Chapter Text
"I just think Chris could use another person in his life," Eddie's mom was saying.
With his phone propped between his ear and his shoulder, Eddie rolled his eyes and continued folding his laundry. Ever since Chris had come back from being in Texas with his parents, Eddie's mom had been way more invested in their lives, calling every other day to 'check in' and make sure they were doing okay – which was code for telling him a hundred and one ways he should change his life.
He had an inkling she wasn't pleased that Chris had chosen to return to him.
"It's good for kids to have two parents," she went on. "If ever you're busy or something, he needs someone else he can go to – and you've made it very clear you don't want him coming to us anymore."
"He has someone else he can go to," Eddie said automatically, Buck's smiling face flashing into his mind.
"Your friend Buck doesn't count," she said dismissively, and Eddie felt his hackles rising defensively. "I'm talking about a partner, Eddie. Someone who will commit to being with you and Christopher for the rest of your lives."
"Buck is committed," Eddie said before he could think about what he was saying. "He's not going anywhere."
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"When you say committed…" she asked hesitantly, voice trailing off.
Don't do it, don't do it, don't do– "I mean Buck and I are together. We're dating. We're happy and if you have a problem with that you can keep it to yourself, because I love him. In fact, I'm planning to propose."
Fuck.
Of all the things that could've come out of his mouth, why did it have to be that?
"Wow," his mom said, and he dropped the shirt he was failing to fold so he could grab hold of his phone – and squeeze it just a little to vent his frustration. "Were you ever planning on telling us about this?"
Blood roared in his ears and he closed his eyes, taking a moment just to breathe and calm himself down. Getting angry would not help this situation. In fact, it would definitely make it worse.
"Eddie?"
"Yes," he said, opening his eyes again and forcing his grip on the phone to relax. He wasn't about to admit that he'd panicked and lied, so he may as well double down. "I was going to tell you. It's just… new."
"It's new?" she asked, somehow making those two works sound scathing in his ear. "If it's new why are you already thinking about proposing?"
"Because we've known each other for years," he said, feeling his temper rise despite how hard he fought to keep it down. "Buck is my best friend and the best thing that's ever happened to me. Now that we're…" He stumbled slightly, the lie bitter on his tongue from how badly he wished it were true. "Now that we're together, why wait?"
"Hm."
"'Hm' what?"
"Don't take that tone with me."
Eddie rolled his eyes and bit his lip to keep from spitting back, 'Don't take that tone with me.'
"Maybe we just need to get to know him better," his mom went on. "Why don't you both come visit next weekend? I remember you saying you're not working and it would be good to see Christopher again, too."
"It's our only free weekend for the next four months!" Eddie protested.
"Exactly. If we don't do it now we won't see you for ages."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Eddie mentally counted to ten. His mom kept talking, taking his silence for acquiescence and already making plans for the entire weekend. It was infuriating, but he didn't know how to make her stop without causing a massive argument which he really didn't want to deal with right now.
"So let us know once you've spoken to Buck and booked your flights," she finished.
"I'll talk to him," Eddie conceded with a sigh.
Sounding rather pleased with herself, his mom cheerfully said goodbye.
Ending the call and dropping his phone onto his pile of half-folded laundry, Eddie scrubbed both hands over his face and let out a groan of frustration. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess?
-
The next day, Eddie and Buck were in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner when he finally got up the courage to broach the subject.
"I have… an odd request," Eddie said casually.
Judging by the way Buck immediately stopped washing up and turned to face him with a frown, the words hadn't come out quite as casually as he'd hoped.
"What's up?" Buck asked cautiously, resting his gloved hands on the edge of the sink.
Resisting the urge to wipe his sweaty palms on his pants, Eddie slipped his hands into his pockets and fixed his eyes on a fridge magnet before asking, "Would you mind coming with me to visit my parents next weekend?"
"Of course," Buck said easily.
"And could you pretend to be my boyfriend while we're there?"
Silence. Reluctantly, Eddie dragged his eyes over to Buck's face and took in his stunned expression.
"It's…" He cleared his throat before explaining. "My mom called yesterday and she was going on and on about how Chris should have someone else in his life, another parent. And I just got so sick of it so I … I told her that you were. His parent."
Buck continued to stare at him.
"Cause I mean, you practically are anyway," Eddie said, looking away again because he couldn't stand the intensity of those blue eyes. "His parent, I mean. You're always here for us and I know you love him like he's your own. So I just figured that–"
"I do."
"What?"
"I do love him like he's my own," Buck said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I know you do," Eddie said with a soft smile. Then… "Are you crying?"
"No." Buck sniffed loudly and turned back to the sink, blinking rapidly as he started washing dishes again.
They were silent for a few moments, no sound but the gentle clatter of dishes in the sink.
"Okay, well…" Eddie tried to remember what he'd been saying. "Right. So I just figured that I could make her shut up by saying we were together. Only then she insisted that we both come visit so they can get to know you better, which is her way of saying 'grill you', so I'll totally understand if you don't wanna do it. I just… didn't think. It was out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying."
"I'll do it," Buck said, and Eddie blinked in surprise. "Absolutely. Whatever you need."
Eddie's heart thudded anxiously in his chest. He hadn't really expected Buck to say no, but he was now also realising that he hadn't actually prepared himself for Buck to say yes.
Buck saying yes meant that they would be going to visit his parents together next weekend. It meant that Buck was probably going to call him pet names and hold his hand in order to sell it, and Eddie was quite probably going to have a heart attack.
Because he was completely, one hundred percent, head over heels in love with him.
"So," Buck said as he kept washing. "How long have we been dating?"
Eddie's heart leapt into his throat and he had to gulp it back down.
"Um… since… Chris came back?" he heard himself say.
"Okay." Buck was nodding. "And is Chris– Wait, will Chris be coming? Is he gonna be in on it?"
With a shock, Eddie realised he hadn't even thought about what he would tell Chris; he'd been too busy freaking out about how to ask Buck. But since Chris was coming with them – his mother might actually kill him if he showed up without him – and there was no way Eddie could lie to him, he would have to be in on it.
"Uh… I'll talk to him," Eddie said, giving his head a small shake to try and clear his thoughts. "I'm not lying to him about it, though."
"Good," Buck murmured.
Eddie took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, feeling his heart racing beneath his skin. This was really happening. He could barely believe that after years of pining after Buck, one tiny slip up on the phone to his mother had sent him careening into a torturous fake dating scenario that he was equally excited and terrified for.
Buck cleared his throat and Eddie looked up.
"Do you think…" Buck kept his eyes on the bowl he was scrubbing, his shoulders hunched slightly. "Will we need to kiss?"
If Eddie thought his heart was racing before, now it was competing for first place in the hummingbird olympics.
"I… No." It was his turn to clear his throat. "I can't imagine my parents asking to see that."
"Right, no, of course not," Buck said with a strained chuckle.
Eddie stared at his back, wishing he could read his mind to find out what he was thinking. Had he brought it up because he was afraid Eddie would ask to kiss him? Or perhaps… had he brought it up because he wanted to?
"Although…" he said very slowly, barely believing he was about to say these words. "If we did, it might piss them off even more."
Buck's hands froze in the sink and Eddie mentally cursed himself. Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut?
But before he could spiral too far, Buck looked over his shoulder at him and asked, "Is that what you want, though? To piss them off?"
Trying not to stare too obviously at Buck's lips, Eddie shrugged. "I don't know what I want," he admitted.
Grimacing sympathetically, Buck eased his gloves off and left them on the sink before walking over.
"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," he said softly, pressing a warm hand to Eddie's arm. "If you do, I'm with you one hundred percent, but if you'd rather call them back and just tell them to go fuck themselves? I'm with you on that, too."
Huffing a laugh, Eddie dropped his gaze to where Buck was holding him. This simple touch, soft yet firm, grounded him in a way he hadn't even realised he'd needed – he hadn't known he was untethered until he was secure.
"I'm serious," Buck said, tilting his head to catch Eddie's gaze again. "You are an amazing father. You don't have to pretend to be in a relationship just because your mom thinks you need one. Chris already has everything he needs, whether she can see that or not."
Swallowing stiffly, Eddie squashed the desire to lean forward and press their lips together.
"Thank you," he said instead.
"You just let me know what you decide, okay?" Buck smiled and slid his hand down Eddie's arm until he reached his hand, giving a gentle squeeze. "And if you decide you want me to come with you to Texas and pretend to be your boyfriend for the weekend? I'd be honoured."
I want you to be my boyfriend for real, Eddie thought to himself.
But if Buck had wanted to be his boyfriend, he would've said something by now, so Eddie kept those words inside and simply said thank you once more.