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When Eddie exists the bathroom and doesn't see Chris waiting where he told him to, he doesn't immediately panic. He waits a good five seconds, then panics.
"Chris?" he says at a normal volume, then, a moment later, "Chris!"
He's just about to rip his hair out, probably scaring the nearby families with his yelling, when he sees Chris a ways over, looking into the lion exhibit with some guy next to him.
Eddie rushes over. "Chris, buddy, what did I say?"
"Remember to flush? Chris says with a smile, trying his best to look innocent, but Eddie sees right through it.
The guy next to them, who Eddie suddenly remembers is there, muffles his laugh with his hand.
Eddie flushes, and it is not because of the very attractive man, who is all legs and bright blue eyes.
"No. I said don't wander off."
He might be acting a little dramatic, but cut him some slack.
In the span of almost twelve months, he moved from El Paso to LA, joined the fire academy while balancing some dead-end job, reunited with his estranged wife, would've been ex-wife, if she didn't get hit by a car and die, then recently started his career as a fireman at the 118, where he's absolutely living in the shadow of the guy he replaced.
"But I was right here!" Chris protests.
Eddie squats down so he's eye level with Chris. "I didn't know that, mijo. I gotta know where you are."
Chris blinks his eyelashes and pouts, knowing that he can manipulate Eddie when he gives him this look. That's how they even ended up at the zoo in the first place. "Sorry, Dad."
"It's my fault," the guy says. "He saw me telling some other kids about the lions."
Eddie takes in the guys khakis and neatly tucked shirt. He must work here. Good to know that the hot guy Eddie isn't subconsciously freaking out about isn't a weird pervert.
Eddie looks over Chris's shoulder, surprised to see that the lions are up close to the glass, watching the three of them intently.
"They follow me, Dad, look!"
The lions perk up as Chris crutches away, standing up to watch him go.
Chris is just out of earshot, giggling to himself as the lions follow his movements, when the guy leans in and says, "They can sense weakness."
Eddie gives the guy a look, ready to chew him out for insulting his kid, when the guy grimaces, realizing what he said.
He lifts up his pant leg, stops about halfway up his calf, then lets it drop back down. Eddie barely gets a glimpse of the flash of metal, but he sees it nonetheless.
The guy gives him a tight smile. "It took me a while to figure out why the predators were suddenly giving me more attention."
Eddie nods, at a loss of words, feeling like an asshole.
"I'm still not sure how they know," the guy says with a shrug.
"Hey, Buck!"
Eddie turns around just in time to see a girl in dark blue khakis and button up walk past with a smile and wave. She obviously works with him. Maybe she's the guys– Bucks higher up? Buck has khaki colored khakis on, and Eddie isn't caught up on his zoo uniform color hierarchy knowledge.
Should he be jealous about a girl saying hi to a guy he literally just met? No, but Eddie's a ridiculous man.
Buck smiles brightly and waves back.
"Buck," Eddie mutters. He knows that name. He's heard it every single shift since he started at the 118. "You're Buck."
Buck gives him a look, quirking his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Yeah? I'm Buck."
"You're Buck," Eddie emphasizes. "The guy who got stuck under the fire truck!"
Eddie barely has the time to celebrate this realization before he sees the way Bucks face drops into a frown.
"I, uh– I just started at the 118..." Eddie trails off lamely, not sure what else to say.
Bucks face brightens. "Oh. You're, um, Eddie, right?" Eddie nods. "My replacement."
Eddie's eyes widen at the implication, his mouth dropping open to form some sort of apology, when Buck starts laughing in his face.
"It's okay, Eddie. Everyone's told me all about you. You seem perfect for the station."
"Thanks," Eddie says, mouth still dry from Buck saying his name. "They talk about you a lot, too. Big shoes to fill."
Buck looks down at his feet, glancing back up at Eddie through his eyelashes. "Are you making a pun?"
Chris comes back just in time to unknowingly save Eddie, gleefully giggling as he watches the lions. "Dad, did you see?"
"Yeah, mijo," Eddie smiles, grateful for the diversion.
Chris comes to a stop between them. "Buck says it's cause we have curly hair!"
Buck shrugs. He panicked when Chris asked why the lions only followed them. All he could think of what they had in common at the moment was their hair.
"Yeah, it reminds them of their, uh, their manes!" Chris nods seriously. Buck turns and points at one of the lions. "See that one? It's got curly hair too."
It doesn't actually, in fact the lions hair is pretty straight, but Chris seems to buy it.
"You try, Dad!" Chris insists. "It won't work cause your hairs straight."
Eddie goes along with it, faking shock when the lions completely ignore him after he walks a couple feet away. "Wow, Chris!"
Buck looks down at his watch. "Oh, I really gotta go."
Maybe his shifts over, Eddie thinks, trying his best not to feel disappointed. Or he's going on break? Maybe he has to go to another part of the zoo?
Buck takes a half step back then pauses. "We have team dinners every Sunday. I know you've been invited, but you've never come."
"I've been busy," Eddie lies. Buck gives him a look like he's seen right through him.
"You should."
"Can we, Dad?" Chris asks excitedly. "Please?"
Chris and Buck give him identical pleading eyes. Eddie sighs.
"Okay. I'll– We'll be there."
"I'll make sure Bobby gives you his address," Buck says as he turns to leave.
"Bye, Buck!" Chris calls after him.
When Buck turns around and waves goodbye, Eddie convinces himself that he's smiling wider than he did earlier when that girl called out to him.
- - -
The go back to the zoo the next week, same day, same time.
It's only because Eddie wants to settle into some sort of routine, not because he had a great time at Bobby's, talking with Buck and actually letting the team get to know him, and wants to potentially see Buck again.
He has no ulterior motives here.
Eddie loiters in front of the lion enclosure for so long that even Chris, who can entertain himself for hours on end, gets bored of it.
"What're you looking at, Dad?" Chris asks as Eddie scans the area surrounding the lion enclosure, peering at the groups of people.
"Nothing. Where should we go next?"
"The primates!"
They go to the primate enclosures next, even though it's on the complete other side of the zoo. But Eddie never questioned Chris's methods.
Eddie watches the monkeys play around their enclosure. He does not feel disappointed, not in the slightest.
"Buck!" Chris exclaims.
Eddie's neck audibly cracks as he turns his head. Bucks walking towards them.
"Hey, buddy," Buck says. "Did you have fun at Bobby's last week?"
"Yeah!" Chris cheers. "Can we come again?"
Buck looks up Eddie for permission. He nods, knowing it be impossible to say no to Chris, and maybe even himself.
"Of course, buddy!" Buck says, looking entirely sincere, which makes Eddie's heart hammer. "What would I do without my favorite Diaz?"
"Hey!" Eddie exclaims. "What about me?"
"Eh," Buck says, patting Chris's hair. "You're second favorite."
"There's only two of us, Buck!" Chris giggles.
"Ah, right." Buck taps his forehead like he just realized it. "How could I forget?"
A monkey suddenly slams into the glass that Eddie and Chris turned their backs to so they could talk to Buck.
"Dios," Eddie exclaims. "I hate chimps."
Buck makes an offended noise. "First off, you shouldn't hate any animals, Eddie. Secondly, that is not a chimp, it is a western gorilla."
Eddie rolls his eyes at Bucks correction. Buck continues his rant like he didn't see it.
"Did you know that a western gorillas fur is significantly lighter than an eastern gorilla?"
"Is that your presentation voice?" Eddie asks.
"Yes," Buck says without missing a beat. "Fatou, a western lowland gorilla, at the Berlin zoo, is the oldest living gorilla. Ever."
"Really?" Chris asks.
"Yes! She was born in 1957, and is a great-great-great grandmother. Almost as old as your dad, Chris."
Chris openly laughs at Eddie.
"The western lowland gorilla is the most widespread gorilla subspecies," Buck cuts in before Eddie can defend himself. "It can be found across more than 270,000 square miles in central and west Africa."
A small group of children have started to form in front of Buck, pushed forward by their parents when they heard Buck talking.
Eddie takes a step back so Bucks in the center. Buck looks at him in a bit of a panic, but readjusts himself to face all the kids.
Eddie's not sure why he's panicked, isn't this a part of the job?
"That's about the size of Texas," Buck continues.
Eddie watches in amusement as the group in front of Buck just gets bigger and bigger.
"Um, unfortunately the greatest threat to western– actually all gorillas, right now is humans."
A couple of the younger kids gasp, looking back at their parents like they're the ones doing it.
"The gorillas are losing parts of their habitats to excessive logging and illegal mining."
Buck clasps his hands in front of himself awkwardly, pausing to rack his brain for more facts.
"During the Ebola outbreak, it was estimated that the western lowland gorilla lost a third of its population."
Buck trails off. "Uh, so you guys should take a look at the silverbacks we have here!" He gestures towards the enclosure. "That's Hasani, Jabari, and HJ."
The group of kids rush past Buck to press their faces against the glass. Buck and Chris wait until the last straggler passes then join Eddie off to the side.
"Good job," Eddie says.
Buck wipes away a nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "Sorry about that. I always end up talking too loud and a group forms."
"Well, it's a part of the job isn't it?"
Buck makes what Eddie has dubbed his puppy look– eyes confused, head tilted. He's about to respond when a parent walks up to thank him.
"No, really it's not problem." Eddie watches as Bucks eyes flicker over to Chris. "I love kids."
Eddie does not perk up when he hears that. His so distracted over not freaking out about it, that he doesn't hear the parent say, "Your son is adorable."
He does, however, hear Buck choke on his own spit and Chris chirp, "Thanks!"
"What was that about?" Eddie asks after the parent walks off to find their kid.
Buck's beet red when he turns to face Eddie. "Nothing!"
Eddie watches in confusion as Buck checks the time, except he's not wearing a watch this time, so he's just staring at his wrist, then takes a couple steps backwards.
"Oh, look at the time, gotta go!"
"Bye, Buck!" Chris calls out after him.
Eddie looks down at Chris after Buck all but runs from the primate area. "What happened?"
Chris shrugs. "I dunno."
- - -
The third time Chris and Eddie go to the zoo, Eddie's on the lookout while they're by the lions, and the gorillas, and then the reptiles.
He was a little put off by Buck running away the last time they were at the zoo, but everything was back to normal by the time they went to Bobby's for dinner again.
He's staring to lose hope by the time they make it to the penguins, thinking that maybe Buck had a reason to run away, considering Eddie's basically stalking him at work.
"Buck!" Chris calls out. "Look, Dad, it's Buck!"
Eddie looks behind him, eyes scanning the crowd.
"No, Dad," Chris says. "There, look!"
Chris points into the penguin enclosure. And sure enough, Bucks in there, standing next to a bucket of fish, occasionally throwing one to the penguins.
Buck looks up, and finds Chris and Eddie almost instantly.
"Hey, guys!" he calls out, waving his gloved hand. He turns to the girl next to him, who Eddie jealously recognizes as the girl who said hi to Buck.
A minute later a zoo worker is walking up to them, leading them around the back of the enclosure.
Before he can think too much about it, Eddie's helping Chris put his gloves on, then they're walking out into the enclosure.
"Hey, Chris, you ever feed a penguin before?"
"No!" Chris hurries over to Buck, Eddie cringing so he doesn't go overboard and try to hold Chris up so he doesn't fall.
Chris comes to a stop next to Buck. Eddie's hopeless crush– yes, he's finally admitted that to himself– only gets worse when Buck holds on to the back of Chris's shirt, not forcing help, but being there if it's needed.
Buck hands Chris a fish. He looks back at Eddie. "Hi, Eds."
"Hey, Buck," Eddie says breathlessly.
Chris throws the fish towards the penguins, one of them catches it.
"Good job, mijo," he praises absentmindedly, still focused on Buck.
"Do you want to throw one, Eddie?"
"Sure."
Buck hands Eddie a fish. He throws it, only for it to slam into a rock and slowly slide into the water. A penguin jumps in after it.
Chris and Buck laugh at him. "Don't laugh!"
Buck snorts and gasps for air between laughs. Eddie smiles at the sight.
"That was really bad, Dad."
"Thanks," Eddie says, staring to laugh too.
He watches Buck and Chris throw fish to the penguins, trying to ignore the crowd of people right there.
"That one's name is Eddie, actually," Buck says, pointing at one of the penguins.
"No it is not."
"Yes it is," Buck insists. "And that baby– they're called chicks or nestlings– over there is his. His name is Chris."
"Dad," Chris exclaims. "They're named after us!"
"I think it's just a coincidence, mijo."
"Uh, actually." Buck looks sheepishly at Eddie. "I might have something to do that."
Eddie blinks at Buck. After Shannon died, actually even before that, Eddie basically resigned himself to never dating again.
He wasn't sure what Chris would think of him dating. Plus, he didn't think he would find anyone willing to look past the fact that he had a kid, and in fact care for his kid in the way he deserves.
"Really, Buck?" Chris looks up at Buck in amazement.
Eddie watches in almost a shock as Buck smiles at his son.
"Of course, buddy. You're the best."
Shit. Bucks perfect. For him. For Chris.
Eddie's so screwed.
- - -
It's during Eddie's fourth visit to the zoo that he realizes. It would have been his fifth, but he covered someone's shift and got stuck at the station last Friday afternoon.
He might've been eager to take the shift, trying his best to avoid Buck after his realization.
But he goes back to the zoo anyway, because he's hopeless and Chris begs him to.
Bucks by the aviary when Eddie and Chris walk in that afternoon. It's the closest enclosure to the entrance.
Hip limp that's usually unnoticeable is very obvious as he walks up to them.
"You okay, Buck?" Eddie asks.
"Yeah," Buck lies. Eddie knows he's lying when he notices Buck won't make eye contact, just flickers his eyes between Eddie's eyebrows and under eye bags.
Buck grimaces when Eddie looks down at his legs, which only confirms his suspicions. He tries not to think too much about how Bucks legs look even longer in shorts.
"You hungry?" Eddie asks, already walking towards the food stands.
"Um–" Buck says, limping behind him.
"Let's get lunch."
Eddie walks leisurely towards the food, shooting Chris a look after he complains about how slow they're going.
"Chris, why don't you and Buck find somewhere to sit," Eddie suggests.
"Okay, Dad!"
Chris grabs Bucks hand and starts to pull him away, even as Buck opens his mouth in protest.
Eddie gets water, mozzarella sticks, and fries. He tries his best not to scoff at the price.
He brings everything back on a tray, almost dropping it after getting too distracted watching Chris and Buck.
Buck sits up straighter. "Thanks, Eddie. I'll pay you back." He reaches for his pocket.
"Nope," Eddie says firmly, leaving no room for argument.
"Eds–"
Eddie pushes the tray towards him. "Eat up."
They listen to Chris's ramblings as they eat, Buck answering the occasional question.
Eddie's eyes barely leave Buck. He takes in everything, his eyes, his birthmark, his curly hair that looks so much like Chris, making them look like their own little family–
Eddie cuts himself off.
It's then, trying his best not to fantasize about a life with Buck, that he's realizes.
Bucks wearing a loose t-shirt and shorts, it's only getting hotter by the day.
Now that Eddie's noticed it, he looks back and thinks about the fact that he's only seen Buck in casual wear. Never a uniform.
He was wearing jeans the second time they came.
Was Eddie so distracted pining over him that he never noticed?
"You don't work here."
Buck swallows around the fries he just shoved in his mouth, looking at Eddie in confusion.
"No," he says, mouth still full. "Did you think I did?"
"Yes!" Eddie says earnestly, ignoring the way Chris is laughing at him. "You were feeding penguins! You named one of the penguins."
"I was the only one nearby when they were letting people in, and there was a name submission, Chris just happened to get the most votes!"
"You–" Eddie points at Buck accusatorially. "You were wearing khakis!"
"Yeah?" Buck gives Eddie a bewildered look. He grabs a couple more fries. "Now I'm wearing basketball shorts."
"And you've been telling groups of children facts about the animals!"
"I know a lot about the animals. I didn't want to hoard the information, or anything. I like kids. They should know more than the little signs in front of the enclosure."
Eddie blinks at Buck. He was pretty sure he was in love with Buck before, but this definitely solidified it. "But," Eddie weakly continues for some reason, still working through his realization. "You knew that girl."
"Who, Jamie? I'm here a lot. I know a couple of the workers."
"Does this mean you can ask Dad out now?" Chris asks.
Buck and Eddie whip their head to the side to look at Chris.
"What?" Buck asks, eyes bugging out cartoonishly.
"I asked Dad why you haven't asked him out yet." Eddie chokes on nothing. Bucks gaze shoots over to him. "He said he's not allowed to ask people out at work, so maybe you're not allowed to either. But if you don't work here, then you can, right?"
"Buck–" Eddie tries. He never should've said that when he asked.
Chris is absolutely getting punished for his meddling. No Hildy anything for a week. Actually, scratch that, no more Hildy ever. It's going in the trash, but that has more to do with Eddie's personal beef with the technology than anything else.
"Do you want me to?" Buck asks, effectively cutting off whatever excuse Eddie was going to make up.
"What?" Eddie asks stupidly, sure he's heard wrong.
"Do you want me to ask you out?"
"Yes!" Chris exclaims.
"Chris," Eddie hisses. He turns back to Buck. "You don't have–"
"Eddie," Buck says firmly. "Will you go out with me?"
"I–" Eddie glances at Chris for a second. Maybe he does deserve Hildy for his meddling.
"I'll go out with you."
Thank God for the Los Angeles zoo and Evan Buckley's animal facts.