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Buck is sick.
Just not in the coughing and sneezing way, no believe it or not he's actually sick of work. Maybe the daily routine he followed was catching up to him, weighing on him with every call they responded to as the burden of the 118's job continued to gnaw at him- his therapist suggested he was burned out but Buck refuted the idea nearly immediately, him burnt out? Impossible. He'd signed up to save lives, to experience death defying feats and every day he risked his life by running straight into fire- how did someone become burnt out from that? The more he thinks about it though the more he comes around to the idea that he's tired of being in a routine that refuses to change- something has to or he fears he'll grow restless and move on to new adventures where he won't be happy. It's not helping that recently every call is mundane; there's a cat stuck in a tree here or a car accident there- on the occasions there's a fire it's nothing serious, usually someone left a candle unattended and the curtains caught fire or the oven timer went off.
Buck hates himself for even thinking this but he'd kill for another natural disaster to hit the city, at least then he wouldn't be so bored all the time. To combat this boredom he's started reading whatever can catch his attention, a sight that the rest of the 118 joke and jab at first but ultimately become concerned about- the last time he picked up a book he was in a slump with his now ex-girlfriend Taylor, at first they brush it off- after all maybe he's just looking to pick up a new, healthy hobby for once but by the third shift he shows up with another sappy romance novel the crew grows concerned.
"Maybe he's lovesick?" Hen suggests in the kitchen, her voice a quiet whisper glancing over to where Buck sits on the couch flipping the page of his book agonizingly slow, "He hasn't been on a date since Taylor and he's walking around like a wounded puppy, same way he was when Abby left him." She points out, it's a logical guess but not the right answer as the rest of the group hums in disagreement.
"No, no he's not lovesick- or else he wouldn't be reading romance novels. Buck doesn't read when he's upset, he just mopes around until he finds someone else to chase after, Chim, has Maddie said anything about their parents lately? Have they been doing therapy together?" Bobby asks though there's a tone of annoyance to his voice- he wants Buck to have a good relationship with his parents but the distaste for how they treated their children for years is still strong in him.
"Not really, they've been around a bit more because of Jee-Yun but they talk about her and not Buck. You think he's upset because of that?" Chimney answers with a shrug.
"Maybe, but he hasn't mentioned them at all lately...no news is good news at times." Hen counters, though not outright stated she shared in their captain's disdain for the Buckley sibling's parents. "He doesn't talk much about his therapy sessions a lot though- which I'm not saying is bad or wrong, he's entitled to that privacy, but sometimes I wish he'd just tell us what's on his mind." She huffed lightly.
"Any of you consider maybe he's just actually sick and not telling us because he can 'handle it.'?" Eddie offered his gaze completely trained on Buck, there's another bout of silence between the four in the kitchen as they mull over the suggestion. It would explain the slump in his attitude, the sudden change in his demeanor, the books he brings to distract from his illness- everything made sense.
"If he's sick then why doesn't he just go home and rest? We'll be fine without him." Chimney states to which Hen jabs him in the arm lightly, "Ouch! What was that for?" He grumbles rubbing his arm.
"Since when has Buck ever enjoyed being alone? Never. If he's not hanging out with one of us then he's with his girlfriend- which he doesn't have right now, so if he's sick he'd be alone. I promise you after his breakup being alone is the last thing he wants, sick or not." Hen mutters as Buck flips yet another page.
"Well...someone needs to make sure he's alright, and no offense but it's not going to be me. I am not bringing home anything that could get Jee sick." Chimney remarks as he puts his hands up in defense, which is a fair point between the four, the last thing you'd want to do is bring home a sickness to your own child. Before anyone else can make some kind of argument against casually checking in on Buck, Eddie rounds the corner of the island to check on the other, the rest of the crew immediately begin to do their best to act as nonchalant as possible- though it's almost painfully obvious they're all listening to the conversation.
"Hey Buck." Eddie greets and before the blond can even respond he's asking the question of the day, "Are you feeling alright?" This catches the other off-guard, was he alright? Was he alright? Did he not seem alright? Was he disturbing the rest of the 118? Or was this all just some kind of joke because he was reading? Something he didn't quite often do.
"Uh..yeah? Why?" Buck asked in confusion though the answer wasn't deemed acceptable by Eddie as suddenly there was a hand pressed against his forehead, he feels flushed and embarrassed- but he doesn't know why exactly. Is he sick? No, so why is he blushing? And why is his heart racing now? Plenty of people have checked his temperature like this before and yet he's never reacted this way.
"Are you sure you're feeling alright? You feel pretty warm..." Eddie states cautiously his hand never leaving Buck's forehead.Of course he's warm- he's flustered! But why? Why is he so flustered? Why is it that when Eddie specifically puts his hand against his forehead he suddenly can't think coherently and his throat becomes dry- why is it he wants to lean further into the gentle touch? Why is it that his heart begins to race- oh.
Oh.
"Yeah..yeah. I'm good." Buck says with surprising ease for someone who just came to the earth-shattering realization that he was falling in love, if not completely in love already with his best friend.
Yeah, he's just great.