WARNING: If you have seen the first 5 episodes of season 3, then you are good to go.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The 118 had been called to a really bad ten-car pileup accident caused by a truck carrying a bunch of cows. Evidently, the driver had come to a sudden stop, leading to enough pressure against the lock that it failed, allowing the cows a chance to get out and get lost in traffic, prompting multiple drivers to swerve out of nowhere. The swerving cars resulted in multiple collisions.

They worked tirelessly for hours chasing and corralling the cows while saving or attempting to save the drivers and their passengers. Finally, over six hours later, they were allowed to leave and return to their station. They forgot that it was over an hour's drive back to their fire station. This gave them ample time to process what had happened on the scene. Hen, Chimney, Bobby, and Eddie were all discussing random topics to distract themselves from how many had died on the scene. Buck, however, was dead quiet during this time, his mind replaying the events that led him to comfort a small preteen who ended up dying in his arms. The young boy reminded the youngest of the team of Eddie's son Christopher and of all the events that followed the tsunami.

Thinking of that horrible day, losing the boy that he considered his own, being terrified that he'd never see him again, which would lead him to not being able to see or hug Eddie ever again, and now seeing a boy that reminded him so much of Chris, had set his stomach churning aggressively.

He swallowed hard a couple of times, realizing out of the blue he was going to throw up. "Pull over," he said into the headset, earning a worried look from Eddie.

"You okay?" Eddie asked over the headset. He watched Buck swallow thickly and shake his head. "Hey, Chimney, pull over now!" He barked into the headset.

Chimney's eyes shot to the visor's mirror before signaling and pulling over to the side of the road. "What's going on?" He asked, turning in his seat to look at Eddie, who was looking at Buck.

Buck ripped the headset off and pushed the cab door open before heavily jumping to the ground. Once steady, he booked it to the back of the truck and out of sight, causing Eddie to follow him in concern.

Eddie froze when he got to where he could see Buck once again. The man before him was hunched over, hands on his knees, and breathing heavily. "Buck?" He asked, causing the man in question to startle, followed by a brutal gag that brought up a bunch of liquid onto the gravel in front of them.

"Sorry, you don't have to watch this." Buck gasped out, right before another vicious gag brought up more liquid.

Eddie closed the distance in an instant, rubbing the younger man's back as he watched Buck gag unproductively a few more times. "You okay there?" He asked as he watched Buck straighten back up.

"Yeah, never been better, I don't know what happened. Must have gotten carsick, but I'm fine now," Buck lied, as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He turned and walked back to the cab door, raising his eyebrows at Eddie.

Once they were both situated, Bobby nodded to Chimney to start driving. "You okay, Buck?" the captain asked, looking sideways at the youngest member of their team.

Buck looked away from the window ever so briefly, then returned his gaze to the rapidly moving horizon.

Eddie watched as Buck didn't respond in concern. "Buck should be okay, he was just feeling a bit carsick." He offered to Bobby in the hopes the questions would stop.

Everyone fell quiet for about ten or so minutes, when out of nowhere Buck clapped a hand over his mouth with a wild look of panic.

Eddie, who had been watching the nauseous man's every move since getting out of the cab earlier, jammed his headset mic up by his mouth. "Pull over now, Chim!" He yelled into the headset.

Chim briefly met Eddie's gaze in the visor, before pulling over again, even though they were only ten minutes from the station.

As soon as the truck stopped, Buck threw the cab door open and vomited onto the ground below the open door, not even having time to get out of the vehicle.

Eddie sprang into action, wrapping his arms gingerly around Buck's waist to keep him from falling out head first. "That's it, get it up. You're okay." He said in an encouraging tone.

Buck vomited twice more, before falling back into Eddie's arms in exhaustion. "I'm sorry," he panted out, sounding worn out and hoarse. All too soon, he pushed himself upright, pulled the door shut and stiffly got back into his seat. He pulled his headset back on before speaking into the mouthpiece. "Sorry, guys, I didn't realize I was so carsick." He said bashfully, hating that his voice cracked while he spoke.

Eddie got up in silence, settling down right beside the 'carsick' man, so close they were touching shoulders, legs, and knees. Being this close allowed him to notice the tiny tremors that were coursing through Buck. He stayed quiet as Chim got back on the road; he quickly got lost in his own thoughts as he tried to figure out why his heart had started racing when Buck had collapsed in his arms and was still trying to beat out of his chest.

The tremors didn't stop, but they seemed to slow down as soon as Eddie touched him. Buck wasn't sure why or when Eddie had become his safety net, but he was, and it was a huge relief to have Eddie touching his shoulder, leg, and knee.

They finally made it back to the station, disembarking from the truck in silence. Hen decided to hit the showers, Chim walked off talking on the phone, Bobby went upstairs to start making food, and left Buck and Eddie alone to restock the firetruck. They worked in silence, side by side, close enough to keep brushing hands or arms if they weren't paying attention.

One of those accidental touches told Eddie that Buck still had the shakes, but the older man felt the shakes were getting worse.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked, making Buck startle for the second time in less than an hour. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." He added quickly.

Buck looked up at Eddie, finally giving his best friend a chance to see how pale he had become with that simple question and showing that he was staying too pale.

"M... I'm fine," he mumbled, the words sounding rough and raw from the earlier vomiting. He wiped his forehead like he was too warm in an attempt to appear normal, even as Eddie could see his hands were shaking out of control, and he had long beads of sweat pouring down his face.

Eddie reached out to feel Buck's sweaty forehead for the first time since the younger man had vomited on the side of the road. He frowned as his simple touch earned him an exhausted whimper before the head ducked away, not allowing him to check the temp.

"Buck, are you sick?" he asked directly, watching as the stubbornness he was known for came to the forefront.

"Nope, I'm perfect," Buck said, looking up at the balcony in time for Bobby to come and summon them for food. He wasn't sure how any of them could have an appetite after watching him upchuck out the door, but he knew if he didn't eat, too, Eddie and Bobby would most likely make a comment, which would result in him being sent home.

He took off up the stairs, like a bat out of hell, not wanting Eddie to corner him again. He knew that adding food to his stomach was a bad idea, but he opted to ignore the little voice that was warning him not to eat. He got upstairs, panting slightly, almost as if he had just climbed ten flights of stairs in full rescue gear. He straightened up as Eddie walked up behind him a bit slower so he could watch the younger man's movements.

Eddie didn't want to admit it, but he could see that Buck was moving as if all his muscles hurt and were very stiff. "Come on, let's eat," he said, putting a hand on Buck's shoulder and guiding him to the kitchen counter to help carry food over to the table.

Buck tried to ignore how much of the food that was in front of him was setting his stomach in knots once again. He had to be over the carsickness now; it had been at least half an hour... or so he thought.

Eddie could feel the sudden uptick of trembling that was coursing through Buck's arm, and if he wasn't mistaken the younger man was back to swallowing quickly as if something kept rising up his throat and he wasn't interested in letting it stay up. He moved his hand to the small of Buck's back, making it easier for him to be able to feel the struggle going through the younger firefighter's body.

"Shoot! I forgot to make coffee." Bobby said out of nowhere, causing Buck to jump against Eddie's hand. They watched as the younger man swallowed hard.

"I... I got it," Buck said too quickly, but appeared to be moving slowly. He moved away from Eddie and the counter in front of them, walked the few steps 1to the coffee maker, and stood stiff as a board, as he made the coffee, while trying so hard not to breathe in the smell of the coffee.

"Buck?" Hen asked from the table, as she had been watching the youngest firefighter's concerning behavior. "Are you okay?" she asked, echoing Bobby and Eddie's concern.

Buck shuddered, as the smell of coffee appeared to have sealed his fate, as he whimpered softly.

Eddie surged to Buck's side, all too aware that something was wrong with his best friend. He thought briefly, that he should try to get the younger man to the bathroom, so as not to ruin everyone's lunch. He watched with very evident worry, as Buck moved the back of his hand to in front of his mouth. He tried to think quickly, but was not as successful as he had hoped to be.

Buck pushed away from Eddie and the coffee-making area before gagging hard against his hand as he tried to find a suitable way to keep the meager contents of his stomach where it belonged. He jumped when he felt Bobby's strong hand appear out of nowhere.

Bobby thought a fraction of a difference faster than Eddie could, as he placed his hand on the back of Buck's neck, steering him towards the mostly empty kitchen sink. He was about to reach for the hand in front of his mouth, but the youngest in the room didn't have to be told what to do, as Buck grabbed both sides of the sink and pitched forward, throwing up a bunch of liquid.

"There you go, get it up... " the captain said in a gentle voice, before stepping aside and allowing Eddie to step in to take his place.

Buck pitched forward again, almost as if his life depended on getting rid of the contents of his stomach. Just as quickly as the vomiting started, it stopped leaving the exhausted young man trembling like a leaf in a storm.

"E'ie?" he whimpered hoarsely, reaching out blindly for the older man.

Eddie grabbed Buck's outstretched hand, wrapping an arm around the younger man who was trembling so hard he looked like he was about to collapse. He led him to one of the couches, guiding the youngest to sit down before sitting down beside him.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, as Buck curled into his side and had started breathing hard all over again.

Buck shrugged, whimpering when he felt Eddie move to try to see him better. "Can I go home?" he whined softly under his breath.

Eddie looked at Bobby for guidance.

"Eddie, why don't you and Buck clock out early." Bobby said, smiling in understanding when he saw Eddie's relieved expression at his words.

"Sounds good to me, and evidently Buck too." Eddie said with a knowing smirk, before standing up again and looking down at Buck. As if on a whim, he reached down placing his hand on Buck's forehead, worry replaced his lightheartedness as he felt the beginnings of a fever.

Buck winced when Eddie touched his forehead, knowing there was no hiding his feeling horrible anymore. He leaned into the older man's touch for a moment, before pushing himself upright to his feet in a dizzy rush, with only one thing on his mind. He was going to puke again, but he didn't want to do it in front of anyone... except maybe Eddie or Bobby.

Eddie saw his predicament, smiling in relief when an emesis bin was shoved in his hands by Chimney. He nodded briefly in gratitude, before handing the bin to Buck and pushing him back down to sitting on the couch. He nodded to Bobby, as everyone went about eating, trying to hide their concern for the younger firefighter.

Buck looked up at Eddie pitifully, mentally begging the man to let him run for the bathroom, even if that meant puking on the floor... which he would clean up, of course. He was a grown man, he didn't need to be coddled when he had a 'little' stomach ache and minor fever. He could feel the pre-puking chills wash over his body, making his earlier trembling look like laughter, and almost like he was trying to have a seizure.... Almost.

"Eddie?" he begged through clenched teeth, he desperately wanted to be anywhere but where he was currently sitting.

"You throwing up is not bugging anyone, per say, we have all dealt with vomiting on the job." Eddie said calmly, putting a gentle hand of comfort on the younger man's shoulders.

"No... ere..." Buck forced out, hoping someone would understand him, but was met with a confused look from the two men he trusted the most.

Thankfully someone in the room seemed to catch what he said. "He said not here," Hen said out of nowhere, earning a relieved nod from the sick man.

"Ah... okay, well, do you think you can walk to the truck without throwing up?" Eddie asked gently, wondering why he hadn't understood Buck himself.

Buck shrugged, before swallowing hard, as the simple movement made him want to give in now and hurl like his life depended on it. He got up, leaning into Eddie to stay upright for a moment, then started the slow walk to the truck. His body trembled with silent gags, never letting anything come up, and with Eddie close behind him in concern.

"We'll see you later..." Eddie hollered over his shoulder, stopping only long enough to grab their duffles and to head outside to where Buck was now leaning against Eddie's truck with his eyes closed against the harsh sunlight. "How are you holding up?" he asked as he unlocked the truck, loaded their bags in the backseat, and moved over to the passenger side to help Buck, in case he needed the help.

Buck got in his seat without the help, leaning his head back against the headrest. "M okay," he mumbled, slowly moving to buckle up without too much movement or pressure on his abdomen.

"Alright, go ahead and rest while I drive us back to my place." Eddie said, knowing that the sick man would probably go to sleep on the drive.

Buck hummed softly in response, but didn't verbally or physically respond. His grip did not loosen on the emesis bin, even though he looked to have dozed off already.

Eddie closed Buck's door, then walked back to his own side, climbed in and shut the door, and buckled up for the half hour drive home. He made sure to drive carefully, not wanting to wake or bother the younger man, who appeared to be asleep. That is, until he took a turn too sharply, earning a whimper from his fellow firefighter.

"Pull over," Buck gasped, as the trembling returned and he paled to an almost gray-green color.

"You have the bin," Eddie offered, as he looked for a suitable place to pull over.

"Pull over, now!" Buck gasped frantically, as Eddie finally saw an opening and pulled over on the side of the highway, even if he knew his house was only a couple blocks away.

Buck pushed his door open, unhooked his seatbelt, and leaned against the door for support, as he heaved violently, bringing up more of his stomach contents. He tried to breathe through the nausea, but it only resulted in him heaving twice more back to back.

"Geez, how do you have anything left in your stomach?" Eddie exclaimed, rubbing Buck's back in slow and gentle circles.

Buck coughed a few times, followed by a retch that sounded equally painful and excessive, but his stomach was really trying to ring itself out. "This always happens when I am sick, I throw up way more than I should have in my body." he said, only being cut off once by an empty gag. He leaned back against the headrest again, pulling his door shut with some effort.

"Wow... feeling any better?" Eddie asked, hoping the poor man would catch a break soon.

"N...no..." Buck stammered, before his eyes drifted shut. "M tired," he mumbled, thoroughly exhausted from all the vomiting.

"Sleep for a bit, I'll let you know when we get home." Eddie said softly, keeping one hand on the wheel and one hand on Buck's thigh, as he finished the drive home.

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When they finally got back to Eddie's house, he took everything in, before rousing the sleepy younger man. He was able to maneuver his best friend into the house and onto the couch, without any incidents. He barely got comfortable himself, when Buck lay his head on Eddie's thighs and fell promptly to sleep. It took a few days for Buck to be back to his non-drowsy, hyper self... just enough time for Eddie to catch the bug. 

I hope you all enjoyed this sickfic! As always: vote, comment, and request away. Love you all! <3

Oh P.S. if you have another fandom, you want me to torture characters from, let me know so that I can do any research I may need. Make sure to include the character being tormented, the character who is being the caregiver, and with what illness/symptoms. Just a head's up, I am only familiar with a couple anime: Fruits Basket, Vampire Knight, and Ouran Host Club.