74 Godiva, Wednesday Morning

[justalittlerepressed]

Somehow Eddie did not know this sort of weird thing happened here. Sure, there was that time where there was no sleep or that time everyone definitely robbed Walmart as a collective.

But the idea of unbridled truth? Nah. Bridge too far!

Which was why he wasn't just manfully hiding in his room after getting Chris off to school. Ignorance was a hell of a drug.

"Buck, you still around?"

[for the housemate!]

Comments

[firehousehimbo]

"Yeah." Buck had meant to say 'no' sarcastically from where he was still mostly asleep in bed, but whatever. He didn't think on it too hard.

[justalittlerepressed]

"Good, do you want the donuts I picked up specially to make you smile at me?"

Okay, hold up. Wait a minute there. That wasn't right at all.

[firehousehimbo]

Buck perked his head up. "What?"

[justalittlerepressed]

"N--Donuts," Eddie managed to say without any weirdness. Because 'nothing' wouldn't come out.

[firehousehimbo]

"Donuts," Buck repeated, pulling himself out of bed. "Do I not smile enough?"

[justalittlerepressed]

Once he figured out what was happening, the betrayal over being asked a question.

"Yeah, but I like it at me," Eddie said, sounding like it was being forced out of him. Mostly because it was.

[firehousehimbo]

Just for that, Buck gave him a smile. "You just gotta ask and I'll do it."

[justalittlerepressed]

Eddie smiled back at him because it was just nice, okay? And narrative could still lie.

"If I ask it's weird. As weird as me even saying this," he said, kind of shoving the donuts at Buck to stop this conversation. "This is weird, right?"

[firehousehimbo]

"You are being a little weird." Buck hadn't thought he said anything too out of the ordinary due to him usually saying what he thought on most days. "Here, ask me something, let me see if I'm weird."

[justalittlerepressed]

Because Buck was more emotionally healthy than Eddie. Which was a low bar, but it was true.

"What should I ask you?" Eddie, c'mon. "You don't feel weird?"

[firehousehimbo]

Buck picked out a donut and took a bite, thinking a little on it. "Maybe a little weird."

Lighter somehow, maybe. "You're so awesome for getting me donuts."

Again, something he might say on any given day.

[justalittlerepressed]

Eddie grinned, looking a little relieved at that. Maybe it was a weird fluke!

"I also like hearing that," Eddie said, taking one for himself.

[firehousehimbo]

"What are you gonna do today?" Buck asked, talking with his mouth full. "I doubt we're gonna get any calls because we never get any calls."

[justalittlerepressed]

"I don't know," Eddie grumbled. "Probably look at the geese that hate Travis because they're a good distraction from how boring this place is."

He said because there had never been a tsunami here.

[firehousehimbo]

"It can be boring, yeah," Buck agreed with a frown. "But you don't regret coming here, do you?"

[justalittlerepressed]

"Yes," Eddie said before he realized it wasn't the no he meant. "I mean yes. What the hell?"

[firehousehimbo]

"That hurts my feelings," Buck said before he could stop himself. "...huh."

[justalittlerepressed]

"Not because of you," Eddie said, really hating whatever was going on here, but also that reaction. "Living with you and Chris is the best thing in my life, but now I have to sit and think about things and I hate it."

[firehousehimbo]

"What's there to think about?" He was remarkably good at not thinking about stuff. Didn't even have to try!

[justalittlerepressed]

"Getting shot, Shannon--" Eddie listed off before shoving a donut in his mouth to stop it.

[firehousehimbo]

"Oh." Thinking about that stuff. Yeah, he got that. He had his own crisis there between the firetruck falling on him and the tsunami. "Why didn't you say anything? I'd listen."

[justalittlerepressed]

"You would?" That was really nice to hear. "I'm not supposed to talk about it. I'm supposed to just man up and handle it because otherwise--"

He'd take a baseball bat to his bedroom or something.

"--I don't want to scare Chris. Or you."

[firehousehimbo]

"You can't scare me," Buck assured him. "You've met my parents."

[justalittlerepressed]

"Your parents are the worst," Eddie said without any hesitation. Because they were truthfully just the worst.

[firehousehimbo]

"They are," he agreed with a laugh. "But they've gotten better since we talked it out."

Buck lifted up his eyebrows. See, talking it out helped!