Chapter Text
“Now I want you all to remember that we’re going to be nice and friendly,” Buck told everyone gathered.
It was the end of the first week of February, and Maddie had been home for a couple days now. Things had been going okay between her and Chimney, although according to her she spent every night so far on the air mattress in Jee’s room. The two of them were scheduled to have their first therapy session as a couple the next week, and from there it was a matter of healing and rebuilding. Or, alternatively, finding something stable and amicable enough to not traumatize Jee-Yun, if they didn’t remain together.
Everyone - sans Maddie and Chimney, who were on their way with Jee, and Ravi, who had seen the potential for drama and opted out - were gathered at the Grant-Nash house for Maddie’s welcome home party. It was the only place large enough to hold a party with so many guests, but it did come with a problem. Well, two problems. Well, three. Maybe four, depending on how far down the chain the gossip got.
“Are you telling me what to do in my home?” Athena asked, crossing her arms. The adults were sitting around her dining table, the kids in Harry’s room.
“I am asking you to be nice to Chimney.”
“It sounded like you were-”
“Athena,” Hen interrupted. “Come on. Buck’s the one he hurt, if he can let it go, so can you.”
“I don’t think reminding everyone of that is helping, hon,” Karen said, patting her wife’s arm.
“It’s really not,” Eddie said. Earlier, before getting there to help cook for the party, Buck had forced him to help sit down Chris and explain to him that while he wasn’t expected to act like Chimney’s friend, he was not to hit him again. Honestly, the most Buck was hoping for was that father and son settled on glaring at the paramedic, if they couldn’t just ignore him.
“We will be perfectly civil,” Bobby promised, wrapping an arm around Athena.
“That is literally all I’m asking for,” Buck said. He looked pointedly at Taylor, who was standing next to Josh, until she rolled her eyes and nodded. When the doorbell rang a moment later, he opted to be the one to answer, because he still didn’t trust Athena to not just close the door in Chimney’s face.
“Maddie!” he cheered when he saw her, dragging her in for a hug while trying not to squish Jee-Yun between them. Thanks to the way his shifts had fallen, this was the first time actually seeing his sister since her return from Boston. “Did you dye your hair?”
“Yup! Do you like it?” she asked, brushing her fingers through her hair, which was now several shades darker.
“I love it!” he told her. Then, to Chimney, “uh, I made everyone promise to play nice, so…”
“I’ll just stick close to Hen and Albert,” the paramedic said.
“Probably for the best,” Maddie told him, making her way down the stairs with Jee-Yun, not sparing a glance for Chimney. Buck offered the man a sympathetic smile before following, splitting off to fetch the kids.
“Hey, Chris, Aunt Maddie is here,” he said, poking his head into Harry’s room. “And Chimney is too, so remember-”
“No hitting,” Chris recited, getting to his feet.
“No hitting,” Buck repeated, nodding in approval. He and the kids made their way to where everyone else was gathered. There was food set out, along with balloons and a handmade banner hanging from the wall, reading, “Welcome Home Maddie.” Stopping at the doorway, letting the kids go on without him, he couldn’t help but be concerned.
“It’s been cold enough that I was expecting ice,” May said, coming to join him, and Buck couldn’t disagree with her. While everyone was standing around Maddie, welcoming her back with warm smiles and open arms, he noticed how Chimney was off to the side by himself. Not even Hen or Albert were with him, instead waiting for their own turns to welcome his sister back.
“Athena hasn’t even looked his way,” Taylor told him, joining the two of them. “Everyone except Hen and Albert pretty much ignored him.”
“I think Ravi had the right idea, not coming,” Buck said, letting out a sigh. “I should probably go over and-”
“No!” Taylor and May both said.
“Buck, you’re a good guy with a big heart, we would expect nothing else from you,” Taylor said. “But he brought this upon himself. He hurt you, you shouldn’t be the one trying to make everything easier for him.”
“I just- I know what it’s like having all of them angry at me. After the lawsuit-”
“This isn’t like the lawsuit, Buck,” May interrupted to tell him. “You didn’t mean to hurt anyone, and you did your best to make up for it.”
“Has he reached out at all?” Taylor asked. “Or has it been you, every time?”
“No, it’s been me,” Buck admitted, biting his lip.
“He burnt his bridges, Buck. If he’s not putting in the effort to rebuild them, you can’t do it for him.”
And Buck couldn’t really argue against that, even if everything in him wanted to.
“When’s Chris’ spring break?” Bobby asked. It was a week after Maddie’s welcome home party, and a few days after Ravi’s probationary period was over. It was weird, to think that it had been a year since the young man had indirectly caused their truck to be stolen.
(“How was that my fault?”
“You said the Q-word, you cursed us, it’s your fault.”)
“The second week of April,” Eddie answered from where he was sitting, watching Buck and their captain cook.
“That’s Harry’s too, good.”
“Why? What’s up, pops?” Buck asked.
“Well, I was talking to Athena earlier, and I was thinking it would be nice to go back to St. Paul for a visit,” the captain explained, focusing on his task and not looking at either of them. “I haven’t been back since… Anyways, there are a lot of museums. Robert used to love the Minnesota Children’s Museum, but I don’t think it would be Harry’s cup of tea. But maybe Christopher? And you?”
“He would love it, pops,” Buck said, sharing a smile with Eddie.
“Good.” Bobby cleared his throat. “You should go tell the others that dinner is ready.”
Finding Hen was easy, she was in the ambulance, studying for her classes. But neither Albert nor Ravi could be found. Eddie and Buck looked in the bunks, in the gym, in the showers. They looked everywhere, except…
“You don’t think?” Eddie asked, staring at the door to the storage closet.
“I mean, they’re not anywhere else.”
“But why would they be in here?”
“Why would two guys, who asked us how we knew we liked men, be in the closet?” That earned an elbow to his ribs. Laughing, Buck opened the door, only to immediately slam it closed.
“Was that-?”
“That was,” he said. “So, in the closet but definitely not in the closet.”
He opened the door again. Ravi and Albert had leapt apart since he first interrupted them, the former hurriedly tucking his shirt back into his pants. Both of them were beet red and stammering out explanations.
“Food’s ready,” Buck said. “I’m guessing our talks helped, then?”
“Well-”Albert started, while Ravi said, “That was-”
“We’re happy for you guys,” Eddie said, cutting them off.
“But keep it in your pants while at work,” Buck told them, and then closed the door on them. “So seriously now, which one do I give the shovel talk to?”
“Give them both one, mi sol,” Eddie said, taking his hand and leading him back to the station’s loft. “I’ll even stand behind you looking menacing.”
“Too late, they’ve both seen you holding Jee-Yun. Neither of them will ever think you’re menacing again.”
Fin.