Chapter Text
Shifting was rare. One in ten million sort of rare.
“Christopher! We should get going!” Eddie shouted, LAFD shirt half-way over his head. “Where are you?” It was genetic. Eddie’s Mother used to shift into a big tabby cat. The thing liked affection as much as his human Mother did, that was, not at all. His Dad never wanted anything to do with it.
“My room!” Christopher walked into the hallway. Eddie threw their bags into the car, before helping Chris in. Eddie would shift into a black cat that craved as much affection as possible.
“Have you got everything?” Eddie asked, already reversing out of the driveway. Christopher was still a little black kitten, which would walk with a hint of a limp.
“Yeah.” Chris smiled. “Hey Dad?”
“Mijo?” Eddie glanced over before focusing on the road. They were already running late.
“Can we get a dog?” Christopher asked, looking down at his hands. “Please? I’d take care of it, I promise.” Eddie sighed.
“Honey-”
“I know Dad. You work a lot.” Christopher shifted slightly. “But maybe if I take care of it…” Christopher trailed off.
“What if we started with something smaller?” Eddie tried to find a compromise. “Like a fish?”
“I don’t want a fish!” Chris announced.
“Well we can’t have a dog right now.” Eddie answered finally. “And bud, have you considered that when we shift into cats-”
“But we could have a fish?” Christopher turned to him, a devastating look on his face. “Please Dad?”
“A fish doesn't walk?” It was really more of a question than a definitive answer.
“Ok Dad.” Christopher whispered. He sounded defeated and it broke Eddie’s heart. Chest still aching, he dropped his son off with a kiss on the head, before heading into the station. Buck was waiting for him by the front door, grinning as Eddie got out of his truck.
“Hey you.” He greeted him. Something about seeing the blonde so happy made Eddie’s chest ache in a whole new way. Once blue eyes caught brown his smile faltered slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“Chris wants a dog.” Eddie explained, leading the way to their lockers. Buck didn’t know that they could shift. It was something that he kept so close to his chest that he just never thought to share it.
“Oh.” Buck muttered. “That kinda sucks.”
“It does!” Eddie slammed his bag into the locker. “Because how am I meant to explain to my child that we can't have a dog because of the job that I chose because-”
“Eddie.” Buck shot up, moving straight over to him and grabbing him by the shoulders. It was part of the new, weird kind of boundary that seemed to have fallen over them. It felt like Eddie could make a move, he could even step forward now and kiss him. But it wasn’t quite right. “You’re a good Dad. Ok?”
“I just want him to be happy, Buck.” Eddie whispered, closing his eyes and letting his head drop onto Buck’s shoulder. The other man pulled him into a tight hug, squeezing Eddie gently.
“And that’s what makes you a good Dad.” Buck promised. “Maybe you could take him to the shelter? You could play with the puppies?”
“But then he’d fall in love.” Eddie muttered softly. He looked straight up in Buck’s eyes, biting his tongue. “I don’t know if I could take a heart broken Chris. It’s too bad that I can’t get him a dog in the first place.”
“What if I organised something?” Buck offered. “Seriously. We have twenty-four hours off after today. Tomorrow morning you just be home.” Eddie stared at him for a long moment.
“How-”
“Eds, trust me?” Eddie let out a sigh, nodding gently.
“Always.”
“Are you two coming out here or should we have a meeting there?” Bobby called out to them. Eddie laughed, taking a step back as he realised how close he was to Buck.
“Coming, Cap!” Eddie shouted, moving away from the room. “Buck? Thank you.”
Eddie blinked awake, the sunlight breaking into the room. He stretched his arms above his head, feeling sore after their shift. It was going to be a good day. Buck promised that it was.
“Papa?” Christopher called out from his room.
“Mijo.” He called out, slipping out of bed. Most of the bite from winter was gone, but the floor was still cold against his bare feet. He padded down the hall, yawning as he went.
“What are we doing today?” Christopher asked. Eddie gently pushed the bedroom door open. He walked over, sitting on the edge of Christopher’s bed. There will come a time, probably in the next few years, when Chris no longer wants to spend the whole day with Eddie. Today was not that day and Eddie was so grateful for it.
“Well I was going to have a crack at some pancakes.” Eddie smiled. “Then Buck was going to bring over a surprise.” Chris perked up.
“Buck’s coming over today?”
“Well I don’t know if he’ll be able to stay.” Eddie really hoped it did.
“Can he come over for a movie night?” Christopher reached over for his glasses. “Maybe we could watch the last Shrek movie?” Eddie could list a hundred movies he’d like to watch more than Shrek. But the promise of Buck sitting next to him, maybe his arm stretched out along Eddie’s shoulders. The pleasant buzz in his blood and Buck’s chuckle next to him.
“I will text him.” Eddie promised. “After breakfast. Come on buddy.” When Chris walked in the kitchen Eddie had already texted Buck, looking up a recipe for pancakes.
“Could we go to the park today?” Christopher requested.
“Of course.” Eddie grinned. “Which one?”
“I like the one by the corner. There’s usually a really cute golden retriever there.” Christopher explained as he watched his Dad.
“Ah I see.” Eddie sighed softly, putting the bowl down. “Just so you know kiddo, I really wish that we could get a dog too.” Chris looked up.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Eddie leaned on the counter. “Maybe when you’re older we can talk about it some more.” Chris shifted to get up, walking over and falling into Eddie’s side. He squeezed his son. “I love you kid.”
“I love you too, Dad.” The pancakes were edible, Christopher declared that they were almost as good as Buck’s. That was pretty high praise. Eddie checked his phone, frowning when he saw no texts from Buck all morning.
“Ok so we could-”
“Is that a dog?” Christopher jumped up from the couch, moving at speed towards the front door.
“Chris, don't open that!” Eddie sprinted to the front door. If there was a dog outside there was no promise that it was a safe one.
“Look!” Chris pointed through the window. There was a golden retriever sitting patiently by the front door. It was gorgeous, definitely the kind of dog that every kid dreams about. It had something in his mouth, his tail wagging gently.
“Is that a letter?” Eddie muttered. He opened the door slowly, almost transfixed by the dog. It was sitting absolutely still, his tail going crazy now. Eddie knelt gently, opening the fly screen slowly. “Chris, stay back.” He instructed, waving for his son to move back. Once the door was open enough, he reached out one hand. The dog was obviously not rabid. Sitting gently.
“What does it say?” Chris asked from where he was perched on the couch. Eddie took the letter gently from the dog’s mouth. It was in a sandwich bag, keeping it in one piece despite the dog’s drooling. It was whining softly now, dropping down onto his stomach as Eddie closed the door behind him.
“It says,” he opened it slowly. “Eds, he’s very well trained. Yours for the morning. Sorry I can’t stay. Have fun.” Eddie lowered the note with a smile. “It’s from Buck.” Eddie held the front door open and the dog ran in. He dropped straight in front of Chris who dropped down onto his knees.
“He’s so cute!” Christopher shrieked. “Can he do tricks?” Eddie laughed, walking over and kneeling next to the dog. The fur was really soft.
“Let’s try.” Eddie smiled as he shuffled back. “Roll.” The dog dropped straight down, rolling over.
“Cool!” Christopher laughed. He clicked a couple times to get the dog’s attention. “Shake.” He held out a hand, the dog’s paw going straight in. “Dad, he's so smart!”
“He is!” Eddie matched his energy. Where did Buck find this thing?
“Can we take him to the park?” Chris asked. “Please please please?” Eddie chuckled again. “What do you say boy? Do you want to go to the park? Spin if you do.” The dog shot up and walked around in a circle. “Dad, look!
“I see.” Eddie looked down and then up at the dog. “We don’t have a leash. We’ll have to test our way around the block. If he can stay close to us then we can take him.” Eddie promised. “But the thing is I don’t know where Buck got this dog. If we lose it he could get in trouble.”
“We won’t.” Christopher reached out and pulled the dog into his lap. The dog went willingly, stretching out over Chris’ lap. Chris started rubbing his belly. “Dad, can we look after him on all your days off?” Eddie chuckled again, reaching out and scratching over his head.
“I’ll ask Buck.”
“What did he say about movie night?” The dog seemed to freeze. Eddie laughed and scratched him again.
“Did you just react to the word ‘movie’?” Eddie asked. “Buck hasn’t replied yet.” Eddie continued, looking over to his son. “Why don’t you go get changed, I’ll go into the backyard and test the dog.”
“What’s his name?” Chris wondered, looking over to the dog. “Maybe we should call him Buck? Or- or- what’s Buck’s name?”
“Do you mean Evan?” Eddie asked softly. The name felt weird on his tongue without the man in the room.
“Yeah! Maybe we should call him Evan.” The dog made a soft whining noise at that.
“Let’s pick something else.” Eddie suggested. “What about-”
“Buddie!” Chris announced, patting the dog again. “What do you think about that boy? Do you feel like a Buddie?” The dog jumped up, starting to lick over Chris’ face. “Ok we’ve got it!”
“Sounds perfect. Now, go get changed.” Chris went down the hall so Eddie got up and started to move towards the back-yard. The dog followed right behind him. “You are very well trained.” Eddie chuckled, reaching down and scratching Buddie’s head.
-
The park was heaps of fun. Chris absolutely loved playing with him. They threw sticks and the dog ran around them and whenever Chris would wander away from Eddie, or vise versa, Buddie would work hard to herd them back.
“I love him, Dad.” Chris reported on their way home.
“I’ll have to ask Buck about having him over more often.” Eddie promised.
“Did he respond yet? Is he coming over for movie night?” Weirdly they hadn’t got an answer from Buck all day.
“Not yet.”
“Why?” Chris whined. “What is he doing?” Before Eddie could answer Chris paused, frowning at the ground. “Dad, you don’t think he’s dating someone again, do you?” Eddie had no idea what to say to that.
“Mijo, Buck is a fully grown adult. He’s going to date whoever he wants.”
“But I don’t like it when he does!” Chris complained.
“Why?” Eddie pushed gently.
“He gets sad and weird.” Chris huffed, pausing on the sidewalk. Buddie noticed, sitting right by Chris’ feet. “Like at first he’s happy and then it’s like he just gets slowly sadder until they break up.” Eddie really didn’t know what to say to that.
“Buck is a grown adult.”
“But he’s happier when it’s just us.” Chris shrugged, shifting his crutches before restarting their slow pace home. “Can you tell him that? I think it’s important that he knows.” Eddie nodded, promising himself to speak to his friend.
“Yeah. I will.” Once they were home and inside, Eddie helped Chris take off his shoes and lie down on the couch. After such a long walk, he needed the time to lie down.
“Dad, where’s Buddie?” Eddie shot up, looking around the room.
“I don’t know.” He breathed. “I swear he came in right behind us.” He poked his head into the kitchen, before back down the hallway. “Buddie?” He called out. He opened the back door as his phone buzzed. Buck . Finally.
From Buck: Hey, I’m swinging by in a minute to pick up the dog. Chris said goodbye?
Eddie quickly typed back a response before ducking back inside. If Buck was coming by any minute he really had to find- the golden dog trotted back into the living room, tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“Mijo.” Eddie announced. “Buck’s coming by very shortly to come pick up Buddie. Do you wanna say goodbye?” Chris made an unhappy noise, the dog rushing straight over to him. Chris scratched him behind the ears, kissing his head.
“I’ll miss you Buddie.” Chris muttered. “But I’ll see you soon. Dad’s gonna make sure that we get to hang out a lot.”
“Yeah I will.” Eddie smiled. Once Chris had said goodbye, he took the dog out to the front porch. He had to admit, it was really nice having the creature there. “Hey you.” He whispered, scratching the dog’s head. “Thank you for hanging out with Christopher. Other than Buck, you might be his new best friend.” The dog dropped onto his side, offering his belly for scratches. “You can't be mine though. I've got Buck and he's the best guy out there. Love 'im too much to betray him for a dog."
Buddie shift up, tilting his head in an almost inquisitive manner before rolling back down. "Yeah, you’re pretty cute.” Eddie let out a soft sigh. The dog shot up, licking his face, before sprinting down the steps and down the drive way. Eddie shot up onto his feet, but he was too late and far too slow. “Buddie!” He shouted. The dog was out of sight now. “Shit.” He swore to himself.
“I got him, Eds!” Buck’s shout came. Eddie jogged down the driveway, just in time to see his best friend jogging over. “Came straight to me.” He laughed.
“Oh good.” Buck’s jeep was parked down the street. “Why did you park so far away?” Eddie laughed.
“I saw the dog coming and got him in while I could.” Eddie peeked over his shoulder, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the dog. “Wrangled him into my jeep.” Buck explained. “But give me twenty, I’ll take him home and be back for movie night?”
“You better.” Eddie laughed. “Chris can’t wait to tell you all about our day.” A grin split across Buck’s face.
“Awesome. Tell him I can’t wait.”