#lately I’ve been seeing takes that the diaz parents are not so bad

[hexensalbei]

getaway green

find it on ao3

“Yeah, yeah… Love ya too, man.”

Eddie abruptly stops before he enters the changing room. Heʼd recognise that voice everywhere because itʼs Buckʼs. But the words he overheard make him uneasy. Love ya too? To whom Buck might have said it? The most likely answer is to Eddie but he’s right here and he’s definitely not talking with his best friend. It’s not Chim either because Eddie saw him already in the station. So… Who else? Albert? No, that’s just ridiculous. Albert and Buck are friends—not as good as him and Buck, obviously—but why would they talk via phone when they probably saw each other this morning in Buck’s apartament? It doesn’t make sense. So… Who is it then?

Eddie feels like someone just twisted his guts. Has Buck met someone new? No, he would’ve told him about his new relationship, he’s sure of it. His best friend has told him about reconnecting with Taylor and doing the whole “friendship without benefits” thing, for god’s sake. He would at least mention that he met someone worth dating.

It’s not very helpful or reassuring, though. Eddie knows it sounds bad but he doesn’t want Buck to find someone to date. Unless it’s him Buck would be dating. He can’t stand the idea of Buck spending his free time with someone else, kissing someone else, loving someone else.

Eddie’s very much in love with his best friend. He’s tried to get over with him by dating Ana. And it was a fucking disaster because everytime he kissed her, he wished it was Buck instead. So… It’s safe to say he got it bad. And he has to keep it under control because he doesn’t want to blow up the best friendship he’s ever had. Telling Buck he’s in love with him is not even an option.

He tries to suppress his jealousy and finally goes to the changing room. Buck’s already in his work clothes and he’s scrolling through his instagram; there’s a wide smile on his face. When he hears Eddie coming in, he looks at him and his grin gets even bigger.

“You’re almost late, Diaz.” He teases and Eddie can’t help himself but smile too.

“Almost late makes a big difference.” Eddie emphasises, quickly changing his clothes. Buck only rolls his eyes. When they’re both ready, they go upstairs and greet their coworkers. The blonde goes to the coffeemaker and he pours two cups of coffee—one for him and one for Eddie—and he hands it over to his friend. They sit on the couch as usual; their arms and thighs pressed together as if there’s any free space left.

“Uh, I’ve got news.” Buck says and waits until everyone pays attention to him. “TK’s coming to LA this weekend.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Do you mean the TK with whom you stole the fire truck and who you were flirting with?” Chim asks curiously.

Eddie nearly chokes on his coffee.

Was Buck really flirting with that kid from Austin? Sure, he noticed that dumbass and dumbasser hit it off very quickly but it wasn’t something unusual—Buck was so sweet and easygoing, it was almost impossible to not like him.

“I wasn’t flirting with him! I just invited him to LA! And besides, he has a boyfriend. Who is coming with him, by the way.” Buck explains; he’s slightly embarrassed, Eddie can tell, because his cheeks are more pink than usual. Again, why would he feel embarrassed if he wasn’t flirting with TK?

Maybe he was flirting but he just doesn’t want to admit that? Whispers a very annoying voice in Eddie’s mind. He tries to silence it.

“That’s amazing! Is that captain Strand’s son? You should come by the station with them, I want to meet them.”

Bobby’s voice pulls him away from his thoughts.

“Sure, I was actually thinking… Maybe we can have a night out together? As a team?” Buck suggests. “TK says he can’t wait to meet all of you guys.”

“Fantastic idea. I’ll ask him if youʼre bluffing.” Chim quips. Eddie has a strong urge to strangle him.

And then it hits him. Buck was talking with TK earlier, in the changing room. It was definitely TK.

The jealousy is eating him alive. Sure, Strand may have a boyfriend but is it really that big obstacle? Women were flirting with him when he was still married to Shannon; they’ve pretended not to see his wedding ring and ask him out anyway.

Oh, shit. What if he will be the witness of Buck flirting with TK? He’s not sure he can handle that. How will he react? What if he will finally blow up and say something he’s not meant to? He shouldn’t tempt fate and just stay at home instead of going out with the 118 and TK. He decides to gently decline the offer and thinks about a good excuse—he could easily use Christopher as a reason to not go with the team—and Buck would totally understand it.

When he finally opens his mouth to say something, the bell rings. Of course.

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The whole friendship thing between Buck and TK is bothering him so much, he can’t even fully focus on the job. He’s so distracted that Bobby asks him if he’s okay. He shrugs his shoulders and lies that he’s completely fine. What would he say anyway? That he’s in love with his best friend who doesn’t love him back and he’s probably into another, very cute firefighter? No, this is already pathetic as it is. No need to embarrass himself more. When they’re back at the station, he’s almost on the edge. He needs to find out more, even if it causes him more pain.

He quietly follows Buck to the kitchen and when they crash on the couch, he musters up courage to ask him about his relationship with TK.

“I didn’t know you and TK were such close friends.” He says, trying to sound playful, teasing.

Buck sighs heavily.

“Oh, come on, man, you too?” He groans and shoots Eddie kind of an annoyed look. “Yes, we’re close and it’s nice to have a friend outside of the 118. And we’re just friends. No flirting, no hook ups. Besides, I’ve mentioned he has a boyfriend who will be there with us.”

Eddie believes him; he hears honesty in his voice and it makes him a little bit calmer. He feels like he can finally breathe again and—

“I wouldn’t flirt with him anyway even if he was single because I think I might be in love with someone else.”

Eddie swears he can hear his heart shattering on a million pieces. He wasnʼt prepared to hear this, he wasnʼt expected to have a breakdown in the middle of a shift. Buckʼs in love and he didnʼt know about this. How? Who is it?

“What?” Is the only thing he manages to whisper.

“I’m in love with someone.” Buck repeats. It’s very quiet, unsure, almost fragile. Like he’s afraid of Eddie’s reaction, afraid of being open and vulnerable. Afraid of being in love.

It breaks Eddie’s heart even more because the only thing that’s worse than his broken heart, it’s Evan Buckley’s broken heart.

“Oh. Are you... Does this person know about it?” He asks gently, moving a little closer to his best friend. He feels like heʼs been hit by a truck but right now he wants to at least reassure Buck itʼs okay, make him feel better. Thatʼs what friends do anyway. He can have a full breakdown in his own house when heʼll be alone. He starts to pat his back lightly and after a while, he can feel Buck relaxes a bit.

“No...  It’s… Complicated. It’s probably best if I don’t say anything. At least nothing will be destroyed. I canʼt destroy it.” He hears Buck’s muttering. He understands him perfectly; sometimes not telling the truth is just the best option.

Eddie still feels jealousy, he envies the nameless person who Buck loves. He’s trying to shove down his feelings and only focus on his friend to cheer him up.

“You wanna come home with me after the shift? We could make pizza together and watch some movies with Chris.” He proposes. He realizes he said coming home—like it was their home. Not only his and Chris’ but Buck’s too. And it is his home; Buck belongs to the Diaz family anyway.

His invitation instantly lightens up Buck’s mood because he finally looks at him and there’s a small smile dancing on his lips.

“Deal. But only if you stay away from the kitchen, we don’t wanna call 911 to the firefighter’s house. You can wash the dishes.”

“Fine. Whatever you wish.”

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The rest of the week passes fairly peacefully. They don’t talk again about Buck’s feelings and Eddie successfully pretends he’s not jealous. They joke and bicker as always so it’s fine, it seems like everythingʼs perfect.

It’s Friday—and it means TK and Carlos are coming. Buck has a day off and he’s picking them up from the airport and giving them a quick LA tour. Eddie’s working and so are Hen, Chim and Bobby. It’s a busy shift so they’re definitely not bored; Buck keeps them entertained between the calls—he’s blowing up Eddie’s phone with texts and photos.

Eddieʼs happy that his friend is enjoying his day off, he really is. Of all people in the world, Buckʼs the one who deserves it the most. He wishes heʼd be there with him.

» from Buck: dude, we totally need to take Chris to this museum of space, heʼll be thrilled«

Eddie opens another photo from his friend—this time itʼs Buckʼs selfie whoʼs standing in front of the museum and smiling. It melts Eddieʼs heart because Buck always thinks about Christopher, always includes him in his plans. Despite what Hen says, heʼs aware that theyʼre basically co-parenting Chris; he canʼt pinpoint the exact moment when Buck has become a second dad, it just... Happened.

» to Buck: iʼm in. so museum and sleepover at my house next saturday? i think i need to get my revenge after last time«

Buckʼs response is immediate.

»from Buck: you can keep dreaming, Diaz«

Eddie stifles a laugh when he reads the message. At least, heʼs the one Buck chooses to share even small things with. And at this moment, everything is alright.

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They finally meet at the 118ʼs favourite pub. Eddie went home after the shift to drop Chris at Abuela and change into something nicer. He tried once to say heʼs not going out with them but he quickly changed his mind when he saw the disappointment in Buckʼs eyes. Heʼs quite nervous, though. Despite what his friend said about flirting with TK, the doubt, the uncertainty is still there. He hopes he wonʼt do something stupid. Heʼs the last one to arrive and Buck spots him the second he crosses the threshold. When he reaches the booth theyʼre sitting at, Buck almost jumps out to pull him into a hug.

“Thanks for coming.” He whispers into his ear and Eddie shivers involuntarily.

Then, heʼs crushed by another hug—this time itʼs TK which is a little surprising but Eddie returns the hug. Carlos sticks to the traditional handshake.

“Nice to finally meet the famous Eddie Diaz.” He says fondly. “Weʼve heard about you quite a lot.”

Itʼs quite dark here but Eddie notices Buck blushing anyway. Itʼs cute, he thinks.

“I hope Buck hasnʼt told any embarrassing stories.” He quips.

“Your embarrassing stories are safe with me.” Buck says very seriously, placing his hand on his chest.

“Trusting Buckley with your secrets? Youʼre either brave or stupid. Or both.” Chim laughs, sipping his drink.

“Iʼm telling Maddie. She will kick you off the couch for at least a few nights.” Buck warns him. It piques Carlosʼ interest because he asks a question, looking at the other man.

“Wait, so Chimʼs with your sister? Wow, you guys are really close.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

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The conversations go as smoothly as the drinks they keep ordering. Eddie feels buzzed and content. Heʼs talking with Carlos about their childhood in Texas. He discovers that they have much in common; itʼs a very pleasant surprise and he feels like they will be very good friends. Bobby already called the night off, saying he needs to go back to his wife—because you canʼt say no to Athena —but Hen and Chim are still there and theyʼre singing karaoke alongside Buck and TK.

Eddie keeps an eye on these two; there was a reason why Judd called them dumbass and dumbasser. Buckʼs also slightly more drunk than him so someone really should check out what heʼs doing. And that is Eddieʼs responsibility. There is definitely no hidden meaning, no other reason to glance from time to time (fine, very often) at the scene.

Itʼs their turn to sing—itʼs Ed Sheeranʼs Give Me Love —and Eddieʼs confident it was Buckʼs choice. He notices how synchronised they are, how they keep sharing casual touches, how they laugh at each other, how they look at each other during the song—

And the jealousy almost throttles him. Because this is something Buck had only with him. Heʼs never been so touchy with Chim or Albert; sure, they have hugged many times but itʼs different with Eddie. Their closeness, lack of personal space was there from the first Eddieʼs day at 118 even when theyʼve been showing off to each other. Itʼs never felt awkward or inappropriate. It was easy, natural, kind of like breathing—something that people do without even thinking about it because itʼs just part of life. Because it was Buck.

Heʼs spiraling. He needs to go outside, somewhere where he wonʼt see Buck and TK together. It doesnʼt even help him that TKʼs boyfriend is right there next to him and he doesnʼt feel annoyed, threatened. He watches them with amusement in his eyes.

“I... I need to go to the bathroom.” Eddie says quietly and he rushes out of the booth before Carlos can say something. In the middle of the road to the bathroom, he changes his mind and goes out of the pub. He needs to take a deep breath, calm down and donʼt let jealousy take over him. Itʼs not like Buckʼs his boyfriend; heʼs allowed to be close with anyone he wants to. He knows that this possessive feelings and fear of being replaced, hurt is probably irrational but it still gets to his head very easily.

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He goes back inside after a while. He orders a beer and sits in the empty booth because apparently Carlos decided to join the rest on the stage. Eddieʼs grateful for that because he doesnʼt have to explain himself, he just can sip his beer in peace.

He doesnʼt notice TK coming to the booth, heʼs too lost in thoughts.

“What are you doing here all alone? Playing a dark, brooding hero?” He hears a very amused voice when TK sits across from him.

Eddie glares at him.

“Iʼm not brooding.” He scoffs. Heʼs definitely not brooding, heʼs just... Thinking. Trying to behave as usual. It would be rude of him to just go home without saying goodbye, right? And Buck would definitely call him to check if everythingʼs alright. Itʼs better to wait a little even if heʼs sitting alone.

“If you say so.” TK shrugs but then, he continues. “You know, thereʼs no need to look at me like you want to rip my head off.”

Eddie opens mouth to say something, to deny it because heʼs sure he didnʼt look at Strand like that but TK doesnʼt let him.

“Dude, donʼt. If looks could kill, I would be already dead when we met in Texas. Well, maybe it wasnʼt that intense back then but tonight you look like you want to strangle me. Thereʼs no reason. I like Buck but heʼs my friend. Just a friend.”

Eddie looks at him like a deer caught in the spotlight. Is he really that easy to read? He feels the blush creeping up in his cheeks; heʼs a little embarrassed because he really didnʼt expect TK to be so perceptive.

“I... How did you know?” He asks, his voice filled with uncertainty. He doesnʼt try to deny it anymore, TK wouldnʼt buy this bullshit anyway.

“Besides that I-wanna-kill-you look? ” TK laughs and then, he takes the water left on the table. “You look at him like the sun shines out of his ass. You were so focused on him that you barely noticed everyone else tonight. If I asked Hen or Chim about it, Iʼm sure they would say this is your normal behaviour. And you kept touching him like...” He trails off for a while, biting his lip. “You know... When I saw you and Buck for the first time, I was sure you two were together.”

Eddieʼs speechless; he’s mindlessly tapping his leg, looking at TK but not really seeing him. He’s silent for a few moments, but TK’s patient, he doesn’t rush him to talk.

“It’s… Complicated.” Eddie sighs heavily. He hasn’t told anyone about it but he doesn’t know if he can keep all of these emotions bottled up any longer. Maybe the fact he’s not entirely sober helps. And the fact it’s TK he’s talking to. “We’re friends. Best friends even. I… You know, he’s been there for me and he’s got my back since the day I arrived at the station. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had and I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him. I don’t know how and when it happened but it just… Did? The thing is… I was panicking at first, I even tried to get over him by dating Ana. She’s—she was Christopher’s teacher. She was nice and sweet but I’ve kept thinking about Buck even when I was on a date with her. Even when I was kissing her, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It’s embarrassing, I know.”

He’s thankful that TK’s not interrupting him, that he actually pays attention to him. He notices the resemblance between him and Buck. Both of them have a personality of a golden retriever and they tend to do sometimes very stupid and reckless things. But after all, they’re so easygoing and sweet, it’s very easy to love them. Eventually, he goes on with his confession. “You know, I was jealous when I saw you two because you’re awfully… Handsy. You can understand each other without even talking. I know you have Carlos and that you two are serious but… I can’t help it, it’s stronger than me. And I can’t tell him I’m in love, I can’t destroy our relationship. I can’t do it because Chris would lose him too and he’s already lost one parent. Besides, Buck’s in love with someone anyway.”

He ends his monologue and hides his face in his hands. He definitely feels better after saying it out loud but it’s still a little bit awkward.

“And here I’ve thought Judd calls you Hollywood because of the looks but now I’m sure it’s because of how dumb you are.” TK says boldly.

Eddie raises his head to gaze upon his friend. There’s a very amused grin on his face and he looks like he’s refraining himself from laughing out loud.

“You really have no clue, don’t you?” TK asks. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh at you but it’s so funny how oblivious and blind two people can be.”

Eddie scowls.

“Are you gonna keep mocking me or you’re gonna tell me what you mean?”

“Fine.” TK chuckles. “Have you ever considered that Buck might be in love with you? I know that he told you, not directly, but he told you about it. I guess you didn’t figure it out.”

“He didn’t—” Eddie protests without hesitation but he stops when recalls their conversation after Buck told the team about TK and Carlos coming to LA. He mentioned being in love with someone and not wanting to tell the person about his feelings but Eddie didn’t even think that he could be talking about him. “You sure… He was talking about me?”

He looks at TK with hope; he desperately wants it to be true.

“I’m sure.” The younger man reassures. “He’s in love with you as much as you are. Oh, speaking of the devil.” He mutters, seeing Buck going in their direction.

Eddie rapidly turns his head only to see his best friend settling down next to him. His face is slightly flushed, hair disheveled and there’s a wide smile on his lips.

“Dude, I know you’re into Texans but I think one of them is enough, don’t you think?” He asks TK playfully.

“Don’t worry, Eddie’s all yours.” TK replies, smiling mischievously and he winks at Eddie. “I’m sure Eddie’s more into cute, blue-eyed blondes anyway.”

And then, he flees out of the booth, leaving them both alone. Buck raises one eyebrow, looking suspiciously at his best friend.

“Blue-eyed blondes, huh?” He asks very intelligently. Eddie’s sure his cheeks and neck are red by now and it’s very noticeable.

“Y-Yeah. He’s right.”

“Interesting. Neither Shannon nor Ana were blondes.” Buck points out, his voice very teasing.

“But you are.”

It makes Buck blushing furiously and Eddie thinks it’s the cutest thing he saw this evening. Suddenly, he notices how close they are, how their bodies are pressed together, how blue Buck’s eyes are and how soft his lips are.

“So… You’re into blondes now?” Buck whispers, not tearing his gaze away from him, even for a second.

“Been into for a while now.”

“It’d make everything easier if I knew about this, I’d definitely do this sooner.”

Buck makes the first move and he closes the space between them. He gently brushes his lips like he doesn’t want to overwhelm him. But Eddie doesn’t want to back off. He’s the one who deepens the kiss, he’s the one who slides his tongue into his mouth, causing him to quietly moan.

“Do you think we could sneak off and go to my house maybe?” Eddie asks when they break apart, panting heavily.

“Dude, TK and Carlos are staying at my apartment, I can’t just sneak off.” Buck laughs. “I need to at least give them the keys if I’m not supposed to go back to my place tonight.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Just give them the keys and we can go.” Eddie pouts and he sounds so needy, it makes Buck giggle.

At some point, they get up and approach their friends who’re standing by the bar and ordering new drinks.

“Look who decided to join us!” Hen chuckles and she wants to say something else but she’s cut off by the Chim’s laughing loudly.

“I’m not sure if they are joining or leaving us.” TK smirks and Carlos nudges him softly to not to meddle.

“Actually, we were thinking about leaving if you don’t mind. I can give you the keys to my apartment.” Buck offers sheepishly.

“Just give us the keys, we’ll manage. You can go with your Texan.” TK says but then he adds, pointing a finger in Eddie’s direction. “But I need to meet Christopher before I go back to Austin.”

“I think we can arrange something. Tomorrow afternoon maybe?” Eddie suggests.

“Then we’re all set. Now, stop talking and get a room already!”

When Buck finally gives TK his keys, they say their goodbyes and order an Uber to Eddie’s house.

The ride is quick but quiet. They don’t really talk but the silence between them is not uncomfortable—it’s the opposite of it. They have to talk about their feelings eventually but they know they’ll have the time to do it. They enter the house and the second Buck closes the door, he’s slammed against the nearest wall. Suddenly, they’re kissing again; Eddie pushes his hips forward and it causes Buck to spread out his legs a little bit.

Eddie’s so glad Chris is at Abuela’s house because it means they have the whole night only for themselves—and they can do whatever they want to.

“Bed.” Buck growls when Eddie bites his lip and starts to unbuckle his belt.

“Someone’s impatient.” The older man teases.

“Said the guy who dragged me out of the meeting with our friends to have sex with me.” The blonde replies wryly.

“Just shut up, Buck.”

“Make me.”

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Eddie slowly wakes up when the sun peeks through the curtains and shines on his face. His head hurts a little—well, heʼs not in his twenties anymore and he wasnʼt counting his beers last night—and he feels the weight on his chest. He needs a second to register that itʼs Buck; he sleeps very peacefully, completely nestled to Eddie. His headʼs on the place where Eddieʼs heart is, one arm around his waist; thereʼs a gingerish stubble on his cheeks and his blonde curls are perfectly messy. Itʼs a wonderful sight—and he wants to wake up like this every morning... Maybe minus a hangover.

He doesnʼt even notice how long heʼs staring at Buck like that but he doesnʼt really care. Eventually, Buck wakes up too and he raises his head a little. He seems a little confused but the expression disappears when he notices heʼs on top of Eddie and the manʼs grinning.

“Hello, sunshine.” Eddie says and he shifts a little to be able to pull his friend closer to properly kiss him. Itʼs kinda gross because they smell like yesterdayʼs beers and they havenʼt brushed their teeth but neither of them care.

“I assume you do remember last night... No regrets?” Buck asks. His tone is cheery, playful as always but Eddie can see the uncertainty in his eyes.

“Only one. That I was a coward for so long because we could have had it all much sooner.” He answers very seriously, looking directly into Buckʼs eyes. He wants him to believe in every word he says. “I know we hadnʼt exactly talked last night... But I donʼt want this to be a one night stand. Not with you. I want... More. Everything. I mean weʼve already been a couple for quite some time. You practically live in my house, youʼre Chrisʼ second dad and youʼve been my rock since the day weʼve met. We just... Havenʼt done the sexy part of the relationship.”

“Until last night.” Buck points out.

“Yeah... Point taken. So if you want to take it slow, we can take it slow. We can date like people usually do or you can already move in and take my closet, my bed and everything because youʼve already taken my heart.”

“If you think that your offer to move in is getting you out of asking me on a date then you’re terribly wrong, Diaz.” Buck teases and winks at his friend. “You need to romance me a little.”

“God, youʼre such a dork.” Eddie says fondly. He feels so damn happy and content because he can really have everything he wanted.

“You love it.”

“I do. Now, get your ass up. We need to pick up Chris from Abuela at some point. We have dinner with TK and Carlos later.” Eddie sighs because heʼd rather stay all day in bed with Buck—and maybe tell him some of the fantasies he had in his head—but the reality calls anyway.

“Are you sure you want me to pick up Chris with you? I mean, we donʼt have to do it together, I can go to my apartment and—”

“Buck. Iʼm sure. Itʼs not like we havenʼt done this before. I want to tell him about us too. I donʼt want to lie to him because I did it when I dated Ana and it didnʼt end well. Besides, heʼll be thrilled to see us together. Hell, he wants us together. He literally told me last week that I need to buy glasses if I canʼt see that you love me too.”

Buck looks at him with amusement and he laughs heartily.

“Heʼs a smart kid. And he definitely didnʼt get it from his father.”

Eddie scoffs.

“Youʼre really lucky that I love you that much because otherwise you wouldnʼt get away with saying stuff like this.”

Buckʼs smile is almost blinding.

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They get up, eventually. They go to the shower together to “save the time and water” but it turns into another long making out session. They eat breakfast (made by Buck) and they finally go to Abuela to get Christopher.

“Edmundo, youʼre late.” They hear in the second Abuela opens the door. Sheʼs a little surprised to see not only his grandson but also his best friend.

She notices the big ass hickey on Buckʼs collarbone thatʼs exposed because heʼs wearing Eddieʼs Henley and raises her eyebrow.

“Now I understand why youʼre late.” She smirks which causes them to blush. “Anyway, itʼs nice to see you again, Evanito. I hope I get to see you more often.” She adds and then embraces both of them in a hug.

“You will, Abuela, I promise.” Eddie says honestly. He wants to add something but he hears an excited voice from the hallway.

“Dad!” Christopher shouts as he goes to the door to greet Eddie. “Bucky?” He asks when he notices the other man standing next to his dad.

“Hey, Superman!” Buck says, kneeling down to hug the kid.

“I didnʼt know youʼll be there. Are you coming home with us?”

“Yeah, buddy, Iʼm coming with you.”

Christopherʼs smile only gets bigger.

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“Chris? What would you say if Buck were living with us?” Eddie asks when theyʼre at home. Buckʼs making Abuelaʼs famous enchiladas with Christopher (none of the Diaz siblings have gotten the recipe despite asking for it a countless times; Buck asked once and Abuela happily gave it to him) and Eddieʼs only an observer. He loves watching those two interacting, spending time together. He loves how easily Buck has stepped into a co-parent role, how fast and hard he has fallen in love with Chris, how good he is with kids in general. Heʼs amazed by it almost every time he sees them together. He wouldnʼt have found someone better to be with.

“Buckyʼs moving with us? Iʼve thought it wouldnʼt happen!” Chris replies. The corners of his lips are curling into a smile but before it breaks into a full grin, he asks. “But does that mean you are dating and we wonʼt see miss Flores or someone else anymore?”

Buck looks at Eddie with a mischievous smile and mouths told you, heʼs a smart kid.

“Yeah, kiddo, no more miss Flores or any other women. Itʼs gonna be only the three of us.”

It seems to be a very satisfying answer for Christopher—he just nods and goes back to adding all ingredients to the enchilada sauce.

When everything’s almost ready, Christopher goes to his room to change his shirt because he spilled the sauce on it and they are left alone. Eddie doesnʼt waste any time and comes closer to be able to kiss Buck. He thinks it may be a problem to keep his hands off his best friend but they will figure it out too. Eventually.

“I think I can get used to this.” Buck says when they stop to take a breath.

“To what? Cooking with Chris?” Eddie teases.

Buck only huffs but then he smiles anyway because cooking with Christopher is definitely on top of his favourite things to do. “Yep, definitely. He is my favourite Diaz after all.”

“Then Iʼm in second place I guess?”

“You wish. Thereʼs also Abuela and Tia Pepa... Maybe even your sisters.” Buck grins. “You have very strong competition.”

“I think I may have some tricks up my sleeve to change your mind then.” Eddie states and heʼs ready to show them to Buck but the doorbell rings. He sighs heavily. “Guess you just have to wait to see them then.”

“Canʼt wait.”

“Hi Buck. Fancy seeing you here.” TK says with a very wide smile on his lips. “Iʼm guessing last night went well then.”

“Well... Yeah? Thanks to someone who was meddling just a little bit.”

Carlos rolls his eyes but he doesnʼt look even slightly irritated.

“Please, donʼt boost his already big ego, he was talking last night about changing his career to be a matchmaker.”

“Matchmaker?” Buck raises his brow. “Sounds interesting.”

“Carlos, we should really keep our boyfriends apart, itʼs dangerous to let them use their brain cells together. If they even have them.” They hear Eddieʼs amused voice and he appears right behind Buck. The blonde blushes at the word boyfriends. “But come on in, weʼre all ready.”

“We brought a six pack and a gift for Christopher.” Carlos adds, lifting up the beers.

“Oh, Chris will be thrilled. Heʼs already so excited to meet you two.”

“Weʼre excited to meet him too, Buck has told us so many things about Christopher, I feel like I already know him.” TK explains when they go inside.

“Bucky was talking about me?” Christopher peeks in the kitchen shyly. He sounds quite surprised.

“Yes, he did. And itʼs very nice to finally meet you. Buck couldnʼt stop talking about you. He didnʼt even talk so much about your dad I think.”

“Because my dad is very boring sometimes and heʼs all grumpy.” Christopher shrugs, looking apologetically at his dad. “Sorry dad but thatʼs the truth.”

“When did you become so sassy, huh? But I guess youʼre right. But... This is TK and this is Carlos.” Eddie introduces his friend to his son.

“And we know youʼre very interested in space so we got you a little gift.” Carlos adds, handing Chris over a package.

“Thank you.” Christopher says simply and puts it on the floor to unpack. “Whatʼs this?” He asks curiously.

“Oh, let me help you unpack it but maybe not here? We don't want to make a mess now.” Carlos proposes and Chris immediately agrees.

They go to the living room together and Buck sees with how much fondness TK looks at them.

“Carlos seems pretty good with kids.”

“He is. Heʼs fantastic. Maybe one day weʼll think about it.” TK replies thoughtfully.

“Oh, really? You two would be amazing dads.” Eddie says honestly, putting up the plates on the table. TK looks a little stunned.

“Never really thought about it too much earlier. But, anyway, howʼs my favourite couple? Because you two are a couple now, right?” TK eyes both of them carefully.

“Buckʼs moving in. Donʼt know when yet but Iʼm planning to make it as soon as we can.” Eddie announces proudly.

“Wow you really donʼt waste your time. So should we expect an invitation for the wedding next year?” TK laughs.

“... Maybe?” They both reply in sync.

“Well, weʼre doing it backwards. We started by raising Christopher together instead of just simply dating each other. So maybe we should marry each other soon. Iʼd marry him even now.” Buck states and winks at his boyfriend.

“Something tells me that the 118 would be mad at us for weeks. If they wouldnʼt kill us first for not inviting them to the wedding.” Eddie points out.

“I hate that youʼre right. They would totally kill us. But dinnerʼs ready and boys are probably starving so letʼs feed them first.”

The dinner is excellent, the conversation goes smoothly and Chris talks about his gift—an International Space Station Lego set—with so much excitement, they donʼt even dare to interrupt him. Buck and TK even offer to help him build it later. They eat a dessert and then, Eddie and Carlos settle on the couch, beers in hands and Buck and TK sit on the floor alongside Christopher and they discuss how to build the space station. Eddie canʼt tear away his gaze from Buck who looks so happy and excited to play with his—their —son and agrees to everything Christopher says.

“You two really fit together.” Carlos says quietly because he doesnʼt want to distract boys from work. “And Iʼm glad you were able to finally talk about your feelings. I must admit, I was pretty invested in your story when TK was talking about it. I really hoped you two would figure it out somehow.”

“Can you believe I was really jealous yesterday? I was sure Buck and TK were flirting and.. God, I was so mad at you for a second why you donʼt even react, why are you so cool about it. And... Yeah, I was stupid because I was sure he was into TK.” Eddie sighs because heʼs still embarrassed about it, he still canʼt believe he was so anxious that Buck might be in love with someone else.

“Oh, you probably havenʼt seen the way he looks at you. Itʼs really something. And TK was really invested in—and I quote—bringing these two lovesick idiots together. They were never flirting. Not seriously at least.”

“Yeah, I know... I... I really hope heʼll be happy with me. But Iʼve heard your relationship is getting more serious.”

“Yeah, well... We live together now so itʼs a pretty big step for both of us. We havenʼt killed each other so Iʼm taking it as a good sign. I donʼt know whatʼs next. Maybe a wedding but I need to be sure TK will say yes and wonʼt freak out about it.” Carlos sighs, knowing that TK may be still cautious about the whole wedding thing but he definitely wants to try it anyway.

“He mentioned earlier something about you two having a kid so I think heʼs taking it very seriously too.” Eddie reassures him.

They both look at his boyfriends who are completely focused on building a space station with Christopher and itʼs very heart-warming sight. “I donʼt think he would say something like that if he didnʼt mean it. Besides, heʼs a lot like Buck and I bet he loves kids as much as him. And I need to add that Christopher is not really a kid who trusts easily but he clearly has so much fun with TK. I wouldnʼt worry too much if I were you. You two really fit together too.”

“Yeah, we do. TK was annoyingly stubborn at first and he didnʼt want to admit that itʼs more than just a hookup. Now weʼre living together.” Carlos laughs, looking softly at TK who sticked out the tip of his tongue and visibly tries to concentrate. “I must say, this is a really nice trip. Glad I could meet TKʼs friends and just... Let myself relax a little bit. Something tells me ifʼs not our last visit in LA, though.”

“I bet.” Eddie hums in agreement. “You can visit LA as many times as you want to. We will probably visit you in Texas too. I have to properly introduce Buck to my family one day so we can definitely do a quick trip to Austin then.”

“Weʼll be happy to see you. Captain S—Owen—will be thrilled to see you. He was disappointed he couldnʼt go with us, he wanted to see Hen again and meet your captain.”

“Yeah, he was whining all the time since we told him weʼre going to LA.” TK adds suddenly. Heʼs still focused on building the space station but Carlos and Eddie stopped talking quietly and now he hears what theyʼre saying. “Mateo was disappointed too, he wanted to visit his cousin. Marvin? Or something like that.”

“We can organise something bigger so everyone can be there.” Buck agrees. “Eds, we should definitely tell Bobby about it. I donʼt care if itʼs here or in Austin, I can definitely organise it.”

“I have no doubts.” Eddie says fondly and then looks at their guests. “You shouldʼve seen him when he organised a Christmas party for us all with help from Athena. We were all working and our kids were so disappointed by it but Buck basically rescued everything. That was really amazing.”

“Really? You didnʼt even mention that!” TK scoffs. “But nice to know, maybe Iʼll hire you to organise my wedding with Carlos since youʼre so good at this stuff.”

“Oh, I donʼt know. Maybe Iʼd work with Carlos because heʼs so sweet and nice but you? I bet youʼll be a bridezilla.”

TK only throws at Buck a piece of Lego in response, followed by the laugh of both Eddie and Carlos.

━━━━━━━━━━ × ━━━━━━━━━━

Itʼs almost 10pm when TK and Carlos decide to go back to Buckʼs apartment. Christopher already fell asleep but he managed to build the space station with Buck and TK and he was really proud of it, just like both of his helpers.

“Dude, your kid is really amazing. I mean, I donʼt remember the last time when I had so much fun—sorry, babe—and Iʼm really gonna miss him.” TK admits and thereʼs so much honesty in his voice, nobody even questions it.

“Heʼs gonna miss you too, if it helps.” Eddie tells him, grinning softly. “Both of you. But youʼre gonna see him soon. At least I think so.”

“I take your word for it.” TK warns him.

“Well, you can always face time with us.”

TKʼs face instantly lights up and he hugs Eddie.

“I will miss you too, Hollywood.”

Eddie only rolls his eyes.

“Hey, you two big saps, you will see each other tomorrow because weʼre gonna drive you to the airport before our shift.” Buck announces.

“Fineeee.” TK sighs dramatically. “But I think our Uberʼs here so weʼre gonna leave you alone. It was really nice to spend more time with you.”

“Likewise.”

They say their goodbyes eventually and when TK and Carlos are already in the car, Buck takes Eddieʼs hand and smiles widely.

“It was really an eventful 24 hours.” He says.

“It was. Now we only have to prepare ourselves for tomorrowʼs shift. I bet Hen and Chim will be insufferable.”

Buck groans.

“Ugh, they will be. Maybe we should be insufferable too?”

“Buckley, do you have something particular in mind?” Eddie asks, watching his boyfriend carefully. Maybe other people wouldnʼt notice it but heʼs Eddie and he knows Buck too well. He notices that mischievous look in his eyes and heʼs sure Buckʼs up to something.

“I have a few ideas, Diaz.”

“Care to share them with me?”

“Always.”

[insaneoldme]

Can you rec buddie fics? Pretty please?

OMG it's my time to shine, bitches!!!

Sorry if I went a little nuts, but this fandom has some of the best writers I've ever seen. I have 186 Buddie fics bookmarked in my AO3,

I'll link here if you are interested in taking a look cause if I put them all here it would be too long. Also, I tried to show here some fics I very rarely see recced, and a little bit o the classics. This fandom has some very underrated authors, everyone in my bookmarks is worth taking a look really.

Please take a look at the warnings before reading, enjoy!!!

I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends to This) by morganofthefairies (Rated E )

Buck and Eddie had always been unconventional. Neither of them gave it much thought – they were just them. Buck and Eddie - partners, best friends, co-parents – just as entangled in each other’s lives as any actual couple in the 118.

Or, the story of how Buck and Eddie went about their relationship in entirely the wrong order.

My Heart's Been Borrowed by ElvenSorceress (Rated E)

aka the one where Taylor gives Buck his ultimate fantasy and uncovers far more than either of them expected, forcing him to confront his long held feelings for Eddie

Half Awake in Our Fake Empire by HMSLusitania (Rated E)

Buck 1.0 fathered a child and Buck 4.0 comes into custody.

Love and Bullets Both Shatter Hearts (But Only One Can Put You Back Together) (Rated E)

Agent [Redacted] Diaz is the best at what he does. Usually. But lately there's this real pain in the ass* who's been ruining his missions: Code Name "Buck."

Keep It On by R_E_R6 (Rated E)

When Eddie walks in on Buck, bent over in nothing but a hoodie, their plans for the night immediately change. Buck's outfit though? Well, Eddie requests that it stays the same...for reasons.

Heart of Flowers / Heart of Gold by ElvenSorceress (Rated T)

Buck nearly loses everything and Eddie has to follow his heart

hungry for your love by evcndiaz (Rated G)

prompt: "who’s gonna write a fanfic where chris is not cooperating with buck and eddie accidentally says “listen to your dad”?"

or; breadsticks are a metaphor for love and boning

keep your eyes on the road by iriswests (Rated M)

A glimpse into buck and eddie’s developing relationship, told through ten moments stopped at a traffic light

when things fall into place by woodchoc_magnum (Rated M)

In which Eddie asks Buck to move in with them during lockdown to help look after Christopher, which leads to certain unresolved feelings being resolved.

Carbon Date Me, Excavate Me by extasiswings, letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Rated E)

Evan "Buck" Buckley has made a name for himself as the independent bad boy of archaeology. At least, until Professor Eddie Diaz shows up with his fedora and good looks and starts beating Buck to the punch more often than not.

Buck hates his stupid six-pack covered guts.

Except for how... he might not.

Objects in the Mirror by SevenSoulmates (Rated E)

The voice had always been around, Eddie remembers it, like a stream of consciousness that babbled incoherently to the point where Eddie just tuned it out.

But then the voice started speaking directly to him. Conversing like he was a whole person standing right in front of him. Like he could see what was happening around Eddie.

Eddie shook his head. No one was talking to him, and Eddie most certainly was not talking back.

He wouldn’t talk to the boy in his head ever again. There was no boy in his head.

ripples all the way down by iriswests (Rated M)

christopher partakes in some parent trapping

dream of some epiphany by extasiswings (Rated M)

Evan Buckley is lost.

It’s happenstance that he wanders into the navy recruiting center—he’s been in San Diego for a few weeks, bartending late nights and weekends, living in a house with three other guys not because he needs the roommates but because he doesn’t want to be alone, and the military is…respectable. Stable. So Buck thinks maybe and opens the door.

Buck leaves ten minutes later with a set of printed instructions for sending his first letter, assured that he can drop it off whenever he’s ready, and a name.

Staff Sergeant Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz.

Relationship Advice from Complete Strangers Online by HMSLusitania (Rated T)

Hi, I’ve never made a Reddit post before and I’m not 100% sure what I’m doing but I need advice and can’t ask anyone in my real life. So, I [30M] have this best friend [34M]…

Leading with the Left by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Rated E)

When Buck said he was a "bartender" in "South America" what he actually meant was "stripper" in "Mexico."

And when Eddie said, "What's your problem?" what he actually meant was, "Is this about the time you gave me a lap dance?"

In other words, there's a few things the 118 doesn't know about Buck. Or Eddie. Or Buck and Eddie's relationship.

fireflies where my caution should be by littlesnowpea (Rated M)

“You never talk about your parents,” Eddie says, which is not even remotely what Buck expects Eddie to say. He frowns, tilts his head, but it isn’t a question, as evidenced by Eddie charging on. “I never asked because I figured it was your business, but the look on your face any time they’re brought up tells me you don’t get along.”

Buck swallows hard, against a lump in his throat. His parents? Eddie’s right, he never talks about them, for good reason. He opens his mouth, then closes it again, not sure what he’s even going to say.

Eddie takes it as the answer Buck is trying to make it out to be. He squeezes Buck’s wrist again, takes a deep breath, like he’s on a call with someone who’s panicking. Buck finds his breathing slowing to match Eddie’s, and Eddie nods as Buck gets it under control.

“There are people on the porch,” Eddie says, voice even. “Saying they want to meet their grandchild.”

Asked, Offered, Given, (He's) Taken by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Rated E)

People like to flirt with Buck on calls. It kind of makes Buck uncomfortable.

And that makes Eddie frustrated.

I Hit the Accelerator (But the Car was in Reverse) by extasiswings, letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Rated E)

When Buck is forced to confront the truth about his breakup with Abby, having casual sex with his hot new coworker seems like the best rebound idea.

Unfortunately, that hot new coworker turns into his best friend. But best friends can keep having sex with each other, right?

There's no way this could possibly go wrong.

Memorable by JessicaMDawn (Rated T)

Six times Buck got recognized by people he saved during the tsunami, and how his team realized he was a hero.

All Bets are Off by NobodyKnows_U (Not Rated)

Or, the five times the firefam realized Buck and Eddie were in love, and the one-time Eddie finally did something about it.

fire on fire by extasiswings (Rated T)

Or: Buck and Eddie get in the habit of sharing a bed while living together during quarantine. It's platonic until it isn't.

Better Together by Randomfandombloggs09 (Not Rated)

5 times Eddie sees Buck wearing his last name and 1 time its not just his

Daddy and Pops by EdithBlake (Rated M)

When Christopher calls Buck 'Pops' things get a bit confusing. Buck and Eddie have a talk with Christopher that ends up with both of them being even more confused by how right it sounds.

the meaning of the words you see by florenceandthemachine (Rated E)

unknown sender: Hi!

unknown sender: Just wanted to say thanks for letting me buy you a drink, and for your number. Sorry I had to run.

unknown sender: I’m Eddie by the way.

sent: hey um

sent: i don’t want 2 be this guy but

sent: i think u mayb put the wrong # in ur phone

the dream you wish will come true by woodchoc_magnum (Rated M)

In which Christopher Diaz cannot understand why his father would want to date his former teacher when Evan Buckley is right there.

vienna waits for you by mottainai (Not Rated)

Eddie doesn't deserve a soulmate.

Work Husband by hideeho (Rated T)

“What...what have you done with Buck?” Eddie is going to kill him for messing with his phone. No, that’s too extreme. He’s going to maim him. Just a little.

“Check under H,” Chim offers helpfully, shooting a look over to Hen with a smirk.

Why the hell would he be under—

Then he sees it.

Husband.

Bad Neighbors by firstdegreefangirl (Rated E)

Eddie's new neighbors are keeping him up all night. He calls on his best friend for a little taste of their own medicine.

Cross the Line by Sirencalls (Rated E)

Eddie laughs, short and quiet and almost to himself. “No. If you want to learn, then I’m gonna be the one to teach you.”

Buck is pretty sure his brain stops working. “What? Why?”

Eddie turns to look at him and steps closer, their chests only a few inches apart. “Because there are people out there who will take advantage of how naïve you are. They’ll hurt you, and I won’t.” Eddie’s eyes are so intense that Buck doesn’t have any choice but to believe him. “If you want someone to do this for you, to—to dominate you, it has to be me. I don’t trust anyone else to do it right.”

pretty in pink by dykeevans (Rated E)

Buck forgets that he and Eddie made plans to hang out until Eddie shows up and Buck's in the middle of laundry day.

His laundry day outfit consists of a small pink crop top and grey sweatpants.

Eddie loses his damn mind. Me too, though, me too.

the distance to the stars by cloudydaisies (Rated G)

“Didn’t know you were seeing someone.”

Buck just laughs. Like, honest to god giggles. Eddie is stuck fighting off doubly massive waves of butterflies and confusion, all while Buck just gazes down at him.

“That’s cute,” he hears Buck mumble, just before climbing into the truck, calling Eddie after him.

-or, everyone knows eddie is dating buck except for eddie, literally.

Something Old, Something New by dumbhuman (Rated E)

“Damn, I love weddings!” Buck’s face lit up as he closed the door.

If asked later, Eddie wouldn’t have been able to explain what came over him in that moment to make him ask the question. Or, at least, he wouldn’t have wanted to explain. The exhaustion was an easy excuse, but he knew deep down that it wasn’t a real one.

“Why don’t you come with me?”

one of the few things by thatnerdemryn (Rated G)

five times that Eddie tells someone else that Buck is Christopher's legal guardian plus one time he finally tells Buck.

I Didn't Know I Was Lonely 'Til I Saw Your Face by HMSLusitania (Rated T)

Total strangers Buck and Eddie go to couple's therapy together to get out of the therapy requirements their captains have placed on them.

things we shouldn't do by Ingu (Rated T)

“Why is everybody taking my relationship status so personally? Can’t I be fine with being single?” Buck said.

“Hey, you don’t have to say yes, be sad and alone if that’s what you want,” Josh replied. “But, I’m just saying. I’ve seen photos and this guy is volcanic levels of hot. Also, single dad, super cute kid. Saves lives for a living like you. I think you should give it a go.”

(the one where Buck and Eddie accidentally get set up on a blind date with each other, and everything snowballs from there)

Keeping It In The Family by Wolves_of_Innistrad (Rated T)

A young man shows up at the firehouse looking for Buck. Turns out Javier was a Bartender with Buck in Mexico. He’s back in LA, looking to reconnect and very flirty. Cue Eddie realizing Buck is not as straight as he thought.

kiss me (like your ex is in the room) by rebeccaofsbfarm (Rated E)

Eddie Diaz gets drunk and protective and signs up for a fake double date to get back at his friend's ex.

Leave the Light On (I'll Be Coming Home) by HMSLusitania (Rated M)

An accident on a call leaves Buck with custody of Chris after Eddie is… missing presumed.

While they navigate their new family circumstances -- and fight to stay together, despite Eddie's parents' best efforts -- a John Doe wakes up in a coma ward with no memory of his own life beyond the knowledge he has a son named Christopher and, somehow, he needs to get home

All my Buddie AO3 bookmarks

As I said this fandom has some very talented people, some of my favorite Authors's Tumblrs below, I recommend all the things they wrote and their blogs are very good.

@elvensorceress, @hmslusitania, @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels, @extasiswings

For gifs:

@arrenemris, @skylessnights (very lovely AU gifsets)

@from-nova(good gifs & content)

For Podfics: @mistmarauder everything she ever read is amazing, her podfics are high quality and she has a very lovely voice and her presence calms me down lol I recommend it

I'm sorry there are a lot more people but I'm kinda in a rush haha most of the people I follow are amazing, but the ones I mentioned here are enough to get you started or entertained for a while.

Buddie fics are amazing, this pairing has spoiled me so much, everyone I met because of it is nice and so active and talented.

Sorry mutuals if I forgot someone! 

I hope I helped Anon, have fun!

(Tell me if any link is wrong please, thanks)

[toosicktoocare]

prompt:  i would literally commit a crime for a buddie sick fic in these trying times,,, i don’t even care what the specifics are just,, hngg buddie sickfic ❤️👄❤️ (big mood, anon)

(I got another anon that asked for Buck taking care of sick Eddie as well. I just lost the dang ask before I could post the fic.)

Ever since Maddie’s kidnapping, Buck cannot, for the life of him, sleep well. His subconscious is gripped in a muted fear, keeping him trapped in interrupted, light slumbers. Maddie and everyone at the 118 pester him regularly about it, giving him various options to help with sleep, but he’s afraid of the foggy mind that comes with over-the-counter medication, so he convinces himself he can run on low fumes, boosting with caffeine as needed because a tired mind is still a clear mind, albeit a little slower.

When his phone rings at 2:07 a.m., Buck jerks awake, mind previously edging the line of a dream, and he fumbles blindly for his phone, squinting at the light to see “Eddie Diaz” flashing across his screen.

His stomach bottoms out, and he presses answer and swings his legs over the bed, feeling cold with fear. “Eddie? What’s wrong?” He can hear crying on the other end, and he balances the phone between his ear and shoulder as he kicks around in the dark for his abandons shorts. “Eddie!”

“Hey, sorry. One sec.”

Eddie sounds panicked, Buck thinks, taking the steps down to the first floor two at a time. He can hear Eddie trying to reassure Christopher that everything’s going to be okay in the background, and he pauses, briefly gripped in a paralyzing fear, briefly brought back to the tsunami, to losing Christopher.

“Look, I’m sorry for calling so late. Chris has been sick since the end of my shift, and I just can’t get his fever down. With his CP... I’m taking him to the ER.”

Buck’s half out the door, shoes barely on his feet, when he realizes he’s still shirtless. He snags an LAFD zip-up off the back of a chair and stumbles back to the door, arms sliding into the jacket. “What hospital?”

“I... I didn’t even ask. You’ll come?”

“Of course I’ll come,” Buck spits out, already out the door and taking the steps out of his apartment building two at a time. “What hospital?” He repeats as he runs out of the building and all but rips his jeep door open. He nods absently when Eddie rattles off the details, mentally mapping out the quickest route.

“I’ll be there in ten.”

“Be careful.”

Buck rolls his eyes because of course Eddie is going to still worry for his well-being, and he ends the call and peels out of his parking spot.

***

“Hi,” Buck starts, breathless, heart trying to catch up to the rest of him, “my name is Evan Buckley, and I’m looking for a young kid. Christopher-”

“Buck.”

Buck whips around from the receptionist desk to see Eddie slipping out a set of large double doors, and for a moment, he doesn’t move, he only assesses. Eddie’s pale, which, Buck thinks, is to be expected if he’s been up in a near-constant state of worry after a 16-hour shift. His cheeks are red, and Buck’s quick to peg it on exertion, on Eddie racing into the hospital with Christopher, his own heart also working to match the rest of him. And, he’s shaking, and Buck knows cold nerves all too well, still feeling chilled himself.

His eyes fall to Eddie’s, and then he crosses the room to him quickly and gathers him in his arms tightly. Eddie slumps against his chest, and Buck tightens his arms around him.

“How’s Chris?”

Eddie lingers for a moment, clinging to Buck, before he pulls away with a low sigh. “He’s okay. Just a persistent virus.”

Buck nods, a frown playing at his lips. Without Eddie’s body flush against him, he feels colder than normal, and on instinct, he smooths the back of his hand to Eddie’s forehead, lingering there before moving to cup Eddie’s neck.

“You sure he’s the only one with a virus? You’re really warm.”

“I...” Eddie sighs, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’ve been feeling a little off, but Chris...”

“Right, where is he?”

Eddie leads Buck to Christopher’s room, and as soon as he steps in, Christopher’s face lights up in such a way that Buck’s steps falter.

“Buck!”

Though sounding a little weak, the contagious energy is still centerfold, and Buck leans toward it, finding his footing and matching Christopher’s smile with his own.

“Hey, buddy! Heard you aren’t feeling so hot.” Buck eases himself onto the edge of the hospital bed, staring at Christopher’s vitals for an extended moment before turning toward him, assessing the same way he assessed Eddie.

“Yeah, I feel bad.”

A sympathetic frown pulling at his lips, Buck spares a glance to see Eddie flopping down onto a chair pulled to Christopher’s bedside. “I bet you do, but you’re going to feel better in no time. You’ve got the Diaz genes.”

“And daddy will feel better too?”

Buck finds Eddie’s eyes, and he opens his mouth to speak, stopping when Eddie shoots him a very clear look that all but screams “don’t.”

“I’m sure your dad will feel a lot better when you’re better.”

“That’s good,” Christopher mumbles, and Buck nods, patting Christopher’s leg.

***

Buck’s carefully quiet as Eddie putters around his house, watching as Eddie measures out Christopher’s medicine, as he hovers over Christopher until he falls asleep, and he only intervenes when he’s sure Eddie can breathe deeply without the fear that Christopher is going to take a turn for the worse.

“He’s finally asleep,” Eddie mutters, coughing into his fist. “All dosed up, fever’s finally down. I’ll contact his school in a few hours before my shift; see if Carla can take him for a the full day.”

“You aren’t going in.”

Eddie stops around a yawn. “What?”

“I texted Bobby. He’s pulling coverage for the next few days so you can rest.” Buck can pinpoint every emotion that flicks across Eddie’s face: confusion, frustration, exhaustion. He’s seen them all, sometimes daily.

“Buck-”

“Eddie, you have a fever. You’re exhausted, and you are only going to get worse if you go on three hours of sleep.”

“Since when did you become the responsible one?” Eddie sighs lowly, and Buck laughs, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“It’s my week to be responsible. You had it last week.”

Eddie hums around a small smile and rubs at the ache on his forehead. “I really appreciate you coming, Buck. I don’t think... I just... It was really nice to have you there.”

Buck gets to his feet, and, for the second time that night, crosses the room and pulls Eddie right to his chest, hoping that he can ease some of the worrying pressure, even if just for a moment.

Eddie snuggles into him, frowning as he thumbs Buck’s bare chest, exposed where his zipper’s slipped down a little.

“Where’s your shirt?”

“Ah, I kinda forgot one when I rushed out.” Buck smiles sheepishly when Eddie pulls back, and he cups a hand to Eddie’s cheek, too warm for his liking.

“Okay, Diaz, it’s your turn.”

“My turn for what?”

Buck snags Eddie’s hand and guides him to the bedroom, ignoring Eddie’s questions the whole way. He makes easy work of tugging Eddie’s jacket and jeans off, and he urges him into the bed in nothing but a short sleeve under shirt and boxers.

“Buck-”

Buck disappears into the bathroom, still promptly ignoring Eddie, and he comes back with a glass of water, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a thermometer.

“Buck, I’m fine.”

“Mmhmm, sure. Open.” Buck waves the thermometer in front of Eddie’s face until Eddie sighs and opens his mouth wide enough for Buck to slip the thermometer under his tongue. While waiting, he presses two fingers to Eddie’s neck, counting the flutter of heartbeats beneath his finger prints until the thermometer beeps.

“101.7,” Buck reads aloud, frowning. “Heartbeat’s a little fast. Any other symptoms?”

Eddie gives him a knowing look, but Buck doesn’t back down, matching Eddie’s narrow gaze until Eddie caves.

“My head and throat hurt. I’m freezing, and I’m tired.”

Nodding, Buck tugs at the blankets until they are covering Eddie up to his chest. He shakes a couple of pills into his hand, offering them to Eddie with the water.

“Seems like you definitely got Christopher’s virus.”

“Perks of parenting,” Eddie mutters around a wince, the pills grating against his throat. He hands off the cup, sighing contentedly when Buck smooths a cool palm to his forehead.

“You should save yourself. This thing apparently moves fast.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Eddie grabs Buck’s wrist and pulls his hand away, a tight frown on his lips.

“Buck, you have a shift in a few hours. You need-”

“Bobby took me off the schedule, too. At least for today. I’ve been instructed to call him later to update him on how you and Christopher are.”

“And you agreed?”

“Someone has to make sure you and Chris are okay,” Buck says as if it’s the most obvious thing and the world and equally the easiest decision he’s ever made, and Eddie shakes his head.

“No, Buck, you really don’t have to... What are you doing?”

Buck’s just kicked his shorts off across the room, and he’s setting an alarm on his phone as he crawls into the empty side of the bed.

“Okay, I’ve got an alarm set for 6 to check Christopher’s temperature, and I’ll wake you at 7 to check you over.”

“Buck-”

Ignoring Eddie, Buck drops his phone on the night stand and cuts out the light, snuggling into the bed with a low sigh.

“Evan.”

“Shh,” Buck shushes, patting blindly until his palm cups over Eddie’s mouth. “I’m sleeping.”

“You’ll get sick.” Eddie mumbles, slapping Buck’s hand away. 

“Okay? I don’t know if you remember, but I got a clean bill of health from the hospital, so bring it.”

“You’re so dumb,” Eddie sighs, and Buck laughs, blindly reaching around to pat Eddie’s too-warm cheek.

“Sleep, loser.”

[hmslusitania]

I see we're going ape over buddie and Choices tonight so

Yknow in 2.07, when Shannon comes back and her and Eddie have their first scene together? The argument at the end, after Eddie says it wouldn't be a good idea for her to see Christopher bc she left them, she says she needed him, she needed a husband and a co-parent - and "I needed someone to have my back!"

To which EDDIE says, "I always had your back"

*insert Incredibles "coincidence? I think NOT" gif here*

(Also side note, I do like that the show doesn't try to sugarcoat what Shannon did being messed up, and that Eddie's own actions weren't really the right thing either[thinking about his conversation with Buck where he says he got to pretend he left for a noble cause even tho he was running], and that it was just a sticky situation that neither of them were equipped to handle in any way, and snowballed. I do kind of wish we could've gotten post-divorce Shannon and Eddie and Christopher interactions, figuring out how they fit together, if at all, bc I like those intricate and messy situations but I could see how that might get too close to retreading old ground re: Michael and Athena's divorce. But I do hate how ive seen the fandom like. Seem to oversimplify things with Shannon sometimes? And make her the ultimate villain, and Eddie Did Nothing Wrong, Ever)

Hi Anon!

The decision to have Buck and Eddie's first bonding moment end with "You can have my back any day" and "or, y'know, you could have mine" only to then six episodes later find out that at least a contributing factor to Eddie's marriage dissolving was that he "didn't have her back" is like. Such a galaxy brain chaos move for them to take, honestly. Like?? They could've had the phrasing be literally anything in 2x07 but instead they had it directly echo Buck and Eddie in 2x01. What was the reason? Why did they do this?

As for the rest of your ask:

(gosh this got long and, uh, opinionated. It is Not Pretty below the cut)

One of the things I really liked about Eddie Begins is that we did get to see him at the beginning of his journey in being Chris's dad because it gives us an opportunity to appreciate how amazingly he's grown as a father. Like, he didn't start out as a perfect dad and he was definitely kind of lost in the woods at the beginning there when it came to the whole "how do I parent" thing. And before Eddie Begins, we'd only ever seen the end result of the growth he's gone through, where he really is a fantastic dad whose son is basically his entire reason for being. Before Eddie Begins, we get to hear him say things like "I left first" and "I've failed that kid more times than I can count but I love him enough to never stop trying" but we kinda have to take that on faith? Because we hadn't actually seen him be anything besides a good dad until we saw his Begins episode. (And even then in his begins it's like "area man in his early 20s unsure how to care for small child while also coping with PTSD and a toxic support system" which like. yeah. no shit. there's one hell of a learning curve there)

The thing about Eddie and Shannon as a couple and as parents that always gets to me is that they were so fucking young. We don't know exactly how old Eddie is in the show, but we can guesstimate pretty safely that he's around the same age as Ryan which would make him between 23 and 24 when Chris was born, and it seems reasonable to believe Shannon was around the same age. It's also a pretty common reading in the fandom -- although I'm not sure how much canon support there is for it because we really, really don't know anything about their relationship pre-Christopher unless I'm forgetting something -- that they got married because Shannon got pregnant and that was the Done Thing. And when you're 23-24, baby on the way, freshly married, that is just like. So much. It sure as hell ruined my parents' relationship when they did that exact thing, and then they disliked each other until they were 27 and then they got divorced, and no one was happier than me about it, I have to tell you.

Back to the show, I can only give you my impressions, obviously, but the impression I have always gotten from the whole "I left too" conversation and the context that goes into it and the different behaviours we see exhibited by the characters is that Eddie "left" first and it comes across to me that he was basically an early twenty-something kid running scared from the abstract concept of being a father in general, and then when he was forced home by an honourable discharge, and was confronted with the reality of Christopher, he managed to step the fuck up and become Christopher's dad. It's there in 2x02, right? "Oh, you've got a kid? I love kids!" "I love this one." Eddie doesn't strike me as a Swiss Army Knife all-purpose Dad(tm) the way Bobby is. Eddie is Christopher's dad. (and like, of course, he's obviously moved by kids when he's on a call, we've seen that enough times to know that if there's a child who can even glancingly remind him of Christopher, Eddie's sense of self-preservation goes out the window, and I love that about him as heart-stopping as it can be in practice)

Shannon, on the other hand, didn't run from the idea of being a mother -- at first. When she left, it wasn't from the abstract. She left Chris (and "gave up" on Eddie, thanks Helena). She was not running from a concept, she was running from a reality. I think Shannon is a fascinating character to include in a television show as a side character, because she really isn't a one note character. Like, she was unarguably a bad mother, and from what we saw, she was a questionable romantic partner to have (but as you said, anon, Eddie was also not 100% the best romantic partner when he was with Shannon either; their entire relationship so far as I can tell was built on sexual chemistry which, uh, super does not sustain a relationship), but she also seems to have been a devoted daughter? I mean, yeah, it's entirely possible that her mom being sick was a convenient excuse to bail -- and obviously she didn't come back after her mom died, and didn't, y'know, contact her son or husband in the interim, so yes, I can see that being a valid way to read the situation. I don't think she's the Ultimate Evil, because she strikes me as a very human character in all the ways that people are more often than not really fucking flawed.

But then we get back to the actual break-up scene. The first time I watched it (and second, and third; then the fourth time the person I was watching with was like "I mean, sure, but it could also be read in this light") her "I'm just learning how to be someone's mother" speech really bothered me? Partly because it was the abstraction of it, right? Eddie doesn't like kids, he likes Christopher, and Shannon sort of had the inverse journey there, I guess, where it went from she didn't know how to be Christopher's mother, to she didn't know how to be a mother. And that speech bothered me because it always sounded to me like she was bailing again. She begged Eddie to let her back into Christopher's life (guilt? I guess?) and like, straight up bribed him with sex which was sure a choice, and then decides -- for a second time -- that she's out. It sounded, to me, she was handing Eddie papers and maybe, in a few years, possibly, once she'd had "time" to "figure out how to be someone's mother" she would try again. Just like she had in the interim between leaving when Christopher was little and the time of season 2.

And like, that could totally be a misunderstanding of the scene and what she was saying. It's what I took away from it, but that could very well be influenced by the fact I was raised by divorced parents and my dad had custody and if you count up all the time I spent with either parent when I was a minor, I was predominantly raised by my father and have had an especially tempestuous relationship with my mother that is mostly (sometimes) repaired now that I'm in my late twenties and have not lived with her since I was sixteen.

Back to the show, and to your comment that the fandom tends to treat Shannon like the Ultimate Evil and act like Eddie Did Nothing Wrong, I mean. Yeah. Fandom as a rule tends to shirk nuance. We're all fools here on the internet sitting in our blue industrial waste container crying about a wee woo show. I personally believe a more nuanced take on that might be that Eddie has shown a great capacity to learn from his mistakes (sometimes to make fun, shiny, new ones, but for the most part, just like ends up doing better the next time) and Shannon did not show that capacity in the time we knew her.

I think, depending on what they did with it, there was potential for an interesting storyline if they'd played through the divorce. I don't think it would've been rehashing ground covered by Michael and Athena's divorce because I can't see Eddie and Shannon having reached a point of amicability and friendship. The only thing we know they had in common was Christopher, and frankly, when you boil it down, the ways they engaged with Christopher as a person were so disparate that -- to me -- it really didn't seem like they had Christopher in common when you get right down to it. But I wouldn't have wanted to see Christopher and Eddie dragged through an ugly divorce process. They deserve better than that.

There's also a conversation to be had about Shannon's blatant ableism towards her own son, but that is extremely not my lane since I am not disabled myself. But even from an outside perspective, basically their entire parking lot conversation in Haunted, uh, haunts me with it's repugnance and the fact that instead of calling her on any of it, Eddie "Chronically touch starved" Diaz's response was to kiss her? Gosh golly do I wish that was one of the mistakes he learned from properly instead of finding a new, shiny version.

ANYWAY this got long, tl;dr (although if you clicked on the read more, you probably read it) version is No, Shannon is not the Ultimate Evil, she's a shitty mom not a demon in a skin suit and a pretty yellow sundress; and No, Eddie is not a flawless human who's never done wrong in his life but holy fuck is he trying and he'd be the first person to tell you he's made mistakes (and often has been); and no, sorry, I don't want to see the divorce storyline play out because we probably would've had to see either Eddie Bashing, Shannon Redemption, or Shannon turning up again like a cardboard cut out of a cartoon villain the way Eva did and I want to be witness to exactly zero of those things.

[asphodel-storm]

So. If Cobra Kai were DC.

First off, the man who is the source of most problems, John Kreese:

Kreese’s mentor was an agent of the League of Shadows/Assassins planted within the military. Kreese was invited to take his place after his death. He trained with Ra’s al Ghul after the war and then left to found Cobra Kai as a covert recruitment operation for the League (not every Cobra alum became an assassin, only the ones Kreese saw that potential in). Johnny was on the path to recruitment and it was the loss against Daniel and resulting fallout that changed that. Kreese has been on League business every time he’s been ‘dead’. 

Mr. Miyagi:

Mr. Miyagi was a Green Lantern. The ring chose him a while after he received his medal of honor and he was protecting the universe secretly during the Karate Kid movies. When Daniel overcomes his fear in TKK 3, Miyagi retires and the ring chooses Daniel.

Daniel LaRusso:

Daniel was a Green Lantern for years (a secret from everyone except Amanda and Miyagi), but the lantern’s power never replaced karate for him because karate is part of the balance that allows him to use the ring in the first place. The ring started to reject him during the period where his resentment of Johnny was overpowering his will (season 1-ish). It chose him again when he got a handle on that, but by then he had already turned his attention to teaching and empowering young people. He gave it up and it chose his daughter after she overcame her own fear at the end of season 3.

Samantha LaRusso

Samantha LaRusso was chosen by a Green Lantern ring after overcoming her fear and facing Tory at the end of season 3. She enters season 4 as a newly minted super hero. 

Tory Nichols 

Tory witnesses Sam as a Green Lantern early on. She has a lot of anger inside of her and seeing her rival - the girl who in her opinion was handed everything in life - chosen by cosmic power pushes her over the edge. Kreese encourages and feeds this anger, of course, though he does it with the intention of making Tory a better assassin. When a Red Lantern power ring chooses her that’s honestly a bonus. 

Johnny Lawrence 

Johnny was nearly recruited to the League of Assassins as a teenager - he would have been shipped off to official league training after highschool if he hadn’t lost to Daniel (and, likely, if Kreese hadn’t impulsively burned that bridge before remembering the larger plan). Instead, he was approached by the representative of an anonymous east coast billionaire after high school and paid to use his connection to the ‘late’ John Kreese  - and pre-assassin training - to infiltrate and sabotage some activities the League of Shadows had going in the Valley. He never learned the full extent of what the League was or his or Kreese’s connections to it during this time (like, he probably could have if he’d tried, but he’s Johnny). He was inconsistent at best in his vigilantism after that, putting on a mask and patrolling more when he needed an outlet than based on the needs of the community. He was briefly the ‘Batman of the Valley’ when Batman first franchised out into Batman Inc. He’d given that up for years by the time he met Miguel, but dusts off his cape when he learns of new League operations in the Valley in season 4 (likely being run by Terry Silver). 

His ‘cape’ is actually a red leather bodysuit. He definitely calls himself something like DeathFist or DeathFang or whatever in the long tradition of people in red bodysuits being called stuff like that (DeadShot, DeathStroke, etc.). 

Miguel Diaz

Miguel will hit the streets patrolling with his mentor, but the transition to vigilantism also hits him at a time when he’s realized he probably shouldn’t have Johnny on such a pedestal so he’ll also use the opportunity to strike out alone or with friends. The transition also comes at a time when Miguel has noticed certain changes about himself he can’t explain - like how he destroyed Demetri’s tv with lasers that shot out of his eyes when he got a bit too competitive about Mario Cart.

Yeah, the bad man Carmen moved them to escape was not connected to organized crime. He wasn’t Terry Silver. He was General freaking Zod. Why does General Zod live in Ecuador? He’s building up forces there. Anyways, Miguel is half Kryptonian and just awakening to his powers since his body has been healing from the school fight. The injury was a kind of catalyst and as he heals he’s also becoming invulnerable. So much for his rivalry with Robby, right? Nope, that’s still on. 

Robby Keene

Kreese thinks a mistake he made with Johnny was not bringing him into the fold sooner and getting him excited about the prospect of the League of Shadows. He knows very well that Robby will march out of Cobra Kai forever if he mentions anything about assassins before he’s ‘ready’, but he does start letting him know about the secret society of warriors and introduce him to some alumni who are with the league now. Maybe show off some missions where they actually intervened for good. Essentially, he makes him feel like he could be part of something - something that feels like family - which is bigger than himself (which is already an established part of his schtick). 

As part of this pre-assassin buttering up, Kreese procures something special for Robby - gloves laced with kryptonite. He told him it would only level the playing field between him and Miguel, but it is enough to weaken Miguel enough to be killed. The plan is for Robby to go in thinking ‘Miguel is pretty much indestructible even with these gloves’ so he goes all out and kills him and then while he’s dealing with the trauma of having killed him Kreese can pull him fully into the League. While the plan won’t work, the path to it will see Robby getting a lot more weapons/assassin-specific training than Johnny did.

He will eventually take over Johnny’s suit and code name.

Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz

Kreese’s plan for Robby is a more elaborate and thought out version of his original plan for Hawk. Hawk was never really a top priority for Kreese, but he spiraled so nicely that it seemed he could be plucked off into assassin-dom early. He saw Tory and Robby as better prospects than Hawk for long term use in the valley in part because he expected to have Hawk shipped off to train under Lady Shiva by now. He just had to rip the murder bandaid, and the plan was to push him until he killed Demetri. 

Because Hawk was on the fast track, and because he was so good at convincing himself he didn’t care what he’d done to Demetri’s arm, Kreese actually already let him in on the true nature of Cobra Kai. He didn’t know for long before leaving and its not like he had any strategically vital info, but he knows enough to make him a loose end. Kreese sends the Cobras (minus Robby, but possibly including a Tory who isn’t quite used to her new power yet) after him. Hawk is murdered. And isn’t that a waste? 

Kreese set it up, but when the likes of Tory and Robby almost leave over it he pins it on Kyler ‘going overboard’ and says it’s fine, they can save him. Hawk gets thrown in a Lazarus Pit and rises confused and angry. Under the grips of Pit Madness he temporarily forgets a lot (like leaving Cobra Kai and reconciling with Demetri and Miguel, but also things like his parents. Kid is a very angry blank slate.) and since most people think he’s dead its pretty easy to send him to the League. He’ll turn up again a few months later, when the League sends a squad to secure their interests in the valley. He breaks off when he can’t quite kill Demetri in a fight, but he doesn’t remember why and roams around the valley causing trouble or helping out as he sees fit until Demetri can get through to him (Demetri’s eternal struggle). 

He doesn’t call himself Red Hood, but you get the gist. Hawk is already a code name. 

Demetri [Insert Surname]

Got Eli back only to lose him for good. He thought. Until Not-Red Hood shows up and causes problems. But the slippery assassin keeps getting away before he can really talk to him! Miguel is steadily developing Super Powers and wants to help, but things are also heating up over in the Main Conflict and Demetri is left chasing Hawk alone a lot of the time. 

Maybe it’s that determination that causes his latent metagene to activate. 

Demetri only ever thought super speed was the second best superpower, but he rethinks that after he has it. In hindsight, his smart ass does fit the speedster profile and Eli definitely can’t get away now! 

His lightning when he runs is blue.

And yep, that’s all for now. I’ll never write a fic for this ‘verse it’s just fun to think about. More so about how after the San Fernando branch of the League of Shadows is destroyed the kids can all make up and form a cool super team. Also, if I were to write fic, it would be Demeli. As I'm sure anyone I've interacted with in this fandom knows.

[madddddy]

From The Ground Up:

Buck POV:

I don't know what to do. I already apologized to the 118, especially Cap, but they still treat me like shit. It's been 8 months since the lawsuit and I haven't gone out on a call once. I know if I told Maddie or my parents, they would tell me to "go home". I'm starting to think that may be the best thing for me. At least my family knows I'm not on blood thinners anymore. Sitting at home, nursing a beer, I made my decision. I'm going home.

The next day I call up the fire chief and ask if I can get an appointment for that day. They are thankfully able to get me in at 1. I glance at the clock seeing that it's 10am. I text Maddie to have her come over. She lets herself in with her key and I get up to hug her.

"Hey Mads"

"Hey Evan. So why did you want to talk to me?"

"I think I'm going to go home. Its been 8 months and I haven't been out on a call once. I have an appointment with the chief at 1 today. I don't want this to affect your relationship with Chim. He has actually been one of the only ones who has talked to me. Him and Hen have been friends, but Cap and Eddie. They just glare or say things to my face that I just can't take anymore. I'm gonna surprise dad, but I'll call Kelly, Matt, and Boden to let them know. I'll miss you but you know where I'll be."

I look at Maddie to see her with tears in her eyes but she looks understanding. She nods and says,

"I understand Evan. You need a "new" start. I will miss you but I'm glad Chim and Hen have been there for you. I'll help you pack once you get back from the chief since I have today off. I can call Hen and Chim to see if they'll help too, but they probably will anyway."

I nod and get up. She stands up and we hug for what seems like hours, but its only 5 minutes. When we separate, she takes my hand into hers and drags me towards the door.

"Mads what are you doing?" I ask amused.

"We are going out to get breakfast at our favorite diner, then we are picking up Chim and Hen, then coming back here so you can type up your resignation and us three can start packing as you go talk to the chief. After your meeting, you will call Kelly, Matt, and Boden like you said"

I just nod and get my shoes on. We get out to the car and decide on driving my Jeep. Maggie's diner is about 10 minutes away from my loft, so it doesn't take long to get there. The hostess sees us and smiles since we are regulars here and she shows us to "our table". Patti, our favorite waitress comes to our table and smiles when she sees us.

"Well look what the cat dragged in! The Buckley siblings! Y'all want your regular?"

We both nod and Patti winks at us and walks away. Maddie looks at me pointedly so I take that as a point to start thinking of what I should say in my resignation. As if reading my mind, she pulls out a pad of paper and pencil. I start writing and once I do I just keep writing and I don't even realize our food is here until it gets set in front of me. We eat, pay and then head out. Maddie calls Chim and Hen and they agree to head over to the loft, even if they are a bit confused.

"Hey buckaroo!" Hen greets when I open the door for her and Chim. I hug them both and let them in. They already know most about what is going on at the firehouse, so they aren't super surprised when I say I am leaving. I tell them I'm planning on going home to Chicago, as soon as possible. Maddie looks at the time and tells me to get going so I'm not late to the meeting, and that them three will get packing. I thank them and head out.

45 minutes later I'm walking into the fire chief's office.

"Firefighter Buckley" Chief Torres greets and I shake his hand.

"Thank you for seeing me today Chief Torres. I am here because I would like to transfer stations. Specifically to firehouse 51 in Chicago. As for why, things at the 118 have not been good. Captain Nash and Firefighter Diaz have been holding personal vendettas against me because of my lawsuit from 8 months ago. Firefighters Han and Wilson have been the only ones from the firehouse treating me like a human. They don't participate in the jibes towards me and they still talk to me. They don't deserve to be punished, but Nash and Diaz should be. They shouldn't be fired, but maybe suspended. But I will leave that up to you. I came from Chicago and I started at the 51. I made a family there and I would love to return to it."

The chief sits there for a few before nodding and pulling out transfer papers. He signs them and then stands up.

"I hate to lose a good firefighter, but I feel after what you said, I will be looking into Nash and Diaz. Have a good life in Chicago Buckley."

I stand up and shake his hand. I take the papers and walk out to my Jeep. I call Maddie to let her know I'm on my way back. When I get back to my place, I'm surprised at how much they had gotten packed up, but then again, I didn't have much. We call a moving company and book them for the next day. Next I call the men that have become my older brothers in all but blood, Matt Casey and Kelly Severide.

*Ring ring ring*

Matt: "Hey Ev! What's up?"

Buck: "Hey Matty, can you grab Kel and see if Boden is free? If he isn't just go somewhere private. I need to talk to you all."

Matt: "Sure. Is everything alright?"

Buck: "Yeah nothing bad. Just got something to talk to you about."

Matt: "Okay Ev, I have all of us in Boden's office with the door shut."

Buck: "Okay. So I just want to say this all at once so please don't interrupt me and ask questions at the end. Things here have not been good since the lawsuit. Chim and Hen have been good but Diaz and Nash have been cold and distancing me. I am hoping that I can be transfered back home. I have the papers ready, just need a spot. And before you ask, yes Maddie is okay with it. And no I haven't talked to dad, I wanna surprise both my parents. So what do you say Boden, you want another Herrmann on your team?"

Boden: "Okay Buck, I think we can make room here at 51 for you. I told you when you left there would always be a spot for you and I meant it. I would love for you to come back here. What do you think boys?"

Kelly: "Well Cub, I wish you came to us about the 2, I understand why you didn't. I want you to come home too and Matt here is agreeing with me. You want us to pick you up from the airport when you land?"

Buck: "That would be great. Can I stay with you guys? Until I find a place? That or I'll stay with my parents. I should be out there tomorrow late afternoon. I'll text you to let you know for sure"

Matt: "Sounds good Buck. Can't wait to see you. And don't worry, we won't tell your dad."

Buck: "Okay I'll see you guys tomorrow. Love you!"

All three: "Love you!"

*Click*

I want back into the living room where the three are sitting.

"Hey Mads, Chim, Hen. Boden told me I have a spot there and Matty and Kel said they'll pick me up from the airport. You said you booked one right?"

She nods, "yeah I did Evan. I'm glad Matt and Kelly will pick you up. I like that you are surprising mom and dad. Are you gonna stay there or with the boys?"

"I'm not sure yet. The boys said I can stay with them but if mom and dad want me to stay with them, I will"

"Not to interrupt this, but who are Boden, Kelly, and Matt?" Hen asks.

"Oh right! I forgot you guys don't know our friends and family from Chicago! So I was adopted after Evan wasn't able to save our older brother with a bone marrow transplant. He got adopted by Christopher and Cindy Herrmann in Chicago. He grew up there, became a firefighter like our dad and his godfather Mouch. He moved here and worked at the 118, as you know. When I moved here and started dating you Chim, I was able to reconnect with him, since I recognized his birthmark. We talked and cried. I told him how I was disowned by our birth parents because I am bi and he introduced me to our parents. They immediately unofficially adopted me into their family and so I call them mom and dad. Kelly and Matt are other firefighters at 51 and they all went to the academy together and became like brothers. Kelly and Matt are married." Maddie explained. I'm nodding along.

"Yep. Mom and dad treat Maddie like their own and I want to go home to Chicago because personally, it's toxic here for me. You guys are great and I love you but Eddie and Bobby are the worst right now. I know you stand up for me and I appreciate it a lot but I just need my original family. I'll keep in touch of course and I'll miss you but you are always willing to visit me in Chicago." I added on.

Chim and Hen nodded and got up to give me a hug.

The next hours fly by and the next thing I know, I'm landing in O'Hare airport. I see the men who are like my older brothers and run to give them each a hug.

"Hey Ev! How have you been?"

"I've been better but I'm do happy to be here." It's slightly muffled because I'm in the middle of hugging them. I pull back the they see my tears on my face and each wipe them off my face. I smile at them softly and they smile back.

"Hey Cub." Kelly says softly.

"Hi" I reply just as softly.

"Let's get out of here eh?" Matt asks.

I just nod and they each flank one of my sides whole carrying my duffle. The rest of my stuff is in the moving truck. We walk out to Matt's truck. I climb in and we take off to the 51. We stay in comfortable silence with me just watching the city go by. We get there 20 of so minutes later but it seems shorter than that. We get out and the go to each of my sides again. They have always been taller than me and I say I hate it but I secretly love it. I see my dad talking to my uncle Mouch in the break room. Sylvie Brett is the first one to see me and she gasps loudly making everyone turn toward me.

"SURPRISE!" I shout shocking them out of their frozen states.

Next thing I know I am tackled by my dad and godfather. Boden is secretly recording this for everyone.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" My dad and godfather ask at the same time.

"Well it's a long story which I will tell over drinks at Molly's tonight, but pretty much, things got crappy at 118, and I wanted to come home. Don't worry dad, Mads was the one to talk me into it. And only Diaz and Nash were the ones who were bad. Hen and Chim have been good." He just nods and they both step back so everyone else can hug me. The girls are next, Shay, Stella, and Sylvie come running up next hugging me super tight, but I'm hugging back just as tight. I hug everyone else except for 2 people I don't recognize. I turn to my dad questionably.

"Ah right. Evan, these are Darren Ritter and Blake Gallo. They are new to the house." I shake their hands and for some reason I get butterflies shaking Gallo's hand. I think the girls sensed something because they gave me knowing looks. I gave them 'the look' back.

"Hi, I'm Evan Buckley-Herrmann. I used to go by Buck but I think I'm gonna start going by Evan again." I smile at them. They smile back and shake my hand.

"Hi Evan, I'm Darren Ritter. I've been here for about a year."

"Hi, I'm Blake Gallo and I've been here about 5 or so months"

I smile and nod to each of them. When Gallo smiles back all I can think of is damn his smile is cute. Fuck I'm so gone on him and I just met him.

"Oh dad! I didn't tell mom either so I think I'll stay here until shift is done and then we can stop by home, pick her up and we'll all go to Molly's and meet up with the crew from Med and Intelligence?"

"Sounds good Ev. You wanna borrow some turnout gear and go with? If that's okay of course." He asked the last part directed towards Boden. Boden nods and so I agree pretty quickly. Almost as if it knows, the alarm goes off.

*Time skip to end of shift because I cannot write fire scenes for shit*

Dad and I walk out of the firehouse at the end of shift and get in his car. After about 5 minutes he speaks up,

"So what was that with Gallo?"

Shit. Play dumb.

"What do you mean?"

Good, good.

"Look, I know what flirting looks like, son. And I know you are gay since you came out to us in high school. I'm also not dumb, so I'll ask again, what was that with Gallo?"

I sigh. He always knows how to read me.

"He is cute, and I think I might be getting a crush on him, but it's nothing and he is most likely straight anyways."

"Well, I'm glad you told me, and I think you may have a better chance than you think."

And with that we pull into the driveway of my childhood home. We get out of the car and dad goes in first. I hear him say to mom,

"Hey honey, I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes"

After a few seconds he comes out and beckons me inside. I walk up and say,

"Hey mom."

She opens her eyes and shrieks when she sees me. She runs up to me and hugs me as tight as she can and I hug her back just as tight. Dad comes up to us and hugs us too. After a few we reluctantly separated.

"So what are you doing here?" She asks as she wipes the tears off her face. I tell her what I told dad and she nods and goes to get ready to go to Molly's. Dad and I do the same.

We get to Molly's and I'm bombarded by hugs again from my friends from Med and Intelligence. I am friends with Jay and Will Halstead, Mouse Gerwitz, Antonio Dawson, Hailey Upton, Adam Ruzek, Kim Burgess, Alvin Oilinsky, not Voight because of reasons, Kevin Atwater, Trudy Platt, Ethan Choi (he's not a dick here), Crockett Marcel, Natalie Manning, Maggie Lockwood, April Sexton, Connor Rhodes, Daniel Charles and Sharon Goodwin. They are all there and as soon as they heard I was back in town, they all came to Molly's. I also got hugs again from Kel, Matty, Joe, Otis, Sylvie, Stella, Shay, Andy, Boden, Tony, and Capp. I shake Gallo and Ritter's hands again. They all look at me expectantly, waiting for the story. I sigh and start talking.

"Okay so basically, you all remember how I was crushed under the truck? Well at my welcome back party, I had a pulmonary embolism in my ex-captains backyard. I wake up in the hospital and find out I need to go on blood thinners because I worked too hard doing my recertification. I go to dinner at my ex-captains house and find out why I can't go back on calls because of him. He is the one keeping me as a fire marshal. I make a dumb mistake and decide to sue the department and him. The lawyer threatened them all and tried to offer me a payout but I just wanted to go back to the firehouse. When I decided to come home, I hadn't been out on a call in 8 months. I got tired of it so I texted Maddie, my sister, and she came over. We went out to brunch at our favorite diner. On our way back to my loft, she called her boyfriend and his best friend, both of whom are my ex-coworkers but they were very vocal about my treatment and never shut me out. I went to talk to the chief, and he signed the transfer papers. I went back home to find that the three of them had packed all my things and Maddie booked me a flight for the next day, aka today. I called Matty, he got Boden and Kel into the office and I told them my plan. Next thing I know they are picking me up from O'Hare, we went to the firehouse, I surprised you all, went out on a few calls, went home to surprise mom, and came here to tell you my story."

I look around and see many shocked and furious faces.

"Okay I know those faces, you don't need to murder them, I told the chief what happened and recommend he suspend but not fire Diaz and Nash."

They all look more satisfied at that, but still mad. Gallo and Ritter just looked shocked.

"Wait wait wait, you are telling me that YOU WERE THE GUY TRAPPED UNDER THE TRUCK?!" Gallo asked, shocked.

I nod sheepishly.

"Yeah some kid was tryna blow up my captain but I was in his seat for the day. Don't remember why."

He just blew out a breath.

"Okay less sad things, what have I missed with you all?"

Jay speaks up first.

"Well Mouse and I finally got engaged!" He said, showing me his ring.

I jump up and go hug them both.

"I'm so happy for you two!"

They thank me and Connor goes next.

"Will and I finally got our heads out of our asses and got together."

I hug them both too and congratulate them.

"Matt and I are still together obviously" Kelly says. I roll my eyes and smack him on the head.

"I got a new girlfriend." Shay says slyly looking at Sylvie.

"I broke up with my boyfriend." Gallo says shrugging.

I feel both the girls and dads eyes on me but I very clearly ignore them. Everyone else is kinda confused but brushes it off.

"Chole is pregnant with my son!" Joe says excitedly.

"Oh my god dude congrats! I'm so happy for you!"

Everyone else shares something or say nothing new.

Couple hours later, it started to wind down and I'm at a table with the Halstead brothers, their other haves and Shay, Kim, and Hailey.

"So what's that with Gallo?" Mouse asks me pointedly. They all turn to me and I know my face is heating up.

"Nothing! There is nothing going on with Gallo!"

They all give me a 'drop the bullshit' look and I sigh.

"Okay fine, you all can stop giving me that look. I might have a slight crush on him. And it may be a little more now that I know he likes guys. But what if he doesn't like me?"

They all look at me in understanding.

"Evan, I love you, but why the fuck would he not want to go out with you? You are good looking, you are sweet, and anyone who wouldn't date you is dumb. And I'm a fucking lesbian." Shay says to me, everyone nodding along showing they agree with her.

"Yeah Cubby, I may not be a lesbian but you are like my brother, anyone who wouldn't date you is dumb" Kim adds on.

I sigh and nod. They all smile at me and we start talking about Jay and Mouse's wedding. Little did I know there was a very similar conversation at the table with Gallo, Ritter, Stella, Sylvie, Adam, and Andy.

Gallo POV:

"So Gallo, what was that with Evan?" Stella asks me.

"I have no idea what you are talking about"

"Cut the bullshit Blake. We all saw what was going on between you two" Andy says to me.

Fine, guess I'm not getting out of this one.

"Okay, I like him, but he is Herrmann's son! And I don't even know if he likes guys."

They all snort and start laughing then they look at me. I'm confused.

"Gallo, Evan is as gay as a fucking rainbow." Adam says to me in between laughter.

Wait, what?

"He's gay?"

They all nod.

Okay, I have a better chance now. They must've seen me thinking because Sylvie pats my shoulder and gets my attention.

"You should go for it. I've seen the way he's been looking at you all night. Just, maybe wait until tomorrow." She says, then walks over to Shay and grabs her hand. And pulls her up and out of the bar. The rest of them are not far behind and soon it's just Ritter, me, Evan, Cindy, and Herrmann. I go say goodbye to my best friend, the Herrmanns and Evan.

"Hey Evan, I'm gonna head out but it was nice to meet you" I hold my hand out for a shake but he pulls me into a hug shocking me at first before I hug him back. Once we pull apart I realize he is drunk because he plants a kiss on my cheek. My face heats up bright red. Ritter is looking at me amused and so I flip him off before we head out since he drove me and didn't drink tonight.

We get to my place and I wave goodbye. I fall asleep to the thought of Evan Buckley-Herrmann...

Buck POV:

I don't remember much from last night cause I ended up getting more drunk than I wanted too. I do however remember hugging Gallo. My face heats up at the thought of him. Oh god I can't believe I hugged him and kissed his cheek. He is never gonna wanna speak to me again. I'm pulled out if my spiral by dad knocking on my door.

"Come in!" I call

"Hey son, I thought you might have a headache after last night so here's some water and Tylenol. Also because I know you, I saw what you did to Gallo and just know, he doesn't hate you and actually texted me asking for your number, so if you get an unexpected text from a unknown number, that's all me. Love you, I'll see you in a few before we have to head in."

I nod and he closes the door. Well that's good that he doesn't hate me.

*Ding!*

I look over at my phone and see:

+773-675-6554:

Hey Evan! This is Blake Gallo. I hope you don't mind that Herrmann gave me your number. I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner tonight? As a date?

Hey Blake! I would love to! I also wanna apologize for last night, I was super drunk. I didn't mean to get that drunk. I'll see you at work today.

It's okay! I'll pick you up around 7? We get off shift at 6.

Sounds perfect! See you later!

See ya!

I groan and lay back on my bed. I stay there for like 30 seconds before I shoot up and start to freak out. Oh god I have a date. I have a date with Blake Gallo. I HAVE A DATE WITH BLAKE FUCKING GALLO! I lay face down on my bed like a teenager and stay there. I hear my door knock and I just groan. He comes in and chuckles at me.

"What's wrong?"

I just chuck my phone at him. They know my password since I don't ever really have much to hide from them, and if I do, I hide it good.

He reads the texts and laughs.

"Isn't that a good thing?" He asks me, amused.

"Yeah. But I have nothing to weaaar." I say sounding like a child.

"Well how about your mom goes and gets you some new clothes, since she knows your size, and then you are ready for your date. Sound good?"

I nod and get up.

"Okay. Now get dressed! We gotta leave in 5 minutes!"

I scramble to get dressed and we head out. I'm excited to have my first full shift at the 51. We pull in and get out. I smile when I see the "WELCOME HOME MINI HERRMANN" banner hanging up. We get ready and as soon as we are all ready, the alarm rings out. It was a quick one, a car accident. We were pretty busy today so it went by quick. I couldn't help but look at Blake when I thought no one was looking but a certain pair of husband's certainly saw this. They pulled dad off to the side to talk to him when we had a free moment.

"So why does Ev keep looking at Gallo?"

My dad laughs and tells then about the texts from this morning, but makes then promise that they won't let me know they know. (Yes I pulled a friends). They agree and as soon as they are done talking the alarm goes off one last time. Our last call went all the way to the end of our shift so I hurry and make dad leave quick, much to the surprise of those who don't know about the date. Gallo is not far behind them rushing out and a few people have knowing looks.

We get home and I see what clothes mom got me and decide on a maroon button up shirt and black jeans with my black doc martens. I gel my hair and about that time is when I get a text:

Blake:

Hey! I'm outside!

Okay! I'll be right out!

I double check I have everything and head out, saying bye to my parents. I walk out and see him leaning up against his car. He hugs me and I hug back, taking in his scent that seems oddly comforting. We break apart and he goes to open my door. I smile at him as I get in the car and he smiles back. He gets in and starts driving. I tentatively reach across the center console to grab his hand and he holds it. We smile at each other and he pulls into a small hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. We get out and he grabs my hand again as we walk in.

"Reservation for Gallo" he says to the hostess. She nods and grabs 2 menus taking us to our table. We look at them and decide what we want. He gets the chicken enchiladas with a coke and I get fish tacos with a sprite. She takes our orders and walks away. I reach across the table and hold his hand. We start talking about our childhoods. He learns I wasn't born to mom and dad and I learn about how his family died. We talk for so long we don't realize our food is here until it gets set down. We eat, and he pays even though I try to protest. He just says "I asked out on a date. If this goes well, you can pay for the next one." I sigh and realize he wasn't going to give it up so I relent. We head back out to his car and he drives us out to a ledge to look over the city. He has a truck and backed it up so we can lay on his bed to look at the stars. We cuddled there since he brought blankets to lay down. We didn't talk, I just had my head on his chest, watching the stars.

"Evan?" He asks softly.

I look up at him and respond, "yeah?"

He looks down at me and asks, "can I kiss you?"

I nod and meet him halfway. His lips are so soft and sweet. His tongue is asking permission to enter my mouth and I let it. I moan into his mouth and he does the same when I put my tongue in his. We make out for a few minutes before we have to take a breather. We rest our foreheads against each other.

"That was amazing," I breathed out.

He just nods and we sit there. He then leans in to kiss me again, this time much more chaste.

"Do you wanna come back to my place? We don't have to have sex, but I just want to snuggle you" he asks after a few.

I look up at him through my eyelashes and nod. We get out of his truck bed and he grabs the blankets and shuts the tailgate. I climb in and let my dad know I won't be home. He just sends back winky faces and tells me to be safe. I sent him the middle finger emoji and shut my phone off. He climbs in and we head to his place. He turns on the radio and I hear one of my favorite songs, From The Ground Up by Dan+Shay. I start humming along and then when Blake turns it up I start to sing which causes him to sing along too. We both laugh and are so joyful when the song ends that we keep singing along with the radio. We pull into his apartment complex and get out. We get up there and I realize I don't have pajamas. I tell Blake this and he tells me I can borrow a shirt and sweats from him. He hands them to me and I go change. We fall asleep pretty quickly, him spooning me from behind. I feel so comfortable in his arms and it just feels right. I never believed in soulmates, but Blake Gallo is making me believe in them now.

I wake up the next morning to see Blake looking at me lovingly. I smile back up at him and kiss him. We both smile into the kiss.

"I gotta get back to my parents before shift since I don't want to go in my nice clothes" I murmur against his lips.

"Or you could borrow my clothes if you want?" He says with a shrug.

I agree, not really wanting to head back to my parents. I borrow a pair of jeans a t shirt, neither of us looking at it closely.

We head out and go to the firehouse. I hold his hand across the center console again, occasionally pulling out joined hands to kiss them. On the way there he asks me to be his boyfriend and I agree immediately. When we pull in, we smile at each other and get out. We keep our hands joined, not wanting to hide this from our family. We hear wolf whistles and cheers and we just shake our heads with smiles.

"Hey kid! Nice shirt!" I hear Mouch say.

I turn around confused a little bit before Stella takes pity on me,

"Cubby, your shirt says 'Gallo'"

We both blush and walk away. I hear Ritter going to talk to Blake and I see the resident hubby's walking over to me. They pull me into Matt's bunk and push me onto the bed.

"Talk" they both say.

I sigh and say, "okay, so the day before yesterday, I got a text from Blake asking if he wants to go on a date. The night before when it was just Ritter, him, me, and my parents, when he came to say goodbye, I was so drunk I pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. I apologized the next morning but he asked me on a date and I said yes. He picked me up from my parents house, opened the car door for me like a gentleman, and we went to a Mexican restaurant, then out to the ledge that looks out over the city. We laid in the bed of his truck just watching the stars when he asked if he could kiss me. I said yes, we kissed a few times then he asked if I wanted to go back to his place. He said we don't need to have sex and that he just wants to snuggle me. I agree, let my dad know, which was a mistake considering he is a kid at heart. We sang along to the radio on the way back since my favorite song came on, we got back to his place and he gave me sweats and a shirt to wear. We laid in bed, with him as the big spoon. We woke up together and I was at first gonna ask him to drop me off at home but then he just said I can borrow clothes from him so we don't have to go back. He hands me what I'm wearing, we don't look at the shirt obviously. On the way here we hold hands across the console, I keep kissing our joined hands. We then walk into the firehouse and you know the rest."

They nod along to the entire rant and finally Matt asks, "Are you happy?"

I nod enthusiastically and say, "Very. I haven't been this happy in a long time"

They both nod and get up to give me a hug. I start to tear up because having their and my parents' approval are very important to me.

"As long as you are happy Cub, we are happy." Kelly says, Matt agreeing. At that, I finally let my tears fall and they hug me again and kiss my forehead. After a few, I finally get it together and head out of the bunk. I see Blake talking to Ritter, Otis, and Cruz in the bunk room, so I go up to him and hug him. He hugs me back, a little confused but not complaining. He kisses my forehead ignoring the other three who are looking at the couple with a fond look. They walk away to give us a little privacy, shutting the door.

"What's wrong baby?" He asks me.

I sniff and then look up at him, "Nothing. I am just glad that they are accepting of our relationship. I know we just had our first date last night, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He looks down at me with tears in his eyes too, and kisses my forehead again then my lips.

"I can't imagine my life without you too. All I could dream about last night was marrying you someday and adopting kids with you. I genuinely feel like you are my soulmate. I love you."

At that, the tears start flowing, he wipes my tears with his thumbs and kisses me.

"I love you too" I tell him softly. At that, the alarm goes off and then we are off, but not without one more kiss.

When I climb into the truck, dad asks me if I'm okay. I nod and smile at him, telling him I'll talk to him later. He nods and we are off.

When we get back, Blake and I go to talk to Boden to fill out paperwork for our relationship. He tells us he is proud of us and thanks us for filling out the paperwork. We nod and he hugs us both.

We head into the lounge and decide to cude together on the couch, but not in Mouch's spot. I close my eyes and lay my head on his shoulder. I feel him lay his head on mine and then I am asleep. We wake up when the alarm goes off again.

"Rise and shine lovebirds!" Capp yells at us. We flip him off together. The fire goes out pretty quickly and we are headed back to the station. Blake asks me if we can talk when we pull in and I nod and ask Kelly if we can use his bunk to talk. He says sure, so we head there.

"Okay, I know we literally just started dating, but how would you feel about moving in with me? I know you are looking for a place and your stuff will be here soon. If you don't want to, that's fine, but I figured it would be better for you, and we can split the rent. Whatdya say?"

I take that in for a moment before nodding with a bright grin coming across my face.

"Yeah?" He asks, a hopeful look on his face.

"Yeah." I confirm with a bright grin.

"Yay!! I'm so glad you said yes!"

"I am too. I meant what I said when I said I want to grow old with you. I want to get married and have kids with you. I love you."

"I love you too." He then leaned down to kiss me and I kissed back.

We walk out of the bunk holding hands and smiling. As the shift comes to an end I tell him that I'll head back to my parents for the night and let them know what I'm planning on doing. He says okay and we kiss and head off in different directions. Dad and I get to their house and see my Jeep is there finally. I'm glad, because as much as I love my dad driving me, I need my own vehicle. We walk in and mom greets us. We eat and then I tell them I need to talk to them. They look concerned so I reassure them it's nothing bad.

"Mom, dad, as I'm sure you know by now, Blake Gallo and I are dating. And I know we just started dating but I feel as if I've known him my entire life. He is the person I want to grow old with. He is the person I want to marry someday. He is the person I want to adopt kids with. And I know he feels the same cause he told me. I love him and he loves me. So he asked me to move in with him just because he knows I'm looking for a place and the rent would be cheaper. So I said yes. I hope that's okay."

They look at me with proud looks and tears in their eyes.

"Evan, of course it's okay. After hearing that, I firmly believe you two are soulmates. I don't always believe in love at first sight, but I saw you guys the first time you saw each other and something clicked. Your mother and I will always love you and always be proud of you. We will help you move your stuff along with I'm sure the rest of the firehouse. They all saw something there, and I know you two are meant for each other."

At this point, all of had tears down our faces. I nod and don't say anything because I don't trust my voice. They pull me into a hug and we just hug for a long time. Eventually I speak, "I think I'll stay here for the rest of the week, since we have this weekend off, we can move my stuff then"

They nod and we all head off to bed, but not before they both kiss my forehead. I fall asleep that night thinking of the names Evan Gallo and Blake Herrmann.

The weeks goes by quick. Blake and I explain what we are gonna do and they all agree to help us that weekend. Saturday rolls around and we get everything unpacked pretty quickly since Ieft all my furniture and didn't have much. Next thing I know I'm FaceTiming Maddie, Chim, and Hen to introduce them to my Blake as my boyfriend a few weeks later. They are shocked at first but by the end, Maddie and Chim are coming over for Christmas in a few months. We say bye and hang up the phone. I sigh contently and look over at my boyfriend. He looks back at me lovingly. It's been about a month since we got together. I already bought a ring, but I'm gonna wait a little longer.

*Time skip*

It's now December, getting closer to Christmas time. I want to propose on Christmas in front of our family. Since we became more serious, my family accepted him more. They already liked him since they knew him before, but it's different than being a coworker vs your son's boyfriend. Maddie and Chim are coming like they said they would. They'll be here tomorrow. The firehouse tease us about our relationship, but we both know they are happy for us. They do the same thing with Kel and Matty and Shay and Sylvie, but it's all joking. Christmas rolls around and I'm nervous and excited at the same. We show up at my parents and they let us in. Maddie and Chim are there since they are staying there instead of a hotel. We start opening presents and when it gets to my turn for Blake, I get down on one knee and pull out the ring. Behind me I hear mom and Maddie gasp but right now in focused on Blake.

"Blake, ever since I first laid eyes on you in the lounge room, I knew I liked you. That then morphed into love. I can't see myself with anyone else. I want to have children with you. I want to grow grey and wrinkly with you. I want marry you. So Blake James Gallo, will you marry me?"

He nods yes and falls down to me and we hug and kiss each other like our life depended on it. I slip the ring on as our family cheers for us and gives us all hugs. I see Blake reach into his pocket and pull out a velvet box.

"I was gonna ask you later this week, but Evan Buckley-Herrmann, will you marry me?"

I nod and we kiss again. We put our rings on and keep celebrating Christmas with our family.

We also bought the rubber rings for at work. We aren't telling anyone right out, we are gonna see who figures it out first. I bet on Shay, Blake says Matt, dad says Sylvie, mom and Maddie say Otis, and Chim who has gotten to know 51, says Stella. In the end, mom and Maddie were right. He noticed our rings and congratulated us prompting everyone else to do the same. The girls offered to plan it with Maddie. I ask Maddie to be my best woman and Blake asks Ritter to be his best man. We asked Boden to officiate it. My dad will walk me down the aisle. We each took turns deciding who we wanted for our groomsmen/women. We ended up doing a fall wedding because that is our favorite season and we had many people from intelligence, med, and firehouse 51 and a few people from California. Our first dance is the song we sang together on our first date. About a year into our marriage Blake and I decided to adopt twins. We now have two girls named Maeve Gallo and Robin Gallo who are 4. They love all the aunts and uncles they have from everywhere in Chicago and LA. They also love their "Papa Herrmann and Grammy Cindy. But also their grandpa Boden". Everyday I am thankful that I decided to leave LA and I'm thankful that the Herrmanns adopted me because if they didn't I don't know where I would be. But I thank God the Buckleys didn't want me and that captain Nash shut me out.

And we'll build this love from the ground up

Now 'til forever it's all of me, all of you

Just take my hand

And I'll be the man your dad hoped that I'd be

And we'll build this love from the ground up

For worse or for better

And I will be all you need

Beside you I'll stand through the good and the bad

We'll give all that we have

And we'll build this love from the ground up

Dan+Shay

[frostedfaves]

I Don’t Feel Alive (2)

Masterlist

Pairings: Jake Peralta x sister!reader (platonic), Rosa Diaz x fem!reader (romantic), Jake Peralta x Amy Santiago (also romantic)

Summary: Jake has a birthday and your family gets a bit smaller.

Warnings: mentions of neglectful parents

A/N: I’m so happy with the response this series has gotten so far! and I’ve enjoyed writing tiny Jake. can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one!

Previous part

-

“Hi, Grandma!” Jake called out cheerily as he pushed past her into the apartment.

“Hello, Jake!” She chuckled at him and turned her attention to you. “And hello, dear.”

“Hi, Mrs. Grandma.” You offered her a shy smile as you walked inside, placing your bookbag on the floor by the table as you sat down.

“There you are,” the elderly woman drops a plate of snacks in front of you and then Jake. “Don’t eat too fast, Pineapples.”

“Pineapples?”

“That’s Grandma’s nickname for me,” he answers between bites of food.

“I thought your nickname was JJ?”

“That’s just what Gina calls me, like I’m the only one that calls her GG. You can have different nicknames from different people.” He thought for a moment as he ate, swallowing with a grin. “How about I call you ‘Little Carrot’, because you’re wearing orange and you’re smaller than me.”

You looked down at your bright orange overalls and back at Jake with a grin of your own. “Okay, I like it. Can I still call you Pineapples, too? I really like it.”

“Yeah, but not around Gina.”

“Deal.”

-

“Jake!”

Jake turned away from his classmates at the lunch table, smiling when he saw you walking over with a paper in your hand.

“Hey, Little Carrot. What’s up?” he asks quietly as he scoots over to make room for you on the bench.

“I wanted to give you this later but I couldn’t wait. Your mommy helped me spell and stuff.”

You hand the paper to Jake, and his eyes widen in surprise. It was a drawing of a carrot and a pineapple holding hands (to the best of your ability but still pretty impressive), with a party hat above it that read “Happy Birthday to the best brother ever”.

“Aww, Jakey got a present from his wittle sister!” one of Jake’s classmates taunted over his shoulder, and Gina quickly cut in.

“Worry about yourself, bed-wetter.” She sent a thumbs up and a grin your way before turning back to her laughing friends, and Jake met your eyes again with a soft smile.

“Don’t worry about that meanie,” he quickly assured you when he noticed your eyes watering. “I’m gonna hang this up in my room.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! It’s really good and I wanna look at it all the time.”

A grin formed on your lips as you threw your tiny arms around Jake’s torso, wishing him one last “happy birthday” before hopping off the bench and running back to your lunch table. Jake took another look at your handmade card, ecstatic that you seemed to care about him as much as he cared for you.

-

“Okay, sweet boy, I got your favorite blue cake!” Karen grinned as she carried it into the room and placed it in the middle of the table, starting to light the candles.

“Wait. You’re not going to cut it yet, right?”

“Why not? We always do cake after dinner.”

Jake sighed heavily. “Dad’s not here yet.”

“I know sweetie, but I’m not sure what time he’ll be here and Gina has to go home soon.”

“Hey, JJ.” Gina nudged his shoulder and he looked over at her. “Maybe you can eat cake with him later, too! Then it’ll be like having two parties.”

“Yeah, you’re right! Okay, let’s do that.” He sat up a bit to lean toward the cake, turning to you with a grin. “Wanna help me blow them out?”

“But it’s your birthday,” you responded with a curious pout.

“Yeah, but you said you never got to do it before! Come on.” He pushed the cake closer to you with Karen’s help and you leaned in the same way he did. “Don’t forget to make a wish!”

Karen counted to three and the two of you closed your eyes and blew the candles out, opening them and cheering when you saw the flames were gone. She grabbed a knife and started cutting pieces for everyone while Gina held plates and you and Jake sat down normally again.

“Why do you make a wish like that?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “But you’re not supposed to tell anyone what you wished for.”

“Why not?”

“Because then it doesn’t come true.”

You nodded and made an exaggerated motion of zipping your lips, causing Jake to laugh. The four of you ate your slices of cake in silence, unaware that you were all wishing the same thing: that Roger would stop disappointing his son.

-

“Dad?”

Roger jumped violently, turning from hanging his coat and smiling at the sight of Jake.

“Hey, buddy! What are you doing up so late? Did I wake you?”

“I heard your car.”

“Well, come on. I’ll tuck you in.” He ruffled Jake’s hair a bit, using his other hand to guide him toward his room and frowning when Jake stopped him.

“No, you have to have cake with me.”

“Kid, it’s late--”

“You missed my party.”

“Okay,” he sighed, following Jake over to the table and cutting small pieces for them. “Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah! Mom and Gina got me really great gifts and Y/N made me a really nice card! It’s on the wall in my room if you wanna see it.”

“I’ll look in the morning.”

“Okay.” Jake puts his fork down with a sigh. “I really wish you could’ve been there, but I’m still glad you’re here now.”

-

Morning brought you and Jake to the table again for breakfast before school. After finishing your bowl of cereal and putting the dish in the sink, you headed back upstairs to grab your bookbag. You were almost past Karen’s room when you heard her crying to someone on the phone, catching a bit of the conversation through the crack in the door.

“...just left and I have to raise two kids by myself…”

You kept walking, remembering that in your old house, a crying woman meant you had to stay in your room and you definitely weren’t supposed to listen in on phone calls. Still, Karen was a lot nicer than those people, and she constantly told you that you didn’t need to be afraid to ask questions. You slipped your arms through the straps of your bag and knocked on the door when you approached it again.

“Everything okay, angel?” Karen questioned gently after opening the door, sniffling lightly.

“I heard you crying.”

“Oh no!” She laughed a bit despite the tears that threatened to break free. “I wasn’t crying. Well I was, but sometimes mommies just need to cry, okay? It’s nothing bad.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, good. Do you mind taking your brother his bag, too? I’m almost ready to leave.” You nodded and she hugged you tightly while thanking you, watching with watery eyes as you ran downstairs with Jake’s things. She had no idea how to tell either of you what a piece of shit Roger was, at least without using those exact words.

-

Tags: @beeblisss @makapaka11 @halfofwhatisayismeaningless @marie-03 @ochrythum @xetherealbeautyx @gaulty74

[marwritesgood]

Rewrite | M. Martinez

Pairing: Mario x Diaz!Reader

Timeframe: Season 3

Summary: As life with their newborn becomes increasingly difficult, Mario and Y/n stop seeing each other eye-to-eye (and other stuff happens).

masterlist

A/N: (This is one of the longest things I’ve ever written (I actually had to cut it down and group some paragraphs together bc it exceeded the limit), but I couldn’t help myself. I really enjoyed exploring the dynamics between the characters and all the themes that came with it. To keep it from dragging on, I condensed the canon timeline and changed some details around - hopefully it’s easy to keep up with x

It had been a month since the birth of my and Mario’s son, Manuel. What I had expected to be the beginning of the happiest chapter of my life turned out to be quite the opposite. And it had nothing to do with the people around me or my son.

Mario’s family were so supportive of us. Abuelita insisted we stay with her until we had the funds to get a place of our own. Both her and Geny were constantly offering to babysit Manuel, which I took up almost all the time, much to Mario’s dismay. Even Oscar tried to pull money together every other week to help us out. I should have been nailing this whole motherhood thing in theory because I had so much support from everyone I loved. In reality, however, I was struggling to get by.

“And you’re sure you fed him before you left for work?” I was on the phone with Mario as I pulled up at Oscar’s house. When it came to getting out and taking the buckles off Manuel’s car seat, I pressed my phone against my ear, using my shoulder. “The one I put on the counter, right?”

“Yes,” Mario replied, his aggravation vividly clear in his tone. I had to stop for a moment to try and keep myself from crying. I had been doing a lot of that lately at the worst times, and I couldn’t understand why. When I didn’t respond, Mario sighed loudly. “Look, babe, you can’t keep calling me when I’m at work... I’m new to the job, and I’m already on my boss’ bad side.”

I inhaled sharply. He was right.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, trying to control the way my voice sounded so Mario wouldn’t be any more concerned about me than he already was. 

“... I’ll see you when I finish, okay?” 

After a short moment, he hung up, and I put my phone in my back pocket, thinking back to the times where he would never end a call without telling me he loved me. I didn’t know if it was because he genuinely didn’t catch on, or he was too eager to leave the conversation, but I needed that reminder now more than ever. 

I slung my bag over my shoulder before picking up Manuel’s car seat, where he was fast asleep. After closing and locking the car I was borrowing off of Abuelita, I headed inside Oscar’s house. I hated the days where I was left alone with my son. The days where no one was around to take him off my hands. So on days like these, I would go to Oscar’s house and spend the day there, just so I wouldn’t be left alone with Manuel.

“He sleeping?” Oscar asked after he heard me come in. His back was turned against me, and he was facing the counter where he was making two cups of coffee for both of us. 

“Yeah,” I answered, exasperated from carrying my son and my belongings inside. After putting Manuel, who slept quietly in his seat, down on the couch, I joined Oscar, who smiled at the sight of my son sleeping soundly. 

“How you been?” Oscar asked, nodding at me as he pushed a mug of coffee in my direction. I hummed as I lifted it up and took a sip. I couldn’t drink coffee as often as I liked since I was breastfeeding, but I saved the few times I did when I went to Oscar’s. He made it the best.

“Good,” I answered, without even pausing to think. Oscar shifted his attention to me and watched as I fiddled with the handle on my mug. I knew he wanted to pry. He wanted to ask me more and more questions until I finally gave him a truthful answer, but I wasn’t ready for that. Fortunately for me, before he could say anything else, Cesar came bursting through the front door, throwing his bag on the ground before approaching Oscar. I held the handle of my mug tightly as I watched him speak.

“There’s a dude posted up outside.”

Oscar got up instantly and walked outside, his gun in his hand, ready to be fired. Cesar followed him, trying to stand next to him as he approached the guy across the street, only to be pushed behind by Oscar. I took the opportunity to peek through the sheets of tin foil Oscar had covering the windows. After squinting my eyes to try and make out the man standing on the other side of the street, a duffle bag by his feet with an oddly familiar stance, I began to piece together who it was.

My father.

Before my brothers could make their way back inside, I took Manuel into my old room, which Oscar left untouched since I had moved out after giving birth. I could faintly make out the sound of their conversation in the living room area, so I took my time putting Manuel and my bag down. When I finally made my way back to where my family were seated, I could see the tension between all of them. My dad and Cesar looked up at me when I walked in, but Oscar remained glaring at Ray. 

“Cesar, you need to get to school,” Oscar said flatly.

My little brother lifted his hands in annoyance and immediately looked at me. Often, when Oscar told him to do something he didn’t want to, he would turn to me in hopes that I would say the opposite. It was always that way, never vice versa. But, when it came to either one of our parents, I had to have Oscar’s back.

“Go,” I told him, and he reluctantly picked his bag off the floor. I took his spot on the couch and joined Oscar in, glaring at my dad. He looked no different from the last time he bothered to come around. 

“You still in school?”

“I finished over a year ago,” I droned, wanting more than anything to take my son and leave, but I knew I couldn’t leave him alone with Oscar. Not to mention if I did leave, I would have no place to go but back to Abuelita’s place where I would be left alone with Manuel. 

“College?”

“Are you kidding me?” I laughed dryly. Oscar shook his head.

My father inhaled slowly, his eyes scanning the room before landing on the corridor that leads to the bedrooms. I felt my heart begin to pound, fearing for where this conversation was heading. 

“The baby you took to your room,” he began, confirming what I had already expected. I hadn’t done as good of a job at hiding Manuel as I thought. “... yours?”

I could see Oscar getting angrier and more aggravated by how he clenched his fists and his jaw. He was always protective of Cesar and me when it came to our dad, but it appeared to be tenfold with Manuel. I glanced over at my brother, but he was too busy glaring at Ray to notice. Sighing, I turned back to him and nodded. There was no point in hiding Manuel’s existence from him. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t still try and protect him.

“... The father?”

Ray hesitated before asking. I could tell that, while he was obviously curious to know, he was also cautious that he was digging too deep so suddenly. Oscar huffed, rubbing his hand over his facial hair, clearly annoyed. I felt indifferent.

“Mario Martinez.”

“Martinez?” He raised his eyebrows before pulling his blunt back towards his mouth. After exhaling slowly, releasing a cloud of smoke, he nodded, seemingly impressed. “... Good family.”

“I didn’t ask for your approval,” I scoffed before standing up and turning my back to him. I looked down at Oscar and signalled him to follow me into my old room to have a conversation outside of our father’s earshot.

Once he had followed me inside, I closed the door to ensure privacy before turning back to my son, who was thankfully still fast asleep. I began packing his things up as I spoke to Oscar.

“What are we gonna do?” 

After gathering Manuel’s things, I brought the handlebar of his car seat up so I could be ready to take him to the car, through the backdoor, as soon as Oscar and I were finished discussing our next course of action.

“I don’t know,” Oscar sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. I sat on my old bed and looked up at him silently. After a moment, he looked back at me. “Cesar wants to... take him out for lunch tomorrow.”

The way Oscar explained, I could tell how immensely uncomfortable he was with the thought of it and with how eager Cesar was to reconcile his relationship with. 

“Want me to go with them?” I asked.

He nodded. 

I sighed but nodded back. As much as I wanted to avoid having a conversation with my father, let alone sit and have a meal with him, I couldn’t leave Cesar to meet him for lunch on his own. I couldn’t let him get too close and too vulnerable with Ray. 

Oscar and I knew better than anyone how that would eventually end.

***

After leaving Oscar’s place, I noticed that Mario’s car was parked outside the building when I got home. Manuel had fallen asleep during the car trip, so I carried him in his car seat inside.

After I took him to his nursery and placed him in his cot, I went back into the kitchen area where Mario was grumbling as he did the dishes. It was getting late, so I assumed he was just tired.

I walked over and stood beside him so I could give him a hand, but he turned to me with furrowed brows before I could do so. My heart began to pound because I knew I had done something to upset him.

“You said you would do the dishes today,” he stated sharply. I sighed before dropping my head down. “It’s so late. Where the hell have you been?”

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled before reaching past him so I could finish washing the rest of the dishes. I hoped that would be enough to defuse the tension, but Mario simply took a step to the side and continued to glare at me as he waited for an explanation. “- I was at Oscar’s, and I lost track of time. My-”

“I don’t care,” he interrupted, the volume of his voice rising abruptly.

Whenever Mario and I fought, he was never the type to yell, no matter how angry he got. I always worried that I would end up pushing him over that edge one day, and it seemed like today was that day.

“Mario,” I whispered, slightly startled by how angry he was getting. There was obviously more to it than just me forgetting to do the dishes.

“I work so hard to support you and Manuel,” he began, his voice growing louder from what appeared to be frustration. “I asked you to do one thing.”

“I know, but-”

I was planning on leaving Oscar’s place early to make it back in time to get all the housework done. When my dad arrived out of the blue, it put a wrench in my plans. Mario cut me off before I could explain that to him.

“And what’s up with you calling me at work all the time?” His expression was saturated with anger. I wondered how long he had bottled up this resentment. “I thought you would be used to taking care of Manuel on your own by now.”

“I’m trying,” I cried in reply. I really was.

“Try harder,” he said in an icy tone, his expression becoming emotionless all of a sudden. I held my breath, trying to suppress my tears. “You shouldn’t be taking Manuel out so late... you need to start being a better mother.”

He turned around and walked into our shared room. Once I was sure he was out of earshot, I turned my attention back to the dishes I was cleaning, trying to keep myself distracted.

When I felt my tears beginning to pour out of my eyes, I knew it wasn’t working.

All of the insecurities I felt about being a new mother were beginning to surface. I wanted desperately to be everything Mario and Manuel needed me to be, but I just felt like I could never be able to do that. And it was killing me inside.

***

The following morning, I woke up extra early. I tried to get as much housework done as possible to give Manuel his second bottle for the day. Normally Mario would because I would be too exhausted too, and because it normally fell around the time, he was set to leave for work.

Since the night before, we hadn’t spoken to each other, so I thought doing that would be a step in the right direction for us. Apparently not.

“What are you doing?” Mario asked, startling me as I tested the temperature of Manuel’s milk on my wrist.

“I was gonna feed Manuel,” I explained.

“But I feed him his second bottle,” Mario said, anger and annoyance both prevalent in his tone and his expression.

“I know,” I replied calmly. This was appearing to have the opposite effect to what I hoped it would; Mario was seemingly getting angrier with me. “I just thought you might want a break from having to feed him this morning.”

“Looking after my son isn’t a burden, Y/n,” he retorted, his voice getting louder with each word he spoke. My eyes grew wide. I didn’t know whether to be startled or offended.

Was he insinuating that I made looking after Manuel seem like a burden?

“I never said that,” I responded.

Just as I finished speaking, the sound of Manuel’s cries sounded throughout the room. Mario turned back to me, holding his hand out so he could take the bottle and feed our son. Not wanting to argue with him, I reluctantly handed it over.

He left for work without saying goodbye to me, even though I stood in the kitchen and watched him go. Normally he would kiss me goodbye before leaving to go anywhere. I knew this was a testament to how angry he was.

Once it was nearing lunchtime, I took Manuel and dropped him off with Geny. When Abuelita saw me crying by the kitchen sink the night before, she sat me on her couch and consoled me. After I explained to her what happened with my dad, she called Geny. At first, she wanted to confront her son about how he spoke to me, but I talked her out of it. After that, she offered to watch Manuel for the afternoon while I went to lunch with Cesar and my dad.

Once I dropped Manuel off to her, I headed to Dwayne’s restaurant, where Cesar and our dad were seated at a booth. As I approached them, Ray sat up uncomfortably.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said as I took a seat next to Cesar, who immediately passed me his plate of fries. I turned to him and smiled, only to be met with a concerned expression.

“You okay?” He asked, knitting his eyebrows out of worry. I had forgotten I spent the night crying and that my eyes were slightly puffy.

“Yeah, I just didn’t get much sleep,” I answered a beat too quickly for Cesar to be convinced. Nonetheless, I knew he would look past it so he could continue catching up with our father.

“I was just telling Cesar how good it is he has a job,” my dad said, as he took a bite of the food Cesar undoubtedly got him with his employment perk.

“Yeah, Dwayne’s always been good to me,” Cesar explained, smiling nervously as he fiddled with his fingers. It was endearing and concerning the way he was so anxious he was acting like an overexcited child. “Even when things got hard.”

I placed my hand on him should and gripped it tightly. Cesar was one of the more emotional ones of the Diaz men, but that didn’t mean he was always upfront with how he felt.

“I heard about your mom,” our dad said, looking up at the two of us nervously. I stared blankly at him, trying my best not to glare, but I promised Cesar I wouldn’t be hostile at our lunch. “I should have reached out... I’m sorry.”

I looked over at Cesar, and I could tell he was trying his best to maintain his smile. I was the only person he had ever spoken to about our mom, but those conversations were infrequent and always emotional.

“You should try the char burger,” I said to our dad before sliding out of the booth, so Cesar could step out. “You’ll like it... Cesar, why don’t you go order one for him.”

He nodded before leaving so he could head towards the counter. I slid back into the booth and glared at my father.

“What’s your deal?” I asked angrily, annoyed that he would bring up such a painful memory for Cesar, let alone myself. “It’s not enough to traumatise us; you have to come back just to pour salt in our wounds?”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here, huh?” At that point, I was just as curious as I was angry. He had been in and out of prison for over a decade, yet the last time he bothered to stop by, Cesar wasn’t even old enough to form memories.

“I... I wanna patch things up,” he said.

It really took him over two decades to grow a conscience and make an effort in his children’s lives.

“Look,” I whispered before glancing up at Cesar, who was in the process of getting the char burger. I sighed. “Just... tread lightly for now, okay? Cesar wants to catch up with you, not relive his childhood trauma.”

Ray inhaled deeply before nodding. I felt protective over Cesar, but when it came to our parents, this was only heightened. I was not going to let my dad hurt him. Not on my watch. Once Cesar was approaching the table, I slid out so he could sit in his initial spot.

“Where’s Manuel, Y/n?” Cesar asked.

My breath hitched as it dawned on me that I forgot to ask Cesar not to bring him up in front of our dad. Once he mentioned him, however, I knew there was no going back.

“He’s with Geny,” I answered before taking a bite of my plate of fried. Ray watched me intently before speaking up again- exactly what I feared he would do.

“Is there any chance I could meet him?”

I had to physically and figuratively bite my tongue. As much as I wanted to respond snidely, I knew that would only damage my relationship with Cesar- who made me promise that I wouldn’t be hostile at that lunch.

“I’ll think about it,” I replied. Cesar’s expression didn’t seem to change, so I knew I had answered in a way that both kept the peace and ensured I could continue to control how much of a role my dad would have in my son’s life- which, if it were up to me, would be minuscule.

Just as the conversation headed towards a different, much safer direction, my phone began to vibrate.

After I excused myself from the table, I went outside the building and answered the call.

It was Mario.

“Why does my mom have Manuel?” His tone was accusatory and angry. That seemed to be the case for all of our conversations.

“I’m at lunch-“

“You left Manuel so you could go for lunch?!”

“It was important, Mario.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He was speaking so loudly, I had to hold my phone at a distance away from my ear. “What kind of a mother are you? What could be more important than our son?”

My breath hitched, but I tried to recover quickly. Nothing was more important to me than Manuel, but I needed Mario to know that I wasn’t avoiding my responsibilities as a mother for something trivial.

“I’m at lunch with my dad,” I explained, trying to speak as quickly as possible so he wouldn’t have the chance to interrupt.

“... You’re dad’s back in town?” I was relieved that he was calming down, finally understanding why I was too preoccupied to have Manuel with me at all times.

“Yes,” I answered, trying to keep my tone neutral despite how much I was on the verge of tears. “- but don’t worry. I’ll pick up Manuel... I know I need to start being a better mother.”

I made it a point to use Mario's exact phrasing when he scolded me the night before. Just as he began spluttering a response, I hung up the phone.

***

It had been a week since I met Cesar and Ray for lunch. I hadn’t heard from either of them nor Oscar until I was on my way to picking up Cesar. Normally he preferred to make his own way home, but he had plans to meet with Ruby and wanted me to give him a ride. Just as I pulled up in front of Dwayne’s barbecue joint, my phone began to ring. As soon as I answered it, the sound of my older brother’s voice sounded throughout my car. Needless to say, he was angry about something.

“Did you know he got him a job?” 

There it was.

“Huh?” I answered, completely taken back by what he had said. I suspected he was talking about Ray, but for Cesar’s sake, I hoped he wasn’t. “- what are you talking about, Oscar?”

“Cesar got the viejo a fucking job,” he yelled, his voice growing louder and angrier with every word he spoke. “- what happened to keeping an eye on him?

“I-i had to leave early,” I sighed. “Cesar must’ve talked to Dwayne after I left.”

“Well, great fucking job, y/n,” Oscar retorted. I could feel the pace of my heartbeat quickening the louder and madder he got. I felt overwhelmed. “You were supposed to make sure Cesar didn’t get too close to him; now they’re workmates.

“Look, I know you’re mad, but could you stop yelling at me?!” My voice shook as I spoke, and I felt my eyes water and hands shake. I didn’t know what was coming over me, but I had no control over it. “- I have enough people telling me I’ve fucked up. I don’t need that shit from you.”

There was silence for a prolonged moment, and I groaned quietly. I didn’t mean to overshare, but it was too late to take it back. I didn’t want Oscar to worry about me more so than he already did.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled quickly. “... you alright?”

“I’m good,” I replied, even though he and I both knew I was far from it. Nonetheless, I wanted to end our conversation as swiftly as possible. The longer I stayed on the line, the more I feared he would pry into what was going on with me. “- Don’t worry... Look, I know it’s messy, but there’s nothing we can do without hurting Cesar. We just gotta wait it out and see how it goes.”

After agreeing to do so, Oscar hung up, and I finally made my way inside. My dad was wearing an apron and stood by the front counter. It eerily reminded me of the times he would cook for my brothers and me when we were kids, that is, in between the times he abandoned us and showed up when he needed a place to crash. When the doorbell rang as I walked in, he looked over to me and smiled. I almost didn’t want to glare at him. 

“Hola mija,” he greeted as he approached me. I hated to admit it, but I could see how hard he was trying to be an accomodating host. “Can I get you a menu?

“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “- no, I’m just here to pick up Cesar. He said he needed me to give him a ride somewhere.

“He’s in the back,” Ray replied, nodding towards the entrance to the storeroom. “I think he’ll be out soon.”

“So,” I began, trying to fill the awkward silence. Though I still had 19 years worth of resentment towards him, I wanted to be civil. “You’re working here now, huh?”

It felt strange talking to my father like this. The last time he was around, I was around Cesar’s age. Now, we were making small talk like the two adults we were. It felt uncomfortable because part of me still felt like the girl I was when he left, the girls who had been hurting for almost 10 years because of what he did.

“Yeah, it’s nice... Dwayne’s a good boss.”

“Yeah,” I smiled in agreement. Mr Turner was one of the kindest people I knew. Whenever I came into his restaurant after school, he always made sure I left with an empty stomach even if I didn’t have any money. Now, he was doing the same for my little brother. “He’s always been good to Cesar.”

Just as I turned to call Cesar to come out from the storeroom, my dad spoke up, causing me to turn my heel back and face him. He seemed hesitant, which was a strange sight. I remembered him being certain of everything he did. 

“Hey, um,” his nervousness was heavily prevalent in his voice. I tried to prepare myself for what he was about to say, knowing it would have a significant impact. “- I know you said we could talk about it later... but I really wanna meet my grandson.”

I inhaled sharply. Of all the things he could have said, I was not expecting him to bring up Manuel. Considering his track record, I assumed he would be gone before my son crossed his mind again. He seemed to prove me wrong.

“- I know, you have every right to say no,” he added, in a tone I could only assume, and hope was sincere. “- I was a horrible father to you... but I’m hoping I can be a good abuelo... if you give me a chance.”

“I don’t know...” I sighed. I still felt uncertain about my dad and his agenda. I felt uncertain that he changed enough to be sincere, let alone enough to have a place in my son’s life. 

Although he was Manuel’s grandfather, and nothing I could do would ever change that, I had control over who came and left my son’s life. I would not let him in without confirmation that he was better, that he had changed.

“I understand,” he answered.

The two of us stood in awkward silence for a minute or so before Cesar entered the dining area, his backpack clutched in his hand. He seemed concerned by the way my father and I were standing, the tension between us physically apparent just as it was figuratively.

“Hey, you ready to go?” I smiled as I turned to face my little brother. I didn’t want him to worry any more than he already did.

Cesar nodded, drawing his attention away from the tension between our father and I. Just as we were about to turn and leave, Ray pulled out a brown to-go bag from behind the counter.

“Here, mijo, I got you something,” he said as he handed the bag to Cesar, who was taken aback but smiled nonetheless. “I noticed you didn’t have anything to eat when you were on your break.”

I glanced back at Cesar, who seemed grateful. Often when he had a lot on his mind or a lot on his plate, it was easy for him to forget to do important things like getting something to eat. Moreover, when Cesar did realise what he had forgotten, he would often try to hide it. It took a bit of paying attention before Oscar, and I picked up on it. I was impressed that my dad managed to do so in just a day.

“Do you need a ride?” I asked my dad, who shook his head and smiled.

“No, I’ll be okay. I still have a few more hours to go.”

“... Are you working tomorrow?”

“No,” he answered. I could tell he was worried about where my subtle interrogation was headed.

“Okay,” I smiled, knowing what I would say would make him happy. “Come by my place tomorrow morning... You can meet your grandson then.”

He grinned as he inhaled deeply. I smiled weakly before placing my hand on Cesar’s shoulder and walking out of the restaurant, hoping with all my heart that I wasn’t making a mistake.

***

My dad arrived at my doorstep the next morning, almost half an hour before the time we agreed upon. He tried to hide it when I greeted him, but I knew how happy he was that he was finally getting the chance to meet his grandson.

“Where’s Mario?” Ray asked nonchalantly as I led him to Manuel’s nursery.

“He’s working,” I answered shortly, not allowing my dad the chance to pry. “Just watch your step when you come in. There’s lots of toys lying around.”

I smiled wearily at my son as I carefully picked him up from his bed. I was getting more confident in holding him, but I still felt scared every time I did. As I cradled him in my arms, I looked over to my dad, who had carefully navigated his way through the array of baby toys on the ground. 

“Here,” I said softly, as I slowly moved towards him, carefully transferring my son from my arms and into his. Watching him cradle his grandson so carefully and with so much concern made me smile. “His name’s Manuel.”

“Manuel,” he repeated, smiling as my son continued to sleep soundly in his arms. I couldn’t help but smile. This was a side of my dad I forgot existed. He shook his head as he continued to grin down at Manuel. “... que lindo.”

I turned away and began folding Manuel’s freshly washed clothes away. As I pulled open one of the drawers, I looked down and saw my dad’s duffel bag in the corner of my eye; fully packed and discarded by the door. That’s when I began to piece together why he wanted to meet my son so soon. I pushed the drawer shut slowly before turning to back to my dad, who was still oblivious to what I had figured out.

“You’re leaving?” I asked, glancing pointedly at the bag he left by the door.

He slowly turned around, carefully placing Manuel back in his cot, before turning back to me. When he didn’t say anything- only nodded guiltily as he shoved his hand in his back pocket, I wanted to scream.

“Why?” I questioned, trying to understand why he was choosing to leave again, especially after reconciling with Cesar and finding out he has a grandson. Did those things mean nothing to him? Did we mean nothing to him?

He glanced back at Manuel before leading me into the living room, knowing that I wasn’t gonna be quiet. I closed the door behind me and began scolding my dad.

“Can’t ever think about anyone but yourself,” I shouted in frustration. I had really hoped he changed. “This is gonna break Cesar, but you don’t give a shit about that, do you?”

“Mija-”

“-And what about trying to patch things up, huh?” I wasn’t going to let him speak. Not until I got what I needed to say off my chest. I didn’t get to do that the last time he walked out, and I had regretted it ever since. “How do you think they’re gonna react when you tell them?”

When my dad stood silent, eyes falling to the ground, I stumbled back. 

“What, you’re dumping that on me too?”

Silent filled the air for a prolonged moment. I glared at my father, bewildered by what he was doing and how little regard his plan had for me and how I would be affected. He looked like he was about to speak.

“I’ll call Cesar when I get to Bakersfield,” he said as if that solved the issue. “Oscar... he’ll come around, but... he’s gotta let go of that rage-”

“- Stop,” I hissed, holding my hand up and shaking my head angrily. I began to regret ever inviting him inside. “You don’t get to do that... You don’t get to come here and try and tell us what’s wrong with us- You’re what’s wrong with us.”

“Mija-”

“And would you stop calling me that,” I snapped, raising my voice louder, although Manuel was sleeping in the room. “I stopped being anyone’s hija the day I had to start being a mother to a kid that wasn’t even mine.”

I glared at my father, who stood silent. My eyebrows knitted together as I continued to shout at him.

“And now... I finally get the chance to raise my own, but I’m too scared to be left alone with him in case I end up exactly like you. A deadbeat.”

My father looked taken aback by my outburst but remained silent, nodding his head only slightly, showing he acknowledged the truth in what I was saying, or rather screaming, at him. I breathed heavily, tears brimming in my eyes as I felt my throat begin to close up.

“Everything bad that’s happened to me is because of you,” I cried, my voice beginning to crack. Before I could continue speaking, I inhaled sharply, my breath beginning to stutter. “I can’t even look at my son without thinking of all the ways I could end up failing him as you did to me.”

His eyebrows rose before furrowing in sympathy. Before I could even think of stopping him, he pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. I couldn’t help but sob quietly. I had craved a hug from my dad for most of my childhood. 

I wish he hadn’t waited so long to give me one.

***

Fortunately, not long after Ray left, Abuelita arrived home. After explaining to her what had happened, she happily agreed to stay with Manuel so I could go and break the news to my brothers. So I got my things together in haste and drove as quickly as I could to Oscar’s house.

After knocking on the front door and being let in by Oscar himself, I sat at the table and waited. My brother had our traditional mugs of coffee at hand and sat opposite me. He immediately noticed my puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

“What happened?” He asked softly, watching me intently as I fought back the tears while trying to piece together an explanation. He leaned forward and clutched the handle of his mug. “You and Mario fight again?”

I shook my head quickly. Staring down at my mug, I sighed deeply. The longer I waited to tell him, the harder it would eventually be. There was no point in beating around the bush.

“Ray left,” I stated. Oscar inhaled sharply, clicking his jaw as he turned his head away from me. I couldn’t bear to look up at him, so I sat in silence. Whatever he wanted to get off his chest, I would let him.

“Cesar’s gonna be crushed,” he sighed. He and I both knew that more than anyone. Even though he knew that our parents basically left us with no choice but to sacrifice our youth and dreams to support Cesar, he still yearned to have a relationship with them. If only he knew how painful it was.

“Hey,” I whispered, causing Oscar to finally look me in the eye. 

I could see his eyes glistening. Though his first concern was how Cesar would be affected, I could tell that he was just as impacted. We both let our guards down when Ray accepted the job at Dwayne’s business. We both secretly hoped he would stay this time.

“I’ll tell him,” I insisted. Oscar sat up, ready to disagree, but I spoke before he could say anything. “- he made you break the news to us the last time he left. I’m not gonna let you go through that again.”

My voice began to crack. Oscar furrowed his eyebrows in concern, but I had already made my mind up. 

“He’s gonna take it out on you,” Oscar said, in an attempt to get me to leave the burden with him, but I refused. I shook my head.

“Let him,” I replied shortly. 

Cesar was a wild card when it came to things like this. When Oscar delivered the bad news, Cesar would respond by either breaking down or shoving our brother. Sometimes he would even punch the nearest wall. When it was me, however, Cesar typically responded by saying awful things. Things he didn’t mean. Often he would accompany such words with a shove or two.

I knew that this was a big one, though. 

So I tried to prepare myself for anything. Maybe Cesar was gonna say something awful to me in retaliation. Maybe he was just gonna break down in tears. Maybe he was gonna react in an unprecedented way. Regardless, I was willing to take whatever. For Oscar and I, this was yet another time one of our parents let us down. For Cesar, this was the first time he got to develop a relationship with either one of them, and so the first time, he was gonna be disappointed so severely.

About an hour later, after Oscar and I finished our coffee and sat silently on the couch, Cesar came home from school. Noticing how quiet we were, he immediately figured out that something wasn’t right.

“What’s going on?” Cesar asked hesitantly, noting how Oscar and I were staring at him as he walked in with such intent and concern. He glanced down the hall before looking back at the two of us. “Where’s Ray?”

I had done so much crying; I was convinced that I had no more tears left. Yet, when Cesar spoke, I felt my eyes being glazed over again. I looked over at Oscar, who offered a nod of encouragement. 

“Cesar, c’mere... Ray left,” I explained painfully, not having enough courage to look at my little brother as I spoke.

“What?” Cesar was already beginning to shout, and I didn’t blame him. I inhaled sharply while looking up at the ceiling, trying to pull myself together so I could be there for him in whatever way he needed me to be. “He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”

“He did.”

Cesar sighed, his eyebrows knitting as he processed the bad news. His eyes quickly darkened, and he immediately turned to Oscar. 

“What did you do?”

“He didn’t do anything,” I said before Oscar could chime in. I held my hand out and gently pushed Cesar back after he stepped towards our brother. “I was the last one he talked to, okay? I only just told Oscar before you got home.”

“Well, what did you say, then?”

“Cesar,” I sighed. I had little to no energy left, let alone enough to argue with my little brother. “He was never sticking around... He showed up with his duffel bag already packed.”

“What, you didn’t try to talk him out of it? You just let him go?”

“I’m not responsible for what he decides, Cesar.” My frustration grew exceedingly as I spoke. “He’s a grown man. I shouldn’t have to talk him out of abandoning his children... again.”

Cesar turned away, confirming to me that he knew I was right. I sighed, thinking the worst of our argument was over, but that’s when Cesar spoke again.

“I bet this makes you happy,” he muttered. “You and Oscar couldn’t wait to get rid of him.”

“Happy?... You think I’m happy?” I repeated, furrowing my brows as I stared down at my little brother. Of all the stupid things he’d said to me in his lifetime, this was an all-time low. “Are you fucking kidding me? Cesar, I’m your sister... but for most of your life, I’ve been your mom... If you’re gonna yell at someone, get on the next bus to Bakersfield and go yell at him. He’s the one who left. He’s the one who ruined our lives.”

“Ray didn’t ruin my life,” Cesar muttered quietly, shaking his head and laughing dryly, before looking up at me with a scowl. “You did.”

Oscar stood up and placed himself in between Cesar and me. He held his arms up in an attempt to get Cesar to back down but to no avail.

“Cesar, that’s enough,” he warned, facing our little brother, who shoved back every time Oscar tried to push him away. Cesar was adamant about getting the last word, but Oscar continued to try and keep him back. “Ces- Cesar, that’s enough.”

“No, you know what?”

Cesar fought free from Oscar’s grip and immediately finished what he started.

“Everything bad that’s happened to me is because of you,” Cesar spat, glaring at me with such passionate anger, I almost didn’t recognise my little brother. “Manuel’s gonna need all the luck he can get with a mother like you.”

My mouth slowly fell agape, and my breath hitched. I could hear Cesar breathe heavily from all the yelling. He glared at me, almost as if he knew how much he was hurting me, but he didn’t seem to care. He stormed out of the house before Oscar could begin scolding him for taking it too far. So instead, he watched my reaction intently, ready to console me if I needed to break down after what Cesar had just said. 

“Y/n, he didn’t mean that,” Oscar reasoned, taking note of the way my eyes glistened and how hard I was biting my bottom lip, something I only ever did to keep myself from crying. 

I nodded, even though I was finding it increasingly difficult to believe. Everything I had suspected of myself. All of the fears I had about being an actual mother for the first time. Cesar’s words were making me confirm it. 

I grabbed my bag off the floor and began heading for the door, despite Oscar’s attempts at calling out to me. I had to leave. I couldn’t face either one of my brothers. And, at that point, I couldn’t even face my son. I began driving around the block before finding an empty parking lot to stop at. There, I sat in silence for a few hours, trying to process everything that had happened since the morning.

***

I had been sitting in the parking lot for a few tens of minutes. Most of that time, I spent sobbing. It felt like all of the responsibilities I had spent the past few weeks and months, and years of my life carrying toppled over and crushed me in the process.

The part that hurt the most was how much I tried to do my best. I tried to be the best mother to Manuel. I tried to be the best sister to Cesar. I tried to be the best partner to Mario. Yet, it seemed like no matter how hard I tried, I still wasn’t enough.

In the midst of my emotional breakdown, a loud tap sounded throughout my car. I looked and gasped when I saw Mario standing outside my door with a worried expression. In all honesty, it never crossed my mind that someone would care enough to come and find me.

After I unlocked the doors, he sat in the passenger’s seat. He watched me intently as I wiped my tears away and tried to compose myself.

“Oscar and Abuelita told me what happened,” he whispered before slowly reaching out his hand and taking hold of mine. We had somewhat reconciled the last time we fought, but there was still tension between us. I was grateful he was taking the first step towards fixing it- goodness knows I was not in a position to be able to. “... Please talk to me.”

At first, I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him. I felt an array of shame and embarrassment. Mario noticed this and responded by gently placing his hands on the sides of my face. He knew I loved it when he did that. I eventually looked up at him, and he just smiled as he waited patiently for me to speak.

“I-I,” I bowed my head for a moment to try and muster the energy to finish my sentence. Mario placed his hand on mine and gently squeezed it reassuringly. “I thought he was gonna stay this time... He kept asking to meet Manuel, and he got a job, and I... I thought it would be different this time.”

Mario nodded but remained silent. Before we began dating, we were childhood friends. He was there all the times my dad left before. He knew how much this was hurting me.

“And I’m so scared,” I cried, trying not to choke on my words. “I’m so scared I’m gonna fuck up my kids’ lives the way he has mine and my brothers’... I don’t wanna break Manuel.”

“Hey,” Mario whispered, taking hold of the side of my face and looking up at me with concern-filled eyes. “You’re not gonna break, Manuel... He and I are so lucky to have you.”

I sniffled as I turned away. I didn’t believe him, and Mario could tell. He sighed. I thought then that he would give up on trying to console me and leave, but instead, he continued to look at me, even as I turned away.

“Is that why you call me all the time?” He asked. I didn’t turn back to him, but I could tell from his tone that he was not agitated anymore. He was genuinely concerned. “- ‘cause you feel scared when you’re alone with Manuel?”

I dropped my head and remained silent, which Mario accurately interpreted as a yes. After a moment of silence, he reached for my hand again. This time, I turned to face him.

“I’m so sorry... for everything I said to you,” he whispered, tears brimming in his eyes. It had been a while since I had seen him so vulnerable, which was strange considering how emotional Mario was. “Ever since I started my job, I’ve just been really stressed... I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. That will never happen again.”

“I shouldn’t have annoyed you so much,” I muttered. I couldn’t help but feel guilty that Mario was apologising to me when he was obviously under a lot of pressure. “You work so hard for us, I shouldn’t be making things worse-”

“Baby, you don’t,” he responded. I began to smile through my tears because he was using a term of endearment for the first time in a while rather than just simply calling me by my name. “You don’t... I’m sorry I made you feel like you do... How about, from now on, you text me when you have a question about Manuel, or when you start to feel overwhelmed, or even when you just want to talk. I can’t promise I’ll always be able to talk, but I’ll respond to you as soon as I can.”

“Okay,” I whispered, smiling at him as I nodded. I felt so relieved that he understood what I was going through. Mario leaned close to me and kissed my temple softly before looking me in the eye, his hands finding their way back to the sides of my face. He could tell something was still on my mind.

“You’re nothing like him, Y/n,” he murmured. “He leaves when things get tough... you’ve always stayed... I mean, you’ve taken care of Cesar since he was born... Now you’re taking care of Manuel... and of me.”

I chuckled beneath my breath. When Manuel was first born, Mario joked about how well I took care of them two. I would have had it any other way.

“There’s no one else I’d rather being doing this with,” he said before kissing me softly. I smiled against his lips, and my eyes remained close for a moment even after he pulled away. “Manuel and I are so lucky to have you, Y/n... I love you so much.”

“I’m lucky to have you,” I murmured as I brought my hand up to his jaw, drawing circles on the side of his cheek with my thumb. He smiled, leaning forward and pressing his nose against mine. “I love you.”

It was as if he came at the right time. Just when things began to topple over me, Mario was right there, ready to bear my burdens with me. For the first time in a long time, I felt a wave of peace and calmness wash over me. I knew I had a lot of work to do. I knew Cesar, and I were still on bad terms. But I also knew that so long as I had Mario with me, I would be okay. I would survive whatever other obstacles life threw my way, and it would all be worth it for my son.

He and Mario were more than enough for me.

[crystalstar8]

Knights of the Night (ch 15)

Chapter 15

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, ch 6, ch 7, ch 8, ch 9, ch 10, ch 11, ch 12, ch 13, ch 14, ch 15

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 2,459

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character, @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @mozy-j  @daechwitad-2​ @zobadak​ @fallenstar-7​​​

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing…

              Catalina was nervous. She had changed her outfit almost ten times and was already pulling a sweater out of her closet for an eleventh. She eyed her suitcase in the corner of her room. No, don’t open it, you’ll have to repack, she told herself. Her phone buzzed from her bed. It was a text from Jungkook.

JK: I’m on my way

              “Shit,” Catalina mumbled. She looked between the sweater in her hand and the one laying on the floor. The one in her hand was a bit nicer so she pulled that one on. She tucked it into her skirt, then slipped into her ankle boot heels. As she was checking her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror for the last time, she heard her front door open. Rounding the corner, she saw Jungkook standing in the hallway, tapping the snow off his boots on the rug. Catalina grabbed her coat.

              “You look so cute!” he said as she came over for a hug.

              “I always look cute, what are you talking about?” she said. He grinned, his nose scrunching up and his eyes turning to crescents. He looked good too, in a turtleneck under his peacoat. It was amusing to her, knowing that he still had a few lingering marks on his neck. They had both dealt with enough teasing from their friends over the past few days, they definitely didn’t need Jungkook’s family on that train as well.

              “Ready to go?” he asked. Catalina nodded and followed him out the door, locking up behind her.

              The car ride was short, only a minute or two since they lived a block away from each other. There were two other cars in the driveway, which Jungkook parked behind. As they got out of the car, Jungkook said, “So, my brother is kind of annoying. Just warning you. He’s in law school and he’s a bit of an asshole about it.”

              “Be an asshole about your film major right back to him,” said Catalina, making him laugh.

              “Easy,” he said. “I’ll just start talking about my favorite directors and artsy films.”

              His house was warm and inviting, as it always was, but today, it was cleaner than Catalina’s seen it in a long time. Maybe ever. A small Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with mismatched bulbs and ornaments.

              Jungkook’s mom came out of the kitchen, pulling oven mitts off her hands. She saw Catalina and her eyes lit up.

              “Catalina! It’s so good to see you!” she said, pulling her into a hug. “I’m glad you could make it.”

              “Yeah, me too!” Catalina said. “I never get to see you guys, so I’m glad to be able to spend some time with you all.”

              “Of course, you’re always welcome,” she said. “My husband and I are always so busy with work, I feel bad. Anyway, come into the kitchen. The food’s almost ready. Jungkook, go help set the table.”

               Dinner was beautiful, and Catalina had fun listening to Jungkook’s family try to embarrass him by sharing childhood stories. He wasn’t embarrassed though, always laughing with the table and sharing his own details about the experiences. It sounded like the family hiked and camped a lot while the boys were growing up, so there were plenty of adventure stories to go along with that. Catalina asked about his parent’s jobs and they told her about what they do at the hospital during their overnight shifts. They were both nurses, but they also did volunteer work every chance they got. Jungkook’s brother was indeed a bit of an asshole about being a law student, but Jungkook cracked everyone up by talking about his favorite film, “Persepolis”, pronouncing it “Pear-say-po-li”.

               Catalina had a great time, but she didn’t stay too late since her and Jungkook had a flight to catch in the morning. Jungkook dropped her off at home that night, kissing her softly in the car before she got out.

               “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at six.”

               “I can’t wait,” she said, pecking his lips once more before getting out of the car. “I love you.”

               “I love you too,” he said.

               It feels so good to say that, Catalina thought as she took the stairs to her apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

               The airport was crowded with people rushing to travel for the holidays. Catalina was thrumming with excitement. She hadn’t seen her mom since before her first semester. She had never lived away from her home before, never away from her mom for so long. She couldn’t wait to see her, and to introduce Jungkook to her. They found their flight easily enough in the giant building, and soon enough, they were in the air, en route to Detroit.

               Catalina’s mom was waiting for them at the airport when they landed. As soon as Catalina exited the gates, she ran, giving her mom a long hug.

               “Oooh, dios mio, how I’ve missed you!” her mom said, holding her tight.

               “I missed you too, mom,” said Catalina. She pulled away and looked over at Jungkook. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Jungkook.”

               “What a cutie you are!” her mother said as she gave Jungkook a hug as well. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

               “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Diaz,” said Jungkook.

               “Ms. Diaz. Or you can just call me Lucía. Come, lets go home,” she said. “This place is too crowded.”

               Catalina sat in the passenger seat of her mom’s car on the way home. It wasn’t a long drive, their house was just outside of the city. During the drive, she wondered if she should reach out to her old friends. They had never once texted or checked up on her while she was away, so maybe it was best to leave them behind.

               The house looked exactly the same as when she last saw it and it gave her a sense of comfort to come back to the familiarity. After Catalina and Jungkook got settled into her old room, her mom called them downstairs to help bake cookies. While baking, Catalina and Jungkook told her all about their classes and professors. After the cookies came out, they had fun decorating them in weird and interesting ways. Jungkook decorated a gingerbread man with red eyes and fangs, which Catalina took a picture of to send to their friends.

               Later in the evening,  Lucía took them all out to dinner at a nice place in downtown Detroit. The restaurant was beautiful; bistro lights dripped from the ceiling, branching out from the twisting paper tree in the center of the dining room. Over dinner, Catalina told her mother about her friends in California, and about their trip to the lodge. Her and Jungkook left out the parts about their friends being vampires.

               “I want to know how the two of you got together,” said Lucía. “She didn’t date much in high school, so this is so exciting to me.”

               “I had a girlfriend in my senior year,” Catalina mumbled. Lucia waved a hand.

               “That doesn’t count,” she said. Catalina glanced at Jungkook, who was frowning after hearing this exchange. Catalina put a hand on his knee under the table and decided not to argue.

               “Well, we met in our French class,” Catalina started. “We became friends and we hung out a lot for the first few months of the semester. I mean, I never really knew I had a crush on him at first, I knew he was attractive, but I only saw him as a friend. Then one day, he kissed me, and we’ve been an item ever since.”

                Lucía had a hand over her heart as she listened.

               “That’s so sweet,” she said. “You two are a beautiful couple and I can see you’re so happy with each other. I’m just…so relieved that you found a nice boy and-“

               “Mom,” Catalina interrupted.

               “I just didn’t want you to fall back into those high school phases you were in,” she said. “I was so worried I would lose you to the wrong kind of people. There’s so many influences online these days and I just wanted you to be successful in life. That kind of lifestyle comes with drugs and-“

               “I’m gonna go to the restroom,” Jungkook said, standing up and giving her shoulder a squeeze.

               “Mom, stop it,” Catalina said. As soon as Jungkook was out of sight, she said, “My boyfriend is bisexual too. And so are some of my other friends at school. They’re all amazing people and I would do anything for them. I don’t like when you say things like this.”

               “Catalina, you know I love you no matter what,” her mother said. “I just want the best for you.”

               “It’s not something anyone can control,” Catalina said. “Whether I fall in love with a man or a woman, I’ve always hoped you could be happy for me no matter what.”

               “I am happy for you,”  Lucía said, reaching over to take Catalina’s hand. “You’re following your dream and you seem so happy with your life right now. I think I need to get used to the idea of my daughter being bisexual, there’s just so many bad connotations that come with that community. At least from when I was growing up.”

               “Things are different now,” Catalina said.

               “I know, I know,”  Lucía said. “I think I just need to get used to this. At the end of the day, I just want you to be safe and happy. I think a man would be able to provide for you better later in life.”

               “You of all people should know that’s not true,” Catalina said. “You raised me alone, and we were always pretty well off.”

                Lucía raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “You got me there.”

               Catalina giggled and squeezed her mom’s hand.

               “I love you, cariña,”  Lucía said. “Just remember that.”

               “I love you too, mom,” said Catalina.

               Jungkook came back and Catalina took his hand as soon as he sat down.

               “I’m sorry if what I said earlier was offensive,”  Lucía said to him.

               “It’s okay,” Jungkook said, flashing a smile.

               “I’m trying, it was just so different when I was young,” she said.

               “It’s really okay,” Jungkook said with a chuckle. “This sounds exactly like the conversation I had with my own mom when I was sixteen.”

                Lucía laughed and the conversation turned to the topic of Jungkook’s family. Dinner went on peacefully. Catalina was glad she got this conversation off her chest. She had been struggling with that topic ever since she came out in high school. It really sounded like her mother was trying to understand, and Catalina couldn’t be more grateful.

               The next day was Christmas Eve. Catalina and Jungkook took a day trip to Frankenmuth, which, as soon as they arrived, they realized was a bad idea. Frankenmuth was packed with people, but the pair still managed to have a good time. They ate dinner at the Bavarian Inn and took a carriage ride around the town. They walked the underground mall and the outdoor shops, but only bought gifts for Lucía, since everything was terribly overpriced. They didn’t even shop for each other, since they both confessed they had already bought each other Christmas gifts a long time ago. Snow covered the ground and everything was wrapped in Christmas lights in the little town. Just walking through the beautiful scenery hand in hand with Jungkook was wonderful. 

               They returned home late that evening, wrapping their gifts in Catalina’s room and going to bed afterwards.

               Christmas morning was pleasant;  Lucía cooked them a big breakfast, then they opened gifts in the living room. Catalina had two gifts from her mom. The first one was a Visa gift card and a heartfelt letter. The second gift was a quilt. Each patch depicted a different cat from t-shirts, towels and linens.

               “You’re grandmother started making this before she passed away,”  Lucía said. “You remember her nickname for you?”

               “Gatita,” Catalina said, tears prickling her eyes.

               “I found it just recently and I decided to finish it for you,”  Lucía said. “Just something to remember her by, something your children can use.”

               Catalina felt a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away and got up to hug her mom.

               “This is wonderful,” said Catalina. “I love it so much.”

               “I’m glad you like it, cariña,” her mom said, hugging her back tight. “I know I don’t have a lot for you, like when you were a kid, but I didn’t want you to have to lug a bunch of stuff back to California with you.”

               “No mom, it’s perfect,” she said. “This is perfect.”

                Lucía then opened Catalina’s gift, which was a silver bracelet from Frankenmuth. Jungkook had gotten her a handmade scarf and hat set, and she had given him another Visa gift card.

               At some point during the day, Catalina made sure to find time for herself and Jungkook. Lucía went to pick up groceries in the afternoon, which was when Catalina took the opportunity to give Jungkook his gift.

               They were pressed together on the couch, both holding a little gift bag in their hands.

               “You first,” Jungkook said, handing her his bag. She took it and opened it, finding a little box in the bottom. Her heart beat fast as she opened it, revealing a ring with the moon in a glass bubble. She gasped and handed his gift over frantically.

               “Open this right now!” she said, pulling the ring out and putting on her middle finger. He did, his eyes getting wide as he opened the slightly bigger box.

               “No way,” he said, looking up at her.

               “How the hell did this happen?” Catalina asked, holding in giddy laughter. Jungkook pulled the necklace out of the box and put it on. The charm on the chain held the moon in a little glass bubble. The same moon as the one in her ring.

               “We bought each other the same thing,” he said, laughing.

               It was the waxing half-moon from the night they shared their first kiss in the vampire den.

               When Lucía came back home, they immediately showed her their unplanned gifts for each other. She laughed for about ten minutes. She then recruited them to help cook dinner, which was an exciting ordeal. Catalina was happy to learn how to cook all of her favorite dishes.

               The three of them ended up having a beautiful dinner together, bright with laughter and conversation.

               The next few days passed in a blur. They went out, cooked together, played games, and watched movies. Before they knew it, the week was over and it was time for Catalina and Jungkook to travel again for the next leg of their trip. Catalina was reluctant to leave her mom, but she was absolutely filled with anticipation for her stay in the cabin.

[winters-blue-children]

Games and Theory (A 10k Evan Buckley disaster fic featuring jealous Eddie, phone sex, a fake relationship, and Albert being a genius)

Eddie's not looking for serious. He just wants casual, easy, and uncomplicated. 

Buck has been in love with his best friend for two years. Does he take his sister's advice and confess his feelings? Nah, Evan Buckley always has to do things the hard way.

At some point, Buck and Albert became pretty good friends. Maybe it’s the shared older siblings mackin’ on each other, or the having horrible parents thing, but it turns out they get along really well. A little too well, as Chimney often likes to complain about. He calls it a Buckley-Han recipe for disaster.

Wanna meet up for pool later tonight?

Can’t. It’s movie night with Eddie and Chris.

The blinking ellipses begin immediately after his last text is sent. Buck rolls his eyes in anticipation. He knows exactly what Albert is going to say.

Have fun with your looover.

Fuck off. He’s not my lover.

But you want him to be ;-)

Buck scowls at his phone before turning the screen off. His loud, frustrated groan echoes throughout his empty apartment. Damn high ceilings. While it’s nice to have someone to complain about being completely head over heels for his best friend, it also sucks to be reminded constantly that his love life is hopeless and helpless and, in Chim’s words… embarrassingly tragic.

“Movie night,” Buck mutters to himself, mentally preparing for an evening of kid-friendly movies, lots of popcorn, and being in painfully close proximity to the man he’s desperately in love with. “Completely platonic movie night.”

…

In between their last film and Chris’s bedtime, which the kid managed to convince his dad to push back—“But it’s not a school night, Dad!” And like most people who have met Christopher Diaz, Eddie has trouble saying no to his kid too—Buck finds himself seated on the living room floor, a jumbo Lego set spilled all around him. He spends the next thirty minutes sticking pieces together with his best friend’s son.  

“What is that?” Chris asks, tilting his head in confusion at the multi-colored lump in Buck’s hands. It’s all sharp angles and weird shapes.

“I’m not sure, bud. I made it to match yours.”

Chris laughs loudly, head thrown back as he giggles. And Buck laughs too, open and free and so genuinely happy.

Several feet away from them, Eddie watches quietly, a soft smile on his face.

…

Eddie’s not much of a talkative guy, at least not compared to Buck. When they’re together though, Buck brings him out of his shell, and Eddie makes sure to keep Buck grounded. Chim and Hen joke that they ‘complete’ each other. Whatever that means.

The point is that Eddie has a shy side. And considering he’s about twelve years out of the dating game, he needs his best friend to help him out.

“I thought you said you needed a wingman?”

Eddie stubbornly looks up and glares at Buck. He’s nursing his third beer, which he’d been staring at with what Buck had described as ‘crazy eyes’. And he’s adamantly refused to look anywhere around the bar that they’re currently in.

Buck leans closer over their small table. “We’ve been here for an hour and you haven’t even made eye contact with anyone. What are you doing?”

“Look, I haven’t done this in a very long time, okay?!” Eddie hissed. “I was with Shannon for two years before I enlisted. Two tours later, and add a kid to the picture, I’m a little out of practice!”

Buck’s face softens and he seems to take pity on him.

“Well, if you would get out of your own head and take a look around, you’d notice that more than a few lovely ladies have been eying you up all night.” Buck pauses and adds, “A few guys, too. If you’re into that.”

Eddie rolls his eyes and pulls a face like Buck just told a joke. He misses the way Buck looks slightly dejected, just for a second, before his grin slides back into place.

“So what are you looking for then? Blonde? Brunette? Are you into any weird stuff ‘cause the chick with the sleeve tats over there looks like she likes to play with toys.”

Eddie sighs and shakes his head, finally looking around the room for the first time. “I want something… uncomplicated.”

“Uncomplicated like a quickie in the bathroom? I’ve been there, and would not recommend. Your back will be killing you the next day.”

“Just… something easy, no strings attached, never have to call them again…”

“A one-night stand?” Buck frowns and tilts his head curiously. “Sounds like my old kind of thing. I didn’t think it was yours.”

Eddie shrugs. “It’s too hard to try for anything serious. I have Christopher to think about, and he needs one hundred percent of my attention. And I definitely can’t be bringing home random girls, hoping one of them is going to be Chris’s new mom.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Most would run away once they find out I’m a widowed veteran-father anyway. Talk about a flight risk.”  

“Don’t be so negative about yourself,” Buck says, his voice low. “You’re a great guy, and anyone would be lucky to have you.”  

Eddie pauses at the sincerity in Buck’s voice. It’s sweet. And nice. But he shakes his head and the moment ends. “Alright, help me out here. I really don’t want to go home tonight to just my left hand for company. Who do you think I’ve got a chance with?”

Buck grins, a little mirthless. “The girl in the red top, drinking a Long Island at the bar.” He raises an eyebrow and nods in her direction. “She’s with a group of friends, but she’s not been chatty. She keeps looking around the room like she’s looking for someone.”

Eddie turns and to his surprise, he makes eye contact. She’s attractive, probably mid to late twenties, with brown hair and blue eyes. Three solid seconds pass before she grins flirtatiously, bats her eyes, and looks away.

“Hook, line, and sinker,” Buck murmurs.

Eddie finishes off his beer. The bitter taste lingers and settles in his mouth, giving him an odd sense of confidence as he stands. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Buck says softly.

Eddie slides against the bar next to the girl in the red top. He grins, friendly but not over the top. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” she answers with a bright smile.

Eddie waves over the bartender. “Hi, can I get an IPA and another of what she’s having? Oh, and one more beer for my friend—” He turns his head, about to point to Buck when his eyes land on their empty table. Buck’s jacket is gone too.

He must have left.

“Um, nevermind about that last one. Thanks.”

…

Evan Buckley has been in love with his best friend for over two years. It’s painful, that they can be so close and yet he sometimes feels a million miles away. “I can’t get him out of my head, Mads. I think about him all the time and it’s so fucking distracting.”

“Dude, I work with you guys,” Chimney says slowly. “In a very dangerous line of work.”

Buck scowls as Maddie slaps her boyfriend’s arm. “I came over here to talk to my sister. Do you really have to be a part of the conversation?”

“I was here first!”

“Hm, yeah sorry,” Buck frowns and shakes his head. “I think I’ve got about twenty-six years on you in that department.”

“Stop fighting, children, please!”

Buck continues to mope on the couch while Chim shakes his head and helps himself to snacks on the coffee table. The crunch of chips between his teeth clashes harshly with the constant thump of Buck’s knee bouncing against the underside of the table.

“Look, Evan,” Maddie says carefully. “I think you really need to tell Eddie how you feel.”

“Why? What’s the point?” Buck demands. “So that he can reject me nicely? Let me down easy, maybe? Best case scenario, he says that nothing’s ever going to change between us and then he acts all weird and awkward because he knows that his best friend—who is a guy—is fucking in love with him!”  

Maddie reaches over and grabs her brother’s hand to hold. Even Chim’s eyes are downcast, looking like he feels a bit bad for him.

“You have to tell him, so that you can start to get over him,” Maddie says softly. “So that you can move on.”

“Maddie’s right,” Chim chimes in. “Rejection is the first step. If Tatiana hadn’t rejected me, I’d probably still be in that awful facade of a relationship. I never would have found the most wonderful and amazing person that I was meant to be with.”

Maddie grins softly at him. She leans over and they share a sweet kiss.

“Ugh,” Buck pulls a face and looks away. “Gross. That’s it, I can’t take any more of this. I’m out of here.”

“Evan, you don’t have to go!” Maddie says.

At the same time that Chim says, “See ya tomorrow, Buck.” He shrugs when they both give him a look. “What? I spend all day with the guy, I gotta see him at home, too?”

“Love you too, Chim,” Buck says sarcastically.

“He’s family,” Maddie says sternly.

“Hey, speaking of, where’s Albert?” Buck asks.

“Probably hooking up with rando hot girl number thirty.”

“Huh.” Buck pulls out his phone and hums. He says his goodbyes and leaves his sister and Chimney to do… whatever old, happy couples do on a Wednesday night.

Where you at?

A minute later, Albert responds. Some bar on West 23rd St. Wanna join?

Not feeling up to it. Wanna come over and hang instead?

Sure. Albert says. And then another text. I’ll be over in an hour.

…

It’s the middle of their shift and things are slow, which is never something to complain about. Eddie regales a tale about the latest girl he hooked up with. There have been a few girls since that night at the bar, and Eddie never shies away from telling Buck. Nothing too lewd. Just the highlights.

Buck nods and hums in response. His attention, however, is glued to his phone, where his thumbs rapidly fly across the screen as he texts. He plasters a lopsided grin on his face for show.

“I’m sorry, is my story about my foray back into the dating scene for the first time in over a decade too boring for you?”

Buck’s eyes snap up and he grins apologetically. He quickly slips his phone back into his pocket. “Sorry! I was listening, I swear!”

Eddie doesn’t buy it for one second.

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” Buck says quickly. See, he was listening. “You sealed the deal, right?”

Eddie sighs. “Yeah. It was alright. Not exactly a night of passion.”

“Better luck next time. Plenty more one-night fish in the sea, am I right?”

Eddie frowns, figuring Buck is right. He puts his mediocre night out of his mind. Buck looks like he’s itching to check his phone again. And then Eddie suddenly wonders what’s got his friend so distracted lately. “Hey, what was that just now? You’ve been glued to your phone the whole day. What is going on with you?”

Buck blushes and actually looks embarrassed, a rare sight. “I uh—I met someone,” he says bashfully.

Eddie raises an eyebrow, surprised. “Wow, um, congrats, dude. You haven’t mentioned getting back out there or anything.”

“Yeah, well. I figured it was time. It’s been a year since Ali…”

Eddie frowns and tries to be happy for him. But the only thing he can think is, “Is it serious?”

Buck grins softly. “It might be. Too early to tell, you know? But I think I want it to be.”

Eddie nods. An uncomfortable feeling rolls around in the pit of his stomach. He must have eaten something at lunch that doesn’t agree with him. He brushes it aside. “What’s her name?”

Buck hesitates. “His name is… Tom.”

Whatever Eddie ate for lunch might be threatening to come back up again.

…

“How could he not tell me? I mean, how could he not tell me?! We’re best friends, this is the type of thing that you tell your best friend!” Eddie gestures wildly with his arms as he speaks.

“I don’t understand why this is such a big deal,” Hen takes a drink of her cocktail and narrowly avoids being hit accidentally by Eddie’s flailing hands. “It’s not like he outright lied to you.”

“Not telling me that he’s into guys isn’t lying to me?”

“He’s dated one girl in the two plus years that you’ve known him. So he omitted one small fact about himself, so what? There are people who like both, you know.”

Eddie scoffs, incredulous. “Yeah, but Buck?!”

Hen gives him a pointed look and Eddie sighs. “I just… I don’t get why didn’t he tell me sooner.” He says softly.

“Please. You are not about to ask a lesbian why Buck didn’t out himself to you sooner. And you are definitely not having an issue with the fact itself, right?”

“Of course not,” Eddie says firmly. He might have grown up in a homophobic town in Texas, but that was never him. He stood up for the kids who got bullied growing up. He would never hate Buck for being gay, bi, pan, or whatever he labels himself. He would never hate anyone for that.

He just can’t seem to wrap his head around it. Why didn’t Buck tell him sooner? Why does it feel like such a painful and devastating betrayal, knowing that Buck met someone and they ‘might’ be getting serious?

“Wait,” Eddie freezes. “Hang on. Why aren’t you more surprised by this?”

Hen chuckles. “We have… a type of radar. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.” She finishes her drink and laughs to herself. “From the second I laid eyes on that boy, I could tell he was a womanizer and a playboy. But let me tell you, that bitch also looks like he is two clicks away from calling the first man to pull his hair Daddy.” She cackles loudly, unaware that Eddie is struggling not to choke on the air in his lungs.  

…

Albert is really good at chess.

Apparently, he won some sort of big deal tournament in South Korea. He brushes it off like no big deal whenever Chimney brings it up.

“It’s about being able to predict your opponent's move before they’ve even thought of it. You need to be three steps ahead, always. And flexible enough to adjust your strategy to the evolving game.”

Buck frowns. “That sounds really complicated. And hard.”

“I can teach you. Have you ever heard of game theory?”

“Dude, I told you I wasn’t the best in school,” Buck groans.

“Game theory is recognized as an important tool in many fields. It’s won Nobel prizes,” Albert says seriously.

Buck’s head spins from the nerd talk. “The only thing I care about, is will this even work?”

“Trust me,” Albert smiles, young and soft and genuine. “With my help, it will work.”

…

“Hi, Buck!”

Buck grins at Christopher’s excitement and quickly shoves two bags of take-out into Eddie’s hands so that he can kneel down and give Chris a hug. “Hi, buddy, I missed you!”

“I missed you too, Buck!”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been over in a while. I’ve been busy.” His brow furrows, regretful, and he sneaks a quick glance at Eddie, who wears an unreadable expression while he tries to balance the bags Buck had pushed into his arms.  

“That’s okay, you’re here now.” And with that, Chris takes Buck by the hand and leads him over to the couch.

Clearly, it’s now Eddie’s responsibility to handle the food.

After dinner, Buck helps Eddie with the dishes, while Chris is engrossed by a movie in the living room.

“So I was thinking maybe you could spend the night?” Eddie says, as he rinses a dirty dish under the tap. “We can do breakfast tomorrow morning at the diner on Stratton, the one that Chris likes. And I was going to take him to the park afterwards, you know he loves having you there.”

Buck is silent for a moment, just long enough that Eddie stops and looks up from what he’s doing.

“I um… I actually have plans later tonight.”

“Oh,” Eddie says dumbly. Out the corner of his eye, the clock on the oven blinks 8:11 PM. “What kind of plans?” He asks casually.

Buck blushes and drops his gaze. “Tom’s coming over.” A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “I don’t think you want any details beyond that.”    

Eddie purses his lips and returns his attention to the dishes. He doesn’t want to think about Buck and Tom, the latter is just a faceless shadow in his mind. But one with broad shoulders and a chiseled jaw.  

Nope, he does not need any more details.

“Maybe I could still join you guys at the park though?”

“Yeah,” Eddie mutters, as he scrubs a plate with far more force than necessary. “I’m sure Chris would love that.”

…

Eddie isn’t as great at hiding his emotions as he would like to believe. Maybe once upon a time he got away with it, but over the past two years, the 118 has become family to him. And families pry. They get into each other’s business, with good intentions, of course.

“Rough night?”

Eddie looks up and sees his Captain’s concerned face watching him. “Uh, sort of, Cap. I haven’t been sleeping well,” he admits. “Kind of have a lot on my mind right now. But I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s not affecting my work.”

Bobby takes a seat in the chair next to him. “You’ve been pretty quiet lately. Is everything alright at home?”

“Yeah, everything’s great,” Eddie says carefully. “Christopher is doing well and he’s loving his classes at school. Everything’s great, Cap.”

The words taste like ash and sound fake to his own ears.

“Listen, it’s my job to know when something is wrong with my team,” Bobby says seriously. “And you’ve been off for weeks now. Is there… is there something going on between you and Buck that I should know about?”

“No! No, of course not!” Eddie says, a little too quickly. “I mean… Okay, honestly, Buck hasn’t been around much lately—” He clears his throat awkwardly. “Since he’s been seeing someone and… Chris has been asking why he hasn’t been around as much, and I know that he misses him.” He sighs and runs his hands through his short hair. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”

Bobby gives him a strange look, like maybe he’s being a bit slow. “Have you tried… talking to Buck about this? I’m sure Buck is more than happy to make time for you guys. You’re family to him.”

Eddie blinks, oblivious. “No. Why would I?”

“Because it might solve all your problems.”

Eddie snorts. That doesn’t quite compute.

Bobby pats him on the shoulder and gives him a sad, knowing glance. He wonders how long it’s going to take for Eddie to admit to himself that it’s not just Chris who misses Buck.

…

“Eddie, h-hey, what’s up?”

Eddie grins. Buck’s voice is breathy like he’s just gone on a run, or been going hard at the gym. It’s a sound that Eddie associates with a bad call that ends well because they saved the day. Out of breath and gasping, but still with a grin plastered across his face so bright it could light up a room.

“What’s going on?” Comes Buck’s concerned voice over the line when Eddie doesn’t answer. “Is everything okay? Is Christopher alright?”

Eddie closes his eyes and tries to get himself out of his own head. He’s been having trouble thinking straight lately. “Yeah. Yeah man, everything’s fine. Just wondering what you’re up to tonight? Chris is having some friends over and I could use another pair of eyes on them. You know I hate being outnumbered,” he chuckles.

“Oh, I’m sorry I can’t,” Buck says, and then there’s a rush of air into the phone before he continues, “I uh… I think I’m staying in tonight.”

Eddie frowns. Something doesn’t sound quite right. He narrows his eyes and presses the phone closer to his ear. There’s rustling in the background, like something is going on over Buck’s end. “Come on, dude,” he presses. “We haven’t hung out outside of work in like two weeks.”

“Yeah, I know,” Buck drawls. “You’re hopeless without me.”

Eddie is about to say something snarky in return when he hears a muffled sound in the background, right before Buck grunts softly into his ear.

His hand tightens on his phone. “Buck?”

“W-what?” Buck sounds distracted, and then the clear sound of a backboard squeaking rhythmically tells Eddie all he needs to know. “Eddie, I gotta go,” he says breathlessly. His voice is cut off by commotion on his end of the line.

Eddie winces when he hears the clear clatter of Buck’s phone dropping to the ground.

“Shit, I dropped my phone!”

Muffled noises and heavy moans drift over the line. Warmth floods his body and Eddie feels his face flush red. It’s suddenly very hard to breathe. He should hang up. He should pretend this call never happened. He really, really should not stay on the line listening to his best friend having sex with another man.

“Oh, fuck, harder—”

Eddie closes his eyes. Buck’s face in high definition lights up in his mind, lips parted, cheeks rosy and flushed, and maybe he bites down on his bottom lip as he gets fucked—

What the hell is he doing? Thinking about Buck’s red lips and how it’s so adorable that his birthmark is the same shade as that luscious mouth—

Eddie considers hanging up yet again.

But the grunts and moans and sounds of pleasure are getting louder. And he’s suddenly so fucking hard.

“Fuck! Come on, give me more, right there—”

His hand is reaching down his pants and wrapping around his hard cock before Eddie even realizes it. He jerks himself roughly as he listens to the sound of Buck’s voice.  

He’s never come so fast in his life.

…

“Hey Chim, how’s it going with Albert?” Eddie asks. “You guys getting along any better?”

Chimney frowns and glances over at the bar where Albert, Buck, and Hen are sharing a laugh over drinks.

“They are getting along wonderfully,” Maddie answers for him.

“Well, he’s family,” Chim manages, shaking his head.

Eddie chuckles and his eyes can’t help but land on Buck and stay there.

Of course, they never mentioned the call, instead both chose to act like the whole thing never happened. Maybe Buck didn’t realize that it was blatantly obvious what he was doing when Eddie called, and maybe he didn’t realize that Eddie stayed on the line, blowing a load over him, like a goddamn creep.  

The next day, he just smiled and clapped a hand on Eddie’s shoulder like nothing was wrong. Nevermind that Eddie’s whole world was crashing around him because he got himself off to his best friend being fucked by another guy. And the orgasm he had over Buck’s voice was more intense than any he’d had with the random women he’d slept with over the past month.

He can’t even remember their names.

So lost in thought, he doesn’t realize that Maddie and Chim are giving each other smirks and looks while he’s distracted.

“What’s going on with you, Mr. Mopey?” Chimney asks.

“What do you mean?” Eddie asks, confused.

“Come on, you’ve been acting off for weeks,” Chim says while Maddie tries to hide a laugh. “Everyone’s noticed. Just admit it.”

“Admit what?” Eddie genuinely has no idea what he’s talking about.

“You can’t possibly be that thick,” Chim says slowly.

Maddie pats him on the shoulder. “Babe, don’t push it.”

“Oh, come on! Even Albert won’t stop talking about it—”

Eddie never finds out what it is because they’re interrupted by the presence of none other than the man who is the star of his wet dreams.

“What’s up, guys?” Buck’s grin is a mile wide and he’s just loose enough from a few drinks that he’s extra handsy. And he’s pretty handsy with Eddie on a regular day.

Eddie swallows the lump in his throat as his skin hyper focuses on Buck’s arm around his shoulders. He quickly takes another drink of his beer so that he doesn’t have to answer.

And then he spends the rest of the night hoping and praying that his jeans are tight enough to hide the obvious erection in his pants.

…

Eddie thinks it can’t possibly get any worse. He’s wrong.

Weeks of blue balls and pining leave him in a near constant bad mood. Even Chris has noticed that he’s been snappier than usual—which of course, makes him feel like an asshole.  

Buck hasn’t mentioned anything, though everyone else seems to be avoiding him like the plague.

And then during one of their shifts, twenty minutes after Eddie texts Buck to confirm his pizza topping of choice for lunch, he receives a photo to their text message chain. He thinks he’s hallucinating when the little icon image pops up on his screen.

But then he opens the image and his eyes bulge wide out of their sockets.  

Buck is shirtless. It’s not like Eddie hasn’t seen the guy naked before. After all, they’ve spent plenty of time together in the showers and locker room at the firehouse. It’s the look on his face that gets him. The angle is taken from above. It’s meant to be sexual. Buck is biting his lip, head tilted back, a look of absolute sin gracing his handsome features. Eddie has never thought of his friend as pretty before, but god damn, Buck is pretty.

And as Eddie’s eyes trail down Buck’s chest, down his chiseled abs, they travel over the gorgeous V of his hip bones, to just past the base of his shaft, the rest cut off by his boxer briefs pulled down by the hook of his thumb.

The picture was clearly meant for something else.

Eddie doesn’t know what the fuck to do. He’s torn between confronting Buck about this egregious error that he made and running into the bathroom to jerk off.

In hindsight, the latter would have been better. After all, with post-nut clarity, he never would have done what he actually did, which is yell at Buck, in front of the whole firehouse.

“What the actual fuck?!”

Buck gapes at the lewd image on his phone, when shoved in his face. “I—I am so sorry, Eddie!” He stutters, red with embarrassment. “I did not mean to send that to you! I—I didn’t check the chain, and I had forgotten that you texted me your order—”

“You think I want to be getting shit like this on my phone?” Eddie rages. “Be more fucking careful next time you send shit like this to your boyfriend, or whoever the hell he is!”

Buck looks hurt. “Sorry, man,” he says softly. “It won’t happen again.”

Head bowed, Buck walks away with his tail tucked between his legs, leaving Eddie feeling like the biggest asshole on the face of this earth.

It doesn’t help that their little squabble had gained an audience.

Eddies groans and clenches his fists by his sides. He fights the urge to smash his phone to pieces.

He never does delete that photo.

…

Eddie’s not sure how they got to this point. Their friends pity them and Bobby has personally demanded that they resolve their differences. Fast. Or they won’t be covering the same shifts anymore. And now Buck is mad and wanting answers.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you, Buck.”

“You haven’t looked at me in days. If this is still about the pic that I accidentally sent you—”

“No!” Eddie says loudly. “No, it’s not about that. I am definitely way past that.”

Buck pauses and stares at him in disbelief. “Then why doesn’t it feel that way?”

“I don’t know,” Eddie swallows thickly. “Maybe you’re just imagining things.”

“You’ve been acting like a real dick lately,” Buck says blatantly. “If you have a problem with me, you should just say it.”

Eddie bites his tongue. “Nope. No problem at all.”

Buck grits his teeth and storms away. And that’s that.

…

Not too long later, Eddie reaches his breaking point.

“Alright, fine! Maybe I am pissed at you!” Eddie gives in to the weeks of loneliness and sexual frustration and yells at his friend. “I’m pissed that you haven’t been around! And when you are, you’re distracted and distant and all you talk about is this Tom fella—”

“My boyfriend?”

“Whatever!” Eddie says. “Fuck!”

He knows he’s being a Grade A asshole, but he can’t help himself. Buck drives him crazy and he has no idea how to stop it.

A long moment passes before Buck speaks, “Well, not to get your hopes up or anything,” he says softly. “But this Tom thing might not last much longer.”

Eddie’s curiosity is piqued. Despite knowing better, he asks, “What’s going on?”

Buck shrugs uncomfortably. “I think we just want different things. Probably not going to work out in the long run.”

“And… what do you want?”

Buck looks at him and for a second Eddie gets lost in the blue of his eyes. “I want something real, you know? And I thought that’s what he wanted too, but… he wants to keep it open. Keep seeing other people.” He sighs heavily, sounding sad and defeated. “Which I was fine with for a while, but… I kind of thought he’d change his mind eventually.”

Buck shakes his head. “Sorry, man. You don’t want to hear about this—”

“Tom’s a fucking asshole,” Eddie spits.

Buck blinks in surprise. “W-what?” He chuckles softly.

“You heard me. He’s a fucking asshole. I’ll kick his ass if I ever meet him.”  

Buck stares at him for a long moment. And then his face breaks into a grin. “Thanks, Eddie. You’re a good friend.”

Eddie nods. For the first time in a long time, he does feel like a good friend. Because he would absolutely kick anyone’s ass who hurt Buck.

…

Things between them get better after that.

And one evening, after the end of a long shift, Eddie and Buck get good and truly hammered.

It’s been a long time since Eddie had drank that much. But they don’t have to work the next day, Chris is sleeping over at Abuela’s, and him and Buck are friends again. So he lets loose and just goes along with whatever Buck wants. And Buck leans very much into his personal space in his drunk and disorderly state.

Eddie doesn’t mind one bit. Like an idiot, he doesn’t push him away.

He misses the laughs and doesn’t catch the mild looks of judgment and concern from Hen and Chim, because he’s too drunk to care. And when Albert keeps pushing tequila shots their way, he giggles and throws them back with Buck because it finally feels like they’re them again. And he’s really missed this.

…

The pillow that smacks him in the face wakes him up fast. With a startled gasp, Eddie blinks the sleep and haze out of his eyes. The first thing he registers is his throbbing headache.  “What the hell—” The second is the pillow that hits him again before he can do anything more than blink dumbly in surprise. And then he’s pissed. “What the fuck, Buck?!”  

“Stop that!” Eddie grabs the pillow before the other man can hit him again. “This is not exactly the morning after I was hoping for!”

“What exactly were you hoping for?! What the hell, Eddie?! We had sex last night! TOGETHER!” Buck’s voice gets higher until he’s nearly screeching, which is not great for either of their hangovers. He seems to suddenly realize he’s naked because he pulls the covers up tighter around himself as if it might preserve his chastity. A bit late for that, Eddie thinks.

“You… asshole! What the hell?!”  

Eddie rubs the residual fog out of his eyes and stares at him. “You told Chim last night that you would give your left nut to suck my dick, so what the hell are you complaining about?” He smirks and nods at the shocked expression on Buck’s face. “Yeah, apparently, you get reeeal chatty when you’ve had tequila.”

“Chim said what?” Buck whispers softly, looking mildly shell-shocked and like he really wants to bury himself in the earth and never come out again.

“Oh, and by the way, I am way hotter than that guy you were flirting with at the bar,” Eddie growls, indignant and affronted. “If you want to know regret, know that you could have woken up next to that!”

“He—he was perfectly fine looking,” Buck stutters.

At the same time that Eddie hisses, “Man-bun.”

“And more importantly,” Buck continues harshly. “Since when do you sleep with guys?”

“Since last night, apparently,” Eddie says steely, not nearly as mortified and shocked as he should be. He adds, “And it was really great. Morning after could use some work though.”

Buck swallows. “I never thought… I never thought you were interested.”

“Neither did I,” Eddie lies. He takes a breath, counts to three in his head, and on a whim and a prayer, he reaches for Buck and crashes their lips together with such force that they nearly topple over.

They’re all awkward limbs and gross tequila morning breath—and yet, they seem to fit together perfectly in each other’s arms. They fall back onto Buck’s sheets. A mess of gangly limbs, dried bodily fluids, and lips desperate to feel more.  

Perfect.

…

If anyone were to ask what this thing is between him and Buck, Eddie would say that it’s casual. That’s the word he likes to use when he thinks of them. They’re sleeping together and it’s good and hot and mindblowing sex. But it’s also easy. Because Buck is uncomplicated, and he’s there again when Chris wants him. He loves Christopher, Eddie has no doubt about that. And most importantly, Eddie can get laid whenever he wants.

“Hey, so I was thinking about asking Carla to stay late this Friday to watch Chris,” Buck brings up to him one night. “Maybe you and I can go out to dinner after our shift. We could go some place nice. That new restaurant on Main St. maybe.”

Eddie follows his first instinct which is to laugh, because it sounds like Buck just suggested that they go out on a date. The look on Buck’s face says that he made a mistake.

“Wait, you’re serious?” Eddie asks after seeing the dejected look on Buck’s face.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Buck’s voice is low and strange.

“Because that… that sounds like a date,” Eddie says incredulously. “That’s not what you and I do. We don’t go to nice restaurants, we’re not—”

“A couple?” Buck cuts him off roughly. His expression has grown hard. “So what exactly are we?”

It’s a rare moment when Eddie is at a loss for words, but right now they seem to be stuck in his throat and he has no idea what to say.

“What exactly is this to you, Eddie?” Buck asks slowly.

“We’re just… good friends helping each other out,” he manages.

“Friends?” Buck demands, eyes narrowed and furious. “I’ve sucked your cock, I think we’re a little beyond friends, Eddie.”

“Jesus, Buck! Keep your voice down!” Eddie hisses, even though Chris’s room is on the other end of the house and he’s probably fast asleep at this hour.

But now Buck just looks defeated and hurt, and it’s the last thing that Eddie wanted.

“I thought this meant more to you,” Buck says quietly. “I guess I was wrong.”

“Look, Buck,” Eddie starts. “You know I love you, man. Just… just not like that. I can’t do that.”

Buck scoffs and looks away, which makes Eddie feel worse.

“I told you, a long time ago, that I’m not looking for anything serious, with anyone. It’s… it’s not you, Buck. It’s just that, I have a son to think about.” It makes sense in his head. It’s not like he’s sleeping with anyone else. He just needs to make Buck see.

“Okay.”

Eddie blinks. Okay? “Yeah?”

Buck nods. “Yeah,” he says softly. He slowly turns away, looking lost for a moment, before turning back, eyes glazed and hurt and unseeing. “I’m gonna go.” He says, pointing a thumb behind him. He starts gathering his things to leave and Eddie’s heart sinks into his gut. It hurts like there’s a knife buried there, twisting.

“Wait, no,” Eddie says desperately. “Buck, don’t leave—” He reaches for him but Buck snatches his arm away before Eddie can make contact. Somehow that stings more than when Shannon asked for a divorse.  

Buck is adamant about avoiding eye contact, or any type of contact at all.

He’s hurt. And Eddie hates that this time, he was the one to do it.

“I’ll see you later, man,” Buck mutters, and then he’s gone.

Eddie stands, alone in his kitchen, feeling more lost than ever before.

…

Hen, bless her soul, is the first to pull him aside and demand to know how he managed to fuck up such a sure, good thing.

“What kind of moron are you?” She asks after she listens to his side of the story.

“W-what?” Eddie sputters helplessly. “This isn’t my fault.”

“You are both miserable,” she says bluntly. “Why?!”

Eddie sighs heavily and agrees. “Buck looked like he was about to dry heave when I stepped into the station today,” he says sadly.

“You are dumber than a bag of rocks. Eddie Diaz, I’m going to say this once and only once. You. Love. Him.” She says, enunciating each word.

“Of course, I love him,” Eddie responds. “He’s my closest friend. He’s Buck. I trust him with everything—”

“No, you dumbass. I mean, you love him. He’s not just some rando hookup you picked up for a night. He’s not just a friend, he’s Buck, the guy who would rather die than see anything bad happen to you or your son. He’s the guy who loves your kid like his own. And, speaking as a mother, that is not something to be said lightly.”

“I know Buck loves Chris,” Eddie says softly. “And I never asked him to, he just…” His voice trails off, as the realization slowly dawns on him.

Hen raises a brow. “Let me ask you a question,” she says slowly. “Why did you stop looking for girls to sleep with? You stopped long before you and Buck started this thing between you two. So why? Why did you stop?”

“I…” Fuck. Eddie remembers the longing that he felt when Buck was with someone else. He remembers how much it hurt. Like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart. “Anyone else just… wasn’t what I wanted,” he realizes.

“So what are you waiting for now, dummy?”

“I’m scared,” Eddie admits. “I thought that it would be too difficult or too complicated, or whatever dumb shit I was thinking at the time. I thought it wasn’t worth the risk. To me and to my son.”

“And is it?” Hen asks softly.

Eddie bites his lip. “If this goes sideways, I don’t know what it’ll do to Christopher. That kid has lost so much already. And he loves Buck to death, if this doesn’t work out—”

“Kids are a lot tougher than we like to give them credit for. I’m saying this from one parent to another. You can’t let that hold you back. You can’t let it stop you from going after what you really want. Trust me, Chris will understand. He probably already knows you’re head over heads for his Buck.”

Eddie laughs and bows his head. “Yeah, probably. I never did hide it very well, did I?”

“No, you didn’t,” Hen agrees.

“I think I was wrong,” Eddie finally whispers.

Hen’s fingers flex around his forearm, offering what comfort she can.  “Are you done being an idiot yet?”

Eddie considers it. “Yeah, I think so. I just gotta clear it with one more person,” he says softly.

…

His son is the most important person in his life. Eddie has so much to make up for. He was away for so long and he missed so much. And he vowed that he would never let Christopher down again.

But he has. Of course he has, he’s only human. But he keeps trying and he never gives up. And he figures that’s got to count for something.

For over two years, Eddie watched the relationship blossom between Buck and Chris. He watched as Buck doted on his kid, took him under his wing, and not long after, he started loving him.

Eddie now includes Buck’s name on his list of emergency contacts.

It took a little while longer, but eventually Eddie realizes that Chris looks up to Buck like another parent.

The moment really came when he peeks into Chris’s bedroom and sees Buck reading his son a bedtime story, one of Christopher’s favorites. Chris insists every night that Buck is there. Buck does the voices better than Eddie.

There they are, side by side. Chris’s eyes are drooping, no longer focused on the page. Buck’s voice is still animated and excited, though getting softer by the minute. And the look on his face, Eddies loves that look. Eddie loves him.

It’s a terrifying thought.

It catches him off guard. It scares him. Chris already lost one parent. Eddie couldn’t bear his son losing another. So he kept Buck at a distance. Tried to draw a line between what he had with Buck and what they had as a family.

Hen was right, he was a goddamn moron.

Buck was family long before he and Eddie got wasted and fell into bed with each other.

“Hey, kiddo,” Eddie kneels down by his son where he’s playing with his toys in the living room.

“Hi, Dad.”

Chris’s grin warms his heart and Eddie can’t help but smile as well. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?”

Eddie smiles at his kid, the shining epitome love of his life. “I want to talk to you about Buck.”

Chris’s grin grows wider. “I like Buck. Is he coming over tonight?”

“I like Buck, too.” Eddie says carefully. “So you… you like it when Buck is here?”

“Yeah, Buck is fun. And he loves me.”

“He sure does. Who wouldn’t love you, kiddo?” Eddie jokes.

“No,” Chris shakes his head. “Buck is special.”

“Yeah?” Eddie asks. “And why is that?”

“Because you love him, Dad.”

Eddie freezes. He closes his jaw and swallows the lump in his throat. “Chris, how… how did you know that?” He whispers.

“The way you look at him,” Chris says easily. “And the way you act around him.”

“What do you mean?” Eddie presses.

“When Buck was hurt, you were really worried,” Chris explains. “You were sad and you were upset, and you would do everything you could to make him feel better. Remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Eddie says softly. When Buck got crushed by a ladder truck, there were moments when Eddie thought he was going to lose him forever. He was scared—terrified. Not just for Buck’s health and safety, but he was scared that his life could forever be changed because some asshole kid decided to play bomber.

And when Buck almost died from the pulmonary embolism, because he pushed himself too hard—that made Eddie angry. Angry that Buck risked his life and his health and did this to himself. And maybe if Eddie had tried harder to be there for him, Buck wouldn’t have felt the need to get back to where he was so quickly.

Apparently, Eddie didn’t hide this very well.

“When Buck’s not here, you’re sad,” Chris says softly. “When he’s here, you’re happy.”

“Yeah,” Eddie nods. Kids make it sound so simple. He has a hard time remembering why he’s been acting like an idiot for so long. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“So you love him,” Chris says simply.

“I do,” Eddie says quietly, tears growing in his eyes. “And you’re okay with that?”

“Of course I am, Dad. Buck is amazing,” Chris says with a grin.

Eddie has never been so grateful that he has such an amazing kid. He still can’t believe he lucked out, that he has such a wonderful son. “Yeah,” he agrees, pulling him into a hug. Tears trail down his cheeks, but they’re happy tears. “Buck really is amazing.”

Chris smiles and lets out a soft laugh against him. “I love Buck, too, Dad.”

So, now Eddie has some groveling to do.

…

Buck isn’t surprised when he opens his door to see Eddie on the other side. He does huff in annoyance though. “What are you doing here?” He asks. They haven’t spoken since Buck walked out. Buck has avoided his calls and the texts go unanswered.

Eddie doesn’t answer at first. But he motions awkward with his arm and Buck eventually steps back to let him in.

“Look, I really don’t want to do this with you, Eddie—”

“Of course, you don’t,” Eddie says quickly. “We were always awful when we’re mad at each other. Over such dumb shit too.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Buck gives him an odd look. “Am I just supposed to get over it? I mean, I’ve had your dick up my ass, are we just supposed to pretend that never happened?”  

Eddie blushes. “Yeah, that’s not really a memory I want to erase from existence, so…”

Buck stares at him, stubborn and calm. “So, what exactly are you saying?”

“What I’m trying to say, is that I’ve been acting like a royal idiot lately,” Eddie says. “I did pretty much everything wrong. I didn’t think that I wanted you until you were with someone else. And then when I did have you, I didn’t realize that what we had was so much more than I ever gave us credit for.”

Buck stays stubbornly silent. But he’s not kicking him out, which is enough to make Eddie continue. “I need you to know that I love you, and not just as a friend. I love you like a partner, like Chris’s second dad, like a missing piece of myself, and when you’re not there… it literally feels like my life is falling apart.”

His breath shudders and he sighs, trying to get a hold of himself. “I am so lost without you, Buck. And I was such an idiot that I didn’t realize it sooner. So, please… I am asking from the bottom of my heart… will you give me another chance?”

“I always knew you were an idiot,” Buck eventually says. “I don’t know where Chris gets his smarts from, because it definitely isn’t you.”

Eddie grins and takes a hesitant step forward. “Yeah, I deserve that,” he says softly, and then he takes another step. “You’re right, I was an idiot.”

“I’m gonna make you take me out, you know,” Buck whispers. “You’re gonna have to wine and dine me, and I mean, the good, expensive stuff.”

“Whatever you want, babe. I swear.” Eddie takes another final step and then he’s crowding into Buck’s space, pressing tight against his chest. He leans up to press their lips together and Buck’s got that look in his eyes that Eddie knows all too well. The look that says he’s in too deep, he loves too much, and if Eddie hurts him again, that’ll be the end of him.

But Eddie swears to high heaven, he’ll do his best to never ever hurt this man again.

“I’m so sorry I’ve been such an idiot,” Eddie murmurs against his lips.

“You swear you’ll stay with me this time?” Buck asks. “You’ll try this for real with me?”

Eddie nods. He presses their lips together, again and again, like he can’t get enough. His fingers are wrapped tight around the other man’s shirt, and he can tell Buck is holding himself back. He presses his weight against him, pushing him through the small apartment until they both fall against the couch—the stairs being too much to traverse in their state. The intense heat of their bodies together opens all the floodgates.  

“I promise you, Buck. For real. You and me,” Eddie nods his head, his fingers fumble with Buck’s zipper, and then his own. “Like we should have been this whole goddamn time.”

When the clothes are off and skin is pressed to bare skin, they moan like starved men gasping for air. There’s lube somewhere in Buck’s coffee table drawer, and a box of condoms. Eddie presses his fingers into the hard flesh along Buck’s hips and buries his face in the crook of his neck. He sucks bruises into Buck’s skin, tastes him on his tongue and smells him in his nostrils. He can feel the other man’s pulse; strong, fast, and steady. He feels it rise and flutter as he moves inside him.

Their bodies grind together and the feeling is intoxicating; hot, sickly, and sweet. They’re reckless and dangerous and so in love that they’re sure nothing they’ve ever experienced even comes close to this.

They groan and pant and freefall toward climax together, limbs wrapped around each other, messy and uncoordinated. And when it’s over, Eddie presses his sweaty temple gently against Buck’s cheek. He’s gasping, struggling to catch his breath.

Buck chuckles softly, his hand comes up to wrap around Eddie’s arm. Their sounds echo through the apartment, a familiar comfort to them both.  

“I’m hungry,” Buck says softly, before Eddie has even pulled out of him. “You wanna grab some food?”

Eddie grins and nods his head.

This feels good, he thinks to himself, better than anything he’s had before. And this time, he’s going to remember that.

…  

Some time later:

“Chim, your brother is still here?” Eddie nods to Albert who’s engrossed in conversation with Buck by the bar. Eddie narrows his eyes at the serious look on Buck’s face. He wonders what they’re talking about.

Chimney gives him a strange look, perhaps surprised that he asked, and then he shrugs. “Yeah, thought he was staying a few weeks. Guess that’s turned into a few months now.”

“Couch-surfing for months, that’s got to be rough,” Eddie comments.

“My couch, random strange hook ups’ couches, Buck’s couch. That guy really knows how to get around.”

Eddie frowns. “Buck’s couch?” He knew Albert had stayed at Buck’s place once, after Chimney blew up at him. Not that it had happened again though.

Chim raises his eyebrows. “You don’t know? They hang out like… all the time. It’s fucking weird, man. If I didn’t know you and Buck got a serious thing going on, I’d be a little worried about Buckaroo over there taking my little brother’s innocence.”

Eddie gapes. “Are you serious?” His eyes fly around the bar again, not knowing what he thought he’d see. Buck and Albert look the same as they did twenty seconds ago, still talking by the bar.

“I’m kidding!” Chim says, laughing as he slaps Eddie on the arm. “Of course, I’m kidding!”

Eddie breathes in relief.

Until Chim continues, “My little brother doesn’t have an ounce of innocence inside him.”

Eddies doesn’t know how to approach this. He wants to know why he didn’t know—why Buck didn’t tell him that he was apparently close to Chimney’s estranged half-brother. He wants to go over there and find out what they’re talking about. How does he do that without coming across like some jealous asshole? His mind flips back and forth between playing it cool and storming over there.

Thankfully, Buck saves him the trouble.

He pulls him aside and looks hesitant when he speaks, which Eddie takes note of right away.

“Hey, can we talk about something real quick?” Buck asks.

“Yeah, of course,” Eddie says carefully. “What’s going on?

“Um,” Buck shifts uncomfortably. “You know how I kind of made you grovel when you came back? And I kind of emphasized how you were a total dick, who needed to beg and plead before getting back into my pants?”

Eddie snorts. “Yeah.” He remembers it vividly.

“Okay,” Buck admits. “So, I’m kind of an asshole.”

“You weren’t that bad,” Eddie chuckles.

“No,” Buck insists. “I actually am kind of a dick.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He clicks and swipes while Eddie watches confused until Buck holds the screen up in front of his face.

Eddie doesn’t know what he’s looking at. It’s his contact info, with call data, and all their incoming and outgoing calls.

“Eighteen minutes and twenty-three seconds.”

Eddie stares, blank and confused, until it dawns on him. He sees the call log. He sees the date and the numbers and there’s only one possibility. Eighteen minutes and twenty-three seconds that he stayed on the line. Listening. Like a perv.

“Um… I—I wasn’t—” He stutters. “I don’t know what—”

“Don’t be embarrassed, I knew you were listening,” Buck says quickly as he shoves his phone back in his pocket. “Um, I don’t really know how to tell you this, but… Tom wasn’t real.”

“What?” Eddie blinks and struggles to process. “Tom, your… ex-boyfriend?”

Buck looks genuinely shameful. “Yeah, he was… kind of, made up?” He says lightly.    

Eddie’s mind sort of short-circuits then. Because what the hell does that mean? “W-what?!” He sputters.

“I’m sorry!” Buck says quickly. And then he rolls into a tangent that Eddie can only hope to follow as best his can. “It was Albert’s idea, ‘cause I was complaining about how much I was in love with you. And apparently, I talk about you a lot, like non-stop and he was getting sick of it. And I think I was moping and pissing him off because he just wanted a drinking buddy. And then he kept going on and on about behavior theory and logical decision making and all this other shit that I don’t really understand!”

Eddie blinks and Buck continues, “He told me what to do to get you and I just went along with it! He told me to invent some guy and it would make you realize what you wanted all along… And that if I threatened to pull away, you would realize that you love me and that this thing between us—” He gestures quickly with his hands. “—is real. And it worked!”

Buck shrugs, a small, hopeful expression on his face. “Except now I kind of feel like a dick because I made you feel bad, and he said that I should come clean about everything and that you wouldn’t mind because you love me too—”

“Wait, wait, wait… hold up,” Eddie’s mind hasn’t quite caught up yet. “You lied to me?”

“I’m sorry,” Buck whispers.

“Tom was… was a lie?” Eddie tries to think of the evidence. He never met the guy, never even saw a photo. Buck just kept talking about him… “But the call…”

“Yeah, I kind of had a bit of fun with that one,” Buck grins bashfully. “Our first phone sex!” He tries to joke, but it falls flat when he sees the look on Eddie’s face.  

“You tricked me? You’ve been lying this whole time?”

“Well, I… I prefer to think of it as, I used dishonest tactics to persuade you…”

“The—the fucking… naked picture of you…” Eddie’s jaw drops as the pieces finally come together in his head. “You sent that to me on purpose!”

“I’m sorry,” Buck says softly.

“I cannot believe this! You—you inserted yourself into my life, lied to me for months, pull yourself away, and of course, I’m over here tweaking like an addict without dope! And feeling like the biggest jerk in the world!”

“Well, that’s a bit dramatic, I think.”

“Where is that asshole?”

Buck’s eyes widen comically when he sees the other man prepare for a rampage. “Eddie, wait!”

But Eddie’s already making his way back to the group. He doesn’t know what he’s doing but he knows that he’s furious, embarrassed that he was played so easily, and completely blind-sided by the truth. He can’t even put his thoughts in order to make a coherent—

“Hey, asshole!”

All eyes turn to him, shocked by his outburst. Hen and Chim are clearly confused, unsure of what’s going on. A second later, he registers that Buck has caught up to him. The expression on his face is oddly reminiscent of Scrat from the Ice Age movies that Chris loves watching. Stunned, sheepish, and a little bit of ‘did I do that?’

“What the hell is wrong with you?! You think you can just mess with people’s heads like this?! You think you can just treat this shit like a game, like… like some fucking chess game?!”

“Eddie, stop!” Buck pleads.

“Whoa, wait, what the hell is going on?” Chim asks.

“You fucking piece of shit, I ought to—”

Albert stands slowly, his hands held up innocently in front of him. Eddie breathes slowly through his nose. He can feel Buck’s presence behind him, ready to hold him back in case he decides to do something royally stupid.

“I’m sorry if you feel fooled,” Albert says carefully. “We had no intention to hurt you. Quite the opposite, actually.”

Behind him, the others stare, mouths gaping. “What is happening right now?” Maddie whispers.

“Eddie, please think about this,” Buck says softly. “Please—”

Eddie cuts him off by taking a step forward. They all hold their breaths. And then, to their surprise and his own, Eddie wraps his arms around Albert in a tight hug. “You are such an asshole.” His voice is tight and strangled. “But thank you.”

“Okay, can someone please explain what is going on?” Chim asks. “We’re kind of losing our minds over here.”

“I think we might need some more drinks for this,” Hen says, right before she and Maddie share a look.

“Amen, sister.”

Later, after everyone is caught up and thoroughly impressed—

“I studied game theory in college,” Albert explains.

“Glad to see you’re doing something good with that fancy education of yours,” Chim says sarcastically.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know about this,” Maddie says, incredulous. “Who knew you were such a good actor?” She smacks her little brother on the arm and chuckles at Buck’s yelp.

—and Buck and Eddie finally have a moment to themselves, Buck asks him, “So I can relax and trust that you’re not going to kick his ass?”

Eddie sighs and shakes his head. “I wanted to.”

“You had me worried there for a second.”

“Albert’s genius is what got me to stop being an idiot,” Eddie says softly. “He got us together, and you are the love of my life. I could never hate him for that.”

Buck makes a face, about to coo and aww at the ‘love of his life’ comment until Eddie continues. “You, on the other hand, you lied to me. For months. You manipulated me, made me feel like an asshole for hurting you. And this whole time, you were playing me. I think I’m owed some groveling now.”

Buck pouts and says, “My feelings were never a lie. I’ve been in love with you for years and I was getting desperate. You know, desperate measures and all.” His lips turn up a little and he wraps an arm around Eddie’s waist, tugging him close. “I’m so sorry, Eddie. Please don’t be mad at me. After all, I am the love of your life.”

Eddie grins and leans close, pressing their lips together for a gentle kiss.

“Yeah, you really are.”

Fin.

[thdorkmagnet]

Light of the Sun and Stars Chapter 42: Cooking With Kelly

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: The annual Mewni Bake-Off is about to begin and Kelly is excited and nervous to be representing her restaurant this year. Needing help she asks Star and Marco for assistance in the competition and Tom comes to help out too, much to Kelly’s dismay. And to make matters worse one of the other competitors seemed determined to ruin Kelly’s chances at winning, no matter the cost.

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Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

Kelly sucked in a deep breath, trying to rid herself of the nervous energy she felt building up in her chest. Her fingers tapped impatiently against her leg as she scanned the crowded streets, looking for any signs of her friends. Today was the big day. The Annual Mewni Bake-Off was about to begin and so far Star and Marco were no shows, Kelly unsure if they were just running late or possibly had forgotten, although that last one seemed unlikely. Come on guys, this is not what I need today, Kelly thought glumly, feeling her anxiety spike again. She really needed some support right now. Although she had felt calm and ready during the time leading up to the bake-off now that the day had actually arrived, doubt had started creeping into her mind, her nerves making it incredibly difficult for her to relax.

She cast a quick glance over to Tad from the stands, her boyfriend sadly having to sit out the competition since he wasn't a chef and he gave her an encouraging smile, yelling something to her that sadly was drowned out in the noisy crowd around him. Kelly put a hand to her chest, trying to relax her nerves to no avail. It was bad enough she was struggling with self-doubt but not having Tad with her made her feel incomplete, like a part of her was missing and that only made her feel more stressed and anxious.

And to top it all off, Roy had made it very clear to her what would happen should she fail this competition, his horrifying use of the terms “dish maid and underpaid waitress” enough to give Kelly nightmares. She had to win this competition or her dreams of being a world-famous chef would be all but impossible. Kelly tried not to let those thoughts crush her, reminding herself of her resolve.

She was going to show Roy exactly what she was made of, she was going to help Fang Tangs reach new heights of popularity even if it killed her. Fang Tangs had never won the competition before, mostly going unnoticed to the bigger and better bakers on the roster, but Kelly was not gonna let that stand. Now was her chance to prove what she was made of!

But those dreams would be all but dashed if her sous-chefs didn't get there soon.

Right on cue, she heard the familiar voice of Marco call behind her, “Hey Kelly!”

The green-haired girl turned with a relieved grin as she saw Marco and Star approaching, the two dressed in cute chef outfits. “Thank goodness you two made it!” Kelly exclaimed, her tone slightly panic-filled. “I was starting to worry you wouldn't show.”

“Sorry,” Marco said, rubbing sheepishly at the back of his neck, Star giving the girl an apologetic grin. “Hope we didn't worry you too bad.”

Kelly shook her head. “Nah, so long as you're here, that's all I care about,” the Woolett told her friends with a bright grin.

“Well you can count on us, Kelly,” Star said, doing a little salute, Marco doing the same. “We're here to help!”

“Thanks, I really appreciate the support,” Kelly replied, before letting out a soothing breath. “To be honest, I've been feeling a little freaked out about this. Roy said if I fail I can kiss my role as chef goodbye.”

“That's not gonna happen, Kelly,” Marco said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. “Because so long as the four of us work together we're gonna win this thing!”

The girl felt a flood of relief wash over her at that, Marco’s confidence helping to restore some of her own. “Thanks, Marco, I-” Kelly began, only to stop mid-sentence as she processed what Marco had said. “Wait, what did you mean by four?” the green-haired girl asked, a suspicious eyebrow slowly raising.

“Oh we invited Tom to help out, too,” Star explained.

“You did what?!” Kelly exclaimed.

The two flinched at the raised tone, Marco saying in a soft, unsure tone, “We, uhh, just thought maybe he could help.”

“How?” Kelly asked, in disbelief.

“Well it is a really complicated recipe, Kelly,” Star tried. “We just thought an extra pair of hands could be useful.”

“Yeah, but you could've at least told me about it,” Kelly muttered bitterly, crossing her hands in front of her chest.

“Sorry, we didn't think you'd mind,” Marco said with an apologetic look.

“Plus, it just kinda happened,” Star added. “We mentioned the competition to him this morning and Tom offered to lend us all a hand, so we said yes.”

“Well, where is he then?” Kelly asked, with a skeptical frown.

“Tom's usually late for stuff,” Star explained. “He'll be here.”

“Does he even know how to cook?” the Woolett questioned, an eyebrow slowly raising.

“Oh, totally!” Marco said with a confident smile. “He said he's been baking since he was a little kid.”

Kelly looked back and forth between the two for a moment, seeing their eager and begging faces and knew there was no point in arguing. It was impossible to resist those two's charms. “Okay, fine. He can help,” the Woolett declared and Star and Marco cheered, high-fiving in victory. “But he better not get in the way and he has to follow orders, got it.”

Star and Marco nodded. “Thank Kelly!” Marco exclaimed, giving the girl a quick hug, Star joining in, too. “I promise you won't regret it.”

Kelly gave a small grunt in reply. She really hoped that was true and that she wasn't making a terrible mistake. But she supposed for once, she'd just have to trust her friends. They were helping her out of the kindness of their own hearts, after all. The least she could do was hear them out. She pushed the two away before saying in a commanding tone, “Now, let's go get our area set up, the competition starts soon.”

“Yes, ma'am!” Star and Marco said simultaneously, saluting their chef with goofy but enduring looks and Kelly couldn't help but giggle.

“At ease, soldiers,” she joked with the smallest hint of a smirk on her face, her friends succeeding in crushing the fears and doubts within her.

…

The center of town was a hectic mess of people, rows of seats now surrounded the square, Mewmans and creatures from many dimensions all sitting to watch the competition take place. In the middle were little miniature kitchens for the designated contestants, complete with all the essentials needed to prepare each dish, made to perfectly suit each chef's unique style. Although most contestants were Mewmans, Marco could spot many different species present, some he didn't even recognize. He couldn't help but gawk at every new face he saw as well as admire the cooking utensils which were completely unknown to him, the red clad teen left to guess what they could possibly be used for, pointing them out to Star whenever he could.

Star as well seemed curious about the other contestants, sometimes even staring in wonder along with her boyfriend, the two letting out quiet and simultaneous “oohs”. Kelly, on the other hand, didn't seem as impressed, her face set in a firm line as she led her two helpers over to their spot.

“Wow, can't believe how many people showed up this year,” Star commented, her hands behind her back, an almost skip in her step.

“Is it not like this usually?” Marco asked, his interest clearly piqued.

“Normally, no. But since the war ended, this year my parents thought it would be a good idea to allow contestants from other dimensions to compete instead of just from around Mewni,” Star explained to her boyfriend.

“Oh neat,” Marco said, a bright grin on his face.

“Not really,” Kelly spoke up, her voice devoid of emotion. “That just means we have all the more competition to beat.”

Star and Marco shared a look. “Well I mean, I hadn't thought of that,” the hooded teen mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Geez, Kelly. I know you wanna win but don't you think you're taking this a bit too far,” Star spoke up, putting a hand on her hip. “I mean everyone else just looks like they're having fun.”

Kelly stopped in her tracks, turning on her heels with a grim look. She leaned in close to the teens and whispered, “This is not a fun game. This is survival of the fittest. Don't let everyone's happy appearance fool you, none of these guys are our friends. You can't trust anyone, got it.”

Star and Marco both nodded dumbly, their eyes wide with fright. They had never seen Kelly so intense before and the couple could feel a shudder jumping up their spines. “Good, then stop admiring the competition, we gotta look professional.” With that, Kelly continued on ahead, Star and Marco following reluctantly after.

“Do you think any of that was true?” Marco asked his girlfriend, his voice shaking some in fear.

“It's okay, Marco. I'm sure Kelly's just exaggerating,” Star replied with a comforting smile.

“Yeah, you're probably right,” Marco said in relief.

“Oh hey Kelly,” a friendly boy said, a bright smile on his face as he approached the Woolett. “Long time no see.”

“Out of my way, Gustav!” Kelly shouted and Gustav jumped, quickly moving out of the way of the rampaging girl, keeping his hands raised in fright. The girl paused only long enough to shoot him a warning glare. “I'm watching you.” She did a quick gesture pointing two fingers to her eyes then in Gustav's direction before storming on.

Gustav watched her go, still frozen stiff, his eyes wide with shock and terror, saying more to himself than anyone else, “Uhh, see you later then, I guess.”

Star and Marco both cringed at their friend's unjustified behavior, their eyes slowly meeting. “Or maybe she's completely lost her marbles,” Star corrected herself and Marco nodded in agreement.

The two quickly approached the still-troubled Gustav, Marco greeting in a friendly tone, “Sorry about our friend, she's just... really determined.”

“Oh no, I get it,” Gustav said in a thick accent neither teen recognized. “Kelly's always been the competitive type.”

“Yeah, we kinda picked up on that,” Star replied.

“You know, Kelly?” Marco asked, cocking his head curiously to the side.

“Sorta. I worked at Fang Tang's for a few months,” Gustav explained, rubbing his neck shyly.

“Oh, so what restaurant are you representing this year?” Star asked.

“My own, actually. I own a modest meatball place back on Earth.”

“Wow! Your meatballs must be pretty good, then,” Marco said his eyes shining with wonder.

“I could let you try one if you'd like,” Gustav offered.

Marco gasped in joy, exclaiming, “That would be-”

“Marco! Star!” The two jumped as they heard their names, turning to see Kelly tapping a foot impatiently, her arms crossed in annoyance, clearly waiting on them to catch up.

“We better get going,” Star said, not wanting to make Kelly any more stressed than she already was.

“Good luck in the competition!” Marco added with a quick wave, the two racing to join their friend.

Gustav waved back, calling after them, “You too!”

When Marco and Star reached Kelly, however, they were greeted by a much less friendly sight, the girl glaring long and hard at them. “Hey, Kelly,” Marco began, feeling slightly nervous. “Is something wrong?”

“What did I literally just tell you two?” the girl hissed in exasperation. “Don't trust anyone!”

“Oh come on, Gustav is harmless,” Star shot back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You're being paranoid, Kelly.”

“Yeah, he seemed friendly,” Marco added a smile on his face.

Kelly rubbed her forehead with her hands, feeling a headache start to form. “They always do, right before they stab you in the back,” the Woolett muttered. But seeing the worried looks on Star and Marco's faces she quickly added in a much more reasonable tone, “Look, just try and not talk to anyone else unless you have to, okay.”

“Okay,” Star and Marco agreed as one.

Satisfied her friends wouldn't be putting themselves at further risk, turned to her designated area for the competition. The smooth metal counters shone in the mid-afternoon light, cleaned and polished to perfection. The top-of-the-line oven and stove top both looked brand new and Kelly smiled in anticipation for getting some good use out of them. All the cookware they would need was stacked neatly and organized just to Kelly's liking and the ingredients needed for her recipe were all on a cart next to the small cooking area, a blanket draped across them to try and prevent the competition from catching on to her chosen dish. The area was small but just big enough for three (or now four) people to work and move about freely.

“Wow, looks to me like we're already ready to go!” Marco exclaimed, a bright grin on his face as he admired the miniature kitchen.

Kelly nodded her head in approval. “Yeah, looks that way. Guess whoever Roy hired actually did their job right,” the green-haired girl complimented, running her finger along the smooth metal, not a speck of dust to be found.

“Guess that means, we're just waiting for the competition to actually start,” Star commented.

“And on Tom,” Marco added.

“If he shows,” Kelly said doubtfully.

“He will,” Marco reassured her. “He promised.”

“Well, let's hope he does, then,” was all the Woolett said in response. “In the meantime, though, do you guys remember your jobs?”

Star and Marco nodded. “Oh yeah, we are so ready!” the hooded teen exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. “I've been hyped for this all week!”

“Oh, he has,” Star agreed, putting a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder shooting him a loving look. “I haven't seen Marco this excited in forever.”

“Yep, I even stayed up all night last night making a list of everything each of us has to do!”

Marco pulled out said list, letting it unfold so the two girls could read it. Kelly looked over the tiny lettering in surprise, saying in the nicest tone she could, “Wow, Marco this is... very detailed.”

“Thanks, I even color coded it,” the boy said, puffing out his chest with pride.

“So what about Tom?” Kelly asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh well, I had to rearrange a few things,” Marco explained sheepishly.

“That's what took us so long getting here, actually,” Star pitched in.

“I see,” Kelly said, her eyes scanning the page again without really reading it. At least they are prepared, the hairy teen thought.

“Well, well, well,” a cynical voice said behind them and the group of teens turned to see a tall lanky man in a chef's uniform standing over them. He was a strange looking man to behold, everything about him screamed that something was not quite right, from the eyepatch over his right eye, to the hook hand on his left arm, to the large metal spatula that operated as a sort of peg leg, something about this man left Marco and Star feeling uncomfortable. On top of that he had a crooked smile that screamed trouble, framed by a thin, curled mustache and goatee, and his cheek marks were spatulas.

He leered down at the three with a single, judging eye, his gaze seeming to be sizing them up and Star and Marco felt a chill jump up their spines. “It would seem Roy decided to hire a few amateur chefs to represent his restaurant this year, how interesting. Seems like he's finally given up,” the man said, his voice dripping with superiority, polishing his gleaming hook with a fancy handkerchief.

Kelly's eyes narrowed at the insult, saying through gritted teeth, “We are not amateurs. And for the record, we are more than ready to wipe the floor with you, Pie King.”

“Pie King?” Marco whispered in confusion and Star just shrugged.

Pie King paused for a moment at the challenge before bursting out into laughter, only causing Kelly's anger to grow. “Oh that's a good joke. Roy's pathetic restaurant has never won once, not against the superior might of the Pie Folk.” The pompous man stood a little taller as he spoke of his people.

“Well before Roy didn't have us,” Kelly responded confidently, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Pie King rolled his singular eye, before saying in a sly tone, “Right, then I suppose we'll just see who is better, won't we.”

“Yes, we will,” Kelly spat out, the two glaring at each other for a moment, a spark of animosity passing between the two competitors.

“Well, good luck with that, I look forward to beating you,” Pie King said before turning and walking over to his own station which was three times bigger than their tiny set up, at least a dozen chefs all waiting to follow his orders. The Pie King turned to them with a superior grin, giving them a patronizing wave that caused Kelly's blood to boil.

The Woolett let out a groan of annoyance, doing her best to not let her anger show (not wanting to give Pie King the satisfaction of seeing he had an effect on her) and she turned away, propping herself up on the tabletop as she took slow breaths to try and calm down.

“Who was that guy?” Marco asked curiously, eying the strange man out of the corner of his eye.

“That would be the esteemed Pie King of Pie Island,” Kelly said in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, so that's the Pie King, huh?” Star questioned, her interest peaked. She had never actually met any of the Pie Folk in person before, but their reputation spoke for themselves, well known for being as untrustworthy as they were excellent cooks. Their pies are some of the most delicious things in the world but the cost of getting one could prove too great since the Pie Folk were dirty cheaters and thieves at heart.

“Yep, that's him in the flesh,” Kelly replied with a deep sigh. “Watch yourself around him. He's as sneaky as they come.”

Star and Marco nodded. “What does he have against Roy anyways?” Marco asked nervously, shifting uncomfortably on his feet as he felt the Pie King's lingering gaze land on him.

“Oh those two have hated each other for forever,” the girl-haired girl said. “And he would do anything to make sure we don’t win because of it.”

Star and Marco shared nervous looks at that. If what Kelly said was true then this guy really was bad news and the two wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

The teens quickly brushed this off though, having more important things in mind than the tricky Pie King, as the announcer declared the competition would soon begin. Star, Marco and Kelly quickly got into their positions, checking over everything to make sure it was all in perfect working order. Once the Woolett was satisfied, it simply became a matter of waiting. The time seemed to drag on at an agonizing rate as the three stood around in boredom, watching the other chefs rush around to get everything ready. Kelly drummed her fingers impatiently against the countertop, searching the crowded area for any signs of their fourth member, growing more and more frustrated with every minute that passed. Every few seconds, Marco would check his phone for both the time and to see if maybe he got a call from Tom, but with no luck.

After three minutes of waiting Marco tried calling him, Kelly watching closely as the hooded teen's face flooded with disappointment before hanging up the phone without a word. “Seriously?” the Woolett huffed. “I'm starting to think he isn't going to show.”

“He'll be here,” Star reassured her friend, giving her a confident smile. But she was starting to have her doubts herself. Tom was usually a little late but this was getting ridiculous, even for him.

After nearly ten minutes though, the gang was starting to worry he wasn't coming, Marco keeping a close eye on his phone for any sign of ringing and Star and Kelly looking around frantically for any sign of him. Finally, the blond leaned heavily on the tabletop. “Where the heck is he?!” Star snapped, starting to get frustrated with her friend's tardiness. “I swear if he doesn't show, he's gonna get an earful.”

“Maybe he forgot,” Marco suggested with a shrug.

“Typical,” Kelly muttered bitterly. But she quickly took charge once again, saying to her fellow cooks, “Well if he doesn't get her soon, we'll just have to go back to the original plan. Star, you'll be in charge of-”

“That won't be necessary,” a voice said behind the girl and the three looked over to see Tom standing just a few feet away, a smug grin on his face.

“Tom!” the three said as one.

“You made it,” Marco added happily, his eyes twinkling in joy.

But Kelly and Star were less than enthusiastic, the hairy girl snapping, “Where were you?!”

“And why weren't you answering your phone?!” Star added, with a scolding glare.

“Whoa, whoa, relax,” Tom said smoothly, raising his hands in surrender. “Look sorry for making you wait, but I'm here now, aren't I?”

“Yeah but barely, you cut it way too close, Tom,” Kelly responded immediately, her voice full of authority as she addressed her final baker.

Tom shrugged. “I just like to wait for the best possible moment to show,” the boy explained, giving her an innocent grin.

But Kelly wasn't budging as she said in a firm tone, “Well, on time would have been the best possible moment and if you are gonna be baking for me, you need to follow my commands exactly, got it?”

Tom seemed a little annoyed by this, his cheekmarks simmering just a bit but he quickly gained control of himself, nodding and giving a salute. “Aye, aye, ma'am,” he said with a cool smirk.

“Good,” Kelly said, satisfied with the boy's obedience. She held out a hand in offering and Tom shook it without a second thought, the Woolett adding in a semi-pleasant tone, “Then welcome aboard the team.” 

“Happy to be here,” Tom replied, smiling smoothly back.

“Hey, Tom!” Marco shouted over to the pair, a bright grin on his face as usual, his cheekmarks glowing bright red from his excitement. “Come stand over by me, I saved you a spot!”

“Sure thing, Marco,” Tom called back, giving his friend a warm smile as he moved over to Marco's side, now standing between him and Star. The hooded teen practically bounced with excitement now that Tom had arrived, happy to have his best guy friend there to help out.

“Glad you could make it,” Star said to her friend, before giving him a knowing look, “Finally.”

Tom smiled guiltily, saying, “Yeah, sorry.”

Star laughed, giving Tom a light shove. “Tom, I'm just kidding. I know how you are. I'm just glad you made it.”

Tom grinned over at the blond. “Thanks.”

“So Tom, are you ready to help us make the most delicious meal ever!” Marco exclaimed, unable to hold in his enthusiasm.

Tom, however, kept up his cool and collected attitude as he just shrugged, his hands buried deep in his pockets as he replied smoothly, “Sure, what are we waiting for? Let's do it.”

“Well we gotta wait for the time to officially start,” Star explained to her hot-headed friend.

“Luckily we only got about a minute or so,” Kelly spoke up, returning to her own spot as she waited tensely for the competition to officially begin, her heart beginning to pound in anticipation.

Star turned to Tom and whispered softly over to him, keeping her voice low enough that neither Kelly or Marco could hear. “Are you sure you are up for this? I've never heard of you cooking anything in your life.”

Tom scoffed, not bothering to match Star's quiet tone as he replied confidently, “Oh yeah, I've got this. I've been cooking with my mom for years. I can handle anything you guys can dish out.”

“Well if you're sure,” Star said reluctantly, not quite believing her friend was as ready as he let on. Tom seemed to pick up on this though, his eyes flashing with hurt and annoyance for a second and Star quickly added, “It's just this whole thing means a lot to Kelly and she needs all of us at the top of our game to pull this off.”

“Star, relax,” Tom replied, giving her a smooth grin. “I got this.”

Star still wasn't quite sure if that was true or not but not wanting to upset her friend, didn't argue any further, simply nodding her head and giving him a small smile.

“What are we whispering about?” Marco asked in his own soft tone, leaning in closer so he could hear what his friends were discussing without him.

Star and Tom shared a grin before the blond explained with a giggle, “Nothing important, Marco. Don't worry.”

“Okay,” the boy said with bright enthusiasm.

Tom decided it best to change the subject as he asked the group. “So what are we making anyways?”

Kelly whipped her head over in their direction, saying in a disbelieving tone, “You didn't tell him what we were making?!”

Star and Marco's faces flushed with embarrassment, Marco beginning to tap his pointer fingers together as he muttered sheepishly, “Well it kinda slipped our minds.”

Seeing Kelly's growing worry and frustration, Star quickly added, “But hey, it's okay. I'm sure Tom'll be able to learn as he goes, right Tom?” She gave him a knowing look and the flaming teen nodded.

“Oh yeah, sure, I've got this,” Tom replied awkwardly, the hesitancy and nervousness in his tone giving him away in a second.

Kelly sucked in a calming breath, doing her best to remain cool and level-headed despite the creeping anxiety she could feel building up inside her. “It's fine,” she muttered, more to herself than the others. “We can handle this.” She turned to the hooded teen. “Marco, please fill Tom in on what we're making today and what his part is going to be.”

Marco nodded and pulled out his color-coded list and Kelly almost laughed at the irony. Looks like I misjudged that thing. Who would've thought that actually had a use?

“Ok, so we're making a very special recipe that Kelly came up with all by herself. It's called the Multiverse Multi Layered Rainbow Cake,” Marco explained, his voice shaking some with excitement, his eyes shimmering with pure joy as he thought of the genius recipe his friend had come up with, his stomach rumbling some and his mouth beginning to water just thinking about the delectable treat.

But before the hooded teen could explain anymore to his friend, the announcer from before loudly declared to the crowd and competitors alike, “And now friends it's time for Queen Comet’s Annual Mewni Bake-Off to officially begin!” A loud cheer rang out through the crowd and the Mewman man smiled brightly. He cleared his throat, before his megaphone cheekmarks glowed brightly, activating his Trait as he shouted loud enough for all to hear, “Good luck to all our chefs this year and may the best baker win!”

With that a whistle was blown behind him, officially beginning the baking competition.

Kelly immediately took charge, yelling to the rest of her bakers, “Nevermind, we don't have time for that, Tom you're just gonna have to learn on the go!”

Tom's eyes widened and he let out a nervous chuckle, saying in a skittish tone, “Uhh, can't we just go over the recipe like one time or-”

“Nope” Kelly shouted, flicking the sheet off the cart, revealing her ingredients to the world and letting the sheet flutter to the group forgotten. Tom nearly gasped in shock as he stared at a collection of ingredients from all over the multiverse, some of which even he didn't recognize. “What is all that?”

“Our ingredients, duh,” Kelly responded, quickly grabbing a few of them off the cart and handing them over to Star and Marco.

“This stuff looks like it came from every dimension possible!” Tom exclaimed, his mind still reeling in shock.

“Yeah, that's the whole point,” Star spoke up, her and Marco huddled together as they worked on peeling open some odd-looking purple fruit. “Kelly had the genius idea of mixing food from different dimensions together into one dish.”

“I've actually had the idea for a while now,” Kelly said modestly, but there was a confident gleam in her eye. “It just took a while to figure out which ingredients to use. But I think I got the recipe down.”

“Oh man, do you!” Marco exclaimed, looking up from his task long enough to shoot his friend a smile. “Me and Star loved it! Right, Star?”

Star nodded. “Yeah it was delicious,” the blonde agreed, still working hard on peeling the remaining bits off the fruit, before passing it to Kelly.

The green-haired girl whipped out a sharp knife, twirling it expertly in her hand before quickly dicing up the fruit in only a few seconds, her hand moving at speeds Tom didn't even know was possible. 

“So what do I do?” Tom asked, feeling suddenly left out of the group.

“Well while we're working on getting the purpleblurp berries ready, you can start on mixing up the rest of the ingredients,” Kelly directed him, never taking her eyes off the sharp knife as she cut through the purple fruit like it was nothing.

“Right, sure,” Tom said with a quick nod, looking around the small kitchen for any signs of a bowl of some sort. “Uhhh just need a-”

“Below you and to your left,” Marco helpfully supplied and Tom was able to locate the mixing bowl he needed.

“Alright, where do I start?” Tom asked, looking over to his friends for his next direction.

“Four scoops of fluff flower,” Kelly said, Tom quickly scooping the mix into the bowl.

“Two griffon eggs,” Star added and Tom quickly cracked them open and added them to his mixture.

“Two scoops of sapphire sugar,” Marco directed, a bright smile on his face, clearly enjoying himself.

“A whole thing of banana butter,” Star added, looking over to make sure her friend followed the direction.

“A pinch of aquamarine salt,” Kelly finished. She turned to Tom with a serious expression, pointing her knife in his direction as she added, “But not too much. It could ruin the whole mixture.”

Tom nodded, sprinkling in only a few grains of the blue powder.

“Now just keep mixing okay,” Kelly said, the smile returning to her face as she continued to cut up fruit. Tom did just that, whisking the spatula around the bowl at the fastest speed he could, his eyes beginning to glow red from the pure intensity he was putting into the task, causing some of the mixture to splatter out of the bowl.

“Relax, Tom,” Marco said, noticing his friend's tense demeanor. “You don't have to be so aggressive. Just have fun, okay.”

“Yeah, you're mixing the batter, not declaring war on it,” Star jokingly added, giggling a bit to herself.

Tom slowed down his assault on the batter, giving his friend an embarrassed grin, his cheeks slightly flushed. “Right, sorry, guess I just got carried away.”

“Well next time, try not to spill it everywhere,” Kelly commented as she stepped over to where Tom was, depositing the chopped up bits of fruit into the bowl, Tom mixing them in with the rest of the ingredients. “We want the mixture to go in the cake, not on the floor.”

The hot-headed teen frowned but kept his comments to himself as he finished stirring.

Kelly nodded her head in approval as she looked into the bowl, before saying, “Okay, that should do it for the first layer, now get it into the oven to cook.”

Tom nodded, quickly moving over to the oven and beginning to fiddle with the buttons and knobs, trying to figure out how to activate the heat, while Kelly poured the mixture into a pan. The boy growled some in frustration as he pressed buttons at random hoping that would somehow work. Dang, stupid machines! Why did they all have to be so complicated! This was exactly why the Underworld had Firebrand Fairies instead. All they had to do was breathe a little bit of fire and your meal was ready to go. Why didn't everyone switch to this much easier method instead of insisting on using dumb technology for everything?!

The others could see their friend struggling and Marco helpfully asked, “Hey, Tom you need a hand?”

“No, no, I got it,” Tom replied stubbornly, though the venom in his tone was clear. There was no way he was gonna let a stupid oven beat him! He was the Prince of the Underworld for crying out loud! He would get this thing working even if it killed him!

Kelly just rolled her eyes and hit the start button out of the boy's view, causing the machine to instantly come to life and Tom grinned in victory. “See, told you I'd get it,” he said smugly in Star and Marco's direction. The two had to turn away to hide their laughter, giggling to themselves over their friend's naivety in the kitchen. It was obvious Tom wasn't the master baker he had said he was.

Tom proudly slid the pan into the oven and slammed the lid, clapping his hands together to dust off the remaining powder from his messy mixing. “There, done and done. That wasn't so bad,” the boy declared, gloaling to himself at his impressive skills. Sure, he had been a little lost at first but he was really starting to get the hang of this whole cooking thing. You couldn't even tell this was his first time.

Just then, though, Star and Marco  gasped in surprise, the former exclaiming brightly, “Oh hey look Kelly, Jackie and Janna came to cheer us on!”

Tom followed the blonde royal's pointing finger, before feeling his heart stop as he spotted the beanie-wearing girl in the crowd. The girl's playful brown eyes rested on him and him alone, clearly watching him from her vantage point. She was leaned back in her seat, her lip showing the slightest hint of a grin, causing her bright white fang to be just barely visible in the blinding sunlight. Tom felt his heart skip a beat, his cheeks heating up in a blush and making his flames become roaring bonfires.

A second later, the oven lit on fire, flames bursting from within the metal device and Marco and Star screamed as one, “Tom, your fire!”

The hot-headed teen screamed in surprise as he looked down and saw the damage from his power. Kelly's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she yelled at the top of her lungs, “No, my cake!” The group began panicking as they tried to put the fire out, Marco rushing over to the sink and filling a glass of water to pour on the flame, Star running to go get her wand, and Tom simply tried to think calming thoughts and slow his racing heartbeat. Kelly, however, kept her cool as she reached into her large mass of hair and pulled out a red fire extinguisher. In a matter of seconds, Kelly had the fire under control, blasting the ruined pan with a wash of the foamy, retardant substance.

But the incident hadn't gone unnoticed, gaining a crowd of onlookers both audience and participants alike, all of them watching flabbergasted as the teens struggled to save their spot in the competition. One of these viewers was none other than the Pie King himself, who had been keeping a close eye on the kids since the contest began. He smiled smugly to himself as he watched the four scramble to repair the damage done, his one eye hovering on that of the demon boy. It was clear to the sneaky chef that this boy was out of his element, looking uncomfortable and awkward as he attempted to help cook. But it was clear he had never been in a kitchen in his life and that made him an easy target.

The Pie King let out a shrill whistle and held a banana up in his good hand. A second later a squealing white monkey hopped onto his shoulder, snatching up the banana and devouring it instantly. The Pie King barely acknowledged the animal, his eye remaining on the group of teens. Specifically on the young, awkward half-demon. A twisted smirk formed on his face as he said to his small pet, “Go take care of our competition. And please try and be discreet about it.”

The monkey nodded it's furry head before hopping off his shoulder, readying to go do his master's bidding, the Pie King watching giddily. 

Once Kelly got the fire out, the group of teens were finally able to breathe easy again as they stared at the oven in disbelief. Tom cringed in guilt, looking shamefully at the damage he had done to the metal monstrosity. He hadn't meant to cause so much damage, maybe agreeing to help had been a bad idea after all.

Kelly was silent as she slipped on a pair of oven mitts and pulled out the smoking, burnt mess that was once cake batter. She set it on the counter and frowned in despair. She wafted a hand over it a few times to try and dissolve the thick smoke that poured off it but she knew it was a lost cause. There was no salvaging this, they would just have to start again. She checked the watch on her wrist, not wanting to see just how behind they were and let out a groan of annoyance from how much time they had lost. They would have to work extra fast to make it up.

“Uhh sorry, Kelly,” Tom finally managed to mutter, his voice tight with remorse for his actions.

Kelly let out a long sigh, before pushing down all her anxiety and stress. They didn't have time to dwell on it. “It's fine,” she said to the boy, her voice sharp but thankfully not resentful. “We'll just have to remake it.”

Tom nodded, still feeling bad for causing so much trouble. Marco and Star finally stepped in, each putting a soothing hand on Tom's shoulders and giving him an understanding smile. “Don't worry, Kelly,” Marco said, his voice full of positivity and belief. “I'm sure we can make up for lost time if we work hard enough. Right, Star?”

The blonde nodded. “Yeah, Marco's right! As long as we work together I'm sure we can finish the cake before the deadline.”

“Well, we gotta move fast then,” Kelly muttered, dumping the ruined food into a nearby trashcan before setting the bowl back down. She didn't sound quite convinced but at least she wasn't dwelling on the mistake. Instead, she got right back to work, barking out orders to her helpers who rushed to obey her commands. “Alright, we're gonna have to work fast then, Marco, Star, start peeling more fruit. Tom get the ingredients in that bowl asap! Let's move people, we don't have a lot of time to do this!”

In a matter of a few short minutes, the group had completely remade the first batch of cake batter, this time without any incidents and it was in the oven cooking, Kelly setting the timer instead of Tom, which the boy was thankful for.

But there was no time to celebrate, Kelly not wasting a second as she turned to her friends and said, “Alright, here's the plan, Tom and I are gonna work on the next batch. Marco and Star, you get to work on making the frosting. You remember how, don't you?” The two Mewmans nodded, doing cute little salutes.

“Yes, ma'am!” Marco exclaimed.

“We're on it,” Star added, equally as enthusiastic.

The two scrambled over to their station, ready and eager to get to work on the frosting.

Kelly watched them for about two seconds before whipping her head in Tom's direction who flinched.

“Alright, Tom. Ready to put those mixing skills to good use?” she asked, the smallest hint of a smile on her face.

Tom nodded, though he looked a bit unsure of himself. “Uhh, yeah, I guess. But out of curiosity, how many layers is this cake going to be?”

“Three,” Kelly replied as she set out the next set of ingredients needed. “The bottom layer is going to be purpleblurp, which we just finished, the middle layer is going to be Mewberries, for obvious reasons, and the top layer is going to be chocolate, cause who doesn't like chocolate.”

“I like it!” Marco pitched in, raising a hand and flashing them an innocent grin before returning his focus on his work.

“Exactly!” Kelly exclaimed, looking confident and in control again, any signs of nervousness gone. She was in her element, after all, and it was time for her to shine.

The Woolett flew into action, chopping up the delicious looking Mewberries into small little pieces, while directing Tom on the next set of cake mix. The boy worked delicately and precisely now, not wanting to make another mistake like before, being extra careful to not spill any of the contents on the counter, gritting his teeth and pinching his eyebrows together in concentration as he swirled the large spoon around the bowl. He wanted to prove to Kelly and the others that he was of valuable use to them. At first he had only agreed to help out of wanting to spend some time with Star and Marco but now he needed to prove he could do this. That he could fit in and do his part, otherwise he might not have a place in their group and he didn't want to be left out for such an easily avoidable reason.

As he mixed though, he kept his eyes on the bowl, barely looking over to acknowledge the ingredients as he picked them up off the table. Because of this, he didn't notice a small, furry hand reaching up from under the table and picking up the box of sugar, switching it with the box of salt. Then the hand slowly disappeared beneath the table once again.

“Now for the sugar,” Kelly said and Tom nodded, lifting up the box beside him without reading the label. He poured in the amount Kelly told him before setting it down and continuing with the baking process.

Star and Marco, meanwhile, were hard at work making frosting. They had set out the correct ingredients in front of them and Marco was eagerly stirring the smooth mixture into the bowl, his movements reminding Star of a master chef. The boy was humming a tune as he steadily mixed, clearly having a blast and Star couldn't help but hum along with him despite not recognizing the tune. Star was immensely happy she had agreed to help out Marco and Kelly, any time spent with her amazing boyfriend was sure to be a good one and having some time away from trying to literally fix the world was a relief. They had been working really hard lately, it was nice to have some time off. Even a princess needed to rest from time to time and after the Baby incident she had needed it more than ever.

Star was pulled from her thoughts as Marco suddenly said, “Okay Star, time to add in the food coloring.”

“Right,” Star agreed with a nod. This was the most important ingredient, Kelly’s own secret ingredient that she had worked tirelessly to make and the two teen’s both knew all too well it’s importance in the dish. Star scanned the countertop for the small vial of rainbow-colored liquid. But her smile switched to a frown when she didn't see the bottle anywhere. “Marco, you did grab it from the cart, right?” she asked, giving him a questioning look.

Marco nodded, his eyes widening in surprise. “Uh, yeah,” the boy in red replied, his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. “I remember getting it. I put it right there.” He pointed to the spot only to gasp in shock as he stared at an empty space where the secret ingredient had once been.

“What?” Marco put down the bowl to lean over the spot, examining the smooth metal surface like the bottle might miraculously appear there. “But I know I put it there.” He frowned, his head spinning with questions.

Star tapped a finger to her chin looking around the tiny kitchen space for any sign of the missing ingredient. “Hmmmmm...” she mumbled. Her eyes landed on Kelly and she cringed, not wanting to trouble the girl with any more problems. She already seemed stressed enough and telling they had lost her secret ingredient just seemed like a bad idea. So she softly whispered to Marco in a low tone, “We better find it quick before Kelly notices.”

Marco nodded and the two quietly began a search around the kitchen, trying to go unnoticed by Kelly and Tom who were too focused on finishing up their batch of batter. Star checked all the cabinets and shelves for any signs of the missing vile with no luck, growing more and more agitated with each passing second. Marco was on his hands and knees looking around the table just in case it had fallen off somehow and rolled away. Although the hooded teen didn't locate the missing bottle, he did come across a trail of suspicious looking pawprints leading away from their table.

Marco stared at them in surprise for a second, examining them closely. They looked like they came from some kind of animal, though Marco couldn't tell which one. Whatever it was it had stepped in some flour, leaving white, powdery footprints behind. He was far from an expert on these things but something told Marco that if he followed this trail he would find out where the missing bottle of food coloring had gone. So without a word, he stood and began following the messy footprints around the courtyard.

He passed by a few stands but barely looked up to notice the rush of chefs scrambling to finish their meals on time. His focus was only on following the footprints, his head still filled with questions, wondering what could possibly be waiting for him on the other end. He did notice though that the footprints seemed to be fading, whatever creature had stepped in the incriminating flour had had a long way to go it seemed and the trail begun to vanish from its paws with every step. Marco began to fear he'd lose the trail and picked up his pace, jogging forward while keeping his gaze down at the prints. Just as the prints faded fully, Marco found himself standing in front of one of the many baking stations, staring down at the table in confusion.

He looked up and was shocked to be staring into the smirking face of the Pie King, who just stared back at him with a look that Marco found instantly off-putting. The boy stumbled back in his surprise, feeling his cheeks heat up against his will. Marco felt a rush of awkwardness and found it difficult to meet the Pie King's intense gaze, especially since there seemed to be something malevolent hidden behind his dark eyes. “Can I help you with something?” the Pie King asked, his voice ringing with annoyance and Marco felt even more uncomfortable than before.

“Sorry, I was just looking for something,” Marco responded in a tiny whisper. He turned to leave when a squealing drew his attention back. He turned to see a creature (a monkey if he remembered from his books) sitting on the Mewman's shoulder, staring at him with what looked like an evil grin... and clutched in its small hand was the rainbow-colored bottle that Marco had been looking for.

“Hey, that's ours!” Marco exclaimed, reaching over to grab it, only to receive a smack from the Pie King's hooked hand. The boy cringed, holding his aching palm to his chest, while giving the man a confused frown.

“What do you think you are doing, trying to steal from our table like that?!” the crooked king exclaimed, anger flashing across his face.

“I'm not stealing from your table!” Marco shouted, completely flabbergasted at the accusation. He stabbed a finger at the pet still perched on the Pie King's shoulder. “That monkey stole that from us!”

“And do you have any proof of that?” the Pie King asked, his eyebrows slowly raising.

“Uhhh, well, he left footprints leading all the way-” Marco's voice cut off as he turned to look back at him, the trail now completely gone, swept clean by one of the Pie King's many minions, who smirked at him still holding the incriminating  broom.

The Pie King and his monkey shared a knowing look, before the man exclaimed, “It seems to me you are completely delusional. That or you're a thief and I don't tolerate either, so you can either leave my stand peacefully or I can call one of the judges over and have you and your little team disqualified.”

Marco's mouth dropped open in complete disbelief. Was this guy for real? Was he seriously accusing Marco when his pet had so obviously stolen from their table like that? Did he seriously think he was gonna get away with it? “Are you serious?! You stole that from us!” Marco pointed to the vile, once again, in a last ditch effort, but the Pie King merely shook his head, in complete control of the whole situation. 

“I will not ask you again to leave. Or would you like to fail your friend on such a spectacular level as to get her disqualified?” The Mewman gave him a warning look and Marco took a step back out of instinct. He felt utterly lost and alone, his cheeks burning with failure and his stomach doing little flips in despair. Still, he knew there was no winning this and so simply shook his heavy head and headed back the way he came.

The feeling of defeat was made all the worse by the fact that he could swear he heard the Pie King laughing at him behind his back.

When the boy got back to Kelly's station he was quickly greeted by Star, who's eyes shined with concern, running over and giving him a tight hug. Marco felt his stomach twist in guilt, knowing he had made Star worry for wandering off without a word. Ever since the Mewberty incident, Star didn't like not knowing where Marco was, keeping him under an even closer watch than usual... and that was saying something. Star was already pretty protective.

“Where were you?” she asked as she pulled away.

Marco gave her a sheepish grin, replying apologetically, “Sorry, I didn't mean to wander off.” But his throat tightened as he added, “But I found out who took the rainbow dye.”

“Who?” Star asked, the fear leaving her eyes, instead replaced with burning curiosity.

“The Pie King. He had his pet monkey thing snatch it up while we weren't looking.”

Star gasped, her mouth dropping open in surprise before she scowled angrily, gritting her teeth in frustration. “That jerk! I can't believe he would just take it like that, especially in the middle of the competition!”

Marco nodded, an angry frown on his own face. It seemed Kelly had been right all along about the sneaky Pie King and the hooded teen couldn't help but feel resentment towards the man. He was about to ruin his friend's only chance to achieve her dream for no real reason. And even if he had a reason it was still wrong!

“I tried to get it back but he said he'd have us disqualified if I did,” Marco explained, his eyes now filling with panic. “What do we tell Kelly?”

Star shook her head, looking as lost as Marco felt. “I have no idea. This is gonna crush her.”

Just then, the Woolett let out an annoyed shout, the frustration and nervousness clear in her tone as she yelled, “Tom! You mixed it in wrong! You put in way too much salt!”

“What?!” Tom exclaimed, looking down at the dough in disbelief. “No way, I followed the recipe exactly like you told me to, I swear!”

Kelly quickly picked up two boxes off the table, shoving them in the hot-headed teen’s face. “You mixed up the salt and sugar! You ruined it!”

Star and Marco shared a knowing look, both thinking the exact same thing. Looks like the Pie King had sabotaged them once again.

“N-No,” Tom muttered weakly, looking lost and confused as he stared at the two boxes in growing despair. “I-I couldn't have. I mean, I thought I had it right.”

“Kelly-” Star spoke up, trying to gain the Woolett's attention but she was too busy reprimanding the hot-headed teen to notice.

“Ugh, I knew this was gonna happen!” Kelly groaned, slamming the boxes down on the table in a huff, her anger and frustration close to bursting. “I knew you couldn't handle this! I never should have let you help!”

“Wait, what?!” Tom exclaimed, a dark glare spreading across his face as his cheekmarks burned with growing anger.

“Kelly, wait,” Marco tried, moving between the two, Star right beside him, needing to stop the two before a full-blown argument broke out. “It's not what you think.”

“Oh I think it's exactly what I think!” Kelly shouted. “Tom ruined any chance I had at winning this thing and just cost me my dream job!”

“How is this my fault?!” Tom yelled, his anger now boiling over as his eyes began to turn a dark shade of red. “I did everything you told me! If anything this is your fault!”

Kelly let out a fake laugh at that, giving him an incredulous look. “Me? You said you knew how to cook but clearly you were lying!”

Tom's eyes flashed with guilt at that, rubbing subconsciously at his arm.

“ENOUGH!” Star shouted at the top of her lungs, finally gaining both arguing teens' attention. The two stared at her with looks ranging from confusion to annoyance and she shot them both a scolding glare. “That is enough out of both of you! Arguing is not going to fix anything!” the blonde exclaimed in a reprimanding tone.

“Besides it's not Tom's fault,” Marco added. “The Pie King is trying to sabotage us. He stole the rainbow food coloring too and he probably mixed up the sugar and salt to make it look like Tom mess up.”

Kelly stared at the two in disbelief for a second, before saying loudly, “What?! Are you serious?! He just ruined everything and we didn’t even notice! How did I not see that coming?! I mean, sure I knew he was sneaky, but that is just downright criminal! I can't believe we fell for that, ugh!” The girl buried her face in her hands, letting out a long groan.

Tom, meanwhile, just stared at his feet, his heart aching from the Woolett's harsh words. Marco seemed to notice this as he asked pointedly, “So don't you think you owe someone an apology?”

Kelly finally met Marco's eye and then Tom's seeing the hurt she had caused him and felt her stomach churn with guilt. “Tom, I'm sorry. I-”

“No, no, you were right,” Tom muttered weakly. “I did lie. I don't know what I'm doing. I just wanted to be included.” He sucked in a deep breath before adding softly, “I know how important this whole competition is to you, so I'll just let you guys handle the rest without me.”

“Tom,” Star spoke up soothingly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “This isn't your fault. The Pie King is messing with us. This is exactly what he wants. To divide us. But we don't have time to feel bad or be at each other's throats, not if we want to win this.” She turned to Kelly with a questioning expression. “We do still want to win this, right?”

Kelly sighed, defeat and exhaustion shining in her eyes. “I don't really see how we can. We've lost so much time and we don't even have a way to finish the recipe. I think this year Fang Tangs is out.” She leaned against the tabletop, her head lolling forward in shame and regret. She was practically shaking with despair, her fingers clutching so hard at the countertop they were turning white.

Star, Marco, and Tom all shared a look, unable to bear seeing their friend so emotionally devastated. Even Tom looked determined to cheer their friend up, his eyes glowing with compassion, even if he had no clue what to do to help. Star looked to be at a loss, as well, looking around sadly at the competition, all hard at work and nearly done with their dishes. It would take a miracle to catch up now.

But Marco refused to give up, something about this situation filling him with ambition and determination. That’s when the idea came to him. “No,” the boy said firmly and all eyes turned to him. “We're not out of this yet.”

Kelly looked confused at his words, before arguing, “But Marco. Look around.” She gestured to the other competitors. “We'll never catch up at this rate.”

“Yes, we will,” Marco said, a smile spreading across his face. “We just need a different method. And I think I have one in mind.” There was a knowing glint in his eye that caught Kelly’s attention instantly.

“And what is that?” Kelly asked, an eyebrow slowly raising.

Marco shook his head, knowing they didn't have time for him to explain it. “Don't worry about it. You just focus on getting the frosting ready. We'll handle the rest.”

“Wait, seriously?” the green-haired girl muttered in disbelief.

“Yep, leave everything else to us,” Marco said with a nod, ignoring the questioning looks from his other friends.

“But what am I supposed to do without the food coloring?” Kelly questioned, looking lost once again.

Marco shrugged. “Improvise. I'm sure you'll think of something.”

Kelly took a moment to contemplate that, her eyes flashing with determination and new drive. Marco was right. She couldn't just sit around moping, not when there was still time. She was a Woolett, a warrior by blood and her people didn't give up without a fight. She began to search their small kitchen space for anything to inspire her, needing an idea fast. That's when her gaze caught on the box of cereal Marco had brought with him. It was Captain Blanches Sugar Seeds, Marco's favorite apparently and he had insisted she use it somewhere in the cake. She had been planning on using it as some slight décor to top off the cake. But maybe...

A smile spread across Kelly's face now as she formed a new plan to get her in first place. “Alright, I think I'm on to something,” she said proudly, grabbing the box off the counter and running over to the other workstation, eager to get started, excitement bubbling in her chest.

“Great!” Marco exclaimed happily. “Then if you've got that, the rest of us will take of the cakes.”

“And how are we gonna do that?” Tom asked, giving Marco a doubting look.

“By doing what we do best... sticking together,” the hooded teen answered. He held a hand out before asking, “You two in?”

“I'm in,” Star said, immediately placing a hand on top of her boyfriend’s, the couple sharing a short smile.

Tom looked hesitant, asking softly, “You sure you want me to help?”

Marco nodded, giving him an uplifting smile. “I'm positive. We can't do this without you, Tom.”

Tom's eyes shined joy at the acceptance, feeling like an equal in their group once again. And with his confidence restored, he proudly placed a hand over Star and Marco's own before exclaiming in a cool, collected tone, “Then count me in!”

“Alright, then let's win this thing!” Marco shouted and the other cheered their agreement, throwing their linked hands into the air in excitement and unity. The boy immediately turned to Star though and added cryptically, “First things first, Star you're gonna need your wand.”

…

Jackie and Janna watched from their seats  as their friends seemed to be struggling with something. It was hard to tell because they were so far away but the four teens had completely stopped working, looking like they were talking amongst each other and based on their sorrowful expressions, it didn't seem like they were talking about anything pleasant. Clearly something had gone wrong, although neither Jackie nor Janna could piece together what that was. Things had seemed like they were going well from the two girls’ perspective, after a bit of a rough start in which Tom almost set the kitchen on fire (which Janna had seemed quite proud of for some reason) they had managed to more than make up for lost time. Only now, the group looked close to giving up, Kelly hanging her head in defeat for reasons Jackie and Janna didn't understand.

“What are they doing?” the skater girl asked, leaning forward in her seat in a vain attempt to hear them somehow.

“No idea,” Janna said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “But if they don't get back to work soon, they're gonna run out of time.”

“I know,” Jackie agreed, nodding her head. “I wonder what's wrong?”

“Wrong!” Tad exclaimed, both girls jumping in their seats. They had completely forgotten the tiny Woolett was even there, perched atop of Janna's brown beanie. For some reason, he seemed to have a distaste for chairs, much to the creepy teen's annoyance. “Something's wrong! Oh no, Kellllyyy!” he whined pitifully, his eyes shining with worrying tears.

But Janna seemed unaffected by his distress, asking in an annoyed tone, “Do you have to sit up there?”

“What, I can't see anything sitting in a chair,” Tad replied quickly.

“He has a point,” Jackie spoke up in defense of the pile of hair.

“Then why don't you move to Jackie's head?” the girl asked.

“I like yours better,” Tad replied, before the annoying whine returned to his voice. “Besides, who cares about that when my babe is struggling!”

“I don't know if they're struggling,” Jackie pointed out, frowning in the direction of the four teens.

“No, they definitely are!” Tad exclaimed, his small body beginning to shake. “I've never seen Kelly so depressed before, she looks like she's about to give up.”

“Why would she give up when they are so close to winning?” Janna asked, an eyebrow slowly raising. “Based on the rest of the dishes I'm seeing, they don't even come close to what Kelly and the others are cooking up.”

“Something must have gone wrong,” Tad replied, his body beginning to rise off of Janna's head. “I need to go over there. She needs me!” He started to float off in the direction of his girlfriend, feeling a pressing need to comfort her.

“Whoa, hold up there, Romeo!” Janna shouted, grabbing the hair out of mid-air and squishing him to her chest, holding him in an effective ‘hairlock’. “You can't go over there. She'll be disqualified if you do.”

“But Kelly...” Tad muttered in a nervous whimper, his voice trembling so much he couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence.

“Will be fine,” Jackie reassured him, patting him gently on what she assumed to be his head. “She's not alone, after all. She's got Star, Marco, and Tom on her team. And if I know anything about those three it's that they don't give up without a fight.”

“Yeah, they are pretty stubborn,” Janna added in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Oh as opposed to you,” Jackie slyly added, giving her roommate a knowing look.

Janna shrugged. “That's fair,” she agreed.

Tad still seemed unsure, groaning under his breath but Jackie gave him another comforting pat. “Hey, no worries, Tad. They'll pull through, you'll see.”

“And wouldn't you know it,” Janna spoke up in a mystified tone, drawing both teens' attention onto her, while she was busy staring in disbelief in the direction of Kelly's table. “It looks like they're already doing just that.”

Jackie and Tad both gasped in shock as they finally noticed what Janna was seeing. It took both Woolett and human a few seconds to process the bizarre sight and a few more for the skater to be able to form functional words as she asked no one in particular, “What are they doing?”

…

Marco was moving at a speed he hadn't even known existed, his hands flying through the motions as he prepared Kelly’s signature dish. It was a wonder he was able to keep up with his own insane speed but for some reason, he felt totally in control, like this was what he was always meant to do and he couldn't help but wonder if it was because of his Trait that was giving him the speed and precision at which to do his job. He was throwing ingredients into the bowl left and right, not even bothering to measure things out (he didn't have time for that) just doing his best to guess the amount for each serving. He cracked open eggs, chopped, sliced, peeled, and poured in the span of mere seconds for each task. At some points even he didn't even know how he was keeping up, his hands moving faster than his brain could. But somehow he was pulling this off.

He risked a quick glance at Star, a smile of wonder spreading across his face as he watched the blonde royal spinning the wand confidently in front of her. The whole thing was glowing with pink energy and Star's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, her tongue sticking out in the cutest way as she focused intently on her spell. In front of her, was a large glowing whisk, completely pink, much like Star's wand, and covered in little diamonds and star patterns all over it. It spun around the bowl in a circular pattern, stirring the mixture into a delicious looking pile of dough, everything blending together perfectly thanks to the magical utensil.

Once Star was done with stirring she pushed the bowl over to Tom who would pour the batter into a pan. He set the pan on the stovetop and cracked his knuckles, ready to do his own part and prove himself to the group. He sucked in a deep breath, before allowing the flames within him to take control. He could feel his cheeks growing hot enough to melt lead and knew they had to be burning torches by now, while his vision went completely red. 

He took slow, even breaths, picturing the fire he needed to summon deep within his core. Then focusing only on the pan in front of him, he blocked out all distractions, all three of his eyes trained on the metal dish. Slowly he saw a flame forming underneath it, burning a dim yellow, and he smiled. He was doing it. He was really doing it. 

“Wooowww,” he heard Marco’s awe-filled whisper and he felt his pride grow, making the small flame burn just a little hotter. But he knew he needed to speed things up, concentrating now on making the flame grow, watching as it slowly grew from a tiny spark to a burning, hot fire that completely consumed the bottom of the pan. 

Tom heard Marco’s gasp and he held his head a little higher, proudly showing off his skills to his best friend. “How are you doing that with your mind?” Marco asked in disbelief.

Tom was too busy concentrating to answer but luckily Star pitched in for him, still keeping her eyes on the magical whisk, “It’s Tom’s Trait. He’s always been able to do that.”

“Tom has a Trait, too!” Marco exclaimed, slamming his hands down on the table in shock.

Star nodded. “Yep, he’s half-Mewman so he gets a Trait same as us.”

“That’s so cool!” Marco shouted in joy. “I can’t believe you can light things on fire with your mind, Tom!”

“It’s not easy,” Tom finally said, letting the flames around the pan diminish, leaving behind a steaming hot pan, the delicious aroma wafting off it enough to make Tom's stomach growl. “I think it’s called like pyrokenesis or something like that, I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I heard a few egghead physicians my parents would take me to call it that.” He shrugged, as he poked the cake, making sure it was cooked all the way through and smiled in satisfaction. 

“Anyways,” he continued. “Most people in the Underworld can light themselves on fire and stuff but my ability is one of the rarest among demons and sometimes the hardest to control.”

“Why’s that?” Marco asked.

Tom cringed at the question, answering hesitantly, “Uh well, there are a few things that can affect it… like your emotions for example.”

“Ohhhhh,” the hooded teen said, finally understanding. He gave his friend a sympathetic look and the hot-headed boy hung his head in shame.

“Well if you ask me, I think you’ve been doing a great job, Tom,” Star spoke up, pushing the final bowl of cake mix over to Tom. 

Tom poured the batter into a new pan, casting a hopeful look over at his friend. “You think?” he asked nervously.

Star nodded. “Of course. You’ve really been working on getting that temper of yours under control, your emotions are way more in check than they used to be. I hardly ever see you set things on fire at random like you used to. I mean, used to my parents would have to put fire-proof coverings on all the furniture when your family came to visit.” She gave him a teasing wink. 

Tom grinned, the flame coming even easier than before as fire once again burned at the bottom of the pan, the batter slowly rising into a usable shape. “Well I don’t know what it is but lately controlling my Trait has been a lot easier.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re happier,” Marco suggested. 

Tom paused at that, thinking it over for a second. He was happier. Ever since he and Star had made up, his anger had been so much more manageable. He loved being a part of the Commission, feeling like he belonged to something and wasn’t shamed for his emotional outbursts. Even as a prince, he could tell people were afraid of him and it made getting close to people hard. But now, he belonged to something and that gave him comfort, because he would never have to try and belong again. Now the only time he ever lost control was around Janna, his twisted knot of emotions for her impossible to understand.

“Yeah, maybe,” he whispered, his cheeks flushing slightly as he tried to keep his thoughts off of the creepy beanie-wearing girl no doubt watching him.

Star glanced at the pan and said, “Okay, I think that’s enough, Tom.”

The boy didn’t need to be told twice, the flames instantly dying, leaving only a thin layer of steam rising off of the cooked surface of the cake.

“Good work, Tom,” Marco said, slipping on oven mitts and moving the pan next to a fan to cool. “It looks perfect.”

Tom put his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest proudly as he declared, “Well, what can I say, I am the Prince of the Underworld for a reason.”

Star and Marco giggled, before the blonde royal said teasingly, “And so modest, too.”

Tom just gave her a playful grin back, happy to feel included once more. 

Marco pulled the last pan from the oven and set it next to the other two. Now all the teens could do was wait till they were cool enough to frost, still the three couldn't help but sniff the air greedily, their stomachs growling in want. But they knew better than to indulge their empty stomachs, not after all the hard work that had gone into making the rich dessert. So ignoring their hunger pains, Star, Marco, and Tom turned to Kelly, who was hard at work mixing something.

“Okay, Kelly, all three layers are baked and ready to be frosted,” Marco exclaimed, standing at attention as he waited to hear the Woolett's next order.

The girl turned to them in surprise, her hands still mixing as she stared at them in disbelief. “Already,” she muttered. But it wasn't hard to hear the hopefulness hidden in her voice, her gaze softening. “You actually pulled it off.”

“You say that like you doubted we could,” Tom spoke up smugly.

“Well, I-” Kelly began, fidgeting as remorse flooded her features and her cheeks burning in shame.

But Marco shook his head not allowing his friend to continue, instead saying brightly, “Well, we handled it, just like I said we would and now we have a fighting chance again.”

“Yeah, we actually do!” Kelly exclaimed, her eyes burning with passion once again. “And honestly I think the change I made to the recipe is gonna be even better than before.”

“Seriously?” Star gasped. She couldn't imagine the amazing cake she and Marco had tried before could get any better. It had taken all her will-power not to stuff the delicious dessert down her throat and she had still ended up eating three slices in one go, Marco outdoing even that with four slices (which he had immediately regretted).

“What did you do anyways?” Marco asked, cocking his head to the side, clearly burning with curiosity.

“See for yourself,” Kelly said, tipping the bowl so the three could look inside it. The teens gasped but smiled at the delicious and wonderful sight in front of them. Marco was especially overjoyed by the contents of the bowl, his eyes lighting up in the cutest way. The frosting was now pink and purple and had small bits of sugar crushed up in it which sparkled in the sunlight, making it glitter like tiny crushed up jewels.

Marco couldn't believe what he was seeing, recognizing the ingredient in a heartbeat. “That's sugar seeds, isn't it!? You used Captain Blanches Sugar Seeds as your secret ingredient!”

Kelly nodded, a sly smile spreading across her face. “Yep, sure did. I'm glad you insisted on adding it to the cake, otherwise I might not have even thought to do this.”

Marco grinned brightly, practically shaking in excitement. “I can't believe you used my favorite cereal for your recipe!”

“Didn't have much of a choice,” Kelly replied, before adding quickly, “Now help me get this thing frosted before the time is up.”

“Attention all competitors! There is only five minutes remaining of this year's Annual Mewni Bake-Off so hurry and finish your dishes before it's too late!” A voice announced and the four teens shared a look, before they flew into their work with new vigor.

The next five minutes flew by in a haze of chaotic cooking, Star, Marco, Tom, and Kelly frosting and stacking and smoothing out the spread over the baked layers of cake like there was no tomorrow. There was no time for precision, only panic, as they rushed to get everything done in time. Honestly, if asked afterwards not a single one of the four novice bakers could say what they did during those five minutes. Except maybe Kelly, who was used to working under a time limit but even she gave in to her stressful mind once or twice and lost track of time.

Kelly was nervously trying to smooth out the frosting on the cake, making sure it was all even and neat but she could feel the time ticking away from her. At this rate, they were just barely going to make it since they had to have it on the cart ready to go before the time ran out. She took a moment to observe the cake, trying to decide on if they should try and make it look a little nicer or call it done.

But when the announcer loudly shouted they were on the final minute she knew they had to stop and just hope it was good enough. “Guys, we need to get it on the cart!”

“But the frosting isn't-” Marco started and Kelly grabbed onto his arms, cutting him off.

“There's no time!” she screamed, shaking him back and forth. “We need to move it, now!”

Marco gave a small nod, clearly confused and disoriented by the Woolett's action but quickly got into position to help lift the massive plate the three-layered cake was sitting on.

Kelly got into her own spot and waited until the others were ready before shouting, “Ready? Lift!” The four grunted as they managed to hoist the heavy dessert off the tabletop with their combined strength. Kelly waited a second to make sure everyone had a solid grip, the hooded teen seeming to struggle for a second, before she ordered them to move.

The group started the slow, steady process of carrying the cake over to the cart, every step pure agony to Kelly who became intensely aware of every second that passed and she cursed herself for not having thought to bring the cart closer to them beforehand. But the teens actually seemed to be making decent time, the cake remaining steady on the plate as they walked. The Woolett smiled as the cart drew closer and closer. This was it. They were actually going to make it!

The announcer's voice called out again, proclaiming in his loud but professional tone, “Only ten seconds remain! 9... 8..”

Marco felt something wedge underneath his foot mid-step and was powerless to stop himself as he felt his knee buckling and he lost his grip on the cake as he began to fall.

“7...”

Kelly saw Marco trip and felt the weight shift but could do nothing but scream in terror as the plate flew from her hand.

“6... 5...”

Star and Tom turned when they felt the plate slip from their grip and gasped in surprise as they watched the cake falling down towards their fallen friend and Star's instincts took over as she held out her wand.

“4...”

Star managed to catch the cake with her magic just before it splattered on Marco, who could only stare forward dumbly, watching as his girlfriend lifted the cake high into the air with her spell.

“3... 2...”

Star set the cake gently down on the cart, making sure to move slowly enough that the cake wouldn't be messed up in any way, but luckily it all stayed in one piece, the spell she had used keeping it suspended in a moment in time as well as in the air. She only had time to set the dessert down before a loud bell was rang, signaling the end of the competition.

“Time!” the announcer declared. “All bakers, lower your utensils!”

The four teens let out long breaths of relief and exhaustion, Star, Kelly, and Tom nearly collapsing to the ground like Marco as the stressful competition was finally over. “Oh man!” Kelly exclaimed, still in complete disbelief. “That was too close!”

“See, I told you we could make it in time!” Marco spoke up as Star helped pull him to his feet, brushing him off in a caring manner and checking him over for any injuries.

“You okay, dude?” Tom asked in concern, moving over to his friend. “That was a pretty bad fall.”

“Yeah, sorry I guess I just tripped over something,” the hooded teen muttered sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. He quickly met the Star's eye and the two blushed against their will. “Thankfully Star was here to save the day.”

“Aww, I didn't do anything special,” Star said modestly, waving a dismissive hand in the air.

“You saved the cake and my career,” Kelly pointed out, giving her a kind smile. “Thank you for that, Star.” She then turned her gaze to Marco and Tom. “And thanks everyone for keeping me going even when I felt like giving up, I really couldn't have done this without you.” Her eyes lingered on Tom for a second as she added sweetly, “All of you.”

Now Tom was blushing and he quickly hid his embarrassment with a cough, saying, “Soooo, we should probably get this cake over to the judges before anything else goes wrong, huh?”

Kelly nodded her agreement and said in an enthusiastic tone, “Yeah, let's do that.”

She began to wheel the cart away, Tom following along behind her as they headed over to the judges stand. Star started to follow when she noticed Marco standing in the same spot as before, staring at the ground, and she immediately asked, “What's wrong, Marco?”

The boy frowned and gave his shoulders a little shrug. “I just can't figure out what I tripped on. I mean, I know Higgs said I was clumsy but there was nothing for me to trip on.” He thought it over for a second, before meeting Star's eye with a nervous expression. “Do you think there's something wrong with my feet?”

Star couldn't help but giggle at her boyfriend's childish worry and he gave her a confused look at the sudden burst of laughter. “No, Marco, I don't think it has anything to do with your feet,” Star replied, trying to hide her smile. “You probably just lost your balance, it happens sometimes.”

Marco gave a slow nod, his eyebrows still pinched together, telling Star he didn't quite believe her theory. “Yeah, I guess you're right.”

“Now, c'mon, let's go catch up with the others,” Star said, snaking an arm around him and leading him away from the small cooking station. Marco didn't fight the blonde as she pulled him away but taking one last look back he could swear he saw a small furry white tail poking out from under one of the tables. He frowned to himself, suddenly having a pretty good idea what had tripped him up earlier.

But then Star said something to him and he returned his focus onto his girlfriend, responding to her question while inwardly hoping that the Pie King didn't have any more tricks up his sleeve. He wasn't sure Kelly (or him for that matter) could take much more of this.

…

When the gang finally reached the judge's table, they encountered a large crowd blocking their way, their competitors beating them there it would seem. Kelly looked around for a moment, trying to find a way through the thick wall of people in front of her before sighing in defeat. “It's no use. Guess we'll just have to wait till they call us.”

“Well hopefully we won't have to wait too long then,” Marco spoke up, his voice as positive as ever.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Tom added, already starting to look bored. “I mean how long does it take to try some food, anyways? Just stuff it in your mouth and move on.” He rolled his eyes and Kelly had to bite her lip to keep from lecturing him on the incredibly important and intricate process of critiquing fine cuisine. But it wasn't worth the effort, besides she'd probably only end up putting the flaming teen to sleep.

“Y'know Tom, if you don't feel like waiting you could always go and join our other friends in the stands,” Star pointed out, shooting him with a playful smirk and wink.

Tom blushed as he remembered just who was waiting for him in the stands and quickly blurted out in a nervous squeak, “Uh no, that's okay.” He cleared his throat, before adding in a much more collected tone, “I'd like to see how this thing plays out. After all, I am part of the team.”

“I just hope we don't run into any more trouble before the judges can taste the cake,” Marco said nervously.

“Well just keep your eyes peeled, trouble could lurk around every corner,” Kelly replied in an unnerving tone.

“Hello friends!” Gustav yelled behind them and the group all let out screams, Kelly instinctively grabbing the boy's arm and flipping him over her shoulder. The young chef was left coughing and groaning on the floor as the group stared down at him dumbfounded. “Ouch,” he murmured in a strained tone.

“Gustav! What the heck, dude! You know better than to sneak up on a Woolett!” Kelly exclaimed, letting out an annoyed huff.

“Right, that was my bad,” the boy said, blinking away tears of pain.

“Sorry, Gustav,” Star quickly apologized, giving him a sheepish grin as she helped pull him to his feet. “We didn't know it was you.”

“Yeah we thought it was the Pie King,” Marco explained. “He's been trying to sabotage us this whole time.”

“Marco,” Kelly hissed, giving him a warning glare. Had he seriously already forgotten her rule about not talking to the competition unless it was absolutely necessary.

But Gustav didn't seem to notice this letting out a loud gasp, his eyes widening as he said, “No wonder you all are on edge! Being on the Pie King's bad side can only bring trouble.”

“Yeah, tell us about it,” Tom scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“I wouldn't want to be you right now, that's for sure,” Gustav added, giving them all sympathetic looks.

“Next up, Gustav's Meatballs,” the announcer suddenly called and the young human let out a squeal of delight, adjusting his baker hat on his head as he exclaimed. “Guess that's me! Wish me luck!”

He strolled away with an unnaturally wide grin on his face, wheeling his cart over to the judge's stand.

“Good luck!” Marco yelled after him, waving to the boy.

Kelly nearly groaned in embarrassment, muttering out sharply, “Marco, don't wish him luck! This is still a competition, remember?”

“Well, yeah but that doesn't mean I can't be friendly,” Marco argued, his eyes shining with innocence.

“Yeah, Kelly what's the big deal? So far the only one who has it out for us is the Pie King and I don't see him anywhere around,” Tom retorted, his voice full of doubt and arrogance.

“Look you guys still clearly have a lot to learn about the Mewni Bake-off,” Kelly said simply.

“But isn't this your first year entering, too?” Star pointed out, raising a knowing eyebrow.

Kelly felt her cheeks flush some as she quickly argued, “Well yeah but I just know these things, okay!”

“Okay whatever you say, boss,” Tom replied sarcastically, the smirk visible on his face.

Kelly simmered in place for a moment, doing her very best to hide the annoyance she felt but her impatience and anxiety was starting to get the better of her already. She knew she was overreacting but she couldn't help it. She was once again a walking ball of stress, her fingers twitching in place and her shoulders tensed up to the point she felt like she had pulled a muscle out of place. Her body seemed incapable of holding still with the massive amount of nerves building inside her. She did her best to hide her irrational fears from the common eye but on the inside she was screaming in both worry and excitement. The outcome of this bake-off would make or break her career, after all, it was hard to stay calm with knowledge like that.

And as if she wasn't already stressed enough, Roy decided now of all times to make his presence known, sauntering up to them with the same dorky, over-the-top grin as always but instead of just humiliation at the sight, she now felt genuine fear from the look, knowing underneath the layer of goofy bravado was a power-hungry and spiteful creature. “Well hey there, Kelly. How's my favorite chef doing today?” Roy greeted cheerfully enough, before it hardened into a much more sinister question. “Feeling confident in us crushing the Pie King in his smug face, hmm?”

“Uhh, hey Roy,” Kelly managed to nervously muster. “Good to see you here. Right before the judges taste our cake. That's not stressful at all.” She let out an awkward chuckle and the others could see their friend was in desperate need of saving.

“We managed to get the cake done, Roy,” Star spoke up, hoping to distract the goblin's attention off of her friend.

“Yeah and I think the judges are gonna like what they taste,” Marco added with a confident grin.

“Oh thank you princess for coming to help out my little restaurant, it really means a lot to me,” Roy said in an overly sweet tone, shaking the girl's hand vigorously.

“Uhh, what about Kelly?” Tom asked suspiciously.

Roy seemed to have completely forgotten about his chef for a moment as he mumbled halfheartedly, “Hmm, oh yes, yes. It means a lot to Kelly, too.”

Tom gave the goblin an incredulous look while the Woolett's eyes just narrowed in annoyance, gritting her teeth to keep from commenting.

“Well it was no problem,” Star said modestly, her regal tone picking up at just the right moment. “I'm always happy to help out a friend.” The blonde put extra emphasis on the last word, hoping to gain Kelly a little recognition for her own work.

But again, Roy seemed oblivious to his worker's existence as he squealed in delight, “Oh my, I can't believe it! The princess of Mewni is calling me one of her friends!” His eyes shimmered with joy and it took all of Star's willpower not to grimace.

“Actually I think Star was talking about Kelly,” Marco pointed out.

“Oh,” Roy said in obvious disappointment. But he quickly directed his attention onto the Woolett asking in excitement, “Sooo did everything go well? I know after tasting that amazing recipe you came up with we'd finally have something to one-up my greatest rival and his island of thieves.” The goblin gave his chef an eager look as he waited for her answer and Kelly felt her stomach twist with nerves once again.

“Well there were a few hiccups,” Kelly said awkwardly.

“Like what?! Did you manage to finish the cake or not?” Roy asked, clearly panicking.

“We did,” Kelly reassured him, before sucking in a deep breath. Here goes nothing. She closed her eyes as she hesitantly added, “But I did have to modify the recipe in a few places.”

“What?!” Roy screamed, drawing many onlookers to the scene the goblin was beginning to make. “You modified the recipe during the competition! Do you realize how risky that is?! What if the judges don't like it! I could lose... again! I can't take another year of gloating from that villainous king!” Roy was starting to go into a full-blown panic attack, hyperventilating as he rubbed his clawed hands together in nervousness.

“Relax, Roy. I made the cake even better than before. We're still gonna win this for sure,” Kelly said smoothly with all the confidence she did not have.

“You better or you won't have a job!” Roy shouted, giving her a firm look and Kelly's hands clenched into tight fists to avoid losing her cool. So now he was threatening to fire her! Demoting her was bad enough but being forced to leave in shame like that… it was unthinkable.

“I got it, okay. Just let me do my job already,” Kelly said in a huff.

“Uhh, Kelly,” Marco spoke up nervously, flinching as all eyes fell on him. He gave them a sheepish grin as he said apologetically, “I know this might not be the best time but I think we're next up.”

“Good, we're done here anyways,” Kelly said immediately, turning her back on her goblin boss, her long hair whipping him in the face slightly. To her friends she added, “Now let's go guys, we got a competition to win.”

The others gave a quick glance to Roy before following after their friend, leaving the small goblin to mutter under his breath about the insubordination amongst his staff and how he really needed to stop hiring a bunch of disrespectful teenagers.

“Wow, I've never seen Roy acting like that before,” Marco mentioned, once they were out of earshot.

“That's because you've never seen him competitive before,” Kelly hissed, her blood boiling with rage towards her boss. “He becomes a whole different goblin. One year he nearly mauled a teenage street vendor for trying to sell hot dogs too close to Fang Tang's.”

“Yikes,” Star and Marco said as one.

“Yeah, yikes is right,” Kelly agreed, rolling her eyes.

“Sounds like you need a better job,” Tom commented.

“Well if this doesn't work out I might be in need of one,” Kelly whispered, her eyes flooding with worry.

“Don't worry, Kelly. You're gonna be great,” Star reassured the girl, putting a steadying hand on her back.

“Yeah, Kells, you're totally gonna blow them away!” Marco exclaimed brightly.

“Prepare to be blown away!” a loud and familiar voice called from up ahead and the group all turned to the judge's stand in surprise. The Pie King stood in front of the table where the three judges sat, giving them what could almost pass for a friendly smile if not for the sinister gleam in his eye. He had his hands behind his back, two Pie Folk ready and waiting at the cart behind him, watching their boss closely for his order. “For today I unveil to you a dessert so delicious, so unbelievable, so amazing that I guarantee you have never seen anything like it before!”

“Let me guess... it's a pie,” once of the judges said gruffly, looking bored and unimpressed with the long-winded speech.

“That's Emilio,” Kelly explained to the others, looking at the judge in total awe. “He's one of the most famous chefs on Earth and one of the most stubborn judges ever! He's incredibly picky. Getting him to like one of your dishes is close to impossible.”

“Well sounds like we don't have anything to worry about then,” Tom commented, a sly smirk growing on his face. “What are the odds he would like something that sneaky chef makes?”

“It is much more than just a simple pie,” the Pie King explained, unfazed by Emilio's cold demeanor. “I have spent weeks perfecting this recipe and now present to you my piece de resistance...:

Pie King snapped his fingers and his two lackeys ripped the fabric off of the tray, revealing the food that lay beneath it. It was indeed a pie, a very delicious looking one in fact, its crust cooked to perfection, just the perfect color of brown, with a layer of steam gently rising off of it and decorated on top with a few strawberries which looked like they had just been picked from the vine. But the part that caught Kelly and the others attention was the rainbow-colored filling that was inside it, some of it oozing out of the holes in the top. “The very first rainbow pie!”

The crowd of onlookers all 'ooed' and 'awed' at the sight, some even licking their lips in hunger, but Kelly and the gang could only stare at the dessert slack-jawed. “That's not their recipe!” Marco exclaimed in complete disbelief. “They stole your recipe, Kelly!”

“Yeah I can see that,” Kelly commented numbly.

“I cannot believe they are actually trying to pass that off as their own after all the hard work you put in,” Star hissed, her eyes narrowing in anger and she began to storm over to the judges stand. “I'm gonna put a stop to this right now!”

Kelly put up an arm, stopping the fuming princess from passing and the blonde turned to her with surprise. “Don't. It won't change anything. It'll only make things worse.”

“What but Kelly-” Star began to argue, only to be cut off by the Woolett.

“I know, it sucks,” Kelly said through gritted teeth, her voice tight with barely suppressed anger. She sounded like it was taking everything in her power to hold herself back. “But the Pie King is crafty, he'll just turn it around against us. Better to just let him have this.”

“Are you serious?!” Tom growled, his anger beginning to boil over. “So what, we just let him get away with this!”

“We don't have much choice, Tom,” Kelly responded, watching as the Pie King passed out slices of the pie to the eager judges. Of course she wanted to fight and take back what was hers. It was her recipe, after all, something she had worked tirelessly on and had been so proud to of made. But she had been careless and allowed it to end up in the hands of the greedy Pie Folk. She should have taken better care in safeguarding her secret recipe and now she just had to face facts and accept that her precious recipe was no longer hers. She just had to hope what she had made to replace it was somehow better.

But to her dismay the judges reactions were far from uplifting. They all seemed enamored with the pie, chewing the food greedily and nodding their heads as they wrote down their thoughts on the slips of paper before them. Even Emilio seemed impressed, his gaze softening as he took extra care and time to chew the treat, clearly in deep thought over the taste. When he did finally swallow, his face was totally unreadable. He scribbled something down on the paper, before saying in a businesslike tone, “Thank you, now move along.”

The Pie King bowed low before sauntering away from the table with a victorious grin, his minions following along behind them. He stopped right besides Kelly and he didn't even hide the shrewd smirk on his face as he said to the green-haired girl, “Good luck topping that.”

Kelly glared back and said through gritted teeth, “Just watch me.”

The Pie King made an indistinguishable noise that seemed to be a combination of a chuckle and a snort. “Sure you don't wanna drop out and save yourself the embarrassment.” He gave her a cheshire grin, his crooked teeth gleaming in the sunlight.

“Yeah right, like we'd even listen to anything you have to say,” Star snapped, speaking up for her friend while giving the Pie King a hate-filled glare.

“Especially since all you did was steal the secret ingredient from us,” Marco added, with an angry scowl. “Kelly worked way harder than you! She deserves to win, not you!”

The Pie King rolled his eyes, clearly growing bored of the conversation. “Well, we'll just have to see what the judges have to say about that, won't we?”

“Next!” Emilio shouted, his critical gaze landing on Kelly and she felt a chill jump up her spine. She gulped, feeling her stomach bubble with nerves, any semblance of control she once had leaving her the moment she was called on. She felt like the pressure was crushing her, the weight of all her responsibilities and dreams piling on her at once, making it difficult to breathe or move. She felt like she would crumble if a strong gust of wind hit her and as all eyes now fell on her, both onlookers and judges alike, she found her body had completely given up on her, movement an impossible feat.

But then she felt a hand on her comforting hand on her back, followed by a friendly hand on her shoulder and then a third hand on her arm, reminding her she wasn't in this alone. She was surrounded by friends who would help her face this challenge, who would stand with her pass or fail and she felt courage rise in her again. Kelly was able to turn her head in the direction of her friends and they all gave her a confident nod, silently telling her they could do this and Kelly smiled back at them, her drive restored.

And so, the Woolett held her head high and approached the judges stand, each step carrying her to her future but she welcomed it openly. Once she was in front of the three judges she cleared her throat, before speaking in the calmest, most controlled tone she had ever used, “Ladies and gentlemen, creatures of every dimension, me and my friends are here today on behalf of Roy's Fang Tangs-”

“Ah yes, wasn't that the same restaurant that tried to present discount Goblin Dogs last year,” one of the judges commented, her voice none too friendly.

But Kelly ignored the harsh comment, instead declaring, “Well this year I made my own original recipe.”

“Yes, yes and it's probably unlike anything we've seen before,” Emilio muttered, rolling his eyes.

Kelly, seeing words were not going to sway the judges' minds any, gave a small nod to Tom who pulled off the cover over the cake. Once exposed to sunlight the cake began to shine and shimmer, the thousands of grains of sugar lighting up and causing the whole courtyard to be covered in tiny spots of light. The crowd again was enchanted by the beauty of the cake, soft murmurs filling the air around Kelly. Star, Marco, and Tom all gave her thumbs up, happy this was going well so far. The judges remained stone-faced but the Woolett was sure their eyes had a hint of sparkle and wonder to them. Taking advantage of the hype, Kelly did a dramatic flourish towards her creation saying in a dramatic tone, “I present to you all the multiverse triple layer crystal cake! Each and every ingredient used comes from a different dimension blending together into one treat to celebrate our unity and companionship.”

The crowd hung on every word, the murmurings growing louder and more vibrant as Kelly let the attention soak over her. She hadn't expected this kind of reaction for something she made but it made her heart swell with pride, finally feeling for the first time ever like a real chef.

“It is quite a sight,” the woman judge said, unable to keep the awe out of her voice.

“Yes but the taste is all that matters,” Emilio commented, still not giving away even a hint of emotion.

“Of course, what's the point of a cake if you can't eat it,” Kelly said, smiling ear to ear. Nothing could faze her in this moment, she was on top of the world. Star, Marco and Tom began cutting up slices of the cake without a word, making sure to get all three layers on the plates before handing them out to the judges with small smiles. The group then moved to Kelly's side watching with held breath as each judge stabbed a fork into the sugary treat. Time seemed to slow as the bite of food was lifted up to their mouth before disappearing inside, all four teens on edge as they watched the judges silently chew.

Kelly kept an eye on the judges' expressions hoping to see some kind of indication they were enjoying her creation and to her delight they all seemed to like it, savoring the bite for as long as they could. When they did finally swallow, two of them began to furiously scribble something down, while Emilio simply stared down at his plate, deep in thought. Then he too wrote something down and said to the girl in a dismissive tone, “Thank you, next!”

Kelly and the others quickly moved back to the crowd, Tom pushing the cart out of the way so the next contestant could go. Once they were out of eyesight from the judges, the group all let out long breaths of relief and took a moment to relax. Marco bent over on his knees, trying to will his racing heart down to a decent speed as he commented, “Wow, that was intense!”

“Yeah no kidding,” Tom agreed, though he seemed a bit more at ease compared to the hooded teen, leaning against the cart with a tense expression. “Can't believe people willingly put themselves through that. It's nerve-wracking.”

Star seemed much less affected, her stance and posture calm, having grown used to dealing with unhealthy amounts of stress during her time on the throne. “Uh guys, you do remember our job is literally fixing the entire world, right?” the blonde royal commented playfully.

Tom and Marco shared a look before the hooded teen responded simply, “Well yeah but that's totally different. If Kelly loses this she doesn't have a job.”

Star giggled, shaking her head before planting a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. “You are too cute sometimes,” she cooed, brushing his bangs out of his face. Marco blushed and looked away with an adorable little grin on his face. Star directed her attention onto Kelly who had yet to say a word so far and asked, “So, Kells, how do you feel?”

“Pretty good, actually,” the Woolett responded in an even tone, looking at peace. If she was stressing or worrying, it didn't show. “I think that went pretty well.”

“You think we're gonna win?” Tom asked with a competitive grin.

“I think we have a good shot at it,” Kelly replied with a confident nod. “But we'll just have to wait and see.”

“I bet they are gonna declare you the winner for sure!” Marco exclaimed, his eyes shining with naive brightness and Kelly couldn't help but smile at his innocent sureness.

“I hope you're right, Marco,” was all the Woolett could say in reply.

…

The next hour passed by at an unbearably slow rate, the four doing everything they could think of to keep their minds off the competition. They met up with Tad, Jackie, and Janna (who Tom did his very best to steer clear of) and luckily they were able to keep the gang sidetracked as the rest of the competition presented their cuisine to the picky judges. Kelly felt immediately more relaxed with Tad in her hair again, all the pieces of herself back together now that they were reunited. Still she had trouble focusing on a single word the others were saying as they talked and laughed in an effort to distract themselves. But Kelly couldn’t stop casting glances over at the judges table, shifting nervously in her seat. Tad seemed to notice this and reassured his girlfriend, saying, “Hey, no worries, babe. You got this in the bag.”

“I sure hope so, Tad, or I can say goodbye to my job,” Kelly muttered, crossing her arms in front of her chest, trying to hide her nerves as best she could.

“C’mon do you really think Roy is gonna fire you over some dumb competition?” Tad asked.

“It’s Roy, Tad,” Kelly hissed, leaning back heavily in her chair. 

“Oh… right,” Tad said sheepishly and Kelly let out a heavy breath of defeat. She buried her face in her palms, trying to massage her aching head, she was ready for this whole competition to be over, the sooner this was done the sooner she could relax, she had a three hour bubble bath in her future that much was certain.

“Hey Kelly, I think they’re about to announce the winners,” Jackie spoke up, snapping Kelly out of her thoughts and back into the moment. Kelly gave a quick glance in that direction and saw the judges whispering amongst each other, serious expressions on their faces. 

“Yep it looks that way,” Kelly muttered, rising up out of her chair, she felt her knees wobble a little but managed to keep her balance. Get ahold of yourself, Kelly, she mentally reprimanded herself. You’re a Woolett for corn’s sake! Act like one! The green-haired girl sucked in a breath forcing herself to relax (or at least appear to be) and made her way to the judge’s stand.

The others followed silently along behind her, not wanting to break her concentration. She seemed really focused. There was again a crowd of people that kept them from getting too close to the stage but they managed to find a free spot relatively close to where the judges had gathered. Emilio and the others seemed to have reached a decision, the serious expression they all shared tipping Kelly off and she felt her nerves spike. This was it. Moment of truth. 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Emilio began, addressing the crowd and the moment he spoke a silence fell over the courtyard, all ears trained on his final decision. “The other judges and I have come to an agreement. This year's winner of Queen Comet’s Annual Mewni Bake-Off is…”

Kelly and the others all held their breaths, Marco crossing his fingers for good luck and squeezing his eyes shut, willing the judges to say his friend’s name. 

“The Pie King!” 

“WHAT?!” the group all exclaimed, their mouths dropping open in disbelief. Kelly was shell-shocked to say the least, the world around her almost fading to black, the applause of clapping hands fading to a dull roar, her own heartbeat pounding against her eardrum drowning out any other noise. It was as if her brain had completely shut down, watching numbly as the Pie King proudly received his golden trophy, flaunting it off to the crowd and sending Kelly snarky looks. But Kelly was barely aware of this. She was barely aware of anything. The only thing she could focus on was the simple and yet world shattering truth that she was faced with. She lost. All her dreams of being a professional chef… crushed. She felt tears form at the corners of her eyes but she blinked them away. She wouldn’t give the Pie King the satisfaction, since she was aware he was watching her closely. 

She could also feel her friends sympathetic stares burning into her back but she was too ashamed to face them. What was she supposed to say anyways? What words could possibly describe the soul-crushing despair she felt. She could feel Tad gently running a hand through her bangs, a gesture that would normally soothe her but right now....

“Kelly, I’m so sorry,” Marco said, placing a hand on her shoulder, his voice full of empathy and he was clearly suffering from his own despair at losing. 

“That is so unfair!” Tom exclaimed in a loud growl, his eyes flashing red with anger. “He stole Kelly’s secret ingredient and then still wins the whole thing! In the Underworld we would have ripped out his spine by now!”

The Pie King must have overheard them cause he gave them all a condescending smirk and even went as far as to wink at the teens. 

Tom’s cheekmarks were burning infernos at this point and it took all of his restraint not to light the thieving royal on fire. 

Star, however, had no such restraint. “That’s it!” she shouted, storming forward. “I’m putting a stop to this right now!”

“Guys, just forget it,” Kelly spoke up and the whole group froze, turning to her with surprise. “There’s no point,” she continued, her voice sounding pathetic even to her own ear. “I lost, he won and that’s that.”

“Only cause he cheated!” Star argued. 

“Want me to curse him?” Tom offered. “Cause I’ll do it.”

“Already on it,” Janna said, flipping through an old worn book with a black leather cover. Jackie quickly snatched it out of her hands, shooting her a warning glare. Until, the Pie King gave them another patronizing look and the skater handed the book back to her friend, glaring at the king in hate. “Fine, just don’t kill him,” she whispered to her friend. 

“Don’t you guys get it!” Kelly shouted, her hands clenched tightly at her sides and her body shaking in both rage and despair. “I lost because I wasn’t good enough! I thought I had the perfect recipe but I didn’t! And now I’ll never be a real chef!” Her voice cracked on the last word, the tears not threatening to spill. 

“Heck yeah you won’t,” Roy exclaimed, suddenly appearing beside her. He gave her a disapproving look, his arms crossed in front of his chest sternly. “I’m very disappointed in you Kelly. Thanks to you I get to face another year of that loser king taunting me!”

“Hey it wasn’t her fault,” Marco spoke up his friend’s defense, moving to her side. “The Pie King cheated and-”

“I don’t wanna hear any excuses!” Roy interrupted, his focus never leaving Kelly. “Maybe if you hadn’t changed the recipe without my permission this wouldn’t have happened.” 

Kelly said nothing, too numb to speak. She just waited for Roy to speak those dreadful words to her. 

“Kelly, I’m sorry to do this but you’re fired,” the small goblin said, no sympathy in his eyes. 

“Then I quit too!” Tad finally said, adding to the conversation for the first time. “And good luck replacing us! We’re two of your best workers.”

“Not anymore,” Roy replied, before turning his back on the group and storming away. 

Kelly nearly crumpled to the ground, hanging her head in shame as the weight of those words pressed down on her. She could barely breathe, it felt like all the air was being sucked right out of her lungs, like she was drowning in her despair. 

“Kelly, I’m so sorry,” Tom spoke up, his voice full of sympathy. “This never would have happened if I hadn’t lied. You, Star, and Marco would have won this thing if I hadn’t gotten in the way.”

“No, Tom,” Kelly spoke up, her voice tight but she gave him a friendly smile. “I’m glad you were part of the team. We never would have gotten the cake done at all if you hadn’t been there.” 

“It’s just so unfair,” Marco groaned. “We worked so hard and you deserved to win, Kelly.”

“Thanks, Marco,” Kelly muttered, looking tired and emotionally exhausted, heavy bags hanging under her eyes. “But I guess it wasn’t good enough. And now me and Tad are out of the job.”

“Maybe not,” Star said thoughtfully and Woolett turned to her with a startled expression. 

“What do you mean?” Kelly asked softly, barely daring to hope.

“Well Roy may not see your talent, Kelly. But I do,” Star said, flashing her an encouraging smile. “So how about you come work at the castle as our new head chef.” 

“Seriously?” Kelly exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face at the offer, all signs of fatigue gone as happiness filled her core. 

Star shrugged. “Sure. I mean, I already know we all love your food and you did say our current chefs could use some help.”

“Oh yeah, that’s a great idea, Star!” Marco shouted, pumping his arms in the air in joy. “That way we can see Kelly all the time!” the hooded teen gasped as an idea came to mind, squishing his cheeks with his hands. “Me and Kelly could be baking buddies!” The boy was squealing at the thought. 

“But what about Queen Moon?” Kelly asked, fear flashing across her face. “Aren’t you worried she might say no?”

Star waved a nonchalant hand in the air. “Oh that’ll be no problem. Mom trusts my judgement. Besides she was really impressed with the work you did with Baby. And once my parents get a taste of your food they’ll be begging you to stay.”

“That would be…” Kelly began but no words came to mind, she was too stunned, too ecstatic for words. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Uhhh, a yes seems appropriate,” Janna suggested.

Kelly smiled, swiping a hand across her face to free it from tears. “Yes. I’d love to come work for you, Star.”

“Then welcome aboard!” Star said, holding out a hand to shake. Kelly received it gratefully, her smile incapable of growing any wider. 

“Thank you, Star. I promise I won’t let you down,” the Woolett said in a confident tone. She gave a quick glance up at Tad, squealing in excitement, “Tad, do you hear that?! I’m a real chef!”

“That’s awesome, babe,” Tad spoke up, giving his girlfriend a quick pat. “I’m so happy for you!”

“And of courseTad will have to be with you,” Star added as she remembered Kelly’s boyfriend. “I’m thinking something like… Royal Food Taster.” 

“Awesome,” Tad replied, nodding his head in approval. 

“Congrats, Kells,” Tom said enthusiastically. “You deserve it.”

“Thanks Tom,” the Woolett replied, giving him the smallest of nods, which he returned, a mutual understanding passing between each other. 

“This is so exciting!” Marco shouted, unable to hold back his joy any longer as he quickly tackled Kelly in a tight hug, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. “This is the best day ever! One of my best friends gets to come work at the castle with us!” 

Star giggled at her boyfriend’s enthusiasm, finding his joyful outburst as adorable as he was. Then again, nothing about Marco wasn’t adorable. The blonde smiled softly to herself, knowing she had made the right choice. 

“Still a shame you didn’t win the contest though,” Jackie said, looking sadly over at the judge’s stand where the Pie King was still gloating over his victory. “That jerk really doesn’t deserve to win.” 

Kelly rolled her eyes. “Who cares? I still managed to impress the crowd and I’m a real chef. Winning some silly contest isn’t that important.”

“Does this mean you aren’t gonna compete next year?” Janna asked, giving her a knowing look.

“Oh no, I’m totally competing,” Kelly replied. “Only next time, I’m taking that trophy home with me.” 

“And we’ll be right there to help you,” Marco said, giving her a friendly grin. 

 “Never doubted that for a second,” Kelly replied, returning the gesture. 

The moment was interrupted though as a voice suddenly cut through the crowd, saying cryptically , “Everyone, I have an announcement to make!” All eyes turned to Emilio, the crowd hushing once more and the Pie King scowled as the attention was drawn away from himself. The chef had a serious look on his face as he explained, “Due to a recent discovery I’m afraid the Pie King is disqualified.”

The crowd all gasped and the Pie King’s face contorted in rage. 

“What?!” the greedy king shouted in outrage, storming over to the chef in a rage. “This is an outrage! How dare you take away my victory like that! Do you not know who I am?! I’m royalty! On what grounds do you have to disqualify me?!” The Pie King grabbed onto the man’s collar, bringing their faces so close together their faces were now mere inches apart, the greedy king narrowing his one eye in warning. 

Emilio didn’t back down though, keeping up a solid stance as he replied, “On the grounds that we discovered hypnoberries hidden in the pie you gave us. Meaning you forced us into making you the winner, Your Highness!” 

The Pie King’s face immediately flooded with guilt, his one eye widening in fear. Sweat began to drip from his face as he realized he was caught. He gave the disapproving chef a sheepish grin, releasing his collar and trying to smooth down the chef’s white coat. He let out a nervous chuckle, clearly trying to act innocent.  “Oops,” he muttered, trying to play off his crime like it was nothing. 

But it was clear Emilio wasn’t buying the act, ripping the trophy out of the Pie King’s hands and jabbing a finger off-stage, clearly indicating for him to leave. The Pie King grumbled in anger and stormed off the stage, crossing his arm in a childish manner. The Pie Folk quickly chased after their leader as he barreled his way through the crowd, pushing men, women and children out of his way without a care. 

The gang watched as the Pie King exited the scene before a loud chittering at their feet drew their attention downwards. The same monkey from before glared up at the teens, only to let loose a barrage of raspberries, spitting at them and then scampering away after his master. The teens could only watch stunned as their rivals in the competition left in a huff. Once they were out of sight, the group could only stand in silence, no words coming to any of them after the bizarre experience. 

“Well that was just embarrassing to watch,” Janna commented in her typical cryptic tone. 

The others nodded in response.

“Yeah, talk about your sore losers,” Tom scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“Looks like that cheater finally got what he deserved,” Star added, a mischievous glint in her eye. 

“So, wait a second, does this mean there is no winner?” Marco asked quizzically.

As if to answer his question Emilio addressed the crowd once more, declaring, “Since our first place winner was forced to leave, that means this year’s new winner is Kelly of Fang Tangs!”

The crowd exploded into a barrage of applause and Kelly felt her mouth drop open in surprise. She could only stand there and gap, dumbfounded as the roar of cheers invaded her eardrums, making her heart swell. I won, she wondered to herself, the words not quite hitting her brain just yet. I actually won. It was a dream come true. More than she could have ever hoped for and there were no words to describe the pure elation she felt. Even Emilio gave her the tiniest of nods from on stage, recognizing her as a talented, worthy individual and Kelly didn’t think her life could get any better in that moment. 

“Kelly, you did it!” Marco exclaimed, hugging her tightly. “You won!”

“Congrats, babe!” Tad cheered.

“I’m so happy for you!” Star added, quickly hugging Kelly’s other side. Soon it was a group hug as the others joined in, even Tom somewhat reluctantly. They all couldn’t hold back their screams of delight at actually winning. 

“That’s my girl!” Roy said, hopping on stage and moving so he was standing right next to Emilio. He puffed out his chest in pride, a bright grin on his face. “I knew she could do it! I always believed in her!” He put his arm around Emilio’s leg, who gave the small goblin a warning glare and Roy immediately pulled away. 

Kelly’s eyes narrowed on the small goblin gloating and soaking in her victory and suddenly she knew what she had to do. She cleared her throat, before declaring, “Actually, I didn’t win.”

The cheering immediately stopped, all eyes turning to the Woolett in surprise. “What do you mean?” Star asked in confusion.

“Yeah, Kelly, they just said you won,” Marco explained to her, wondering if she had somehow not heard him. 

“No, they said, Kelly of Fang Tang’s won. And I don’t work for Fang Tang’s anymore so technically I didn’t win,” the Woolett replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Roy’s mouth dropped open, his eyes widening in fear. He quickly tried to wave it off saying, “Oh Kelly. You actually believed all that, haha. You silly goose. I was just messing around.” He quickly leaned in closer to the girl, whispering softly, “Look forget what I said, come back and work for me and I’ll double your pay, okay.”

But Kelly shook her head, staying firm. “Not happening..”

“Fine you drive a hard bargain. I’ll triple your pay and rehire Tad, too. I’ll even let you work in the kitchen more, promise,” the goblin said, rambling with nerves at this point, desperate to get her to agree. 

“Too little too late,” Tom said, moving to Kelly’s left and giving the goblin a smirking grin, crossing his arms slyly in front of his chest. 

“Yeah, Kelly’s with us now,” Marco added, from the Woolett’s other side, trying his best to mimic his cool friend’s demeanor but failing drastically. 

“What, no!” Roy exclaimed, panicking. Finally, he could think of no other option as he got down on his knees and begged the girl to change her mind. “Please, please, please! You can’t leave me! Not when I’m so close! Just think of all the good times we had together!”

Kelly shrugged. “Sorry, Roy. But I got a new job.” The girl gave a quick glance around at her friends, smiling sincerely at each of them before adding, “And I think I’m gonna stick with my real friends.” 

Roy deflated in defeat, giving his ex-employee a sorrowful look, his lip quivering against his will. But Kelly didn’t buy into the pity party, keeping a straight face as Roy sadly slumped away. Marco waited until the goblin was out of earshot before asking, “But Kelly I thought you wanted to win?”

“I do,” the Woolett said with no regrets in her face or tone. “But on my own terms, not Roy’s. He’d just spoil the victory for me.”

“Well then, I think you made the right choice, Kells,” Star said, giving her a proud grin. The others all nodded in agreement, some even voicing their support out loud. 

“Thanks, I do too,” Kelly replied, feeling confident in her decision.

Emilio, from on stage, cleared his throat to regain the attention, before asking the girl, “Sooo, you're saying you don’t want to win then?”

Kelly shook her head, before explaining, “That’s right. I’m dropping out of the competition.”

A murmur grew in the crowd, people in shock by the girl’s bizarre declaration. Emilio was stunned, his face showing uncharacteristic surprise as he stared at the girl, now at a loss for words. “Well then… I-I-” He stammered, unable to form coherent sentences. “I suppose, this year’s winner is our third place… which was…” He turned to the other judges for help. They quickly began skimming through the notes they wrote down, scrambling for the right name. They were not prepared for this and their haste caused them to struggle. Finally, though one of them seemed to have found the right name and sighed in relief. 

He quickly handed Emilio the slip of paper, the chef acknowledging his fellow judge with a simple, “Thank you, Gordon.” Emilio cleared his throat before, reading off the name on the paper, saying for the third time that day, “And so this year’s actual winner of Comet’s Annual Mewni Bake-Off is… Gustav of Gustav’s Bites!”

“Yay!” A voice cheered from the crowd, two skinny arms pumping into the air in joy. The crowd parted to let the boy through, watching as he ran towards the stage to receive his award. There was a scattered mix of claps this time, most people still confused by what was happening. But Gustav was too excited to care, letting out whoops and shouts of joy as he sprang up onto the stage, beaming ear to ear. Emilio held out the trophy for him to take and the boy eagerly accepted it before giving the gruff man a tight hug. Emilio’s body went stiff, once again at a complete loss of what to do. Finally he settled for awkwardly patting the boy’s back. Still, he looked beyond relieved when the young chef let him go. 

Gustav held the trophy up high into the air, tears of joy streaming down his face, as he yelled at the top of his lungs, “I woooooon!”

Kelly and the others clapped for the young teen, all of them smiling brightly in his direction. “Good for him,” Star said sweetly.

“Yeah, he deserved to win,” Marco agreed, nodding his head.

“Better him than that rotton king,” Tom grumbled in annoyance.

 Kelly placed her hands on her hips, giving Gustav a long look, her head cocking slightly to the side before she finally said, “Not bad.”

“So how about we get out of here and go get Kelly officially certified as our lead chef,” Star suggested.

“Finally,” Janna said, not needing to be told twice as she began to make her way out of the courtyard. “Seeing all this food and not being able to eat it is a fate worse than death.”

“Tell me about it, I’m starving,” Jackie agreed, putting a hand over her rumbling stomach. 

“Well, what do you say, Kelly?” Marco asked, giving his friend a hinting look. “Feel like teaming up to cook one more dish for the day?”

“Sure, it’ll give me a chance to show off my skills.”

“Tom, you in too?” Marco asked his friend.

The hot-headed teen gave them a long look before he shrugged and replied, “Sure, why not?”

Star and Marco cheered in victory, high-fiving each other. “Yeah! Team Stomco is back at it again!” the hooded teen yelled.

“We are not calling ourselves that,” Tom muttered dismissively. 

“So Kelly, got any big plans now that you’re the head chef of Butterfly Castle?” Jackie asked, giving her friend a curious look.

Kelly’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation, an evil grin beginning to spread across her face. “Oh I’ve got a few ideas in mind,” she replied cryptically. 

Finally, Kelly felt more free than she had ever been. She was no longer forced to work under the goofy and eccentric Roy, she was free to pursue whatever. She could bake to her heart’s content and she could already imagine all the amazing dishes she would be able to make now that she was in charge of her own staff of chefs. And boy did she have plans for her new staff. She was gonna whip those guys into shape or die trying. She was determined to not only run the kitchen right, she was gonna be the best dang chef Butterfly Castle had ever seen! 

She had been dreaming of such things for so long for an opportunity like this to come along, a dream which until a few hours ago had been entirely out of her reach. But now, it was finally a reality. And it was all thanks to her friends.

The girl took a moment to look around at her group of chosen companions, listening to them in silence as they all talked and laughed and joked with each other. She watched as Star said something flirty and Marco blushed beet red, hiding his face under his bangs. She watched as Janna poked Tom in the arm, causing him to flare up in anger, only to be distuighed as she then booped his nose, his face growing hotter than the surface of the sun. She smiled as Jackie’s laughter filled the air, giggling at her roommates bizarre attempt at flirting. She felt Tad’s weight pressing down on her head, reminding her that no matter what she wasn’t alone and she was loved.

And in that moment, Kelly couldn’t help but think that contest or not she was the real winner of the day. And her friends were all the award she needed. 

[hexensalbei]

when i’m at home

“... And she just came by the station and brought us coffee!”, Eddie grimaces, trying not to grit his teeth.

“Isn't it a nice gesture?”, Adriana asks; there's hint of amusement in her voice and she's not even trying to hide it. It's late evening; her kids are already in bed and so is Christopher which allows her to talk with her brother for a while. It's kinda their tradition—every few days they call each other—mostly via Skype—to catch up and check if everything's alright. She really enjoys it; the Diaz siblings has always been pretty close no matter how far away they have lived.

“It is. It's just... Why was she even at the station? I thought there's nothing between them. Not after that disaster of a date”, Eddie sighs. Seeing Buck chatting and laughing with Taylor Kelly at the end of their shift really put him in a bad mood. He still doesn't trust her especially around his best friend. He just knows that redhead reporter isn't the right person for Buck. Who repeatedly said he wants a serious relationship, not just a meaningless hookup.

And yet, he's still seeing her. It bothers Eddie so much he spilled out about it when Adriana asked what's up. He thought that it might help him calm down but he feels like he's just more angry than he has been earlier.

“Maybe they're just friends.”, Adriana suggests after a few moments of silence between them. She eyes him suspiciously. “Isn't it what Buck said anyway? That they're better off being friends?”

“Then why was she flirting with him for the whole she was there? Why did she bring him his favourite coffee?”. It's very clear that Eddie's annoyed that his sister isn't throwing insults at Buckley's not-so-new female friend.

“You flirt with him all the time and nobody says anything.”

Eddie freezes.

After what it feels like hours, he looks up at his sister. She has that odd, annoying smug on her face like she knows she's absolutely right and he has sudden urge to wipe it off. She just waits patiently for him to catch up what she said.

“I... What now?”

“You flirt with him all the time. And everyone is fine with it.”, she repeats very loud and clear.

“I don't”, Eddie scoffs. Has she gone mad and he hasn't noticed? He doesn't flirt with Buck, they're just best friends. They joke and bicker quite often but that's it. There's only friendly, platonic banter.

“Have you ever considered you might be in love with Buck?”, Adriana asks. Her question is serious even though Eddie sees the mischief in her eyes.

“Don't you think I would've noticed that I'm in love with my best friend?”, he answers with another question.

He really believes in that. He's been in love once in his life and it was Shannon. And he was definitely aware of his feelings. He still remembers first nervous glances, shy smiles and stuttering. He remembers first touches and kisses and how he had felt butterflies in his stomach. He also recalls their arguments, make-up sex and tears when they'd been hurting each other. Even when Shannon had re-appeared in his life, he was fully aware he still loved her. So if he did love Evan, he'd know. He thinks. He's so lost in thoughts, he doesn't hear his sister's rambling.

“Edmundo!”, she practically yells at him to bring back his attention. It seems to be working so she decides to share her honest opinion. “Eddie, we've been talking for almost an hour now, you had a date with Ana—like yesterday—and you didn't say a word about it. We're only talking about Buck. You're so pissed off because you saw him again with the girl he'd hooked up with in the past. And for me it's pretty telling. You're jealous.”

There's a silence on Eddie's side of the screen. In fact, he's utterly speechless. Adriana's words are ringing in his ears like a fucking bell. Jealous. Is is really jealousy what's been eating him since his friend had reconnected with Taylor?

“Look”, his sister bites her lip as if she's not sure if she should go on. Eventually, she does. “I'm not laughing or mocking you. I love you and I want everything what's best for you. I know you've had a rough couple of years dealing with all that shit with our parents, Shannon dying, tsunami and pandemic and yet, I've never seen you happier. You literally light up when you talk about Chris and Buck. You mention him all the time. You've never trusted Shannon the way you trust Buck with Chris and she was his mother. You two practically live together—last time we talked he was tucking Chris in after he spend the whole afternoon cooking dinner and watching movies with you two. It's something I do with my husband, not with my friends even if I love them. I've only seen glimpses of your life and I'm pretty sure you two love each other.”

Eddie listens. He pays attention to every word that coming out from Addie's mouth. It's hard to admit it but she's right. Buck has stopped being only a guest in his house a long time ago. Lately he's here almost all the time—either babysitting Chris while Eddie's on a date with Ana or just hanging out with the two of them because he doesn't feel comfortable in his own apartment. The thing is, Eddie likes having him around. He enjoys lazy mornings that smell like Buck's famous pancakes and coffee made by Hildy (Buck still teases him about it); he's also very fond of all evenings filled with laughter when they accidentally fall asleep on the couch and wake up in the middle of the night tangled up together. Being this close has never been awkward to them. At this point—Eddie realises—it's more awkward when there's an actual space between them. And, of course, he notices how attractive his friend is. He must've been blind not to see it. It's not like he's the only one who knows that Buck's eyes look like the cloudless sky in the middle of the summer when he's happy and get so dark they look like an stormy ocean, right?

He freezes again for a moment.

“Addie, I'm a little too old to have a sexuality crisis, don't you think?”, he asks but Adriana only laughs. He's not even offended by it because it's kinda hilarious. He would've laughed if somebody told him that he's gonna question his sexuality because of something his sister had said. “What if... What about our family? Parents?”

“You mean if you two get together?” Eddie nods. “I don't think you need to worry about it”, Adriana smiles brightly. “Our mom's wondering—and I quote—when will Edmundo bring back to El Paso that charming friend of his?”

“And so are we!”, Sophia chimes in, appearing suddenly behind Adriana.

“Dios Mío, have you been here the whole time?” Eddie groans when he sees both of his sisters grinning. He's royally fucked now. He knows them well and he's sure they won't forget about anything he has said tonight and will tease him mercilessly. There's a reason why Buck instantly hit it off when he met Diaz sisters. Sophia only nods and winks at him before she disappears again.

“Aunt Pepa loves him and don't even get me started with Abuela. Buck's her favourite grandchild, she gave him half of her secret recipes and he's not even officially Diaz yet!”, Adriana exclaims, pretending to be offended. Then, she adds. “And you certainly don't have to worry about Christopher. The kid loves Buck more than anyone. I'm not even sure if you're still his favourite adult.”

Eddie glares at her but there's a smile on his lips. He's not even slightly surprised that his son adores Buck so much. Honestly, Evan Buckley is his favourite adult too.

—☾—

Adriana's words are still stuck in his head days later when he's at home after another long, exhausting shift. Christopher is already here, doing his homework and Buck—Buck is here too. They're in the kitchen, preparing dinner together. Or it's rather Buck cooking and Eddie trying to steal food.

“Hey, quit snacking and cut the vegetables”, Buck orders and Eddie can't help but smile.

“I love you”, he blurts out. He didn't even think about it, it just escaped from his mouth.

It's Buck's turn to freeze.

Eddie looks at him and realises what he said. He's not panicking; he just feels happy, perfectly comfortable. At peace.

“I love you”, he says it again and suddenly he's in Buck's space. He just leans in and kisses him. Buck's definitely surprised but he only needs a moment to catch up what's going on. He responds very eagerly and kisses him back.

Eddie thinks it's a wonderful feeling. Now he knows that sometimes love doesn't hit like a wave, rapidly and intensively. Sometimes it just sneaks up quietly and patiently, like a river, taking piece by piece. He doesn't mind it.

“You're still cutting vegetables”, Buck says when they break apart. His eyes are full of joy and he's grinning—and Eddie wants to see him like this everyday. “And for the record, I love you too, Diaz.”

Eddie sends Adriana you were right hours later when he's already in bed, Buck curled up next to him. She responds almost immediately I know and he just smiles again.

—☾—

Link to ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30453828

(Title stolen shamelessly from band called The Maine, I highly recommend listen to that song, it fits Buddie so much ✨

[seaofashes]

“Sharing is caring, now give me the hoodie!” 😭🥺👀💙

Eddie sighed as they made their way back to the station, eager to get out and into the showers. Buck sat next to him, their knees touching as Buck's absentminded knee bouncing slowed and came to a stop. Eddie glanced over at him, Buck's head was resting back and his eyes were closed and mouth slightly agape. Eddie shook his head to himself before looking forward again and catching Hen's knowing gaze for a moment.

"Poor guy, he doesn't seem like he's been getting enough sleep lately." Hen stated and Eddie nodded. He knew that Buck had a rough time sleeping, the night terrors weren't as frequent now but they still made themselves known and Buck could never get back to sleep after one unless Eddie was there with him. Eddie felt bad for not being there last night but Buck had gone back to his own place... because as much as Eddie hated it...Buck didn't live with him. Not yet. Eddie was working on it though. Eddie turned his gaze back to Hen.

"He's still struggling with sleep sometimes. Don't really blame him for that either, I'd have a hell of a time sleeping after what he's been through too. " Eddie said to her and she nodded. Eddie looked to see what street they were on before gently nudging Buck who jerked up.

"It wasn't me!" Buck shouted causing them to all laugh quietly.

"We're a few blocks from the station sleeping beauty." Eddie mumbled and Buck looked at him scrunching his face.

"Thank God. Dude you seriously need a shower wow. No wonder I fell asleep, your stench is enough to KO anyone Eddie." Buck stated as he leaned away from Eddie but kept their legs touching. Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Yeah thanks, I had no idea that falling into that pit would make me smell like a rotting corpse in a pile of sh-"

"Ahah language or that's money in the swear jar man. Christopher has a steep price for that thing man. $3 a word is outrageous." Buck said pointing a finger at him. Eddie stared at him exasperatedly.

"If that's the case then you owe like $27!?" Eddie called out loudly as they pulled into the station. Buck shook his head and looked innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about Eddie, I was an angel last call."

Eddie pulled off his headset before attacking Buck in a hug earning laughs from everyone. "EDDIE! Oh my God this is so fucking disgusting. Oh God what even is this?" Buck exclaimed as he gagged. Eddie got out of the truck and Bobby looked them over.

"Don't track that stench through the house, showers both of you." Bobby said and they both nodded and headed to the locker room. Buck grumbling the entire time and even more so when he started undressing. Eddie practically tore his own shirt off him and stepped out of his pants before he grabbed his towel and headed to one of the shower stalls and turned on the water sighing at the warmth of the water hit his skin. He stands under the water with his head tilted back as the water runs over his skin and washes some of the mud and God only knows what off him.

"Dude how are you not scrubbing at your skin right now?" Buck mumbled from behind him and Eddie scoffed as he opened an eye and looked back at him. Buck grabbed the shampoo pouring some into his hand before starting on Eddie's hair.

"Buck-"

"Don't worry Eds, no funny business at work. Just wanted to see if you were okay."

"You just didn't want to be alone." Eddie stated, he knew Buck hated being alone for too long even more so after rough sleep nights. Buck smiled sheepishly.

"I'm fine Ev, how you holding up?" Eddie asked as he got to work on Buck's hair as Buck's fingers still working through Eddie's hair. Buck shrugged.

"I'm fine, probably gonna crash as soon as I get home though. I'm beat." Buck said as he stepped closer to Eddie, both chest to chest under the water rinsing their hair. Buck rested his forehead against Eddie's and Eddie pressed forward gently capturing Buck's mouth. The kiss was short and sweet but it got a smile out of Buck and that's all that ever mattered to Eddie.

"Why don't you stay at my place? Or Chris and I can come to your place?" Eddie said quietly as he grabbed the soap and scrubbed at his body. Buck doing the same with his own.

"Eddie it's fine, I'll be okay you don't have to-"

"Buck please. I think we both sleep better when we're next to eachother." Eddie said trying not to meet Buck's eyes but also not wanting his gaze to wander lower so he turned entirely.

"Take it you didn't sleep much either last night?"

"I never do unless I'm with you Buck."

"Alright, I still have clothes at your place right?" Buck asked and Eddie laughed.

"Yeah, like three drawers man. And a toothbrush. And your favorite blanket is still on the bed. You also left your jacket." Eddie mumbled the last bit.

"I've been looking for that jacket everywhere oh my God. And yeah I'll come over tonight." Buck replied as Eddie turned the water off and reached out grabbing the two towels and threw one at Eddie. Both dried off and wrapped themselves in towels before heading into the locker room. "When's Christopher's science project due?"

"Next Friday. You're still helping out right? You know I hate all that math and equation stuff." Eddie said as he opened his locker and frowned before searching through his duffle.

"Is that even a question? Of course. Besides the math part of the science project is worth a lot of the grade. It can't look flashy and cool and not have how it got to be that flashy and cool. I'm telling you he's gonna do great Eds. He really is." Buck said as he began pulling on his extra jeans and shirt.

"I know he is, don't know where the kid gets his brains from. Both his parents were fucking jackasses most of his life." Eddie muttered as he dumped his bag and groaned.

"Okay you're gonna end up dumping your entire check into that jar, and you're not a jackass Eddie. Smart people do dumb things, I am the perfect example of that." Buck said and pulled out his hoodie. "What are you looking for man?"

"Give me that." Eddie said eyes glued to the hoodie. Buck looked momentarily confused as he looked down at his hands.

"Uh...why?"

"Just give it here." Eddie said as he finished pulling on his jeans, leaving the belt undone as he turned his attention to Buck again.

"What if I said no?"

"Give. Me. It." Eddie said staring Buck down.

"You forgot your other shirts didn't you." Buck asked with a hint of a smirk.

"Sharing is caring Evan! Now give me the damn hoodie!!!" Eddie yelled out as Chimney and Bobby walked in, Eddie had a hand outstretched towards Buck who was laughing.

"Do we even want to ask?" Bobby asked as he glanced between the two of them.

"You're suppose to steal your boyfriend's hoodies, not demand them half naked Eddie." Chimney said as he went to his locker. Eddie flushed, he felt like he was on fire. Buck smiled at him softly and tossed him the hoodie. Bobby shook his head and looked between them.

"We'll fill out the paperwork for HR tommorow. After we eat you guys are going home...and Diaz make sure he gets some sleep." Bobby said in the most fatherly tone they've heard in a while. Eddie nodded as he pulled on the hoodie and stuck his hands in the pocket and was suddenly really glad he left his other shirt at home.

Dinner was filled with the team teasing the two and a lot of people having to pay Chimney for winning the bet on when they'd get together. Hen was a little off and had made a comment about why they couldn't have decided to get together a little sooner than they had. Once they got home they found Christopher already fast asleep thanks to Carla and both kissed his head goodnight before moving to Eddie's room, their room really, and fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

[writinginstardust]

An Unexpected Christmas

Pairing: Alex Claremont-Diaz x reader

Prompt(s):  my family invites you to join our holiday meal as an obvious setup and i’m so sorry

Warnings: pretty sure there’s some swearing

A/N: Thanks to @writingbychelle for requesting this prompt! As you can tell by the word count, I had a lot of fun with this one and got very carried away.

Word Count: 3484

*

The White House Christmas party could either be the most entertaining or dullest event of the year and it was in full swing right now. Fortunately this year it was erring on the side of entertaining, mostly due to the increased presence of people my own age. The White House trio in particular. They were respectable - you had to be - but by god were they good at livening up a bunch of boring politicians. The ones that needed a little livening anyway. Some, I knew, could do it on their own.

Alex, June, and Nora. I envied them sometimes. They always had each other and they positively shone in the spotlight, unlike me. I tended to slide into the background alone and for the most part I didn’t mind. I’d been dragged to these things for half my life, one or both of my parents having held high offices since Obama was first elected, and for most of those years there’d been no one my own age I’d really managed to make friends with. I’d always been alone at parties and desperately tried to hide from anyone who wanted to engage in any sort of political discussion or ask about my future. Which was just about everyone. 

I knew my parents ambitions for me, everyone did. And they all would have assumed whether my parents had said a thing or not. But that was never what I wanted. It came as quite a shock when word got out that I was going to Georgetown to study art with a minor in creative writing. It’s funny. Maybe if I’d followed in my parents’ footsteps I’d actually be friends with Alex and not alone at this party.

It’s not as though I never spoke to any of them, we saw each other constantly at state functions where there generally weren’t many other young people to talk to since we were usually the only ones living in DC, but I knew I wasn’t exactly their first port of call for entertainment. They had each other and I had a 10 year old coping mechanism. And that was fine. It was all very fine. I was used to it. I just kind of wished things were different.

“(Y/N)!” June’s voice drew my attention and she beckoned me over to where she was talking to Nora and Alex. 

“Hey,” I offered them all a smile when I reached them, noticing that June and Nora both looked way too pleased and Alex ever so slightly uncomfortable. Huh, that was odd.

“Enjoying the party?”

“It’s one of the better ones I’ve been to. Half the interns are already drunk as are the Attorney General and Defence Secretary and I heard someone mention karaoke so hopefully it will be spectacular.”

“Karaoke?” Nora asked in surprise.

“Yep. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I have a lot of questions.”

“And I have a lot I could tell you.”

“Not right now though.” June interrupted. Alex, surprisingly, hadn’t said anything yet. That was weird. 

“You’re right. Ask her then,” Nora prompted. I looked back at June expectantly.

“Mom heard that you’re not going away with your parents for Christmas?”

“Unfortunately not. They get to enjoy the Bahamas and I’m stuck slaving over an assignment.” Normally I wouldn’t mind but my art professor had been in a rather cruel mood and set the class a 10,000 word paper and a large scale practical project right before Christmas break. All because someone laughed when he tripped on the way into class.

“Well, she wants to invite you to spend Christmas with us instead so you’re not all on your own. Unless you already made other plans, that is.”

“No...I, uh, had nothing planned.” Surprised at the invitation, the words were out of my mouth before I could really consider their consequences.

“So you’ll come? Mom is pretty insistent so if you’re saying no, I’m making you tell her yourself.” Well, looked like I was spending Christmas at the White House then. It’s difficult to say no to a president, especially when that president is Ellen Claremont.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Brilliant!” June was positively gleeful. “I’ll go tell mom.” She spun on her heel and took off to the other side of the room, Nora trailing behind her. That left me alone with Alex who was still uncharacteristically quiet.

“Are you alright?” I asked when the silence started getting awkward. “You haven’t said a word.”

“I am so so sorry.”

“Why?”

“Why on Earth did you say yes?” He asked rather than answering my question. “You must have realised what that was.” 

And I had. It was a very obvious and deliberate attempt at a set-up. Just about everyone apparently thought that we’d be great for each other and I knew everyone badgered Alex about it all the time. Maybe that’s one of the reasons we’d never really managed to become proper friends. I didn’t have it so bad. I was an only child and most of the people I really cared to talk to knew very little about this part of my life. There was the odd comment from my parents but they knew by now that I wouldn’t just go along with what they planned or thought best for me. I’d overheard enough to know Alex wasn’t so lucky.

“They caught me off-guard. It’s not ideal, I know, but it’s better than the Christmas I was in for otherwise.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think about that. It’s going to be unbelievably awkward you know?”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“How can it not be?”

“Just try to ignore it all.” I sighed. “Look, I know it will still be a bit awkward no matter what we do-”

“A bit? Do you realise how relentless my family are?”

“I know. But maybe we should just actually talk. Get to know each other a bit. It might make it more bearable.”

“Or less.”

“Alex, like it or not, we’re stuck in this situation now, we might as well make the best of it. Maybe this will give us a chance to actually become friends.”

“Friends, huh?”

“Yeah. I mean, if everyone thinks we should get together then there must be something compatible about us. We could try and be friends rather than having whatever this is.”

He knew what ‘this’ I was referring to. Whatever was between us. Neither of us really knew what it was or what to call it. We weren’t friends. It wasn’t some weird sexual tension. We were more than mere acquaintances too. A couple of young people in the same position who talked and occasionally got drunk together but had no significant attachment to each other (well…) was about the closest description. Whatever ‘this’ was, I didn’t want it.

“Okay. Let’s see how this goes.”

*

It went pretty well in the end. 

I woke early on Christmas morning, hours before I needed to think about leaving for the White House, I always did. Trying to sleep again would be futile so I rolled out of bed and went to make myself pancakes, shooting off a quick message to Alex to check the time and what I should wear on the way. It was a valid question. Some people dressed up, some didn’t leave their pyjamas, I didn’t want to be over or underdressed. I put the kettle on and felt my phone buzz in my pocket. It was Alex. I had a text from him timestamped at 3am and it was 7am now. Did he sleep at all?

It was still weird - getting texts from Alex. He’d taken my suggestion of friends to heart and had been texting me about all sorts at all hours of the day and night for the past week. It was odd, but nice. And I - and by extension, everyone - was right. We had a lot in common. 

I checked his text.

Alexander the not-so-great: I’m already up so come by whenever. Dinner at 1 though so before then.

Me: Okay. Making pancakes now, see you in a couple of hours?

Alexander the not-so-great: ...If I come over, can I have pancakes?

Me: Sure.

I froze. Had I seriously just invited him over for breakfast? I read the text again. Yes. Yes, I had. Okay. This wasn’t weird at all. Too late to do anything about it now though. 

10 minutes later I heard a car pulling up outside. That would be him.

“Merry Christmas!” I smiled as I opened the door for him, trying to look as if I wasn’t freaking out a bit at this turn of events.

“Hey,” he smiled back and I swear that smile didn’t used to do the things it was doing to me now.

“Come in, food is nearly ready.” I stepped back so he and one of his security team could come inside. I couldn’t help feeling bad for the woman that was stuck coming out here with him so early in the morning.

Breakfast turned out not to be as awkward as I’d anticipated, in fact it was quite nice. I hadn’t actually seen Alex since the Christmas party last week but thankfully we were getting on as well in person as we had been over text. Better, even.

“Okay, I need to go take a shower,” I said when we’d finished washing up our plates. “Wi-Fi password is on the router in the living room through there if you want it. Just make yourself at home while I get ready.” We wandered out into the hall and I started up the stairs before pausing and adding. “Guest bathroom is at the end of the hall upstairs and the door next to it is the guest room, you can use anything you need in there. There’s towels and stuff if you need a shower or anything.”

“Is this your way of telling me I stink?” He asked with a teasing smile.

“No worse than usual.” I grinned back and finished climbing the stairs, Alex’s laughter following me until my bedroom door shut between us.

I tried to get ready quickly, feeling as though I was keeping him waiting somehow even though he’d said there was no rush. I managed to shower in record time but that was all I got done quickly. Everything seemed to have gone missing, my hairbrush, moisturiser, toothbrush - which I could have sworn I left charging on my desk, and half my clothes. Maybe I should have tidied my room a bit over the past few weeks, but to be fair, I had a lot of work to do and keeping my things tidy wasn’t much of a priority.

Kicking a pile of clothes to the side, I freed my underwear draw and managed to find a clean set to wear. That was something at least. I looked in my wardrobe, at what was the only selection of clothes I knew for sure were clean, and tried to find an outfit in there somewhere. There was a cute dress or two, but I still wasn’t sure if that was too formal, and a few paint covered t-shirts, some jeans, all my party clothes, and a few shirts. I could probably find something that would work but I needed to check with Alex first. I tried texting him but he didn’t answer. Of course the one time I needed a reply, he was ignoring his phone.

With a huff, I threw on my bathrobe and went downstairs to find him. He wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen and his security was still here so he hadn’t left. I asked her if she knew where he was and she told me he’d gone to the bathroom. Thanking her, I padded back upstairs to intercept him on his way out. That turned out to be a mistake. 

The bathroom door opened and Alex stepped out. Apparently he’d taken me up on my offer of the shower and I was having a hard time deciding if I was happy about that or not. On the one hand, the sight of him still slightly damp with water dripping from his hair and a towel slung low on his hips was fucking glorious. On the other, the sight of him like that was probably going to kill me.

I could feel my cheeks burning as I tried and failed to keep my eyes on his face and not his annoyingly toned abs but I could tell he noticed as he smirked at me. Asshole.

“Can I do something for you?” Yeah. He could take the fucking towel off. I swallowed those words that got alarmingly close to spilling out of my mouth.

“Yeah. I wanted to ask what I should wear. I’m a bit low on options but I don’t want to be overdressed or anything.”

“What have you got?” And I definitely shouldn’t have, especially not now, but I gestured for him to come into my room and take a look.

“Sorry about the mess. It’s not usually like this,” I apologised when I saw how taken aback he looked. I pointed at my open wardrobe. “That’s the only stuff I know for sure is clean.” He considered for a moment before pulling out one of the slightly more casual party dresses along with a cardigan.

“This should be fine. Don’t bother with heels or anything though, just put some sneakers with it.”

“Thanks.” I took the clothes from him and shooed him away. “Go away now. I can’t get dressed with you in here.”

“You sure?” He winked and I smacked his arm, rolling my eyes.

“If I’d have known this was what being your friend entailed, I never would have suggested it.”

“That hurts.”

“You’ll live. Now go get dressed.”

“Sure you want me to?” He winked at me again and in all honesty, I wasn’t sure but I needed him to if I was going to stay sane.

“Oh my god, just go.” He grinned at me one last time before I shut the door on him and let out a deep breath. Alex Claremont-Diaz was going to be the absolute death of me.

*

We got to the White House just before nine and the rest of the family were up and waiting in the living room. And that was something interesting to walk into. Never in my life did I think I’d see President Ellen Claremont half asleep on the floor in her pyjamas. There were some very meaningful looks aimed our way when we walked in together and I could tell we were both regretting turning up at the same time. It was too late to do anything about it though.

“So that’s where you disappeared off to this morning,” June said with a smirk.

“Well I had to do something while I waited for you all to wake up.” There were raised eyebrows at that and Alex froze for a moment as he realised how that might have sounded. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

No one bothered to respond to that and just shifted to make space on the floor by the tree for us, failing to repress their smirks when they basically forced us to sit together. Alex really hadn’t been exaggerating about how bad his family was with this.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone had got me gifts to, and good ones. They apparently knew me better than I’d thought. Thankfully I’d managed to find something for everyone too, though I doubted my gifts were quite as good. But it’s the thought that counts after all.

Soon after the presents were done everyone headed back to their rooms to get dressed, once again leaving Alex and I alone. I didn’t miss the wink June threw our way as she left and pointedly shut the door behind her. I kind of wanted to die.

“I am definitely starting to understand why you seemed so horrified by this idea,” I groaned when the door clicked shut.

“I did warn you.”

“Yeah, after I’d already agreed.”

“You could have just said there was a change of plan.”

“You try telling your mother that.”

“...Okay, you have a point.” I sighed and laid down on the rug. 

“It could be worse. At least they’re not saying anything embarrassing yet.”

“Give them time.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“With good reason. I hope you’re ready for this.” And, like a fool, I thought I was.

Christmas lunch passed agonisingly slowly with meaningful glances thrown both my way and Alex’s from Zahra and every member of the family. The food was great though and it was still enjoyable when I was able to ignore the looks and immerse myself in the conversation but even that didn’t last long. Leo just had to ask about both our love lives. Alex managed to field most of the questions and more than once I saw him shoot his family murderous looks which made them drop it for a few minutes. I appreciated the attempts.

Drinking and ridiculous games followed for the rest of the day and I lost track of time, enjoying everyone’s company even if they were still giving us looks and comments. I found myself minding less and less the longer I was there though. It sure wouldn’t be the worst thing to get together with Alex and honestly the idea was becoming very appealing. 

11pm rolled around. Eyes started drooping, conversations died down, and murmurs about heading to bed started up. I was half asleep myself, leaning on Alex’s shoulder and not really caring anymore what anyone might think, and dreading the prospect of getting up and making my way home. I’d gotten a lift with Alex from my house and I was regretting it now. Either I’d have to trouble someone for a lift home or walk. Neither option seemed great but I’d have to pick soon. The longer I stayed there, the harder it was getting to move.

Ellen and Leo stood and announced they were heading to bed and I decided that probably meant I should leave too, no matter how much I didn’t want to. I shifted and started to get up but Ellen stopped me.

“(Y/N), honey, it’s late, you can stay here tonight.” There was only the faintest smirk on her face now so I knew the offer was more out of care than the family’s attempt to set Alex and I up.

“Oh, uh, thanks.” She smiled and left, Leo following with Zahra close behind. I hesitated for another few moments. I probably shouldn’t stay but the option was incredibly tempting.

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Alex said quietly. I looked over at him and he was smiling slightly, the look on his face softer than any I’d ever seen before. “But I’d like you to.” There was something strangely vulnerable in his voice and I found myself agreeing to stay without thinking.

“Okay.” He grinned and stood up, much more himself now.

“I’ll show you to a guest room.” We both pretended not to notice the smirks on both Oscar and June’s faces as we left. I didn’t have the energy left for conversation so we walked through the residence in comfortable silence until we finally arrived at a door that looked just like every other. 

“Well, goodnight I guess.” Alex finally spoke again. “I hope today wasn’t too awful.”

“It was actually really nice.” I smiled sleepily at him.

“Even with all...that?” He gestured vaguely to indicate his family.

“It wasn’t so bad.” I mean, it totally was but being with Alex had been worth it.

“I’m glad. It was nice having you here.” I tried to ignore the way my heart swooped at that but it was difficult in my tired state. “I’m just along the hall in the east bedroom if you need anything and I basically never sleep so don’t worry about disturbing me.”

“Thanks Alex. And thanks for today.”

“You’re welcome. Goodnight.” And then, quite unexpectedly - though maybe if I’d been paying more attention it would have been less of a surprise, he leaned in and kissed me. Just lightly, his lips soft and warm against my own for a few brief moments before he pulled away with a soft smile. “Sleep well, (Y/N).”

He turned and headed to bed himself, leaving me standing dumbly in the hall, surprise rooting me to the spot. After a few seconds spent staring after him I finally shook myself out of it, turning the doorknob and slipping inside the guest room. My whole body felt warm and molten and I collapsed on the bed, mind swirling with thoughts of Alex. Today hadn’t been what I expected but it was better than I dreamed. Maybe being set up wasn’t so bad after all.

*

Tag Lists: (send an ask if you want to be added!)

Everything: @wonderfilledness @writingbychelle @ad-astraaaa @moderngenius94

[seeaddywrite]

give me strength so i can see (buddie; 9-1-1)

wow, okay, this is absolutely not something i should have written before i finished one of my wips, but this is what happened. i fully blame 9-1-1 & the chemistry between Buck & Eddie, because i couldn’t NOT write fic after the tsunami arc ended. this is my first foray into the fandom & their heads, so please be kind. also, this fic would not exist in its entirety without @soberqueerinthewild, who is always the best cheerleader, beta, & person around. <3 i’ve been in a bit of writing slump lately, so it feels really good to actually finish something!

warnings for self-loathing, references to depression, & excessive amounts of adverbs. 

The moment that Buck sees Christopher safely reunited with his father, all of the stress and adrenaline that had kept him going for the last several hours floods away instantaneously. He collapses forward, uncaring of the hard ground that rushes up to meet him. Hen and Chimney stop him from face-planting on the floor of the emergency hospital, but Buck barely tracks their reassurances or their hands as they try to assess the damage he’s done to himself in his frantic attempts to find Christopher. Buck wants to tell them to stop, that he’s fine, that all he ever needed was to witness the scene unfolding in front of them, with Eddie and Christopher, but he can’t quite manage the words through his chattering teeth. Blood loss is a bitch, and teamed with exhaustion, Buck knows it’ll take a while before he’s fully able to interact with the world again. 

Right now, that feels like a positive. The only two people he wants to talk to are half a hospital away, wrapped up in each other. Even when he regains feeling in his legs and is steady enough to leave the hospital, he doesn’t try to go near them. Instead, Buck watches from a distant cot as Christopher is checked out by a doctor and his father’s careful, assessing gaze, and slips through Chim and Hen’s guard to leave the makeshift hospital a moment after Chis is pronounced healthy, if tired and cold. 

It’s cowardly for him to leave like this, he knows, without so much as an apology to the brave little boy or any attempt to make this up to Eddie, but Buck is too tired to fight, and he’s not sure he could remain standing under the direct onslaught of Eddie’s entirely justified anger that night. Buck would face up to his mistakes later, but for now, it seems kinder for all of them to slip back to the apartment that doesn’t quite feel like a home and hide away under the blankets that still reek of depression and listlessness.  

It’s hard to sleep that night, despite the exhaustion plaguing him. The day’s events play on repeat in his head, waking him with a jolt every time he  manages to doze off. Every mistake is so obvious in retrospect -- had he really expected a child with cerebral palsy to keep himself steady on top of a floating fire truck? If he hadn’t had to play the hero, if he’d just stayed up there with Chris, it never would have happened. Buck would have had the little boy securely in his arms the entire time. He would never have been lost, or dependent on the kindness of strangers to get him to a hospital. Buck would never have been forced to look Eddie in the eye and tell him that he’d lost his son, or watch that familiar, impossibly deep gaze fill with grief and horror and blame before Chris’s miraculous reappearance. 

If Buck hadn’t had to play the fucking hero, maybe he would have finally been able to tell Eddie the truth about how he felt in the rush of victory, of survival and reunion. Maybe he would’ve finally had the guts to admit that being a best friend isn’t what he wants anymore, to say the words he’s been mulling over for what seems like forever. Maybe, just maybe, he could have discovered whether or not there was a chance for them to take things further -- but none of that matters now. The fear of being into guys -- or at least Eddie? Buck hasn’t quite figured that part out yet -- pales in comparison to the pain of losing a best friend and Christopher, who’d managed to get under his skin and cuddle in close to Buck’s heart when he wasn’t looking.  

In the end, Buck gets out of bed earlier than usual, giving up on sleep. There’s a slim chance that leaving his bed will stop his thoughts from continuing on that same, downward spiral, and Buck’s nothing if not a gambler. He winds up at the kitchen table, staring out at the sunrise with a beer sitting half-empty in front of him -- just staring out as the new day begins. It’s incredible, he muses, that from here, he could almost pretend nothing catastrophic had happened the day before. The sun is still rising, the birds are still chirping, the neighbors below him are still arguing at decibels loud enough to wake the dead. It’s the same as always, and just as he had for the last six months, Buck finds himself wondering how the world outside can simply keep going when his own personal world had come to a screeching halt. Only today, it’s worse than just losing his job, his identity. Now he’s lost his best friend, too, and the trust of a child he cares about. The losses are far more grievous.

A knock at the apartment door shakes him out of the self-loathing stupor, and Buck drags his aching body out of the kitchen chair with a groan. His bad leg throbs with the addition of his weight, but Buck has a lot of practice at ignoring that, these days, so he continues on with barely a limp, and opens the door, expecting to find Maddie, with her relentless optimism, or Bobby, with yet another pep talk prepared.

Instead, Eddie stares back at him from the hallway, his hands resting comfortably on Chris’s small shoulders as the little boy totters forward on his back-up crutches to hug Buck with a wide, blameless smile. Buck stands, stiff with astonishment, and pats Chris awkwardly on the back, still staring at Eddie, trying to figure out what the other man is playing at. Old instincts make him defensive, stiff, as Eddie leads Christopher into the apartment and begins rattling off the contents of the bag he’s plopped on the table next to Buck’s half-empty bottle. 

It’s hard, but Buck manages to tear his attention from Christopher, who’s sitting happily on the coffee table in front of the TV, to try to get a read on Eddie’s expression. Is this some kind of test? Is Buck supposed to play along, or is he supposed to blow up so Eddie has an easy excuse for Chris about why he’s not allowed to come over anymore? Buck has no idea, and the indecision makes him swallow harshly. He doesn’t want to fuck anything up any worse than he already has— by some miracle, he has both of the Diaz men in his home again, and God, Buck wants to keep them there. The sense of family they’ve given him in the last six months of hell is better than anything he’s had since he left home, and losing it once almost killed him. Losing it a second time, now, before he’s had the chance to say something? Buck doesn’t  think he could do it. 

“You want me to watch Christopher?” The words are incredulous, and not half as even as Buck would have liked, but he manages to keep his voice from cracking, so he takes the win where he can. 

Eddie’s less than a foot away now; Buck has closed the distance between at some point, but he honestly couldn’t pinpoint when. There’s no waver in his dark gaze, no uncertainty or anger, and Buck has no idea what to make of it, especially when his response is teasing and light. “It’s easy— he’s not very fast.”

Buck swallows the surprised response that threatens and schools his expression into something resembling calm, but his gut churns nervously. Everything about this interaction screams too easy, and if he’s learned anything through physical therapy, it’s that if something seems too easy, it probably is. No pain, no reward, his therapist is fond of reminding him, and Buck has always agreed. Then again, he’s never feared physical pain. This? The emotional toll of facing Eddie and Chris after his failures? That’s fucking terrifying.

“After everything that happened-“ 

“A natural disaster happened, Buck.”

Part of Buck wants to scoff, to point out everything that had happened after the natural disaster couldn’t be blamed on nature, not unless it was Buck’s. It is in his nature to tend toward making stupid fucking calls in the heat of the moment, after all. The other part of him soaks up Eddie’s words like a plant does sunlight. He keeps his eyes averted, though, still unable to accept it, unable to even fathom the possibility that Eddie doesn’t hate him. Because he should. Buck knows, because he’s pretty sure he hates himself. 

“I lost him, Eddie,” he manages, the reminder a low, defeated croak. Memories from the day before flicker in the spaces between words, broken images and impressions of the desperate search for Christopher, and Buck has to swallow once, twice, to defeat the nausea threatening to overcome him. Buck’s not a parent, isn’t sure he’ll ever be one, but he loves Christopher like his own, and the idea of losing him for good is more than enough to bring him to his knees.

 But Christopher is alive. He’d made it out of the tsunami despite Buck’s hubris, and is happily watching cartoons in the living room. 

The mental reminder is enough to stop Buck from vomiting on Eddie’s shoes, at least. 

“You saved him. That’s how he remembers it.” Eddie pauses, like he’s trying to let the weight of his words sink through Buck’s thick skull. And it’s not like Buck doesn’t want to believe it, doesn’t want to stop seeing every moment of that horrible day on repeat every time he closes his eyes. There’s not much he wouldn’t do to stop the sinking pit of guilt in his stomach, or the squirming sense of self-loathing when he comes close to meeting Eddie’s gaze. But he can’t. The fact that Christopher made it out alive doesn’t make up for Buck’s mistake, and Eddie knows that. Buck had read the blame in his eyes before Christopher showed up at the hospital, seen the way his entire body had shifted away from Buck and into tight, tense lines that spoke of a strong desire to punch him in the face -- at the least. 

It had hurt, torn open whatever parts of him weren’t already bleeding with Christopher’s loss, and Buck couldn’t forget it, so this entire conversation felt almost dreamlike, a fantasy that Buck isn’t sure he can trust, no matter how much he’d like to. 

“And now it’s turn to do the same for you,” Eddie continues, oblivious to Buck’s internal conflict. 

And God, Buck wants that. He wants to put the entire disaster behind him, ignore all of the ways he’d fucked up and cling to the second chance Eddie seems to be offering without talking about it -- but Buck’s played that game before. He knows how it always ends. Bottling difficult things never works for long, and the resulting explosion is usually worse than whatever the actual problem was. 

So Buck trails Eddie into his living room, staying just a step behind, and shakes his head when he feels himself become the focus on that intense gaze once again. “I was -- I was supposed to watch out for him,” he tries again, stumbling over the words he doesn’t really want to say. Buck doesn’t do shy or shrinking; his entire life has been about taking up space, being unapologetically himself, but this is different, somehow. This is Eddie, whose opinion has meant too damn much to Buck since the first day they locked eyes at the station, who’s such an integral part of Buck’s life and happiness that the idea of losing him sucks the air from Buck’s lungs. This matters, in a way that nothing but firefighting and Maddie ever had, and Buck won’t screw it up again. He can’t. 

“And what, you think you failed?” 

Damn it, did Eddie have to sound so nonchalant about this? Of course Buck failed! Christopher had been missing for six fucking hours -- no matter how that equation’s set up, the answer is still the same. 

“Buck, I’ve failed that kid more times than I care to count, and I’m his father.”

The words are layered in empathy, in a sense of understanding, that makes something constrict tightly in Buck’s chest. Eddie shouldn’t be comparing Buck’s failure to the trials of being an actual parent -- the two aren’t even remotely close. Christopher has always been safe, happy, and cared for with his father, and Buck knows it because he’s seen it. He’s seen Eddie fight for his son to have the best education, the best childcare, the best of everything. He’s seen Eddie cut himself off from dating on the off chance Christopher would get hurt, seen him leave his own home and family in order for Christopher to be closer to his. There’s nothing Eddie wouldn’t do for the boy, and knows that Eddie’s never really failed his son. Not when it counted. So he can’t help the short, instinctive shake of his head at the reassurance, because it’s just not true. 

“But I love him enough to never stop trying, and I know you do, too.”

Unnamed emotion clogs Buck’s throat, and he glances down at the floor, swallowing hard. It’s been hard to play the tough, cool guy the last several months, so Eddie’s already seen him as weak and vulnerable as Buck can get -- career-ending injuries, a lack of mobility, and obvious depression hadn’t done great things for his rep around the 118, not that Buck had particularly cared at the time. Eddie’d been around the most, though, only slightly less often than Maddie, and had seen it all. So it should be easy to admit to loving Christopher, to caring more about his best friend’s son than he cared about anyone outside of Maddie and the 118 squad. 

It isn’t. 

Buck doesn’t get a chance to say anything, which is probably a blessing. One of Eddie’s large, work-roughened hands claps his shoulder, and warmth bleeds through the thin cotton of Buck’s t-shirt and sends a thrill down his spine. He still doesn’t manage to meet the eyes waiting on him until he hears his name, the single syllable infused with an order that Buck can’t quite ignore. 

But once he gives in, Buck’s immediately lost to the intensity of Eddie’s familiar dark gaze. He’s so close, now, and the heat his body throws off is slowly seeping into the icy chasm in Buck’s chest. Maybe, he realizes, he can trust this -- trust Eddie. Because no matter what has gone on between them, no matter how much of an ass Buck has been, there’s never been any reason to doubt Eddie’s sincerity; and there’s no way he’d so cruel as to dangle forgiveness and understanding in front of Buck only to yank it away at the last minute. 

“There is nobody,” Eddie begins firmly, and the open honesty in his face makes Buck shiver. Paired with the soft tapping of his thumb against the exposed skin of Buck’s collarbone, it would be all too easy for Buck to sway into the broad chest in front of him and know that Eddie would catch him. “ -- in this world that I trust with my son more than you.” 

It’s the last thing he expects to hear, and Buck blinks rapidly at Eddie, trying to understand how it could possibly be true after the previous day’s terror -- but there’s no hesitation in Eddie’s stance, no hint of uncertainty or the blame Buck knows he caught yesterday at the hospital. Buck swallows again, the sound of his throat working audible in the sudden quiet. Thanks and emotional confessions jam in his mouth until he can’t say anything, and Eddie doesn’t give him a chance before he’s squeezing Buck’s shoulder and dropping the point of contact to go say goodbye to Christopher in the living room. 

Though his skin is cold where Eddie’s touch lingered, Buck’s grateful for the reprieve. He turns his head and wipes at damp eyes, trying to regain some of the composure he’s lost. Eddie is too good at stripping down every defense, at seeing past all of his walls and leaving Buck open and vulnerable. It’s why he was the only one who could cajole Buck into going to PT after his last surgery, when things were looking hopeless, why he alone could drag Buck out of bed when even Bobby and Athena got shown the door -- hell, Eddie had even wound up with a fucking spare key to the apartment when Maddy didn’t even have one. And Buck is tired of being weak and vulnerable, of needing constant reassurance that he’s wanted and forgiven. This broken-down, over-emotional man he’s become isn’t who Evan Buckley is, and Buck suddenly needs to make that really damn clear to Eddie. 

But Eddie’s already on his way out the door with a few teasing comments about staying in-land, so Buck lets him go with a chuckle that feels natural, even if the circumstances don’t. He pivots on his good leg to join Christopher in front of the television, only to stop short when Eddie pops his head back in the door. 

“Thank you,” he says, in that same voice that’s sent chills down Buck’s spine at least twice that morning. “For not giving up.” And Eddie’s gone before Buck can summon any sort of response beyond the frustrated yearning that builds in the pit of his stomach when he vanishes out of the doorframe. Buck stares after him helplessly -- and god damn it, it’s not fair that Eddie can be so damned perfect when Buck is still reeling. He’s had months to come to terms with the fact that Eddie is ridiculously good-looking; and it’s never been a big deal that he likes to watch him work out, once in a while. So does pretty much everyone at the station. But this want, this desperation for Eddie’s approval, for his care and closeness -- that’s not normal. That’s not straight. And yeah, okay, maybe Buck’s had a few hints that he could be into guys before, maybe he’s considered and discarded the idea a few times over the years, but it’s never been like this. It’s never been so all-consuming, so impossible to ignore. It’s never been so terrifying. Not because Eddie’s a guy; Buck could care less about that. But Eddie is Buck’s best friend. Hell, outside of the others at the 118, Eddie’s his only friend. The rest have all disappeared, lost in the gaping chasm that separates first responders from civilians who could never understand the pull of the job, no matter how dangerous it might be. And then, of course, there’s Christopher -- the kid who’s still sitting in the living room in front of the TV, patiently waiting for Buck to get his shit together and join him. 

Right. Crisis later. Babysitting now. 

He can do this, one step at a time. Eddie’s not mad at him, and if he says that Chris isn’t either, then Buck can take him at his word. Buck drags in a slow breath, straightens his shoulders, and goes to join the child on the couch with a genuine, if small, smile.

“Hey, buddy …” 

****** 

They spend the day in the apartment, this time. Buck wants to say that it’s because they deserve a lazy day after previous one’s mess, but really, there’s a large part of him that’s afraid to set foot outside with Christopher, no matter how slim the chance of a second natural disaster. So they spend hours on the floor of the living room building increasingly complex structures with Legos and order that pizza Eddie prescribed and devour the entire thing --  if Buck eats a little more than he normally would, it definitely isn’t because Eddie told him to. It’s light and uncomplicated, just easy camaraderie that Buck never expected himself capable of finding with anyone, let alone a little kid, and the ease of it all is enough to allow some of his anxiety to bleed away. For the first time in the last thirty-six hours, Buck is truly able to relax. 

Christopher’s energy starts to wane after dinner, so Buck takes the initiative to put in one of the movies shoved in the bag Eddie packed for him. They end up in a pile of blankets and cushions on the floor -- Buck’s leg is stiff and sore after yesterday’s exertions, and Christopher hasn’t said anything, but he’s moving a lot more slowly than usual, and taking extra care when he does, so Buck guesses that he’s in some pain, too. Cerebral Palsy isn’t something he knows a whole lot about, but a lack of muscle tone is pretty obvious, and clinging to poles and other floating refuse during the tsunami had to have taken a toll on his little body. Not that Christopher had ever complained -- and that, right there, is yet another reason for Buck to be in awe of what that child is capable of. 

“Buck?” 

The small voice interrupts whatever animated crap is on the screen, and Buck glances down at Chris in askance. From this angle, all he can see is blonde curls; Chris has his cheek pressed against Buck’s chest, and is curled up beneath one arm. The warm weight against his body has Buck half asleep himself, but he rouses enough to ask, “Yeah?” 

“You didn’t lose me.” The simple, sleepy words make Buck’s heart seize, and he stares down at the top of Christopher’s head, trying to form words with numb lips. “I heard you tell Daddy that you did, but you didn’t.” Buck is struck speechless. He freezes, and the silence in the room seems a condemnation of his inability to speak, but Christopher doesn’t seem to mind. He presses on, unconcerned. “You found me, and I kept swimming, just like Dory, and I found you and Daddy. And I’m safe, and you’re safe, and we don’t need to be scared anymore.”  The matter-of-fact, blunt sentiment is hard for Buck to swallow, but he runs a hand over Christopher’s disheveled curls and down his back, anyway.

“I’m sorry you had to be scared at all, buddy,” he says honestly, and manages to keep his voice level and calm, despite the uncertainty he feels. “But you’re right. You’re safe now, and that’s what matters.” It seems like the most natural thing in the world to drop a casual kiss to the crown of blonde hair, and Buck doesn’t allow himself to second-guess the impulse when it’s done. “Come on, kid, you’re falling asleep. Let’s get you up to bed, huh? Your dad won’t be here for another few hours, and I think we both deserve a nap.” It’s not his most graceful or subtle subject change, but Chris is young enough not to notice -- or tactful enough to let it go, Buck’s honestly not sure which. 

Mock complaints and grumblings get tossed around, but Christopher clings to Buck’s neck as he carries him up the stairs and helps him settle into the bed with a minimum amount of fuss. They lay on the mattress together for half an hour, until Christopher’s breathing is slow and even, and there’s no hint of wakefulness on his young face. Buck knows better than to ruin his progress with sleeping during the day; that’s a one-way ticket back to the land of depression and hopelessness, and he refuses to fall back into bad habits. Instead, he slides from the bed, careful not to jolt the other occupant, and heads downstairs. He hadn’t had a chance to do his stretches and exercises from physical therapy that day, yet, and he knows he needs to -- firefighter or no, he’s not losing any mobility. The stretches have the added bonus of requiring all of his attention and focus, so his mind won’t wander to any dark places. Or any Eddie-shaped places, which Buck is pretty sure he should avoid, too. 

So that’s how Eddie finds Buck an hour or so later, sweat-soaked and lying, arms and legs akimbo, on the living room floor. He hadn’t heard a knock, or even the door opening, over the pounding of his own heart, and Buck flails upright into a sitting position when he hears the familiar chuckle from the entryway. 

“Only you would spend an entire day fighting a tsunami and still feel like you need to work out the next day,” Eddie says lightly as he enters the room, dressed in the same casual outfit from this morning. There’s a cut above his eye that hadn’t been there before, and Buck knows him well enough to read the fatigue in the set of his shoulders and the lines around his mouth. He recognizes that look from a hundred rough shifts, and can imagine what Eddie’s seen today on clean-up duty from the tsunami. He shudders, then carefully picks himself up off the ground and leads his guest into the kitchen to grab them both a beer without asking if Eddie wants one.

“Can’t slack off on PT,” Buck explains as they both settle down at the tiny kitchen table. “I may not be a firefighter anymore, but I’m not going to get stuck working behind a desk somewhere.” He can’t quite look directly at Eddie, but it’s easier now than it had been this morning to try. The sucking pit of desolation in his chest is gone, replaced by a stupid, schoolgirl flutter of nerves in his gut when they stand too close, and Buck doesn’t really know what to do with that -- but it’s easier than waiting to hear if Eddie’s decided to close him out of his and Christopher’s life for good. 

“You’re not going to end up behind a desk,” Eddie says firmly. There’s a frown forming between his brows, and something distinctly unhappy in the way he’s staring at Buck. Before the latter has a chance to question it, Eddie stands up and grabs both bottles of beer from the table. Without a word, he shoves both of them back in the fridge, then turns to face Buck again with his chin raised in challenge. “Unless you keep drinking your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, that is. Did you even eat today?” 

Buck’s spine stiffens defensively. “Chris ate lunch and dinner,” he says carefully. There’s good reason for Eddie to doubt that Buck’s been taking good care of his son, after all, even if this morning it had seemed they were passed it. “And I wouldn’t drink when I was watching him, Eddie.” 

A complicated series of emotions flickers over Eddie’s face, but it’s hidden behind one large hand before Buck can even try to translate it. “I didn’t ask if Christopher had eaten,” he says quietly, and drags his hand down his face to rest on the table directly in front of Buck. The movement has him leaning down, leaving them so close that their faces mere inches from each other. Immediately, the speed of Buck’s heartbeat kicks up a notch, and he curses himself for reacting so inappropriately to mere proximity. “I told you this morning, man -- I trust you with my son. I know you wouldn’t drink while you were watching him, or forget to feed him, just like I know you never gave up on him yesterday.” 

Buck chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment, then deliberately leans back in his chair, trying to put some space between them before he answers. “Then what’s up with the third degree?” he demands, trying for some semblance of his usual bravado. “If you really thought I was taking good care of Christopher, why are you --”

“Because Christopher isn’t the only person I care about, Buck,” Eddie cuts in sharply. Frustration emanates from him in waves, and Buck wants to offer reassurance, but he’s too busy trying not to read too far into those words to manage it. Eddie cares about him. He’s known that for months -- caring isn’t the same as wanting to be with someone romantically. The two of them are friends. Best friends. And Buck needs to get ahold of himself before he says or does something to ruin that. 

“What --” 

“Don’t sit there and act like you don’t know what I mean!” Eddie shoves away from the table and paces in a circle around the table, never taking his eyes off of Buck as he does so. Unlike other moments when Eddie looks at him, Buck finds he doesn’t like this sort of scrutiny. It leaves him feeling like all of his weakest, most fragile parts have been put on display, and Buck’s never been good at admitting to his own problems. “It was bad enough when you were laid up from surgery, but now you’re either drinking or sleeping, or pushing yourself way too hard in PT. You’ve been losing weight for weeks, and it’s not healthy, Buck! I’m worried about you!”

Silence reigns in the kitchen for a long moment as Buck tamps down hard on the impulse to bellow that he’s fine, and no one asked Eddie to worry about him -- that’s the response of a scared man-child, not the person that Buck is trying to be. And truthfully, it’s nice to know that someone’s looking out for him. The others at the 118 and Maddy try, Buck knows, but they’re easy to reassure. A grin here, a cock-sure comment about his prowess there, a playful slug to the shoulder, and almost everyone sees him as the same old Buck who’d gotten into the fire engine the night of the bombings. 

Eddie’s not that easy to fob off, and as much as it makes Buck feel uncomfortable, it makes him feel seen. 

“I’m okay, Eddie,” he says instead, and lifts his chin to hold the skeptical gaze aimed at him. “I am, really.” The words feel honest, for the first time in quite a while, and Buck even manages a genuine smile. “You were right, when you dropped Chris off yesterday. Hanging out with him -- it was what I needed.” Buck shakes his head in remembered awe of the little boy and his strength. Even stranded in rushing water higher than his head, clinging to a pole for dear life, Christopher had been braver than Buck ever could be, and his courage and grace under pressure had shown Buck exactly how much work he had to do to deserve any part of the life he felt entitled to. “You and him -- even with everything yesterday -- you guys made me realize I needed to do something different, or I was going to end up somewhere I never wanted to be.” His smile thins, slightly, and Buck reaches out to touch one of the arms crossed over Eddie’s chest. “Even if I’m still not sure how you forgave me so easily, after what I did.” 

An exasperated huff escapes Eddie’s mouth, and gives the impression that if this were a cartoon, he’d be tossing his hands in the air. “Buck, there was never anything to forgive!” he says, voice pitched just low enough that it wouldn’t wake Christopher. “You got stuck in a tsunami. I know you’ve got an ego, but you can’t really take credit for a natural disaster. And Christopher is fine!” 

“But he almost wasn’t!” Buck interjects, tired of being the rational one in the room. If Eddie seriously wants to have this conversation, then he’s going to have to face the truth, too. “Give me a fucking break, Eddie -- those two mintues between me telling you I’d lost him and that woman showing up with Chris in her arms? You did blame me. You looked at me, and that’s all I could see, okay? You did blame me. And you were right. I messed up. I was supposed to look out for your son, and I failed, and it’s okay for you to blame me for it.” 

God, Buck’s tired. He hasn’t been until this moment, but it’s like this argument and facing these awful truths have sapped every last bit of energy from his veins, and he’s not sure how much longer he’ll be up for arguing with Eddie in his kitchen. He leans forward on his elbows over the table an exhales gustily, then lifts his chin again, determined to catch the moment when Eddie finally admits the truth to himself. 

But instead of the realization Buck has been expecting, Eddie’s face is only showing that same frustration. They freeze like that for a moment, Buck leaning against the table and trying hard to hold himself together, Eddie staring down at him from his position against the wall of the kitchen, arms folded over his chest, that guilt-laden frustration obvious in his expression. 

Then, faster than Buck can track, Eddie’s standing in front of his chair, grabbing his elbows and pulling him to his feet. It’s a gentle yank, and Buck could have ignored it if he chose, but he’s shocked enough by Eddie’s closeness that he goes along with it. They end up toe-to-toe, close enough that Buck can feel warm breath on his cheek, and there’s nowhere to look that doesn’t end with him staring back into Eddie’s dark eyes. 

“Look at me now,” Eddie tells him quietly, and Buck has to quell a shiver as two solid hands land on both of his shoulders, squeezing with just a little too much pressure to be truly comfortable. “I want you to stand here, and look straight at me while I tell you this: I do not blame you for what happened yesterday. I’m grateful to you for not giving up on him, okay? I know you love him, and I can’t even tell you how relieved I am that he has you in his corner.”

This feels like the conversation they should have had this morning, when more was being left unsaid that wasn’t, and this time, Buck isn’t going to pretend. “I do love him,” he admits, still looking straight into Eddie’s face. Vulnerability is hard, but it would be harder to keep pretending -- and Buck’s so damn tired of pretending. “And I, uh … I believe you.” Because there’s no denying reality, not when it’s quite literally staring him in the face. No matter what he saw, or thought he saw, yesterday, Eddie really doesn’t blame Buck for losing Christopher. They’re still solid, still good, and Buck’s not losing anyone. 

Relief swamps him as hard as any of the waves from the day before, even though Buck had thought he’d stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop that morning. Apparently, anxiety isn’t that easy to get rid of, even when it’s not screaming in the back of his head. He shifts to take a step back, to carry himself out of Eddie’s gravitational pull, before he ends up falling into his chest or something equally embarrassing, but Eddie’s grip just tightens on his shoulders, not allowing Buck to go anywhere. 

A second passes, two, and Eddie leans in a little closer, until they’re sharing the same breath. Buck swallows convulsively, telling himself over and over that he’s misreading the situation, that this can’t be what it feels like, but he can’t stop his eyes drifting down Eddie’s face to catch stubbornly on his mouth.  Full lips quirk up in a smirk, and heat rushes to pool in Buck’s belly. He doesn’t know what this moment is or how they got here, doesn’t know where they’re going next, but that smirk tells him everything that he needs to know: Eddie knows what Buck wants. Knows how he feels. Probably has for a while. 

And he hasn’t gone anywhere.

“I keep waiting for you to figure it out,” Eddie says in a low voice, and Buck’s eyelashes flutter before he can remind himself that he wants to be wholly present in this moment and doesn’t want to miss a damn thing. “I don’t go around telling everyone I meet that I trust them with my son’s life, Buck. Outside of my family, you’re it, do you get that?” It’s Eddie’s turn to swallow, and Buck tracks the movement of his throat with wide eyes. “You’re it.”

There’s a different meaning to the words the second time Eddie says them, and Buck feels like a kid at the eye doctor, putting glasses on for the first time. When he looks back at every interaction he’s had with Eddie since the bombs, he can see the same want reflected in Eddie’s face that has stared back at him in the mirror every day. When he runs his eyes over Eddie’s expression, he can read the same nervous hope, the same uncertainty, beneath his confident exterior. 

And this time, when Eddie leans further into his space, Buck leans back. 

Their lips bump together, almost incidentally, a soft kiss that’s more of a test than it is a true embrace. Buck’s heart leaps, and the anxious flutter in his stomach is back as he tips his head to correct the angle. The second time their lips meet, it’s better -- Eddie lets out a soft, surprised huff of air, and Buck takes advantage, pulling him closer with impatient hands at the belt loops of his jeans. He’s not thinking anymore, stopped sometime around when Eddie’s fingers tightened around his shoulders, and it feels so good to lose himself, to trust that Eddie will catch him as he falls. 

“You could’ve just said,” Buck mutters against Eddie’s lips, his hands roaming over the forearms revealed by the style of his button-up shirt. “I thought I was going crazy.” He wants to be annoyed that Eddie’s known all this time and waited for Buck to make the first move, but he can’t quite work up to it. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he needed the chance to wrap his head around this new truth about himself, and if Eddie had made a move before he was ready, Buck knows he wouldn’t have reacted well. 

“I’m pretty sure your sanity has been in question for way longer than I’ve been in LA,” Eddie shoots back with another teasing smirk. At some point, his hands slid from Buck’s shoulders to the planes of his back, and Buck’s not ashamed to admit that he pushes back into the touch, arching his spine like a cat seeking attention. He rolls his eyes at the joke and presses his face into Eddie’s neck, taking a long, slow breath to steady himself. The last two days -- hell, the last several weeks -- have been a riot of emotion that he’s still trying to sort, and as happy as he is in this moment, Buck knows that there’s still a lot for he and Eddie to talk about and work through. And Buck’s life is still a shambles, no matter how unexpectedly good his personal life has become. 

“You’re thinking too much,” Eddie tells him, his arms snug around Buck’s waist, holding him comfortably against his chest. “The world is complicated, Buck, but you and me? That doesn’t have to be. We can figure it out as we go.” A steady hand smooths over Buck’s spine, and he relaxes incrementally. It sounds too good to be true, but Buck has no intention of giving this up now that he’s got it. And Eddie’s gone to great lengths to make sure Buck knows that he can be trusted when he says something, today -- it wouldn’t make any sense to stop now. 

Buck lifts his head and smiles at Eddie with an echo of his old, rakish grin. “You’re going to have to do better than one kiss if you want me to stop thinking,” he says daringly, throwing caution to the wind and jumping headfirst into the unknown. Overthinking and panicking isn’t who Buck is, and he’s not going to let recent events change him. He’s stronger than circumstances, and Evan Buckley is more than a job title or a patient ID bracelet. 

He’s a fighter, and this time, all he wants to fight for is happiness for him, Eddie, and Christopher.

“Hmm, that sounds like a challenge,” Eddie observes, head cocked to one side in a faux-thoughtful expression. “I guess I don’t have much choice but to try harder then, do I?” 

Buck lets his satisfaction show on his face as he meets Eddie in another kiss. As in everything, practice makes perfect; this time, his knees get weak embarrassingly quickly, and he finds himself with his arms tossed around Eddie’s neck to keep his balance. He’s still smiling as they trade kisses back and forth, unable to quell the overwhelming contentment swelling in his chest. Eddie’s flushed and breathing hard, too, though, so Buck doesn’t waste a moment on embarrassment. They both want this; there’s no reason to start overthinking now. 

“Da-aad!” The whine from behind them stops the kiss in its tracks as both men take a hurried step back and spin to face the doorway. Christopher is leaning heavily on his crutches just past the arch, a blanket draped over his shoulders and hair mussed from sleep, and staring at them crankily. “Buck’s s’posed to be taking a nap with me. You can kiss him when we wake up.”

Eddie and Buck glance at each other, and the bubble of tension - romantic and otherwise - surrounding them bursts with a synchronous peal of laughter. Christopher gives them an unimpressed look, and Eddie recovers first, stifling another chuckle to tell him, “Sorry, buddy. But everyone’s awake now, right? So maybe we can watch a movie or something, and we can both spend some time with Buck before we have to go home.” He shoots a sidelong glance Buck’s way, like he needs permission or something stupid to talk about them with his son, or to stay longer. Like Buck is going to complain about getting more time with them. 

“What you think, Chris? Should we let your dad watch the rest of Hotel Transylvania with us?” Buck asks, and reaches out to grab Eddie’s hand -- just in case he’d gotten some ridiculous idea that this thing between them was going to be a secret. 

Christopher isn’t the kind of kid who’s grumpy for long, even right after a nap, so he beams at them and nods excitedly. “We have to start over, though,” he says seriously. “Daddy hasn’t seen the beginning, and he might get confused.” 

Buck nods his agreement, and Eddie just laughs. He tosses his free hand over Chris’s shoulders, and the three of them start toward the living room together, as a unit. As they settle together on the couch with tangled limbs and shared quips and laughter, Buck takes a second to breathe in the reality of this moment. He’s truly, incandescently happy, and he wants to take the memory and hold onto it forever -- through whatever job-related heartbreak and medical emergency comes next.

Because now, Buck’s got Eddie, and he’s got Christopher, and that’s more than enough to make him want to keep fighting. 

[nerdforestgirl]

Note:  I’m sorry I haven’t been writing much.  Focus has been a little hard to come by lately.  I wonder why.  Anyway, here's a little story about Raj, Lincoln, and Howard.  I hope you guys are staying safe and healthy.  <3

“Why don’t you go for a walk?” Bernadette suggested to Howard after Halley just hit him in the balls with her toy waffle bat. It was an accident, but it was clear that Howard needed a break from the kids. And maybe an ice pack.

“I don’t think I can,” Howard choked out.

“Go sit in the car and listen to a podcast,” Bernadette said. She felt bad about Howard getting hurt, and she could handle the kids alone for an afternoon. They teased each other, but of course she wanted to give him some time when he needed it.

Howard nodded. He grabbed his keys to his car and left. He struggled to walk to the car, but eventually he made it. As his pain eased, he decided to go get some ice cream and take a drive. Obviously he loved his kids, but sometimes it wasn’t easy being a parent. He appreciated Bernadette giving him a break.

After the drive thru cup of ice cream was carefully placed between his legs to help continue easing his pain, Howard decided to drive over to Raj’s place. He wanted to play some video games and pretend for an hour that he was still single and childless. He went to the door and just let himself in like he always did.

“Hey!” Howard said as he walked in. Then he paused because Raj wasn’t alone. Raj sat on the couch with his boyfriend, Lincoln’s head in his lap. They were watching a movie together.

“Hi,” Raj said. He wasn’t at all bothered that his best friend let himself in even if he wasn’t expecting him at all.

“I didn’t realize that you had company. I’ll go,” Howard offered.

“No. Stay,” Lincoln said as he sat up to make space on the couch. He pat the spot next to him to welcome Howard. He didn’t know Raj’s best friend very well, and he welcomed the opportunity to get to know him better. Raj was always “Howard this and Howard that.”

Howard was trying to come to terms with the fact that his best friend in the world was in a relationship with a man. Logically he knew that there wasn’t anything wrong with Raj being bi. He wasn’t worried that Raj would hit on him or anything like that. Still, it felt weird. Howard wondered if maybe it was this particular guy. Raj loved Lincoln, but Howard wasn’t so sure.

“Halley got a little excited with a new toy, and she hit me in the balls with it. I thought I’d come over and see if you wanted to play some video games. I’ve been given a reprieve from fatherhood for the rest of the afternoon,” Howard explained as he limped over to the couch.

Both of the men sympathetically covered themselves as Howard told the story.

“Of course, dude,” Raj said immediately.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to be that guy, but can we watch the movie for literally one more minute? This is my favorite scene in the whole movie. Then I promise, video games all the way,” Lincoln requested.

“What are you watching, anyway?” Howard asked. It looked like Kate Winslet and Jack Black sat at a piano together on the paused screen in front of them. Howard knew some of Raj’s favorite movies, but this one was unfamiliar.

“The Holiday,” Lincoln answered.

That meant almost nothing to Howard, but he gestured to the screen that they should continue. He had already interrupted what looked like date night. The least he could do was let them keep watching the scene.

The scene consisted of Jack Black playing the piano for Kate Winslet while they flirted. It became clear that this was a romantic comedy. Howard wasn’t sure what made this scene so special, but he looked over at where Lincoln had his face buried in Raj’s shoulder the as they shared a moment of joy Howard didn’t understand.

“He only used the good notes for her,” Lincoln repeated the line from the movie. It seemed that it was the part he had been waiting for because Raj turned it off as it cut to a scene of Cameron Diaz and Jude Law in bed. That’s the scene Howard would rather watch.

“I know. It’s so good,” Raj gushed back to Lincoln.

“Sorry about that,” Lincoln said after he cleared his throat and turned back to Howard. Lincoln’s voice was purposefully lowered in pitch as if he felt awkward about the moment of joy.

Howard just nodded a little nod because he wasn’t quite sure what else to say. With Lincoln clearly embarrassed, Howard wondered at the reaction to the movie. It wasn’t for Howard’s benefit. It seemed that he loved the goofy movie just as much as Raj did.

“What should we play? Something all three of us can play?” Raj asked.

“No. Go ahead. I’ll just watch,” Lincoln said. Then he turned to Howard and asked, “Want an actual ice pack? It looks like your ice cream is melting.”

“Uh. Sure,” Howard said.

Raj grabbed the Xbox controllers and started up Halo for some old school comfort. Lincoln got Howard that ice pack and a spoon so Howard could eat his ice cream while playing. Then Lincoln settled in to watch them play their game. Howard assumed that Lincoln wasn’t interested in the game, but after a while Raj got stuck.

“Baby, gimme!” Lincoln shouted and took the controller from Raj’s hands. Then he quickly got Raj out of the jam.

“He always does that. Drives me crazy. I think that’s why he wasn’t going to play,” Raj told Howard quietly.

“Fine. Fine. I’ll go pick up dinner,” Lincoln offered instead. “How does Indian sound?” he teased knowing that Raj hated Indian food.

“I want Chinese,” Raj teased back. “He hates Chinese food,” he explained to Howard.

“You both hate the food from where you’re from?” Howard asked. Could these two be any more alike?

“I love English food,” Lincoln said with an intentionally increased accent. He never really lived in London, but his father’s accent still influenced his own speech. It wasn’t hard for him to affect an English accent. “And I love Chinese food that my Wai po makes in China. I gain ten pounds every time I go visit my grandparents in China. What we have here is not Chinese food.”

“We’ll see if you ever take me to China,” Raj joked.

“Pizza, then? Are you staying for dinner, Howard?” Lincoln asked as he pulled on his jacket.

“Sure. If you don’t mind,” Howard said.

Lincoln nodded and headed out to pick up dinner for the three of them.

“What do you think?” Raj asked after Lincoln was gone for a couple minutes.

“I think we should go up that way,” Howard said about the game.

“I mean Lincoln. This is the first time the three of us have hung out.”

Howard paused the game. He let out a sigh, and tried to gather his thoughts.

“I’ll admit that this whole thing kinda freaked me out. Not that you’re bi or whatever, but I guess the reality of you dating a man made me uncomfortable. I knew I was being stupid and that it was my hang up, so I didn’t say anything to you about it. It wasn’t your problem. But...” Howard knew he was already screwing this up based on Raj’s face.

“But what?” Raj asked, clearly hurt. This was who he was, and he thought that Howard was cool with it.

“But I couldn’t pick a more perfect person for you if I tried. Like, yes, he’s very handsome, but there’s so much more that he just seems to get. He probably even knows what Notting Hill means.”

“He does! He promised to take me the next time he goes back to a London to visit his family!”

“See? He’s just such a...” Howard struggled to come up with a word. Raj looked worried that something mean might come out of his friend’s mouth. “He’s a dweeb just like you,” Howard finished.

“So, you like him?” Raj checked.

“Yeah. I like him,” Howard admitted. Probably more than anyone else Raj had dated.