Archive of Our Own

Cover by Ronordmann

“Ravi…are you sure you won’t be able to run as the engineer on this mission? It…uh…it should be interesting?”

Buck’s voice didn’t sound particularly convincing. Especially not to the poor young man who sounded like he was trying to violently turn himself inside out in their adjoining bathroom. They were both high enough rank that they didn’t have a roommate but not high enough to have a private washroom.

Those were reserved for one rank above them or if the crew member was on board with a family.

Regarding having someone to share a bathroom with, Ravi was pretty laid back and easy to get along with. They were on opposite shifts, so coordinating shower times and the like was easier. That they were both members of the engineering corps also helped. They didn’t have to explain to anyone why there was a random red hand stain on the shower wall when they had been greasing the manual backup systems.

The three weeks that Buck had shared with one of the forensic examiners were a long three weeks.

“You’re next up on rotation, Buck. I need you to….” Ravi retched, “…I need you to take my place with Diaz and MacGuffin. It’s Lascravian flu.”

Buck winced. That particular flu made life a living hell for about 48 Earth Hours; it was non-communicable person to person but easily picked up if you had a certain gene sequence (if you were a human) and eating Lascravian star fruit. Ravi discovered, the hard way, that he had the gene sequence and, having tried the star fruit, learned he was susceptible to the disease. Buck didn’t envy him that at all.

“Are you sure you won’t be able to….”

Ravi moaned and put his head back in the toilet.

“You’ll have to suck up your crush and keep the shuttle in the air. You can…oh god, just kill me…you can thank me later.”

Buck winced. Seeing how shakey Ravi was, he slid off the counter and went into the medicine cabinet, pulling out a patch that would help with nausea. It wouldn’t be 100%, but it was better than nothing. Placing the patch behind Ravi’s ear, he kindly ruffled the other engineer’s hair.

Ravi was a good kid.

He would fly the mission without complaint for his friend. Being stuck in a shuttle for a week and a half with Eddie Diaz would be torture, but he could live with it. He’d been crushing on him for a while now…what’s the worst that could happen?

Pressing his thumb to the computer pad, he acknowledged and accepted the shift change, patting Ravi on the back.

“Get some rest, Ravi. I guess I have prelaunch to get started.”

Ravi made some kind of acknowledgement, resting his head on the cool porcelain, thankful, not for the first time, that he and Buck kept the bathroom almost hospital clean.

“Thanks, Buck…you’re the best.”

Buck chuckled, changed into his coveralls, and made his way to the shuttlecraft. Whistling happily, he thought of what classic movie to bring the next time he was invited over to the Diaz’s place. Chris loved the classic movies he always brought over, and Eddie always seemed disappointed they were over as quickly as they were. Buck chalked it up to his impeccable taste, but it didn’t always make sense, given that Eddie didn’t seem to watch the movie so much as he watched Chris’ reaction. Buck had the perfect vantage point since Chris was usually snuggled up with him.

In his warmest dreams, though, he let himself pretend that Eddie was looking at him so fondly, with such kind adoration. Maybe someday, he’d find someone who would. Until then, or until Eddie got sick of him, he’d take the daydream for as long as he was allowed.

Eddie saw the flashing light on his terminal, indicating a change to his upcoming mission that he needed to be made aware of. Toggling open the file, he saw the crew change from Panikkar to Buckley due to illness. Freezing when he read that, his cheeks went a little red.

“Is Buck coming over?” Chris asked off the look on his dad’s face. It made Eddie burn even redder when he knew full well that his son could see through him like he was the window on the side of their quarters. After a rather spectacular breakup with someone who made his heart beat faster (in the sense of the multiple anxiety attacks she caused), he promised he wouldn’t keep his feelings a secret from his son. Chris had even run off, as far as one could run off on a ship this size, but hid out with Buck due to Eddie not being completely honest about his relationship.

He thanked the universe that Chris had at least agreed to not tell Buck because Eddie wasn’t ready to ruin (in his approximation) the best relationship he’s ever had. Pining from afar was one thing. Serving on the same ship was a different thing. Movie nights, dinners, assigning Chris’ guardianship to Buck in the event Eddie was incapacitated or killed (thereby symbolically giving Buck his heart), all those things you did for your platonic best friend…right? He really should tell Buck about the guardianship stuff at some point soon.

“No, not tonight. Buck’s been swapped out to run as the engineer when I fly out, so he’s probably doing prelaunch things. Looks like Ravi’s sick.”

“I guess I’ll be staying with Auntie Hen and Auntie Karen?”

Eddie nodded.

“That’s okay then.”

“Hey, Chris. I have a question for you.”

“Yeah, Dad?”

Biting on his thumbnail, he thought through all the different ways this could go poorly. When Eddie started dating Ana, Chris hadn’t been too receptive to Eddie moving on with her. To say he reacted poorly was an understatement. The kid ran off to Buck’s quarters as soon as Eddie entered the bathroom. He wasn’t sure he could take it if he hurt his son like that again. Especially if it risked him making Chris lose his best friend.

“How…how would you feel if I started dating again.”

The look on Chris’ face could freeze fire. The young man looked like he was trying to push through a few different thought processes and resist the urge to make a repeat performance of the last time his father had started a conversation like that.

“Why?”

“Because there’s someone I would really like to ask out when I get back from this next away mission. But I won’t do it unless you’re okay with it. After the last time, I don’t want to upset you again. But I really, really want you to be okay with it.”

Chris chewed his lip in a manner that was exactly like Buck. A mannerism that brought a small smile to his face. It was perfectly normal for your kid to pick up mannerisms from your friend…right?

“Who do you want to ask?”

Chris sounded resigned but willing to think it over, contingent on who exactly it was that Eddie wanted to ask. He knew that his dad was lonely. And while he wasn’t particularly happy with Ana, Eddie seemed, at least to Chris, a little less lonely. What Chris wasn’t aware of was that, as much as Eddie wanted to try and make things work with her, it was like having a pinch of sand in a shoe that was a half size too big. Mildly irritating, an ill fit, and if not addressed in a timely manner, it would leave you bloodied and miserable. She was trying to be something he didn’t want or need in his life. In retrospect, that made sense. Objectively, she was a good match for him. But in reality, there was just something she was missing. Apparently, thanks to a good stint of therapy and a crisis that started with him getting wine-drunk with Athena and ended up with him getting wine-drunker with Karen and Hen, he realized that Ana was lacking a penis. A very specific penis. Something he slurred to Athena, who DEFINITELY wasn’t equipped to have that conversation, so she passed him off to the Wilsons.

“I was thinking of asking Buck out on a date….”

Chris immediately perked up at that.

“Oh. Well, if it’s Buck, that’s okay then. You’re always happier when he’s around. And is that why I heard you talking to Maddie last week? On the comms?”

Eddie was simultaneously relieved that Chris took that so well and mortified that he’d overheard Maddie spilling all the secrets of what Buck might like on a date.

“So. When I get home, I’m going to ask him out. Is that okay?”

Chris rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.

“Yes, Dad. That’s fine.”

Eddie opened his arms to give Chris a hug.

“Can I stay up late?”

The way the shuttle shuddered around them did not fill Eddie with the greatest of feelings. Their primary propulsion drive was knocked offline by a rogue plasma flare from the solar system’s primary star. Their navigator had been two seconds too slow to counter the impact, leaving them in their current predicament. Hands dancing across the operations console, Eddie was doing his best to help keep the systems balanced to give them a chance to pull out of the spiral.

Their luck was not improving, however. The system was a trinary solar system, one large primary star and two smaller sequence partner stars, all orbiting each other, with a half dozen gas giants and more moons than they could readily identify. The ambient solar radiation played havoc with their navigational systems, and the gravitational sheer was unpredictable. Eddie looked across the nav console towards engineering, where Buck was fighting a losing fight in keeping some of their main systems online.

“I can’t…correct for the gravitational pull,” their navigator started explaining before his console erupted in a shower of ceramic glass and sparks, knocking the man out of his chair and throwing him bodily into the aft bulkhead. The red streak left from the back of his skull told Eddie all he needed to know about the man’s condition.

Exchanging a panicked look with Buck, Eddie returned to his station, rerouting the navigational computer while Buck tried to pull them out of their spin. Looking up at the forward glass, the spider webs of cracks were another issue that they’d have to compensate for.

“We’re about to lose structural integrity. Deploying blast shields.”

Reaching over his head, Eddie keyed the sequence that dropped the shutters that would keep their atmosphere inside the ship in case the glass completely broke. The sudden appearance of two red lines on the ship status monitor told him that his timing was likely perfect, or they’d be sucking vacuum right now.

“I have engines restored to 22%. We’ve lost the port nacelle. Directional thrusters on starboard are stuck in the activated position, but I’ve routed everything through the sublight engines on that side. We have station-keeping thrusters. Faster than light isn’t even close to an option right now.”

Eddie sent a silent thank you to the gods he wasn’t sure he believed in, or at least trusted, that he was on this expedition with Evan Buckley. The crew may have given Buck a hard time about…well… almost everything they could think of, but there was no doubt that he was an engineer who could turn a toaster into a defensive shield.

Eddie was primarily a medic and science officer and had some experience with piloting ships. His father had worked for one of the Alliance’s primary fuel depots and frequently travelled by shuttle. Eddie had been able to tag along and got his pilot’s license by the time he was 16. He’d enrolled in the expeditionary fleet at 18 when he became a father and was still serving 12 years later. Hands dancing across the console in practised moves, the controls were becoming increasingly sluggish.

“There’s a moon half an AU from our current position with a breathable atmosphere. We can set down. Send out a beacon, and make what repairs we can. I’m programming the most direct course. Hold on to something. This is not gonna be a pretty landing.”

Eddie punched in the intercepting course correction, making the best possible speed to the moon. After hitting the final button, his console went dark. Tapping futilely at the keypad, he started running through the situation in his head.

“Buck…you’re going to need to transfer as much power as we can spare to the forward shields and the inertial dampeners. I’ve lost helm control. I’m going to have to set it down manually.”

Buck looked over, blue eyes wide and not even trying to mask his ever-loving fear.

“But…you know how to do that…right? Eddie?”

Eddie gave him what could not be considered a confident grin, even by the most generous standards.

“I’ve done it. Once. In the simulator. As the co-pilot.”

Buck wisely chose to say nothing about the distinct lack of confidence in Eddie’s voice. Pulling the panel open, Eddie pulled out the manual control sticks, toggling the analog switch that switched them from fly-by-wire to stick-and-rudder. Buck was pulling up a panel on the floor, getting ready to deploy the landing gear, which likely wouldn’t do anything.

“Try to set us down among trees or on something soft.”

“How about I try to not kill us, and we can get picky about landing spots later?”

“That also works.”

“Once we’re in the atmosphere, transfer power from primary life support to structural reinforcement systems. The atmosphere is thin, but we’ll survive.”

Buck nodded his head, punching up the sequence on his board. It would give a 5% boost to the ship’s integrity field, which could be the difference between surviving the crash landing and becoming an unfortunate statistic on the voyage.

“Proximity sensors show we are approaching the upper atmosphere. We’re in the moon’s gravity, and it’s pulling us in. Eddie, I can’t see much on sensors, but there are crosswinds in the upper atmosphere, but they’ll stabilize as we get lower.”

Eddie merely nodded his head, focussing all of his attention on the task at hand. Namely, not getting them killed. Pulling back on the stick, he barely noticed that the air had gone still as the power transferred to the field that was keeping their already damaged shuttle from falling apart around them.

Buck pulled the lever to deploy the landing gear, but it was only partially successful. The configuration of these shuttles meant that the nacelles were part of the landing system, and with one of them spinning out thousands of kilometres away right now, it was going to be rough.

“Trying to pull the nose up. Buck. Strap in.”

“Not how I thought you’d say those words to me.”

“What?!?”

“What? Nothing. Don’t kill us, Diaz. That’s an order.”

“We’re the same fucking rank…you know what. Focus on your job Buckley.”

Buck laughed a bit, hoping his words didn’t actually register with Eddie. Normally he’d laugh it off and try to deflect. Still, they were about to make contact with an unknown alien moon with a barely breathable atmosphere and an external ambient temperature of five degrees above freezing.

“Coming in for a landing in T-minus 35 seconds. Mark.”

Buck counted the seconds silently in his head; the only thing keeping him from being launched forward through the shutters when he reached zero was the webbing of the seat belt holding him to his seat. His colleague was alive and well, judging by Eddie’s scream of frustration as he tried to apply the manual airbrakes to slow and eventually halt their forward momentum. Their deceased colleague flew forward like a grotesque puppet whose strings had been cut, smacking into the back of their seats. Buck was very proud that he didn’t vomit at that moment. That would come later.

The sound of shrieking metal petered out to nothing, and the rocking of the shuttle gradually stopped. Eddie disengaged the shutters, instantly filling the cabin with cold air and a little bit of blowing snow. The lightheaded feeling he was hit with was similar to when he’d gone to Denver for training. However, they were near sea level for this moon, which made him very grateful he hadn’t landed them on a mountain. The nose was buried in a snow drift, and with one glance at the small view screen between their consoles that showed an aft view, he could see the damage their landing had caused.

“Lock down and secure systems. Buck, flip the solar panels into collection mode and activate the distress beacon. I’ll do a quick inventory to see what we have for food rations and an environmental assessment to see what we’re working with.”

Buck nodded, sliding under the main console to manually activate the solar panels. The clunk of the panels on the outside of the shuttle indicated they were realigning. Most of the power was out in the ship, but the indicator panels for the batteries showed they were collecting. Not quickly, but at least the batteries were charging.

Eddie moved to the aft section and opened different compartments, somewhat relieved to see that, though the contents had shifted greatly, everything looked mostly intact. There was some breakage, but he’d take a look at that later.

They had enough emergency rations for the pair of them to survive for a week. A week and a half if they pushed it. Retrieving a hand scanner, Eddie donned a cold weather survival jacket and exited the shuttle through the rear hatch. The ambient light from the nearby planet cast an eery glow on the snowscape. Eddie felt a bit lightheaded in the thinner atmosphere. He was right. It was thin, but they’d be able to survive. Might require some time in respiratory therapy on their return. As they had landed, he could switch the life-support back on for warmth and to adjust the amount of oxygen they were able to breathe.

Tapping in a few commands on the scanner, he pulled readings from various directions, punching in an algorithm to run the math. Frowning at the screen, Eddie looked up at the sky, sighing softly to himself. Even though this wasn’t the most ideal reason to be here, the different views of constellations compared to their home system were always enjoyable. Watching the steam billowing through his nose on every exhalation made him smile. Largely he was a warm weather guy, but there was something about the clean air that made him smile. The lack of harmful biological vectors in the atmosphere made him breathe easier.

Making his way back inside, he doffed the jacket back in the storage cupboard. Pulling out a stasis bag, he rolled it out next to the body of their navigator. Watching as Buck finished punching in a sequence on the console, a single red light started flashing on the console.

“Can you give me a hand here, Buck?”

His voice was low and gentle, as though he didn’t want to wake the navigator, who obviously would never open his eyes again. Buck looked down and solemnly nodded his head. Crouching down, Buck helped move the body gingerly into the bag. Retrieving the data chip he wore around his neck in lieu of dog tags, Buck tucked them into his pocket.

“You okay, Eddie?”

Eddie looked up with a slightly withdrawn look on his face. His ship had been hit on one of his missions a few years back to provide aid in a warzone. The ship was lost, but he got everyone to the life pods. Of all the survivors, Eddie was the only one who was still alive. He’d been seeing a therapist for a while about it. Not many people knew his history, but Buck wasn’t just anybody.

“I’m okay. Thanks.”

Buck nodded, not entirely convinced but also not willing to push it either. Zipping the bag up and activating the stasis unit. A faint blue glow enveloped it. Both men lifted an end and placed it out of the way for safekeeping. Washing up, Eddie went and sat at the console. Power levels were still very low, but the computer was at least up and running. Loading the information from the hand scanner, he let the computer chew through it. Punching in a sequence of numbers, a low-level forcefield sprang up around the shuttle, allowing the heat to be retained, and bringing the internal atmosphere to a safe average between Earth’s normal and the moon’s level.

“So. Near as I can tell, a full moon rotation relative to the main star is about 16 Earth hours. Relative to the planet we’re orbiting, it’s about 24 hours. Radiation is negligible, and there are no nasty bugs to be wary of. Vegetation is sparse here, but the sensors picked up dense forest near the moon’s equator. No sentient beings except us. Some animal life in the forests. Nothing more specific. Some of the minerals in the moon’s crust scatter sensors, but I don’t think Cap’s gonna complain about data gaps.”

Buck sat back in his seat, looking at Eddie with awe. Here they were, crashed on a moon in a system that barely registered on sensors; heavens knew when they’d be rescued, and he was carrying on as though this was business as usual. Blushing a bit when Eddie’s eyebrow twitched in the question of why Buck wasn’t saying anything. Shaking the cobwebs clear, he nodded. Fingers dancing across the console, he pulled up the shuttle systems checklist.

“The hull is severely compromised. In theory, if we could get enough power to atmospheric containment, we could take off. But, our engines are offline. I can’t give enough power to thrusters to get us up.”

Eddie turned a little red and choked on air with Buck saying the word ‘thrust’ and ‘get us up.’ Buck, as usual, missed it.

“The distress beacon is fully operational, thankfully. Food synthesizers will be back up and running once power reaches a high enough level, so hopefully, we won’t be stuck with the emergency rations for long. Environmental systems are mostly stable, but there may be some temperature spikes due to the holes in the hull and the sensors not reading things properly.”

’ Well, feel free to strip if you need to,’ Eddie’s traitorous brain supplied helpfully.

Buck’s eyebrow quirked up slightly. Had to be a coincidence. Right?

“So, now we just mostly have to sit and wait. Auto repair systems online?”

Buck grimaced and shrugged.

“I mean…technically? Yes? There’s too much damage for them to be fully effective, but they’re working well enough to keep things comfortable. And I think it managed to fix the bed.”

“You mean beds?”

Buck’s smile twitched a little bit.

“Uh…sure?”

Eddie moved past the bulkhead that separated the sleeping quarters from the front cabin. There was a large amount of damage, lots of twisted metal, and what looked like the cushion of one of the beds. The other bed still had the glow of the nanomachines that made up the automatic repair system working on it.

There was only one bed. Of course, there was only one bed. Because Eddie, according to his sisters, lived a life that seemed to have come directly from fanfic. He’d had to look up what that actually meant, but enough research got the message through to him. What pissed him off the most was that he couldn’t even argue it.

‘Here I am, marooned on some nameless moon, with the guy I want to ask out, and there’s only one bed. Fuck me,’ he idly thought to himself, missing the shade of red that Buck’s neck was turning.

“We’ll sleep in shifts. I’ll take the first watch. You should get some sleep. I was resting before all this happened.”

Buck simply nodded his head, not about to argue. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he was starting to feel more than a little exhausted.

“If you need anything, I’ll be in the front section, trying to get in touch with the ship.”

“Sounds good, Eddie. Oh. And Eddie?”

“Yeah, Buck?”

“You left your psychographic communicator on.”

Eddie turned a few dozen shades of red. Their ship, “FH One Eighteen,” was a science vessel that also doubled as an emergency response vessel. All crew members had a psychographic communicator implant so that in times of emergency, or if they had to be stealthy, they could transmit and receive thought patterns that could be decoded as speech patterns. Mechanically aided telepathy. Normally they were in standby mode, but in certain circumstances, like a shuttle crash landing, they would activate from an adrenaline rush.

Eddie hated technology sometimes. Right now, definitely being one of them. Tilting his head to the side, the implant went back into standby mode.

“And Eddie?”

“Yes, Buck?”

“I’d love to when we get out of here. Just tell me when and where.”

Eddie stumbled over his feet as he went to return to the bow of the shuttle.

“Duly noted.”

The blinding smile that Buck turned his way was enough to distract him from the fact he nearly punctured his ass cheek on a piece of broken metal when he tried to keep from falling over.

Eddie looked over the console in front of him. Punching in a code to make sure the message for their ship was playing on the loop he’d set up to supplement their distress signal. There was some interference from the stars in the system, but they could get a clear signal out. Signal back in? It might be a bit touch and go on that front. Part of their communication array was damaged and was next on the list of systems Buck would be tackling when he woke up.

Smiling a bit to himself, though a little embarrassing, he was glad that at least he’s asked out Buck. Sort of. It certainly wasn’t how he intended, but it was done. Now all they had to do was get picked up off this rock and pick somewhere to go for their first date. He’d have to get someone to watch Chris, but that wouldn’t be an issue. He hoped. He’d figure out something. He knew that Dr. Wilson, or her wife, Dr. Wilson, would gladly watch Chris if it meant not having to hear him lament that he’d never get to experience Evan Buckley’s arms holding him through the night.

That in and of itself would be an incentive for either one of them to watch Chris for the night. Or two, if he was lucky.

One of the consoles on the operations side started to beep. Looking over, it was one of the sensor clusters Buck rigged to monitor for changes in the weather that could be detrimental to the ship’s security. Rounding on the console, Eddie punched up the readings and felt himself get lightheaded.

There was a rapidly developing ion storm forming above them. Class 8. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be anything to worry about, but the shields were compromised, the hull was compromised, and the atmosphere was too thin to disperse the more harmful effects of it. The radiation could, and would, cause major issues to a lifeform that was caught in it. Eddie momentarily spared a thought to the fact the life signs he had detected were around the equator. Quite likely, something naturally occurring there would disperse the effects. Likely heavier concentrations of whatever minerals there were that scattered their sensors. Too bad they were too far for that to be helpful to them.

Moving to the medbay, he pulled open the drawers looking for the injection that would help them mitigate this type of radiation damage. He couldn’t even grab an EVA suit. The ones on the shuttle weren’t rated for anything above class 3. Especially not for the duration he’d need. Hand reaching into the back of the drawer, avoiding the broken glass, he pulled out two vials. Reading the labels over, these medications would do the trick, but they’d be a bitch to handle awake. Finding two vials of sedatives was easy enough. Anti-radiation medication, followed by sedation. Sleep through the storm. Hopefully, wake up rescued.

Eddie returned to the console and ran the math. It was a slow-moving storm that would be on top of them in no time. Meaning it would be here fast and take a while to pass by. Keeping his psychograph offline so Buck wouldn’t pick up on his stress. That led to a different problem. The two vials would save one of them. But not both. The broken glass he’d just dodged in the drawer were all that remained of the other doses, and with the medical synthesizer being completely slagged, there was no way to make more. Taking a deep breath and looking at the compartment Buck was resting in, Eddie made his decision.

Walking through the door, he looked down at his colleague, sleeping peacefully.

“Buck.”

The blonde startled awake and took in his surroundings. Meeting Eddie’s eyes, he smiled. Eddie smiled back. He was a trained medic. He was used to having to give bad news convincingly. He could lie, if he had to, to anyone.

“There’s an ion storm coming. It’s forming right above us, and it will be a slow one.”

“That’s…that’s less than ideal.”

“Minor understatement. The good news is that I have found some anti-radiation meds. The bad news is they’re the ones that hurt like hell. And we’ll have to do two doses each.”

Buck winced. He’d had to endure those before on a training mission that went sideways, and the engine core flooded the deck with radiation. No sedation that time.

“Is there any good news?”

“I have the sedation.”

Buck let out a sigh of relief.

Eddie crossed the room, indicating to Buck to tilt his head so he could inject the anti-radiation meds directly into the jugular vein. Doing them both quickly, he winced in sympathy as Buck flinched when the meds hit his system. Running his hands through Buck’s hair, he smiled softly.

“Now for the sedation.”

Buck nodded his head. Eddie measured out the dose, adjusting for Buck’s size. Attaching the medical monitor that would automate the wake-up sequence, Eddie injected the sedation.

“I’ll uh…I’ll see you when I wake up?”

Eddie’s smile faltered, his eyes threatening to give him away. Leaning forward, Eddie pressed a single kiss to Buck’s lips, allowing himself to enjoy a kiss before the sleeping meds claimed Buck for the next 12 hours. Silent tears rolled down his cheek, interrupting the kiss. Pulling back, Buck’s brow furrowed.

“Eddie…what…what did you….”

The drugs were kicking in, and Buck could barely keep his eyes open.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry.”

And with that, unconsciousness claimed Evan Buckley. Eddie had given Buck both doses of the medication to ensure he survived. When Buck woke up, he’d be furious with him. Eddie knew that. The probability of Eddie being around to witness it, though, was slim. If by some miracle he did survive, he would gladly endure the contempt and anger of Buck, knowing that somewhere on the ship, he was alive.

His one regret would be leaving Christopher. Smiling a wry smile to himself, he chuckled, thinking that was something that he and Buck could bond over. Their mutual anger at Eddie pulling a stunt like this.

“Computer. Probability analysis. Personal survival chance, factor in the coming ion storm, and my current health status.”

The computer processed quietly, but he could see the indicator that it was processing something in the corner of one of the screens.

“Probability analysis complete. Based on currently available data and known psychology of the human species, you probably do not want to hear the answer.”

One of the things that Dr. Karen Wilson had been working on was making the computer interface more approachable. The voice patterns were based on a composite of voices across different races and even some different species. There was no doubt it was soothing. But sometimes, it also came across as a little grating and not the slightest bit annoying. This was one of those times. Provided he wasn’t irradiated to the point of death, and maybe being a little glow in the dark, he’d give a bit of feedback to Karen.

“Humour me.”

“Alright. With all factors considered, the probability of survival is less than 0.5%.”

“What…what was the probability of Buck saying yes if I asked him out on a date without all of this going on?”

“I have to leave a margin of error, of course, but over 99.9%. Based solely on his biological reaction to you when you are around. His arousal response was mos-”

“I’ve heard enough, thanks.”

Eddie smiled sadly to himself, nodding.

“It would have been 100% if he’d asked me.”

“Affirmative.”

Eddie sniffed, looking up through the window on the top of the shuttle at the approaching storm. Objectively, it was beautiful. And under any other circumstances, he would have loved to have curled up on a couch, coffee in hand, and watched it roll over their shields. Looking at the aft compartment, sparing one last look at Buck’s unconscious form, Eddie got to his feet and closed the blast doors to provide an extra bit of shielding. Whether it actually provided more or not was anyone’s guess. In truth, when Buck woke up, Eddie did not want the first thing he saw to be Eddie’s charred corpse.

Tapping idly on the console, he looked at the shield systems. Quirking an eyebrow, he punched in a rerouting sequence. There were empty areas of the shuttle with environmental shielding protecting them that had little else going on.

“Wait a second…. Computer. Pull up environmental shield emitter controls and bypass routing.”

The console in front of him shifted to show all shield emitters inside and outside the shuttle. Blacked-out ones were the ones that were destroyed, and green ones were the active ones. Yellow emitters were presumably in standby mode, but the board showed largely green with a few black. There were dozens of what looked like threaded tendrils that showed the paths he could use to route the power through. Tapping all of the emitters in the empty and abandoned sections of the shuttle, Eddie could shift the power to the emitters around the half of the shuttle he was currently sitting in.

“Shield power rerouting in progress.”

“Adjusted probability of survival now at 2% and climbing.”

“Show me all power consumption I can reroute to environmental shields without compromising Buck’s survival.”

The computer again shifted the display and showed the shortlist of where he could steal every last spark of power from. Pulling it all to the shields around where he was sitting, he saw the internal lighting flicker and fade. The computer display showed his survival probability of just over 5%. This was already a 10x increase on the initial assessment. That would have to do, with the energized tendrils of ionizing radiation made contact with the shuttle’s limited shields; it was too late to do anything more. Eddie closed his eyes, not wanting to see what would happen to his body.

Screwing his eyes shut and bracing himself for the pain he knew would be coming, his only hope was that his nerve endings would cauterize quickly, so he wouldn’t feel every painful bit. Casting his eyes skyward, he mumbled to the gods that may or may not be there.

“Be kind….”

Eddie passed out shortly after that, his screams echoing back at him being the last thing he heard.

“He’s coming around.”

“Shh. We don’t want to startle him.”

“It’s okay, Buck. You just rest.”

Buck opened his mouth to ask about Eddie, but he felt sleep pulling him under again. He struggled. He fought. But it didn’t seem to matter. His body demanded more sleep, and he was powerless against it.

He didn’t know how long, but when he woke up, he was clean and dressed in a hospital bed. His vitals were thrumming steadily above his head. Looking up, in his limited knowledge, things were looking okay. Sitting up and adjusting his pillows, he felt woozy. Expected side effects and all that. Looking around, a few nurses were milling about, and Henrietta Wilson, their favourite MD, was reading over something on her console.

“Buck. You’re awake.”

“Eddie…where’s…what happened to Eddie.”

Hen’s face softened. She pulled up a seat beside his bed. Taking a breath to collect her thoughts, she took his hand gently in hers. Buck blinked back the pinprick of tears that threatened to spill over.

“Did he…?”

Buck couldn’t bring himself to finish asking the question.

“We don’t know yet, Buck. We found you and evacuated you both, based on sensor logs from the shuttle, about 8 hours after the storm hit. Eddie had rerouted power to the shields in the front section of the shuttle, but he was unconscious. He’s in a bad way, Buck. We aren’t sure if he’s going to make it.”

Buck nodded his head. He was still alive. Technically.

“Chris?”

“He’s been down to see his dad. He’s preparing for the worst, but you know him. Hoping for the best. If I had a tenth of that kid’s optimism….”

Buck nodded his head. Everyone who has ever met the kid ultimately felt the same way.

“Braver than I’ll ever be.”

Hen chuckled in acknowledgement.

“Can I go see him?”

“I have to do a few tests to ensure you’re okay. Eddie’s in the isolation unit more so because of the equipment we have back there. Once I sign off on you, you can go back. But just a warning, Buckaroo…he’s in a rough-looking way.”

Buck nodded his head, for once not arguing with his doctor. Hen would normally celebrate the miracle, but given the circumstances, she’d almost rather have him argue.

It didn’t take long to clear him. Giving Buck a kind pat on the back of his hand, Henrietta let Buck let himself into the isolation unit. He’d been there a few times, though most often because he was doing maintenance.

Buck made his way through the steri-field, the snap of ozone signalling he was decontaminated. Opening the inner door, there was a single medical bed. Eddie lay there, blessedly unconscious. The skin that he could see was red and raw. Likely, it had just been grown and grafted on. The low-level UV light would keep it sterile and prepare the cells for use outside the medbay.

Lifting up the chart, he read through the inventory of injuries. Nerve damage required regrowth and stimulation of 80% of his nervous system. Second and third-degree burns covered 98% of his body, requiring new skin growth and grafting. Cardiopulmonary systems were compromised. Renal systems were compromised. The only thing that didn’t need any attention was the toenail on his right foot’s big toe and three of his teeth.

He was thankful for the medical and technological advancements they’d made, but this was still a long row to hoe.

Sitting down, Buck took Eddie’s hands very gently in his own.

“Fuck you, Diaz, if you think this is getting you out of taking me out for dinner.”

The venom in his voice surprised even him. Buck’s lips still tingled with the ghost memories of their kiss. Remembering the salted tears that mingled with their lips. Eddie’s apology. Knowing, right as the sedative kicked in, that Eddie had done something that meant Buck would live, but Eddie may not.

“Fuck off if you think for one minute you’re not waking up. Chris needs you. This ship needs you. And me…I need you.”

Buck pressed a soft kiss to the back of Eddie’s hand.

“So wake up. I need to yell at you properly. And I’m sure Chris has a few things to say himself.”

Buck sat in the medbay for a while, watching the lack of change in Eddie’s condition. Buck looked up as the door opened, revealing Bobby with his panel tucked under his arm. The look on Bobby’s face was guarded as he saw Buck at Eddie’s bedside. A sad smirk appeared as he looked down at the information from the personnel file.

Normally Buck would be up on his feet, given that Bobby was the captain of this vessel. In all honesty, Bobby was a lot more than that to Buck. He’d seen something in Buck when so many other people, including his parents, had written him off. FH One Eighteen was a small enough ship that they functioned largely like a family. Bobby was the dad, and his wife, Athena, was the mom.

“Hey, kid.”

“Hey, Pops.”

It wasn’t a formal visit, despite Bobby having a data panel with him. Pushing the other chair in the room out with his foot, Buck nodded an invitation to Bobby to sit down and join him.

“Hen tells me that Eddie is lucky to be alive. And that he will be laid up for a while for recovery.”

There was a reassuring certainty to Bobby’s voice. They all knew it would be touch and go for a while, but Bobby and Chris carried the optimism for the ship between the two of them. If the day ever came that they were both worried something wasn’t going to happen, then they were dark days indeed.

“Well. Eddie has been saying he should take a couple days of his leave and kick his feet up, so…maybe we’ll have a weekend off together or something.”

Bobby quirked an eyebrow at that statement, a ghost of a smile gracing his face.

“Together as in….”

“As in: he gave me the only two doses of anti-radiation medication, the sedation so I wouldn’t suffer through it, then he kissed me and apologized before I passed out.”

Buck hadn’t told that to anyone. His throat tightened at the memory of a kiss that was beyond anything he’d dreamed could happen to him.

Bobby snorted a little and shook his head.

“About damn time. Not the radiation meds or the sedative part. That, I’d gladly do without, and I’m sure you’d both agree. But the other part. It’s about damn time.”

Nodding his head tiredly, Buck indicated the panel.

“Let me guess. The Diazes are on their way to stay with Chris or take him back to base while Eddie is unconscious and can’t do anything about it?”

He knew all about Eddie’s parents trying to undermine his confidence as a parent and constant attempts to get Chris to live with them in the past. Their relationship had improved over the years, but part of Buck’s mind couldn’t let go of that black mark.

“As a matter of fact, no. Which…I’m just as surprised as you are. According to Eddie’s advanced directives, you’re to have guardianship over Chris if Eddie is incapacitated or killed in action. If you’re not available, then Hen and Karen, then me and Athena, then Maddie and Chim, I think Ravi is somewhere on the list as well, then way down the list is Ramon and Helena.”

Buck sat silently for a moment, trying to process all of this.

“I take it Eddie didn’t tell you? That’s odd. It says the change was made about a year and a half ago after the crash down on the ice planet. Ramon and Helena have been notified and told me to pass along that if you need anything, they’ll help in any way, but have every confidence you’ll be fine.”

Bobby quirked another half smile.

“Something about, ‘Chris has more family there than we can count, but we’ll do what we can if it’s needed.’ I’m not going to pretend to know about their change of heart, but that’s one less thing we’ll have to worry about.”

Buck merely grunted as an acknowledgement that he’d heard Bobby speak.

“He really never told you?”

“No…no, he played that one pretty close to the vest.”

“It won’t be a problem, will it? I mean…you can always refu-“

“No. I mean…I would never refuse. You know that.”

Bobby nodded, eyes flitting to Eddie’s face.

“I think he did too. You’re off duty and on administrative leave to get everything in order.”

Buck opened his mouth to protest, but Bobby waved it off.

“You just became the parent of a kid who is, honestly, frighteningly intelligent, and even though he’d never say it, scared out of his mind about his dad. You’ll need the time for both of you to adapt to this. Who knows how long it’ll be? It could be a day. Could be a month.”

“Could be forever,” Buck supplied helplessly.

“You know how he is about Christopher. He never would have named you Chris’ guardian if he didn’t know you could do it. Pretty sure he handed you his heart, kid.”

“I know, Pops. I know.”

It was six months.

Buck made his way out of Engineering and returned to his quarters. No. Not his quarters. Eddie and Chris’ quarters. Throwing himself on the chesterfield, he grabbed his pillow and screamed his frustration into it until he lost his voice. The new engines he’d been installing were, in a word, assholes. He knew they were super efficient and would allow them to travel much further on less fuel and even less wear on the hull, but still. Assholes.

Consciousness drifted in and out until he woke up to Maddie entering his quarters with Jee-Yun on her hip and Chris leading the way.

Dinner was mostly a quiet affair. Chris talked about the project he was working on for his engineering class; Maddie talked about her rotation through astrophysics…mostly counting down the days until she was finished there and was back in environmental science, where she felt she belonged.

“Astrophysics is so far beyond me that I think Eli is looking forward to me being out of there too.”

Buck chuckled. He HATED that part of his rotation when he joined the crew. Toss him in front of an engine any day. Eli was fun, but the subject matter? No, thank you.

Jee-Yun’s contribution to the conversation was simply yelling, “Mango!” and throwing her dessert at her uncle’s head, which led to all of them dissolving in peals of laughter as Buck pulled chunks of mushed-up mango out of his curls.

“Dr. Wilson to Christopher Diaz.”

Getting to his feet and grabbing his crutches, he made his way over to the comm panel.

Hitting the green button, he answered, “Hi, Auntie Hen.”

“Hey, Chris. Your dad is starting to come around. He probably won’t be awake until tomorrow, but I just thought I should let you know.”

“Thank you. I’ll come down in the morning.”

“I’ll let your instructors know you’ll be out of class tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Chris toggled the button off, sighing in relief.

“Buck, can you come with me?”

Buck shifted a little uncomfortably.

“I can if you want me to, Buddy.”

Chris rolled his eyes.

“Dad would want to see you, Buck. He really likes you. And he was going to ask you out on this last mission.”

Buck choked and snorted his water straight out of his nose. Wheezing and coughing, tears streaming down his face, Buck gasped for air.

“You knew about that?”

Jee-Yun patted her uncle’s cheek in that comforting way only young children could get away with without it being patronizing.

“He’s been trying to ask you out for months. He even asked if I’d be okay with you being his boyfriend. I mean, obviously. You’re Buck.”

Chris said it so casually that he might as well have been asking for the status condition report of the automated carpet cleaners.

With that bombshell out in the open, Chris returned to the dining room table and finished his dessert.

“I overheard him asking Maddie about your favourite things to do on a date too.”

Maddie’s eyes went very wide, and she looked at Chris, who knew exactly what he was doing. Life on board a ship could get boring, and sometimes you had to make your own fun.

“Really…and what did my dear sister tell him?” Buck’s voice was more than amused.

“Going into the environmental simulators and going surfing on a beach date. Maybe horseback riding on a rural date. Or maybe get you to show off your special yoga moves. I didn’t hear what she meant by that, but I think it was a naked thing with how red dad’s face went.”

Maddie contemplated stealing a shuttle and flying far away, never to be seen again. Or putting on an EVA suit and trying her luck thumbing a ride. Buck’s gaze on his sister was mildly amused, to say the least, and Chris’ innocent look gave away the fact he knew EXACTLY what he was doing.

“If it makes you feel any better, Dad started going to yoga the next day.”

Buck’s mouth went dry at the mental imagery that statement gave him.

He was so going to yell at Eddie for his self-sacrificing move. Then probably kiss him so deeply and strongly he’d suck the enamel off his teeth.

The gentle teasing continued for the rest of the evening, with Maddie putting Jee down in the spare bed Buck had for his sleepover dates with his niece. Chris made his way to his bedroom, and Maddie curled up on the bed beside her daughter.

“Buck?”

“Yeah, Maddie?”

“Don’t be too hard on him, okay?”

Her voice was soft and almost lost to the room.

“He was probably scared too. Probably still is.”

Buck frowned, nodding his head. He’d had time over the last six months to process his feelings. For him, he’s had the chance to go through the mental processes that would allow him to come to terms with this. Eddie…who knew if he was even aware of the passage of time, or if he’d even known that time had passed? That didn’t necessarily mean Buck had made his peace with the situation, but he at least was past blinding rage.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Maddie nodded her head knowingly.

Buck and Chris made their way down to the med bay. Buck was out of uniform, wearing a burnt orange sweater that was a half inch too long in the arm but looked a half size too small when pulled across his chest. Finishing the look were black jeans that did criminal things to his backside. He was peacocking for Eddie. He knew he was. A piece of molten lead sunk into the pit of his stomach, though, afraid that Eddie would forget what had happened just before the shit hit the proverbial fan.

Chris, for his part, looked utterly unflappable.

They entered the medbay, and the first thing they saw was Eddie, sitting up, eyes open, and looking like he was doing his best to pay attention to what Hen was saying. At the faint hiss of the doors opening, they stopped speaking and turned to see Chris and Buck cross the threshold. Buck’s blood rushed to his head, relief taking over where stress had only been. Stress that had been there so long that he could hardly remember feeling anything but.

“DAD!!” Chris broke the silence with the single best word Eddie could ever want to hear. Chris moved on his crutches as quickly as possible, leaving Buck in his dust.

Tears sprang to Eddie’s eyes, and he held his arms open to try and lift Chris onto the bed with him. Biting his lips in frustration that his limbs wouldn’t perform the simple task, Eddie said nothing. Chris didn’t say or even notice anything. Abandoning the crutches to the floor once he reached the bed, he scrambled up and plastered himself to Eddie’s side. All Eddie had to do was reach over and hold his son. Something his arms WOULD at least consent to do.

“Hey, Superman.”

Eddie choked on the overwhelming wave of emotions he was feeling, having his son in his arms, the unmistakable scent of Chris’ shampoo mixed with the undeniable scent that screamed the word ‘son’ in Eddie’s primal brain. Eddie’s eyes locked on Buck’s, a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill over.

Buck stood there, frozen with what looked like indecision. He wanted to run to Eddie, wrap him and Chris in his arms, and never let them go. He wanted to scream at Eddie and call him every name under the suns they had explored and have yet to explore. He wanted to tell Eddie how angry he was that he would sacrifice himself just to save Buck. He wanted to thank Eddie for trusting him with Chris’ guardianship and that he worked every day to prove himself worthy of such an honour. He wanted to curl up and cry in Eddie’s lap. He wanted so very many things, and he didn’t trust himself to voice any of them.

Crossing the few steps to Eddie’s bed, he merely reached out, brushed the hair out of Eddie’s eyes, and smiled. There would be time to talk about it later. At least they had time. Taking Eddie’s other hand, Buck gave it a gentle squeeze. He’d avoided looking too closely at Eddie when he’d come down, even though he came in nearly daily. There was a definite loss of muscle mass; despite the advancements in muscular stimulation for patients in comas, Eddie had definitely lost some mass. There was going to be a lot of physiotherapy in his future. At least there was a future to look forward to.

When Buck zoned back into the here, and now, he was slightly surprised to hear Chris’ elevated voice.

“…found out what you did after you gave Buck the sleeping medication. You really hurt Bucky’s feelings, Dad. Not cool. He’s been caring for me so well, even if he snores a lot, and you can’t just go and die on us. You have to promise that you won’t do that to Bucky or me again. Or else I’m gonna go live with him!”

Eddie winced with every verbal slap his son was giving him. Buck felt a little vindicated and honestly felt like he probably wouldn’t have much to contribute to that side of the conversation.

“Hey, hey. Easy on me, please? I know. I know I fucked up. For you.” Eddie looked up at Buck, “Both of you. But if things had gone right, I’d have been asking him around now if he wanted to move in with us.”

Buck looked at Eddie. Eddie looked at Buck.

“Doesn’t make much sense for me to move back to my quarters, I guess,” Buck deadpanned. He was amused. Very very amused.

“So…you’ll stay?” Chris looked up at him with the widest puppy dog eyes he’d ever channelled.

Buck quirked a small smile, nodding his head. He never did anything in the right order anyway. Why should this be any different?

“For as long as you’ll have me.”

“I wanna keep you forever, Bucky.”

Buck blushed a little, looking at Eddie. Eddie shrugged slightly, “It’s like he read my mind.”

Eddie smiled softly, starting to lose the battle with his fatigue. It was frustrating, but at least this was natural sleep. More natural, at least, than he’d had over the last 6 months.

“I still owe you a date, though. Dinner?”

“As long as you aren’t cooking,” Chris added helpfully.

“Rude. Honest. But rude,” Eddie responded good-naturedly. Buck had heard rumours of Eddie’s lack of culinary prowess. You could always count on a kid to point out your flaws.

“A date would be nice.”

Eddie smiled, nestling into the pillow, holding Chris close, and reluctant to let go of Buck’s hand. When his breathing evened out, Buck gingerly pulled his hand free, leaving the two Diaz boys to their sleep.

Stopping by Hen’s office, he picked up the discharge instructions, including Eddie’s physiotherapy schedule and medication protocols. There wasn’t much in the line of medications. Mostly a few medications to help alleviate the discomfort of the work Eddie was going to be doing to get back up to his self-imposed standard.

It was also well known that Eddie kept himself in better physical condition than their security forces seemed to, which was highly amusing to anyone NOT in Sec Div.

Looking over the information, Eddie would be released in a couple days. Because of Chris’ CP and requirements in their quarters for accommodations, there wasn’t anything they would have to do to ensure it was safe for Eddie when he got home. Scrolling through the data pad, he saw an additional note in what was essentially considered the “off the record” section of the file. Tapping into it, he punched in his authorization code when prompted for it.

A handwritten note from Hen simply said, ‘NO SEXCAPADES FOR AT LEAST THREE WEEKS AFTER HE’S DISCHARGED! I mean it, Buck. He needs to recover and get some of his strength back.’

Buck turned as red as a cherry tomato when he looked back at Hen, who was standing at the door to her office, with a look that said she knew exactly what he’d just read.

“I mean it, Buck. At least three weeks.”

He simply nodded his head sheepishly. To be honest, sex with Eddie, while not far from his mind at any given time, didn’t even rank in the things he wanted to do with Eddie for the foreseeable future. In part because, as Hen had pointed out, he was recovering. But he wanted to do this right. He’d screwed up a few relationships.

Ali, the structural engineer with whom he’d had a fling, went so far as to transfer off the ship. They managed to become very good friends, albeit long-distance ones. Taylor had to be transferred off, though that wasn’t entirely his fault. She’d used unauthorized communication channels to report to the DEU media outlets about an operation the ship was involved with that nearly killed two crew members as a result.

Sparing one final look behind him at Eddie and Chris, his heart felt like it doubled in size just at the sight of father and son reunited. He would kill to have even half that quality of a relationship with his father. Making his way down the hallway and into the lift, he ordered it to take him to the residential deck and back to the Diaz quarters in silence.

Buck woke up to quiet quarters. There was a message waiting for him from Hen, stating that they had set up the extension on Eddie’s bed in the medbay to accommodate Chris, and she would take care of giving Chris something to eat for breakfast. He hadn’t realized how tired he was until that moment. Likely an adrenaline crash. Keying in an acknowledgement, he kept going through the messages. Including one from Eddie that simply said, ‘Three weeks isn’t that long, is it?’

Sputtering out the sip of water he’d had, he coughed and laughed a bit. It looked like Hen had spoken with Eddie too.

The last message on the list was from his parents. They were probably reaching out to him to keep up appearances because he was sure there was some sort of political event coming up where there would be the expectation that his parents would at least have a clue about what their son was up to. Tabbing the acknowledgement that he’d seen the message, he grimaced when it automatically keyed up the return communication code.

Pinching his brow while waiting for the communication to go through, his brain ran through the steps required to implement instantaneous communications with a planet ten thousand lightyears away. Quantum ansible technology could bridge the communications gap as long as they were within their home galaxy. Their ansible radio array was perpetually oriented towards the galactic core, where the relays had been set up, and every ship in the fleet was calibrated to ensure their quantum particle was facing the right way. Outside of it, there were additional factors to consider. While they could try and keep the radio oriented to the galactic core, there were wild fluctuations that didn’t seem to occur within the galaxy’s perimeter, leaving them having to manually recalibrate every other day.

The screen resolved and showed his parents looking rather put out. A quick glance at the chronometer at the bottom of the screen told him it was just past lunchtime at his parent’s house. The last time he’d spoken to them, it had been just past three in the morning where they were. He couldn’t bring himself to care, to be honest.

“Evan. So good of you to finally return our call.”

The timestamp of their attempted communication was 4 hours ago. He’d still been asleep.

“Well, you know. Busy busy. What do you need?”

He was long past the days of even trying to be nice. He’d settle for civil, if only because he didn’t want his parents taking anything out on Maddie. Never mind that he was nearing 30 and hadn’t lived at home for over 14 years, they still berated Maddie for his behaviour as though he was her child and not their responsibility when he was a kid.

“We just were wondering how you are doing, dear. Is that so unusual?”

Buck returned his mother’s seemingly innocent question with a raised eyebrow of disbelief.

“From normal parents, no. But you haven’t reached out to me in nearly a year and haven’t returned my messages, so…yes. In this case, it’s really fucking unusual. What do you want?”

His father scoffed at the bluntness of it, and his mother gasped at the crudeness. He hadn’t told them to jump out of an airlock (this time), so it was definitely progress concerning how their conversations usually went.

“Maddie tells us you’ve been babysitting for your friend? Really, Evan, it’s rather impolite for your friend to take advantage of you like this. You’re hardly situated to take care of a child.”

Buck sat there, ears ringing at the casualness of the complete dismissal of what it was he was actually doing. He had absolutely no doubt that Maddie would have been 100% honest with the situation and why Buck was taking care of Chris long-term. They never even asked how Eddie was doing.

“Wh…what?”

“Children are a lot of responsibility, Evan. Are you sure you’re the right person to do this? Surely there’s some kind of daycare on board that could watch this child for your friend? There must be better choices to watch over this child.”

His parents were sitting there, completely unaware of how lucky they were that he couldn’t just pop over and kill them both.

“His name is Chris. And…and I’m not ‘babysitting’ him. I’ve been raising him since his dad was injured on a mission. Injured, might I add, saving my ass. Eddie…my friend…you know…the one you think is taking advantage of me? Almost died. Six months ago. And if he had, I’d be given custody.”

His mother rolled her eyes.

“Is there a reason you’re being so dramatic, Evan?”

“It’s Buck.”

“Ev-“

“BUCK! My name, for the last fucking time, is Buck.”

Punching the disconnect button, he didn’t even think about the look on their faces. Typing in a few commands, he blocked his parents from being able to contact him again in the future. He was done with them. Absolutely finished.

Getting to his feet, Buck showered and dressed. It was a day off for him, which was perfect as it would allow him to go and get Eddie to bring him home. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror and could see the sour mood painted there clear as day for anyone to see. He should be happy. His best friend…his boyfriend…was discharged from the med bay today. He should be happy. Instead, his parents’ words echoed in his head, and he could feel their freezing cold fingers wrapping around the warmth in his core.

There must be someone better for Chris…right?

Maybe Chris WOULD have been better off with someone else.

Shaking his head, trying to drown out the voices, he made his way to the med bay, almost looking like he was back to normal.

Buck stopped just inside the door and smiled a large, genuine smile. Eddie was standing, with one hand on Chris’ shoulder and the other grasping a newly synthesized cane. Complete with holographic flames dancing along the length of it, which Buck surmised was Chris’ idea. Eddie looked tired but happy. If only because he was given the all-clear to continue his recuperation at home.

“Eddie. It’s good to see you on your feet.”

“Buck. It’s just good to see you.”

Crossing the floor to where Eddie and Chris were waiting for him, he gently wrapped his arms around Eddie and squeezed lightly. He could feel the muscles, such as they were, twitching and spasming, ready to get back to work. Eddie would be on medical leave for the time being. Still, one advantage of what he did was he could do it from a workstation in their quarters, so if Eddie was getting a bit squirrelly, he could analyze…whatever it was that he analyzed. Pulling back slightly, Eddie squeezed him to stop him from moving and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. Chris mimed getting sick, but his Cheshire grin said he was okay with it.

Taking Eddie’s lead, they walked slowly back towards their quarters, Buck squeezing Eddie’s hand every once and a while to simply remind himself that Eddie was here and he was awake. Eddie squeezed back, much for the same reason.

Even though Chris had been given yesterday and today off from school, he had assignments he had to finish and hand in. He promised his dad, and Buck, that he would work on at least a few of the subjects, but only on the promise that they would watch a movie together later that evening.

Buck quickly countered that he would have to do at least half of the work he was assigned today and finish the rest tomorrow. Eddie sat and looked at Buck with a look that confused the younger man. Once Chris agreed and went to his room to start his homework, Buck looked at Eddie, who was still looking at him with that odd look.

“I’m sorry, Eddie. You’re back now. I should have just…I didn’t mean to step on your toes….”

Eddie blinked himself back to reality. Shaking his head.

“No…no…not stepping on my toes. I just…didn’t realize I had a ‘competent parenting technique’ kink until just now. Watching you negotiate with Chris and him agreeing to it, without fighting or anything. Just…if he wasn’t in the other room, and if Hen wouldn’t kill us…I’d be doing things to you on this couch. So many things.”

It was Buck’s turn to blink in confusion, though he felt his cheeks warm quite a bit at the sentiment.

“You’re incredibly sexy when you co-parent effectively.”

“You’re…turned on by me parenting your son?”

“Parenting OUR son.”

Buck surged forward and pressed a kiss just this side of dirty to Eddie’s lips. He knew if he pushed too far, they’d be getting a new one ripped by Hen and likely a solid two-thirds of the medical staff.

“Three weeks is gonna be hell.”

Eddie nodded in agreement, pressing another kiss to Buck’s lips, then nose. He sighed tiredly, covering his mouth and trying to stifle the yawn.

“Eds…can I ask you a question?”

“Better than anyone I know.”

Buck couldn’t help but roll his eyes fondly. Snuggling in, he hooked his chin over Eddie’s shoulder.

“Why me?”

“Because I’ve loved you almost as long as I’ve known you?”

Buck chuckled.

“No. Not this…although that’s good to know. But, Chris? His guardianship? Why me?”

Eddie stilled at the question, thinking it through and how best to answer it.

“Even before I realized I loved you, Buck, I’d have had to be blind and stupid to not see how wholly…how selflessly…you cared about Christopher. You’re there for him when I can’t be, just because I’m on shift, never mind when I’m off the ship or laid up for six months unable to do a damn thing. He loves you. You aren’t trying to replace his mother…unlike someone, we will not be mentioning…but encourage him to talk about and think about the good times he had with Shannon. “

Eddie gestures to the slideshow of photos on one of the side tables.

“You did a deep dive in the fleet’s archives for any pictures of her that you could find to help keep her memory alive. Without asking. Because you knew he needed it. Baby, you ask me why you? Who else could love him like that but you? Of course, it would be you. You’re family. So, Buck. Can you tell me why you’re asking?” Eddie’s voice was gentle and kind. Always gentle. Always kind.

Buck sniffled a bit, chuckling a little wetly.

“My parents….”

Buck stopped speaking at the low growl Eddie made at the mention of the Buckley parents. His own parents were no hell, but they were trying. That’s a lot more than what could be said about Buck’s.

“They said that you were taking advantage of me, and Chris would have been better off…with anyone else pretty much.”

Eddie understood the hold that a parent’s words could have on you. Even when you knew they were wrong. But it was a hard thing to shake. Eddie merely squeezed tighter.

“No one else will fight for or protect my son harder or better than you. It isn’t even a question for me.”

Buck nodded his head and smiled at the easy reassurances from Eddie.

“I love you, Eddie. Even if I’m still mad at you for your self-sacrificing move on that moon.”

“I love you too, Buck. And I’ll spend every day making up for that to you if you want.”

Buck smiled and shook his head.

“You don’t need to do anything except get better.”

“Mmm....”

“And get strong enough to fuck me through the wall.”

“Oh…oh my.”

Buck chuckled. Three weeks…it had been six months…what was three weeks?

It turned out that three weeks was longer than six months. Eddie had made tremendous strides with his physiotherapy, and while he wasn’t back to his self-imposed standard, he was cleared to be back to active duty before the end of the three weeks. Three weeks also had them returning to one of their bases for routine maintenance. Eddie’s parents decided to make the trip and offered to take Christopher so he and Buck could have a proper date. They also had the plan to spoil their grandson rotten.

As Chris and his grandparents walked through the airlock, along the corridor into the base proper, and off to the recreation deck, Buck looked at Eddie with a soft smile.

“I’ve made reservations at The Spire. A perfect excuse to get you all dressed up.”

“And so I can carefully undress you. Got it.”

Buck’s smile went a little sharper at the heat in Eddie’s gaze.

“You think you can take me, Diaz?”

Eddie merely smiled his own sharp tooth smile in response.

“Any way, any position.”

Buck nodded to himself, fully aware of the fact that Eddie and his bedroom eyes were going to kill him. But what a way to go. Allowing himself to be led back to their quarters, the door had barely hissed shut when Eddie had Buck’s back pressed into the door frame and hoisted him up so Buck’s legs were wrapped around his waist. Shifting enough, Eddie smiled hotly at Buck.

“From this angle, I’m pretty sure I can have you however I want.”

Buck’s brain had short-circuited the moment his back hit the wall, gladly being manhandled into whatever way Eddie wanted him. The only thing that kept him from stripping down and letting Eddie have his wicked way with him was the fact they had reservations in an hour, and getting them had involved picking up a double shift in engineering so Ravi could have a full day with his parents who were stationed here.

Reluctantly letting Buck drop to the ground, Buck crowded himself into Eddie’s space, placing a scorching kiss on Buck’s lips. Gasping as they parted, Eddie gave Buck a dangerous look before separating and moving off to the wardrobe to pull out an outfit.

Wordlessly, they parted company and dressed separately, knowing they wouldn’t make it to dinner if they caught a glimpse of each other’s naked flesh.

Eddie selected a pair of black dress pants and a burgundy silk shirt, electing to leave the top three buttons undone. Styling his hair in a way that he knew Buck could hardly resist running his fingers through. A pair of dress shoes and a matching belt completed the look.

Buck selected a pair of grey slacks with a shirt that complimented his eyes. He opted to leave his hair mostly product free, allowing the natural curl to assert itself. Taking a few moments to ensure everything was in place, he put on his shoes and walked out to the living room, stopping dead in his tracks when he caught a glimpse of Eddie.

“Baby, you look good enough to eat.”

Eddie chuckled low in his chest.

“Later, Buck.”

Reaching out, Eddie and Buck linked hands, intertwining their fingers. Walking out of their quarters, they took the lift to the airlock that would deliver them closer to the restaurant level. As the lift made the journey, Buck took Eddie’s hand, pressing it to his butt. With a wicked grin, he pressed Eddie’s fingers a bit firmer.

“Are you wearing a….”

Nodding his head to cut off Eddie as one of their crewmates joined them in the lift.

“Don’t want any delays when we get back.”

“You’re killing me, Buck.”
“I know,” Buck replied with a smile that would make you think butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

Dinner at The Spire was an event in and of itself. It was a small restaurant able to serve 10 customers at a time, located at the highest point above the main body of the base. This particular base orbited a planetoid that was completely inhospitable but loaded with minerals that the fleet used in construction. Hence, an automated mining rig was at work on the planet below. The toxic atmosphere also interacted with the solar radiation from the system’s star, creating breathtaking auroras. The Spire offered the perfect vantage point to watch all of this below.

The dinner was indulgent, over the top, and fit perfectly with their environment. After the initial awe had dissipated, Buck and Eddie only had eyes for each other. They were sweet and cute together but were very mindful to not be too over the top and verge into the territory of sickeningly sweet. The closest they got was exchanging a kiss over their dessert, almost missing the server’s offer for coffee or dessert wine. Smiling sheepishly, they finished their meal, sitting back and enjoying the heady feeling of a good meal.

“Have I told you recently that I love you, Buck?”

Blushing just a little bit, Buck ducked his head like he always did when Eddie or Chris were saying nice things to him.

“I’ll never get sick of hearing it, Eddie. I love you too, you know that, right?”

Eddie merely smiled and nodded.

“I do know that.”

Eddie kissed the back of Buck’s hand before whispering the ghost of a lick on one of his long fingers, sucking slightly at the top.

“Ready to go home?”

Buck’s brain was taking a hot second to come back online. Nodding, he smiled a goofy half smile.

“Yeah. Yeah, we can do that.”

They’d already paid the bill. Getting to their feet, they prided themselves on NOT running out the door to get back to their quarters. It was a near thing.

Barely back in their quarters, Buck again was pinned to the wall; this time, Eddie’s mouth had moved beyond kissing and into claiming territory. Buck opened up to him with a whimper and a moan, sighing into the kiss as Eddie’s fingers gently undid the shirt’s buttons. It was maddeningly slow, but how Buck was pinned meant that Eddie had to do all the work. He suspected that was Eddie’s plan. Tilting his head back and exposing the long line of his throat, Buck moaned as Eddie sucked marks onto his skin. He didn’t care. He could cover them up. Turtle necks were making a comeback. Or something. In truth, he didn’t have the brain power to protest even if he wanted to. And he really really did NOT want to.

“You taste so good,” Eddie mumbled before licking a strip up the column of Buck’s throat, pulling the shirt the rest of the way off.

Shucking his own, Eddie moaned at the rasp of the hair on Buck’s chest tangling with his own. Hand moving between them, Eddie pulled at Buck’s belt, making short, efficient work of Buck’s pants. Dropping to his knees, Eddie kissed and licked at Buck’s erection, though not actually taking it into his mouth just yet. He set up a torturous routine of small licks, small sucks, and small kisses, just enough to amp up Buck a bit, but nowhere NEAR enough to start bringing him toward relief.

Buck’s knees nearly buckled when Eddie mouthed at the tendon where thigh met groin. Reaching up, Eddie played with the toy that Buck had inserted before dinner. It slid out easily, making room for Eddie’s deft fingers that sunk in readily. This time it was Eddie’s turn to moan.

“You’re hungry for me, aren’t you, baby.”

Buck could only bite his lips and whine.

“I wanna hear the delicious sounds you make. Don’t hold back on my account.”

There was a cockiness to the statement, and Eddie’s grin was devilish.

“Need you…need you in me, Eddie. Please…please….”

“Shhh. Shhhh,” Eddie stood up, losing his pants in the process. Kissing Buck so deeply he could feel it deep in his soul, he pulled back to whisper gently, “You don’t have to beg…this time.”

Buck could only whimper at that. Eddie took his hand and put a dollop of lube in it, guiding him to prep Eddie’s cock.

“Not too much of that, Buck. You’ve got me so hot I don’t think I could last. And I want to come in you. Deep inside.”

Hoisting Buck up and guiding him to wrap his legs around Eddie’s waist, Eddie managed to slowly enter Buck. Only when he bottomed out did he realize he’d been holding his breath. As Buck relaxed around him, adjusting for the girth that he hadn’t known Eddie possessed, he licked his lips and nodded. They could start moving now.

“If you need me to move or relocate, just tell me. I don’t want to hurt you.” Eddie gave a roll of his hips. “I want to make you feel good.” He rolled his hips again so that Buck let out a sharp groan that practically begged for more.

“I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel.”

Buck nodded his head.

“Eddie. I love you. But shut up and fuck me.”

Throwing his head back in a laugh, grinning as Buck’s laugh echoed his own, Eddie tightened his arms around Buck and pressed him firmly against the wall. While the position they were in didn’t really lend itself to major thrusting, the way they were pressed against each other left Eddie only able to grind and rock himself in Buck, who was clenching down to meet each swivel of Eddie’s hips.

“God, Buck, you feel so good. I…I don’t know if I’m gonna last long.”

Buck just grinned, redoubling his efforts to chase Eddie off that particular cliff.

Eddie returned to mouthing at Buck’s neck when his steady tempo faltered. Positioning Buck, so he had a little more movement, Eddie thrust furiously into Buck before biting down on Buck’s neck as he came. Buck was wordless as Eddie stilled in him, blissed out on sensation and the heady knowledge that he was the reason Eddie had done this. He had no doubt his neck looked like hell itself had come to visit, but he genuinely didn’t care. Mourning the loss of the feeling of fullness that Eddie provided, he set his feet down and stood there. At the same time, Eddie carefully examined him to ensure there wasn’t any tearing or injury beyond the bruising on his neck that he wasn’t complaining about.

“You’re so beautiful, Buck. You. Are. So. Beautiful.”

Buck blushed at the praise, feeling treasured that Eddie would make sure he was okay after what he considered one of the hottest fucks of his life. Buck had been with men and women. He’d been with aliens who didn’t have a gender at all. Love was love, and he loved love. But never had he been with someone who could do THAT to him.

“You’re so beautiful, Buck; now let me take care of you.”

Taking Buck by the hand, Eddie led his lover to the bedroom, kissing as they went. Eddie pushed Buck back on the bed and straddled his lap. Taking the lube that had been stashed under the pillow earlier in the evening, Eddie reached behind himself and gave himself a cursory stretch. As he took hold of Buck, spreading the lube on his hand, Buck sat up.

“We haven’t prepped you.”

Eddie leaned forward and kissed Buck deeply, stealing the rest of his words.

“Baby, I know what I’m doing. Now shh…shhh…let me take care of you.”

Eddie pressed the tip of Buck’s cock against his hole, grinning as it slowly breached him. Groaning at the burning stretch that was just the right side of too much, Eddie smiled down at Buck, whose back had arched while his brain short-circuited as he entered Eddie. Eddie shifted his hips a little, adjusting the angle to let Buck thrust up into him, hand resting on the blonde man’s pecs, nails nearly clawing at him.

“Eddie…so tight….” Buck was nearly non-verbal, which for a man who loved talking as much as Buck did, was no easy feat.

Between their gasps, moans, and kisses that stole their breath away, Buck managed to roll them over while taking his pleasure. Eddie went willingly, using his heels to spur Buck on. Before too long, Buck arched his back as he released his pleasure in Eddie’s body. After a moment, Buck pulled out from Eddie and nearly collapsed on him. Pulling up a blanket, he made a mental note that they would have to change the sheets before they went to sleep. Thankful, not for the first time, Eddie’s parents were taking Chris for the night.

Rolling over to grin at Eddie, who was already having an issue keeping his eyes open, he just smiled.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Let’s get some sleep.”

The elder Diazes kept Chris for a few days, allowing Buck and Eddie to repeatedly enjoy each other’s company. It was with some reluctance that they returned to work. Largely because of the requirement of wearing pants.

Returning from their duty shifts, Eddie and Buck had a look of pure annoyance on their faces when they came face to face with each other.

“Hello, honey. How was YOUR day,” Eddie asked, more than a touch annoyed.

“Oh. You know. Just fucking ducky.”

Silence filled their quarters for all of three seconds.

“I have a bone to pick with you,” they both announced simultaneously.

“By all means, Buck. You go first.”

“Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to give a briefing to a crewmate, a FRIEND when you feel your boyfriend’s semen threatening to come trickling out and down your uniform pants?”

Eddie snorted, nodding his head.

“Gee, dear, I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

“I was trying to brief Hen on the new medical scanning beds that we just installed,” Buck sounded a little smug for believing that facing down the chief medical officer in that situation was the most mortifying experience.

“On the bridge. Talking to Bobby.”

Buck’s jaw fell. That…that was definitely worse.

“Luckily, I could clench until I could excuse myself to a washroom…but I think that if we’re going to have a quickie in the morning before work….”

“…we stick with hand jobs or blow jobs. I concur.”

Buck and Eddie looked at each other, snickering like high school students.

“Hey, Buck. Quick question for you.”

“Yeah, Eddie. What’s up?”

“Will you marry me?”