you know our hearts will bruise but we'll hold strong | 2.3k words | buddie | feelings realisation, getting together | ao3
Summary: Eddie tries to make soup. It is harder than he expected and it makes him realise some things.
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Eddie is going to tear something. It’s either gonna be the hair out of his head or the notebook he holds in his hand. He hasn't decided yet. But the frustration in him is bubbling more violently than the soup on the stove.
The point is, it shouldn’t be so hard. Contrary to the popular belief, Eddie can cook. He has been a single father for a long time, so he had to learn. And Abuela, Tia Pepa and Bobby were all very skilled in the art of cooking, so he had some role models in that matter. The only thing that Eddie needs to thrive is a good recipe. Bobby is great at giving those - he understands and indulges Eddie’s need for exact measurements and timing each step and Eddie has no problems with recreating the dishes he learned from him.
The Diaz women, however? Eddie does not think he saw Abuela even hold a measuring cup once in his entire life. She was an artist, the kitchen was her stage and she followed no script. He absolutely loved watching her cook, but trying to learn anything from her then was a nightmare. She eyeballed everything, measured time in commercial breaks between the telenovelas and said things like “you know when it’s good”.
Buck thrived whenever he was around when Abuela was cooking, because he also has the insufferable ability to improvise in the kitchen and get great results nonetheless. Whenever he tries to help Eddie with cooking and messes with his recipe, Eddie leaves the kitchen. Even if it is his own kitchen. So when he and Abuela got together, they were like an unstoppable force that swept Eddie aside and into the living room.
Eventually, after asking approximately 17 follow-up questions per recipe and asking her for months to "just write it down, I'm begging you, Abuelita", she agreed to write down some instructions for Eddie. He got a special notebook and she filled it with her flowy handwriting almost to the brim.
Eddie has barely touched the notebook since her funeral.
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