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Buck is having a bad day.
He hasn’t said anything about it. He doesn’t need to, though. Eddie can read him like his favourite book, and the second Buck wakes up, he sees the faraway look in his eyes and the hunched shoulders.
A bad day. Not one with a specific cause — not to Eddie’s knowledge, at least, and very little could happen to Buck that Eddie doesn’t know about, considering how intertwined their lives are — but just a random bad day. It happens, sometimes.
Eddie has figured out how to deal with them by now, what will make Buck feel better and what won’t. Buck needs a little extra comfort, a little extra attention, but he rarely wants to talk about it. He says that only makes it more frustrating, and he tends to draw back into himself if Eddie does try to bring it up, and that’s just not worth it.
So Eddie takes care of him in other ways. He hands Buck one of his own sweaters to wear, an oversized one that smells like Eddie and that Buck can burrow into. He makes Buck breakfast, and lunch, and tags along to the grocery store even though Buck usually does that alone. He folds laundry and places the folded clothes on Buck’s lap instead of on the couch to keep him close. He encourages Buck to sprawl out in his lap so he can stroke his hair.
He tries to make Buck feel cherished in every way he can.
As the afternoon drags on, he can tell Buck is feeling slightly better. He’s more responsive, less withdrawn. He’s clearly still not feeling great, but it’s an improvement.
And Eddie knows just the thing to give him that final bit of comfort.
Eddie gently nudges Buck’s shoulder. They’re curled up on the couch, watching Masterchef together. An old season, because Eddie doesn’t want to watch anything new without Buck’s usual commentary, and he’s not all that chatty today.
“Hey, why don’t you go take a nice hot shower? I’ll get dinner started for us.
Buck looks up at him, eyes still a bit cloudy but with a hint of appreciation. He nods silently and slowly unfolds himself from the couch. He stretches, his borrowed sweater riding up slightly, before padding off to the bathroom.
Once he hears the water start running, Eddie springs into action. He heads to the kitchen, a small smile playing on his lips as he reaches for the handwritten recipe card tucked away in a drawer. Months ago, he’d asked Maddie for her secret mac and cheese recipe — the one she used to make for Buck when they were kids. He remembers how Buck’s eyes had lit up when he’d mentioned it once, recalling the comfort the dish always brought him.
He knows Maddie has made it for him a couple of times since then. When Buck is ill, or injured, or after a breakup, his loft kitchen reliably has a pan of mac and cheese in it, and Eddie knows Buck never makes it himself.
And now Buck lives here with Eddie, and though Eddie doesn’t doubt that Maddie will bring them dishes over when Buck is under the weather, she doesn’t know about this particular bad day. Eddie does, though, and Eddie had wanted to prepare.
Eddie gathers the ingredients, laying them out on the counter with care. The recipe is fairly straightforward, which makes sense considering Maddie had been a teenager when she’d begun making this. Frankly, Eddie appreciates it. His skills in the kitchen have come a long way, but he really doesn’t want to mess up something that’s so important to Buck.
Eddie boils water and grates a general pile of cheese. He fries up bacon bits, pours elbow macaroni into the bubbling water, makes a sauce and stirs in cheese. While everything cooks, he chops some broccoli up into tiny bits and adds it to the macaroni for the final few minutes. He tosses some garlic bread in the oven, whips up a quick salad to go alongside the meal. The sauce gets added to the macaroni, then the bacon bits, the garlic bread and the salad go on the table, and Eddie is just heaping portions of mac and cheese onto their plates when he hears the bathroom door open again.
“Right on time,” Eddie calls out, stepping into the dining room with two plates in his hands. He watches the doorway, anxiously waiting for Buck to appear and realise what they’re having tonight.
Buck appears, his hair damp and curling slightly at the edges, still wrapped in Eddie’s oversized sweater. He comes to a halt in the doorway, eyes staring at the plates as he breathes in the smell of melted cheese.
“Eddie,’ he says softly, his voice a mix of surprise and something deeper, more tender. Something cautious. “Is that-”
Eddie sets the plates down, a warm smile spreading across his face as he sees Buck's reaction.
“Maddie’s mac and cheese? Yeah, it is. Or at least, my best attempt at it.”
Buck takes a few steps closer, his eyes fixed on the steaming plates.
“How did you know how to make it?”
“I asked Maddie for the recipe a while back,” Eddie says. “Thought it might come in handy someday.”
Buck’s eyes well up with tears and he blinks rapidly, trying to hide them. But Eddie sees, of course he does. He always notices. He closes the distance between them and wraps Buck in a tight hug.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Eddie murmurs, rubbing soothing circles on Buck’s back. “I just thought you could use something nice, a little extra comfort.”
Buck buries his face in Eddie’s neck, inhaling deeply. When he speaks, his voice is muffled but thick with emotion.
“You always do nice things for me. Especially on days like today.”
Eddie pulls back slightly, cupping Buck’s face in his hands. He looks right into those big, beautiful blue eyes when he continues.
“That’s because I love you, Buck. On your good days and your bad days.”
A small smile tugs at Buck’s lips. He nuzzles into Eddie’s touch.
“I love you too,” he whispers. Then his stomach growls loudly, breaking the moment.
Eddie chuckles. He presses a lingering kiss to Buck’s forehead, then steps away and motions towards the table.
“Let’s eat,” he says. “Before it gets cold.”
Buck nods, a hint of his usual brightness returning to his eyes. They settle into their chairs. Eddie watches as Buck takes his first bite. The moment the mac and cheese touches his tongue, Buck’s eyes close and a soft, contented sigh escapes him.
“It’s perfect,” Buck murmurs, opening his eyes to look at Eddie with such warmth and gratitude that Eddie feels his heart swell. “Just like Maddie’s.”
Eddie beams, relief and pride washing over him. Fuck, he’s glad he didn’t mess this up.
“I’m glad. I was worried I might mess it up.”
They eat in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds the scrape of forks against plates and Buck’s occasional hum of appreciation. Eddie notices how Buck seems to relax more with each bite, the tension in his shoulders slowly melting away. They eat some of the salad and garlic bread too, but Buck clearly gravitates towards the mac and cheese, and Eddie is happy to let him have it. He made it for Buck, after all.
As they finish their meal, Buck leans back in his chair, a contented smile on his face. He looks at Eddie, his eyes soft and full of love. There it is, that expression Eddie loves so much.
“Thank you,” Buck says quietly. “Not just for the food, but for everything today. For taking care of me.”
Eddie reaches across the table and takes Buck's hand, squeezing it gently.
“Always, Buck. You don’t have to thank me for that.”
“I know. But I want to. You make the bad days so much more bearable.”
Eddie feels a warmth spread through his chest at Buck’s words. He stands up, tugging Buck’s hand to pull him up too.
“And you do the same for me. Now come on, let’s clean up and then we can cuddle on the couch. Maybe watch a movie?”
Buck follows willingly, helping Eddie clear the table and load the dishwasher. They set leftovers aside for tomorrow — just enough for one of them to have it for lunch, and Eddie already knows he’s letting Buck have it — and return to the couch.
After finishing up the dishes, they make their way over to the couch. Buck plops down onto it with a sigh while Eddie grabs a blanket from the closet and drapes them over them both. They scroll through Netflix before settling on an action movie that neither of them has seen before.
They settle into each other’s arms, Buck leaning into Eddie’s chest as they watch the movie. Every once in a while, one of them will say something about the plot or characters, but mostly they just enjoy being close to each other. Basking in each other’s presence, just the way Eddie likes it.
As the movie continues playing, Buck starts to drift off against Eddie’s chest. His breathing becomes slow and even as he relaxes fully into Eddie’s embrace.
Eddie smiles softly at the sight of Buck resting peacefully. Knowing that Buck trusts him enough to quite literally fall asleep on top of him is one of his favourite things ever. It never fails to comfort him, the fact that he’s clearly doing something right here.
He presses a soft kiss to Buck’s curls and settles back into the couch more comfortably.
The movie keeps playing, but Eddie doesn’t really care anymore.
All he cares about right now is the man in his arms.