phone calls
Eddie bounces his leg, glancing at the clock. Only ten more minutes.
“Eddie?” Frank calls, bringing him back to their conversation. “I can’t help but feel that you’re distracted. What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing.” Eddie licks his lips. “Just… Buck is waiting for me to get home.”
“Buck?” Frank raises an eyebrow. “Not Chris?”
“Well, I’m sure Christopher is too, but he’s a teenager. You know how they are.”
Frank chuckles. “Yes, pre-teens and their insistence that their parents aren’t cool. Buck is taking care of him while you’re here, then?”
“Yeah, he picked him up from school. I just- I haven’t really seen Buck all day.”
“And that upsets you?” Frank prods.
Eddie crinkles his eyebrows. “I mean, yeah. He’s my best friend.”
“Hm.” Frank jots something down in his notebook.
Eddie stares at the man in confusion, but Frank says nothing and neither does Eddie. After a few moments, Frank begins to wrap the session up.
“I’m glad we were able to speak, Eddie. It was good to see you.”
“You too. Thanks.”
Eddie stands from his chair, back cracking, and tries to ignore the urgency in his steps. He just wants to see Buck. He doesn’t know when this intense need to have Buck within his eyesight at all times began. Maybe it was sometime between the well incident, and the ladder truck, and the sniper, and the tsunami, and the lightning strike.
Even as Eddie drives home, all he can think about is Buck. Because Buck knows that Eddie doesn’t like to drive in LA and always does it for him when they’re together. Which is a lot lately, considering they moved in together.
But Eddie barely even saw Buck this morning. He left at 1 A.M. to cover the rest of Johnson’s shift. Eddie was awake long enough to tell him to be safe.
So, yeah, sue him for missing his best friend.
-
The first thing Eddie sees when he opens the door is an empty living room. The first thing he hears is Buck humming. Smiling to himself, Eddie navigates his way to the kitchen, where he finds Buck preparing dinner.
“Little early for dinner, huh?” Eddie asks, glancing at his watch and seeing that it’s only 4 P.M.
Buck shrugs, grinning. “Chris said he was hungry.”
“Hm. And where is Christopher?”
“In his room doing homework. Though, he might be done by now. I don’t think he had a lot.”
Eddie makes a noise of acknowledgment, wandering through the hallway to Chris’s bedroom. He raps his knuckles against the slightly ajar door. Chris looks up from his phone.
“Hey, dad.”
“Hey, mijo. You finished your homework?”
“Yep.”
“How was school?”
“It was okay. How was your day?”
“It was good.”
“Good. Bucky’s making chicken Marsala for dinner.”
“Oh, is he?”
“Mmhm. If you’re nice, we might let you have some.”
Eddie laughs, crossing his arms. “So, that’s how it is?”
“That’s how what is?” Chris jokes back.
Eddie laughs again, walking over to ruffle Chris’s hair. “Be good.”
“I always am.”
Eddie leaves after that, going back to the kitchen. He pours himself a glass of water, sipping it while he watches Buck work. Buck goes on swaying and humming like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Eventually, after a few minutes of silence, the man breaks the hush.
“I think Bobby and Athena would like this recipe. Maybe I should send it to them.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Eddie responds distractedly, staring at Buck.
He doesn’t understand how he can love someone so much. Eddie first wondered that when Chris was born, but this is a different type of love. He needs Buck. He needs him like he needs to breathe. Eddie never felt this way about anyone before: this intense desire to be beside his best friend at all times. He misses Buck with every beat of his heart.
“Are you just gonna stand there and brood all night or are you gonna talk to me?” Buck challenges.
Eddie shakes himself. “I’m gonna talk to you. How was your day?”
-
“Alright, everyone. Get to it,” Bobby finishes, having just announced the day’s chores.
Immediately, Eddie trails after Buck, who is going to organize the supply closet.
“Eddie!” Bobby calls. “Where are you going?”
“I’m gonna help Buck. It’ll get the job done faster.”
Bobby stares after the two men’s retreating backs helplessly, a little dumbfounded.
“C’mon, Cap,” Hen interjects. “You know those boys are like paper and glue.”
“Yeah, you couldn’t separate them if you tried,” Chim adds.
“I guess not.” Bobby shakes his head, sighing. As long as the chores got done.
-
Eddie smiles at Buck, the man having made him a plate of food at lunch. Buck always did that, made him a plate. He knew what Eddie liked and didn’t like, what he wanted more or less of.
Eddie bumps their wrists together in a show of thanks. Buck smiles at him with those pearly white teeth, and Eddie feels a surge of happiness arise in him.
“You taking care of your boy, Buck?” Hen asks, grinning.
Buck looks up at Hen, an innocent joy in his eyes, and says, “What?”
Hen laughs. “Nothing, baby. Nothing.”
Eddie pulls out a chair for Buck, and the man sits beside him.
“This is really good, Bobby. Thanks for cooking!” Buck praises.
“Thank you, and you’re welcome.”
They eat mostly in silence, Chim showing Hen videos of Jee-Yun across the table, and Buck occasionally commenting on the way something was cooked. Beneath the table, Eddie’s and Buck’s knees knock together. There’s only an hour left of their shift, and Eddie intends to spend it with Buck.
-
At the end of their shift, Eddie shoulders his and Buck’s duffle bags. Buck plays with the keys, listening to them jangle. They say goodbye to everyone, loading into the jeep.
The ride home is filled with a debrief of the day and music. They get home to an empty house, having about two hours before they need to get Chris from school. Buck starts tidying up the place, while Eddie tosses some clothes into the washing machine.
After maybe twenty minutes, Buck speaks. “I need to go finish up some things with my lease, Eds. Are you okay if I go?”
Eddie, who had joined in the cleaning and was folding a blanket, shrugs. “Yeah, man, go ahead.”
Buck finishes up what he was doing and heads out the door, mildly upset that he would miss picking up Chris from school.
-
The first thing Buck does when he finishes signing papers to break his lease early and treks upstairs to the loft is call Eddie. It’s only been a few hours since he last saw his best friend, but anxiety brews and bubbles in his chest persistently anyway. So, Buck throws the packet of papers he needs to read down by the coffee pot and selects Eddie’s contact from his favorites list. The other man picks up on the second ring.
“Buck!” Eddie exclaims, and Buck can hear the smile in his voice.
“Hey, Eds, I was thinking about coming back and cooking dinner. What do you guys want?”
“I don’t care what you make, but I’m sending you money for groceries.”
“That’s funny, man. You should be a comedian.”
Buck grins, wide with white teeth. He can practically see Eddie’s deadpan face through the phone.
“Really, Buckley? That’s how we’re playing it?”
“Playing what?”
Eddie groans. “Just go to the store, you idiot. I’ll see you when you’re done.”
Buck laughs. He mutes his phone and tucks it into his pocket, grabbing his keys from the kitchen counter and heading out the door. Buck makes it to the parking lot and climbs into his jeep, running over recipes in his head. He can’t listen to music while on the phone, but he doesn’t want to hang up, so he settles for the radio.
Buck is about halfway to the grocery store between his and Eddie’s house when he finally gives in. He taps the mute button.
“Eddie?”
“Yeah, Buck?”
“What are you doing?”
“Folding clothes. What are you doing?”
“Driving. What’s Christopher doing?”
“Homework.”
“You think he wants dessert? I’ll buy ingredients for cookies.”
“You know how he is; I’m sure he’d love dessert.”
“Okay.”
They sit in silence, but it doesn’t bother Buck. Eddie didn’t always talk, and that was something he had gotten used to. Buck did a lot of the noise making in their friendship. He filled the quiet with random facts and philosophical questions.
“Alright, I’m at the store. I’m going to mute you.”
“Okay, Buck.”
Buck taps the appropriate button on his phone and gets out of the jeep. He vaguely wonders if Claudia will be on register eight today. Sure enough, the older woman is checking out a customer when Buck walks through the automatic store doors and claims a buggy.
“Hi, Claudia!” He calls when he gets close enough.
Claudia looks up, peering through her wired-rimmed glasses and smiles. “Hello, dear!”
Buck smiles back at her, waving as he goes. He disappears into the aisles, on the hunt for spaghetti and cookie ingredients.
-
Buck unmutes his phone as soon as he gets in the car.
“I’m making spaghetti,” He announces.
There’s a fumbling on the other side of the phone. Then, “Sounds good.”
“Claudia was there. She asked about you and Chris,” Buck shares his checkout interaction.
“She’s always nice. I think she has a crush on you.”
Buck laughs. “She’s married.”
“So? She has eyes.”
“Are you saying I’m attractive?”
“I’m saying I have eyes too.”
Buck laughs even harder, ignoring the funny little skip that his heart does.
“Whatever, Eds. I’ll be home soon.”
“Drive safe.”
-
Eddie is waiting for Buck outside. He opens the jeep door and begins pulling bags out of the backseat. Eddie is able to carry them all, so Buck is left to shut the car and house door behind them.
Chris is sitting in the living room when they get inside. Despite being a teenager, he still cranes his head and gives an excited, “Hey, Bucky!”
“Chris!” Buck exclaims. “How was school?”
Chris shrugs. “It was school.”
“Good answer,” Buck chuckles, knowing exactly what the boy meant. “I hope spaghetti sounds good for dinner.”
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
“Good because that’s what I’m making.”
He can hear Eddie setting the groceries down in the kitchen, so Buck heads over to meet him. Eddie takes the groceries out of the bags, stowing them away in the pantry. Buck still has a few hours before dinner time, so he puts away the refrigerated ingredients. After the groceries are dealt with, Eddie and he return to the living room to watch TV with Chris.
-
After spaghetti and cookies have been consumed, Chris goes to bed. Eddie and Buck tell him goodnight, and Buck’s heart hurts, remembering when he used to read him bedtime stories. The two men stand together in the kitchen, drying dishes.
“I have to spend the night at the loft,” Buck tells Eddie.
Eddie frowns. “Why?”
“I have a meeting with my landlord at 8 A.M.”
“Breaking this lease seems like a lot of work.”
“It kinda is. I’m lucky he’s even letting me do it.”
Eddie sighs. “Alright. I’ll finish up here. You head to the loft before it gets too late.”
Eddie wraps his arms around Buck, and despite being taller, Buck melts into it.
“I’ll swing by tomorrow when I’m done.”
“You better.”
Buck slips out the front door, a pit in his stomach that he doesn’t know how to explain. Each step to his car feels heavy. He tells himself that it’s not a big deal. He’ll be away from Eddie for like a few hours, basically. Buck can do that. After he breaks his lease, he doesn’t have to spend another night at the loft.
Buck only makes it a few blocks away before he gives into the urge to call Eddie. Eddie doesn’t say anything about the clinginess, just sits on the phone with him, making remarks every now and then.
Buck showers when he gets to the loft, changing into clean boxers and a sweatshirt that he stole from Eddie. Eddie took the chance to shower while Buck did, so they’re both ready for bed at the same time.
“Goodnight, Eds.”
“Goodnight, Buck.”
Buck plugs his phone in, putting it on speaker so he can listen to Eddie’s breaths evening out. Just a few hours. Then he can see his best friend.