“Dad?”
Buck’s head does a little swivel around the room at Christopher’s voice. “Think he’s in the backyard, kid.”
“No-“ Chris frowns a little, coming close enough to tug on Buck’s sleeve. “I mean… Dad. Buck, Dad.”
Buck blinks, once and then several times very rapidly. This morning Eddie had told him Christopher wanted to try something, smiling a mischievous little smile as he’d given him the mysterious heads up, but Buck hadn’t expected this. He swallows and tries to play it cool even as tears are forming in his eyes. “Oh- uh- Yeah?”
“Can I go play Minecraft? Dennis and Leah said they were going to be online.” Chris’ face is so open and innocent, like he maybe just forgot its chore day in the Diaz house and last Buck checked he hadn’t even really started on his room yet. “Please, Dad?”
Buck’s still watery eyes narrow. “You’re a little bit evil,” he says, pointing at him. Chris just keeps smiling serenely like he’s never even heard of the concept of weaseling out of responsibilities, never even thought about emotionally bribing his poor old Buck.
“Dad?" Biiiig eyes. "Can I?”
“… No?” It comes out warbly and high pitched and completely unsure.
"No to what?" Eddie comes down the hallway, wiping dirty hands on his old worn chore day jeans.
"Nothing," Chris says, innocently, beginning to giggle.
He full on cackles as Buck loops an arm around him and gives him a gentle noogie. "You gremlin," Buck grins, holding the kid as he squirms. He looks up at Eddie, who's smiling down at the two of them so fondly. Dad? Buck mouths, feeling once again the sort of freefall swoop he gets in his stomach whenever he finds a new way the Diaz family have seamlessly fit him into their lives. Eddie does a little head tilt nod, smile even warmer. Then his eyebrows scrunch up and he points to Chris. What did he do? Buck shakes his head with an eye roll that does nothing to dim how happy he's sure he looks. "You gotta clean your room, child o' mine, video games later."
"Fine," Chris says, voice still laced with laughter. Buck loosens his hold to let him go get on with it, but pulls him into something more like a hug before he does.
"Hey," he says, overwhelmed for a moment by how big this kid has grown. He'd been so small, a million years ago in a school parking lot after an earthquake. "I love you so much."
Buck feels Chris' smile where he presses it into Buck's shoulder. "Love you too, Dad."
