Chapter Text
The first thing Buck registered was the quiet hum of machinery, a low, rhythmic beeping.
He tried to open his eyes, and a dull ache spread across his face, radiating from his temples. When they finally fluttered open, the room was dim, bathed in the soft glow from the half open window. His vision swam, slowly resolving vague shapes.
He was in a bed. A hospital bed. The sheets felt crisp, hauntingly familiar. His body felt heavy, bruised, and impossibly stiff. Fragments of memory flickered – a roar, the impossible height of a wave, the sickening lurch, the cold, the darkness, the truck, the people, the blood.
Panic, cold and sharp, began to prickle at the edges of his consciousness. Where was he? Where was Chris? Eddie? What happened? What day was it?
Then he saw them.
Right there. On the bed with him.
Tucked tightly against his left side, a small form stirred, a mop of curls peeking out from under a blue blanket. Christopher. And pressed close against his right, an arm draped loosely across his chest, was Eddie. They were both sound asleep, their breathing soft and even, their faces peaceful in the dim light. Eddie’s hand, resting on top of Buck’s heart, was loosely fisted, as if even in sleep he was holding on.
A strange warmth spread through Buck’s chest, pushing back the cold tendrils of fear. He felt a tear slip from the corner of his eye, but it wasn't from pain. It was relief and a mix of disbelief.
A figure shifted in a chair by the window, silhouetted against the faint light from outside. Bobby was silently reading a magazine, not having noticed Buck’s alertness. He straightened his back slowly, his movements careful, as if not to disturb the sleeping forms on the bed.
“B-Bobby?” His voice was a dry, raspy whisper, barely audible even to himself.
Bobby, startled by the voice, jumped up and forgot his magazine. “Buck?” His voice was a low, steady rumble, tinged with a raw edge of relief that Buck rarely heard from his captain. He moved closer, leaning over the foot of the bed. “Hey, kid. You’re awake. How do you feel?”
Buck tried to nod, but his head felt like it weighed a ton. He swallowed hard, his throat sore. “What… What happened? How… How long?” He gestured weakly towards Eddie and Chris. “They… they’re here?”
Bobby’s gaze softened, resting on the two figures nestled beside Buck. “Tsunami, Buck. Remember? You, Eddie and Chris were caught in it. Eddie said that the three of you were together for a while, on top of a 136 fire truck and rescued others but you fell back into the water during the aftershock. We found you a few hours later wandering the streets, looking for Eddie and Chris. You passed out of the boat to the hospital. You’ve been out for a couple of days.” He paused, then gave a small sad sigh. “We were so worried, son. Really worried.”
Buck’s eyes pricked again. “A couple of days?” He looked down at Chris’s peaceful face, then at Eddie’s. “They… they stayed?”
A ghost of a smile touched Bobby’s lips. “They haven’t left your side, Buck. Not for a minute. Eddie fought every nurse, every doctor that tried to make him leave for rest or a shower. He practically set up camp here. Chris insisted on staying with his dad. They just curled up with you a few hours ago, wouldn’t sleep anywhere else.” He shook his head, a fond exasperation in his tone. “Wouldn’t even let us move them to a separate cot.”
Buck looked at them again, his heart aching with tenderness. The vague, terrifying memories of the tsunami began to solidify, but they were no longer overwhelming. They were anchored by the tangible presence of the two people who mattered most. They hadn't just not left him; they had literally held him together.
He shifted his arm, wincing slightly as a fresh wave of aches spread. The slight movement was enough.
Eddie stirred first, his eyes fluttering open. For a second, they were unfocused, then they snapped to brilliant clarity as they landed on Buck’s face.
“Buck?” The name left his lips on a choked gasp, a fragile whisper that tore through the quiet room. He blinked, hand reaching for Buck’s face, as if to clear a hallucination. “Buck, you’re… you’re awake.”
His arm tightened around Buck’s chest, careful of his injuries but firm, grounding. Tears immediately sprang to Eddie’s eyes, tracing twin paths down his cheeks. He didn’t try to stop them.
“Hey.” Buck grinned, reaching himself to wipe the tears away but the flow just continued.
“You’re awake.” Eddie repeated, “You’re here.”
The sound of Eddie’s voice, the sudden shift in the bed, roused Chris. He let out a sleepy groan, then his own brown eyes blinked open. He looked up, confused, then his gaze met Buck’s.
“Buck!” It was a shout, pure and unadulterated, bursting from his small chest.
Before Buck could even process it, Chris was scrambling, clumsy with sleep and joy, his small arms wrapping around Buck’s neck, burrowing into his shoulder. The contact was gentle, but the force of Chris’s unrestrained alleviation was like a physical shockwave.
“Buck! I missed you!” Chris sobbed into his neck, tears soaking into the flimsy hospital gown.
Eddie, still crying, carefully pulled himself up, using his free hand to cradle the back of Buck’s head, his forehead resting against Buck’s temple. “You scared us so much.” He whispered, “We thought… we thought…”
Buck, weak as he was, clung to them both. He clutched Eddie’s shirt, stroking Chris’s hair with his free hand.
“I’m here,” Buck rasped. He looked at them, his own tears starting to fall, a shaky smile breaking through. “Hey. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed them tighter, pulling their tear-streaked faces back into him. “We're together.” he whispered, his voice gaining strength, conviction. “I’d always fight to get back to you. Both of you. Always.”
Bobby watched from the chair, a soft smile on his face, picking up his phone to text Maddie. The beeping of the monitor was a steady, rhythmic reassurance. For the first time in days, the entire room felt like it wasn’t suffocating in sadness.
They stayed like that for a long time, Buck in the middle of a Diaz sandwich. Chris, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster, eventually settled down, his breathing evening out into the deep, peaceful sleep of a child finally at ease in the arms of someone he knew now was safe.
Bobby then got up, quietly announcing, “Maddie is here. I’m gonna go get her. Is that okay?”
Buck nodded, “Thanks, Bobby.”
He patted Buck’s good leg before silently going out the door.
Eddie waited until Chris’ snores were soft and regular. He carefully shifted, still tucked against Buck, but now able to look fully into his eyes without sobbing.
"You really scared us, Buck," Eddie said. His thumb stroked Buck's cheek. "When that wave hit… and then you just… disappeared." He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I kept telling Chris you'd be back. That you’d be safe somewhere, ready for us to come get you. That you were okay out there. B-But I wasn't…. I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life."
Buck’s chest ached. "I know. I'm so sorry, Eds. I didn't mean to…"
"Don't." Eddie cut him off softly, his gaze intense. "Don't you dare apologize. Just… gracias a Dios , you're here. That I have you in my arms." His eyes searched Buck’s, vulnerable. "I couldn't… I can't imagine a world without you in it, Evan."
The unspoken weight of those words hung in the air, weighty and fragile. It wasn't just friendship, not just family. It was something deeper, something foundational. Buck felt it, too, the gut-wrenching terror of loss that had gripped him whenever he thought of Eddie and Chris in that water.
"You won't have to." Buck promised, eyes thick with tears. He reached up, cupping Eddie’s jaw, his thumb stroking it gently. "You and Chris are my whole world. I will never be apart from you. I’m yours."
“Mine.” Eddie breathed and leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment, a sigh escaping his lips. “I like the sound of that.” When his eyes opened again, they were brighter, clearer, filled with an undeniable longing. He leaned in slowly, giving Buck every chance to pull away.
Buck didn't. He met him halfway, his heart thrumming a frantic beat against his ribs. Their lips met, soft and gentle at first, a feather-light touch of pure relief and nascent hope. Then, as the reality of it settled, it deepened, a desperate, tender press. It was a kiss that tasted of saline and fear, of unspoken words and years of longing, and the profound joy of being alive and together. It wasn't fiery or passionate; it was a quiet reassurance of belonging.
"Buck!" “Buckaroo!” “Buck!” “Evan!” Suddenly a chorus of relieved voices burst forth. "You're awake!"
Buck and Eddie snapped apart, eyes wide, faces flushed a furious crimson. They looked like two teenagers caught sneaking out after curfew. Chris, thankfully, only stirred, snuggling deeper into Buck’s shoulder that he was using as a pillow.
Standing in the doorway, beaming, were Bobby, Athena, Hen, Chimney, and Maddie. Their faces were alight with relief and joy at seeing Buck awake and occupied . Their eyes landing on Eddie and Buck, still ridiculously close, still undeniably flustered, with Eddie’s hand still on Buck’s face.
A beat of silence. Everyone taking in the sight.
Then, Hen’s eyebrows shot up, a knowing smirk spreading across her face. Chimney let out a choked laugh, quickly turning it into a cough. Maddie’s eyes widened, then softened with a bright smile. Bobby just cleared his throat, a small, amused quirk to his lips. Athena simply raised a teasing eyebrow at them, grinning.
"Well, Well, Well," Hen drawled, her voice dripping with mock innocence. "Looks like we interrupted something important."
Buck groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"Giving him a ‘Get well soon’ present, huh, Eds?" Chimney chuckled.
Eddie smirked, slightly proud of himself, and shrugged.
"And we're all incredibly happy for you and Buck being awake and well." Athena said, shooting a significant look at the men in the bed. “And we see that Chris is happy to have his Buck back.”
Buck looked down at the still snoring Chris, leaning down to kiss the boy’s hair. Eddie watched the action with so much love in his brown eyes that it made Buck’s heart race.
Even if their first kiss was interrupted in the most spectacularly awkward way possible, they wouldn’t trade this moment for anything.
Buck was alive. Eddie was alive. Chris was alive.
They were loved.
They were home.