summerofbuddie - Tumblr blog

summerofbuddie · 3 days ago

Text

sunlight

buck and eddie fic written for the @summerofbuddie and the 'summertime adventures' prompt. / 1800 words

Buck wakes to a room with no colour, the curtains drawn and a faint glimmer of the world outside at the edge of the fabric.

It takes a few minutes before Buck sits up, looking over his shoulder to the door.

A welcoming warmth of sunlight like a carpet across the floorboards waits at the end of the hall. Buck breathes deeply, presses his thumb softly into the palm of his other hand to make sure he’s not still dreaming.

Birds sing outside. A car drives past.

Buck stands, and as if he’s in the orbit of something greater, walks towards the sunlight without even really thinking about it. His legs carry him even though he still feels the weight of sleep in his bones.

There’s a moment between the last step into the kitchen and seeing Eddie that has Buck holding his breath. It’s like a boomerang, almost. The oh god, this is real. I love him. He loves me. He says it to himself, and then the inevitable butterflies launch in his stomach as the boomerang flies back the moment his eyes lift from the floorboards to Eddie’s shoulders.

Eddie is standing at the kitchen counter, peeling an orange, wearing Buck’s hoodie, hair soft and styled by a deep sleep that he finds only happens when laying next to Buck.

He can’t see Buck, not yet. He’s looking out the window and finding peace in the hours of dawn before the skies bloom a bright blue. The birds are still singing, and Buck would see that they’re actually sitting on a chair outside in the garden if he wasn’t looking at Eddie.

Buck must be dragging his feet. Eddie smiles and turns ever so slightly, and doing so means the sunlight frames the edge of his face like a focal point on a canvas.

“Hey. Morning,” says Eddie, eating an orange slice as Buck walks up behind him, wrapping his arms softly around Eddie’s waist.

He tugs Eddie closer to hug him, breathes deeply, sighs as his eyes close. Warmth fills his soul, his feet now on solid ground.

“Hey,” whispers Buck, moving his thumb across Eddie’s side.

They stay like that for who knows how long, Eddie leaning his head against Buck’s. Buck even starts to sway, smiling into Eddie’s neck when Eddie laughs, moving with him.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” Eddie moves his hand to hold Buck’s, a finger brushing over a knuckle. “How are you feeling?”

Buck blinks his eyes open, looks down at the orange on the cutting board. His headache is gone, and the exhaustion that washed over him the moment he kicked off his shoes at the door last night is now like a subtle ocean current.

“Better,” says Buck, placing a soft kiss at the hinge of Eddie’s jaw. “You?”

“I’m alright,” Eddie moves his finger to catch the metal ring on Buck’s left hand, warm and gold. “Glad you’re feeling better.”

Buck hums, then laughs softly. “I love you,” says Buck, hugging Eddie a little tighter for a moment. He thought that after a while, being loved like this may eventually flicker out, the sad wave of a candle flame, but it’s not. It’s overwhelming in some way, to feel the weight of that, to know Eddie cares that much, that he loves Buck.

He can feel Eddie’s jaw move against the side of his face. He’s smiling, almost a rival of the sunlight and how it streams through the kitchen blinds. Today promises warm weather. Summer is arriving. Buck would compare the warmth of Eddie in his arms to that of sunlight, maybe.

Eddie rolls Buck’s wedding ring around his finger with his thumb, then holds his hand entirely, still placed against his stomach.

“I love you too, Buck.”

No, Buck’s definitely sure. Eddie is sunlight, or the sun focuses on him like a leaf turns towards the sun. Buck knows he can hold Eddie’s hand at his side and go on this adventure with him through life, and there were a few heartbreaks before this when all he ever thought there would be is clouds, occasional moments of sunlight between those clouds when he sees Maddie, or Hen, or Chimney, Bobby. Any of his family.

But Eddie is—Eddie. Buck closes his eyes again and lets the world in. Birds, cars, the TV a low mumble in the other room.

Soon, Eddie’s other hand rests against Buck’s jaw, Eddie having turned his head towards Buck’s, the smile still there when Buck opens his eyes to muted grey, the warmth of sunlight, and Eddie.

“So,” Eddie moves his thumb back and forth, and Buck’s eyes slowly start to close again. “I’ve been thinking about that garden furniture you thought would look nice. You know the—it’s the table and chairs set, right?”

“Wait. What—really?” Buck lifts his head, and Eddie moves in his arms to face him fully.

“Yeah.”

“O—Okay. Why?”

“You were right,” says Eddie, shrugging. “The garden does need more than a few chairs that aren’t even garden furniture.”

Buck blinks. So that’s what he was doing this morning when Buck walked into the kitchen. Eddie was wondering if the rather expensive furniture Buck had picked out weeks ago would fit in the garden. Perhaps by the apple tree that’s yet to grow any apples.

Of course Eddie never forgot. It’s Eddie.

“Can I marry you again?”

Eddie smiles—the Buck smile, to be more accurate. The smile that lights up his eyes. The smile that happens when Buck is entirely focused on Eddie, and Eddie is looking back.

Is that not how it works with the sun and the moon? Does the moon not shine as it talks of the sun even when it’s night? Buck talks about Eddie even when he’s not around, and his smile glows even when Eddie isn’t by his side.

Eddie shakes his head, still smiling. “Just because I agreed to buy expensive garden furniture?”

“They’re waterproof,” says Buck, tilting his head to one side.

“Well, I sure hope it’s able to withstand the weather if it’s garden furniture. That’s the whole point.”

Buck laughs, leaning in to kiss Eddie, then again, and again until it’s impossible when they’re smiling this much.

“It’s a good garden furniture set.”

“I know,” says Eddie, tapping his thumb against Buck’s nose. “We also need to get some groceries. That was the last orange.”

Buck gasps, taking Eddie’s hand and kissing the knuckle nearest to his wedding ring. It’s moments like this for Eddie where the sunlight on his back cannot compare to the warmth in his heart.

“Unbelievable,” says Buck, smirking slightly. “I was going to have that for breakfast.”

“Nope,” Eddie laughs as Buck pulls him from the counter just a step, “because on our way to the furniture store, I’m going to buy you breakfast.”

“Woah,” says Buck as Eddie takes his other hand, moving in a circle as they slow dance. “This is like a holiday.”

“Technically, it is,” and Buck rolls his eyes at that, “but I think we should make the most of today. We both have the day off, and the weather is supposed to be nice.”

Buck almost says that there’s no such thing as bad weather with Eddie at his side. Walking in the rain would be filled with laughter when Eddie inevitably makes Buck laugh with a joke or sarcasm. A storm isn’t so daunting when Eddie is there next to him, brushing a hand through Buck’s hair, his voice a soothing sound compared to the brittle and angry thunder.

There’s a lot of wedding vows Buck didn’t have time to say, so he promised himself he would say them every day. Or, if he doesn’t say it, he’ll kiss Eddie’s ring and hope the metal remembers for when Eddie twists it around his finger when he’s worried.

“Alright, and then how about—dinner? I can cook. How does a BBQ sound? You know, with the new garden furniture?” Buck tilts his head again as Eddie hums. “If the weather is still nice, of course.”

Buck stops the slow dance, but Eddie keeps moving, arms moving to Buck’s waist now, and hugs him from behind.

“Sounds perfect, love. I’ll get ready.” Eddie places a kiss to Buck’s shoulder, squeezes their hands together that are still together, and then leaves.

As Eddie’s footsteps fade into the hallway, the sun floats just behind cloud cover.

Buck stands there, looking to where he last saw Eddie, a longing in his heart that causes him to sigh, smile, and then lean back against the fridge for a moment. The sunlight feels warm on his face again, or is that just where Eddie held him minutes ago?

The smile Buck has grows, almost laughing as he sees the single orange slice left. There’s no doubt Eddie left it for him, knowing they’ll probably joke about it when he walks back into the kitchen.

Hey, that was mine!

Nope. You left that for me. Because you loooove me.

And Eddie will smile and kiss him, going uh huh. Sure do.

For now, though, the house is quiet, and Buck thinks that the birds have moved on, flying to wherever fate will carry them.

“Buck?”

The sunlight blinks back into the room again as Eddie says his name, as if the world begins to move again for Buck.

Buck walks over, picks up the last orange slice to eat, and then hums the pattern of the birds that start to sing once more as he leaves the kitchen, pulled back into the orbit of Eddie.

Later that day, Eddie will sigh as he sits down on the new garden furniture, Buck with a smug smile at his side, and they’ll laugh as the sun glows bright in the afternoon sky.

“Yeah. Okay. You were right,” Eddie turns his head to look at Buck, tugging the front of Buck’s baseball cap down. Buck almost spills his drink. “That smile is blinding.”

“Could say the same about yours,” Buck replies.

Eddie shakes his head, laughing. He turns away again to look at the sky. Purple and red clouds blanket the sky like ink in water, and Eddie takes a moment to sink into the sound of the world around him.

Buck takes another sip of water from his glass, adjusts his hat again. He becomes lost in Eddie, looking across his face until Eddie turns back to him, meeting his eyes. Eddie hums, as if to say what is it, Buck?

“Thank you, Eddie.”

Eddie pauses, turns his head slightly. “For saying yes to the garden furniture?”

Everything. For loving me. For seeing every sunrise with me.

“No—well, that and, uh. What I mean is that today was a good day. I just—I just felt like I needed to say that.”

“Yeah,” Eddie leans towards Buck, kisses him. “Yeah, it was. Thank you too, Buck.”

As Eddie takes Buck’s hand and smoothes his thumb over Buck’s wedding ring, Buck knows even rainy days will have a bit of sunlight. Even if Eddie isn’t at work, the gold of his wedding ring will always remind Buck that not only does Eddie have his back, but he’ll hold his hand and heart through life as well.

#what a beautiful and sweet fic for the summertime <333 we loved it #fics #week 1 #summer 25

7 notes · View notes