Chapter Text
It had been 16 years since Buck graduated high school… barely. Let’s just say 18 year old Evan wasn’t super concerned with grades, he only kept them high enough to stay on the football team. His parents barely cared, they only brought it up when his grades got low enough for his teachers to call home. Buck didn’t think about high school much, it only came up in his mind when some Facebook memory or post from an old teammate would come across his feed. Seeing their lives and families brought up some tough feelings, should Buck be doing more with his life at this point?
A lot of his old acquaintances and friends have families and big careers and Buck just feels like he’s been left in the dust. Buck loves his job, don't get him wrong he wouldn’t trade it for the world, but when he sees his old teammates with big corporate jobs they got from their fathers and having kids with their high school sweethearts. He just feels like he’s been wasteful with his life. Too many years on the wind drifting and now he’s playing catch up.
Buck knew he wanted kids, he always had. Technically he has one but he’s not really his, he’s Connor and Kameron’s. They had said he could see him sometimes and he used to follow them on social media but he knew it would be hard for him to not get too attached, more attached then you should be to an old roommates kid. Buck at least took solace that somewhere out there, he had a kid who was happy, happier than he was as a kid that’s for sure.
“Hey WonderBuck, are you back with us or are you staying in La La land?” Chim broke him from his train of thought, How long had he been zoned out? He looked up from his phone.
“Sorry I was just looking at something, What were you saying?”
“Oh nothing, nothing at all. You just seemed so zoned in on your phone I thought something might have happened.” Chimney had a wide grin on his face, the kind you get when you're teasing somebody. “Or maybe your boyfriend not boyfriend was texting you”
“Tommy isn’t- Well- H-He’s not-” Buck stopped while he was ahead, he knew what him and Tommy were doing was complicated and he didn’t want to label it one way or the other. After the lab debacle and Bobby being in the hospital, him and Tommy were talking again, it was nice.
“Chimney, what have I said about teasing Buck about this?” Hen was acting captain while Bobby was in the hospital, the doctors said it could be weeks before he’s better. In the lab Bobby hadn’t been infected with the same thing Chimney had, his symptoms had been minor. They deduced he had been infected with the standard strain of the virus, which was a lot easier to treat. It had been kind of funny when they had all figured out he wasn’t going to die right then, after Bobby sat there for another 2 hours after saying goodbye.
“Oh come on, they’re turning into our very own Ross and Rachel with this, please let me be Chandler”
“Does that make me Joey?” Ravi interjected.
“No because in this analogy that would make me Monica and if Chim is Chandler that just isn’t right” Hen quickly shut down that tangent. Buck had been grateful for the distraction from his drama.
“Hello? Excuse me?” They heard a voice call from downstairs.
They all got up and made their way down, a young woman stood in the truck bay. She looked to be about 17 maybe 18 but she was tall for her age, almost 6 foot. She had light brown skin and curly hair, from where Buck was standing he could see her bright blue eyes as well. She seemed nervous, fidgeting with the paper in her hands.
“Hello ma’am did you need help? Are you hurt?” Hen went up to the girl to check on her.
“No I-I’m alright. I’m actually looking for someone, is there uh…” She unfolded a paper in her hands, but it seemed more like a support, whatever she was reading off from it was memorized. “Is there an Evan Buckley here?”
Buck was shocked to hear that, he was sure he didn’t know her and he had no clue why she would be looking for him. Could she have been someone he saved? He feels like he would recognize her then. Maybe she had found him online? But why would she need him?
“Uh that’s me” Buck meekly raised his hand, still confused.
“And you grew up in Hershey Pennsylvania? And you went to Hershey High School?” Buck was surprised she knew all this information, he was honestly starting to get freaked out.
“And if I did?”
“Oh my god… I finally found you…” This girl looked at him with awe, like she couldn’t believe he was standing in front of her.
“I’m sorry, this is starting to get a little creepy, before you start telling us Buck’s blood type. Why are you looking for him?” Thank god for Chimney and his impatience for suspense.
The girl, he felt bad thinking about her like that but he didn't even know her name, looked choked up. The words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. She couldn’t take her eyes off Buck. Her mouth opened… and closed… and opened… and closed. Finally she took a deep breath and started to speak.
“This isn’t going to be easy so I’m just going to say it. You had a… relationship with a girl named Mariah Johnson in high school right?” Buck nodded “Well do you remember that a few weeks after you broke up she dropped out and never came back to school?” Buck nodded again, he had been sad to hear about it but 16 year old Buck was already going after the next girl at that point.
“Well… she never came back because she was pregnant… with me…” Bucks ears started ringing, the implication hitting him like a train. He knew he should be putting the pieces together but he just couldn’t believe it.
“So you my-my… Your mom had you and I’m yo-” Buck couldn’t get the thought out, his throat closed up tight.
“Yes that’s right… I'm your daughter”