Word Count: 4,187
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with 911, Fox, or anything else related to that particular universe.

Buck vanishes into the bathroom after Athena has used Eddie's room to take photos of the bruising. She looks as devastated as Eddie feels, rubbing her fingers into her temples as she returns to sit at the table where he's been restlessly shifting for the last fifteen minutes. "How is he?"

She looks as lost as he'd felt last night, which is at least somewhat reassuring to his frazzled nerves. "Considering he's barely been in touch with anyone all year?" She shrugs and shakes her head with regret painted across her face. "Thank you for texting me, Eddie. Thank you for having a place for him."

"Always." There's no hesitation. He doesn't need to stop and think about it. Keeping Buck safe meant more than anything in the world. "Did you- Did you get enough photos? Of everything?"

She nods and that helps him relax into his seat. Hopefully that means enough evidence has been gathered. Hopefully that means Cameron might face some sort of consequence, even if it's just getting arrested and a terrifying speech from Athena. Maybe he's being incredibly naïve but he has to hope for the best otherwise he's not sure how to hold it together around Buck.

"What was he like last night?" The tone in her voice shifts and it's clear she's flipped back to Police Mode, digging for more information to add to whatever report she'll write and file. He swallows and looks at his hands, sorting through the myriad of words to focus on the parts he'd deemed were most important.

"Terrified." He's not sure he'll ever forget the frightened eyes peering at him in the car, or the vacant look when he'd tried to determine what Buck needed. "There was- There was so much crying and trying to get him to slow his breathing? I was- I didn't know what to do."

"You seem to have done rather well," she points out but he shakes his head because it hadn't felt like that at the time.

"He, uh… I suggested he stay over and I could find him some clothes. I didn't even know he had all the bruises until after he'd showered because he'd had a hoodie."

Something sparks in Athena's eyes that he doesn't like. "He showered last night?"

He nods, the doubts from early this morning creeping in again. "Should I not have-"

"You didn't know what was going on." The narrowed look in her eyes gentles and she reaches across the table to grasp his hand. "He's clearly been through something traumatic and if you'd tried to stop him or deny him, there's no telling what would have happened. You have to allow him the space and opportunity to be independent, okay?"

He's not sure exactly what she means but he nods again anyway. "We, uh… He let me check him over once he got out of the shower and it took him a while before he started telling me what had happened. He was- I think he was afraid I'd judge him or tell him to leave."

Athena purses her lips but says nothing, so he forges on.

"Once I managed to get him to sleep, I texted you. It was- I know it was early but I- I can't deal with this alone." He rubs a hand at his head by way of explanation. "I don't know how to deal with this alone."

She squeezes his hand lightly. "You did the right thing, Eddie. He might be irritated about it later though, so you need to be prepared for that."

"I know." It's all he's thought about for hours. How Buck will be after Athena and Bobby leave. "I- Um… Can I go check on Chris? He's probably getting frustrated being kept out of the loop."

"Of course, honey. It's your house." She lets his hand go and gestures towards the corridor, so he grabs one of his crutches and uses it to steady him as he moves to Chris' room. Bobby is sprawled on the floor playing with some of Chris' action figures while Chris tells a story and points at the figures in Bobby's hands when they need to do something. He leans in the doorway with a fond smile on his face, forever in awe of how blessed he is to have such a wonderful son and supportive friend.

Chris' eyes catch on him, words cutting off mid-sentence as his lips spread in a grin. "Dad! You gonna join in? Bobby's making Iron Man and Flash have a battle for who's the best superhero."

Bobby glances at him, looking less than thrilled by what he's been roped into, but plaintively going along with it anyway. "Not today, champ." He tries to paste a smile on his face and bury the tension he can hear in his voice, and Chris must hear it too because his smile falters. "We, uh- We've got someone staying with us for a little while who might, though."

He steps around Bobby and sits on Chris' bed, extending his hand to his son to join him. Bobby helps Chris to his feet and Chris wobbles the few steps until he can sit on the bed, where Eddie wraps an arm around his shoulders and tugs Chris into his side. He looks between Bobby and his kid, doubting that he can truly shield Chris from much of this when he can imagine the first thing he'll do when he hears Buck is here is demand a hug. He can't afford for Chris to be too firm against the bruises, doesn't want Buck to end up more hurt and sore than he already is, but he also can't deny his son the opportunity to hug the person that he's apparently most grateful for this year

"Buck's here." He watches the way Chris' expression lights up as though he's just said Christmas has been moved forward several weeks to tomorrow and tightens his grip, drawing Chris' attention to the fact he needs to talk to him about something serious. "Buddy, we're going to be very gentle with him, okay? He, uh… He's a bit bruised right now so we don't want to hurt him. And if we want to hug him or sit near him, we're going to ask first, alright?"

Chris frowns. "Okay. Did he get hurt at work?"

Eddie looks at Bobby helplessly, knowing that Chris had to be smart enough to know that getting 'hurt at work' wouldn't lead to bruises up his neck.

"Hey Chris? Remember when Chim and Maddie were hurt?"

Some of Chris' excited wiggling lessens as his attention turns to Bobby. "Yeah?"

"And remember how we had to be gentle with Chim when we were hugging him?"

Chris nods. "His tummy was hurt. And Auntie Maddie was shaking all the time."

"Exactly." Bobby's eyes meet Eddie's for a brief second and he hopes his gratitude that Bobby handles this conversation better than he ever could is conveyed, even though he's rapidly putting pieces more together about what must have happened to Maddie when she was kidnapped. "So we're going to do the same with Buck until he feels better."

"Okay." Chris nods, and then his eyes swivel back to Eddie. "Is he gonna stay with us for a while?"

"I don't know, mijo. That's up to Buck to decide." He hopes Buck does stay, though. He's not sure where else Buck can feasibly go right now but he hopes he stays.

Chris leans into him and Eddie kisses some of his curls and rubs a hand down his back. "I'll be gentle. It'll be like after the tsunami. He was sore and bruised then too."

"He was?" Bobby sounds surprised and Chris looks at him, shrugging against Eddie's side.

"Of course he was."

There's something he doesn't understand in Chris' matter-of-fact tone and Bobby's confusion but for now, he lets it go. Maybe it's because he suspects Buck doesn't talk about how he feels all that often. Maybe Bobby hadn't known the extent of Buck's injuries after the disaster.

In desperate need to turn the conversation towards something else, he focuses his attention on his son. "Should we wait with Athena for Buck to finish having a shower, bud?"

Chris nods, the squirming back as he evidently starts to think about Buck being so close. Bobby passes Chris' red crutches over and Eddie lets him go, the clatter of them moving towards the kitchen giving him several minutes to simply inhale and exhale.

"How are you handling this?"

He shrugs at Bobby, running a haphazard hand through his hair. "I didn't expect it to…to go like this, if I'm being honest." He's not sure how he could've expected it to go but…seeing Buck hurt was not something he ever wanted to deal with. "Thank you for keeping Chris company, though. It was- I don't want Chris knowing everything."

"Any time." Bobby climbs to his feet and then extends a hand to Eddie. "You and Buck needed the time with Athena and this is definitely something that's too much for Chris. Did Buck tell her everything?"

"I think so?" Bobby breathes a sigh of relief and it's such a small action that conveys just how much Bobby loves and worries about Buck. He wishes Buck could see it, could see how his whole extended family would rally around him to infuse his soul with all the love that Cameron had stolen from him. "He, uh… Athena took a bunch of photos so that should help, right?"

Bobby squeezes his shoulder as they leave Chris' room, a comforting brush that settles some of the anxiety that getting in touch with Athena had been the wrong thing, that somehow Buck will flee because he'll feel like Eddie betrayed him. Chris is at the kitchen table, feet swinging as he tells her all about Thanksgiving at Abuela's and getting to play with cousins and hugging Sophia while they FaceTimed with Ana. Athena's smiling at him as she listens, her hand curling into Bobby's when he sits beside her, and Eddie lingers behind Chris' chair, combing fingers through the curls to help steady his nerves.

"And then Uncle Marcus told Auntie Laura that-"

There's a click of the bathroom doorway and Eddie darts out of the conversation to intercept Buck in the hallway. He's not surprised that Buck's pulled the hoodie on again because the fabric helps conceal the colour on his arms and some of the bruising at the base of his neck. His eyes have that horrible distance again though, still pink from possibly hiding tears in the shower.

"Hey…" He's not sure exactly how Buck's feeling and when Buck drops his eyes to fiddle with the cuffs of his sleeve, tugging them as low as he can, he inches forward to still the anxious movements and draw Buck's eyes towards him. "What's wrong, Ev?"

"It- It's just- I- I haven't checked my phone but I- He's probably called, right? Or texted? He'll feel awful and want to apologise and I-" Buck's voice wavers when Eddie inches closer to draw Buck into a loose hug, shaking his head because there's no way he's going to entertain the thought of Buck choosing to make contact with Cameron and exposing him to more danger. "I should l-listen to him, shouldn't I?"

Eddie wonders if Maddie went through the same thing when she was with Doug, and if Athena or Bobby will get in touch with her as soon as they leave. She might struggle with her memories and her guilt over what happened but he thinks she'll be the only one capable of listening to Buck's uncertainty and explaining to him why it's a terrible idea.

"You need to be safe," Eddie reminds him, brushing a kiss to his cheek. "You can't go back there."

"But he- he'll know it was wrong, right? He won't do it again. I won't let him-"

Eddie has to fight the urge to ball his hands. "There's no way I'm letting you go back there, querido. Athena and Bobby won't either."

"But-"

He loosens his grip so that he can stare into Buck's eyes. "Sweetheart, if you keep protesting why someone who hurt you somehow deserves a second chance, then I'll make sure Maddie's here within an hour and she can tell you why going back is more dangerous."

Buck shudders but his expression seems to suggest he understands Eddie's words. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay." He rubs the slope of his nose against Buck's and presses their foreheads together. "I told you I'd protect you and I will, okay?"

Buck relents with a small nod. It's not going to stop Eddie reaching out to her but at least it's stopped Buck suggesting he should get in touch with Cameron.

"C'mon," he murmurs, twining his hand with Buck's to lead him to the kitchen table.

Chris squeals as soon as they're within view and clambers off his chair, reaching up to Buck and wobbling a little on the spot. "Can I hug you, Buck?"

Buck's eyes sweep across the adults in the room, something almost guarded in his expression, before he lets go of Eddie's hand so he can drop to one knee. Chris wraps his arms around Buck's shoulder and there's a small sob that Buck tries to bury into Chris' shoulder.

"Gentle, bud," he prompts but Buck shakes his head.

"It's okay, Eds," Buck sniffs, his hands looking huge against Chris' back.

"I've missed you, kid."

There's something almost hysterical about the laugh that escapes Buck as he lessens the grip to cradle Chris' cheek and gaze into his eyes with some sort of wonder. "I've missed you too, Superman."

Chris stares at Buck, shifting slightly restlessly under the intensity in Buck's eyes before his head tilts towards the ground. "Do- D'you still love me, Buck?"

Eddie feels very much like he's intruding on the most private of moments as he watches his son with Buck. Fresh tears spill down Buck's cheeks as he presses a kiss to Chris' forehead, temple, tip of his nose, one of his cheeks.

"More than you will ever know, buddy." He folds Chris into his arms and lifts him, and Chris immediately wraps his legs around Buck's waist. There's a wince in Buck's eyes but he's already tucking his nose into Chris' shoulder and neck, his rough inhales clearly audible. "I love you so much, Christopher. Never, ever doubt that, okay?"

Eddie glances at Bobby and Athena, notes how Athena's got her eyes lowered and Bobby's watching with the sparkle of unshed tears in his eyes, and he's glad it's not just him that feels like a mess.

They spend the day watching movies after Athena and Bobby leave. Chris has been curled into Buck's lap the entire time, snuggled against his chest with a head resting against Buck's shoulder and tiny fingers held within Buck's much larger hand. It's clear Chris has missed Buck with the adoring looks he keeps shooting upwards, and it's equally clear there's a deep bond between them because the anxiety and fear in Buck's expression has morphed into contentment. He thinks his son might just be magic. He doesn't try to interrupt either of them either, doesn't even attempt to pry them apart, just occasionally brushes a hand through Chris' curls or along the back of Buck's neck. By mid-afternoon, there's almost a comfortable silence among them.

So of course the calm has to be broken by the sharp ring of the doorbell.

Buck flinches and circles his arms around Chris tighter, the terror that invades his face obvious.

Eddie presses a light kiss to his hair. "I've got it. It'll be okay, cariño."

Maddie stands on the doorstep, eyes glittering with tears and her bottom lip bitten almost raw. "Can I see him?"

He hesitates, wondering how Buck will react when he's only just started to seem like he's catching up to reality again, but Eddie suspects there's nothing that would stop Maddie from barrelling into his house. If Sophia or Ana were hurt, all the locks in the world wouldn't keep him out. "Just be gentle."

She reaches for him, a hand light against his face. "Thank you for always being there for him, Eddie."

He nods at her and guides her through the house. Buck's face falls when his eyes catch up on her, half-hidden behind Eddie's shoulder, even as Chris exclaims his delight at seeing her and wriggles free of Buck's arms for a hug.

"Hey, little man." She hugs him tight, kisses the top of his hair. "You taking care of my brother?"

"The best. Buck's wanted to cuddle all day."

She laughs and rubs a hand over his back. "I'm glad to hear it." Her eyes meet Buck's but Buck's still looking at Eddie.

"I didn't call her." He raises his hands innocently but he's not surprised Bobby or Athena got in touch with her. "Hey, bud? How about we leave Maddie and Buck to talk and we'll go pick something up for dinner?"

Chris looks between the three of them and it's clear he knows something more significant is going on. Eddie can't tell him, he wants to give Buck that choice or dignity, and Bobby had provided a good explanation for why Chris needed to be gentle so all day Chris has been checking if Buck was in pain. He'd been so loving and sweet and Eddie doesn't want to tarnish Chris' trust in the world and the people in it.

"Can we get ice cream?"

Eddie smiles. "Maybe. Maybe we'll bring some back for Buck and Maddie."

Chris cheers and Maddie releases him so he can disappear into his room to fetch some shoes.

"I'll give you at least an hour," Eddie says as Maddie looks at him gratefully, sliding an arm around his waist. He drops a kiss to the top of her head and catches the way Buck's eyes narrow as he looks between them. "Take care of him for me, alright?"

"I'll be gentle," she teases, giving him a brief squeeze before letting go to sink into the couch beside her brother. Buck is still staring at him, and there's a renewed anxiety in his expression. Eddie doesn't want to leave him but he knows Buck will be safe with his sister. He knows Maddie might be the only one who can talk sense into him.

Maddie stays until after Chris has been put to bed, and she's yawning almost constantly by the time Buck convinces her to leave. Eddie can tell Buck is frustrated or overwhelmed by her presence but he hasn't protested with Maddie and Eddie about checking his phone in a few hours. It's a good thing because Eddie had pinched it from Buck's car earlier, taken one glance at the screen filled with messages in capital letters, and switched it off and buried it in the glove compartment of his truck. As far as he's concerned, Buck doesn't need to be exposed to any of that right now.

"I'm sorry," Buck mumbles as he lingers in the bedroom door, hoodie discarded for the t-shirt. His fingers into the hem of the t-shirt, bottom lip caught between his teeth.

As much as Eddie likes seeing Buck in his clothes, he realises they need to go shopping. Visiting wherever Buck's been living with Cameron probably isn't an option right now.

He holds out a hand to Buck, hoping to entice him closer, but Buck looks ready to run so he lowers the hand and traces over Buck's hunched shoulders like they hold all the answers. "What are you sorry for?"

"I'm-" Buck hesitates, sighs, restlessly shifts his weight on his feet. "I know I'm imposing and I-"

"You aren't an imposition."

"-wish I could just get out of your hair and-"

"I don't mind you being here."

"-hate bothering you with all this," Buck continues like Eddie hasn't been trying to correct him, hasn't been staring at him in disbelief while he rambles with such defeat in his posture. Everything about Buck's words and actions in the past twenty-four hours makes Eddie suspect there's more to the relationship with Cameron than just some one-off bruises.

"C'mere, Ev." He encourages Buck to shuffle the handful of steps until he sits on the bed beside Eddie, fingers twisting into knots in his lap. "Look at me, cariño."

Buck's blue eyes shimmer when they meet Eddie's and he fights with his urge to reach out and touch Buck, to offer physical comfort when he also knows Buck has been too quiet since Eddie returned home with dinner and ice cream. He's not sure what Maddie and Buck talked about but he could tell from their pale faces and tired eyes that it hadn't been pretty, and he suspects Buck's been fragile all afternoon and evening.

"You can stay here as long as you need and as long as you want, Buck." He raises his finger to silence Buck's look of protest. "There's an exception to that: I'm not going to let you walk out of here to go back to Cameron. In the meantime, stay. You deserve to have someone take care of you and remind you how important and loved you are. You hear me?"

Buck gazes at him, clearly uncertain.

"I want you here, Ev." That seems to have a more desired effect because Buck's expression falters, so he forges on. "You always have a place to stay here, with me and with Chris. Okay?"

Buck's throat bobs, eyes falling away from Eddie's. "Okay," he whispers, fingers twitching in his lap. "Can… Can you hold me again tonight? It… It helped me sleep."

It blows his mind how much trust Buck continues to have in him and if he has to spend the rest of his days correcting every mistake, he will.

"Of course I can."

He gestures for Buck to get comfortable, flicking on the bedside light so he can turn off the main room lights. A warm glow covers the room as he crawls under the covers. Rather than facing away from him, Buck nervously meets his eyes when Eddie holds out his arms.

"You sure you don't mind?"

"Not in a million years," Eddie assures and Buck almost shyly folds himself into Eddie's embrace. He kisses Buck's forehead and when Buck tilts his head back to look up at him, he gauges all the flashes of emotions that linger in the blue eyes.

"Is this okay?"

Buck's eyes scan his, palm brushing over Eddie's chest. "It- It's a lot to...to get used to."

"I'm sorry I can-"

He starts loosening his hold but Buck whimpers, fingers coiling into his shirt. "Eddie-"

"I don't want to overwhelm you and-"

"Eddie. Eddie. Stop." Buck clings to him, voice cracking and making Eddie grow still. "It's a lot but I- It's just because I didn't...expect it."

And it hurts that Buck has all these expectations that Eddie will break his heart again, or that Eddie will turn him away. "Please tell me if it's too much, okay? I don't- What we were before-"

"I know, Eds." Buck's lips turn down. "We were different then, and it's okay. But I'm not glass. I'm not going to break."

He manages the faintest hint of a smile. "That's true. You're more valuable than just glass."

Buck rolls his eyes. "Will.. Will you kiss me again?"

Eddie complies if only because he'll never deny Buck anything, but it's brief and apparently that's not enough for Buck because his grip strengthens. Eddie slowly deepens the kiss, licking his way into Buck's mouth, tasting the minty toothpaste, feeling the shiver against him. Buck tentatively returns the kiss and it's not particularly heated, but there's a hazy smile that lingers on Buck's lips which entrances him. It fades too quickly when Eddie pulls back and he's almost tempted to kiss him again, and again and again, just to keep it there a little longer.

"I wish I didn't have to work tomorrow," Buck mutters, trailing his index finger along Eddie's side as he tucks his head against Eddie's shoulder.

"You could call in sick?" Eddie's eyes drift over the glimpses of Buck's bruised neck but Buck shakes his head slightly.

"I can't hide here forever and you need your space too."

"Buck-"

"I'll be okay," Buck promises, kissing his chest and sounding far more confident than Eddie feels. "Routines are good."

Eddie still feels dubious but he sets an alarm for the morning and switches off the light. Buck cuddles into his arms again, apparently more comfortable in the dark because his mouth finds Eddie's and there's more heat this time because Buck's hands wander over his chest.

"Sleep," Eddie reminds Buck, catching the puff of laughter between kisses even though he'd happily do this all night if that's what Buck wants.

"Stop being so kissable, then."

"Should I apologise for that?"

He can feel Buck's smile against his neck when the other man tucks his head there. "Never."

~TBC~