training wheels. // evan 'buck' buckley

xvi. too close for comfort

buck woke up sometime later, though he had no idea how long it had been since he'd drifted off. a sense of unease pulled him from his sleep, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he quickly realized something was wrong. the bed next to him was empty.

panic surged through him as he sat up, his gaze sweeping the dimly lit room in a groggy haze. i was gone. his heart pounded in his chest as the reality of the situation hit him. without thinking, buck jumped out of bed, stumbling slightly as he adjusted to the darkness. a small voice in his head cursed me for being so damn difficult tonight, but that worry was quickly overridden by the need to find me.

he quickly padded through the quiet apartment, his senses heightened by the absence of my presence. a soft rustling sound caught his attention, drawing him toward the kitchen. his stomach churned with a mix of fear and frustration as he rounded the corner, and there i was, sitting on the floor with my back against the cabinets, clutching a nearly empty bottle of vodka.

"buck!" i exclaimed with a slurred smile, my arms outstretched as if i hadn't seen him in ages. the bottle wobbled precariously in my hand, its contents dangerously low. i had no regard for eddie, who was sleeping just a few feet away on the couch, completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding in the kitchen.

buck quickly rushed to my side, kneeling down in front of me as he tried to keep his voice low. "shh, keep your voice down, alright? eddie's asleep," he whispered, glancing nervously toward the living room. his gaze then returned to me, filled with concern. "where the hell did you get that?"

i giggled, a sound that would have been endearing if the situation weren't so dire. "it was on the table," i replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

buck couldn't help the exasperated sigh that escaped him as he tried to gently pry the bottle from my hands. "how much of it did you drink?"

my response was a childish whine as i pulled the bottle back with both hands, holding it close to my chest. "don't take it," i protested, my voice laced with stubbornness.

buck felt a flash of annoyance but forced himself to stay calm. i was being difficult, and he knew i were too drunk to fully comprehend what i was doing. he tugged the bottle a little harder this time, finally managing to take it from my loose grip. "just tell me how much you drank, and i'll give it back," he bargained, though he had no intention of doing so.

i frowned, my brows knitting together as i tried to recall the amount. i reached out for the bottle again. "but i don't know..."

buck rolled his eyes, holding the bottle just out of my reach as i continued to grab at it. "you don't know? come on, think a little bit. how much of it was full when you found it?"

i huffed in frustration, crossing my arms over my chest like a pouting child. "like half?"

for a moment, he just watched me, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to handle the situation. i was a mess - drunk, stubborn, and clearly not thinking straight. but despite the chaos, he couldn't deny the small part of him that found my drunken antics almost endearing.

"were you planning on finishing this off?" he asked, his tone softening slightly as he held the bottle up.

i nodded, too drunk to realize i should lie. "yeah," i mumbled, my eyes glazing over as i stared at the bottle longingly.

buck almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. here i was, drunk off my ass, and still wanting more. he shook his head, deciding to put the bottle out of my reach for good. "you're ridiculous, you know that?" he said with a slight smirk, his voice tinged with affection as he ruffled my hair.