Chapter Text
Okay, he’ll admit it. Buck was a little more than surprised when he slipped out of the rig, phone in hand as he messaged TK about the insane calls they’d had that day, and was greeted by the new probie. Ryan? he thinks, but isn’t sure. He’d only been there about 3 weeks at this point, so can you really blame him for forgetting? ‘Ryan’ had given him a small smile and gestured with his chin towards the loft, saying something about mail addressed to an Evan “Buck” Buckley.
He’d raised an eyebrow but thanked him before tucking his phone away and deciding to check this mail out while he had the time. After all, Lucy had said The Q-Word that morning, so calls were coming in ruthlessly. 6 hours into a 24 hour shift, and they’d already been called out to 3 massive fires, 5 medical calls and 1 extremely awkward shower accident.
(Eddie had taken the ride back from that call as an opportunity to remind Buck why he refuses shower sex. Ravi laughed so hard he choked. Buck rolled his eyes so hard he thought they’d roll into his skull).
When Buck made it up the stairs, he waved to one of the other probies with a grin before the envelope on the kitchen counter caught his attention. Ah, there it is.
Picking it up, he slid the paper between his fingers carefully. It was an off-white colour, the edges lined with beautifully painted flowers — Lotus flowers, Buck noted. And, sure enough, smack dab in the centre lied his own name, hand-written in cursive with deep red ink. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips. Whoever had made the envelope clearly put a lot of love and care into it, and Buck honestly felt flattered. Confused, but flattered nonetheless.
Before he got the chance to think any further, Chimney clapped him on the back as he walked past him and into the kitchen, presumably to finally drink that coffee that had been sitting under the espresso machine since 8 AM. “Whatcha got there, Buckaroo?”
Buck let out a breath of air and shrugged. “I dunno, Probie said someone dropped it by the station while we were gone.”
“A letter?”
“Who’s it addressed to?” Hen asked as she joined them, throwing the towel she used to dry her hands over her shoulder.
“Me, actually.” He flipped the envelope around to show the two paramedics, shrugging for the second time when confused expressions crossed both of their faces. “No idea what it’s for, but I guess we’ll find out.”
Buck started gently peeling the envelope open, careful to not damage the very pretty floral seal. In the corner of his eye, he saw Bobby and Ravi come up the stairs and take seats on the couch. He finally pried it open and took the letter itself out, sitting the envelope down on the counter again. “Here goes.”
“Here goes what?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Buck jumped and almost dropped the letter in surprise. “Eds, Jesus. Warn a guy.”
Eddie chuckled with a raised eyebrow, stepping into the loft while buttoning up his uniform jacket. “Hey, it’s not my fault you have a terrible sense of your surroundings.” Buck made a noise of offence, using one hand to clutch dramatically at his chest and the back of the other to rest against his forehead.
“That’s no way to talk to your boyfriend!”
Eddie let out a snort. “Yeah, yeah.” He passed him by with a kiss on the cheek and a light shove to the chest. “What’s that?” He gestured to the letter in Buck’s hand.
“Oh, right.” Buck’s focus shifted back to the situation at hand. “I’m about to find out.”
He flipped the letter open carefully, still taking in the floral details that circled the corners of the paper. His eyes flitted over the written words, still in cursive, taking in the information the best he could.
'Abby Clark and Sam Egan gleefully invite you to share in the joy of uniting their love. We hope to see you there.’
Bucks fingers shook as he scanned the paper over and over again, shock starting to sink into his chest uncomfortably. It’s not that he cared Abby was getting married, not even in the slightest. He’d known she was engaged for a while now, so long in fact that he’d figured she’d already gotten married by now. No, what was shocking about this was that she’d invited him. Last time they’d spoken, he’d chewed her out and said he couldn’t forgive her, at least not yet. That he hoped she was happy, but he didn’t want to be there to see it.
So why would Abby invite Buck to witness the happiest day of her life?
He was still angry at her, too. For everything. From their weird relationship dynamic that relied too much on what Buck could do for Abby, to the way that she left him hanging for years without any closure after she finally got what she wanted. The way she broke his heart without any hesitation, right after he’d so faithfully put the pieces of hers back together. How could he not be angry?
Buck let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes to gather himself. He cleared his throat.
“It’s— it’s, uh…” he found himself trailing off when he opened his eyes to see the concerned looks gracing his friend’s faces, guilt swinging in the back of his mind. He tried to shake it off. “It’s a— a, uh, wedding invite.”
Hen furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and the other 118 members’s expressions seemed to mirror hers. “A wedding invite? From who?”
Buck fidgeted with the paper in his hands, suddenly feeling a little sweaty. Gritting his teeth, he tried to not sound as peeved as he felt when he next spoke.
“Abby.”
This time, Buck was surprised to see that the furrowed eyebrows on his friend’s faces weren’t caused by confusion, but by a very clear distaste at the mention of Buck’s ex. It’s not like they’d ever sung her praises or anything, but to see them so obviously upset at the thought of Abby being in his life in any way was undoubtedly odd. He hadn't realised they disliked her that much.
From where he sat on the couch, Bobby spoke up for the first time. “Why would she invite you?”
Buck laughed, maybe a little hysterically, and flailed his arms around as if to accentuate what he was saying. “I have no clue!” He dropped his arms and sighed heavily, using one hand to massage his temple in an attempt to soothe his rapidly approaching headache. “It’s not like our last conversation was exactly friendly.”
“Maybe she wants to make amends?” Chimney suggested from behind his mug, coffee dripping down his chin. Buck considered his words for a second, then shook his head. If she’d wanted to make amends, then she should’ve done that 2 and a half years ago, after the train derailment.
“Not sure I want to make amends,” Buck decided to respond. “It’s her who broke my heart. And, for all she knows, I could be painfully single and still hopelessly in love with her and she wants me to watch her get married?”
Ravi shifted from the couch to join Chimney in the kitchen, grabbing a bag of crisps from one of the snack cupboards. “Or, maybe, she still cares about you and wants you to be there regardless of what terms you guys left on.”
Buck almost cringed at the idea of meeting her again, especially under the circumstances of a wedding. He’d already gotten closure, in some roundabout way, and after their last meeting he’d decided that was enough. At least he thought so.
“Look, this isn’t about what Abby wants.” Eddie started, leaning against the back of one of the couches with his arms crossed. “It’s about what Buck wants. And whether that’s to go to her wedding and congratulate her or if it’s to burn that letter and never think about her again, it’s our job to support him. Whatever decision he makes.”
God, Buck really loved that man.
Hen nodded her head. “Eddie’s right. I don’t care why Abby wants him there at her wedding, I just care that Buck gets to choose what to do about it.”
His teammates eyes turned to him, curiosity sparking in their gazes. Buck couldn’t help but grin at their unflinching support.
"I’ll need some time to think it over. It could be good for me, I dunno. But it’s gonna take a little while to figure it out.”
Eddie crossed the room in a few swift paces, reaching out to rest his hand against the pulse point on Buck’s neck - Eddie’s favourite place to touch when trying to comfort or reassure him. “Take all the time you need, Querido. This is a big thing, and we’ll be right here if you need anything. And I mean anything."
Buck let the grin take over his face again, a feeling of pure safety pooling in the pit of his stomach. “I know. Thank you.”
Bobby smiled, in that same fatherly way that he does when Harry or May are in the room, and nodded his head.
“That’s what family’s for.”