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Evan is twelve years old and he’s sitting on the curb outside of school, keeping a watchful eye on the local traffic for that familiar blue car, even though he knows it’s no use.
No one’s coming.
It’s dark already, he should have given up an hour ago. But, he had held out hope that his mom’s promise that she’d pick him up after Science Club wouldn’t turn out to be a lie. He’d hoped at least Maddie would come get him if their mom had failed, but Doug had answered the phone and said she was too busy for him.
Grumbling to himself, he finally gets to his feet and begins his long walk home. When he arrives he finds both parents home, having already eaten dinner and retired to the living room to watch their evening shows. Neither speaks to him when he comes in, despite it being past nine.
He drops his schoolbag in a huff and stomps his way to the kitchen where he proceeds make an unnecessarily loud peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner. He takes that and a glass of milk and goes to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Later, his dad opens his door and finds him sitting on the floor in front of his bed, legs drawn up and chin resting on his knees. He’s still crying a little, hitching breaths rippling through his shoulders.
His father sighs loudly through his nose. “I was coming by to talk about your attitude, but I can see you’re still being emotional so there’s probably no point. Just know that slamming doors is unacceptable in this house, young man. If I catch you being disrespectful like that again, there will be consequences. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” Evan rasps out, leaning back against his bed and staring at a point just beyond the door.
His father sneers down at him. “Go clean yourself up and get to bed. I better not hear you crying in here all night.”
“Yes, sir.” Evan whispers again, burying his face in his knees.
Evan is fifteen years old and his parents are out of town, so you know what that means: PARTY!
He’s saved up his allowance and made sure to behave extra well (which mostly consists of him just staying in his room) so that he’s not grounded or anything and he plots and he plans and it’s absolutely going to be the party of the year.
Except it’s not.
So far as he can tell, there’s not even another party or event the kids at his school attended instead. They just decided collectively that they weren’t going his and no one bothered to tell him.
He gorges himself on the pizza he bought, drinks himself stupid on the beer he’d managed to acquire and watches Netflix till the sun comes up. He repeats this when he wakes up the next afternoon and on Sunday his parents arrive home to find the house in disarray and him hung over and he’s grounded for six weeks.
Evan is seventeen years old and sure, he’s not the captain of the football team or anything, but he is first string and he starts in all the games. He even scores a lot, and thinks he might be making actual friends with some of the other boys.
It doesn’t bother him that his family never shows up to his games. They haven’t been to a single school event since the Parents Pancake Breakfast they had back in third grade, during which they both complained heartily and left early. Hell, he doesn’t miss them at all now that he has his very own cheering section.
Ok, well technically the cheering section is for the team at large, but there are a few kids in there that always chant his name when he scores.
This time though, it’s a little different.
They’ve been bussed two towns over to play in a championship game. It’s a whole event; the little town being one of those places that makes the local high school sports teams their entire personality.
They arrive early and the kids from the school they’re visiting show them around a bit, ending up in the gymnasium where a little mixer event was set up so the students could kill time before the game.
The kids mostly stayed in their cliques, and Evan isn’t really part of any one group yet, so he kind of buzzes around the outer edges of the social circles, mostly keeping to himself.
Until he saw her, that is.
Well, her and her even holy shit am I gay hotter boyfriend.
They easily lure him out of the gym and down a hall and into a room where six other boys were waiting and they spend about ten minutes kicking the absolute shit out of Evan. He screams and fights and tries to run, but there’s just too many of them, so he does his best to protect his head. When he wakes up four hours later he has to go out an emergency door to leave the empty building, which triggers an alarm, sending the police his way, who in turn call for a rescue unit.
He’s staring at the ceiling of the ambulance, ignoring the EMT who seems equally content to ignore him and this is when he decides there’s just something fundamentally unlovable about him. There just has to be.
For fuck’s sake when he didn’t show up to play, they had simply put in a replacement and never thought to send anyone to look for him. They didn’t even notice he wasn’t on the bus back home. No one came for him when he needed them. No one ever would.
He just wasn’t worth it.
Evan is twenty two and in Peru and he’s very drunk. He’s very very drunk and in need of help. He needs help, but no one’s coming.
He…he needs…
...but...
no one’s coming.
No one’s coming.
He lets the darkness take him; it’s just easier that way.
Buck is twenty five and he’s never been happier. Everything about the last several months of firefighter school—the training and learning and training some more—has felt right in a way that nothing else in his life ever has.
When he walks across the little stage in their graduation ceremony, he doesn’t bother looking out at the audience. Not a single person out there was there for him, and he wasn’t doing this for anyone but himself, anyway.
He’s grinning ear to ear when he takes his paperwork from the chief. He’s found his calling; he’s going to be a firefighter—he glances down and checks the paperwork he’s been handed as he passes a small knot of other graduates, none of whom glance his way—with the 118; reporting to Captain Robert Nash.
He was so fucking excited he couldn’t stand himself.
Buck is thirty two and Eddie is thirty six and they’re getting married.
He’s found the love of his life and the family he never thought he deserved and it’s all happening and he’s just so fucking nervous that he’s literally shaking.
Maddie smiles her soft little secret smile that’s just for him. The one she gave a young Evan when he was small and hurt and in need of loving care. The one that she gave a grown Buck when he first started opening up to her about Eddie and all the joy he’d finally found.
She takes his hands. “Deep breaths, little brother. You can do this.”
She breathes with him. “In and out, that’s it, you’re doing great.”
“Are they…are they all here?” He asks, bracing himself a little for the answer, but he didn’t need to.
“Yes, Buck. Honey, they’re all here. Everyone’s here and they’re waiting for you.” Maddie reaches up and wipes his tears away. “C’mon, let me give you to Eddie.”
And she’s not lying. They’re all there—every single person he wanted at his wedding were waiting in the hall, all rising when he and Maddie entered.
Bobby and Athena stood where his parents traditionally would—his actual parents not having been invited (and likely would have declined if they had been, anyway). His friends smattered among the rows of smiling faces, everyone looking upon him with a fondness so palpable it made his heart ache in the best possible way.
And there, at the end of the aisle, was his future.
Eddie stood there, all big grins and bright eyes. He’s clutching tightly Chris's hand, who is standing in as his best man. Chim and Hen are also serving as part of his wedding party, while on Buck’s side stood Maddie, May and Ravi—who looked positively giddy to be there.
He’s barely listening to the officiant and he stumbles through his vows and cries at Eddies and then they’re kissing, they’re kissing and kissing and their guests are clapping and the music cues up and Eddie is dipping him and there’s wolf-whistles and cheers and it’s all perfect.
Buck will never be alone again.