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“He’s gonna know if I don’t answer.” Buck said quietly, glaring at the idiot who was holding a gun on him. A gun. In the ambulance. That he was driving because apparently the others were still stuck inside the prison.
“I don’t care.” The guy said, reaching up and turning the radio off. “Kill the lights and sirens.”
“Why?” Buck argued, gripping the wheel.
“Because if you don’t I’ll shoot you.” The guy said, cocking the gun.
“Fucking perfect.” Buck mumbled, shutting them off, knowing Eddie was going to immediately be able to tell shit was going on.
“Buck, what-” Eddie trailed off, “what the hell?” He said quietly. But Buck heard him.
“For the record-” Buck started, but Eddie growled at him. “Don’t give me that shit, man.”
“You are not cursed, Buck.” Eddie said in annoyance.
“Can’t thank you boys enough. I’ve waited 18 years to get the hell out of that place.” The other guy, Buck was just going to call them Bald Asshole and Asshole #2 in his head. Asshole #2 must have had another gun, because Eddie wouldn’t have just sat there with a gun pointed at either of them.
“Pull over.” Buck grumbled, but pulled to the side of the road as Bald Asshole instructed. “Get out.”
“This is un-fucking-believable.” Buck ground his teeth together as he got out. “Man, touch me again and Eddie’ll fuck you up.” He didn’t like being shoved, liked it even less when it was a dick trying to prove he was more threatening.
“Eddie, huh? But not you? What’s the matter, dollface? Don’t wanna get all marked up?”
“More that he knows I’ll bitch at him for starting a fight he won’t finish.” Eddie argued, crossing his arms as Buck reached his side behind the stopped ambulance. “He’ll feel bad and stop, then you’ll hurt him somehow, and I’ll have to step in anyway.”
“Check em.” Asshole #2 said, and Bald Asshole stepped up and started roughly feeling through all of Buck’s pockets and getting more handsy than he should have.
“Hiding anything in here?” Bald Asshole asked, his hand way too close to where it shouldn’t be in his pocket.
“My dick.” Buck said irritatedly. “I know prison must be rough, but common courtesy is to buy the person a drink before you molest them.”
“Buck.” Eddie sighed heavily. “So you broke out. What now?” He redirected to the guys that were clearly prisoners posing as guards. “Patient in there fighting for every breath; that your handy work?”
“Hey, why were you so handsy with me and not Eddie?” Buck complained when he was finally left alone. He groaned when the guy came back and reached into one of his other pockets where his phone was. Except that was Eddie’s phone. He glanced at Eddie’s back and snorted.
“What?” Eddie asked.
“Nothing.” Buck grinned, turning slightly so Eddie could see they were wearing each other’s coats most likely. “So. What do we do?” He asked, once Bald Asshole walked away with their phones, wallets, and keys.
“You hung our shit up in the wrong locker again, didn’t you.” Eddie asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“No, it was your job last time. I did it the time before.” Buck argued.
“No, I did, because Christopher called as soon as we got back from a call and when I was helping with the ambulance, you ran off to talk to him about his history project.”
“I … might have hung them up wrong.” Buck conceded.
“Cute kid.” Asshole #2 said, holding up an old school photo of Chris from one of their wallets. It might have been Buck’s, but he wasn’t sure. “He yours? I’m guessing he lives at 4995 South Bedford Street?”
“Buck.” Eddie said, trying to keep him calm, but Buck was already practically seething before this shit started. Now he was even more pissed.
“No.” Buck said firmly, ignoring Eddie. “You-”
“Look.” Bald Asshole said, holding up a more recent picture that Chris and Buck had gotten together from their trip to the aquarium. This time he heard Eddie let out a heavy breath. “So. Who’s kid is he?”
“Really?” Buck asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.
“Did dad and dad have a fight and share custody?” Asshole #2 asked, smirking at them.
“Dads aren’t having a fight, but they’re probably going to after this because he hates when I talk too much in dangerous situations.” Buck shrugged. “Guess you won’t know who’s kid he is or where he lives. Let alone if those are even the correct addresses. People don’t get new licenses every time they move or I’d have like 60 from different states, as well as Central and South America. He’d have at least two different states, and countries from the Middle East. You don’t have shit.” Buck grunted and fell back a few steps when Bald Asshole hit him in the temple with his gun. “Mother fucker!”
“If you use your god-damned words and told us what you wanted we could probably find a way to fucking help you.” Eddie growled, helping Buck get fully upright again. “Jesus, man. How many fingers?”
“Don’t give me that.” Buck grumbled, slapping his hand out of his face. “I’ll be fine.”
“Uh huh.” Eddie said, turning his bitch-face stare to the assholes with guns. “So. What is it you want? I’d like to get that guy to the hospital so he survives.”
“And that’s where we’ll go.” Asshole #2 said. “We’ll go to Cedars Sinai, Dad two will go inside with them and make sure they get taken care of while you and I go elsewhere.” He was looking at Eddie, but Eddie barely raised an eyebrow at him.
“Or,” Buck interrupted, “you tell us what you actually want and we find a way to make it happen without anyone getting hurt. Anyone else, I mean.”
“Disable the tracker.” Asshole #2 said, nodding to Bald Asshole who went around the ambulance and started messing with it. “Once it’s out, we’re all goin’ for a little drive.”
“In.” Bald Asshole said after taking both of their coats and giving Buck a firm push.
“Touch me again, I’ll break your hand.” Buck growled, climbing in and sitting beside the patient while Eddie sat at the patient’s head.
“Who’s Athena?” Asshole #2 asked, looking at Buck’s phone, his gun trained on him.
“His mom.” Eddie said, working on the patient.
“You call your mom by her name?” Asshole #2 asked, looking amused.
“You have no room to judge my life, man.” Buck raised an eyebrow. “You’re the inmate here, not me.”
“You know what, let’s see what mom has to say about your attitude.” He answered Athena’s call and held the phone up to show it was on speaker.
“Buckeroo you better be the one answering this phone.” Athena’s voice said sternly.
“I am, in a sense.” Buck grumbled. “What’s goin’ on?”
“What’s goin’ on? Baby, you and your partner have disappeared and you’re asking me what’s goin’ on?”
“Making conversation.” Buck shrugged, even though she couldn’t see him. “How about, Eddie and I are fine, and the patient he’s treating is still alive?”
“And you’re behaving? Listening to those men holding you hostage?” She asked skeptically.
“I am NOT the one-” Buck said, maybe a little too heatedly.
“Say it.” Athena demanded and Buck groaned.
“Why?”
“Boy, don’t test me right now. Say. It.”
“I’m an adult,” Buck groaned in annoyance.
“And?”
“And will be tried as one.” Buck finished, scowling at Eddie who smirked at him out of the side of his mouth.
“Again.”
“I’m an adult and will be tried as one.” Buck stated petulantly.
“Good. I don’t need you ending up like those men with you. Now. I know Mitchell Trent is listening in, so here’s what’s going to happen; Buck, you and Eddie are going to keep your patient alive. When you get to the hospital those men are going to turn themselves in and we’ll all be on our way.”
“You’re a cop.” Asshole #2, apparently named ‘Mitch’, said in disappointment.
“Among other things.” Athena agreed.
“I’m not coming peacefully. Neither of us are. If you’re a cop, then you know why.” Asshole #2 said certainly.
“I know that you have some stunt planned so that you can donate your heart to your son.” Buck frowned as Athena said that. “But I also know that you are aware that California state law does not allow Death Row inmates to donate organs.”
“My son is not dying at 18 years old.” Asshole #2 said through gritted teeth.
“You studied as a lawyer, surely there’s a way around that?” Buck said cautiously. “This isn’t me advocating one way or another, just to clarify.”
“I’ll see what I can do, but it’s not looking good.”
“Tell mama bye now.” Asshole #2 said, shaking the phone at Buck.
“I’ll let Bobby know I talked to you.” Athena said, ending the call.
“And Bobby is?” Asshole #2 asked, setting Buck’s phone down.
“His dad.” Eddie answered without looking up.
“I’m telling him you reduced him to that descriptor.” Buck mumbled.
“He’ll love it.” Eddie rolled his eyes. “Shut up and give me suction.”
“God you’re bossy.” Buck complained passing over the tube.
“Now, now, boys, no need to fight.” Bald Asshole called from the front, sounding clearly amused.
“Not fighting.” Eddie and Buck retorted together, moving and working together as flawlessly as always, even though Buck was never really in the ambulance. They rode in silence for a while and Buck handed Eddie what he needed, trying not to look as annoyed as he was. And then they were pulling up and stopping at the emergency entrance to the hospital. It looked very vacant.
“Pretty boy stays with me while you take the patient inside.” Asshole #2 said, directing the gun to the doors. Eddie stood up, “no, you’re staying. Mr. my-mom’s-a-cop is taking him in.”
“That’s stupid.” Buck said, not moving. “The medic is always the one to hand off the patient so they can pass on the vitals and diagnosis. I can’t pass any of that off.”
“Buck, you’re not staying out here.” Eddie said, sitting back down.
“I’m not leaving.” Buck argued.
“You are or I’ll shoot you. Better yet, I’ll shoot him.” Asshole #2 pointed his gun at Eddie but Buck still didn’t move.
“Won’t work.” Buck argued. “You shoot him, I’m definitely not helping. Shoot me, then you have two patients for Eddie to work on. Answer the phone.”
“What?” Asshole #2 growled, answering the phone on speaker.
“Commutation.” Athena said firmly. “You let those boys go, your sentence can be reduced from a Death Row status, allowing you to donate your organs upon your death.”
“Is it done?” Asshole #2 asked, looking hopeful.
“It’ll be done in the next hour.” Athena said certainly.
“Good.” He hung up the phone and gestured for them to get out again. “Both of you, then. Go.”
Buck stepped out of the ambulance, but Bald Asshole put a hand on his neck. Buck … was so done with being touched by some prick and he reacted a little forcefully. He twisted around, slammed the guy’s face into the side of the ambulance, and stomped on his hand as soon as he was on the ground. He shook it off after kicking him more to the side to get the gurney out, Eddie joining him and pursing his lips, but looking rather proud. They both jumped at the sound of a gunshot, though.
“Jesus, go, I’ve got this guy.” Buck nodded to Eddie to get back to Asshole #2 who had apparently shot himself once they were clear. After the shot, they were swarmed by more emergency personnel. Buck passed off the patient while another team collected Asshole #2 and Bald Asshole was taken away to be examined for his injuries and arrested again.
“You talked that man to death, didn’t you?” Athena said, coming over and looking him over with a critical eye, noticing the wound on his head from being pistol whipped.
“No.” He said petulantly, letting her steer him to a patient bed to have his head looked at.
“He didn’t.” Eddie added, joining them finally. “Not that I stopped him from saying anything otherwise.”
“It has been … a long year already.” Buck sighed. “I’m so done with filtering anything. I’m so done with apologizing for shit that isn’t and wasn’t my fault. And I’m done with feeling guilty for not apologizing.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Athena said, making him look at her. “Nothing. Other people owe you an apology or 20. Get looked over and head home. Come see me tomorrow so I can see you’re doin’ ok.”
“I will.” Buck agreed. “Thanks.”
She cupped his face and smiled before leaving, shaking her head slightly. He got cleared from the doctor, aside from being told to watch for headaches over the next few days. He and Eddie were swarmed when they got back to the station, everyone wanting to make sure they were ok. Buck left Eddie to deal with them because he was not in the mood for an interrogation. He found Ravi in the locker room looking … off.
“You alright?” Buck asked, opening his locker to get his and Eddie’s things.
“Not really. You?” Ravi started moving again, getting his stuff to leave as well.
“Not really.” Buck agreed. “Check in this weekend, alright?”
“I will.” Ravi agreed, giving him a small smile. “Thanks, Buck.”
“Anytime.” Buck hugged him, feeling Ravi relax a bit more before walking out to his car.
He met Eddie at the truck since they rode into work together and just enjoyed the quiet drive back to the Diaz house. A place that felt more like home than the loft, without question. He went inside, waving hello to Christopher, before going straight for a shower. He was still just wrapped in a towel when the door opened and Eddie stepped in.
“For the record, I don’t like people touching you either.” Eddie said, stepping forward and crowding him back, the counter pressed into his backside.
“Aside from yourself?” Buck asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“I’m possessive. And highly territorial. You already know this.” Eddie argued, boxing Buck in with his hands on the counter.
“And your preteen son is still in this house.” Buck pointed out. “So cornering me practically naked in your bathroom right now is … what?”
“A declaration.” Eddie said, looking down at Buck’s body and back to his face. “No one else gets to touch you. Or they’ll lose more than their hand. No matter how hot it was watching you kick that guy’s ass.”
“You don’t control me.” Buck argued.
“And you don’t control me.” Eddie raised an eyebrow. “You’re staying the night.”
“And you’ll touch me then?” Buck smirked.
“Only if you’re good.” Eddie growled in his ear before smirking and leaving him alone in the bathroom again.
“Hate you!” Buck yelled, grabbing his clothes to get dressed.
“No you don’t!” Eddie and Chris yelled back, apparently slapping hands, because that’s what it sounded like they did.
“Come play video games with me while we wait for Chinese food, Buck!” Chris yelled.
He grumbled under his breath, throwing his dirty clothes in the hamper before joining his favorite Diaz on the couch wearing Eddie’s sweats, while Eddie went to take a shower next. Chris frowned and looked at his temple.
“I’m fine, bud. Just a rough day.” Buck sighed. “Start us up and we’ll tell you about how I annoyed someone to death today.” Chris snorted and started the game, looking less worried than he had been since Buck was trying to be funny.
And later that night, Eddie did a good job at trying to shut him up as well as touching him practically everywhere while reiterating that no one else was allowed to do so.