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Everyone was relaxed, having a good time.
Except Buck.
He stood off to the side with a drink in hand, eyes fixed on where Eddie and Hen were laughing together at their own table. Hen was waving her hands animatedly mid-story, and Eddie was doubled over, laughing so hard he nearly dropped his plate.
Buck frowned.
Ravi, standing next to him, noticed the stare before Buck said a word.
“They’re partners now,” Ravi said, not looking up from his phone. “They spend a lot of time together. That’s all this is.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Buck muttered, defensive.
“You didn’t have to.” Ravi finally looked over at him, unimpressed. “You’ve been staring at them for ten minutes.”
Buck took a sip of his drink. “I just think it’s funny how they’re suddenly inseparable.”
“They’re literally partners. Have been for days,” Ravi said flatly. “It’s not really sudden.”
Buck rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but they weren’t this close before. Now they’ve got all these inside jokes, and they talk too much. It’s like I’ve been replaced.”
Ravi turned his head, really looked at him this time. “You haven’t been replaced, Buck.”
Buck gave a half-hearted shrug, eyes still trained on Eddie. “I know. It’s stupid. I just... miss hanging out with him, I guess.”
Ravi exhaled. “Okay. You want to know what I think?”
Buck hesitated. “Not really,” he mumbled.
“I’m telling you anyway,” Ravi said, unbothered. “You’re not upset because Hen and Eddie are friends. You’re upset because you’re in love with Eddie, and watching him get close to anyone else drives you up a wall.”
Buck froze. “What?”
“I said what I said.”
Buck blinked. “That’s not— I’m not— Hen’s married. She’s a lesbian, Ravi. I’m not worried about them being a thing.”
Ravi gave him a look. “I know that. You know that. This isn’t about Hen. This is about Eddie. And you.”
Buck’s voice dropped. “You’re wrong.”
Ravi sighed. “Buck. Come on. Every time Eddie talks to someone else or even gets close to someone else, you start acting like the world’s ending. You light up around him like a puppy seeing his owner. You talk about him all the time—literally all the time. And now he’s spending more time with Hen—because of work, by the way—and suddenly you’re sulking in a corner, spiraling.”
Buck looked away. “I’m not spiraling.”
“You’re jealous,” Ravi said. Not cruel. Just... done pretending otherwise. “Not because you think Eddie likes Hen. Not because you’ve been replaced. You’re jealous because you’re in love with him, and you don’t know what to do with it.”
Buck didn’t answer. He didn’t know how.
Ravi continued, a little softer now. “Look. I’m not judging you. I’m just tired, man. You’ve been like this for weeks. And I’m the one who has to hear about it every shift—how Eddie didn’t text you back fast enough, or how he laughed at Hen’s joke and not yours, or how you think he’s pulling away. It’s embarrassing for you.”
Buck let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t ask for all this to get so... complicated.”
Ravi nodded. “I know. Feelings usually are. But pretending it’s just about missing your best friend? That’s not helping anyone. Least of all you.”
Buck looked down at the cup in his hands. The noise of the event faded into the background. Hen said something else that made Eddie laugh, and Buck’s chest pulled tight.
“You really think I’m in love with him?” Buck asked, voice barely audible.
“I know you are,” Ravi said. “I think you’ve known for a while, too. You just keep calling it something else.”
There was a long silence.
“I’m scared,” Buck finally said. “If I say it out loud, I could lose him.”
Ravi shrugged. “Yeah. Or... maybe you don’t. Maybe he feels the same way. But you’re never going to find out if you keep pretending it’s something it’s not.”
Buck nodded slowly, still staring at Eddie. His best friend. His person. The one he kept chasing without ever admitting he was chasing anything at all.
“Okay,” Buck said quietly. “Okay.”
Ravi raised his eyebrows. “That mean you’re finally gonna stop complaining to me about it?”
Buck managed a small laugh. “No promises.”
Ravi rolled his eyes. “I’m putting in for a transfer.”
Buck laughed a little more genuinely this time, and Ravi smirked, nudging him lightly before heading off to grab more food.
Buck stayed put for another minute, watching Eddie and Hen—just friends, just partners—talk and laugh.
And then, finally, he started walking toward them, where Eddie and Hen were still deep in conversation. Hen spotted him first.
“Hey, look who decided to stop sulking in the corner,” she teased, grinning. “What happened, Ravi give you a hard time?”
Buck tried to smile, but it came out strained. “No.”
Eddie turned, eyes lighting up the second he saw him. “Hey, man! You’ve got to hear this story. Hen and I had this call last week—some guy got stuck halfway through his doggy door trying to break into his own house.”
Hen nodded, biting back a grin. “Said he forgot his keys and didn’t want to call a locksmith, so he thought crawling through the pet door was a better idea. Except he got stuck for three hours.”
Eddie laughed. “He was yelling for help the whole time, and the neighbors thought he was a burglar. The whole block was outside recording it.”
Buck managed a laugh. “Seriously?”
Hen raised an eyebrow. “We had to cut the door off its hinges. Guy was wedged in there and he was complaining the whole time.”
Eddie chuckled. “He was trying to act like he wasn’t embarrassed and that it wasn’t a big deal.”
Buck tried to laugh with them, but it felt off. Everything felt off. He watched them—Hen nudging Eddie’s arm mid-story, Eddie shaking his head fondly, both of them glowing with this easy rhythm that Buck used to have with Eddie. Before... everything shifted.
“I hate it,” Buck blurted out, before he could stop himself.
Hen raised an eyebrow. “Hate what?”
Buck blinked like he hadn’t meant to say anything. “Nothing. I just—” He looked directly at Eddie, then quickly away. “I mean... I hate that you guys are partners now.”
The moment froze.
Hen blinked.
Eddie frowned. “...Wait, what?”
Buck turned red instantly. “No—I didn’t mean that. Not like... hate-hate. I just—ugh.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I just mean, like, I miss when we were partners. Me and you. Buck and Eddie. You know? Not that I don’t think Hen’s a great partner. She’s amazing. She’s so amazing. I love Hen. Big Hen fan.”
Hen snorted. “Wow. That’s…”
“You’re amazing, I mean, look at you!” Buck insisted, mortified. “I’m just... adjusting.”
Eddie tilted his head, still watching Buck. “You hate that Hen and I are partners?”
Buck groaned. “Okay, don’t repeat it. It sounds terrible.”
“Because it is,” Hen said, amused as hell. “Man, you are not smooth.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Buck repeated. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just—it’s weird, okay? We were partners for years and we watched each other’s backs. Now it’s… different.”
Eddie’s brows drew together. “You could’ve just said something.”
“I didn’t want to sound—” Buck gestured wildly. “—like this.”
Hen laughed. “Well, mission accomplished.”
Buck groaned and dropped his head back with a sigh. “This is the worst day of my life.”
Hen grinned. “Relax, Buck. I’m not offended. Honestly, I’ve been wondering when you were gonna say something. You’ve been pouting like a kicked puppy.”
“Cool,” Buck muttered. “Love being compared to a dog.”
Hen clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, I said puppy. Puppies are cute. It’s okay. I get it.”
Eddie, still quiet, was looking at Buck like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. “You really hate that we’re partnered up?”
Buck met his eyes—and immediately regretted it. Too much emotion, too much tension. He looked away just as quickly. “No. I just... miss you, man. That’s all.”
Hen looked between the two of them, clearly catching on to something deeper, but for once, she kept it to herself.
“Well,” she said brightly, already moving to grab her drink, “if this isn’t the most interesting thing that’s happened to me this month. I’m gonna go find Karen and pretend this didn’t happen.”
Buck watched her go, his face burning, and then glanced back at Eddie—who was still staring at him.
Not mad.
Not teasing.
Just... confused. And maybe something else Buck wasn’t ready to name.
“Do you want to hang out tomorrow?” Eddie asked, voice quieter now. “Just us?”
Buck blinked. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”
Eddie gave a small smile. “Cool. Then stop looking like you’re about to pass out.”
Buck let out a breath. “Working on it.”
They stood there in a comfortable silence, the air between them different, but not in a bad way. Buck could still feel his embarrassment buzzing under his skin, but for the first time all night, he wasn’t spiraling.
Maybe that was a start.