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"Theo, come pull the last ring off the wall before we go!" Buck called out to his son.
A month ago, when he and Eddie planned this trip to Monterey to start off the summer, everyone was very excited, but none more than Theo. The now five-year-old was ecstatic at the idea of going on a trip and was asking every day when they were going. It was cute, but also tiring after two weeks of telling the boy "not yet" over and over again.
Eventually, Buck found something that helped with the problem. One day, he was scrolling through Instagram at work and stumbled upon a mother sharing a hack for getting kids to stop asking "how much longer until they were leaving on a trip". You just made a chain of paper rings for each day leading up to the day your family was leaving, and then had the kid pull a ring off each day until there were none left.
It was an especially good hack for younger kids because, rather than just saying how many days were left, it gave a visual. Visuals were always good for Theo. It seemed to help him understand things better.
It seemed like it could work, so Buck brought the idea to Eddie, who also thought it would work for the boy. They put it together when they got home from their shift, before picking up Theo and Christopher from school. The paper chain had 14 rings, and the sign next to it said, "Count down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium." It wasn't the only thing they were doing on the trip, obviously, but it was the most anticipated.
The hack worked like a charm. Theo went straight to the paper chain every morning and pulled down a ring. It just happened to also be a great way for him to practice counting.
That brought them to where they were now, Buck waiting for Theo to come and pull the last paper ring off the wall so they could get going.
"Theo!" He called it again.
"I'm comin', Daddy!" the little boy called out, his little feet padding down the hall, still bare.
"Hey, I thought Eddie was gonna help you put on your socks and shoes," Buck said.
Before the boy had a chance to speak, Eddie came running into the room after him, holding the aforementioned socks and shoes in one hand. "Buck, you couldn't have waited to call for him for a couple of minutes?" Eddie asked, frustratedly.
"Sorry, Eds. I thought you were already finished," the curly-haired man said as he walked over to his boyfriend and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Buck still couldn't believe he got to kiss Eddie now, couldn't believe they were boyfriends, living together, and raising two awesome kids.
"Well, clearly I didn't," the brunette grumbled, gesturing at Theo's bare feet, "I just barely got him to sit down before you called for him."
"Theo, will you be good and let Eddie help you with your shoes and socks after you pull the ring down?"
"Yeah, I will." Theo nodded.
"Okay, buddy, go for it. Once you pull that down, vacation mode begins."
"Yeah! Vacation Mode!" The little boy cheered as he pulled the last ring off the wall.
Buck picked Theo up and put him on a chair, tickling the boy's sides as he said, "Can't go vacation mode without shoes, big guy!"
He giggled, "Okay, Daddy."
"Alright, Spider-Man, let's get these shoes on so we can get going!"
Buck watched Eddie kneel in front of the chair and help Theo with his shoes, a soft smile on his face. "Hey, Eds, I'm gonna go make sure Chris is getting ready to go."
"Go ahead, I've got things handled here."
With that, Buck walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to Christopher's room. The door was ajar, but he knocked on it just in case.
"You can come in," Chris called out.
Buck pushed the door open slowly and stepped into the room. The teen seemed ready to go, fully dressed, from his comfortable travel hoodie to his shoes. His bag was packed and sitting next to him on the floor, where he sat on the edge of his bed, holding a shirt in his lap. The teen looked a little upset, and the curly-haired man wasn't sure why, because earlier this morning his excitement had rivaled Theo's. He wondered what could cause such a change in the kid's mood.
"Hey Chris, about ready to go? Your dad's finally wrangled, Theo, so we're gonna get going in a few."
"Hey, Buck, yeah, just making sure my Switch is fully charged before I put it in its case." Chris sighed, looking up at Buck, then at his Switch, and back to the shirt in his lap.
"You all right, bud? You're looking a bit upset," said softly.
As he stepped further into the room, he noticed the shirt he was holding was an old, faded Monterey Bay Aquarium shirt. The thing looked about three sizes too small for the kid, but he was looking at it like it meant something to him. And if it meant something to him, Buck wanted to hear every detail.
"I guess a little bit; it's not really a big deal, though, " Chris mumbled.
"Well, lay it on me, Chris; maybe I can help." The blue-eyed man smiled as he sat next to the teen.
"I was just really hoping to wear this shirt to the aquarium tomorrow. I guess I didn't realize how much I'd grown since the last time Dad took me there," he explained.
Buck didn't really want to think about how much Chris had grown up in the last few years. It would no doubt make him emotional and make Chris cringe. He did remember when Eddie took him on that trip and how excited he was to be there, and now he remembered this shirt too. For almost a year, Christopher practically lived in that shirt, only taking it off long enough for Eddie to wash it.
"I can see why that's upsetting. The shirt holds a lot of fond memories for you, and you're hoping to make more with it." Buck empathized, "But also, there's a really simple solution to this problem if you think about it."
Chris furrowed his brow in a way that made him look like a spitting image of Eddie. "Well, unless you can magically make the shirt three sizes bigger, I'm not following, Buck."
The curly-haired man chuckled, "Chris, buddy, we'll buy you a new shirt when we get there."
"Oh yeah, I guess I kind of forgot about that…but you usually go to a gift shop just before I leave somewhere, right?" he paused. "That doesn't really help the issue I'm having, which is that I want to wear it while we're actually at the aquarium."
"Oh, that's right," Buck paused, then suggested, "Then we just do the gift shop first thing. You can just change your shirt before we start exploring the aquarium."
"That is breaking the number one rule of going to a tourist attraction," Eddie said, seemingly appearing in the doorway as if he'd teleported there at the moment Buck suggested going to the gift shop first.
Startled by his boyfriend's sudden presence in the doorway, Buck gasped, "Jesus, Eddie, when did you get there?"
Chris laughed, and Eddie smirked, leaning against the door frame. "Long enough to hear you suggest going to the gift shop first as the solution to Christopher's dilemma." He paused, then continued, questioning, "Buck, you do realize that if we go to the gift shop first, Theo will probably pick out a giant plush, then you won't be able to say, and we'll end up having to carry around all day, right?"
"If it means Chris is happy with the shirt he wants, I'd be glad to carry around a plushie all day; I don't mind," Buck said easily.
"Uhh, Dad, I don't think you're gonna win this one," the teen chimed in with a smile, "Buck's really set on getting me that shirt."
Eddie sighed heavily and shook his head. "Okay, fine, we can discuss this later. We're already behind schedule; if we don't leave soon, we're gonna get stuck in traffic when we get up there."
"Alright, you heard the man, Chris. Let's get going."
With that, they were off. Buck and Eddie worked seamlessly together to pack the car like a jigsaw puzzle, fitting everything in perfectly. After everything was packed snugly, they helped the kids get settled into their seats before doing a final check, and with a last-minute bathroom run and the retrieval of a forgotten charger, the drive officially started.
The first hour of the trip was loud and full of energy, with Chris excitedly recounting to Theo the last time he went to the aquarium. The little boy nodded along happily, listening to the teen and hanging on every word of his story. Chris really emphasized how amazing the place was and how much he knew Theo would love it, and Buck was happy to listen as Eddie added small details of that trip that Chris had missed.
The second hour was much like the first, filled with bright conversation; soon, it drifted from memories of the past into excitement for the next day. Chris was looking at the website on his phone and, looking at all the exhibits they offered, he was particularly excited about a new one that wasn't there the last time he'd been. That led him to look at the feeding times for different exhibits, which ended with the teen roping Eddie into helping him make an itinerary for the next day.
Buck hopped into the conversation wherever he could, but it was hard to help make an itinerary when he was driving. Chris wanted to see everything there was to see at the aquarium in one day. Of course, Theo being the way he could be sometimes might make it hard to follow an itinerary exactly to the T, but they'd do their best.
Hours three through five of the drive were relatively quiet. They had to stop for gas once and take two bathroom breaks, but otherwise, not much happened. Theo fell asleep while watching a movie on Buck's phone, sleeping for about an hour as Chris quietly played a game on his Switch. During that time, Buck and Eddie had a hushed conversation about how well the little boy was doing on the drive and how happy they both were to be on this trip as a family.
As they stopped at a light, Eddie looked at Buck. The blue-eyed man could feel all the love in the world in the brunette's gaze as he leaned over and kissed his cheek, taking his hand as the light turned green and holding it as they drove.
Hour six was supposed to be their last hour on the road, but it came with the traffic Eddie had been worried about. They had originally planned to eat room service when they got to the hotel, but with the late start and an extra bathroom stop, they hit Sand City during what felt like rush hour. On top of the traffic, Theo was beginning to get hangry. The five-year-old was generally an adorable whirlwind of chaos and kindness, but when he was hungry, he was not very fun to be around. Basically, he'd get really mean.
So rather than sit in traffic and let a tantrum happen, Buck pulled off at the next exit and found a restaurant to stop off at for dinner. The restaurant of choice turned out to be McDonald's. This wasn't something that they ate super often, but when Theo saw the play place, it was pretty much a done deal.
As they ordered, Eddie asked about the traffic. The employee was kind and explained that the traffic wasn't always like this at this time of day. She also helpfully explained that it should die down by the time they were done eating. The young woman asked where they were traveling from and what they were doing. When Buck said they were going to the aquarium the next day and were open to suggestions for other things to do, her smile went from customer-service-polite to genuine.
The girl whose name they later learned was Bailey had been to the aquarium many times because she lived around here; her family even had a membership, so they could go whenever they wanted.
Buck and Eddie listened intently to all her recommendations for things to do on Cannery Row and her tips on the best places to park. They cataloged all that information in their heads for later and thanked Bailey for all the help as their food came out.
After they ate, Buck, Eddie, and Chris sat and watched Theo play for a little bit. The boy seemed to have a blast in the play place. Then, before they left, they made sure to tip Bailey extra for all the recommendations and for giving great service. By the time they all piled into the car and started driving towards Monterey, the traffic had indeed let up. It was only another 15 minutes, and they had arrived at their hotel, pulling up to the front and helping the bellhop unload the trunk.
"Hey, Buck," Chris called out from the back seat, "can you help me get out so I don't have to walk in from the parking lot?"
"Yeah, but just one second, okay?" Buck said as he took the last suitcase out of the back of the car. "Hey, Eds," he continued, getting the other man's attention.
"Yeah, Buck?"
"Wait a second before you go in. Chris wants to come in with you now, so he doesn't have to walk across the parking lot," the curly-haired man said.
"Okay, and what about Theo?" Eddie asked.
When Buck was finished helping Chris out of the car. He was about to ask Theo if he wanted to go in with Eddie, but the little boy was asleep. "He's totally zonked out here, Eds. I'll just carry him in after I find a parking spot."
The brunette nodded, "Sounds good. See you in a few then."
Buck nodded back and kissed Eddie on the cheek, the action receiving a cringe from Chris before he climbed back into the car. It didn't take him long to find a good spot, thanks to the handicap placard Eddie had for Chris. He then hopped out of the car and grabbed Theo, who barely reacted as he was picked up, only nuzzling his face into Buck's shoulder as he walked across the parking lot.
Once he made it into the hotel's lobby area, he looked around, quickly catching Eddie's eye. The other man gave him that soft, warm smile that's been making Buck melt for years, and got up, meeting him halfway and stroking Theo's hair gently.
"He's really out cold, huh?"
"Like the dead, guess the play place knocked him out," Buck paused, and then asked, "You got the room keys?"
"Yeah, and they took our bags up for us already. Chris and I just wanted to wait for you, though."
The blue-eyed man smiled softly back at his boyfriend. "Well, I'm here now, so what do you say we get up there?"
"Yeah, let's go." He turned back to Chris and nodded toward the elevator, silently telling the teen to get up.
Once they reached the room, Eddie raised his arms above his head and stretched. His shirt rode up, exposing that little patch of skin that made Buck's brain go places it definitely shouldn't go, while he held his son in his arms.
He shook those thoughts away as Eddie yawned, "Can't wait to take a good shower and crawl into bed.
Buck looked at Chris, then back to Eddie, and teased, "You hear this? Mr. Passenger Princess over here is exhausted from our long journey."
Chris snickered, and Eddie turned around, looking affronted. "Passenger Princess? I'm not a Passenger Princess?"
"Well, Buck did drive the whole trip, Dad. You literally slept for like an hour and a half of it," the teen pointed out, still snickering.
Eddie huffed, his brown eyes going soft, "Well, if Buck wanted me to switch, I would've."
"Baby, you know we're just joking around, and that I like being the driver, it's okay." he paused, stepping towards his boyfriend and kissing him softly. "Go take your shower while I get this guy ready for bed."
"He really should have a bath after being in that McDonald's play place. Those places are disgusting." Eddie grimaced, wrinkling his nose.
Buck looked down at the sleeping boy who was slumped into his chest, then back up at his boyfriend. "Eds, we just had a conversation at full volume, and Theo didn't even flinch in his sleep. I don't think we're getting him in a bath tonight."
"True," Eddie hummed, "bath in the morning, then, at least change him into pajamas, though, so he's not sleeping in dirty clothes."
"That I can handle," the curly-haired man said with a nod as he gently laid Theo on the bed that Chris was sitting on, "Okay if I lay him here for a minute?"
"Yup," Chris said, looking at the boy with a soft expression, "you know he looks soft and innocent like a baby when he's sleeping. Like if someone only saw Theo when he was sleeping, they'd never believe that he's a little chaos gremlin."
Buck laughed lightly as he took Theo's shark PJs from his bag. "You're right, they'd be none the wiser, the chaos that lies within him."
The sleeping boy was a deadweight, but Buck had a surprisingly easy time changing him into the pajamas. After getting him changed, he gently tucked Theo into the rollaway bed they requested, brushing soft hair away before kissing his forehead. It was true. The little boy did look like a sweet little baby when he slept, and although he was excited to watch the boy grow up, he always tried to cherish moments like these.
Soon enough, they were all showered and ready for bed. It was pretty early, but after 6 1/2 hours of driving, Buck was ready to sleep. After all, they'd need all the energy they could possibly need tomorrow for chasing Theo around the aquarium.
Buck sighed happily as he crawled into bed after his shower and pulled Eddie back into him. The blue-eyed man loved cuddling up with his boyfriend like this every night. Even though they'd been together for a year at this point, the feeling of holding the other man close was still one of his favorite things.
Buck was sure it always would be.
Eddie shifted in his arms enough to look into Buck's eyes and give him a sleepy smile. Christ, every time his boyfriend did that, he just wanted to melt. The curly-haired man smiled back, then leaned over and softly kissed his lips, earning a pleased hum as they pulled away.
In the morning, Buck and Eddie were rudely awakened by Chris and Theo opening the curtains and letting the bright morning sunlight into the room. They both groaned as the little boy climbed on the bed and practically jumped on them.
"Daddy, Eddie, it's time to get up!" he cheered excitedly. "We gotta go to the aquarium!"
"Mmm, five more minutes," Buck grumbled, sleepily trapping Theo in his arms, "Ah, my favorite teddy bear, I've been looking for you."
Theo wiggled, squirmed, and giggled in Buck's grasp. "Silly daddy, I'm not a teddy bear, I'm Theo."
As he held onto Theo, Buck felt Eddie shift, and when he looked over, the other man was on his side, reaching for his phone to check the time.
"It's only 7:30, guys; let us sleep a little bit longer." Eddie groaned.
"You're saying that like you don't normally wake up earlier than this, come on, Dad," Chris complained with his arms crossed, sounding more like a little kid than he had in years.
"Noooo, Theo, come back," Buck called as the little boy wiggled out of his grasp.
Eddie continued his conversation with Chris as Theo went to stand beside the teen. "Mijo, it's vacation, and I am, despite your belief, capable of sleeping in."
"Oh well, Eddie will have to do," Buck hummed, turning on his side and pulling his boyfriend against his chest before kissing his neck.
Eddie sighed happily, relaxing into him. "Buck's got me; guess I can't get up."
"Ugh, you guys are gross," Chris groaned. "I'll give you 30 minutes until I tell Theo to jump on you again."
"Okay, 8:00, let us be until then." Eddie yawned.
Chris narrowed his eyes at them. "You better be out of bed at 8:00." Then he turned to Theo. "Come on, buddy, we can play a game on the Switch while we wait."
Theo smiled widely and followed the teen, "Okay, Chris!"
Buck smiled into the back of Eddie's neck, kissing him again and quietly humming, "Mine," into his skin.
Eddie shifted in Buck's arms, turning to face him, a hand creeping into his curls. "Yours," he whispered back, pressing their foreheads together.
The brunette lifted his chin slightly, and their noses brushed gently before their lips met in a soft kiss. Buck had always liked kissing, but kissing Eddie was like nothing else before, even when it was just a soft, innocent good morning kiss. He hummed, barely audible into it, enjoying every extra peck his boyfriend gave before they pulled away and cuddled back into each other for another 25 minutes.
At about 8:00, Buck and Eddie got out of bed, just like Chris had practically demanded that they do, and started getting ready. Eddie and Chris got dressed while Buck helped Theo with his bath, then they got dressed for the day as the Diaz boys fixed their hair. After that, Buck fixed his and Theo's hair; then they all put on their shoes and were out the door by 9:00 to find breakfast.
They ended up finding breakfast in the hotel's dining area. It was a breakfast buffet, which Buck had forgotten about until this exact moment; that was part of why he'd booked this particular hotel. They were known for their stellar breakfast, included in the per-night price. The man figured that would be perfect because they wouldn't have to worry about finding somewhere to eat every morning.
Anyway, they ate breakfast, and it was actually pretty good. They had a lot of different choices, from waffles and pancakes to hash browns and eggs. After eating breakfast, they all went back up to the room for a bathroom run and to brush their teeth. Then Eddie grabbed the backpack they always brought on outings, and they were off to the Jeep to drive to the aquarium.
By the time they'd found parking and walked to the aquarium, it was 10 o'clock on the dot, and the employees were just opening the doors to let people in. Luckily, because they got there early, the ticket line wasn't long, and it was only about five minutes before they made it inside the aquarium. They were barely into the building, and Buck was already in awe as he looked around.
"Come on, Dad and Buck. The gift shop is right here!" Chris urged, wanting to get his new shirt.
"We're right behind you, Chris," Eddie said, he and Buck trailing slightly behind because Theo insisted on holding both their hands.
As soon as they made it into the gift shop, Chris made a beeline for the shirts and called for his dad, "Dad, I need some help over here." From where he was standing, the shirt he wanted was just out of his reach. Then added, "Come on, guys, we're on a schedule. I don't wanna miss the sea otter feeding."
Buck just smiled as Eddie looked at him, shaking his head with a fond smile. "Well, I'd better get over there."
As he let go of Theo's hand, the boy didn't even notice, his eyes locked on the giant stuffed animals.
"See something you like, big guy?" Buck asked.
"That daddy," Theo said, pointing at the biggest dolphin stuffed animal the gift shop could offer.
The curly-haired man sighed. He couldn't say he was surprised. "Are you sure you want that one, buddy?" he asked, then suggested, "Maybe you'd rather get a smaller one that's easier to hold."
"Nope, I want the big one, Daddy! Pleeeaaaase?" Theo begged, "I promise I'll hold it the whole time."
Buck was sure that Theo would only hold it for maybe 10 minutes, tops, but he was still working on saying no to puppy-dog eyes, soooo, "Okay, let me get it down for you."
The little boy's smile brightened as he cheered, "Yay, thank you, Daddy. I love you so much!"
God, this kid just loved finding every possible way to melt his heart. Why did he have to be so cute?
"You're welcome, Theo. I love you too," he said with a smile as he grabbed the giant dolphin stuffed animal off the top shelf and handed it to Theo.
The stuffed animal was bigger than Theo, but the way he giggled as he pulled it close to his chest into a hug made Buck's chest feel fuzzy.
A moment later, the boy spotted Eddie and ran to him. "Eddie, Eddie, look!"
Buck watched Eddie's eyes widen as Theo held up the stuffed animal. "Wow, buddy, that's a big one."
"It's the biggest one, Eddie!" the boy giggled before quickly moving on to show Chris.
That was when the brunette's eyes met Buck's with a look that screamed, "I told you so." Of course, he had actually told him so; it wasn't like he didn't believe his boyfriend. He just hoped naïvely that Theo would want a smaller stuffed animal. It also didn't mean he was surprised the boy always wanted the biggest stuffed animals he could find out where they were. Whether they were at the zoo, at Target, or even at Costco, it was like they called to him.
And why Costco, you might ask? It was an oversight on Buck's part to bring Theo with him to Costco around Christmas, and while he hadn't gotten his son the giant teddy bear that day, it ended up sitting next to the tree on Christmas morning.
"How long do you think he'll last holding that dolphin before he asks one of us to carry it for him?" Eddie asked.
"I give him a good 10 minutes tops, but who knows, maybe he'll surprise us," Buck answered with a shrug.
Eddie opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but Chris interrupted, "Chop chop. We're on a schedule. Let's get on it!"
Buck and Eddie looked at each other, then back at Chris, and then the curly-haired man said, "You heard the man, Diaz. We're on a schedule."
As he walked towards Chris and Theo, Buck could feel eyes on him. He turned around only to catch a fond look in Eddie's eyes. When the brunette caught him looking back, he walked over and ruffled Theo's wavy hair.
"Come on, then, boys, let's buy your things," he smiled, prompting the boys to walk to the front of the gift shop.
With that, the four of them headed up to the checkout counter to buy Chris's shirt and Theo's stuffed animal. Eddie had a short conversation with the cashier as she checked out their items. The older woman behind the counter said it was bold of them to go to the gift shop first, and then they were on their way to start their day. But before going to the sea otter exhibit, they stopped by the bathroom, and the teen changed into his new red Monterey Bay Aquarium shirt.
When he came out of the bathroom, holding his other shirt, Eddie asked, "Happy with your new shirt, mijo?"
"Yeah, thanks for getting it for me, Dad."
"You're very welcome, Chris. You ready to get started with our day now?"
The teen nodded, "Yeah, we're gonna see the sea otters first since they're right here. The feeding starts soon, so we gotta find a good spot to watch."
"Lead the way, buddy," Eddie gestured for Chris to walk ahead of them.
When they were standing in front of the exhibit, Buck looked it over and noticed there was a second floor. His eyes immediately went to the stairs when he scanned the area for handicap-accessible routes up. This place was a very popular tourist attraction, so he felt there was no way it didn't have a handicap-accessible route up there. After all, it would be extremely unfair if that whole area were just off-limits to people who couldn't take the stairs.
As he was thinking, Chris spoke again, "So I think the best place to be to watch the feeding is the second floor because we can see the otters above the water." Then, as if the kid was reading Buck's mind, he added, "And don't worry, Buck, there's an elevator around the other side of the tank."
"What, Chris, how did you…"
"I could tell you were looking for handicap routes by the way you were scanning the area."
"Oh, was I that obvious?"
"I mean, not to a stranger, but you've been looking out for me like that ever since the first time you took me to the zoo. Now, I can tell when you're looking." Chris explained.
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess it makes sense that you noticed." Buck smiled. He didn't realize how much Chris had been paying attention to that kind of stuff. "How about we get to that elevator and find the perfect spot, then yeah?"
"Yeah, let's hurry before it gets too busy up there." Chris smiled, presumably walking towards the elevator.
Buck trailed behind Eddie and Chris, stopping to stand with Theo, who had his face pressed close to the glass, amazed by the sight of a sea otter swimming behind it.
"Whoa, Daddy, look at the sea otter!"
"I see it, buddy; it's pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah," Theo breathed, eyes bright and wide with awe.
"Theo, come on, we're going up the elevator to watch the otters get fed," Buck reminded.
The little boy gasped, "The elevator! Can I press the buttons?"
"Yeah, you can. We gotta catch up with Eddie and Chris."
Chris and Eddie were only a few steps ahead, so they caught up quickly, Theo rushing to press the elevator buttons. It was a quick ride, and, thankfully, when they got upstairs, Chris was quick to find what he deemed the perfect spot with five minutes to spare.
Buck looked behind the glass, into the exhibit, watching the otters' caretakers set up for the feeding for a moment before turning his attention to the rest of the room. For some reason, he didn't realize how popular an event the sea otter feeding was. There were a ton of people all crowded around the top and bottom levels of the exhibit, excitedly awaiting the feeding.
Soon, the caretakers' mics clipped to their Monterey Bay Aquarium vests crackled to life as they introduced themselves and the otters. For the next 15 minutes, the caretakers fed the otters while telling the crowd fun facts about how otters live in the wild and how they tried to mimic those conditions in the exhibit. The part Buck liked the most, though? It was when they talked about the otters in the aquarium's care. These people seemed to have so much genuine love and care for these animals, and it was heartwarming to see.
Those 15 minutes went by quickly, but Buck, Eddie, Chris, and Theo decided to stay and watch the sea otters for a few more minutes. Other than wanting to watch the otters play with their toys in the water, Buck and Eddie had figured that it would be safer for Chris if they waited for the crowds to die down before going to a new area.
As it turned out, though, a few minutes didn't really make much of a difference, because as people left, new people took their place. In reality, Buck knew how popular the sea otter exhibit would be, but for some reason, he didn't really register it until they were there, standing around all the other people trying to see the otters.
Eventually, they actually had to leave the otter exhibit because Chris wanted to see and show everything to Theo. Despite the small area being crowded, everyone was very polite and accommodating, making room for Chris to get through with his crutches. Once they went down to the main floor and got off the elevator, they headed to the next exhibit on the list: The Kelp Forest. This was another exhibit that the aquarium was known for, and Buck could see exactly why.
He was almost as in awe of the giant tank as Theo was. This tank was huge, grand, and absolutely beautiful, filled with all kinds of fish, including leopard sharks and eels. Buck wondered as he peered through the glass into the water if the kelp forest in the ocean right outside the windows actually looked like this.
As he was contemplating, Theo pulled at the hem of his shirt. "Daddy?"
Buck looked down. "Yes, Theo?"
"Can you hold this for me?" the boy said, holding up the big dolphin stuffed animal. "It's too heavy for me."
Buck smiled and huffed as he took the stuffed animal from the boy. "Yeah, buddy, I can hold it."
"Thanks, Daddy," Theo smiled, hugging his leg before walking forward so he could stand next to Chris in front of the tank.
He watched from a few steps away as Theo pressed his hands to the glass and gasped, "Whoa, Chris, look at the shark!"
In the reflection of the glass, Buck could see the teen smile at the little boy. "That's a leopard shark, Theo," he said as they looked on.
As Buck continued watching the two interact, Eddie stood next to him. "I love how much Chris is taking Theo under his wing," the curly-haired man said fondly.
"He did always want a sibling," Eddie paused, looking at him with a smile before continuing, "Chris complains sometimes, but for the most part, he's really happy to have him around."
Buck's chest got all warm and fuzzy at the comment. "Well, I'm glad to hear that because Theo absolutely adores Chris."
"You know, Chris told me recently that Theo was like the little brother he's always wanted."
Buck's heart melted a little bit at Eddie's words. He, of course, knew that Chris loved Theo like a brother; it was obvious in the way the teen treated the younger boy. It was nice, though, to get that confirmation that it was true and not just a feeling the curly-haired man was having. It was a quiet moment of acknowledgment and happiness between the men that their sons basically saw each other as brothers.
Eddie broke the silence with a question, "So, how long did he hold it before passing it to you?"
Buck answered, "A good 25 minutes."
The brunette smiled and turned his attention to the little boy. "That's longer than I thought he'd last."
"Yeah, Theo held it a bit longer than I expected." He paused, looking down at the stuffed animal under his arm. "I don't mind holding it for him. I just want him to have a good time, you know."
Eddie nodded thoughtfully and opened his mouth to speak only for Theo to turn around like he'd heard his name and call for them excitedly. "Daddy, Eddie, come see the leopard shark."
Buck and Eddie smiled at each other. "Guess that's our cue then." The curly-haired man said before they walked over to the boys.
The men stood behind them, watching the fish and sharks swim around together. Their day at the aquarium had barely started, but standing there in front of this tank, Buck's heart felt incredibly full. He pulled Eddie close, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as a brunette set a hand on Chris's shoulder. The men looked at each other again with warm smiles for a moment before turning back to look through the glass of the tank.
Buck didn't care at this moment that he'd have to hold the giant dolphin stuffed animal as they walked through the rest of the aquarium. All he cared about was that everybody was happy.
And right now, standing here, something told him that today was gonna be a really good day.