call your therapist. // eddie diaz

viii. practically family

the station buzzed with the usual morning energy as eddie moved through the bay, absently sorting through paperwork while chimney and hen swapped stories about the latest calls. he'd been a little off since my trip - a bit more distracted than usual - but he chalked it up to a weird sense of curiosity. the 118 was a tight-knit family, and while he'd gotten used to knowing just about everything happening in each other's lives, my sudden and rather mysterious relationship had caught him by surprise.

but that was fine. everyone had their private lives. and as much as eddie tried to convince himself he didn't care, he couldn't quite stop thinking about it.

suddenly, the sound of hen's loud laughter echoed through the bay, my name also echoing in the station. eddie looked up just in time to see the source of the commotion - a familiar figure striding in with purpose.

it was me.

and beside me, a tall man with broad shoulders and a confident stance that could only belong to my boyfriend.

tommy kinard.

"look who decided to show up!" hen exclaimed, waving us over as she and chimney exchanged smirks. "you brought him with you! finally!"

my eyes lit up as i smiled warmly, my hand wrapped casually around tommy's arm. i looked more relaxed than E
eddie had ever seen me - like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders during my trip. he hadn't expected me to come in today, let alone with my new mystery boyfriend, but then again, the station was like a second home. of course, everyone had begged me to bring him in.

"had to," i replied, my voice teasing. "you guys wouldn't stop bugging me."

buck appeared from the locker room, towel slung over his shoulder, and froze when he saw tommy. his eyes flicked between me and tommy, a look of realization dawning on his face.

"no way," buck said, crossing the bay with a huge grin. "you brought tommy? this is the guy?"

eddie hung back for a moment, letting the others have their excited greetings while he tried to piece together the unexpected puzzle. tommy kinard. he knew the name, of course. every firefighter in the 118 did. tommy had been a part of the crew long before eddie and buck had joined, but he had moved on to air support by the time they'd come around. his reputation was solid - one of the best in high-pressure situations, sharp under fire. the 118 still talked about him sometimes like he had never left.

and now here he was, standing in front of them with me by his side.

tommy grinned, his easygoing demeanor apparent even as buck practically tackled him with excitement. "i heard a lot about you," buck said, giving him a friendly slap on the back. "guess i didn't know this part."

"yeah, well," tommy said with a chuckle, "we've been keeping things low-key."

"low-key?" hen scoffed playfully at her old friend. "veronica's been keeping you all to herself. i'm just glad she finally brought you in so we could all see you."

"finally," chimney added with a laugh, shaking tommy's hand. "you know you're basically family, right?"

eddie watched the exchange with a mix of fascination and confusion. tommy fit right in - like he had never been gone. there was an ease in the way he moved through the station, chatting with hen, chimney, and buck, like they were picking up an old conversation. it was strange, seeing him now, not as a former legend but as my boyfriend. he had to admit, tommy seemed like a great guy. the others clearly respected him, and the way i smiled at him... well, that was telling.

"so," buck said after the greetings had died down, "how was the trip? you two get up to anything interesting?"

i laughed, shaking my head. "it was amazing. super relaxing. i definitely needed the break."