#maddie briefly wonders if smacking their heads together will make them actually realise they're in love

[air--so--sweet]

I've been wanting Buck sobbing on Maddie's shoulder about how much he misses Eddie (and based on some fics I read I am not alone in this) but I've had another thought I love more.

Buck is barely responding to his texts, always says he's busy when Eddie wants to facetime. Eddie knows something is wrong, but Buck insists he's fine. He knows Buck wouldn't want Eddie to worry when he's so far away so he checks in with the others to find out what is actually going on. Except everyone else says Buck is fine, good even and, after a slight adjustment, he's working well with his new partner at work too.

Which means the issue is Eddie. Now he's not in LA Buck seems to have realised he doesn't actually care all that much about him. Their friendship was about proximity more than anything else.

And in a last ditch effort, desparate for someone to tell him that actually Buck isn't okay, Eddie calls Maddie. She's surprised Eddie's calling, but she says she hasn't seen Buck as much as usual, that he keeps having vague plans he won't elaborate on. Eddie thinks she's going to say she's worried too, but instead she says she thinks he's seeing someone. That after what happened with Tommy he's a bit hesitant to let people know, but that he probably will in time, and that when she has managed to see Buck he's seemed fine.

That should reassure Eddie, Buck is okay, nothing bad has happened, he's just seeing someone so is available a little less. But Buck's dated during their friendship before and it hasn't caused any issues, so why would it now? Unless, like Eddie's been afraid, Buck doesn't care all that much about him. Eddie's been silent too long, and Maddie asks if he's still there. He opens his mouth to say yes and apologise for bothering her and instead he breaks. And suddenly Eddie is sobbing down the phone to Maddie about how much he misses Buck, but apparently Buck isn't interested in maintaining the friendship and being in El Paso has been so hard, and he just wants to talk to Buck about it but now he can't and 'Maddie I just don't know what to do without him. How am I meant to cope without him in my life?'

(Also in this scenario Buck is absolutely not fine, he's just masking as much as possible and making up fake plans when he's actually sat alone in his loft doing nothing but missing Eddie. Also hearing Buck might be seeing someone made Eddie's chest hurt but he's not ready to think about that right now so he just shoved it down and pretended it was just indigestion)