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He couldn't believe this was happening.
Well. He could.
But it shouldn't be happening.
He thought he was getting better.
Chris patted his back as they sat outside on the curb. Smoke billowed out the window from their condo behind them. "It's okay, Dad. I'll just add cookies to the list of things you shouldn't make."
That list was getting too long.
And of course. To make matters worse. It was the 118 that showed up.
"Diaz! What did we tell you about cooking?" Chimney laughed at the glare Eddie threw him.
"You are singlehandedly keeping us in business." Hen was also unaffected by his glare.
He could have sworn that he had more power before.
All Bobby gave him as he passed was a disappointed look. That was probably the worst.
Or. Maybe the worst was actually Buck, finding him like this once again.
As soon as he stepped out of the fire engine, Eddie hid his face in his hands. He could never work at the 118 once he graduated. They knew too much about him.
"Buck!"
Chris was uncaring to his father's woe.
"Superman! Your dad start another fire?"
"Yup!"
Eddie groaned into his hands. It was barely a fire this time. Fire alarms were just so sensitive.
"What was it this time?"
Buck's voice was closer, but Eddie didn't dare look up.
"Chocolate fudge cookies!"
"Don't you have a fire to contain?" Eddie grumbled into his hands.
"My team's got it."
Eddie looked up with narrowed eyes. He had to anyway, what with Buck being backlit by the sun as he was. "What are they even paying you for?"
"Looking pretty, obviously." He swung his axe over his shoulder with a wink.
Eddie was sure he had brought it over just for that exact purpose. Why else would he need it?
He had to admit, though... He looked good with it. He always looked good, but something about his arms, and the pink of his cheeks, and his glittering eyes, practically sparkling in the sun with laughter, and the uniform certainly helped -
Eddie cleared his throat, wanting to come off as cool. And not let on the fact that he was getting lost in fantasies about hot firefighters with adorable pink splotches on their faces. "Wow. Glad to know my tax dollars are being well spent."
Buck laughed, head thrown back with it and everything. Eddie didn't think he was that funny, but Buck always made him feel like he was a comedic genius.
He couldn't help but grin. Maybe this time wouldn't be so bad. He got Buck to laugh. He got to see Buck in just his tight LAFD shirt, turnout pants, and suspenders. Along with the axe, which seemed less and less like a ridiculous touch. And, on top of all of that, the 'fire' wasn't even really a fire. Maybe this time wasn't bad at all.
Or... maybe he spoke too soon.
"Edmundo Diaz!"
His face went back into his hands.
"I'm sorry, Gertie -"
"Don't 'I'm sorry, Gertie' me! I told you, either get cooking lessons or stop trying!" His neighbor - Gertie - huffed as her little pomeranian, which she never actually let walk, barked.
Eddie lifted his head to see that, yup. There it was, in her arms, yapping its little head off. Gertie paid it no mind, glaring at Eddie. Though the effect was lost as her hair was half in curlers. She was dressed in her signature tracksuit. Purple today, which he hated to admit, was a nice color.
Okay. Keep this civil, Diaz.
"Chris wanted some cookies."
"I'm baking them for my class," Chris added with a proud grin. Gertie instantly softened as she gazed at him.
His childlike innocence and cuteness struck again.
Why couldn't Eddie have that power?
"Aw, you are so sweet," she cooed as she pinched Chris's cheek. He endured it like a champ.
Then. She turned her sights on Buck.
"Evan!" She refused to call him Buck, saying that it wasn't a name. He also endured her like a champ. Eddie needed Buck and Chris's patience. "I am so sorry you were called out here again."
"Oh, it's no problem, ma'am." Buck gave her a winning smile that she practically swooned over.
"See, Eddie? That is how you talk to a woman."
Eddie rolled his eyes. Behind her back, of course. He wasn't an idiot.
And it had Buck trying to hide a snicker. That always made everything worth it.
"It's actually fortuitous you're here!"
'Fortuitous?' Eddie mouthed behind her back. Buck snorted, which he covered with a cough.
"My granddaughter is here visiting!"
Oh. Eddie knew where this was going.
"Gertie. Nicole already told you a million times she didn't want to be set up."
"Oh, shush, Edmundo. The grown-ups are talking."
Eddie really did not care for Gertie.
"I was just thinking how nice it would be for her to have someone to show her around LA! She's never been here before, you know."
Buck rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away. "Uh. That sounds - nice, but um. I think I'm gonna be pretty busy." He looked right at Eddie as he said, "I have to help someone learn how to cook."
Eddie blinked. Was Buck really offering to help him cook? Was it platonic or...?
"You know how to cook?" Gertie fanned herself, over dramatically in Eddie's opinion. "Well, now you have to meet my Nikki! You're the whole package!"
Eddie wasn't sure if she was just oblivious or ignoring Buck's obvious disinterest. He also didn't know if he admired that persistence or was annoyed by it.
If Buck was annoyed, he didn't show it at all. He just continued giving her that bashful little smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's uh. Nice of you to say. But I'm not really interested. I'm sorry."
Gertie scoffed. "It's because you haven't seen her! Nikki is the whole package, too! She's smart, funny, beautiful. She's going for her PhD, you know."
Oh lord.
Eddie couldn't deny that Nikki was indeed all of those things. He certainly liked her a lot better than her grandmother, not that that was a high bar. He wondered how she turned out as nice as she did. It certainly wasn't anything Gertie did.
Buck let out an awkward little chuckle, along with a small shrug. "Wow. I'm not sure she'd want to settle for me then. I'm not nearly as smart as all that."
Oh. Buck was good.
Also. Wrong.
He was so smart. The last few times he'd been called out here, he'd told Eddie all these different facts about the food he was making - or, well. Burning. He would have facts about fires. Because of course. About the wild things people would do to themselves that he had either seen on the job, or learned about... however he usually learned his facts. Documentaries, probably.
Buck really loved documentaries. About anything and everything, really.
"I just watched a doc the other day that was talking about Marie Curie. Did you know that radium used to be added to meals and drinks? People swore it had health benefits." Buck took a bite of his ice cream bar.
Eddie wasn't sure he was supposed to be out here eating ice cream with him and Chris while a fire was burning. Well. 'Fire.' But when he brought that up, Buck gave some lame excuse about 'crowd control.' So, Eddie wasn't going to fight it. He could listen to Buck talk all day. Instead, he offered to buy Buck some ice cream from the ice cream truck down the street. Chris wanted some anyway; it was a hot day. Eddie was just a good citizen supporting his local fire crew.
But it was also maybe a mistake, as Eddie now had an up close and personal view of Buck actually eating said ice cream. He watched as Buck licked up a bit of ice cream off his hand, tongue leaving a glisten on his thumb. Eddie was too distracted to really comprehend what Buck was even talking about as he continued saying, "Up until as late as the 1970s, it was also still sold in some glow-in-the-dark paints."
"Whoa." Chris's eyes were wide as he stared up at Buck, chocolate all around his mouth. "What's radium?"
"Something you should very much not eat. Or really interact with at all." Buck shared an amused look with Eddie over Chris's head. Eddie hoped he returned it and that it wasn't too lustful as he watched Buck suck his thumb into his mouth, seemingly in slow motion. He took another bite of his sandwich before talking with his mouth full to say, "Not that that stopped this woman from adding it to her food just the other day."
It should be disgusting. Eddie figured something was wrong with him for finding it endearing.
"Where do you even get radium from? People are wild." Eddie shook his head in obvious disapproval, taking a bite of his ice cream cookie.
Buck almost choked on his next bite as he laughed, swallowing before letting out a chuckle. "Says the man who keeps trying to cook. You know, trying the same thing over and over again expecting different results is the definition of insanity, right?"
Eddie had slapped his shoulder for that one. Which just had Buck laughing harder. And Chris asking what insanity meant.
Eddie... might have gotten a little lost in that memory, but his point still stood. Buck was smart, and anyone who thought differently would have to answer to him.
But, unfortunately - or, maybe fortunately, as it saved Eddie from getting into it with a 79-year-old woman and her yappy dog - Gertie was not dissuaded by Buck's wrong assertion.
"Oh, nonsense." She waved her free hand dismissively. "She may be brilliant, but she's so humble and nice. Trust me, you won't regret it!"
Buck gave her another awkward smile. "I'm sure I wouldn't. But I'm kind of already interested in someone else, so. I don't think it would work out." He glanced at Eddie, who was once again taken aback.
Buck was definitely asking him out. Or at least expressing his interest.
Right?
He didn't have time to parse it out as Gertie followed Buck's look. Her eyes widened as they caught on Eddie. "Him? Over my Nikki? No offense, Edmundo."
All the offense was taken. Something he was about to comment on, only Gertie just continued instead, talking over him. "He's burned his house down, what? Close to probably a hundred times by now!"
"Well, he hasn't really burned it down. He's more... lightly charred it." That earned Buck a sneer from Gertie. Eddie thought he'd never see the day. It didn't seem to deter Buck at all, though, as he continued, "And it's been maybe ten times, but certainly not a hundred."
"My point isn't technicalities, Evan!" Ooh, she was mad. Eddie couldn't help but revel in it a bit. He was glad Gertie was facing away from him as she continued trying to convince Buck of Eddie's flaws. "My point is that he can't cook. And he's obviously stubborn if he keeps trying it." She leaned towards Buck, lowering her voice to what was not at all a whisper. "And maybe a little dumb too if he keeps perpetuating this cycle."
Seriously?
Eddie was about to jump to defend himself - he only kept trying because he was weak to Chris's pleas, and they couldn't realistically have cereal for every meal.
But it turned out, he didn't need to.
"Hey!" Chris's little voice piped up as he gave his own glare to Gertie. It looked more adorable than anything intimidating, but Eddie still appreciated the gesture. "My dad is super smart! He was just trying to make me happy!" He turned to Eddie, patting his shoulder again. "Don't listen to her, Dad, you're awesome."
He was not going to cry in front of Gertie. He would not show weakness in front of her.
He did still pull Chris into a hug, though; he wasn't made of steel. "Thanks, mijo."
"I have to agree with Superman, here." Eddie looked up to see Buck smiling at him. He looked a lot less friendly when he focused back on Gertie. "He may be an awful cook, but that's why I'm gonna help him. From what I've seen, he's pretty smart. He just also cares about his son. It makes sense he'd want to do what he could for him." Another smile towards Eddie. "That's a pretty good quality in my book."
Eddie didn't know how to respond. It was so nice, and so Buck, and so - overwhelming. He tried so hard to be a good father, and often felt like he failed at that. But to have his son confirm that he wasn't. To have Buck confirm that he wasn't. He didn't know what to say. All he had to offer was a lame, "Thanks."
Gertie huffed. "Fine. Enjoy your time with this... man. When you change your mind, you know where to find me. Though, don't wait too long. Nikki is very popular." With one last huffy look to both Buck and Eddie, she stomped away, her little pomeranian barking from her arms.
"Forget starting a fire or burning food. The embarrassment or whatever. Gertie is the worst part of all of these incidents," Eddie said, watching her go. He turned back to Buck. "Did you mean what you said about teaching me how to cook? I would like to not deal with her ever again, if I can help it."
Buck chuckled, eyes soft as he gazed at Eddie. "I meant all of it. Or are you deliberately ignoring the part where I said I was interested in you?"
Eddie finally got up off the curb and walked over to Buck. He put his hand on his shoulder before moving it down to his bicep. Buck flexed it with a grin as he swung the axe back over his other shoulder. Eddie just huffed a laugh in response. "Definitely not ignoring that part." He squeezed Buck's arm, wondering if it would be too much to kiss his birthmark that always looked so pink and adorable and perfectly kissable. Or maybe his smile, which was flirtier than it had ever been before.
He didn't even fully notice he was leaning in - or that Buck was matching him - until Chris loudly interrupted in that way only a child could.
"Does this mean Buck's gonna be my other dad now?"
Eddie just knew he was bright red at that. Buck laughed, the bastard. And of course, that was when the rest of the 118 decided to saunter out of the house.
"Whoa ho. What did we miss out here?" Chimney asked, obnoxiously. His wide grin had Eddie narrowing his eyes at him through his blush.
Buck's smile was shy as he glanced at Eddie before turning back to his team. "I finally asked him out."
Hen and Chimney cheered and hollered while Bobby just looked on with a proud little smile.
"Oh, good, I was worried this was gonna be like last time." Chimney gave Buck a bump on the shoulder.
"Or the time before that," Hen added, barely containing her smile.
"Or the time before that." Chimney slung an arm over Buck's shoulders. Buck immediately shrugged him off, but Chimney was persistent. His arm went right back around Buck's shoulders. Buck sighed, seemingly giving up the fight. "Yup." Chimney sighed as he crossed his feet, leaning against Buck. "Our Buckaroo here has been trying to build up his courage for a while."
Now Buck was the one turning bright red. And avoiding Eddie's gaze at all costs. "Okay, okay. Enough teasing me. Don't we have work to do?"
"Says the man who didn't help at all." Hen rolled her eyes.
"It just didn't seem like a four-person job. Was there even a fire?"
"Yes, there was," Bobby spoke up, turning a disapproving look on Eddie. He immediately shrank under it. A disappointed Bobby was the worst. "I know you're in the academy, and I already told you when you graduate, you have a spot with us. But I recommend joining one of my fire safety talks for your personal life." He handed Eddie a pamphlet, which made him feel even worse. Did he just always have those? "You can't keep almost burning down your house, Eddie."
"I won't! Buck said he was gonna teach me how to cook!" Which was exactly the wrong thing to say, as it just gave Chimney more ammunition.
"Ooh, that's your first date? Classic, I like it." Chimney grinned around his gum.
"No one asked you." Buck tried to shrug him off again.
It didn't work.
"Wow. Here I am, trying to be supportive of my future brother-in-law, and this is the thanks I get?"
Bobby cut in before Buck could respond. "Alright, alright, let's settle down. We're still on the clock, let's at least try to seem professional."
"With this group of clowns?" Hen snorted. "Good luck with that, Cap."
Bobby sighed. "My circus, my monkeys," he muttered. "Let's wrap up and head back to the station."
Hen, Chimney, and Bobby all stowed their supplies away and piled back into the engine. Buck lingered, taking his time to put away the axe before glancing back at Eddie. "So, um. You free this Friday?"
"Uh, maybe." Chris nudged him, which was great. Now he was getting dating cues from his six-year-old. "I mean, yeah. Yeah, I am."
Buck smiled. "Alright then. See you Friday?
"See you Friday."
His smile turned a little flirty as he winked and hauled himself into the engine. He gave Chris a wave as he put on his headphones. "Bye, Superman!"
"Bye, Buck!" Chris called back with a big grin and a wave.
Eddie and Chris stood on the curb, watching until the engine was gone. Then Chris turned to him and said, "Maybe next time you burn down the house, you and Buck will get married!"
"If that ever happens, hopefully it's without the fire, mijo. But I appreciate the optimism."
He led the way back inside, the smell of smoke still lingering, burning the back of his throat. But he couldn't totally bring himself to care as he cleaned the charred remains of his cookies.
He had a date to look forward to.