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It feels like the month has lasted an eternity. The 118 have barely had time to breathe, let alone actually do something fun together. So, at the end of the shift from hell, on the very last day of the month from hell, they all go out to a bar.
Chris is with Abuela, Karen has selflessly sacrificed a night out to stay home with Denny and Nia, and May and Harry are staying with Michael and David. Now Maddie - Maddie is at that stage in her pregnancy where the sound of Chim breathing makes her want to commit homicide, so when the offer of a night out came through, she’d all but shoved him out the door.
So, they all arrive at the bar with every intention of having a damn good time. No one even questions it when Eddie and Buck show up together, just like they never question it when they arrive at work together either. They just think they’re like that, which is awfully convenient really.
Because Buck and Eddie had only pulled their heads out of their asses and started dating a couple of weeks before they found out about the bet. Or - the bets. Plural. You know, when will they finally get together, who will make the first move, that kind of stuff.
And they didn’t even mean to find out, they’d just accidentally overheard Hen and Chim talking about it during their monthly team get together. It was at Hen and Karen’s house that particular time, and Eddie and Buck may or may not have snuck away to make out a little. Whatever. They were newly in love and finally allowed to touch each other - they couldn’t help it. They’re better at keeping their hands to themselves now. Mostly.
They weren’t even planning to keep their relationship private for long, they just wanted enough time to enjoy it for themselves before everyone else found out and had something to say. But then they learned about the bet, and Buck got that devious look in his eyes that sends Eddie kind of crazy, and - well.
They figured there would be no harm in playing a little game of their own. Just seeing how long it would take everyone to finally notice, how far they would have to push it before someone finally twigged. And so far, the excessive hugs, hands on their backs, overt flirting, and always arriving to work together still haven’t made them realise.
It’s kind of fun, really. Watching them become increasingly impatient about it, when they can very clearly see how Eddie and Buck are together. It gives them something to laugh about even after the hard days, when they’re tucked up in bed together and Chris is sleeping just a few doors down.
And it’s funny watching Hen and Athena give each other knowing looks when Eddie holds the door open for Buck. He even places his hand on Buck’s lower back, guiding him through the bar and to their table.
Eddie leans so close that he’s pressed along Buck’s back, and whispers, “We’re driving them crazy.”
Buck tilts his head to listen, and then laughs obnoxiously loud to draw even more attention. Eddie pokes him in the back teasingly, and Buck flashes him a wink.
And yeah - being in love with your best friend is the coolest fucking thing in the whole world.
“I’ll get the first round in,” Hen offers once everyone is seated.
Buck doesn’t even hesitate in ordering a sex on the beach, because, like, of course that’s what he drinks. Eddie sticks with water though, designated driver and all. And it’s probably best that at least one of them will be keeping their wits about them tonight - it’s gonna be on Eddie and Bobby to keep everyone under control.
Only it’s impossible to keep Buck under control. Well, not impossible, but that’s a conversation for a very different, much more private location. So, Eddie just keeps his arm resting along the back of Buck’s chair, and if it earns them a few eye rolls, well. Even funnier, really.
Athena is in the middle of telling them about a call she attended earlier, where a girl had superglued her cheating boyfriend to the dining table.
“Wait, like, his bare skin?” Chim asks, a look of horror on his face.
Athena nods. “Bare skin,” she confirms.
“I superglued my fingers together once,” Buck says.
They all shake their heads and laugh affectionately, and Eddie has to pretend to scratch his face to cover up the fond smile he’s wearing.
Because he remembers that moment - when Buck was trying to help Chris with an art project and he got a little too enthusiastic about it. He squeezes the back of Buck’s neck with the hand that’s resting along his chair, and pretends he doesn’t see the smile that lights up Buck’s face.
“Of course you did, Buck,” Bobby says teasingly.
And Buck is just about to respond when someone sidles up to their table, right next to Buck. She’s stunning, with dark skin, curly hair, and a mesmerising smile. She becomes slightly less beautiful when she rests a hand on Buck’s forearm, though.
Eddie knows he doesn’t need to feel jealous, knows that there’s absolutely nothing at all to worry about it. It’s just - he doesn’t really like people touching what belongs to him, is all. Which is why he doesn’t bother to move his arm away, even though Chim is giving him very insistent looks.
“Hi,” she says. “I’m Melissa.”
Buck smiles, big and friendly because he’s incapable of being rude. “Hey, I’m Buck.”
Eddie looks away from the exchange, only to see Hen wiggling her eyebrows at Athena, and Chim smirking over at Bobby.
“Do you wanna come and buy me a drink?” Melissa asks, a flirtatious smile on her face.
Eddie has to bite his lip so he doesn’t smile. Because he can see the way Chim is nudging Hen, and he knows they’re all expecting Buck to immediately agree to it. They might be betting on him and Eddie, but they’re clearly not holding out much hope just yet. It’s fun, knowing what the others don’t.
“Oh, I’m out with my team right now,” Buck says, gesturing around the table. “Sorry.”
Melissa raises her eyebrows, like she genuinely wasn’t expecting Buck to say no. And Eddie gets it, she’s that kind of beautiful that fills up every space she walks into - he can’t imagine she’s used to being turned down. Eddie feels very smug about it.
“Well, come find me if you change your mind,” she says, and then walks away.
Everyone is staring at Buck with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“Dude?” Chim questions, his arms held out in surprise.
Buck just shrugs. “I’d rather hang out with you guys.”
Three more sex on the beaches, and two more girls later, Buck is still sitting with them. Albeit, a little more inebriated than he was.
And the thing is, Buck gets clingy when he’s had a couple of drinks. He’s always been a tactile guy, offering back pats and hugs freely to just about everyone in his life. But it’s a whole different ball park now, when he’s letting his hair down for the first time in ages.
Everyone else is well on their way to being drunk too - with the exception of Bobby and Eddie - but they’re not all attached to Eddie’s hip.
Buck, however, is.
He leans his whole body against Eddie every time he laughs, or he places a hand on Eddie’s forearm. He even rests his forehead on Eddie’s shoulder a few times, when Buck is laughing so hard he can barely breathe. And every time, Eddie responds.
He’ll pull Buck closer when he leans in, or press their legs together beneath the table, or he’ll let his hand come up to scratch the hair at Buck’s neck. And one of the guys always mutters something, and Eddie will smile knowingly while pretending he didn’t hear.
It’s Buck’s turn to get the drinks in, and he’s barely even made it to the bar when he’s being accosted by another girl. Tall and blonde this time, and Eddie just rolls his eyes and turns back to the table.
“So, how long do we think it’s gonna take?” Hen asks.
Eddie raises his eyebrows in question, and leans closer so he can hear properly.
“I give it another hour,” Chim says.
“Forty-five minutes,” Athena chips in.
“Are you willing to put money on it, though?” Hen queries.
Athena smirks. “You know it.”
“Oh, here we go,” Bobby smiles, but he’s smiling fondly at his wife anyway.
Eddie is frowning now, because everyone seems to know what’s going on except for him.
“Sorry, what are we talking about?” He asks.
Chim sighs. “Honestly Diaz, keep up!”
“They’re betting on how long it will be before Buck takes a girl home,” Bobby informs him, looking mildly disapproving.
And Eddie smirks then. Because everyone seems to think it’s a given that, with the number of girls who have tried to make a move tonight, Buck will inevitably take one of them home. Eddie, of course, is the only one of them who knows otherwise. And really, it would be dumb not to use his knowledge for good. Or evil - depending on who you ask.
“$100 says he’s not taking a girl home tonight,” Eddie wagers.
All four of them look at him with stunned looks on their faces, as if they can’t possibly believe Eddie is being so stupid. Eddie shrugs, holds his arms out in a take it or leave it kind of gesture. Of course, they all think he’s insane, so -
“Deal,” Athena says.
“You’re on,” Hen agrees.
Chim shakes his head and laughs incredulously, but says, “Your loss,” all the same.
Eddie nods in confirmation, just as Buck makes it back. He puts everyone’s drinks down on the table and then retakes his seat, not-so-subtly shuffling his chair an inch closer to Eddie. Buck is pressed along his side as Eddie replaces his arm, this time over Buck’s shoulders instead of along the chair.
“Jesus Christ,” Chim mumbles.
Buck looks at Eddie with a smug smile teasing at the corner of his mouth, and Eddie has to bite his lip to try and hold back his own.
It’s maybe an hour later when Buck stands up. He shimmying behind Eddie’s chair when he leans down with both of his hands on Eddie’s shoulders, and whispers in his ear.
“I’ll be right back,” Buck says.
And Eddie doesn’t question it, just pats Buck’s hand as he walks away. But then it’s been ten minutes, and Buck still isn’t back from wherever he disappeared to.
“Where’s your boyfriend, Diaz?” Hen asks.
She’s giggling like it’s the funniest thing in the world, and Athena is taking a sip of wine to stifle her own laugh. But Eddie just looks around, because he actually doesn’t know where his boyfriend has gotten to.
It’s not that Eddie doesn’t trust Buck, it’s just - okay, the last time Buck got drunk and disappeared, Eddie found him about to agree to adopting a corn snake.
And just - no. Eddie doesn’t love anyone that much.
So he’s glancing around the room, only mildly concerned at first. And then he finds Buck, and he’s suddenly extremely concerned. Because Buck is climbing onto the stage with a microphone in hand and - Jesus Christ, this can’t be good.
Eddie holds his forehead in his hands and rubs his eyes for a second, then he points up at the stage and tells the guys, “Found him.”
“Oh no,” Bobby whines.
“Oh yes,” Chim cackles, almost gleefully.
Buck meets Eddie’s eyes instantly, and sends him a wink that sets the team off laughing before he opens his mouth.
Then the opening chords of My Girl start playing, and they all really lose their shit then. Because Buck is one drink away from being drunk, and he’s on stage swaying, and -
“I’ve got sunshine, on a cloudy day,” Buck sings. “When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May.”
Eddie closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, because he knows Buck, and that means he knows what’s coming next.
He’s having the time of his life up there, and Eddie kind of loves him a whole fucking lot, even as Buck raises his hand and points right at Eddie.
And then he sings, “Talkin' 'bout my girl,” with his eyes fixed on Eddie and a dumbass smile on his face.
Chim is laughing so hard he can’t breathe, Hen chokes her on her fourth glass of wine, and Athena is almost crying into Bobby’s chest. But Eddie doesn’t even look away from Buck, just shakes his head lovingly and listens to him butcher a classic.
Eddie could have sworn the song wasn’t usually so long, but it feels like Buck is up there for a lifetime.
It’s more than a relief, when he finally finishes. He takes a bow as half the bar cheer for him, and Eddie can’t help but bring his hand up to his mouth to give Buck a wolf whistle. The guys rib him for it, but it’s worth it when he can see the blush spread across Buck’s cheeks from halfway across the room.
The whole table are laughing when Buck finally makes it back to them, but he doesn’t even care. He just unceremoniously dumps himself onto Eddie’s lap.
And really, Buck is too big to be sitting in his lap, except for the fact that they’ve already had plenty of practice. So Eddie winds his arms around his waist to hold him steady, and Buck sways into him so he’s pressed against his chest. He’s looking at Eddie like he hung the fucking moon and stars, and Eddie knows that he’ll never fully grasp how someone like Buck loves someone like him.
He can hear the guys all talking about them - muttering about how they need to get their shit together, and laughing at how drunk Buck is. But Eddie knows he isn’t, really. Buck hasn’t had all that much to drink, just enough to be the right side of tipsy - where his inhibitions are lacking and he gets clingier by the minute.
And maybe Eddie could warn him, could let Buck know that he’s gonna give their game away, but that would involve asking Buck to move, and that’s simply out of the question.
He doesn’t even say anything when Buck raises a hand and rests it on the side of his cheek, his fingers gently scratching through Eddie’s two day old stubble. Or when he leans so close that their noses are almost touching.
“You’re my girl, Diaz,” Buck says, his lips twisting in a teasing smirk.
He can hear Hen, Chim, and Athena guffaw - loud, incessant laughs like they can’t even catch their breath. Eddie doesn’t care. He just rolls his eyes fondly, because he’s so fucking soft for Buck that it’s ridiculous.
“Yeah, Buckley, I’m your girl,” he agrees.
And they’re doing more than laugh now. Eddie can hear their speculations and questions, can almost feel how hard they’re nudging each other with the way it shakes the table. But Eddie ignores it all in favour of watching Buck. Because his smile has turned all sunshine-y and warm, like the first time Eddie ever said he loved him, and it’s so devastatingly beautiful that the bar could catch fire around them and Eddie wouldn’t even notice.
Then Buck is coming impossibly closer, and Eddie knows what he’s searching for when he sees Buck’s eyelids flutter closed. Eddie meets him halfway, their lips melding together in an unbearably sweet kiss that still manages to steal his breath, even after months of doing this.
“Love you,” Buck murmurs against his lips.
“Love you too,” Eddie says, and he can feel Buck’s mouth curve into a smile as he kisses him again.
It might be weird, that he’s doing this in front of his Captain, a cop, and two work colleagues, but it’s not, not really. Because they’re more like family anyway, and with the exception of Bobby, they’ve all had a few to drink as well. Plus, he can always just blame it on Buck being drunk if needs must.
And really, he doesn’t care all that much about the little game they had going on, anyway. Sure, it was funny to watch the 118 and co. collectively lose their shit at how oblivious they thought Buck and Eddie were, but. Eddie just really loves kissing his boyfriend, so at least now he gets to do it in public.
Buck pulls back, but not too far; he keeps one hand curved around the back of Eddie’s neck and the other tangled in the front of his t-shirt. His eyes are bright and his cheeks are flushed, and he’s the prettiest damn thing Eddie has ever laid eyes on.
“Take me home?” Buck asks.
And Eddie could never deny him a single thing.
The group are practically squawking by the time Eddie and Buck stand up - with the exception of Bobby, who’s just leaning back and observing with a knowing smile on his face. Chim is demanding to know when, Hen is asking who made the first move, and Athena just wants to know why they kept it a secret.
But Eddie figures that if they’ve managed to wait this long, they can survive waiting a little longer. He smirks as he wraps his arm around Buck’s waist, and Chim rolls his eyes so hard Eddie thinks he hears it.
“I’m gonna take my boyfriend home now,” Eddie tells them, saying the boyfriend part a little louder, just because he likes the sound of it.
“But-“ Chim starts, but Eddie just cuts him off.
“And seeing as Buck isn’t taking a girl home tonight, I’ll collect my winnings next shift,” he informs them, smirking as they all groan and start complaining about a conspiracy. They have no idea.
Buck looks at him then, with his eyebrows raised in question. Eddie just shakes his head, gives him a tell you later kind of look. Buck chuckles softly, then lets the tip of his nose brush gently over the side of Eddie’s face.
“Night guys,” Buck says.
He waves over his shoulder as they turn and walk away from the table, ignoring the demands from their team to go back and explain.
Buck turns his head into the crook of Eddie’s neck as they walk, presses a gentle kiss to his pulse point. Eddie wouldn’t be surprised if Buck can feel the way his heart rate picks up beneath his lips.
“You think they’re gonna be mad when they find out we’ve been playing them?” He asks.
“Oh absolutely,” Eddie says, and it earns a laugh from Buck, bright and loud even in the middle of the noisy bar.
Eddie’s heart feels lighter than he can ever remember.