Turning Point (A 9-1-1 Buddie fanfic)

Chapter 6

Thursdays had never felt so long. They hadn't spoken much about the upcoming dinner, not beyond Eddie telling Buck he would meet him there once Chris was settled. Whenever Buck opened his mouth to say something, he felt awkward - a feeling that was only intensified by Chimney's teasing. Even inside his own apartment, his mind refused to slow down, his body on edge as he changed his outfit for what must have been the fifth time.

When the Uber arrived, he took a quick swig of the strongest alcohol he owned for Dutch courage, and doublechecked his reflection twice more before finally setting out the door. He barely made it two steps before he rushed back inside to change his shirt one last time, pulling on his yellow shirt instead and buttoning it up as he made his way out.

Eddie had seen him in various states, from bloody and muddy, to clean and sharply dressed, and also undressed. So why Buck found himself overthinking and obsessing over how he looked now, it made no sense to him. It wasn't a big deal. It wasn't. Except, as his heart skittered in his chest, he couldn't help but feel it was.

"Big night?" the Uber driver asked, looking at Buck through the rearview mirror.

Buck stopped chewing on the pad of his thumb and tried to still himself. "I'm going on a date?"

"Is that you asking me or telling me?" The driver laughed, and Buck could see the smile reflected in the man's eyes through the mirror. "Must be someone pretty special, huh?"

"Yeah..." Buck nodded, attempting to swallow his nerves. "He is."

Seeing Maddie and Chimney at the table as he walked into the restaurant had him panicking all over again, a quick scan of the place showing no sign of Eddie yet. He offered up a nervous smile as he reached the table and took a seat.

"Hey," he said, voice somewhat strained, betraying his anxiousness.

"Buck!" Maddie beamed at him, hers and Chimney's eyes flickering behind him and to the door. "Where's your date?"

"Running late." Buck pulled his phone from his pocket and looked down at the last messages he had received from Eddie. Nothing new, his last message letting Buck know that Carla got delayed but was on her way.

Doubt and fear skirted the edges of his thoughts, and he tried his best to push them away. But still, they whispered to him, clashing with the noises of the restaurant. What if Eddie didn't show? What if it was too soon for him? There were a million reasons why this was a bad idea and Buck could feel each one of them weighing down on him, the increasing pressure causing his hand to tighten around his phone as his eyes unfocused.

Maddie stretched her arm across the table and gave his arm a squeeze, offering up a gentle and warm smile. No words needed to be said, her eyes saying it all.

I've got you.

Buck took a breath and steadied himself, sliding his phone away.

"Don't worry, Buck," Chimney said. "If she doesn't show, then she wasn't..." But his words trailed off as his brow furrowed and his eyes moved toward the entrance of the restaurant behind Buck. "Hey, isn't that-"

"Eddie..." Buck finished for him, breathing out the name like a prayer that had been answered. Turning in his seat, he watched as Eddie approached the nearest waiter who pointed him in their direction, and Buck swore, the second his eyes met Eddie's, he felt like everything stopped.

All that worry slipped away, all the doubt melting as warmth spread throughout him, the chatter and clatter around him fading away, as he watched Eddie approach. Eddie, who was dressed in a black suit and shirt, the corner his mouth hitched up more on the left in a smile that was soft and alluring. Eddie, who was there, looking like that, for Buck. And it took Buck's breath away.