I wish you’d write a fic where Abigail really just does drive Chris home but maybe they get held up in traffic & Eddie thinks he’s missing. Not for long but long enough to freak him out and Buck doesn’t find out about it until it’s all over, maybe even days later. Angst obviously but then they finally have the argument they have been avoiding about why their relationship looks different than it used to
how i miss that bright sun [on AO3]
1.4k words | arguing and making up | first kiss
"I guess I just don't understand why you didn't tell me," Buck says, as evenly as he can. It's impressively calm, actually. He's impressed with himself. He sort of wants to scream.
Eddie doesn't even look up from his locker. "Because it's not a big deal. She gave him a ride without asking, which was obviously out of line, but that's it. He was home an hour late. Yeah, it freaked me out, but it's over now. It's not—"
"Not what?" Buck asks, when Eddie doesn't finish. Eddie jams a shirt into his bag, bumps his locker shut, turns toward Buck. His hands flex on the strap of his open duffel. He's not meeting Buck's eyes. "Not my problem? Is that what you were gonna say?"
Eddie shrugs. "It's not."
"Right."
"He's my son, Buck."
It's not that Buck can't hear the warning in Eddie's tone. He's not actually fucking stupid. He just doesn't really care right now. "Yeah, no, I got that. None of my business. I'm just the backup plan, right?"
Eddie sighs heavily, rolls his eyes, zips his bag. Slings it over his shoulder like he's trying to make a point, but makes no move to shove past Buck and out the door. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, you know exactly what it means."
"I really don't."
"You remember when you told him you were dating Ana?" Buck asks. He watches Eddie flinch with an acidic sort of satisfaction. "And he smashed a bowl and called an Uber to my place?"
"That's not the same thing."
"Yeah, I guess not. That was back when you still trusted me to have your back."
"Oh, right, go ahead and make this about you, again."
"You made it about me," Buck hisses. "You put me in your will, you told me that I wasn't—you don't get to do that and then act like it's not my place. And I know, I know everything's different now—"
"Nothing is different—"
"Right," Buck retorts. "Right, we just can't hang out anymore unless Hen or Chim or, or Ravi is there to supervise. You've been to my house, what, twice since I moved in, six months ago. And Chris goes missing, and you don't even call me."
"Buck—"
"You used to call me," Buck says. He takes a breath. His eyes are burning, and Eddie is just staring at him, in the locker room, in the firehouse, which is the only place they're ever alone anymore, except that they're not, not really. Anyone could walk in. "Two years ago you wouldn't even think twice."
Eddie closes his eyes. There's a stillness to him, a tension to his mouth, his jaw, that feels unfamiliar. It takes him a moment to speak, and when he does, he sounds defeated. "Yeah."
"What?"
"I said, yeah. You're right. Look, can we just—" Eddie nods toward the locker room door, the open bay beyond. "Not here, okay?"
"What—what do you mean?"
"Not here," Eddie repeats, and now he is moving, out the door and toward the parking lot beyond, and Buck slams his locker shut and scrambles to follow him.
Eddie's new truck is parked in the spot he's used since he started at the 118 almost nine years ago. Buck's is three spots down. The parking lot is deserted, but street traffic moves past quick and noisy, a rush of wind under the hot blue sky. Eddie slings his bag in the back, then braces himself briefly before turning.
"I'm trying," he says, then stops. "I've been working through some shit, okay?"
"Okay," Buck says carefully. As pissed off as he was five minutes ago, as hurt as he still sort of is, he can't help but soften at Eddie's tone. "What kind of shit?"
"The kind of shit where I'm trying not to need you as much as I do," Eddie says, with a steadiness that feels forced.
"What?"
"Figured it out when I went to Texas," Eddie says. His eyes slide past Buck, like they can't bear to land. He's holding himself very still, like he's bracing against a wound. Trying not to jostle something that hurts. "I wanted to ask you to come with me."
"You—what?"
Eddie shrugs. "Crazy, right? Couldn't do that. So I didn't, and I left, and it felt like ripping something out by the root."
"Yeah," Buck says, because it did. For him, it did. It never occurred to him that Eddie could feel the same.
"And I came back, yeah, but I couldn't not know that. How it felt. What I wanted. Couldn't lie to myself anymore, I guess."
"What do you want?"
Eddie laughs, breathy and humorless. "Nothing I can have."
"Eddie."
"You wanna know why I haven't looked at a woman in a year? Same reason I stopped talking to Tommy. Same reason I haven't been over to your house. Same reason I can't—you're not, you're not for me. Even if you wanted to—I'd fuck it up. I always do."
"I," Buck says. There's a roaring in his ears. Eddie can't be saying what it sounds like he's saying, except Eddie is holding himself like he's made out of broken glass, and Buck knows him better than almost anyone in the world, and he knows he's not misunderstanding. "I thought you were straight."
"I don't know what I am. Haven't really thought that far. Doesn't matter, anyway."
"Eddie," Buck says again, and he shifts closer. Eddie twitches when Buck touches his arm, and now Buck can feel that he's not still at all; a minute tremor runs through his body. He watches Eddie's throat lurch as he swallows. "It—it matters."
"Buck—"
"I would have come with you to Texas," Buck says. "If you'd asked."
"Don't say that. You can't—you can't say that."
"It's the truth."
"You can't—"
"Can't what? Want you?" He doesn't even know where this sudden courage is coming from. Maybe it's just that he's always been able to be brave when Eddie needed him. "I do, though."
Eddie squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. He's impossible, and Buck loves him. "I'm trying not to fuck everything up."
"Everything is kind of fucked up right now," Buck points out. "In case you hadn't noticed."
"Okay, but," Eddie says, then stops.
"I'm just saying, I don't think your plan is working. Maybe we should try my plan."
"Oh, you have a plan," Eddie says. It's acidic, but that's still better than that wounded stillness of a moment ago.
"Let me just—try something. And if you want me to stop, I will."
"What," Eddie says, and Buck slides the hand on Eddie's arm up, very deliberately, and Eddie stops talking. He doesn't pull away. Not when Buck cups his jaw carefully, not when he leans in. Eddie holds still, trembling slightly, and lets Buck kiss him softly, carefully, on the lips.
It lights him up: the softness of Eddie's lips, the warmth, the faint texture of his scar. The quickness of his breath and the way his eyes have fluttered shut by the time Buck pulls away. He starts to move back, and Eddie grabs him, fingers digging hard into the meat of his arm, color high in his cheeks.
He breathes out shakily into the space between them, then opens his eyes to look up at Buck.
"Okay?" Buck whispers, trying not to shatter the moment before he has to.
"This is a bad idea," Eddie whispers back.
"That wasn't a no."
Eddie shakes his head. He's still hanging onto Buck, hard enough that Buck might have bruises. He wants them. Wants the memory, however fleeting, of Eddie holding on.
"I'm going to fuck this up."
"You don't know that," Buck says.
Eddie breathes out a shaky laugh. His grip tightens, and then he pulls Buck down again, and against all odds the kiss is still gentle this time. Still slow, still sweet. They part softly. Buck's heart is beating fast.
"That definitely wasn't a no," he says.
Eddie laughs again, less shaky this time. "Would you, um. Do you want to come over tonight? For dinner? Chris is kind of pissed off at me. I think he'd be happy to see you."
"Yeah?" Buck says, feeling the smile starting to grow on his face. "Chris would, huh? What about you?"
Eddie rolls his eyes again. "I want you to come over tonight. Okay?"
"Yeah, okay," Buck says, and there's more they need to talk about, definitely, but it can wait. For now, he leans in, and Eddie meets him halfway.
• See you around
How Buck and Y/N met (thanks to Maddie). | Words: 2500+ | Warning: none
• Secrets of the past
During a full moon shift, Y/N takes a chilling call that hits painfully close to home. | Words: 3400+ | Warning: mentions of abuse and suicide
• Most wonderful time of the year
Y/N was invited to the Christmas dinner with the 118. | Words: 4200+ | Warning: none
*These stories can be read as standalone, but will be part of a series with our favourite firefighter. They will be added by the timeline of the story and not by the release date.
Nine months out of the closet, Tommy gets a call from his ex-fiancée - who has a new boyfriend, and a baby that somehow belongs to him. It’s messy, unexpected, and maybe exactly what was always meant to be.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
No pressure tag: @teabroomsandbooks
Chapter Snippet:
He finds a corner chair by the window that looks like it’s seen better days, and sinks into it, Elena resting against his chest. For a while, it’s just the hush of the machines and her soft breaths. He likes it too much - the calm, after everything.
He’s marvelling at how long her eyelashes are when a nurse approaches, one he doesn’t recognise. Her smile immediately puts Tommy at ease.
“Hi there,” she says gently, “The two of you are adorable, I couldn't help myself but come over. Have you tried holding her skin-to-skin yet?”
“She doesn’t really like being out of the swaddle,” he admits, his voice low. “And her cry’s too sad for me to risk it again.”
The nurse chuckles, shaking her head. “This is even better than the swaddle. We’ll keep her covered, I promise. Trust me, you’re both gonna love it.”
Tommy hesitates, then nods. The nurse takes Elena from him with practiced ease while he unbuttons his shirt halfway down. The nurse works quickly, freeing Elena from her wrap and settling her against his bare chest.
She grumbles - a token protest - and then quiets.
The moment her skin meets his, everything stills. Tommy freezes, hardly daring to breathe. Her tiny cheek is pressed against his chest, her warmth soaking through him, her breathing syncing with his until he can’t tell which heartbeat is whose.
She’s perfectly content. For the first time in his life, so is he.
Eddie being mad that Buck is upset about Eddie leaving because knowing it forces Eddie to confront the fact that Eddie is upset about Eddie leaving and he still hasn’t yanno. TALKED TO HIS SON. about any of this at all. he’s so messed up, I love him
Part 11: Interviews and Articles Featuring Buck/Oliver, Eddie/Ryan, and Tim Minear
25/03/13 ‘9-1-1’ Star Ryan Guzman Breaks Down That Sad Buddie Farewell
25/03/14 Buck and Eddie’s 9-1-1 Goodbye Was Sadder Than Any of Their Actual Breakups
25/13/14 Ryan for TV week online
25/03/17 ‘9-1-1’s Jennifer Love Hewitt Teases Season 8, Episode 11 And Beyond: “This Is A Season Of Getting To Know All The Characters Even Deeper”
25/03/20 9-1-1 fans, watch Bobby's tense reunion with his mom — plus, the time jump you probably missed (exclusive)
25/03/20 Exclusive: 9-1-1 star Anirudh Pisharody teases Buck and Eddie romance and breaks down Ravi's return
25/03/20 Buck's 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 11 Ending Explained By Oliver Stark
25/03/20 ‘9-1-1’ Creator Says Buck’s Buddie Denial Is Not the End, but ‘It Doesn’t Mean I’m Making Promises’
25/03/20 Does Buck Have Feelings for Eddie on ‘9-1-1’? Oliver Stark & Tim Minear Weigh In
25/03/20 9-1-1 Boss Tackles Maddie’s Million-Dollar Question: Is Buck in Love With Eddie? Plus, Inside [Spoiler]’s Return
25/03/20 9-1-1 Showrunner Tim Minear Unpacks Bobby’s Past, Buck’s Love Life & Eddie’s Texas Storyline
25/03/20 9-1-1’s Aisha Hinds on Handling Bobby’s Mom and the Buddie Conversation for Her Directorial Debut (Exclusive)
25/03/20 “It’s Going There”: Star & Director Aisha Hinds Unpacks 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 11 & Teases What’s Next
25/03/21 Aisha Hinds Talks Directorial Debut and Stepping Behind the Camera on 9-1-1
25/03/21 ‘9-1-1’ Scoop: Eddie in Texas, Maddie’s Recovery, and the 118 in Danger!
25/03/21 Oliver Stark Reacts to 9-1-1 Finally Addressing #Buddie — and Buck’s ‘Subtle’ Nod to the Fandom
25/03/22 9-1-1 boss on that Buck and Eddie revelation — and that shocking character return: 'You'll see him again'
And why now address the nature of Buck's connection to Eddie?
For me, whether Tommy is right in his suspicions or not sort of doesn't matter.... Tommy is the person to bring up that subject more than anyone else on the show, because Buck is unnaturally dependent on his friendship with Eddie. He puts a lot of himself into that, and it takes up a lot of space in his id, and in his world. And so I think it would just be natural for the guy's boyfriend to be like, "You're really tight with that handsome friend of yours, and I think you might have a thing for him." And it was also important for me to have Buck say, "Look, I don't have to sleep with everyone I have feelings for, and I don't have to have feelings for everyone I sleep with," which is a direct reference to who Buck was in the first season or so.
25/03/23 Is Buck In Love With Eddie? Oliver Stark Unpacks 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 11's Long-Awaited Storyline
Buck does say, "I don't have to want to sleep with everyone I have feelings for." What did he mean by that?
Oliver Stark: To be honest, me and Tim went back and forth a little bit on how intentional that choice of wording was and how mean Buck is. Because the line is, "I don't have to sleep with everyone I have feelings for, and I don't have to have feelings for everyone I sleep with."
And I think we kind of found a middle ground where there is some conscious thought into what he's saying there, but it's not meant to cut him too deep. It's just coming from a place of being defensive because he's had this thing leveled at him of saying that Eddie is competition, and it just caught Buck off guard a little bit. And I think that his defense to that is to try and knock Tommy off guard at the same time.
⬅️ Part 10 Part 12 ➡️
Note: In case new interviews/articles are dropped during the next days I'll just update this post.
when it's finally time for poly negotiations, buck opens the floor with a literal police dossier and a clipboard filled with checklists he found online to ensure they make sure every boundary is accounted for because he is bound and determined for all of this to work. and while it's completely overkill and a little unhinged, the way his eyes light up and his cheeks and ears are a rosy color and he keeps clapping his hands together in glee, tommy and eddie wouldn't have him any other way
