#army eddie diaz

[schrijverr]

Pretty Boy Angel

Buck saved Eddie while they were both in the military, so he’s excited to see him again. Eddie, however, doesn’t seem to remember him, which pisses Buck off. It’s not until a few weeks into working together, that the memories come back. Unfortunately for Eddie, he only remembers Buck from back then as pretty boy angel.

On ao3.

Ships: Buddie

Warnings: past NDE

~~~

Buck turns around to see who Hen and Chimney are talking about. He doesn’t like that they’re complimenting someone when he has been working so hard to ensure his spot on that calendar. He knows they’re doing it to get under his skin, just some friendly ribbing. But by god is it working.

That annoyance melts away, however, when he sees who they’re talking about. It’s not often he sees a good result from that time in his life, which is why he prefers not to talk about it, so Diaz suddenly popping up is a pleasant surprise.

He usually won’t seek out a reason to bring it up, but Diaz inevitably will and he doesn’t want to be an asshole, especially because it’s Diaz. So, before he can think too much about it, he waves and calls out with a grin: “Diaz! It’s good to see you alive, man.”

Diaz perks up at his name, turning to look at the group to see who’s talking. When he sees Buck, he frowns, staring at him for a few seconds while a silence falls between them. Then he says: “Do I know you?”

Immediately the annoyance Buck felt before rears his head again. Of course, he’s one of those assholes, the kind who postures and represses. Fine, whatever. He doesn’t need this in his life, so he frowns back, then tersely says: “I must have confused you with someone else.”

“Oh, okay,” Diaz says, still a little confused. Buck has to hand it to him, he’s a good actor.

The others are looking between the two of them, before Bobby clears his throat, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen. “Everyone, this is Eddie Diaz, our new probationary firefighter. Graduated top of his class just this week.”

“Diaz?” Hen repeats curiously, looking at Buck.

And a part of him wants to throw Daiz under the bus a little, but he’s not an asshole, unlike Diaz. He refuses to be like him, in fact. So he shrugs: “It’s a common last name. Anyway,” he looks to Bobby, “what do we need a new recruit for?”

Bobby sends him a tired look that makes something shrivel inside his chest, as he patiently explains: “He served multiple tours in Afghanistan as an army medic. Guy’s got a Silver Star. It’s not like he’s wet behind the ears.”

“A Silver Star, wow,” Hen says sounding impressed, though clearly only trying to tease Buck, before she saunters off to introduce herself.

He sends her a bit of a stink eye, but a part of him feels a little bad for Diaz, there’s a reason he’s never mentioned his own service.

Chimney claps him on the back in a slightly condescending manner and Bobby just walks by him with a reproachful look. Buck scowls at both of them. He knows he’s being asshole and it seems to be for no reason, but he’s not.

Buck doesn’t like talking about his own service. The only reason he even did now, is because he thought Diaz would recognize him first. He knows what it’s like to see someone you served with. He didn’t want ice him out, because of his own issues. Plus, Diaz wasn’t exactly the worst part of it either, however short it might have been.

But Diaz is icing him out and being an asshole about it. That’s his shit. Buck can feel hurt by that and isn’t required to be nice to him. The others can think what they want.

Diaz gives him a weird look when Buck shakes his hand curtly. However, he doesn’t comment on it and takes it in stride while the others give him a tour and Buck stalks off to do his own thing, until the first alarm rings.

In the rig, the others are getting to know Diaz, asking him about his Silver Star. Buck can see he’s getting uncomfortable and because he isn’t an asshole – again unlike some people – he steps in. He changes the topic by asking: “So is your full name Eduardo?” since he genuinely doesn’t know and is a little curious.

“No.”

Okay, rude. Buck is saving his ass here, no need to be curt. Then just to poke the bear, he asks: “People ever call you Diaz?”

“Not if they want me to respond,” Diaz says

Buck scoffs, he clearly remembers Diaz answering to that name. So he says: “Well, something’s got to give. We got Cap, Hen, Chimney, Buck. We can’t just call you Eddie.”

“Can’t tell if he’s being serious or not,” Diaz semi-laughs after giving Buck a long look. He seems to be uncomfortable and a little unsure by how Buck is acting. Good. Let him be.

But because Chimney is a dick, who says: “I like to always operate under the assumption that nothing he says is serious,” everyone just chuckles and Diaz relaxes again.

For the rest of their shift, Diaz does a great job of not knowing Buck, while Buck makes an effort to avoid him and is a little bit of an asshole when he can’t. It’s not his most mature moment, but he just can’t help it. This guy just comes in, makes Buck seem like a weirdo while being an asshole about it, then proceeds to cozy up to everyone, while pretending Buck never held his blood inside him. He doesn’t expect the same sort of attention from back then, but the least he can do is give Buck a thank you or even a fucking hello.

He is distracted from stewing between shifts about all the ways Diaz could be replacing him with how much the other seem to like him and all the ways Diaz could ruin what the 118 has, by Maddie coming back.

Her story wants to make him dig out his rifle from storage and travel to Hershey, however, she doesn’t need that. So, he just catches her and gives her a safe space to land and a way to get her life back.

By the time he comes back on shift, he’s relaxed. But he tenses again when he spots Diaz laughing with Chimney and Hen. He doesn’t know why he feels so hurt by it all, why he can’t just move on. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t want Diaz’s asshole ways to hurt his friends, maybe because he liked the attention he got from Diaz back in Afghanistan and the rejection now stings. Either way, Diaz sucks and he doesn’t have to like him.

It’s not until the two of them are pulling a grenade out of a man’s leg and Diaz acts like Buck has zero military training, even when it’s just the two of them, that it dawns on Buck that Eddie might genuinely not remember him. It makes sense now that he thinks about it, he was actively losing a lot of blood when they met after all. And that was kind of also the only time they met…

The realization makes him feel a bit like an ass, but it also gives him peace. So when Eddie extends an olive branch, he’s more than happy to take it.

After the fiasco that was their meeting, Buck and Eddie fall into an easy friendship and good teamwork together.

Buck enjoys working with Eddie, whose military training he can play into well and who is used to crazy shit so easily follows Buck’s crazier leads where others would be worried. It’s not that Eddie doesn’t think he’s an idiot sometimes, he just also sees when his recklessness is calculated.

Eddie also doesn’t talk about his service much, just like Buck, though no one knows it. Buck doesn’t prod either. Now that he knows Eddie doesn’t remember, he sees no use in reminding him of the horrors of a war zone just to see if Eddie is still potentially interested. Eddie is a great friend, who is easy on the eyes and Buck would definitely be interested in him, but he’s not going to make a move. Not until they have a better basis at least.

However, these plans are changed sooner than anticipated. There are a few teens stuck down the side of a ridge. They’re safe enough on a ledge, but have no way to get down or back up without risking injury or death, so LAFD is there to collect them.

“I get wanting to try things, but really, cliff climbing without gear or training?” Buck comments as he straps on his helmet.

“Teenagers,” Hen rolls her eyes fondly as she sets up her medical kit with Chimney.

“No, stupidity,” Eddie says, rounding the corner of the truck as he pulls on his own helmet. However, when he sees Buck he stutters to a stop, nearly tripping over his own feet. His eyes grow wide and he stares a Buck for a few seconds, before he points at him and exclaims: “Pretty boy angel?”

Buck is so surprised with those words coming out of Eddie’s mouth again that he just blinks dumbly for a moment. In that time, Chimney has loudly repeated: “Pretty boy angel?” making Eddie flush a bright red and splutter a little.

He supposes that this helmet looks a lot closer to his SEAL helmet than his other one and guesses it must have triggered Eddie’s memory. A grin spreads out over Buck’s face and to be a little shit, he coos: “So, you do remember! I’m touched.”

“Wait, he called you pretty boy angel before?” Hen asks, while at the same time Chimney goes: “You know what he’s talking about?”

~

All Eddie can hear is noise. Loud noise. At least, he thinks it’s loud. It’s all so far away. Like a dream, maybe. Or maybe because his ears are ringing. There had been a lot of bullets.

Oh.

Eddie’s dying.

That’s bad.

That hurts.

He hurts.

God, he doesn’t want to die.

Eddie thinks of Christopher, wishes he could see him one last time, apologize for not coming home. For not being a better father. For running when Chris needed him.

Fuck, he didn’t mean to die out here. He’s scared. And cold and numb. Tears form in the corners of his eyes, but he can’t move his arms to wipe them away. Humiliatingly, he feels the streams of water slide down his face, itching in his ears.

Then, suddenly, there is warmth breaking through the coldness of death. A warm hand is cupping his cheek and wiping the tears away. Eddie doesn’t know when he closed his eyes, but he’s opening them now to see what that warmth is that holds him.

Above him is an angel. He must be. It’s the only explanation Eddie has for the way this man above him seems to glow, haloed in light as he cups his cheek and says words he cannot bring himself to hear over all the noise.

Pink lips are moving and blue eyes are staring intently at him, as big gentle hands roam over him. Awed, Eddie whispers: “Pretty boy angel, ‘m I goin’ to Heav’n?”

Pretty boy angel pauses for a moment, almost choking on a surprised laugh, which suits his face, but probably not the situation. Then suddenly, Eddie can hear his voice: “Nah, Diaz, not if I have anything to say about it. We’re going to bring you home.”

Then he’s suddenly being jostled, likely moved onto a stretcher or backboard of sorts. The pain shooting through him again snaps him back into his body. He cries out loudly, tears starting back up again at the pain, as well as the now more clear headed realization that he’s bleeding out. That he’s dying and whatever promises pretty boy angel made, there is no guarantee he’ll keep them.

It’s all a blur until he realizes he’s in a helicopter, pretty boy angel leaning over him again. There are bandages in his hand and he vaguely hears: “This is going to hurt,” before they’re pressed down on the wounds and he’s howling in pain again.

Eddie tries to close his eyes, his vision is swimming anyway and he’d like to be somewhere other than here.

A slap in his face brings him back and there are those concerned baby blues from pretty boy angel again, as he says: “You need to stay awake. Stay awake for me, Diaz.”

“Ugh, aren’t a’gels supp’sed to be n’ce? Why ‘re you s’mean, pr’tty boy a’gel?” Eddie slurs as his eyes open with much dismay.

Pretty boy angel laughs at that, adjusting his helmet for a moment. It leaves a smear of blood behind and there is a vague realization that it’s his blood smearing his cheek. Before that realization is wiped away by pretty boy angel saying: “You stay awake and I’ll be the nicest angel there is, promise. Just keep talking, keep those eyes open.”

“S’mean,” Eddie repeats again. But he does as told. “You’ve g’t pr’tty eyes.”

~

“You were in there that helicopter. You- you saved my life,” Eddie says, still reeling. “Why… Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I tried, you didn’t remember. Didn’t think it was worth it to make you remember,” Buck shrugs, trying to be casual. “I can’t imagine that was your best day.”

“Okay, is either of you going to tell us what this is about?” Chimney asks. “I mean, when did Buckaroo here have the time to save you? And a helicopter? What?”

“Yeah, does this have to do with you mistaking Eddie for someone else that first day?” Hen asks.

“I didn’t mistake him for anyone, pretty boy here just didn’t remember me,” Buck says.

“I thought you were pretty boy,” Hen shoots back immediately, sending both of them a smirk.

Eddie blushes again and defends himself: “You can’t hold that against me, I was actively bleeding to death at the time.”

That does wipe the smirk off Hen’s face. Even if Eddie clearly lived, it’s never nice to hear about someone you care about, who is a friend, nearly dying.

Before anyone can figure out how to move on from that, they’re interrupted by Bobby. He comes over to find Hen and Chimney with their medical gear and Eddie and Buck ready to go, yet all of them are just staring at Eddie, who is blushing? “What’s the hold up?”

Chimney makes the executive decision that this is all highly important information that cannot be swept under the rug, so he gleefully answers: “Eddie called Buck pretty boy angel and is seemingly remembering him from some mysterious past where Buck saved his life. Apparently there was a helicopter involved.”

Now Bobby’s eyebrows are climbing up to his hairline, clearly interested. However, he shakes his head, tossing the thought aside for now. “That is certainly a story I’d like to hear. Later. Right now there are scared kids on a ledge down there, so get a move on.”

“Yes, Cap.”

The rescue goes smoothly. Buck knows what he’s doing on the ropes and so does Eddie, even though he’s newer at it. Eddie would have trusted him regardless, but this new revelation makes him less anxious about the whole thing. It’s his first rope rescue.

None of the teenagers need serious medical attention, so after Hen and Chimney checked them over and Bobby sternly lectured them about recklessness, they’re released and the 118 is free to make their way back to the firehouse.

Naturally, this means they barely make it into the rig, before the others start asking questions. Hen starts them off: “Okay, spill.”

Buck looks over to Eddie to let him take lead. Sure, both of them had been involved, but Eddie is the one who just blurted something out, who is still processing this sudden memory that returned to him. He doesn’t want to start prodding at that without getting a gauge on where Eddie’s head is at.

Eddie sees his gaze and swallows, before clearing his throat. “Uhm, I- I earned my Silver Star by saving a convoy. Our chopper got shot down and I pulled everyone out. We were pinned, lots of enemy fire. I got hit by three bullets.” He takes a breath.

The others are sharing looks and giving them to Buck. Clearly they have no clue how this is going to connect to Buck and obviously they didn’t expect Eddie to start with mentioning Afghanistan. Whenever they meet his eyes, Buck just gives them a reassuring smile.

After letting the air out slowly, Eddie continues: “Before today, I thought I passed out then and only woke up once they’d airlifted me to Germany.” He gives a wry smile. “But apparently Buck was out there playing hero. I thought I was dying when he loomed over me to hold the blood inside, so, you know, angel.”

“Pretty boy angel,” Buck corrects a little gleefully, but how can he not when Eddie blushes so prettily?

“You were in Afghanistan?” Hen asks Buck with wide eyes.

“I thought you said you washed out of SEALs training?” Bobby adds.

“SEALs?” Chimney chokes.

Now it’s Buck’s turn to shift a little uncomfortably in his seat, shrugging: “I don’t like to talk about it, why bring it up?”

“Why? That shit is super cool, you could get so many girls with that. Do you have a Silver Star too?” Chimney says.

Buck can’t blame the enthusiasm, he might have been like that too, if he hadn’t been there. “Nah, Eddie over there is the hero between us. I’m just his darling pretty boy angel, isn’t that right, Diaz?”

“Oh shut up,” Eddie blushes again. Then he processes the rest of the sentence and frowns: “You didn’t get a Silver Star for that? Why? Did you CO get full credit or something?”

“No,” Buck ducks his head apologetically. “We technically weren’t supposed to be there. In fact, we had orders to ignore your call, but we weren’t just going to leave people behind. My CO nearly got dishonorably discharged over it and it’s why I didn’t sign on for a new tour. Guess I have you to thank for not ending up somewhere in the dessert with a bullet through my head, huh?”

Eddie is wide eyed, probably only just realizing how close he’d been to never coming home again. The others are looking a little uncomfortable too, no one likes to hear about the reality of being a solider, the ways in which the US military can operate and abandon its own troops.

“I- I feel like I should be thanking you,” Eddie finally manages.

Buck is the absolute worst at receiving gratitude like this and the last thing he wants is to talk about his service. So, he slaps a salacious smirk on his face and deflects: “You already thanked me plenty.”

That brings the blush back and Eddie huffs and looks away, muttering: “I don’t remember that.”

“Ahw, really? I spend a good few hours keeping your blood inside you and holding your arteries closed, and you don’t even remember your quite creative poetry about my eyes?” Buck teases, fluttering his eyelashes as he leans in closer.

“No,” Eddie squeaks in embarrassment as everyone else laughs at him.

The mood is lightened and they spend the rest of the drive getting a little more out of Buck – though he can deflect quite a bit with his classic ‘it’s classified’ line – as well as making fun of Eddie. Buck half makes things up, half recounts what Eddie said, while Eddie continuously denies saying half, while remembering the other bits, making his denial about the lies less believable.

By the time they get back, Eddie is about as red as a tomato. As Buck climbs out, he claps Eddie on the back, before leaning in and whispering: “If you’re ever curious, I’d be more than happy to make you remember some of the other stuff you said. Didn’t know you were an tits man, Diaz.”

Eddie blushes and splutters more, but Buck leaves him behind to be flustered by himself, whistling as he makes his way over to the loft. It’s much more fun to get under Eddie’s skin than to have Eddie get under his.

It’s really good to see him alive again.

~~

A/N:

Buck in this fic at some point just becomes ‘gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss’- flirting edition and I love that for him xp

[exhuastedpigeon]

I'm so excited for this two part emergency but so bummed that we likely won't get to see Eddie in Army Medic mode. He mentioned it in 8a, he's been doing more and more medic work in s8, it felt like they were leading to something with it and now it seems like maybe they aren't after all.

I'd love to be wrong. I'd love to see Eddie come back to L.A. during the two parter and jump into action, but it feels like that isn't coming. I will obviously wait to see how the episodes play out, but I will be le bummed if there's no Army Eddie moment while the literal Army is involved.

[megalony]

Our Army- Part 2

Here is the follow up to my Eddie Diaz imagine, thank you all for the lovely feedback on this one.

I have an idea for the third part too if anyone would like that.

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Eddie Diaz Masterlist

Part 1

Part 3

Summary: With another impending arrival, (Y/n) and Eddie have to tell the rest of the kids their news. And talk about the possibility of moving to a bigger home.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twisting his head to the left, Eddie leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of (Y/n)'s head. He began to glide his hand up and down her arm while his foot moved in tandem, tapping the heel of his boot against the floor.

He felt the way (Y/n) hummed into his chest and nuzzled her cheek into his shirt like she was trying to hide herself away, and it made him smile into her hair. He didn't have to say anything to guess that (Y/n) didn't feel much better. He could feel her hand scrunching up his shirt in her fist and she was leaning into him enough that she was almost sitting on his lap.

Eddie tapped his free hand against his thigh as he slouched back in his seat with one leg crossed over the other. His eyes trained in on his hand and he grimaced; it was clear he had just come off shift. Washing his hands hadn't done anything to rid the muck from beneath his nails and he still had dirt caked into his knuckles that were starting to split and crack.

And he hadn't had time to get changed into the spare clothes in his locker. If he wanted to get down to the hospital on time for (Y/n)'s first antenatal appointment then he had to hurry.

"You good?" He murmured into her hair, earning a small hum as (Y/n) lifted her head from his chest to bury her face in his neck instead.

He wasn't quite sure whether (Y/n) was feeling sick or if she was tired or even if it was a mixture of both.

Morning sickness had gotten worse and to add to the mix, Amelia had been staying in their bed for the last week. She had two nights of rough seizures that kept her off school and kept (Y/n) awake with her in the night.

"I think we're up." He looked over at the monitor when (Y/n)'s name flashed up on the screen, and he didn't miss the quiet groan (Y/n) let out into his shirt.

She moved her hands to push herself up and took the time to shake her head and try to clear her mind. Eddie had been at work last night and into the morning and (Y/n) ended up with Amelia, Chris and Paul in the bed with her last night. It was a wonder Tilly spent the night in her own bed when the room was empty and she wasn't used to sleeping alone.

Paul had practically laid on top of (Y/n) most of the night and Chris had a tendency to kick and wriggle a lot in his sleep. (Y/n) didn't get a lot of sleep and she felt drained from not eating much today.

It felt good to have Eddie's arm around her waist and (Y/n) felt his lips against the side of her neck as they headed down the hall into room number ten on the right.

They had been in this position many, many times. Eddie had been to only one of the scans when they had Amelia as he had been in the army for most of the pregnancy. But he did his best to make it to all the rest, and he'd already told Bobby (Y/n) was pregnant again.

Bobby was more than sympathetic and agreed they could try and work around her antenatal appointments and Eddie was already booked in for annual leave around (Y/n)'s due date so he could be off with her and the kids.

"Okay Mrs Diaz, how are you?"

"Nauseous." (Y/n) did her best to smile and look okay, but she knew she looked green around the gills and her stomach was churning. She watched a sympathetic look cross the midwife's face as she looked down at her notes quickly.

"Oh dear. You've been prescribed complan shakes in your last pregnancy, did they help? I'll make sure to order you some vitamins and anti-emmetics that you can collect today."

"Yeah, they helped." (Y/n) didn't necessarily like the taste of the supplement drinks, but they boosted her system and gave her protein and vitamins when she couldn't keep down any food. She nodded when the midwife murmured that she would write her a new prescription for some and she felt Eddie's hand move to grip her thigh comfortingly.

"Okay, let's have a look at this little one shall we?"

(Y/n) wished she had one of those complan shakes right now when she stood up and her legs started to shake. She felt Eddie's hand on the small of her back and his other hand on her arm and she knew he could see how shaky she felt.

It felt good to be sat down again and she leaned her head back, taking a moment to suck in a deep breath to clear her head. She felt Eddie hovering beside her, his hand gliding up and down her arm while she rolled her shirt up and tucked it beneath her bra.

"This will be cold, but I'm sure you're used to this routine by now." The midwife's words were kind and (Y/n) nodded, lifting her head to look up at Eddie for a moment.

He tangled their hands together while his other arm pressed over his chest with his fingers tapping against his chin and mouth, but it did nothing to distort the smile on his face.

It didn't matter how many times they had been in this position, Eddie loved being at scans and seeing the baby appear on the screen for the first time. It made everything real. After today, they would be thinking of ways to tell their families that they were having yet another baby.

Eddie stroked his thumb against the back of (Y/n)'s hand and when he caught her eye, he winked. She looked a little better now she was sat down again.

(Y/n) dithered her eyes between Eddie and the midwife to try and keep herself awake. She fretted closing her eyes for too long and falling asleep. But when she looked back at the midwife, she started to feel her chest tightening up with sparks of adrenaline fluttering in her stomach beneath the sonogram.

Could she not find a heartbeat? Was she struggling to find the baby? (Y/n) took two pregnancy tests that both came back positive and she had been in this position four times already, she knew the signs and feelings. She was pregnant.

Was something wrong this time?

Her fingers squeezed Eddie's hand causing him to stroke his thumb along the back of her hand to try and calm her down.

"Okay…" The midwife plastered a smile across her face and pushed the screen to face them while her other hand held the sonogram in place. Pressing it down quite firmly into (Y/n)'s stomach which caused her to wriggle. If she applied any more pressure, (Y/n) felt sure her bladder was going to burst.

(Y/n) pulled on Eddie's hand, pressing his hand against her chest while she sat forward a little so she was at a better angle to see the screen. To see their fifth- and last- baby.

"Alright, so this familiar shape here is baby A, and down here, we have baby B tucked away in the corner."

Confusion plastered across both their faces which leaned forward to scrutinise the screen.

A and B? What was she talking about?

"You- you mean…"

"Twins, congratulations." She could see the shock written on their faces and dwelling in their eyes. "All seems good here, I'll print these off and make a note on your file. You'll need extra appointments and close monitoring now."

(Y/n) let her head fall back as stars twinkled in front of her eyes. Twins. Two babies, at the same time. She was going to be weighed down with two kids. She would have to make double the effort during labour if they were having two babies. Two newborns to settle and change and feed during the night and take out and dress. Two more kids running round the house.

Six children.

Her head flopped to the left and she looked up at Eddie, apprehensive about what kind of look was going to be on his face. He had had mixed reviews about having another baby, although every day since she told him, Eddie had reassured her a thousand times that he wanted this. But neither of them had thought about the possibility of twins. They had ever had a multiple pregnancy before.

(Y/n) could of passed out when she saw a dazed smile pulling at Eddie's lips and he was practically leaning over her to get a better view of the monitor. She gently slid her hand from his hold to reach up and cup the side of his face while the midwife jotted down a few notes.

"Babe…?"

"I did say I wanted an army." He murmured before he ducked down to steal a kiss from her lips.

It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that this would be their last pregnancy. Five kids would be more than enough and as much as (Y/n) loved their family- and she knew Eddie was always infatuated with her when she was pregnant- five pregnancies was enough.

This seemed like the perfect twist, like a present to have two for the price of one with their last pregnancy.

(Y/n) could feel her heart rocketing in her chest when Eddie smiled against her lips and glided his tongue across her lower lip before he pulled back. He was happy. His face was beaming like the moon on a clear night and his expression made (Y/n)'s emotions soar.

"If we sit you back down at the desk, I can take some bloods and your BP and then you can be on your way."

(Y/n) let Eddie take her hands and help her up off the bed and she was glad to feel his arms around her to guide her back over to the chairs in front of the desk.

Her hand moved to tangle in her hair and she leaned her head to one side, becoming lost in thought. They were going to have six kids. There was going to be eight of them in the house. It might be time for a move. God, the kids were going to be thrilled at the prospect of twins in the family.

She leaned her head on Eddie's shoulder while he kissed the top of her head and gripped her thigh. She could feel him buzzing with excitement, his fingers twitching against her skin, his foot jittering up and down and she could practically sense the thoughts rushing through his head at a mile a minute.

With two newborns in the house after Eddie's annual leave finished, (Y/n) might need some help. She wasn't sure how she would cope with six kids, two being newborns who needed constant changing, feeding, nurturing and attending to. At least the other kids would be at school during the day which meant (Y/n) would have to juggle newborns during the day.

It was going to be a hassle, but they would make it work. They always did, and this is what they wanted.

"Ready?"

(Y/n) held her left arm out and nodded as she lifted her head from Eddie's shoulder and sat up straight. The elastic strap around her arm didn't feel too bad, but she winced when she felt the needle prodding at her elbow. Then again, then again.

"Sorry, I'm struggling to find a vein."

Turning to the right, (Y/n) looked up at Eddie as he leaned over and pecked her temple. It was always a struggle trying to draw blood, (Y/n) never seemed to have any prominent veins and she went home looking like a pin cushion.

She winced when the needle finally sank into her arm and her right hand moved to clench around Eddie's thigh, giving her something to focus on other than the uneasy feeling in her numb arm.

Her arm felt like it was about to drop off when the band finally unstrapped from her arm and she jingled her elbow, grimacing when she could barely feel her fingertips.

"Let's do your BP- do you feel alright?" The midwife stuck some cotton over the crease of (Y/n)'s elbow, but she inched closer when she noticed the faraway look in (Y/n)'s eyes.

Whatever she tried to murmur came out as a groan and Eddie surged forward, binding his right arm across (Y/n)'s waist when she flopped forward. He felt her head tip down towards her knees, her upper body flagging over his arm as if she had been shot. Her arms dropped to her sides and she dithered on the edge of the chair with Eddie being the only thing stopping her from crashing to the floor.

"Oh, okay amor, down we go."

Eddie tried to be careful as he wound his left arm around to cup her forehead and he gently leaned her backwards. He twisted to be in front of her, letting (Y/n)'s head drop onto his shoulder and her body lean into his chest. And when he went down on his knees on the floor, he eased (Y/n) down with him. It didn't take much effort to lay her down on the floor and he made sure she was on her side in the recovery position.

His fingers carded through her hair, keeping it from her face and he stroked his fingertips along her cheek. Watching each flutter of her eyelids and how her head moved a little as if she were leaning into his touch.

He continued to drag his fingertips along her skin whilst trying to calm down his own breathing. He felt like closing his eyes and passing out too. He hadn't been expecting this when he woke up this morning.

Six kids.

"Lia, can you come here a minute, carino?" Eddie reached his hand out to wave to his eldest who was just about to walk out the kitchen.

He caught her eye and ticked his head to the side, watching the confusion dance across her eyes but she nodded all the same. She changed paths, walking sluggishly over towards the living room like she wasn't truly awake yet.

Her eyes cast around the room, noting that her mum was sat in the armchair with her dad perched on the arm rest. Chris and Paul were sat on the rug with a board game laid between them and pieces scattered all around the floor and on the coffee table. And Tilly was sat on the sofa, a teddy bound in her arms and her attention fully focused on the cartoon on the tv.

It looked like they were having some kind of family meeting.

Amelia set her drink down on the table and slumped onto the sofa, curling her legs beneath her and binding her arms around her waist.

Once she was sat down, Eddie paused the tv, much to Tilly's annoyance as she snapped her head to look at him. Her big eyes narrowed and she let out a little whine before pointing to the tv, making her discontent rather clear.

"Daddy…"

"One minute girly, we need to talk to you all."

(Y/n) smiled softly when the boys looked up at them, suddenly drawn away from their game. They both sat upright and twisted so they were facing both parents while (Y/n) leaned against Eddie's thigh.

"Why?" There was a smile on Chris's face, despite the confusion pooling in his wide eyes. He had a feeling this was about something good. Usually when they were all told to sit together and talk, it was because they were going on holiday somewhere. Or when they had made the big move from Texas over to LA before Tilly had been born.

"Because we have something to tell you." (Y/n) began stroking her thumb up and down Eddie's thigh and when she tilted her head back to look up at him, she noticed he was gliding his hand up and down his chin and jaw. A nervous habit he had picked up from somewhere.

They had planned to have this conversation today, but they hadn't said who would be the one to tell the news. It was usually (Y/n) who told the kids each time they were having a baby, mainly because with the boys, she had enlisted Amelia to make it a surprise for Eddie to find out.

They both shared a look for a moment or two and (Y/n) felt Eddie's hand gliding further down her back while his tongue poked against his cheek, he was still thinking every thought possible.

"We're going to have another baby."

"Baby?" The excitement in Tilly's voice was lit up with the smile on her face and she pointed at (Y/n) as if it wasn't clear who would be having the baby. Tilly was the youngest up to now, she had never seen (Y/n) during a pregnancy, she was only three and Paul was five, he didn't remember (Y/n) having Tilly. But Chris and Amelia did.

Eddie snapped his head to look over at Amelia when he heard her gasp "Again?" and for a second he thought he would be met with an angered expression. But her wide eyes and open-mouthed smile made him relax.

"Yes, again." He rolled his eyes and shook his head towards Amelia which caused her to grin and dip her head down. "But this time, we uh… this time, we've found out that your mum's having twins."

The round of surprised faces looking back at them was nerve-wracking, but the way Chris leaned his head back and started to laugh made their nerves dissipate somewhat. They both heard him mutter something along the lines of 'six of us' as he continued to laugh and stuffed his thumb into his mouth, clearly happy about this news.

Tilly leaned across towards her big sister and gently patted her arm so she could mumble the word twins with a confused expression. She was only three and none of the kids in her nursery or their family were twins.

"Two babies," Amelia whispered as she leaned into the arm rest and looked over at her parents. It was kind of thrilling to know she was going to be the eldest of six kids. Sharing the attention of their parents wasn't going to be fun, but twins in the family was going to be great. And that meant more visits from their grandparents.

Whenever (Y/n) had a baby, their family always came over and Amelia knew Eddie's parents would be straight down here the moment the twins were born. And she couldn't wait for the team to know, it was going to make all their parties and events much more interesting.

Tilly's little eyes went wide and she quickly shuffled off the sofa so she could trot over to the armchair. She planted her arms down on (Y/n)'s thighs and looked up at her mum very sweetly in the kind of way she would do when she wanted something.

(Y/n) waited, brows raised, for her youngest to ask for something or come out with a question. But she was taken by surprise when Tilly leaned forward and patted her hand against (Y/n)'s stomach.

"Two? You're not big." There was clear confusion in her voice and (Y/n) leaned her head back into Eddie. That wasn't a question she liked. She couldn't explain properly to Tilly because their toddler wouldn't understand, and she wasn't looking forward to any of the kids commenting on how big she was going to be once she was in the later trimester.

"Because the babies are tiny right now, princess." Leaning over, Eddie swooped down and picked Tilly up, earning a squeal from her as he sat her on his lap.

"Where will they sleep?" Paul had a bright smile on his face and he was patting his hands down excitedly on the coffee table, but there was hesitation in his eyes as the question dawned on him.

They were all sharing rooms already. The boys shared a bedroom and so did the girls. Two more siblings meant there would be three of them per room and Paul didn't like the sound of that. At the moment he and Chris had bunk beds, Paul being on top because Chris wouldn't be able to climb the ladder. But they liked having bunk beds, they could play games and make forts and it meant their room was bigger.

They had a desk and a computer and tv in their room and enough space for race car tracks and all the fire trucks and ambulance toys they were collecting. They didn't want another bed in their room.

And there wouldn't be room in the girl's bedroom for another bed or a cot, it would be too cramped.

"That's what we wanted to talk about. It's gonna be too cramped in this house with eight of us. So me and your mum were thinking about moving-"

"Where?" A streak of panic flooded Chris's voice as his smile finally dampened down and he spoke around his thumb that was still stuffed in his mouth. He didn't want to move. This was their home.

They had moved from Texas down here and that had been scary, it took Chris a while to get used to a new environment and new routines and people and schools. He didn't want to move. He loved his school and his friends in class, he loved being so close to the beach and the parks and the zoo and he loved the team Eddie worked with who were their family. He didn't want to leave.

"We're staying in LA, buddy I promise. We're not leaving this area, we just need a bigger house, that's all. We could end up on the next block, we don't know yet."

Eddie smiled and tightened his arms around Tilly, squeezing her into his chest as he kissed her temple.

They didn't want any of the kids worrying about leaving town. They weren't going to uproot like they had done four years ago. They were all settled and happy here and this was where they were staying, it was just the house they needed to change. Both (Y/n) and Eddie loved their respective jobs and they would never move the kids from their schools and friends now everyone was happy here.

"Do we still have to share rooms?" There was a small spark of hope in Amelia's voice, although she was perplexed.

She didn't want to share a room with Tilly if she had the choice. Tilly was her sister and she loved her, but she was a toddler. She went to bed early so Amelia had to stay in the front room or wear her headphones and be quiet if she was awake in their room. And if Tilly woke with nightmares, she woke Amelia and she was loud and disruptive.

But Amelia had had her own room before Tilly was born, and it had been hard at times. At least with Tilly, if Amelia had a seizure during the night, Tilly would cry out for their parents and Amelia always got help. When she had her own room sometimes her parents didn't always hear her.

Once she had fallen out of bed and had to scream for help once her seizure finally wore off.

"I don't think we can get a seven-bedroom house, baby." (Y/n) inclined her head in Amelia's direction with a soft smile. "But we'll have a few more rooms, not everyone will have to share. We'll make it work."

It was doubtful that they would be able to get a house big enough for all the kids to have separate rooms. They might get a house with only one more room which would mean the girls would still share, Chris and Paul would share, and then the twins would have a room of their own.

All they knew at the moment was they had to start looking soon and they would find something that worked for them all.

"But we want to start the process soon, get moving now before we have the twins so it's not too much stress and we all won't be cramped in here or have the twins in the middle of moving house. Is everyone okay with that?"

Neither of them were quite sure what they would do if any of the kids disagreed or said they didn't want to move. It wasn't much of a choice to stay here for much longer. But the round of smiles and nods and excited noises they got made them both smile.

They had to get sorted soon. Eddie and (Y/n) couldn't waste any time. The only choice they had was either get a house and move now while she was still in the early stages of pregnancy. Or wait until she'd had the twins to move. Once (Y/n) got to six or seven months along, moving would be too stressful and hard so they wanted to move now.

It would be a lot easier to get into a new house and get settled now because then they would have the space for the twins. Waiting would mean cramping everyone in this house and then doing the moving process with two fussy babies in the mix.

That wouldn't be ideal.

***

"Ready?" (Y/n) glanced her eyes down to the kids who all looked like they were bubbling over with excitement.

When she felt Paul pressing up into her side, she held her hand out and watched him deadlock their hands together. His head rested against her hip and he pushed into her leg, snuggling up into her side as much as he could manage without knocking (Y/n) over. He looked eager but still nervous.

Paul had been a toddler when they moved from Texas to LA so he didn't remember the big move. The house they were currently in was the only one he ever knew, and moving was a big prospect, even if they were still staying within the same area.

"Okay, let's take a look."

Eddie had Tilly bouncing on his hip, her arms deadlocked around his neck and her head on his shoulder and she didn't seem like she wanted him to put her down anytime soon.

He reached his other hand out for Amelia who walked one step in front of him as they headed to the house they were viewing. The agent had already told (Y/n) and Eddie about the house and she was stood inside, but she wouldn't hound or pester them. She had said they were more than welcome to look around with the kids and see what they all thought.

(Y/n) kept hold of Paul's hand and followed inside after Chris, while Eddie and the girls were already inside looking around the kitchen.

They steered into the front room first and (Y/n) liked how Paul tugged her towards the bay window. She had a feeling he was looking out the window because they always had Halloween and Christmas decorations up in the windows and this window was ample for decorations.

"Mum, patio doors." Chris looked behind him before he pointed ahead. The living room was open and led right into the back room that Chris guessed they would use as a dining room. And there were two large patio doors leading out into the garden.

The garden looked big. There was a stone patio that led onto a grass verge and lots of flowers dotted around. There was space for their games, trampoline and the pool they always got out in the summer.

"It's good, hm?"

Chris nodded his head eagerly and moved to look out the back doors, catching a glance of his dad who was roaming the kitchen with Tilly chatting his ear off. And Amelia was looking round with a smile on her face, her fingertips tracing the counters and the cupboards for the sensations.

"Let's head upstairs." Pressing a kiss to the side of Tilly's temple, Eddie bounced her in his arm and held his free hand out for Chris who advanced over towards him.

He grinned when he saw the smile creep onto Chris's face when he saw the stairs. They never had stairs in their old house in Texas, neither did Eddie's parents. Chris had never had to walk up stairs to get to his bedroom and instead of feeling daunted, he felt thrilled.

Both his hands moved out to plant on either wall to balance himself, but when he looked back at his dad, Eddie's smile softened. He wove his free arm around Chris's waist and hoisted him up off his feet to carry both him and Tilly up the stairs.

"If this is the house we get, I'll add rails up the stairs." Eddie would drill some handrails onto both walls so Chris had something to stabalise himself with and help him up the stairs.

He could walk up stairs at the doctor's office or in museums, it just took Chris a while longer to get up. They picked a bungalow when they came to LA because it was easier, not because Chris couldn't manage it. But if they wanted more rooms, a two story house was more ideal. Steps would help with physio for him now he was getting older.

"Mummy." Once Amelia trotted upstairs after Eddie, Paul twisted to look at (Y/n) and when she hummed, he let go of her hand in favour of holding his arms out towards her.

"Don't tell me your legs can't carry you up the stairs." Both (Y/n)'s hands moved to her hips and she rose a brow as she looked down at her younger boy.

The way he frowned made her heart seize up and when he stomped his foot and whined, (Y/n) sighed. She leaned down and scooped him up, sitting him on her hip. She felt the way his leg smoothed up and down her stomach and he looked down with a perplexed expression like her bump was suddenly in his way. She was starting to show now and (Y/n) had a feeling that Paul was starting to get a bit jealous.

She pressed her free hand to the wall as she headed up stairs, making sure not to lean back so she didn't put herself off balance. The last thing they needed was a trip to the emergency room.

"Who would get which room?" Amelia looked around the landing, there was quite a lot of space upstairs and there looked to be a few rooms up here which was promising. And she knew her parents had come to look around the house last week. They had been to a few houses, but this was the first one the kids had been able to look round which meant they thought this was a prime candidate.

"Okay, me and your mum would have this room." Eddie turned to the right and moved over to the door at the far end of the hall. He headed inside and looked around as the kids followed suit and piled in.

When his eyes landed on (Y/n) he pursed his lips and looked at Paul who was cuddled up in her arms. She wasn't supposed to be carrying any of the kids, not now she was nineteen weeks along with twins.

Eddie set Tilly down to her feet so she could roam around and he loved how she peered into the walk-in wardrobe like she thought it would lead her to Narnia.

Once the kids nodded and inspected the room, Eddie moved back into the hall and pointed to the next room closest to theirs. "The twins would be in here."

They would have to have the twins room as close to theirs as possible. For the first few months, the twins would be in their room anyway for night feeds and settling them to bed. But after that, they would still have to be close by to be settled to bed and changed and looked after.

The room was a decent size with a small built-in wardrobe in the corner and a lilac carpet that looked almost brand new. The good thing about this house was that they wouldn't need to add any new carpets or change the laminate flooring downstairs which was one less job. It would just be painting and wallpapering the rest of the house, depending on what the kids wanted their rooms to look like.

"Lia, this one would be yours baby." (Y/n) juggled Paul a bit higher on her hip as he was starting to become heavy but she knew he didn't want to be set down yet. She reached her hand out for Amelia and pointed to the room opposite what would be the twins room. The one next to her and Eddie's room.

They let her wander in first, apprehension and excitement bubbling up inside of her as she headed in. It was a smaller room since she wouldn't be sharing and the twins would need more space, but the room was still a decent size for her bed and desk and tv and craft supplies. There was a quaint square window at the far end of the room, and when she turned to the right to look at the small space beside the door, she gasped.

There was a built-in vanity and mirror behind the door, perfect for her jewellery and make up.

"I like this one." She nodded her head as she did a rotation in the middle of the room.

When she leaned to look in the hallway, she reached out and took Eddie's hand, tugging him a bit closer to her. He tilted his head to the side, silently asking what was playing on her mind as he could see something hidden within her eyes.

"You'd hear if I seized in the night, right?" She had been nervous when they talked about moving house that her bedroom might be on the opposite side of the house to her parents. And she feared not sharing a room with Tilly and seizing during the night with no one nearby to help or hear.

She wanted a room of her own, Amelia was the eldest and she wanted her own space. All her friends at school got their own rooms, especially if they were the elder child. But she was always scared about having a seizure when she was alone, it was one of the reasons she wasn't left home alone.

"We'd hear you, Carino, don't worry. That's why this would be your room, so we're next door, and you can keep the guard on your bed."

Eddie and (Y/n) had already agreed that the twins and Amelia had to be near them. Tilly, Paul and Chris didn't need assistance during the night and they slept through the night so there was no issue of them having rooms further away from their parents. The twins and Amelia had to be nearby for emergencies and help during the night. And Amelia wanted the guard rail back on her bed after the seizure activity she'd been experiencing lately.

Eddie pecked Amelia's temple and squeezed her hand before they headed over to look at the bathroom. It was a decent sized room with a bath on the left side and a decent sized shower on the right. That was good for Amelia as she was reduced to only taking a bath if (Y/n) could be in the room with her as she was at risk of drowning if she seized in the bath.

(Y/n) took Tilly's hand and indicated for Chris to follow as they headed past the stairs to the landing on the left side where there were a further two rooms. These rooms were admittedly smaller, but it still have the kids space of their own.

"Tilly, you'd have this room." The room was rather compact but it was long with a rectangular shape rather than a box or square. It was enough for her bed, a small wardrobe and all her toys and her dolls house.

The little girl seemed equally excited to have her own room as she started to jump up and down and moved straight over to the window to see what she could look at. She had a view of the back garden, something which clearly made her smile. Tilly wanted her own room, she hated playing in her room if Amelia was there whereas here she would be able to chatter to her toys and mess around without being observed. And if Amelia woke during the night, it wouldn't disturb Tilly's sleep.

"What about us, do we have to share a room?" Chris was already stepping out into the hall and pointing towards the last bedroom up here.

This was a big house, with five bedrooms upstairs and Chris guessed if the girls had their own rooms, then he and Paul would still have to share. It wouldn't be such a bad thing, Paul liked sharing a room, but Chris couldn't deny that it would be fun to have a space to himself.

"Not if you don't want to." The smile on (Y/n)'s face intrigued Chris as he watched his mum open the bedroom door.

This room and Tilly's room were the same size, both the smallest of them all but still more than enough considering all the kids had shared rooms with each other for the last four years.

"There's a small room downstairs right next to the stairs and kitchen, we can make that a bedroom so you boys get to have a room each."

Just past the stairs before the kitchen there was a small box room on the left. It wasn't very big, but it was the perfect size for a bedroom and it meant almost all the kids would have their own room, only the twins would have to share which didn't seem like it would be an issue in the future.

"Paul, baby I think you'd have the room downstairs." (Y/n) nudged Paul up and down on her hip as she stood in the hall while Chris happily headed into the room that would be his if they chose this house.

It would be easier to have Chris upstairs so when he had a bath and got ready for bed, he wouldn't have to always hurry up and down the stairs. And he was often heading to the toilet during the night and with the bathroom being upstairs, it would be easier.

"No." A low whine left Paul's lips and he suddenly tightened his arms around (Y/n)'s neck causing her to groan. She began smoothing her hand up and down his neck, but when he started to wriggle and swing his legs, she leaned over.

She carefully set him down to his feet which immediately began to stomp on the carpeted floor and he grabbed (Y/n)'s leg, pressing into her like he was trying to topple them both over.

"What, you don't want your own room baby?"

"Not away from you! No! Put Lia downstairs." Another whine clawed at the back of his throat and when when he saw his dad and big sister walking out the bathroom, he pointed over at her.

She was the eldest, she could go downstairs. Paul didn't want to be down there when everyone else would have rooms upstairs. Especially not when his room would be the furthest away from his parents, that didn't seem fair. What if he wanted help during the night? What if he wanted to go into their room? He would have to scuttle all the way up stairs in the dark to get to them.

(Y/n) bit her lip and crouched down in front of him, pressing her bump into her thighs as she reached out for Paul's sides. But he continued to point and wail with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Baby, Lia has to be near us in case she's not well in the night, you'd be right downstairs, not far away-"

"It- it's not fair." With another wail, Paul pointed towards (Y/n)'s stomach and waved his hand, indicating to the twins. They were getting priority, their room was closest to their parents and he didn't like it. Paul didn't exactly need to be close to them during the night, and it wasn't as if he was being made to live in an out-house in the garden or far, far away. He was right downstairs, right below them. But he wasn't happy.

Twisting to the right, (Y/n) looked up at Eddie who was trying his best to smother a smile.

She had been right. He was getting jealous.

Letting go of Amelia's hand, Eddie moved forward when Paul continued to blubber and point at (Y/n)'s tummy as if it would do anything to remedy the situation.

He leaned down and scooped Paul up, stopping him from stomping his foot on the floor and throwing a small tantrum. He cuddled Paul into his chest and moved towards the stairs which caused the five year old to pause in his wails, unsure where he was now being taken.

"Come on soldier, let's take a look at your room. Having your own room means you pick the colour, you can have posters and shelves for your trucks and toys. What colour do you want your room, hm?"

Eddie kissed Paul's cheek as he got to the bottom step and turned left, aiming for the small room that was perfect for Paul, even if he didn't think so yet.

"But- but-"

"No buts, no getting jealous over the new babies, okay? Everyone gets their own room here, it's all fair and me and mummy need the twins with us, unless you wanna get up during the night to change a dirty nappy. Now I bet you want a bright orange room, right?"

"No! Purple room."

The five year old had already stopped crying and was now thinking of what he would like the room to be. His and Chris's room back home was blue and green with gaming stickers on the walls and night light stars stuck on the ceiling because Chris loved space. But Paul could have his room however he wanted it, and that was exciting, even if he would be the only one with a room downstairs.

(Y/n) moved her hand to her back to click it into place, but she looked over at the kids when Amelia moved towards her and Chris was already grabbing her hand, excitedly pulling on her arm.

"Is this the one?" Amelia's smile and that sparkle in her eye gave away the fact that she wanted this to be the house they picked.

It was the perfect size, the rooms meant everyone didn't have to share and they all got their own space. Downstairs was spacious, the garden was great and it was a quiet house. Plus, there was space between them and the neighbours so they wouldn't hear the neighbours arguing like they did back home.

"I think this is the one, baby."

***

Tilting back, (Y/n) leaned her shoulders back into the headboard and slowly uncurled her legs that had been crossed beneath her for far too long. Her toes curled and her feet bent as she straightened out and clicked her spine into place in the process.

A grin spread on her lips when the bedroom door opened and she looked over at Eddie. His hair was sopping wet and forming into hundreds of curls which flopped all across his temple and near his ears. He had a towel slung around the back of his neck like a scarf and a pair of boxers strapped on his hips, showing he'd just been for a shower.

She loved the smirk on his face when he caught her eye but when Eddie caught his foot on one of the many boxes littering their bedroom, (Y/n) couldn't help but laugh. Her hand moved to smother her lips as Eddie stumbled, reaching his hand out on the end of the bed so he didn't fall flat on his face.

"Something funny?" He muttered with a sly grin as he clambered onto the end of the bed and began crawling up over her legs.

"Have a nice trip?" She knew it was cheesy and a gasp tumbled past her lips when Eddie's hands moved to her sides and he started dragging the tip of his index finger along her waist. He knew exactly where to make her ticklish and he loved the way her legs nudged against his knees as he hovered over her thighs.

(Y/n) ceased his actions by cupping his damp face in her hands and pulling him in for a kiss. Her teeth nipped at his lower lip and she felt his hands stop tickling her in favour of cupping her hip and tracing one hand along her bump to feel for the twins.

"What're you up to?" Eddie muttered against her lips before he traced his kisses down her jaw and attached to her neck instead. He looked across to his side of the bed that was currently occupied by garments and clothes and onesies all laid out in piles.

"Seeing what we can use again."

Eddie leaned his cheek on (Y/n)'s shoulder so he could look at what she had gotten out.

There were a few things they had kept from when Paul was a baby, mostly as keepsakes. There were a lot of Winnie The Pooh onesies, bibs and little hats as Chris had helped pick them all out.

Reaching out, Eddie skimmed his fingers across the small pink dress next to (Y/n) as a smile danced across his face. "I remember this one."

It was a dress with a frill at the bottom and across the middle, it read 'Daddy's Princess' with a crown beneath it. That was one that Buck had given them once they had Tilly and learned they had another girl. They always waited until the birth to find out the genders and this was no different, they didn't want to know yet.

"Hm, I like that one." (Y/n) leaned across to peck his cheek. She remembered that was a favourite that Eddie would always put Tilly in if he was the one dressing her each day. She lived in that dress for the first few months and (Y/n) couldn't bear to throw it out once Tilly outgrew it.

"Let's hope we have at least one girl in here then." Eddie leaned back on his heels so his hands could cup (Y/n)'s stomach.

He tilted forward so he could press his lips to her bump. Eddie knew the team were starting to take bets on what gender the babies would be. He himself didn't care, but he thought it would be rather fitting if they had a boy and a girl, then they would have three of each.

"It's a good job we kept Tilly's cot in the attic." She murmured quietly, watching a look flash over Eddie's devilish eyes.

"Hm, intuition."

Neither of them were sure why they kept Tilly's cot once she grew out of it. Granted, she had not long gotten her big girl bed, but instead of selling the cot or giving it away, Eddie just put it up in the attic to be dealt with later. It must have been intuition that Tilly just might not be their last baby after all. And now it meant they only had to get one more cot as opposed to getting two new ones.

(Y/n) began to card her fingers through Eddie's hair when he shifted round to lay between her legs. She loved the sweet smile on his lips and the hazy look in his eyes when he rested his chin on her stomach so he could look up at her.

She brushed the damp locks away from his temple and started to ruffle and style them while the tv blurred some strange tv show in the background.

All the kids had boxes in their rooms and the living room was piled high with bags and suitcases and boxes. In three days, they were officially moving out. Last week, (Y/n), Eddie and Hen had been to the new house and decorated the living room and the kid's rooms. They had painted and wallpapered, knowing it would be much easier to decorate first before they officially got the kids moved in. And Hen had been more than happy to help.

"Mummy, my teddy-" Tilly pushed open the bedroom door with one of her teddies tucked under her arm. She only had a few teddies left on her bed as every other toy had been plugged away ready for the move.

But when she moved towards the bed and realised Eddie was laid on (Y/n), her little eyes narrowed and she stood right at the side of the bed next to them.

Twisting his head to the left, Eddie leaned his cheek against (Y/n)'s bump to look down at their youngest.

"What's up, princess?"

"What you doing?" There was an accusing tone in Tilly's confused words and she pinned her teddy tighter to her chest as she waited impatiently for an answer. Her stern demanour made (Y/n)'s lips form into a grin and she felt Eddie chuckling quietly against her.

"Giving the babies a kiss, why?" To make his point, Eddie turned his head and pressed another sloppy kiss to (Y/n)'s stomach.

The three year old frowned deeply at Eddie's actions and when she took notice of the baby clothes and the blankets scattered on the bed, she looked increadibly put out. All of a sudden, Tilly tossed her teddy to the floor and stomped her foot down on the carpet which made a small echo around the room now that it was practically bare.

Eddie rolled his lips together, doing his best to supress his grin at how amusing Tilly looked when she got stroppy. And he could feel (Y/n)'s fingers pausing through his hair and she let out a little chuckle.

"No. I'm the baby."

Her words were affirmative and her little hands clenched into fists, but it was the tears bubbling up in her eyes that made Eddie's heart jump. She was used to being the youngest and having everyone refer to her as the baby. With them having four kids, Amelia was referred to as the eldest and Tilly was always called the baby.

Even when Eddie's parents rung up almost every week to see how the kids were, they were used to saying 'how's the baby?' or 'how's the little one' and Tilly absolutely loved it. She loved when Eddie told everyone she was his baby, but now she was starting to realise that two new babies in the family meant she wouldn't be the littlest anymore.

She wouldn't be the baby of the family, there would be two new siblings younger than her for the family to fuss over, and she didn't like the sound of that.

"You're not the only baby, princess." Eddie watched with amusement as Tilly stomped her foot again before she tried to clamber onto the bed. She climbed over the back of his legs, causing him to groan, until she was on her knees in the middle of the bed at their side.

"I'm the baby." She almost whined before she flopped into (Y/n)'s arm and tried to burrow into her.

"No, we've got two more babies in here. But you're the only princess." Eddie pecked her cheek to try and soften her up. It had been a long time since he'd called Amelia 'princess', she always preferred Eddie calling her Carino and when she had been younger she especially loved when Eddie would call her beautiful.

Tilly huffed and looked like she might even burst into tears, but being the one and only princess was almost as good as being the only baby.

She burrowed her face into (Y/n)'s chest and started to wriggle around while Eddie went back to leaning his cheek on (Y/n)'s stomach so he could look at the tv. His hands idly ran up and down her waist but his eyes glanced back to Tilly when she started to move. Her knees coiled up, but she suddenly started to prod her hand at (Y/n)'s stomach.

"What're you doing?" (Y/n) began to card her fingers through Tilly's hair, feeling utterly loved by having her youngest cuddling into her and Eddie laid on top of her glued to her frame like this. Although it was strange to feel Tilly prodding and poking at her stomach.

"Babies are in the way." She huffed with an unhappy expression, but her eyes widened and she gasped when she poked (Y/n)'s tummy and felt a kick in response.

Her eyes darted to look over at Eddie who lifted his cheek from (Y/n)'s bump to press his lips there instead.

"Ooh, you've woken them up now." He murmured just to see the way Tilly's eyes widened and she started to rub (Y/n)'s bump rather than prod at her. Clearly trying to soothe them instead in case she would get into trouble for waking them up.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Ballroom dancing isn’t actually particularly queer coded in fact it plays more into tradition and has very clearly defined gendered roles associated with it - male leader - female - follower.

And that’s what’s interesting about it being the activity Eddie was signed up for by Helena, especially in relation to Eddie’s incoming queer arc. Eddie was forced to grow up too fast and to step into the role of ‘man of the house’ by Helena because Ramon was by all accounts an absent father - hero complex provides us with plenty of canon information about Eddie being pushed into a husband/father role at a very young age and being told to man up and not to cry etc - machismo in action.

Helena sending him to ballroom dancing classes is likely because it was a way of reinforcing those traditional gendered stereotypes held by wider society and particularly in Latinx culture that the Diaz’s are entrenched in.

It becomes an especially interesting choice if it’s something Helena did because as well as it reinforcing gender stereotypes, she could see that her son was queer and wanted a way of trying to push him towards girls/women - encouraging him into straightness by surrounding him with girls as generally classes are female dominated and away from activities that would have him surrounded by boys/men.

It’s not about ballroom dancing being queer it’s about trying to prevent him from being queer through the structure of ballroom dancing.

[sloasis]

Buddie crumbs from the promo .. Eddie looks DEVASTATED .... Buck looks like he's coping but omg Eddie looks actually torn . I'm so upset rn

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

Ranting in DMs with friends about Eddie Diaz, as one does, and honestly the last couple episodes also so deeply reframe all of Helena's past attempts to prevent Eddie from moving to Los Angeles and then trying to get him to move back after Shannon's death. That woman does not love her son. She doesn't want him near her. She wants Christopher. It was always about Chris. It's not even the bare minimum "I want you back home near us so I can control you and give you advice and tell you what to do and you should be Home with your Family." If Eddie had left for LA on his own without Chris all those years ago she would've been happy. It was Eddie taking Chris with him that was upsetting.

That woman does not fucking love her son.

[sonofatoasterwaffle]

I'm sure I've said this before, but SOMEONE NEEDS TO TELL EDDIE DIAZ THAT HE'S ALLOWED TO SAY NO

[quintessenceofdust88]

You see, I just thought of one more storyline we've been robbed of

Army vets Tommy and Eddie bonding over shared experiences, and Buck being jealous/worried because it's something he can't relate to, so what if Tommy doesn't need him anymore? What if Eddie doesn't need him anymore?

(this is not at all me projecting my SRD into Buck what are you talking about shhhh)

Anyway, maybe it's bc someone from Tommy's old unit has died or sth? Idk, but he and Eddie are spending a lot of time talking about how it feels, etc.

But when it comes the time to travel for the funeral, he invites Buck to go with him. And Buck says sth like 'Don't you want Eddie to go with you?' (not bitchy or spiteful, but bc he genuinely thinks Tommy would prefer that) and Tommy goes 'No, Evan. I need you there to support me.'

And that's how Buck starts to learn that being needed sometimes has nothing to do with things in common. It's about being supportive, about being the one Tommy wants to rely on

Idk, this isn't very thought out, but it'd be such a good episode that we're never getting bc Tim Minear can't let us have nice things

[southbedfordstreet]

psa

[willmiwi]

watching Buck Bothered and Bewildered rn and i just got. slapped in the face by something buck said to Eddie and i need a minute. He said, and i quote "Im not surprised you had a great time in Las Vegas. You and Tommy have a lot of things in common. Both in the army, both like watching half naked men pummel eachother"

. Excuse me ?

[muhshinmagala1tranz]

Help needed to save queer person in refugee camp

In the heart of Gorom Refugee Camp, South Sudan, where safety is already a fragile dream for many, a darker reality shadows the lives of the LGBTQ+ community. We, a group of individuals seeking refuge and a semblance of peace, find ourselves constantly battling not just the harsh conditions of displacement, but also the insidious venom of homophobia.

Recently, this hate manifested in a brutal act of violence against one of our own, our dear friend Brian. Brian, a vibrant soul who, despite the adversity, always offered a smile and a helping hand within our small community, was targeted simply for being who he is. He was attacked by individuals fueled by prejudice, their anger escalating to a point of inflicting severe physical harm. The assault was so vicious that Brian's arm was broken, a painful and debilitating injury that now leaves him vulnerable and in agony.

Imagine the fear that grips our community when one of us is so violently targeted. We are already displaced, living with limited resources, and now we must witness one of our own suffer not just the trauma of the attack, but the agonizing reality of being unable to access adequate medical care. In Gorom, as LGBTQ+ refugees, we are often marginalized and denied the basic support that others receive. Free medical assistance remains out of reach, leaving us to bear the burden of healthcare costs ourselves – a burden we are ill-equipped to handle.

Brian's broken arm is not just a physical injury; it's a stark symbol of the violence and discrimination we face daily. It's a reminder of the hate that seeks to silence and erase us. It's a testament to the urgent need for compassion and support from those who believe in equality and human dignity.

We are a resilient community, bound by shared experiences and a fierce determination to survive. We look out for one another, offering what little we have. But Brian's injury requires professional medical attention, the kind that demands resources we simply do not possess. The cost of hospital treatment, the X-rays, the casting, the follow-up care – it amounts to an overwhelming $1500.

This is not just about fixing a broken arm; it's about restoring Brian's sense of safety and dignity. It's about showing the perpetrators of hate that their violence will not go unanswered by the compassion of the wider world. It's about sending a message of solidarity to our community in Gorom, letting them know they are not forgotten.

We turn to you, our friends, allies, and fellow humans, with a heartfelt plea. Can you help us raise the $1500 needed for Brian's medical treatment? Your contribution, no matter the size, will directly impact Brian's recovery and send a powerful message of hope to our community. Please, stand with us against hate and help us heal.

You can support Brian's medical care here: [our GoFundMe Link:

Our website link:

Please donate and share Brian's story. Your kindness can make a world of difference.

With deepest gratitude,

Magala Said and the LGBTQ+ Community in Gorom Refugee Camp.🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🌎😭

[dadupbuck]

Title: All That's Left To Find (Is Peace of Mind)

Written by: agustmoons

Rated: no rating

Catagories: m/m

Warnings: none

Relationships: Buck/Eddie

Tags: established relationship, established evan 'buck' buckley/eddie diaz, secret relationship, married evan 'buck' buckley/eddie diaz, theyre married but buck hasnt told anyone, army eddie diaz, eddie is deployed and buck isnt handling it well, worried evan 'buck' buckley, someone give this guy a hug, please, reunions, coming home, theyre so in love your honor, idiots in love, no beta we die like eddies heterosexuality, tiny bit of angst, if you squint your eyes, minor hurt/comfort

Words: 8,362

Summary:

A still warm kernel thumps lightly against Buck’s temple and it’s his last straw. “What the fuck is your problem, Han?” He demands, rounding on the paramedic currently tucked away in an armchair, popcorn bowl balanced precariously on his chest and knees.

“Your dumb, grumpy face. What’s got you all wound up, anyways? You look like someone took a shit in your cereal this morning.” Chim says, waving a hand in his direction.

___________

Eddie's deployed and Buck is /handling it/. He's not freaking out, definitely not.

Well, he wasn't. Until his contact with Eddie is cut off and he's left alone, wondering what could have happened.

My notes: I love army Eddie fics so much and this one did not disappoint at all! I absolutely adored this, I smiled and I cried. Beautiful.

[chronicowboy]

btw can we talk about eddie being so happy to donate money. most of it will be just yeah that he's settling into the job and not struggling for every penny now but there's also just that's he's such a kind, generous, compassionate person who has spent his whole life giving back to his communities

[megalony]

Our Army- Part 3

Thank you all for the lovely feedback on this Eddie Diaz mini series, I hope you will all enjoy this part it's rather long.

Please let me know what you think.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @callsignwidow @winterreader-nowwriter @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22

Eddie Diaz Masterlist

Part 1

Part 2

Summary: With another impending arrival, (Y/n) and Eddie get ready to move their family into a new home and get ready for a life with six children.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Everyone's in bed." (Y/n) managed a tight-lipped smile as she slowly walked back into her and Eddie's room. She pushed the door shut behind her and took a moment to catch her breath before she walked over to the bed.

Her shoulders dropped and the tension in her back lessened when she felt Eddie's hand on her lower back and his other hand on her hip. And when she sat down on the bed, she felt his arms move to bind around her waist, easing her back so she was leaning against his chest. She tilted her head back on his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his neck.

"First night in our new bed, hm?" The way Eddie wiggled his brows and smirked made (Y/n)'s stomach flutter.

She lifted her hand to cup the side of his face, smoothing her thumb across his cheek as she craned her head to kiss him. "Oh yeah, and what are you thinking?" She murmured against his lips while his hands roamed her stomach.

"That we can… sleep."

A laugh rumbled in (Y/n)'s chest and she pecked his lips again, nodding in agreement.

In any other situation, there would have been something else on Eddie's mind and they both knew it. But right now, sleep was more prominent than anything else.

Last night had been their last night in their old home and because they had been moving today, Eddie (With the help of Buck) had taken down all the bed frames ready to be moved. So all of them had slept on mattresses on the floor last night.

It did not to (Y/n) any favours. She barely slept and she felt horrid to have to keep waking Eddie when she needed the bathroom so he could help her up. She could barely walk this morning when it was finally time to get up and get ready. So being in their new bed tonight- which was new and bigger than their old one- was going to be much easier on (Y/n)'s back. And she would be able to get up without needing any assistance tonight.

Moving her hands down to the mattress, (Y/n) shuffled back until she was leaning against the pillows and Eddie did the same. The tv was on in the background, but neither of them would be watching for much longer, they were too tired.

"What're you thinking?" Eddie's voice was soft and quiet as he lifted an arm so (Y/n) could inch closer and lean into his chest. He could see something was circulating through her head.

"A few things." She mused quietly while she looped her arm around Eddie's torso and nuzzled her face into his bare chest. He felt like a radiator, giving off waves of heat and it made (Y/n) cuddle closer into his side.

"Like?"

"Just, we- we are gonna cope, with two babies, right?" (Y/n) felt silly for even voicing these worries and she closed her eyes and meshed her face into his chest so she didn't have to look up at him.

She heard him turn the tv down. They both knew in about ten minutes Eddie would just turn it off, it was only on to serve background noise and give them some light.

Having six kids was going to be a trial on its own without the added factor of having two babies at once. That meant trial and error with feeding and settling one and then moving straight onto feeding the next one. It meant getting up during the night for twice as long to feed and change them both. It would be hard taking the kids out when they had two babies to handle.

It also meant there would be trouble with trying to give all the kids attention. (Y/n) would have to scatter dinner time and feed the kids before she fed and changed the twins. Bath time would be doubly hard.

And (Y/n) didn't want to imagine what it would be like when Eddie would be back to work.

"I think we're gonna have our hands full, but we're gonna cope just fine, amor."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Lia's older now, she can help around the house or give us a hand with one of the twins if needed. Chris is old enough to help with the house too. And all the team have already signed up for babysitting duties if we ever want a break or a night with just the twins."

The team had been surprised and delighted when Eddie told them he and (Y/n) were having twins. And all of them had said they never minded babysitting. Buck loved the kids, he was an uncle to them and Tilly was best friends with Jee while Chris and Paul got along great with Denny.

All of the team said they would babysit if ever needed, especially if Eddie and (Y/n) needed a night to themselves or a night to spend focusing on the twins.

"Plus, ma and papi are coming down at some point, they wanna stay for a few weeks to be with the kids." Eddie's parents hadn't been the best when he was growing up, his father had been absent and his mother worked a lot.

Eddie vowed to be different with his kids and so far he had stuck to that and tried to do better by them. But his parents had stepped up since Eddie and (Y/n) had their family together. They tried to visit often, they rang and kept in contact with the kids and often stayed for a week or so at a time to be with them.

His mum had already made it clear that once the twins were born, they would be coming down for at least two weeks. So they could help look after the kids and be with the twins and generally make things easier for them.

Eddie had suggested they wait until he went back to work to come down. Then it wouldn't be so hard on (Y/n) if he was working, at least his parents would be nearby to help with the kids.

"I'll have to feed them both in shifts, God you know that means no sleep, right?" When she felt Eddie's hand move down to her waist, she gripped his wrist and held tight.

It would be fine during the day to feed one twin then the other, and do the same for changing them. But when it came to the nights, they weren't going to get much sleep. By the time they fed one twin and settled them, they would have to move onto the next one and do it again. And then they wouldn't get much sleep before they had to get up and repeat the process all over again. It was going to be a struggle. Not to mention if they had to get up during the night for the rest of the kids.

"So for the first few weeks, you sort one, and I'll have the other." Eddie and Bobby had managed to worm around the rota. Eddie was going to get his typical two weeks maternity leave, but then he had booked the week after off as annual leave.

All in all he would get three straight weeks off work to be home with (Y/n) and the kids to try and get into a routine and make things easier. That way (Y/n) would hopefully be feeling better by the time Eddie had to go back to work and things would be settled at home so he wouldn't have to worry as much while on shift.

They stayed quiet for a little while as Eddie finally turned the tv off and laid down. He bent one arm behind his head, with his knuckles tapping against the headboard and his right arm secured around (Y/n)'s waist. He smoothed his thumb up and down her stomach while she shimmied to try and get comfy beside him- or technically on him as she was laid over his chest.

After a minute or two, Eddie tilted his head forward and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"What're you really worried about, mi amor?" He could sense there was something else on her mind that she hadn't said and he didn't want her to worry. They were going to make this work, their family was going to be large and loved and perfect.

"I- I don't want you to start feeling like work is a break for you… you know?" (Y/n) hated the words that passed her lips and she cringed when she felt Eddie suck in a deep breath.

Six kids, two newborns, that was going to be hard and stressful and the last thing (Y/n) wanted was for Eddie to feel like work was a break away from all of that. She didn't want Eddie to feel like he had to get an escape and that he might prefer being at work away from the stress at home.

"Baby, I promise that work is never going to feel like that to me. I'll always wanna be home with you; with our family."

A shiver coursed down (Y/n)'s spine when Eddie's words muffled into her hair and she felt him kissing the top of her head. That made her feel better. She hoped it would still be true when the midnight feeds came around and they had two babies to soothe and four other kids to settle.

She closed her eyes and burrowed down against him which made him smile wider. And she smothered down a grumble and reached out for Eddie's hand when the twins started to move.

"I think they heard you." She murmured into his chest, grateful when his hand started gliding across her skin to see if he could calm them down.

Eddie wouldn't lie, he loved how animated the twins were. He thought Tilly would of been their last, so to feel the babies kicking and wriggling and having this experience again was making his heart feel full to the point of exploding.

And he loved to watch the way (Y/n)'s shape changed and how she was starting to live in his clothes now. It made him happy and proud.

He could feel himself nodding off and he knew (Y/n) had fallen asleep by the change in her breathing and how she relaxed against him. Eddie felt like his body was swaying from side to side as if he were sailing on the sea. He wasn't too sure how long he had been drifting like that for, but when a thud rattled against the wall, he jerked awake.

His head shot up off the pillow and his chest jerked up, jostling (Y/n) against him making her clutch his chest in panic.

Both of them waited in silence as (Y/n) clung to Eddie, unsure what had woken him and Eddie felt much the same. But when another thud echoed through the walls, followed by a distant but audible cry, Eddie eased from beneath (Y/n) and got to his feet.

"It's Lia." He tried to hurry, padding across the carpet to leave the room. His hands trailed the walls, fumbling for the hallway light switch once he was out of their room.

Eddie didn't have his bearings yet, none of them did. He had no idea where the lightswitches were in this house and the layout was still vague in his mind. He could walk the old house blindfolded, this time he was going to have to learn the layout first.

"Lia, Carino you okay?" He had to flick the bedroom light on to see where the boxes were.

All they had set up in the bedrooms were the beds and the tvs, the essentials as the kids called them. Eddie had yet to put up any shelves in any of the kid's bedrooms and their toys and teddies and accessories were still strewn around and laid in boxes.

"D- d- dad…" The way Amelia's head was tilted to one side looked odd, but it was her dilated pupils and locked jaw that made Eddie wince.

He plonked down on the side of the bed beside the guard rail, trying to assess his eldest but it was hard. Amelia was almost slouched into the wall, both hands on her lap and the cover strewn about her ankles. And her legs were violently thrashing up and down like she was being electrocuted.

"Okay-" Eddie winced and leaned back when she screamed. The sound was muffled because she could barely loosen her jaw, but it didn't stop her from trying. And her hands moved down to her thighs so her nails could scratch up and down her legs, almost drawing blood in her efforts.

Shuffling closer, Eddie held her hands and moved them onto his lap instead to stop her from hurting herself. Clearly this seizure was affecting her legs more than anywhere else, and the slight bump on her temple implied the thud Eddie heard was her headbutting the wall.

"Carino, it's alright. I've got you, it won't last long."

He kept her arms laid on his lap and began moving his hands up and down her arms towards her shoulders and back down like he was giving her a massage. It stopped her from screaming again and her blown pupils focused on him as her legs continued to thrash and twitch against his hip and the bed.

He was relieved after a minute that the shaking started to subside. But he visibly winced when Amelia's head suddenly snapped forward. It looked like her neck had been broken and her chin went right down near her sternum which must have hurt the back of her neck and down her spine.

"Woah, okay come here." His hands moved to cup her face and he carefully tilted her head back, wiping away the tears with the pad of his thumbs.

Head-drops were common during these type of seizures, but it didn't mean they were nice to witness and Eddie could tell it hurt. He kept her head tilted up in his direction and when a feeble cry escaped her lips, he sighed.

He knew what she was silently asking, and he didn't feel able to refuse.

A soft, "Come here," passed his lips again and he shuffled closer until her face was meshed into his shoulder. He looped her arms around his neck and edged backwards off the bed, easing Amelia with him until he could pick her up.

Eddie knew she would want to stay with him and (Y/n) and she was still trembling like a leaf. She would feel safer with them rather than in a room by herself on the first night in their new home. If she seized again or got up during the night and tripped, it would be a lot worse. It would be safer to just let her sleep with them.

He held Amelia in his arms, hating how she continued to shake and tremble against him while she whimpered into his shoulder. Each tear he felt soaking into his skin made him want to cry. Eddie hated seeing any of the kids in pain, but seeing Amelia seize and suffer the effects always tore his heart out.

He switched the light off as he passed, but just as he stepped into the hall and went to turn the hallway light off, a small gasp caught his attention.

He twisted to the left, squinting down the hall before he sighed and tilted his head to one side.

"Tilly, what're you doing?" Eddie rose a brow and waited, watching his youngest as she dithered in the doorway to her room. But when he squinted, he realised she was sniffling.

"Scared, t-the shadows," She feebly pointed behind her into the bedroom while she stayed tucked up in the doorframe.

All the kids wanted their own rooms, but they were all so used to sharing that being alone was unnerving. Tilly had to get used to the different shadows and shapes in her room and the fact that she didn't have her big sister moving around or banging into things. Or the quiet sound of music playing from Amelia's headphones when they used to share rooms.

It was unnerving and Eddie didn't have the strength to settle Tilly and try to calm her down. They had time to get her used to sleeping alone, she didn't have to learn right away on the first night.

"Quick then." As soon as Eddie pointed to his room, Tilly made a break for it.

The three year old zoomed down the hall as if she were afraid Eddie would turn the light out before she got there.

He waited for her to scramble up onto the bed before he turned the hallway light off and shut the door behind him. He headed towards the bed and carefully laid Amelia down in the middle while Tilly scuttled under (Y/n)'s arm and burrowed into her side.

"We've got company," (Y/n) mused quietly while she wrapped Tilly up in her arms, watching as Eddie climbed in and tucked Amelia up in the middle. They couldn't have Amelia on the end of the bed in case she seized and fell out, she had to be in the middle.

Which meant that (Y/n) and Eddie felt like they were miles apart, especially in a new, big bed with both their daughter in between them.

"As always." Eddie's response was light-hearted and well meant. He pressed a kiss to Amelia's temple before he closed his eyes, already feeling sleep overtaking him.

Twisting his head from left to right, Eddie groaned and sucked in a deep breath, but it only made his nose scrunch up and his lips curl. When he felt something tickling his nose, he lifted his hand, groggily trying to bat away whatever was annoying him.

But he paused when his hand brushed his nose and he realised it was hair that was annoying him; and there was no way it was his hair.

He tiredly opened his eyes and tried to look around the room, guessing it had to be sometime in the morning because the room was lighter than before. His arms moved again and he flopped his right hand around until his palm pressed down on a small back.

It was Tilly.

He ran his hand up and down her back for a few moments, but as his senses came back to him, Eddie couldn't help but grunt. She was laid in a funny position. The toddler was laid on Eddie's right shoulder with her head and chest pressed down into his neck and collar bone.

"Tilly… princess, I can't breathe." He coughed, trying to nudge her up a bit so he could actually take in a proper breath. Now he knew why he really woke up; she was suffocating him by crushing his windpipe.

She shuffled the tiniest bit until her head was tucked beneath his chin but her body was no longer pressing down on his throat. She was still laid sideways across his pillow though.

"Thanks." He muttered quietly and continued to glide his right hand across her back to serenade them both back to sleep.

But after a minute or two, Eddie had to slide his left hand beneath the cover and pat across his thighs. He suddenly realised there was a leg strewn over his lap, but Eddie knew instantly that it wasn't his wife.

He trailed his hand across the leg and once his fingers danced across the owner's foot, he got a swift kick in the leg and a grunt.

It was Chris.

A frown formed on Eddie's face and he cracked his bleary eyes open and managed to lift his head from the pillow, despite Tilly being in the way like she was a scarf wrapped around him.

"Jesus."

Eddie was hanging on the edge of the bed, one leg dangerously close to crashing down to the floor. He had Tilly beside him on the pillow and Amelia was laid directly in the middle of the bed with her head lost between the pillows, flopped on the mattress. Further down the bed between Amelia and Eddie, there happened to be Chris who was curled up like a little fox with his head pressing into his sister's abdomen and his legs strewn next to Eddie.

And when Eddie glanced at the other half of the bed, he found (Y/n) laid on her back. One arm draped across her bump almost protectively, but her left arm was wrapped around Paul. He was cuddled into her side, his face meshed into her baby bump and his legs laid on her lap so he was effectively curled around the twins.

So the boys had snook into the bed at some point during the night too. God, Eddie was relieved they would have two or three years yet before the twins would be able to creep into their bed. He wasn't sure they could fit eight of them all together in here.

He dropped his head back onto the pillow with a sigh and closed his eyes, trying to switch his mind off and get some more sleep.

"Thank God we got a bigger bed."

***

A wide grin spread across Chris's face when he managed to reach out and pat Paul's shoulder. As soon as he did, he shot past his little brother and headed out the bedroom, making a speedy path down the hallway. They were playing tag and now that they had a bigger house, it meant more games to play and more chances to get away and win.

Chris trailed his eyes along the familiar pictures on the walls as he headed towards the other side of the hall. Their parent's room was the neutral zone, no one could be tagged in there.

He looked up at the main family photo hanging on the wall between Amelia's room and their parent's room. It was from two years ago when Tilly had only just turned one and they had been at a party at the station. They had a lot of family photos, and Chris loved them all.

He also loved the fact that there was a large canvas photo downstairs in the living room above the fireplace. It was one of the photo sets they had done when Tilly had been born. Chris couldn't wait because he knew in a few short weeks when the twins were here, they would get updated family photos. He loved photoshoots.

He was about to zoom into their parent's room when he noticed the door was open on his left. The twin's room.

The boys had been a little more than surprised after the twins room was decorated and they didn't see the cots in there. They had been even more dismayed to find both cots put up in their parent's room. But then they remembered that it had been the same when Tilly had been born.

It would be hard for (Y/n) and Eddie to constantly be walking in and out of the twins room to feed and settle them both at different times, and it might wake or disturb the rest of the kids. They always had newborns in their room with them for the first few months.

"Got you!" Paul patted his hand rapidly against Chris's shoulder, but he paused too when they both looked into the room and saw their dad.

Eddie was mulling about the room which now had shelves up on the walls which empty picture frames and teddies scattered about. There was a changing unit near the window, stacks of nappies in the corner and a chest of drawers with all the clothes neatly folded away. There were even Disney stickers on the walls which Tilly was a bit jealous of.

"What you doing?" Paul padded into the room and moved to stand beside Eddie, trying to push up onto his tip toes to try and see the bag that was on top of the chest of drawers. And Chris followed, moving to stand on Eddie's other side.

"Uh, getting everything ready for tomorrow." Eddie raked his hand through his hair, brushing the curls away from his eyes before he reached down and ruffled both the boys hair.

"Why?"

Eddie turned around and leaned his hips back against the chest of drawers and folded his arms over his chest. He looked between both of them as they stared up at him with wide, curious eyes and matching grins. Sometimes the boys were almost like twins even though there were five years separating them.

He smiled at them both, figuring that he could tell them now rather than later on tonight.

"Okay, tomorrow uncle Buck's gonna come and stay with you after school so I can take mum to hospital. She's gonna have the babies tomorrow."

Amelia already knew, she had seen the date on the calendar and they had explained to her since she was the eldest. And he would sit down and tell Tilly on her own because they knew she wasn't going to be happy about being away from her parents, even for one night.

"How'd you know that? You don't get to choose." The pointed look on Chris's face made Eddie smile. He was smart. He knew how some of this worked, and he remembered from the other times his mum had been pregnant. They had all waited, it had been a surprise each time when she went into labour, they didn't know beforehand.

"When you have twins, sometimes you can choose, buddy. The doctor will start labour tomorrow when we get there, it means your mum and the twins will be safer if they come now."

This had been planned for the last three months. (Y/n) would be thirty-five weeks pregnant and that was a safe date where the twins could be born a bit earlier without too many risks. It stopped (Y/n) from developing any complications or issues and the risks that came with a natural, multiple birth.

It also meant Eddie had been able to get his annual leave booked and tell Bobby exactly when they would need someone to cover his shifts for the next three weeks.

"When will you come home?" The panic in Paul's voice made Eddie's heart become erratic.

And when the five year old pushed forward and wrapped his arms around Eddie, he smiled softly at him. He moved his hand to cradle the back of Paul's head who looked up at him with those big brown eyes that matched Eddie down to the very last detail.

He felt Chris lean his head on his chest which was his way of silently asking for a hug too, so Eddie looped his other arm around Chris. Cuddling both boys against him like he was going to be away for weeks, not a matter of days.

"I'll be back the day after tomorrow, and hopefully mum and the babies will be home by the end of the week. Don't worry, it's all sorted."

Eddie had just finished the hospital bag they would be taking with them, everything was set. He would take the kids to school tomorrow, then get (Y/n) down to the hospital straight after. And Buck would pick all the kids up and stay here with them tomorrow night and take them to school the next day. Then Eddie would be home to look after them again, and they would work out from then on when exactly (Y/n) and the twins would be coming home.

***

"Dad's home!" No sooner did the words leave Amelia's lips, and her younger siblings were all scrambling behind her to look out the window.

As soon as they all saw for themselves that Eddie's car was in the drive, they bolted for the door, leaving Buck behind them hurrying to catch them up with a quiet 'wait for me'.

He leaned down and scooped Tilly up, holding the toddler high in his arms so he could speed after the rest of the kids.

Amelia flung the door open and bolted outside, looping her arms around Eddie's neck as soon as he was within reach. She pressed into him, grinning into his neck while Paul and Chris hurried to latch onto his legs and cling to him like all of them were vying for his love and attention.

"Woah, didn't I see you all yesterday?" He looped his arms around them all, enclosing them in a hug and he kissed their foreheads before he tried to get them to let him walk. He ushered them back towards the house where Buck was stood in the doorway, holding Tilly who was wriggling and giggling, trying her best to reach out for Eddie.

As soon as he was close, Eddie scooped Tilly up and pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek.

"Hi honey." Buck grinned and nudged the door shut once everyone was back inside. He knew the kids had been waiting around in agony, unsure when exactly Eddie would be coming home this afternoon and they were eager to know what was going on.

Although (Y/n) had the twins yesterday, Eddie made them all wait in suspense, including Buck and the team. He hadn't told anyone what the genders were and how it went yesterday. He messaged Buck to check on the kids and said they would talk once he came home this afternoon.

"Are you okay, have they been good?" Eddie and (Y/n) weren't used to leaving the kids for a whole night and they had been worried how Buck would cope with them all. But his smile showed he had been in his element, if anything.

"They were great, we had a movie night, all of them have been amazing. So, how's (Y/n)?"

"Is mum okay?"

"Are the twins here now?"

Eddie kissed Tilly's cheek once again before he set her down to her feet and looked around his army that were crowding him in the hallway. He had barely gotten into the house before they started their interrogation.

"Alright, everyone go sit down and we'll talk, come on." Eddie ushered them inside and watched all of them huddle to sit down. While they were arguing on where to sit and whether or not to turn the tv off, Eddie backed up towards the stairs. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, sharing a look with Buck. They had a moment to talk without prying ears listening in.

"Did it go as planned then… (Y/n)'s good, right?" Buck had been a little unsure when Eddie didn't say how it went. The most he got was 'twins are here, all recovering' and that was worrying. Buck knew Eddie, he was one to explain and excitedly rant or call and talk for a few minutes. Getting none of that had worried Buck to say the least.

He watched Eddie run his hands up and down his face and take a deep breath to try and settle his rattled system.

"We had a C-section."

"But- but I thought it was induced labour?" Surely Buck hadn't gotten things wrong? He could of sworn Eddie and (Y/n)'s plan was to have the doctor give her the necessary injections to enforce contractions and break her waters.

Other than that, it was supposed to be natural labour and (Y/n) would have the twins just like she had the rest of the kids. The only difference was they planned the day and started her body off into labour rather than waiting for it to happen on its own.

"That was the plan. Four hours into labour, the placenta blocked the cervix and then she started to bleed out. Lost a pint of blood like water from a tap… Jesus she scared me. Doctor called for emergency C-section, but she's okay, they're all okay."

Eddie ran his hands up and down his face again, trying to liven himself up and shake off the nerves so he could smile.

It had been going according to plan for the first few hours. They got booked in, set up in a room. (Y/n) went into labour straight away from the medication and she got contractions like normal. They had been in the swing of things, calm and happy just like every other time.

Then it went wrong.

(Y/n) started to push, and suddenly she was crippled in agony. The placenta had moved in the way of the babies and blocked the cervix and it caused a haemorrhage. Eddie had never seen her bleed so much and so fast like that, the bed turned crimson before they had a chance to press the emergency button.

A C-section had been their only choice to stop the bleeding and prevent another one, and they couldn't move the placenta once it was in the way.

Eddie's heart had been in his throat the whole time until (Y/n) was finally stitched up and back on the ward and the twins were safely in their arms.

"You should of said, I would of stayed with the kids tonight for you."

"No, we couldn't ask that, besides I needed to see them. Come on," Eddie ticked his head to the side and headed into the living room. It wouldn't be fair to ask that of Buck and (Y/n) was okay. Her mum was at the hospital with her for now while Eddie stayed home tonight with the kids and he would go straight back once they were all at school.

Eddie slumped down into the armchair and when Paul hurried over to him, he smiled and opened his arms, letting the five year old clamber up onto his lap. Both his arms bound around Paul's waist and he snuggled down into him, hugging him tightly as he kissed his temple.

He watched Buck sit in the opposite chair while Amelia, Chris and Tilly were perched on the sofa, all on the edge of their seats with eagerness. They had been waiting all night to know the news.

"So?"

"You've got a little brother, and another sister."

Eddie wouldn't say it was what he had been hoping for, because he hadn't cared whether they had one of each, two boys or two girls. But it did feel good to know they had three of each. It was equal. And they wouldn't be having any more kids. Tilly and the twins hadn't exactly been planned, but this was their family complete now. Three boys, three girls.

"Where's mummy?" Tilly looked around as if she was expecting (Y/n) to walk through the door with the babies at any moment. After a moment of silence, Tilly hopped off the sofa and moved to sit on Buck's knee since Paul was with their dad.

"Mum's at the hospital, she can come home tomorrow."

"Yay-"

"Ah, but if mum comes home, I need you all to promise me something."

Eddie twisted Paul round so he was looking at him while the rest of them stared at him with curious, worried wide eyes.

"Mum really wasn't well yesterday, she had to have an operation to have the twins. She's gonna be fine, but if she comes home, I need you all to help me. Your mum can't bend down properly or carry the washing or pick any of you up, she has to rest. We have to look after her, okay?"

(Y/n) wouldn't be able to bend down and pick toys up off the floor and tidy up after them. She couldn't carry anything heavier than the twins, she wouldn't be able to bend down and put the washing on or carry heavy things up the stairs. And Paul and Tilly couldn't be begging her to pick them up, neither could Chris since he sometimes liked to be carried.

Eddie had to have the kids help him and help look after (Y/n), they had to make it easier for her. It would be hard enough for (Y/n) to get up during the night and climb the stairs now she had stitches.

They hadn't been prepared for surgery and the aftercare that came with it.

A chorus of 'promise' and 'we will' made Eddie smile. He knew he was lucky, the kids would bend over backwards for him and (Y/n), they would all relish looking after her and trying to make her smile and feel better.

"Are the twins okay?" The worry in Amelia's eyes hit Eddie straight in the chest. She was the only one who knew what kind of surgery (Y/n) must of had and what a C-section was.

"They're both fine, they can come home in a few days too. Everyone's okay."

The sound of the front door slamming closed brought (Y/n) out of her trance. Her body jolted on the spot and she shivered, trying not to jostle the newborn cradled in the crook of her left arm.

She stayed stooped over, leaning forwards until her stomach was creased and her back clicked out of place with how far forwards she was sitting. Her feet tapped away on the soft carpet, having gone numb ages ago from the way she was sitting like she was trying to will herself to get up.

Her thumb smoothed up and down Jamie's arm as she cradled him a bit closer to her chest wishing it would somehow make her feel better, but it didn't.

She could hear multiple footsteps pounding up the stairs and it made her bow her head and brush her free hand across her face to rid the tears that had been steadily streaming for the last hour or so.

She knew the footsteps meant Eddie had brought the kids home from school.

She heard a soft "Hi mum," hollered from the hallway before the sound of Amelia's bedroom door opened and shut again. The eldest was home, clearly.

(Y/n) tried to wipe her face down again and she rocked Jamie in her arm, trying to keep him settled and asleep. She had just fed him and she knew she had to set him down soon so he could sleep properly rather than doze off in her arm like this. But she didn't have the strength to get up off the bed, let alone try and lean down and set him in the cot again. Picking him up had been enough of a struggle.

Eddie ran his hand along the back of his neck as he trudged up the stairs once he watched Paul scuttle into the living room. Both Chris and Tilly were toddling up the stairs just in front of him and he had watched Amelia hurry up.

He had done the school run today. Tilly was only three so she was only going to nursery three times a week. Eddie picked her up, took her for a walk to the park and then went to get the rest of the kids from school. He knew all of them would be tired now which meant it would be a bit easier for him and (Y/n) this afternoon.

A smile danced across his lips when he watched Chris and Tilly hurry down the hall and into his and (Y/n)'s room like bulldozers. They wanted to see her and the twins.

"Daddy…" Tilly looked from the bedroom doorway down to Eddie in the hallway and silently pointed back into the bedroom. Her actions caused a frown to appear on Eddie's lips.

He walked over to her, resting his hand on the back of her head as he leaned into the room to see why she looked so nervous all of a sudden. Was (Y/n) sleeping? Had she been sick?

(Y/n) was sitting on the edge of the bed like she wasn't sure whether she was going to slide off onto the floor or not. Her upper body was arched over until she almost had her chest pressing down into her thighs. One arm had one of the twins cradled into her side, and her head was bowed forward.

It was clear from the way her shoulders were quaking that she was crying. If that wasn't enough of an incentive, Eddie could tell by how Chris was stood at her side, running his hand up and down her back while he kissed her shoulder. None of the kids ever knew what to do when their parents were crying or how to console them.

"Alright, downstairs you two."

Once the pair of them scuttled out the room, Eddie walked in and sank down on the side of the bed next to her. He gently nudged his knee into hers and wrapped his right arm around her waist while his left hand cradled the back of Jamie's head.

"Why the tears, amor? What's up?"

"I didn't think it would hurt this much." (Y/n) huffed and kept her head tilted down so Eddie couldn't see her grave expression.

She felt stupid. She felt so silly for not realising just how much having a C-section was going to hurt in the aftermath. But she could barely get out of bed. They had four kids and two newborns to care for and (Y/n) had barely been able to leave the bedroom at all today.

She had been home all of two days and she wanted to curl up and disappear. Her stomach was killing her. It felt like she was covered in itching powder that she couldn't wash off no matter what she did. She just wanted to claw at her abdomen until her skin came off and she got some sense of relief. And sitting up was proving to be something she couldn't do.

(Y/n) couldn't straighten up without being in absolute agony, and she didn't know what to do with herself anymore.

"Pass him here so I can take a look, amor."

(Y/n) didn't grumble when Eddie carefully eased their boy from her arms and into his instead.

He pressed a quick kiss to Jamie's forehead before he got up and moved over to the crib opposite the bed. He eased him down, taking a peek to make sure that Lottie was still asleep and settled too before he went over to (Y/n).

Both her hands were now gripping the bed and she was leaning forward like she was about to take a nose dive off the bed onto the carpet.

Eddie went down on his knees in front of her and placed his hands on her thighs, carefully parting her legs enough so that he could kneel between them. His hands found her waist and her shoulder and he was slow and tentative as he tried to help ease her up into a straightened sitting position so she wasn't stooped over.

The movement made (Y/n) shudder and another wave of tears poured down her face. She tipped her head back and bit down on her lip until she could taste burnt copper on her tongue.

"Okay," He mused while he lifted her shirt up and carefully peeled back the elastic band of her pyjama bottoms.

His fingers carefully traced the neat row of stitches lining her abdomen in line between her hip bones below her belly button. He couldn't help but wince when (Y/n)'s stomach sucked in away from his touch and she all but shrieked at his tender touch.

"I'm guessing it itches too?"

"It- it's like it blisters, oh Eddie it hurts." Tears trickled down the bridge of her nose and she watched Eddie's face fall and his lips pursed into a saddened expression.

"Shit, baby I think they're infected."

The cry that (Y/n) let out broke Eddie's heart into a million pieces and he pushed up on his knees just as (Y/n) leaned down. Her head dropped onto his shoulder and her arms looped tightly around his neck, binding herself to him to refrain from scratching her stomach into shreds.

Eddie knew it shouldn't be hurting her this much, it should be uncomfortable and tight but not burning and itching like this. And if she continued to itch them she could tear them and make them bleed. But Eddie guessed she had an infection and that meant antibiotics, possibly new stitches and a longer recovery time.

"Okay, shh it's okay." His hand cupped the back of her neck and his other arm bound around her waist as he began peppering soft kisses against her temple.

(Y/n) had never had a C-section before now. Their other four births had been natural and they hadn't expected this set back this time either. It meant (Y/n) wouldn't recover as quickly. It meant more rest, less lifting and she couldn't stand up straight when she was walking around. Straining would make her worse too and she had kids to care for.

"Let me call Hen, see if she can watch the kids and I'll take you down to the emergency room. We'll sort it out, it won't hurt for much longer baby, I promise."

***

A constant ache burned in Eddie's arm as he rhythmically patted his hand against Jamie's leg while his other hand tapped against the bottle he was feeding him. The ache in his arms had been there since he fed and winded Lottie, who was now asleep in the living room.

Now he understood what the doctor was talking about when saying it would be hard but easier to do shifts with feeding them.

He continued to move about the kitchen, making sure to be slow so he didn't jostle the one week old too much and disrupt him.

Tilting his head down, Eddie pressed his chin against the end of the bottle, expertly trapping it between his chest and chin so his hand was free to reach out and turn the kettle on.

He could just about hear the music drifting down from upstairs over the sound of the kids chatting away.

(Y/n) had been upstairs for a while with Amelia so the eldest could get a bath. She could only have a bath if someone went with her in the bathroom so she wasn't at risk of seizing and slipping under the water. And Eddie was sure Amelia was staying up there with (Y/n) now to try and help her mum get washed and changed.

He grabbed a cup from the cupboard and closed his eyes, sighing when he heard the rest of the kids start to get louder in the dining room.

Chris and Tilly were painting at the table, and Eddie wasn't too sure what Paul was doing. He had been watching tv but now he seemed to be joining in the painting.

When a shrill scream tore through the air and vibrated into the kitchen, Eddie clutched his baby boy tighter to his chest and grimaced. He set the bottle down when poor Jamie coughed and moved into a spluttering cry from the scream that clearly frightened him.

Before Eddie could turn around, he could hear Chris whining and the sound of something clashing onto the table. Another scream tore through the air which he was sure was Tilly before Chris's voice rung out through the house.

"Dad!" Chris tilted his head back and slammed the paintbrush from his hand down onto the table.

When Paul tried to lean over him, Chris slapped his arm a bit too harshly, causing the five year old to recoil with a whine that turned into blubbering tears pouring down his face.

Paul had knocked into Chris when he tried to do his painting, causing a bright streak of green to slash across his page. And when Chris pushed Paul away, it caused him to clash into Tilly who knocked the cup of water across the table and onto the pallet of paints they had between them.

Tilly tried to hit and push both her brothers as large tears poured down her face and she let out a scream of defiance. She began to bash her hands against the table that was now a mess of children's paint and water and damp paper.

Over the noise they were making, the three of them could distinctly hear two sets of wails they recognised to be the twins, sounding from different rooms. But all of them stopped slapping and pushing each other when a harsh set of footsteps thundered into the dining room.

"Enough!"

A gasp tumbled past Tilly's lips and she jumped in her seat, twisting around on the cushion she had placed on the chair to make herself taller. She looked behind her, eyes wide and tears soaking her cheeks as she stared up at their dad.

He didn't look happy.

His hair was skewed and wild about his head. His brows were furrowed and his upper lip was curled like he was about to snarl at them. He had one of the twins resting against his shoulder, continuing to rub his back and trying to soothe him while his eyes roamed the rest of his kids to see what they had been up to.

"Chris, living room. You two clean the table now." Eddie pointed between the three of them before he patted Chris's shoulder to get him to stand up.

If they were going to fight they could all disperse around the house and stop painting. And now that Lottie was awake too, Chris could help Eddie with the twins so there wouldn't be anymore trouble.

When Tilly reached out and pushed Paul away from her, he turned round and slapped her hand until Eddie grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away so he wasn't stood between the chairs anymore.

"Stop it." He sneered and he pointed his hand down at Tilly when she leaned over like she was going to continue to try and hit the boys in frustration.

"Not fair!"

"Paul's fault-"

"Don't you think I've got enough fucking work to do? Get that mess cleaned up now or get out of my sight."

Chris shuddered and scarpered off past the double doors to get into the living room so he wouldn't be told off again. And he winced when he heard Tilly burst out into tears, sobbing loudly in the way she did when things didn't go her way rather than when she was unwell.

He knew Paul was starting to sniff and sob too. None of them liked being told off, and Eddie's tone had been harsh and snappy.

Eddie twisted on his heels and stormed out of the dining room, shutting the doors behind him so Paul and Tilly wouldn't follow. And in case they tried to sneak out the dining room without cleaning up. Eddie would hear either these doors or the kitchen door open if they tried to leave and he would tell them off if they didn't clean up.

He could feel his chest rising and falling and his raging eyes looked around the living room.

In an instant, he switched off the tv that was starting to annoy him. The background noise wasn't going to help the twins.

He pointed to the sofa, waiting silently for Chris to sit down even though Chris wasn't sure what he was being asked or what was going on.

"You all woke the twins. You can feed Jamie for me while I put Lottie back to sleep; again."

Chris nodded even though he knew he wasn't really being given a choice here. He sat up straight and stretched his legs out, opening his arms patiently for his little brother to be laid over his lap. Once Eddie adjusted his arms safely, Eddie headed through the hall to retrieve the bottle from the kitchen so he wouldn't have to go in the dining room.

He handed Chris the bottle before he carefully scooped Lottie up from the rocker near the armchair.

"Alright baby girl, I'm here." He carefully eased Lottie onto his chest, tilting back so she was laid against him with her face burrowed into his neck and his hand gliding up and down her back. He rocked her on his chest and began pacing the living room behind the sofa to try and settle her back down to sleep.

The kids couldn't play up and start messing around like that and expect Eddie or (Y/n) to play referee. Eddie needed (Y/n) to stay upstairs and rest, she still wasn't well and that meant that he was sorting the twins and keeping an eye on the rest of the kids. And he was trying to do some of the endless washing so (Y/n) wouldn't dare try and do it and over-exert herself.

He was playing the role of mother hen and he needed the kids to listen and do what they promised. Be good and help look after (Y/n).

"Dad…" Chris timidly looked behind him and held up the finished bottle, he had fed his brother but he wasn't good at winding him.

Eddie carefully laid Lottie on the sofa next to Chris, despite the way she was still whining and wriggling. He took Jamie and winded him and when he was done, he pointed at the rocker in the corner until Chris got down and sat next to the rocker on the floor.

"Settle him for me." Eddie's voice was thawing out a little but it still sounded gritty and Chris wouldn't dare argue.

He sat obligingly and started to sway the rocker up and down, nudging his brother's foot every now and then to try and get him to sleep. It meant Eddie could pick Lottie back up and soothe her while he slowly padded into the kitchen.

He settled on making a coffee and rocking Lottie in his arm as she fisted his shirt in her tiny hand and started to tug.

Eddie began humming quietly while he made a drink for him and (Y/n) and set on making a hot chocolate for Amelia. He knew if he didn't she would only come down and make one herself and tease him for not making her one.

His lips pursed and he straightened up, taking a deep breath when he heard slow, placid footsteps behind him.

"Yes?" His voice was cold but he'd lost the frustration he held earlier. He didn't have to look behind him to know it was Paul and Tilly trotting into the kitchen now they knew he was in here.

"Sorry daddy." Paul's voice was meek and he hurriedly set the cups, paint pallets and brushes down in the sink next to Eddie before backing away in case he was still in trouble.

"Sorry… you s-still mad at us daddy?" Tilly rubbed at her eyes and tried to sniff and take a deep breath, but she continued to huff and whimper, unable to stop herself from getting upset. She could be dramatic at times, if Eddie told her calmly to stop doing something she would cry and throw a tantrum as if he had shouted at her.

So whenever Eddie lost his well kept temper around her, it felt like the end of the world to Tilly.

Eddie's shoulders dropped and he turned round to look at them, feeling his heart plummet down to his stomach when he saw how sorry they looked for themselves. He kept Lottie cradled in his right arm, tucking her into his chest now she was starting to doze off and he crouched down, beckoning them both to come over to him.

"No, princess. But I just need you to help me. Mummy is sick, Lia's trying to help her and that means I'm feeding and changing the twins and looking after you three as well. You can't be throwing things and arguing and waking the twins up, that's not fair."

They both nodded, murmuring another round of sorry before they moved over and tucked into his chest. Tilly leaned her cheek against his chest and observed the newborn in his arm, trying not to squish up against her sister. While Paul burrowed down against Eddie's arm and kissed his cheek as way of an apology.

"But I shouldn't have snapped at you either, I'm sorry. I've got a lot to do, that's all."

He didn't mean it, he just needed them to help him. Eddie had two more weeks before he had to go back to work and he was dreading it. He hated the thought of leaving his growing family and leaving (Y/n) to care for them all when she still wouldn't be one hundred percent yet.

Eddie wanted to do everything he could for all of them, even if that meant wearing himself thin.

[cup-o-cat]

eddie diaz stay strong. it seems bleak rn but there are hundreds of deeply invested lesbians in your corner. we've got you. yeah you're kinda trapped in your own personal circle of hell rn but not for long!! just grab my hand king

[theseprezelsaremakingmethirsty]

do the buddie fandom know about mcdanno??