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Look at this precious baby, he's the most perfect new addition to the Buckley-Diaz family 🥹
🌋🌋🌋
Eddie didn’t mean to fall in love with a dog today, but with the crazy ass day they had, the dog was the best damn part of it.
The poor guy was so lost and scared, so Eddie attached the poor guy to his chest with the carrier he was wearing to carry young kids/babies and keep them away from the boiling hot lava from the fucking volcano that decided to pop up for no reason.
But at least this little guy brought a smile to Eddie’s face.
After Eddie rescued him, Eddie checked him over to make sure he wasn’t bleeding or anything, but he had nothing; no injuries, he just needed a bath.
Eddie pets the male dog’s adorable head, a smile on his face. “I’ll get you all cleaned up once we’re back at the station, buddy.”
The dog’s tail wags happily, licking Eddie’s face, making Eddie chuckle.
“I bet you’re hungry and thirsty too, huh?”
The dog barks, licking Eddie’s cheek.
Eddie giggles, kissing his new furry friend’s head.
God, this dog really needs a bath.
“C’mon, buddy, let’s go find the team,” Eddie says, leading the pooch to where Chimney and Harry are.
They’re currently in what was a parking lot; Buck, Ravi, and Hen should be nearby.
They’ve also done just about all that they can; they’ve been following the lava’s path, rescuing people. Also going out to places where people were stuck and had called dispatch.
“Di-azz, why do you have a dog?” Chimney asks, pointing to Eddie’s new friend.
Eddie pets the dog’s furry head. “He has no collar, and he was all alone, so he’s mine now.”
The dog barks happily, placing his paws on Eddie’s leg, licking Eddie’s hand.
Eddie chuckles, looking down at the pooch, scratching his head.
Chimney sighs. “Just leave your new furry friend in the engine; dispatch radioed in about another survivor.”
Eddie nods, looking down at the dog. “C’mon, buddy.”
Then Eddie leads him to the engine, opening the door for him. The dog instantly hops in, making Eddie chuckle and pet his head.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise. Oh! Let me get you something to drink first.”
Eddie gets a little bowl, then pours some water in it for him; the dog quickly drinks it up, making Eddie smile and pour a little bit more into it for him.
There’s no food in the engine that would be dog-safe; it’s just a bunch of snacks Buck loves to keep stocked for them in case of an emergency situation.
“I’ll get you more later. I’m sure we won’t be here for too much longer, but I hope that you get some rest, buddy.”
The dog licked his cheek, his tail wagging as Eddie talked to him.
Eddie smiled, scratching behind the pooch’s ears, pressing his face to the dog’s. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
Then Eddie stepped back and closed the door, locking the puppy in the engine—Eddie was glad that the windows were rolled down slightly so the dog could have some air.
After Eddie, Harry, and Chimney saved the couple who called dispatch, Hen, Ravi, and Buck met back up with them, looking tired, but with no injuries besides a few scratches and bruises.
Eddie’s heart leapt at the sight of Buck, who smiled when he saw Eddie.
Eddie can admit that yes, he ran for Buck, wrapping his best friend in a tight embrace, double-checking him for injuries.
“I’m good, Eds,” Buck says with a laugh after Eddie has given him a pat-down to make sure nothing seemed off.
“Just making sure,” Eddie says, taking a step back. “How’s the nose?”
Last week, Theo had a bad nightmare and kicked Buck in his sleep accidentally when Buck was trying to comfort him.
Eddie hated that Buck didn’t call him or tell him about it, but they talked about it after they had a big fight about it, then took a day to cool off before they wrapped each other in an embrace, apologizing profusely for everything they said.
Things are so much better now; they’ve really been working on their communication so that kind of argument never happens again, and for Theo.
God, Eddie loves that kid.
“Want to meet my new friend?” Eddie asks with a smile.
Buck’s brows furrow. “S…Sure?”
Eddie chuckles, pulling Buck over to the engine a few feet away. “You’re going to love him.”
Buck looks even more confused now.
As soon as Eddie opens the door, the dog jumps on Eddie, Eddie laughing loudly as he catches him.
“Missed me, huh?” Eddie asks with a grin, the dog’s tail wagging wildly, attacking Eddie’s face with licks.
“Where did you find a dog?” Buck asks as Eddie sets the pooch down on the ground.
Eddie then looks over at his best friend. “Found him when I was at that parking lot where people were trapped in their cars; poor guy was so scared and alone.”
Buck nods, an odd expression on his face. “So you’re, uh, going to adopt him?”
Eddie shrugs. “If he’s not microchipped or anything, definitely. He’s so sweet; I just know Chris and Theo are going to love him.”
Buck’s mouth falls open.
Eddie’s brows furrow, cocking his head in confusion, looking at Buck. “What’s up?”
Buck shakes his head. “N-Nothing…I just…never expected you to be a dog person. I didn’t think you liked dogs. You didn’t like Blaze.”
Eddie snorts. “He was adorable. And I never disliked him.” He was jealous of that dog, okay? “I love animals. Sure, I’m more of a cat person, but I still love dogs, especially this one.” Eddie then leans down to scratch at his new furry friend’s head, the dog’s tail wagging happily.
Buck smiles, then the rest of the team wanders over, everyone so ready to get the hell out of here and back to the station now that they’ve done all that they can. I mean, they’ve been out here practically all day; they’re all so goddamn tired and need some solid food instead of snacking on what they keep in the engine.
Everyone just stares at Eddie as they’re riding back to the station, his furry friend sitting in between his open legs, Buck sitting across from him, smiling and petting the dog’s head, who seems to have grown very fond of Buck already.
“So, you found a dog?” Hen asks, confused.
“Sure did,” Eddie replies cheerfully. “Best damn thing that’s happened all day. Well, that and the fact that we’re all alive and saved a lot of people.”
Everyone can agree to that.
🌋🌋🌋
They’re now back at the firehouse and hopping out of the engine, the dog leaping out without any help, following Eddie, his tail swaying.
Eddie can’t help himself and chuckles.
God, he loves this dog so much.
“We all need showers, food, and some sleep,” Chimney says.
Everyone agrees.
“I’ll get some lasagna going!” Buck offers cheerfully. “And something for our furry friend too.”
The dog barks happily when Buck gives him some pets.
“Thanks, Buck,” Eddie says with a smile.
Buck grins up at him. “Of course, Eds.”
Eddie then leans down to pet the dog's head and leads him outside where the hose is that they use to clean the engines. “Let’s get you all cleaned up, stinky boy.”
The dog barks and happily skips with Eddie outside, Eddie making a quick stop to find some soap to clean the pooch up because yes, he really does stink.
But Eddie was too enamored by his cuteness to care.
Eddie can’t stop smiling as he washes the dog, who really needs a name, laughing every time the dog shakes off the water and soap, covering mostly Eddie’s face with it.
Eddie then dries off his new furry friend, somehow making him look even more adorable with his slightly wet, super fluffy hair.
He definitely needs to get his hair trimmed; it’s very long and way too thick for this hot weather.
“You’re so adorable, you know that?” Eddie asks, of course not expecting an answer because he’s talking to a dog. “C’mon, I bet Buck has some food ready for you.”
The dog’s tail wags at the mention of food, making Eddie smile and kiss his furry head.
Oh, yeah, he’s nice and clean now.
Eddie walks with the dog upstairs, finding Buck in an apron, moving around the kitchen like he doesn’t even have to think about it. Eddie isn’t ashamed to admit that he stared at Buck for a few seconds before walking over to him.
Buck gasps with a smile when he sees Eddie and the dog.
“Perfect timing! I just finished making your food, buddy. I got you some water too!”
The dog’s tail wags as Buck points to two Tupperware bowls on the floor, one full of food and one full of water, which the dog instantly goes for and practically inhales.
Buck and Eddie watch in amusement, then Buck adds more food into the bowl for him when the dog looks up at the two of them with the cutest puppy-dog eyes and the empty bowl in his mouth.
“Someone was hungry,” Buck says in a cute voice, gently taking the bowl from the dog to refill it, then sets it back on the ground, the dog devouring it in seconds.
“You should take a shower, Eds. I’ll watch him,” Buck says kindly.
Eddie smiles, placing his hand on Buck’s shoulder for a moment. “Thanks, Buck. I appreciate it. You should take one too.”
“I will. I just need to make some food for everyone first.”
Buck, as always, puts everyone before himself.
Eddie smiles at him once more, petting the pooch’s head briefly, promising to be back shortly, then heads downstairs to take a very much-needed shower, joining everyone upstairs a bit later to dig into Buck’s lasagna—Bobby’s recipe, but Buck has perfected it now—the dog sitting at his feet while Eddie eats, Buck sitting next to them, the two chatting about how they should tell their boys about the dog.
They both know Theo is going to be overjoyed and Chris has always wanted a pet, but Eddie never had the funds or capability to have one; Eddie has a feeling that the 118 finally has their own firehouse dog.
“Wait, can we do that?” Buck asks curiously through a bite of lasagna.
Eddie shrugs, chewing a bite of pasta. “I hope so; that way I won’t have to pay a crap ton of money for a dog sitter when we have shifts.”
Buck nods. “True.”
“Plus, you can watch him when I have plans, and I can’t take him with me. We can easily work it out.”
Buck nods enthusiastically. “Absolutely, Eds.”
Eddie smiles.
🌋🌋🌋
Chris is at the Wilson house spending the day with Denny since Karen picked them both up from school because of the whole volcano thing.
So Eddie uses the free afternoon to his advantage to take his new furry friend to a vet clinic to see if he’s microchipped.
Buck said that he’ll pick up Chris in a few hours for dinner so Eddie doesn’t have to rush.
Buck is the best person on the entire planet; Eddie loves him so much.
No, we are not diving into that. Eddie has something more important to worry about right now: his dog.
Well, hopefully his dog.
It just depends on what he learns at the vet clinic.
Eddie is so glad that he doesn’t have to pay to see if his new furry friend is chipped, and the two vets who are helping him are really nice; they’re both young and very sweet, and the dog warms up to them quickly.
The male vet asks him a few questions while the female uses their scanner to see if he’s chipped.
“Is he a stray or?”
“I rescued him today. I’m a firefighter, and we were helping with the volcano situation, and I found him in a parking lot, curled up in a ball, all alone and terrified. My partner and I have two sons together, and they’d absolutely love him.”
The man smiles. “That’s lovely. He’s a very friendly dog, so I bet he will get along really well with your sons.”
Eddie grins, and then the female vet looks over at Eddie. “There is no chip, and from on how thin he is and how long his nails are, I’d say he is probably abandoned.”
Eddie’s heart breaks for his new friend, walking over to him, leaning down to kiss his head. “Well, you are going to have a brand new home with so many people who are going to love you so, so much.”
The dog barks, his tail wagging as he licks Eddie’s face, making Eddie laugh.
“There is actually a groomer right down the street you can take him to so they can trim his nails and give him a haircut before you take him home.”
Eddie smiles at her. “Absolutely.”
Then the male vet walks over to him with a brochure in his hands. “This is a diet we’d recommend for him for the next few weeks to get him back on track with his weight.”
Eddie takes it with a grin. “I really appreciate that, thank you so much.”
“Of course, Eddie. We’re glad this sweet boy is going to a good home,” she tells him, walking with him out of the exam room, the dog following right behind Eddie. “Would you like to purchase a leash and collar while you’re still here?”
“Yes, I definitely would. Both in red if you’ve got them.”
“We do!” The male vet cheers, handing them to Eddie. “Here ya go.”
“Thank you both so much.”
Then Eddie pays for the collar and leash, kneeling down to put the collar around the pooch’s neck and attaching the leash to the metal ring.
“You’re all mine now, buddy,” Eddie says to the dog, kissing his head. The dog’s tail wags happily, barking cheerfully, licking Eddie’s cheek.
Eddie walks into the groomer's right down the road a few minutes later, his dog on the leash as they step inside and walk to the front desk, with someone walking over with a smile a few seconds later.
“Do you have an appointment?”
Eddie shakes his head. “Didn’t know I’d be here today. I just rescued this guy today.”
She grins at him kindly. “We’ve had a few cancelations today from the lava situation, so we can definitely squeeze you in today.”
Eddie grins. “Awesome.”
“I’ve got an opening in an hour, so can I get your name and number? I can call you once I’m done with my current appointment.”
Eddie gives her his information, then drives to the pet store ten minutes away to purchase the food that was recommended in the pamphlet the vets gave him, two sets of bowls, two dog beds, and a few toys that interested him.
He got two of some things for Buck to keep at his house for when he watches the dog.
Then he goes to the custom dog tag kiosks and creates a custom tag for him; he’ll have to bring it back to add his name once he has one. It’s silver, in the shape of a bone, with his name and number and Buck’s name and number on the back of it, with a firetruck on the front of it.
It takes two minutes to print out once Eddie picks the design, and then he puts it on the dog’s collar.
“I’ll have your name engraved once my boys give you one, okay? I promise,” Eddie tells the dog, who licks his cheek before Eddie stands up to walk them out to his truck, his phone ringing in his pocket.
It’s the groomer; they’re ready for him.
Time to get this dog a haircut and nail trim before he pokes a hole in Eddie’s nice leather seats.
🌋🌋🌋
Two hours later, he was pulling the truck into Buck’s driveway, the dog getting very excited as Eddie hopped out of the driver’s seat, opening the rear door to let the dog hop out, grabbing onto the end of the leash and grabbing the bag with the toys and bowls, leaving the dog chow and beds in the truck because they’re too heavy and he doesn’t have a free hand to carry them.
When Eddie steps into the house, he shouts, “Guess who!?” shutting the door behind him, kicking his shoes off, setting the plastic bag on the coffee table, sitting on his knees as he pets the dog’s head, Theo speeding into the room seconds later, a big smile on his face, his arms open wide.
“Deeeee’s home!!!!!!!!” Theo screams, throwing himself at Eddie.
Eddie chuckles, wrapping his arms around the boy, the leash wrapped around one of his hands. “That’s right, and I brought a friend.”
Theo then pulls back, his eyes going wide when he sees the dog, gasping, a big grin spreading across his cute face. “Puppy! Eddie got a puppy!!”
Eddie chuckles, toying with Theo’s messy curls; they’re so soft. “Sure did, monito. He’ll be living with me at my house, but you’ll see him all the time, I promise.”
Theo cheers, reaching out to pet the dog’s back. “So fluffy!”
Eddie cannot stop smiling. “He sure is. He got two baths today and a haircut.”
Theo grins, looking over at Eddie with wide eyes. “Does he have a name, Dee?”
Eddie pets Theo’s hair. “No. I’m leaving that up for you and Chris to pick what his name should be.”
Theo gasps, speeding off to Chris’s room—yes, Chris has a room in Buck’s house; it’s totally normal, Edide doesn’t have any feelings about it at all.
“Kiss, Dee got a puppy, come see! We get to name him!”
That’s when Buck walks into the living room. He clearly was in the kitchen; he’s got an apron on.
“Well, look at you, buddy, you’re all good and clean,” Buck coos to the dog, scratching behind his ear, clearly hitting the right spot.
Eddie smiles, rising to his feet, unfastening the leash from the dog’s collar. He’s been very well-behaved, not jumping on Theo, so as long as he doesn’t try anything with Chris, Eddie will leave the leash off him.
“Oh, yeah, he got a nail trim, a haircut, then another bath at the groomers.”
Buck grins, still scratching behind the dog’s ears. “Theo seems very excited.”
“Oh, yeah. He didn’t even notice it at first.”
Buck cackles. “He was too excited to see you. He's been talking about you ever since I picked him up from daycare.”
Eddie chuckles, hearing the clicking of Chris’s crutches and the pitter-patter of Theo’s footsteps getting closer.
“Dad did not get a dog,” the teenager grumbles.
“Yes, he did!” Theo defends. “I saw him!!”
Then, as if he could hear them, the dog barks, striding over to Theo, his tail wagging.
“Puppy!” Theo exclaims with a gasp, the dog sitting down in front of him, letting Theo throw his little arms around him, shoving his face into the dog’s soft fur.
Chris stares at the dog with wide eyes, then looks over at Eddie. “You actually got a dog.”
Eddie beams. “Yeah, I did. I rescued him today, and he’s not chipped, so he’s ours.”
“Really?” the teen asks with a gasp.
“Oh, yeah. And I’m giving you and Theo full power over his name.”
“No way.”
“See, I told you, Kiss!!” Theo says, pointing a finger at Chris.
Chris smiles. “Sorry, Theo.”
“It’s okay, Kiss.”
Buck and Eddie glance at each other with matching smiles on their faces.
Buck then helps Chris sit down on the couch, Eddie bringing the dog over to the sofa to officially meet Chris.
The dog is so very gentle with Chris, placing his head in Chris’s lap as Chris pets his head, Theo petting the dog’s back, and Buck and Eddie watch from afar, standing side by side, their shoulders pressed together as their sons pet their dog and debate names for him.
“What about Max?” Chris asks, scratching the dog’s head.
“No.”
“Buddy?”
“No.”
“Oliver?”
“No.”
“Come on, Theo, we have to pick one,” Chris groans, making Buck and Eddie laugh.
“But I don’t like those,” Theo whines.
Chris sighs. “Okay, then it’s your turn to list names.”
“Hmmmm,” Theo thinks loudly, tapping his chin, then a few seconds later he gasps with an idea. “Jack-Jack!”
Besides the Spider-Man films and Cars, The Incredibles is one of his favorite movies.
“How about Jack?” Chris offers. “Jack-Jack can be his nickname.”
“Yes!!!” Theo cheers, running over to Eddie and Buck, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s legs. “We have a name, Jack!!”
Eddie bends down, lifting the boy into his arms. “I love it. It’s perfect. Don’t you think, Buck?”
Buck nods, beaming. “It’s perfect for him.” Then Buck looks over at Jack. “You like your new name, Jacky boy?”
Jack barks, his tail wagging, licking Chris’s hand before running over to Buck, letting the man pet him before returning to Chris, hopping up on the couch, resting his head back in the teenager’s lap.
He is the most perfect addition to their family.
🌋🌋🌋
Eddie learns that he will have to have Jack go through a brief K9 program to have him become the official 118 firehouse dog.
Jack is not going to go out on calls with them; he’s always going to remain at the station, being more of an emotional support dog than anything. Eddie will probably bring them out on calls that involve children because Jack loves kids; he gets along really well with Theo and Jee.
Jack has gotten really used to the attention, but he mostly clings to Eddie, sometimes Buck, the people he’s most comfortable with, and he goes to them when he’s overstimulated.
And it took him a little while, but he eventually stopped getting as scared by the alarm, standing at attention, waiting for his order to either stay or go.
He’s the best dog ever.
🌋🌋🌋
Eddie can no longer ignore his feelings; I mean, they’re literally co-parenting two kids and a dog!
They literally have a shared calendar; Eddie goes to Theo’s appointments, picks up and drops off Theo from preschool, and Buck picks up and drops off Chris from school; if Eddie has plans, Buck watches Jack; they carpool more often than not.
They literally act like a married couple, and Eddie cannot hide his feelings any longer.
Eddie just came over to Buck’s house after lunch with Pepa and Abuela and finds Buck working out in his backyard, Jack running around and playing with Theo, and Chris sitting at a table on the back patio, working on homework, laughing at Theo and Jack; Buck’s laughing at them too, but then his eyes meet Eddie’s, those ocean eyes sparkling, taking Eddie’s breath away.
“Chris, watch Theo and Jack for a minute for me, okay?”
“Okay, Buck,” Chris says with a smile as Buck steps inside the house, Eddie turning around, his cheeks flushed—he was spying on his boys through the window so they couldn’t see him, except he seemed to forget that they have a sixth sense when it comes to each other.
Buck then closes the patio door behind him, leaving it slightly cracked just in case Chris and Theo need something.
“How are Pepa and Abuela?”
Eddie nods with a grin. “They’re good. Been having fun?” he asks, smiling.
Buck ducks his head, blushing beautifully, looking at Eddie through his eyelashes. “We always have fun here at the Buckley household.”
Eddie chuckles, stepping closer to Buck. “Oh, I know.”
Buck smiles, walking closer.
“I, uh, wanted to ask you something,” Eddie says, trying to hide how nervous he is to ask this.
“What is it?”
Eddie gulps, looking out the window at Jack and Theo running around the yard, smiling, before looking back at Buck, their eyes locking.
“I…I wanted to ask you out…I…I’ve been wanting to for a little while now, but I’ve been too scared and too focused on getting Jack settled, but I can’t ignore them anymore.”
“Ignore what, Eddie?”
“My feelings for you. I..I love you.”
Buck’s beautiful eyes fill with happy tears. “I love you too, Eddie. So much.”
Eddie then closes the gap between them, throwing his mouth onto Buck’s, their lips connecting for the first time, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as they get familiar with each other’s mouths, moaning softly.
“You’re sweaty,” Eddie rasps when they pull away for air.
Buck chuckles, his hands placed on Eddie’s ass over his jeans. “Then we should shower,” Buck flirts, Eddie’s face turning bright red.
“We? Buck, the boys are right outside.”
“Then we’ll have to be quick and quiet,” Buck whispers against Eddie’s lips.
Eddie cannot say no to that and yanks Buck with him down the hall to the bathroom for the two of them to take a quick shower together; they don’t have sex, but there’s a lot of kissing, touching each other’s bare skin, and grinding involved.
They may or may not have sex that night, though, when the boys are passed out in their rooms, Jack sleeping in the bed with Theo, always wanting to protect the boy even when he was sleeping.
Jack is the most perfect addition to their family of four that's now five, and things are even better now that Buck and Eddie are no longer hiding their feelings; with Eddie, Chris, and Jack moving in a few weeks later, their family is complete.