Sasanka27

Eddie keeps avoiding Buck as much as possible. Which proves to be difficult because they are so intertwined in each other's lives. Buck texts updates and pictures of Theo and Eddie only responds with single word texts and thumbs ups. When Buck asks if he wants to hang out Eddie always has an excuse. At the station Eddie shows up early to avoid seeing him in the locker room. Then he volunteers to do extra work to keep himself busy.

It isn't until the tones go off that he's forced to be in close proximity to Buck in the truck. But he avoids eye contact and when Buck tries to talk to him he "accidentally" drops his headset and spends an awkwardly long time trying to pick them up. The others look at Buck in confusion and he just shrugs, bewildered. Chim starts to shout orders and before he can pair them up, Eddie runs over to help Hen with a patient. Afterward, the rides in the ambulance.

That night he lays in the bunk room, pretending to sleep. Buck walks in and sits on the side of his bed. "Eddie? Is something wrong?" *silence* "Are you mad at me or something?" *silence* "You know you can tell me anything, right? You're my best friend." Eddie's eyes start to well up but still, he says nothing. Buck sighs and pats his arm before pulling the blanket up over Eddie's shoulders. Then he leaves. The camera zooms in on Eddie as he closes his eyes and a tear spills down his cheek.

Later that night there's a call involving two friends where one of them is fatally wounded and the other is inconsolable. Eddie, having been the one to pronounce his friend dead, holds the other man as he sobs. "I never... got the chance... to tell him I loved him!" And Eddie is at a loss for words so he holds him until it starts to rain and they have to get somewhere warm.

This time everyone is silent on the ride back to the station. Once there, everyone starts to strip out of their soaked turn-outs. Everyone except Eddie, who immediately storms up to the roof. Buck pauses briefly before running after him. Eddie walks out into the rain, hands in his hair, clearly distraut as he paces around. Buck watches from the doorway.

"I don't wanna talk right now, Buck."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You've obviously been having a hard time lately. I don't know what's causing it all because you won't talk to me—"

"It's not always about you! I-I mean it usually isn't. This time it might be but I-I can't talk about it! I don't know HOW!"

Buck walks up to him and grabs his hands to make him stop flailing them around. They're cold to the touch.

"Is this about the man who lost his friend today?"

"No! I mean yes, but you don't understand—"

"Hey, hey, I do understand. It's been a rough year for both of us. We've been through a lot have come close to losing each other. So that last call must've been really hard for you. It was hard for me, too. But you're still here, I'm still here, we've got our sons... That's all I could ever ask for." They both smile at that, but Eddie's fades away as quickly as it came.

"Then I'm being selfish. Because there's one more thing I want to ask for."

Buck gives him a questioning look.

"What's tha—"

Then Eddie grabs Buck's face with both hands and slams their lips together. Buck's eyes are wide open, blinking rapidly as the rain drips into his eyes. Eddie senses the rigidity in Buck's body and pulls away.

Buck steps back. "Uh..." He reaches behind him for the door, hand slipping a couple times on the handle before opening it. "I, uh, I gotta talk to Chimney about something." And then he turns around and runs out the door. Eddie just stares after him in disbelief.

Episode 3

Eddie's panicking again. He spirals while waiting for Buck to talk to him again.

It turns out the thing he needed to discuss with his captain was the moral pros and cons about working with a love interest. He wants to know the logistics before getting his hopes up. He even suggests switching stations of he has to. He gathers all of the paperwork he needs.

Then he talks to Maddie about how she was right and tells her not to get a big head about it.

Then he sits down with Christopher and asks permission to pursue his father. Chris just rolls his eyes and tell him he's about 8 years late but yeah, whatever. Just don't kiss in his presence.

Then he goes to Bobby's old church to have a chat with him. He makes a joke about how he was the last one to know about his feelings. That he's pretty sure Bobby, himself, even knew.

Then, by the end of the day, he walks up to the Diaz's front door and knocks. When Eddie answers he looks surprised at the sight of his best friend all disheveled and smiling widely.

"Buck?"

"Go ahead."

"What?"

"Go ahead and ask."

"What are you talking about?"

"You said you had one more thing to ask for. Then you never actually asked. Go ahead."

Eddie looked around like he thought he was being pranked.

"I-I was just saying that I'm glad we're both still alive and we have our boys. And honestly I'm absolutely fine with just that! I consider myself a lucky man with just that!"

Buck steps closer, smile softening.

"But...?"

"B-But...I don't want to lose you again. And by that I mean I don't want you dying on me again. But also, I don't want to hear about your dates or hookups. I don't want to have to wait to hear your fun fact of the day. I don't want to have to say goodbye after a shift or at the end of the day. I don't want to have to wait until the morning to make sure you're okay when I have a nightmare. I don't want to lie anymore when someone asks why I'm single."

Buck steps even closer with a smirk and wraps one arm around his waist.

"So that's what you don't want. Now why don't you tell me what you do want?"

"You."

"Good answer." And then he leans down to kiss him.