Work Text:
When he was younger, Buck never considered the idea that he could be an uncle one day. That all changed when Maddie and Chim announced their pregnancy.
Waiting all those nine months was completely worth it and seeing his nephew for the first time resting in the arms of his sister made his heart soar. He knows it was a difficult birth so it was calming to see them both at peace. It was also the most he’d ever seen both her and Chim glow as if the sun was radiating from within them looking truly blissful with the family that they created together.
It was a week later when he’d gone to visit on his day off. What he did not expect to see after that moment in the hospital, was to see the new parents looking dead on their feet, as if they hadn’t slept a wink since they’d returned home. And maybe that was true, seeing how he was greeted with a very upset baby Kevin, held in the arms of Chim.
“… I brought you guys some wine,” he says haltingly when he enters the house, “and I’m now I’m glad I did from the looks of you two.”
Maddie rolls her eyes at his honesty, “You have no idea.”
She takes the bottle from his hand and moves directly to the kitchen, while Buck looks to Chim questioningly, who just looks at him exhaustedly but answers the unsaid question, “Kevin has barely stopped crying since we got home.”
Maddie returns with wine and three glasses, pouring them as she follows on from Chim had said, “The only time he stops is when he’s eating or sleeping which happens only a few hours at a time.”
Buck considers this for a moment, recalling some research he’d done during the pregnancy. “Can I try?” he asks, as he gestures to Chim, who was currently trying to soothe Kevin to no avail by gently rocking him.
“By all means Buck,” says Chim as he happily passes off the bub to Buck’s waiting arms.
The two parents watch tiredly with wine glasses in hand as he unsuccessfully tries to calm Kevin in the conventional ways. “He’s definitely not hungry right now?”
“Nope, he was fed not long ago. And his diaper is empty,” supplies Maddie.
Buck hums to himself as he remembers more of what he read. “Can I lie him down somewhere? There’s something I want to try if that’s okay with you guys?”
They share the briefest knowing look between them as if they expected something like this before Chim answers, “Yeah, of course, we trust you Buck, you can use his changing table in the nursery.”
So that’s where he takes Kevin. Thinking to himself for a second before freeing him from his onesie and lying him on his back, Buck coos quietly to him and tells him exactly what he’s doing as he does it. Finding the baby oil easily, Buck dabs some out onto his fingertips and starts giving Kevin a gentle massage, talking to him quietly as he does so.
It doesn’t take long before the massage does what he hoped it would do, soothing whatever soreness Kevin was feeling which was showing up as little hot spots. And as he worked, Kevin’s cries slowly quietened, eventually falling into a peaceful slumber.
The quiet must have signaled Maddie and Chim, because not a second too soon they were peering around the doorframe, curiosity and wonder evident on their faces.
“How did you do that?” asks Maddie, stepping into the room as Buck carefully redresses Kevin back in his onesie.
“Baby massage. I read somewhere that sometimes babies who have harsh births can have sore spots all over their bodies. I hazard a guess that might have been the case here.”
Maddie steps in close and squashes Buck’s cheeks between her hands, “You are the best brother a sister could have, thank you,” breathes Maddie in relief, before pulling his face down and planting a kiss on his forehead.
“As much as I love you right now, you’re still not getting a kiss from me.” Chimes in Chim from behind Maddie before following up his statement with a yawn.
“That’s fine by me Chim,” responds Buck with a chuckle, “I’ll show you guys what I read-“
Getting distracted from what he was saying when he sees Maddie mirror Chim’s yawn with her own, Buck swaddles Kevin and places him in the cot before ushering them out of the room, towards their bedroom, “But right now the two of you make me feel tired just looking at you, it’s time for you to go to bed as well.”
The two of them protest half-heartedly but it doesn’t take much convincing when he reassures them that he’ll stay for as they need him to and will watch over Kevin while they slept. And to ensure that they actually got some decent sleep, he took the baby monitor from their room and carried it with him as he tidied up bits and pieces around the house.
It doesn’t take him long to run out of things and not soon after the quiet sounds of a displeased baby drift from the baby monitor, causing Buck to finish straightening the cushions on the sofa before returning to Kevin’s bedside.
Gathering him back in his arms, Buck figures out pretty quickly the reason for the wakeup and grimaces to himself as he goes about awkwardly changing Kevin’s diaper. After a messy but successful clean up, he gathers up the little guy and holds him to his chest as he selects a familiar storybook that he remembered from his own childhood.
Settling into the rocking chair in the corner of the room, Buck starts rocking gently as he starts reading. It surprisingly doesn’t take much for Kevin to fall back to sleep, but Buck continued to read the number of stories held within the pages of the book, recalling the same stories in his memories of when Maddie read them to him.
Without meaning to, he falls asleep as well, and that is where Chim and Maddie find him some hours later with little Kevin still nestled in his arms, both of them sound asleep.