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The entire 118 was in costume because it was Halloween. For Bobby, it was a tradition to dress up that day and give candy to the children who came to see the park, since days before the whole fire department had decorated to make it scary, or at least try.
Hen was dressed as the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, Chim was dressed as a bloody doctor, Bobby was dressed as a firefighter, yes, it wasn’t very original, but well, Buck was dressed as a cowboy, with a hat he had had for years from one of his youth trips, and finally Eddie, who was dressed as a Vampire.
—Well, I think the station looks cool —says Buck, smiling from ear to ear like a little child. Eddie just laughed; right now everyone was waiting for Bobby’s famous lasagna.
—Come on, Buck, sit down, dinner is ready —Bobby says, taking the lasagna out of the oven. It smelled amazing. For the station, the day had been exhausting; this was like a reward for everyone.
After finishing dinner, the first ones to leave had been Hen and Chim, since Hen was going to take Chim in her car. Then Bobby said it was time to go to each respective house. Buck says goodbye to Bobby with a hug; for him, he was like a father. In the end, only Eddie and Buck remained in the fire station.
—Well, it’s just the two of us —Eddie says to Buck, leaning on the kitchen counter. It was a good night, the stars adorned the sky perfectly, and the moon had an indescribable glow; the air was fresh but cozy.
—Yes… —Buck responds, looking at Eddie’s big brown eyes. For him, it was like his world, but of course, Buck only denied it to himself; every time Maddie brought up the topic of Eddie and his feelings, he closed himself off and tried to ignore all of it, trying not to think too much about it, since he didn’t want to accept what he felt for the brunette. Eddie looked at the clock; it was already 1 a.m. He was surprised because he thought it was earlier, but of course, every time he was with the 118, time flew by, because he felt at home. He also looked at Buck differently, but in his mind and childhood, he told himself he couldn’t feel anything for his best friend, that he was straight, but sometimes it was impossible not to see him with loving eyes. Surely the others on the team had already noticed, but Buck hadn’t; he didn’t notice anything. Eddie’s mind filled with thoughts, something he never thought would happen. His mind filled with Buck, but ultimately, he imagined him, his pink and full lips approaching his, to finally share a kiss. He had desired it for many years. Eddie tried to clear his mind by looking at the stars; that worked, or something like that. Buck saw Eddie looking thoughtful, he worried a little. He still had the cowboy hat he had worn all day; he hadn’t been without it for a single minute. Everyone thought that being Buck, he would lose it in the station at some point, but that didn’t happen.
He approached to see how he was placing his hand on the brunette’s shoulder; Eddie felt a small shiver down his spine, he didn’t expect it, tried to act normal again, coughing a little, turned his head to see those blue eyes that in the moonlight seemed gray, like two rockets, they were beautiful. His mind had started thinking of him again, unconsciously.
—Hey, Eddie, are you okay? —the blond asked, a little worried. Eddie just blinked quickly and nodded.
—Yes, I was just thinking… —he said, thinking about how good the hat looked on Buck, it was as if it were made for him. Eddie instinctively bit his lip; the other noticed. He smiled sideways, no longer worried, but curious.
—Aha… what exactly are you thinking about? —Buck asked, now a little more playful, standing in front of him. Eddie tried to think of something quickly.
—Nothing, just… Bobby’s lasagna, it was very tasty —Eddie thought, what was that excuse? He wanted to die right there. He prayed in his mind, hoping Buck wouldn’t notice. The blond only opened his eyes in surprise.
—The lasagna?… Well, okay —he says to Eddie, moving back to his side, admiring the starry sky again. They stayed a few minutes in silence, in peace, with no one bothering them, just the two of them. Suddenly, they spoke at the same time:
—Do you want me to take you to ho… —neither could finish, since they said it at the same time. They laughed quietly. But before Eddie could say anything, Buck took the initiative, saying:
—Let me take you, I came by car —he replied, smiling with that smile like a radiant summer sun, it was wonderful. Eddie couldn’t resist and nodded slightly. In that sense, Buck always won the gold medal; he always won.
They walked slowly, breathing warmly. Buck took the keys out of his car and started it. Eddie got into the passenger seat; he had always felt curious, his car and Buck’s were almost identical, it seemed almost a coincidence, or destiny, who knows.
Buck drove slowly, windows down, soft music playing. It felt pleasant to be there. Buck sometimes looked at Eddie out of the corner of his eye; his eyes shone in the light of the moon and streetlamps with an inexplicable glow; he was beautiful, Buck thought. Eddie moved his hand and leg to the rhythm of the music, humming a little, while his head was half out of the car, feeling the wind on his face.
Buck was lost, he could no longer deny it. He was in love with Eddie Díaz. Every time he saw him, it was like seeing the love of his life, his soulmate.
When they arrived at Eddie’s house, Buck stopped right in front. He had been to Eddie’s house many times; it was like his second home. The good thing was that today Chris had stayed with his aunt, so Eddie could rest well.
—We’ve arrived… —Buck announces. Eddie turned his head to see his house. He unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, but before getting out he said to Buck:
—Do you want to have a drink? —Buck didn’t even have to answer, he turned off the car and got out quickly, with a smile, it was impossible to say no to Eddie. Eddie felt happy that he had accepted his invitation, but at the same time he felt a little nervous about what could happen. He tried to clear his mind of negative thoughts and headed to the entrance to go inside and take off his costume, because yes, he still had the fangs on.
—Home sweet home —he says, sighing at the aroma of his house, taking off his shoes and throwing them somewhere in the entrance, then letting Buck in, closing the door. Eddie wasn’t drunk or anything, but it seemed like he was.
—Go to the sofa, I’ll bring the beers —Buck adds. He already knew Eddie’s house perfectly. The brunette just nodded and headed to the living room, smiling. A minute later Buck was there with two beers in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. He sat down, almost falling onto the sofa with a big sigh. That sofa was wonderful. Buck remembered that one day he couldn’t sleep, so he came to Eddie’s house and sat on that sofa, ordered some beers, but before Eddie came with them, he was already asleep on the sofa, one of his best naps, without a doubt.
Eddie grabbed one of the already opened beers and took a big sip. The TV was off, there was no noise, only their soft breathing. They stayed like that for a few minutes, without speaking, just enjoying the silence. Buck brushed his knee against Eddie’s. The brunette felt his breathing accelerate just from the touch, sat properly on the sofa, coughing awkwardly. Time seemed to slow down as they remained in silence. Eddie decided to say something:
—If you want, you can stay overnight, I don’t mind —Buck just smiled and said:
—Of course, fine by me —The atmosphere was different, changed. Now their voices were softer, nervous breaths, as if they were about to do something, but neither dared. The beers were finished, now they had nothing to do. The house became silent again, nothing occurred to either of them to say. Eddie realized they still had their costumes on. He got up and began to take off the vampire cape, then the shirt he wore. While Eddie was taking off the entire costume, Buck watched, seeing his well-formed back, his arms, the tattoos adorning his skin. He unconsciously bit his lip. In the end, Eddie was left only in boxers. It was normal for them to change together; they had been doing it for many years at the fire department.
—Eh… I don’t have clothes to change into —says Buck, still in his costume and cowboy hat, a slight blush on his face at seeing Eddie like that. Eddie couldn’t avoid giving Buck a quick glance when he said he didn’t have clothes to change into. He also had a slight blush while sitting again on the sofa, only in boxers. That night it was hot, or… was it Eddie?
—You can use whatever you find, I’m sure something will fit —Eddie said, though his words were a little hard to pronounce. He tried to stay calm, but his thoughts were racing. Buck looked at Eddie; still on the sofa, Eddie was always kind to him, and to everyone, always helping, but with him it was different. It gave him strange feelings that made him feel good but also scared. Buck’s mind began filling with ideas invading his thoughts while he watched Eddie.
—Th…thanks —he said slowly, with a blush that made him feel weird, as if suddenly it were a burden or inconvenience. Out of nowhere, the atmosphere had changed, now it felt hotter than before. Eddie got up from the sofa and went to his room to get some clothes; he wasn’t going to stay in boxers. He came back with a gray cotton shirt and matching pants. Buck was still sitting there with that stupid hat that drove him crazy. The brunette got an idea:
—Can I try on the hat? —Buck couldn’t refuse. He nodded and gave it to him. Eddie put it on; it was a bit big. Buck looked at him like he was a treasure. He no longer cared if Eddie kept it forever, because it seemed the hat was made for him.
—It… it looks good on you —adds the blond, nervously.
—Yes, right? I’m ready to ride a horse —he says with a laugh, pretending to hold a rope and as if he were on a horse, like a cowboy.
Buck’s stomach flipped; he imagined Eddie riding. He coughed in embarrassment, as if Eddie could read his thoughts.
—Although, hey, it also looks really good on you. It suits you; you look like a real cowboy —Eddie stared at him, the hat still on his head. Buck didn’t look away. The silence became heavier, but not uncomfortable. The hat fell slightly over Eddie’s face. Buck laughed. One of his hands moved unconsciously, bringing his hand to the hat, adjusting it. As he withdrew his hand, it lightly brushed Eddie’s soft cheek. Eddie felt the slight movement and got a small shiver down his spine, blushed a little, but he smiled; his gaze said so many things it could explode at any moment.
The silence became heavy again. Buck’s mind was spinning; he wanted to do something, something that would surely break their friendship and the station’s dynamic, change everything. Buck knew it, but he had been holding back his feelings for years. He couldn’t anymore; he needed to do it, feel alive for once in his life. So he took a deep breath, and with the same hand that had touched Eddie’s cheek, he placed it on his neck. Eddie had a slight layer of sweat from nerves, but the brunette didn’t say anything, just stayed silent, feeling his heart pounding in his ears. He wanted to do something, but couldn’t move. When the blond saw that Eddie didn’t pull away, he told himself: it’s now or never. With impulse and all his strength, he approached him, kissing his lips. He closed his eyes. Eddie was practically in shock; it was the moment he had longed for. If he didn’t do something, everything would go to hell. He pushed aside all negative feelings and reciprocated the kiss, holding Buck’s shirt tightly so he wouldn’t escape. The kiss continued. Buck felt immense happiness seeing Eddie respond. In the blond’s head, fireworks were exploding, pure happiness. After a few seconds, which seemed like years, even centuries to them, they separated to breathe. Now Eddie’s eyes shone like they never had before. Both were nervous and blushing. Buck only knew he was seeing the love of his life. Eddie coughed slightly and said:
—This is going to change everything —but honestly, now neither of them cared. Buck laughed quietly. Yes, Eddie was right.
—Yes, but now I know I want to be with you forever —Before Eddie could respond, Buck pulled him close again, kissing him again, this time freer, more fleeting, with tongue involved. It was what both wanted. Now they were happy.
Neither of them would forget that day, the night of November 1st, when they could finally be together.