I come home after

Chapter 3

"Another date today?" Bobby asked Buck amused as he was leaving the locker room.

Eddie looked up to see his best friend having just showered and wearing a nice dress shirt and dark jeans.

Buck smiled sheepishly, "I guess so."

"Tinder or OKCupid?" Chim called from above teasingly, causing the three of them to look up to where he and Hen were leaning on the railing.

"Grindr actually," Buck replied confidently.

This is a good development, Eddie thought, the jittering is finally gone.

"Oh, sick of the girls, now onto the boys?" Hen teased and Buck grinned back.

"Bold of you to assume I ever excluded men in the first place."

With these words, he left, and Eddie couldn't help but stare after him slightly longer than normal.

When Buck didn't appear at his place before 10, Eddie got anxious.

Logically, he knew that that probably meant that Buck's date was going well and he should be happy about that but...

They've made it a routine somehow. Buck's dates never went long, and he always stopped by at Eddie's place after that and, well, now that Buck wasn't there yet, Eddie realised he came to depend on it.

He wouldn't admit to it (because who would like to admit to secretly wishing their best friend's dates would not go well) but yes, for God's sake every time Buck was going on a date, Eddie was looking forward to the time he spends at his place afterwards.

He should have realised, if he thought about it at all really, that at one point one of Buck's dates would go well, and their little routine would stop.

He just, he hadn't been prepared for the reality of it.

The longer Buck stayed away the more Eddie's thoughts tumbled into a spiral. Because if Buck finding a girlfriend, or, in this case apparently, a boyfriend, meant he had to give up this routine, what others was he about to give up?

Eddie jumped when the doorbell rang, and he practically sprinted towards the door, hoping it would be Buck.

His hand on the door knob, he caught himself and stopped for a few seconds to regain his composure. Breathe deeply in and out.

He shouldn't let Buck know how much this long date had freaked him out.

Buck was his best friend, he reminded himself, he wouldn't leave him behind for a new partner. He would make time for both of them. He had nothing to be afraid of. They were gonna be fine.

Why didn't he feel like that though?

Remembering himself, Eddie opened the door and, surely enough, was greeted by the sight of Buck's smiling face.

Eddie made a show of taking a look at his watch and sporting a grin that would not fully reach his eyes. "Nice date, huh?"

Buck shrugged, a blush colouring his cheeks, he ducked his head, "It was ok, I guess."

"Can I come in?" he added when Eddie made no move to step from the door.

"Yeah, sure."

The two men settled down on the couch again, and Eddie could not help but realise how Buck didn't really talk about the date he just came back from. Buck looked relaxed though, and this, together with his insecurities, kept him from asking about it.

He just enjoyed the time they spent lounging on the couch together, secretly musing that he'd like these shared evenings (and, who was he kidding, everything)to stay this way forever.