Title: Against The Odds
Author: an-alternate-world
Rating: M+
Characters/Pairing: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Word Count: 1,402
Summary: Buddie Big Bang 2020 Fic 2 - LAPD SWAT Team Leader Eddie Diaz is ordered to take up a hobby which will reduce some of his stress and anger because his Commander, Athena Grant, knows he hasn't processed the loss of his ex-wife and it's clearly affecting his job. At Carla's suggestion, he begrudgingly takes up drawing classes. The model intrigues him, his torso covered in Marks and clearly with a lot of stories to tell, but Eddie's still grappling with the fallout from his one, scarred, Mark. He's not ready for the implications of another Mark, even if the mysterious model might be responsible for making him smile and laugh for the first time in almost a year.
Warnings/Spoilers: This fic includes: canonical character death, unprocessed grief, hostage situation/s, gun violence, explicit sexual content
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with 911, Fox, or anything else related to that particular universe.

Author's Note: I'm starting this with a series of shoutouts to people that have helped get this off the ground.

Firstly, to Zel. Thank you for all the brainstorming we did way back at the start for how the universe would work, what all the colours meant, and then of course reworking the whole idea when the first attempt at writing this wasn't something I liked. Bouncing ideas off you is probably the only way this thing actually got finished.

Secondly, to my beta and partner-in-angst-riddled-crime, Nicole (bighimboenergy on Tumblr). Thank you as always for finding all my little errors, pushing me to write better scenes and ideas, strengthening the plot holes, and throwing ideas around to make everything work.

Thirdly, to my artist for the Bang, Jay (will-byers-protection-agency on Tumblr). Thank you for claiming this baby so quickly and being inspired to create such pretty art to support the fic. I am still in awe that you did the double of writing and arting for the Bang, you crazy bub.

"Runner out the side!"

Eddie practically growled at Tandy's declaration because as carefully as they'd planned this, there were only so many entrances and exits they could feasibly cover. Three doors, countless windows, a squad of five, and a household with at least four targets inside? Shock and awe to blast your way in only did so much.

"Gimme two," he announced and Walker and Polson lifted their weapons higher on the three subdued perps already cable-tied on the living room floor and the two cable-tied girlfriends who kept pleading their innocence. He really wasn't interested in hearing it. "You good?"

Walker gave a thumbs up and Eddie darted back through the front door with Nicholls at his heels. Tandy's gasping breaths were loud in his earpiece as he ran after their missing fourth suspect, but he still called out directions as Nicholls went for the driver's seat and Eddie leapt into the passenger side. As Nicholls gunned the engine and tore away from the curb, Eddie flicked the lights and sirens.

"Turning left, north-east by two blocks," Tandy huffed and Eddie pointed out a cross-street for Nicholls to take. "Right down an alley running east-west. Lost visual but he's- Ow! What the-"

Eddie gritted his teeth as he heard Tandy's curse, the sound of a scuffle and several groans that were unmistakably their junior officer. Nicholls planted his foot firmer on the gas and the truck darted forward, weaving around a car that had stopped in the middle of an intersection and he would have waved his thanks that they'd given way to their noise if he wasn't singularly focused on providing directions.

"In pursuit again but he's got distance now. Sorry, guys."

When Eddie estimated they had to be in the vicinity of the alley's outlet, Nicholls screeched to a halt and Eddie leapt from the truck. Tandy jogged into view from the alley a moment later, a cut beneath his left eye oozing blood and harsh breaths spilling over his lips.

"What the hell, Tandy?" he snapped, pointing along the street for a suspect he couldn't see. "Left? Right? Across the road into the next alley?"

Tandy scanned the street helplessly, his eyes wide and his breathing ragged, and Eddie could've hit him on the other side of his face for his failure to secure the target or keep track of where he'd gone.

"We didn't pass him so I'll keep going. You two cross," Nicholls called from the window and Eddie had to ball his hands into fists so he didn't yank Tandy across the road by his ear.

He led the kid across the road while Nicholls peeled away, scanning the alley which was filled with cardboard boxes, crates and containers to hide behind. Or hide in, if the perp had had enough thought. With a flick of his wrist at Tandy, they lifted their M4s and Eddie led the way. He moved almost silently, hoped Tandy at least had enough sense to try to lessen some of his loud breathing, and fought the urge to kick over boxes and tip crates.

It was as they approached the second container that there was a blur of movement and a shout behind him to warn him of what he'd already seen. He reacted without needing to think, ducking at the fist flying towards his head and countering the action by lifting his hand to grab and twist.

There was a howl of pain as he wrenched the shoulder joint a little too far in his rotation of the man, flipping him onto the ground where there was a sickening crunch as he landed on his face. Another pained scream echoed around the alley and Eddie could only roll his eyes and slump until both his knees were across the back of flailing thighs to pin him in place.

"My nose! You fucking asshole!"

His fury still burned through his blood as he reached for the cuffs tucked into his waistband, snapping them around the wrist he had a grip on, then reached for the floundering second to pin both hands behind his back. Several steps away, Eddie could hear Tandy radioing in the update to Nicholls, calling for backup to take him and the others into HQ from their different locations for further questioning.

"You're already going away for a very long time, Garcia," Eddie snapped, digging one of his knees into the legs and shoving a little roughly at the back of his neck. "No one's going to care about your nose once I add assaulting an officer and resisting arrest to your charges and make sure you never see daylight."

Garcia, one of the four they'd been aiming to take down in the hit, had warrants out for five violent home invasions across the city with his crew. Three of the invasions had put people in the hospital with various gunshot wounds. After two died in the most recent invasion, SWAT had been called in to get them off the streets faster. If Garcia even got to taste freedom again, it would be too soon.

Nevertheless, Garcia tried to squirm as Eddie dragged him back to his feet and propelled him out of the alleyway to shove him into a squad car that rolled up minutes later. Once they questioned him back at HQ, the DA could figure out all the finalised charges of who was to be charged with murder and who were the accessories. Eddie was just satisfied they'd got them all, even as he cast a glare towards Tandy for almost letting Garcia slip away.

Athena, on the other hand, was less than satisfied as she stared across her desk at him after they'd trooped back to HQ. Her lips were pursed, her hands were on her hips, and her narrowed eyes were like glinting steel.

"Breaking his nose is excessive," she said, her tone like ice.

So what if he'd taken the guy down a little hard? Tandy had needed butterfly bandages across his cheek and had a pair of bruises blossoming on his chest from taking hits to the ribs. Eddie was still oscillating between too much rage at his junior officer for letting Garcia slip through his fingers, twice, and Garcia for escaping in the first place. Under the circumstances, trying to dredge up some sort of contrition for his Commander was beyond him.

"I'm not going to say it again," she said, then proceeded to say it again anyway: "Do something about that anger problem or you're suspended until I think you're ready to come back, Diaz."

It was Carla that ultimately suggested it.

"Art class?" he said, eyes bugging out of his head. Wait until the team heard about that.

She shrugged, gesturing to the pictures that adorned his fridge. "Christopher always finds it soothing. Why couldn't you?"

He wasn't going to argue with her. Drawing had been Chris' way of processing the trauma of last year and the decreasing use of blue marker filling white pages had been a slow, steady relief to Eddie's frayed nerves.

A few days later, she left a pamphlet on his pillow for the local community centre. It listed a variety of classes that were due to start the following week and she'd very clearly circled a drawing class in red.

He sighed, glancing across the room at the photo of Shannon that stared at him from the top of the dresser. "Stop judging me," he muttered, discarding the pamphlet onto his bedside table and switching off the light so that he could get a few precious hours of restless sleep before he had to be at his next shift.

The following morning, amid tickling his kid who thought it was a good idea to wake him up far earlier than he actually needed to get ready for school, Chris saw the pamphlet.

"Are you gonna take classes?" Chris said, eyes wide and cheeks flushed from all the laughing as he examined the folded piece of paper. "'Cos it sounds fun. We could draw together."

And even though Eddie didn't want to do something like draw, he knew trapping his pain wasn't just affecting his work when Chris made statements like that. He folded Chris into his arms, snuggling his giggling body among a pile of sheets and blankets, and wished it were that simple to let go of his anger.

~TBC~

Author's Note: As a heads up, the AO3 version of this fic will have embedded art within some chapters.

It will update on Monday evenings, US-time.