Archive of Our Own

"Easy, easy." Eddie repeats as he tightens his hold around Buck’s waist, supporting his weight while Buck tries to get on his feet in the back of the truck.

They just got back from a hectic call, a call that was supposed to be normal but turned out to be chaos as if the day wasn’t busting their asses already, and Buck’s managed to lost his footing in the midst of all this and rolled down the stairs opening, collapsing on a ground full of rubble and rusty construction materials.

Thank god, thank fucking god he had his gear on, otherwise he would end up with much more than just a limp leg.

And with everything that has happened in the last few months, Eddie doesn't even want to think about what ifs. It's all too much, too soon.

It's just a bad leg, nothing more.

"You sure you don't want to go to a hospital, Buck?" Chimney asks as he makes it to Buck's other side, helping Eddie carry his weight.

Buck shakes his head and lets out a sharp hiss at the first step. "Hen already made an assessment, said nothing looks serious." Eddie feels Buck's fingers tightening their hold on his shoulder, gripping his turnout coat. "And we barely made it back to the firehouse, it's a waste of time."

Well, Buck has a point.

It's in the middle of winter and has been downpouring nonstop since yesterday— tiny, heavy drops of rain making it impossible to see clearly and some buildings flooding with water, it's like a scene straight out of a horror movie. The roads are a mess , and Eddie's pretty sure it would be tomorrow by the time they make it to the hospital. What he isn't sure is if they will be able to go home when their shift ends, which is in a few hours.

So, yeah, Buck is right. They should be grateful they made it here.

"Fine."

Once they get out of the truck and Buck distangles himself from Eddie, they undress their turnouts and Hen and Chim go upstairs while Bobby gets inside his room to fill what's left of his paperwork.

Buckslowly walks towards the lockers— limps, to be more exact, and Eddie follows him behind.

When they are both inside, thankfully alone, Eddie closes the door with a soft click and sits on the bench, his eyes on Buck who is taking out his shirt from the locker.

"Take off your pants."

Buck pauses his movements and twists his head at Eddie, his eyes wide and mouth slightly hanging open, caught off guard. "Wh—What? Here? You mean right now?"

"Yeah, I mean right now." Eddie's brows arch expectantly. "Take off your pants."

Buck lets out a breathy chuckle, and the baffled look on his face shifts to something funny and teasing as he shrugs and takes a step closer to Eddie. "Gotta say, Eds, I didn't know you were into that kinda stuff, but I'm down."

Now it's Eddie's turn to frown. "What?"

"You know—" Buck opens his hands, showing the room. "— we would probably end up getting fired if you fuck me here but—"

"Oh, shut up." Eddie rolls his eyes and grimaces, trying not to think about the way his heart doing a flip in his chest for a hot second. That's not why he's here. "I'm gonna take a look at your leg. You can convince Chimney but you can't convince me."

Buck's face slightly drops when he realizes what Eddie's talking about, faltering his words as he lets out a hesitant chuckle. "Eddie, I'm fine, seriously. You heard Hen, I just need to rest it and I'll be fine."

"You fell down the stairwell , Buck." Eddie protests, his expression serious with a slight worry he's doing his best to hide. His eyes meet Buck's for a moment, sharing a look that somehow manages to break the guard Buck has. Eddie can feel it.

He taps on the empty place next to him and points at it with his head. "Come on, sit down."

After Buck rolls his eyes in defeat and lets out a sigh— which Eddie takes as a win, he takes a few slow steps towards the bench— bracing his bad leg, and unbuckles his pants, slightly lowering them mid knee and sitting right next to Eddie.

"Alright." Eddie carefully takes off Buck's pants and puts the fabric to the side. He bends forward just a bit, so he can wrap his fingers around Buck's ankle, then slowly lifts it up and rests it on his lap. "Sorry." He murmurs when Buck lets out a low hiss and flinches.

Not pulling his hand away, Eddie wanders his gaze over Buck's calf up to his thigh, covered with shallow scratches and chafes, redness spreading all over his normally pale skin. There will be one hell of a bruise in a couple of days that's for sure, and Buck will need some icing but like Hen said, nothing looks too serious. Which is stupidly funny to Eddie, their life putting him in such position that he is thankful it's not more than bruises this time. But still, it hurts Eddie the same. Even a harm on Buck's hair is enough to steal years from Eddie's life.

After one last look at Buck's form just to make sure, Eddie lets out a sigh. "It doesn't look too bad."

"See?" Buck says playfully, a cocky smile on his lips as he arches his brow. "I told you it was fine."

Well, he did.

But still.

Eddie bites down his lip and shakes his head, his thumb gently stroking Buck's ankle back and forth, slowly going up and caressing his calf. "I don't like seeing you get hurt."

"Yeah, well." Buck shrugs, nonchalant. "Everybody says that after the lightning."

Not the same.

Eddie's voice is low, vulnerable. "I didn't like seeing you get hurt before that."

"Hey."

Eddie lifts his head up to see Buck looking at him, his blues softened and brimming with a fondness that makes Eddie's heart flutter; and a faint smile finds Buck's lips as he intertwines his fingers with Eddie's and brings the back of Eddie's hand closer to his lips, planting a kiss.

"I'm okay." Buck nods. "I promise."

Okay.

Buck is okay.

Eddie checked him out himself and saw with his own eyes.

He should stop worrying now.

Eddie lets out a deep breath, hoping all the worry sitting in his chest fades with the air leaving his lungs, and squeezes Buck's hand. "Okay. But you will rest once we go home."

Buck squints, tilting his head. "What?"

"You're not going back to the loft like this, Buck. You're coming with me."

He can see Buck's cheek flush in contrast to his pale face as he ducks his head and smiles. "You're cute when you're worried."

He rolls his eyes and huffs out a breathy chuckle, but the fuzzy feeling swirling in his heart is strong enough to warm him up and Eddie loves it.

There are noises getting closer in the background, laughter and sounds of their coworkers talking to each other, so they should probably go upstairs before anyone gets suspicious or anything.

"Come on." Eddie nudges, taking Buck's pants in his hand. "Let's go upstairs."

He helps Buck get in his pants without a rush, holding him steady as Buck shuffles and when everything's set, they go upstairs to find the 118 waiting for them for dinner.

The rain doesn't stop.

It gets heavier.

Eddie can hear the thunder and the harsh sound of raindrops hitting the walls so clearly even from inside as if he's getting soaked under the rain.

"The roads are still a mess." Chimney informs as he stares at the traffic map on his phone. "How are we even suppose to go home? It doesn't look possible."

They had their dinner and now Buck and Chim are sprawled on one side of the couch with a cup of coffee in their hands while Hen and Eddie are on the armchairs, Bobby finishing his reports on the table.

Bobby's face lifts up at Chimney before he checks his watch and tsks , leaning back against his chair and shaking his head. "It doesn't look like it will get better anytime soon. It's safer if we spend the night here."

"Chim, Did you talk to Maddie?" Hen asks.

"Yeah, She got off early and went home." Chimney answers. Then, turns to Eddie. "How about Chris? Is he home alone?"

Eddie answers without lifting his eyes from his phone. He's looking at a text Chris sent him, telling him that Carla just arrived. "No, Carla's with him."

"So." Buck grins. "Slumber party it is."

Honestly, it's been some time since they all stayed in the station after the shift and actually lived inside like it's their home, and yeah, they spend the night in the firehouse during their night shift but it's not really the same.

The only thing is that a part of Eddie really wishes he was at home with Buck and Chris, bundled up in blankets in their safe space, in the same bed with Buck; but then his eyes fall on Buck and see him grin like an excited kid— Eddie knows how much Buck enjoys these type of things; and sees the way his blues shine and leave a featherlight touch on Eddie's soul; it's the most adorable thing, the fond look on Eddie's face probably can be seen from miles away.

Then he remembers, the weather sucks but they are off shift and his son is safe, Buck is safe and next to him, they are with their friends in what they see as a second house, so, yeah.

He's excited.

It will be fun.

The time passes pretty quickly until midnight between them chatting around and just letting the fatigue of the shift disappear as they relax, at some point Eddie goes downstairs and talks to Chris on the phone to hear about his day and tell him about his; after he wishes his son goodnight hangs up the phone, Eddie goes up the stairs and spots Buck in the kitchen, watching the kettle as it boils some water.

Hen and Chimney are downstairs talking to some other firefighters and Bobby is in his office, and the B shift is on call, so that leaves Eddie and Buck alone in the kitchen.

"Whatcha doing?" He ambles towards Buck, his tone playful. "Didn't someone tell you to rest your leg?"

Buck twists his head to Eddie and a barely there smile finds his lips. "Uh, just making some tea."

Standing next to his boyfriend, Eddie rests his hips against the counter and crosses his arms, staring at the other man.

Buck's skin is a little paler than usual, and his face looks tense as if something's giving him discomfort; even though he is trying to hide it because Eddie knows for a fact he is, he can't hide it from Eddie .

"You okay?" Eddie asks quietly, his fingers reaching for Buck's forearm to wrap themselves around. "Is it your leg?"

Buck shakes his head in timid motions, his jaw clenching as he swallows. "No— I— I'm feeling a little nauseous, I don't know why. I guess dinner was heavy for me."

Eddie's face tightens as he frowns, examining Buck with his eyes carefully. They didn't eat anything that heavy, especially not for Buck, and the rest of the team feels fine as far as Eddie knows.

He rests the back of his hand on Buck's forehead, Buck's eyes fluttering as a sigh leaves his lips, and feels the skin beneath his hand, his brows gathering even more. "You're warm. Are you sure you're okay? Is it just nausea?"

It could be just sickness, with heavy rain and Buck's recent accident, he wouldn't be surprised if his boyfriend's body decided to call it quits.

He just wants to do something if that's the case. Make Buck feel better.

It's almost like Buck was expecting him to ask this, because he loosely wraps his arm around his torso to brace it, and lets out a shaky breath, turning his head to Eddie and whispering so small, his eyes glassy and wide: "I don't feel good."

That's all Eddie needs to hear.

His face softens and he gets closer to the other man, chest almost plastered to Buck's bicep, and places his hand on the small of Buck's back. "What's wrong, baby?"

Buck hesitates. "It hurts."

"Where does it hurt? Show me."

Buck takes Eddie's free hand and places it on the right side of his stomach, holding it there. "Here. It was fine before."

Eddie looks down, face in a serious expression and lips pursed, and applies a little pressure on Buck's stomach with his hand. "Does it hurt?"

But Buck lets out a sharp hiss and his face screws in pain as he squeezes Eddie's hand, trying to pull it away. "Ow— fuck, don't do that."

Okay, something doesn't look right.

He's getting worried.

"Let me see." He untucks the fabric of Buck's uniform and gently lifts it up, murmuring an apology when Buck chokes out a shaky breath but when he finally gets to take a look, it's like a bucket of boiling water poured down his head, his heart suddenly beating a mile in a minute.

"What the hell?"

" Buck , wha—"

Buck's side is covered in nasty red scrapes and cuts, some shallow some big, there are dark purples slowly starting to form and spread and it looks almost black in contrast to his ghost pale skin and it looks fucking bad.

"When did this happen?!"

When the fuck did that happen? How did he not notice it sooner? He was supposed to do a check up on his boyfriend, how the hell did he miss that?

He traces his fingers around Buck's wound, biting his lips and slightly pulling away when Buck flinches.

"I— I don't know." Buck shakes his head, and Eddie can tell Buck's starting to panic from the way he sounds and the way his breathing gets labored. "I— I didn't notice, I— it wasn't hurting before."

Then it all clicks. He must have gotten hurt when he fell, but how the hell did Eddie not see this when Buck was right near him?

"Okay, okay. We gotta patch you up." Eddie swallows down the heaviness in his throat and ignores the tightness in his chest, his hand still around Buck. "Hen!"

There are sounds of quick footsteps getting closer, more than just Hen's, and the next thing Eddie sees is Hen, Chim and Bobby all standing around them, their faces in shock.

"Buck? What's going on?" It's Bobby.

"He took a hit when he fell." Eddie blurts out. "We gotta patch him up."

Hen paces towards them, her brows wrinkled and voice distressed. "How bad is it? Do you need a hospi—"

"No." Buck cuts him off quickly and shakes his head, and clenches his jaw to suppress the groan caused by his sudden outburst. "No hospitals, I'm— I'm okay." His hand reaches for Eddie's bicep and holds him tight to support himself. "It's just a cut, just do whatever you have to do here."

Eddie twists his head to Buck and scowls. "It's not just a cut, your whole side is bruised."

Is this man even serious?

" Eddie , I don't need a hospital. I—"

"Okay, enough." Hen cuts them off with a firm tone and looks at Buck. "Go sit on that couch, I'm bringing the medkit, and we will go to a hospital if I see anything wrong."

It doesn't take long for Hen to go down stairs, bring the kit and come back, and in the meantime Eddie helps Buck settle on the couch and lifts his shirt up to take a closer look despite Buck's protests because he will not be blind this time round; when Hen comes back, he sits next to Buck and lets her do her job.

"Most of the cuts aren't deep but there are some bad ones." Hen says as she carefully rubs antiseptic solution. "This one's gonna need some stitches."

Buck's muscles flinch whenever the cotton touches his skin, quiet whimpers tearing his throat; the troubled expression crossing his face deepens and barely there trembles start to run through his form; he looks like he's barely keeping it together and Eddie dies with the ache to hold his hand and squeeze right there, his own hand tingles with want, but he can't do it. Not when everyone is around.

When Hen rubs the pad over a particular deep scratch, Buck grits his teeth and chokes out a yelp that pulls Eddie's heartstrings. " Hey ." His voice shakes.

"Sorry." Hen apologizes, and her eyes brim with sympathy for the younger man. "Just a little longer and we're done."

True to her words, Hen acts quick and covers Buck's wound with a bandage after cleaning his scratches, stitching him up, and spreading antibiotic cream, and after what feels like a lifetime to Eddie, she finally finishes patching his boyfriend up.

But of course by the time she's done, Buck looks worn down and a little out of it. He looks like he doesn't even have the strength to keep his eyes open; with the way he is slumped onto the couch and his curls disheveled, face tight and skin pale, he just looks hurt and tired and done.

"How are you doing, Buckaroo?" Chim asks.

Buck manages a shrug and blinks slowly, licking his chapped lips before mumbling: " 'm fine."

"How about you get some rest, huh? Let your body heal."

Eddie gently nudges his arm and smiles faintly when Buck's baby blues crack open to stare at him.

"Come on." Eddie says, already locking his arm with Buck's. "Let's get you to the bunkroom, yeah? You'll sleep there."

Buck doesn't protest, so Eddie slowly helps him stand up, wrapping his arm around Buck's waist and supporting almost all of his weight; it's the first time in probably hours that he is this close to the other man, and it's like a wave of relief washing over him, feeling Buck's presence right next to his own.

"Easy, come on."

He lets Buck slump against him, and Buck lets himself be held, his one arm bracing his bandage and the other grasping Eddie as they take small steps towards the bunkroom.

Thankfully, the bunkroom is empty and dark except for a few coworkers resting in their bed and the streetlights oozing their yellow hue through the partially open blinds.

"Careful." He whispers as he guides Buck towards the bed on the farthest right and tightens his hold without putting too much pressure on his wound. "I got you, just a few steps."

Once they make it to bed, Buck sits on the mattress with a groan like a deadweight and drops his head to his chest, his shaky fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Do you want to change?" Eddie whispers.

Buck gives him a tiny nod but doesn't lift his head, his voice hoarse. "Yeah, it's itchy."

"I'll be right back."

With quick steps, Eddie gets his own hoodie from his bag and comes back, and finds Buck where he left in the exact same position, if anything his shoulders look even more hunched.

He looks so fragile, Eddie feels close to bursting out.

Making his way to the other man, he stands right before Buck, hiding him from the rest.

"Hey."

Buck's head lifts up at Eddie's words, a tired look on his face. "Hey."

He starts to unbutton Buck's uniform, exposing his injured skin as he goes; and bends forward as his one arm folds around Buck's shoulders while the other one gently slides off the fabric, standing so close that Buck's shallow breaths tickle the side of his neck and his curls touch Eddie's jaw.

"I missed you." Buck slurs into his skin, leaning closer so his face is inches away from pressing Eddie's throat.

It makes Eddie feel some type of way, the tightness wrapping his chest like a barbed wire suddenly eases a bit, Buck must feel too tired to keep the act or maybe even care, and without even thinking, Eddie plants a quick kiss on Buck's hairline where no one can see as he undresses the man. He trusts the darkness surrounding the room to hide their little secret.

"I missed you too, baby."

After taking a quick look at Buck's bandages to see if they are still in place— they are, he carefully puts the hoodie on and pushes the covers aside, and helps his boyfriend get in the bed.

Buck slides down the bed and instantly curls on his side, a quiet, pained moan leaving his lips as he closes his eyes.

Eddie sits on the space on the bed and watches Buck, keeping his voice low. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit."

Eddie lets out a deep breath, and rests the back of his hand against Buck's cheek then slides it towards the back of Buck's neck, the tip of his fingers scratching his nape. "Get some rest." He says gently, and melts at the way Buck relaxes even more.

Buck's breathing slows down not so long after, his chest rises and falls with each even exhale, his face slackens and Eddie watches his boyfriend finally sleep and soaks the sight in before he leaves the bunkroom and makes his way back to his friends, even though his mind stays occupied with Buck.

"How is he?" Bobby asks.

They are all sitting around the dining table, waiting for Eddie.

And they all look worried.

Eddie pulls up a chair next to Chim and slumps on it with a sigh. "Sleeping." He shakes his head and his gaze lands on the floor, brows knitted. "How did we not notice that?"

"Tell me about it." Hen groans, resting her elbows on the surface and dropping her head in hands. "I did his first assessment and he looked fine."

The thing is, Eddie isn't blaming anyone but himself, but at the same time, he's just fucking glad they noticed it eventually.

"He's gonna be fine." Bobby says, nodding his head. "That's what matters now."

The fatherly tone in his voice wraps him like a blanket and provides him a sense of security.

Yeah, Bobby's right. Buck is going to be fine.

So he believes just that.

The station becomes quite some time during the night, Chimney dozing off on the couch, Bobby talking on the phone with Athena and Hen is nowhere to be seen; the urge to be with Buck gets unbearable so without disturbing a soul, Eddie leaves the kitchen and makes his way to the bunkroom to see his boyfriend.

He was expecting— hoping, for Buck to be asleep when he saw his figure buried under the blankets with only his curls sticking out but as Eddie gets closer, he realizes the blond is in fact not asleep, but only curled on his side and slightly shivering, his face screwed shut and jaw clenched, barely holding back his whimpers.

He looks in pain.

"Buck." Eddie sits on the bed and squeezes Buck's shoulder. "What's going on? Are you in pain?"

It's a stupid question but Eddie's brain isn't exactly operating on one hundred percent given the circumstances, so it slips out before he can even think about it.

Of course Buck is in pain. He knows that. He sees that.

Buck squirms in bed and bites his lower lip as a weak mewl gets stuck in his throat, unfocused eyes fluttering open. "Hurts everywhere."

Eddie pushes the covers aside and gently lifts the hoodie up to check his bandages, and his heart almost stops from what he sees.

"You're bleeding." He doesn't notice the way his voice shakes, all of his senses numb with shock. Buck is bleeding through his bandages.

It's not a lot, the gauze isn't soaked in red thank god, but it definitely needs a change, and it means hurting Buck all over again, and Eddie hates it , he hates it.

He lets out a trembling sigh and runs fingers through Buck's messy curls, combing them away from his forehead, and his heart twists at the tiniest sound Buck utters out at the contact.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Eddie asks.

After Buck gives him a restrained nod and closes his eyes, Eddie quickly grabs the medkit, washes his hands and rushes back to Buck's side in no time.

Buck must have heard his steps, because his eyes crack open and land on him, struggling to focus.

"Hey." Eddie whispers.

Buck rolls onto his back, Eddie lifts his hoodie up to mid torso, and starts to peel the bandage off gently.

The second Eddie begins, Buck's breath hitches and his face screws shut with agony, and a groan rips his throat as he visibly tries not to flinch, strong trembles racking his weak form.

Buck drapes his arm over his eyes and clenches his jaw. "F—fuck."

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Eddie says over and over again as he keeps going, guilt dripping from his voice all over.

He puts the bandage on the mattress and grabs a clean cotton, and rubs it over Buck's stitches and cuts, cleaning all the blood stains, but pulls away when Buck suddenly lets out a hiss and sees his boyfriend squirming under his touch, the rise and fall of his chest speeding up and getting ragged.

"Hey, easy." Eddie places his hand on Buck's uninjured side, feeling the hot, trembling skin beneath his fingers, he strokes his thumb back and forth over the other man's stomach. "Breathe."

Buck listens to him, he takes a deep breath through his nose and exhales, and does it one more time, and once more until Eddie makes sure Buck is calm enough to continue.

It's a quick process after that, he spreads the antibiotic cream they used before and puts the gauze on Buck's wound, checking it twice to see if everything's all good before pulling it down.

Everything looks good.

"You good?"

Buck licks his lips and his Adam's apple bobs as he swallows, letting out a tired sigh. "Can you get me a painkiller?"

Eddie gets a bottle of painkillers and a glass of water, and comes back to sit next to Buck.

"There you go."

Buck slowly props himself up and takes the pills from Eddie, then takes big gulps from the glass until it's almost finished, the glass slightly shaking in his hand.

"Thank you." He croaks out as he hands the glass back to Eddie, sliding back down the bed.

Closing his eyes, Buck turns onto his side and presses his face to the pillow, and now that Eddie doesn't have anything else left to do, he just watches Buck.

He watches the way Buck's messy curls stick out everywhere and fall on his forehead, the way his birthmark looks bright red in contrast to his pale skin; he watches the way his chest rises and falls with each shallow huff of air leaving Buck's parted lips. Buck looks so frail, and so young; Eddie's heart swells and feels too heavy in his chest. All he wants to do is to hold Buck in his arms and plant kisses all over his face until he feels better.

He must've stayed silent for too long, because Buck's eyes slit open and his hand reaches for Eddie, fingers wrapping themselves around his wrist, getting his attention.

"What is it?" Eddie whispers.

Buck blinks sluggishly and whispers back: "Stay."

And, who is Eddie to say no to that?

A smile tugs at Eddie's lips and a fuzzy feeling grows inside him, spreading everywhere; he looks around the room to see anyone's here and— fuck it, he toes off his  boots, pushes the covers aside and climbs under them next to his boyfriend.

He props up the pillow and leans his back against it, and Buck scoots closer to him, letting himself slump in Eddie's arms while Eddie folds them around him. Plastered against his side, Buck nuzzles deeper and presses his face into the crook of Eddie's neck, laying his head on his collarbone, and throws his arm over Eddie's chest, sliding his hand behind Eddie's head and burying his fingers into his hair.

Buck feels warm in his arms— maybe a little warmer than Eddie's liking, the blond's hot breath and long lashes brush against his skin; Eddie brings his hand to the nape of Buck's neck and the other one to rest on his back, fingers slowly trailing up and down.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Eddie asks.

Buck manages a weak shrug. "A little."

Which means a lot.

But it's not the time to insist on that so instead, Eddie lets out a deep sigh and nods.

It's quiet after that, he lightly scratches the nape of Buck's neck and keeps rubbing the other hand up and down on his back; and Buck keeps playing with his hair, his fingers loosely twirling around Eddie's short strands. It feels nice, he feels like cottons—weightless and floaty and fuzzy, and the grounding weight against his side only makes things better.

Eventually, the hand buried in his hair slows down its movements and slackens, the shallow blows of air tickling Eddie's neck start to even out, and Buck slumps further like a deadweight, half his body resting on top of Eddie's.

Eddie can feel Buck's eyes slowly dropping by the way his lashes drag his skin— his boyfriend's battered form finally deciding to get some rest, but before Eddie can feel relief, Buck stirs in his arms and nuzzles his nose deeper into the hollow of Eddie's neck, his arm folded around Eddie hugging him.

"Eds?"

"Hm?"

"Don't leave, 'kay?" Buck slurs, his voice barely audible.

Even though the words come out weak— maybe because the words come out weak, they twist Eddie’s heart in a way that he instinctively holds Buck tighter without touching his wound and leans forward to plant a kiss on his warm forehead, taking his time and breathing Buck in as he does.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Eddie whispers and places another kiss this time on top of his curls. “I’m right here.”

He isn’t sure if Buck heard him because the next thing he knows, Buck’s eyes are closed and his chest is rising and falling steady and even, his body now relaxed and face slack.

Now that Buck is finally asleep, Eddie feels the relief he was yearning for after what it feels like an eternity Yes, he’s still worried because Buck is hurt; yes, he knows for a fact he won’t be able to sleep for more than two hours because the need to keep an eye on Buck will outweigh everything else, but at least he is right next to him, safe and sound for the time being and that’s what matters to Eddie.

That’s what he likes to think.

He checks his watch to see it’s the middle of the night, and the station is mostly quiet— everyone must be resting, so leaning his head back against the wall, Eddie closes his eyes and listens to the sound of heavy rain hitting the window, and waits for the sun to rise as he holds his sleeping boyfriend.

It's the break of dawn when he realizes he is close to drifting off, his brain feels fuzzy around the edges, but before Eddie surrenders to sleep, he wants to check Buck's bandages one last time to make sure.

He disentangles himself from Buck just a little and pulls away to move better, and slowly lifts Buck's hoodie up.

When Buck stirs and mumbles something Eddie doesn't understand, Eddie stops moving and brushes Buck's curls instead.

"Go back to sleep." He whispers, and keeps petting Buck's hair until he drifts back to sleep, which takes only two seconds.

When he takes a look at the bandages, he finds them clean and still tightly wrapped, and there are no signs of any torn stitches or scratches.

Okay, he can sleep now.

But the thing is, even though his bones ache with the want to sleep next to Buck, they are at work and no one knows they are together, so he has to get up.

He hates this.

Eddie runs a hand down his face and lets out a sigh that turns into a jaw cracking yawn— okay, he really needs sleep, and frees himself from Buck's hold, his knees popping as he stands up.

There is an empty bed next to Buck's, first he pulls the blankets up to his boyfriend's shoulder and tucks him in, then reaches the other bed in just a few steps, and slides under the covers. Turning on his side, Eddie watches Buck sleep until his eyes feel heavy again.

The darkness takes over within minutes.

When Eddie opens his eyes at the sound of his alarm, it's early in the morning, the rain seems to have stopped, and Buck is still sleeping.

He pushes himself off the mattress and makes the bed, smoothening the covers nicely, and goes to sit on the bed next to Buck. Buck looks dead to the world, buried under the blankets with his face barely seen and breathing slow.

Placing his hand on Buck's shoulder above the blankets, Eddie shakes the other man. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

He waits for Buck's eyes to open, but they don't. He doesn't even stir. He must be very tired.

So, Eddie tries again.

"Buck, hey." He shoves the covers aside and shakes Buck by the shoulder one more time.

But nothing happens. Buck is like a rag doll beneath his hand.

Okay, no, he's not worried. His heart isn't racing, it's all fine.

Buck is a heavy sleeper, Eddie will shake him harder and Buck will wake up.

Except—

When Eddie brings the back of his hand to rest against Buck's cheek, he almost flinches because something's hot— too hot, and it's not his own skin, no, it's Buck's and the warmth is enough to melt his hand—

Buck is burning up.

"Buck."

Eddie slides his hand down to the nape of Buck's neck, his fingers slipping under the collar and touching his muscles and it's like— fuck, it's like Buck is on fire and he's not waking up, he's just lying there. He presses two fingers on the other man's pulse point and feels himself on the brink of tears when he finds an erratic pulse.

He has to do something, get someone.

"Bobby!" He's not even aware of his own shouting and maybe it's not even his first time calling out for Bobby because he twists his head and Bobby is there in an instant.

Bobby is standing next to him, his face a mixture of confusion and shock. "Eddie?! What's going on?"

"He's burning up." Eddie blurts out and shakes his head, his hand refusing to leave Buck. "I tried to get him to wake up but he didn't. Something's wrong."

"Let me see." Bobby leans forward and rests his hand on Buck's forehead, and his face twists in worry like a flip of a switch, brows gathered and lips pursed. "We're going to a hospital." Bobby says— orders in his captain voice. "Tell Hen and Chim to get ready."

Bobby throws the covers off of Buck, exposing his limp form, and the weight of the mattress shifts as Bobby puts his knee on it and bends forward, sliding his one hand under Buck's knees. "Come here, kid."

Sliding his other arm under Buck's back, Bobby grasps Buck's thigh and his side, securing him in his arms, and rises to his feet with a grunt, holding Buck close to his chest as Buck's arm dangles off and his head rests against Bobby's collarbone.

And Eddie just… storms off downstairs to Hen and Chim, his legs move faster than his mind can comprehend when all he can think of is BuckBuckBuckBuck like he's on autopilot— maybe he is.

"Eddie?!"

"Get in the truck!" Eddie says. He doesn't have time to explain what's going on.

Bobby follows him behind as fast as he can when he has Buck's deadweight in his arms, and when Chimney and Hen see them coming, none of them ask any question; Chimney takes the driver's seat as Hen opens the backdoors and gets inside, Eddie and Bobby following her.

Chimney doesn't even wait for Bobby to lay Buck on the stretcher to start the engine or for Eddie to sit next to Buck and hold his hand.

They make it to the hospital in under five minutes.

Buck's wound is infected.

Shocker.

It’s not that Eddie is surprised, they needed a hospital visit one way or the other, but it’s the fact that he missed the signs, it’s getting on his nerves like tiny spiders crawling over his body.

He should’ve known better.

But he can drown in his racing thoughts later. What matters right now is that Buck will be okay.

So for now, Eddie lets out a deep sigh, shuts his brain off, and watches his boyfriend who is sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed, hooked up on antibiotics, an oxygen tube and a heart monitor.

The sight is painfully similar to what he couldn’t dare to look at a few months ago, but the biggest difference is that he knows Buck will wake up this time round.

A familiar voice makes him lift his head.

“Hey.”

It’s Bobby, standing at the doorway.

Eddie props himself up on his seat and smiles. “Hey.”

“I talked with the doctor. She said the antibiotics are working.” Bobby says as he comes inside and sits on the edge of the bed.

“Good. That’s good.” Eddie nods, Bobby’s words are like a breath of fresh air to his lungs.

He feels like he can breathe again.

Bobby’s face turns to Buck, his eyes fixed on the steady rise and fall of Buck’s chest as he continues: “He scared us, didn’t he?”

A snort escapes Eddie’s throat, rubbing a hand down his face. “Yeah, he did.”

Bobby falls silent after that and Eddie doesn’t talk, either, maybe they both need to calm down a bit and remind themselves Buck will be fine— at least that’s what Eddie needs; until a soft smile that Eddie doesn’t understand why appears on Bobby’s face and he breaks the silence.

“You know at some point I’m gonna need you guys to sign those HR papers.”

Well. Shit.

Eddie’s mouth falls open and his eyes widen, his brows arched; he isn’t feeling cornered per se, what he is feeling doesn’t come to him like as if their cover was blown— on the contrary he feels oddly calm about it, but he is surprised. Really surprised.

He tilt head and squints his eyes. “How did you…”

“You weren’t very subtle about it in the bunkroom.” Bobby teases as he looks at Eddie with a funny face, but then his face softens. “You were worried. It was a different kind of worry.”

Oh.

There is heat spreading all over his face and down to his neck, it’s like his heart is put on display for everyone to see; it’s a weird feeling.

Eddie’s gaze runs away from Bobby and he ducks his head, letting out a breathy chuckle. “We were planning on telling everyone soon, but things got in the way.”

“Yeah.” Bobby nods, he still has that comforting but teasing expression on. “It happens.”

Then, Bobby gets on his feet and checks his watch. "I'll better go outside, Athena was waiting for me to call her."

"Okay. Tell her I said hi."

"I will." Bobby smiles and walks towards the door.

He stops for a second, and turns to Eddie. "Eddie."

"Yeah?"

"I'm happy for you." Bobby says before he leaves. "For both of you."

Eddie's chest feels lighter. A sincere smile tugs at his lips. "Thanks, Bobby."

And Bobby leaves.

A few hours later, Buck wakes up.

And Eddie watches it happen.

Buck's face twitches ever so slightly and his breath hitches in his throat and slowly, his eyes slit open and reveal those glassy baby blues, looking around as they try to regain focus.

It's the best thing Eddie sees.

He wraps his fingers around Buck's forearm and squeezes, keeping his voice gentle. "Hey."

Buck's face turns to him, he blinks sluggishly once, twice, and a sheepish smile finds his lips as his pupils dilate. "H'y."

Eddie brings his other hand to comb Buck's curls, and leans in to place a kiss on his forehead, his heart skipping a beat when Buck lets out a soft, sleepy sigh and leans into his touch as he can.

"How are you feeling? Your fever broke."

" 'm good." Buck mumbles. "Better."

"Good, thank god." Eddie nods, and keeps combing Buck's hair. He just can't stop.

He was so worried.

Buck's smile widens as he stares at Eddie, a fond expression crossing his face. "Y''re cute wh'n y're w'rried."

Okay, maybe he said that out loud.

Eddie chuckles at that, a chuckle that comes from the heart, and shrugs. "Yeah, well, you told me that before."

It's clear from Buck's speech that he will drift off to sleep any minute now, so Eddie puts his hand on Buck's chest and rubs tiny circles.

"Go back to sleep, baby." He whispers. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Just like that, Buck's eyelids droop and his breaths even out.

And Eddie watches him sleep.

Until Buck wakes up next time and Eddie takes him home.