Ask me to stay. Please.
POV: Eddie
You know, Texas is much cheaper. But Texas doesn't have Buck, so this has to be temporary. The thought of leaving Buck behind felt wrong, it felt like a crime almost. Buck was such an amazing person that Eddie honestly didn't believe he deserved. Of course Eddie had to come back. Eddie's mission was to go to Texas, rent a place in El Paso, convince Christopher to come back, Move BACK to L.A. and then resume life. Okay, maybe there was Alot to do. Eddie didn't let that detour him, He had to do this. Christopher had to come back, Eddie couldn't take watching everyone else with their children anymore. Of course he loved his new found family at the 118 but, sometimes they really didn't get the hint when someone was hurting. Hm. Why does that sound familiar-?
The door has suddenly swung open, the sunlight basically flooding Eddie's house as Buck came into view. Eddie couldn't help but be slightly confused, and also smile? Before he let the smile set long he flipped the tablet over as he listened to Buck talk about his baking. Eddie was obviously so slick that Buck would never notice he flipped the tablet over so Eddie let his guard down.
Boy was he wrong. Of course Buck noticed. Why wouldn't he. God Eddie was so stupid! Buck notices everything. If Buck wanted he could read Eddie's mind like a book, continuously caressing the pages with his big bulky hands and is silky smooth skin that gently rubbed over the pages as he turns to read the next chapter. Okay, maybe Eddie watches Buck's every move too closely... Even when he was reading. Or maybe, just maybe. Eddie wanted to be man-handled by Buck in a way that was definitely NOT platonic. There was too much going on right now to even think about that. Eddie couldn't, no no, wouldn't think about that right now.
Eddie: "There's not in L.A. there in El Paso, Buck."
Eddie studied Buck's face for a moment. He was completely... Unreadable? When had Eddie ever, Not, been able to read Buck like a well defined encyclopedia.? He knew this would hurt Buck but as Buck moved across the room with the Tablet, a smile drug across his face. Eddie couldn't help but feel, sorrow. Would Buck not miss him? Did Eddie not mean as much as he thought he did..? Had the Law-suit hurt them that badly..? Eddie thought they were over that though, or at least he was. Hey wait did Buck even get the chance to talk about it with anyone-? Had anyone ever asked him how he was ? Whose job is that, it can't be Maddie's because Maddie has Chim and Josh. It can't be Hen's because she has Chim at work and Karen at home. Bobby had Athena. Eddie, well Eddie never needed to talk to anyone and if he did Bosko was always available. Would did Buck have? God eddie hoped he hadn't talked to Tommy of all people. Say had anyone ever told Buck that Tommy was WAY below his standards. I mean Tommy did make fun of Abby for dating a "Himbo half her age" even when he was doing the same thing. (And dating the same himbo.) Tommy was disgusting to Eddie, well as a friend he was fine, but as a partner for Buck? -10/10.Eddie could totally do better, not that he wanted to..
Well. Buck and Eddie sat for hours looking at houses and drinking coffee. They went to shift like everything was normal. They had breakfast like nothing was changing. Eddie had honestly debated saying anything that first day. Eddie wasn't crazy though, Buck had to feel something. Some part of Eddie wanted to push and prod until Buck eventually broke down in a tiny little piece that he could put back together again, like a puzzle. That wasn't Eddie's job, that sounded too; romantic. So Eddie waited for someone else to do it. Eddie informed Bobby, if anyone would talk to Buck it was Bobby. Nothing. Fine then, Eddie would tell everyone. All they did was stare and wait. The same Eddie did. Buck smiled. Buck fucking smiled. Buck just sat there and continued to eat like his world wasn't ending. Was it only Eddie that felt like his world was freezing over? Maybe he really didn't mean that much to anyone. This was fine, this was okay. Eddie would get through this. This didn't change anything, even if his heart felt like it was splintering away and fraying under Buck's steel toe. Wait. Why the hell did Buck always wear steel toes boots? Why hasn't Eddie noticed before? They were in the middle of packing up Eddie's belongings because for some odd reason Buck thought Eddie was leaving for good? Eddie was just packing Alot because he didn't want to buy new clothes in Texas. Well, and obviously because he didn't know how long he'd be gone. Wait. Did Buck think he was selling the house and never coming back-? There's no way he thought that. Did Eddie ever say what his plans were exactly.? Eddie paused over one of the boxes. It contained his favorite over-sized (buck sized) hoodie. Buck was somewhere down the hallway moving a box out and the cool air blowing in made Eddie's warmth betray him. Eddie sighed the thought stuck on the tip of his tongue. He threw the hoodie over himself and taped the box shut.