That night in the Diaz home, Christopher was the only one who got a decent night's sleep. Eddie and Buck had spent the majority of the evening before calling it a night silently wrapped up in each other's embrace, soaking up all the comfort the other was willing to provide. Soon enough though a jaw cracking yawn inspired Eddie to shuffle Buck into bed, insisting that the man take his bed for the night. Buck tried half-heartedly to refuse but given that he had become accustomed to the smooth surfaces of a wooden floor in the last two months, the offer was ultimately too enticing to turn down.
Eddie had finally convinced him by reasoning that he would be up at odd hours throughout the night anyway to wake Buck given the man's head injury. It was a testament to Buck's fatigue that he did not put up much more of a fight. Instead he nodded with a grateful smile and allowed Eddie to guide him to the master bedroom and tuck him in with heaps of blankets.
Buck was perpetually cold lately thanks to the loss of his muscle mass and the extra insulation a layer of fat would give him. He snuggles into the blankets glad to finally feel a bit warmer after the last few weeks.
Eddie returns with a glass of water and some Ibuprofen for the mild headache he can see in Buck's pinched expression. In his other hand Buck notes that he's carrying a duffle and a familiar case. Eddie tries to stealthily put the items aside but Buck is already pushing himself up and out of the comfort of his nest.
"Where did you get that?" Buck's tone isn't accusatory like Eddie had worried. Instead of offering him any answer though Eddie merely hands over the pills and the cup gesturing for the younger man to swallow them.
Once he's satisfied that Buck has taken the meds and said man levels him with an inquisitive gaze, Eddie confesses, 'I noticed the other day that you took a different turn out of the station and I kind of followed you." Eddie rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, realizing that his behavior was borderline stalker-like.
At Buck's blank stare, Eddie finishes with, "I heard from the parking lot someone playing and I suspected it was you. I saw the case in your uh - ahem apartment today and it just confirmed my suspicions." Eddie clears his throat once more, feeling the anxiety at Buck's reaction trying to claw its way up his trachea.
Buck allows a small smile to stretch across his lips at the scene unfolding in front of him. It's not often he gets to see the older man squirm like this and he decides to have a bit of fun with it. He schools his features in a milli-second so that Eddie won't see the smile drawing on his face. He replaces it with a hard frown and whispers so as not to wake Christopher, "So you stole it?!" His tone while agitated carries no real malice in it.
Eddie holds his hands up placatingly trying to back track and explain himself to the man still sitting in his bed. "No! I mean not- not really! I just-" Buck loses it at the widening of Eddie's eyes as the alarm sets in.
He smothers his laughter in the blankets piled around him. Eddie's deadpan expression at realizing what Buck just pulled has him clutching his sides as he outright guffaws in humor. He wipes at his eyes as the laughter recedes and manages, 'You should have seen your face man!"
"Hilarious I'm sure." Eddie throws another pillow at Buck commanding him to bed, 'Get some sleep asshole. I'll be waking you up in two hours.' Buck has the wherewithal to recognize the wicked tone underlying Edie's words and worries about just how exactly Eddie would be waking him throughout the night.
It turns out he doesn't need to worry too much throughout the night as Eddie can't bring himself to mess with the younger man once he sees just how badly Buck needed the rest. Eddie allows him to sleep as peacefully as he can despite being disturbed for a cognitive check several times throughout the night. Eddie himself managed to snag a few hours in between as well.
In the morning Buck wakes to the sounds of Carla and Christopher giggling in the kitchen and rustling coming from the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom he was sleeping in. He manages to peel his eyes open after a few minutes spent just listening to the comforting noises of the Diaz household.
The sounds wafting in from the kitchen is interrupted only by the sliding door of the master bathroom revealing a freshly sowed Eddie Diaz.
Eddie emerges from the bathroom to find Buck staring absently at the ceiling while still nestled in his blankets. He leans against the doorframe taking in the moment as he dries his hair enjoying the slow rise and fall of Buck's chest. He clears his throat after a few moments to alert Buck of his presence. Buck lazily shifts his gaze to meet Eddie's and allows a contented smile to grace his lips. Eddie watches the minute hesitation in Buck's eyes fade as he utters, "I wasn't sure what was real this morning." Buck trails off unsure of what else to say after the heavy topics of last night.
"Well," Eddie begins, pushing himself from the door frame, "this is real. And there are very real smells coming from the kitchen." Eddie leans over the bed, lowering his voice an octave, "And there is a very real chance that Christopher will be barging in here for your wake up call any minute, so you should get up if you don't want all 90lbs of him jumping on your chest this morning."
Eddie smiles as he whispers the last part in the still air of the room, offering his hand to Buck.
Buck in turn groans with a full bodied yawn while taking the offered hand. His knees pop upon standing, protesting the movement. He stretches a bit, choosing to ignore Eddie's muttered comment of, "You're getting old."
He looks down as Eddie thrusts something into his chest recognizing it as some clothing left over from a sleepover months ago. "Carla managed to pull some of your clothes from the laundry forever ago. You have your own cabinet in the laundry room at this point." Eddie says this with a laugh.
"How much of my stuff do you have here?" Buck raises an eyebrow in surprise with the question.
Eddie shrugs with, "Probably 67%" while pulling his own shirt over his head. Eddie tries not to make it too obvious that he's watching Buck dress from the corner of his eye. The sight of his skin pulled tight over his ribs produces a wince of sympathy and another flash of guilt cutting through Eddie's chest.
"So I know you won't like it," Eddie says, turning to face Buck once he's managed to pull the majority of his clothes on. "But after breakfast I'm taking you for a few errands."
Buck looks up, leveling his curious gaze on Eddie question forming on his lips. "Why would I not like it? I don't mind helping you out with errands." Buck scrambles to get ready quicker as he says this, eager to pay Eddie back for the kindness he's received over the last day.
Eddie stops him with a firm hand wrapped around his arm, "You won't like it because they are errands for you."
Eddie is met with Buck's blank stare clouding over with confusion. "What do I have to do?" Buck questions.
"Well first we need to get some breakfast so hurry up!" Eddie releases his arm with a playful push. Buck frowns a bit miffed at being left in the dark but lets it go in favor of pulling his socks on over the scars decorating his ankle and foot. He's too enticed by the aromas slowly leaching into the room from the kitchen to put up more of an argument.
Eddie slips from the room with a mischievous grin slapped on his face. He meets Carla and Christopher in the kitchen exchanging whispers behind the island.
"He'll be out in a minute!" Eddie whispers, interrupting the light conversation taking place between the two.
Everything is perfectly in place by the time Buck does emerge from the bedroom. When he pads softly into the kitchen eager to taste whatever he's smelling, he is utterly floored by the festivity of Eddie's kitchen. He takes in the balloons strung every which way and the streamers strung every other way. He takes a small step forward almost apprehensive but the encouraging look on Carla's face gives him some courage.
It's when Christopher points to the banner strung in the archway leading to the living room that the tears start to burn in Buck's eyes. On the banner there's a simple message in familiar children's scrawl saying, " We love you!"
Only once Eddie tips the plate of pancakes towards him does he make sense of the reality in front of him. His breath catches as reads the carefully shaped words that could only have been made by Eddie himself if the equally burnt edges and mushy centers were any indication.
Move in with us?
The question is scrawled as messily as Christopher's penmanship on the banner but it's still one of the most beautiful things Buck's ever laid eyes on. He holds his gaze on the plate for a long moment trying not to crumble in front of the family he's found in front of him again after so long.
A pregnant pause gives away the tension of the moment and has Eddie shifting to put the plate back on the counter before reaching out to Buck, afraid he had overstepped so soon after their reconciliation. Carla is smiling knowingly with her arms wrapped around Christopher's front. Christopher in turn is beaming with pure joy, totally unaware of the turmoil coiling in Eddie's mind.
Both of them are the perfect picture of confidence while Eddie is battling the flip flop of his chest as the silence wears on.
Buck finally looks up, meeting Eddie's gaze and gripping the hand on his arm holding him steady. He manages a whispered, "Are you sure? I ca-" whatever he was going to say is cut off by the bone crushing hug Eddie pulls him into.
It's the whispered, " Please ?" falling from Eddie's lips that has Buck nodding and returning the embrace eagerly.
At that Carla claps while Christopher releases a pent up giggle and cheer balling his hands into fists out of his excitement.
"Yes!' Christopher is shouting happily at the development as Carla settles him into a chair for breakfast. Christopher rattles off all of the things they'll be able to do all the time! while Eddie and Buck remain almost locked in their position, neither of them willing to give up the contact after the emotionally charged moment.
Carla allows a pan to clatter in the sink, breaking the silent communication happening between the two men.
"Don't worry now Buck, I made breakfast for everyone so you don't have to eat Eddie's disgrace!" Carla laughs while supplying the table with utensils and plates. Eddie smiles at the gentle ribbing and they sit down around the small table to eat the meal, each of them thinking this is the way it's supposed to be.
After breakfast is cleared away and Christopher is safely being bundled to school by Carla, Eddie and Buck find themselves alone. Buck is struggling with the overwhelming morning they've had already when Maddie arrives.
Anyone looking on from the outside wouldn't be able to see it but for a seasoned Buckley veteran like Eddie, the silent fury embedded in the deadly calm expression on her petite face once he opens the door has him stepping aside without a word.
He just barely manages to close the door before Maddie is off like a bullet through the house. "Evan! WHAT! THE! HELL?!" Each word is punctuated with a little stamp of her foot as she goes room to room in her search. Eddie may have been irate given any other circumstances, however he feels slightly vindicated at the memory of Buck's antics the night before when he discovered the presence of his violin.
She finally corners the man in the living room crouched behind the sofa. She heaves him up by his collar with surprising strength before pushing him down onto the couch. Buck, feeling thoroughly manhandled, glares at Eddie's chuckles coming from the doorway. "I'll leave you two alone." With that Eddie turns on his heel and abandons him!
Maddie stands with her arms crossed towering over her little brother's form on the couch. The nurse in her recognizes the subtle signs of malnutrition in the pale of his face, the stretch of skin across his knuckles and wrists and that shivers wracking his body that have nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
The dark circles tattooed under his eyes do nothing to convince her she is wrong in this assumption.
"I got a very interesting call from Chimney last night." Maddie trails off expectantly making Buck feel all of 10 years old again.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I moved Mads. It didn't seem all that important with you growing a little bean and all!" Maddie deflates at the mention of her pregnancy, unable to remain angry with her brother as he stares so affectionately at her slowly growing bump.
"I wasn't talking about the move Evan." Maddie says sitting next to her brother on the couch and grabbing his hands to reassure her that he was actually here. "He told me you haven't been well lately and I'm worried about you."
Buck winces worried that he had revealed too much.
"You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to. Just let me in a little ok?" Maddie says this with such compassion that Buck's only option is to nod acceptingly in response.
Buck finally looks up meeting Maddie's gaze with, "Where do you want to start?"