#AND HE WENT ON MAKING BUCK CHRISTOPHERS LEGAL GUARDIAN IF HE EVER DIED????????? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

[p4nishers]

why cant gay ppl just say "i love you" tf is "there's nobody in this world i trust with my son more than you" ???

[princessamericachavez]

Even before the episode, while rewatching old seasons, I was just struck by how big an impact Buck’s had on Eddie’s life. 

Like, please, picture this: 

You are Eddie Diaz, ok? An army vet who quite literally just went through an extremely traumatic experience, immediately got left by your wife and in a desperate move to find happiness for you and your son you move across the country to start a new life. 

You are the new guy at work and this man about your age really has it out for you. That’s fine by you. You’ve put up with enough bullshit in the army, you are just here to do your work, it’s harder than that to get under your skin. Plus, this guy seems okay, aside from all the dick measuring, and you’re sure he’ll tire himself out if you just don’t play along. Then, oh surprise, after a single shift you give the guy one compliment and he folds completely, before you know it he’s decided you two are friends. Fine, good. You miss the army’s camaraderie. This will probably be just like that. 

Few weeks in, Christopher comes up. You hesitate because you don’t like talking about your kid with strangers, but you are worried about him being out there alone during the earthquake and there’s really no way to avoid the subject forever. You’re already dreading the pity looks from people who don’t understand this kid is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Instead, you get a wide smile, “he’s super adorable, I love kids”. In retrospect, you should’ve expected it. What you don’t expect is the way Buck spends the entirety of the shift reassuring you that Chris is alright, even when you’re pretty sure you’ve done nothing to betray your worry (you know better than to panic, it does nothing to help), but Buck seems to notice anyway and keeps sprouting curiosities to reassure you. He even drives you across the torn up town at a reckless speed to make sure you can reach your son as soon as possible. 

Few weeks later, abuela has an accident. Buck drives you to the hospital, even though you could’ve taken a cab to the firehouse to pick up your truck, and goes all the way in with you. He’s a good friend like that. Turns out, he’s a very good friend, because he catches you by surprise calling ahead to let the Cap know you need help with Chris and arranges a whole day of him hanging out with the 118. You didn’t ask for it, and he doesn’t expect so much as a ‘thank you’. 

Next night, he makes a big deal of introducing you to a woman and you are already dreading, once again, the reveal moment when you have to explain that thank you very much but you are still married and really your only priority right now is your son and- wait, that woman is the perfect caretaker that might or might not be the solution you’ve been desperately searching for to get your and your son’s life together.

This guy you just met a few weeks ago has given you friendship, reassurance, company, thoughtful help without you ever asking (you’ve never been good at asking for it) and he’s just sitting there smiling proudly while he helps you possibly assure your kids future.

All of this... it happens in the first FOUR episodes of s2 after Eddie is introduced. No wonder he’s in love ride or die for Buck. Who wouldn’t be?

In a year, they are inseparable. In two years, Eddie makes him Christopher’s legal guardian in case he dies. In three, Buck saves his life. In four they are basically a family and the person Christopher goes to in a panic. Five years in, Buck is in a coma and Eddie Diaz cannot even look at him, cannot picture a world where he’s dead, cannot envision his life without him. 

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

4x14 -

Taylor: "That was it?"

Buck: "Yeah, it felt like some kind of weird reverse psychology thing. I kind of prefer it when he yells at me."

Taylor: "Oh, I could yell at you if you think that would help."

Buck: "Come on, you can't be mad. You weren't even there."

Taylor: "There's at least a half a dozen videos on the internet of your climb up that crane. All taken from nearby windows. Any one of those people could have had a gun and shot at your big stupid head."

Buck: "I was wearing a helmet."

Taylor: "Not made of Kevlar, dumbass."

Buck: "Hang on a second. It almost sounds like you were worried about me."

Taylor: "I'm annoyed with you. You're not invincible. You could have gotten hurt. Or worse."

Buck: "I didn't."

Taylor: "Sorry."

Buck: "Uh, okay."

Taylor: "Not sure where that came from. Could be the wine."

Buck: "Maybe we should talk about it."

Taylor: "I should go."

*she leaves, Buck gets call from Ana to tell him that Eddie's awake*

Buck: "Ana. Everything okay?"

*he's running in the halls to Eddie's room, Ana sees him, smiles, and steps aside*

Eddie: "Hey, Buck."

Buck: "Hey."

...

Eddie: "Appreciate you staying with him."

Buck: "Carla offered to bring him to her house but I figured this was overwhelming enough without having to sleep in a strange bed."

Eddie: "He doing okay?"

Buck: "Better than me. Um... I kind of lost it when I told him you got shot. I'm sorry, I should've held it together."

Eddie: "You were there for him when I couldn't be. That's what matters."

Buck: "Still, I think it might have been better for him if I was the one who got shot."

...

Taylor: "You are not dead."

Buck: "And you came back. Uh, wasn't sure that was gonna happen."

Taylor: "Yeah, I kind of ran away."

Buck: "Yeah, I noticed."

Taylor: "You didn't chase after me."

Buck: "Listen, I, uh, I spent a long time feeling like I wasn't enough. And I don't want to do that anymore. So, if you don't want me..."

Taylor: "I do. I really do."

...

Eddie: "So, you might have noticed. I almost died. Again. Man, I've had a lot of close calls. This wasn't even my closest."

Buck: "Eddie--"

Eddie: "Just let me finish. After the last time, when the well collapsed on top of me..."

Buck: "Which you survived."

Eddie: "After that, it got me thinking. What would happen to Christopher if I hadn't. So, I went to my attorney and changed my will. So, someday if I, uh...didn't make it, Christopher would be taken care of. By you."

Buck: "What?"

Eddie: "It's in my will if I die you become Christopher's legal guardian."

Buck: "I mean, how does that even work? Don't you need my consent?"

Eddie: "My attorney said you could refuse."

Buck: "But you know I wouldn't."

Eddie: "I know you wouldn't."

Buck: "I mean, he has grandparents. Other family."

Eddie: "After Shannon left, they all tried to guilt me into giving Christopher to them. It's not what I wanted then, it's not what I want now."

Buck: "If it came to that, wouldn't they fight for him?"

Eddie: "I don't know. Maybe. Probably. But no one will ever fight for my son as hard as you. And that is what I want for him."

Buck: "You said you did this last year. Why are you just telling me this now?"

Eddie: "Because, Evan, you came in here the other day and you said you thought it would have been better if it had been you who was shot. You act like you're expendable but you're wrong."

Besides the obvious convo parallels and how Eddie and Taylor already have some parallels and how just two episodes before it was literally framed as her vs Eddie with Buck in the middle, it just kills me every time to see the scene with Buck and Eddie where Buck says that it would have been better for Christopher had he gotten shot, Eddie's expression afterwards, and then of course the legal guardian scene.

Eddie has been reassuring and building Buck up emotionally ever since 3x01 at the very least. We've seen that Maddie has been trying to do that since they were kids and since she's been back on the scene. We saw Buck get closure from Abby in 3x18, we saw that his relationship with Ali didn't work out because she wasn't sure she could handle him still being a firefighter, and we saw how it became a casual thing with Taylor the first time she was around. Now his friendship with Taylor has suddenly morphed into her having feelings for him, and him returning those feelings, and them wanting to move forward, though Taylor was scared and ran away at first. Which I think is more than just coincidence but I digress. The point is that it's been Maddie, Eddie, and Bobby (and the firefam by extension) who have been helping Buck, stone by stone. Bobby is the father figure (with Athena acting the mother figure at times), Maddie is the sister (and the other maternal figure at times), and Eddie is the best friend/partner. But what absolutely just tugs at my heart is that while all three of them are trying to provide support and love to Buck, while also helping him to grow, they're all doing it in different ways, that is relative to their roles.

Eddie's role in Buck's life has expanded, it's grown, and I think not only can we see that in season 4 but I think it's also relevant here. Not just because of how Buck reacted to his being shot or his caring for Christopher, but because we see that the reason Eddie tells Buck the legal guardian info is not because he almost died again, but because of what Buck said. He even says it as much in his dialogue. "Because, Evan, you came in here the other day and you said you thought it would have been better if it had been you who was shot. You act like you're expendable but you're wrong." He wants Buck to know that he matters. Not just to Christopher but to Eddie and them as a family. He even goes so far as to use Buck's name, which definitely grabs Buck's attention, so Buck will hear him.

These guys give something to each other that it doesn't seem any other character can provide for them in a way that they need. Shannon was supposed to be that person for Eddie, that co-parent, but it ended up not working out in the end, even before her death. Now he's started to date Ana and already, the show is pretty much sidelining her and making sure to let the audience know through Carla that Eddie's heart isn't in it. Ali was supposed to be a new start for Buck from what happened with Abby, but in the end, she couldn't handle Buck being a firefighter and taking risks, which is exactly who Buck is, so it didn't mesh. Taylor and Buck had a not so great start in the beginning but then she came back, seemed somewhat changed after the pandemic, and now she's here. But ultimately, like many others have pointed out on here (and they're completely right), that scene where Taylor kisses him before Ana calls, that's a definite echo or callback when Buck used to take risks and get hurt, in order to gain attention. And as we know, Buck didn't make himself a target for those reasons. He did it to protect the firefam, and because he felt like he couldn't protect Eddie when he got shot. He may have told Taylor that but we came in halfway to the conversation so we don't know if he did or not. But Buck's cocky responses to Taylor reminded me of Buck 2.0, Buck 1.0 even. We don't see him as cocky with Bobby before that scene or with Eddie when he talks to him. Not that Taylor didn't see Buck vulnerable before, she did see him when he left the hospital to go see Christopher, but I think it's odd they had Buck acting this way right when Taylor acts on her feelings, then is freaked by it, and runs. Though, imho, I think it was done this way purposely. I also think they chose the difference in wording purposely. Invincible is how Taylor sees Buck thinking of himself vs Expendable is how Eddie sees Buck thinking of himself = Taylor doesn't really know Buck like Eddie does. Even if Buck had told her why he risked himself, the fact that she chose to say that word after the fact means she still doesn't get it. She's right, Buck isn't invincible, but at the heart of it, Buck just thinks he's expendable and that it's better him to take a bullet than the rest of the firefam. He couldn't protect Eddie; like he said, he can protect them. So they definitely showcased the difference here. Taylor is a fling or at the very least, another girlfriend who may be around for a bit, but I doubt it will end in wedding bells and kids if I'm being honest. They don't have that connection; even Abby had a more emotional connection with Buck during their friendship, even before the relationship happened.

I do like that Buck told Taylor that he didn't want to feel like he wasn't enough anymore. That's definite growth and it was good that she had to come to him, he deserved that at the very least. But what made me side eye this conversation between them at the door is that while that was an honest line for Buck to say, it wasn't the entire truth, not what we were shown anyway. He did start to say something to stop her when she ran but Ana called and that took priority, understandably so.

And one thing I just can't stop watching is Eddie's expression (in the gif above when Buck says it would have been better if it was him), to me that expression doesn't just say "what?" but it's heartbroken. When I say that, I'm not talking about the ship or even romance; that's a heartbroken expression because Eddie has been trying to get Buck past this expendable mindset that he has of himself. That Buck is worth something, and to someone. I know everyone talks about the "Are you hurt?" scene in the fire truck with Buck and Eddie but I think there's a very telling scene right before that. When Eddie got shot in 4x13 and fell to the ground, there is a moment, right before we see the captain racing to knock Buck down to the ground, before we see Buck in the sniper's sights, Eddie glances up and you can see the fear in his expression. And he is staring right at Buck who is staring down at him. Sure, those moments could be explained away because Eddie knew if they both died, who would Christopher have, right? But like Buck says in that hospital scene, Christopher does have other family even if Eddie doesn't want him with his grandparents (and who can blame him? they're major jerks) or if Christopher goes to live with Abuela or Pepa. Or one of Eddie's sisters. The point being, Christopher won't become a ward of the state had Eddie died and then Buck. No, I think the fear we see Eddie having in that moment, and then the heartbroken expression up above is purely about Buck for Buck, not because of the legal guardianship. And I think that's why we see Eddie reaching out his hand slightly, that Buck subconsciously mirrors. That's why the "Are you hurt?" Buck was treating him and standing; Buck was the one who pulled Eddie out of the line of fire and picked him up to get him in the truck. Eddie might have been slightly out of it to not realize these things, but he was obviously lucid enough to see the blood all over Buck and ask the question. He was worried for Buck.

But, going back to my main point, though (about the heartbroken expression and expendable), Eddie has been slowly building Buck up emotionally, tiny piece by tiny piece, from his role/vantage point in Buck's life. We saw it in the Buck Begins episode. We saw it in the Red episode, with the pool table scene. Where funnily enough, Maddie is also trying to reassure Buck that he won't be the one left behind, that she'll make sure of it. Eddie always teases him and ribs him just like guys do, brothers and best friends even, but he is always there as emotional support, too. And Buck is doing the same for Eddie, in the way that Eddie needs, when it comes to Christopher, and even when it doesn't. He not only introduced Eddie to Carla, he talks to Bobby beforehand when Christopher needs to come to the station, he sets up the Christmas dinner with Athena so the firefighters' families can spend Christmas with them, he gives Eddie another option when it comes to the skateboard so Eddie doesn't have to tell his son "sorry, you can never do that", etc. And it's because he mentions Ana in front of the firefam that Bobby ends up having the conversation with Eddie that he does, about moving on.

Basically, it just kills me how complementary they are to one another and how strong their emotional foundation is, and how the show is really going out of their way to show us the strength of that connection. Just how much they support one another and give each other what they need, which the same can't really be said for their love interests on the show. Somehow, those ladies are always falling short, in some way. After Eddie's revelation and the Carla bomb and now Taylor in the mix, I can't imagine how incredible Season 5 will be. I am here for it.

[fruitydiaz-archived]

that's what i want for him

post-eddie begins | eddie meets with his attorney to change his will | a little feelings realization | a little pining | a little buckley-diaz family moment

4,097 words

AO3 link

The day that Eddie has his appointment with his attorney to alter his will, he’s sick with nerves.

He thought he had made peace with his own mortality a long time ago, when he enlisted and found himself pinned down, a world away from his family and bleeding out in the middle of a warzone — but something about the official stature of a will has always made him feel nervous.

He’s still young, and he has no plans to die anytime soon, but who really does? Shannon certainly hadn’t planned on it either. Dealing with grief is hard enough as is, especially when it’s the loss of a parent, and if Eddie can make that experience any more bearable for Chris, then that’s what he’s going to do.

Ever since Shannon died, he’s had his parents down as Christopher’s legal guardians should anything happen to him. It wasn’t a decision he ever felt comfortable with — but he didn’t have anyone else, and he didn’t really have a choice. He had to make sure that Christopher had someone in case things went wrong on a call.

But since the well came down — well, before that actually. Ever since the tsunami, ever since the lawsuit, ever since the skateboard accident — Eddie’s known that he needs to adjust his will, because in none of those situations were Eddie’s parents around to make sure Christopher was okay.

Buck was.

It wasn’t that they didn’t care. They certainly called Eddie after they heard the news about the tsunami. They asked if Christopher was okay (not him, Christopher), and made their usual comments about how Texas would be so much safer for him — they hadn’t had both an earthquake and a tsunami over the last year. They made sure they did their best to let Eddie know that he was making a mistake keeping Chris there, that he was making a mistake not relocating him after he lost his mom, that Chris was going to get seriously hurt one of these days and it would be his fault. They said all of the things he knew they would.

But they weren’t there.

The well was a close call — too close — and in that moment when the mud came down on top of him and the water started to fill his lungs — he realized he couldn’t leave Christopher with them. Not when there was someone else right there, someone who loved Christopher the way he did, someone who would do anything for him, someone who understood him.

He’s still reeling from the accident a bit, as he sits in the office, bouncing his leg up and down and trying hard to tamp down his nerves and failing, as you do after near-death experiences. He keeps having to remind himself that he’s not down there anymore, that there isn’t water all around him, that he can breathe perfectly fine, that he’s on solid ground now.

He has to remind himself that when he fell, Buck and Hen were there to grasp his hands and pull him back up. He’s okay.

“Mr. Diaz?” A voice calls to his left. He looks up to see his attorney in the doorway, standing with her hands clasped in front of her. She smiles at him politely.

She’s a tall, fairly nondescript woman, with soft, quiet features, and thick curly black hair that’s always pulled back into a bun. She always comes dressed in suits but leaves her suit jacket draped over the back of her chair, moving about her office and greeting clients in soft cashmere sweaters.

She always seems to be wearing a smile — but not in an unsettling way. When Shannon was still around, when Eddie was warming up to the idea of welcoming her back into his life, Eddie had made some comment about her having middle school teacher energy — the kind of middle school teacher that still enjoyed working with kids but also took them seriously and didn’t allow any room for bullshit — and Shannon had laughed at him for using the word energy. She said something about Buck rubbing off on him and he rolled his eyes.

It’s just that she reminds him of someone, someone from his past — but he just can’t ever place her. He’s always been bad with faces. But there’s something familiar and grounding about her, something that helped Eddie feel calm when he first met her. But today, she doesn’t calm his nerves.

He feels sick.

He hasn’t seen her since Shannon died.

He stands up and wipes his shaking hands against his jeans, following her into her office.

When Eddie imagined an attorney’s office, when he was a little younger and more naive, he imagined it being small, cramped, with overflowing filing cabinets against one wall and bookshelves filled with boxes of legal documents and binders and books filled with rules and statutes that he could never dream of understanding. He imagined it as something that would make him feel small and cramped — and that the lawyer on the other side of the desk would peer over their tiny wireframe glasses at him and scrutinize every decision he made.

But Stacy’s office is different — it’s calmer, more minimalist. Her walls are a cool white that contrasts against all of the black furniture. The boxes on her shelves are a uniform grey with white labels with little script that’s illegible to Eddie. She even has a little bonsai tree on her desk. It reminds him of a therapist’s office — one that Shannon tried to make him see earlier on in their marriage, between deployments. Sometimes he can appreciate the universe’s weird sense of humor. Today he doesn’t.

He hates having to be here, having to deal with all of the weird legal aspects of living and dying, but he’s doing this for Christopher, so he swallows his nerves.

“I understand you’re wanting to change your will?” Stacy begins, pulling Eddie’s file onto her desk and flipping it open. He nods.

“Yes, I just want to make an adjustment to the legal guardianship — for Christopher,” She nods for him to continue. “After last year, I changed it so my parents would be his legal guardians. I’d like to change it again.”

Stacy smiles softly at him again before pulling something up on her computer. She opens a drawer and retrieves some blank paperwork and sets it on her desk.

“And who will you be changing it to?”

“His name is Evan Buckley. He’s...my friend. Coworker, actually, but...he understands Chris better than they do. Or ever could, really.”

Stacy nods, writing Buck’s name down on the paper before setting the pen down, folding her hands together again, and studying Eddie.

“So, last year when we adjusted your will after your wife passed, I remember your parents being here with us,” She says, and it’s not unkind or pointed in any way, but her words still make Eddie shift in his chair, like he’s done something wrong.

“That’s right,” Eddie says, clearing his throat.

“And Mr. Buckley isn’t here with us today.”

“No,” Eddie says, picking at a loose strand in the hem of his jeans. “He’s working a shift today.”

“I see, are you sure you don’t want him to be present for this? It’s a big decision.”

Eddie blinks at her before shifting his eyes around the room.

“Does he need to be here?”

“No, not at all. We normally encourage both parties to be here, but I’m sure you’ve gotten his consent already, it’s just a formality, really,” Stacy smiles and turns back to her file, picking the pen up again, and opening her mouth to ask another question, when Eddie interrupts her.

“Do I need to have, um, written consent or something to do this? I don’t remember my parents having to sign anything.”

Stacy looks back up at Eddie. For a moment neither of them says anything. She slowly sets her pen back down.

“It’s not required, but it is recommended. This is a big decision, as I’m sure you’re aware. Trusting someone as your child’s legal guardian isn’t something to be taken lightly — especially when they’re not family.”

Eddie frowns — he’s not taking this lightly. It’s all he’s been able to think about for weeks. Every morning when he sits down with Christopher to have breakfast it’s a reminder that he almost lost this. Every time he comes home to Christopher after a long day of work there’s a sense of relief that he’s never felt before — he got to come home again. When he sees the drawings of Shannon that Christopher did that Eddie keeps locked in his nightstand — unable to throw them away, but definitely not keeping them anywhere where Chris could find them again — he remembers how close Chris came to losing another parent.

When he thinks about Chris being uprooted, ripped out of this life they built in California just to be dragged back to Texas, with parents like his who always think they know what’s best but never allow room for adjustments, with parents he knows will stifle him — it’s heartbreaking. He knows this is the right decision.

But Stacy doesn’t give him the opportunity to say all of that, and she continues to press, gently.

“You have had a conversation about this with him?” Eddie shrinks in his chair a bit.

“No, we haven’t — we haven’t talked about it. But, look, you don’t know Buck, okay? This isn’t,” He pauses, waving his hand while he tries to figure out what to say. “A couple of weeks ago, I was in an accident. It was pretty bad, and — I could’ve died. I was drowning and all I could think about was how I couldn’t leave Chris alone. And then, if I did die, how miserable he would be with my parents. I mean, you met them.”

Stacy doesn’t respond.

“Well, I was raised by them, so — I know what they’d be like, and I don’t want that for Christopher. Buck would do anything for Christopher. Already has. He’s...it’s him. I want him to be Christopher’s guardian, you know, if anything ever happens.”

Stacy nods and sits back in her chair.

“Eddie,” She starts, breaking formality. “Listen, I understand. This kind of thing happens more often than you’d think. There’s a kind of clarity that comes to people when they have a close encounter with death. I imagine it was especially clarifying for you, so soon after your wife’s death.”

She sits up again and studies Eddie carefully.

“I just want to make sure that you’re aware — if something happens and you haven’t told Mr. Buckley, he could refuse.”

Eddie shakes his head vehemently.

“No,” He says confidently. He looks at Stacy again, dead in the eye so that she knows he’s serious. “He wouldn’t do that. Believe me.”

“And if your family tries to fight it?” Eddie looks away then, and his eyes get a little distant. He smiles a small, private smile, before looking back at Stacy.

“They won’t ever fight as hard as him. Trust me.”

Stacy holds his gaze for a moment.

You learn a lot about people when you’re in her line of work — people come in all of the time and show her their hands, inadvertently pouring their hearts out, and revealing everything that’s most important to them as they sort out their estates. She’s seen plenty of people make weird, terrible, stupid, and callous decisions in the event of their death. She’s seen plenty of people come in after a close call and make hasty, half-baked decisions that she doesn’t have the power to counsel them against.

But, with her admittedly limited understanding of who Eddie Diaz is as a person, he’s not the kind of person who makes hasty, half-baked decisions, especially not when it comes to what he loves most — Christopher. They’ve only seen each other a few times: when Eddie first moved to LA and was altering his will, and when Shannon died. She’s seen him worn, tired, dragged down by grief. From what she sees, he’s a man who’s burdened by the need to do what's right for everyone else around him.

When he came in with his parents the year before, he had seemed small, and it had struck her. She remembered him from their first meeting as an army man with strong shoulders and a jaw set with stubborn determination — but then he just seemed like a child.

The man in front of her now is somewhere in between, softened by the home he’s clearly made for him and his son here. He’s still worn, a little shaken after his incident, still clearly grieving the loss of his wife, but the look in his eyes is strong and sure.

And as much as she would prefer that Mr. Buckley, or Buck, as Eddie keeps calling him, were here, she can clearly tell the difference in how Eddie feels about him versus his parents by the way he talks. He didn’t say much when his parents were in her office, just nodded along to what they said and made quiet, reserved comments to affirm their decisions. At the time, she wasn’t sure if it was the grief or their presence that was making him small — but she gets it now. Buck clearly understands Eddie in a way that few people have before.

She just hopes that Eddie talks to him about it soon — because the man does seem to be a kind of magnet for life-threatening situations, and she would really prefer not to have to break the news to a surprised, grief-stricken Evan Buckley herself. That’s her least favorite part of the job.

But she doesn’t press any further — Eddie’s made his case and Stacy’s certain she won’t be able to convince him to hold off any longer to at least talk to Buck, and they finish sorting out the paperwork.

Stacy sends Eddie off with the promise to get in touch with him when the changes to his will are finalized, and a gentle suggestion to talk with Buck soon.

He’s out the door feeling a dozen pounds lighter.

Eddie considers telling Buck after that, he really does. He understands that it’s probably something he should hear about sooner rather than later. But something holds him back, something makes him want to keep those cards close to his chest, and he’s not sure why.

He doesn’t tell anyone, not for a while. He really should tell his parents — and he will, eventually — but he’s not really looking forward to that particular conversation. He can already hear their arguments in his head, how Buck is in just as dangerous a profession as he is, how Buck is a stranger — not family, how he’s barely known this man for two years when they’ve known him his whole life — that one will make him laugh, he’s sure.

The first person he tells ends up being Carla.

It’s a few weeks later and he’s chatting with her on the phone, chopping up vegetables in the kitchen, helping prep dinner while Chris and Buck are playing games in the living room.

He’s been thinking about broaching the topic all night, now that he’s gotten a chance to be alone with Buck, but he feels a little anxious at the idea — even though he knows Buck won’t refuse. It just feels like a big thing that they probably won’t ever have to deal with — it’s not like he plans on dying.

But the idea is fresh in his mind, so it shouldn’t be that surprising when Carla asks him what’s new and he responds, “I changed my will.”

She doesn’t say anything for a second, and Eddie glances down at his phone to make sure the call didn’t get disconnected on accident.

“Oh?” Carla asks, clearly surprised. “What made you change it?”

“The well,” Eddie says, sliding some chopped carrots off the cutting board and into a bowl. He hears Carla hum in acknowledgment, then smiles as he hears Buck shout from the living room. Chris beat him, again. He’s alive, he’s okay.

“What exactly did you change?”

“Christopher’s legal guardianship...you know, if anything like that happens again and, uh, I don’t make it,” He tries to say this casually, but his throat starts to close up again at the end. He coughs.

“Who’d you change it to?” Carla asks, her voice soft. Eddie pauses, then steps away from the counter, peeking around the corner to check on Buck and Chris. The volume of their game is loud — too loud, really — but they’re engrossed in it, and Eddie’s comfortable with the thought that they can’t overhear his conversation. He walks back to his phone.

“Buck,” He admits quietly.

“Did you talk to him about this?” Carla asks, eventually, and it strikes Eddie how well she knows him. She doesn’t even sound surprised that he made Buck Christopher’s legal guardian.

When he doesn’t respond, he hears Carla sigh.

“Eddie, this is the kind of thing you should talk to him about. If something happens and he suddenly finds out from your lawyer—“

“He’s not gonna refuse,” Eddie says confidently.

“No, and I didn’t say that he would. It would just be fair to him to tell him before, God forbid, something happens to you and he has to hear it from a stranger instead of his best friend.”

“I’m not planning on dying any time soon, Carla,” Eddie says, and he wants to feel confident as he says it, wants it to come off light-hearted and joking, but he’s still terrified and his voice betrays him.

“I know you’re not, honey,” Carla says sympathetically. “But we both know that anything can happen to any one of us, any day. I know I don’t need to remind you of that.”

Eddie nods, even though Carla can’t see him, and continues chopping vegetables.

“It’s just,” Eddie pauses, working out his words. “I don’t — should I tell Christopher? Maybe he should know first.”

“How did you do it when you changed it with your parents last year?” Eddie shrugs.

“Wasn’t really my decision. They were here, they decided it should be them, they told Christopher, we went to my attorney and made it happen. This time...this time it was my choice. And I don’t really know what to do here.”

He lets out a shaky laugh and finds himself, surprisingly, wishing Shannon was here.

It’s one of those things that happens after you lose someone you love — you forget all of the bad parts of your relationship and start to miss the good. He wishes she was here right now, chopping vegetables, teasing him for being useless in the kitchen. He wishes he wasn’t having this conversation right now. He wishes he didn’t feel so old, so marked by death.

He hears Christopher’s victory shout from the living room again, and his heart races to latch onto it. As long as he has his kid, everything’s okay. He wouldn’t take anything back — not for this. Christopher’s happy now.

Then he hears Buck laughing good-naturedly, hears him lowering the volume, and then listens as Chris tries to wheedle another round out of him.

“Come on, buddy, it’s time for me to start dinner. I gotta make sure your dad doesn’t burn any of our dinner in there, or accidentally chop a finger off cutting vegetables. Let’s go get you washed up and then we can help him out, okay?”

Eddie doesn’t hear Christopher’s response, he imagines it was something like a groan and a not-so-subtle eye roll, but he registers the sound of the TV cutting off and Buck’s weight lifting up off the couch. A couple of seconds later and there’s the sound of running water in the bathroom down the hall, and Christopher giggling over the noise.

Everything’s okay.

“Look, Carla, I’m sorry to cut this short but — Buck’s here and he’s about to come help me out in the kitchen, so, I gotta—“

“Just breathe, Eddie. You’ll figure it out, okay? Just make sure you tell him soon.” Eddie hums, noncommittal, and he’s pretty sure he can hear the way Carla shakes her head fondly. “And give that boy a kiss for me, will you?”

“Christopher or Buck?” Eddie jokes before he can stop himself. He freezes, knife hovering mid chop. He hears the water in the bathroom shut off and starts to panic, for some reason he can’t explain. That’s a normal joke to make about your friend, right? Carla would totally kiss him if she was here.

“Whichever one you want,” Carla says after a while, quiet and knowing.

“Hey, is that Carla?” Buck asks as he enters the kitchen.

“Great, thanks Carla, bye,” Eddie rushes, flustered and scrambling to end the call. He turns back around to face Buck, who’s looking at him quizzically.

“I was just gonna say hi?” He says, tilting his head to the side. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Great,” Eddie says, unconvincingly. Buck raises an eyebrow. “Um, fine, just — not sure...how many...potatoes you need me to chop?”

Buck doesn’t take his eyes off Eddie. He studies him, eyes flicking over his face, mentally running through his memory to see if Eddie’s been off lately. And, well, he has — he almost died a couple of weeks ago.

Eddie’s caginess isn’t hard to read — but Buck’s gotten pretty good at knowing when’s the right time to push and when’s the right time to sit back and wait, let Eddie come to him. As much as he doesn’t like it, this is a sit back and wait kind of situation.

He regards Eddie one last time before stepping up to the counter next to him, his hand hovering behind Eddie’s back. Eddie really wants to know why that makes him nervous all of a sudden. They’re close to each other all the time, practically touching each other constantly, but right now proximity to Buck is making it hard to breathe. Buck’s only got a couple of inches on him but it feels like he’s towering over him. It’s making him a little dizzy.

“I’m pretty sure this is enough,” Buck says, sliding away from Eddie and pulling a tray out of the cabinet by the stove, blissfully unaware of the way Eddie’s heart is racing in his chest. “I told Christopher he could help so I figured he could season the vegetables? I’ll measure the spices out for him so we don’t end up eating pure salt like we did last time.”

He sends Eddie a wink as he says that and then turns around, pulling spices out of Eddie’s cabinets and grabbing these tiny bowls that Eddie didn’t even know he had. He’s stunned, watching Buck move around the kitchen with ease, like this isn’t the hundredth time Buck has been over to cook them dinner.

It feels a little like he stepped into some alternate reality, like everything is exactly as it should be but something’s just slightly off. Something’s shifted, but he’s not sure what.

When Christopher comes in moments later, Buck gets him set up at the table easily, letting him sit himself and setting his crutches to the side, placing the tray down in front of him with all of the spices in reach, and pointing out what each of them are and explaining how they flavor the food.

He drizzles the oil over the vegetables and then lets Chris go for it, dumping the bowls over the tray and then getting in there with him, using their hands to coat them all evenly. And that, of course, is Christopher’s favorite part. While Eddie’s still processing, the kitchen’s filled with the sounds of Christopher laughing and Buck laughing along with him, encouraging the way he tosses each vegetable around to cover it in spices.

Eddie stands at the counter, still stunned, but warm all over. This is the kind of thing that keeps him going, the kind of thing that keeps him fighting when things get hard. It’s the kind of thing that Eddie will tuck inside his heart as a precious memory that will come back to him in the future whenever things inevitably get dark again.

He doesn’t want to tell Buck about the guardianship yet. He’ll tell Christopher first, and then his parents, and then, whenever the moment’s right, then he’ll tell Buck.

He’s not in any kind of rush. Things are perfect right now, and he just wants to enjoy that for a little bit longer.

[buddietomytarlos]

9-1-1 S4 Ep14 Thoughts *Spoilers*

AHHHHH THE SEASON FINALE I’M NOT READY 😭😭 But lets gooooo thoughts under the cut

- BUCK LITERALLY DRAGGING EDDIE TO SAFETY FUCKKKK I CAN'T

- Though Buck’s eyes are really poppin rn

- “You okay, Buckley?” bro his best friend (hopefully future boyfriend) was just shot by a sniper right in front of him… does he LOOK okay?

- Buck really thought that she was coming for a story… if she did, she’d be an awful human being.

- BUCK IS SHAKING 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

- Why the fuck would anyone want to shoot at firefighters… like, the people who help save your life??? Most likely because someone died and they blamed the EMT’s even though they couldn’t do anything else smh

- Also the sniper hit Eddie’s shoulder, but if he was experienced why miss the kill shot?

- “Where’s dad?” BYE

- BUCK SOBBING BC EDDIE’S OUT OF SURGERY AND WILL BE OKAY, CHRISTOPHER SOOTHING HIM I need therapy

- So did no one see the sniper in those apartment buildings facing where the sniper was shooting? Also I bet someone’s watching Athena with the sniper rifle like “UHHHHHHHHHH” thinking she’s the sniper coming back or something

- Christopher 🥺😂

- Carla asking how it is being out there doing his job with the sniper still on the loose and the only thing his mind things of is “it’s weird without Eddie there”

- BUCK. “Buck’s gonna Buck.” I need that on a t-shirt

- I know it’s probably not but reflections like that are usually snipers…………..

- “It doesn’t seem I need to give you the conversation, you already know it by heart. And, still, you went full Buck."

- Relax it was just one of those “you stupid idiot almost getting yourself killed” kisses it means nothing (in this sense)

- “Maybe it would have been better if I had been the one that got shot.” first of all NO, second of all, no, and lastly, NO

- Maddie quitting 😭💔

- This fire feels like a trap

- “Glad we don’t need the bulletproof vests.” fuck…….. that definitely means someone else is gonna get hurt. CAP 💔💔 also how is that dude just breathing in the fumes??

- Athena FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!

- “Thanks for coming to get me.” “Always.” 🥺💞

- What happened to just being friends sigh

- Maddie having postpartum depression 😭😭

- NIA??? AWWWWW YES CONJOIN FAMILIES SO NIA CAN STILL BE A PART OF THEIR LIVES PLS PLS PLS

- EDDIE MAKING BUCK CHRISTOPHER’S LEGAL GUARDIAN IN CASE HE DIES BYE

- “But no one will ever fight for my son as hard as you.” 😭🥺💞

- “You act like you’re expendable, but you’re wrong."

- CAP VOICE OVER OF A QUOTE??? LITERALLY CRIMINAL MINDS?!?!?

- FIREFIGHTER HAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I figured it was coming at some point. New characters always seem to have to tie in to the police or firefighters in some way or another