Gotta Love Pride Parades

The 118 responds to a minor call at a Pride parade. While the rest of the crew works on helping the victims, Buck garners a lot of attention from the parade attendees. There's only so much of that Eddie can take before something's gotta give.

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Written for Buddie First Kiss Week, Day 1 Prompt: Related to Pride

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I don't know if putting these here will have any effect on FFN's search function, but just in case: have the tags.

Buddie First Kiss Week, buddiefirstkiss, firstkiss2020, Getting Together, Pride Parade, Pansexual Buck, Bisexual Eddie, Buck's a Hottie and Everyone Knows It, Minor Injuries, prompt: related to pride

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Getting a ladder truck or an ambulance through the crowds of a Pride celebration was impossible. There were far too many people, and the roads were blocked for the floats. So, short of interrupting the entire parade and festivities, the 118 was forced to pull up as close as they could and then hoof it, carrying any supplies they might need.

Buck led the way carrying the backboard, making a path, and earning more than a few whistles and appreciative looks. His muscles had his LAFD shirt pulling tight in all the right places, so Eddie wasn't surprised.

The crowds were huge, and there were food stalls set up even two blocks away cashing in on the fun. One of those food stalls was their destination, albeit one much closer to the parade. Eddie did his best to keep his eyes averted every time they had to move around someone whose only coverings were the stickers on their nipples or a convenient dick casing. He had tried to keep his eyes only on Buck walking ahead of him, but that led to him staring at Buck's ass and was almost worse than seeing a sparkly penis.

"You ever been to one of these events, Hen?" Chim asked, as he was jostled by the crowd.

Hen let out a huff. "When I was in college, yeah." She shrugged. "It's not really my scene these days. Definitely not Keren's. And it's not like we're ashamed or anything—"

"Clearly not," Buck shot back at them with a grin.

"We're just not so…loud." Hen gave another shrug and nodded to the crowds around them. "Let them have their fun though. It's nice seeing people so proud of who they are."

They came upon the scene then. A cycler had tried riding through the madness of the crowds around the parade route, had swerved to avoid a couple who stepped in the way, and ended up crashing into someone else instead. They had minor lacerations on their bare arms and legs from the asphalt and a nasty cut from some part of the bike.

The crazy part was that that person who'd been hit bumped into a third person on their way down, and that person had been midway through eating a questionably shaped snack – which was now stuck in their throat and blocking their airway.

"Never a dull day," Eddie noted as he checked that the fall victim had no nerve damage and bandaged their cut. Hen and Chim handled the choking victim.

Which meant Buck and Bobby had nothing to do. Well, Captain Nash was back and forth with the rest of them, getting updates and giving orders. Buck literally had nothing to do. He stood back, standing with his hip slightly cocked and right hand on top of the back board. It was like he was posing for a picture, and Eddie caught more than one phone go up to do just that.

"Did you hit your head at all on the way down?" Eddie asked, doing his best to keep his mind on his patient and not on the way guys were edging their way over to where Buck was standing.

"Uh, no," the fall victim said. "But my arm really stings. Is it supposed to sting this much?"

Someone tapped Buck on the shoulder and he turned. Eddie didn't catch what they said but it had Buck blushing prettily and ducking his head with a bashful smile. Must've been a nice compliment. Something bitter swirled in Eddie's stomach.

With a frown, Eddie said, "Let's clean the gravel out and see if that helps, hm?"

As Eddie cleaned the cut on the victim's side, someone threw a dangling necklace of rainbow-colored flowers over Buck's shoulders and stuck a rainbow sticker on his cheek. Buck laughed, just loud enough that Eddie caught it over the noise around them, and said something that had the woman he was talking to grinning and pressing a second sticker on Buck's cheek. This one was pink, yellow, and blue and Eddie had no idea what it meant.

Hen and Chim got the food out of the choking victim's throat. The moment they woke up the crowd burst into cheers. Even Buck let out a hoot and clapped, the back board leaning against his side while he did.

A guy almost as muscled as Buck leaned into Buck's side and whispered something in his ear that had Buck grinning – that 'I can't believe this is happening but it's nice' grin – and shaking his head. Eddie squeezed the empty water bottle in his hand hard enough to crush it. He took a deep breath and did his best to smile at the victim.

"Let's get you to the ambulance so we can bandage you up properly, okay?"

He helped the falling victim to stand at the same time that Hen and Chim were helping their victim up as well. There must not have been any outstanding damage to his throat if they were letting him walk.

Buck was now being chatted up by two guys and a girl, all in clothing that was too tight or too revealing, and Eddie glowered while Buck grinned and chatted back.

A hand landed on Eddie's shoulder, bringing his attention back to the present situation. It was Hen, giving him a knowing look. "How about I take our fall victim off your hands, huh?" Without waiting for a response, she moved to the fall victim. "What's your name, honey?"

"Harry." And then they were moving back through the crowd.

Bobby ordered a move back to the trucks for all personnel, then, "Buck! Enough flirting. We're on the clock."

Buck nodded quick and waved goodbye to his admirers, who all loudly bemoaned that he was leaving. "Sorry. Duty calls, you know?" Buck called back to them.

"You make saving lives look so hot!" someone shouted, and Buck laughed, another endearing flush appearing on his cheeks. Eddie's bitter feeling grew worse and he clenched his jaw tight.

The whole way back to the trucks, people whistled at Buck, just like on the way in, but they also reached out to touch. Just a graze of fingers here, a skim of knuckles there. A few people called out asking if he was single, which had Buck giving a nervous laugh each time. And the bitter feeling grew and grew.

It was like Buck thrived in this environment. He was bright and sparkling like a firecracker. He smiled back at everyone who smiled at him. He bobbed his head to the music from passing floats and pretended the back board was a guitar for a second.

This was a carefree Buck. Not one on the job, focused on saving lives—though that Buck was hot too. This Buck was something altogether different. This was the Buck who planned secret holiday parties and joked about Hen killing him in video games, who ran around the park for hours pushing a rig he'd constructed himself until Christopher was tired of skateboarding, who stayed too late and slept on Eddie's couch and did his workout routine to ABBA the next morning.

This Buck was beautiful.

Just before they reached the ambulance and the ladder truck, one of the onlookers got bold. He darted forward, grabbed Buck's cheeks in both hands, and planted a kiss straight on his mouth. "Hey, Gorgeous. I know you're on the clock, but mind if I get your number?"

"Uhh," Buck let out, bemused.

With a fierce glare, Eddie shoved his way between Buck and the man, forcing them apart. "Let's go, Buck."

"Uh—I—Right. Coming, Eddie."

Buck followed a scowling Eddie all the way around to the far side of the ladder truck, where they couldn't see the ambulance let alone their team. There, Eddie leaned against the truck and took a deep breath. He couldn't unclench his fists.

"Eddie. Hey, Eddie, you alright?" Buck asked, moving to stand in front of him. The concern was clear in his eyes, in the downturn of his lips, in his tone.

He still had Pride stickers on his cheek.

"That," Eddie half snapped, then forced his voice to soften. The last thing he wanted was Buck thinking Eddie was attacking him. "The sticker. What flag is that?"

Buck reached his hand up to touch the stickers. "Oh. Uh. Pansexual." He scratched the back of his neck. "It's, uh—It means gender doesn't matter? It's the person, not the parts, you know?"

His cheeks were pink again. Eddie's fists finally unclenched and he was able to lift his hand to poke at the pansexual flag sticker on Buck's cheek. Buck stopped talking and simply watched him. His expression was cautious but hopeful.

It was the person, not the parts. Eddie wasn't sure about that. Not for himself at least. He definitely felt drawn to women far more often than to men, so gender mattered to some part of him, but there were times…Eddie had never acted on his feelings for men before. He'd been married. He had a son. He had obligations. But this was Buck. Buck who accepted him, flaws and all. Who supported him through anger management therapy, through raising his son, through all the shit they saw every day. Who really ticked every box of the Sexy Fireman stereotype, and every box for a romantic partner Eddie had ever had.

It was both the most daunting thing, and yet the easiest thing, that Eddie had ever done—leaning in to kiss Buck. His fingers were still on Buck's cheek, feeling the stickers and Buck's stubble. Buck inhaled sharply at the press of his lips and for an instant Eddie worried he'd screwed things up.

Then Buck had him pressed back against the side of the ladder truck, hands cupping Eddie's face and giving him the most sensual kiss Eddie had ever had. Kisses. One after another. The feel of Buck's lips was like a good beer. The more he had, the more intoxicated he became.

Someone hooted and a few people cheered. Buck pulled back enough that they weren't breathing each other's air, his eyes flicking around Eddie's face for the answer to some question.

"You sure?" he asked at length, uncertainty creeping in at the edges of his words.

Eddie nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"Christopher," Buck said.

Again Eddie nodded. "I know." He put his hands on Buck's arms and squeezed. "He loves you. It'll be fine, Buck." He gave a sardonic grin. "I think I've done enough thinking on that for the both of us, so don't go pulling your weight now."

"I love you, Eddie." The words sounded punched out of Buck and his eyes immediately went wide. Buck took a half step back, his hands falling from Eddie's cheeks. "I—I—I mean. I didn't mean to—That was too fast. I know. I haven't been on a date in like fourteen months and shit, that was too fast."

It wasn't often Eddie got to see Buck flustered and it made him grin. With a shake of his head, Eddie grabbed the front of Buck's LAFD uniform and pulled him flush against him.

"Buck. It's fine." And kissed him again.

Someone banged on the side of the truck, causing them to startle apart. It was Chim, leaning around the back of the truck.

"Come on, lover boys. Before Cap catches you." He shook his head and disappeared around the truck again.

As if on cue, Bobby's voice rang out, "Buckley! Diaz! Where are you? Let's go!"

Buck started to giggle, so it was up to Eddie to call out, "Coming, Cap!" He shoved Buck without heat or force. "What's so funny?"

Buck shook his head and bit his lip. It was distracting enough that Eddie almost leaned in to kiss him again. With a bright, toothy smile that lit Eddie up from the inside, Buck said, "You know…I just really love Pride parades."

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