Work Text:
Eddie might not be the most observant person on the planet, but he’s pretty sure that something has shifted.
Something has changed.
Silences are loaded, the air is charged, and the tension is suffocating.
It’s good tension, he’s pretty sure. Sexual tension, he’d dare to guess — a new revelation, courtesy of an enlightening chat with an Uber passenger and some panicked googling.
So the thing that changed might just have been that. Might just have been him, but he’s fairly sure that’s not it. Or, at least, that’s not all.
Buck has been weird, too. Awkward. Flighty. Tense.
The bad kind of tense. The type that’s visible in his shoulders as he sits across from him, thigh pointedly not pressed against Eddie’s.
They’re watching something, or they were, it might have ended by now. Eddie hasn’t been paying attention. Because Buck is tense next to him, and he keeps sneaking glances at him when he thinks he’s not looking.
Eddie tries, again, to casually scooch a little closer to Buck — press their thighs together how they have for the past seven years. Buck lets him, for a few moments, before getting up to get a new round of beers from the fridge and settling back into the couch, even further away than he had been before.
It’s also silent. Painfully, loudly silent.
The air is thick with this unnamed, unspoken thing buzzing between them. Eddie, personally, feels like he’s going to choke on it.
He digs his phone out of his pocket and watches Buck startle when his buzzes on the table in front of him.
He reaches for it, looks at the screen, then looks at Eddie. Eddie does not look up from his phone.
Eddie:
SOS
Buck:
???
Eddie:
How do you know if someone wants to kiss you
Buck chokes. Eddie’s grip tightens around his phone.
Through his periphery, Eddie watches Buck blink down at the text message in front of him for what feels like hours.
Buck:
Why
Eddie:
You’re my best friend you’re supposed to help first ask questions later
He hears Buck suck in a deep, shaky breath. He types. Eddie’s phone buzzes.
Buck:
I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to kiss you so
You’re probably reading it right
It punches a breath out of Eddie. It’d be embarrassing, maybe, if he wasn’t already texting his dignity away.
Eddie:
Okay
That’s good
Thanks
Buck stares down at his phone like he’s expecting a fourth text to come through. When it doesn’t, he turns to look at the side of Eddie’s head.
Eddie does not look back.
Buck:
Can I ask questions now
Eddie:
Sure
Buck:
Why
Eddie shifts on the couch, reaching forward for a swig of his beer. He wipes the condensation and stress-sweat from his palms onto his jean-clad thighs.
Here goes nothing.
Eddie:
Cute guy next to me
Lots of sexual tension
Buck, for the second time in five minutes, chokes. He splutters, even. And that’s Eddie’s bad for hitting the send button at the exact time he took a sip of his beer.
Eddie would whack him on the back in support of his efforts to breathe again, but he’s presently unable to look up from his phone.
Buck gets there eventually. He returns his beer to the coffee table with a shaky hand.
Buck:
What are you gonna do?
Eddie:
It’s getting kinda awkward
We’re just sitting in silence
Both on our phones
He’s pretty sure he hears Buck snort beside him.
Buck:
Are you gonna kiss him
Eddie:
You think I should?
Buck:
Yeah
Eddie:
It’ll change everything
Buck:
In a bad way?
Eddie:
No
I hope not
I don’t think so
What do you think?
Eddie holds his breath.
Buck:
I don’t think so either
Eddie breathes.
Eddie:
Cool
And it is cool. It’s really very cool that Eddie could, for all intents and purposes, lean over and kiss Buck right now. His best friend, Buck. Firefighter Evan Buckley. The guy who has practically lived on his couch for six years, and currently lives in his bed. That Buck. The one sitting next to him. Waiting.
Waiting for Eddie.
Waiting for Eddie to move.
Waiting for Eddie to do anything at all.
Buck:
Eddie
Eddie:
Buck
Buck shifts restlessly beside him.
Buck:
Eddie
Eddie:
Yes
Buck:
You’re stalling
Eddie:
I’m just texting with my best friend is that illegal
Buck sucks in a deep, steadying breath. His hand lands on the couch cushion between them, squeezing it in a death grip.
Buck:
I’m going to throw up
Eddie:
Hot
Buck lets out a huff. It might be a huff of annoyance, or maybe he really is about to puke.
Buck:
Are you gonna do it or can I do it
Eddie:
I can do it
Eddie can do it.
Eddie went to war. Eddie has a silver star. Eddie is brave.
Eddie takes a breath. Hypes himself up. Gathers all the courage he has to look up from his phone and - -
Eddie:
I can’t do it
He can feel Buck’s gaze burning the side of his face.
Buck:
Do you still want to do it?
Eddie:
Yeah
Buck:
You’re nervous?
Eddie:
Yeah
Buck:
Me too
Oh. That helps, actually. The air feels a little easier to breathe.
Eddie:
Do you still wanna do it?
Buck:
Yeah
I’m gonna do it now
Eddie:
Okay
👍
Buck scoffs. “You did not just send me a thumbs up.”
Eddie snaps his head up to find Buck gaping at him. “What’s wrong with a thumbs up?”
“It’s passive aggressive!”
“It’s a thumbs up !” Eddie defends. “It’s positive!”
“It’s like sending the three little dots at the end of a sentence,” Buck says, with a look and tone of disgust.
“Are we…not supposed to do that?”
“Oh my god.”
Eddie really doesn’t know how to respond to that, but he does make a mental note to google the ellipses thing later.
He pulls his phone out again.
Eddie:
Sorry
🥳
Is that better
He looks back up, because he’s brave, and wants to see if that actually is any better, but Buck isn’t looking at his phone. He’s looking at Eddie.
“Eddie?” He breathes.
“Yeah?”
“I’m gonna kiss you now if that’s okay.”
Eddie’s already nodding. “Yeah,” he whispers.
And Buck — brave, beautiful Buck, does it. He leans over and kisses him.
The silence breaks and the tension explodes, raining down around them like little pieces of confetti.
When Eddie breathes, he breathes in Buck. He’s kissing Buck. His best friend, Buck. Firefighter Evan Buckley. The man pulling him into his lap is Buck . It’s always been Buck and it’s always going to be Buck.
Buck is the love of his life.
“I can’t believe you sent me a thumbs up,” Buck breathes as he pulls away, blinking up at him. “When I told you I was gonna kiss you.”
“I sent you the little party hat guy, too,” Eddie reminds him, chasing his mouth where he’s hovering above him, straddling his thighs.
Buck frowns, holding Eddie back with a hand on his chest. “One singular party hat guy and a thumbs up?”
Eddie tries to push forward again, but Buck’s hand is persistent. Eddie sighs, and reaches for his phone.
Eddie:
🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥰🥰🥰🥰🎉🎉🎉🎉🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌😘😘😘😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🥳🥳🥳🥳🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Buck’s phone vibrates. His hand remains firmly planted on Eddie’s chest as he reviews the contents of the text message.
“Better,” he nods, grabbing at the material of Eddie’s shirt and pulling him back in.