#but they're not staying up late three nights a week or skipping two three baths in a row you know ???

[willowser]

willie🥺 i feel like u always write bakugo as the more strict parent, saying out teeth are gonna rot and making sure his kid is polite... what do u think he's lax about? if anything? cuz i don't want to be judged all the time by him LOL

hmm hmm ! i'm not sure ! i—didn't realize i was writing him to be too strict if i'm honest LOL i think...there are things he's very particular about as a parent—like his kiddos' dental hygiene and their manners—but i guess i didn't consider his take strict bc....those are things i think he has to be firm about, when it comes to being a responsible parent ??

like, he's letting the kiddos have their candy or letting them drink juice with dinner or eat a donut for breakfast...but, yes, there is no negotiation on brushing their teeth afterward. okay, if they wanna have a fit and be mad, that's normal kid shit, but it’s no excuse to be disrespectful to anyone. they can be mad about being made to eat a few veggies off their plate, but they're not gonna huff and puff and hmm! in their mommy's face, you know ???

idk !! in my opinion, him giving a sort of gentle reminder of minding their manners and taking care of their toys and being nice to their siblings—that is him being lax ??? sort of quietly nudging them, giving them a look from the corner of his eye that they understand without question; there's no screaming or hollering, no raised voices, no real anger taken out on them. i don't think any of it comes from a judgy place, he just sees it as his responsibility as a parent to not let a little gremlin loose in society, like he was LMAO

idk !! maybe i have a different perspective on what exactly is strict parenting !! which is normal, considering we all came from different households and families and walks of life 🩷

[the-one-eighteen]

Okay for the prompt request, how about Buck plans a picnic with Eddie and Chris and they're once again mistaken for a couple? Bonus point if it leads to love confession and a first kiss (and no pressure if you don't feel like writing this, okay?)

Thank you so much for the prompt, and sorry for the delay! Hope you like it ^^

I Don’t Want Them to be Wrong

(read on ao3)

Buck couldn’t ask for a better day. The sun was shining without burning everything to a crisp, the park was busy without being crowded, they’d managed to find a perfect spot under a couple of trees - close enough to the playground that Chris could easily make it without help, but out of the way enough that they weren’t in any danger of being trampled on by excited kids or harried parents - and...well, he was out and about with his two favorite people.

The day honestly couldn’t get much better.

Eddie had given him a bit of a weird look when he’d suggested the picnic about a week ago. But Buck was smart, and had suggested it in front of Chris, who was immediately on board and helped him convince Eddie that it was a great idea without much prompting. He was pretty sure it was physically impossible for Eddie to say no to Chris over fun, easy stuff.

No one ever said he had to play fair when it came to Eddie.

And now, here they were, and even Eddie had to admit this was a good idea when he saw Chris light up, saw the spot Buck had picked out, and saw the food Buck had put together and just…

Yeah, it was a good idea, and Buck was a little proud of himself, honestly.

They’d needed a day out. Eddie’d been complaining about the never ending stream of take out he’d been having to get lately, and how, with it being summer, Carla and his family were having to watch Chris more, and while they were all great and wonderful, there was only so much they could do with an excited eight year old who didn’t have school and homework as a distraction.

Buck hadn’t thought of a picnic originally - it wasn’t generally his go-to, which tended more towards beer, pizza and video games, because, honestly? He didn’t need a whole lot, if he was spending the day with Eddie and Chris. Hell, he’d probably be happy with just hanging out on their couch for a couple hours, he was that far into it.

But Eddie had just looked so...upset, about the fact that Chris was bored out of his mind, and Eddie...hadn’t really been able to do anything to help relieve that boredom lately.

He might have also gone to Hen for suggestions.

Hen had given him a weird look - she’d been giving him a lot of those lately actually - before just shaking her head and suggesting one of the parks her and Karen took Denny to when the summer blues hit.

So, yeah. Picnic.

Eddie was currently stretched out beside him on the blanket, leaning back on his arms and watching Chris play, a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose, and a little dab of sunscreen there too, from where he’d been trying to cover Chris and Chris had been having none of it.

Buck kind of wants to tell him it’s there. Kind of wants to see how long it’ll take him to notice.

The sandwiches Buck had made are already long gone, a couple snacks still laid out here and there for when Chris decides he wants to come back.

They’re in absolutely no rush, and Buck is just enjoying the moment. He’s stretched out on his back, hands behind his head, enjoying the heat and the sounds of laughing kids and parents, and, honestly, if he wasn’t feeling so bright and full, he’d probably doze off, just absolutely content with life.

“...Thanks. For this.” Eddie murmurs a little while later, and Buck blinks slightly as his brain comes back online. Maybe he did doze off there for a moment. Whoops.

“Huh? Oh, of course man.” He grins up at Eddie, cheeky and bright. “You looked absolutely miserable last week. Had to do something.”

And Eddie looks at him, sunglasses making it impossible to actually decipher his expression. “No, you really didn’t.” And Buck doesn’t really get that, feels himself frowning, “But I’m glad you did.” And Eddie smiles down at him - that small, surprised one that he so rarely shows that makes Buck’s heart skip a beat or two every time he manages to tease it out.

And then he’s looking back towards the playground, and Buck gets a moment to just. Breathe. In through his nose, out through his mouth.

Calm down.

It’s something he has to tell himself a lot these days.

Calm down, when Eddie invites him to stay the night ‘cause they’ve been watching movies and it’s now midnight and there’s no point in him going home at that hour. Calm down, when Eddie tells him Chris misses him and he should come over soon. Calm down, when Eddie accepts invitations to his place for just the two of them for a night. Calm down, when Eddie asks if he can pick up Chris from school, or from his abuela’s because he’s picking up the end of a shift and knows Buck will without hesitation.

Calm down, when Eddie smiles at him, laughs with him.

Calm the fuck down, when Eddie does...anything.

It doesn’t ever really work, but he says it a lot. Likes to think it keeps him from doing something stupid.

“Daddy!” Chris calls, causing Buck to glance over, even if Eddie’s already on it.

“Yeah, buddy?” Eddie calls back, pushing himself up to actually sit.

“Can we get ice cream?” Chris asks, clearly already set to start heading for the ice cream cart that Buck had clocked when they’d gotten there.

Eddie frowns slightly, exaggeratedly, pretending to think on it for a moment.

Chris just huffs and turns to look at Buck instead, “Buck, can we get ice cream?” which causes Eddie to bust out laughing, and Buck just grins and shakes his head.

“Not how that works buddy. Good try though.” Buck says, even as Eddie mutters something about kids too smart for their own good.

Chris pouts a bit, but Eddie’s already throwing his hands up in defeat, “Go over and tell the nice lady what you want. We’ll be right there.” And Chris is off as fast as his little legs can carry him.

“Come on, let’s get over there before he orders more than he can carry…” Eddie says, trying for grumpy and put out, but Buck can see the smile, so he just shoves Eddie when he tries to get up, laughing when Eddie sprawls out with a squawk and a curse too low for any close by parents to be offended.

“You good there, Diaz?” Buck asks, smile as innocent as he can make it. Eddie’s not buying it for a second, if the look he shoots him is anything to go by, and Buck guesses he’s got about two seconds before Eddie tackles him in retaliation, so he’s up on his feet and gone in one. The shout that follows him as Eddie goes sprawling again just proves him right.

He laughs to himself, slowing down a good couple of feet from the cart, where Chris is waiting patiently, a frozen orange pop already in hand. “Looks good buddy, why don’t you go help your dad up while I pay?”

Chris beams at him and bolts back the way he came. Buck looks back long enough to see Eddie scoop up an excitedly shrieking Chris a moment later, both of them laughing and spinning around, enough that Buck’s vaguely worried about Chris losing his popsicle.

“He’s adorable. And incredibly polite. You two are doing a good job with him.” The woman behind the cart says and Buck blinks, glancing back over, what he’s sure is a dumb grin still in place.

“What? Oh, uh-” This isn’t the first someone’s mistaken them for...for more than what they are. Isn’t the first time Buck’s heart has flipped over itself at the very idea. “Thank you. He’s a good kid.” And she smiles kindly, and he orders two chocolate pops for him and Eddie and pays for all three with a thank you before heading back to their blanket, where Eddie’s losing at trying to keep Chris clean.

And, maybe, just maybe, it’s a little selfish, that he doesn’t correct them, every time it comes up. But the very idea of being able to call Chris his, of being able to call Eddie his...going along with it for one moment, just a moment where he can smile and be loud and proud about what he supposedly has…

It’s never hurt anyone, and it takes less time than explaining that no, they’re not together, no, Chris isn’t his, and yes, it hurts every single time he has to come back down to reality.

So.

Yeah.

He drops back down on the blanket, offering over the popsicle to Eddie, who just looks at him, utterly defeated, while Chris grins at him, smile orange and sticky and so, so bright.

“Give up Eddie. We’ll soak ‘em with the hose when we get home.” And Buck can feel his face heating up as his jaw snaps shut. He didn’t mean to say that, sneaking a look at Eddie to see if he noticed.

Thankfully it doesn’t look like it, as Eddie just sighs and takes the popsicle that’s being offered, giving up on getting a napkin to Chris’ face. “He needs a bath anyway…”

Chris finishes his popsicle in record time after that, muttering that Eddie and Buck eat too slow before asking if he can go play again. Eddie makes one last attempt at wiping his face off, but Chris is too hyper now to really sit still for it, though Buck will give it to him that he tries. For a second.

“Fine, fine, ya little sugar demon. Go burn off that energy.” Eddie says, shooing a now laughing Chris off towards the playground.

Buck tosses his popsicle stick into their small bag of trash, laying back to rest his head on his hands again, watching Chris with a smile as Eddie goes quiet. God, he just wants this day to last forever.

“Why do you never correct them?” Eddie asks after a long couple of minutes. He’s still sitting crosslegged next to Buck, and in theory, he’s watching the playground, but who the hell knew with those sunglasses that Buck was starting to hate. His popsicle is mostly forgotten in his hand, melting onto a napkin in front of him while his arms rest on his knees.

Buck doesn’t get what he’s asking at first, frowning and pushing himself up to his hands, “Correct them?”

“When people assume Chris is ours.” Eddie says, still not really looking over, though Buck has a sneaking suspicion he’s watching Buck out of the corners of his eyes.

But Buck’s not really concerned with that right now.

No, no, he’s mainly concerned with the fact that it seems his stomach has suddenly relocated to his knees, and he’s pretty sure that’s not where it’s supposed to be.

“Uh…” Okay, think. Calm down and think. “...It’s faster to just agree?” Buck tries, hating how his voice goes a little shaky.

And there’s a pause. A long one that has the hair on the back of Buck’s neck standing on edge.

“...Oh.” Is all Eddie says though, his shoulders slumping slightly. And Buck can feel his gaze going back to the playground, even if he can’t actually see it.

...What the ever loving hell was he supposed to do with that?

He sits up completely then, moving to sit crosslegged in a mirror of Eddie, just eyeing him for a long moment. Eddie’s not...avoiding his look, but he’s definitely pretending like he doesn’t notice, if the sudden tension he can see in his shoulders is anything to go by.

Buck’s stomach is back where it’s supposed to be, but now his heart is beating double time as the very possibility starts worming its way into his mind. Was Eddie...disappointed?

Calm down. There had to be another explanation.

Calm down. But what could it be?

Calm down before you do something stu- “And…” Buck begins, slowly, testing the words in his mind over and over again before he actually lets them out, “I really like the idea.” He hesitates, before adding, softer, “I don’t want them to be wrong.”

And Buck’s like. Ninety percent certain Eddie’s stopped breathing. Which, you know, is only fair, since Buck’s holding his breath now too, waiting for Eddie to respond.

It’s quiet between them for long enough for Buck to go a little light headed before Eddie sets down what’s left of the popsicle. He reaches up to pull off his sunglasses, finally looking at Buck.

Really looking. Intense eyes bore into Buck for another long moment and it’s all Buck can do not to look away. Look away from this, whatever this turns out to be.

And then Eddie’s face breaks into a smile - one Buck’s never seen, but one that immediately takes his breath away, it’s so damn bright. Well, looks like he has a new favorite smile. Or, you know, he could just stick to loving all of them. That works too.

“I really like the idea too.” Eddie says, almost shyly, and Buck just...he needs to do something stupid. Again.

He leans in to press a kiss to Eddie’s lips, grins when he feels Eddie lean into it immediately, only for them to have to break apart way too soon because they’re both grinning too hard for it to work. Both of their smiles are a little stupid as they laugh softly,

“Maybe try that again?” Eddie asks, and Buck has to actually school his face so he doesn’t laugh again before he’s leaning back in to steal an actual kiss, all sweet intensity and soft breath, and it damn near takes his breath away when Eddie shifts just enough to slot them together just right.

Yeah, Buck couldn’t ask for a better day.