Archive of Our Own

"Order for Evan!" 

If ever Buck was to die of happiness it would be in this moment. For hours he has been craving, yearning for some sort of hot, sugary drink. It started with a call to a chocolate factory and ended with an empty milk carton in the firehouse refrigerator and an apologetic look on Chimney's face. 

As soon as Buck got off his forty-eight-hour shift he had made a beeline for the nearest cafe. It was not his usual, he would typically stop at the coffee shop closer to his apartment on his way to work, but this place wasn't busy and Buck is desperate for a sugar hit.

It's because he's so desperate that Buck is taking the first mouthful as he's walking out of the store. 

He anticipates the smooth cream and sweet syrup, the spice of cinnamon to balance it all out but the mouthful slides over his tongue like hot, bitter tar and lands in the bottom of his stomach like a rock. 

"God–what the?" He sticks his tongue out and tries to rid his mouth of the taste. That is definitely not the coffee that he ordered. 

For a brief moment, Buck considers that maybe the universe just knew that he actually wanted black coffee but then decides that that's stupid and the universe is wrong this time because he definitely really wanted the drink he thought he ordered. 

So, against every ex-hospitality worker fiber of his being, he turns back to the counter and gets the attention of the barista that served him 'his' drink. 

"Hi there," He starts as brightly as he can for seven o’clock in the morning. "I'm so sorry to do this but I think you've given me the wrong drink. I ordered a caramel latte with cinnamon but this is, well, black."

"Oh!" The barista looks shocked for a second as he checks the order dockets on the counter in front of her. "I'm so sorry, I must have–."

"Given him mine." An unfamiliar voice sounds from next to Buck and when he turns he finds what is potentially the most beautiful man in all of The Greater Los Angeles Area. 

The barista nods. "Yes, I'm so sorry. I will remake them both right away."

The man eyes Buck's outstretched hand oddly before saying, "No need." He looks at Buck and Buck's sleep-deprived brain almost gets lost in the chocolate of his eyes. "Do you have any diseases I should know about?"

Buck stops short. "I'm–. What?" 

"Diseases." The man says—like that it is a normal thing to ask a stranger. "Are you contagious or anything? I'm in a rush."

"Ah, no. I don't think so."

"Good. I'll just take this one then." And then he reaches for the coffee that is not Buck's coffee but is in Buck's hand and Buck is too baffled to do anything but let him take it. The man disappears from the cafe and Buck is left standing at the counter with his arm still outstretched towards the barista who looks just as confused but shakes herself out of it faster than Buck does.

"I'll remake yours now." He says briskly. "Won't be a minute."

"Ah, yeah. Thanks." Buck mumbles dumbly and turns to see the man's retreating back disappear around the corner. 

The barista hands him a new cup a few moments later along with a five-dollar bill, obviously intending to refund him for the mistake, but he tucks it straight into her tip jar, thank you kindly, and then leaves, the bell ringing behind him as he goes.

Buck would like to say that he is completely normal about strangers that he meets in coffee shops. He only thinks about the handsome man once twice, the entire drive home to his apartment, and at least every second hour of his next shift.

Eventually, he decides that he'll just have to go back to the coffee shop. Hopefully, when he doesn't see that man there, his brain will let it go and then he can move on with his life. 

As fate would have it though, he does see the man. He is just leaving the cafe as Buck is arriving and he smiles at Buck politely and holds the door for him as Buck enters, and Buck is too starstruck to do anything other than walk through the open door and then realizes too late, as the bell rings behind him, that man has left.

He briefly contemplates chasing after the man but firstly, the man has already disappeared out of sight, and second, he really doesn’t want to be the creep chasing a stranger down the street. Instead, he opts for Plan C; ask the barista. 

“Good morning!” The barista, whose name tag says Tara on it, greets Buck when he approaches the counter. “What can I get you?”

“Ah, can I get a caramel latte with cinnamon? Please.” Buck tries to match her enthusiasm but he’s just gotten off shift and missed a potential meeting with the possible love of his life all in one morning. 

“Coming right up! It’s Evan, right?”

“Yeah well actually, could you put ‘Buck’ on the order this time? There was a mix-up last time and I just–, Buck might be more distinct.”

“Okay.” She smiles sweetly. 

Buck bites his tongue and tugs at the hem of his shirt before the words eventually spill out of him. “Actually, can I ask you something?”

Tara turns back to him with an eyebrow raised.  “If it’s on a date then I’m sorry but I have a girlfriend.”

“Oh, no, I wasn’t–never mind. The guy that just left, brown hair, black coffee? Do you know him?”

The barista looks at him blankly before realization spreads across her face. “Oh! Yes, I know who you mean. He comes in most mornings. I can’t remember his name though sorry. It’s E something.”

E something. Well, it’s better than nothing , Buck supposes. Better than calling him Pretty Stranger in his head all the time. “Oh, okay. That’s alright. Thanks anyway.”

Tara smiles and turns back to the coffee machine, while Buck takes a seat at a nearby empty table. A few minutes later his name is called and he leaves the cafe with at least one and a half of the things he came there for. 

E something . There can’t be that many E-names. Right?

“What are you moping about?” Chimney asks, plopping himself onto the couch next to Buck and glancing at Buck’s phone. He quickly turns the screen away from him. “It’s not Abby again is it?”

“I’m not moping,” Buck grumbles. “And no it’s not Abby. I haven’t heard from her in almost two months. I talked to Carla last week; apparently, she’s been getting postcards.”

“Sorry, Buckaroo.” Hen joins the conversation from the nearby armchair and Buck sinks back into the cushions under her pitiful gaze. 

“It’s fine,” Buck says and then shakes his head. “Well, actually it’s not fine, it sucks, but at least I know where I stand, I guess. Better to cut my losses and stop waiting around for someone who’s not waiting for me.”

“That’s–, very mature of you.” Chimney sounds surprised and Buck rolls his eyes. “So if it’s not Abby then what's got you so absorbed in your phone?”

The last thing Buck wants to do is open himself up to Chimney’s teasing but there’s no way he’s getting out of this conversation unless the bell rings. It doesn’t. “I actually met someone, at the coffee shop down the street."

“Oh!” Excitement blooms across Chimney’s face. “Damn Buckley, you move fast. Who is she? You talking to her at the moment?” 

Chimney lunges for Buck’s phone so he holds it out of reach and then shoves it into his pocket. “Well, it’s He actually but well. I’m not talking to them, I don’t even know their name.” 

“I’m confused,” Chimney says.

“As am I,” Hen chimes in. “Buck, start at the beginning, please.”

“Right, sorry,” Buck says. “I went to the cafe after shift last week. After that kitchen fire at the candy shop?”

Hen and Chim both nod in understanding and Buck notices Bobby coming up the stairs out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully their captain goes straight to the kitchen rather than joining in the hearing of Buck’s misfortunes. 

“Anyway,” He continues. “There was a mix-up with my order and I was given someone else’s drink by mistake. Turns out it belonged to the guy that ordered before me."

“And you didn’t use that “Buckley Charm” of yours? Get his number?” Chim asks, gesturing at Buck with his hands.

“He seemed like he was in a rush. He took my coffee, well his coffee, but I’d started drinking it by mistake, and he just left with it.”

“He took the coffee you have already had your mouth all over?” Hen screws up her nose. 

“Yeah. He asked me if I had any diseases and then he just left with it.”

“Gross.” She mutters.

“So what, you haven’t seen him since but you're still moping? Wow, he must have made quite the impression.” Chimney says. 

“Well, actually.” Buck starts again and Chim goes wide-eyed with anticipation. “I went back yesterday just in case he was there.”

“Long shot.”

“Yeah, well, he was there, or he was just leaving. He held the door for me and then he disappeared down the street."

"Well, at least we know he has manners." Hen comments and Chimney nods sagely.

"So, what now? You just keep going back to the cafe until you bump into him again?" 

"It's worked so far." Buck shrugs. 

"Come on man. You gotta have a better plan than that." Chimney sounds exasperated and Buck can’t really blame him. He’s starting to lose hope of ever finding this man again himself. Short of setting up camp outside the coffee shop and winning himself a restraining order. 

"I've been trying to find him on Facebook," Buck admits.

"Oh! You know his name! That's so much better, maybe we can get Athena to look him up, and do a background check. You know you can never be too careful these days." Chimney rambles.

"Actually," Buck stops him. "I don't know his name. Well, not all of it. I asked the barista and she said he's a regular but all she could remember was that his name started with an E."

"And so what? You've been Facebook stalking every man in Los Angeles with an E name?" Chimney says sarcastically and Buck shrinks in his seat.

"Oh, Buckaroo." Hen shakes her head, chuckling under her breath.

Unsurprisingly, the Facebook tactic had been a bust and it's three weeks before Buck runs into the man again. Quiet literally this time as Buck barely gets in the door of the coffee house and then is nearly bowled over by someone leaving in a hurry. 

“Oh, shit.” The stranger exclaims. “I am so sorry. Hang on, let me–.”

Buck is too shocked at realizing that it is E himself standing in front of him to resist the way the man grips Buck by his forearm and drags him over to the nearest table. The next thing Buck knows the man has a fist full of paper napkins and is dabbing frantically at the quickly spreading stain of coffee across the front of Buck’s pale blue shirt. All at once he is flushed with heat, it’s hot, he’s hot, E is hot and his hands are all over Buck’s chest, and holy shit the coffee burns! 

“Ouch, fuck!” He tugs his shirt away from his skin which most unfortunately causes E to retract his hands.

“I am so sorry. Are you okay? Are you burnt?” The other man says in a rush.

Buck peeks down the collar of his shirt. His chest is red and splotchy but otherwise looks fine. “No, no. I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” Buck smiles at him and the man lets out a relieved sigh. "Every time I see you you seem to be in a hurry." 

"I feel like I always am at the moment." The man admits and it feels bigger than a casual conversation between strangers. “Look, I really am sorry. Let me buy your drink.” 

Buck shakes his head. “No, no, that’s not necessary. I promise it’s fine.”

“No. I insist.” The man looks at Buck with wide, pleading, brown eyes and Buck is a weak, weak man. “Please.”

“Okay, okay.” He chuckles and follows him to the counter. Buck orders, gives his name to the cashier and the other man pays. 

Buck thanks him as he’s putting his card back into his wallet. “You really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” The man smiles at him softly. “I really was in a rush though so I have to go but I really am sorry. I hope the rest of your day goes better.”

“Of course. And it’s fine, I promise.” Buck says.

“Okay, bye then.”

Buck waves goodbye to him as he disappears out the door, the chime of the bell echoes through the quiet of the cafe, and then Tara is calling out his name.

“That’s the guy you were asking about the other day, right?” She asks, handing Buck his drink.

“Yeah, it is.” He can feel himself blushing. 

“So what was his name? You’ve got me curious now too.”

“Didn’t you make his coffee this morning? Buck asks.

Tara shakes her head. “No, Jonathan did.” She points at the clock which reads just after 9 am. “He takes the early morning shift. I only just clocked in. So, name?”

Buck’s mind blanks. “Oh god, I forgot to ask him.”

Tara chuckles. “The mystery continues then.”

When Buck updates Chimney and Hen during their following shift Chimney calls him hopeless and smacks him upside the head. Buck can’t help but agree with him.

For once Buck is going to the coffee shop just for the sake of going to the coffee shop. It’s his day off and he is definitely not going in hopes of running into E again. 

Truly. 

Though maybe serendipity would be too strong a word for when he walks through the front door, the bell chiming above his head, and sees the object of his insanity sitting at a table in the corner of the shop. In all honesty, he’s more surprised to see the man sat still than to see him there at all. 

He’s sitting with his head in his hand, an empty mug next to his elbow, his laptop open beside him and enough loose papers spread out around him to give Buck a headache and flashbacks to tax season. 

Buck approaches the counter and orders two coffees. One caramel latte with cinnamon and one black. 

“You look like you could use a refill.” He says as he places the fresh coffee next to the empty cup.

“What I need is for someone to knock me out with a shovel.” E says and Buck laughs in surprise.

E looks up at him. “Oh, Oh , it’s you!” 

“Me?”

“Yes, Buck? Right?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I don't think I ever introduced myself properly.” Buck sticks out his hand which E grips in his. Large. Warm.

“Like you said, I am always in a rush, I probably never gave you the chance. I’m Eddie.” 

SUCCESS! Buck internally fist pumps the air.

“Well, it’s nice to finally make you official acquaintance.”

“Yeah, I–. Sorry, that was a little dramatic.” Eddie chuckles and then notices the new coffee in front of him. “You didn’t get this for me did you.”

“Just retuning the favor.”

Eddie looks back and forth between Buck and the coffee. “But that was an apology.”

“Which I had already excepted before you brought my coffee, so now we’re even,” Buck says brightly. “Now what’s got you seeking out shovels?”

Eddie groans dramatically and his face falls back into his hands. “Paperwork. My brain is so fried and I have to file all of these by the end of this week but none of them make sense.”

“What sort of paperwork? Maybe I can help?” Buck slowly sits into the chair opposite Eddie, careful not to disturb any of his papers and preparing to stand up again and leave if Eddie asks him to. 

“Application forms for my–.” Eddie hesitates and glances up at Buck. Eddie looks at him as if he is searching for something. Buck’s not sure what he finds but Eddie continues after a moment. “Applications for my son. For school and for aid. My kid has CP, that's Cer–.”

“Cerebral palsy.”

Eddie smiles. “Yeah. We just moved to Los Angeles a couple of months ago. We’ve been living with my Abuela while I found a place of our own that was accessible for Chris with his crutches. We actually just moved but the Wifi isn’t hooked up yet at the new place so I’m here mooching off the cafe’s free internet.”

“You just moved? For work?”

“Yeah, something like that. I’m not actually working at the moment but I’ve got a job lined up soon hopefully.” Eddie says. 

“And his mom?” Buck prompts carefully.

“Asked for a divorce not long after I got back from Afghanistan,” Eddie says rolling his pen back and forth on the table. “That’s partly why Chris and I moved here, to LA. We both needed a fresh start.”

Buck nods and moves the subject on. “So what are you applying for then?”

“Financial support, or child care,” Eddie shuffles through papers as he talks lifting one up before setting it down and reaching for a different one. “Schools, scholarships. It's all a bureaucratic nightmare, you apply for one thing and it makes you ineligible for another. None of these organizations seem to be capable of communicating with each other so you have to repeat everything every time.”

“You know, I actually have a friend that might be able to help you sort through some of this.”

“Is this when you tell me that the friend is you and you secretly work for social services?” Eddie looks hopeful.

Buck laughs. “No sorry, not me. My friend Carla, she’s a home care aide. I bet she understands her way around this way better than you or I do. Look, why don’t I give you her number and you can give her a call.”

He’s already pulling out his phone when Eddie starts protesting. “Don’t think–.”

“Stop thinking. Like you said, your brain is fried.” He places his phone on the table and meets Eddie’s eyes. “Hey, I promise I just want to help.”

Eddie nods. “Okay. Thank you, seriously, thank you so much.”

“Okay here’s her number. Why don't you give me yours and I can text you her contact details.” Two birds, one stone. Nice one, Buckley.

“Oh, yeah good idea.” Eddie recites his cellphone number to Buck who repeats it back to him to check it's right before he shares Carla’s contact to Eddie. 

“I’ll let her know to expect to hear from you,” Buck says.

Buck’s phone rings just as the engine is pulling back into the firehouse. It’s an unknown number so he almost ignores it but then Chimney starts trying to peer at the screen so he answers the call and climbs out of the engine. 

“Buckley speaking.” He says as he presses the phone to his ear and starts shucking off his turnout gear. 

“ Hi, is this Buck?”

“Yeah, who’s this?” he has to sit down to take off his boots so he tucks his phone between his ear and his shoulder.

“ Ah, it’s Eddie. From the coffee shop. ” Buck's phone slips from his shoulder and he scrambles to catch it before it falls to the floor. 

“Oh! Right, hi. How are you?” He asks. Smooth, Buckley. Real smooth.  

“ I’m–, I’m good, actually, I wanted to thank you. For last week, you know, setting up the meeting with Carla.”

Buck moves to the locker room and sits on the bench in the middle of the room. The glass walls don’t offer much privacy but at least he thinks from this angle Chimney won't be able to see him from where Buck is ninety percent certain he is hanging over the banister of the loft and trying to listen in on Buck’s call.

“It was no trouble, honestly.”

“ You say that but you have no idea how much you’ve helped me out. Seriously, Buck, Carla is amazing. She jumped us through so many hoops, Chris is getting enrolled in a new school. She’s even offered to take on the home aid roll herself when I start working.” There’s a relaxed air to Eddie’s voice that Buck doesn’t think he’s heard the whole time he’s known the man. “ Seriously, I don’t know how I can ever repay you. ”

“Well, you don't have to,” Buck replies. “I’m just glad it was helpful for you and Chris.”

“ Well, that’s why I was calling actually. I may have mentioned you to Chris a couple of times and he really wants to meet you. ”

Buck’s heart does something complicated in his chest both at the thought of Eddie talking about him to other people, let alone his son, and on top of that his son wants to meet him. “Really?!”

“ Yeah. ” Eddie chuckles. “ So I was thinking, maybe as a proper thank you, we could take you to breakfast? Maybe just at the cafe if that’s easiest for you? ”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, you really don't have to.”

“ We want to. I want to. ” Eddie says. “ If you want to that is. ”

“I do.” Buck rushes to say and his heart is trying to beat out of his chest. 

“ Okay? Okay, good. How does tomorrow morning sound? It’s a Saturday so Christopher doesn’t have school. ”

“Sounds perfect. I can meet you there at nine?”

“ Cool, we’ll see you then. Bye, Buck. ”

“Bye, Eddie.” The call ends and Buck lets out the most embarrassingly high-pitched squeal that he is not sure the glass walls of the locker room mask very well.

They get a call out at eight o’clock the next morning and by the time Buck gets off shift it’s almost 9:30 AM. He scrambles to send Eddie a text as he changes quickly and shoves everything haphazardly into his duffle bag.

work went overtime omw now

so so sorry!!

It’s a few minutes before Eddie responds and Buck’s heart is in his throat the whole walk from the firehouse to his jeep. His phone chimes just as he starts the engine.

See you soon. Drive safe.

He relaxes a little bit as he pulls out of the parking lot but he is still buzzing with nervous energy when he finally reaches the cafe just before ten o’clock. As he all but sprints through the front door, the bell swinging erratically above his head, he sees the back of Eddie’s head at a table nearby.

“I am so, so sorry!” He is already apologizing as he approaches the table. Eddie turns and stands when he hears him coming. He doesn’t look mad or upset, maybe a little relieved. “We got called out at the last minute. Some idiot put milk in their coffee machine and the whole thing exploded. It made such a mess and it smelt so bad!”

“It’s okay,” Eddie assures him, laughing a little at Buck’s rambling. “I’m just glad you made it in the end. I was starting to think we got stood up.”

“I would never,” Buck assures him and then looks in the direction that Eddie is nodding to find a young boy with curly hair and red-framed glasses looking at him with wide shining eyes.

“Did it really explode?” The boy asks excitedly.

“Yeah,” Buck says, finally taking a seat at the table with them. “It made such a mess. The lid of the coffee machine got stuck in the ceiling.”

“Whoah!” 

Eddie sits down again and turns to his son. “Christopher this is Buck, Buck this is Chris.”

Buck sticks his hand out to Chris and waits patiently for the boy to take it before shaking it up and down. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Diaz.”

Christopher giggles brightly and Eddie grins at Buck. “Why were you helping the man with the exploding coffee machine?”

“I am a firefighter,” Buck says and Eddie’s face does something complicated but clears to an easy smile just as quickly. 

“Was the coffee machine on fire when it exploded?” Buck is impressed that Christopher’s eyes can get any wider. 

“No, but it could have started a fire, we just had to check. We also had to make sure that the silly man that caused the explosion wasn’t injured. We help people when they're hurt too.”

“I want to be a firefighter one day too!” Chris beams.

“I bet you’d make a fantastic firefighter.” Buck agrees and then turns to Eddie. “Have you ordered yet?”

Eddie smiles and passes Buck a menu. “No, we were waiting for you. I was just about to when I got your text.” 

“Which I am so sorry about.”

“It’s fine, honestly. Now, what do you want, it’s our treat this time, right Chris?”

“Right!” Chris nods vigorously.

Buck feels like he’s riding the high of his breakfast with the Diaz boys for the rest of the week. He and Eddie have been texting off and on for the last few days and Buck hates to be too optimistic but he thinks things are going well. Even as he walks into the station the following Wednesday he is fully prepared to face any teasing from Chimney and Hen, certain that nothing can such his good mood. That is until Bobby pulls him aside just as he walks in the door.

“Morning, Buck. There’s someone I want you to meet.” Bobby directs him toward the locker rooms and points through the glass wall. “That’s Eddie Diaz, new recruit.”

Low and behold the prettiest man in The Greater Los Angeles Area. Eddie Diaz himself, coffee shop Eddie, Buck’s Eddie. One and the same.  

“ That is a beautiful man,” Hen says and Buck has to restrain himself from nodding in agreement. He knows.

“Why is he here?” Buck asks though he’s not sure if he’s asking Bobby or the greater universe that seems to be playing some sort of trick on him. 

“He’s an ex-army medic, and should be a great asset to our team. Here, I’ll introduce you.” 

Buck shuffles into the locker room behind Bobby and when Eddie looks up to greet them and his face goes painfully blank Buck starts withing for the floor to swallow him whole or that he never got out of bed this morning and he was still living in his happy little dream state where his crush on this man was still confined to the four walls of the coffee shop down the street. 

Does he pretend not to know him? He doesn’t think he could even begin to explain to the rest of the team why he does. Thankfully Eddie makes that decision for him when he reaches out to shake Buck’s hand. “Eddie Diaz, nice to meet you.”

“Ah, Buck Buckley.” Buck trips over his tongue and Eddie raises a curious eyebrow at him. “Evan Buckley actually but just Buck is fine.”

Eddie laughs and it’s as beautiful as the last time Buck heard it when Christopher got milk froth all over his nose. “Nice to meet you, Buck.”

“Well,” Bobby pipes up. “We’ll leave you both to get acquainted.” 

Hen, Chimney, and Booby all shuffle out of the room leaving Buck shuffling the toe of his shoe against the floor and Eddie looking at him imploringly. 

“Buck, I-.” Eddie starts but Buck cuts him off.  

“I didn’t know you were a firefighter too.” He almost hisses under his breath. He’s not trying to be rude but he is a little caught off guard. 

“Well, I wasn’t. Not yet anyway.” Eddie says, his shoulders sagging. “I’ve been at the academy for the last few months, just since I moved to LA. I hadn’t really told anyone other than my Abeula. I didn’t want to until I knew I’d passed. I didn’t know this was your station when I accepted the position, honestly.”

"I probably never told you. I guess it never really came up," Buck says quietly. 

Just as soon as he left, Bobby returns. "Get ready to load up we have a call coming in," He calls out to them, and the conversation is dropped just as the bell rings.

In the locker room at the end of their shift, after the adrenaline from their near miss with the bomb that evening and the lethargy from their relatively calm morning have worn off, Buck stands next to Eddie as they strip out of their uniforms and fold them back into their duffle bags.

“Hey,” Buck says, nudging Eddie with his elbow. “Do you want to go get a coffee?”

Eddie looks up at him, half surprised, half relieved, and nods. “Yeah, actually that sounds nice.”

“Okay.” Buck smiles and hitches his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Yeah.”

Buck arrives before Eddie and he waits for him just inside the door. The bell tinkles brightly when Eddie enters and Buck smiles at him. They go to the counter together, Buck orders their coffee to have there and pays for both of their drinks and then they find a quiet table. 

Conversation ebbs and flows between aimless chatter and not quite comfortable silence until their coffees arrive at the table. 

“Is this going to be awkward?” Eddie asks. He’s running his finger back and forth around the edge of his saucer and avoiding meeting Buck’s eyes. 

“Awkward? Why?” Buck asks.

Eddie looks up slowly. “You know, working together. I thought we were kind of, you know, flirting, going somewhere, with us, together.”

“Hey, I thought so too,” Buck says reaching over to grip Eddie’s wrist, stilling his anxious movements. “And I still want that. I’m sure there’s probably HR paperwork we’d have to file but Bobby will know what we have to do there. I still want this. I like you, Eddie.”

Eddie smiles and shifts so that his wrist slides out of Buck’s grasp and he can hold Buck’s hand. “I like you too.”

“Good, because that makes this next part way less embarrassing.”

“What’s the next part?” Eddie asks curiously.

Buck slides to the edge of his seat, still holding Eddie’s hand tightly. “The part where I kiss you and then take you on a real date.”

“Oh!” Eddie’s eyes go wide and a light flush spreads across his cheeks. Buck’s heart swoops feeling strangely sure-footed after weeks of trailing around after this man, desperately hoping for even a little bit of his attention. For Eddie to now be looking at Buck like he hasn’t just made all of Buck’s dreams come true is, well, a dream come true. 

“Would that be okay?” He asks.

Eddie clears his throat and sits up straighter. “Yes, I mean. I’m sure that could be arranged.”

“Good.” 

He stands and rounds the table slowly, letting Eddie’s hand slip from his grasp as he replaces it against the side of Eddie’s neck as he stands right up beside him. He tilts Eddie’s head up by the hing of his jaw and dips down to where Eddie is still sitting to press their lips together gently. 

The careful press lasts several moments before Eddie is reaching up to grip Buck’s wrist again and draws him into a deeper kiss. He thinks he hears Tara hollering in the background but he ignores her in favor of smiling against Eddie’s mouth and sliding his hand up to the side of Eddie’s head, threading his fingers into the soft hair at his temple.