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Bobby and Athena were throwing another Grant-Nash barbeque. Ravi and Albert were invited along, Ravi to try to fully integrate him into A-shift and Albert because he’d recently broken up and Chimney felt bad for him being all alone. Despite Albert’s insistence that he was fine and didn’t need to be babysat, he went to the barbeque as well.
May, Albert and Ravi ended up grouping together and chatting while the younger kids ran around and played. While there was roughly 7 years between them, they still found it easiest to talk to each other. Feeling like they were the closest in age between each other.
“What was it like living with Buck?” Ravi started, gesturing to the man with his beer bottle, “I can only imagine it was a nightmare.”
“Not bad, he had some house rules but they made sense, I still follow most of them,” Albert shrugged.
“Really? I would have thought living with Buck would be great,” May shrugged.
“Seriously?” Ravi questioned.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s so helpful and supportive,” May explained.
“Oh, he definitely is,” Albert nodded, “he can be a bit strict though.”
“A bit!” Ravi blurted out, “he chased me with a chainsaw!”
“He what?” May laughed.
“What!” Albert coughed out, having just taken a sip of his own beer.
“Yeah! He said he was training me but he was just harassing and terrorising me!” Ravi defended.
“Bullshit!” May couldn’t help but say.
“I’m telling the truth!” Ravi sputtered.
“There’s no way Buck would do that!” May gasped.
“He so did! Ask anyone here!” Ravi defended. “I’m swear I’m not lying!” May narrowed her eyes and studied Ravi.
“Eddie!” May called out, turning to watch the man as he ran over.
“What’s up?” Eddie asked.
“Did Buck chase Ravi with a chainsaw?” Albert burst in.
“Did Buck what?” Eddie gaped. The three of them turned to stare at Ravi.
“I’m not lying!” Ravi pleaded, “ask literally anyone else, Eddie wasn’t there! Hen found me hiding in the captain’s office once.”
“Auntie Hen?” May called out, again. Hen looked across the party to them and walk over when May, and the others, beckoned her to them.
“This is either an argument you want me to settle or some weird initiation thing,” Hen joked.
“Did Buck chase Ravi with a chainsaw?” Eddie asked Hen, incredulous. Hen laughed
“Yeah, I found the probie hiding in the captain’s office,” Hen laughed.
“Why?” Eddie breathed out as Ravi celebrated that he was proved correct.
“It was when you were working at dispatch, to help with your anxiety,” Hen explained. “I think he was upset you weren’t there. I feel bad, he was really tough on Ravi.”
“I hide any clipboards,” Ravi added.
“Come on, Clipboard Buck isn’t that bad,” Eddie defended.
“Clipboard Buck?” May asked with a raised brow and a smile.
“No, you don’t find him that bad because you find it hot,” Hen argued, May, Ravi and Albert grimaced at the statement. “You’re completely biased.”
“Please don’t talk about that kind of stuff, Buck’s like my brother,” May fake gagged.
“Buck’s basically my brother-in-law,” Albert muttered, “I can’t escape him.”
“You make it sound like he’s someone to avoid,” May sniped, jabbing Albert in the stomach. At least it distracted him from the glare Eddie was sending to him.
“I didn’t mean it as a bad thing,” Albert tried.
“I think I need a graph,” Ravi muttered.
“Is the chainsaw the worst thing he did?” May asked, ignoring what the two had said.
“Maybe, he also got a bit weird when I told him about my childhood,” Ravi shrugged.
“What did you say?” Eddie asked, curious.
“I just told him that I had cancer as a kid,” Ravi offerd.
“Oh,” everyone else hummed. Ravi looked confused, annoyed and scared, somehow. Probably because of how insinc they were.
“His bother had cancer growing up,” Eddie explained, “he was a saviour sibling.”
“Oh, yeah, he got kinda weird about it,” Ravi muttered, “not, like, bad weird. Just kinda weird.”
“He probably just got a bit confused,” Eddie added, “his parents still coddle his brother so he’s probably surprised you’re ‘allowed’ to be a firefighter.” Eddie made actual air quotes as he said allowed.
“I feel like that would make their dynamic worse than mine and Howard’s,” Albert sighed.
“Sure, at first. Now they’re good,” Eddie nodded, “he’s no contact with his parents though.”
“That’s good,” both Ravi and Albert nodded.
“Good riddance,” May huffed.
“Seriously?” Albert laughed.
“Yeah, you really think people who treated Buck like spare parts and forced him into acting, not caring about how much he hated it, who were going to keep forcing to work after he had a breakdown, are better parents to him than mum and Bobby?” May pushed.
“May,” Hen and Eddie warned, neither of them doubted Buck had told her the whole story, but even then, May shouldn’t have just dumped all of it.
“You right,” Albert acquiesced.
“Damn,” Ravi blew out, “his parents suck.”
“You have no idea,” May huffed.