#le ask

[thatstrammylargo]

egg

CORRECT‼️‼️

[a-random-fandom-friend]

Because of Re: Carmilla, I thought you all would enjoy my edition of Carmilla :

The holes go all the way through, the sides of the book are red, and on some pages the text is colored red just under the holes !

I was so happy when I found it in a little french bookshop specialized in queer texts ❤️

[wilbur-the-therian]

what is the point of life? :3

That's a good ass question:3 I still haven't figured it out myself,so I'm just rolling with it. Although,I think the only answer that makes sense is 42

[yuzuyokoi]

this might be that gay dude from les mis

[piierogis]

Did you ever want to listen to Les Mis but got sick of listening to each song for the hundredth time?

Are you, perhaps, interested in listening to Les Mis... but without listening to Les Mis?

Boy, do I have a solution for you!

Here it is, lovingly handpicked and carefully considered... Less Miserable: The Musical. A Les Mis musical but each song is replaced by a song from another musical. Enjoy.

Youtube version here

@barricadeday

[yamikuruku]

Next time he should clarify better 🤷‍♂️

Original:

[heyimkana]

A compilation of Sung Jinwoo being a soft, gentle, protective, warmhearted gentleman 😌

(Eng Dub because Aleks' gentle voice is unmatched)

[zivazivc]

somehow, magically, they are all the same age and they are all hanging out

[turoce]

look. banana slug

[fcaruana]

the way he gets excited and starts speaking at 7383 km/h

[shamedumpster]

Hey @aroseinmisery1248 heres your eponine! Color palette from this list if you'd like to send an ask ^^

[authorhjk1]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FyWv3wdWYAg3PsL?format=jpg&name=large

The curves on this girl. Dress so tight just like her body.

Peach

(Huh Yunjin X Male Reader)

"B-Break."

Yunjin groans, her breaths heavy.

"P-Please. Need a..."

Her sentence is left unfinished. A loud sigh of ecstasy leaves her lips.

You only dig deeper at her words. Your tongue roaming her delicious pink pussy. Her legs are being forced apart by your hands, which are groping her thick, juicy thighs.

"Give me a-Ahhhh!"

Huh Yunjin orgasms. Her squirt leaves her pussy and ends up in your mouth. There is no way you can take all of it. You duck to the side as Yunjin mewls and moans. Her juices stain the already wet sheets of her bed.

How many times have you made her cum already? You can't tell. Too many to count.

Lost in your thoughts, trying to count, you don't notice how Yunjin is trying to crawl away. Her peach coloured dress is still clinging to her body. Partially because it's just so tight, but also because she keeps dragging herself through her own squirt.

You let her keep it on, just so she can completely ruin it. There is no way in hell the smell of her juices will ever leave the dress now.

Her whimper, which is forced out of her by her pussy rubbing over the sheets as she drags herself forward, makes you look at her.

"Yunjin.... Yunjin.... Yunjin."

Your sing sang tone makes a shiver run down her spine. She already lost count after three. And she doesn't know how much more she has in her.

"Where are you sneaking off to, beautiful?"

You get a hold of her ankle. Your thumb grazes the small band of her golden high heels.

"One second. Only one second."

She whines, begging you for mercy.

You love how she is a confident, driven, funny, beautiful idol. But you love her the most, when she submits to the pleasure. Submits to you, begging for your touch. Or in this case, the lack thereof.

"One more. I'm sure you can manage one more?"

You can see the back of her head shake in despair. Slowly, you pull at her ankle. Yunjin has been pushed far enough. There is just no energy left inside her. No energy to fight. No energy to resist. Barely enough to properly talk.

It must have been hours already.... Or maybe only 30 minutes? Her feeling for time has completely vanished.

"Please...."

She mumbles into the wet sheets underneath her, her face buried in them, as you drag her towards you.

"Be a good girl, Yunjin."

Once she is close enough, you place one hand on her thigh again. A moan already leaves her mouth, her body knows what comes next.

But instead of feeling your tongue on her clit once more, Yunjin hears your belt and then your pants drop to the floor.

"No, please. Just a second. Do you know-"

The second hand on her other thigh forces another moan out of her.

"D-Do you know how tight I am now? I-I need time t-to be able to take it."

"Just remember to breathe."

Your cheeky reply makes Yunjin groan in lust and fear. Her thighs rest on the edge of the bed, right where you put them. Peeling the tight dress off her ass, you marvel at how nice her ass looks. Two full cheeks, ready to be slapped.

But you do feel something similar to sympathy. Yunjin has already been through enough. You will have your way with her ass next time.

"Ngh!"

Yunjin bites into the sheets as you push inside. Her pussy is dripping wet, her glistening lips wrapping tight around your length. She is right. Yunjin is tighter than usual. Exactly what you were aiming for. She already has the tightest pussy you've ever been in. But after making her cum so many times, it's almost dangerous.

You know you won't be lasting long. Which is fine since Yunjin has had more than enough pleasure for today. Or this week for that matter.

Moments later, you harshly pound Yunjin's tight cunt, sending her mewling and moaning. Her body rocks back and forth on the mattress, her pussy rubbing against the wet fabric.

"Mmmh! Mmmmh! Mmmmh!"

Every thrust earns you a loud moan, which is barely muffled by the sheets between her teeth. Her arms are spread out, her hands limp. You've drained her tight body of her all her juices. In more ways than one.

"Oh shit, Yunjin!"

You groan loudly, your cock almost getting strangled by her walls. You rub along them with every thrust, molding her insides to the shape of your cock.

"I'm gonna cum on you, Yunjin."

You sigh, knowing you don't have much time left.

Yunjin's head sinks into the sheets again. Her moans all quiet.

Your hands on her ass squeeze her cheeks. You enjoy playing with them as you deliver your final thrusts. A teaser to what's to come next time.

"Yunjin."

You groan her name, your fingers digging into her flesh, before you pull out. You aim at her body. Ropes of cum shoot along its length. You cover her dress, her hair, some of her ass. Your white cum finally ruins her dress completely.

To your surprise, you don't hear the usual moans from her. You walk to her side and roll her over.

Yunjin's mouth hangs open, her lips smeared with spit. Her eyes shut, makeup ruined by her own squirt. Her hair is not better off. You wonder how many times she has to wash it until the she gets rid of the smell.

Yunjin is completely knocked out.

[smutmind]

Hiii, Can you pls do monster Chaewon, pls?

Love you Work btw

Monster ft Chaewon [TW]

The countryside smelled like damp pine and scorched earth.

Chaewon leaned out the window of the cab as it wound through the hills. Gone were the towers and noise of Seoul—here, everything was still. Her grandfather’s hanok stood in the middle of overgrown fields, its tiled roof caved in slightly at one corner. She hadn't been back since the funeral.

The caretaker met her with a slow bow. "Miss Chaewon. Welcome back."

Inside, the house was a museum of dust and memories. Sunlight caught in the motes as she walked past rooms where old conversations once lived. Her grandfather’s room, untouched, still held the faint trace of incense and linseed oil. A photo of her grandmother sat on the altar, young and unsmiling.

She spent the first day cleaning. On the second, he arrived.

Mr. Seo stood by the gate like a ghost. He wore a white shirt tucked into slacks, his silver hair combed back. She hadn't seen him in years—her grandfather's best friend.

"You've grown," he said simply, looking her up and down.

She offered a polite bow. "I didn’t expect visitors."

He smiled. "I come every year. To remember."

They sat under the eaves, sipping barley tea. He watched her with an expression she couldn’t place. Like he was looking through her.

"You remind me of her," he said. "Your halmeoni. When she was your age."

Chaewon shifted, uncomfortable. "People say that."

"She was beautiful. Strong. And she broke my heart."

Silence stretched.

"She chose your grandfather instead of me," he continued. "And I never got over it."

Chaewon didn’t know how to respond.

Mr. Seo's tone darkened. "He died with debts."

Her brows furrowed. "What debts?"

"To me. He borrowed during the war. Promised to repay. He never did."

She blinked. "I... I didn't know."

"No one does. Because I never made it public. Out of respect. But respect fades."

He leaned in, voice low. "I could drag his name through the dirt. I have the papers. The proof."

Her stomach knotted. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because now it falls to you."

She stared. "I have no money."

"I know. But there are other ways to pay."

His eyes didn’t flinch.

"You want me to—"

"You know exactly what I want."

Her hands clenched in her lap. The tea turned bitter in her mouth. She could almost hear her grandfather's voice, proud and gentle, echo in the stillness.

Mr. Seo stood. "Think it over. I’ll return tomorrow. You can either protect his name, or watch it rot."

He left without another word.

Chaewon remained seated, frozen. The wind stirred the hanging chimes. Somewhere, a crow called.

The morning baked the hanok in a cruel heat. Cicadas whined like static. Chaewon sat on the porch, sweat clinging under her dress.

Mr. Seo came again, silent and slow, like rot creeping under floorboards.

"Still thinking?" he asked, eyes already crawling over her.

She didn’t answer.

He chuckled. "You’ve got her shape, you know. Just like your halmeoni. Those tits... that tight little ass. She had it too. Drove me crazy."

Chaewon flinched. "Don’t talk about her like that."

He ignored her. "I was in love with her. Mad for her. She used to wear these little summer hanboks, and I’d sit on the steps watching her hang laundry, tits bouncing under the fabric, hips swaying."

She stood up fast. "Stop it."

"She chose your grandfather. Said I wasn't the right kind of man. Said he was honorable. But guess what? He died owing me money. A lot of it."

Her fists clenched. "You said that already."

"I’ll say it again. Because it’s real. And now here you are, wearing that tight dress like you don’t know what it does to me."

She backed away.

"You think I care about your shame? I want what’s mine. And I want you."

His voice dropped. "Your tits in my hands. Your thighs spread wide. I want to fuck the legacy right out of you."

"You’re disgusting."

He smirked. "And you’re cornered. You think the village will keep calling your grandfather a hero when I show them the debt records? He was a liar. And you’ll be the granddaughter of a liar."

"I don’t have money."

"You’ve got something better."

He stepped closer, eyes dark. "You get on your back, you let me fuck you, and I let it all go. I keep his name clean."

She trembled. "You expect me to agree to that?"

"No. I expect you to want it enough to swallow your pride. You think this place is worth saving? Then pay up."

She said nothing.

He leaned in, voice thick. "Your grandmother never let me touch her. But you? You might just make up for it."

She turned away, trembling with rage.

"I’ll be back tomorrow," he said, stepping off the porch. "Think hard. And Chaewon? Wear something thin. I want to see what I’m paying off."

The gate clanged shut.

She stayed where she was, heat choking her, shame prickling under her skin. Her grandfather’s photo stared from the altar inside.

The phone buzzed just after noon.

Chaewon sat under the shade of the apricot tree, trying to forget the weight of the past two days. The message came from her manager.

“Caught something nasty. Rumor surfaced—said your grandfather was... inappropriate with students back in the day. We shut it down before the press could pick it up, but it’s spreading online.”

Her stomach dropped. Cold sweat broke across her chest.

She didn’t need to ask who started it.

Twenty minutes later, she stood at the gate to Mr. Seo’s modern home on the other side of town. Glass, stone, manicured pine trees—a sharp contrast to her grandfather’s worn hanok.

She didn’t knock. She stormed in.

He was already waiting in the living room, a drink in hand.

"So the brat grew a spine," he said without looking up.

"You did it," she snapped. "The rumor. That disgusting lie."

He smirked. "You think I lie? Or do you just hate hearing the truth?"

She stepped closer, fists clenched. "You said you’d wait. That it was my choice."

"And I got tired waiting."

His eyes slid down her body. "Look at you. You’re exactly like her. That soft pout. Those tits barely contained in that tight little shirt."

"Stop it."

"Why? I spent decades wanting your grandmother. Watching her marry that coward. I remember how she looked in summer—thin skirts and no bra. Do you even know how many nights I jacked off thinking about her?"

Chaewon turned red, half from rage, half from humiliation.

"And now you show up, all grown, with those perfect tits and the same eyes. You think I can just let that walk away?"

"You ruined his name," she spat. "You want me to whore myself out to buy it back?"

"No," he said quietly, standing now, stepping close. "I want you to offer it. Willingly. I want you to say it out loud. That you’ll fuck me to make the past disappear."

Her lips trembled. "This is just the beginning, isn’t it?"

"Unless you end it now. Right here."

He raised his glass. "I erase the files, shut down the rumors, make the world remember Han Joon-ho as a saint. And all you have to do is drop that shirt and let me taste what I’ve earned."

Chaewon stared at him, shaking. Her heart pounded like war drums. Her skin crawled. And yet, the ache of helplessness pressed her down.

He set his glass down slowly, deliberately, then moved behind her, voice brushing her ear.

"A young woman alone in a widower's house this late? What would people think if that got out?"

She flinched, but didn’t move.

"You didn’t even see the CCTV by the gate," he murmured. "It’s all there. You storming in, full of fire. I could frame it any way I want."

Her breath hitched. She turned her head just enough to glimpse the camera light still blinking outside.

"One night," she said at last, low and flat. "Only tonight."

He stepped around to face her, smiling with something darker than satisfaction.

"You sure know how to keep a man waiting."

She stared past him, expression stone.

"You think I’m cruel," he said. "But this... this is what the world is. Men like me survive because we learn how to take."

She didn’t answer.

"You hate me? Good. It'll make tonight easier for you to forget."

Her arms stayed wrapped around herself. Her eyes were sharp, wet, furious.

"You look just like her," he said, voice soft now. "Same body. Same mouth. But you’re colder. She always smiled, even when she said no."

Chaewon’s jaw clenched.

"You know," he continued, stepping toward her, "I never stopped dreaming about your halmeoni. But she never let me have her. Always out of reach."

He stopped just short of touching her.

"And now you walk into my house looking like this. With that same fucking look in your eyes."

She didn’t flinch, but her chest rose fast.

He leaned closer. "You think you’re doing this to protect a name. But you came here. You made the choice."

Still no words. Only silence. Bitter and thick.

"Come here."

She didn’t move.

"Don’t make me ask again. You said one night. This is it."

She walked forward with dead eyes. When she knelt in front of him, her hands shook as they worked open his belt. He reached out, gently stroking her hair.

"You’re even more beautiful up close," he said. "I used to imagine this when I watched your grandmother hang laundry. You have her lips."

She looked up, expression hollow. "Shut the fuck up."

He chuckled. "Go on, then."

She took him into her mouth, slow and steady, never looking him in the eye. Her brows furrowed, her jaw tight. Each movement mechanical, full of hate.

He groaned. "God, your mouth’s perfect. Warm. Just like I dreamed."

She gagged slightly, pulled back, spit on the floor. "You're disgusting."

"But you're still doing it," he said softly. "Your hate makes it better."

He reached down, cupped her breast through the fabric. "Take it off. I want to see what I missed all those years."

She glared, but stripped the top over her head. Her arms crossed over her chest.

"No," he said. "Let me see."

Slowly, she dropped her arms.

His eyes lit up. "Fuck... just like her. Maybe even better. Look at you."

"I hope you choke," she snapped.

"If I die like this, I’ll die happy."

He pulled her up, guided her to straddle his lap. She resisted for a second, then sank down onto him with a sharp breath.

"Jesus," he whispered. "You’re so tight. Perfect."

She gasped, face twisted, every muscle tense.

"Get it over with."

He rocked into her slowly. "Not a chance. I’m going to enjoy every second. You’re not just a body. You’re a legacy I never got."

She dug her nails into his shoulders. "You make me sick."

"Good," he hissed. "Say it again."

"You’re a monster."

He groaned louder, his hands gripping her waist, guiding her up and down.

"You ride like a dream," he whispered. "Even your moans sound like her."

"I’m not her. I will never be her."

"No. You’re better. You came to me. She never did."

Her breath hitched. She could feel the pressure build in his body.

"Don’t you dare cum inside me," she spat.

"Too late," he gasped, pulling her down hard.

Her eyes widened. "No—"

Chaewon gasped as Mr. Seo lifted her without pulling out. Her legs locked around his waist, her breath stuttering from the motion. He carried her down the hall, still thick and pulsing inside her.

She didn’t say a word. Her fingers dug into his back—not to hold on, but to push him away, to remind herself that this wasn’t surrender, no matter what her body was doing.

He dropped her onto the bed like something claimed. Still buried inside her, he hovered above, hips rolling slow, possessive. She stared at the ceiling, teeth clenched, tears slipping down her temples while he moved with the calm of a man who knew she couldn't stop him now.

“The more you hate me, the tighter you get. It’s fucking divine.”" he said, voice low.

His thrusts resumed—deep, slow, merciless. She whimpered, her hips twitching under the pressure, pain curling through the pleasure like wire.

"That’s it," he whispered. "Feel every inch."

Her arms braced against him like shields, a last instinct to hold herself together. Every thrust sent a jolt up her spine—unwanted, overwhelming. Her body betrayed her, tightening around him even as her mind screamed for it to stop.

She cried out.

He slowed. "Cry harder. It makes you feel even better inside."

She bit her lip, eyes glossy. “Wait—don’t,” she breathed, but her voice cracked, and her body trembled with confusion she couldn’t name.

"You're soaked," he murmured. "Your body wants this."

"Shut up," she gasped. "You’re a monster."

He smiled. "Keep saying it. I love hearing that while you squeeze around me."

She moaned, sharp and angry. Her nails raked down his back.

"You’re disgusting," she hissed. "I hate this."

He pushed deeper. "But you’re cumming."

Her body convulsed beneath him, sudden and sharp. She cried out, voice breaking as the orgasm tore through her.

"No... no, not again..."

"Yes," he growled. "Give it to me."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She slapped at his shoulders, but pulled him in with her legs.

“I hate you,” she sobbed. “I don’t want this—I don’t want to feel this.”

He didn’t stop. He thrust harder now, rhythm cruel and perfect.

"That’s it," he groaned. "Tight little cunt taking all of me."

She whimpered. "Please, not inside again..."

"Beg louder."

"Don’t cum in me, Aboji—please."

He leaned down, kissed her tear-streaked cheek. "Too late."

He thrust deep and held, groaning as he filled her. She shuddered beneath him, sobbing, still trembling from her second orgasm.

Her voice cracked. “You’re a monster...”

His breath warmed her neck as he stayed buried inside her.

“I know,” he murmured. “And monsters always come back for more.”

[tsarjozinzbazin]

the lieutenants as dogs!

[piierogis]

Did you ever want to listen to Les Miserables without listening to musicas?

Or, did you ever want to play it at a party, only to realize that a musical called "the miserables" might be a bit too sad for that?

I've got you covered.

Thankfully, with enough mental gymnastics and some removal of context, anything can be made out of ABBA songs.

✨Mamma Miaserables: The ABBA Jukebox Musical is here. ✨

Enjoy.

@barricadeday

[littlespoonevan]

Hi Ciara ☺️ I’ve been following you for years and years, pretty sure it was you that got me into skam back in the day and 911 more recently. So thanks for that 😄 Are you taking fic prompts by any chance? Because I saw a prompt in the wild that I would LOVE to see your take on (no pressure ofc!). The prompt is simple: either buck or Eddie brings up the topic of them getting together, like “have you ever thought of us being together?” And they have a frank, honest discussion about it. I love a good miscommunication and/or pining moment but I so rarely see this instead and I think it fits so well. I read another fic with this prompt and loved it, it’s called at the kitchen table by iphigenias. But that one was set during bucktaylor so I’d also love to see a similar premise but set post bucktommy! Anyway sorry for the very long ask luv u

ahh omg first of all, you sent this to me so long ago and i'm so sorry i'm only getting to it now!!! the good news is, 8b made this specific prompt very easy to imagine in a canon setting asdkjfh. also i looooove the idea of situations where the characters know how they feel and they're not quite ready to take the leap but just knowing is enough to make them feel all ✨✨✨ inside so that is what this is lol

this is set in some nebulous time post-8x15 when eddie is home and everything is fine and peaceful ❤️ i really hope it lives up to what you wanted :')

-

Buck passes Eddie another beer before climbing over his legs where they’re propped up on the coffee table to reach his own seat in the other corner of the couch.

“Thanks, man,” Eddie says and Buck hums in acknowledgment, slouching deeper into the couch cushion and picking up the remote to unpause the TV.

It’s a quiet Friday after an even quieter week and Buck is grateful for it. Especially after the turmoil of this past month. But Bobby’s safe and Eddie and Chris are home and Eddie hasn’t brought up kicking Buck out of his house yet so he intends to savour this night for all its worth.

“Hey, you never told me what happened with Tommy in the end.”

Eddie doesn’t even look at him when he says it, voice nonchalant and eyes trained on the movie they’re watching, but Buck still chokes on his beer.

“Um, what?”

Eddie casts him a sidelong glance. “Things seemed pretty awkward at that call yesterday.”

Ah. The call. The one that required air support. And of course, there was no one else at Harbour they could’ve possibly sent. Because the universe hates Buck.

Their greeting had been politely stilted until Eddie had appeared at Buck’s side and touched the spot between his shoulder blades to let him know they were ready to leave and then Tommy had made the same face he’d made in Eddie’s kitchen two months ago. Buck had almost swallowed his own tongue in an attempt not to snap back – not least of all because Eddie still doesn’t know what Tommy had said.

He knows they slept together. Knows Buck hasn’t called Tommy since. But that’s it.

“Oh it’s just-” Buck waves a hand, taking another pull of his beer to buy some time. “We had a…disagreement last time we spoke.”

Now, Eddie pauses the TV, feet dropping off the coffee table so he can turn more towards Buck. “When he stayed over.”

Buck cringes. Eddie has never really shared his opinion on Buck taking Tommy back here but it has to be weird, right? They were in Eddie’s room. At least it wasn’t his bed.

“Yeah. He just said something and it’s…” He shakes his head, not bothering to finish the sentence and hoping Eddie will let it drop.

He doesn’t, obviously.

“What’d he say?”

For a moment, Buck weighs his options. The odds of Eddie letting this go if he keeps being evasive are slim. But likewise, he can’t think of a good enough lie to satisfy Eddie’s curiosity. Dropping his head against the back of the couch and staring at the ceiling, he finally says, “He said something about you. And it pissed me off.”

“About me?”

He can hear the confusion in Eddie’s voice but he doesn’t dare raise his head to see what his face is doing.

“He um, implied that- that you were competition. For him. And that he was more willing to get back together now that you were gone.”

Eddie doesn’t answer right away and the silence stretches so long Buck has no choice but to look at him. He doesn’t look angry, at least. If anything, he looks like he’s working through a particularly difficult puzzle in his head.

Eventually, he asks, “When you say ‘implied’…?”

Buck clears his throat. “Uh, I believe his exact words were, ‘Now that the competition’s out of the way.’”

Eddie opens his mouth only to close it again a beat later and Buck finally lets the anxiety gnawing at his insides consume him.

“I told him it was stupid, obviously. And that it made no sense because you were straight. And-”

“Did he think I had feelings for you or that you had feelings for me?” Eddie interrupts.

Buck frowns. In the aftermath, he’d only ever really thought about what Tommy was insinuating about him, not Eddie. “Um, the second one? Or- b-both, I guess? But it doesn’t matter, I told him-”

“It’s okay, Buck. You don’t have to convince me of anything.” Eddie’s voice is gentle when he cuts in, too much of a soft place to land that Buck can’t help the way the frustration deflates out of him.

“I know, sorry. Just- he and I haven’t really spoken since then, so…”

The room quiets around them again but Eddie doesn’t press play on the movie. Buck plays with the label on his bottle and tries desperately to ignore the weird tension in the air until-

“Have you ever thought about it?”

Buck snaps his head up, finding Eddie watching him with an inscrutable expression. “Thought about what?”

“Us. Being together.”

For a second, Buck has the horrible, churning feeling that he’s somehow been caught out – that Eddie has unravelled the thread he’s kept so tightly wound in his head with just three simple words – but then he scrambles. “Wh- But- I mean, you’re straight and-”

“What if I wasn’t?”

The words pull Buck up short and his brain short-circuits long enough that all he can manage is a dumbfounded, “What.”

“What if I wasn’t?” Eddie repeats, voice still so, so soft. “If that’s your only argument against it-”

“Is this you coming out to me?” Buck cuts in and Eddie lets out a quiet laugh.

“No. Not really. Just- take that out of the equation. Have you thought about it before?”

“Have you?” Buck asks but it sure as hell sounds like Eddie has and-

“Sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” he echoes, throat constricting. “Whe- when is sometimes?”

Eddie shrugs and Buck feels slightly hysterical at how calm he’s being about all of this. Why is he being so calm about all of this?

“A few years ago when I was having a hard time. Back when I was working at dispatch.”

Buck remembers it. Remembers Christopher on the phone telling him he could hear yelling from Eddie’s room. Remembers breaking Eddie’s door down and that one sickening, horrifying moment where he thought Eddie was dead.

“You were taking Chris to school and making us dinner and helping me clean the house and sitting with me after therapy and we weren’t together but sometimes it felt like we were.”

For the first time since the conversation started, Eddie looks away, glancing down at the beer still in his hand. And even though it feels like his vision is swimming, Buck still sees the ghost of a smile on Eddie’s face before he continues.

“I loved you so much for it, y’know, because I really don’t think I would’ve made it through those months without you. And- I don’t know. Sometimes it felt…comforting, I guess. To think that you were my partner outside of work too.”

The words, “I am,” rise up inside his throat so fast Buck nearly bites clean through the inside of his cheek to stop them from tripping out of him. And it’s just-

He doesn’t know what to say.

He doesn’t know how to process what Eddie’s admitting to. Is he even admitting to anything? He’s admitting he took comfort in Buck’s presence, sure, but that’s not him saying he’s in love with Buck and- and it’s different. Because Buck likes men. So for him to entertain it would…would really fucking hurt, actually. And Buck is so tired of being hurt-

“So, back to my earlier question. Have you ever thought about it?”

Eddie is looking at him with wide, patient eyes. And it’s a look so full of understanding and fondness Buck can feel his throat constricting again and…

“Tommy and Maddie kind of made me think about it.”

Eddie raises his eyebrows. “Maddie’s involved now?”

“I told her what Tommy said.”

“And what did she think?”

Buck lets out a reluctant huff and looks anywhere but Eddie’s face. “That it wouldn’t be so crazy.”

Eddie hums but doesn’t say anymore.

“So I guess I thought about why they would think that,” Buck continues, squeezing the bottle in his hand so tightly he’s afraid it actually might shatter. “And I- I get it. I think.”

It’s the understatement of the century. Because maybe he’s never let himself delve too deep into the thought but it’s only because he knows what he’d find if he did. And he can’t allow that. Can’t do anything that would risk him losing Eddie permanently. He’s too important. Buck is happy with the pieces of him that he’s allowed to have. He doesn’t need all of him, he can survive on this alone.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he breathes, finally meeting Eddie’s gaze and swallowing the lump in his throat. “We’re important to each other.”

For the first time since the conversation started, Eddie’s calm composure falls away and his face splits into a devastating smile. “Yeah, we are.”

He imagines it, then. His fingers catching in Eddie’s collar, reeling him in for a kiss. He almost thinks Eddie would kiss him back. He doesn’t actually do it because everything feels a little bit too precarious right now but-

But.

“So we’ve both thought about it,” Eddie says, voice betraying nothing even if he’s still smiling.

“Guess so,” Buck croaks in reply.

Eddie’s flicker all over his face and Buck doesn’t know what he finds there but his expression softens and he says, “We don’t have to think about it right now.”

The words come out quietly, a tentative reprieve that has all the air rushing out of Buck’s lungs.

Because this feels like the precipice of something and Buck isn’t sure if he’s ready to take the leap yet but maybe he doesn’t have to. Because maybe Eddie will wait and maybe Buck won’t look for another place to rent and he can take Chris to school again and make them all dinner and it can feel like they’re…

Partners.

He wants it so much it scares the shit out of him. He’s never even let himself imagine Eddie might want it too.

For now, he lets himself sit with the idea of maybe.

Maybe he loves Eddie. Maybe Eddie loves him back.

Maybe there was never any competition to begin with.

“Okay,” he whispers, trying for a smile that matches Eddie’s own.

Eddie ducks his head in response, the faintest pink colouring his cheeks as he picks up the remote and presses play on the movie Buck has no intention of watching anymore.

Their eyes meet once more before skittering away and Buck breathes out a laugh.

Partners. Maybe.

-