I'm kinda in a writing slump, but here is a little bit of Roo from a WIP where they're getting married!
“Forever,” Buck said, shaking his head. “We’re not dying never. I decided so.”
“Oh yeah? You decided?”
Buck rolled over so he was laying on his stomach and resting his arms on Eddie’s lap. “I did. I get to decide things sometimes. You’re not always in charge.”
Eddie raised his eyebrows. “I’m not? But I’m the daddy. It’s my job to make all the decisions so you never have to worry about anything.”
“Yeah, but I decided when I was big that we’re never gonna die,” Buck replied, resting his head on his hands. “When I’m grown up, I can do whatever I want.”
Eddie smothered a laugh with his hand and took a few seconds before he could answer. “Oh, that’s how that works, huh?”
Buck nodded with a very serious expression on his face.
“Maybe I’m misremembering the worm farm then,” Eddie said.
Buck nodded again. “You were very mean about the worm farm, Daddy. It was for Christopher’s school project, and I was very grown up.”
Eddie hummed softly instead of continuing that thread. He’d come home from a two day training in San Francisco to find a bin of dirt, table scraps, shredded newspaper, and—to his absolute horror—worms in their closet. It’d not been a good day in their house. “So, we’re living forever,” he said instead.
I know a few of you enjoy Roo, so I’m sharing this little moment that popped into my head and demanded to be written.
As always, if anyone wants more Roo content, go encourage @actualalligator to write it as Al was the one to come up with Roo :)
And tagging @theotherbuckley because she loves Roo as much as we do 🩵
*NSAP content - don’t like, don’t read*
Eddie reaches out and curls an arm around his boyfriend, pulling the squirming body flush against his. “Stop.”
“M’trying.” Buck whines, wiggling still.
Eddie sighs, accepting that he’s not going back to sleep yet. Not when Buck is up. And Eddie suspects he’s dropped too. “I know you’re excited, baby, but we still have a few hours before we can go.”
“M’not excited. Sleeping.”
Eddie hides his smile in Buck’s curls, “That so, baby boy?”
“Daddy.” Buck whines, twisting in Eddie’s arms until they’re noses bump together. “How’d you know?”
“Because,” Eddie tilts his head to kiss the tip of Buck’s nose, “I’m your Daddy.”
Sighing, Buck tucks his face into the curve of Eddie’s neck. “You are.”
“Now, will you try and sleep a little longer?”
“I really am trying!”
“I know, Roo,” Eddie hums, dragging his fingers along Buck’s spine, “would it help if I read a story? Or if we grabbed a friend?”
He just wants, like, one more hour of sleep, at least. It’s going to be a long day and Eddie knows Buck will be dropped for most of it - despite his boyfriend insisting that he’d stay big. Eddie had planned for Roo to be present though. Was even looking forward to it. If he can get another hour of sleep.
“Tell me what we’re going to do?” Buck asks, his smile pressed against Eddie’s skin.
Chuckling, Eddie kisses the side of his head. “That’s only going to get you more excited.”
“Well, duh!” Buck pulls back to look at Eddie, eyes bright even in the darkened room, “Daddy, we’re going to Disneyland!”
Eddie smiles, reaching up to cup Buck’s cheek, the man nuzzling into the touch automatically, “I love you.”
Buck smiles dopily back at him, “Love you too.”
“And I am so excited to spend the day at Disneyland with you. Just Daddy and Roo.”
“Me too.” Buck whispers, feet kicking lightly under the blanket.
“But please, baby boy, get some more sleep. You don’t want to have to have a nap time halfway through the day, do you?”
Buck’s eyes widen, “No!”
“Then sleep.”
Buck nods seriously, tucking himself back against Eddie, arms wound around him. “Night, Daddy.”
Eddie chuckles softly again and kisses the top of Buck’s head, curls tickling his nose, “Night, Roo.”
He gives Buck half an hour before they’re giving up and climbing out of bed.
When they got off work on the morning of Halloween, Eddie knew Buck was disappointed. Nobody had really had the energy for a Halloween party, despite Buck's best efforts. They had a house big enough to throw a party, yeah, and it was Buck's dream to host a big party. And Eddie was all for it until the flu hit their household the first week of October. It got Chris first, then Eddie, and then Buck. Chris and Eddie both had it pretty mild. Eddie stayed home one shift. Chris missed two days of school. Not a huge deal. But when the flu took hold of Buck, it refused to let go. On top of three missed shifts, there was also a late night trip to the ER when Eddie woke up to the sound of Buck struggling to breathe.
As they'd approached Halloween week, Buck was better, but not 100% and Eddie put his foot down about a party. And, just as he'd been starting to feel bad about always having to be the bad guy, Chris chimed in. "We'll have the best party next year, Buck. We can start planning already."
And thank god for his amazing kid. Buck hadn't even argued after that. Next year.
Still, he was down on Halloween. Chris was going to a party and sleepover, so it was going to be just the two of them. So, not exactly the exciting Friday Halloween Buck had expected.
Eddie had plans, though, plans he'd been keeping from Buck ever since he'd first gotten sick and Eddie started to suspect they wouldn't be celebrating the holiday as planned.
When they got home, Buck headed straight for the bedroom. Eddie expected as much. Halloween and the days surrounding it were always so busy for first responders, so it hadn't been unexpected, just exhausting. Eddie wanted to sleep too. And he would. Eventually.
He changed into pajamas and curled into bed, snuggling up with Buck. "We're going to have a wonderful Halloween just the two of us," he murmured, kissing his shoulder.
Buck rolled over to face him. "I don't mean to be grumpy."
Eddie gently stroked his fingers down Buck's cheek. "You're allowed to be disappointed, plus you're still recovering, and we had an exhausting shift."
Buck pouted, drawing in a breath and blowing it out. "But you promise we're going to have a good day?"
Eddie held up a pinky. "I promise."
Buck smiled. He hooked his pinky around Eddie's. "Okay. Sleep." He rolled back over and got comfortable. It didn't take him very long to be fast asleep. Eddie stayed until he was sure Buck was deep asleep and then headed out into the living room.
He'd been hiding things all over the house for weeks. He pulled the basket out from the bottom of the linen closet. The Halloween blanket, which had already been washed, was tucked into one of the cupboards in the laundry room. There were Halloween snacks hidden behind the canned goods in the pantry along with a few other on theme things hidden around the house. The one thing Eddie was the most excited about, the orange, pumpkin patterned Build-a-Bear cat he'd spent weeks trying to find, was tucked down at the bottom of the blanket storage bin in the living room. This had been a risk because should they have built a blanket fort, the cat would have immediately been found, but the flu had kept Chris around the house, so they hadn't had any alone time for blanket forts and nests in the living room, though Eddie was particularly proud of the bed nest he'd made at the height of Buck's illness when he'd convinced him into the bath with some menthol salts.
Eddie made three trips to different malls trying to find the pumpkin cat before finally just ordering online. It was important to him to buy that specific stuffed toy. At the end of September, right before Chris came home with the flu, they'd gotten a call about kittens in a storm drain. Someone dumped a whole litter. By the time they got the call and got the box out, only one little orange kitten had survived.
Buck fell in love. He tucked the kitten right into his jacket until they got back to the fire house, and then washed it twice with dish soap before combing out any fleas. Before shift end, he'd scheduled an appointment with a vet and declared as soon as he walked in the door after that the kitten was a lady and her name was Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Eddie hadn't been sure at first, but Chris loved the kitten too, and maybe a cat was the perfect pet for their household. He even had to admit that he was quickly growing fond of her.
None of them expected Buck to be allergic. He spent the next two stuffed up with his eyes red and itchy, and they thought maybe it was a cold.
Over the course of their next shift, all his symptoms cleared up. As soon as they got home and Buck started playing with her again, they all came right back. And that was enough for Eddie. This wasn't even just a mild allergy. That second reaction caused Buck's face to swell.
It was hard on all of them, but Eddie knew how much Buck watched a pet, how much he'd always wanted one of his own, and how much he already loved Pumpkin Cheesecake.
He hadn't cried when they passed the kitten and all the things Buck had already bought for her off to May who promised her Pumpkin Cheesecake was going to be so loved with her friend, but later, when it had just been them curled up in bed together, he broke down.
"I miss my kitten, Daddy," Buck whispered.
Eddie could hear the wobble in his voice. He curled closer, nuzzling Buck. "I know, baby, I'm sorry." But he knew there was nothing he could do to make the sad go away. Sometimes all you could do is feel the sadness and let it roll through, so he just held Buck as he cried about his kitten.
Eddie knew a stuffed toy wasn't the same, but when he'd seen the ad two days later, he knew he had to get the pumpkin cat.
He saw the boo baskets on Instagram later and thought it was fun. He was even more excited as he put the basket together. Once everything was in place, he took a picture of it in the middle of the table, set up his coffee for whenever they woke up, and then finally headed back to bed. He knew Buck would wake up first. He always did. Eddie was banking on it.
It really did feel like he'd just closed his eyes when Eddie felt the bed bounce.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," Buck chanted. He was on his knees, rocking excitedly on the bed when Eddie opened eyes.
"Good morning, baby," Eddie murmured. He rubbed his eyes and groped for his phone. It was just after two in the afternoon.
"Daddy, there's a basket on the table in the kitchen. Is it for me?" Buck asked.
Eddie watched him for a few seconds, fondness blooming from inside him. He nodded. "You want to open it?"
Buck nodded. "Pleaaaaaase, Daddy."
Eddie pushed himself up. "Let's go." He barely managed to grab hold of Buck's hand before his boy was off to the kitchen.
Eddie pulled away to press the brew button on the coffee pot, but sat down in one of the chairs. Buck hadn't immediately gotten into the basket. He stood in front of it, his hands clasped together as he studied it.
"Roo Baby," Eddie murmured. "You want to sit with me while you open it?"
Buck glanced at him. He didn't answer, but he did drop down into Eddie's lap.
Eddie wrapped his arm around Buck's waist and kissed his shoulder. "Go on, baby, open it. It's for you."
"It's so pretty," Buck whispered, leaning back into him. "I don't wanna mess it up."
Eddie gently rubbed his cheek against Buck's shoulder. "You won't," he promised. "And I was hoping that blanket and your new friend could be part of our nest today."
Buck looked back at him. "We're gonna make a nest?"
Eddie nodded. "We have snacks and movies, and it's just you and me."
Buck's eyes crinkled as he smiled. He turned back to the basket and so carefully lifted out the stuffed cat.
"I know it's not the same as a real kitten, but I wanted you to have a Pumpkin Cheesecake that didn't make you sick," Eddie said, gently rubbing Buck's back.
"I love her, Daddy," Buck whispered and hugged her to his chest. He kept her held tight against him as he sorted through the rest of the basket. It was mostly snacks. Some Halloween themed, some just ones he knew Buck loved. There was a candle, a book, and some little decor items, but the main things really were the blanket and the cat, and Buck loved both. He stood up so he could immediately shake out his new blanket and wrap it around himself before plopping back down in Eddie's lap.
Buck turned his face so he could look at Eddie. "I love it, Daddy. Thank you so much."
Eddie brought his hand up and cupped Buck's cheek. "Happy Halloween, baby. I love you so much."
Buck leaned in and bumped noses with him. "I love you, Daddy, to the moon and back. Happy Halloween."
This might be just because I’m having an extraordinarily shitty day but now I’m just thinking about Buck having a bad day and ending up having a Roo temper tantrum that Eddie lets run its course before bringing him back in line
I'm so sorry you had a shitty day, and that this took me so long, but that's basically exactly what Eddie would do. ❤️
If Eddie was honest with himself, the tantrum had been building for a while. Much longer than just their extraordinarily shitty day. And boy, had it been shitty. Eddie didn't believe in curses, but he almost wanted to blame someone saying the "q" word because woof.
They'd been slammed. And the worst part really was that most of them had been nuisance calls that really hadn't needed fire rescue. And then the last call had been a truly horrific car accident with three casualties. A guy had a heart attack behind the wheel and swerved into oncoming traffic hitting a woman with two kids under five in the back. She was the only one who made it to the hospital.
Kids always sucked. Always made Eddie want to hug Christopher a little tighter. He couldn't even imagine how that woman was going to feel when she woke up.
Eddie had been the one to suggest Buck drop. He thought that a warm bath, some stories, and snuggling would help. Not fix, but soothe, at least.
He was willing to admit he was wrong as Buck laid face down on the carpet in a pile of clothes.
Eddie had picked the wrong pajamas. He hadn't been aware that there were wrong pajamas, but the set he picked out of the drawer and the replacement set were both wrong.
"I understand that you don't want these pajamas, baby, but we don't speak to each other the way you're speaking to me right now. So, please take a deep breath, and then you can pick whatever pajamas you want," he'd said after Buck had snapped at him.
How that turned into Buck tearing every piece of clothing from that drawer and throwing it, Eddie couldn't explain. He had almost grabbed Buck around the waist and tugged him back away from the clothes, but realized it probably wouldn't help. He was pretty sure Buck just needed to tantrum it out, so Eddie sat back on the bed. It was just clothes, after all.
After the drawer was empty, Buck threw himself on the ground and sobbed. He kicked his feet at first, but eventually, he just had his head in his arms as he cried and cried. That was when Eddie climbed off the bed.
He knelt down next to Buck and gently rubbed his back. He didn't try to talk, just rubbed his back until the tears petered out.
"Did you get all those big feelings out?" Eddie asked softly.
Buck was quiet at first before he finally mumbled. "Yeah."
Eddie sat back as Buck pushed himself up off the floor to sit cross-legged in front of Eddie, rubbing at his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Buck whispered, not looking at him.
"We had a really hard day, and sometimes that means big big feelings that feel like too much," Eddie said. He reached out and took Buck's hands on his own. "You did make a mess, so I need you to help me fold and put all your clothes back in the drawer."
Buck nodded quickly.
It was quiet work. Eddie was the one who did most of the folding, but Buck gathered the clothes and put them back in the drawer.
When they were all finished, Eddie held up a nightshirt and a pair of briefs with a cat pattern. "Are these pajamas okay?"
Buck nodded and took them "Can we sleep now, Daddy?"
Eddie stood and offered his hands. "Just as soon as you brush those little fangs," he said as he pulled Buck to his feet. Before he let go, though, he wrapped his arms tightly around Buck and just held him. He pressed a kiss to his temple. "Love you, Roo Baby."
"Love you, Daddy," Buck whispered.
And maybe Eddie hadn't been wrong after all. Yes, dropping Buck had ultimately led to a tantrum, but maybe that was just what needed to happen to let go of the stress of their day.
What if after being kidnapped Buck is nervous to be little again?? 🥺🥺🥺
My heart 😭😭
I mean, he's at his most vulnerable when he's little, and if he's trying to gut through it, he's gonna do everything he can to not be small because he's going to be scared.
Eddie woke to the sound of glass shattering and was out of bed before his eyes were even open. The worst-case scenarios were all he had. Someone was breaking in. The windows had shattered for some reason. One of the shelves in the kitchen cabinets had come crashing down.
"I'm sorry!" Buck wailed before Eddie had even gotten the door open to the kitchen.
He froze, looking at Buck who was on his knees trying to clean up broken glass with his bare hands.
"Stop!" Eddie said, his tone sharp.
Buck froze, eyes wide and wet as he looked up at Eddie. "I'm so *sorry*, Daddy."
Shit. Eddie put his hands up. "Roo, honey, I'm not mad. I just need you to stop trying to clean it up. Can you stay super still for me?"
Tears started to drip down Buck's cheeks, but he nodded.
"I'm going to get shoes and the broom. Don't move," Eddie said. He grabbed the broom first and then shoved his feet into Buck's slides before heading back into the kitchen.
Buck was still on his knees, his arms wrapped tight around his chest as he stared down at the floor.
The glass had basically shattered on impact. There weren't a lot of huge pieces, and surrounding everything was a light amber colored liquid.
Eddie could piece together how they got there. His love, up before the sun as usual, wanted juice and didn't want to wake Daddy before the sun came up. Eddie wasn't ever going to be angry over a broken glass, but they would have a discussion about what to do if it happened again. And that maybe juice was for when Daddy was awake.
Eddie started behind Buck. He was thorough, getting the broom under the edges of the counter and going over the bare floor three times before he trusted it was glass-free.
"Alright, baby," he said softly, setting the broom aside. "I'm going to help you up, and I want you to step back into where I just cleaned."
It was a bit awkward because it wasn't natural to step back when getting up from the knees, upsetting the balance of the body a little, but Eddie had him by both of the arms and then on his feet before stepping in front of him. "Arms around my neck." He waited until Buck did and then got his hands around Buck's thighs enough to lift him onto the counter.
Buck's arms tightened as his feet came off the ground. "Daddy!"
Eddie slid his hands up to rest on Buck's waist. "You're safe," he murmured, looking up at him. "Stay here for me while I get the rest of the glass, okay?"
Buck nodded.
Eddie lifted onto his toes to kiss his cheek before he turned.
He was quick about getting the glass cleaned up, sweeping up the pieces and juice the best he could before dumping it into the trash. Once all the glass was cleaned up, he set the broom aside. It would need to be hosed off so the sweet juice didn't attract any ants, but that could happen later. He grabbed the mop next, just getting the area of the spill really well. They'd been battling ants all spring and he didn't need them coming back just when it finally felt like they'd beaten them. He rinsed the mop when he finished and set it to dry, then turned back to Buck.
He looked miserable, and, as Eddie got closer, he realized Buck was also holding his right fist clenched against his body.
"Roo, did you get hurt?" he asked, kicking himself for not checking before.
Buck immediately put his hand behind his back. "I'm okay, Daddy."
Eddie held out his hands. "Let Daddy see."
"I didn't mean to," Buck whispered.
Eddie nodded, still holding his hands out. "I know it was an accident, sweetheart. You're not in trouble, but I need to see your hand."
Buck held his gaze for a long moment, eyes filling up with tears before he finally pulled his hand out from behind his back and unclenched his fist.
Blood, not a lot, but some, right in the middle of his palm. Eddie used his thumb to gently pull at the skin on one side of the cut to see if there was any glass in it. It didn't look like it, but he'd look again after washing.
Eddie pulled back. "Alright, baby, hop down. We are going to go to our bathroom to wash and get a band-aid."
He helped Buck to his feet and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close as they walked to the bathroom.
Eddie kissed Buck's cheek and his shoulder as they got into the bathroom. He was gentle as he guided him through a thorough hand wash and inspected the wound again. Just a little knick, nothing too bad. Eddie put on a little neosporin and a Mike and Sully band-aid (they'd been sold out of paw patrol when they last bought them, so Buck had begrudgingly acquiesced to Pixar), then wrapped his arms tightly around Buck.
Buck sniffled, clinging to him. "I'm sorry, Daddy."
Eddie pulled back and cupped Buck's face between his hands. "You already apologized, Roo. Accidents happen. I am not upset at all, but maybe you wait until I get up for juice, huh?" He waited until Buck noded, then leaned in and kissed his forehead.
Eddie led him back out to the bedroom and tugged him down into his lap on the bed, wrapping his arms tight around him. "If you ever drop a glass or a dish and you don't have shoes on, I want you to climb up on the counter and call for me, okay? I don't want your feet or your hands anywhere near broken glass. That's a Daddy job."
Buck leaned his head against Eddie's. "Daddy job. Okay."
Eddie kissed his cheek. "Thank you, baby. Can I see your hand again?"
Buck lifted his hand, the brightly colored band-aid right in the middle.
Eddie grabbed his wrist and pulled the hand to his mouth. The first kiss was soft. A real, gentle kiss to the palm of Buck's hand, but Eddie made a loud exaggerated kissing sound on the second, third, and fourth until Buck was giggling, little puffs of air brushing across Eddie's cheek.
"I love you, Daddy," Buck said between his giggles.
Eddie kissed his palm one more time before letting go. "I love you, Roo Baby."
Eddie isn't fussy about dirt. He's a firefighter. He was a soldier. He grew up in Texas, spending as much time as possible outdoors for entire summers. Dirt is fine.
Buck, however, is filthy. It's different.
Eddie doesn't understand how it happened. Buck had been digging in what will be the vegetable garden when spring really sets in, and letting him dig around in it now doesn't hurt anything. If anything, he's tilling the dirt.
Eddie had to run inside for two minutes. TWO minutes. And somehow in that time, Buck had gotten mud on his face, arms, and legs. There was mud in his hair. When had water even come into the equation? It hadn't rained in over a week!
And yet filthy Buck stood on the porch with his bucket in his hands like he was gonna go in the house. The house they'd spent all morning cleaning.
"Roo," Eddie said, positioning his body in the doorway. "Did you turn the hose on?"
Buck shifted his weight between his feet. "Eddie Worm and Evan Worm needed some water."
Eddie frowned. "Eddie... Evan Worm?"
Buck lifted the bucket. Eddie glanced in, and sure enough, there was a small pile of mud with two earthworms."
"The worms have to stay out here," Eddie said. He crossed his arms. "You know worms don't come in the house."
Buck's lower lip immediately appeared, quivering slightly. "Daddy! Eddie Worm and Evan Worm are in love. You can't separate them! What if they never find each other again?"
"If it's really meant to be, they'll find a way. Go return them both to the garden," Eddie replied.
Buck stomped his foot. "Daddy! Eddie Worm wants to be an inside worm. He told me so. He hates it outside."
Leaning against the doorframe, Eddie raised an eyebrow. "It is not kind to stomp at people, sweetheart. Please go put the worms back in the garden where they belong. If I ask again, you will be sitting a time out."
Buck's nose wrinkled. "You've ruined Eddie Worm's life," he huffed before turning and stomping down off the porch. "You're so mean."
"I know. Meanest Daddy in the whole wide world," Eddie replied. He watched as Buck went back to the garden and carefully put the worms back into the dirt. He then turned the bucket over on top of them. Eddie doesn't have the heart to remind him that worms dig.
Buck shuffled back to the porch and stopped right in front of Eddie, his pout still fully set across his lips.
"Thank you for taking them back to the garden, Roo Baby," Eddie said. He reached out and took his hand. "I know it made you sad, but I appreciate you listening to me. How about we get you all cleaned up and put on some jammies?"
Buck shuffled a little closer. "And maybe dinner?"
"We can order pizza and eat it snuggled up on the couch with a movie," Eddie promised, and immediately he saw that little flash of smile. A little bit of sunshine returning. "But first, we gotta get you to the bathroom without getting the floor you cleaned earlier dirty."
"Oh-Daddy!" Buck squealed as Eddie bent down to throw him over his shoulder. "Daddy! I can walk!"
Eddie patted his leg. "Nah, gotta be careful of all the hard work you put in, sweetheart."
Buck giggled, squirming as little but not protesting as Eddie carried him toward the bathroom.
As they entered the bathroom and Buck was setback on his feet, he curled his fingers into the front of Eddie's shirt. "You're not the meanest Daddy," he whispered. "I love you."
Eddie wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close and kissing his temple. "I love you too, Roo Baby."
Thank you!
Tagging some Roo Friends (if you wanna be on or off the Roo Friend list lemme know)
