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Eddie took a seat at his table and looked around for the first time in the day.
Chimney had been rescued, the wedding had been recheduled for the next day and finally Maddie and Chim tied the knot with their little Jee as the ringbearer.
The actual wedding and posterior party ended up being celebrated at the firehouse, which was "closed" for the day. (A certain redhead and a sergeant made sure all 9-1-1 calls were redirected to other firehouses.)
Decorations were in charge of May and Albert and their beloved firetruck, while Hen and Buck helped the bride and groom get ready for the second time that week.
Eddie had to admit the young adults had made excellent work of disguising the firehouse and turning it into a white and beige themed place.
White ribbons decorated the stairs and balcony and fairy lights, lots of them, were hung across the roof to get the right ambience. The gym equipment was hidden from plain sight and a disco ball was hung from the truck's ladder.
Eddie looked at his family, all gathered in the makeshift dance floor, where the trucks would normally be parked, and took in the view.
Bobby and Athena were eating cake by feeding each other and laughing at their own jokes in their little bubble. May, Harry, Chris and Denny were dancing together, Karen and Buck were playing with Jee, Albert was chatting with Chim and Hen, while Josh was gossiping with Maddie and Tommy, who got along with the 118's close family in just a heartbeat, to no one's surprise, Eddie realized with a chuckle.
He looked at his left looking for the woman he had come with, as a reflex, trying to look for someone to share the moment with, but he found no one.
Marisol had left earlier, excusing herself after Eddie had caught Maddie's bouquet because "her brother needed her for something" and sincerely, Eddie hadn't even noticed she was gone as he spent the majority of the day with the newlyweds and the rest of his family.
Now, as a slow song started playing, courtesy of DJ Albert, a pang crossed his heart when he saw every couple get together to dance in an intimate embrace as their kids cringed.
Soledad y El Mar, a song Eddie had requested to dance with Marisol specifically, was playing, setting a soft ambience as a woman started to sing in Spanish.
The universe was surely laughing at him now.
Chimney looked for Maddie and guided her to the center of the dance floor to dance together, enjoying the feeling of those metallic bands on each other's hands. A promise of eternal love that Eddie couldn't bear to think of right now.
Then Hen appeared on one side with Karen and Athena and Bobby by the other and maybe he should look for one more beer because he was too sober to be feeling that void inside himself when he looked at all that love and contentment together.
It was all he ever wanted but could never get, girlfriend after girlfriend, not even with Shannon could he achieve such state of complete devotion and loyalty to the relationship.
Just as he was standing up to look for a stronger alcohol up in the kitchen, a warm hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?" The voice sounded behind him.
Eddie would recognize him anywhere.
When Eddie turned around, Buck smirked. "You owe me a dance, remember? ...The bachelor's party?"
Buck laughed at Eddie's deer-caught-by-headlights look. That night was mostly a black void, and the craziness of the day after did not help him remember much.
"Uh..."
"Come on!" Buck said, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the dance floor.
"A-Alright! No need to be so pushy!" Eddie stammered out as he straightened his jacket.
He took one of Buck's hand as he put the other on his waist and dared look up into Buck's stupidly flushed face.
"T-This okay?" Damn it Eddie, what is it with you today acting like a 14 years old?
Buck breathed out a smile. With the softest of voice he replied. "Yeah, it's perfect."
The couples and other people around them became a blur as they spun around the room in time with the slow song.
Voy a navegar en tu puerto azul...
Buck and Eddie. This felt right. Just like warm caramel with sour apples, just like a fireplace lit in a house in the middle of a snow storm, just like a soft voice with an accompanying guitar.
Quisiera saber de dónde vienes tú...
Buck's hand left his and went round his shoulders in an embrace, and Eddie's hands did the same by his waist.
Vamos a dejar que el tiempo pare...
Now he could feel Buck's breath against his ear, his cologne giving him a drunk sensation as he just wanted to take more in. He could feel Buck's warm body around his arms, so solid yet so fragile.
Ver nuestros recuerdos en los mares...
The song kept going. He opened his eyes, which he didn't even notice were closed, and looked right at Tommy, who was in turn looking at them very carefully.
Y esta soledad tan profunda...
He couldn't ruin this for Buck.
He gave Buck a squeeze and slowly let go of him. Puzzled, Buck followed and let Eddie grab his hand and guide him until he was in front of Tommy.
Que me cante el mar...
"Thanks, Buck." Eddie said as he started to walk away, preferring not to see how Buck looked at Tommy, smiled like there was no one else in the world and then grabbed his hand, so gentle, so lovingly.
Un bolero de soledad...
He went upstairs and found the whiskey they took out for the celebrations and poured himself a glass as the song finished.
Que me cante el mar...
Que ando sola, con soledad...
Soledad y el mar...