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Hey guyss !! The full / uninterrupted version has been posted on YouTube if anyone's interested in watching it in one part instead of 5 separate ones ;)

*****

"What if adopting Theo won't be the right choice?" Buck asks, his voice tinged with worry and uncertainty. Despite the room already feeling like it's spinning, he continues pacing around.

"What do you mean?" Eddie asks in a calm, curious tone.

Buck stops right in front of him, "I said that I want to make this decision based on what would be best for him, but what if I'm not what's best for him?"

"Buck," Eddie says firmly. "What are you talking about? Where is this coming from?"

Buck's shoulders drop, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I don't know how to be a father," he admits, barely above a whisper. "I didn't have the best example growing up, so what if I turn into my father without realizing it before it's too late?"

"You're nothing like him, Buck," Eddie reassures.

"Me now is different to me with a kid," Buck counters.

"Buck, you now is you with a kid."

"Until I sign the papers, me now is nothing more than a donor to Connor and Kameron."

"I wasn't referring to Theo."

Buck frowns, his face twisting in confusion. Eddie stays silent for a few seconds, waiting for realization to dawn on Buck.

"You mean Chris," Buck replies, his frown slowly fading.

"I mean Chris," Eddie confirms. "You have nothing to worry about. You've been doing such a great job helping me with Chris, I have no doubt that you'll do the same with Theo."

"That we'll do the same with Theo," Buck corrects.

"Let me know once you've signed the papers so I can tell Chris he's going to be a big brother," Eddie says in a teasing tone.

"Why don't you come sign them with me?" Buck attempts to match his teasing tone but his underlying worry bleeds into it.

"You do know me signing those papers will have a lot of legal requirements?" Eddie raises a brow. "We'd have to move in together, get vetted by an adoption social worker, the list goes on."

"I was kidding," Buck says, now amused. Though he'd be lying if he said he isn't starting to consider it.

"I wasn't," Eddie shrugs.

"You're being serious?" Buck asks in disbelief. "Won't it take an insane amount of legal paperwork?"

"It would... unless we were married," Eddie states. "It'd make the whole process quicker and easier - and then you'd also become Chris's legal guardian without me having to... you know."

Buck's eyes widen even more, "Marriage? I really cannot wrap my head around you being serious about this. Are you sure this is what you want? Especially after only having considered it for like what? Two minutes?"

"I mean why not? It's not like either of us have dated during the past year or are planning on doing so anytime soon. And we're practically already like a married couple with a kid, just without the certificates and the kissing."

Buck looks at Eddie, the disbelief still apparent until a mischievous grin spreads on his face. His eyes trail to Eddie's lips. "We could technically tick one of those things off right now."

A blush creeps onto Eddie's face, "Oh yeah?"

Buck nods and steps closer to Eddie. He brings their faces together but stops a few inches away from Eddie's lips, giving him the choice to keep going or push him away.

Without any hesitation, Eddie presses his lips to Buck's in a soft kiss.

"Everything alright, bud? You're awfully quiet," Eddie asks in concern.

Chris takes a bite of cotton candy to delay his response. He doesn't really know how to vocalize his thoughts without coming off in a sour way.

"You not having fun?"

"I guess," Chris shrugs. "But Buck promised he would come to the fair with us today."

Eddie's concerned expression shifts to understanding, "He wanted to but he wasn't able to find someone who could watch after Theo. He's still a bit cautious about bringing him to such loud and crowded places considering how much energy Theo has."

Chris sighs quietly, he understands Buck has more responsibilities now and he has a kid of his own, but he can't help the feeling of jealousy bubbling in his chest.

"What if one day he realizes he won't need us anymore?" he murmurs. Though the 'us' was a 'me' when he thought the words before saying them.

"Hey," Eddie says softly. "He might not have as much flexibility to hangout with us as he used to, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care anymore."

Chris doesn't respond. He just looks off into the distance at all the other people having a good time at the fair, screaming and laughing while on the rides.

"You guys work together and you still get to be his best friend, so you don't have to worry about it. But why would he care about me if he has his own kid now?"

"Buddy," Eddie's tone turns soft. "Theo isn't replacing you. Buck still loves and cares about you the exact same way he used to."

"Doesn't feel like it," Chris turns away, not wanting to continue the conversation.

That evening when they leave the fair, Eddie drives to Buck's house instead of their own. He explains the situation to him while Chris quietly sits in the livingroom watching Theo run around with his toys.

"Hey, Chris, can you come here for a sec?" Eddie calls out from the kitchen.

Chris internally groans, already knowing he's probably about to get some type of speech from Buck and his father. He's already imagining their words, 'It's not a big deal', 'Theo requires more of Buck's time and attention because he's his son.'

But when he enters the kitchen, Eddie leaves.

"Your dad told me about the conversation you two had today, and I'm really sorry I haven't been around for you as much."

Chris frowns, not having expected an apology.

"I promise that it's not that I don't want to spend time with you and your dad, I just need some time adapting to fatherhood. As time goes by, I'll gradually be able to hangout with you guys more - and bring Theo along at times. I considered bringing him with to the fair but all I could think about was how if look away from him for even a second, he could disappear into the crowd of people."

He places a hand on Chris's shoulder, "You're as much my kid as Theo is. However, I can't split my attention exactly in half at the moment because I can't trust Theo to not start a fire or climb an electrical power line again if I take my eyes off of him. You I can trust not to do that. You're a lot more grown up and know the difference between right and wrong. And I can only hope to be as good a dad as your dad is to raise Theo to be just as spectacular as you are."

Chris averts eyecontact in fear of a tear or two escaping if he looks at Buck.

"You're gonna be a good dad, Buck," he responds. "I know because you already have been.You're just as much my dad as Dad is."

At these words, Buck pulls Chris into a tight embrace.

Theo peers around the corner and rushes to join the hug, "Group hug with Mr Poop and Chris!" He shouts in the direction of the kitchen entrance.

When Eddie takes too long for Theo's liking, he breaks free from the hug and runs over to Eddie, tugging him by the hand.

Eddie picks Theo up and they both join the hug between Chris and Buck.

"I just don't know if this is the right decision for you, Evan," Margaret states.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Buck turns to his mother with a frown.

"Your job is incredibly dangerous, and you don't have a partner that'll be there if anything were to happen to you. Do you really want to risk that boy losing another parent in a traumatic way?"

Buck sits down on the couch and rubs his temple in frustration. "I get that, mom. I do. But what if they can't find him another family to live with? What if he ends up all alone? I'd rather risk him losing me knowing that I did my part as well as I could than just send him away."

Margaret sits down next to him leaving a small space between them, placing her hands in her lap. "You have a big heart, Evan. But this is a lot more complicated than you think it is. Not to mention you don't have an idea what fatherhood holds in store. I don't mean to upset you by saying that, but you need to be realistic here. He's a whole other human you'll need to take care of. Your responsibilities will increase significantly."

He silently considers her words. He's already thought over the responsibilities regarding Theo a lot and he's okay with it. The thing that brought doubt to him now, was her saying that he doesn't know anything about fatherhood and the point about him not having a partner. Not just to be there if something happened to him, but to guide him or help him figure things out.

"I guess you're right," he murmurs.

Someone clears their throat from the doorway causing them both to turn their heads to be met with Eddie standing with his arms crossed.

"I know eavesdropping is wrong and you can be angry about it later," he says looking at Buck, "But I can't hear things like that and not say anything."

He enters the room and walks closer to the two of them, sitting down on a different couch.

"Look, Mrs Buckley, I don't mean to come off as disrespectful but I've never heard a more incorrect statement in my life. In fact, I think Buck would be the best father to that little kid. Ever since he's met Chris - my son - he's cared for him as if he's his own. He's done so much for him and continues to do a lot for him. Back when I was injured on the job, I admitted to Buck that I had put him in my will as the person to gain custody of Chris if anything were to ever happen to me. There's no one in this world I trust more with my son than Buck. Fatherhood isn't a foreign concept to him because without knowing it he's played the role of a second father to Chris for many years."

"That's really kind of you to say," Margaret responds. "But I just don't know if he's ready to take on something like this on his own."

"Who said he'll be doing it alone?" Eddie counters her argument.

The corners of Buck's lips twitch into a smile.

With a quiet sigh, Margaret looks at Buck and reluctantly responds, "Alright, fine. But just make sure you really think about this and take enough time to make your decision."

"I don't need more time," Buck turns to her. "My mind was made up the minute Eddie started speaking."

"Evan," she says firmly.

"I can't believe Theo convinced me to do this," Buck mutters under his breath as he ties the laces of his ice skates.

"That's the thing about having a cute kid, it takes years to learn how to say the word no," Eddie quietly laughs as he waits for Buck to finish helping Theo with his skates too.

"Well this is dangerous," Buck glances at Eddie with nervous eyes. "What if he falls?"

"He's probably going to," Eddie shrugs. "It's part of learning how to skate. No one does it perfectly the first time, sevond time, or even the fifth time."

"Real reassuring, thanks, Eddie," Buck rolls his eyes before making his way to the ice rink, clutching onto Theo's tiny hand.

"Here, hold onto the side, buddy," Buck gestures. The two of them walk along the side of the rink, Buck careful and Theo excited.

Eddie on the other hand glides onto the ice without any hesitance or fear and skates alongside them.

"I wanna do that too," Theo pouts.

"After some practice, okay? For now just do what I'm doing."

"That's no fun," Theo rolls his eyes and lets go of the side of the railing before collapsing into Eddie.

"This was a bad idea," Buck huffs stubbornly.

"Oh, lighten up," Eddie chuckles and takes Theo's hands in his, carefully guiding him as they move further away from the side.

After a few minutes they're practically on the complete opposite side of the rink which makes Buck feel slightly pathetic for still clutching onto the side to keep himself upright.

When Eddie and Theo return to him, he gives Buck an amused look, "You also want a turn?" he teases from a few feet away.

"Oh please, Eddie. I'm perfectly capable of doing this myself," Buck retorts.

"By holding onto the railing?" Eddie raises a brow.

Buck narrows his eyes before letting go and skating closer to Eddie to prove him wrong, "See! Fine!"

He tries to come to a stop in front of them but ends up falling backwards.

"Haha! Mr poop fell on his butt!" Theo giggles, covering his mouth with his free hand.

Buck and Eddie find seats as close to the stage as possible. Chris's English teacher decided to get together with a few other teachers to hold a literature night for students who received exceptional grades for their essays. They felt it was only right to allow them to share their work - their talent - with their peers and their parents.

At first Chris was hesitant in Buck and Eddie attending, had the school not sent electronic letters out he probably wouldn't have told them about the reading. Not that he hated the idea of them being there, but it's not exactly the most ideal thing for a teenager to read something packed with emotion in front of their parents.

A few of his classmates read their pieces, each one intriguing in their own way. He softly reads over his own a few times before it's his turn to make his way to the stage.

"And next up we have Christopher Diaz with his essay titled 'Found family,' everyone claps and Eddie pulls out his phone to record like every proud parent did.

Chris politely greets everyone before he starts reading.

My dad is one of the bravest people I know. He's served in the army, is currently a firefighter, and always does everything he can for the people he loves.

My original essay regarding family was going to be about him specifically. The introduction was the same but with an extra point that read, "He's had to raise me by himself."

I wrote a paragraph on each of those four points, but when it came to that one I realized that that was something I was wrong about. Being a single parent doesn't mean having to do everything alone. For a while he did, and he did the best he could, but then someone else came into our lives.

At first I saw him as nothing more than my dad's firefighter friend. He'd play with me whenever I visited the station, helped me slide down the fire pole, and let switch on the sirens.

It wasn't long until him and my father grew closer which meant we visited each other outside of the station. Part of me was worried about it because what if while at the station he only played with me because he was bored? Considering we were visiting him for him and my father to hangout, I thought he'd probably ignore me or they'd tell me to play with my toys while they do whatever it is adults do.

But as soon as we got there I realized that I was worried for nothing. He acknowledged me the exact same way he did at the station. Instead of being left to sit or play alone, neither of them left my side.

As time went on we grew a lot closer too. He became a very important person in my life - in my dad's life too. He may not be related to us by blood, but we both love him like he's family.

As a kid I thought a family meant having a father and a mother, but as I got older I realized that there's a lot more to it.

I've never seen anyone's mother and father fight for each other as hard as I've seen my dad and Buck fighting for each other.

Just to give you some examples - my dad once got trapped underground after trying to save a kid. Buck dug at the ground with his bare hands wanting to get him out. Buck got struck by lightning on a call and my dad got flung off the engine too, hitting the ground pretty hard. But he was the first one up on the ladder to run to Buck. Recently they got run off the road when they were returning from the annual firefighter games and Buck got kidnapped. My dad was injured really badly and was being monitored by authorities, yet he still found a way to save Buck.

I could write endless paragraphs about the things they've done to save or fight for the other, but then my essay would probably be considered a short story due to its length.

After hearing all of these stories and also seeing how much they care about each other - and how much Buck cares about me despite not even having to - I came to the realization that our found family is one of the most beautiful things about my life.

Buck and Eddie stare at Chris with glossy expressions while the rest of the crowd errupts into applause. Eddie ends the recording - the second part of it probably only having captured half of Chris because he was too focused on the story to pay attention to taking a proper video.

Chris walks back to his seat between his friends, a bunch of them turning to him with questions.

Eddie then turns to Buck to see his reaction, only to be met by tears threatening to fall. After a moment Eddie reaches his hand over to Buck's and gives it a squeeze.

Buck then turns his hand around, hesitantly intertwining their fingers, but Eddie gladly accepts the gesture.

Normally when Eddie has something on his mind, he'll talk to Buck about it. But who can he talk to when Buck is the one that's been on his mind a lot more than usual?

After considering this question for a while, he finds himself at Shannon's grave. The only other person he felt like he could really talk to.

"Hey, Shannon," he says softly. "I brought you these," he walks a bit closer and places a bouqet of flowers down.

"I'm sorry I haven't been visiting you more often..." he trails off, "But there's something I really need to talk to you about."

He looks around as the soft light of the sunrise casts over the trees in the distance.

"I've kind of been struggling to differentiate between a really platonic relationship and one that might involve romantic feelings. What I felt for you was different compared to what I'm feeling right now. That's what's confusing me. To me what we had was love, so any feeling other than that had to be something different. I've tried dating other women after you but it all felt so... empty? They're good people but I just never felt true happiness around them."

He runs his fingers through his hair in slight frustration at himself, "And then there's Buck. When I'm experiencing difficulties in my life, I find myself showing up at his door without a second thought. Being around him somehow makes things not feel as heavy. He's also been so helpful with Chris since the moment they met. The way he cares for him so deeply causes this unexplainable warmth in my chest. And knowing that there's someone else that loves Chris in the way you and I do... it puts me at ease - knowing that if something were to happen to me that Chris would be okay."

The sun now traces along his features, "How do I know what I felt for you wasn't the platonic love while what I feel for him is romantic? I don't mean that in a harsh way, I'm just trying to figure out how I feel because I can't wait until it's too late. Not again."

"He's always there for me, always there for Chris. He decided to rent my house so I could afford to go to El Paso and repair my relationship with Chris. He dug into the ground with his bare hands when I got trapped meters under the dirt. He fought so hard for Chris when the tsunami swept them up. There was only a minute or two where I'd thought Chris was gone, but Buck had spent hours looking for him while being completely exhausted. He only allowed himself to collapse after seeing Chris was safe. When he heard a gunshot thinking I got shot, he ran to me without a second thought about his own safety."

"When I list these things out loud it kind of makes me question how someone couldn't be in love with a person that has done so much for them. Fought so hard for them. Thinking back through everything we've gone through and how many times I've also risked my life for him without considering my own, it wouldn't make sense for there not to be some kind of deeper connection than just a friendship. Right?"

He goes silent for a moment, almost as if expecting her to respond in some way. But when there's no kind of sign from her, he speaks up again.

"It won't be long until my next visit. I promise. Maybe then I'll have the answers that I don't have now. But I hope you won't be upset with me if I..." he trails off.

It's been hours of Theo running around and causing chaos around Buck's house. By the time Eddie and Chris arrive for their visit, the house looks like a series of natural disasters took place.

"Sorry guys. I completely lost track of time," he sighs when he opens the door.

Both Chris and Eddie's eyes widen at the state of Buck's house. Toys scattered on the floor, marker scribbles over the walls, building blocks lying all over, and Theo still zooming about.

"It's alright," Eddie says sympathetically. "Maybe you should go get Theo cleaned up and Chris and I can order pizza or something."

"I've tried everything, he won't budge," Buck murmurs. "I tried giving him a bath earlier but after less than 5 minutes, there was more water on the floor than in the bath."

Eddie's eyes trail over Buck's exhausted state, "Okay new plan. How about you go and get pizza to clear your mind a bit while Chris and I watch after Theo?"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm fine," Buck shakes his head.

"Well you look horrible," Chris comments.

"Thanks, bud," Buck murmurs. "Okay, fine. I'll go get dinner. But if there's anything - just call me and I'll come back."

"Don't worry, we've got this," Eddie reassures.

Buck takes about half an hour to get back home after grabbing dinner for everyone.

When he places the key in the lock, the house sounds suspiciously quiet. Part of him wonders whether Theo managed to lore Eddie and Chris into a plan to jump out and scare him when he steps inside. Who could say no to that cute face?

However when he opens the door, he's met with the last thing he expected.

All the toys are packed away, the walls are free of scribbled drawings, and Theo is sat in his pjs next to Chris watching a cartoon Buck doesn't recognize.

Eddie emerges from the kitchen with a sippy cup filled with what looks like juice.

"How did you-" Buck frowns, gesturing to Theo.

"C'mon, Buck. I've had years of practice," Eddie shrugs.

"Chris never acts like this though," Buck says in confusion.

"Who said I was referring to Chris?" he raises a brow. "I'm talking about you."

Buck narrows his eyes in slight offense.

The alarm blares loudly making the 118 hurry down to the engine. After getting details from dispatch, a heavy realization falls upon Buck.

"You need to drive faster!" he shouts in distress.

"He's driving as fast as he can," Hen explains calmly. "What's got you so fired up?"

"The location they gave us is Theo's school," Buck's voice cracks, his chest heaving. "What if something happened to him?"

The others look at each other in concern before both Hen and Eddie move closer to Buck in attempt to bring him some comfort - however it doesn't work in the slightest.

"Maybe it's a false alarm. You know kids pull it to get out of tests or presentations. Dispatch only reported the alarm going off, no certainty of a fire," Ravi comments.

Buck knows his friends are trying to help, but his mind keeps rushing through endless possibilities. Each worse than the last. What if Theo got left behind while everyone else evacuated their classrooms? He's never really been one to listen to instructions, he prefers following his own mind.

When they get to the school he jumps out of the engine before it fully comes to a stop, his heart beating in his throat.

He spots the area the kids and staff evacuated to and immediately runs in their direction, his eyes scanning for Theo.

The moment he spots him, his body relaxes - though he still continues over to him.

"Are you okay?" Buck asks dropping to his knees in front of him. But before Theo can respond, Buck notices something on his hand, "Wait... are you the one that pulled the fire alarm, buddy?"

"Yeah," Theo nods innocently then turns to his friends, "Do you guys believe me now? I told you my dad is a firefighter."

"I don't know if I'm capable of being a father," Buck's shoulders sag as he paces around the room. "I want nothing more than to take Theo in and provide him with the love and care he deserves, but I'm afraid I'll fall short."

Eddie leans against a nearby wall with a fond smile tugging at his lips, "Buck," he says softly.

"Or what if he doesn't like me?" Buck continues rambling, not hearing Eddie.

"Buck," Eddie repeats a bit louder but Buck just keeps talking.

"What if I somehow raise him wrong? He's already a mini hurricane running around causing chaos everywhere. And what if I can't do this on my own?"

Eddie walks over to Buck and grabs him by the shoulders, shaking him gently "You don't need to be this stressed about it. You're gonna do great - and Theo will love you. I'm pretty sure he already does."

"How can you be so sure I'm not gonna screw this up?" Buck asks quietly.

"When I took on fatherhood as a single parent, I was terrified too. I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it alone. I was afraid that Chris would feel like something is missing by only having one parent. But thankfully," Eddie says giving Buck's shoulder a squeeze, "You came into our lives and that fear disappeared. You've practically been a second father to Chris since the moment the two of you met. You've been there to provide him with comfort and support countless times. You're always by his side when I can't be. Whenever he comes to you with something, you know exactly what to say. I don't think you could be more ready for this than you already are," Eddie says sincerely.

"And as for thinking you're going to be doing this on your own - you won't. I'll be around as much as you need me to be."

Buck considers his words for a moment.

"Thank you, Eddie. Really," his worried expression finally softens.

"Of course. The four of us will be like our own little family."

These words cause a warmth to spread in Buck's chest.

"Maybe don't admit that in front of any of the women you're interested in before they get the wrong idea," he teases.

"But what if that wrong idea is the right one?" Eddie asks before fully processing the thought, immediately wanting the earth to swallow him whole.

Buck's blinking increases rapidly.

"Wait do you mean..." he trails off, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

"I think you know what I mean," Eddie responds in attempt to mask his nerves. There's not really any way of turning back now, is there?

"I don't know if I do," Buck replies, his own nerves rising in his chest.

For a moment Eddie only looks at him before dropping his hands from Buck's shoulders.

"I mean," he starts, his gaze trailing to Buck's lips. He moves a bit closer, their faces only inches away.

"Yeah?" Buck asks almost breathless, the word ghosting over Eddie's lips.

Instead of responding with words Eddie closes the distance between them, his hand finding the back of Buck's neck.

Buck freezes for a second, but then he melts into the kiss, his arms finding their way around Eddie's waist.

When they break apart they both have the expression of two love-sick teenagers.

"Does that answer your question or do you need me to do it again?" Eddie asks, a shade of pink making its way to his cheeks.

"I don't think it got the point across. I still don't understand," Buck feigns confusion.