#i wanted to use return to pooh corner bc thats what my dad used to sing to me when i was falling asleep

[moonlightperseus]

I'll lay right here, I won't go anywhere + Buckley siblings

well this one also kinda ran away from me but uh, hope you like it!

post 6x11, buckley siblings, 839 words

Buck has a nightmare the first night back from this hospital. He wakes with a start, his sweat drenched t-shirt sticking to his skin like an all too uncomfortable second skin and there’s a horrible itch in the back of his throat that feels a little too much like choking.

He shoves off the blankets, stumbling his way out of bed and towards the stairs, he makes it about halfway down them before realizing there is a dim light on in his kitchen, it’s another few steps before he notices the person sat at his counter.

“Maddie?”

She doesn’t startle—though he supposes he wasn’t exactly trying to be quiet coming down the stairs—setting the mug in her hands down carefully on the counter and looking over at him.

Her expression melts when she sees him and she’s standing up and moving towards the stairs.

“What are you still doing here?”

She stops right in front of the stairs, cocking her head as she studies him—he has no doubt from the look on his face that he must look as bad as he feels.

“I was worried about you,” she says, her hand twitches out towards him, but she seems to stop herself, “I know you wanted your space and you didn’t want any of us smothering you and that’s why you turned down the offers to stay at mine and Chimney’s or Bobby and Athena’s or Eddie’s. But I was worried about you—worried for you, and I didn’t want you to be alone—at least not for this first night. I love you, and I wanted you to know someone is here for you.”

Buck blinks once—trying to fight back the tears threatening the corners of his eyes—and then tips forward slightly towards Maddie—her arms wrap around him instinctively and he sinks into her embrace.

“Hey,” Maddie says softly, her hands soothingly rubbing at his back, “easy, I got you, I’m here.”

He lets himself just be held by her,ignoring the slight awkwardness of having to hunch down to tuck into her arms and the way his sweat drenched clothes are surely seeping into Maddie’s, she holds him despite all this, hands never pausing in their gentle administrations.

Eventually the burn at the back of his throat gets too much and he pulls back slightly, she lets her grip loosen and a hand comes up to cup his cheek.

“What do you need?”

“Water?”

She nods, guiding him towards the kitchen, her touch only leaving once he’s settled onto one of the stools, moving to grab him a glass and water from the fridge.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Buck shakes his head, raising the glass placed in front of him to his lips and gulping down the water in a way that would probably be a little embarrassing if the everything of this situation didn’t put him past the embarrassing point.

He doesn’t really care, and he’s pretty sure Maddie doesn’t either.

“Thank you,” he says, once he stops feeling like clawing his throat out and sets the glass back down, “for staying.”

She smiles at him, the soft, warm smile he thinks might be reserved as her Buck smile.

“Are you—are you able to—could you—is Jee okay? Without you tonight?”

“She’s fine, she has her dad,” Maddie says, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair, “I’m pretty sure the two of them stayed up a little past her bedtime and ended up crashing together on the couch watching a Barbie movie. She’s not the kid I’m worried about tonight.”

He relaxes slightly under her touch, letting his eyes slip closed for a moment.

“C’mon,” she moves back around the counter to help him from the stool, “let’s get you back upstairs, into a clean shirt and back to bed, yeah?”

He lets her guide her back upstairs, she deposits him gently on his bed and then grabs a clean shirt from the still unfolded laundry basket sat by the foot of his bed.

“You’ll stay?” Buck asks again, once he’s changed into the clean shirt and lied back on the bed.

She smiles at him again, “scoot over, I’ll lay right here, I won’t go anywhere.”

He obliges, moving to give her plenty of room and a few of the spare pillows.

She props herself up next to him, half lying half sitting against the headboard, and arm reaching over his head, he settles into her a little and her other hand drops to his hair, fingers gently carding through his curls.

It’s nearly a perfect echo of years past when Buck was younger and would sneak into Maddie’s room after a nightmare.

“You used to sing to me when I had nightmares,” he says, voice hushed.

“You want me to sing to you now?”

There’s no judgement in her tone, and Buck feels a little overwhelmed with love for her. He nods into her shoulder.

He falls asleep to the gentle sound of her voice and comfortingly familiar lyrics of rainbow connection.