Scratch and Burn

Chapter 3

One thing that Buck used his newfound abilities for was helping his coworkers. Not with lifting things or finding stuff, either. After a call, Buck's super sniffer could pick up on if one of his teammates wasn't handling it well. If they'd lost someone on a call, or even if the call just brought up bad memories, his fellow firefighters started to smell sad, anxious, or scared. Then Buck took it upon himself to bring them a hot beverage, or go chat about their favorite books—at least ask about them, since he probably hadn't read the book himself, or challenge them to a game, or something. He wasn't a therapist or anything, didn't talk to them about their Feelings, but the little gestures helped. The person was always calmer when he left than they were before, and that's all he could hope for.

"You're kind of amazing," Eddie told him one day as they changed back into their civilian clothes. With a depreciative shake of his head, he said, "All these years and I've never considered using what I could do like that, and you—You don't even think about it. You just do it."

Buck frowned at him from where he was pulling on his shoes, confused. "I'm not exactly saving the world with a cup of coffee, Eddie."

"Maybe not the whole world," Eddie agreed, sitting on the bench beside him, close enough that their shoulders touched. He nodded through the glass walls of the locker room to where their coworkers were wandering about doing various jobs. "But it means a lot in theirs."

The only problem was that no one was paying attention to Buck's emotional state after calls. No one could scent the air and tell he wasn't alright. Except Eddie, but Eddie wasn't on shift that day. There was a school event that night, an art gallery or something.

It was the full moon, but that shouldn't have mattered. Buck had worked three other full moons just fine. He should have been fine.

Except he wasn't.

All he knew was that one minute he was standing under the water in the station showers, watching red pool down the drain, and the next he was lying in a clearing in the forest staring up at a sky just barely lightening with the sun.

"Shit."

Sitting up, Buck saw that the grass around him was marred with half a dozen dirt tracks, like people had gone over the spots so many times they had killed the grass and made natural paths. The trees bore slashes in their trunks, a few even cut clean in half and lying on the forest floor. Buck's clothes had seen better days, the fabric torn at the seams and barely hanging on, proving that he had definitely fully shifted the night before. Every werewolf horror movie Buck had ever seen flashed through his mind and he looked around, sniffed deeper than he ever had. No blood. No decomposing bodies. No fear. But that didn't mean he hadn't hurt anybody.

In his pocket, his cellphone began to ring, snapping him out of his panic.

Eddie.

"Eddie," Buck gasped into the phone.

"Where are you?" Eddie asked. His voice was rough, like he was angry, but also scared. Like a parent who'd lost their kid in the store for too long. Buck wished he could smell him.

Looking around, Buck frowned. "I don't—Some woods? I don't know." He tried to take a breath to steady himself but it came out shaky. "I don't remember leaving work, Eddie." His hands began to shake and he couldn't take a deep enough breath to still them.

After a long, tense silence, Eddie said, "Okay. Here's what you're gonna do. Find your own scent trail. Follow it until you figure out where you are, then I'll come get you."

While Buck did as told, Eddie talked. Bobby had called around eight the previous night, asking if Buck was with him. They had a bad call, multiple fatalities. He knew Buck wasn't doing well afterward, but before Bobby could talk to him about it, Lewis told him Buck had just left. Mid-shift. Got into his car like a zombie and drove away. Given how much time Buck and Eddie spent together, how close they were, Bobby had hoped Buck had gone to Eddie.

Instead of going home after the school event, Eddie had dropped Christopher with Abuela. The rest of the night was made up of Eddie—and Pepa, and a few cousins—driving around L.A. looking for Buck's jeep and repeatedly calling his phone. And fielding calls from Maddie, who had been informed of her brother's disappearing act by Chim and also thought he would be with Eddie.

Maddie hadn't said there were any reports of strange animal attacks or unusual murders at the Dispatch, so it didn't sound like Buck had hurt anyone. And, as Buck found his jeep parked beside the sign for a hiking trail, he hadn't smelled anything to suggest it either.

"You were probably just overwhelmed, needed an outlet, and ran it off," Eddie said. It sounded like he was just trying to reassure Buck, like a theory he came up with in that moment, but Buck clung to it like a lifeline. "You're not the kind of person to attack someone because you're upset. You aren't that kind of wolf either."

"I killed the grass," Buck said with a thick laugh. "I woke up surrounded by dead grass. From running too much. The trees too. I attacked some trees."

Buck sat beside his jeep, the adrenaline slowly draining from him at the sound of Eddie's voice, the shaking dying away, until Eddie's truck pulled up. Eddie's worry was palpable as soon as the door opened, and it only got worse when he caught sight of Buck on the ground in his ruined clothes, covered in dirt.

"I'm okay," Buck said into the phone still pressed to his ear.

Eddie shoved his own phone in his pocket and dropped to kneel beside Buck. One hand came up to rest on the side of Buck's neck, the other took Buck's hand. Already Buck felt better, like everything would be alright. Eddie took a deep breath, ascertained that Buck wasn't injured. A bit of the tension bled out of his shoulders.

"Come on," he said, quiet, giving Buck's shoulder and hand a squeeze. "Let's go home."

…

…

Apparently the best cure for an overwhelmed werewolf was family time. That was why it was rare to find a werewolf living on their own, removed from their family. Family kept you grounded, reminded you who you were. Even Abuela, Pepa, and Eddie weren't alone. There were other Diaz cousins throughout Los Angeles to help them if they needed it. What this meant for Buck was that Christopher got the day off from school after Buck's meltdown so that they could cuddle.

It had taken awhile for Christopher to stop getting sad when he saw Buck, after that first morning. The kid felt so guilty about what he'd done, and was sure that it was only a matter of time before Buck got mad at him for it and left. Buck didn't know what Eddie said to him, but one day they came over to Buck's apartment, and Chris gave him the biggest hug, and suddenly everything was okay again.

Which mean that now, it was totally cool for Buck to just curl up on the couch, Christopher in his lap, Buck's arms wrapped around his waist and his chin on Christopher's head, just watching cartoons. Christopher's smell was as comforting as Eddie's. It was sweet, almost like caramel. The scent of the house itself was comforting as well. It was a blend of Eddie and Chris and Buck. It smelled like home.

"Hey, Buck?" Christopher asked after two full hours of just sitting wrapped up in Buck's arms.

"Hm?"

Christopher turned his head to look up into Buck's eyes. "Can we play?"

"You sure?" Buck asked. They'd only 'played' a few times, but Eddie said it was good for Chris's muscle control and if he wanted it, go ahead. But it still required special care and so Buck always double checked that Christopher was really up for it before they started.

As soon as Christopher nodded, Buck's comforting arms around him turned into diabolical weapons. His fingers started tickling Christopher's sides, his armpits, his stomach, making Christopher squeal in delight and squirm in place.

With one foot, Buck pushed the coffee table away so that it sat right up against the TV stand, leaving most of the living room open for playtime. Then he wrapped an arm around Christopher's waist, supported his head, and did a barrel roll onto the carpet that had Chris yelling excitedly.

Christopher started struggling, kicking about with his legs and arms, and Buck released him. He rolled off Buck's chest but didn't go far, only pushed himself up to 'attack' again.

"Oh my god!" Buck wailed playfully as Chris whacked him. "You've gotten stronger!"

Christopher giggled. Buck nudged him with an elbow, making Christopher topple sideways, and then leaned over the kid to start tickling him again. Again Christopher's limbs flailed, trying to stop the tickle assault. One of his hands socked Buck in the jaw. It was more surprising than painful, but he still let out an 'omph!'

"You're taking lessons from your daddy's tia, huh?" Buck grumbled lightly, pausing his tickles long enough to lean down and bump his nose into Christopher's.

Christopher grabbed Buck by the cheeks and pulled really hard, so Buck collapsed on top of him—carefully.

"Bucky!" Christopher shrieked. "Get up! You're heavy!"

"No. I'm dead. You have to lift me yourself," Buck spoke into the wood beside Christopher's head.

Even as Christopher bemoaned, "Noooo," he started pushing at Buck's shoulders with his hands, tried getting his legs to cooperate, to push at Buck's torso with his knees. His little fingers grew claws that he used to grip at Buck's shirt and he gave the most adorable growls, trying to move the mountain of muscle that was Buck.

As a reward for his effort, Buck hefted himself up and to the side, as if Chris had managed to throw him off. Christopher rolled over, panting a bit but looking and smelling pleased.

Buck peeked open one eye. "Okay. I'm impressed."

Christopher beamed and it was brighter than the sun. Buck's chest, his whole body, warmed at the sight.

"I'm so impressed that, you know what?" Buck asked.

"What?" Christopher asked.

Instead of answering, Buck growled and wrapped his arms around Christopher, rolling them over until his back hit the couch. With Christopher just that bit disoriented, Buck jumped up and flung his arms up, so that Christopher was hanging high up in the air, almost to the ceiling. Christopher gasped, a delighted sound.

"Superman!" Buck crowed, and Christopher held one arm out in front of him, like Superman's flying pose.

Then Buck let himself fall backward onto the couch, using his own body to cushion Christopher's fall. Christopher pushed himself up on his elbows on Buck's chest so they could look at each other. His eyes flared silver-gray and Buck responded by making his own eyes flare bright blue. Smiling, flushed and pleased, Christopher burrowed into Buck's chest.

"I love you, Buck."

Again that warmth spread through every part of Buck, lighting him up from the inside. He wrapped his arms around Christopher and leaned his head forward to briefly nuzzle his curls. "I love you too, buddy."

'Play' had only lasted about five minutes, but Christopher was happy, and Buck was happy, and that's what mattered. Another person was really happy, if the smell was any indication. Buck twisted to look over the side of the couch to see Eddie standing in the archway between living room and dining room, shoulder against the wall, arms over his chest, hip cocked. The sparkle in his eyes, the tilt of his lips, the looseness of his shoulders—He was fond to his bones, and Buck's return smile matched it.

It wasn't until after Eddie put Christopher to bed that night, when Buck was debating asking if he could stay the night, that Eddie did something with that feeling. He returned to Buck setting the living room to rights, waited until Buck was done, and then took a deep breath.

"You know how you keep saying we're family? A pack?" Eddie said with a brief sardonic grin. "And how you're never gonna leave?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

Eddie hadn't complained about it before. Actually, Buck knew for a fact that every time he said something like that, Eddie's scent was happy. Beyond happy. He liked hearing those things as much as Buck liked saying them.

Stepping into Buck's personal space, Eddie said, "I want you to move in."

It felt like there were sparks all over Buck's skin, both from Eddie's proximity and the words. The invitation. The implication. And sure, they'd gotten closer since the tsunami, since Buck became de facto family, but—

"Eddie." It came out more choked than Buck had intended, his words weighed down by a desperate hope building in Buck's chest.

A nod and Eddie stepped closer still, their chests nearly touching. "I want you here. With me. With us. All the time, Buck. For the rest of our lives."

It sounded like a confession, and both of their hearts were going crazy. Buck tiled his head forward, hesitated. Before he could doubt Eddie's meaning for another second, Eddie also leaned forward, closing the distance and pressing their lips together. One of Buck's hands came up to cup Eddie's cheek while the other went to his hip as they continued to trade kisses, and that musky yet sweet smell invaded all his senses.

Buck groaned. "I love the way you smell," and it came out like a growl. Eddie's eyes flared golden brown, and even though it wasn't a dominance thing, it made Buck feel weak. "I love you. I wanna stay."

Their lips met again, again, and one of Buck's hands had found its way under Eddie's shirt to touch bare skin when Eddie pulled back. But only just enough to speak.

"Forever?"

"Forever," Buck agreed on a sigh.

And then Eddie walked him down the hallway, still attached at the lips, to the master bedroom.

…

…

Since both Eddie and Buck had worked on Christmas Day, there hadn't been a Diaz family get together. Or, there wasn't meant to be one, except that Buck set one up in the firehouse for everyone, so they could all enjoy Christmas with their families. But that was just Abuela and Christopher that came. And if Eddie hadn't loved him before, he definitely did after that. Abuela teased him about how far gone he was over Buck, and also for the station being so smelly.

"Your boy has set his territory indeed," she laughed. "I almost couldn't get out of the car!"

The fact that Eddie could walk into that without pausing, and that Buck had never once bristled at him being there, meant that Buck was just as gone over Eddie as Eddie was for him. Abuela made sure they knew she approved whole heartedly by teasing the crap out of them.

The week between Christmas and New Year's saw some of Eddie's El Paso family—his mother, father, and sister Adriana—flying in for a visit. Sophia was busy caring for her new baby girl, who she felt was too young for the trip. They stayed at Abuela's. She was the eldest among them, so it was a respect thing, and she also had the extra room specifically for get togethers like this.

Buck totally understood the 'couldn't get out of the car' thing. When they arrived at Abuela's for the family gathering, Eddie opened his door and moved to get Christopher from the back seat, and Buck's muscles froze up. Three wolves he didn't know were nearby.

That wasn't the issue, not really. Just last week, the one eighteen had been called to help a lady who was choking. She'd been a werewolf. Once they got the obstruction out of her throat, she tried to assert herself. Buck had given her his most open smile and she'd calmed down, even apologized for being so caustic. And the month before that, Buck had been at the mall and caught the scent of another wolf in the crowd. They'd met eyes, nodded in acknowledgement of each other, and moved on. There was no territorial dispute or high running temper involved, no need to fight.

These were three wolves who smelled like Eddie, like Abuela, like Pepa. These were three wolves on family territory. These were three wolves whose opinions mattered. Buck had only met Eddie's parents once, in passing, at Shannon's funeral. What if they didn't like him?

A hand on his arm woke him up. Eddie didn't ask if he was alright with his mouth, but with his eyes, and Buck nodded. He would be fine. He could do this.

Abuela came out to greet them at the door with a bright smile and big hugs. "Thank you so much for Christmas," she said when she pulled away from Buck.

With a flush, he said, "Nah, it was nothing."

She shook her head at him with a fond smile. "It was not nothing, tesoro." Then she led them inside, helping Christopher over the lip of the door, Eddie with his hand on the small of Buck's back like the first time.

Ramon Diaz had a tight grip, and Buck matched it as best he could when they shook hands. He wasn't sure if that was the right move, if he had been meant to let the older werewolf have the stronger handshake, or if matching it showed confidence like with normal humans. But it happened so quick that he didn't have time to question it until it was over.

"It's nice to meet you again, Evan," Helena greeted. Her handshake was also firm, but not nearly as tight as Ramon's had been. Her teeth were a lot sharper though.

"Mom," Eddie hissed.

She blinked at him innocently, then tapped her forehead. "Right right. Buck. Is that right?"

Eddie heaved a sigh beside him and Buck knew the name wasn't what Eddie had been on about. And they all knew Helena knew it too.

After a long beat of silence, Buck broke it with, "Hey, Chris, you wanna give out the gifts you brought now or later?"

"Now!" Christopher cheered, and Buck put the box with the presents in it on the coffee table so they could be handed out.

The magic of gift giving lessened the tension in the air for a little while, and then Abuela called them all to the table to eat. By then, Buck was used to Abuela giving him one or even two servings more food than anyone else, commenting on his metabolism that was quick even by werewolf standards. Eddie's parents looked taken aback by the action, though, and the teasing, and Buck couldn't figure out if it upset them or not. Conversation at the table was stilted, playing at civil, except when Christopher was involved.

"So you've been a werewolf for how long?" Helena asked eventually.

Buck did a quick mental check. "Uh. A little over six months?"

Ramon chortled into his food dismissively. Pepa and Eddie narrowed their eyes at him. "It's the spice," he insisted, which got Abuela narrowing her eyes at him too. Her scent was a threat and Ramon dipped his head.

"It must've been hard," Helena continued, as if her husband hadn't said anything. She took another scoop of food and plopped it on her plate, but didn't immediately start eating. "How's your family taken it?"

"Helena," Abuela said in a warning tone.

Buck cleared his throat. "I, uh, haven't told them?"

"But they know you're dating Eddie, right?" Helena persisted.

A blush crossed Buck's face, remembering all the teasing. "Yeah. Yeah, no, they know that part." He did his best to grin through the heavy air. "Apparently I'm an oblivious fool who should've made a move ages ago, but, uh, I think we did alright."

Eddie shared a smile with him, agreeing, and Buck's heart fluttered. It was embarrassing to know that everyone at the table, except sometimes Christopher, could hear and smell every dopey or inappropriate reaction Buck had to Eddie, but it wasn't like he could stop himself from feeling.

"It sounds more like your hand was forced," Ramon interjected. "Cause you got a scratch."

Eddie's sister Adriana hadn't said much, just kept watching everyone else like it was a tennis game, but at that she unfolded from her chair at the table and said, "I'm gonna show Christopher something on the computer. Buck, you wanna watch?"

Without waiting for an answer, she helped Christopher down from the chair and physically dragged Buck from the room. Adriana barely got headphones on Christopher and hit play on a video before the sounds of an angry conversation in Spanish erupted in the dining room. Buck jolted and made to get up—even if he didn't understand what they were saying, he could stand in Eddie's court—but Adriana held him down with a surprisingly strong hand on his wrist.

She kept her eyes on the computer, and grinned when Christopher smiled up at her, but Buck could smell how upset she was.

"How well do you even know this man," Adriana eventually said, quietly, like the laziest storyteller. She sounded bored, as if she were reading the world's dullest teleprompter. No inflection. "Chris scratched him. What if it was defensive. You don't know what you're talking about. How dare you. You haven't seen him with Chris, how much they love each other. He's not family. He's as much family as anyone."

She was…translating the fight? It was a hard to tell who was saying what except for the hint of who had just spoken before she translated, but there was a delay between the two, and Adriana wasn't telling him everything everyone said. It was clear she thought the fight was stupid and was only translating parts because Buck was anxious.

"He's only here because he got turned," Adriana drawled. "Oh yeah, like you have any right to say that. Mom didn't even know about us until after the wedding." A whole heap of growling and what sounded like a broken plate and—

"Not my china!" Abuela ordered, and then rapid-fire Spanish.

Adriana chuckled. "She just told them to take it outside if they want to act like wild dogs."

Buck frowned as he listened to them all obediently stomp outside, obeying the one whose territory they were in without hesitation. They were in the middle of a neighborhood. What if someone heard them growling? They'd probably call the police thinking they were holding a dog fight or something. Or what if someone nearby understood Spanish and heard them talking about werewolves?

Adriana gripped his wrist tighter, even pricking him with her claws, to grab his attention. "Chill. Eddie and our parents get into it almost every time they see each other." She sighed. "They've never seen totally eye to eye, but since Shannon gave birth—" She rolled her eyes. "Don't take it personal."

"But shouldn't we stop them?" Buck asked.

Adriana shook her head. "Look, the sooner they hash it out, the sooner they'll get over it." She shrugged. "Eddie chose you. No matter how you came to know about us, or be one of us, you're here now. And you seem like a great guy. You're good with Chris, with Edmundo. They'll just have to get used to it." Then she turned a smile, sharp teeth and all, on him. "You're family now."

Well, Buck had earned the approval of one out of three, at least. He could only hope the rest of the pack didn't decide to kick him out.

Adriana's head tilted, listening, and a sparkle lit her eyes. She laughed. "Oh that's sweet." At Buck's raised eyebrow, she said, "Aunt Josephina just called you her 'little bug.'" She put on a voice, imitating Pepa. "You leave mi bichito alone. That man is a fighter and better than any of your horrible human friends growing up, Ramon." She laughed again. "Gosh I wish she still lived in El Paso."

Together they watched a few fun, loud videos on youtube with Christopher, with Adriana keeping Buck appraised on anything important being said in the backyard. No actual fight broke out, but things were thrown or hit in lieu of hitting each other. And it definitely sounded like the start of an illegal dog fight with all the growling and snarling. Helena peppered in English here and there, and it caught Buck's ear every time because he actually understood it.

Buck wasn't Shannon. He wasn't leaving. He was a good firefighter and a good man. He had Eddie's back, had Christopher's back, more than Ramon and Helena did, who wanted to smother Christopher because of his C.P. Eddie was an adult capable of making decisions about his own kid, his own love life, and he'd made good ones. Ones that Pepa and Abuela, who had seniority in the family, supported. Decisions that Buck had helped him with, that enriched Christopher's life. What did Buck know about Christopher and his needs? He knew everything, was around enough to understand Christopher, to be there for him. He was Eddie's partner—at work and at home—and that wasn't going to change.

Eventually, the arguing died down. Adriana said their parents were out of arguments and outnumbered, so they were about to cave. Shortly thereafter, Eddie walked back inside. He was rubbing his hands down his face when he walked into the guest room where Adriana had pulled Chris and Buck, but he swallowed down his irritation and smiled as soon as he saw them.

"I'm sorry."

Buck shook his head. "Adriana's been giving me the play-by-play," he said, jerking a thumb at her. He smirked. "You've really gone to bat for me."

The look Eddie shot him was fond exasperation. "Of course I did." Christopher looked up from the video and smiled, pulling the headphones off. "Hey, buddy. I think it's time to end the fun for the day."

Christopher's smile dropped. "So soon?"

Eddie gave an apologetic smile. "Yeah, but we'll see them all again tomorrow, okay? Gotta show your Aunt Adriana all around L.A., right?"

"Yeah," Christopher agreed, his smile returning. He looked up at Adriana. "It's gonna be so fun."

She ruffled his hair. "I bet it is. I'll see you tomorrow, big man."

They said their good-byes and then made their way into the living room. Abuela gave each of them a hug, and Pepa gave Buck an especially strong hug that would've broken a normal person's bones and whispered, "You're in my prayers, bichito."

While Eddie was getting Christopher into the truck, Helena stepped outside.

"Buck?" she started. Eddie bristled but Buck stepped closer to her anyway. "I'm sorry things got so heated today. I hope tomorrow is better."

She was inviting him to come along with the family tomorrow. Even if she didn't sound thrilled about it, it was an opening. It was a step toward being accepted by the El Paso part of Eddie's pack. Buck smiled.

"Me too. I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Diaz."

…

…

That night, lying in bed together, Eddie leaned their foreheads together. His eyes were closed but Buck knew he wasn't asleep.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Eddie."

Eddie frowned. "It's not." He huffed, aggravated, but not at Buck. "I'm sorry that you got your life upended when Chris scratched you, that you've had to adjust to this and didn't get a say in it." Before Buck could reassure him that it was fine, really, he liked his life now, Eddie continued. "But I'm not sorry that you're here, now. That this is where we ended up."

"I am known for being pretty great in bed," Buck agreed with a grin.

"Buck," Eddie admonished, opening his eyes.

Buck chuckled and found Eddie's hands between them. "Look, nothing's gonna scare me off, okay? I think if I was any more in this, we'd become one person." He huffed a laugh at the weirded out expression on Eddie's face. "Now, you still smell like anxiety, so here are your options. That chamo-whatever tea you swear by in the kitchen, or I can take your mind off it for a while." And he leaned forward to press a lingering kiss to Eddie's lips.

So he was stacking the odds in favor of sex. No one said Buck was fair. Besides which, the day had been stressful and Buck was horny. Sue him. The musk and cinnamon smell began to permeate the air, but Eddie didn't move.

"Mm, I don't know," Eddie hedged.

"One of these days, soon, Christopher's senses are gonna kick in full time and he's gonna know every time you get horny because my shirt pulls to the side to reveal a collarbone or I pick up the dishes, and he'll hear us every time we have even the quietest sex," Buck reminded him. "Shouldn't we make the most of our time before then?"

Eddie rolled to hover over Buck and looked him straight in the eyes. "No more mentioning my son in bed. Deal?"

Buck rolled his hips high enough that Eddie toppled forward onto Buck's chest, then laughed at Eddie's pout. "Deal. Now stop thinking and kiss me."

And he did.

…

…

fin