Chapter Text
With the silverware.
Yeah, it’s not exactly the ideal place to have a ring cutter for any situation, but for Buck, he finds it convenient in the mess of his home. You can’t really blame him when he’s been through so much in his relationships, and of course, it’s always adventurous to keep certain situations out of the bedroom every once in a while. Buck doesn’t want to tire his bed out with all the ruckus, because he has at least some courtesy for the place he sleeps on every night, despite the few honest times he’s broken it. Additionally, it’s beneficial to utilize the kitchen. And the couch, the living room, maybe a few other places. And, well, being six-feet-two, you can’t really blame him when his height goes perfectly with a kitchen counter.
Buck closes the door as soon as Maddie leaves and secures it perfectly, running a hand through his hair. He instantly goes back into the kitchen and perfects his food, only to leave it aside because he keeps looking up at that stupid ring cutter that Maddie brought up, which she had to inquire about and discover what it was about promptly. His answer was vague with the question, but it was too ambiguous to the point that he was pretty sure Maddie had everything figured out as soon as he tilted his head and didn’t give her a verbal response.
But hey, can you blame him? Buck’s game is nothing but adventure after adventure, even in his relationships.
Finally, having dinner and succumbing to his food an hour later, Buck looks at his phone when it buzzes. Still, since it’s face down and he’s too distracted in filling his stomach up, he decides he’ll check it later, until his desperation grows upon him and he flips his phone over to get a glance at the notification. It’s Eddie. Of course, it’s Eddie.
His stomach flutters, and he almost loses his appetite. Not even almost, because he does, and his appetite begins to linger elsewhere as his thoughts surround himself with Eddie instantly, which has been an occurrence recently. He’s been thinking about telling Maddie about it, but since she came up unexpectedly, it completely blew out of his mind, and the moment didn’t seem exactly right for it.
Buck doesn’t open the message, but rather leaves Eddie hanging. His thumb hovers over the screen for a moment longer than it should, maybe even long enough to justify the seconds turning into full minutes, but he retracts it before he can press down. He gets up with his phone and moves to the couch, flopping his body on the cushions. He locks his phone again and lets it fall to the side, a soft thud against the couch cushion. He sighs, and it sounds so deep, exasperated, maybe even a little pathetic if it’s thought about thoroughly, and he drags his hands over his face like that’ll wipe away the tension creeping under his skin.
But no, it doesn’t. It never does, not when it comes to Eddie.
Because lately, Eddie’s been taking up space in his head the way only Eddie can—as gently as possible, as rent-free as it can be, as quietly as ever, like a mouse sneaking into a house. It’s consuming because Eddie just doesn’t barrel in as anyone else in his past might have. He seeps in like sunlight through window blinds, a slow and steady warmth that Buck doesn’t notice until it’s already wrapped around him. And now, he can’t stop thinking about him. Buck knows he’s in deep, but he doesn’t really want to admit it to him or to anyone else.
Buck’s eyes drift, unprompted, back toward the kitchen. Back to where Maddie was leaning over his kitchen counter, back to the fucking ring cutter, glinting dully under the overhead light like it’s waiting to be acknowledged.
It feels like a taunt.
And the fact that he’s thinking about that damn ring cutter while thinking about Eddie?
Yeah—there’s only one thing to do.