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IT'S NOT LIKE BUCK MEANT TO KEEP HIS DYSLEXIA HIDDEN, it was just easier to not talk about it - everyone looks at Buck and assumes he doesn't have any insecurities, and he'll happily let them think that because it's easier than letting everyone know and talk about the things that make him feel subpar, so he keeps his mouth shut. Until Christopher. Buck would move the mountains for him and then some if meant making him happy.
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Buck knew something was immediately wrong when he walks into the Diaz household, Chris wasn't there to greet him, instead there was a sulky Eddie sitting on the sofa, staring at the coffee table, clearly upset.
"Hey," Buck speaks gently as he sits next to his boyfriend, "What happened?"
Eddie's jaw clenches as a sad look passes over his face, "I don't know."
Buck frowns in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Chris won't talk to me," Eddie sighs, "Carla told me he was quiet the whole day, won't tell her anything - he won't tell me anything."
"Oh," He knew how much it hurt Eddie to see Chris hurting, "Do you want me to try?"
"Please," Eddie pleads and Buck was never good at denying either of them anything.
"Alright," He kisses Eddie on the forehead before making his was to Chris' room.
He knocks on the door before poking his head in, "Hey Superman," He greets as he walks in and sits next to Chris, careful not to disturb the Lego structure Chris was working on.
"Hi Bucky," There was no mirth in voice like there was and Buck's heart broke.
"Your dad said you won't talk to him, is everything alright?"
It was as if those words broke a wall - tears started to pool in Chris' eyes as he latches onto Buck, burying his face into his neck.
"Woah," Buck breathes, "Talk to me Chris, you know you can tell me or your dad anything."
Chris sniffles a few before he pulls his face away from his neck, "Why - why can't I be normal Bucky?"
Buck's breath catches in his throat, and he can't feel anything but pure anger for a few seconds because Chris is the best kid he's ever had the pleasure of meeting, "Hey, hey where'd that come from?"
"I - I had to read in - in front of the class," Chris explains, hiccuping, "And - and everyone was reading normally, and then - then I was reading and it took a - a long time and the other kids were saying things."
He places Chris in front of his and lifts his head up so that they were eye to eye, "There's nothing wrong in that buddy," He explains, "Sometimes people take time and that's okay because everyone is different and it was wrong of them to say things about it."
Chris still looks unconvinced and Buck knows it's time to reveal one of his longest kept secrets.
"I'll tell you a secret, something that no one knows," Buck prompts and immediately catches Chris' attention, "I have dyslexia."
"What's that?"
"Basically it takes time for me to read everything because my brain doesn't look at words like you do," He explains, "Everything's jumbled up so it takes a long time for everything to make sense fro me."
"It does?" Childlike curiosity evident on his face, the tears long gone.
"Yep," Buck affirms, "And that's okay, so what it took me longer to read and write? I'm a firefighter now!"
"You are!"
"Exactly, so it's okay that you take time to read because you can still do what you want."
Chris nods and then looks down, "I didn't want to tell dad cause it makes him sad."
"Hey that's okay, it's only because he cares about you very much," Buck wipes the dried tear off his face, "Your dad is the best dad in the world and nothing will change that, you can tell him anything and everything, and so he may be sad for some time but he will always be happy in the end because you make him happy."
A smile makes its way onto Chris' face and Buck mirrors it, "He's the best."
"Yeah he is." Buck agrees, "So does that mean you'll tell him?"
Chris nods, "Can I tell him after dinner?"
"Sure buddy."
"Can I finish my Lego first?"
Buck laughs, "Alright you can finish it."
He leaves Chris and walks out, nearly running into Eddie.
"You have dyslexia?"
Buck bites his cheeks, flushing red.
"I shouldn't have eavesdropped, it was rude, I'm sorry, I just wanted to know why Chris was sad. I invaded your privacy and I'm really sorry-"
"Eddie it's okay," Buck cuts him off, grabbing his wrist and guiding back to the living room.
"Still-"
"Eds," Buck cuts him off again, "I don't blame you, you were worried."
"Okay," He finally concedes, "Can I ask about your dyslexia?"
Buck sighs internally knowing it was coming, "I just don't like telling anyone."
"Why?" There was no anger in Eddie's voice, just pure curiosity and Buck's so relived, a part of him was worried that Eddie would be mad at him fro not saying anything about it, despite knowing that Eddie would never do something like that.
"I - back home there were kids who would pick on me because I would take longer to finish tests and read out loud," Buck explains, eyes downcast as he tried to bury the unwanted feelings that tried to crawl out of the box Buck had shoved them in, "After coming to LA, I just didn't want to feel like that again, so I never said anything, it was easier to just not talk about it."
This time it's Eddie who lifts his head up, his warm hand pressed against Buck's cheek, "You know we would never think less of you - I wouldn't think less of you."
Buck blushes as the words he longed to hear as a kid were now finally spoken and he couldn't stop the tears from gathering in his eyes.
"What about all the times Chris would ask you to read to him?"
"I, uh, I would buy the audiobooks," He explains, licking his lips as he swallows his nerves, "And memorise the chapters that he'd want me to read."
A smile makes its way onto Eddie's face, "You're the best thing that's happened to us Evan."
And fuck if that doesn't make him cry a bit "You mean that?" He ignores the fact that he sounds like a child because these are the words that Buck's been waiting to hear his entire life to hear.
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."
"I love you Eds."
"I love you more."
fin.