Work Text:
When Eddie got married, he hadn't been looking to get married, hell, he wasn't even looking for a relationship. The divorce with Shannon had been messy, and even messier when it came to Christopher considering she decided to give up all her parental rights without a second thought. Eddie had been furious, not only did she disappear for months on end but actually abandoning her son, even when Christopher had cried and pleaded for her not to leave him again? Any shred of remorse he felt went out the window.
Raising Christopher alone was hard, but he did his best by him, or at least, he hoped he did. The money he received each month for his military service was good, but it was nowhere near enough to make sure Christopher got the help he needed, and his savings were slowly running dry. He knew he needed a change, and to get an actual job instead of staying home and caring for Christopher all day, but he didn't want his son to feel abandoned by him; he didn't want to do what his mother did.
Their first week in LA was a rough one. Eddie was due to start as a firefighter next week but Christopher was nowhere near happy about it, constantly yelling and throwing tantrums as Eddie did whatever he could to calm him down. He knew, if it kept up like this, he would end up hating his son, so he took the night off and hired a sitter for a few hours, just so he could go to a bar and cool off, lest he say something he would regret.
That's where he met Evan.
---
Growing up, Evan believed that he was nothing more of a nuisance to his parents, because, he supposed, he was. He was diagnosed with a rare blood clotting condition when he was a few years old, meaning that his blood liked to clot when it wasn't needed, which led to a lot of stroke and heart attack scares. He'd been on blood thinners since that day, which was both a blessing and a curse, especially considering he was a walking time bomb for accidents.
Blood thinners weren't very cheap, but when he was living with his parents, they always covered it for him so he never allowed it to bother him, but now that they had kicked him out, suddenly it was all he could think about it. 90% of jobs, he couldn't do and the remaining 10% he could do, paid so abysmally low that it wasn't worth the insane amount of effort.
So, now he was drinking away his last few days of sanity with the small amount of cash he had left, whilst he waited for his impending doom, considering his supply was very close to running out.
That's where he met Eddie.
---
"I don't suppose this seat is taken?" Eddie spoke, voice rough as the man next to him nodded in reply, offering him a side smile before turning back to his drink.
"I take it you're new to town?" Evan asked as Eddie shook his head with a disbelieving laugh.
"That easy to tell huh?"
"You don't exactly look the most comfortable." Evan laughed as he topped up his drink, offering Eddie a straw as the man took it from his hands without a second glance.
"It's a bar full of a bunch of drunk, handsy people, is anyone actually comfortable?" Eddie proposed as Evan chuckled dryly in affirmation.
"If you're so against bars, how did you find yourself in one?" Evan asked, tone curious yet genuine as Eddie sighed, ordering another drink off of the bartender before turning back towards his new friend.
"Avoiding my own personal life, what about you?"
"You could say it's something similar." Evan replied, a sad smile on his face as Eddie shook his head with a laugh.
"The name's Eddie, and you?" He offered out a hand.
"Evan, although some old friends liked to call me Buck." Buck took his hand and shook it, a small smile on his face.
"Something tells me we're going to be good friends."
---
They spent the entire night at that bar, talking, dancing around and flirting in a way only two men on the edge of everything could. Roughly midnight is when things started to get a little deep.
"So, I've told you all about the trials and tribulations of my life, what about you?" Eddie laughed as Buck grew quiet, looking away with a nervous laugh.
"Not much to tell compared to you, I mean, your wife leaving you and your kid, that's gotta be tough." Buck tried to deflect as Eddie frowned slightly.
"What, you wanna hear more about me before telling me about yourself? Fine. My kid, I love him to death, is currently driving me up the wall and I have no way to comfort him because soon I'm starting out my job as a firefighter and won't be around as much as I want to. Oh, and I don't have enough money to hire a sitter when I'm not there so I'm leaving my handicapped son to fend for himself."
Buck blinked.
"Ironic." Buck snorted as he took another swig of his drink.
"What is?" Eddie mused, a smirk plastered on his face.
"You being a firefighter. You'll probably be seeing a lot of me." Buck laughed, except it was completely void of even a hint of amusement.
"I'm gonna need a bit more context there, Buck." Eddie prompted as Buck sighed.
"I have a rare blood clotting condition that basically means I have to be on blood thinners or I'll have a stroke or a heart attack. Except, my health insurance ran out a while back and I've been paying out of pocket since but, jobs are fleeting, therefore, you're probably gonna get a hundred and one different calls about me either stroking out or having a heart attack." Eddie froze at that, brows furrowing in upset as Buck averted his gaze, attempting to laugh it off.
"That's- that's not okay, at all." Eddie spoke, his voice suddenly a lot quieter as Buck felt his cheeks flush, suddenly embarrassed that he had allowed himself to open up to someone he had just met.
"It's fine. Life works out this way sometimes." Evan laughed, as Eddie's frown only deepened.
"They shouldn't be allowed to withhold life saving medicine, especially from someone as sweet as you."
"You think I'm sweet?" Buck teased as Eddie snorted, shaking his head with a disbelieving smile as Buck felt himself sink further back into his chair.
Eddie looked off into the distance for a moment, as Buck tapped his fingers nervously against the side of his glass.
"Marry me." Buck spat out his mouthful of beer and devolved into a coughing fit, Eddie rubbing his back slightly to calm him down.
"You fucking what?" Buck asked incredulously, eyes wide whilst he laughed nervously at the absurdity of it all as Eddie's face remained unchanged.
"Call it a marriage of convenience. You need meds, something that if you were my spouse, you'd be covered by my health insurance, and I need someone to take care of my son whilst I'm at work." Buck froze slightly at that, eyes narrowing in suspicion and disbelief all at once.
"You've known me for a few hours, why're you so intent on helping me?" Buck asked quietly as Eddie shrugged.
"Because I think you're a decent enough person who deserves a chance at a good life. Plus, it'd basically be a free babysitter, although I'd give you your own expense accounts obviously." Buck laughed, a pure, unfiltered laugh as Eddie felt himself relax slightly, no longer so doubtful of his intentions.
"I think we have a deal then Mr Diaz." Buck smiled, getting up from his seat as he left a few bills under his glass, raising an eyebrow at Eddie's confused expression..
"Where are you going?"
"The courthouse a few blocks over is open 24 hours a day, unless you're going to back out?" Eddie smirked as he shook his head, a gruff laugh leaving his lips as he handed the bartender his card.
"Let's get to it then."
---
Christopher had been apprehensive at first, not trusting Buck for a second, but a few days into Buck living with them and suddenly, they were the best of friends. Eddie had never seen Christopher warm up to somebody so fast, especially someone so outwardly charismatic as Buck, so to see his son happy and safe and finally, finally, settling in their new home, felt like a miracle. The issue with getting Buck on Eddie's health insurance was a trickier subject.
Their marriage license had been easy to get, they had an official one within a few days after their visit to the courthouse but the files to add him to his health insurance was a lengthy process. So far, Eddie had been to five different appointments and each time they sent him off with more paperwork to fill out, despite the fact he had insisted several times over he could fill it out there and then. It was driving him up the wall as he hated feeling as if he was taking advantage of Buck, but the man had been completely okay with it all, telling him not to worry too much, but Eddie knew better.
His supply would likely run out soon and he really didn't want to put his life at risk over a stupid clerk not allowing him to fill out some paperwork.
---
A few weeks into his new job with the 118, Eddie got the call.
He hadn't yet become super close with his team, although they had been very open with him when he first arrived so when his phone began to ring he excused himself to the locker room without a second thought.
"Hey Buck-"
"DAD!" He heard Christopher's voice practically shriek down the phone, pure panic flooding his system as he rushed to calm his son down.
"Chris? What's wrong?" The sound of coughing in the background made his heart drop into a pit in his stomach, knowing instinctively what was happening but not refusing to believe it.
"It's Buck! He's coughing real bad and he looks really pale Dad! I don't-" Chris rambled, voice fading off into a quiet whimper as he heard some quiet whispering, heart aching slightly.
"Hand Buck the phone, bud, can you do that for me?" He heard some shuffling before laboured breathing echoed down the line.
"Evan."
"Hey- Eddie." Buck panted, each word sounding like it pained him.
"What's happening? What do you need?" Eddie hummed softly, trying not to freak him out further, lest the situation get a hundred times worse.
"Not anything- bad, just- can't- oh fuck me- catch my breath." Buck wheezed as Eddie sighed.
"When's the last time you took your meds?" Silence.
"Buck."
"A- a few days ago." Eddie felt his heart break as he began packing his stuff quickly.
"Why? We're getting the health insurance sorted out soon, you have enough to last until then." Eddie asked, voice devastatingly soft as Buck felt overwhelmed by guilt.
"That's what you- said last time. I know it's- not your- fault, but I'd rather go- a few days without them- than a few weeks!" Buck's voice was barely there, each breath growing more laboured as Eddie put his frustration to the side for the moment.
"Okay, okay. I'm coming home now okay? Hand the phone back to Chris for me." More shuffling and suddenly his sons voice was echoing down the line again, asking a hundred innocent questions filled with worry.
"Chris, I need you to go into the bathroom and in the cabinet for me, okay? Tell me when you're there." Christopher's uneven footsteps could be heard over the phone, a light switch flicking before finally, he heard the squeaky hinges of their cabinet.
"I'm here Dad." Eddie smiled to himself, finally zipping up his bag as he headed out the locker room door, back up to the kitchen.
"That's good bud, can you grab the small blue box on the second shelf? I need you to give it to Buck and make sure he takes at least 2 of them, okay?" He heard a hum of approval as he quickly muted the call, turning to face his captain.
"Bobby, I gotta go man. Emergency." Bobby raised an eyebrow as he nodded, throwing the dish rag over his shoulder as he put down the plates he was washing.
"That's fine, you need us to come with?" Bobby asked as he tilted his head towards the table where Hen and Chim were both sat, interests piqued and listening in subtly.
"No, I have it handled. Thanks for the offer Cap." Eddie's smile was tight as he rushed off, getting in his car at record speeds as the rest of the team watching from a distance.
"You know what that's about Cap?" Chim asked as Bobby shook his head with a sigh.
"Not a clue. I can ask tomorrow, if he's back, but it's up to him to disclose anything." Hen sighed at that, twirling her spaghetti around her fork absentmindedly.
"He'll come to us when he's ready." Hen spoke as the other two nodded.
---
Eddie was terrified.
Buck had taken his meds and was mostly better but he couldn't help but stare at him. He felt as if he looked away for even a second, he would stop breathing, and then Christopher would lose another parental figure, and he would lose- well, he didn't know exactly.
They weren't friends but they weren't lovers either and the constant back and forth between the two was making his head spin, but all he knew in this moment is that he needed Buck to keep breathing. That would be enough.
"Dad, is Buck sleeping?" Christopher asked, his eyes fixed on Buck, who lay curled up on the sofa under one of their softest blankets, his eyes carrying the weight of responsibility as Eddie felt his heart break a little more.
"Yeah bud, he's just sleeping." Eddie spoke quietly, patting the spot next to him for Christopher to take a seat. "I need to talk to you for a bit, okay?"
Christopher nodded.
"Earlier, when Buck was hurting, that's because he's sick." Eddie spoke slowly, as Christopher's brows furrowed in confusion.
"Bad sick? Is Buck gonna die?" Christopher spoke, voice small and scared, Eddie instinctively wrapping his arms around his son.
"No, he's not going to die. Like.. how you're different to everyone else. Buck is a little different too, and his meds in the little blue box I told you to grab? Those help him." Christopher nodded, looking less scared now as he hardened his resolve.
"So, if he's doing bad, I give him those and he gets better?" Eddie smiled, a vulnerable smile.
"Most of the time, yes. If it's really bad, you call 911, just like we practiced, okay? Everything should be fine as long as he takes his meds every day. You think you can make sure of that?" Christopher nodded excitedly, finally feeling at ease now that he wasn't completely helpless.
"I can do that!"
"I'm glad. Now, don't think I'm a fool, it's bedtime mister." Eddie teased as Christopher got up with a huff, whispering a quiet 'Good night Buck' before heading up to bed.
"I'll be up in a minute, niño."
Eddie's eyes fell to Buck again, noticing the slight tension in his shoulders as he felt a smirk plaster itself to his face.
"I know you're awake Evan." Buck groaned as he rolled over, looking annoyed at being called out.
"You didn't- you didn't have to scare him like that. He doesn't need that, on top of everything else." Buck mumbled as Eddie frowned.
"I needed to be honest with him, Buck. It really scared him today and I want him to know what to do in case it happens again." Eddie spoke, a hand resting on Buck's leg as he rubbed back and forth soothingly.
"I didn't mean to scare him." Buck's voice was quiet, trembling as Eddie noticed the tears in his eyes, threatening to fall as he frantically blinked them away.
"You were scared too." The realisation hit him like a freight train, as Buck lowered his head in shame, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"I didn't want him to see me die."
"You weren't going to die, but if you keep missing out on your meds, it will get worse. I need you to promise me to keep taking them regularly." Eddie's tone was serious, leaving no room for argument.
"But the insurance still-" Buck tried as Eddie shushed him with a finger to his lips.
"I'll get it sorted by the end of the week. Now rest, I'll be back down later cariño." Eddie mumbled as he stood up, ruffling Buck's hair as he left the room, leaving Buck red and flustered.
Buck had been in pain and yet he had worried about Eddie's kid. This was getting a whole lot more emotionally entangled than he had originally planned.
---
The next day at work, there was an unspoken tension in the air. Everyone could feel it but nobody was willing to address it, especially considering they had been slumped with calls all morning.
It wasn't until the late afternoon that Bobby pulled him aside to have a chat in his office.
"This isn't a formal chat, I just wanted to check in to see if everything was going okay?" Bobby asked, tone friendly as Eddie felt himself tense up slightly, leg bouncing anxiously.
It wasn't as if he didn't want to tell the team about his problems, but he was new, and he didn't want this to be the thing that they remember about him. Didn't want his multitude of problems to be their first impression of him.
"It's nothing Cap, a few personal issues is all." Eddie replied generically as Bobby frowned.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Unless you know a good lawyer to have a go at this stupid clerk who insists on dragging out my insurance paperwork, not really." Eddie laughed sarcastically, voice dry as Bobby smiled wistfully.
"I don't know a lawyer but my girlfriend is a cop and would be very happy to help." Eddie froze before smiling, a pure, grateful smile.
"I'd- I'd really appreciate that Cap. A lot." Eddie muttered as Bobby nodded his head, already grabbing his phone out, presumably to text this girlfriend of his.
"Let me know when you need her and I'll organise it for you. I'll give you the time off as well, I know how frustrating issues like that can be." Bobby patted him on the back before walking off, leaving Eddie to ponder.
He didn't trust them all yet but they sure were trying their best to help him. Maybe, just maybe, they really wanted him to be a part of their team.
He didn't think on it too long, phoning his damn health insurance office to make an appointment, preparing for the absolute mental acrobatics he would have to perform in order for the receptionist to understand what he was asking, despite him saying the same thing over and over.
---
Eddie's first time meeting Athena was a relatively pleasant one. She was kind, talkative, yet she didn't pry into anything that wasn't her business, however, Eddie found himself trusting her more than he trusted the rest of his team, so when she asked, he answered.
"Can I ask why this is stressing you out so bad? Health insurance is a struggle most days but to lose sleep over it? Must be something important." Eddie froze at that, sighing as he played with the collar of his shirt, grabbing out his necklace that had his wedding ring attached.
"It's my husband. He's sick, chronic illness, and because it's taken so long to get him properly sorted on our health insurance his meds are running out and he's resorted to trying to ration them." Athena looked surprised for a moment, eyes darting down to his necklace, before a fond smile took over her face.
"I take it that isn't going too well?"
"Having your kid call you asking why his other parent's struggling to breathe? Worlds of fun." Eddie laughed satirically as Athena smiled sympathetically.
"Does Bobby know you're married?" She asked as Eddie felt his stomach drop, hoping she'd drop it and act as if it was common knowledge and never bring it up to Bobby.
"No, and I know I have no right to ask, but can you not tell him? It's not that I don't trust him or the team, I just prefer to keep my personal life separate." Athena nodded immediately.
"I get it, trust me. Your secret's safe with me, although I expect details considering I am your first friend."
"Oh are you now?" Eddie teased as Athena faked mock offense.
"I'm about to scare the crap out of some teller for you, I better be more than an acquaintance!"
---
Finally, Eddie felt like he could breathe. The health insurance fiasco was over and done with, so he came home with a pep in his step, only to find Buck sleeping on the sofa whilst Chris watched him like a hawk.
"Did he pass out?" Eddie asked, slightly panicked as Chris shook his head.
"He's sleeping. I'm making sure he keeps breathing." Christopher's voice was full of that childlike innocence that tore a hole through his chest.
"You're tired bud, how about I watch over Buck now, yeah?" Eddie proposed as Christopher looked at him suspiciously, yawning slightly before nodding, threatening him lightly as he dragged himself off to bed.
Eddie finished washing up the dishes that Buck had likely forgotten to finish earlier and heated himself up a portion of the pasta Buck had made, eating quickly and then settling in front of the TV. Roughly two hours later, Buck woke up with a yawn, looking around curiously before realising what happened.
"Crap, sorry Eddie, I didn't mean-" Eddie cut him off with a finger to his lips.
"It's fine. You're exhausted, you've had a rough week." Eddie supplied as Buck sulked, sinking back into the sofa as he offered him a portion of the blanket to share.
"What's got you so cheerful?" Buck asked, helping himself to some of the popcorn Eddie had made.
"Health insurance is finally sorted out." Eddie smiled as Buck choked for a second, looking at him in disbelief before promptly bursting into tears.
Eddie was quick to sit at his side, pulling him against his chest so that Buck's head rested in the crook of his neck, running a hand through Buck's hair as he slowly calmed him down. Buck came back to himself eventually, sniffling slightly before offering Eddie a full smile, eyes full of gratitude.
"You okay?" Eddie prompted quietly, hands still entangled in Buck's hair.
"Yeah, I just- I sort of stopped believing it was ever going to get sorted." He laughed dryly, Eddie offering him a frustrated smile of his own, thinking over the headache these past few weeks had been.
"I wasn't going to stop, ever, not until I got you what you need." Eddie admitted, voice startingly vulnerable as Buck leaned in closer so they were practically cuddled up with one another.
Buck hesitated for a second, before leaning in and pressing a kiss to Eddie's cheek, soft, tender, like he was, and Eddie felt his cheeks go red, unable to stop the smile appearing on his face.
"Thanks, love." Buck mumbled as Eddie covered them properly with the blanket, unpausing the movie again so they could keep watching.
"You're welcome, cariño."
---
Eddie couldn't tell you the exact moment he fell in love with Buck, but he knew it was in the beginning of their marriage. Buck, however, tells anyone and everyone he knew he loved him the first moment he saw him.
From that day forward, their life was a mess of doctor's appointments for Christopher or Buck, a lot of watching movies and eating popcorn and Eddie and Buck slowly realising their marriage, whilst originally was only supposed to be on paper, was becoming a lot more real than either of them had initially anticipated. They first started actually being a married couple around 3 months into their marriage, and when Christopher caught them kissing in the kitchen one day, he didn't seem phased in the slightest, almost as if they all knew it was going to happen eventually; it was inevitable.
Two years had come and gone, and Eddie felt like one of the happiest men on earth. He'd spend his day with his team who he had slowly learned to love, and then come home to his husband and kid, who he had loved for what felt like his entire life. Everything was perfect. That is, until a call goes horrendously wrong.
---
It had been a standard call at first, residential home set on fire, scout inside for survivors, retreat when survivors found or verified no life inside. Except, they had this stupid probie with them who overcomplicated every task and drove Eddie up the wall. Bobby was trying his best to guide him in a way that allowed him to grow on his own but he was downright irritating most days, and considering Hen and Chim were already partners, it meant Eddie was the one who spent most of his shifts looking out for him, lest he get someone or himself killed.
So, when they arrived he assigned the probie to make sure the structure of the house was secure before heading inside. It was an easy job, as simple as pressing against a couple beams to see if they were wobbly, but apparently, he wasn't even good at that. Eddie was deep in the second floor when the announcement came over the radio, 'house collapsing, evacuate immediately' and he internally cursed him out. There wasn't enough time for him to evacuate, so instead he hunkered down in one of the bedrooms, under a desk as the roof caved in on top of him.
When he next came to, he was pinned under one of the ceiling beams, unable to move as the fire roared around him. His oxygen mask did little to help the pressure against his chest and he felt himself gasping for air. So this was it, this was how he was going to die. His mind was flooded with thoughts of Christopher, of Buck, of Evan, and he didn't want to leave them. He didn't want Evan struggling to get his meds again, or Christopher abandoned by another one of his parents. He didn't want anyone else to love them the way he did.
Just as he was accepting defeat, he heard a voice distantly calling for him and smiled. Maybe his team would find him in time.
One could only hope.
---
Bobby was furious.
Not only was this probie absolutely useless at doing what he was supposed to, but he was completely unapologetic about it as well. To rub salt in the wound, he blamed Eddie for not directing him properly and Bobby was so mad in the moment that he fired him on the spot, no warning, no letting it slide; completely done. The ride to the hospital was panicked. Eddie didn't seem too bad but Bobby knew just how quickly crush injuries could escalate; so far, Hen guessed he likely had a few fractured ribs, possible broken, and a fractured femur as well as some internal bleeding.
When they arrived at the hospital, Eddie was quickly wheeled off to the operating room as Bobby stood in the waiting room, seething whilst also internally panicking. Everyone knew Eddie had a son, but what would happen to him if Eddie died? Did he even have an advanced directive in place? From the way he talks, everyone assumed that his mother was absent to that really didn't help matters. It was all such a mess.
"How is he?" Athena asked as she walked in, almost as if she knew where Bobby would be without even having to ask, earning a tired smile from her husband.
"In surgery. It's not too bad but still. I hate watching my team getting hurt due to someone else's recklessness." Bobby spoke bitterly as Athena hummed in response, understanding the sentiment.
Chim and Hen both returned then, both carrying coffees and snacks they'd likely grabbed from the hospital cafeteria, handing the other two their beverages before they looked towards the nurse's station.
"Any news?" Hen probed and Bobby shook his head.
"How are we gonna tell his kid? Does he even have a phone?" Chim asked, trying to turn it into a joke but nobody else seemed to find it very funny.
"This is where I make a little confession." Athena sighed, grabbing out her phone as everyone looked towards her in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Bobby asked as Athena waved dismissively.
"Christopher doesn't have a phone, but his husband does." She spoke quietly as she left the room, phone ringing as she was likely ringing said husband.
Bobby felt himself freeze. He knew Eddie was private, but to hide an entire marriage from him, especially when it was supposed to be filled out on several forms was baffling to him. Not to mention, he'd always thought Eddie was straight, not to stereotype, but he fit the straight, army guy, wife and kids criteria, but apparently, even his judgements could be far off sometimes.
Hen and Chim looked similarly confused, all of them sitting down and letting their brains run wild as they waited for this mystery man to show up.
---
Buck couldn't breathe.
When Athena called, her voice had been gentle, careful, as if she was afraid he would freak out, but who wouldn't freak out when finding out your husband had been seriously injured at work and was now in surgery? Christopher had accepted the news better than he had, making sure they had everything they might need before they headed to the hospital, including Buck's meds; he was very strict about keeping his promise to his Dad about keeping his Papa safe. The drive felt like it took forever and a few seconds all at once and soon enough Buck was at the front desk, being guided to the waiting room by a nurse.
Athena was in there when he got there, opening up her arms instinctively as Buck immediately went in for a hug, terrified he'd start crying in front of Chris otherwise. Speaking of his kid, Christopher was having a nice chat with the rest of Eddie's team who were varying between trying to distract Chris and looking up at Buck in confusion, as if his entire existence baffled them, which he supposed, it probably did. When he and Eddie first began talking about his team, Eddie revealed that they didn't know about Buck and that had led into an argument where Buck thought Eddie was hiding him because he was ashamed.
Turns out, Eddie is just terrified of people knowing about Buck's illness in case they exploit it to hurt Eddie, which, after a few weeks he realised wasn't going to happen but he was in too deep by that point so, in true Eddie fashion, he suppressed it all, hoping they'd never figure it out. Buck laughed wetly at that into Athena's shoulder. What a way for the secret to come out, huh?
"Everyone, meet Evan. Evan, meet the rest of Eddie's team." Athena spoke softly as Buck looked towards them properly, noticing the way Hen seemed to be giving him a little wave whilst the other two still stared at him as if he was an alien, the older one eventually snapping out of it before offering him a hand.
"I'm-"
"Bobby. And the one waving is Hen, and the one who's looking at me like he's never seen a person before is Chimney. I know who you are, Eddie talks about you all the time." Buck smiled softly, wiping his eyes slightly when Christopher gripped his shirt, pulling him in for a subtle side hug.
"And yet, we have no idea who you are, or that you even existed." Buck laughed at Chim's statement as everyone else seemed to shoot daggers at him.
"With good reason. It's difficult to explain a marriage of convenience to a group of people you just met." Bobby's eyebrows raised at that.
"What do you mean by marriage of convenience?" He asked.
"Eddie needed a babysitter, I needed health insurance; mutually beneficial agreement at first, but by the time I actually considered him to be my husband he'd known you guys for months by then and coming out with 'Hey, I'm married by the way' was apparently too awkward for him." Buck joked as everyone collectively chuckled, realising, yes, that sounded a hell of a lot like Eddie.
A knock at the door burst their bubble.
"Family of Eddie Diaz?" She asked and Buck was immediately rushing forward with a nod, grabbing Christopher's hand as the kid trailed behind him, struggling to keep up with Buck's quick pace.
"He seems nice." Hen speaks first, Chim nodding along as Athena smirked.
"Don't let his innocent act fool you, he's a demon at poker."
---
Eddie looked so vulnerable on that hospital bed; Buck hated every second of it.
The doctor had said he was out of the woods and would be fine, just needed some time to recover but Buck's heart still wasn't settled. It was never supposed to be this way round. Buck's the one who gets hurt or has a flare up and has to go to the hospital, not Eddie, and the crushing realisation that they could've lost him hurts Buck in more ways than one. He frequently thinks about what their life would be like without him in it, but his life without Eddie, is a thought that had never once graced his mind, and why would it?
Eddie is strong, he's dependable, he's always there when they need it, so maybe this whole being in hospital thing was throwing that mindset for a complete 180. Christopher had left a while ago with Athena, promising to take care of him at her house, leaving Buck alone, watching Eddie to make sure he was still breathing.
Just as his eyes were beginning to shut, he heard a groan come from the bed next to him. Eddie's eyes fluttered open, looking confused at first before settling on Evan, a small smirk spreading across his face.
"Hey baby. Did I miss movie night?" He mumbled, expecting a playful retort from Buck, in the bratty way he always did, but instead he broke down into frightened, hysterical sobs.
"Hey, hey baby. C'mere, on the bed." Eddie spoke, voice gruff as he shifted himself to an upright position, ignoring the pain flaring in his ribs as he pulled Buck fresh to his side, hands running through his hair as he shushed him quietly.
"What's got you so upset hm?" Eddie spoke into his hair, pressing gentle kisses all over his face as Buck slowly started to calm down.
"'M sorry." Buck mumbled as Eddie chuckled softly.
"For crying? Honey, you look pretty when you cry, really brings out your eyes." Eddie teased as Buck let out a little laugh, swatting his arm as Eddie grabbed his chin and forced Buck to look at him.
"No more jokes, talk to me Evan." He mumbled as Buck inhaled, breath stuttering as he took a few steady, deep breaths.
"I didn't realise what it was like for you, when I constantly landed myself in hospital, and now I do, and I hate it." Eddie smiled sadly at him.
"Neither of us can help it, I'm afraid. I love my job and don't plan on leaving it any time soon and you, well, you just exist and this stuff happens." Eddie teased as Buck pouted, deliberately poking him in the ribs to make Eddie hiss.
"Glad you're okay." Buck mumbled, settling into the crook of Eddie's neck, as he always did, as Eddie ran his hands through his hair, shushing him softly as the pair fell into a deep sleep.
---
The next day, everyone came back to visit, hands full of gifts and food as Eddie accepted it all eagerly, digging into Bobby's lasagne without hesitation, causing Buck to smack him round the head and call him a pig for not even saying thank you first.
"Well Diaz, seems we uncovered your secret after all. Although, Evan is arguably nicer than you so we're thinking of replacing you with him on the team." Chim teased as Eddie glared at him, expression so serious it made everyone laugh.
"In your dreams Chim. His cooking is for me and Christopher only." Athena coughed. "And Athena when she comes round for dinner and poker. And Bobby too now, I suppose."
Hen and Chim shared a look of betrayal as everyone broke down into a fit of laughter again.
"It's nice, seeing you like this. Feels like we finally know the real you." Bobby spoke, the other two members of the 118 nodding, echoing the sentiment.
"I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just-"
"Had an Eddie moment." Buck finished, helping Christopher untie his shoelaces as the kid decided he no longer needed them on.
"It is not called an Eddie moment."
"What else would you call it? A dumbass moment?" Buck spoke, covering Chris's ears at that last sentence, much to Christopher’s amusement.
"I'd call it a justifiable excuse for being slightly wary, actually." Eddie hissed.
"They really do fight like a married couple, this is great." Chim joked as everyone began laughing again.
Everything was fine, everyone was having fun, still laughing, until suddenly, Buck started coughing.
"Woah there love, let's take a deep breath yeah?" Eddie teased, Buck smiling and nodding at him as he continued coughing.
"Evan?" Eddie asked quietly, sitting up as Buck kept coughing, clutching as his chest with a shake of his head, a cold dread settling in his chest.
"Chris, did you bring his meds?" Eddie spoke in a rush, twisting so his feet were dangling off the bed and he could properly look Buck in the eyes, holding his head up as his husband gasped for air, nails digging into Eddie's forearm as everyone else stood around, collectively worried but not wanting to get in the way.
"In the bag." Christopher spoke, already grabbing it and emptying it out onto the bed, passing Eddie the bottle of pills in a way that made you realise this wasn't their first time.
"Evan, deep breath, then swallow, just like we practiced." Eddie hummed, grabbing a glass of water, popping the pills in Buck's mouth as he passed him the drink, holding his hands to steady them as Buck swallowed, still wheezing.
It didn't kick in immediately, more like 5 minutes spent coaxing him into breathing properly as the pressure on his lungs slowly eased and he was breathing normally again, albeit looking a hundred times more tired than he was before.
"C'mere cariño." He mumbled, pulling Buck onto the bed next to him as Chris clambered on by their feet, face constantly scanning Buck to make sure he was actually okay.
"We're gonna wait outside Eddie. Take care of each other, hm?" Bobby spoke softly as he herded everyone out the room, giving them their privacy as Eddie gave him a grateful nod.
"Papa, you okay?" Christopher mumbled, unsure of himself as Buck smiled up at him.
"I'm okay kid, just a little wheezy is all." Chris nodded at that, settling down so his head was resting on Buck's stomach.
"We're a bit of a wreck aren't we?" Eddie joked as Buck sighed, leaning in for a kiss which his husband happily granted.
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
---
Eddie was released the next day, as long as he promised to stay resting and taking it easy for the most part, although everyone knew he was going to be up and about within a few days. Buck was especially nervous, constantly checking on Eddie in a way that reminded Eddie of Christopher checking on Buck, something that made his heart almost burst with fondness for the pair of them.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Buck asked for what seemed to be the fiftieth time that evening, as Eddie groaned and pulled him in by the waist, pressing a kiss to his forehead as Buck seemed to relax, finally.
"I'm more than okay. I'm home, with my family, and my husband is looking devastatingly handsome in his apron." Eddie pressed a kiss against Buck's neck as he groaned, turning and swatting Eddie with an oven glove before getting back to making his lasagne, following the recipe Bobby had given him.
"I think you'd look more handsome with nothing on, but that's a matter of opinion." Buck's tone was flirty, in the way he knew riled Eddie up as he seethed inside.
"You're making it increasingly hard to 'take it easy' y'know?"
"As is my right after you made me worry so much." Buck retorted, taking a break to play a video game with Chris whilst dinner was cooking, both of them already fired up in that competitive way only a Diaz could be as Christopher handed Buck the controller, as if expecting him to join the whole time.
He hadn't been looking for marriage when he met Buck, hell, he hadn't even been looking for a relationship. But then this man, this gorgeous man, who knew his son's favourite games, how to make him laugh and how to cook like a pro, fell into his lap and Eddie couldn't be more happier. Buck lit up his entire world in a way he thought he would never see again after Shannon left them, and he was forever grateful.
He wouldn't change any of it for the damn world.