Chapter Text
Buck was terrified. He could feel his heart beating in his ears and his hands shaking as he approached the less-than-warm light that flooded out of the living room.
It had been a lifetime since Maddie left for Boston; besides a few calls and weekly text messages, they barely spoke. Buck was feeling more isolated than ever after coming out of school, losing all of his friends, and having not one but two teachers threaten to call home to his mother about his so-called 'condition.' He decided that this was for the best.
That's why he walked into the room, sat down, and simply blurted out the words…
"Im bi."
The only word to describe his father's face was pure disgust. He knew what his parents' reactions would be, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't imagined a heartfelt conversation and maybe even a hug once or twice.
As much as he was prepared for his father's rage, nothing could have prepared him for the tears that his mother began to shed. Crying as if someone had just reported his death. As Buck braced for the yelling that would surely ensue, he stood from his spot on the couch. To his surprise, the only words out of his father's mouth were
"You are no longer welcome here."
***
Eddie was numb to the world. Less than a week ago, Shannon stood in front of him, hidden in the school's locker room, holding up a pregnancy test with two pink lines. Now, the fear in her eyes was only rage as she screamed at him to never contact her again.
She had every right to be angry. Shortly after hearing the news, Eddie had managed to instigate fights with almost every hot-headed boy in school. And now, between the black eye and Shannon's screams in his thinly walled room, he was no doubt about to be punished severely by his father.
As he heard Shannon slam the door to his house, his father's menacing footsteps began coming closer and closer to him.
His black eye was nothing in comparison.
An hour later, he found himself wandering the streets of LA, a tissue controlling his ever-bleeding forehead and a hastily packed bag in his hands. It didn't take a doctor for him to know he needed medical care. Between the blotchy vision and throbbing head, he began walking towards the first building he could see—the 118 firehouse.
***
Buck had always hated camping. Whenever his family would go on a trip, he would complain.
"Why are we living outside when we have a perfectly good house?" Now, for the first time, he didn't have a choice. As the sky grew a dark grey (the darkest it ever really got in a big city like LA), Buck's new reality finally began to set in along with the sharp wind of night.
At first, he wandered, peering into the long-closed shops and corner stores. But it only took a few hours before his legs grew tired and his stomach growled.
Where could he go? A police station would indeed send him right back to his parents, and he wasn't quite brave enough to enter the homeless shelter. That's when he saw the 118.