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“I have a girlfriend,” Chimney announces one day during a shift, while they were lounging in the loft.
Buck blinks, and he looks up at Chimney. “ You have a girlfriend?”
“Don’t get too excited, Buck. We’ve been here before,” Hen says from where she’s reading on the couch. She stops reading for a moment to look up at Chimney.
“No, no, no. This one is different from Tatiana,” Chimney argues. “She’s a nice girl, and we’ve actually been talking for a couple weeks. We had our first date last night. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew she really wanted to date me. Low and behold, she does!”
“That’s wonderful, Chim. What’s her name?”
“Maddie,” Chimney tells him. “And she’s a Dispatcher.”
“Dispatcher?” Hen asks curiously. “Just how exactly did you meet this girl?”
“Well, I ran into her at the grocery store about a month ago. Accidentally bumped my cart into hers when I wasn’t paying attention. Totally my fault. It was so smooth, Hen. You would have been so proud of me. After I helped pick up everything that was dropped, I looked into the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen, and asked her if I could make it up to her by getting her coffee.” Chimney explains.
“So, when do we get to meet her?” Buck asks.
“Well, Athena wants to do another barbeque before the summer ends. Why don’t you invite her over?” Bobby suggests. “Come on, Chim. Don’t give me that look. We’ll be on our best behavior.”
Chimney turns, and he looks over at Hen with his arms crossed.
Hen scoffs. “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m always on my best behavior.”
“That’s debatable,” Bobby chimes in, looking over at Hen with raised eyebrows.
“Hey, if everyone is misbehaving in this crew, it’s Buckaroo over there,” Hen says, nodding towards Buck, who’s hardly paying attention to the conversation going on right now, until he hears Hen say his name.
“Hey,” Buck replies, a pout on his face. “I don’t know why you’re bullying me. I’m innocent.”
“Buck, you can invite people too, if you want,” Bobby says, looking over at the youngest member.
Buck blinks as he stares at Bobby. “I mean, thanks. But, there’s not really anyone I have to invite,”
“What do you mean? Your parents don’t live near? No siblings?” Chimney asks curiously.
“I don’t have any parents,” Buck says. He’s not sad about it or anything, but the subject is touchy, because Buck has been on his own since he left foster care at age eighteen. He never learned about who his real parents were, and he doesn’t know if he has any siblings. “And no siblings that I’m aware of.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Buck-”
“Don’t be,” Buck waves him off. “I’m a big boy, and I’m not going to cry about my parents who didn’t want anything to do with me. Besides, I’ve been fine on my own. I think I turned out pretty okay, right?”
Bobby chuckles. “You certainly did, Buck. You should be proud,”
Buck nods. “Thank you. I am,” he says, a grin forming on his face, because hearing Bobby say that means a lot, because Bobby is the closest thing Buck has to a father figure.
Buck doesn’t really think about the conversation about the Nash’s final summer barbeque. He’s never brought anyone to one of the gatherings with him before. Because he doesn’t really have anyone to bring.
But this time could be different, because Buck has been talking to someone, and it’s getting more serious. If Chimney is bringing someone as a date, then maybe Buck could? Buck really likes this guy, and he’d love to be able to bring his new boyfriend to a summer Nash barbeque. He’s only scared because he hasn’t really told anyone on the team that he’s gay, or that he’s been seeing someone.
“Hey, you made it,” Eddie greets when he opens the door, smiling brightly when he sees Buck.
“Of course I did,” Buck says, stepping in the house when Eddie steps back. He watches as Eddie shuts the door. “Where’s Chris? He’s usually bouncing into my arms at this point.”
Eddie chuckles. “Yeah, he’s at a sleepover tonight. It’s just us tonight,”
“Oh,” Buck breathes out, because this is the first time they’ve been completely alone, just them two. Usually Christopher is around, which has made it easier for Buck to be around Eddie. No, it’s just them.
“I mean, are you okay with that?” Eddie asks, sounding nervous.
Buck blinks, and he looks over at Eddie. “What? No, yeah. It’s fine. I was just expecting…”
“Yeah, sorry. I should have told you, but I thought it’d be a surprise. Our first time alone, you know?”
Buck smiles fondly, and he walks closer to Eddie, and then kisses him once. “That sounds perfect,”
“I thought so too,” Eddie says, reaching over to gently squeeze Buck’s hand. “So, dinner?”
Buck groans just thinking about dinner. It was an exhausting shift, and thinking about cooking dinner makes him want to curl up in a corner somewhere and cry, and he’s usually the one to cook because Eddie cannot be trusted in the kitchen, especially after Buck learned from Christopher that Eddie somehow managed to burn toast one time. Eddie refuses to talk about that incident. “Fuck, no, please, I’m too exhausted to cook. Can’t we just order pizza or something?”
“Is everything okay?” Eddie asks, frowning slightly. “You’re usually excited to cook.”
“I’m fine. It was just such a long shift,” Buck mumbles. “I’m kind of exhausted.”
Eddie nods. “That’s totally understandable. Yeah, we can order pizza. I’ll order, you get settled in,”
“Thanks,” Buck says, and he watches as Eddie goes to fetch his phone.
Buck heads straight to the bathroom to get himself relaxed after a long shift.
Eddie orders the pizza while Buck takes a shower. Luckily he’s been over to Eddie’s house enough times, and he has plenty of clean clothes to change into. So, he gets into some comfy gray sweats and a shirt.
After the pizza arrives, Buck and Eddie get settled into the living room. Buck puts on Jurassic Park.
“So, how was work?” Eddie asks, placing two pizzas on his plate. “Any interesting stories today?”
“Nah, not today. It was pretty boring, but it wasn’t terrible,” Buck says. “Just… very long. It helped knowing that I was coming straight here after work.” He looks over at Eddie and smiles.
“Even after knowing Christopher won’t be joining us tonight?” Eddie asks.
“Come on, you know spending time with you is my favorite thing to do,” Buck says. “Besides firefighting, of course. But, you’re a close second.” He laughs when Eddie rolls his eyes with annoyance. “But uhm, something interesting did come up in conversation today. I want to get your opinion on it.”
“What is it?” Eddie asks, and he looks over at Buck.
Buck sighs. “So, Bobby and Athena are throwing one of their summer bash’s. It’s basically where they invite everyone they’ve ever known. I’ve only been to one, but it’s a big party and a lot of fun. Well, Bobby mentioned that I could bring someone if I wanted. I’m sure you can guess where this is going.”
“You want me to go with you?” Eddie asks, his eyes widening. “Buck, I mean, are you sure?”
“I’m pretty sure,” Buck says, and he looks over at Eddie. “I mean, we’ve been dating about a month, and I’ve not told anyone about you. I know that we wanted to take things slow, for the sake of Christopher. But, if you’re ready, then I’m ready.”
“Buck, of course I’m ready. I’ve been ready. You talk so much about that family of yours, and I’m excited to finally meet them. They all have kids, right? That just means more friends for Christopher,”
“I- I mean, are you sure though? Because, this is a big step, and… we were going slow for a reason, and-” Buck is stopped by Eddie leaning over and kissing him on the lips, shutting him up. The kiss lasts for a moment before Eddie pulls away. “Did you just shut me up by kissing me?”
Eddie barks out a laugh. “It worked at least,” he says. “Buck, stop worrying. I’m ready, and I’ll be more than happy to join you at the summer bash. It sounds like a lot of fun. Will they care if we bring Christopher? I’m sure I can find a babysitter, but-”
“No, no, no. Don’t even worry about a babysitter. Christopher is more than welcome to come. All the kids will be there. He’s going to meet so many new friends,” Buck grins, excitement bursting through him.
So, Buck is excited when he gets to go into work the next day to tell Bobby that he will be bringing a date, which of course, raises questions and curiosity from all the other team members, but Buck doesn’t really say anything, only that he’s going to be bringing two guests.
The next few months fly by, and before Buck knows it, it’s finally time for Bobby and Athena’s annual summer bash. It’s all anybody can talk about at the firehouse.
Buck is nervous, because he’s bringing Christopher and Eddie as his guests. He’s not sure how everybody will react to him having a boyfriend. He knows they’ll be fine with it, because Hen has been out for as long as he can remember, and nobody has a problem with her being a lesbian.
“Will you relax? Everything’s going to be fine,” Eddie hisses as they stand at Athena’s doorstep.
“I know. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. They’re all going to be supportive. I know that,” Buck whispers, and he takes a deep breath before reaching up and knocking on the door. He looks down at Christopher, who seems to not be nervous at all. In fact, Christopher’s been excited about making new friends.
Finally, the door opens, startling Buck out of his thoughts.
Buck looks up, and smiles innocently when he sees Athena, who looks confused.
“Buck,” she says. She glances over at Eddie, and then Christopher, and then she looks at Buck again. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Buck huffs out a laugh. “I do, yeah. Athena, this is my boyfriend, Eddie,”
“Eddie, it’s nice to meet you,” she says, and reaches over to shake his hand. “And, who’s this?”
“Oh, this guy?” Buck asks, looking down at Christopher. “Only the best kid in the world. This is Christopher, and he’s Eddie’s son. I hope you don’t mind-”
Athena waves him off. “Of course we don’t mind. Come in, come in,” she says, stepping aside, and allowing the three inside the house. “Everybody has been so curious about who you were bringing.”
“Yeah, trust me, I know. They haven’t stopped bugging me about it,” Buck says.
“Well, you’ve certainly upped Chimney’s date,” Athena laughs. “But, you’re going to love Maddie, Buck. She’s such a sweet girl. Hard to believe Chimney snagged someone like her.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. Oh, and this is for you-” Buck says, holding up a pie. “It’s cherry pie. Christopher and I baked it this morning. It’s nowhere near as good as your pies, but… we’re pretty proud.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, Buckaroo,” Athena says, and she gently takes the pie from Buck, walking into the kitchen and placing it on the table. She looks at Eddie. “You didn’t take part in the pie baking?”
“I watched, and cleaned up their messes,” Eddie tells her.
“Eddie’s banned from using any utensils in the kitchen,” Buck adds, nodding.
“Dad burnt toast!” Christopher pipes up, giggling.
“Oh-” Eddie groans. “Come on, Chris. You can’t make me look bad already!”
“No, no, no. People should know what a terrible cook you are in the kitchen,” Buck says, and he looks over at Athena, who’s raising her eyebrows as she watches the three banter. “What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Come on, everybody’s waiting outside,” she says, and gestures for the boys to follow her outside, where the yard is packed with familiar faces that Buck knows all too well.
Buck introduces Eddie and Christopher to everyone, and no one even bats an eye at the fact that Buck seemed to have brought a guy as a date, and that said guy has a son. Hen seems ecstatic about it all, and tells Buck they’re going to have a lot to discuss later, but she says it all with a smile on her face.
Then, Buck gets to Chimney and Maddie.
“Buck, finally. You’ve been so bloody popular since you’ve arrived. Uh, this is Maddie, my girlfriend,” Chimney introduces, smiling brightly as he looks over at Maddie.
“Hi, I’m Maddie. Maddie Kendall. Although, that’s my married name. My actual name is Buckley, and-”
Buck’s eyes widen, and he looks over at Chimney. “You didn’t-”
“I didn’t know,” Chimney says, looking just as shocked as Buck feels, and Chimney looks over at Maddie. “You didn’t tell me your last name was Buckley.”
“It never came up in conversation, and you never asked,” Maddie says. “Why? What’s so wrong-?”
“Maddie, this is Evan Buckley,” Chimney says, pointing at Buck.
“What?” Maddie asks, her eyes widen, and she looks over at Buck. “This has to be some sort of joke.”
“Why would I joke about my last name?” Buck asks, blinking.
“So, are we…?” Maddie begins, and she shakes her. “Excuse me. I have to make a phone call.”
“Maddie-” Chimney begins, and he frowns as he watches Maddie hurry into the house.
“What’s going on?” Bobby asks, walking over to Chimney and Buck. “Buck, are you okay?”
“We… We just discovered that Maddie and Buck have the same last name,” Chimney mutters, and he glances over at Buck. “You had no idea at all?”
“Me?” Buck chokes out. “What about you ? Why didn’t you ask more questions about your girlfriend?”
“I didn’t think it was important!” Chimney exclaims, throwing his arms up. “She told me she kept her maiden name, and that’s all. I didn’t think it was any of my business.”
Buck takes a deep breath, and runs a hand through his hair.
“Hey Buck, are you okay, babe?” Eddie asks with worry, running up to him, and gently placing a hand on his back for comfort, which instantly calms him down. “I know that look.”
“I’m fine. Everything’s perfectly fine. Other than the fact that I just learned that I could possibly have a sister that I never knew about. Yeah, totally fine,” Buck spits out, and his eyes widen, before he looks over at Eddie. “I’m so sorry. This is not how I wanted today to go. You didn’t deserve that.”
Eddie frowns. “Buck, no, I don’t care about all that. I just want to make sure you’re okay,”
“I don’t know,” Buck whispers, and he allows Eddie to pull him into a comforting hug.
Maddie eventually comes back outside, and everybody’s been impatiently waiting for her. Buck and Eddie are sitting at one of the tables with Chimney, Hen, Bobby and Athena.
Maddie takes a deep breath as she walks over to the table. “Well,” she begins. She looks over at Buck. “Looks like we have a lot to catch up on, brother.”
“What?” Buck asks, standing from his chair. “You can’t be serious.”
“I called mom and dad. They confirmed that I had a brother named Evan Buckley,” Maddie says.
“So, what the fuck?” Buck asks, ignoring all the parents scolding him for swearing. “I want answers.”
“Buck, maybe you two should take this inside. I have a feeling this isn’t going to be a quiet conversation,” Chimney says, standing from his spot as well. “The kids don’t need to hear any of this."
“Buck?” Maddie asks, and nods towards the house. She seems calm, a little too calm for Buck’s liking. Because Buck’s completely freaking out now, his heart is pounding, and if it weren’t for Eddie being there, he’s sure he would have gone into a panic attack by now.
Buck takes a deep breath, and squeezes Eddie’s hand, before slowly standing and walking over to Maddie, and then he follows her into the house. “So-”
“We’re siblings,” Maddie says, turning to look at Buck once they’re in the house, alone. “Your full name is Evan Buckley, correct?” She crosses her arms against her chest.
Buck cringes. “Yes, but I prefer to go by Buck now,” he says. “Eddie’s the only one who gets away with calling me Evan, and he only calls me that when he’s fond or I’ve done something stupid to upset him.”
Maddie lets out a sigh. “Yes, and mum confirmed to me they had a son named Evan, but they decided to give up for adoption because they couldn’t afford, emotionally and physically, to raise another kid,”
Buck takes a deep breath. “Great. That’s awesome to know,”
“Evan, I’m sorry-”
“Buck,” Buck corrects her. “Don’t call me Evan.”
“Sorry. I-” Maddie frowns. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve to go through what you went through, and I wish we could have grown up together. You’re… how old are you now?”
“I’m twenty seven,”
Maddie gasps. “God, I can’t believe…” she takes a deep breath. “We should have been together!”
“It’s not your fault,” Buck says. “You probably didn’t understand what was going on, you were so young.”
“But you’re my brother, and I’ve missed twenty seven years of your life, and we have so much to catch up on. I want to know everything. How did you end up in Los Angeles? How did you become a firefighter? How did you meet that hot man out there with his incredibly adorable son?”
Buck laughs. “Hey, back off. He’s mine. But, yes, I agree. He is hot and his son is the most adorable kid I’ve ever met,” he says, before letting out a sigh. “So, uh… you do want to keep in touch?”
“Even if I didn’t, it looks like we would have kept in touch anyways. Considering you’re on the same team as my boyfriend, and your team is incredibly close with each other,” Maddie says.
“I have one question though. Why did you talk about Buckley being your last name, when you still have your married nama? I mean, considering Chim didn’t even know your last name was Buckley,”
“Oh,” Maddie laughs. “I talk a lot when I’m nervous, and I was really nervous to meet you and your team, so I just started rambling. I’m so sorry about that. But hey, look where it got us?” Maddie asks, and grins. “If you don’t mind, I’d really like to hug you right now.”
“Yeah, that-” Buck laughs, and he nods. “A hug would be really nice right- oof .” Buck is immediately pulled into a warm hug by Maddie, and Buck immediately relaxes into the hug, holding her tightly.
This is certainly not how Buck thought the summer bash would go today. He thought he was bringing Eddie, introducing his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s son to his team and loved ones. He certainly wasn’t expecting to come out of this day with a whole sister that he didn’t know about. But, Maddie seems great, and Buck is really looking forward to getting to know his new sister.
Eventually, the two resume to the party. It’s a little awkward, but Buck focuses on Eddie and Christopher, talking to the others about how they met, and how Buck is with Christopher. The whole shebang.
“So,” Eddie says once the two are sitting in the kitchen, Christopher asleep in the back.
“Yeah,” Buck laughs. “God, I’m so sorry, Eddie. This isn’t how I thought today would go.”
“Hey, don’t apologize. None of us could have expected it to happen,” Eddie is quick to assure him. “Besides, Maddie seems great. You must be excited?”
“I am. Trust me, I am excited. I’m just… mad. How could my parents-? I just have so many questions, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get any of the answers. I’m glad I met Maddie, and I know the truth, and I’m grateful that Maddie wants to keep in touch. We’re already planning on getting together this weekend,” Buck says.
“Then, that’s great. I’m sorry about your parents. You’ve told me so much about what you went through when you were in foster care. You didn’t deserve any of that. But hey, I think you turned out pretty great.”
Buck grins, and he looks at Eddie. “Even when I constantly give you heart attacks because of my job?”
Eddie laughs. “Well, that’s something you can’t really control. But yes, even then,”
Buck reaches over and kisses Eddie. “Thank you. For being there for me today,”
“Always,” Eddie says, reaching over and grabbing Buck’s hand, squeezing it tightly.