#so much more gesticulation when eddie's talking about a woman

[chronicowboy]

is it just me or does buck wave his arms around more when he's jealous? like "ohhhh eddie look at me! look at my big beefy arms! don't you just want to bite them eddie? don't you? i could pick you up with these, wouldn't you like that eddie? eddie!"

#sami rambles #H-O-P-E-L-E-S-S! #so much more gesticulation when eddie's talking about a woman #the python arms are hypnotising #911 spoilers #911 show #911 fox #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buddie #buck x eddie

[queenofnabooty]

Ficlet Week Challenge (schedule here)

Day 4: Unlikely Allies - examine a connection between two characters who are (at least typically) opposed in some way

Asriel & Edward - His Dark Materials

“I was studying here so often, I think there’s a print of my backside on the seat,” Edward Coulter patted the arm rest of the leather chair nostalgically, affectionately.

The fire crackled in front of two alumni of Jordan College. It was more smoke than flame, but the peat moss gave it a pleasant aroma. Stelmaria rested her chin on the toe of Asriel’s shining dress shoe. The council meeting suffered a last minute change of location to the college library, rather than the prestigious office of the king’s advisor, a place which Edward was very proud to call his own. There was still half a bottle of tokay left and Asriel was determined to savor it even if the politician would be lingering.

Edward pointed a finger, “I think I saw you back then. I’m sure.”

“I don’t think so,” Asriel said bluntly.

“Yes, I did. You were in your last year while I was in my first.”

Asriel often forgot how young he was. His colleagues in age seemed so hazy eyed because the world hadn’t gotten to them yet. Asriel didn’t have the luxury of protection, he saw the real face of life early on and he wasn’t so cowardly that he would look away. But Edward must know something to get to the position he did, even if he could slouch his way up the ladder like the rest of his kind.

“It shocks me,” Asriel bounced Stelmaria’s head with his foot, “that you decided to marry when you have plenty of bachelor years left in you.”

Edward rubbed his wedding band and smiled, “When you meet a woman like Marisa you can’t afford to wait. Besides, it doesn’t appeal to me. Not that I look down on those who prefer it.” He added the last part rather quickly. In his line of work, he didn’t think he could afford to antagonize anyway.

The scent of the tokay kept Asriel focused enough to say anything too risqué. Marisa used that word when lecturing him the last time they met. She had been less amused by his hidden jams of late. In fact, her patience had run thin in most categories.

Edward leaned forward, “As much as I like talking about my wife, I won’t let you change the subject. I was in that lecture hall when you ripped that professor in two. It was spectacular.”

Of course Edward would see that scene as a spectacle, because what was it there for but to amuse him. Asriel remembered the moment he referred to in its truth: a lint-ball of a man was not too pleased as Asriel’s two minute tardiness and had some choice words. What was it he said again? Ah, sand-

“But I suppose that’s a usual day for you, right Asriel?”

Asriel said, “Yes, it wasn’t unusual.”

Not another word passed through Asriel’s lips before Edward began gesticulating more emphatically. “God, I wish I could do that in my office. But there are expectations, with the position, you know. And Marisa... well, she doesn’t appreciate my moods. There I go on about her again.”

“What would you fight for, Eddie?” he couldn’t hide the incredulity in his tone and from Edward’s expression, it did not go unnoticed.

“Greatness,” Edward scrunched his eyebrows together, “A world where every man has the tools to gain and protect the things he wants. His family.”

Asriel might have asked what exactly Edward meant by that, but he was already bored. To his ears, it sounded very much like the world they were already living in. This man had a fetish for the family structure. It was a wonder why he enjoyed Asriel’s company at all, but people do like to visit zoos after all.

Instead, Asriel simply asked, “What was your area of focus when you were a student here?”

“Economics. If you understand the flow of capital you understand the world right?”

“I can’t disagree with you there.”

There was that great Belacqua fortune that afforded Asriel a life with a view from above. His graduation was really a favor from overly sympathetic Master to Asriel’s parents as he barely attended enough of his course to truly qualify for the degree. This money sent him on adventures since he was a teenager with his reluctant manservant following behind to make sure he didn’t get himself killed. However, stating the value of money was redundant, and Asriel didn’t consider it a worthwhile focus.

Smoke drifted into the room and the men were forced to wave the air in front of their faces clear. A student scurried up and refilled Edward’s glass all the way to the brim, eager aspiring politician. Edward nodded at the student as if this wasn’t entirely ludicrous behavior and turned his attention to the snow leopard daemon.

The student waited expecting a word, and when it was clear he wouldn’t get one he let the tokay bottle clang against the side table.

Edward kept his eyes on Stelmaria as he spoke, “Do you think there was a point where you, Marisa, and I were all studying in Oxford at the same time?”

“If you were in your first year when I was in my last, and Marisa was in her last year when you met her to woo, how could we all be studying at the same time?” Asriel took a large swig allowing the smoke and the liquor to intermingle on his tongue.

Edward joked, “You know young girls like to go see the Jordan boys for fun.”

“Marisa would have been in France then.”

It was said too quickly. It shouldn’t have been remembered at all. Asriel figured Edward would register that and keep that in the catalogue of his mind, if not agitate his temper. Marisa had mentioned in passing that Edward could burn up in a second if one wasn’t careful around him.

“She would have,” Edward slumped back into his seat, “it was just a thought, that’s all.”

#asriel belacqua #lord asriel #edward coulter #hdm fanfic #hdm #ficlet week challenge #mine

[oneawkwardcookie]

Tall Boy

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Characters: Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley, Howie "Chimney" Han, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Bobby Nash

Additional Tags: Crack, Knives, Hilarity Ensues, 9-1-1 Crack Week (9-1-1 TV), One Shot, Ficlet, Non-human POV, Injury, How Do I Tag

Summary: There's a face off between two tall boys.

***

His life span hasn’t been long, but he’s seen much of the world pass by.

Young children playing games in the back-seats of cars, full of complicated hand gestures and shouted words. Older people battling with the hoses and punching the air in triumph when they manage to untangle them. Broad men sat on the steps of their trucks, gesticulating as they speak on their mobile phones, or wolfing down some semblance of food before jumping back into the driver’s cabin and swinging their enormous metal beasts back onto the road, to join the other cars that thunder by.

All these things fascinate him.

Though he doesn’t have anyone to keep him company, he still wants to express his thoughts on all he sees. Though he doesn’t have a voice, he still wants to talk about the world around him.

And so, he dances.

It’s a simple life, standing proudly in the forecourt of the gas station on the corner of East 19th and Newport, but one that’s largely uninterrupted for a while. That is, until two young men, with matching grins and another man trailing behind them with a resigned expression on his face, get out of their car and approach him.

The knives that are attached to his arms aren’t particularly heavy, but they throw off his balance and he finds his movements somewhat restrained. He can tell from the glint of the metal, and the way the third man shouts out that this is definitely the stupidest thing they’ve come up with to date, that he’ll have to be careful.

And so, he puts a little more effort into keeping the blades away from his body, arms flung out wide.

Not even an hour later, an ambulance and a different type of truck pull up into the gas station. Four men and one woman jump out, and immediately stop in their tracks before pressing themselves against the side of the vehicles.

He tries to keep his head still, to gauge the severity of the situation from their expressions. The eldest of them, who everyone eventually turns to look at, cycles through anger and annoyance, before he yells out a couple of commands to his team and storms off towards the shop.

The two men that were standing with him look at each other, the taller of them cocking his head to the side, eyebrows crinkled in confusion, whilst the other’s eyes widening almost comically before he rolls them.

The man from the ambulance folds his arms and gives him a once-over, and the woman quirks up an eyebrow before muttering something under her breath. The two of them make quick work of capturing the culprits, and they’re swiftly bundled into a police car, driven by a woman who manages to promptly shut up the protests of the three men. In the meanwhile, the other two have set up a cordon, leaving him free to swing his arms without worrying about any stray passers-by falling into range.

It looks like they’re waiting for something, but the tallest of the men keeps looking over at him, each glance revealing a growing determination.

The last glance is followed immediately by him running full-pelt towards him, followed by an anguished cry of “Buck!”

Buck ducks and weaves as he nears. He’s not entirely sure what Buck’s intending to do, particularly since his own movements are growing less and less predictable, even to him.

Try as he might, he can’t avoid him. As he sees red drip onto the concrete, he wonders once again just what colour his own blood would be.

There’s a grunt and his question is answered. He feels the air leaking from his side and the life leave his arms and he slowly furls downwards. If this is dying, it’s the reverse of being born.

By the time he’s pressed against the ground, face sideaways and half deflated, he realises he’s not dead, just temporarily defeated. He’ll just need patching up.

On that note, Buck’s lying on the floor, still gasping from exertion, and his partner is crouching down next to him, trying to cover up Buck's wounds.

“You're an idiot.” The words don’t hold too much heat though, not when combined with how concerned the man looks as he swipes a clear liquid over the gash on Buck's cheek, and smooths on a band-aid.

“Uh-huh - ow – you think I'm not gonna - OW - fight you on that – geez, Eddie!”

“I thought you were a badass?” Eddie gives a particularly sharp yank to the bandage he's wrapping around Buck's exposed forearm. It sounds like a conversation they’ve had before.

“I am!” The last word comes out on a pained whine and Eddie is treated to a glare.

“I didn't see anyone else stepping forwards.” Right – seems like this Buck is the reckless type, acting before he thinks, leaping before he looks. Edddie does not seem pleased by that, at all.

“That's because I know better than to put myself in front of flailing knives.” Eddie rolls his eyes at Buck’s affronted sigh.

“Hen, can you talk some sense into Eddie – somebody had to do something...”

Hen looks down, and mutters, “you certainly did something alright.”

Eddie sits back onto the ground. “Okay, I think that's everything – any more cuts?” Eddie’s eyes take a while to scan over Buck, his lips pressed together as though there’s more he wants to say, but he’s holding back.

Buck props himself up on his uninjured arm and heaves out a reedy breath, looking over himself before shaking his head.

"I still saved the day." Buck’s already puffing out his chest. The man from the ambulance takes a step forwards, moving to say something. Eddie blurts out, "we were just gonna switch it off from the mains."

"…Oh…"

Buck deflates in a way that's too reminiscent of his own flattened self, almost as red faced too.

Hen roars with laughter behind Eddie and the man smacks his hand against the side of the ambulance in an attempt to stay upright whilst in silent hysterics.

“Hey now, the damage isn't that bad. Chim, tell him!” Chim, the man with tears of laughter in his eyes, just waves a hand at Buck instead.

Eddie gives Buck two raised eyebrows in response, pointedly looking at Buck’s cheeks and his left forearm, before clearly deciding that Buck isn’t going to change his ways, no matter how much his face screams of worry.

Buck grunts as he lets himself be pulled to his feet, and the captain returns, just in time for there to be a flurry of movement.

It takes both of them a little time to realise what's happened, between the distracting ouch and another peal of laughter.

There’s Hen with her forehead pressed against the side of the ambulance, Chim lying on the floor clutching his stomach, and Eddie looking shell-shocked. None of them are looking at Buck.

Buck, standing in the middle - arms outstretched, short sleeves in tatters, his hair dragged to ridiculous heights, and the right leg of his uniform in a bunched heap around his ankle.

Buck looks up with such a mournful expression that he almost feels sorry for him.

“Not again!”

#911 fox #buddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #fanfiction #911crackweek2020 #911 crack #my fanfic

[cosmicsunsett]

911 Week 2020, Day 4: “Do you believe me?” + love

Read it on AO3

Los Angeles, September of 1979

It was unusual on Fridays to have so little movement in the store, Bucky thought.

Faithfully fulfilling his part-time job, Buck thought he couldn’t have found a better work, not only for his love of music, but by the conditions to which he had moved in to Los Angeles. To leave his hometown had been harder than he anticipated and planned ever since he was a teenager, inspired by dreams shared with Maddie of leaving his parents’ house to build a new life, find out what he wanted and who he was.

Puffing out his cheeks while he scratched his beard, he shook his head when he heard the voice of his older sister warning him that he needed to ground himself and stop daydreaming about a place where everything was perfect and people were good by default. Buck knew that sometimes his own heart deceives him, and that he preferred to believe in the kindness of people, but he also wasn’t an idiot. Before becoming a guest in the Grant Nash’s residence, Buck went through situations he’d pretty much love to erase from his memories forever. Still, he used to joke with Maddie, saying that he had this thing, which allowed him to sense the energy in people.

And it wasn’t exactly because of that that his eyes were attracted to the familiar singing of the bell when a man entered the record store.

Don’t go breaking my heart by Elton John played low on his earphones while he cleaned one disk shelf until his eyes returned to the person that just came in, the unfamiliar man’s pace was calm as he walked the main aisle. Embarrassed, Buck caught himself trying to memorize the smallest details of the stranger. Well defined jaw, unruly beard, brown hair tamed with gel, and hands inside his jeans pockets, jeans that highlighted well his…

Well Buck, not the proper time.

Especially when those brown eyes, which were curious before, now stared at him.

“Hi.” Buck blurted, suddenly nervous.

“Hi.”

A moment of silence followed their exchange before the man arched one eyebrow.

“What?”

“Are you buying anything or what?” Buck crossed his arms under the constant stare from the man.

“Well, with this reception I’m not sure.” The man shrugged, smiling a certain way that, on Buck’s eyes, was a tad arrogant, very different from those eyes, that shone with a silent defiance, outshining some of the curiosity that was still there since he entered the store.

“Dad!” A kid’s voice flooded the silent store. Buck observed as the boy walked with utmost happiness to the man he was just now talking to. Looked foolish, but at that moment a open smile appeared on his face. “You were taking too long! We came to fetch you.”

A smiling lady soon entered following the small kid, but she moved her attention from the Diaz boys to Buck’s isolated presence near the record players.

“Good afternoon, feel free to look around.” Buck greeted, approaching the woman and shaking her hand.

“Apologies for this nosy kid, he enters everywhere as if it were his own.” She laughed, gesticulating towards Eddie and Chris.

“Which one?” Buck gave the lady his best innocent smile as he watched the other man’s expression turn skeptic and slightly enraged a few meter away. For Buck’s own joy, the lady next to him laughed, conscious of Buck’s sass.

“Oh, both. But I’m already used to it.”

“Abuela!” Eddie’s eyes widened while Chris laughed, hugging his father.

“Isabel, it’s a pleasure meeting you.” Isabel smiled at Buck, oblivious to her grandson’s drama. “When we have more time, I promise that Edmundo and I will be back to buy some records.”

“Oh, please, I’ll be around to help you. It’ll be my pleasure!” Buck approached the kid, almost completely hidden between Eddie’s legs. He crouched to Chris’ height. “Same goes for you, kid. Chris, right?”

The boy nodded and smiled wide, making Buck feel an intense affection for him.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Buck.” The blond could feel evaluating eyes over his head, but his attention was a hundred percent on the little sunshine in front of him.

“It’s a funny name,” Chris laughed, leaning against his crutches and briefly pointing to Buck’s face. “Did you get hurt?”

“Chris.” Eddie’s voice resounded around the store with a warning, but Buck only chuckled.

“It’s ok, Buck is a funny name. And this,” he touched his own forehead next to his eyebrows, “it’s a birthmark. And hey, you wanna know what? You can come here any time and listen to any music, or even just to talk, okay?”

“Okay, very well, you’re going to miss your class and no one here wants that. Let’s get going. Don’t forget to say goodbye, okay?” Eddie tousled Chris’ hair affectionately.

“Bye, Buck!” Chris said, loving all the attention the adults were giving him, “I’ll come back!”

Eddie sighed, closing his eyes. Buck’s own met Isabel’s, who only shrugged.

“Oh, I’m counting on it. A high five!” Buck stretched out his hand and smiled  sweetly when Chris high fived him. “That’s it kid, I’ll see you soon.”

Isabel went ahead with Chris, both waving a last time to Buck, who was observing them with a smile, utterly infected by this entire family sympathy.

Well, almost the entire family.

His wide smile diminished a little, turning into an almost malicious little thing as he held a look with those brown eyes. He could even rival it with the arrogant smile that Eddie gave him not long ago.

“Goodbye, Buck.” Eddie deflected his gaze, going in the direction of the exit.

“See you, Eddie,” he shoved his hands into his pockets, his eyes still resting on the figure, that, save one last look towards Buck, exited the store without turning back, leaving something inside Buck that he would only find out later.

-

As the party globe spun slowly on the ceiling, the flashes of colorful lights danced around the floor and the walls of the almost empty nightclub, illuminating briefly the place that normally was swimming with people. That was one of Buck’s favorite places. He remembered with a small smile the rare occasions when he and his friends managed to meet up and come to this nightclub to drink, talk and dance after a long day at work.

However, his smile became faint, becoming more melancholic as he thought that the nightclub would be an appropriate place for a meeting with a friend, masking as a potential date. His blue eyes, priorly excited and anxious, gazed woefully at the table that he had prepared for himself and Eddie. He sighed, remembering earlier in the week when he surprised his best friend in his own house.

“So,” Buck let it slip, maintaining his face as neutral as possible, a far contrast from his heart, which was beating so strongly, he could hear it if he wanted. “I was thinking-”

“Dangerous, Evan.” Eddie smiled while drying the plates Buck was passing him after he finished washing them.

“Shut up,” Buck laughed, nudging Eddie with his shoulder. Gulping drily, Buck tried to pay attention to the glass jar he lathered under tap. “Are you free friday night?”

“This friday? I think so, yeah. Why?” Eddie creased his brows, clearly not missing the way Buck’s ears became tinted in pink. His eyes rested a little longer than they should on Buck’s birthmark, a weak spot for all the feelings Eddie was useless trying to dodge for more than a year. “Do we need to bury someone?”

Buck whined, laughing while giving Eddie the jar, who promptly caught it and dried it clean with a dishcloth.

“Can you take me seriously for only one instant, I’m trying to say something serious, Eduardo.”

Eddie poked Buck hard on the hips, bringing up a laugh from Buck.

“Go on.”

Buck gulped again, preferring to stare at the glass in his hands as they apparently are more interesting than the hazelnut eyes staring at him intently. He knew his own face was hot, probably blushing, especially when he recognized, on the background, Our Love by Bee Gees playing on the old radio of the small kitchen at the Diaz’ household.

“I wanted to know if you…” Buck sighed, rolling his eyes and throwing the cautious he didn’t have with other people in moments like this away. But Buck knew pretty well why he was walking on eggs on that moment.

It wasn’t just an occasion. It wasn’t just any other person.

Buck could be a cheesy person, but deep inside he knew Eddie was his one. To discover this love, fight against it and coexist with it for so long, even knowing about the obstacles, didn’t make the feeling disappear. It only grew and grew until it became unbearable sometimes to stand by his friend’s side.

“Buck.”

You alone are the living thing that keeps me alive

And tomorrow if I'm here without your love

You know I can't survive

Only my love can raise you high above it all

His blue eyes pursued Eddie’s calloused hand, which, now, was covering his own full of foam. He knew his best friend was only trying to calm him, but the intention had another result.

“Do you want to go out with me friday night? I mean, we’ll still go out on Thursday with everyone else, but on Friday would be… only you and me.”

If Buck tried to specify how long it took for Eddie’s eyes to leave his own, he wouldn’t be able to say. Even knowing his best friend as well as the palm of his own hand, for the first time Buck couldn’t decipher the feelings behind Eddie’s expression.

Eddie’s hand hesitated over his, pulling away for a moment before Buck almost broke the glass he held while he reached for Eddie’s hand back.

“Listen, listen” buck squeezed his hand, pulling Eddie close, “I know, alright? I know you, Eddie Diaz, and I know a little about your story and I respect it. I know you and Shannon are still married and I know that you respect your marriage and I don’t want to interfere-”

Buck was surprised to see Eddie scoffing, almost incredulously.

“Buck, you’re interfered since the first time I saw you in that record store.”

He didn’t know how to respond.

“I… sorry?”

Eddie shook his head, his smile turning more intimate, private, the one Buck loved the most, because he liked to think that smile was one that Eddie only ever smiled on moments like this between them.

“Don’t be. But Buck, you know that I… Chris-”

“Eddie, you know I’d give my life to that kid and I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt him. He’s my favorite Diaz, after all.” Buck smiled as he remembered the three of them listening so some records on the living room after dinner. “I wouldn't dream of ending up destroying anything, but I just…”

Eddie knew. He knew, every day, even when Buck wasn’t with him, Eddie could see on that moment what he and Buck try hard to hide from one another, and from themselves. It took a long time for Eddie to escape the auto denial bubble, and that Buck and he were more than simply best friends with a greater intimacy. But damn, after a year, that feeling, ever since that pair of blue eyes faced him from the back of the record store, Eddie had to deal with that certainty, even if he tried to destroy it by pulling away from Buck, ignoring him, denying him, fighting against what he feels when Buck catches his eyes, how he laughs when telling a horrible joke, when he seems confused by the malicious comments their friends say about them, when he cries observing the commercials on the TV, when he closes his eyes, immersed in the song in his headphones or simply when he carries Chris and dance with him throughout the entire house.

Eddie tried and failed by missing that he was falling in love with Buck, but it was there. As clear and pure as daylight. And he knew the feeling was mutual, because the love that Buck gave to others was difficult not to notice.

But them… they were something else. Both always knew, but had never taken a step foward.

“Eddie Diaz, are you with me?”

Eddie blinked, snapping his attention to the tall man in front of him, apparently very nervous, because he begun feeling his hand being tightened, now also full of foam.

“It can be what you like, a date or a date between friends, we can go to the nightclub, just the two of us, drink and talk about nothing in particular.” Before he could notice, Buck begun speaking faster, “I don’t even know why I said that, I completely respect you, Eddie, I know how it’s hard and new to you, damn, even to myself, but look, you know what? We can totally-”

“Okay.”

“-go out with Chris an-”

Buck choked, his words interrupted  with surprise. His blue eyes wide, almost as scared as when Eddie and he would go to the cinema with their friends to watch some horror movie.

“It can be whatever I want, right?” a nervous grin bloomed on Eddie’s lips, “A date or-”

“Of course! Yes, of course.” Buck nodded frantically, licking his lips suddenly, his heart threatening to spill from his mouth. “Wait, Eddie, are you sure?”

Smooth, Evan. Very slow and smooth.

“No, but what the hell. After all, it can be whatever I want, right?” Eddie came closer, the height difference forcing his hazelnut eyes to look from Buck’s pink lips up to the crystal blue eyes again, staring intently. “What we want?”

“Well, what I really want right now is to kiss you.”

Buck 1, Smoothness 0

“Buck!” Eddie shoved the taller man slightly, shaking his head when he caught a glimpse of the wide smile growing on Evan’s face. “You can’t be real.”

“I’m sorry! I’ll always go slow for you, don’t worry. Just, well, you know, it slipped.” Buck laughed, pulling Eddie in for a hug, melting when, after a few seconds later, Eddie’s arms circled his hips. “Everything on its time, alright?”

Eddie didn’t answer, but his arms brought Buck’s body closer yet, resting his face in a prefect fit under Buck’s neck, forgetting for a moment of the world around them and feeling good for listening to his heart instead of his head for the first time in a long while.

Evan checked his watch and sighed, thinking that after two hours from the agreed meeting time, Eddie had probably forgotten.

Or after the great disappointment his best friend suffered yesterday, he realized that he wasn’t ready. That it wasn’t the right time. And as he remembered the pain and hurt embed on Eddie’s eyes when their gazes met, he knew it would be a bad idea to keep pressing on something that maybe would be for the best to continue as it was.

Even if his heart broke into pieces when Buck though how much he wanted them, how he wanted Chris. Bitterly, he looked to the backdoor of the nightclub and he flinched as he remembered of the exact moment yesterday, sitting together with Hen, Chim and Maddie on the sabe table as he sat today. Almost involuntarily, he could feel the familiar pull of Eddie’s eyes over him, even in a room full of people, dancing, drinking and smoking.

As he snorted a laugh next to Maddie while chatting, the beer bottle that came to his lips never arrived at its destination when Buck lifted his eyes up and stared as a familiar figure came walking by the side door of the nightclub.

“Oh, finally arrived the real reason for Buck’s eyes to outshine the globe over our heads.” Chim joked, laughing with Hen, who followed his intense gaze at Eddie’s direction as the man tried to dodge the people on the dance floor.

“This ain’t a nice surprise!” Maddie smiled while greeting Eddie when he approached the table, looking apparently uncomfortable with the Night Fever’s noise that echoed around. Buck smiled, remembering Eddie mumbling the other day when he invited him to meet up with their friends.

After everyone greeted Diaz, he approached Buck, who was still sitting, his azure eyes almost shining under the colorful lights. Eddie always thought he was being discreet while admiring Buck’s obvious beauty, but everytime, it felt like the floor under his feet moved on its own accord when he let himself stare at the details most people didn’t notice in Buck.

And, well, in Buck’s opinion, to be the target of such a powerful stare as the one he was receiving now, and had received over a long time, was a privilege. It wasn’t intimidating, like how it felt when they first met, but it was close to feeling…

Desired. Truly.

“Buckley.”

“Diaz.” the taller man stood, pointing to the empty chair next to him and Maddie on the table.

“What’s this? Preliminaries?” Chim asked, whispering over Maddie’s ear, and she nudged her boyfriend with her elbow.

“I should have pressed Karen to come with me, at least that way I wouldn’t have to be the third wheel.” Hen pointed out bitterly before taking a sip of his drink. Chim and Maddie exchanged a smile before both set of eyes turned to Buck, who cleared his throat and weaved his hand through his blond curls, almost messy.

Ignoring the small murmurs next to them, Evan leaned closer to Eddie as he sat down.

“Want anything to drink? To eat?”

“A beer would be great, thanks.” Eddie smiled pleased for the beer that Buck opened for him, “So, Bobby bothered you a lot today? He doesn’t stand your late arrivals much, from what I know.”

“Oh, please, Buck only needs to give him the puppy eyes and Pops forgives him like that, easy.” Hen replied, aware of the fact that friend got twenty minutes delayed at the fire station that morning. And by the huge smile on his face that same morning, she suspected the reason why.

Well, the reason was practically sitting next to him. With teeth showing off on a beautiful smile, darker skin and brown eyes.

“Hey, and Chris’ science project? How did it go?” Buck turned his attention back to Eddie as they fell into their own little bubble.

“With the extra help he got, he couldn’t have gotten a better mark. Buck, he was almost jumping when I went to get him from school. Showing off his big mark to all his classmates.”

Buck laughed, enjoying the image of his little man happy with his conquest.

“I can’t imagine from whom he got that exhibicionism.” Buck joked, and Eddie rolled his eyes, not missing Buck’s sass, “Really, I don’t know why you complain so much when I invite you out, I know that deep inside you like it”

“I just…”

“live home. Living the exciting life of an eighty years old man.” Buck added, sipping his bear.

“I may be a eighty years old man, but at least I don’t wear flare pants.”

“Hey! They are trending, okay?” Buck shoved him with his shoulders, laughing in unison.

“I spent too much time dodging from this kind of fun, that I simply forgot how one lived aside from taking care of one’s son and working. After I enlisted, my life became my obligations and-”

“Eddie,” Buck placed a hand on the man’s thigh, trying to calm him. “I know. You are an amazing dad. And luckily for Shannon, an amazing husband. And unfortunate for me.”

Eddie didn’t answer, he only stared at Buck in answer, knowing full well of the implications of his best friend’s words. He could imagine what was going through in that blond head, and he couldn’t even count on his fingers all the moments that they could have taken the next step, but Buck never tried to push the limits, even if both knew that Eddie and Shannon were getting closer and closer to a divorce. Eddie hadn’t spoken that morning with Buck about it, but his (still) wife was arriving Los Angeles on the next morning for a chat.

Eddie opened his mouth to reply, when the Disco Inferno echoed on the background, together with the excited shouts from the people on the dancing floor.

“Ok, let’s go, Maddie, it’s time to show what we a capable of.” Chim pulled his girlfriend by the hand when they rose from the table.

“Don’t hurt yourself on the dancing floor, Chim.” Buck said mockingly, and Hen cheered him with her drink. Turning to Eddie with a invitation to dance on the tip of his tongue, Eddie’s eyes got caught to a distant point, far from the dance floor and close to the bar.

Curious to see what had caught Buck’s attention, Eddie made to turn his face, but was stopped by two large familiar hands on either side of his face, preventing him from turning.

“What’s happening?” Eddie frowned, confused while he stared at the shocked eyes of his best friend, before they turned back to him, “Buck, what is it?”

“Eddie, I-”

The older man pulled out from the hot squeeze of Buck’s hands and turned to see what had happened to have gotten Buck so disconcerted, until he saw it, and on that second, he regretted it.

Far away on the dance floor, even through the darkness only illuminated by the colorful lights blinking on and off, Eddie could have recognized that flowery dress anywhere. Male arms were a contrast against the yellow tone of the dress as they circled around the waist he had memorized for almost thirteen years of marriage. They looked like any other couple around them, dancing and kissing happily.

Meanwhile, Eddie felt his heart drop to his stomach.

Before Buck could react, his eyes widened to see Eddie stand up and march towards the bar, where Shannon and the unfamiliar man were dancing closely.

“Eddie, Eddie! Wait!” Buck followed, ignoring Hen’s protests as he tried to catch up with his friend, but it was difficult to dodge so many people on a crowded space.

Only a few steps before Eddie could reach them, but Buck managed to intervene, pulling the man by the hand to his direction, completely aware of the powerful tugs Eddie was doing to free himself. Until that finally both managed to exit from the side door of the nightclub, being greeted by the chilly fresh air of the night.

“What the fuck was that, Buck?” The expression on Eddie’s face was furious, and if it wasn’t from the firm hold Buck had on his arms, he would have already turned back inside. “Let me go!”

“No, Eddie, I know full well what you plan to do, but please, don’t do it. It’s not worth it.”

“And so what? I’m not worth it?” Eddie shouted in the middle of the almost deserted street, aside from a couple of youngsters smoking next to the nightclub’s corner. Finally managing to get off Buck’s grip, he panted for air, but his heart was far from being tight. He wasn’t going to cry, he didn’t want it. “I was trying, Buck, trying really hard for our marriage, and she was betraying me all this time and I-”

“Eddie-”

“No!” Eddie took two steps away when Buck tried to come close. “I’m tired, Buck. I even thought we could have tried again, who knows, maybe we could have gone traveling, or tried having another child, I don’t know.”

Buck gulped dry, nodding as he felt the chilly breeze touch his face. He hated seeing Edde like that, completely defeated as his eyes shone, betraying the tears his friends tried to hold back.

“I wanted to do it because deep inside I knew it was the best thing to do” Eddie scoffed, running a hand down his face. Biting his lips, he shook his head. “In the end, you’re right. I placed my happiness so low and I only hurt myself. I placed us both last, and for what? And Christopher? I only ended hurting my son and you.”

“No, Eddie, is not like that.” Buck answered, trying to catch Eddie’s eyes even when he looked far away from Buck. “ You wanted what’s best for your family, and I get that, and I support you. This was not your fault, none of what happened is.”

“So why don’t I feel any better?”

Buck opened his mouth but promptly closed as he watched as the sorrowful hazelnut eyes stared back. His shoulders slumped, brown hair sticking out in every direction due to the breeze, alike Buck’s. Eddie searched for answers Buck couldn’t give. And it hurt, it hurt seeing someone he loved being wounded.

“I’m an idiot.”

“Wait, Eddie-”

Buck followed Eddie quickly as they distanced themselves from the nightclub.

“I’ll give you a lift.”

“I think I prefer walki-”

“Look, I’ll give you all the time you need. And your space. I won’t pressure you. I promise.” hesitating, Buck cupped Eddie’s cold hand with his. “Just, please, let me take you home.”

Eddie’s expression told him he would clearly fight to contradict Buck’s request, he seemed ready to pull away and leave, but he was too tired to do much. So, he let himself get gently dragged to the green beetle car that was parked only a few blocks away.

After a few minutes, both were parking in front of the Diaz’ household. The silence was immense in the beetle, but soon Eddie’s fingers searched for the latch on the door. Before he could leave, Buck asked, voice almost a whisper.

“Tomorrow’s not a good idea, huh?”

Eddie looked at him confused before he closed his eyes, clearly remembering their ‘date’. His stomach folded into itself as he remembered the scene at the nightclub, and he didn’t have energy to stay close no anyone.

Not even Buck.

“I’m so sorry,” he averted his eyes, not bearing to see the sadness on those blue eyes he had learned to love in so little time.

“Hey, I need to keep the hope up for us, right?” Buck smiled, barely reaching his eyes. “Give Chris a kiss for me”

Eddie nodded, opening the car door and leaving.

“And Eddie?” Buck waited Diaz to turn around and face him. “You know where to find me. You’re not alone.”

Not trusting his voice, Eddie climbed up to his house. When he closed the door behind himself, he smiled sadly as he heard the faint sound of the green beetle fading away, leaving only then the tears to fall, submerged by the darkness of his house.

Shoving his thoughts away, Buck rose and walked towards the exit. His fingers were ready to pull the power lever and close the place when his eyes betrayed him, falling on the side door. His heart almost dropped from his chest when he saw a figure entering the empty nightclub, his hesitant steps coming his way.

“Eddie?” Buckley walked to the center of the dance floor, recognizing the curves and traces of his best friend, soaking wet, probably because the rain was heavy outside the nightclub and Buck hadn’t notice. The eyes he admired so much, now puffy and wet and he was sure it weren’t from the rain. “Are you okay?”

Brown eyes stared on only a few steps away. Eddie flicked his eyes away for a moment, briefly sparing his attention fo the table set for two behind Buck before they flicked back to the blue pair that were set on him. Eddie approached, seeming smaller and different from the usual Eddie Diaz he knew and loved.

“Evan…”

Buck waited.

And waited until the other man’s shaking voice echoed over the room.

“And if one day you realize that I’m not enough for you?”

Oh, Eddie.

Buck gulped dry, closing the distance between then until he felt the warm breathing of his friend against his. He closed his eyes as he felt a cold and wet hand cupping his face, and smiled as he felt the familiar carressing on his beard, so alike the gentle touch of Chris when Buck told him stories.

Opening his eyes, he tried to transmit truly what his heart longed to tell Eddie all the time.

When he smiled.

When he played with Chris.

When he mocked Buck for his stupid jokes, only to make him smile. Or even when he say the green beetle was too small for a man almost two meters tall like Buck.

When he tried to hide is sigh when Buck hugged him, most times without his consent.

When he got angry and fumed in spanish as he tried to cook, or when they thought about minor things.

When he noticed a stranger on the record store he worked at months ago.

“I love you, Eddie. And I think this feeling inside me will never leave.” Buck murmured, hugging the man’s waist. “You are more than enough. You and Chris are family.”

With his hand still cupped on Buck’s face, Eddie pulled him even closer, touching their foreheads together. Eddie could try naming what it felt like being surrounded by the huge arms of his best friend, isolated inside an empty nightclub while the rain poured outside, yet all seemed wrong.

But safety and trust was everything Buck gave him, and so, he meant to retribute for a long, long time.

Aside from that special word. His head was still swirling with the three words spoken by Buck with such an ease, so different from even himself, who holds them closer yet to his chest. The heavy feeling only grew.

“I have your back, Eddie.”

“I have yours.”

Buck squeezed Eddie’s arm, as if nothing else mattered aside from that moment. A few moments go on like this before Don’t go breaking my heart started playing on the amplifiers and Buck laughed low against Eddie’s temple, feeling the wet locks of his hair against his lips.

“What?” Eddie asked, suddenly curious to know what was going through Buck’s head.

Slowly, Buckley swayed them from one side to the other, and Eddie let himself be taken away, hugging and being hugged in return, smiling genuinely for the first time after what occurred last night.

“Don’t go breaking my heart, you take the weight off of me” Buck sand under Eddie’s ear. “Come on, Diaz, gimme what you got.”

Eddie tried to ignore the baits Buck was leaving, until the taller man swirled him around, making him laugh surprised with his dance moves. It wasn’t the first time that he observed Buck dance, but alone, it seemed that Buck would let himself act more foolish than he normally would act. He observed in ecstasy his friend close his eyes, laughing and singing, moving his hips awkwardly before opening them again and sing the chorus line from Elton John’s song.

Woo hoo

Nobody knows it

When I was down

I was your clown

Woo hoo

Nobody knows it

 “Hey now, I know what you’re thinking, it’s not nice.” Buck pulled him back by his hand, making Eddie laugh freely. Diaz’ arms enveloped his large shoulders, letting himself be guided by the lyrics of the song and Buckley moves, feeling his own breathing against the neck of the taller man. “I know you have talented moves, don’t you hide it.”

“You are way more talented than me, I would say.” Eddie said sarcastically, laughing at the contrasting expression on the face of someone so tall and strong that more looked like a seven years old boy mentally.  

“Right from the start, I gave you my heart” Buck hugged Eddie again, getting back to following the song’s beat together, wishing more than anything to freeze this moment.1 The feeling took hold of him when his best friend chanted the following words from the song.

“Do you believe me?” Buck asked, holding Eddie on his arms.

“Oh-oh, I give you my heart.” Eddie answered singing against Buck’s face, swinging from one side to the other, letting himself act foolish and enjoying the moment. Like he had thought so many times before, tomorrow’s not promised. When he felt Buck’s laugh, he smiled, fool and in love.

But today, on that rainy night as Elton John echoed around them and Buck was in his arms, it was all he could have wished for.

#911 fox #911 fic #911week #911week2020 #buddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #evan buckley x eddie diaz #my writing

[kapsbrakclapsback]

Dreammaker, You Heartbreaker

Ya Girl is fianlly back with the third chapter!! Read under the cut!

Chapter 3

When Eddie woke up the next morning, bleary eyed and tinged with the drag of sadness, it was to the sound of quick knocks and a hurried shuffle, followed by heavy footsteps. He groaned at the light streaming through the window, unnecessarily angry at the rays. He tried to close his eyes and fall back to sleep, but resistance was futile. He let his eyes pull themselves open, and pulled himself out of bed, one limb at a time.

Once his eyes were completely open, he looked to the door, the source of the sound that woke him up in the first place. He rubbed his eyes as he stepped lightly over the carpeted floor, until he saw the crème envelope and typewriter ribbon on the floor, shoved under the crack in the door. He smiled at the typewriter ribbon, realizing that Richie must’ve been behind the shuffling and the knocks and the break from his sleep. He bent over to get the envelope, wincing at the soreness in his spine, and took it to his bed.

He sat on top of his sheets, now rustled with a restless sleep, and opened up the envelope with a careful hand.  He pulled out the letter itself, written on loose leaf and addressed to "Eds/Stan". His blooming smile faltered a bit at the name, but he continued reading nonetheless.

"Sorry about last night. Got you a typewriter ribbon, figured you'd put it to good use. Can I make this up to you with an invite to a party? Tonight at 8 till the police come. Be there or be square

-Hope everything can be cool again, Richie"

His smile had been cultivated into an unabashed grin, and he let the hope spread through him as he clutched the already-wrinkled looseleaf to his chest, his eyes falling closed in the new beginning.

There was a lot to work out, he knew. There were plans and explanations and a lot more hand sanitizer required to get anywhere with his charismatic neighbor, but this, Eddie thought, this was a start.

———

The party began a few hours later, and the distinct rumblings of polite conversation began to stir up at 7:30. There was always a group of people who optioned to show up early, and Eddie would’ve joined them if it weren’t for his sudden obsession over looking just right that caused him to actually show up at 8.

He was dressed in a dress shirt paired with a blue jacket that belonged to his late father. The blue had been worn and stressed into a color that was nearly pastel and there was a small tear on the inside of the coat's elbow, but it was the only jacket he owned that wasn’t directly bought by his mother, so he wore it with pride as he entered Richie's apartment.

The gathering was pretty tame, as far as Eddie could see. It was a smattering of couples and trios talking as they leaned on walls or lounged on couches, and it didn’t take long to find Richie in the kitchen, feeding something to Cat while he talked absentmindedly with someone in a turtleneck.

Eddie set the heavy bottle of wine he had bought for the party on a lopsided coffee table and gravitated towards the empty end of the couch. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, and looked around nervously. He was caught in a struggle between seeking out a conversation partner or letting one find him when he was saved from his nervous plight by a red headed woman.

"Mind if I join you? Jerome took the chair because he’s a rat bastard, and it’s here or the table," the woman spoke with a cadence so sure that Eddie was shocked still, in awe of her ethereal presence. He chose, finally, to nod, and the couch became certifiably crowded with the addition.

"Hi, I’m Eddie-" he blurted out, uncomfortably sticking his hand into the narrow sliver of space between them. The static sound of other partygoers had only increased in volume, and Eddie worried that his words had been swallowed up by the noise.

"Beverly Marsh. Everyone just says Bev, because syllables are too advanced for this crowd," she said, and she seemed to pull a glass out of nowhere, and took a sip from it. Eddie opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Richie has he barreled towards them, arms spread out wide.

"Bev! Stan the man!"

They both stood up, Bev going to take the first hug. When she separated from Richie, she had a few spare seconds to look at Eddie with a suspicious sort of wonder, but Eddie was too quickly pulled into a warm hug to think much on it.

He reveled instead on the feeling of Richie's arms around him, and that was enough, if only for a few seconds. When he surfaced back to the world, Richie's hands were still resting on his shoulders, but his head had turned to other side of the room. Eddie turned his head when he heard the breaking of glass, and the moment was effectively broken as Richie rushed to stop the ill-advised drinking game.

Once Richie was out of his sight, Eddie turned to Bev, who was staring at Eddie with a passionate glint in her eyes.

"So you’re Stan?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Oh, so that was what this was all about. Eddie sighed out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and began to explain.

"I’m Eddie, Richie just calls me that. Apparently I remind him of Stan, or something like that. It’s not even something I totally understand, it’s just a thing, I guess," he rambled, his hands wringing with a nervous intensity.

"Fuck, man. That’s…something. You know who Stan is, right?"

"His best friend from Maine, right?"

"Yeah. That’s right. What else do you know?" Beverly asked, still standing as she took a sip of her drink. Someone had bumped into Eddie, making them stand a bit closer. Eddie looked nervously around, and saw that their seat on the couch had been taken.

"He’s away, or something. But still alive, I think?"

"He’s in the military but-"

"But what?" Eddie asked, feeling the anxiety in his bones.

"I don’t know Stan, but I do know Richie and what he’s said about his… friend and…" rambled Bev, her manicured hand gesticulating with sharp, fearful movements.

"And?"

"Some people aren’t meant for war."

A tense silence passed between them, Bev refusing to make eye contact and instead choosing to wave to an acquaintance who had just entered. Eddie put his hand on her shoulder to bring her back to the conversation, and Bev flinched momentarily before letting her eyes fall back to Eddie.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"When Stan comes back, he won’t be the Stan who watched sunsets on the beach with Richie. It won’t be Stan the Man. Richie won’t be ready for that, and-"

"If Stan comes back," said Eddie, quietly but definitively.

"What? Stan is coming back. I don’t want to live in a world with a version of Richie in which Stan doesn’t come back. That would kill him, Ed-"

"I know! I know, Stan is his best friend, his moon, all of that, but what happens if he really isn’t built for war? We can’t rule out a possibility because we don’t like it."

"How long have you known Richie?"

"Shorter than you have known him, I know, but-"

"Richie operates on certain things he believes are true. Phony things. Things like Stan coming back or that his cat will never have a name or just that he can survive on sugar and not much else, but he really believes these things, Eddie. The things he tells himself when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep? Those are his base realities. You rip one away, it’ll break him. So shut up about if he’ll come back at all and enjoy this party, because Richie wants you to. I want you to. So just stop, okay?"

He has an out of body experience at this, where he realizes that he’s shouting over the relentless noise of the party to argue about something he has no real control over. He’s at the first truly adult party of his life, and he’s spending it being upset, so he shuts up.

He looked into Beverly's steely eyes and asked where he can find a drink. His own words sound muted and blurry, but Bev heard them somehow and pointed to the kitchen.

He walked and maneuvered around the new additions to the party and found an unopened wine cooler on the stained counter of Richie's kitchen, and found himself opening it, sipping it contemplatively while let his gaze fan out lazily over the gathering. He smiled when he properly spotted Richie, putting out fires with the elegant flick of his wrist and chatting with members of a jazz band.

Time passed, with Eddie leaning onto a counter and just letting himself observe. His focus dragged to Beverly, who kept her arm wrapped around a blonde, flirting obviously and lightheartedly. It was a stark change from the Beverly who's fear shone in her rich blue eyes, and a welcome one. He smiled lightly, taking another sip. He was lost in his reverie by a tap on the shoulder from Richie, who sidled up next to him.

Everything about Richie in this moment was loose, from his smiles to the way that his arms crossed on the counter with ease, one arm occupied in holding a glass to his lips.

"Do you see him over there? I want to marry him," said Richie without even offering a hello, flippant as he pointed at someone from across the room.

Eddie was focused on the way that Richie's fingers gently cradled his champagne glass (that was filled with, oddly enough, red wine), but managed to tear his eyes away from that delicate torture to the man that Richie was apparently infatuated with. When his eyes caught him, it was unmistakeable: Eddie was beat.

"I guess, if handsome, rich looking men with beautiful eyes are your type, then I could see the appeal," said Eddie, nervously as he sized up the apparent competition.

"No, not him, the one to his right."

The guy to his right, who was apparently the object of Richie's affection, was a scrawny man with an uncertain haircut. Everything about his look screamed serial arsonist.

"Do you think it’s possible that you have terrible taste in men?" Eddie teased, trying to avoid any hint of sincerity in his voice.

"You have to understand, I don’t look for good men, I look for rich ones. It’s simple economic sense. Patrick there? He's one of the 50 richest men under 50 in the country. Why would I, an attractive man resigned to eating the same pasta dish day after day, pass up on that opportunity? We can’t all be paid to write essays," said Richie, taking another swig of his drink.

"Who’s the other guy? The one who's actually attractive?" Eddie asked, squinting at the mismatched pair.

"Him? That’s Bill Denbrough. He writes scary stories. You two might actually be able to strike up a conversation about writing. Why? Interested?" Richie asked, wiggling his eyebrows in the most exaggerated, cartoonish way possible and knocking his elbow against Eddie's. Eddie quickly withdrew from the touch, a move that Richie didn’t seem to notice.

"No, of course not! It’s just- I don’t know. Thought you might be... never mind."

"Loosen up, Eds! You thought a guy was cute, it’s fine. Do you need some more to drink? Turn this into a riot instead of a regular party?"

Eddie looked around at the party, which had ascended to total chaos. People were crying, laughing, and breaking things. It was completely and utterly Richie, but it only caused fits and starts in Eddie's chest. This simply wasn’t the life of an organized essayist with undiagnosed anxiety and an overbearing mother.

"I think I’ll turn down that drink. You should head over to Patrick, though," said Eddie, drawing further into himself and shooing off Richie. With a worried look and a calming smile, Richie slipped out of the kitchen and into the cacophony.

Eddie watched from afar, and time began to do its own work, ebbing and flowing around him. He watched as the party escalated even further, and Richie left the party with Patrick on his arm, presumably to go on a walk.

It was then that Eddie heard the faint sounds of something, the dull whine of police sirens. It sparked a panic response, and he stood at full attention, before darting into the crowd to devise an escape. He saw Bill, and grabbed his arm on impulse, pulling him out of the other side of the dance floor, next to the bathroom door. Bill, intoxicated and pleasantly confused, looked down at Eddie and laughed at some joke that Eddie hadn’t heard.

"Bill, the police are coming. What do I do?"

His laughter dropped off, and he looked around, utterly confused. It struck Eddie that, first and foremost, Bill wasn’t necessarily as smart as he looked. Bill also was, for all intents and purposes, an absolute stranger who hasn’t heard anything about Eddie.

"Let’s jump out the bathroom window. Fire escape. I think."

"I think so too," said Eddie, breathing a sigh of relief that Bill could come through. His anxiety clouded all of his decision making skills, and the blare of sirens in the background only worsened his comprehension of the situation.

"We need to run, bad press would be... bad," Bill rambled, not making a motion. Eddie did it instead, darting towards the closed bathroom door and throwing it open with reckless abandon. There was a kissing couple leaning against the wall, but that didn’t stop the quest forward.

Eddie stepped over the walls of the bath under the window, and was followed by Bill, who reached towards the latch of the window. He undid it with fumbling hands to the soundtrack of sirens and Eddie whispering "my mom's going to kill me" over and over. Finally, it came undone, and the escape stretched in front of them with a divine solidity.

"Hoist me up," said Eddie, acutely aware of his height. He cursed before stepping on Bill's laced hands to climb out. He landed on the metal escape, and narrowly avoided Bill falling on him amidst Bill's own escape.

They heard the sound of an opening door and a booming voice, exchanged a handshake, and scattered in different directions. Eddie scurried to his apartment, gasping in lungful of air as he jumped into his still-unlocked window.

He landed with a thud onto the pristine carpet, before resting his back to the wall and resting a hand to his beating heart.

He let his eyes come to a close, and smiled into the quiet air. The adrenaline rush calmed, and he let himself revel in the calm after a storm.

#it (2017) #it fanfiction #reddie