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A/N: This is a small continuation of my other story Communication is Key, but you don’t really have to read that first even though it would help explain some things.
Enjoy <3
Eddie sighed as he fought the need to kiss the beautiful man sleeping beside him. The way the morning light peaking in between the curtains played over Buck’s sleeping from made him look ethereal.
After their kiss yesterday, they had sat down and talked about everything. Eddie told Buck about his insecurities and his anger while Buck told Eddie about the self-hatred, hopelessness and loneliness he felt. There had been sobbing and tears but in the end they both had felt lighter, if a tad exhausted. Together they had made their way to Buck’s bed and fallen asleep with Eddie wrapped around Buck, almost like he tried to protect him against the rest of the world.
And as Eddie laid there, looking at the most beautiful man he had ever met, both inside and out, he swore to himself that he would do everything and anything to protect him. He would spend the rest of his life and the life after making sure that Buck was happy and content.
“It’s creepy to stare.” Buck mumbled out as he started to wake up, knocking Eddie out of his thoughts.
“Sorry.” Eddie smiled.
“No, you're not.” Buck slowly opened his eyes to look at Eddie. “It wasn’t a dream.”
“It wasn’t a dream.” Eddie confirmed while leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Buck’s lips.
“We should get up.” Buck murmured after a while, not really wanting to. “You can have the shower first while I start breakfast.”
Eddie almost offered to shower together but stopped himself, not wanting to pressure Buck into anything he wasn’t ready for. Instead, he watched as Buck got up and walked towards the stairs and Eddie couldn’t help but stare at Buck’s ass, he was convinced that he could bounce a nickel of off it and promised himself to try sometime in the future.
***
The closer they got to the station the quieter Buck became as he made himself look smaller and Eddie wanted to punch himself for not noticing how quiet and skittish Buck had become.
“It’s going to be okay.” Eddie said softly as he grabbed one of Buck’s hands.
Buck gave a strained smile as Eddie parked the car by the firehouse. The morning was filled with Bobby ordering Buck to clean the already sparkling trucks and leaving him behind on every call, Chim giving mocking and cutting remarks that made Buck hunch in on himself and Hen ignoring Buck every time he was in the same place as her.
It was at lunch time that Eddie finally cracked and couldn’t take it anymore. “Shut the fuck up!”
Eddie’s growled command made Chim, Hen, Bobby, Jacobsen, Hedley and Marks quiet down as they all turned to him. Eddie felt anger boiling under his skin, how had he missed the way all of them treated Buck?
“What’s your problem man?” Hedley asked.
“You all are and the way you're all treating Buck.” Eddie glared.
“He betrayed us!” Marks spoke up and Eddie could see Buck flinch slightly. “He sued us.”
“And he had every right to do that.” Eddie declared strongly. “He just wanted to come back to the only family he had. Both the brass and the doctors cleared him but Captain Nash decided that he knew better than both of them and lied to Buck about him being ready to come back.”
“What?” Hen asked quietly as she looked between Eddie and Bobby.
“This is what's going to happen right now.” Eddie looked around at everybody. “I’m going to take Buck home and we are not coming back to work until Monday. During this time, I want all of you to think, really think, about what you would have done in Buck’s position and then I want you to think a little more.”
“Eddie…” Bobby tried to speak up.
“No, I am not done talking!” Eddie sent a cold glare at Bobby, one he hadn’t used since he was deployed. “And if I don’t see any changes come Monday, I’ll be the one suing you.”
Eddie walked over to Buck and grabbed him by the hand, interlaced their fingers and pulled him along as he walked out of the fire station. The whole drive to Eddie’s house, Eddie only let go of Buck’s hand twice; getting into the car and getting out of the car.
“I am so very sorry.” Eddie said as soon as they closed the door behind them. “I should have seen the way they all treated you and done something about it.”
“You had your own things to worry about.” Buck murmured with a shrug.
“But I should have protected you!” Eddie almost snarled and with a small shout he turned around and punched the wall.
He did his best to calm down and take deep breaths. When he finally managed to calm down, he turned around to apologize to Buck. What Eddie hadn’t expected was to find Buck curled up in a ball with his back towards the wall, shaking and apologizing.
“Buck…” Eddie reached out and placed a hand on Buck’s arm, making Buck flinch hard enough to hit his head on the wall.
“I'm sorry, dad I'm sorry, I'm sorry, dad I'm sorry.” Buck kept repeating and Eddie felt tears gather in his eyes.
“Buck, you're okay, you're at my house and I am not going to hurt you.” Eddie made his voice as soft and soothing as possible. “Just breath with me, cariño, breath with me.”
After what felt like an eternity, but was really just a couple of minutes, Buck looked up at Eddie with red rimmed eyes, “Eddie?”
“It’s me, cariño, it’s me.” Eddie pulled Buck into his arms.
A few minutes later, Eddie gently pulled Buck to his feet and guided the half-asleep man to his bed. He helped Buck change into a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt, making a mental note to ask about the dark blue almost black bruising on Buck’s back, before tucking him into bed.
“Sleep, querido.” Eddie kissed Buck on the head. “I’ll do my best to guard your dreams.”
“Lo’ yo.” Buck murmured as he snuggled closer to and buried his face in Eddie’s pillow.
“I love you too, mi amore, con la fiereza de mil soles.” Eddie smiled and kissed Buck on the head again before walking out of the bedroom and softly closing the door.
A/N: And done!
I hoped you liked it <3
con la fiereza de mil soles – with the fierceness of a thousand suns.