Athena
After the rope rescue, Athena had been paying extra attention to Buck and Eddie any time she saw them on a scene. The pure ease of silent communication between them was captivating, to say the least. She’d seen partners of over a decade working with communication that was nowhere near as smooth as the way Buck and Eddie seemed to do it. They’d look at each other, catching the other’s eye for less than a second, and then move into action. She’d never seen anything like it, and then the rope rescue happened.
The rope rescue had been something else entirely. They were both clearly aware of it, if what the victims Buck pulled from the car were anything to go by. The passenger hadn’t believed him, had apparently been screaming about how Buck was alone and wasn’t going to be able to save them. Buck had been so sure of it though, had gotten them to believe him. Tugged on the rope, said something to them, and then a tug would come back. Both the driver and passenger had a lot to say about the communication between Buck and Eddie. The way it seemed second nature to Buck, tugging on the rope every minute. He didn’t even notice he was doing it until they pointed it out, and he had laughed and shrugged it off.
Athena wanted to see it, and yet never wanted to watch it again. She thought maybe she lucked out this way though, Eddie standing on the overpass holding Buck’s rope tight in his hands while Buck stood carefully below on the sign.
Athena shook her head when she realised who it was, but at least from here she could see both of them. Buck looked surprisingly at ease, Eddie’s shoulders tense as he looked down at them. Even from the overpass Eddie can’t seem to hear what Buck’s saying to her, and then he’s snapping the rope harshly in his hands and both Buck and Lola are turning to look up at him. Buck says something else to Lola, who nods slowly and then Buck is talking again and Eddie seems a little less tense.
Bobby turns to look at Chimney, standing under the overpass setting up the rescue pad, but he just shrugs, still unable to hear whatever it is they’re saying.
“So, he’s a police negotiator now?” Athena asks Bobby who turns to her and sighs before shrugging.
“He almost jumped down there before we could get him harnessed. Eddie had to yank him back by the collar,” Bobby explains, a fond smile on his lips.
Athena shakes her head, but she’s smiling up at him too.
“I get it, Lola. Trust me I do,” She glares at him sharply at that, and Eddie tugs on the rope lightly, Buck tugs back. He was paying attention to her, making sure she didn’t jump, and therefore not bothering to keep up with Eddie’s insistent, ‘Check in’ every minute. He could already tell Eddie was a little annoyed he wasn’t responding more than tugging back.
“Like you’d understand.” She hisses, and Buck sighs, tugging the rope three times. Lola sees it this time, eyes widening. “The hell are you doing?”
“Wow, wow, it’s okay. You see the guy up there?” Buck asks, Lola slowly tilting her head up to look at where Eddie is standing, closer to the railing than he really should be but not willing to stand further away. Eddie’s brows furrow when Lola turns to him, and he tugs the rope. Tugging again when Buck doesn’t tug back. “That’s my partner. He’s just checking in on me.”
“He can see you just fine, no need to check.” Lola says, still glancing between the two of them worriedly. Buck sighs, pointedly keeping his words between himself and Lola.
“You see the news recently, that rope rescue of a car on the cliff? The car that was run off the road by the drunk driver?” Buck asks, and Lola stares at him for a minute before her eyes flash in recognition. “I was the firefighter down the cliff doing that rescue, my partner was topside. I got hit by some of the rocks when the car fell, and I lost consciousness. This is the first time I’ve been on this side of a rope since then.” Buck admits, and Lola’s eyes soften just a little.
“You got hurt?” She asks slowly, and Buck nods before shaking his head.
“One of the rocks knocked into me badly, but I didn’t really get hurt, just a few bumps and bruises. But it was close, and we’re both a little anxious about me being back on this side of the rope.” Buck continues, and Eddie tugs a little harsher because he still can’t hear them.
“That’s what the tugging is?” She asks, watching the rope curiously as Eddie tugs at it again, three sharp tugs that make Buck smile just a little.
“Yeah, that’s what the tugging is.” Buck answers, tugging twice and pausing before tugging three times.
“It’s a code,” Lola realises, and Buck smiles at her, a little impressed on how quickly she picked it up.
“It is,” He bites his lip before continuing,”One tug means check in, two tugs means I’m here. Different partners have different combinations they use, and some don’t use any.”
“You keep doing three,” She comments, eyebrows raised in question.
“Three is I love you.” Buck answers, and he can see something in Lola’s eyes flash as she looks at him.
“He doesn’t love you back?” She asks, looking between Eddie and Buck with a disbelieving look. “That’s definitely a lie.”
Buck laughs a little at that, letting his voice filter to Eddie. “He does. It was before him. I had a girlfriend, I thought it was serious. She left to find herself, went to Europe, stopped answering my texts or my calls. I haven’t heard from her in months now.” Eddie tugs the rope three times and then three more.
“He doesn’t seem to like this ex of yours,” Lola comments, glancing up the rope towards Buck before turning back to him.
“I don’t think he does,” Buck agrees, tugging three times on the rope before continuing without including Eddie in the conversation. “You want Norman to see you, well I’m pretty sure the entire city has seen you now. You don’t have to come down, not yet, I’ll wait with you until you’re ready, but at least let me get you in a harness? Yeah?” Buck asks, and Lola seems to think it over.
There’s movement below them though, and Lola turns wide eyed as they pull the rescue pad out. She reaches into her pocket, pulling a gun out and shooting the rescue pad before turning it on Buck, eyes wide.
‘Let me go down, it’ll be good to get back into it. I’m fine, no worries. Chimney’s got the pad below and everything is fine. It’s just talking her down, and you’ll have my back. It’ll be safe,’ Buck tunes out Eddie’s rambling as Lola starts talking, but it’s a running constant in his head as he looks back at her.
“You lied to me.” She accuses, and Buck shakes his head quickly, putting his hands up where she can see them, one still holding onto the rope.
“I wasn’t lying, Lola. We can stay up here as long as you want, okay? Just give me the gun-” Buck’s cut off by Athena.
“Think this through! You have every gun in the area pointed right at you! Don’t do something even more stupid by shooting that boy!” Athena says into her megaphone, and Buck winces when he looks down and sees all the guns pointed up towards them.
“Take your hand off the rope. No more tugging, no more secret messages about me.” Lola orders, and Buck’s eyes widen a little before he slowly does as told. Eddie tugs as soon as Buck has let go, barely noticeable, but Lola’s eyes are trained on it and she raises the gun a little higher when he does it causing Buck’s breath to catch in his throat.
‘There won’t be any real danger, Eddie. No real danger, Eddie. Nothing to worry about talking a sweet little lady down from a bridge.’ Buck tunes back into what Eddie’s saying, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing at his partner’s rambling. He really had jinxed himself with this one. ‘Because this isn’t dangerous at all, huh, Evan? You, only fucking you. You’re trying to talk a lady down and instead you get her pointing a fucking gun we didn’t know she had in your face and raising it higher when I tug on the damn rope and I swear if you get shot, Evan, I will never forgive you. Ever. Next time we get a call where we need the ropes, you’re man be-fucking-hind. You hear me? Never again. I’ll let that probie work the winch for you, I’m not doing it. You can deal with what’s-his-name slamming you into every possible obstacle.’
‘Eddie, please,’ Buck pleads, drawing blood from how hard he’s biting into his lip, ‘I’m going to laugh and she’s going to shoot me.’
‘EVAN.’ Eddie’s voice is sharp, tense with worry and Buck so badly wants to look up at him, tug on the rope and reassure him that he’ll be fine.
‘Too soon?’ He asks, and then he turns his attention back to Lola as Eddie starts silently screaming at him.
‘Too soon? YOU STILL HAVE A GUN POINTED AT YOU! The fucking hell, we’re still in the situation, and you’re asking if it’s too soon? Dios mio, why did I fall in love with you? Idiota-’ Buck tunes him out, the continuous rambling of Eddie in his head calming his nerves as he opens his mouth.
“I wasn’t lying to you Lola. And we weren’t planning on doing anything. The rescue pad was for your safety. This thing isn’t exactly designed for us to be standing up here for hours,” Buck starts but she raises the gun in his face again and he shuts his mouth quickly, Eddie’s rambling gets louder.
‘EVAN! If she raises that gun one more time I’m dropping down in front of you. I’ll do it. You know I will. Don’t fucking test me, Evan, you won’t like it.’ And god damn it, if he weren’t standing next to the sign of an overpass with a gun in his face that would be really fucking hot.
‘Seriously. Now? What the hell, Buck? You can’t start thinking about how hot I am when you’ve got a gun in your fucking face.’ Of course that thought carried over.
“Lola!” A man calls from below, and Buck turns his head and watches curiously as the man, Norman he realises, starts yelling up memories to her.
Buck zones him out in favour of Eddie, who has at some point picked up from Buck’s line of thought. ‘If we’re going to talk about me being hot we should bring up the way that harness hugs your thighs. It’s glorious, holy shit Buckley, no one should look that hot in safety gear. They’re going to catch on and make you the model for all the “Join the LAFD” fliers. God knows I wouldn’t have thought as long about it had you been on the pamphlet. They’d put the text right above your ass, draw attention to it and then to your glorious fucking thighs. Get a snapshot while you’re working your way down, little to the side to show off your biceps. There’d never be a recruiting drought again. I can think about something else you could be working your way down though,’
‘EDMUNDO!’ Buck has to bite his lip to keep himself from actually yelling at him, the gun still in Lola’s hand but lowered now as she listens to Norman try and talk her over.
‘Finally listening to me again, are you?’ Eddie has no right sounding so fucking smug.
‘I’d like to remind you I’m still on an overpass with a lady who has a gun, and that we only recently started our shift, meaning there’s almost a whole 24 hours before we’re off shift and can actually do anything.’ Buck thinks lowly, and he can practically hear Eddie’s smirk as he answers.
‘Oh, there’s plenty I can do before we’re off shift,’ Eddie starts, and Buck hates that he already knows exactly where this is going. ‘You however, well sometimes there’s downsides to being the noisy one.’
Buck flushes at that, and when he looks up Lola is passing him the gun and one of the other firefighters is rushing over to send Buck down a harness for her. Buck blinks, slowly helping Lola into the harness before sending her up, waiting until she’s over the side before he goes up after her. Eddie doesn’t pull him up right away, taking the gun from Buck’s hands and passing it off to one of the officers who’d been waiting on the overpass. They take it easily, walking off towards their patrol car with it and Eddie reaches out to grabs Buck’s hips. He hoists him over the railing, tugging Buck a little harder than necessary.
Buck stumbles into him, and for a moment they’re flush against each other, and then Eddie is squeezing his hips and stepping back with a smirk as he heads to start putting away the gear and Buck is left standing there Eddie is going over the way the harness looks even better when Buck is straddling something and- ‘Jesus fucking Christ, Eddie. Please.’
Eddie glances over at him, shrugs and sends Buck an innocent smile before turning back to his work.
Buck is halfway to him when Athena steps up beside him, and his eyes widen and his cheeks flush as he quickly addresses her.
“Athena,” He starts, and she raises a brow at him before turning towards where Eddie is working on putting away the gear before turning back to him.
“Next time you get called somewhere and you have to send someone over, I’m locking you in the back of my patrol car.” She threatens, dragging Buck into a hug before stepping back, turning so she’s facing both Buck and Eddie as she continues. “I want your witness reports by the end of shift, boys.”
“Got it,” They agree, and Athena looks between them, shaking her head with a smile before stalking back off towards where she’d brought her car up. Bobby is waiting by the car, and the two chat for a minute before she gets in and drives off.
“Finish up here and then get in the truck.” Bobby tells them, walking past them and climbing up into the truck.
Buck very purposefully leaves the harness on as he climbs into the truck, and they’re halfway to the station when someone else notices. Buck glances down at it, cursing under his breath, “I didn’t think about it.” Buck lies through his teeth.
‘Menace,’ Eddie hisses, and Buck pointedly keeps his eyes out the window.
If he has a little help getting the harness off when they get back to the station, no one else needs to know about that.