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Letters from the Heart

Summary:

“Hey,” Evan said, raising his voice a little to be heard through the open window. “Why don't you send me a letter sometime? A little snail mail. You know my address, yeah?”

Eddie laughed, throwing his head back, and waved him away. Evan would probably never see Eddie again, as much as he wished he would. What were the chances he'd actually write? Evan had been half joking, and no one even sent letters nowadays.

 

Three weeks later, Evan opened his mailbox. Sitting there, mixed in with the bills and flyers, was a lightly crumpled envelope with an Army Post Office return address.

Notes:

Hello and welcome to LftH. This whole story is an earworm for me, something that I can't help but think about every possible moment, and I'm sure that will be true until I finally have it on paper and published. I hope I do it justice, but you can be the judge of that yourself.

Letters from the Heart (buddie) spotify playlist if you want to listen?

- Bug

Chapter 1: Ride a Cowboy?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Evan was sitting at the bar nursing the same beer he’d been sipping on for the past half-hour, debating the merits of having another before heading home for the night. He had work in the morning, but it was still early and the bar was just starting to get busy. Considering it was the only bar in this town, someone he knew was sure to show up soon, even on a Thursday. And he kind of wanted to celebrate, anyway.  

It was the end of his first month in Texas, about four weeks now that he’d been working as a Ranch Hand. He’d been liking it so far. It was nice, different than bartending or construction, or surfing, or the training he’d done when he was considering joining the SEALs. Most of the skills he’d picked up in the two-ish years since he’d left Hershey were pretty transferable, but he was still learning the ropes of what it meant to work on a farm. It was starting to get warmer now, too, so he knew there’d be even more to learn soon. As long as he didn’t do anything too embarrassing again, he’d be fine. 

He took the last sip of his beer and was looking around to flag down the bartender when he heard some small cheers erupt from one of the two pool tables down at the other end of the building. Evan glanced over, and then did a double-take. Straightening up from taking a shot, presumably a good one, was a man he hadn‘t seen around here before. He might not’ve been able to see his face, but Evan was sure as hell that he would’ve remembered the ass that looked to have been poured into those sinfully tight pants.

It seemed as though mystery man had just won the game, as the group disbanded and passed their cues to the people who’d been watching them, patting him on the back as they did. Mystery man turned around, and Evan caught sight of his pretty brown eyes and immediately rethought his plans for the evening. There were many ways to celebrate, after all. 

He moved down the bar and caught the eye of the brunet, jerking his head at the seat beside him in invitation. The man seemed to think for a second, but ultimately decided to accept and approach Evan. 

“Hey there,” Evan said. “Seems like congratulations might be in order. Good game?” 

The man laughed, running a hand through his hair. God, his biceps were massive. 

“Yeah, yeah I guess so. Thanks. I'm Eddie, by the way.”

“Evan. Could I buy you a drink?”

“Who am I to say no to a free drink?”

Evan smiled wider, turning a bit to flag down the bartender. “Her name's Emma, you know. We could start a band, name it something about E's.”

Eddie smirked and took a seat at one of the bar stools. “I can play a mean tambourine.” 

Evan chuckled at his reply as Emma finished up with another customer and made her way over to them, wiping down the bar and clearing the empties as she did. “Another one, Buck?”

“Make it two, Em.” He gestured to Eddie, sitting beside him. “One for my new friend here.”

She eyed up the other man, giving Evan a knowing look. He’d had one too many drinks and spent a little too long lamenting with her about the lack of decent men in this town just last week. He knew what she was thinking and, well, she wasn’t wrong.

“Coming right up, boys.”

Emma turned around to grab the drinks, and Evan turned back to his new, ahem, friend,  and took a seat himself.

“Don't think I've seen you around here before, Eddie. Not that that's saying much, since I've only been here a month myself.”

Eddie shrugged. “I'm just here for the night. Shipping out tomorrow for my second tour.” 

“Oh? Army?”

“Army medic, yeah. Afghanistan.” 

“Good for you, man,” he enthused. “Saving lives out there. I looked into joining the SEALs a few months ago, met the physical requirements but uh,” Evan hesitated, unsure if this was the right thing to say to someone who'd just said they were in the Army. “I, well, turns out I wasn't really cut out for it. Couldn't just turn myself off the way they wanted.” 

“It's not for everyone, that's for sure. And I’ll bet you know how the Army feels about the Navy. We would’ve been on opposite sides of a rivalry, here.” Eddie huffed a laugh, his tone joking. “So what is it you're doing now, if not the SEALs?” 

“Oh!” Buck said, getting excited. “I've been working as a Ranch Hand, one of the farms just outta town. It's pretty sweet.”

Emma slid their bottles across the counter, caps already off, and they paused their conversation to thank her before she moved on to the group that had just walked in.

“So the cowboy hat's not just for show, then?” Eddie asked. 

Evan raised a hand to touch the brim of his hat. James had given it to him after his first day on the job, said that they'd ‘make a cowboy out of him yet.’ 

“I, uh, can't quite ride the horses yet, but I figure, dress for the job you want, right?” He gestured to the rest of his outfit, straight-cut jeans, work boots, and a flannel with the sleeves rolled up, his forearm tattoos on display.

Eddie looked him up and down, eyes darkening, and took a sip of his beer. Evan knew what that look meant, could feel himself flushing at the attention, even if he had invited it. 

“You're certainly dressed for something. What's this about not knowing how to ride a horse, though?” 

Evan sputtered. “I- Well, uh. It's not that-” 

“It's not that he doesn't know how to ride, right Buck? Just that the ones James has got don't seem to like him all that much when he's in their saddles.” 

Evan wasn't sure if Emma was saving him or throwing him under the bus. He glared at her just to be safe. 

She winked. She was totally throwing him under the bus. 

Eddie looked amused. “Oh?”

“Yep,” Emma continued, “Very first day, Buck here got up on Applejack to take her for a spin and she just, well, bucked him right off. Usually such a mild-mannered horse, too.” She shook her head, smiling.

Buck could feel his cheeks flushing again, was sure he looked red as a tomato by this point. He chanced a glance at Eddie, who seemed to be trying earnestly not to burst into laughter.  

“Is that- is that why you call him Buck, then?” 

“That, and his last name.” She smiled and walked off again, gone as fast as she’d popped up to embarrass him. 

She reminded him a bit of Maddie in that way. They both seemed to know just when he was trying to make a good impression, so they could swoop in and tease him. Evan shook his head, looking up to find Eddie gazing at him with a raised eyebrow and a small grin. 

“Evan Buckley,” Evan said. “Or as that hellion and everyone else in this town likes to call me, Buck. At your service.” 

He tipped his hat, bowing as dramatically as he could while still seated. 

Eddie snorted and gave a little bow back. “Edmundo Diaz,” he returned. “Lovely to make your acquaintance.” 

 

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

 

Evan and Eddie had been chatting at the bar for hours. They'd each had a couple of drinks, but neither of them had made any moves, nor was either of them anything more than slightly tipsy. Their bar stools had migrated closer together over the evening, mostly out of necessity as the bar got busier and louder, but partially, at least on Evan's part, out of a desire to be near. Under the bar, their thighs were pressed together, warm and solid.

Evan finished the last of his drink and leaned into Eddie's space, placing a hand on his knee. “Do you maybe wanna get out of here?”

He pulled back to look at the brunet, and he could see the lust mirrored in his eyes. His stomach tensed in anticipation when Eddie threw back the rest of his drink, making eye contact with him as he caught the last drop on his tongue. 

“Where to?” He asked. 

Evan opened his wallet and threw a couple twenties on the bar to close out their tab, then grabbed Edddie’s hand and pulled him to his feet. He gave a quick nod to Emma as they made their way towards the door. 

“I've got an apartment just around the corner, if you're alright with that?”

“Sounds good to me,” Eddie said. “My hotel’s about 10 minutes by car, I took a cab to get here, so unless you've got a roommate-” 

“Nope,” Evan said. “No roommates. Just me.” They made it outside and Evan started to steer them towards his place. 

Eddie reached down to twine their fingers together. “Perfect.” 

 

It was a quick walk to Evan's place, like he'd said. He really did live just around the corner. He was grateful for Eddie's hand in his though, because despite the small duration of the walk, that point of contact was the only thing that stopped him from pulling this gorgeous man behind a building and asking to be wrecked. Based on the looks Eddie kept sending him, he must've been thinking along those same lines.

When they finally made it to his building, they ran up to Evan's floor like giggling school girls. Evan hadn't felt this bubbly about someone in a while. He let go of Eddie's hand to fumble for his keys, and Eddie took the opportunity to not-so-subtly cop a feel, his hand brushing the younger man's ass. Buck leaned into the touch, then unlocked the door. He stepped into his apartment, nothing special but it did the job, and held the door open while Eddie followed. 

They paused for a moment to take off their shoes, sneaking glances at each other the whole time. The second they both were done, Eddie had Evan backed up against the wall. 

The man was a little bit taller than him, a little bit stronger, a little bit older, too, from what Evan had gathered through their conversation. He placed his hands on Evan's hips, and Evan could feel the heat of them through his clothes, could feel Eddie's breath on his face as he leaned in, stopping just before their lips touched. If Eddie had seemed hesitant earlier, there was none of that hesitation in him now.  

“This okay?” He asked

“Y-yeah. More than.” Buck let his eyes flutter closed, and Eddie kissed him. 

It started off slow and gentle, their lips moving together as they got familiar with each other. Evan reached up to wrap his arms around Eddie's neck, leaning into him, and Eddie's grip tightened on his hips before relaxing, one hand moving to his waist and the other reaching around to press against his ass, much less tentatively than he had outside the door. 

Evan gasped into the kiss, and Eddie used the opportunity to deepen it, slipping his tongue into his mouth. Evan could feel himself melting, turning to putty in his hands. He might've kissed a fair amount of people, but Eddie was a damn good kisser. 

Eddie bit his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth, and a small moan wrenched its way out of Evan's throat. He felt Eddie twitch at the sound, then return to the kiss with a vengeance, lips and teeth and tongue all playing a part, trying to eke more sounds out of him. Evan was all too happy to oblige. 

After a while, a minute, an hour, who knows, they broke apart, pulling away from the kiss to breathe. Evan felt Eddie give one last quick squeeze to his ass, then let go and smack it. It didn't hurt, what with the jeans Evan was wearing and the limited range of motion between his ass and the wall, but it made his cock twitch all the same. He whined. 

Eddie looked at him, smug, his lips red and swollen. “You got a bedroom, baby?”

Evan could only nod. 

 

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

 

The sun filtering in through the window woke him up before his alarm, which was starting to be the standard. Evan kind of liked waking up when the world did, hadn't known that about himself until he started this job. That was part of why he enjoyed bouncing around so much. He learned something new everywhere he went and every job he worked at, and not just new skills, but about himself as well. Like the ocean. He hadn't known how much he loved it until he'd spent all that time surfing in Virginia.  

His musings were interrupted by the sound of his alarm clock, blaring the morning radio from his bedside. The sudden flurry of movement from beside him startled him more than the dulcet tones of John Denver though, until he remembered exactly how he'd celebrated the end of his first month in Texas. 

Sitting up in his bed, hair mussed from both sleep and debauchery, was the gorgeous brunet from the bar last night. 

Dios, that's loud,” Eddie croaked. “Could you turn it off?” 

Evan jolted, realizing he'd just been staring, and reached over to turn off the radio. “Right, yeah, of course,” he stuttered. “Good morning. D'you sleep okay?” 

Eddie looked at him, running a hand through his hair (once again, damn, those arms), a small smile on his face. 

“Yeah, Evan, I slept alright.” The smile grew into a smirk, and he got a mischievous look in his eyes. “After you tired me out, I mean. You sure do know how to ride, don't you?” 

He could feel himself blushing, and his eyes flicked to the hickies he'd left on the other man's chest, the scratch marks he could see on his back. The beard burn on Evan's chin and between his thighs from Eddie's scruff stung. 

Eddie laughed softly at whatever he saw on his face, and flopped back down into bed. “Could I trouble you for a drive to my hotel in a bit?” He asked. “I've got to grab my bags and then check out by 11.”

Evan felt his heart break a little at the reminder that Eddie wasn't staying, couldn't stay. There was something about him that made Evan just want to… hold on and not let go, or something. He knew that wasn't in the cards, though. They'd had an amazing night, but Eddie was leaving, and Evan would be staying here.  

“No trouble at all,” he said. “I can drop you off on my way to work, if you've got time to eat breakfast first? You can use my shower if you want, too.” 

“Breakfast and a shower sounds like just the thing. Thanks.” 

“Of course. I'll grab you a towel and a fresh toothbrush from the cupboard.” Evan leaned over and brushed a close-mouthed kiss against his lips before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom. They hadn't put on any clothes to sleep, and if Evan swayed his hips a little more than usual as he walked, who could blame him? Eddie certainly wouldn't. Evan could feel the other man's eyes following him as he made his way across the room. 

He brought a towel back with him, placed it at the foot of the bed and caught Eddie's eye where he'd been watching him. “I'm going to shower real quick, and then while you're cleaning up I'll get started on breakfast. Omelets okay?” They were just about the only thing Evan could make, so he hoped he liked eggs.

Eddie hummed, stretching his arms up over his head. “Baby, omelets sound perfect.” 

 

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Omelets may have sounded perfect, but in practice, Evan was struggling. About halfway through he gave up and resigned himself to serving a breakfast scramble. At the very least, he had good coffee to offer up when Eddie joined him in the kitchen wearing yesterday's clothes, hair wet from the shower. 

Eddie leaned against the wall, watching as Evan poured him a mug. 

“How d'you take it?”

“Ah, just black is good,” Eddie replied, “I've kind of developed a taste for it after two years, though I'm sure your blend is better than the stuff we've got.”  

“It's alright,” Evan chuckled, “I worked as a barista for a while in Virginia Beach, when I was at bartending school. I'm not snobby about it, but I know my way around a cup of coffee.” 

Eddie cradled the mug in his hands and held it up to his face, inhaling, his eyes falling shut.

Evan smiled to himself and turned around to keep dishing up the food. “Okay, so, I know I said omelets, but I got in a fight with the eggs so we've got a nice breakfast scramble with some toast instead.”

He heard Eddie set his mug down on the counter, and felt a hand slide along his lower back. Eddie pressed a kiss to his cheek and buried his face in Evan's neck, arms around his waist. “How could you,” he mumbled into his skin. “I don't know if I'll survive.” 

Evan melted into his hold, tilting his head to give him better access. “Mm,” he hummed. “Forgive me?” 

Eddie pressed an open-mouth kiss to the crook of his neck, right over where Evan knew he'd left a mark the night before, and pulled away. He grabbed one of the plates and sat down at the small table off to the side of the kitchen. “If it tastes half as good as it smells and twice as good as it looks, there’s nothing to forgive.” 

“Oh, shut your mouth,” Evan said, grabbing his own plate and sitting across from Eddie. The other man immediately started playing footsie with him, and Evan felt his heart clench. The morning after wasn't supposed to be this… soft. 

They ate their breakfast slowly, not really saying much. Evan poured them each another cup of coffee and they just sat together, appreciating the quiet of the early morning. 

When they finished their second cups, Evan brought the mugs to the kitchen and placed them in the sink, looking warily at the clock. “Hey, so, it's just about 7:30. I don't want to kick you out or anything, but I do have to get to work, so if I'm driving you-” 

“Yeah, yes,” Eddie said, standing up. “Of course. Do you need to do anything before we head out? I'm ready to go whenever.” 

“I've, uh, got everything I need.” 

They headed to the door, putting their shoes on much more calmly than they'd taken them off the night before. They made their way down to the parking lot, and Evan got into the Jeep, Eddie following into the passenger seat.

“Which hotel are you at?” He asked, looking over at Eddie. 

 “Just the, uh, the Quality Inn? I think?” 

“Ah, I know where that is. Buckle up.” 

Eddie looked at him blandly. “Okay, mom.” 

Evan blushed, looking away but standing his ground. “47% of people who die in a car accident aren't wearing a seatbelt Eddie, better safe than sorry.” 

“Well alright then,” Eddie chuckled, putting on his belt. “I was going to wear it anyways, but that's even more reason for it. 47%, really?” 

“Yeah,” Evan replied, pulling out of the lot. “The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration collects the data and then they publish these studies-” 

Evan talked, and Eddie interjected every once in a while to ask a question, and before he knew what had happened they were sitting outside of Eddie's hotel. 

“Oh. We're here. I, I'm sorry I didn't mean to, to talk the whole ti-” 

“It's okay, Evan. It was interesting.” He placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. “I don't know how you keep all of that information in your head, though. The statistics and facts and everything.”

Oh, Evan thought to himself, anxiety fading in the face of Eddie's gaze. 

“Oh,” he said aloud, “I don't know, it's just. I think it's cool.”

“Well, it is,” Eddie said, unbuckling the seatbelt that had started the whole tirade. He leaned over from the passenger seat and pressed a kiss to Evan's cheek. “Thanks for the ride, cowboy.” 

Evan blushed, again. “My pleasure.” 

He smiled, watching as the other man got out of the Jeep and closed the door behind him.

“Hey,” Evan said, raising his voice a little to be heard through the open window. “Why don't you send me a letter sometime? A little snail mail. You know my address, yeah?” 

Eddie laughed, throwing his head back, and waved him away. He walked into the lobby of his hotel, and Evan waited until he couldn't see him anymore before starting the drive to James’ Ranch. He might’ve been a bit late for work, but it felt worth it. Evan would probably never see Eddie again, as much as he wished he would. What were the chances he'd actually write? Evan had been half joking, and no one even sent letters nowadays. 

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Three weeks later, Evan opened his mailbox. Sitting there, mixed in with the bills and flyers, was a lightly crumpled envelope with an Army Post Office return address.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about the geography of Texas, what being a Ranch Hand entails, how the US military works, or how to play pool. I am also Canadian, and though I have tried to americanize my writing for this, because part of it is epistolary and Buck and Eddie are American, I apologize for any stray U’s or interchangeable S’s and Z’s.

I got hit with an idea, 10 hours into a 15-hour drive, when Travelin’ Solider by the Chicks came on the aux. The idea haunted me for two days until I became possessed by the Ghost of Writers Past and stayed up until 5:12 in the morning writing the outline for this. The outline itself was longer than most of the fics I write, but I am buckling in to bring it to life. 10 chapters and an epilogue, here we go! I hope you enjoy reading my silly little AU as much as I enjoyed writing it.

hmu on tumblr if you're so inclined: @just-a-little-bit-of-sugar