Eddie and Chris have been back in LA for a few days now. Eddie's been sleeping on the couch, like it's temporary, like they're still in a holding pattern. They haven't talked about anything yet.
At the dinner table one night, Chris sets down his fork and looks at them and asks, "So... what's going to happen now?"
Eddie tilts his head. "What do you mean?"
Chris shrugs, looking uncertain. "Well, you said this is Buck's house now. Are we going to move out?"
"No," Eddie says. "We're not going to move out. We're going to stay here."
Chris frowns, thinking it through. "With Buck?"
"Yes," Eddie says. "With Buck."
Chris is still frowning, trying to figure it out. "What like... forever?"
And Eddie doesn't hesitate. "Yeah."
Chris nods, like that makes sense. "OK," he says, accepting.
Buck has been sitting in stunned silence throughout this exchange but once Chris has retreated to his room, he corners Eddie in the kitchen. "Eddie, what the fuck?" he asks, voice sharp.
Eddie blinks at him. "What?" he asks.
Voice pitching up a little, Buck says, "Uh, I don't think it's a good idea for you to tell Chris stuff that isn't true."
Eddie frowns. "Like what?"
Buck gestures wildly. "Like that we're all going to live here together forever!"
Calmly, as if it's obvious, Eddie shrugs. "Well we are, aren't we? I know we haven't talked about it yet but... I think we are."
Buck just gapes at him. "What?"
Eddie carries on loading the dishwasher, as if this is a totally normal conversation to be having. Then he glances back over his shoulder and says, "I do think that's what's going to happen, Buck. I think that's what we should do."
Buck splutters, desperately trying to find a thread of logic. "But- but how would that even work? You don't even have a bedroom! What if you want to bring someone home? What if you get a girlfriend?"
Eddie scrunches up his mouth, like he's thinking it over. "I don't think I'm going to," he says.
Buck says, voice rising, "You don't think you're gonna, what? Have a girlfriend? Ever again?"
"No, I don't think so. I don't think I am," Eddie says.
Buck is flailing. "OK, OK," he says, "But you still don't have a bedroom. Are you planning to sleep on the couch forever?"
Eddie says, "No, I'm not planning to sleep on the couch forever."
Buck runs a hand through his hair. "Eddie, what are you talking about? What do you mean?," he asks.
Eddie says, "Hmm," and takes a step forward. "I guess I mean something like this-" and he kisses him. Hooray.
