Love Takes Courage

17.7k | amnesiac!buck, angst, established relationship | E

The doctor tilts her head to the only source of warmth in the cold, hospital room. “And who’s he?”

Buck’s eyes drift to Eddie, hungry for the sight of him. They fall upon the tense line of Eddie’s shoulders, the firm press of otherwise plump lips, watching like the very air in his lungs depend on Buck’s answer.

“That’s Eddie,” Buck answers, and the smile sneaks up on him. “Eddie Diaz. My partner.”

There. Relief washes through Eddie in a visible wave: his shoulders drop, features relaxing with the soft push of an exhale. Buck warms at the sight. Right answer.

A polysemy is a word with multiple, related meanings. The word partner, for example, can mean close friendship, a teammate, a co-parent. To someone else, it can also mean a lover.

Scarlett (@scarlettk) on Roost

Summary: After Eddie leaves to Texas for Christopher, they talk on the phone all the time. One time, Buck's mouth works faster than his brain does.

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“Well, there is a certain appeal to a nice, home-cooked meal,” Buck says, putting the plate on the drying rack. “I am not sure if it will appeal to a teenager more than a pizza.”

“Would anything appeal to a teenager more than a pizza?” Eddie agrees with a small sigh. “It just feels very desperate to be bribing my son with junk food when he comes over. My mum already thinks I’m a bad influence.”

Buck hums noncommittally before answering. It is better than saying the first reply that came to his mind. Buck has only met Eddie’s parents 2 or 3 times and he always tries to be kind and polite to everyone he meets but Helena Diaz is someone he wholeheartedly wants to say a sincere “go fuck yourself” to. Not that he ever would, he just… really wants to.

“You’re not a bad influence, Eddie. You’re his dad. You know him best,” Buck stops scrubbing the pot in his hands, looking at his phone that's perched on the windowsill.

On the screen, Eddie does not look up at him, but a small, slightly sad smile tugs at the corner of his lips. He is currently sitting on the dining room floor in his new place in El Paso, fixing the screws on all of the chairs (“It’s like playing Russian Roulette whenever I want to sit, Buck. I never remember which one is the bad one, it’s like they switch places when I’m not looking”).

“Chris just needs time. It’s all gonna work out,” Buck reassures. “So stop behaving like you’re a teenager yourself, trying to find an in with the cool kids.”

He hears Eddie snort in response, “It does feel like that sometimes.”

“There is no doubt that Christopher is the coolest Diaz by a landslide, so maybe you should worry a bit.”

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OLIVER STARK as Evan 'Buck' Buckley