#if buck and eddie are to only ever remain friends (or brothers because their relationship goes undeniably deep) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

oliverstarked · 4 years

Text

where I belong

[PG-13, 3.4k words]

"Buck's not sure of the exact moment that he knew Eddie was it for him, but it’s been that way for so long now it’s become a part of who he is. He used to be good at pretending his feelings didn’t exist, but he’s so tired these days."

A little bit of introspection, a lot of idiots in love.

[read on ao3]

The ocean is so beautiful at dawn.

Under the soft pink-orange sky the water looks bruise-purple, whitecaps leaving foamy trails on the sand. The sun is only just peeking over the horizon, edging towards another gorgeous LA day. But before that begins, before the hustle and bustle and wailing sirens, Buck sits on the beach on the cold sand and feels caught in a moment so peaceful, so nice, just the squalling of gulls and the gentle crash of the waves for company.

He pushes stale air out of his lungs and breathes the fresh in deeply. The chill feels good, raises goosebumps on his skin and reminds him that he’s alive. A reminder he’s needed a lot lately. He’s been struggling, even though his leg has healed, even though the tsunami is months behind him, even though his relationship with his 118 family is better than ever and he has no reason to be struggling. Nightmares come and go, cold sweats, little niggling thoughts that burrow their way into his brain throughout the day.

He tries not to talk about it. There are so many people who have it worse than him and he doesn’t want to become some kind of social… leech around his friends, constantly draining them of energy by going on about his issues. You’re exhausting , Eddie said to him once. Buck knows it’s true, knows he takes inches and runs them into miles. His heart may be in the right place, sure, but he doesn’t know when to shut up, when to slow down. If there’s one thing his lawsuit mistake has taught him, it’s that his actions, his selfishness, has consequences on those around him.

So what if he has bad dreams occasionally? He’s not a kid, he can look after himself. It’s more important right now that he’s there for his friends: asking Bobby how Michael’s doing, bridging the relationship between Chim and his brother, being there for Maddie always, listening to Hen talk about how Nia is settling in, being whatever Eddie needs to stop him doing stupid things again. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for his own problems.

It doesn’t matter. That’s just what Buck does for the people he loves.

The warmth of the sun creeps onto his face as it rises higher, prickling his skin. Buck squints into it, seeing nothing but gold, then sighs and gets to his feet. He brushes sand off the seat of his pants before slowly turning and making his way back up the beach.

At least he gets to go to work.

Eddie’s getting changed when Buck walks into the locker room, and Buck manfully pretends he can’t see the miles of bare skin on display. Hen is sitting on the bench, laughing at something Eddie must have said, and it’s easy to grin at the two of them and say, “Well, good morning.”

“Hey,” Eddie smiles, shrugging into a t-shirt, thank god.

“Buck, I have to show you this.” Hen holds her phone out, a video paused on the screen. Buck takes it, taps play. It’s Nia, holding onto Denny’s hands and bouncing up and down in time with her blonde curls, screeching in delight as a catchy pop song plays in the background.

“That’s pretty damn cute,” Buck says. “When do I get to meet this li’l nugget?”

“Soon,” Hen tells him, slipping her phone back into her pocket. “It’s a lot for her, the social worker says we need to introduce new things and people gradually.”

Eddie, tucking his overshirt into his belt now, says, “Well, whenever you guys need a babysitter, hit us up. Chris and Denny can play and Buck and I will dote on that gorgeous girl.”

Hen snorts, looking between them. “Should you be volunteering Buck for that?”

Honestly, it didn’t even occur to Buck that he wouldn’t be there. The automatic assumption on Eddie’s part too makes him feel warmer than he did five minutes ago.

“Hey, you know I’m down,” Buck beams, “you just name the day.”

Hen squeezes his arm as she heads towards the door. “Thanks boys, we will definitely take you up on that.”

When she’s gone, Buck finally moves towards his own locker to start getting changed. Eddie is still there, tapping away on his phone. Buck wonders if he’s texting Ana . If they’ve even reached the ‘exchanging numbers’ phase yet.

“Hey, man, you wanna grab pizza tomorrow night? You, me, Chris and Mario Kart at my place?”

“Sure,” Eddie agrees, hardly glancing up, definitely distracted. “But, uh, Chris won’t be there, he’s got that overnight field trip at the observatory tomorrow.”

Damn, Buck should have remembered that. Christopher had been chattering excitedly about it for a couple weeks now. Eddie had mentioned it several times too, although decidedly less excitedly and more in worried-dad-mode.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Well, in that case you definitely gotta come over. We can drink beer and watch a movie that doesn’t involve some kind of talking animal.”

“Sounds good.”

He’s still typing. What is he doing, writing a goddamn article? Who could he possibly have that much to say to?

Buck takes a breath, remembers he’s not being a selfish asshole anymore and gets changed quietly. Ana sounds like a nice person, she’d probably be good for Eddie. Buck’s feelings, his stupid feelings that he’s shoved so far down they make him feel a bit queasy more often than not, shouldn’t even factor into it.

“Are you okay?”

Buck startles at Eddie’s question. He’s not on his phone anymore, but looking straight at Buck, a little crease in between his eyebrows.

“Fine… why'd you ask?”

“You look tired.”

“Yeah. I, uh, got up early to go for a run on the beach. Anyway, not even eyebags could ruin this handsome face so you shut your mouth,” Buck blusters with an exaggerated wink and a bit of swagger as he closes his locker.

It works, and Eddie rolls his eyes. “So glad that your ego remains unaffected.”

They argue playfully back and forth as they head up to the kitchen together and by the time they sit down to plates of Bobby’s French toast, Buck has all but forgotten his weird start to the day.

Luckily, work keeps them busy. Any downtime they get is spent either stuffing their faces with food, showering the grime and sweat away, or trying to catch a few minutes of sleep. The entire twenty-four hours passes without major incident, unless you count Chimney tripping on a firehose and falling ass over teakettle on the freshly-waxed station floor. They’re still laughing about it as they get changed to go home the following morning, exhaustion making it hard to stop.

By the time he gets back to his apartment and collapses into bed, Buck’s tired enough that falling asleep is the easiest thing in the world.

He wakes late in the afternoon, hot and sweaty from the sunlight pouring in through the windows. He showers, eats a sandwich, and texts Eddie to ask what time he’s coming over.

Some sort of clarity must have crept in while Buck slept, because his head feels a little clearer. Still, he wonders what it means that a clear head feels like some kind of miracle these days. He thinks it means that he might need to talk to Frank again.

Buck grabs his phone and fiddles around on it until he pulls up his contacts. Frank’s name is sitting there right underneath Eddie’s. Before he can think about it too much, he calls and makes an appointment for his next day off. Part of him feels that old anxiety come back, worries that he’s slipping backwards instead of moving forwards, but another part of him is ultimately relieved. He doesn’t have to worry about burdening Frank, it’s his job to listen. He’s not allowed to be exhausted by Buck and his issues.

By the time Eddie arrives not long after seven, Buck has cleaned his entire apartment, gone grocery shopping to get that beer that Eddie likes, and watched a Nat Geo documentary on bears. It’s been easy, simple, and he’s feeling okay.

Eddie lets himself in with a smile and a tupperware container, and even though they only parted ways that morning, it’s still good to see him. “Hey, sorry I’m late, Ana called just as I was leaving.”

And just like that, Buck’s stomach sours.

“She called you?”

“Yeah, I asked her to update me on Chris. She said he’s good, that they’ve just eaten dinner and he’s with his friends.” Eddie pauses, makes a face. “Guess that means I should stop worrying, right?”

“So you guys just talked about Christopher?” Buck asks because he’s an idiot who likes to torture himself.

Eddie frowns, putting the tupperware on the kitchen counter. “Yeah. What else would we talk about? I emailed the school his overnight care plan this morning and she just wanted to reassure me. Anyway, Abuela made you tamales, shall I put them in the refrigerator or d’you wanna have them with the pizza?”

Buck still doubts that any other parents are getting personal calls from their kid’s teacher, but it makes him feel better knowing that Eddie’s only thought is the well-being of his son.

Maybe this whole Ana thing is something he should talk to Frank about, too.

“I’m going back to therapy,” Buck blurts, his brain to mouth filter nonexistent. “I have nightmares. I stopped talking about it because I thought I was being selfish but it’s fucking me up so. Yeah. I’m going back to therapy.”

Eddie’s eyebrows hit his hairline. Buck silently begs him not to make a big deal out of it, and is relieved when all Eddie says is, “Good. Thank you for telling me. The tamales?”

A mildly hysterical laugh bursts out of Buck. He comes forward and wraps his arms around Eddie, so fucking relieved that after everything, he still gets to have this.

Eddie goes with the moment gracefully, pats him on the back a few times, and when Buck pulls away, Eddie leaves a hand on his shoulder and says, “I’m here for you. I know I haven’t always been great at that before, but I am. You don’t have to do this by yourself unless you want to.”

And Buck knows it’s true, can tell by the fierce determination in Eddie’s eyes, and thinks that maybe this means he’s not so exhausting to deal with after all. That maybe Eddie was exhausted with himself just a little, too.

“We’re good, Eddie,” Buck says honestly. “I’m gonna call the pizza place, you take those tamales and the beer over to the couch.”

They’re one and a half movies, two pizzas and half a dozen tamales in when Buck opens his mouth and “So are you and Ana dating?” comes out of it.

Eddie chokes a little on his beer. “No? I don’t really know.”

It’s not quite the answer Buck was hoping for. “How can you not know, man?”

Shifting uncomfortably, Eddie leans back on the couch until he’s looking up at the ceiling, like he can’t meet Buck’s eye. “She’s nice, and pretty, and good with Chris. I dunno, Buck. It feels like it could go somewhere?”

Buck swallows hard. He knew it. He should definitely have waited to have this conversation until after he’s seen Frank though, because he has no goddamn clue how he’s supposed to be the supportive best friend when every fiber of his being is burning with jealousy. He’s not sure of the exact moment that he knew Eddie was it for him, but it’s been that way for so long now it’s become a part of who he is. He used to be good at pretending his feelings didn’t exist, but he’s so tired these days.

But what he has with Eddie and Christopher right now is the best thing going on in his life — he’s not going to risk losing that.

“I wouldn’t even know how to ask her out,” Eddie continues, laughing a little at himself. “Out of practice would definitely be an understatement, I have no clue what I’m doing.”

Buck mirrors Eddie’s position, staring up at the beams under the loft. “I think you just say ‘would you like to go out with me’, Eddie. It’s not that hard.”

“Easy for you to say,” Eddie snorts. “I bet no girl has ever turned you down.”

“Ha, you should speak to Joe Levinson from high school,” Buck tells him. God, he thought Joe was so cute. He never told anyone, especially not his parents, and Maddie was off at college, but he used to trail around after Joe like a lovesick puppy. “We’re talking the crush of all teenage crushes here, man. I was so gone on Joe and it was senior year and then prom was coming up, and I—”

“Oh no,” Eddie laughs, “you got turned down?”

“I got humiliated,” Buck grins. “I thought I’d go classic, y’know? A love note in the locker, little hearts doodled on it and ‘I really like you, will you be my prom date?’ written in glitter gel pen. Imagine my surprise when the next morning my note is not just in Joe’s locker, but on the front of every single locker, in the halls, the cafeteria, even the damn teacher’s lounge. He made sure the last few weeks of high school were not good ones.”

“Wait…” Eddie tips his head sideways, confusion written on his face. “Joe was a boy?”

Shit. Buck isn’t ashamed of being bisexual at all, but it occurs to him now that he hasn’t actually told anybody besides his sister. “Uh… yeah?”

“Did you just come out to me?”

Buck shrugs. “I kinda forgot you didn’t know?”

Their faces are pretty close at this angle, their heads cushioned by the back of the couch. Eddie doesn’t look hostile or disgusted though. He looks thoughtful.

“That was really brave,” he eventually says, quieter than before. “I can’t even imagine asking a boy out in high school.”

There’s something in the way he says it that gives Buck pause. “Did you want to?” he asks carefully.

“It wasn’t an option.” Eddie doesn’t sound sad, just matter-of-fact. “Besides, I met Shannon in college. And I really loved her, Buck. There were… occasions, while I was in the army, but I never acted on it. I’d made vows, they meant something to me.”

Buck can’t look away from Eddie’s face, pulled in by the wide-eyed openness and the thought that he didn’t know this about Eddie — that they didn’t know this about each other.

“And now?” he asks, not sure why he’s whispering.

“Now I don’t know,” Eddie says honestly. He licks his lips. Buck couldn’t tell you which of them moved first but all of a sudden their lips are touching, pressing. It’s dry, a little chaste, but most definitely a kiss. Buck shifts, brings his hand up towards Eddie’s face, and barely touches his jaw before Eddie is springing backwards, shock written all over him.

“Buck, I’m sorry—”

“No, dude, that was all me, I was totally over the line.”

“We just got — caught up in the moment,” Eddie says, and Buck’s not sure which of them he’s trying to convince.

“Yeah, all that talk about dating and my tragic high school trauma. Woulda been weird if you hadn’t wanted to kiss me,” he smirks, aiming for cool and cocky and probably missing by several miles.

Eddie lets out a bark of laughter that’s more panic than amusement. They’re quiet for a minute. Eddie’s knee is still pressed against Buck’s, warm and solid. Buck doesn’t know what’s happening here but he knows he really liked kissing Eddie, can still feel his lips tingling. He knows he’s not going to lose Eddie over this though, can’t lose him. He’ll do whatever it takes for that not to happen.

“It was a moment,” Buck concludes, for both their sake. “Moment’s over.”

Eddie’s throat visibly bobs when he swallows. “Right. Y’know, I should probably take off. Before—”

He cuts himself off. The tips of his ears go bright red. It takes every ounce of willpower Buck has not to ask him ‘before what?’

He follows Eddie across the apartment to the door, but he really doesn’t want this to be weird when they get to the station in the morning. He lays his hand on Eddie’s forearm and asks, “We’re okay, aren’t we, Eddie?”

To his relief, Eddie smiles and it seems real. “Of course, Buck. Nothing’s changed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As he lets himself out, the door closing softly behind him, Buck can’t help thinking what a bad liar Eddie is. Of course something has changed. Everything has changed. That kiss will hang over them for the rest of their days as partners — as friends. You don’t just ‘accidentally’ kiss your best friend and then act like it didn’t happen.

Buck wanders into the kitchen, fists his hand in his hair, scrapes them over his face, repeatedly bangs his forehead into the cupboard door. Stupid stupid stupid .

Restless, he clears away pizza boxes. Drops empty beer bottles into the recycling. Seals the lid on the tupperware and puts the remaining tamales in the refrigerator. Shuts off the TV — how didn’t he notice the movie was still playing?

He’s wiping down the kitchen counters when there’s a knock on the door.

Eddie’s standing there on the other side, looking just as wide-eyed as he was when he left.

“Hey,” Buck says uncertainly, ignoring the swoop in his stomach. “You forget something?”

“Yes,” Eddie says and he takes a step forward, holds Buck’s face in his hands, and crashes their mouths together.

This kiss is nothing like their last.

Eddie is demanding, relentless, tongue tracing the seam of Buck’s lips straight away until Buck opens up for him and everything gets hotter and wetter and so much more amazing. His own hands, which had been floundering in surprise, land on Eddie’s waist and Buck walks him backwards until his back hits the open door and closes it with a bang. He leans into Eddie with all his weight, pushes him against the wood, shoves their hips together and groans the filthiest sound he’s ever made into Eddie’s mouth.

It’s incredible, feels absolutely perfect. Buck moves his hands, slips them under the soft fabric of Eddie’s shirt, finding warm skin and hard muscles and a stomach that trembles when his thumb flicks over a nipple.

With a gasp, Eddie pulls back and smacks his head against the door. Buck removes a hand and places it gently behind Eddie’s head to cushion it, kissing a lush apology to his lips.

“You feel so good,” Eddie mumbles. “Buck.”

Buck kisses down Eddie’s neck, their stubble rasping, his lips fluttering over Eddie’s thundering pulse. He shoves their hips together some more — once, twice, and again because he can’t stop — and he can feel Eddie’s dick through their jeans and he’s so turned on he can hardly breathe.

“We should talk,” he says to Eddie, breathlessly, “but first we should fuck.”

“Best idea you’ve ever had, Buckley.”

A grin spreads across Eddie’s face and Buck copies it, kissing him again because he just can’t help it and grabbing his hand, dragging him away from the door and up the steps to the loft.

Two orgasms, one set of clean sheets and one shower later, Buck feels brave enough to say, “I want this every day forever.”

Eddie’s nearly asleep, head right next to Buck’s on the pillow, one arm slung across Buck’s stomach. He cracks open an eye and presses a tiny kiss to the corner of Buck’s mouth.

“Guess we’re on the same page then.”

“I don’t want you to date Ana.”

The other eye pops open, trademark Eddie Diaz exasperation all over his face. “Buck.”

“Just checking!” Buck laughs, drawing patterns on Eddie’s arm. “Y’know, I’m still gonna need therapy.”

“I’d be worried if you didn’t. Unless sex really is a magic cure.”

Buck tries to smile but instead finds himself softly saying, “I might have a nightmare.”

Eddie kisses him again, for longer this time, then shifts closer and nuzzles his nose into Buck’s temple, his hair. “I’m not going anywhere. Go to sleep, Buck.”

They settle in, warm under the blankets, and Buck closes his eyes, falling asleep quick and easy, between one breath and the next.

#stupid tumblr mobile deleted the original post when i tried to add a tag so reposting!!!#buddie #buddiefic #buck x eddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911 fox #9-1-1 #911 fic #911 fanfic #*fic #useralie #casually tagging alie in everything as i timidly venture into this fandom

98 notes · View notes

stellarstacey · 4 years

Note

How about Buck and Eddie have been secretly dating for months now and are wanting to reveal there relationship to their friends but can't come up with a way until Eddie comes up with the idea of proposing without Buck knowing. Christopher helps Eddie out as well.

“Thanks for helping me with this, kid.” Eddie smiled down at Christopher who was smiling happily as he pulled off rose petals to put on the ground of the parking lot.

“Still don’t know why we are doing this here.” Christopher mumbled as he looked around the ugly parking lot and Eddie smiled.

“Because this place is very special for me and Buck.” Eddie explained and Christopher wrinkled his nose but shrugged.

Eddie laughed as he finished with the fairy lights. He texted Maddie.

Eddie: All set! :)

Maddie: On our way.

Buck was confused. He wasn’t the only one. Chim kept asking Maddie where they were going. Hen was also looking confused. Athena had texted her from Bobby’s car behind them with a few question marks. Maddie had remained tight lipped though. All she said was that game night was going mobile tonight. So here they were in the middle of Los Angeles with no idea where they were going or why. Buck had texted Eddie to tell him his sister had lost her mind and that if he didn’t show up tonight, it was because he was murdered. Eddie couldn’t come because Christopher was running a fever apparently. Which was weird because he seemed fine when Buck left. The pulled up to a parking lot and Buck was handed a blindfold.

“Put this on.” Maddie instructed and Buck looked at her like she grown another head.

“What?” Buck asked as Chim and Hen exchanged looks of confusion.

“Just do it, baby brother.” Buck frowned at her but threw on the blindfold.

Maddie helped him out of the jeep. Buck heard more car doors open and close. He heard Athena ask what was going on and then he Maddie shush her...which took balls. Maddie led him over and he heard Hen gasp and he felt his stomach tighten...what the hell was going on? He felt Maddie’s hand leave his arm and felt a presence in front of him. Sandalwood...Eddie.

“Eddie?” Buck whispered in confusing and he head a small chuckle as the blindfold was removed and Buck’s eyes widened.

A hand automatically went to his mouth and his eyes teared up as he took in his surroundings. There were in a deserted parking lot but there were rose petals on the concrete and fairy lights above their heads. Buck instantly knew where they were. They were standing in the exact same spot.

“2 years ago till the day, we were standing here. We made a promise to each other to always have each other’s backs.” Eddie started and Buck bit his lip to stop from crying.

“And in those two years, you have been by my side through thick and thin. You’ve seen me at my best and you’ve seen me at my worst.” Eddie started to choke up and Buck laced their fingers together.

“You’ve not only had my back but you have had my son’s too.” Eddie’s voice cracked as he looked over at Christopher who was standing beside him and smiled.

Buck glanced down at Christopher who shot him a huge grin and Buck smiled tearfully.

“You can make me so frustrated like no one I have every met but you also make me the happiest I’ve ever been. So...I’m asking you to make one more promise to each other...” Eddie breathe out as he got down on one knee and Buck let the tears fall.

“Marry me?” Eddie asked softly and Buck slowly got down onto his own knee.

“Only if you marry me too.” Buck whispered and Eddie nodded. “Yes.” Eddie whispered and Buck smiled.

“Yes.” Buck whispered and Eddie slipped the gold band onto Buck’s finger.

They kissed and broke apart with matching grins.

“What just happened?” Chim asked and Buck laughed.

“We just got engaged.” Buck smirked and Chim blinked.

“We didn’t even know you were DATING!” Hen stated with wide eyes.

“We wanted to wait a bit before telling you guys...I was just telling Eddie the other day that we should...guess he beat me to it...Show off.” Buck bumped Eddie shoulder has they got up.

Bobby walked over and pulled Buck into a hug. “I’m so happy for you, kid.” Bobby whispered into his ear and Buck smiled.

The rest of the night was celebrated at Eddie and Buck’s apartment.

Buck found himself in Christopher’s room.

“Hi, buddy.” Buck whispered to Christopher who was cuddled up in his bed.

“Hi, Buck.” Christopher whispered sleepily and Buck smiled at him.

“Are you okay with all this? With me marrying your dad?” Buck asked softly and Christopher frowned at him.

“Does that mean you will like him more than me?” Christopher asked and Buck smiled.

“Never.” Buck swore and Christopher smiled.

“Than I’m okay with it, Dad.” Christopher said as he leaned up and kissed Buck’s cheek.

Buck bit his lip and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Night, Superman.” Buck whispered kissing his temple before leaving his room.

He found Eddie in the hall and nearly collapsed in his arms.

“Whoa? You good, man?” Eddie teased but Buck just sniffed into Eddie’s neck.

“He called me dad.” Buck whispered and Eddie smiled.

#buddie

111 notes · View notes

inawickedlittletown · 4 years

Text

I’m With You (13/?)

Summary:

Having a crush was nothing to be ashamed of…lying to the family and friends of said crush about being the guy’s boyfriend, that was a whole other problem. When Buck saves the life of Andrew Diaz and accidentally makes a nurse think that he’s Andrew’s boyfriend, Buck soon finds himself lying to Andrew’s firefighter friends/coworkers as well as Andrew’s family including Andrew’s very suspicious and attractive brother, Eddie.

Based on the 1995 movie While You Were Sleeping.

Words: 5,537

Notes: Finally getting this one up. Enjoy.

Read on Ao3

Masterpost

Previous Chapter

–

“So, what do you like to do, Christopher?” Buck asked.

Christopher shrugged. He’d already gotten ahold of Buck’s tv remote and he’d both turned the tv on and put on some cartoons. So maybe things would be just that easy with Christopher.

“Well, we can watch tv for a while, if you want,” Buck said.

Buck couldn’t remember the last time that he’d babysat any kid, but it wasn’t hard and it especially wasn’t hard with Christopher who seemed content for a while to watch tv. He checked over all of Christopher’s bags and found that Eddie had really overpacked. There were toys — legos, and books, crayons, and a couple of stuffed animals too. Plenty to keep Christopher entertained and busy which was good because Buck owned nothing that would have kept Christopher from getting bored.

“Buck,” Christopher said, “are you gonna marry my uncle?”

Buck was holding the stuffed elephant from Christopher’s bag and he couldn’t help the reflex of squeezing it at the unexpected question.

“I don’t know, kid,” Buck said after a beat.

“Abuela said you’re his boyfriend,” Christopher said and tilted his head as he looked at Buck.

It felt wrong to lie to a kid. So he settled for a nod and then, “sorta.”

Christopher nodded and Buck didn’t think he actually fully understood. He was just repeating what he’d heard from his abuela and maybe trying to understand where Buck fit in with everything.

“Hey, do you want something to eat?”

“No,” Christopher said. “So you’re not gonna be my uncle?”

“I don’t know, kiddo,” Buck said and he sat down next to him and ruffled his hair. “What are we watching?”

It was some sort of kid’s tv-show that Buck was unfamiliar with, but it seemed to hold Christopher’s attention.

They watched tv for a while until Christopher got bored and asked for his legos. He didn’t seem to be intent on actually building anything. It was more about putting blocks together. Some of the things he showed to Buck and Buck just smiled at him and encouraged him to keep playing. It was cute. Too cute. He was sitting on the floor with his legos all over the floor just doing whatever he wanted and Buck just watched him until Christopher told him he was thirsty.

“Water or juice?”

“Juice please.”

Buck had apple juice that he usually watered down even for himself because it was too sweet so he did the same for Christopher and because he was already in the kitchen he cut an orange into slices and brought it over for Christopher to snack on.

“Thanks, Buck.”

He was so polite. Buck wondered if that had come from Eddie or from another family member, maybe even the estranged mother.

“Buck,” Christopher said eventually, “can we visit your dog?”

“Legolas? Well, he’s not really my dog. He’s your uncle Andrew’s but sure. He’s probably hungry.”

“Can I feed him?” Christopher asked and his eyes lit up.

Before Eddie had asked him to watch Christopher, Buck had intended on going over to feed Legolas because he knew his days with the dog were numbered, and then he’d wanted to go and visit Andrew...but he didn’t mind having the excuse of watching Christopher from keeping him away from the hospital.

“Sure, kiddo. Just eat the orange, alright. I’m going to get shoes and we can go.”

To help him out, Buck grabbed one of the orange slices and put the whole thing in his mouth. Christopher was watching and he giggled, throwing his head to the side a little. Buck often felt a little concerned about Christopher’s movements but he knew it was the CP and something that Christopher just couldn’t help, so he made himself realize that for Christopher it was all normal.

“See something funny?”

“Maybe,” Christopher said and giggled again. It was one of the sweetest giggles that Buck had ever heard. He really did love kids a lot.

As he walked upstairs, Buck checked his phone. He had a missing call from a random number and Buck really did need to get someone to look into it for him. But he was distracted by texts from Eddie.

How’s everything going?

You guys okay?

He’s not giving you too much trouble, right?

Buck couldn’t help but smile. The way that Eddie cared about Christopher and loved Christopher, it warmed his heart. He was just such a good dad and it had been obvious from the moment that Buck met him. Buck couldn’t ever not appreciate that about him especially since he was doing so much on his own and Christopher was this wonderful kid.

We’re fine.

Going to stop by Andrew’s to see Legolas.

By Christopher’s request.

That’s okay right? That I take him out?

Buck was a little surprised when he got a response right away. He supposed that Eddie wasn’t out dealing with an emergency.

Yes, Buck. It’s fine.

I trust you with him.

And he loves that dog.

I’m actually a little worried that Andrew isn’t more interested in the dog.

Buck was too. Legolas deserved an owner that cared about him.

Once he remembers I’m sure he’ll be interested.

There’s a reason he got him right?

Eddie answered right away again.

Maybe. Idk.

Thanks again, Buck.

Buck hadn’t allowed himself to give much thought to how things had gone at the hospital with Andrew the day before. It had been strange in retrospect how open Andrew had been with him and how easily he had been able to read Buck with all the pushing for Buck to join the LAFD. One thing that Buck was kind of sure of was that Eddie was right in saying that Andrew wasn’t too interested in Legolas. Something that might change later unless there was some other reason for why he had a dog but Buck couldn’t begin to figure that out.

Buck grabbed his shoes, slipped his wallet in his pocket, and then ran downstairs. Christopher had finished the juice and eaten most of the orange slices.

“Can we go, Buck?”

“Sure, kid,” Buck said. He grabbed the cup and the plate with the two remaining orange slices and put another in his mouth to more of Christopher’s giggles when he brought just the rind down.

He ate the other before leaving the plate in the sink.

“Do you need to bring anything with you?” Buck asked, glancing at the bags that Eddie had brought with him as if his kid was spending more than just a day with Buck.

Christopher shrugged. “Not really.”

“I’m taking your word for it, kid. Anyway, we’re just going to see the dog so we’ll be back here soon. Come on.”

It was hard not to step in and help Christopher with his crutches, but he managed without any trouble and then he just waited and let him go out the door first.

It was when they got to the car that Buck realized that Christopher probably required a booster seat of some kind but obviously Buck didn’t have any. He had a silent freak out while he wondered if it was okay to actually bring Christopher in his car without one but Christopher didn’t seem to care and Buck figured that it wasn’t far to Andrew’s and he would just be careful as he drove.

—-

“Who are you texting so much today?” Chim asked.

Eddie glanced up at him from his phone. Buck had just sent him a picture of Christopher and Legolas.

“Buck,” Eddie said. “He’s watching Christopher today.”

Chim raised an eyebrow and even Hen glanced at him.

“What?” Eddie asked.

“Well, you really didn’t like him at first and now you’re just letting him watch your kid,” Hen said. “The same kid that you’re overprotective over.

Eddie set down his phone and looked at them. The last thing that Eddie wanted to do was let them know how he felt. Andrew was awake and he seemed to be as taken with Buck as everyone else and that could only mean that once he did have his memories back that he would remember loving Buck. Eddie couldn’t get in the middle of that. He wouldn’t. It didn’t matter that it would inevitably hurt him, the last thing he wanted was to hurt his brother who maybe could benefit from finally having a real relationship.

“I was wrong, okay?” Eddie said. “Andrew needs to explain himself once he remembers but Buck’s a good guy.”

Hen grinned. “He is,” she said.

Chimney nodded as well and Eddie didn’t understand why he also looked thoughtful, like he was trying to figure something out when he looked at Eddie. Eddie hoped it wasn’t because Chimney suspected something about how Eddie felt about Buck. Eddie was distracted from that when his phone vibrated in his hand.

It was another picture. This time a selfie where Christopher was out on the grass with Buck, laughing. Christopher’s eyes were closed and his mouth was wide open mid-laugh and Buck was next to him, propped up and squinting due to the sun. His traitorous mind couldn’t help but imagine a world where things were different and Andrew wasn’t with Buck and Eddie had a chance. It made Eddie feel strange, his stomach churning a little, so he clicked out of it and didn’t bother to text Buck back. In the next moment they had a call and they were all rushing down to the trucks and he didn’t have time to think about Buck again for a little while.

It was when they were getting back and he’d checked his phone again that he saw there were a few more pictures. Chimney leaned over to look.

“Ah, so he’s using the dog as a babysitting tool. Smart man.”

Eddie chuckled.

“I still don’t get the whole dog thing,” Chimney added. “Doesn’t Andrew hate dogs?”

“He really didn’t like that dog we rescued a while back,” Bobby said.

“Buck doesn’t,” Eddie said.

Chimney opened and closed his mouth. “I don’t think he got the dog for Buck.”

“No,” Eddie agreed. “Buck never really explained it when I asked. I don’t think he knew...he was really vague.”

“I’m sure he didn’t,” Chimney said.

“Not to mention that Andrew would never get a dog just for a boyfriend. Not even Buck,” Eddie said. Although maybe that was it...maybe Andrew loved Buck enough to overlook his dislike for dogs.

Eddie tried to push away the jealousy that reared up. The way that Chimney looked at him made Eddie wonder if Chimney knew or if he somehow suspected that Eddie liked Buck more than he’d let on at first. Maybe it was possible that Eddie wasn’t as subtle as he’d first thought. And then, as they were getting off the trucks back at the station, the world started to shake.

Everything was chaos. Things were falling and shaking. This was the third earthquake that Eddie had felt since moving to LA and it still left him rattled when it was over and they could see the damage it left in its wake but Eddie’s first thought was Christopher and he scrambled for his phone, calling Buck. Buck didn’t pick up on the first few rings. And then it stopped ringing and didn’t even go to voicemail.

“Shit,” Eddie said. He tried calling again even as he heard Bobby start giving out orders.

They were sure to be called out soon, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t use the minutes before it happened to make sure that nothing had fallen or been damaged that they might need later out on the call. He helped with making sure none of their tanks were damaged. He could see Hen checking the ambulance. There was still a lot more to take care of within the station itself, but dispatch was sending them out and that was more important.

They rushed back onto the truck and Eddie felt his phone burning in his pocket. When he tried to call Buck again the call didn’t even go through. Cell phone towers were probably down. That’s all that it was. He had to tell himself that and believe it.

“I can’t get ahold of Buck,” Eddie said.

“Christopher is fine,” Hen said. She was looking at her phone too. Worried about Karen and Denny. He was sure that Bobby was feeling the same about Athena, May, and Harry. But the job had to come first for them. Christopher was with Buck and Eddie trusted Buck to take care of him. It didn’t mean that his worry disappeared, but it meant that Eddie could shove it to the side because he needed to do his job.

—-

The first sign that something was wrong was Legolas. People always said that dogs could sense things before they happened. Buck hadn’t expected it to be true.

Buck and Christopher spent a good chunk of time outside with Legolas until Buck figured that it was a good idea to get some lunch into Christopher and either way he could tell that Christopher was getting tired. So they headed inside and Buck brought Christopher over to where Legolas’ plate was kept. He checked his phone to see if Eddie had texted back after the last few pictures he’d sent him but there was nothing likely because he was busy working. Buck dropped his phone on the counter.

“Are we gonna feed him, Buck?”

Buck nodded. “Yup.”

Buck usually just poured the food from the bag directly into Legolas’ plate, but he looked around the kitchen and found a small plastic bowl.

“Okay, so you just get some food and put it on his place,” Buck said, tilting the bag towards Christopher so he could reach.

It was a bit messy and kibble was going everywhere, but Christopher seemed to be enjoying himself but Buck couldn’t help but notice that Legolas wasn’t wiggling around and trying to get at the food and instead he seemed to be pacing and sniffing the air, his ears moving as if he were listening for something.

Then, Legolas started barking. He nudged at Buck’s legs one moment, almost making him drop the dog food and then he paused in front of Christopher, head tilted as if he were listening to something and then he took off just narrowly avoiding bumping into Christopher’s crutches.

“Legolas! What is—”

“Is he okay, Buck?” Chris asked.

“I don’t know, kid, but—”

Christopher was standing right by Buck and when everything started shaking. One of Christopher’s crutches slid on the floor. Buck dropped the bag of dog food, grabbing Christopher as the cabinets opened up and things were falling. Something hit Buck on the shoulder but he shielded Christopher and got them out of the kitchen to the door frame out of the kitchen and into the living room. He clutched Christopher to him.

“What’s happening?” Christopher asked.

He looked scared, but he wasn’t crying and his arms were holding onto Buck’s neck with a tight grip.

“Earthquake,” Buck said. “It will be over soon. It’s gonna be okay. I got you.”

The worst part about it was hearing things falling on the second floor, shaken off of wherever they were sitting and making noises that Christopher kept getting startled at. Even though the earthquake must have lasted no more than a few minutes, it felt like it went on for much longer. Christopher’s face was pressed into his neck and he was whimpering a little towards the end and Buck could just hold onto him until everything came to a stop.

Things were broken and thrown about and there was plaster dust from where the walls had cracked a bit but Buck figured that things could have been worse. He held onto Christopher a little longer.

“It stopped shaking,” Christopher said and Buck loosened his hold so he could get a look at him.

He was okay.

“And that, kid, was an earthquake,” Buck said, trying to keep calm. Christopher was okay. That’s what mattered. “Ever been through one before?”

“I think so,” Christopher said. “Buck, I wanna talk to my daddy.”

“Yes. Yes, we should call him. And you’re okay, right?”

Christopher nodded and Buck searched for his phone in his pockets. Buck’s phone wasn’t in his pocket though. He remembered leaving it on the counter in the kitchen while he was pouring the food. It had to be in there in that mess. Slowly he set Christopher down.

“Okay, kid, just wait here and I’ll go find my phone and we can call your dad. He’s probably worried about you too.”

“Okay,” Christopher said.

Without his crutches which were also somewhere in the kitchen, Christopher just leaned against the door frame and waited.

Buck didn’t have a hard time finding his phone, but the screen was cracked, shattered more like so that even when he clicked the power button and the screen came on, he could barely make anything but light out and he cut his finger trying to press anything on there, leaving a blood stain on the phone.

“Looks like my phone is broken, Christopher,” Buck said.

“Oh, no,” Christopher said and his face was doing a thing where it was scrunching up and he looked like he was going to start crying and Buck was not prepared to deal with that.

Buck grabbed Christopher’s crutches and walked back. “Hey, Christopher, look at me. I’m sure your dad is okay. He’s a firefighter, right, so he knows what to do when there’s an emergency. Now, important question, do you know your dad’s phone number?”

Because Buck didn’t. Christopher gave a nod.

“Okay. Good, that’s good.”

Buck had to think quickly. His best bet was finding someone that had a working phone to try and call Eddie and let him know that Christopher was okay. Buck had been through a few earthquakes since moving to California but it didn’t make him used to them. What he did know was that there would likely be some sort of aftershock afterwards sometime in the next few hours which gave them some time.

“Come on, we can see if one of the neighbors has a working phone,” Buck said.

“What about Legolas? We can’t leave him.”

Christopher was trying to wipe his face with the sleeve of his shirt, but Buck grabbed his hand and stopped him and then picked him up again. The bathroom was a bit of a mess but it wasn’t as bad as the kitchen and Buck grabbed a towel and cleaned Christopher up.

“Let’s go get the leash and we can go outside,” Buck said and then yelled “Legolas!”

Buck grabbed his keys, Andrew’s keys, and then found Legolas’ leash but the dog wasn’t appearing. He called a few more times.

“He’s probably hiding, Chris. He’ll be okay.”

“No, no, Buck. He won’t.” Christopher looked at him stubbornly and Buck was sure that he wouldn’t let them leave without the dog.

Buck sighed. “Okay. Okay. Legolas! Come here, boy!”

He got lucky and the dog appeared. Buck had no clue where he’d been hiding, but he came towards him and Buck showed him the leash which seemed to excite him. Buck got the leash on him quickly and then motioned for Christopher to follow him to the front door. It was a little stuck which wasn’t a great sign, but Buck got it open and then forced it closed.

Some car alarms could still be heard all over the street outside but most had quieted down. A few people were outside looking for damage on their houses. Legolas barked, but he didn’t pull on the leash and it did still amaze Buck how well trained this dog was. He helped Christopher down the stairs being careful because he had no idea if the stairs had been damaged somehow.

“Okay, come on. We’ll get ahold of your dad somehow,” Buck said. He just hoped that Eddie wouldn’t be too busy to pick up.

The next door neighbor, a guy named Mike lent him a cell phone but warned him that it was likely some cell towers were down. Sure enough, he couldn’t get a call through to Eddie.

“Thanks, man,” Buck said and handed the phone back.

“No problem. Good luck.”

“Can’t reach him. So, how about we try the fire station? We can wait for him there.” Logically Buck knew that it was likely that the 118 would be out for a while dealing with all kinds of emergencies. They might be waiting on them for hours. It did feel better than sticking around Andrew’s house and waiting or heading back to his apartment.

Christopher’s lip was starting to get wobbly again and Buck had to remember that in some ways, he was still very much a stranger to Christopher. He knelt down in front of him.

“Chris, I will get you to your dad, okay. You’re safe with me, you know that right?”

Christopher nodded. “I know.”

“Good, that’s good. Now come on.”

—-

They had calls back to back which at least kept Eddie’s mind off of worrying about Christopher the entire time. It was easier to hold it together when there was someone to help and someone to rescue. Eddie knew that he could trust Buck to watch Christopher, but a parent just never stopped worrying. It would be the same if Chris had been with Abuela or with Carla.

“He’s fine, Eddie,” Chimney said yet again the moment that Eddie was looking at his phone again.

He’d managed to get a call out to Pepa who told him things were fine at the hospital with both Abuela and Andrew so at least that made him feel better but it didn’t keep him from worrying about his son. And Buck. And then the next call they went to had them going to the hospital because during the earthquake someone had gotten stuck inside an elevator and minor structural damage meant that for security reasons the elevator wouldn’t move and they needed to go out and get it moving again. So while they were there, after taking care of the elevator, they took a moment to check in with Andrew.

Andrew was happy to see them if a bit surprised.

“Crazy stuff, earthquakes,” Andrew said and then looking at Bobby, “remember that time that one created that sinkhole? Crazy rescue.”

They all froze and looked at Andrew.

“You remember that,” Hen said.

Andrew nodded. “I’m remembering lots of things.”

Eddie went to see Abuela too before they took off. She was doing okay and Eddie didn’t mention that he hadn’t heard from Buck about Christopher yet, but Pepa was perceptive and Eddie knew she’d been able to tell he was worried.

Afterwards, they headed to a few more calls. It was a while before they got back to the station. The day was just constant because earthquakes had massive effects and it was all hands on deck. They were tired and definitely a bit sweaty and dirty from everything they’d done all day but it was all made worse by the worry that Eddie felt for Christopher. Hen had gotten a call from Karen and Bobby had heard from Michael. They’d run into Athena at one of the calls. It was just Christopher and Buck that no one knew anything about.

So arriving at the station and seeing Buck’s Jeep parked up front, Eddie felt like he could take full breaths again.

And then they were off the truck and Buck and Christopher were looking down on them from upstairs with Legolas sitting at Buck’s side, barking as they came off the truck and Eddie had never felt more relieved.

“Daddy!” Christopher cried and he wiggled excitedly where he stood.

Eddie ran up the stairs and Christopher was waiting right at the top. Eddie wrapped his arms around him, bringing him in tight. He was okay. His son was okay. Eddie held him for a long moment but then pushed him back so he could actually look at him and ascertain that there really was nothing wrong with him. Nothing was. There wasn’t even a scratch on him.

“Daddy, I’m okay,” Christopher said, squirming a bit.

Hen ruffled Christopher’s hair when she made it up the stairs and Eddie moved out of the way so she could pass as Chimney came up behind her.

“Christopher,” Chimney said, hand up for a high five that Christopher gladly gave him complete with a giggle.

Having the weight of the worry fall away, Eddie finally looked towards where Buck was standing with Legolas at his side. It was Hen that reached him first, pulling Buck into a hug and then dropping down to one knee in front of Legolas. Legolas laid down and even rolled over to get a belly rub at the attention he was getting.

“What happened?” Chimney asked, looking at Buck.

“We were okay but Christopher wanted his dad and I figured I’d come here and wait you guys out,” Buck said, looking at each of them.

“I was worried,” Eddie said, approaching Buck with Christopher at his side because Christopher had attached himself to Eddie.

“Buck took care of me when everything was shaking,” Christopher said. “It was scary, but he made it better.”

Buck gained some pink to his cheeks and he didn’t seem to know what to say, so it was good timing on Bobby’s side that he stepped upstairs and noticed what none of the rest of them had, that there was something cooking in the kitchen.

“Beat me to the kitchen,” Bobby said.

Buck was still a little pink. “I hope it’s okay. I just...I figured you guys would be tired and hungry and we were here anyway. Needed to keep the kid distracted too.”

“It smells good,” Hen said. “And I think we all need to get cleaned up before we eat.”

Eddie had almost forgotten how messy they all were from the day they’d had.

“Gives me time to finish up,” Buck said.

Eddie hugged Christopher again and then promised to be back soon and he followed the others down to the lockers. He was feeling so much relief to have seen Christopher with his own eyes. It made his shower even better than it could have felt otherwise but Eddie still kept it short and quick. He got back up to the loft before anyone else and found Buck behind the island in the kitchen with Christopher sitting up on the counter.

“So, what did you cook, anyway?”

“Come and look,” Buck said.

Eddie walked around. Buck had made chicken alfredo and it both looked and smelled delicious and Eddie hadn’t actually realized how hungry he was.

“And we made desert too, daddy,” Christopher said.

“Oh?”

Christopher nodded quickly. “I helped,” he said proudly.

Eddie chuckled. His son loved to cook and bake things which was all due to Abuela and Pepa and how often when he was with them, they spent time cooking. Eddie was not good in the kitchen. He did what he could because he had a kid and he had to feed that kid, but Eddie had learned to keep things as simple as possible if he wanted to actually feed Christopher anything that was edible.

He helped Buck bring the food over to the table because along with the chicken alfredo, he had cut up bread and made a salad.

“Wow, well I vote we keep you around, Buckaroo,” Hen said when she made it upstairs.

“I only know how to cook three things,” Buck said.

“Better than Eddie, here,” Chimney said. “It’s a good thing he knows how to deal with fires.”

Eddie rolled his eyes but knew better than to complain because Chimney would just keep it going.

“Well, it looks good, Buck,” Bobby said.

Buck helped Christopher sit down and he even went as far as to serve him some food and Eddie couldn’t help but just watch as the two of them talked to each other. Christopher was so distracted by Buck that he didn’t even notice when Eddie sat down at his other side.

“Those two are getting along,” Hen said.

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “Buck loves kids.”

Hen frowned at that. “But your brother doesn’t,” she said.

“He doesn’t like dogs either,” Eddie pointed out.

At the moment Legolas was under the table and probably hoping that someone would pass him some food from the table. Eddie might have snuck him some chicken when he first sat down, but he was sure he saw Buck reach under the table too.

“But Buck does,” Hen said.

Eddie shrugged and then got distracted when Christopher pulled his attention. His eyes met Buck’s when he leaned towards Christopher and Eddie hated himself for the way that his heart rate sped up in the split moment when Buck’s blue eyes were looking directly at him, beautiful as ever. And then Buck smiled at him and Eddie had to look away.

—-

Buck hung out at the fire station after they finished eating. Hen and Chim went down to restock things with a few other firefighters while Eddie took care of cleaning up the dishes and the kitchen. Christopher sat up on one of the stools watching and Buck did his best to help while Legolas lay on his feet.

“That dog loves you,” Eddie said.

“I love him too,” Buck said and he was going to hate the day when he wouldn’t get to see him again after it was all over.

“Thank you for bringing Christopher here,” Eddie said. “He’s...he’s the most important thing in my life, you know?”

“I know,” Buck said. “You’re a good dad.”

Eddie pursed his lips but he nodded. “Now, maybe. I made so many mistakes — wasn’t always there for him.”

“But you are now,” Buck said. “And you love him so that’s all that matters.”

Buck knew first hand how much that mattered. He’d been thinking about his parents and Maddie a lot lately probably because of the family he’d gotten to be in the peripherals of. Buck wasn’t sure if his parents had even shown that they loved him and Maddie. They hadn’t really been there in a way that kids needed their parents. Maddie had stepped up and Buck knew she loved him even if they hadn’t spoken in over three years and even if Maddie had left him with their parents when she went off to school.

They hadn’t made it past half the dishes before the alarm for a call rang out.

“I’m surprised we made it this far,” Eddie said and then he was off, but he stopped at the stairs. “Will you...will you be here?”

“Yeah,” Buck said. “Yeah...we’ll stick around.”

Eddie nodded and he looked relieved. “Good.”

Having seen his dad, Christopher had relaxed some but he could tell that he still worried and Buck wondered how much this kid did worry about his dad while Eddie was at work. Maybe it was more real when a natural disaster happened or with him at the station seeing his dad rush off and get into one of the trucks and go. Still, Christopher seemed to enjoy being at the station and Buck couldn’t blame him for it.

Legolas seemed to love being there too. He would have made a good fire house dog. He’d even found a ball somewhere. It was covered in dust bunnies and hair, but Legolas didn’t care about that, he was just happy to bring it over to Buck so Buck could throw it for him. They were lucky there was space for them to play with him inside and it distracted Christopher from thinking about his dad out on a call possibly in a dangerous situation.

Buck kept a close watch when Christopher went to throw the ball just in case it went somewhere it shouldn’t but he seemed to be doing fine even if he wasn’t throwing very far. Christopher did managed to bounce the ball over the glass banister and before Buck could stop him, Legolas ran down the stairs to fetch it. He leaned over the glass the watch Legolas and he watched as Legolas chased and managed to get hold of the ball.

“He’s coming back, bud,” Buck said to Christopher.

Buck Legolas didn’t walk up the stairs.

“Legolas! Up here!” Buck called down.

That’s when the aftershock hit. The shaking pushed Buck against the banister, but he pushed away from it. Buck had forgotten about the possible aftershock entirely. He could hear Legolas barking and things falling and shaking, but it was Christopher who he needed to get to.

“Buck!” Christopher cried out.

Christopher wobbled on his crutches but they were helping to keep him on his feet, but Buck had barely taken a step towards him when one of the chairs near where Christopher was standing was knocked over and it hit Christopher’s shoulder. Buck saw it even as he was trying to reach him. Christopher fell, his crutches in the way and then Christopher screamed and Buck felt it down in his bones.

–

Next Chapter

Notes: So Buck and Chris got to hang out...and they just can't avoid trouble when they do...

I do want to make a quick note of saying next chapter might be a bit delayed. Work has changed my schedule which means that my current sleep schedule is also going to need a change (and I usually write best between midnight and 5am) so I don't know how well these changes will pair with my writing/editing so don't be alarmed if it's more than a week's wait between this chapter and next (but it certainly won't be more than a two week wait).

Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought. :)

If anyone wants to be tagged in future chapters let me know.

Tagging: @tranquility-or-chaos @diazbuckleysworld @stilesgivesmefeels

#911 fox #911 fic #buddie #buddie fic #buck x eddie #911 fox fic #fic #my fic #I'm With You

15 notes · View notes

myemergence · 4 years

Text

Names

5+1 - The 5 times Buck is called by a last name other than Buckley, and the one time Buck’s last name actually changes

A/N: prompt from Ale on the discord & thank you to taxing-ninja for the beta on this one - you work wonders!

Buck slipped his hand into the pocket of his black trousers, the fabric of the white button down shirt taut against his chest. A smile parted his lips, eyes resting on Maddie and Chim who were sitting a few steps away. The simple white chairs were still in neat rows, calla lilies adorning the chairs at the edge of the aisle, tulle draped down their backs.

He glanced up, feeling a light hand resting on his shoulder. “Well, they did it, didn’t they? Never thought I’d see the day.” Hen chuckled lightly.

“Yeah.” Buck nodded his head absently.

The ceremony had been beautiful. They had opted for a smaller gathering of close friends and family versus an extravagant wedding, and it had suited them. They had exchanged their vows on the edge of the beach, overlooking the water. Maddie had looked like something out of a magazine, wearing a cream colored dress that was long and flowing. The entire thing had been the complete opposite of her ceremony with Doug, which had been a spectacle to say the least. Doug had wanted a huge wedding with all of the bells and whistles, and that was exactly what their parents had paid for.

Her marriage and relationship with Doug had sucked her into a terrible and dark place, one that she had to claw her way out of. Buck’s relationship with his sister had suffered immensely because of Doug. But Buck had never been more proud of his sister than he was on the day that she’d arrived on his doorstep, effectively breaking the silence about what she’d been enduring alone.

She deserved happiness, she deserved this, with Chimney. Buck watched as Chim placed a quick kiss against her lips, arm sliding casually around her waist and pulling her close.

“Congratulations, you two.” Hen congratulated them as the couple stepped closer to where she’d been standing with Buck.

“Maddie Han, finally making an honest man out of me.” Chim chuckled. Buck’s face soured slightly at Chimney’s words, watching as Maddie’s hand effortlessly slipped into Chimney’s.

“I’ll be right back.” Buck murmured, flashing a quick smile before stepping away.

Eddie glanced at Buck as he stepped over to him, placing a slow kiss on his lips. Buck pulled away after a short moment, causing Eddie’s eyebrow to arch lightly. “Everything alright, querido?” He asked lowly, gently grabbing Buck’s hand.

A barely audible sigh escaped his lips then, nodding his head curtly. “Yeah, fine. Everything’s great,” he spoke, his voice even.

Eddie felt a laugh dance past his lips as he studied his boyfriend for a long moment. “No offense, but I don’t think that you know what ‘great’ means.” Buck frowned, arms crossed against his chest at Eddie’s teasing words. Eddie let out a slow breath at Buck’s usual stubbornness, placing his hand on top of his arm, gently gripping the white material there. “Evan Buckley, talk to me.”

“Don’t call me that.” Eddie’s words had caused the frown on Buck’s face to deepen.

Eddie’s face reflected the confusion that he was feeling. His eyes rested on Buck, as though studying his features would explain the change in his behaviour. “What?”

“Don’t call me Evan Buckley.”

Eddie continued to look at Buck, searching for some sort of understanding and coming up empty. He scratched at the back of his head, eyes seeking out Buck’s, “But that’s your name.” He responded carefully. Eddie tried to keep the laugh out of his voice. He didn’t understand what the problem was, but it seemed like Buck had suddenly developed some sort of complex.

“Well, it’s not fair.” He mumbled, a clear pout making its appearance on his full lips.

“You can’t do that in public, Ev.” Eddie spoke lowly, hazel eyes fully focused on Buck’s full lips. Eddie brushed his thumb over Buck’s bottom lip, his eyes continuing to consume Buck.

“Alright, you two.” Maddie interjected as she stepped over to her brother and his boyfriend. “Let’s keep this PG, okay? You can’t be over here outdoing the newlyweds.” She laughed.

Buck rolled his eyes at his sister. “Whatever you say, Mads.” It wasn’t fair that only Maddie got to change her last name. Chim was his family now, too, and that meant that he was a Han.

“Do you want to tell me what has you all bent out of shape?” She asked slowly. Eddie stood beside Buck wordlessly, his curiosity also piqued, glancing to Buck for an explanation.

After letting out a huff of a breath, Buck spoke. “How come only you get to change your last name, Maddie? It’s so unfair.”

Maddie was unable to withhold her laughter as she listened to her brother, Chim rejoining her. “Because I’m the one that just got married?”

“Oh, so I get to be the only Buckley left, that seems like an unusual punishment. Did I kick your dog or something?”

Maddie rolled her eyes, Chim at her shoulder. “Would it make you feel better if I called you Evan Han?” Chimney asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“You have no idea,” Buck said

“Welcome to the Han family, Buck.”

Quiet twenty-four hour shifts were the worst. They were what most of the team loathed the most. Having quiet parts of any given shift was generally appreciated, especially in between busy calls. But having to effectively spend the majority of your day handling chores and housekeeping was not at the top of anyone’s list. Especially if you were Evan Buckley, and you were ready to climb the walls. He needed to be out of the firehouse, physically doing something. Not checking inventory in the supply closet for the third time, or buffing out a shine on the big rig.

And Buck feeling like he was going to climb the walls meant that he’d spent the entirety of the shift driving everyone crazy.

“So, did you ever wonder why they call it a driveway when you park on it?” Buck asked, drumming his fingers against the edge of the table. “And why do they call it a parkway when you drive on it?”

Chimney let out an audible sigh from where he stood, tired of all of Buck’s open-ended questions and random facts. Dinner had consisted of them learning that butterflies taste with their hind legs, that India has a Bill of Rights for cows, and that almonds are a member of the peach family.

Chim leveled Eddie with a gaze as Buck joined Bobby in the kitchen to help clean up after their meal. “You’re going to need to lock yourself in the bunks with him, before I kill him.” There was a brief pause as Chimney set his hands flat on the table, leaning towards Eddie. “And I don’t think my wife will ever forgive me for killing her baby brother, so please help.”

Eddie held up his hands in surrender, letting out an amused laugh. “Listen, man. I would help, really I would. But, Cap said the bunks are off limits, if Buck’s in there, I’m out here. So… you need a new plan.”

Chim groaned as his eyes scanned the upper loft of the fire house, searching for something, anything that would hold the younger firefighter’s attention for more than five seconds. His eyes landed on Hen, who had settled herself over by the video game console, clearly enjoying the escape. A mischievous smile crossed his lips then, his eyes moving to where Buck stood at the sink.

“Hey, Buck?” Chim rose from his spot at the table, clearing his spot before he reached the sink. “Hen said she has crushed the high score over there, and doesn’t think she has any competition. You should go and show her how it’s done, I’ve got clean up.”

Buck’s mouth was slightly ajar. “Hen!” He called across the loft, tossing the hand towel to Chim. “Thanks, brother.”

“No. thank you.” Chim smirked as Bobby loaded the dish drying rack, before grabbing a plate to dry.

“You are terrible, you do know that, right?” Bobby let out a small laugh, shaking his head at their antics.

Chimney shrugged his shoulder lightly. “We all have to be good at something.”

Buck closed in the space in quick strides. “So what’s this I hear about there being no competition in this firehouse?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, plopping himself down next to Hen gracelessly.

“What nonsense are you talking about now?” Hen shook her head, pushing down on the keys to the remote controller in quick succession.

“You can’t fool me, Hen.” He spoke, his attention split between looking at Hen and looking at the game. “What are you doing? You’re gonna get--”

“Buck!” Hen shouted, watching her character die on the screen. She heaved a heavy sigh before shooting a glare in his direction. “Look what you did!” She motioned to the screen, annoyance evident on her face.

Buck frowned at Hen’s reaction. “I did no such thing. It’s not my fault that you can’t concentrate.”

“Please tell me that you’re not being serious right now.” Hen told him flatly. “Of course it’s your fault. You are so distracting.” She paused, deciding to take a different approach. “Okay, how about a friendly little wager?”

Buck turned his attention from the video game, shifting his body slightly as he looked to Hen. “Oh, so I should decide what you’re going to give to me when I win?” He asked, as a cocky grin crossed his lips.

Hen clenched her jaw before she released a slow breath. “If I win, you have to be quiet for thirty minutes.”

Buck let out a laugh at her terms. “That is really the best that you’ve got?” Hen simply raised her eyebrows in reply. “Okay, okay…” Buck drummed his fingers against his chair in thought. “Okay.”

“I think we’ve established ‘okay’. What’s it going to be, Buck?”

“If I win, you have to do inventory for me next time, because I hate it.”

“Alright, so those are the terms. Let’s do this.”

The two firefighters sat side by side, Hen taking her turn first. Her face stilled in concentration as she focused on the screen in front of her, feverently pushing buttons, eyes not wavering from the screen. Once Bobby and Chim finished with the dishes, the three remaining members of their team joined Hen and Buck.

“So, what’s going on over here?” Bobby asked.

“Hen’s trying to get me to be quiet for thirty minutes, as though that’s something any of you would want.” Buck scoffed, eyes moving back to the screen. Bobby and Chim exchanged a silent look.

“Alright, well-- when you and Hen are finished with this friendly little wager you’ve got going, I have a few things I need you to take care of, until the next call.” Bobby told Buck. He briefly considered the work that he had to do in his office, but decided it could wait another few minutes. Bobby crossed his arms over his chest, as heavily invested in the wager as the rest of the team. They were all envisioning what a quiet firehouse would sound like.

“Watch out! Hen, Hen!” Chim warned, before letting out a loud groan as the ‘game over’ icon appeared on the screen. “Oh, Wonderboy over here is up.”

Buck grinned over at Hen. “Alright, my turn.” Hen let out an audible groan, smacking the controller against Buck’s chest. “Ouch.” He mock grimaced, rubbing his chest for a moment. He took the remote control before restarting the game. “Prepare to lose, Hen.” Buck spoke, before his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Eddie stood there in the welcomed silence, trying to decide who it was exactly that he was rooting for. He dipped his head down, lips dangerously close to Buck’s ear. “You know, if you don’t win, there are ways that I can keep you quiet for thirty minutes.”

Buck drew in a sharp breath, trying to ignore Eddie as he stood up straight, giving Buck his space. The team stood there in silence, though it was unclear if they were just enjoying the fact that Buck was finally not talking, or if they were all so invested in who was going to win the friendly wager.

“Oh come on!” Buck frowned, continuing to press the keys roughly, even after his character had died.

“Alright, alright…” Bobby spoke evenly, like a parent trying to settle his arguing children. “So, who won this thing?”

“Oh look Hen, high score!” Buck grinned widely at her.

“Give me this.” Hen muttered as she took the remote control from Buck, Chim groaning as he and Bobby walked away. Bobby dismissed himself, making his way down into his office to do so much needed work while things remained quiet.

“Hey!” The blond-haired firefighter frowned as she pulled the remote control from his hands.

“You are such a pain in the ass, you know that? You’re like a totally obnoxious little brother who doesn’t know when to quit.” Buck rolled his eyes at Hen before they traveled to the screen, looking at what Hen had typed in.

BUCK WILSON.

“Aw, Hen.” He placed a loud kiss against her cheek, making a spectacle as he grinned from ear to ear. “You do love me.”

Buck and Eddie arrived at the Grant-Nash residence right on time. Buck rapped on the door briefly before he stuffed his hands in his pockets, waiting for them to answer. Eddie stood at his side, their shoulders gently bumping together as they waited. “Do you want to explain to me how this whole thing came about?”

Buck’s shoulder shrugged lightly as they waited, hearing soft footsteps approaching the door. “Bobby and I were talking, and I told him I’d never done this kind of thing before.”

Eddie paused, looking to him in confusion. “This kind of thing?” There was a question in Eddie’s voice, his hand slipping to the low part of Buck’s back as Bobby greeted them, allowing them into the house.

“I’ve never done a family game night before.”

Eddie had a stricken look on his face, “Wait, you’ve seriously never had a family game night before?” Buck shrugged at the question as they made their way into the house. “We brought snacks.” Eddie spoke, handing a bag over to Bobby as they made their way into the kitchen area.

“Thanks, guys.” Bobby offered them a smile. He busied himself with taking the veggie tray out of the bag, setting it beside the smorgasbord of snacks that they already had laid out on the counter. “Get yourselves something to drink, grab a snack, and then let’s head in. This usually takes a bit.” He laughed then, glancing at their two newest guests to arrive.

“Oh, look what the cat dragged in.” Chim spoke as they made their way into the living room where the rest of their friends had gathered.

“We got caught up doing… something.” Buck offered a small shrug of his shoulder after his voice trailed off.

“Eww, gross,” Maddie’s face scrunched up immediately at her brother’s words. “Let’s not talk about that again, okay?” She requested with a roll of her eyes, as Buck sat on the floor with his legs criss-crossed, Eddie seated on the couch behind him.

Bobby and Athena joined everyone in their living room, the entire one-eighteen team and their significant others gathered around. After the topic of family game night had come up with Buck, Bobby thought it would be a good idea to have everyone over for a family game night. In the last week they’d had some pretty intense calls, and it was the perfect opportunity for everyone to let that fall away.

“I hope everyone is ready for some friendly competition,” Athena smiled as she brought the glass of wine to her lips, savoring a sip. “Welcome to your first Grant-Nash family game night.”

“Hopefully, the first of many.” Bobby added, sliding his arm around Athena’s waist and drawing her closer.

“So we are playing a game called Celebrity, some people call it Salad Bowl. We’ll have Team Nash and Team Grant,” Athena paused. “On each team there will be one person that is giving clues to the rest of their team. The goal is to name as many of the celebrities as you can, in the given time. There are three rounds, and the team with the most points will win.”

“That sounds easy enough.” Buck spoke from where he sat. He heard a laugh from behind him and spun around to look at Eddie. “What?”

“It will be easy, for everyone who knows pop culture,” Eddie explained. Chim looked from Eddie to Maddie, and then back to Buck. One thing that the siblings were not known for, was their knowledge of pop culture, or essentially any movie reference.

“Alright, Bobby and I will pick our teams.” Bobby and Athena took turns selecting their teams, until both teams had been filled, less for the Buckley siblings.

“Come on guys, this is like being picked last for a team during gym class,” Buck whined, crossing his arms over his chest like a child. “I’m going to be the last one picked, too. Because Athena still resents me from the call with the baby in the pipe.”

“Boy, do not start bringing up the past.” Athena sassed Buck, looking at him in mock seriousness before breaking into a fond smile. “You had better get your butt over here, since you are Buck Grant tonight.”

A smile lit up Buck’s face upon hearing her words, “Are you serious?”

“Evan, you are such a child. Pouting so that you don’t get picked last.” Maddie shook her head as he joined the rest of her team, which consisted of Bobby, Eddie, and Karen.

Athena exchanged a glance with Bobby, before she patted the seat beside her on the couch. “Get over here, before I change my mind.” She took the time to explain the specific rules of each round.

“So to start with, I’m going to give everyone a few slips of paper. You are going to write down some celebrity names, and movies. Then we’ll fold them up, put them into the bowl and we can get started with the first round.”

Everyone took a few minutes, scribbling on the small slips of paper that Athena had passed out before she collected the folded pieces in a large clear bowl. “Hen, why don’t you give the clues first?”

Athena joined Buck and Chimney on the couch. She started the timer as they began with the first round, and Hen grabbed a slip of paper from the bowl before she began giving clues.

“A classic movie… Burt Reynolds is driving beer across the country in a hurry, and they are chased down by the sheriff, Buford T Justice.” Hen spoke, she glanced at Buck who had a blank look on his face.

“Uh… that’s, uh… Smokey and the Bandit.” Chim spoke, snapping his fingers as the title finally came to his mind. Hen dropped the paper onto the table before grabbing the next one.

“Who in the hell…” She glanced up from the paper, looking for Buck. “You did this one.” Hen rolled her eyes. “A… classic... cartoon character.”

“Mickey Mouse?” Athena asked slowly, her face scrunching in confusion.

“From Looney Tunes.”

“Daffy Duck? Bugs Bunny?” Chim shot off the names, before Hen acknowledged that it was Bugs, moving on to the next. The game continued for a while, everyone becoming more involved and competitive than the round before. And their friends realizing with each round how very little the Buckley siblings knew about pop culture and movies.

The game ended up being far closer than any of them had expected. Chimney and Karen clearly carrying the majority of their teams through each of the rounds. At one point in the game, Athena’s team lost their lead thanks to Buck. He had ended up earning them several penalties, when he blanked on a few of the answers and either blurted out the answer outright, or used words that were too close to the actual answer. After three rounds, Team Nash was declared the winner.

Athena laughed as everyone cleared their glasses and bowls and moved into the kitchen to help clean up. “And for the record? Bugs Bunny is not a celebrity.” She told Buck as she took his glass and set it in the sink, a motherly smile on her face.

“Harry! You need to finish up. You and Bobby have to leave soon for the game.” Athena called outside. The Department was hosting a Father-Son Basketball game as a fundraiser for Fire Prevention and Safety programs in some of the local schools. Bobby wasn’t intending to play; he just planned to go there to sit on the sidelines, cheering people on and seeing where he could help. However, Athena had suggested that Harry might want to play with him. And after Bobby had spoken to about it with Michael and gotten the okay, Harry could not have been more excited to be on Bobby’s team.

The boy had been spending much of his extra time outside, practicing for the game. Bobby treated Harry like he was his own kid, and not just some step-kid that he’d inherited from another marriage. The last thing that Harry wanted was to disappoint him. “Mom!” Harry’s screech came from out back, and Athena was there in an instant.

“Harry, what is it? What’s wrong, baby?” She made her way out the back door, crouching down beside him to where the little boy sat on the ground, clutching his ankle.

“I was just practicing!” Tears slipped down his cheeks quickly. “Mom, how am I going to play?”

Athena gently reached for his ankle, trying to gauge the injury, seeing the swelling that had already begun. “Oh, baby, you’re not going to be able to play in the game today.”

“But Mom, Bobby is going to be so upset!”

“It’s going to be alright, let’s get you inside and get this taken care of, and then we’ll worry about Bobby, okay?” Athena helped Harry to his feet, helping him to hobble inside and settling him on the couch before she retrieved an ice pack to help with the swelling.

“Hey Harry, are you as psyched as I am about--” Bobby stopped mid-sentence as he made his way out to the living room where Harry was resting, watching as Athena gently stroked his cheek. “What happened?” Bobby’s brow furrowed in concern as he joined Athena beside the couch.

“Bobby, I’m so sorry.” The words tumbled out of Harry’s mouth so quickly that Bobby could barely understand them. Harry’s eyes moved up to Bobby’s, afraid to see the disappointment there.

“You don’t have to be sorry.” Bobby assured him softly. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“He’s alright.” Athena spoke after a pause, rising from the couch and placing her hand on Bobby’s arm. “He was practicing for the benefit game, and he twisted his ankle pretty badly. He can’t put much pressure on it, so he’s not going to be able to play.” She explained.

“That’s okay.” Bobby told her as they stepped away from the couch, where Harry was trying to rest. “I’ll just call and let them know that I won’t be playing today.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” Athena told him with a sideways glance.

Bobby looked at her in confusion. “I only have one step-son, Athena. I don’t think I can produce another one in the next two hours.”

“You’re only considering one of your houses, Bobby. Don’t worry, I’ll have a backup for you in no time.” She told him with a confident smile, before she pressed a kiss to Bobby’s lips. “Why don’t you go up and get showered before the game and I’ll take care of everything else?”

A short while later, Bobby returned to the living room where Harry had dozed off with his ankle elevated and iced. Bobby heard a knock at the front door, and not seeing Athena, he walked to the front door and pulled it open.

“Buck, what are you doing here?” Bobby asked after he opened the door. “Is everything okay?”

To his surprise, Bobby heard his wife’s voice behind him. “If there is anyone I know that should be an honorary Nash for the day, it’s Buck.”

Bobby turned around and looked at Athena. She truly never ceased to amaze him. Aside from his own children and step children, there was nobody else that he looked to with the same kind of fatherly love as Buck. He’d done everything in his power to protect him in situations in the past, often beyond the typical protection or guidance one would give to a subordinate. A conversation with Athena quickly came to mind, where she’d given Bobby some parenting advice, in regard to Buck. At the time Bobby had argued that Buck wasn’t his kid, but that notion had long since been pushed aside.

Bobby smiled warmly at the young firefighter who stood in front of him, wearing a LAFD shirt and a pair of gym shorts. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Buck.”

“Of course, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Buck assured him, adjusting the small black duffel bag over his shoulder.

A small grin crossed Bobby’s lips before he gently clapped Buck on the shoulder. “Let’s do this, Evan Nash. You’ve got some big shoes to fill.”

Christopher was settled on the couch at Maddie and Chimney’s, a coloring book resting in his lap. Chimney sat on one side, and Maddie on the other. They had been begging for some extra time with Christopher as of late. As Buck and Eddie’s relationship had grown, Aunt Maddie and Uncle Chim had become pretty regular faces for him.

He loved spending quality time with them, and the couple enjoyed his company even more. It was a good chance for Buck and Eddie to get out on their own and enjoy a quiet date night too.

Tonight had been even more special because Hen had dropped by, and the four of them had enjoyed a dinner together, followed by an intense game of Uno Attack. A game that Christopher had slaughtered every single one of them in, more than once.

Christopher sat hunched over his coloring book, focusing closely on the firefighter that he was coloring, his tongue pushing out past his lips in what appeared to be absolute concentration.“Uncle Chimney?” Chris asked, not glancing up as he spoke.

“Yeah, bud?”

“You and Aunt Maddie live here together, right?” Christopher asked, not glancing up from the coloring book as he spoke.

Chimney nodded his head lightly. “Yeah, we live together, Chris. We’re married.” He added, in his mind thinking that explained everything, when in reality that sparked an entirely different set of questions.

“And what’s her last name?” He asked carefully, closing his coloring book as he looked to Chimney for the answer. He balanced the book on his lap, letting the red crayon roll gently back and forth against the cover.

“... Han.” Chimney hesitated as he answered, eyes moving to Maddie as though to ask her what this was all about.

“And Aunt Hen, Karen, and Denny, they all live together. And their last name is Wilson.” He stated simply.

Maddie looked at the little boy closely, trying to understand where the questions were coming from. “Chris, is there something that you needed to ask us?” She asked gently, turning her attention to him as she moved the coloring book and crayons out of his lap, setting them down on the coffee table.

“All of your families have the same last name.” Chris observed, his eyes locking on Maddie’s. Her mouth opened slightly as though to speak, before Christopher continued. “So, my Buck should be Buck Diaz, then.”

“I…” Maddie trailed off slowly, at a loss for words for a moment. She pursed her lips momentarily, trying to figure out how to explain to Chris that Buck and Eddie weren’t married, not like everyone else was. “But Buck doesn’t live with you.”

“Not all the time.” Christopher told her matter-of-factly. The truth was that although Buck still had his own apartment, his own things, and his own space, he rarely used them. Most nights he would choose to go to Eddie and Christopher’s and they would spend family time together, which was Christopher’s absolute favorite. The only way to top those evenings, was for Chris to wake up and have both his Dad and his Buck there in the morning. Those were the best days. Perfect days.

On those days, Buck would help Eddie make breakfast, and they’d turn on cartoons and lounge in their pajamas all morning. On one of those days, Buck and Eddie had surprised Christopher with a trip to the zoo, and they had spent a solid forty-five minutes studying the elephants, just because those had always been Christopher’s favorite.

Chimney rose to his feet, gently grabbing hold of Maddie’s arm and urging her into the other room. “We’ll be right back, Chris.” He called, turning to look Maddie square in the eyes as they reached the kitchen. “There is only one way to stop the madness.” Chim hissed at his wife in a loud whisper.

“What’s that, Chim?” Maddie laughed quietly, bringing the glass of wine to her lips, her eyes dancing with amusement.

“Buck needs to actually change his last name,” he said, as though it were that simple.

“There’s just one problem.” Maddie reminded Chimney. “They aren’t even engaged.”

“Well, when the hell is Eddie getting back here?” He asked as he opened up the cupboard, grabbing a bag of chips and dumping it into a bowl.

“They should be back any minute now.” Maddie assured him as she glanced at the clock. “They said they’d be back by nine-thirty, and it’s after nine now.” Maddie and Chimney returned to the living room, and Chim offered the bowl of chips to the boy.

“I have another question.” Christopher quipped after a short pause. Chimney resisted the urge to groan, doubting that he was going to have the correct answer to anything that Christopher would ask.

“Sure, what’s that?”

“How did you get Aunt Maddie to marry you and have the same last name as you?” Christopher turned his body slightly, focusing on his Uncle Chimney intently.

“I just asked her.” Chim explained simply.

“Oh.” Christopher nodded, deep in thought, as he took a chip from the bowl that Chimney had offered him and popped it into his mouth.

Maddie watched the boys get situated on the couch as she grabbed a throw blanket off the back of the couch, covering both of them up. “How about we put some cartoons on until your Dad gets here?” Christopher nodded his head in approval, a small yawn escaping his lips.

Fifteen minutes later Buck and Eddie arrived at Maddie and Chim’s. “Sorry we’re late.” Eddie apologized. “How was he?”

“He was an angel as always.” Maddie replied, a fond smile spreading across her lips as she glanced at the boy who had dozed off only a few minutes into the cartoon.

“He sure asks a lot of questions.” As Chim spoke, Maddie shot him a warning glance. Wordlessly, Chim held up his hands before he grabbed the empty bowl and returned to the kitchen.

Buck smiled as he crouched down to Christopher’s level, gently scooping the boy up, lifting him until his head was resting heavily against Buck’s shoulder. “You got everything?” He asked Eddie quietly, who had grabbed the bag with all of Christopher’s things.

Moments later, they had said their goodbyes and left the apartment. “Buck…” Christopher’s voice was heavy with sleep.

“Go back to sleep, buddy.” Buck spoke to him gently as they reached Eddie’s truck, Eddie opening the door to help Buck get him in more easily.

“Will you be my Bucky Diaz?” Buck had a look of surprise on his face. He remained silent as he got Christopher into his seat and buckled in. He finally let out a quiet laugh, eyes searching for Eddie.

“Eds? Where’d you go?” Finally, Buck turned around as he continued his search for Eddie. His breath caught for a brief moment, seeing Eddie behind him on one knee.

“So, this isn’t how this was supposed to go. And this isn’t where I planned on asking you, in the parking lot at Maddie’s,” Eddie said as he let out an uneasy laugh. “But that kid in there loves you as much as I do, maybe even more. And he clearly wants you to be a part of this family, too. So I feel like it’s unfair to wait. We’d love for you to become a Diaz, or a Buckley-Diaz, if that’s your thing.” Eddie laughed again, the nerves consuming him. “What I am trying to ask, so completely terribly, is will you marry me Evan Buckley?”

Buck reached down wordlessly, grabbed Eddie by the hands and pulled him to his feet - making sure they were as close to each other as physically possible. “I didn’t think you were ever going to ask.” Buck teased, before Eddie grabbed his face in both of his hands, and pressed his lips against Buck’s, both of them falling easily and blissfully into a deep kiss.

Buck awoke to a feeling of heady warmth behind him. A contented sigh slipped past his lips, as he felt an arm circle around him before resting against his bare chest. “Good morning, Mr. Buckley-Diaz.” Eddie murmured against his ear.

“That’s not my name.” Buck spoke back quietly, the pads of his fingers gently moving against Eddie’s arm.

“Buck, we are not playing this game again. You don’t have to worry about just being a Buckley anymore, I thought our wedding yesterday would solidify that for you. This has been going on for a year now, since Maddie and Chim’s wedding.” Eddie laughed, as Buck turned over in his arms.

“I’m not playing a game.” Buck assured him, leaning forward to brush his lips against Eddie’s. “I decided it’s not going to be Buckley-Diaz.”

“Oh,” Eddie nodded his head minimally as he sat up in their bed. There was a slight sound of disappointment in his voice. “Decided to keep the Buckley name alive after all, did you?”

“No, Eds.” Buck looked at Eddie closely for a moment, before realizing what must be going through Eddie’s mind. He sat up beside Eddie in bed, his fingers moving in small circles over Eddie’s bare back before he placed a tender kiss against his shoulder blade. “I’m dropping Buckley. I want to be Evan Diaz. I want to share a last name with my boys.”

“Evan.” The emotion in Eddie’s voice was discernible, as he turned his body towards Buck, so that he was able to search Buck’s face. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” He assured him, a smile pulling at his lips. “Now will you shut up for a minute and kiss your husband?” Buck’s laugh was low in his throat, before he pressed his lips against Eddie’s, fingers resting below Eddie’s abs, at the waistband of his sweats.

Eddie pulled back an inch to speak. “Oh, I’ll do more than kiss him.” Eddie promised quietly, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

As their bodies intertwined, Buck couldn’t think of anyone else that he would rather be than Evan Diaz.

#911 #911 fanfic #buddie #911 fandom #fluff #prompt fill #5+1 fic #5+1 things #fire fam #evan buckley #eddie diaz

52 notes · View notes