenet will be making its much vaunted North American debut in “select U.S. cities” in September. We’re still not entirely clear what that will look like, but hopefully it will be worth it for this mysterious and visually dazzling Christopher Nolan epic. 

Early reviews are in, and the majority promise Nolan’s most exciting use of IMAX spectacle to date, though even without spoilers, this one might be too big for its own good. Our own Rosie Fletcher describes it as Nolan’s long-whispered about James Bond movie meets Doctor Who…

The New Mutants

Now playing in the U.S. (September 4 UK)

Josh Boone’s journey into the X-Men universe has been pushed back so many times it almost feels like a mythical lost movie. So when it finally arrives in UK cinemas on Sept. 4 (it landed in the U.S. at the end of August) it might feel like a bizarre flashback to another era – namely that of 2017 when the main shoot took place. 

Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt, and Henry Zaga star as five young mutants held in a sinister facility against their will. It’s been positioned as an action horror which in theory sounds pretty cool, though what the final cut will look like is anyone’s guess.

Mulan

September 4 (Disney+ with premium)

One day after Tenet makes its U.S. debut, Disney, and more specifically Disney+, offers a starkly different vision for the future of cinema with Mulan. Whereas Tenet will attempt to jumpstart moviegoing, Disney has pushed one of their biggest 2020 blockbusters exclusively to streaming in all markets featuring Disney+, including the U.S. and UK. That means if you want to see Niki Caro’s anticipated reimagining of the 1998 animated Disney movie, you are going to have to pay $30 on top of your Disney+ subscription to get a load of this bad boy on a new PVOD model.

Read more

Movies

Mulan and Tenet Show Competing Visions for Future of Movies

By David Crow

Movies

UK Cinemas Slam Disney After Mulan Streaming Announcement

By Kirsten Howard

Even so, the film’s need to step away from the 1998 version’s iconography—Chinese moviegoers generally dislike musicals—appears to offer an opportunity to make a modern 2020 epic that can stand on its own two feet.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

September 4 (Netflix)

Charlie Kaufman does horror? Well, uh, maybe?! For his first Netflix original production, the idiosyncratic writer-director behind Synecdoche, New York, and the Being John Malkovich screenplay is adapting Iain Reid’s thriller novel, I’m Thinking of Ending Things. But Kaufman is expected to come at it from his singularly off-center perspective.

With a somber setup about a young woman (played by Wild Rose’s talented Jessie Buckley) going to meet the parents of her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons), the movie is actually about an unhappy lover planning to terminate her relationship. Yet when she meets Mom and Dad (Toni Collette and David Thewlis), things are going to get weirder, if not necessarily better for the relationship…

The Roads Not Taken

September 11 (UK)

Sally Potter’s wistful drama was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival earlier in the year before the world went into lockdown. It follows Leo (Javier Bardem), a man with dementia, as he imagines different paths in life he might have taken, while his daughter Mollie tries to help him keep various appointments and struggles with decisions about her own future. A very personal study of mental illness, grief, and regret.

The Devil All the Time

September 16 (Netflix)

Southern fried noir might be the creepiest noir. With its rural and sunny backdrops, and a smiling Christian face, its pleasantries belie an evil heart. And Tom Holland of all people will be driving right to the dark center of it in The Devil All the Time, a new thriller by writer-director Antonio Campos. 

Ready to bow on Netflix this month, the all-star cast, which also includes Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Sebastian Stan, and Robert Pattinson, as a fire and brimstone preacher no less, The Devil All the Time reimagines post-WWII Tennessee backwoods as a hotbed of corruption, hypocrisy, and murder. Sounds about right.

Antebellum

September 18 (U.S. Only)

Co-writers and directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz appear to have cracked the code in making one of fiction’s favorite fantasies terrifying. You know the type: From Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court to Midnight in Paris, some congenial fellow travels back to a point in history he loves and has an all-around splendid time. Now imagine that same scenario except the protagonist is a Black woman. And she’s sent to the Antebellum South on the eve of the Civil War. Scared yet?

It’s a disturbing premise that aims to put Antebellum in the same wheelhouse as recent horror movies that have tackled American racism head on, including Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us. The movie stars the ever compelling Janelle Monáe as a 21st century author trapped inside a 19th century nightmare, and it’s one of the most intriguing setups of the year. It also will be available on VOD and in select theaters.

The King’s Man

September 18 (September 16 in the UK)

Kingsman: The Secret Service was one of the nicer surprises of 2015. A better Bond movie than that year’s Bond film, this Matthew Vaughn directed and Jane Goldman co-written spy adventure was both a satire and loving homage to 007 movies of the 1960s and ‘70s, with excessive swagger and style to boot. Unfortunately, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) didn’t live up to its predecessor. It did, however, make enough money to spawn a prequel. Which brings us to The King’s Man.

As Disney/20th Century Studios’ latest release, this movie sees Vaughn return to the director’s chair as he travels back in time to World War I and the origins of the Kingsman secret service. With the same daffy style but now in period garb (it worked for Vaughn in X-Men: First Class), the prequel hopes to recapture the charm of the original. It certainly has a winning cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Bruhl, Djimon Hounsou, and Gemma Arterton.

Kajillionaire

September 18 (October 9 in the UK)

One of the happy discoveries out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Focus Features’ Kajillionaire is a movie we’ve had our eye on for a while. The picture is writer-director Miranda July’s pleasant vision of criminality and heists being the stuff of family team-building. Take Evan Rachel Wood as Old Dolio. She’s an adult daughter whose depression has forced her to live at home with her small time crook parents. But Mom and Pop (Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins) have a plan; they’ll incorporate their daughter in the next heist and bring her out of her funk. It’s a charming premise that won over almost every critic who saw it back in January.

The Nest

September 18 (U.S. Only)

Another apparent highlight out of Sundance this year, Sean Durkin’s The Nest presents itself as a foreboding drama. As the follow-up feature from the director of Martha Marcy May Marlene, the film intends to be an unsettling account of a wealthy marriage descending into Gaslight levels of manipulation. With Jude Law as the rich patriarch and Carrie Coon as his quietly suffering wife, a sudden move to the country reveals dark dimensions to their relationship and the brittleness of domesticity. If the buzz is to be believed, the wound up WASPy tension in this could strangle an elephant.

Enola Holmes

September 23 (Netflix)

Did you know Sherlock Holmes had a little sister? You’re about to thanks to some strong synergetic mojo going on at Netflix with Enola Holmes, a new mystery/adventure that stars The Witcher’s Henry Cavill as Sherlock, The Crown’s Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Holmes, and Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown as the eponymous Enola. That’s right, Eleven’s going to use her own English accent and play Sherlock’s kid sister. 

Often kept in her famous brother’s shadow, it is up to Enola to do him one better when she sets off to find their mysteriously vanished mother. In the process, she proves she’s a super-sleuth in her own right and brings to light a deadly conspiracy. The game’s afoot!

Misbehaviour

September 25 (Open in the UK)

A crowd-pleaser that debuted earlier in the year in the UK, Misbehaviour has all the markers of a charming dramedy with real world ramifications. In fact, it’s set during the events of the Miss World competition in 1970, a televised beauty pageant in London that was then the most-watched event on the planet. In this context, the Women’s Liberation Movement reached international acclaim by disrupting the proceedings, and a Woman of Color from Grenada became a contender for the Miss World title.

Director Philippa Lowthorpe (The Crown) reportedly explores these events to winning results with an ensemble of players that Keira Knightley and Jessie Buckley as lead activists, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Jennifer Hosten (aka Miss Grenada), and Greg Kinnear at his greasiest as an aging Bob Hope.

Greenland

September 25 (U.S. Only)

Imagine this: A comet that is supposed to gently pass Earth by was misjudged by the science community, and instead a cataclysmic extinction level event occurs with comet fragments destroying parts of the world one action scene at a time! Yeah, in 2020 that sounds about right. It’s also the plot of Greenland, a new high-concept survivalist action movie starring Gerard Butler as a family man who, realizing Florida is gone and his home state is next, tries to save his wife (Morena Baccarin) and child by getting his family to the last place that may be spared: military bunkers in Greenland!

And you thought U.S. leadership was being ridiculous when it tried to buy the country a few years ago…

The post Upcoming Movies in September 2020: Theaters, Streaming, and VOD appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[marvel-medigeek-fics]

On Your Twelve

Maddie had left Doug 4 days ago. 4 days. Holy hell, they felt like years. Maddie sighed from the couch of her brother’s apartment. She wasn’t going to put him in danger anymore, and that’s why she was leaving. She looked over at her single suitcase and made up her mind. She had to go. 

10 minutes later, she was on the train. 

Buck got home shortly after Maddie had left, and he came bearing food. But Maddie was long gone. And Buck realized that, after walking through the apartment 4 times. He called her a few times. She didn’t answer until the third call. 

“Buck?”

“Maddie, where are you?” 

“On a train.”

“Why are you on a train?”

“Because I can’t put my little brother in danger.”

“Maddie-”

“No, Buck. I can’t. I’m sorry.” 

She left Buck speechless when she hung up. But he composed himself, and called the only person he could think of who would listen to his crazy idea. 

“Chim? Can you do me a favor?”

--

Sometime later, Chim was driving, doing a favor for a certain Evan Buckley. When Buck called, Chim was not open to chasing after Buck’s sister. This wasn’t his typical job, he was used to being behind a desk searching for people. Not actually going to retrieve them. It was kind of degrading to say he was retrieving someone, because this was a real life person, not an animal or a package. 

But, there he was, going to find Maddie. He didn’t even know this woman, but Buck told him her story. And showed him a picture of her. And them Chimney Han was on a the freeway.

Chim didn’t ask how Buck had found Maddie, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask. He didn’t want to know. He really didn’t want to know. 

--

Maddie was staying at a hotel, hidden from anyone who might come looking for her. Doug was her main fear. Had been for a while. There was a very low chance of him looking for her in a hotel in a tiny town. She paid in cash, so she couldn’t be traced through a card. Buck didn’t even know where she was, which didn’t make her feel better. No one is LA even knew she existed, so there was nothing to worry about there. She was safe here. At least for now. 

She looked down at her phone. 37 missed calls from Buck. A few with Pennsylvania numbers. A LA number. She swiped all of her notifications away, pausing slightly when she got to Buck’s calls. She didn’t mean to hurt him, but she had to keep him safe. She’d never forgive herself if he got dragged in. 

Maddie sat on the bed for a while, unable to relax even a little bit. She twirled the remote in her hands, the slight movement keeping her from going crazy. A knock on the door brought her from her trance. The remote fell through her fingers and clattered to the floor.

She took the mace from the table and went to the door warily. She steeped herself to spray whoever was knocking at her door. She opened the door as slightly as she could and saw someone she didn’t recognize.

“I’m Chimney. Are you Maddie Buckley-Kendall?”

“What are you doing here?” Maddie’s voice demanded an answer and it took both of them off guard a little bit. Maddie didn’t show it, but Chimney sure did. Maddie had no clue how this stranger knew her name and it freaked her out. A lot. 

“I work in security detail.”

“I don’t need a bodyguard.” Maddie shut the door in his face and leaned against the door, breathing deeply. What kind of cruel joke was this? She slid down against the door and began to cry softly. She was screwed. Maybe she should just go back to Doug. She wouldn’t have to look over her shoulder every where she dared to go.

Chimney stood on the other side of the door, staring at it blankly. Most people who were in Maddie’s situation would take a bodyguard in a heartbeat. Chimney was quickly learning that Maddie was nothing like most people. He heard her crying on the other side and he felt awful. What could he do? You can’t beg someone to let you protect them.

Chim stood there for a moment, debating whether to knock again, go back to his own room, or just go back to LA. He sighed slowly. And then he knocked again.

He heard her stop crying and then the knob turning. “I said no.”

She slammed it again, so hard the frame shook a little. And then she laid down on the perfectly made bed. She was so tired. So tired of fighting. Of hoping. 

--

Maddie hadn’t even realized she fell asleep until it was the next morning and her hair was matted to her face. She felt like she was covered in pounds of sweat and dirt and grime. She spit out the awful taste in her mouth and sat up. She had to make a plan today. 

Chimney was in his own hotel room, just down the hall from Maddie’s. He’d been thinking about her all night long. How was he going to get her to trust him and let him help her. He had to make a plan today.

Chim’s plan included knocking on her door until he could get inside. That was a terrible plan and it would be sure to end with getting pepper sprayed. He saw her container and had experience with the stuff. Not fun. So he had to come up with a new plan. 

Maddie had been thinking all day. She scoured for plane tickets to somewhere Doug would never look. Bus tickets. Train tickets. Ubers. She debated hitchhiking for a while. She was almost out of options. She couldn’t afford anything. She could barely afford the next night’s hotel cost. She was about to give up and call Doug to pay her way back to Pennsylvania. To hell. And then she heard a knock. 

She opened the door a crack and looked out. There was no one there. And then her eyes traveled to the floor and to the pint of ice cream. She looked down the hallway both ways and after determining there was no one hiding, she opened the door and grabbed the pint. She could never turn down ice cream. Taped to the top was two plastic spoons and a small piece of paper folded into a card. 

Hi, Maddie.  It’s Chim. Howie Han, if we’re being specific. I hope the ice cream makes up for me knocking at your door last night. I’m worried about you. Call me if you need anything. 

His number was scrawled delicately across the bottom and Maddie found herself placing the note on her bedside table. She pulled the top of the pint off and stuck her spoon into the slightly melted ice cream. Maybe she’d be alright. 

As she nursed her ice cream, she looked at her phone. She wasn’t surprised to see Buck’s calls, which she ignored. He’d never stop worrying about her, she was sure, but eventually, he’d stop trying to protect her. Wait. Buck sent Chimney, didn’t he? 

She dialed Buck’s number and waited for him to pick up. She knew he would. 

“Maddie? Are you okay? Where are you?” Buck asked questions in rapidfire succession. 

“Evan, I am fine. Please stop calling me. I already told you I can’t stay in LA.” 

“Why not Maddie?” 

“I will not put you in danger. Did you sent Chimney to find me?”

Buck is finally silent on the other end of the line. 

“Evan. Answer me.” Maddie has her older sister voice down pat. 

“Yes.” 

“Evan.” Maddie moaned, running her hand down her face in esasperation. 

“Maddie, you have to understand! I just want to protect you.” 

“I can take care of myself. Okay?” 

“You don’t have to. Please, Maddie.” Buck sniffled a little, and Maddie felt her heart prick a little bit. 

“I love you, little brother.” She pressed the end call button and sat there in silence for a second. Her heart, already in shambles, broke into a trillion little pieces. She stabbed her spoon into her half finished pint and stood up. She had to go. 

She went to the lobby and checked out, or tried to. She couldn’t get her money back, but really, she had bigger things on her mind. She left the hotel, no clue where her next move would take her. She made it to the bus stop and sat on the bench, looking around at the empty street. She sighed and waited for the bus. The next thing she knew there was a gun in her face and a mugger eclipsing her vision. 

“Give it up.” She threw her wallet into the grass and he let her go. She was fine. She was fine. She was not fine. She was very not fine. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number that she’d only seen once before. 

“Hey, Chimney. Can you do me a favor?” 

Chimney made it to the bus stop in 5 minutes and he went over the pleasantries: “Are you okay? What happened?” And then: “Come here.”

Maddie had stared down a gun before, but this one, this one messed with her. And before she knew it she was sobbing. Into a stranger’s arms no less. “I got you. I got you.” He whispered to her. They sat there for a moment, breathing in the stillness of the again quiet night.

 “Come on. Come back to the hotel with me.”

“I’m alright. Thanks.” She pulled herself together and dusted off her knees. She had to keep going. There was no stopping now. 

“Maddie, you’re in no condition to go off by yourself. Please, just come back to the hotel. Get some sleep.” 

She thought about his proposition for a minute, but shook her head. “I can’t.” 

“Please, Maddie.” Chimney was almost begging her to stay. She looked back at him, the sadness in his eyes. And she found herself nodding. 

--

Chimney stayed out of her way while she showered. He debated calling Buck, just to tell him his sister is okay. He settled for a text. 

Chimney: Your sister is okay. I’ll try to get her home soon.

Buck: Good luck with that.

Chimney rolled his eyes. How hard could it be to convince someone to go back to their family? Very hard, as he was about to find out.

Later that night, both Maddie and Chimney were wide awake. They would roll over and look at the clock and see it hadn’t moved more than a minute or two since they last looked.

Maddie was preoccupied with her next move. And so was Chimney. Chim, of course, wanted to go back to LA. Maddie wanted to go anywhere else.

“Maddie?” Chim said softly.

“Hmmm.” Maddie cooed back.

“Are you..?” Chim trailed off.

“Am I what? You have to be more specific.”

“Okay. Are you okay?”

“Someday I will be, Chim. What about you?”

“Yeah.”

They both trail off into their own little worlds until Maddie speaks again.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, Maddie.”

They both fell asleep sometime later, at peace, safe, secure.

—

By the time Chimney got up the next morning, Maddie had all of her things packed up. “Maddie? Where’s the fire?”

“Chimney, I can’t stay. You can’t stop me, okay, no matter how hard you try.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I sure as hell cant stop you. So I’m going with you.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me. Where are we going?”

She stared at him in shock and shook her head aggressively a second later. “Absolutely not. I’m not dragging you, a stranger, into my flaming crap shoot of a life!”

“If I can’t stop you, you can’t stop me.”

She sighed and all the fight seeped out of her. “Fine, lets go.” She grabbed her phone and the handle of her bag and left. Chim, luckily had all of his things gathered and left right behind her.

They were in Chimney’s car a few minutes later, Maddie driving, and Chimney fiddling with his nervous energy. “Um, where...where are we going?”

Maddie didn’t even respond, instead tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. She changed lanes, the speedometer ticking steadily upwards. “Maddie.” She steeled her eyes on the road, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

“Maddie.” She didn’t answer him, instead changing lanes again.

“Maddie.”

“What?” Maddie snapped back.

“Slow down. There’s not a time crunch.”

“There’s always a time crunch.”

“Maddie. Pull over or slow down.” She pulled over abruptly and turned to face the man in the passengers seat.

“Switch places with me.” Maddie got out of the car and was standing on the other side of Chim’s door before he even processed what she said. He sighed and crawled over the center console to let her sit.

He looked over at her and her nervous energy. “Are you going to drive or just keep staring at me like I’m a specimen?”

“Right.” Chimney looked away and pulled out onto the freeway. “Just because I’m driving doesn’t mean I don’t notice you twitching over there.”

Her hands went noticeably still. “I’m not twitching.” Right. Not twitching.

Chimney continued to drive until they had to get gas. He somehow had to get Maddie back to LA. He was waiting in the car when she got back from the bathroom. She was on the phone when she opened the door.

“This is she.” Chimney could only hear one end of the conversation. “Oh. Do I have to be there? To sign off?” She bit her lip and a few rogue tears slipped down her cheeks. “Yes. I understand.” She hung up the phone and stared at the scene blankly.

“Who was on the phone?” Maddie continued to be frozen in place at Chimneys words.

“My husband is dead.” She swiveled her head slowly to look at him. “And I have to decide what to do next.”

Without a word, Chimney pulled the car out onto the southbound freeway. Maddie didn’t protest, instead she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

It was obvious to Chimney how exhausted she was, because she didn’t wake up until they were off of the freeway. “Call your brother.”

Maddie dialed Bucks number. She didn’t have to be told twice. She told him the situation and he said something, Chim couldn’t quite catch it.

She listened to Buck talk until they pulled up to his place. When she told him where they were, he hung up abruptly. And she turned to Chimney: “thank you.” He nodded back, smiling just a little bit.

Buck appeared next to the passengers side and pulled Maddie into a hug as soon as she opened the door. They didn’t stop hugging for a long time.

When the three of them were settled in Buck’s apartment, or rather, Abby’s, and Maddie had her flight booked to Pennsylvania and Buck was doing God knows what, Maddie and Chim were alone again.

“Thanks again for everything you did.” Maddie said, sipping on her drink.

“Anytime, Maddie.” He sipped on his drink of choice, beer. “How are you handling this whole dead Doug thing?”

“I feel like I should be happy, or relieved. But honestly, I’m a little sad. I shouldn’t feel sad about my abusive husband dying, should I?”

“There’s no right or wrong way to feel.”

“Would it be wierd if I asked you to come with me?” Maddie said after a careful pause.

“Come with you where? Pennsylvania?” Chim stared at her and Maddie picked at the lint of the blanket. She nodded slowly back at him.

“Yes. Only if you want to. Or if you can. I should’ve asked.” She shook her head.

“I would go anywhere with you. For you.”

“You would?”

“Yes, Maddie, of course.”

—

••• first of all I would like to say bodyguard fics are cool and I enjoy reading them, so I hope y’all like my take on the bodyguard au. Secondly, I hope you all are doing okay. Stay safe and keep being awesome!

[justsmilestuffhappens]

Worth the wait

Eddie was late. No Eddie was more than late he was really late.

If Buck were an ice cream cone he'd be a puddle on the ground covered in a soggy wrapped waffle.

Buck was starting to feel thankful that he hadn't told Maddie about it now.

It was just supposed to be another date only it was definitely not. It was the date to end all dates. Was supposed to be.

He'd planned for a month for this maybe a little more then that now come to think of it.

They were supposed to be done with dinner and be on their way for a late night treat before their last stop.

The guy who was setting up the light show over the water wouldn't stop texting buck and calling. He replied to the texts and declined to calls.

Maybe it was a sign.

Buck looked like a damn idiot to all the other guests and servers. It took advanced booking to get a table and he'd had no date so they'd asked him to step out.

It was now almost an hour and a half. Would it sound needy to ask? Whatever it was had to be important right?

Eddie could be hurt or helping someone. He didn't have Christopher but he could have gotten a call.

Buck decided to call. Eddie didn't answer.

The little voice in his head kept nagging he was wrong about this.

Buck sighed before walking away. He needed to clear his head. He unbuttoned his coat took off his tie and let go of the balloons.

He was an idiot. More than felt like one.

They floated away with his hopes that tonight he'd see if Eddie was ready to take the next step in their relationship together.

He walked aimlessly and found he'd subconsciously came to the dessert shop. Their dessert shop. The one Chris loved.

He picked up the order he'd placed earlier. Isn't ice cream perfect for feeling better?

He ate them resigned as he went to tell the guy to put on the show.

He'd already paid him and was sure he'd ask for extra so might as well get to see the damn thing Eddie was missing. It was a shorter walk from the shop.

The lights led him to the wonderful place he'd planned to do it. The ring was a heavy reminder burning his pocket.

Buck let himself cry as he saw the beautiful show of dancing beams and shifting hues. Eddie wasn't here to see it. He was alone.

He didn't know how long he was standing there as he let his emotions drain from his face in tears and sobs.

"Buck?"

Through his blurry vision he turned to the familiar voice.

"Eddie?" It didn't come out how he wanted.

"I looked everywhere for you Buck. I'm sorry I was late." He came to hold Buck.

"I thought... I planned... you weren't."

"I'm here. I didn't mean to. You didn't deserve that."

"Are you okay? Chris?"

"He's fine. I went to check on him before i left. I think he changed my phone to another timezone or daylight savings on accident, I don't know. By the time I realized my phone was dying and I had to help a lost old lady. She's at the hospital now."

"I knew you wouldn't stand me up. Something just came up."

"I was driving around because they said they saw you walk away without your car. Then i saw the lights. Was this for me? For us?"

"Yeah." He sniffled. "I ate your ice cream. I'm sorry."

"You deserved it after I missed dinner. That place is expensive though so we dodged a good tasting bullet."

"Fuck it." Buck smiled as he kissed Eddie. He pulled away to take a knee as Eddie quickly knew what was happening.

"Buck."

"Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz, will you marry me?"

"Hell yeah. I'll marry you Evan "Buck" Buckley." Eddie said pulling buck back up.

"You gotta let me put the ring on first Eddie"

"But I want to kiss you now."

So he did.

"It would have been a nice date. But as long as I'm with you it's perfect."

"Good. Because I don't know if I can top this anytime soon. I even had balloons."

"You really went all in"

"You're worth it." Buck smiled.

"I wanna spend the rest of my life with you."

"I'd love that. But first I gotta pay for this. Then we're getting my car so I don't get fined. And once were home I'm gonna sleep till noon."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Your an important part of the last part. We're gonna need to get food on the way home though too."

"Whatever you want, mi amor."

"I'm thinkin' soft tacos. Gotta be a truck or place still open right?"

"I'll check. Let's go pay this dude before he makes you pay him double."

After chowing down and cleaning up buck did what he said he'd do.

Both of them cuddled up to each other spooning. He felt the ring on Eddie's hand and brought it up to his lips.

"Sleep Buck. We both had a long day."

"What are we gonna tell the others?"

"Whatever you want. It was a great dinner and dessert then a show. Or the truth."

"I'm thinking both." Buck laughed.

"Both it is then."

Eddie pulled Buck in closer.

one last thing and i’ll go to bed: imagine buck tries to propose in the cheesiest way possible but due to a miscommunication eddie gets the wrong time and buck is just

[dragonydreams]

Fic: Livin' in a lonely world

Title: Livin' in a lonely world Fandom: 9-1-1 Rating: Teen Audiences and Up Pairings/Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley, Josh Russo Additional Tags: mentions Evan "Buck" Buckley/Tommy Kinard, post s08e07 Hotshots Summary: Buck blames Josh for his breakup with Tommy. Word Count: 724 Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Reamworks, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision, Ryan Murphy Television, and 20th Television. Betas: Thank you to @medieshanachie for looking this over for me. Author's Note: Title from "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey

Read on AO3

"This is all your fault," Buck said, shoving a bag into Josh's chest as he pushed into the other man's apartment.

"What's my fault? And what is this?" Josh asked, closing the door and peering into the bag he'd nearly dropped.

"I have been baking since Tommy dumped me after your little speech," Buck said, waving towards Josh and the bag.

"I'm sorry… but your hot pilot dumped you?" Josh said, stepping around Buck and into his kitchen so he could unpack the loaves of bread. "These smell amazing. And what did what I said have to do with anything?"

"That thing you said about how I need to respect those who came before me because it was harder to come out," Buck said. "That one's pumpkin and that one's banana chocolate chip."

"What did you do?" Josh asked, setting the breads aside.

"What makes you think I did something?" Buck huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, defensively.

"Oh, honey, from what you've said, that man adores you. Something must have happened to scare him off."

Slowly, Buck admitted, "I may have asked him to move in with me and then rambled about how we wouldn't have to get engaged or married, but could because of the brave people who came before…like him. And then he said he knows how this ends and he was my first, but not my last and that he couldn't do this anymore."

Josh blinked at Buck and then turned and got down two wine glasses and pulled the cork on the open bottle of red on his counter. He handed one glass to Buck and took a large drink from his own.

"Okay, that was a lot. No wonder Tommy felt blindsided," Josh finally said.

"You think I blindsided him?" Buck asked, sipping from his own glass.

"Just the other day you couldn't even say that you loved him when I asked," Josh pointed out. "Why would you think asking him to move in was the right thing to do?"

"I wanted to show him that I was all in," Buck exclaimed. 

"So you start with saying those three little words and exchanging keys. You don't jump straight into moving in together. We're not U-Haul lesbians."

"I wasn't trying to live up to some gay stereotype," Buck insisted. "I love being with him. Loved. I wanted to spend as much time together as our shifts would let us."

"Did you explain that to him?" Josh asked.

"I didn't get a chance. He was out the door so fast I got whiplash," Buck said.

"Have you tried talking to him?" Josh asked.

"He wouldn't answer my calls or texts," Buck said, sniffling. "Then every time I wanted to reach out, I baked something instead."

Glancing at his two loaves, Josh asked, "How much bread do you have?"

Buck shrugged. "Half a dozen various breads and a couple batches of cupcakes. I think I'm gonna make Baked Alaska for when Maddie and Chim come over."

"At least you're not drinking," Josh said.

Looking at the glass in his hand, Buck said, "Not alone, at least." He took a big sip of wine.

"Do you still want a future with this man?" Josh asked.

"More than anything," Buck said. "And not just because he's the first man I've been with. I want to be with him because he's Tommy, you know?"

Josh's expression melted. "Then if he hasn't come crawling back in another week because he realizes what a huge mistake he's made, go to his home and confront him. Make him understand what you were actually trying to say, and walk back the moving in thing."

"And if he still doesn't want to be with me?" Buck asked.

"Then I'll take you to all the best gay clubs and help you drown your sorrows," Josh promised. 

"I've never really done the gay club thing," Buck admitted. "It wasn't Tommy's scene."

"Well," Josh said, slapping Buck's arm, "we'll just have to fix that. Whether you and Tommy get back together or not."

"Thanks, Josh," Buck said, taking his cue and heading towards the door. "Sorry for yelling at you."

"Pfft," Josh brushed the apology off. "I'm here for you anytime. Especially if there's baked goods and wine involved."

Buck was laughing as the door closed behind him.

The End

[cynthiajayusa]

Broadway in Orlando

Hamilton will headline the 2018–2019 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando series at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to Hamilton the season includes the six-time 2017 Tony and 2018 Grammy Award winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen and the 2017 Tony Award-winning Best Revival Hello, Dolly! starring Broadway legend Betty Buckley.

18/19 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando series: 

Hello, Dolly! — November 27–December 2, 2018

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical — December 18–December 23, 2018

Hamilton — January 22, 2019-February 10, 2019

Fiddler on the Roof — March 5 –March 10, 2019

Dear Evan Hansen — April 16 –April 21, 2019

Anastasia — May 14–19, 2019

Come From Away — June 11–16, 2019

The season will also feature the return of audience favorite as a Season Option:

Jersey Boys — October 30–November 4, 2018

“This will be a stand-out season on so many levels,” said Dr. Phillips Center President and CEO Kathy Ramsberger. “Hamilton has become a theatrical phenomenon, and three of the seven shows made their debut on Broadway just last year, so the content is fresh and relevant. “We are proud to partner with Dr. Phillips Center and Florida Theatrical Association for what is sure to be a record-breaking season in Orlando! This is going to be an unforgettable season of the best that Broadway has to offer,” said Susie Krajsa, EVP of Presenting for Broadway Across America.

The Shows: 

Jersey Boys

October 30–November 4, 2018

Season Add-On 

They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story — a story that has made them an international sensation all over again.

Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony-winning true-life musical phenomenon, Jersey Boys. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that’s just too good to be true.

Featuring the legendary top ten hits:

“Sherry” • “Big Girls Don’t Cry” • “Walk Like A Man” • “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” • “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)” 

Hello, Dolly!

starring Betty Buckley

November 27– December 2, 2018 

Tony Award-winning Broadway legend Betty Buckley stars in Hello, Dolly! – the universally acclaimed smash that NPR calls “the best show of the year!” Winner of four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, director Jerry Zaks’ “gorgeous” new production (Vogue) is “making people crazy happy!” (The Washington Post). Breaking box office records week after week and receiving thunderous raves on Broadway, this Hello, Dolly! pays tribute to the original work of legendary director/choreographer Gower Champion – hailed both then and now as one of the greatest stagings in musical theater history. Rolling Stone calls it “a must-see event. A musical comedy dream. If you’re lucky enough to score a ticket, you’ll be seeing something historic. Wow, wow, wow, indeed!”

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical

December 18–December 23, 2018 

This holiday season, discover the perfect gift for everyone on your list.  Start with a timeless tale of joy and goodwill, fill it with classic Irving Berlin songs, top it off with glorious dancing and lots of snow and come see Irving Berlin’s White Christmas!  It’s a must-see classic in a lavish new musical that the New York Times says to “put on your wish list.”  Irving Berlin’s White Christmas tells the story of a song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn and falling for a stunning sister act in the process. The show is full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written. The gift everyone is dreaming of is this merry and bright holiday musical. 

Hamilton

January 22, 2019–February 10, 2019 

Hamilton is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton is the story of America then, as told by America now.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Fiddler On The Roof

March 5–March 10, 2019 

Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific, The King and I and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play Oslo, bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The original production won 10 Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You’ll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family.

Featuring the Broadway classics “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “To Life,” Fiddler on the Roof will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!

Dear Evan Hansen

April 16 – April 21, 2019 

Dear Evan Hansen is the winner of six 2017 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater Album.

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it.

“One of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history,” says The Washington Post. The New York Times calls Dear Evan Hansen “a gut-punching, breathtaking knockout of a musical” and NBC News says the musical is “an inspiring anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond.”

Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Tony winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy, Tony and Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman), and direction by four-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal).

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen, produced by Atlantic Records, made an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 when released and entered the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961. A special edition coffee table book authored by Levenson, Pasek, and Paul, Dear Evan Hansen: through the window (Grand Central Publishing / Melcher) is now available, offering an in-depth, all-access look at the musical, including never-before-seen production photos and cast portraits, behind-the-scenes stories, and a fully annotated script by the authors.

Anastasia

May 14–19, 2019 

From the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

Anastasia features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) with direction by Tony winner Darko Tresnjak. 

Come From Away

June 11–16, 2019 

On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.

Broadway’s Come From Away has won Best Musical all across North America. The New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical written by Tony nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by this year’s Tony-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley. Newsweek cheers, “It takes you to a place you never want to leave!” 

For more information and to renew a subscription for the 2018–2019 season and Broadway in Orlando, visit OrlandoBroadway.com.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/08/30/broadway-in-orlando-2/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/08/broadway-in-orlando.html

[demitgibbs]

Broadway in Orlando

Hamilton will headline the 2018–2019 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando series at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to Hamilton the season includes the six-time 2017 Tony and 2018 Grammy Award winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen and the 2017 Tony Award-winning Best Revival Hello, Dolly! starring Broadway legend Betty Buckley.

18/19 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando series:

Hello, Dolly! — November 27–December 2, 2018

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical — December 18–December 23, 2018

Hamilton — January 22, 2019-February 10, 2019

Fiddler on the Roof — March 5 –March 10, 2019

Dear Evan Hansen — April 16 –April 21, 2019

Anastasia — May 14–19, 2019

Come From Away — June 11–16, 2019

The season will also feature the return of audience favorite as a Season Option:

Jersey Boys — October 30–November 4, 2018

“This will be a stand-out season on so many levels,” said Dr. Phillips Center President and CEO Kathy Ramsberger. “Hamilton has become a theatrical phenomenon, and three of the seven shows made their debut on Broadway just last year, so the content is fresh and relevant. “We are proud to partner with Dr. Phillips Center and Florida Theatrical Association for what is sure to be a record-breaking season in Orlando! This is going to be an unforgettable season of the best that Broadway has to offer,” said Susie Krajsa, EVP of Presenting for Broadway Across America.

The Shows:

Jersey Boys

October 30–November 4, 2018

Season Add-On

They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story — a story that has made them an international sensation all over again.

Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony-winning true-life musical phenomenon, Jersey Boys. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that’s just too good to be true.

Featuring the legendary top ten hits:

“Sherry” • “Big Girls Don’t Cry” • “Walk Like A Man” • “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” • “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)” 

Hello, Dolly!

starring Betty Buckley

November 27– December 2, 2018

Tony Award-winning Broadway legend Betty Buckley stars in Hello, Dolly! – the universally acclaimed smash that NPR calls “the best show of the year!” Winner of four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, director Jerry Zaks’ “gorgeous” new production (Vogue) is “making people crazy happy!” (The Washington Post). Breaking box office records week after week and receiving thunderous raves on Broadway, this Hello, Dolly! pays tribute to the original work of legendary director/choreographer Gower Champion – hailed both then and now as one of the greatest stagings in musical theater history. Rolling Stone calls it “a must-see event. A musical comedy dream. If you’re lucky enough to score a ticket, you’ll be seeing something historic. Wow, wow, wow, indeed!”

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical

December 18–December 23, 2018

This holiday season, discover the perfect gift for everyone on your list.  Start with a timeless tale of joy and goodwill, fill it with classic Irving Berlin songs, top it off with glorious dancing and lots of snow and come see Irving Berlin’s White Christmas!  It’s a must-see classic in a lavish new musical that the New York Times says to “put on your wish list.”  Irving Berlin’s White Christmas tells the story of a song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn and falling for a stunning sister act in the process. The show is full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written. The gift everyone is dreaming of is this merry and bright holiday musical. 

Hamilton

January 22, 2019–February 10, 2019

Hamilton is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton is the story of America then, as told by America now.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Fiddler On The Roof

March 5–March 10, 2019

Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific, The King and I and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play Oslo, bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The original production won 10 Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You’ll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family.

Featuring the Broadway classics “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “To Life,” Fiddler on the Roof will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!

Dear Evan Hansen

April 16 – April 21, 2019

Dear Evan Hansen is the winner of six 2017 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater Album.

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it.

“One of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history,” says The Washington Post. The New York Times calls Dear Evan Hansen “a gut-punching, breathtaking knockout of a musical” and NBC News says the musical is “an inspiring anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond.”

Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Tony winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy, Tony and Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman), and direction by four-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal).

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen, produced by Atlantic Records, made an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 when released and entered the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961. A special edition coffee table book authored by Levenson, Pasek, and Paul, Dear Evan Hansen: through the window (Grand Central Publishing / Melcher) is now available, offering an in-depth, all-access look at the musical, including never-before-seen production photos and cast portraits, behind-the-scenes stories, and a fully annotated script by the authors.

Anastasia

May 14–19, 2019

From the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

Anastasia features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) with direction by Tony winner Darko Tresnjak. 

Come From Away

June 11–16, 2019

On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.

Broadway’s Come From Away has won Best Musical all across North America. The New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical written by Tony nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by this year’s Tony-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley. Newsweek cheers, “It takes you to a place you never want to leave!” 

For more information and to renew a subscription for the 2018–2019 season and Broadway in Orlando, visit OrlandoBroadway.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/08/30/broadway-in-orlando-2/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/177554889990

[hotspotsmagazine]

Broadway in Orlando

Hamilton will headline the 2018–2019 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando series at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to Hamilton the season includes the six-time 2017 Tony and 2018 Grammy Award winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen and the 2017 Tony Award-winning Best Revival Hello, Dolly! starring Broadway legend Betty Buckley.

18/19 FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando series: 

Hello, Dolly! — November 27–December 2, 2018

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical — December 18–December 23, 2018

Hamilton — January 22, 2019-February 10, 2019

Fiddler on the Roof — March 5 –March 10, 2019

Dear Evan Hansen — April 16 –April 21, 2019

Anastasia — May 14–19, 2019

Come From Away — June 11–16, 2019

The season will also feature the return of audience favorite as a Season Option:

Jersey Boys — October 30–November 4, 2018

“This will be a stand-out season on so many levels,” said Dr. Phillips Center President and CEO Kathy Ramsberger. “Hamilton has become a theatrical phenomenon, and three of the seven shows made their debut on Broadway just last year, so the content is fresh and relevant. “We are proud to partner with Dr. Phillips Center and Florida Theatrical Association for what is sure to be a record-breaking season in Orlando! This is going to be an unforgettable season of the best that Broadway has to offer,” said Susie Krajsa, EVP of Presenting for Broadway Across America.

The Shows: 

Jersey Boys

October 30–November 4, 2018

Season Add-On 

They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story — a story that has made them an international sensation all over again.

Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony-winning true-life musical phenomenon, Jersey Boys. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that’s just too good to be true.

Featuring the legendary top ten hits:

“Sherry” • “Big Girls Don’t Cry” • “Walk Like A Man” • “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” • “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)” 

Hello, Dolly!

starring Betty Buckley

November 27– December 2, 2018 

Tony Award-winning Broadway legend Betty Buckley stars in Hello, Dolly! – the universally acclaimed smash that NPR calls “the best show of the year!” Winner of four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, director Jerry Zaks’ “gorgeous” new production (Vogue) is “making people crazy happy!” (The Washington Post). Breaking box office records week after week and receiving thunderous raves on Broadway, this Hello, Dolly! pays tribute to the original work of legendary director/choreographer Gower Champion – hailed both then and now as one of the greatest stagings in musical theater history. Rolling Stone calls it “a must-see event. A musical comedy dream. If you’re lucky enough to score a ticket, you’ll be seeing something historic. Wow, wow, wow, indeed!”

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas The Musical

December 18–December 23, 2018 

This holiday season, discover the perfect gift for everyone on your list.  Start with a timeless tale of joy and goodwill, fill it with classic Irving Berlin songs, top it off with glorious dancing and lots of snow and come see Irving Berlin’s White Christmas!  It’s a must-see classic in a lavish new musical that the New York Times says to “put on your wish list.”  Irving Berlin’s White Christmas tells the story of a song-and-dance team putting on a show in a magical Vermont inn and falling for a stunning sister act in the process. The show is full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written. The gift everyone is dreaming of is this merry and bright holiday musical. 

Hamilton

January 22, 2019–February 10, 2019 

Hamilton is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton is the story of America then, as told by America now.

With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Fiddler On The Roof

March 5–March 10, 2019 

Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific, The King and I and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play Oslo, bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The original production won 10 Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You’ll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family.

Featuring the Broadway classics “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “To Life,” Fiddler on the Roof will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!

Dear Evan Hansen

April 16 – April 21, 2019 

Dear Evan Hansen is the winner of six 2017 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater Album.

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it.

“One of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history,” says The Washington Post. The New York Times calls Dear Evan Hansen “a gut-punching, breathtaking knockout of a musical” and NBC News says the musical is “an inspiring anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond.”

Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Tony winner Steven Levenson, a score by Grammy, Tony and Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman), and direction by four-time Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal).

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen, produced by Atlantic Records, made an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 when released and entered the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961. A special edition coffee table book authored by Levenson, Pasek, and Paul, Dear Evan Hansen: through the window (Grand Central Publishing / Melcher) is now available, offering an in-depth, all-access look at the musical, including never-before-seen production photos and cast portraits, behind-the-scenes stories, and a fully annotated script by the authors.

Anastasia

May 14–19, 2019 

From the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

Anastasia features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) with direction by Tony winner Darko Tresnjak. 

Come From Away

June 11–16, 2019 

On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.

Broadway’s Come From Away has won Best Musical all across North America. The New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical written by Tony nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by this year’s Tony-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley. Newsweek cheers, “It takes you to a place you never want to leave!” 

For more information and to renew a subscription for the 2018–2019 season and Broadway in Orlando, visit OrlandoBroadway.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/08/30/broadway-in-orlando-2/