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“Maddie’s here. I’ll call you later, okay?” Buck told Tommy over the phone, his heart hammering away in his chest nervously. Maddie had just gotten out of the Uber car she had taken to meet him downtown and she looked so happy, so vibrant. There were only days left until she would get married to Chimney and she was obviously over the moon about that. Buck loved seeing his beloved sister like this.
“Okay. It’ll be fine, I’m sure. Talk to you later, baby,” Tommy said. Buck smiled and then ended their call. Every time Tommy called him baby, he felt his belly tingle and his heart flutter in his chest, even though the other man had called him like that quite often already. Maybe he’d never get used to that. And maybe he didn’t want to. It just felt so good to react to someone in such an intense way.
“Maddie,” Buck said, a happy smile on his lips when his sister stepped closer. He wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and hugged her tight. “Hey, little brother,” she greeted him and kissed his cheek. “It’s so good to see you!” Buck beamed at her and grabbed her right hand to gently squeeze her fingers. “Come on, let’s go inside,” he then said and gently tugged her along.
“We haven’t been here for quite a while,” Maddie said, following Buck. They were entering a cocktail bar they had been visiting a few times before - they had amazing cocktails and really tasty snacks - and Buck was looking forward to spending the evening with his sister at this place. Even though he was quite nervous as well since he wanted to finally tell her.
He wanted to finally out himself to Maddie.
Tommy, the amazingly supportive boyfriend that he was, had told him to finally do it. The night Buck had asked Tommy to be his boyfriend had been almost two weeks ago and it was only a few days until Maddie would get married to Chimney, so it was about time. Strangely enough, Buck had been incredibly nervous to tell Maddie even though he knew that she would be happy for him. She loved Josh, for instance. And, of course, Hen and Karen. She would be happy for her brother to have found out he was bisexual and for having a gorgeous boyfriend, right? Still, being supportive of others and outing oneself were two incredibly different things, that was for sure.
The siblings sat down on a table for two after Buck had helped Maddie to get rid of her light coat. The place wasn’t packed, but there were several other guests sitting at the tables or the bar, talking, having drinks. Buck really liked the atmosphere of the place - the interior was designed in a modern way, all with bright colors and warm light. Buck placed his elbows on the table and rubbed his hands together, taking a deep breath.
“So, will you finally tell me?” Maddie asked all of a sudden and Buck felt his eyes widen. He looked up at her with his pulse quickening right away. “Uh- uhm, tell you what exactly?” he asked, swallowing thickly. Maddie smiled and there was fond amusement in her eyes. “Oh come on! I know you better than anyone, Evan! You have a new girlfriend, don’t you? You sounded so happy over the phone and when you came over last weekend to babysit Jee, you were glowing .” She winked at him. “I’m your sister, I notice stuff like that.”
Feeling himself blush, Buck smiled. He couldn’t keep anything from Maddie, could he?
Before he was able to answer, a young waitress showed up and asked what they wanted to order. They both chose colorful, sweet cocktails and a portion of sweet potato fries to share.
“So?” Maddie kept on asking after the waitress had left their table, again, “Who is she? Where did you meet her?”
Buck brushed his right hand over his mouth and stubbly chin and took a deep breath, averting his eyes nervously for a moment. “Well, you’re not wrong,” he then said, gaze wandering back up to Maddie’s eyes. “I met someone.”
She beamed at him. “I knew it! She makes you really happy, doesn’t she? You just seem so… elated. Content. It’s a really great look on you,” Maddie chirped and the fact that Tommy seemed to have such an effect on him made Buck’s heart flutter in his chest. “You will bring her to the wedding, right?” his sister then added and Buck knew he had to just tell her, right here and right now.
“It’s a man, Maddie,” Buck said and he sounded a little breathless to his own ears. “I have a boyfriend.”
There was a beat of silence between them and Buck just stared at his sister. It was a little hard to breathe and those two seconds honestly felt like an eternity to him.
And then, Maddie’s face softened so much and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
“You do?” she asked, moving her hand over the table to place it on Buck’s two hands that were, again, holding on to each other as if Buck was trying to comfort himself. Give himself courage. Her touch was so soft as well and her fingers were warm.
“Yeah, I do. And I like him, Maddie. I like him a lot,” Buck answered. Were there tears shimmering in her eyes?
“Evan, that is amazing.” Maddie sounded a little choked up and that made Buck feel like crying as well. His sister was just… the best. “Yeah, uhm, he- he’s amazing. I’m sure you will love him,” Buck said and when a tiny tear trickled down his right cheek, Maddie jumped up from where she was sitting. She rounded the table and wrapped her arms around Buck’s shoulders, hugging her still sitting brother tightly. Wetly, Buck laughed and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m sure I will, but right now, most of all, I want you to know that I love you so much, Evan,” she mumbled into his hair. She gently squeezed him and then brought a little more distance between them to look at him. “Thank you for telling me. I love you, little brother, and I just want you to be happy. Whoever makes you happy and treats you well is the right partner for you, no matter their gender, okay?”
Buck smiled when she pressed a kiss to his forehead before walking back to where she had been sitting before. He quickly wiped his cheek with the back of his right hand and then exhaled audibly. Wow. That felt really freeing. Overwhelmingly so. Of course, Maddie was loving and supportive. Buck definitely had the best sister he could ever have wished for. The happiness flooding his whole body made him almost a little light-headed.
“Thank you, Mads,” he then said, smiling brightly, his heart beating in his chest happily. “That means a lot. And I love you too.”
The waitress showed up and brought them their order. Maddie thanked her and then looked back at her brother, beaming at him like the sun itself. “So! Tell me about him! Is he hot?” she asked, her grinning turning almost a little cheeky. Buck chuckled.
“Yes. He is hot. Very hot, actually,” he said and Maddie giggled like a little girl. It was so touching that she was so giddy, so happy for Buck. “And… it is Tommy.”
Now, that made her eyes widen a little. “Tommy? As in, Eddie’s friend Tommy?” Buck pouted a little. “He was not just Eddie’s friend! But yeah. That Tommy, the pilot,” he said. Maddie whistled quietly. “He’s the one that helped save Bobby and Athena, right?” When Buck nodded, she nodded approvingly. “Okay. Like him already,” she said and that made Buck grin as well.
“After I behaved like an asshole and was the reason Eddie got injured during Basketball, Tommy suddenly showed up at my doorstep,” Buck told Maddie and she was listening attentively. “He actually apologized to me for making me feel left out.” Buck grabbed his cocktail glass and took a sip, smiling at the sweet taste of the drink. “We talked and somehow, started flirting and then he kissed me.”
Maddie squealed, making Buck chuckle (and blush) with her adorable reaction, and pressed her hands to her face for a moment. “That is so romantic!” she then said and Buck fondly rolled his eyes. “We had a really awkward first date, I panicked and he was so…” Buck sighed. “Maddie, he is so gentle. He calmed me down and told me that he liked me and that he’d give me all the time I needed and I just… I like him more and more every single day. I have never felt so safe in a relationship before. And appreciated.”
Maddie’s eyes were sparkling with affection. “Oh Evan. That sounds so amazing! I am so happy he makes you so happy, he sounds absolutely lovely!” She grabbed a sweet potato fry and pointed it at Buck. “You definitely have to bring him to my wedding, Buck! I want you to know that I officially invite him to come. I mean, it’s just a natural thing since he’s your partner.” Grinning, Buck ate a fry too and then nodded. “I will definitely bring him.” Buck couldn’t stop himself from giggling, the butterflies in his belly flapping their wings about like madmen. “He’s going to wear a suit for your wedding. I haven’t seen him in a suit yet. He’s gonna look so damn hot,” he then swooned, feeling his cheeks heat up just at the thought.
“Speaking of which,” his sister commented, leaning a little closer. “Show me a picture. Now.”
Buck laughed at her impatient expression and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. He unlocked it, opened his gallery and looked at the pictures he had of his boyfriend, scrolling a little. Buck chose one of his favorite pictures of Tommy - Buck had taken it about a week prior when he had spent the night at Tommy’s again. They had sat on Tommy’s balcony for breakfast. In the picture, Tommy was looking directly into the camera, with that soft, affectionate smile on his face that always made Buck’s knees feel all weak. There were those gorgeous crinkles around his beautiful blue eyes as well as his dimples on full display. Also, he had been wearing only a tank top, no sleeves, so Maddie could marvel at his ridiculously muscular arms if she liked to. Buck’s boyfriend was a damn unit, so there was no way he wouldn’t show him off to her!
With a grin on his lips, Buck opened the picture and gave his phone to Maddie. She took it, looked at the display and Buck felt his chest swell with pride at the way her eyes widened. Maddie blinked once, twice, and then looked up at Buck for a second.
“Wow,” she commented and her brother couldn’t stop but nod. “I told you he was hot,” he grinned and she raised her free hand, using her index finger and thumb to zoom in on the photograph, making Buck laugh. “Damn, he’s gorgeous, Buck! Those dimples!” she then said so loudly that the people sitting on one of the other tables turned around to look at them. Maddie grinned and ducked her head a little. After looking at Tommy’s picture for a little longer, she gave the phone back to her brother.
“I can’t wait to meet him in a few days!” Maddie said, smiling brightly. Buck couldn’t help but smile back at her with the same, happy expression. “Me neither, Mads.” He grabbed her hand over the table to squeeze it. “Me neither.”