✶

It's not a particularly large hot tub, and they're both big guys. Their knees bump slightly when he shifts, and it would be more telling to flinch away, so he doesn't. Eddie doesn't shift back either; under the burbling water, his bare calf slides against Buck's, then stills.

Buck can't help it; he opens his eyes.

It's as bad as he expected: Eddie is slouched against the edge of the hot tub next to him, water up to his chest, shoulders bare and gleaming. His hair is messy and damp and his eyes are heavy-lidded and there's a fine sheen of sweat on his upper lip that Buck wants to taste. This was such a bad idea. Somehow, he's managed to avoid this exact situation for months on end, and now here he is, barely even on purpose: just him and Eddie, alone for the evening, sharing the hot tub in the private dark of his own back deck. Even the string lights he hung across the back yard are conspiring against him, illuminating the whole scene in a soft, romantic glow.

Eddie catches him looking a moment later, smiles at him, lazy and content and devastatingly beautiful.

"Hey," he murmurs.

"Hey," Buck rasps back, clearing his throat. He straightens up enough to reach his drink in the holder—it's that fancy craft soda that Karen has gotten him hooked on, not beer. He kind of wishes it was beer, though it's probably a good thing right now that he's sober. His self control feels strained enough as it is. Eddie's leg is still pressed against his under the water. 

"This is good, huh?"

"Yeah," Buck manages. "Yeah, it's good."

Eddie is still watching him. That lazy smile is still resting on his lips, but there's something in his eyes that's sharper, thoughtful and intent. "Should hang out like this more. Just the two of us."

"Yeah."

"Buck," Eddie says, and when Buck looks up at him again, he rubs a hand over his mouth, hesitates. Then his hand moves beneath the water, settling on Buck's knee with deliberate intent.

Buck swallows, hard. They're still barely touching. Eddie's fingers press against the inside of his thigh, his thumb settling on Buck's kneecap. It's not much of a touch, not really. Definitely not enough to get him hard, but that's what's happening, unmistakably, his cock stirring in his swim shorts as Eddie's thumb moves back and forth on his knee. He breathes in, then shakily out, then looks up at Eddie's face again.

He looks nervous. It's not obvious, but Buck's known Eddie for years, knows him better than he knows almost anyone, and Eddie is nervous right now, with his hand on Buck's leg and his eyes on Buck's face, watching for his reaction.

"Eddie," Buck whispers.

"This okay?" Eddie asks, just as quiet, and his hand slips higher, just a little bit, lighting up Buck's whole body.

"It's, uh." They should probably talk about this—Eddie touching him like this, like he wants—but Buck can't bring himself to break the spell, not yet. "Yeah. It's okay."

"Good," Eddie murmurs, shifting closer. His hand moves higher, fingers dipping under the hem of Buck's swim trunks, and Buck tilts his head back with a shuddering sigh that definitely gives away the whole game, if he hadn't already.

Eddie doesn't snatch his hand away, not like Buck thought he might. He lets out a soft sound under his breath, watching Buck, as he slides his hand up, over his shorts, to settle over his crotch. Buck's hips jump involuntarily, shoving his cock against Eddie's hand, and Eddie licks his lips and presses down a little, nodding a little, as if to himself, when Buck's breath hitches.

"Eddie," Buck pleads again. "Are you—can we—" 

He doesn't have words either, as it turns out. He grabs at Eddie's shoulders, pulling him closer, and Eddie lets himself be pulled, moves through the hot water until he's straddling Buck's lap, and oh, Eddie is hard too, which shouldn't be a shock but somehow is. He grinds his hips down with a shaky little sound, rubbing his cock against Buck's through their swim trunks, and Buck gets his hands on Eddie's ass, fingers digging into the perfect swell of it, hauling him down.

"Oh, fuck," Eddie breathes, and pitches forward to shove his mouth against Buck's.

Somehow that too is a surprise, but Buck gets with the program immediately, moaning into a kiss that starts off desperate and only gets more so, Eddie's hips working, Eddie's stiff cock rubbing against Buck's through the friction and folds of their swim trunks. He shoves a hand down between them without breaking the kiss, yanking at his shorts and then Buck's. Buck lifts his hips to help him pull them down, and then they're skin to skin, Eddie's bare cock against his.

Buck moans against Eddie's mouth, kisses him again, harder, as Eddie gets his hand around both of them. The friction is somehow both not enough and too much with the hot water swirling around them, but that barely seems to matter, with Eddie's weight across his thighs and Eddie's mouth on his and Eddie's hand on him, on both of them.

"I'm gonna," he pants. "Fuck, Eddie, I'm gonna, I'm gonna come, I—"

"Yeah," Eddie breathes, kissing him again, then biting his lower lip, hard enough to send a sharp surge of pleasure/pain through him that has him jerking against Eddie, choking on a moan as he comes. The water swirls it away immediately, and Eddie's hips are still moving, his hand still squeezing his cock against Buck's—it's too much, too much, and he never wants it to stop. He digs his fingers into Eddie's ass instead, watches Eddie's eyes flutter shut and his mouth drop open on a soundless gasp as his cock starts to pulse.

He sags against Buck once it's over, and Buck takes his weight, slides a hand up Eddie's bare, heaving back. He opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it again. He can't quite bring himself to break the spell of whatever this is to say something like, what now? or please don't tell me that this isn't gonna change things? or do you want—does this mean you want—

Abruptly, Eddie starts laughing. His mouth is pressed to Buck's shoulder; his breath warm against his damp skin.

"What?" Buck asks, a reluctant smile pulling at his lips.

"I—did not think this through. We're gonna have to drain the hot tub to clean it."

Suddenly, Buck is laughing too, and Eddie lifts his head to grin at him. "Next time, maybe we can use a bed," he says.