ok i have a prompt!! you know how buck occasionally stutters? (seems to usually be in high emotion situations but i haven't Analysed it) maybe a bit of h/c around that?? times eddie has noticed it? eddie being endeared/concerned/reassuring? anything that strikes your fancy tbh.
asha i'm so sorry this has taken me literally forever. it got away from me a bit in that it was supposed to be a 5 + 1 but ended up just being extremely fluffy instead, my apologies for both xx
(trying this thing where i write prompt fills in one day so i'm accepting some — sentence starters, prompts from another list, song lyrics, anything — just...don't expect them done immediately lol)
1.7k | read on ao3
The first time Eddie hears Buck stutter, he doesn’t think much of it past the blush high on Buck’s cheeks as they shake hands. He half expects a banner to wave above their heads — Achievement! New Friend Unlocked! — or at the very least some sort of speech from Bobby, a little too sentimental to be about someone that isn’t actually his son.
None of that happens. Instead, Eddie’s watching Buck chew his french fries and speak at the same time — which shouldn’t be so endearing but is — and Bobby, sitting beside Buck, shoots Eddie a glance that could mean anything and apply to any one of the several other firefighters that are watching this weird ritual in process, but Eddie takes it for himself to mean thank you.
Not that — and Eddie’s just assuming by the way Buck’s chattering in his right ear about the history of milkshakes, lit-up like a string of Christmas lights — not that staying friends with Buck will be much of a hardship.
“I haven’t, um, actually had a milkshake in a while,” Buck finishes, his voice dying down when he realizes that Green, who’s typically on C-shift, is looking at him like Buck announced he just came back from Mars, or maybe Green is just unfamiliar with the Los Angeles Public Library. “You know, hot firefighter calendar and all.”
Eddie shrugs, if he knocks Green’s shoulder a little bit and makes one of the tomatoes fall out of his burger no one has to know. “I saw your deadlift at the station,” Eddie replies. “You have me beat for sure.”
The tips of Buck’s ears turn bright red. “I gue—I guess,” he mumbles as Casey snorts and nudges Buck with her elbow to try and get him to take the compliment. It’s been less than 24 hours, but Eddie’s noticed that Buck’s bad at that, accepting credit where it’s due. “Thanks, man.”
For all of Buck’s posturing around the station, probably rubbing his hands together in the supply closet like some sort of plotting mastermind, he’s really just like a big puppy dog. Blond hair and that heart of gold Chimney assured him of, a wild laugh that has everyone joining in. Dios, Eddie thinks, shaking his head when Buck vows to tell him about how to get out of doing the worst chores around the station, which Bobby raises his eyebrows at. He’s…
Just look at him.
“Anytime,” Eddie replies. “Have each others’ backs, right?”
Buck startles, like he’d forgotten, or maybe like he’d thought Eddie hadn’t been serious when he said it. “Y-yeah,” he says finally. “Right.”
—
They’re at a water rescue, at the pier, two years after the tsunami, and the only thing Eddie can pinpoint through the whistling of summer wind is the odd cadence to Buck’s voice.
They’ve been back to this spot before — for Christopher, braver than both of them, who asked for it — and Buck was perfectly fine. A little shaky, maybe, but nothing like this.
This time, Buck’s shivering and has the demeanor of a drowned rat. He was in the water — their victim, a child of all things, slipped through the metal bar of the Ferris Wheel that Eddie was about to free him from and took a dive into the ocean from 10 meters in the air — enough to kill him if Buck hadn’t leapt in to cushion the blow.
There was a moment, when the force of the fall pushed Buck and their victim beneath the surface, that Eddie thought about jumping in after them, from his spot on the crane. They’re on dry land now, and Hen is pulling a blanket around Buck’s shoulders while Chim checks out the kid, and Eddie’s scrambling down from the ladder so fast he might trip on it and in a few days, laying in his bed at night, it’ll scare him, how ready he was to follow Buck anywhere, no matter the stakes. But for now, all Eddie wants to do is get his feet on the ground and his hands on Buck’s shoulders, by the crook of his neck.
“Hey,” he murmurs, slinging his arm around Buck’s shoulders, never mind the seawater. Buck’s eyes look a little too glassy for Eddie’s liking, but he’s been holding conversation with Hen, and he’d managed to stop shivering quite so violently, so Eddie’ll take it.
“Hey b-back,” Buck mutters, clenching and unclenching his hands where they grip the aluminum. “I’m fine.”
He’s not. Eddie can tell if only by stutter in his voice, a precursor of more to come, maybe, because it’s summer and 95 degrees out. But it’s Buck, and they’ve gotten better at talking about it but they’re still not perfect and the tsunami is harder to talk about than the shooting. So what else is Eddie supposed to do except be there for him when it comes crashing down?
“I know you are,” Eddie says carefully.
“Yeah, the expression on your face says that,” Buck replies drily. He shifts closer to Eddie’s chest anyway and Eddie resists the urge to do something weird like kiss Buck’s forehead. When Buck looks up at him, they’re close enough that Eddie can count every sun-kissed freckle. “You and—you and your…”
“Cow eyes,” Hen offers, with a small smile.
“Very funny,” Eddie says. He’s under no impression that this is a battle he even cares to win. They’re long past qualifying Eddie’s feelings for Buck, ones that have been compounding from the day they met, drawing closer and closer to the surface of his chest with every exhale. “I’m just looking out for my partner.”
Ravi, who’d been triaging over to the side, lets out a surprised little cough that makes Buck snort and grin at Eddie and rest his hand on his thigh. The glassy look in his eyes is fading and being replaced with something too real. Eddie allows himself to thread his fingers through the hair on the back of Buck’s neck.
Hen leaves them alone. Buck puts his head on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie lets the feeling sink in until they have to get back to the station.
—
Like most things that have to do with Buck and Eddie, the proposal doesn’t go according to plan.
Eddie’s been dating Buck for one year now, or almost, and there’s probably a wisdom in waiting until after the first honeymoon period is over to start another one but really they’ve gone through more fights and makeups before they started dating than a non-actually-divorced couple needs to. And Eddie’s never been more sure of anything.
Except well, except the whole getting down on one knee…making a speech that sums up their entire relationship thus far into about 1 minute…managing to keep track of the ring without someone (Buck) discovering it part.
Eddie’s doing great, why do you ask?
He’s pretty confident that Buck will say yes — they’ve been through too much together for this not to be a forever kind of thing — but Eddie needs it to be perfect. It’s Buck, who deserves more than the world will ever be able to give him. Buck, who’s so wholeheartedly good that Eddie doesn’t know what to do with it sometimes.
Buck, who’s standing in the kitchen, Christopher beside him, flour streaked through his hair and clothes, baking Eddie’s favorite cookies because he’d had a rough shift.
What the fuck.
“Hey!” Buck only notices Eddie leaning against the wall a few beats late, probably because he’s been standing there unmoving for the last several minutes. “When did you get home?”
“Dad,” Christopher says seriously. “Buck threw flour at me first.”
“Wha-Chris,” Buck protests, swinging back around so fast that he almost slips. Christopher laughs at the expression he’s pulling and pinches more flour between his fingers as if readying himself for battle. Eddie’s heart is so full he thinks he might explode.
“Come on, bud,” Buck continues, backing into a corner and shielding himself from the onslaught. “I thought we were a team.”
“You’re my dad now,” Christopher says simply. “You can’t be on my team. You’re on dad’s team.”
And the look on Buck’s face, it’s so — there’s a — he’s speechless and turning to look at Eddie like he’s just been handed the world in a neat, little chocolate tin and Eddie’s…
“Hold that thought,” he says, digging into his go bag. He pulls out the ring box with more elegance than he has any right to and crosses the kitchen to kiss some of the words back into Buck’s brain. “I had a speech.”
“And—and I have a ring upstairs,” Buck replies, quick-witted as ever, because he only stutters when it’s Eddie and for some reason that makes all the sense in the world. He puts a hand on Eddie’s left cheek, leans in and kisses him again. Distinctly, Eddie’s aware of Christopher making faces and also holding out his new cellphone to record the whole thing.
“I think I should be on one knee,” Eddie murmurs, but Buck’s hand doesn’t let go from where it’s practically woven into Eddie’s sweater, touching the curve of his back.
“Say the words, dad,” Chris says, in a hushed, half-impatient, half-aweish whisper.
“Which one?” Buck and Eddie say at the same time. Christopher groans.
(They both ask the question. Buck stutters the whole way through).
—
Eddie’s standing at the altar and everything is perfect.
They’re amassed in Bobby and Athena’s backyard in the middle of September — a small, warm thing covered with just enough fairy lights and love to take Eddie out at the knees. Everything’s starlike at this time of the evening. In front of him, Buck’s speaking. He’s got flecks of gold in his eyes where the light of the handmade white arch reflects in them.
“I’m going first because Eddie will make me cry,” Buck starts. “He’s got a, um, hidden talent for emotional speeches or something. The first day we met, he told me I could have his back any day. I said something back at him. It was probably unintelligible or maybe it was super suave and cool, I uh, I kinda was—I was distracted, by um, other things.”
He winks at Eddie, and Buck couldn’t possibly have fallen for Eddie that day, but it’s nice to think about. Eddie felt something similar. Not love at first sight but something like it. A sort of inevitability. Eddie grins and winks back. Someone in the audience groans light-heartedly. Eddie swears he hears Chim sniffle.
“Anyway,” Buck continues. “I think that worked out well…for us.”
And he keeps going and keeps stuttering and Eddie kind of wants to kiss him stupid but Bobby’s right there, fixing Eddie with a look like he knows what he’s thinking, so Eddie just settles for watching the rose pink blush high on Buck’s cheeks like a painted sunset and tries not to propose a second time before their wedding’s even over.
Ah but imagine Actor thinking about domestic life with you! >:3
He'd probably be drawn to the slow dancing in the kitchen, the star gazing, The tea while sitting on the balcony, the dinners where he gets to show you off to his friends- he positively adores you after all, why shouldn't he?~ Maybe he's quietly thinking about it while all he's doing his morning routine.
Imagine him quietly admiring you in turn when you're enthralled by a task. As much as he'd love the attention on himself... he can't help but just watch quietly, wondering how he got to be with someone so wonderful. If you notice his stares he just bends down, or tilts your chin up so he can steal a kiss, and leave you flustered, maybe he walks off all smug to secretly hide his rose tinted cheeks.
He's a suave, composed, and some would even say self centered individual. But he does truly love, and adore you, he'd pick out every star out of the sky, and give them to you. [probably while adding a small quip of "and now your favourite star... me! <3"] just to make you smile. He's absolutley smitten with you, and would do anything to keep this life style with you forever. To be able to have you in his arms when he wakes, to be able to see your red cheeks when he flirts, to be able to steal kisses as he pleases.
He love you sosososo much, you're his beloved Ciara <3
Enjoy some surprise Actor writing >:3c
~@soft-f1sh-yearnings
A pretty pink tint to her cheeks and a burst of courage has her standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Thank you Loki. For everything."
Carefully maintained control precludes his hand from closing over his cheek, trapping the warmth of her stolen but welcome kiss there until they met again.
"This is only the beginning, little one," he promises her, brushing the backs of his fingers over her cheek. They come to rest underneath her chin, tilting her beautiful face up to his soft gaze. "My beloved shall be treated as the most cherished royalty. Nothing less."
He bends down to capture her lips in a longing kiss, tasting the faintest hint of sugar left behind with the flick of his tongue over her bottom lip. A low growl breaks the enchantment she holds over him. "You have witchcraft in your lips, Lily..."
Long arms wrap around her back to cradle her into his broad chest. The position may grant her the ability to hear how his heart thunders for her in his chest, but she deserves to know of her sway over his carefully controlled emotions.
"I will contact you with the details for our dinner. Until then..." He kisses the crown of her head before seeing himself out of her home, quietly closing the door in his wake with another flicker of emerald light.
-Loki 💚
‘My beloved.’ He already calls her his with ease. Without a second thought. As if she’s been his since they first met and perhaps she has been. Perhaps she’s been his as soon as he came knocking, as soon as she invited him into her home.
Bending down to kiss her, she loses herself to him, he overwhelmed her senses yet she couldn’t get enough of him. His tongue teases her bottom lip and she rests both hands on his firm chest. If this is always what kissing him would feel like, she doesn’t want to spend her time doing anything else.
A low growl breaks the enchantment she holds over him. "You have witchcraft in your lips, Lily..."
Oh. That growl. As if he forced himself to pull away before he loses his composed persona. Did she really have such an affect on him?
And when long arms wrap around her back to cradle her into his broad chest, it doesn’t seem so far off a possibility. The rapid heart beat she feels under her fingers and the steady, increased rhythm she hears seems as though she did excite him as much as he did her.
"I will contact you with the details for our dinner. Until then..." He kisses the crown of her head before seeing himself out of her home, quietly closing the door in his wake with another flicker of emerald light.
“Sounds wonderful,” she manages to whisper before he takes his leave. As soon the door closes, she presses her fingers to her lips, as if trying to ingrain the feel of his lips pressed against hers. She laughs to herself in disbelief, blinking back tears. This was really happening. It was real. He’s real. The gorgeous stranger who came into her life and completely changed it in a single evening. He’s real and he asked her to be his. She matters to someone. Wiping away a stray tear, she puts away the remaining chocolate treats before getting ready for bed. A possible giddy dance in the privacy of her bathroom and she climbs into bed, excitedly awaiting for what tomorrow would hold for her and her new partner.
