Work Text:
Every smile (for the one that holds your hand)
"Can I go hang out with Denny?" Chris asks as they move through Buck's house to the front door, where Karen is waiting to drive Hen home.
"Uh," Eddie freezes, half turning back towards the rear of the house where he knows there's equipment waiting to be packed away.
"I think Denny would love that." Karen says with a firm nod.
Hen, beams at Christopher before speaking. "And it'll let me pick your brain a little more about navigating the house with mobility aides, because who better to talk to, than our resident expert?"
Eddie's heart does something a little complicated in his chest as Chris blushes and stutters, and he can't stop the warm, giddy feeling of joy that floods him at the way his son is so seamlessly folded into the arms of the 118 family.
"Dad?" Chris looks at him, his blue eyes wide and pleading and he looks so much like Shannon and Buck in that moment that Eddie can't help but be the teeniest bit pleased Buck and Shannon hadn't had the time to become firm friends, otherwise between them and Chris, they'd be drowning in pets of all shapes and sizes.
Eddie heaves a put-upon sigh and lets his shoulders slump. "I guess that would be okay," he says, unable to stop the teasing smile that pulls at the edge of his mouth. "Maybe Chris could even speak with the resident expert on how to ensure certain mobility aides aren't left lying around the house with the chance to break people's necks?"
Hen and Karen's laughter is rich and warm and Eddie feels more of that giddy joy filling his chest.
"Da-ad." Chris whines and uses one of his crutches to swat at him.
"Go," Eddie says with a laugh. "I'll clean up Buck's backyard and then I'll pick you up around… let's say… 7?" He asks, looking from Chris to Hen.
"Hmm," Hen shares a look with Karen. "How about you drop a bag off around 5, and we'll drop Chris home tomorrow just after lunch?"
Eddie's brow furrows, but before he can say anything, Chris is sheepishly detouring to Buck's living room and grabbing the backpack he'd placed there earlier that Eddie had assumed had school work in it, to be completed with Buck's enthusiastic guidance…
"Christopher…" Eddie says, his gaze narrowing in on the backpack Chris is slipping onto his shoulders.
"How about," Chris begins with an impish grin, "you have a good night, Denny and I'll have a great night, aaand I'll see you tomorrow?"
Eddie blinks slowly before turning his gaze to Hen and Karen. "Did you guys know about this?"
Hen smirks and shrugs before stepping out onto the porch, but Karen has the good sense to look a little sheepish.
"Denny may have asked us about Chris sleeping over yesterday when he heard about Hen's plans for today." Karen steps back to let Chris and Eddie out of the house.
"And the two schemers organized it amongst themselves before hitting up the parents." Eddie nods, before reaching out to gently shove at Chris' shoulder. "We will be talking about this when you get home."
"Yeah, yeah," Chris chuckles. "Don't forget to put the weights back in the rack, otherwise Jee might drop them on her foot."
Karen shoots Eddie a Look, before opening the car doors for Hen and Chris.
"Long story," Eddie says softly as Karen rounds the car to get in the driver's seat.
"It always is when there's a Buckley or a Han involved." Hen says with a grin, buckling her seatbelt.
Eddie hums in agreement. "You mind Karen and Hen," Eddie tells Chris, ignoring the way all three occupants of the car roll their eyes. "And if you need anything, or change your mind…"
"Karen or Hen will call, and you can come and get me." Chris tells him with a nod and another eye roll.
"You know, Eddie," Hen says through the slowly opening window as Eddie pushes the passenger door closed. "Some parents would take this as an opportunity to go out, have a drink… I hear even single parents might go out and live a little."
Eddie scowls at Hen and then at Karen when he sees her dipping her head to wiggle her eyebrows at him; but it's Christopher's dry chuckle from the backseat that has him snapping his attention to his son, with wide, pleading eyes.
"Yeah dad." Chris says, and Eddie can hear the laughter bubbling in the back of Christopher's throat. "Single parents go out, maybe even on dates."
"You're all so hilariously funny," Eddie tells them as he steps back from the car as it starts to pull out of Buck's driveway. "See if I teach any of you how to samba ever again."
The car pulls out into the street, but the trio's laughter is loud enough that it carries, and once again Eddie can't stop the warm joy that spreads through him, even if there is a frisson of anxiety, lacing the edges of the joy, that Chris might accidentally let slip the other real reason for Hen's dance lesson and physical therapy session taking place in Buck's backyard.
He's scrolling mindlessly through the tiny collection of delivery apps that he's accumulated over the last few years, his stomach grumbling as he flicks past pizzas, burgers, Thai, Greek, and a plethora of desserts. Tilting his head from where it hangs over the arm of the sofa, Eddie looks longingly towards Buck's kitchen, where he already knows that there is absolutely nothing of substance to be found in there.
"Hey, I'm home!" Buck calls out from the entry way, followed by two dull thuds that Eddie knows are Buck's sneakers being kicked against the wall, completely eschewing the shoe rack that had been purchased to stop exactly that.
Eddie turns his head in time to see Buck stepping into the living room, blue eyes bright and a smile stretched wide across his face making the corners of said eyes crinkle. It is without a doubt, one of Eddie's favorite things to look at—Buck's smile—and the way it seemingly lights up his whole face.
"Everything okay?" Buck asks as he gets closer to Eddie.
As Eddie sits up, Buck runs a hand through Eddie's hair to cup the back of his head, and Eddie can't help but lean into the touch before he answers. "Yeah, just hungry."
When Buck frowns, something in Eddie's gut twists and he wants to do anything and everything possible to put the smile back.
"Uh, there's… there's a loaf in the fridge?" Buck straightens and goes to move in the direction of the kitchen, but Eddie stops him with a hand curled around the back of his thigh.
"If you're talking about that weird, cat-food looking dish in the refrigerator… I'm not that hungry, just yet."
Buck rolls his eyes. "It's sardine loaf."
"It looks like something you'd leave out for the local stray colony."
Buck huffs and covers Eddie's face with one large hand before shoving him gently away. "I made it for Hen," he says, stepping back. "Sardines aide in muscle growth and bone density, and they can also reduce inflammation."
Eddie laughs and gets up to follow Buck towards the kitchen. "And how does Hen feel about you serving her cat food under the guise of health advice?"
Buck chuckles and shakes his head, and Eddie knows how it went down, because when Hen had arrived earlier in the day, she'd made sure the coast was clear before unleashing on Eddie (and Chris, much to the teenager's delight), a tirade of epic proportions about how Buck had lost his mind and needed to be stopped.
"She'll thank me when she's stronger, faster, and back on the team, just you wait and see." Buck says, opening the fridge and pulling out a covered dish. "Uh, where's Chris? I thought I was assuming the role of study buddy tonight?"
Eddie hums, eyeing the dish with no small amount of disdain. "About that," Eddie says, dragging his gaze away from the dish to look at Buck. "We were duped."
"We were what?" Buck asks, lifting the cover from the dish and offering Eddie some pre-cut veggies and fruit.
Eddie breathes a sigh of relief and grabs a handful of apple slices, his smile getting bigger when Buck hands him a jar of peanut butter and a knife. He's half-way through slathering the spread on his apple slices when he answers Buck.
"Turns out, he'd organized with Denny, Karen, and Hen, to stay the night over there. So when Karen arrived to pick up Hen, he went with them."
"So, no Chris?" Buck asks, slipping the cover back on the dish and putting it back in the fridge.
"No Chris." Eddie confirms with a tiny nod, shoving an apple slice in his mouth and chewing.
Eddie watches as Buck takes that information and turns it over in his head, he can see the moment that it properly registers what it might mean.
"Did Hen wonder why you were using my yard instead of yours?" Buck asks slowly, and it throws Eddie for a loop.
Of all the things Buck could have said… could have asked, a question about Hen and her curiosity towards Eddie and Chris being in Buck's space—without him—hadn't even made the list.
"Uh, at first she was concerned, I think." Eddie tells him, finishing up with the fruit in front of him. "But, as soon as we got up and started moving, I think she figured it out. The backyard at South Bedford is good for barbecues and the occasional house party, but… I need a relatively flat surface for the kinds of PT we do with Chris and—."
"Eddie," Buck cuts him off with a grin. "You don't need to convince me to let you and Chris use the yard. I want you here."
Eddie flushes and nods. "Yeah, I know. But I also know that we're keeping this," he wiggles a finger in the air between them, "quiet right now."
Eddie jerks back a little as Buck slides into his space and grabs him by the waist. "Hey," Buck says softly, ducking his head to try and catch Eddie's gaze. "The moment you want to tell everyone, I'll take out a billboard on the '10."
Eddie laughs and curls his arms around Buck's shoulders as he says, "I don't think we need to go that far."
Buck hums and shrugs. "I don't know, I think you'd look great looming over the traffic."
Eddie curls his fingers through Buck's hair and tugs lightly. "Remember what we said? Focus on Hen getting better, and getting Harry through the next few months and then we'll tell people other than Chris."
"And until then," Buck murmurs, "I get you to myself. No running commentary from Chim, no teasing from Ravi, and we can hold off on hearing Maddie sing 'I told you so' for just a little longer."
Eddie's smile softens and he nods. "Gotta admit, it's kinda nice having this thing that's just for us."
Buck pulls back a little and Eddie can see the grin lighting up his face. "Speaking of just for us," he begins. "Seeing as we have the house to ourselves now… how about you teach me how to do the samba?"
Eddie freezes, his fingers half tangled in the back of Buck's curls as he blinks slowly. "How'd… what?"
Buck's laughter rumbles through his chest and into Eddie's where they're pressed together before he reaches into his back pocket and fumbles for something. When he brings his hand back up between them, he's clutching his phone and is thumbing through to a message thread with Christopher.
Buck hits play on the latest clip that Chris has sent through and there, captured in high-definition by Chris' phone, is Eddie teaching Hen how to samba on Buck's patio. Chris' giggles, tinny through Buck's phone speaker, bounce around the kitchen and mingle with Eddie's groan.
"So?" Buck asks, his eyebrow quirked up as he smirks at Eddie.
Shaking his head, Eddie takes Buck's phone and sets it aside. "Well, Chris, Hen, and Karen did tell me I should take advantage of my child-free evening as a single parent and go out and enjoy myself…"
"So, can I interest you in dinner and dancing?" Buck asks, tugging at the sleeve of Eddie's shirt.
Eddie pulls Buck in close and presses his lips into Buck's smile. "Sounds like a date," he says, reaching blindly for Buck's phone and shoving it into his chest. "But dinner needs to be delivered, I'm on a strict 'no cat-food' diet."