Word Count: 4,374
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with 911, Fox, or anything else related to that particular universe.
Eddie and Chris are in the middle of breakfast when there's a knock at the door. His leg protests how quickly he moves to answer it but he's been fidgeting all morning, probably driving Chris nuts as he frets about Buck getting out of bed and deciding to leave before Athena can intercede. He hasn't known how to explain to Chris that Buck is asleep just down the hall, because he knows Chris will want to see him. He doesn't know how to explain Buck's hurt, because then Chris will worry about Buck too.
So when there's finally a knock and he hastens to the door to swing it open, he thinks his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth when he sees Athena and Bobby.
He leads them back to the kitchen table, unable to meet either of their eyes or drum up some sort of small talk to break the ice. He wants to tap his fingers on the table with nerves. Athena's staring at him. It's awkward. He hadn't expected them both to show up.
It probably doesn't help that Athena is in her full uniform, so maybe she's officially on duty or maybe she will be when she leaves. She looks pissed enough to kill Eddie, and he hasn't even done anything. Nor has she seen Buck yet. Or knows exactly why she's there.
"Hey, buddy? Can you, uh- Can you play in your room for a little while? I need to talk with Athena and Bobby." Eddie strokes a hand against the back of Chris' head, watching his kid pout at the thought of missing out on important adult information. "I promise I'll come get you and tell you what's going on, okay? But this is important and I- I need to talk with Athena and Bobby first."
Chris looks between all three of them, his gaze narrow and assessing, before he sighs and the scrutinising expression morphs into a smile. "Okay, Dad. I love you."
Eddie smiles at him, squeezing the back of his neck lightly as he wiggles off the chair. "Love you too, mijo."
He tracks the sound of Chris' crutches through the hall and can tell when he's reached his room because the clicking stops when he hits the carpet. Eddie's eyes swing from paying attention to that to meeting Athena's furious glare and Bobby's concerned expressions.
"'Buck's in trouble, visit in the morning'?" Athena places her hands on top of the table, leaning forward slightly and making Eddie feel like he should be wilting like a sick flower. "Start talking."
He hesitates, eyes flicking towards the bedroom as he debates how much to say before Buck emerges. Maybe it's because he's spent so much time around Bobby lately that recognition dawns in his eyes first.
"He's here, isn't he?" Bobby observes and Athena's brow wrinkles for a second as she looks between Bobby and Eddie, and then it clears with understanding.
Eddie nods, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth as he debates how much he should or shouldn't say. He hasn't slept well, kept awake by the anxiety that Buck might leave in the middle of the night and wondering what to say when he saw Athena. Now that she's here, and Bobby too, he's still no closer to having any words to explain what he knows without taking the opportunity from Buck to tell his story.
"He's…hurt," he allows, and Bobby's eyebrows draw together and Athena's lips purse. "He showed up last night and I- I got him to calm down eventually. He- He's still sleeping, I guess, because it took a lot out of him but, um… He showed me a lot of...of bruising and it...scared me."
"Bruising?" Athena echoes at the same time as Bobby asks, "From the blood thinners?"
He's not sure what Bobby means but maybe that explained Buck's claim that he simply bruised easier. Still, the harsh blossom of colour around his throat wouldn't just appear without some sort of pressure behind them. They'd been vivid enough last night. He hated to think how awful Buck would look in the stark light of morning.
He shrugs at Bobby and then looks towards Athena. Whenever Buck emerged, he probably wouldn't talk about what had happened. He doubted he'd talk about who was to blame. "He… He said it was Cameron."
Athena's eyes narrow. "Are we talking about assault?"
Eddie instinctively knows Buck would hate that word but given the stain of hands at his throat? His eyes drop, his head tilts slightly to the side in acknowledgement, and Eddie can hear Bobby's breath of surprise or shock across the table.
"Eddie."
He lifts his gaze back to Athena and she looks every bit the experienced cop as well as a protective tigress. If he thought he'd been furious enough to tear Cameron apart with his bare hands last night, it was nothing compared to drawing Athena's ire.
"I… I think that's safe to assume." He's nervous to talk too much in case he'd made the wrong assumptions from Buck's faltering words. "He- There's bruising around his neck."
"His neck?" Bobby exclaims.
Eddie twists his hands together in his lap and looks towards the bedroom door, afraid of overstepping. "I- Do you mind if I check on him? I thought he would've been up by now and he could- He could decide what to tell you..."
Athena looks like she wants more answers, and he knows she has more questions, but she nods and he escapes their stares. He inches the door open, spies Buck still huddled under the blankets facing away from the door, and for a moment he thinks Buck must've been exhausted if he's still sleeping.
"I'm awake," Buck rasps and Eddie closes his eyes, breathes in as calmly as he can to steady himself, and steps into the room. He moves around the bed to settle on the edge of the mattress in front of Buck.
There's a blossom of colour beneath his chin that wasn't there the night before, but the rest of the blankets are pulled so high that Eddie can't examine just how bad he looks. His blue eyes still look tired, rimmed with red, and his cheeks are blotchy, like he's been crying again.
"Hey." He extends a hand slowly to settle it on the bed in front of Buck, giving him the chance to decide whether he holds or rejects it. "How're you feeling?"
Buck grimaces. "Sore." It's clear from the croak in his voice that maybe Eddie should be worried about additional damage to his throat beyond the bruises. He shifts a little and a tentative set of fingers wrap around Eddie's, just enough to bridge the gap between them.
He hates having to tell Buck that he contacted Athena, that she's sitting at the kitchen table waiting for answers, but there's no way to avoid it. "I- I need you to not hate me."
Buck frowns, eyes tracing over Eddie's face.
"I, um… Athena's here." Buck's eyes flash with betrayal, his fingers drawing away from Eddie so quickly that he didn't even have a chance to hold on. "Buck-"
"No." Buck shakes his head, shuts his eyes to break their eye contact, expression slowly turning into a terrifying blankness the longer Eddie stares at him and hopes he'll say or do something.
"Buck, please-"
"I'm not talking to her," Buck insists, and it's clear the words hurt when he winces and lifts a hand to his neck.
"Fine. I'll talk to her." He knows his words aren't fair, the way his tone is laced with a challenge or a threat, but it has the desired effect. Buck opens his eyes again to stare at him with a mixture of fury and fear. "I'll tell her you're hurt. I'll tell her it was Cameron. I'll tell her I'm scared for you and I want to know how to keep you safe and-"
"You wouldn't."
He can't bear to tell Buck he already has, so he decides to try something else, some other way to get through to Buck. "You matter to me, Evan." The blue eyes turn shimmery with tears. "Your safety matters to me and if you think I'm not going to protect you in every way I can, you don't know me as well as I thought."
Buck sniffles, a small tear sliding across the curve of his nose. "I don't deserve you," he whispers and Eddie has many questions related to that comment but he'll wait until later, maybe much later, before he asks any of them.
"And yet, here I am. For as long as you'll need me," Eddie promises.
Buck stares at him. "I've always needed you, Eddie," he says, and his voice is the prettiest husk that Eddie's ever heard.
Buck wriggles a little to give Eddie more room on the mattress and Eddie settles a tentative hand somewhere against Buck's middle. He suspects it's too sore to touch his bruised waist but he meets Buck's wary eyes steadily.
"I want to help you, Ev." He watches Buck's eyes drop, determined to find ways to burrow into his forgiveness, determined to learn why Sophia and Marcus joked there was more between them. "Athena wants to help you too. You helped save Maddie from Doug, and I can guarantee everyone who has helped me these past few months will be there for you too. Please, sweetheart. Please let us help you?"
He can feel Buck trembling beneath the blankets and he'll wait a thousand years if that's what it takes for Buck to heal from all this. As long as Buck never goes near Cameron again, Eddie will handle whatever bits of friendship he can mend between him and Buck.
Buck shifts and Eddie fears he's going to hide under the blankets again, or maybe roll away to avoid eye contact, but he sits up and the blankets slip and he reaches for Eddie like Chris often does after a nightmare. Eddie scoots closer, loosely wrapping his arms around Buck while shaking arms curl around his shoulders.
"I've got you, cariño." He repeats the words from last night, pressing a butterfly-soft kiss to Buck's cheek as the other man snuggles into him. Although Buck's shaking, he also releases a sigh that might almost be relief as he leans his weight against Eddie. And Eddie… He knows he has a lot of questions but he also knows a lot of things with absolute certainty. "I know I- I don't remember everything but I know that plenty of people love you, and plenty of people have been worried about you, and plenty of people will be here as fast as they can if they know what's going on, Buck." He rubs a gentle hand down Buck's spine, catching the quiver when he grazes bruised locations. "I know you don't believe me but it doesn't matter if you think you deserve it or not. They will all be here just as I am now, because they love you."
"I've hardly spoken to anyone all year," Buck mumbles but Eddie knows that doesn't matter. He's been so inundated by support from people who he can only recall in disjointed fragments. Someone like Buck would have Hen and Chim and Karen and Michael here in a heartbeat, and he already knows Maddie will hold him for hours with a fierce glare on her face.
"Then maybe it's time to start, querido?"
Buck lifts one shoulder in a shrug and Eddie presses another kiss to the smudge of pink above his eyebrow and the top of his head. He remembers his nerves from last night, or this morning, about being too affectionate, about pushing Buck too far or too fast, but something felt…normal about holding Buck, about letting him breathe and settle.
After several minutes, Buck loosens his grip enough to tip his head back, one eye blurrily meeting Eddie's. "Eds, I… Will… W-Will you kiss me?"
Eddie raises an eyebrow, all too vividly capable of remembering how last time went. Not to mention the reason why Buck's here in the first place, his skin littered with the evidence of someone furious that they'd kissed. But… But he doesn't want to reject Buck's request again. It'll give entirely the wrong idea to Buck and then… He didn't need amnesia to know there'd be no hope for repairing them if it happened again.
Even so, he's tentative in cradling Buck's jaw, in tilting his head and rubbing his thumb in a circle over Buck's cheek. "You sure? Because I- Being here for you is a- I'm not attaching strings to it, Buck. I just need you to be safe."
Buck visibly swallows, anxieties flashing through his eyes. "I know, Eddie. But it- Kissing you again is- is all I've thought about for weeks and I-"
Eddie stops hesitating and brushes their lips together, stilling whatever words might have been about to stutter free. He feels the way Buck inhales sharply, the tension that invades his muscles, and maybe Eddie shouldn't have moved so quickly when he's still hurting and afraid, but then Buck increases the pressure and Eddie stays somewhat still, following Buck's lead to determine what's too much rather than guiding his head. One of Buck's hands splays through his hair, nails catching against his scalp at about the same time as Eddie's teeth graze Buck's lower lip, and he feels the shiver travel all the way down Buck's spine.
"Eddie," Buck whimpers, and it's a plea rather than a warning, but Eddie keeps the kiss slow and gentle. He can feel the shaking that goes all the way to Buck's bones. He refuses to push Buck so far that he shatters, not when he already feels so fragile.
He eases back gradually, dragging the tip of his nose along the slope of Buck's, tracing the lines of Buck's face with his fingertips, dragging his thumb against Buck's lower lip. He watches the blue eyes open and marvels at how they're a shade darker, some of the fear missing and replaced by something which sparkles. Eddie's not sure what it all means but it seems like a very good thing and it's the sort of look he'd like to keep.
"I already lost you once, Evan." He kisses the tip of Buck's nose, the gap between his brows, his forehead. "I'm not stupid enough to lose you again."
Buck frowns at him, thumb massaging circles against the nape of Eddie's neck which is alarmingly soothing. "How much do you even remember?"
He shrugs. "Enough." Because he does remember enough. He knows about Buck's broken leg being a result of the truck overturning, but he's guessing it must've been a work thing given their line of work. He knows about the tsunami and how Buck saved Chris' life. He knows how Buck went to save Maddie after she was kidnapped. He knows Buck is important to everyone around them, and he knows that everyone seems to look to him to explain details about Buck. Their lives had been entwined in ways he doesn't remember but knows were important. He'd gleaned as much from Abuela, and Sophia, and Marcus, and Bobby, and Maddie.
More than anything, he knows Buck had loved him.
Buck stares at him with so much vulnerability, so many insecurities, exposed in his expression that it almost breaks his heart. He drags his knuckles down Buck's cheek, desperate to remove the anxieties clouding his eyes.
"Please, Ev." He cradles Buck's face while his other hand tugs at the t-shirt Buck had borrowed. "Will you let us help you?"
"I know you, Eds," Buck mutters, rolling his eyes when Eddie raises his eyebrow. "That's not as much of a question as you want it to sound."
He grins because he can't help it, pressing a small, chaste kiss to the corner of Buck's lips because he wants to and…he thinks he can. He thinks that's a thing he's allowed to do. Buck still looks guarded but he doesn't look disgruntled.
"You have options here, Ev. You always have options." He circles his thumb around the outline of Buck's lips, watching the way his breathing hitches. "This is about your health and wellbeing, though. And I really don't want you dealing with this alone."
"I have you though."
Eddie scrunches his nose and corrects himself. "I don't want us dealing with this alone."
"Us?" Buck practically squeaks and Eddie starts to wonder if he shouldn't just hide under the blankets.
"You know what I mean, you brat," he huffs and it's Buck's turn to wear a faint grin, even though it's clear he's still uncomfortable about leaving the room to face Athena. Eddie knows he'll do it though, because Buck trusted Eddie in the middle of the night to take care of him, and Buck had to know Eddie would either kill Cameron or call for backup. "Will you join me?"
He holds Buck's gaze, hands light against him, until the other man's eyes slide away and he concedes a small nod. Eddie kisses his forehead and finally allows a look to the bruising over Buck's neck and throat. There are spots so dark they almost look black and Eddie knows Athena's right: this is clearly assault, regardless of whatever medications Buck might be on.
"Can I- Can I check you over again?"
Buck shrugs, eyes flickering towards him briefly. "I promise it- it looks worse than what happened…"
Eddie doesn't believe him, might never believe him when he downplays it, but Buck's not as shaken and scared as last night and he complies easier to let Eddie's hands shift over him. His fingers start at Buck's throat, gritting his teeth against the stains, and then tugs at the collar of the shirt to examine the bruises along his shoulders. They're also darker than before Buck slept, and he wonders if he shouldn't have suggested a whole lot of ice before encouraging Buck to sleep.
He examines the bruises on Buck's arms next, which have lost the distinct finger-shape and now blur into angry purple patches that mar the ivory of his skin. Buck tenses when Eddie's fingers move towards the hem of his shirt, one of his hands curling into the blankets, and Eddie immediately freezes.
"I can stop." He pulls his hands back. "I'll-"
"No, it's okay." Buck releases an unsteady breath, eyes meeting Eddie's briefly. "I know Athena will- She'll want to see too so you…you may as well know."
"I don't have to. I-"
"Eddie." Buck's calm as he shifts in the bed, dragging the blanket further down. "I'm not going to break."
Eddie has doubts, even knowing what he does that Buck's been through hell the last couple of years, but Buck simply sighs and peels the shirt up and Eddie swallows whatever irritation he might have had to focus on the blur of colour at his waist which creeps towards his bellybutton. If Buck's on blood thinners, it might explain some of the excessive bruising but there was no way this hadn't been violent and terrifying.
He brushes his palm against Buck's chest, fingers as light as he can make them to check for any obvious deformities to sore ribs. Buck's eyes squeeze shut, the muscles in his abs tensing, but he otherwise doesn't betray how he feels about it. "How's your back?"
Buck shrugs, chewing at his bottom lip. "I think I- I think I remember him shoving me against a wall? So it's probably just as bad but I-"
"Show me," Eddie pleads, encouraging Buck from the bed. Buck faces the wall, hiking the shirt higher, and Eddie discovers fresh outlines of fingers that had curled against his waist, patches of colour on his lower back that are too close to his spine. He lifts himself to his feet to press the shirt higher and finds more mottling decorating shoulder blades. No wonder Buck had twitched when Eddie had kissed his shoulders. There wasn't much of his torso that didn't have some evidence of what was clearly a horrific assault.
He maintains his composure better than last night and Buck doesn't dissolve into fresh tears either. He snakes his fingers down Buck's forearms to fold among his fingers, squeezing tightly as he places the softest of kisses against the back of Buck's neck.
"I know I said it this morning but I'm so glad you felt like you could come here to be safe," he whispers and Buck wraps their joined hands across his stomach, tugging Eddie into hugging him from behind. Now that he's more aware of all the bruises across Buck's back as well as his front he's more afraid of hurting him by pressing against a sore spot, but Buck doesn't seem to care.
"You broke my heart but you've never given me a reason to feel unsafe," Buck says, equally as quietly.
"Buck, I'm-"
"I know." Buck squeezes his hand and twists in his grip, meeting Eddie's eyes even though he's not exactly sure what his face is doing after hearing that. "I know, Eddie. And I still don't understand it and I- With your injury, maybe I never will but I- That's a conversation for another day and another time, okay?"
He almost wants to cry when the familiar feeling of being undeserving of Buck and his comfort affection returns ten-fold. He nods, because he's not going to argue with Buck, not now, not about this, and feels slightly dazed by the peck Buck gives him. There's a small degree of reassurance in the small, but loaded, gesture. It almost tastes like a promise, but he won't think that far ahead.
He's still disappointed when they untangle and he uses Buck's arm for support because he'd left both crutches by the table. He tries to avoid the accusatory glare when Buck spies Bobby waiting at the table and instead continues the slow shuffle to return to his chair. He knows the attention of Bobby and Athena is solely on Buck and he knows the t-shirt fails to hide the bruising up his throat or around his arms. When he looks at them, he can tell they're inventorying everything they can see and, like Eddie last night, wondering about what they can't see.
Buck sits beside Eddie and reaches for his hand, and Eddie wouldn't deny him a thing. He matches Buck's grip and suspects it's the only thing stopping him from bolting as Athena and Bobby hold a very long silence while staring at him.
"Do you want to press charges?" Athena says and Buck's fingers curl tighter around Eddie's. It's abrupt, maybe a little harsh, but when she's dressed in her uniform Eddie can imagine she's seen this many times before and so she knows exactly what she's dealing with.
"It's just 'cos of the blood thinners," Buck mumbles, his gaze fixed on the table in front of him like it's the most fascinating thing he's seen in days.
"So the blood thinners give you magic handprints on your throat, Buckley?" Athena retorts and Buck flinches at the venom in her tone, eyes darting to meet her very fixed, very calm expression. Even if Buck doesn't want to press charges, Eddie's pretty sure Cameron's going to end up with a very irate police sergeant on his doorstep. And possibly her husband. And her husband's colleagues. And a former military sergeant. Bobby's eyes sparkle with promises of blood and fury for Cameron and Eddie wouldn't mind participating.
"It was- He- He was just…angry," Buck says, quiet and guilt-ridden. "He didn't mean to-"
"How many times do you think Maddie said the same thing?" Athena interrupts and Buck pauses, staring at her with frightened eyes.
"Athena…" Bobby warns but she doesn't break her staring contest with Buck.
"You know as well as I do that he could've killed her. Judging by this," she waves at Buck's throat and gentles her voice, "he could've killed you too. I don't need to know where the other bruises are when I can see that one, baby."
Eddie's attention switches from her to Buck and he watches the way Buck struggles with everything he must be feeling. A tear finally rolls down his cheek when he lowers his head and releases a shuddering breath, and it's all Eddie can do to squeeze his hand and rub his thumb over some of the knuckles.
There's a clatter of crutches in the hallway and Buck stiffens, clinging to Eddie's hand even as Eddie thinks he should race to intercept his son. Bobby moves instead, his low voice saying something to Chris that makes him laugh and then Eddie can hear the retreating footsteps again as they evidently return to Christopher's room.
The tension in Buck's posture barely reduces.
"Will pressing charges even do anything?" Buck asks and Eddie looks to Athena, at the way some of the furious press of her lips reduces as she realises Buck's defiance is withering.
"It means there's something on his record if he ever does it to someone again. It means he knows how strong and courageous you are." Athena's hands fold together on top of the table. "It means we can protect you and remind you how much everyone in your life loves and adores you, Buckaroo."
Eddie can hear the way Buck's breath catches and he gives another small squeeze to Buck's hand, like a gentle reminder that he'd been telling the truth before.
"What happens if he finds me?" Buck whispers, another tear sliding down his cheek. "Doug found Maddie. He- He could find me and-"
"Baby, we know who he is. We can find him. Doug lied to Chim to get close to Maddie. We're not going to make the same mistakes again, are we?" she says and Buck hesitates, blue eyes meeting Eddie's, before he shakes his head at Athena. She smiles, reaches across the table with her palm up, and Buck's spare, trembling hand looks huge when it folds into hers. She flashes a hopeful smile at Eddie and then fixes her shrewd attention on Buck. "Can you tell me what happened?"
~TBC~