Chapter Text
“I can walk. It’s my lungs that got hurt, not my legs.”
“It’s hospital policy, Evan.”
“It’s bullshit, is what it is!”
“Dad! Bucky said a bad word!” Christopher giggled from where he was sitting on Buck’s lap as Eddie pushed the wheelchair through the hospital towards the exit. It was a few days later, and Buck had finally gotten permission to go home so long as he was not left alone lest there be any complications, and Eddie had reassured Dr. Reagan that Buck was not going to be alone at all.
“Never repeat that word, buddy, you know that only adults can say that,” Eddie told his son, giving Buck a sharp look, but Buck just rolled his eyes and it made Christopher laugh.
They were lucky, very lucky. Buck had no lasting side effects from the lack of oxygen, likely because Eddie had gotten to him only moments after he passed out the first time. They had no way of knowing how long exactly Buck wasn’t breathing for, but the doctors said they were confident Buck had no neurological damage, which felt like a weight had been lifted from Eddie’s shoulders.
The antibiotics had done their job getting rid of the infection and the treatment for the pulmonary edema had worked to clear the fluid from Buck’s lungs, but despite that Buck did still have some difficulty with shortness of breath which the doctors are certain will clear up with a few more weeks of rest. He was under strict orders to not do anything strenuous or exert too much energy, and to come right back to the hospital should there be any changes or he finds himself struggling to breathe again, hence why he was not to be left alone.
“Seriously, though, there’s no need for all this. I’m fine,” Buck insisted as they continued down the hall, glancing back at Eddie, “I’ll be fine on my own.”
“You’re still recovering, Buck, you can barely be upright for a few minutes before getting out of breath,” Eddie stated with a sigh, bringing the wheelchair to a stop so he could move to the side and kneel down next to Buck.
“And I’ll be fine! I’m just gonna be spending the next few weeks on the couch and I’ll be back to myself in a few-”
“Whoa, you think you’re going back to the loft?” Eddie asked him with a raised brow.
“You’re coming home with us, Bucky!” Christopher happily told him, and Buck’s eyes went wide.
“What? No, Eddie, you don’t have to do that.” Buck insisted.
Buck’s stubbornness was probably one of his best and worst qualities. He was stubborn to the point of standing his ground and standing up for what he knew was right, but he was also too stubborn to let people help him when he needed help, always insisting he could be independent and do everything himself. It was one of the many things Eddie loved about Buck but it also frustrated him to no end.
“We want to, Buck,” Eddie tried to explain, but Buck shook his head.
“It’s not like I’m gonna be doing much, I’m just gonna be sitting around you don’t need that,” he said, glancing away as a sadness appeared in his eyes, “I-I don’t wanna be a burden,” he muttered.
Eddie felt something pang painfully in his chest, and not for the first time Eddie found himself thinking about what the hell Buck went through as a kid to think he could ever be a burden to any of them. He knew Buck’s relationship with his parents was uneasy, though he didn’t know the specifics. Buck and Maddie didn’t like talking about them, and it always made Eddie concerned. But hearing Buck talk about himself like that, like he believed he wasn’t worth it. Eddie hated it. He hated how unsure Buck sounded when talking about himself. He hated whoever hurt Buck, whoever made him feel so worthless when, to Eddie, he was one of the most important people in the whole damn world and there was no one else who meant so much to-
Before he even realised what he was doing, Eddie leaned in and captured Buck’s lips in a kiss. He tasted like toothpaste, which made sense since Buck brushed his teeth just thirty minutes ago before they left the hospital room. Kissing Buck - for the second time Eddie realised, since he had given Buck those rescue breaths as he begged Buck to just breathe, dammit - it felt like heaven on earth, like everything Eddie had ever wanted. He had felt something for Buck from their very first day, even though Buck hated him for those first twenty-four hours. With Shannon coming back, and Eddie never wanting to risk his friendship with Buck, he never said a word, but a part of him had always wished he’d had the courage to say something, just in the hopes that maybe Buck felt the same. That those little looks weren’t just a figment of Eddie’s imagination.
Then the bombing, as he held Buck’s hand in the ambulance. And the embolism, watching Buck choke on blood as he held Christopher back. And now, the tsunami. Finding out Buck and Christopher were caught up in the disaster, knowing he could have lost them and not known until he got home later… and then finding Buck unconscious and not breathing-
Even if Buck did not reciprocate, Eddie couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. So, he kissed Buck with everything he had, intending on keeping it sensible until-
Buck pressed back into the kiss. Not at first, first he froze, but then he kissed Eddie and Eddie couldn’t stop the smile that spread on his lips as he leaned in more, the rest of the world around them disappearing for just a moment. But they soon had to pull apart because Buck’s lungs were still not fully healed and Buck’s breaths became shallow. Eddie carefully stroked Buck’s cheek as they waited a few seconds for it to pass, until Buck was able to open his eyes and take a deep breath.
It was only then that Eddie spoke.
“You’re not a burden, Evan. You’re family. Please come home with us, let us take care of you,” he said, his voice quiet even to his own ears.
“...Okay.”
A huge smile broke out on Eddie’s face, one that Buck returned in full force. Eddie leaned forward and pressed a short but no less sweet kiss to Buck’s forehead and got back up to his feet. It was then that Christopher, who had been silently sitting there whilst all this unfolded piped up with the brightest, cheekiest smile either firefighter had ever seen.
“Does this mean you’re now dad’s boyfriend, Buck?” he asked. Buck’s eyes went wide, mouth open as he tried to speak but couldn’t, and Eddie just chuckled as he continued to push them towards the exit.
“Let’s discuss that when we get home, okay mijo ?” he suggested, and that answer seemed to satisfy Christopher who sat back against Buck’s chest. Buck immediately wrapped his arms around Christopher protectively and the sight made something warm swell in Eddie’s chest.
“I’m surprised you managed to convince Maddie and Bobby to let me go home with you,” Buck said with a bit of a smirk, a smirk which Eddie returned with one of his own the second the hospital doors opened and they wheeled out into the parking lot.
“Who said I had to fight them?” he remarked.
Because there, standing next to his truck, was a smiling Bobby.
“Took you guys long enough. What were you doing in there?” he asked them.
“They were kissing!” Christopher cheered.
Buck and Eddie went bright red, and Bobby just laughed as he opened the door to his truck. “Well, it took you two long enough.”
“How much longer do you think you’ll be?”
“Not much longer, Eddie said they were on their way down. Is everything set up?”
“Yup, should be all ready. I still don’t know how Eddie convinced us to let Evan stay with him as he recovers.”
“Well, he said we could visit every day and check in on Buck, but after what Eddie and Christopher saw, I think they both need this as much as Buck does.”
“Yeah. God, it’s horrible that they had to see that. Especially Christopher. I mean, he’s just a boy.”
“He’ll be okay, they all will. They’ve got each other and they’ve got us. Oh, here they come now.”
Buck passed out on the couch just a few hours into his “Welcome Home” party, and Bobby had to help Eddie carry him to bed. It was odd, he thought, as he tucked Buck in under the blankets, because it had been so long since he’d gotten to do this to one of his kids.
Buck was quiet most of the way home, aside from the occasional murmurs of words to Christopher, but he appeared relaxed whenever Bobby glanced in the rearview mirror. Beside him in the front seat, Eddie was constantly looking over his shoulder at Buck and Christopher, checking that they’re both still there.
When they arrived at Eddie’s place, Bobby helped Buck out of the truck and assisted him to the door, Buck’s steps slow and paced as each step seemed to take more and more effort. They stopped a few times, and Eddie had to come help support Buck from the other side, but they made it up the few steps to the door and Christopher let them inside.
Where they were greeted by cheers of “SURPRISE!” from the rest of the team and their families. Buck startled, and if he hadn’t been being propped up by Eddie and Bobby, he likely would have stumbled. However, he smiled brightly and was soon being swamped by hugs from everyone before they finally let him sit down on the couch, the children all squishing up next to him - or in Christopher’s case, on his lap.
The others all got the party started, with gentle music and all of Buck’s favourite foods. People came to check on Buck throughout the evening but they all mostly spent their time in the living room with Buck enjoying light conversation. Buck really wasn’t up to doing much more since even talking took a lot out of him and he couldn’t get up to play games with the kids without feeling like he was going to keel over. However, there was lots of food and drinks, and enough jokes to send Buck into more than a few coughing fits. That, and Christopher cheerfully announced to everyone that his dad and Buck were dating, not that either man had been given time to properly discuss their relationship. From the looks on their faces, though, neither seemed to mind. It was fun, whilst it lasted.
But, Buck fell asleep just a few hours after getting home. It wasn’t surprising, not at all; Buck had been through far too much in the past two weeks alone and he needed to rest as much as he could. But he did look very uncomfortable on the couch, so Eddie and Bobby carefully got him up and between them carried him to Eddie’s bedroom, where Bobby got him settled in bed whilst Eddie left him to it. Buck did stir a bit, eyes blinking open momentarily, but when Bobby shushed him and told him to go back to sleep, he listened.
With Buck fast asleep, Bobby found he didn’t want to leave. It felt like a dream, seeing Buck curled up at home under the blankets, after so long in the hospital. He couldn’t stop himself from reaching up to once again brush curls from Buck’s forehead, and just like before Buck didn’t wake up, he just kept sleeping. Lord only knew how much the boy needed it.
Bobby got up, and just as he did when he left Buck that first time - and every other time he left Buck alone - he pressed a kiss to Buck’s forehead. Though this time he was able to leave the room without Buck surprising him with words of love. He slipped out of Eddie’s bedroom and closed the door behind him, rejoining the party as it began to wrap up. Soon people started to go home, ushering the kids to the car and bidding them farewell. Maddie seemed reluctant to leave but Chimney convinced her to go home and get some rest as she had been exhausted all week as she focused on Buck.
Soon, it was just Eddie, Bobby and Christopher left. Eddie ushered Chris to go get ready for bed, though the boy tried to argue that he wanted to stay with Buck and wouldn’t listen until Eddie promised that Buck would still be there in the morning. It was only once Christopher left the room that Eddie turned to Bobby and said, “I assume you’re staying.”
“If there’s space, and probably even if not.”
Eddie chuckled. “There’s always space for you, Cap, and I think those two will throw a fit if they don’t get your pancakes tomorrow. I’ll grab you some blankets after I sort Chris out.”
Eddie disappeared the same way Christopher did and Bobby made himself busy cleaning up some more of the mess from the party. He had managed to set most of the glasses and plates by the sink for the morning when Eddie returned, handing him some blankets and a pillow.
“Thanks, see you in the morning,” Bobby said.
“Night, Bobby, and… thanks for letting me bring Buck here.”
“Hey, I get it. I’m just happy he’s okay.”
And he really was. There was this horrible fear all parents had when they knew one of their kids was in danger or hurt, and for Bobby that was a near-daily occurrence as every time Buck got onto that truth, Bobby had to worry if he would come back alive. He wasn’t supposed to have favourites, but everyone at the 118 knew that Buck had a special place at the top of his list. So, knowing that he was safe was really all that mattered to Bobby, even if he wished Buck could be safe under his own roof.
However as he laid down to sleep on Eddie’s couch, which was far too small for him to sleep on comfortably but he didn’t care, he just cared that his son - biological or not - was home and recovering and would be okay. They were going to take care of him, that’s what mattered.
In the bedroom, shuffling and the dipping of the mattress woke Buck from his sleep. His ribs protested the movement and his lungs seemed to not want to give him enough breath to sit upright, so he didn’t bother moving as an arm snaked its way around Buck’s middle and Eddie plastered himself against Buck’s back, pressing a kiss to his cheek before burying his face in Buck’s neck. Soon, light snores filled the room, so Buck followed Eddie back into sleep, relishing in the comfort he felt just being held by the man he loved.
He knew he would wake up to an aching chest and burning lungs, and he knew he would struggle to get around the house as Eddie and Bobby took care of him, but for now Buck just slept because he knew that the nightmare was over, he was okay. He was going to be okay. He would recover, he’d be back to the 118 before he knew it, and he could leave this whole terrible chapter of his life behind him.
Hopefully.