Buddie: Partners in Fire

Chapter 63

Scene: Eddie’s Childhood Room

The door to Eddie’s childhood room closed with a soft click, but the tension that had followed them in from the hallway lingered in the air like a storm waiting to break. The room itself was small, modest in the way childhood bedrooms often are. A bed against one wall, a faded poster of a soccer player on another, and a bookshelf filled with old trophies and books Eddie probably hadn’t touched in years. The place was frozen in time, a reminder of who Eddie had once been—a son molded by his parents’ expectations, a boy growing up in a world where fitting in was a requirement, not a choice.

Eddie dropped his bag onto the hardwood floor with a heavy thud, the sound cutting through the silence. He began pacing back and forth, his movements quick and agitated. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his knuckles white from the tension. Each step he took was fueled by frustration, the emotions that had simmered beneath the surface throughout the confrontation with his mother now bubbling to the surface.

Buck leaned against the closed door, watching Eddie carefully, concern etched into every line of his face. He didn’t say anything at first, knowing Eddie needed a moment to process, to let the anger run its course. Buck had seen this before—the way Eddie would shut down when things got too hard, when the weight of everything he carried became too much. It was a defense mechanism, one that had gotten him through a lot, but Buck knew better than to let him carry it alone.

After a few moments, when the silence had stretched too long, Buck finally spoke, his voice soft but steady.

Buck: “You okay?”

Eddie stopped pacing abruptly, his body going still as if the question itself had hit a nerve. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands slightly as he let out a sharp, frustrated breath. He was clearly trying to calm himself down, but it wasn’t working. The anger and disappointment were still too fresh, too raw.

Eddie: “I knew this was going to happen.”

His voice was low, but there was a sharp edge to it, a bitterness that cut through the words. He shook his head, his eyes flashing with frustration as he turned to face Buck fully.

Eddie: “They just… they can’t accept it. They can’t accept us.”

There was a weight to those words, a lifetime of expectations and pressures packed into them. Eddie had always been the good son, the one who did what was expected, even when it meant sacrificing his own happiness. But now, standing here with Buck, he wasn’t willing to sacrifice anymore.

Buck crossed the room in a few steps, placing a gentle hand on Eddie’s arm. His touch was grounding, steady, a reminder that Eddie wasn’t alone in this anymore.

Buck: “They’ll come around, Eddie. It’s just going to take some time.”

Eddie shook his head almost immediately, his frustration still simmering just beneath the surface. His jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tight as he tried to find the right words, tried to express the hurt and anger without letting it consume him.

Eddie: “I don’t care how long it takes. I’m not hiding who I am just to make them feel better.”

His voice was firm, resolute. This wasn’t the same Eddie who had spent years tiptoeing around his parents' expectations, bending to their will just to keep the peace. This was Eddie standing his ground, refusing to compromise on something so fundamental to who he was. Buck had never been prouder of him.

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Buck’s lips. He knew how much this moment meant to Eddie—how much courage it took to stand up to the people who had shaped him, even if they couldn’t fully accept who he was now.