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Buck is at his wit’s end. The living room—fuck, the entire house is a mess, there’s food splattered on the front of his t-shirt and some of it is in Theo’s hair, and Theo’s been screaming bloody murder for the past forty minutes. Buck wants to join him a little bit.
“Theo,” Buck tries for the thousandth time. “Buddy, you haven’t eaten anything since you woke up. Just an apple slice? Please?”
“NO!” Theo wails into the pillow, kicking his feet in protest. Buck’s eyes burn from the exhaustion. “NONONO!”
He’s been like this since he woke up, practically catatonic. He cried in the bath and he cried at breakfast (all of which ended up on the floor, by the way) and he cried when Buck put him down, he cried when Buck held him. He’s been crying and screaming and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, and Buck is so, so tired.
He’s slept maybe three hours over the last few days, and Theo’s not eating.
“Theo,” Buck tries again, voice horrifyingly thick. “You gotta eat, honey, please.”
Theo turns his head so his cheek is mushed into the pillow, eyes furious on Buck. His cheeks are ruddy, and Buck can see how his little body is exhausted, but all Theo does is start crying again. Loudly.
“Fuck,” Buck chokes, rubbing his palms on his face roughly, dropping the bowl of apple slices on the floor. It spills out, he can’t even be bothered—he fishes his phone from between the couch cushions and calls Eddie.
Eddie lets himself in the house sixteen minutes later, eyebrows flying up his forehead when he looks at the sight in front of him—Theo sprawled horizontally on the couch, half dangling off of it, screaming louder than a banshee, and Buck on the floor, trying to soothe him. Buck’s eyes are red, and he’s a mess—food in his hair and splattered on his clothes. His shirt’s inside out.
Eddie smiles at him anyway.
“Hi,” he says softly, dropping his keys on the table. “What’s going on?”
“He won’t eat,” Buck says, ragged. His voice is hoarse. “He won’t eat, he won’t stop crying and I’m—I tried, Eddie, I swear but he just—” Buck’s voice cracks, and his eyes fill with tears, and Eddie startles into motion, squeezing his shoulder.
“Hey, hey,” Eddie says, softly. “I know. It’s okay.”
“He won’t eat,” Buck says desperately, rubbing circles on Theo’s back. “And it’s been hours since he woke up, Eddie, he won’t let me hold him and he won’t let me not hold him and I have to pee. I have to pee so badly.”
Eddie doesn’t laugh, because Buck might genuinely kill him, but he does exhale fondly. “Go,” Eddie pulls him up, off the floor. “I’ve got him.”
“I’m sorry,” Buck says, letting himself be tugged. He looks bone-tired. “I tried. I swear.”
“I know,” Eddie says, voice like mush. “Go take a shower. You stink.”
“Fuck you,” Buck flips him off weakly, but he’s going, but not without one last despairing look at Theo.
“Right,” Eddie says to himself, clapping his thighs, and gets him situated on the floor where Buck was sat just now. Three different toys dig into his ass, but Eddie just lays his head right next to Theo’s, so close their noses could touch.
“Hi Buckling,” Eddie says softly, hand coming up to rub Theo’s shivering back. Theo’s eyes fly open at his voice, big and watery and blue, just like Buck’s. Eddie smiles, like he does every time.
Theo hiccups, face screwing up in unhappiness. “I know,” Eddie soothes, brushing his hair out of his face. “I know, baby, you’re so exhausted. Buck is too, huh?”
Theo cries and cries his little heart out, blubbering and shivering. Eddie’s heart aches, and he picks him up, letting Theo kick and scratch and bite him.
“It’s okay,” Eddie whispers, rocking him back and forth, leaning back against the couch and holding Theo to his chest, who’s yowling and screaming like a cat. Eddie can feel how exhausted Theo is, his cries breaking Eddie’s heart.
“Shh,” Eddie says, voice rumbling in his chest. “Shh, honey. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
“No,” Theo whines, kicking in Eddie’s grip, but he’s gripping Eddie’s neck tightly, desperately. “NoNONO!”
“You’re tired, baby,” Eddie says, fond, gently scratching at his scalp. “You’re exhausted, huh? Your brain’s a mess and you’re hungry. Are you hungry?”
“No,” Theo screams, but he stops kicking, atleast. Eddie will take it.
“Okay,” Eddie accepts, rocking him back and forth. He makes little cooing noises in his throat, letting them rumble in his chest. It used to work with Christopher, the vibrations lulling him to sleep, and Eddie’s hoping it works here too. He keeps his body as relaxed as possible, completely in contrast to Theo’s tense little bundle of bones, letting Theo cry on his chest. His sobs don’t lessen, but they get a little less louder with every second. “Okay, honey. You’re okay.”
“Wan’—” Theo hiccups, hiding his face in Eddie’s neck. “Wan’ Buck.”
“Okay,” Eddie soothes. “Buck’s gone to pee, baby, he’ll be back real soon, I promise.”
“No,” Theo’s lips wobble. “Now.”
“Okay,” Eddie whispers, and maneuvers the two of them off the floor, Theo clutched tightly to him the whole time. “Let’s go find Buck.”
Theo’s sobs taper off to hiccups as Eddie walks them through the house—three laps of the living room, twice round the kitchen, and all throughout the guest bedroom—buying Buck just a little more time. He keeps talking to Theo the whole time, about everything and nothing—Christopher’s latest project that Eddie does not understand, the new kid at Jee’s school, the latest recipe Bobby’s been teaching Eddie to surprise Buck, Athena’s surprise party next week, Pepa’s latest boyfriend. He talks and talks, walking up and down the house with Theo, scratching his hair the whole time.
It works. Miraculously, it works.
Theo’s snuffling wetly against Eddie’s skin, completely boneless when Buck eventually finds them again. He’s showered—hair still wet, and he’s wearing clean clothes. His eyes are still red.
“Were you crying in the shower?” Eddie whispers, bouncing Theo gently.
“Yeah,” Buck’s voice cracks. “Is he—”
“I don’t know,” Eddie says, turning around. “Check?”
Buck ducks down a little, and his lips crack into the smallest, softest smile. “Yeah,” he says, stepping forward and running the pad of his finger softly down the slope of Theo’s nose. “He’s knocked the fuck out.”
“Good,” Eddie murmurs, turning back around. Buck’s looking at Eddie like he’s a miracle incarnate, wonderstruck. Eddie flushes. “Hi,” he says, wishing his hands were free so he could scratch at his nose, try to hide the red breaking out on his cheeks.
“Hi,” Buck says, tired and breathless, and leans forward to press his lips against Eddie’s. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
Eddie kisses him back, soft and slow. “Sorry,” he whispers against his lips. “You okay?”
“Better now,” Buck says, dropping his head onto Eddie’s free shoulder. “God. I love you.”
“Love you too,” Eddie tucks his chin over Buck’s curls, nuzzling into him. “Have you eaten?”
“No,” Buck sighs. “Neither has he.”
Eddie hums, shifting his grip so he’s holding Theo with one hand and uses the other to wrap around Buck’s waist. “Hungry?”
“So hungry,” Buck says, muffled into his shirt. “All I’ve had is half a banana, and he didn’t even eat that.”
“He’ll eat when he’s up,” Eddie promises, swaying where he’s standing with Buck. “Right now, he needs a nap. So do you.”
“I’ve gotta,” Buck yawns, blinking up at Eddie with his tired eyes. “Clean, the house—”
“Will still be standing when you’re up,” Eddie cuts him off softly. “Come on.”
He herds Buck to the bedroom, Theo still in his arms, and shuts the blinds, swathing the room in gentle darkness. Buck makes the bed, and falls down on it, belly-first. Eddie shakes his head, fond, and kicks back the covers on his side, and sits down carefully enough not to wake Theo.
“Move up,” Eddie whispers, and lays Theo between the two of them. Theo’s body curls into a ball the second he hits the bed, and Eddie smiles softly at the sight—he looks so much like Buck right now.
“Night night, honey,” Eddie leans down, kissing his cheek. Kisses Buck’s cheek too, but Buck’s already snoring.
Eddie fluffs up the pillows, placing them in a little order around Theo so he doesn’t wiggle off the bed, and pulls up the covers around the two of them. Both of them are snoring softly.
“Right,” Eddie says, taking a moment, absolutely fucking lovesick with his boys. He stands there for the longest time, watching the rise and fall of their breaths, until he remembers the absolute state of the house.
Eddie shuts the bedroom door gently behind him, leaving it open just a crack, and walks to the living room with a spring in his step, ready to set the house back to itself.
There’s nowhere else he’d rather be.