IT'S A BOY
After a couple weeks of PT and passing the physical ability test, Eddie was finally ready to get back on the job he loves. Now the 118 was something else. They treated each other like they were family. And by some weird tradition whenever they had an event, whether it was someone's birthday, graduation, or a 'welcome back from the dead', there would always be a big party or at the very least an extravagant cake. Though Eddie did enjoy these celebrations, he didn't really like it when he's the center of attention.
And that was how he was feeling now as he checks himself in the mirror. He wore a simple shirt and a jacket and some pants of course. His hair had grown out a bit again. They did always say they liked say his hair a bit longer. And by 'they', he meant Buck.
Buck had been coming around more often than before. Even though they had Carla back with them, he still came around to help around the house, taking Christopher to school, helping out with his homework, and even helping out Eddie with the small stuff. Not that he didn't mind. He loved having Buck around. He always did. He wouldn't have chosen Buck as Christopher's legal guardian if he didn't. The guy just fitted. He fitted around them. He was never out of place. He belonged with them. Eddie wanted him to.
As much as he refused to admit it, Buck just fitted into their lives that Eddie didn't even notice it until Buck became irreplaceable in their lives. So much that it broke his heart to even hear Buck say that he wished he had been the one to get shot. The guy still had yet to realize how much he meant to him and Christopher.
He let out a heavy sigh.
"Woah, that's not a good way to start the day. Especially since it's your first day back." speaking of which, Buck joked as he entered Eddie's room.
"You know, I'm not really the party-type."
"C'mon, it'll just be cake. A few welcome back's here and there. And before you know it, the bell rings and it's off to another building fire." "Or better yet, the bells rings as soon as you step into the fire house."
Eddie scoffed, "I wish."
"It'll be fine Eddie. You got shot. Let them show how much they mean to you. We were all worried you know." Buck said as his eyes saddened at the memory.
"I know… I know." Eddie placed a hand on Buck's shoulder and nodded in understanding. He looked into Buck's eyes to comfort him. He knew Buck still hadn't gotten over him getting shot. Every now and then the two would just sit in silence or hold each other or just a simple touch to make Buck believe that Eddie was alive.
Buck smiled at Eddie, "Ready to go?"
"Yeah."
"WELCOME BACK FIREFIGHTER EDDIE!" the firefam shouted along with a bunch of confetti being thrown.
It's pretty much what you'd expect. A banner with Eddie: 2 Death: 0 was hanged. Balloons and streamers were decorated all over the place. When Eddie and Buck got upstairs, there was a cake with Eddie wearing a sling and bandages on his shoulder.
"Dad!" Christopher came running to his dad and greeted him with a hug.
"Hey! I thought you spending the day with Carla?" Eddie said as he wrapped his arms around his son.
"Oh he still is. I just thought he'd like to welcome his dad back to work as well." Carla appeared from the crowd. Eddie let go of Christopher to greet Carla with a hug as well.
"Thanks Carla."
"Edmundo…"
"Ana… w-what are you doing here?"
"Well, I figured there'd a welcome back party for you so I wanted to surprise you as well. And I figured I'd meet the rest of your work-family as well. I already met them at the hospital but I think it's time for a formal meeting, don't you think?"
"Uhh…"
"Hey Eddie, get over here so we can take a picture. I wanna dig in before the bell rings." Chim called.
"S-sure." Eddie was all too relieved as he walked towards the table. As soon as Hen was content with the pictures, the celebration was officially on. Everyone had gathered around the table and were ready to eat the big feast the captain has cooked for them.
Hen stood up suddenly. Everyone stared at her, wondering why she suddenly stood from her seat. Before they could ask why, she had already announced, "Oh and before I forget…" she trailed off to fetch something behind the kitchen counter. "I know this was already announced weeks ago, but it feels right to celebrate it now with Eddie here, soo…" Hen brought out a big colorful paper bag with a balloon tied to it. Normally, it wouldn't come as a surprise if it were a gift for Eddie but it wasn't, and the thing that gave it away was the big blue balloon with a label in capital letters 'IT'S A BOY'.
"This is for Buck, for being Christopher's semi-official legal guardian!" She announced and the group all clapped and congratulated Buck. All except for a lady who was just as surprised as Buck but in a completely opposite way.
"What? This was weeks ago Hen!" Buck exclaimed in surprise as he stood up from his seat and wrapped Hen around in a tight hug.
"We celebrate every occasion here Buckaroo." Hen reminded him.
"And you deserve it, don't make us tell otherwise." It was Athena who stood up and gave her son a hug.
Buck was getting a bit teary-eyed by the amount of support he was getting from his family. "Thank you guys." He kept telling them that it wasn't a big deal. He was only going to be Christopher's guardian if anything were to happen to Eddie. But Buck would made sure that that will never happen. Still Buck treated Christopher as his own anyway, might as well give him a title for it.
"Buck?" Christopher called from his seat with a huge smile on his face.
"Yeah bud?"
"Does this mean I get to call you dad as well?" Christopher asked.
"Uhh…"
Everyone heard the question and looked at Christopher and Buck adoringly. Even it caught Eddie in surprise and hearing it coming from Christopher made him really happy. He wasn't even the least bit angry. It was quite the opposite. For his son to actually consider Buck his second dad, Eddie knew he made the right decision. Unfortunately this was the last straw for Ana, she hastily stood from her seat and began to walk away from the table. She was almost at the stairs when Eddie caught up to her.
"Ana wait!" Eddie grabbed her arm, "What's wrong?" he looked at her with concern.
Ana looked at him like he had grown two heads, "What's wrong? You really don't see what is wrong with this situation?"
"What do you mean?"
"Buck is Christopher's legal guardian?! You never even bothered to tell me about this?"
"I never told anyone about this until a few weeks ago. I don't get why you're so upset about this?" Okay, maybe he should have mentioned this to Ana. To be honest it completely slipped his mind. Between the excitement of finally getting to tell Buck, announcing the changes to the firefam, not to mention his recovery, he didn't have time to bother with the minor details.
"Let me get something straight here, Edmundo. If something were to happen to you, Christopher would go to Buck." Ana said slowly, as if trying to point out every word.
"Yes."
"What about your parents? Grandparents? Your sisters?"
"I already told you I don't want Christopher to go back to them in El Paso." Before he could explain further Ana already cut him off with another question.
"Then what about me?"
"What do you mean? What about you?" Eddie couldn't understand what the woman was asking.
"What exactly am I to you Edmundo? What am I to Christopher?" She asked.
That's when Eddie understood. Eddie was pissed to say the least. "And what makes you think you were anything to Christopher?" He questioned back. True, they had been dating for a few months but to suddenly say that she had a right to Christopher. That he would actually consider giving Christopher to someone that barely knew him or Christopher.
"Edmundo…"
"Stop calling me that! You have no right to anything to Christopher. So you don't get to say who he should or shouldn't be with." he barked.
"So you're just going to leave him with a reckless firefighter that does nothing but risk his life every day. Is that really the right person to leave your son with?"
"There is no one in this world I trust with my son more than Buck. No one. Buck has always been there for Christopher. Not once has he ever let him down. So yes, he is the right person. He is the perfect person. For Christopher. And me." His voice softened at the last part. He no longer had the anger in his voice. Only the sudden bliss of realization. Everything he said was true. Buck was perfect for him and Christopher. He loved Buck. He was in love with Buck. Even his instinct to make Buck, Christopher's legal guardian, knew he was in love with the guy before his heart finally caught up.
"Are you-" Ana faltered.
Eddie knew she probably had a million questions to ask him but he knew all the answers would be the same coming from him, "Yeah… I am." The two stood there quietly for a moment to process what just had happened. Eddie broke the silence, "I think it's best if you leave now."
Ana wanted to say more but refrained herself from doing so and accepted that things weren't going her way. Not here. Not with him. She turned around and walked down the stairs. She left the firehouse without sparing them another glance.
He turned around and saw the concerned faces of his family and friends. He gave them a warm smile. Thankful to have found such a caring family, "I'm okay guys. It was long overdue."
They didn't pry for anymore explanation. They continued with their celebration. Luckily the awkward tension faded in the excitement of Eddie's return. Once they had finished eating, Christopher was playing video games with Chimney. His son had just manage to beat Chimney again. Before Chim could embarrass himself more by asking for a rematch, Carla had already told them it was time for them to leave. Christopher reluctantly stood up. He went to Eddie giving him a hug before he goes. Eddie took this as a chance to talk to his son.
"Christopher, I'm sorry. I knew how much you liked Ana."
"It's okay dad. We have Buck. We're gonna be fine." he said with another toothy grin. It caught him by surprise that Christopher was okay with Ana leaving. He expected him to at least be saddened by the news but that grin told him otherwise. That's when it hit. His son knew. Dios mio, his son knew about his feelings towards Buck. The kid knew all along.
"You… that…" Eddie stumbled for words, "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
The boy looked up to his father with an innocent look on his face, "I have no idea what you're talking about." he said before walking away to Carla. The two waved goodbye to their friends and left the fire house.
Eddie was relieved but at the same time worried. His big revelation didn't go unnoticed. His mind kept wondering if they would still even have Buck? He was gonna have to talk with Buck as well. Oh man, Buck. He wasn't sure where he went off to. He didn't even see Buck's reaction when he told off Ana. Before he could have the chance to go look for Buck, the bell went off. Talk about timing. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to focus on the task with these thoughts running through his mind.
He forced himself to forget about his troubles just until their shift ended and he could have the chance to talk with Buck. They geared up and hopped onto the fire truck.
They arrived at a burning apartment complex. Apparently it had been caused by a house party gone wrong. Eddie sighed. What was it with parties and disasters today?
They managed to save everyone from the building. The fire was officially out and the team were packing up to return to the fire station. That was when Eddie saw Buck talking to none other than Taylor Kelly. How could he forget? The last time they spoke, he knew the two were together and by the looks of it they still were. With the way Taylor had her hand on Buck's arm. He was fuming with jealousy but he knew he couldn't do anything about it and sighed sadly. Buck was finally getting life back together. He couldn't mess that up now.
"Hey Eddie."
"Buck…"
"You're riding with me, right?"
"Oh…" Oh indeed, how could he forget he rode to the station with Buck? That was just great.
The ride on the way home was quiet. Way too quiet. Buck would usually play something on the radio, mostly it was a podcast or a song he got hooked on recently. But there was none of that. Eddie glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw the gift Hen got Buck along with the balloon. He couldn't help but smile at the gift. He knew whatever happens between them, Buck would always be there for Christopher.
Instead they sat there quietly until they got home. When they arrived, Carla was sitting at on the sofa reading a book. She noticed the two walk in together. She was surprised but she could feel the tension between the two. They must had not talked to each other yet. Carla knew the sooner she got these two alone, the sooner they could talk. She told them that Christopher was already tucked in bed and immediately bid her goodbyes to the two. They both thanked her as she walked out the door, leaving the two of them alone together again.
"I'm gonna check on Christopher." Eddie said. He didn't give Buck a chance to respond before dashing off to Christopher's room. It was low of him to use Christopher as an excuse but he need time to think and process. More like preparing himself for the inevitable rejection he'll get from Buck.
Buck helped himself with a beer from Eddie's fridge. God knows he was going to need it. His heart soared when he heard what Eddie said to Ana. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up too much. Eddie probably meant it differently than what Buck was thinking. This was why he wanted to talk to Eddie. They couldn't have a proper conversation at the station with other people around. He loved his firefighter family but this was something that needed to be done with just the two of them.
So here he was, waiting for Eddie. He didn't have to wait that long Eddie soon walked into the kitchen. He saw Buck leaning on the counter with a bottle in his hand. Eddie walked over to the fridge and got one of his own. He then silently walked out of the kitchen and went outside the backyard. He sat on one of the chairs. He knew Buck would follow him and he did. Buck sat down on the chair beside Eddie's.
"So, are we ever gonna talk about it?" Buck questioned.
Eddie was unsure of what to say. He'd always been afraid of expressing his feelings but it was different with Buck. He knew that Buck would never shun him away at the first sight of weakness, "I… I'm afraid."
"Of what?" Buck asked.
"I don't want to lose you." Eddie finally replied.
"You're never going to lose me, Eds." Buck assured Eddie.
Eddie started to ramble and Buck tried to make sense of what Eddie was trying to say to him."But you just got your life back on track. You're moving on with Taylor and-"
That was when Buck had to stop Eddie, "Taylor? What does she have to do with this?"
What did he mean by that? Of course Taylor had everything to do with this. "Don't mess with me like that, you told me you and Taylor were trying to make things work." Eddie explained with a pained expression. As much as he didn't want to admit it but he had to point out the obvious.
"Yeah we were, and it didn't work out." Buck replied with a straight face.
Eddie didn't know about this. This was his first time hearing it. But then again, everytime Taylor was brought up to the conversation, Eddie had to admit that he wasn't entirely listening, afraid of getting hurt by what he could hear, "Wh- why? What happened?"
"We did try to date but it didn't work out for us. We decided in the end it was better for us to stay friends." Buck explained.
"So earlier?"
"We were just catching up. I promise you we aren't together." Buck added to clarify that he was no longer seeing Taylor.
"Why didn't it work out?"
"I… I realized that I couldn't be with her because - as cheesy as it sounds - my heart already belonged to someone else."
Eddie wanted to hope but he had to make sure and not get his hopes up and asked,"W-who?"
"You and Christopher." Buck answered.
"Buck..."Eddie felt his heart beat even faster when Buck included Christopher. It meant that he wasn't just here for Eddie but also for Christopher. That proved how much Buck cared for his son, as he hadn't already proved that fact more than once.
"When you told me you wanted me to be Christopher's legal guardian, all I could think about was taking care of Christopher, eating breakfast with you two, spending the day at the park, driving Christopher to school, having movie nights, playing video games… everything. All I could think about being with you and Christopher… as a family." Buck smiled, "Eddie, I… I love you." He professed and he slowly stood up from his seat and knelt down in front of Eddie, "I'm in love with you, Edmundo Diaz." He gently took both of Eddie's hands and cupped them in his, "And I know you might not feel the same… a-and that's okay. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I'm not leaving you guys no matter how you feel about me."
"I feel the same way, Evan."
Buck was surprised once more by the use of his real name but it was not unwelcomed whenever it came from Eddie, "Y-you do?"
"Yeah, if haven't already made myself clear earlier." Eddie faced Buck and looked into his eyes as he said, "I'm in love with you too, Evan Buckley."
"You are?"
"Yes! Mi querido idiota."
"Did you just call me an idiot?"
Eddie rolled his eyes, "Just get over here already!"
No one had to tell Buck twice. He cupped Eddie's cheek with his other hand around his neck as he leaned in for a kiss. Eddie kissed back as he wrapped his arms around Buck's waist. All suddenly felt right. It wasn't awkward, nor passionate. It was them. Just the perfect balance. It had always been just them. Nothing more. Nothing less. That's how they'd always been and that's how they'd always be.
"Hey Buck." Christopher greeted Buck as he went to sit on one of the stools.
"Hey Superman." Buck greeted back before giving Christopher a plate with his favorite pancakes.
"You stayed the night?" Christopher asked while he dug in his meal.
"I did."
"I thought you did, I could hear you and dad snore in his room." Christopher complained playfully. Buck blushed at the thought of Christopher knowing he spent the night in his dad's room.
Eddie was buttoning up his shirt when he walked into the kitchen. He immediately saw Christopher was already eating breakfast. He leaned over to his son and gave him a kiss on top of his head, "Good morning, mijo."
"Good morning, dad."Christopher mumbled with pancakes still in his mouth. Eddie chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. He took a seat next to Chris. Buck had already made him a plate and gave it to Eddie.
Eddie looked at Buck then back to Chris. He figured they'd tell their son now before leaving for work to where their co-workers were probably expecting to get some answers from them.
"Hey, Chris. Would it be alright with you if Buck stays over a little more with us?" Eddie asked.
Chris looked at his father and then to Buck, "Are you guys together now?"
"Yeah, we are."Buck said with a slight smile, unsure of how Chris would take the news.
"About time." Christopher commented.
The two men sighed in relief but with a hint of surprise with their son's reaction, "So you're okay with this?" Eddie asked.
Christopher gleefully nodded, "I don't mind even if Buck stays with us forever. I love Buck. I love having Buck with us always."
"I love you too kid." Buck smiled as his eyes glistened with happiness and love for his family. All seemed finally right with the world. He couldn't asked for more. He had everything he ever wanted. Everything he ever needed. And more.
"So does this mean I get to call you dad now?"