Buck's mood soared when Eddie let him know that Christopher was staying at Pepa's house that night, giving the two of them some much-needed privacy. After the horrible visit to his parents' house and an exhausting week at work, the prospect of a night of uninhibited passion with Eddie was like an oasis in the desert.
One thing that piqued his curiosity pretty quickly was that Eddie seemed to be planning something special. The way he was talking about tonight suggested he'd made some preparations, beyond the obvious of having Christopher spend the night elsewhere. There was a certain knowing gleam in his eye that made Buck's heart beat a little faster and the wait until they got off their shift almost unbearable. Hell, whenever his boyfriend gave him one of those luscious looks (and then quickly switched back to "serious firefighter on the job" look), Buck had to make a conscious effort not to get hard. If it happened at the firehouse, he was pretty sure he'd never hear the end of it from their teammates. If it happened on a call, HR might just get involved.
Still, Eddie, in typical Eddie fashion, refused to say a word about what would be – ahem – going down that night. Buck could tell that Eddie not only knew this was driving him crazy, but actually enjoyed it. Asshole, Buck thought, except it was probably the fondest way anyone had ever been thought of as an asshole in history. Throughout the impossibly-long drive from the firehouse to Eddie's apartment, they didn't talk much, the tension in the air thick enough to cut through with a knife.
They did stop on the way to pick up Thai food, but this didn't stop Buck from pouncing on Eddie as soon as they'd walked through the door and kissing the hell out of his boyfriend. He didn't get very far, though, as Eddie gripped his hands in that tender-yet-decisive way of his, forcing Buck to back up slightly and look into Eddie's resolute face.
"Easy now, baby," he drawled, with a hint of fire behind the calm in those golden eyes, "I'm calling the shots here."
And when he looked and sounded like that, Buck wasn't about to argue.
They laid out the food on the table, sat down and began to eat, though the butterflies in Buck's stomach were a definite match for his appetite. It was a good thing they'd only picked out a light meal, knowing that there was no way they'd be able to wait too long between dinner and sex.
When they were done, Eddie stood up from his chair and offered his hand to Buck with a small smile. Buck vaguely reflected on the fact that as much as Eddie was able to maintain a cool exterior (helpful in teasing the hell out of Buck), he was obviously pretty impatient to get this show on the road, too; Buck couldn't remember the last time Eddie was willing to leave dishes and food containers on the table for an indeterminate amount of time.
Buck almost knocked his chair on the floor from how quickly he stood up; to Eddie's credit, his smirk at that was almost unnoticeable. Almost. Buck clasped his boyfriend's hand eagerly, and Eddie led them into the bedroom, reflexively moving to close the door after them before obviously remembering that they were alone tonight and it wasn't needed.
And then they were finally facing each other, inches away from the bed.
Eddie reached out to caress Buck's cheek, looking deeply into his eyes. "Buck, do you trust me?"
Buck snickered slightly without thinking, before the earnestness of Eddie's question hit and he looked back at him, equally serious. "With my life. You know that, Eds."
Eddie nodded. "Okay. Tonight is about you, Buck. I want you to let me do this for you. So don't touch me, don't worry about getting me off. Just lie back and let me take care of you."
Buck was immensely flattered, but at the same time, this didn't feel entirely right to him.
"I don't know, babe... not touch you at all? That's a tall order."
Both of Eddie's hands were now on Buck's face as he gazed lovingly into the sapphire eyes. "Just trust me, okay?"
That enchanting husky voice broke down the last of Buck's resistance, and he nodded.
Smiling, Eddie pressed his lips to Buck's in a kiss that was languid, yet fiery all the same. Buck lamented the fact that Eddie had to pause the kiss long enough to pull Buck's shirt off over his head, but Eddie's lips were back on his before he had too much time to dwell on it. Next was Buck's belt, which Eddie only needed one hand to unbuckle while threading the fingers of his other hand through Buck's hair. And then the button and zipper of Buck's jeans.
No matter what he'd agreed to previously, being stripped of his own clothes while Eddie's gorgeous form remained fully covered rubbed Buck the wrong way, and his hands slid over to the hem of Eddie's shirt to pull it off. Eddie's hands stopped him yet again, however.
"No touching, remember?" Eddie's voice was even raspier this time, and combined with the intense look in his eyes, Buck was already feeling a bit lightheaded. It did not help matters when Eddie stood on tiptoe so he could whisper into Buck's ear, "Are you gonna be a good boy for me, Evan?".
Oh, shit. Buck was done for. And they'd barely started.
"Yes..." Buck mumbled, a bit embarrassed by how breathless he already sounded. Hey, it wasn't his fault that Edmundo Diaz cast a goddamned spell on him and he was powerless to do anything about it... not that he really wanted to. "Yes, of course, gonna be so good for you, Eddie."
The look on Eddie's face was somehow a combination of total love and adoration with "the cat that got the cream" type self-satisfaction. Yeah, the bastard knew full well the effect he had on Buck, and he made no qualms about using it to his advantage.
He then bent down to pull off Buck's jeans and his grey-and-blue plaid boxer briefs in one fell swoop, Buck stepping out of them to help Eddie and almost tripping and falling over from how eager he was. Eddie stood back up and allowed his obviously hungry eyes to travel up and down Buck's exposed flesh. Being completely naked and under Eddie's heated gaze while Eddie himself remained fully clothed (the only thing he'd taken off since their arrival at the apartment was his shoes) made Buck's cheeks flame up. He wished Eddie would get at least partially undressed too, not only because he was craving the sight – and feel – of his boyfriend's firm body, but because it'd make Buck feel a little less self-conscious. Still, Buck intended to be true to his word... he was going to let Eddie run the show, whatever that entailed.
"Wait a second," Eddie gruffed, holding up a finger for emphasis before turning to a mint-green plastic bag that Buck hadn't realized until that point was in the room, leaning against the far wall. He watched in confusion for a few seconds as Eddie rummaged through the bag before coming up with something and presenting it to Buck. In the dim lighting, it took Buck a moment to realize what it was: a red silk blindfold.
He gulped.
"Hey," Eddie touched Buck's chin gently, redirecting Buck's gaze from piece of fabric to Eddie's own eyes. "Is this okay?"
Buck thought about the question for a moment. This wasn't something they had done before in the bedroom, so the apprehension on both of their parts made sense. Still, Buck couldn't deny that it figured into a few fantasies of his. And he had been as truthful as can be when he reaffirmed his trust in Eddie a few minutes earlier, so while it can be a fine line between excitement and fear, there was no doubt that he stayed on the right side of it as long as he was with Eddie.
"Yes," Buck said with a gentle smile. "It's fine."
Eddie returned the smile in kind and pecked Buck on the lips, before lifting the blindfold up to Buck's face and tying it securely behind his eyes. Buck felt the thrill flood his veins as his vision was taken away, his anticipation of whatever Eddie had planned for him magnified now that the element of surprise had been added in, with Buck literally unable to see what was coming.
"If I do anything you don't like, tell me and I'll stop." Eddie's tone was earnest as Buck felt – but didn't see – his palms rub Buck's shoulders soothingly. "Promise?"
"Promise."
"Okay."
A beat. Then, suddenly, Buck was pushed down into a sitting position on the bed. He gasped; there wasn't much force behind Eddie's push, about the minimum needed to move someone Buck's (considerable) size, but he was still adjusting to being blindfolded and this was enough to make him feel off-kilter.
Eddie spoke again, calm and controlled. "Lie down on your stomach, Buck."
It took a second for this instruction to register, Buck still a little dizzy, but once it did, he pressed one palm and then both against the bed as he sluggishly maneuvered himself into the desired position.
Eddie, obviously noticing that his blindfolded boyfriend's movements were a little wobbly, placed his hands on Buck's sides, barely touching him but ensuring that he maintained his balance all the same.
Buck reflected momentarily, for about the millionth time, on just how smitten he was with this man.
Now lying down, Buck found one of the pillows and rested his head on it, letting out a long, contented sigh as he did. He felt relaxed enough to fall asleep, but he sure as hell had no intention of doing that, not when something so much better than sleep was right around the corner.
"Look at you, baby," he heard Eddie's voice, thick with desire. "You're perfect like this, all spread out for me, ready to take whatever I give you."
Gulp. Again.
Buck's ears then picked up on the sound of Eddie rummaging through the plastic bag again. It sounded like something was being pulled out and then like a bottle was being opened. Buck wondered if that was lube. Not wasting any time in getting to the main event, huh, Diaz?
And then two strong hands were on him, beginning at the back of his neck and gradually working their way down his body. Buck quickly realized the hands were soaked with massage oil, which was now being rubbed into virtually every inch of his skin. Eddie was as thorough as one would expect, working out every knot in Buck's shoulders, his shoulder blades, his upper and lower back, his sides. The mix of the rough calluses in Eddie's hands with the softness and sweet scent of the massage oil was downright intoxicating. Buck felt the tension drain from his muscles as Eddie worked him until he was practically floating.
Buck's breath hitched in his throat all of a sudden when he felt those skillful hands inches away from his entrance. But apparently, Eddie was in no hurry, content to press and knead the massage oil into the globes of Buck's ass and leave it at that. Still, having Eddie's hands that close to this particular area of Buck's body made the blond just a little harder.
Next up were Buck's thighs, calves, and ankles, Buck letting out one low moan after another at the loving attention he was being given. Finally, he felt Eddie bend down to whisper in his ear, "I'm gonna turn you over now."
The strong hands flipped Buck over with seemingly little effort so he was on his back (Buck helped a little, but he was already so drunk on the sensations Eddie was gifting him that movement proved challenging, and he settled for letting his boyfriend manhandle him). Buck felt Eddie's fingers caress his hair lovingly for a moment before the sound of more oil being squeezed out of the bottle reached his ears.
And now Eddie was rubbing the oil into Buck's chest, lightly pinching each nipple in turn until they were hard nubs. He went from Buck's shoulders down his arms, then massaged his taut stomach muscles as Buck exhaled slowly and basked in the feeling. And then Eddie was on Buck's legs again, from the front this time, eventually causing Buck to let out a little whine of frustration because he was fairly certain his boyfriend was deliberately skipping over a particular area.
After kneading Buck's thighs and calves tenderly, taking extra caution with the leg that had been injured, Eddie began to tease Buck's balls, rolling them in the palm of his hand and between slippery fingers. So close, and yet not quite there. Buck couldn't help another whine that escaped his lips.
This time, the sound Buck made evidently didn't go unnoticed by Eddie, as his entire weight was suddenly on top of Buck. Eddie lay across him, pinning him down to the mattress and pressing his lips to Buck's ear. "What do you want, baby? It's okay. Tell me."
"Eddie," Buck gasped, not bothering to hide how far gone he was at this point, "I – I need you to touch my dick... p-please... want it so bad..."
"Ask and you shall receive."
Eddie's weight was lifted off of Buck. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen and Buck strained his ears to get a clue of what Eddie was going to do next, his body feeling like one giant bundle of nerves. But in a good way.
He heard a bottle being uncorked again, and even in his current frenzied state he could put the two and two together that Eddie had already uncorked the massage oil and wouldn't need to do it again, so this had to be something else.
Sure enough, a moment later, slick fingers wrapped around Buck's shaft, drawing a guttural moan out of him as Eddie coated him with the liquid. The smell and texture of it were familiar, and Buck guessed that this was a strawberry-flavored lube they had used a couple of times before.
The reason for that particular choice of lube promptly became clear as a hot mouth engulfed his cock.
And Buck involuntarily arched off the bed, shouting Eddie's name loudly enough that he hoped the neighbors had loud music on or something.
At first, Eddie sucked him off tantalizingly slow, driving Buck even more insane, but he gradually picked up the pace. And then, catching Buck off guard, a lube-slicked finger slipped into him.
"Holy shit," Buck sobbed, writhing uncontrollably, "Fuck, fuck, oh my god, Eddie..."
His mouth otherwise occupied, Eddie didn't respond. Instead, he pressed into Buck's hole until he was loose enough to accept two fingers, working in tandem in a scissoring motion.
It didn't take long for the dual sensations of the wet heat enveloping his cock and the digits stretching him open to send Buck to the very brink of orgasm. Though he was almost beyond coherent speech at this point, Buck forced himself to speak.
"Eddie, Eddie, I'm really close – I'm about to – about to – "
Neither of them liked swallowing, so when it came to going down on each other, they'd gotten in the habit of warning each other when they were about to come (or else using a condom). Having a sweltering mouth leave your cock just when your orgasm was about to hit could be quite the buzzkill, but Buck didn't mind it too much because Eddie's mouth-hand coordination was good enough that Buck's brain barely registered that one form of stimulation had stopped before another began, taking him over the finish line.
Sure enough, there was a brief respite, and it hit a little harder than usual for Buck because two types of stimulation stopped at the same time: Eddie's fingers carefully retreated from his hole at the same time that his cock slipped out of Eddie's mouth.
But then those skillful digits wrapped around Buck's erection anew, and it only took a few seconds of their ministrations before Buck exploded, crying out Eddie's name again as stripes of pearly white come shot all over his stomach and chest. He didn't usually come this hard, but then, Eddie didn't normally drive him this wild and for this long before it was time for release.
It took a while before Buck was able to catch his breath. While he was coming down from his orgasmic high, he felt Eddie disentangle from his body and get off the bed. Buck was a little disappointed, craving the contact, but he was too tired to protest. He heard water running in the adjacent bathroom (he supposed Eddie was washing his hands) and then Eddie returned, wiping Buck clean with what felt like paper towels.
Then Eddie got back into bed and gathered Buck – who was pleased to note that his boyfriend was now naked as well, his hard member rubbing against Buck's soft one – into his arms. For a while, they lay like this in silence.
"Eddie, that was amazing," Buck mumbled.
"Glad to hear it," Eddie responded, sounding as cool and collected as ever, although Buck could tell from how hard he was that this was a bit of a façade; he turned Eddie on every bit as much as Eddie did him. Buck gave a small smile at the thought. "By the way, I forgot to give you a taste." Eddie leaned away from Buck for a moment, followed by a squeeze of the lube bottle, then Eddie's slick index finger was gently prodding at Buck's mouth.
Buck keenly opened up and sucked on his boyfriend's finger, savoring the sweet taste of strawberry, his sense of taste somewhat heightened with his vision not currently occupied. He kept at it until the finger was clean. Eddie rewarded him with a kiss to the forehead, and they snuggled again.
"So..." Eddie continued after a couple more minutes had passed, "You ready for round two?"
"Whoa, seriously?" Buck reflexively lifted his head to look at Eddie, and immediately felt silly for doing it since he still couldn't see. He'd considered removing the blindfold – to make him go this long without feasting his eyes on the gorgeousness of Eddie Diaz was downright cruel – but decided against it. He was going to follow Eddie's lead like he promised. In for a penny, in for a dime.
"Night's still young. I'm not done with you yet, Buck."
Oh, like there was any way Buck was going to say he wasn't ready yet after hearing that.
"Well, I'm definitely game for that," Buck replied with a grin, rolling onto his back again and clasping his hands together to lean his head against them lazily, gazing at the ceiling (or he would be if it was actually visible to him). "I kind of feel bad, though. I haven't gotten you off yet."
"Don't worry about it," Eddie said and once again, even if Eddie's face was hidden from him, Buck could tell there was a sly smile on it. "Like I said, tonight is about you. Besides," he caressed Buck's bottom lip with his thumb, "we'll get there soon enough. Now, just give me a minute."
Eddie left the bed, and once again – Christ, how much stuff does he have in there? – Buck could hear him digging through the plastic bag. Then he felt the bed dip once more under Eddie's weight. And then the squirting of more lube from the bottle could be heard.
"Spread your legs for me, Buck."
Chills travelled all the way down Buck's spine. Hearing these words still had the same effect on him that it did the first time.
He sucked in a breath as he bent his knees towards his chest, then spread his legs as he'd been told. It occurred to him, fleetingly, what a paradox it was that he could not be in a more vulnerable position, and yet, because he was with Eddie, he could also not feel any safer.
"Good boy," Eddie purred. "So good for me."
And then Buck felt something gently press against his rim. As the breach sent ripples of sensations through every inch of him, Buck trying not to visibly shudder but without much success, he realized it was a silicone plug, slick with the lube Eddie had obviously coated it with. It wasn't too big, probably smaller than either one of them at full hardness, but Buck still found himself gripping the sheets for dear life as the toy was slowly inserted until it was fully sheathed inside him.
Eddie's hot breath was suddenly in his ear again. "Talk to me, baby. Are you okay?"
Coherent speech was becoming difficult again as Buck felt like his brain had turned to mush, but he willed himself to breathe out, "I'm fine, I-I'm fine, Eds... God, this is so good... so good..."
Eddie gifted him a kiss to the temple and then whispered, "Hang on tight, then."
He didn't have to wonder what this meant for very long.
A second after Eddie moved away from him, he felt a button being pressed on the plug (now that the toy was buried in him to the hilt, Buck could feel even the smallest movement). And then the plug buzzed to life, vibrating right against Buck's prostate.
"Fuck!" Buck shouted, convulsing so violently and suddenly that he worried, a millisecond later, he might've hit Eddie or even knocked him off the bed. "Fuck, fuck, Eddie... oh my God... oh my God, Eddie..."
"It's alright, baby," came Eddie's soothing voice; thankfully, he didn't sound any worse for the wear. "Just breathe."
Buck nodded and made a valiant effort to try to calm himself. As the initial jolt of the vibrations beginning wore off, he realized that the device was actually at a low setting, humming softly inside him. Still, the feeling was surreal.
Eddie's lips were suddenly on his, claiming him with a kiss that was red-hot and yet tender. Buck couldn't help threading his fingers through Eddie's hair as he kissed him back, needing to touch at least some part of Eddie as well as to ground himself amidst the assault on his senses. Thankfully, Eddie seemed to have relaxed his rules and allowed it.
Then, without warning, the soft lips departed from Buck's mouth to travel down his neck, sucking on his pulse point and pretty much everywhere else, too. Thank goodness they were doing this at the beginning of a weekend with no shifts, the small part of Buck's brain that was still functional mused. As mind-blowing as this night had been (and he was fairly certain the remainder of it was going to be at least as much so), he wasn't sure anything in the universe would be worth having to bear the reactions from Chimney and Hen – and, shudder, Bobby – if they saw these hickeys on Buck's neck.
Buck couldn't stop himself from writhing on the bed again, spellbound by the feeling of Eddie kissing and sucking at his collarbone. Eddie continued to go south, peppering his kisses all over Buck's torso and abs, delicately biting each nipple, dipping his tongue in Buck's navel. His pattern was an unpredictable one, occasionally moving sideways to lick Buck's arms and his sides and even returning to his neck once or twice, the better to keep Buck guessing and on edge as he squirmed underneath him.
And all while Eddie was doing this, the plug continued to buzz inside his helpless boyfriend.
Buck was a sweating, shaking, nearly delirious mess.
"Eddie..." he pleaded, vaguely realizing his voice was downright hoarse at this point, "Shit, Eddie... I can't... I, I - "
"What is it, baby?" Eddie asked softly, rubbing a comforting hand against Buck's cheek. "It's okay, talk to me."
"Eddie, I need you to touch me so bad... please..." he whined, not bothering with any effort to appear composed anymore. And though he hadn't specified which body part he needed Eddie to touch, he was pretty sure the message got through.
A beat. Then Eddie simply replied, "Okay."
A lubed-up fist wrapped itself around Buck's almost-painfully-hard-by-now cock, and began pumping him in sync with the plug that was nestled in him, still vibrating subtly but clearly.
A litany of moans escaped from Buck's lips, far louder than he would dare if they didn't have the house to themselves; hell, probably louder than he'd ever moaned even on nights when they were alone together. It became an alternating, increasingly louder cycle of "Fuck" and "Eddie" and plain unintelligible sounds as Eddie brought him closer and closer to the brink –
Suddenly, with Buck already on the cusp of orgasm, his cock was released from the firm grip of Eddie's hand. Followed by the vibrations against his prostate stopping, and then the plug being carefully pulled out of his hole.
Buck was confused, disoriented, out of breath. "Eddie?" he called out weakly.
The initial response he got was not what he expected. It was the sound of a condom wrapping being torn, then (Buck had to strain his ears for this one, but it could be heard) the condom being rolled on, and then just the tip of a cock pressing against his entrance, as though seeking permission.
Catching him just as off guard was a sudden flood of light (good thing Eddie had dimmed the lights in the room before they'd started) as the blindfold was taken off his eyes.
Buck blinked several times, adjusting, before Eddie's face appeared and blocked out the light. The hazel eyes locked onto Buck's with an intensity that Buck didn't think he had ever seen in them before.
And then Eddie spoke, in a low voice, and yet in such a way that every syllable rang out powerfully.
"You are beautiful. And kind, and strong, and brave. Don't you ever forget that."
All Buck could do was stare back, mouth agape, with a "deer caught in the headlights" look.
It didn't seem like a response was required, however, as Eddie's lips were soon back on his in a searing kiss. Simultaneously, Eddie's cock slid into Buck in one smooth motion, the preparation from both his fingers and the toy making it easy. He then began to thrust into Buck at that pace that was just right, neither too slow nor too fast, and Buck was overtaken by pure ecstasy. He had been around the block, so to speak, had his fair share of sexual partners both male and female, but no one ever came to know his body as well as Eddie did. And Eddie was not shy about putting that knowledge to good use.
Buck was soon meeting Eddie up on each thrust, wrapping his arms around Eddie's neck as he did and never breaking off their kiss for any longer than it took to catch a breath here and there. Every time Eddie hit his prostate sent him flying higher. And just when he thought the onslaught of sensations was at the most intense level he could bear, Eddie's hand snaked between their sweat-soaked bodies (barely able to maneuver in that space with how tightly they were pressed against each other) and wrapped around his aching cock, then started pumping it with abandon. This was not the slow, sweet teasing Eddie had been subjecting him to until that point. This time Eddie was all in, and the speed and strength of his ministrations were too much for how oversensitive Buck was at this point.
Buck pressed his head back against the pillow, his eyes fluttering closed, his heart thundering against his ribcage as he shook from head to toe against Eddie's body. "Fuck, fuck, Eddie, I – oh my God – please – "
"Go on," Eddie growled in his ear. "Come for me, Evan."
And he sucked Buck's earlobe into his mouth to punctuate a particularly powerful thrust into his boyfriend and the speeding up even more, if possible, of his fist working Buck's cock.
The triple assault of Eddie's mouth, his hand, and his cock didn't simply drive Buck off the edge; it felt more like he was blasted out of a cannon, as he shouted Eddie's name loud enough that his throat would probably require a cup of tea with lemon and honey later, and wave after wave of his release crashed upon him. He'd had no idea he could actually shoot that much (and Eddie made sure to squeeze it all out of him, only stopping when Buck winced from how sensitive his cock was). There was sex, and then there was sex with Eddie Diaz, a promised land Buck had been lucky enough to discover.
In his post-orgasmic haze, Buck could just barely feel Eddie reaching his own climax; though he was wearing a condom, the way his own body shuddered in a manner that mirrored Buck's from a moment ago was unmistakable. (Plus, Eddie's moan when he came may not have been as loud as Buck's, but it still wasn't exactly difficult to hear.) Eddie collapsed on top of Buck, breathless and clearly spent.
For a while, they just lay there. As sticky and sweaty and in obvious need of a shower as they both were, Buck wouldn't have minded if they stayed like that forever.
Coming back down to Earth took longer this time, and Buck gingerly lifted his head, not really capable of doing much more than that, when he felt Eddie disentangle from him and slowly pull his cock out of Buck. This was followed by another round of Eddie fetching paper towels for cleanup, discarding the condom on the way; he needed more this time because a fair bit of Buck's come had ended up on him, too. Then he laid back down beside Buck.
Buck felt like he was drifting at sea, groggy and disoriented, but the heat of Eddie's body provided a lifeline. He snuggled against him and laid his head on Eddie's torso (a slightly awkward position for them since Buck was taller, but they both liked it too much to let that bother them), Eddie's heartbeat as calming as a lullaby.
"I love you, baby," Buck murmured against Eddie's chest, pressing a kiss to the center of it before allowing his head to rest again. "Thank you."
He felt Eddie ruffle his hair affectionately, and the warmth spread through his body, all the way to the tips of his toes. "I love you too, Buck."
*
Few things filled Eddie with as much joy and calm as seeing Buck asleep in his arms. Perhaps the knowledge of how much undeserved pain Buck had been through made it particularly satisfying to see him this relaxed and peaceful. At least in these moments when he lay in Eddie's arms, Eddie knew that nothing else could hurt him. No fire truck could crush his body, and no unloving parents could crush his heart.
Bobby once told Eddie that he would never be over the tragic death of his wife, Shannon. And Eddie knew this was true; scars fade over time, but they don't disappear entirely. The same applied to Buck's childhood, to how he had been denied the most rudimentary thing a child craved from their parents, to be loved. Maddie couldn't fill that void despite her best efforts, and ultimately Eddie would not be able to, either. His love, however strong, could not replace the love that Buck had been deprived of as a young boy.
But that didn't mean he couldn't make it better. Buck deserved to be valued, adored, cherished. And Eddie intended to do exactly that for as long as he was lucky enough to have Buck in his life; certainly, for as long as it took for Buck to see what Eddie and the rest of the (sensible) world already knew.
That he wasn't expendable and he never would be.
Fin