Christopher's Wish (911) (Patreon)

This was a story commission for one of the top tier patrons - hope you all enjoy! This is based on the show 911.

Christopher loved his dad more than anything in the world. How could he not when his dad was undeniably a hero? The young boy didn’t know much but he knew that when he grew up, he wanted to be a firefighter just like his dad and all his work friends.

Truthfully though, Christopher didn’t even want to wait until he was grown up. There was a small part of him that was jealous of all the other adults who got to work with his dad when he had to go to school, like his Uncle Buck! Christopher loved his Uncle Buck a lot – they weren’t actually related but Buck and Christopher’s dad were so close they might as well have been brothers – but sometimes he had dreams that he was Buck and was out fighting fires across the city with his dad (his best friend in these dreams) right there beside him!

Despite promising his dad that he was going to sleep, Christopher was up by his bedroom window looking up at the night sky. His gaze was caught by a shooting star high above him and his heart thundered in his chest as he whispered his heart’s deepest desire: “I wish I was Uncle Buck.” Having been told by his father that if he wished upon a star it would definitely come true, Christopher felt quite certain that he would wake up the next day as his father’s best friend and as such settled under the sheets for a full night’s sleep where he dreamed of putting out fires like the hero he longed to be.

Much to his disappointment though, come the next morning Christopher was still his usual self. There was something different though, as his computer monitor seemed to have turned itself on during the night and there was a single message waiting for him on an otherwise black screen: You can’t make the same wish twice, little one. Christopher was completely stumped. When had he ever made that exact wish before? It didn’t make any sense…

Across town, Evan Buckley slowly began to rise from his slumber. As he glanced around the bedroom a smile settled onto his handsome face and he pushed himself up into a seated position to properly enjoy the sight. There was nothing particularly special about the room other than that it symbolized a wish come true. A few weeks beforehand he had been Christopher Diaz, the son of his best friend Eddie, and had made a wish on a shooting star to be like his Uncle Buck. Now he was Buck and had the opportunity to live out the dreams he’d had ever since his father had first introduced Christopher to Buck. He got to be an everyday hero just like his dad and enjoy spending time with the other man as more of an equal than he ever could have experienced as his son.

Of course, adjusting to adult life had been a challenge but his father had taught him to tackle challenges head on and never back down. That was the Diaz way and now it was the Buckley way too! Slowly but surely, he had started to get used to being a grown man and the number of suspicious glances from his father and the other men who worked in the firehouse had decreased over the weeks. He was glad about that because he wasn’t sure that the ‘getting too little sleep’ would work to explain his strange and occasionally immature behavior forever.

In fact there were a number of things Christopher enjoyed about being his Uncle Buck beyond just getting the chance to work alongside his dad at the firehouse. The first time he had tasted coffee he’d been disgusted by the taste but now he couldn’t start his day without one. It was the same the first time he’d gone to a bar for drinks with the other firefighters after they had tackled a particularly ferocious fire and he’d tasted his first beer. He’d grimaced as the liquid ran down his throat but after a few more even began to enjoy the strange taste, even if his initial spluttering had earned some hearty laughs out of his new coworkers.

Christopher had only seen his original body a few times since he had woken up as Uncle Buck and much to his relief the other didn’t attempt to expose him as some sort of identity thief. Indeed, the other didn’t even seem to notice anything was wrong – he was warmly greeted as Uncle Buck and met with a big hug, just like how he’d always welcomed his father’s best friend whenever Buck had visited him previously. He was glad to know that even if his Uncle Buck had now taken on his place as Eddie’s son, he wasn’t resenting their exchange. 

It was better that he never knew anything about it because truthfully Christopher was beginning to think that he didn’t ever want to go back. He’d started to make himself at home in Buck’s life and going back to being a child after experiencing life as a grown man felt quite simply unfair. He’d miss his morning coffee, evening beers and the violent video games he got to play with his dad during late night hangouts!

The next time he visited his best friend’s house – formerly his own home – he found that Eddie’s son had an inquisitive look in his eye whenever he looked at him. Waiting until his best friend was out of earshot, the real Christopher put his arm around his replacement’s shoulders and asked, “What’s on your mind, kiddo?”

The kid seemed uneasy at first, but finally worked up the courage to speak. “If you could wish for anything, Uncle Buck, what would it be?” the other asked meekly, his innocent eyes looking up at him through the thick lenses of his glasses.

Although initially feeling tense in response to the other’s question, the new ‘Uncle Buck’ forced himself to relax and smiled down at his best friend’s son. 

“I’d wish for you to grow up to be as good a man as your dad,” he replied with a gentle squeeze of the other’s shoulders. “One day you’ll be a hero like your dad, I know it. Probably better looking too!”

The answer seemed to satisfy young Christopher, who beamed up at him like a kid on Christmas morning. Buck smiled down at him, happy to know that he was just as good of an uncle as the former Buck had always been for him.