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inawickedlittletown · 4 years

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I’m With You (3/?)

Summary:

Having a crush was nothing to be ashamed of...lying to the family and friends of said crush about being the guy’s boyfriend, that was a whole other problem. When Buck saves the life of Andrew Diaz and accidentally makes a nurse think that he’s Andrew’s boyfriend, Buck soon finds himself lying to Andrew’s firefighter friends/coworkers as well as Andrew’s family including Andrew’s very suspicious and attractive brother, Eddie.

Based on the 1995 movie While You Were Sleeping.

Words: 4,366

Notes: I updated the fic summary since I wasn't too happy with what I had originally. We finally have some Eddie in this chapter. Enjoy. :)

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Masterpost

Previous Chapter

When Eddie first heard that his brother was in the hospital, he thought it was something to do with a call gone wrong. They were firefighters, ending up at the hospital as a job hazard and everyone knew that Andrew was a bit reckless. What he didn’t expect was for some weird accident while he was picking up coffee to be the reason.

“But he’s going to be fine, Eddie,” Bobby told him. “The doctors all say he will wake up soon.”

Looking at Andrew on the bed, his skin paler than normal and a cannula in his nose, an IV line connecting him to fluids, and a rather large bump on the back of his head, it made Eddie want to punch something.

It was later when he’d stopped by his abuela’s house that he got other details of what happened when she started telling him about the lovely young man that had saved Andrew’s life which would have been fine until Pepa chimed in to tell Eddie that the guy was also Andrew’s boyfriend.

“Uh, no. No, that can’t be.”

“No, Eddie, es verdad,” abuela said. “El estaba ahí cuando fuimos a verlo.”

[“No, Eddie, it’s true,” abuela said. “He was there when we went to see him.”]

Eddie just didn’t buy it. Andrew was straight. He was as straight as Eddie was not and so there was no way that Andrew had a boyfriend. Andrew did not like men in any romantic or sexual capacity — that was Eddie’s purview.

“Maybe this reaction is why he kept him from us, Eddie,” Pepa said when Eddie expressed that.

Or he was some sort of scam artist. Maybe even responsible for Andrew being in the hospital in the first place. It made Eddie just a little annoyed that it had all happened on the one day that Eddie was off work because everyone else seemed to believe the whole boyfriend story. Even Bobby. But Eddie hadn’t been there to see the guy and find out for himself if he was somehow telling the truth or just bullshitting all of them.

The next morning, he went into the hospital with Pepa and abuela. The boyfriend wasn’t there and they didn’t see him at all the entire time that they were there. That felt suspicious to Eddie as well.

“And if he’s his boyfriend, then where even is he?” Eddie asked eventually. “Shouldn’t he be here?”

“You’ll meet him soon enough, Eddie. And then you can stop being so damn suspicious,” Pepa had said, pinching his arm for good measure. “He’s coming over for dinner at Bobby and Athena’s tonight. And don’t agitate your abuela.”

“I’m not—”

But maybe he was, after all she was probably already stressed out about Andrew being in the hospital and Eddie really couldn’t be adding on to that. His abuela was getting older and she wasn’t exactly in perfect health. So, he kept his suspicions to himself and listened to the doctor when he filled them in on what was going on with Andrew. His coma and their optimistic expectations that Andrew would wake up with all his capacities when he did. When Bobby and Athena stopped by he tried to ask them about Buck — and who the hell was named Buck? — but they both seemed just as taken with the guy.

When he spoke to Hen and Chim about it, neither seemed to find anything suspicious.

“Sexuality is fluid, Eddie. The two of us know that, don’t we? Maybe that reaction is what’s kept him from telling us about Buck this whole time,” Hen said. “People can figure out things about themselves at any point in their lives.”

Eddie let it drop. The thing about it was that nobody knew Andrew as well as Eddie did. Andrew was his little brother and Eddie knew the ins and outs of the way his brother thought and the things that made him who he was and Eddie knew that Andrew was straight.

“And he did save him,” Chim added. “I talked to the 115, they were the ones on the scene and Buck literally pulled Andrew out of oncoming traffic and he did everything he could to make sure that he’d be okay. If nothing else, we have to be thankful for that.”

But when he asked any of them for more information on the guy no one had any idea. Athena hadn’t even bothered to run a background check. All they seemed to know was his name. Evan Buckley. He liked to be called Buck. No one even knew what he did for a living.

What Eddie failed to expect was for Buck to be so gorgeous. He was handsome and cute rolled into one. His eyes were blue and expressive and Eddie was a sucker for blue eyes and this guy had the prettiest eyes. And then Buck was smiling at his aunt and when he smiled he looked even more beautiful. On his left eyebrow there was something that looked like a scar, but it only served to make him more interesting. More alluring.

After Buck finished hugging Pepa, she led him towards abuela and he bestowed another brilliant smile her way before he bent down and kissed her cheek and abuela just pet Buck’s cheek and said something that made him grin even more before he laughed. His laugh was even captivating because it was genuine.

“Hey, man,” Chimney said. “Glad you made it.”

Buck nodded at him and then Pepa led him away towards the kitchen and it gave Eddie the time to compose himself because it wasn’t fair that that guy was Andrew’s boyfriend. And Eddie was maybe more wont to believe that Andrew was at least bi-curious after seeing the man that may have led to the curiosity. It didn’t make it fair that his brother could have managed to get someone like that to go out with him.

“Eddie, estas bien?”

[“Eddie, are you okay?”]

“Si. Si, abuela. Solo...no pensé que el novio de Andrew y va ser—”

[“Yes. Yes, abuela. It’s just...I didn’t think that Andrew’s boyfriend was going to be—”]

“So handsome?” abuela asked. “And he is, isn’t he?”

Eddie coughed. “Abuela!”

She just laughed. “Oh, calm down, Eddito. I’m just having a bit of fun. You know, it did surprise all of us.”

“I know,” Eddie said and he was sure that abuela was thinking about the big conversation that Eddie had had with his family when he realized he was bisexual and wanted to tell them.

He’d made such a big deal of it back then and as worried as he’d been about negative reactions, Eddie had expected at least his brother to remain at his side. Instead, the whole family had been accepting and understanding even if the word bisexuality was a bit foreign for some of them.

“And, you know, it’s probably about time that you start looking for someone new,” abuela said. “Like your brother did.”

Eddie heard that from her every once in a while and he knew it was because she meant well. She’d nagged Andrew about it plenty too but now he was clearly winning since he had a boyfriend. One that abuela liked too.

Buck was in the kitchen talking to Bobby. Athena had gone over to join them at some point and apparently Buck already had them under his charm going by the way that they were smiling and laughing. He seemed to just fit in.

“Daddy,” Christopher said and Eddie’s attention shot to his son.

Christopher was pretty much Eddie’s reason to live. He was his entire world in the form of one tiny human person.

“Yeah?”

“I’m thirsty.”

Christopher had been busy coloring with Harry pretty much from the moment they arrived at the Grant-Nash house. They were making “Get Well” cards for Andrew. It was a nice sentiment seeing as no one knew for sure when Andrew would be waking up. The doctors were just positive that he would.

“Okay, buddy. I’ll get you some juice,” Eddie said and he ruffled Christopher’s curls.

Christopher didn’t even fight him on it.

“You boys want anything?” Eddie asked Harry and Denny.

They both shook their heads.

Eddie didn’t even think about how Buck was in the kitchen when he headed that way until he was a few feet away from him. But Eddie figured that he would need to meet him eventually. After all this was Andrew’s boyfriend and apparently his possible future fiance.

“Oh, Eddie,” Athena said. “I don’t think you’ve met Buck yet. Or have you?”

Eddie hadn’t even made it to the fridge.

“I haven’t,” Eddie said.

Buck turned his attention on him, his eyes were so blue and his lips were quirked up into a smile as he extended a hand towards Eddie. Buck had a strong handshake, his hands were big and strong but the hand fell away a few seconds later.

“Well, I’m Buck,” Buck said. “And from the resemblance, I take it you’re related to Andrew.”

“I’m his brother,” Eddie said. “I guess I should be thanking you for saving his life.”

Buck’s cheeks tinged pink. It was interesting, the way that he seemed to get a bit bashful. His face turned down and he looked up at Eddie through his eyelashes.

“Anyone would have—”

“No, they wouldn’t have,” Eddie said.

Athena nodded in agreement just as Eddie heard the clinks of his son’s crutches and then Christopher was at his side, an arm wrapped around Eddie’s legs.

“Daddy, where’s my juice?”

“Oh. I’m so sorry, kiddo. I’ll get that for you right now.”

He walked over to the fridge and left Christopher. It was when he turned back around that he found Buck crouched down to Christopher’s level and Christopher was giggling a bit and although Eddie couldn’t see him, he was sure that Buck was smiling.

“Here you are, bud,” Eddie said, returning with a juice box in hand

“Thank you,” Christopher said. “See you later, Buck” Christopher then turned away and walked back to where the other kids were.

“You have an adorable son,” Buck said. “I, um, I love kids.”

Of course he did. But Andrew didn’t. Andrew hated kids. He barely tolerated Christopher, Denny, and Harry. Everyone knew better than to ask Andrew to babysit, he was a last resort and even then you had to be desperate. Andrew was just not the kid person. He wasn’t even a pet person.

“I love that one,” Eddie said and it sounded lame to him even after he said it.

“Yes. I imagine so,” Buck said with a grin and then he turned towards Bobby. “Everything smells delicious.”

“Just wait until you try it,” Athena said. “My husband is an amazing cook.”

“Well, is there anything I can do to help?” Buck asked.

Athena shook her head and she wrapped a hand on Buck’s bicep. “No. No. You should come sit. We can have a chat and really get to know each other. We’ve been dying to find out more about you.”

Eddie watched as Buck was led away before he turned to Bobby. “So, what do you think of him?”

“I think he’s a good kid. Why? Do you not like him?”

It wasn’t that Eddie didn’t like him. That wasn’t the problem at all. “No,” Eddie said. “I just...I wonder if he’s too good to be true. None of us have heard of him and Andrew’s never dated men before. I just wonder if there isn’t anything more to him.”

“So, he’s too likable,” Bobby said with a chuckle.

Eddie shrugged. There was just — something about the whole thing didn’t add up. Eddie couldn’t help it that he was suspicious.

—-

Buck wasn’t going to tell them. It was just too hard. They were all just too nice and everyone seemed to be having a good time in spite of Andrew being in the hospital still and Buck just couldn’t rain on the happiness. He couldn’t be the person that ruined the night for everyone. Isabel seemed to be doing okay and when Pepa took him over to Bobby in the kitchen, Buck had felt himself relax a little because Bobby had this welcoming energy that made it easier to be there.

“How are you doing?” Bobby asked.

“Good. Good. Just—”

“Overwhelmed,” Bobby said. “I know it’s a lot of us. The firehouse is like a family.”

Buck glanced back and he could see it. They were exactly like a family. “It’s nice,” he said. “I, um, I don’t really have much family. So this is...it’s not something I’m used to.”

“Well, I think you’re part of this now, Buck,” Athena said, smiling at him. Gone was the intimidating police officer that he’d met at the hospital. Maybe it was to do with the lack of uniform, or more that she was looking at him without any suspicion and warmth.

“You are,” Pepa said.

He wasn’t though. He had no right to them or to the way that they were including him. Pepa smiled at him once more and then excused herself, leaving him with Athena and Bobby.

“So, what do you do, Buck?” Athena asked.

“I’m a barista,” Buck said.

“Coffee Time,” Bobby said.

Buck nodded. “It’s just for now. While I try and figure out what I want to do with myself.”

He always said that because he knew how it sounded to be just a barista at a coffee shop. It was also true. Buck wanted more than just that for himself, it was just that he didn’t know what more meant. He’d been sort of stuck on that for a while too.

“Oh, Eddie,” Athena said.

Buck’s attention switched from Bobby to Athena and the man that had entered the kitchen. Eddie.

“I don’t think you’ve met Buck yet. Or have you?” Athena asked.

“I haven’t,” Eddie said.

He was attractive. There was a resemblance to Andrew there, Buck could tell, but he was also something else entirely. He had this strong jaw line and it was currently covered in scruff. His hair was swept back but it looked soft and fluffy. His eyes were a beautiful brown and they were boring into Buck as if they were seeing right through him.

Buck extended his hand out to him. “Well, I’m Buck,” Buck said. “And from the resemblance, I take it you’re related to Andrew.”

“I’m his brother. I guess I should be thanking you for saving his life.”

Saving his life, lying about being his boyfriend, keeping up the lie and being a coward about telling the truth. Yes, he really did deserve all the thanks. He ducked his head, unable to meet Eddie’s eyes but then he had to look back up at him.

“Anyone would have—”

“No, they wouldn’t have,” Eddie said, cutting him off. There was a shortness to the way that Eddie spoke but it was masked with a strange politeness. Buck had no idea what to make of it.

Buck saw Athena nod and then just behind Eddie one of the kids came, using forearm crutches and going as fast as he could to reach Eddie and wrap an arm around Eddie’s legs. He was a cute kid and his voice was soft and just a little raspy. Atop his head was a mess of curls and he had glasses strapped to his face.

“Daddy, where’s my juice?”

“Oh. I’m so sorry, kiddo. I’ll get that for you right now,” Eddie said.

He turned away, leaving the boy behind and Buck...well, he loved kids and this one was adorable and staring at him now that he had a clear sight of Buck.

“Who are you?” the boy asked.

Buck raised an eyebrow and then he bent down to his level. “Hi. I’m Buck. And you are?”

“Christopher,” the boy said.

“That’s a good name,” Buck said.

“Buck’s a silly name,” Christopher said, so completely candid and childlike that Buck couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s a nickname,” Buck explained.

“Oh,” Christopher said and he looked like he was thinking. “Kinda like when tio calls my daddy idiota?”

Buck couldn’t help but laugh and Christopher giggled with him and Buck was pretty much sure that Christopher knew exactly what ‘idiota’ meant so that made him not only cute but smart too and funny.

“Not quite,” Buck said but he couldn’t stop smiling.

Christopher just giggled some more. “I’m not supposed to call him that,” he whispered to Buck.

“I won’t tell,” Buck said and winked for the proper effect.

“Here you are, bud,” Eddie said, holding out the juice box to Christopher.

Buck stood up.

“Thank you,” Christopher said as he took it. He walked away without saying anything else.

“You have an adorable son,” Buck said. “I, um, I love kids.”

“I love that one,” Eddie said.

“Yes. I imagine so,” Buck said with a grin. He couldn’t imagine that anyone wouldn’t love Christopher.

After being pulled away from the kitchen by Athena, Buck got to meet Athena’s kids. There was May who was just short of turning 18. She was nice and friendly and reminded Buck of her mom. Harry, her younger brother said hello before turning back to coloring something with Christopher and Denny. Athena then introduced him to Michael, her ex-husband and it was a little odd for Buck to see how well they got on.

It was as they were walking away that Athena explained. “He, uh, he’s gay. Was lying to himself about it and I guess to me for a long time but he’s still one of my best friends and the father of my children.”

And that was why none of these people had probably even blinked at the possibility that Andrew was interested in men when he hadn’t been before.

“It wasn’t always easy,” Athena said. “But things are better now.”

They wound up sitting by Hen and Karen.

“So tell us about yourself, Buck? We really know nothing about you,” Hen said.

“And maybe he’s not here to be questioned by everyone,” Karen said and she nudged Hen.

“No, it’s, uh, it’s okay,” Buck said. “What do you...what do you want to know?”

He was opening up a can of worms. He was being so stupid at the moment, thinking that he could just keep pretending and keep taking their kindness and the way that they were being so welcoming. It would blow up in his face, he knew, but somehow he still wanted to just enjoy what he could get.

“I’m a barista,” Buck said. “I was a bartender before that and so many other things. I still don’t really know what I want to do.”

“I was just like you,” Hen said, “before I figured out that what I wanted was to help people. So I became a paramedic and a firefighter. Before that I didn’t really feel like myself, I guess.”

“That’s sort of what I need,” Buck admitted. “Maybe I’ll figure it out one day.”

Hen smiled at him. “You will.”

“And how did you and Andrew meet?” Karen asked.

“So much for not questioning him,” Hen muttered.

Buck smiled at them. “Uh, he came into my job and I mean you’ve all seen him. Hard not to want to get to know someone like that.”

Except that he was a coward and he’d never once made the attempt to actually speak to Andrew. Things might have been different if he did. Or maybe they wouldn’t have been but either way, Buck might have been better equipped to talk about Andrew as if he knew him.

“So we talked a few times and hung out and here we are,” Buck said.

“And he never once mentioned you to us,” Hen said.

“I — I don’t know why he didn’t,” Buck said.

Somehow the conversation fell off of him, then, and Hen started telling them about one of the 9-1-1 calls they had responded to recently. Buck listened enraptured in the story. He could feel the adrenaline in Hen’s words as she talked about the fire and when Chim joined them and brought in his part of it, it really made the story even that more vivid.

“And in the end, no casualties,” Chimney said. “Just a bit of smoke inhalation.”

When dinner was ready, Buck helped Athena with the table. It expanded to fit more people and Athena had him help with getting the table ready. The kids — including May — stayed in the living room eating at the coffee table as everyone else moved over to the table. Somehow, Buck wound up sitting next to Eddie and across from Pepa and Isabel. Chim was on his other side and he’d wiggled his eyebrows at Buck when he sat down as if asking if Buck was going to tell the truth. But he just couldn’t. He just hoped that Chimney wouldn’t judge him too hard over it. Instead, he just joined in on whatever they were discussing.

He learned that Chimney had once been in an accident on the freeway that involved rebarb going through his head and that he’d somehow survived it and come out of it just fine.

“One month recovery time,” Chimney said.

“Yes, he likes to brag about that,” Eddie said with a chuckle.

Eddie didn’t say much. He either nodded in agreement or added a thought here or there, but mostly he listened. Buck couldn’t tell if that was because he was distracted by making sure his son was okay or because he was just a quiet person.

“Well, I just gotta say this food is amazing, Bobby,” Buck said halfway through dinner.

Bobby had made spaghetti with meatballs and Buck could tell that Bobby had even made the sauce.

“Thank you,” Bobby said.

“First homemade meal I’ve had in a while,” Buck said. “I’m hopeless in the kitchen.”

The others chuckled at that.

“Good thing you have Andrew, then,” Eddie said.

“Uh, yeah. I guess I am,” Buck said and because it had been implied. “He’s good in the kitchen. One of us has to be.”

Chimney gave him a subtle shake of the head which was how Buck knew he’d put his foot in it. When he looked at Eddie, Eddie looked calculating, like he was trying to figure it out. And he was closer to the truth than any of the others. It could have made for the perfect moment to come clean, except that Buck just couldn’t do it. Instead, he decided to explain.

“What?” Buck asked. “Is he not a good cook?” He was practically holding his breath.

“That boy would burn water,” Pepa said.

Buck gasped and he laughed. He had to come up with something quickly and he hoped that they would buy it. “So I guess when he told me he cooked us dinner he was just pretending it was him that cooked it.”

Hen cackled at that. Buck heard Chim let out a sigh. Mostly, Buck felt like he was in over his head. There would be other questions and other details that Buck would be guessing at and probably not getting right. This was just the first. He really needed to come clean. And soon.

“That sounds like Andrew,” Hen said. “I guess he was trying to impress you.”

Buck shrugged his shoulders. “Well, he did.”

—-

Eddie was still suspicious. It wasn’t that Buck wasn’t likeable. He was friendly and nice and charismatic and Eddie could see exactly why everyone else already liked him and accepted that he was Andrew’s boyfriend. Eddie still couldn’t buy that his brother would date a man. He knew Andrew too well to believe that his brother would ever be attracted to a man, even one as gorgeous as Buck. And yet trying to catch Buck out with a simple comment about cooking skills did nothing but endear Buck to everyone else because Andrew would fake cooking skills to impress someone. Actually, Eddie was pretty sure that his brother had done that on a few occasions with girls. But never a guy because Andrew was as heterosexual as they came.

After they finished dinner and Buck tried to help with clean up but was refused, Eddie found himself sitting with Hen in the living room. He spotted Buck talking to May and Michael and from what he could hear it was about college applications. But what did someone that worked as a barista know about college? It was a bit of a judgemental thought and Eddie disliked himself a little for it.

“You don’t like him,” Hen said.

“I just can’t buy that Andrew would date a guy. We all know him, Hen, and he’s very very straight. And not only that, but he’s not exactly the relationship type or a kid person. So even if he is, I don’t know, bi or whatever, this still makes no sense. This guy — Buck — he doesn’t make sense for Andrew.”

“Eddie, come on,” Hen said. “People change and grow and maybe you acting this way is what kept your brother from telling us about Buck in the first place.”

“There’s change and then there’s this,” Eddie said. “Just look at Buck and who he is.”

Buck was at that moment talking to the kids and looking at the cards they had finished making. The way that he was with the kids, it was so obvious that he was someone that enjoyed spending time with children. Eddie couldn’t remember ever seeing his brother acting that way with the kids with genuine interest and care.

“He isn’t remotely Andrew’s type without even considering that he has a dick,” Eddie said to Hen.

Eddie knew he had a point. Andrew was just...he was Eddie’s brother and Eddie knew him and Buck didn’t make sense in relation to Andrew.

“So why do you think he’s here then?” Hen asked, motioning to Buck who had somehow ended up helping Christopher pick up some crayons that rolled onto the floor.

“I don’t know,” Eddie said. “But I’m going to find out.”

Next Chapter

Notes: I had a lot of fun writing the Eddie bits in this one. Let me know what you all thought! :)

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