Buddie Fics

go out with me?

***

"So we came up on the petting zoo and Chris instantly bonded with this kangaroo, right? And..."

Eddie zoned out as he watched Buck passionately launch into the details of his and Christopher's trip to the zoo the previous day. More and more frequently was Chris begging to go somewhere with Buck - the zoo, the aquarium, the beach. Chris named it and so it came true. Five minutes after the mere mention of a new adventure found Buck knocking at Eddie's door, eager to take the kid wherever he chose. Each trip also brought Chris begging for Eddie to accompany them with a sly grin on his face. Eddie was convinced that his son was catching on.

The truth was, he had fallen - hard. He didn't know where it all began. Between the gunshot wounds and the endless trauma, Eddie wasn't really sure if he could tell up from down. But he did know that this thing blooming in his chest every time Buck was nearby wasn't just the feeling of brotherly love formed over the job.

The truth terrified him. He wasn't even sure if Buck was interested in men. Eddie had just built up the courage to conquer his own sexuality more with each passing day. Even worse, he didn't know if he was willing to jeopardize his relationship with his best friend. After all, he could live with shoving down whatever romantic interests plagued him if it meant preserving any semblance of pleasant normalcy. However, he didn't know if he could live with knowing that he ruined such a good thing for himself and, more importantly for his son, over a crush, which is all that this was, right?

But he couldn't help it. When Buck came over, which was nearly every night lately, he watched the way Christopher lit up. He saw how Buck bonded with his son and the way that he enjoyed being with the kid. Buck was already truly Chris' other dad, or his Buck, as Chris liked to call him. How could he not fall in love?

Now, as he watched Buck go on and on about yesterday's outing, Eddie couldn't help but foolishly grin. He could feel Hen playfully mocking him from the next table over. Buck's words blurred in his mind, and all Eddie could focus on was the happiness flowing from Buck, the ease with which he spoke of his latest adventure with his - no, their - son. He couldn't help but admire the beauty he'd been unadmittedly admiring for years.

He was in for it deep because, before he knew it, he was cutting Buck off mid-sentence.

"Go out with me?"

Buck abruptly stopped, the haze of happiness turning into something that Eddie almost interpreted as awe. His mouth was agape. The rest of the room fell silent, and he could feel the 118's eyes upon him.

"Excuse me?"

Eddie shook his head, eyes widening,

"Buck, I-I was just looking for something to shut you up," Eddie couldn't make himself be genuine.

He heard Hen and Chimney snort and saw them bent over the table in silent laughter out of the corner of his eye, scrambling to retreat to somewhere out of sight but still in earshot. Bobby was intently scrubbing the same spot on an otherwise perfectly clean plate at the sink across the room, head down and obviously tuned into the conversation. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Not only had he just embarrassed himself for all eternity, but he'd also given his teammates a damn good reason to give him shit for the rest of eternity.

What had he done?

Buck was silent for a long moment.

"Did you just ask me on a date?" Buck asked, face void of emotion save for the near-invisible twinkle in his eyes.

"Buck, please. I shouldn't have said anything." Eddie whispered. He was sure that he was beet red now and deeply, deeply ashamed. He just had to screw up like this, in front of the entire team no less.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, I'll go on a date with you," Buck confirmed, cracking a sheepish grin. "Unless, of course, you were joking."

Eddie released a pent-up breath, and the world around him erupted in cheers interspersed with soft cursing. He glanced around the room, catching his family high-fiving and shaking their heads, an exchange of money happening in the midst of their jubilation.

"I'll see you at six?" Eddie asked sheepishly, sure that he was pink from his cheeks to the tips of his ears.

"See you at six," Buck confirmed, squeezing Eddie's hand, his own cheeks tinted ever so slightly.

For the first time in years, Eddie felt the warmth he had been pushing down blossom until it consumed him. Maybe this, he thought, is what love should have felt like all along.