Work Text:
Buck woke up to a rustling sound in the bedroom, it was still dark outside, but he quickly realized it was Tommy rushing about. He blinked blearily, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the room's darkness. He would have gotten up, too, if Eddie weren’t fast asleep, lying half on top of him.
“Tommy, what are you doing? It’s—” The blonde paused to look at his phone. “It’s like 4:00 a.m. I thought you didn’t have to be in until the same time as Eddie and me.”
The older man yawned and explained, “They called my shift to come in early. Half of the C shift got food poisoning from some bad chicken wings they ate for dinner.”
“Oh boy, that’s not good.” Buck groaned, thinking about all those guys who definitely weren’t doing well at the moment.
“Yeah, it ain’t pretty,” Tommy commented, grimacing.
“And you weren’t planning on leaving without saying goodbye, were you?” He asked sweetly.
“As if I’d ever leave without kissing you goodbye, Evan.” The man chuckled playfully.
With that, Tommy knelt on the bed and leaned over to place a short, sweet kiss on Buck’s lips. As he pulled away, the older man looked at Eddie, whose head rested on the blonde’s chest. He smiled softly and ran his fingers through the brunette’s hair before kissing his cheek. This only caused the man to shift slightly and smile in his sleep.
“He’s sleeping deeper than usual, hmm?” Tommy whispered.
Buck yawned, threading his fingers through the sleeping man’s hair and smirking before responding quietly, “Mhm, we tired him out last night. It’s good, though; he needs the sleep.”
The older man smirked, seeming to remember their fun last night, “Well, I’d much rather be doing that than going in 5 hours early to cover for a fire station full of guys with food poisoning.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s a lot of things you’d rather do than that.” The blonde teased. “Alas, you must.”
“Unfortunately, I must.” He paused to kiss Buck again, “Okay, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Don’t get into any trouble on your shift.”
“You know I can’t make any promises, babe,” He teased as Tommy pulled away.
He huffed, “Seriously though, stay safe. I love you.”
Buck smiled, “We’ll stay safe. Love you, you stay safe too.”
As the man walked out of the room, he gave a little salute, “Will do, Evan.”
Then he was gone, out of the room and off to work. Buck waited until he heard the faint sound of Tommy’s truck starting to let himself drift off to sleep again, still surrounded by Eddie’s warmth.
~~~~~~
Buck woke up for the second time that morning, again not to his alarm but instead to a feeling he dreaded. His bad leg, the one that had been crushed by the fire truck 6 years ago, was aching with a deep, almost throbbing pain. How had he not noticed this earlier? And, of course, this had to happen right before a shift. Being in pain was not his thought of an ideal start to the morning.
In fact, his ideal morning wake-up would involve being squished between both his boyfriends and a lot more kissing than was currently happening, which was none . Part of that plan was shot because Tommy was at work, and they wouldn’t see him until after their shift ended tomorrow. Buck grabbed his phone to look at the time. Perhaps he could coerce some kisses out of Eddie before they had to get up. That would be an excellent distraction from the pain simmering under his skin.
He looked over at his boyfriend, the brunette’s hair mussed and sleep rumpled and his arm slung loosely over the blonde’s torso. Buck loved looking at Eddie all the time, but when the man was asleep, he looked so peaceful, and he loved that. He cuddled closer to the man, causing the arm around him to tighten.
“Mmm Buck…” Eddie mumbled sleepily, “Is it time to get up?”
Buck was going to give an actual answer to his boyfriend, but all that came out as he turned to his side to look at him was a pained groan.
That sound out of Buck’s mouth immediately put Eddie on alert, which was precisely what Buck wanted to avoid. The man gave him a concerned look. “Buck, are you okay? Are you hurt, baby?” He asked, also turning on his side so he could see Buck.
Great, now there was no way he could hide this from Eddie… like that would have even been possible. He knew better than to try to lie to Eddie about anything, really. The man could see right through him even before they started dating.
Buck buried his face into Eddie’s neck, “I’m okay; it’s just that my leg is kind of bothering me.”
“How long has your leg been bothering you, baby? Anything I can do to help?” He asked gently.
“Mmm… just wanna cuddle for a bit before we have to get up.”
Buck sighed contentedly as Eddie gathered him up and pulled him against his chest. He smiled at the feeling of his boyfriend nosing at the side of his neck. The man eventually placed a feather-light kiss at the junction of his neck and shoulder.
Buck could feel Eddie’s small smile against his skin as he sweetly asked, “How’s this baby?”
The blonde quietly hummed, “Perfect,” as he relaxed into Eddie’s chest.
This was precisely what Buck needed, just to be held. The feeling of Eddie’s arms around him and lips on his skin was a nice distraction from the dull, aching pain in his leg. At this point, he couldn’t tell what the day was going to bring regarding his pain. It could either stay like how it was now, which would be manageable with some painkillers, or it would get progressively worse throughout the day. He was really hoping for the first option, though.
Eddie was quietly holding Buck for about an hour before their alarm finally went off, signaling that it was time for them to get ready for work. From behind him, the brunette groaned and nosed at his neck before leaving one last kiss and asking, “Do we have to get up?”
Buck smiled and chuckled, “Yeah, but it’s okay. After our shift, we can pick up where we left off. And Tommy will be here, so it’ll be even better.”
The brunette hadn’t seemed to clock the absence of the other man until now. “Wait, where is Tommy? I thought he was leaving at the same time as us this morning.”
The blonde hummed, “Yeah, he got called in early, though, something about half of the C shift coming down with food poisoning.”
Eddie cringed, “Oh boy, that sounds horrible.”
“Yeah, definitely not my idea of a good morning.” The blonde joked.
With that, both men got out of bed and began getting ready for the day. Eddie got ready quickly, as usual, and once he’d finished getting ready, Buck could feel the man’s eyes on him. He could tell without even looking at him that his boyfriend was concerned, which was fair because if the brunette were tense with pain, he’d be worried, too. He could practically hear the words before they came from the man’s mouth.
“Buck, are you sure you don’t want just to stay home?” He asked carefully.
“I’ll be fine, Eddie. I just need to take some painkillers, and I’ll be good to go.” Buck said, trying to reassure the man before him that he’d be okay at work today when he wasn’t entirely sure if that would be true.
Eddie, of course, wasn’t convinced, continuing to give him a concerned look while saying, “Are you sure? Because last time you had a flare-up like this and went to work and pushed through, you could barely move without being in excruciating pain.”
Okay, Buck couldn’t counter that. He knew Eddie was right to be worried. It was true that the last time this happened, it felt exactly the same as it did today. Then, he pushed way past his limits and forgot to take his pain meds, thinking it wouldn’t get worse. It did get worse, however, which resulted in a trip to the ER and more time off work than he would have had to take if he had just called in sick at the first sign of a flare-up.
At the same time, though, he really didn’t want to miss work if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. “Eddie, baby, I promise I’ll be okay. I’ll be careful, and I won’t overdo it.”
Eddie very clearly didn’t want him to go to work. In fact, his boyfriend gave him his big, soft, brown doe eyes as he tried to convince him just to stay home. Buck was stubborn, and he got Eddie to fold pretty quickly.
“Okay, since you refuse to stay home even though you absolutely should be, can you promise me you’ll take it easy when we’re out on calls?” The brunette paused, stepping closer to Buck, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed. “And if the pain starts getting worse, please, for the love of God, say something. You know you don’t need to suffer in silence. We all want to help in any way we can, baby.”
Buck looked down only for Eddie to cup his face in his hands, making the blonde look up at him. “I promise, Eddie, I’ll take it easy on calls and not overdo this.”
“And if you start feeling more pain, you’re the man behind, okay, no excuses. I really don’t want to have to take you to the ER for this again, especially if it can be avoided.”
Buck nodded and gave a silly little salute, “You’ve got my word, Eds. Also,” He paused, putting his hands over Eddie’s, which were still gently holding his face. “I thought of something you could do to help me.”
Eddie cocked his head curiously, letting a soft smile spread across his face as he questioned, “And what is it I could help you with cariño?”
“Gimme a kiss and some painkillers?” He asked, batting his eyelashes.
The brunette smiled and chuckled lightly, “Okay, which one do you want first, baby?”
“Kiss, please.” Buck smiled.
Eddie stepped closer again, pushed his way between Buck’s legs, bent down, and bumped their noses before connecting their lips softly. The blonde hummed into the kiss, and put his hands on his boyfriend’s waist as they continued kissing.
After a couple of minutes, Eddie slowly pulled away, “Now, medicine,” He whispered into Buck’s lips.
“Now medicine,” He repeated in a whisper, letting his boyfriend go.
With that, Buck watched Eddie walk out of the room with a small smile, admiring the view. Once the other man left the room, Buck closed his eyes and hung his head. He took a deep breath and groaned as he massaged his thigh.
He soon felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, looking up into Eddie’s soft brown eyes.
“Here, Buck, take these.” Eddie urged, voice still filled with concern as he handed Buck the painkillers and a glass of water.
“Thanks, Eds,” He said before taking the pills and finishing the cup of water. He winced when he went to stand up, so his boyfriend stopped him.
“Nope, sit down for a few more minutes, okay? Let those painkillers start to kick in before we get going.”
The blonde briefly thought about fighting Eddie on this, but he decided not to. Buck didn’t want to push his luck because he’d convinced his boyfriend to let him go to work even though the other man was very against the idea. So he just nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed again. The brunette then kissed him on the forehead, making him smile.
Pulling away from Buck, Eddie smiled softly. “Good. Now, I’ll prepare our protein shakes so we can get going. You better be right here when I get back.”
“I will be,” Buck promised, “Won’t move a muscle.”
The small, warm smile stayed on Eddie’s face as his hand slipped from its spot on his shoulder. He nodded before turning around and leaving the room again. The blonde watched his boyfriend leave the room and did as he promised. Buck sat as still as he could on the bed and continued lightly massaging his leg until Eddie returned a few minutes later with the protein shakes in hand.
“Those painkillers start kicking in yet, cariño?” He asked. “It's time to go.”
Buck groaned, gripping his thigh as he stood, “Not really, but I’m sure they will by the time we get to work.”
He watched Eddie’s face contort into one of concern as he watched him stand. He could tell from the look in his boyfriend’s eyes that he would try to get him to stay home again. He frowned and asked again, “Buck, are you absolutely, 100% sure you’ll be okay for the whole shift?”
Buck sighed heavily, stepping forward to lean into Eddie; he rested his head on the other man’s shoulder as he confessed, “Honestly, Eds, I don’t know. I can’t tell yet if it’s gonna get worse, but I’d rather be with everyone at the station than alone here.”
He felt some tension drain from Eddie’s body as he leaned into him. The man put down the protein shakes in favor of wrapping his arms around Buck, giving him a firm squeeze, “Okay baby, let's get going then, hmm?”
The blonde took a deep breath as he pulled away, the brunette giving him a kiss on the cheek as he did so, “Yeah, let’s go. We don’t want to be late.”
With that, they were off to work. It took them a few extra minutes to get out the door. Buck was trying to take it slow, but it wasn’t enough time to make them late. Luckily, the painkillers had kicked in by the time they reached the firehouse, so the blonde was feeling better. He was ready to take on the day ahead, with high hopes that the pain wouldn’t worsen.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
Those high hopes for the pain not worsening were dashed by hour 12. Buck thought that if he sat out on a few calls and took it easy on the leg at the firehouse, the pain might let up a bit. This assumption, unfortunately, was incorrect. At the time, the painkillers that he’d brought to work with him were still working, so he at least had that going for him.
Then, around hour 19, they got a big call, an ‘all hands on deck’ type of call, which meant that even though he wasn’t at 100%, Buck joined the rest of the team to help where he could. This was where things really went downhill for him pain-wise. He hadn’t quite realized how bad the pain had actually gotten because everyone was on him about keeping up on the pain meds to make sure the pain stayed manageable. The blonde knew he was in for a tough time when he realized about 3 minutes into the ride to the scene that, in the rush of getting ready to go out on the call, he’d forgotten to grab his next dose of painkillers.
This was a mistake the man was very deeply regretting by hour 22 when they finally arrived back at the station. Buck had, of course, pushed through the pain. That was something that he was good at, among other things. On the ride back to the station, he could feel the concerned glares of his friends and boyfriend on him the whole time. The blond wasn’t happy that he’d been a source of worry to his friends.
Buck always made a point of not complaining, often to his own detriment, even when it was painfully apparent that he was not okay. He didn’t feel good about complaining about how bad the pain had gotten in the last couple of hours; after all, it was partially his own doing—forgetting his meds and all, he still couldn’t believe that grabbing them didn’t cross his mind until it was too late. He was glad, though, that the team didn’t hound him for forgetting his meds.
The quiet on the ride back was good, as was the feeling of Eddie’s warm hand gently rubbing his back.
While everyone hopped out of the rigs and headed upstairs for breakfast, Buck stayed in the rig. He cringed at the thought of walking up the stairs and mentally prepared himself for standing up. God, this was bad. Eventually, everyone was upstairs except for Buck and Eddie.
The brunette looked at him, concern radiating from his warm brown eyes. “Are you okay, baby?”
The term of endearment made Buck’s heart warm. They try not to use pet names at work, but he loved it. Leaning closer to Eddie, the blonde briefly considered telling the man that he was fine. At this point, though, he knew everyone could see straight through that lie. It was pretty damn obvious that he wasn’t okay.
Buck sighed heavily and sagged against Eddie as he spoke, “No, I’m in a lot of pain right now. I forgot to bring the painkillers with me on the call.” He paused, his leg throbbing, “I’m like 2 hours late for them.”
Eddie’s eyes softened, “Oh honey, that’s really bad,” he cringed.
“Yeah, it’s heading dangerously close to unbearable. I’m not even sure if the medicine will help at this point,” Buck groaned.
“Well, you should at least try. It might help.” Eddie urged.
The blonde didn’t have it in him to fight it right now, so he just agreed, “Okay, I’ll go take it. You go ahead upstairs. I’ll be up there in a few minutes.”
“You sure you’ll be okay by yourself?” This boyfriend checked.
Buck mustered a weak smile, “I’ll be okay to walk to the locker room by myself, Eds.”
“Okay, cariño,” Eddie said softly, leaning over to kiss Buck on the cheek. “I’ll see you up there.”
Buck brought his hand to the brunette’s face, keeping him close enough that he could steal another soft, quick kiss, this time on the lips. “Just what I needed,” he hummed.
Eddie giggled and gave Buck another soft smile.
“See you up there,” The blonde said, shooing his boyfriend out of the rig. The other man squeezed his hand one more time before hopping out. Buck listened to his footsteps get further away before he went to leave the rig himself.
Once Eddie’s steps were out of earshot, Buck hopped out of the fire truck, his only mistake being that he didn’t do it as carefully as he knew he should have. Usually, it’s something that he barely has to think about. He’d just hop out, trusting his feet and legs to give him a strong, stable landing. Knowing his condition today, he should have put more thought into the action. Instead of the stable landing he was used to, his bad leg crumpled underneath him, causing the blonde to stumble and roll his ankle.
Oh god, he heard it pop. Buck’s breath hitched as he just barely stopped himself from yelling out. Instead, cursing quietly, “Ow, shit.”
Buck looked up at the loft and thanked whatever god was out there that no one saw him trip and hurt himself like that. He gave himself a few minutes to recover before limping to the locker room to get his painkillers. Of course, this had to happen on a day when he was having a chronic pain flare-up. At least that made it easier to keep pressure off his hurt ankle.
He reached the locker room, quickly finding his painkillers and a bottle of water in his bag before sitting on the bench. After a minute, he took the meds with a swig of water and mentally prepared himself to get up again. When Buck finally did get up, he almost immediately regretted it. He wasn’t sure why he kept making this mistake; his brain was probably just fried from the stress of having to deal with this pain for so long. Anyway, the blonde had stood up too quickly, putting too much pressure on his injured ankle, causing a sharp pain to radiate up his leg, which was already throbbing.
“Oh fucking hell,” he cursed again in a pained, strangled groan as he slowly sat back down.
Buck breathed through the pain slowly until the ringing in his ears, the wooziness, and the darkness at the edges of his vision dissipated. He’d suspected that if he had stayed standing any longer, he would have passed out or thrown up. He didn’t want either option, but both still felt very possible at this moment.
After a few minutes, he tried to get up again, but this time, he was much more careful, paying attention to the amount of pressure he put on his leg and injured ankle. Buck slowly limped out of the locker room and briefly contemplated going upstairs to join the rest of the team for breakfast. Honestly, though, the thought of going up the stairs right now made him cringe, so he headed towards the bunk room instead to lie down for a little bit.
The blond groaned as he lay on the bed he’d normally sleep in, stealing the pillow from a nearby bed to prop up his hurt ankle. Eddie was right. I really should have just stayed home . Buck thought as he threw an arm over his face, covering his eyes. Because, of course, Eddie was right, and if Tommy were home, he would have told him the same thing… maybe he should consider actually listening to his boyfriend more often.
At this point, Buck was doing his best to relax and keep up the hope that the painkillers would kick in soon and dull some of the deep, throbbing pain in his leg and ankle. He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t realize how much time had passed, nor did he hear when Eddie entered the room, searching for him.
He heard his boyfriend call for him, “Buck? Babe, you in here?” The man’s voice was laced with concern.
“Yeah, Eds, I’m over here.” the blonde called back, sticking up the arm that wasn’t covering his face so Eddie could see where he was.
Buck could hear Eddie’s soft steps as he approached. The room was so quiet that he could hear his boyfriend’s knees pop as he kneeled beside him. If he were feeling better, he would have teased the man with a playful jibe about being an old man with creaky joints. Instead, he just silently uncovered his face to have his bright blue eyes met with Eddie’s soft brown ones, and he gave the brunette a small smile through the pain.
Eddie smiled back, “You don’t have to put a smile on for me, baby. I know you’re hurting,” He whispered, raising a hand to caress Buck’s face.
The blue-eyed man found himself leaning into his boyfriend’s soft touch; it was a welcome distraction from his pain. He hummed in satisfaction, closing his eyes again as the brunette’s fingers gently brushed through his curls.
“You were right,” Buck whispered, “I should have just stayed home.”
“Mmm, I kind of want to say, ‘I told you so,’ but you’re already suffering enough.” Eddie hummed with a now smug but somehow still sympathetic look.
Buck responded with a pained laugh, “Well, you did tell me so, Eds… Maybe I should start listening to you for a change.”
“Maybe you should start listening to your body when it tells you to rest, Buck,” Eddie countered before adding, “But listening to me more wouldn’t hurt either.”
After that, they stayed silent for a couple of minutes, Buck just enjoying the comfort he was being given. Then he shifted slightly, the slight movement seeming to cause all the nerves from his thigh to his foot to light up. A pained whine left his lips before he groaned, “I think I’m past the point of the painkillers doing anything for me.”
Eddie’s eyes widened in concern when the pained noise left the blonde’s mouth, “When did you take them?” he asked quickly.
Buck thought momentarily, “Uumm, I think maybe 20 minutes ago… give or take.”
“Oh, Buck,” he said sympathetically, “Where does it hurt the most? Maybe massaging it will help.” He offered.
Massaging it might help if it wasn’t a rolled ankle , Buck thought to himself. And since he was thinking about his ankle, he answered honestly, “M-my ankle is what hurts the most right now.”
Eddie fixed him with a confused look, the brunette’s hand stopping its slow, comforting movement through his hair as he asked, “Your ankle?”
And Buck could see the cogs turning in his boyfriend’s brain because the man knew that overwhelming ankle pain wasn’t normally something that bothered him during a chronic pain flare-up.
Then the question he was expecting came, “Did something happen? Your ankle doesn’t usually bother you during a flare-up.”
The blonde stayed quiet, hoping Eddie might disregard what he said. Of course, he’d known the brunette long enough that the man knew him like the back of his hand, and Buck’s silence was not helping his case.
“Buck, did you get hurt and not tell anyone?” His boyfriend asked, the man’s eyes sharpening slightly with an accusatory edge.
Buck sheepishly looked away so he wouldn’t be making eye contact with his boyfriend as he answered, “Maybe…” in a whisper.
“You’re not helping your case here, Buck; you look like a guilty puppy.” Eddie teased.
The man huffed, not in the mood to be teased, and still didn’t look up.
“Buck,” He tried again, voice softening, “Look at me, cariño.”
He gave in more quickly than usual, slowly turning his head and looking back up at his boyfriend. Eddie was sporting the broad, soft, concerned look in his eyes that he always did whenever the blonde was hurting.
“Good,” He started, raising his hand again to gently cup Buck’s cheek, “Now, can you please tell me what happened?”
“It’s really no big deal,” Buck whispered.
“Well, clearly it is, seeing as it is causing you a significant amount of pain on top of what you were already dealing with.” Eddie pointed out.
That was a fair assessment. Eddie was right once again. So Buck continued, “I just wasn’t thinking when I got out of the rig. I landed weirdly. I probably just rolled my ankle.”
Eddie listened to his explanation, “ So this happened, what… like 30, maybe 45 minutes ago?”
The blue-eyed man winced as he hummed an affirmative answer to his boyfriend’s question, and he watched the man’s eyes widen a bit.
“You’re telling me that this happened right after you sent me upstairs with the promise that you’d be fine on your own?” The brunette questioned, sounding exasperated.
“That would be the time,” He responded shyly.
“Baby, we were all right upstairs. Why didn’t you call for someone to help you?”
“I was embarrassed Eds. Hurting myself by getting out of the rig is one of the most avoidable injuries on the job. Yet here I am. I just didn’t want anyone getting on my back for it.” Buck explained, pouting a bit as he continued, “Can you please stop questioning me now? It’s not helping.”
Eddie chuckled, “Okay, I’ll stop questioning you.”
Buck sighed, closing his eyes again and letting a small smile fall upon his lips. Eddie’s fingers lightly brushed his hair as the man kissed his forehead. The feeling of his boyfriend pulling away ( too soon, in his opinion ) caused the smile to morph into a slight pout.
The brunette giggled, then teased, “Oh Buck, if you keep pulling pouts like that, you’re never going to beat the ‘Buck turns into a sad puppy when he’s hurt’ allegations.”
He huffed and put on his best puppy dog eyes because right now, he quite frankly didn’t care about the ‘Buck is a sad puppy when he’s hurt allegations.’ All Buck wanted was Eddie’s fingers running through his hair and soft kisses, preferably from both boyfriends, to distract him from the pain. Unfortunately, Tommy was not here to provide Buck with the kisses he desired, so he’d really prefer it if Eddie didn’t leave him at this particular moment.
The blonde furrowed his eyebrows and grabbed the brunette’s wrist, “Why are you leaving? I want you to stay here with me.”
“Baby,” Eddie said sweetly, “I’ll only be gone a few minutes. I’m just going to call Tommy and tell him the situation so he’s ready for us when we get home.”
Buck let go of Eddie’s wrist and whispered, “Okay, but hurry back.”
With a little nod and another forehead kiss, Eddie was leaving the room with the phone pressed to his ear, waiting for Tommy to pick up. Just after the other man left, Hen popped her head in the doorway.
“Hey Buckaroo, I just thought I’d check in and see how you’re doing since you didn’t join us upstairs.” She said, trying to sound nonchalant. Buck, however, could tell she’d been eavesdropping.
“How long have you been standing out there, Hen?” He groaned, covering his eyes with his arm again.
“Just long enough to hear that you got hurt and didn’t tell anyone.” She answered simply as she stepped closer.
Buck sighed, “Please don’t go all ‘mom mode’ on me, Hen. I genuinely don’t think I can deal with that right now.”
The woman before him chuckled at the mention of her ‘mom mode’ as she continued walking closer to Buck. “Okay, I won’t go all ‘mom mode’ on you,” she said, using air quotes around the title, “but you’ve got to let me go ‘paramedic mode ‘on you, Buck. Let me take a look at your ankle.”
“It’s fine. I just rolled it,” He mumbled, not wanting her to touch it.
Hen put a comforting hand on Buck's shoulder and spoke softly, “Buck, please let me take a look at your ankle. Maybe I can wrap it or at least put some ice on it.”
He could see the genuine care and concern in his friend’s eyes. He knew it would hurt like hell, but Buck knew that Hen just wanted to help him, and he couldn’t deny her. “Okay, fine. Have at it.” He said wearily.
Hen smiled warmly, “I’ll be gentle, I promise.”
Just as she was moving toward the end of the bed, Eddie came back into the room, and Buck’s eyes lit up. He reached for his boyfriend as the man came closer.
“Ah, perfect timing, Eddie,” She said as the brunette sat beside Buck at the edge of the bed.
“Perfect timing for what exactly?” He asked.
“I’m going to take a look at Buck’s ankle. He might need a hand to hold while I remove his shoe and sock.” Hen explained.
Eddie happily took Buck’s hand as the blonde took a deep breath. “Okay, Hen, I’m ready.”
The blue-eyed man ended up being very happy that he had a hand to hold because Hen taking off the shoe and sock hurt like a bitch. It took everything in him not to make a very embarrassing noise. He was relieved when that part was over. It felt better after the shoe was off. The woman had Eddie shine a light on Buck’s ankle so she could get a good look, but it certainly didn’t look good. With the beginning of some nasty bruising forming and the swelling already showing itself, it was clear that Buck might have hurt his ankle worse than he had thought.
“I don’t think you broke it, Buck. You probably sprained it, though.” Hen paused. “I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but you should go to urgent care or the ER to make sure it’s really just a sprain. For now, I’ll just wrap it for you and give you an ice pack.”
“Damn it,” Buck groaned as Hen left the room to grab an ankle wrap and an ice pack.
“Buck, I thought we agreed that we were going to avoid taking you to the hospital again,” Eddie cooed.
The blonde frowned, feeling frustrated with himself. “I know. Now I wish I had stayed home. I’m sorry, I should have listened to you.”
The brunette kissed him on the cheek, “Buck, you don’t have to apologize for not listening to me. You can make your own decisions, even if they’re not always the greatest.” He paused momentarily. “Maybe next time, just think about your well-being a bit more, okay?”
As Eddie talked, Hen returned, brandishing the ankle wrap and ice pack she’d left the room to retrieve. “I second Eddie’s statement. You’re always so focused on helping and caring for everyone else that you forget to care for yourself, Buck. So, just let us take care of you today. None of us like seeing you in this much pain.”
Buck looked between Hen and Eddie and said, “Okay, I’ll try to do better at taking care of myself and letting others take care of me.”
His boyfriend smirked as their friend said, “Good, now I’m going to wrap that ankle for you.” She paused, holding up the instant ice pack, “You keep this on for 20, and don’t put any more pressure on it. Let Eddie and Tommy help you get around, okay?”
“Got it,” Buck said, giving the woman a thumbs up.
With that, Hen went to the other end of the bed and wrapped up his ankle. It hurt a little bit, but it wasn’t too bad. Buck was hoping that meant that the painkillers were working despite his leg still throbbing. The woman then bent the instant ice pack in half and shook it up before gently placing it on the blonde’s ankle and telling Eddie to set a timer for 20 minutes.
Eddie set the time, and Hen left the room again, leaving Buck and Eddie alone. They were quiet for a couple of minutes, the blonde lying with his eyes closed, focusing on the feeling of his boyfriend’s fingers running through his hair.
“Eds?”
“Yeah, Buck?”
“What time is it?”
“20 minutes to 9:00 cariño. Then we’ll get you home, run a nice warm Epsom salt bath for you, and we can lay in bed all day.”
That sounded great to Buck right about now, seeing as all he’s wanted since he woke up for the second time yesterday morning was to be cuddled between his boyfriends in bed.
“And when we cuddle later, I get the middle, right?”
Eddie chuckled and gently kissed Buck. “Yes, baby. You get the middle, and Tommy and I will hold you all day long if that’s what you want..”
Buck hummed, a soft smile growing on his lips at the thought of being held by his boyfriends and basking in their warmth all day. “Yeah, that sounds perfect. Can’t wait.”
The 20 minutes on the timer came and went, perfectly corresponding to the end of the shift. During that 20 minutes, Chimney came to check in, bringing along a plate of food, for which Buck was very thankful. Now that the pain was subsiding, he was actually feeling hungry. The blonde, of course, made the man promise not to tell Maddie about this whole fiasco. He knew she’d rush over and scold him about listening to his body and trying to care for him.
After all, when Buck got home, he knew that Eddie and Tommy would dote on him plenty, and as much as he loved and appreciated how deeply Maddie cared for him, the blue-eyed man couldn’t handle being lectured by his sister today. And Chim, for what it was worth, said he’d try his best but not be surprised if she showed up tomorrow to check in. That was good enough for the blonde; he knew his friend couldn’t keep secrets and especially had trouble keeping anything from Maddie. She could read her husband like an open book, just like she could read him.
Chimney sat with them for a few minutes, offering advice and making Buck laugh. He soon left the room, though, as it was almost the end of the shift. He told the blonde to take care of himself and rest before disappearing through the bunkroom doorway.
It was an ordeal getting out of the station; with the amount of help Buck needed to walk, he stayed put, sitting on the bench in the locker room as he waited for Eddie to return from putting their stuff in his truck. Bobby joined them as his boyfriend came to retrieve him from the locker room. He wanted to check in before they left as well. He urged the blonde to take as much time as he needed and not to come back until he was at 100% so he wouldn’t accidentally hurt himself worse.
They all knew Buck better than that, though. As soon as his leg wasn’t throbbing and he could put enough pressure on his ankle to walk alone, he’d be back in the station even if he had to be relegated to light duty. Bobby left the two with a pat on the shoulder and an offer to bring over some dinner, saying he was just a call away if they needed anything.
The blue-eyed man looked up at his boyfriend and smiled, and it wasn’t a fake, ‘trying to hide my pain’ type of smile; it was genuine and soft. There was no doubt that the 118 was not just a team but a family. However, Buck still found himself touched, a little emotional even, by how everyone came to check on him and offer help before he left.
~~~~~~
If it had felt like an ordeal just to get out of the firehouse, trying to get Buck in the truck could have been classified as a disaster. It was the hardest thing he had to do today, only after trudging around the firehouse alone on a possibly sprained ankle earlier. At least Eddie was there to help him get in the truck, and his leg had been feeling slightly better when he had to get up so they could leave. Unfortunately, though it needed to be done, getting in Eddie’s truck only ended with Buck’s leg and ankle in throbbing pain once again. The blonde sighed heavily as he sank into the seat and reclined it, hoping to feel more comfortable.
Buck had closed his eyes, trying to find something else to focus on besides the pain. He could hear the driver’s side door open as Eddie climbed into the truck. He heard the seat belt buckle and the car door close, and then he could feel the other man’s eyes on him.
When the blue-eyed man opened his eyes and looked to the left, he was once again met with his boyfriend’s wide, concerned, warm brown eyes.
“Are you gonna try to sleep on the way home?” Eddie asked, softly taking Buck’s hand.
Buck had thought about trying to sleep; he shook his head, wincing as he barely moved his ankle, causing a bolt of pain to shoot up his leg. “I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I’d be able to fall asleep right now… it hurts too much.”
This must be the sad puppy face that Eddie constantly refers to Buck being guilty of, with the pout and the wide, sad-looking eyes. Oh, he was so gonna bring it up later, and then Eddie was apologizing.
“I’m sorry, baby. I wasn’t too rough while helping you into the truck, was I?” The brunette worried.
“No, Eds, you weren’t too rough. Given my current condition, I knew getting in the car would be difficult.” The blonde paused, “I just wanna get home.”
“Okay, Buck. Let's get you home then,” Eddie murmured, leaning over the center counsel to kiss Buck on the cheek.
Eddie’s hand remained in Buck’s, lightly rubbing over his knuckles the whole drive home. It was just enough to pull his focus a little bit from the pain. Luckily, the traffic gods were on their side this morning, so the drive didn’t take forever. He hadn’t really been thinking about how much time had passed. The blonde didn’t even realize they’d pulled into Tommy’s driveway until he moved his seat from its reclined position.
“Oh, you didn’t tell me we were coming to Tommy’s place. I thought we were going to yours,” Buck commented.
Eddie looked at him with a small smile and explained, “Well, Tommy has a bigger tub and a bigger bed. So, I thought it might be more comfortable for the three of us.”
“We haven’t stayed here in a while.”
“Yeah, I know, and Tommy’s happy to have us here too. He might have done more work on the house that he’s excited to show us.”
“And that I’d love to see… but maybe after that bath and mid-morning group nap I was promised.” Buck hummed.
Eddie chuckled, “Well, let’s get you out of this car, then.”
“Yeah, let’s get the hard part over with.” The blonde sighed.
Eddie then hopped out of the car, closing the door behind him. He walked around the front of the truck and opened the passenger side to help Buck out of the seat. It took them a few minutes to finally get him out of the car, but they did manage it without the brunette having to go inside to ask Tommy to help. When the blonde was out of the vehicle and the door was closed behind him, he leaned against it and sighed.
“I’m sorry, baby. I know it hurts.” Eddie said sympathetically.
Buck breathed in and out deeply, “It’s okay. I just need a minute before we walk to the house.” He paused momentarily, “And I need a hug.”
“Aww, Buck, of course, I’ll give you a hug. Come here.”
The blue-eyed man pushed himself from where he was leaning against the truck, instead leaning into his boyfriend’s comforting embrace. He laid his head on the other man’s shoulder, “Hmmm… just what I needed.”
They stood for a few minutes, holding each other. The only sounds permeating their comfortable silence were the light sounds of birds chirping, cars passing, and leaves rustling. Buck and Eddie were in their own little bubble, not paying attention to anything else, so they didn’t hear the front door open or realize that Tommy had joined them outside.
“What are you two still doing out here?” He asked, walking up to them.
At the sound of Tommy’s voice, Buck looked up from where his face was buried in Eddie’s shoulder and smiled, “Hey, Tommy.”
The older man smiled softly and said, “Hi, Evan. I hear you had a bit of a rough shift, baby.”
“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Eddie mumbled.
The blond rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t too bad; the pain was manageable for most of the shift. It only got really bad at the end of the shift.” He paused to kiss the brunette’s cheek, “But lucky for me, I had Eddie there to help me feel better.”
“Aww babe, you know I’ll always be there for you, no matter what.” He responded, shifting slightly to kiss Buck on the temple. “Now, how about we get you inside, yeah?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Buck sighed.
Eddie pulled away, keeping his hands on the blue-eyed man’s shoulders, “You go with Tommy and let him help you get settled, okay?” He paused momentarily, “And I’ll meet you two inside after I get our stuff out of the car.”
Buck nodded, unwrapping himself from Eddie and turning to wrap himself around his other boyfriend. He leaned heavily into Tommy, causing the man to grunt as he adjusted to the extra weight he was supporting. “I got you, Ev,” he said softly.
The blonde was feeling in a good enough mood now to tease his boyfriend a little bit as he responded with a tired yet playful, “You sure about that old man?”
Tommy chuckled at the teasing remark and answered, “I’ll pick you up and carry you into the house bridal-style, babe. Don’t test me. Now, come on, I’ve got the tub ready for you.”
With that, the men set themselves up, the older man supporting the blonde as they slowly walked across the driveway and into the house. As promised, Tommy had prepared the tub for him. The whole bathroom was warm and relaxing, with the steam rolling off the water's surface and the scent of his favorite lavender Epsom salts permeating the air. Buck could almost feel the tension in his muscles floating away without having entered the water yet.
His boyfriend helped him get undressed and carefully unwrapped his ankle. Then, he slowly helped Buck lower himself into the tub without slipping or putting too much pressure on his bad ankle and leg. As soon as he was submerged in the warm water and the light scent of lavender in the air enveloped his senses, the blonde finally felt like he could start to relax. He sighed in contentment and let his eyes slip closed as his sore, achy muscles began to loosen.
Buck only relaxed more as he felt Tommy’s fingers run gently through his curls, even finding himself leaning into the touch.
He hummed as Tommy murmured, “Have I ever told you how much I love your curls, baby?”
The blonde smiled and slowly opened his eyes to meet Tommy’s, “You may have mentioned it once or twice.” He paused, his smile morphing into a playful smirk. “Have I ever mentioned how much I love your face?”
Tommy matched the playful smirk as he responded, “Yeah, once or twice now that you mentioned it.”
“Gimme a kiss, Tommy.” Buck whispered, “It’ll make me feel even better.”
“A kiss, huh? I can definitely do that for you.” His boyfriend smirked.
Tommy shifted to his knees from where he had been sitting on the floor beside the tub. And if anyone asked, Buck certainly did not pout when the man’s fingers slipped out of his hair. The man moved to lean slightly over the tub so he could reach the blonde better.
Buck hummed as his boyfriend caressed his cheek with the hand that slipped from his hair and pulled him in for a kiss. It was a good kiss, too. It was nice and soft and didn’t carry any heat behind it but lingered just long enough to make the blonde feel all fluttery inside.
Eventually, Tommy pulled away with a small smile. “So, how was that?” He murmured into the blonde’s lips.
“Hmm, very good. Your lips must have a healing property because I feel much better.” Buck smirked, leaning forward to steal another quick kiss.
“Mmm. I missed you while I was on shift, Evan.” Tommy whispered.
“I missed you too, Tommy.” The blue-eyed man replied softly.
Then, from the doorway, where he’d apparently been watching them for the last couple of minutes, Eddie made himself known. “Hey, what am I, chopped liver?” He teasingly asked.
Buck and Tommy chuckled at the brunette’s comment, and the older man replied, “Not at all, Eddie. I missed you too. Come here.”
He reached out a hand for the brown-eyed man to take, which he did, letting himself be pulled further into the bathroom. Buck watched as Eddie sat on the closed toilet across from Tommy, who was sitting on the ground again. He smiled as he watched the older man pull the brunette closer yet again and kiss him. The blue-eyed man could tell it was a soft kiss similar to the one he’d just received. He could tell, though, by how Eddie’s body had melted slightly into Tommy that there was some heat behind the kiss his boyfriends were sharing.
Buck could hear Eddie hum as he pulled away from the kiss, “Mmm, now that was a proper hello.”
“Well, I didn’t get to give you a proper goodbye since I had to leave early yesterday morning, and you were still asleep. So, you get both kisses now.” Tommy smiled.
“Oh, is that how this works?” The brunette asked as he kissed the other man again.
He hummed an affirmative “Mhm” into the second kiss.
Instead of moving back to sit on the toilet again, Eddie just sat on the floor, allowing his and Tommy’s legs to intertwine. Buck sighed happily as the brunette grabbed his hand resting on the edge of the tub and gently rubbed a thumb over his knuckles. Then, the other man’s fingers were in his hair again, softly massaging his scalp.
The blonde leaned into his touch again as Eddie asked him a question. “How are you feeling, Buck? Any better?”
“Hmm, better now that you’re both here with me.” He paused, looking between his boyfriends before continuing, “Did you know Tommy’s lips are magical? He kissed me, and it made me feel better for a few minutes.”
Eddie laughed lightly and looked over to Tommy, who was also smiling at the blonde’s comment. “Oh, I believe it, babe. Can you tell me what your pain level is like now?”
Buck yawned, “Mhm… my ankle feels a bit better. It still hurts pretty bad, though. And my leg feels better. The bath really helped.”
“That’s good to hear, Ev. Do you think you’re about ready to get to bed and cuddle?” Tommy asked sweetly.
The blue-eyed man shook his head slowly, “Mm mm. The water’s still warm… feels good—just a few more minutes. You guys keep talking, though… I like listening to your voices.”
“Just let us know when you’re ready, baby,” Eddie said.
Buck just nodded and leaned his head against the wall. He listened to the soft sounds of his boyfriends' voices but couldn’t focus on what they were saying. He just closed his eyes and let the feelings of Tommy’s hand in his hair and Eddie’s hand in his lull him into some state between awake and asleep, the exhaustion of his shift and being in pain for so long finally getting to him.
“Buck, cariño, we’re gonna get you out of the tub now.”
All the blonde had the energy to do was nod at Eddie.
Eddie and Tommy worked together to pull Buck out of the tub without jostling him too much. They sat him on the edge of the tub, wrapped in a fluffy towel. The blonde felt a little bit like a child but didn’t care that much at the moment because he felt like he was about to fall asleep.
Luckily, Buck could keep himself awake enough to stand, even if he was heavily leaning on Tommy. Eddie helped him put on his most comfortable pajamas before sitting him down again. The brunette then kneeled to rewrap the blue-eyed man’s ankle; it was so tender that even though his boyfriend was being as gentle as possible, he groaned as a bolt of pain jolted him more awake again.
“Oouucchh,” He whined.
“I know. I’m sorry, Buck, I’m almost done.” Eddie apologized, trying to finish wrapping his ankle quickly. The brunette gave him a kiss when he finished, “Let's get you to bed, cariño.”
“Yeah, sounds good. I’m exhausted.” He sighed.
“Alright, let’s get you up then,” Tommy said as he lifted Buck into his arms, carrying him to the bedroom bridal style with Eddie close behind. Buck didn’t think he’d ever get over the fact that Tommy could pick him up that easily, even though they were practically the same size. He loved it, and the older man knew it.
When they entered the bedroom, Tommy gently laid Buck on the bed and helped him get comfortable. Then, Eddie propped his injured ankle up on a couple of pillows.
“Okay, Buck, where do you want us?” Eddie asked.
The blonde smiled and told his boyfriends where he wanted them. He wanted Tommy behind him, holding him close, and Eddie in front of him. The feeling of both men nuzzling their noses into his neck simultaneously made Buck want to melt on the spot. This was the best he’d felt in the last 24 hours, and he could already feel himself drifting off. Buck relaxed back into Tommy’s grasp as he pulled Eddie closer, the feeling of being sandwiched between his boyfriends beginning to lull him to sleep.
Buck spoke tiredly, “Don’t let me sleep all day, okay?”
“We won’t, baby, just go to sleep. You can count on us,” Tommy whispered soothingly before kissing the blue-eyed man’s cheek.
“Yeah, we’ll be right here, Buck. We won’t go anywhere. We love you, baby.” Eddie added, voice soft.
“Mmm, I love you both so much.” The blonde hummed sleepily, forgetting about his pain briefly as he closed his eyes and fell asleep in his boyfriends' warm, loving, comforting embrace.