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When Buck is out with Christopher it’s not rare that he is mistaken for the kid’s dad, it is actually happening pretty often lately and he does not even correct people anymore. He just says thank you and smiles indulging in the feeling of family a little more than he should.
The first time that someone talks to him like he is one of Christopher’s parents he is pretty caught off guard and didn’t answer right away. He is at Santa’s village with Chris and Eddie and, after the little boy told his wish to Santa, a woman dressed as an elf walks him back towards them.
Eddie is up and hugging his son in no time, asking him his wish and getting only a smile and a shrug as an answer. Buck is a couple of step behind them and smiles watching his favourite kid in the world giggles while his father picks him up and begins to walk towards the big Christmas tree they’ve seen earlier.
He is about to go after them when the voice of the elf-dressed lady still beside him reaches his ears.
“You two have an adorable son”.
And just like that Buck’s mind is blank and his heart does a weird flip in his chest. He opens and closes his mouth a couple of time unable to get out a sound.
Son.
When he looks at the woman again he is probably blushing hard because he just thought of the implication of having a child with Eddie and, nope, not a good time for that kind of thoughts.
It feels like a minute is passed and he still has to say a word and the elf woman just keeps staring at him with a smile. She didn’t seem to notice the fact that her words just made him stumbled on his own thoughts.
Buck looks around to see where Eddie and Christopher were and the only thing he can manage to say is “thank you”. The words leave his mouth in a breathless sound and he can’t stop the smile that is tugging at his lips.
A second later he turns around to walk to Eddie and Chris with a warm feeling spreading in his chest.
“Bucky, can we take a photo with the big tree?” asks Christopher the moment he is next to them again, smile still big on his lips. “Of course” he says and ruffles the kid’s hair twice to see him giggle and duck away, then he smiles even more at the excited sound that leaves Chris’ mouth when he picks him up to let him see the decorations on the tree from up close. When he looks at Eddie the other man is biting his bottom lip staring right back at them.
Eddie’s eyes are so bright and beautiful that Buck loses his breath for a moment at the sight.
When it happens again Buck kind of expects it. He expects it because he knows he’s not holding himself back today and he’s showing every bit of love he has for Christofer for the world to see.
They are at the park near Buck’s apartment, Eddie is at his Tia’s for some problem with the stairs on the porch so Chris got to spend the afternoon with Buck. After one drawing the two decided that it was a too good day to stay inside and that go out and eat ice cream as an afternoon snack was a fantastic idea.
When they arrived Chris said that he would like to wait a little before ice cream and that they could go by the little lake for a bit. After a walk around the water and lots of laughs, they are currently sitting on a bench in front of the ice cream truck for at least 10 minutes trying to decide what flavours they want before going up and actually buy the ice cream.
“I’m gonna have a carrot and strawberry ice cream” says Buck and Chris starts making disgusted noises with his tongue out and then laughs when Buck starts tickling him with a fake pout on his lips.
“Well then you are going to have carrot ice cream” says Buck again and laughs out loud when the kid throw himself at him starting to tickle him in the stomach and at his sides.
“I give up, I give up” says Buck a couple of moments later “you’re too strong for me” adds then hugging the boy and smiling even more when the kid ties his arm around his neck and laughs. Then he stands up taking Christopher, still wrapped up around him, up with him and starts jumping around making him giggles and laughs even more.
Chris holds to him even tighter and Buck thinks that he never felt so happy.
Buck walks up to the ice cream truck keeping Chris in his arms and when the kid states “I’ll take chocolate and cream” just hugs him tighter and says “ok” and then “I love you”.
His heart jumps a little at the slip and then starts beating faster at the smile and the whispered ‘me too’ that Chris gives him before starting to point out all the different flavours in front of him.
After taking his ice cream Chris points to the bench and says “I’m gonna go to our seats while you pay” and smiles when Buck nods and grabs the change still keeping an eye to him.
“Your son loves you so much, I can tell” says the old man inside the ice cream truck and Buck smiles and shrugs because with today’s behaviour he feels like he really is Christopher’s parent so it is not very surprising to be mistaken for Chris’ dad.
“I love him too”.
It is dinner and movie night at the Diaz house and like always Buck, after his shift ends, has only the time to shower before picking Christopher up from school. Then they go together to the groceries store before joining the little boy’s father home.
“Chris” says Buck with a sigh “you know your father is not going to like it”.
Christopher just looks at him with big puppy dog eyes and a pout, Buck exhales soundly and closes his eyes for a couple of seconds. Then “ok, we can buy it” and the smile the kid throws his way is so beautiful he thinks he can handle all the dark looks Eddie is going to give him later.
“But” he adds “you have to wait till after dinner to eat it”. Chris purses his lips and after a moment nods with a shrug “ok, thank you Bucky”.
Buck can only smile and shake his head before putting in the basket he’s carrying some sugar and eggs.
“I know, they are so sweet but have us wrapped around their little fingers” says a voice from behind Buck making him almost drop the can he was reading. He glances at Christopher who is three feet from him looking at something on the shelf in front of him with a frown. Then he turns towards the voice and he sees a woman with a baby in her arms. Buck opens and closes his mouth and she adds “parents are powerless when it comes to sons and batting eyelashes”.
Buck looks another time towards Chris who still in the same spot as before with two crunches in one hand and a little green packet in the other. He sighs and smiles to the woman at his side and nods “yes, hard to say no to him”. The woman smiles at him an then starts to walk away when the baby in her arms starts to cry.
Chris is near him again a second later and looks between him and the woman that is shushing the little girl, Buck runs a hand through the kid’s blond locks and smiles “found something else we need, buddy?”.
Christopher shakes his head and takes another step towards him “no, we have all the things we need. I want to go home to dad now”.
Bucks smiles and picks Christopher up with only one hand, the woman looks at them from not far and smiles when she hears Buck asks the boy if he was tired and smiles even harder when the kid nods with the face of the man’s neck.
It’s dark. And Buck doesn’t really know if it’s the first night after the tsunami or if he passed out for hours without noticing and it’s been days.
He’s exhausted so he thinks he hasn’t slept.
His legs are so heavy he can barely lift his feet and he felt dizzy for a while now.
He knows he’s at the end of the line, he’s running on fumes of the adrenaline.
But he has to find Christopher.
He has to. Or he can die right here and be happy to never see the light again.
He tries to call out for him one more time but his throat is on fire and the caught is painful and make him double over to vomit.
He falls to his knees and his ribs are definitely broken cause it’s starting to be really hard to breathe. But when between the dark spots that dance in front of his eyes he sees a yellow t shirt adrenaline kicks in again and he can stand up and call Christopher’s name.
Christopher sees him and leave the hand of the woman who was with him and Buck really doesn’t know how he, or Chris without his crutches, can still walk in a feet of water. After two steps lights and sirens are heard but Buck can only look ahead at Christopher.
The woman follows him and Buck is glad cause if he sees the kid disappear in the water once again he thinks he’ll die.
There are only three or four step between them and Buck can hear the woman who’s asking Christopher who is he but the kid has all his focus on Buck and the steps that divide them.
One more second, one more step and Chris is finally, finally in his arms again.
Buck’s on his knees and he feels so dizzy he sways.
He can barely hear the voices approaching and the lights now close. He just close his eyes and hugs Chris with all of him.
Only one voice brings him back enough to understand what’s being said around him.
Eddie.
Fuck, Eddie.
Suddenly Christopher’s weight against him is too much and all of his strength is gone. He tilts left and all he can do is trying to keep the kid above water until someone can take him.
Then he can let go.
The weight is lifted all of a sudden and hands and arms keep him too above water.
Buck is so tired.
“He was looking for Buck” says the woman “who is Buck?” asks. She is probably tired too if her voice is saying something.
“It’s him. It’s his father. I’m Eddie, his father too”.
Buck’s body cannot take anymore emotions today so with the heart flutter at those words he blacks out.
His son is safe.