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After a week of Buck being back to firefighting, the majority of the 118 had welcomed him back into their pseudo-family. Hen and Chimney had instantly forgiven him, although it had taken Bobby a bit more time. The only one who was still shooting him cold glares and refusing to talk to him unless necessary was Eddie.
Not that Buck hadn’t tried to make amends. In fact, he’d gone above and beyond and had lately inched into the territory of groveling. Every shift, he’d arrive earlier than Eddie, which wasn’t an easy feat given his retained military habit of waking at the crack of dawn, and by the time Eddie had arrived, he’d been ready with a cup of coffee just the way he liked it. How Buck had learned his coffee order, Eddie had no clue, but every time he was greeted with it, it almost threatened to crack his resolve. Almost. Buck had also taken to stocking the station kitchen with Eddie’s favorite snacks and drinks, and even some of Christopher’s. He was often offering to fill up his truck for him, or buy him a six pack, or even to wash his sweaty work clothes after a particularly busy shift. Now that had given him pause, because Shannon wouldn’t touch his sweaty gear with a ten foot pole, not that Eddie could blame them. Firefighting was a dirty job and the result was often worse than a men's locker room in the mid-July Texas heat. Buck really had to be desperate. He’d even go as far as offering to lace up his boots for him, but Eddie had had to put his foot down at that. That was more than a bit too much, and at this point, Buck was just embarrassing himself.
The rest of the 118 didn’t understand how Eddie couldn’t just forgive him, and truthfully, he wasn’t entirely sure why either. He had no reason to still be this angry, no more so than anyone else, and besides, Buck had more than made up for it. But something about the lawsuit, about their falling out, had hit Eddie harder than it had hit the others. Prior to that, he’d almost thought they were starting to have a something. What that something was, his brain had refused to explore more in depth, but his relationship with Buck wasn’t like any friendship he’d ever had, and was also distinct from his relationship with Shannon. They’d gotten especially close after Buck’s injury, with both him and Christopher keeping him company during his recovery, and even more so after the tsunami. Buck had been beside himself after losing sight of Christopher, but for the first time since Shannon, Eddie had been filled with an overwhelming sense of love and trust, not just for their relationship, but for his relationship with Christopher. Of course, he’d never say the word love out loud, could barely say it in his head. His traditional Texas upbringing had drilled into him that he needed a wife and Christopher needed a mother, and anything else was simply unacceptable.
Of course, like the bomb that had tipped the engine onto Buck’s leg, that had all blown up when Buck had gone squealing to a lawyer about the 118, about him, about them. It was like when Shannon had left, but times a thousand. And that wasn’t something Eddie could go through again.
So yeah, maybe he was being unreasonable, as his team members had told him multiple times, but Eddie was adamant on holding his ground. He couldn’t let himself get hurt again. Of course, eventually he didn’t have a choice.
The first thing that set off alarm bells in Eddie’s mind was when he entered the station and Buck wasn’t waiting for him with his usual cup of coffee. Eddie had started to expect it, even look forward to it, so much that he’d stopped bringing his own from home. It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t a bit disappointed, Buck had really perfected his technique at this point. He could have been a barista in another life. But disappointment gave way to more alarm when he spotted Buck lounging on the couch, looking unusually listless. Buck wasn’t exactly a morning person, at least in comparison to how he fared the rest of the day, but most mornings he was much more chatty and energetic than your average person.
The TV was on, recapping the previous night’s Lakers game, but Buck hadn’t moved to turn it off or change the channel, even though Eddie knew he wasn’t a fan of basketball. Buck wasn’t even looking at the television, or even at his phone, staring ahead with a glazed, drowsy look, not unlike the expression Christopher made when he was in dire need of a nap. As Buck swiped at his dripping nose with the back of his hand, another Chris move, Eddie realized that scratch that, that expression wasn’t merely one of fatigue, Buck was sick.
“Feeling alright?”
Buck gave a startled jolt at the sound of Eddie’s voice, but it must be a testament to how bad he was feeling that he wasn’t jumping for joy or even so much as smiling. This was the first time Eddie had willingly spoken to him in a week, and given how much effort Buck had put into getting him to talk, it was concerning that he seemed indifferent to finally reaching his goal.
“I’m okay, just a bit tired. Last night, I played Mortal Kombat til like 2. Probably a bad idea when I’ve got a shift, but I’ve got to keep my practice up for when I play Chris next. You two are free this weekend, right?” His voice sounded like he’d inhaled a tank of smoke and gargled with rusty nails, but he was at least back to pestering Eddie into forgiveness, so the alarms were quieted somewhat. Besides, Eddie knew that Buck, even with his stubbornness, wouldn’t show up to work too sick to perform his duties, not after the lawsuit. Since then he had been a very careful rule-follower, not eager to give Bobby or anyone else a reason to be upset.
Eddie was unsure of how to respond to him. Now that he was assured that Buck wasn’t in immediate danger of collapse, he was back to stewing in his anger and wishing to ignore him. Thankfully, he was saved from this awkward moment by the ring of the bell. The two men quickly made their way downstairs to join the others, and Eddie had to resist the urge to help Buck up off the couch. That wasn’t them anymore. And besides, Buck was perfectly capable of moving around and completing his duties, he’d insisted as much during the lawsuit. And it was just a cold, nothing more. As a single dad, Eddie had pushed through countless colds and sniffles. If Buck wanted to curl up on the couch and drip snot everywhere like a child, that was on him.
As luck would have it, it quickly became apparent that Buck was absolutely in no state to be at work. On the way to the scene, he somehow fell asleep in the engine despite the siren. Buck, who almost certainly had ADHD and for certain had some serious insomnia, who would spend hours pacing around the bunk room while others slept, was not just sleeping through the siren, but letting out obnoxious, congested snores. His face was pressed against the seat, mouth open and slightly drooling. He was using his turnout top as a blanket, tucking it beneath his chin, and a traitorous part of Eddie had the fleeting thought of just how cute he looked.
When they arrived, everyone was out but Buck, who continued to snore. His face was fever-red and his nose whistled such that Chim and Hen were stifling laughter. Bobby had to shake him rather aggressively to rouse him.
“Wha-? Where are we?” Buck stood slowly, leaning onto the wall for balance. He carelessly swiped at the sticky collection of drool and snot adorning the side of his face, and it really said something about the extent of their relationship (former relationship, Eddie thinks to himself) that he didn’t immediately, as May would put it, “get the ick.”
Bobby looked even more unamused with Buck than usual. “We’re at the scene of a car accident, Buck. You’re at work when clearly you should be at home. We’ll talk about this later but right now Eddie and I will be on saws and jaws while you see what you can do to help Chim and Hen. By the looks of it, I don’t think you’re up for anything more strenuous than tearing strips of gauze.”
Eddie’s heart sank when Buck didn't even protest what was essentially being benched. He gave a slow nod, almost as though moving his head was painful, and a wet, snuffly noise of agreement before joining Hen in assessing an elderly woman seated in the passenger seat of one of the vehicles.
Bobby and Eddie were able to open the other vehicle, which had taken the brunt of the damage, with relative ease, as only one side was caved in. It was odd working alongside Bobby, as Buck had always been his partner in such situations. It was the only time they really interacted after the lawsuit, and Eddie would be lying if he said he didn’t miss it, miss him.
By the time they lifted the last victim into the ambulance, Eddie was itching to check on Buck.
“He’s back in the engine,” Hen supplied, as though she were reading his mind. “Probably fell asleep again, he was dead on his feet. I sent him back in after he damn near dozed off on a backboard.”
“Not before he sneezed in my face,” Chim added with a grimace. “Your boy is a walking petri dish and I have no desire for a sample.”
“He’s not my boy,” Eddie grumbled, but he didn’t stay around to argue, far more concerned with Buck’s condition. Grabbing a blanket from the ambulance, Eddie returned to the engine to find Buck in the same position before, sleeping soundly. Only this time, he was shivering slightly beneath his makeshift blanket. Eddie had just tucked the blanket he’d brought around him when Bobby entered, holding a temporal thermometer he must have also gotten from the ambulance. He said nothing about Eddie tucking Buck in, but raised both eyebrows when the thermometer beeped.
102.1°F
“You’re taking him home once we get back. I messaged Maddie but she’s at work and they’re slammed, I’ve already called in a few people to cover.” It wasn’t a question, it was an order, and Eddie was used to taking those without complaint, but the thought of driving Buck home, of looking after him, was much more intimate than he could bear. Not when the last time he’d helped Buck, he’d spun around and betrayed him.
Bobby seemed to sense his hesitation. “Eddie, you two need to make up.”
“It’s not affecting the job,” he argued. “We still work together fine.”
“No, but it’s affecting the team. We can’t be a team when you two are like this. Cohesion is what keeps us running and without all of us getting along, it’s only a matter of time before something happens. Eddie, you need to talk to him. Now is as good a time as ever, seeing as he won’t be going anywhere for a while.”
Eddie didn’t respond to that, and the drive back was silent, but he did as Bobby had ordered. Gathering up both he and Buck’s things from the locker room, he gently shook the man awake.
“Buck, time to get up. I’m taking you home.”
Pale blue eyes opened a fraction of an inch, and he gave a small nod, allowing Eddie to pull him to his feet and walk him to his truck. He leaned heavily on Eddie, still half asleep, and as soon as his butt hit the passenger seat, he was out once again, leaving Eddie to wrangle his long legs into the car and to buckle his seatbelt. The drive home was silent but for Buck’s snoring and the occasional wet cough. Eddie first made to drive in the direction of Buck’s flat, but quickly changed direction. There was no way in good conscience he could leave him alone in this state, not when he’d already been through so much. Eddie was still mad at him, of course, but he wasn’t that cruel.
Arriving home meant the herculean task of waking him. Eddie may be a strong firefighter, but Buck’s bulky, dead weight was a bit much even for him, he would have to wake him. He all but rubbed his sternum before he came to with a groan.
“We’re at my house,” Eddie answered before Buck could ask. He attempted to stand him up, but he weakly batted him away.
“No, I’m tired. Lemme just stay here, sleep here.”
“Nope, not happening.” This time, Buck allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, but Eddie did most of the work of getting him from the car, to the door, to the couch, where Buck promptly burrowed himself beneath Chris’s favorite Superman blanket. Eddie went to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of Motrin, a box of tissues, and a bottle of Gatorade, and to start brewing some tea. When he returned to the living room, Buck was looking much more awake, sitting up and flicking through channels on TV.
It was almost like he’d never left.
On account of Christopher, Eddie only really kept around the liquid stuff, and Buck grimaced at the plastic cup of orange fluid.
“Bottoms up, Buckaroo.”
He took it like a shot, sputtering and immediately going for the Gatorade. Despite his best efforts, Eddie found himself smiling.
This doesn’t mean anything. You’re just taking care of a sick fr-no, a sick coworker. Just following Cap’s orders.
He kept that mantra in his head as he Doordash-ed Buck’s favorite soup, even though he insisted he wasn’t hungry, and when he made him eat a few spoonfuls. And when he sat next to him on the couch, sharing a blanket and letting him watch whatever cheesy superhero movie he wanted. By the time he called Tia Pepa to ask if she could keep Christopher for the night, he conceded that they are at the very least back to being friends, but when he woke the following morning, having fallen asleep in his arms, Eddie realized that he couldn’t avoid this conversation forever.