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“I’m fine, Eddie.” Buck moaned as the thermometer came closer and closer to his ear. Well, at least, that’s what he tried to say. In his congested state, it sounded more like “I’be fined, Eddie.” Eddie just rolled his eyes, swatted his husband’s hand away from his ear, where he was trying to push away the thermometer, and pressed the button.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He replied, using his free hand to feel Buck’s clammy head. A beep came from the thermometer, and he glanced at it. “102. You have a fever.” He announced, reading the numbers on the display.
“I’m just hot under the blankets.” Buck protested, shedding one of them off, then instantly regretted it as soon as the cool air hit his skin. Shivering, he quickly pulled it back up again and moaned.
“No, you’re not. You’re stuffy, you have a fever, chills, you’ve been coughing your lungs up for the past hour, you have a headache, which I know you didn’t tell me about, but you have that look on your face. You know the one I mean.” Buck did, because Eddie always knew when he had a headache. When he had his eyes closed halfway, or he pulled the hood of his hoodie over his eyes to try and shut out the world, Eddie knew to go and get the painkillers. “You’ve got the flu. Now, come on, off to bed with you.”
“No, I don't, I’m fine. I don't need to go to bed.” He moaned, pulling the blankets tighter around him. Jesus, OK, so it was January, but it was so cold in here! How could Eddie just be sitting there with Henley on and not feel it? Especially since he was the one that felt the cold most, being from Texas and used to warm weather and all. In Hershey, it always snowed in winter, and was a lot colder than this, so, logically, he should be the one in the Henley and Eddie should be snuggled up in blankets. Because he wasn’t ill, he didn’t have the flu. Just a little headache and a cough. It was just a stinking cold. And Evan Buckley did not let little sniffly colds get the better of him. He tried to tell Eddie this, but he just rolled his eyes again.
“Eddie, I promise, I’m fine.” He gave his best puppy dog eyes, fluttered his eyelashes and tried to smile...then started coughing up a lung again.
“Buck, bed!” Eddie let out an exasperated yell, and Buck moaned again, but gathered up all his blankets and trudged off down the corridor, muttering to himself. OK, so Eddie was right, and the thought of crawling into bed was so tempting. But he was also a stubborn man, who didn’t want to look like he was in the wrong.
He’d only just gotten settled in bed when the door opened, and Eddie crept in holding a glass of water in one hand, and a small cup in the other. “Take these.” He ordered, sitting on the side of the bed and handing Buck the cup that held the cold and flu capsules that they stocked up on at this time of year. Obediently, he threw them in his mouth, washed them down with the water, and snuggled back down under the comforter. The blankets had been thrown on the floor, but just in reach. Just in case he needed them again.
“OK, I’ll let you sleep.” His husband’s hand brushed through his soft curls, and he let out a small, contented sigh. “Do you need anything else before I go?” Buck thought for a second. He had water, he didn’t feel like eating, he was comfortable, there was nothing he wanted other than to sleep...He shook his head, and Eddie gave him a kiss on the forehead before standing up.
“No, stay!” Buck found himself whining, and immediately, Eddie sat back down again. “Sing me to sleep.”
“Sing you to sleep?” Eddie echoed, amusement playing in his voice. He was about to say no, but those eyes and that pout... those were the things that had eventually gotten them together, and, although Eddie liked to say he was immune to them by now, he wasn’t. “What do you want me to sing?”
“Anything in Spanish.” That figured. Buck always had a soft spot for Eddie murmuring Spanish in his ear, especially when they were in bed, it’d make sense that singing in the language would soothe him too. “That one you were singing yesterday, from Encanto.”
“OK.” He whispered, placing his hand on Buck’s cheek and stroking it softly, while quietly starting to sing.
“Dos oruguitas enamoradas
Pasan sus noches y madrugadas
Llenas de hambre
Siguen andando y navegando un mundo
Que cambia y sigue cambiando
Navegando un mundo
Que cambia y sigue cambiando
Dos oruguitas paran el viento
Mientras se abrazan con sentimiento
Siguen creciendo, no saben cuándo
Buscar algún rincón
El tiempo sigue cambiando
Inseparables son
El tiempo sigue cambiando”
By the time he’d gotten that far, Buck was letting out small snores. Gazing at him fondly, he leaned down and gave him one last kiss on the forehead before creeping out of the room. He would sleep on the couch tonight, let Buck get some rest. Plus, he didn’t want to get sick either. Although he’d probably been exposed already, there was no need to tempt fate, right?
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“Buck, I told you, I’m fine!” Eddie moaned as he lay in his bunk in the firehouse a week later. “I just need to sleep, I’m just-” He stopped his sentence abruptly, covered his mouth with his arm and started coughing. Buck gave him that look, the one where they both knew that he didn’t believe a word that was coming from Eddie’s mouth.
“If you’re fine, let me take your temperature. What are your other symptoms? Any chills? Body aches? Headache? Sore throat?” God, Buck was so annoying when he thought someone was ill. He was like an old mother hen, always flapping around, asking a million questions, opening WebMD at the first sign of a sniffle or a sneeze...
“I don’t need you to take my temperature, I just need to sleep.” Eddie repeated once his coughing fit had subsided, but Buck had already shoved the thermometer in his ear.
“You have a fever. You need to go home." He announced. Eddie opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, he heard Bobby’s voice from behind them.
“Buck’s right. Can you drop him off at home? I’m sure we can spare you for an hour.”
“On it, Cap. Come on, out to the car. I’ll bring your stuff home after shift, don’t worry about it.” He tried to reassure Eddie as he led him out of the firehouse.
As soon as they were in the car, Buck turned the radio down and glanced over to the passenger seat. He was almost asleep already. He started the engine, and pulled out of the parking lot, quietly humming along to the song on the radio.
“Sing to me.” He heard a murmur from beside him, and Buck laughed. He wasn’t the best singer in the world, but he couldn’t resist those big brown eyes staring at him.
“OK, since you did it for me...” He smiled, turning up the volume slightly. Thankfully, the radio was playing a song he knew, so he softly sang along.
I found a love, for me
Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead
Well, I found a boy, beautiful and sweet
Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me
'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love
Not knowing what it was
I will not give you up this time
But darling, just kiss me slow
Your heart is all I own
And in your eyes, you're holding mine
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark
With you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass
Listening to our favourite song
When you said you looked a mess
I whispered underneath my breath
But you heard it
Darling, you look perfect tonight
By the end of the first chorus, Eddie was asleep, a small smile playing on his lips, and Buck knew that this wasn’t the last time either of them would sing the other to sleep.