"So… who goes over?" Buck asked as she gestured towards the woman in a bathrobe screaming at someone named Norman to see her.
"Rock, paper, scissors you for it?" Eddie offered as he held his hands forward.
"You're on!" Buck smiled brightly.
Eddie smiled back as she walked closer to him with her hands out. The glinting of a silver bracelet on her wrist made Eddie feel happy. Christopher had helped him pick out the armband and together they had given it to Buck on their last movie night. It was just a simple silver chain with small, round, plates attached but Buck had almost cried in happiness as she had seen it.
Things had been wonderful since Shannon showed up at Christopher's new school, even though Shannon kept on calling and harassing Eddie. Every time she called, Eddie would send the transcript of the call to his lawyer, and in doing so collecting more and more evidence of why Eddie should gain sole custody of Christopher.
"HA!" Buck did an adorable little happy dance after her paper had beaten his rock. "I win!"
"Nah, I think I'm the winner here." Eddie declared and at Buck's confused look he continued. "I get you in my life. That is the real prize."
"You sap." Buck murmured with a blush before she went to put on her harness.
"Yeah, but only for you." Eddie hummed as they stood ready for Bobby's signal.
"See me now?!" The woman over the freeway, Lola, called out as she opened her bathrobe and showed the world, or at least the greater part of Los Angeles, her birthday suit.
"I admire her confidence." Buck muttered to Eddie.
"What?" Eddie looked at her with confusion.
"She just showed most of L.A. maybe even most of the world given that a lot of people are filming this, her birthday suit." Buck admitted.
"You're right, I guess." Eddie nodded before he smirked teasingly. "Would you have the confidence to do that."
"I wouldn't call it confidence exactly." Buck shrugged. "More along the lines of not really caring. When I was with the SEALs they put me in the same place as everybody else and I got used to changing and showering with people looking at me, though they did try to be respectful and not look most of the time, but in such close quarters it's inevitable not to look or be looked at. Plus, I'm used to people looking and leering."
"Buck, while I do admit that you are probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Eddie told her as she climbed up on the freeway sign. "That is not the reason I asked you out in the first place."
"It isn't?" Buck asked and Eddie could hear the vulnerability in her voice.
"No, it's not." Eddie smiled. "I asked you out because you are one of the kindest and sweetest people I've had the pleasure of knowing, because you make me smile, because your presence make my life brighter, because your smile could light up a room and because you love my son like he was your own."
"Eddie…" Buck whispered with tears in her eyes.
"Okay, move Buck into position." Bobby's voice sounded quietly over the radio.
"Right, not the right place for this talk, huh?" Buck gave a tiny giggle before she started to lower herself down on the sign.
"Okay, Chim." Bobby said and Eddie knew that Chim, Jackson, Simon, and Hen were dragging a jump bag under the sign.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Lola screamed as she saw the bag. "What are you doing?! I-I told you! I told you!"
"It's just there for your safety, Lola." Athena said into the speakers on her car.
"I-I told you!" Lola started fumbling with her bathrobe before she pulled out a gun. "I told…"
Lola fired three shots into the bag just as Buck landed beside her, and Lola quickly turned the gun on Buck, who held up her hands in a sign of not being a threat.
"Hey, hey, hey." Buck said quickly but calmly.
"Lola, listen to me very carefully." Athena called through the speakers sounding tense. "You now have every firearm in the Greater Los Angeles area pointed at you. If you continue to threaten that woman, they will fire. Do you understand?"
Lola looked between Buck and Athena, the gun still pointed at Buck.
"Do you?" Athena asked again.
"I don't want to hurt anybody." Lola lowered the gun with a sad look. "I just can't handle being ignored anymore."
"I know exactly what you mean." The words slipped out before Buck had even thought about it.
"Oh, come on." Lola sneered as she looked Buck up and down. "Yes, I'm-I'm sure you get ignored all the time."
"I do. Maybe not the way you're thinking, but I do." Buck admitted. "Just last week we went to an accident scene where a man in his sixties was trapped in a car. Me and my partner went to get him out but the whole time we worked the man would leer at me, stare at my chest, make suggestive comments and every time I walked to close, he would squeeze my thighs and my ass and try to touch me very inappropriately."
"What a pig." Lola glared at nothing.
"Yeah." Buck agreed. "So while I'm not being ignored in the same way you are, I am ignored in the way that mean that to most people? I'm just a pretty face with a good body. To them I'm not even a person."
Lola looked sympathetically at Buck, almost like a mother would, or so Buck assumed, the only person who had ever looked like that at Buck was Athena.
"Uh, L-Lola." A hesitant voice came over the speakers. "Lola, honey, it's me. I'm here and I see you, just like the sign says."
"Liar!" Lola snarled back. "You look right through me. Y-you don't even notice me. I-I'm just around to… collect the mail."
"Lola, maybe you and Norman should try something new, you know, spice things up a little." Buck offered when who Buck rightly assumed was Norman, turned to talk to Athena.
"What do you mean?" Lola looked over at Buck again.
"Try something new and exciting." Buck smiled kindly. "Either find a new activity you could both do together, outside or in the bedroom."
"Lola, honey, listen to me. I'm here and I see you." Norman said through the speakers. "And I need you to put the gun down, okay? Put the… put down the gun and let them bring you to me. And then we can spend the rest of our lives together, and I can show you how much I love you."
"I don't believe you, Norman." Lola decaled. "You don't even know who I am anymore. I mean… I don't even know. I've been a mother for 18 years and now that Zack's gone, I don't remember who I was before that, back when you used to look at me."
Lola gave a sigh before turning to Buck with a sad smile. "Maybe it's over."
"Are you really willingly to give up now?" Buck asked softly. "After all this?"
"What did you mean?" Lola got a determined look in her eyes. "When you said we could try something new in the bedroom? Something new and exciting?"
"Well, there are several things you can try in the bedroom." Buck shrugged. "Tying each other up, body paint chocolate, blindfolds, toys, pegging…"
"What's that?" Lola asked with her head tilted to the side.
"What's what?" Buck didn't know what Lola was asking about.
"Pegging?" Lola wanted to know.
"Oh," Buck chuckled. "That's when a woman uses a strap-on and fucks her man from behind."
"Really?" Lola asked intrigued with a blush on her face.
"Oh, yeah." Buck smirked. "Let me tell you something; While a woman have the g-spot, which sadly most men can't find even with a map and very detailed instructions, a man have their prostate and when they have found that, it's their new best friend."
"You really think Norman would try something like that with me?" Lola asked timidly.
"I think he would." Buck nodded. "If he loves you as much as you obviously love him, then he would definitely try anything with you."
"And if he doesn't love me as much as I love him?" Lola looked up with sad eyes.
"Then you and I will get dolled up and go out on the town." Buck promised. "You are an attractive woman, Lola, and if he can't see that, you should show him what he's missing."
"You are so kind." Lola smiled softly at Buck before her eyes widened at the music coming from the speakers, then she sniffled. "Oh, my god, he remembered. It was our first date, we went to see S-Say Anything."
"I see you, I see you, Lola!" Norman yelled. "I see the girl who used to sneak out of the beach bonfires and listen to The Psychedelic Furs and the Cure."
Lola gave a wet laugh as she looked down on her husband.
"Lola! Lola, I see you!" Norman repeated. "I see the girl who once drank nine shots of Jager and woke up without a hangover! Lola, I see you, I see the girl I love!"
People on the ground started cheering and applauding and Lola smiled as she walked towards Norman.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Buck grabbed her before she could walk of the freeway sign. "Maybe not that way."
"I think I want to get down now." Lola smiled at Buck.
As she said this and only had eyes for her Norman, Buck took the gun from her and handed it up to Eddie. Then they made quick work on getting Lola down to her Norman and the waiting handcuffs.
"What did you say to her?" Bobby asked as Buck leaned against the ambulance with Eddie by her side.
"Oh, you know, just the truth." Buck shrugged. "Woman to woman."
"Excuse me, Miss?" Lola asked as Athena led her past Bobby, Buck and Eddie. "I wanted to thank you."
"My name's Buck." Buck smiled. "And your welcome."
"Well, Buck, thank you so much." Lola beamed. "And is the offer of getting dolled up and hitting the town still on the table after I get out of prison?"
"Absolutely." Buck chuckled quietly.
"Great!" Lola said brightly as she was led away by Athena.
Eddie reached down and grabbed Buck's hand and squeezed gently, silently asking if she was okay. The man she had told Lola about had been very inappropriate, so inappropriate that Eddie had told Bobby to call Athena to arrest him for sexual harassment.
Eddie still got a smile on his face when he remembered the look on the man's face when Athena slapped the cuffs on his wrists after he had been cleared by medical. Sadly, they couldn't have every douchebag that treated Buck like that arrested and Eddie knew that neither Buck, Bobby or Athena would be happy with him if he went around and punched every single one of them.
"I'm okay." Buck whispered back with a smile.
"Hey guys!" Chim walked up to them with a smile, not seeing their clasped hands. "You two doing anything tonight after shift?"
"Not much." Buck shrugged as she sent a smirk towards Eddie. "Eating dinner and watching Charmed."
"Christopher is at Tia Pepa's tonight so I was just gonna drink some beer and watch tv." Eddie hummed, trying to hide the laughter that bubbled in his chest.
"Great, then you two can go out for drinks with me." Chim told them. "Hen already had plans with Karen and Bobby and Athena was just going to stay in, so that leaves us three, it's gonna be singles night."
"Chim…" Buck began.
"Nope, no backing out now." Chim pointed at them both before he walked off.
"At first it was funny that they couldn't see that we were together but now? Now it's just sad." Buck chuckled.
"Wonder how long it will take them to find out?" Eddie smirked. "Because I am not going to act like we are just friends tonight."
They had agreed that while at work they would keep it professional and avoid PDA as much as possible because they didn't want to be separated, but Eddie refused to pretend off shift and if Chim wanted them do go out for drinks that was fine, but he was not going to just stand back and let other people flirt with his girl.
"Well of course not, tonight we are off shift." Buck smirked and squeezed his hand before they both walked over to climb into the truck.
After a discussion at the end of their shift resulted in them deciding that they should meet up at the bar Chim had picked. It would be easier for them both due to Eddie having to drop Christopher at Tia Pepa's, which was on the other end of town from Buck's place.
"You be good for Tia Pepa, okay, mijo?" Eddie smiled down at his son after he had knocked on the door.
"As long as you're good for my Bucky." Christopher laughed brightly.
"You clean up nice, Edmundo, what's the occasion?" Pepa asked as she opened the door.
Eddie looked down at his light beige Henley and tight jeans, "I'm going out for drinks with Buck and one of our co-workers."
Pepa smirked at him before switching to quick Spanish. "Entonces, ¿cuándo me vas a dar otro sobrino nieto o incluso una sobrina nieta?" (So, when are you giving me another great nephew or even a great niece?)
"Tía!" Eddie spluttered.
"Qué?" Pepa kept on smirking. "Tu abuela tiene razón, tu amada tiene buenas caderas de maternidad. Además, ella es hermosa, juntos harían bebés muy lindos." (What? Your grandmother is right, your lady love has good childbearing hips. Plus, she is beautiful, together you would make very pretty babies.)
"I love you mijo." Eddie quickly kissed Christopher on the cheek before hurrying back to his truck, face bright red, to the sound of Pepa's laughter and Christopher's giggling.
Thirty minutes later he arrived at the bar and a quick text to Buck told him that he was the first to arrive. He quickly texted both Buck and Chim that he would go in and claim a table, but wait to order until they got there.
"Eddie." Chim smiled as he sat down opposite of Eddie.
"Hey Chim." Eddie smiled back.
"You dressing up for someone?" Chim asked, giving Eddie a smirk.
"You're one to talk." Eddie smirked back.
"Oh, this old thing." Chim shrugged but if Eddie wasn't wrong, he was blushing a little.
They talked about everything and nothing for a while, waiting for Buck to arrive. She had texted that she was on her way but traffic in L.A. was always unpredictable.
"Ay Dios mío." Eddie breathed out as he turned to look at the entrance and saw Buck walk in.(Oh my God.)
Buck was wearing a wine colored, knee length, lace dress that was off the shoulder, most of her hair was out and hanging over her shoulders, but Buck had pinned it away from her face, with only a few rebellious strands falling into her eyes.
"Eddie, you're drooling." Chim nudged him slightly and Eddie blinked.
"Can you blame me?" Eddie asked as Buck walked up to them.
"No, no I cannot." Chim chuckled before he choked on thin air as Buck kissed Eddie softly after she had sat down beside him.
"What…? How….? When…? What…?" Chim stuttered out as he looked between Eddie's smiling face, Buck's happy eyes and their interlaced fingers.
"Maddie?" Buck exclaimed in shock and happiness as her older sister joined their table. "What are you doing here?"
"Chimney invited me." Maddie smiled.
"Hold up for one second." Chim shook his head.
"What's going on with him?" Maddie laughed as she looked at the perplexed look on Chimney's face.
"Since when is this…" Chim gestured between Eddie and Buck. "A thing?"
"Ehh… Howie, they've been dating for over a month." Maddie, one of the few people who was told about it, said.
"No they haven't… have they?" Poor Chimney looked confused. "We would have noticed, wouldn't we?"
"We try to keep it professional at work." Eddie explained. "We don't want to be separated."
"You… and… but…" Chim mumbled as the gears in his head did their best to turn.
"Hello, what can I get you tonight?" A waitress walked up to their table with a notepad in hand.
"A glass of Chardonnay, please." Maddie smiled.
"Two IPAs and a glass of Pimm's Cup." Eddie ordered for him, Chim and Buck.
"Thank you." Buck kissed Eddie on the cheek as the waitress walked away.
"I'm sort of hungry." Maddie spoke up and turned towards Chim. "Should we get that thing we got last time?"
"Last time?" Buck smirked as she raised her eyebrow at Maddie and Chimney, not that either of them noticed.
"Here you go." The waitress came back with their drinks.
"A Celine Deion Sanders Combo platter, please." Chim told the waitress.
"Make that two." Eddie requested after a quick silent conversation with Buck.
"Good choice." The waitress smiled at them. "I'll be right out with those platters when they are done."
"Thank you." The four around the table chorused.
"So, who asked who out?" Chim asked and at the look he was getting from the rest of the table he elaborated. "The whole firehouse has a bet going on which one of you were going to ask who out."
"Eddie asked me." Buck smiled, happiness shining in her eyes.
"He took her to a picnic lunch in the park." Maddie sighed longingly. "Very romantic."
"It was amazing." Buck hummed as she leaned against Eddie's shoulder.
An hour and a half later Buck was doing her best to hide her laughter in Eddie's neck as Chim and Maddie sang karaoke very badly, well, Chim was bad, Maddie was passable. Chim was not usually a bad singer but he was a tiny bit tipsy which made his singing… off key.
"You gonna sing something later?" Eddie asked chuckling.
"Nope." Buck shook her head. "I can sing a little but not in front of people. I'd rather do pole dancing."
"Can you?" Eddie asked with an interested look.
"Can I what?" Buck looked up at him.
"Pole dance." Eddie hummed.
"I might." Buck smirked as Maddie and Chim came back to the table, and Eddie looked at her with heated eyes.
"That was good, right?" A tipsy Maddie asked.
"You guys weren't the worst." Eddie laughed.
"I'll get the next round." Buck offered and got up. "What do you guys want?"
"Negroni, please, Buck." Chim looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Long Island Iced Tea for me, little sister." Maddie beamed happily.
"Sparkling water, mi amore." Eddie, the self-appointed designated driver, smiled at her.
"I'll be right back." Buck walked towards the bar with a bounce in her step.
Eddie talked with Maddie and chimney as they waited for Buck to come back, but when he looked up to see what was taking so long, he felt anger surge through his body. A man was holding onto Buck's arm with a grip that looked bruising as she tried to get away, her cleavage wet with something and the man was leering in the worst possible way.
Eddie was up and at Buck's side before he knew what was happening. "Let go of her, now!"
"What's it to you?" The man scoffed. "Me and the pretty one was just talking and about to have a little fun."
"Let go of my girlfriend before I break your ugly face." Eddie growled.
The man sneered at Eddie before tightening his grip on Buck's arm and pulling her towards him, making Buck hiss in pain.
"Is there a problem here?" A voice breaks through Eddie's rage before he can punch the dickwad in the face.
The man turned around looking cocky before he shrank away from the security guard that one of the staff had summoned. The guard was tall, maybe 6'5 or 6'6, and built like a tank.
"Let go of the young lady's arm, if you would be so kind, and then get out of this establishment, you are no longer welcome here." The Guard said and the man quickly let go of Buck's arm and rushed out of the bar.
"Thank you." Buck smiled up at the guard as she rubbed her already bruising arm.
"Are you alright, miss?" The guard asked softly.
"Yeah, thanks to you and my boyfriend." Buck smiled again, before turning to Eddie. "But I think I want to go home now."
"I'll walk you two to your car in case the other man is laying in wait outside." The guard decided.
Eddie led Buck into his house by the hand forty-five minutes later while she laughed at a stupid dad joke he had just told her. Buck stopped in the hallway after Eddie had locked the front door and looked up at him with a shy smile.
"Eddie…" Buck trailed off uncertainly. "Do you want to…?"
"I do." Eddie knew exactly what she was asking. "But we don't have to if you don't want to."
"I want to." Buck admitted quietly. "But I have never actually slept with someone that I have feelings for… This feels different, somehow, less forced, more intimate."
"We don't have to go the whole way." Eddie reassured her before he got a heated look in his eyes. "There is just one thing I've wanted to do, or more a thing I've wanted you to do, for the longest time."
"And what's that?" Buck looked a little nervous.
"I want you to wrap your thighs around my face as I eat you out." Eddie murmured with a gravely voice filled with desire.
"Oh God…" Buck moaned. "We can do that… if you really want to."
"Come along, me amore." Eddie laced their fingers together as he led her to his bedroom. "I want to make you scream in pleasure."
Buck woke up to the gentle sound of Eddie's heart beating and the sun on her face. She felt calm and relaxed like she hadn't in a long time and couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. Yesterday had been perfect. They hadn't gone all the way but Eddie had spent what felt like hours with his face buried between her thighs and then Buck had given him the best blowjob she had ever given, if she does say so herself.
And waking up in Eddie's arms? That was probably the best feeling in the world. He was warm and held her like she was something precious. She knew that they would have to get up soon if they wanted to eat breakfast without stress before they had to go into work.
As Buck tried to extract herself from Eddie without waking him, Eddie just tightened his arms around her and mumbled, "Mine."
"Yours, but I need to get up so I can get started on breakfast." Buck kissed Eddie awake softly.
"Can't we just stay here?" Eddie murmured as he softly moved a strand of hair behind Buck's ear. "I want to stay in this moment forever."
"Not forever." Buck protested with a smile. "I would miss Chris too much."
"Yeah, me too." Eddie agreed as he looked at her before he smirked, looking smug and very pleased with himself.
"What?" Buck frowned softly.
"Nice hicky." Eddie preened as he dragged a thumb over the hicky he had given her where her neck met her shoulder.
"Have you always been this possessive?" Buck chuckled as she sat up, showing that she had another hicky on her left breast.
"No, I have actually never been either possessive or jealous." Eddie told her. "You are just very special and bring those sides out."
"Is that so?" Buck leaned down and kissed him. "I kinda like you being possessive and jealous, it makes me feel treasured and owned."
"I'll never let you go now." Eddie declared strongly.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" Buck giggled as she nipped his lower lip.
"A promise." Eddie pulled her into a passionate kiss. "Definitely a promise."
Buck pulled back and looked at Eddie with soft eyes, "I know we haven't really said it before but I need you to know. I love you. I am so deeply, irreversibly, crazy in love with you Edmundo Diaz."
"I love you too, so very much." Eddie cupped her face gently. "The only reason I didn't say it on our second or third date was because I didn't want to scare you off."
"You're stuck with me now, Diaz." Buck laughed freely before she stood up, as naked as the day she was born. "How about you take a shower while I make breakfast?"
"Or we could save water and shower together." Eddie offered as he too stood up.
Buck let her eyes rove over Eddie's body and felt heat gather in her lower stomach and a blush on her face. "Nope, that ain't happening. If we do that we'll never get done and we'll be late."
"It would be worth it though." Eddie smirked wickedly.
"Go shower." Buck ordered before she grabbed her panties and Eddie's shirt from the floor. "I'll make toast."
"In some ways I don't think I need breakfast." Eddie said thoughtfully as he walked towards the bathroom. "I mean, I did have a very tasty snack yesterday evening."
"Eddie!" Buck knew she was blushing as she listen to Eddie laugh.
Buck had around fifteen minutes of peace as she made breakfast before there was a knock on the door. She didn't think Eddie was expecting anyone but she shrugged and went to open the door, not really thinking about that the only thing she was wearing was her underwear and Eddie's Henley.
"Who the fuck are you?!" The woman on the other said of the door demanded to know as soon as Buck opened it.
"What?" Buck asked, shocked at the question and the hostility.
"Whatever, just let me in so I can see my son." The woman, who Buck now knew was Shannon, demanded and tried to push past Buck.
"Not gonna happen, lady." Buck stood her ground.
"You have no right no stop me from seeing my son!" Shannon glared and tried to push past again.
"You're right, I have no right to do that, but I know for a fact that you need Eddie's, or the courts, permission to see Christopher and you haven neither." Buck could see how it annoyed Shannon that she just couldn't shove her way past Buck.
"I have the courts permission." Shannon stated haughtily.
"No, you don't." Buck gave a laugh. And sure, Christopher wasn't even home but Shannon didn't need to know that. "Now, I would suggest that you turn around and walk away before I call the cops."
"Who are you anyway?" Shannon sneered.
"That's none of your business." Buck informed her.
"It is my business if Edmundo is letting some blond, stuck up, whore close to my son." Shannon glared darkly.
Buck looked amused. "Is that the best insult you could come up with? Calling me a whore?"
"Shannon, what are you doing here?" Eddie spoke up from behind Buck, sounding angry.
"I want to see my son!" Shannon declared loudly. "But your whore won't let me past."
"Get out of here Shannon." Eddie told her. "You don't have permission to see Christopher and you are trespassing."
"You'll regret this Edmundo!" Shannon huffed and turned to walk away. "Mark my words."
"Can I shoot her?" Eddie grumbled with annoyance.
"Not in public." Buck smirked and closed the door.
Sitting around the table with the rest of the 118 that were on shift, Buck laughed along with Eddie as everyone had the looks off disbelief in their faces. Chim was looking smug about being the first one to find out, at least of the 118, while Jackson looked happy for her and Eddie.
"Hey, Diaz!" Jackson called out cheerfully. " If you ever hurt her no one will ever find your body."
"What?" Eddie looked up in alarm.
"Buck has thought me the best ways to get rid of and hiding a body." Jackson hummed happily.
Eddie slowly turned to look at Buck, "You thought him how to get rid of and hiding bodies? Dead bodies?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Buck smirked.
"You two are going to have to fill in some paperwork for HR." Bobby pointed out as he placed the lasagna on the table.
"We won't be separated, right?" Buck asked worriedly.
"No, you both have already demonstrated that you can keep it professional at work so that shouldn't be a problem." Bobby reassured her with a smile.
"Gracias a Dios por eso." Eddie murmured quietly.(Thank God for that.)
"So, how long has this been going on?" Hen wanted to know.
"Eddie asked me out after we got dosed." Buck smiled, her whole face lighting up.
"According to Maddie, Eddie took her to a picnic lunch in the park." Chim piped up.
"Aww, that's so sweet." Hen gushed, half mocking, half serious.
"Shut up." Eddie groaned but he interlaced his fingers with Buck's.
"You two are adorable." Isaacs chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.
They were interrupted by the alarm and Bobby stood up to listen to the information after which he turned to the gathered bunch of firefighters. "Hen take Eddie with you in the ambulance today. Chim and Buck, with me in the truck."
"See you on the other side." Buck called out to Eddie as she saw him get into the driver seat of the ambulance while she climbed into the truck.
"Buck." Bobby's voice sounded over the headset as he drove them towards the scene. "You are okay with you and Eddie, right? You don't feel pressured or anything?"
Buck felt shocked, angry on Eddie's behalf and maybe an itsy-bitsy bit touched. "I love him, Bobby, and he is so sweet to me, never rushing me or pressuring me to do anything."
"I'm sorry, kid." Bobby said slowly when he heard the anger in her voice. "I just worry about you."
"And I appreciate that, Cap, but that question, while well meaning, was very rude towards Eddie." Buck pointed out.
"I know, you're right." Bobby nodded and parked the truck. "I promise not to imply anything like that again."
When Buck walked into the store behind Bobby, Eddie was already examining a man on the floor while Hen had a young woman on the other gurney.
"He seems fine." Eddie informed Athena as Buck went to stand by the head of the young woman on the gurney. "Pupils are dilated. Definitely high on something."
"Well, I'll try to contain my shock." Athena sassed as she came up to the gurney. "Get him out of here."
"Stay strong, baby bear." The guy called to his… girlfriend?
"I'm not your baby bear, jackass." The young woman snarled before turning to Buck and Hen. "Men are the worst, right?"
"You're asking the wrong girl." Hen scoffed and the woman's eyes turned to focus directly on Buck.
"A lot of men are disgusting pigs." Buck hummed, before smiling towards Eddie. "But then you find one that is everything you've ever wanted."
"He's probably only after one thing." The woman huffed and glared at Eddie.
"You don't even know me." Eddie protested while looking weirded out.
"You're a man." The woman sneered as she was wheeled away. "I know enough."
"Can I get a little something for the pain?" The woman asked Hen as she wheeled her towards the ambulance.
"Pretty sure you took that before you walked in here." Hen chuckled.
When they get back to the firehouse Buck bounced over to Eddie with a bright smile. "So, I have an appointment to look at an apartment on Friday. Do you and Christopher want to come with?"
"You know," Eddie smiled softly. "In some ways I just want to tell you that moving in with me and Christopher would save money. But I know we've only dated for around a month and that you need your own space too. You did, after all, tell me that you haven't really had your own place for years."
"What did I do to deserve someone so understanding?" Buck smiled and kissed him softly.
"You just had to be yourself." Eddie hummed. "Of course, you are always welcome to stay with me and Christopher whenever you want, even when you have your own place."
"Do you think we are doing things too slowly?" Buck asked uncertainly. "I mean, it took us a month to even be intimate."
"There is no set pace for this, mi amore." Eddie assured her. "As long as both of us are comfortable with the pace we have set, then that is all that matters."
"I love you." Buck murmured quietly.
"I love you too." Eddie whispered back, equally as quiet.
After going with Buck to look at the apartment, Eddie drove them all over to his Abuela for lunch. Buck had bought the apartment as soon as they were done looking at it and Christopher had stood by the window, looking out at the city, as Buck signed the lease.
The whole way to Abuela's house, Christopher was quiet and sad looking. Both Eddie and Buck tried to talk to him but he only gave one worded answers and stared out the window. Eddie and Buck shared a worried look as Eddie parked in Abuela's driveway.
"Evangeline, it is so nice to see you again." Abuela smiled and pulled Buck into a hug as soon as she opened the door for them. "And look at you, you grow more beautiful for every time I see you."
"Thank you, Abuela." Buck blushed shyly.
Eddie couldn't help but smile, Abuela was the only one, except Maddie, who was allowed to call Buck by her given name. Eddie himself was allowed to call her Evie but he only used that on special occasions and it made Buck look shy and pleased every time he did.
"Eddito, qué le pasa al pequeño Christopher?" Abuela asked as Christopher just walked past them without saying anything.(What's wrong with little Christopher?)
"No sé." Eddie shrugged with a sad look. "Yo iré a hablar con el." (I don't know. I'll go talk to him.)
"I hope he is okay." Abuela hummed before turning to Buck. "Evangeline, would you be a dear and help me prepare lunch?"
"Of course, Abuela, juts tell me what to do." Buck smiled reassuringly at Eddie before following Abuela into the kitchen.
Eddie looked after them with a content feeling bubbling in his chest, then he turned and went looking for his son. Finding Christopher sitting on the stairs leading out into the backyard, Eddie sat down next to him.
"What's wrong, mijo?" Eddie asked quietly.
Christopher sat quietly for a while before speaking, "Are you and Bucky breaking up?"
"What?" Eddie queried with shock. "What gave you that idea?"
"Well… Bucky is moving into that apartment that we looked at." Christopher sniffled.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that me and Buck are breaking up." Eddie reassure his son. "I love Buck, very much."
"But why couldn't she move in with us?" Christopher looked up with tears on his cheeks. "Then we could be a family and she could be my mom."
Eddie felt his heart swell with love for his son. "Just because we don't live together doesn't mean we aren't a family."
"But families live together, right?" Christopher asked slowly.
"Not always." Eddie told him softly. "The reason why Buck isn't moving in with us is because she needs to have her own place for now. One day in the future I do plan to ask her to move in with us, if that's okay with you?"
Christopher sat quietly, deep in thought, for a long while, contemplating what Eddie had told him. "Can she still be my mom?"
"You can ask her." Eddie smiled down at him. "But I think she would be honored to be your mom."
"Really?" Christopher looked up with hopeful eyes.
"Really." Eddie nodded before he looked seriously at Christopher. "I know you don't like talking about your mom, your real mom, but can you tell me why?"
Eddie could see Christopher draw into himself again, almost looking like he was physically trying to make himself smaller, before declaring. "She's not my real mom, my real mom is Bucky."
"Can you please tell me why you feel like that?" Eddie begged.
"Do I have to?" Christopher sniffled softly.
"No, you don't have to." Eddie pulled him into a hug, feeling worry gnawing in his chest. "But I wish you would tell someone."
"I'll tell you, but not today." Christopher decided after a while.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Eddie wanted to make that clear.
"I know, daddy, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet." Christopher nuzzled closer to Eddie.
"Okay, mijo." Eddie tightened his arms around his son.
They sat cuddled together on the stairs for a long while, only getting up when Buck came to tell them that lunch was ready. Christopher stumbled over to Buck with a bright smile and took her hand, leaving his crutches for Eddie to carry.
"I love you, Bucky." Christopher beamed up at her.
"I love you too." Buck bent down and kissed Christopher on the cheek, happy tears in her eyes. "To the moon and back."
"To infinity and beyond." Eddie piped up walking inside with his little family, feeling happy and content.