Lately, I've Tried Other Things || Buddie

Kiss Me on the Mouth

"You're a badass under pressure, brother."

"Me?" Buck tries to hide his smile, but he can't. He's been looking for this guy's approval since he got here, and he's finally got it. Come on, this guy is such a badass and he just called him one?

"Hell yeah, you can have my back any day."

"Or, you know, you could... you could have mine." Buck doesn't know why he's stumbling over his words. He thinks it may be the smile on his face not letting it out fully.

Eddie lets out a small laugh. This guy has been an ass and all he had to do was compliment him to get him to stop? He should have just tried that sooner. "Deal." He reaches his hand out to shake Buck's.

"Nice work, fellas. I'm glad you both made it out of there."

"Ed's a professional, Cap. I was never really worried." Then the ambulance explodes. Of course it fucking explodes. Buck jumps at first, then looks to Eddie for some kind of explanation.

"You guys hungry?" He points back, signaling for them to go.

"After that, I'm going to need more than food. How about some drinks?" Buck suggests, heart still pounding from the explosion.

"Yeah... I could go for drinks." Eddie nods with a smile.

"Well, I've got plans, so you boys have fun." Bobby gives them a polite nod and heads back to the truck.

"We can ask Hen and Chim if they want to go with us." Buck shrugs, nodding in their direction.

"Yeah, okay." Eddie follows Buck over to Hen and Chimney, who are still kind of jumpy from the explosion.

"Hey, Ed and I are going to go out for drinks, you two wanna come with?"

"I think after the day we've had; I just want to go home to my wife and my kid."

"Okay, what about you, Chim?"

"Usually I'd say yes, but tonight, I want to go home to my apartment alone and just... sleep."

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, Ed."

"You have got to stop calling me that."

"Come on, I told you. We've all got nicknames. I can't just call you by your name."

"Edmundo."

"I'm sorry?"

"That's my full first name. Eddie is a nickname. There. Now you can call me Eddie."

"Edmundo..." He says it as if he's contemplating something.

"God, don't start calling me that."

"Well, I can't. It wouldn't be a nickname."

"Good, because if you ever start calling me Edmundo, I will call you Evan." He learned that was not a name he liked when Chimney had called him it earlier.

"Okay... tell me about your girlfriend." They've been sitting at the bar for about 45 minutes and have yet to talk about anything real.

"I uhh... I'm starting to think that everyone might be right. I think she might not actually be my girlfriend anymore."

"I'm sorry man, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's alright. Everyone has been saying it for months. I think it took hearing it from my sister. She may have been out of my life for like three years, but she always seems to be right about these kinds of things. I just wish people would stop telling me she's screwing other guys. I know it's probably true, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." He forces a laugh.