Chapter Text
Buck hadn’t gone out with any intentions of a hookup.
During his travels around the states, he’d gotten word that the nightlife in El Paso, Texas, was wild. So - naturally - he’d taken a detour through Texas on his way down to South America and stopped in the small town.
On the outside, nothing would suggest that it was such a tourist trap with its nightlife, but Buck was optimistic.
He stopped at the first motel he came across and rented out their cheapest room for the night. For $40 a night, it definitely lived up to his very low expectations - the walls were paper thin and he could hear the couple three doors down arguing clearly, the mattress rivalled a cardboard box for thickness and comfort, there was a lingering smell of damp in the air and the appliances were older than him.
But, it was a place to crash for the night after he checked out the nightlife - he hopefully would be too drunk to care about any of those things soon.
He washed up in the bathroom - at least the water was hot - dresses himself in his best shirt and heads out for the night. At only 6pm, he decides to grab some food at a Wendy’s before taking a cab to a well known club named Touch Bar and Nightclub. One of the people he connected with during SEAL training - an El Paso native - had suggested it and sung its praises.
Strobe lights and neon graffiti is one of the first thing Buck notices when he enters, second only to the pounding base of whatever song is playing. And then, he spies the drag queens. It takes him a little longer than he’d care to admit to recognise it as a gay bar.
That was never explained to him, but he takes it in his stride easily. Buck has always kept his sexuality close to his vest - due to most of the people he grew up around being homophobic assholes - but he’s always been honest about his attraction to men to himself. And Maddie, but she wasn’t about to tell anyone.
So he ventures further into the dark, hot room. A tall, dark drink of water catches his eye, and the man gravitates over to him once he notices Buck looking his way. He introduces himself, buys Buck a fruity cocktail and leads him to the dance floor. Buck enjoys himself with the man, grinding on him to the songs and letting him kiss up and down Buck neck, but Buck cuts it short.
He still has a lot to explore tonight, and the night is still young - just gone 7:30. So, Buck bids the guy - and, honestly, Buck doesn’t even remember his name - goodbye and heads back outside. He grabs another cab across town, to his second recommended club, EPIC.
The inside is much the same to TOUCH, just with less drag queens. It’s also a little smaller, and therefor a little bit more compact. Buck doesn’t mind. Another person catches his eye, a blonde woman this time. She trails her fingers up his arm as she buys him a tequila shot and a vodka soda and Buck lets her suck a bruise to his throat as thanks while they dance.
When she heads off to the bar again, Buck ducks out of the exit. He makes a pitstop in The Tool Box, where a redhead with a pretty face and a rock solid body buys him another cocktail and Buck kisses him sweetly in thanks. From there, he makes his way through as many bars and clubs that he can find.
In each and every one of them, he comes across at least one person looking for a dancing partner, willing to buy them alcohol in exchange and Buck’s more than willing. Everything stays above the clothes and waist, but he sees no harm in having a good time. By the time he makes it to the last place on his list, he’s more than a little tipsy, and all he’s paid for is cab fares and entry fees. Up ahead is his last endeavour for the night - The Black Orchid Lounge.
It’s less of a club than it is a bar, but the reviews Buck had looked at on the journey were positive enough to make him stick it out. He thanks his driver and gets inside, putting on his best sober face. Inside, he heads straight for the bar and orders a mineral water. His vision is just starting to swim a little. As Buck sips the water, he feels someone slide up next to him.
“Good night I see.”
Buck turns at the sound of the woman’s voice. Her steely grey eyes are firmly set on his water, and Buck takes the opportunity to look her over. She tall and slender, with curves in all the right places. She’s maybe a few years older than Buck himself, with brown hair curling down her back and a pretty face. She’s definitely Buck’s type.
“You could say that.’ Buck nods, answering her indirect question. ‘And it just got a while lot better.”
Those eyes turn to him and sparkle with mischief. The woman holds her hand out.
“Shannon.” She introduces.
”Evan, but people call me Buck.” Buck shakes once, then kisses her hand.
Shannon gives him a wide smile. “I’ve not seen you around before.”
“Eh, I’m just passing through - seeing everything El Paso has to offer before hitting the coast of South America.”
“Oh yeah? Which part?”
“I’m torn between Brazil and Peru.”
“Definitely Peru.’ Shannon nods. ‘It’s just as beautiful as Brazil, just a whole lot less touristy.”
“Is that so?” Buck cocks an eyebrow.
“You’re not the only person who’s travelled around to find themselves.” Shannon laughs.
“Well, can I buy you a drink in exchange for your wisdom?” Buck asks.
“You can definitely buy me a drink.” Shannon smirks.
One drink turns into four and, before Buck knows it, it’s just gone 11pm and he’s stumbling out of the bar, his mouth on Shannon’s, kissing her filthily. She leads him into a cab and gives the driver what Buck presumes is her address.
Distantly, Bucks mind screams at him that this is a terrible idea. But, the more prominent part of his brain, the part that’s thinking with his dick, shuts it down quickly. He kisses down Shannon’s neck to the start of her cleavage as the driver hurtles down the road.
Before things can progress too much, the cab is pulling to a stop and Shannon is handing over a scrunched up bill. She pulls Buck out of the car and leads him up the walkway to a modest house. She fumbles with her keys to open the door, and Buck takes the opportunity to tease her. He plasters himself along her back and begins kissing her neck again, nibbling a little.
“Buck.” She sighs and leans her head to the side, to give him better access.
Finally, the door clicks open and the two of them pile through it. Just inside the door, Buck trips over a pair of shoes that definitely are not Shannon’s. She notices him staring at them and sighs.
“I’m a single mom.’ She states. ‘But this is just a hook up, okay? I’m not asking you to have breakfast with my kid. I’d actually prefer for you to be gone by the time he comes home.”
“I can definitely be gone long before breakfast.” Buck assures her, and kisses her again.
Shannon leads him through the house to the bedroom. She throws him down on the bed and climbs on top of him, grinding down on his hard dick. They quickly shuck off their shirts and Buck loses himself to the feeling of a warm body on top of him, lazily rolling his hips into hers. They stay like that for god knows how long, before Buck hears a crash from somewhere in the house. He jolts in surprise and pulls away from Shannon to look at her. She looks unfazed, and laughs at his face.
“We have a cat - he jumps on things in the middle of the night.” She tells him.
Buck nods and Shannon goes back to kissing down his chest. Buck wills his erratic heartbeat to slow down as he looks around the walls of her room. An uneasy feeling creeps up his spine as he takes in the pictures on the wall. At least 90% of them feature a man. Buck can’t make out his face in the dark, but he’s obviously well built and tall, maybe as tall as Buck.
Maybe he was Shannon’s ex, her kids dad? But, if that’s the case, why hasn’t she taken down the pictures of him with her? I mean, there’s a picture of him holding her bridal style on the bedside table still, their wide grins visible in the moonlit room. The doorknob rattling startles Buck, and he looks over at it with wide eyes, his heart beating wildly in his chest again.
“Does your cat happen to know how to open doors, too?” Buck asks quietly as the door swings open.
The guy from the pictures is stood there, dressed in Army fatigues and a smile. The smile falls - as does the pack over his shoulder - when he catches sight of Shannon and Buck.
“Eddie.” Shannon breathes.
“Who the fuck is this?” The man - Eddie - roars.
Buck scrambles out from underneath Shannon and stares between her and Eddie in shock, his mouth hanging open.
“Eddie, baby, I can explain-“ Shannon starts.
“Why the fuck are you in bed with my wife?” Eddie demands, looking at Buck.
“Wife?’ Buck squeaks in surprise. ‘You told me you was single!” He accuses Shannon.
“No I didn’t.” Shannon lies.
“You literally told me you was a single mom less than 10 minutes ago! But you’re not, your husband has been off at war!’ Buck yells, anger overtaking his fear and panic. ‘What the fuck are you playing at?”
“Why are you so mad?” Shannon yells back.
“Because I never signed up to help someone cheat on their serving husband! I am not a home wrecker!”
“You was all up for fucking me 30 seconds ago!”
“30 seconds ago I didn’t know you were married!” Buck growls and picks his shirt up from the floor.
He finally looks back at Eddie, who’s already watching him with calculating eyes. Buck takes the time to appreciate the man. He’s not quite as tall as Buck, but it’s a close thing. He has tanned skin, chocolate coloured eyes and dark hair. He’s physically attractive, very much so - that’s for sure.
“She really told you she was single?” Eddie asks him.
“Yes. I promise you. I wouldn’t even be here if I knew she was married. I only found out about your kid like 10 minutes ago, too.” Buck tells him, and he hopes the man can hear the honesty in his voice.
“Where is Christopher?” Eddie asks Shannon.
“With your parents.” She tells him, still sat on the bed with her shirt off.
“Good.” Eddie nods.
He steps further into the room, but instead of taking a swing at Buck - like he expected - Eddie simply opens the closet, pulls out a suitcase and starts filling it with his things.
“Eddie, what the hell are you doing?” Shannon asks.
“You want to be single? Fine. You’re single now. We’re done.” Eddie shrugs.
Shannon launches herself at Eddie and starts sobbing and shouting at him and that’s when Buck takes his leave.
He scrambles out of the house and sits down on the curb outside. Pulling up his Uber app, he groans when he sees the closest car to him is still 8 minutes away. He still books it, and hopes it comes before Eddie leaves the house. He’s still not entirely sure about the mans intentions towards him yet. Buck wouldn’t blame him one bit if he did still want to pummel Buck for trying to sleep with his wife, no matter how innocent he is.
His car is 2 minutes away when the door is swinging open and Eddie is storming down the pathway towards Buck, a suitcase in each hand and his pack on his shoulders. Shannon doesn’t follow him. Buck stands up and tenses as Eddie approaches.
“Hey man, what way are you heading?” Eddie asks Buck casually, and he falters for a second.
“Uh, I have a room in Monumento.” Buck stammers.
“Can I ride with you? My parents place isn’t far from there.”
“Sure thing man.’ Buck nods before his brain can catch up. ‘We can go to their place first if you want?”
Eddie smiles weakly at him in thanks.
Buck feels so bad for the guy. He literally came home from tour to surprise his wife, to find her in bed with another man. The least Buck can do is give the guy a ride wherever he wants.
The car pulls up, and Buck helps load Eddie’s things in the boot. They climb into the back, and once Eddie has rattled off his parents address to the driver, they spend the next 15 minutes riding in an awkward silence. Buck doesn’t know what to say to him. I mean, what can you say? Somehow ‘hey man, I’m sorry I nearly slept with your wife, are we cool?’ doesn’t seem to cover it in Buck’s eyes.
The car slows to a stop finally, and Buck looks over at Eddie. He has to say something, at the very least.
“Hey, I am so sorry for tonight.” Is all he manages.
Eddie sighs wearily and gives him another small smile. “It’s not your fault. As much as I want to blame it all on you, I know it’s not fair.”
“Thanks. And thanks for not punching me in the face.”
Eddie lets out a bark of laughter at that, and Buck feels a rush of something at the sound.
“Don’t get me wrong - there was a moment there where I was very close to doing do. But, like I say, I know you’re not really to blame here.”
With one last smile, Eddie is climbing out of the cab. He gathers his things from the boot, and Buck watches him from his seat. He doesn’t know what compels him to do so, but Buck leaps from the car, tells the driver to wait, and chases after Eddie.
Eddie turns away from his parents front door with a frown when Buck calls for him.
“Let me buy you a drink or something.’ Buck suggests. ’I know there is no way to make what happened up to you, but I’d like to at least try.”
Eddie looks torn, but ultimately nods. He unlocks the door and places his luggage inside.
“I’m just gonna go change. You wanna wait inside?” He asks.
“Nah I’m good here.” Buck smiles.
Eddie nods and disappears inside. He rejoins Buck 10 minutes later, dressed in dark jeans and a cream henley. Buck’s mouth dries up at the sight of his chiselled abs straining against the thin fabric.
The two of them head back to the cab, and ride into town in silence. They end up heading for a more relaxed bar, per Eddie’s request. Buck gives the driver a hefty tip for all the hassle they’ve caused him as they climb out for the last time.
Buck and Eddie get settled at a table inside The Prickly Elder and Buck buys them both a beer.
“So… how long have you served for?” Buck asks the other man.
“Four years now. I’ve missed out on a lot, but it pays well.”
“I’m sure it does. You army or navy?”
“Army.”
“Ah, and I thought we could be friends.” Buck jokes lightly, and Eddie’s resulting snort makes the tense atmosphere slowly dissipate.
“Why can’t we? Other than the fact that my wife tried cheating on me with you.”
Buck winces at Eddie’s words, but ultimately grins at him. “From what I hear, the army and the navy aren’t very good at being friends.”
“You’re navy?” Eddie cocks an eyebrow.
“Not technically. I passed Hell Week top of my class, but dropped out shortly after. I didn’t want to become a machine.”
“Well damn.’ Eddie whistles. ‘It’s a good job I didn’t try to punch you.”
“Nah man, I would’ve let you. Even though I really didn’t know she was married, I wouldn’t have blamed you for beating my ass for being in bed with you wife.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Eddie shrugs.
“I don’t want to tempt fate, but you don’t seem too cut up about this.” Buck points out.
Eddie shrugs again. “Shannon and I have been out of love for a little while, we just stayed together for Christopher. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about her trying to cheat on me with you tonight - and god knows how many times she’s done it before - but, there’s just nothing there anymore. The spark is gone and I’ve been thinking about divorce more and more often recently. Tonight was that final push.”
Buck blinks at the man in surprise as he takes in his words.
“Wow. I’m sorry man.’ He hisses. ‘I can’t imagine what that feels like.”
“It’s not great, but it’s life I suppose.’ Eddie takes a sip of his beer. ‘So what brings out to Texas?”
“That obvious huh?” Buck laughs.
“Your accent and paleness give you away.” Eddie tells him. Buck snorts.
“I’m just passing through. I’ve always wanted to travel to South America so I figured why not now?”
“South America, huh? Where about’s?”
“Well, I‘ve been told that Peru is a good place to go.”
“Shannon tell you that?” Eddie guesses.
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“I travelled there with her - just before she got pregnant with Christopher and I enlisted. It truly is beautiful there - you’ll love it.”
“You think I should go there still?” Buck bites his lip.
Eddie rolls his eyes. “Of course I think you should still go - you know, I never actually got your name.”
“Evan Buckley, but I got nicknamed Buck during training.” Buck tells him.
“Ah yes, SEAL training. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you really don’t seem the type.”
“Why’s that?” Buck cocks an eyebrow.
“Well for starters, you invited me out for a drink to say sorry for nearly sleeping with my wife - the SEAL’s I met on tour would do no such thing. Or, if they did, it would be to rub it in my face.” Eddie explains.
“Yeah, my sister always said that I wear my heart on my sleeve - that I’m too nice for my own good.”
“She’s not wrong. You seem like a good kid.”
“Kid? I’m 24!” Buck laughs.
“Still a kid compared to me.” Eddie grins.
“And how old are you?”
“28, but I have a kid so it’s matured me a lot.”
“I’m mature!”
“I’m sure you are.” Eddie smirks.
Buck kicks his shin under the table. “Jerk.”
Hours fly past and, before Buck knows it, the bar is closing up and the bartenders are kindly asking them to leave so they can, too. Buck and Eddie apologise and stumble out of the bar.
The cool air on Buck’s face sobers him up. He isn’t drunk, per se, but he’s definitely a little buzzed. Eddie guides him away from the bar and along the road, to where a cab stand is.
“Thank you for tonight Buck. I had a really good time, all things considered.” Eddie says.
He squeezes Buck’s shoulder and moves to get in a cab. Buck grips his wrist in his.
“What’s your number? I’d like to keep in touch with you, to be friends?” He says hopefully.
Eddie smiles at him, and gestures for Buck to hand over his phone. Buck does so, and watches as the older man punches in his number, his own phone being held in the hand that Buck still has a loose grip on. Eddie hands the phone back just as it buzzes with a text.
“I look forward to hearing all about your adventures, Buck.” Eddie grins.
“You too. See you around Eddie.”
“See you around Buck.”
With that, Buck steps back and watches Eddie climb into a cab and disappear into the night.