Jogging Buddies

It all started with a simple morning jog. Eddie had never been much of a runner, nor had he ever really had the time to sink into actually going out jogging. Between work and taking care of Christopher, it was hard to find the time to spare on something as non-essential as cardio; he got his steps in at work, and even if he didn’t, he worked out enough at the firehouse for it to be such a non-issue, he’d never put much thought into it. Then Shannon died, and suddenly every step outside left him… uneasy. It reminded him of when he first returned from his tour, where every shadow had read as a threat and every noise put him on alert. He hated feeling so claustrophobic out in the open air, all because of the traitorous little voice in the back of his head whispering to him how a simple stroll took her life, how one more poorly timed walk could make an orphan of his son. 

He refused to be held down by such thoughts. In his line of work, he couldn’t hesitate, he couldn’t entertain these kinds of anxieties. So, he started jogging. Every morning, he’d drop Christopher off at Carla’s an hour early, and run as far as his legs would carry him. At first, it felt more like he was running from himself, negativity nipping at his heels with every step he took. Once he got into the groove of it though, he finally understood why so many people took up running as a hobby in times of turmoil. The scenery passing him by paired with the gentle silence of nature gave him time to think, to breathe through the grief that hung over his shoulders like a rain cloud. Slowly, the cloud became more of a mist, clinging to his skin all the same but less visible to those around him. Progress was slow, but small steps were better than stewing in his own misery. 

It was around the second week of his newfound habit that he took notice of a particular stranger that ran the same route as him every day like clockwork. That in itself was not that strange; the path he ran was pretty well trodden, hikers and other runners frequently passing him by, even in the early hours of the morning. No, what caught Eddie’s eye was the fact that the man was always wrapped up in heavy looking hoodies and sweaters, even in the Los Angeles summer heat. He himself never seemed bothered by the heat, running like a man on a mission. His face, usually hidden under the shadow of a baseball cap, similarly was always schooled into an expression of steel, his entire posture radiating a surprising sense of hostility for a man simply out for a run. A lot of it could be explained away with easy answers; people had different tolerances for heat, not everyone jogged for the fun of it, and the horror stories about hikers who get attacked while out on the trails could all explain his odd behaviours. There was a logical answer for everything.

The problem was that Eddie’s paranoia wasn’t rational. That was the whole reason he took up this stupid hobby, to show his brain that there was nothing scary about going outside. Yet now he was considering dropping that plan all together simply because this stranger spooked him a bit. They’d never even shared a word! The delicate peace he had slowly been rebuilding felt like it had shattered the moment he recognised just what was happening. Now, the thought of heading to the trail again tomorrow made his stomach curl in on itself, dread making his lungs feel heavy. Damnit! Why couldn’t this guy just back off? All his progress, wiped away by a stranger who didn’t even know he existed. It was pathetic, which only further fanned the embers of his anger until it was a smouldering flame ready to burst.

“What’s got you all worked up today, Eddie?” Hen was the brave soul who dared broach the subject first when Eddie’s curt and snappy answers finally wore her down. The gentle care in her eyes felt like pity, only worsening the coil of nausea that was Eddie’s stomach. “It’s nothing. Just- There’s this guy, right? And he is super shady. I mean like, running in a hoodie with a cap on in the middle of the summer type of guy, and I didn’t notice at first, but… every time I go out for my morning jog, he’s there.” It felt good to get it off of his chest, releasing some of that pent up frustration that had been threatening to blow him up from the inside. “He… I can’t describe it, but something’s up with him. And- it’s not like he’s following me! He takes different routes, but he always starts at the exact same place, same time as me. Even when I switch things up, he’s just… there!” Running a hand down his face, he pondered just how insane he sounded. Maybe this was the aftereffect of his grief, projecting his anger onto this stranger who hadn’t done anything except be at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Hen pursed her lips as she considered him, the cogs in her head visibly turning. She was always more careful with her words than the rest of the team. Buck had the heart of a golden retriever, but also the verbal filter of one. His intentions were pure, but his phrasing often left a lot to be desired. Chimney wasn’t as bad, but he could also be a tad crass. Next to Hen, Bobby was the most well spoken, but Hen had always been the most delicate, even in her more tense moments. That being said, she was by far not the most delicately spoken person Eddie had ever met. A well spoken firefighter was kind of like being the tallest dwarf; their professions practically required them to be a little rough around the edges. The soft spoken rarely made it past a year in service. 

“Do you think he’s stalking you?” Their line of work often showed them exactly how ugly humanity could be, and it wasn’t an unreasonable question. The problem was that Eddie wasn’t sure if that was what was happening. “I… Don’t think so? I mean, he’s never tried to talk to me, hell he barely even looks at me. He looks… Hen, when he runs, he looks haunted. I really don’t think he even realises that I’m there.” For as on edge as the stranger left Eddie, the man had never actually bothered him, or even spared him more than a passing glance, almost like he was sizing him up as if he were a threat. “Could he be ex-military? Someone you worked with maybe? Could be that he’s trying to gather up the courage to say something.” And that was why Hen was the brains of the 118, for while Eddie had identified all the little quirks that pointed to the man being trained and dangerous, he’d never bothered to ask why a man like that would be running the back trails in the suburbs in Los Angeles. Like Eddie, he was more than likely running from something, instead of running towards Eddie. “Maybe. I think I’ll just… strike up a conversation with him next time I see him. Or maybe he finally decides to stop this insane routine and I can just do my thing again without feeling like I’m going to be attacked.” Hen shot him a worried glance, clearly not thinking that was a smart plan. Instead of voicing those doubts, she simply sighed. “Well, keep us updated. We’ll come pull you out of whatever ditch he ends up tossing you in.”

The stranger, unfortunately, showed up again, decked out in so many layers Eddie almost got a heat stroke just by looking at him. Usually, Eddie would simply walk straight past him, pretending like every alarm bell in his head was screaming ‘danger!’ at him, but today, he came to a stop right next to the stranger, who appeared to be stretching out his arms. Tension ripped through his broad shoulders like a tidal wave, wiping away any sense of ease and leaving an alert, dangerous threat behind. Eddie thickly swallowed, hands casually shoved into the pockets of his shorts in hopes of masking the uneasy tremble that had taken over his fingers. “Nice morning for a walk.” While thinking up this plan, Eddie had forgotten one crucial detail; he was a terrible conversationalist with strangers. With the team, it was easy to fill the silence, though there was rarely a silence to speak of. Between Buck, the neverending fountain of fun facts and anecdotes of poor life choices, and Chimney, with his never ending stream of commentary on just about everything around them, there was rarely any dead air around the firehouse. With them, it was easy. With this stranger though, who was insanely threatening and currently staring him down as if Eddie’s comment about the weather had somehow personally offended him, Eddie realised he had gravely miscalculated. 

“I guess.” The man broke the silence, voice ragged in a way Eddie suspected stemmed from lack of use. For a man so intimidating, his voice was surprisingly soft, as if he had been taught to be quiet. “Sorry, that was a little… forward. My name is Eddie. I noticed we run the same trails, thought I’d… Introduce myself.” He once again released how insane that sounded when he actually said it out loud. A sheepish smile tugged on his lips, earnest and a tad apologetic. “I don’t really know jogging etiquette. Started doing this in hopes of clearing my head a bit, y’know.” He moved to cross his arms across his chest, hoping to chase away the jitters in his limbs. He was fine. There was no need to panic. The stranger watched him from the corner of his eyes, refusing to face him head on. “Bucky. I don’t know the etiquette either.” If Eddie hadn’t been paying attention so profusely he might have missed the quick dip in the stranger’s, Bucky’s, brow, frown replaced with that same steel look of blankness within a split second. 

They stood in silence for a moment, the only sound between them the gentle song of birds in the distance. The tension slowly drained from Bucky’s shoulders, eyes flickering over to Eddie periodically, as if to see if the man was still there. “I wasn’t stalking you. I just… I don’t know this place. I’m new. You looked like you knew the good paths. And… You remind me of someone.” The mask the stranger wore slipped for a moment, turmoil playing out across his features like a play. He turned his head to properly look at Eddie, revealing just how scruffy he looked under that cap. For a moment, Eddie felt vindicated. He had been right! The guy had been doing it on purpose! That sense of rightfulness was gone as soon as it came though, for the troubled look on the man’s face suddenly made him look much less of a threat, and much more like a lost man. Eddie knew what it felt like to be lost.

Before he could help it, a laugh escaped Eddie. Bucky seemed a little startled by the sound, and only tensed up more when Eddie reached to pat his shoulder. Right, not everyone was as tactile as his team. “You had me worried there big guy. My coworker was starting to think you’d murder me one of these days.” He flashed the man a grin, feeling his own shoulders relax. “C’mon, there’s a trail I’ve been meaning to try out.” Hen would probably have his head later, but right now, the stranger he’d been slightly scared of for weeks looked less like a threat and more like a kicked puppy. The way his eyes lit up at the simple offer of companionship made Eddie’s chest ache in a way it hadn’t in a while. Loneliness, he recognised like a regretful lover, wincing every time he himself fell into bed with it once more. Wordlessly, they jogged alongside each other. Bucky stayed a few paces behind Eddie at all times, even when he slowed down, but never strayed far enough to be out of Eddie’s field of vision. It was… surprisingly nice. 

And while not a word was shared all along the trail, Eddie found himself more relaxed by the time they looped back around than he had since he began this new hobby. Similarly, Bucky looked the most calm Eddie had ever seen him. Sure, his shoulders were still rod straight with tension, but those sharp lines in his face had softened into something more thoughtful. Company did wonders, it would seem. Eddie huffed out a breath, sweat dripping down his forehead. His companion seemed practically unaffected by their run, even in all those layers. He barely seemed out of breath! Whatever cardio regime the man had, Eddie needed the details. “Same time tomorrow?” The offer caught the stranger off guard once more, lips parting for a moment without a sound leaving them as he looked to Eddie, who beamed a grin in his direction. For a moment so fleeting Eddie would have missed it if he hadn’t been paying attention, he swore he saw the corners of the man’s lips quirk upwards. “Sure. Tomorrow.” He agreed, meeting Eddie’s gaze for just a moment before his eyes shied away, landing on the ground. He took off without another word, and for the first time in weeks, Eddie headed to the firehouse without any lingering dread.

-x-x-x-

“Glad to see you didn’t get murdered by your stalker.” Hen cheerfully greeted Eddie as he walked into the locker room, almost immediately catching the attention of the rest of the team. Buck’s head snapped towards him at breakneck speed, confusion blooming across his features. “Stalker?” He repeated the word in disbelief, Chimney pursing his lips from where he stood leaned against his locker. “I feel like we missed a scene here.” He jabbed his index finger in Eddie’s direction, wiggling it around a bit to emphasise his next words. “Spill.” He said it with such finality that it was clear Eddie wasn’t escaping his fate today. So, while feeling like an utter fool for having made such a big deal about it to Hen in the first place, he recounted the tale of the stranger while he shoved his bag into his locker. 

“You went and confronted your possible stalker? Without us?!” Buck’s incredulous voice rang loud throughout the firehouse, making Eddie wince. Leaving his best friend out of the loop hadn’t been a wise choice, he knew that. He would never hear the end of this now. On the more positive side, he had a new jogging partner, which he likely wouldn’t have had if he had gone to Chimney or Buck for advice, as they would’ve likely insisted on joining him to size up this stranger. Something in him told him that Bucky wouldn’t have taken well to that. As childish as it felt, he was almost excited for tomorrow.