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“Is it just me, or is there a little crackle in the air?” Buck swayed as he walked, shoulder-checking Eddie.
“I think it’s your lightning senses coming back.” Eddie joked. “The ghost of lightning strikes past.” Buck balked, but his eyes remained soft, joking.
“Hey, guys. Focus.” Bobby warned. “Buck, Eddie, I want you two to follow Hen and Chimney. We still don’t really know what happened in there.”
“Didn’t dispatch say it was an explosion?” Hen asked. “What exploded?”
“A spell.” Bobby smiled coyly. The shop had a crescent moon over the door, and a broken-looking sign hung from a pole stuck crookedly in the patch of grass out front.
“The Raven’s Nest.” Buck read the sign out loud. “You know, Raven’s have a lot of symbolism. Because they can mimic speech, although there’s some debate about whether they understand speech or just repeat it, they’re known for representing prophecy and insight. Some cultures see them in the same vein as crows, so more death and pestilence, but overall, they’re a positive omen. So much so that they’re also seen as a symbol of rebirth and starting over.”
“Buck.” Bobby stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Focus.” Buck nodded, smiling. “You can tell us all about Ravens later.”
“Wait, so what exploded?” Ravi pressed Bobby again.
“We don't know. Caller said the owner was doing a love spell for her, and the cauldron exploded. Grab your masks.” Bobby donned his own as the team followed.
Eddie looked around the shop when he entered. Crystals lined the walls, along with tiny jars of ingredients.
“A love spell, really?” He asked Buck while Hen and Chimney assessed both the owner and the client.
“I mean, I get it. It's LA. It's hard out here. I even thought Tommy and I had something. And then boom, nothing.” He frowned, and Eddie wanted to reach across the space.
“Having trouble finding love?” The owner was on her feet, cleared by skilled paramedics. She was petite, draped in scarves and shawls. Her light eyes were wrapped in dark kohl eyeliner, and she wore her silver hair in a long braid down her back. She was simultaneously someone's grandmother and not a day over 30.
“Not really looking. Focusing on myself.” Eddie answered her somewhat dismissively. She was staring through him with gray-blue eyes. It felt like X-ray vision, and he squirmed in his turnouts. Goosebumps rose across his arms, and he worked to move away from her.
“Even though he could have anyone, really.” Eddie could tell it was the beginning of a Buck ramble. “He's just picky. For good reason.”
“I'm not picky.” Eddie interrupted him. “I'm just waiting for the right woman.” He was still inching away from the witch, inching closer to Buck. He couldn't place the fear, the uncomfortable twist in his gut when she eyed him, but his instinct was to run.
“I’m not the right gender, or we’d just call it good enough.” Buck joked, which confirmed for Eddie that he was not picking up on the same vibes he was. “Can’t win’em all.” The witch smiled then, wide and toothy. Her gray-blue eyes flashed as they moved between him and Buck, standing hip to hip.
“A woman -” She reached across the short distance, grabbing Eddie’s wrist. “Is what you seek?” Eddie tried to pull away, but she was as strong as she appeared frail. She released him after what felt like minutes. A cold burn had moved up Eddie’s arm, causing him to shudder.
“Alright, roll out.” Bobby shouted, and Eddie released the breath he was holding. The witch let her hand drop from Eddie’s skin.
Back in the engine, Eddie examined his wrist where she had touched it. A red ring wrapped around his wrist. A perfect iteration of the witch's hand. He didn't believe in curses, but he vaguely wondered if whatever herbs and chemicals she was working with had caused a skin reaction.
Eddie went to sleep that night not thinking about the witch, but her eyes haunted his dreams. That cold burn and the flash in her eyes woke him in a cold sweat. Eddie didn't think about how his body felt when he rolled over and pulled the blanket tighter around him, didn't think about how his feet didn't quite hit the end of the bed like they usually do, or how his shirt felt 3 sizes too big. He just mumbled something about “la bruja” and returned to his dreams.
When Eddie woke the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that he needed to pee. He had three days off and planned to spend as much of it as possible inside his own house. Christopher was still in Texas, and he was not falling for any of Buck’s ‘get Eddie out of the house’ ploys. He stumbled to the bathroom, eyes not quite open. He walked through the house by feel, not taking a moment to notice his appearance in the mirror.
He centered himself in front of his toilet and realized something was off for the first time. He felt closer to it, somehow. He shook his head to clear it and felt soft, wavy hair brush his cheeks. Still on autopilot, he pushed his boxers down in the front to free himself; reaching blindly, he found nothing.
Suddenly, Eddie became aware of several things at once. 1. He was not as tall as he was the night before. 2. His shirt was now hanging mid-thigh, and he’d lifted it to pull his boxers down, 3. His hair was long, pooling around his shoulders in waves, and 4. His dick was gone.
Eddie shrieked. There was no other word for the sound that came out of his mouth. He stared in the mirror, mouth open, screaming in horror. He was not him. There was someone in the mirror, but it was not him. Instead, the mirror reflected a woman. A woman that raised her eyebrows when he did, met his fingers on the glass when he reached forward to anchor himself, and touched the long brown hair seemingly growing from his own head when he ran his fingers through it.
Eddie was a woman. Eddie was a woman. He assessed his appearance for a moment. His eyes were familiar, just framed in longer lashes. His smile was the same, just set in a softer jaw. His hair descended past his shoulders in soft waves but was the same chocolate brown he remembered. When he tested his voice, he found it was more like his sisters than his own.
Mustering some bravery and taking a deep breath, he reached down his boxer shorts again. He was met with short, curly pubic hair, not unlike what he had before. Okay , he breathed, something familiar there . He pushed his hand further, which, like the rest of him, was smaller. His now petite fingers met wetness instead of the limp cock he was expecting. He grazed across his clitoris, applying pressure to satisfy a dim curiosity in the back of his mind. He explored further and found an opening.
So, I am anatomically correct. He thought. He shot his hands to his chest with that thought, finding two perky, round breasts. He looked down his own shirt, taking in the view from above before flashing himself in the mirror. His nipples perked up with the rush of cooler air, and Eddie marveled at them a little. He’d always had sensitive nipples, but somehow, he felt like it would be more so in this body. He lowered his shirt, panic rising again.
“Text Buck.” He said aloud, in a voice he didn’t recognize. “That’s what I always do, right?” He picked up his phone, weighing his options. His eyes fell on his right wrist, a small handprint still circling it, bright red against his tanned skin. “Yeah, text Buck.”
Eddie 8:40am
I’ve been cursed. I need you to get here.
Buck 8:40am
You don’t believe in curses. What happened.
Eddie 8:41am
Just get over here!!!!
Buck 8:42am
I just got off shift. I’ll shower and be right over.
Eddie 8:42am
DO NOT.
Come straight here.
Please.
Buck 8:43am
Okay damn.
I’m on my way.
Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t expect Buck to know what to do, but he didn’t know what to do either. On the other hand, this was actual confirmation he wasn’t dreaming, which meant he probably was cursed. And he didn’t even believe in curses. He touched the red ring around his wrist, a cold shock rushing through him.
A few minutes later, he heard Buck’s Jeep pull up outside. Suddenly, he was panicking again. His heart was racing, and he took deep breaths to steady himself. He heard the door open and close, then heavy footfalls through the hallway. Eddie met him in the living room and only too late, realized he was still in his boxers and t-shirt. Not that it matters, really. I won’t fit into my other clothes anyway, he thought.
“Uh, hi.” Buck smiled softly, tilting his head like a dog, ensuring he’s not seen as a threat. “I’m looking for Eddie, is he here?” Eddie realized Buck didn’t recognize him. Buck thought he was some one-night stand sneaking out of Eddie’s house.
“I am Eddie.” He couldn’t find that authoritative tone he would use usually. Buck just stared at him blankly.
“I’m just gonna call him.” Buck pulled his phone from his uniform pants pocket and dialed Eddie’s number. The phone rang in Eddie’s hand. He swiped up to answer it and put the phone to his ear.
“I don’t know how to prove it to you. But I am Eddie.” Eddie held up his wrist where the burn mark was. He’d shown it to Buck yesterday and even had Chimney check it out. They hung up in unison. Buck’s eyes were wide. Eddie couldn’t decide if it was because he thought he was staring down a crazy woman, or if he was starting to believe him finally.
“If you’re Eddie, then tell me the secret I told you during quarantine.” Buck was stock still, his back ramrod straight. Eddie was worried his friend was going to stop breathing. “No one else would know that.”
“Hen, Chim, and I stayed with you during quarantine. You and I got drunk, and I found the box.” Eddie watched the color drain from Buck’s face. He realized with dismay that he was no longer big enough to catch him if he fainted. “You should sit down.”
Buck obliged. Giving Eddie a wide berth, skirting around the edges of the living room to sit on the couch. Eddie wondered absently how clean his uniform even was. He really had come straight here without changing.
“What was in the box?” Buck was breathless, his question barely a whisper. “You have to tell me.”
“A collection of women’s underwear. Because you like to wear them sometimes.” Eddie watched Buck go actually gray. Any hint of undertone washing away with every word Eddie uttered. Even his lips paled, and Eddie watched him gulp.
“What the fuck.” Buck made eye contact with him and Eddie could see how wide his eyes still were. “What happened to you? Is this some prank? Are you actually Eddie’s sister because I haven’t met them and I wouldn’t know.” His voice rose in volume and pitch with every question.
“Am I the type to play pranks, Buck?” Eddie interrupted him. Needed to; he was spiraling.
“We do sometimes… with Bobby.” Buck was quiet again, contemplating.
“This isn’t a prank.” Eddie spoke again. “We went on that call yesterday. La bruja. At The Raven’s Nest. Remember I showed you the burn.” Eddie held his wrist up again, offering it to Buck to examine. Buck took it gently, and Eddie sat next to him on the couch. This close, Eddie could smell him. A mix of smoke, sweat, and a faint hint of his cologne.
Eddie had never really noticed it before, but something about it had heat curling in his lower belly and a nervous flutter in his chest. Buck’s hands were calloused, rough. Eddie had never noticed that either. His skin erupted in goosebumps when Buck’s fingers grazed across his forearm.
“So what do we do?” Buck asked. “There’s no camera crew, so I’m clearly not being Punk’d. You got cursed.” Eddie was just thankful Buck believed him. Having someone in this mess with him made it easier.
“I don’t know. I don’t even believe in curses.” Eddie answered.
“I don’t think you have a choice now.” Buck looked him up and down, his eyes sweeping across Eddie’s new body. It sent a thrill through Eddie having Buck’s eyes on him like that. He was still holding Eddie’s arm, each fingerprint sending little shockwaves through his skin.
“Regardless, how do I undo it?” Eddie tucked his arms around himself, filing the knowledge that he missed the contact with Buck into the back of his mind.
“You think the lady at the The Raven’s Nest did it?” Buck asked, immediately shifting into investigation mode. Eddie flashed back to the treasure hunt and how excited he’d been to have a mystery to solve.
“I absolutely think she did it.” Eddie realized his voice was bordering on what he used to tell his sisters was hysterics. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he was powerless to stop them from sliding down his cheeks.
“Hey, no.” Buck was comforting him. One hand planted firmly on Eddie’s knee, the other wiping a tear from his cheek. Eddie’s breath hitched in his throat. Whether it was a sob or Buck’s hand cradling his face, he didn’t know. “We’ll go back to The Raven’s Nest. We start there.” Eddie nodded, choosing to trust that Buck had any kind of plan.
“I don’t have any clothes.” Eddie grumbled, petulant. Buck laughed, a high peal that soothed Eddie’s nerves. Eddie watched his eyes sparkle, again filing it under things he never noticed before.
“I’ll run to the store. Any guess on what size you are?” Buck stood up, taking Eddie’s hand and pulling him to his feet as well. Standing this close, Eddie realized how much height he had really lost.
“Based on the fact that I’m barely breaking five foot two right now I assume a 6 or 8. Maybe small? Medium? I think I look the most like my sister Sophia, and that’s what she wears.”
“I’ll just buy a couple options.” Buck assured. “Can I shower now though?”
“After I pee.” Eddie held up a hand and walked away from Buck. His shock had officially worn off. He was starving, and realized he’d never figured out how to use the bathroom. In this case, he was just grateful he learned to wipe front to back from changing his little sister’s diapers.
Fully dressed and sitting in the Taco Bell drive-through, Eddie was again grateful that Buck was the type of person who didn’t panic when faced with a very real, very insane curse. He picked at the fringe on the edge of his jean shorts contemplating life if he was stuck this way. Would he have to change his identity? How would he explain it to Christopher? To anyone?
“I have so many questions.” Buck was almost giddy as they pulled back out onto the road. “Are you like….anatomically correct? Does the outside match the inside? Like, do you have a uterus??” Buck wasn’t looking at Eddie. Simply asking questions for the sake of it, pure curiosity.
“As far as I can tell, I am anatomically correct. But I have no idea about the inside.” Eddie answered. “More importantly, why did she turn me into a woman?” Buck turned left down a side street, following the directions from his GPS to the address from the call. Eddie’s mouth actively watered, watching the muscles in his arm tense and coil, using the palm of his right hand to turn the wheel.
Is this really how women think? Eddie thought, shaking his head minutely to rid himself of the train his brain was running. Do I have a lady brain, too? He didn’t ask it out loud. Buck was on a long-winded rant on all the things he knew about curses.
“You know, usually you have to learn something. Like there’s a lesson.” Buck licked his lips, and Eddie admired his tongue. “I went through a Stephen King phase, don’t laugh, and there’s this one book, Thinner. It’s a movie, too. Came out in 1996. The book was published in 1984. The movie actually had Joe Mantegna in it, the Criminal Minds guy.” Buck looked over at Eddie. “Are you listening?”
Eddie realized he’d been staring at Buck. He listened normally, but this time, he was also staring dumbly at Buck’s mouth moving. Eddie nodded, urging Buck to continue. He tried to fix his face and not think too hard about his fixation.
“Anyway, the guy in the book kills a woman because he’s getting a handjob in his car, right? From his wife. And the woman’s father is Romani, and curses him. Of course, the guy is this high-powered lawyer with connections. The judge and cop both let him off. The judge gets scales, and the cop gets acne. They both kill themselves because of it, but the lawyer guy gets cursed with wasting away, getting thinner because he’s super overweight.”
“Is there a point to this?” Eddie interrupted. They were on the highway, windows down, and he wished he’d asked Buck to buy a scrunchie. Instead, he held his hair in his right hand, elbow propped on the door frame.
“Yes, if you listen.” Buck hissed a little and made an annoyed gesture with his hand. He looked at Eddie again. “Do you want a hair tie?”
“You just have hair ties in your car?” Eddie was incredulous. Buck shrugged and reached across the Jeep to open the glovebox. Eddie could smell him again, his strong shoulder practically in his lap. This time, it was a rush of the teakwood soap he used mixed with Old Spice. Eddie practically drooled, fighting the urge to sink his teeth into Buck’s bicep.
“They’re useful,” Buck explained, handing Eddie a black elastic and leaning back over to drive safely. “Anyway, the whole point is that he didn’t take responsibility for killing that girl. They all die in the end. Because of strawberry pie.”
“So I have to take responsibility for something?” Eddie asked.
“Or learn a lesson.” Buck added. He pulled the Jeep to the curb of the address on his GPS. The same address from the call.
“There’s nothing here.” Eddie felt panic rising again. His heart was in his throat, his stomach dropped to his knees. “It was here yesterday! Did you put in the right address?” Eddie was frantic, tears rushing down his face again. “And I can’t stop fucking crying!” Eddie was yelling now.
He pushed the door open too hard and hopped ridiculously down from a seat he’d been able to stretch his leg from and touch the ground yesterday.
“Hey, hey, you’re okay.” Buck was touching him again. Both hands firmly on Eddie’s shoulders. He’d been so busy pacing the empty lot he hadn’t noticed Buck get out of the car. Eddie was sobbing, heaving with it, he couldn’t catch his breath.
“How is it just gone!” Eddie ranted, pulling away from Buck’s grasp. “I remember the other buildings. This has to be the right place.”
“I mean, she is a witch.” Buck offered by way of explanation. Eddie wanted to slap him. Instead, he balled his fists, stomping his foot in anger. “Really?” Buck laughed at him, which would have thrown normal Eddie into a fit of rage. This Eddie, though, was too charmed by Buck’s backward ball cap perched atop fluffy curls. He smiled despite himself. “We’re gonna figure it out.” Buck cupped Eddie’s face in his hands.
“Yeah.” Eddie nodded. Inexplicably, he leaned into Buck and let strong arms fall from around his face to around his waist. He pressed his cheek into Buck’s chest, inhaling the scent of the laundry detergent they both used. Eddie wrapped his arms around Buck, and they swayed together like that for a moment. It was quiet and Eddie felt his panic subsiding.
Eddie pulled away first. He kept his hands anchored on Buck’s hips. Thumbs pressed into the sharp bones there. When he looked up to meet Buck’s gaze, he thought he saw something fleeting there, a moment in his friend's face. A question, a doubt, a denial, just a second passing through blue eyes.
“Let’s go back to my place. We can stop at the grocery store on the way. I’ll make dinner. We’ll brainstorm.” Buck was using the soft tone he used with Christopher when he was trying to play good cop. Eddie recognized it immediately. Eddie nodded his assent before climbing back into the Jeep.
“What do you want for dinner?” Buck asked, trailing behind Eddie with a basket in his hands.
“Pasta.” Eddie confirmed. “Carbs. Garlic Bread.” He turned on his heel and Buck laughed at the look on his face.
“I will make you whatever you want.” Buck looked at Eddie fondly. Eddie tried not to let it go to his head. Buck looked at him all the time like that, right? Right?
Eddie wandered the aisles while Buck picked over every piece of produce for the perfect pepper. He didn’t really pay any mind to the people around him. He’d never really had to before.
“Heeeey lil mama. Watchu up to?” Eddie did not immediately place that the man was talking to him. “Ayo you can’t holla back?” Eddie looked up in time to see a man limping towards him with that annoying lean he hated and pants three sizes too big.
“I’m not interested.” Eddie quipped, busying himself with the pasta choices in front of him.
“I didn’t ask if you were interested, mama. I asked if you can holla back.” The man was encroaching on Eddie’s space now, looming over him.
“I cannot ‘ holla back .’” Eddie said through gritted teeth. He took a step back, though that somehow urged the man closer. “I said I’m not interested.”
“You got a man?” The man sniffed in the tell-tale way Eddie knew. He was getting agitated.
“Yes.” Eddie deadpanned, finally spotting Buck walking towards him. He pushed past where the man was standing in the middle of the aisle.
“Hey, you ready?” Buck asked. He wasn’t looking at Eddie as he approached, instead checking things off the grocery list on his phone.
“Yeah, baby, let’s get out of here.” Eddie shot a look over his shoulder at the other man in the aisle. He missed Buck’s look of surprise and the flicker of arousal in his eyes before he caught on to Eddie’s ploy. Buck stopped just short of Eddie and placed a hand on his lower back. He shot a possessive look at the creeper.
The man took one look at Buck’s LAFD t-shirt straining across his chest, sleeves tight at the biceps, and decided Eddie wasn’t worth it after all. He shrugged, seemingly too cool now to talk to Eddie the way he had been.
“Never in my life have I felt so helpless.” Eddie whispered after they checked out and were safely back in the Jeep. “Like it felt like I had to find you.” Buck nodded, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere. “I want back in my body.” Buck grunted a reply. “Are you okay?” Eddie asked softly. On instinct, he reached across the console and touched Buck’s leg. He was surprised, oddly enough, that Buck shrank away from the touch instead of into it like he had earlier. They didn’t speak for a few minutes, the silence not quite comfortable.
“So, what do you think the lesson is?” Buck broke the silence while he parked. Eddie couldn’t answer immediately. Buck had backed into the parking spot, and Eddie felt that same heat from this morning rise in his belly.
“Uh, I don’t know. She just grabbed my wrist.” Eddie helped Buck carry the groceries upstairs, not without noticing how many bags he simply wasn’t able to carry with these arms. Apparently, his girl-version didn’t work out.
“Did she say anything?” Buck asked, throwing his apron over his head and tying it. Eddie forgot to breathe, fluttering in his chest taking over instead.
“No. I mean, we were talking. And she grabbed me. A woman is what you seek.” Eddie was pulling the memory from somewhere that felt much further away than yesterday. “But it was a question. So why would she turn me into a woman if that’s what I’m looking for.”
“Maybe to show you what it’s like to be one?” Buck was busying himself in the kitchen. Eddie perched on the counter near him pulling both his legs up to sit cross-legged.
“I mean, I think I learned my lesson on that in the grocery store.” Eddie rolled his eyes. “Helpless, is what I was.”
“No, you’re just not used to being approached like that. I’ve watched women take down men my size with no hesitation. You were socialized differently.” Buck shrugged, looking over at Eddie to meet his eyes briefly.
“Since when are you a sociologist.” Eddie didn’t phrase it as a question. He was just tired and realizing his mood was seriously tied to how hungry he was. He watched Buck cook in silence for a while, mulling over the curse, whatever lesson he was supposed to learn. Eventually, Buck handed him a bowl of pasta, a perfectly toasted piece of garlic bread perched on top.
Buck had taken his apron off and was leaning next to where Eddie sat on the countertop. Eddie knew Buck was tall, hell, Eddie was tall in his regular body, but sitting on the counter and being eye-to-eye with him gave him a different perspective. Eddie surveyed his friend for a moment. Buck was contemplating something as he picked through his pasta. His eyes had that distant, glazed-over look he got when he was thinking really hard.
Buck was still wearing his LAFD t-shirt. He’d really bulked up in the last year but still somehow managed to look soft and inviting. He was mostly legs, ridiculously long legs really, obscene. He’d taken to wearing a shorter inseam recently, and Hen had playfully called them his ‘hoochie Daddy shorts.’ Eddie had laughed initially, but now he could see what she meant. Obscene, honestly, he thought again.
“Are you just gonna stare at me, or are you gonna answer the question?” Buck asked, breaking Eddie out of his reverie.
“Uh, sorry, what did you-” Eddie started.
“What were you thinking about.” Buck’s voice was flat, not quite a question. Eddie could feel a new kind of tension in it, something new to him but not quite foreign. He didn’t answer for a moment and didn’t meet Buck’s gaze. He wasn’t sure if the flutter in his stomach was fear or excitement. Eddie toyed with the idea of being honest.
“You.” His voice was speaking before he had made the rational decision to do so. Buck looked at him, expectant but not surprised, his eyes drawing more words from him. “Why are you so tall? I’m tall, but like, your legs are as long as this whole body.”
“I've heard that before.” Buck was facing him now. His hands were braced on either side of Eddie’s knees.
“Like a goddamn daddy long legs.” Eddie tried to laugh but it came out a strangled sigh. The way Buck smelled was enveloping him. It was the same teakwood soap, Old Spice, and something unidentifiable. Like sweat but sweeter, mouth-watering. Pheromones. He thought. He’d had women tell him he smelled good. Fuck, Buck had complemented his colgone once. But he didn’t realize it was like this.
He turned his head, bringing his nose closer to Buck’s bicep. He was again fighting an urge to bite. Cute aggression. This is fucking affection aggression, and this is just how this body processes it. Eddie thought for a moment if he had this problem in his real body. He thought about every time he punched Buck in the arm a little too hard or gritted his teeth when Buck smiled at him. Shit.
Eddie heard Buck’s throat click when he swallowed. He looked up, meeting Buck’s gaze for the first time. Something quiet passed between them, a curiosity, an unspoken agreement. I mean, the curse was temporary, right? Eddie couldn’t deny he was a little curious.
Eddie sat up straight, unceremoniously crushing his lips to Buck’s. It was haphazard at first, messy. All teeth and tongue until they found themselves. Buck’s hands were under his t-shirt, framing his ribcage. Eddie’s legs had found their way around Buck’s hips of their own accord. He had never kissed anyone this filthily. He made every effort to swallow Buck’s tongue and Buck gave it right back pushing Eddie further back on the counter.
Arousal felt different in this body. Buck was sucking on Eddie’s neck, and Eddie could feel his pulse jump everywhere. It wasn’t like getting an erection at all. He could feel his heartbeat between his legs; every beat was a driving need for whatever Buck was willing to give him.
“Are you sure?” Buck was breathing into Eddie’s neck. His thumbs brushed Eddie’s nipples, cupped his breasts through his bra. Eddie was on fire. Ignition point: Buck’s thumbs. “Curiosity killed the cat, you know.” He could feel Buck smile against his skin. The slide of Buck’s lips on his shoulder was lewd.
“And satisfaction brought it back.” Eddie smiled then, too. They had to try everything to break the curse, right? That was enough for Buck. Eddie’s shirt was discarded, and he watched Buck admire him.
“I’m just thanking myself from this morning for buying you that.” Eddie was starting to wonder what he was actually getting into now. This was not a side of Buck he was used to seeing. He looked down at himself, too. His legs still wrapped around Buck, the sheer, lace bralette Buck bought not covering a damn thing.
Buck dipped his head, his spit-slick lips meeting Eddie’s hard nipple through the lace. Eddie arched into the contact, waves of pleasure coursing through him. He moaned, spurring Buck on. Buck bit one nipple, pinched the other, and Eddie saw stars. His hand dropped from where it was anchored around Eddie’s back to between his legs. Buck pressed the heel of his palm to the seam of Eddie’s shorts. Eddie whined, rutting against Buck’s hand. Buck pushed Eddie’s body down against the counter, hard.
“You can tell me no, but I don’t think you’re going to.” Buck was as breathless as Eddie felt. His hands pinned Eddie’s hips to the cold granite. He kissed across Eddie’s collarbone, leaving a trail of heat down his stomach. Buck would have ripped the shorts if the front hadn’t been all buttons. He yanked the denim down Eddie’s legs, and he braced himself so he didn’t get yanked off the counter with them.
Buck caressed him over his panties. The black lace matched the bralette, and Eddie was been surprised at how comfortable they had been despite how skimpy they were. Eddie moved on instinct, rolling his hips to encourage Buck. He sucked a mark on Eddie’s hip, and goosebumps flared across his skin when he soothed the sting with his tongue.
“Please.” Eddie didn’t know what he was begging for. He could feel how wet he was, soaking the lace between his legs. It was a strange sensation to experience from this end. Buck nodded from where he was kissing up Eddie’s inner thigh. His fingers snagged the edge of the panties, moving them gracelessly to the side.
And then his tongue, God, his tongue. Buck had Eddie pinned. His right leg was hiked up and his knee pressed into the counter, Buck’s massive hand holding him down by the thigh. His left leg over Buck’s shoulder, his heel digging in, pulling him impossibly closer. Buck’s tongue circled Eddie’s clit, and then little kitten licks to the sensitive nub until Eddie was panting his name. He fisted Buck’s hair, holding him in place so he could ride his face. Two of Buck’s fingers worked inside of Eddie, curling into a spot he hadn’t known existed previously. His breath came in short pants, fucked out moans escaping his throat.
Eddie didn’t know he was coming until he felt the first wave crest, rolling through him. His thighs trembled, he could feel a blush climbing over his collarbones and onto his face, his whole body shook with it. He was floating. He didn’t know when Buck stopped eating him out, but he was kissing him again. Eddie could taste himself on Buck's tongue, sweet and heady.
“Fuck me.” He spoke against Buck's swollen lips. “Fuck me.” He repeated, begging this time. Buck nodded. Eddie realized he was just beyond speech. Buck pulled away leaving Eddie cold. He realized suddenly he really was sitting half naked on the edge of the counter. People eat here.
Buck had gone to riffle through the downstairs bathroom. He emerged a moment later with a condom. Oh. Eddie hadn't really thought about that. If the outside matches the inside….he wasn't trying to bring new life under a curse.
Buck was on him again before Eddie could say anything. This time the kiss was more chaste, more exploratory than wanting. Eddie pulled Buck's shirt up by the hem, wordlessly asking him to take it off. He needed skin on skin. Wanted to feel close, connected.
He wanted to be in control.
“Wait.” He pushed Buck away from him softly. Buck obeyed immediately.
“Did you change your mind?” Buck asked, a look of such soft concern and care on his face that Eddie melted a little.
“No.” Eddie hopped off the counter, and then pulled Buck towards a dining chair. “Sit.” He commanded, and Buck sat, an awestruck look on his face. Eddie straddled him grinding down on Buck's already tented shorts.
Eddie continued his slow grind, both of Buck's hands holding his hips. His head lolled back, and Eddie explored his throat with his mouth.
“Fuck, Eddie.” Buck breathed. “I need you.” Eddie nodded, a feral need rising in his gut. He sat back enough for Buck to push his shorts down just enough to pull his dick out.
“Uh. I think I'm a virgin.” Eddie said. Buck chuckled.
“If you want to stop, you can say that. Even now.” Eddie shook his head at Buck's offer. “It shouldn't hurt. Not after what we did earlier. But if it does-tell me.” Eddie nodded. Buck was so….gentle. Yet so domineering at the same time. Eddie felt safe in a way he didn't realize he could.
Buck slid the condom on himself, Eddie watched. Some part of his mind was seriously comparing sizes with his regular body. Eddie knew that Buck 1.0 kept his username as Firehose. But now Eddie understood it.
“C’mere.” Buck pulled Eddie forward. He again pushed lace to the side in favor of the longer route of taking the panties off. Eddie braced his feet on the side spindle of their chair. Buck pulled their faces together as he guided Eddie down onto him.
Buck was just so much bigger than Eddie in this body. He was making little punched out moans every time Eddie thrust back down. Buck lifted his hips to meet him every time, delicious friction arcing through him.
Eddie paused, feeling a familiar sensation building. He ground his hips down in a circular motion trying to create pressure on his clit.
“Use your hand.” Buck grabbed Eddie's wrist and pushed his hand in between them. “I wanna see you.” Buck’s hands guided Eddie's hips in small circles and Eddie matched the motion with his fingers on his clit.
“Fuck.” Eddie breathed. Bucks eyes were trained on him and it just added to Eddie's pleasure. Buck couldn't look away, transfixed by Eddie’s gratification.
“I wanna see you come for me.” Buck's voice was a whisper. “You did so good for me earlier. Fucking my face like that. You're a natural, Eddie. You fuck like you were made for it.”
Eddie had never been one for dirty talk, not usually. But this was something else. He was familiar now with the sensation radiating out from his core. He threw his head back, one hand still working his clit, the other now behind him, bracing on Buck's knee.
His chest heaved, and Buck palmed his tits with one hand. The lace was still wet with Buck's spit from earlier. He pinched a nipple rolling it between two fingers and Eddie cried out in ecstasy.
“God you're fucking filthy.” Buck continued. His voice was husky, caressing Eddie in a way hands could never reach. “You're still covered in my spit, you know that? And you fucking like it.” Buck snapped the waistband of Eddie's panties. His other hand sliding up the nape of Eddie's neck. He grabbed a handful of hair and pulled.
Eddie moaned again. His orgasm was both too close and too far away. He didn't didn't want it to end. But God it felt so good. He couldn't stop. Didn't want to.
“You feel so good.” Buck was panting a little now, getting off watching Eddie chase his bliss. “Show me how you feel coming on my cock.” Eddie tipped his head forward and met Buck's blue eyes. His pupils were blown, lips parted around gasps. “Eddie.” Buck breathed.
That's all it took, hearing his name like that, a prayer, or a summoning. A reverence in Buck's voice unmatched by any saint.
Eddie squirmed as his orgasm raced through him. Buck held Eddie close to his chest, their lips not quite meeting. Buck planted his feet on the floor, fucking Eddie through it. He pulled his hand away from himself when the overstimulation started to feel like electric shocks.
He was still pinned to Buck, bracing his hands on the back of the chair. The chair was several feet from where they started. With every thrust the front legs left the floor. They were lost in each other.
Their lips were touching but they weren't capable of kissing. Eddie swallowed Buck's moans, answered with his own.
“Ah, fuck, fuck, fuck.” Buck threw his head back as he came. Eddie could feel his dick pulse inside of him and a satisfaction rolled through him. Buck was still rolling his hips, riding through his orgasm. Eddie felt like he was falling.
No, Eddie was falling. The careful balance they'd created had failed them and the chair was tipping backwards. They had a moment to realize it was happening before they hit the ground.
Buck cackled. His laughter rang through the loft. Eddie joined him, the ridiculousness of what just happened mixed with the post-orgasm glow made him giddy.
“Are you okay?” Buck smiled, a ray of fucking sunshine. Eddie nodded. Buck rolled them both over, away from the chair. He helped Eddie stand on jello legs. “You good?” Buck checked in again.
“Yeah.” Eddie took stock of his body for a moment. “I'm fucking starving though.”
“Well,” Buck shrugged. “We didn't finish dinner.” Eddie smiled to himself.
“You did eat though.” He laughed at his own joke. Buck rolled his eyes but kept that fond look that Eddie was getting used to. Does he always look at me like that? Eddie wondered again, revisiting his thoughts from earlier in the day.
“Go shower.” Buck directed. “I'll warm up food. You can steal whatever clothes you can scrounge up to fit.”
“Do you always feed your one-night-stands?” Eddie teased, turning to walk away.
“Well yeah.” Buck answered. “Buck 1.0 had the three f’s. Fuck, feed, finance the Uber. Worked like a charm.”
“Except you’re a much better cook now.” Buck threw a piece of garlic bread and Eddie dodged it nimbly. He was a much smaller target now.
Eddie returned several minutes later with sweatpants rolled three times at the hip and the smallest t-shirt he could find that he was still swimming in.
“I had your shower turned all the way up and it was still not hot enough.” Eddie noted, taking the bowl from Buck and settling next to him on the couch. Buck didn't answer him and Eddie looked at him to find that worried crease between his brows.
“Are we cool?” Buck asked. “Like when you go back to normal. Are we just gonna, like, forget this happened?”
“Is that what you want?” Eddie asked. For the first time he thought about what he wanted. He wasn't sure.
“Well I'm not usually your type.” Buck’s voice had a distant sadness.
“Am I yours?” Eddie asked. Do I want to be? He thought. I'm not into guys. But I was very into what we just did.
“Yes.” Buck didn't hesitate in his answer. “I'm bisexual. Your gender means very little to me. I just uh-” He made a face. “I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
“You seduced me on purpose!?” Eddie didn't know whether he was supposed to be mad about it.
“Would you have gone along with it in your real body?” Buck pressed. Eddie knew he was right. He wouldn't have. “You see me differently, in this body. But it doesn't - we could still - in your real body.” Buck’s voice was strained. Eddie's heart panged when he saw tears welling in Buck's eyes.
Realization washed over him then. That's what she wanted me to see.
“Buck I think I know what the curse was about.” Eddie was talking in a rush. “I said I was seeking a woman. But she made me a woman so I would see it was you. I was looking for you. But I wasn't gonna see that in my real body.”
Buck was looking at him now, realization dawning on him, too.
“She saw us together, and she knew.” Buck’s mouth was hanging open in awe. “But that means that you-”
“I was never gonna realize.” Eddie repeated. “Not unless I saw you from a new perspective. Not just as a partner, a best friend. A lover .”
The tears in Buck's eyes were threatening to spill over. Eddie reached over, touching his cheek softly.
“Buck I-” Even though he knew them to be true, the words were still stuck in throat.
“”I love you.” Buck finished the sentence for him. A cold burn washed over Eddie's body again, and the burn around his wrist flared in pain. He cried out, grabbing at it.
“Eddie!” Buck shouted. And then a flash of light, then utter darkness. Eddie came-to on the floor, Buck hovering over him.
“What happened?” Eddie was frantically patting his body down. It felt like he’d been electrocuted.
“You're back.” Buck was laughing. “Eddie, you're back in your body. You're you!!”
“I'm me!!” Eddie was laughing too, reveling at his own voice. A wash of disappointment colored Buck's face.
“No, no, no. Don't be disappointed.” Eddie sat up suddenly. He grabbed Buck's face in his hands, pressing lips firmly to Buck's. It felt good as his girl-version but in his real body it felt right.
Buck kissed him back, his relief apparent in how his muscles relaxed into Eddie. Buck was nodding when they pulled away.
“Okay.” Buck breathed. “Okay yeah.”
“I love you, too.” Eddie finally found the words he'd been stuck on before. “I think I always loved you.” They kissed again, lost in the solace that settled around them.
Neither of them noticed the silver-grey cat slinking across Buck's balcony to peek in the glass doors. Its light eyes were rimmed in black. If you didn't know better, you might swear you saw it smirk.