Work Text:
“Look dad! They have lizards!”
Eddie laughed as Chris barreled towards the exhibit, moving at almost twice the speed he’d given to the Kangaroo enclosure. They had decided to visit the zoo as a trio to give Carla and Athena a chance to set up a surprise birthday party for Chris’s 11th birthday, a present Buck was sure would make for for the perfect end to the day.
“Can you take him to see the reptiles? I need to ring Carla to make sure everything’s running smoothly for later.”
“Yeah, of course!” he responded eagerly, chasing after the kid but not before throwing Eddie a bashful smirk. There seemed to be hundreds of critters lining the enclosures in the Reptile house, each one a more vibrant in colour than the next.
“Look Bucky, this one’s wearing the same outfit you and daddy wear to work!”
He followed Chris’s gaze to the other side of a small glass terrarium, eyes immediately landing on a charcoal-coloured snake with yellow banding. He felt his heart warm at the comparison, smiling down at the Chris’s awestruck expression.
What he wouldn’t do for this kid…
“Well would you look at that buddy! We’ve got a copycat on our hands!” he laughed, lifting a hand to ruffle the kid’s hair. Chris beamed up at him in response, eyes filled with love and admiration.
“Looks like we’re gonna need superman to bring him to justice!”
He bent down to scoop the eleven-year-old into his arms, pressing a light kiss to his forehead before cradling him into the nook of his shoulder and spinning them both gently in a circle. The sound of laughter in his ears was almost enough to make him forget about the dull ache that was slowly developing in his side.
Almost.
“How are my favorite boys?”
He was pulled out of the trance by the voice of Eddie approaching from behind them, an amused grin of his own playing across his features as he crossed his hands in front of his chest.
“Ah yah know, just helping superman here keep the city safe”
Eddie’s smile only widened, a bemused twinkle flickering in his eyes as he moved to capture Chris in his own arms.
“I hate to cut the day short, but we’d best get you home kiddo, wouldn’t want to miss your surprise!”
What did he do to deserve the gift of the Diaz’s in his life?
---------------------------------------------------------
The party, as far as Buck was concerned, had been an absolute blast.
Christopher had been thrilled when they got back to the Diaz household, the entire 118 and their families welcoming them in with an eager “surprise!”
Eddie had quickly ushered Chris over to Harry and Denny, who had set up an array of exciting party games to fill the afternoon with, including pin the tail on the donkey and some sort of Lego board game that Buck didn’t recognise.
As the hours went by the partygoers seemed to fall into their usual rhythm, with Athena and May locked in a passionate debate, Bobby comparing cooking tips with Michael and Eddie dancing around the living room as a excited Christopher and Hen watched on.
Maddie on the other hand sat off to the side of the room, a genuine smile dancing across her lips as she rested her head on Chim’s shoulder, eyes closed against the firelight as Jee slept soundly in her arms. It was heart-warming to see her so at peace, finally through the worst of the traumas that seemed to follow her through life.
The whole thing would have been perfect, if not for the searing pain in his stomach that seemed to flare up every time he so much as breathed. Logically, he knew that pain this severe was never a good sign, but his desire to keep the party on track got the better of him as the hours rapidly ticked by. Maybe he could sneak over and talk to Bobby about it, ask for a ride home given that he was in no position to drive right now.
Decision made, he stood to walk over to the older man, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by a burning sensation that seemed to steal the breath from his very lungs. Without so much as a parting word, he raced to the nearest bathroom, earning him a confused look from May and Athena as he nearly bumped into them in the hallway.
Before the door was even fully closed, he collapsed to the floor, barely making it to the porcelain before his stomach heaved. The resulting shockwaves of white-hot fire caused him to wince, the room suddenly feeling a lot colder than it had when he had entered.
Why couldn’t the universe just let him attend one party in peace?
Sighing in defeat, he rested his forehead against the tiled wall, the dampness of his hair only serving to worsen the chills now taking over him. Wanting nothing more than to just curl up and sleep, he let his eyes drift close under the florescent light.
Just for a moment…
“…Buck? Buck are you ok? You’ve been in there for twenty minutes…”
Eddie…wait…twenty minutes?
He was just about to respond when a fresh wave of agony exploded in his side, causing a ragged cry to tear itself from his throat.
“Buck? What- I’m coming in!”
The blessedly unlocked door creaked open to reveal not only Eddie, but Bobby and Athena too, all peering through at him with equal expressions of concern.
“Dios mio, Buck! What happened!”
Eddie was the first to jump to action, his hands gently coming up to cup his all to warm cheeks.
“He’s got a fever… god Buck, why didn’t you tell anyone that you were sick?”
“Didn’t…didn’t want to ruin the party” he admitted sheepishly, far too exhausted to argue his case any further.
Bobby moved to to kneel besides him too, lifting a hand to his forehead to reaffirm Eddie’s suspicions before brushing it though his hair softly in the way only a parent could do.
“Quite a temperature you’re sporting their kiddo, let’s try and get you off this floor, ok?”
He felt panic set in as the older man moved to lift him. “Don’t. Please Bobby don’t. My side, fuck, my side hurts so bad.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow, staring at him with equal parts confusion and alarm.
“Your side? Where does it hurt Buck?”
He could feel the tears beginning to form in his eyes, blinking them away as he looked up at his best friend.
Why did he always have to screw up everything?
“My…my right side…I’m so sorry Eddie, I didn’t mean to mess up Christopher’s birthday…”
“Hey, none of that. Let’s get you fixed up and then we can focus on making it up to Chris, ok?”
He nodded reluctantly, a few stray tears escaping down his cheeks.
Bobby sent him a sympathetic look, placing a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. “Kid, I need to check your side. Let me know where it hurts, ok?”
Buck nodded again, bracing himself for the unwanted contact. He couldn’t help but whimper as Bobby touched the offending area, his fevered mind immediately understanding what the other man was trying to determine.
“Right side is inflamed. I’m waging my bets on appendicitis.”
Athena sighed from the doorway, the noise reminding Buck that she too had been privy to his misery. “You never do anything half way, do you Buckaroo?”
Despite the half-hearted attempt at humour, Buck could see the worry creeping into her features. “I’ll start the car. It will be faster to drive him to the hospital ourselves”.
“Do you think you can stand if I support you?” Bobby queried, moving to slide an arm behind his back. He nodded weakly, dreading the pain that was likely to follow.
“Ok then, on three. One, two, three…”
The movement sent a jolt through his body, but he couldn’t help but admit that it felt good to get up and stretch his legs.
Giving him a moment to catch his breath, Bobby directed his attention to Eddie. “You should get back to Chris, Athena and I can handle this. I’ll call to keep you updated.”
“No way, I’m coming with you.” the younger man responded without missing a beat. “The party’s wrapping up anyway, I’m sure Carla would be happy to watch Chris and the other kids for a few hours.”
He tilted his face to look at his best friend in surprise.
“Eddie no… you should stay here and be with him for the rest of his birthday.”
Eddie simply shook his head, as if he’d said the most insane thing in the world.
“You really think I’m going to sit here and worry about you for the rest of the evening? No, didn’t think so”
Bobby raised an eyebrow, but didn’t push the matter any further.
“Well then, its settled. Diaz, help me get him to the car”
---------------------------------------------------------
He’d passed out at some point on the way to the hospital, the warm street lights and bumps in the road lulling him into a dreamless sleep.
Eddie had been next to him when he’d woken up, eyes swollen from what Buck could only assume was from hours of crying.
“Why didn’t you say something earlier, Evan? Your appendix ruptured for god’s sake!”
“It was supposed to be Christopher’s day. Besides, I thought I’d just pulled a muscle or something.”
Eddie let out a laugh that could have been a sob, reaching over the sheets to take his hand in his own.
“Buck, you know Chris would rather miss a hundred birthdays than see you wind up in hospital again. That kid loves you almost as much as…”
The brunette paused, cheeks turning slightly red as he averted his eyes quickly to stare at the wall.
“Eddie?” he whispered, cautiously squeezing the other man’s hand in an attempt to make him continue.
“It’s just…damn it - I…forget it”.
He couldn’t help but stare at him now, curiosity and anticipation swirling in the pit of his stomach. For the second time that day he was beginning to find it difficult to breath, but this time it was for an entirely different reason. Eddie took one look at his expression and sighed softly in defeat, clearly mustering up the courage to continue.
“You’re my best friend Buck and… Dios, you’re so much more than that. You came into our lives like you were always supposed to be there, and I-”
He didn’t give him the chance to finish, leaning forwards and capturing soft lips with his own. The connection was almost electric, a little apprehensive maybe, but still driven by intense desire. But there was warmth there too, a sense of belonging as if the universe had willed them to find purpose in each other.
It felt like home.
“I’m not going anywhere Eddie”