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Buck barely gets the door open before Maddie rushes in, Jee-Yun balanced on one hip, and a giant bag slugged over her shoulder on the other. Her breathing is slightly stammered, like she had just ran to get here. He doesn’t even get a chance to greet them inside."I can't thank you enough for watching Jee last minute, especially on your day off," she begins, adjusting Jee to set her on the ground. "The babysitter's out for a few days, Chim’s still at work, and I obviously can’t bring her to daycare. If I’d known sooner that she was sick, I would’ve taken the day off myself...""Oh, it’s really no problem," Buck says, scrunching his entire face in an exaggerated way, which earns him a small giggle from Jee. He loves to make her laugh. “I’d spend every day off babysitting if it meant hanging out with my favorite person in the whole universe!"Maddie smirks. "Careful, I’ll hold you to that."She sets the bag down on the counter as she goes straight into a rapid rundown. "Alright, in here is her medicine—she gets it every six hours, so in about two more she’ll need another dose. Extra clothes, just in case. Some leftovers, but she hasn’t had much of an appetite..." She trails off, rifling through the bag, searching for anything else she might’ve forgotten to tell him.Once she’s done she looks back up at him,"If you need anything, just text me. I might not be the best at responding however. Otherwise, Chimney’s shift ends in a few hours, and he’ll be swinging by to pick her up.""We’ll be just fine Mads, won’t we Jee?" Buck says, scanning the room to see that she’s already found her way to the coffee table where he had left a pack of crayons and paper."Yeah!" Jee nods happily, though her congestion makes it come out more like a muffled "Yeh!" as she wipes the snot from her nose onto her sleeve and gives a big smile."See?" Buck grins, ushering Maddie toward the door. "She’s in great hands. Now go, don’t be late!""Right, okay." Maddie exhales, shifting back her focus to Jee. "Love you Jee! I’ll see you later.""Bye Mommy, I love you!" Jee says, waving before plopping onto the couch.Maddie pauses just outside the door, turning back around. "I know, I know," she says before Buck can even say anything as he blocks the entrance. "Thank you again."“Anytime!" he calls out as she heads down the hall.He waits at the door to make sure she has fully left before shutting it and turns back to Jee who has now found the remote and is flipping through channels until she lands on the cartoons she likes."Alright Jee, what are we watching?"- - -It didn’t take long before Jee-Yun started to doze off, curled up under a blanket he got her. Buck carefully props up her head with a pillow to help her breathe easier, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face as she sighs in her sleep.He figures she’ll be out for a while so he moves to the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves and starts on a batch of snickerdoodles. However, just as he’s just about to scoop the next batch onto the tray, a quiet, muffled whimper catches his ear. He pauses. It doesn’t even take a second later before the living room is filled with sharp, panicked screams."BUCK!" Jee-Yun wails.Buck drops the spoon back into the bowl, wiping his hands hastily on his apron as he rushes over."BUCK!" she cries again, her body is trembling as her hands cup the right side of her head."Jee! Hey, hey," Buck crouches beside her, as he studies her face. "What’s wrong Jee? Is it your ear?""Yeah," she sobs, squeezing her eyes shut as more tears start to fall. She takes one hand to wipe at her face, though it does little to stop the streams of tears or the snot building up.Buck’s stomach drops a bit. He knows she’s still got an hour before her next dose of medicine, but that’s just for the congestion...Without hesitating, he sprints back to the counter and snatches up his phone, dialing the first person who comes to mind. The only medic he knows who also happens to be off duty tonight."Eddie!" Buck yells into the phone the second Eddie picks up, pinning it between his ear and shoulder as he hurries back to Jee.There’s a groggy groan on the other end. "Buck? It’s like ten at night. Why are you yelling?""It’s Jee!" Buck huffs. "She’s sick, and now she’s crying about her ear? She looks like she’s in so much pain, Eddie, I—""Sounds like an ear infection," Eddie cuts in, sounding a bit more awake now. "Chris used to get them all the time when he was little. It’ll happen sometimes when fluid builds up behind the eardrum. It creates pressure which is what leads to the pain."Buck glances down at Jee as she burrows against his chest, hiccuping through tears and muffled cries. "Okay—okay, so what do I do?""For now? Get a rag under hot water and let her use it as a warm compress. It should help with the pain until she can get proper meds. Just—you know what, I’m on my way."Buck feels a bit of relief when Eddie mentions he’s coming over. "Ok. I’ll see you…” He ends the call and makes his way to the kitchen to start warming up the water.- - -Barely minutes after Buck had hung up, there's a knock on the door. He opens it to find Eddie standing there, medic pack in hand."Hey," Eddie greets him with a small smile, already stepping inside."Hey, man. Thanks again for coming over,""Sure thing," Eddie nods, already focused in full medic mode. He sets his pack on the table and unzips it, pulling out a small device."Otoscope," he explains, snapping a fresh plastic cone into place on the end of it. "This will let me see what’s going on in her ear.""Okay," Buck says, following him toward the couch.Jee-Yun is laying on her right side, the damp towel still tucked under her ear. Her little face is all blotchy from crying.Eddie kneels beside her, keeping his voice low and warm. "Hey, Jee. Remember me?"She blinks sleepily at him before giving a tiny nod."Good. Think you can sit up a little for me? I need to take a quick look at your ears so we can help you feel better."Jee hesitates for a second, but with a sniffle, she pushes herself upright.Buck watches, something pulling at his chest as he stares at Eddie getting to work. He's never really watched Eddie interact with younger kids besides Chris. He’s patient, not rushing or pushing her. He explains every step of the process to her and it’s comforting in a way Buck can’t quite put into words."Alright," Eddie continues, showing her the otoscope. "I’m going to put this in your ear, okay? It’s like a tiny microscope with a little light on the end." He flicks the light onto his palm so she can see it.Jee examines it, then wipes at her nose with the sleeve of her shirt before nodding."Good girl," Eddie smiles, carefully tilting her head to the side to check her left ear first. "You’ll feel a little pressure, but it won’t hurt, it’s just an uneasy feeling."Jee makes a small, uncomfortable sound, and Buck instinctively reaches out, offering his hand. She grips his fingers tightly."There’s a little fluid in this one, but not too bad," Eddie mumbles, mostly to himself, as he moves to her right ear. The moment he places it in further, Jee flinches, letting out a bigger displeased noise and squeezing Buck’s fingers even harder.Eddie pulls back, giving her a moment before standing to put the otoscope away."So?" Buck questions, eyes locked worriedly on him as he follows Eddie back into the kitchen.Eddie sighs. "There’s a decent amount of fluid buildup in that right ear. It’s most definitely an infection."Buck tenses. "Okay, so—what do we do? Do we need to take her in?"Eddie shakes his head. "Not unless it gets worse. It’s too late to grab a prescription tonight unless we really want to make a trip to the ER. Best thing for now is to keep using the warm compress and give her some ibuprofen for the pain."Buck nods, watching as Eddie pulls out a proper warm compress from his bag."Here," Eddie says, handing it over. "This will hold the heat longer than the towel. Microwave it for a few seconds and it should be good.""R—Right," Buck grabs it, taking it to the microwave. Once it’s warm, he carefully gives it to Jee, who wastes no time tucking it back under her ear as she lies down again.He looks back to see Eddie starting to pack up his kit, Buck hesitates. He doesn't want him to leave yet."Hey…" He starts, rubbing the back of his neck.Eddie looks up, waiting.Buck shifts his feet and tries to push whatever lump in his throat down. "Can you stay—just for a few more hours…? At least until Chim picks her up? I want to make sure she’s okay for the rest of the night..." His face feels warmer almost immediately, and suddenly he wonders if maybe he’s coming down with something too.Eddie stares blankly for a second before his expression softens. He nods, giving a small grin."Yeah," he says. "Of course."- - -After giving Jee more medicine, they had made their way back to the couch. Buck sits on one end, Eddie on the other, with Jee nestled in between asleep, her head resting on Buck’s lap. He absently runs his fingers through the strands of her loose, curly waves as they watch whatever cartoon channel she put on earlier. Something about a family of dogs with Australian accents, it's kinda cute.There’s a comfortable silence between them that lingers for a while, until Eddie had decided to break it with a question. He doesn’t even turn his head to say it, his eyes remain fixed on the TV.“Do you still want kids?” Eddie whispers, his voice barely audible, like Buck could have missed it if he'd breathed even a bit harder in that moment.Buck blinks for a second, caught off guard by the question. He turns his head to look at Eddie, but Eddie doesn’t meet his. He’s still focused on watching the TV, like he didn’t just drop some heavy loaded question between them.Buck turns his head back and thinks about it for a moment, though he's sure he already knows his answer. “Yeah, I would like to. I think it comes with the territory most of the time when you meet someone you like… and I’ve always loved kids.”Eddie makes a small noise in response—one Buck is unsure if it was him approving or not.“Did Tommy want kids?” Eddie asks another. Where is he going with this? Buck frowns, his fingers pausing mid-stroke in Jee’s hair. He hadn’t expected this conversation but then again nor did he about his past relationship views on it.
“No,” Buck says firmly. “We weren’t really at that point so we didn’t talk about it much but he had mentioned not wanting to ‘bear the responsibility’ of a kid while in his line of work." He exhales, shaking his head. “I didn’t push it... I guess, deep down, I knew it wasn’t something we were ever going to plan for together anyways.”‘Would you have been ok with that? If—If it did get to that point?”“I don't know, honestly… I think it depends.”“You’d be a great dad,” Eddie mumbles under his breath but Buck still manages to pick up on it.He repeats it over and over, at least a hundred times in his head. He knows Eddie doesn't throw compliments like that lightly unless he really means it. And hearing him say it makes Buck realize how far he's come. That person he used to be is still there, but he's not the same. He's always wanted a family, to be loved and grow old with someone. He's never been more ready for something like that, especially now that he's in his 30's. But there's always something holding him back whenever he's dated... or maybe someone?“And you?” Buck asks cautiously. “Would you want another kid?”Eddie’s jaw tightens as he thinks before sighing. “I used to think not,” he admits. “When Chris was born, I was terrified of ever bringing another kid into the world… Then Chris became my whole world. You know,” he lets out a soft, dry laugh, recalling, “he used to actually beg for a sibling—wished for one every Christmas and birthday. But…” Eddie finally turns to look at Buck, some uncertainty in his eyes. “I guess it depends.”Buck’s face is fully flushed now, and his stomach twists as if a billion tiny little butterflies are dancing around in it. He’s seriously starting to think he must have caught whatever Jee has.“On what?” he asks.Eddie holds his gaze with him longer than necessary, then looks away, fingers tapping rhythmically on the couch. “A lot of things,” he answers. “Who I’m with. Where life takes us. If it even feels right.”Buck debates pushing further, he wishes he could, but instead he offers an understanding hum. “Yeah,” he exhales. “That’s how I feel too.”The moment is interrupted by another quiet knock on the door.“I’ll get it,” Eddie says, glancing at Jee, still sound asleep in Buck’s lap. He stands and moves toward the door, Buck listens closely as the front door opens, his hands back to brushing through Jee’s hair.“Hey Buck, sorry—Eddie?” Chimney is taken back a bit, confused but not entirely surprised as to why Eddie is standing in the doorway.“Picking up Jee?” Eddie asks, it comes out more like a statement than an obvious question.“Uh, yeah—yeah I am,” Chim answers. He walks into the apartment towards the living room, his eyes go straight to the couch where he sees Buck with a very sleepy Jee curled up in his lap.“She has an ear infection,” Buck lowers his voice the best he can as to not to wake her. “Eddie came over to check it out.”Chimney frowns, concerned. “She gets those sometimes when she’s sick.”“Jee,” Buck rubs her arm to wake her up. “Jee, your dad is here.”Jee blinks a few times, still groggy, before a small smile tugs at her lips as she sees her dad. “Daddy?”“Hey sweetheart,” he says gently. “How you feeling?”She rubs her eyes, nodding slightly. “M’fine,” she mumbles.“You ready to go home?” Chim asks her and she nods. “Alright then, let’s get you up,” he says, carefully lifting her into his arms.Buck watches them for a moment. “Thank you guys. Have a good night,” Chimney whispers, his voice tired from the day. He grabs Jee’s bag from the counter and slings it over his shoulder, ready to head out.“Have a good one,” Eddie says with a smile and wave, his eyes meeting Buck’s as he nudges him, waiting for his response.“Yeah… night. Keep me posted on her,” Buck adds.Chimney heads toward the door, Jee resting her head against her dad's shoulder, already dozing off again. The door closes behind them, and suddenly the apartment feels a lot quieter.“You good?” Eddie asks him.“I’m good,” Buck says flatly. He looks at him and gives a somewhat fake smile for reassurance that they both know is a lie.“Sure… okay.” Eddie gives him a pat on his back. “I’ve got to go if I want to get any sleep before work tomorrow.” He picks up his pack and turns slightly to head for the door. "Night Buck."“You wanna just stay the night?” Buck says, it catches them both off guard. Buck didn't even register that he had said that out loud.Eddie pauses, "Buck—""It's just," Buck wonders why it feels so different this time. Eddie has stayed over a thousand times—hell, he even lived in Buck’s apartment all through quarantine. "This place just feels kinda quiet right now and I really don't feel like being alone." He shrugs, trying to play it off like it's not a big deal. "You don't have to..."Eddie mulls it over for longer than Buck would have liked. "It's fine," he finally says. "I'll stay."Buck lets out a breath he hadn't realize he was holding. "Cool, yeah. Uh, I'll grab you some extra blankets and—"Eddie smirks throwing up a hand to stop him. "Don't worry. I think I've crashed here enough times—I know where they are." He says as he head to the cabinet that stores them.Buck huffs a nervous laugh. "Right. Of course….Sorry.""Nothing to be sorry about." Eddie says as he tosses a pillow and blanket down on the couch.Buck watches as Eddie makes himself comfortable. It's different. Something had shifted. Maybe it started when Eddie had asked him the question earlier or the long stares between them when talking about it—like some unspoken way of saying, I'm telling you this specifically for you to know."You need anything? He asks, so as to stop himself from staring any more than he was.Eddie shakes his head. "Nah, I’m good." He looks up at Buck and furrows his brows. "You sure you're good?"Buck shrugs. "Yeah. I mean... It's just been a long day."Eddie nods, probably not entirely convinced but not pushing it either. He settles against the cushions, yawning. "Try to get some sleep, Buck.""You too..."Buck turns towards the stairs to go up to his bedroom. He makes it to the first step before pausing and glances back to Eddie. His arms are folded and eyes already closed as he lays down."Hey, Eddie?""Yeah?" Eddie responds keeping his eyes shut.Buck swallows. "Thanks—for everything. And for staying."Eddie cracks one eye to look at him, he gives a slight knowing smile before closing it again. "Anytime, Buck."Buck nods, lingering for a moment before finally heading upstairs, he feels at ease.