something so precious about this
“Uh- wow- you look great man, where are you headed?” Buck asks, vocally and probably visibly flustered. Eddie sidesteps him and walks further into his loft, ignoring Buck.
Buck shuts the door and turns to look at him once more, trying to sear the image of him in a suit into his brain.
“I am going on a date.” Eddie finally speaks, a happy and vaguely smug grin set on his lips. Buck tilts his head in confusion, feeling his heart sink.
“Oh… that’s cool, you look great.” He repeats dumbly. “Who’s the lucky lady?” Buck asks reluctantly.
“You.”
(or, buck and eddie finally go on a date.)
It’s his day off and Buck is determined to finally perfect this lobster Mac and cheese recipe he stole from Bobby. He’s just started grating the cheese when there’s a loud knock on his door, startling Buck so badly he nearly grates his finger off.
Setting down the block of gruyere cheese he goes to the door, checking the peephole.
And right there, looking distorted through said peephole is Eddie.
Eddie, who Buck wasn’t expecting. But, he’s never one to turn down the company of the man he’s been silently pining for, so he opens the door.
“Hey, what’re you-“ The blond begins before pausing as he takes in the full form of Eddie. And boy is it something. Because currently he is dressed to the nines. Full three-piece suit, vest, cufflinks, even a pocket square. Buck is suddenly worried there’s no oxygen left.
“Uh- wow- you look great man, where are you headed?” Buck asks, vocally and probably visibly flustered. Eddie sidesteps him and walks further into his loft, ignoring Buck.
Buck shuts the door and turns to look at him once more, trying to sear the image of him in a suit into his brain.
“I am going on a date.” Eddie finally speaks, a happy and vaguely smug grin on his lips. Buck tilts his head in confusion, as he feels his heart sink.
“Oh… that’s cool, you look great.” He repeats dumbly. “Who’s the lucky lady?” Buck asks reluctantly.
“You.”
Buck’s pretty sure all those concussions he’s had have finally caught up to him because there’s no way Eddie is currently in front of him about to take him on a date. So, being the suave and cool man he is (who needs clarification on whether or not this is a head injury), he points to himself, head tilted to the side, and asks “Me?”
Eddie laughs a little, his cocky grin going nowhere, “Yes, you, now chop chop we’ve got a reservation in twenty and you are under-dressed,” He says, visibly ogling at Buck’s tight tank top and shorts, “Not that I mind.”
Buck thinks his face might combust, “Yeah- alright- I’ll just…” He points lamely upstairs, feeling incredibly off-centered by this entire strange (incredible, perfect, everything he’s ever wanted) exchange. Eddie gives him another dazzling smile.
“I’ll be waiting, Buckley.”
He’s ninety percent sure tonight’s going to kill him.
—
After he finds a nice suit, (thankfully unwrinkled despite being shoved into the back of his closet) Eddie ushers him out the door and into his truck ignoring all questions about where they’re going.
“Patience,” Is what the brunette tells him, making Buck roll his eyes.
“When have you ever known me to be patient?” Buck groans- not whines because he’s a grown man, who would never whine.
Eddie laughs at him as he turns left at the light. His hands flex on the wheel as he does this, and Buck can’t help but be entranced by them. How his veins look, the shape and slope of his fingers, how they would feel-
“We’re almost there, I think you’re going to like this place, I heard you and Hen talking about it the other day.” Eddie tells him, effectively snapping Buck out of his ‘trance’.
He feels his face flush once again, but chooses instead to focus on what Eddie’s said, “The incredibly expensive and exclusive place Hen took Karen to on their anniversary?”
He turns to stare at the side of Eddie’s face, raising an eyebrow he hopes the man can see in his peripheral vision.
“Yep, that’s the one.” He signals as he turns into a nice parking lot, the valet already approaching.
“But they’re booked out for months.” He feels the need to point this out.
“I’ve been planning this for a long time.” Eddie rebuffs before turning to face him, his eyes intense as they lock onto Buck’s.
Buck has been waiting for this for years, longing for Eddie in a way he could never properly articulate. Being here with him now, being on a date with him(I), it doesn’t feel real.
But as he watches the way Eddie’s eyes shine with an emotion he’s all too familiar with, he knows it is.
He starts to lean closer, wanting to bridge the gap between them, to finally know what Eddie’s lips would feel like against his own when there’s a sharp knock at the driver's side window.
A sheepish valet attendant signals for them to step out, and Buck knows it isn’t the right moment.
Not yet.
—
The restaurant is beautiful, the wine delightful, and the food delicious, but the company? Definitely Buck’s favorite part.
At first, he was a little unsure, despite having been on a hundred first dates, he suddenly has no idea how to behave, how to flirt and charm as he normally would (Maybe it’s because all those dates were in preparation for this, for this date that means everything to him).
Eddie immediately relieves this tension by mentioning a huge project Christopher’s been working on for school. This leads them both to gush about how smart and driven he is and also makes Buck laugh at how often Eddie takes midnight trips to the store anytime Christopher needs something.
“Hey, I’m supporting his passion! I’m raising a future engineer here!” He argues.
“I thought he wanted to be an architect?” Buck asks, his smile wide.
Eddie matches his smile, “Future engineer, architect, software developer, doesn’t matter because anything he does will be incredible.”
Buck feels himself melt at these words, at the devotion Eddie feels for his son. Eddie being a wonderful father was one of the reasons Buck fell for him in the first place, and so hearing those words somehow makes Buck fall even deeper in love.
The meal continues like this, with Eddie being himself (kind, funny, and often a little snarky) and Buck finds himself completely enamored by every moment they share.
However, one question is still on his mind.
“How’d you know I’d even agree to this?” Buck questions as the waiter takes away their last course.
“Buck, you haven’t exactly been… subtle.” Eddie points out, his tone playful. Buck sputters, a little offended at being called out like this.
He wasn’t aware he was being so obvious in his pining, and it’s mortifying that Eddie himself caught on, but in retrospect, he’s sure everyone at the station knows (possibly everyone who’s ever seen him look at Eddie).
“It’s not a bad thing, you’ve always worn your heart on your sleeve.” The brunette soothed, making him blush, “Of course, there was still a part of me tonight who was convinced I’d made it up in my head, convinced I misinterpreted every look, word, and gesture. I worried that you were going to reject me, and things would never be the same between us again.”
“Why risk it then?”
Eddie doesn’t hesitate even a moment before his next words spill out, “Because it’s worth it. You’re worth it Buck.”
Buck isn’t sure anyone has ever told him that before, that anyone has believed he was worth it, not until right now. He struggles to find words that convey everything he’s feeling he could say, ‘You’re worth it too’, or, ‘I’d risk everything for you’, but neither feels like enough, so instead he says the three words that have been looping in his mind all night.
“I love you.”
And in the soft candlelight, Eddie’s face practically glows with joy, “I love you too.”
Buck breaks out into what can only be described as a goofy grin. He can’t help but laugh, laugh at how long it took them but how beautiful it is that they got here, laugh at how utterly happy he is to be here tonight with Eddie.
Eddie evidently shares his feelings as they both crack up, most likely looking insane to those surrounding them.
The waiter comes over with their bill, giving them both a strange look, but neither can find it within themselves to care.
After removing his card from the bill Eddie looks up at him, “Let me take you home.”
—
Eddie walks Buck up to his door, the perfect gentleman as always.
Buck, of course, feels the need to ruin the mood by being a little shit, “I think this was the second-best date I’ve ever been on.”
Eddie quirks a brow at this, “Second? Really?” His voice is dripping in disbelief. Buck has to hold in a cackle.
“Yep. Second. This was almost a perfect date.” Eddie steps forward, making Buck step back, his body now leaning against his front door.
“Almost?” The older man places a hand by the side of his head, angling his body toward him.
Buck gulps, the anticipation thick between them “Almost.” He repeats with a nod of his head.
Eddie presses in closer, their bodies now flushed together. “What can I do to make it perfect, Buckley?”
“You could kiss me, Diaz.”
And he does.
Eddie cups his jaw tilting his head down and to the side in order to properly fit their mouths together. Eddie kisses him reverently, as though he is worshiping his mouth, Buck feels his love being poured into him as Eddie slips his tongue inside, causing Buck to gasp.
They continue to make out at his front door until one of his neighbors walks out, clearly startled by the sight of them. Buck awkwardly apologizes, his face aflame, as he lets him and Eddie into his apartment.
Once inside he tucks his face into Eddie’s neck, giggling at what just happened. He can feel Eddie’s body shake with his own laughter.
Buck knows this is the beginning of something beautiful.
(thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed, and thank you for the support on the wip. I’ll see you soon)
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