Work Text:
Eddie has a broken rib. He has a broken rib because he did a stupid, impulsive, very Buck 1.0 (2.0? Buck’s not sure when he stopped doing the stupid, impulsive things) thing while on shift. Just decided to run back into a collapsing building to get a fucking cat that had already been evacuated so a wooden beam had struck him when he was on his way out and now he was laid up in bed with a broken rib.
Has Buck ever mentioned how much of a baby Eddie is when he’s hurt or sick? Buck used to think people were exaggerating about the “man cold” but they weren’t. They really, really weren’t. In fact - Buck thinks the term was coined from Eddie’s actions personally. It should be called the Eddie cold because he exhibits every symptom of said “man cold”.
It’s worse now because he’s enlisted Theo, a four year old who’s a very big fan of Eddie and thus will do anything Eddie asks, to help him weasel Buck into taking care of him. Not that Buck wasn’t always going to take care of him, of course he was! Eddie’s his best friend and the love of his life! But enlisting Theo to help him just makes him even more whiney.
He hears Theo before he sees him, the pattering of feet barreling down the hall - an oof when Theo runs into the wall - and then continues running. “Buck!”
Buck pauses kneading the dough in front of him to turn towards the entrance to the kitchen. “Yes?”
“Eddie needs a cookie,” Theo says, his hands waving and eyes wide as if he’s telling Buck the house is on fire.
“I don’t think he needs a cookie,” Buck says but, damn his heart, who will give Eddie anything he asks for, grabs the cookie jar from the very back of the counter. (They’d had to move it after Theo nearly sent the thing shattering on the floor trying to get one when he’d already had three.) “But I’ll get him one.”
“And me one?” Theo asks, jumping up and down on alternating feet. “Pleaaaseeee?”
“You can both have one but no more until after dinner,” Buck tells him, handing Theo two snickerdoodles wrapped in a paper towel. “Tell Eddie to call me if he needs help getting up.”
“‘Kay,” Theo says and then runs out of the kitchen.
“Walk, Theo!”
The footsteps slow down and then, “Sorry!”
Buck manages to get his sourdough into a covered bowl to rise before he hears Theo running down the hall again, slowing down when he gets closer to the kitchen. He turns to face where Theo is about to appear in preparation for whatever Eddie needs next.
Theo is pink faced and exaggeratedly breathing heavy. “Eddie..” Exaggerated gasp. “Needs…” Exaggerated gasp. “Milk…” Exaggerated gasp.
Buck nods patiently but pulls a cup - Theo’s cup that had a lid - down from the cabinet. “While I’m pouring this, walk to Eddie and ask him if he needs anything else so you don’t have to keep making trips.”
Theo nods seriously, his face mirroring that of a soldier just given a mission before he leaves the kitchen.
Buck had been a bartender in Peru and never had a more needy guest than Eddie Diaz when he’s sick or injured. He fills the cup up with milk, snickering a little at the thought of Eddie drinking out of the sippy cup and is just pressing the lid on when Theo comes back.
“Eddie said he needs a kiss,” Theo tells him, his lisp popping up on kiss. “But from you not me.”
Buck attempts to fight a smile down but it creeps up against his wishes. “Take this,” Buck hands Theo the cup of milk and then kisses his fingers. “Can you carry the kiss back for me?” He cups his fingers like he’s holding something.
“Yes!” Theo agrees, holding his free hand out.
“You sure you can carry it? It was a big kiss so it’s really heavy,” Buck tells him, faux straining as he lowers the “kiss” to Theo’s hand.
“I got it,” Theo says confidently, making a grabby hand. Buck deposits the “kiss” into Theo’s hand and then fights back a chuckle as Theo makes a face. “‘S not heavy!”
“Well, you must be much stronger than me,” Buck tells him with a sigh. “Walk the milk and kiss back, carefully. Dinner’s almost done.”
Buck checks on the lasagna in the oven before grabbing some plates from the cabinet - three normal ones and one plastic unbreakable one for Theo. The lasagna has probably five more minutes so he goes down the hall to Chris’s room, knocking on the door frame to let Chris know he’s there. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
Chris looks up from his school computer, eyebrows pinched and a look of stress on his face. “Can I eat in here? I have to finish this homework.”
“Of course,” Buck tells him, venturing further into the bedroom. “Anything I can help with?”
“Chem,” Chris says in a dismayed voice. “I know science and math go hand in hand but does it have to be so hard?”
Buck whistles lowly, face scrunching up in sympathy. “You can always facetime Karen.”
Chris sighs dejectedly, nodding. “Yeah. I might.”
“She’ll help,” Buck says in a sing-song voice as he ruffles Chris’s curls, earning a swat on his hand as he back away. “I’ll bring you dinner and make sure Theo doesn’t bother you.”
After dropping off a plate to Chris, he brings two plates down the hall to the main bedroom where Theo and Eddie are. Theo’s curled into Eddie’s side under the blankets while they watch cartoons. “Dinner is served.”
Eddie smiles dazedly, the pain meds clearly working as he sits up with a grunt. “Buck’s lasagna.” He draws out the word lasagna as he accepts the plate from his boyfriend.
“Yep,” Buck tells him, handing Theo his plate. “Be careful with that buddy. I’m gonna grab a towel to put under you.”
When Buck gets a towel under where Theo has his plate set, he looks at Eddie who has already spilt pasta sauce on his shirt. He sighs and levels an amused look on his boyfriend and asks, “Do you need a towel too?”
Eddie gives him a closed mouth smile, his cheeks full of food so his voice is muffled as he says, “I won’t spill anymore. Swear.”
“Uh huh,” Buck says, knowing he’s going to be changing his bedding before they sleep tonight.
“Are you eating with us?” Theo asks, his mouth full of food as he talks.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Buck says gently, wincing as the chewed up pieces of lasagna fall to the towel under Theo’s plate. “I’m not too hungry. But you guys enjoy.”
I’ve been nauseous since I watched Eddie run into a collapsing building, sorry kid.
Later, after Chris gets help from Karen on his chemistry homework and Theo’s been bathed and put to bed, Buck gets his bedding changed and makes sure Eddie’s glass of water is full. “You should sleep.”
Eddie blinks up at him from the bed, looks at Buck’s empty side of the bed and then back up at Buck. “You’re not gonna lay down with me?”
Buck stops short, looking down at Eddie and swallowing hard. “I’m really angry with you and I don’t want to fight while you’re high on pain meds.”
A muscle in Eddie’s jaw twitches as he says, “I haven’t taken them yet.”
Buck sighs, running a hand down his face. “You wanna fight while you’re in pain?”
“I want to communicate and apologize so we can go to bed together,” Eddie argues, looking offended that Buck would even say they’re fighting. “Buck, you know I don’t like going to bed angry and I don’t want you to sleep on the couch. I want to talk whatever this is about out so I can fall asleep next to you.”
Buck nods, trying to reign in his anger. “You did something unbelievably stupid and reckless and you could’ve been hurt a lot worse than you are now. That whole building could’ve come down on top of you and I would’ve had to tell our sons that you weren’t coming home. You used to get so angry with me when I did that and I have grown a lot and stopped doing it because you asked me to. You have put yourself in danger far too many times needlessly since you came back from Texas and I want you to stop and think about what you’re doing - what you’d be leaving behind if you don’t bounce back from whatever rambo shit you do next time.”
Eddie’s quiet for a moment and then, “Okay. I’m sorry.”
“I mean, seriously Eddie, you ran back in for a cat that had already been evacuated!” Buck says, trying to keep his voice down so he doesn’t wake either of the boys that are asleep down the hall.
“I know. I’m sorry,” Eddie repeats, his voice patient and calm.
“You could’ve been killed, Eddie! Do you get that?!” Buck snaps, anger bubbling in his chest.
“Buck,” Eddie says firmly, making Buck blink and really look at him. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I have been… I just- When I do those things? It’s so you don’t. And I know you’ve grown past doing those things but I get… antsy about you slipping back even a little and if one of us is going to make it, it should be you.”
“We should both be coming home!” Buck says, pointing with both hands at both Eddie and himself. “For them!” He points a hand to the door, indicating to Chris and Theo. “Neither of them should lose another parent! I need you to be safer, Eddie. I rethink every decision I make, since you told me I was in your will and even more so now that I have Theo, Chris, and you to come home to. So don’t do something stupid like that again because you think you’re saving me. You’ve already saved me, Eddie.”
Eddie’s eyes are glossy with tears as he clears his throat, sniffling a bit. “I’m sorry. I’ll be better, safer. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to make you upset. I’ll think before I act from now on.”
Buck lets out a shuddering breath and nods, swiping at some tears that have slipped down his cheeks. “That’s all I’m asking, Eds. I need you to come home and I know our line of work is dangerous but just… Don’t make it more dangerous, okay?”
“Okay,” Eddie says softly, reaching for Buck. Buck crawls into bed, pressing himself against Eddie’s uninjured side with his face in Eddie’s neck. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Buck echoes, breathing in the scent that is purely Eddie. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry,” Eddie tells him, his voice cracking. “I won’t do it again. At least not intentionally.”
Buck nods, tangling his fingers with Eddie’s. “I promised Theo chocolate chip pancakes in the morning.”
Eddie’s silent for a second before he lets a chuckle loose. “Chocolate at 8 am before you leave him with me all day?”
“You deserve it,” Buck says, jabbing his finger into Eddie’s tummy.
Eddie hums, a smile lingering on his lips. “Hey, Buck?”
“Yeah?”
“I need to take my pain meds,” Eddie tells him with a wince.
“Ah,” Buck says, moving away. “I’ll uh… Yeah. You want a snack?”
They talked about it - him and Eddie, him and Chim, him and damn near the whole 118. Buck reassured them that he was okay with the pain meds being in the house, that Eddie could put them somewhere Buck didn’t know about and that he’d be fine with it.
It doesn’t mean Buck wants to be in the room to see them come out.
Eddie grabs Buck’s arm before he can get off the bed, pulling him back. Buck has to put all his weight on one arm to keep himself from falling onto Eddie and hurting his rib. He hovers over Eddie, their faces close together. “I’m sorry I did something stupid and put you in this position.”
Buck’s face softens before he leans in and kisses Eddie softly. “I would be in this situation one day. Rip the bandaid off and everything.”
Eddie hums, kissing Buck again. “I’ll try to keep the times it happens to a minimum.”
“You’d better,” Buck says with a grin. “I need you here, Eds. God knows I could handle two boys by myself but it doesn’t mean I want to.”
Eddie lets out a soft laugh. “That and who would massage your knee like I do?”
“Yeah, that’s a plus,” Buck agrees, their noses brushing. They stay quiet for a moment and then he says, “It’s more than just that. I want…”
“I know,” Eddie says softly, bringing his hand up to caress Buck’s cheek. “We’ll have it. I promise.”