Work Text:
It all started with the new recruit, Steven Thomas. The guy fit in well with the 118, taking the place in their little family Buck thought belonged to him. Things had been strained ever since his return to work after the lawsuit. He really should’ve seen something like this coming. The 118 had a pack mentality. If one of them was mad, then they all were, which meant any newcomers were quick either fit in or transfer out. There was no in-between. Of course, this new firefighter caught on fast to the tension between Buck and the others and knew better than to put himself between them. They would exchange polite smiles, the guy even seemed to show some sympathy towards Buck when his team ignored him, but that didn’t make Evan feel much better. The probie, Stevie as they lovingly called him, was now Eddie’s partner and Bobby’s new apprentice chef. It was breaking Evan’s heart.
Then Stevie got hurt. It was a routine call, hence Buck had once again been left behind. He went about his business, doing every chore possible until the firehouse was cleaner than it had ever been (not that anyone would notice). When the truck returned, it was clear that something was wrong. The mood changed, temperature dropping dramatically. Buck felt his pulse begin to race. He knew exactly what the look on Hen’s face meant… Someone got hurt. Dread began to pool in his stomach, what if one of them was in critical condition? Sensing his growing panic, Chimney made his way over to Buck, filling him in on the situation before his mind could spiral too far. Thank god Chim still talked to him sometimes.
“Stevie got hurt. Nothing too bad, some driver got pissed off about being held up by an accident, tried to speed past us. Probie took a hit. Broken ribs, lotta bruising but he’ll be fine.” Howie patted him on the shoulder lightly before joining the rest of the team upstairs, leaving Buck to process the information alone. To be honest, he wasn’t sure how to feel right now. Obviously, he felt bad for Stevie, he would be a monster if he didn’t. He didn’t deserve to be hurt on the job, Buck knew exactly how bad it felt to be forced off work on medical leave. However, he also felt angry. Why? Because he knew that if he got hurt again his ‘family’ wouldn’t care as much as they do right now for the guy that they’ve known for less than a year. And just like that, another piece of his heart died. They didn’t love him anymore. This time they really had replaced him.
You’d think being down a man would mean Buck being let back on calls, but you’d be wrong. If anything, the absence of Stevie caused the atmosphere at the 118 to grow even more hostile. So, Buck kept to himself as always, not even bothering to offer his assistance when the alarm rang. Maybe that was the cowardly thing to do, he was giving up. Then again, it seemed everything he did was wrong these days, so who knows?
6 weeks later and the 118 were in planning mode. Stevie was set to return the following day and they were going all out for his welcome back party. They were really rubbing in it, showing Buck just how much they loved the new firefighter more than him.
The final straw came once the party was over. Cake had been shared and balloons thrown around, the party had no doubt been a success. Apparently, it wasn’t enough to exclude Buck from the celebrations, they decided he should be on clean up duty too. But that was a step too far. He wasn’t going to take this anymore.
“Buckley, get up here!” Captain Nash’s voice echoed around the station, Buck begrudgingly making his way towards the celebrations. There was laughter all around, smiles every direction you looked. Clearly, they didn’t want him to be a part of their fun, so why on earth had Bobby summoned him?
“Yes, Captain?”
“You’re on clean up. Put the leftovers in the fridge. Got it?”
“No.”
Everyone went silent. Gone was the joy, in its place was a mixture of anger and pure disbelief. Did Buck really just say no to Captain Nash.
“What did you just say?”
“I said no.”
“When I give you an order, you do it. My house, my rules. Remember?”
“Yeah I remember. You know what else I remember, what I’ll never forget? You guys didn’t throw me a welcome back party. Yeah, I got one after my crush injury, but I think we all remember how that ended. You know what sucks the most? I almost died because a kid wanted to kill you Captain. Yet you were the one everyone called a hero, the one who was welcomed back despite lying to the department. What did I get? A pulmonary embolism? When Chim came back after Doug stabbed him, you said we had to show him how much we love him right Hen? I guess besides your somewhat insensitive cupcake I got shown just how much no one here loves me. It’s cool though, I get it, you’re all family for each other but you really aren’t for me… Do they know why I filed that lawsuit, Captain? Do they know the truth? You’ve proven you like to lie so I wonder what you told them. Let me enlighten you all. Captain Nash told me that the department wasn’t going to let me back, that they saw me as a liability. But that wasn’t true. He was the one that saw me as a liability. He projected his own problems onto me and then lied to my face. Our Captain told the higher ups that I wasn’t ready, not that he could’ve known if I was ready or not. None of you were there for me after the tsunami, you forgot I existed and replaced me with Bosko, so how on earth any of you thought you knew how I was doing is mind blowing. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t tell the lawyer most of those things about you. He found them out himself. I really should have taken the 10 million when they offered it.” Not waiting for anyone to respond, Buck slammed his badge down on the table, his message clear and stormed out of the station for good.
“I’m sorry, did he say 10 million?” Hen’s voice cut through the silence like nails down a chalk board. Everyone around her was thinking the exact same thing. They all knew Buck had been offered a settlement, but no one was aware just how much. The kid could’ve been a millionaire. He chose the job instead and they repaid him by treating him like he was nothing. Before they could discuss it further, Maddie Buckley walked into the station. The sound of her heels against the floor sent shivers down Chimney’s spine. How was he going to explain this to her? The way they’d acted with Buck was unforgivable and the fact that it took him yelling at them for anyone to notice made it ten times worse.
“Hey guys... Woah why the sour mood.”
The look on the 118’s faces told the dispatcher all she needed to know.
“Oh my god… what’s wrong… what happened to Buck, is he hurt?”
“Maddie slow down… Buck isn’t hurt… uhm” Chimney didn’t know how he was supposed to start the conversation. He looked to his team for support, but they too were at a loss for words.
No one expected the probie to be the one to speak up.
“They treat him worse than me. Every probie expects to be hazed but that happen didn’t here. These guys were too busy bullying Buckley to haze me. To be honest I don’t think bullying really covers it. Buckley is a legend in the academy, he broke very record and then broke his own scores when he recertified. Yet Captain Nash has him being the man behind every shift. If he was treated even half as bad as this before the lawsuit then I’m really not surprised he filed it. You replaced him with me and then rubbed it in his face. I didn’t want to speak up, I was scared. Buckley stood up for himself and in return you ostracized him. I was pretty sure that if I tried to stand up for him you would’ve punished me too. Well, I can’t stand by anymore. I’ve had a complaint form filled in for a while, just couldn’t decide what the right thing to do was, but you’ve all just figured it out for me. Maddie I’m sorry I stood by while your brother was mistreated.” Having nothing more to say, Stevie walked down to the lockers, packing his things and placing a transfer form on the locker room bench. He was done working in a place like this.
To say Maddie was furious would be an understatement. She hadn’t always been there for Buck when he needed her, and she wasn’t going to make that mistake again. Her little brother had always been full of energy and hope but life had broken him down and left him miserable and unsure of himself.
“How could you do this to him. I don’t know what to say to you right now. You know what, I can’t even look at you. I’m going to go find my brother, don’t call me, don’t text me and don’t bother coming over tonight Howie.” Much like Buck and Stevie, she stormed out without a second glance.
Buck didn’t know what he was supposed to do now. He was sat alone in his apartment, drinking his fourth beer, trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life. Being a firefighter was the only thing that made sense. The tears had stopped a long time ago, a strange numbness was all he felt now. He’d never regret anything more than the lawsuit. If he was smarter, he’d have known better. Maybe everything they say about him was true. He was selfish, a dumbass, exhausting. What was the point anymore?
Thankfully a knock at the door disrupted his rapidly darkening thoughts. Whoever it was clearly wasn’t going away any time soon. The knocking continued, growing louder and louder with every second that passed. As fast as he possibly could in his drunken state, Buck stumbled towards the door, flinging it open with more force than intended. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find but there was no way he would’ve predicted the probie being on his doorstep.
“Uhm, Stevie, what are you doing here?” The guy held up a pack of beer and a plastic container, smiling sympathetically at Buck before he spoke.
“I put in for a transfer and I’m in the mood to get drunk, figured you probably felt the same. So here I am. Oh and I brought some left-over cake...” It had been a while since anyone had shown Buck kindness and the simple gesture made his heart soar.
“Come on in.”
They spent the night getting to know each other, realising they’d barely spent a second in each other’s company without the 118’s presence looming over them. It turned out they had more in common than they thought. Stevie was only a year older than Buck and he too had fallen into the job unintentionally. For the first time in months, Buck’s smile was genuine. He hadn’t laughed this much since before the truck blew up his life.
“So, I filled in a complaint form, the 118 should be reprimanded for the way they treated you. But I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to file it. I thought it would be best to leave it up to you. I am more than happy to be the one to make the complaint if it’s too complicated for you, but if you’d rather I leave it then I’ll rip the form up.”
“You filled in a complaint form? Why?”
“Buck, the way they treated you was beyond unprofessional, it was downright cruel. No one deserves to be treated that way, least of all someone who was only standing up for himself. You had every right to file that lawsuit. You were ready for work, Captain Nash had no right to keep you from it.”
The numbness faded suddenly, and the tears returned to Buck’s eyes. Stevie was the only person who had ever seen the lawsuit from his point of view.
“You really mean it.”
“Of course I do. Buck, everyone at the academy knows your name. You’re the guy who beat his own records, who set a new standard for being the best. I heard about how many lives you saved during the tsunami. You were injured but still fought to save other people. Every firefighter should aspire to be like you. If I end up being even half the firefighter that you are than I’ll be damn proud of myself.”
A sob echoed through the apartment as Buck felt the walls around his heart shatter. Strong arms wrapped themselves around him, holding him as he finally felt everything he’d kept inside for months.
When the tears slowed, a feeling of relief spread through Evan’s veins. Maybe things were going to be okay.
“Sorry for breaking down on you like that. I can’t remember the last time someone said something nice to me.”
“You know I think this might be the first time I’ve ever actually seen you smile.”
“Yeah, well I haven’t had much of a reason to since the damn truck exploded. Thank you for being here, it means a lot.”
The firefighters looked into each other’s eyes and found themselves gravitating towards one another. Months of pain were washed away by a kiss fuelled by adoration and affection.
It had been a long time since Buck had slept through the night but lying in Stevie’s arms he finally felt safe.
He wasn’t alone anymore.