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Eddie rounded the corner to the dining room, checking his watch as he did so. “Baby? You ready to go?”
“Almost,” Buck confirmed, voice coming from the kitchen. A moment later, Eddie could hear the fridge shut and then Buck appeared in the doorway, smiling at him brightly. “Sorry, sunshine. Had to finish putting away the groceries.”
“It’s okay,” Eddie waited for Buck to step into his space before tugging him in for a sweet kiss, other arm snaking around his neck. “You ready for our date?”
“I think the better question is if you’re ready for Chris’ date,” Buck laughed a little. “He’s going on a real, proper date. Didn’t even borrow money from you to pay, saved up his allowance.” Eddie grumbled a little and tucked his head into Buck’s neck. He didn’t want to think about it at all.
Chris, a few days prior, had asked during dinner if they could drive him to the Science Center. He had asked out a girl in his class — the one that went to the Science Camp with him over the summer — and wanted to take her to see the temporary exhibit on the science behind fear. It was a special exhibit, so he had to buy tickets, and had saved up to buy them with his own money.
Eddie wanted to cry about it a little bit, if he was being honest. How was his baby so grown up?
Of course they had agreed, but it was too far away for Eddie to be comfortable just dropping his kid off, so he planned a date to take Buck to the natural history museum at the same time, since it was within walking distance.
“I’m fine,” Eddie answered. “He’s gone on dates before. This one is no different.” Buck made a placating noise and kissed Eddie’s head. “Just go start the truck, I’ll get Chris.” He parted with a kiss pressed to Buck’s jaw, heading down the hall. He knocked on Chris’ door and waited for him to answer before swinging it open. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” Chris nodded. He was standing in front of his mirror, wearing his nice pair of jeans and a science themed shirt Buck had gotten for him for Christmas. “Is my hair okay?” Eddie sighed fondly and glanced up at Chris’ curls — he had done them the way Buck had taught him.
“You look good, kid. Let’s go before you’re late. Don’t wanna make a bad impression on a first date.” Eddie let Chris go first, following him out so he could lock the door behind them. Buck was already waiting in the cab of the truck, engine idling and music playing from the speakers. Eddie took Chris’ crutches so he could climb in the backseat, handing them over once his seatbelt was on.
“What are you two doing while I’m on my date?” Chris asked once Buck had backed out of the driveway. “You’re not gonna follow us around, are you?”
“No, I’m not trying to embarrass you that much,” Eddie rolled his eyes. “I’m taking Buck to the Natural History Museum. Just text us once you two are finished and we’ll make our way over.”
“Are her parents picking her up too?” Buck asked, glancing at Chris in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah, they’re gonna go out for lunch while we’re at the Science Center,” he nodded. Eddie hummed happily as Buck’s hand slid over his thigh, fingers spreading wide over the muscle.
“You excited, mijo?” Eddie asked, doing his best to keep his voice calm and steady. “You seem like you really like this girl. You’ve been talking about her at dinner for like a month.”
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Chris agreed. “She’s really cool. And super smart. Smarter than me, I’m pretty sure.”
“I don’t know about that, kid, I’m like, ninety-percent certain you’re the smartest teenager I know,” Buck interrupted, and Eddie just knew that Chris was rolling his eyes.
“She also doesn’t seem to really care what people think about her, which is cool,” he finished. “Don’t be weird when you meet her, okay? And don’t kiss in front of her.”
“Can we hold hands? Or is that too much? Should we be standing at least an arms’ length apart? Do we need to leave room for Jesus?” Eddie asked, smirking as Chris groaned, and heard the tell-tale thump of his head dropping onto the back window.
When they finally arrived at the Science Center, Buck parked in one of the handicapped spots and Eddie hung the placard on the rearview mirror before helping Chris out, holding his crutches while he slid out carefully. They approached the museum together, Buck with his arm around Eddie, hand tucked into his back pocket.
“Is that her?” Buck asked as Chris led them a little to the side of the entrance. There was a teen girl waiting, and she was wearing an overall dress patterned in dinosaurs, with braids down to her waist.
“Yeah,” Chris nodded. “Be cool, please.”
“Hi, Chris!” The girl said brightly when they were in hearing range. “You’re early.”
“So are you. I didn’t wanna make you wait, sorry,” Chris stumbled over his words a little, in a way he normally didn’t, and Eddie glanced over at his boyfriend to share in the knowing look. “Uh, Amani, this is my dad and his boyfriend. They’re not staying, I promise. They’re going on their own date.”
“It’s very nice to meet you Mr. Diaz and Mr…” Amani trailed off, looking at Buck with wide, dark eyes.
“Buckley, but please for the love of God just call me Buck,” he said warmly. “And message received, kid. We’ll be on our way. Have fun, but not too much fun!”
“Buck!” Chris’ cheeks flamed red and he glared at him. Eddie laughed a little and leaned into Buck’s side a bit more to signal for them to leave.
“Text if either of you need anything, okay?” Eddie made sure Chris agreed before finally pulling away, letting Buck lead him across the parking lot to the natural history museum. “You think they’re gonna be okay?”
“They’re gonna be fine, sunshine,” Buck reassured him. “Chris is smart, and Amani seems sweet.” Eddie nodded and tugged his phone out as they approached the entrance to the museum. Their tickets were scanned and they were in, heading through each exhibit slowly. Eddie hung back as Buck read each and every plaque, taking plenty of pictures of his boyfriend as he excitedly looked at the fossils of dinosaurs and taxidermied mammals.
As they were walking through the Gem and Mineral Hall, Buck asked, “So our anniversary is in two weeks. What do we wanna do?” It was the last week of January, and on February 14, they would be celebrating their one year (Buck still maintained that their actual anniversary should be on their first date and not when they first had sex, but Eddie rode him into the mattress and asked him again before he let him come, and Buck was quick to let him have what he wanted).
“I just wanna spend the day with you,” Eddie shrugged. “I don’t wanna go out, everywhere is gonna be busy with the Valentine’s crowd. We could send Chris to a friend’s house, stay in, have a romantic dinner and night at home?”
“You don’t wanna do anything at all?” Buck asked, raising an eyebrow. Eddie thought about it for a minute, biting his lip.
“I wouldn’t mind doing something, but I want it to just be the two of us,” he decided. “Are you gonna plan it?”
“I’m gonna plan the best first anniversary date you’ve ever seen,” Buck smirked. “Totally sweep you off your feet, the whole nine yards.”
“I can’t wait, baby,” Eddie kissed his shoulder. “But just remember all that matters is being with you, okay?”
“I got it, I got it,” Buck agreed, swinging their hands as they made their way upstairs. “What about gifts? Are we getting each other gifts?”
“Are you asking because you already have a gift?” Eddie narrowed his eyes and stopped in the middle of the staircase.
“No, I’m asking because I don’t have one and I have no idea what to get you,” Buck revealed with a grimace. “I’m terrible at gifts.”
“You gave Chris amazing presents for his birthday and Christmas!” Eddie tilted his head a little. They had agreed that their gifts for each other had to be something they could do and not a thing, so for his birthday, Buck had taken him to the botanical gardens and for Christmas he booked a cooking class for them to take together (they had gotten kicked out of it for getting into a small food fight and then kissing too much, but it was one of the funnest nights Eddie’s ever had).
“Yeah, because he’s fifteen and tells me exactly what he wants,” Buck explained. “You’re a lot harder to get gifts for.”
“Then no gifts,” Eddie agreed, pressing closer to kiss Buck gently. He hummed against his lips, eyes fluttering shut for a long moment. “M’kay. We should move.” They had been standing on the stairs for too long, forcing others to go around them. Buck trailed after him as they continued up to the second floor. They meandered through the different exhibits, and they ended up standing outside of the Dino Lab for a solid fifteen minutes while Buck watched the paleontologists work. Eddie was happy to stay for as long as it took — after meeting the Buckley parents and realizing just how fucking awful they were, Eddie wasn’t about to deny his boyfriend anything he wanted for a long time. Probably ever.
When they eventually moved on, they headed through the Bird Hall and thend down to the gift shop, and when Buck found a pair of socks printed with lions, (“They’re made with fairtrade and organic certified cotton, Eds! They protect the lions!”) he agreed to buy them without protest. They headed up to the counter and he swiped his card, Buck pressed against his back with a bright smile, taking the bag from the cashier when she handed it over. They both thanked her and headed outside to walk through the gardens since Chris still hadn’t texted.
“You think Chris and Amani are okay?” Eddie asked, letting Buck pull him into his side as they walked, his boyfriend’s hand sliding into his back pocket. “I mean, it’s been almost two hours and they’re still-”
“Eddie,” Buck said seriously. “They are okay. They’re on a date. A first date. And if she likes Chris as much as Chris seems to like her, then they’re far too busy to even think about how much time has passed. That’s how I felt on our first date.”
“That’s not fair,” Eddie pouted. “You’re distracting me with sweet, sappy things.” Eddie kept his pout even as Buck kissed him, but after only a few seconds he gave in, practically melting against the strong line of his chest and stomach.
“I love you,” Buck mumbled against his lips.
“I love you too,” Eddie smiled softly, pulling away so they could keep walking along the rough path. They took their time as it wasn’t a very big garden, and sat on a bench once they reached the pond, Buck’s arm wrapping around his shoulders. “Have you talked to your parents in the last few days?”
Since the Buckley parents had departed Los Angeles, they had spoken with Buck twice. They texted when they got home, called the day after, and then once more exactly a week later. It had been five days since that last call.
“No, but they’re busy,” Buck shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll call soon. Or I could call them — phone works both ways and all that.”
“Baby, you know that’s bullshit divorced dads say,” Eddie chided him gently. “They’re your parents. They should be making the effort.”
“They are!” Buck insisted. “Kind of, anyway. And it’s okay. I’m a big boy, Eds.”
“Trust me, baby, I’m aware,” Eddie pressed a soft kiss to Buck’s cheek. “I just don’t wanna see you get hurt if they let you down.” He was pretty fucking certain that the Buckley’s would let him down, but he wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“I know, and I really appreciate it,” Buck nuzzled their noses together. They sat quietly together for a bit, until Eddie’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He yanked it out as fast as possible to find a text from Chris, saying they were done and he was ready to be picked up.
“Oh thank God,” Eddie muttered as he tugged Buck up from the bench and started off down the path back toward the Science Center.
“Eds, slow down!” Buck stumbled a little over his feet so Eddie did indeed lessen his pace slightly. It didn’t take them long to get back across the parking lot, and they found Chris and Amani waiting in the same place they left them a few hours prior.
“Hey, you two? How was the exhibit?” Eddie asked casually, forcing himself to make it look like his breathing was normal.
“It was so cool!” Amani’s smile stretched over her entire face, revealing metal braces and pink rubber bands. “I feel like I could conquer all my fears now!”
“Sounds like a good time,” Buck glanced at his watch. “Are you parents on their way?”
“Yeah, I texted them and they should be here in just a couple minutes,” she nodded.
“Can we wait?” Chris asked. “Until they get here? I don’t want to make her wait by herself.” Eddie was so fucking proud of his kid.
“Course we can,” Eddie nodded immediately. “Amani, you’re in the same grade as Chris, right?”
“Yes, Mr. Diaz,” she nodded. “Though me and my family moved here last summer before I started my freshman year.”
“Where did you move from?” Buck asked, eyes wide.
“Kansas City. We loved it there, but my dad got a promotion that came with a relocation,” she explained. “But I’m really liking LA so far. There’s a lot more museums here.”
“I’m glad you moved here,” Chris said, cheeks flushing a little, and Eddie bit his lip as he shared a smile with Buck. Neither of the teens said anything, both looking down at the ground awkwardly so Eddie pulled away from Buck to wrap an arm around his son instead.
“Has this one told you we’re from Texas? I know that KC claims that y’all have the best barbeque but if you agree, I don’t know if Chris will be allowed on any more dates with you.”
“Dad!” Chris shrieked, but it got Amani to laugh.
“I’m actually a vegetarian,” she said with a grin. “So no worries there.” Before Eddie could reply, a nondescript black sedan pulled up to the curb and a woman — probably about ten years older than Eddie — got out of the passenger seat.
“Well isn’t this a party? I’m assuming you're Chris’ father?” the woman stepped up to the group and extended her hand to Eddie.
“Yes, I am. Eddie Diaz. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You as well. I’m Briana, Amani’s mother,” her smile was warm and inviting. “I have to tell you, Amani has been gushing about your son nonstop. Chris this, Chris that. It’s absolutely adorable.”
“Mom!”
“Chris is the exact same way. I think Amani has somehow snuck her way into every single dinner conversation for weeks now,” both adults smiled conspiratorally at each other while the teenagers protested loudly.
“Glad to know they’re in the same boat,” Briana bantered. “And who’s this strapping young man? I didn’t know Chris had an older brother.” All eyes turned to Buck where he was standing just a few feet behind Chris and Eddie.
“Oh my god,” Chris muttered, and Eddie didn’t think his cheeks had ever looked so red. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure his were the same.
“Oh, no, that’s not - “ Eddie stuttered. “That’s Buck. He’s my boyfriend.”
“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” Briana gasped. “Look at me, running my mouth and putting my foot in it.”
“It’s okay, really,” Eddie waved her off, though his heart was in his stomach as he spoke. “Happens more often than you think.” Actually, it had never happened. “Don’t worry about it at all.”
“Well, we’ll let you three have the rest of your day,” Briana was obviously not placated by Eddie’s reassurances. “Have a wonderful weekend. Amani, say goodbye and get in the car.” After a brief, awkward goodbye between Chris and Amani, it was just the three of them on the curb.
“Can we go home now?” Chris asked. “My legs hurt a little.” That broke Eddie out of his head long enough to nod and head over to his truck, opening up the back door for Chris and taking his crutches when needed. Eddie was silent — someone had thought he was Buck’s fucking father. Did they really look that far apart in age? Or was it just how similar Buck and Chris looked?
Eddie knew that being older than Buck by more than a few years would sometimes have its challenges — but it was always such little things that it rarely bothered him.
“Dad?” Chris leaned forward a bit. “I promise it really wasn’t that deep — it wasn’t even the first time we’ve been mistaken for brothers!”
“What?” Eddie turned sharply in his seat to stare at his son. “When else has someone thought you were brothers?”
“Just a waitress at a diner, it was months ago,” Buck reassured him. “Chris, you owe me thirty bucks now. You weren’t supposed to tell him.”
“I just spent all my money on museum tickets and a pin for Amani, so you’ll have to wait.”
“I’m charging interest then.”
Eddie’s head was spinning, jaw hanging open as he looked between his son and boyfriend. “Eds, you okay?”
“Um…yeah? Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” he nodded quickly. Thankfully, they both dropped it for the rest of the drive home, and when they finally walked through the front door, Chris was quick to head to his room to lay down and play some video games.
“Hungry, sunshine?” Buck asked, kicking his shoes off next to the door. “It’s already past lunch time.”
“Yeah. Chris needs to eat too. Maybe just some sandwiches?” Eddie suggested and Buck nodded, kissing his cheek before heading through to the kitchen. Eddie huffed and followed him, getting down three plates as Buck prepared the ingredients for each sandwich. Eddie hip checked him on his way around the table to grab the chips, giggling a little when Buck pinched his ass the next time he was close enough.
By the time their lunch was ready — all three plates laden with heavy sandwiches, chips, and carrot sticks with ranch — Eddie had almost entirely forgotten about Briana and her awful assumption. Buck took Chris’ plate to him so he could eat in his room, and Eddie carried theirs into the living room so they could eat while they watched something.
After devouring their lunch, Eddie happily stretched out on the corner of the couch, Buck laying along the length with his head in Eddie’s lap. They had chosen one of Eddie’s love-to-hate TLC shows to watch, and Buck had conked out about five minutes after his plate was cleared, but Eddie was happy to run his fingers through his boyfriend’s curls and watch him sleep.
Eddie truly had lucked out with Buck. With their one year anniversary fast approaching, he was thinking about it more than ever. He had the most beautiful man he had ever seen and he was so in love. Eddie didn’t think he had ever loved anyone — bar Chris, of course — this much. He and Buck literally spent almost every single minute of every single day together and it still didn’t feel like enough.
Which is why when people outside their little family bubble got a peek inside and misunderstood it, it felt like Eddie was suddenly on shaky ground. He had fought so hard to get to this point in his life — a point where he was happy, regardless of what his parents thought. So why did he let the mindless thoughts of strangers have such a hold on him?
He should probably bring it up to Frank, but they were still working on his need to make decisions for everyone without consulting them first.
Eddie was doing a fine job of letting go of Briana’s words (repressing them, but really, what’s the difference?) when one of the couples on the show he was only half paying attention to appeared on the screen and announced they had a ten year age gap. One of the other women revealed in their one-on-one interview that they thought the age difference was a little creepy and figured the couple would end up divorced within a few years.
And Eddie was spiraling again.
Which was stupid — he could recognize that it was a stupid. A comment that wasn’t even remotely about him, from a woman on an episode of reality television from 2013, should not be affecting him this much. Or at all.
But here he was, sitting on his couch, with his boyfriend’s head in his lap, on the verge of a panic attack.
Eddie tried to swallow, tried to breathe in, but he found he couldn’t get his lungs to work and shit shit shit, he needed Buck. He desperately shook his boyfriend’s shoulder, and Buck grumbled as he blinked his eyes open, complaint halfway falling from his lips when he seemed to realize what was happening.
“Okay, Eds, close your eyes, and imagine you’re jello. Strawberry jello, yeah? Start with your feet.” Eddie did as he was told, letting his eyes fall shut as he forced his brain to pretend his body was jello. It took a good few minutes — he thinks — and Buck talked him through it, but eventually he was able to breathe again, shaky as it was. Eddie was quick to tuck himself under Buck’s arms, matching his breathing to the rise and fall of Buck’s chest.
“Do you wanna talk about what brought that on?” Buck asked after a few minutes of petting Eddie’s hair. Eddie shook his head, but not even a minute later, was spilling it all to him, stuttering and stumbling over his words as he flushed with embarrassment.
After he finished, Buck was quiet for a long moment. Eddie was about to break and beg him to talk when he was forcibly manhandled so he was sitting in Buck’s lap, straddling his legs. “I know you know this, but no one else’ opinion matters. Our relationship is our relationship. No one else’s. The only person that could have a valid opinion about us is Chris. That’s it.”
“I know that, but I don’t always believe it,” Eddie sighed, swallowing thickly.
“Eds, I think our age gap is hot as fuck. I love that you’re older than me,” Buck revealed shamelessly. “You’re a literal DILF. Getting to call you Daddy? Dream come fucking true.”
“Really? I mean, I know you didn’t mind it, but you like it?” Eddie asked, raising his eyebrows. He bit his lip as Buck nodded and cupped Eddie’s ass in his hands.
“You’re the hottest piece of ass I’ve ever seen and it’s because you’re a little older. You’re not into the vanity muscles that most guys in their twenties love. You’re confident and sure of yourself, as a firefighter, as a dad, as a boyfriend. And when you’re not, you figure it out. You’re in fucking therapy, Eds,” Buck trailed his lips along Eddie’s jaw, pressing slick kisses to his skin. “I love you no matter what, okay? Your age doesn’t define my love for you, but a lot of the things I love about you are because you’re older than me. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” Eddie nodded and smiled a little. “I love you too. But you have to stop kissing me because if you keep going, I’m going to want you to fuck me, and it’s the middle of the afternoon.”
“Hasn’t stopped us before,” Buck muttered, mouth moving to his throat.
“It has when Chris is down the hall in his bedroom.” At the mention of Chris, Buck groaned but pulled away immediately.
“Fine. But tonight, you’re mine.” Eddie shivered a little at the tone and nodded in agreement. He shifted a little in Buck’s lap so his ass was on the couch and his thighs were thrown over his boyfriend’s instead. Buck decided to play one of his games, so Eddie grabbed his crossword book from the coffee table and opened it up to his current page.
The rest of their day was quiet — they decided to order in for dinner, and got Thai delivered, eating around the dining table with easy conversation. Eddie asked Chris if he had plans for Valentines — he didn’t, at least not yet, but he might ask Amani to do something — and Eddie reminded him that it was his and Buck’s one year anniversary. He didn’t manage to get anything else out before Chris informed them he would ensure that he was nowhere near the house that night.
After they cleaned up their leftovers and dishes, Buck went to shower while Eddie got ready for bed. He knew what he was getting into, so he didn’t bother putting any clothes off after he stripped out of his jeans and t-shirt, and instead just laid in the middle of their bed on his stomach, scrolling through Instagram while he waited. Buck had posted earlier, just a little before dinner, and it was several photos from their date today — the first was a selfie of them both he took in front of one of the large dinosaur skeletons on display, then five different pictures of Eddie. The caption was a cheesy quote that he was pretty sure was a lyric from a One Direction song.
Eddie rolled his eyes fondly, but as soon as he heard the shower shut off, he reached over and plugged his phone into his charger, leaving the device on his nightstand. He only had to wait another couple minutes before Buck was opening the door to their bedroom, towel wrapped around his waist. “I must have died and gone to heaven.”
“Fucking dork,” Eddie snorted as Buck dropped the towel and jumped on the bed, narrowly missing kneeing him in stomach. “What do you wanna do?”
“I should be asking you that question. You wanna go all the way?” Eddie thought about it for a minute but then shook his head.
“No, I ate too much at dinner. I wanna blow you though.”
“What an imposition that is,” Buck crowed dramatically, laying back against the pillows, spreading his arms across the bed. Eddie rolled his eyes and shouldered his way between Buck’s legs, forcing them open so he could lay down. He adjusted his position a bit to get more comfortable, laying his arms over Buck’s thighs, hands splayed flat on his lower stomach. He dipped his head down to take the head of Buck’s cock in his mouth, suckling lightly at the tip as he ran his tongue around it.
Eddie glanced up to see Buck biting the corner of his pillow to muffle the noises coming out of him. He couldn’t smirk around the intrusion in his mouth, but his soul was, or something — knowing that he had that effect on his boyfriend after just a few seconds? Made him feel invincible.
With a deep breath, Eddie sunk down the length of Buck’s dick, taking him deep. He couldn’t take him all the way down, no matter how hard he tried, but he got most of it, and what he couldn’t cover with his mouth, he used his hand on. He bobbed his head quickly, tongue working the underside as he let drool leak out of his mouth. Buck liked it messy so Eddie was happy to oblige. He was happy to do anything for Buck, really.
It didn’t take long for Buck’s thighs to start twitching the way they always did when he was getting close to coming — which wasn’t a surprise. After a year together with near daily sex, they knew each other’s bodies inside and out. Hell, Eddie was pretty sure Buck douched him more than he did himself.
He began twisting his wrist as he pumped the base of Buck’s cock, spreading his grip out so he could press his thumb into his ballsack, and the new pressure was enough to send Buck flying, coming filling his mouth too quick for Eddie to swallow it all.
When he finally pulled off, pushing himself into a sitting position on his knees between Buck’s thighs, Eddie knew that his face was a mess — flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and come-covered skin. But Buck still looked at him like he was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. “How do you want me to get you off, sunshine?”
“Just want your hand,” Eddie said easily, climbing into Buck’s lap so he could reach his face, pressing a solid kiss to his lips. Buck returned it happily, hand encircling Eddie’s girth, jerking him slow and steady. Eddie liked the build up, so Buck took his time. He spent what felt like hours just dragging his fist over Eddie’s length, using his thumb on the tip with every up stroke. Eddie buried his noises in Buck’s mouth, kissing him sloppily.
Eddie gasped into the kiss when Buck tightened his fist just under the head, and unexpectedly came as it felt like the orgasm was being squeezed out of him. He whimpered and whined as he spilled over onto Buck’s fingers, muffling the noises in Buck’s mouth. Eddie panted as he pulled away, head lolling sideways against his boyfriend, letting him support his weight.
“Good?” Buck asked after a few minutes, and Eddie nodded sleepily, moving to slide off Buck’s lap.
“I gotta go brush my teeth, be right back.” Eddie slipped on a pair of Buck’s sweatpants that were lying on the floor and padded across the hall to the bathroom. He was slow as he washed out his mouth, brushing and using mouthwash before he finally deemed it clean enough to retreat back to his bedroom. There, he found Buck sprawled diagonally across the bed, fast asleep, and snoring.
Eddie took a moment to just stand in the doorway and watch him. Sure, maybe their relationship wasn’t the most conventional, but he was happier than he had ever been in his life (barring the day Christopher was born) so he was going to let what anyone else said or thought go, and just let himself feel this joy. Every single day.