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“You have got to be kidding me.” Hen sighs the second she steps into the station.
Chimney- paying too much attention to texting Maddie back and not enough to his surroundings- slams into her back when she comes to a sudden stop. He huffs in annoyance as Eddie steadies him from where he’s stopped behind him in the chain of reaction.
“Hey! Watch ou-oh my god.” Chimney groans.
“What? Oh. That.” Eddie drawls in surprise.
Buck blinks up at the trio with the brightest grin on his face for a fraction of a second before looking back down. And Bobby? Bobby is standing behind Buck and looks hella guilty.
“Before any of you say anything,’ Bobby holds his hand up and all three snap their mouths shut. ‘it’s damn near impossible to say no to that face.”
“Oh we know. But how the hell did this happen?” Hen asks slowly. Almost as if she doesn’t actually want to know.
“We were on a call.” Buck says distractedly, not even looking back up at them.
“Aaaaaaand?” Chimney rolls his hand, a universal sign for ‘hurry up with this explanation’.
“We found this little guy crying on his dead owners chest. Buck begged me to keep him and I just- I couldn’t say no to both of their puppy dog eyes. I’m only human.” Bobby huffs out, like he’s annoyed. But the soft smile tugging on his lips looks anything but.
“Everything is checked out - there was no one to look after the little guy and Animal Control let me take him in.” Buck tells them, still not looking up.
Hen, Chimney and Eddie stand in silence for a split second before the latter shrugs with a nod and moves to the locker rooms wordlessly.
“Fair.” Hen simply says.
She drops her duffle at her feet and joins Buck on the floor, tentatively reaching out to let the- admittedly adorable- dalmatian puppy that’s playing with Buck sniff at her hand.
When she receives a lick in return, she runs her hands through the soft fur at the top of his head and grins when he shuffles closer to her.
She hears Chimney sigh in resignation behind her and Eddie’s answering chuckle as he rejoins them, in full uniform this time.
“We are a literal walking stereotype.” The older man grumbles.
But he can’t help but smile when the puppy trips over itself in a bid to get back to Buck when the man makes a move to stand.
“Hey little guy.’ Buck chuckles as he scoops him up. ‘It’s okay bud, I’m here.”
The puppy looks far too content in his arms given the short time they’ve know each other but Eddie gets it, he really does. Buck just has that... thing about him. Eddie never wants to be out of the other mans arms.
“So. What’re we naming him?” Eddie asks.
Buck blinks up at him with those big blue eyes. “You’re letting me keep him? For real?”
“It’s nothing you haven’t done before.’ Eddie raises an eyebrow. ‘But I’m putting my foot down after this. No more adopting dogs without me, okay?”
“You got it babe.’ Buck grins. ‘I like the name Blaze.”
The others hum in agreement.
“That was... easy.” Bobby blinks.
“Eh, we’re easy,’ Eddie shrugs. ‘Welcome to the family Blaze.” He scratches behind the puppy’s ears.
Blaze yips happily from the safety of Buck’s arms.
As Eddie steps forward to get a better look at the newest addition to their seemingly-always expanding family, he notices something. Cradling the puppy’s face in both hands, his heart skips a beat.
There is a dark smudge over the puppy’s left eye that looks identical to Buck’s own birthmark.
Well damn. He was made for their family, just like Bailey was.
—
Eddie sighs for the umpteenth time as he drags the gradually overflowing basket around the aisles of Pet. Co. Buck bounds forward, darting from this display to that, gasping and chattering in excitement as he goes.
They’d been there for the best part on an hour and Eddie wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. Maybe eat something and cuddle with Chris too.
“Buck. We don’t need this much stuff, you know this right? Blaze can just use Bailey’s toys.” He says with a raised eyebrow.
“I know that, but I still wanna spoil him!” Buck tells him with wide, pleading eyes.
“Fine.” Eddie sighs, and goes back to thinking about their bed longingly…
“Oh. My. God.’ Buck’s words bring Eddie out from his mind. ‘I have to get this! Look how adorable it is!”
He glances up at his best friend / partner / husband / part time second child in resignation.
He’s holding Blaze in one hand and in the other hand he’s holding a tiny collar up to the puppy’s neck. The collar is electric blue with a polka dot bow attached. Eddie has to admit, it is pretty adorable.
He sighs. “Put it in.”
Buck’s grin gets impossibly wider as he stuffs the collar inside the puppy bed full of toys and treats and other bits Buck had managed to cram into the basket. By the time Eddie manages to literally drag him to the checkouts, Buck has the basket packed so full, Eddie’s already dreading the total amount.
The girl serving them nearly passes out at the picture of the three of them. Eddie can’t blame her. He’s not blind, he knows what kind of bodies he and Buck have, knows they look good by society’s standards. It doesn’t help matters that they’re still in their LAFD uniform while Buck cradles an excitable dalmatian puppy in his arms. He can practically hear the girls mind short circuiting.
“What’s this little guys name?” She asks, batting her eyelashes at Buck with an over the top smile. Eddie can see her pushing her boobs together.
Now, Eddie knows he and Buck are solid - they’re married for Christs sake - but he still can’t help be a little territorial over his oblivious husband. So he can’t be blamed for the near inaudible growl that escapes him.
But Buck barely pays her, or him in fact, any mind. He can’t take his eyes away from the pup. “This little guy is Blaze and I just know he’s going to be the best little brother to Christopher and Bailey and be spoilt by his dads just like them.”
The girls face falls the tiniest bit.
Eddie snorts with a smirk. “You are introducing him to our son. I am not handling an excited puppy as well as an excited 9 year old kid and his 1 year old excited pup.”
Buck blanches at him. “Oh no. No no no, you’re going to be there when they all meet. It’s going to be epic and we’ll take too many pictures and I’ll probably cry-“
“There’s no ‘probably’ about it, amor. You will.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Buck grins lopsided.
“That’ll be $147.54.” The girl cuts in with a tight smile.
Eddie doesn’t miss the way she gives him the skank eye and can’t help but snigger quietly. Buck fishes out his wallet and pays for his items while Eddie gets it all stuffed into bags.
“I’m gonna go put this in the truck. See you in a bit babe.” Eddie leans in to press his lips to Buck’s for a long second, scratches Blaze’s ears and leaves, the feeling of satisfaction pooling from him.
When Buck finally catches up to him, he’s just finished loading up the last bag into the boot. Buck surprises him by crowding him back against the Jeep with a smirk.
“Don’t think I don’t know what that was, Edmundo Diaz.” He grins as he cups his neck with his hand.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eddie feigns innocence as he grips Buck’s hips.
“Hmm sure you don’t.” Buck mumbles before dipping low and kissing Eddie.
It’s a filthy fight for dominance that Eddie inevitably lets Buck win before the taller man trails his lips down to Eddie’s jaw, licking nipping and sucking there. Eddie sucks in a shuddering breath and tilts his head to the side, giving him more room. Just as Buck’s lips trail down his neck to his collarbone, he stops suddenly. Eddie honest to god whines.
“I don’t know if I should be rewarding such poor behaviour. You know I only have eyes for you baby.” Buck promises, going from teasing to sincere in a heartbeat.
“I know, okay. I know you do. I just- I can’t help it. It’s like a primal instinct to warn anyone who talks to you that you’re mine.” Eddie admits.
He hears the breath in Bucks throat catch. “Fuck. I love it when you get all possessive.” He whispers.
“Yeah?”
Buck opens his mouth, no doubt to say something dirty that will make Eddie’s pants even tighter than they already are, but is cut off by an unimpressed whine.
Both men look down to Blaze, who’s hanging over Buck’s spare arm with his tail between his legs, looking up at them with his huge brown and sad eyes.
“Oh my god.’ Buck breathes. ‘I can’t believe we made out in front of our son.”
Eddie gives Buck his best bitch face. “He’s our dog. Our real son is at home with our other dog, probably wondering where the hell we are.”
“We should get back to him.’ Buck says as he steps away from Eddie’s body. ‘And Blaze is our son, he’s just a different kind of kid. Same as Bailey.”
“Yeah we should.’ Eddie smiles. ‘And I love our dogs, but I’m not calling either of them my son. I’m a 33 year old man, Buck.”
Eddie takes Blaze from Buck’s arms for the ride and, while he’s busy with driving them home, Eddie sneaks Blaze’s new collar on him.
The look on Buck’s face when they pull up is 100% worth it. “Oh wow. My little guy is so handsome!” He gushes.
“I thought I was your guy?” Eddie pouts playfully.
Buck rolls his eyes. “You’re my big man, Christopher is my little man and Bailey and Blaze are my little guys.”
Eddie smiles warmly at him. “Lets go introduce our son to his new puppy.”
“I’ll get you to call them our sons someday Ed’s.” Buck warns as he unlocks the door. Eddie rolls his eyes as he follows him.
The smile they get from Christopher when he catches sight of Blaze puts the sun to shame. Bailey barks happily and literally trips over his own feet to get over to Blaze, and they all begin playing together straight away.
—
Blaze soon becomes the firehouse dog - he’s still our dog, but he can also be the 118’s mascot! - thanks to Buck bringing him in for every shift, so Carla doesn’t have to worry about wrangling with a mischievous puppy, while also helping Christopher and Bailey.
Every single person who comes into contact with him becomes smitten.
Chimney buys him an adorable stuffed fire truck plushie that becomes his absolute favourite. Hen buys him and Bailey engraved tags for their collars that says ‘if you think I’m cute, you should meet my dads’ that makes Buck laugh for a solid 5 minutes before clipping it on the bow tie collar. The second he gets home that night, he attaches Bailey’s tag to his collar, too. Bobby buys him a bed for inside the firehouse for when he gets sleepy on shift. Athena buys him a harness for rides in the fire truck. Maddie buys him a bone that’s bigger than him that he refuses to leave behind. Even Josh buys him a present in the form of a framed picture of Christopher cradling Blaze in one arm as the other hugs Bailey’s neck, with Eddie and Buck stood over each shoulder, all smiling at the camera. The frame has little bones on it. Karen surprises them with ‘if you think I’m cute, you should meet my kids’ t shirts to match the dogs tags and Buck wears his at every given opportunity.
He becomes a member of the family easily.
Blaze’s first ride in the truck is... eventful, to say the least.
They’d given him time to get used to the engines and used to hearing the sirens until, finally, he was ready.
The bells sound throughout the station and everyone jumps to it. Blaze is stood in his usual spot- in front of Bucks gear bin, barking happily. With one nod from Bobby, Buck scoops him up the second his jacket is on his shoulders and carries him over to the truck. Inside, he gets settled in his usual chair and secures Blaze to the seat next to him. Eddie slips into the seat on the other side while Martin and Riley take the seats opposite them.
Jackson speeds off from the station, with Hen and Chim in the ambulance hot on their heels.
Whatever Buck was expecting Blaze to do for the journey, it certainly wasn’t this.
He’s stood up on his chair, his tail wagging a mile a minute as he howls along with the alarm. Buck shares a fond head shake with Eddie.
He keeps it up until they turn up on the scene; a multi-car pile up on the freeway.
’When will people learn to drive safely.’ Buck wonders to himself with an eye roll as he hops out.
“We would be out of a job if they did.” Eddie snorts from beside him, a wriggling Blaze in his arms.
Huh. Maybe not to himself.
“True.” He nods.
Buck and Eddie get to it, working in tandem, using saws and Jaws to get people out of their crumpled vehicles, and transferring them over for Hen and Chim to triage.
Blaze bounces back and forth between them, occasionally visiting Bobby and a crowd controlling Athena, his tail wagging all the while. He keeps the kids stuck in cars calm and happy as they’re pulled out.
“My baby! Where my baby? My son is gone!” A woman screams, startling the team.
Buck and Eddie turn to the woman, who’s struggling in Riley’s hold as he tries to check her over.
“Ma’am, where was your son last?” Riley asks her calmly.
“I-in the back of my car. I can’t find him! Where is he?” The woman sobs, collapsing into a startled Riley’s arms.
Buck and Eddie had already cleared the car she’d gestured to. It was definitely empty.
“Do you have something of his?” Eddie asks.
Buck, Riley and the woman turn to look at him weirdly. He simply raises his eyebrows to emphasise his question. She scrambles to grab a soft plushy from the backseat of her car and passes it over to Eddie.
“Blaze, c’mere.’ He whistles. The pup bounds over to him happily, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Eddie puts the toy against the dogs nose, letting him snuffle at it for a minute or so. ‘Okay boy, got get him!”
Blaze sniffs the air for a few seconds before bolting away, Eddie hot on his heels. Buck watches them go in a mixture of awe and shock. Before he can even think about going after them, Eddie is leaning into the bush that Blaze is barking at and lifting a little boy out of it.
“Leo!’ The woman sobs in relief as Eddie carries the boy over to them. ‘Oh god thank you so much!”
She cradles her son- Leo- close to her as Riley leads them both over to the ambulance.
“I can’t believe that actually worked!” Eddie exclaims, kneeling down to scratch Blaze’s ears, making him close his eyes in ecstasy. ‘Good job Blaze.”
“Who’s a clever boy, hmm?” Athena coos as she and Bobby join them.
“Yeah, great job Blaze. And quick thinking Eddie.” Bobby praises. Eddie’s ears tint pink.
“Thanks Cap. I think we should train him up to be a proper sniffer dog. It’ll be a great help in the field.”
“I think that’s a really great idea.’ Bobby nods. ‘And, as it’s technically for work, I can see about putting it on the stations expenses, instead of it coming out of your pockets.”
“Woah, really Cap?” Buck asks, his eyes wide.
“Sure. It might not get approved, but I can try.”
“Thanks Bobby, that’d be amazing.” Eddie grins.
Once the scene is cleaned up, everyone retreats to the truck and ambulance. Thankfully, none of the injuries had been severe enough to warrant a trip to the hospital and the cops on the scene were happy to ferry the public away.
Blaze sits in his seat, lapping up the attention that people are lavishing on him. Eddie, however, isn’t dealing with the praise too well. His face is beet red and he’s all but hiding against the door. He leaps out of the truck at the station and leads Blaze upstairs, hoping to avoid anymore praise. But, the rest simply follow and gather around his couch.
“Casar Millan who?” Chimney grins.
“Just pet the damn dog, I didn’t do shit, it was all on Blaze.” Eddie grumbles.
“Shouldn’t you rename him Lassie?” Hen teases.
“Well, Eddie did save a boy down a well, so it certainly fits.” Riley smirks.
“You should change your own name to Gregory, Ed’s. But no going out in the snow.” Buck grins.
The crew howl in laughter as Eddie flips them all the bird aggressively.
“Alright, calm it down over there.’ Bobby scolds from the kitchen, but they can all hear his smile. ‘I don’t need Eddie dying from embarrassment before the shift ends.”
“What about after shift?” Chimney asks innocently.
“After shift it’s fair game.”
Eddies groan is drowned out by the teams laughter.
—
As soon as Blaze is 6 months old, he gets enrolled in a training class with the LAFD and, after a full year of training hard, he passes with flying colours. Buck, Eddie and Christopher cheer him on and Bailey jumps around excitedly while they wait for his Official Certificate to be handed over. Taking any excuse for a gathering, Buck and Eddie throw a party in their garden and invite the entire family to celebrate his graduation.