Chapter Text
Los Angeles 2017
Buck gets around. He admits it. He likes the connection that comes with the euphoria of sex. Since moving to Los Angeles and the Grindr App’s release, Buck has been able to have many one night stands and - you know, that’s fine. He’s fine with one night stands. So what if he wants a stronger connection? So what if he wishes - just once - that he could have a physical and emotional connection to someone for longer than one night?
It’s fine, really, it is…
Well, it’s not fine. Look, he specifically didn’t hook up with anyone who had too many different kinks than him. He isn’t a kink shamer, okay? But if four out of five kinks aren’t the same or there’s a kink he just can not get with the program on, he doesn’t meet that person. He makes sure to talk about kinks for a reason - he doesn’t want to be blindsided nor does he want his partner to be. And Buck just has a thing about biting and drawing blood , he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t find it a turn on and he expressed that whenever anyone asked.
It happens as Buck and John are about to reach their climax. Buck’s just tipped over the edge and he feels pinpricks in his skin where his neck meets his shoulder. John’s climax comes shortly after and he’s sucking and sucking on Buck’s neck to the point that Buck’s feeling over sensitive as John keeps rubbing and sucking. When John finally pulls away and out, Buck can make out an unnatural glow of red around John’s eyes. He licks his lips and Buck can make out a crimson substance...is that blood?
Buck runs a hand to his neck, hissing as he comes into contact with puncture wounds. “What the hell man?!”
John, with inhuman strength, pins Buck down, forcing a kiss to Buck’s lips. He can taste his own blood and it makes him sick. And then John starts to rut against him again . No, nope, not happening - Buck had to get away from this freak . So Buck fights and he scratches and he bites - anything to get the man to stop.
It’s when Buck nearly takes John’s ear off that John reacts. Buck, by this point, is covered in blood. He’ll have to go get tested for STDs tomorrow and he thinks he may go in to get his stomach pumped to make sure he gets all of this monster’s blood out of his stomach - because he knows he swallowed some in the struggle. John’s hand clamps around his throat and no matter how hard he struggles and fights, he can’t get John off.
The hand tightens and tightens. Buck hears a crack before his vision blacks out.
~~~~~~~
Buck wakes silently. His eyes fly open and he automatically takes a big gulp of air in. His hands jump to his neck, but he feels nothing broken or out of place...maybe the bed broke last night? He and John had gone pretty rough the first round...they probably weakened the bed and then that last time...Buck shuddered at the thought.
He scrambled out of the bed, making his way to the dingy motel bathroom - no, he wasn’t stupid enough to take a complete stranger to his home. He flicked the light on, flinching back violently as the bright light burned his eyes. He muttered curses to himself until his eyes adjusted.
Finally, Buck was able to look at himself in the mirror and to say he felt shocked would be an understatement. Not one bruise littered his body. He couldn’t even see the puncture marks that he knew he felt last night. He could see the blood from his struggle - from his own body - but there were no marks. “What the fuck,” he whispered, leaning on the dirty sink, fingers gripping the edge of the counter.
He shut his eyes tightly together. What the hell was going on? He should have bruises. He should have puncture marks . He should have something! A crack sounds in the small room and Buck’s eyes snap open. In his hands is part of the edge of the counter...a perfect handheld size…
The motel used cheap contractors...this is fine. It was bound to break at some point with how well kept the motel was - note the sarcasm.
Except when Buck looked up, he caught the red flash in his eyes. The same red that John had the previous night. Buck shook his head, it was just a flash of the light. He needed to wash the blood off his body, find a way to steal the sheets so he could burn them later, and get to the safety of his apartment.
~~~~~~~
Stepping out of the motel made a hiss fall from his lips. He shielded his eyes and stepped back into the dark motel room. Buck bit his lip as he stared at the open door. He shouldn’t be so sensitive to light. First the dingy motel’s light in the bathroom (which was not bright if he remembers his time in the bathroom before the, uh, sex happened correctly). Now actually walking outside was enough to send him running.
Buck took a deep breath. He was probably just over emotional after the shit show that happened last night. He was probably still suffering from oxygen deprivation with how John had gripped his throat. He took a deep breath before running to his Jeep. He threw himself in the driver’s side and fumbled for his sunglasses.
The ride back to his apartment is anything but pleasant. It’s like someone turned the dial to his hearing up to ten. The screech of car breaks, the sound of tires running over gravel...don’t even get him started on the horns and emergency vehicles. By the time he got to his apartment, Buck was sure his head was going to explode.
He was thankful his apartment building was connected to the parking garage...at least he wouldn’t have to walk through the sun to get to his building...he feels like if he has to stare at the bright outside world for one second longer, he will have to pick his brain matter off the pavement at his feet.
Except Buck couldn’t walk through the fucking door.
Buck laid his head on the cool metal of the door, cursing everything he could think of. There was no reason he shouldn’t have been able to scan his key card and walk through the unlocked door. But every time he tried to cross the threshold, it was like he was walking into a brick wall . He licked his lips and banged his head on the door a few times. It made no sense!
This whole morning after didn’t make sense.
Just as he’s about to give up and go take a nap in his car, the door opens and Janelle, the new landlord, walks out. “Buck! You just get back in?”
“Yeah,” Buck chuckled, “I had, uh, kind of a long night.”
“So you just decided to stand out here instead of crawling back to your apartment?”
“Uh, I think I’m still asleep, actually.”
Janelle laughed and shook her head, “very much awake...well, come on in then. You look like you need at least four hours of sleep.”
Buck took a hesitant step forward...how would he explain to Janelle that he couldn’t. Janelle raises and eyebrow and Buck decides to just go for it and -
- He’s able to step over the threshold.
What the fuck is happening?! He gives Janelle a tight smile and scurries along to his apartment, meeting no more resistances along the way. Maybe he was going insane...that would explain the eyes, the non bruises and puncture marks...maybe he had a psychotic break last night which caused him to think he saw a monster and he ran John off and -
- but what about the blood he was covered in? Or the blankets soaked with, what he assumed, was his blood?
Buck shook his head. He couldn’t think about this...clearly he was on a bad trip - though he’d never actually been one for drugs...maybe John slipped him something that caused him to trip out...that had to be it.
~~~~~~~
Needless to say, Buck doesn’t nap when he gets back into his apartment. Why? Buck’s blaming insomnia...because that’s the logical reason... no matter what Wikipedia says. He’s not some freak of the night Dracula, okay? Human bloodsuckers don’t exist - and don’t say leeches suck human blood - Buck is talking about people sucking blood out of other people.
So what if he meets 7 of 12 criteria for being a vampire according to BuzzFeed? BuzzFeed lies!
1. Light Sensitivity
The first thing to take note of is how sensitive your eyes and/or skin become to light. If you’re already light sensitive, becoming a vampire will cause that sensitivity to increase tenfold . This can manifest in a couple of different ways. Normal fluorescent lighting may become too bright for you. Suddenly turning on a light may blind you momentarily or stepping out into the sun may cause you to retreat to the comfort of your house or apartment building. Outside light (non electrical) may also cause a burning sensation on you skin, so make sure to load up on your sunscreen before stepping outside, Devils of the Night.
2. Glowing eyes, though it’s debatable what color.
Next up, your eyes. Another way to tell if you’ve changed into a creature of the night is to notice changes in your eye color. We’re not talking about gold flecks when it's sunny out or how your eye color changes depending on what you’re wearing...we’re talking about your eyes glowing or having an unnatural pigment to them. We can’t give you specifics on the color, but take pages out of the Twilight movies...maybe they glow gold or red depending on your food of choice.
3. Increased Strength
Have you noticed yourself accidentally crushing door knobs or cups? Have you been able to lift things by yourself that you wouldn’t normally be able to? If you haven’t tried it, you should. Increased strength is a nonnegotiable of becoming a Vamp. So get excited, you’ll be able to win the strongman game soon enough (you know, the high striker game).
4. Aversion to Garlic
I know this one seems dumb, but did you know that Dracula was deterred with Garlic? The scent of Garlic is enough to send a Vampire to their knees if used in great quantities. So get used to a life without pizza, my darlings.
5. Breathing is not required to live.
You may have noticed yourself forgetting to breathe. Believe me, this is normal. As a vampire, you aren’t required to breathe. Technically, you’re dead already. Your heart stopped beating, your organs stopped working...but that doesn’t mean you can’t act like you’re breathing. You come from being human and having to breathe to survive. It’s natural to have a trained response to take air in and release it...and it comes in handy when around the human population.
6. Your body temp is way lower than normal 98.6 Fahrenheit.
As stated before, your dead. Deceased. You don’t have a heartbeat. Therefore you can’t circulate blood through your body which is where some of your body temperature comes from. If you’re just transitioning, your body will gradually lower its body temperature. Don’t be surprised if the people around you comment on your cooled skin...make sure to come up with new excuses each time they ask, though!
7. Increased Hearing
Another possible headache inducing change you’ll be going through would be an increased range of hearing. This will become more obvious if you live in a quieter community, but for those of you in big metropolitan areas, I apologize for what you’ll go through. You’ll notice the smallest sounds and, when hungry, you’ll probably clue into the heartbeats around you. You might want to invest in ear plugs for a while until you can control your hearing.
8. Fangs!
You didn’t think I was going to leave this next one off the list, did you? This is a staple in becoming a vampire. Your fangs are what allow you to easily break through your prey’s skin to get to your food. You canines will elongate and become sharper when you’re hungry, so have your food prepared beforehand!
9. Dietary change: do you need blood to survive?
If you become a vampire, you’re going to need to feed. You’ll need blood to survive. This may make you squeamish, so I would suggest seriously considering this if you’re choosing to become a vampire. The type of blood you consume is up to you, but you’ll probably get more nutritional value off of live food.
10. Paler than normal skin
You may believe you’ve become sick, but are you running a fever? Probably not. Because you don’t have blood running through your veins, your pallor is going to become more muted. Don’t worry, you won’t turn blue as your blood deoxygenates, but your skin will take on a sickly color. My best suggestion to keep from having questions asked about it is to buy plenty of foundation.
11. Increased Speed
Have you noticed you’re faster when you run? If you let your mind wander, you will probably surprise yourself by getting to your destination faster than you thought possible. This speed comes in handy for hunting for prey.
12. Increased Predatory Behavior
As mentioned earlier, your hearing heightens to the point that you can hear individual heartbeats and pick them up in a loud area. This on top of increased strength, speed, fangs, and your dietary change makes you a top tier predator. Congrats on moving up in the food chain!
This list proves nothing . Everyone can get light and hearing sensitivity every now and again. If John had slipped him something, it could have affected his vision and hearing. As for the glowing eyes, he could have been having a bad reaction to something John slipped him. People’s eyes don’t just glow, okay? That’s not natural! He didn’t have any garlic, so he couldn’t test that one, but he knows it won’t actually be a thing. He’s not a vampire. And of course , he has to breathe! It’s human nature - and he was hallucinating when he timed how long he could go without taking a breath when he glanced back at the timer after having responded to a few Grindr messages and it said 15 minutes...he was obviously still having a very bad trip.
When his temperature shows up as 72.3 Fahranheit, Buck knows he needs a new thermometer. (It doesn’t matter that his thermostat in the room read the same...he wasn’t at the same temperature as his apartment.) Buck also does not have fangs - he quintuple checked. And he hasn’t had a craving for blood - he shudders at the mere thought. His skin is maybe a little more pale than normal, but, again, if John slipped him something, that could be playing a role in it. He’s not faster, he’s not stronger (the counter in the motel bathroom does not count...they were cheap). And Buck wasn’t acting more predatory, okay? He was normal. He’s human damn it!
~~~~~~~
Buck might not be human anymore.
It’s been a week and Buck’s starting to think he’s going crazy. He’d called out from three shifts because he wasn’t sure exactly what was going on with him. He refused to research any further into vampires and he didn’t dare open reddit and submit his own thread. What would he say? Hey, I think I’m turning into a vampire...anyone have suggestions on how I make it stop ? He’d either get actual help or weird groupies - and he wasn’t willing to grab the attention of groupies.
The thing is, the light and hearing sensitivity...it hasn’t gone away. The fluke with the counter at the motel became a crushed refrigerator handle and the closet door ripped off the hinges. Buck’s gone days without eating because he never got hungry. And when he tries to eat regular food, he gets sick. His temperature fluctuates depending on how warm or cool the area around him is. His skin is pale enough that the bags he’s getting (he doesn’t know if it’s from lack of sleep or something else) look like he’d taken a black permanent marker to his face. He never sleeps and he hadn’t started to get tired until the past few days…
Was he having a psychotic break? He had to be.
The kicker was the fact that he was now deadly aware of what he believed to be heartbeats from the apartments around him. The sound of the thumps almost made him salivate. (And how fucking disgusting is that?) He could hear the blood rushing through their veins... and he wanted it. He felt like he was going to keel over if he didn’t get it.
He’s had plenty of panic attacks over it.
(Can you call it a panic attack if he doesn’t have a heartbeat to raise or the ability to sweat?)
(The anxiety’s real...he at least knows that).
Except...Buck does feel like he’s dying. And his brain only seems to be pointing him to the blood rushing through people’s veins. And it’s making him sick to even think about, but he also wants. He feels like he’s going crazy...and he probably is. Who the hell thinks about sucking the blood out of people even when the thought makes them sick?
Eventually, the cravings win out.
Buck lasts four hours after hearing two of his neighbors make love - which raised their blood pressure and made it maddening. Buck ran. He ran until he was as isolated as he could be. He was in a wooded area, no one seemed to be around and, seeing as it was going on one in the morning, that made sense.
He could make out the heartbeats of all the animals in the area...these would have to do.
~~~~~~~
Animals did not quench his thirst. In fact, it was like they made it worse.
Buck was at a loss what to do...Animal blood wasn’t appetizing and he couldn’t just approach someone and say I’d like to drink some of your blood, if you don’t mind.
~~~~~~~
Buck can totally walk up to someone and ask them to share their blood with them. So maybe after another disappointing feeding on animals, Buck ran into someone on the street. Maybe, because he was still so thirsty, he started to chat her up.
All Buck did was look into her eyes and put a charming smile on, “would you want to help me by letting me feed on you? And then I promise I’ll walk you home.”
She had laughed, nodded, and held her wrist out to him. “Thanks, Darling,” he’d smiled, letting his fangs drop and bit into her wrist.
It was euphoric. He almost didn’t stop when he heard her heart skip in her chest...he didn’t want to kill her, he didn’t want to drink too much...he’d never forgive himself if he killed someone.
Buck kept up his promise and walked the girl home.
Two Months Later
Buck hated himself.
He was preying on innocent people to keep himself alive. It’s ridiculous...and it’s like what John did to him. Don’t get Buck wrong, he didn’t lure his victims to bed...that would bring back memories and he never wanted to be like John. It was always his victim’s choice if they gave him their blood…
Well, he’d tried in recent weeks to keep himself from compulsing them to give him blood...but he wasn’t having much luck in people freely giving him blood...so he’d have to compulse them to forget.
Clearly he had some self preservation…
He wishes he didn’t.
He was a monster. He had to drink blood to survive. He could easily kill whomever he drinks from. And, in the back of his mind, sometimes he gets the urge to just drain them.
The only upside to his transformation was how much he improved in his job. His rescues were more solid. He was able to hear where their victims were in house fires. He was able to break down impossible barriers when no one was looking. He was able to save lives…
It almost makes up for the fact that he’s almost ended a couple of lives.
See, the thing is, he has to find another way to get his blood supply. Animals are out of the question...they led him to be more thirsty which would complicate matters. Live humans were also out of the question as that little voice in his head that told him to drain his victims grew stronger. His next idea was going to be a little difficult to make happen...he’d have to break into the blood bank. And he couldn’t take too much...he doesn’t want to cause a shortage.
As it turns out, breaking into the blood bank isn’t too hard with his enhanced senses. He’s able to get in and out in minutes and he has a small cooler full of the most abundant blood source available. It’s when he gets home that he freaks out slightly…
How does he drink from the blood bags? Does he just...stick his fangs through the plastic? That doesn’t sound appetizing. He could pour it in a glass? He could pretend it’s tomato juice. But that just seems...weird.
In the end, Buck does put the blood in a cup. It’s a tumbler he found that was mostly opaque. No one would be able to see the color of the liquid inside...and that was what was important on twenty-four hour shifts.
But the bagged blood made him gag. It was like it had gone stale after being taken out of the patient’s body. That trick they teach you as a kid? Hold your nose and swallow the offending liquid? Yeah, that didn’t work with bagged blood. Yet Buck suffered through it. He’d do anything to keep from hurting innocent people again...even if it meant that he was in for a bleak existence.
One Year Later
Buck’s got this vampire thing down...well, mostly. There’s still a learning curve and sometimes he finds new things out that he didn’t know before and he has to make a cover story out of thin air to make sure no one’s the wiser. (We’re not going to talk about how Buck couldn’t treat a priest without feeling like his skin was burning off of him every time he so much as accidentally touched his skin.) (Not to mention how the priest had looked at him...like he knew what Buck was). (And walking into the church itself was uncomfortable...but he was able to cross the threshold once the Alter Boy asked for them to follow him).
So, other than a few rarities, Buck thinks he’s doing okay.
So when he walks into work on a random Monday, he isn’t expecting his nonexistent hackles to rise. Literally, he’d taken one step into the firehouse and he already felt on alert. Buck dressed quickly, placing his duffle and mini cooler in his locker (look, after the time Hen almost opened his bottle to refill it with water, Buck had started keeping a tighter perimeter on his bottle of blood...he didn’t need anyone asking prying questions.)
He met with Hen and Chim where they were standing and looking into the gym. “Now that is a good looking man,” Chim stated.
“Where’s the lie, and I like women,” Hen replied.
Buck moved enough to look into the gym and felt his nonexistent hackles rise further. “Who the hell is that?”
“Eddie Diaz, new recruit. Graduated top of his class,” Bobby stated as he came to a stop by the group.
Why was Eddie Diaz setting off alarm bells in his head?
Bobby introduced them to Diaz who gave them all a smile and shook their hands, but Buck kept his hands to himself. He just looked at the man, eyes scrunching as he analyzed the hell out of him. Diaz had dropped his hand after a few moments, also eyeing Buck critically. Buck’s inner vampire wanted to flash his eyes and hiss and attack, but Buck tamped that down. The team didn’t know about his supernatural side, and he wanted to keep it that way.
~~~~~~~
By the end of their first shift together, Buck couldn’t hate Diaz. He was competent, nice, good looking, an intoxicating pulse -
- Buck refuses to acknowledge anything he thought after nice.
The thing is, he can’t find a reason to hate Eddie Diaz. He respected Buck and the rest of the crew. He did his job way better than normal probies. He even had a nice sense of humor. Yet Buck’s hackles were still proverbially raised whenever the man was around. Like, Buck couldn’t find anything wrong with Diaz - and he may have done some sleuthing when the man had taken a shower - but the feeling wouldn’t go away.
It takes four shifts together for Buck and Eddie to get into it...and it’s when the rest of the crew went out for groceries while they stayed behind to clean up after the charity event ended...believe Buck, he had begged Bobby to take him or Diaz and leave someone else.
His wishes weren’t met.
“What’s your problem, Man,” Diaz asked as the last of the tables were put up.
Buck bit his lip until Diaz’s hand grabbed his arm. Buck ripped his arm from the grip, “okay, you. You’re my problem! You come in here and act like you’re already part of the team. This is meant to be a-a-a getting to know you period! And I can’t get to know you if you act like you fucking own the place!”
Buck can feel the way his fangs are pushing to come out. He needs to get out of this situation. He needs to retreat, abort, abandon ship...anything to make sure Eddie doesn’t find out. “I thought you got to know me when you went through my locker. ”
Buck took a deep breath (even though he had no need to breathe, he did have to act normal...and sometimes taking a deep breath did help to curb his vampire side, even if only slightly). “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about the fact that we both clearly know there’s something different about one another and the fact that you invaded my privacy to try and find out how I’m different.” Eddie’s jaw clenched, “I’m assuming you either didn’t find what you were looking for or you don’t know how to look for supernatural clues. I mean, I had you pinned by shift number two.”
Buck felt his anger spike. He could feel the red bleed into his eyes. Although Eddie might have pinned him by the second shift they worked together, he wasn’t prepared for Buck to actually shift his form. Eddie put more space between them out of caution, “put the fangs and eyes away...the crew could be back at any moment.”
Buck clenched his fists, slurring around his fangs as he tried to get control again, “I’m reconsidering my stance on live feeding subjects.”
Eddie’s eyes flashed gold at him, “I’d like to see you try it.”
Confusion overtook Buck’s face. Was Diaz a vampire too? “You’re a vampire?”
“No,” Eddie scoffed.
“Buzzfeed said vampires have red or gold eyes...like in Twilight.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow at him, “please tell me you’ve done more research into the supernatural world than what you can find on Buzzfeed or Wikipedia.” Buck ducked his head. “You’re kidding. No wonder you didn’t figure me out by yourself! Didn’t your clan explain how the supernatural world works?”
“My what?”
Eddie gaped at him. “ Shit,” he whispered. “You’re not in a clan, you don’t have any ties to the supernatural world? The person who turned you should have brought you into their clan...they were supposed to get your consent and approval from their clan leader. Without either of those, the person would be put to death...none of this is ringing any bells?”
Buck shook his head. “I guess my...transformation wasn’t... normal.”
“Did you ask for it?”
Buck scoffed, “hell no. The idea of having to drink blood to survive made me sick to my stomach. I had to be invited into my apartment building. I refused to even give into the need to feed but...something set me off and I tried an animal diet but it always left me hungrier than I went in. I found out I could compel people to let me drink from them - I never killed anyone - but the urge to drain them got to be too much so I moved to blood bags but they just...taste so stale.” Buck sighed. “I didn't even know the supernatural existed until I woke up in blood covered sheets.”
Eddie’s hand had come to cover his mouth as he rubbed his jaw. “Okay, we need to get you caught up on supernatural etiquette. Then we can talk about finding a clan for you if that’s something you want...I’m sorry I let this drag on - if I had known you didn’t know any of it, I would have said something sooner.”
“No, I...I could have said something but I was too busy trying to figure it out before confronting you...I would appreciate any insight you have on... vampirism,” Buck nearly snarled the last word. And here he thought he was over the hatred of his new world...turns out he shouldn’t have been turned in the first place.
Two Months Later
Eddie had been teaching him everything he needed to know about the supernatural world. And, slowly, that uneasy feeling Buck got around Eddie started to disappear. Pretty soon, Buck and Eddie were attached at the hip. They joked with one another, rough housed in the gym - Buck made sure to be gentle when they did...but by the glimmer in Eddie’s eyes, Buck thinks he might be able to let more of his strength out than normal.
The thing is, Buck doesn’t know what Eddie is. The man hadn’t let on when teaching him the ins and outs of the supernatural counsel or vampire etiquette. (Side note: there’s a supernatural counsel? Really? How the hell did he not know about this?) What Buck knows about Eddie is that he is a kind man. He loves helping people. He enjoys his fair share of beer. He likes Buck’s attempts at cooking and makes sure to add in more spices because Buck can’t taste if it’s bland or not. Eddie has a son, Christopher, and he’s just about the cutest kid Buck’s ever seen. They both come from Texas. And the last thing Buck knows is that now that he’s gotten past his territorial attitude, Eddie is intoxicating.
No, seriously. Eddie accidentally cut himself chopping up some vegetables to go in Bobby’s soup and Buck had to leave the premises. He’s never had that response to someone accidentally drawing blood unless he was starved. And Buck hadn’t let himself get that desperate in a long time.
He doesn’t think Eddie’s noticed. Ever since that first incident, Buck has made sure to be more mindful of his senses so he can jet away if needed. But the thing is - the thing is - it’s driving Buck crazy...to the point that he’s always in tune to Eddie. He can hear the way Eddie’s heart thumps in his chest, how the blood rushes through his veins. He can hear the steady breaths Eddie takes. And it’s driving him insane. Although it comes in handy when they’re on calls. He always knows Eddie is okay and that puts Buck’s mind at ease.
Except when it doesn’t.
It’s at an apartment building fire when Buck finds out what Eddie is...and when he’s pretty sure his heart would have stopped beating if he wasn’t, you know, part of the undead. Eddie’s just behind him. They were making their way out and Eddie was behind him. Buck barely got any warning before the floor gave out beneath Eddie’s feet. Buck had quickly turned around and dived for the hole.
He managed to catch Eddie’s hand and he braced himself with the other, letting the vampire side take over to keep his friend from falling. Eddie had his own tight grip on his arm and - were those claws? - his eyes were glowing that golden color again. “I’ve got you,” he shouted, knowing that his eyes would have bled red the longer he used any of his supernatural abilities.
And Buck did have him...until the rest of the floor underneath Buck gave away.
The impact makes his chest heave on instinct. He takes a second to get with the program, grimacing at the metal support that had shoved its way through his lower abdomen. Luckily his coat had fluttered out of the way on the way down. He’d be able to hide the injury until he figured out what to do with it. He took another second to pry himself off the metal support, shouting at the pan it caused.
Once he was free, he was over to Eddie, taking stock of injuries and his breathing and heartbeat. Heart rate was a little too quick for Buck’s liking. His breathing wasn’t out of the ordinary. He was bleeding - and Buck needed to get him out of here so he didn’t do something he regrets. He could feel the fangs slip out as one of his hands came away with Eddie’s blood.
Buck lifted Eddie’s unconscious form easily, willing the fangs and blood red eyes to disappear. He didn’t know how to explain everything nor did he want to. Thankfully he felt the fangs slide back into normal teeth, he could only help his eyes got the memo as he burst through the back door of the apartment building. By the way his vision doesn’t have to adjust to the dark and he can see everything in detail, he guesses his eyes are still red...but he has bigger battles to fight.
He blocks the pain from his abdomen out as he jogs to the front of the building. “He fell through the second floor. Unconscious ever sense. Possible broken ribs but both lungs still inflated. Probable concussion when he wakes, bleeding from somewhere but I didn’t have time to find it,” he shouted as he deposited Eddie on Hen’s gurney.
Buck doesn’t look up, his eyes firmly on Eddie. His senses were still going haywire from Eddie’s fall and he couldn’t control his eyes. “Are you hurt,” Bobby asked, a hand laying on his shoulder.
“Fine. He’s the one who fell,” Buck stated - and I caught him then we both went through the floor.
“Buck, look at me,” Bobby sighed.
Buck shook his head, “I told you, I’m fine.”
“Say that while looking me in the eyes.” Except...he can’t. He can’t because then Bobby will see his eyes and then Bobby will fire him and - this is his family, he doesn’t want to think about what would happen if they just kicked him out of their lives.
Bobby let out a breath as Chim and Hen looked over Eddie, “if this is about your eyes, I already know about you, Buck. It’s kind of my job.”
Buck’s head snapped to Bobby - and his only reaction was a slight rise in his heartbeat - and he took a step back. “How did you - Did Eddie tell you?”
Bobby quickly shook his head, “no, Eddie didn’t break your confidence. Why do you think you were transferred to the 118 after working for a few months at the 143? That house was full of ‘wolves which wouldn’t have been safe for a newly turned vampire...your captain got in touch and, in exchange for one of my ‘wolves, I got you.”
Buck blinked multiple times, “what?”
Bobby gave him a small smile, “I’m a warlock, Buck. I lead many different supernatural creatures every day. You, Eddie, Hen, Chim...and I promise I didn’t say anything to Hen or Chim. If they suspect something, they haven’t let on.”
“Is this part of... supernatural etiquette?”
Bobby chuckles, “a little bit. Technically you should have informed the supernatural counsel when you turned. They would have gotten in touch with the fire department and made sure you were in a safe house. Then you would have reported to me of your status, your feeding habits, and any problems you thought you would run into. So...I’m going to ask again now that we’ve gotten the whole ‘I know you’re a supernatural creature’ thing out of the way...are you hurt?”
Buck licked his lips, “I may have caught Eddie and saved him from the first collapse...but then the floor gave way again and...I was impaled,” he whispered.
“Okay. I can have the 136 paramedics look over you.”
~~~~~~~
Turns out that since Bobby knows now, it’s easier for Buck to, metaphorically, breathe. There are plenty of ways to make sure he’s living healthily. Hell, there’s even a blood bag delivery service! Who knew? Turns out you have to drink a lot of blood to recover from an impalement to the lower abdomen...and apparently that was because he didn’t feed on live people.
It’s kind of disturbing, the longer Buck thinks about it…
Eddie’s doing fine, but Buck thinks that he’s figured the man out. His enhanced healing, hearing, and strength paired with the golden eyes and claws, how warm he is...he had to be a werewolf...and that would also track with how he felt the first week Eddie had shown up at the hospital. ‘Wolves and Vampires aren’t supposed to mix, back in olden days - as Eddie had explained to him early on in their supernatural tutoring sessions - vampires and ‘wolves used to tear each other apart. Buck had asked why but Eddie didn’t have a better reason other than saying it was because one side or the other accidentally or purposefully killed the child of a pack/clan leader.
(And that had raised the question of - could Buck still procreate.) (Eddie’s not sure.) (Buck isn’t sure if he wants to know.)
Obviously in modern times, things have progressed. Clans and Packs have peace treaties and a whole system put in place to deal with disputes. This isn’t to say that there aren’t lone groups on either side that would rather see their enemy perish...but for the most part, everyone lived in relative harmony...which is what he and Eddie had been doing.
As Eddie recovered in the hospital, Buck made sure to stay by his side (it truly helped when they were both admitted and put in a room together) but he also made sure he was scarce when Eddie’s family visited. It wasn’t that Buck didn’t want to meet Eddie’s son, grandmother, and aunt, but they were most likely also wolves. They were already stressed out with Eddie hurt, he didn’t want to add more to their plate. And Eddie was... intoxicating, okay? It took all of Buck’s self control not to pounce on him whenever Eddie got a papercut. What would his family be like? Buck was able to control himself around Eddie...what if he couldn’t when it came to the man’s son? Buck would never forgive himself.
Eddie never mentions it when he comes back afterwards...so Buck takes it as a win.
Eddie’s released after two days and gets to start his recovery at home...and that’s a place Buck can’t go. And it’s not because he hasn’t been invited in - that is a problem, but he knows Eddie would let him in, if not tease him a little about it first - but it’s because he can’t let himself get close. He can’t get that familiar. Eddie has Christopher to protect, he doesn’t need to worry about Buck draining his son’s blood...that’s the reason Eddie’s never introduced them before...he knows it.
The thing is, Eddie invites him over. Eddie keeps texting him, asking if he’d want to come by and watch a movie or get dinner or fix dinner. And Buck has to keep making excuses as to why he can’t come over...because he knows that Eddie would regret it when he wasn’t living in a haze of werewolf grade pain killers. Buck was a predator...he was supposed to be a killer. Eddie didn’t want that around his son.
~~~~~~~
It makes sense that Buck goes back to work first. He’s able to recover faster - and he will gloat, when it’s not so fresh, that vampire healing beat werewolf healing - and it gives him another excuse not to go over to Eddie’s. Buck still texts him like they’re right next to each other having an in person conversation, but Buck avoids all talk of going anywhere near Eddie’s home.
Eddie, to his credit, doesn’t mention it until he’s back at work with the crew. “Buck, you mind spotting me?”
Buck was quick to jog down the stairs after him. Their shoulders brushed as they walked to the gym, a comfortable silence between them. It stayed that way as Eddie set up his weights and stretched. “Usually you’re chomping at the bit to tell me about something you researched while we all napped.”
Buck gave him a small smile, “nothing too interesting.” And that was a lie. Since Eddie had started inviting him over, Buck had begun a deep dive on werewolf customs...and he absolutely refused to ask about some of the things he’d read - because somehow he’d gotten to the romantic customs and there were... things in there that should never be spoken about.
Eddie rose an eyebrow at him from his place beneath the weights. “Somehow I don’t believe you.”
Buck just shook his head, “some things shouldn’t be talked about.”
“You know you can talk to me about anything, right,” Eddie asked as he started his reps.
“Of course I know that...the same goes for you. We have each other’s backs.”
Eddie gave him a soft smile, “yeah, we do...which is why, if you have any anxiety about werewolves, you can ask me about it.”
If Buck could have flushed, he probably would have. “I-I-I don’t have any anxiety regarding...you guys.”
“Then why won’t you come over to my house? I invited you over no less than twenty times. When my family came to visit in the hospital, you made sure you weren’t around. And maybe I read something wrong, maybe you’re not looking for close friends but -”
“No,” Buck shouted. He cleared his throat, speaking quieter the next time, “no. I - I do want to be close friends with you...you - you’re the first person who’s really understood me and...I didn’t mean to mess all of this up...I just,” Buck huffed, “I just didn’t want to overstep. You’d never invited me over before and - and I figured you were still on the werewolf painkillers, you mind was hazy, and you’d regret having me anywhere near your son because I’m -”
“A vampire?” Eddie shook his head, placing the weights down. A small laugh shook his body as he sat up, “Buck, we’re ‘wolves. We have feral instincts that we learn to control. I know you won’t hurt my son...I spent all that time making sure you wouldn’t. I want you to meet Christopher...he could use a best friend like you.”
Instead of getting misty eyed and emotional, Buck cleared his throat again and joked, “an undead insomniac is who you want your son to be best friends with?”
Eddie stood, a laugh falling from his lips before he put a serious face on. He placed his hand on the juncture between Buck’s neck and shoulder. “I want my son to be best friends with a strong, caring, dependable supernatural creature. Think that could be something you’re interested in?”
Hell yes he was interested...but what if Eddie put too much faith in him. He could kill -
“I can hear you thinking, Buck,” Eddie whispered. “I don’t want Chris to pick up on your self deprecation tendencies, so I’ll say this again. I’m 100% sure you won’t hurt my son in any way because you not only value our friendship but your ability to continue walking this Earth.”
Buck ducked his head, one hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. “Okay,” he stated. “Yeah...I’d love to meet Chris.”
Eddie smiled brightly, “great. Our shift ends at noon, so you can join me for lunch, we’ll go separate ways...you can come over around five, Chris should be done with his homework by then.”
Buck nodded, “yeah, okay.”
~~~~~~~
Buck’s pretty sure his heart was thumping out of his chest as he pulled up to the Diaz home (okay, so it wasn’t literally beating its way out of his chest, but metaphorically it was). Buck took a steadying breath as he turned his Jeep off. This was fine. It was going to be fine. Christopher’s a great kid, from what Eddie says and Eddie wouldn’t have invited him over - off of werewolf painkillers - without meaning it.
Buck slowly made his way up to the front door, hesitantly knocking. He could hear Eddie whisper to Chris that, “ my friend Buck is here. ” He heard a squeal in return and Buck felt some of his nerves quieten at it.
The door opened a few seconds later, revealing a smiling Eddie with a hyper eight year old half hidden by his legs. “Hey, Buck,” Eddie’s voice calmed him more than he was willing to admit. “This is Christopher.”
Buck gave a small smile to Eddie before crouching down to come eye to eye with the kid. “Hi Christopher...I’m Buck,” he held his hand out to the little man.
Christopher giggles as he shakes Buck’s hand. “I know!” Chris leans in as if he’s sharing a secret, but Buck knows Eddie can hear it, “Daddy talks about you all the time.”
Buck covers his laugh with a cough as he sees Eddie’s cheeks pink up. He returns the whisper to Chris, “all good things I hope.”
“Mostly,” Chris replies.
Buck lets out a surprised laugh as Eddie full out laughs, pulling Buck into the house when he stands again. Chris practically latches onto him and drags him to the dining room table, telling him all about school, his friends, what he likes to do for fun, what they’re going to watch after dinner...basically anything he could think of...and Buck knows the kid has him wrapped around his finger. And he’s never seen Eddie so relaxed. He’s leaning on the door jam, a soft smile on his face, arms crossed across his chest. It would have taken Buck’s breath away.
Buck tunes back into Christopher’s rambling when he turns his full attention back to Buck, “Daddy said your a vampire.” Buck tilted his head, unsure of how to respond. Turns out he didn’t have to as Chris continues, “he said someone took the choice away from you. They shouldn’t have, but now you can protect yourself and Daddy at work.”
Buck stilled, thinking back to the apartment complex fire...he hadn’t protected Eddie then...they’d both gotten hurt. “Yeah, he can Buddy,” Eddie stated as he took a seat across from Buck and next to Chris. Buck eyed Eddie, a small frown on his face. “And I can protect him...we have each other’s backs.”
Chris was silent for a moment as Eddie and Buck stared at one another. “Because Bucky’s a vampire, does that mean he can play with us,” Chris asked, looking at his father.
Eddie looked away from Buck to meet Christopher’s eyes. “If he wants to, yes.”
Chris quickly turned to him, his eyes already glowing that golden color that all ‘wolves had. “Please Buck! Daddy told me about playing in the gym with you! Please!”
And how could Buck say no to that face...even if he was terrified of hurting Christopher. “I think I could handle the two of you.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on his face, “oh really,” he asked. “You’ve never sparred with me fully shifted.”
“Pretty sure it’s not that different from human you...and I beat human you all the time.”
Christopher giggled, “that sounds like a challenge Dad.”
“I believe it is, Christopher,” Eddie replied.
“It definitely is,” Buck smirked.
~~~~~~~
Christopher sacked out halfway through the movie: Finding Dory. He had snuggled up to Buck after their roughhousing session stating that he was just chilled enough to keep him cool throughout the movie. Buck carefully ran his fingers through Christopher’s hair for the rest of the movie. He’d never felt so calm - even before he became Mr. Transylvania, Creature of the Night. (Okay, so maybe Buck had started catching up on pop culture since he’s awake 24/7.)
As the credits roll, Eddie eases himself up. That fond smile is back on his face and, if Buck listens close enough, he could hear Eddie’s heartbeat speed up ever so slightly. “Let me get him to bed and then we can crack open a few beers, yeah?” At the face Buck pulls, Eddie chuckles quietly, “don’t be ridiculous, I got vampire friendly beer too. I’m nothing if not a generous host.”
Buck squinted his eyes after Eddie. Vampire friendly beer? What the hell is that? Eddie returns a few minutes later, rolling his eyes fondly as Buck practically runs after him when he detours to the kitchen. “Vampire friendly beer,” the blond asks.
Eddie tilts his head to the fridge, Buck steps over and opens it. It takes him a second, but he moves the regular beer out of the way, finding a blood red and bruising purple bottle labeled Immortal Moonlight. Buck raised an eyebrow, turning to Eddie, “what is this? Are you mocking me?”
Eddie was quick to shake his head. “No, Buck. Vampires got tired of being unable to get drunk so they came up with a solution. They figured out a way to ferment blood which provides you with a nice alcoholic beverage that doesn’t make you want to be violently sick. A buddy of mine from Texas swears by this brand.”
“You…” Buck cleared his throat, “you got me... blood beer because...because you didn’t want me to feel left out when you were drinking beer and we were talking after you put Chris to bed?”
Eddie shrugged, coming up to Buck and grabbing his own beer. “I assumed you wouldn’t want to just sit there and talk...so have a drink.”
Buck gripped the bottle in his hand tighter as he straightened up and closed the fridge door. “You really didn’t have to,” Buck stated quietly.
“I wanted you to have a good time tonight...I know you were nervous about it.”
And Buck’s never felt like this before...It’s like the wind is punched out of him. If he could blush he would. He’d never felt so... seen - so cared for - so known. He finally felt like he was someone’s priority - as stupid as that sounds. “Yeah, uh...thanks. This is...I didn’t even know this existed.”
“I’ll text you the website. It’s a small business...I thought you’d appreciate that.”
Buck nodded, a small, shy smile on his face, “I do.”
One Month Later
Buck startles at the knock on his door. He’d been reading up on sea creatures to, hopefully, impress Christopher the next time he saw him. Buck was pretty sure that he hadn’t invited anyone over nor that anyone had given any indication that they had plans to stop by. The heartbeat that he could hear was faster than a normal resting heart rate...the person seemed nervous from the fidgeting he could hear through the door.
Buck slowly opened the door, “can I - Maddie?”
“Evan,” she whispered. “I - I didn’t know if you were going to be here...you said in your last post card you’d found a place and...it’s really you.”
Buck bit his lip as Maddie moved in for a hug. “What are you doing here, Mads?”
“I left Doug,” she muttered after a few moments of silence. She was still buried in his chest. Buck stilled. “I - There’s a reason I didn’t go with you when you left Pennsylvania...and I think you had an idea at the time but...I got out and - and I had to find you.”
Buck backs out of the embrace, really looking at Maddie. “Did he hurt you?” Maddie’s increased heart rate was all the answer he needed. He willed his eyes to stay their blue color as his anger grew. “Okay Mads...you don’t have to answer and you’re free to stay as long as you like, okay?”
~~~~~~~
Maddie integrates into life in Los Angeles almost seamlessly. She was still looking over her shoulder, waiting for Doug to find her. But, Buck had convinced her to get a job at the dispatch center. And Eddie and Chim had helped to move her into her own place with the best security system that Buck was able to find.
Buck had also ended up telling Maddie what he’d been turned into. That had led to a whole conversation about how he’d found his place in the 118 and how their team was a diverse group of people: Bobby the warlock, Eddie the werewolf, Hen the fairie (healing inclined), and Chimney the dragon.
It’s around this time that Shannon - Eddie’s wife - shows up. Yeah, Buck hadn’t seen that coming so he made the decision to withdraw. Obviously, Eddie would want to make it work with Christopher’s mother...and maybe Buck was a coward. Maybe he knew it would break him and that’s why he kept away - but he just couldn’t face Eddie and Shannon...not when his instincts screamed that the Diaz boys were his.
And maybe Maddie had been the one to notice his boy crush but it awakened something in his instincts and - and it was all he could think about. So, maybe he went on another research binge. Maybe he figured out he might have accidentally imprinted on the Diazes. And maybe that makes him territorial over them...it was just better for everyone if he stayed away.
Instead, he focused on Maddie. He taught her self defense. He helped her understand the supernatural world so that nothing about his life would surprise her as they had him. He helped her feel safe. He also made sure to schedule some time with Christopher and Eddie - because he couldn’t just drop them - without Shannon around. (He could still smell her all over them and it still got under his skin, no matter how many times he told himself that they weren’t his to begin with.)
So everything was fine...he was managing and, well, it was fine...or so he thought.
He’d been so wrapped up in his own problems - yes, Shannon was considered a problem at this point for Buck - that he completely missed how Doug had come back into the picture and befriended Chimney to get closer to Maddie. He’d missed the signs and by the time he figured it out, Chimney was bleeding out in front of his sister’s home...he was bleeding out and she was nowhere to be seen.
That territorial part of his brain? It was going haywire. Maddie was gone, most likely because of Doug and Buck didn’t know where she was. So, he had the bright idea to use Chimney’s fingerprint to open his phone and find Doug’s contact so he could track it somehow. He knew Chim would give him permission if he were awake...but he can’t wait for Chimney to come back to consciousness...what if Maddie was dead by then?
Athena caught him in the act. She gave him her patented disappointed mother look and put him in hospital time out. And when Eddie joined him, he couldn’t look at him. He couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in Eddie’s face too. “I would have done the same thing,” Eddie stated in lieu of greetings.
Buck bit his lip, “she’s out there and I was just trying to find her before it was too late.”
“And you’re feeling like a member of your clan has been taken forcibly from you. You’re protective, ready to do whatever it takes to protect her. It’s understandable.”
Buck cleared his throat, “I could break out of these cuffs...but I don’t want to face Athena’s disappointment again...plus, where would I even begin? Any chance of tracking them disappeared hours ago.”
“Then it’s a good thing that I have a lead to follow,” Athena stated. “Against my better judgement, you can come with me.”
~~~~~~~
Buck doesn’t pay much attention to anything until he can smell Maddie. He can smell his clanmate. She’s here, she’s injured but she’s here. He doesn’t even wait for Athena, quickly taking off into the woods. This he could work with. He could find Maddie. He could protect her.
Maddie’s fear permeates the air around him. Buck’s sure that once he finds Doug, he’s going to kill the bastard. Buck wouldn’t even feel guilty about it. He can hear two sets of heartbeats in the forest. He assumes the faster heartbeat is his sister, but Doug’s? Doug’s is getting slower...or, at least, he refuses to think his sister’s dying because if she was -
Buck shook his head. He’d never take someone’s choice of becoming the supernatural away from them...but he can’t lose Maddie. He just can’t.
He follows the heartbeats until he sees her. Maddie’s stumbling towards him, bleeding and crying...and yet he’s never been so thankful to hold his sister in his arms. She practically collapses in his arms as Buck’s knees plow into the snow beneath him. He lifts her off the ground, “you’re okay. You did good. I’ve got you.”
“He’s dead,” she sobbed.
Buck nodded, shaking arms pulling Maddie even closer, “good. You’re alright. I’ve got you, you’re going to be okay...and Chim is going to be so fucking glad to see you when he wakes up.”
“He’s alive,” she whispered, drawing back slightly to look Buck in the eyes.
Buck nodded, “he is.”
~~~~~~~
It’s about three weeks after getting Maddie back that Eddie tells him that Shannon could be pregnant again. Buck’s eyes don’t bleed red. His fangs don’t make an appearance. And he definitely did not growl at the mere thought of Shannon becoming a permanent fixture in the Diaz household again.
(If Eddie noticed, he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even look like he knows what Buck’s done...he does look mildly panicked, though...so that’s something.)
But, being Eddie’s best friend and all, he was obligated to give some sort of reassuring words. In a true Buck fashion, it comes out as a joke, “so when’s the wedding?”
“We’re already married, Buck,” he chuckles before the smile falls and he looks at Buck with wide eyes. “Wait, I don’t have to go through that again, right?”
Buck shrugs, a playful smile on his face even as the vampire in him is clawing to get out and claim Eddie as his. If Hen’s and Bobby’s looks are anything to go by, they know something is up with him...he can only hope that Eddie’s too involved in the possible pregnancy to notice...and he’s damn lucky he doesn’t have a heartbeat to give it all away.
Except after their two days off, it’s like Eddie’s spirling. Buck mentally catalogues the conversations they’d had between their Thursday shift and their Sunday shift. There had been no red flags, Eddie hadn’t mentioned anything...maybe he was freaked out about the new baby? Before Buck can ask, Eddie gives him a look, “she’s not pregnant.”
Buck raises an eyebrow. Should he go with ‘I’m sorry to hear that’ or ‘now you can focus just on the relationship’? Buck’s dilemma must show on his face by the way Eddie’s eyebrows raise in response, “um...sorry to hear that? Now you can focus on your relationship, right?”
By Eddie’s next facial expression, clearly that wasn’t the right thing to say. A barely there growl fills the air. “She told me she wasn’t pregnant and then told me that she wanted a divorce.”
Buck could feel his own eyes widen at the information. “Oh man...I’m sorry.”
Eddie shook his head, “don’t be. I shouldn’t have expected so much from her...she did leave us once already...and I mean, I left her with Chris too...but to come back into his life and spend months with him then just leave again? How am I going to tell Christopher that his mother left again?”
Buck opened his mouth to respond, but the alarm blared to life. He gave Eddie what he hoped was a reassuring look before they made their way to the truck. Dispatch was giving them more details as they headed to the scene: car meets pedestrian, driver unresponsive, pedestrian not doing so well either.
As the truck pulls up to the scene, Bobby pairs them off. Hen and Chim are tasked with the pedestrian while Buck and Eddie take the driver. That tangy scent of blood hits his nose as he steps out of the vehicle...but the lilac and orange smell of the pedestrian is what catches his attention.
Buck sees the moment Hen, Chim, and Bobby make the connection as well. Shannon. Buck has about four seconds to grab onto Eddie, “hey, Eddie, come on. Hen and Chim are on it-” he’s pushed to the side easily.
He can only watch as Eddie crashes next to Shannon. His heart aches as Eddie cries and, for the first time, he approaches Shannon as an equal...as someone who’s important to Eddie and Christopher’s pack...she’s Christopher’s mother... he should offer.
He lowers himself next to Eddie, closer to Shannon’s head. “Shannon, Shannon, look at me,” Buck states, his hands going to the woman’s face even as Eddie growls beside him. “You know about the supernatural world. You know I’m different. I can help you, but only if you consent.”
Shannon meets his eyes, a small smile on her lips. “Your offer,” she sucks in a breath, “isn’t much better than death...but you know that.”
Buck has to give it to her...she doesn’t pull any punches. “Christopher needs you,” he says instead of any number of comebacks he could have.
“Maybe...but I - I think he has every - everyone he needs.”
Buck shook his head. Eddie having moved closer to Shannon, “he needs you. He does. Please. Let Buck help...I can’t guarantee you’d survive the bite from me, but vampires have no problems turning others. Please.”
Shannon shook her head, her hand coming up to caress Eddie’s cheek. “I don’t want that life, Eddie.”
Things happened quickly after that. Hen and Chim loaded Shannon into the ambulance, Eddie hopping in the back with her. Bobby called for another house to come onto scene and take the driver and they headed to the hospital.
Eddie wasn’t in the waiting room when he and Bobby arrived. From the solemn looks on Hen and Chim’s faces, Buck knew Shannon hadn’t made it. Ten minutes after their arrival, a disheveled Eddie exited the swinging doors to the waiting room. In his hands was a bag of Shannon’s things. His eyes were red rimmed and he looked like he was one strong breeze from falling over.
Eddie all but collapsed into Bobby’s arms, sobs wracking his body. Buck may still be relatively new to the supernatural world, but he knew enough that losing a pack member - even a distant one as Shannon had been before she and Eddie reconnected - was like losing one of your own limbs. From the experience of almost losing Maddie and Chim, Buck was intimately familiar with the feeling.
He vowed to be there every step of the way to make sure his Diaz boys would be alright.