Differences

Three

"Did Maddie tell you who visited Buck last shift?" Hen asks, as they settle around one of the tables two days later, a cup of coffee warming her hands.
Chimney shakes his head, frowning. "She went over to his apartment after her shift and got to meet him, but she wasn't able to learn much about the guy. Just that they've known each other for a few years and his name is Kelly."
Eddie frowns, it was weird to not know something about Buck.
"He recognized her though, Kelly. Knew her name and everything. He answered the door and greeted her like they had met before." Chimney shrugs, seeing the questioning looks. "Buck, probably talked about her."
"I did." Buck says, making them all look at him. He's smiling, but it's tight, like he's forcing it. "Kelly's known me since I was nineteen, nothing he doesn't know about me."

The words replay in Eddie's head as he watches Buck get a cup of coffee. "Nothing he doesn't know about me." He had thought that he had known everything about Buck for a while, before realizing that the younger man kept things close to his chest. He could remember the team being shocked when they found out he had a sister. Eddie's frown deepens as he realizes that while he might call Buck his best friend and let the man know everything about him, it was clear that Buck didn't feel the same way about him.

"Should we be concerned that Buck has known this man since he was nineteen and he looks a good ten years older?" Chimney asks, breaking Eddie from his thoughts, as he realizes that Buck had gone downstairs.
Hen presses her lips together, concern also on her face. "Was Maddie?"
"No, but I also don't think she knew what to think."
"Do any of us really know what to think?" Hen asks. "We haven't exactly talked to Buck in awhile and I can't remember the last time I talked to him outside of work. We don't know what's going on with him anymore. This could've been a planned visit."
Eddie shakes his head, "We all saw Buck's face when that guy showed up, this wasn't planned. Something happened."

Before anyone else can say anything, Eddie's headed down the stairs to where Buck is. Bobby sighs seeing where he went. "Is it too much for me to hope that we get a call before that escalates?"
Hen laughs, but her eyes are glued to the two men down below, "You'll never get a call if you ask for one."

Eddie clears his throat, stealing Buck's attention away from his phone. "Do you have plans for tomorrow?"
"Uh, I was planning on taking Kelly around. Do some sightseeing since he's never been to LA before. Why?" Buck's eyebrows are furrowed and he's tense. It makes Eddie feel uneasy, Buck hadn't been like this around him since that first shift.
"Christopher wanted to see you." It's the truth even if he is using his son as a way to get to Buck. "And I promised him that I would ask you if you could hang out with him tomorrow since I have to help out one of my cousins."
"I'd love to see the little guy." There's an easy smile on his face that Eddie can't remember the last time he saw it. "I can't exactly kick Kelly out of my place though, so if you don't mind I could take Chris with us while we go sightseeing. We planned on going to the zoo anyway."
Eddie's eyebrows raise, "Kelly won't mind?" He's not as uneasy as he thought he would be at the idea of Chris spending some of his day with Buck and some guy he doesn't know anything about.
"Nah, he'll be fine." He waves off his concern like it's nothing. "What about you though? I can understand if you'd rather leave Chris with someone else since Kelly would be tagging along."
Eddie smiles, reaching out to put his hand on Buck's shoulder, thumb pressing into his neck, just so he can feel that Buck's heart is beating. "I meant it when I said there is no one in this world I trust with my kid with more than you. If you think that Kelly is someone Chris can be introduced to, I trust that."
"Thanks, man." He clears his throat. "What time should I get him or did you want to drop him off?"
Eddie draws back his hand, "I'll drop him off around ten if that works for you?"
"Yeah." He then points to the storage closet. "I've got a closet to do inventory on."

The older man watches him take a clipboard from the desk they had recently set up, before disappearing into the mentioned closet. Eddie shakes his head, heading back up the stairs.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asks, seeing everyone's shocked faces.
"It's just the last conversation we saw you have with Buck, you looked ready to kill him. Things back to normal?"
He shakes his head, "Not really. And we've talked a bit since then, mainly about Chris but it's something."
Hen smiles at the mention of Chris. "Chris is still calling him my Buck?"
Eddie laughs, but nods. "Yeah, I don't think he can get any cuter, but then when he asks to see Buck, it's can I see my Buck."
The other two men at the table shake their heads, having not known that, but aren't too surprised. Chris had taken to Buck like a duck to water and vice versa.