Archive of Our Own

Eddie’s head is killing him.

He could really use some painkillers right now, which would be an easy thing to obtain if they were in the cabinet above the kitchen sink like they usually are. Unfortunately for him, that’s not the case.

He knows Buck had the bottle last, when his leg was bothering him a few days ago. He obviously didn’t put it back where he found it, like many other things in the house.

Ever since Eddie and Chris moved back and Buck decided to stay, Eddie's been slowly trying to reorganize Buck’s version of organization. Just last week, Eddie had searched for the oven mitts for a full five minutes before giving up and asking Buck for help, only to learn he'd been storing them in a drawer completely opposite to where Eddie used to keep them.

This time, however, Eddie can’t ask Buck for help because he went out for groceries and left his phone ever so usefully on the kitchen counter. 

Eddie rummages through some of the kitchen drawers, his head only pounding harder as he goes, before heading to the bedroom. They’ve been sharing the bed, each with their own designated side, since the couch just doesn’t cut it for either of them. He’s hoping maybe Buck left the bottle on his bedside table, but he wanders in to find it empty, apart from the new lamp Buck just bought.

Rubbing his temple with one hand, Eddie tugs open Buck’s bedside drawer, frowning as he’s met with an array of colourful little tubes. He reaches in, picking one up to get a better look, and realizes that it’s a lip balm. They're all lip balms, each with the same label: Lanolips.

Eddie scoffs, tossing the tube back in its place before shutting the drawer, making a mental note to question Buck about his spending habits as soon as he gets home.

Of course, the second Buck walks through the door, balancing six bags of groceries in his arms, Eddie rushes to help him, forgetting all about the abundance of balms. It’s not until later, when they’re sat on the couch, that Eddie notices the glossy sheen of Buck’s lips and remembers to ask.

"Hey, did you buy a ton of the exact same lip balm?" Buck turns away from the TV with a confused expression.

“Uh, no?" he replies.

“You sure? 'Cause I saw a bunch of them in your bedside table,” Eddie counters, raising his brows. Buck rolls his eyes, shifting to face his body toward Eddie. 

“Okay, first of all, they're not all the exact same lip balm, they're all different flavours. And second of all, why were you even in my drawer?”

"I was looking for the painkillers," Eddie states plainly, causing Buck to sigh.

"I told you I was putting them in the bathroom cabinet when I was done with them," he says, and, now that he mentions it, Eddie does recall those words. It doesn’t change the fact that that’s just not where they go, though.

"Alright, well…I forgot. Anyway," Eddie says, "Why do you need so many lip balms?"

“I saw a video about them a while back and they looked nice so I ordered some. And they were nice, so I ordered some more. I like having all the flavour options.”

“Please,” Eddie scoffs. “Flavoured lip balm is such a scam. They all taste the same anyway."

Buck's eyes narrow, his brows pinching together.

"Eddie, you don’t seriously think that."

"I do."

"You think all different flavours of lip balm taste the same?" Buck questions.

“Pretty much. I bet if you put one on with your eyes closed you'd have no clue which one you were wearing."

Buck cocks a brow.

"I bet I'd know exactly which one I was wearing."

"Okay, let's test it now," Eddie says, prepared to see Buck eat his words. And…his lip balm.

“Well, I’m already wearing one and I know which flavour I put on, so…”

"Fine, I'll test it. I’ll put one on with my eyes closed and make an honest guess. Go get me one,” Eddie demands.

"I don't want to get up,” Buck whines, letting his head fall back against the couch cushions as he stares up at Eddie with what can only be described as puppy-dog eyes.

"You don't want to lose," Eddie teases, pointing a finger at Buck’s nose.

"You know what? Fine. You can taste this one," Buck says, gesturing vaguely to his lips.

"What?"

“C'mere," Buck says, sitting up to scoot closer to Eddie. Eddie frowns as Buck leans toward him, sitting back with a hand on Buck’s chest.

"What are you doing?” Eddie asks, and Buck sighs, grabbing Eddie’s wrist to pull his hand away.

"You can just kiss me, get a taste of the lip balm, and tell me what flavour you think it is.”

Eddie can’t believe his ears. Buck’s suggesting they kiss just so he doesn’t have to get up off the couch?

"That is such a stupid way to win a bet, Buck."

“Oh so you concede?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, shaking his head before planting both hands on the sides of Buck's face and hauling him in to press their lips together.

Buck's lips are soft and slightly tacky from the balm. Eddie swipes his tongue across Buck's bottom lip to get a better taste, Buck opening his mouth slightly at the motion.

To Eddie's dismay, he does have a pretty good idea of the flavour Buck’s wearing.

He leans back, separating their lips, and Buck levels him with an expectant look.

"So?" he says curiously.

Eddie hesitates, licking his lips to savour the remnants of the sweet taste of Buck's lips—the balm on Buck's lips.

"I knew it! You can so tell. Come on, what flavour is it?" Buck pushes, nudging Eddie's shoulder playfully with his fist.

"Strawberry," Eddie mutters quietly.

"Sorry? I didn't quite catch that," Buck says, putting a finger to his ear and angling it toward Eddie.

"Strawberry," Eddie repeats, and Buck beams back at him with a victorious clap of his hands.

"Hah! Wow, easiest bet I've ever won," Buck says. "I should've put money on that."

"Shut up, man," Eddie says, grabbing his beer off the coffee table with a shake of his head, replacing the sweet taste of strawberry with the bitter combo of lager and defeat.

The next day, while Buck and Eddie are in the car on the way to work, Eddie can’t help but notice Buck acting especially chipper.

“You know,” Eddie starts after a prolonged silence, “just ‘cause I got the flavour right once doesn’t mean they all taste drastically different. I bet it was just a fluke.”

Buck glances Eddie’s way, his expression morphing to a smug smile before he directs his attention back on the road.

“You’re still stuck on that?” he asks.

“Yes,” Eddie says. “I don’t think your little experiment proved anything. I still think I’m right about you not needing all those flavours.”

“So you don’t think you could guess another one?” Buck asks, and, despite the fact that Eddie can already see where this is going, he stands his ground.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Alright…” Buck says, drawing out the word and slowing the car to a stop as the light at the intersection in front of them turns red. “Then here.”

Buck reaches out, grasping the back of Eddie’s neck and pulling him forward, their faces hovered over the centre console as their lips slot together. Eddie sets a hand on Buck’s thigh to brace himself as he tilts his head to get a better angle, swiping his tongue across Buck’s upper lip this time before sucking it into his mouth to get more of the flavour.

Eddie’s just about got an idea of what this one could be when a honk sounds behind them, and they split apart to see the light’s turned green. Buck hits the gas, glancing at Eddie every couple seconds as he awaits his final answer.

“It’s…sweet,” Eddie says, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Yeah…” Buck says, waving a hand and encouraging him to go on.

“Okay, this is so specific, but it kind of tastes like a glazed donut,” Eddie says, and Buck’s head snaps to the side.

“Eddie, you’re kidding,” he says, eyes wide to match his open-mouthed smile.

“What, was I close?” Eddie asks. He'd sort of been hoping he’d be way off but, judging by Buck’s ecstatic expression, he figures that’s not the case.

“It’s literally called glazed donut!” Buck says, laughter bubbling up from his chest as he turns back to the road and slaps a hand against the steering wheel. “Dude, you’ve got a gift!”

“Oh my god,” Eddie says, running a hand over his face. “Whatever, Buck.”

“I’m serious! If you can get something as specific as that I wouldn’t be surprised if you could guess every single flavour.”

Eddie, once again, can see where Buck’s mind is headed with this. Part of him wants to shut it down, remind him that this is a ridiculous game they’re playing. Yet, there’s a bigger part that loves a challenge, and refuses to back down from a bet, especially when it comes to Buck.

“You think I could get them all right?” Eddie asks, both of their eyes trained on the traffic ahead. Out the corner of his eye he sees Buck’s head bob.

“Definitely.”

“And what do I get if I do?” Eddie says, a grin spreading across his face as he notices Buck sit up straighter.

“Oh, are you making this a proper bet?” Buck asks.

“Maybe,” Eddie goads. They pull into the station parking lot and Buck throws the gearshift into park, unbuckling his seatbelt to angle his body toward Eddie.

“Alright. Here are the rules,” he says with a grin that mirrors Eddie’s.

“Sure,” Eddie says, removing his own seat belt to face Buck.

“First of all, you have to be on the side of guessing them right, otherwise it’s not fair.”

“Wait, what?” Eddie asks. “I thought you were so certain I could get them all right.”

Buck nods. “I am, but you have to want to get them right, or you could just fake your guesses.”

Eddie considers this a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, yeah I guess that makes sense.”

“Right. Second, you can’t cheat by checking the drawer to see what flavours are there.”

“Of course,” Eddie agrees.

“And third, I think the taste-testing method has to stay the same,” Buck states, and Eddie stops himself just as he’s about to nod again.

“What, so I have to kiss you every time?” he asks.

“Well that’s how you did it the first couple times, so it only seems fair,” Buck points out. Eddie pauses, contemplating whether that actually makes sense or not, but figures it’s better not to argue with Buck when he’s laying down the rules.

“Okay, sure,” he says.

“Alright. The bet ends when you get one wrong, or we go through every flavour I have and you get all of them right.”

“Clarification?” Eddie asks, pointing a finger Buck’s way.

“Go ahead,” Buck says.

“Do I get a certain number of guesses per flavour, or is it a one and done type thing?”

Buck’s brows knit together and he chews on the inside of his cheek, thinking it over. Eddie’s more than amused by how seriously he’s taking this.

“I’ll give you two guesses per flavour. Does that seem fair?”

“Works for me,” Eddie says.

Buck smiles, holding out a hand for them to shake on it.

“Hang on,” Eddie says. “What are we betting?”

Buck’s face scrunches up once more as he retracts his hand, looking down at the console while he tries to come up with something. Eddie sees the moment the idea sparks in his mind and he lifts his gaze back up.

“Loser has to go to the PTA meeting at the end of the month.”

Eddie groans at the thought. It's the first meeting of the new school year. Eddie doesn't understand why they insist on having one before the actual classes even start, but he's been planning on making an appearance nonetheless. Just the mention of it has him physically deflating, but he perks up at the prospect of Buck having to attend instead of him.

“And the winner?” he asks.

“The winner gets to choose what we do on the sacred day,” Buck says with a sly smile, and Eddie’s eyes widen.

“The sacred day?” he repeats. Buck nods slowly, brows wiggling.

Eddie pictures the calendar stuck to their fridge, surrounded by family photos, colourful magnets, and Jee’s latest masterpieces. This month is a busy one, almost every day marked up by a shift, or a club meet for Chris, or babysitting for Maddie and Chim so they can have some time to themselves. Buck and Eddie are so booked up they’ve hardly got more than a couple hours of peace every two days. But, then, toward the end of the month, just after the dreaded PTA meeting, there it is. A day that’s entirely blank.

Once they noticed it, they’d double—triple—checked, and sure enough, it was true. A completely free day for them to do whatever they wanted. They’d circled it, put a bunch of stars around it. Buck had even drawn little tiny fireworks—it was a late night activity, both of them a little delirious after one of the longest shifts known to man.

They’d been over the moon for all of ten minutes before the pair of them drew simultaneous blanks on what they could do with the day. A couple suggestions were tossed back and forth, but they'd never managed to come to an actual decision. From then on they’d referred to as the sacred day, each of them begging the other to just let them make the final call, and each of them insisting the other couldn’t do it.

The stakes for this bet just got a whole lot higher, Eddie’s mind already whirring with possibilities of what he could do with their day.

“You in?” Buck asks, extending his hand back out in front of him. Eddie grins, grasping Buck’s hand and shaking it firmly.

“You’re going down, Buckley.”

—

That night, Eddie’s standing on a chair in the kitchen grabbing a platter from one of the upper cabinets, having offered to lend it to Karen, when he notices the clipboard on the top of the fridge.

He steps down carefully, setting the platter on the counter before padding over to the fridge, reaching a hand up to slide the clipboard toward him. Before he can get it down Buck rounds the corner, eyes bugging out of his head as he practically leaps toward him.

“Hey, hey!" he shouts, snatching the clipboard right out from under Eddie’s fingertips. He flips it over, holding it to his chest. “You’re not allowed to see that.”

Eddie crosses his arms, brows raised.

“Yeah? What is it?”

Buck hesitates, glancing down at the clipboard and back up to Eddie.

“It’s for the bet,” he states.

“Oh, so you’re taking this seriously, then.” Eddie chuckles, peering at the clipboard as if he’ll be able to see through to the paper on the other side.

“Well someone had to write down the rules,” Buck says. “Plus, I listed out all the flavours so I can keep track of which ones we’ve done, which is why you can’t look.”

Eddie reaches for it but Buck’s too quick, holding the clipboard out behind him with a hand against Eddie’s chest.

“Cheating this early, Eddie?” Buck says with a tilt of his head. “I expected better.”

Eddie pushes back against Buck’s hand, grabbing at his arm, but Buck just reaches above his head, holding the clipboard up in the air.

“I could easily get that, you know,” Eddie claims.

“Well if you do,” Buck says, “you’ll have to forfeit, because there’s no cheating allowed.”

“Is that written in the rules?” Eddie says with a smirk, and Buck’s face falls.

“Well, no. But I’m adding it!”

Eddie steps back, holding his hands up in surrender as Buck brings the board back to his chest.

“I never should’ve bought you that,” Eddie states as Buck grabs a pen from the drawer and scrawls something toward the right of the page.

“Oh come on, I use it all the time,” Buck says, clicking the pen and setting the board back atop the fridge.

“Exactly,” Eddie says.

—

The bet commences as planned, Buck testing Eddie with a new flavour each day, never at the same time twice. Buck just comes up to Eddie at any point throughout the day, they kiss, and Eddie makes his guess. Depending on the strength of the flavour, the length of the kiss varies. Sometimes it’s quick, nothing more than a peck. Other times Eddie lingers on Buck’s lips, taking his time, making sure he’s certain. It’s all technical, obviously. Nothing but platonic, Eddie knows.

They’re out one afternoon, wandering around the park to kill time before they have to pick up Chris from science club. Eddie’d been a little surprised when Chris had signed up for it, unaware that they even ran clubs like that over summer. Buck, on the other hand, had been ecstatic, insisting Chris let him know if there’s anything he needs help with.

A bird flies over their heads, Buck following it with his eyes, and Eddie squints at him, wondering if he’s taking a mental picture so he can google it later and find out what it’s called. Eddie holds a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun, desperately wishing he hadn't forgotten his sunglasses at home. He’s surveying the area for a good place to sit when, out the corner of his eyes, he notices Buck take something out of his pocket.

He goes to turn his head and Buck’s hand flies out to cover his eyes.

“What the hell, Buck,” Eddie says, grabbing Buck’s wrist to pull his hand away, but Buck holds firm. Eddie stumbles a little as he walks blindly.

“You were trying to sneak a peak at the lip balm!” Buck says, and Eddie’s eyes roll behind his palm.

“I was just looking at you,” Eddie argues, tugging on Buck’s wrist once more, his other arm bracing against the small of Buck’s back. “Can I have my vision back, please?”

“Hang on. This is hard to open with one hand,” Buck says, and Eddie lets out a chuckle at the way Buck’s words are muffled, like he’s trying to twist it open with his teeth.

“Here,” he says, holding out his hands. He can only imagine how ridiculous they must look to anyone they pass by.

Buck places the tube in Eddie’s open palms, and Eddie flips it around until he’s got the cap between his fingers, twisting it off and passing the balm back to Buck.

“Thank you,” Buck says, and Eddie can hear the smile in his voice. A couple seconds pass before Buck is giving it back to Eddie for him to close it. Once it's been returned to Buck’s possession, Eddie waits patiently for him to remove his hand, but he doesn’t.

“Uh, Buck?” Eddie says.

“Oh, shit, sorry,” Buck apologizes, taking his hand away. Eddie blinks rapidly, the world seeming even brighter than before with a greenish hue tinting his vision. Buck gestures to a patch of shade beneath a tree, suggesting they sit, and Eddie figures it’s as good a place as any.

With their backs against the tree, they look out at the various groups of people that occupy the park: big families with lots of kids running around; a couple sharing a picnic from a cute wicker basket; an artist with an easel that faces away from them, leaving Eddie to wonder what he might be painting.

Eddie glances at Buck, about to ask him what he thinks, when he notices the shine of Buck’s lips.

“Hey,” he says. “Forgetting something?”

Buck turns his head, forehead crinkling when he sees Eddie’s expectant gaze.

“Um,” he pats his pockets as if he’s misplaced his wallet or phone, “no?”

Eddie rolls his eyes with a smile before leaning into Buck’s space, his hand landing on Buck’s thigh as their lips connect. The slick coating of balm on Buck’s lips allows Eddie’s to slide effortlessly against them. Buck reacts quickly, fingers trailing up Eddie’s arm before settling on his neck.

Eddie pushes his tongue against the seam of Buck’s lips, swirling it to get a taste from the top and bottom. Buck’s mouth opens in response, and Eddie inhales sharply as he feels Buck’s tongue brush against his own. It’s a new addition compared to previous kisses, but Eddie doesn’t mind it.

He gets a sense of the flavour, a picture of beach waves and drinks with tiny umbrellas flashing through his mind, but he’s not set on a word yet. Buck pulls back enough to look in Eddie’s eyes, and Eddie shakes his head before capturing Buck’s lips again. In all his steadfast focus on what the flavour could be, he thinks he hears a sound escape Buck’s throat as Eddie takes his bottom lip between his teeth.

He breaks the kiss, suddenly all too aware that they’re practically making out in a public park. Buck looks at him with a questioning stare and Eddie simply smiles back at him.

“Tropical,” he announces confidently.

“Tropical?” Buck repeats.

“Yep.”

“That’s all you want to say. Tropical. That’s the whole flavour?” Buck says.

“Uh-huh.”

“You sure?”

Eddie nods.

“Damn it!” Buck says, shattering his confident composure, and Eddie pumps a fist in the air with a victorious laugh. “I thought that would get you!”

“Face it, Buck,” Eddie says, linking his hands behind his head and settling back against the bark. “I’m a lip balm genius.” Buck shoves his side, and Eddie nearly topples over, reaching out to grasp Buck’s bicep to right himself.

“I thought you’d say fruit punch or something,” Buck admits, their shoulders still bumping together as they nudge each other back and forth.

“Nope. Can’t fool me,” Eddie says smugly. “There was some sort of weird taste in the background that I haven’t noticed before, though,” he adds, licking his lips.

“It’s got SPF in it. I brought it ‘cause I knew it’d be sunny out here,” Buck says, and Eddie finds that to be, frankly, quite adorable.

“Aw, look at you, being sun safe,” he says, pinching Buck’s cheek. Buck smiles into it before swatting his hand away.

“Okay, okay, sue me for wanting to protect these luscious lips,” Buck says, pursing his lips in Eddie’s direction.

Eddie can’t argue with that. A part of him had always thought they looked especially kissable. It’s nice knowing he was right.

“No it’s smart, actually. Can I have some?” Eddie asks, and before he knows what hit him, Buck is kissing him again. Instinctively, Eddie melts into it, his eyes slipping shut as he exhales slowly through his nose.

This time it’s Buck who ends the kiss, and Eddie frowns slightly, frozen in place while Buck leans away.

He clears his throat. “Um, Buck?”

“Yeah?”

“I kind of meant, like, can you pass me the lip balm so I can put some on myself.”

Buck’s cheeks turn pink, and he averts his gaze, suddenly very interested in the grass at his feet.

“Oh, right, sorry,” he says quietly, and Eddie sees him shrinking into himself, which he just can’t have.

He brings a hand up to Buck’s chin, turning his face gently toward him, but Buck keeps his eyes on the ground.

“Hey,” Eddie says softly, and Buck reluctantly meets his gaze. Eddie tilts Buck’s face up, swaying forward to place a gentle kiss to Buck’s lips. When he pulls away, the subtle tint on Buck’s cheeks has become a full flush that almost matches his lips, the corners of which are curved up into a sweet smile.

“It’s alright,” Eddie says. “You had too much on anyway.”

—

They carry on like that, trading kisses at random times of day, and Eddie still doesn’t miss. He can’t help but think he’s got this in the bag, already brainstorming potential ideas for the sacred day, trying to decide whether or not he should pick something Buck would typically refuse just to see if he’ll uphold his end of the deal.

They’re watching a movie after dinner one night, long since abandoned by Chris who’d much rather play video games in his room than hang with the two of them, when Eddie realizes they haven’t kissed all day.

He glances over at Buck, seated on the opposite end of the couch. Eddie can tell he’s wearing lip balm right now, his lips looking as plump and shiny as ever. He wonders if he’s forgotten, thinking maybe if Buck fails to bring it up throughout the day that should count as a forfeit. It’s a shame they never put a rule in place about who has to initiate the taste test, forcing Eddie to wonder when the right moment may be to mention it.

When Buck looks his way, Eddie realizes his subtle glance has turned into a full on stare, and he pries his eyes away from Buck’s lips to meet his eyes.

“I was going to bring it up after the movie,” Buck says, reading Eddie’s mind like he so often does.

“Okay,” Eddie says.

“But we can do it now if you want,” Buck offers.

“I’m fine with whenever,” Eddie says with a shrug. He’s been lost from the plot of whatever sci-fi movie Buck chose since the opening credits ended.

“Cool,” Buck says, reaching into his pocket, and Eddie turns his head so as not to catch a glimpse of the the colour. He doesn’t need any hints, he’s going to win this fair and square. When he feels the cushion dip beside him, he turns back to see Buck shifting closer. Eddie twists a bit more, tucking his leg up on the couch in front of him to face Buck fully. Their knees knock together as Buck does the same, and the pair of them chuckle, noticing all they’ve managed to do is put a sort of barrier between them.

“Kind of awkward to kiss like this,” Eddie points out, and Buck tilts his head.

“A little, I guess, yeah.”

“We could just stand up,” Eddie suggests, and Buck shakes his head.

“Hang on, what if I just-“

Eddie watches with wide eyes as Buck shifts, swinging one leg over his lap to bracket Eddie’s hips with his knees. Eddie stares up at him, mouth slightly agape.

“This’ll be more comfortable, right?” Buck says, his hands on the back of the couch, thumbs brushing the hair on either side of Eddie’s head.

“Uh, y-yeah,” Eddie says, flustered by the change in position. He can’t say he’s ever had a man on top of him in such a way before.

He can’t say he minds it either.

“Great,” Buck says, taking Eddie's face in his hands. Eddie tips his chin up as Buck leans down to press their lips together. Eddie’s head is still sort of spinning at the thought of Buck on top of him, and he has to work to snap himself out of it so he can focus on the task at hand.

Their mouths move together, Eddie once again relying on the use of his tongue against Buck’s lips to get as much of the flavour as he can. He’s not sure what it is yet, but he thinks it might be his favourite so far. It’s not too sweet, with a bit of sourness in the mix. Eddie tilts his head, tracing every inch of Buck’s lips. Without much thought, his hands trail up Buck’s thighs and settle on his waist, gripping at the fabric of his shirt. Eddie feels Buck adjust his position and wonders if he actually is comfortable, hovering over him like that.

Eddie taps gently on Buck’s side, and he moves back just enough to put an inch of distance between their lips.

“You got it?” Buck asks. Eddie shakes his head.

“Do your knees hurt?”

Buck frowns. “What?”

“Your knees, in this position. Do they hurt?”

“It’s fine,” Buck says.

“Not what I asked, Buck,” Eddie counters.

“My knees are fine. Trust me,” Buck insists, and although Eddie wants to believe him, the last thing he needs is for him to put any unnecessary strain on his legs.

“Okay. But, just, relax okay?” he says, glancing down at the space between them.

“You mean…?” Buck says, lowering himself ever so slightly, but not enough to put any actual weight on Eddie.

“Yes, Buck. It’s fine,” he says, tugging gently on Buck’s hips until he gives in, dropping down slowly onto Eddie’s lap. Eddie inhales sharply, the contact between them sending a jolt up his spine.

“Is-is this okay?” Buck asks, hesitantly.

“Yeah, great,” Eddie says hurriedly. “Come here.” He reaches one hand up to the back of Buck’s neck to drag him down and capture his lips in an open-mouthed kiss, one that quickly feels a lot more heated than the others before.

Buck’s hands slide down the sides of Eddie’s neck and onto his chest while Eddie palms at Buck’s waist. Eddie’s tongue darts out, Buck opening wider and allowing him to explore his mouth while Eddie’s hands slip beneath Buck’s shirt, caressing the small of his back. Buck rolls his hips, the friction between them setting off fireworks behind Eddie’s eyes. He gasps into the kiss, a quiet moan slipping past his lips before he can stop it. Buck repeats the motion, and Eddie’s head feels fuzzy, vaguely aware of the way he’s growing firm in his pants.

All too soon, Buck sits back, and Eddie instinctively leans up to chase his lips.

“So?” Buck asks, and Eddie drops back against the cushions. He gazes up at Buck, all swollen lips and flushed cheeks, at a loss for words.

“S-so?” he parrots breathlessly.

“The flavour?”

Whoops.

Eddie had forgotten about that part. Any thoughts he’d previously formed in relation to the actual intent behind the kiss seem to have evaporated into thin air. He’s not even sure how. He’s always so dialled in, yet this time he's got absolutely no idea what the flavour is. His mind was elsewhere, he supposes. Though that’s never been an issue until now.

“Um, I-I don’t know yet,” Eddie stammers.

“Okay,” Buck says, but Eddie stops him from leaning in with a hand to his chest.

“Wait,” Eddie says, breathing heavy.

“What?” Buck asks, and all Eddie can do is blink up at him, trying to find the words.

“Uh, I think you should…put more on.”

Eddie’s not sure if he’s asking more for the added boost of flavour, or just to give himself another second to get his mind in check.

“Oh, sure,” Buck says, reaching for his pocket. Before he can take out the balm, he raises his brows at Eddie, reminding him not to look. Eddie squeezes his eyes shut, awaiting Buck’s permission to reopen them. After a moment, Eddie feels Buck’s hand settle on the side of his face, and he opens his eyes to see Buck’s lips even glossier than before.

“Good?” Buck asks, and all Eddie can do is nod before their lips are back together.

This time, Eddie pays attention—as best he can manage, that is. Every now and then Buck’s hips swivel in a way that makes his pulse jump and his mind go blank. A whine sounds at the back of Buck’s throat as Eddie sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, and he presses down harder. Eddie feels a hardness against his abdomen but chooses to ignore it, focusing all his attention on locking in his guess.

He lets it go on a while longer than normal, even after he’s fairly certain he’s got his answer. He figures it doesn’t hurt to be absolutely sure.

By the time they pull apart, Buck’s face is practically crimson, his chest heaving as he looks down at Eddie, eyes dark. Eddie’s no better, panting beneath him, his hair a mess where Buck’s fingers had threaded through it. Buck’s lips are still shiny, but it’s not from the balm anymore. It’s Eddie’s spit. The thought makes him lightheaded.

“You got it, then?” Buck says.

“Yep,” Eddie responds, still staring at Buck’s mouth.

“Well?” Buck asks after a moment of silence, hands resting on Eddie’s chest.

“Hm?” Eddie hums, directing his gaze back to Buck’s eyes. Buck huffs out a sigh, a tiny smile gracing his lips.

“The flavour, Eddie. What is it?”

“Oh, right,” Eddie says, chuckling nervously. In the back of his mind he wonders what it is that has him nervous in the first place. It’s just him and Buck here. Usually, nothing makes him feel steadier.

Buck clears his throat when Eddie hesitates for a second time.

“Green apple,” Eddie chokes out. “It’s green apple flavour.”

Buck reaches into his pocket, taking out a light green tube and presenting it in front of him, but Eddie keeps his eyes locked on Buck’s. He doesn’t need to look down. He knows he was right.

“I just can’t seem to miss,” he remarks with a smirk, his breath steadying and nerves fading with every passing second. “You ready for that PTA meeting?”

“I don’t know, Eddie. I’m saving the hardest ones for last,” Buck says with a mischievous grin.

“Is that so?” Eddie asks, his hands acting with a mind of their own as he traces his fingers up and down Buck’s sides.

“Mhm,” Buck hums, tucking the lip balm back in his pocket. “Not sure you’re gonna make it.”

“I’m not too worried,” Eddie says.

Buck shudders slightly when Eddie’s fingers trail along to his spine, and Eddie’s reminded of the position they’re in.

He doesn’t really want to move. Honestly, he thinks he could sit here looking up at Buck for hours, but, now that the taste test is over, he hasn't really got a valid excuse to do so.

“You wanna finish the movie?” he asks quietly.

“Sure,” Buck says happily, stretching a leg out to stand from Eddie’s lap, and Eddie misses the weight of him the second it’s gone. Buck plops himself back down on the couch, grabbing the remote off the coffee table and unpausing the movie.

Eddie can’t help the swell in his heart when he realizes Buck’s forgone sitting against the other arm of the couch in favour of sticking right next to Eddie, their thighs pressed together. Buck slings an arm over the back of the couch, almost around Eddie’s shoulders, and Eddie feels his face heat up.

He’s sure it means nothing.

—

Things continue smoothly—quite literally, Eddie’s lips have never been so smooth—and Eddie can feel his victory getting closer and closer.

Every now and then his mind lingers on that night, Buck in his lap with his hands in his hair. Sometimes, when he closes his eyes, he sees Buck looking down at him with those stunning blue eyes and spit-slick lips. The thought of Buck over top of him still makes him shiver, remembering the way it made him feel, like he was electric from head to toe.

It’s not like he thinks about it all the time, though. He’s got other things to think about. Other distractions, other kisses, each one different from the next.

Buck kisses Eddie right after he’s had his first sip of coffee in the morning, his hair still messy from the previous night’s sleep, and Eddie wonders if he’s tasting Buck’s toothpaste before he correctly guesses mint.

Buck catches Eddie by surprise in the cereal aisle, kissing him with an overdramatic smack of their lips, Eddie chuckling fondly and announcing it’s watermelon after a theatrical scratch of his head.

Buck comes up behind Eddie as he’s standing in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Grabbing Eddie’s hips, he spins him around, and Eddie notices the ridiculous amount of balm on Buck’s lips just before he’s smushing them against Eddie’s cheek. Then his nose, then all over his face, not letting Eddie get a chance at a proper taste.

“Buck!” Eddie says between giggles, trying and failing to angle his face so he can catch Buck’s lips. The tacky feeling of the balm all over his cheeks and forehead would usually gross him out, but all he can do is smile when Buck leans back to examine his work before pressing his lips to Eddie’s. Eddie holds the back of Buck’s head, making sure he doesn’t pull away too soon, and he’s taken aback for a moment when he notices a distinct lack of flavour. He catches on, though, grinning up at Buck when they separate.

“Original,” he says with pride.

“You’re kidding me!” Buck says, throwing his hands up in defeat. Eddie snakes a hand forward, snatching the balm from Buck’s hoodie pocket, coating his own lips, and chasing Buck out the door and around the living room in an attempt to return the favour.

—

Eddie’s leaning against the station kitchen island during a particularly q-word shift when Buck bounds up the stairs. Hen, Chim, and Ravi are playing cards at the dining table while Bobby prepares something for lunch. Eddie’s not sure what it is, but it smells amazing.

“Hey, Eddie,” Buck calls as he approaches. “Just put on a new one.”

Eddie sets his coffee mug on the counter just in time to grasp Buck’s waist when he practically crashes into him, planting a firm kiss to Eddie’s lips. His momentum catches them off guard, both laughing into the kiss, their lips barely touching. Eddie does his best to steady them so he can get a proper taste, but it doesn’t quite do the trick.

Buck draws away slightly and Eddie shakes his head.

“Nope, didn’t get enough,” he says before tugging Buck back in. He moves carefully, tracing Buck’s plump bottom lip with his tongue, a motion that he’s pretty much perfected by now.

When he finally pulls back, Eddie licks his lips—top, then bottom—before swirling his tongue around his mouth. He hardly has to think before he says,

“Vanilla?”

“Wow, twelve for twelve, Diaz,” Buck says with a smile, poking a finger at Eddie's chest before jaunting back to the stairs. Eddie smiles fondly, rolling his eyes and going to take a sip from his mug when he notices the several pairs of eyes glued to him.

Hen, Chim, and Ravi are gaping at him, cards dropped carelessly on the table, their game completely abandoned. From behind him Eddie hears a throat clear, and he turns to see Bobby shooting him a questioning look.

“What?” he asks innocently.

“You wanna tell us what that was about?” Bobby asks, crossing his arms.

“What the hell, man?” Chimney says, and Eddie whirls back around to face him. “That was insane!”

Eddie glances back and forth between the three of them, their expressions only growing more impatient with every passing second.

“What, that?” he says, gesturing to the top of the stairs where Buck used to be.

“Yeah, that,” Hen says pointedly. “You two are kissing now?”

“When did you get together?” Ravi asks.

“Woah, okay, wait a sec. We’re not together,” Eddie says, baffled by the idea that anyone, let alone their team, could think he and Buck were a couple.

“Sure looked together to me!” Chimney counters, his eyes still wide. Eddie sighs.

“It’s just this thing we’re doing-“

“Is the thing you’re doing each other?” Ravi blurts before slapping a hand over his mouth, eyes darting up to Bobby. “Sorry, that was…that got away from me.”

Eddie glances over his shoulder at Bobby who seems to be holding back laughter before shooting Ravi a what the fuck? look and getting back to what he’d been saying.

“Look, Buck has some obsession with these lip balms, right? He’s got way too many, seriously, his bedside drawer is full of them.”

“Bedside drawer?” Hen says. “So he’s sleeping in your bed?”

“Yeah?”

“Okay. Okay, sorry, continue,” she says, but Eddie catches her and Chimney sharing a pointed look.

“Anyway, I told him there’s no point having that many of the same thing, and he argued that they’re different flavours, so I said you can’t tell the difference and he said yes, you can.”

“Anyone else already getting lost here?” Chimney whispers across the table.

“So then I tasted a couple and got them right, and he bet I could guess all of them right, but he didn’t want me to cheat, so he took the end of the bet that says I can’t guess them all, and I took the end that says I can.”

The group stares back at him, all blinking slowly.

“Uh, just so I’m understanding everything here,” Hen starts, “you have to taste the lip balm and guess the flavour, yes?” Eddie nods. “And you have to do so while he’s wearing it?” He nods again.

“Eddie, seriously, you can be honest man,” Ravi offers, and Eddie frowns.

“I am.”

Ravi tilts his head, raising his brows.

“Eddie.”

“Ravi,” Eddie says, imitating his tone. He notices Hen and Chim’s matching expressions of bewilderment and figures he should give a little more information.

“Alright, the first couple times, I tasted it by kissing him. So since we made the bet, we figured it makes sense to keep the method consistent. Like, y’know, a controlled variable, or whatever.”

Despite his perfectly clear explanation, he’s still met with confusion. He’s not sure how much more he can break it down for them to understand. Buck wears the lip balm, they kiss so he can taste it, and Eddie guesses the flavour. What’s there not to get?

Eddie turns to look Bobby’s way, and he’s apparently gone back to prepping their meal.

“You get it, right Bobby?” Eddie asks, picking his mug back up and resting an elbow on the counter. Bobby tosses a tea towel over his shoulder, adding a pinch of salt to the pot in front of him.

“You know what, Eddie,” he says without looking up from the food. “Sure.”

His tone is hardly sincere, but Eddie will take what he can get, thanking him quietly.

“So what’d you bet?”

“Hm?” Eddie hums, spinning to face his teammates once more.

“What do you get if you win?” Ravi asks.

“A boyfriend,” Chimney says through the fakest coughs Eddie’s ever heard. Hen smacks his arm while Eddie rolls his eyes.

“Whoever wins gets to choose what we do on our one and only free day this month. We’ve had it marked on our calendar for weeks but we could never agree on what to do with it, so the winner gets to choose and the loser has to go along with it.”

“Just, so many uses of the words we and our in there,” Chimney says, as if talking to himself, but loud enough for the whole room to hear.

“And,” Eddie adds, choosing to ignore Chimney’s antics, “the loser has to go to the PTA meeting at the end of the month.”

“The PTA meeting…like for Chris’ school?” Ravi clarifies.

“Yep,” Eddie says.

“Why would Buck go to that?” Ravi asks.

“I mean, he’s done it before, a few times actually,” Eddie explains.

“He has?” Chimney says.

“Yeah. What, is that weird?”

Instead of acknowledging Eddie’s question, Chimney makes a point of turning his body toward Hen, planting his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his palms, batting his eyelashes dramatically.

“Why, Henrietta, would you be so kind as to attend the PTA meeting for Jee-Yun’s school this evening?”

Eddie scoffs as he realizes there’s a slight English accent to whatever this voice is that Chim’s putting on right now.

Hen mirrors Chim’s body language, leaning toward him.

“Why, no, Howie, I would not!”

Chimney gasps, sitting up straight and clutching his chest.

“What? Why the hell not?”

“Well, because, my dear.” Hen’s accent is even worse. “Jee-Yun is your child, and I am simply your friend. It would be absurd for you to expect me to attend such an event in your place.”

“Ah, I see. Because you and I are mere friends, and there is nothing more going on between us,” Chimney adds.

“Correct, my good sir,” Hen says, tipping her imaginary hat in Chim’s direction.

“And scene!” Chimney says with a bow, the pair of them directing their attention back to Eddie with raised brows.

Eddie thinks he hears Bobby snicker over his shoulder, which is at least more subtle than Ravi’s blatant laughter and applause at the duo’s ridiculous performance.

“You guys don’t know what you’re talking about, alright?” Eddie says, getting up and heading for the stairs.

“Aw, come on, Eddie. Where are you going?” Hen calls after him.

“I’m going to go…see if Buck needs help with anything,” he admits quietly, stalking off with his head down.

He’s halfway down the stairs when he overhears one last quip from Ravi.

“You think Buck needs help understanding the difference between platonic and romantic relationships?”

"I don't know," Chim responds. "But Eddie wouldn't be much help."

—

Later that day, Eddie’s wandering around the station looking for something productive to do when he sees Buck leaving Bobby’s office. He watches as he steps out, shuts the door behind him, and then just stands there. He seems to be zoning out, staring off at nothing with a kind of shocked look on his face.

Eddie strides over, waving a hand in front of Buck’s face to get his attention.

“Hey, earth to Buck,” he says, leaning down to catch his eyes. Buck blinks, shaking his head as if to snap himself out of it before focusing on Eddie.

“Uh, h-hey, Eddie.”

“Were you just talking to Bobby?” he asks. Buck nods slowly.

“Yeah.”

Eddie glances down, noticing a few papers in Buck’s hands.

“Everything okay?”

Buck nods again, rolling the papers up so Eddie can’t see their content.

“Yeah. Totally. Don’t worry about it,” he assures, but Eddie’s not so quick to believe him. Going into Bobby’s office and leaving with what Eddie can only assume to be some sort of forms has never been a good sign.

“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” Eddie says, crossing his arms. Buck seems to pick up on his concern, resting a hand on his bicep and holding his gaze.

“Yes, Eddie. If there was anything to worry about, I would tell you, promise.”

“Okay, good,” Eddie says. Buck's eyes scan the station. 

“Want to help me finish inventory?” he asks.

Eddie pictures Buck with that stupid clipboard, insisting Eddie say check after every item.

“Sure,” he says, gesturing for Buck to lead the way, and the smile on Buck’s face is so worth it.

—

Buck wasn’t kidding when he said he’d save the hardest flavours for last.

Eddie’s watering the garden when Buck appears out of no where, grabbing his face and kissing him sweetly. Eddie’s first guess, raspberry, doesn’t satisfy, so he goes in for another taste. His mind draws a blank, and he lets the hose fall at their feet when Buck wraps his arms around his waist, pulling him close so their chests are pressed together. They kiss, and kiss, and kiss, until finally, Eddie alters his guess to raspberry shortcake, and Buck offers an impressed smile.

A day later, they’re back on the couch, Eddie in Buck’s lap this time. Buck shakes his head when Eddie, a little breathless, guesses coconut.

“Really?” Eddie sighs, having felt so sure. He dives back in, sucking on Buck’s bottom lip while Buck’s hands rove over his back. Eddie tangles his fingers in Buck’s curls and Buck presses his hips up, punching a whine from the back of Eddie’s throat. He does his best to focus, catching a hint of fruitiness he hadn’t noticed before.

“Okay this isn’t a guess,” Eddie says, speaking against Buck’s lips as Buck pants beneath him. “I’m just thinking out loud.”

“I’ll allow it,” Buck says. Eddie’s hands remain in Buck’s hair, and he scratches gently at his scalp while he talks.

“There’s definitely coconut. I’m right about that. But there’s some other fruit there too.”

Buck just gazes up at him, cheeks, lips, and birthmark all flushed nearly the same colour.

“We’ve had strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, pear,” Eddie says, mentally crossing out options in an attempt to narrow it down. “And it’s a summery flavour, so it could be like, pineapple.”

Buck opens his mouth to respond but Eddie shushes him, index finger over his lips.

“Ah ah ah, not guessing. Thinking.”

Eddie turns his head, looking away from Buck to limit the distractions, and he thinks he’s nearly got it when he feels Buck’s lips moving against his hand. He directs his attention forward once more and finds that Buck is, in fact, kissing his finger.

“Are you trying to distract me?” he asks. Buck shrugs.

“Just saying, maybe you need less thinking and more tasting,” he says, cocking a brow, lips still brushing Eddie’s finger. Eddie’s breath catches in his throat at the sight, and he moves his hand slowly to rest on Buck’s shoulder, the other still in his hair.

“Well then maybe you need to shut up and let me,” Eddie says, just barely catching the smirk on Buck’s face before he’s reattaching their lips, his hips rolling forward of their own accord. Buck groans into the kiss, grasping at Eddie's waist. Eddie’s head spins at the feeling of Buck’s large hands splayed across his back.

Buck lifts his hips, increasing the friction between them, and Eddie breaks away to throw his head back, eyes squeezed shut and jaw slack.

“You are trying to distract me, Buck,” Eddie says, his words coming out more pleasure-filled than he would have hoped.

“Don’t know what you mean,” Buck says, leaning up to mouth along Eddie’s throat. Eddie tips his head back farther, sighing as Buck’s lips wander up to his jaw.

“It’s not going to work,” Eddie insists.

“Isn’t it?” Buck whispers into his ear, and Eddie shudders. His whole body is alight, the air around them thick as arousal burns deep in his belly. He knows Buck’s just doing this to get to him. It’s part of the game, part of the challenge. But Eddie’s not backing down. He’s not losing the bet like this, not when he’s gotten this far.

He wracks his brain, doing his best to ignore the way Buck’s sucking a mark into the side of his neck, and a lightbulb goes off. He clutches the sides of Buck’s face, tugging him away to look him in the eye.

“It’s coconut and mango,” Eddie says smugly.

“Yep,” Buck says without hesitation before planting a hand on the back of Eddie’s head and hauling him back in, kissing him, wet and dirty. Eddie wraps his arms around Buck’s neck, rolling his hips again and earning a moan in response. Buck’s hands slip beneath Eddie’s shirt and his hips stutter when Buck’s thumb grazes his nipple.

They’re making out, grinding against each other, for several minutes before it clicks in Eddie’s mind.

He already guessed the flavour.

He pulls away, looking into Buck’s bright blue eyes, a little awestruck. Buck stares back at him, lips parted.

“Uh,” Eddie says, still trying to catch his breath. “I, um, I got it right so…”

Buck’s eyes widen slightly before he nods.

“Right. Yeah, you did, so…”

“So, I should probably get you off- get off of you,” Eddie corrects, his face burning as he feels the blood rush to his cheeks. Buck slides his hands out from under Eddie’s shirt, settling them on his upper thighs.

“Y-yeah, right, y-you should. Yep.”

Eddie gets a foot on the floor, steadying himself with a hand against Buck’s chest as he pushes up off his lap. He’s far too aware of the bulge in his pants, clasping his hands in front of him in a not-so-subtle attempt to cover up.

Buck runs a hand through his hair, clearing his throat and looking at anything in the room but Eddie.

“Okay. So, I’m going to…get some fresh air, for a second,” Eddie announces.

Buck nods quickly. “Cool. I’m just gonna…sit here.”

“Cool.” Eddie speed-walks out of the room and heads for the back door, leaning against it with a heavy sigh as it shuts behind him. Running both hands over his face, he lets the brisk evening breeze wash over him and waits patiently for his heart rate to return to an acceptable value.

He’s not sure how long he’s been out there, pacing back and forth in the yard, when the door clicks open. Eddie looks up and smiles.

“Chris, hey! Uh, you’re home early,” he remarks, glancing at his watch. Chris steps outside, letting the door swing shut behind him.

“Yeah, well, Jake’s mom said they’re leaving for the cabin first thing in the morning.”

“Ah, gotcha,” Eddie says. “You thanked her for dropping you off?”

“Yes, dad,” Chris says, rolling his eyes. “I always do.”

Eddie nods.

“Are you okay?” Chris asks. “Buck said you’ve been out here a while. He asked me to check on you.”

“He did?”

Chris nods. “Yeah. He’s making dinner by the way.”

Eddie glances at his watch again, realizing it’s been nearly twenty minutes since the events on the couch.

“Right. Okay.”

Eddie follows after Chris as he heads inside and, sure enough, Buck’s standing over the stove, stirring something in a pan. Chris heads off to his room, leaving the two of them alone, and Eddie drifts closer to Buck, peering at the cookbook he’s got open on the counter.

“You, um, need a hand with anything?” he asks quietly. Buck looks up from the food, offering Eddie a soft smile.

“Nope, that’s okay.”

“Okay.” Eddie hovers for a moment longer before heading for the living room. He’s nearing the doorway when he hears Buck’s voice.

“Salted coconut with mango sorbet.”

Eddie stops, spinning back around to face him.

“What?”

“The lip balm,” Buck says, still stirring. “The actual name is salted coconut with mango sorbet.”

Eddie takes a couple steps back into the kitchen.

“Okay…” He keeps moving until he’s right next to Buck, resting a hip on the counter beside him. “So are you saying I got it wrong?”

“No,” Buck shrugs, eyes trained on the pan. “I’ll let you have it.”

Eddie blinks up at him fondly, not sure what possesses him when he leans in to press a gentle kiss to Buck’s cheek.

“Thank you,” he says, smiling as Buck’s face turns pink, a tiny smile gracing his own lips.

“Yeah, y-you’re welcome,” he says, and Eddie ruffles his hair before heading to the couch.

—

The following morning, Eddie wanders into the kitchen, rubbing his tired eyes, to see Buck holding the clipboard with a smile.

“Morning,” Eddie says.

“There’s one left,” Buck replies.

“Huh?”

“One lip balm, Eddie. There’s only one left.” Buck wags the clipboard in Eddie’s direction.

“Really?” Eddie says, opening the fridge and taking out the carton of orange juice.

“Yep.” Buck’s practically bouncing on his heels.

“Not sure why you’re so excited,” Eddie says as he grabs a glass from the cabinet. “You’re the one who’s about to lose.”

“Hey, I’m not giving up yet,” Buck says. “You could blow it at the last second.”

“I could, but I won’t.” Eddie takes a sip of his juice, raising his brows at Buck over the rim of the glass.

“Awfully cocky there, Eddie,” Buck says before pointing a finger in his direction. “And I’m not giving any more free passes, either. You get the full label correct or not at all.”

“Oh, yesterday was a free pass, was it?” Eddie says, setting the glass down and stepping closer to Buck.

“Yep,” Buck says, mirroring Eddie’s motions and closing the remaining distance between them. “I was feeling generous.”

“Clearly,” Eddie remarks before he can stop himself, and Buck’s brows shoot up.

His eyes trail down to the side of Eddie’s neck before he reaches out to brush his fingers over the mark he’d left last night.

Eddie’d seen it in the bathroom mirror before he’d gone to sleep, his eyes widening as he watched his face turn bright red. He can’t remember the last time he had a hickey, and the fact that this one came from Buck makes him a little dizzy.

Eddie takes shallow breaths, unable to move as Buck traces the outline of the mark, seemingly mesmerized by his work.

“Sorry about that,” Buck says softly, although he doesn’t sound all that apologetic.

“D-don’t be,” Eddie replies, his breath stuttering as Buck wraps his hand around the side of his neck.

“Good,” Buck says, eyes lifting to meet Eddie’s. “‘Cause I’m really not.”

Eddie’s frozen under Buck’s gaze, skin hot beneath his hand. He looks back at him, lips parted but no words to say.

“Drink your juice,” Buck says, his voice low. “We gotta get going.”

His hand slides from Eddie’s neck and down his arm before he heads out of the kitchen, leaving Eddie to stare straight ahead at the place he used to be and wonder what the hell just happened.

—

Eddie’s admittedly distracted at work, his mind wandering to thoughts of Buck’s hand on his neck at any given moment. He knows an inability to focus isn’t good for a job like theirs, but, thankfully the calls to which they’ve been responding have all been fairly lowkey.

They’ve just gotten back from a simple kitchen fire, not too much damage and zero injuries, when Chimney grabs Eddie’s arm, yanking him into a supply closet and slamming the door behind them.

“Chim, what the-“

“Don’t lie to me, man,” Chimney says, pointing a finger in Eddie’s face.

“What are you-“

There’s a knock on the door.

“Hang on,” Chim says, twisting the knob and opening the door just enough for Ravi to slip in.

“What is-“

“Don’t lie to us, Eddie,” Ravi says, also pointing a finger in Eddie’s face.

“About what?” Eddie asks, smacking his hand away. “What the hell are you guys doing?”

“You have a hickey!” Chimney whisper-shouts.

“I have a…” Eddie starts, trailing off as the pair of them stare at him with raised brows. He sighs, trying his best to sound unbothered. “Yeah, I have a hickey.”

“And who’s it from?” Chimney asks, crossing his arms. Eddie tries and fails to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

“It’s from Buck, but-“

“I knew it! I knew you were together!” Ravi says triumphantly.

“We’re not together, Ravi. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Eddie, come on. The guy gave you a hickey. Just be straight with us,” Chimney says.

“Or, you know, not straight,” Ravi adds, and Eddie groans, running his hands through his hair.

Sure, most of his thoughts about Buck as of late haven’t exactly been the straightest. And yeah, the irony of this conversation taking place while he’s standing in a closet is not lost on him, but he’s not about to get into any of that with Ravi and Chim right now.

“It was for the bet,” he exclaims.

Chim’s brows knit together. “The thing where you’re guessing Buck’s lip balm flavours?” Eddie nods.

“You got taste buds on the side of your neck that we don’t know about?” Ravi says poking at Eddie’s neck and forcing him to swat at him again.

“No. Look, okay, we got a little carried away, that’s all,” Eddie says, fighting with himself not to picture Buck beneath him with his lips against his skin.

“Carried away,” Chimney says flatly.

“Yes.”

“Carried away?”

“Yes!”

“Oh my god, Eddie. There’s no way you think this is normal,” Ravi says.

“Why do you guys care? We-“

Eddie’s phone buzzes in his pocket, stopping him short. He holds up a hand, taking it out to see the screen lit up with a text from Buck.

Buck:

Meet me on the roof. Let’s end this once and for all!

Eddie’s heart flutters, his skin tingling all over at the thought of kissing Buck again.

“Guys, I can’t do this right now, okay? I gotta go.”

“Who was that?” Chimney asks, peering at Eddie’s phone screen before he flips it over, holding it against his thigh.

“Uh…no one.”

“Well, shift’s not over. So where do you have to go?” Ravi says smugly, and Chimney cocks his head, grinning at Eddie.

“I’m just-“

His phone buzzes again.

Buck:

;)

Eddie’s breath stutters for a moment before he tucks his phone back in his pocket.

“Oh you couldn’t be more obvious, dude,” Ravi says.

“Shut up,” Eddie says, brushing past them to fling open the door.

“Say hi to Buck for me!” Chimney calls after him, and Eddie hears Ravi laughing before he rounds the corner and heads for the roof.

To his surprise, he beats Buck there.

It’s a hot day, hardly any breeze, and Eddie walks over to the railing, leaning on it to look down at the street. There are few people out, most likely opting to stay inside with the AC, but Eddie catches sight of a couple walking along the sidewalk.

It’s two young women, strolling hand-in-hand. The one on the right whispers something in the other’s ear, causing her to throw her head back with laughter so loud it travels up to Eddie’s ears. It’s sweet, Eddie thinks, seeing two people so happy together.

He’s kind of been ridiculously happy the past couple weeks. Or, really, since moving back from El Paso. In the back of his mind he knows it has something to do with his current living situation, but he’s been avoiding any further examination of that thought for fear of the floodgates it might open up.

Besides, the bet will be over soon, and he and Buck will go back to how they were before. One last kiss. That’s all.

Now that thought makes Eddie feel a little sick.

He hears the door click open and turns to see Buck sauntering toward him, big smile on his face.

“You ready to do this, Diaz?” Buck asks.

“Never been more ready, Buckley,” Eddie responds, stepping away from the railing.

He strides over to Buck and crashes into him with such a force that he stumbles back a little. Their lips collide and Buck clutches Eddie’s sides to steady himself. Eddie takes Buck’s face in his hands, tilting his head to kiss him hungrily. Their mouths move against each other effortlessly, like a practiced dance. Eddie’s hands slide into Buck’s hair as he licks over Buck’s lips, and Buck wraps his arms around Eddie’s torso.

Eddie walks them back until he’s got Buck pressed against the wall next to the door, bracing a hand behind Buck’s head. Buck gasps into Eddie’s mouth as Eddie leans into him, their hips grinding together. Eddie’s practically devouring him, the kiss becoming sloppier with every passing second. 

“Eddie,” Buck says against Eddie’s lips. Eddie drags his hands down Buck’s neck, over his shoulders, across his chest.

“Mm,” Eddie hums as he sucks on Buck’s bottom lip, drawing a whine from Buck’s throat.

“Eddie,” Buck groans when Eddie moves to mouth along Buck’s jaw and down the side of his neck. One of Buck’s hands flies to Eddie’s hair, tugging on it gently, while the other yanks on his shirt until it’s untucked, allowing him the space to slip his hand beneath it. Eddie works a mark into Buck’s skin, biting and licking as Buck writhes against him, his nails digging into Eddie’s back.

Eddie pulls away a little, glancing at his work before reattaching his lips to Buck’s. Their tongues meet in the middle, twisting and tangling together as Eddie rolls his hips forward and Buck pushes back in response. Eddie’s mind reels as he feels Buck hard against his thigh, and he snakes his hands down to Buck’s belt.

Suddenly, Buck takes Eddie’s face in his hands, yanking him back so he can look him in the eye.

“Eddie,” Buck says, gasping for air.

“What?” Eddie says, just as breathless, fingers still toying with the waistband of Buck’s pants. Buck swallows thickly, pulling his hands back and resting one on his chest.

“I, um…wow, s-sorry.” Buck shuts his eyes for a moment, steadying his breathing, before opening them slowly. “Uh, I haven’t put the lip balm on yet.”

Eddie’s hands freeze, eyes widening as his mouth falls open.

“Oh,” he says.

“Yeah,” Buck replies.

“Uh…okay,” Eddie says, trying desperately to come up with an explanation for his complete and utter disregard of the fact that he, indeed, didn’t notice a particular flavour to Buck’s lips. He realizes, for the first time since they started their bet, he was just tasting Buck.

“It’s in my pocket,” Buck says, which causes Eddie to glance down, eyes locking in on the slight tent in Buck’s pants. His mouth waters at the sight.

“Right,” Eddie says, eyes still trained on Buck's crotch.

“Eddie?” Buck says, and Eddie snaps his gaze back up.

“Yeah?”

Buck takes a deep breath, and Eddie does the same.

“Close your eyes.”

Eddie shoots him a curious look, before obeying his request. He’s still trying to catch his breath when he feels a hand on his cheek. Before he can react, he senses Buck leaning in, and his soft lips meet Eddie’s. It’s sweet, delicate, a complete 180 from whatever they were doing before. Eddie brushes his tongue gently over Buck’s lips, pulling away and opening his eyes to see Buck staring back.

“Banana cream pie,” he whispers. Buck smiles softly.

“You win.”

“I win,” Eddie repeats.

“I’m gonna, uh, go use the washroom,” Buck says suddenly, and Eddie takes a step back, giving Buck the space to step off the wall and head for the door.

All too soon, he’s gone, and Eddie’s left alone on the roof, staring off at the sky.

He did it. He got them all right. He won.

But then, if that was his last kiss with Buck, it really feels like he’s losing.

—

Eddie can hardly take his mind off Buck for a single second after what happened on the roof. He thinks about him when he’s around, he thinks about him when he’s not. He thinks about him on top of him, beneath him, surrounding him. His thoughts are so clouded by Buck that he doesn’t have the capacity to make sense of what it all means.

He’s sitting on the couch barely paying attention to an episode of Jeopardy—he’d be rich if every single answer was Who is, my best friend and roommate who's consuming my every waking thought?—when the front door swings open. Eddie looks up, grabbing the remote to mute the TV.

“Hey, Buck,” he says, and the look on Buck’s face could have him believing he just finished a trek up Mount Everest. “Fun night?” Eddie says with an amused smile.

Without a word, Buck wanders over to the couch and plops himself down next to Eddie, groaning as his head lolls back against the cushions.

“Really fun night, then,” Eddie says, knocking their shoulders together.

“God, you know it’s the same thing every time?” Buck starts. “Jennifer thinks we need more events for the parents to get involved, Shelly wants to know what the teachers are going to do to increase engagement, that kid Jonah’s dad wants us all to sit there and listen while he talks about how smart his son is.” Buck’s gesturing wildly and Eddie watches fondly.

“And then there’s just the non-stop flirting, it’s just-“

“Flirting?” Eddie says, sitting up a little straighter.

“Yeah, man. Like, half of these women, some of the dads too, they just don’t stop eyeing you. You know?”

Eddie has a fleeting thought that he never wants Buck to attend a PTA meeting ever again.

“Uh, no, actually. That doesn’t happen to me.”

“Really?” Buck asks.

“Yeah, Buck. Really.” Eddie’s trying not to let his tone sound too bothered. People are allowed to flirt with Buck. He supposes people are allowed to flirt with Buck. He doesn’t want to hear about it, though.

Buck sighs, glancing at the TV before tilting his head back to Eddie.

“What’d you get up to tonight?”

At that, Eddie’s mouth quirks up into a smile. “I finished planning.”

Buck’s face lights up. “The sacred day?” he asks excitedly.

“Yep, here,” Eddie says, leaning forward to grab the clipboard off the coffee table, a little surprised Buck hadn’t noticed it sooner. He passes it to Buck, who holds it like it’s precious and fragile.

Buck’s eyes sparkle as he scans over the page, turning to Eddie with a bright smile.

“You made an itinerary?” he says. Eddie nods.

“I did.”

Buck looks back down at the list. “Wow, Eddie. All this stuff sounds great. I kinda thought you’d pick stuff I didn’t want to do just so I had to do it, like a basketball game, or something.”

“Trust me, I’ll never ask you to play basketball ever again,” Eddie states. Buck chuckles, studying the sheet a moment longer, pausing when he sees the last thing on the list.

“Wait, is this…that’s the restaurant I’ve been dying to try!” Buck says, and Eddie grins.

“It is.”

“How did you get a reservation? Every time I’ve called they’ve been fully booked.”

“Turns out, Linda’s pretty much best friends with the owner. I was…uh,” Eddie clears his throat, “talking about how much you wanted to go last time we got coffee and she said she could get us in no problem.”

Buck eyes soften, and Eddie’s heart warms.

“Well I can’t wait. Thanks, Eddie.”

“No problem,” Eddie responds.

He can’t wait either.

—

The first thing on the agenda for their day off is to sleep in. Eddie had made sure to change Buck’s alarm so they’d have a couple extra hours. He wakes to the sound of Buck’s phone blaring for only a second before Buck is reaching over to shut it off.

He's curled around Eddie’s back, their legs intertwined.

It’s hardly the first time they’ve woken up this way. Eddie learned early on after moving back in that Buck can’t help but cuddle in his sleep. He’d apologized for it, in the beginning, immediately letting go and shifting to the edge of the mattress the second they woke up. But Eddie had insisted he didn’t mind.

It was comforting, really. Eddie hadn’t been held that way in a long time, and he’d forgotten just how nice it felt to wake up in someone’s arms. From then on, it was practically routine for him to wake up completely enveloped by Buck.

“Morning,” Buck whispers in Eddie’s ear as he snakes his arm back around his waist. Eddie rests his palm on the back of Buck’s hand.

“Morning,” Eddie replies. “Sleep well?”

“Oh yeah,” Buck says, nuzzling into the back of Eddie’s neck. “Best I’ve had in a while.”

“Well the day’s only going to get better.”

Eddie’s not sure how it happened, or at what point in the planning process he’d come to his decision, but somewhere along the line, he’d made it his mission to turn their day off into Buck’s version of the perfect day. Despite the fact that he’d won the bet, earning full control to choose for them to do anything he wanted, it turned out all Eddie wanted was to see Buck happy.

Buck exhales, his breath fanning across Eddie’s skin.

“We could just spend the whole day here,” he suggests sleepily, and Eddie chuckles.

“Quite the waste of a day off, don’t you think?”

“No,” Buck says. “Wouldn’t be a waste at all.”

Eddie feels butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and he tucks his face farther into his pillow as if Buck might see the blush on his face.

“Alright, well I made all those plans, so we can’t just lay here all day.”

“We could, though,” Buck says, snuggling his face into Eddie’s hair and squeezing him tighter.

“You want to go against the clipboard?” Eddie asks.

“I’m up,” Buck says immediately, releasing his grip on Eddie and sitting up. Eddie laughs, rolling over to look at Buck as he clambers out of bed. His shorts hang low on his hips, exposing a stretch of skin beneath the hem of his shirt, and Eddie has to stop himself from staring at the patch of hair just above his waistband.

“You’re making breakfast,” Eddie says. “That’s first on the list.”

“Right,” Buck says, spinning back to Eddie when he reaches the doorway. “What am I making?”

“Whatever you want,” Eddie says, rubbing his eyes.

“You won the bet, Eddie, remember?”

Eddie nods. “I do. And I want you to choose.”

Buck smiles. “Got it. You stay here, I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”

Part of him wants to protest, say he’ll come and help, but he’s just too comfortable. As soon as Buck walks away, Eddie rolls over, laying in the spot where Buck used to be. He breathes in the sweet smell of his shampoo on the pillow, revelling in the warmth he left behind, and shuts his eyes, pretending Buck’s still there with him.

—

It happens when they’re out for dinner.

The rest of the day goes by exactly as planned: they walk along the pier; they get ice cream from Buck’s favourite place; they go to the aquarium, and Eddie listens while Buck goes on and on about which fish are his favourite, and which sharks are the coolest, and Did you know there’re over two thousand species of starfish?

Eddie enjoys every minute of it, partly because he’s elated they have a full day to themselves, and partly because of just how much Buck is enjoying it.

When they arrive at the restaurant, it's nicer than Eddie expected, but, thankfully, they’re dressed accordingly. Buck’s suit jacket is a deep shade of green, and the way he looks in it is making it hard for Eddie to form coherent thoughts.

They’re just finishing up with dessert, and Eddie’s listening intently as Buck describes Chris’ latest project for science club.

The kids got to come up with their own experiments, run them, and report their findings to the rest of the group. When Chris first explained the concept to Buck, the two of them had ended up brainstorming for hours before coming to a decision. Chris has been doing most of the work, but Buck has helped out when he can, and Eddie’s ridiculously endeared at how excited he is to talk about it.

He’s sitting here, watching Buck with his expressive gestures, bright blue eyes twinkling in the romantic restaurant lighting, and it just sort of hits him.

He’s in love.

It’s a strange thing, having such a realization on a random Wednesday in August, after knowing someone for seven years. Eddie thinks it’s a little absurd.

It should rock his world, knowing he’s in love with Buck, but it doesn’t. It feels like finally knowing a part of himself he’d neglected his whole life.

His sexuality has long been something that nags at him, from the back of his mind. Taps him on the shoulder when he’s perfectly content in a relationship with a woman and says ‘Hey, remember me? You sure this feels right to you?’ He’s done his best to push it aside, but with the events of the recent weeks, it’s become quite impossible.

The consideration that he might not be as straight as he claims had crossed his mind on many occasions. The possibility that it would be Buck that would make him see the truth had not. Not until now. For some reason, in Eddie’s mind, Buck had always been off limits. He’s his best friend, his work partner, that’s his role in Eddie’s life.

But it’s not, really. He’s so much more than that.

He’s the first person to come running when Eddie needs help. He’s the only person Eddie wants to see when he’s sad, knowing he’ll instantly find a way to cheer him up. He’s the one Eddie goes to when he gets good news, or bad news, or any news. He’s the guy who helps Eddie’s kid with his science project just so he has an excuse to spend more time with him.

He’s someone who crashed into Eddie’s life like a wrecking ball, his first day with the 118, and who stayed long enough to put all the broken pieces back together.

Aside from Christopher, Buck is Eddie’s favourite person in the entire world.

And he loves him.

“So anyway, I told Chris he should volunteer to present first. ‘Cause, you know, then you get it out of the way. Plus, he’ll be setting the bar high for everyone else, ‘cause we know his is going to be the best, right?”

Eddie smiles fondly, trying not to let the realization show on his face.

“Right,” he says. Buck pushes their shared dessert plate closer to Eddie.

“You can have the last bite. I know how you love your sugar,” Buck says.

Eddie thinks out of all the things he loves in this world, Buck is the sweetest of them all.

—

When they get back to the house, Eddie’s practically jittering, antsy with anticipation, eager to tell Buck how he feels. He’s nervous, of course, but he has to tell him. He needs him to know.

“Was Chris staying over at Brady’s tonight?” Buck asks as he wanders into the kitchen while Eddie’s still toeing off his shoes.

“Yep. He said Brady’s dad, um…”

“David?”

“Right, he said David would drop him home while we’re on shift tomorrow.”

Eddie shrugs off his jacket, rolling his sleeves and heading in after Buck. He finds him with the clipboard in hand, checking their dinner off the list of activities for the day and officially completing the itinerary.

“Check,” Eddie says with a smile, and Buck shakes his head, chuckling as he sets the board on the counter, turning to Eddie.

“Thank you, again, for getting that reservation. It meant a lot to me,” he says earnestly, a soft blush tinting his cheeks.

“Of course,” Eddie says, pausing before he adds, “I’d do anything for you.”

Buck’s eyes widen for a split second, a shy smile gracing his lips, and he tips his head down before looking back up, the pink of his cheeks deepening.

“I’d do anything for you, too,” he says.

Eddie thinks if he holds it in a moment longer he just might burst.

“Buck, I have to tell you something,” he says.

“Oh-okay,” Buck says. “Uh, is it serious?” His bashful expression turns to worry, and Eddie's heart aches. He steps closer, settling a hand where he always does, on Buck’s shoulder, his thumb brushing his collarbone.

“It’s…important,” Eddie says, and Buck nods slowly, urging him to go on. “Buck, I love you.”

Buck smiles, eyelashes fluttering.

“I love you too, Eddie.”

It’s too easy, too simple. And Eddie thinks he might need to be a bit clearer.

“Buck, I’m in love with you.”

This earns a reaction closer to what Eddie expected.

Buck’s eyes go wide, his mouth dropping open with a quiet gasp. Eddie holds his gaze steady, making sure Buck sees the truth in his eyes.

“Y-you…you’re…in love with me?” Buck asks, voice soft and quiet, like he’s worried Eddie might spook.

“Yes,” he assures. “I think I probably have been for years. I just didn’t know it ’til now.”

“But you’re straight,” Buck declares plainly, and Eddie’s brows pinch together.

“Buck, I’m in love with you. I’m pretty sure that kind of contradicts that statement.”

“Right…okay. Uh, are you sure?” Buck asks.

Eddie nods. “Definitely.”

Buck nods back, slowly. “So…was that a date?”

Eddie tilts his head, noticing the way Buck’s expression shifts from nervous to hopeful.

“Do you want it to be?” Eddie asks, raising his brows and squeezing Buck’s shoulder gently. Buck bites his lip to contain the big smile creeping onto his face.

“Yeah, I do.”

Eddie beams back at him, unable to contain the rush of joy he feels at the sound of those words. He just went on a date with Buck. A date. With his best friend. He’s practically giddy.

“Okay,” he says, trying to act cool about it. “Then it was a date.”

Buck bites his cheek, and Eddie catches his gaze flitting down from his eyes, just for a second.

“Hey, so, I know the bet’s over, but-“

“Buck, you’d better kiss me right now,” Eddie interrupts, and that’s all it takes for Buck to lean in and crash their lips together.

Eddie feels like he’s flying. Kissing Buck gives him a high unlike anything he’s ever felt before. He can’t believe they’d waited so long, been through so much, before they ever got to taste each other. He wants more than Buck’s lips, he wants to taste every inch of him.

His hand slides up into Buck’s hair while Buck holds firmly to Eddie’s hips. The kiss deepens quickly, Eddie slinging his arms around Buck’s neck and pulling him as close as he can. Buck’s hands roam up and down Eddie’s back before he reaches down to grip Eddie’s ass. Eddie moans into Buck’s mouth as Buck rocks their hips together, a fire igniting deep in his belly. Buck repeats the motion and Eddie practically sees stars.

“Fuck,” he gasps, just before Buck reaches down, hooking his hands beneath Eddie’s thighs and lifting him up. He turns to set Eddie on the counter, and Eddie scoots closer to the edge, chasing that contact as Buck stands between his legs.

“You’re so hot,” Buck whispers against Eddie’s lips, and Eddie chuckles breathlessly.

“You think so?”

Buck leans back to look in Eddie’s eyes.

“I know,” he responds, and Eddie hauls him back in for another sloppy kiss.

“Eddie?” Buck says eventually.

“Yeah?” he asks, stealing another swift kiss. Buck’s gaze wanders over Eddie’s features before settling on his eyes.

“I'm in love with you, too.”

Eddie had been so swept up in the moment he’d forgotten Buck had yet to say it back.

He knew, though. It’s almost as if his realization was less of an ‘I’m in love with Buck,’ and more so ‘Buck and I are in love with each other.’

He brushes a curl from Buck’s forehead, tracing his thumb across his birthmark.

“I figured,” he says, and Buck turns his head to kiss Eddie’s palm.

“Also,” Buck says. “Bobby gave us forms to sign.”

“What?” Eddie asks, making a show of checking his watch. “You communicate with him telepathically or something?”

Buck laughs, smacking Eddie’s arm playfully. “No. You know that day you saw me coming out of Bobby’s office?”

Eddie nods, catching on.

“He’d called me in to ask me if we were a couple, after we kissed in front of everybody. I told him we weren’t, and I made him promise not to ask you about it, ‘cause I thought the idea of us dating would make you uncomfortable, but um…”

Buck glances down to where they’re still pressed together, and Eddie shifts his hips, causing Buck to inhale sharply. Eddie grins up at him.

“Anyway, he told me to hang onto them, in case anything changed.”

“I think it’s safe to say something changed," Eddie says.

“Hardly,” Buck responds, running a hand through Eddie’s hair, adoration clear in his eyes. “I’ve always loved you.”

Eddie’s heart swells, skips a beat, does a backflip.

“Really?”

Buck nods. “Took me a while to realize, but once I did it was so obvious.”

“Me too,” Eddie says, the pair of them sporting matching smitten smiles. “God, Buck, it’s always been you.”

Buck leans in to kiss him, slower this time, languid and loving, and Eddie can’t believe it took such a ridiculous bet to get them here.

And, he thinks deliriously while Buck’s soft lips move against his, as long as Buck keeps wearing it, Eddie will never have to buy lip balm again.