#bilosan

So of course, a week later Buck drives them to Griffith Park for the Harvest Festival. Chris paints a pumpkin while Buck and Eddie try the craft beers at the beer garden (they each get a different one and then share them both), but after that, the three of them stick together.

They eat too much from the many food trucks, spend some time at the petting zoo where Buck is almost as enthusiastic as Christopher is, despite their recent encounter with wild animals, and then go to check out the vendors.

Buck buys a bracelet handmade by single moms in Indonesia for Maddie and Eddie gets a fancy candle for Pepa’s birthday next week, and then they wait patiently while Christopher inspects a stall selling exotic plants.

“Remember that your dad has a black thumb, Christopher,” Buck says, and Eddie elbows him but can’t help but laugh.

Chris just rolls his eyes. “You and I can take care of it, Buck.”

Buck’s shit-eating grin morphs into a softer smile. “Yeah, I guess we can.”

Eddie smiles at him.

“Can we get this one, Dad?” Christopher lifts a small skull shaped planter holding a twisting cactus. “It looks like a brain, it’s soo cool.”

“Oooh,” Buck makes, stepping closer. “It really does!”

“It's a seasonal favorite,” the vendor says. “And very easy to care for.”

“Hear that, Eds?” Buck grins. “Maybe even you can do it.”

Eddie ignores him in favor of leaning down to look Chris in the eye. “Listen, buddy, if we buy this, it’s your responsibility, okay? We can put it in your room, but you have to take care of it on your own.”

“I can do it, Dad,” Christopher promises, and Eddie kisses the top of his head before straightening up again.

“Alright, we’ll take the one, then.”

Chris cheers, but his eyes are already on the next vendor’s stall, and he’s pulling Buck over there before Eddie has even pulled out his wallet.

“You have a beautiful family,” the vendor tells him, and it makes Eddie pause.

But there’s no panic clawing at his chest, not even worry.

“Thank you,” he says absently, eyes on Buck and Christopher one stall over.

Instead of panic, there’s an odd sense of warmth in his chest, like he likes it, people calling these two his family.

He grabs his receipt and the bag with the cactus, slowly following Buck and Chris. He watches as Buck swings a laughing Christopher over his shoulder and runs a few steps before setting him on his own feet again, letting him set the pace, and Eddie’s heart thuds in his chest.

It shouldn’t be news to him that Buck is part of their family. The whole 118 is the family he chose, and Buck most of all – it’s the reason why he changed his will, after all. That Buck is Christopher’s family, too.

But somehow, after everything he went through over the past few months, it feels...different. He can’t help but compare the way he feels now to how he felt when people made this assumption about Ana, and it’s unsettling.

“Come on, old man,” Buck teases when Eddie catches up with them, swinging an arm around Eddie’s shoulders and tugging him along. “Your son’s got enough energy for two.”

Eddie wants to do something utterly stupid, like slipping his hand into Buck’s back pocket, like holding his hand while they stroll through the festival, like kissing the taste of that pumpkin spice cupcake he had earlier off his lips.

Oh.

Oh.

That...makes sense, actually. So much sense that Eddie doesn’t understand how he didn’t realize it earlier. Of course it’s Buck.

“You okay?” Buck asks, squeezing his shoulder once before dropping his arm. The back of his hand brushes Eddie’s, and Eddie smiles at him.

“Fine. Thanks for taking us here, Buck.”

Buck nudges their shoulders together with another smile. “Anytime, you know that.”

When Eddie thinks, I’m in love with you, it’s not a scary thought. It feels like something hopeful, like something he might tell Buck soon. Like something he might not be alone with.