#911 fic writing reference

[sibylsleaves]

The 911 fic writer’s guide to LA

I asked if anyone would be interested in a short little guide to LA for fic-writing reference, and surprisingly I got a lot of replies. I lived in LA for 20 years so while I’m not an EXPERT per se I thought there might be some knowledge I could share for people who want more info about the city of Los Angeles to add a bit of realism to their fics. I can’t cover everything, so this is just a sampling of stuff that may or may not be useful. I got some additional help from @swiftiesisters14​ who added some great insights and details. YMMV of course! 

Weather and climate: for the most part, yes, it is very warm and sunny in L.A. the majority of the year. Rain is very uncommon, especially from May - October, and when it does come it usually lasts a couple days up to maybe a week on and off. Rainstorms and thunderstorms are very rare. It does not snow but it does, very rarely, hail. Within a few miles of the ocean, mornings will be quite cold and cloudy thanks the marine layer–this is true even in the summer. “June Gloom” is a phenomenon in LA where we get a lot of cloudy weather in May/June (usually just in the morning although it can sometimes last all day). It can get fairly cold at night during the winter (though almost never below freezing). Even during the summer, nights aren’t as warm as you might imagine, as the dry air makes temperatures drop quicker once the sun goes down (if your characters are going anywhere during a warm day and expect to be there until night, they will most likely bring a jacket). 

There’s a HUGE difference in weather/temperature between the coastal parts of the city and areas further east (and especially into the Valley, where it is frequently over 100 F degrees in the summer). Closer to the ocean, highs typically don’t break 90 unless there’s a heat wave, lows typically stay above 50 except for some nights in the winter. September is often the hottest month of the year (this surprises a lot of people). This also coincides with wildfire season, which used to be roughly September-October, but has started earlier and earlier and lasts later and later into the fall (hello climate change).

Most people from LA are fairly sensitive to the cold and will definitely wear jackets and such the minute it drops below 68 degrees. Many Angelenos do not own a proper winter coat or snow boots or rain boots. Air conditioning is very common in homes and businesses, so hot days are less of an issue if you’re staying indoors. The heat here is DRY, so if you’re used to sticky East Coast heat, this is a totally different beast. Hot weekend days result in swamped beaches and tons of beach traffic. When it DOES rain, even just a little drizzle, the entire city tends to go fucking nuts, and everyone forgets how to drive (a stereotype that is unfortunately very accurate). I imagine the 118 gets LOTS of calls on rainy days because Angelenos just do not understand how to deal with rain. 

Santa Ana winds: you may have heard of these. they suck. Basically an extremely hot, extremely dry, extremely high-speed wind that blows into LA for a week/up to a few weeks at a time and make your allergies go crazy. Trust me, it’s miserable. It usually happens in fall, although they can happen at other times of the year (and doesn’t necessarily happen every year. They’re unpredictable). A weather advisory will go out discouraging from making outdoor fires/doing fire-related activities during this time, as fires can spread extremely rapidly in these conditions. The Santa Anas have a somewhat mythological status in LA, because people sort of think they make people crazy and unpredictable (i mean, it’s not hard to see why--who wouldn’t be irritable in these conditions?) In addition to the Santa Anas, wind storms in general are not uncommon, especially in fall, and winds can cause a lot of damage to powerlines/trees/etc.

Wildfire season: Usually at its peak in September/October, can last all the way into December some years. Areas that are susceptible to burning are the hilly/mountainous areas that surround LA, including Topanga Canyon, the Santa Monica mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains, Malibu, etc. Even if there is a fire that’s miles and miles away, depending on winds it can cause the air in LA to be very smoky and dangerous to breathe. There can sometimes be ash literally falling from the sky...like you go to your car and it’s just coated in ash. Again, this doesn’t happen every year but it’s becoming more and more frequent. 2020 was a particularly bad wildfire year.

Water: California has basically been in one giant drought for the past two decades. Water conservation is a big deal, especially in LA which literally imports a lot of its water. There’s restrictions on when/how long/how you water your lawn. When conditions get really bad, they will place restrictions on commercial water features (fountains and the like) and do stuff like make it so that restaurants only serve you water if you ask for it. There’s always stuff about shortening showers/washing dishes more efficiently/etc. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily something Angelenos think about on a day-to-day basis but it is part of living in LA.

Earthquakes: small earthquakes happen fairly frequently and most people won’t even notice them (what often happens is you’ll be sitting there and you’ll be like was that an earthquake? And then you google whether there was an earthquake nearby). Occasionally a small-to-medium earthquake might wake you up in the middle of the night. Larger earthquakes that actually cause injuries/fatalities are much rarer. 

Driving and Traffic: traffic in L.A. is no joke. If your characters are driving virtually anywhere during the afternoon, they WILL be stuck in traffic or they will worry about getting stuck in traffic. Fridays are the absolute worst traffic days. Something can be “10 minutes away” and take half an hour to actually drive. (For instance, Buck’s drive to get to Eddie’s? during peak traffic hours that could take easily 30-40 minutes). Traffic is a huge consideration in most Angelenos daily lives–-there are certain places you just DO NOT GO during certain hours of the day if you can avoid it, or you have to budget in extra time in case there’s bad traffic. Gridlock in main arteries of the city is extremely common.

LA drivers are known to be aggressive, decisive, and rude. If you display a single second of hesitation or indecisiveness on the road (whether thats making a turn or changing lanes or running a yellow) you WILL get honked at. Maybe this is why Eddie prefers to have Buck drive him around. Pedestrians on the other hand are incredibly timid and cautious. You will almost never see people in LA jaywalking the way they do in East Coast cities. 

A common topic of conversation in LA is various driving routes (yes, it’s a stereotype, but at least when I lived there it was true). Why? Because it is essential to know multiple routes to get from place to place because one or more of them will be congested, and knowing alternate routes can be a lifesaver (although everyone uses apps now, but that is its own topic of discussion amongst Angelenos.)

Freeways are referred to as “the ___” (so the 10, the 405, the 101, the 5, etc. Although the Pacific Coast Highway is just PCH--almost no one calls it the 1). There are very few toll roads in LA--in fact, I don’t know of any.

Parking in L.A. also sucks, and knowledge of little-known, cheap and/or questionably legal places to park in popular neighborhoods is social capital. Restaurants with valet parking outside are very common in certain upscale neighborhoods (Cher Horowitz was right about that).

Public Transportation: has improved somewhat over the past decade when they built out the Metro a little, but is still pretty paltry and inconvenient given the size of the city. L.A. remains a very driving-heavy city. Truthfully, in my 20 years of living in LA i almost never took public transportation except when I was too young to drive and took the bus. LA is also not a very bike-friendly city, and there are only a few streets with dedicated bike lanes. BUT you will often see people biking on dedicated bike paths near the beach.

Geography of the city: It’s hard to fathom just how big and sprawling LA actually is unless you’ve lived here or another geographically huge city like it. You can spend your whole life living in L.A. and there will be parts of the city you have never set foot in and know virtually nothing about (and that is partially because traffic makes getting around to these different enclaves extremely arduous). It is a sprawling behemoth, like six or seven cities smushed into one. And actually, there ARE in fact five other cities/unincorporated communities that exist within the borders of Los Angeles: Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Marina del Rey, as well as surrounding municipalities that many people consider “L.A.” (such as Compton, Pasadena, Santa Clarita, Malibu, Long Beach, Burbank, Glendale, etc. etc.) As it would be impossible to run through every neighborhood in L.A., here are just a few popular areas near the downtown area where the 118 firehouse is (apparently) located. This is roughly moving east-west but you can look at a map for more precise geography:

Downtown: definitely the most dense “urban-y” part of L.A. with tons of skyscrapers, high-rises, etc. Downtown LA is huge, with lots of sub-neighborhoods and districts, including the Fashion district, Chinatown, Skid Row, and Little Tokyo. Like any downtown, there are a lot of attractions here, like the convention center, sports arenas, theaters and music venues, nightlife etc. This is where Buck’s loft is according to this helpful guide and based on the establishing shot they use, which includes the East Columbia building, a notable Art Deco building that is smack downtown. (It’s the greenish building with the clock on it that you can see in many episodes). To the southwest of downtown is where you’ll find the University of Southern California (USC) where May is starting college.

Silverlake/LA River area: includes Silver Lake, Echo Park (home to Dodger Stadium), Los Feliz, Little Armenia, Westlake and the Griffith Park area (home to the LA Zoo). To be honest I don’t know this area very well because I lived in West LA and didn’t spend a lot of time over here, and also it has gentrified quite a bit. Silver Lake is pretty artsy and trendy, with a lot of small local businesses, and also has historical ties to the LGBT community so there are lots of queer-friendly bars and community spaces. 

Koreatown (aka K-Town): pretty cool/trendy neighborhood that was historically home to L.A.’s large Korean immigrant population. The makeup of this neighborhood now is actually a majority Latine, but you’ll still find a lot of Korean food and markets in K-Town. A very commercial area with lots of bars, restaurants, clubs, and shops as well as apartments. Koreatown has an extremely fascinating history, which I will not go into here.

Hollywood: super touristy, this is where you can find the walk of fame (the stars with celebrities names on them), the Chinese Theater, and like, Ripley’s Believe or Not museum. Used to be where most of the major film studios had their studios, but most of them have moved. Best place in Hollywood in MY opinion is the Hollywood Bowl, which is a beautiful outdoor concert venue tucked into the hills.

West Hollywood: a fairly upscale residential and shopping area, but not a bougie as Beverly Hills and not as touristy as Hollywood. West Hollywood is actually its own city/town (although Hollywood is NOT), and is well-known as a historically LGBT+ village/district (historically much of L.A.’s gay population lived here...these days it’s a bit more complicated thanks to gentrification.) As such it’s got a little more of an “alternative” reputation than Hollywood and Beverly Hills, although to be honest it’s lost a lot of its “edge” so to speak. This is where you’ll find the Sunset Strip (historic nightlife area on Sunset Blvd--I would say its more touristy nightlife). Nearby you’ll also find The Grove shopping center, and the La Brea tarpits and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), both of which are popular field trip destinations.

Beverly Hills: actually a separate city from LA but it’s kind of right in the middle of it. Very upscale. Home to Rodeo Drive, Lots of upscale shopping, big beautiful houses, luxury hotels, trendy restaurants, etc. It’s basically where all the rich people live and hang out and it’s very, like, bougie and curated. Parts of Beverly Hills are in fact hilly, but most of the commercial areas are flat.

West LA: Lots of smaller residential neighborhoods interspersed with commercial corridors (this is where I’m from). You’ll find Sawtelle Japantown here (kind of a smaller Little Tokyo with Japanese markets and shops), as well as “Little Tehran”/Tehrangeles (lots of Persian markets, shops and restaurants. There’s a large community of Iranian-Americans in this part of the city and you’ll definitely see signs in Persian/Farsi.) Brentwood is another upperclass/rich people neighborhood around here, as well as UCLA’s campus in Westwood. I believe according to this guide that Eddie, Bobby and Athena, and potentially Hen and Karen all live near West LA (looks like Athena and Bobby’s house might be in Culver City? idk)

Culver City: another city within LA. Culturally speaking I’d say Culver city is pretty much like West LA and it has gentrified a LOT in the past decade or so. Idk what else to say about Culver City...it has a romance-centered independent bookstore called The Ripped Bodice. And an ice rink!

Santa Monica: this is slightly further afield but still significant because Santa Monica is where the closest beaches are located, and is obviously home to the Santa Monica Pier (RIP). Parts of Santa Monica are pretty trendy and upscale, and is also kind of “business-y” because a lot of entertainment companies are headquartered here. 3rd Street Promenade is a pedestrian-only shopping district that’s quite popular, with 3 blocks of shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and more. Lots of buskers and street performers. A popular hangout for families and youths (or at least it was when I was a youth). There’s also a huge mall at one end of it. 

Other beach communities: Venice Beach (has a very weed and art and hippies vibe, and is where you’ll find the boardwalk with lots of artisan stalls and shops), Marina Del Rey (lots of restaurants and boats and water-based activities), the Palisades (beautiful oceanside cliffy/hilly neighborhood where lots of rich people live), Malibu (very bougie, touristy, and upscale.)

LAX: not a neighborhood, but I thought I’d include the infamous airport of Los Angeles. (There are actually something like 4-5 other nearby airports, but LAX is the biggest). LAX is kind of infamously terrible, because it’s huge, often congested, annoying to navigate, and not very well-planned. Getting in and out during peak travel times can be a nightmare. Driving someone to/from LAX is a true act of love (I only do it for my most beloved family members and friends). The best thing I can say about LAX is that there’s an iconic art installation as you drive in/out, which are these pillars that light up in different colors. 

The Valley: directly north of the other areas I just covered. Referred to as one entity by people who don’t live there, but the Valley is actually comprised of many different cities, including LA, Burbank, Calabasas, and San Fernando. It is MUCH hotter here than the rest of LA and a little more suburban-y. My experience of the Valley as someone who does NOT live there is mainly “ugh I have to drive to the Valley.” AKA, it’s to be avoided. Burbank has its own airport and a lot of the film studios are headquartered there.

Demographics: L.A. is one of the most diverse cities in the world. About a quarter of residents of Los Angeles are white (non-hispanic). Latine people make up about half the population (mainly Mexican and Mexican-Americans). There are also sizable Black, East Asian (mainly Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), Arabic, and South Asian populations. Additionally, LA is home to the largest concentration of Armenians and Iranians outside of Armenia and Iran, respectively. There is a significant and diverse Jewish population.

Food: as you might imagine, the huge amount of diversity in L.A. means the food is equally diverse (and extremely delicious). You can find almost any kind of cuisine in L.A., but common types of cuisine include: sushi,  thai, Persian (my personal favorite food to get in LA), chinese, pizza, Jewish delis, shawarma, pho, Korean BBQ (particularly in K-Town) and of course, tacos and other Mexican food, along with your standard “American” fare like burgers (you might find yourself wondering why everyone is so obsessed with In-N-Out even though their french fries are such garbage....), seafood (lots of nice-ish seafood places near the beach where the food is overpriced bc you’re really paying for the view), sandwiches (Bay Cities my beloved <3), etc. as well as lots of trendy fusion cuisine. Additionally, everyone who lives in LA has gone to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles at least once their life--it is an institution. 

Housing: Expensive. I mean, what did you expect? Single-family homes are quite common in LA vs. apartment buildings and condos. In addition, there is a HUGE population of unhoused people in Los Angeles (in fact it ranks No. 2 for the highest number of people experiencing homelessness in the US). I won’t go into all the political hows and whys here, but this is a huge humanitarian crisis and a powder-keg issue amongst LA residents.

Most houses have a backyard and a front lawn and may or may not have a fence/gate. Few houses have basements. I don’t really know why that is. 

Lots of houses and apartment complexes have pools, but mainly in richer/upper-class neighborhoods who can afford the upkeep. Many LA parks have a community pool. Some schools even do, too.

Trees and flowers: I personally like knowing what kind of plants there are in any given setting, so here are some noteworthy trees and flowers found in LA:

Palm trees -- of course. The classic. Particularly common to the Venice, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills areas, but you can find them all over. There are actually a lot of different types, but the most common is the extremely tall skinny Mexican fan palm variety.

Jacarandas -- certain neighborhoods in LA will burst into furious purple bloom during jacaranda season (usually April-June) and the sidewalks will be littered with squished flowers for weeks

Ficus trees -- idk maybe these were specific to my neighborhood but we had a LOT of them

Birds of paradise -- I think this is the official flower of LA. Found in a lot of gardens.

Bougainvillea

Night-blooming jasmine -- smells incredible

Other notes: trees don’t really change color in the fall--you might see a few here and there with orange leaves, but for the most part we don’t get that nice fall foliage (nor do we really...have a fall season...). Grass lawns are common in residential areas (sadly) but more and more people are replacing them with succulent gardens and native gardens (yay!).

School: Public schools in LA go Grades K-5 for elementary, 6-8 for Middle School, and 9-12 for High School. The school year starts mid-August and ends mid-June (evidently they changed this since I was in school). Kids get three weeks of vacation for winter break (usually the week before Christmas - week after New Years) and one week for Spring Break (around Easter). 

Sports: there are TOO many sports teams for one city, even one as big as ours (absurdly, four of them share the same arena). They are as follows:

Baseball: the Dodgers are the main L.A. team (who are doing EXTREMELY well this season). They play at Dodger Stadium in Echo Park, and their fans tend to be more die-hard and stalwart. There’s also the Anaheim Angels, which some Angelenos root for, who play...idk somewhere in Anaheim.

Basketball: the Lakers, of course, and the Clippers. They both play at Staples Center which is located downtown (and as of last year is called Crypto.com Arena, ugh). In my experience Lakers fans are the most fair-weather of LA sports fans--they get super intense when the Lakers are good, and when they’re not, well... Clippers fans tend to be more die-hard and less fair-weather because, well, they have to be (sorry). The Sparks are the WNBA team. They ALSO play at the Staples Center (aka Crypto.com Arena but I refuse to call it that).

Hockey: the Kings. They ALSO play at The Stadium Formerly Known as Staples Center. I don’t follow hockey so idk anything else about them.

Football: the Rams and the Chargers. They both play at SoFi stadium in Inglewood (near the airport). Both are recent additions (2016 and 2017 respectively I think). When I lived in LA we had zero football teams and now we have two so I have no idea whats going on there.

Soccer: LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club) who play at the Banc of California Stadium near downtown and LA Galaxy who play at Dignity Health Sports Club near Compton. There is also a women’s team, Angel City FC, who also play at Banc of California Stadium. I know virtually nothing about soccer but hey, the stadium is going to feature heavily in the season 6 premiere!

Hollywood/celebrities/the Film Industry: you will absolutely see celebrities roaming around L.A. from time to time, especially if you frequent certain trendy areas like West Hollywood/Melrose, Santa Monica, Brentwood, etc. I wouldn’t say it’s common, but it’s not super rare. (I’ve seen like a handful of celebrities in the 20 years I lived there.)

You will DEFINITELY see filming happening all around the city. Usually you’ll see signs posted (usually with code names for whatever project it is), trucks, and tons of crewmembers walking around. Occasionally a street or other location might be blocked off for filming, but usually not anything too disruptive.

You will also see those “star-watchers” bus tours (where people go on a tour bus and they like drive around celebrity neighborhoods and look at celebrity houses) in and around the Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and West Hollywood areas. I use to see these tour buses every single day on my commute through Beverly Hills. 

There’s also, of course, many people living in LA who work in the industry or are trying to make it as an actor or writer or what have you. There are disproportionately attractive waiters/baristas in certain parts of LA because many of them are waiting tables to support acting careers. This is a stereotype but it’s also pretty true in my experience.

Studios are kind of sprinkled all over the city--there are some in West LA, some in West Hollywood, but the biggest concentration of studios is in Burbank, which is actually its own city in the Valley.

Places to go: in case you want some ideas for fun outings for fic purposes, here’s a list of places in or within reasonable distance of LA (not an exhaustive list obviously):

Disneyland

Universal Studios

Knott’s Berry Farm (this is a small-ish theme park, not an actual berry farm in case that’s unclear)

Six Flags

The Long Beach Aquarium

The LA Zoo (of course)

The Griffith’s Observatory (and Griffith Park in general)

The Getty Museum (very beautiful museum up in the hills with a gorgeous view of the city)

The Getty Villa (different place, also a museum)

Huntington Gardens/Library/Museum

Walt Disney Concert Hall 

Echo Park Lake (they have SWAN BOATS 🦢)

LA Science Center/Museum of Natural History

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab): this is where Karen works. Located in Pasadena. Once or twice a year they’ll do an open house where you can go and learn all about the types of stuff they’re doing. It’s very cool!

Catalina Island

Various beaches--closest would be Santa Monica, Venice, Will Rogers (Pacific Palisades), Playa Del Rey, Dockweiler (to my knowledge this is the only beach that allows bonfires). A bit further: Hermosa Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Malibu, Huntington Beach

San Diego! Technically close enough for a day trip, but due to traffic you’d most likely want to stay the night.

Palm Springs (same kind of deal, although I’ve done it as a day trip)

If there’s anything I left out that you want to know about, please shoot me a message and I’ll add it! If you spot any errors, please also let me know. This is based mostly on my knowledge/experience of living in LA, but I did some additional research for stuff I wasn’t sure about or just needed a little more detail on (shout out to @swiftiesisters14 for her help!)

The geography might be a little generalized and I left out a LOT of the city, mostly because I just don’t think anyone wants to read a twenty-page paper on LA neighborhoods. If you want any additional details on a certain area/topic feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll do my best to help.

In general, if you ever have questions about LA while writing fic, I am happy to answer to them (if I can). 

[welcometololaland]

@rmd-writes and i just finished off unprofeshy! what a ride! didn't want it to end even though I was typing like the wind to finish it and heard Carlos Reyes in my head like:

can't wait for you guys to read our unhinged creation!

[buddie-buddie]

throw a line out (i am on the way down)

7.2k - m - read on ao3 five times buck answered when eddie said "talk to me," and the one time he didn't

“Buck!” 

He’d know that voice anywhere. 

God, he loves hearing Eddie say his name. There’s something about it, something in the way that Eddie makes it sound special. Reverent. Like a promise. 

He’s heard his name on Eddie’s lips more times than he can count, but it’s never sounded like this. 

“Buck!”

Something’s different. Hazy. Buck’s body feels heavy, but his head feels light. He’s warm– not hot, but warm. Almost as if someone lit a candle inside him, like something’s aglow beneath his skin. He floats in the haze for a moment, content to let it sweep him away.

“Talk to me!” It’s Eddie yelling again. But he doesn’t sound like himself. Something is different. 

There’s something in his voice Buck isn’t used to hearing. Something that takes him a moment to register, to put a name to. 

Fear. 

Eddie’s scared. But why? There’s nothing to be afraid of. Everything is warm and floaty and good. Everything is good. Eddie’s nearby. No, wait, Eddie’s here. Eddie’s hands are on him now. Buck knows that touch better than he knows his own.

And he hears Bobby, too. 

Eddie’s here. Bobby’s here. There’s nothing to be scared of. He tries to open his mouth, tries to get the words out, to tell Eddie that it’s okay. That he doesn’t have to be afraid. But his mouth won’t work. The words won’t come. They swim around in his head, fighting the haze that grows thicker with each passing moment until they disappear. 

“Talk to me!” Eddie yells again. Buck’s heard Eddie say that before. 

Memories wash over him, pulling him deeper into the haze. 

1.

“Metro Dispatch, this is Firefighter Eddie Diaz, Public Service Officer.” Eddie answers his cell phone on the second ring.

Buck’s not sure what he was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t that. “Firefighter Eddie Diaz?” he repeats, laughing. “What happened to hello ?” 

Eddie sighs, and Buck doesn’t have to be in the room with him to know that he’s rubbing a hand over his forehead, trailing it down his face as he laughs alongside him. “Oh my god,” he groans. “I– I don’t even– I’m…” he stammers, clearly flustered. 

Buck can picture the look on his face, can imagine the blush creeping up his neck and settling on the apples of his cheeks. God, the things Buck would do to be able to run his thumbs over his flushed cheeks, to kiss away his bashful grin. To have the privilege of knowing Eddie– of having Eddie– so intimately. 

Eddie clears his throat. “Sorry. Guess I, uh, I’ve gotten a little too used to answering the phone at work.”

It’s been a month and Buck’s still not used to the fact that he and Eddie don’t work together anymore. He thought it would get easier the more time that passed, but the dull ache in his chest hasn’t let up since the day Eddie told them all the news. 

And if Buck is being completely honest, hearing Eddie say “work” and knowing that he doesn’t mean the 118 hurts a little more than he thought it would. 

Buck opts for levity in an attempt to push past the pang of sadness. “I mean, if you want to change it up, there are plenty of other options.”

“Oh yeah?” Eddie asks. “What do you suggest?”

“What about ‘Howdy?’” Buck has to fight to keep a straight face. “Y’know, honor your roots and all that.”

There’s a pause, and Buck doesn’t have to be in the room with Eddie to know that he’s rolling his eyes. 

And Buck could be mistaken. Maybe it’s a case of synchronicity, of Buck hearing what he so desperately wants to. But he swears Eddie sounds fond as he says, “Maybe not.” 

“Okay,” Buck concedes. “Forget your Texan blood. You could go more authoritative.”

“More authoritative? Eddie echoes. “Like what?” he drops his voice lower, more serious. “Talk to me.” 

Buck laughs. “Definitely a contender.” 

“I’ll take it under advisement.”

“As you should.”

“Might be a good idea to switch it up,” Eddie says. “I’m on the phone all day. Only a matter of time until I lose my mind.” 

“More than you already have,” Buck ribs. 

“Yeah,” Eddie agrees. He keeps his tone light, but there’s something serious hiding beneath it, something Buck picks up on from the single syllable alone. Before he can press, Eddie continues, “So… to what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Well,” Buck begins, heaving a sigh. “Remember how I saved your life?”

“Which time?” 

“You pick,” Buck quips. He can hear Eddie moving around. Putting things away, opening and closing the refrigerator door. He recognizes the sound of Eddie’s dishwasher kicking on. A sudden and overwhelming sense of longing hits him over the head without warning. Which shouldn’t make any sense– who longs to clean up the kitchen? And yet he aches for it. Putting dishes away and taking out the trash. Dumping clean laundry on the bed and matching up socks. 

Something about being with Eddie makes even the most mundane task feel like sacred privilege. 

“I’m calling to see if I can cash in a favor,” Buck says.

He’s expecting a smart response, something witty or sarcastic. Maybe a playful ribbing. What he gets instead is a simple “Anything.” 

There’s something about the way Eddie says it that has Buck feeling warm inside. It’s simple and it’s easy and it’s honest. Eddie means it. Anything.

Anything.

It’s welcome and it’s appreciated and it means more to Buck than he thinks he could ever put into words. But it’s equal parts disarming, and it takes Buck a second to recover from the unexpectedness of it all. “Uh, well, my– washer’s broken,” he explains. “It’s been busted for a few days now and it’s something with the water lines cause all my neighbors’ are broken too and my landlord said he’d have someone come take a look but that was on Friday and it’s Tuesday now and he still hasn’t gotten anyone out and I don’t want to bug Maddie right now since she just got back and I–”  

“Buck,” Eddie cuts in. 

“I’m rambling,” Buck realizes. 

“You’re rambling,” Eddie confirms. This time Buck is absolutely certain he isn’t imagining the fondness in Eddie’s voice. 

On a totally unrelated note, there are butterflies in his stomach. 

He takes a breath. “Sorry.” 

“No need,” Eddie assures him. “Come do your laundry here.” 

“You sure?” Buck asks, all but holding his breath as he waits for Eddie’s response. 

He doesn’t have to wait long, as Eddie answers without so much as a second’s hesitation. “Of course.”

“Thank you,” Buck says. “I tried to go to the laundromat around the corner yesterday but I guess everyone in the building had the same idea because all the machines were in use and when I called just now they said everything is still taken and I’m out of clean work shirts and I don’t think anyone at the 118 would appreciate it if I showed up for my shift tomorrow in last shift’s clothes and I–” 

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Eddie assures him. “The offer stands. Even if your landlord has it fixed by the time you get your clothes off the floor and into a laundry basket.”

Ah, yes. There’s the gentle teasing Buck had been expecting. 

Buck scoffs, feigning hurt. “What makes you think my clothes aren’t already in a basket?” 

“I’ve seen your bedroom floor. Or rather, the lack thereof,” Eddie says. “Worse than Christopher,” he muses. 

There’s a long pause. Buck can’t really argue with that. “Fine,” he concedes. “You win.”

“Chris is at science club until six, but if you get here by then you can come with me to pick him up?” Eddie says. It has the workings of a question, with the way his voice ticks up at the end. There’s something hopeful there. 

Buck’s smile stretches so wide, he wonders if Eddie can hear it through the phone. “Done.”

2.

Traffic is the third certainty to life when living in L.A. 

Death, taxes, and bumper-to-bumper on the 405. 

Buck knows this to be true. He used to hate it, used to sit in traffic longing for his old motorcycle, imagining weaving through the slow-moving cars and feeling the wind in his face. 

But lately, he hasn’t minded it so much. Not when Eddie’s beside him, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and humming underneath his breath, stealing glances at him across the center console and listening to him ramble on about whatever’s on his mind. 

Sometimes, Buck finds himself wishing for traffic– hoping that their twenty minute drive might turn into thirty or forty, that he might be lucky enough to steal those extra moments with Eddie.

And he’s grateful– so, so grateful for these moments, for this time with Eddie– he’ll never not be grateful when Eddie’s beside him. But if everyone could get a fucking move on today, that would be great.

“We’re going to be late,” Buck mutters, craning his neck in an attempt to see around the cars in front of them. 

“It’s fine,” Eddie assures him, seemingly unbothered from where he sits in the passenger seat. 

Buck huffs out a sigh, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “No it’s not.”

“Baby,” Eddie says gently. “It’s okay. They can wait for a few minutes.” 

Buck can only imagine the things that Eddie’s parents could be thinking– could be saying to each other– while they wait outside of LAX for the two of them to pull up. He’s met them before, and they were fine, but that was when he was just Eddie’s partner. Now that he’s Eddie’s partner, things are different. He doesn't want them thinking he’s irresponsible. Or unreliable. Or worse, that he doesn’t respect them. 

He doesn't know what exactly they think about him and Eddie being together. It only happened a couple of months ago, after Eddie got back from visiting El Paso for his dad’s retirement party. Buck had driven this same route, had picked him and Chris up outside of arrivals when their flight got in. It was late and they were exhausted– Christopher was asleep in the back seat by the time they hit the freeway– and Eddie was unusually quiet the whole way home. 

When they got to Eddie’s, Buck carried a still-sleeping Christopher inside while Eddie got the bags. They put him to bed and Eddie pulled two beers from the fridge and said, “Stay.” 

Buck took the bottle from his outstretched hand and said, “Okay.”

Eddie held his gaze, something soft and vulnerable and a little hopeful in his eyes. “Forever.”

Buck’s breath caught in his throat, his heart hammered in his chest. Eddie had somehow given him everything he’d ever wanted, offered him everything he’d ever dreamed of, in one single word. Buck swallowed around the sudden dryness in his throat and dug his fingernails into the heel of his palm hard enough to leave crescent-shaped marks. But he didn’t wake up. It wasn’t a dream.

His eyes shone as he looked at Eddie. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Eddie repeated, taking a step forward and closing the gap between them. Buck can’t remember who moved first, who kissed who. 

All he remembers is the slowest, sweetest, most perfect kiss of his life. How Eddie’s lips tasted like beer and his hands felt like home. How something inside of him instantly settled, how for the first time in his life, his brain felt quiet and his heart felt whole. 

“Forever,” Buck breathed, the word lost on his lips as Eddie kissed him again. 

And so it was. 

Eddie told his parents a few weeks ago. With Christopher’s birthday coming up, he was hoping they’d be willing to make the trip. He’d called to see if they’d let him fly them out for Christopher’s birthday. Between Buck and Pepa, his birthday party was shaping up to be the event of the decade. He knew the only thing that could make his son happier than the cotton candy machine, video game truck, and four (yes, four ) piñatas already hidden in Eddie’s closet was a surprise visit from his grandparents. 

So he called and asked. They were on board before Eddie could even get to the details, which had Buck sighing with relief from where he sat beside Eddie as he spoke to them. He had placed a reassuring hand on Eddie’s shoulder, his chest swelling as Eddie all but melted into his touch. 

Eddie went on to tell them about their relationship, and Buck waited with bated breath for their reaction. Not that it would change anything about how he felt for Eddie– nothing could– but he knew how important this was to Eddie, how even though his parents had let him down so many times before, there was still some tiny, hopeful part of him eager for their approval. Buck knew the feeling. 

“Are you happy, mijo?” Eddie’s dad had asked. Eddie looked up at Buck, smiling as their eyes met. 

“Yeah,” Eddie answered, holding Buck’s gaze as he spoke. “More than ever.” 

“Then so are we,” Ramon said. 

And now they’re here. Well, they will be if Buck and Eddie ever actually make it to the airport. His stomach churns with anxiety as the traffic inches forward. 

It’s crawling so slowly that he hasn’t even used the gas pedal in the last few minutes, just lifts his foot off the brake every time the car in front moves forward another half a foot. 

The reality of the situation is that Buck spent the last two hours tracking their flight, watching the little airplane icon make its way across New Mexico and Arizona and into California. He announced it was time to leave for the airport a half hour before the Diazes even landed. Eddie had pushed back, pointing out that the airport is only twenty minutes away and it would be at least an hour before his parents landed, deplaned, and got their luggage. 

“But what if they didn’t check a bag?” Buck had asked. Eddie had dropped a kiss to his forehead, smoothing out the worry lines. He didn’t dig his heels in, didn’t insist they could wait. He just walked to the front door and pulled his shoes on, and Buck loved him for it. 

“Your car or mine?”  

And it was a good thing they left when they did. They’ve been in the car for almost an hour, and they still have another two miles to go. Eddie’s parents texted ten minutes ago that they were off the plane and heading to baggage claim, which did absolutely nothing to calm the nerves buzzing beneath Buck’s skin. 

“Let’s go!” Buck shouts at the cars ahead of them, slamming his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. “Should’ve taken La Cienega,” he mumbles, to himself more than anything. 

Eddie places a hand on his thigh, squeezing reassuringly. “It’s okay. You know how many times they were late picking me up from things as a kid? We could show up tomorrow and it still wouldn’t be even.”

And okay, that does help a little bit. It doesn’t make Buck feel better completely, but it does help to untangle the ball nerves that’s formed behind his chest. 

“How are you not going crazy?” Buck asks after a minute, tearing his eyes away from the long line of cars in front of them long enough to glance over at Eddie. 

Eddie shrugs. “Nothing we can do about it.” 

Practically speaking, Eddie’s right. Technically speaking, though, Buck could pull into the shoulder and speed around the congestion. But Eddie had shut that idea down about twenty minutes ago. And again ten minutes ago when Buck looked over at him with what could only be described as mischief in his eyes.

Buck groans, rolling his eyes and knocking the back of his head into the headrest.

Eddie looks at him for a long moment, nothing shy of completely smitten. “You done?” he asks after a beat. 

“No,” Buck says, groaning once more, even louder than before. “Okay, now I am.”

Eddie shakes his head fondly. “Patience is a virtue, Buck.”

“Well, I think hurrying the fuck up should be a virtue,” Buck grumbles.  

Eddie snorts, reaching for the radio and flipping through stations until he finds one that’s playing music instead of a commercial. “Oh, this is a good song!” he says excitedly, turning to Buck expectantly. 

Buck gives him a blank look in return. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard this before.  

“Wait, seriously?” Eddie asks incredulously. “It’s Stevie Nicks!” 

Buck shrugs. He’s already grinning like an idiot, enjoying every second of watching Eddie get all excited over a song on the radio. But nothing– nothing could prepare him for the wave of adoration that crashes over him as Eddie starts to sing along. 

“You can talk to me,” Eddie sings. “T-T-T-Talk to me.” He draws out the last word, smiling as he looks over at Buck.  “Come on, you know this song!” he insists. 

“I don’t!” 

Even if he did, Buck wouldn’t admit to it now. Not if it meant he’d lose his front-row seat to this epic performance. 

“This is the best part,” Eddie says, reaching for the dial and turning it louder before turning to Buck. “Let the walls burn down, set your secrets free.” He grins, reaching for Buck and cupping his chin in his hands. “You can break their bounds, cause you’re safe with me.” 

And god, if that isn’t the truth. Buck has never felt safer with anyone than he has with Eddie. 

When he was growing up in Hershey, there was this game all the neighborhood kids used to play at the town pool. They’d take turns swimming out in pairs to the middle of the deep end, reaching up and grabbing opposite edges of the diving board. Then, they’d hang off the edge for as long as they could, until someone dropped into the water and the other was crowned the victor. Buck has vivid memories of dangling there, knuckles white and muscles burning, determined to hang on longer than the kid opposite him. 

Most of his friends would drop off the second they beat their opponent, but not Buck. He’d stay on until he physically couldn’t any more. Until his face would burn red, his muscles would ache, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hold on any longer.

So much of his life has felt the same– like he’s hanging on the edge, desperate to just keep holding on, to get a better grip on it all. And then he met Eddie. And suddenly, it was like the first summer where they started playing in teams instead of one on one. 

Everything was easier. 

He was still hanging there, still on the edge, but it was easier. He wasn’t on his own. When it got to be too much for him, there was someone beside him ready to tag him out, ready to share in the burden. 

And it didn’t hurt anymore. He felt like he could hold on forever.

3.

Buck loves Eddie’s house. 

He loves his own place, too– the loft has been good to him– but it’s not the same. It’s never felt like home. Not in the way that Eddie’s house does. 

It took him a while to realize that’s what the feeling was. He spent the first two and a half decades of his life never really feeling at home anywhere. The feeling was so foreign to him that he didn’t recognize it once he had it. He knew that the ever-present current of anxiety thrumming beneath his skin suddenly quieted each time he was at Eddie’s. It was the same thing that happened every time he walked into the 118. 

He just didn’t realize the feeling had a name at first. 

Eddie’s house feels like home in a way his loft never has. In a way Abby’s place never did. In a way that his old apartment and all of the places he lived before landing at the 118 never did. 

In a way his childhood home never did. 

Not that Buck’s loft is all bad. It’s the first place he truly ever felt was his. It was the backdrop for some of the best moments in his life. Some of the worst, too. The loft is where he told Eddie he loved him for the first time. The loft is where Eddie said it back, not even a heartbeat later. 

The loft is where Eddie first squeezed Buck’s hand three times, an unspoken I love you that quickly became woven into the fabric of their everyday lives. Three squeezes across the center console in the car just because. Three taps on the knee in the back of the engine as they pull up to a call. Three kisses stolen as they stand at the stove in their pajamas, flipping pancakes on Saturday mornings. 

I love you. I love you. I love you. 

And the loft does feel like home sometimes. It hasn't always, not the way that Eddie’s place always has. But sometimes. Like when when he wakes up to slow kisses and the smell of coffee as early-morning sunlight pours through the windows. When contagious laughter and video game sound effects echo off the high ceilings. And when his eyes catch on the second toothbrush beside his in the cup next to the bathroom sink. 

And on nights like these, when he and Eddie are here together. Alone together. When Buck’s laid out on the bed, sheets that smell like Eddie balled up in his fists as breathy moans fall from his lips.

They’ve been caught up in each other since the day started bleeding into night, since pink and purple streaks crept into the blue sky, melting away into a deep, inky nighttime. Moonlight flooded through the windows, painting the walls in shadow as they held onto each other hard enough to leave marks and swapped bruising kisses that somehow still felt reverent. 

It’s perfect. It’s absolutely everything. 

Buck doesn’t know how he ever lived without this.

He’ll be the first to admit he’s had a lot of sex. Like… a lot of sex. 

He’ll also be the first to admit that sex with Eddie is the best he’s ever had. Tenfold. By a landslide. No competition. 

The first time was a revelation. It was as exhilarating as the first leap off the diving board at the start of the summer season, as refreshing as that first clean breath after breaking the water’s surface. The kind that has your lungs burning and your heart flying up against your ribcage in the very best way. 

It was slow and hot and absolutely perfect. 

A chill dances up Buck’s spine every time he thinks about it. How his skin sparked to life beneath Eddie’s touch. How the reverence in Eddie’s voice as he murmured Buck’s name had his heart soaring, his lips curling into a smile. How Eddie’s kiss brought with it the thrill of setting off on a new adventure and the grounding comfort of coming home all at once. 

And the fact that Eddie can do things with his tongue that Buck’s only ever seen in his wildest, filthiest dreams doesn’t hurt either. 

Buck spent the first few days waiting for the bubble to pop, expecting the initial flame to snuff out. Surely it was too good to be true. There was no way sex could be this good all the time, right? 

Except it’s been months now, and it’s still just as good. Better, even, if that’s possible. The spark beneath Buck’s skin that was fanned into a flame beneath Eddie’s touch has only managed to burn brighter since that first night. 

He can’t get enough.

He’s on his forearms and his knees tonight, Eddie draped over his back. He’s long since lost track of where he ends and Eddie begins, lost all concept of anything except the hot, filthy drag of Eddie’s cock inside him as he falls apart beneath each languid thrust. 

Eddie drops a kiss to Buck’s shoulder, and every nerve ending in Buck’s body feels like it fires at once. He gasps, pants, dissolves into broken-off moans and hushed cries of please and Eddie and baby . He feels like he’s glowing, ecstasy shimmering in his veins. 

“More,” Buck whines. He doesn’t mean to sound like he’s begging, but it comes out needy and desperate. He turns his head, hiding his face in the pillow as a blush creeps onto his cheeks. 

The next thing he feels is Eddie’s hand on his face, his fingers on his jaw, a warm and welcome weight as he turns Buck’s face to the side. 

“Talk to me, sweetheart,” Eddie murmurs, pressing a hot kiss to Buck’s temple. His breath is warm against Buck’s skin, and it sends sparks dancing across Buck’s skin. “Tell me what you want. Let me hear you.” 

Buck wants to be closer, wants to feel it tomorrow, wants to forget everything except Eddie inside him. Eddie’s fingers on his hips. Eddie’s lips on his neck. 

“Want to see you,” Buck breathes. “Want you to turn me over and fuck me like I’m yours.”

Eddie doesn’t have to be told twice. 

4.

They’re standing in the cereal aisle when Eddie’s phone rings. Buck has a box of store brand Cheerios in one hand and a box of Frosted Flakes in the other. Christopher loves them both equally and the grocery list they made during a slow stretch on shift last night says cereal in Eddie’s neat capital letters. But it doesn’t specify which kind, but it doesn’t have to. They both know what Christopher likes. Buck can’t eat either one of them without thinking of the week Eddie spent in the hospital with a bullet hole in his chest. But Christopher loves them. 

Buck holds the boxes up to Eddie as if to ask which one? 

Eddie looks between the boxes, considering the choices. 

“Both?” Buck suggests.

“Both,” Eddie nods, taking the boxes from Buck and placing them in the shopping cart. Buck would be lying if he said he was fully present. As much as he loves this– running errands with Eddie after a slow, quiet shift together– his mind is elsewhere today. He hopes it’s not obvious, but he suspects it is, if Eddie’s lingering looks are any indication. 

He’s about to say something when Eddie’s phone rings. One look at the caller ID has him swearing under his breath, picking up the call immediately. Buck can only hear Eddie’s side of the conversation, but it’s all he needs. “Hello?... Oh, no… Yeah, of course. We’ll be right there… Is he doing alright? … We’re on the way now… Can you let him know?... Yeah, thank you.”

“What happened?” Buck asks the second Eddie pulls the phone from his ear to hang up the call. 

Eddie sighs. “Stomach bug.” 

The rest of their list is abandoned in favor of getting through the checkout and out of the store as quickly as possible, with only a quick stop for crackers and Pedialyte on the way to the register. 

A couple minutes into the cross-town drive to Christopher’s school, Eddie’s hand comes to rest just above Buck’s knee.  

The familiar touch pulls Buck out of his own mind. It’s only then that he realizes he was staring out the window so intently his vision had begun to go blurry. He blinks slowly, his vision returning to normal as he looks over at Eddie behind the wheel. Eddie’s looking at him expectantly. Shit. He must’ve said something when Buck was zoned out. 

“Hmm?” Buck asks, blinking again. “Sorry.”

Eddie looks over at him as the truck rolls to a stop at a red light. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Buck shrugs. “Tired,” he lies. Well, technically, he is tired. They just got off shift, after all. But he and Eddie both know that’s not the reason why he’s been quieter than usual. 

“That all?” Eddie asks gently. 

Buck hesitates. He wants to talk to Eddie, longs for his advice and his assurances and the way he always manages to hear even the things Buck doesn’t voice out loud. 

“It can wait,” he says. At least that’s closer to the truth. It can wait. Until Christopher is better.

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Why should it have to? Whatever it is, it’s bothering you.” 

Buck shrugs. Hesitates. “Christopher is sick. It–” 

Eddie shoots Buck a knowing look, cutting him off. “So?” 

Buck sighs. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be dropping a burden on your shoulders when you already have a sick kid to take care of.”

“First of all, we have a sick kid to take care of,” Eddie points out. “You’re on vomit duty this time. Or did you forget that you owe me one after November First?” 

Buck can’t help but laugh at that. “In my defense, I was sick too!” 

“You’re thirty years old,” Eddie reminds him. “You should know better than to eat that much Halloween candy in one sitting.” 

“Christopher is smart for his age,” Buck points out. “Maybe he’s the one who should’ve known better.”

“Maybe you both need supervision when candy’s involved.”

“Maybe,” Buck concedes, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“Second of all,” Eddie continues, steering their conversation back on track. “You are never a burden.” His voice is more serious now, more matter-of-fact. He’s not leaving any room for interpretation or argument. 

Buck tries anyway. “But–” 

“I’m serious.” Eddie squeezes Buck's knee reassuringly. Once. Twice. Three times. “Baby,” he says, his voice soft, gentle. “Please talk to me. Let me help.” 

Buck absolutely melts. Between the pet name and the soft look in Eddie’s eyes, he folds almost instantly. 

“My parents want to come and stay for a bit,” he says. “My dad texted me last night when we were getting back from the car fire on Wilshire.” 

Eddie nods slowly. He makes a valiant effort to hide the disdain that creeps into his expression at Buck’s mention of his parents. He doesn’t quite succeed, but it’s successful in reminding Buck just how much he loves this man. As if he could ever forget. 

“How do you feel about that?” Eddie asks, turning back to the road as the light turns green.  

Buck shrugs. “I don’t know if I’m ready to see them yet.” He expects the truth to burn on his tongue, but it doesn’t. The sky doesn’t come crashing down on him, the ground doesn’t open up and swallow him whole. Eddie doesn’t give him a disgusted look and tell him he’s a terrible son and an even worse human being for thinking such a thing, let alone saying it out loud. 

“No one could fault you for that,” is what Eddie says instead. “You’re still healing.”

Eddie’s response is so simple, so genuine– as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. It splits something in Buck’s chest wide open. 

“I– I’ve talked to them on the phone a couple of times since their visit last year,” Buck says. He’s been working really hard in therapy, and to their credit, he knows his parents have been trying on their end, too. But still, the thought of seeing them again has uneasiness curling in his gut and anxiety thrumming beneath his skin. “But… I don’t know. In-person is different.”

“Definitely,” Eddie agrees, pulling into the school parking lot. Buck can tell he’s trying his best to push past his own personal grudge against Phillip and Margaret for Buck’s sake, and something about that makes Buck love him even more. 

“I– I’m just…” Buck’s voice trails off. He sighs. “I’m not sure what to do.”

Eddie pulls into a visitor’s spot and shifts the truck into park before turning to face Buck properly. “That’s okay,” Eddie assures him. “You don’t have to have all the answers.”

He brushes his thumb over Buck’s jaw, which is when Buck realizes he’s chewing on his bottom lip so hard it’s a miracle he hasn’t drawn blood. He releases it, sighs, and admits, “I wish I did.” 

“Can I tell you what you do have?”

Buck nods. There’s not a thing on Earth that Buck could ever deny him. Beyond that, too. Eddie could ask him for a piece of the moon and all the stars in the night sky and Buck would find a way. 

“You have great instincts,” Eddie says. “Trust yourself.”

“I distinctly remember you telling me I lack basic survival instincts,” Buck points out. 

Eddie rolls his eyes fondly. “Certain instances notwithstanding,” he amends. “You should trust your gut.” 

“You also have time,” Eddie continues. “You don’t have to give them an answer yet.” 

Buck nods. Eddie’s right. He doesn’t have to rush into a decision– potentially the wrong one– just because some part of him feels like he owes his parents a quick response. He doesn’t owe them much of anything. And he certainly doesn't need to take on discomfort to ease theirs.  He knows that. Eddie is quick to remind him any time he forgets. 

“And you have a family here who loves you and who will support you no matter what you decide.”

Buck wonders how Eddie does that. How he always knows exactly what to say, exactly how to say it. How he isn’t scared of the darkness that sometimes swirls inside Buck’s mind. How he always manages to ease his way inside, to chase the darkness away and let the light in its place. He’s fearless in the face of the things that bring Buck to his knees and Buck has never loved anyone in the way he loves this man. 

“Eddie,” Buck breathes. He’s not sure he could find any more words if he tried. 

Eddie’s hand on the side of Buck’s face is a grounding weight, a welcome touch tethering him to this moment and keeping him from floating away or melting into the seat, especially when Eddie tips his chin up, seeking out his gaze, and says, “We’ll figure it out together.” 

“Thank you,” Buck says, meeting him for a kiss. They keep it quick, lest they get carried away in the school parking lot about to pick up a vomiting child. “Let’s go,” he says, pulling back and unbuckling his seatbelt. Eddie smiles at him fondly as they get out of the truck. 

Five minutes later, Buck is holding the front door of the school open as Eddie carries a very sick, very tired Christopher to the car. Buck knows for a fact that his next 24 hours are going to be filled with vomit and thermometers and disinfectant and reminding Eddie to breathe through his mouth so he doesn’t gag. But they’ll be together. They’ll figure it out together.

There’s nothing in the world that sounds better.

5.

The tension began rising as they headed out of the firehouse and across the parking lot to Buck’s Jeep. Silence stretched between them, hanging heavy in the air as Buck pulled onto the main road.

Around the corner from Eddie’s, he decides he can’t take it anymore. “Okay, what?” he asks, turning to face Eddie as they wait at a red light. 

“What?” Eddie asks. Buck can’t help but notice how tired Eddie looks. It was far from the longest or weirdest shift they ever had, and their last call had them back at the station and in their bunks a little after two o’clock. Bobby had sent everyone to wash up and get some sleep as soon as they got back, but the alarm never rang again. Buck had slept straight through until Eddie nudged him awake a few minutes before shift change at seven. He had assumed Eddie had done the same, but he’s wondering now, given the sunken-in circles beneath Eddie’s eyes, if he’s mistaken. 

"What ?” Buck echoes, pulling into Eddie’s driveway and parking behind his truck. “What do you mean what? You’ve barely said a word to me in twelve hours.” 

He gets out of the car, and it’s possible that he closes the door a little harder than he needs to. 

“That’s not true,” Eddie slams his own door, too. 

“Yes it is.” Buck’s well aware of how petulant he sounds, but he can’t find it in himself to care. Eddie unlocks the front door, holding it open for Buck before following him inside and closing the door behind them. 

Buck doesn’t miss the significance of it. How even when they’re fighting– even if Eddie won’t admit that they’re fighting– Eddie still holds the door for him. He still holds out a hand to take Buck’s coat and hang it up beside his own. He still stomps over to the thermostat and kicks it up two degrees because he knows Buck runs cold. 

Not a day goes by when he doesn’t feel like the luckiest man in the world, having the privilege of knowing a love like this. 

“You’re mad at me,” Buck says, following Eddie into the kitchen. “Aren’t you?”

He doesn’t mean to sound so needy, so desperate. An older version of himself would hate that, but he’s never felt like he’s had to pretend around Eddie. 

Eddie heaves a sigh, opening a cabinet and pulling the can of coffee grounds down. “Drop it, Buck.”

“That’s not a no.” 

“Buck,” Eddie warns, stabbing at the buttons on the coffee pot like they’ve personally offended him. As soon as it starts brewing, he opens the dishwasher and starts pulling out clean dishes. Buck starts putting plates away as Eddie reaches for the silverware basket. 

“Be careful,” Buck warns, having visions of Eddie accidentally impaling his hand on a fork in his haste.

“Don’t talk to me about being careful after you chased a drunk driver last night,” Eddie shoots back. 

There it is.

“I wasn’t in any danger,” he says. He’s not sure why he thinks that line will work on Eddie. It definitely didn’t work on Bobby, who laid into him as soon as they got back to the station. 

Eddie scoffs. “What were you thinking?” he demands.

“I don’t know,” Buck says with a noncommittal shrug. He knows Eddie’s not going to like that answer. But he’s not going to lie, either.

“You weren’t thinking!” Eddie all but shouts. “You got on that bike without any regard for your safety.”

Buck hasn’t seen him mad like this in… god, he doesn't even know how long. Maybe since the day he got all broody and finger-pointy in the grocery store during Buck’s lawsuit. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t turn him on a little bit. But a quick read of the room determines it’s neither the time nor the place to dig into that a little more. 

“My safety?” Buck scoffs. “It’s a bike, Eddie, not an infantry tank.”

“A bike that had already been hit once by the driver you started chasing after!” Eddie argues. “Or did you forget about the broken fibula and the four totaled cars he left in his wake?”

And– well, okay. Eddie has a point there. But it’ll be a cold day in hell when Buck gives him the satisfaction. “It’s not a big deal,” he insists.

“Not a big deal,” Eddie echoes. “Not a big deal? You could have died!” 

“But I didn’t,” Buck points out. 

“But you could have. And then what?” All the fight is gone from Eddie’s voice. He looks absolutely destroyed. 

It’s now, in the light of the morning, that Buck notices just how heavy the circles beneath Eddie’s eyes are, confirming his suspicions that he hadn’t slept much last night– if at all. His hair is sticking out, broken free from its gelled-down hold more than it’s ever been at the end of shift. Buck’s never been a betting man, but he’d put every penny to his name down on odds that Eddie spent much of the night pulling at his hair, tugging on it in the way he tends to when big feelings swell up inside him like waves at high tide, threatening to consume him. 

Touch has always been Eddie’s anchor, the thing that grounds him when his mind starts to drift away. He needs to feel something, feel grounded. It makes sense to Buck that Eddie tugs at his own hair when it all gets to be too much. But he’d be lying if he said there wasn't a pang of guilt in his chest knowing that he’s partly to blame.

It hits twice as hard when he thinks about how he spent his night— sleeping soundly in the next bunk, without a clue that Eddie was lying awake beside him, his sleep held hostage by his own thoughts. 

“I’m sorry,” Buck says. There are silent promises in his apology, unsaid vows behind the two small words. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry.

Eddie knows. Buck can tell from the way his face softens, the way that tears fill his eyes as he holds Buck’s gaze. Eddie knows. 

“I– I can’t,” Eddie begins. “I can’t lose you. Okay? I–”  

Buck nods, cutting him off and pulling him into a hug. “I know,” he murmurs. “I know, baby. I’m sorry.” 

“I can’t lose you,” Eddie says again, his words muffled against Buck’s neck. 

Buck takes a long, deep breath. He holds Eddie close, presses three tiny kisses to the top of his head, and makes the one promise he knows isn’t his to keep. 

“You won’t.” 

+1

Eddie’s voice is the first thing he hears. 

He’s not sure where he is, or why everything feels so heavy. He can’t lift his arms. Can’t open his eyes. Something’s beeping steadily in the background. But everything’s okay. Eddie’s here.

“You’re gonna be okay, Buck,” Eddie says. His voice is wobbly. Unsteady in a way it never is. “You’re gonna wake up.” He clears his throat. Sniffles. 

It sounds like he’s been crying, and something about that has Buck feeling like his heart might split in two. 

“You’re gonna wake up,” Eddie repeats. “You’re gonna wake up and you’re gonna talk to me about psychedelic fish off the coast of Indonesia and the newest moon they found in Jupiter’s orbit and the chances of being struck by lightning. You’re gonna be fine, baby.”

“I’m not gonna lose you,” Eddie says, brushing Buck’s hair back and letting his hand linger, cupping the side of his face gently. “You promised.” 

Buck registers the weight of Eddie’s hand in his own, their fingers laced together. 

It takes all of his strength, everything he has. But he squeezes.

Once. Twice. Three times.

[nancygillianmvp]

i love him on purpose

1,756 words. rated t. summary: After a long week, Carlos plans a cozy date night of reading and comfort food for his husband.

Living in the heart of downtown, most things are within walking distance of Carlos, and TK’s loft, including some of the best queer nightlife Austin has to offer, TK’s favourite Chinese takeout place, a Trader Joe’s and a great bookstore. 

Unlike most of the bookstores in the area, this one isn’t a chain but a little independent place with a coffee shop that makes some of the best coffee in the city. As it’s only half a block from their apartment, TK and Carlos are frequent visitors. 

When Carlos stops to pick up an iced latte on the way home from picking up groceries, he has an idea.

It’s been a long week in the Reyes-Strand household, and the majority of Carlos’s opportunities to see his husband have been passing greetings as they head in and out the door for their shifts on opposite schedules and a few shared lunches at the firehouse—all of which ended up interrupted by calls. 

But they both have the next two days off together, and Carlos’ shift ends earlier than TK’s, so he makes plans for a date night while waiting for his coffee.

They’ve both been working overtime since the wedding and the honeymoon to make up for the time off, so a date night is more than overdue. After a long week, Carlos has just the thing in mind for date night. Nothing fancy; after the week they’ve had, Carlos figures a quiet night is just what they need.

When he gets home, Carlos thumbs through the recipe folder on the counter until he finds what he’s looking for—a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe he’s made before with TK’s help. Carlos has always preferred the freedom and art of cooking over the exact science of baking. Still, cookies have always been one of TK’s go-to comfort foods—it’s not unusual to find him baking cookies at odd hours if he’s had a hard shift or wants to feel closer to his mom—cookies and Chinese takeout.

keep reading on ao3 or under the cut

By the time the cookies go into the oven, Carlos has flour in his hair—though he couldn’t possibly tell you how it ended up there—the kitchen is a mess. TK is due home in twenty minutes, which Carlos hopes will be enough time to clean up and have the whole apartment smelling like freshly baked cookies.

As Carlos takes the cookies out of the oven, TK texts to say a call ran over and he’ll be a little late. Carlos finishes the last of his washing up, and although they’re still hot, he can’t help but sample one of the cookies before settling into the couch with a magazine. Of course, it’s nothing like the cookies TK makes with Gwyn’s secret recipe—nothing will ever compare to those—but they’re perfectly crisp with a soft, chewy interior and chocolate that melts in his mouth. If nothing else, they’re made with love and make the apartment smell inviting.

“Hi, husband,” TK says as he walks into the apartment, throws his keys in the bowl on the end table and shrugs off his backpack. “It smells incredible in here, Carlos.”

“Hey, babe. How was your shift?” Carlos asks, standing and leaning against the arm of the sofa to greet him.

TK leans in to hug Carlos, momentarily burying his face in his neck. “Long. How was yours?” 

“Uneventful.”

“Where is this delicious smell coming from?” TK asks. 

“I made you cookies.” He says and watches his husband’s expression soften.

“You made me cookies?”

“It’s nothing special, just chocolate chip.”

“Nothing special? Taking the time to make me cookies is special, babe.” TK says, planting a kiss on Carlos’ cheek and crossing to the kitchen. “Thank you.”

Carlos stays resting against the back of the sofa as TK crosses the room and hops up to sit on the kitchen counter beside the rack of cookies. 

“So what’s the occasion? I haven’t forgotten an anniversary—at least I hope I haven’t—and it’s not my birthday, so what’s the occasion?” TK asks as he takes a bite of the cookie in his hand. “Babe, these are delicious.” He says through a mouthful. 

“No occasion. I don’t need a reason to spoil my husband, and besides, we’re overdue a date night.” 

“I don’t know if I’m up for a date night, baby. It’s been such a long week. I was hoping we could just chill at home tonight.” TK says, and Carlos gets it; he feels the same, which is precisely why he planned a lowkey night in, not a night out.

“Who says a date night can’t be chilling?”

“What have you got planned?” 

“You’ll have to wait and see, won’t you,” Carlos tells him with a wink.

“Do I get a hint?” He pouts, but Carlos shakes his head, his curls bouncing as he does so and plants a kiss on his forehead.

“No hints, babe. Grab your coat.” 

TK hops down from the counter, grabbing a second cookie, “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

It’s a crisp fall afternoon, and the leaves crunch beneath their feet as they walk half a block to their destination, hand in hand. 

“Are we going for coffee?” TK asks as Carlos stops outside the bookstore & coffee shop.

Carlos shakes his head. “We’re here to buy each other books, and then we’re going home to read and order Chinese for dinner.” 

“So I get to pick your book?” TK asks.

Carlos nods. “And I’ll be picking one for you. Meet you outside when we’re done?”

TK steps inside and starts searching the aisles for the perfect book. On the other hand, Carlos already knows exactly what book to pick for TK and only takes a few minutes to collect the pink paperback he had in mind from a display of queer book recommendations put together by the staff.

He’s not waiting outside long before TK appears, grinning and holding a paper bag.

“It’s about a handsome Texan who falls in love with an even more handsome outsider. I thought you might relate,” TK says with a flirtatious wink as he pulls a familiar pink paperback out of the bag and presents it to his husband.

“That’s funny because I thought you—a handsome outsider—might relate to a book about falling in love with an even more handsome Texan.” Carlos laughs as he takes out the same pink paperback from his own bag, a copy of Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.

“We’re definitely on the same page today,” TK says, taking Carlos’ hand in his own to walk back to the apartment.

“Must be why we make such a good team.” 

When they get back to the apartment, TK kicks off his shoes and changes into a soft pink hoodie, Carlos sets out tea and cookies on the coffee table, and they settle in to read. They start out at opposite ends of the couch. Carlos is wearing his reading glasses and maintaining impeccable posture as he sits up straight against the back of the sofa, while TK is curled with his knees up to his chest in the corner of the chaise, book in one hand and a cookie in the other.

After about half an hour, Carlos looks up from his book to see TK seemingly zoned out. His gaze is fixed above the book in his hands. “Why aren’t you reading your book?” 

“I prefer watching you read,” TK says, dog-earing the book—earning a wince from Carlos—and placing it on the couch beside him, “I could watch you read all day. You look so peaceful, and you’re so damn sexy in those glasses.” 

“Shut up,” Carlos responds playfully.

“You love me.” 

“That I do.”

“Are you hungry?”

“I could eat,” Carlos replies, putting a bookmark in and closing his book.

They order Chinese and eat on the couch when it arrives, discussing what they’ve read and how Carlos can’t get over the similarities between TK and Alex Claremont Diaz so far. When TK clears away the takeout containers and puts the leftovers in the fridge, Carlos picks up his book to resume reading but is soon interrupted by TK planting himself right beside him, resting back against his chest. 

“Read to me?” He asks, relaxing further into him and looking up at him with those green eyes softened into an expression Carlos finds damn near impossible to say no to. 

Carlos nods and wraps his arms and the book around his shoulders. “Where were you up to?” 

“Chapter two,” TK responds, and Carlos starts reading.

By the time Carlos starts reading chapter three aloud, TK looks like he might have fallen asleep, but he insists he wasn’t.

“I was just closing my eyes and enjoying the story. Your voice is so soothing. This was exactly what I needed tonight, babe. Thank you.” TK says, turning to kiss him.

Several hours later, Carlos is once again sure TK is falling asleep on his chest, so he closes the book softly and starts to take off his glasses.

“One more page?” TK asks, opening his eyes to look up at him.

Carlos can’t resist that look, “One more page.”

Later that night, as the moonlight peeks through the curtains, Carlos lies awake, enveloped in his husband’s comforting embrace. Like most nights, TK drifted off quickly while Carlos lies awake with the world's weight on his shoulders. Some nights, even being wrapped in his husband’s arms isn’t enough to quieten his anxieties. 

As if he can sense how Carlos feels, TK, now awake, whispers to him. “He’s like you, you know.”

“Who?” 

“Henry.”

Carlos is surprised at first, but for the most part, he understands the comparison other than one huge point of difference. “Yeah, maybe, except for the fact he’s a prince .” 

“You’re a prince too, my very own personal prince charming,” Though he can’t see TK’s face, Carlos knows he’s grinning after delivering such a cheesy line.

“You are so cheesy,”

“But you love me,”

“I do,”  Carlos says; he loves TK more than he ever felt possible or than he ever thought he could allow himself to. He thinks over a quote from the book that reminds him so much of his own relationship, ‘I love him on purpose,’ because despite everything in his own past, in TK’s past, he loves TK— all of TK—on purpose. So he whispers back to his husband, “I love you on purpose.”

[lover-of-mine]

Fuck it Friday!

I was tagged by @wikiangela @disasterbuckdiaz @diazblunt @honestlydarkprincess @watchyourbuck thank you 🫶

The other fics were getting too intense so I wanted to write some fluff so I went back to the wayf fic, it's a season 4 au, running on 2 timelines the present and the weekend, Buck and Eddie sleep together while on vacation while Chris is at camp, Eddie panics and says he doesn't want more, Buck proceeds to slowly spiral into madness because his parents suck and he can't sleep without Eddie anymore. Other snippets here here here here and here

Buck had never seen Eddie laugh like that. They were still just on the right side of buzzed, just enough for everything to feel lighter, and it probably wasn't even that funny, but he loved the sight anyway. He thought it would take more convincing. He didn't want to sleep yet, for the day to end, so he threw one of his pillow on Eddie's bed, making him grumble something about being midnight, that Buck had retorted with some nonsense about how Eddie had only brought him to know what kind of stuff he could get into if he just let go for a few days, but that actually had Eddie rolling off the bed and Buck grinning so hard his cheeks hurt as he walked them out of the hotel and to the beach. The place was beautiful at night. Breathtaking really. There weren't enough lights around so they could actually see some stars for a change, the moon, not quite full but almost there, was reflecting on the waves that looked black and lighting up the night just enough. And Eddie looked beautiful under it. He was quite a vision with flushed cheeks, tousled hair that was just getting long enough to look messy, and that smile. At that moment it felt like Buck would do anything to keep him laughing like that. Not that it was taking much, he was just pointing at the sky and making up constellations with the stars they were seeing. It started serious enough. With Eddie propped up on his elbows, legs stretched in front of them in the sand, pointing out the ones he knew. Buck had learned them too, at some point during lonely nights when he was a teenager, but he didn't want to try to remember once Eddie started getting unsure after naming a few. So he started making up names. And maybe they were tired enough to be bordering on delusional if that was all it took for them to start laughing like that.

im gonna tag @alyxmastershipper @bucks118 @cowboy-buck @housewifebuck if they feel like sharing <3

[wikiangela]

Day 38 - April 19th, 2023 from the new upcoming silly domestic fluff fic lol

(...) but Buck was never really a guest in his house, he blended into his family so quickly and seamlessly, Eddie never even really noticed, not until he specifically looked. And now, well, Eddie’s kitchen is more Buck’s than his anyway.

btw I recently remembered that tag lists exist so if you wanna be tagged whenever I post buddie fics, pls interact with this post or just lmk lol

[chronicowboy]

i am so close to finishing my buddie timeloop au, but the question is: will it finish me first?

[alliaskisthepossibilityoflove]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) Characters: Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley Additional Tags: Fluff, Getting Together, in a soft and quiet way, gratuitous pride and prejudice references, and maybe one too many metaphors Series: Part 20 of tumblr ficlets Summary:

He keeps expecting someone to call him on it—a meaningful look, an eyebrow raised in understanding, someone pulling him to the side and asking him, point blank, how long he’s been in love with Buck.

But no one does.

Maybe it’s only obvious to him, like the optical illusions you can only see through once someone points it out to you. Or maybe nothing has actually changed, maybe he and Buck have always been this way, and it only feels different to him now that he’s put words to feelings.

No one says anything, so he starts getting braver. Bolder. Lingers, with touch and gaze alike. Sits closer, leans into Buck when he’s beside him on the sofa or in the engine or washing dishes in his kitchen. And he keeps waiting for Buck to pull away, to take a step back, to reset the space between them to something more appropriate for friends, but he never does. If anything, he leans in. 

[wh0re-behavi0r]

How to write 911 characters: Black women

since its black history month, here's how to write Athena, Hen, and Karen. I want to do this because I see really offensive things in fanfic when people write them and that usually goes unnoticed.

Athena:

✨ reference the source material (for everyone actually) ✨

Athena is a very kind and affectionate person with her friends, she's a great listener and always willing to help others out. She's stubborn when it comes to herself and taking breaks. She's a great mom and partner, though conflict has arisen when it comes to letting people in.

2. her relationship with Buck is not necessarily motherly. If you like to write her that way, it's your story but be careful you aren't falling into the mammy trope.

that would include, treating buck as though he's a child that needs protection from everyone, a cartoonish fondness and exaggerative movements, mainly as a character just to prop up Buck.

3. do not write her speaking voice different from the rest of the characters. I've seen things like: "A' course sugah!" Not only is that inaccurate, it's inappropriate.

4. Athena's relationship with being a cop, being in an interracial relationship, and being previously married to a gay black man are all very complex issues in the black community that require research before speaking on. I haven't seen people ever go in depth with this in fics but the show can only encapsulate so much about it without offending viewers so if you'd like to be more candid, please take the necessary steps.

Hen and Karen:

✨black queer love, especially wlw, isn't just to support your main ship please appreciate them ✨

hen is very driven, very caring, very intuitive. She's always been a listening ear for others, and finds comfort in her friends' advice. She's a great parent and a great partner.

Her relationship with Chimney can be silly, serious, protective, and everything you need in a best friend. They both look out for each other and aren't afraid to call out bs. Her relationship with Athena is also really great and balanced.

Hen can be a older sister to Buck, but it's a lot more light hearted. They also can be idiots together and Buck holds a lot of respect for her. Again, do not reduce her to this, that will be insensitive.

While we don't see Karen a lot, you see how much she cares about her family, how she does trust Hen but has been concerned about losing her loved ones. She's a brilliant woman and she often hangs out with Athena and has been friends with Chimney before she was with Hen.

again do not write any of their speaking voices differently. most of the time, Hen code switches and rarely uses any slang so stay away from that.

[elliottkay]

Hi, I’m Elliott, and writing smut changed my life.

I also write military sci-fi and fantasy and D&D shitposts, but this is about the smut. I promise it won’t get weird. Much.

In 2010, I was scraping by as a substitute teacher and things were not great at home. I had only written gamer fic for friends, my aspiring mil sci-fi novel was stuck, and I needed some sort of escape… and I thought, “Well, I like sexy stories, and Literotica is free, and…”

My story was a feel-good adventure about a college guy with a heart of gold, a jaded demon weary of evil, and Heaven's hottest mess. It was silly. It was sexy. It was polyamorous, warm, and irreverent, and Literotica loved it: high ranking, tons of comments, and holy shit am I getting positive feedback from the internet?

So it became my first book:

…and that book plugged some holes in my life. It didn’t get me out of subbing, but it filled the financial gap, and it picked me up after a break-up. More importantly, it gave me an audience. When I published Poor Man’s Fight, I already had readers, and that led to more readers… many of whom then picked up Good Intentions and loved that, too, though some had the shocking experience of “Oh my god, it’s full of butts!”

If you’ve read this far, it’s probably time for the content warning. I’m a big believer in these, for serious reasons and, um… less serious.

WARNING: “Good Intentions” contains violence, explicit sex, nudity, inappropriate use of church property, portrayals of beings divine and demonic bearing little or no resemblance to established religion or mythology, trespassing, bad language, sacrilege, blasphemy, attempted murder, arguable murder, divinely mandated murder, justifiable murder, filthy murder, sexual promiscuity, kidnapping, attempted rape (which is never comedy), immolation of said attempted rapists, persistent disrespect for vampires (which is always comedy), arson, dead animals, desecrated graves, gang activity, theft, assault and battery, panties, misuse of the 911 system, fantasy depictions of sorcery and witchcraft, multiple references to various matters of fandom, questionable interrogation tactics, cell phone abuse, reckless driving, even more explicit sexuality, illegal use of firearms within city limits, polyamory, abuse of authority, hit and run driving, destruction of private property, underage drinking, disturbances of the peace, disorderly conduct, internet harassment, bearers of false witness, mayhem, dismemberment, falsification of records, tax evasion, bad study habits, and an uncomfortably sexy mother.

…and that’s just the first book.

They've all got those warnings. Even the short story collections.

Credit to the incredible @leemoyer for all my book covers, and for teaching me so much about this biz. And while he's not on the book covers, I've gotta share the other central protagonist as illustrated by the awesome @juliedillon:

...yeah, Alex gets into some shit.

If you're looking for protagonists who really communicate, if you want polyamory instead of love triangles, and if you hate when steamy scenes fade to black, I've got you covered.

If you’ve read this far and you’re interested, or even if you just want to see more content warnings, please give my stuff a look on Amazon (including Kindle Unlimited) or on Audible where they’re narrated by Tess Irondale. Give her a listen and you’d be happy to hear her read just about anything.

[thewolvesof1998]

Moodboard Monday / Tidbit Teaser Tuesday

share a moodboard as well as a snippet from the fic it’s for!

Tagged by @hippolotamus and @theotherbuckley

God, there are so many juicy tidbits I could give you but I think this one will do for now:

“Cariño,” The endearment slips easily from his lips, sits right on his tongue, like it’s always meant to be only used in reference to Buck.  Buck shivers, “Fuck Eddie, it’s-it’s you, it’s always been you, I thought you knew that when I asked you to touch me.” “You know more than anyone that sex doesn’t always translate to more,” Buck nods, “If it wasn’t clear, it’s you for me too.” Without breaking eye contact he leans down and places a kiss on Buck’s left hipbone, breathes “Mi sol,” into the skin. Buck’s eyes widen, a small gasps falls from his lips, Eddie kisses the right hipbone, “Mi corazón,” He kisses the sensitive skin just above Buck’s cock, “Mi Vida,” His breath fans over Buck’s tip causing him to thrust up, just barely missing Eddie’s chin. “Fuck Eddie, you-you can’t go saying all that romantic stuff when you’re that close to my dick,” Buck says “Why?” He says, nuzzling at Buck’s cock, smearing more precum over his face and into his hair, ironically Buck’s probably going to get his shower after all this is done, maybe they’ll share one to save water. “Because it-it almost made me come and I need you in me-me before I do.”

This fic is so close to being done, if the writing spoons keep coming hopefully it will be in the next few days🤞🏼

Previous snippets premise/moodboard

Tagging: @wikiangela @wildlife4life ​ @eddiebabygirldiaz @disasterbuckdiaz @spotsandsocks @try-set-me-on-fire @jesuisici33​ @bekkachaos @buddierights @spagheddiediaz @911-on-abc @shitouttabuck @911onabc @exhuastedpigeon @malewifediaz @your-catfish-friend @loserdiaz @ladydorian05 @watchyourbuck @king-buckley @chaoticgremlinwholikescheese @daffi-990 @fortheloveofbuddie @steadfastsaturnsrings @mangacat201 @hoodie-buck @eowon @rainbow-nerdss @nmcggg @pirrusstuff @evanbegins @giddyupbuck @sammysouffle @smilingbuckley @jamespearce9-1-1 @carrierofthepaperclips @jeeyuns @callmenewbie @thosetwofirefighters

[hoodie-buck]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thanks for the tags beloveds @wikiangela @spotsandsocks @bi-buckrights @hippolotamus 🩵

How many works do you have on ao3?

—246

What's your total ao3 word count?

—1,469,436

What fandoms do you write for?

— 911, teen wolf, animal kingdom (not actively but still counting it)

Top five fics by kudos:

if i lay here, would you lie with me (forget the world)

nobody can do everything

i want to love you (but i don't know how)

five + 1 (idk who allowed me to name a fic this 💀)

someone to stay

Do you respond to comments?

—always! even if it takes me a few weeks, i always respond to them. i'm so so appreciative of anyone who takes the time to leave them 🥹

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

—come back home (version 2) i just had to get it out of my system, sorry 🥲

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

mmm, idk besides the one listed above and one other, they're all really sappy and fluffy endings 😅 it'll probably end up being whatever sappy ass ending i write for the chris doesn't come back au after everything i've put them through 😂

Do you get hate on fics?

—not really, more like just annoying people nitpicking stupid things

Do you write smut?

—i do indeed 😏 can't say if it's good, but i've got lots of it posted 😂

Craziest crossover:

—umm i write tons of au's but idk if this refers to that or doing an actual crossover with another fandom?? i wish not to talk about the one that still haunts me, but i did use characters from the step up movie for my au: let me lose myself

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

—not that i know of...

Have you ever had a fic translated?

—somebody asked once but idk what ever happened with that

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

i have! 3 different times with my wife @loserdiaz 🫶🏻

—no body, no crime

—this is my idea of fun (playing video games)

—i don't want to keep secrets just to keep you

All time favourite ship?

—buddie! the brainrot for them has been unmatched jsiodj

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

—uhhh probably my divergent au...i've had the placeholder for insurgent with like 3 sentences sitting in my wip folder for forever 😬

What are your writing strengths?

—i'll just list the things people have told me because i have no idea sjwioe. i always get compliments on my characterization, descriptions, and metaphors <3

What are your writing weaknesses?

—shutting the fuck up and writing anything short 🫠

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

—i've done it in the past but not really anymore

First fandom you wrote in?

—teen wolf

Favorite fic you've written?

—that's like asking me to pick between my nonexistent children 😭

i'm picking 3 idc

coastlines

if i lay here, would you lie with me (forget the world)

the ducking of evan buckley

tagging: @redlightsandicedtea @monsterrae1 @honestlydarkprincess @onward--upward @daffi-990 @wildlife4life @underwaterninja13 @bigfootsmom @thewolvesof1998 @eddiebabygirldiaz @elvensorceress @zainclaw @watchyourbuck @ronordmann @queerbuckleys @spaceprincessem @jacksadventuresinwriting

[reasonandfaithinharmony]

2023 writing gif-making round up

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about. Thank you for the tag, @thisbuildinghasfeelings!

January

Um. Coming to terms with the idea of 2023? I dunno. But certainly nothing creative happened here.

February

Boyfriend → husband (Schitt's Creek) — A side-by-side comparison of how David refers to Patrick in season 4 and season 6. (Brought to you courtesy of a lovely text post by @jesuisici33.)

David questioning Stevie's motives (Schitt’s Creek) — A fun look at David's expressive face. 😄

March and April

An existential crisis. Or two. Or five. 🙃 Managed to finish absolutely nothing.

I did come in contact with a lot of 911 Lone Star content, however. Which explains everything that follows. Oops?

May

Marry me. (911 Lone Star) — Ah, my first gif set for this show. A parallel of TK referring to Carlos as his husband when he proposes, and then during their wedding ceremony.

Wedding → honeymoon (911 Lone Star) — Holding hands right after they first kiss as husbands. (Promo footage that didn't actually make the final episode cut). And holding hands poolside on their honeymoon.

Note: From here on out, everything in this list is for Lone Star, unless otherwise specified.

June

TK and Andrea helping Carlos get ready — A parallel set highlighting similar moments from Best of Men and a deleted scene from In Sickness and in Health

We almost forgot. Your boutonnière. — In which I attempt to put a couple pieces of unaired footage back together: the deleted scene with Andrea and Carlos + promo footage of what must be the same scene

Heart tutorial — Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato teach Rafael Silva how to make a heart sign with his hands at the First Responders Reunion 🫶

July

🤨 (affectionate) — Listen. I love this dynamic. Had to do the parallel set.

Nothing ever stays the same, Carlos. — A look at TK and Carlos' conversation in 2x04 in parallel with Carlos' wedding vows. The first set I wanted to do for Lone Star. Took me a while to get to it because I wasn't sure how to put it together.

August

TK needs you all to RSVP — My first attempt at this type of post. Incorrect quotes? Text post memes? I don't know what to call them, really. But it was definitely fun. And then it became the thing I did most often. Lol.

And if it never changes? // What if everything changes again? — A parallel set for me and ~5 other people, putting Tarlos in 2x04 side by side with Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

September

You're a menace to society *smooch smooch smooch* — My next incorrect quotes/meme post. And my contribution to ascribing cat-like behavior to TK.

I like him a normal amount — A fandom reaction gif, essentially. Courtesy of Joey Tribbiani on Friends.

Love is stored in humans finding out we can make heart shapes with our hands — Had to revisit the heart tutorial for Rafa. This time as one of the incorrect quotes/text posts.

When you can be silly and slutty with them — Oh, I had fun with this look at TK and Carlos' relationship. 😍

Pretty sure this happened at least once — In which we learn TK was seen trying to catch a frog outside the firehouse. Obviously.

October

Carlos is lit like an angel — Commentary on that beautiful moment from 2x02 where TK falls into Carlos' arms.

I put my emotions into my cooking. // This tastes… horny? — A playful and sexy look at Carlos in the kitchen with TK, and then heading upstairs… 😏

I adore you. Why are you like this? I’m going to kiss you with such fervor… — Oh, just exploring the Tarlos relationship dynamic with a text post and a scene from 3x18.

November

Unedited Gif Game (26 entries so far) — This has been very fun. I think it was good for me to have a bunch of low-stakes gif projects where I was not in charge. Lol. I will spare you individual links to each of them. But they should all be in the tag linked here. I will probably make this an ongoing thing, as long as it's not annoying everyone.

December

Episode vs. Promo: Yee-Haw (1x02) — Let's start diving into some more unaired footage, shall we? And let's start with some alt takes on that first make-out scene.

Missing moments: then and now — From an almost-kiss in 1x02 to an alt kiss from their wedding.

You're a miracle, TK Strand. My miracle. — A rather large close-up gif of that alt wedding kiss. Why? So we can see the teardrop that beads up under Carlos' eye.

Tags below the cut…

Tagging: @rmd-writes, @reyesstrand, @strandnreyes, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @carlos-in-glasses, @lemonlyman-dotcom, @birdclowns, @welcometololaland, @lizzie-bennetdarcy, @rosedavid, @heartstringsduet, @noxsoulmate, @chicgeekgirl89, @paperstorm, @tailoredshirt, @guardian-angle22, @swearphil, @carlos-tk, @three-drink-amy, @orchidscript, @danieljradcliffe, @lightningboltreader + open tag!

[happiness-of-the-pursuit]

2023 Fic Round Up (Part 1: Fic List)

I have been tagged in about a million different round ups of sorts, so here's Part 1: A Comprehensive 2023 Fic List sorted by month posted (if a multichap, I listed it the first month it posted), featuring the major details and a single-sentence summary/quote (so a fun challenge for me).

I'll post Part 2: Favorite Quotes and Part 3: Channeling Nora Holleran to Bring You My AO3 Data over the next two days (for the data I want to wait til the last possible day).

Without further ado, here is my 2023 Fic List:

January:

Nothing, I was still a lurker.

February:

Prince Henry and FSOTUS Alex Claremont-Diaz Answer the Web’s Most Searched Questions (T, 2.4K, YouTube Script Fic)

10 Things Alex Claremont-Diaz Can’t Live Without (T, 3K, YouTube Script Fic)

10 Things HRH Prince Henry Can’t Live Without (T, 2.5K, YouTube Script Fic)

March:

Prince Henry and FSOTUS Alex Claremont-Diaz Take a Couples Quiz (T, 5K, YouTube Script Fic)

The Super Six Take a Lie Detector Test | Vanity Fair (M, 7K, YouTube Script Fic)

Baby's First Pride (E, 10K, WIP Multi-Chap)

Post-canon, canon-compliant (ignoring bonus chapter) look at the Super Six celebrating their first pride after the emails—I want to come back and finish this (I got interrupted by Life) but my writing has evolved a lot since March and I'm daunted by all the editing I'd have to do, lol

ALEX CLAREMONT-DIAZ COMMUNES WITH HIS ANCESTORS WHILE EATING SPICY WINGS | Hot Ones (T, 3K, YouTube Script Fic)

April-June

Trying to survive the end of the school year as a teacher before I left my job :)

July

PRINCE HENRY SENTENCES US TO THE DUNGEONS WHILE EATING SPICY WINGS | Hot Ones  (M, 3K, YouTube Script Fic)

August

FirstPrince Sings Queen, Lil Nas X, and Taylor Swift in a Game of Song Association | ELLE (T, 2.5K, YouTube Script Fic)

Claremont 2008 (M, 26K, Complete Multi-Chap, Canon Divergence)

A world where Ellen gets elected in 2008 instead of 2016, and the friends-to-lovers path that puts Henry on. If you want to relive the early 2010s, enjoy epistolary fics, or want a glimpse of a world where Alex & Henry go to college together, you might like this.

September

How well you play...that's up to you (M, 4K, FirstPrince Week)

Grey's Anatomy-Inspired AU, where Alex & Henry are both surgical residents—currently a one-shot, but I plan on writing a multi-chap prequel for this at some point.

Keep this Love in a Photograph (T, 2.6K, FirstPrince Week)

Post-Canon: Henry finds Alex's old photo album and they take a stroll down memory lane.

The Starwand (T, 1.7K, FirstPrince Week)

Three vignettes from Alex's life (two featuring Henry) where a sparkler makes an appearance—both a kid fic of Alex and Alex with his kids.

Somebody Call 911 (M, 2.4K, FirstPrince Week)

College AU where Alex is sneaking around with Henry behind his roommate's back—until it all goes to shit.

October

Sets on the Beach (M, 4K, FirstPrince Week)

Crack Treated Seriously, Alex and Henry are on rival queer beach volleyball teams.

Water over Blood (G, 3K, FirstPrince Week)

Post-Canon 5+1 of five times Henry's niece loved Alex, and one time she loved Henry

L(ate) S(leepy) A(morous) T(exting) (M, 1K, FirstPrince Week)

Text-fic of a missing moment from the book, because I am convinced that Alex did, in fact, study for the LSAT (it's just more realistic if we're to believe he scored well enough to get into NYU)

November

Freaky Friday (I woke up in my enemy's body) (M, 9K, Halloween, Huh?)

Canon Divergence, Freaky Friday-Inspired Body Swap AU, Crack Treated Seriously: Between Cakegate and Alex's visit to London, the boys swap bodies and proceed to learn a lot about each other. And themselves.

December

Alex Claremont-Díaz Answers Your Questions | Actually Me |GQ (M, 2K, YouTube Script Fic)

Super Six and the Siren's Call (T, 111K Total, Posting Bi-weekly)

The Percy Jackson AU, co-written with @read-and-write- and @inexplicablymine. Quests and Greek References abound! Check out more @auntiepezzasupdates

(Dil)Do It Yourself (E, 16.7K, New Traditions Advent Calendar)

Alex attends a DIY Dildo Workshop for the holidays, where he meets Henry, who's helping to lead the workshop—and eventually, helps Alex in other ways. The tags will tell you all that you need to know.

Thanks to @rockyroadkylers @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @kiwiana-writes @welcometololaland and anyone else who tagged me that I missed! I was waiting to post all my fics for December before I did this :) Since I'm pretty late, I'll tag @ssmtskw @matherines @affectionatelyrs and an open tag to anyone who's made it this far and wants to do this!

[welcometololaland]

just like to take this opportunity to express my admiration and appreciation for the sports AUs in the 911 lone star fandom and my love for AUs in general. I don't write fic for the purposes of being compared to other fic - I write because I love it and my hope is that anyone who reads it (or any fic) enjoys it for what it is, and not what it is by reference to anything anyone else has written.

this fandom is full of really amazing writers and writing, and all of it deserves to be appreciated on its own merits. fanfic is free, and it is the result of someone's passion and enjoyment of the source media.

comparison is the thief of joy. no one needs to be in competition here 💜