The holiday period had been and gone in a flurry of wrapping paper and family dinners, and (weirdly) there was not a single fight to be had. Buck and Eddie had piled the kids and a whole pile of presents into the car on Christmas Day, after Buck's surprise, and had made their way over to Maddie and Chimney's house. Thankfully, the Buckley parents had opted to stay in Pennsylvania for the holidays; probably stung by the fact that it had taken Buck almost 7 months to mention that they had a second grandchild. It had been quite some time since Buck had last been properly angry at his sister but telling his parents that Buck had a child... well that was another matter entirely. Maddie had taken him aside at the Christmas dinner and apologised before Buck could say a word about it, begging for his forgiveness and blaming the pregnancy hormones. Buck had been slightly shocked that that was how Maddie decided to announce her pregnancy to him but all anger at her had immediately melted away, completely understanding that 1. Maddie was very hormonal and 2. His parents were assholes who probably pried the information out of Maddie unwillingly.
New Year's Eve had been eventful. Eddie had fought Christopher nail and tooth about staying up until midnight, stating very firmly that Christopher was too young for that just yet and needed his sleep. There had never been such a commotion in the Buckley-Diaz household as the headstrong 12-year-old had been met with this response and Buck had watched nervously from afar as his boyfriend and stepson went head-to-head, each Diaz absolutely certain that the other was being unreasonable. In the end, they'd compromised (Eddie had caved) and Christopher was allowed to stay up, spending the time with some of his friends in the park down the road. The only condition was that he had to call Eddie every hour and send him a text ever half hour to update him on his whereabouts, which Christopher was more than happy to do. Buck and Eddie had opted for a quieter night in, tucking Aidan to bed around 9pm and lazing on the couch as they watched a movie before flicking over to a news channel around 11:50 and watching the countdown together. It had been the first year in a long time that either of them had had a New Year's kiss and they were equally as giddy about it, the kiss escalating quickly and ending with them hurriedly fucking one another into the mattress before Christopher got home.
The new year had seen the removal of Aidan's stitches from his eyebrow, leaving behind the faintest hint of a scar; a small white line bisecting his eyebrow, making it almost two separate entities. It was a new part of Buck's nighttime routine to kiss the small cut gently, much like Eddie did with his birthmark. The fact that Aidan's scar and Buck's birthmark were on the same side made Buck oddly happy, as if the symmetry between father and son meant something more than the random genetic discrepancy of one and the clumsiness of the other. Buck had been very pleased that the cut had almost completely healed by the time Eddie had to appear in court for Aidan's adoption processes. The last thing he would have wanted was for the small accident to reflect poorly on Eddie and throw a spanner into the works. Luckily, it hadn't been so much as mentioned and Eddie flew through the proceedings, stepping out the other end as the proud father of one wriggly 9-month-old baby.
They'd had a brief moment of respite in mid-January where life seemed calmer. Christopher was happy at school and getting good grades, Aidan was picking up skills quickly and his little personality shining through more with each passing day, and Buck and Eddie had finally managed to get into the groove of things with work and juggling two kids. However, unfortunately, with Aidan's most recent mental leaps came a new phase of Buck and Eddie's lives: sleepless nights due to an over excited child who wanted nothing more than to be awake and explore his world.
It was 3am and for the third time that week, Buck found himself sitting on the floor in Aidan's nursey cradling his son as the boy looked around the room, his eyes wide in the dark.
"Aidan, honey, please for the love of God could you go to sleep?" Buck begged as he rocked the baby back and forth, his hand pressing Aidan's head firmly into his shoulder in an attempt to get him to settle.
"Dada" Aidan replied, trying to pushing himself away. Buck let out a long, frustrated sigh, quickly checking that he'd turned off the baby monitor before pushing himself off the ground, Aidan still clutched against his chest. Him and Eddie had been taking turns to sit with the baby until he fell asleep, usually for hours at a time, and they'd realised that turning of the baby monitor allowed at least one of them to get some sleep, not having to listen to baby's happy babbles through crackling static.
Buck glanced at his watch, and rubbed his eyes. His alarm would be going off in a couple of hours for work and his lack of sleep didn't bode well for the upcoming 24 hour shift. Although Buck did have to admit, he was looking forward to what would hopefully be an uninterrupted sleep in the bunk rooms that night.
Aidan was squirming and beginning to whine his protests as Buck walked around the room with him, desperate to get to the floor. With another sigh, Buck bent down and placed the boy on the floor. He sank into the rocking chair as Aidan began to zoom along the ground happily, his little hands making slapping noises on the wooden floor as he crawled from one end of the room to another. Buck was thankful he'd had the presence of mind to shut the door behind him, the last thing he needed was to be chasing Aidan down the hall and waking up the whole house.
Buck tiredly leaned his head back, resting it on the rocking chair. "I'll just close my eyes for a second" he told himself as his eyelids fluttered shut, half-heartedly listening out to make sure Aidan didn't get himself into any trouble. He must have nodded off however as he was suddenly jolted awake by Aidan patting his knees. Buck's head jerked up and he looked around blearily to see the baby standing proudly next to the rocking chair, using Buck's leg to balance himself.
"Dada!" Aidan exclaimed, lifting his arms up and opening and closing his fists, the sign he made when he wanted to be picked up.
"Did Daddy fall asleep?" Buck asked as he hooked his hands under Aidan's arms, depositing the baby in his lap. Aidan settled against Buck's chest and stuck his thumb in his mouth. His eyelids were beginning to flutter, and he let out a small, satisfied sigh when Buck ran a hand gently through his fiery red hair. Buck continued to stroke his son's head, staying otherwise still as Aidan's breathing slowed, sleep finally claiming him. Very tentatively, Buck stood up, cradling his son in his arms, and made his way over to Aidan's crib. He tried his best not to jostle the baby as he walked, desperately wanting him to stay asleep. Unfortunately, the universe was not on his side that night.
Buck was just lowering Aidan into his crib when an almighty sneeze echoed from the other room, causing Aidan's eyes to fly open. Buck straightened up and looked up at the ceiling, breathing deeply through his nose and trying to supress the overwhelming urge to stride into the other room and throttle Eddie.
"Papa?" Aidan's tired voice pierced through Buck's frustration, and he looked down at his son, the boy sitting in his crib and pointing at the door.
"Yep, that was Papa" Buck replied with a sigh. He lifted Aidan out his crib and settled him on his hip. "Let's go pay him a visit, shall we?"
With that, Buck and Aidan exited the nursey, appearing in the doorway of their bedroom, much to Eddie's bemusement.
"What's going on?" he asked, pushing himself up against his pillows as he took in Aidan's tired face smooshed against Buck's shoulder, and his boyfriend's thunderous face.
"Your sneeze woke up our son just after he'd fallen asleep is what's going on" Buck grumbled as he lowered himself onto the bed, pulling the covers tight over himself and Aidan. The little boy curled himself up on Buck's chest, thumb in his mouth.
Eddie grimaced and rubbed Aidan's back. "Sorry about that, I tried holding it in" he apologised.
"The hell has got you sneezing at 3am anyway? You're not getting sick, are you?" Buck asked as he closed his eyes, the warm weight of Aidan on his chest making it increasingly difficult to stay awake.
Eddie shook his head. "Nah, just allergies" he replied with a shrug.
Buck cracked open an eye and looked at Eddie with a raised eyebrow. "Allergies? In January?"
"I get allergies all year round, mi amor, it's one of the joys of being me" Eddie replied with a smirk. "Come on, lets try getting some sleep".
Eddie rolled onto his side, facing Buck, and leaned over to quickly press a kiss to Buck's cheek and Aidan's head. Aidan's eyes flicked open at the touch, and he let out a tired whine, reaching out and clutching at his shirt as he pulled away, effectively dragging himself off Buck's chest. Buck and Eddie watched in amusement as he wriggled across the bed and settled himself into Eddie's open arms, sighing contentedly as he nestled his face into Eddie's arm.
"Tr-traitor" Buck struggled out through a face-splitting yawn.
Eddie merely looked at him smugly and bundled Aidan against his chest, noting with satisfaction that the baby's breathing had slowed. Finally, the two men allowed themselves to slip into the slumber that had been teasing them for hours.
Buck was quickly learning that being sleep deprived and working long, taxing shifts wasn't the best idea. Sure, he'd dealt with sleep deprivation when Aidan had first arrived with him. The baby had been colicky and fussy for a good couple of months, but nothing compared to how he was now. Buck had sworn black and blue that he'd never co-sleep with Aidan, but he'd done it once out of desperation a week ago and now the baby wouldn't settle unless he was in Buck and Eddie's bed. And it wasn't like they slept when Aidan was with them. Quite the opposite, as he was one of the most fidgety children Buck had ever come across. Buck swore he never managed to get much more than 30 minutes sleep before he was being woken up with a kick to the ribs or a finger up his nose. What tired Buck the most was the constant wakeups.
Buck hadn't been on shift very long before he fell asleep face first in his breakfast. Hen and Chimney were sitting at the opposite end of the table from him, going over a quick refresher on correct intubation techniques when they noticed Buck's head was slipping from where he had it resting on his hand.
Chimney, noticing it first, nudged Hen's shoulder. "Reckon if I pulled his arm away, he'd faceplant?" he asked, watching in amusement as his brother-in-law slept soundly, face hovering dangerously close to his plate of eggs.
Hen looked at Buck sympathetically. "Eddie did say Aidan hadn't been sleeping well, he's probably exhausted" she tutted.
"The bags under his eyes are like suitcases" Chimney agreed. "Still, it would be a shame to let such a moment pass without messing with him a little".
"You might not need to" Hen observed, gesturing to how Buck's hand was barely supporting his head now as he slipped further and further. "He's about to become very familiar with his food".
Sure enough, Buck's cheek slipped entirely off his hand and his fell bodily into his plate, landing face first in a pile of eggs, bacon, and ketchup. It wasn't clear if the sudden jerk woke him up or the pain of headbutting a very solid table, but he was up like a shot, looking around in bewilderment as Hen and Chimney howled with laughter.
"What happened?" he asked, confusedly wiping ketchup from his face.
"You fell asleep" Hen answered between snorts. Chimney could hardly breathe for laughing and whipped out his phone, taking a photo of Buck's tired, ketchup-stained face and sending it off to Eddie.
"Asleep? But it's daytime" Buck replied, his brain still not firing on all cylinders.
"So true, but it sounds like your son hasn't been making life easy for you" Hen replied, taking pity on the tired firefighter, and handing him a napkin. "Here, clean yourself up before Eddie freaks out".
Just as Buck began to wipe his cheek, Bobby appeared from behind him, taking in the scene in front of him with a sort of amused confusion.
"Jesus, what happened here?" he asked, gesturing to Buck's face and the way Chimney was wiping his eyes, finally having settled down. "Is that blood?"
"Blood?" Eddie's voice echoed from the stairwell as he hurtled up the steps two at a time. "Who's bleeding? Is Buck bleeding?"
Buck let out a low grown, dropping his head into his hands, effectively smearing the ketchup over his cheek. "I'm not bleeding, it's just ketchup".
"Would you care to tell us why you've got ketchup on your face?" Bobby asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. Eddie had perched himself next to Buck and took the napkin in hand, licking the edge of it before dabbing gently at Buck's face. Buck scrunched up his face and jerked away in disgust.
"Gross, Ed, I don't want your slobber on me. And it was an accident."
This answer clearly didn't satisfy Bobby in the least, and he turned to Hen and Chimney for a better explanation.
"He fell asleep in his breakfast" Hen replied simply.
"Fell headfirst into his breakfast, more like" Chimney added with a grin.
Bobby was looking increasingly more concerned. "Buck, are you sleeping okay?".
Both Eddie and Buck let out derisive laughs at this. "I wouldn't exactly call it "okay" but I've been sleeping" Buck replied.
"Aidan's going through a mental leap or something and has decided that sleep is no longer his top priority" Eddie replied, still absentmindedly cleaning Buck's face.
"That kid is allergic to sleep, I swear" Chimney chipped in. "We had him for one night while he was teething and we barely slept a wink".
"Sounds about right. Welcome to our life".
Bobby frowned at Buck, looking him up and down. "Right, Buck, I want you to hit the bunks and you can sit out the next call. I don't want you falling asleep on the job and it's not safe to have someone as sleep deprived as you operating life-saving equipment".
Buck looked up, face mutinous. "Bobby, I'm fine, I just need a bit of coffee or something" he protested.
Bobby sent him a look, eyebrows raised, and head dipped downwards. Buck knew that look all too well. "Fine" he grumbled as he pushed himself away from the table. "I'll see you later".
Buck had to admit it felt good to rest his weary body on one of the bunks. He was dimly aware of movement happening around him as his colleagues bustled around him, but his fatigue was so great that he was asleep within minutes. The shrill ringing of the bell pierced through his slumber briefly and he sat up, making to go join them before remembering he was man behind today and settled back under the thin blanket. It wasn't clear how much time had passed as he slipped in and out of sleep but the next time, he woke up it was to the sound of heavy boots clomping through the room.
Buck cracked open an eye to see Eddie standing at the foot of his bunk, looking a mixture of exhausted and irritated.
"What's up?" Buck asked as he rolled onto his back, rubbing his eyes and yawning wide. Eddie shucked off his turnout coat with a sigh and kicked off his boots before walking over to the side of Buck's bunk.
"Bobby sent me to bed" he explained as he pulled off his pants. "Budge up".
Buck shimmied to the edge of his bunk and lifted the blanket for Eddie to get under. The man smelled strongly of smoke and Buck wrinkled his nose as Eddie nestled his head on Buck's chest.
"He's like a concerned parent, sending us off to have naps" Buck chuckled quietly as he pressed a kiss into Eddie's hair. "What happened with you?"
Eddie sighed and rubbed his eye. "I fell asleep on the way to scene, couldn't remember the difference between an OPA and an NPA and then passed out in Ravi's lap on the way back. It was mortifying".
Buck let out a snort. "You couldn't tell the difference between the thing that goes down your nose and the thing that goes down your throat?" he giggled. "You must be shattered".
Eddie sent him a glare. "I haven't slept properly for weeks, that son of yours is a menace" he grumbled as he twisted himself around, trying to make sharing a single bunk with a not-very-petite man more comfortable.
"Oh, so he's just my son now that he's being annoying?" Buck replied in amusement. He chuckled at Eddie's expression and smoothed a soothing hand through his hair. "I'm just teasing. Let's get some more sleep, I'll set an alarm for an hour so I can go back and join them".
Buck quickly flicked through his phone, setting up the alarm and firing off a quick text to Carla, who was watching the kids, to check all was well. By the time he'd finished on his phone, Eddie's eyes had drooped shut and his breathing slowed, his body a heavy but comforting weight against Buck's side. It didn't take very long for Buck to fall back asleep, Eddie in his arms.
The rest of the shift had passed reasonably uneventfully. Buck had managed to extricate himself out from under Eddie when his alarm went off, Eddie remaining dead to the world until Chimney was sent down to wake him up a bit before dinner. Their respective naps had been rejuvenating and both men were at the top of their game for the rest of the night, working seamlessly together as they battled one blaze after the next. Bobby dryly remarked on the wonders of a good night's sleep and Buck had begged him for tips on how to get an energetic almost 10-month-old baby to sleep through the night. Armed with some useful tips, Buck and Eddie returned home feeling slightly more confident about the following night.
They managed to make it through the day after they arrived back at home around 8am, both shattered but determined to stay up. Christopher was at school and Aidan at daycare, so they had an opportunity to do some chores and get the house looking a bit more respectable. Eddie had been watching Buck suspiciously all morning as the young firefighter had been unusually attached to his phone. Every time he'd bought it up, Buck had deflected the question, saying he was just texting some friends or doing some online shopping and Eddie was getting increasingly suspicious that Buck was up to something. So, naturally, when Buck got up off the couch at 2pm and said he had an appointment, Eddie couldn't help but feel something was up.
"Appointment? I didn't know you had an appointment?" he queried, stopping mid-wipe as he cleaned the kitchen bench.
"Yeah, last minute thing, only just scheduled it an hour ago?" Buck replied as he shrugged on his coat and laced up his boots. "Be back in a couple of hours, love you!"
"Love you too?" Eddie called as Buck shut the door behind there and was left standing with the cloth still in his hand, very confused.
Buck prayed he hadn't made Eddie too suspicious as he drove down the highway, but he wasn't holding onto too much hope. The idea had come to him in a flash of inspiration during the night as they fought a fire downtown. He'd been looking around at the nearby buildings as him and Eddie had been operating the hose and a small tattoo parlour had caught his eye. Buck, always on the lookout for a new place to try, had instantly started thinking about what he'd next want to get on his skin. He'd been thinking about a tattoo to honour Aidan but for the longest time couldn't think of what to get. It had come to him in a flash of inspiration during a card game with Chimney and Hen when they'd gotten back to station later that night and Buck had been vibrating with excitement ever since, waiting for it to become a more acceptable hour for him to message his tattoo artist with the idea. They'd been in correspondence all day about it and had booked an appointment for 2:30 with the artist getting back to him with an excellent drawing.
Buck was a mixture of excited and nervous as he pulled into the parking lot outside the studio. The familiar smell of antiseptic blasted his nostrils as he opened the door and he grinned widely at River, his tattoo artist.
"Hey Buck! So glad you're back, I was so thrilled when you asked me to design this piece for you" they greeted him warmly, guiding him over to the area they'd be working in.
"Good to see you too Riv, thanks for doing this at such short notice" Buck replied as he took off his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. "You think it's all finished?"
River plucked a tablet off the bench and spun it around to show Buck the picture. "What do you reckon?" they said, leaning back on their chair with a grin.
Buck nodded, a wide smile spreading over his face. "It's perfect".
"Excellent!" River said, clapping their hands together. "Shirt off then, and we can get the placement sorted".
Buck pulled off his jumper and shirt in one go, shivering slightly from the chill of the shop and laid himself down on the table, the coolness of the leather against his bare skin causing goosebumps to rise. River stood over him with a shaver in one hand and began to gently shave away at the hairs of his chest after checking the placement. Buck winced slightly as the razor briefly nicked his nipple and River winced, apologising profusely.
Once he was properly shaved, River gently placed the stencil over Buck's skin, giving it a second to be properly applied before peeling it off and gesturing for Buck to check it out in the mirror.
Buck stood in front of the mirror and happily admired his torso, taking a moment to flex his arms and chest. He loved the way his muscles would pop when he did this, a sign of all the hard work he put in at the gym to make his job easier. The stencil stood out, purple against his pale skin and man, he was in love. It felt perfect, simple and understated, resting on his left pec, just over his heart.
"Yep, this is definitely it, Riv, you're incredible".
Buck laid himself back on the table and closed his eyes, listening to River pottering around him as they laid out all stuff they'd need. He'd requested a bit of colour, breaking tradition from his usual linework but it felt right.
"You ready?" River asked, hovering over him with the tattoo gun. "100% sure this is what you want and not just a sleep deprived idea?"
Buck nodded resolutely. "I'm good. This is what I want".
Getting the tattoo didn't hurt, much. Buck was well practiced with tattoos by now, with the number he had by now easily surpassing the 10's, nudging towards the 20's. There had been a brief moment of discomfort as River had done the colouring, the constant, repetitive scratch of the needle setting Buck's teeth on edge but he'd quickly leaned into the pain, breathing through it and thinking of his son as he did so. After all, that was the main reason he was getting it done, for his son. Most of his tattoos had meaning but none more than this one. He'd hoped River hadn't noticed the small tear that had leaked out of the corner of his eye when he stood and admired the finished product but the way they'd sympathetically patted his shoulder told him they probably had.
His shirt had felt odd against the bare patch on his chest and he was mindful of it as he drove home, the way the fabric would rub against his skin whenever he moved his arm to control the steering wheel. Pulling into the driveway, Buck stayed in the car for a moment and steadied his breathing. He was anxious to show Eddie, desperate for his partner's approval. It had been a long time since Eddie had gotten a tattoo and he'd always teased Buck for his constant need to get a new addition.
"You're like a doodle pad" he'd commented one night as they lay in each other's arms, Eddie tracing the outlines of his tattoos with the tip of his finger. Buck had merely laughed and bought Eddie's hand to his mouth, kissing it tenderly.
"Ed? You home?" Buck called tentatively as he opened the door to their house. It was sometime after 4pm and he wasn't sure if Eddie would be back from collecting Christopher and Aidan from school just yet.
"In here!" Eddie's voice echoed from the vicinity of the dining room. Buck kicked off his shoes and padded down the hall, his heart beating hard in his chest. Christopher was sitting at the table, homework spread out in front of him and a snack to his left, while Eddie sat next to him with Aidan in his lap, helping Christopher with his math problems.
"Hey Chris, good day at school?" Buck asked, ruffling the kid's hair and leaning over to kiss Aidan and Eddie's cheeks in turn.
Christopher shrugged half-heartedly. "It was fine, I guess" he replied, turning back to his homework with a sigh.
"I've got something to show you" Buck said as he settled himself into the chair across from Christopher to Eddie's left.
"Is going to explain where you suddenly rushed off to?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Possibly" Buck replied with a smirk as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt.
Eddie looked at Buck's fingers and his eyebrows raised higher still. "Is this thing you're going to show us family friendly, Buck?" he asked with a pointed gesture towards Aidan and Christopher.
"Of course it is, I'm a family man" Buck responded. "In fact, I'll show you just how much of a family man I am".
With that, Buck whipped his shirt over his head and angled his body so Eddie could get a good, unobstructed view of his torso. "Notice anything new?"
Eddie was far too busy ogling his boyfriend's incredible physique to really take in anything other than "fuck me he's hot", but Christopher picked up on it immediately.
"You've got a new tattoo" he said, pointing to Buck's chest. Eddie shook himself and raked his eyes over Buck's torso until he spotted it.
"Huh, an Ace of Hearts?".
Buck nodded proudly, looking down at his chest and admired the delicate lines. "Wanna know why I chose that?".
"Because you like card games?" Christopher suggested. Buck let out a short laugh.
"No, not because I like card games, although your dad has certainly tried to use my affinity for poker to his benefit" Buck said, sending Eddie a teasing look.
"Why then?" Eddie asked. It seemed like a random thing for Buck to get impulsively, although he had seen him, Hen and Chimney playing cards on shift.
Buck reached out to take Aidan from Eddie, positioning him carefully so the boy wouldn't touch the wrap over the fresh ink and settled back to explain.
"I wanted to get something to remind me of my family. I'd been thinking about getting a tattoo for Aidan for a couple of months now but couldn't really think of anything that fitted him. And then I thought, why stop with Aidan? Why not get a tattoo to commemorate both my sons?" his eyes shone as he looked at Christopher, who's eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline at that last sentence.
"So, I started thinking of things that would work for Aidan and Christopher, but I was still drawing blanks. And then, last night, I was playing cards with Chim and Hen and I was holding an Ace of Hearts and I thought, huh, that's actually perfect. You know why?"
Christopher and Eddie, both hanging on to Buck's every word, shook their heads in tandem. "Why?" Christopher breathed.
"Because I realised that ACE is an acronym for Aidan, Christopher, and Eddie. And the heart was perfect because each one of you owns my whole heart. Forever. So it's the perfect tattoo because it shows my love for the three most important boys in my life".
Eddie didn't know what to say.
"You got a tattoo for me?" Christopher asked quietly, barely daring to believe it.
Buck laughed quietly. "Christopher, you're as much of my son as Aidan is. It wouldn't have been fair just to get one for him and not for you too".
Christopher pushed himself off his chair and made his way over to Buck, pulling him into a tight hug, trying not to squish Aidan in the process. "It's so cool, Buck" he whispered into Buck's shoulder and Buck's heart swelled.
"I'm glad you like it bud" he whispered back, kissing the top of Christopher's head. "How about you, Aid, do you like Daddy's new ink?".
Aidan merely patted Buck's chest, curious about the feeling of shaven hairs under his small fingers.
Eddie continued to sit quietly, the lump in his throat getting progressively bigger and bigger. After Aidan's adoption, he wasn't sure what Buck could do to make him fall in love with him even more, short of proposing. However, here he was, making Eddie fall head over heels once again.
Eddie waited until they'd gotten the kids to bed before he showed Buck his appreciation. Buck had just wandered in from Aidan's room after finally getting the baby to sleep. They'd stuck by Bobby's recommendations to the word, and it seemed to work as Aidan had gone down the easiest he'd done in weeks. Buck was feeling mighty proud of himself as he entered their bedroom and threw his shirt on the ground. Eddie pulled back the covers of their bed and gestured for Buck to get in.
"So, do you like it?" Buck asked tentatively as he laid down next to Eddie. Eddie stretched out a hand and carefully traced the outline of the new tattoo, just like he had all of Buck's others.
"Words truly can't express how much I love it" he replied sincerely.
Buck perked up at this. "Really? You were so quiet before, I was worried you didn't like it or something"
Eddie felt a pang of guilt as he realised how his silence could have been misconstrued as displeasure. He took Buck's hand gently in his and bought it up to his mouth, brushing his lips gently against the knuckles.
"I love it, baby" he whispered, brown eyes locking with Buck's blue. "I'm just – it's so incredible that not only did you get something to remind you of your son, you also managed incorporate me and my son into it. It's – I dunno Buck, I just love you."
Buck ducked his head, blushing, and a small smile played across his lips. "I love you too, Ed".
Eddie caught Buck's chin and lifted his head until they were face to face. Slowly, he leaned in and delicately brushed his lips against Buck's touching in the lightest whisper. A small whine escaped Buck and he wriggled closer to Eddie, pressing their bodies flush against one another. Eddie slid a hand to cup the back of Buck's neck and drew their faces closer, their lips mashing together with a desperate passion. It had been weeks since they'd gotten the opportunity to have some alone time between Aidan's sleepless nights and Christopher's bedtime being pushed back as he got older. Buck couldn't speak for Eddie, but he guessed his partner was as desperate as he was.
The hand Buck slipped down the front of Eddie's pants confirmed his assumption and Eddie moaned into his mouth as he began to rub it up and down, fingers lightly grazing against Eddie's skin. They stayed like that, kissing slowly and gently, Eddie's hips occasionally rutting into Buck's hand. Buck took the lead and pushed himself up, turning them over so Eddie was on his back with Buck on top of him, one arm up by Eddie's head to support himself while the other stayed firmly buried in Eddie's boxers. Just as Eddie whined and rolled his hips up into Buck, a small knock on the door jarred them back into reality. Feeling as though an icy bucket of water had been poured over them, Buck and Eddie sprung apart.
"Dad? Can I come in?" Christopher's small voice wafted through the door. Eddie picked up a definite waver and quickly pulled the covers over himself and Buck and adjusted his crotch, making himself presentable.
"Yeah, buddy, what's wrong?" he replied, shooting Buck an apologetic look. Buck flopped against the pillows and covered his face, letting out a long breath. The door opened to reveal Christopher standing nervously in the doorway. His fingers were twisting together, and he looked small and afraid, not the usual confident 12-year-old they were used to.
"I had a nightmare about the tsunami" he admitted. "Can I come sleep with you?".
Eddie was surprised, it had been years since Christopher had had a nightmare, let alone one about the tsunami, but it was too late in the night to begin worrying about that too. Instead, he patted the small space between himself and Buck. "Come here, Chris".
Christopher shuffled towards the bed and allowed Buck to scoop him up and deposit him between him and his dad. Having Christopher in bed with him was more awkward than it had been when he was little as the kid was all gangly arms and pointy elbows now but Eddie pulled him against his chest regardless.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Buck asked, reaching over to card a hand through Christopher's hair.
Christopher shook his head. "I just want to sleep" he replied tiredly, snuggling further into Eddie's arms.
"That's okay, mijo, Buck and I are right here if you need anything, okay?" Eddie kissed Christopher's forehead gently and ran a hand up and down his arm soothingly. It didn't take long for Christopher to fall back asleep, mouth open and pressed into Eddie's arm.
Buck couldn't be mad about being cockblocked by one of their children yet again when he saw the adorable picture Christopher and Eddie made. The lines of his tattoo tingled, reminding him that he was exactly where he wanted to be. He was home.
The reason behind Aidan's sleepless nights became apparent when Eddie and Buck took the boy for a visit to the firehouse on their day off. Hen, Chim and Bobby were doing a shift, as well as Ravi and Lucy who were filling in for them that day. While they'd been out running errands, Buck had realised he'd left his duffle behind last shift and had quickly texted Bobby to see if it was okay if they swung past with Aidan to come grab it. The fire captain, never one to pass up the opportunity to see his honorary grandson, agreed almost instantly and Buck and Eddie were soon on their way to the station with Aidan babbling away happily in the back.
Buck grabbed Aidan from his car seat once they'd parked up and swung the boy up onto his hip before striding into the station with Eddie in tow. Eddie ducked into the changing room to grab Buck's duffel for him as Buck trotted up the stairs, following the sound of Hen and Chim's voices.
Aidan, who hadn't been to the station since before Halloween, looked around with awe, his eyes wide as they took in the vibrant reds of the trucks and the flashing lights as an engine raced off to a call. Once upstairs, Buck placed him on the ground and the boy was off like a cork from a bottle, shooting towards his Uncle Chimney and Aunty Hen as fast as his little arms and legs could carry him.
"Hello sir!" Hen exclaimed gleefully as Aidan pulled himself up against her leg, patting her knee and begging to be picked up. She set him in her lap and tickled his belly, eliciting excited giggles as he squirmed.
"How's the shift going?" Buck asked as he plonked himself down on the couch, watching his friend and son fondly. Chimney shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the game of snap him and Hen were playing.
"It's almost worth saying the "Q" word if it means we actually see the outside of this building" he complained, earning a swift kick in the shins from Hen and a warning look from Bobby, who was reading his book on the couch.
"Don't tempt the EMS gods like that, Chimney, you should know better!" she admonished. She turned to Buck and Eddie, who had just appeared behind them, Buck's duffel in hand. "What's knew with the little man?"
"He's been desperate to walk for days" Eddie smiled, looking at the boy fondly. "We've caught him standing in the middle of the room looking very determined a couple of times, but he doesn't really do much more than wobble and then fall over".
Hen nodded sympathetically. "You gotta give him something to motivate him. Like chocolate".
Buck sent her a flat look. "I'm not bribing my son to walk".
Hen shrugged. "Suit yourself, it worked for Karen and I when we were going through this with Denny. Kid almost ran to us".
Eddie was listening thoughtfully. He'd been thinking to himself that all Aidan really needed was a little bit of motivation and honestly, Hen was probably on to something. He patted Buck's shoulder and sidled off into the kitchen, rummaging in the cupboards until he found some of the cookies Aidan liked. He returned to the group with two cookies in each hand and shoved two in Buck's direction. When Buck sent him a look as if to say "really?" he shrugged.
"What? The worst that happens is he doesn't walk, and he gets a snack. No biggie".
Buck huffed out a sigh and muttered something about "coercion" as he settled himself on the floor, legs splayed out in front of him. Eddie sat on the opposite side of him with his legs in a similar fashion, the two making a diamond shape between them. Eddie grabbed Aidan from Hen and stood him between his legs, using his hands to support the little boy's body.
"Look what Daddy has, Aid, wanna go get it?" Eddie cooed gently, pointing in Buck's direction. Buck, suddenly invested in getting his son to walk, held the cookie in front of him and waved to get Aidan's attention.
"Come here baby, walk to Daddy!" he encouraged, holding his other hand out. Aidan's eyes fixed beadily onto the cookie, and he let out a small noise of excitement, taking a tiny step as he continued to grasp Eddie's hand for support. He wobbled very briefly before adjusting to the new stance, eyes still fixed to the cookie in Buck's hand with determination. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as Eddie gently wiggled his fingers out from Aidan's grasp. Aidan swayed lightly before taking another tentative step. He wobbled once again and bent his body forwards to try and counter but over corrected and ended up toppling face first into Buck's leg.
Buck quickly scooped the baby into his arms as Eddie, Chim, Hen and Bobby all praised him highly. "That was such a good try, Aidan! You were so close!".
Aidan kicked his feet and tried to grab the cookie in Buck's hand. Using that as a good sign he was still motivated, Buck planted him on the ground once again, spinning him around so he could see Eddie and the cookie he was holding out in front of him. "Go to Papa, Aidan! If you walk, you'll get a cookie!"
Aidan took a few wobbly steps whilst still clutching Buck's hand but the moment his father loosened his grip, he plonked to the ground again, crawling quickly into Eddie's open arms and settling himself in his lap, lip quivering as he faced yet another difficult walk with no reward.
Feeling sorry for the boy, Eddie broke off the end of a cookie and handed it to the kid who crunched it down happily. They tried it a few more times, each step Aidan took getting more and more confident. Hen, Chim and Bobby were constantly cheering him on and sending words of encouragement and whenever he'd reach one of his fathers, they'd pick him up in their strong arms and pepper his face in kisses.
It was on Aidan's 5th attempt that things began to change. He was still clutching onto Eddie's hand fiercely, but his initial steps were steady and he planted his feet on the ground confidently. Looking resolutely at Buck and the cookie he held out in front of him, Aidan let go of Eddie's hand and took a small step with one leg. He wobbled, but only for a brief second and Buck held his breath in anticipation. Aidan's little face was one of determination as he bought his other leg forward in another step, and then again until he'd done one, two, three, four steps and was stumbling across the ground, not falling over as his little legs carried him faithfully towards his father.
Buck couldn't have cheered louder if he'd tried as he lifted Aidan triumphantly into the air.
"I'm so proud of you, my boy!!" he whooped as he tossed Aidan up and down, the little boy giggling with all his might. Buck looked over at Eddie, eyes shining. "Our baby is walking!"
It still make Eddie's insides turn to jelly whenever he heard Buck refer to Aidan as their child, not just Buck's and he scooted across the floor to join his partner and son, wrapping his arms around the two.
"I'm so proud of you, mijo" he said into Aidan's hair as he kissed his head.
Chimney subtly took a photo of the moment, sending it to the 118 group chat.
"He's grown up so fast, it seems like only yesterday you were bringing him here for the first time, Buck" Bobby remarked, his face shining with pride as he watched the firefighter who was so much like a son to him.
"It was only 8 months ago" Eddie pointed out from the floor. It felt weird to think that everything that had happened to them had only happened in the space of slightly under 8 months. Hell, Eddie and Buck had only been together for 4 and a bit months, and they were already living together and coparenting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Which it was, really.
It was clear that after all that walking and celebrating, Aidan was beginning to waver in energy. He was leaning heavily against Buck's chest, cookie clutched tightly against his chest with one hand and the other curled around Buck's t-shirt.
"I think it's time we get back, it's nap time for our little superstar" Buck announced as he pushed himself off the ground. He held Aidan close to his chest as the boy yawned widely, snuggling his head into Buck's neck. The team stood around them and said goodbye, giving Aidan playful tickles and tugging his foot. He didn't take too kindly too this and whined, wriggling in Buck's arms to get away from his meddlesome aunts and uncles.
"Yep, definitely time to get him to bed" Eddie agreed, and he placed a hand on Buck's waist, guiding him towards the steps. "See you guys tomorrow!"
Aidan was half-asleep by the time they got to the car and only had the energy for a half-hearted whine as Buck buckled him into his car seat. He slept the whole drive back, cookie still held in his fist, completely unaware of Buck and Eddie talking proudly about his first steps.
Buck couldn't believe how fast he was growing up.
"I mean he's only just gone 10 months a couple of days ago" Buck gushed as he checked his watch to confirm the date. "Isn't that a little early for babies to be walking?"
Eddie briefly looked up from his phone. "Google says they can walk anywhere from 10 to 18 months so he's on track, if not on the early end of things. Means he's going to be a nightmare in a few weeks when he gets more confident".
Buck groaned and banged his head against the steering wheel in mock frustration. "I didn't think of that! We're going to have to properly babyproof the place now".
Eddie watched him in amusement as he began to rattle off all the things he'd need to buy in order to make the house safe for a walking child.
"Does this mean he's technically a toddler?",
Eddie shrugged. "I guess so? I always thought they were toddlers once they turned one".
Buck pulled into the driveway and turned in his seat after he put the car into park. He looked at Aidan's sleeping figure, his expression soft.
"I can't believe how much I love that little boy" he sighed gently. Eddie patted his thigh, squeezing it gently.
"Welcome to fatherhood, mi amor".
Eddie undid his seatbelt and hopped out of the car. "I'll get him, could you check the mail?"
Buck nodded and traipsed towards the mailbox, turning to watch as Eddie gently lifted the sleeping baby from his car seat, Aidan resting his head on Eddie's shoulder and bringing his thumb up to his mouth. Buck's heart swelled as he, once again, fell madly in love with Eddie, just from the sight of him with his son.
Buck absentmindedly grabbed the mail and was sorting through it as he ambled back to the house. There were a couple of bills, a postcard from Eddie's sister, Sophia, who was travelling through Europe, and a formal looking envelope with a law firm's logo in the top right corner. Frowning, Buck opened the letter, shutting the door behind him as he did so.
"Anything good?" Eddie asked as he walked up behind Buck after putting Aidan in his crib.
Buck handed Eddie the bills and postcard and began to read the letter from the law firm.
Eddie must have sensed something was wrong as he looked up from the postcard and saw Buck standing there, stock still, with a shocked look on his face. All the blood had drained from his face and he looked vaguely sick.
"Buck? Baby is everything okay?". Eddie's hand gripped Buck's shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Talk to me, amor".
Buck looked up from the paper slowly, blinking, not able to believe it, not sure what to think, what to feel. Sad? He probably should feel sad. Not... empty like he did.
"Buck?"
Eddie's voice jolted him back to reality and he looked up at his boyfriend's confused face.
"It's – uh – it's from Taylor's lawyer" he finally got out, licking his lips. His mouth was dry and he felt like he couldn't take a proper breath.
Eddie's face hardened. "She's not suing for custody, is she? Because we'll fight her hard for that, she's got no right, not after abandoning him."
Buck shook his head and cleared his throat. "No, no it's not custody".
"What is it then?" Eddie was properly confused by now and his grip on Buck's shoulder was like a vice.
Buck licked his lips again and looked up at Eddie, his eyes wide and full of conflicting emotions.
"She's dead."