Work Text:
Today, May 10th, was the best day, yet the worst day for one person: Evan Buckley. Why, you may ask, because his newly adopted biological son was turning 5 today, and he was not prepared at all. He has been stressed for weeks trying to make sure that everything was perfect.
Luckily, he has the best fiancé in the world to help him out.
So, as Buck is stressed, he made Theo's favorite, chocolate cake with strawberry icing, along with cheesecake brownies and classic chocolate chip cookies for Chris and Jee, and chess squares for the rest, and then he made some of Bobby's snickerdoodles because he was stress-baking and because Eddie really wanted some, and Buck can't say no to his big brown doe eyes.
"You're lucky I love you," Buck tells Eddie as he finishes decorating the cake.
"I know. I'm very lucky," Eddie teases, playfully slapping Buck's ass as he grabs the rest of the flour from the cabinet, since Buck has used up all of the rest of their supply so he can make the cookies once he's finished with the cake.
Buck blushes a deep crimson color, swatting Eddie's hand away, making the other man laugh giddily as he sets the flour down on the counter, sticking his finger in the icing bowl and scooping up a bit that he licks off.
Buck lightly slaps Eddie on the back of his head, reminding Eddie very much of his abuela when he was a kid. "Get out of my kitchen, Diaz. Go make sure the birthday boy is actually dressed; I can't handle chasing down a half-naked 5-year-old right now, plus he actually listens to you '
Eddie grins proudly. "I know. It's a part of my charm."
Buck is not amused. "Whatever you need to tell yourself, baby."
"Well, I was going to kiss you, so I guess I won't now," Eddie says sassily, turning and starting to make his way out of the room.
"Wait, no!" Buck protests, setting down his baking tools and walking towards Eddie to stop him. "Come backkkk."
Eddie snorts and turns around, pulling Buck in by the collar of his shirt and connecting their lips for messy, passionate kisses before they part. Then Eddie goes on a mission to find their four-year-old, and Buck goes back to finish decorating the cake.
Eddie eventually finds Theo; he was running around the backyard with his pants on but nothing else, giggling to himself.
Eddie shakes his head with a smile, walking outside and running to catch the boy, making him laugh when Eddie grabs his waist as he lifts the boy up in the air.
"What are you doing, monito?" Eddie says as he playfully nibbles Theo's cheek, placing him against his hip. (monito: little monkey.)
Theo giggles. "You caught me, Dee!"
Eddie grins. "That's right, I did. You can't outrun me, bub."
Theo just beams, laying his head on Eddie's shoulder as Eddie carries him to his bedroom.
As Eddie walks into the boy's room, the boy throws his hands up in glee, smiling at Eddie. "DEE, GUESS WHAT?!"
Eddie grins, setting the boy down on the bed. "What, monito?"
"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, DEE!" Theo cheers.
Eddie gasps dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. "It is?"
Theo giggles, clapping his hands. "Yes, Dee, yes! I'm dis many now!" he exclaims, holding his palm up in the air to show that he's five.
Eddie chuckles, running a gentle hand through Theo's curls. "That's right you are, baby. Now you have to get dressed so we can go to Nana and Pop-Pop's."
"Okay, Dee!" Theo agrees with an adorable smile, letting the older man put on his shirt, socks, and shoes.
The shoes Eddie puts on Theo are the new Spider-Man Velcro sneakers that Pepa and Abuela got him for his birthday and gave him this morning when they were over for brunch for their own private celebration with him, Buck, and Eddie—Chris is over at Hen and Karen's and will be over at Bobby and Athena's for the big party.
Buck wipes his hands lazily on his apron, admiring the cake with a huge grin, smiling proudly before covering it with his plastic cake tray, taking off his apron, and walking over to Theo's room to check on Theo and Eddie, finding them giggling among themselves, making Buck smile.
"Are you guys ready to go ?'
"Ya, Daddy Buck, we're ready!"
Eddie smiles, lifting Theo into his arms. "Yup, we're ready."
Buck grins. "Great. I'll get all of the desserts if you'll get him."
Eddie nods, stepping out of Theo's room, kissing Buck's cheek along the way. "I've got him, amor. I'll help you once he's settled in."
"Sounds good."
A few minutes later, they're heading towards Bobby and Athena's house, Theo ranting about how he's so excited and how he's never celebrated his birthday in such a big way.
Buck and Eddie gave each other a look when Theo said that, silently promising to make sure Theo always has the best birthday parties ever.
Their boy deserves that and so much more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Theo is practically vibrating with excitement as Eddie parks his truck in Bobby and Athena's driveway.
Buck unbuckles the lively boy from his car seat, setting him on the ground, watching him run towards the front door; then he and Eddie grab all of the baked goods from the floorboards and make their way inside.
"You need some help there, baby," Athena says to Buck as he opens the door, chuckling, as Theo runs past her to Bobby, shouting, "POP- POP!!!!" as Bobby picks him up, chuckling
"Hey there, birthday boy, are you excited?"
"YES!!!"
Athena laughs as she walks over to her husband and the lively boy. "Yeah, I bet you are, baby."
Theo just giggles. "Hi, Nana."
She kisses his forehead. "Hi, baby."
Athena then goes to help Buck and Eddie with the food while Theo talks with Bobby.
"You like my new shoes, Pop-Pop?" the boy asks, pointing down to them, making the older man smile.
"I sure do. Where did you get them?"
"Pepa and Abuela got them for me!" Though Abuela was pronounced more like: "Abu-ella."
"That's awesome, kiddo. Want to go outside with your cousins?"
Theo nods. "Is Kiss here?"
"Oh, yeah, he is very excited to see you. C'mon."
"Yaaaay!" He cheers as Bobby carries him outside to the backyard where all of the kids are, as well as everyone else: Chim, Hen, Ravi, May, and Harry.
Maddie is helping set up the table with Karen in the dining room as Athena helps Eddie and Buck carry the sweet treats into the kitchen.
"Stress baking again, baby?" Athena asks, raising a curious brow as Buck lays out all the sweets
"My kid is five, Mama; of course I was stressing."
Athena chuckles. "That can't be good for you."
Buck sighs. "I know."
"Well, it's good for me," Eddie says sassily, stuffing a chess square into his mouth, making Athena roll her eyes at him and Buck groan.
"Babe, you've already had three; save some for the rest of us!"
Eddie just shrugs as he chomps down on the dessert.
Meanwhile, in the backyard, Theo is running around, saying hello to everyone.
"Awesome shoes, Mini-Buck," Chim compliments, making Theo smile.
"Thanks, Uncle Im!!"
Chimney smiles and ruffles the boy's hair, making him giggle.
"Yeah, dude, those are so cool!" Denny says with a grin.
Theo thrives under the attention. "Thanks, Cowin Denny!"
"I had shoes like those when I was your age," Chris cuts in, hobbling over to his little brother.
Theo leaps with joy, his hazel eyes wide with wonder. "Whoa, really?! That's so cool, Kiss!"
Christopher smiles. "Yeah, it is. Happy birthday, little brother."
"Tanks, Kiss!!"
Chris then leans down and wraps Theo in a side hug.
Auntie May and Uncle Hawwy (Harry) also say hello to him, telling him happy birthday and giving him hugs, as well as Auntie May's weird boyfriend, Uncle Wavi (Ravi).
Auntie Aren (Karen) compliments his shoes, telling him that Denny once had shoes like those too; the boy was having the time of his life, letting Auntie En (Hen) wrap him in a tight embrace before Auntie Addie (Maddie) smothers him with a tight hug and kisses all over his face.
"Theooooo!" Jee then yells, running over to him after realizing that he's here, because she was too busy coloring with Mara.
Theo grins, running to her, hugging her tight. "Cowin Jee-Jee!"
Mara then walks over to him and hugs him too. "Happy birthday, Theo."
"Cowin, Mawa!"
Theo really does love his massive family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little while later, lunch is served, and everyone gets seated at the table; the kids sit at the kids' table, the Grant-Nash backyard loud with chatter, laughter, and forks scraping against plates.
Then, after lunch is over and the table is cleaned off, they do presents, Theo hugging and telling everyone thank you and that he loves them after he opens each present.
Then, after that mess is all cleaned up, Buck and Bobby work on setting up the table for dessert, cake, and for Theo to blow out his candles.
Buck films it all on his phone, Eddie lighting the candles, telling Theo to make a wish and blow out the candles after everyone—poorly—sings him happy birthday.
As Theo blows them out, Buck gets a text message from Savanah, the animal shelter worker, that the puppy Buck and Eddie got for Theo is ready to be picked up.
Buck and Eddie found Theo a golden retriever puppy, which is good for Theo with his ADHD, so the two can grow up together. She's twelve weeks old; she's gotten all of her shots and has been socialized, so she'll be good with Theo and then eventually Chris.
So once the candles have been blown out and everyone is eating their choice of dessert that Buck made, Buck takes the plate out of Eddie's hands and pulls him to the side so no one can hear them.
Eddie frowns up at his fiancé. "Why did you take my cake away? Do you not love me anymore?"
"Eddie," Buck sighs, looking at Eddie with a serious expression.
Eddie's brows furrow. "What's wrong?"
Buck then smiles. "She's ready for us, Eds."
Eddie's eyes lit up. "She is?"
Buck grins, nodding his head and showing him the message that Savanah had sent him.
"You can pick her up after we head back home. I'll make sure Theo stays in the dark. I'm sure Chris will team up with me to make sure Theo has no clue until you come back home with her."
Buck grins. "I can't wait to meet her."
"Me too."
The two then kiss chastely, and then Eddie rushes back over to his cake, letting out a breath of relief when he sees that it's still there, making Buck laugh at his future husband's ridiculousness.
Everyone will probably be leaving in about an hour or so, so Buck lets Savanah know that he'll be there in about an hour and a half to pick up the newest addition to their family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buck takes off to the animal shelter shortly after the four of them return home, Chris distracting Theo with their favorite game to play, Superheroes, with Chris's many action figures as well as the new ones that Theo got today, and Eddie gets the presents ready before they surprise Theo with the puppy.
Meanwhile, Buck was arriving at Paws & Claws Animal Shelter. He could hardly contain his excitement as he walked into the familiar white and purple waiting room, spotting the receptionist, who waved at him excitedly as he walked over to her giddily.
"Hi, is Savanah here?"
She smiles at him. "Yes, she's in the back. How can I help you today?"
"I'm here to, uhm, pick up a twelve-week-old retriever. I let Savanah know I'd be here."
The receptionist gasps with a big smile, her green eyes wide with excitement. "Oh, you're one of the hot gay firefighters adopting a dog for their kid! Savanah is my best friend and has been telling me about you guys."
Buck chuckles, blushing slightly. "Yeah, that's my fiancé and me."
"Oh my God, you guys are engaged? Congrats!" She cheers as she presses the bell on the desk to get Savanah's attention in the back.
Buck smiles, amused by her cheerfulness. "Thank you."
Then the door opens that leads to the back where the kennels are, and Savanah walks out with a smile on her face, her brown eyes meeting Buck's own, a grin spreading across her face when she realizes that Buck is here.
"Evan, right?"
"Buck, actually," Buck corrects with a grin.
Savanah just grinned. "Right, sorry, I believe I talked with Eddie last time you guys were at the shelter together. Congrats on the engagement," she gushes out happily, noticing the ring, and Buck couldn't help but grin at the mention of Eddie.
The receptionist whose name tag reads Emily blushes because, clearly, Savanah could hear her comment from the back.
Buck wouldn't be surprised; she was loud, but in a sweet way.
"Ready to take Sunny home?" Savanah then asked.
Buck grins. "Absolutely, it's Theo's fifth birthday today, and Eddie and I want to surprise him before his birthday ends."
"Aww," the two young girls, probably in their twenties, cooed with smiles on their faces.
A couple of minutes later, Savanah walks back out from the back room holding Sunny in her arms.
"Here she is," Savanah says as she hands Buck the puppy, who yips and nearly leaps into his arms, recognizing him, licking all over his face, making Buck laugh.
"Hi, sweet girl, remember me?"
Her tail wags faster as she barks her adorable bark, as if she's saying yes.
Emily then walks over with a carrier, leash, and collar. "Here's this. Savanah's getting the food, treats, and other necessities for you."
Buck smiles kindly at the young brunette. "Thanks!"
Buck and Eddie bought the premium package when they were here last week to sign the adoption papers for her, so they're getting all of the basics for her so they don't have to go to the store and get everything.
The two brunettes—well, Savanah has some red highlights in her brown hair—then help Buck load up the Jeep with everything, placing Sunny in the carrier, which is in the back seat.
Sunny whines when she's in the cage.
Buck then slides his fingers into the openings of the carrier and pets her head to try to calm her down. "Don't worry, we'll be home soon."
Sunny then nibbles at his fingers, making Buck laugh as he slides his fingers out of the carrier, shuts the car door, and then turns around to look at the two young women.
"Thank you for everything."
"Of course," Emily says with a smile.
"It was lovely to help you and your fiancé."
Buck beams; he still cannot believe he's engaged to Eddie Diaz.
Then he waves goodbye, thanking them once more as he climbs into his Jeep and drives off,h heading home, Sunny making adorable annoyed puppy sounds as she impatiently waits to get out of the cage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Right after Buck parks in the driveway, Eddie quickly and quietly helps Buck bring all of the stuff into the living room to add to the little display that Eddie made with the doggy bed they bought for her and a bunch of toys on the coffee table. Then they bring in Sunny, having to keep her quiet as they place the carrier on the floor of their bedroom.
She yips when she recognizes Eddie, and Eddie has to take her out of the carrier to give her some attention and kisses to her golden fur.
"Hi, Golden Girl, remember me?" Eddie coos at the puppy, making her bark and tail wag faster. "Shhh. We have to surprise Theo, and so we can't do that if you're loud."
She just licks his face, making Eddie laugh as he places her back in the carrier. She doesn't quite care for it.
"I know, I'm sorry. But it won't be long. I promise," Eddie says to her as he steps out of his and Buck's bedroom, the two heading into Theo's room for the reveal.
Chris and Theo are laughing and clashing their figures together as they "fight" when Buck and Eddie find them; it's adorable.
"Hey, boys," Eddie announces, knocking on the door frame to catch their attention.
"Yeah, Dad?" Chris asks as if he doesn't already know what's about to happen; he's the one who gave them the idea for this, after all.
"Yes, Dee?" Theo asks adorably.
"There's a surprise for you in the living room, monito," Eddie says with a grin.
Theo gasps. "For me?"
"Yeah, c'mon, buddy," Buck adds with a big smile.
Theo drops the action figures from his hands and runs out of his room, Buck following closely behind as Eddie helps Chris up, the teenager following behind Buck and Theo, Eddie slipping away to his and Buck's bedroom to get Sunny.
"Puppy?" Theo asks after he sees all of the stuff particularly laid out around the coffee table, his hazel eyes wide.
That's when Eddie walks into the room with a big smile, Sunny squirming in his arms, yipping.
"PUPPY!!" Theo screams in pure joy when he sees what Eddie has in his arms.
Buck and Eddie laugh at Theo's reaction, Chris grinning from his spot on the couch where Buck helped him sit, pulling out his phone to video.
"PUPPYYYY!!" Theo yells as Eddie kneels on the ground, setting Sunny down.
"Monito, this is Sunny, and Sunny, this is Theo, your new best friend."
Sunny barks, her tail wagging crazily, attacking Theo's face with kisses—meaning that she licks all over his face—which makes Theo exclaim with laughter as he wraps his arms around the puppy.
The other three laugh, watching Theo with his new furry friend.
"Can I call her Goldie, Papa Dee?" Theo asks as she runs around the room, walking over to Chris to greet him since she hasn't met him yet. "Wait, no, Goldfish!"
Eddie places a hand on the boy's back. "Goldie is perfect. Goldfish can be her nickname."
"Yay!" Theo cheers, throwing his arms around Eddie's neck. "Thank you, Deeeeee. I wuv you."
Eddie wraps his arms around Theo, kissing his golden curls. "You're welcome, and I love you too, monito. So much."
Then Theo runs over to Buck to hug him. "Thank you, Daddy Buck!!"
Buck smiles, wrapping his arms around his boy. "You're very welcome, baby. Want to go run around with Goldie in the yard?"
"Yeah!!" Theo exclaims, throwing his arms up in the air in delight.
Eddie lifts Sunny, now Goldie, into his arms after she's gotten comfortable with Chris, taking her outside, with Theo and Buck following close behind, Theo sprinting around the yard after the puppy right after Eddie sets her down.
Buck and Eddie watch adoringly, Eddie resting his head on Buck's shoulder, holding Buck's hand tightly in his as they watch their son run around with the new member of their family, Chris joining them a bit later, watching them run around.
"I want a dog," Chris mumbles, not thinking that Buck and Eddie heard, already mentally planning out something special for his birthday in four months.