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Chapter Text

Buck is in the kitchen, getting himself a mug of coffee during the last legs of his 24 hour shift when he gets the call.

Blinking blearily at his phone, confused at who would be calling him, he answers.

“Hello?”

“Bucky, boogie, baby, is it great to hear your voice or what?!”

Buck blinks. “Miranda?”

“Yes, darling, it’s Miranda. Now, listen. I know you’re not exactly in the business anymore, but that wonderful contract of yours has you signed on for an additional season, and tada! That season has come in the form of a reboot. That’s right, Bucky baby. You, Me, and Three is coming back!”

“What?”

“We’ve gotta beat out Fuller House, Bucky boo. The cast is signed on, probably because most of them need the career boost, God knows most of them haven’t made a dent in the industry, though we weren’t able to get Richie back on board, something about him having a breakdown at one of his standup shows, canceling his tour, and getting gay married to some analyst from New York. Who knows! But we’ve got a deal with Disney+ and a plot that’s gonna blow your mind.”

“Miranda,” Buck interjects. “I don’t act anymore.”

“Well, it’s like riding a bike, isn’t it? Besides, we’ll get you a coach. Do you want Jared? We can get Jared.”

“I don’t want anyone because I don’t act anymore,” Buck says.

“Bucky,” Miranda says, a pout evident in her voice. “We can’t do this without you. You’re Little Benji. Everyone’s been dying to know where you’ve gone now that you’ve dropped off the face of the Earth and this is your chance to get back in there.” She sniffs. “Besides, you’re contractually obligated.”

“That contract from twenty five years ago?”

“It made some wiggle room for reboots,” she says.

Buck pinches his nose. “A season,” Buck says. “Just a season?”

“If we get renewed for a second season and you’re not on board, we’ll figure out something for Benji. Pinkie promise.”

Buck knows he has no choice in this, that no matter what he says or does, there’s no way that the ironclad contract that had a chokehold on his childhood would let him get out of this.

“I’m in.”

She squeals. “Oh, that’s wonderful news, Bucky! We can’t wait to see you on set.”

“When exactly does filming start?”

“Oh, Denise will get in touch with you with all of the numbers and details. Bye, Bucky babe.”

“Bye, Miranda.”

Buck closes his eyes and lets out a harrowed sigh.

You, Me, and Three was a 90s sitcom about an eccentric struggling actress (Felicity) and her daughter (Maggie) and a kooky zoologist (Robert) and his sons (Sam and Benji) coming together and becoming a funny dysfunctional family.

Buck was what you might call the darling angel of the show. Think Shirley Temple or Mary Kate and Ashley. He was the cute knobby kneed kid with the buck teeth and lisp that everyone adored. The one that said funny, sassy quips that were just so darn cute coming from a little kid.

He had been with the show since he was a toddler and grew up on set with the cast until he was seven years old. After that, he started his movie career. He played the young version of any 90’s star with dark hair and blue eyes. He starred in kids films where he went on crazy adventures with a cast of other kids who were as miserable as him. He played the son in countless rom coms and horror films and anything that needed a kid.

It was impossible not to see his face no matter what you watched. He was everywhere.

And Buck?

He hated it.

His parents were strapped for money, getting desperate with their need to pay off Daniel’s medical bills, and since Buck wasn’t any use for bone marrow, they figured he could be of use elsewhere.

With his birthmark covered with carefully applied foundation, he was the baby and toddler in every show. movie and commercial they could book him in until one day they had gotten the opportunity to get him in as a regular on You, Me, and Three.

It was a risk, they knew it was, especially with so many other family shows on air, but the show was a hit. 

They still put him in commercials and guest features in everything they could when he wasn’t on set for You, Me, and Three but outside of the mandatory chaperoning on set, they spent no time with Buck.

Miranda, his manager, and Jared, his acting coach, became the parents he didn’t have from his own.

Buck’s childhood was spent on set or doing press. The schooling on set was his moment of reprieve that he poured himself into. As he got older, when he wasn’t learning his lines, he sat in his trailer, reading books or working on puzzles, just to get a moment to breathe.

Buck sometimes felt like there were always eyes on him. It made his skin crawl. He hated being perceived. Known for the characters he played, but never the boy he was.

Press was his least favorite part because it was unscripted. He was never good with improv, so Miranda and Jared would give him answers to memorize and they would run through them so he could get the perfect, cheeky but sweet delivery that would make interviewers coo. 

He was ten when he had his big breakdown.

He was exhausted from the press tour that he was doing from an action film that he spent months training for. He went into Daniel’s bedroom, somewhere he wasn’t allowed to go in, and scoured his drawers for the pills that helped him sleep.

Buck just wanted to have a good night’s rest. Just a break from the constant go, go, go of press and filming and press and filming. 

He found the bottle and took a handful, thinking that would be enough to have a long nap.

Buck pulled himself to his bedroom, curling up under his favorite fluffy blanket that he got as a gift from Miranda, and he let himself fall asleep.

Of course, he was found and taken to the hospital. 

His parents were livid with him, and Buck? He had enough. He screamed until his throat was raw. He cried until he could barely breathe. He tried to scratch into his face so his face would no longer be perfect for the screen. It was Maddie who stood up to them. 

And so, Buck stopped acting. He became a bit of a recluse, continuing his schooling at home with his personal tutor, avoiding going out in public as much as he possibly could.

His parents continued to spend the money that he made them, and it made Buck’s blood boil. He was only eleven years old, but he was seething with rage at them using the money made from something that made Buck depressed and miserable.

Maddie was the one who told him that he could cut them off from the funds. Make it a trust so that Buck will get it all when he’s eighteen and they can’t access it until he can. 

And so that’s exactly what Buck did. 

His parents were not happy and he could tell that they resented him for it. Buck didn’t care though because they resented him for lots of things.

The moment Buck turned eighteen, he left. He packed his bags, bleached his hair light brown, and started to travel. Travel to places where people wouldn’t know him. He found himself in a way he never got to do when he was in front of the cameras or hidden inside the comfortable isolation of his house. 

He did odd jobs that he never imagined he would get to do like bartending and construction. He didn’t dip too much into his trust, not feeling right to use it for his travels.

He tried to join the SEALs. It didn’t work out.

Eventually he finds his place in firefighting.

He doesn’t know why he chose LA. You would think he would avoid it like the plague, but You, Me, and Three had actually filmed in Toronto. It’s almost like hiding in plain sight. Why would known hermit Bucky Darling live in LA working as a firefighter? 

Buck makes up a story about three Evans in the academy and no one thinks anything of it.

He lets loose in a way that he never could before. Maybe a little too much. Stealing a firetruck kind of too much.

But he finds himself again. Making up for the lack of growth that he wasn’t able to have in his formative years.

He meets Eddie Diaz. And then he meets Christopher Diaz. And suddenly, it’s like everything he was missing in his life made sense.

Sometimes Buck is scared that he’s the same as his parents. That he’s bad for Chris. But Eddie shows him that he’s not.

Buck stores away some of the absurd amount of money in his trust for Chris’s college fund. He doesn’t tell Eddie yet.

Buck gets crushed under the firetruck.

He’s scared he’s gonna lose the life he built for himself. He has to dip into his trust to pay for the hospital bills. He’s trapped inside like the hermit he was for the decade out of the spotlight. It scares him. He doesn’t want to become that again.

Eddie makes him take Chris out. The tsunami comes and he saves Chris and then he loses Chris and even after everything, Eddie still trusts him.

He’s not let back to work yet. He doesn’t sue like he could because he doesn’t want any press surrounding Bucky Darling after all of these years. Instead, he talks to Athena and Athena talks to Bobby and Bobby talks to Buck and everything works out the way it should.

Eddie almost dies in the well. Buck realizes he doesn’t want to live without Eddie. 

Buck finds out the real reason his parents made him go into acting, about the dead brother that he was born to save, and he hates his parents even more than before.

Eddie is shot. Eddie tells Buck that he’ll get Chris if Eddie dies. Buck doesn’t want Eddie to die.

On a random Tuesday afternoon, eating two day old Thai food on Eddie’s couch, Buck tells Eddie he’s in love with him. Eddie loves him too. Chris approves.

Things are good. They’re better than Buck could ever dream of them being. He’s happy. He’s normal. 

So, when he gets the call, he knows that the normal is going to end.

Buck pulls up the documents that Miranda sent him and gets to know the thing that’s going to take over and change his life. 

The new show is You, You, Me and Three. It’s about the kids all grown up with their own kids and their own grownup problems. Big brother Sam with his wife Emma and daughter Lilah, Maggie with her husband Leon and son Eli, and Benji being a single father to his daughter Penelope. Mary Jane and Henry who played the parents will have cameos but considering they’re both EGOT winning actors, Buck doesn’t think they can afford them. 

Richie, who had played Sam, is being recast which fans probably won’t mind since the once teen heartthrob is no longer much of a heartthrob, no offense to Richie, but Buck is going to miss him. Richie was like a big brother to Buck. He always stood up for Buck when he couldn’t stand up for himself. He also taught him his first curse words, and Buck will always remember the way Richie cackled the first time he had said “fuck” to one of the directors.

He is now being replaced by Joey Rooney, famous stand-up comedian brother to famous actress Liv Rooney. Buck doesn’t know him, but he’s never been in any big scandals, so he hopes he’ll be fun to co-star with. Stella Yamada from the chart-topping band Lemonade Mouth plays his wife.

Sharpay, who had been eight when Buck was two when she played Maggie, had actually wanted to be there. Acting was her dream and she thrived in the spotlight. But, despite how much she tried to hog everyone’s attention, she was actually really kind and could have her quiet moments. She would sometimes come to Buck’s trailer and do his puzzle with him. She would “educate” him on the best musicals which were apparently showtunes. Chad Dylan Cooper, who he’s heard is a bit of a diva, even more of a diva than Sharpay, is playing her husband. Buck is curious to see how they’ll get along.

Buck isn’t familiar with the child actors, Nina Salazar-Roberts as Lilah, Beck Oliver as Eli, and Rocky Blue as Penelope, but he knows he’ll do whatever he has to to protect them and make sure they feel safe and taken care of. He’s not projecting, not at all.

Buck dreads going back to set. He has very few good memories from his acting years and he’s… he’s moved past it. He’s got a life, a job, a family. He’s not Bucky Darling anymore and he hasn’t been him in a long time.

What do they expect from him? What is a grown up Little Benji even supposed to be like? Who is a grown up Bucky Darling? 

Buck doesn’t know, but there’s one thing he does know.

He’s gonna need a wig. Because he sure as fuck is not going brunette again.

Chapter Text

“I need some time off work.”

Bobby sets down the paper in his hand and puts his full attention on Buck. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong—”

“There is if you’re asking for time off work,” Bobby says. “Are you having more blood clots?”

Buck shakes his head quickly. “No, nothing like that.”

“Is Maddie okay?”

“Maddie is fine,” Buck says.

“Is—”

“I’m contractually obligated to another job,” Buck blurts out. “And I can’t tell you much because of the NDAs but it was a job I had before I worked here and I have to… do this job.”

Bobby’s face falls. “Are you being enlisted?”

Buck’s eyes go wide. “No! No. It’s not the SEALs. Actually, like, the total opposite of the SEALs. I… I wish I could tell you more but—”

“NDAs, right,” Bobby says. He frowns, his eyes searching Buck. “You don’t seem too happy about it.”

“I don’t know how to feel about it,” Buck says. “It’s a job I thought I was done with.”

“Are you safe?” Bobby says.

“It’s the safest job I could be in,” Buck says. “It’s just… I wasn’t the happiest there.”

“Well, we’re here for you,” Bobby says, “even if we can’t know what exactly we’re here for you for.”

“Thanks, Bobby,” Buck says. Buck hands Bobby the list of dates and times. “Those are my call— the times I can’t work,” Buck says. “And I… I’d prefer if I don’t work the mornings before those times either, if possible. I just… I need to have as much energy as possible.”

“Yeah, of course,” Bobby says. He looks down and his brows shoot up. “This is… a lot of days.”

“I’m… a very important worker at this… job,” Buck says, scratching his neck awkwardly.

“Right,” Bobby says. “Do you want to just take a couple months of leave?” 

“Bobby—”

“Kid, I don’t want to work you to death,” Bobby says. “And it looks like your schedule basically has you working a 9-5. You deserve to have weekends.”

“I can still work,” Buck says.

“Well, as your captain, I am saying that that is not the best option for you at this moment.” Bobby softens. “I’m not kicking you out of the 118, Buck. I’m just letting you do what you gotta do. You’ll come back when you’re done and there will be a spot waiting for you when you do.”

“I can come back?” Buck says, voice small.

“Of course you can!” Bobby says. “Don’t let this get to your head, Buck. You have other priorities. That’s okay.”

“Thank you Bobby,” Buck says. “Really.”

“Of course,” Bobby says. “Now, how do you feel about helping me make carnitas tonight?”

Buck grins. “I’d like that a lot.”

.-~*~-.

Buck gets into the truck with Eddie and stares out the window blankly, wrapped up in the chaos of his mind.

Eddie keeps shooting him worried glances, his hand sliding off of the wheel and intertwining with Buck’s. Eddie gives him a small smile and squeezes his hand.

Buck tries his best to relax, to make it seem like he’s okay, but he’s not. 

The drive is quiet except for the murmur of the radio. Eddie is tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and Buck knows he wants to ask him what’s wrong but also doesn’t know if he should.

They make it to their house and are greeted by an excited, babbling Chris.

It lifts some of the weight off of Buck’s chest, but not enough to ease Eddie’s worries.

They get through dinner and bedtime before Eddie finally breaks.

“What happened?” Eddie says. “Did someone say something to you on call?”

Buck shakes his head. He sits on the edge of their bed and buries his face in his hands, letting out a long sigh. 

Eddie sits next to him, placing a soothing hand on his back. “Hey. Talk to me.”

“I don’t talk about my childhood a lot,” Buck says. He looks up to Eddie who just gives him an encouraging nod. “You know about Daniel.”

“I do,” Eddie says.

“My parents couldn’t afford the hospital bills,” Buck says. “I mean, it was a lot. Especially with how much work they were taking off to be with Daniel. So… so they found another way to get money.” Buck can see the confusion in Eddie’s expression. “Don’t worry. This isn’t my confession to being from a mob family or something.”

Eddie lets out a tiny snort.

“Did you know that there’s a big demand for baby actors?” Buck says. “Well behaved ones, especially.” Buck’s lips twist bitterly. “Well, my parents did. And they made a lot from their shiny new baby.”

Buck swallows past the lump in his throat. “I was a baby actor for a while. Well, until I wasn’t a baby anymore. Then I was a toddler actor. And then a child actor. I did a lot of commercials and guest spots. I was in a lot of flashbacks. Oh, and a bunch of people’s kid. That was confusing for little me.”

Buck clears his throat. “But, uh, I got my first big role in a show called You, Me, and Three.” Buck looks up at Eddie and sees the cogs turning in his head. “Have you heard of it?”

“Of course I have,” Eddie says. “It’s You, Me, and Three.”

“Well,” Buck says. “Little Benji is all grown up now.”

And the pieces finally click together. “You were Bucky Darling.”

Buck lets out a sigh. “Yeah.”

Eddie’s eyes are darting rapidly. “You were… you were everywhere.”

“Yup,” Buck says, popping the p. 

“You…” Eddie stops himself. “I can’t imagine what that was like. The pressure of being that famous so young.”

“It… it wasn’t nice,” Buck says. “I don’t know what childhood is supposed to be like but mine was… it was constant auditions. And then it was rehearsing. And then it was filming. And then it was press. Rinse and repeat, no break. Sometimes I’d have all four in one day. One time, I had missed dinner to get to a late night talk show and I passed out during makeup. My parents gave me a juicebox and a bag of crackers and I went out to do my interview anyway.”

“Dios,” Eddie breathes. “That’s… you didn’t deserve that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Buck says. “Or, I do now. I didn’t for a while.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Eddie asks.

“Because I have to go back,” Buck says, eyes stinging. “I can’t say much, but I’m contractually obligated to a project and it’s necessary that I’m in it.”

“You don’t have to—”

“But I do,” Buck says with a sad smile. “Very contractually obligated,” Buck says. “Like, I could be sued into bankruptcy if I don’t do it.”

Eddie doesn’t say anything.

“I think I’m just… I’m scared?” Buck says. “Because that hasn’t been my life in… in years. And the last time I did it, it didn’t end up well. Like, accidentally overdosing and trying to permanently disfigure myself at ten years old before becoming a hermit for eight years.”

“Buck,” Eddie whispers, eyes wide.

“It wasn’t all bad,” Buck says. “I met a lot of cool people. Worked with a lot of cool people. You wouldn’t believe the network I had then. I didn’t even realize how cool it was until I was old enough to not have those connections anymore. And it was fun sometimes. I was good at acting and people praise you when you’re good at what you do.”

Buck gnaws on his lip. “But it was obviously… it was stressful. And it was a lot. A lot of responsibility and a lot of work and just… a lot. And I think sometimes it was too much. But I was making so much money and I think my parents still blamed me for not saving Daniel so they figured I could be good for something.” Buck looks up with a sardonic smile. “Guess what my net worth was.”

“Uh…” Eddie trails off. “A hundred thousand?”

“Twenty five million.”

“What?” Eddie’s eyes are so big that Buck thinks they’ll fall out. “Why— why do you even have a job?”

“It never felt right to use it, I guess,” Buck says. “I put a lot of it into charity. Stored some away to eventually get a nice retirement. Have a… a frankly absurd college fund for Chris. Like, he can get a doctorate at Harvard kind of ridiculous.” Buck wrings out his hands. “I was going to tell you. Eventually. But then I didn’t and then I felt like it was too late and then I didn’t know how.”

Buck looks up. “And I was worried it would change how you looked at me. Like you would expect me to be something I’m not.”

“Hey,” Eddie says. “You’re still you. And you’ll always be you, no matter what past secret identities I find out about.”

Buck huffs quietly.

“Hey,” Eddie says. “This doesn’t change anything. I still love you. Not because you were famous or you’re rich. But because you’re you and I fell in love with you.”

“Thank you,” Buck whispers. 

“Nothing will change how much I love you,” Eddie says. “Unless you were lying about your family being part of the mob because then I might be a little pissed I didn’t get a little warning about that.”

Buck’s head throws back in laughter. 

He doesn’t know why he’s so surprised. He knows Eddie. He should’ve known he wouldn’t have a problem with this.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Eddie says.

“I don’t know,” Buck says. “But I have you. So I think I’ll figure it out.”

Chapter Text

The next month is a whirlwind of balancing the two sides of his life. 

Getting measurements for costumes and wigs before his shifts. Rehearsing with Eddie (who signed a hefty NDA) after their shifts. Spending his days off with his acting coach (not Jared. He loves Jared, but there’s too much history between them for Buck to feel comfortable working with him. And his specialty is child actors so there’s also that.)

Finally, it’s time for the cast to actually come together.

Buck hasn’t talked to anyone before this, mostly because he doesn’t have any of their numbers and he’s too much of a coward to message them on their social media. So, he’s going in blind and so are they.

It’s their first table read for the pilot episode and this will be the true test if they still have chemistry after all of these years.

Buck pulls up to the building with dread pooling in his gut.

He wasn’t sure if he should dress up for this and after a half hour of tearing his closet apart, Eddie helped him settle on a blue henley and nice dark jeans. 

Buck loiters outside of the door, his hand hovering over the handle. He doesn’t know why he can’t muster up the courage. He runs into burning buildings on the daily. He’s been in a collapsing building during an earthquake and in a tsunami and this is what scares him?

He’s still frozen in petrified inner conflict when he hears someone approach from behind.

“The modeling agency is down the hall.”

Buck turns around and the breath leaves his lungs. 

Sharpay obviously doesn’t look exactly how he remembers her. She was a teen the last time he saw her after all. But she holds herself the same, tall and confident and utterly sure of herself. Buck is sure he looks like the complete dichotomy, his shoulders hunched and tense like he wants to disappear through the floor.

“What?” Buck says, his brain not fully catching up.

“The modeling agency,” Sharpay repeats. “Because I’m guessing with a face like that and a body like that you have to be a model.” She bats her eyelashes and maybe if he were Buck 1.0 and she weren’t the equivalent of a second older sister to him, he might have fallen for it.

“Uh, hey Sharpay,” Buck says. “It’s, uh, Bucky.”

Her face pales, her seductive smirk replaced with horrified disgust. “Oh, God, gross.” She shakes her head with a shudder. She points a finger at his chest. “This never happened. You cannot tell Richie. I would never hear the end of it.”

Buck chuckles. “Yeah, don’t worry. My lips are sealed.”

Sharpay suddenly tackles him with a hug, her hands clasping behind his neck as she stands on her tiptoes. “Jesus, you got tall.”

“Yeah,” Buck says. “You wouldn’t think it with how much of a shrimp I used to be.”

“Why did you start packing on muscle?” Sharpay asks. “I haven’t seen you in any action films.” Her face falls. “Please tell me you didn’t go into porn. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to bleach my brain from the image. Or use PornHub again.”

Buck’s head throws back with laughter. “Not porn, promise. And, uh, not any kind of film. I stopped acting pretty soon after we finished filming.”

Sharpay goes silent, his words sinking in. “You know, I checked your IMDb a few times. I wanted to see what you were in production for just for the chance to see you again. But… it never got updated.”

“I loved being with you and Richie,” Buck says. “I just… didn’t love the rest of it.”

“It was a lot of pressure,” Sharpay says. “Especially for a kid as young as you were.” 

Buck’s jaw tightens as he looks away, getting lost in the memories. “You know that there are child labor laws,” Buck says. “But my parents had no problem finding loopholes. When I wasn’t on set I was doing press and when I wasn’t doing press I was on a different set and when I wasn’t on a different set I was auditioning. The only time I got to be a real kid was in my trailer with you and Richie. And I just… it got too much.”

“I can see why,” Sharpay says softly. “I’m sorry you had to go through that Bucky.”

“Buck,” he says. “It’s just Buck now.”

Sharpay smiles. “Alright, Buck.” She snorts. “That may take a little getting used to. I apologize in advance for screwing that up.” She puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. “You ready to go in?”

Buck lets out a shaky breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Sharpay opens the door for him and surprisingly the world doesn’t explode. It actually goes… really well. Acting isn’t like riding a bike at all but there’s a familiarity to it that Buck didn’t realize he’d fall into. The new cast members are bright and bushy eyed and Buck wants to scream at them to get out while they can, but they don’t look like the overworked, borderline abused child that Buck had once been. 

And Buck, he… actually has a good time. There were a lot of laughs around the room and every laugh he gets with his delivery, the more his confidence builds and the more comfortable he gets. Acting had never been like this before. It was a grueling obligation that he could never fully comprehend. It was exhausting and he hated it almost as much as he hated himself.

But this? This is friends, old and new, having fun. This is a group of people who are excited about creating something that could be great, something they want to make great. This is people who love what they do doing what they love.

And it’s… completely foreign to Buck. This feeling that what he’s doing not only matters but is fulfilling just like when he’s firefighting.

He didn’t know it could be like this. He didn’t know it was supposed to be like this. 

Rehearsals are even better. The energy is palpable, something electric and intoxicating. The laughs are boisterous from crew and cast alike and Buck has the most fun on a set that he has ever had. 

Buck finds himself looking forward to their first day of filming. He’s studied his lines, played around with his delivery and what feels natural with the blocking. He’s going to do great, he knows he will, but he’s also going to have a great time. 

They have a live audience and Buck makes sure to invite Eddie and Chris. They have a long talk to Chris about NDAs and Chris just rolls his eyes and says he kept the obvious feelings that Buck and Eddie had for each other secret, and this is nothing.

In Buck’s dressing room, Chris giggles at the sight of Buck with black hair.

“I’m gonna let you into a secret,” Buck says, whispering conspiratorial. “My hair is actually this color.”

Chris gasps. “No.”

Buck nods. “Yeah. I dye it. But it’s actually this color. It’s why I have different hair than Maddie.”

“So you have the same hair as Daddy?” Chris says.

“Even darker.”

Chris’s mouth drops open. “Woah. That’s weird.”

Buck laughs. “Yeah, I guess it is. It hasn’t been this color for a long time. I’m not used to it either.”

“You’re gonna have to though, right? Because you’re gonna be wearing wigs to make your show.”

“Yeah, I will,” Buck says. “But when I come home, I won’t have the wig on.”

“Why didn’t you just grow your hair out so that it would be the old color?” Chris says.

And Buck pauses. Because he had the option to. He had enough time to grow out his hair and it would be a lot cheaper. But… there’s something that that hair represents. That’s Bucky Darling’s hair. The iconic dark hair that was stark against his pale skin and bright blue eyes. It was instantly recognizable and he hated it.

That’s why he dyed his hair to be a neutral, forgettable color. Something that people would see and think “hm, that’s just any guy.”

Of course, he couldn’t totally get that with his more than averagely attractive features and toned build, but now people looked at him for him, not for the constant part he played.

There’s a knock at the door. A PA sticks her head in. “Places on set.”

Buck grins anticipatorily at Eddie and Chris. “Well, that’s me. You guys better get to your seats.”

Buck should be nervous, but he isn’t. He’s sharing a piece of himself with his two most important people that he’s never shown before. He’s embracing something that he shoved down for so long. 

The director calls action and Buck waits out of sight. He’s so solely focused on hitting his mark that he doesn’t notice the woman barreling towards him.

She manages to tackle him to the ground. “Bucky!” she screeches.

Buck’s training immediately kicks in and he flips them over and disarms her. Luckily, the security hurries over and pulls her away from him.

“Bucky, I love you!” she shouts, fighting against the hold of the security. “They can’t keep me from you! They tried but they couldn’t stop me!”

A PA comes bursting through the door, out of breath and frantic. “Someone hit Jake with their car!”

“He was trying to keep me from Bucky!” the crazed fan says. “He didn’t understand our love!”

The security drags her away and Buck makes eye contact with Eddie. With a nod, they both start to run outside.

“Buck! Where are you going?!” Sharpay shouts.

Buck pushes through the doors, sharp on Eddie’s heels, and they both freeze as they see the security guard sprawled on the ground, bleeding and bent in ways he should not.

They rush to his side.

“Sir, we’re off duty LA fire and rescue,” Buck says as Eddie starts cataloging his injuries.

“Oh God,” Jake mutters. “I must’ve hit my head harder than I thought ‘cuz Bucky Darling’s saying he’s a fuckin’ firefighter.”

“I am a firefighter, Jake,” Buck says. “This is just my side gig.”

“This is your side gig?” Jake says. “You get paid more per episode than I get paid all month.”

Buck cringes. He turns to Eddie. “What’s the prognosis?”

“Trauma to the ligaments. Looks like a pelvis fracture, broken hip, shoulder displacement, possible neck injuries, definite jaw fracture, and a whole lot of lacerations.”

“Lemme see,” Jake says, starting to sit up.

Buck and Eddie splutter at him, Buck holding him down with a gentle palm. “You shouldn’t be moving right now. We don’t know if there’s any vertebrae damage.”

“What’s that mean?” Jake asks.

“That we want to be safe and make sure you don’t hurt yourself any more,” Eddie says.

The sound of sirens breaks them out of their concentration and Buck lets out a sigh as he recognizes the police car and firetruck.

Bobby, Athena, Chim, and Hen first zone in on the victim, but stop in their tracks as they spot Buck and Eddie.

“Eddie, what are you doing here?” Bobby asks.

“Buck, when did you dye your hair?” Hen says.

“And what the hell are you wearing?” Chimney says.

All of their heads snap up to face Buck, the man surprisingly unrecognizable with the dark hair, sweater vest, and fake glasses.

“Uh,” Buck says. “I’m at work?”

They all blink and stare for a moment but are interrupted by a groan from Jake.

Suddenly remembering why they’re there, they all get to work on assessing Jake.

“We will talk about this,” Athena says, stopping in front of Buck before heading inside to arrest the crazed fan. “Excuse me! Coming through! LAPD!”

Buck turns around and realizes they’ve drawn a crowd. At the front is Sharpay and the rest of his co-stars. 

“When you said you weren’t a pornstar, I wasn’t expecting you were a firefighter,” Sharpay exclaims.

Everyone’s head jerk to look at Buck with wide eyes. His face burns with embarrassment.

“You might’ve seen me on TV?” Buck says. “I was the one who got crushed by the firetruck.”

Sharpay’s jaw drops. “Oh, you are not skipping Sunday brunch. You are going to spill all the deets.”

As Jake is loaded into the ambulance, Buck’s team comes over and really takes in his new and odd look.

“So what is all of this?” Bobby asks.

“Well,” Buck says. “There’s a lot of NDAs… but what I can say is, well… do you know the show You, Me, and Three?”

Their brows furrow with confusion. 

“...Yeah?” Hen says. “Who doesn’t know You, Me, and Three?”

“Well,” Buck says. “You’re looking at Little Benji. Bucky Darling is back.”

They all stare in silence.

“Wait a second,” Chimney says. “You were in that Bop It commercial. That thing used to drive me insane.”

Hen slaps his arm.

“What?!” Chimney says. “It did.”

“We can talk about Buck and his past roles when we are off shift, but we have other calls to attend to,” Bobby says. He smiles at Buck softly. “You can tell us whatever you want to tell us whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks Bobby,” Buck says. “I think I’m finally ready.”

Ready to face his past he’s hidden away for so long. Ready to tell his family about his life before them. Ready to be Bucky Darling and Buck and whatever is in between.

Ready to finally let go and move on.